> My Little Pony Rangers: Morphin' is Magic
>  by Lance Skyes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Discord Rises (The Rangers Return part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Cheerilee led her students on a field trip through the Canterlot Statue Gardens as a way to kick off the new school year. Most of the students were having a decent time. (Or at least the best time you could possibly have when you’re in a garden full of statues and you’re a foal with a pretty short attention span who just got off of his or her summer vacation.) However, there were three little fillies in the back of the class who had too much on their minds to even pretend they were having a good time. After all, the Cutie Mark Crusaders did go the entire summer knowing that their sisters were the Pony Rangers. However, they were unable to do anything but think about it since they were all at summer camp the whole time. In fact, they had only gotten back from camp the other day and hardly saw their sisters at all since then.
“We seriously need to talk to them,” Applebloom said to her fellow Crusaders. “I’m sure they’ll be able to explain at least a few things if we just ask.”
“I know,” Sweetie Belle said. “But they kind of have to be in the same room as us for more than three seconds for us to even talk to them.”
“I wonder why they would be in such a rush all the time, anyway,” Scootaloo added. “I mean, if they already defeated Nightmare Moon...”
The young pegasus was quickly cut off when a wave of screaming fillies and colts galloped past them. “What the hay is goin’ on?” Applebloom asked. When she looked over to where the ponies were running from, she saw a small group of Nightmare Moon’s Putty Ponies galloping through the garden, looking through statue after statue as though to find for one in particular.
“Come on, girls,” Scootaloo said. “We need to get out of here!”
“Hang on, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said. “Maybe we can see the Pony Rangers if we hang out here for a little longer.” Just then, two Putty Ponies noticed the Crusaders and began galloping towards them.
“Either that, or we’ll be put in mortal peril!” Applebloom shouted. Just as the two Putties were about to pounce, they were knocked back by a red flying blur.
“Whoa,” Scootaloo said. “Was that...” Scootaloo trailed off as the pony who saved the fillies landed in front of them. It looked like the Red Pony Ranger, except her armor looked somewhat different from what the Crusaders remember. Instead of a full red bodysuit, around her midsection was white diamond shapes, her hooves were covered with white “gloves” (for lack of a better term), and her visor better resembled the mouth of her Tyrannozord. (Basically, the Rangers’ armor in season 2 more closely resembles their counterparts from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.)
“Are you three okay?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“We’re fine,” Scootaloo said. “Thanks Rai...nger Red who we totally don’t know the identity of. *squee*”
“This is no place for fillies. You could seriously get hurt if you stay here. Get going!” The three fillies nodded in reply and began galloping off to join the rest of their class, who was already well away from where the Putties had attacked. Rainbow Dash took some time to look back to make sure Scootaloo got to safety before turning back to the attacking Putty Ponies. “All right, Putties. I don’t know why you keep coming back if Nightmare’s finished, but I’m not going to complain. It just means I don’t have to stop fighting you guys. Now come at me, bro.”
About seven Putties charged at Rainbow Dash, but three of them stayed behind and continued looking through the statues. Rainbow Dash ignored the three Putties who stayed behind and charged back at the other seven. Dash flew right at one Putty, knocking it straight back and possibly breaking one of its legs. Dash then grabbed the Putty she had knocked down by its leg (probably the one that was likely broken) and threw it into two other Putties. She then back flipped and landed perfectly on another Putty’s back. “Hay, pal, now would be a good time for you to get ready to get bucked hard.” In response to what Rainbow Dash said, the Putty attempted to buck Dash off of it. Rainbow Dash was knocked off, but she perfectly backflipped and bucked the Putty down from the air. “Heh. I tried to warn you.” Two other Putties tried to sneak up on Rainbow Dash after she landed, but the prismatic pegasus was difficult to take by surprise. She planted her left fore hoof firmly on the ground and performed a perfect tornado buck to knock the two Putties away. Dash then stood back on all fours and dusted herself off before turning to the last remaining Putty. The Putty’s legs were shaking like leaves and, though they never talked, Rainbow Dash could have sworn that the Putty was whimpering a little. “What’s the matter? It’s not like we haven’t totally owned you guys before. Hmm, then again, I suppose you’ve never been totally owned by a single one of us before.” While Rainbow Dash was distracted by her own talking, the Putty snuck off to help the other three Putties who stayed behind earlier. “I mean, sure, Twilight took out like 40 of you on her own a few months ago, but she’s a bit more powerful than any of us individually. I guess the new armor Twilight and Rarity designed for us does improve our powers. Still, I suppose that’s no reason to- hay, where’d you go? I still haven’t beaten the clay out of you.” Rainbow Dash looked around just in time to see four Putty Ponies gathered around a single statue. It certainly didn’t look like an ordinary statue, though. It was a statue of... several different animals. Or at least that was the best description Rainbow Dash could come up with. “Hay, hooves off the statue! Terrorizing ponies is one thing, but vandalism is something totally different!” Rainbow Dash charged at the Putties, but she wasn’t fast enough to get to them before they teleported away with the statue. “Huh. I wonder what that was all about.” Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment before shrugging and taking off back towards Canterlot Castle.
Meanwhile, Scootaloo and the others had seen the whole thing from behind another statue. “Wow,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash really is awesome. She just drove all of those Putty Ponies away single-hoofedly.”
“I guess that was pretty cool,” Applebloom commented. “But we still need to get back and meet up with the rest of the class. Ms. Cheerilee will start to get worried.” The other two nodded in reply and the three fillies began galloping away to try to catch up to their class.

Moments later, Rainbow Dash had finally made it to the computer room in Canterlot Castle where Twilight was waiting. “Good to see you back, Dash,” Twilight said as Rainbow Dash landed in the center of the room.
“Good to be back,” the prismatic pegasus replied, removing her helmet. As she took her helmet off, she flipped her head back to loosen up her rainbow-colored mane and remove just about any trace of helmet hair. (Not that there was any there in the first place.) “Are the others here yet?”
“Not yet. They took the train. Pretty lucky you were assigned to Canterlot weather duty today, too. Who knows what those Putties would have done if you weren’t nearby.”
“Well I didn’t quite stop them, I don’t think.” Rainbow Dash flew over to where Twilight was standing (not being able to trot while holding her helmet in one hoof) and looked at what Twilight was working on. “Whatcha working on?”
“I’m working on upgrading the Thunder Coin as I’ve upgraded the Elements of Harmony. The five of you already have more power than I do, now, so I need to work on getting myself back up to par.” Twilight continued working for a moment before suddenly stopping. “What exactly do you mean ‘You didn’t quite stop them, you don’t think?’”
“A few of the Putties made off with one of the statues in the Royal Garden.”
“Which statue?” a panicked sounding Princess Celestia asked, walking into the room.
“Princess!” a startled Twilight suddenly shouted, quickly bowing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to be here yet. Rainbow Dash had just finished stopping another Putty attack and was reporting a stolen statue.”
“I know. I heard that part of the conversation. I was asking which statue the Putties made off with.”
“I’m not entirely sure what it was a statue of,” Rainbow Dash said. “It was pretty hard to describe, but it looked like it had a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail.”
Celestia gasped with horror when she heard what Rainbow Dash had said. “What’s the ETA of the train the Rangers are on?”
Twilight looked at the screen on her console to check on the status of the train. “The train just arrived and the Rangers are making their way through the city,” Twilight said. “Their ETA is... about three minutes.”
“Okay. I’ll go get Princess Luna. Twilight, you summon Spike. All of us need to be here when I give this news.” Celestia then galloped out of the room to summon her younger sister while Twilight used the comm system to contact Spike, who she guessed was still in bed.

Meanwhile on the lunar base where Nightmare’s four old minions remained, four Putty Ponies teleported into the center of the main room with the statue they had stolen moments before. Just then, two equine creatures, a blue unicorn and a zebra decorated with gold rings, trotted into the room. “The Great and Powerful Trixie supposes she doesn’t give your Putty Ponies enough credit, Zecora,” Trixie said to her zebra companion.
“It’s true, they are usually a mess,” Zecora replied. “But there are some occasions where they achieve success.”
“Now, then, the Great and Powerful Trixie has only two questions for you, Zecora. First, what exactly is that a statue of? Second, why is the Great and Powerful Trixie here with you and not enjoying her midday spa bath?”
“The answer to your first question would cause Celestia to flee at the mere mention. This is the sealed villain, Discord, spirit of chaos. When it comes to evil, there is no better boss. As for what you are doing here, Trixie my dear, you will use your magic to break him free so that he may destroy the Elements of Harmony.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie likes your way of thinking. Stand back and watch my magic at work.” Zecora did as she was told with a nod and took a couple of steps back. Trixie took a deep breath and began charging her horn with energy. “The magic essence of evil has been entrusted within me for these past few months...”
“No it wasn’t,” Gilda shouted from the other room.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands silence!” Trixie then turned back to the statue of Discord and resumed her spell. “...and now, I use that very energy to resurrect the spirit of chaos and disharmony so that he may once again lay waste to Equestria and destroy those who became the demise of Nightmare Moon!” Trixie’s horn then flared and fired a blast of energy towards the statue, knocking the magician back right into Zecora. They both got up quickly to find that Trixie’s spell was a success and that the stone was cracking in several areas. “Yes,” Trixie said to herself, mentally giving herself a pat on the back. She then proceeded to give Zecora a brohoof to congratulate the zebra for her part of the plan.

Meanwhile, back at Canterlot, Celestia and her younger sister, Luna (Who had undergone a significant change in her physical appearance since the Gala. Instead of being a filly, she looked a little more grown up, her coat was darker, and her mane resembled that of Nightmare Moon once again.), were briefing the six Pony Rangers on the situation the alicorn sisters were afraid was unfolding. “I believe Nightmare’s old minions plan to resurrect one of our oldest foes,” Celestia said.
“Well who is it?” Applejack asked.
“His name is Discord,” Luna continued, “and he is a being of pure chaos. Long before the time of Nightmare Moon, Discord ruled Equestria in a state of eternal unrest and unhappiness.”
“Luna and I rose up against him, but our powers alone weren’t enough to stop him. For a time, we were sure we had lost the battle against Discord. However, when we discovered the Elements of Harmony, we found that their magic gave us a fighting chance against him. We were able to combine their power with ours and seal Discord in stone, but we knew the seal would not last forever, so we had to incorporate an... outside force.”
“Outside force?” Twilight asked. “What kind of force?”
“The miasma,” Luna replied. “The very entity that created Nightmare Moon by possessing my body.”
“But why would you have used the miasma?” Applejack asked. “Isn’t it, I dunno, EVIL?”
“At the time, it wasn’t such a bad idea,” Celestia said. “The miasma was not always an entity of evil. At first, it was a being we created to maintain a more permanent seal on Discord. However, over time, its power began waning, possibly due to exposure to Discord’s leaking energy.”
“In an effort to keep the miasma’s power alive,” Luna continued, “I tried to merge with it to strengthen its power. However, in addition to decreasing the miasma’s power, Discord’s energy corrupted the miasma, turning it evil.”
“And when you merged with it,” Rainbow Dash said, “it corrupted you as well, turning you into Nightmare Moon.”
“Yes,” Celestia said. “However, the miasma was still maintaining the seal on Discord, so we couldn’t have destroyed it. With this in mind, Luna reached out to me from the veil of shadow the miasma had drawn and told me to do something very difficult. She asked me to use the Elements of Harmony to seal her and the miasma within the moon, protecting Equestria from any harm she could do as Nightmare Moon while still keeping the miasma’s power intact and the seal on Discord alive.”
“But with Nightmare gone and the miasma destroyed...” Twilight said, “that means Discord can return and wreak havoc on Equestria!”
“Not if you six can stop him,” Luna said. The Rangers replied with a collective “Huh?”
“You six are the wielders of the Elements of Harmony now,” Celestia explained. “Therefore, it is up to you six, as Pony Rangers, to use your powers to defeat Discord and save Equestria once again.”
The six Rangers looked at each other for a moment, as though talking amongst themselves to decide whether or not to take on the task. After a while, Twilight turned to Celestia. “Princess Celestia, where do we begin?”
Just then, several alarms went off at the main computer. “There’s something going on in Ponyville!” Spike shouted. “It might be Discord.”
“You were asking where to begin, Twilight?” Celestia asked. “The answer would be in Ponyville right now.”
“Alright,” Twilight said. She then turned to the other Rangers. “Everypony ready?”
The others replied with collective shouts of “All right!” and “Let’s do this!” and one particularly quiet “Yay...”
“Good luck my little Pony Rangers,” Celestia said. “The fate of Equestria rests in your hooves.”
“We won’t let you down, Princess,” Twilight said. “Now let’s go, Rangers!” Twilight then teleported herself and the other five Rangers to Ponyville.
“Are you sure they’ll be able to defeat Discord, my sister?” Luna asked Celestia once the Rangers were gone.
“I cannot honestly say yes,” Celestia replied. “You know as well as I do that Discord is a powerful foe. If they are to have any chance against him, they will have to show more power than they did at the Gala.”

Meanwhile, the Rangers finally landed in Ponyville to find that it was just about cleared out somehow. “There’s nopony here,” Twilight said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Suddenly, the six Rangers heard some kind of low, evil laugh seeming to come from nowhere. “Oh, my dear Twilight Sparkle,” the voice said, “what fun is there in making sense?”
“Who’s there?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Show yourself and fight!”
“Oh come now, Pony Rangers. We could just as easily fight right now, but what’s the fun in that? Where’s that sense of adventure I’ve heard so much about, Rainbow Dash?”
“I’m assumin’ you’re this Discord guy we’re lookin’ for,” Applejack said.
“Well that’s certainly no lie, honest Applejack.”
“So you know who we all are,” Rainbow Dash said. “What do you say we skip formalities and get to the part where we totally kick your flank and throw you back in your stone prison?”
“Ugh, I honestly expected you Rangers to be more fun than this. Fine, I had three whole chapters planned out before our battle, but I suppose I could just throw that whole script away and cut right to the chase!” Just then, a flash of yellowish light appeared before the Pony Rangers. It was small at first, but it started growing quickly until it became at least as large as a full-grown stallion. After a while, it flared and a large and strange-looking creature appeared. (I’m going to be lazy and not describe what Discord looks like. After all, I’m sure he’s pretty well imprinted in all of our minds by now.) The villain stood tall and let out a loud, thunderous evil laugh.
“What the hay is that thing?” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Is it not obvious, Pony Rangers? I’m Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, once the ruler of Equestria, and today the one who will finally end you and your Elements of Harmony!”
“We’ll see about that.” Rainbow Dash then pulled out her Element of Harmony, followed by her fellow Rangers. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF THUNDER!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Green!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! WE ARE THE PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!”
The six Rangers stood about fifteen feet away from Discord. Both parties were sizing each other up and staring each other down.
“Are you ponies going to just stand there all day?” Discord asked after a while. “Or are we going to get this over with? I kind of have a world to plunge into eternal chaos.”
“Oh, we’re going to get this over with, all right,” Rainbow Dash said. “Rangers, attack!” The six Rangers then charged right at Discord, who didn’t seem even slightly phased by the fact that the very ponies who defeated Nightmare Moon were coming after him. In fact, an evil smile crept across his face as the ponies charged at him.
The first Ranger to get to Discord was Rainbow Dash. Dash charged hoof-first, aiming to start the battle with a strong strike right to Discord’s face. However, in almost a blur, Discord moved his paw to block the pegasus’s attack and quickly follow up with a jab to the stomach with his talon, sending Dash flying into a nearby building.
Applejack ducked to avoid Rainbow Dash and leapt at Discord to give a strong two-legged buck to his chest. However, Discord sidestepped and quickly turned to strike the farm filly in the side, knocking her to the ground.
Rarity charged head-first at Discord, swerving left and right to dodge his blasts of magic. After she reached her adversary, Rarity leapt up at Discord, charging a powerful blast of magic she was planning on firing at point-blank range. However, Discord teleported out of the way just barely before Rarity’s attack made contact, causing the blast to hit Fluttershy, who was trying to attack Discord from behind.
Pinkie did her weird bouncing thingy towards Discord and leapt right at him, quickly unleashing several strikes with her hooves. However, Discord blocked each strike with ease, eventually spinning and smacking Pinkie away with his tail.
“You ponies aren’t even a challenge,” Discord said. “I honestly expected more from Celestia’s precious Pony Rangers.” As Discord was saying this, Twilight tried to come up behind him to strike him with her magic. However, Discord quickly turned and grabbed Twilight by her foreleg with his paw. “Ah, the Green Pony Ranger, Twilight Sparkle. I hear you are the strongest of the Rangers.”
“You heard right,” Twilight said. “Care for some proof?” Twilight then fired a blast of magic right into Discord’s face. However, this barely seemed to damage him at all.
“Oh, yes, very much power. I think I actually felt that, in fact.” Discord then began raising his talon hand. “You know, I’ve heard from a very reliable source that your power is stolen. Mind if I... take it back?” Then, in hardly a blink of an eye, Discord thrust his talon forward right inside Twilight’s chest. The sudden shock as well as the powerful magic focused within Discord’s hand caused Twilight to begin screaming in agony as it felt like Discord was sucking the very life force out of her body.
“What is he doing?” Rainbow Dash shouted, quickly getting up and seeing that her friend was in a dangerous situation. “GET YOUR CLAWS OFF OF HER, YOU MONSTER!” Not even thinking of what she was doing, Rainbow Dash began flying at full speed towards Discord, managing to tackle him from behind and causing him to drop Twilight. As Discord fell forward, Rainbow Dash quickly maneuvered to catch Twilight before she hit the ground. The unicorn was de-morphed and seemed to be barely breathing. After doing her best to shake Twilight awake to little success, Dash quickly turned to the other Rangers. “Rangers, we need to fall back! Twilight’s down and Discord’s too strong for us to take on without her!” Rainbow Dash held Twilight in one of her hooves and activated her comm with her other hoof. “Princess Celestia, are you there?”
“I’m here, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia replied from the other line. “And I see your predicament. I’m going to teleport you six back to Canterlot right now.” In six different colored flashes of light, the ponies were teleported out of Ponyville and back towards Canterlot.
Just as the Rangers teleported away, Discord got up and dusted himself off. “I honestly don’t believe this,” he said to himself. “The Pony Rangers have turned tail and run? YES! I HAVE WON!” Discord then let out an evil laugh before turning back towards the town behind him, now completely defenseless. “Now then, it’s time to improve this one-horse down.” Discord then raised his talon and charged it with magic.

To be continued...


Next time...

“Twilight! We were all so worried!”
“Discord must have stolen my Ranger powers. That would explain why I can’t summon the Thunder Coin.”
“Things have literally gone SNAFU since your defeat at Discord’s hands.”
“I may not be able to help you as a Ranger anymore, but I can still offer you these.”
“Ugh. Not you five again.”
“DRAW, WEAPONS OF HARMONY!”
次回、　「Ranger Down」　あ楽しみに！ [Next time: “Ranger Down (The Rangers Return part 2)” Enjoy!]

> Ranger Down (The Rangers Return part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    前回、マイ·リトル·ポニーレンジャーズに (Last time, on My Little Pony Rangers...)
“Discord has escaped his stone prison.”
“Ah, you must be those Pony Rangers I’ve been hearing about.”
“How can this guy be so strong?”
“I hear you stole the powers you have. Mind if I... take them back?”
“Twilight’s down! We need to retreat!”
“Time to make some improvements to this one-horse town.”
そして今、結論 (And now, the conclusion.)

Twilight faded in and out of consciousness, though she was barely aware of a number of presences around her. She couldn’t clearly make out what they were saying as she faded back and forth between the worlds of the living and the dead, but she was aware that they were talking with much worry in their voices.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“What’s even wrong with her?”
“This is all my fault.”
“Is her face going to stay like that?”
After what felt like days, (though in reality it was only hours) Twilight could feel everything coming back to her, though it still felt like there were huge chunks missing. As Twilight’s sight returned, she could make out the faces of her friends hovering over her and watching with anticipation as she slowly came back. Before she was even mildly aware that she was even laying in a bed, Rainbow Dash rushed up and hugged the unicorn.
“Twilight!” Dash shouted as she hugged/strangled Twilight. “We’re so glad you’re okay. We were all sure you had... you know... left us.”
“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said, walking into the small room, “it’s very rude to try to hug a pony to death immediately after they regain consciousness.”
Rainbow Dash quickly released Twilight, but her emotional expression remained the same. “What happened to me?” Twilight asked her mentor.
Celestia sighed and walked over to where her student was lying before answering. “To be honest, I wish I could tell you the truth. However, no matter how hard Luna and I try, we can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong with you. But now that you’re awake, we were hoping you could help us.”
“How could I help with figuring out what’s wrong with me if even you and Princess Luna can’t?”
“Because with your magic combined with that of your Ranger powers, your magical abilities nearly rival mine.”
Twilight could have sworn she felt herself blush a little when her own teacher told her that the student was actually on par with if not surpassing the master. “Well, okay,” the young unicorn finally said. She then used her magic to summon her Thunder Coin.
...
I said, she then used her magic to summon her Thunder Coin.
“What the hay?” Twilight asked, struggling to summon her Thunder Coin. Despite her best efforts, though, it wouldn’t appear. In fact, it felt to Twilight like there was nothing there for her to summon at all. “I don’t understand this.”
“You don’t understand what?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“The Thunder Coin isn’t appearing. It’s almost as though... It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, only harder for some reason.”
“Are ya sure it’s not more like trying to find a hay in a needle stack?” Pinkie asked. “That’s harder than the other way around and way more painful.”
Everypony looked at Pinkie with confused expressions for a moment before remembering that she was Pinkie. Finally, Rainbow Dash resumed the previous conversation. “Maybe because Discord stole your Thunder Coin and used some kind of spell to block your connection to it. Kind of like what that evil White Ranger did a few months back.”
Twilight looked at Dash with a confused expression for a moment. “What you said about Discord makes sense,” Twilight started, “but what are you talking about when you say ‘evil White Ranger’? I mean, I remember that the Grand Galloping Gala was a few months back, but I don’t recall anything about this White Ranger character.”
“What are you saying, Twilight? She came with a batch of other evil villains from a parallel universe. Hay, she was you from said parallel universe! Why don’t-”
Dash was about to continue, but Celestia stopped her. “I think I know what’s going on,” the alicorn said. She then turned to Twilight. “Rather than simply steal your Thunder Coin, Twilight, I think Discord completely severed your connection to the Morphin’ Grid.”
“What do you mean ‘severed her connection’?” Fluttershy asked.
“It works kind of like this: When you morph into a Pony Ranger for the first time, your spirit becomes connected to the Morphin’ Grid, which acts not only as the source of your Ranger powers, but as a massive library containing all history on all Ranger and Sentai activity throughout all worlds and universes.”
“What’s a ‘scent pie’?” Pinkie asked. “Is it a pie that smells really good? Ooh, that sounds delicious!”
“Sentai,” Celestia corrected. “Actually, it’s not important. What is important, however, is the fact that when those Rangers from the other world came to our world, they created an imbalance. They were missing from their universe and didn’t belong in ours. Had they stayed for much longer than they did, they would have caused both worlds to implode. That said, when they left, both worlds tried to correct themselves by reversing time to before the day they left their world and arrived in ours. This caused all damage, physical and temporal, to be reversed and all memories of and data pertaining to them to be deleted. However, since you six, as well as our computers, were connected to the Morphin’ Grid, everyone here, Spike and Luna included for some reason, remembered everything that happened over the three days they were here.
“However, since Twilight was forcibly removed from the Morphin’ Grid by Discord, she lost her memories of those three days and of all the visitors from that world, Ranger and otherwise.”
“So basically, all of that stems from ‘I’ve lost my Ranger powers’, right?” Twilight asked almost impatiently. She was used to lectures, but she felt her teacher simply went off on a tangent this time around.
“No,” Celestia continued. “It stems from ‘your connection to the Morphin’ Grid has been forcibly severed’, meaning that not only have you lost your Ranger powers and some of your memories... I’m afraid you may never morph again at all.”
All six of the ponies gasped in horror when Celestia said this. “What do you mean I’ll never morph again?” Twilight asked, panic evident in her voice. “Couldn’t I just recover the Thunder Coin somehow?”
“I’m afraid that’s out of the question, as well, my student. Since your connection was forcibly severed, it would be nearly impossible to re-establish it. And even if it were somehow re-established, it would be very unstable and it could result in the complete destruction of your body.”
Twilight looked down for a moment, doing her best to cope with this sudden change of events. This can’t be happening, she thought to herself. How am I supposed to fulfill my destiny if I’ll never be able to morph again? Just then, Luna walked in.
“We are sure thou are tired of hearing bad news by now,” the princess of the night said, “but we have something very important we need to show thee.”
“Hay, Luna,” Pinkie started, “how come you’re talking in your regular fan canon voice right now even though you were talking normally in the previous chapter?”
“We will answer thine question with another question: What powers does thee posses that allow thee to act so random?”
“Ah, Luna, I believe the answer to both of our questions are the same.” Pinkie then trotted over to another end of the room and removed a randomly placed curtain to reveal a green pegasus colt lying in another bed, typing on a laptop.
“Pinkie!” the startled colt shouted. “You weren’t supposed to break the fourth wall in this chapter!”
“So? It’s not like you’re the ruler of this world or something.”
“On the contrary...” The colt typed some stuff on his laptop and Pinkie suddenly started being dragged by her mane towards the other side of the room. “Now then, if you all would kindly leave...” The colt then typed some more stuff onto his laptop and then hit the ‘enter’ key.

A few minutes later, the Rangers, the princesses, and Twilight made their way into the computer room, where Spike was nervously waiting for them to show up. “There you ponies are,” Spike said. He then turned around and typed some stuff into the console. “Luna and I were monitoring Ponyville ever since you Rangers got back, and it’s not looking good.”
“How not good are things looking?” Rarity asked.
“We will put it simply for you,” Luna said. “Things have literally gone SNAFU since you Rangers left Ponyville.”
“Oh no!” Pinkie shouted. “I have just one question. What does SNAFU mean?”
“It means ‘Situation Now All Bucked Up’.”
“Don’t you mean ‘Situation Now All F-’” Twilight started to correct.
“Watch thine language, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna quickly (almost hurriedly) interrupted. “This fic is rated ‘everypony’, meaning it is supposed to be free of such language.”
“Fair enough.” Twilight then turned to Spike. “How SNAFU have things gotten, anyway?”
“Ah, there’s quite a list,” Spike said. “Almost as long as some of some of your checklists, in fact.” Spike laughed to himself for a moment, but nopony else there seemed that impressed with the baby dragon’s joke, so he simply cleared his throat and continued. “Ahem. Anyway, Discord’s certainly had fun with Ponyville. The ground has been turned into a massive checkerboard, there are clouds of cotton candy raining chocolate milk, several buildings are floating in the air, flying pies, ballet buffalos, et cetera; and the worst part is that it’s starting to spread all over Equestria.”
“Is Canterlot going to suffer a similar fate of chaos?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No,” Celestia answered. “Luna and I have cast a protective spell that should protect Canterlot from Discord’s magic. However, even our magic can’t hold out forever against Discord’s power, which means the five remaining Rangers need to get to Ponyville and defeat Discord before he overtakes all of Equestria.”
“Well what do y’all expect us to do, Princess?” Applejack asked. “I don’t know if you were takin’ another one of your power naps over the past day, but Discord was tossin’ us around worse than a rattler shakes its tail!”
“Actually, I might be able to help with that part,” Twilight said. She then trotted over to the console and shooed Spike away. She then used her magic to pull up several windows on the huge screen at the front of the room where Celestia’s time warp used to be. “I may not be able to assist you as a Ranger anymore, but I can still offer you these.”
“What are they?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“These are a few little things I like to call the Weapons of Harmony. I can’t quite remember what prompted me to make them, but I’m sure it had something to do with those Rangers from another world.”
“I’ll go ahead and explain your reasoning for you, seeing as I had a hoof in making these weapons as well,” Rarity said, stepping forward. “You see, when those otherworldly Rangers came to our world, they had weapons that granted them power that rivaled ours rather well. This made Twilight realize that if we’re ever going to have a chance against ever-strengthening threats, we need to increase our own power. The first step of this process was designing these new, albeit horrendous, uniforms. This granted us increased power on its own, but that was just so our bodies would become accustomed to greater amounts of power than before.”
“Thanks, Rarity,” Twilight said. “I can fill in the rest of it from here. Anyway, only recently have our powers reached their peak, but the Weapons of Harmony still weren’t quite ready for testing, yet.” Twilight sighed and looked down before continuing. “I guess it would have been in my better interest to test them in that previous battle, but...” Twilight shook her head and turned back to the Rangers. “But it doesn’t matter. I had a good run, but I’m just gonna have to face the fact that I was never really meant to be a Ranger. My place is in the science behind your powers. And right now, it’s time to introduce you to the greatest fruits of my efforts yet.” Twilight then typed some stuff into the console.
“I’ll list off each of your individual weapons one by one. First off, Applejack, your weapon will be the Harmony Lance.” The screen focused on the Harmony Lance. It looked kind of like a blue staff with blades on either end. It had two circular handles towards the center, possibly for Applejack to hold it in her hooves rather than her mouth. “An interesting feature I decided to include in your Harmony Lance is that it is capable of splitting down the middle to create two separate blades that you can use to attack in different directions.
“Next up is Fluttershy. For you, I created the Harmony Daggers.” On the screen, the Harmony Daggers came into focus. What they were were a pair of yellow daggers with circular handles on each hilt. As well, it seemed like the blades themselves were capable of pivoting a little bit on their hilts. “Rarity and I designed these with ease of motion in mind, so they should be easy for you to incorporate into your graceful fighting style.
“For Pinkie Pie, I created the Harmony Bow.” On screen, a simple looking bow with an arrow already loaded in it appeared. It had one handle at the center and two on the far edges of the weapon for melee attacks. “At first, I was planning on giving you a simpler weapon like a shield, (for reasons that I’m sure would come up if I still had that one part of my memory) but after seeing you use that party cannon at the Gala, I realized that a ranged weapon would be the best fit for you and immediately changed the design.
“Rarity, since you’re the only other unicorn on the team, I thought it would be best to give you a heavier duty weapon for you to wield with your magic. Thus, I give you the Harmony Axe.” On the screen appeared a large and heavy-looking black axe. While it was designed for Rarity to hold it with her magic, there were still hoof-holds on the hilt. “Even if wielding it with your magic proves difficult, it is made of an incredibly lightweight material, so holding it with your hooves won’t be a challenge.
“Finally, we come to Rainbow Dash. Since your fighting style mostly involves speed, one of the things I absolutely needed to do was make your weapon light-weight and very well-balanced. That said, you shall receive the Harmony Sword.” The screen focused on a simple-looking red sword with a circular handle on the hilt. “As the leader of the team, I felt it was only natural that your weapon be the lightest and strongest of them all.
“Now I have granted you five the strongest powers I can provide for you. With these weapons, you shall go forth and defeat even the mightiest of your foes!”
All five of the Rangers stood there for a moment, taking in everything Twilight said and showed them. Finally, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Those... are truly awesome!”
“I’ll agree with ya there, Dash,” Applejack added.
“That actually wasn’t my final design for the Harmony Axe, but I like it anyway,” Rarity commented.
“Whee!” Pinkie shouted. “My Harmony Bow looks like fun!”
“Yay,” Fluttershy quietly said.
“Looks like everypony’s in agreement,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now let’s get down to Ponyville and show Discord a thing or two!”
“Hang on, Dash,” Twilight said. “Don’t forget that this is their first actual non-simulated test, so be careful with them.”
“We will, Twilight. Just teleport us down there and we’ll take care of the rest.”
“Alright.”
“Good luck, my little ponies,” Celestia said. “This may be your last chance to defeat Discord before he becomes too powerful to stop, so this battle will truly determine the fate of Equestria.”
“We’ll do our best, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said. The prismatic pegasus then turned back to Twilight. “We’re ready.”
“Best of luck to you, Rangers,” Twilight said. She then stepped back as her horn began to glow with energy. As the Rangers readied themselves, Twilight’s horn flared and the five ponies were gone. “I really wish I could have done more... in the time I was with you.”

Meanwhile, in the chaotic land that was once Ponyville, the five Rangers landed just outside the library, which, amazingly, seemed untouched by Discord’s magic. (Though possibly from lack of trying.) Rainbow Dash quickly snapped upright and surveyed the chaotic landscape. “You’ve gotta wonder something about this Discord guy,” the pegasus finally said after a while. “What is his real goal amid all this chaos?”
“Who cares?” Dash heard Pinkie say. When everypony looked at Pinkie Pie, they found her standing underneath a cotton candy cloud that was pouring chocolate milk right into her mouth. “Anypony who makes chocolate rain is a friend of mine.”
“Focus, Pinkie,” Applejack said. “We need find and stop Discord before it’s too late.”
“And found me, you have, my little Pony Rangers,” Discord said as he flew in from just over a nearby hill. All five of the Rangers quickly regrouped and stood battle-ready against the draconequus.
“Discord,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re ready for you, this time.” All five of the Rangers then pulled out their morphers and placed them around their necks. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! WE ARE THE PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” All five of the Rangers struck less battle-ready and more camera-ready poses as a glorious explosion erupted behind them.
“Ugh,” Discord groaned. “Not this again. I was sure you little ponies had learned your lesson last time, but it seems I’m gonna have to beat that lesson back into you. But first, meet some new friends of mine. PUTTY PONIES, ATTACK!” Discord snapped his fingers and a few dozen Putty Ponies appeared between him and the Rangers.
“I guess now’s as good a time as any to try them out,” Rainbow Dash said to the other Rangers. The other four nodded in reply, all of them obviously smiling beneath their helmets.
“Try what out?” an impatient Discord asked. “What are you ponies planning.”
Rainbow Dash turned back to Discord and chuckled a little. “Ah, Discord... Did you really think we went into this battle unprepared?” Rainbow Dash then raised her right hoof to the sky, followed by the other four. “DRAW, WEAPONS OF HARMONY!” They all then pointed their hooves to the left and waved them in front of themselves from left to right in one quick motion. As their hooves crossed their chests, there was a flash of light in each of their respective colors. When the light faded, in each of their hooves were their respective Weapons of Harmony.
“Harmony Lance!” Applejack shouted, backflipping into a two-legged stance and holding her Lance in her forehooves.
“Harmony Daggers!” Fluttershy shouted, hovering just above the ground and waving her Daggers around her hooves, showing off how easily she could wield them.
“Harmony Bow!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing up into a two-legged stance while using one forehoof to hold her Bow and another to hold the tail end of an arrow.
“Harmony Axe!” Rarity shouted, getting up on her hind legs and using her forehooves to hold the Axe. One hoof was on the hilt of the Axe while the other was closer to the head to provide stability.
“Harmony Sword!” Rainbow Dash shouted, doing a spin into the air and quickly coming out of it with her Sword aimed right at the Putty Ponies and the rest of her body in an upright position.
“Oh, would you look at that,” Discord said mockingly. “The little ponies have new toys to play with. Do you really think those are supposed to scare me? PUTTIES, ATTACK!” Discord then cast his hand forward, signaling for the Putties to charge.
“Twilight said these weapons hadn’t been tested yet,” Rainbow Dash said to herself. She then turned back to the other Rangers. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s test these for her, already!” The others nodded and all five of them charged into battle against the Putty Ponies. (Because I know some ponies are going to give me crap about this, Dash and Fluttershy are obviously flying and the other three have their weapons held in their belts along the sides of their bodies while they gallop into battle so they can easily reach them and attack in one fluid motion when they get to where they’re galloping to. Happy?)
Applejack quickly flipped and drew her Lance, landing right in the middle of a small group of Putties. She quickly spun around, striking several Putties with her Lance, then brought her Lance around to strike an advancing group of four Putties down. She then split her Lance in two and leapt to strike down two more Putties that were trying to jump her.
Fluttershy was truly showing off how easily she could manipulate her Daggers. She moved with great ease through her group of Putties, striking, slicing, and stabbing every single one in her way as though it were no effort at all. It was as though having a weapon in her hooves penetrated her regular barrier of shyness and unleashed a true warrior that was lying dormant for the past year.
Though Pinkie wasn’t a pegasus, she was using the air to her advantage. Before any Putties could reach her, she would bounce up into the air, draw her Bow, and rain glowing pink arrows down upon the Putties. When she was actually keeping her hooves on the ground and not cheating or haxing, she was using her Bow as what would probably be a close analogy to a steel bat as she swung at the Putties and possibly broke several of their necks.
As massive as the Harmony Axe was, Rarity was wielding it with incredible grace. Though she decided to wield it in her hooves rather than with her magic, she was still mowing down Putties left and right. Of course part of its ease of use was the lightweight material it was made from, but another part of it was her natural ironic skill in combat. (It’s ironic because she’s so lady-like. Shut up.)
Rainbow Dash was certainly using speed to her advantage. She would quickly fly into a group of Putties, strike several of them with her sword, and then be back above their heads before even the Putties who got hit realized what happened.
In a matter of minutes, all of the Putty Ponies were defeated and the Rangers had barely even broken a sweat. “Twilight said these weapons would give us power,” Rainbow Dash started, “but man... that was just ridiculous! I’m not complaining or anything, I’m just saying...”
Discord just stood there for a moment, looking around at what was practically fields of downed Putty Ponies. “Well,” he said to himself, “I must admit that I never expected things to turn out quite like this. Oh well.” After he said this, his voice got a hint of sarcasm. “I suppose such is the fate of those who threaten harmony in Equestria, and now it is time for me to follow suit.” He then materialized a pair of large sunglasses and donned them. “I am ready to be defeated, Pony Rangers. Fire whatever you have whenever you are ready.” Discord then waved his hand across his chest and a large bullseye appeared.
“Rangers,” Twilight said over comm.
“Go ahead, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“The Weapons of Harmony can combine to create a powerful weapon that’s sure to destroy Discord. Assemble all of your weapons to create the Elemental Cannon.”
“Elemental Cannon?” Pinkie asked. “Sounds like a cheesy name if you’d ask me.”
Just then, the same colt who appeared back in Canterlot popped his head out of a nearby bush. “Yeah, well, it’s the name you got, Pinkie,” he said. He then disappeared back into the bush.
“I’m going to pretend that didn’t just happen,” Rainbow Dash said. She then turned back to the Rangers. “Alright, let’s go for it. ELEMENTAL CANNON, FORM!” All five of the Rangers then cast their weapons into the sky, where each one proceeded to turn into a beam of light each in their respective colors.
The Harmony Bow stopped in midair and became the base of the cannon. The Harmony Sword then came up and took the position of the arrow. The Harmony Axe attached to the top side of the Sword to form a larger blade end of the arrow. The two halves of the Harmony Lance then set themselves on either side of where the Sword and Axe were and the Harmony Daggers proceeded to set themselves on the far ends of the Harmony Bow, each one next to a part of the Harmony Lance. The completed Elemental Cannon then descended into the hooves of the five Rangers. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy held the forward end of the Cannon, Rarity and Applejack kept the midsection steady, and Rainbow Dash stood behind the Cannon, ready to give the “fire” command.
“Elemental Cannon, ready!” the Rangers shouted in unison as they aimed the massive weapon at Discord.
“You’re in for it now, Discord,” Rainbow Dash said as she began to charge the Cannon, followed by the other four Rangers.
“ELEMENTAL CANNON, FIRE!” the Rangers shouted in unison as they unleashed a massive ball of concentrated energy right at Discord, who had less time than he expected to have to feign damage before disappearing in a fake explosion.
After Discord disappeared, the world around the Rangers began to glow in a flash of white light. After it died down, Ponyville and the rest of Equestria returned to its normal state of peace and harmony. The Rangers then began erupting in cheers of “We did it!” and “All right!” and “Yay!”
“Well that wasn’t so hard,” Pinkie said after all the cheering died down. “Still, doesn’t mean it’s not call for a PARTY!” Just then, their comms went off again.
“Rangers,” Celestia said on the other line, “I understand that you think this is call for celebration, but you must return to Canterlot immediately. There is something very important we must discuss.”
“Aw, man,” Pinkie said. “This is the exact same thing as what happened this time last year. We totally pwn the bad guy and we’re about to celebrate, but Celestia has to call us back to Canterlot before we can get the party started.”
“You know I never disconnected, right?”
“Oh, uh...” Without another word, Pinkie shut off her comm and turned back to the Rangers. “Yeah, let’s go back to Canterlot.”

Back on the moon base, Discord appeared in the center of the room, his mane partially charred from the blast from the Elemental Cannon. “You ran away?” an angry sounding Trixie shouted as she galloped into the room. “The Great and Powerful Trixie cuts into her own spa time to free the ‘great spirit of chaos and disharmony,’ thinking that he’ll be able to defeat the Pony Rangers once and for all, only to find that he’s a coward!?”
“How dare you address me that way,” Discord said to the magician. “For your information, I was not running away like a coward. I was simply accepting that I’ve had my fun for the time being. Once I regain the other 90% of my power that remains imprisoned, I’ll show those Pony Rangers true pain. But for now, I will admit that I am too weak to cause any serious damage. The most I could do would be snap my fingers and banish them to the furthest reaches of space, never to return... but what fun would that be?” Discord cackled maniacally before returning to his ‘I’m totally annoyed by Trixie’ state. (Which, as ironic as it isn’t, everypony seems to have one of.) “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to re-groom my mane.” Discord then stormed out of the room.

Back at Canterlot, Twilight and the Rangers were going over the footage of their recent battle with Discord under Celestia’s order. As Twilight got to the point just before the Cannon hit Discord, she noticed something fairly saddening. “You were right, Princess,” the unicorn said to her mentor. “It looks like he did teleport away before the Rangers had a chance to finish him.”
“So what does that mean?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Are we gonna have to go hoof to, uh, claw with that guy again?”
“Not anytime soon,” Celestia said. “You obviously showed that you were capable of defeating him had you done any more damage, but I’m afraid that was only because he is in a weakened state following his recent freedom. I’m afraid he won’t be showing his face again anytime soon, and in that time he will be regenerating the rest of his power.”
“So then what are we supposed to do about it?” Twilight asked.
“The same thing you Rangers have done for the past year. Keep Equestria safe from any threat that shows its muzzle. And in that time, you will just have to continue to improve your abilities until the day arrives that Discord decides to return.”
“I wish I could help you Rangers,” Twilight said. “I really do.”
“What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked, trotting up to Twilight and putting her hoof over the unicorn’s shoulder. “You’ve helped us in way more ways than just alongside us in combat. Hay, we never would have made it past the first time Trixie attacked if it weren’t for you getting us back on track after Celestia’s disappearance. Even if you aren’t a Ranger, you’re a valuable part of our team.” Dash then stepped back and held her hoof out in front of Twilight. Twilight, with a smile on her face and a tear in her eye, placed her own hoof on Rainbow Dash’s. The other four Rangers then added their own hooves to the circle, followed by the hooves of Celestia and Luna and Spike’s hand. “From all of us together, we fight as one.”
“We protect one another until the battle is done!” everypony shouted in unison as they all raised their hooves into the air. “We’re all in this together, for harmony and for Equestria!”

Next time...

“So what was the good news, Princess?”
“With Luna and I here in Canterlot again, we’ve decided that you and Spike can move to Ponyville to be closer to your friends.”
“Welcome to the neighborhood, Twilight.”
“The only way I’ll recover my power is if you go down there and cause some chaos in my absence.”
“We had Twilight to beat you last time, but we’re ready for you this time!”
“It’s out with the old and in with the new... and the same goes for the Pony Rangers.”
次回、　「Moving In」　あ楽しみに！　(Next time: “Moving In” Enjoy!)

> Moving In
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	前回、マイ·リトル·ポニーレンジャーズに (Last time, on My Little Pony Rangers...)
Before the recap could continue, a grey unicorn colt with a bright green mane galloped into the room where the green pegasus colt was typing on his laptop. “What are you doing, Rei?” the unicorn colt asked.
“What do you mean, Slen?” the pegasus asked in reply. “I do recaps, now. Recaps are cool. Besides, I’ve learned alot from Xanderman1201, and I think it would be a good idea to follow in his hoofsteps down some paths.”
“I understand that, but I don’t think you should do that in every episode, just in two-parters, which there are going to be a lot of in this season.”
“Shh! Don’t give any spoilers!”
“Saying that there’s going to be a lot of two-parters in this season isn’t a spoiler. Saying that only one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders is going to become a Ranger instead of all three like you’ve led everypony to believe is a spoiler.”
“Celest-darnit, Slen! Why do I even tell you these things if I know you’re just going to tell everypony else at the first opportunity that presents itself?”
“Hay, at least I didn’t say that Derpy-”
“ENOUGH! THIS IS NOT YOUR FIC SO LEAVE! BEGONE WITH THEE!”
“Jeez, take some anger management classes, will ya?” With that, Slen turned and trotted off.
Rei breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to his laptop. “Glad that’s done and over with. I sure hope that wasn’t too confusing to my readers.” The young pegasus then resumed typing his fic.

Twilight Sparkle trotted into the computer room in Canterlot, whistling a happy tune to herself. It was a pleasant morning and Princess Celestia allowed her to sleep in, which was a first. When the unicorn entered the room, however, Celestia and Luna were standing there, waiting for her. “What are you two doing here?” Twilight asked, quickly bowing to avoid any show of disrespect. “Is there something wrong?”
“Actually, far from it, my student,” Celestia said. “Luna and I have some exciting news.”
“Exciting news? Have you found a way for me to become a Pony Ranger again?” Twilight smiled very brightly, her eyes grew wide with anticipation, her ears perked up very high, and she even let out a squee.
“Actually... no,” Luna said, reluctant to be the bearer of bad news for the second chapter in a row. As though faster than a pony could blink, Twilight’s expression completely flipped from excitement to near depression. “However, this news is no call for thee to become depressed.”
“We’ve decided that, with Luna and I both back here in Canterlot, you and Spike don’t need to be here in Canterlot.”
“So you get your sister back and the team goes down one Ranger and you decide to totally cut off your faithful student and her pe- I mean, companion baby dragon?” Twilight asked.
“No, my student. Whatever would hint at such a notion?”
“I dunno. I guess it was just your choice of words. Anyway, were you going to continue?”
“Yes. Now, we were initially planning on giving this news while you were still a Ranger, but it would seem Discord had other plans. Still, Luna and I have decided that, in order to strengthen your budding friendships with the others, you and Spike should move to Ponyville so that you can assist the Rangers more directly.”
“Move to Ponyville?” Twilight asked, excited disbelief in her voice. “Are you serious?”
“Of course we are. Spike was informed earlier this morning and began packing some of your stuff. The Rangers have been informed as well, and they were generous enough to fix up the library in which you’ll be living.”
“I get to stay in a library?” Twilight’s voice quickly went from disbelief to sheer disbelief and excitement mixed in a pot of boiling water. (Yeah, that “boiling water” part is confusing for me, too. I think it has something to do with “all the emotions stirring around until they hit their boiling point” or something.)
“Yes. As well, there is a small cave beneath that library in which there are computers and lab equipment connected to the Canterlot computers for you to resume your work.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Princess Celestia.”
“We helped in thine arrangement,” Luna said.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks to you, too, Princess Luna.”
“Now you’d better start getting ready,” Celestia said. “Pinkie Pie was planning on throwing a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for you later this afternoon, so you’d better not be late.”
“Thanks for the advice, Princess.” Twilight then turned around and began galloping to her room to help Spike with the packing.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Discord was just settling in with Nightmare’s old minions. “Ah, the beds here are incredibly uncomfortable!” the draconequus complained as he walked into the main room that morning. “How do any of you get to sleep around here?”
“Well that certainly wasn’t the first complaint the Great and Powerful Trixie was expecting out of Discord,” Trixie said more to herself rather than to Gilda, who she was currently playing Go Fish with.
“Were you expecting more complaints, Trixie?” Discord asked, walking by. “Because I do have a significantly long list of them. But before I get to that, I want to talk to everypony. Come now, my minions.” Discord then snapped his fingers and in four flashes of light, Trixie, Gilda, Zecora, and Alan were standing before the draconequus at the center of the room.
“What in Equestria is the meaning of this?” Zecora asked. “I was busy enjoying my morning of bliss.”
“I’m sure you were, Zecora, but this moon base is under new management, and you don’t relax until I say so. Got it? Good. Now, let’s get to our new objective. As you may have seen, the Pony Rangers nearly defeated me a few days ago.”
“Yeah,” Gilda said. “Now that was embarrassing.”
“Silence, griffon!” Discord snapped his fingers and a piece of duct tape suddenly appeared over Gilda’s beak. “Now, as I was saying, the only way that I’ll be able to recover the rest of my power is if you four go down there and cause some chaos and misery in my absence. The chaos and misery produced by the civilians of Ponyville will feed my power like almost every other generic Power Rangers villain.”
“And what of the Pony Rangers?” Trixie asked. “As much as the Great and Powerful Trixie hates to admit it, the Pony Rangers have proven to be more than a match for each of us time and time again.”
“Oh, you let me worry about the Pony Rangers.” Discord then let out a maniacal laugh like he knew something his new minions didn’t. “Now, you, manticore, step forward.”
“Me?” Alan asked. “You know I have a name, right?”
“I said step forward.” Discord then snapped his fingers and Alan was teleported a few feet forward, as well as a few feet off the ground. He hit the ground before Discord with a loud thud. “Better. Now, I want you to go down there and cause chaos in Ponyville. I don’t care how you do it or how many Putty Ponies you need, but if I am ever to recover my power, we must begin immediately.” There was a short silence after Discord finished in which everypony just looked around the room at each other. “I thought I told you we must begin immediately!” Upon Discord’s shouting, all four of the minions quickly jumped up and began running around the room in startled confusion, occasionally bumping into each other. Discord then facepalmed, sighed to himself and said, “This may take a while...”

Meanwhile down in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle and Spike were just then arriving by train. All of their friends had been waiting eagerly at the platform for the past half hour, so one could easily guess how excited they were when the train finally arrived. Hardly giving Twilight a chance to step onto the platform, Rainbow Dash immediately rushed up and gave Twilight a rather painful hug. “We’re so glad you’re finally here!” the prismatic pegasus shouted as she hugged/strangled her friend.
“I’m... glad... too...” Twilight managed to choke out. “Can you... stop strangling me... for once in our lives?”
“Oh, right, sorry,” Dash said as she let Twilight go and stepped back. “Uh... how about we take some of those bags off your hooves?”
“That would be nice,” Spike said before Twilight could reply. “Twilight would have made me carry a lot of them, anyway.”
“That’s not true,” Twilight said. “That’s just a common idea that a small part of the fandom came up with for some reason. Probably the same part of the fandom where HotDiggedyDemon and the guy who wrote Cupcakes are from.”
“Oh come on,” Rainbow Dash said. “HotDiggedyDemon isn’t that bad.”
“You’re only saying that because he made you the hero in the PONY.MOV finale,” Rarity commented.
“Well, yeah, but... It’s not important. Let’s just help Twilight get her bags to the library.”

Twilight didn’t really have that many bags that she brought from Canterlot. She and Spike would have been able to carry them all easily. However, Dash insisted that she and the others help anyway. During the trip to the library, Twilight couldn’t help but think that maybe Rainbow Dash was doing this because she felt sorry for her losing her Ranger powers during their first battle with Discord.
“We’re here,” Rainbow Dash said as the six ponies and baby dragon got to the library. For some reason, Twilight was expecting something a little more... She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, actually. Quite frankly, though, she would have thought she’d have been told if the library she was going to live in was a tree.
“Wow...” Twilight said as she looked at the tree/library.
“And you haven’t even seen the inside of it,” Rarity said. “It was all shabby and dirty not even a single day ago, but we all pitched in to clean it up for you and I think the end result will be pretty nice for you.”
“I believe you,” Twilight said, trotting up to the door. When she opened the door, her eyes instantly lit up as she saw how many books there were on so many different subjects. “Oh my... this is... there are no words!”
“Uh...” Rainbow Dash said. She knew Twilight was an egghead and would be happy about all the books, but she didn’t quite expect this kind of reaction. In Dash’s opinion, it just caused the chapter to go off on a tangent and practically stop the whole thing dead.
Twilight was quickly snapped back to reality when she heard Rainbow Dash’s voice. “Oh, right,” Twilight said. “Uh, thanks for cleaning the place for me. You really didn’t have to, though.” Twilight paused for a moment to tap her horn with her hoof. “Just like with the bags, Spike and I probably could have taken care in no time.”
“And just like with the bags, it was our pleasure,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Besides, what kind of friends would we be if we didn’t do this for you?”
Twilight was still sure that Rainbow Dash was doing this because she felt sorry for her, but Twilight was starting to get the sense that it was also out of guilt. Why Rainbow Dash would feel guilty or how Twilight even got that feeling she may never know, but she was uncomfortable accepting the extra favors nonetheless. Of course, stubborn as Rainbow Dash was, Twilight knew it would be no use trying to say anything, so she just nodded her head and went back to admiring the books.
“And this ain’t it,” Applejack said. “The Princesses installed some computers ‘n stuff downstairs with the help of Fluttershy’s freaky knowledge of machinery.”
Fluttershy, blushing a little from Applejack’s compliment, paused for a moment before speaking up. “Do you want to see it, Twilight?”
“Sure,” Twilight said.

After a while, Fluttershy had led the other ponies and Spike down to a small cave beneath the library. In the cave was a variety of machines and computers. There were so many of them, in fact, that one could have mistaken it for the computer room in Canterlot if not for the cave walls and floor. “Do you like it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course I do, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied. “You obviously worked very hard on this to make it look almost exactly like the computer room back in Canterlot, and I am far from disappointed in the results.”
Spike wasted no time running up to one of the consoles and powering it on. “This is perfect, Fluttershy,” he said while waiting for the computer to load. “With these in place, no doubt Twilight and I will be able to help you five respond to attacks faster.”
“And not only that,” Twilight added, “but with that library upstairs combined with the technology down here, who knows how much more studying and developing I’ll be able to get done for you five.” Twilight then turned to the computer Spike had powered on, but the loading bar was still only about half full. “Uh, Fluttershy, can we expect this to happen often?”
“You shouldn’t,” Fluttershy replied. “I think this is only a one-time startup thing. Give it another couple of minutes.”
After about five hours, (actually only five minutes) the computer had finally finished loading and Twilight wasted no time trying to figure out how to contact Celestia and Luna in Canterlot. Fortunately, she was able to sort through all of the computer’s programs quickly using her magic, so she found the “Hangouts Call” extension on Google Chrome quickly. “Wow,” Twilight said. “This computer is already pre-loaded with Chrome? Thanks, Fluttershy.” Twilight then turned and called Celestia and Luna.
“Hello, my student,” Celestia said when she finally answered Twilight’s Hangout invite. Luna was standing next to to her older sister and seemed just as happy as her older sister to see Twilight once again. “I see you’re made it to Ponyville safe and sound. How are you settling in?”
Just as Princess Celestia asked this, several alarms went off at another computer Spike had just powered on. “Discord’s launched an attack!” the baby dragon shouted.
“Eh, I’m not settling in too well, Princess,” Twilight said.
“Don’t worry about it, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’ll take care of Discord’s attack. You just finish setting things up around here.”
“Okay...” Twilight said, still kind of sad about how many times she keeps getting reminded that she lost her powers. “You five take care of things. Spike and I will be here, doing... nothing.” Twilight sighed before saying that word, earning her one of Rainbow Dash’s hooves around her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, “I know you must feel useless, but you still have a role in the Pony Rangers.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have one when the battle starts.” Twilight then turned to her computer and tried to identify the nature of Discord’s attack. “It’s our old pal Alan, again. He’s in the market with a bunch of Putty Ponies.”
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s move, Rangers.” She and the other four then galloped back upstairs and out of the library towards the market, leaving Twilight and Spike in the computer room.
“Don’t worry about a thing, Twilight,” Spike said. “Just look at me. I’ve never had to do any fighting and you don’t see me complaining.”
“That’s because you’ve never been a Ranger, Spike,” Twilight replied. “You don’t know what it’s like to be able to help ponies when crisis strikes.” Twilight then turned back and trotted back upstairs. “Keep an eye on the computers, Spike.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go study. With all those books up there, there’s sure to be something to help me get my powers back, if not take my mind off of it.” Twilight then left the room, leaving Spike to monitor the computers.

On the surface in the market, ponies were galloping left and right to try to get away from Alan the manticore and the Putty Ponies. “Ha, run you pathetic ponies,” Alan said. “Run and scream in terror so that my master can feed off of your misery and chaos!”
“That’s far enough, manticore!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and the other Rangers galloped in.
“For the love of Nightmare! Has nopony read the last chapter of the first season in which I told everypony my name? Honestly, it’s not like I’m The Doctor or something.”
“Uh... I don’t think I read that chapter, actually,” Rainbow Dash said. She then turned to her friends. “Did any of you read that chapter?”
“I don’t think I read any of season 1,” Fluttershy admitted. “Those first five chapters really killed it for me, even with that rewrite of chapter 1.”
“Yeah,” Pinkie said. “agent_cupcakes could have afforded to rewrite those other four chapters, couldn’t he?”
“No I couldn’t, guys,” Rei the pegasus said from behind a nearby bush. “I didn’t have any time to spare.”
“You had a whole summer,” Rarity said. “Couldn’t you have at least-”
“No I couldn’t! Stop complaining and get to the action scene that everypony is expecting already!”
“Alright, fine,” Rainbow Dash said. As Rei disappeared back behind the bush, the Rangers turned back to Alan. “Now that that moment of breaching the fourth wall is over...” Dash and the other Rangers then pulled out their Elements of Harmony. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!:
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!”
“Need I remind you Rangers that I defeated all five of you last time we met?” Alan asked.
“Need I remind you that I tied ya up like a calf in a neat little bow last time we met?” Applejack asked.
“That was because Nightmare Moon had taken a sizable portion of each of our powers to be sure she would be able to defeat you on her own. Even with our decreased powers, it was Trixie’s idea for the four of us to go with Nightmare.”
“That would explain why we totally kicked y’all’s flanks at the Gala,” Applejack said.
“But that doesn’t matter now,” Alan said. “Now I’m back to full power, and I’m ready to crush you five as I did in our second encounter. There’s no Green Ranger to save your flanks this time around. PUTTIES, ASSEMBLE!” Upon command, a group of about 20 Putty Ponies gathered in front of the Rangers.
Rainbow Dash thought for a moment about what Alan had said before responding. “You’re wrong, Alan,” she finally said. “The Green Ranger might be gone, but Twilight Sparkle is still here, still able to help us, even if she isn’t a Ranger anymore. DRAW, WEAPONS OF HARMONY!”
Upon this command, she and the others drew their Weapons. Applejack drew her Harmony Lance, Fluttershy her Harmony Daggers, Pinkie Pie her Harmony Bow, Rarity her Harmony Axe, and Rainbow Dash her Harmony Sword. “You’re in for it now, Alan,” Rainbow Dash said, aiming her sword at the manticore.
“Those don’t scare me,” Alan replied. “PUTTES, ATTACK!” The Putty Ponies then began charging at the Rangers. The Rangers then charged back at the Putties.

While this battle was taking place, Twilight had walked back into the computer room as Spike was watching the battle from his screen. “Looks like the battle started,” Twilight said, sighing.
“Twilight,” Spike said, “you shouldn’t be so glum. Look at how the battle is going. I don’t think they’d be doing this well if it weren’t for you.”
“What are you saying, Spike?”
“I’m saying that the Weapons of Harmony you created for them are helping them defeat the Putty Ponies and giving them a fighting chance against the manticore.”
“I know that. But it’s not like I’m giving them any help now.”
“But you are giving them help now. If it weren’t for you, the Rangers might not even be around to be saving Equestria. You’ve helped them without your Ranger powers before, you’ve helped them get here with your Ranger powers, and now you’ve given them a shot at victory without your Ranger powers. You’re an important part of their team no matter what. You’re never useless, you’re never without purpose, and you never have any reason to feel any differently.”
Twilight was silent for a minute before she finally looked up at her baby dragon companion and smiled. “Your out of character inspirational speeches are getting out of hand, but they’re still always just what I need.” Twilight then pat Spike’s head with her hoof and smiled. “You always know just what to say to get me out of the dumps.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Twilight.” Twilight then hugged Spike and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Spike.”

Back in Ponyville, the Rangers had just finished off the Putty Ponies and were going for Alan. “You’re going down this time, Alan,” Rainbow Dash shouted, charging forward towards the manticore.
“You ponies don’t scare me!” Alan shouted back, also charging forward.
Rainbow Dash quickly flew right past Alan, not even bothering to strike him. Alan quickly skidded to a stop out of confusion, leaving him completely open to a rain of arrows from Pinkie’s Harmony Bow. These blasts knocked him off balance, allowing Rarity to come in close and give him a powerful smash with her Harmony Axe. He stumbled back from the attack, allowing Applejack and Fluttershy to get in close and deal a four-in-one strike with their weapons, which knocked Alan into the air. Rainbow Dash took advantage of the damaged manticore being airborne and moved in to deliver about five powerful strikes with her sword, finishing the combo with a powerful downward strike that sent Alan crashing into the ground.
“Given up yet, Alan?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed in front of her fellow Rangers. “If not, let us take care of that for you. FORM, ELEMENTAL CANNON!”
In five flashes of light, the Rangers cast their weapons to the sky, the five of which began repositioning and combining themselves as mentioned in the previous chapter until they all descended back into the hooves of the Rangers as the Elemental Cannon.
“Oh, something tells me I’m in trouble,” Alan said, taking a step back.
“POWER OF HARMONY! SPECTRUM STAMPEDE, FIRE!” In a brilliant flash of multicolored light, the arrow the Cannon was loaded with glowed and fired right at Alan, leaving behind a trail not dissimilar to the one left behind when Rainbow Dash performs a Sonic Rainboom.
“This can’t be!” Alan shouted as the arrow hit him, causing brilliant flashes of light and crackles of energy. “You Rangers can’t defeat me!” Alan then began falling to the ground in slow motion. “I’m the strongest creature in Equestriaaaaaaaaaa!” Alan then hit the ground and exploded in a brilliant ball of fire.

“I really should have seen this coming,” Discord said to himself. He then rolled his eyes, snapped his finger, and said with a lot of boredom in his voice, “Power of the moon, make manticore grow, yadda yadda yadda, JUST DESTROY THE RANGERS FOR ONCE, WILL YOU?”

Back in Equestria, there was a brilliant flash of white light where Alan fell and suddenly the Rangers were faced with a 30-story tall version of the adversary they had just defeated.
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called into her comm. “We need the zords!”
“On their way,” Twilight replied, any depression that was in her voice last time she spoke to Rainbow Dash gone.
“What’s got you out of the dumps, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“Nothing in particular. Hay, don’t you need to defeat an oversized manticore or something?”
“Oh, right,” Rainbow Dash said. Just then, the Dinozords stampeded into the battlefield. “Let’s go, Rangers!” The five Rangers then teleported into their respective zords in five flashes of light.
“Blue Ranger, ready for battle,” Applejack said from her Triceratops zord.
“Yellow Ranger, nervous but ready,” Fluttershy said from her Sabre-Tooth Tiger zord.
“Pink Ranger, ready to have some fun!” Pinkie said from her Pterodactyl zord.
“Black Ranger, kind of wishing she had taken the time to redesign her zord,” Rarity said from her Mastodon zord.
“Red Ranger, ready for some action,” Rainbow Dash said from her Tyrannozord. “Alright, Harmony Rangers, ready to send this guy back to whichever circle of Tartarus he came from?”
“YEAH!” the other Rangers shouted in unison.
“Then let’s not waste any time. HARMONY MEGAZORD, FORM!” Rainbow Dash then slammed a button on her console, the other four Rangers doing the same thing in their own zords. Before Rainbow Dash could react, however, her console began glowing a lavender color.
“I might not be there with you in person,” Twilight’s voice said from the comm, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you at all. I’m casting the Flash Formation spell for you.”
“Thanks Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “Everypony heard that?”
“We got it,” Applejack said, speaking for the rest of the Rangers as well.
“Then let’s get started. FLASH FORMATION, GO!”
In ten seconds flat, the Rangers went from five zords to one Megazord that stood a little taller than Alan. The Megazord then drew its Power Sword and aimed it at Alan.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” Alan asked with a growl.
“No,” Rainbow Dash replied. “It’s supposed to defeat you.”
“Well, then, that’s a failure in both fields!” Alan then charged forward at the Megazord to strike it with his claw. However, the Rangers reacted faster than Alan could attack and were able to dodge the attack. They then replied with a strike with their own Power Sword. This attack knocked Alan onto his back and land on an abandoned warehouse. (Seriously, why do they keep rebuilding those if they (the ponies) knew they (the warehouses) were going to get demolished. It’s like the cabbage merchant from Avatar.) Alan got up slowly, but he was unable to defend himself from another strike from the Megazord’s sword.
“Wow,” Rainbow Dash said. “We are... really powerful today.”
“Must be the extra stuff Twilight and I made for us,” Rarity said. “I figured they’d give us an edge, but this is amazing.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow Dash said to himself. “Twilight did give us an edge...”
“So did I,” Rarity said. Her comment was ignored by Rainbow Dash, however.
“Alright, Rangers,” Rainbow Dash said, ignoring Rarity’s comment. “Let’s finish this guy! POWER SWORD, CHARGE!” The Megazord then raised its sword to the sky, charging it with five bolts of multi-colored lightning.
“Oh come on!” Alan shouted. “This just isn’t my day, is it?”
“SPECTRUM SWORD, FINAL STRIKE!” The Rangers shouted in unison. The Megazord then brought down its sword, striking Alan with incredible power.
“How can this be?” Alan shouted as he cackled with energy. “I have been defeated by a bunch of ponies? Oh great, now I’m talking like Zecora. You know what? I think I’m better off this wayyyyyy!” Alan then fell to the ground and erupted in a massive and brilliant explosion.
In the cockpit of the Megazord, the Rangers were cheering and celebrating, but Rainbow Dash remained calm as she did the catch phrase bit that hadn’t been heard for a few chapters. “My little ponies, victory is ours.”

Back on the moon base, Trixie was watching Discord expectantly as he filed his talons. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is confused,” she said. “Are you not going to resurrect Alan?”
“Huh?” Discord asked, making it that much more evident that he wasn’t paying attention to what Trixie was saying. “Oh, right, Alan. Yes, terrible business, that is. Poor guy was once the Rangers’ superior. Now look at him.”
Trixie paused for a moment before responding, “Trixie is still confused. She was asking if you were going to resurrect him.”
“Resurrect him?” Discord then burst out laughing. “Oh you crack me up, Trixie.” Discord’s voice then went from joyful to serious. “I’m done with all that. I’m putting a new plan in motion. It’s out with the old and in with the new... and the same goes for the Pony Rangers.”
“But that isn’t fair!” Trixie shouted. “Well, at least it isn’t fair for Alan. He was not informed of this change of events.”
Discord sighed before responding. “I suppose that’s true.” He then snapped his finger and Alan appeared at the center of the room, alive and well. “Okay, Alan. No more resurrecting, out with the old and in with the new, all that good stuff. Long story short, no more second chances.” Discord then walked out of the room before Alan could respond. “I have more important plans to put into motion...”

Back under the library, the Rangers were all gathered around Twilight and Spike. On the screen was Princess Celestia, apparently not accompanied by Princess Luna for once. “So I take it the battle went well,” Celestia said.
“It did go well,” Rainbow Dash said. “But I think things worked out a little better here at the library.”
“That’s right,” Twilight said. “I think I’ve finally come to terms with losing my Ranger powers. I, as well as Rainbow Dash I hope, now understand that what happened was unavoidable. Now I just have to understand that I can still work with the Rangers, just not how I could in the past.” Twilight then turned to Rainbow Dash and smiled. “But it doesn’t mean my contribution is of any less value.”
“Looks like both of you learned a valuable lesson,” Princess Celestia said. “Now that you have learned this lesson, I’m sure you can all advance in your respective skills in order to defeat Discord.”
“You’re right, Princess,” Twilight said. “We can defeat Discord... together.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and put her hoof out in the middle of the group. “From all of us together, we fight as one.”
The other five then put their hooves on Rainbow Dash’s. “We protect one another until the battle is done!” they all shouted in unison.
“Hang on, girls,” Pinkie said. “Are we seriously going to end every chapter this season like this?”
“I guess,” Rainbow Dash said. “At least every episode in which we learn a lesson or something like that.”
“Actually, Pinkie,” Rei the pegasus said, popping up from behind a computer, “you bring up a good point. I should be a little more careful with that sort of thing. Thanks.” Rei then disappeared back behind the computer, leaving the six ponies and one baby dragon to just shrug and shake their heads.

Next time...
“Our plan is ready for execution, but are you sure it is really our solution?”
“All we need now for our little experiment is three unsuspecting ponies.”
“You can seriously give us our cutie marks?”
“So you two mean to say that all three of our little sisters are missing?”
“WE ARE THE PONY RANGERS: CHAOS FORCE!”
“Did you miss me, Dashie?”
次回、　「Deception, Greed, and Betrayal」　あ楽しみに！[Next time, “Deception, Greed, and Betrayal (Chaos Rangers part 1)” Enjoy!]

> Deception, Greed, and Betrayal (Chaos Rangers part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	In Carousel Boutique, Rarity was running about her work room frantically trying to complete an order she had to get done by the next morning. While Rarity was doing this, Sweetie Belle was standing in the middle of it all trying to stop her big sister to ask her about the Pony Rangers. Of course, Sweetie Belle had seen with her own eyes that Rarity was a Ranger back at the Gala, and she was the first of the Crusaders to be suspicious to begin with, but the young marshmallow just had to make sure. If only Rarity would hold still and pay attention for five seconds, then maybe Sweetie Belle would be able to get one question in.
“Uh, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle tried to say as her sister galloped by. “I just wanted to ask-” Can you maybe-? I wanted to know-”
“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for any of your questions. I really need to fill this order by tomorrow morning.”
“But I wanted to ask you-”
Ding-a-ling
Before Sweetie Belle had a chance to continue, the bell at the front door of the shop rang, indicating that somepony had entered. “Ugh!” Rarity shouted. “What now?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Twilight Sparkle said as she stood in the doorway.
“Twilight. I’m sorry, I’m just kind of stressed out from all this work I’ve taken today.”
“Who’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked her sister.
“Oh, she’s, um, just a pony who moved here a few days ago,” Rarity nervously said, worried that Sweetie Belle would become suspicious. (-_-) “We became friends fast. Heh heh...”
“Yeah,” Twilight added. “When she met me, I was wearing a horrible dress, and your sister, here-”
“You’re over selling it,” Rarity whispered to Twilight. The marshmallow then turned back to her younger sister. “Uh, the two of us need to talk about something, Sweetie Belle. Why don’t you go see if Applebloom or Scootaloo can play with you?”
“Fine,” Sweetie Belle said, grumpily trotting out of the room.
“Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?” Rarity asked Twilight after Sweetie Belle was gone.
“I just wanted to see if there was any work to be done here on the Weapons of Harmony,” Twilight said. “Maybe like improving the design or something.”
“Oh, I wish I could help with that right now, but I have a huge order to fill by tomorrow and while being able to save Equestria may be a privilege, I’m afraid it doesn’t pay the bills.”
“Oh, I understand. I’ll come back later, then.” Twilight then turned and walked out of the room, taking no notice of Sweetie Belle hiding just around the corner, barely out of sight if one were to walk facing completely straight forward.
“We are going to find the truth,” Sweetie Belle said quietly to herself. The younger marshmallow waited for a moment to make sure Twilight was gone before leaving to retrieve Applebloom and Scootaloo.

Back on the moon base, Zecora was working with some strange looking circular gems attached to gold bracelets. One of the gems was yellow and seemed similar to the silhouette of a lion roaring, one was blue with the tail fin of a dolphin sticking out of the water, and then there was a red one that looked like a falcon spreading its wings. The zebra had just done something that caused the red one to glow before Discord teleported in behind her.
“I will follow you with all my loyalty,” Zecora said, not even looking up, “but I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that to me.”
“Oh, Zecora,” Discord said, slinking around to her side, “you really need to lighten up every once in a while. Now, then, is Project Storm almost ready?”
“Our plan is ready for execution, but are you sure it is really our solution?”
“Of course it’s our ‘solution.’ Do you really think I’d be foalish enough to come up with a plan if I weren’t absolutely sure it would succeed?”
“I apologize for my doubt in you, but just one flaw has eluded your view.”
“I’m well aware that we require three ponies from down there in Equestria to make this work, Zecora.”
“That is not what I was going to say. My comment was going a different way. Not only do we need three innocent ponies, but said three ponies have to be fillies.”
Discord’s expression changed from shock to anger... then to an evil smile. “This could work to our advantage...” he said with an evil chuckle. “Zecora, I want you to go down to Ponyville. Do not draw the attention of the Pony Rangers, and do exactly as I say.” Discord then leaned in and whispered some instructions into Zecora’s ear.
“Must it be those three of the age of filly?” Zecora asked.
“You know as well as I do how fun it will be watching the Pony Rangers be defeated by them of all ponies,” Discord said.
“You make a good point. I shall leave right now. You will not be dis-” Before Zecora could continue, an unamused looking Discord snapped his finger and teleported the zebra down to Ponyville.
“I think she’s better at trolling than I am,” Discord said to the now empty room.

Back in Ponyville, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were walking down the street and talking amongst each other.
“So, Sweetie Belle,” Applebloom said, “did ya manage to get anything out of Rarity?”
“Nothing,” Sweetie Belle replied, shaking her head. “But I think that new pony Twilight Sparkle has something to do with the Pony Rangers.”
“Maybe we should just give up on trying to find out whether or not we can get a confession out of our sisters,” Scootaloo said. “Even if they were Rangers, I’m pretty sure whoever gave them their powers made them take an oath of secrecy or something. Let’s just get back to trying to find our cutie marks.”
“You fillies seek your place in life,” a dark voice said from a nearby alley. “I can show you, if you like.”
“Come again?” Applebloom asked, trying to identify the voice from the shadows of the alley.
“If you come with me, I can help you three. And not only will I give your marks to you, but I will help with your Ranger problem, too.”
“But, we don’t have a problem with-” Sweetie Belle started to say.
“You can seriously give us our cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked excitedly, completely cutting Sweetie Belle off.
“That I most certainly can do,” the voice said, “but with my instructions, you must follow through. Do you agree, my little fillies?”
The three fillies looked at each other for a moment. “None of y’all are seriously trustin’ this weird voice, right?” Applebloom asked.
“But she said she can give us our cutie marks,” Scootaloo said. “Surely we aren’t going to pass up an opportunity like that, are we?”
“She also said she’d help us with the Rangers,” Sweetie Belle said. “This is something we have to at least look into.”
“Alright, fine,” Applebloom said. “But I’m gonna go on record and say I’m not comfortable with this at all.”
“Okay, weird rhyming voice,” Scootaloo said to the figure in the alley, “we accept your offer.”
“Zecora is the name by which you may call me,” Zecora said. “Now just follow me, and I’ll show you your destiny.” The fillies followed the villainous zebra into the alley, where all four of them were teleported up to the moon base.

“Well, you weren’t gone for nearly as long as I expected,” Discord said to his zebra minion as she and the fillies teleported into the center of the room.
“Where are we?” Scootaloo asked as she and the other Crusaders looked around the base in awe.
“And more importantly, what is that?” Sweetie Belle asked, pointing a hoof at Discord.
“I have a name, young filly,” Discord said. “And I would appreciate it if you would address me as such. I am Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony.”
“Wait, I know who you are,” Applebloom said. “You’re the guy the Pony Rangers were fightin’ a couple weeks ago!”
“Ah, yes, your, air quotes, ‘sisters.’”
“What calls for the air quotes?” Scootaloo asked.
“Oh, isn’t it obvious?” Discord then began slinking around the fillies, starting at Applebloom. “Your sisters have been deceiving you.” He then proceeded to Sweetie Belle. “Your sisters could have shared their Ranger powers with you, but they kept it to themselves out of greed.” He then moved to surround Scootaloo. “There really is nothing worse than a sister’s betrayal.” Discord then returned to his original position in front of the Crusaders. “Your sisters have been saving Equestria from Nightmare Moon, but what have they been doing about their own dear sisters?”
The Crusaders looked among each other with confused expressions on their faces. “Could it be true?” Scootaloo asked.
“It’s not like Rarity to be greedy like that,” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Really?” Rei the pegasus asked from a nearby doorway. “Through season 3, she’s done about five or six generous things at most.” The creative colt, now having given his opinion, then disappeared.
“Despite that breach of the fourth wall,” Applebloom said, “it’s not like Applejack to lie at all.”
“Power can make even the purest of ponies fall short of their own standards,” Discord said. “But I can help you even the playing field.”
“Even the playing field?” Scootaloo asked. “What do you mean?”
“I can offer you power that will help you steal the power your sisters have. All you must do...” Discord used his magic to levitate the three bracelets Zecora was working on and gave them to the Crusaders. “...is use these.” The Crusaders looked at each other for a moment before making this critical decision. Would they really betray their sisters like this in order to gain power for themselves? “Don’t forget,” Discord said, “taking this offer comes with getting your cutie marks. Now then, your desicion?”

Back in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was quickly flying through Ponyville on her way to Carousel Boutique. Meanwhile, another pony wearing a cloak was watching her from a cloud just out of Dash’s sight. “It looks like the time has come,” the pony said. “Everything has fallen into place for my return...” The pony then began following Rainbow Dash, making sure to keep a safe distance from her so that the prismatic pegasus wouldn’t see her.

In Carousel Boutique, Rarity and Applejack were talking with nervous expressions on their faces when Rainbow Dash rushed in. “Girls,” the pegasus shouted, “something terrible has happened.”
“Let me guess,” Rarity said. “Scootaloo is nowhere to be found?”
“How did you know?”
“Because I can’t find Sweetie Belle anywhere.”
“And Applebloom didn’t come back to the farm for lunch,” Applejack said.
“You mean to tell me that all three of our little sisters are missing?” Rainbow Dash asked. The other two replied with silent nods. “You guys don’t think Discord’s behind this, do you?”
“Discord?” Rarity asked. “I never would have thought he’d stoop as low as foal-napping.”
“Still, we can’t put somethin’ like that past him,” Applejack said. “Maybe we should go talk to Twilight about it.”
“Good idea,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s go.” Just as the three were about to gallop off, their communicators started going off.
“Rangers!” Twilight’s voice shouted on the other end. “Big trouble going on near the abandoned warehouse district. About 30 Putty Ponies, and they look ready to attack Ponyville.”
“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No zebra? No griffon? No Great and Talkative Trixie?”
“No,” Twilight replied. “That’s the part that’s bugging me. Keep your guard up. Knowing Discord, this is probably a trap.”
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re on our way. What about Pinkie and Fluttershy?”
“They’re already on scene, but I told them to hold off on the fighting. If it is a trap, you’ll need hurry over there to lend them a hoof.”
“Gotcha. Let’s go, Rangers.” Rainbow Dash and the others then galloped out of the boutique and made their way to the abandoned warehouse district, still unaware that they were being followed.

At the abandoned warehouse district, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were watching the group of Putty Ponies from the roof of one of the warehouses, making sure to observe them before rushing into a trap. However, it didn’t look like the Putties were posing any sort of threat. In fact, it looked like they were just standing around idly waiting for something to happen. That something was obviously the Rangers showing up, but what would come next was completely out of Pinkie’s and Fluttershy’s reach. That’s when Rainbow Dash and the others made their way there. Before the three charged into battle, though, Fluttershy gave them a stealthy gesture to hide before one of the Putties saw them. AJ and Rarity took the stairs to the top of the warehouse Fluttershy and Pinkie were on top of while Rainbow Dash flew up to join the two who were already there.
“What’s the situation?” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“So far, nothing,” Fluttershy replied. “They seem to be waiting for something, and I bet we can all guess who they’re waiting for.”
“Any evidence of a trap yet?”
Fluttershy simply shook her head. “Nothing solid, but whatever it is, they’re keeping it under heavy wraps.”
“Maybe we should just charge in and see what happens. It’s not like any disasters are going to happen if we do.”
“Good point,” Rarity said as she and Applejack finally joined the others.
“It’s not like any new and slash or long-forgotten antagonists are going to appear out of nowhere and ambush us,” Pinkie said, causing the others to stare at her with confused expressions.
“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said, “I think I speak for all of us, as well as the entirety of the brony/pegasister fandom when I say... you scare me. Now then, let’s go, Rangers!” The five Rangers then jumped off of the roof, morphed in mid-air, and drew their weapons to attack the group of surprised (and very disorganized) Putty Ponies. They were practically falling over each other as the Rangers pretty much cut them down like a forest of dead trees.
“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?” Fluttershy shouted.
“Sorry, Fluttershy,” Rei the pegasus said from atop another warehouse. “I’ll change that.” The creative colt then typed some stuff into his laptop and pressed the “enter” key.
“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said, “I think I speak for all of us, as well as the entirety of the brony/pegasister fandom when I say... you scare me. Now then, let’s go, Rangers!” The five Rangers then jumped off of the roof, morphed in mid-air, and drew their weapons to attack the group of surprised (and very disorganized) Putty Ponies. They were practically falling over each other as the Rangers lined them up and knocked them down in large groups.
“Somethin’s definitely wrong,” Applejack said as she knocked a Putty into another one.
“I have to agree with you, there,” Rarity replied. “By now in the battle, something should have blasted us in some form or-” Just then, she and Fluttershy got blasted by what was probably several gallons of water, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were pelted with a storm of large rocks, and Rainbow Dash got blasted by a massive gust of wind. All three of these attacks knocked all five of the Rangers into a nearby warehouse, as well as obliterating all of the remaining Putty Ponies.
“What the hay was that?” Rainbow Dash asked, getting up.
“I have no idea,” Rarity said, shaking herself off. “But whoever did that is going to pay for ruining my mane.”
“Well then come over here and make us pay,” an unfamiliar voice said.
“Unless you Harmony Rangers are scared,” a second voice said.
“And if you aren’t scared, you’re little more than a group of foals,” a third voice said.
“Who’s talking?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Come down here and fight, you cowards!”
“Ooh, look at that,” the second unknown voice said. “They actually do want to fight us.”
“Believable enough,” the first voice said. “It’s not like they know what they’re getting into, anyway.”
“You five really wanna go steel-to-steel with us?” the third voice asked. “Oh well. It’s your funeral, not ours.”
Just then, three ponies jumped in from atop another building and landed in front of the Rangers, and their identities couldn’t have shocked the Rangers any more. As it turned out, the sources of the three voices actually looked like Pony Rangers, except their suits were slightly different from the Harmony Rangers. But that wasn’t the most disturbing part. The disturbing part was that these new Rangers were fillies!
“Who the hay are you three?” Rainbow Dash asked, drawing her sword.
“Earth-shattering power of the lion,” the yellow-clad earth filly shouted, striking a pose. “Chaos Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Oceanic grace of the dolphin,” the blue-clad unicorn shouted. “Chaos Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Soaring strength of the falcon,” the red-clad pegasus at the front shouted. “Chaos Force, Ranger Red!”
“Power of Deception!” Chaos Yellow said.
“Power of Greed!” Chaos Blue shouted.
“Power of Betrayal!” Chaos Red shouted.
“WE ARE THE PONY RANGERS: CHAOS FORCE!” the three Chaos Rangers shouted in unison as they struck a unified pose and the warehouse behind them exploded.
“Chaos Rangers?” Rarity asked.
“What the hay?” Applejack asked.
“And just who the hay do you think you three fillies are?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Come over here and find out,” Chaos Red said, drawing a blade that looked similar to Rainbow Dash’s. As Chaos Red drew her blade, her fellow Chaos Rangers drew similar blades.
“Let’s go, Rangers!” Rainbow Dash shouted, charging forward. The other Harmony Rangers followed her lead, but the Chaos Rangers had similar confidence and charged forward themselves.
Chaos Blue galloped at top speed and leapt at Rarity and Fluttershy, her movements and sword strikes so quick that Fluttershy could do nothing about it and so graceful that it made Rarity incredibly jealous. Her magic skills were no different from her physical combat skill, and she was able to blast both marshmallow and tree to near defeat. To top it all off, she was also capable of casting blasts of water from her hoof, giving her a significant advantage over both Axe and Daggers.
Chaos Yellow was no easier opponent. Applejack and Pinkie Pie tried to double-team her, but the yellow-clad filly proved to be too much for the two as she easily deflected Pinkie’s arrows, parried and countered Applejack’s Lance, and used a power similar to Chaos Blue’s to levitate and hurl large stones at the two Harmony Rangers.
Chaos Red, on the other hoof, got Rainbow Dash all to herself, so the two pegasi had a simple but nonetheless exciting flying duel of the swordsponies. However, Chaos Red’s power was firing gusts of wind from her hoof, so Rainbow Dash had to avoid this as well as defend against her foe’s blade.
Unfortunately for the Harmony Rangers, the new Chaos Rangers proved to be more than a match for them, and they were all easily overpowered. “Ha,” Chaos Red said once she and her comrades had regrouped. “You Harmony Rangers really are pathetic. I don’t know why Discord told us to be on our guard against you five.”
“Discord?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I should have known.”
“But alas,” Chaos Red continued, “it seems our fun has come to an end. Ready, Chaos Rangers?” The other two nodded in reply and all three of their blades began glowing. “Goodbye, Harmony Rangers.”
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash shouted into her comm. “We need some help here!”
“I’m trying to teleport you five out of there,” Twilight replied over comm, “but something’s interfering with my magic. I’m sorry Rangers, but I can’t- wait a second. What’s that?”
“What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“There’s some strange energy heading your way, and it looks... familiar.”
“Familiar?”
“Time to die, Harmony Rangers!” Chaos Red shouted once her’s and her comrades’ swords began glowing with an almost blinding light in each of their respective colors. They were about to fire three blasts of energy that surely would have meant the end of the Harmony Rangers when the Chaos Rangers were suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning, causing the three fillies to be thrown backwards and their blasts of energy flying off towards an abandoned warehouse, causing the building to be reduced to a crater with no rubble in sight. The whole thing was entirely vaporized.
“What the hay was that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Twilight replied.
“Whoever it was,” Chaos Red said, “they are going to pay for this.”
“Chaos Rangers,” a familiarly evil voice called from above the ponies, “I commend you on your ability to defeat the Harmony Rangers like this, but the privilege of destroying them is not yours. It is mine by very right.” Just then, the source of the voice descended and landed hard on the ground. It was a pegasus mare wearing a brown cloak.
“Who do you think you are?” Chaos Red asked as she got up and drew her sword.
The cloaked mare chuckled evilly before raising her hoof to remove her hood. “The original Chaos Pony Ranger.” Right as she said this, she removed her hood, revealing a grey face and a blonde mane.
“What the hay?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Twilight, are you seeing this?”
“I see it,” Twilight replied, “but I don’t believe it.”
“This can’t be happening,” Rainbow Dash said to herself as she shook her head as though trying to shake herself out of a bad dream. However, the reality was all too real as the grey pegasus took a step towards Rainbow Dash and spoke with contempt in her voice.
“Did you miss me, Dashie?”

To be continued...

Next time...
“This is impossible. I’m the one who killed her!”
“You shouldn’t be so surprised, Dashie. You’re the one who saved me.”
“This new arrival has completely outshone my new Chaos Rangers!”
“If you prove yourself in the next attack, then maybe we’ll trust you.”
“They’re too strong for us, aren’t they?”
“I’ve waited too long for this moment...”
次回、　「The Inferior Ones」　あ楽しみに！[Next time, “The Inferior Ones (Chaos Rangers part 2)” Enjoy!]

> The Inferior Ones (Chaos Rangers part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	前回、マイ·リトル·ポニーレンジャーズに (Last time, on My Little Pony Rangers...)
“You fillies seek your place in life. I can show you, if you like.”
“All three of our little sisters are missing?”
“There’s nothing worse than a sister’s betrayal.”
“WE ARE THE PONY RANGERS: CHAOS FORCE!”
“Wait. There’s something headed your way...”
“Did you miss me, Dashie?”
そして今、結論 (And now, the conclusion...)

About a million questions were running through Rainbow Dash’s mind as she stood face to face with the foe she thought she was rid of just under a year ago, and even though Twilight was still in the library watching from Rainbow’s helmet cam, at least that many more questions were going through the unicorn’s mind as well. The Chaos Rangers, on the other hoof, weren’t so familiar with this new arrival.
“And just who the hay is this?” Chaos Red asked.
This question caused the cloaked pegasus to turn sharply and give the Chaos Rangers a piercing glare. “You mean Discord never told you about me?” the pony asked. She then indicated the Harmony Rangers. “They all know me so well, I’m amazed you three know nothing of the original evil Pony Ranger.” The pony then sighed and smiled evilly to herself. “I suppose I could just tell you who I am.” The pony then pulled out a small dark green coin with a design of the head of a roaring mechanical dragon on it.
“How did she get that?” Twilight shouted, forgetting that she could be heard right in the ears of the Rangers. “She isn’t supposed to have the Thunder Coin!”
“Allow me to introduce myself,” the pony said to the Chaos Rangers. “My name is Derpy Hooves, the Green Pony Ranger! IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF THUNDER!” In a blinding flash of light, Derpy donned the armor of the Green Ranger, which looked similar to the new armor of the Harmony Rangers, except Derpy’s armor was green (obviously) and she wore a golden chestplate. (Or whatever it would be for a pony. I don’t think it would be a saddle, though.) “Spirit of the dragon! Chaos Force, Ranger Green!”
“I’m seeing things,” Rainbow Dash said to herself. “I have to be seeing things!”
“I wish we were,” Fluttershy replied.
“But I think we all see Derpy alive an’ well,” Applejack continued.
“And not only that, but she has her Ranger powers back,” Rarity said.
“Oh, this is not going to be fun,” Pinkie said.
“This is impossible,” Twilight said. “I-I’m the one who killed her.”
As though she could hear Twilight, Derpy turned sharply to the Rangers. “Ah, yes, you did do that, Twilly,” Derpy said. “That is something I’d love nothing more than to make you pay for, but for the time being, I’m going to enjoy destroying your friends.”
“This can’t be,” Rainbow Dash said, still unable to believe the evidence of her own eyes. “This is a bad dream, that’s all.”
“You shouldn’t be so surprised, Dashie. After all, it was you who saved me.”
“How did I save you?”
“When Twilight ‘killed’ me, I left behind a feather infused with my life force and all my Ranger powers.”
“A feather?” Rainbow Dash asked. “That was the feather I released into the wind so that you would be free from Nightmare’s grasp forever!”
“Yes, and I thank you for doing so.” Then, in a flash of green light, a strange-looking sword appeared in Derpy’s hoof. “But I’m afraid I can’t keep you alive long enough to thank you properly.”
Shaking her initial shock off, Rainbow Dash got up and drew her own sword. “You know what? I think taking you on would be a great idea. It certainly has been a while.”
“Sorry to cut this reunion short,” Chaos Red said, stepping forward. “However, my comrades and I must return to the moon base. I believe Discord would be pleased to see you... Derpy, was it?”
Derpy thought about this for a moment. Would she take the opportunity to strike down her greatest rival right here, right now? Or would she allow her rival’s fear to stir for a time longer, allowing for a more glorious battle in the future? “This is your lucky day, Dashie,” Derpy said, lowering her sword. She then turned to the Chaos Rangers. “Let’s go, foals.”
“We aren’t foals,” Chaos Blue said.
“Silence, Blue,” Chaos Red said. “It would be unwise to disrespect the Green Ranger.” Red then leaned in and whispered to Blue. “It’s more wise to gain her trust and strike her down when she least expects it.” Red then turned to Derpy. “Now then, shall we leave?” The four evil Rangers then teleported away, leaving the Harmony Rangers confused and even a little bit scared.
“You sent all that to the Princesses, right?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight.
“The battle footage is on its way,” Twilight replied. “You five had better come back to the library to regroup.”
“Good idea.” Rainbow Dash then turned to her fellow Rangers, gave a quick nod, and the five then made their way back to the library in silence.

On the moon base, Discord was both happy and in an outrage over Derpy’s return, and he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding it from her.
“While Derpy’s return may be a point in our favor,” the draconequus said to Zecora, “her return has also completely outshone my Chaos Rangers!”
While Discord was complaining, Derpy was chatting with the new Chaos Rangers, all three of which refused to de-morph for some reason.
“So,” Derpy said, “how come you three don’t want me to know your identities? We’re all on the same team.”
“Because we don’t trust you,” Chaos Red replied. “And I should know. I represent the Element of Betrayal, after all.”
“Then... do you mind if I guess your identities?”
The three fillies looked at each other before Chaos Red responded. “Sure. You get one guess for each of us.”
“I’ll take one guess for the three of you. You’re the little sisters of the Harmony Rangers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Am I correct?”
Chaos Blue gave a slight laugh at Derpy’s guess. “Applebloom and Scootaloo were foals. They refused to accept this power. I’m the only one who agreed to become a Chaos Ranger. I’m just glad I was able to use my magic to erase their memories of Discord’s offer before they left.”
“Really?” Derpy asked, actually rather taken aback. “Then... who are you two?”
“You got one guess for each of us,” Chaos Red said, waving her hoof and obviously smirking under her helmet. She and the others then began trotting off. “Maybe we’ll tell you later... if you prove yourself worthy in our next attack.” And with that, the Chaos Rangers were gone, leaving Derpy more confused than ever.
“I can’t believe they don’t trust me,” Derpy said to herself. She was about to walk off when a cough stopped her. “Forget it, Rei. I’m not saying it.”
“You want this story to get views and likes, don’t you?” Rei asked from behind another computer.
“Fine,” Derpy said. She then sighed and quickly said, “I just don’t know what went wrong. Happy?”
“Very,” Rei replied.

Back in Ponyville, the Harmony Rangers, Twilight, and Spike were gathered around the computer under the library talking with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
“I’d say this turn of events doesn’t make any sense,” Celestia said, “but knowing Discord, I believe such a comment, particularly that one, is now redundant.”
“That’s the problem, though,” Twilight said. “Derpy said Discord had nothing to do with her return.”
“Even so,” Luna said, “you Rangers cannot let your guard down. You’re obviously up against a force far greater than anything Equestria has seen before.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “We kind of figured that out the day Discord was released from his prison.”
“It’s not just Discord, though,” Princess Celestia said. “It is fairly obvious Derpy has joined Discord in order to achieve her own goal, which I’m sure we can all guess is plain and simple vengeance against the Pony Rangers.”
“And what about those Chaos Rangers?” Rarity asked. “We need to have a plan for the next time they decide to show their muzzles.”
“At this point, I fear that they may possess greater power than you five. Luna, Twilight, and I can do what we can to improve your powers, but for now, I fear the threat may be too great.”
“The threat is too great?” the offended Rainbow Dash asked. She then flew up to the screen right where Celestia’s face was, even though, unbeknownst to the pegasus, she was well out of the view of the camera on her end. “We saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon and countless other threats, and now you decide to say we aren’t strong enough to face this new threat? It’s as though you’ve forgotten who we are over just the past few months. We’re the Pony Rangers: Harmony Force, and we don’t back down from anything.” Rainbow Dash then flew back down to join the rest of the group. “You say what you want, but I for one will be eagerly waiting for those Chaos Rangers to show their muzzles again. Who here is with me?”
The rest of the group kind of looked around without responding for the longest time, but this eventually turned to fairly unsure nods of agreement, causing Celestia to sigh. “Very well,” the alicorn said. “I wish you all luck in your next encounter with the Chaos Rangers.”
“Thanks, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said with pride. With that, Celestia and Luna disconnected. Rainbow Dash waited about five seconds before suddenly turning back to her fellow Rangers with a worried expression. “Does anypony have any idea what we’re supposed to do if those Chaos Rangers attack again?” This resulted in collective facehoofs from everypony else in the room, including Spike. Just then, an alarm went off on Twilight’s computer.
“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do if those Chaos Rangers attack again,” Twilight said, “but we’re gonna have to find out fast. All four of them are attacking near Carousel Boutique.”
“Let’s go, Rangers,” Rainbow Dash said. They were about to leave when Twilight stopped them.
“Rainbow Dash... be careful.”
“We will be, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash then turned and left the room.

Down at Carousel Boutique, Derpy and the Chaos Rangers were attacking every nearby civilian pony with their respective elemental powers. Chaos Red’s was wind, Blue’s water, Yellow’s earth, and Derpy’s lightning.
“Run you foals!” Chaos Red shouted. “Run and scream in terror so that your chaos and misery may feed our master’s power and lure the Harmony Rangers into our trap!” The filly then let out a loud evil laugh. “Oh, I can’t express enough how good it feels to be evil.”
“It gets boring after a while,” Derpy said. “However, this new lightning power I have does put a fun twist on my career.”
“Ugh!” Chaos Blue complained. “When are those Harmony Force Pony Rangers going to get here? I’m bored and we’re running out of civilians to terrorize!” Blue then turned to Carousel Boutique. “Hmm... it’s a gamble, but I wonder...” Blue then charged her hoof with energy and was about to blast the boutique with a tidal wave of magic water when a shout from a distance stopped her.
“HOOVES OFF MY SHOP, YOU FIENDS!” Rarity shouted as she and the other Harmony Rangers galloped onto the scene.
“It’s about time you five showed up,” Chaos Blue said, lowering her hoof. I almost destroyed the very place I live in because of your delay, the filly thought to herself.
“Welcome to our trap, Harmony Rangers,” Chaos Red said, drawing her sword. “At least, I trust you already knew this was a trap, correct?”
“‘Course we did,” Rainbow Dash said, pulling out her Element of Harmony, followed by the others. “Doesn’t mean we didn’t come prepared, though. IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done!” The Harmony Rangers struck a unified pose as an explosion erupted behind them.
“You still rely on cheap pyrotechnics for your entrance?” Derpy asked, shaking her head. “Tsk tsk tsk. I never thought you Harmony Rangers could get any sadder.”
“Never mind the pyrotechnics,” Rainbow Dash said, drawing her sword. “It’s time for action.”
Derpy was about to advance on her old rival, but Chaos Red stopped the green-clad pegasus. “A one-on-one fight was not part of the plan, Derpy,” Red said. “You know what the trap involved.”
“Very well, filly,” Derpy said, knocking Red’s hoof away. She then turned to Rainbow Dash and the other Rangers. “We were originally planning to lure you into a trap from which there is no escape, but I have been forced to promise you up-front that we will not destroy you with said trap.” Derpy then turned to Red and nodded.
“Summon Chaos Zords!” Red shouted, raising her hoof to the sky.
“Yellow Lion Zord!” Chaos Yellow shouted.
“Blue Dolphin Zord!” Chaos Blue shouted.
“Red Falcon Zord!” Chaos Red shouted.
“Green Dragon Zord!” Derpy shouted.
Just then, four massive machines matching the descriptions provided by the Chaos Rangers stampeded towards the battlefield.
“New zords?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Could this day get any worse?”
“Yes, yes it could,” Chaos Red said, obviously smiling. “Let’s go, Chaos Rangers!” She, Blue, and Yellow then all teleported into their zords.
“For the last time!” Derpy shouted. “I don’t take orders from a foal!” Then, quickly realizing that nopony was listening to her complaint, Derpy teleported into her own zord.
“Do they really think they’re the only ones with zords?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Twilight, summon the zords.”
“On their way,” Twilight replied.
Just then, the Dino Zords (only two of which were actually dinosaurs, might I be allowed to interject) came stampeding onto the battlefield. “Thanks, Twilight. Let’s go, Rangers.” The five Harmony Rangers then teleported into their respective zords. “Form Harmony Megazord!”
“Flash Formation Spell, go!”
In ten seconds flat, the Harmony Megazord stood tall and ready to take on the four Chaos Zords.
“Do you really think this will be that easy?” Chaos Red asked. “Let’s show these posers what a real Megazord looks like. Form Chaos Megazord!”
The Chaos Zords (excluding the Dragonzord) then charged forward. The Lion Zord stood up on its hind legs and its head tilted to its left to form what looked like a body with legs and one arm. The Dolphin Zord then jumped up and became the right arm of the Chaos Megazord. The Falcon Zord then flew up, shifted its form to look like a head in a helmet, and became the head of the Chaos Megazord. The completed Chaos Megazord then drew a sword that looked strangely similar in design to that of a snake and pointed it right at the Harmony Megazord. “Chaos Megazord, ready!” the Chaos Rangers shouted in unison.
“They have their own Megazord?” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“And that isn’t all, Dashie,” Derpy said. “Hay, Twilly, you might want to pay attention to this next scene. Dragon-Battlezord, form!”
“Did she just say what I think she said?” Twilight asked in a panic, even though she was sure the Harmony Rangers were the only ones to hear her panic.
Much to Twilight’s despair, the Dragonzord began glowing bright green and released three green blasts of light, all three of which came back around and rejoined the light that was the Dragonzord. When the light faded, before the Harmony Rangers stood the Dragon-Battlezord.
“This can’t be!” Twilight shouted, nearly overloading the Harmony Ranger’s comms. “I’m the only one who can perform that spell!”
“Maybe you were, Twilly,” Derpy said, her Battlezord drawing its spear. “However, you’re no longer the Green Pony Ranger. I’m the Green Ranger once again, and I adopted every power you developed for me.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Rainbow Dash said. “Come on, Rangers. We need to take these Chaos Rangers down!” The Harmony Rangers then sent the Megazord forward at full sprint, but the Chaos Rangers stood ready and entirely unintimidated.
“Take this!” Rarity shouted, bringing the Power Sword down upon the Chaos Megazord. However, the Chaos Rangers moved their sword to block the attack, leaving the Harmony Rangers open to a powerful attack from Derpy’s spear.
“They’re double-teamin’ us?” Applejack asked. “That’s low even fo’ these ponies.”
“It is still four against five,” Chaos Red replied, chuckling to herself.
“Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, “is there any way for us to split the Power Sword in order to be able to defend against both of them?”
“Not unless Derpy’s willing to combine the Dragonzord with the Harmony Megazord,” Twilight replied.
Just as Twilight said this, the Chaos Rangers ran up and struck the Harmony Megazord with a full-force slash, causing the Harmony Megazord to stumble and nearly fall over.
“There’s no way they can be this strong,” Rarity said, checking the status of the Megazord. “Our shields are already down to thirty percent power.”
“We need to go on the offensive!” Rainbow Dash shouted, slamming her hoof on her control panel. “I refuse to let these four beat us. Harmony Rangers, charge!”
The Harmony Megazord charged with its sword forward, ready to attack with all the energy the Rangers had remaining. They got to the Dragon-Battlezord and moved to strike Derpy’s zord, but Derpy was faster on the draw and moved out of the way just in time to leave the Harmony Rangers off-balance and allow the Chaos Rangers to attack.
“Time to end this!” Derpy shouted. “Dragon’s Fire!” The Dragon-Battlezord then opened its mouth and breathed a powerful fire that completely enveloped the Harmony Megazord and sent it flying across the battlefield.
“We can’t get up!” Applejack shouted. “We’re out of power!”
“Draw some reserve power!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“We can’t,” Rarity said. “Everything’s fried!”
“They’re too strong for us, aren’t they?” Fluttershy asked. “We’re finished, aren’t we?”
“No!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “It can’t end here! Not like this!”
“Too bad, Dashie,” Derpy said, moving her Dragon-Battlezord until it had one foot on the downed Harmony Megazord. Derpy then lowered her spear and aimed it right at the head of the Harmony Megazord. “I’ve waited too long for this moment...” Derpy said with an evil smile reserved for psychopaths and characters from Creepypastas. (Notable exceptions being Slender Man and Eyeless Jack.) She then raised her spear and prepared to bring it down upon the Harmony Rangers.
However, just before the spear impacted, it was blocked by the Chaos Rangers’ own blade. “What is the meaning of this?” Derpy angrily asked.
“I understand how much you want to bring down the Harmony Rangers,” Chaos Red said, “but if we wish to fulfill Discord’s plan, we need to keep them alive.” The Chaos Megazord then turned to look down at the downed Harmony Megazord. “As pathetic as they are, we need them alive for the time being.”
“Fine,” Derpy grumbled. “You got lucky this time, Dashie. Next time the Chaos Rangers might not be here to save yours and your friends’ plots.” Then, the Dragon-Battlezord and the Chaos Megazord teleported out of sight.
“You see?” Rainbow Dash said with a nervous chuckle. “I told you we were going to make it.”

Later at the library, the Harmony Rangers were gathered once again, only this time after a defeat worse that the one that morning.
“It sure is lucky you five survived,” Twilight said.
“Ordinarily, I’d say luck had nothing to do with it,” Rainbow Dash said. “But this time, I guess even I have to swallow my pride and admit we got our flanks handed to us on a silver platter.”
“You Rangers can’t let this defeat hang over you too badly,” Celestia said. “It was because you rushed into battle woefully unprepared that you almost met your downfall, and the same can only happen if you lose confidence... just as long as you don’t get cocky.”
“I understand that now, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said. “But now, one question remains. What are we going to do if those four show up again? Obviously they have us beat in every respect.”
“Sadly, we are afraid there’s not much we can do,” Luna said. “All we can ask thou to do is to do thine best in the next battle. Call upon power sources thou hast never tapped before, and hope it will be enough to defeat thine enemies.”
“I’m not sure that will be much help,” Rainbow Dash said. “But I guess it’s all we’ve got.”

On the moon base, the Chaos Rangers and Derpy were talking once again.
“Well,” Chaos Red said to Derpy, “I must admit I never expected you to fight with such fire in your heart, Derpy Hooves.”
“Does that mean we trust her now?” Chaos Yellow asked.
“I believe it does,” Red replied.
“Good,” Yellow said, moving her hooves to remove her helmet. “Now I can take this stupid thing off.” However, as Yellow’s helmet came off, her voice became slightly deeper mid-sentence. When she had completely removed her helmet, it was revealed that Yellow was actually a brownish colt with an orange mane and similarly-colored eyes. “Somepony remind me again why I have to pretend to be a filly.”
“Oh, bear with it, Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle said, removing her blue helmet. “If you pretend to be a filly, then we can trick the Harmony Rangers into thinking we’re their little sisters and have them turn on Applebloom, Scootaloo, and that clone of me I created to take my place in Ponyville while I’m here.” Sweetie Belle then trotted up to Button Mash and affectionately rested her head upon his shoulder. “Besides, you’d do it for me, right?”
Button Mash rolled his eyes and sighed. “Yes, Sweetie Belle. I’d do just about anything for you.” He then smiled and rested his head upon her’s.
“Ahem,” Chaos Red said. “If you two would quit it with your romance for five minutes, maybe we could get the next phase of our plan going.”
“I guess that’s true,” Button Mash said. “Hay, wait a minute. I don’t think anypony here knows who you are, Red.”
“Yeah,” Derpy added. “Who exactly is the lead filly of this group?”
“I’d... rather not take my helmet off,” Red said.
“Why not?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Because... I need it to see. I’m literally blind without the Ranger powers Discord gave to me.”
“Can’t we at least know your face, though?” Derpy asked.
“Fine. If you want to know that badly...” Red then removed her helmet and revealed a face that looked familiar to nopony there. Her face was a pale blue, her mane was pure white, and her eyes resembled her soul. Empty.
“I think I’ve heard about you,” Sweetie Belle said. “You’re that filly who created snowflakes. Uh... Snowdrop?”
Had she been able to see, Snowdrop probably would have turned sharply and gave Sweetie Belle a sharper glare. However, her expression simply changed to an evil glare without her head moving at all. “Snowdrop was a pathetic little filly who had little to no future ahead of her,” she said angrily. “But Discord pulled her out of her timeline, gave her the ability to see, and turned that pathetic little filly into me, Chaos Ranger Red.” Snowdrop then put her helmet back on and blinked a few times to get re-accustomed to being able to see once again. She then turned to Sweetie Belle. “And I expect to be addressed as such.” Snowdrop then turned to Derpy. “And as for you, my helmet is sealed with a magical lock, so I’m the only pony who can remove it. That means don’t get any ideas of pulling me out of command of this herd in any way whatsoever. Got that, Derpy?”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Derpy said with a sigh. “Now then, since we’re all on the same team, we might as well take some time to become friends or something. This moon base has a pretty good muffin bar. We can chat over some muffins.”
Snowdrop, Sweetie Belle, and Button Mash glared angrily at Derpy for a moment, but then Snowdrop said, “Actually, I kind of like muffins.”
“Yeah, me too,” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Sure,” Button Mash said.
“Great,” Derpy said. She then led the fillies to the room in which the muffin bar was located.

In what appeared to be a bedroom, Rei the pegasus finished typing the last line of his story and yawned loudly. “Man,” the colt said to himself, “what time is it?” He checked the clock on his laptop and found that it was already 4 in the morning. “Wow. I should probably get to bed.” Rei was about to shut his laptop down and go to bed when his friend Slen wandered by Rei’s room.
“Did you seriously stay up all night on that story again?” the unicorn colt asked, trotting over to his friend.
“Yeah, I kinda did,” Rei replied as Slen read the last few lines of the story.
“Wait a second,” Slen suddenly said. “Did you seriously make Snowdrop an antagonist in this story? Dude, that’s like the last thing you want to do in a story. Take a beloved character from an episode/animation that caused severe feels and turn her into a villain? That’s just plain wrong!”
“How bad could it be?” Rei asked. “Besides, I have a decent plot line set up for this change in the cast.”
“How can making a character as lovable as Snowdrop evil have a decent plot line?” Slen asked.
“Well, I’d include Sweetie Belle’s struggle with betraying her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Rei said. “As well, with Button Mash as a fellow Chaos Ranger, I can incorporate the romance between him and Sweetie Belle. The part with Snowdrop was just because I couldn’t think of anypony to fill the role of the Red Chaos Ranger, so I felt like trolling my readers.” 
“Alright, fine,” Slen said. He then turned and trotted out of the room.
“Hm,” Rei said to himself once his friend was gone. “What was he even doing awake this late at night?”

Next time...
“I’m back, Gilda. You just have to deal with it.”
“Zecora, why don’t you go attack Ponyville for a change?”
“Don’t worry. My plan can work without Derpy or Gilda, so I will allow them their little quarrel.”
“At least we stand a fighting chance against you.”
“As it turns out, Discord has his own plans for you.”
“We’re going to beat you three this time. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my- OW!”
次回、　「Rivals」　あ楽しみに！ (Next time: “Rivals” Enjoy!)

> Rivals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	On the moon base, Sweetie Belle and Button Mash were doing a versus race on Mareio Kart 64. As per usual, Button Mash was owning Sweetie Belle, but she wasn’t even playing at her best this time around. The last words she heard from her former fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders were still echoing in her mind. So much so, that the entire conversation still played vividly before her eyes:

”We aren’t seriously going to betray our sisters, are we?” Scootaloo asked. “Even if it does mean power and cutie marks.”
“Right there with ya, Scoots,” Applebloom said. “Sorry, Discord, but the three of us are gonna have to decline your offer.”
Sweetie Belle nervously looked over at her friends for a moment. “I...” the young marshmallow started. “I... I’m going to accept Discord’s offer.”
“What?” Applebloom and Scootaloo asked in unison as Sweetie Belle cantered over by Discord’s side.
“Think about it, girls,” Sweetie Belle said. “Our sisters betrayed us. He’s giving us the power to set things right.”
“You don’t seriously believe this guy, do you?” Scootaloo asked.
“Filly, are you crazy or somethin’?” Applebloom asked. “You know he’s evil, right?”
“I do believe him and I do understand that he’s evil,” Sweetie Belle said, “but sometimes evil might be in the right. It’s our sisters who ignored us all that time, and he’s trying to help us. Aren’t you two with me?”
Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at each other, then back at Sweetie Belle with worried expressions. “Sweetie Belle, please don’t do this,” Scootaloo said. “He’s messing with your head.”
“What would Rarity think about this?” Applebloom asked.
“You aren’t paying any attention!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “All of this is because of Rarity and the others. So what if I’m letting my greed get the best of me? It serves the Pony Rangers right for ignoring and excluding us like they did.”
“Sweetie Belle...” Applebloom started, tears welling up in her eyes. “I... I thought we were friends.”
“Some friends you are,” Sweetie Belle said, reaching up with her hoof and taking the bracelet with the blue gem on it. “You won’t even stand by my decision when the proof is in the pudding.”
Applebloom was about to respond when Scootaloo stopped her. “You know what, Sweetie Belle?” the chicken asked. “You go on ahead and become evil and stand by Discord, but don’t think for a second that we’re friends any longer.”
Sweetie Belle’s expression remained firm, but she did have to fight back a few tears. “Fine,” Sweetie Belle said as her horn began glowing along with the blue gem. As Applebloom and Scootaloo began to walk off, Sweetie Belle’s horn started glowing brighter. “But don’t think I’m going to let you two tell Rarity and the others about this!” Her horn then fired a powerful blast of magic that Sweetie Belle hadn’t even realized she was casting. The spell caused her former friends to return to Ponyville and forget about the whole ordeal. Or at least that was what Zecora told Sweetie Belle later.
“You made the right choice, young filly,” Discord said, placing his talon on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder and letting out a low chuckle. Sweetie Belle was silent before her new master, focusing all her energy into fighting back her tears.

“YEAH!!!” Button Mash shouted as he crossed the finish line on Mareio Kart, snapping Sweetie Belle back to reality. “Good game, Sweetie Belle, but if you don’t mind me pointing this out, you kind of weren’t at your best.”
“Sorry, Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle said. “I just had a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
“Ahem,” a familiar voice said from behind the two ponies. They turned to find Snowdrop (still in her Ranger form, of course) looking at the two expectantly. (At least that was what the two were guessing. They couldn’t see her face, after all.) “Did I authorize these video games?”
“No,” Button Mash replied. “But Discord did. He said it would be a good idea for us to loosen up a little between attacks.” Button Mash then turned back to the game and prepared to set up another race, but Snowdrop angrily unplugged the system.
“This is no time for your foalish games!” the pegasus shouted. “We need to come up with a plan for destroying the Harmony Rangers!” Snowdrop then leaned in a little closer to the two and whispered, “Not to mention a particular green-clad mail mare hanging around the muffin bar.”
“You really need to chill every once in a while, Snowdrop,” Sweetie Belle said, using her magic to plug the Manetendo 64 back in. (You now have the right to condemn me for making bad puns, because I just made two really bad ones right there.)
“I told you not address me by that name!” Snowdrop shouted, drawing her blade and smashing the console altogether.
“Hay!” Button Mash shouted. “Do you have any idea how many extra chores I had to do to earn enough money to buy that?”
“Small, pointless matters,” Snowdrop said, her patience with her allies already wearing thin. “If we wish to complete our plan, we have to be focused! GOT THAT?” The other two replied with silent nods. “Good.” Snowdrop then turned and cantered off.
“I read about this in history class,” Sweetie Belle said. “When she was, well, this age before Discord got to her, she was actually a very nice pony.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Button Mash said as he pulled out his Game Colt and started playing.

On the other side of the moon base, Derpy was enjoying a blueberry muffin she got from the muffin bar while at the same time silently both plotting her revenge against the Harmony Rangers and figuring out how she was going to throw Snowdrop out of power. Her train of thought was interrupted, however, when she felt a presence she was dreading ever since she got back.
“Well, well, well,” Gilda said, walking in from the door that Derpy happened to be facing away from. “Looks like the mail mare’s back after all. And here I thought Zecora was just spoutin’ hayseed as usual.”
“Don’t test me, Gilda,” Derpy said without even turning around. “My powers are stronger than the last time we met. I could easily destroy you right here if I wanted to, and I understand Discord isn’t doing any more resurrecting.”
“I’m sure you could destroy me, little pony,” Gilda said with a chuckle, causing Derpy to slam on the table with her forelegs and rise to her hind legs.
“You really wanna test me, griffon? I’ll take you down right here, right now!”
“Fillies, please,” Discord said, walking in. “I said cause chaos down in Ponyville. The only chaos I expect up here is whatever chaos I cause.” Just then, an evil smile graced Discord’s lips. “How about this. I’ll give you two an opportunity to settle your little quarrel, but only if you settle it down in Equestria. Though if you wish avoid intervention by the Harmony Rangers, I’d suggest you two settle it somewhere outside of Ponyville.” Discord then walked away from the two quarreling flyers and grabbed a muffin from the muffin bar.
“Well?” Derpy asked.
“Well what?” Gilda asked.
“Well, do you want an opportunity to prove your ‘superiority’ over me? Or are you chicken?”
“How dare you. Meet me in the Everfree Forest today at one o’clock, and I’ll gladly tear you to shreds with my own two claws.”
“It’s a deal,” Derpy said. She then turned, grabbed her muffin, and flew off.

Back in Ponyville, Rarity had just awoken from a horrible nightmare. For some reason, she had dreamt that Sweetie Belle had flooded the entire boutique. She rubbed her head with her hoof and breathed heavily for a moment before finally convincing herself that it was just another “Sweetie-mare.” Just then, another horrible thought had occurred to her. She still didn’t know the whereabouts of her little sister! The attack from the Chaos Pony Rangers had made her forget all about it. She was about to panic when she heard a high-pitched voice say, “Good morning, Rarity.”
“Sweetie Belle?” Rarity asked as she looked over to the door to find Sweetie Belle trotting by. “SWEETIE BELLE!” Usually when Rarity shouted Sweetie Belle’s name, it was out of anger. But this time, it was out of excitement and relief. The older marshmallow rushed out of bed and hugged her younger sister. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright!”
“Older sister, why are you affectionately embracing me in this fashion?”
“Well you were gone most of the day yesterday and never came home, so I was beginning to fear the worst.”
“The worst what? Fate? I assure you, older sister, that I am alive.”
Quickly, Rarity let Sweetie Belle out of her hug. “Sweetie Belle, are you alright? You seem... different.”
“I don’t see how I could be different. I do have four legs, a muzzle, and a horn like you. The only difference is our mane colors, eye colors, and ages.”
Rarity thought Sweetie Belle’s behavior was weird, sure, but maybe it was just her little sister playing a joke on her like she always did. “Well, I’ll go make us some breakfast. You just stay up here and stay out of trouble.” Rarity then turned and cantered off. Sweetie Belle stood there motionless before she was approached by Rei the pegasus.
“Ahem, Sweetie Clone,” Rei said.
“Can I help you, author?” Sweetie Clone asked.
“Yeah, I have some bad news. We can’t work you into the script as a William-style clone.”
“I apologize, author, but I’m unfamiliar with your analogy to a fictional character by the name of William.”
“He’s a guy from the show Code Lyoko. He fell under the control of the primary antagonist and the protagonists had to create a clone of him and that clone had literally no emotion and why am I telling you about all this?”
“I’m going to assume because you are attempting to elaborate your analogy for the purposes of informing your readers of the definition of said analogy for which there is a 47.36295% chance they don’t understand.”
“You wanna know something? I think many of my readers were entirely lost during your last sentence. Now, please leave so I can replace you with the realistic clone.”
“Very well.” Sweetie Clone then turned and cantered off.
Rei then turned and called, “Realistic Sweetie Clone, you’re up!” Upon command, another Sweetie Belle hopped in, this one showing much more emotion than the last one.
“Realistic Sweetie Clone, reporting for duty!” the new clone said with a smile and a salute.
“Hm... no. You’re showing too much emotion. Sorry.”
“Aw, shoot.” The new clone then turned and sadly walked off.
“Finding a usable clone of Sweetie Belle is going to be harder than I thought,” Rei said to himself. “Oh well. I’ll just skip to the next scene while I’m looking for a new clone of Sweetie Belle.”

On the moon base, Discord had gathered his minions (with the exception of Gilda and Derpy) to discuss the plan for the next attack on Ponyville.
“If you wouldn’t mind a question from me,” Zecora said to Discord, “but where are both Gilda and Derpy?”
“They had a separate matter to attend to,” Discord said. “But for now, down to business. Today’s attack on Ponyville. The Chaos Rangers have another plan in the works, but it won’t be ready for a while, so we need a filler attack for the time being. Do I have any volunteers?” Discord looked around, but no hooves or paws were raised. “I guess I have to call on somepony like you’re all in kindergarten... again. Trixie, why don’t you go down and stir up some trouble?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie refuses,” Trixie replied. “She has a score to settle with Twilight Sparkle, but Trixie is unable to settle this score if Twilight does not have her Ranger powers. Until the time comes when Trixie can fight Twilight once again, Trixie will remain on the moon base and hone her skills for a more glorious duel in the future.”
Discord let out a loud sigh and facepalmed. “Very well. If you insist. However, we still need somepony to go down there and cause some chaos.”
“I shall volunteer, since nopony else will here,” Zecora said. “I will crush those Rangers beneath my might. It won’t even be a very fair fight.”
“Okay, I get the point. Just get down there and take your annoying rhymes with you.”
“Very well-” Zecora started.
“Please don’t talk anymore, Zecora,” Sweetie Belle said. “Nopony here, nor any readers of this fic can stand you.”
“I can’t even stand you,” Rei said, sitting in the corner of the room.
“Hay, I thought you were busy looking for a clone of me.”
“I have some feelers out, don’t worry.”
“That is all well and good-” Zecora started.
“AND SWITCHING TO NEXT SCENE!”

Down in the Everfree Forest, Derpy was waiting impatiently for Gilda to meet her for their battle. “I should have known she’d be late,” Derpy said to herself.
“Hold your horses, pony,” Gilda said, coming in through some branches. “It’s only 12:30, anyway.”
“Is it? I must have still had my watch set to Eastern Standard Time.” Derpy took a second to readjust her watch before turning back to Gilda. “Now then, a friendly little duel to determine which of us is Discord’s top flyer?”
“Friendly?” Gilda asked, flashing her talons. “What part of “tear you to shreds” don’t you understand?”
“Ever heard of sarcasm?” Derpy asked, pulling out her Thunder Coin. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF THUNDER!” Derpy’s Thunder Coin emitted a brilliant flash of green light, engulfing her and donning her Ranger armor. She then drew her sword and pointed it at Gilda. “Spirit of the Dragon. Chaos Force, Ranger Green.”
Both fighters stared each other down for a moment before Gilda charged forward at Derpy. The griffon tried to strike Derpy with her talon, but Derpy blocked the attack with her blade and proceeded to strike Gilda’s underside with her left hoof. This attack knocked Gilda back a bit, but she recovered in time to use her tail to grab one of Derpy’s hind legs and bring her to the ground. Gilda then tried to stomp Derpy, but the pegasus rolled to avoid the attack and got back on her hooves.
“Don’t think this will be easy, griffon,” Derpy said.
“My thoughts exactly,” Gilda replied.

Back in Ponyville, Rei was still busy holding auditions for the clone of Sweetie Belle. “Alright,” Rei said to the Sweetie Belle on the stage. “What can you do?”
“I am a perfect imitation of Sweetie Belle,” she replied in a robotic voice. “I am also the star of an abridged series, and-”
“Nope. Sorry Sweetie Bot, but I’m not going to officially include something from Friendship is Witchcraft.”
“But I can do songs!”
“Sorry. Next!”
Sweetie Bot then sadly cantered off the stage, making sad beeping sounds. “Alright, this is the last audition of the day. If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to postpone this chapter.” Just as Rei said this, another Sweetie Belle trotted up to the stage. “Okay, show me what you can do.”
“No problem,” the Sweetie Belle clone said. “All I need is a stove, some pots and pans, bread, and juice.”
Not five minutes passed before half the stage was in flames and Rei was served an entirely burnt breakfast that only the real Sweetie Belle could make, complete with burnt juice and a burnt black sludge that was supposed to be toast. “You’re hired,” Rei said to the Sweetie Clone on the stage.

Later, Twilight was under the library, talking with Rei via the comm system. “You found a good clone for Sweetie Belle?” Twilight asked. “Great. Alright. Bye.” Twilight then hung up and turned to Spike. “Good news, Spike. The chapter’s proceeding on schedule. You tell Derpy and Gilda while I contact the Rangers.”
“Got it,” Spike replied.

Down at Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash was helping Pinkie Pie make some cupcakes to fill an order for a client. “Having fun, Dash?” Pinkie asked.
“It’s alright,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I don’t know why everypony was warning against me helping you make cupcakes.” Then, under her breath, Rainbow Dash added, “At least you haven’t sung, yet.”
“You’re right!” Pinkie Pie shouted when Rainbow Dash said that last sentence. ”All you have to do is take a cup of flour. Add it to the mix.”
Before Pinkie Pie could continue her song, Rainbow Dash’s communicator went off. “Oh thank Celestia,” Rainbow Dash said, answering her comm. “Talk to me, Twilight.”
“There’s something going down at the market,” Twilight replied. “Zecora’s attacking with a bunch of Putty Ponies. Applejack is already on-scene, but she’s going to need backup.”
“We’re on it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Let’s go, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie then galloped out the back door and made their way towards the market.

Down in the market, Applejack was already morphed and fighting off the Putty Ponies. “You really think one pony is enough to take on me?” Zecora taunted.
“I won’t be alone for long,” Applejack said, using her Harmony Lance to knock back a group of four Putty Ponies. She truly didn’t stand a chance, however, if her friends didn’t get there soon. She was about to get jumped from behind by two Putty Ponies when they were knocked back by Pinkie Pie’s arrows.
“Don’t worry, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said, flying in and striking down several Putties with her Sword. “We’re here.”
“‘Bout time,” Applejack said.
“Do you think you ponies three have the slightest chance against me?” Zecora asked.
“Not really,” a quiet voice said from behind Zecora. The zebra turned to find Fluttershy and Rarity standing behind her. “That’s why there’s five of us.”
“Do not think I’m even remotely intimidated. With my increased power, you will all be eliminated. I still have some Putties left in the fight. I believe a failure will result from your plight.” Just as Zecora said this, another two dozen Putty Ponies teleported around Zecora and faced the Rangers.
“And here I thought this was going to be easy,” Rainbow Dash said, raising her Harmony Sword. “I really should have more faith in Discord’s minions.”

Back in the Everfree Forest, Derpy and Gilda were still going at it, and neither one was willing to admit defeat to the other. They were easily matching each other blow for blow, but neither one was going to admit defeat anytime soon.
“Give up, griffon!” Derpy shouted as she raised her sword and brought it down hard upon Gilda. Gilda tried to block the attack with her talons, but Derpy’s attack was stronger than Gilda anticipated and the griffon took massive unnecessary damage. Gilda was knocked back a little, but she was able to recover quickly and focus all her strength into a single strike with her talon that was too fast for Derpy to defend against. The attack struck Derpy’s underside and sent her flying into a nearby tree, de-morphing her.
“It’s over for you, pony,” Gilda said, walking over and raising her talon to deliver the final blow. However, just before Gilda struck, Derpy rolled out of the way and got back to her hooves, causing Gilda to hit the tree and cleanly chop it, causing it to fall. “I’ve taken care of your powers and you still wish to fight?”
“I’m just full of surprises, griffon,” Derpy replied. She then charged forward and tackled Gilda, fueled purely by rage and second wind.

Back in Ponyville, the Rangers had finished off the Putty Ponies and moved on to Zecora. Rainbow Dash moved in to strike Zecora first, but the zebra used her smokescreen magic to teleport out of the way and strike the prismatic pegasus from behind. Zecora then turned and threw some pellets of her energy drain/stink bombs at Fluttershy and Applejack. However, these attacks were blasted in midair by Pinkie Pie’s arrows. The party pony then turned her bow to Zecora and fired several arrows. However, the zebra cast another cloud of colored mist that was able to completely disintegrate the arrows. However, this left Zecora open to a powerful strike from Rarity’s Harmony Axe. The zebra stumbled from the impact, leaving her open to a powerful scissors strike from Fluttershy’s Harmony Daggers which sent the zebra flying.
“Some ‘increased power’ you’ve got there, Zecora,” Rainbow Dash said.
“How can it be that you’ve defeated me?” Zecora asked. “This time, you ponies got victory to take, but next time I will not make the same mistake.” Zecora then tried to teleport away, but she had forgotten that Discord had disabled his minions’ teleporters to enforce his “no second chances” rule. The Rangers were expecting Zecora to come up with some complicated rhyme to express her surprise and panic, but all she actually said was, “Oh crap.”
“Now’s our chance to finish her, Rangers,” Rainbow Dash said. “FORM ELEMENTAL CANNON!” In five flashes of light, the Weapons of Harmony combined to form the Elemental Cannon. “Alright, Zecora, time for you to say goodbye!” The Rangers then fired the Cannon and Zecora was sure she was finished, but the blast was suddenly blocked by three flashes of differently colored lights.

Back in the Everfree, Derpy was giving Gilda a much harder battle than the griffon expected, especially since Derpy didn’t even have her Ranger powers. Even still, Gilda was slowly gaining ground over Derpy.
“You’ve had your second chance, pony,” Gilda said, charging forward and throwing the already fatigued Derpy into a tree. “But this is where I finish you once and for all!” Gilda then charged forward to deliver the true final blow, but Derpy raised her hoof and fired a bolt of lightning at Gilda, knocking the griffon back hard.
“Wrong, Gilda,” Derpy said, getting up and morphing again. “It is I who shall finish you once and for all!” Derpy then drew her sword and charged it with lightning. “There’s only room for one flyer among Discord’s minions. And once I’m rid of you, there will be only one left for me to take care of.”
“Who?” Gilda asked. “Who are you planning on getting rid of once I’m gone?”
“The only pony standing between me and Dashie. Snowdrop.” Derpy then brought her sword down her sword and fired a huge bolt of green lighting at Gilda, obliterating the griffon in a brilliant explosion. After a while, Derpy lowered her sword and said to herself, “Come on, Discord. Give me one more oversized griffon to take down.”

Back in Ponyville, the smoke from the Elemental Cannon finally cleared to reveal that Zecora was still standing... behind the Chaos Rangers.
“Oh no!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “It’s those fillies again.”
“You fillies have saved my life,” Zecora said. “But here I must ask, why?”
“Discord has plans for you, Zecora,” Chaos Red/Snowdrop said to the zebra. “He wants you around for his, and I quote, ‘glorious final battle’.”
“Glorious final battle?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“None of your business, Harmony Rangers,” Chaos Yellow/Button Mash said. “Get going, Zecora. Discord’s reactivated your teleporter for about ten seconds.”
“Thank you, Chaos Rangers,” Zecora said. “I-”
“GO!” Snowdrop shouted. Zecora stepped back from the shout and teleported away. The Chaos Rangers then turned back to the Harmony Rangers. “Now then, what do you five say about another Megazord battle?”
“Come again?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’m going to admit something, and I will destroy you with my own hooves if you tell anypony about it,” Snowdrop said. “Our last battle was an unfair fight because of Derpy’s intervention. Today, however, Derpy is preoccupied with a, shall I say, prior commitment.”
“A prior commitment?” Rainbow Dash asked. “But she’s only been around for a day or two, and the only thing I can think of along the lines of prior commitments from season 1 is her rivalry with me that was never clearly explained.”
“Think about it, Rainbow Dash,” Snowdrop said, less evil and more disappointment in her voice now. “There isn’t anypony, even somepony who isn’t a pony, who might also have a beef with Derpy?”
“Well... I suppose there’s-” Rainbow Dash was suddenly cut off when a sudden explosion erupted from the middle of the Everfree Forest not too far away, startling all eight Rangers in the market. When they looked over to see what had happened, (other than an explosion) they found a 30-story tall version of Gilda rise from the middle of the forest.
“Well, looks like Derpy won round 1,” Chaos Blue/Sweetie Belle said. “That’s ten bits you owe me, Ap- er, Yellow.”
“We never made any bet,” Button Mash said. “Besides, why did you almost call me-? That’s part of our master plan, isn’t it?”
Sweetie Belle replied with a quick nod. “Don’t milk it, though. That’s enough to keep the Harmony Rangers guessing for a while.”
“Harmony Rangers,” Rainbow Dash said, “why are we still standing here? We need to take that oversized griffon down.” Rainbow Dash then contacted Twilight. “Twilight, summon the zords.”
“On their way, Dash,” Twilight replied.
The five Rangers teleported into their zords and, after a Flash Formation spell, drew their Power Sword and charged towards GIlda, who was still looking the other way. However, they skidded to a stop when the Dragon-Battlezord descended right in front of Gilda.
“Hay, Dashie,” Derpy called from the Battlezord. “I suggest you stay out of this battle for the time being.”
“You kidding?” Gilda asked. “I’ll get a chance to take down all of the Pony Rangers who have been causing me trouble in a single battle.”
“Guess again, Gilda,” Snowdrop said as the Chaos Megazord descended onto the battlefield. “You and Derpy stick to your battle. The Harmony Rangers are our prey.”
“I really hate it when the word ‘prey’ is used to indicate us,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Now then,” Snowdrop said as the Chaos Megazord turned to the Harmony Megazord. Shall we begin our battle?”
“We shall,” Rainbow Dash said. “And this time, we’re going to beat you. To quote Pinkie Pie here, ‘cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-’ OW! SWEET BLOODY CELESTIA, THAT HURT!”
“You silly filly, Dash,” Pinkie said. “You aren’t supposed to jab your eye like you would a Putty Pony.”
“Thanks for telling me that,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her eye. “Wait a second. How did I do any of that just now if I’m wearing a helmet!?” Just then, a strange-sounding music started playing from nowhere.
“How about we just ignore that for the time being?” Button Mash asked. “I kind of want to get around to kicking y’all’s- er, all of your flanks for real this time.”
“Glad I’m not the only one getting impatient,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s go, Harmony Rangers!” The Harmony Megazord then charged forward towards the Chaos Megazord.

Meanwhile, not even a mile away, the battle between Derpy and Gilda raged on. Gilda tried to strike the Dragon-Battlezord with her talons, but Derpy proved to be too fast and blocked this attack with her spear. Derpy then roundhoused Gilda to knock her away and struck the griffon with her spear. Gilda tried to regain her balance, but Derpy took advantage of the situation and bombarded Gilda with a spray of rockets and gunfire. The griffon was completely defenseless against Derpy’s rage.
“Nothing is going to stand between me and my revenge!” Derpy shouted. “Thunder Spear, charge!” The Dragon-Battlezord then raised its spear and began charging it with lightning.
“Come on, Derpy,” Gilda said. “Can’t we talk this over?”
“Not a chance, griffon!” Derpy then brought her spear down upon Gilda and sliced clean through her.
“Gah!” Gilda shouted, crackling with energy. “I hope you pay for this one day, Derpy Hooves! Someday, you will be sorry you ever crossed meeeeeeeeee!” Gilda then fell to the ground and erupted in a brilliant explosion.
“That’s Gilda down,” Derpy said to herself. “One more, and then I’ll have Dashie all to myself.” Derpy then let out a maniacal laugh before teleporting herself and her zord away.

Meanwhile, the Harmony and Chaos Megazords were still going at it. Without Derpy, the Chaos Rangers were about on par with the Harmony Rangers, but that didn’t mean the Chaos Rangers weren’t still kicking the Harmony Rangers’ flanks.
“Come on, Harmony Rangers!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We can beat these fillies when they don’t have Derpy fighting alongside them.”
“Um, no, you kinda can’t,” Snowdrop said as the Chaos Megazord gave the Harmony Megazord another strike with their sword. “We’re superior to you Harmony Rangers in every way. That’s pretty much how Discord designed our powers.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t adapt,” Rainbow Dash said. The Harmony Megazord then ducked low and gave the Chaos Megazord a rising slash that actually seemed to deal significant damage.
“Lucky shot, Harmony Rangers,” Sweetie Belle said. “I guess now it’s time for us to start giving a little bit of an effort.”
“Nice try,” Rarity said. “But it’s going to take more than simple little taunts to-” Rarity was cut off when the Chaos Megazord charged forward and rammed the Harmony Megazord like a football player and followed the attack up with another slash.
“Uh, Rarity,” Pinkie Pie said. “I think they can back up their taunts pretty well.”
“Better believe it, Harmony Rangers,” Button Mash said. “Now let’s finish this battle, Chaos Rangers.”
“Ahem,” Snowdrop said. “I’ll be the one to say when we finish the battle, thank you very much.” The Chaos Megazord then aimed its sword at the Harmony Megazord. “Now, let’s finish this battle, Chaos Rangers.”
“Don’t think we’ve given up yet,” Rainbow Dash said. “Harmony Sword, charge!” The Harmony Megazord then raised its sword to the sky and charged it with five different colored bolts of lightning.
“Do you really think that scares us?” Snowdrop asked. “Serpent Blade, charge!” The Chaos Megazord then aimed its sword to the sky, but this one was charged by the wind, earth, and water all swirling into one strike.
“POWER OF HARMONY, SPECTRUM SLASH!”
“POWER OF DISCORD, TRI-ELEMENTAL FURY!”
The two Megazords brought their blades down at the same time, and both blades made contact with each other, causing energy to go flying and small explosions to erupt everywhere the flying energy hit.
“Give up, Harmony Rangers,” Snowdrop said. “We’re stronger than you and you know it.”
“No!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We... won’t... quit!”
“Eh, your choice. Also, all the extra repairs on your Megazord, not ours.” With another surge of energy, the Chaos Rangers broke through the Harmony Rangers’ attack and struck the Harmony Megazord with full force, causing it to go flying.
“We can’t have been beaten again!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Ah, consider yourselves lucky we need you alive for now,” Snowdrop said. “You really are pathetic, but you did put up a better fight than last time. If you keep up this pattern of improving after each of our battles, this might get fun... eventually.” The Chaos Megazord then teleported away, leaving the Harmony Rangers with a battered Megazord and obliterated pride.

Back on the moon base, Derpy knelt before Discord, ready to receive punishment for destroying Gilda. All of the other minions, as well as the other Chaos Rangers, were eager to watch the scene as well. Trixie and Sweetie Belle were even passing around popcorn for everypony.
“Derpy Hooves,” Discord said. “I cannot express how disappointed in you I am.”
“It was only a matter of time,” Derpy said, not even looking up at Discord. “She had it coming.”
“Allow me to finish speaking before you reply. I cannot express how disappointed in you I am for not doing this sooner.”
Everypony, including Derpy, was surprised by what Discord said, and the base was instantly filled with a collective “Huh?”
“Honestly, Derpy, the first time you returned down there in the abandoned warehouse district, I was sure the first thing on your agenda was to take down Gilda. I know how you two had quite the feud in the past, and I was counting on you to get rid of her to make room for my master plan. You put up an impressive fight. The griffon never stood a chance.”
“Does this mean I won’t be facing punishment for destroying one of your minions?” Derpy asked.
“Quite the contrary. I have to thank you for removing my wait for the Harmony Rangers destroying Gilda. Besides, she was one of Nightmare Moon’s minions.”
“Uh, The Great and Powerful Trixie, Zecora, and Alan are still in the room,” Trixie said. “You know that, right?”
“Wait,” Derpy said, ignoring what Trixie said. “Aren’t I one of Nightmare’s minions?”
“No, Derpy,” Discord said. “You’ve gained so much more power, I don’t see you as even remotely related to Nightmare Moon in any way.”
Derpy took that as a compliment, smiled, stood up, and bowed. “Thank you, Discord.”
“Again, Trixie and the others are still in the room,” Trixie said.
Discord turned to Trixie. “I do acknowledge your presence,” he said. “And you are still a very important part of my plan. Trixie, I want you and Zecora to get started on a new plan to destroy the Harmony Rangers.”
“But what happened to the Master Plan?” Snowdrop asked.
“Don’t worry, Snowdrop. I wouldn’t launch these overzealous attacks if I weren’t trying to achieve a higher goal. Besides, I still need to recover another 70% or so of my power, and the only way I’m going to do that is if chaos stirs in Equestria.”
“Once again, you have proven to be much more genious than me, Discord.”
“Suck up,” Trixie said from behind Snowdrop. This earned the magician a solid buck from Snowdrop. “Ow! The Great and Powerful Trixie-”
“Needs to get to work,” Discord said, cutting Trixie off. “You and Zecora have your work cut out for you, and it will require all your effort to pull off.”
“We shall begin with haste,” Zecora said.
“And the end result will have true taste,” Trixie finished. “Wait... what did The Great and Powerful Trixie just do?”
“It does not matter,” Discord said. “Just get to work. Here are the plans.” Discord snapped his fingers and several scrolls appeared in his hands. He then tossed them towards Trixie, who caught them in her magic. “I expect nothing less than perfection.”
“Trixie and Zecora are on it,” Trixie said. The two then walked out of the room, followed by the others.
“Sweetie Belle,” Discord said just before she left. “A word, please.”
Sweetie Belle was confused as to why Discord would want to talk to her for a moment and turned to Button Mash as though he would have the answer. He didn’t have the answer, though. All he said was, “Go on. I’ll set up the Pony Station 3.” Sweetie Belle smiled and turned back to join Discord.
“How are you faring, Sweetie Belle?” Discord asked.
“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well it couldn’t be more obvious. You’re still trying to cope with betraying your old friends.”
“What are you talking about? You make it sound like I was upset about betraying them. I have you and the Chaos Rangers now. Who needs those foals?”
“Sweetie Belle, when you’re as old as I am, you learn to see through brave faces.” Discord walked over and placed his paw on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “I know how hard it is to betray friends to achieve your goals.”
“Really?”
“No. I’ve never had any friends. But the point is that if you’re feeling down about anything, you can talk to me.”
“Well...” Sweetie Belle used her magic to pull up a chair and sit in front of Discord. “When I accepted your offer, I knew I’d be betraying Rarity, but I thought my old friends were going to come with me. And now that they aren’t here...”
Since when did I start playing therapist? Discord thought to himself. Why I brought this upon myself, I may never know.

Meanwhile at the library, the Harmony Rangers were gathered after yet another defeat at the hooves of the Chaos Rangers.
“There has to be some way we can beat those three,” Rainbow Dash said. “They’re too powerful for us even without Derpy fighting alongside them.”
“I understand that,” Princess Celestia said. “Twilight, Luna, and I are still working on improving your powers, but the research isn’t going as well as we originally anticipated.”
“We’ll try to pick up the pace,” Twilight said, “but unless Discord suddenly decides to go on a two-week hiatus, we probably won’t have much luck.”
“We understand, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “If you need us to help with anything...”
“No. The most I can really ask you to do is stand there and look pretty.”
“Well, you’re out of luck there. This is a written fanfiction, not a comic. We can’t look pretty through words.”
“Fair point. Aside from that, though, I think we’re just about powerless against Discord now.”
“We won’t be for long.” Rainbow Dash then put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I believe in you, and I’m sure the others do, too.”
The rest of the Rangers replied with a collective, “Mm-hmm.”
“Thanks, everypony,” Twilight said. “I promise I’ll have something useful finished by the next attack.”
“Do ya Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie Pie asked.
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“It looks like everypony has their work cut out for them,” Celestia said. “You Rangers have to be on-call for a threat you cannot defeat, and our team have to work to find a way for you to defeat said threat.”
“And what about me?” Spike asked.
“Why, you’re going to help us,” Twilight said. “Just because you’ve hardly been mentioned in this chapter doesn’t mean you’re any less important to the story.”
“Then everypony knows what to do,” Rainbow Dash said. “I wish you luck, Twilight. Rangers, let’s go make sure we’re ready for the next attack.” The others nodded and the group silently cantered out of the library.
“Alright, Spike,” Twilight said, turning to her baby dragon companion, “let’s get to work.”

Next time...
“Well it took you two long enough. I’d better not be disappointed.”
“Are those... Alicorn Putties?”
“We barely survived that battle and the Chaos Rangers weren’t even there!”
“There is one way you can help, Twilight.”
“It’s dangerous. Are you sure you’re up for it, Dash?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie did not think Twilight would be down for long.”
次回、　「The Sixth Element」　あ楽しみに！ (Next time: “The Sixth Element” Enjoy!)

> The Sixth Element
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight was studying in the library one peaceful morning. It had been almost two weeks since Discord last launched an attack, and she didn’t want to waste this opportunity. She poured herself into learning everything she’d need to know for upgrading the Rangers’ powers. She hadn’t even slept the night before. She was dozing off a little when a knock on the door jolted her awake. “Who is it?” Twilight called.
“Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow Dash replied from the other end of the door.
“Come on in, Dash,” Twilight said as she used her magic to open the door for her friend. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much,” Dash replied, closing the door behind her. “Just wanted to talk, that’s all.”
“Not that I don’t like talking to you, but why do you want to talk to me in particular?”
“Because Fluttershy’s caring for some animals, Big Macintosh is sick, so Applejack has to do his chores today, Rarity has enough on her hooves with Sweetie Belle, Pinkie Pie will probably burst into song, and Rei is busy typing his Fighting is Magic story.”
“Oh, right. That would make sense. Anyway, what did you want to talk about, Dash?”
“About Derpy. There’s something about her that didn’t occur to me until yesterday and it’s been bothering me ever since. I wasn’t able to sleep last night because of it, so I figured I’d come by and get it off my chest now.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before starting. “You don’t remember this because of the whole Morphin’ Grid thing or whatever, but when those Rangers and other villains came from that other world, there was this one villain, a male zebra named Hunter with some freaky Slender-zebra tentacle power or whatever, and he was tossing me and the other Rainbow Dash around like a couple of ragdolls. We were sure he had us beat when... something saved us. Actually, no, it was somepony. I didn’t get a good look at whoever it was, but I knew for a fact it was a Pony Ranger. And not just any Pony Ranger, a green Pony Ranger.”
“Well I’m guessing I was there.”
“No. It wasn’t you. I know for a fact that it was a pegasus. And the strangest part? I knew for a fact that it was Derpy. She was wearing the exact same style of armor she’s wearing today. The thing is, she was evil before then, and at that moment, I thought she was not only alive, but she had finally turned good. Now, obviously, that isn’t the case. I’m amazed I didn’t even think about it when she made her grand return a couple weeks ago, now that I think about it.”
Twilight was silent for a moment as everything Rainbow Dash had said sunk in. “Mm-hmm. That is something to think about.” Twilight pulled up a chair and sat back in it for a moment as she thought about this. “I’m at a loss for any explanation. Maybe we should go ask Derpy about it. She’s bound to know something.” Both ponies were silent for a moment before they both burst out laughing.
“That’s pretty funny, Twilight,” Dash said, wiping a tear from her eye. Just then, Rainbow’s expression changed to a serious one. “You know something? That could actually work. Maybe if I went to her house with a peace offering, she’d be willing to have a civilized chat.”
“Now Rainbow, you know that’s crazy.” Twilight then got up and began walking off. “I’ll make some blueberry muffins for you to take to her. Sound good?”

Later, Derpy was sitting in her cloud house (unable to stay on the moon base due to the presence a certain red-clad filly), practically twiddling her thumbs.
...
You get the idea. She was waiting for something. Just then, there was a knock on her door. Who the hay would that be? Derpy thought to herself.
“Derpy?” a familiar voice called. “I don’t wanna fight. I just want to talk. I brought over some blueberry muffins as a peace offering. Can I come in?”
Derpy snorted angrily, but cantered over to the door and opened it to find Rainbow Dash holding a basket of muffins. “You should have led with the muffins,” Derpy said with venom in her voice as she grabbed the muffins and walked inside. “What do you want, Dashie? I know you and your friends too well to expect an ambush of some sort.” Derpy began eating one of the muffins, but never took her piercing gaze off of Rainbow Dash. (Well, whatever kind of gaze an evil Derpy would give.)
“I just wanted to have a civilized conversation with you,” Rainbow Dash said as she took a seat. “Um... how do I start this? You remember the day Twilight... you know...”
“Yes, I remember the day she killed me rather well. Get to the point before I finish these muffins.” Derpy threw the wrapper of her muffin into a trash can and began eating a second one.
“Well, a couple weeks after that, there was this... I don’t know what to call it, really. It was a...”
“Crossover chapter,” Rei said from behind Derpy.
“How did you get in here?” Derpy asked Rei.
“I’m the author. When I break the 4th wall, I can pop up anywhere.” Rei then reached over and grabbed one of the muffins on the table. “Please, Dash, continue.”
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said. “So, when that ‘crossover chapter’ happened, there were a bunch of Rangers and villains from this alternate world. One of them was this freaky Slender-zebra named Hunter who had me and the other Rainbow Dash on the ropes. We were sure we were defeated when... somepony saved us.”
“Go on,” Derpy said, grabbing a third muffin.
“The thing is, I think that ‘somepony’ was you.”
Derpy choked on her muffin a little when Dash said that. “Me? How could it have been me?”
“Because it was a Green Pony Ranger who saved us, and she looked exactly like you do today. When you’re morphed, of course.”
Derpy finished her muffin and threw the wrapper in the trash. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Dashie. For your information, I was still in hiding up in the Frozen North when this happened.” Derpy then got up and picked up the basket of muffins. “This conversation is done. I’m going to take these muffins to the kitchen, and when I get back, you’d better be gone, or we’re going to have a fight on our hooves.” Derpy then picked up the muffin basket and was about to leave, but stopped for a moment. “Rei, that goes for you, too.” Derpy then left the room.
Rainbow Dash gave a defeated sigh and turned to walk out. “So much for that idea,” she said to herself.
“I know,” Rei said, walking next to Rainbow Dash. “I only managed to grab one muffin through that whole conversation.” Dash turned and gave Rei an angry glare. “Heh heh... I’ll get back to writing this chapter... behind the scenes.” Rei then left and disappeared behind a cloud. Rainbow Dash just shook her head and flew back to Ponyville to tell Twilight the bad news.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Discord had all of his minions gathered. All of them except Derpy.
“I knew she’d be late,” Snowdrop said to Button Mash.
Just then, Derpy teleported in. “I apologize for being late, Discord,” Derpy said while bowing. “I had... something to take care of.”
“Whatever is was, I don’t want to hear it,” Discord said. “I’m in a good mood for once and I’d rather you not ruin it with your excuses.”
“Thank you, Discord.” Derpy then turned and took her seat next to the other Chaos Rangers.
“Now then, on to what I gathered you all here for. As you know, two weeks ago, I tasked Zecora and Trixie with a special assignment. Today, after much hard work, they have finished their task. Zecora, I’d ask you to take the floor, but nopony wants to listen to your rhymes.”
“Ooh, burn,” Alan said to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie nodded in reply.
“As well, Trixie is going to be arrogant and try to take all the credit if I give her the floor.”
“I think this is getting a little out of hoof,” Button Mash said to Derpy.
“Probably,” Derpy replied.
“Therefore, I’ll go ahead and explain everything myself. The task I gave Zecora and Trixie was to create an upgraded version of the standard Putty Ponies.”
“What kind of upgrade?” Derpy asked. “Increased bumbling ability?” She giggled a little at her joke, but nopony else seemed to be amused. “Ahem. Please, continue.”
“Anyway, these are creatures I’d like to call ‘Alicorn Putties’ on account of the fact that they are modeled after alicorns. Allow me to present you with one.” Discord then snapped his finger, but nothing happend. “Trixie, Zecora, that was your cue to come out here with one of them!” Discord snapped his finger again, only this time, Zecora and Trixie were teleported in and both of them landed hard face first on the ground. Next to them was what looked like an ordinary Putty Pony, except for the fact that it had a horn and wings. “Over the past two weeks, Zecora and Trixie managed to make 12 of these. 12 powerful beings who will finally be the end of the Harmony Rangers!” Discord was expecting cheering, but everypony in the room was silent.
“Putties?” Button Mash asked.
“Being the end of the Harmony Rangers?” Sweetie Belle finished.
“And they’re the work of Trixie?” Snowdrop added.
“It was a joint project,” Zecora said. “I deserve some credit!”
“That didn’t even rhyme,” Derpy said with an unamused expression.
“Oh never mind the whole presentation!” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie suggests that we just get to the part where we see her fabulous creations in action.”
“Again-” Zecora started.
“Wonderful idea, Trixie,” Discord said, knowingly cutting Zecora off. “We shall send them down immediately!”

Back in the library, Rainbow Dash had just told Twilight, the Princesses, and the other Rangers about her conversation with Derpy.
“That was a fairly risky move of yours, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said. “I respect you for your boldness. If only your efforts had provided a more desirable result.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Rainbow Dash said.
“We will still have thine question under investigation, however,” Princess Luna said. “Whatever this is, we promise thou we shall get to the bottom it.”
“In the meantime,” Applejack started, “what’s the situation on upgradin’ our powers?”
“Well,” Twilight started, “we were able to do a few touch-ups here and there, but we’re not sure it’ll be enough.”
Just then, an alarm started blaring at Spike’s computer. “I sure hope it’ll be enough,” Spike said. “All four of the Chaos Rangers are attacking at the market!”
“Wow, that place is attack-prone,” Pinkie Pie said.
“There’s no time to lose,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s go, Rangers.” The five Rangers then galloped out of the room.
“Do you think they’ll be ok?” Spike asked Twilight.
“I’m not sure, Spike,” Twilight replied. “For all we know, Discord’s spent the past two weeks doing upgrades of his own.”

At the market, the four Chaos Rangers were attacking nearby civilians and destroying carts and stands. “How often are those Harmony Rangers going to keep us waiting like this?” Button Mash asked as he smashed Carrot Top’s stand with a chunk of concrete.
“Not sure,” Snowdrop replied as she used her wind power to blow apart an asparagus stand that Bon Bon was running while another friend of hers had the day off.
(“‘Take over for the day,’ Amethyst said,” Bon Bon complained to herself as she ran. “‘It’ll be totally fine,’ she assured me. ‘There haven’t been any Pony Rangers around for two bloody weeks!’ Gah! She is so going to get it when she comes by to pay me!”)
“I really hope they get here soon,” Derpy said. “Impatience is one of my more significant problems.”
“I swear, if they don’t get here soon, I’m going to lose it,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and the others galloped into the battlefield. “No need to lose it...” Rainbow Dash paused and used her hooves to indicate herself and the others. “We’re here. And guess what time it is. IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” The five Harmony Rangers drew their weapons and struck a pose as a massive explosion erupted behind them.
(“I swear to Celestia, if I survive this...” Bon Bon said to herself as she was knocked back by the explosion, “Amethyst Star is going to die!”)
“Let’s go, Harmony Rangers!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She and the others then began charging forward, but they were knocked back by a bolt of lightning from Derpy.
“Woah. Slow down there, Dashie,” Derpy said, obviously smirking under her helmet. “It’s rude to attack somepony before they can reveal the trap their foes (that’s you) trotted into.”
“The last time you four beat us, we weren’t entirely prepared,” Rainbow Dash said as she got up and aimed her sword at Derpy. “This time, however, we’re ready for anything you throw at us.”
Snowdrop laughed to herself when Rainbow Dash said that. “Oh, we’d beg to differ,” the filly said. “We’re going to prove you wrong in three... two... one...”
Just as Snowdrop finished counting down, about a dozen flashes of light appeared between the two teams of Rangers. When the lights faded, the Harmony Rangers couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Are those...?” Fluttershy started.
“I’m not sure,” Rarity continued.
“There’s no way, though,” Pinkie Pie said.
“It ain’t possible,” Applejack said.
“But they are...” Rainbow Dash said. “Alicorn Putty Ponies.”
“Man, I wish I could see the looks on y’all’s faces,” Button Mash said.
“I’m sorry?” Applejack asked. “Did you just say...?”
“‘Course I didn’t,” Button quickly said.
“None of that matters,” Snowdrop said. “You Harmony Rangers, this dozen Alicorn Putty Ponies are equivalent in total strength to the four of us... almost. Think you five have enough power to take the four of us on? Prove it with these twelve little Putties.” It couldn’t be more obvious that the filly was smiling. “We’re giving you Harmony Rangers a choice, here. You can fight these Alicorn Putties, or you can surrender and let Discord conquer Equestria.”
“Not a flying chance,” Rainbow Dash said. “Come on, Harmony Rangers. We can take on a few Putty Ponies. Who’s with me?”
The other Harmony Rangers replied with a collective “Yeah!”
“This will be fun,” Sweetie Belle said as she used her magic to materialize four lawn chairs and bags of popcorn. “Come on, Chaos Rangers. Let’s sit back and enjoy the show.”
“Uh, Blue,” Snowdrop said, “we can’t eat without removing our helmets.”
“Oh, right.” Sweetie Belle made the popcorn disappear, but she still sat back in one of the lawn chairs and relaxed. “#disgonbegood”
“Really?” Derpy asked as she took a seat next to Sweetie Belle. “Now we’re using hashtags?”
“It just felt right this time around. That’s all.”
“Enough chit-chat,” Snowdrop said impatiently. “Alicorn Putties, attack!” Upon this command, the twelve Alicorn Putties charged forward.
“Let’s go, Harmony Rangers!” Rainbow Dash said, leading her friends in a charge against the Putties.
Rainbow Dash tried to take the Putties from the air, but three of the clay winged unicorns took to the air after her, taking the prismatic pegasus by surprise. Dash tried to strike one of the Putties with her sword, but that said Putty managed to block Dash’s sword with its horn. “What the hay?” Rainbow Dash asked. “How-?” Rainbow Dash was quickly cut off when a second Putty blasted the pegasus with magic, knocking her back. Dash recovered as fast as she could and tried to strike another Putty with her blade, but while the attack made contact with the Putty’s side, it seemed to do little damage. “This can’t be happening...”
Meanwhile on the ground, the other Rangers weren’t faring any better. Fluttershy was doing her best to strike and stab the Alicorn Putties with her Harmony Daggers, but the attacks seemed to do little damage. Applejack was using her Harmony Lance as well as her applebucking legs, but the Putties were entirely unphased by any of the farm filly’s attacks. Rarity’s magic was entirely useless against the Alicorn Putties, and even her massive Harmony Axe was unable to even dent the Putties. Pinkie Pie tried to use her Harmony Bow on the Alicorn Putties, but the arrows did little damage and the bow itself was able to do even less damage. Pinkie then decided to switch tactics and pulled out her Party Cannon. The cannon managed to damage one Putty slightly, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take the Putty down. To make matters worse, the other Putties saw how Pinkie’s Party Cannon was able to damage them and moved in to disable it and knock Pinkie Pie into a pile made up of her other downed friends. All five of the Harmony Rangers had been de-morphed from the damage they all took from their fights with the Alicorn Putties.
“Wow,” Derpy said as Snowdrop ordered the Putties to stand down. “That was truly pathetic.” Derpy sat back for a moment before getting up and drawing her sword. “Time to finish this once and for all, Dashie.”

Back in Canterlot, Princess Celestia saw the battle with a horrified expression on her face. “Luna, contact Twilight and tell her she and Spike need to come to Canterlot immediately. I need to get the Rangers out of there, and when they get here, they’ll need medical attention.”
“Yes, sister,” Luna replied. She then galloped off into another room.

Back in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was too badly beaten to back away from the advancing Derpy. “I’ve been waiting too long for this moment, Dashie,” Derpy said.
“Derpy!” Snowdrop shouted. “I thought it was clear we needed them alive!”
“Shut up, foal!” Derpy shouted as she turned and struck Snowdrop with lightning. The filly went flying backwards into the hooves of the other two Chaos Rangers. “I’ve been denied this chance one too many times, recently. It’s time I get the closure I deserve.” Derpy paused for a moment before continuing. “But don’t worry. I’m only after Dashie. I’m going to leave the others for the time being. After all, I’m sure Princess Celestia can find somepony to replace one Ranger.” Derpy then turned back to Rainbow Dash, who now had pure terror in her face. “Looks like I win, Dashie.” Derpy licked her lips under her helmet and drew her sword.
No, Rainbow Dash thought to herself. It can’t end this way. It just can’t. Derpy raised her sword and charged it with lightning. There has to be a way out of this. Something has to happen. It can’t end this way! As Derpy brought her sword down, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and braced herself for the attack.

Please... not like this...

“Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?”
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to find herself in a familiar room. The computer room in Canterlot. “Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” Dash heard Twilight ask a second time. Rainbow Dash turned to look over to her unicorn friend, but groaned a little from a sharp pain in her neck as she turned her head.
“I’m fine, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as she massaged her neck. “What happened?”
“Princess Celestia teleported you and the others out of the battle just before Derpy’s attack could make contact. You were out for about a minute before you woke up just now, so I took some time to run some preliminary medical observation spells on you and the others. They took enough of a beating from the Putty Ponies to knock them out of commission for the time being, and you took the outer edge of Derpy’s attack.”
“I did?” Rainbow Dash asked, still massaging her neck. “I could have sworn I heard Chaos Red tell Derpy not to destroy me, but I guess Derpy had every intention of doing just that.”
“I’m glad you Rangers are alive and all,” Celestia said, “but I’m afraid we have a more pressing matter to attend to. Those new Alicorn Putty Ponies are far stronger than anything you’ve ever faced before.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said as she struggled painfully to get to her hooves. “They caught us by surprise, but we’ll be ready next time. GAH!” Rainbow Dash stumbled and shouted in pain as she stood on an injured hoof. Twilight was able to catch her friend before she fell, though.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said, “but I’m afraid you and your friends are too badly injured to fight anymore until you get some medical attention. As far as helping to combat these Putties...” Celestia turned to Twilight, “I think there’s one thing that may help.”
“What is it?” Rainbow Dash and Twilight both eagerly asked.
“I need to show Twilight alone, Rainbow Dash. You need medical attention.”
“Come on, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said, making a second attempt to stand. “I’m not that badly beaten.” Rainbow Dash stumbled again when she stepped on her injured hoof, but she maintained her balance and didn’t shout in pain this time. “See? I’m already a little better.”
Celestia was about to say more, but Twilight stopped her mentor. “Princess, with all due respect, Rainbow Dash has recovered from worse than this and she does deserve to know what you plan on telling me.”
Princess Celestia found herself unable to make any more counter-arguments, so she let out a defeated sigh and nodded. “Very well,” she said. “Rainbow Dash, if you wish to accompany us, you may. Luna and Spike will be giving the others medical attention while we’re gone.”
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned around to see her friends being carried off by Princess Luna’s magic with Spike waddling behind.
“They’re going to be okay, Rainbow,” Twilight said, putting her hoof on Dash’s shoulder.
“I know,” Dash replied. “This time around, at least...” Dash then turned back to Princess Celestia. “Princess Celestia, how can we prevent this from happening again?”
“I will show you,” Celestia said as she turned around. “Follow me.”

Princess Celestia led the two ponies through the halls of the Canterlot Archives, where they passed many rooms full of books, scrolls, pages, et cetera. Every piece of parchment was full of different spells and historic accounts of a wide variety of things about almost every subject imaginable. “What is this place?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around in awe.
“These are the Canterlot Archives,” Princess Celestia replied. “Arguably the largest library in Equestria.”
“Amazing,” Rainbow Dash said. “I mean, yeah, sure, lots of cool stuff... for eggheads.”
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “Have a little respect, will you?” Twilight then turned back to Princess Celestia. “Where are we going, Princess?”
Princess Celestia paused for a moment in front of a locked section of the Archives. “This is a special wing of the Canterlot Archives,” Celestia said.
“The Starswirl the Bearded wing?” Twilight asked as her eyes lit up.
“No. This is an area full of mysterious scrolls and tomes the source of which has never been determined. However, with the amount of information held within each individual scroll, each page of each tome... this is the most secure section in the entirety of the Archives, dubbed simply the Time Wing.”
“Why call it the Time Wing?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“All questions have answers, dear Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said. “But not all answers have questions. Those answers are those which can only be answered by time and time herself.”
Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked at each other for a moment, each wearing an expression that said, “I’m just as confused as you are.”
Princess Celestia ignored this and cast a spell on the door that unlocked it. “Come, my little ponies,” the alicorn said. “In here is the answer to your problem.” Celestia then walked into the room, followed by the other two ponies.
“Look at all these scrolls!” Twilight said mostly to herself. “This has to be at least twice as large of a collection as the Starswirl the Bearded wing.”
“It’s actually much larger,” Celestia said while continuing to walk forward.
“Wait,” Rainbow Dash said. “Where exactly are we going in this area, anyway?”
“Right here,” Princess Celestia said as she stopped in front of a bookshelf. She then used her magic to grab a large, but remarkably dusty tome. “In the past, before the time of Nightmare Moon, Luna and I tried to defend Equestria from the evil Discord. However, this was a time before the Pony Rangers and the Elements of Harmony, so we had very little defense against Discord. We fought him, but we failed in battle. Finally, though, we found a way to fight him. The Elements of Harmony. Using the six Elements, Luna and I were able to combine our power and defeat Discord.”
“Wait,” Twilight said. “Six Elements of Harmony? I thought there were only five.”
Celestia opened the tome, revealing an image of the five Elements of Harmony in a circle around a sixth one. “There were only five Elements that I was able to recover before Nightmare Moon sealed me in a time warp. She had hidden the sixth one, however, deep within the Everfree Forest.”
“Is this the part where you task us with recovering it?” Twilight asked.
“Yes it is. You are very smart indeed, my student. However, it won’t be an easy task. I highly doubt Nightmare Moon left the sixth Element unguarded.”
“That’s where I come in,” Rainbow Dash said, stepping forward. “I’ll escort Twilight through the Everfree Forest so she can recover her Element of Harmony.”
“Thanks, Dash,” Twilight said.
“Best of luck to you both,” Princess Celestia said. “Make whatever preparations you may need while I inform Luna and the others.” Princess Celestia then walked out of the room, leaving Rainbow Dash to stand idly by while Twilight flipped through the book Celestia left of the table for whatever clues or warnings she may have to know of.

About five minutes later, Rainbow Dash and Twilight entered the computer room once again to find that the other Rangers had been about patched up thanks to Luna’s limited knowledge of medical spells and Spike’s knowledge of first-aid.
“You guys alright?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I think we’ll be okay,” Applejack replied. “What’d Princess Celestia want with y’all?”
“She told us about a glimmer of hope that just might be within reach,” Twilight said. “A sixth Element of Harmony.”
“Really?” Rarity asked. “Yay! Now I won’t be the only unicorn on the team anymore!”
“So where is it?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“It’s in the Everfree Forest,” Twilight replied. Everypony gasped when Twilight said this.
“Y-you’re going in the Everfree Forest?” Fluttershy asked.
“Don’t worry,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m gonna be going with her. She’ll be fine.”
“But what if them Chaos Rangers show up an’ y’all ain’t back?” Applejack asked. Just then, an alarm sounded at the console Princess Luna was managing.
“We believe thou must answer that question quickly,” the princess of the night said. “Thine foes have returned and are attacking Ponyville.”
“Great,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now what are we going to do?” Rainbow Dash looked around at her friends, who were healed, but still banged up a little. At that moment, the prismatic pegasus came to a conclusion. “Fluttershy, step forward.”
“Me?” Fluttershy asked as she stepped forward. “Why?”
“Fluttershy, I’m counting on you to do something very important for me.” Dash paused for a moment before continuing. “I need you to lead the others into battle.”
“But why me? Why can’t somepony else do it?”
“Because I’ve seen you fight. Once you have those Harmony Daggers in your hooves, your combat skills almost rival mine.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“But how do you know I’ll be a good leader?”
Rainbow Dash put her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder before saying, “Because I wouldn’t dare ask such a thing from you if I weren’t confident you would succeed.”
Fluttershy blushed a little from Rainbow Dash’s compliment. She then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, “I won’t let you down.”
Rainbow Dash smiled a smile that silently said “I’m proud of you.” The prismatic pegasus then turned and walked back to Twilight while Fluttershy walked back to join the other Rangers. “I believe in you, Fluttershy,” Dash said.
“Thanks,” Fluttershy replied. She then turned to the others. “Let’s go, Rangers.” The four were about to gallop out of the building, but a cough from Twilight stopped them. “Oh, right. Ready when you are, Twilight.” Twilight chuckled a little to herself on account of Fluttershy’s forgetfulness before teleporting the four Rangers to Ponyville.
“Ready, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, turning to the prismatic pegasus. (Wow, I’m using that term a lot this chapter. -_-)
“Ready,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“Best of luck, you two,” Princess Celestia said. “The fate of Equestria may very well rest in your hooves.”
“We won’t let you down, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said. She then turned to Twilight and nodded. Twilight proceeded to teleport herself and Rainbow Dash to the mouth of the Everfree Forest, where their trek for the sixth Element of Harmony would begin.

Meanwhile in Ponyville, the Chaos Rangers were just sitting around, watching the Alicorn Putty Ponies wreak havoc across the whole town. “Wow, this is good entertainment,” Button Mash said. “Watching this is almost as fun as playing Call of Pony: Black Ops 2.”
“That may be true,” Sweetie Belle said. “Still, I kind of miss doing the havoc-wreaking with my own hooves. And then there’s the part where the Putties take revenge on Rarity and the Harmony Rangers instead of me. Ah, I shouldn’t complain. This is a good show.”
Meanwhile, Snowdrop and Derpy were sitting in general silence before Derpy spoke up. “Hay... Snowdrop?”
“I told you not to address me by that name,” Snowdrop said. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to... apologize for earlier.”
Snowdrop shifted in her seat a little and turned to face Derpy. “Apologize? Why? For the part where you blasted me with lightning out of rage?”
“Uh... yeah. Also, I wanted to thank you for not ratting me out to Discord for attacking you and trying to destroy Dashie.”
“You know, that hadn’t even occurred to me. Still... I should hope you’re grateful for my forgetfulness.” Snowdrop then huffed and turned back to watch the Putties wreak havoc upon Ponyville.
“I’m going to take that as an, ‘apology accepted’.” Derpy then turned just in time to see four of the five Harmony Rangers teleport into the battle. “Ah, just what I needed.” Derpy and the others then got up and cantered over to meet the Harmony Rangers. “We meet again, Harmony Rangers. Wait... where’s Dashie?”
“Busy,” Fluttershy replied. “She’s out obtaining what we need to beat you four and your Putties.”
“Ooh,” Snowdrop sarcastically said. “I’m shaking in my horseshoes. Let me guess, you four are here to buy here some time?”
“I guess so.” Fluttershy then pulled out her Element of Harmony, followed by the other three Rangers. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” The four Rangers then struck a pose as an explosion erupted behind them.
“I think you’re short one pony to use the word ‘together’,” Derpy taunted. “Still, I suppose it will be fun to watch the four of you be destroyed. Alicorn Putties, assemble!” The twelve Alicorn Putties then gathered between the two factions of Rangers.
“Keep your guard up, Rangers,” Fluttershy said as the four Harmony Rangers drew their weapons. “Remember, we just have to keep them busy until Rainbow Dash and Twilight get back.”
“Got it,” the others replied.
“In my opinion,” Button Mash said, “stalling for time is one of the worst strategies I’ve ever seen.”
Under her helmet, Snowdrop licked her lips. “I like where you Harmony Rangers are going with this,” she said. “I won’t interfere with your plan, Harmony Rangers. Chaos Rangers, let’s see how long they can last against the Alicorn Putties. Let them trot into their doom out of their own free will.”
The rest of the Chaos Rangers nodded in agreement. “Let’s not look this gift horse in the mouth,” Fluttershy said. “Here we go!” The four Harmony Rangers then charged into battle against the Alicorn Putties, even though they knew they had no chance of surviving against them for very long.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were making their way through the Everfree Forest. Twilight brought a map with her, so she knew where she was going, and Rainbow Dash was flying around the immediate area around her friend, keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble.
“So what kind of security do you think Nightmare set up?” Rainbow Dash asked Twilight, making punching motions towards the shadowy trees.
“Not sure,” Twilight replied. “Maybe-” Twilight was cut off when she heard a low growling sound from nearby.
“What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’m not sure...” Twilight said as she carefully walked over to the source of the sound. She looked carefully into the darkness to find what looked like three pairs of glowing green eyes. “It looks like-”
Twilight was suddenly cut off when one of the creatures pounced forward. It looked like it had a canine-like build made entirely of wood. “TWILIGHT!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying at the creature and ramming it with her shoulder. This managed to knock the creature away and allow Twilight to get up. “What the hay was that?”
“That was a Timber Wolf,” Twilight replied. “Really dangerous creatures. They must be what Nightmare Moon put in place to guard the sixth Element.” As Twilight said this, the Timber Wolf that Rainbow Dash attacked got up and retreated. “We must be close. Stay on your guard. Timber Wolves usually travel in packs.”
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash said. The two ponies then continued walking through the forest in general silence. After a while, Rainbow Dash spoke up again.
“How do you think the others are faring back in Ponyville?”
“I dunno,” Twilight said. “I hope they’ll be okay while we’re gone.”

Briefly cut to the other four getting their flanks handed to them on a silver platter by the Alicorn Putties.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight continued. “They’ll be fine once we get that Element.”
“Hay, how much further is it, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m not very comfortable with how long it’s been since we saw that Timber Wolf.”
Twilight paused for a moment before looking forward to find that the two ponies were standing in front of a large, albeit ruin-like castle. “We’re here,” Twilight said.
“Good. Let’s go get that Element and-” Rainbow Dash was cut off when she heard a howling sound from behind her. “I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.” Dash and Twilight both turned around to find themselves face to face with a pack of three Timber Wolves, all of them slightly taller and larger in build than the two ponies. “Go inside and get that Element, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as she pulled out her own Element of Harmony. “I’ll hold these three off. IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!” In a flash of red light, Rainbow Dash donned her Ranger armor and drew her Harmony Sword on the Timber Wolves. “Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Be careful, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “These things are dangerous.”
“That just means it’ll be more fun,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Here, little doggies. Come get your sword mark-shaped treats.” The three Timber Wolves howled and charged at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus charged back and gave the Timber Wolf at the head of the pack a powerful slash with her sword that immediately destroyed it. Dash then spun and kicked the one to her left, knocking off balance and sending it on its side. Rainbow Dash then picked up the downed Timber Wolf and threw it into the last remaining one, destroying them both. “Ha, piece of cake.” Dash then turned and flew back to where Twilight was. “And you doubted me at first.”
“Rainbow...” Twilight said.
“I mean, you should have seen how easily those three went down.”
“Rainbow!”
“Well, you did see it, but that means you know how easy they were for me to defeat, right?”
“RAINBOW!”
“What?” Dash finally asked. Twilight simply pointed behind Dash at the twigs and leaves that once made up the Timber Wolves. However, they were starting to glow and float towards each other. “That doesn’t look good.”
“I’m gonna go into the castle and retrieve the sixth Element,” Twilight said. “Then I’ll help you with that.”
“Come on, how hard could they be a second time?” Rainbow turned back around to find that instead of three reconstructed Timber Wolves, there was actually one giant Timber Wolf. It roared loudly right at Rainbow Dash as it completed its construction. “Twilight! I thought you were going to get that Element and help me!” Twilight gave a nod and galloped into the castle. “This thing is way too small for me to summon the Tyrannozord on. I’m gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way.” Rainbow Dash then gave a mighty yell as she flew head-first at the giant Timber Wolf.

Meanwhile, Twilight galloped into the castle to find a large, empty room. “Where is that Element?” Twilight asked herself. She looked around until she found something in the back of the room. It looked like a carving of some type of image, but it was overgrown with vines and other plants, so it was difficult to see what the image was from a distance. Twilight galloped over to get a closer look. What she found was an image of the five Elements of Harmony. The Element of Honesty, an apple. The Element of Kindness, a butterfly. The Element of Laughter, a balloon. The Element of Generosity, a diamond. The Element of Loyalty, a lightning bolt. It looked natural enough. Just a simple prophecy of some type. However, upon closer inspection, Twilight found that behind a large vine was what looked like a visual representation of a sixth Element. It was hard for her to describe at first. A star of some type? Just then, Twilight quickly made a crucial connection. All of the other five Elements of Harmony resembled the cutie marks of their wielders. Could that mean...?
Yes, this sixth image was, indeed, Twilight’s own cutie mark. “But what does this mean?” Twilight asked out loud. She turned around to see that Rainbow Dash’s battle with the giant Timber Wolf wasn’t going so well. “I gotta try something,” Twilight thought out loud. She placed her hoof on the image of her cutie mark and started charging a spell. “A spark. Maybe that’s all I need. One little spark to point me in the right direction.” Twilight closed her eyes to try to focus her energy, but when she opened her eyes back up, she found that all six of the engraved images had started to glow. “What? What’s going-?” Before Twilight could continue, however, the world around her suddenly went dark.

”Where am I?” Twilight asked as she found herself lying in a white void-like room.
After Twilight asked this, a white alicorn started cantering towards her. At first, Twilight thought it was Princess Celestia, but upon closer inspection, the alicorn had a red mane and tail rather than a rainbow mane and tail. “Welcome back, Twilight,” the alicorn said.
“Back to where?” Twilight asked. “Where is this place?”
“This is the physical representation of the Morphin’ Grid.”
“The Morphin’ Grid?” Twilight looked around, and at first, all she saw was white emptiness. However, before Twilight could say anything, several screen-like things started floating around. On each of them was different videos of what looked like humanoid versions of Pony Rangers fighting monsters, and there were several different variations. There was one team that wielded swords and had strange symbols on their helmets for visors. There was another team also wielded swords, but the swords were of different designs, and their costumes slightly resembled that of a Wonderbolt uniform. Yet another team of these strange creatures, however, almost perfectly resembled the Harmony Force Pony Rangers. Not only that, but there were also a few teams of actual Pony Rangers. There were the Harmony Rangers, the team from that “crossover chapter,’ and several other, unfamiliar Pony Rangers. “These...” Twilight tried to say. “These are all Rangers and Sentai?”
“Yes they are,” the alicorn said. “And it’s time for you to join them, once again.”
“But I thought I would never be a Ranger ever again.”
“That was before, Twilight Sparkle. Before your friends needed you more than ever. You must become a Ranger, once more, and save your friends from the doom they face this day.”
“You mean... none of them are going to survive their battles?”
“I fear not.” The alicorn stepped aside to show two screens. One showed Rainbow Dash struggling in the jaws of the giant Timber Wolf, and the other showed the other Rangers on the brink of defeat at the hooves of the Alicorn Putties.
“No!” Twilight shouted. “NO! THIS ISN’T HAPPENING!”
“It doesn’t have to happen,” the alicorn continued. “You can save them, but you must first pass the test to prove you’re worthy of being a Ranger once more.”
“I don’t have time for tests! I need those powers to save my friends!”
“And with that, you have passed the test.”
“Huh?”
“The test I was to give you was one of friendship. Only one who knows true friendship is worthy of uniting the six Elements of Harmony once more. Your friendships are pure and true, so you may have the sixth Element.” The alicorn then flashed her horn and gave what looked like a ball of light to Twilight. “We will meet again, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight woke up on the ground, still in the ruins of the castle. “Was it... just a dream?” Twilight asked herself as she got up. She was quickly given the answer “no” when she looked in front of her. The stone that originally had the designs of the six Elements of Harmony was cracked. “Wait a second...” Twilight placed her hoof on the cracked stone once again, causing the whole thing to finally crumble. Behind the stone, however, was something that looked rather strange to Twilight. She recognized it as an Element of Harmony, but it was different from the others. Rather than being a necklace, it looked more like a tiara. The gem at the top resembled her cutie mark. A purple six-point star. Twilight reached up and grabbed the Element. “Is this...?”
“HELP!!!!” Twilight heard Rainbow Dash suddenly shout. Twilight turned around to find that Rainbow Dash was in the jaws of the giant Timber Wolf and struggling to get out.
“RAINBOW!” Twilight shouted. The unicorn looked down at her Element of Harmony, took a deep breath, then put it on her head. “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash! I’m coming!” Twilight then started galloping towards where the giant Timber Wolf was, her Element starting to glow. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
Rainbow Dash wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. One moment, she was about to be eaten by a giant Timber Wolf, then, in a flash of white light, the Timber Wolf was destroyed. “Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “How did you...? What just...? Huh?”

Back in Ponyville, the Harmony Rangers were all but defeated at the hooves of the Alicorn Putties. “Wow, that was pathetic,” Snowdrop laughed. “I guess your friends failed you, this time around, Harmony Rangers.”
“No,” Fluttershy said, struggling to get to her hooves. “Rainbow Dash and Twilight won’t let us down!”
“Sorry to say this,” Derpy said, “but I’m afraid they did.” She then struck the four Harmony Rangers with lightning, sending them all flying and de-morphing them.
“I think this is it, girls,” Fluttershy said. “It’s over.”
“It’s not over until I say it’s over!” a familiar voice said from a distance away. The four Harmony Rangers turned to find Rainbow Dash and Twilight galloping onto the battlefield.
“Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked.
“Twilight?” Pinkie asked.
“They’re back!” Rarity said.
“I knew they’d make it!” Fluttershy cheered.
“Ha,” Derpy laughed. “Dashie and Twilly have come to save your flanks? That’s so cute.”
“You won’t think this is very ‘cute,’ Derpy,” Twilight said as she and Rainbow Dash finally stopped at the battlefield. “Because guess what time it is.” Twilight then used her magic to summon her Element of Harmony. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
In a flash of white light, Twilight’s Element engulfed her body in its magic, arming her with what looked like Ranger armor, but hers was different from the other Rangers. It was white, the helmet had gold around its visor, and her midsection had armor similar to Derpy’s, except Twilight’s was black with gold shoulder blades and a gold center.
“No way!” every Ranger in the area (except for Rainbow Dash) shouted.
“Twilly’s a Ranger again?” Derpy asked.
“This is awesome!” Rarity shouted.
“My visor must be damaged,” Snowdrop said. “This can’t be.”
“Gnah!” Pinkie shouted. “That White Ranger from a few months ago is back!”
“Not exactly, Pinkie,” Twilight said, drawing an odd-looking sword. (No, it isn’t exactly Saba. Just an ordinary sword, here.) “I’m the real White Pony Ranger, Harmony Force, Ranger White, and I’m here to save my friends from you Chaos Rangers.” Twilight’s horn then began glowing. “Six Elements of Harmony, re-unify and become whole, once again!”
Just then, the Harmony Rangers’ Elements of Harmony began glowing and channeling beams of energy in their respective colors to Twilight. Twilight’s horn flared, the beams suddenly turned white, and they began channeling back to the other Elements of Harmony.
“What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“The six Elements have been reunited,” Twilight replied. “Now their power can be strengthened ten-fold!” Twilight’s horn flared again with a light so bright, the Chaos Rangers had to shield their eyes. When they looked again, they were faced with six morphed Harmony Rangers, and the Chaos Rangers could tell just by looking at them that the Harmony Rangers were stronger than ever before.
“Oh... this isn’t good,” Derpy said, taking a step back.
“You know it isn’t,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now then, how are we going to divide up the bad guys?”
“I’ll go ahead and take down those Alicorn Putties,” Twilight said.
“Pinkie and I can help you with that,” Fluttershy said.
“I guess that leaves the Chaos Rangers to us,” Rainbow Dash said to Rarity and Applejack. “I’ll take Red and Derpy.”
“I’ll take on Yellow,” Applejack said.
“And Blue still owes me some payback,” Rarity said.
“Then it looks like we all know what we’re doing,” Twilight said. “Alright, Harmony Rangers, ATTACK!” The six ponies then galloped towards their above assigned adversaries.
Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all charged at the Alicorn Putties. All of a sudden, the Alicorn Putties were just as pathetic as normal Putty Ponies. Easily falling at the hooves of the Pony Rangers. The fact that Twilight was there didn’t help the Putties’ case, either. She masterfully wielded her blade as though she had been training with it from birth. With powerul grace, she cut down the Alicorn Putties left and right. Her magic really helped, too. She blasted Putties left and right, knocking them back and forth. The battle surely would have been over in minutes had the Alicorn Putties been unable to regenerate themselves. Still, they weren’t regenerating and regrouping fast enough to keep up with the Harmony Rangers for very long.
Meanwhile, Rarity was going all out against Sweetie Belle. (Rarity, of course, didn’t know she was fighting Sweetie Belle, though Sweete did know she was fighting her sister.) Rarity brought her axe down upon Sweetie Belle, but Sweetie managed to block the attack with her sword. The filly then proceeded to try to strike Rarity with her magic, but Rarity used her own magic to conjure a small shield to block the attack. Rarity then broke her axe free and gave Sweetie Belle a horizontal strike, sending the filly flying.
Applejack was fighting Button Mash, and a similar scenario was taking place. Applejack was using her dual blades to her advantage. Even if Button Mash could block one blade, Applejack would use her other blade to attack Button Mash from behind his defence. Button immediately switched tactics and tried to go on the offensive, using his powers to fling rocks at Applejack. The farm filly dodged these, however, and used her Lance to strike Button Mash away. When he was flung, he managed to land perfectly on top of Sweetie Belle, who had just then gotten back on her hooves before she was knocked back down.
Rainbow Dash flew a top speed towards Derpy and Snowdrop. Both Chaos Rangers attacked Rainbow Dash, but Dash was able to fight off both of them. Derpy tried to strike Dash from the front, but Dash managed to block the attack. Snowdrop tried to take the opportunity to strike Rainbow Dash from behind, but the prismatic pegasus saw this attack coming, broke her sword free from Derpy’s, and turned around to knock Snowdrop away. Derpy recovered quickly and flew back at Rainbow Dash, who was barely able to block Derpy’s charge.
Twilight happened to look over at Rainbow Dash’s battle. She didn’t seem to be faring too well. Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “Girls,” she called. “I need to go help Rainbow Dash. You two think you can handle these Alicorn Putties?”
“Not a problem, Twi,” Pinkie replied. Twilight nodded and galloped over to where Rainbow Dash, Derpy, and Snowdrop were fighting.
“Give up, Dashie,” Derpy said. “You can’t take on both of us yourself.”
“That’s why she isn’t alone!” Twilight shouted as she fired a blast of magic at the two Chaos Rangers.
“Grr,” Snowdrop growled to herself. “That White Ranger can be really troublesome. Derpy, you go on ahead and keep fighting Rainbow Dash. Twilight’s mine.”
“Suit yourself, Scoo- Chaos Red,” Derpy said. Snowdrop gave an angry glare under her helmet, but in a split-second, she realized Derpy couldn’t see her eyes, so the filly just turned and charged at Twilight.
“Wait,” Rainbow Dash said. “What did you nearly call her?”
“None of your business, Dashie!” Derpy shouted as she attacked Rainbow Dash again. Her attack was blocked once again, however, and the green-clad pegasus was knocked backwards.
Snowdrop tried to fight Twilight, but the fact of the matter was that Twilight had a little more experience fighting as a Ranger than Snowdrop did. As well, Twilight’s magic gave her a significant leg-up over Snowdrop. Even with Snowdrop’s gust attacks, Twilight would just use her magic to generate a shield that would block the attack. In terms of sword skill, Twilight still had Snowdrop beat. Snowdrop tried to give Twilight a vertical slash, but Twilight easily blocked the attack with her own sword, broke the attack, knocked Snowdrop off-balance, and gave the filly a powerful blast of magic that knocked her into the pile of her other three companions.
“Well, Chaos Rangers,” Twilight said as the other five Harmony Rangers returned from their battles, “ready to throw in the towel?”
“Hardly,” Snowdrop said. She then raised her hoof to the sky, followed by the other three. “Red Falcon Zord!”
“Blue Dolphin Zord!”
“Yellow Lion Zord!”
“Green Dragon Zord!”
All of the Chaos Rangers’ zords came charging into the battlefield, each immediately forming their respective combat modes. Their respective pilots then teleported into their respective cockpits.
“Chaos Megazord, ready!” Snowdrop, Sweetie Belle, and Button Mash shouted in unison.
“Dragon Battlezord, ready!” Derpy shouted.
“That won’t slow us down,” Rainbow Dash said. “Twilight, if you would.”
“Alright,” Twilight replied. She then began charging her horn with energy. “Summon Dinozords!”
The Harmony Rangers’ Dinozords stampeded onto the battlefield, and their pilots all teleported into their respective zords. (Seriously. How many times am I going to say “respective” in this chapter?)
“Harmony Megazord, form!” Rainbow Dash shouted. In the two weeks Discord spent on hiatus, Twilight adjusted the Megazord’s formation sequence so that it would cast the Flash Formation Spell on its own without her wasting effort casting it herself, so the Harmony Megazord formed and stood tall against the Chaos Megazord and Dragon Battlezord in ten seconds flat.
“Do you seriously think you Harmony Rangers can win this round?” Snowdrop asked. “It’s still two Megazords against one. Now’s the time for you to throw in the towel before your overconfidence costs you your last shreds of dignity.”
“Actually, Chaos Red,” Twilight said over comm, “they aren’t alone this time around. There’s something I think you should know. My Element of Harmony... it came with its own zord. WHITE TIGER ZORD, I SUMMON YOU!”
“Did she just say ‘White’ Tiger Zord?” Fluttershy asked.
Somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest, (actually in that chasm near the castle the Element of Magic was located), there was a loud rumbling that was loud enough to cause a nearby pack of Timber Wolves to scatter. There was a mighty roaring sound and out of the chasm jumped what looked like a massive white mechanical tiger. It then began charging towards Ponyville to join the battle.
Twilight teleported into her White Tiger Zord and had it skid to a stop alongside the Harmony Megazord. “White Tiger Zord, ready!” the unicorn shouted as her zord gave a mighty roar.
“You really think that little kitty will be enough to stop us?” Button Mash asked with a laugh.
“Maybe I should give you four a taste of this ‘little kitty’s’ power,” Twilight replied with a smile. “White Tiger Zord, charge!” The zord gave a mighty roar before leaping forward and pouncing on the Chaos Megazord, knocking it down. Derpy tried to attack Twilight with her Dragon Battlezord, but Twilight turned around and struck Derpy’s zord with a barrage of rockets. However, the Chaos Rangers recovered faster than Twilight anticipated and punt kicked the White Tiger Zord away.
“You alright, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked as the White Tiger Zord landed in front of the Harmony Megazord.
“I’m fine,” Twilight replied as the White Tiger Zord got back to its feet/hooves/paws/whatever. “In fact, I wasn’t even trying that time around. I think it’s about time I showed everypony what the White Tiger Zord can really do.” Twilight then pressed a few buttons on her console while at the same time charging her horn with energy. “White Tiger Battlezord formation sequence, engage!”
“What?” Derpy shouted. “Now Twilly gets her own Battlezord?”
“Sorry, Derpy,” Rei said from behind where Derpy was sitting in her zord’s cockpit. “That’s just how the story works.”
“Would you get out of my life!?”
“Given the fact that I’m writing your life at the present moment... no.”
While Derpy was arguing with the author, Twilight’s White Tiger Zord began shifting its form. At last, a white battlezord standing as tall as all the other Megazords in the battlefield stood alongside the Harmony Megazords.	
“White Tiger Battlezord, ready!” Twilight shouted as her own Battlezord stood tall and drew its sword.
“Alright!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Welcome back to the team, Twilight!”
“This doesn’t look good,” Snowdrop said as the Chaos Megazord and Dragon Battlezord each took a step back.
“You know it isn’t,” Twilight said. “For you four, at least. Now then, Rainbow Dash, whaddya say we take these Phony Rangers down together?”
“Let’s do it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Harmony Rangers, attack!” Both the Harmony Megazord and the Tiger Battlezord then charged at the Chaos Megazord and the Dragon Battlezord.
Twilight and Derpy fought Battlezord to Battlezord, and it was quickly evident that Twilight had the upper-hoof. Derpy wasn’t about to back down, though. She still needed her revenge for what Twilight did to her. Derpy tried to jab her spear into Twilight’s Battlezord’s chest, but Twilight easily blocked the attack with her blade and replied with a massive blast of magic, amplified by the Tiger Battlezord. The Dragon Battlezord was knocked backwards, allowing Twilight to fire several rockets, knocking Derpy out of commission.
Meanwhile, the Harmony and Chaos Megazords were going at it with full force. Their blades clashed repeatedly, causing several small explosions around where they were fighting. The Chaos Rangers could tell they were out-matched, but they weren’t about to admit defeat. They continued their onslaught with all their might, but it was their turn to be outclassed by the Harmony Rangers. They simply couldn’t handle the power the Harmony Rangers received from Twilight’s Element of Harmony and were knocked backwards into the defeated pile, right on top of Derpy’s Dragon Battlezord.
“Well, Chaos Rangers,” Rainbow Dash said. “Looks like we’re the ones who outclassed you, this time around.”
“Grr,” Snowdrop growled once again. “This isn’t over, Harmony Rangers! You six are at your peak, but we can only get stronger. We have a much larger plan in motion, and very soon, you six will all be defeated!” The Chaos Rangers and their zords then teleported away.
“My little ponies, that’s one big win,” Rainbow Dash said, earning several facehoofs and groans from the other Rangers. “What? ‘Little ponies.’ ‘Big win.’ You gotta admit that was kind of good.”
“Just stick to what you said before,” Twilight said.
“Fine. My little ponies, victory is ours.”

Back on the moon base, Trixie had seen the whole battle via the same monitor Discord was watching, though from a distance so Discord wouldn’t get annoyed by her. (Again.) “Well well,” Trixie said to herself. “The Great and Powerful Trixie did not think Twilight Sparkle would be down forever. Perhaps it is time for Trixie to put her latest plan into motion.” Trixie then retreated to her quarters.
Discord, meanwhile, wasn’t as happy as Trixie was. As the Chaos Rangers teleported in, he turned around and gave each of them angry glares. “Would somepony mind telling me what exactly that was down there?” he asked angrily.
“We apologize, Discord,” Snowdrop said. “The Harmony Rangers caught us off-guard. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not,” Discord said. “Still, though, when one door closes, two others open. Now that Twilight Sparkle is a Ranger again, Trixie will be willing to fight once again. As well, Twilight unlocked a seal that has been keeping me from the fifth Element of Chaos.” Discord then turned to Zecora, who was standing in the corner of the room. “Zecora, did you see where Twilight got her Element of Harmony? I need you to go there and search for something called the Phoenix Gem. With its power, we can finally destroy the Harmony Rangers.”
“I will complete this action,” Zecora replied with a bow. “But first, I will need a distraction.”
Discord looked over at where Trixie was. “I don’t think you’ll have to wait very long for that,” he said. Here’s a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, he thought to himself. While the Harmony Rangers are getting rid of Trixie, Zecora can get the Phoenix Gem without a hitch. Discord let out a low, but audible chuckle. “Everything is falling into place quite well,” he said out loud.
“What is?” Snowdrop asked.
“The Master Plan, of course,” Discord replied. “The Alicorn Putties were created for the sole purpose of drawing the Element of Magic out, breaking the seal it created. Now the Phoenix Gem and Equestria are as good as ours!”

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were giving Twilight her official reinduction to the Pony Rangers. Spike and the other Harmony Rangers were there as well, and not a single one there could have been happier for Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,” Princess Celestia said, “it is with great honor that Luna and I welcome you back to the Pony Rangers team.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, bowing her head and doing her best not to tear up.
“As thou knowst,” Luna said, “in order to maintain thine powers, thou must follow the Ranger Code, which is a set of three simple rules thou must follow. First, thou must never escalate a battle unless such an action is needed.” Twilight nodded her head in acceptance. “Second, thou must never use thine powers for dark intentions or personal gain.” Twilight nodded once again. “Finally, thou must strive to keep thine powers a secret. Unless, of course, those thou shares thine secrets with are thine closest friends.” Luna indicated the other Harmony Rangers with a smile. “Twilight Sparkle, dost thou accept this code?”
“I accept,” Twilight replied with a smile. The other Rangers took this as their cue to run in and give Twilight a group hug. “Thank you, Princesses Celestia and Luna. And thank you, all of you. If it weren’t for the friendships I’ve made with all of you, I’m sure I wouldn’t be standing here today.”
“No problem, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “Heck, if it weren’t for the friendships we’ve made, odds are none of us would be here either.” Rainbow Dash then broke the group hug and the six ponies were standing in a circle. “Whaddya say?” Dash asked as she put her hoof in the center of the circle. “For old times sake?”
Twilight smiled before placing her hoof on Dash’s, followed by the others. “Can I?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash. The prismatic pegasus nodded. “Okay. From all of us together, we fight as one!”
“WE PROTECT ONE ANOTHER UNTIL THE BATTLE IS DONE!” all six of the ponies shouted in unison. “WE ARE THE PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!”
As the Harmony Rangers were cheering and laughing together, the Princesses didn’t look quite as happy. “Everything is happening as The Doctor foretold,” Luna said to Celestia. “Isn’t it, sister?”
“I fear so,” Celestia replied. “But trust me, little sister. I believe the power of their friendship can see them through.”
Luna looked over at Spike before continuing. “I hope you’re right,” the princess of the night said to her sister.

Next time...
“With this amulet, Trixie can finally bring down the Harmony Rangers!”
“This plan of yours better work, Trixie.”
“If you don’t accept this duel, Twilight Sparkle, The Great and Powerful Trixie will level Ponyville.”
“I don’t know about you three, but I for one don’t trust these ‘Diamond Dogs’ of Trixie’s.”
“Just because I’m a dragon doesn’t mean I can’t be some type of Ranger, right?”
“After all this time, the Phoenix Gem is mine!”
次回、　「Dogs of War」　あ楽しみに！ (Next time, “Dogs of War” Enjoy!)

> MLPR Sneak Peak #3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	There had to be at least a hundred of them, if not more. Ponies, all clad in armor of different colors. There were several patterns the colors followed. Many ponies were in red armor, many in yellow, et cetera. What set them apart was that for every group of ponies, ranging from groups of three to groups of seven, were wearing armor with similar patterns like diamonds or lightning bolts. There were a couple who obviously weren’t ponies. A few draconian-like creatures, several humanoid beings, one or two robots, you get the idea.
At the other side of the barren battlefield were over a thousand strange robot-like creatures. Their designs made them look similar to trash bins, and they had three stalks protruding out their front. One at the top that was quite obviously their eyepiece, their left stalk attached to their midsection looked like a blaster, and the right stalk next to the blaster looked like a suction cup. As well, at the top of their heads were what looked like two light bulbs that glowed at every syllable they spoke as they chanted “Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!”
Accompanying these creatures were a variety of evil looking creatures of different races at the front of the army. It was difficult to generalize these differing creatures, but one thing every single one of them had in common was that they all hated the ponies on the other side of the battlefield.
And leading either army were two humanoid creatures of the same race. Time Lords. At the front of the pony army, a Time Lord known as The Doctor. He had assisted many of the ponies he was leading into battle in the past, and now he was playing general for them. On the other side, the Time Lord known as The Master. He was The Doctor’s oldest rival, and his one goal this day was to destroy the world that the ponies on the other side of the battlefield were there to protect.
The silence was so thick, you’d need a chainsaw to cut it. Then, all of a sudden, both sides charged into battle. The evil robot creatures were the first to encounter the ponies, but the ponies were putting up an excellent fight even though they were outnumbered anywhere from 10 to 20 robots for every one pony. The ponies wielded a wide variety of weapons, ranging from swords to blasters to everything that has a blade on it. Many of the robots were able to fly and shoot lasers, but even that didn’t give them an advantage since many of the ponies were pegasi and most of them were able shoot lasers.
And overseeing the battle was a strange robot unicorn...

“Hay, kid, wake up!”
Firefly was woken up suddenly from her sleep at the back of the bus. She had fallen asleep during the long bus ride, and now she was the last pony on the bus aside from the bus driver.
“Come on, kid,” the bus driver continued. “You don’t wanna be late for the first day of school.”
“I guess that would be a bad thing,” Firefly said with a chuckle. She then grabbed her saddlebag and galloped out of the bus.
As soon as Firefly got out of the bus, the driver took off. Firefly took no notice of this, however. All she was concerned about was the new challenge that lay before her. She had just recently moved from her old home in Old Ponyville to Phillydelphia after her father Chrome Blitz was offered his dream job there. The hardest part of it all, though, would be adjusting to the new school. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, though. After all, she happened to move here right as the new school year was starting, so there would be other ponies adjusting to the school as well.
Besides, it was a challenge, and if Firefly was anything like her great-grandmother Rainbow Dash, she was always up for a good challenge.

> Intermission: Derpy's Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Derpy sat by the river in Whitetail woods, looking down at her purple-coated reflection. She was waiting for quite a long time before she heard hoofsteps approaching. A smile came across the unicorn’s face as she confirmed the Harmony Rangers had fallen into her trap. She had to get rid of the smile quickly, however. For her trap to work, her acting had to be perfect. Fortunately, the Rangers took forever to get there, so she had plenty of time to practice before now.
“I missed him,” Derpy said in an apathetic voice. “Probably by about five minutes. Maybe ten. Though judging by the fact that you all have appeared to stop trusting me, it seems we have more important things to talk about.” Slowly, Derpy got up and turned to face the Rangers, allowing them to see the tears in her purple eyes. The tears weren’t real, of course, but they were enough to fool the five Rangers before her.
“We haven’t stopped trusting you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said.
“No, but Rainbow Dash did,” Pinkie said, causing Rainbow Dash to nudge her with her elbow.
“Whatever would make you think we stopped trusting you, Twilight?” Rarity asked. “Is it because I asked you to teach me that teleportation spell? Because that was just for in case you couldn’t cast it for whatever reason.”
“So all of you decided to spy on me just because Rainbow Dash told you to?” Derpy asked. “Well let me put some of your fears to rest, Rainbow. The reason I’ve been acting so strange lately is because I was running some tests on myself today and found out that there’s a good chance I’m dying.” The other Rangers gasped in horror.
“You can’t be serious!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “How could you be dying?”
White Ranger mentally smiled to herself. That was exactly the reaction she was looking for. These Rangers were putty in her hooves. (Not exactly “Putty Pony” putty, but you get the idea.) Easily shaped to her will. A few tears here, a smile or two when appropriate, and they won’t even realize they’re being conned until it’s far too late. “It’s my Ranger powers,” Derpy continued. “Perhaps Nightmare Moon was simply desperate to make her evil Ranger stronger than you all, or maybe she did it on purpose and simply didn’t care about the side effects. Whatever the case may be, my powers are too much for my body to handle. They’re slowly destroying me. It hasn’t done much damage yet, but the more I use my Ranger powers, the worse it’s going to get.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head as though trying to wake herself from a bad dream, doing her best to keep her tears hidden. “No...” she said. “No, this can’t be happening. You have to be able to do something about this, Twilight. You’re smarter than this!”
Derpy quickly realized that what Rainbow Dash said was the one flaw in her plan. Even the good version of her in this world was a little too smart to be unable to handle the Thunder Coin. However, she didn’t make this realization evident. Instead, in an effort to salvage her deception, she calmly added, “I guess Nightmare Moon has one ability I don’t have: anticipation. She thought Derpy might be defeated and made sure she was strong enough to handle the Thunder Coin and I wasn’t.”
“But wait a second,” Derpy suddenly said in a slightly different voice than before. “How can that be true? I’m alive and well as it is.”
Derpy noticed Rainbow Dash step back with a look of horror on her face. “D-D-Derpy?” she asked in a shaky voice.
Twilight looked down at her hoof to find that it was suddenly grey. She checked her mane only to find that it was blonde. Her horn was gone, and instead she had a pair of wings. “I remember...” Derpy said to herself. “But I wasn’t here. This was during one of the days that never happened, and that was while I was still dead. How can this be? Unless...” All of a sudden, Derpy saw that the five ponies before her had begun to glow a strange yellowish color before turning to strange particles, floating up into the wind, leaving no trace of the ponies that once stood there. The trees and grass around Derpy then started doing the same thing, leaving the pegasus alone in a dark, void-like room. Derpy tried to call out to the emptiness, but her voice was completely lost to the darkness. Then, she saw that her own body was starting to glow similarly to what had happened to everything around her. Slowly, painfully, she began to vanish from existence, particle by particle, until there was nothing left of her.

Derpy awoke with a start, breathing heavily. She was still alive, still at the moon base, still one of Discord’s Chaos Rangers. “It was... just a dream?” Derpy said to herself. Derpy turned on the light next to her bed, pulled out her Thunder Coin, and just stared at it for a moment. “What have you done, Twilly? What are you planning that I’m not seeing?” Derpy questioned the Thunder Coin for several minutes before she realized that she wasn’t going to get any answers from it. She went to put her Thunder Coin away, but as she did this, she noticed that her hoof that she was holding the Thunder Coin with had started to glow a faint yellowish color, almost similarly to what happened in the dream she just had. However, just a split-second after Derpy noticed this, her hoof returned to its normal grey color. Derpy thought about what had just happened for a long while before finally allowing herself to shrug it off and go back to sleep.

> Dogs of War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A full week. That’s how long Discord was waiting on Trixie’s “ultimate plan” to begin. It certainly went without saying that Trixie had truly pushed Discord’s patience too far this time around. Every time Discord got after her, though, Trixie used the same excuse.
“You have the Great and Powerful Trixie’s word,” she would say, “this plan will be the ultimate downfall of the Harmony Rangers. Just you wait.”
Discord had heard that about fifteen times over the past week, and he was finally at his wit’s end. As soon as Trixie got back from her “quick trip” to Equestria to put the “finishing touches” on her plan, Discord was going to punish her more severely than the Harmony Rangers could if they tried.
Zecora was in a similar position. There was no way she’d be able to go down to Equestria to retrieve the Phoenix Gem undetected without Trixie’s distraction. Fortunately, for Zecora, Discord wasn’t angry at her for Trixie’s folley. If anything, Zecora was equally as angry with Trixie as Discord was.

Meanwhile in an area south of Ponyville, Trixie was walking around looking for something. Thanks to a few cloaking spells, the Pony Rangers hadn’t detected her presence here in Equestria. The spells wouldn’t last forever, however, and even Trixie acknowledged that. Fortunately for her, she had just found what she was looking for. A hole in the ground. Trixie looked around to make sure nopony was around, made sure she had her brush to fix her mane and clean it of any dirt she might get in it from what she was about to do, then jumped into the hole. She was falling straight down Superman style for a few seconds before she lit up her horn and disappeared in a flash of light mere feet from the floor of a cave below. In another flash of light, Trixie reappeared standing upright in the spot where she was about to land. She paused for a moment to dust herself off and fix her mane, then began cantering down the tunnel.

A little later, Trixie finally came to an open area of the tunnel. There were several holes and crevices in the walls where it could be assumed somepony, or something, was digging. Near these were minecarts full of gems of different colors. Trixie walked over to one of the minecarts and used her magic to look through the collection of gems.
“Ah, Ms. Trixie,” a strange and raspy voice said from behind the magician. “What brings you back down to our home so soon?”
Trixie slowly turned around to the creature that was talking. It looked like a dog (more like a werewolf, actually) in a red vest that had small gems in the pockets. “You know exactly why the Great and Powerful Trixie is here, Rover,” Trixie said. “Take a look at the gems in minecarts.”
“Yes,” Rover said. “The Diamond Dogs have been able to find many gems since you taught us the magic you use to find them.” Rover was smiling for a moment, obviously proud of what he and the other Diamond Dogs had done thanks to Trixie, but his smile quickly faded and he composed himself just in time to duck and avoid a gem sent flying by Trixie’s magic. He turned around just in time to see the gem shatter against a cave wall several yards from where he was standing.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie did not teach you her magic so you could find a few more worthless gems!” Trixie shouted. “Trixie taught you this magic so you would find the Alicorn Amulet for her!”
“Yes, of course,” Rover quickly said. “We have discovered its whereabouts, but it is very difficult to get to.”
“How so?” Trixie asked, her anger fading slowly, but still very high.
“The Amulet is using strange magic to keep us away from it,” Rover replied. “We have already lost seven dogs to cave ins, even when we have taken every precaution to keeping the tunnels stable.”
“And you’re sure it was the Amulet’s magic?” Trixie asked.
“Witnesses and survivors all say they saw the red glow of its magic around the rocks just before they fell,” Rover replied.
“Really?” Trixie asked. “Very well. The Great and Powerful Trixie will have to retrieve the Amulet herself, then. Lead Trixie to where the Amulet is.”

Rover led Trixie to the tunnel at the end of which was apparently the Alicorn Amulet. They passed several other Diamond Dogs, all of whom bowed when Trixie passed by. After a while, Rover and Trixie stopped at the entrance of the tunnel. Standing guard were two other Diamond Dogs, both of whom looked like they were of higher rank than the other ones. One of them was larger than Rover and wore a similar grey vest. The other was smaller than Rover, had light brown fur, and also wore a grey vest.
“Ms. Trixie,” Rover said, “meet my top two lieutenants, Fido,” Rover indicated the larger dog, “and Spot.” Rover indicated the smaller dog.
“Greetings, Great and Powerful Trixie,” Fido said in a low pitched but also raspy voice.
“We are honored by your presence,” Spot said in a higher voice.
“Save your flattery,” Trixie said. “I’m assuming you two know what’s going on a little better than Rover.”
“Oh, yes,” Spot said. “We have tried digging several smaller tunnels around the main tunnel, but every time we got within a certain proximity to the chamber where the Amulet is held, it used magic to cause a cave-in.”
Trixie glared at Spot for a moment. “Very well,” Trixie said. “Rover, Fido, Spot, Trixie wants all three of you to stay here. She will go in and retrieve the Alicorn Amulet herself. She has a better chance of retrieving the Amulet without one of you dogs there to louse things up.” Without even letting any of the Diamond Dogs respond, Trixie began trotting into the tunnel.
Trixie didn’t get far before she noticed signs of previous cave-ins. There were holes and cracks in the ceiling, idle rubble littering the floor, and even a few buried dogs. “Pathetic,” Trixie said to herself as she continued trotting. “Never send dogs to do a great and powerful unicorn’s job.” Trixie hadn’t gotten very much further before she noticed a few pebbles falling from the ceiling. “You’ll have to do better than that, Alicorn Amulet.” Trixie used her magic to hold back the rocks that had begun falling while she broke out into a surprisingly graceful gallop.
After a full minute of galloping while trying to maintain an increasingly demanding shield spell on the cave ceiling, Trixie finally came to the chamber in which the Alicorn Amulet was held. “Finally,” Trixie said to herself as she trotted up to the pedestal upon which the Alicorn Amulet lay. “At long last, you are within the grasp of the Great and Powerful Trixie. With your power, I will finally defeat Twilight Sparkle and the Pony Rangers!” Trixie then reached up and grabbed the Amulet.

Meanwhile, the Diamond Dogs were waiting nervously for Trixie to return. “I don’t think she made it,” Spot said.
“Of course she made it,” Fido said. “She’s great and-”
Fido was quickly cut off when there was a loud explosion from the cave. “What was that?” Spot asked.
“Sounded like a cave-in,” Rover replied. “I don’t think even Trixie could have-”
Rover was quickly cut off by another explosion. This time, rubble exploded out of the cave, knocking several dogs, including Rover, Fido, and Spot backwards.
“How dare you dogs underestimate the power of the Great and Powerful Trixie,” Trixie said as she walked out of the cave. “Trixie would punish you if she did not need you for the final phase of her plan.”

“Finally, you’re here!” Discord shouted angrily as Trixie walked back into the moon base. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to get back so that I could punish you for keeping me waiting a full week for your plan to begin?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie apologizes,” Trixie said as she walked by Discord. “However, she assures you that her plan was truly worth the wait.” Trixie then pulled out the Alicorn Amulet.
“That... that isn’t...” Discord said. “The Alicorn Amulet? How did you get your hooves on it?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie hired some... help,” Trixie said. “They will assist me in the execution for my plan. As well, I will need the assistance of the Chaos Rangers.”
“Really?” Snowdrop asked as she and the other three Chaos Rangers walked into the room. “The Great and Arrogant Trixie needs help?”
“Of course she doesn’t!” Trixie shouted at the filly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie requires a distraction, not your silly help.”
“Now we’ve been reduced to a distraction?” Sweetie Belle asked angrily.
“In all honesty, you have lost an edge,” Zecora said as she walked into the room. “The Harmony Rangers do have a new advantage.”
“As long as I can go hoof-to-hoof with Dashie, I’ll do it,” Derpy said. “She got lucky last time.”
“Don’t worry, Drepy,” Trixie said. “With my plan, Twilight Sparkle will be out of the picture so that you can fight Rainbow Dash.”
“That’s enough talking!” Discord shouted. “Everypony, I’ve been patient for a full week. It’s time to see some action going on around here! Trixie, get your plan in motion. Chaos Rangers, be on call for Trixie’s plan. Zecora, you go to the Everfree Forest and retrieve the Phoenix Gem. Everypony clear on all their objectives?” Everyone in the room nodded. “Good. Now, let’s get to work!”

Back in Ponyville, the Harmony Rangers were all gathered in the library while Princess Celestia was talking to them.
“We really got that much power just from Twilight getting her Element of Harmony?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yes,” Celestia replied. “It took a while to put Twilight’s hypothesis to the test, but the results Luna and I found were well beyond expectations.”
“Ha!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “I’d like to see Discord show his ugly face now that we have this much power. And it’s all thanks to Twilight.”
“Aw, you girls give me too much credit,” Twilight said. “I couldn’t have gotten you this power without all of you. After all, it was friendship that-”
Twilight was suddenly interrupted when the screen Princess Celestia was on suddenly bugged out and went to static. “Princess!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Twilight, what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” Twilight said as she fumbled with her console. “My best guess would be somepony’s hacking the comm system, but that would take magical abilities that rival even Princess Celestia’s.”
Right as Twilight said this, the screen went back to normal. However, rather than Princess Celestia on the other end, it was the all-too familiar face of Trixie. “Surprise, Harmony Rangers,” she said with an evil grin.
“Trixie!” Twilight shouted. “What have you done with Princess Celestia?”
“Oh, the Great and Powerful Trixie hasn’t done anything to either of your precious princesses,” Trixie said. Then, stifling an evil laugh, she added, “Yet.”
“What do you want, Trixie?” Twilight asked. “And how do you suddenly have enough magic to hack our communication systems?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie will answer your questions in reverse order,” Trixie replied. “Trixie has been blessed with a new power thanks to this.” Trixie indicated the Alicorn Amulet, which she now wore around her neck.
“No way...” Twilight said, taking a step backwards. “That isn’t...”
“I’m afraid it is, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has now become even more great and powerful thanks to the power of the Alicorn Amulet!” Trixie then laughed evilly.
“Okay,” Twilight said with an unamused expression. “You’ve answered my second question. Now answer my first question. What do you want?”
“What does Trixie want?” Trixie asked. “The Great and Powerful Trixie wants revenge! The first time we had an actual battle, you fought unfairly by having Rarity assist you. Then on the day of the crossover chapter-”
“Hay!” Rei shouted from the back of the room in the library. “Breaking the fourth wall and referring to chapters as chapters is my job!”
“Silence, foal!” Trixie shouted. Her horn then glowed red and all of a sudden, a zipper appeared over Rei’s mouth, instantly zipping shut. “As Trixie was saying, you, Twilight Sparkle, have denied Trixie the duel she so greatly deserves with you.”
“And why would I want to have a duel with you?” Twilight asked. “What’s stopping me from bringing the other Harmony Rangers with me to battle you? In fact, what’s stopping me from denying your request altogether?”
“Oh, Trixie thinks you’ll agree to her duel,” Trixie said with a smile. “As we speak, the Chaos Rangers are attacking Ponyville alongside some of my new minions.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash shouted. She then turned to Spike. “How come no alarms have gone off?”
Trixie answered Rainbow Dash’s question before Spike could. “I don’t know,” Trixie said sarcastically. “Perhaps the Great and Powerful Trixie was maybe... jamming your alarm systems? Ever think of that, Rainbow Dash?”
“We don’t have any time to lose,” Twilight said. “Harmony Rangers, we have some Chaos Rangers to take down!” The six ponies were about to gallop off when Trixie tried to stop them.
“You cannot leave yet, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie shouted. However, the Rangers weren’t listening. “If you don’t accept the duel, the Great and Powerful Trixie will level Canterlot!” This actually stopped the Rangers.
“What?” Twilight asked, slowly turning around.
“Ah, so Trixie has your attention once again,” Trixie said. “Good. Now then, Trixie is in Canterlot right now. If you wish to stop her, Twilight Sparkle must come face me alone while the other Harmony Rangers try to save Ponyville.”
“Forget it, Trixie,” Twilight said. “I only fight alongside my friends.”
“Hmm,” Trixie said with an evil grin. “Did Trixie forget to mention the part where she levels Canterlot with her increased magic, or did Twilight Sparkle forget that part like the pathetic little foal she is?”
“Go on, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said. “We can handle the Chaos Rangers and I know you can handle Trixie.”
“You really think so?” Twilight asked.
“Of course,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Is everypony done chatting?” Trixie impatiently asked. “Twilight Sparkle, you will come to Canterlot to face the Great and Powerful Trixie now! If you are not here in two minutes, Trixie will destroy Canterlot, and she shall not wait a second more!” With that, Trixie cut her spell and the screen returned to static.
With a sigh, Twilight turned to her friends. “Well, I guess I’d better get going,” she said. “The sooner Trixie goes down and the less civilians hurt in the process, the better.”
“Best of luck to you, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Thanks,” Twilight replied. “Same to you five.”
“Oh, right,” Rainbow Dash said. “Totally forgot about the Chaos Rangers up there. Let’s go, Harmony Rangers!” With that, the five ponies galloped off.
“I suppose that’s my cue,” Twilight said to herself.
“Good luck, Twilight!” Spike called from the back of the room.
“Gah!” Twilight shouted in surprise. “Sorry, Spike. I forgot you were in this story.”
“Oh,” Spike said. “Well, sorry for startling you Twilight.”
“It’s okay,” Twilight said with a smile. With that, she teleported off to Canterlot, leaving Spike to turn back to his computer and sigh.
“Something the matter, Spike?” Rei asked as he walked up behind the baby dragon. “I mean, I know something’s the matter. I’m writing your emotions, after all.” Realizing he wasn’t helping Spike’s situation, Rei quickly added, “I mean, if you want to talk about it...”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Spike said with a sigh. “It’s just... I feel like my importance to this story has diminished a lot over the past few chapters. Why aren’t you making me significant anymore?”
Rei chuckled a little and put his hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Spike,” the colt said. “I have something planned for you.”
“I’m sure of that,” Spike said. “But is it too much to ask to be at least on par with the others? I mean, just because I’m a dragon doesn’t mean I can’t be a Pony Ranger, right?”
Rei chuckled again and shook his head. “All the title of the story is is a bad pun,” he said. “That’s all I’m going to say, though. I gotta write the bit where Twilight faces Trixie. If you ever wanna talk again... well I’ll write that bit in if I need to.” With that, Rei turned and walked off, leaving Spike to try to figure out how to get the comm system back up after Trixie fried it with her spell.

In Canterlot, Twilight had just teleported in to find that the whole place was overrun with Putty Ponies.
“Uh-oh,” Twilight said to herself. “Then again, no wings, no horns, they shouldn’t be too much trouble.” Twilight then ran behind a building and made sure nopony was around to see her morph. She then summoned her Element of Harmony and placed it on her head. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
The Putty Ponies who had originally been terrorizing the ponies of Canterlot never knew what hit them. One second, they were executing their distraction for Trixie, and the next, they were blasted in all directions by purple beams of magic. All but one, who was immediately faced with Twilight in her Ranger form.
“Guess who,” Twilight said as she aimed her sword at the Putty’s throat. Twilight then slashed the Putty three times in the shape of a six-point star, then turned around and let it fall to the ground and explode in a fairly ametuer explosion. “Harmony Force, Ranger White,” Twilight said with a smile under her helmet. The white-clad unicorn stood there for a moment before hearing what sounded like applause from nearby. Twilight turned to the source of the applause to find Trixie sitting there, clapping her hooves at the display she just saw.
“Yes, yes,” Trixie sarcastically said as she stood back on all fours. “Very nice. The Great and Powerful Trixie is impressed.”
Twilight put her sword away and turned the rest of her body to face Trixie. “I’m here, Trixie,” Twilight said with an angry expression beneath her helmet. “I take it that means you’ll leave the ponies of Canterlot alone?”
“Provided you can defeat Trixie in combat,” Trixie replied. “But the Great and Powerful Trixie highly doubts that will happen.” With an evil chuckle, Trixie indicated her Alicorn Amulet.
“Cheating or not, you’re dangerous,” Twilight said. “And because of that, I’m taking you down once and for all.”
“Ooh, those are some big words for such a little pony,” Trixie said. “It’s you who are going down today, Twilight Sparkle. You’ve denied me vengeance long enough. It’s time you fell to the great power of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Well why don’t you start on your ‘vengeance’ by closing your great and powerful mouth!” Twilight shouted, charging forward at Trixie. Trixie stood her ground, even as Twilight leapt up to strike Trixie in the face. Right before Twilight’s attack made contact, however, Trixie teleported behind the Ranger and gave Twilight a solid mule kick that knocked Twilight forwards a little. However, Twilight quickly recovered and spun to give Trixie a blast of magic. Trixie easily parried this attack with her own magic, however.
“Tsk tsk tsk,” Trixie said, shaking her head. “You should know by now that the Great and Powerful Trixie has far more power than before, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Well guess what, Trixie,” Twilight said. “So do I.” Twilight then used her magic to summon her sword.
“Pfft. Ametuer,” Trixie said. Then, charging her horn, she touched her hoof to the Alicorn Amulet. She then slowly pulled her hoof away, revealing a long, thin, dark blade that glowed with the same red magic aura as Trixie’s horn and the Alicorn Amulet. “Looks like I have you beat in weaponary as well,” Trixie said with a smirk. “Well. Twilight Sparkle? Give up?”
“Not if innocent lives are on the line,” Twilight said.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Trixie said with an evil grin. The two unicorns then charged back at each other and locked blades.

Meanwhile in Ponyville, the four Chaos Rangers were causing mayhem for the ponies near the edge of Ponyville. (Oddly enough the edge closest to the Everfree Forest.) They weren’t alone, however. They were, in fact, accompanied by the Diamond Dogs Rover, Fido, and Spot.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Button Mash asked Sweetie Belle as he used his earth powers to smash a small melon stand nearby.
“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked in reply as she washed out a carrot stand. “We do this on a regular basis. Come down to Ponyville, destroy some shopping stands, create some chaos for Discord to feed off of, the usual stuff. Don’t tell me you’re going soft on me.”
“Of course I’m not,” Button Mash quickly replied. That may have been a lie, actually. Button Mash had, indeed, been having second thoughts about becoming a Chaos Ranger recently. That wasn’t what was on his mind, however. What was on his mind was-
“Are you sure having help from those Diamond Dog characters is such a good idea?” Button Mash asked.
Yes, that’s exactly what was on his mind.
“Oh,” Sweetie Belle said. “Yeah, I’m not sure I trust them, either. I mean look at them. The most they can do is scare ponies with how horrible they look. They have about as much magical ability as Gilda had and about that much effectiveness in actually attacking these ponies.”
There was really no evidence to disprove what Sweetie Belle was saying. If the Diamond Dogs had any magical ability, they weren’t showing the slightest bit of it. All they were doing was chasing ponies and overturning food stands.
Meanwhile, Snowdrop and Derpy were having similar doubts about the Diamond Dogs.
“They’re so ineffective, it’s annoying,” Snowdrop said as she blasted a bunch of fleeing ponies with a gust of wind.
“I know,” Derpy replied as she used lightning to blast the roof off of a house. “I swear, if the Harmony Rangers don’t get here soon, I’m going to do their job for them and destroy those Diamond Dogs myself.”
As though on cue (which seems to happen a lot in this story), the Harmony Rangers quickly galloped onto the scene.
“Hay, Chaos Rangers!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Get ready for a one-way ticket to- SWEET MOTHER OF CELESTIA! WHAT THE HAY ARE THOSE THINGS?”
Quickly, the Diamond Dogs perked up their ears and turned to the Harmony Rangers. “How dare you insult us like that,” Rover shouted. “We are the Diamond Dogs, the greatest gem hunters in all of Equestria and loyal servants to the Great and Powerful Trixie.”
“I should have known the Stuck-up and Arrogant Trixie couldn’t have gotten so powerful without help,” Rainbow Dash said. “Still, Twilight can take care of her. The five of us just have to bother with you three things.” Rainbow Dash and the others then pulled out their Elements of Harmony. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” The Harmony Rangers struck a unified pose as an explosion erupted behind them.
“Not a thing ever changes about you Harmony Rangers,” Snowdrop said with an unamused tone. “Chaos Rangers, Diamond Dogs, attack!” With that, the seven villains charged forward at the five heroes.
Sweetie Belle charged forward at Rarity, quickly drawing her sword and trying to attack Rarity with it. However, Rarity back flipped out of the way, landing perfectly about five feet away.
“A preemptive strike?” Rarity asked. “How uncouth of you. Somepony needs to teach you some manners, young filly.” Rarity then raised her hoof up to where it was about level with her chest before her hoof started glowing. “Draw, Harmony Axe!” In a flash of purpleish light, Rarity’s Harmony Axe formed in her hoof.
“Manners, huh?” Sweetie Belle asked, rising her sword a little. “It’s so like you to be so nit-picky with that sort of thing, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle then charged forward to try to strike Rarity again. However, just before Sweetie Belle could make contact with her sword, Rarity blocked the attack with her Axe and knocked the filly backwards. Now it was Rarity’s turn to attack. She charged forward and tried to bring down the full force of her Axe down upon Sweetie Belle. However, Sweetie Belle was able to use her magic to create a shield and defend against this attack. Rarity adapted quickly to this attack, however, and ducked just in time to avoid a blast of magic from Sweetie Belle while at the same time giving the filly a sweep kick that knocked her off her hooves. Sweetie Belle recovered quickly from this attack, however, and brought her sword up just in time to defend against another strike from Rarity’s Harmony Axe. The two sisters struggled blade against blade with each other for the longest time.
“I’ll admit, you’ve improved a little,” Sweetie Belle said with a smirk under her helmet. She then broke her sword away from Rarity’s Axe and struck the off-balance mare with a a solid punch. “But I’ve improved a lot since our last meeting.”
“And what makes you say I haven’t, darling?” Rarity asked in reply.
“How dare you call me that!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she charged forward in renewed rage and continued her onslaught against her older sister.
Meanwhile, Button Mash was going all-out against Applejack. He wasn’t fighting with quite as much rage as Sweetie Belle, but he was still giving Applejack a run for her money.
“I know you could be doing better, farm foal,” Button Mash said.
“You’re ridin’ the bull and askin’ for the horns?” Applejack asked. “Well you best be ready for a ride then, partner.” Applejack then raised her hoof to about level with her chest similarly to how Rarity did. “Draw, Harmony Lance!” Applejack’s hoof then began to glow a bright blue before the Harmony Lance formed in her hoof. Applejack twirled it around with her hoof a little before grabbing it in both hooves and breaking it apart into two sperate blades.
“You think that scares me?” Button Mash asked. He then charged forward at Applejack, his sword at the ready. Button Mash leapt up and tried to give Applejack a downwards slash, but AJ blocked this attack with one of her sabers, using the other to knock Button Mash backwards. However, Button Mash expected this to happen and used his elemental power of earth to hurl a large slab of concrete at Applejack from behind. Applejack was unable to avoid this attack and was hit head-on.
“Now that’s some dirty dancin’ of yours,” Applejack said, getting up and shaking herself off. She recovered just in time to avoid another attack from Button Mash that came in from her blind spot. (Directly to her left. It’s blind because of her visor.) AJ took her opportunity to strike the off-balance evil Ranger with one of her sabers.
“You’re not the most honest pony I’ve ever fought, either,” Button Mash said. He then charged forward at Applejack once again.
While Rarity and AJ had only one evil Ranger each, Rainbow Dash was faced with both Derpy and Snowdrop at the same time. The three pegasi were fighting in midair, and it actually looked like Rainbow Dash was at a disadvantage.
“Twilly’s not here to save your flank this time, Dashie,” Derpy said with an evil grin under her helmet.
“You might be right about that,” Rainbow Dash said as she blocked two simultainious punches from both Derpy and Snowdrop. The prismatic pegasus then flew backwards so that there was about a yard between her and the two evil Rangers. “Still, I don’t need her to take down a couple of low-lifes such as you two. Draw, Harmony Sword!” Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in front of her until her hoof started glowing red. Rainbow Dash threw her hoof to herside and her Harmony Sword materialized in a flash of light.
“You must be really foalish if you think you can handle us both,” Snowdrop said as she and Derpy both raised their own blades.
“Maybe I am,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk under her helmet. “Just try me.” Dash then charged forward at Snowdrop and Derpy, both of whom readied themselves for Dash’s attack. Derpy was first to try to counter Rainbow Dash’s attack. Right as Rainbow was about to attack, Derpy moved her sword to block the attack, allowing Snowdrop to sneak up behind Rainbow Dash and try to attack her from there. However, Rainbow Dash noticed Snowdrop’s attempt at a sneak attack and quickly kicked the filly away before breaking her sword away from Derpy and knocking the green-clad pegasus away with another well-timed slash.
“Lucky shot, Dashie,” Derpy said as she shook herself off from the attack.
“You’re gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat us, though,” Snowdrop added.
“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Phew. For a moment there, I was scared you two were actually trying.” Filled with rage, both Derpy and Snowdrop charged at Rainbow Dash once again.
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were back on the ground fighting Rover, Fido, and Spot. Oddly enough, the Diamond Dogs were putting up a decent fight.
“I don’t see what’s so special about you ponies,” Rover said as he knoced Fluttershy away. “Trixie made you all out to be very powerful, and yet I’m seeing none of that power.”
Pinkie Pie caught Fluttershy before the shy pegasus could hit the ground. “You’re wrong, Rover,” Pinkie Pie said as she helped Fluttershy back to her hooves.
“Wait, how did you know my name?” Rover asked.
“Just roll with it,” Rei quietly said in Rover’s ear. “I don’t know how she works and I’m the guy writing her life.”
“Very well,” Rover said as Rei disappeared once again. “Now, back to you ponies. What exactly makes you so special?”
“The magic of friendship gives us power,” Fluttershy said. “Even if you try to split us up, we have a special connection that keeps us strong though anything.” Fluttershy and Pinkie then raised their forehooves in front of them.
“Draw, Harmony Bow!”
“Draw, Harmony Daggers!”
In two flashes of light, Pinkie Pie’s Harmony Bow appeared in her hooves while Fluttershy’s Harmony Daggers appeared in hers.
“Your weapons mean nothing to us,” Fido said. “We’ll still crush you little ponies like bugs.”
“You’ll be begging for mercy by the time we’re done with you,” Spot said.
“Not a chance!” Fluttershy shouted. She then charged forward at the Dogs, flashing her Daggers. She first attacked Rover, who was powerless against Fluttershy’s relentless assault. Fido and Spot tried to assist Rover, but they were stopped when Pinkie Pie blasted them back using her Harmony Bow. This gave Fluttershy enough time to knock Rover away and target switch to the other two dogs.
All five of the Rangers battled their respective foes for a long while, and not a single member of either faction seemed willing to falter. It was truly a sight to behold by the ponies who were foalish enough to stick around to watch the fights, not to be excluded from this number were the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Look at that Red Harmony Ranger,” Scootaloo said. “Taking on two evil ponies at once can’t be an easy task.”
“And look at Yellow and Pink takin’ it to them varmints,” Applebloom said. “I think the Harmony Rangers’re actually gonna win this battle. What do you think Sweetie Belle?”
Sweetie Bele didn’t respond. Her gaze was fixated on the battle between Harmony Black and Chaos Blue. Her stare was so intense, one would probably mistake it for an indication of Sweetie Belle being in a trance-like state. “Hay, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo called to the young unicorn.
“Huh? What?” Sweetie Belle asked, shaking her head.
“Do you think the Harmony Rangers are going to win this battle or not?” Scootaloo asked.
“Oh, um...” Sweetie Belle said. The being she was cloned from didn’t program her to answer such a question without risking blowing her cover. Eventually, the clone’s logic found a suitable answer for Scootaloo’s question. “I’m not sure. The Harmony Rangers had six Rangers fighting four last time. Now it’s five against seven. The odds aren’t exactly in their favor this time.”
Scootaloo and Applebloom exchanged confused expresions for a moment before turning back to Sweetie Belle. “Um, are y’all sure about that?” Applebloom asked. “I mean, we all saw them win hader battles than this, haven’t we?”
“I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle said. “It just doesn’t seem logical. Can we just leave already?”
“Sweetie Belle, are you okay?” Scootaloo asked. “You haven’t been quite yourself lately.”
“I’m fine,” Sweetie Belle insisted. After a slight pause, however, the clone figured out a way to use the situation to her advantage. “Then again, I think I’ve got a little bit of a fever. Maybe we should go so I can get some rest.”
“But you just said you’re fine,” Applebloom said.
“And we’ll miss the battle if we leave now,” Scootaloo added.
“Well... I just don’t want anything bad to happen,” Sweetie Belle said. “You know, like we trip over something and distract one of the Rangers just long enough for their opponent to get an unfair hit on them.”
Scootaloo and Applebloom looked at each other before sighing. “Alright,” Applebloom said. “Let’s get you to bed, Sweetie Belle.”
Sweetie Belle walked away with the other two fillies, able to surpress a devious smile until the other two weren’t looking.
Back at the battle with the Diamond Dogs, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were actually giving the Diamond Dogs a challenge. The two ponies worked flawlessly together as though they shared one mind. (Or at the very least, *ahem* one voice [actor].) However, Pinkie Pie paused for a moment just in time to spot Zecora walking into the Everfree Forest not too far away. “Now what’s she doing over there?” Pinkie asked herself. She brought herself back to the battle just in time to block an attack from Fido with her Bow. The party pony knocked Fido away with a kick and then kept him back with three arrows she shot at once. She was distracted, however, and unable to turn around fast enough to defend herself from a sneak attack from Spot. However, Fluttershy flew up and knocked Spot away just in time to save Pinkie.
“You alright, Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m fine,” Pinkie said. “Listen, I just spotted Zecora walking into the Everfree Forest. Can you take care of the Diamond Dogs yourself while I go see what that zebra’s up to?”
“No problem,” Fluttershy said before spinning quickly and knocking Rover back with her daggers. “You follow Zecora, and I’ll handle these Dogs.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said before hugging Fluttershy. The hug didn’t last long before Pinkie rushed off towards the Everfree Forest, leaving behind a cloud of dust in the shape of a small equine with curly/poofy hair on its mane and tail. Once Pinkie was gone, Fluttershy turned back to the Diamond Dogs.
“No witnesses left,” Fluttershy said with a strange dark tone behind her voice. “Now I can show you Dogs how I really fight.” Under her helmet, Fluttershy licked her lips while she raised her Daggers, causing the Diamond Dogs to gulp nervously.

Meanwhile, Zecora was making her way through the Everfree Forest with a rather calm demeanor. Obviously, she didn’t notice the pink-armored earth pony following her with an unusual amount of stealth.
“What are you up to, Zecora?” Pinkie asked herself quietly. However, the question wasn’t quiet enough as Zecora’s ears quickly perked up when she heard Pinkie’s voice. Pinkie ducked into the bush quickly just before Zecora looked over to where she was. Zecora narrowed her gaze, but continued on anyway.
”It would seem I’m being followed by the one called Pinkie,” Zecora thought to herself. ”Good. She can do the hard part for me.” Zecora then continued walking, allowing Pinkie Pie to follow from a few yards back.

Back in Canterlot, Twilight and Trixie were still going at it, constantly switching between hoof-to-hoof, sword-to-sword, and more often, horn-to-horn.
“Trixie will admit, you are giving the Great and Powerful Trixie a much greater challenge than she expected,” Trixie complemented.
“Um, thanks?” Twilight replied.
“However, you are also starting to bore the Great and Powerful Trixie. She feels this battle needs to come to a conclusion as fast as possible. Unfortunately for you, Twilight Sparkle, that means you must now be destroyed. Trixie has enjoyed playing with you, but now it is time for you to die.” Trixie then drew her dark sword and charged forward at Twilight. Twilight was just barely able to raise her sword to block Trixie’s attack, but the slash wasn’t the end of Trixie’s onslaught. The evil unicorn quickly blasted Twilight right in her visor with a blast of magic, knocking the Pony Ranger back a little. However, Twilight recovered quickly and countered Trixie’s next magical attack with a blast of magic of her own. Trixie took the attack head-on and slid back a little, but she never fell. However, she was vulnerable to another sword-based attack from Twilight. Trixie tried to block this attack with her own sword, but Twilight cast a spell on her own sword before making contact with Trixie’s sword, causing the dark magic Trixie’s blade was made from to shatter, leaving Trixie completely defenseless to a fully-charged slash from Twilight. Trixie was knocked backwards by the attack as a brilliant explosion erupted all around her. Finally, Trixie fell to the ground in defeat.
“Don’t even try to get up, Trixie,” Twilight said. “You got your duel and you’ve been defeated. Now accept that and leave the ponies of Canterlot alone.”
Trixie tried to get up, but all her strength had left her. Whatever spell Twilight used on her sword, it was blocking the Alicorn Amulet’s power. “No...” Trixie said in almost a sob. “I can’t be defeated. I... I’m the Great and Powerful Trixie. I was supposed to destroy you, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie then began bawling madly, rolling around on the ground, cursing Twilight’s name and begging her Alicorn Amulet to work again.
“Wow...” Twilight said to herself. “Now this is just plain sad.”

Meanwhile, deep in the Everfree Forest, Pinkie Pie had followed Zecora to the castle of the ancient pony sisters where Celestia and Luna once ruled together and where Twilight apparently got her Element of Harmony. “Well that’s a pretty creepy place,” Pinkie said to herself.
“You’re truly one to talk, Pinkie,” Zecora said out loud. “Calling things other than you ‘creepy’.”
“Hay!” Pinkie shouted. “I’m not creepy! I’m strange and un-un-un-un-understandable! There’s a big difference!” Right then, Pinkie realized that she had just blown her non-existent cover. “Oopsie...”
“Once again, I say hi to you, my dear Pinkie Pie,” Zecora said, turning to face Pinkie, who had jumped out from behind the bushes she was hiding in and was now in an offensive position. “I would love to stay and catch up with you some more, but it seems you have some new friends who you probably should not bore.” Zecora then pointed behind Pinkie with an evil grin. The pink-clad earth pony turned around just in time to see a pack of three Timber Wolves about to pounce on her. As much of a threat Zecora was to Equestria, Pinkie Pie found that the Wolves before her posed a more immediate threat... to her. Pinkie quickly drew her Harmony Bow and began fighting the Timber Wolves, leaving Zecora to chuckle evilly to herself before turning back towards the castle and walking into it.
Once Zecora was inside the castle, she looked around the main hall with great intensity. “If the legend is true, then the gem is near,” Zecora thought out loud. “But then where could it be, if not right here?” Zecora kept walking for a little while before coming up to the slab of stone that Twilight had gotten her Element of Harmony from about a week before. “If Celestia put it anywhere, it would be around here.” Zecora looked behind the slab of stone inside of the chamber that once housed the Element of Magic before finding a stone button on the right of the chamber. She pressed it, causing that slab of stone to move and reveal an orange gem that glowed like fire. Zecora then chuckled evilly to herself before saying, “It’s a shame you missed this, Twilight Sparkle my dear.” Zecora then took the gem and held it up to her face. “At last, after all this time, the Phoenix Gem is finally mine!”
“You’re not going to keep that for very long, though,” a familiar voice said from behind Zecora. The evil zebra turned around to find Pinkie Pie standing behind her, hardly damaged from her battle with the Timber Wolves.
“But how is it that you have survived?” Zecora shouted. “By the jaws of those Timber Wolves-”
“I know,” Pinkie said with an obvious grin under her helmet. “But you only think that because you didn’t get to know the Timber Wolves like I did.” Right as Pinkie Pie said this, the three Timber Wolves from before came out and stood around Pinkie, ready to pounce on Zecora. “There’s only one sure-fire way to defeat your enemies, and that’s to make them your friends. Right, Jake?”
“It’s true, Pinkie,” the lead Timber Wolf to Pinkie’s immediate right said. “You know, you’re the first pony to ever try to be our friend. Before, it was all just snarl, snarl, bite, bite. Thanks for showing us friendship.”
“Aww, you’re welcome,” Pinkie replied, giving Jake a brohoof. “You guys can get going if you want. I can take care of Zecora.”
“Alright,” Jake replied. “Catch ya later, Pinkie.” The three Timber Wolves then ran off, leaving Pinkie and Zecora to resume their standoff.
“You think you have me beaten, don’t you Pinkie Pie?” Zecora asked. “But I have more than one plan that I have in mind.” Zecora then raised her hoof in front of her and pressed down on one of her golden rings, causing it to begin glowing. “Your friends are in peril, you should probably go save them. But if you go, you let me get away with the gem. It is your choice, Ranger Pink. A little more complicated than what you would think.”
Pinkie thought about this for a moment before turning and galloping back towards Ponyville.
“She cares much for her friends, just as I thought,” Zecora said with a smile. “Now I need to get back. This gem is really freaking hot!” Then, using the hoof that wasn’t burned, Zecora tapped another one of her rings, teleporting her back to the moon base.

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Twilight was sitting around, waiting around to see how long Trixie would to the “perfect pretty princess finally snapping” act. ”Seriously, how long is she going to do this?” Twilight thought to herself as Trixie continued sobbing.
”When is Zecora going to finish her part?” Trixie thought to herself. ”Twilight Sparkle won’t be falling for this act for much longer.” Just then, Trixie received Zecora’s OK signal from a communicator she had kept hidden. ”Finally,” Trixie thought to herself. Then, when Twilight was no longer paying attention, Trixie instantly stopped her fake crying and blasted Twilight back with a fully-charged blast of magic. The sudden attack caught Twilight off-guard and the Ranger was knocked back about ten feet.
“What?” Twilight asked in shock as she got up. “But I disabled the Alicorn Amulet and you were bawling your flank off in defeat!”
“Has Twilight Sparkle never heard of a little skill called ‘acting’?” Trixie asked, wiping her fake tears from her eyes. “In all honesty, though, Trixie is surprised you fell for her act as long as you did. Now you shall pay the price for not finishing me when you had the chance. Powers of the moon, the Great and Powerful Trixie summons you to increase her power ten-fold!” Trixie then fired a massive ball of magic energy directly upwards, only to have it come back down and land directly on her. Her whole body crackled with the energy for a moment before it suddenly grew to about 30 stories tall. “Now, Twilight Sparkle, you shall feel the full might of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Now this, I really should have seen coming,” Twilight thought out loud. “Doesn’t mean I’m not prepared for this, though.” Twilight then began charging her horn with energy. “White Tiger Zord, I summon you!”
When Twilight said this, she cast her spell that caused her White Tiger Zord to awaken from its hangar deep in the Everfree Forest and start rushing towards where Trixie was. Twilight then teleported into her zord.
“White Tiger Battlezord, morph!” Twilight shouted as she slammed a button on her console. The White Tiger Zord then leapt up and shifted it form in mid-air until it landed in front of Trixie in the form of the White Tiger Battlezord.
“Do you really think that scares me, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked. “I’ll turn your zord to scrap metal and grind your body to dust!”
“Violent much?” Twilight asked before charging forward at Trixie.

Meanwhile back in Ponyville, the Harmony Rangers were actually managing to beat back the Chaos Rangers and the Diamond Dogs. After battling for almost an hour, both factions had regrouped with their own teammates.
“You Harmony Rangers surprise me,” Snowdrop said. “Never would I have thought you’d become so powerful that you’d actually be able to fight us for this long.”
“Um, thanks?” Rainbow Dash said as more of a question.
“But alas,” Snowdrop continued, “I fear our battle has fulfilled its purpose already.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“You really are clueless, aren’t you Dashie?” Derpy said with a chuckle. “Did you really think we’d come down here after a full week’s delay without having a larger plan in motion?”
“Yeah, we already figured out the part where Trixie and Twilight duel on their own,” Applejack said. This only caused Snowdrop to chuckle.
“Oh, if only you Harmony Rangers knew what was heading your way,” the filly said.
Right as Snowdrop said this, the Chaos Rangers and Diamond Dogs were blasted by a storm of energy arrows fired from Pinkie’s Harmony Bow. “Sorry I’m late guys,” Pinkie said as she galloped up to her friends’ side. “What’d I miss?”
“We were about to leave, actually,” Rover said. “We have wasted far too much time here as it is.”
“Excuse me?” Snowdrop said as she turned around to face the three dogs. “Are my ears clogged or did I hear you say you were retreating? How dare you disrespect Discord in this way!”
“We do not serve Discord,” Fido said. “This is not our battle, so we are leaving.” The three dogs then turned and left.
Snowdrop was furious, but Sweetie Belle stepped up and stopped her. “Let them go,” Sweetie Belle said. “They’re cowards. They don’t deserve to serve under Discord.”
Snowdrop growled angrily, but finally gave up and breathed a defeated sigh. “Very well,” she said. “Besides, with the Diamond Dogs out of the way, we get the Harmony Rangers to ourselves.”
“That’s fine by me,” Rainbow Dash said. All nine Rangers then raised their hooves to the sky.
“We need Dinozord power now!”
“We need Chaos Zord power now!”
All the Rangers’ zords charged into battle at each other from opposite directions and all instantly formed their respective Megazords.
“Harmony Megazord, ready!”
“Chaos Megazord, ready!”
“Dragon Battlezord, ready!”
All three of the zords then drew their weapons and charged at each other. The Harmony Megazord tried to strike the Chaos Megazord, but the Chaos Rangers blocked this attack, allowing the Derpy to move in and try to get in an attack of her own. However, the Harmony Rangers were able to knock away the Dragon Battlezord with a well-timed kick and at the same time break their sword away from the Chaos Megazord and get in another strike, knocking the Chaos Megazord back as well.
“You Harmony Rangers have gotten stronger,” Snowdrop said over comm as the Chaos Megazord recovered.
“You still can’t beat the both of us, though,” Derpy said.
“Just watch us,” Rainbow Dash said. The Harmony Megazord then leapt up in the air and drop kicked the Dragon Battlezord, catching Derpy off guard as she thought their first target would be the Chaos Rangers. Then, as the Harmony Megazord recovered, they knocked the Chaos Megazord back with a spin kick followed by yet another slash from the Power Sword. Derpy tried to strike the Harmony Megazord from behind, but the Harmony Rangers turned around just in time to parry Derpy’s attack. The Harmony Rangers then suddenly broke their sword away from Derpy’s spear and ducked low. Derpy was confused at this change in tactics for just a brief second before the Chaos Rangers accidentally hit her zord with a powerful slash that was originally meant for the back of the Harmony Megazord. The Dragon Battlezord was knocked backwards and hit the ground hard, out of comission. The Harmony Rangers then turned to the Chaos Rangers and aimed their Power Sword at the villains.
“Looks like Team Discord is two-zip,” Rainbow Dash said. “Looking to make it a clean sweep for us this time around?”
Snowdrop growled under her helmet. “Very well,” the filly finally said. “You Harmony Rangers win this round, but when our plan unfolds, all of you will be on your knees begging for mercy!” Snowdrop then teleported herself, her Rangers, and their zords away.
“My little ponies, victory is ours,” Rainbow Dash said triumphantly.
“But wait a second,” Fluttershy said. “What happened to Twilight?”

While the Harmony and Chaos Rangers were duking it out near Ponyville, Twilight and Trixie were still fighting zord-to-oversized-magician.
“Give up, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie shouted as she bombarded the White Tiger Battlezord with blast after blast of magic. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has far more power now than ever before. Concede, and Trixie make your death quick and generally painless.”
“Not a chance, Trixie!” Twilight shouted. She then used her magic to cast a deflection spell that knocked one of Trixie’s blasts of energy back at the evil magician, stunning her. Twilight then charged forward and struck Trixie with her zord’s blade, knocking Trixie back further.
“You will regret that, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said as she drew her own blade. She then charged forward and tried to strike the White Tiger Zord. However, Twilight managed to block this attack and counter with an uppercut with her zord’s left arm, knocking Trixie back further.
“Give up now, Trixie,” Twilight said as she aimed her zord’s blade at the downed magician. As per Twilight’s expectations, however, Trixie got right back up.
“You cannot defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie,” the evil magician said. “You’re a foal if you think you ever had a chance to begin with. Now you shall suffer my full wrath!” Trixie then fired what she thought was a fully charged blast of magic at the White Tiger Battlezord. However, the attack barely did any damage at all, despite the fact that Twilight made no effort to block it. “What? How can this be? With the Alicorn Amulet, that should have-”
“Looking for something?” Twilight asked. Her zord then reached out its hand to reveal that it was holding the Alicorn Amulet. Trixie gasped in shock as she looked down and finally realized that Twilight had truly stolen it.
“But that’s impossible!” Trixie shouted, taking a few steps back. “I’m the only one who can remove the Alicorn Amulet!”
“That’s true,” Twilight replied. “Do you remember that spell I used earlier in Canterlot that disabled your Amulet and made you cry like a little filly? Well apparently, that spell disables its magic entirely, allowing me to yank it off your neck as though it were a Band-Aid.”
“No!” Trixie shouted. “You have cheated, Twilight Sparkle! This is not the duel the Great and Powerful Trixie wanted from you! Trixie was supposed to be the one to defeat you!”
“Sorry Trixie,” Twilight said. “But look at it this way: you got your duel and, if I hadn’t ‘cheated’, odds are you would have won. So when you think about it, you are stronger than I am. I’m just smarter.” Twilight then started pressing several buttons on her console while at the same time charging her horn with energy. “Now, Trixie, you’re time is up. You’re a danger to Equestria, and for that you must fall. POWER OF HARMONY, MAGIC STRIKE!” The White Tiger Battlezord then raised its sword, charging it with powerful magical energy.
“You may have won this battle, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said. “But mark the words of the Great and Powerful Trixie. Someday, she will return, and she will have the duel you have denied her thrice already! This I promise you!”
“Do you Pinkie Promise?” Twilight asked with a smirk.
“What?” Trixie asked, in confusion.
“Time’s up. FINAL STRIKE!” The Tiger Battlezord then brought its sword down upon Trixie, knocking her backwards and causing her body to crackle with energy.
“Mark my words, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said as she tried to get up. “Someday, you shall pay for this!!!!!!” Trixie then fell to the ground and exploded in a brilliant fireball.
“Maybe someday I will...” Twilight said to herself as she gazed upon the fireball that was once Trixie. “But today, Equestria is safe, and that’s all that matters.” Just then, Twilight’s comm went off.
“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash’s voice called from the other end. “Are you there?”
“I’m here, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied. “How are things going back home?”
“We just drove out the Chaos Rangers,” Dash replied. “The Diamond Dogs chickened out and left before things got serious.”
“That’s good news,” Twilight said. “I just now finished off Trixie. She won’t be bothering us any longer.”
“Finally,” Rei said from Rainbow Dash’s end of the comm. “She was annoying to even write. Thanks for getting rid of her for me, Twilight.”
“Okay...” Rainbow Dash said. “Anyway, let’s all get back to the library. I’m sure Princess Celestia and Spike will be happy to hear the good news.”

“I must say, that was actually a rather successful attack for once,” Disocrd said to the Chaos Rangers as they returned. “Not only have we finally gotten rid of Trixie, but Zecora was able to complete her end of the plan.” Discord then turned to Zecora, who was studying the Phoenix Gem in the back of the room. “At long last, we have the key to the destruction of the Pony Rangers!”
“Wait,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ll still be able to destroy Rarity myself, right?”
“And Dashie’s still mine?” Derpy asked.
“Yes,” Discord replied. “You can all follow through on your personal vendettas. Just as long as you four can keep the Pony Rangers occupied long enough to keep them from getting suspicious of our plans.”
“Will do,” Snowdrop replied. The four were then dismissed by Discord.
As the four evil Rangers walked away, Derpy happened to pass by Alan the manticore who hadn’t been mentioned in several chapters. “Better watch your back,” Derpy said to him. “With Trixie gone, you’re next on the chopping block.”
“Don’t be so sure, pony,” Alan said angrily as Derpy walked away.
Meanwhile on the other side of the base, Discord walked over to where Zecora was working on the Phoenix Gem. “Is everything ready for the plan to move forward?” he asked.
“Our evil energy, the Gem is trying to reject,” Zecora replied. She then turned to her monitor, which had a view of the basement room of Golden Oaks Library. “However, I believe I have found a useable subject.”
Discord walked over and looked at the monitor. “Yes...” he said with an evil grin. “He may prove useful for moving our plan forward. Once the Phoenix Gem is ready, we shall use his own lust for power against his friends.” Discord cackled wickedly as the baby dragon on the monitor greeted his friends.

“So how did your battles go?” Spike asked as the Rangers walked in.
“Well, we won’t be hearing from the Great and Talkative Trixie anymore,” Rainbow Dash said. “Thanks to Twilight here, we can check Trixie off the list of annoying villains that need beating the hay out of.”
“We shouldn’t get too comfortalbe, Dash,” Twilight said. “We’ve only downed three villains, and they were all Nightmare’s old minions. If we want a chance at beating Discord, we need to focus our fire on the Chaos Rangers.”
“You seem unusually pesemistic, my student,” Princess Celestia said as she appeared on the monitor. “The six of you are that much closer to completing your goal. As a wise pony once said, ‘It’s not the destination that counts, it’s the journey you take with your friends.’ Wait, is that right?”
“I’m not sure,” Rei said, appearing next to Celestia on the screen. “I could go back and check if you want me to.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Celestia replied. Rei then nodded and disappeared.
“The Princess has a point, Twi,” Applejack said. “We won today. Who’s to say we’re gonna win tomorrow also? We should celebrate.”
“I know what we can do!” Pinkie suddenly said. “I don’t think you’ve been to Sugarcube Corner once throughout this entire story, Twilight. You should come with us and have a party.”
Twilight sighed and looked up at Pinkie. “Sure,” Twilight said. “I guess a cupcake or two couldn’t- WHAA!” Before Twilight could react, she was swept off her hooves by Pinkie and was rushed to Sugarcube Corner at Pinkie-speed gallop. The others looked at each other, shrugged at Pinkie’s antics, then galloped after the party pony.
“I guess I’ll just stay here?” Spike called out to the mares. They were already gone, however, so he just gave an annoyed huff and went back to work at the console.

Next time...
“The time has come for the fifth Chaos Ranger to rise.”
“I guess they have been neglecting me lately...”
“Were we just blasted back by a snake made of fire?”
“There’s no way they could have a dragon on their side!”
“Sorry, Harmony Rangers, but this is your final day.”
“Spike... is that you?”
次回、　「Dragon's Greed]　あ楽しみに！ [Next time: “Dragon’s Greed (Phoenix Ranger part 1)” Enjoy!]

> Dragon's Greed (Phoenix Ranger part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It had been roughly a week since Discord’s last attack. Most of the Harmony Rangers dismissed this delay as him simply hiding somewhere to try to recover, following the defeat of Trixie. Twilight, however, wasn’t so sure about that. It was true that it was a full week’s delay before the previous attack but that was so Trixie could find the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight wasn’t sure what Discord had up his sleeve this time but she had the nagging feeling that this next attack was going to be big.
Pinkie Pie was feeling about the same way as well. She was the only one who saw Zecora doing whatever it was she was doing in the old castle in the Everfree Forest, after all. At the time, though, Pinkie was concerned for the trap Zecora laid out for her friends, so she wasn’t able to do much of anything about whatever Zecora was doing. And with the victory the Rangers got, it completely slipped Pinkie’s mind to tell the others about Zecora and her deeds. Then again, there wasn’t any evident evil being done at the time, so Pinkie sort of shrugged it off.
All six of the Harmony Rangers were gathered in the library that morning. Twilight said that Princess Luna wanted to talk to them about what she found when studying the Alicorn Amulet that Twilight retrieved from Trixie a week ago.
“We have some interesting news regarding the Alicorn Amulet Trixie used in her battle a week ago,” Luna said to the Rangers.
“Good news, right?” Twilight asked.
“More or less,” Luna replied.
“Before you tell us, I have one question,” Pinkie Pie said. “How come you’re telling us and not Princess Celestia?”
“Because Luna is best princess, filly,” Rei said from the corner of the room.
Both Twilight and Luna replied to Rei’s comment at the same time.
“Colt please, I’d make a better princess and we all know it,” Twilight said.
“Thank you kindly, dear author,” Luna said.
“That still doesn’t answer my question,” Pinkie said.
“Because I haven’t given Luna a speaking role in several chapters,” Rei said to Pinkie.
“Also our sister was preoccupied with another task,” Luna continued. “As we were saying, the Alicorn Amulet, according to our tests, was apparently once an Element of Harmony. However, at one point in its history, it must have fallen to an evil entity powerful enough to turn a source of Harmony as pure as an Element dark. We do not know the identity of the entity, but we do know that it was far more ancient than Discord.”
“So what does that mean for us?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Are we going to have to contend with a third final boss once Discord’s finished?”
“No,” Luna replied. “Whatever this entity is, it was either destroyed or banished from Equestria many millennia ago. What it does means for thou, however, is that you are capable of calling upon its power in a dire emergency.”
“How dire are we talking about here?” Twilight asked.
“Let’s just say that if thou were to use it,” Luna replied, “thine soul may never fully recover from the corruption of the Alicorn Amulet. Thou shalt always have a stain of darkness within thou. Thine Elements of Harmony would keep thou safe from becoming entirely corrupted, but thou will always have a mark of evil within thou.”
(“Okay, that’s getting a little annoying,” Rei said to himself. “Maybe I should give her normal speech after this chapter.”)
“So to answer my question,” Twilight said, “the situation would have to be so dire, one of us would have to give up their purity to use the Amulet’s power.” Luna nodded in reply. Twilight said the next sentence with a hint of worry in her voice. “In that case, let’s just hope we never encounter such a situation.”
“We will keep the Alicorn Amulet on-hoof in case thou needs it,” Luna said. “After all, better safe than sorry.”
“I’m afraid I have to agree with you, Princess,” Rainbow Dash said. She then turned to her fellow Rangers. “In any case, let’s remember that there’s usually about a week’s delay between Discord’s attacks. We should get back to the surface and get ready for whatever he throws at us.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Applejack said.
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things,” Twilight said. “I’ll be up there to join you as soon as I spot any sign of trouble.”
“You know I can help with that, right?” Spike said from the other side of the room.
“Oh, right,” Twilight said. “Yeah, you can help too. Keep an eye on the southern side of Ponyville while I handle the north.”
“So you want me to keep an eye on the abandoned warehouse district?” Spike asked.
“And the southern part of town,” Twilight said.
“Which is mostly the abandoned warehouse district,” Spike replied.
“Oh,” Twilight said with slight embarrassment. “Well... if it means that much to you, you can monitor the northern part of town.”
“Thanks... I guess?” Spike said.
“Yeah...” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re gonna head out now. You two finish up with whatever it is you eggheads are doing.” With that, the other five Rangers trotted out of the building.
“Spike...” Twilight said. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
“No,” Spike quickly replied. “There’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “If you need anything-”
“I’m fine,” Spike interrupted. “Just... don’t worry about me.”
Twilight thought about Spike’s reply. Something was up with him and she knew it. He didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk about it at the moment, though, so she decided to get back to her own console and give Spike some space.

Meanwhile on the moon, Discord had assembled the Chaos Rangers to give them a final recap on their plan.
“Remind me again why we’re a distraction once again,” Derpy complained after Discord was finished.
“Because you four are perfect as a distraction,” Discord said. “The Harmony Rangers see you as a massive threat, so all six of them will be there to fight you. That will give you the time Zecora needs to complete her end of the plan.”
“For the second chapter in a row?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Trust me, my little ponies,” Discord said. “Once Zecora gets her plan finished, the fate of the Harmony Rangers and all of Equestria will be sealed!”
“Everything is in place for my plan to start,” Zecora said as she walked into the room. “Are you four ready to do your part?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Button Mash said.
“You don’t seem too excited about this,” Snowdrop said. “Something the matter?”
“No,” Button Mash quickly said. “I’m just upset about being the distraction once again. I’m pretty sure everypony else is, too.”
Snowdrop looked at Button Mash skeptically. (Well he couldn’t tell what her expression was because of her helmet, but he figured her expression was skeptical.) “You do have a point,” the young pegasus finally said. She then turned to Discord. “Once this plan fails, can we go back to being the primary attack?”
“Of course,” Discord replied.
“You do realize that I’m still in the room, right?” Zecora asked. “You should not discredit me so soon after my whole plight.”
“Oh for Nightmare’s sake!” Discord shouted. “Just get down to Equestria and get to work on your plan already! I’m tired of all this talking!” With a snap of his fingers, all five equines were teleported down to Equestria.

About a minute later, Twilight was galloping at top speed towards the town market to meet up with the other Harmony Rangers and fight the Chaos Rangers. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called from Twilight’s comm.
“I’m almost there, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied. “Just hold on a little longer.”
“How much longer?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Oh, about a second,” Rainbow Dash heard Twilight say. But it didn’t come from her comm. It was coming from behind her.
“I was wondering when you’d get here, Twi,” Applejack said.
“Yeah, sorry I’m late,” Twilight said to the others.
“Hay Twilight,” Pinkie said, “how come you didn’t just teleport here?”
Twilight honestly didn’t have a response to what Pinkie asked. “I’m not sure,” Twilight finally replied. “I was talking with Spike before I left and I guess the subject of the matter made me forget that I had magic.”
“Well let’s not worry about that right now,” Rainbow Dash said. “We need to stop those Chaos Rangers.”
“Right,” Twilight replied. The six ponies then galloped out from the building behind which they were hiding and faced the Chaos Rangers, who were attacking the market some fifteen feet away. “Chaos Rangers!”
“What?” Derpy shouted as she turned around, giving a young colt a chance to run away from her. “You six weren’t supposed to show up for another three lines!”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked. She then pulled out a notepad and flipped through the pages. She then read the writing on it carefully. “Let’s see... ‘Chaos Rangers attack, Twilight forgets her magic, Chaos Rangers gloat...’ Oh! Our bad.” Rainbow Dash then threw the script away and pulled out her Element of Harmony. “Ah, what’s the harm in a little improv? IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” The six Rangers struck a unified pose as an explosion erupted behind them.
“All six of them are fighting together this time,” Snowdrop said to herself. “Good. Zecora’s plan just might work for once.” She then raised her hoof to the sky. “Putty Ponies, assemble!” In several flashes of light, about a dozen Putty Ponies appeared between both teams of Rangers.
“Bring it on,” Rainbow Dash shouted. The six Harmony Rangers then charged forward and engaged in hoof-to-hoof combat with the Putty Ponies.

Meanwhile back at the library, Spike watched the battle taking place via the monitor at the front of the room. He gave a heavy sigh and said to himself, “Man, I really wish I could be out there with them.”
“Perhaps you can, little dragon,” a strange sounding voice said from behind Spike. Spike turned around just in time to see Zecora’s hoof strike him in the face and knock him against the far wall. He tried to get up and make a beeline for the comm system to contact the Harmony Rangers, but before he even had a chance, Zecora teleported in front of him, grabbed him, and teleported both of them out of the library.

The Harmony Rangers were finished with the Putty Ponies in about five minutes. Once the last Putty fell, all six of them turned their attention to the Chaos Rangers. “Done hiding behind your hoof soldiers?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Derpy was about to reply when her own communicator went off. “We are,” Derpy started. “However, we’re going to have to push this little play date to another time. Discord wants us back at our base.”
“So y’all are runnin’ away with your tails between your legs?” Applejack asked.
“For the time being, we’ll have to admit so,” Snowdrop said. “But when next we meet, that encounter shall be your last. Just you wait.” With that, the four evil Rangers teleported away.
“I wonder what that was all about,” Twilight said to the others.
“I’m not sure,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Maybe Spike saw something we didn’t during that battle.”

The Harmony Rangers returned to the library to find that Spike wasn’t sitting in his chair and in his place was a small note. Rainbow Dash galloped over to the note and read it. As she read it, however, a look of horror came across her face. “Girls, I think Spike did see something we didn’t during that battle!” She then handed the note to the others. They all gasped in horror as they read it:


Dearest Harmony Rangers,
During your battle with the Chaos Rangers, I snuck into this library and kidnapped your precious baby dragon Spike. Do not fret, you will see him again... when you join him in Discord’s dungeon.
Sincerely, Zecora.
P.S.: Did you know that I don’t have to rhyme when I write? How awesome is that?


“She... she took Spike?” Twilight asked, doing her best not to cry. “How could I have let this happen? I should have stayed here with him!”
“It’s alright, Twilight,” Rarity said, putting her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Pinkie added. “We’ll find a way to save Spike.”
“You’re right,” Twilight said. “He’s our friend, and we can’t give up on him over one little kidnapping.” Twilight then turned to the others with a serious expression on her face. “Whatever it takes, we’re going to get Spike back!”

Spike slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He was aware that he was in a lying position, so his first instinct was to stand up and look around. When he noticed his surroundings, he saw that he was in a large room made mostly of steel. It was also strangely cold, but that didn’t seem like a problem for Spike since he was a dragon and all.
“You’ll have to forgive me for how Zecora... retrieved you,” a strange voice said from behind Spike. The baby dragon turned around to find himself face to face with Discord himself. “I never meant for any harm to befall you,” the draconequus continued. “I meant to treat you with the utmost-”
“Gah!” Spike suddenly shouted. “What the flying feathers are you!?”
“...respect,” Discord finished with a sigh. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony.”
“Oh, you’re the guy the Harmony Rangers are fighting,” Spike said with realization in his voice. The two stood in awkward silence before Spike began screaming and ran away in the opposite direction. Discord just sighed and snapped his fingers, teleporting Spike back in front of him.
“Are you done yet?” Discord asked. “Because I kind of wanted to talk-”
Spike instantly began screaming and running once again. Once again, Discord snapped his fingers and teleported Spike back to him.
“Look, Spike,” Discord said, slightly annoyed, “I brought you here because I wanted to talk to you.”
Spike skeptically raised an eyebrow, but Discord was just thankful that the young drake didn’t try to run again. “Talk about what?” Spike nervously asked.
“Talk about your friends,” Discord replied. “I’ve been watching you lately, and I’m starting to notice a pattern with those six.”
“A pattern?” Spike asked. “You mean a pattern as in ‘you launch an attack and they stop it’?” Spike said that last sentence with a smirk on his face.
“Fine, two patterns,” Discord said. “The second being how they’ve been treating you lately.”
Spike was silent for a moment, his smirk vanishing in an instant. He looked down and said, “Well... they have been kind of neglecting me lately.”
”Bullseye,” Discord thought as he mentally chuckled to himself. ”I’ve got him right where I want him.”
“Spike,” Discord said out loud, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Discord snapped his fingers and in a flash of light, both he and Spike were sitting in large fancy chairs facing each other. “There’s a lot of villains out there other than me, and almost 90% of them would rather see their world be blown to Oblivion. However, I’m not one of those villains. Believe me when I say that I’m only trying to help. I’m trying to make Equestria a better place.”
“By plunging the whole world into chaos?” Spike asked.
“By making the world more fun,” Discord corrected. “However, I’ve had to take a break from that recently, and do you know why? Because of your friends. Not because they’ve beaten my minions on countless occasions, but because they’ve been horrible friends to you.”
“But why would you care so much about me?” Spike asked. “I’m a lot smarter than I look and I know you’re trying to manipulate me.”
“Oh, I know how smart you are,” Discord said. “I also know you’d never agree to become an evil Ranger and turn on your friends. But tell me something, Spike: are those six really your friends?” Discord then snapped his fingers and a screen appeared before him and Spike. On the screen were the six Harmony Rangers... and they seemed to be throwing a party.
“Yeah! Spike’s gone!” Rainbow Dash shouted
“I’m so glad he’s out of my mane!” Twilight said. “Now I can actually get some work done!”
“The weak link of our team is finally broken!” Rarity said.
“Now maybe we can actually get to saving Equestria,” Fluttershy said.
“Who wants another round of cupcakes?” Pinkie asked, walking into the room holding a tray of cupcakes. All of the other ponies instantly grabbed a cupcake. Pinkie then raised hers into the air. “To Spike,” she toasted. “May he never get in our way ever again!”
“Hear hear!” the others said. They all then ate their cupcakes and resumed partying.
“No!” Spike shouted. “This isn’t happening! I know it! This is... this is some sort of trick!”
“Okay, so maybe it’s a bit of an exaggeration,” Discord admitted, snapping his fingers and causing the screen to disappear. “But the fact of the matter is that some of what they said was true. They did think that you were the weak link and they would have preferred to have you out of their manes.” Spike looked down and thought about this for a moment. Could it be true? Is that really what his friends thought about him?
“But...” Spike started to say. “But it’s not like them. They value their friendships.”
“With each other, maybe,” Discord said. “But what about with you?” As Spike thought about this, Discord snapped his fingers and the Phoenix Gem appeared in his hand. “Which brings me back to my original point. I want to help you, Spike. You want to be on par with them, and this...” Discord held the Phoenix Gem in front of Spike, “...just might be able to help.” Spike looked at the Gem suspiciously. So much so, in fact, that Discord half-expected Spike to start sniffing it like a dog would. “Well, Spike... do you accept this offer?”

Back at the library, Twilight was furiously working with both her console and her magic to try to come up with a spell to teleport Spike back there with them.
“So if I trace Zecora’s magic signature... compensate for Spike’s small size... carry the two... no, that’s no good...”
While Twilight worked, Rainbow Dash stood in the back of the room nervously. The others had left to keep an eye on Ponyville, but Dash insisted on staying to try to help Twilight.
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?” Rainbow asked Twilight.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied, not even looking up from her work. “I’m afraid you’d be more useful being on the surface keeping an eye out for trouble with the others.”
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said. “But if you need anything...”
Rainbow Dash was interrupted when an alarm started blaring on Twilight’s console. “Great,” Twilight said to herself as she checked the alarm. “This is exactly what I needed.” Twilight then began galloping out of the room.
“An attack?” Rainbow Dash asked, following Twilight.
“You bet,” Twilight replied. “Great timing, too. I need to vent some anger, and few dozen Putty Ponies or a couple Chaos Rangers might make the perfect punching bags today.”
“You’re really ticked about Zecora taking Spike, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked as the two left the library and made their way to Carousel Boutique where the attack was taking place.
“Oh, ‘ticked’ doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Twilight replied with a hint of anger unlike anything Rainbow Dash ever heard from Twilight before.

At Carousel Boutique, Rarity and Applejack were already on-scene, unmorphed and battling a group of a dozen Putty Ponies as the Chaos Rangers looked on.
“I sure hope the others get here soon,” Rarity said as she used her magic to throw two Putties into another group of three.
“Me too,” Applejack replied as she bucked another Putty into a group of four others. “I’m not sure we can hold out much longer like this.”
“Hold your horses, AJ,” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and Twilight galloped onto the scene, followed closely by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
“In the nick of time,” Applejack said as she and Rarity finished the last of the Putties and galloped over to join their friends.
“I was wondering when you six would show up,” Snowdrop said as the six Harmony Rangers pulled out their Elements of Harmony.
“IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“From all of us together, we fight as-” The Rangers were suddenly cut off when a blast of fire struck them and knocked them all back in a large explosion.
“What the hay was that?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Who would attack us while we’re doing our catch phrase?”
“That would be me,” a young male voice said from the roof of the boutique. The Harmony Rangers couldn’t quite make out its form because it seemed to be glowing with a blinding light.
“Who are you?” Twilight shouted.
“Oh, nopony special,” the figure said. He then jumped down to the ground and landed perfectly on two legs. “In fact, I’m not even a pony.”
“What the hay?” Rainbow Dash shouted as she finally got a good look at the figure. It was a small bipedal creature with two hands in one of which he held a sword. He looked like a Ranger, only he wasn’t a pony and his armor was gold. “How could Discord have a dragon on his side?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “The only dragon Princess Celestia knows of for miles around is-” Twilight stopped suddenly when she came to a horrible realization. “Spike... is that you?”
The Gold Pony Ranger was silent before responding. “Like you would care, Twilight,” Spike finally said. “You wouldn’t pay any attention to me or take me seriously at all as Spike, so I became something you’ll have no choice but to take seriously.” Spike then slashed at the air with his sword several times, leaving behind trails of fire as he slashed. Spike slashed until the trails of fire left what looked like the design of an eight-point star. “Fury of the Phoenix! Chaos Force, Ranger Gold!” Spike then gave one more slash, causing the star to begin spinning and charging right at the Harmony Rangers. Before the Harmony Rangers even had a chance to defend, the flames shifted into what looked like a phoenix flying right at them. The six Rangers drew their weapons and tried to defend, but the massive phoenix charged right through their defense and knocked the Harmony Rangers back in a fiery explosion, demorphing all of them.
“Darnit, Spike!” Derpy complained. “You weren’t supposed to demorph them right away!”
“Sorry, Derpy,” Spike said. “It’s not like I’ve had much practice with my powers like you four.”
“I suppose that’s a fair point,” Derpy said.
Meanwhile, the Harmony Rangers were struggling to get up. “How can this be?” Twilight asked. “How can Discord have turned Spike so evil and given him so much power all so fast?”
“It’s rather simple, actually,” Spike said, walking over to the downed ponies holding his sword so that it was resting on his shoulder. “You six have been neglecting me for months now. Do you think I haven’t noticed?”
“What?” Twilight asked. “I’ll admit we didn’t pay as much attention to you as we did to each other, but we never-”
“SILENCE!” Spike shouted as he stabbed his sword into the ground in front of Twilight’s face. “I’m tired of being a useless secondary character who does nothing when the action starts. It’s time for my revenge.” Spike paused for a moment, then began chuckling to himself. “I guess you aren’t up to it today, though.” He then withdrew his sword and made it disappear in a burst of flame. “Later today--tomorrow, more likely--I’ll come back, and I’ll expect an actual battle.” He then began walking back to his team of Rangers. “Let’s get going. The Harmony Rangers aren’t at their best, so they aren’t worth my time.” With that, the five evil Rangers teleported away, leaving the Harmony Rangers to struggle back to their hooves and carry their tarnished pride and shattered trust in Spike back to the library with them.

On the moon, Discord was congratulating Spike on a job well done.
“Excellent job, young Spike,” Discord complemented. “I must say, you have exceeded my expectations.”
“Thank you, Discord,” Spike replied with a bow. “But I’m just getting started. In the next attack, I’ll finish the Harmony Rangers once and for all.”
“Good plan,” Discord said. “I appreciate your commitment to my cause.”
“Actually, Discord, there’s one thing you should probably know,” Spike said. “My loyalties don’t entirely lie with you. I’m only here to make my old ‘friends’ pay for how they ignored me. I’ll get rid of them for you, but I don’t stand by you.”
Discord thought about this for a moment before finally replying, “Very well. I think I can agree with that. Now get going. You need to get ready for your next attack.”
“Okay,” Spike replied with another bow. He then turned and walked off.

Back at the library, the Harmony Rangers were talking with both the Princesses about what had happened.
“This is a dire situation indeed,” Princess Celestia said when the Harmony Rangers finished their story. “Discord has pulled a powerful low blow. He’s holding Spike with one of the strongest powers he has at his disposal: Spike’s own jealousy.”
“Wait,” Twilight said. “Are you saying it’s because of us that Spike’s turned evil?”
“I’m afraid so,” Celestia replied.
“If we may make a suggestion,” Princess Luna said. Her horn began glowing and into the library teleported the Alicorn Amulet. Luna lowered it until it landed in Twilight’s hoof.
“The Alicorn Amulet?” Twilight asked. “You don’t mean...?”
“We are afraid we do,” Luna replied. “Spike is held by a magic stronger than even Discord could conjure on his own. We fear this may be the only way to save him.”
“But are you sure it will even work?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I could combine the Alicorn Amulet’s power with my Element of Harmony,” Twilight said. “But as Princess Luna said earlier today, it’s incredibly risky and the consequences will last for the rest of my life.” Twilight looked down and stared the Amulet in the eye. “I’m not entirely sure I’d even do it for Spike. Still, he’s become a danger to Equestria, and it’s my- er, our job to keep Equestria safe. So now the question is... would I be willing to go as far as risking Spike’s life and tainting my own in order to save Equestria?” Twilight paused for the longest time, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath before making her decision.

To be continued...

Next time...
Actually, I’m not going to give any teasers for the next chapter. You wanna know why? Because Twilight could possibly choose either to use the Alicorn Amulet or not. Both outcomes could happen, and both will lead to a different canon after this season. Do you want to see one, the other, or both? It’s up to you, my little ponies my dear readers...
次回、　「Turning Point」　あ楽しみに！ (Next time: “Turning Point [Phoenix Ranger part 2]” Enjoy!)

> Turning Point (Phoenix Ranger part 2) (Outcome A)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	前回、マイ·リトル·ポニーレンジャーズに (Last time, on My Little Pony Rangers...)
“We have some interesting news regarding the Alicorn Amulet.”
“Once Zecora has her end of the plan finished, the fate of the Harmony Rangers and Equestria will be sealed.”
“She... she took Spike?”
“Tell me, are they really your friends?”
“You wouldn’t take me seriously as Spike, so I became something you’d have no choice but to take seriously.”
“So now the question is... would I be willing to go as far as risking Spike’s life and tainting my own in order to save Equestria?”
そして今、結論 (And now, the conclusion...)

Everypony in the room, as well as the two princesses on the screen, stared expectantly at Twilight, who was looking down at the Alicorn Amulet in her hoof. The unicorn was faced with the most difficult decision in her life, and it took what felt like hours before she had the nerve to even consider her answer, and it took that much more time to do said consideration. The atmosphere was so intense, nopony even dared to breathe for fear of breaking Twilight’s train of thought.
”I need to do this,” Twilight thought to herself. ”It might be the only way to save Spike.”
”But it isn’t the right thing to do,” the other half of Twilight’s consciousness argued. ”You’re a Pony Ranger, and it’s your duty to keep Equestria safe.”
”But that’s exactly what I would be doing. I’d be using this power to remove the threat Spike poses to Equestria.”
”But at what cost? Think of how much danger he’d be in--how much danger you’d be in--if you did this.”
”I’ve made sacrifices to save Equestria in the past. This can’t be any different, can it?”
”You’ve never had to put any of your friends on the line like this in the past. It’s very different.”
”They’ve all known what they were getting into from the day they agreed to be a part of this team. That includes Spike.”
”But that doesn’t mean you can make these kinds of decisions for any of your friends. That also includes Spike.”
”The safety of Equestria is my responsibility!”
”It’s the responsibility of you and your friends!”
“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Twilight suddenly shouted out loud, startling everypony. She then threw the Amulet into the air and grabbed it with her magic. Then she did something nopony in the room expected her to do.
She summoned all her magical might and slammed the Amulet hard into the ground before her, creating a small crack in the ground. Twilight then proceeded to begin stomping on the Amulet repeatedly, grunting and shouting loudly and angrily with each stomp.
“TWILIGHT, STOP!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She quickly flew over and tried to hold her friend back from stomping on the Amulet any more and possibly breaking her hoof. Rainbow Dash struggled to keep Twilight back from the Amulet for about a minute before the unicorn finally calmed down. “What is the matter with you!?” Rainbow Dash asked as she finally let Twilight go.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I’m sorry to all of you. I don’t know what got into me. I was trying to decide whether or not to use the Amulet and... I guess the stress got the better of me.”
“And I’m assumin’ yer decision is...” Applejack said, leaning back a little for fear of setting Twilight off once again.
“No,” Twilight replied. “I’ve made far too many moral sacrifices in the past. Killing Derpy, killing Trixie twice, nearly getting Rainbow Dash killed obtaining my Element of Harmony... I’m not adding ‘nearly killing Spike’ and ‘tainting my own soul’ to that list.” Twilight then used her magic to teleport the Alicorn Amulet back to Canterlot with the princesses. “It’s time I found a way to save Equestria that doesn’t involve any sacrifice of any kind.”
“But without the Alicorn Amulet, how else are we going to save Spike?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m not sure,” Twilight replied. “But what I am sure of is that there is a way to do this without the Alicorn Amulet, even if I can’t think of it off the top of my head.”
“Let us know if thou figures anything out,” Princess Luna said. “We need to go raise the moon.” With that, Luna cantered off, leaving Celestia alone at the monitor.
“I am proud of your decision, my student,” Princess Celestia said. “And I have every confidence that you will be able to follow through with your plan.”
“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said. “Don’t worry. The Rangers and I should be able to figure something out.”
“Then best of luck to you,” Celestia said. With that, she disconnected.
“So what’s the plan, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“First, you five need to go home and rest,” Twilight said.
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Spike’s our friend, too. We want to be there to help get him back however we can.”
“I’m aware of that,” Twilight replied. “But provided I can come up with a plan of some sort, it will very likely fail if all six of us are tired and ill-prepared for combat.”
“So then what about you?” Rarity asked.
“Me?” Twilight asked. “I’ll come up with something before I go to sleep, I’m sure.”
“Are you really sure?” Applejack asked. “I don’t think you’re makin’ a promise you can keep, here, sugarcube.”
“I’m promising that I’ll save Spike,” Twilight said, performing the actions of a Pinkie Promise. “That’s a promise I promise to keep. Now I’m being serious, go home and get some rest so that when I can come up with something, you’ll all be able to help me.”
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash surrendered. She then turned to the others. “You all heard her. Let’s go get some rest.” Reluctantly, the other four nodded in compliance and all five of them made their way out of the library. Once everypony was gone, Twilight turned around to face her console and got to work.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Spike watched Ponyville slowly become bathed in night. He noticed that the full moon cast a rather relaxing glow upon the land as the ponies retreated to their homes and slumbered, blissfully unaware of what he had planned for that night.
“Those Harmony Rangers aren’t gonna know what hit them,” Spike said to himself as an evil smile crossed his lips. He then turned away from the monitor and retreated to his quarters to get a little bit of rest before his attack. On his way, however, he passed by Button Mash, who Spike had previously assumed was already asleep.
“Spike!?” Button Mash shouted. He then quickly placed his hoof on his mouth and looked around to make sure he hadn’t accidentally woken anypony. Then, quietly, the colt asked, “What are you doing awake? I thought everypony was already asleep.”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Spike replied. “Of course, seeing as I’m one of the four creatures on this base who isn’t a pony, I believe my question is a little more justified. You and the others are supposed to be resting for my attack later tonight.”
“I was, uh...” Button Mash started. “Getting water. Any creature could get thirsty in the middle of the night.”
“Then where’s your glass with water in it?” Spike asked.
“I left it by the sink,” Button Mash quickly replied. “What? Did you expect me to walk back to my room on three legs trying to carry a glass in my other hoof?”
“I suppose that’s plausible,” Spike said. “But there are two things you’ve forgotten about. One: you’re talking to one of the smarter creatures on this base. As horrible of a friend as Twilight Sparkle was, I did learn a lot from being her slave for my entire life. Second, if you did get water, there would still be some on your lips. Except there isn’t any. Care to explain?”
Spike stared Button Mash down for the longest time before Button Mash responded. “I’m... the Element of Deception?” the colt tried to defend.
“So then explain your deception,” Spike said.
Button Mash gave a defeated sigh before saying, “Alright, I’ll tell you why I was up. But please, please, please don’t tell Sweetie Belle or any of the others.”
“I’m only working for Discord, not standing by him,” Spike said. “I guess I could keep a secret.”
“Thanks,” Button Mash said. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to get this off my chest.” Button Mash then looked around to make sure everypony else was still asleep. “Could you come with me to my room first, though? I really don’t want anypony to know this.” Spike raised a nervous eyebrow in response. “I’m not about to confess any latent homosexual feelings for you if that’s what that eyebrow raise is for,” Button Mash said with an unamused tone.
“Oh, that’s a relief,” Rei said from the other end of the hall Button and Spike were standing in. “I was hoping I wasn’t gonna have to write that kind of thing.”
“Will you get out of here?” Spike whisper-shouted at Rei. “You’re gonna wake everypony up!”
“Right, sorry,” Rei said. With that, the creative colt left.
Button Mash led Spike to his room and made sure nopony was awake before he closed the door. He then turned to Spike and let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t tell you how difficult this is going to be,” Button said. “You promise not to tell anypony, right?”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Spike replied as he performed the indicated actions to complete his Pinkie Promise.
Button Mash took a deep breath before speaking. “I don’t really want to be a Chaos Ranger,” he finally confessed.
“Huh?” Spike asked. “But I’ve seen you fight the Harmony Rangers without mercy in the past.”
“That was just in front of Sweetie Belle,” Button Mash replied. “It was only because of her that I became a Chaos Ranger. She told me that it was by her request that Discord offered me the chance to be a Ranger, and I wasn’t really thinking when I said yes. I wanted to be with Sweetie Belle more than anything, but thinking back on it, I’m not even sure if I want to stand with her on this.”
“Woah,” Spike said. “You must be pretty in love with her to not have quit already.”
“That’s the thing,” Button Mash continued. “If I quit, she might never talk to me again. And don’t even get me started on how much Snowdrop scares me. Sweetie Belle might go easy on me with her anger, but if I were to quit on Snowdrop...” Button Mash shuddered as he trailed off. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
Spike was silent for a moment before placing his claw on Button Mash’s shoulder. “Thanks for trusting me enough to open up about this,” the baby dragon said. “It... means a lot to me.”
“Really?” Button Mash asked. “Well... thanks for letting me open up about it. I feel like I would have exploded if I had kept this a secret any longer.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Spike said with a smile. “After all, what are friends for?”
”Friends...” Spike suddenly thought to himself. ”Kind of like...”
“Button Mash,” Spike said out loud, “do you mind if I tell you something kind of personal?”
“I guess not,” Button Mash replied.
“The truth is that I didn’t want to become a Chaos Ranger either,” Spike said.
“But you had a legitimate reason to become one,” Button Mash said. “You had friends before Discord came around and they betrayed you.”
“I know,” Spike said. “But I didn’t want to accept that they betrayed me at first. I wanted to believe what Discord was showing me was false and that my friends still cared for me, but I couldn’t find any lies behind what he was saying. The real reason I don’t completely follow him is because a part of me still hopes the Harmony Rangers actually do care about me.”
“Really?” Button Mash asked. After a moment, the colt laughed a little. “Look at us. Two creatures on this base who would rather be standing anywhere but by Discord.”
“I know,” Spike said, also laughing a little. “Just think of what any of the other Chaos Rangers would think if they found out about this.”
As the two laughed, Sweetie Belle stood in the hall with her ear pressed up against the door to Button’s room. “I should have known,” she said quietly to herself. “I guess we’ll have to get rid of him sooner than Snowdrop had planned.” With that, Sweetie Belle turned and quickly made her way back to her room.
Meanwhile, Button Mash and Spike had finally finished laughing. “You wanna know something, Spike?” Button Mash said. “I think you’re the one creature on this base who I could truly call a friend.”
“Same to you,” Spike replied. Just then, Spike looked down as he remembered something. “I mean, it’s good to make new friends, but... it makes me kind of regret the fact that I’m getting ready to go down to Equestria to destroy my old friends in just a couple of hours.”
Button Mash placed his hoof on Spike’s shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Spike,” the colt said. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision when the time comes.”
Spike only replied with a sigh. “I can’t even be sure about that, anymore,” he said. “But if I make the wrong decision, I’ll be happy to know that I’ll still have a friend in you.”
“Same here,” Button Mash said. The two then had a completely friendship-based heterosexual hug before Spike left to his room to get some sleep, leaving Button Mash to get into his bed and do the same.

It was around midnight when Twilight fell asleep at her console. She was fighting desperately to stay awake in order to come up with a way to save Spike, but at last, she had lost her battle and fallen asleep. She was so fast asleep, in fact, that she didn’t even notice when an alarm sounded on the very console her head lay upon.
Meanwhile, the five Chaos Rangers had teleported to the roof of Ponyville Town hall, where they all patiently awaited the Harmony Rangers to appear.
“Shouldn’t they have been alerted to our presence by now?” Snowdrop asked after a while.
“They should have,” Spike said, looking around at the moonlit town. “Then again, I don’t think they’ve ever been called into action in the middle of the night like this.”
“So then what are we waiting for?” Derpy asked. “Whaddya say we send them their wake-up call?” Derpy then raised her hoof, charged it with energy, and fired a bolt of lightning down upon a (thankfully vacant) building, causing a very large and loud explosion.
Pinkie Pie was thrown out of her bed from the sound of the explosion. The first sound she heard once she was awoken was the sound of Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake crying, but she knew she couldn’t stay home and calm the foals down. She had some Chaos Rangers to stop if she wanted to keep all of Equestria from crying like they were. Aiming to avoid Mr. and Mrs. Cake and get thrown into calming the foals down, Pinkie leapt out the window and made her way to the source of the explosion.
Rarity shot right out of her bed once she heard the explosion and quickly galloped down to the kitchen to scold Sweetie Belle about whatever it was she was trying to do. Once Rarity got down to the kitchen and found that Sweetie Belle wasn’t trying to cook anything, however, she finally registered that the explosion must have come from somewhere in Ponyville and quickly galloped out of the boutique towards the source of the explosion, fearing that the Chaos Rangers were behind it.
The second Fluttershy heard the explosion, she instantly screamed, flew out of her bed, and hid behind Angel Bunny. Angel tried to get Fluttershy to let go of him, but that feat wasn’t without difficulty. Eventually, however, Angel managed to convince Fluttershy that the explosion was the work of the Chaos Rangers and that she needed to get down to Ponyville to help her friends. Fortunately for Angel, Fluttershy made her way out of her cottage and down to Ponyville without him having to repeatedly kick Fluttershy’s hoof.
Applejack heard the explosion plain as day, despite possibly being furthest from the source of the explosion and being the heaviest sleeper of all the Harmony Rangers. She quickly grabbed her hat and ran out of her house before anypony else in her family had a chance to leave their room to see what was going on.
The explosion very nearly knocked Rainbow Dash off of the cloud she was sleeping on. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash shot awake just before she began to fall and instantly began flying. She looked over in the distance towards the source the source of the explosion and quickly figured out that the explosion was the work of the Chaos Rangers. She then flew towards Ponyville at top speed to stop the threat.
Twilight was shaken awake from the sound of the explosion. She looked around quickly to try to figure out what was going on before noticing the alarm beeping right next to where her head was laying. “Oh no,” Twilight said to herself. “I can’t believe I fell asleep while I was working and the Chaos Rangers attacked while I was sleeping.” Twilight then quickly galloped out of the library and made her way to the source of the explosion, which actually wasn’t that far from the library. “I really hope the others are already there.”

“Way to wake everypony within a 50-mile radius, Derpy,” Spike said to the green-clad pegasus with an annoyed tone.
“I’m sorry, have we met?” Derpy asked. “Hi, I’m Derpy Hooves, Chaos Ranger Green and really impatient.”
“Actually, Derpy’s plan seems to have worked,” Sweetie Belle commented as she looked down at the ponies running around the moonlit streets in panic (and pajamas). That wasn’t what really caught the young marshmallow’s eye, however. What she noticed was that while most ponies were running away, six ponies were running towards where the Chaos Rangers were from different directions.
“In that case, why don’t we go down there and greet those six?” Spike offered. Once the Harmony Rangers had gathered, the Chaos Rangers jumped down from their scenic overlook and faced the Harmony Rangers. “Back for a second beating?” Spike asked. “Don’t be shy. I promise not to KO all six of you in five seconds this time.”
“Oh, we’ll make sure of that,” Rainbow Dash said. She and the others then pulled out their Elements of Harmony. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” The explosion that normally occurred behind the Rangers once they finished their roll call seemed to burn brighter and more brilliant in the dim light of the full moon. It also seemed to emphasize the serious expressions on the Rangers’ helmets a lot more.
“I’m guessing this isn’t going to turn out like our last battle?” Spike asked as he drew his blade.
“Oh, we’ll make sure of it,” Rainbow Dash said as she and the other Harmony Rangers drew their weapons.
“Spike, you don’t have to do this,” Twilight pleaded. “You don’t have to fight for Discord.”
“Who says I’m fighting for Discord?” Spike asked. “I’m only here to make you six pay for treating me the way you did.”
“Um, are you going to need us for this battle?” Derpy asked.
“I want you four to stay back,” Spike said. He then turned back to the Harmony Rangers and raised his sword. “This fight’s mine.”
“Then you leave us no choice, Spike,” Twilight said. “Harmony Rangers, attack!” With that, the six Harmony Rangers charged forward toward Spike.
“En guarde!” Spike shouted as he charged back at the Harmony Rangers.
Rainbow Dash was the first to reach Spike. She did her best to bring her Harmony Sword down upon the baby dragon, but Spike easily blocked Dash’s blade with his own and proceeded to counter her attack with a blast of fire that knocked Rainbow Dash back. This unsuccessful attempt at an attack was followed up by Rarity, who tried to use her Harmony Axe to at the very least knock Spike off-balance so she could get a decent hit in on him. However, Spike managed to block Rarity’s attack as well and proceeded to leap up and flip-kick her right in the jaw, sending her flying backwards. Spike then turned around just in time to use his fire powers to block several of Pinkie Pie’s energy arrows. Once all the arrows were incinerated, Spike proceeded to create a ball of concentrated fire with his fire streams and launched the whole thing at Pinkie, who was unable to defend against the attack and knocked backwards in defeat. Following this, Applejack and Fluttershy attempted to attack Spike simultaneously. They figured that between them, their four blades could beat out Spike’s single blade. Unfortunately, however, the two ponies underestimated Spike’s swordsman skills and he easily defeated them without breaking a sweat.
At last, Twilight and Spike were the only Rangers left on the battlefield. (The other Chaos Rangers aside, that is.) “Done hiding behind your so-called friends, Twilight?” Spike asked.
“I’ve been standing back because I don’t want to fight you, Spike,” Twilight said. “I refuse to fight you. Discord may have put you in that evil Ranger armor, but I know that deep down, you’re still Spike. My Spike. Our Spike. The very Spike who’s been there to help Princess Celestia and the Harmony Rangers since the beginning. The Spike who was there to help me the most whenever I needed you. The Spike who was always there to help everypony wherever even I couldn’t. That Spike is still in you and I know it. You just need to fight Discord’s magic to prove it.”
Spike was silent for a moment after Twilight finished her plea. Then he did something Twilight was dreading he would do. He began laughing evilly. “I don’t know what you think you’re talking about, Twilight,” Spike said as he laughed, “but I’m sorry to tell you that Discord has no hold on me. I merely accepted his offer to help me destroy you six because I wanted my revenge.”
Twilight had begun tearing up underneath her helmet. These words just couldn’t have been coming from Spike’s mouth. This wasn’t the Spike Twilight knew and loved. There was no possible way it could be.
“Are you just going to stand there, Twilight?” Spike asked. “If not, I’ll be happy to make the first move!” Spike then rushed forward and struck Twilight with a powerful charged slash. Twilight made no effort to defend against this attack, however, so she took the full force of it and was thrown backwards at least 20 feet, demorphed once she hit the ground once again. “Pathetic,” Spike said to himself with an evil grin under his helmet. He then moved his sword so that the bladed end was resting on his shoulder and slowly walked over to where Twilight lay.
“How could this have happened?” Twilight said weakly to herself. She looked around to find that all of her friends had been demorphed, defeated, and were strewn about the moonlit battlefield. There was no logical argument within Twilight’s mind that could confirm that Spike was the one who had done all this. Or there was and Twilight was trying desperately to ignore them. Twilight had to face the reality, however. Spike was the one who did this, and as much as Twilight didn’t want it to be true, he wasn’t under Discord’s power.
”Spike is being held by one of the strongest powers at Discord’s disposal,” Princess Celestia said earlier that evening back at the library. “His own jealousy.”
It was without warning that Twilight recalled that memory. “It was our fault,” Twilight said to herself. “We neglected him, and now we have to pay the price for it.” Twilight then began crying softly into her forelegs, not even looking up to see Spike standing over her, raising his sword to deliver the final blow.
“I’m so sorry, Spike,” Twilight said through her sobs.
“What was that?” Spike asked, slowly lowering his sword. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m sorry,” Twilight replied, not even looking up as she continued sobbing. “I’m sorry we treated you so horribly. I’m sorry we pushed you down this path. But most of all, I’m sorry I didn’t see this start to happen sooner and try to fix it before it happened. So go ahead, finish me. Maybe then I’ll finally get what I deserve.”
Spike was silent as he looked down upon the sobbing unicorn. This was something he had never expected to happen when he accepted the Phoenix Gem from Discord. Twilight was the one who had neglected him in the past, and now she was apologizing to him. But it wasn’t a “fear for her life” kind of apology. She actually sounded sincere. Like she really regretted what she had done.
Spike gripped his sword tightly, debating whether to believe what Twilight was saying and accept her apology or to not believe her and silence her on the spot. She certainly looked pathetic sobbing like she was...
“No...” Spike said finally, raising his sword once again. “No more! No more of these lies!” The baby dragon then charged his sword with all the fire energy he could muster, then spun around and sent a blast of fire right at the Chaos Rangers, who were caught off-guard and blasted backwards.
Twilight heard this happen, but it didn’t click that the attack wasn’t directed towards her for a few more seconds. Only then did she realize she was still alive and finally looked up. What she saw stunned her. Spike was actually facing away from her, his sword smoking from the attack he had just fired, and further away were the other Chaos Rangers just then getting up from the attack.
“What is the meaning of this, Spike?” Snowdrop shouted.
“Discord lied to me,” Spike replied. “He told me that my friends didn’t care for me anymore, but that wasn’t true and it took me nearly destroying them to find out.” Spike then grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and assumed an offensive stance. “I was blinded by jealousy in the past, but now I know what my place is. Standing by my real friends, against you four and Discord and whoever else might stand in harmony’s way.”
“Then I suppose that’s your choice, little dragon,” Derpy said. She and the other Chaos Rangers then raised their hooves to the sky. “SUMMON CHAOS ZORDS!”
Just then, the four Chaos Zords descended and formed their respective Megazord and Battlezord. “Oh no,” Spike said. “I can’t take them on on that level.” Quickly, Spike turned around to find Twilight struggling to get back to her hooves. Spike ran over and tried to help Twilight up.
“I’m glad you came back, Spike,” Twilight said with a smile as the baby dragon helped her up.
“Me too,” Spike replied. “But there’s no time for a reunion. The other Harmony Rangers are out of commission. Can you still fight?”
“I think so,” Twilight replied, finally standing up straight. She then summoned her Element of Harmony and summoned the White Tigerzord. She then morphed, jumped into her zord, and used her magic to form the White Tiger Battlezord.
“You don’t really think you can take on both our zords on your own, do you?” Derpy asked with a laugh.
“It doesn’t matter if you have one Megazord for each of you four,” Twilight said. “I’ll still fight you all to my last breath!” Twilight’s zord then drew its sword and charged towards the Chaos Rangers. Twilight tried to strike the Chaos Megazord first, but the Chaos Rangers easily blocked this attack, allowing Derpy to take the opportunity to strike Twilight with her spear. This attack was closely followed by a slash from the Chaos Rangers, sending the White Tiger Battlezord stumbling backwards and leaving it open to a double hit from both of her opponents’ zords.
Spike could only watch helplessly as Twilight got pummeled by the Chaos Rangers. “There has to be some way I can help her!” Spike shouted to himself as he clenched his sword tightly.
”Hello? Is this Spike the dragon?” an unfamiliar voice called from Spike’s communicator. This was something Spike found odd because before that point, he was sure he didn’t even own a communicator of any sort. He checked his wrist and sure enough, there was a watch-like device which allowed communication similarly to what all the other Rangers had.
“This is Spike,” the baby dragon said into his communicator. “Might I ask who this is?”
”My name is not important right now,” the voice replied. ”But if you need to call me anything, call me Faust.”
“Alright, ‘Faust’,” Spike said, “what do you want?”
”I’m calling to tell you how you can save your friend,” Faust replied. ”You have discovered your true place as a Pony Ranger, so now you have access to your own zord.”
“I get my own zord?” Spike asked. “Sweet! Where is it? What creature is it based off of? How do I summon it?”
”Calm yourself, young one,” Faust said. ”You can summon your zord by aiming your Phoenix Blade to the sky and channeling the pure essence of the Phoenix through it. Once you have done that, your zord will reveal itself.”
“And that’s it?” Spike asked.
”Yes, but you must hurry,” Faust said. ”Time is of the essence if you wish to save Twilight.”
Right then, Spike looked over to find the White Tiger Battlezord get thrown across the battlefield by the Dragon Battlezord. “Alright,” Spike finally said. He then aimed his sword at the sky and shouted, “POWER OF THE PHOENIX! Uh... summon my zord or something?”
Without warning, Spike’s blade was instantly set ablaze and a tower of fire shot out from it into the sky, burning brighter than even the sun. It was so bright, in fact, that Twilight and the Chaos Rangers stopped fighting and looked on as the tower of fire began to change its form. It swirled around in a huge ball before it began spinning around rapidly, changing into more of an oblong object (like a football).
“What is that?” Spike asked nopony in particular as he stared up at the mysterious flaming entity.
”That would be your zord,” Faust replied from Spike’s communicator.
Right as Faust said this, the entity quickly changed its form once again. It spread its massive flaming wings as a loud and intimidating roar erupted from its beak.
“Is that...” Spike started. “Is that a giant phoenix?”
”Yes it is,” Faust replied. ”It is your Phoenix Zord. Use it to save Twilight from the Chaos Rangers and solidify your place among the Harmony Rangers.”
“Alright,” Spike said. “Wait... how do I teleport into my zord again?” Right as Spike asked this, he was instantly turned into a beam of gold light and teleported into the cockpit of the Phoenix Zord. Once its pilot was in its cockpit, the Phoenix Zord spread its wings, roared once again, and the flames disappeared to reveal that it was mechanical like the rest of the zords.
“Spike!?” Twilight asked via comm. “Is that your zord?”
“I guess it is,” Spike said.
“It doesn’t matter how many zords you Harmony Rangers have,” Snowdrop said. “We’ll turn them all to scrap!” The Chaos Rangers then charged at Spike’s Phoenix Zord, which was just hanging idly in the air despite the charging villains.
“Oh, what do I do!?” Spike shouted, randomly pressing buttons on his console. “Nopony ever taught me how to pilot a giant robot phoenix!” Just then, Spike remembered something that Twilight had told him months ago.
”A zord is a zord, right?” Twilight asked another version of her from an alternate reality.
“More like a living machine,” the other Twilight replied.”
“Of course!” Spike said. He then closed his eyes and imagined himself in the Phoenix Zord’s position, like the dragon and the zord were one. “I think I understand,” Spike said to himself as he concentrated, seemingly unaware that the Chaos Rangers were almost within striking distance. Suddenly, Spike opened his eyes and slammed down on a button on his console. Without warning, the Phoenix Zord roared once again, its wings were instantly set ablaze, and it charged forward at the Chaos Megazord and Dragon Battlezord, striking both of them with its flaming wings and knocking them backwards.
“What!?” Derpy shouted as she got her zord back up. “How could his zord have that much power all of a sudden?”
Meanwhile, Spike pulled his zord up and brought it around for another pass at the Chaos Rangers. However, the Chaos Rangers expected Spike’s attack this time... except for the fact that Spike didn’t use his fire wing attack this time. Instead, he fired a flamethrower from the Phoenix Zord’s beak, knocking the Chaos Zords back further.
“Oh, I am really enjoying this!” Spike said as he flew by and circled around for another pass. However, Derpy expected Spike this time and struck the Phoenix Zord with her spear, knocking the mechanical phoenix to the ground.
“Didn’t expect that to happen,” Spike grumbled as he struggled to get his zord back in the air.
”Spike, you have to call upon more power if you wish to defeat your foes,” Faust’s voice suddenly said from the Phoenix Zord’s comm.
“Faust?” Spike asked. “How much more power can I call upon?”
”You must call upon the power of the Phoenix Samurai Battlezord,” Faust replied. ”With its power, you should be able to overcome your opponents.”
“Alright,” Spike replied. He then pulled out his sword and inserted it into a slot on his console. “Wait a second, how did I know to do that?” Spike suddenly asked himself. However, he simply shook this thought off and began channelling his energy through his sword into the zord. “PHOENIX SAMURAI BATTLEZORD! PHOENIX ZORD, MORPH!”
Right as Spike said this, his downed zord instantly became coated in flame once again, got off the ground, and spread its wings as it gave another mighty roar. It then began flying straight up while burning brighter than it ever did before. Once it was at a significantly high altitude, the intensity of its flames was almost bright enough to copy the sun.
“What the hay is going on?!” Snowdrop shouted as she and the other Chaos Rangers shielded their eyes from the light.
Right as Snowdrop asked this, however, the light suddenly died out and a figure began descending from where the Phoenix Zord was at a high speed. Once the figure landed, the Chaos Rangers instantly recognized it as a battlezord. It was entirely red, humanoid, and much more sleek and slender than any of the other Megazords. The Battlezord instantly rose and drew a flaming sword. Another interesting thing about the zord was that it had a phoenix-like design on its chest and flames on its shoulders.
“PHOENIX SAMURAI BATTLEZORD, READY!” Spike shouted as he aimed his zord’s sword at the Chaos Rangers.
“Now the Harmony Rangers have plus one Ranger and plus one zord?” Sweetie Belle shouted.
“It doesn’t matter how many zords they have of whatever power tier,” Derpy said. “Spike’s still one baby dragon. The four of us can easily beat him.”
“You say that now, Derpy,” Spike replied over comm. “But you’re all ponies fighting a dragon. Do you really wanna try your luck against a creature you know so little about like me?”
“We’ll take our chances,” Snowdrop said angrily. The Chaos Megazord and Dragon Battlezord then charged forward at the Phoenix Samurai Battlezord.
The Chaos Rangers were the first to try to hit Spike with their Serpent Blade. However, Spike blocked this attack with his Phoenix Blade. While the two zords had their blades locked, Derpy tried to sneak up behind Spike and attack him. However, Spike saw this attack coming and dodged the attack, causing Derpy’s attack to keep going and strike the Chaos Rangers while at the same time releasing the Serpent Blade and causing the Chaos Megazord to strike the Dragon Battlezord. Spike then quickly spun around and blasted both zords with a blast of fire.
“If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” Spike said with a smirk under his helmet. “Anypony still want more flank-kicking?”
Derpy was about to respond, but Snowdrop was quicker on the draw. “You know what?” the young pegasus asked. “I’ll admit it this time. You beat us, Spike.”
“Wait... what?” Spike shouted.
“Wait... what?” Derpy shouted when she heard over her own zord’s comm.
“Wait... what?” Rei shouted as he sat atop a building with his laptop in his lap.
“Wait... what?” you find yourself asking, given the fact that you’re such a fan of this story and you’re well acquainted with Snowdrop’s pride in this story.
“It’s true,” Snowdrop continued. “We honestly didn’t plan for you to turn on us like you did. So because of this, I’m calling a tactical retreat for my team.”
“Red, what the hay are you-?” Derpy started.
“Wait for me to finish, Derpy,” Snowdrop interrupted. “As I was saying, though we may be retreating now, we have another plan in motion.”
“Oh great,” Spike said. “Let me guess, this is truly the one that will bring down the Harmony Rangers?”
“Correct,” Snowdrop replied. “Only this time, there’s no Trixie to buck things up like she did with the Alicorn Amulet and Zecora is only a support in this plan. Trust me, this one will be what finally brings down your precious harmony... and even you won’t be able to help your friends, Spike.”
With that, Snowdrop and the others teleported away.
“Go ahead and talk all you want,” Spike said to himself, even though the Chaos Rangers were gone. “I’m not making the same mistake twice. Whatever you have planned, I’ll be there to help my friends defeat it.”
“Spike, that was awesome,” Twilight’s voice said over Spike’s comm. “You actually managed to beat them all on your own.”
“I’m not so sure about that, actually,” Spike replied. “Did you hear what Chaos Red said?”
“Yeah,” Twilight replied. “But let’s not worry about that right now. Let’s gather up our friends and get them to Canterlot for medical attention.”
“Alright,” Spike replied.

Roughly an hour passed between when Twilight got everypony to Canterlot and the Princesses were left to attend to them. However, Celestia requested that Twilight stay in Canterlot with them in order to help with their recovery. This in mind, Twilight left Spike to keep an eye on the library while Twilight was away.
“Again, I’m really sorry I can’t be there with you right now,” Twilight said as she communicated with Spike via visual comm. “It’s best that I stay here with the others and someone has to keep an eye on Ponyville.”
“It’s ok,” Spike replied. “I understand now that you wouldn’t intentionally dump me into a situation like this.”
“Well I’m glad to hear that,” Twilight replied. “Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own tonight?”
“Yes,” Spike replied. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve accepted your apology and I know Discord was deceiving me. You won’t hear another peep from Chaos Ranger Gold. I’m a Harmony Ranger from here on out.”
“That’s good,” Twilight said. “I need to go now. The others need me.”
“Ok, bye,” Spike said. With that, Twilight disconnected. Spike then sat back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, just thinking.
”I wonder how Button Mash is doing right now,” Spike thought to himself.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Button Mash was looking down upon Equestria, wondering the exact same thing about Spike. Everypony else on the base had gone to bed, so Button had plenty of time to just sit there and look down upon the world.
Or so he thought.
“Trouble sleeping, Button?” a familiar voice asked from behind Button Mash. The colt jumped at the sudden voice, but calmed down when he turned around to find Sweetie Belle standing behind him.
“Sweetie Belle,” Button Mash said as he breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure, I guess,” Button replied as Sweetie Belle sat next to the colt.
“Equestria sure is beautiful when you have this view of it, huh?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yeah,” Button Mash said.
“But you weren’t sitting here to admire the beauty, were you?”
“No,” Button Mash said. “No I wasn’t. Quick question: would you believe me if I said I was waiting for you to join me?”
“Not really, no,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Because I know the real reason you were here. You were thinking about Spike, weren’t you?”
Button Mash was silent for a moment before he answered. “Yeah, you caught me. The way Spike betrayed Discord like that and how easily he went back to his friends...”
“Hay, don’t worry about it,” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “The new plan will work with or without Spike. Besides, there’s something else I came here to talk to you about.” Sweetie Belle then smiled and looked at Button Mash. “Something really important I think you ought to know.”
Button Mash was about to respond when he noticed Sweetie Belle leaning in closer. He may be just a kid, but he knew where this was going. He closed his eyes and leaned in towards Sweetie Belle. Just before they made contact, however, Sweetie Belle shifted her head to the side and leaned closer to Button’s ear.
“I heard you and Spike talking earlier,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “I heard the secrets you two shared. But don’t worry, I promise not to tell Snowdrop.” With an evil grin, Sweetie Belle gave Button a quick kiss on the cheek and got up to walk away. She spared Button a quick glance before she left the room, seeing the colt frozen there with a look of shock and horror on his face. “Heh... boys,” Sweetie Belle said to herself with a smile as she left the room.
Meanwhile, Button Mash just sat there, doing his best to process all that had just happened. One second, Sweetie Belle was about to kiss him, and the next, she revealed that she knew he didn’t really want to be a Chaos Ranger. His loyalty to Discord and Sweetie Belle were in question. And not only that, but if Sweetie Belle were to go back on her word and reveal his secret to Snowdrop...
Well... that moment, he vowed he’d do his best not to think about that...

Next time...
“I have no idea why we didn’t just try this sooner.”
“Finally, I get a chance to get my paws on you six again.”
“The five of you have done pretty much nothing since I joined the team!”
“If you all won’t just pay attention when I offer a plan, then why am I still talking to you losers?”
“No doubt this is Discord’s doing.”
“Looks like I’m flying solo this time around...”
次回、　「Seeds of Discord」　あ楽しみに！ (Next time: “Seeds of Discord” Enjoy!)

> Turning Point (Outcome B)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Everypony in the room, as well as the two princesses on the screen, stared expectantly at Twilight, who was looking down at the Alicorn Amulet in her hoof. The unicorn was faced with the most difficult decision in her life, and it took what felt like hours before she had the nerve to even consider her answer, and it took that much more time to do said consideration. The atmosphere was so intense, nopony even dared to breathe for fear of breaking Twilight’s train of thought.

”I need to do this,” Twilight thought to herself. ”It might be the only way to save Spike.”

”But it isn’t the right thing to do,” the other half of Twilight’s consciousness argued. ”You’re a Pony Ranger, and it’s your duty to keep Equestria safe.”

”But that’s exactly what I would be doing. I’d be using this power to remove the threat Spike poses to Equestria.”

”But at what cost? Think of how much danger he’d be in--how much danger you’d be in--if you did this.”

”I’ve made sacrifices to save Equestria in the past. This can’t be any different, can it?”

”You’ve never had to put any of your friends on the line like this in the past. It’s very different.”

”They’ve all known what they were getting into from the day they agreed to be a part of this team. That includes Spike.”

”But that doesn’t mean you can make these kinds of decisions for any of your friends. That also includes Spike.”

”The safety of Equestria is my responsibility!”

”It’s the responsibility of you and your friends!”
“AAAAHHHHH!!!” Twilight screamed as she threw the amulet into the air and grabbed it with her magic. She was about to slam it to the ground but soon stopped midway. She brought it to her face one last time and then…. she placed it around her neck. The effect was instantaneous as red lightning burst from all around her and accidentally struck Pinkie in the chest, sending the party pony flying. Twilight, who had her eyes closed the whole time, then opened them and soon revelled in the power she now wielded.

She wanted to save Spike but why stop with just him? Make sure that not only he doesn’t harm Equestria but Derpy, The Chaos Rangers, and even make Discord pay for turning her friends and killing Zecora. As she basked in her power Rainbow noticed a dark flash in her eyes.

“Um… Twi you okay?” The Red Ranger asked her friend to which she only got a dark chuckle in response.

“Never been better Dashie. I think you and the others can sit this one out.” She said as she summoned up her element as she shouted out her morphing line. “HENSHIN!” The moment the line finished she was wearing what appeared to be her signature armor but now it also had a darker vibe to it as well as additional things added on. Such as the spikes on her shoulders and something that appeared to be artificial bat wings on her back but the creepiest thing was that it appeared that her mask also transformed. Rainbow noticed that, along with the spikes on it, the helmet also appeared to have transformed into something akin to a monster. Moments later she teleported away from the spot she was at and left the team wondering if what they did was a wise choice.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Spike watched Ponyville slowly become bathed in night. He noticed that the full moon cast a rather relaxing glow upon the land as the ponies retreated to their homes and slumbered, blissfully unaware of what he had planned for that night.

“Those Harmony Rangers aren’t gonna know what hit them,” Spike said to himself as an evil smile crossed his lips. He then turned away from the monitor and retreated to his quarters to get a little bit of rest before his attack. On his way, however, he passed by Button Mash, who Spike had assumed was already asleep.

“Spike!?” Button Mash shouted. He then quickly placed his hoof on his mouth and looked around to make sure he hadn’t accidentally woken anypony. Then, quietly, the colt asked, “What are you doing awake? I thought everypony was already asleep.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Spike replied. “Of course, seeing as I’m one of the four creatures on this base who isn’t a pony, I believe my question is a little more justified. You and the others are supposed to be resting for my attack later tonight.”

“I was, uh...” Button Mash started. “Getting water. Any creature could get thirsty in the middle of the night.”

“Then where’s your glass with water in it?” Spike asked.

“I left it by the sink,” Button Mash quickly replied. “What? Did you expect me to walk back to my room on three legs trying to carry a glass in my other hoof?”

“I suppose that’s plausible,” Spike said. “But there are two things you’ve forgotten about. One: you’re talking to one of the smarter creatures on this base. As horrible of a friend as Twilight Sparkle was, I did learn a lot from being her slave for my entire life. Second, if you did get water, there would still be some on your lips. Except there isn’t any. Care to explain?”

Spike stared Button Mash down for the longest time before Button Mash responded. “I’m... the Element of Deception?” the colt tried to defend.

“So then explain your deception,” Spike said.

Button Mash gave a defeated sigh before saying, “Alright, I’ll tell you why I was up. But please, please, please don’t tell Sweetie Belle or any of the others.”

“I’m only working for Discord, not standing by him,” Spike said. “I guess I could keep a secret.”

“Thanks,” Button Mash said. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to get this off my chest.” Button Mash then looked around to make sure everypony else was still asleep. “Could you come with me to my room first, though? I really don’t want anypony to know this.” Spike raised a nervous eyebrow in response. “I’m not about to confess any latent homosexual feelings for you if that’s what that eyebrow raise is for,” Button Mash said with an unamused tone. Spike snorted in amusement. He followed the young colt to his room. They soon walked in and sat down on opposite chairs.

“Okay here it goes…. I don’t want to be a Chaos Ranger dude.” Button said and nearly winced when he saw Spike’s eyes widen.

“Ooookay…. why don’t you want that? I mean yeah we’ve done horrible things but it’s for the better in the end right?” Spike asked him.

“Yeah but that’s just it I don’t think it is. I only joined because Sweetie mentioned me as a perfect candidate to Discord and I only stayed on for her. I’m…. I’m really not sure if I ever wanted to be one in the first place dude.” Button finished making Spike relax a little but also contemplate his own reasons for joining. He never really joined them out of loyalty to Discord after all. He only joined them so he could make Twilight Sparkle hurt but even that was starting to lose it’s taste to him. Before he could contemplate this even further he and Button heard Sweetie run up.

“You two better get ready. We just got a transmission from Twilight.” This caused Spike to smile as he exited the room. They met up with the other two Chaos Rangers and arrived where the transmission originated. Curiously to them it landed them right near Town Hall.
“Okay Twilight! You can come out of hiding coward!” Spike called out but was surprised when he got a near insane cackle in response.
“Oh my dear Spikey-Wikey. Who ever said I was hiding?” Twilight called back but Spike noticed that something about her voice seemed…. off. He looked up and saw a flash of silver and then, right before his and the other Chaos Rangers eyes, Twilight slammed down to the ground on all four hooves before them but everything about her seemed malformed and mutated. For one thing her armor was now black and silver spikes adorned them as well as her belt now having a strangely twisted “N” on it. She didn’t even give them time to ask about her new look before she blasted them backwards.
”TWILIGHT WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Spike shouted as he and the other four Chaos Rangers backed away from the advancing Silver Ranger.
“I’m getting rid of that dark presence inside of you Spike. You should be happy,” Twilight said, emotionless as she drew her sword. The light of the moon glistened off the amulet around her neck. Chaos Red was the first to regain her nerve as she charged Twilight. The effort was commendable but pointless as a mere flick of her hooves later and the pegasus filly was tossed against the wall and was knocked out. Seeing what happened to their friend both Chaos Blue and Yellow charged the Silver Ranger. They lasted a little longer but one flick of Twilight’s sword and they both were flung against separate walls and de-morphed. She then turned her attention back to the two Rangers in front of her. Both of whom got their nerve back and charged her. Finally a real challenge, Twilight thought to herself. Both Chaos Green and the Gold Ranger put up a fight but it didn’t matter as Twilight soon beat both of them. She blasted both of them back but soon pulled them back in, holding them in place as she removed the Dragon Coin forcefully from Derpy’s belt.
“TWILIGHT NO!” Spike yelled as he broke free of the unicorn’s spell. He charged her again and managed to get one punch that connected with her helmet. All the punch did was annoy her as the Ranger turned towards him and growled an un-equine growl at him. Then she summoned up an orb of energy and blasted him back.
“Sorry about that. Now where was I?” Twilight mockingly asked Derpy. Moments later she used a spell and the coin sent off a blast so strong it blasted her and Spike, who got back on his feet, away from the epicenter. When Twilight opened her eyes she saw that the Alicorn Amulet was destroyed along with the coin. She smiled a little before she saw Spike’s crumpled form. He hadn’t de-morphed. “S-Spike? SPIKE?! SPIKE!”

> Seeds of Discord
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It had already been a week since Spike was officially inducted into the Harmony Rangers team, but much to the baby dragon’s dismay, there hadn’t been a single attack from Discord during that entire time. He was really looking forward to getting a chance to put his skills to good use, but that would have to wait, apparently. In the meantime, Twilight and the others taught him all he needed to know about being a Ranger. How to effectively use his powers, how to communicate with and pilot his zord, how to call for help in an emergency, and of course, how to fight effectively.
Twilight and Spike were training together underneath the library one morning. They were having a morphed sword fight and both found each other to be about on par with the other.
“You’re not a bad fighter,” Twilight commented as she broke her blade away from Spike’s.
“Aw, you’re just saying that,” Spike replied as he rushed in to strike Twilight again. “You’ve had a lot more experience with this sort of thing than I have.”
Right as Spike said this, Twilight sidestepped Spike’s attack and gave the baby dragon an elbow to the back that knocked him to the floor. “Not by much, though,” Twilight replied. “That’s two points for me.”
“So this last one settles it, huh?” Spike asked as he got up. He then shook himself off and prepared himself for one more fight. “I guess it’s time I actually started trying.”
“Same here,” Twilight replied with a smile under her helmet. “Go!”
Both dragon and pony instantly charged at each other and once again locked blades. Spike tried to break his sword away and punch Twilight with his free hand, but the unicorn managed to dodge this attack. She then tried to strike Spike with her sword, but he flipped out of the way just in time to avoid her attack. Twilight then tried to blast Spike with her magic, but he used his fire powers to block this attack. He then proceeded to grab one of Twilight’s legs with a fire whip and sweep her hooves right out from beneath her, knocking her to the ground and allowing Spike to step over her and aim his sword down at her.
“I do believe that’s game,” Spike said. He then lowered his sword and helped Twilight up off the ground. “Ya know, I seem to recall you telling me at the beginning of this that we weren’t allowed to use magic.”
“Yeah...” Twilight said, demorphing to reveal a sheepish face. “Well, I was just trying to keep you on your toes, that’s all. You never know what kinds of dirty tricks your enemy will pull on you, especially Discord.”
“I guess that’s a fair point,” Spike said, also demorphing. “How about we go get some cupcakes now? I’m sure Pinkie Pie knew we’d be done with our sparring session by now and baked a fresh batch for us.”
“That does sound like something she’d do,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, let’s go.” The two then made their way out of the library and towards Sugarcube Corner.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Discord was looking down at the two leaving. “All that hard work Trixie and Zecora put into Spike...” Discord said to himself. “And what turned everything upside down in one fell swoop?” Discord was silent for a moment before continuing. “That was an actual question. Somepony was supposed to answer that.” He then turned around only to find that nopony was in the room with him. “Huh... I could have sworn somepony was here when I started talking. Oh well.” Discord then snapped his fingers and teleported out of the room.
In another room, Discord’s minions were idling around. Zecora was working on something that was inevitably going to blow up in her face, Sweetie Belle and Button Mash were just sitting around together (even though Button Mash was a little uneasy after the news Sweetie Belle gave him the week before), Derpy was eating a muffin, and Snowdrop was about to challenge Alan the manticore to a duel that was likely going to get out of hoof and result in Snowdrop destroying Alan. (Yeah, I guess that last bit isn’t quite idling. -_-) Just then, Discord appeared in the center of the room.
“THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!” he suddenly shouted angrily, startling everypony.
“Come again?” Alan asked.
“That’s the reason Spike sided with the Harmony Rangers at the last second,” Discord explained. “It’s because of the magic of friendship that all of mine and Nightmare Moon’s attacks failed!”
“Wait, I thought it was Twilight nearly killing Spike with the power of the Alicorn Amulet that turned him good,” Derpy said.
“That was Twilight Mercer’s chapter, Derpy,” Rei said from the corner of the room. “His universe might be similar to mine and our timelines might have come very close to each other last week, but they’re separate once again.”
“The whole alternate universes story arc aside,” Discord continued, “it’s because of the friendship that the Harmony Rangers share that we can’t defeat them.”
“And your point is...?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Pop quiz,” Discord answered. “What’s the only magic more powerful than Friendship?”
“Love,” Button Mash answered.
“Revenge,” Sweetie Belle answered.
“More power,” Snowdrop answered.
“Hatred and rage,” Derpy answered.
“A cunning mind and a plan forged with time,” Zecora replied.
“Brute force,” Alan replied.
“Wrong!” Discord shouted. “All of you are wrong! The answer, of course, is disharmony, the very polar opposite of what the Harmony Rangers represent. And how do you create disharmony among friends like them? Anypony? You drive a wedge between them!”
“That makes sense,” Snowdrop said.
“Which is exactly why Alan is doing this week’s attack,” Discord replied, snapping his fingers and teleporting Alan in front of him.
“Wait, what?” Alan asked in a startled tone.
“Two reasons why,” Discord said to the startled manticore. “First, you claim to be the most powerful being on this base in terms of physical strength. Surely that means you can handle yourself against the Harmony Rangers best out of all of us.”
“Actually, if you recall the third chapter of this season-” Button Mash started, causing everypony to glare at him angrily. “I mean, don’t pay attention to what I have to say. I’m the one who said love could conquer friendship earlier.” He then gave a nervous chuckle before clearing his throat. “Please, continue.”
“As I was saying,” Discord continued, “the second reason I want you for this attack, Alan, is that I want you to carry a special spell with you into battle.” Discord then snapped his fingers and a small ball of light appeared in his paw. He then lowered the ball of light and placed it on Alan’s head, where it proceeded to absorb into the manticore’s body and cause it to briefly flash white. “The spell I just gave you is a manipulation spell. However, I’ve simplified it so that you can use it just by coming in contact with somepony.”
“So how does it work?” Alan asked.
Discord waved his talon around the room to indicate everypony there. “Pick your target.” Once Discord said this, everypony in the room jumped with fear. “A single strike with your claw, and the effects will be near instantaneous.”
Alan smiled a little as he looked around the room, trying to decide who to test Discord’s spell on. He’d get in serious trouble with Discord if he tried it on Zecora, and if he tried it on Derpy or Snowdrop, he’d get in beyond serious trouble with one of them, leaving Sweetie Belle and Button Mash as his only options. Sweetie Belle’s expression instantly turned to one of horror as Alan focused his gaze on her and charged forward.
“NO!” Button Mash shouted as he jumped between Alan and Sweetie Belle just before Alan could hit the young marshmallow. Button Mash had intended to strike Alan away, but instead the manticore slashed Button’s right shoulder with his claw, causing the colt to scream in pain and fall to the floor.
“BUTTON MASH!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she galloped over to catch him. Fortunately, she was able to catch him before he hit the ground.
“A bit excessive, don’t you think?” Derpy asked Alan as the manticore landed from his charge.
“I’m sorry, have we met?” Alan asked Derpy. “Hi, I’m Alan the manticore, the overpowered muscle of this base.”
“You could have at least shown a little restraint,” Sweetie Belle said angrily as she held Button Mash. She then turned back to the colt. “Are you ok, Button Mash?”
Button Mash winced in pain as he turned his head to reply to Sweetie Belle, but he was smiling nonetheless. “I’m more worried about if you’re ok,” he said. In Sweetie Belle’s opinion, purposefully taking that strike from Alan for her was the single most sweetest thing he ever could have done for her.
“I’m fine,” Sweetie Belle replied with a smile. She then looked over at Button Mash’s shoulder. There was an evident claw mark and Sweetie Belle could tell just by looking at it that Button Mash was in harsh pain from it. “Don’t worry, Button Mash. I’ll see what I can do about your shoulder.”
Right as Sweetie Belle said this, however, the claw mark completely disappeared on its own. Feeling the pain instantly vanish, Button Mash got back up on all fours and massaged his shoulder. “Thanks, Sweetie Belle,” he said. “I didn’t know you were that good with magic.”
“I’m not,” Sweetie Belle replied. “It just healed on its own all of a sudden.”
“Well, either way-” Button Mash started. However, he suddenly stopped mid sentence and began staring off into space.
“Button Mash?” Sweetie Belle asked, waving her hoof in front of him. “Are you ok?”
As though to reply with a heavy “no”, Button Mash’s expression instantly turned into what looked like a strained expression before his coat suddenly turned all grey. He then shook his head and looked over at Sweetie Belle with an angry expression.
“What? I don’t get a ‘thank you’?” Button Mash suddenly said in an angry voice. “The least you could do is be a little grateful given the fact that I just saved you from Alan’s attack!”
“Button Mash?!” Sweetie Belle asked in surprise as she took a step back from him. “Are you alright?”
“Of course I’m not alright!” Button Mash shouted. “Look at this shoulder! I took this hit for you and you’re acting like you couldn’t care less!”
Sweetie Belle looked at Button Mash’s shoulder with a confused expression. Aside from being grey, it was perfectly fine. “Uhh...” was all Sweetie Belle could say.
“Ugh! Why am I even still talking to you?” Button Mash shouted as he turned to leave the room. For some reason, however, he was limping whenever he stepped on the leg Alan had struck. Sweetie Belle was left sitting there trying to process what had just happened. Just then, she had a sudden realization. Sweetie Belle quickly morphed, charged forward at Alan, and held her blade up to his throat.
“What have you done to him?” she asked angrily.
“That would be my manipulation spell,” Discord said. “Button Mash has been possessed by the power of disharmony, causing him to act the complete opposite of his usual self. Apparently it also makes the victim not quite in his right mind.”
Without another thought, Sweetie Belle turned her blade to aim at Discord. “Fix him,” she said in an angry yet stern voice.
“I’m afraid I can’t,” Discord said.
Sweetie Belle’s horn instantly began glowing with a rage-fueled spell when Discord said this. “Fix him now, or so help me...”
“No, I mean I seriously can’t,” Discord said. “It’s physically impossible. I’m the spirit of disharmony. I can’t restore harmony to somepony with a snap of my finger. It doesn’t work like that.”
Once Discord said this, Sweetie Belle lowered her blade and demorphed, revealing a very angry expression. “In that case, I’ll just have to fix this myself,” she said as she galloped off in the direction Button Mash went, doing her best to fight back some tears.
“Should I stop her before she does something stupid?” Snowdrop offered.
“No, let her be,” Discord said. “After all, someone did create this mess between the two of them.” Discord then turned his gaze towards Alan.
“I was aiming for Sweetie Belle!” Alan defended. “Button Mash is the one who jumped in the way.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Discord said. “Just go down to Equestria and put that manipulation spell I gave you to actual use.”
“Yes, Discord,” Alan said with a bow. Discord then teleported the manticore to Ponyville.

At Sugarcube Corner, Twilight and Spike were talking with Pinkie Pie over a half-dozen cupcakes.
“Wow! You really beat her?” Pinkie asked Spike in surprise.
“Yup,” Spike replied with pride. “Of course, I couldn’t have beaten her if she hadn’t been training me in the first place.”
“Well I’m just glad you’re not letting your pride go to your head,” Twilight said. “The seven of us are all one unit, and not one of us can succeed without the others there to back them up.”
“That’s right,” Pinkie said. “Speaking of which, who’s going to eat this seventh cupcake?”
“Huh?” Twilight asked. “But I thought we only ordered six.”
“Did you?” Pinkie asked. “Oh well. More for me.” Pinkie then shrugged and ate the cupcake herself.
“Yeah, I think she’s gone from random to just plain ridiculous,” Spike whispered to Twilight. Right then, the three Rangers’ communicators went off.
“This is Twilight,” Twilight said into her comm.
“Alan’s attacking in the market with a bunch of Putty Ponies!” Applejack’s voice said from the other end.
“Don’t worry, Applejack,” Twilight said. “Pinkie, Spike and I are on our way.” Twilight then disconnected and the three dashed out the door.
At that moment, the three probably forgot that Sugarcube Corner was right next to the market and had to skid to a stop when they saw Alan and the Putty Ponies attacking ponies.
“Ah, if it isn’t the Pink, White, and Gold Harmony Rangers,” Alan said as he turned to face the two ponies and baby dragon. “Have I got a surprise for you this time around.”
“Yeah?” Twilight asked. “Well so do we.”
Before Alan could question what Twilight was talking about, he was hit from behind by a blast of magic energy from Rarity, followed up by three hits from Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. The four ponies then regrouped with their friends.
“Oh good,” Alan said with a devious smile. “Everypony’s here. This might work out better than I thought it would.”
“For us, maybe,” Rainbow Dash said as she drew her Element of Harmony, followed by her friends drawing their Elements and Spike drawing his Phoenix Gem. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“PHOENIX FLAME, SAMURAI POWER!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Gold!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” As the seven Rangers finished their roll call, a huge explosion erupted behind them.
“Not for long, you won’t fight as one,” Alan said. “Putties, attack!”
“Let’s go, Rangers!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and the others drew their weapons and charged into battle.
I’m pretty sure you’re already well-acquainted with how the other Harmony Rangers fight Putty Ponies, so I’m going to save you some time and skip straight to Spike battling his group. Spike charged blade-first at his group of Putty Ponies. Once he got to the lead Putty, he slid underneath it and gave it a powerful strike to its stomach with his sword, knocking the Putty away into one of its allies. Spike then quickly turned around and blasted another advancing Putty with a blast of fire. He then flipped and landed right on the back of another Putty Pony.
“Alright, let’s see how you Putty Ponies ride,” Spike said. As the Putty tried to buck him off, Spike grabbed either of the Putty Pony’s ears and pulled on them as though to try to steer the Putty Pony. Oddly enough, this plan worked as the Putty began spinning around in circles while bucking wildly, knocking several other Putties down. Then, figuring he had dealt enough damage, Spike sent the Putty crashing into another Putty and dismounted with a strangely graceful flip and landed perfectly.
“Not bad for my first run,” Spike said to himself as he surveyed the downed Putties. He must have taken down about a dozen on his own. “Guess I’d better help the others now.”
“I figured those Putties wouldn’t be enough for you,” Alan said as the Harmony Rangers regrouped before him. “Then again, I guess that’s the whole reason I’m here.”
“Yeah it is,” Rainbow Dash said. “We need better punching bags than Putties, after all.”
“Foal! You shall pay for your overconfidence!” Alan shouted. He then gave a mighty roar and charged forward at the Rangers. Applejack was the first to meet his challenge. She managed to hit him with her Harmony Lance once, but despite this, Alan simply gave her one swipe to the shoulder and continued on to the next Ranger without even giving AJ a chance to hit the ground. Alan’s next target was Fluttershy, who did her best to avoid Alan’s attacks and counter with her Harmony Daggers. However, Fluttershy was unable to dodge a strike from his scorpion tail and was knocked off-balance. Though Fluttershy was far from defeated, Alan moved past her similarly to how he did with Applejack and proceeded to attack Rarity. Rarity managed to get a solid hit in with her Harmony Axe, but in exchange, Alan got a clean hit in on her underside, sending her flying and allowing Alan to move on to Pinkie Pie. Though the party pony was hitting Alan with arrows from her Harmony Bow, the attacks barely seemed to faze Alan as he charged forward and gave Pinkie a powerful uppercut with his claw, sending her flying. Alan barely had time to turn around before Rainbow Dash flew up and gave him a powerful high-speed strike with her Harmony Sword, knocking the manticore forward. He then got up to see Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike all standing before him with their blades at the ready.
“What’s your game, Alan?” Twilight asked. “How come you’re barely fighting us?”
“Oh, you’ll see in a moment,” Alan said with an evil smile. He then charged forward at a speed far greater than Twilight or Rainbow Dash had anticipated, allowing him to strike both Rangers with his claws. However, Spike was just barely able to avoid this charge and strike Alan with a blast of fire that actually knocked the manticore to the ground.
“Did you forget about me?” Spike asked as Alan got up.
“Grr...” Alan said, covered in bruises and other evidences of damage. “Looks like I got a little careless trying to complete my mission.”
“And just what is your mission?” Spike asked.
“Wait a moment and you just might find out, little dragon,” Alan said as he indicated the other Harmony Rangers, who all seemed to be frozen in place for some reason.
“What’s wrong with them?” Spike asked. As though to answer his question, all six of the Rangers were instantly demorphed and their coats suddenly turned grey similarly to what happened to Button Mash back on the moon base.
“Oh great,” Applejack said in a sarcastic tone. “I can fight so much better when I lose my powers like this.”
“Hmph, it’s not like you could even fight in the first place,” Fluttershy said in a [female dog]-y voice.
“If you girls aren’t going to use your Elements of Harmony, GIVE THEM TO ME!” Rarity shouted as she galloped up to Fluttershy and tried to take her Element right off her neck.
“I hate the Elements of Harmony!” Pinkie shouted.
“If you girls are just gonna stand around and do nothing, then why am I even still here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“What are you all doing?” Spike shouted. “Why are you all acting this way?” The baby dragon then turned around and called to Twilight. “Twilight, do something!”
“What’s the point, Spike?” Twilight asked with a sigh. She then hung her head and said, “They’re all like this because of Discord. Now that he’s made them this way, he’s pretty much won.”
“Twilight?” Spike asked.
Alan simply laughed evilly. “Ha! This is turning out much better than Discord expected!”
Overcome with rage, Spike turned around to face Alan. “You’ll pay for this!” Spike shouted as he charged forward.
“Whoops. That’s my cue to leave.” With that, Alan teleported away just before Spike could hit him.
“How can this happen...?” Spike asked as he looked down and nearly teared up under his helmet.
“I guess you just bring out the worst in us, Spike,” Applejack said as she walked by Spike.
“Why do I even need you losers to begin with?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I bet I could have stopped this from happening if you all hadn’t gotten in the way.” With that, she flew off, abandoning the others.
“So long, Rainbow Crash!” Fluttershy called. She then proceeded to laugh loudly at Rainbow Dash.
“And what are you laughing at?” Pinkie shouted angrily at Fluttershy.
“What does she have?” Rarity shouted at Fluttershy. “GIVE IT TO ME!!!!”
“Augh!” Spike shouted. “You’re all being ridiculous! Cut this weird evil act and come back to the library so we can have Princess Celestia try to figure out what’s wrong.”
“There’s no point, Spike,” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia can’t fix this. It’s over. We might as well hand our Elements of Harmony and the keys to Equestria over to Discord.”
Spike simply facepalmed at this and let out a loud, exasperated sigh. He then flipped his communicator on and contacted Princess Celestia. “Princess?” Spike called.
“I’m here, Spike,” Princess Celestia’s voice replied. “What’s going on down there?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Spike replied. “All the Rangers are acting... weird. Can you teleport us back to the library? Or better yet, can you bring us all to Canterlot so you and Princess Luna can try to figure out what’s wrong with them?”
“I’m on it,” Celestia replied. With that, the baby dragon and the five remaining Rangers were all teleported to Canterlot.

On the moon base, Sweetie Belle was in Button Mash’s room with him trying to bring him back to his old self.
“What the hay is this?” Button Mash asked as he held his Manetendo controler.
“It’s your Manetendo,” Sweetie Belle replied. “You love playing video games, remember?”
Button Mash silently looked at the controler before saying, “I don’t get it. How can somepony like something as stupid as this?”
“Button, that’s just the controller,” Sweetie Belle said. “It controls the game on the TV screen and-”
“Boring,” Button said as he tossed the controler and walked off.
“GAHHHHHH!” Sweetie Belle shouted in frustration. “That’s it! I’m having Discord fix this one way or another and I’m having him do it now!” Sweetie Belle then stormed out of the room.
Sweetie Belle was just outside of the main room when she heard Discord talking with Alan.
“Job well done, Alan,” Discord said. “I would have prefered if you had gotten all seven of them, but just the Elements of Harmony themselves should be sufficient for the time being.”
“Thank you, Discord,” Alan said. “Now what?”
“Now we wait,” Discord replied. “At sundown, the spell will become permanent and the Elements of Harmony will be no more.”
“Permanent?” Sweetie Belle asked quietly so as to not alert Discord and Alan to her presence. “But that would mean... Button Mash would...”
“But why do we need to wait?” Alan asked. “Why can’t we just start our invasion of Equestria now?”
“Because if the spell doesn’t settle properly, it can be easily broken,” Discord replied. “The second you take enough damage in battle, the spell will weaken just enough to possibly release the Harmony Rangers.”
“What?” Sweetie Belle asked. She quickly put her hoof over her mouth and hid before Discord and Alan looked in her direction and found her eavesdropping.
“I could have sworn I heard something,” Alan said.
“It was probably a mouse,” Discord said. “We’ve been getting a lot of those since Derpy destroyed Gilda.”
“How can mice exist on the moon?” Alan asked.
“Space mice,” Rei said from the corner of the room. “They’re an actual thing. Trust me, I’ve watched plenty of Doctor Who to know that just about anything can live in space.”
“Will you get out of here?” Discord shouted at the author. “Can’t you see we’re gloating?”
“I thought you were talking about mice,” Rei replied with a smirk.
While Discord and Rei argued, Sweetie Belle had begun walking back to her room, now knowing what she needed to do if she was ever going to get Button Mash back.

In Canterlot, Princess Luna had just finished restraining Rainbow Dash after her third attempt to flee the command center. Meanwhile, Spike and Princess Celestia were talking.
“Do you know what’s wrong with them, Princess?” Spike asked.
“At a glance, I’d say it’s Discord’s magic,” Celestia replied. “One of his signature spells, too. He’s filled the Rangers with evil and disharmony, causing them all to act the complete opposite of their usual selves.”
“But is there a way to fix it?” Spike asked.
“Would you like my honest answer or the answer that will more likely make you feel better?” Celestia asked.
Before Spike had a chance to reply, an alarm began sounding at the console at the front of the room. Princess Luna instantly galloped over to see what it was.
“It’s a transmission from the lunar base Discord currently resides in,” Luna said.
“That’s strange,” Celestia said. “Discord isn’t the type to call us and gloat.”
“And stranger still,” Spike said as he walked up next to Princess Luna, “why would he send a transmission request rather than just hack our system?”
“We will find out soon enough,” Luna said as she accepted the request. Upon the screen flashed an image of Chaos Ranger Blue with Button Mash standing next to her.
“Hello, Princesses,” Sweetie Belle said. “And hello to you, Spike. Enjoying Discord’s spell?”
“Chaos Blue,” Celestia said. “What do you know about this spell and why are you calling us about it?”
“Oh, I’m just calling to inform you that you’re a little tied for time as far as reversing the spell,” Sweetie Belle said, trying to fake her voice having the same kind of sass Discord has whenever he gloats.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Spike asked.
“It means, you have until sundown to figure out how to reverse the spell,” Sweetie Belle replied. “After that, the spell will become permanent.”
“Yeah, so?” Applejack asked, walking up to the screen.
“Wait... what?” Sweetie Belle asked in surprise.
“Why would we want to reverse the spell?” Fluttershy asked. “What if we like things the way they are now?”
“I hate spells!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
“But... you’re supposed to be figuring out how to reverse this spell,” Sweetie Belle said. “Need I remind you that not only are you Rangers at risk, but so is this sweet, handsome, intelligent- I mean, this innocent little colt is as well?”
“Why am I still here?” Button Mash asked Sweetie Belle.
“I’m right there with you,” Rainbow Dash said to Button Mash.
“Would all of you stop acting so weird?” Spike shouted in frustration. In reply to this, however, Rarity suddenly snuck up behind Spike and tried to steal his Phoenix Gem right off of him.
“MINE!” Rarity shouted as she galloped off with the Gem in her magic.
“Hay!” Spike shouted. “Twilight, please do something! You’re the sensible one on this team.”
“I told you, Spike, it’s hopeless,” Twilight replied. “You heard Chaos Blue. The spell becomes permanent at sundown. Just look at the others. They won’t be of much help.”
“GrrrrAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Spike shouted in frustration. Then, through the use of rage-fueled magic, Spike’s Phoenix Gem disappeared in a flash of flame from Rarity’s magic field and reappeared in Spike’s hand. He then proceeded to morph and unleash a large tornado of fire that circled around the room and began shrinking, causing the other Rangers, including Rainbow Dash, whose restraints were incinerated, to all congregate in front of Spike.
“Listen to me, all of you!” Spike shouted. “I don’t care if Discord has you all under some kind of spell and I don’t care if this spell is making you want to keep it in place somehow. What I do care about is for you all to stop acting so ridiculous and at the very least try to not be so counter-productive in terms of fixing this situation!”
The Rangers were silent as they stared at the baby dragon in shock over his sudden outburst. Then, though everypony saw it coming, Rainbow Dash took her opportunity to ditch the others and fly out the door.
“Could this day get any worse?” Spike shouted as he facepalmed.
“Hmm... you Harmony Rangers are really struggling there, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It’s a shame, really. Then again, even if you were able to fight effectively, I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to defeat Alan and reverse the spell.”
“That’s all we need to do to reverse the spell?” Spike asked. He then excitedly turned around to the others. “Did you all hear that? We can still save you guys!”
“Well that’s a load off my shoulders,” Applejack said sarcastically.
“Yeah, I figured none of you would give a flying feather,” Spike muttered under his breath. “Looks like I’m flying solo this time around.”
“Don’t even bother,” Sweetie Belle continued. “Even if you could beat Alan on your own, he’s not coming back to Equestria until after sundown when he isn’t putting the spell in jeopardy. Unless you Princesses could find a way to forcibly summon him to Ponyville where Spike will be waiting, you’re all out of luck and Harmony in Equestria will officially be dead. Tata.” With that, Sweetie Belle disconnected. “Now time to finish my end of the plan,” she said to herself as she galloped out of the room she was in, dragging Button Mash with her in her magic.
“That was a bit strange,” Spike said as he looked up at the static screen. “Still, that’s a pretty excellent idea.”
“But doesn’t it sound like a trap?” Twilight asked. “She knows you can’t beat Alan on your own. You should ignore her ‘advice’ and stay here.”
“Twilight,” Spike said as he walked up to his best friend, “I am going to say this in the most polite way I can manage at the moment. I am sick and tired of your pessimistic attitude and would very much appreciate it if you would shut the hay up and let the Princesses and I save you guys.” Spike then turned back to Celestia and Luna. “Alright, Princesses, send me to Ponyville and get to work on the spell for forcing Alan from the moon to me.”
“Alright,” Celestia said as she prepared Spike’s teleportation spell. “Best of luck to you, Spike.”
“Same to you two,” Spike said. With that, Celestia teleported the baby dragon back to Ponyville.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Alan was napping in his room. He figured that, if he had to wait until sundown before he saw any more action, he’d nap now and jump right back into the action that night.
However, Sweetie Belle had other plans for the manticore. She snuck into his room as quietly as possible and walked up to where he was sleeping.
“This is what you get for messing with my Button Mash,” she said quietly as she lit up her horn. In a quick flash of light, Sweetie Belle teleported Alan down to Ponyville. An evil smile crossed her lips as she reveled in the thought of what was going to happen to him next.

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Spike was morphed and waiting atop Town Hall for the Princesses to teleport Alan in. He took a moment to glance at the horizon. He guessed it was only about an hour until sundown, and he knew that even the Princesses couldn’t control the passage of time itself, so everypony was pretty tied for time. After another moment, however, Spike looked over to find that Alan was on top of another building fast asleep. The spell the Princesses used must have been stronger than they thought. Alan didn’t even notice that he had been teleported.
Spike quickly flipped his communicator on and contacted the Princesses. “The spell was a success, Princesses,” Spike said. “Alan’s here.”
“What are you talking about, Spike?” Celestia asked. “We haven’t even started the spell. Something else must have summoned him.”
“In that case, cast some sort of spell that will keep him from teleporting back,” Spike said. “We can’t look this gift horse in the mouth and whatever teleported him in might not have done something to keep him here.”
“On it,” Luna replied. With that, Spike disconnected and got ready to attack Alan.
“Alright...” Spike said to himself. ”Gotta time this just right. He’s gonna wake up the second that anti-teleport spell hits him, but he can easily teleport away if I hit him too early.” Spike focused his gaze and readied his sword to blast Alan with fire. In a split second, Alan flashed white, indicating that the anti-teleport spell had worked. As per Spike’s prediction, Alan woke up the second the spell hit him. Spike knew this split second was his one and only chance to get a preemptive strike in on Alan, so the baby dragon blasted the manticore with a wave of fire that Alan was unable to dodge. He was knocked off the building with a small explosion and crashed onto the ground below, causing several nearby ponies to start panicing. (Duh. How else would you react if a building you were standing by suddenly blew up and a manticore fell out of the sky at the same time?)
“Wha-? What the hay is going on?” Alan shouted as he recovered from Spike’s attack. Right then, the Gold Harmony Ranger appeared before him. “I guess I should have seen this coming,” Alan grumbled as he stood to meet his opponent.
“I know about the spell, Alan,” Spike said. “And I also know how to break the spell.”
“Then I’m assuming you also know about what happens at sundown?” Alan asked.
“I’ll make sure you don’t live that long if it means saving my friends,” Spike replied, raising his sword and aiming it Alan.
“And just how do you plan on doing that?” Alan asked. “The six Harmony Rangers can barely defeat me. What makes you so sure that you, a pathetic little baby dragon, even stands a chance against me?”
“Nothing,” Spike replied. “Nothing makes me sure that I can beat you. But if defeating you means saving my friends, then I’ll give this battle my all and then some!” Spike then charged forward at Alan and struck the manticore with his blade. Alan was knocked back a little from this attack, but he quickly recovered and charged back at Spike. He tried to strike the baby dragon with his claw, but Spike blocked this attack with his sword and proceeded to give Alan a flip kick right to the jaw. Spike then leapt back a little and blasted Alan with several blasts of fire. Alan was, for the most part, defenseless against these attacks. However, Alan managed to find an opening to get out of the way of the rest of the barrage and hit Spike with a full-on tackle that the baby dragon was unable to avoid. Spike got knocked back quite a ways and landed flat on his back, but he was able to recover fast enough to avoid a powerful stomp from Alan. Spike then proceeded to give Alan another blast of fire, this time at point-blank range. Alan took heavy damage from this attack and was knocked to the ground.
“Grr!” Alan growled as his body crackled with electricity. “How can this be happening? One moment I’m napping and the next, I’m beaten by a puny little dragon! You’re gonna pay for this, Harmony Gold! YOU’RE GONNA PAY!!!!!!!!!” With that, Alan fell to the ground and exploded. Spike turned around and struck a triumphant pose as the explosion erupted behind him.

In Canterlot, the other Harmony Rangers were still suffering from Discord’s spell. However, once Alan was destroyed, Twilight’s body suddenly began shaking before she flashed a bright purple and the color was restored to her body.
“Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked as she galloped over to her student. “Are you alright?”
“I... think so,” Twilight said. “Not entirely sure what happened to begin with, though.”
“There’s no time to explain,” Princess Luna said. “Spike is in Ponyville and he is going to need your help to finish off Alan.”
“Spike fought Alan alone?” Twilight asked. “But what about the other Harmony Rangers?”
“They, uh...” Celestia said. “They kind of got out of control and we had to lock them all in a broom closet. Discord’s magic. Like Luna said, no time to explain. Just get down there.”
“Got it,” Twilight said. She then teleported away.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Discord saw Alan get destroyed by Spike. “There’s no way the Princesses had enough magical skill to perform a forced teleportation at that range,” he muttered to himself as he snapped his fingers and cast the mega spell on Alan. As he watched the manticore grow, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was something afoot that he didn’t know about that he probably should know about.

“You got lucky last time, little dragon,” Alan roared as he grew to about 30 stories tall. “Let’s see how you fare in round 2!”
“Challenge accepted,” Spike replied. He then held his sword to the sky and shouted, “POWER OF THE PHOENIX! SUMMON PHOENIX ZORD!”
As Spike said this, his sword unleashed a massive tower of flame out of which spawned his Phoenix Zord. Spike then teleported into his zord and charged at Alan with flaming wings spread ready for attack.
“You’re gonna have to do better than that!” Alan shouted as he swatted the Phoenix Zord away with hardly any effort at all, sending Spike crashing towards the ground.
“Not good! Not good!” Spike shouted as he tried to restabilize his zord. Just before he hit the ground, however, he felt something ram his zord from underneath, getting Spike back into the air and restabilized.
“I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without you running off and getting into trouble, huh?” Twilight asked over Spike’s comm. Spike looked to the left of where his zord was to find Twilight’s White Tiger Zord standing alongside the Phoenix Zord, ready to assist Spike in battle.
“Twilight?” Spike asked. “What happened to the spell Discord cast?”
“When you destroyed Alan the first time, I had an opening to break free of the spell,” Twilight explained. “According to the Princesses, though, it doesn’t look like the others were able to free themselves like I did.”
“Well then we’d better free them fast,” Spike said. “It looks like the sun’s going down in about thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes is just how long I need to turn your zords to scrap,” Alan shouted. He then charged forward at the two zords, but both were able to jump out of the way of the attack just in time.
“Hay Twilight,” Spike said over comm, “I think I might have an idea for how we can beat him.”
“I’m listening,” Twilight replied.
“This guy’s powerful, and even if we were to use both our Battlezords on him, we might not be able to beat him in time,” Spike said. “So what if we were to combine our zords’ powers like individual zords do to form a Megazord?”
“Do you really think that could work?” Twilight asked.
“I was kind of hoping you’d know,” Spike replied.
“I suppose it’s worth try,” Twilight said. “Since it’s your idea, do you want to take the lead?”
“Alright,” Spike said. “First, form the White Tiger Battlezord. I’ll try my end of the plan from there.”
“You got it,” Twilight said. “WHITE TIGER BATTLEZORD FORMATION SPELL, ACTIVATE!”
“Oh no you don’t!” Alan shouted as he struck Twilight’s zord just before her spell could begin, stopping it completely.
“Hay Ugly!” Spike shouted as he flew his zord right at Alan. “Why don’t you pick on somepony who’s actually fighting?” Alan was caught off-guard from Spike’s charge and knocked backwards. “Try the spell again, Twilight. I’ll keep Alan busy.”
“Ok,” Twilight replied. “Here we go again. WHITE TIGER BATTLEZORD FORMATION SPELL, ACTIVATE!”
Without Alan to interrupt the spell this time, the White Tiger Zord leapt into the air and shifted its from before it came back down as the Whie Tiger Battlezord. Twilight’s zord then drew its blade and charged at Alan with a powerful hit that knocked the manticore away from the Phoenix Zord.
“Alright, what now?” Twilight asked Spike.
“Now, we hope both our zords don’t get obliterated once I try to do this,” Spike replied. He then took a deep breath and slammed a button on his console. “PHOENIX FUSION SPELL, ACTIVATE!”
Instantly, the Phoenix Zord became coated in bright orange flames that were almost bright enough to mock the colors of the sunset in the background. The Phoenix Zord then began flying in circles around the White Tiger Battlezord, eventually causing both to disappear in a massive fiery tornado. Suddenly, the tornado flared and exploded, revealing what looked like the White Tiger Battlezord, except it was flying with flaming wings, it had two streams of fire coming off of each of its shoulders and wrists, and it carried two flaming swords.
“PHOENIX-TIGER MEGAZORD, READY!” Twilight and Spike shouted as their new zord gave a mighty roar.
“Okay, now this is just plain hax,” Alan said in an annoyed tone.
“Ready to beat this guy?” Spike asked Twilight as the two sat next to each other in their zord’s cockpit.
“If it means saving our friends, I’m ready for anything,” Twilight replied. The two then gave a nod to each other and sent their zord charging forward at Alan, both its blades at the ready.
“Your new zord doesn’t scare me!” Alan shouted as he charged back to meet the Rangers halfway.
“Ooh, big mistake,” Twilight said. She then charged a spell and pressed a button on her console. “Flame drill!”
Twilight cast this spell on the zord, and it instantly thrust both its blades forward and began spinning in a corkscrew fashion as the flames coming off its shoulders and wrists launched forward and covered the entire zord in flame.
“Uh-oh,” was all Alan could say as he tried to turn around get out of the way of the attack. It was too late, however, and he was struck head-on by the attack and knocked back by several football fields.
“Flaming missiles!” Spike shouted as he pressed several buttons on his console. Right then, several blasts of fire launched from the flames pouring out of the zord and fired right at Alan, who was only just then getting up from the previous attack. About six missiles of fire hit the manticore at once, knocking him back even further.
“Now let’s finish this guy,” Twilight said. “You ready Spike?”
“Let’s go for it,” Spike replied. Their zord then took to the air high above where Alan was just barely getting up from the last attack.
“Come on,” Alan said. “Can’t we cut a deal or something?”
“Not a chance!” Twilight shouted.
“You messed with harmony, and now you’ll pay the price,” Spike said.
“FIRE OF FRIENDSHIP, FINAL SLASH!” both Spike and Twilight shouted as they slammed a button on their consoles simultaneously. Their zord then gave a mighty roar before it began dive bombing towards Alan, both of its blades ablaze and in striking position.
“No, this isn’t good at all!” Alan shouted as he braced himself for the impact.
“Take this!” Spike shouted as the Megazord was finally within striking distance of Alan. At the last half-second, both of the zord’s blades were brought upwards, hitting Alan with a powerful uppercut slash that sent him flying.
“NOOOOO!” Alan shouted as his body crackled with electricity. “This can’t be happening! This wasn’t according to Discord’s plan at all! And not only that, I’m suddenly weaker than just two Pony Rangers? Why am I never able to catch a break? WHY DOES THIS STORY HATE MEEEEEEEEEE?” With that, Alan fell to the ground and exploded in a brilliant fireball that perfectly complemented the sun as it finished setting in the background.
“We did it!” Spike shouted.
“I just hope we did in time,” Twilight said. “Look. The sun’s already gone down.”
Right as Twilight said this, the sun finished its descent beneath the horizon and the land was slowly bathed in night.
“Only one way to find out,” Spike said. “Let’s get back to Canterlot and check on the others.”

Meanwhile on the moon base, Sweetie Belle was crying into her pillow. The sun was already about down and Button Mash hadn’t turned back to normal. She was sure her plan had failed and that Button Mash was gone forever.
At the same time, however, Button Mash was about to walk out on the crying filly when some strange feeling struck him like a baseball bat. His expression turned to a strained one before his coat went from grey back to its usual brown color. He then shook his head and looked around in confusion. Only adding to his confusion was Sweetie Belle crying on her bed for a reason he couldn’t figure out. “Sweetie Belle?” Button Mash asked as he walked over to the filly. “Sweetie Belle, are you ok?”
Sweetie Belle looked up and saw that Button Mash was standing next to her looking at her with a confused expression. “B-Button Mash?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You’re... back?”
“Uhh, where would I have gone?” Button Mash asked. The colt didn’t get an answer to this question, however. Instead, Sweetie Belle instantly leapt at him and gave him a very tight and painful hug.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re ok!” Sweetie Belle said as she started crying for a whole different reason than before. “I’m so sorry I let this happen to you! I’m also sorry I tried to blackmail you the way I did. The whole time you were gone, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was because of that you tried to save me. I promise to forget about what you and Spike talked about last week, but please never do something like what you did with Alan ever again!”
“Um... ok?” Button Mash said, incredibly confused about what Sweetie Belle was talking about. Still, she did mention that she’d forget about telling Snowdrop about what him and Spike talked about last week, so he was fine with that. “Uh, yeah. I’m sorry I did what I did,” Button Mash said after a while. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt, and-”
“It’s ok, Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle said, letting go of him and looking into his eyes. “You’re ok and that’s all that matters to me.” Sweetie Belle then leaned in and kissed Button Mash, which was something that caught the colt completely off-guard.
”I really wish I remembered what I did to make her do this,” Button Mash happily thought to himself.

Meanwhile in Canterlot, all of the Harmony Rangers were gathered in the command center, all of them now fully colored and back to their usual selves.
“Congratulations, you two,” Princess Celestia said to Twilight and Spike. “I never doubted either of you for a second.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied. “I couldn’t have done it without Spike’s creativity with that Phoenix-Tiger Megazord.”
“Well, I did learn from the best,” Spike said.
“Hay... Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as she and the others walked up to her and Spike. “We wanted to apologize for acting the way we did earlier.”
“No need, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “You were all under Discord’s power. None of you were in your right minds.”
“Alright, she forgives us,” Pinkie said. “Now let’s go CELEBRATE!!!”
“Maybe tomorrow, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said as she yawned. “I’m about ready to hit the hay.”
“Me too,” Fluttershy said.
“I can’t disagree with that,” Rarity said.
“Eh, it was a pretty eventful day,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m sure all of us are pretty tired.”
“Sounds good,” Twilight said. “Let’s all get back to Ponyville.”
“Until you are needed once again, Rangers,” Celestia said as she teleported the seven Rangers back to Ponyville.
“Are you not in the least bit curious as to how Alan was teleported to Ponyville, sister?” Princess Luna asked after a while.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I am,” Celestia replied. “Rei would not interfere with the universe in quite that way and there are only so many other creatures in this universe who could could posses such magic, so the only other possibility would be that somepony on Discord’s side brought Alan to Ponyville.”
“Do you think that could mean...?” Princess Luna started.
“It could be,” Celestia said with a nod. “Things are falling into place just as the Doctor said they would.”

Next time...
“Cut me some slack. It’s been two weeks since Discord let us fight the Harmony Rangers.”
“Sounds like what you need is to call one of the Rangers out.”
“Who in Celestia’s name would be low enough to kidnap two foals just to get me to fight them?”
“A dogfight, Pink Ranger. That’s all I ask in exchange for the twins.”
“Looks like we’ll have to speed things up if we’re gonna recover from this.”
“Snowdrop? Could it really be you?”
次回、　「Dogfight」　あ楽しみに！ (Next time: “Dogfight” Enjoy!)

> Dogfight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweetie Belle and Snowdrop stood on opposite sides of a circular moderate-sized room with a single light illuminating the room from the middle outwards. Both were morphed and had their blades in attacking position as they stared each other down. Upon the sound of a bell rung by Sweetie Belle’s magic (pun not intended), the two fillies charged at each other with their blades forward. Snowdrop tried to get the first hit in on Sweetie Belle and went for an overhead strike, but Sweetie Belle quickly ducked out of the way of this and gave Snowdrop an elbow to her underside that knocked the pegasus to the ground.
“That’s one point for me,” Sweetie Belle said as she helped Snowdrop up.
“Hmph, lucky shot,” Snowdrop grunted as she got back to her hooves. She then returned to her corner of the room and got ready for a second round. Upon the sound of the bell, Snowdrop rushed forward at Sweetie Belle, hoping to use her wings to give herself a speed advantage. However, Sweetie Belle once again sidestepped Snowdrop’s attack and gave the pegasus a strike with her sword that caused Snowdrop to crash.
“Two points,” Sweetie Belle said. “Are you sure you’re alright, Snowdrop?”
“I’m fine,” Snowdrop growled as she got back up. “You’re getting lucky, but you’re luck’s about to run out.” Snowdrop then prepared herself for a third round.
The second the sound of the bell hit Snowdrop’s ears, she instantly took to the air and fired a blast of wind at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie just barely managed to block this attack with her magic, following with a blast of water at Snowdrop. Snowdrop flew out of the way of this attack, but she was unprepared for Sweetie Belle teleporting above her and giving her a powerful slash to her back that sent the young pegasus into a tailspin. The very second before Snowdrop hit the ground, however, Sweetie Belle caught her with her magic.
“That’s game,” Sweetie Belle said as she let Snowdrop down. “Something the matter, Snowdrop?”
“I told you, I’m fine,” Snowdrop replied as she walked over to a bench on the other side of the room and sat down.
“Are you sure about that?” Sweetie Belle asked as she sat down next to the pegasus. “Because I’ve called you Snowdrop twice just now and you’ve done nothing about it. I thought you didn’t like being called that because you said that was the name of the filly you used to be or something.”
Snowdrop simply sighed and removed her helmet. It was the first time she had done something like that since the Chaos Rangers were first formed due to her Ranger powers giving her the ability to see. Sweetie Belle had almost forgotten what Snowdrop’s face had looked like. Seemingly sweet and innocent, but wearing an expression of contempt and anger... and a slight frown, contrary to what Sweetie Belle was expecting.
“Actually, something is bothering me,” Snowdrop said as she looked at the ground. “Discord hasn’t sent us to attack Equestria in about two weeks. All that time, I’ve been waiting anxiously for an opportunity to get back at Spike for deserting us and destroy the Harmony Rangers along with him.”
“Um, no offence Snowdrop,” Sweetie Belle said, “but our attacks haven’t really been that successful in the past.”
Snowdrop raised her head and glared in Sweetie Belle’s general direction, though looking slightly past the blue-clad marshmallow. “Our attacks haven’t been successful because none of them were our attacks,” Snowdrop said. “Everything before two weeks ago was part of Zecora’s plan to create Chaos Ranger Gold, and we all saw how that worked out.”
“So I’m assuming you have a plan of your own?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Snowdrop replied with an evil smile. “And the best part, this one is truly foolproof because there will be no Zecora, no Alan, no nopony to buck things up.”
“You sound pretty confident,” Sweetie Belle said. “What exactly do you have planned?”
“I’ll tell you when Button Mash is here with us,” Snowdrop said as she fumbled around for her helmet. “Gah, why did I set that thing down?”
“Lemme help you with that,” Sweetie Belle said as she picked up Snowdrop’s helmet with her magic and helped the young pegasus put it on.
“Thanks,” Snowdrop said as she blinked a couple times having her sense of sight return to her.
“That reminds me,” Sweetie Belle said, “where is Button Mash? I haven’t seen him around all morning.”
“He’s probably in Ponyville,” Snowdrop said. “I think I overheard him grumbling about something at an arcade down there a couple days ago.”
“Oh, yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “They put up a new game down there last week. He’s been sneaking to the arcade behind Discord’s back for the past four days.”
“Well I hope he isn’t doing anything stupid,” Snowdrop said as she began walking out of the room.

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Button Mash was standing around in the Ponyville Arcade. Since he wasn’t morphed at the time, nopony really paid any mind to him just standing there. He was just an ordinary colt who seemed to live an ordinary life and blend into the crowd. Oh how he longed for this to be his life on a permanent basis once again. No Pony Rangers, no Discord, no-
“Oh, right,” Button Mash said to himself as he remembered that going back to his old life would mean leaving Sweetie Belle behind in his current life. Despite this, he felt glad that he was able to sneak off on occasion and just have some time to himself here at the arcade.
Today wasn’t one of those days, however. Today, he had to mix his life with his break. He was meeting Spike that morning to do some gaming together. Sure they had become friends weeks ago, but this was the first time they actually met each other when they were on opposite sides of the battle between Harmony and Discord. It was of course going to be a little awkward, but Button was willing to work past that and Spike seemed to be willing as well. A peaceful morning in which two friends would forget their lives outside of the arcade doors and game together.
Or so Button thought.
While Button Mash was waiting for Spike to show up, he heard his communicator go off. Button looked around for a place that wasn’t crowded to answer his comm, but the only place his could find was the bathroom. With a groan, Button galloped in and activated his comm.
“This is Button Mash,” the colt whispered.
“Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle’s voice said from the other side, “Snowdrop wants to talk to us on the moon base. She says she has a plan for defeating the Harmony Rangers, but she needs us both there.”
“Uhh...” Button Mash said. He needed to be there to support his team, but he couldn’t cancel on Spike without saying anything. And even if he did tell Spike, what would he say? “Hey, Spike, I just wanted to let you know that I’m blowing off our day off to help my team destroy your friends. Sorry.” Some friend Button would be. Still, Snowdrop scared him and he cared a lot for Sweetie Belle. Finally, Button Mash decided on a compromise.
“Tell Snowdrop I’ve actually got a plan of my own,” Button suddenly said. He quickly threw his hoof over his mouth, shocked at what he just said. Did he have a plan? Was that even the compromise he had thought up? Panic had sunk in faster than Rainbow Dash could have delivered it.
“Ooh...” Sweetie Belle replied. “I don’t think she’ll be too happy about that.”
“Tell her not to worry,” Button continued, doing his best to recover from his situation. “I’ve got a plan to keep Harmony Gold occupied so that he won’t be there to help stop Snowdrop’s plan.”
“Really?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Wow, Button. Way to take initiative.”
“Yeah, well, I figured they’d be a little weaker without their precious Gold Ranger,” Button replied. “I need to go. Gotta be waiting at an exact spot in order to ensnare Spike.”
“Good luck, Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle replied. With that, she disconnected. Button then let out a sigh of relief.
“That was a close one,” Button said to himself. “Oh, I’d better get out of here so I can meet Spike.” With that, the young colt galloped out of the bathroom and back into the arcade, where he found Spike waiting by the entrance. “Spike, glad you made it,” Button said as he trotted up to the baby dragon.
“Wasn’t easy to get here,” Spike replied. “You won’t believe the excuse I had to make for getting out of practice with Twilight.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what I had to do to avoid a meeting with Snowdrop,” Button replied. “Have I mentioned she scares me?”
“More than once,” Spike replied with a chuckle. “So... where shall we start?”
“They’ve put up a new game in the back,” Button Mash replied. “Super Street Ponies 7.”
“Oh man, I love Super Street Ponies,” Spike said. “I bet I could totally kick your flank in that game.”
“I highly doubt it,” Button replied. The two then ran towards the game in the back of the arcade.

Meanwhile just outside of Ponyville, Snowdrop and Sweetie Belle had just teleported in with a group of Putty Ponies behind them.
“Are you sure Button Mash knows what he’s doing?” Snowdrop asked.
“I’m pretty sure,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Still, if he’s keeping Spike occupied, that’s one less Ranger for me to worry about.”
“Alright,” Snowdrop replied. “Just get started on the distraction, and I’ll get to work on my end of the plan.”
“Okay,” Sweetie Belle said with a nod of agreement. Snowdrop then flew off while Sweetie Belle directed for the Putty Ponies to follow her.

Twilight was studying in her library that morning. Spike had left to polish the zords in order to “give a random present just because everypony’s so awesome” as Spike put it. Of course, Twilight knew Spike’s true intentions were to take a day off from the whole Ranger thing, but he deserved it. He probably trained harder and in longer sessions than any of the other Rangers ever did, plus just one week prior he had to battle and defeat a manticore on his own within an hour, so Twilight could allow the baby dragon just one day to himself.
That mindset would quickly change, however, as Twilight heard an alarm from her console. She galloped over to check the nature of the attack. It was strange to her, as there were about forty Putty Ponies attacking the town square, but only one Chaos Ranger. “That’s odd,” Twilight said to herself. She didn’t have time to contemplate this, however. She needed to contact the others.

Back at the arcade, Spike had just kicked Button Mash’s flank in Street Ponies for the fourth match in a row.
“Wow,” Button Mash said as he stared in surprise at the screen which was on its continue countdown. “I guess you were right, Spike. You can kick my flank on Street Ponies.”
“Well, you didn’t make it easy,” Spike said. “I was sure you were gonna beat me that last round.”
“Okay, now you’re just being nice,” Button replied. “You had me in the bag from the start.”
“Button, you shouldn’t doubt yourself like that,” Spike said. “If you’re ever going to be truly successful at anything, but you keep failing every time you try, you have to do two things: reassess your mindset, then decide whether or not you need to try looking at things from a different angle.”
Button Mash was about to respond to this before Spike’s communicator went off. “Um...” Button Mash said as he looked at Spike’s beeping watch comm.
“It’ll take a minute, I promise,” Spike replied. He then turned from Button and answered his comm. “This is Spike.”
“Spike,” Twilight’s voice said from the other end, “there’s an attack in the town square. There’s only one Chaos Ranger, but there’s a lot of Putty Ponies.”
”One Chaos Ranger?” Spike thought to himself. He then took a moment to glance back towards Button Mash before replying to Twilight. “There’s only one Chaos Ranger there because I intercepted one of them on their way to the attack. I can handle this one myself, but I might not be able to join you guys.”
“Alright,” Twilight said. “I’ll let you go then.” Twilight then disconnected.
“Did you seriously just blow off your team to spend more time with me?” Button Mash asked Spike.
“Not really,” Spike replied. “You are technically a Chaos Ranger and I did technically intercept you, so I didn’t tell Twilight a thing that wasn’t true.”
“Wow,” Button said. “And I thought I was evil.”
“I wouldn’t call what I did evil,” Spike said. “Clever would be a better word. Now then, I believe I was in the middle of kicking your flank?”
“This next round’s going to be different,” Button replied as he put another bit into the machine and the two began another game.

Meanwhile at the market area, Sweetie Belle was leading a large group of Putty Ponies on a mindlessly destructive rampage. (The best kind of rampage. ^_^)
“I really hope those Harmony Rangers get here soon,” Sweetie Belle said to herself as she used her magic to blow the roof off of a building.
“Wish granted!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she and the other Harmony Rangers galloped onto the scene.
“Finally,” Sweetie Belle said as she turned to face the Rangers. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Just beneath the Harmony Rangers’ perception, Sweetie Belle cast a quick spell to notify Snowdrop to begin her end of the plan.
“So where are your pals Chaos Red and Yellow?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Red is busy with something that is none of your concern,” Sweetie Belle replied. “And Yellow’s keeping Harmony Gold out of the picture for the time being.”
“That much we already knew,” Twilight said. “But what’s Red’s game?”
“As I’ve said, it’s none of your concern,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Putty Ponies, attack!”
“IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!”
Finishing their roll call, the Harmony Rangers charged forward at the Putty Ponies, not even bothering to draw their weapons to fight them.

Meanwhile at Sugarcube Corner, Snowdrop was sneaking into the building under the cover of the battle going on at the market. She flew up to the top balcony and entered from the window right into Pinkie’s party room, which looked so cluttered with streamers, balloons, and the like, one could have assumed that a hurricane had whipped through the room.
“Wow,” Snowdrop commented to herself. “That Pink Ranger is a real slob...” Quickly, Snowdrop shook her head and reminded herself of what she was there for, and it wasn’t to comment on how messy Pinkie Pie was. The young pegasus made her way out of the room, down the stairs at the other end, and into the hallway on the second floor. She examined the area for any signs of life that might see her. Pink Ranger was off with the other Harmony Rangers ensnared in Sweetie Belle’s distraction, and the Cakes were downstairs working on something that was likely very sugary. Well, two of the Cakes. The other two were in a room Snowdrop had just snuck into. She quickly surveyed the area before she found her objective, a crib with two sleeping foals in it. An evil smile crossed the pegasus’ lips as she approached the crib.

Back at the market area, the Harmony Rangers had just finished off the last of the Putty Ponies and were all now focused on Chaos Blue.
“Even without Harmony Gold, you still defeated those Putties faster than Red calculated...” Sweetie Belle said in disbelief. Just then, however, Sweetie’s comm went off with a loud ‘ding’ sound. “Scratch that,” Sweetie said to the Harmony Rangers. “You six pulled it off perfectly. Red’s plan was successful.”
“You still haven’t answered our question,” Rainbow Dash said. “What is Chaos Red’s plan?”
“Oh, you’ll see soon enough...” Sweetie Belle said. Then, before anypony could respond, the blue-clad filly teleported away.
“Well that was weird,” Fluttershy said.
“Her little cliffhanger aside,” Pinkie chimed in, “is anypony else getting a sense of deja vu?”
“How so?” Rarity inquired.
“Well the last time the Chaos Rangers came down to Ponyville with a bunch of Putty Ponies then disappeared once we had finished them, Zecora had snuck into the library and kidnapped Spike.”
“I highly doubt that’s what happened,” Twilight said. “Still, just to be safe, we should all regroup at the library.”

Back at the arcade, Button Mash and Spike were in a heated battle in Street Ponies. They were both tied six matches to six matches, and they were just about to start round 3 of match 13.
“You’re going down, this time,” Button Mash said to Spike.
“In history, maybe,” Spike replied. Just before they could start their battle though, both of their comms went off at the same time.
“Why do I get the feeling our day off is over?” Button Mash asked.
“You’re not alone there,” Spike added. Both of them then answered their comms.
“This is Button Mash,” Button said into his comm.
“Snowdrop’s finished her end of the plan,” Sweetie’s voice said from the other end. “Ditch Harmony Gold as fast as you can and return to the moon base.”
“This is Spike,” Spike said into his comm.
“The battle’s finished,” Twilight’s voice said. “But we need to analyze the outcome a little deeper, and that involves a full regroup. Get rid of Chaos Yellow as fast as you can and come back to the library.”
Both colt and dragon turned to each other wearing the same disappointed expression before sighing and turning back to their respective comms.
“I’m on my way,” Button said.
“I’ll be there soon,” Spike said.
“Good,” Sweetie Belle said to Button Mash. With that, she disconnected.
“We’ll wait for you,” Twilight said to Spike. She then disconnected as well.
Button and Spike turned to each other, neither one really wanting to admit what they were just told.
“I guess that’s our day off,” Button said.
“Guess so,” Spike replied. “I suppose we’d better get out of here before our teams get suspicious.”
“Yeah,” Button said with a sigh. “Oh well. We could always plan another day off together.”
“Already working on it,” Spike said. “I guess I’ll see you some other time.”
“See ya,” Button said. The two then brohoof/clawed and walked away, Spike heading for the exit and Button for the bathroom so he could teleport without anypony seeing.

It was about five minutes before Spike had finally gotten back to the library to meet up with the others. “Glad you’re finally here, Spike,” Twilight said as the baby dragon ran in.
“So am I,” Spike said as he panted from the running he did once he left the arcade.
“What happened with Chaos Yellow?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You totally pwned her, right?”
“Her?” Spike asked. “Oh, I mean yes, I did. Well I almost did. He- ah, she teleported away before I could even start trying to fight her.” Spike felt a little uncomfortable calling Button Mash a filly, but it was for the sake of protecting his identity, something Spike had sworn to do as Button’s friend.
“Well, we had about as little success with Blue, so don’t feel too bad,” Twilight said. “Now then, back to what we were talking about. Pinkie Pie brought up the fact that the last time there was an attack of this nature, Zecora snuck into the library and kidnapped you. Based on that and the fact that Chaos Red was unaccounted for in both of our battles, we can only assume Discord planned something just as dangerous as last time with Chaos Red filling Zecora’s role this time. But the question is... by what means?”
“I think I might have an idea, actually,” Spike said.
“Really?” Twilight asked. “Tell us.”
“Look at it this way,” Spike began. “We all know pretty well that the Chaos Rangers have something personal against us. Whether it be the fact that they want to be the only Pony Rangers or they’re some kinds of obscure rivals from our past we don’t know, but it’s pretty obvious that they hate us very much. As well, we haven’t really seen them in about two weeks before today. Going off of my limited experience as an evil Ranger, if I were cooped up in that moon base for two weeks without getting a chance to battle you guys, I’d probably have a lot of anger pent up and I’d be willing to go to any measures necessary to get at you, even if that involves crossing a line.”
“So what are you saying?” Twilight asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Spike replied. “My best suggestion is to return home, but keep your guard up. There’s likely some kind of trap waiting for you if I know those Chaos Rangers well enough.”
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash said. She then turned to the other Rangers. “You all heard the dragon. Let’s go weed out a trap.” The others nodded and left the library for their respective homes.
“Way to take charge of that situation, Spike,” Twilight complemented as the others left.
“Thank you,” Spike replied.

Once Pinkie Pie got home, she heard a loud wailing sound coming from upstairs.
“And cue Chaos Red’s trap,” Pinkie said to herself. She then went into full Pinkie-speed gallop up the stairs towards the room where she heard the noise, which was Pound and Pumpkin Cake’s room, oddly enough. When she got the room, however, what she didn’t find was two foals crying, but Mrs. Cake crying with Mr. Cake trying to comfort her, both standing in front of an empty crib.
“What’s happened?” Pinkie asked as she galloped over to the two.
“The foals have been taken!” Mrs. Cake wailed. “Who would do such a thing?”
“I don’t know,” Pinkie lied. “Did you find any kind of note or something the foalnapper might have left?”
“We didn’t even look,” Mr. Cake replied. “We know there wasn’t one in the crib.”
Pinkie looked over to the dresser next to the crib to find a small piece of paper sitting at the top. “Found it,” Pinkie said to the Cakes as she picked up the note and read it.


Dearest Pink Ranger,
I, Chaos Ranger Red, have taken your younger siblings while you and your friends were busy with Chaos Blue’s distraction. If you ever wish to see them again, you will meet me at the Castle of the Ancient Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest, and you will come alone.
-Red Chaos Ranger


“What does it say, Pinkie?” Mr. Cake asked Pinkie.
“Don’t worry, Mr. and Mrs. Cake,” Pinkie said, completely ignoring Mr. Cake’s question so as to not risk revealing herself as a Ranger while hiding the note in her mane. “I’ll get the foals back.” Pinkie then galloped out of the room.
“Wait!” Mr. Cake shouted. However, Pinkie was already clear out of the building.

“You did what??” Button Mash shouted at Snowdrop after she told the colt of her plan. “Have we really stooped to kidnapping defenceless foals in order to get to our enemies?”
“I didn’t stoop,” Snowdrop said as she held the two foals, who were still asleep thanks to a combination of a drowsiness spell and an obliviousness spell, both courtesy of Sweetie Belle. “I used a totally cunning plan to redirect the attention of the Harmony Rangers in order to sneak into one of their homes and steal the two things they hold most dear.”
“And all of that still happens to stem from kidnapping those foals,” Button Mash said.
“Listen, I’m in a good mood today because I have a plan that’s actually starting to come together,” Snowdrop said. “I don’t need you questioning my authority to ruin my mood or my plan. Now you and Sweetie Belle stay here on the base and wait for my signal to begin your ends of the plan.”
“Alright,” Button Mash said. “But I’m just going to go on record and say that while we’ve done some questionable things as Chaos Rangers, this is one plan I feel I have to say I’m uncomfortable with.”
“You’re lucky I ignored that,” Snowdrop said angrily. With that, she teleported away to where she had planned on meeting Pinkie Pie in the Everfree Forest.

Pinkie galloped as fast as she could towards the Castle of the Ancient Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest. Of course she wanted to tell her friends so that they could back her up in getting the foals back, but she didn’t want to risk it. After all, Chaos Red’s note did say to come alone, and Pinkie was the desperate foalsitter who didn’t want to take a single chance when it came to saving those she was responsible for. After five minutes of galloping, she finally arrived at the castle.
“Alright, I’m here!” Pinkie shouted at the empty ruins. “Give the foals back, Chaos Red!”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that quite yet,” an all too familiar voice said from above Pinkie. The earth pony turned around to find Chaos Red descending form the ceiling while carrying Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, both of whom were still asleep. “I haven’t even given you my demands for their return yet.”
“Well then hurry up,” Pinkie said angrily. “I plan on making you pay for taking them as quickly as possible.”
“What’s the rush, Pink Ranger?” Snowdrop asked with an evil smile beneath her helmet. “You’re the party pony when you’re not a Ranger, so I thought you of all ponies would understand how... bored I’ve been lately.”
“You were bored, and you decided to foalnap two defenceless foals to relieve your boredom?” Pinkie asked.
“Oh no,” Snowdrop replied. “I’m not that evil. Foalnapping these two was just the means. Now allow me to explain the ends.” Snowdrop gently placed the two sleeping foals on a smooth rock and approached Pinkie. “I want something exciting, something out of the ordinary, something only you, Pinkie Pie, can give me.”
“And what’s that?” Pinkie asked, still glaring at the approaching filly.
“A dogfight,” Snowdrop replied as she stopped within five feet of Pinkie.
“A what?” Pinkie asked.
“Do you not know what that is?” Snowdrop asked. “I suppose you never really did strike me as the brightest of the Harmony Rangers.” Snowdrop chuckled a little at this, but Pinkie simply growled. “A dogfight, in our case, would be where we battle zord on zord. My Falcon zord against your Pterodactyl zord in an aerial battle. If you happen to beat me, I’ll surrender the foals back to you and we’ll have no problems. But if you lose, you’ll never see the foals again.”
“Challenge accepted,” Pinkie said as she drew her Element of Harmony and placed it on her neck. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Hold on a second,” Rei said, flying in between the two Rangers. “Pinkie, would you mind explaining to me why you took three lines even though, since you were the only one talking, you could have kept all of that in the same paragraph?”
“How am I supposed to know?” Pinkie asked. “You’re the one who writes and formats this thing. Now get out of my way. I need to rescue Pound and Pumpkin.” Without even giving Rei a chance to respond, Pinkie charged forward at Snowdrop, knocking Rei over in the process. Just before Pinkie could hit Snowdrop, however, the filly fired a gust of wind that stopped Pinkie in her tracks and knocked her back a little.
“Did you forget what I asked of you?” Snowdrop asked. “A dogfight. In the air. With our zords.”
“Oh, right,” Pinkie said. “In that case, get your parachute ready.”
“I’m a pegasus, remember?” Snowdrop said.
“Wow, I’m really off today, aren’t I?” Pinkie said.
“Well you’re the one who knocked me over in your charge,” Rei said from the other side of the room.
“Enough of this!” Snowdrop shouted. She then hit a button on her morpher with her opposite hoof. “RED FALCON ZORD!”
Pinkie raised her hoof to the sky to summon her zord. “I need dinozord power, now!”
From opposite sides of the Everfree Forest, both zords soared towards each other. Both of their pilots entered their respective zords and instantly engaged each other in combat.
“Let’s get this over with!” Pinkie shouted as she accelerated her zord and fired several missiles at Snowdrop.
“Not enough,” Snowdrop commented as she pulled her Falcon zord up to avoid the attack. “Now have a taste of this!” Upon saying this, the Falcon zord suddenly nose dived and fired a beam of energy at the Pterodactyl zord, just barely clipping its wing but not dealing enough damage to even faze Pinkie.
“I hope you didn’t think this was gonna be easy!” Pinkie shouted. She then pulled her zord up and began charging a wing attack.
“I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of foalnapping those two if I thought this would be easy,” Snowdrop replied, flying downward to meet Pinkie’s attack with one of her own. Snowdrop’s Falcon zord suddenly started glowing and, before Pinkie had a chance to evade, struck the Pterodactyl zord, stopping its wing attack and sending Pinkie into a spinout. Pinkie was able to recover from this fairly easily, however.
”She’s a little better at this than I thought she’d be,” Pinkie thought to herself. ”Getting the twins back is going to be a challenge, but I can’t back down.” Looking down at her console, Pinkie added, ”I can’t call for backup either. This whole thing’s my party.”
“What’s the matter, Pink Ranger?” Snowdrop taunted. “Did you fall asleep?”
“Hardly!” Pinkie shouted in reply. Her Pterodactyl zord then gave a mighty roar before flying towards the Falcon zord again. “I’m just getting warmed up!”
“That’s what I’ve been waiting for,” Snowdrop said under her breath. “Now maybe I can start trying.” She then sent her Falcon zord flying against the Pterodactyl zord, and the two Rangers engaged in aerial combat yet again, only this time with far more ferocity than before.

Meanwhile on the moon base, Sweetie Belle and Button Mash were watching the battle.
“She’s quite a pilot for a blind pony,” Sweetie Belle commented. “I mean, obviously her Ranger powers let her see, but it’s just... not something you’d expect from somepony like Snowdrop.”
“Which is exactly why I made her a Ranger in the first place,” Discord said as he walked in from behind the two ponies. “Now then, would somepony mind giving me the context of this conversation?”
“Discord?” Sweetie Belle asked, stunned. “We were, uh...”
“Did Snowdrop come up with a plan without my consent?” Discord asked. “I should have known she’d do such a thing eventually. Still, I can’t say I’m unimpressed.”
“What do you mean by that?” Button Mash asked. Discord simply replied with a chuckle.
“Let’s just say I have my own plan that I’m working on,” Discord said. “And Snowdrop is following that plan to a T.”

Back in Equestria, Pinkie Pie and Snowdrop were still going at it in their zords, neither pilot seeming to be gaining any ground over the other.
“Give up, Pink Ranger!” Snowdrop shouted as her Falcon zord blasted the Pterodactyl zord with a flamethrower. “You don’t stand a chance against me!”
“Maybe I don’t,” Pinkie said, restabilizing her battered zord once again. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t stop fighting!”
“You really care about these two foals, don’t you?” Snowdrop asked. “Don’t worry, I’ll let them live if you lose. In fact, they’ll have the honor of becoming Chaos Rangers when they grow up.”
“Not a chance!” Pinkie shouted. She then sent her zord into a powerful, albeit reckless, charge towards the Falcon zord. Snowdrop barely had any time to react before Pinkie rammed the Pterodactyl zord right into hers, dealing heavy damage to both zords and sending them both into fiery spinouts.
“Gah!” Snowdrop shouted as she tried to restabilize her zord, though to no avail. “I can’t believe this!” Infuriated, Snowdrop pulled a lever next to her seat that ejected the filly from the cockpit and teleported the zord away before it could crash. However, before Snowdrop could fly to safety, she was knocked out of the sky by the wing of the falling Pterodactyl zord, sending her crashing into a corner in the castle she and Pinkie had originally met.
Snowdrop quickly tried to shake herself off from the crash. She wasn’t heavily injured since she was morphed when she crashed, so that was a good thing for the filly. What wasn’t such a good thing, however, was the sudden realization that hit her when she tried to open her eyes. For some reason, all she could see was darkness. Panicked, she felt her face to find that, sure enough, her Ranger armor was gone, her ability to see along with it.
“Oh no,” Snowdrop said to herself. “No no no no no, this can’t be happening. Not after all the trash I talked to Pink Ranger. I’ve gotta teleport out of here.” Snowdrop tried to use her morpher to teleport, but it was apparently damaged due to her fall. To make matters worse, the filly could hear hoofsteps entering the castle, despite the fact that she was on the far end. (Not being able to see did have a couple of perks.)
Just then, however, an evil smile crept across Snowdrop’s lips. ”Sounds like a perfect opportunity to try out Emergency Plan Epsilon,” she thought to herself as she took off her morpher and hid it in her mane. ”This is going to be so demeaning, but it will be worth it.”

Pinkie Pie, having escaped her crashed Pterodactyl zord, galloped at top speed towards the castle where she saw Chaos Red crash. She had beaten the evil Ranger, and now she was determined to make her return the Cakes as promised. Once Pinkie entered the castle, she scanned the room to find that it was empty aside from the two sleeping foals next to the entrance.
“They’ve seriously been asleep this whole time?” Pinkie asked as she walked over to Pound and Pumpkin. “Weird. If this is magic of some sort, I hope Twilight will be able to help them.” Pinkie Pie picked up the two foals in one foreleg and prepared to contact Twilight on her comm with the other before a strange noise stopped her. Pinkie couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like... crying?
”Could it be Chaos Red foalnapped another filly?” Pinkie thought to herself. She then began approaching the source of the crying. What she found was, hiding behind a pile of rubble, a light blue pegasus filly with a white mane and a similar tail, except her tail had sky blue streaks in it.
“Um... hello?” Pinkie said to the filly. This only caused the filly to perk her head up and gasp in fear.
“Who’s there?” the filly asked as she looked around, despite Pinkie being right in front of her. “Please, whoever you are, don’t hurt me.”
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Pinkie said, approaching the filly. “Are you ok?”
“I don’t think so,” the filly replied. “I don’t know where I am, and I have no idea how long I’ve been here. I’m blind, and because of that, somepony took me from my home and brought me here for some reason, and I have no idea how long I’ve been here since.”
“Do you know who it was?” Pinkie asked. The filly shook her head. “But has she been here lately?” The filly nodded this time.
“I thought I heard something crash around here a few minutes ago,” she said. “But I couldn’t point you in the right direction.”
“Well that’s ok,” Pinkie Pie said. She was about to offer to help get the filly back to Ponyville when something clicked in Pinkie’s mind. ”Wait a second,” the party pony thought to herself.
”Why are we waiting?” Pinkie Pie mentally asked her straight-maned counterpart. ”She’s a blind filly who’s been stuck here for Celestia-knows-how-long. We need to get her home.”
”Are you sure you know where exactly her ‘home’ is? the straight-maned Pinkie asked.
”You’re right,” normal Pinkie said. ”I should ask Rainbow Dash to bring her back to Cloudsdale.”
”You’re missing the point,” Pinkamena replied. ”Look at it this way: who were you fighting earlier?”
”Chaos Ranger Red?” Pinkie replied.
”And what race of pony is she?”
”Pegasus?”
”And where did she crash?”
”Somewhere in this castle?”
”And the last question, for 500 points and the win... about how old is Chaos Red?”
”I dunno, but she can’t be older than-”
“This filly right here!” Pinkie finished out loud.
“What was that?” the filly asked.
Everything made sense in Pinkie’s head. Chaos Red was a pegasus, this filly was a pegasus. Chaos Red crashed in the castle, this filly wasn’t here before now. Chaos Red was a filly, this filly was a filly. And that could only mean...
“You’re tricks are done, Chaos Red!” Pinkie shouted at the filly.
“Wha-?” Snowdrop started to say. However, she was stopped when Pinkie kicked the filly into a wall. “Ahh! Why are you doing this?”
“Because you hurt my friends and foalnapped Pound and Pumpkin Cake!” Pinkie shouted. “You’re gonna pay for all of that!”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Snowdrop shouted back with tears in her eyes. “I thought you said you weren’t going to hurt me!”
“That was before I found out how much you hurt everypony I love,” Pinkie growled. She then started charging towards Snowdrop.
“Please, it’s not what you think!” Snowdrop tried shouting as Pinkie got closer. “I don’t know what’s been going on, but I’m sorry! It wasn’t my fault! I’m sorry!”
Upon hearing those last two words, Pinkie skidded to a stop before Snowdrop, who was now practically bawling her eyes out. ”Why would a Chaos Ranger be apologizing like this?” Pinkie thought to herself.
“It wasn’t my fault,” Snowdrop continued to say through her crying. “I never meant for any of this to happen. It was Discord. He came to me and promised to give my eyesight back. But I didn’t know what that entailed. I didn’t know he’d make me a Chaos Ranger until it was too late. He gave me the morpher and his power took control of me from there. I tried to resist, but the pony he turned me into was too strong. I thought I’d never be the same again. Never see my friends and family again. I thought I’d be a slave to his evil influence forever. Please, you have to believe me. I just want to go home. I just want to forget this whole thing ever happened and go home.” Snowdrop then continued crying, seeming to not yet register that Pinkie had been standing idly listening to the whole thing the whole time.
”Oh great,” Pinkie thought to herself. ”Just when you think you’ve beaten one of your most powerful foes, it turns out she was just a manipulated filly the whole time. And worse, I’ve made her cry. What am I gonna do to make this better?”
“I know some ponies who can help you,” Pinkie said to Snowdrop, who was still crying. However, upon hearing this, the filly stopped her crying for a moment.
“But... but I thought you were trying to destroy me,” Snowdrop said. “I thought-”
“I thought wrong, little one,” Pinkie said. “It was really mean of me to jump to such a conclusion and I’m sorry. I wanna make it up to you, and I know some ponies who can help.”
Snowdrop wiped a tear from her eye and looked up past Pinkie. “You mean it?” she asked.
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie replied.
“So that’s a yes?” Snowdrop asked.
“Yes it is,” Pinkie replied with a nod. “Wait right here for a moment.” Pinkie then quickly galloped off to get the foals before returning to Snowdrop. “I’m back. Just hold still a little longer and I’ll get you some help.”
“Okay,” Snowdrop replied, all her tears gone and replaced with a smile.
Pinkie flipped her comm on and contacted Princess Celestia. “Princess Celestia, this is Pinkie Pie,” Pinkie said.
“Hello, Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said from the other end. “Before you go any further, might I ask why you summoned the Pterodactyl zord earlier and why, when Twilight teleported it back to its hangar, it was near totaled?”
“So everypony found out about that?” Pinkie asked while slightly blushing from embarrassment. “That aside, I’ve found Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, as well as Chaos Red in her unmorphed state. But with Chaos Red, it turns out she was a filly named Snowdrop who was an evil Ranger against her will.”
“Snowdrop!?” Princess Luna’s voice asked all of a sudden. Before Pinkie could reply, she, Snowdrop, and the Cakes were enveloped in a dark blue light and teleported straight to Canterlot.
Pinkie was about to say something to Princess Luna, but the princess, eager to see Snowdrop again, bumped Pinkie out of the way and sent her flying. “Snowdrop?” Luna asked the little filly in front of her.
Snowdrop’s reaction was instantaneous. She gasped in surprise, her ears perked up, and she nearly began tearing up again. “P-Princess Luna?” Snowdrop asked. “Is that you?”
“It’s me, Snowdrop,” Princess Luna said, walking around to the front of Snowdrop and turning to face her. “It’s been 1,000 years since I’ve seen you, but...”
Princess Luna turned around to face Snowdrop once again, this time not even trying to hide the tears in her eyes. “It is you,” Luna said happily. She then rushed up to Snowdrop and hugged her. “I’ve missed you so much, Snowdrop.”
“I’ve missed you too, Princess Luna,” Snowdrop replied, also crying.
“I’ve never seen my sister so happy,” Princess Celestia said, levitating a cloth to wipe her own tears away. “Not since when Snowdrop was still alive over 1,000 years ago.”
“I don’t mean to ruin Princess Luna’s happiness,” Pinkie Pie said, “but she did tell me she was Chaos Ranger Red.”
“Wait, what?” Twilight asked, galloping over next to Pinkie. “And you brought her here?”
“First, Princess Luna’s the one who teleported me here,” Pinkie replied. “Second, she also told me that she was held a Chaos Ranger against her will.”
“Well if that’s the case,” Twilight said, “I have a spell that can detect any active magical influences on her to make sure she hasn’t tricked us.”
“Go ahead,” Pinkie replied. Twilight then cast the spell on Snowdrop, which caused her body to glow blue for a second.
“Nope,” Twilight replied. “She was telling you the truth. Discord was controlling her and now she’s free.” Twilight sighed before adding, “The question is, how long until Discord realizes the strings have been snipped and he tries to fix them?”
“Luna and I can work on a spell for making sure that doesn’t happen,” Princess Celestia said. “For the time being, though, I think she has a lot of catching up to do with Snowdrop.”
“In the meantime,” Pinkie said, turning back to Twilight, “the Cakes are still asleep and I think it’s because of magic.”
Twilight looked down at the sleeping foals by Pinkie’s hooves. “Oh, that’s a simple combination of a sleep spell and an oblivious spell. Any old unicorn could figure that out.”
“So... can you wake them up?” Pinkie asked.
“Have you any idea how complicated the zords are in terms of magic?” Twilight asked with a chuckle. “Waking these two up is as easy as levitation compared to that.” Twilight’s horn then flashed to life as she lowered it onto the two sleeping foals. They glowed a faint purple for a moment before the glow disappeared and they both yawned and stretched.
“They’re ok!” Pinkie said happily. “Thank you Twilight. I need to get these two back to Mr. and Mrs. Cake.” Pinkie then picked up the two foals.
“Pinkie!” Pound Cake said happily.
“Pie!” Pumpkin Cake finished. Both foals then began laughing happily.
“Okay, I’ll teleport you three home,” Twilight said as she charged her spell. Pinkie and the foals were then teleported to Ponyville.
“You may leave as well, if you want,” Princess Celestia said to Twilight.
“Are you sure you won’t need help with anything?” Twilight asked.
“I think Luna and I will manage,” Celestia replied.
“Ok,” Twilight said. She then teleported back to Ponyville.
“Now Luna,” Celestia said as she turned to her sister, who was still embracing Snowdrop. “You heard what Pinkie and Twilight said. We need to come up with a spell that will permanently free Snowdrop from Discord’s grasp.”
“Yes, of course,” Luna replied. “Ready for a ride, Snowdrop?”
“Yes,” Snowdrop replied. Luna then hoisted the filly onto her back and flew out of the room with Snowdrop laughing happily all the while. With a smile and a chuckle, Princess Celestia followed.

At Sugarcube Corner, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were on their way out of the building holding piles of “Missing Foals” posters. Before they left, however, the door opened in front of them and outside stood Pinkie Pie carrying Pound and Pumpkin.
“Mommy!” Pound said.
“Daddy!” Pumpkin said.
Both foals instantly escaped Pinkie’s grasp and galloped up to hug the legs of their parents.
“They’re back!” Mrs. Cake said. “They’re actually back! I can’t believe this!”
“Did you find them, Pinkie?” Mr. Cake asked.
“I did,” Pinkie replied.
“But how?” Mrs. Cake asked. “We looked all over town before we got the idea to put up these posters.”
“Let’s just say I knew somepony who was willing to help,” Pinkie said.
“Pony Rangers!” both foals happily said in unison.
“Huh?” Mr. Cake asked. “Did they just say-?”
“Woah, they must have been awake that whole time,” Pinkie quickly said. “I’d better get them to bed.” Pinkie then grabbed up the foals and rushed them quickly to their crib. In the safety of the foals’ room, Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief. “You two need to be more careful. You almost gave me away.”

Meanwhile, Discord was watching the whole thing from the moon base. “I should have known even Snowdrop would fail,” he said to himself. “Now, not only has her plan failed, nor only is she in the hooves of the Princesses, she managed to break free of her Ranger powers.” Discord then began chuckling to himself. “On the bright side, that last bit won’t last forever.”

Later that night, both the Princesses and Snowdrop had gone to sleep in Canterlot. However, after a while, Snowdrop opened her eyes and retrieved her morpher from its hiding spot in her mane. She then flipped on the comm and quietly, she said, “Sweetie Belle, the horse is in the stable. I repeat, the horse is in the stable.”
“You got it, Snowdrop,” Sweetie Belle replied from the other end. “I’ll get Button Mash and Derpy started first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Good,” Snowdrop said. ”Finally, that act is about to pay off,” she thought to herself as an evil smile crept across her lips.

Next time...
“It’s time for our endgame.”
“You’re a good kid, Scootaloo. It’s just too bad your sister can’t see that like I can.”
“Applebloom, there’s something you should know.”
“I’ve waited too long to tell you this, Rarity.”
“Snowdrop, what are you doing?”
“I thought I could trust you, Button.”
次回、　「Manipulation」　あ楽しみに！　[Next time: “Manipulation (Endgame part 1)” Enjoy!]

> Manipulation (Endgame part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning following the battle between Pinkie Pie and Snowdrop, a heavy sense of urgency seemed to descend upon both Canterlot and the moon base. First in Canterlot, Princesses Celestia and Luna were hard at work trying to figure out a spell to break Snowdrop free from Discord’s magic. Of course, unbeknownst to them, Snowdrop was working on plans of her own. The night prior, the filly had already set in motion her endgame plan. The plan that could possibly spell the end of the Harmony Rangers.
Of course, Snowdrop couldn’t execute her plan under the eyes of the Princesses, especially since, without her Ranger powers, the filly could never know for sure whether or not they were actually watching her. Therefore, it was up to Sweetie Belle to get to work on the plan.

On the moon base, Sweetie Belle had gathered Button Mash, Derpy, and Zecora to brief them on Snowdrop’s plan.
“Alright, everypony and zebra,” Sweetie Belle said as she walked by the others like she was a drill sergeant briefing her troops, walking down the line in front of the three while they all stood side to side at attention. “Since Snowdrop is in Canterlot keeping the Princesses busy, she’s placed me in command for this operation.”
“Um, I have a question,” Button Mash said with his hoof raised. “Actually, two. First, how come we’re all lined up like this?”
“I don’t know, actually,” Sweetie Belle said. “It just felt appropriate for what we’re doing today. And your second question?”
“My second question is, what exactly are we doing today?”
Sweetie Belle just gave a slight chuckle at this. “Let me start by quoting Snowdrop when she told me what the plan was. ‘It’s time for our endgame.’”

The ringing of a school bell. When heard in the afternoon, it’s one of the most holy sounds in a colt’s or filly’s life. Young ponies poured out of the schoolhouse like an excited flood. At the back of the crowd, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (with a clone of Sweetie Belle instead of the real pony) were cantering out at a fairly slow pace, each hanging their heads slightly in sadness.
“Well that test could have gone better,” Applebloom said to her fellow Crusaders. “I don’t think I got a single answer right.”
“At least there’s doubt in your case,” Scootaloo said. “Even I know the quadratic formula has nothing to do with the founding of Equestria.”
“Let’s look on the bright side, girls,” Sweetie Clone said. “Today was Friday. We have the weekend to look forward to.”
“That’s true,” Applebloom said. “What’s everypony got planned?”
“Rainbow Dash says she has a surprise for me when I get home,” Scootaloo said. “But she said she wanted me to get back as fast as possible because she’s so excited about it, so I’d better get going. See ya around, girls.”
“Bye,” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said as Scootaloo flew off.
“What about you, Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom asked.
“Oh, nothing much,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Rarity needed my help with an important order for a client from Canterlot. What about you?”
“Well-” Applebloom started. However, she stopped when a familiar colt cantered over to where the two fillies were.
“Hey Sweetie Belle,” the colt said. Both fillies looked over to see that it was Button Mash who had approached them.
“Hello, Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Hay, Button,” Applebloom said. “I haven’t seen you around very much lately.”
“Yeah, but I’ll get to that in a minute,” Button replied. He then turned to Sweetie Belle. “First, your sister wanted me to tell you something, Sweetie Belle.”
“What is it?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Button Mash cleared his throat before saying, “She wanted you to pick up the sea blue ribbon on your way home.”
The second Sweetie Belle heard this whole sentence, her expression changed suddenly. Her pupils narrowed and her ears perked up, but only for a second. Her expression then turned back to normal, then she turned to Applebloom. “I need to go,” was all the young marshmallow said before she galloped off.
“What was all that about?” Applebloom asked Button Mash.
“I’m not sure,” Button Mash replied. “But before we go into all that, I need to talk to you about something. I’ll walk with you to your house while I’m telling you.”
“Um, alright,” Applebloom replied. The two then began walking. “So what do ya need to talk to me about, anyway?”
“Well...” Button Mash started. “How much do you know about the Pony Rangers?”

Scootaloo had begun walking back to hers and Rainbow Dash’s house after making her way to Cloudsdale by wing. She could fly, but not too far or for too long. The filly wasn’t walking for long, however, before a voice from behind her stopped her.
“Scootaloo,” the voice said. Scootaloo looked behind her, but there wasn’t anypony making their presence particularly known.
“Hello?” Scootaloo called. “Is somepony there?”
“Just me,” the voice replied. Then, out from behind an odd cloud formation stepped the source of the voice, Derpy Hooves.
“Ah!” Scootaloo shouted. “It’s you, isn’t it? The evil Green Pony Ranger!”
“How do you know that?” Derpy asked.
“Wait, I was right?” Scootaloo asked. “I just assumed because you had disappeared from Cloudsdale after Twilight Sparkle became the Green Ranger and after she lost her powers and you regained them, you were around Cloudsdale again.” Then, forgetting for a moment that her life was on the line at the moment, Scootaloo puffed her cheeks and said, “Now why couldn’t I be this smart during that test today?”
“Hmm, you are a smart kid, Scootaloo,” Derpy said with an evil smile.
“Smart enough to know how to deal with you!” the filly shouted. She then grabbed up a tuft of cloud and threw it in Derpy’s face before taking off at top speed to get Rainbow Dash. However, this plan didn’t work out quite as Scootaloo had planned, as Derpy had recovered from the cloud to the face faster than the filly expected and grabbed Scootaloo out of the sky and brought her down to the clouds below.
“I knew this shortcut through this remote part of Cloudsdale was a bad idea,” Scootaloo said to herself as she struggled under Derpy’s grip.
“Listen, Scootaloo, I’m not here to hurt you,” Derpy said to the struggling filly.
“You’re making that very evident with the way you’ve got me pinned to this cloud,” Scootaloo replied sarcastically.
“Look, I’m going to be honest with you,” Derpy continued. “I just want to talk to you about your sister, Rainbow Dash.”
“What do you want with her?” Scootaloo asked. “I mean, obviously you’re trying to destroy her and all, but why are you after me?”
“Because you’re a good kid, Scootaloo,” Derpy replied. “And I don’t want to see that ruined by the threat to Equestria your sister poses.”
Those last words hit Scootaloo’s ears like a lead brick. “What did you say?” the filly asked.

Down in Ponyville, Rarity was just putting the finishing touches on the second of about six dresses she needed done by tomorrow evening. “Oh, I’m never going to get this finished if Sweetie Belle doesn’t hurry home,” Rarity complained.
“What about me?” Spike asked from the corner of the room.
“Oh right,” Rarity said. She had completely forgotten that he had come by and offered to help her out. She really didn’t have anything within range of his talents for him to do and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “You can, uh... Can you run down to the market and pick up some navy blue wool for me?” Of course she didn’t need navy blue wool. Sweetie Belle had picked some up for her just yesterday. Still, Spike seemed so desperate to help Rarity. Besides, better safe than sorry, Rarity always said.
“Consider it done,” Spike said. He then dashed out of the boutique at top speed, right past Sweetie Belle.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle, you’re finally here!” Rarity said. She then ran up and hugged her little sister.
“Hello, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said. “I-”
“No time for talk, Sweetie,” Rarity said, quickly breaking the hug. “I’m really behind with these dresses and I’m going to need your help if I’m going to get them done on time.”
“Actually-” Sweetie Belle started.
“Your dresses are the least of your concerns,” Sweetie Belle suddenly said.
Rarity gasped in horror. “Sweetie Belle! What a thing to-” Rarity stopped mid sentence when she turned around to find two Sweetie Belles standing in the doorway.

“So you’re tellin’ me that Applejack’s been lyin’ to me this whole time?” Applebloom asked Button Mash as they neared Sweet Apple Acres. Button Mash simply nodded in the affirmative. “But how do you even know this sorta thing?”
“I couldn’t tell you that,” Button Mash replied as she shook his head. “If I were to expose my source, I could put his life in jeopardy. But you have to believe me. I don’t want anything bad happening to you.”
“But what about Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom asked. “I thought you were her coltfriend or somethin’. Shouldn’t you be tellin’ her this, first?”
“I already told her, actually,” Button Mash replied. He then pulled out a small brown coin and placed it in Applebloom’s hoof “Just remember what I told you. I trust you’ll do the right thing.” With one last glance, Button Mash turned around and made his way back to Ponyville. On his way, however, he stopped behind a tree and activated his communicator. “Trap Yellow is set,” he said into his comm.

“Just remember everything I told you,” Derpy said to Scootaloo as she gave the filly a coin not dissimilar to the one Button Mash had given Applebloom.
“I just can’t believe this...” Scootaloo said as she shook her head. “All this time, I knew she was a Ranger, but I had no idea what their real goal was.”
“Well now you do,” Derpy said. “Now go. Do the right thing for Equestria.” With a reluctant nod, Scootaloo flew off towards her house. Derpy then activated her comm. “Trap Green is set.”

“B-but I don’t understand,” Rarity said as she stared in horror at the two Sweetie Belles standing before her. “How can there be two of you?”
“That one’s pretty easy,” the Sweetie Belle on the left said. “One of us is fake, and I’ll give you a hint as to which one.” That Sweetie Belle then raised her hoof and presented her wrist as a blue light swirled around it, causing her Chaos Morpher to appear.
“No...” Rarity said as she took a step back. “This can't be...”
“I’ve waited too long to tell you this, big sis,” Sweetie Belle said. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF GREED!”
Before Rarity’s eyes, the sweet and adorable little sister she once knew disappeared in a flash of blue light. In her place stood the Blue Chaos Ranger.
“Oceanic grace of the dolphin, Chaos Force, Ranger Blue,” Sweetie Belle said as she drew her sword. “And as for which of the two of us is fake...” She then struck the other Sweetie Belle with her sword, causing the other filly to pixelate and fizzle before completely evaporating.
“T-this can’t be happening!” Rarity shouted.
With an evil grin under her helmet, Sweetie Belle brought her comm up to her mouth and said, “Trap Blue is set.”

At the library, Twilight was sitting in the basement, keeping a close eye on her console in case the Princesses called requesting her assistance. Of course, she was studying at the same time. If she even had a second of downtime in her day, she was going to spend it learning every little thing she could that might give her and the Rangers an edge. However, she set her book down when she sensed something... strange. Like that chill one gets when they’re being watched. Instinctively, Twilight turned around and cast a quick scanning spell on the room to search for any intruders. However, her spell didn’t detect any intruders, so, with a sigh, Twilight turned around to return to her studies.
However, the unicorn stopped suddenly when she saw an all-too-familiar black and white face staring back at her. Twilight didn’t even have time to react before Zecora gave Twilight a powerful punch to her jaw followed by an orange dust that caused Twilight to collapse to the floor, completely paralyzed.
Zecora simply laughed at how pathetic Twilight seemed at this moment. The White Harmony Ranger caught off-guard and defeated in under ten seconds. She had even used such elementary magic to defend herself. Shaking her pride off for a moment, Zecora grabbed Twilight and threw her into a closet not too far from where the unicorn had been sitting. Zecora then activated her comm.
“Trap Black is set,” she said. Then, feeling her OCD kick in, she added, “Has the rest of our plan been met?”

Snowdrop found an opportunity to steal away from the Princesses for just a brief moment so she could check the status of her plan. Sure enough, Derpy, Button Mash, and Zecora had all indicated that their traps were set.
With an evil smile, Snowdrop put her morpher back on her wrist for the first time since yesterday evening. “Trap Red is set,” the filly said into her comm. “Everypony, return to secondary positions. This day’s just getting started.”

Button Mash cantered through Ponyville at a slow pace, not exactly excited to meet everypony else at their agreed meeting point. What he had done was wrong, everything he’s been doing was wrong, and he knew that since the beginning. At first, he was just blindly following Sweetie Belle out of puppy love, but now even that had begun to lose its taste. Sweetie Belle wasn’t the same filly Button knew before they became Rangers. The problem now was if he were to leave the Chaos Rangers, Snowdrop would destroy him, and not through the instantaneous Dalek method, but closer to the slow and painful Cupcakes method.
”No, even she isn’t that crazy, right?” Button Mash thought to himself as he cantered. ”Right?”
The colt’s train of thought was interrupted when his communicator went off. He quickly looked around to find that he had managed to walk his way into a fairly remote part of Ponyville before answering his comm.
“This is Button Mash,” the colt said.
“Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle’s voice said from the other end. “All the traps are set. The plan can begin.”
“Ok,” Button Mash replied.
“But one more thing,” Sweetie Belle continued. “There was an issue with Trap Black. Harmony Gold wasn’t at the library when Zecora attacked. You’re going to have to track him down and deal with him yourself.”
“Wait, do you mean...?” Button Mash started. The colt knew that part of Zecora’s end of the plan was to destroy Spike right in front of Twilight’s eyes to break her fighting spirit, but if Zecora failed to do that, then Sweetie Belle had just ordered the colt to destroy Spike himself.
“That won’t be a problem, will it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You fought Harmony Gold just yesterday. Surely you won’t have a problem with finishing the job today.”
“I, uh...” Button started to say, but the colt was at a loss for an excuse to get him out of destroying his best friend.
“Oh, you won’t?” Sweetie Belle said. “Well that’s okay. I certainly don’t have an issue with that. Snowdrop, on the other hoof...”
Button Mash instantly froze in terror. He thought Sweetie Belle was going to forget about telling Snowdrop how he and Spike had become friends. ”Aw man,” Button thought to himself. ”Maybe I should have broken up with Sweetie Belle and got with that Babs Seed kid when I had the chance.”
With a sigh, Button Mash replied, “Consider Spike done for.”
“Good,” Sweetie Belle said. “I’ll await the results of your mission.” With that, the filly disconnected.
Now Button was in the worst predicament in his whole life. On the one hoof, he could maintain the sacred bonds of friendship he shares with Spike while at the same time risking his life, or he could stay alive and keep the filly of his dreams while destroying his friend. Possibly the hardest decision of the colt’s life, but within moments of contemplation, Button Mash finally figured out what he had to do.

Sweetie Belle disconnected her comm and turned back to Rarity, who was still frozen in shock. Her little sister was one of the very ponies who had made repeated attempts to kill her and her friends over the past few months. “Now then,” Sweetie Belle said, “where were we?”
“I-I can’t...” Rarity tried to say. However she was at a loss for words. Except for one: “Why? Why did you become an evil Ranger?”
“Why?” Sweetie Belle repeated. “Why!? I’ll tell you why! It’s because of the way you and the other Harmony Rangers have treated me and the other Crusaders in the past. Ever since Nightmare Moon came around and you guys became Pony Rangers, you’ve been pretty much neglecting us. Once Discord offered to help us, however, I was the only one who was willing to do anything about it. Applebloom and Scootaloo were foals to not accept his invitation.” After saying this, Sweetie Belle chuckled to herself a little. “Well... they were foals. Today, that will change. I assume you know Chaos Red’s identity already?”
“A filly from Princess Luna’s past,” Rarity replied. “She won’t be on your side for long, though. As we speak, the Princesses are working on a spell to free her.”
Sweetie Belle simply chuckled at this. “Maybe that’s what you believe. It may be true that the Princesses can break the curse that’s kept Snowdrop under Discord’s power, but they won’t have enough time.”
“I’ll make sure that’s wrong,” Rarity said. She then pulled out her Element of Harmony and activated her comm. Before she could say anything, however, Sweetie Belle blasted the Element right out of Rarity’s hoof with a blast of magic.
“Tsk tsk tsk,” Sweetie Belle said as she shook her head. “I thought you were smarter than that, big sis. Even by the standards I’d usually expect from you.” The filly then raised her sword. “You want to save your friends? Then fight me.”
“No,” Rarity said. “I won’t fight you, Sweetie Belle. You’re my sister, and I care very much for you.”
“Aw, now isn’t that-” Sweetie Belle started.
“However,” Rarity interrupted. “You’re not Sweetie Belle now. Not while you’re wearing that Ranger armor. Even I know you’re Chaos Ranger Blue, a threat to Equestria. You’ve put hundreds of ponies in peril with that sword, and here today, I’m going to put a stop to that no matter who’s under that helmet!” Rarity then pulled out her Element of Harmony. “IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME! ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
Sweetie Belle smiled under her helmet as Rarity morphed before her. “Finally,” the filly said quietly.
“Element of Generosity!” Rarity shouted as she drew her Harmony Axe. “Harmony Force, Ranger Black!” Rarity then aimed her Axe at Sweetie Belle. ”No,” she had to tell herself. ”That’s no longer Sweetie Belle. That’s Chaos Blue, and it’s my duty to stop her in order to save Equestria.”
Both unicorns stood about 15 feet from each other with their weapons aimed at each other.
“Well, sis?” Sweetie Belle asked teasingly. “Are you going to make a move?”
“YOU’RE NO LONGER MY SISTER!” Rarity shouted as she charged forward with her Axe ready.
Sweetie Belle smiled under her helmet once again as she moved her sword to block Rarity’s attack. However, this left the filly open to a flip kick from Rarity that knocked her into the far wall.
“Lucky shot,” Sweetie Belle said as she got up. “I suppose I underestimated you.”
“That’s a mistake you’ll regret soon enough,” Rarity said as she charged forward again.

In another part of Ponyville, Spike was on his way back to Carousel Boutique with the ribbons Rarity sent him to get. He didn’t get very far, however, before an odd sight caught his eye. Something that looked kind of like two ponies ducking into a dark alley. But that wasn't the weirdest thing. The weirdest thing was that they seemed featureless. It took another moment for it to click that the ponies in the alley were Putty Ponies! They didn't seem to be posing any immediate threat, though. That was what truly caught his attention. He didn't figure it was call for contacting any of the others, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and investigate. He looked around and noticed that for the first time in ages, he was in a rather crowded area of Ponyville, so he couldn't just waltz into a dark alley holding a bag of ribbons without attracting at least some attention. So he kind of kept walking down the street with a slight slant in his path towards the alley. Then, once he decided that nopony was noticing him, he dropped the bag and bolted into the alley, looking around for any sign of the Putty Ponies.
”This is weird,” Spike thought to himself. ”If those Putty Ponies were in here, they couldn't have gotten away without-”
“Teleportation,” Spike finished out loud while slapping his forehead with his claw. Whatever those Putty Ponies were here for, they probably already got it done and teleported away the second they noticed that Spike noticed them. “Well this was embarrassing.”
“But not entirely pointless,” a strange voice said from behind Spike. Spike barely had time to turn around before he was met with a hoof to the face which knocked the baby dragon back further into the alley, where he found himself quickly pinned by the two Putty Ponies from before.
“What's going on?” Spike shouted as he struggled beneath the Putty Ponies.
“Isn't it obvious, little dragon?” the voice from before asked. “You've walked right into a trap.” The source of the voice then stepped into Spike's view, and to the baby dragon's horror, the source of the voice turned out to be the Yellow Chaos Ranger.
“B-Button Mash?” Spike asked. “How could you? I thought we were friends.”
“We were,” Button Mash said coldly. Unbeknownst to Spike, though, Button Mash had tears on his face that were hidden by his helmet, which was the sole reason why Button was morphed at that time at all. “But those days are over. Snowdrop’s endgame has begun, the age of the Harmony Rangers is over, and that requires all of you to be eliminated.” Button Mash then materialized his sword and aimed it at Spike.
“And here I thought you were different from the others,” Spike said. “I thought you had remorse somewhere in you, but you're no better than any of your comrades.”
Not saying a word, Button Mash raised his sword. As he watched Spike brace himself for the attack, Button couldn't help but break character just long enough to utter the words “I'm sorry” before bringing his sword down upon his friend...

Back in Cloudsdale, Scootaloo had made her way back to her house where Rainbow Dash was waiting for her.
“Finally, you're here!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly as the filly walked in the door. “What took you so long? I've been waiting for half an hour!”
“Oh, I, uh...” Scootaloo started, not looking into Rainbow Dash's eyes. “I had to talk to somepony on my way home. It was something... important.”
“Uh-huh,” Rainbow Dash said. “Anyway, I've got a surprise for you.” She said the sentence after 'anyway' in a sing-song voice.
“Um, can it wait?” Scootaloo asked. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“What could be more important than the surprise I have under my wing?” Rainbow Dash asked as she flashed two rectangular strips of paper from behind her wing.
“The Pony Rangers,” Scootaloo replied.
Hearing those words come out of Scootaloo's mouth surprised Rainbow Dash so much, she gasped loudly, sweat instantly started forming on her forehead, and her wings flew out into full extension, causing the paper to fall to the floor. “Uh, w-why would you want to talk about the Pony Rangers?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously as she tried to pick the paper back up.
“Well, somepony talked to me about them,” Scootaloo said. “And I wasn't sure whether or not I should believe what they told me, so I decided that maybe you'd be able to help me.”

“Applebloom, Ah've got no idea what yer talkin' 'bout,” Applejack told her little sister as the two had a similar conversation to the one Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were having.
“But my friend told me you'd know at least somethin' about 'em,” Applebloom replied.
“And who exactly is this friend of yer's?”
“Button Mash, Sweetie Belle's coltfriend. But that's not important right now. What is important is this thing Ah'm about to tell you.”
“Well what would that be?”

“I know you're a Pony Ranger,” both fillies said to their sisters at the same moment in time.

Meanwhile at Carousel Boutique, Sweetie Belle and Rarity were still having their duel, but it was quickly becoming evident that Sweetie Belle was gaining the upper-hoof over her sister.
“Give up, sis,” Sweetie Belle said as she struck Rarity with her sword and sent her flying into the wall. “You aren't going to win this battle.”
“I told you...” Rarity said as she got up. “Don't. Call. Me. Your. SISTER!” Rarity then charged back at Sweetie Belle. However, Sweetie was expecting this exact maneuver from Rarity and waited until Rarity was just close enough before Sweetie fired a blast of magic that she was sure Rarity wouldn't be able to dodge. Just then, however, Rarity did something Sweetie Belle didn't see coming. Rarity teleported out of the way and reappeared behind Sweetie Belle.
“No way!” Sweetie Belle shouted, her voice cracking in surprise. “How did you-?”
“You really didn't think Twilight would train me in magic with you and the other Chaos Rangers around?” Rarity asked. Then, taking advantage of Sweetie Belle's stunned state, Rarity  struck the evil filly with her Harmony Axe with all her might, sending her flying into the far wall with great force, creating a significant crack in the wall and demorphing Sweetie Belle.
“Not good...” Sweetie Belle said as she tried to get up. However, the filly was stopped when Rarity ran up and pinned Sweetie Belle against the wall.
“I was really hoping it would never come to this,” Rarity said. “But you've forced my hoof, Sweetie Belle. With how dangerous you are, I've got no choice but to destroy you.”
As Rarity began charging her horn with a blast of energy that would finish Sweetie Belle once and for all, the filly desperately racked her brain for a way out of this situation. Several times she passed one particular idea, but she would refuse to follow through with it and continue searching for another idea. Demorphing her decreased her magical energy, so teleportation or a counter spell of some type were out of the question. Her morpher would be drained of energy as well for at least another five minutes if not more, so she couldn't re-morph or teleport back to the moon base. And even if she could call for backup, they wouldn't get there in time, even if she summoned Putty Ponies. Finally, Sweetie Belle surrendered and went with the last desperate plan she had avoided previously.
“R-Rarity, please...” Sweetie Belle said desperately. Rarity looked up just long enough to see Sweetie Belle with tears and terror in her eyes. “Please don't do this. I'm your sister, remember?”
“Nice try, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said. “Your innocent and helpless little filly act might have worked in the past, but it won't save you this time.”
“Think of all the good times we've shared together,” Sweetie continued. “Think of all the times we've helped each other out in the past, all the times we've worked together. You couldn't just throw all of that away.”
Rarity did her best to hold strong and remember how much of a threat Sweetie Belle was, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but remember the sweet and innocent little filly who was hidden behind the helmet Discord made. With a sigh, Rarity canceled her spell and let Sweetie Belle go. “I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said.
“No, I'm sorry,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Sorry you fell for my performance!” Without warning, Sweetie Belle bucked Rarity with a force far greater than an ordinary filly could buck, catching Rarity off-guard and knocking her to the ground. Sweetie Belle then grabbed Rarity with her magic and slammed her against the wall hard, managing to deal enough damage to de-morph her. Sweetie then walked over and stood on top of the now helpless Rarity. “Oh, that was beautiful!” Sweetie said. “I could win an Oscar in the future.”
“But Sweetie Belle...” Rarity said. “Why?”
“Because Discord has a plan for a new Equestria,” Sweetie Belle said with an evil smile. “And you and your friends are kind of in the way.” She then used her magic to summon a small brown coin.
“What is that?” Rarity asked.
“You'll see in a second,” Sweetie Belle said. She then placed the coin on Rarity's chest, and instantly the coin began glowing...

Back in Cloudsdale, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were sitting down in their living room.
“I guess my first question is how long you've known my friends and I were Pony Rangers,” Rainbow Dash said to her sister.
“Since the night of the Grand Galloping Gala,” Scootaloo replied. “We watched your whole fight with Nightmare Moon from beginning to end.”
“You shouldn't have done that,” Rainbow Dash said. “You could have gotten caught in the crossfire.”
“But we didn't, Scootaloo said.
“And that was luck,” Rainbow Dash nearly shouted. She did manage to stop herself from shouting, though it was evident that she was about to. “I'm sorry. It's just...”
“Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said after a moment's pause. “There might be something else that happened at the Gala that you and the other Rangers might have missed.”
“What could that be?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well... that pony I talked to earlier—and she was at the Gala also—told me that when Nightmare Moon was destroyed, some of her evil energy survived and hid itself within you Rangers, possibly turning you evil.”
“The Harmony Rangers? Evil?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Now wait just a-”
“Hold on, there's more,” Scootaloo continued. “The pony also told me that the real reason Discord was attacking and sending his minions down to Equestria to fight you guys was so that they could try to extract some of the evil energy within you guys. But they tried to keep up a charade that they were the evil ones and you guys were good to try to keep Nightmare's energy fairly suppressed so you wouldn't go totally evil and wind up destroying Equestria.”
“Scootaloo, who told you all of this?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Somepony I know,” Scootaloo replied.
“Who told you this?” Rainbow repeated.
“She's not important,” Scootaloo persisted
“Who told you this?” Rainbow repeated one more time, only this time louder.
'It was Derpy!” Scootaloo shouted. “Derpy's the one who told me. She told me the story, she provided the evidence, she even gave me a copy of the last chapter of last season so I could re-read it for myself.” Scootaloo then pulled out a packet of papers and handed it to Rainbow Dash, who proceeded to read through the whole thing.
“This isn't how it happened...” Rainbow Dash said to herself as she read. “This copy is edited, but how?”
“And there's one more thing,” Scootaloo said. “Discord has been managing to cleanse you of a significant amount of Nightmare's energy, but he's come up with a plan to rid you of that energy completely once and for all.”
“Scootaloo, look,” Rainbow Dash said as she threw the chapter away, “you can't believe what Derpy says, no matter how convincing she may be.”
“But if it's true, that would put Equestria in greater danger than what you think Discord could cause,” Scootaloo replied. “You also wouldn't even know for sure whether or not it was true because the dark energy hides itself from you.”
“That's enough, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said. “I'd understand if after learning that my friends and I were Pony Rangers, you'd question just about everything you knew, but that's no reason to believe everything everypony tells you, especially if it's from a villain like Derpy.”
“But who's the real villain here?” Scootaloo asked. “That's the real question. The one who you say is a villain or the one who could be corrupted by dark magic without even realizing it?”
“Scootaloo-” Rainbow Dash started.
“If you knew of a threat to Equestria that you and your friends could stop but you weren't sure of it, would you or would you not at least investigate it?” Scootaloo interrupted.
“If the report were from a sensible source, we would,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“And if it weren't but the threat were imminent?” Scootaloo asked. “Like 'could-destroy-Equestria-tomorrow' imminent?”
Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment. In truth, if any threat were that immediate, she'd investigate it even if it could easily be a trap. Still, it was straight from the horse's mouth, namely Derpy's. She couldn't believe what Derpy had to say for a second.
“I'm sorry, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash finally said. “But I just can't believe what you're saying if it's from Derpy.”
“Well then I'm sorry too,” Scootaloo said. She then pulled out the coin Derpy gave her and thrust it right onto Rainbow Dash's chest.
“Ah!” Rainbow Dash shouted in surprise as she recoiled from the sudden impact. She quickly tried to remove the coin, but it was stuck to her somehow. “What is this?”
“It's a teleporter coin,” Scootaloo said. “You'll be teleported to Discord's moon base where he'll use his power to remove Nightmare's dark energy from you.”
“The moon base?” Rainbow Dash asked. Just then, the coin on her chest began glowing brightly and suddenly produced chains of energy that began to bind Rainbow's body. “Scootaloo! What have you done?”
“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said. “It's for your own good.”
“You don't understand!” Rainbow Dash said. “Derpy lied to you!”
And in a flash of light, Rainbow Dash was gone, leaving only Scootaloo alone in the empty living room.

In Canterlot, Snowdrop was being filled in on the progress of her plan by Sweetie Belle.
“The four Harmony Rangers are on the moon base,” Sweetie Belle said over Snowdrop's comm.
“And what of Harmony Gold?” Snowdrop asked.
“Button Mash has yet to report back to me, but I have no reason to believe any other status other than... dispatched.”
“Good,” Snowdrop said with a smile. “Proceed to phase Epsilon.”
“You got it,” Sweetie said. She then disconnected.
“At last,” Snowdrop said to herself with an evil smile. “Now I can drop this blasted charade.”

Meanwhile in another portion of Canterlot, Celestia and Luna were almost finished with their spell for freeing Snowdrop from Discord's control. They had made quite a lot of progress and almost perfected the spell, so all that was really left to do was create a medium through which to transmit the spell.
“What should we use as the medium, sister?” Luna asked her older sister. “Shall we use a coin?”
“No,” Celestia said. “That's too cliché. We should use something no one would expect us to use.”
After a moment of thought, Luna finally suggested, “Shall we use a jewel of some type?”
“Perfect,” Celestia said. “I'm sure we can-”
Before Celestia could finish, a member of the royal guard ran into the room. “Your Highnesses!” he shouted. “I apologize for interrupting you, but there is a dire situation going on that you must come help with!”
“What's going on?” Celestia inquired.
“You must see for yourself,” the guard replied.

In one hall of the castle, there was a significantly loud ruckus (or rackus, depending on how you look at it) going on. There was an intruder in the castle, and despite the number of guards dispatched to deal with it (which was over half the castle's guard by this point), most of the guards had already been defeated.
And in the middle of the whole thing was none other than Snowdrop in her Ranger form, one-hitting most of the guards that tried to stop her and two-hitting the rest, all without even using her sword or wind powers. In fact, after the 80th guard she took down, she started to get bored and tried fighting without even using her wings.
“Can't one of you be bothered to at least try to give me a slight challenge?” Snowdrop taunted as she flipped a guard over her shoulder and fluidly transitioned to bucking another one.
It was about this time that the Princesses made their way into the hall. Luna gasped the second she saw what was going on. “Oh no, Snowdrop!” she said. “Discord's hold on her must have been re-established.”
Celestia turned to the guard who led the two to the hall. “Gather up the rest of the healthy guards and have them all help escort the injured out of here,” she commanded. “Luna and I will take care of this.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard replied. He then ran off.
“Luna, you go finish the spell,” Celestia said as she turned to her sister. “I'll keep Snowdrop busy.”
“Please don't hurt her, Tia,” Luna said.
“She'll be ok, Luna,” Celestia reassured the Princess of the Night. “Now go. We can't save her until you finish the spell.”
“Alright,” Luna said. She then ran back to the room where they were previously working.
“I was wondering when you'd show up, Celestia,” Snowdrop said as Celestia approached the filly. “Where's Princess Luna?”
“She'll be along,” Celestia said. “I'm here to make sure you leave the rest of my guard be.”
“You don't have to ask me twice,” Snowdrop replied. “Now that you're here, I no longer plan on bothering with those weaklings. But, uh, if I may make a suggestion, get some more competent guards.”
“My guard is competent enough,” Celestia said. “They don't need to battle the likes of you, though. That's where I come in.”
“Then bring it on,” Snowdrop said.
Needless to say, Sun-Butt proceeded to get her sun-butt kicked.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash slowly regained consciousness after an odd blackout that she assumed was a semi-intentional side-effect of the teleporter coin that Scootaloo used on her. With a groan, she sat up from laying on her back and rubbed the back of her head.
“Uhnnn...” she said. As her vision came back, she noticed that where she was was fairly dark. “Where am I?”
“Rainbow Dash?” a familiar voice asked. “Rainbow, is that you?”
“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked in reply as she recognized the voice. She then heard hoofsteps and assumed that was Twilight coming towards her.
“Rainbow Dash, it's so good to see you again,” Twilight said as she finally came within view of Rainbow. (Which was just within hoof's reach with how dark it was.)
“Same to you, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “Where are we?”
“I'm going to assume some type of prison,” Twilight replied. “The question is 'where?'”
“We're on the moon,” a voice with a heavy accent answered. Twilight and Rainbow Dash turned to find Applejack walking up towards them.
“Applejack? You're here too?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Ah am,” AJ replied. “Lemme guess, you were sent here by Scootaloo.”
“How'd you know?” Rainbow asked.
“Applebloom did the same thing,” AJ replied.
“She knew you were a Pony Ranger?”
“Yes.”
“She told you somepony told her something she wanted to talk to you about?”
“Yup.”
“We're corrupted by Nightmare's dark magic?”
“Right.”
“Discord's trying to save us?”
“Eeyup.”
“Gave you an edited copy of chapter 14 of last season?”
“That's five.”
“Sent us here to get fully cleansed?”
“Got it.”
“Starting to get the feeling that this was an organized thing, half of the Harmony Rangers are up here on the moon, and Equestria's just about boned now?”
“Yeah,” all three of the ponies in front of Rainbow Dash said.
“Wait, Rarity?” Twilight asked as she turned to where she heard the third voice. “Your sister sent you here too?”
“Yes, but I'm afraid under different circumstances,” Rarity replied. “As it turns out-”
“As it turns out,” a familiar voice interrupted as a nearby door flew open, letting in a stream of surprisingly bright light, “Sweetie Belle, winner of best filly, best marshmallow, best Cutie Mark Crusader, and sister of the second-worst pony of the Mane 6... is a Chaos Ranger. Surprise, to those of you who haven't figured it out yet.” Laughing to herself, Sweetie Belle proceeded forward into the room, stopping just short of a magical barrier that separated her from the others.
“You know most of what you said isn't true, right?” Twilight asked.
“You're gonna pay for this, Sweetie Belle!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew head-first towards the evil filly, only to slam face-first into the aforementioned barrier.
“Tsk tsk tsk,” Sweetie Belle said. “When will you ponies learn? By the way, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, how'd you like that little twist I put in our master plan? You know, the one where your own sisters betray you and send you here themselves?”
“What's the point of this, Sweetie Belle?” Twilight asked. “Why imprison us here?”
“Well, since you insist, I suppose I could tell you,” Sweetie Belle said. “There's not much you'd be able to do about it anyway. Half of this plan is to break up the Harmony Rangers, and since driving a wedge between you all has failed in the past, we'll simply break you one by one. You four are stuck up here, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, while being two of your better fighters, have no chance of stopping all four Chaos Rangers alone-”
“We've still got Spike,” Twilight interrupted.
“Is that my cue?” a slightly unfamiliar colt asked as he walked in.
“Ah, Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle said. “I trust you have what I asked you to bring?”
“Wasn't easy,” Button Mash replied, pulling something into the room. “But here he is.” With a grunt, Button Mash hurled his load into the room, causing the Harmony Rangers, Twilight in particular, to gasp in horror, while Sweetie Belle simply smiled evilly.
For what lay before them all was a lifeless Spike.
“S-Spike?” Twilight asked. “N-no, this c-can't be-”
“Hate to break it to you, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said, “but it kinda can be. Wait a second... I don't hate it at all.”
Meanwhile, Twilight could only stare at Spike's dead body, starting to tear up heavily. However, through some unknown force, Twilight managed to look up at Button Mash. If she wasn't overcome with rage at that moment, she might have noticed the twinge of regret in Button's eye.
But that's not what happened. Instead, rage allowed the following scene to play out:
“YOU MONSTER!” Twilight shouted as she lunged at Button Mash, only to be stopped by the barrier. This didn't stop her, however, as she kept throwing herself into the barrier, possibly hoping to eventually break it, all the while sobbing and crying loudly while shouting curses at Button Mash that probably shouldn't be written.
“Twilight, stop!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she ran up to restrain Twilight and stop her from hurting herself lunging into the barrier again.
“Let me go!” Twilight shouted. “He needs to pay for this!”
“I think our work here is done,” Sweetie Belle said. “Come on, Button Mash. Let's finish our plan. And take Spike with you. We've got no more need for him, so we'll just launch his body into space.”
“Alright,” Button Mash said. “You rendezvous with Snowdrop and Derpy. I'll take care of Spike and catch up with you.”
“Very well,” Sweetie Belle said. She then walked out of the room. Button Mash paused for a moment before hoisting Spike onto his shoulder and walking out of the room himself.
But before he left, he turned to the Harmony Rangers and said, “I want you to know that I really didn't want to kill him. He was a good friend of mine, but my hoof was forced. I'm sorry.”
“Keep your apologies,” Twilight said with venom in her voice. “You're going to burn in Tartarus if I have to throw you in myself.”
“Snowdrop's plan to break you ponies seems to have worked well,” Button Mash said. “Once more, I'm sorry.” And with that, he left the room, shutting the door behind him and cutting off the rest of the light in the room.
“Don't worry, Twilight,” Applejack said. “We'll find a way to get out of here and help the rest of our friends.”
“But how can we get Spike back?” Twilight asked, once more starting to cry softly.

Back in Canterlot, Princess Luna was rushing at top speed to where Celestia was left to keep Snowdrop busy while Luna finished the spell needed to free Snowdrop. When she got there, though, she found that Celestia had already been defeated. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that it looked like Snowdrop had defeated Celestia a while ago and had been waiting for Luna to show up.
“About time, Luna,” Snowdrop said. “By the way, your sister isn't that good a fighter. When she regains consciousness, tell her to lay off the cake.” Snowdrop then picked up Celestia and tossed her at Luna, who caught her sister with her magic and set her down gently by the entrance. “I just hope you prove to be at least a little more of a challenge.”
“Snowdrop, please try to resist Discord's hold,” Luna said. “I cannot battle you alone.”
“You poor deluded foal,” Snowdrop said. “There is no more Snowdrop. There is only Chaos Ranger Red, the only pony who should have existed all along.”
“Then you leave me no choice,” Luna said. “I will fight you, and I free you by force.”
'You'll free me, will you?” Snowdrop asked. “Let's see if you can back up your words. Come at me, Luna.”
“Then I shall,” Luna replied. ”I hope I managed to finish the spell,” she thought to herself as she looked down to the red gem on her horseshoe that replaced her regular blue one. ”I promise to save you, Snowdrop.”
“Let's begin!” Snowdrop shouted as she charged forward at Princess Luna, not even bothering to draw her sword. Luna was without hesitation in her defense, though. Right as Snowdrop tried to attack Luna with a punch, Luna used her magic to summon a shield that defended her from the attack. She then proceeded to push the shield forward in order to strike Snowdrop backwards. This attack didn't even faze Snowdrop, though, as she recovered quickly from the attack, landing on all fours only a few feet away from Luna.
“I suggest you do not underestimate me,” Luna said. “Even without the dark magic of Nightmare Moon, I still have magic that can rival that of my sister.”
“Do you now?” Snowdrop asked. “Well then, let's test that, shall we?” Snowdrop then summoned her sword and flew towards Luna. However, Luna instantly took to the air to avoid Snowdrop's attack. “Don't think you can get away that easily,” Snowdrop said as she took off after Luna. Luna seemed to be retreating from Snowdrop for a few seconds before, without warning, Luna teleported behind Snowdrop and fired a blast of magic at the filly from behind. Snowdrop was just barely able to react to this attack by firing a gust of wind to try to cancel out Luna's attack. Fortunately for Snowdrop, her plan managed to work. Unfortunately for her, this allowed Luna time to teleport behind Snowdrop and give her a powerful buck right to the ground. Snowdrop took the full force of this attack, but she was able to land on the ground on all-fours and rebounded back upwards at Luna. Luna was unprepared for this and was unable to defend herself against a sword strike from Snowdrop. Luna fell a little, but she was able to restablize herself and maintain altitude.
”Snowdrop is powerful when she gets serious,” Luna thought to herself. ”I'm going to have to use the spell as soon as possible.”
“Are you finished, Luna?” Snowdrop asked. “Or do you need a little more encouragement?” Without waiting for a reply, Snowdrop fired another blast of wind at Luna. With few other options, Luna cast yet another shield to defend against the attack and launched it at Snowdrop. Snowdrop was able to destroy this attack with her sword, but in defending against that, she was unable to notice Luna flying towards her with her hoof charged with magic power.
”Let's hope this works,” Luna thought to herself as she charged her gem with the energy needed to cast her spell. With that, Luna gave Snowdrop a powerful uppercut that the filly was unable to defend against. Upon the hit, Snowdrop instantly began falling out of the sky towards the ground. Luna quickly flew down to catch Snowdrop just before he hit the ground.
“Snowdrop, are you ok?” Luna asked the filly Snowdrop was silent for a few moments. “I hope I didn't overpower the spell...”
“Don't worry,” Snowdrop suddenly said, quickly striking Luna in the face, freeing herself from Luna's grasp, and reversing their position so that she was standing over Luna with her sword aimed at the princess. “I doubt you overpowered the spell.”
“But it can't be,” Luna said. “How could you have resisted the spell when it was charged with alicorn magic?”
“Maybe your power just wasn't strong enough,” Snowdrop said. She then raised her sword to deliver the final blow. “You had your chance, Luna, but now you're finished.”
Luna closed her eyes and braced herself for the hit. ”How could this have happened?” Luna thought to herself. ”Celestia and I mapped out every possible outcome and modified the spell for every possible counter. There's no way Discord's magic could have been better than our spell.”
“Goodbye, Princess Luna,” Snowdrop said. “And don't worry, Celestia will be joining you shortly.”
Though it was only a few seconds, to Luna, it felt like an eternity before she realized that Snowdrop's sword hadn't come down yet. Luna opened her eyes and saw that Snowdrop seemed frozen with her sword in the air. “Snowdrop?” Luna asked. “Are you ok?”
As an answer to her question, Snowdrop dropped her sword and stepped back as the sword clattered to the ground next to her.
“P-Princess Luna?” Snowdrop asked. “Is that you?”

On the moon base, Button Mash was carrying the lifeless Spike towards the air lock room so that he could fire the dead dragon into space. However, that wasn't what he was there for. He was there so that nopony else on the base could see what he was about to do.
“I'm sorry about this, Spike,” Button said as he gently set the dragon down. “Let me make up for the mistakes I've made as a Chaos Ranger.” Button Mash then pulled out the coin that was used in his morpher and placed it on Spike's chest. The coin then began glowing yellow and flowing energy into Spike. Suddenly, Spike opened his eyes, sat up quickly, and took in a huge breath.
“Wha-?” Spike asked with a stunned look in his eyes. “Wh-where am I?”
“Shh,” Button Mash said. “I'll explain everything, but you have to stay quiet or somepony will hear you.”
“Alright,” Spike said, still panting. “I guess my first question is: what the hay is even going on?”

To be continued...

Next time...
“It was all part of a ruse.”
“Spike? You're alive?”
“I think I'm free for now, but the spell isn't complete.”
“Where the hay are the others?”
“You'll pay for betraying us, Button Mash.”
“I won't let my perfect plan fall apart like this!”
次回、　「Redemption」　あ楽しみに！　[Next time: “Redemption (Endgame part 2)” Enjoy!]
> Manipulation (Endgame part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	

Way too much important stuff happened in the last chapter to fit into the standard recap, and since this isn't the season finale and I don't want to make an exception here, I'm just going to jump right into this chapter.



Button Mash and Spike, the latter of whom had been brought back from death not moments ago, stood in the air lock room of the moon base.
“Alright, you told me you would tell me what was going on,” Spike said to the very pony who had killed him just hours ago. “I suggest you start.”
“Ok,” Button Mash replied. “First, what you need to know is that Snowdrop has put in motion her final plan to get rid of you Harmony Rangers, and that involved breaking everypony's spirits. In Twilight's case, that would involve her seeing you dead.
“Originally, it was supposed to be Zecora who killed you right before Twilight's eyes at her library before she brought Twilight up here.”
“Twilight's up here?” Spike asked. “Are the others are up here on the moon base?”
“Well, just Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash,” Button Mash replied. “The other two are still in Equestria. Snowdrop figured that they wouldn't be a match for all four Chaos Rangers without their friends.”
“So you're acting as the wrench thrown in Snowdrop's plan,” Spike assumed. “Under any other circumstances, I'd congratulate you for living up to my expectations and being the one to help stop Discord, but you still haven't explained why you killed me! If I had known about your plan, I could have just played dead or something.”
“Right, you're probably wondering about that,” Button said. “First, the reason I couldn't have you just play dead would be because Sweetie Belle would have seen right through a ruse as weak as that, so I came up with a curveball that would fool even her. What she doesn't know is that my Morpher allows me to use magic to a certain extent, and fortunately for you, that extent reached as far as me being able to use my sword to deal just enough damage to your body so that you were just about dead, but still just close enough to life that you could be pulled back with an energy boost like the one I just gave you using my Morpher.”
“Wow, really?” Spike asked. “I'm impressed.”
“Thank you,” Button replied. “What's not so impressive is that I used most of the energy my Morpher had, and it's going to be a while before it recharges and I can help you.”
“How long will it be exactly?” Spike asked.
“For all I know, a full day,” Button replied. “That was the first time I had tried something like that. I wasn't even sure it would work.”
“Wait-” Spike started.
“I apologize for gambling with your life back there,” Button interrupted. “I could understand if you were upset that I could have killed you for good, but you have to believe that I was low on options and that if I hadn't done this, it was very likely that both of us would have wound up dead with no chance of coming back.”
“I guess I could understand that,” Spike said. “But that still leaves one question: what's the plan from here?”
“I'll fill you in,” Button replied, “but know right now that our margin of error from here is lower than the point where the line is crossed in the eyes of Fox News.”
“So we've got literally no margin of error if not less, correct?” Spike asked.
“Yes,” Button replied. “Now, here's what we've gotta do...”

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Princess Luna had gotten up and faced Snowdrop, who suddenly went from about to kill the princess to seeming a bit like her old timid self.
“Snowdrop...” Luna said, “are you... yourself?”
Snowdrop was silent as she continued to look down. A tsunami of confusion was suddenly crashing through her head and she had no idea where to even begin with her questions.
”Where am I? What am I wearing? What's going on? Why is Princess Luna in front of me? How can I see all of a sudden? Was I just holding a sword? Why do I feel like I'm just coming out of a blackout? Does Princess Luna look different? Who's Discord? What's a Pony Ranger? Do I have new memories? I don't even know any unicorns or earth ponies, do I?”
“Have I done something horrible?” Snowdrop asked her last question out loud, looking up at Princess Luna while tearing up for reasons she wasn't entirely sure of. “Please, Princess Luna, tell me what's going on. I'm confused right now, but I have an awful feeling that something awful has happened.”
“Oh, Snowdrop...” Princess Luna said, walking forward and hugging Snowdrop with tears in her own eyes. “If you only knew what's been going on.”
And so Princess Luna proceeded to tell Snowdrop everything she wanted to hear, as well as what Snowdrop didn't want to hear but insisted on hearing anyway. Not one detail was left out about Discord, the Chaos Rangers, the evil Snowdrop had done under Discord's influence, everything up to that point Luna told Snowdrop about.
“I-I can't...” Snowdrop tried to say after Luna told her everything. She looked down at her own hooves, which were still covered by her Ranger armor. “I can't believe I could do all of that...”
“It wasn't you who did any of it,” Princess Luna reassured the filly. “It was all Discord from start to now.”
“Discord...” Snowdrop repeated. “I remember that, before I blacked out, I met Discord, but I was still at home, in Cloudsdale. He offered me one wish. Any wish that a star couldn't grant, he could grant easily. I wished to be able to see, so he gave me a device that could grant me that wish. The last thing I remember was turning that device on, then all of a sudden I was here.”
“It must have been the Morpher,” Princess Luna concluded. “The device he gave you was what he used to control you.”
“I should have known better at the time,” Snowdrop said. “He took advantage of me, but why me of all ponies?”
“That's what I want to know,” Luna said. “Why would he go through all the trouble to go back in time, manipulate you, put you under a spell, then bring you back to this time period?”
After Luna finished saying that, Snowdrop suddenly gasped loudly and fell to her knees. “SNOWDROP!” Luna shouted as she moved to catch the filly. “What's wrong?”
“I think it's Discord's spell,” Snowdrop said while panting. “It must be trying to re-establish itself.”
“That means our spell wasn't complete,” Luna said. “I'm sorry, Snowdrop.”
“Wait,” Snowdrop said. “Did you say you put together your own spell to free me?”
“Yes,” Luna replied. “Celestia and I had to mix some existing spells to get the desired effect since a spell like the one we needed didn't quite exist, but-”
“Was there a potion involved in you making the spell?” Snowdrop interrupted.
“There was,” Luna replied. “A potion of serenity. We needed it to-”
“That might be what's giving Discord's spell a chance to resist,” Snowdrop interrupted yet again. “You might not have mixed the potion correctly.”
“You mean you know about brewing?” Luna asked with a tone of shock.
“It wasn't until after you became Nightmare Moon that I started learning,” Snowdrop replied. “But that's not important right now. What plants and herbs did you use in the potion?”
“Amethyst, cherry blossoms, and a little bit of Blazing Lilly,” Luna replied.
“You forgot one ingredient,” Snowdrop replied.
Luna gasped as she realized what ingredient Snowdrop was talking about. “Snowdrop,” she said. “Not you, but the flower you were named after. Oh, how could I have been so foolish?”
“It might not be too late to fix the spell,” Snowdrop said, but right as she said that, she felt Discord's spell resist again, only this time, the pain was strong enough to knock her off her hooves altogether.
“Do you think you'll be able to resist long enough to help me fix the spell?” Luna asked as she helped Snowdrop back to her hooves.
“I don't think so,” Snowdrop said while panting.
“Well then I promise to finish the spell myself,” Luna said. “Provided Celestia doesn't wake up, I mean. If she does wake up, we'll finish the spell. Trust me.”
“Thank you, Princess Luna,” Snowdrop said as she smiled sweetly under her helmet.
Right as Snowdrop said this, however, a trio of Putty Ponies suddenly teleported into the hall right in front of the two ponies.
“Get behind me, Snowdrop,” Princess Luna said as she put herself between Snowdrop and the Putty Ponies. “I won't let you Putty Ponies take Snowdrop. Not as long as she's under my protection.”
“Don't bother, Luna,” Snowdrop suddenly said. Shocked, Luna turned around just in time to get knocked into the far wall by a powerful kick from Snowdrop. “Sorry, but your spell's worn off. Though I'll admit, you and Celestia did a pretty good job with the spell if I had to struggle this hard and it took this long to finally break it.”
“Snowdrop...” Luna said as she looked up at the now once again evil filly. “But I thought...”
“Oh, I'm not gonna lie,” Snowdrop said. “You thought right. Discord did have Snowdrop under a spell. But how else was he going to harness her untapped power? The very untapped power that brought forth me, Chaos Ranger Red?”
Luna got up and shook off her disbelief at what was going on. “Snowdrop, listen to me,” she said. “I know you're still in there, and I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to free you permanently, but you need to fight back.”
“Ha, like that's going to do a-” Snowdrop started, but she suddenly flinched mid-sentence and for a second, went back to her old self. “Warn your Rangers!” the good Snowdrop shouted. “Discord's going to attack Ponyville while it's vulnerable!” Right as she finished saying this, she flinched once again and went back to her evil self. “Gah! It seems I underestimated your friendship with her. But that's no matter. She was just feeding off the last remnants of your spell. Don't expect to see the Snowdrop you once knew again anytime soon.” To emphasize her point, Chaos Red fired a gust of wind at Princess Luna, which blasted her right through the wall she was leaned up against. “That'll keep you quiet for a while.” Snowdrop then turned to the Putty Ponies. “Gather up the forces you need and head down to Ponyville. The others and I will join you shortly.” The Putties gave nods of acknowledgment before teleporting away. Snowdrop was about to teleport away herself when her good side force herself to take one last glance at Princess Luna. “I'm sorry,” she said weakly before she faded away along with the rest of the spell, leaving her evil side in complete control. “Pathetic,” was all her evil half had to say before she teleported back to the moon base.

Back on the moon base, Button Mash was just exiting the air lock room after filling Spike in on the colt's plan for saving the Harmony Rangers and Equestria.
“That took you a while,” Sweetie Belle said, practically appearing from nowhere next to Button Mash as the colt left the room.
“Ah!” Button shouted. “Sweetie Belle, I wish you wouldn't do that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Sweetie Belle replied. “So, back to my inquiry, you spent quite a while in there. Did you have trouble opening the hatch? Get your hoof caught in something? Or... is there something you'd like to tell me?”
“It was the hatch,” Button replied quickly. “Why do you have to interrogate me like this every three hours? Don't you trust me? Am I not your coltfriend, the only pony in the world who has the majority of your trust?”
“Well that's just it...” Sweetie Belle said, looking down but still wearing a devious smile. “I haven't been entirely sure I could trust you lately. With how you've been acting, I was starting to think maybe you weren't totally committed to Discord, let alone me. But I am willing to apologize.”
“Alright,” Button Mash said. “Apology acc-”
“Provided,” Sweetie interrupted, “you can prove to me that you actually shot Spike into space.”
“How could I do that?” Button asked. “With how long this conversation's been going, he could easily be out of sight by now.”
“Hmm... fair point,” Sweetie Belle said. “In that case, you wouldn't mind if I looked around the room here to make sure that dragon wasn't, I dunno, still alive and hiding in there, would you?”
“Uh, not a problem,” Button replied. “Like I said, already shot him into space. I've got nothing to hide.”
“Don't think I haven't forgotten what Element you represent, Button,” Sweetie Belle said as she opened the door. “If you are lying to me, you'd better hope Spike has a good hiding spot.”
“Don't tell me you're the one who's forgotten Spike's dead,” Button said as the two ponies entered the room.
Sweetie Belle wasted no time casting a scanning spell on the room, which both searched for abnormalities within the room (like extra boxes or life forms) and illuminated the walls so that nothing would be able to hide. “Hmm...” Sweetie Belle said skeptically as her spell returned negative save for the two ponies. “I guess I owe you an apology, Button. Not sure why I had this crazy idea that maybe Spike was still alive and you were working with him to free the Harmony Rangers.”
“Yeah, crazy,” Button Mash said with a laugh. “So, ah, the apology?”
“Right,” Sweetie Belle said. “Button Mash, I'm sorry for doubting your loyalty.”
“Apology accepted,” Button said.
“Oh, and since I feel awful for doubting you all this time...” Sweetie Belle said. “Well, we are coltfriend and fillyfriend, and the last time we kissed was-”
Sweetie Belle was stopped by Button putting his hoof to her lips. “There's nothing to say,” Button said with a smile. “This marks a new chapter in our relationship. Just actions are enough ring it in.”
Returning her coltfriend's smile, Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss Button. However, unbeknownst to her Button had moved to the side and raised his hoof. Suddenly, a powerful shot of pain blasted through Sweetie Belle from the back of her neck as Button brought his hoof down upon her. Button's desired effect was immediate as Sweetie fell unconscious, being caught by Button before hitting the ground.
“I'm sorry about this, Sweetie Belle,” Button said as he set the filly down gently. “If there's a way to save you from Discord's hold, I'll find it, and we can be together again. But for now, rest peacefully, and let me do what's right.” Wiping away the tears that resulted from him forcefully breaking up with the love of his life, Button galloped over to the actual air lock and opened the hatch where Spike was curled up and hiding.
“That took you long enough,” Spike said as he fell out and started stretching. “I was starting to worry you had forgotten about me.”
“Now why would I do that to a friend?” Button asked.
“Well, the lovey-dovey stuff you were talking gave me some of my doubts,” Spike replied as he resumed stretching. “So what's the plan with her? Are we gonna shoot her into space or something?”
“No!” Button shouted. “We're not doing anything to her. She'll be unconscious for a little while, so that'll give us enough time to break the Harmony Rangers out, escape the moon base, and regroup with the rest of your team before anypony else up here gets wise to what we're doing.”
“Let's hope you're right,” Spike said. The two were about to walk out of the room when they noticed that Snowdrop had returned to the base.
“Feathers,” Button said. “I didn't expect her to be back yet. Okay, here's the new plan. The prison cell your friends are in are down the hall that way.” Button pointed down the hall in the direction away from where Snowdrop was. “I'm going to go distract Snowdrop while you run to save your friends.”
“You sure that'll work?” Spike asked. “Snowdrop's a lot smarter than Sweetie Belle. No offense to your fillyfriend.”
“None taken on her behalf,” Button replied. “Still, do you have a better plan?”
“I might have one...” Spike said.

“The Princesses are working on a spell to free you?” Discord asked Snowdrop after she filled him in on the events that had happened earlier.
“I'm afraid so,” Snowdrop replied. “They weren't able to finish it, but I never counted on the spell working temporarily, nor Snowdrop being able to tell them how to make it permanent.”
“Well then, it seems we're on the clock,” Discord said. “We need to get started on that attack immediately.”
It was right then that Snowdrop and Discord noticed that Button Mash was running down the hall towards them. Strangely enough, he looked battered and bruised and had a limp on his left foreleg. “Snow... drop...!” Button shouted as he ran towards her and Discord. “You have... to help...”
“What's the meaning of this, Button Mash?” Snowdrop asked.
“Spike faked his death,” Button Mash said. “Right as I was about to launch him into space, he attacked me. He did a number on me, but Sweetie Belle was able to step in and try to take him down while I came to warn you two.”
“So why haven't I heard some sort of struggle before?” Discord asked.
“The walls of the air lock room are soundproof, remember?” Button replied. “Spike used that opportunity to attack me while you wouldn't be able to hear.”
“Fine, I'll take care of him,” Snowdrop said. “I need an actual fight after playing around with 70% of the Canterlot Royal Guard and the two Princesses.” Snowdrop then galloped over to the air lock room, Button Mash in tow.
“Something about this doesn't add up...” Discord said to himself as the two ponies turned into the room and vanished from sight. “Better make sure...” Discord then snapped his fingers and teleported to the prison room where the Harmony Rangers were being held.

While all this was going on, Fluttershy was galloping at full speed towards Sugarcube Corner, hoping that Pinkie Pie was still there.
“Pinkie!” Fluttershy shouted as she burst through the door of the sweets shop, managing to ignore the stares her sudden appearance earned from the customers that were there. Fluttershy wasted no time galloping towards the counter where Pinkie Pie was turned around, handing a bag of cupcakes to a pair of colts. “Pinkie, we have a serious problem on our hooves.”
“You're telling me,” Pinkie replied as she turned around to face Fluttershy. “Spike was supposed to come by almost two hours ago to help me with making pies, but he hasn't showed up.”
“That's what I wanted to talk to you about,” Fluttershy said. She then looked around to see that some of the ponies were looking at the two curiously. “Can we talk in the kitchen?”
“One sec,” Pinkie said before dashing into the kitchen, coming back with Mr. Cake in tow.
“What exactly did you need to talk to your friend about?” Mr. Cake asked Pinkie. “And why do you need me to man the front counter while you two talk in the kitchen?”
“Because, what we're talking about is a secret,” Pinkie replied. “You remember Rainbow Dash? We need to throw her a surprise party, but nopony can know but me and Fluttershy right now, so shh.” Pinkie said that last word with a hoof to her mouth. She then gave Mr. Cake one last shove to the counter before Pinkie and Fluttershy galloped into the kitchen.
“So what's going on, Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.
“Our friends are missing,” Fluttershy replied. “I just went to Twilight's to ask her about helping me with some of my animals later tonight, but she wasn't there, and Spike was gone also. So I went to Carousel Boutique to tell Rarity, but she and her sister were gone, too. After that, I went to Sweet Apple Acres to tell Applejack, but she was gone too, and none of her family knew where she went.”
“And Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked.
“I went to her house to check, but the only one who was there was Scootaloo,” Fluttershy replied. “But she also said she had no idea where Rainbow Dash was. After I left, I had started to sense a pattern.” Fluttershy then took a deep breath before finishing. “I think Discord has something to do with it.”
“Or...” Pinkie started. “We could all be throwing you a SURPRISE PARTY!” Pinkie threw her forehooves into the air and threw up some confetti, but the only thing that happened after that was an awkward silence. “I said... we could all be throwing Fluttershy a surprise party!” After another moment, Pinkie gasped. “This is the work of Discord! But what's his plan?”
“My best guess would be kidnapping us all so that he could attack Ponyville while it's defenseless,” Fluttershy said. However, it was right then that an explosion was heard outside, followed by several screams from ponies outside.
“Or maybe he plans on attacking while there's only two Rangers,” Pinkie shrugged
“Either way, we're Ponyville's last line of defense,” Fluttershy said. “Let's go.”
“Right,” Pinkie replied with a nod. The two ponies then galloped out of the kitchen through the back door of the building and into an alley to find that there was an almost record number of Putty Ponies all over the town. More Putties now than there were Putties and Draklings combined a few months back.
“I've got a bad feeling about this,” Fluttershy said. “I don't think we can fight all of them.”
Pinkie pulled out her Element of Harmony and placed it around her neck. “We have to try,” she said. “What would Rainbow Dash do?”
“Recklessly charge head-first into battle despite there being almost no chance of victory?” Fluttershy asked.
“Exactly,” Pinkie replied. “Now get your Element on so we can get this party started.”
“Alright,” Fluttershy said. She then donned her own Element of Harmony. “For Ponyville. IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
The Putty Ponies had no time to react before the two Rangers suddenly charged forward and began attacking them left and right. “Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!” Pinkie shouted as she fired several arrows at a group of advancing Putties with her Harmony Bow.
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow,” Fluttershy shouted as she charged into and sliced through several small groups of Putties with her Harmony Daggers.
“There sure are a lot of these guys,” Pinkie commented as she used her Bow to bat a few Putties away when they got close.
“Do you think we'll be able to beat them all?” Fluttershy asked, flipping one Putty over her shoulder and into another one.
“With a little luck, Rainbow and the others will be able to escape from wherever Discord's hiding them, and we won't have to,” Pinkie replied.

Meanwhile in the air lock room, Snowdrop made her way into the room to find only the unconscious Sweetie Belle lying in the middle of the floor.
“Oh no,” Button Mash said as he made his way into the room as well. “Spike must have been able to defeat Sweetie Belle.”
“No he didn't,” Snowdrop said cantering over to where Sweetie Belle lay.
“What are you talking about?” Button asked. “Why are you doubting the evidence before your eyes when we have a crisis on our hooves?”
“Because, while this is evidence all right,” Snowdrop started, looking at Sweetie Belle closely, “it's not evidence for the case you're making.”
“I ask again, what are you talking about?” Button asked.
“Did you really think you could hide it from me?” Snowdrop asked, turning back to Button Mash. “Don't think I haven't figured it out. What you've been hiding, I mean.”
“W-what do you mean?” Button Mash asked, taking a step back as Snowdrop began to advance on him.
“I know everything,” Snowdrop continued. “The conversation you had with Spike the first (and last) night he was up here, the way you two resumed your friendship even though he had sided with the Harmony Rangers...”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Button Mash said, trying to manage an innocent smile.
“Oh, and let's not forget all the times you've vacated the moon base to spend time in Ponyville,” Snowdrop resumed. “Hmm, remind me again what the significance of that little town is? The town where the Harmony Rangers live? Particularly the one Harmony Ranger you're friends with?”
“Alright, you caught me,” Button said. “I've been friends with Spike. But that was to get him to reveal some weaknesses the Harmony Rangers have. For instance, did you know that Pink Harmony Ranger will do anything to protect those two foals who also live in her house?”
“I already know that,” Snowdrop said. “And I also know you're lying. You're friends with Spike for an entirely different reason.”
“I-I-I...” Button stammered as he found his back against the wall.
“I should have done something about your misplaced loyalty a long time ago,” Snowdrop said as she summoned her sword.
“Look, it's seriously not what you think,” Button said desperately.
“Then tell me what it is,” Snowdrop said as she raised her sword. “Tell me what's really going on that I wasn't able to see and I might let you live.”
“Um, pun intended?” Button Mash asked, quickly realizing his mistake.
“THAT'S IT!” Snowdrop shouted, obviously unamused at the joke Button tried to make. However, she was about to bring her sword down when it got shot out of her hoof by a blast of magic.

Mere moments before, Spike started running down the hall to save his friends. He felt a little bad that he had to injure Button Mash himself in order to make his story more believable, but Button assured him it would be worth saving Spike's friends and all of Equestria.
”Man, I'm never gonna find another friend like him ever again,” Spike thought to himself as he rounded the corner towards the prison cell.
Inside the prison cell, Twilight was trying to get her magic to work just enough to produce a source of light for the four ponies.
“Do you need some help?” Rarity asked. “I could-”
“No thanks,” Twilight interrupted. “It's probably this force field that keeps us on this half the room that's blocking my magic.”
Right when Twilight said that, the door on the other side of the room opened. “Twilight?” a familiar voice asked. “Are you in here?”
Instantly, all four of the ponies raised their heads and looked over to the source of the voice. Twilight in particular began tearing up.
“Spike?” she asked. “Is that you?”
In response to this, Spike walked into view of the ponies. “It's me, Twilight,” Spike said. He then started examining the walls for the source of the force field.
“But I don't understand,” Twilight said as Spike found a small box next to the door and started fiddling with it. “I thought I saw you dead.”
“The whole thing was a ruse,” Spike replied as he finally gave up trying to figure the box out and elbowed it. “I'll have more time to explain later, but right now, we're on the clock.”
The second Spike elbowed the box, the barrier flashed one last time before fizzling out.
“Woo hoo!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “I knew you'd come through for us, Spike!”
“You might want to hold off on your celebrations, my little ponies,” a strangely familiar voice said. Before any of the Rangers had a chance to question the source of the voice, Discord appeared in the middle of the room between Spike and the ponies.
“Discord!” the ponies shouted in unison.
“I should have known Button Mash had his own plans in the works,” Discord said. “But I never took him for a traitor.”
“Button Mash?” Twilight asked. “As in the Button Mash who showed us Spike dead?”
“Again, I'll fill you in later,” Spike said.
“There won't be a 'later' for any of you,” Discord said. “I wanted our final battle to be an exciting one, but you ponies have left me no choice. I'll finish you all right here.”
“Think again, Discord,” Rainbow Dash said. She and the other three ponies then summoned their Elements of Harmony.
“Impossible!” Discord shouted. “You shouldn't be able to summon your Elements of Harmony from the moon!”
“Get a load of this,” Twilight said. “Discord saying the word 'impossible.' Who knew this day would ever come?” She and her friends then donned their Elements. “IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“PONY RANGERS: HARMONY FORCE!” the four ponies shouted.
“And don't forget about me,” Spike said. He then pulled out his Phoenix Gem and activated it. “Phoenix Flame, Samurai Power!” Flames protruded from the gem and encased Spike's body in flame, quickly dissipating to reveal Spike in his full Ranger armor. “Harmony Force, Ranger Gold!”
“You fools don't really think you have a chance against me, do you?” Discord asked with a laugh.
“Maybe we do,” Twilight said. “Let's go!” The four ponies then charged forward at Discord, who quickly charged back.
“Dude, how large is this prison cell to be able to contain this battle?” Spike asked.
“That's what I want to know,” Rei replied, appearing from nowhere next to Spike. “Hey, aren't you forgetting something?”
Spike quickly gasped when he realized what Rei was talking about. “Button Mash!” Spike shouted. “This isn't the final battle, right Rei?”
“You're not obligated to fight Discord right now if that's what you're asking,” Rei replied.
“Alright,” Spike said. He then ran out of the room towards where he figured Snowdrop and Button Mash were fighting. (More accurately where Snowdrop was about to slice Button like a Thanksgiving turkey.)
”I hope I'm not too late,” Spike thought to himself.
“Where's Spike going?” Twilight asked.
“You're friend's the least of your worries!” Discord shouted as he fired a ball of concentrated chaos at Twilight.
“Look out!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she tackled Twilight out of the way of Discord's attack. “Spike can handle himself wherever he's going, but we're gonna have to be at the top of our game if we want to manage without him.”
“Right,” Twilight said. She and Rainbow Dash then got up and got back into their battle with Discord.

Back in Equestria, more precisely Cloudsdale, Scootaloo sat alone in the living room of hers and Rainbow Dash's house, waiting to hear from Derpy or somepony else on the results of Discord's attempt to save the Harmony Rangers from Nightmare's dark magic.
“Or maybe Rainbow Dash was right...” Scootaloo thought out loud. “Maybe I did get tricked. But even if I didn't get tricked, that dark magic would have forced Rainbow and the others to deny its existence. Right?” Shaking her head, Scootaloo got up off the couch and made her way to the kitchen to get some water. However, as she made her way there, she noticed the two strips of paper Rainbow Dash was holding earlier. Upon closer inspection, Scootaloo realized that the two papers were tickets, and not just any tickets, but tickets to the Wonderbolts Air Show that Saturday evening in Canterlot.
“The Wonderbolts...” Scootaloo thought out loud as she picked up one of the tickets. “I've always wanted to see them, and they're Rainbow Dash's heroes. For her to get these tickets...” Scootaloo suddenly dropped the tickets and began tearing up. “What have I done?”

Meanwhile, Snowdrop and Button Mash had turned around to try to find the source of the attack that knocked her sword out of Snowdrop's hoof. Much to Button's surprise, it wasn't who he thought it was who saved him. Actually, he wasn't sure who he thought would save him, but never in a million years did he think Sweetie Belle would have been the one to save him right then.
“What is the meaning of this, Sweetie Belle?” Snowdrop growled.
“That colt might be the one who broke my heart,” Sweetie Belle said. “But that doesn't give you the right to kill him.”
“Sweetie Belle...” Button Mash said.
“That right belongs solely to me,” Sweetie continued as she flashed her morpher. “ELEMENT OF DECEPTION!” In a flash of blue light, Sweetie Belle morphed and drew her sword. “You're going to pay for betraying me like you did, Button Mash.”
“I didn't want it to have to come to this, Sweetie Belle,” Button Mash said. “But if you want to blindly follow Discord out of your own greed, I guess I'm the only one who can stop you.” Button Mash then pulled out his own morpher, but stopped before activating. “No. I'm not drawing any more power from Discord. If I'm going to fight you, I'm going to fight you right.” Button Mash then took his morpher off and let it fall to the ground.
“You foal,” Sweetie Belle said. “I'm going to enjoy this.” Sweetie Belle then charged forward with her sword ready to strike. Button Mash, meanwhile, assumed a rather pointless defensive stance.
“You can try,” Button finally said as Sweetie Belle was right on top of him and about to bring her sword down. However, Button was easily able to sidestep this attack, do a quick spin, and buck Sweetie Belle on her side, knocking her off balance and to the ground.
“How?” Sweetie Belle asked as she got up. “You're unmorphed. You shouldn't even be able to damage me.”
“No, I shouldn't,” Button replied. “But I can always try, and that seems to be working out just fine.”
“Well don't get too comfortable,” Sweetie Belle said. She then raised her hoof and began charging it with her tidal wave attack. “No time to have fun with you, I suppose.”
”Alright, I guess I can't defend against that without my powers,” Button thought to himself.
“Sorry, Button,” Sweetie Belle said, “but this is what you get for betraying me.” She then fired a blast of water at the helpless colt.
“Not on my watch!” another voice shouted as the wave was blasted by fire and turned to steam before it could hit Button.
“Spike?” Button asked as the baby dragon leapt in to put distance between Button and the two Chaos Rangers.
“I think you dropped something,” Spike said as he handed Button his morpher.
“I dropped it on purpose,” Button replied. “I'm not using it anymore. Not if it's power is drawn from Discord's power.”
“Well you're gonna be useless in battle if that's the case,” Spike said. “But I'll tell you what you can do. You try to find a way to get my friends and I off this base and back to Equestria while I take care of Snowdrop and who I'm assuming is now your ex-girlfriend.”
“You really think you have a chance against both of us?” Snowdrop asked.
“For that matter, you really think you can cover Button's escape at all?” Sweetie Belle chimed in.
“To answer your questions in order,” Spike started, “no I don't, but yes I can.” Spike then swung his sword in a tornado fashion, creating streaks of fire that instantly erupted in a wall of flame that contained the two Chaos Rangers. “Now, Button!”
“Alright,” Button said with a nod. He then galloped past the fiery entrapment and out of the room.
It was right then that Snowdrop blew the flames away using her wind powers, but she was too late to catch Button before he left.
“Grr,” Snowdrop growled. She then turned to Spike. “And I'm assuming you have a plan for keeping us from chasing him?”
“If you could call it a plan,” Spike said with a shrug. He then readied his sword in an offensive position and charged forward towards the two fillies.
“I guess I'll settle for you, for now,” Sweetie Belle said as she and Snowdrop charged forward to meet Spike's attack.
Snowdrop was the first to strike by jumping over Sweetie Belle, using her wings to give herself a little more height, to try to strike Spike from above. However, Spike was able to defend against this attack using his sword. On the other hoof, this also left him open to a powerful strike from Sweetie Belle that sent Spike flying backwards, though he was able to regain his footing. He then replied to their attacks by letting loose several streaks of fire at the two. Unfortunately for Spike, though, the two fillies were easily able to avoid his attacks. Sweetie Belle also found a hole in Spike's guard during this attack and took advantage of it by firing a blast of magic that hit Spike square in the chest, causing the attack to dissipate. Spike was then open to yet another attack from Snowdrop. She flew in close fast enough to give Spike no time to raise his guard and gave him a powerful kick that knocked him off-balance.
“Alright, maybe I have bitten off a little more than I could chew,” Spike said to himself as he regained his footing and prepared himself for another attack.

Meanwhile, Button Mash was galloping at top speed towards the primary control room of the moon base where he was sure he'd find the teleporter controls and use them to get the Harmony Rangers back to Equestria. As well, he had one more surprise in store for Discord and the Chaos Rangers. However, just as he was rounding the corner to get to the control room, he came to a sudden halt when he saw Zecora standing before him with several Putty Ponies behind her.
“Well, well, well, if it isn't Button Mash,” Zecora said. “I hope you're not here to do something rash.”
“Zecora, we have a serious problem,” Button Mash said.
“There is indeed a problem in this moon base,” Zecora replied. “But tell me, does this problem have your face?”
“What are you talking about?” Button asked.
“Despite the fact that I was nowhere to be found, I could still sniff out the problem like a bloodhound. I should have expected your treachery, but what less is foreseen of a pony? I shall finish you here once and for all, and soon your friends shall also fall.”
“Not gonna let that happen, Zecora,” Button said.
“Such brave words from one with no power,” Zecora said with a smile. “But I'm afraid this is your final hour.” Zecora then motioned for her Putty Ponies to advance on Button Mash.
“I don't think so,” Button Mash said. He then charged forward towards the Putty Ponies, leaping into the air at the last minute and doing a perfect frontflip over the heads of all the Putties, including Zecora. “I'm not doing any fighting if I don't have to, and I've no time to deal with you, Zecora.” Button Mash then galloped over to the primary control console and quickly found the switch that operated the door behind him. Button moved to flip the switch, but he couldn't get the door closed in time before two Putty Ponies made their way into the room. “Lovely,” Button Mash said to himself as he took an offensive stance against the two Putties. The Putty on the left decided to take the preemptive strike and galloped forward towards Button Mash. Button responded quickly by leaping upwards over the Putty and jumping onto its head. Without giving the Putty a second to react, Button quickly kicked the Putty in the back of the neck, knocking it to the ground. Button then grabbed the downed Putty and threw it into the other Putty Pony, knocking both of them against the wall.
“Finally,” Button said while wiping sweat off his forehead with his hoof. “Now, on to that evac plan.” He then galloped over to the command console and went to work finding the teleportation controls and modifying them to teleport the Harmony Rangers back to Equestria.

Meanwhile, Twilight and the others were still battling Discord. Unfortunately, they seemed to be at a significant disadvantage as they were down three Rangers and Discord's power had grown exponentially since their last encounter.
“Even with just four of us, there's no way he can be beating us this badly,” Rainbow Dash said as she tried to dodge another attack from Discord.
“Oh my dear Rainbow Dash, you just don't understand,” Discord said as he thew Rarity aside. “When you last battled me, I had only just then escaped my prison, leaving me with significantly diminished power. But ever since then, I've been feeding off the chaos caused by all my attacks on Ponyville, thus strengthening me to almost 90% of my full power.” Discord paused for a moment to laugh to himself while the four Rangers regrouped. “But even then, I've been holding back on you four during this battle. Mostly because there's only four of you and I don't want to completely demolish you right now, and partially because you're all just so adorable when you think you have a shot at victory.” Expecting the Rangers to reply, Discord paused for a moment. When nopony spoke, however, he resumed. “However, you Rangers have been a pain in my side for much longer than I'd have liked, and despite the fact that I wanted our final battle to be glorious, I feel like I should just finish you all right here, right-”
Discord was cut off when an explosion suddenly rocked the entire base.

Meanwhile in the air lock room, Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Snowdrop had just been rocked by the very same explosion.
“What the heck was that?” Snowdrop shouted.
“You're asking the wrong pony,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Unless...”
“Button Mash,” Spike finished. “My best guess is that he plans to destroy the moon base.”
“And what would his purpose for doing that be?” Snowdrop asked.
Spike paused for a moment and scratched his chin. “Ya know, I haven't the slightest-” Without warning, Spike disappeared in a flash of light, followed by another explosion rocking the base.
“I think I see Button's game,” Sweetie Belle said. “He managed to get to the control room, teleport the Harmony Rangers out of here, and activate the base self-destruct while us, Zecora, and Discord are still up here.”
“How right you are,” a familiar voice said from behind the two fillies. They turned around to find Button Mash standing in the doorway. “This has gone on long enough, and somepony needs to end it. If it won't be the Harmony Rangers, it's gonna be me.”
“Button, you idiot!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “If the base blows up, it'll take all of us with it.”
“I know,” Button replied. He then pulled out a small device. “That's why I'm giving you two a choice. I hold in my hoof the only working teleporter on this base. The rest have all been jammed. If you two want to give up following Discord and save yourselves, you're welcome to come with me. But if you'd rather go out with this base while still remaining loyal to Discord, you're welcome to do that, too. But please, all you have to do is just de-morph, throw your morphers to the ground, and come with me.” His point was emphasized when another explosion rocked the base, this one noticeably stronger than the last few. “Please, Sweetie Belle. I don't want one of us getting blown up and thrown into space being the circumstances of our break up. We don't even have to break up at all. I know the filly I fell in love with is still in there. And Snowdrop, I know this isn't the real you. It doesn't take a gifted unicorn to know you're corrupted by Discord's magic. I know you're screaming on the inside. Break through just enough to pull that morpher off and come with me, and I promise you'll be fine.” Right then, there was another explosion. “You two have to hurry!”
There was the briefest of pauses before the two fillies stepped forward. “Button Mash,” Sweetie Belle started. Then, in the blink of an eye, the filly fired a blast of magic that blew the teleporter right out of Button's hoof, causing it to fall to the ground behind him in a scorched heap. “I honestly care for you, but I think we should see other ponies. I can't be with somepony who's ignorant enough to know that 'all teleporters' excludes unicorn magic. Plus there's the fact that our loyalties lie in two different and conflicting places. I honestly did love you, but I'm afraid we're finished.” Before Button could react, Sweetie Belle used her magic to teleport herself and Snowdrop away from the moon base.
“Sweetie Belle...” Button said while tearing up. He fell to his knees, doing his best to fight back his tears. “How could you do this? I gave you the chance to come back, and you just stomped on me harder than before.” Button was so upset, he didn't even notice that another explosion had went off and the whole base was mere seconds from completely breaking apart in a final fiery explosion. Or perhaps he didn't care. Perhaps, now that the love of his life was lost forever, he didn't see much of a point in living any longer. Perhaps he couldn't have cared less if a sudden flash of light engulfed him and teleported him off the base before it was destroyed completely in a magnificent explosion that left a large crater on the moon...

To be continued...

Next time...
“Button Mash, are you ok?”
“It's about time the rest of you showed up.”
“This will be your final battle.”
“It's time we finished this, Sweetie Belle.”
“Your whole town will pay dearly for this!”
“They thought they could get rid of me that easily.... This will make for an excellent surprise party!
次回、　「The Hoof of Fate」　あ楽しみに！　[Next time: “The Hoof of Fate (Endgame part 3)” Enjoy!]
> The Hoof of Fate (Endgame part 3)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	

As with the previous chapter, a lot of important stuff happened in the chapter prior to this one. That is to say, like the chapter two chapters ago, the last chapter had too much important stuff to fit in a regular 6-quote recap as the last chapter did. Either way, this is the last chapter of this 3-parter that was originally supposed to be a 2-parter. As I said previously, though, part 2 got too long and I had to break it up and- you know what? You've waited long enough for this chapter to be posted, so I'm going to stop talking and let you read the rest of this.



“Button Mash? Are you alright?”
It wasn't until Button heard Spike's voice ask that question that the colt finally opened his eyes once again. He was no longer on the moon base, but rather he was in the computer room in Canterlot along with the Rangers who he had teleported off the base earlier, as well as the two Princesses.
“Uh...” Button said while standing up. “What's going on?”
“After you activated the moon base's self-destruct and teleported the others and I back here, I insisted that Twilight try to teleport you back here with us,” Spike replied. “She was against it at first, but I managed to convince her that you were a good pony who was just in love with a bad one and that you didn't deserve to get caught in that explosion.”
“You... did that for me?” Button asked.
“What are friends for?” Spike replied with a smile.
“But this doesn't mean you have our complete trust,” Princess Celestia said while stepping forward towards Button Mash. “You may have saved the Rangers, but you still caused very much destruction to Equestria as a Chaos Ranger.”
“Speaking of destruction,” Button said, “did none of you happen to check on Ponyville once I got you all back here?”
“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.
“Well, it's rather obvious,” Button replied. “What do you think Discord would plan to do after he got five of the seven Rangers away from Ponyville?”
Realization hit everypony in the room at once. Spike was the first to reach his old console and checked on Ponyville. What he saw thoroughly shocked him.
“There's half an army of Putty Ponies all over Ponyville,” Spike said. “Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are still there, and they look like they're fighting back, but they're woefully outmatched. And judging by how they're fighting right now, this battle didn't just begin.”
“We've gotta get down there and help Pinkie and Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Hold on a second,” Button Mash said. Then, quietly, he counted down “3... 2... 1...”
“Looks like the Chaos Rangers just showed up in Ponyville as well,” Spike said as he noticed the three evil ponies, already morphed and ready for battle, teleport in right in front of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “Well, Derpy, Sweetie Belle, and Snowdrop.”
“Discord really wanted to go all-out with this attack,” Twilight said. She then turned to her friends. “We don't have a moment to lose. Let's get down there.”
“Right,” Rainbow Dash replied, followed by nods from Rarity, Applejack, and Spike. The five were then teleported out of the room by Twilight.
“Button Mash, you aren't even going to try to help the Harmony Rangers?” Princess Luna asked.
“I'm just about useless without my Ranger powers,” Button replied. “And I've decided to not use those powers anymore since they were drawn from Discord's power.”
Luna and Celestia looked at each other for a moment as though they were having a mental conversation before turning back to Button Mash. “Button Mash,” Princess Celestia started, “I believe today is your lucky day...”

Pinkie and Fluttershy had literally no time to react before Derpy struck them both with a powerful lightning bolt, sending them flying into a building and de-morphing them. “In all honesty, I was sure you two wouldn't last more than five minutes,” Derpy commented as she and the other two Chaos Rangers advanced upon the downed Harmony Rangers. “Against the sheer number of Putty Ponies Discord sent down here, we were sure you two would go down quickly.”
“Well I guess we're just full of surprises,” Pinkie Pie said as she tried to get back to her hooves. However, she was knocked back down when Snowdrop blasted her backwards with a blast of wind.
“Indeed you are,” Sweetie Belle said. “But I'm afraid this was the last surprise you're ever going to pull.”
“That's where you're wrong,” Fluttershy shot back. “Our friends will come any second, and that's when you three will be sorry.”
“Isn't that adorable?” Snowdrop sarcastically cooed. “But I'm afraid you're the one who's wrong here.” Snowdrop, Sweetie Belle, and Derpy then raised their blades and aimed them at the two Harmony Rangers. “First you two, then the others, and finally, Equestria!” Three blasts of energy then shot out of the Chaos Rangers' blades right at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, apparently hitting their mark and creating a large explosion that sent up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, however, rather than a crater and two incinerated ponies, there was instead a large purple bubble with six ponies and a baby dragon within it.
“Sorry we're late,” Rainbow Dash said to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as Twilight lowered the shield she had cast. “We had other things to attend to.”
“We're just glad you guys are finally here,” Fluttershy replied with a sigh or relief.
“How are they free?” Derpy asked her comrades.
“Oh right, you weren't there,” Sweetie Belle replied. “We tried to imprison them on the moon, but it turned out Button Mash betrayed us, brought Spike up to the moon to break the Rangers out, then teleported all the Harmony Rangers back here to Equestria before blowing up the moon base.”
“Why does the exciting stuff happen only while I'm out on my muffin break?” Derpy asked in an annoyed tone.
“Don't worry, Derpy,” Twilight said. “Something tells me the excitement is just getting started.” She and the others then pulled out their Elements of Harmony and donned them. “IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!”
“ELEMENT OF HONESTY!”
“ELEMENT OF KINDNESS!”
“ELEMENT OF LAUGHTER!”
“ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY!”
“ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!”
“ELEMENT OF MAGIC!”
“PHOENIX FLAME, SAMURAI POWER!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Blue!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Yellow!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Pink!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Black!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Red!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger White!”
“Harmony Force, Ranger Gold!”
“From all of us together, we fight as one! We protect one-another until the battle is done! PONY RANGERS, HARMONY FORCE!” All seven Harmony Rangers struck their signature group pose as an explosion went off behind them.
“I suppose this is a little more fitting,” Snowdrop commented. “All seven of you meeting your collective end all at once, I mean.”
“Maybe you didn't get the memo,” Rainbow Dash replied. “We're the Harmony Rangers, and no matter what evil threatens Equestria, no matter what obstacles are put in our way, and no matter how many foes we have to face, as long as we have our friendship, there's nothing that can stop us!”
“How sappy,” Derpy said. “Maybe you've forgotten about something.” The green-clad pegasus then gestured around the square where the Rangers were to show that they were surrounded by almost 3/4 of the Putty Ponies that were attacking prior.
“I could have sworn Fluttershy and I put a bigger dent in their numbers than that,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Don't worry about it, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight reassured. “Now that the rest of us are here, the rest of them will be a piece of cake.”
“Don't be so sure about that,” Sweetie Belle said. “Don't forget that you're gonna have to deal with us, too.”
“Why would we forget about you guys?” Rainbow Dash asked. “In all honesty, you three are my personal favorite villains we've faced so far.”
“Can't speak for anypony else, but I'm moved,” Derpy said. “Now enough horsing around. It's time for your final battle.”
“Yours, maybe, but not ours,” Spike said. Then, aside to his friends, he asked, “How are we going to divide them up?”
“I've got Derpy,” Rainbow Dash said. “As usual.”
“I'll take care of Snowdrop,” Twilight said. “She needs to pay for what she almost did to Spike.”
“And I'll take on Sweetie Belle,” Spike said. “She needs to pay for breaking Button's heart.”
“Hey, what about us?” Applejack asked. “How come we never get to battle the bosses one-on-one?”
“Because, Rarity aside, none of you have any actual rivalries with the Chaos Rangers,” Rainbow Dash explained. “Sorry, but that's apparently the way it works.”
“Alright, fine,” Applejack said. “Ah take it that means we're stuck with the Putty Ponies?”
“Well, with the sheer number of Putties that are here, you can't think we're just sticking you guys with the easy job,” Rainbow Dash replied. “At least not this time.”
“This conversation has gone on long enough!” Snowdrop shouted. “Chaos Rangers, Putty Ponies, attack!”
“Harmony Rangers, GO!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Each team then charged forth into battle against their respective adversaries.
Fluttershy quickly drew her Harmony Daggers as she flew head-first into a group of Putties. The second she flew into the group, she thrust both her Daggers in separate directions, striking two Putties perfectly. Fluttershy then flipped around and gave two more Putties a powerful buck that knocked them into another three. The pegasus then flew forward and grabbed a Putty that tried to attack her from the front, proceeding to whip it around in a circle, knocking back several Putties before throwing the one she was holding into the air. Fluttershy then used her Daggers to strike several more Putties that tried to advance on her before kicking the one she had thrown into another group just before it hit the ground.
Rarity wasted no time galloping forward before firing a powerful blast of magic that knocked several Putties in different directions. She then leapt into the air before coming down right on top of one Putty Pony, slamming it muzzle-first into the ground. Rarity then drew her Harmony Axe and wielded it in her magic to strike back a large group of Putties. At the same time, Rarity whipped herself around and struck several Putties with her forehooves before blowing the rest back with another blast of magic. She then pulled her Axe back towards her and grabbed it in her hooves before flipping backwards gracefully and coming back down with a powerful strike that managed to take out a group of several Putties in one swing.
Applejack was quick to begin taking her group of Putty Ponies on hoof-to-hoof. Without wasting a second, she ran up to two of them and gave them a solid signature applebuck that sent them flying far out of town. AJ then proceeded by leaping up and doing a front flip before landing right on top of two Putties, grabbing them up and throwing them into more advancing Putties. She then summoned her Harmony Lance, broke it in half, and began striking down the Putties rapidly, moving to the left to hit one Putty, quickly spinning around to hit another, spinning once more to hit any Putties behind her, and repeating this process until the area around her was generally clear. This didn't mean more Putties couldn't advance, however.
Pinkie Pie instantly leapt into action by pulling out her Harmony Bow and firing several arrows into a group of Putties. Using her ranged attacks, she was able to keep the Putties at a fair distance away, but that left her open from an attack from behind. Or at least, that's what about eight brave Putties thought. Pinkie's tail suddenly started twitching, causing her to quickly turn around and use her Bow to sweep the legs right out from under the attacking Putties, causing them all to fall to the ground. Pinkie then bounced high into the air just before another group of Putties could tackle her from behind. The earth pony proceeded to bring a heavy rain of arrows down upon the Putties below her before she came back to the ground. However, she found that despite her best efforts, she didn't seem to be gaining any ground over the advancing Putty Ponies.
Rainbow Dash and Derpy wasted almost a negative value of time before drawing their swords and rushing forward towards one another, their blades quickly making contact. Derpy was the first to break away before firing a bolt of lightning from her other hoof right at Rainbow Dash. The latter pegasus quickly flew upwards to avoid this attack before coming back down with a heavy downward slash. However, Derpy was able to react to this attack quickly and blocked it. Rainbow took her opportunity to do a front flip over Derpy and bucked the evil pegasus right in the back. Derpy stumbled forward a bit, but she quickly recovered and turned around just in time to block another sword strike from Rainbow. They tried to push their blades against each other for a while before both broke away, standing about 15 paces away from each other and both staring intently into each other's visors with a determined expression under their helmets.
Twilight was eager to finish Snowdrop off quickly, starting their battle off with a blast of magic that the younger pegasus was easily able to deflect with her sword. Snowdrop then charged forward and tried to strike Twilight with an underhooved slash, one that was easily blocked by Twilight casting a quick shield spell, followed by her blasting the shield forward, knocking Snowdrop back with it. Twilight then followed this attack up with a quick leap forward, taking Snowdrop's stunned state to give the pegasus a powerful downward slash that knocked the filly to the ground. However, before Twilight could move in for another hit, Snowdrop rolled out of the way and got back to her hooves.
“You're fighting a lot more aggressively than you used to, Twilight,” Snowdrop said. “Tell me, could this possibly have something to do with the fact that it was my plan that involved the death of Spike?”
Twilight had to hold back a tear as was reminded of the image of Spike lying lifeless on the floor of her prison on the moon base. “You're a little brighter than I give you credit for,” Twilight replied with a snarling expression under her helmet. She then charged her sword with magic before launching several blades of magical energy Snowdrop's way. Snowdrop had to fly up to avoid getting hit by them, but Twilight didn't let up on her attack as she fired several more, one of them managing to hit Snowdrop and cause her to lose altitude, but she didn't crash. Rather, she simply readjusted herself just before hitting the ground so she could land safely on all-fours.
“There's darkness in your heart, White Ranger,” Snowdrop said to herself with a devious smile. “I commend that.” She then charged forward to strike Twilight with her sword once more, only to have her attack simply collide with Twilight's own sword.
Spike and Sweetie Belle were almost evenly matched in their battle. When they moved in to strike, they'd easily match each other's attack. When using magic, Sweetie would either douse Spike's flames or the dragon's flames would turn the unicorn's waves to steam. Even Sweetie Belle's unicorn magic was almost useless against Spike's natural immunity to magic. (Plus the fact that he could use his sword to deflect most of these attacks.)
“Now I guess I see why you and Button Mash are friends,” Sweetie Belle said. “You both have so much power, but neither of you are mature enough to know how to wield it effectively.”
“Coming from a pony who's almost a year younger than him?” Spike asked. “I honestly can't say I'm surprised. Button Mash definitely deserved better than somepony who becomes corrupted by power and then claims they control it.”
“If you only knew the extent of Discord's magic,” Sweetie Belle said as she charged forward to strike Spike with her sword. Spike was easily able to block this attack, but he wasn't prepared for Sweetie Belle breaking away quickly and giving Spike a low sweep that knocked him off his feet and to his back. Sweetie then stepped on Spike's chest with one of her forehooves while aiming her sword at Spike's throat with the other. “I'm more powerful than you, Spike, thanks to Discord's power,” the filly said. “As long as I have that under my belt, for all I care, Button Mash can go-”
POW!
Sweetie Belle was cut off suddenly when a huge chunk of rock stuck her square in the chest and sent her flying off of Spike, who quickly got up and turned around to find that it was Button Mash who had fired the attack.
”It must be like Betelgeuse,” Spike thought to himself. ”Sweetie Belle and I said his name too many times.”
“Glad to see you, Button Mash,” Spike said out loud as Button galloped over to his side.
“Same to you, Spike,” Button said. He then turned to Sweetie Belle, who was just then getting back to her hooves. “Looks like I got here just in time.”
“Just in time to allow your friend to live for a few moments longer,” Sweetie Belle said as she stepped forward towards Button.
The colt stepped forward with a determined expression on his face. “Spike, go help the other Harmony Rangers,” he said. “I'll handle Sweetie Belle.”
“What?” Spike asked. “How? I thought you said you weren't going to use your Ranger powers anymore.”
“Only as long as they were drawn from Discord's power,” Button replied. “But don't worry. The Princesses sent me down here with a little surprise.” Button Mash then raised his foreleg and flashed his morpher, except this one looked slightly different. As opposed to Sweetie Belle's or Snowdrop's morphers, Button's looked... lighter for lack of a better term. “As it turns out, there's two sides of the Morphin' Grid: good and evil. No matter what side you're on, you're a Ranger, and that means you can change sides with no problem at all.”
“What are you saying?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I'm saying... you're looking at a new Harmony Ranger. IT'S MORPHIN' TIME! ELEMENT OF EARTH!” A bright yellow light then began emitting from Button's morpher, a light far different from what would shine when he morphed in the past. This light seemed to shine as bright as the sun. As the light shone, the morpher's energy flowed down Button's body, arming him with his Ranger armor. The light faded as Button's armor completed, and he drew his sword. “Elemental Force, Ranger Yellow.”
“'Elemental Force?'” Spike and Sweetie Belle asked in unison.
“Well, 'Harmony Force' already has a Yellow Ranger,” Button Mash said with a shrug. He then turned to Sweetie Belle. “Besides, 'Chaos Force' is almost done for.”
“So you join the Harmony Rangers, and all of a sudden, you think the team you left behind is finished?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well, I did say 'almost',” Button replied.

Several minutes ago in Canterlot, Princess Celestia had just finished casting a spell on Button Mash's morpher and was giving it back to him. “There you go, Button,” Celestia said. “Completely cleansed of chaos magic.”
“That's awesome!” Button cheered as he took his morpher back. “Finally, I can truly help Spike and his friends. Thank you, Princess Celestia.”
“I helped with the spell she used,” Princess Luna said as she walked into the room carrying a small red gem with her magic. “You aren't going to thank me?”
“Well, you weren't in the room,” Button replied. “Thank you too, Princess Luna.” Button then turned to Celestia. “So, can I go down and help the Harmony Rangers now?”
“Not quite yet,” Princess Luna said. “Your arrival at Ponyville will prove pointless unless you have this with you.” The lunar princess then levitated the gem she was carrying into Button's hoof.
“What's this?” Button asked as he looked the gem over.
“I call it a Liberator Gem,” Princess Luna replied. “Tia and I designed it to free the Chaos Rangers from Discord's hold. It worked on Snowdrop earlier, but there was a flaw in the spell and she was only free temporarily. However, that flaw has been corrected and it should free Snowdrop and the others permanently.”
“So I can use this to get the old Sweetie Belle back?” Button asked with a hopeful glint in his eye.
“If that is how you wish to interpret it,” Princess Luna replied.
“Awesome!” Button said. “But one question... how do I use it?”
“As long as you have it with you, making contact with one of the Chaos Rangers using your sword should be enough,” Princess Celestia replied. “However, if that fails, you'll have to hold them down and thrust the gem upon their chest so it can siphon their chaos energy directly.”
“Then I guess we'll hope the first option works...” Button Mash said. “Alright, I know what I have to do. Send me down to Ponyville.”
“Good luck, Button Mash,” Princess Celestia said. “And remember, this is you earning our complete trust. Succeed, and you can join us. But fail... well, just make sure you don't fail.” She then teleported Button Mash to Ponyville before the colt could say anything in reply. There was a brief moment of silence in the room before Princess Luna walked up to her sister.
“Do you really think he'll be able to succeed?” the lunar princess asked.
“We can do nothing but hope at this point,” Celestia replied.

“So you think you have a chance against me, huh?” Sweetie Belle asked Button.
“Well, I didn't have a chance with you when we first met,” Button replied. “And look where my persistence got us.”
“Pit against each other in a final showdown that could result in one of us (more likely you) dying?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Button was silent for a moment before replying. “I meant... before everything that happened today...”
“Well, I'll admit, you were a pretty likeable colt back then,” Sweetie Belle said. “But like I said before, I think it's time we moved on.”
“Maybe you're right,” Button said. He then readied himself for battle.
“Are you gonna need help, Button?” Spike asked.
“No, Spike,” Button replied. “This is something I have to do on my own.”
“You might want to rethink that decision,” Sweetie Belle taunted. “Your friend is making you a life-saving offer.”
“But wouldn't you rather have one last dance with me?” Button asked teasingly while holding his hoof forward. “And if we're really done with each other, do you really want Spike in the way of you finishing me off?”
“Are you sure you know what you're doing?” Spike asked Button.
“Not a clue,” Button replied. “At the moment, all I've got in terms of a plan is to keep talking until something slightly smart comes out.”
“Well... good luck with that, I guess,” Spike said with a shrug. He then turned and ran to join the other Harmony Rangers in their battle.
“What a friend,” Sweetie Belle said. “It's sad, really. How you can value an endeavor as pointless as friendship over real power.”
“That's where you're wrong, Sweetie Belle,” Button Mash said. “I didn't choose friendship over power, I chose friendship because it's a power beyond what you think Discord can offer you, and out of the spirit of friendship, I'm giving you one last chance to renounce Discord's power before I'm forced to prove to you what I'm talking about.”
Sweetie Belle had to take a moment to stifle laughter before replying. “Well I hope you can put your bits where your mouth is, Button,” she finally said.
“So be it,” Button replied. There was a heavy silence to the air while the two stood facing each other, each willing to finish the other off if need be. Then, his movement seeming to physically shatter the silence, Button Mash charged forward to deliver the first strike.
Sweetie Belle quickly moved to block this attack, and both of their swords struck each other with a force powerful enough to cause sparks to fly off of the impact point. Button quickly brought his sword back and tried to give Sweetie Belle a punch right to her jaw. This hit connected, and Sweetie stumbled backwards a little. Button took this opportunity to follow up his attack with a sword strike that also connected and sent Sweetie Belle flying backwards. Button could feel as the Liberator Gem tried to work its magic and free Sweetie, but Button figured out before Sweetie even got up that the spell failed. He couldn't explain it, but he knew he was supposed to feel something happen, but there was nothing.
“Looks like I'm going with option B,” Button thought out loud as Sweetie Belle got up and fired a blast of magic at the colt. Button was just barely able to block this attack with his sword, but what he wasn't able to do is ready himself for a follow-up strike from Sweetie's sword that knocked him off-balance. He was able to recover fast enough to block another attack from the filly, though.
“You're trying to free me from Discord's magic, aren't you?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You sly colt. Even I didn't think you would try something like that.”
“I guess I'm just full of surprises,” Button replied. He then charged forward towards Sweetie Belle to continue the battle.

Meanwhile, Twilight was still fighting Snowdrop. The issue was that the unicorn was gradually losing ground.
“What's the matter, Twilight?” Snowdrop taunted as she knocked Twilight back with a kick. “Getting tired?”
“Hardly,” Twilight replied, despite the fact that she was lying. In truth, Snowdrop was giving her more of a challenge than she'd anticipated, and she was starting to pay for this underestimation. “And even if I was tired, I'm still going to fight you down to my last breath.”
“You're only going to be fighting that much longer?” Snowdrop asked, faking a sad tone. “Pity, but a few more moments is better than nothing.” The pegasus then blasted Twilight with a blast of wind which the unicorn was able to block easily. However, this was exactly what Snowdrop planned for. She had distracted Twilight, and now it was time to move in for the final hit. She flew forward towards the White Ranger, raised her sword, and brought it down right on Twilight's head.
Or so Snowdrop expected. What she didn't expect is for another blade to stop hers before she hit Twilight. Snowdrop instantly backpedaled to find that it was Spike who saved Twilight.
“Spike!” Twilight shouted. “What are you doing here? I thought you were fighting Sweetie Belle.”
“Button Mash is fighting her now,” Spike replied, taking up an offensive stance towards Snowdrop. “Besides, you looked like you needed some help.”
“I don't believe this,” Snowdrop growled. “Not one, but two traitors in this battle?”
“They might be traitors to you,” Twilight said, “but to us, they're Rangers who saw the error of their ways. The same way you'll be soon.” Twilight emphasized her point when both she and Spike raised their swords at Snowdrop.
“It's no matter,” Snowdrop said, an evil smile forming beneath her helmet. “Even if we're two Chaos Rangers down, Derpy, Sweetie Belle, and I can still finish you.”
“You can try,” Spike said, “but we won't back down until Discord is defeated and Equestria is safe from harm!”
Snowdrop chuckled evilly before replying. “How very foolish of you!” she shouted before charging forward and attacking both Twilight and Spike head-on.
Snowdrop went for Spike first, which almost caught the dragon off guard. Twilight moved in to block Snowdrop's attack, giving Spike an opening to strike Snowdrop with a slash to her underside that knocked her backwards a bit. Twilight then took advantage of Snowdrop's stunned state to move in and strike the filly with her own blade. Snowdrop took this hit, but she used the momentum with which she was sailing backwards to recover back to her hooves. She then blasted Twilight back with a powerful gust of wind. The unicorn was knocked back a bit, allowing Snowdrop to move in and hit the unicorn with a strong slash that knocked her back. Spike was quick to follow this hit up with an attack of his own, however, and almost instantly jumped in to strike Snowdrop with several streaks of fire that hit the filly multiple times, knocking her to the ground.
“You two fight effectively together,” Snowdrop complimented as she got back to her hooves. “But you'll have to fight better than that if you want to defeat me.” Then, with a mighty shout, she charged back into battle with full force.

Meanwhile, Derpy and Rainbow Dash were still going at it. However, neither pegasus seemed to be gaining any ground over the other.
“You're much stronger than the last time we clashed, Dashie,” Derpy complimented as she broke her sword away from Dash's. “But you'll still have to fight better than that if you hope to ever be able to defeat me.”
“Don't worry, Derpy,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I'm still just warming up. I got plenty of tricks up my sleeve for you.” To prove her point, Rainbow Dash flew forward at high speed to attack Derpy. However, the latter pegasus was able to block Dash's sword strike easily.
“Nice try!” Derpy shouted as she broke her sword away from Dash's and kicked the polychromatic pegasus backwards, taking advantage of her stunned state to deliver a powerful slash right to her midsection that knocked Dash back quite a bit. She was able to get back to her hooves, however.
“Nice dirty trick, Derpy,” Rainbow Dash said with a smile. “But don't think that's gonna be enough to finish me.”
“Oh, I've got plenty of dirty tricks in store for you, Dashie,” Derpy replied before quickly charging forward to give Dash another powerful slash. Rainbow was able to block this attack with her sword, but that wasn't enough to guard against a punch that was aimed straight at her face. The Red Ranger was only able to brace herself for the hit, but none came despite Derpy's hoof making contact.
“What the...?” Rainbow Dash asked. Her confusion was only added to by Derpy suddenly breaking away from Dash and looking down at her hoof.
“No...” Derpy said as she watched her hoof ripple and shimmer like a hologram with a bad connection. “I thought I had more time...”
“Derpy, what's going on?” Rainbow Dash asked as she galloped over to the evil pegasus.
“Stay back!” Derpy shouted as she aimed her sword at Rainbow Dash and struck her with lightning, knocking Rainbow back several paces. “This doesn't concern you, Dashie.” Derpy then teleported away without a trace.
“That was weird...” Rainbow Dash said to herself. “I wonder what was happening with Derpy. Augh, there's no time to ponder that. I've gotta help my friends!” With that, Rainbow Dash got up and flew off to help her friends with the Putty Ponies.

As this was happening, Button Mash and Sweetie Belle were still having their duel.
“You're fighting a lot better than I thought you would,” Sweetie Belle complimented as she blocked an attack from Button Mash and proceeded to deliver her own counter-attack that hit Button square in the chest, knocking him back a bit.
“Thanks,” Button said as he recovered from the hit. “And yet, you still dumped me. Tell me, if I'm the only colt for miles who could fight this well, how come you don't want me anymore?”
“Because it was you who basically dumped me!” Sweetie Belle replied, charging forward and delivering a powerful slash that Button blocked with ease. “You're the one who misplaced your loyalties! You're the one who betrayed me by siding with Spike and the Harmony Rangers! You're the one who said he'd be behind me no matter what and then went back on his word! THIS WAS ALL YOU!” Sweetie Belle emphasized her point by striking with another powerful downward slash that Button tried to defend against, but the filly's attack went right through his sword and struck the colt head-on, causing him to go stumbling backwards. Sweetie Belle took advantage of this opportunity by giving Button another powerful slash that knocked him into the air and caused him to land on his back hard enough to de-morph him.
“Not good...” Button Mash said to himself as he tried to get up. However, he was stopped when Sweetie Belle put her hoof on his chest and forced him back down.
“How sad,” the filly said as she looked down at Button's scared expression with her sword raised to striking position. “You may have been foolish, but I'll hand it to you, you were also brave. And a little charming, admittedly. But now I'm afraid your time has come. Any last words?”
”I hope this works,” Button Mash thought to himself as gripped the Liberator Gem in his hoof. “I do have some last words, actually,” Button replied. “I promised I would save you, Sweetie Belle, and that's just what I'm going to do!” Then, before Sweetie could even react, Button Mash thrust his hoof upwards and struck her in the chest with the Liberator Gem.
“Gah!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she tried to remove Button's hoof. This worked, but the Liberator Gem remained stuck to her chest. “What... what have you done?”
“Give up, Chaos Ranger Blue,” Button Mash said as he got up and donned a serious expression. “That gem on your chest is going to eradicate you, and once you're gone, Sweetie Belle will finally be free.”
“No...” Sweetie Belle said as the gem started to glow a bright red. “No, this can't be happening! I was supposed to destroy you and your friends so that Discord could rule Equestria and I could be right there by his side! How could things have gone so wrong?”
“Because you forgot to account for one thing,” Button Mash replied. “The magic of friendship. As I've been trying to tell you, it's a force far beyond your imagination. In the right hooves, it can be used to bring great light to even the darkest caves. It can also be used to purify souls that Discord has corrupted like yours.”
“No! You fool!” Sweetie Belle shouted. At this point, the Liberator Gem had sapped so much energy from her that she was unable to stay on her hooves. On one knee, she looked up at Button Mash. “You... you can't...”
“For friendship and for love, I can do anything,” Button Mash replied.
“This can't be happe-!” Sweetie Belle started, but she was cut off when the Liberator Gem flashed suddenly and she was knocked backwards, de-morphed.
“Oh no! Sweetie Belle!” Button Mash shouted as he ran over to the fallen filly. He knew the gem would cleanse her of chaos magic, but he hadn't expected her to be flung backwards and injured so much that she was de-morphed on the spot. Plus there was the fact that she wasn't getting back up.
Quickly, Button knelt down and raised Sweetie's head with his hooves. “Sweetie Belle, wake up,” he said while shaking her gently to no avail. He placed his ear on her chest. She was still breathing. He took a moment to sigh with relief, but that relief was short lived since she was still unconscious. “Wake up Sweetie Belle, please. You're free from Discord's hold.”
After a few more seconds, Sweetie Belle began to stir. “Unn...” she said as she slowly opened her eyes. “Button? Is that you?”
Button Mash was smiling as a tear rolled down his cheek. “It's me, Sweetie Belle,” he said. “I-”
Button was quickly interrupted when Sweetie Belle suddenly reached her hooves around the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss. Button was surprised at first, but it was only a second before he closed his eyes and enjoyed it. Their kiss lasted a few more seconds before Sweetie Belle broke away and looked up into Button's eyes with a smile. “Thank you Button Mash,” she said. “Thank you for saving me.”
“You're welcome Sweetie Belle,” Button replied, returning the smile.

Meanwhile, Snowdrop was still battling Twilight and Spike. However, it seemed to her that she was starting to slowly lose ground.
“Okay, so you two are turning out to be more of a challenge than I had anticipated,” Snowdrop growled as she recovered from an attack she'd taken from Spike.
“Well it is two against one,” Spike replied with a shrug. “What'd you think was gonna happen?”
“I thought I was going to do this,” Snowdrop said as she prepared another attack. However, her preparation was stopped suddenly when she was struck in the back. The filly turned around to see Pinkie Pie standing several paces away with her bow in firing position. From the lack of an arrow in her hoof, however, Snowdrop concluded that the missing arrow was the one that Pinkie had just fired and hit her with. As if to add to Snowdrop's problems, the Pink Ranger was soon joined by Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.
“You thought you could take us out with sheer numbers?” Fluttershy asked. “Think again.”
“Hmph, it's no matter,” Snowdrop said. “I've still got my own Rangers, don't forget.”
“Not all of them anymore,” Button Mash said as he and Sweetie Belle galloped up beside Spike, though neither pony was morphed.
“I'm free from Discord's hold, Snowdrop,” Sweetie Belle stated. “Now you've got no one on your side for this battle.”
“This... this can't be happening!” Snowdrop shouted. “You, Button Mash? You freed Sweetie Belle?”
“It's amazing what you can do when you combine the magic of friendship with the power of love, huh?” Button Mash replied with a smirk.
“No...” Snowdrop growled. She looked up, there stood Twilight, Spike, and her two old allies who had turned against her. Behind her, five more Harmony Rangers. Snowdrop could have taken on just Twilight and Spike if she hadn't underestimated their power before, but against seven Rangers? Nine if Button's and Sweetie's powers recharged fast enough? Snowdrop had only one option left. “Fine. I know when I'm beat,” she said before dropping her sword to the ground.
“Wait, really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You're just... going to surrender? Just like that?”
Snowdrop grinned evilly under her helmet. “I'm so glad you asked that question,” she said. “Because the answer is NO!” Snowdrop then raised her hoof high into the air. “Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, did you really think I wouldn't count on your betrayal? A good leader ALWAYS has a backup plan, even if- no, especially if that plan is for in case that leader's comrades betraying her!” Snowdrop's hoof then began to glow a bright red. “I won't let my perfect plan be ruined by your actions! This whole town shall pay dearly for what you have done! CHAOS MEGAZORD, SINGLE RANGER MODE, ACTIVATE!”
Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Outside of Ponyville, a fully-formed Chaos Megazord had descended. “Now it's time to level your pathetic town!” Snowdrop shouted before she teleported out of the battlefield and into the Megazord, which quickly came to life and began its destructive rampage, starting with the Abandoned Warehouse District. (Seriously, why do they keep rebuilding that place?)
“Snowdrop's gone off the deep end,” Button Mash said. “Everything she's planned has failed her. Now she's not going to rest until everything you hold dear is destroyed.”
“Then I guess it's time for us to put this little filly down for her nap,” Rainbow Dash said. “Come on, Harmony Rangers. Let's finish Snowdrop off once and for all.”
“Wait!” Button Mash shouted. He then pulled out the Liberator Gem and handed it to Spike. “With a little luck, this can affect her through your Phoenix zord, but you're probably gonna have to get in close before you can use it effectively. Sweetie Belle and I won't be able to help because Snowdrop kinda commandeered our zords, but giving you this gem is the best we can do.”
“Thanks Button,” Spike said as he grabbed the gem. He then turned to the others. “Come on, guys. Let's finish this.”
“Right there with ya, Spike,” Rainbow Dash said. She and the others then raised their hooves to the sky. “We need Dinozord power now!”
“White Tigerzord, descend!” Twilight shouted as she raised her own hoof to the sky and activated the zord summoning spell.
“And don't forget about me,” Spike said as he raised his sword into the air. “Phoenix zord, form!”
While the Phoenix zord flew out from the fires of Spike's blade, the Dinozords and White Tigerzord stampeded into battle. Quickly, all seven Rangers teleported into the cockpits of their respective zords.
“Harmony Megazord, form!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“White Tiger Battlezord, morph!” Twilight shouted.
“Phoenix Samurai Battlezord, morph!” Spike shouted.
In several flashes of light, each Rangers' zord morphed and shifted into their respective Megazord and Battlezords, each one quickly making their way to where Snowdrop was.
“Time to turn this town into a parking lot!” Snowdrop shouted as she charged the Chaos Megazord's Tri-Elemental Fury attack. The attack wouldn't get charged very much, however, before she was suddenly stopped by the Phoenix Samurai Battlezord quickly rushing up and giving the Chaos Megazord a powerful slash that caused it to stumble backwards. “How dare you,” Snowdrop growled as Spike was quickly joined by the other Rangers. “You Harmony Rangers foil each and every one of mine and Discord's plans, then you have the audacity to continue battling me after I'm down to my final option?”
“We aren't going to rest until you're out of options,” Rainbow Dash said. “And your only one left shall be defeat!”
“You can try,” Snowdrop growled as she readied her Megazord for battle.
“Girls,” Spike said to his friends over comm, “Button Mash gave me the Liberator Gem. I should be able to augment its power using the Phoenix zord and free Snowdrop from Discord's hold without having to make direct contact with her, but I'm gonna have to get in really close if I want to use the gem.”
“So what do you want us to do?” Rainbow asked.
“My best idea would be for you two to hold her so that I can get the hit I need in,” Spike replied. “We've only got one shot at this.”
“Then let's make sure we get it right,” Twilight said. “For Ponyville, for Snowdrop, for Princess Luna, and for Equestria!”
“YEAH!” the other Rangers shouted in unison.
“Are you all done talking?” Snowdrop asked. “If not, I'd be happy to make the first move!” The filly then charged her Megazord forward with its blade in striking position, aimed right at the Harmony Megazord.
“Heads up!” Rainbow Dash shouted as Twilight and Spike dived out of the way and the Harmony Megazord moved its sword into a defensive position. The blades of both the Harmony and Chaos Megazords made contact, leaving Snowdrop open to an attack from behind by the White Tiger Megazord's blade. Snowdrop's zord stumbled backwards, allowing the Harmony Rangers to move in and deal a hit of their own, which seemed to significantly damage the Chaos Megazord.
“That's it,” Snowdrop growled. “I've let you Harmony Rangers live long enough. It's time you knew my true power!” Snowdrop then charged her zord forward at an incredible speed, catching Twilight off guard to the point where she was completely defenseless against a powerful sword strike from the Chaos Megazord, causing the White Tiger Megazord to go flying backwards.
“AHHHH!” Twilight shouted as her zord flew for several football fields before landing hard on its back close to Canterlot.
“TWILIGHT!” the other Rangers shouted.
“Who knew Snowdrop really wasn't bluffing when she said she still had power hidden?” Fluttershy asked.
“That just means the final battle with her will be more exciting,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Stay on your guard, Rangers.”
“So now you see how I've defeated your White Ranger so easily,” Snowdrop said evilly as she turned her zord to the Harmony Megazord. “Now it's your turn!” She then charged forward at the Harmony Rangers.
“In your dreams!” Rarity shouted as the Rangers moved their sword to block Snowdrop's attack, following the guard up with a punch to the Chaos Megazord's midsection. Snowdrop stumbled backwards slightly, but she recovered much faster than the Harmony Rangers anticipated and was able to easily deliver another slash that the Harmony Megazord wasn't able to dodge or block. The Rangers took the hit, and quickly found themselves off their feet and onto their back.
“Do you see now?” Snowdrop shouted as the Chaos Megazord gave the Harmony Megazord a powerful kick to its side that sent it sprawling. “Do you see how your plight is useless?” Snowdrop then gave the Harmony Rangers another sword strike that knocked them back even further. “Do you see how, no matter what you do, there is no hope for Equestria?” The Chaos Megazord then grabbed the Harmony Megazord by the neck and raised it off the ground, off its feet, and into an airborne choke hold. “Do you see how I have won?”
“She's giving the Harmony Megazord a nasty beating,” Pinkie shouted. “The shields are already down 60% and still falling.”
“Can we get a counter hit in while she has us in this hold?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I'm afraid we can't,” Rarity replied. “She has a powerful grip on the Megazord's primary functionary control center. We can't move in this position unless we get an extra boost of magic from somewhere.”
“What about Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“My zord's still reeling from the hit she took,” Twilight replied over comm. “I can get back in the battle, but not for a while because I have to recharge White Tiger's magic reserves.”
“So that means we're stuck here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“No you're not!” Spike said over comm as the Phoenix Samurai Battlezord suddenly dashed behind the Chaos Megazord and gave it a powerful slash that caused it to drop the Harmony Rangers.
“Gah!” Snowdrop shouted. “I thought you were going to just lie in wait for you friends to give you an opening.”
“They did give me an opening,” Spike replied. “It wasn't enough to get the hit I needed in, but it was still enough to distract you.”
“Thanks Spike,” Rainbow Dash said. “Can you keep her busy for a little while so we can recover?”
“No problem,” Spike replied as his zord readied itself for battle against the Chaos Megazord.
“You really think you have a chance against me after seeing how easily I defeated your friends?” Snowdrop asked, stifled laughter evident in her voice. “You are one adorable little dragon.”
“I may be adorable, but I can still burn you,” Spike replied. He then emphasized his point by using his zord's blade to launch several blasts of fire at Snowdrop, dealing hits to her zord but not damaging it very much.
“You don't have enough firepower to even lay a scratch on me,” Snowdrop laughed. “And I bet you don't have the armor needed to take even one solid hit from my zord either.”
“That may be true,” Spike said, “but I bet your zord doesn't have the speed or agility to keep up with mine. PHOENIX ZORD, MORPH INTO PHOENIX FORM!” The Phoenix Samurai Battlezord then leapt up into the air and flashed brightly before it came back down at an incredible speed in its Phoenix form and struck the Chaos Megazord hard with its wing before flying behind it faster than Snowdrop could react. Spike then circled around and flew in to give Snowdrop another similar hit that she was once again unable to defend against.
“Hold still you little pest!” Snowdrop shouted as she swung at Spike as he flew towards her a third time, ultimately missing and leaving herself open to another hit with the Phoenix zord's fiery wing.
“Let's keep it up, big guy,” Spike said to his zord as he flew in for another hit. “Don't worry about damaging her, just keep her busy so Dash and the others have time to- OOF!”
Spike was cut off suddenly when a sword strike from Snowdrop finally made contact, sending the Phoenix zord into a tailspin before it crashed hard into the ground.
“And that's what you get for not paying attention,” Snowdrop said with an evil laugh as she walked her Megazord towards the downed Phoenix zord.
“This isn't good,” Spike said to himself. He then activated his comm and contacted his friends. “Guys, are you ready yet?”
“Not yet,” Twilight replied. “White Tiger's good to go, but the Harmony Megazord needs a few more seconds.”
“Great,” Spike said. “Try to hurry up. I've only got one more plan left for stalling Snowdrop and it might not even work.”
“Forget your stalling, Gold Ranger,” Snowdrop said as she stood over the Phoenix zord. “You're as good as finished, and so are all your friends. Then your town will follow closely, followed by the rest of Equestria. And forget Discord's narrow views. Only conquer Equestria? Peh. What's so special about this single land? Why not conquer all of Equus? Zebrica, Griffonheim, the Changeling and Minotonian Empires, it's all there for the taking. Discord can have this pathetic pony land. I'll take the rest of the world for myself!” Snowdrop then let out an evil laugh that probably would have been intimidating if she didn't still have her adorable filly voice. But even then, the laugh was all the evidence Spike needed to determine that Snowdrop really had gone off the deep end. If her insanity wasn't contained soon, she could probably destroy Equus and worlds beyond!
“I never thought Snowdrop could wind up becoming more dangerous than Discord,” Spike thought out loud.
“What did you say?” Snowdrop asked. “You just said something, but I want to hear it again.”
“I...” Spike started. ”Let's hope this buys the girls the time they need,” he thought. “I said that you've become far more dangerous than Discord. None of your plans have worked. The Harmony Rangers foiled each and every one of them. And now that even your own comrades have betrayed you, you've gone insane. You don't see any other goal other than seeing the Harmony Rangers destroyed, and this insanity is leading you to setting absurd goals beyond that that you just might follow through with. Who knows? With how crazy you've gone, I wouldn't be surprised if you moved on to try to conquer the entire universe on your own once we're finished.”
“You... you think I've gone insane?” Snowdrop asked. “No... no, you fool! I haven't gone insane! I'm more in control than ever before! I don't have anyone to hold me back anymore! No comrades, no superiors, and soon I'll have no opposition! What you call insanity, I call opportunity, and I'm going to take that opportunity to reveal to everything that exists the true extent of my evil!” Snowdrop then raised her Megazord's blade to deliver a final strike to the Phoenix zord. “Destroying you Harmony Rangers once and for all... that will just be the tip of the iceberg. Once I'm finished with you, I'll-”
“MAGIC SPARK!” Twilight shouted as a huge blast of magic fired from the White Tiger Battlezord and hit the Chaos Megazord right in its sword hand, causing the sword to fall to the ground.
“Gah!” Snowdrop shouted. “What was-?”
“Twilight, now!” Rainbow Dash shouted as the Harmony Megazord ran up and grabbed the Chaos Megazord's right arm, the White Tiger Battlezord quickly running in and grabbing the left arm as well.
“No!” Snowdrop shouted as she struggled to break her Megazord out of the grip of the Harmony Rangers. “Let go of me you fools!”
“Spike, now's your chance!” Twilight shouted. “We can't hold Snowdrop for more than a few seconds, so you'll have to act fast!”
“You got it, Twi,” Spike replied. “Alright Phoenix zord, time to finish this. Tapping into emergency magic reserves. Let's get you back up and running.”
As Spike got the magic flowing through the Phoenix zord once again, it began glowing with a fiery yellow aura before getting up and airborne once again. The zord then gave a mighty roar and spread its wings wide, letting lose a powerful burst of heat.
“Alright!” Spike said. “We're back in the game, but now it's time to end it. Phoenix Samurai Battlezord, morph!” The Phoenix zord gave another mighty roar before flying up into the air and glowing with an intense flame. “And let's not forget the most important part of this move,” Spike added as he placed the Liberator Gem on the console, where its power began flowing into the Phoenix zord. As for the zord itself, it flew up until it was almost out of sight of the Rangers on the ground before flashing with a brilliant burst of flame. The zord, now in its Battlezord mode, then began descending at an incredible speed with its sword in striking position. “One shot, one chance...” Spike said to himself as he guided the Phoenix Samurai Battlezord to its target, the Chaos Megazord. “No margin for error.”
“Spike's actually gonna do it!” Twilight shouted.
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Snowdrop shouted before she gave another powerful shot of energy into her Megazord, giving it enough power to break its arm away from the White Tiger Battlezord, causing Twilight to fall to the ground.
“TWILIGHT!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Rangers, keep Snowdrop in place at all costs!”
“On it,” the others replied in unison as the Harmony Megazord quickly whirled around and tried to grab the Chaos Megazord with both arms. Surprisingly enough, the Rangers were able to keep their foe in place for a few seconds longer than they had anticipated.
“You fools!” Snowdrop shouted as she broke both her zord's arms away from the Harmony Megazord before striking it hard in the midsection with both fists, causing the Rangers to go crashing through the Everfree Forest.
“Sorry Spike...” Rainbow Dash said over comm as she and the Rangers went down. “We gave it all we had. It's all your game now.”
“You got it, Dash,” Spike replied as his zord approached its target. “You won't bring harm to another living soul, Snowdrop!”
“Allow me to prove why you're wrong,” Snowdrop replied as she re-summoned her sword and swung to strike Spike with it.
In the time it took to blink, (meaning slow-motion), Spike saw the blade of the Chaos Megazord coming at him. Quickly, the dragon canceled his attack and pivoted his zord in midair, causing Snowdrop's attack to just barely miss him. The Phoenix Samurai Battlezord then landed on both feet, but quickly ducked low, readied its blade, and moved in to give Snowdrop a powerful uppercut slash that the filly could do nothing about. The attack was aimed directly at the Chaos Megazord's head, which happened to be where Snowdrop was. The filly's eyes went wide as she saw the sword approach her, and she hardly had any time to react before the blade struck, its energy slicing through the zord's armor and hitting the filly while at the same time sending the zord flying.
Back in real time, the Chaos Megazord went flying, bouncing once on the ground near the mountain Canterlot rested upon once before vanishing from view, causing Snowdrop to fall to the ground some distance further away. She wasn't de-morphed until after she landed, so she survived the fall.
“That had to be enough to finish her,” Spike said as his zord recovered from its strike. “I just hope I didn't go overboard.” Spike then morphed his zord back into Phoenix form and flew over to where Snowdrop had landed before ejecting from his zord and landing on the ground a few feet away from the downed filly. The Phoenix zord then turned back into flame and returned to Spike's sword before the dragon ran over to Snowdrop. Fortunately, the filly was alive, but she was still unconscious. Spike picked Snowdrop up in one arm while activating his comm with the other. “Rangers, Snowdrop's down but still alive.”
“That's good Spike,” Twilight replied. “I'll have Princess Celestia teleport you and her to Canterlot so we can give her medical attention if she needs it.”
“Alright,” Spike replied. He then deactivated his comm, de-morphed, and breathed a sigh of relief. “It's over... our ordeal with Snowdrop is finally over...” Right as Spike said that, he and Snowdrop were teleported back to Canterlot.

In the half hour that followed those events, Twilight had teleported all the zords back to their hangars for extensive repairs, while at the same time Snowdrop was moved to the medical wing in Canterlot Castle. There was nothing wrong with her, but she needed time to rest. She had taken a heavier hit than Sweetie Belle did when she was freed, so the fact that rest was all Snowdrop needed was a miracle in itself.
Standing by Snowdrop while she rested was Princess Luna, who hadn't left the filly's side since she got to Canterlot. “I'm sorry you had to go through all of this, Snowdrop,” Luna said as she gently ran her hoof across the top of Snowdrop's head. It was right then that the lunar princess heard a door opening behind her. Through that door entered the Rangers, Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, and Princess Celestia.
“How is she?” Sweetie Belle asked Luna.
“She's stable,” Luna replied as she turned to the others. “There's nothing wrong with her, and all my scans have shown that she's completely clear of chaos magic, but she hasn't woken up yet.”
“Give her time, sister,” Princess Celestia said, placing a hoof on Luna's shoulder. “She's been through a difficult ordeal.”
“I know,” Luna said, looking back at Snowdrop. “It's just... she was my best friend all those centuries ago. I never thought I'd see her again, and then to see her again, only in this state... I'm worried about her, that's all.”
Twilight stepped forward. “I understand, Luna,” the unicorn said. “Every time Spike got sick, I'd-”
Twilight was cut off suddenly when the quiet mood of the room was broken by Snowdrop stirring awake. “Nnn...”
“Snowdrop?” Luna asked with an excited gasp. She quickly ran over to the awakening  filly's side, followed by the others.
Snowdrop slowly opened her eyes, with which she couldn't see now that she didn't have her Ranger powers. “Wh... where am I?” she asked.
“You're in Canterlot, Snowdrop,” Luna replied. “The Harmony Rangers freed you from Discord's hold, but you've been unconscious for the past half hour.”
“I...” Snowdrop started, doing her best to process everything that had happened to her. “Princess Luna... are the Harmony Rangers in here with us?”
“We're here, Snowdrop,” Twilight said.
“Then...” Snowdrop started, a smile starting to form on her lips. “Then I want to say thank you to all of you. And I also want to say I'm sorry for everything Discord made me do.”
“You are forgiven, Snowdrop,” Princess Celestia said. “Your actions were not your own and we all understand that.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia,” Snowdrop said. “And to show my thanks, I... I want to help you all finish Discord once and for all. If he's still around, I mean.”
“I'm sorry... what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You mean... you still wanna be a Pony Ranger? Even after everything you've been through?”
“Rainbow Dash is right, Snowdrop,” Luna added. “I don't think it would be very healthy if you remained a Ranger.”
“But...” Snowdrop said, her smile quickly fading. “But I want to use my powers to help ponies rather than hurt them. Please, Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash, everypony, let me make up for everything Discord made me do. Let me join you all in defeating him.”
All the ponies in the room looked at each other as though taking a silent vote on the matter. “I believe it's your call, Rainbow Dash,” Luna finally said. “You are the leader of the Harmony Rangers, after all.”
“Well...” Rainbow said, looking away from the others. “I, uh... I don't think...” The pegasus looked up at Snowdrop, who seemed to be listening intently, but still with a frown that showed the filly knew what Dash was about to say. “You know what? I think this should be Spike's call.”
“What?” Spike asked. “Why me?”
“'Cause you saw the good in Button Mash,” Rainbow Dash replied. “And if it weren't for you trusting him, none of us would be standing here right now. You're a better judge of character than anypony in here, so it should be you who decides whether Snowdrop joins us.”
“Wow... thanks Rainbow Dash,” Spike said with a smile. “Coming from you, that means a lot.” The dragon then began scratching his chin as he thought about the decision. “When it comes to a foe like Discord, we're probably gonna need all the help we can get. So... yes. I think it would be a very good idea if Snowdrop were to join us.”
“Really?” Snowdrop asked, smiling and tearing up a little. “You... you mean it?”
“If it's the road you want to take, you're welcome to take that road alongside us,” Spike replied. The dragon then turned to Button Mash and Sweetie Belle. “And what about you two?”
The couple exchanged glances for a moment before turning back to Spike and replying. “It was becoming Pony Rangers that brought us closer together,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Even if that very same phenomenon was almost what split us apart for good,” Button Mash added with a laugh.
“But the point is, we'd be happy to join you all,” Sweetie Belle finished. “Whatever it takes to give Discord a healthy dose of payback for what he did to us.” The filly finished her sentence by pounding her hooves together.
“Then it looks like everypony's in agreement,” Princess Celestia said with a nod. “Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, walk next to Snowdrop's bed and turn to face us.” The colt and filly complied, walking up next to Snowdrop and turning to face Princess Celestia and the others at attention. “All three of you, if you wish to become Harmony Rangers, you first must accept the Ranger oath: a set of three simple rules you must follow in order to maintain your connection to the Morphin' Grid and keep the new Ranger powers you shall receive as Harmony Rangers. First, you must never use your powers for dark intentions or personal gain. Second, you must never escalate a battle unless doing so is absolutely necessary. And finally, you must strive to keep your identities as Pony Rangers a secret. Do you accept these conditions?”
“I accept,” Sweetie Belle said with a nod.
“Can do,” Button Mash said with an excited hoof pump.
“Whatever it takes,” Snowdrop said with a smile and a nod.
“In that case, welcome to the Pony Rangers: Harmony Force,” Princess Celestia said.
“Actually,” Button Mash said, “can we go with my idea and call the three of us the Pony Rangers: Elemental Force? Of course, that would also include Spike since he can wield fire like we can wield water, earth, and wind.”
There was a short pause before Twilight spoke up. “I don't see how that could be a bad idea,” the unicorn said while rubbing her chin with her hoof.
“You'd all still be a part of the Harmony Force, however,” Princess Celestia said. “But if you wish, you can call yourselves the Elemental Force.”
“Yes,” Button Mash said, doing a small celebration. “Thank you, Princess Celestia.”
“But you can't start calling yourselves the Elemental Force quite yet,” Princess Luna said, stepping forward. “We still have one more tradition for which you need to be Harmony Rangers. Snowdrop, please extend your hoof outward.”
“Um... okay,” Snowdrop said as she extended her hoof forward, followed quickly by Princess Luna placing her hoof on the filly's hoof. Once the others realized what Luna was doing, they all added their hooves to the circle, including Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, and Spike.
“Ready guys?” Rainbow Dash asked, everypony else replying with a nod. “From all of us together, we fight as one!”
“WE PROTECT ONE ANOTHER UNTIL THE BATTLE IS DONE!” everyone in the room shouted together as they raised their hooves/claws into the air. “PONY RANGERS: HARMONY/ELEMENTAL FORCE!”

Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, there was a small metal smoking pod that was buried at the end of a small trench that the pod apparently dug as it feel from the sky. On the top of the pod was a small hatch, which was quickly kicked open by a black hoof. The hoof returned inside the pod before its owner stuck her head out.
“That Button Mash honestly thought he could finish me,” Zecora said as she stepped out of the pod. “Which of us the fool really is, we shall soon see. The moon base may now be no more, but I still have one way to settle this score.” The zebra then began walking through the forest, laughing evilly to herself. “When they finally see my true power, they will all surely cower...”

By the time all was said and done, it was already almost sundown. Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, and Snowdrop stayed in Canterlot for the night so that their morphers could be completely cleansed of chaos magic. (And so Luna and Snowdrop could finally spend some quality time together.) Meanwhile, all the other Rangers returned to their homes. All but Rainbow Dash returned to Ponyville. The pegasus, on the other hoof, made her way to Cloudsdale, where not only did she live, but there was somepony she needed to see.
At Rainbow Dash's house, Scootaloo sat on the couch, holding the two Wonderbolts tickets and crying softly. She was interrupted, however, when she heard the front door opening. The filly quickly looked up to find Rainbow Dash standing there, staring right at Scootaloo.
“Rainbow Dash...” Scootaloo said. She tried to say more, but the words were stuck in her throat.
“Scootaloo...” Rainbow Dash replied, closing the door and walking towards the filly. She stopped when she was right in front of Scootaloo, looking down on her with a serious expression. Neither pegasus spoke for a minute, instead just looking at each other. Suddenly, Scootaloo broke down, ran up to hug Rainbow Dash, and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said. “I'm so, so, so, so sorry. I shouldn't have listened to Derpy, I should have trusted you and your friends. I-I wasn't sure, and I... I'm sorry. Please, can you forgive me for what I've done?”
Right then, Rainbow Dash did something that Scootaloo couldn't possibly have expected. The older pegasus wrapped her foreleg around her sister and began crying softly herself. “I forgive you, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash replied. “You couldn't have known for sure that what you were told was the truth, nor whether or not what you were doing was the right thing to do. But it's ok.”
“But... how?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at Rainbow Dash. “It could have been me who ruined Equestria's chances for survival with imprisoning you. How could you forgive me for such a thing?”
“Because I'm here now, and Equestria is still safe,” Rainbow Dash replied. “What you did had no negative repercussions in the end. In fact, you put me in a position where the other Rangers and I were able to stop the Chaos Rangers once and for all.”
“I... I did?” Scootaloo asked, a slight smile forming on her lips.
“Sure ya did, squirt,” Rainbow Dash replied, returning the smile. “I mean, you kinda got lucky with how things turned out, so I wouldn't try something like this again if I were you, but the point is that everything turned out fine, and we couldn't have done it without you, so don't feel bad about what you've done.”
Scootaloo was silent for a moment as she processed what Rainbow Dash said before the filly began to tear up for an entirely different reason. “Th-thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said, hugging Rainbow Dash even tighter.
“You're welcome, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash replied, returning the hug. “I could never stay mad at you.”
The two ponies stood there in silence for the longest time, embracing each other and crying softly, though each for different reasons. And Rainbow Dash would have stayed there for as long as Scootaloo needed if it weren't almost bedtime. Honestly, Dash was a little tired herself, but she didn't let that bother her. Scootaloo needed to hug her older sister, and Rainbow Dash was the only one on Equus who could have helped with that.

Next time...
“What do we have here?”
“Twilight, why did you call us in the middle of the night?”
“It's titled 'History of the Pony Rangers.' But how could that be?”
“That's every battle we've had in detail!”
“'Only the power of thunder can defeat the master of all evil.'”
“You owe me one final battle, Dashie!”
Stay tuned for the next chapter: “The Final Night.” Don't miss it!
> The Final Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a generally peaceful night in Ponyville. The final battle between the Harmony and Chaos Rangers was three days ago, and an air of calm settled upon the town since then. Even Twilight Sparkle, who usually spent her nights studying, was at the moment sound asleep.
At least, she was until she heard a noise coming from downstairs. Her ear twitched and she opened her eyes just slightly so she'd be awake enough to try to make out the sound. Usually if she was woken up in the middle of the night by a noise from downstairs, it was the sound of Spike rummaging about in the kitchen looking for a midnight snack, which Twilight often just ignored. However, that usually sounded like silverware and pans clattering to the ground because Spike accidentally bumped their drawers. That wasn't what the sound Twilight heard tonight was, though. This time, the sound was something like a whooshing and whirring sound that seemed to fade in and out, but each time it faded back in, it was slightly louder than before. After the noise was loud enough to cause Twilight to decide to go investigate, the whirring stopped and there was a sound that sounded something like a metal ball dropping. As the unicorn got out of bed, she heard what sounded like a wooden door opening, something being placed on the center table, and then the same door closing. Twilight made her way to her bedroom door and opened it just as the whirring noise from before started going off again, only this time it started intense and gradually ebbed. By the time Twilight got downstairs, the sound was gone, as well as the source of the noise. Twilight looked around for any evidence of a break-in. The door was locked, the windows unbroken, and nothing unusual about the room except for a few scattered quills and papers.
“That was weird,” Twilight said to herself. “I wonder what-” The unicorn stopped suddenly when she noticed something. There was a large tome on the center table that wasn't there before. “Huh... what do we have here?” The unicorn cantered down the stairs, picked up the book, and began to inspect it. She wasn't inspecting for long, however, before she saw something that made her gasp and drop the book. “The others need to know about this,” she said as she galloped to the basement so she could contact the other Rangers.

After about an hour, all the Pony Rangers except for Snowdrop and Button Mash had gathered in the library. As for everyone who was there, all of them were wondering where Twilight was since she was upstairs waiting for everypony to arrive.
“What do y'all think Twilight wanted this late at night?” Applejack asked.
“I have no idea,” Rarity replied. “But it had better be a reason good enough to interrupt my beauty sleep.”
“I'm sure Twilight wouldn't call us unless there was imminent danger,” Rainbow Dash commented as she flew upside down above everypony else. The pegasus then turned to Sweetie Belle. “Speaking of, do you know where Button Mash and Snowdrop are?”
“Oh sure, associate me and the Elemental Rangers with 'imminent danger' why don't you?” Sweetie Belle grumbled. “Button Mash's mom grounded him for getting so behind on his schoolwork—I think you can guess why—so he's gotta steal a scene from a spy movie if he wants to get here. I don't know about Snowdrop, though.”
“I sent a message to the Princesses to have them teleport her here,” Spike said. “Snowdrop should be here any minute.”
It was at this moment that the door opened and Button Mash quickly darted inside before closing the door behind him. He then galloped over to the window and looked outside for a while before he breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to the others, who were all staring at him. “Oh, hi guys,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry about the delay. I've been grounded since the other day and I had to sneak out of my house to get here.”
“I already told them,”  Sweetie Belle replied.
“Oh, thanks Sweetie Belle,” Button said with a smile as he cantered over towards the group. “So, does anypony know why we're here?”
“Nope,” Applejack replied while shaking her head. “An' Twilight's waiting until everypony's here before she tells us.”
“It makes sense,” Rarity replied with a shrug. “I, quite frankly, would rather not have to repeat myself if it could be helped. I believe everypony here could agree with me.”
It was another moment's pause before Princess Luna teleported into the library with Snowdrop on her back. “Good evening, everypony,” Luna greeted as Snowdrop leapt off of the Princess. “Princess Celestia is preoccupied at the moment... with sleep. So I came here for her.”
“Sorry if we kept you all waiting,” Snowdrop said. However, she was facing away from the others as she said this. Luna quickly stepped in and turned Snowdrop 180 degrees. “Oh, was I not facing you all? Sorry.”
“It's ok, Snowdrop,” Fluttershy said as Luna guided the filly towards the group.
“Alright, so it looks like everypony's here now,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now hopefully Twilight will come downstairs and tell us what the hay is going on.”
Right on cue, Twilight trotted down the stairs while levitating the book she found earlier that evening. “Oh good, everypony's here,” she said as she made her way towards the group.
“Twilight, I'm just gonna ask the question on everypony's mind,” Rainbow said. “Why are we all here?”
“Because of this,” Twilight said as she levitated the book over the center of the table and set it down. Instantly, everypony gathered and looked at the book curiously. “I was woken up earlier in the night by some strange noise, but when I went to investigate that noise, the only thing I found was this book on the table. No evidence of a break-in, no magical residue left from teleporting, nothing. But that isn't the strange part. The strange part is the title of the book. Go ahead and take a read.”
Everypony instantly crowded around the book to get a good angle on the title, which was written in small, difficult to read print. Everypony except for Rainbow Dash, who flew over everypony's head and looked at the title from above. “It reads...” she started, squinting her eyes to read the text. “'History... of the...' WHAT?” Whatever Rainbow had read, it startled her enough to cause her to become unable to keep herself in the air and fall on top of everypony.
“Rainbow, what was that for?” Applejack asked angrily as she and the others got back up and Rainbow got off the table. “What'dja read?”
“It said 'History of the Pony Rangers';” Rainbow replied. “Are we really so old that we need some huge tome to chronicle our adventures already?”
“Well, this story has been in the process of being written for about three years now,” Pinkie said. “Then again, in terms of chronologicallity within the story itself, it's actually been a year and an unmentioned but easily calculable by total nerds of this story number of months since Nightmare Moon returned and the first five of us became Pony Rangers.”
The others just stared at Pinkie. “Anywho...” Button Mash said, “back to the book.”
“Right,” Twilight said. “The title isn't the worst part, though.” She used her magic to open up to the inside page. “Look here. It says 'Volume 1' under the title on this page, implying that this story has more than what's just in this book. And the worst part is this book looks large enough to fit everything we've been through in the past year and a half. That is, unless this one just has incredibly large print and many illustrations and it's that reason why several volumes are needed. But I skimmed through the book and that wasn't the case.”
“Wait, you mean you haven't even read it yet?” Snowdrop asked.
“I haven't,” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “I didn't want to get too far into this and leave everypony else out. But don't worry, Snowdrop. I'm gonna read it aloud for everypony.”
“Gather 'round, fillies and colts, it's story time with aunty Twilight,” Rainbow said. At least, she was going to say that, but for the first time in a long time, she actually kept her remark to herself. Instead, she said “Okay, Twilight. Let's get to the bottom of this.”
“Let's hope this book lets us get there,” Twilight replied. She then opened the book and read the first page. “'About a thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon escaped her prison on the moon, and began her campaign to plunge the world of Equestria into eternal night. Princess Celestia, who was still trapped in her time warp by Nightmare's dark magic, hatched a plan to stop her corrupted sister. She called upon five ordinary ponies, Rainbow Spectrum Dash, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Fluttershy Breeze, Rarity Belle, and Applejack Apple, to wield the Elements of Harmony in order to defeat Nightmare and restore peace to Equestria. Similarly to what happened when the two sisters wielded the Elements of Harmony against Discord, these five ponies gained the ability to become the Pony Rangers. However, unlike the Solar and Lunar Rangers, these five, each wielding an individual Element of Harmony, became the Harmony Force Pony Rangers of the colors Red for Loyalty, Rainbow Dash's Element, Pink for Laughter, Pinkie Pie's Element, Yellow for Kindness, Fluttershy's Element, Black for Generosity, Rarity's Element, and Blue for Honesty, Applejack's Element. It was with these powers that...'” Twilight stopped reading in the middle of the sentence.
“What is it, Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It sounded like there was more to read.”
“There is,” Twilight replied. “But there's something bugging me. It feels like there was supposed to be something that happened before this in the book, even though I'm reading from the first page.” Twilight looked carefully at the inside cover page before finding her answer. “Aha! There are several pages torn out from the beginning.” Looking carefully at what remained in the book from the torn pages, something that looked like text written in very small print was on the paper. However, the text looked hoof-written, not typed like the rest of the book. “It says, 'You'll get to this part later.'”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked. “Shouldn't the beginning of the story be told, ya know, at the beginning of a book?”
“I'd guess so,” Twilight replied. She then shook her head. “Well, if the book says we'll get to the beginning later in the story, then there's nothing we can do but just keep reading.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Fluttershy said with a nod. With that, Twilight went back to the book.
“'It was with these powers that were born from the Elements of Harmony that Equestria found its salvation from Nightmare Moon and her evil.'” Twilight then read a little further onto the next page silently for a moment. “Now it's telling about our battles in detail...”


	...in a brilliant flash of lightning, the Harmony Sword, created and summoned by the power within the Elements of Harmony, descended from the clouds above and planted itself in the ground before the Harmony Megazord. The Rangers grabbed the sword and aimed it at the giant manticore before them. However, their foe, in a moment of cowardice, teleported away from the battle, thus giving the Harmony Rangers victory for that day. Despite not being able to use the full extent of their power in their first battle, the Rangers were able to send a powerful message to Nightmare Moon. Despite the absence of Princess Celestia, Equestria was far from defenseless. Nightmare read this message loud and clear, and prepared her counter to the Rangers...


“Something tells me that this next chapter is going to be about Derpy,” Twilight said as she turned the page.
“With any luck, this book might tell us something really important that we should know about Derpy's powers,” Rainbow added. “I know there's something about her powers that changed her, because she isn't the same mare she was two years ago by a long shot.”
“None of us are, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Luna replied. “But you have a point. Derpy does seem to be a special case. Even from behind the veil of darkness the miasma cast over me, I could tell she underwent a massive personality shift when she became the Green Ranger. Why or how, however, I do not know.”
“Then let's hope this book can tell us what we need to know,” Twilight said as she returned to the book.


	...the Thunder Coin was an ancient relic, a result of the Elements of Harmony being used against Discord. All of his chaotic power was too much for his stone form to hold, so before turning to the miasma, the two sisters created the Thunder Coin as a means of containing Discord's magic. The coin sealed a great amount of chaos energy, but it wasn't nearly all of Discord's power. Even still, the Thunder Coin was hidden away by and entrusted to Princess Luna so that the chaos magic within would remain hidden forever, even if Discord were to escape sometime in the future. This turned out to be a poor idea, however, as several centuries later, the miasma possessed Princess Luna and turned her into Nightmare Moon. She was sealed away within the moon with the Thunder Coin still in her possession. When Nightmare was freed a millennium later and faced with the Harmony Rangers, she came up with her own plan to use the Thunder Coin to create her own Pony Ranger, one born from evil and chaos. As her subject, Nightmare Moon chose an ordinary pegasus mare called Derpy Hooves. (See picture to left.) Derpy had no evil in her heart to begin with, but the Thunder Coin overtook and corrupted her, destroying her old personality and turning her into a villain equal only to Nightmare Moon herself.


“Did that book just say that the Thunder Coin 'destroyed' the old Derpy?” Rainbow asked with a shocked expression.
“It did,” Twilight replied. “I'm sorry, Rainbow. I know how much you wanted to save her, but I'm afraid-”
“No,” Rainbow interrupted. “You said yourself that the only thing we can do is continue reading. So do that. There has to be a way to save Derpy later in this chapter. And failing that...” Rainbow took a deep breath. “If we can't save her... then we need to find a way to finish her once and for all.”
Twilight nodded slowly before returning to the book.


	...the Thunder Coin gave Derpy incredible power. Despite there being only one of her, she could easily match the five Harmony Rangers in battle. However, this incredible power of hers came at a terrible cost. Discord's power would eventually begin to-


“There's more pages torn out,” Twilight said while shaking her head. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“I'll say,” Rainbow shouted. “Whatever that book was about to say, it has to be important.”
Twilight looked carefully at the paper remaining from the torn pages. “Like the beginning of the book, the remaining paper has 'You'll get to this part later' written on it. Everything's torn out until our first encounter with Gilda.”
“Whoever left this book here sure is leading us along a mighty winding path,” Applejack said.
“I've seen this technique before,” Button Mash said while rubbing his chin. “In a lot of the video games I've played, lots of plot devices are hidden away in the dialogue, only referenced once or twice, and then, when you least expect it, BOOM! Plot twist. And a pretty important one at that. Something that reveals something shocking about a certain character.”
“So what does that mean?” Snowdrop asked.
“It means whoever wrote this book has a thing for showponyship,” Rainbow concluded. “But he goes about it in a pretty annoying way.”
“You're welcome,” Rei said with a smirk as he relaxed in the corner of the room on a recliner. “By the way, I'm not the one who put that book there. In case you were planning on asking, that is.”
“Then why are you here?” Twilight asked. “You wouldn't show up in your own story unless you had something to say that would affect the plot.”
Rei just laughed and shook his head as he got off the recliner and stood up. “Twilight, have you even read this story? I almost never have something important to say. I usually just pop up for comic relief. Though I did feel the need to pop up so I could clear up some confusion. I just wanted to confirm that you weren't talking about me whenever you complained about 'whoever wrote this book.'”
“I'm starting to think we were complaining about both you and whoever tore out the pages,” Rarity grumbled.
“Hmm... I suppose a lot of people have wanted to voice their complaints about my writing style,” Rei said with a shrug. “At the time this story takes place and at the time it's gonna be published. The first ones to voice their complaints this openly for all to see might as well be my own characters.”
“Your own characters?” Pinkie asked. “But we're property of Hasbro.”
“Okay, this is enough craziness for one evening,” Rainbow said, flying between Pinkie and Rei. “You, Mr. Author, please go away and leave us to read this book in peace. You, Pinkie, please don't be so... you. At least for tonight. There's answers in that book and we need to find them.”
“I'm actually gonna stay in the room this time,” Rei said. “I'll leave you all be to continue the story, but I kinda wanna be there to see what happens for myself.”
“And I can't make any promises,” Pinkie said with a grin.
“I'll... I'll take that,” Rainbow said with an unsure tone. She then turned back to Twilight. “Alright, let's try to continue this story without any more breaches of the fourth wall.”
“You'll get no arguments here,” Twilight said as she returned to the book.


	...during one of Nightmare's attacks, an invasion of Parasprites (see image to right) sent by Zecora, the Harmony Rangers found themselves at nearly a loss, despite their best efforts...
...when all seemed lost, the Harmony Rangers found salvation from an unlikely source: Derpy Hooves. Despite her evil, the Green Ranger knew Zecora's attack was out of hoof, and fought alongside the Harmony Rangers in order to destroy the Parasprites.... Once victory was achieved, however, Derpy turned on the Harmony Rangers once more.... Despite what happened, however, this battle served to prove that, perhaps, Derpy was not completely gone. Perhaps behind the veil the Thunder Coin cast, the old Derpy was still crying out. Trying to free herself, trying to stop the Green Ranger....


“I knew it!” Rainbow shouted. “I knew all wasn't lost. If this book says that Derpy might still be in there, there might be a chance.”
“Don't get your hopes up, Rainbow,” Button warned. “This is exactly what happened in 'Ponyblade Chronicles 3D.' It seemed like there was a chance for everything to turn out alright, but then-”
“I see what you're saying, Button Mash,” Rainbow interrupted. “But even if there's a faint glimmer of hope, I wanna hold onto it.” She then turned to Twilight and nodded. “Go ahead.”


	...It seemed at first like Twilight had destroyed Derpy once and for all, but as long as the Thunder Coin still existed, that could never have happened. All it took was a single feather, infused with her essence, that Rainbow Dash recovered and set free to fly in the wind, away from Nightmare Moon. Derpy could still exist, but her form was now shattered. A part of her in the feather, a part of her in the Thunder Coin, and, with Twilight the new Green Ranger, a part of Derpy in the unicorn. Even incomplete, Derpy still existed, though hidden far away from Ponyville....


“So that's how Derpy returned,” Fluttershy commented. “Who could have guessed?”


	...the Grand Galloping Gala was where Nightmare Moon made her final stand against the Harmony Rangers....
...despite her power, the Harmony Rangers were able to overwhelm her in a final charge to victory, thus destroying Nightmare Moon and freeing Princess Luna from the miasma's grasp. However, the miasma itself was not destroyed. Fueled by all the jealousy and rage it had consumed from Princess Luna for so many centuries, the miasma became a massive monster that could have easily destroyed Equestria were it not for the Harmony Rangers going in for one last battle....


“I'm guessing the next bit is going to be about Discord, right?” Rainbow asked.
“Looks like it,” Twilight replied.


	...Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, now freed thanks to the eradication of the miasma, which was the only entity maintaining any measurable seal on him. His stone imprisonment held him for some months, but the time quickly approached when the Harmony Rangers had to do battle with him....
...their overconfidence proved to be their downfall. Discord was unfazed by the defeat of Nightmare Moon under the belts of the Rangers, and was able to easily defeat them, even stealing the chaotic Green Ranger powers from Twilight....


“Whoa whoa whoa,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I dunno about anypony else, but I don't remember 'overconfidence' playing a part in the first time we battled Discord and got our flanks handed to us.”
“Are you sure about that, Rainbow?” Pinkie asked. “Think reeeeeeally hard about that day. If I remember right, we were kinda cocky, like we could take on the universe no problem. Well... that's how I felt, at least...”
Twilight cleared her throat and continued reading.


	...the loss was scathing, but the Harmony Rangers were far from the point where they'd given up. Twilight Sparkle had been working on the Weapons of Harmony, which could have been the difference between victory and defeat in their previous battle. (See image gallery in back.) They were untested, however, which was why the Rangers could not use them in the first place. Despite Twilight losing her place as a Ranger, the Weapons of Harmony she had created still helped the remaining Rangers defeat Discord. He was not finished, but a message was sent to him, the very same message the Harmony Rangers sent to Nightmare Moon in their first battle: Equestria was still defended....


“I guess we're getting to the part where we come in, huh?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Looks like it,” Twilight replied. “Might also have something on Derpy, though.”


	...the Chaos Rangers, new Pony Rangers created through Discord's power. Only the Rangers representing Deception, Greed, and Betrayal were created by Discord, however. (Hatred and Cruelty were left out for the time being.) Instantaneously, the Chaos Rangers proved to be superior to the Harmony Rangers in every way. As though the Harmony Rangers didn't have enough problems, however, soon after their defeat, they were treated to another unpleasant surprise. The return of Derpy, the original Green Ranger.... She had survived an incomplete existence off of just her feather, but once Twilight lost her Ranger powers, the life force Derpy had within Twilight was returned to Derpy. After that, the creation of the Chaos Rangers created an influx of chaos energy that Derpy was able to feed off of in order to not only complete her form, but re-obtain her Ranger powers. However, this did not slow down her decay. Her powers still continued to-


“The page is torn out again,” Twilight said. “And those last two sentences were scratched out.”
“What did it mean by 'decay'?” Rainbow Dash shouted in a near-panic tone. “What's wrong with Derpy?”
“I don't know,” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “The bit that's left once again says 'You'll get to this pa-'”
“I'm tired of this foreshadowing!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “If something's wrong with Derpy, I have to know! Isn't there some way we can skip to the part that talks about what's wrong with her?”
Everyone was silent for a moment, unsure how to properly respond to Rainbow's outburst. Finally, in defiance of everypony's expectations, Rei spoke up. “Rainbow Dash has a point,” he said. “Season recaps are good for a TV show, but I'm starting to rethink whether it's such a good idea in a fanfiction... or any written material for that matter.”
This was followed by everypony else mumbling and nodding softly in agreement before Twilight spoke her part. “Alright,” she said. “If you of all ponies say so, then that's what we'll do.” The unicorn then began flipping through the book. “Let's see... Element of Magic, Phoenix Ranger born from Element of Hatred, that day everypony went crazy thanks to Discord's spell, our final encounter with the Chaos Rangers... while they were still evil, that is. Hey wait a second. What's this...?”


	...Derpy and Rainbow Dash fought to a standstill, as per usual, but this time, something worked in Rainbow's favor in order to end the duel early. Derpy's deterioration had accelerated faster than she had planned, and it was during this battle that her body began the process of physically breaking apart, starting at the hoof she attempted to strike Rainbow Dash with at the wrong moment. If Derpy had attempted to continue the fight any longer, the Thunder Coin would have completely destroyed her. In order to prolong the decay, Derpy retreated and was not heard from again by the Harmony Rangers for three days....


“And none of that was scratched out like last time...” Twilight said.
“Whoever left the book wanted us to discover this part at this exact moment in the story,” Button Mash said. “And beyond that, it's been three days since that battle. We could hear from Derpy again at any second.”
“So what this book is saying is that Derpy is slowly...” Rainbow Dash said. “But is that why she's been so dead-set on revenge? Is that the only reason she's been fighting?”
“I think we'll find out in this next chapter,” Twilight said. “It's titled 'The Strange Book'. That probably means this chapter is about us finding the very book we're reading at this moment.”
“Hah, that's stupid,” Rei said with a laugh. “What kind of book talks about itself?” Everyone in the room glared at the author, who quickly cleared his throat. “I mean, uh, please continue.”


	...Twilight Sparkle walked downstairs to see a book left behind by a mysterious stranger, of whose presence there was no other evidence other than the very book you are reading. (Or a copy, at least.) Whoever left the book vanished without a trace....
...all ten of the Harmony Rangers gathered in the library, where Twilight read to them all the book contained, which was a detailed account of all of their battles and adventures as Pony Rangers up to that point. Much to their dismay, however, many of the pages had been torn out of the book. (See “Removed Pages” in index.) This angered several of the Rangers, but the one who was most concerned was Rainbow Dash, due to the fact that almost everything that was torn out had to do with Derpy Hooves, whom the former pegasus sought to save from Discord's hold. As the story went on, however, Rainbow Dash and the others slowly began to realize that there was more at stake than just Derpy's alignment. No, they slowly discovered why Derpy fought so vigorously. Because of the decay that Derpy was experiencing due to the Thunder Coin's overwhelming chaos energy....


“That makes sense!” Pinkie shouted. “You guys, do you remember back in season 1 when Rei did that crossover chapter with the other author that never got finished?”
“Oh crap, you're right!” Rei shouted. “I completely forgot that chapter still needed a conclusion! Oh, I bet Xanderman1201 is sooooo angry with me.” The pegasus then turned around to face the camera. “Xander, if you're out there, I'm really really really sorry about neglecting our chapter.”
Sweetie Belle leaned over to Button Mash and whispered “Why is he apologizing to a wall?”
“He's talking to the camera,” Button replied in a similar whisper. “It's something a lot of video game characters do if the game is heavy on comedy.”
“There's no time to worry about the conclusion to that chapter right now,” Pinkie said. “What's important is what happened in part 1 of that chapter. When we encountered that evil Twilight from the alternate universe, she said something about the Thunder Coin being too much for her and that she was slowly dying.”
“But wait, didn't we already figure out that what she said was false?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, even if that bit technically hasn't happened yet since it wasn't written, we sorta figured it out after Twilight... well, never died because of the Thunder Coin. If what that evil White Ranger said was true and Twilight couldn't have survived more than a few more battles, then she shouldn't be standing here right now. Right? Am I right here?”
“Maybe her math was off,” Twilight said while rubbing her chin. “Or maybe she told you false information on purpose to throw us off. That being said... who knows how long Derpy has now?”
“Not long, I'd bet...” Rainbow Dash said while looking down. “Derpy... we have to save her! Twilight, that book is about us as Pony Rangers, right? And it's some kind of history book from the future?”
“That's right,” Twilight replied with a nod. “But where are you going with this?”
“If that's a history book from the future, then surely it has an ending,” Rainbow concluded. “You know, it can't just stop at 'the Pony Rangers found this book and read it'. It has to end somewhere. Maybe it can tell us how to save Derpy. I mean, surely we save her in the end, right?”
“I don't know, Dash,” Twilight said. “I mean to say, I don't know if that's such a good idea. What if we read ahead and find out that we don't save Derpy? Somepony once told me that the future is only changeable until it's read, then it's set in stone.”
“But that book has already said that we're reading the book,” Rainbow replied. “What if the book says something like 'The Rangers then read that this and this and this were what were needed to save Derpy.' With everything that's already happened with this book, surely that's not out of the question, right?”
Twilight was silent for a moment before sighing. “You know what? You're right. It's like I said at the beginning of this book. The only thing we can do is keep reading.” The unicorn then went back to the book.


	...the Rangers read and read, but stumbled upon nothing that would help them. That is, until they reached the final chapter....


“Well... that's convenient,” Twilight said with a confused expression. “It looks like the next chapter is the final chapter.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Rainbow asked. “Let's hear what it says.”
“Okay,” Twilight replied with a nod. “The final chapter: Friendship is Magic....”


	...that morning, every Ranger knew that something big was coming. However, Rainbow Dash was the only one with a real battle on her hooves. At high noon-


“Not again!” Twilight shouted. “More pages are torn out! This time it looks like the whole chapter's gone.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash shouted. “But that can't be! How are we supposed to know-?”
“Wait a second...” Twilight said. “There's something in the back of the book.... It's a note of some kind.” She then read the note.


	Well hello there, my little Pony Rangers. Did you enjoy the story I drew up for you? Well, I didn't write the whole thing. I had a couple of co-authors. But if you'd notice, I kinda got rid of a lot of stuff on this particular copy, namely a lot of pages, but what probably evaded your perception were some minor things like the names of the authors and such. Why all of this? One simple reason: spoilers. What you all are having is an adventure. What's the fun in an adventure if you know what's around the next bend? No, I left this book here for just two reasons. First, I wanted to remind you of what you're fighting for. At this point, the first five Harmony Rangers have been doing this gig for about a year or so. Everyone else probably less time, but none of you can forget why you're Rangers in the first place. You all have to remember that you're all destined to save Equestria, even those of you who got off to a... less than pleasant start. Second, I wanted to let you know what's at stake here. You probably don't know this, but Discord survived the moon base exploding. (Then again, you really shouldn't be surprised if you didn't know.) And beyond that, he's almost back to full power. All it'll take is one last surge of chaotic energy in Equestria, and he might become too powerful for the ten of you to stop. In fact, I can just about guarantee that. That's why you have to find him and stop him before something drastic happens.
Which brings me to my third and final reason. (I did say there were three reasons, didn't I?) That final reason is Derpy... Rainbow Dash, if you're reading this, you're not gonna like what's coming next. At this point, I'm pretty sure Derpy is beyond help. Even if you were to find a way to convince her to join you, I'm afraid she doesn't have enough time left. Her powers will destroy her tomorrow, and there's nothing you can do. She also knows this, and she's going to do something drastic as one last hurrah. This drastic thing is going to be what Discord needs to regain the remainder of his power. You will have to stop her before that can happen, no matter the cost. If you don't, Discord will have the power he needs to conquer Equestria entirely unopposed, and you'll be powerless to stop him.


“But... but that can't be...” Rainbow Dash said in a shaky voice. “N-no, that has to be a lie. There has to be some way to save Derpy. There just has to!”
“I'm sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “But I warned you. Once the future's read, it's set in stone.” There was a pause before Twilight continued. “There's still a little more to the note.”


	But before you cut away from this note to Rainbow Dash being upset over the news, Twilight, there's one more thing you need to know. Once Derpy is gone, the Thunder Coin will still remain. Keep that as safe as you've kept the Alicorn Amulet. There is one very important thing you need to know. About the road that lies beyond Discord. (Oops, probably should have put a spoiler alert there. But let's face it, why would you think Discord was it?) There is a message you need to receive, and that message is: Only the power of Thunder can defeat the master of all evil.
To Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Snowdrop, Sweetie Belle, Button Mash, and Spike, I wish you all luck with this battle. Remember, do not waste any time. Time is something you will need against Discord. I understand how hard this will be for you to digest, but you need to forget about Derpy. Finish her when you have the chance so that she can't give Discord the opportunity he needs to achieve his maximum power. And save the Thunder Coin. Store it somewhere safe. Where no one will ever get to it until the time is right.
This is all I can offer you. The ten of you are on your own from this point on.


“That's it,” Twilight said. “The note was at the back cover of the book, and there's nothing else we haven't read yet. That was everything this book had to offer us.” Everypony in the room then looked over at Rainbow Dash. “And I'm sorry about Derpy. I really wish there was something we could do.”
“There is,” Rainbow replied sternly with a stomp of her hoof. “Why should we care about what some book says? For all we know, it was just put there by some talented prankster who knows way too much about us. It doesn't have to dictate what we do to Derpy. There's a way to save her... I can feel it. And whatever that way is, I'm going to find out, and I'm going to use that knowledge to save Derpy.”
Everypony in the room was silent for a moment before Twilight shook her head. “No, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “I'm afraid you're wrong.”
“How could you just give up like that?” Rainbow shouted. “I know you're an egghead and like books a lot, but why are you letting this one little book dictate what we do and who we save?”
“You didn't let me finish, Dash,” Twilight replied. “What you're wrong about... you're not going to find out how to save Derpy... we're going to find out. All of us will work together to find a way to save her.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked, a glint of nervous hope in her eye.
“Our duty is to protect Equestria and everything within,” Twilight replied. “That includes Derpy. If she's in danger, then we're going to save her from that danger. All of us. Together.”
“Yeah!” the other Rangers in the room cheered.
“Gosh... thanks everypony,” Rainbow said with a slight smile. “It means a lot to me that you'd all-”
Rainbow Dash was interrupted when there was a loud beeping noise coming from downstairs. “There's an incoming transmission!” Spike shouted. He and Twilight then ran down towards the computer room, followed closely by the others and finally Luna with Snowdrop in tow.
Once everypony was gathered in the computer room, Spike opened up the transmission, revealing the face of Derpy on the screen above. “Derpy!” everypony shouted in unison.
“Hello to all of you as well, Harmony Rangers,” the evil pegasus said. “And especially to you, Dashie.”
“What do you want, Derpy?” Rainbow Dash asked with a fierce expression.
“To apologize,” Derpy replied with a sinister smile. “I'm sorry our last battle three days ago got cut short. I'm afraid I was... unprepared, in a sense. But now I'm ready to finish what I started all those moons ago. Rainbow Dash, I challenge you to one final duel at high noon tomorrow above Ponyville. One final duel from which only one of us shall walk away. And you will face me alone.”
Rainbow Dash was far from surprised by this. She already knew about what was happening with Derpy, and if what the note at the end of the book said was true, this was that last hurrah. Her final attempt to destroy Rainbow Dash. Whether Derpy succeeded or failed was inconsequential to whether she lived for very long afterwards, so since she had nothing left to lose, Derpy was going to fight Rainbow Dash with every last ounce of energy, thus making this duel the most dangerous one ever. But also if what that note said was true, if Rainbow Dash didn't accept Derpy's request, then something terrible was going to happen that would cause massive chaos in Ponyville, and possibly all of Equestria, that would give Discord the energy spike he needed to gain unbeatable power. Finally, after considering all of this, Rainbow Dash responded to Derpy.
“I'll fight you, Derpy,” she said with a serious and unflinching expression. “I'll fight you, and if need be, I'll finish you once and for all. But I can't let you put any more ponies in harm's way because of your thirst for revenge.”
“Heh, you can try to finish me Dashie,” Derpy replied with a laugh and an evil smile. “But know this right now. I'm not going down tomorrow by your hooves. No, I'll finally be the one to defeat you. Then we will finally see who the truly superior Ranger is. Once you're out of the way, your whole town will suffer my wrath, and even your friends will be powerless to stop me.”
“If my friends will be powerless to stop you, then I'll just have to make sure I finish you first,” Rainbow replied. “Tomorrow at high noon will be our final battle.”
Derpy's lips curved into a sinister smile. “Good. I eagerly await this battle. I'll make sure it's one you won't soon forget.” Derpy then disconnected, and the screen turned to static.
“I know it'll be one I won't forget,” Rainbow said mostly to herself as she looked down and a frown began to appear on her face. “It'll be one we'll both remember as long as we live...”
“Rainbow Dash, are you ok?” Princess Luna asked while walking up to the prismatic pegasus.
“I'm fine,” Rainbow replied with a shake of her head before looking back up at everypony else. “The plan hasn't changed. Derpy's finally sent her challenge, so now the only thing left for me to do is meet that challenge. I'll fight her, and I'll defeat her... in the name of harmony.” Dash then looked down once again. “But that doesn't mean... I won't feel bad about losing her.”
Twilight walked up and placed a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. “You won't lose her,” the unicorn said with a reassuringly serious expression. “We'll make sure we can come up with a plan to save Derpy from whatever the Thunder Coin's doing to her. Don't you worry, Dash.”
“Thanks Twilight,” Rainbow said with a smile. “Thank you everypony. I don't know what I'd do without any of you here to back me up.”
“And we don't know where we'd be without such a great leader,” Fluttershy replied.
“Yeah, without a leader like you, who would we have to back up?” Pinkie asked. “We'd be backing up nothing but air, and we can all imagine how awkward that would look.”
For the first time in a while, everypony in the room allowed themselves to laugh a little at Pinkie's comment. It was probably the first time any of them had laughed in ages, and this proved to some of them to be a good omen. Whatever the next day brought, they were all ready for it, for better or for worse.
“Okay, so it looks like everypony is not only clear on the plan, but has some pretty high morale,” Rei said. “In that case, I'll go ahead and... disappear. You know, like a usually do.”
“Wait,” Twilight said as the colt began to walk up the stairs. “You have to tell us something first.”
“What could you possibly want me to tell you?” Rei asked with a curious expression.
“Why do you keep appearing?” she asked. “Whenever something's big is about to happen, you decide to show yourself instead of make it happen from the background like you normally do. What significance do you have to your own story?”
Rei was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time before replying. “Do you remember how Derpy and the others gave Applebloom and Scootaloo edited versions of this story?”
“Yes...” Rainbow replied. “Are you saying you're the one who gave the Chaos Rangers those chapters to give to our sisters?”
“No,” Rei replied with a shake of his head. “I mean I keep appearing so that I can prevent something like that from happening.”
“But... what's that supposed to mean?” Button Mash asked.
“You can't concern yourself with that right now,” Rei replied. “You have a finale to focus on. As for me... I'll see you all again on the other side.” The colt then left the room.
“He's right,” Rainbow said. “We can't dwell on the mysteries that surround him. We have to focus on Derpy first. If we don't stop her, we'll never be able to stop Discord, and we won't be able to save Derpy unless we're all focused.”
“You're right,” Twilight said with a nod. “Alright everypony... let's prepare ourselves for a finale.”

Next time, on part 1 of the season finale of My Little Pony Rangers...
“We'll come up with something by the time all's said and done. Trust me.”
“And here I was afraid you wouldn't show.”
“I know why you fight, Derpy. I wanna help you.”
“Where was all of this help when I still had a chance?!”
“Derpy, please wake up!”
“To defeat me, you have all tried. But now is the time that you've all died!”
Be on the lookout for the beginning of the end, “Derpy's Last Stand (Friendship is Magic part 1)”
> Final Stand (Friendship is Magic part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Author's note
When the music starts, use your own judgment for when it should end. I'd tell you myself, but that'll break the rhythm of the story.



The day following the night when the Harmony Rangers gathered in the library and found the “History of the Pony Rangers” book, all ten Rangers were gathered once again, this time in Canterlot and accompanied by Princesses Celestia and Luna.
“Are you absolutely certain you want to follow through with this, Rainbow Dash?” Princess Celestia asked. “You do not have to face Derpy alone.”
“Yes I do,” Rainbow replied with a serious expression. “If what that book said is true, and Derpy really doesn't have very much time left, then it has to be me who either saves her… or finishes her.”
“It won't just be you saving her,” Twilight said while shaking her head. “While you're gone, we're going to try to find something that can help save her. I don't know what we'll do, but we're going to see what we can find.”
“Thanks everypony,” Rainbow said with a smile. She then looked down. “So I guess it's time…”
“Don't worry, Rainbow Dash,” Snowdrop said. “If you could handle me whenever we battled, I doubt you'll have any trouble with Derpy.”
“It's different this time, though,” Rainbow replied with a sigh. “I've fought her before, but it's a duel to the end this time around.”
“If that's the case, then your end is on the line as well,” Princess Luna said. “And I highly doubt Derpy will hesitate to deliver the finishing blow if you allow her. You must be prepared to deliver the finishing blow yourself if you wish to survive.”
Rainbow sighed, but said nothing. It was here that Twilight walked up to her. “Rainbow… I think I know what you're going through,” the unicorn said. “You're afraid to take another pony's life. I've already had to twice. Let me tell you that it doesn't sit well after the fact, but if it's necessary for the protection of Equestria, you have to be able to live with it.”
“How is that supposed to help me?” Rainbow asked.
“By assuring you that if the time comes and you're forced to make that decision, you aren't going to be judged,” Twilight replied. “No matter what happens, you have to trust that you know what the right decision is. For you, for your friends, and for Equestria.”
Rainbow was silent for a moment before looking up at Twilight and smiling a little. “Actually, when I think about it the right way, that does make me feel a little better,” the pegasus said. “Thanks Twilight.”
“You're welcome, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied.
“It's almost time,” Princess Celestia said while walking up to Rainbow Dash. “Derpy will be expecting you at Ponyville in less than ten minutes. Are you ready?”
“I have to be,” Rainbow Dash replied with a nod. She then turned to everypony else. “Don't worry, everypony. I promise I'll come back.”
“We know you will,” Fluttershy said.
“We'll be right there with ya in spirit,” Applejack added.
“And we'll be ready to help Derpy however we can if you bring her back,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Even if we can't be there with you, we've got your back,” Twilight finished. “Just… don't mess up, okay?”
“Heh, I won't,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. She then turned around and was about to leave, but the pegasus stopped at the door and turned around. “Guys… it's been great fighting alongside all of you. Even if I've spent less time with some of you than others, it's been an honor to know you all as Rangers.”
“The feeling's mutual,” Twilight said with a smile, and everypony else nodded in agreement.
“Right then…” Rainbow said with a long exhale. Without another word, she turned around and flew off.
The was a moment's pause in which the air in the room was completely still. This only lasted a moment, however, before Twilight turned around and donned a serious expression. “Alright everypony,” she said, “Rainbow's doing her part, so it's time for us to do ours. Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, Snowdrop, and Spike, you four are in charge of getting us the information we need on your Ranger powers. You might be on the side of Harmony now, but you've still got traces of Chaos energy in your morphers, and that's exactly what we need at the moment. Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, you three make your way to the Zords' hangars and get whatever data you can from their memory banks. Surely there'll be something there that'll give us some insight into Derpy's power. Rarity, the Princesses, and I are going on book duty. We're scanning the Canterlot Library and the main computer system for anything we can find Ranger-related that'll give us the insight we need. Everypony clear?” Nopony said anything. “Alright, now let's get moving. We won't have much time, so let's get to work!” With a collective nod of acknowledgment, everypony ran off to where they were all expected to be. Meanwhile, Princess Celestia walked up to Twilight.
“Very impressive, my student,” the princess complimented. “You took charge of that situation very well.”
“Thanks, Princess,” Twilight replied with a sigh. “For a moment, I wasn't sure I'd pulled that off right.”
“Do not worry,” Princess Celestia said. “I'm sure everypony sees you as a competent enough leader.” With a smile, she added, “I certainly do.”
Twilight returned the smile, but didn't say anything more. Instead, she turned to Rarity. “You stay here with Princess Luna and go over the data in the computer system. Princess Celestia and I will handle the library.”
“Alright,” Rarity said with a nod. With that, Twilight and Celestia galloped out of the room towards the library while Rarity and Luna manned the primary consoles.

Meanwhile, a little above Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was flying and searching for Derpy. “Come on, Derpy…” she said under her breath as she searched. She was about to lose hope when she heard a whistling sound from above her. Rainbow looked up to see a familiar gray face that wore Derpy's now signature cross-eyed glare. The latter mare gestured for her rival to come up and join her before disappearing into the cloud she was on. “This is it…” Rainbow thought out loud before flying up to meet Derpy.
“Don't know why I expected you to be late,” Derpy said to Rainbow Dash as Rainbow arrived atop the cloud. “Guess I should apologize for that up-front.”
“Derpy, I know you're not going to listen to me, but I have to at least try to tell you something,” Rainbow said, her expression declining into a pleading sadness. “You don't have to do this. We don't have to fight. If you surrender now and come with me back to Canterlot, I promise that we'll find a way to save you. Me, Twilight, the Princesses… everypony's hard at work right now, as we speak, to find some way to save you. If we fight, one or both of us will die. But if you come with me, we can both live. You don't even have to join the Harmony Rangers. Just let us help you, let us free you, and then we never even have to speak ever again.”
Derpy was silent for a moment before looking down at her hooves and chuckling. “That's just like you, Rainbow Dash…” Derpy said. “Always looking to end things fast.” Derpy then looked back up at Rainbow Dash, her expression becoming serious again. “I appreciate the sentiment. I really, truly do. But I'm afraid this story isn't going to have the 'sunshine and rainbows' ending you're hoping for. No, we're going to fight. You can try to talk and mercy me all you want, but neither of us will walk away happy with that kind of fight, now will we? You're itching to go though with this final duel just as much as I am.” Derpy then pulled out her Thunder Coin. “Tell me I'm wrong. I dare you.”
Rainbow Dash sighed before donning her Element of Harmony and looking up at Derpy while returning the intense expression. “I tried to give you the easy way out, Derpy,” she said. “I tried to save you. But now… I won't be held responsible for my actions.”
“That's just what I like to hear,” Derpy said with a smile. “Now then… may I have this final dance?”
In an instant, the cloud the two ponies were standing atop exploded in a flash of red and green light. Startled ponies in the vicinity looked up to see the Red Harmony Ranger and Green Chaos Ranger in the epicenter, both of them hanging in the air, both with their blades drawn, and both staring each other down. A massive aura of energy could be felt by earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike as they all either looked on in amazement, or retreated until they felt they were far enough away to do the same safely.
”This is it…” Rainbow thought to herself.
[Battle Theme]
Derpy was eager to start things off by charging forward at high speed and deliver a lateral slash. Rainbow dropped altitude quickly in order to avoid the attack before delivering a slash attack to Derpy's underside. Derpy fell back a bit, but was right back on the offensive by charging downward and attacking with an overhead slash. Rainbow blocked this with her own sword, but Derpy read the block and quickly flipped into a kick to Rainbow's chest with both hind legs, sending the red-clad Ranger down in altitude even more. Realizing that they'll likely run out of altitude soon at this rate, Rainbow dash charged upwards and got back to Derpy's level before taking the offensive and going in for a slash that Derpy was just barely too slow to dodge, causing the attack to clip her ear. Derpy either didn't feel this attack or didn't care as she unflinchingly turned around and delivered a powerful slash attack that struck Rainbow Dash square in the chest, causing her to stumble back a bit. Derpy saw her opening and charged forward to deliver a trio of slashes kept Rainbow off-balance. Derpy then prepared to finish her combo with a powerful uppercut that sent Rainbow into the air, where she came back down right into the path of a final charged slash from Derpy. However, Rainbow Dash regained her balance just in time to block this attack with her sword, giving her the opportunity to counterattack. Rainbow lunged forward and gave Derpy a full-force punch to the face, followed by a quick uppercut slash, a hilt smash to the chest, and a powerful 360 degree slash that sent Derpy flying backwards. The green-clad mare quickly regained balance, however.
“You're gonna have to try harder than that!” Derpy shouted before lunging forward and delivering a powerful slash that Rainbow tried blocking. However, the force of Derpy's attack was too great, and Rainbow's guard faltered, causing her to suffer most, though not all, of the force from Derpy's attack. Rainbow quickly dodged backwards so as to avoid a follow-up attack, but Derpy read this and charged forward to deliver a powerful tackle that caught Rainbow off-guard. Derpy then kicked off of Rainbow and sent her falling before charging downward and delivering a powerful meteor slash that sent Rainbow hurdling towards the ground. Rainbow righted herself before she crashed in the abandoned warehouse district of Ponyville, but Derpy caught up to her quickly and delivered another tackle that caused them both to impact on the ground below, creating a small crater. Derpy saw her chance for a finishing move with Rainbow pinned below her and was about to deliver the final strike with her sword. However, Rainbow was able to quickly kick Derpy off of her before getting up and charging forward with her sword at the ready.
“Just because I tried to show you mercy before…” Rainbow shouted as she struck Derpy with her sword twice, “DOESN'T MEAN I'LL MAKE IT THAT EASY!” Rainbow finished her combo, and her sentence, with a powerful uppercut slash that knocked Derpy into the air. Rainbow then got airborne after Derpy and delivered a powerful mule kick that sent Derpy hurdling at high speed into the wall of a warehouse, through which she flew before crashing out through the wall on the other end. However, it was at this point that she regained her balance and flew over the warehouse, where Rainbow had tried to follow her. Their blades clashed, but Rainbow was caught more off-guard by this sudden attack and lost balance, allowing Derpy to deliver a powerful strike to Rainbow's sword hoof, knocking the Harmony Blade out of its owner's hoof and sending it flying clear across the battlefield. “Uh oh…” Rainbow commented as she suddenly found herself at a one-sword disadvantage. Derpy took full use of this opportunity and lunged forward to try to attack Rainbow while she was vulnerable. However, Rainbow was far from helpless. She dodged Derpy's attack and delivered a solid punch to her foe's side, followed by a flip kick and a double-hoofed downward smash that sent Derpy into the ground. Derpy quickly got up so as to avoid any follow-ups, but instead of attacking, she found Rainbow Dash flying away quickly, likely to try to find her Harmony Blade again so the battle was even once more.
“Not happening!” Derpy shouted as she began to give chase. She kept sight of Rainbow Dash and somehow managed to maintain a constant proximity to her foe. Derpy's speed and agility legitimately caught Rainbow Dash by surprise as she stayed low to the ground and flew through the warehouses, twisting and turning everywhere she could, even flying through the inside of some of them. Inside of one warehouse, Derpy managed to get ahead of Rainbow Dash and tried to deliver a slash attack while the Red Ranger was surprised. This attack connected and evidently dealt a decent amount of damage, but Rainbow didn't let herself flinch. Instead, she took the hit, then attacked Derpy with a double punch right to the chest, sending the Green Ranger backwards and onto her back. Rainbow took this opportunity to fly away quickly, but Derpy got back up and continued the chase with ease.
“Grr… where is it!?” Rainbow shouted as she continuously scanned the area for her sword, all the while doing her best to keep Derpy at a safe distance away. “And for that matter, how is Derpy able to fly so fast?” Deciding to shake this question off for the time being, Rainbow continued flying in the general direction she saw her sword fly away. At last, however, she found her sword impaled on the ground right on the outskirts of the abandoned warehouse district. With one last burst of speed, Rainbow charged forward, grabbed the sword right out of the ground, and turned around to meet the attack Derpy had been trying so hard to land. However, Derpy's high-speed slash was blocked by Rainbow's own sword. The force of this attack knocked both mares back a few paces, but they both were eager to charge forward and press on the attack. Rainbow Dash went in for an overhead slash, but Derpy blocked this and tried to deliver a punch to Rainbow's chest while she was off-balance. The only problem was that Rainbow wasn't off-balance. She reached up with her hind legs, wrapped them around Derpy's foreleg, and threw Derpy over her head and onto the ground below. Rainbow then went in for another high-speed slash that Derpy tried to block, but the force of Rainbow's attack was so great, Derpy's sword shattered and became nothing but a cloud of dark smoke that quickly dissipated.
“That's not supposed to happen…” Derpy said to herself in an almost panicked tone. “Not yet!”
“Don't worry,” Rainbow said as she flew back a few paces and impaled her sword in the ground. “Unlike you, I'm game for a fair fight.”
”So that's the game, huh?” Rainbow thought. ”I didn't put nearly as much force in that blow as I could have. That means Derpy's losing steam fast. I just have to outlast her, and I can get her back to Canterlot in one piece once she's out of juice.” With a gulp, she added, ”I hope.”
With a shout, Derpy charged forward to deliver a powerful punch right to Rainbow's face. Rainbow blocked this attack with both her hooves, spun around to Derpy's side, and delivered a low sweep that knocked Derpy back to the ground. However, the latter pegasus was far from helpless in this position. She reached up, grabbed Rainbow's hind leg, and yanked it out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground herself, where Derpy quickly got on top of her and tried to deliver a powerful double-hoofed smash right to Rainbow's head. Rainbow moved her head out of the way quickly, causing Derpy to hit solid ground with enough force to create a small crack. Realizing that Derpy knew she was at her end as well and was pulling out all the stops to finish Rainbow, the polychrome pegasus kicked Derpy off of her and flew up into the air at high speed.
“I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY!” Derpy shouted at the top of her lungs as she took off at full speed after Rainbow Dash.
”This ends in the clouds,” Rainbow thought to herself with a determined expression. ”If she does something stupid, it'll do less damage above Cloudsdale than it'll do right on-level with Ponyville.”
And so the two flew at high speed, neither one able to shrink or widen the gap between them for more than half a second. They passed Cloudsdale quickly, but flew on for a long time after that. Eventually, the skies around the two began growing dark, the temperature descended into a biting cold, and the air began to grow thin. But neither one was going to stop. Derpy was determined to catch Rainbow, and Rainbow was determined to tire Derpy out. They were both ready to follow through with this plan, even if they had to chase each other right up to the moon.
“Give up now, Derpy!” Rainbow called. “I can handle this environment, but you won't survive!”
“You're not fooling me with that!” Derpy shouted back. “I'm not letting you run away from-”
Snap!
The sound should have been rather quiet, and even less perceptible to either mare with the air so thin, but both of them knew exactly what had happened. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Rainbow Dash slowed down and turned around to see Derpy's wings lock up in an awkward position just before she demorphed. With her Ranger armor gone, her expression was clear to Rainbow Dash. A horrifying combination of shock, pain, and fear.
”No…” Rainbow thought to herself as she and Derpy hung in the air, suspended in that moment in time. ”No! Derpy, why? Why did you push yourself so far!?”
”I couldn't do it…” Derpy thought, as though she were answering Rainbow's question. ”I… didn't have enough time…” Despite the unfathomable pain coming from her wings, Derpy smiled and mouthed the words “I'm sorry.”
As suddenly as the moment started, it stopped. Time flowed once again, and time saw Derpy fall backwards before beginning a plummet head-first towards the ground miles below
“NO!” Rainbow shouted as she took off after Derpy, who was accelerating so fast, Rainbow was having a hard time making sure she could both keep up with Derpy and catch her without hurting her. This decision ultimately started costing Rainbow as Derpy began quickly falling out of sight. What was coming back into sight, however, was Cloudsdale below, and Rainbow knew the ground wasn't very far after that at the rate the two were falling. “YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DIE AS LONG AS I CAN SAVE YOU, DERPY!” Rainbow shouted as she quickly accelerated, noticing a cone of energy beginning to form around her. ”Will that be too much?” Rainbow thought to herself. ”I could kill her with my own speed if I do this wrong. But if I don't do it at all… I WON'T RISK IT!” With a sudden surge of determination and one final burst of speed, an explosion of color occurred, sending a rainbow-colored shock wave out in all directions from where Rainbow Dash suddenly accelerated to twice her speed not two seconds ago, leaving behind an almost solid rainbow trail. A Sonic Rainboom. With this new speed, Rainbow flew right through Cloudsdale after Derpy, grabbing her mere yards from the ground before doing a 90 degree turn and flying forward just above Ponyville. But the speed was too great. Rainbow wasn't able to stop herself. She just had to ride her Rainboom out, but that meant weaving through numerous roofs and pegasus passersby. Eventually she was out of Ponyville and heading into the Everfree Forest, where even Rainbow was unable to dodge and weave through the branches and brambles. Each branch, leaf, and plant chipped away at Rainbow's speed and stamina before at last, she was unable to maintain a steady flight and felt herself demorph before she fell to the ground, both her and Derpy rolling forward several more yards before finally coming to a stop in an unknown part of the forest.
Both pegasi lay where they landed, unmoving, for several minutes before Rainbow Dash was finally able to bring herself to move again. She got up slowly, every one of her muscles aching from the ordeal she'd just gone through, but she was more concerned with Derpy's condition. Rainbow slowly walked up to Derpy, and immediately noticed several things. For one, her fur was singed in several areas, likely from the friction of re-entering the atmosphere. This led to her second observation: the fact that not only was Derpy unconscious, but she'd lost consciousness sometime between when she started falling and before they got to the Everfree Forest. Otherwise, she'd have been reacting more to her fur being singed – or worse – as she was falling.
Finally, Rainbow Dash moved to the observation she'd been dreading: Derpy's wings. Rainbow didn't need to be very close to know that they were broken. Upon closer inspection, Rainbow could see the stress and fatigue Derpy's wings had suffered before they finally gave way. Derpy was already falling apart before the battle started, but this… this was Derpy's fatal mistake.
“Oh Derpy…” Rainbow said as tears began welling up. “Why wouldn't you just let me save you?” She sat down beside Derpy and, knowing nopony was around to see the scene, began crying softly for her fallen adversary. Rainbow was crying for a short while before she heard something that caught her attention.
“Because that would have meant you won.”
Rainbow looked up just in time to see Derpy suddenly spring to life and try futility to punch her. Rainbow got up and dodged out of the way, causing Derpy to fall flat on her face and cry out in pain.
“Derpy! You're alive?” Rainbow asked. “But… but you were…”
“Not about to admit defeat,” Derpy finished as she looked up, though the strain was evident in her eyes. “You never did understand me, did you Rainbow Dash?'
“I knew you'd been corrupted by chaos magic,” Rainbow replied. “And that made you fight me. My friends and I tried to help you, but-”
“You never knew the whole story, though, did you?” Derpy asked. With a pained grunt, Derpy heaved herself off the ground in a sitting position. She winced in pain as she mistakenly tried to move her broken wing.
“Here, I might be able to do something about that,” Rainbow said as she approached Derpy, ready to try to help as best she could. (Twilight had forced her and the other Rangers to learn some basic survival skills in the event any of them were stuck in the Everfree, including how to bandage a broken wing using natural materials. Sure Rainbow slept through most of the lesson, but she picked some things up.)
“Don't bother,” Derpy said, gesturing for Rainbow to stay back. “It's beyond help, like the rest of me. All you're gonna do is sit there and listen to my story.”
With an unsure expression, Rainbow nodded slightly and sat down in front of Derpy. “Fine…” Rainbow said. “Tell your story, but I won't promise to just leave you here after you're done.”
“Tch,” Derpy grunted as her gaze wandered in the other direction. “A few minutes ago you were just as ready to kill me as I was to kill you.”
“I wasn't,” Rainbow replied while shaking her head. “I was going to try to save you no matter what from the start.”
“Are you playing the 'Surprise Derpy' game?” Derpy asked sarcastically. “Because you've been our worst contestant so far.”
“Didn't you have a story to tell?” Rainbow asked.
With a roll of her eyes, (and another wince of pain), Derpy spoke. “Fine, I'll tell you. Many moons ago, I was an ordinary mare, just like you. Then one day, that all changed. And it wasn't the day you'd expect…”

It was around the evening hours at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie had thrown her first party to celebrate the Pony Rangers' first victory against Nightmare Moon. I was there helping Pinkie Pie alongside my then-coltfriend Time Turner. (Though looking back on it, the relationship had started to feel one-sided around that point in time.) Of course, back then, I was quite klutzy, and I'd dropped a lot of trays of food and such. But both me and Time Turner noticed something was particularly off about me that day.
“Hey, are you feeling alright?” Time Turner asked me after I'd spilt a shake on myself. “You're not usually this clumsy.”
"I just don't know what went wrong,” I said, as was apparently my catch phrase at the time. “I just don't feel like myself today. I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something.”
“Hmm…” Time Turner hummed as he stroked his chin. “Maybe you should go home and lay down. That might do you some good.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. I told Pinkie Pie I wasn't feeling well, and she sent me home. I wasn't feeling up to flying for a little while, so I walked around town a little. However, once I got a little further away from Sugarcube Corner, I suddenly felt better. And I mean “able to do midair flips” better. I couldn't believe it. I rushed back to Sugarcube Corner to tell Pinkie Pie and Time Turner the good news, but as I approached, I started feeling off again. I had no idea what was going on. I left, and I felt better again. At the time, I thought maybe I'd developed an allergy to cupcakes or something.

The next morning, I had practically shrugged off whatever had happened the day before. I went to Sugarcube Corner for my morning muffin, a ritual I had for as long as I could remember. (And when I say “ritual,” I mean I got violent whenever someone tried to mess with my muffin. Though as you may remember, that was out of character for me at the time.) So I was enjoying my muffin when all of a sudden, I was approached by Trixie. When she tried to steal me away from my muffin, I barred my fangs, as the saying goes. However, she offered me something I couldn't refuse: many muffins. Naturally, I accepted her offer, not knowing what was coming my way.
It all happened so fast. I was teleported to the moon, I was tied to a table, I was placed in a chamber, the chamber filled up with a strange green gas, and before I knew it, I had become a different pony. I suddenly had all these emotions I'd never experienced before. Anger, hatred, resentment… everything Nightmare Moon wanted in her Green Ranger. But I also felt something Nightmare probably didn't have in mind. A little feeling in the back of my mind. A feeling of dread. I'd suddenly started dreading something subconsciously. Of course, I didn't know this at the time, nor did I care. One other thing that was new to me was a loyalty to Nightmare Moon, and that overwrote everything else.
Soon, the time came for me to fight you and the other Harmony Rangers. I couldn't believe the abilities the Thunder Coin had bestowed upon me. It felt… incredible. But aside from that feeling, all the while I was around you five, I couldn't help but suffer from this little ice cream headache. It didn't impair my fighting skills, and it went away when I left your company, but that feeling of dread never quite went away.

More and more times we fought, and each and every time, I felt that ice cream headache. Eventually, when Twilight “killed” me, and I was separated from the Thunder Coin, I stopped having that headache. It was then that I drew a conclusion: whatever that headache was, it was caused by you Harmony Rangers. Or so I thought. Plus, without the Thunder Coin, I no longer felt like myself. I was incomplete. And that feeling of dread… it never left me.
Once Twilight lost her Ranger powers and I was able to reunite myself with the Thunder Coin, I was back to feeling 100 percent. I bode my time before reappearing, however. I wasn't about to go back under Nightmare Moon's command. Not when she thought I was dead. Plus, now I'd started feeling that ice cream headache all the time. It never went away, and it got worse whenever I morphed. Despite this, I knew my one opportunity to return when it came, and ready or not, I was returning. Around a grand total of eight Rangers, however, the headache was worse than ever before. It was still tolerable, however, and I bore with it. When I was on the moon base, the headache was more tame, which struck me as odd. Especially since, while I wasn't on the moon but still in the company of the other Chaos Rangers, the headache would return.
It wasn't until some time later – around after Twilight became the White Ranger – when I started having a recurring dream. I dreamt that I was Twilight… only I wasn't. I was sitting by a river, practicing some kind of deception, when you five would show up. We'd go on about some other villains I never knew before I suddenly become myself, realize that this was during the time I was “dead,” then the world began to slowly dissolve into an odd glowing orange powder before flying up into the sky, myself following suit. I'd then jolt awake, sweating and panting. Then I'd notice that some part of me in real life was slightly transparent right up until the point when I took notice of it, then I'd go back to normal. When it started happening repeatedly, I realized that something was legitimately wrong.
My fears were finalized about a week ago, when the other Chaos Rangers devised their plan to finish you seven, which ultimately failed. I was legitimately beginning to fall apart spiritually. My Ranger powers were taking their toll on my body and mind, and soon, I was going to fade away into nothingness.

After finishing her story, Derpy fell silent for a long time. That was when Rainbow Dash spoke up. “But you weren't about to go quietly, were you?” she asked.
“Hm?” Derpy asked, looking up at Rainbow quizzically. “What do you mean by that?”
“You wanted to do something big before you disappeared,” Rainbow continued. “So that nopony would forget you. And what better way to make your mark than defeating the Red Harmony Ranger?”
“Don't flatter yourself,” Derpy said angrily while looking away. “I could have killed any other Ranger – Fluttershy, Spike, Snowdrop – and it would have been just as memorable.”
Rainbow was silent for a moment before cracking a slight smile. “But what did you see in me that made you pursue me?” she asked.
Derpy looked down. “I guess…” she started, “I guess I always had a fascination with you, Rainbow Dash. Ever since I was young, I couldn't think about anything but you. I always strived to be like you, despite my… impairments.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Well, no offense, but that's not much of a reason,” she said. “Who wouldn't wanna strive to be me?”
“You don't understand!” Derpy shouted, stomping her hoof and subsequently wincing in pain from her broken wings. “It was more than the fact that I strived to be like you. I… you… you became such an important figure in my life. You became everything to me. But Nightmare Moon turned that… fascination… into a sheer hatred. So instead of wanting to be with you, she made me want to fight with you.”
“'Be with' me?” Rainbow asked.
“And I never knew how to come back from that,” Derpy continued, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Even when I was freed from Nightmare's grasp, I couldn't communicate what I truly felt any longer. I kept fighting you. I didn't want to, but I didn't know what else to do. And once I realized what the true endgame had to be, I needed to make sure I could find a way to tell you. And the only way for me to be able to do that…” Derpy gestured towards her wings, “…was for you to utterly break me. Destroy the last shreds of the me that Nightmare Moon created, hoping that the real me would be able to poke through.”
“So you never even planned to win,” Rainbow said. “And that's why you refused mercy, too. Because you were afraid we wouldn't be able to find the old you without destroying this you.”
“And now you've done it,” Derpy said with a weak smile. “I don't know how much longer I can hold on at this rate, though. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you, Dashie, for being such an important part of my life, for saving me from what Nightmare Moon turned me into, for… ngh…” Before Derpy could finish what she was saying, she suddenly felt herself become incredibly weak before falling to the ground slightly. Rainbow quickly rushed up to Derpy's side and caught her before she fell to the ground.
“I'm still going to help you, Derpy,” Rainbow said as she looked down at Derpy, whose eyes were starting to glaze over. “All of us, we're going to help you. Just stay with me, Derpy!”
Derpy mouthed something, but Rainbow couldn't hear it. The latter pegasus leaned in closer to try to hear Derpy. Rainbow still couldn't hear exactly what Derpy said at this point, but she didn't need to. All she needed was the feeling of a soft peck on the cheek before her expression turned surprised and her ears perked up. She was about to say something, but when she turned back to where she was facing Derpy, the gray pegasus had already closed her eyes and was wearing a content smile.
“Derpy…” Rainbow whispered. She smiled slightly before donning a serious expression. “Don't you die on me yet, Derpy! I'm going to get you help!” Rainbow then picked up Derpy, who was evidently now unconscious or… worse, before taking off at top speed towards Canterlot. “Just hold on, Derpy. Just hold on…”

...
”What happened out there!? We lost…”
…
“…thought I was the only one who got those…”
…
“…stabilized, but we still don't know if…”
…
“…get some sleep. I'll stay here and…”
…
“…to Sugarcube Corner, and fast! We only…”
…
“…morning tradition. She never missed…”
…
“…has to work. It just… has to…”
…
“…one last minute with her…”
…

“Are you sure about that, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked as Rainbow sat next to Derpy, who lay now evidently beyond unconscious in a hospital bed in Canterlot Castle, an uneaten muffin on the table beside her.
“Yes,” Rainbow replied. “I really appreciate everything you did for her, but… I have to make sure I say my piece before we close the book on Derpy. Tell the others they can come back in two minutes.”
Twilight was silent for a moment before nodding. “I'm really sorry I couldn't do more,” she said before turning and walking out of the room, leaving Rainbow behind.
“Well…” Rainbow said as she turned back around to face Derpy. “Here we are. End of the story. Sorry I couldn't give you a better ending, though. I guess that's just how things go sometimes. Sometimes, happy endings just don't exist. You do everything you can, but even when things seem to work out for you, one or more of your friends wind up suffering. I beat you, I found the old you, I got you here, I helped you all I could, we helped you all we could… so why are we both still hurt? I guess life's just a salty little witch, that's all.” Rainbow sighed before a memory came back to her. “Hey… remember a long time ago, near the start of our little Ranger journey, when you were feeling sick, and I came to visit you?” Rainbow chuckled. “I really don't expect you to remember anything, It was barely a footnote compared to everything else, but… I remember it. I sat by your bed, talked to you, tried to comfort you… and neither of us wanted to kill each other. It was then that I really knew that there was still some kind of good in you. It was then that I really started trying to save you.” Rainbow paused for a moment, trying to re-stabilize her voice, which was starting to grow shaky. “Every day after that, you were back to being evil, like you didn't remember that day at all, but I still knew that this wasn't really you.” For a little while, Rainbow fell silent, likely because she didn't know what else to say. After a while, she reached up and took Derpy's hoof in her own. “I'm sorry we couldn't save you, Derpy, but I'm glad I could at least help you get to the point where you found your old self.” Rainbow then stroked the top of Derpy's hoof before falling silent once again. “Heh… Derpy? If you're planning on one of those twist happy endings where you suddenly open your eyes, reply to everything I just said with a smile, then we both hug, now would be a real good time to wake up…”
…
“Yeah… didn't think so…” Rainbow said as her face sunk and she let go of Derpy's hoof. She then got up and started walking out of the room, where Twilight was waiting.
“Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?” the unicorn asked.
Rainbow sighed. “Thank you, Twilight,” she said without looking up before walking off.
Twilight's ears drooped as she watched Rainbow Dash walk off. “I'm sorry…” she whispered to herself.