AN: This chapter deals with stuff that may not be to everypony's taste. It will only get worse from here as it leads up to [Censored]. Well, that and [Censored as well]. Enjoy!

Chapter 56: War Zone

"Why did we come back so soon?"

Fluttershy looked next to her at the transformed Ranger as they hurried through the busy streets of Canterlot. She had taken over the tour of Ponyville after Twilight had started to freeze up at certain points and talking to Applejack hadn't done anything except make the unicorn more and more reluctant to spend time outdoors. Billy had wanted to take Twilight back to her home and all three ponies had left. The thought of the Orange Ranger being in a pony form was slightly alluring to her but she forced herself to keep calm at all times. After all, it wouldn't do to break down in semi-orgasmic ecstasy every time he brushed past; it would get tiring and he would seriously start to question his actions. She would wait until she was at home and…take matters into her own hooves.

"Just…some strange feeling I have. Maybe it'll turn out to be nothing…"

Nodding her head, she fluttered her wings to catch up with him once more. In the middle of scouting some of the back alleys, Weihan had jerked upright and sucked in a sharp breath. He had turned around and had galloped off in the direction of the Pega-coach stand and had somehow managed to cut in front of the extremely long line and get the first coach going to Canterlot. The timid Pegasus had just managed to land on the moving chariot before it had accelerated to breakneck speeds. They had landed in Canterlot no less than five minutes later and Weihan had leapt off to…do something. She wasn't sure; but she had contacted Pinkie just in case things went south. So far, they had drawn nothing except curious glances from the elites in the crowd such as Hoity Toity and even Fancy Pants.

Grinding his teeth together, Weihan scoured the crowd for the source of his unease. He had sensed the use of strong magic from somewhere in Canterlot and had driven himself crazy in an attempt to distinguish it from the magic used by the Princesses. It helped that due to his repeated exposure to evil magic, he had developed a sort of sense for it…and the flags that surge was triggering did not seem that they would be used for anything good. The only problem was that in Equestria – everypony and their dog exuded some form of subtle magic. Earth Ponies had magic in their hooves and that allowed them to grow food relatively quickly as well as communicate wit the land in a way Princess Celestia had explained as a 'Horse-Sense'. Of all the Rangers, Applejack had the most 'Horse-Sense'.

Pegasus ponies controlled weather and some could form bonds with animals as Fluttershy had. Unicorn ponies had a knack for learning everything that was thrown at them…but also had a knack for unconsciously blaming themselves for everything that was going wrong with their work or duties. Trotting down the lane that would lead them to the Palace, he stopped and sniffed the air once. There was a strange smell in the air that reminded him of the Bad Future he had seen a few months ago. It was damp; dust filled and reeked of unimaginable pain. In addition to that, there was a strange whistling noise coming from somewhere above him; almost like birds or something falling. Shaking his head, he waited for Fluttershy to catch up and attempted to slow his breathing. Glancing sidelong at the flustered Pegasus, he let a small smile creep over his muzzle as he looked at her. He was aware that the Yellow Ranger had a bit of a crush on him and he had expressed some small degree of reciprocation…but he had AJ back in his home dimension and he was a human as well. The thought of 'dipping his wick' inside a pony – even one as cute as Fluttershy – kind of gave him a bad feeling; not to mention a serious case of the creeps. He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak to the pony.

"Maybe we should go back. I don't think…"

He snapped his mouth shut as plumes of fire exploded around him. Throwing his body over Fluttershy's, his eyes scanned the crowd to see if anypony was in need of assistance. He could feel the Pegasus below him unconsciously push back but he forced those thoughts from his mind as the strange whistling noise washed over his ears again. His eyes widened as he grabbed Fluttershy and rolled to one side…milliseconds before the ground exploded up in a ball of fire. He felt the heat from the explosion singe his fur and coughed as the smell of burning hair wafted past his nose. Around him, he could hear shouts and screams as more and more explosive projectiles rained from the sky. Shaking his head in frustration, he lifted his body from Fluttershy and directed his gaze up…just in time to see some strange creature leap from a nearby roof. The creature landed in the middle of the panicked crowd and opened fire with the two strange tubes that were sticking out from its shoulders. Explosions of blood blossomed from the falling ponies and Weihan could only watch in horror as the creature cackled insanely at the death and devastation it was wreaking.

He had hardly time to blink before a group of eight Z Centaurs ringed the crowd from all sides; each Centaur holding a weapon that seemed strange to the ponies but filled the human with dread. He didn't know how Zedd had managed it or if Creeper had brought them with him; but if grunts were going around carrying AK-47's…well, there would be a bloodbath on their hooves. Throwing all caution to the wind, he raced down the lane at the first Z Centaur he could see while charging up a fire blast from his horn. Releasing the projectile, he watched as it blew a watermelon sized hole through the grunt – destroying it in a blaze of energy. Rearing up triumphantly, his mind barely noticed a Centaur behind him pulling back one of its fists.

"Watch Out!"

Weihan cursed himself as he flew through the air. He could feel the transformation spell unravelling rapidly…almost as fast as he could see the large bruise on his right flank appear. Crashing hard into a stack of wooden crates, he bit back a scream of pain as his bones forcefully reshaped themselves back into his normal form. Struggling to get to his feet, he summoned his Ultra Crystal to him and morphed in a flare of light. As the rush of power supercharged his healing factor, he pushed himself off the shattered crates and looked around. Fortunately, none of the ponies around him had tracked his flight and transformation back into human form and were standing around as the monstrous centaur/bull creature spoke in a rough, snorting voice.

"My name is Mortaro and you have been given a small taste of what war is like. Now, you will die in a glorious bloodbath!"

The twin tubes on the monster's shoulders rotated upward and fired off a few spherical objects. Feeling the still unmorphed Yellow Ranger come up beside him, he dropped one gloved hand to absently stroke her mane while she leant against him for comfort and safety. His eyes tracked the projectiles as they soared higher into the air and wondered for an exceedingly brief moment what they could possibly be. He zeroed his sight on one in particular and watched as it collided in mid-air with a majestic eagle that was soaring overhead.

In a flash of fire and feathers, it was gone from the world.

"Fluttershy; morph now."

As the ponies around his screamed in horror and the rifles opened up; he galloped toward the creature laughing maniacally and drew his blade.

This was going to get messy.

TBC…