A/N: I am very aware at how extremely meta this chapter is. At least new readers will have things to look back on. That said, enjoy!
Chapter 4: Legacy Awakened
With a roar, an inferno erupted around him.
Weihan stared into the leaping flames, seeing images of other times and other Rangers; Rangers he knew about because he had written about them. He could see a version of himself battling on the streets of Sydney, facing terrifyingly stacked odds against him. He saw the rocklike hulks of Golems and the slithering gait of Fiends – just like he had imagined – as they swarmed towards the figure in Orange, all as a dinosaurian beast watched from the shadows. Chapter 25, Bloody Fire. The scene changed to the inside of what he knew to be the Chapter House of St Andrews Cathedral, the doors buckling slightly as blasts of ooze smashed into them. His breath hitched in his chest as he laid eyes on AJ, well, a version of AJ, as she struggled to report live while the Orange and White Ultra Rangers defended her. Chapter 80, Pinned Down. Where these images were coming from, he had no idea. Neither did he know where the chapter titles had come from, and why he had decided on adding a prologue…that had seriously messed with his chapter numbering on occasion.
A flash of light obscured his vision and, when he could 'see' again, his jaw dropped at the sight. An army of Zords charged across the barren surface of the Moon, weapons blazing as they attacked a seemingly ancient fortress. Chapter 103, Onslaught. He hoped this wasn't a premonition of the future as he doubted he could achieve the numbers in a world where the Power Rangers were just fiction. Now, he looked down on the Orange and Purple Rangers defending ponies in Ranger armour from a terrifying creature. Rangers of Equestria, Chapter 19, Multiversal. Why was he seeing all of these images in living colour? Hell, he had seen most of them before in his mind's eye!
You may have written the words, seen flashes of images, but you have not truly realised the weight of your decision.
"What weight?" He attempted to speak, belatedly realising that, as this was probably taking place within a sub-dimension of some kind, he wouldn't be able to. At least something was happening. "If you're telling me that I need to finish the stories, believe me, I know. It's just difficult trying to connect the thoughts and plot threads now. I mean, I've been through so much in between."
Not your writing. Was it his imagination or was the voice stronger? Your decision echoes throughout the Multiverse, but what are you going to protect? By your own admission, there are no Power Rangers here. There is nothing to pull you back from the brink. And, I daresay, you will not have to deal with a path-altering jaunt anytime soon. No, young Ranger, you have to work out who you will fight for.
Who he would fight for? Wasn't that an obvious answer? He would fight for those that couldn't, fight for the innocent, and those inadvertently caught up in his struggle. Sensing his changing determination, the images slowly changed to something he hoped to never see outside of his mind. The hours-long planet-wide genocide his counterpart had gone through, in a future saturated with evil. Minutes ticked by as he saw the blood-soaked figure rip through bodies like paper. Yes, that was the determining factor for that Weihan, but what was his?
He supposed he would have to gauge the strength of Xonix's forces first. He wouldn't force Bri to take up the Power, no, the decisions had to be made by the potential Bearers of their own accord. He doubted anyone from his story would gain the Power this time around; if they did, it would be nothing short of a miracle. Hell, if he could, he would be pinching himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming. Upon reflection, waiting for the enemy to show his full hand was a cop-out answer. No, he needed to knuckle down and get this right or his motivations and determination would shake like a leaf.
Defending the innocent? In this day and age, who was really innocent? Everyone had darkness in their minds, assuming the stuff spewed out by philosophers was correct. The only true innocents would be babies, even they were subject to political whims and machinations. Defending the world against evil? That was a given, but, as he had said to Emma all those years ago – and written into his stories – the armies of the world could protect them from terrorism. Governments would be looking to them for protection from extraterrestrial life. At least John Howard had long retired from the political landscape; made up or not, he wasn't too keen on finding out how close his fictional version was to the real one.
Weihan sighed and closed his eyes, shutting out the images swirling around him. The Power had deemed him worthy to use it, anyone else that said otherwise could go to Hell. Words he had written in Chapter 44, Ninjetti Worth. Why was it that everything he was going through, his 'other self' had conquered with relative ease? Oh right, because he was a figment of his imagination…or it had seemed at the time. It was a bit confusing to him, really. If his world hadn't been visited by the Dream Weaver monster, would it have ever been connected to the 'Main Ultra Crystals universe' naturally?
Yes. Well, at least that was something, though it made his head pound as he tried to think of how. Via the Ultra Crystals, your world would have been connected with the main Ultra Grid, much like Equestria, Remnant, and KRT01. However, do not try to compare yourself with your counterparts as they have had years to build up their Power Sets. In the grand scheme of things, they have had their time in the spotlight already.
Well, that was ominous and, if he was being honest, quite uplifting. It was always good to know that you were being singled out for something; on the other hand, it was incredibly intimidating. Of course, that didn't help him narrow down his focus whatsoever.
"Ok, that's all well and good," he thought back, unsure as to how he was even communicating in the first place. "I need to think about what I'm supposed to protect."
Do not overthink things. Sometimes, the answers are right in front of us.
For a brief moment, before he could begin to contemplate the words, the flames parted. He could see the pristine grounds of Victoria Park stretching out before him, the smouldering remains of Apollonia, civilians hanging on the very fringes of the park – unaware at what had transpired, and Bri. He swallowed at the anxiety and fear in her eyes, emotions that he knew were directed at him. There was no doubt in his mind that she would eventually take up the Power, though whether that happened in a month, two, or even a year wasn't up to him. Until that happened, sexist and misogynistic as it sounded, he would need to protect her and keep her relative innocence safe. Words flashed into his mind for a brief second.
All we ask is that you accept this and be there for her. Being a Ranger is tough and the things we see can really fuck us up, if we don't have support. We take care of each other as we go, but there are some things that even we cannot heal.
Chapter 22 of Rangers of Equestria, Initiations. Those words struck a chord within him and he found himself nodding in determination. He had always wondered where those words came from as they, unlike most of the things he had written, he didn't recall writing them at all. Sure, he was going to write something akin to those, possibly less profound, but had been sidetracked by a mentally crushing Excel spreadsheet, report, and presentation to the Managing Director. When his brain recovered from the stress, the chapter was already completed and uploaded. At the time, he had chalked it up to an odd occurrence, but certainly not one worrying over. On the other hand, although he had forgotten about it, he had been touched by the Power. Who knew what else it had imparted onto him?
Have you made your decision on what, or who, you will protect? The voice almost sounded smug, as if he or she knew something he didn't. Oh well, it really wasn't worth worrying over now.
"Yes." He 'sent', "I will protect those important to me, may it be my friends, family, or those I love. I will only fight against monsters and aliens, and leave human matters to human authorities."
Very well. Then, before your first empowering, I will inform you of my name. He hoped it wasn't another version of AJ, Bree, Bri, or himself. He doubted the last option was possible but, in the Multiverse, he supposed all things were possible. My name is Shining Light. The original Shining Light, if you will. Now, Ranger, call out and behold your power!
Weihan blinked once. Shining Light? No, he had to have heard wrongly. Though, if he hadn't, who was the original Shining Light? Was it the Earth pony that had struck up an illicit relationship with Princess Celestia, staged a revolt against Discord, and been warped into the creature known as Blackened Heart? Or was this somepony entirely different? And, at this point in time, did it even matter? Drawing in a deep breath, he shouted to all listening.
"Utahraptor Power – Now!"
As the flames swarmed his vision again, he could see his Main Three approaching. Almost as tall as he was, a purple streaked orange Utahraptor with piercing yellow eyes screeched to the heavens, ready to attack. Amusingly, Weihan could see no feathers on the dinosaur whatsoever, though if any would appear on the Zord was still in question. Next to it stalked a large Saltwater Crocodile, the reptile prominently displaying several purple and yellowing teeth. Heavy and rhythmic thumps heralded the arrival of the Hydra, the orange, yellow, and, of course, purple eyes flashing with untold destructive potential. As the three beasts dissolved into their energy forms, he wondered, somewhat idly, why there was so much yellow on them. Who was the bearer of the Yellow Ultra Crystal, anyway?
He was shocked out of his musings as the solid orange bodysuit wrapped around him, moulding to his body like a second skin. White leather gloves appeared on his hands and, for a brief moment, Weihan waited for the familiar – to his mind anyway – red spatter to appear. Of course it wouldn't appear. This was the real world, not the world cooked up in his mind. As his clawed boots slid onto his feet, he wondered what would happen to his armour if he were ever to journey into the main world of the Ultra Rangers. Would anything change, would it be the same, and, realistically, did it even matter?
"Battle Armour – Activate!"
As the swirls of energy eased into his body, a solid breastplate flashed into being. Unlike the first morph he had written, no crystal or white diamond appeared in the centre. Instead, much like described in Chapter 86, Deep Freeze, an enlarged Utahraptor Power Coin gleamed brilliantly. Two more flashes signalled the 'locking in' of his pauldrons, three small spikes providing more offensive options. A black belt encircled his waist, two white holsters appearing on his hips. One of them contained the Raptor Laser, or whatever new name the Power had given it, while the other…well, he had absolutely no idea what it contained. It was probably for the best that the Power imparted new tools and weapons; on the other hand, the number of times he had written about the Raptor Laser's many forms, it was a veritable Swiss Army Knife at this point.
With a heavy clunk, a helmet formed over his head. Screens flashed up on the heads-up display, showing that it was the realistically detailed helmet he had dreamt up all those years ago. The detail was impeccable, down to the light veins in the eyes to the pebbled texture of the 'skin', even the dried blood smeared around the outside of the visor. As he had written down in Chapter 10, Power Awakened, if he didn't know on some level how detailed the helmet was, he would have had a shit fit. As it was, he was extremely hard pressed to stop a surprised yelp escaping his throat. Bri didn't need any extra stress.
Information flooded his mind from battle tactics, martial arts moves from three galaxies away, recipes from a long dead world inside the Horsehead Nebula, and, most important for him, how his Zords would combine into his version of the Firestorm Megazord. Internally, he sighed as it seemed things had changed from his original 'specifications'…which he was coming to realise weren't givens. At least he would still have the Raptor Sabre, Laser, and Cannon; plus, he was excited to try out the Spino Saw and whatever the Fang Striders were.
This is your unique Power, Weihan. Shining Light intoned. From now until eternity, you are the Orange Ultra Ranger.
Smiling under his helmet, he nodded once as the inferno began to evaporate. All of his childhood fantasies had come true, though he knew the immense weight and responsibility ahead of him. Settling into a ready stance, he chuckled at the final words from his guide.
May the Power protect you.