Power Rangers: Harmonyby ShootingStar25ChaptersChapter 2: New OwnersChapter 3: Accepting the MantleChapter 4: SacrificeChapter 5: ZordsChapter 6: Hidden PowersChapter 7: MegazordChapter 8: BodyguardChapter 9: A Sunny OccasionChapter 11: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 2Chapter 12: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 3Chapter 13: Melodious SongstressChapter 14: A Mole Lotta TroubleChapter 15: InnovationChapter 16: Deep Dive Pt. 1Chapter 17: Deep Dive Pt. 2Chapter 18: The Dark Lord ArrivesChapter 19: Truth RevealedChapter 20: Call of the Wild Pt. 1Chapter 21: Call of the Wild Pt. 2Chapter 22: Call of the Wild Pt. 3Chapter 1: Arrival of a VilganteChapter 10: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 1Chapter 2: New Owners"Pick it up, Twilight!" shouted Rainbow as she was wearing a cap on her head and a whistle around her neck. "I'm... trying..." said the girl as she was out of breath. Her arms were to her side as she ran. She soon collapsed with her limbs spread out. "Only fifty more laps," stated Rainbow standing over the girl who was breathing hard. "Fifty laps?!" shouted Sunset who was also spread out from the exhaustion of Dash's "workout". "Rainbow, perhaps you should have pulled back a bit," stated Rarity. "What are you talking about? This is what I do every day, besides, they're fine," said the chromatic girl as she showed her friends who were dying for some water. While these four friends were busy in the field outback. The rest of the them were inside as they were in the auditorium. Applejack and Fluttershy were helping Pinkie to plan out the party she was going to throw for Friday. Given that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna allowed the girl to choose whatever theme she wanted, made the party girl have the biggest smile on her face. As for the rest of her friends, they were worried for their lives. Both Aj and Fluttershy were sitting down in front of a whiteboard as Pinkie was in front of them dressed in a lab coat with glasses on as she pointed to the board. "And that's why my math checks out," said Pinkie in a nerdy voice. "Well... that's, um, something." spoke the buttercup girl. "Yeah, something. But uh, Pinkie." "Question from the audience, must have their hand raised," spoke the party as she directed to her friends who were the only ones present. Aj looked around as there was nobody else, so she slowly raised her arm. "Yes, you in the hat." "Uh, Pinkie. Not discrediting yer board or anything. But, how can you tell what it says?" asked the country girl. The scene now showed the party girl's board as it didn't have any numbers on it at all but just random drawings and doodles. "Silly, this part tells me that the universe is round. This part right here says that chocolate milkshakes are the best kind of milkshakes. And that this one says we need apples for the party. Ooh, and oranges. And grapes! And strawberries. [gasps] Strawberry cupcakes! I'm hungry." said the girl as she now licked her lips. "That's nice, Pinkie..." said the animal-loving girl as she looked at Aj, who also had a confused look trying to figure out their friend. In the hideout, the boy was currently in the training room of his headquarters as he taking on a simulation. He was focusing on his stamina and hand-eye coordination. He did a corkscrew as he landed, and the simulation was stopped. He was then getting a message on his morpher as he left the room. He grabbed a towel as he wiped his forehead. "What's the report, Rachel?" asked the boy to the computer as the towel was around his neck. "Scans show there's some activity near the docks," said the A.I. "Anything else?" asked the boy. "Nothing, but I am scanning the entire city." "Let me know, I'm gonna go check it out," said the boy as he now entered his room and quickly put on a fresh set of clothes. He then started to make his way to where the four gems were as he grabbed them and put them in his pocket. He then entered the elevator as it descended. He was in the garage where his cycle was as he got on and revved the engines up. He now began to leave as he zoomed out of the tunnel as the rocks from the outside now slid to the side as the cycle hung in the air for a bit as it then continued through the forest and onto the nearby road. While our hero was heading towards the docks, things had occurred that made the computer pick up the activity. "I'm sick of waiting around! I say we go out and find our pest now!" shouted the mutant who was the older brother. "You need to have patience big brother," spoked the little brother. "Our master knows what he's doing." "Yeah, and he has us sitting here on our asses doing nothing! I'm a proud warrior, raised and bred on the battlefield. I crave competition, I crave for a fight." "And you'll get your fight, big brother. Patience was never your strong suit." "And you think you're so perfect, little brother? All you've done since we got to this dimension is simple standby and watch these puny weaklings from afar. I'm starting to question where your loyalty lies." "My loyalty is to you and mother. And as I've told you before, I'm scouting what these humans are like in this dimension. Best to know who we're dealing with so we can learn all their secrets. Not to mention, they do have some useful things that I like." said the mutant as he was holding a small switch that he was playing some video games on. "Oh, high score." "You two!" shouted the other female mutant. "Boss wants us in the throne room." All three mutants arrived at the throne room as the mother of the two brothers was nearby as she was looking at a device. She was used her long fingernails to swipe as she was scanning the city of Canterlot. On the throne was their leader as he sat in the darkness as only his yellow eyes were shown. The three now bent down in front of their boss. "So, what's the objective?" asked the girl mutant. "If we're going to destroy this dimension, then we need to cause as much chaos as we can. Thanks to my son's ability to do recon, we know some of the things these "humans" value. One thing is that they required water to stay alive. In fact, 60% of their bodies are made up of water. So, turns out the city is getting a shipment of its daily water that these people drink." "And you want us to destroy it?" asked the girl mutant. "Let me handle it! Knowing our pest, he's bound to show up, and when he does, I will handle him. Master," said the older brother mutant as he turned to look at their leader. "Let me put an end to our problem. He's merely one soldier against an army. And with my fighting skills, I will assure you that he will not bother us again." "You let your ego blind you, big brother." "Very well," spoke the leader. "Destroy the shipment, draw out our problem. And make sure you take care of it." "Yes, master." said the mutant as he left. "Good luck, Pharynx," spoke the mutant as he watched his big brother leave on his mission. It didn't take long as Pharynx had arrived at the docks. He saw the forklifts as they were loading containers. Inside of them were small cases of bottled water that was to be loaded into trucks and to the stores for the people of Canterlot to purchase. He appeared from a portal with a green outline as he had a small group of minions with him. "Let's see them tremble in fear!" shouted Pharynx as his gauntlets appear in his hands. He made his presence known as the workers saw the mutant and his crew as they were shocked and scared. Pharynx then slammed his fist on the ground as a shockwave attack headed toward the forklifts as they rocked back and forth. They all toppled over as the men landed. They weren't too injured as they saw the minions running towards them as they got up and hightailed it. "Ha! Ha! This is too easy!" snickered Pharynx. "You, get that shipment over here!" commanded the mutant to one of his minions as they nodded. A few minions approached the forklifts as they had their arms transform into cables as they attached to the control panel. They plugged into the machine and were now controlling the lift as they had the container land in front of them. They then opened up as inside were tons of cases of water as they fell on the minions as they were buried under the pile. "Now then," said Pharynx as he approached the container and prepared to destroy it all. He clamped his fists together as he looked to slam them on the items. At that moment a sound was heard. Some minions looked to the port as a cycle was shown. The person riding on it leaped out of his bike and flipped forward as he let out a battle cry. He managed to take two minions down with a dropkick as he then kipped up. A few more began to engage the boy as he blocked a side attack from two minions with his arm. But that left him exposed as he was kicked by another minion in the chest as he stumbled back. He recovered as he slid under a clothesline attack as he began to trade some fists with a minion, taking it out. He then turned around as he dodged some strikes from the others that were focused on him. The boy was using his parkour moves and flips to help avoid the attacks and counter. He backflipped onto some crates as one of the minions had climbed up behind him. He noticed it at the last second as he blocked with his left arm and did several kicks to its midsection before throwing it onto the ground. He then noticed a pulley as he hopped off of some crates and leaped for it as he spun around. He took out the minions in a circle with consecutive kicks as they fell and were defeated. The boy then let go as he rolled through and landed in front of the Pharynx with the rest of his minions behind him. "So, you finally show your face? You've been giving us alot of trouble, kid." "Nice to see you again, Pharynx," said the boy as he knew who the mutant was. "Tell me, are you following your mother's orders, or was your little brother too much of a bitch?" "You dare talk about my little brother?!" shouted Pharynx. He may have been a tough warrior, but Pharynx did care about his sibling. "Tell me, is your mother with the fires of hell?!" That response got the boy to hesitate for a moment as he thought back to his mother. He felt himself clenching his fists as he thought back on his mother and fallen friends. "Ah, did I hit a sensitive spot? Tell me, are your friends with her?" taunted Pharynx. "That does it! I'm here to take you down!" shouted the boy as his morpher powered up. "It's Morphin' time!" The boy's morpher now charged up as the gem inside of his device shined. He then drew a symbol on the interface of it as it recognized it and began to transform the boy. "Harmony Gem, power up!" The gem inside was a topaz as it now encased the boy as he had his head down as his body was now turning into his ranger suit. He had bits of crystal on his shoulders that resembled his gem as the middle of his suit had the symbol of his animal as it showed the outline of a wolf. He lifted his head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of him. The transformation was complete as the boy stood there in his yellow suit. "Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger!" shouted the boy as he took his battle stance. "Get him!" shouted Pharynx to his minions. They all charged towards the boy as he ran forward as well. With the extra power from the suit, the ranger was able to have his punches deal more damage. He hit a minion square in the chest as it was sent flying towards the ocean and into the water. He now began to deflect some attacks and counter. He as backed up to one of the warehouses as he hopped onto a stack of tires and ran along the wall as he leaped over the huge wave of the enemy taking some down as he landed. He then continued with some more fist exchanges as he ducked under some and used his legs along with his parkour moves to take out any in his way. He leaped into the air as he spun in the air as he hit one of them as they collided with the others as they faded away. The ranger landed in a circle as he saw himself surrounded. He then began to tap into his gem as a yellow outline encompassed him. He was calling on his animal as he thrust his hand out. A yellow-mirage-like wolf appeared as it took out all the enemies around the boy. They all fell over as it stood behind the ranger letting out a howl before it disappeared. The ranger was then blindsided by Pharynx as he hit the boy in his side. He stumbled and then engaged in a fight with the mutant who blocked his attack with his arm and then delivered some hard knee strikes to his midsection and flung the boy over his head. The ranger flew as he managed to use the momentum to roll through and land on his knees. "You've improved since we last met," said Pharynx. "All the time I spent chasing you and your buddies. I made a vow that I would become stronger. I trained rigorously, making sure that I was ready. That I complete the mission the others started!" shouted the boy. "Too bad, you'll die as your team did!" shouted the mutant as he slammed his gauntlets into the ground. The shockwave from the attack was so fast, that the boy didn't have time to get out of the way as he was hit. He was sent flying through the air as he crashed into some barrels. Pharynx was smiling as he began to approach the pile. The boy had barely got the barrel off of him as he grabbed his suit and then flung overhead once more as he landed on his back. "All that training and you're still the same rookie you were when your team fell. No wonder they didn't live, cause you couldn't save them," stated Pharynx. The ranger turned over as he saw Pharynx approach him as he struggled a bit to get to his feet. "Well, I've picked up some new tricks," said the boy as he reached to his side and pulled out his small saber. Pharynx laughed as he charged forward as did the ranger. They engaged in the middle, dodging and trading shots as he was able to use the small saber to get some strikes in on the mutant. Pharynx was being overwhelmed a bit by the boy's new moves that he picked up during his training. However, he was able to overcome it with his strength as he got a good powered-up punch to the boy as he once again was flung away. He landed hard as he crashed into more piles of junk as a small dust cloud formed. "Time to finish this," said Pharynx as he look to put the boy down. "Harmony Blaster, fire!" shouted a voice from the smoke. "Huh?" said Pharynx as he was now pelted with tons of shots. They hit him as small explosions went off and then a larger in the background as he was thrown onto his back and rolled. The mutant was getting to a knee as the smoke now cleared away. On his knees was the boy as he had a small blaster in his hand. The mutant was caught off-guard as he decided to withdraw and regroup his plan of attack. "Wait!" shouted the boy as he clutched his side which he felt some pain. He saw Pharynx transform into an orb as it was now zooming away at high speeds. The ranger now touched his morpher as his cycle appeared before him. He got on it and revved the engines as he chased after the fleeing mutant. The girls were in the music room as they were finishing up their rehearsal. "I think we're all set to perform for Friday's party," said Rainbow. "Indeed, now all I have to do is figure out what outfits we're going to wear!" said Rarity with a squeal and a huge smile. "Just don't make mine too 'frou-frou-'," said Applejack. "Don't worry, darling. It'll absolutely speak to your personal sense of style," assured the fashionista to her country friend. "Well, I need to head to the confetti store. I hear they're having a sale. Buy 100 different types of confetti, you get a free round of taffy. Mmm, so sticky," said Pinkie as she licked her lips. "Well, I need to head over to the animal shelter. I promise that I volunteer to take care of the hamsters this week," said Fluttershy. "And I'm headed over to the mall. New to pick up some new strings I ordered so that I shred some chords," said Rainbow as she strummed her guitar. It wasn't long as the girls decided to call it for the day. They all split up to go in their separate ways. Applejack had decided to accompany Dash to the mall, Twilight, and Sunset were also walking in the same direction as they had to pick up some things from Sunset's job at the sushi restaurant. It didn't take long as the four of them split into two pairs. Sunset had arrived at her work as she gathered the things from her boss and then began to leave with her lavender girl. The pair had exited the mall as they began to talk while eating some ice cream. "Any new reports?" asked the bacon-haired girl as she was leaning against a railing. "Nothing yet," said Twilight as she looked through her phone scrolling through the news. "Do you have any idea on who the masked person might be?" "Hard to say. Everybody is afraid of these creatures that have been attacking. The police haven't done much about it, and if this guy is someone who can take them down. I'm wondering why he's not working with the law. If he knows how to deal with them, why doesn't he share any information? One person can't do everything themselves." said Sunset. "Wish my brother could hear that. He's a hard worker, but he's so dedicated to his duty of protecting this city. I get he's a captain and that he's been given lots of awards and medals for his service. We're proud of him, but I wish he didn't have to focus so much on his work." "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come around," said Sunset smiling at her friend. "Come on, I'll drop you off." The two girls now began to walk to the parking lot where Sunset parked her car. They were about to enter when they heard the sound of sirens pass by. It caught their attention as they got in Sunset's car and began to trail the cars from a distance. They soon came to a small building that wasn't far from the mall as the cop cars surrounded the building. The person in charge of this squad was Spearhead as Shining Armor had some other business to attend. So he sent his partner in his place. "Get everyone to safety, move!" shouted Spearhead as he instructed his men to clear out the surrounding folks. He then made his way to one of his men as he was on the computer. "What's the report?" "Our drones were just sent in. Seems noticed one of those creatures zooming on the interstate at high speed." said a cop. "Time to show the people we can handle this," said Spearhead as he had a megaphone in his hand. "This is the CPD! Come out with your hands up!" "Did you hear? Seems they got one of those creatures cornered. Let's see if we can take a closer look." said Sunset. "I don't think we should," said Twilight. At that moment, a sound was heard as the girls looked towards the road. The cops noticed a similar sound as they saw a dot. That dot turned out to be someone. It was the boy as he was riding on his cycle as he had been chasing Pharynx since the pair left the docks. He managed to track the mutant to the building where the cops were as he spun in a circle as he came to a halt. The smoke cleared as everyone was seeing the masked vigilante as he got off. "Stay where you are!" shouted Spearhead as he addressed the ranger. "I'll handle this," said the ranger as he zoomed past them with quick speed as they blinked, and he was now in front of the building. "You clear the area and everybody else!" instructed the boy as he now raced inside. The girls saw the ranger as he entered the building. Safe to say, Sunset was now more interested. She turned to Twilight as the girl shook her head. "Come on, Twilight. Think about it. You wanted a chance to learn about this masked vigilante. Well, maybe if we see him in action. And could potentially interview him, we'll find out why these attacks are happening." "I don't know. It's too dangerous. My family would... Sunset," blinked Twilight as her friend was nowhere to be seen. She then looked out the window and saw the girl now sneaking around the back of the building. "Sunset!" shouted the lavender as she went after her friend. Sunset dipped into the nearby alley as she hopped onto some boxes and got over the fence. She then stay out of sight of the officers checking round back as she entered through a small opening that only someone of her size could enter. The lights of the building were on as she was carefully watching her surroundings. Some noises were heard as in front of her, a fight was occurring. The ranger had found Pharynx as they were fighting each other in a huge open space. Sunset was watching the encounter as the mutant and the ranger were fighting. The boy had his small saber against Pharynx's gauntlets as the mutant was now pushing the boy back as he was lifted off his feet and tossed as he was sent flying to some more debris as he hit hard. "Sunset!" shouted Twilight. The girl grabbed her bookworm friend as she pulled her behind her hiding spot with her hand over her mouth. Twilight took Sunset's hand off her mouth and glared at her to which she gestured to what was in front of her. The girls peaked their heads out as they saw Pharynx approach the ranger as soon he demorphed as he took a lot of damage and didn't change while he chased the mutant. The girls were shocked to see that the vigilante was a boy who looked to be their age as he was grabbed by the mutant. "This is where you meet your end," said Pharynx as he held the teen in his hands as he tried to break free. "What do we do?" asked Twilight as she unintentionally knocked over a can on the hiding spot they were behind as it rolled towards the mutant. Pharynx noticed this as he looked to where the can came from and saw the girls. He smiled as he dropped the boy in his hands. "Well, we have some wondering eyes. Didn't your parents tell you? It's not nice to stick your nose in other people's business," snickered the mutant. He was about to slam his gauntlets to attack the girls. "NO!!!" shouted the boy as he leaped into the air and dragged Pharynx before he could do his attack. "Get out of here!" he said to the girls. "We should go!" said Twilight to Sunset as she grabbed her arm and ran towards the way they came. "Minions!" shouted Pharynx as they appeared and blocked the girls' path. The girls fell on their bottoms as the minions looked to bring their weapons down on them as they moved out of the way and ran. They were cut off as they turned and ran in another direction. All around the minions were cutting off the girls from escaping as Pharynx was distracting the boy so that he couldn't help the girls. One of the minions looked to deliver a strike to the girls when something hit it. It turned around as an old tire collided with it as it fell. "Leave our friends alone!" shouted a southern voice. "Applejack!" said Sunset and Twilight as they saw their friend. She wasn't alone as Rainbow was with her as they were on a platform above. The pair had managed to get Rainbow's new strings from the mall. They had just exited the store when they saw Sunset and Twilight hurry off in an instant as they were concerned where their friends might be headed to. So they trailed their friends to the building; they managed to see the vigilante as he entered the place as it got Rainbow all sorts of excitement. Once Sunset and Twilight sneaked in through the back, they began to go also in case they ran into trouble. And it turns out they did as they were being attacked by the mutants and their minions. "Up here!" shouted Rainbow as Applejack threw some more pieces of rubble at the minions as their friends ran. Rainbow bent down and extended her hand as Twilight managed to grab her hand. She pulled her up as it was now Sunset's turn. "Don't think I'm letting you get away!" shouted Pharynx as he slammed the ground once more. The whole building was shaking as the people on the outside and the cops all cleared out as they feared it might come crashing down. The platform the girls were on was now unchained as it slanted and they slide down into a pile of old mattresses as dust picked up. They felt a bump as they landed and let out groans. The minions now grabbed each one of them. "Get yer hands off of me!" shouted Aj as she did a hard kick that sent one of them flying and unhooked her. Rainbow then did a similar kick as she sent another flying as the minions tried to restrain the girls as they ducked and did a punch as they fell. They didn't notice that Pharynx was in position as he tapped into his power and slammed his fists into the ground. The boy saw this as he got up from the beating he took and ran towards the girls. They soon looked in front of them as the shockwave was heading towards them as they couldn't get out of the way. The boy now leaped forward as he shielded the girls by taking the brute of the attack as a small explosion went off. The girls covered their eyes as they saw the person who protected them. It was the boy they saw who had battled the mutant. During the attack, the gems he had been carrying in his pocket were flung out as they each landed by the girls' feet, but they didn't notice them. It soon ended as the explosion died down as the boy felt the pain and fell to his knees. They looked to check on the boy when tons more minions surrounded them. "Still playing the hero? Well, time to die like one," said Pharynx. "Run! Get out of here!" said the boy as he told the girls to leave. "We ain't leavin' you with this thing!" shouted Applejack. "Get the hell out of here!" shouted the boy as he was grabbed by his shirt and lifted by Pharynx. The girls wanted to help their savior. Their eyes were soon looking at their feet as the gems began to glow. They all bent down to pick them up as it shined even brighter as if it was resonating with the girls' spirits. "Put those down!" shouted Pharynx as he could see what the gems were doing. The gems now shined the brightest as the boy's morpher resonated as well. The girls had their eyes turn white as the gem in each of their hands was now infusing with them. Soon a voice spoke to each of them. If you accept this responsibility. Your whole life will change. Sacrifices will be made, the ones you love will be put in danger. You must be willing to protect the innocents at all costs. The greatest virtue of being a ranger is not the power itself, but the reward of helping others. Do you accept this oath? "We accept," said the girls still having their eyes completely white. At that moment, the gems they each had now began to change. The one in Aj's hand now turned into an emerald stone as it circled her wrist; Rainbow's gem was cobalt as it circled her wrist, Sunset's gem turned into ruby, and Twilight had a sapphire stone. The topaz from the boy's morpher responded to the other as it pushed back Pharynx and his minions as they all fell onto their backs. "What?" said the mutant. Standing in front of him was the boy as his morpher was now restored to full power. He stood there in his yellow ranger suit as the pain was temporary gone. He turned to look at the girls behind him as they were on their hands and knees as each one had a slight headache. It soon died down as they looked to their left wrists and saw the same device as the one the boy in front of them had. "What is this?" asked Sunset. "It's advanced," said Twilight looking at her morpher. "Hey!" shouted the boy as he got their attention. "If you're gonna help, then morph." "What are you talkin' about, sugar?" asked Aj. "Just touch the interface of the device on your wrist. And the rest will happen," said the boy. "You sure we can trust him?" asked Rainbow. "What other choice do we have?" asked Sunset. The girl looked at their wrists as they saw the device. They put their two fingers over it and scanned them. It granted them access as it now gave each of them a symbol to draw. Once they finished drawing it, a prompt of words came up for them to say. They looked it over as it was telling them the words to say to morph. They all cast a glance at each other and gave a nod. "Here goes. Harmony Gem, power up." The four girls now began to change. For Applejack, she was being encased in her suit as it was green with bits of her gem on her shoulders as the middle of her suit had the symbol of an animal as it showed the outline of a rhino. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a green suit. Rainbow was now undergoing her transformation as she was being encased in her suit. It was blue as bits of her gem were on her shoulders as her symbol in the middle of the suit was that of a peregrine falcon. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a blue suit. Sunset underwent her transformation as the gem grew larger and encased the girl in her suit. Bits of her gem was also shown on her shoulder as the symbol for her suit showed an image of a phoenix. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a red suit. Twilight was the last one as she did her transformation. The gem inside her morpher now began to encase the girl. Like the other, bits of the gem were shown on her shoulder as the symbol for her suit was an image of an owl. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a purple suit. Now all five of them stood in a single line as dramatic shots were shown of them. The five gems felt the connection as they had been reunited once again. "Wow! You weren't kidding!" said Rainbow as she put her hands to her helmet and felt her suit. "Amazin'," said Applejack looking at hers. "Awesome," said Sunset also examining what she wore. "Yeah," said Twilight doing the same. "Let's do this," said the boy as he took a step forward. "Harmony Rangers!" said Pharynx as he thought he'd never see the day where the gems would pick new owners. He wasn't the only one as back in the lair, the other three generals and the leaders could feel the presence of the gems. Unlike when it was just the single one, they felt the connection was once again complete. A feeling that they thought was long gone and wouldn't be possible to form ever again. "So... he has a new team," said the leader as he bawled his fist as some dark energy formed and destroyed some nearby minions. "This time you won't get away, Pharynx!" said the boy. "We'll see about that! Minions!" instructed the general. His command was given as the minions all pointed their weapons at the five rangers. They fired as shots were traveling through the air. The boy was able to dodge them with ease as he leaned his body back. However, the girls were all hit dead-on as they fell with ease. They weren't hurt as the blasts didn't do that much damage. "Talk about idiots," muttered the boy to himself when he saw the girls go down like it was nothing. "Get up! And don't worry, your suit protects you." "This keeps getting better," said Rainbow as she stood up with excitement. The girls now stood up as they saw the enemy coming towards them. At that moment, they felt their bodies begin to move as they were able to act accordingly as they dodge some strikes and fists. Each one was able to block an attack and then either deliver a kick or punch taking one of them down. "How? I don't know how to fight," said Twilight. "The suit is programmed with basic fighting skills. However, don't rely on it too much," said the boy as he was now doing some parkour moves that only he could manually get the suit to do as he took out more minions. "Well, good thing, I take karate," said Rainbow as she was in her element. Out of everyone, she was the one who was having the easiest to adjust as she blocked any attacks and responded with her own. For Applejack, she was rely on her strength, coupled with her suit, which gave her a small boost. She sidestepped an attack as the minion bent over to which she used her knee to hit its midsection a few times before tossing it onto some steel pipes as it was defeated. Sunset was cornered as her suit took over for the girl. It began to initiate the proper move set as when the enemy lunged for an attack, she leaped over them and did a small backflip to get more distance. "Okay, I have no idea what I just did. But it looked cool," said the bacon-haired girl. She then saw an enemy rush her as she blocked and did a roundhouse and then transition immediately to low sweep the next enemy. Inside, she was smiling as she began to continue to fight. Seems the girls were able to use the suit's powers as they were starting to get the hang of it. As for the boy, he had managed to finish taking out his part of the minions as he was dealing with Pharynx once more. This time the boy was having the upper hand as he did some quick consecutive kicks to his midsection as he was pushing him back. He then spun in the air as a small tornado effect created around him as he hit the mutant, dragging his feet along the ground. "Time to end this!" shouted the yellow ranger as he tapped his morpher once more. Now he summoned his personal weapon. "Harmony Sword!" He then leaped into the air as it powered up. With his foe in his sight, he delivered his finishing move. "Topaz Slash!!" shouted the boy as he did a diagonal line over Pharynx. It caused a small explosion to go off as he landed with a pose. The explosion continued for a few moments, as Pharynx was shown being blown from it as he hit the steel door. He was still alive but the attack from the boy's finishing move did leave him weakened. "Give up, Pharynx!" said the boy pointing his weapon at his foe. "Ha! Never! Enjoy this while you can, cause now that you have your new team. We'll take great pleasure in destroying them as we did your old one. And this time... you will join them." said Pharynx as a portal opened up behind him. "Wait!" shouted the boy as he ran, but Pharynx disappear into the portal as it closed immediately behind the mutant. "He got away!" The girls had finished with the minions as they now stood there. They looked at each other as they couldn't help but cheer as they were amazed by what they were all able to do. Their suits now powered down as they saw each other. They all looked to the boy who was a few meters away as he powered down but his back was still turned to them. "Hey! Who are you? Mind telling us what all of this shit is?" asked Rainbow. The boy didn't say anything as he collapsed facefirst onto the floor. That caused the girls to worry as they all rushed over to check on him. They turned him over as he had his eyes closed, they could see he was still breathing as Twilight was able to locate his pulse. "I think this where we make our leave," said Twilight. "Yeah, but where? And what about him?" asked Rainbow. "We'll take him back to my house. Once he wakes up, we'll see if he can give us some answers," instructed Sunset. Applejack then grabbed the boy and flung him over her shoulders as the four of them exited the building as nobody was around to see them leave. They got into their two cars and were now traveling towards their bacon-haired friend's place as they hope to get some answers on just what the hell went down. But more importantly, who this person was. Chapter 3: Accepting the Mantle"So, remind me what the hell happened?" asked Shining Armor to his buddy. "We had managed to corner one of those creatures into the building. And then, he showed up. He entered the building, after that there was some kind of shockwave that we had to evacuate everybody in the surrounding area. Once we got the people to a safe distance, we entered the building but found nothing. The only thing was that stuff was tossed around which signaled some kind of struggle occurred." said Spearhead. "Did you get a glimpse at who he was?" asked Shining Armor. "Me and the boys saw that he was wearing some kind of yellow suit. It also had a symbol of a wolf in the middle." "A yellow suit? A wolf?" said Shining Armor with a raised eyebrow. "Here's the photo that was taken." Spearhead handed his buddy the picture that was taken by a nearby person. It was a clear image for once as the captain now could see who they've been dealing with the past month. Safe to say, his best friend was telling the truth, the image was that of the boy as he was wearing his yellow ranger suit. He saw the design, and the symbol of the animal in the middle was a shadowed wolf head. "This? This is who we've been dealing with?" asked Shining Armor as he wasn't fully buying what his men saw. "I'm afraid that's all we have so far, sir." "Then get on the case. Next time this guy strikes, we make sure to capture," said Shining Armor as his buddy gave a salute. The doors to the throne room opened up as in came Pharynx. "Well, look who screwed up big time," snickered the girl mutant. "Zip it, Starlight!" shouted the mutant to his comrade. He then approached the throne as sitting there on the throne was his leader. His brother and mother were also present. "My lord, I..." The leader closed his fist as Pharynx knew that meant to be quiet. He remained silent as the sound of his fingers tapping his chair could be heard. After a few moments passed, the leader began to speak. "Tell me, what happened?" asked the leader. He knew what went down as they were looking through their device as they saw Pharynx carry out his mission, but he wanted to hear it from his general. "I... I encounter the ranger. He arrived at the docks to stop me. Safe to say, he's not the rookie he once was when his entire team was wiped out. He's been chasing us since we destroyed his dimension. And now... seems he has a new team." "A new team?" said Pharynx's mother. "Who are they?" "Just some girls from what I noticed," said Pharynx. "Really? He's gotten a group of girls to be his new teammates? How laughable," said Pharynx's mother with a cackle. "He didn't choose them. The gems did," said their leader as it got her to shut up. "I know about the power of the gems. So the fact that they were able to unlock their powers after being dormant for so long, means that these girls are a force to be reckoned with. That being said, we have a job to carry out. Find these rangers and destroy them." "Yes, sir," said the four generals. All around there was darkness. Darkness. Floating through that darkness was someone. It was the boy who had rescued the girls from earlier as he seemed to be drifting in the black space with his eyes closed. A light now began to shine as he was heading for it. It glowed brightly as the scene changed. Now the person was shown running along a path. He was running as he was in his ranger outfit. The boy soon came across a sight as it got him to stop and gasp. Before him, laid four other individuals. They all had suits of the same color as the ones the girls transformed into as they laid there lifeless. All around were small flames and embers as the crackle could be heard. He slumped to his knees as he saw his team not moving, not breathing. He then bent down to his leader in red as he turned the body over. The visor was destroyed as the face of the person was revealed. At that moment, a hand was brought up to his helmet as the eyes of the individual looked at him. "Son. Why? Why?" asked his mother as she looked at her child with a look. "I'm sorry," responded the boy to his mother. The hand now began to drop as it descended. In slow motion, the hand hit the ground, which served as the sign as the person he was holding was no more. The boy could see the eyes of his beloved mother as they closed shut forever. Despite wearing his helmet, on the inside, he was crying as he held his mother in his arms as she had passed away. He pulled her in close as the small embers now began to fan. They were sensing the hurt and pain inside of the boy as it fueled them. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted the lone ranger as the flames now turned into a raging inferno. The fire swirled around the bodies of the others and him as it consumed everything. As a result, the boy now woke up. He sat up as he felt the nightmare. From his forehead, sweat was shown as it rolled down the side of his face. His breathing was out of control for a second as it was soon slowing down. Once he was able to get his composure, he took some deep breaths. He ran his hand through his hair as he felt his temperature returning to normal. "You're awake," said a voice. The boy turned to who said that as standing in the living room was Sunset and the rest of the girls. They had been watching the boy since they brought him back to her house as he was exhausted. They heard some sounds coming from him as they saw him roll around in his sleep. The boy saw the girls as he quickly did a flip over the couch he was resting on as he brought his fists up ready to fight. "Who are you?!" asked the boy. "We asked you first?!" countered Rainbow. "Simmer down, Dash. He's been through a lot," said Aj as she held her friend back. She could that the boy had some issues. "We don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk," said Twilight putting her hands out trying to show they weren't going to do anything. "You collapsed after fighting that thing, and we brought you here. We've watched over while you recovered." "How long was I out?" asked the boy still in his battle stance. "A day." "A day?" said the person as he couldn't believe he was unconscious for that long. "You took a beating trying to save us from whatever creature that was," said Sunset as the boy now looked at the bacon-haired girl. "Thanks, by the way, we are grateful that you protected us." "I was just doing my duty as a ranger." "What's that? And who are you?" asked Rainbow as she wanted to know the answer to that question. "Why should I tell you, Skittles?" said the boy to the chromatic girl. "What did you call me?" said Rainbow as she looked to get physical with the boy they saved. "Simmer down, Sally," said Applejack holding her friend back again. "Aj, let me go! I'm gonna make him regret ever calling me that!" "If you're feeling froggy, jump!" taunted the boy. "That's it, I'm beating his ass!" shouted Rainbow even more as Aj now pulled back even more. Rainbow wasn't too pleased she was being punked out by this stranger that they chose to save. She was now kicking and screaming trying to free herself from her country friend so that she could punch the boy. Applejack managed to get Rainbow into a chair as she pulled out her trusty lasso and tied her athletic friend down as she still looked ready to brawl. "Rainbow!!" said Twilight as she scowled her friend for the way she was acting. "Look, we're not your enemies. We just want some answers. And maybe... we can help." said Sunset as she approached the boy. He was hesitant on the girl as she came closer. His fists were still raised; Sunset then put one hand out as she was hoping that he would grab it to show that they weren't going to harm him. "Trust me," said Sunset. The boy looked at the girl as she stood there with a genuine smile as her hand was out. The expression on her face told him that she was sincere and that she was telling the truth. Still, he wasn't fully convinced if this was a trick or something. A few seconds passed as the boy now extended one hand towards Sunset. It hovered above hers for a bit as he struggled to make contact with it. His palm now touched hers as he held her hand. Upon first contact, he could feel they were warm. They gave off a certain aura that signaled the girl was someone who was dedicated to helping her friends. He soon got that way aura from the other three who were watching him. The boy now looked at Sunset's face as the smile seemed to have gotten bigger and happier. He then brought his other fist down and returned to a regular stance. "Now then, let's try this introduction again." said the bacon-haired girl. After a few moments, the boy was now sitting on the couch he awoke to as he was drinking something. The girls had gotten him some water as Applejack offered him some of her delicious apple cider. Seems it worked like a charm as the boy tasted the liquid and the best way he could describe it was like melted gold. The cool refreshing substance and how it hit his tongue triggered his taste senses. And then feeling it hit the back of his throat as it soon traveled down to his stomach where it filled him up with a warm feeling. He finished the last bit of the drink as he removed his lips from the bottle and let out a satisfying sigh. "This shit's good," said the boy as he looked at the empty bottle. He then tossed the bottle to Aj who caught it with one hand. "Family recipe, sugarcube." smiled the country girl. "Feel better?" asked Twilight. "Yeah," said the boy. "So, can you tell us who you are?" asked Sunset as it got the boy to put his head down. "Maybe, it's better if we introduce ourselves. My name is Sunset Shimmer." "I'm Twilight Sparkle." "Howdy, the name's Applejack. But you can call me, Aj." "Rainbow Dash. Don't forget the name," said the girl with a boastful tone. "And you are?" "Well, I have a different name from where I'm from. But here... just call me Ash." "Nice to meet you, Ash. So, you said you're not here. Where is here if you don't mind me asking?" said Twilight. "I... come from a different dimension. One that's different than yours." "Dimension? Do you mean like that shit on the science fiction channel?" asked Rainbow. "If that's how it makes the most sense to you, then yes. There are tons of other dimensions besides this one and the one where I come from." "So, what brings you to our dimension?" asked Sunset. "To be honest, I didn't plan to come here. It's just this is where they are currently hiding." "Who's they?" asked Applejack. "You know that thing you guys saw? Well, that thing is a mutant. His name is Pharynx. And I've been chasing him and his buddies, as well as their leader for the past five years." "Five years? Just how old are you?" asked Twilight. "In my dimension, I'm 35,000 years old," "What the fuck?!" shouted Rainbow as she couldn't help but say that when she heard Ash's answer. "35,000 years old. But you look our age?" said Sunset. "Time works differently in my dimension. So while I'm actually 35,000 years old back there, here according to your math, I'm about 16 years old. That's why I'm technically a teenager." "Well, I'll say this. You look good for someone who's 35,000 years old," said Dash as she gave a genuine compliment to the boy. "Okay, so you're from a different dimension. And you've chasing these mutants for the past five years. So, why did they come here?" asked Sunset. "Who knows? The biggest thing they want to do is destroy this dimension just like they did mine." "Destroy it?" said Twilight as they got her to be frightened a bit. "They will stop at nothing till all is left in chaos and disarray. That's why I've been tracking them down. Nonstop. I won't rest until I complete my mission." "And what mission is that?" asked Aj. "To destroy them," said Ash. "I must, for them." "Them?" asked Rainbow. "My comrades. My... team as you could say. They were struck down in our final stand against the dark lords. Out of everyone to make it from my dimension, I was the sole survivor. I was but a rookie at the time, but I trained days on end to get better. Then, we encountered our enemies. We fought as hard as we could, but the battle took a toll on us. And in the end, both sides suffered losses. The dark lords escaped through a dimension portal, but before they left, they had constructed a weapon so powerful that anything it was caught in its blast would be wiped out in mere seconds. So my team and I tried to stop it, but we couldn't. In the end, they made the ultimate sacrifice. They gave me their gems, and I was flung into the dimension portal as I saw the blast engulf them in seconds." The girls were listening to Ash's tale as they had sad expressions appear on his face. "They were all that I had left, and they keep me alive all this time. For the next five years, I trained to become better. So that way, when it came time, I would defeat the dark lords. And so I grew from rookie to ranger, honing my skills, pushing myself to be better. Then I got the signal. My gem started to glow as did the others. They were telling me that the dark lords had come out of hiding and were set to carry out more destruction. So using the last bit of power from the four gems of my fallen comrades, I was transported to your world. And from there, I began to scout my mission. And the rest, you all know. The reports for the past month, people saying they saw a masked vigilante. That was me." "We're sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what you must have gone through to be by yourself all this time," said Sunset. "Yeah, it was hard," said Ash putting his head down. "So, what about these devices?" asked Twilight as she showed Ash her wrist. "Those are morphers. The gems you guys picked up, they transform into that when you need to fight," explained Ash as the device on the girls' wrists now changed into wristbands with the small stone embedded in the center. "Morphers? So, what are you?" asked Aj. "I'm a Power Ranger." "Power Ranger?" repeated Rainbow. "Someone who fights for justice. Who fights to protect all that is from evil," said Ash. "So you're like a superhero?" said Dash. "Yes," said Ash as he got up. He was making his way towards the door as the girls followed him. He was now leaving Sunset's house as he needed to get back to his command center. "Where are you going?" asked Sunset. "I need to leave and get back to tracking them down. Missing a day means that I'm already behind." "Let us help. We can totally kick mutant butt," said Rainbow pounding her chest. "No, cause you won't ever get a chance to do it again," responded Ash. He then grabbed Rainbow's wrist as he flipped her over as took the girl's gem from her. Applejack approached them as Ash caught her arm and did a small knee strike to her midsection before taking her gem off her wrist. Sunset and Twilight saw this as they saw the boy approach them. He didn't want to harm them as he extended his hand out. They knew what he wanted as they willingly gave him their wristbands. With the four gems back in his possession, the wristbands turned back into stones. He then pointed his morpher in front of him as his cycle appeared. "What the hell!!" shouted Rainbow as she was getting to her knees from the assault given to her by the boy. "This isn't your fight! Stay out of it!" "But we can help!" said Applejack also getting up from the knee strike. "No! You can't! Don't tell a word to anybody. Cause if you do, I will find you," said Ash. He then revved up his engine as he now sped down the street until he was out of sight. "Asshole," said Rainbow as she rubbed her wrist as the four of them watched the boy disappear. It didn't take long as Ash had arrived back at the forest. He entered the command center as he got out of the elevator. "Welcome back, sir. I was worried about you," said the computer. "Sorry, Rachel. I had a slight delay. Anyways, has there been any activity in the last day?" asked Ash. "None sir, all has been quiet since Pharynx retreated." "That's a relief. By the way, see if you can deactivate these gems," said Ash as he held the four gems and put them into the scanner. He sat down in the chair as he leaned back and let out a sigh. "Sorry, sir. I'm afraid I can't do deactivate the stones." "What? Why not?" asked Ash. "The stones have been reawakened to their former glory." "But that's impossible because, for that to happen, the oath would... need... to be... said," Ash was now starting to piece together what his computer was telling him. "The girls. Son of a bitch!" "Whoever, the stones have bonded with. They have become the new owners. And they now had a duty to uphold, just as you do, Master Ash. The time has come." Ash was listening to what the computer was saying as he leaned forward with his hands clenched. He was thinking about the girls and how the stones decided that they were worthy and made their connection with them. It wasn't that he was against the girls being the ones the gems chose, but moreso that it would require them to be his team. And that meant, the possibility of having a repeat of what he went through. "I know this may be hard, but we do not have another choice," said Rachel. "This isn't gonna be easy," said Ash to the A.I. The next day at CHS, the students had been talking amongst themselves. Seems the incident that happened two days ago was still the hottest topic. From what the news outlets had reported and the statement issued by the police, they said that one of the mutants had been cornered as the masked person had shown up. He then entered the place as a few minutes later there was a shockwave of sorts that caused the people outside to scatter. The authorities did their best to quiet the people by saying that they had people who were on the case of bringing the masked vigilante to justice. However, there were also a few people who believed the vigilante wasn't a threat and that he was here to get rid of the mutants. "So what's the word around the school?" asked Sunset. "Most of the students are in favor of Ash. They believe he's a good person and doing the job of keeping us safe, better than the authorities can," informed Rainbow. "Still, I feel like he could use our help. Even if we're not rangers, it doesn't hurt to have some friends who know this place better than him. We could find where the bad guys are located and put a stop to this." "You're still set on helping him. After the way he treated us?" asked Dash. "Yes, 'cause he's lonely. He's suffering from losing his team. Imagine how you would feel if all of us weren't here? What if I suddenly passed away the next day?" asked Sunset to her friend. "I never thought of that. Yeah, it'd leave a shitty taste in my mouth. I guess I can cut him some slack. Still, he could have asked us to hand the gems back to him instead of beating us up." stated Rainbow. "I swear, I'm going to make him pay for--" "For what, Skittles?" said a voice that interrupted the chromatic girl from finishing her sentence. The girls now look in front of them as standing there was Ash himself. Safe to say, they weren't expecting to see the boy since they last saw him. Especially, at their school. The two girls were curious as to why the boy was present as the last time he told them to forget they ever saw him and to not tell anybody his identity. The four kept to that word as they didn't tell anybody since that incident. "What are you doing here?" asked Rainbow. "Not that we're not grateful, right Dash?!" said Sunset giving her friend a stern look as the girl just huffed. "But, she is right? Why are you here? I thought you said to forget we ever met." "That was the original plan. But the rules have changed. We need to talk." said Ash. "Is it about those mutants you've been chasing?" asked Sunset. "I'll explain everything in a moment. First, take my hand. Both of you." Ash put both his hands out. Sunset put her left hand in Ash's right. Rainbow was hesitant about doing what the boy asked as she didn't trust him based on how he acted after they all saved him. She glanced over to Sunset as she saw her friend. Her expression was telling her that they should listen to him. She then looked at Ash to see his face as he had a straight look. But the way Sunset was looking at her and the fact that the boy was letting himself be vulnerable by extending his hand out. Rainbow took a deep breath as she put her right hand in Ash's left. Once Rainbow was ready to listen to him, Ash now used the power of his gem as all three now disappeared in three streaks of light as they zoomed away. Nearby, there was a small kid who had seen the trio. He was taking a zip of some apple cider when he saw the boy approaching the girls. He then saw all three disappear before his eyes as he blinked several times. The kid looked at the bottle in his hand as he then tipped it downwards as the liquid drained. The trio soon found themselves standing in the hangar of the command center. The girls were stunned by where they saw as they soon noticed Applejack and Twilight were also there. "You two as well?" said Rainbow. "I went to fetch them before I got you," said Ash. "Now that you're all here, follow me." The four girls glanced at each other as they tighten their backpacks and followed the boy. They saw him approach an elevator as he pushed a button and it opened up. He entered as he looked at the girls. They soon filed in as the door closed behind Twilight. it zoomed upwards as from the top view, Ash was in front of the girls as they remained behind him. The elevator came to a stop as the doors opened up. The boy exited as the girls trailed behind. They were amazed by the room they saw. They saw the command center as it was huge. Tons of rooms were present, a training ground, a sofa with a few couches in front of a huge screen TV, a kitchen. Up above there were several rooms as they each had the symbol of an animal on the doors. The girls were stunned that they heard Ash clear his voice as they walked towards the main computer as he stood in front of it. "Nice digs. When were you going to tell us, you had a sick pad?" asked Rainbow. "That's not what I'm here to discuss. First, let me introduce you all to someone," said Ash as he pushed a button on the panel behind. "Welcome back, master." said the A.I. "Hold on, did the computer just talk?" asked Aj. "This here is Rachel. She's a computer program that has helped me to track down these dark lords. She's also taken care of me since I was by myself. Anyways, she runs this whole place when I'm out on missions and scouting." "You're too kind, Master Ash. Now then," said Rachel as she began to have a small drone pop out. The drone now began to circle the girls as it began to scan them. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Rainbow Dash." said the drone as it moved to the next girl. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Jacklyn Apple A.K.A. Applejack." "You're name's Jacklyn?" said Ash as that piece of information got him off guard. "Don't you dare say that name again, or I'll stick mah boot up yer ass!" threatened the girl to the boy as she wasn't too fond of her birth name. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Sunset Shimmer." "So what's this doing?" asked Twilight. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Twilight Sparkle. Scan complete." The drone now flew back into its compartment as it was now transmitting the data to Rachel. Soon the profiles of each girl were shown on screen as the image of the stone they touched was next to them. "Rachel now has your info. So, do you remember these?" asked Ash as he held the four gems in between his fingers on his right. "Yeah, the stones we touched. And then we transformed into rangers," said Sunset. "Now, tell me. Did you all hear a voice when you touched them?" asked the boy. "Well..." said the girls as they looked at each other. They were now thinking back to what occurred when they touched the stone. "I mean when we touched them. It felt warm..." started Rainbow. "Like it was comforting us..." spoke Applejack. "Like, it was filling us with warmth..." said Sunset. "It was saying that should we accept, then we would be helping," said Twilight. "Just as I figured," said Ash bringing his hand down as he let out a sigh. "See, these gems allow anybody to morph when they touch them or if they're in danger." "Hold on, so you're saying that just because we were present and touched the stones. We transformed into rangers. And that if say, one of our other friends was there instead, they would have been selected to become a ranger." stated Rainbow. "Technically, no. See it would transform them to escape from the danger. For it to truly make you its owner, you have to hear a voice. And that voice speaks to you and offers you an oath, should you choose to accept that oath, then you'll be a full-fledged ranger." said Ash. "So, you're saying that the stones chose us. But why?" asked Twilight. "Cause they sense the goodness in your heart. You're all willing to fight and protect the ones you love when it matters the most. Plus, as cliché as it may sound, it's your friendship with each. That's the most potent thing that I sensed as well when I looked at your auras. And it was that friendship that the gems were drawn to." said Ash. "So, what now?" asked Sunset. "Girls, I'm offering you a choice. You stand before me as teenagers, you have your lives ahead of you. Full of promise and aspirations. However, the gems have selected you as the new owners of their powers. But just because they selected, doesn't mean you have to listen to what I'm about to say. With the stones, they have selected you four to be the new rangers." Rachel now showed on the screen behind Ash the images of the girls in their suits as all five were now present and standing side by side. "So, we're Power Rangers?!" said Dash as she had her tongue out panting like a dog in excitement. "Let me finish. If you chose to accept this responsibility and to follow me into battle. There is no turning back. Your lives as you know will change. The days of being a normal person will cease to exist. Everything will change, school, work, responsibilities. All of it will be affected greatly. You will choose to protect your world against the dark lords that seek to destroy it. Either we defeat them, or we fail. Do not accept because you're obligated to, or because the stone said it picked you. If you choose to walk away, then I understand. Only accept if you're willing to commit and fight as Power Rangers with all your heart." "Everything changes? What about our families? Our friends?" asked Twilight. "That too will be affected. The reality of being a Power Ranger isn't the good work that you do. It's about the sacrifices you have to make. You must be willing to part with things that you normally would do. You must sacrifice those closest to your heart if you hope to save your dimension. You must sacrifice, no two ways about it." said Ash. The girls all began to think about what was said. That they would need to make sacrifices should they choose to accept this lifestyle. Safe to say, this was a hard decision to make. For each one of them had things they were near and dear to their heart, but if they were to protect their dimension to avoid it being destroyed like Ash's was. Then it was the price that they were going to have to pay. "Without hesitation," said Rainbow as she gave her answer. "I accept," said Sunset. "I'm ready to give it all I've got," said Twilight. "I ain't lettin' no mutants harm my home," said Applejack. "Very well," said Ash. He now approached the girls as he began to give each of them their gems. "Rainbow Dash, your loyalty to your friends will prove vital when it matters the most. And for that, the cobalt gem has chosen you to be the Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger," said Ash as he handed the gem to the chromatic girl as it now changed back into a wristband. "Applejack, your strength, and honesty are immeasurable. It will go a long way in helping us in our crusade. For that, the emerald stone has chosen you to be the Harmony Guardian Green Ranger," said the boy as he gave the gem to the country girl as it turned into a wristband. "Sunset Shimmer, the empathy you've shown will be a great asset. And with that empathy, the ruby gem has selected you to be the Harmony Guardian Red Ranger," he said as he gave the stone to the girl as it transformed. "And lastly, Twilight Sparkle. Your intellect may be just what we need to defeat our foe. On top of that, it's the magic inside of you that will help us to be victorious. Now normally it sounds a bit weird when you say the name, but the sapphire gem has chosen you. So you will be known as the Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger." He gave the stone to the bookworm as it transformed. "From this point, you shall be known as the Harmony Guardian Power Rangers," said Ash as he stood in front of the girls. "We promise to serve as rangers!" said all four girls. "Good, now then. There are three rules you must commit to when being a ranger. Number one: You must not tell anyone your secret. No one must know, not even your family or your friends. Number two: When duty calls, you drop everything that you're doing. As I've said before, you must be willing to make sacrifices. And Number three: You must swear to use your powers not for personal use, to use it when doing good." "We understand," said all four. "Good, now then. Time to teach you all how to morph," said Ash as he raised his left hand as his wristband now changed into his morph. The girls raised their arms as the wristbands now changed into the devices. They then began to listen to Ash's instructions. "Now repeat after me. Harmony Gem, power up!" "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the girls. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. The girls were tracing the symbols that their morphers showed them. Like with Ash, the gem encased the girls as they landed on platforms as their bodies turned into the suit with bits of their gems on their shoulders. They lifted their head as the vizors covered the last bit of their face as they did a pose with each of them having that animal they command behind them as they sounded off together. "Look at us!" shouted Rainbow as she was admiring her suit. "This feels amazin'!" said Aj. "It has tons of functions," said Twilight as her helmet was relaying some info for her as she was reading them. "Uh, it's a little tight," said Sunset as she could barely move in her suit. "That's an easy fix," said Ash as he approached Sunset. He grabbed her wrist as he began to reconfigure the morpher to change Sunset's size. The suit then began to glow as Sunset stood in the same suit, but this time she could breathe a bit more as she could feel her limbs were comfortable. "That better?" asked Ash. "Much better. Thanks." "Don't mention it. Just... take good care of the suit," responded the boy as he turned his back and began to walk. "This was your mother's, wasn't it?" asked Sunset as Ash stopped in his tracks. "Yeah. She was... our leader," said the boy as he could feel a tear roll down his cheek as he silently wiped it away. While Sunset couldn't see it, she could tell that the suit brought the boy some painful memories. Before she could say anything, an alarm went off as the entire command center was flashing red. "What the hell's that? A fire drill?" asked Rainbow. "No. Something much worst. Rachel!" called Ash as his suit deconfigured his helmet as he approached the computer. "Seems the scanners have picked up some activity," said the computer. "What is it?" asked Twilight as she and the other approached the computer as well. Their suits did the same as their helmets deconfigured. "Mutant activity by city hall," said the A.I. "It's time," said Ash to the girls as they knew what he meant. "Are you girls ready?" "Ready!" they said in unison. "Then let's go!" said Ash as he began to race towards the elevator as the girls followed him. "Rachel, authorize Order 22667RT!" "At once, Master Ash. Good luck," said the computer as she spoke to them through their morphers. The team made it to the hangar as some platforms were being lowered as on it were more cycles that resembled the one Ash rode on. They were color-coordinated as the girls were smiling as their vizors allowed them to see with their own eyes. "Ladies, your rides," said Ash with a smile as the girls disbursed towards their vehicles. "Hello, handsome," said Sunset as she saw her cycle and was giddy like a filly. Rainbow let out a wolf-whistle seeing her bike as she began to feel the seat. "Where have you been my whole life?" said the girl with a smile. "Purrin' like a kitten," said Aj as she turned the handle of her bike as she heard the sound of the engine. Not to mention the tires on the bike as they burned rubber. "Uh, no offense, but I've only ever driven a car before. I'm not used to something going faster than 35 miles per hour," said Twilight as she saw her bike. "Don't worry, the cycle comes with an autopilot feature. Whenever we're on missions, the destination will be programmed into the interface, and it'll take us there. Once you get used to it and practice, you can then turn it off." said Ash as he got on his cycle. "Well, that's good to know," said Twilight as she began to approach her cycle and got on it. "Alright, girls. Let's ride!" said Ash as his vizor now covered his face. He turned the handle of his cycle as he popped a wheelie and then zoomed forward down the tunnel when the doors opened. "Wait for us!" shouted Rainbow as she didn't like someone else doing her gimmick. She then turned the handle on hers as she zoomed down the tunnel as well. The rest of them soon followed as Twilight was the last one to exit. Ash was approaching the end of the tunnel as the doors at the end opened up on the other side, the rocks slid to the side as the boy came busting out. The others soon came out as they landed and were zooming through the forest. They caught up to the boy as they now got onto the road as the GPS was guiding them to city hall. "I am in love right now!" said Sunset through her helmet as she was enjoying how her ride was handling. "How you hangin' Twilight?" asked Applejack. "So far so good, still a bit fast," said the nerd as she was still frightened that she might fall off going at high speeds. "Don't fall behind!" said Ash as he picked up a bit more speed. "Why must I chase the cat?" said Rainbow as she began to laugh. She too turned her handle to put more speed to her cycle. "Rainbow!" said the girls as they saw their athletic friend trying to show off. Ash was focusing on the road as he looked down to his cycle and saw a blue dot getting closer. He then saw Rainbow next to him as he could see through his helmet, she had a smug look. She now zoomed ahead of the boy. "Smartass," said Ash with a smug smile of his own. Rainbow was now in the lead as she smiled. She then began to pop a wheelie on her cycle as she was laughing. "Oh yeah, you think you're shit, Skittles," said Ash with a chuckled at seeing the girl was trying to punk him out. "Let's see you top that, Ash." said the girl as she was still holding her wheelie. Her cycle then landed as she kept up her momentum and zoomed ahead. "Alright, Dash. I got something for your ass," said the boy with a smug smile. He now began to put more speed to his ride as he was catching up to the girl. The others were seeing what was happening up front as their rides picked up speed so they could watch from a few meters behind. Ash was now next to Dash as the girl noticed her comrade. She could see through her helmet that he had something planned as his cycle zoomed ahead in front of her. "Alright, bitch. Watch this," said Ash. He now managed to turn his cycle around. The screech of the tires could be heard as they rotated. It left tire marks on the road as the maneuver was complete. The cycle was now riding backward as the girl was stunned by what she was seeing. Ash was grinning the biggest as he managed to punk Rainbow once more. To add insult to injury, he was now only driving backward with ease, but he made sure to give her the middle finger to her face as he was laughing. "Shit!" said the girl. "Yeah, Dash! How do you like them apples, huh!!!" taunted Ash with a laugh. "Show off!" responded the girl. "That's the Ash school of driving right here, baby!" said the boy as he did a quick look behind him, making sure that he wasn't going to hit anything. Once he had his fun with the girl, he then turned the cycle around. He was now driving forward as he zoomed ahead. The others all caught up to Dash as they snickered a bit as seeing their athletic friend get a taste of her own medicine. They all zoomed ahead as now Rainbow was the one getting left behind. With that, all five were now rushing towards city hall. At city hall, tons of minions had appeared out of a portal. They had been sent by their generals to cause some havoc. The things appeared as people saw them and screamed. They all began to run as a few fell over as the mutants chased after them. Some aimed their weapons at some nearby buildings as some pieces of rubble were flung, but nobody was hurt by it. The people were running for their lives as the chaos continued. A lady was shown running as she tripped on her heels. One of the minions appeared over her as he looked to bring its weapon down on her. She covered up to protect herself. Shoots were fired as they collided with the minion as he was thrown onto the floor and vanished. Our heroes had made it in time as the blasts came from Ash's cycle as he managed to get rid of the minion before it could harm the women. The gang approached the women as they were out of their suits. "Are you alright?" asked Ash. "Yeah, thank you." "Get to safety, move!" said the boy as they watched the women leave. Once she was out of sight, the five of them all turned to the number of minions in front of them. The girls all took their positions next to Ash as they were ready to show how serious they were taking their new roles as rangers. "Let's do it, girls," said Ash as he looked at them as they nodded. All five brought their arms up as their wristbands now changed into their morphers. "Ready?" "Ready!" shouted the girls. "It's Morphin' time!" shouted Ash. "Harmony Gem, power up!" said all five in unison. Each one was given their separate transformation as they changed into their suits and did their pose with their animals in the background. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger!" "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger!" "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian, Red Ranger!" "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian, Purple Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian, Green Ranger!" "Harmony Guardian, Power Rangers! United as one!" said all five as an explosion went off in the background to add more to their presence. "Let's take them down," said Ash as he pulled out his mini saber as the girls did the same. All five began to charge forward as the minions did the same. Each of them was now in smaller circles as they were taking a section of their foe. With the small weapons in their hands, they were having an easy time taking out the minions. The girls were starting to get into the rhythm of fighting, even Twilight, as they were mowing them down. "This is too easy," said Rainbow as she spun and did a slash attack when she landed, flinging a minion into a tree. "Girls, pull out your blasters," said Ash as he put his saber away and then pulled out his other weapon as he began to fire at the minions in a row. "Now, we're talking!" said Sunset as she flipped onto a hood of a car as she had her blaster. She bent down and spun, firing at all the minions around the vehicle as they fell. "By the laws of gravity, what goes up, must come down!" said Twilight as she leaped off of a column and kicked a minion in mid-air as it flew past her and slammed onto the ground. The girl landed on a balcony as she began to engage with the minions on the higher ground. "Comin' through!" shouted Applejack as she charged at them as she bulldozed over the minions as they fell. One of them tried to punch her in the chest as she stood there not feeling the effect as the minion hurt his hand. The girl then did a punch tossing the minion to the side as her strength was on full display. "Time to upgrade," said Ash as he tapped his morpher. He was now summoning his personal weapon as appeared in front of him. "Harmony Sword!" shouted the boy as he wielded his blade. "Cool, what do I get?" asked Dash as she saw her teammate get his weapon. She tapped her morpher as soon the weapon appeared in front of her. "Harmony Lance!" shouted the girl. She was using the long weapon as she was now taking out the enemies and helping her to do some acrobatic moves. "Mah turn!" said Aj as she tapped her morpher as an ax appeared. "Time to make the earth shake!" shouted the girl. She then charged up her weapon, and she let out a cry as she brought it down. The ax hit the ground and created a mini earthquake as it caused the minions to fall. Sunset did the same as her weapon appeared as it was a bow. She grabbed it and rolled through as she pulled the string, and it fired some arrows made of red light as they collided with the mutants. She was now taking them out from a distance as she turned with such precision and did a few flips while firing. The girl landed as behind her a small explosion went off. "Man, I'm good," smiled the girl. Seems having an artistic eye helped her when it came to aiming. Twilight saw her teammates get their weapons as she did the same. For here, the girl was awarded a shield as it appeared in her left hand. "Well, they say the best offense is a good defense," said the girl using that logic. The minions now fired their weapons at the girl as she acted on her instincts to cover up. The blasts hit the shield the girl was hiding behind as a smokescreen occurred. Once it died down, the shield appeared without a scratch as Twilight was perfectly unharmed. The girl was pleased with how well made her weapon was to handle all the firepower. They began to charge at her, as Twilight got an idea. She threw her shield at the minions as it ricocheted between them and returned to her hand. She then did a parkour flip as she tossed the shield once more. She landed and began to trade some fists with some mutants as the shield was doing its thing. The girl was able to calculate the angles as she threw her weapon at the nearby buildings as it bounced off of many objects that hit the enemy consecutively. When it kept bouncing from enemy to enemy it sounded like it was forming the notes to a song. It sounded like it was about ponies or something. The girl managed to use her legs to kick the last foe as she turned around and caught the shield in her left hand. "Normally physics don't work like this, but I'm not complaining," said the bookworm. The last bit of the mutants now gathered as Ash was in front of them. He was soon joined by the girls as they spun their weapons in their hands. They had smug smiles through their helmets as they knew their fun had to come to a close. "Time to send the rest of you packing!" said the boy. He pointed his sword at them as it started to power up with his gem. "Topaz Slash!" He then leaped into the air as his weapon had finished charging up as he did a diagonal strike as the last group of the enemy was taken down. He landed as all five now turned their back to the explosion. They took their pose as it went off once again adding to their presence and how fluid they worked as a team. "Hope you're watching," said Ash to himself. His message was directed towards the dark lords. They so happened to be watching as they wanted to see what the minion strike force they sent, cause some damage. But mostly, it was to see if Ash indeed did find a new team and to their amusement, the girls didn't disappoint. "So, boy. You have some new friends. Let's hope you will not make the same mistake as you did before," said the leader as he saw the image of the yellow ranger through their viewing device. "That. Was. Awesome!!!" shouted Rainbow as she jumped into the air and did a fist pump. "Did you see how amazing I was out there?!" "Please, I was too busy kickin' ass," mocked Applejack. "These powers are unbelievable," said Twilight. "We couldn't have done it without you, thanks," said Sunset to Ash. He was about to say something when the sound of applause was heard. The group of teens now looked around as they saw some people were clapping. They had watched from their cover as they saw the heroes take down the creatures. They showed their appreciation as they cheered. The gang raised their hands as they waved to show their love towards the folks. A few pictures and videos were being taken as the group kept on waving. The five now arrived back at HQ. "If every mission is like this, I can't wait to fight!" said Rainbow as her excitement was still high. "Remember, Dash. Being a ranger ain't bout showin' off," said the country girl as she tried to remind her friend of their responsibilities. "Yeah, yeah. But come on, you gotta admit, we were awesome out there!" "I'll admit, it was a valuable experience," said Twilight. "However, you can't just rely on the suit to do the work. We're gonna need to work on your fight skills so that you can improve your move set," said Ash to the girls as he approached Rachel. "So, now that we're rangers? What happens now?" asked Sunset. "We wait. Whenever there's an attack, we act immediately. But... a team isn't complete without a leader. Someone to guide us in battle and through tough situations." said Ash. "Okay, I volunteer myself." "Hell no!!!" shouted the rest of them at the chromatic girl. "Come on!!" groaned Dash. "Who do you think, Ash?" asked Aj. "Well, normally, it's the responsibility of the red ranger to lead." "So, Sunset?" said Twilight as they all looked at the girl. Safe to say, she wasn't expecting that. "Look, I'm not stoked about that idea. I mean, I just barely knew what a ranger is. And now you're all expecting me to lead us. No offense, but I don't think I'm qualified to lead us. If anything, it needs to be someone who has experience with dealing with our foe." said the girl. Sunset now turned her attention towards Ash as the girls did the same. It was now the boy's turn to be shocked as he saw the glances from the girls. "No, I can't. It's tradition," said the boy as he tried to decline. "Besides, I'm..." "The only one who has the experience to know what we're up against. You said so yourself, you've been chasing them for five years. Trying to take them down to avenge your team." said Sunset as she approached Ash and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know you have a way of doing things. But it makes sense for you to lead us." "But..." "She's right, sugar. You know who our enemies are," said Applejack. "But..." "The logic is there," said Twilight. "But..." "Master," said Rachel as the boy looked at the computer. "Your team has made their decision. I know you don't feel like you should be the one in charge, but I believe you are ready. If your were parents were here, they should say the same thing." "Mom, dad..." said Ash as he was thinking of his long-gone parents. His home, his team, his friends. All of it, gone. And now after tracking his enemy for so long, he had a chance to end it. With new allies by his side, the boy now had a team who was willing to help him out. From rookie to a ranger, and to being a leader. It was a lot of pressure for the teen as he felt like this was a mistake. But upon looking at the girls and how Sunset still had her hand on his shoulder, it seems they had full confidence in that he would lead them to victory. "Alright, I accept," said Ash as he grabbed Sunset's hand and held it firmly. She smiled as soon the others all gathered in a circle. They put their hands in as they looked at each other. The power bestowed upon them, the adventure they were going to have, but more importantly, the responsibility they were going to have to carry. With a smile, they all looked at Ash as this moment before him, brought a feeling he didn't think he ever have again. For the boy, he looked at the girls for a split second, his brain had them change into the images of his former teammates as if their spirits were smiling at him. Like they were telling him, that he was going to be alright. They soon changed back as the girls were still smiling. He too caused one to form on his face. "Harmony Rangers!" "United as one!" shouted the girls as they all broke their hands as it was the final still image before fading to black. Chapter 4: Sacrifice"Focus, part of being a ranger is learning how to concentrate. You must clear your mind of all distractions," said Ash. He was currently walking around the training room as the girls were interacting with the different equipment. Well, almost all the girls. Twilight was on a treadmill as the boy could see she lack stamina. Not to say that she was fat or anything, but once Rachel showed him the video of the many times she pigged out at Hayburger. It made him question how the girl could consume that much junk food and not gain any significant pounds, though there was a slight pudginess. Sunset was at the shooting gallery as she was practicing her shots both with her blaster and bow. Seems playing video games was useful in that it allowed the girl to have a sharp eye. Of course, she had to adjust some things compared to the world of reality, but for the most part, she was able to hit the targets. Meanwhile, Applejack was lifting some weights to improve her strength. Once Ash made sure the girls got into the rhythm of their training, he now began to do his. He approached a punching bag as he began to practice his punches and kicks. The four went at it as soon the elevator to the command center opened up as in came Rainbow with her backpack slung over her shoulder. "Sup, guys!" said the girl. "You're late!" shouted Ash as he did one final punch to the bag as he noticed his teammate. "Yeah, practice ran a little later than usual," said the chromatic girl as she tossed her bag on the couch and then hopped over it as put her feet up. She then grabbed the remote and began to flip through the channels. "I said for you to be here after you were done with school," stated Ash as he exited the training room and stood behind the girl. "As I said, I had practice. Hey, Rachel, any snacks?" said the girl to the A.I. as soon a bowl appeared on the table. The girl now grabbed the popcorn and began to toss it in the air as it landed in her mouth. "I don't care if you had practice; you committed to being here with the rest of the team. You girls need to learn how to fight properly so that you don't rely on the suit," stated Ash as he crossed his arms. "I get it, Ash. So what if I'm late? It's not like it matters. Besides, I'm already a decent fighter," said the girl looking at the TV as she tossed another kernel into the air. She had her mouth open as if she was waiting to catch it, but it didn't. The girl then looked up to see that Ash had caught the kernel in his fingers as he looked down at the girl. He then popped it into his mouth as he now bent his head down to the girl as he had a stern look. "Rainbow, I said that when you chose to become a ranger, you had to follow three rules. Number one: You must keep your secret identity hidden. Number two: when duty calls, you must drop whatever you are doing. And Number three: You have to make sacrifices." "I haven't broken any of those," said the girl as their faces were still upside down. "Yes, you did," said Ash. "Would you get off my ass already?! Gees! If I wanted a lecture, I'd be at my parent's house!" said Rainbow. "I'm trying to make a point here," said Ash. "Whatever," said the girl as she went back to watching the TV. Ash then let out a sigh as he had to take drastic measures. He then quickly swiped the remote to the TV. "Hey, give that!" said Rainbow. She tried to grab the remote as Ash held it up high out of her reach. He began to walk backward with the remote still in his hand as Rainbow was now angry. The pair entered the training room as the others saw this. The pair had made it to where the wrestling mats were as the boy put the thing next to him. "Give it back!" "You'll get it back if you can defeat me," taunted Ash as he took his battle stance. "This will be easy," said Dash as she figured since she knew some karate, she could beat her leader with ease. The two rangers now stood apart from each other as they had their fists up. Rainbow went for a kick as Ash sidestepped it with ease. He quickly delivered a chop to her leg as Rainbow felt it. She then tried a punch to which the boy grabbed it and then transitioned to a standing wrist lock. Rainbow felt her wrist being torqued as she managed to roll through to reverse their position. She then got the boy in a headlock as he countered by putting his leg on the back part of hers as she bent over and he got her in a headlock. She tried to throw him off as Ash now slid down to his knees while the hold was still applied as he countered Rainbow's counter. The girl then did some punches to his midsection as it gave her the split second to free herself as she took a few steps to gain her composure. "That all?" taunted Ash as he didn't feel pain from Rainbow's punches to his midsection. Rainbow was now angry as she rushed and did a flying kick as he once again moved out of the way. He grabbed ahold of the girl as he now had her in a waist lock. He lifted her in the air as Rainbow was kicking, he could so easily slam her to the ground, but he wanted to see if the girl could do something. Rainbow tried pounding her fists where Ash's fingers were locked around her waist as he then slammed her onto the ground. The boy then quickly transition from the waist lock to a headlock as Rainbow was face-first into the ground. The others had been watching this as it kinda amused them to see Rainbow being humbled. The girl was struggling to get out of the boy's headlock as she tried to push up, but the boy kept wrenching on his hold. He decided to let go as he popped up to his feet as he quickly gave a slap to Rainbow's ass as the girl was coming to all fours. "Hey!" said Rainbow as she felt the impact of her butt being slapped. Safe to say, she was turning all sorts of red as she rubbed her tushy. "Give up," said the boy with a smug smile. "That's it!" said the girl as she was pissed off. "Come on, Dashie," said Ash. That nickname was the last straw as she didn't like it coming out of the boy's mouth. She then ran and leaped into the air to do some fast kicks as Ash was blocking all of them as he was being pushed backward. Rainbow landed and immediately went for a sweep to which the boy forward flipped over the girl. She then quickly charged at him, to which his answer was corkscrew. Safe to say, that move alone had all the girls have their jaws drop. In slow motion, Rainbow was under Ash as he was in the air in mid-rotation of the move. She turned her head to look at him as the boy gave her a quick wink. Time resumed as he landed to safety avoid Dash's attempt to hit him. Rainbow then ran at the boy as she executed a head scissors maneuver on the boy as he managed to roll through the move and land on his feet. She then tried a roundhouse kick as the boy ducked and then did a chop block to her other leg as she went down to a knee. He then delivered a knee strike to her as hit the girl who fell onto her back. The girls could hear the sound as it echoed around the room, but Rainbow wasn't too hurt. She then charged again as this time Ash caught her by using his legs as he managed to put the girl on the floor and had her in a cross-arm breaker hold as he yanked on the girl's left arm. Rainbow could feel herself being stretched as she tried her best to escape. She managed to roll onto her knees as the hold was still locked as she got a hold of his right foot. She then transitioned into an ankle lock as she was hoping to get the boy to submit. It didn't last but a few seconds as the boy countered by getting his hands on her foot and now switched their positions as he had her in an ankle lock as he was on a knee and yanking on the leg of the athletic girl. "Tap! Tap!" shouted Ash as pulled on the ankle of the girl. Rainbow was scratching and clawing at the mats as if trying to crawl out of the hold, but she couldn't. She was trying to hold on, but the pressure was starting to become too much that she felt the pain. "Tap! Tap!" yelled Ash as he applied more pressure. "Alright! I tap! You win!" said the girl as she couldn't take it anymore. Her hand was now hitting the mat with such speed as she signaled that she gave up. The boy released his hold on the girl as he ran a hand through his hair. Rainbow was now on the mat back first as she had her limbs spread out. She was panting hard as if she had finished playing a difficult game. She saw the shadow of Ash standing over her as he offered his hand which she grabbed. He then brought the girl so that she could sit up as he bent down to her level. "This is why you need to be on time for our training sessions," said Ash. "Why you got to single me out, huh?! It's bad enough that I got my ass handed to me by you. But you're talking to me as if the others don't have to follow the same expectations." said Rainbow as she pointed at her friends. "You don't see them giving up their after-school activities." "Actually, I had to quit robotics and a few other clubs I'm in," said Twilight putting her head down and rubbing her arm. "And I had to put my gaming channel on indefinite hiatus," said Sunset as she rubbed her neck. "And ah told Granny Smith that I wouldn't be able to do mah chores as much as I used to," said Applejack tipped her hat to hide her face. Safe to say, the response from the three girls got Rainbow to be shocked. She didn't expect her friends to part with things that they valued so close to her heart. "And for me, I became a ranger at the age of 11. So I had to sacrifice the rest of my childhood. As I said, the reality of being a ranger means sacrificing those that are closest to your heart. Your duty as a ranger comes first," said Ash. "But... that's not fair!" said Rainbow. "That's the price you have to pay," said the boy as he stood up and began to walk. "But I can't give up sports! It's the thing that I love the most. You expect me to just quit all the sports teams at school?!" shouted the girl. "Yes," said Ash looking over his shoulder at her. "With great power, comes great responsibility." Rainbow was anything than pleased at hearing that she would have to quit the one thing that brought a smile to her face. "Alright, let's call it for the day. You girls need to get home before your parents get worried," said Ash. They all nodded as they exited the training room. He saw Rainbow walking past him as she had an angry look on her face. The girls all grabbed their backpacks as they then activated their wristbands and turned them into their respective colored lights. Four lights shot out of the command center as they went off in different directions. Once the girls disappeared, Ash now sat down on the couch as he began to eat the popcorn from the bowl. "Rainbow, I know you may not agree with this decision. But for the fate of your dimension and in defeating these dark lords, you must make the necessary sacrifice." said the boy. The girls had split up as each of them landed a few meters away from their homes to avoid any suspicion. Nobody was nearby as they began to walk the last bit home. Twilight had made it to her home as she pulled out her keys and opened the door. "Twilight, is that you?" asked Night Light. "Yeah, dad," said the girl. "Hi, Spike," she said picking up the small creature. "So, how was school? Did you have fun today?" asked Velvet. "Y-Yeah, I did. I... had some things to take care of. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have some last-minute assignments that need to be completed." said the girl as she began to walk upstairs to her room. "We'll call you when dinner is ready," said Twilight's mother as watched her daughter disappear into her room. Sunset entered her house as she turned the lights on. The whole place now lit up as it allowed the girl to see. She tossed her backpack on her bed as she sat on the edge of it and fell back. She spread out her arms while letting out a sigh. The girl's eyes noticed something out of the corner of her pupil as it was a gaming controller. She was now thinking about her duty as a ranger and what that meant. "Usually, I would stream right now. But... my responsibility as a ranger comes first. Still... Ash didn't say that I couldn't play for fun," said the girl as picked up the controller and put on her headphones. She then turned on one of her many consoles as she began to play to relax. Applejack had made it to the farm as she entered through the gate. She passed by the farm animals as they let out noises upon seeing the farm girl. The front door was opened as the country girl took a few steps and was tackled by something small. "Hey, Applejack." "Hey, Applebloom," said the older sister as she rubbed her hand through her younger sister's hair. "So, where were you?" asked the smaller Apple sibling. "Sorry, sugarcube. But that's a secret," said Aj putting her finger to her lips. "Ah, come on! Tell me! Ah can keep a secret!" shouted the younger girl trying to get her older sibling to spill the beans. As for Rainbow, she had arrived at her home and rushed towards her room. Safe to say, her mood was unlike the others as she was distraught. Especially, cause when her parents said hello to their daughter she bolted to her room and slammed her door. That alone meant that they should give their daughter some time before addressing her. So for an hour, Rainbow was in her room sitting against her bedframe as she bounced a small ball against the wall and her hand. She was currently thinking about what went down at the command center. "As I said, the reality of being a ranger means sacrificing those that are closest to your heart. Your duty as a ranger comes first." "It's bad enough that he had to embarrass me but to say for me to quit sports. Is that even possible? What if I could balance the two, then there wouldn't need to give it up? I'm sure it'll work, right?" said the girl as the ball returned to her hand. "Sweetie, is it alright to enter?" asked Rainbow's dad. "Yeah," said the girl as she now turned to her side so that her back was to the door. The door opened, as in came Bow Hothoof who saw his daughter. Rainbow was rolling the ball with her finger as she felt her father sit on her bed. He then reached over to her hair as he began to brush his daughter's hair. "How was your day?" "Fine, I guess," responded the girl. "If you want to talk, me and your mother are right here," said Bow Hothoof as he knew his daughter wasn't the type of person to express feelings. He gave her one last rub through her hair as he got up and headed towards the door. "Dad?" said Rainbow as she sat up. "Yes," said her father as he was reaching for the door. "What would you guys think if... I... was to quit something that I loved?" asked Rainbow to her father. He simply raised an eyebrow at what his daughter was saying. "Let's say that I have a responsibility to uphold, but in order for me to do that, I would need to sacrifice something that I hold dearly." "Sweetie..." "Would... it be worth it? Is it the right decision to give up something that I truly enjoy so that I can uphold my duty?" Rainbow put her head down as she brought her knees close to her chest. While she did her best to not show it, small tears were starting to form. Bow then sat down next to his daughter as he put his arm around her. "You feel as if you were to give it up, you might not ever get a chance to do it again, huh?" said the father as the girl still had her face buried into her knees. "I'm not gonna sit here and say that I have the answer, Dash. But if there's one thing I've learned in my life, is that if you listen to your heart, then you can't go wrong. It's how I got your mother to marry me. I can't tell you what to do, only you can decide that. But know that whatever decision you make, me and your mother support it." Rainbow felt the small tears drying up as she lifted her head to look at her father. "The greatest gift that we could have ever asked for, was having you for a daughter," said Bow to his girl. He then brought her in for a hug as Dash didn't resist letting her emotions out. The hug lasted for a few moments as Rainbow's father now got up and left. He gave one last smile as he closed the door and the chromatic girl was left with her thoughts. Rainbow was now starting to think about what her dad said and what Ash had told her at the command center. She was now deciding what her decision was going to be. The morning came as the team was doing some scouting across the city. Well, moreso they were until some mutant minions had decided to make their presence. Ash and the girls were now engaged in combat as they were in the park where the attack was discovered. There was no one present given that it was still early in the morning, but evil never takes a break. "At least this happened before school," said Twilight as she was using her blaster to mow down her section of foes. She then spun in a circle as she took out the whole wave around her. "I could always do with a mutant beatdown before I start my day," said Sunset as she had her bow out and took the enemies down from afar. She pulled her weapon backward as she didn't bother to look as her shot took out a mutant in a tree. "Speaking of which, where's Dash?" asked Applejack as she had her hand in front of her as she was holding a minion back as it was swinging its arms in front trying to hit the girl. "I sent a call to her to be here," responded Ash as he was using his small saber to take down his section. He began to exchange fists and kicks as he had no problem taking out the small fry sent to cause chaos. He and the girls now had their signature weapons out as they looked to end their playtime. "Let's finish this! Topaz Slash!" shouted Ash as he jumped into the air and did a diagonal slash taking out his last bit of enemies. "Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she brought her ax downwards to the ground creating a meteor effect taking out her section. "Ruby Strike!" shouted Sunset as she grabbed her bow and did a backflip into the air. While in the air, she pulled back on the string and shot out an attack in flames as it burned her foes. "Sapphire Spin!" yelled Twilight as she tossed her shield towards the minions as it began to spin fast. It was gaining momentum and power as it hit the huge group as they were defeated. "Great work, y'all!" said Applejack. "Not really," said Ash as he wasn't happy. Rainbow had awoken as she had to get to school early for practice. The chromatic girl left her house and made it to the school where the rest of her teammates were busy warming up. Once she arrived, Spitfire had her team run some basic laps as they all took off jogging. About halfway through practice, Rainbow's wristband let out a beep sound. She looked at it and put her hand over it as she made her way to the bleachers as if she needed to get something from her bag. She had her back turned as she looked at her gem. It displayed an image of the others fighting the minions and Ash's message of telling her to come help. The girl was now deciding on what to do as ever since her talk with her father from the night before, she was still unsure about her decision. "Hey, Crash? You good?" said Spitfire as she saw the girl with her back turned. "Y-Yeah, just... needed to rehydrate," said Rainbow now turning back to her friend with her hands behind her back. "Well, come on. We still got practice," gestured the oranged-haired girl as Rainbow nodded and made her way to the field. She tossed the ball to the chromatic athlete as she began to do some fancy footwork. The rest of the team now gathered for some quick drills as they soon moved to play a small game with each other. All the time, Rainbow's morpher was going off as she chose to ignore it and focus on her practice. The girl was in her element, smiling and being in the zone. She managed to do some crazy shots, given her new powers as a ranger as it got her teammates to be shocked a bit. Eventually, it was the end of practice. "Alright, everyone. School is about to begin, so hit the showers and change," instructed the captain as her teammates all grabbed their gym bags. "Hey, Crash. Nice work out there," said the captain extending her fist. "Thanks," said the chromatic girl as she returned the gesture. "If you do that in today's game, we're gonna win no sweat," said Spitfire as the two girls began to talk as they made it to the locker rooms. Watching from afar was an individual as he had a stern expression on their face. Rainbow had finished cleaning herself of her sweat and was now changing into her usual attire. She had opened her locker to grab her t-shirt when... "Enjoying practice?" Rainbow turned around as standing before her was Ash. "Ahh! What are you doing here?" shouted the girl. "Hey, Crash. You okay in there?" asked Fleetfoot. "Y-Yeah, just the water was cold. It's all better now," said the girl hoping that her female teammates wouldn't enter and see her with Ash in the locker room. "Alright then," said Fleetfoot as her footsteps could be heard getting fainter. "This is the girl's locker room. I don't know how things are in your dimension, but we here have something called privacy!" said the chromatic. "You're not naked, are you?" said Ash as he gestured to Rainbow as she was wearing her shorts and sports bra. Regardless, Rainbow was still showing signs of red for being alone with a boy in this type of environment. "So, did you enjoy practice?" said the boy crossing his arms. "What's it to you?" responded the girl turning her back to him. "It's everything to me. I'm your leader. This morning, there was an attack. I called the team to meet at the location. Everyone was there, except you. Now granted, I'd figured you'd probably be a few minutes late, no worries. So I made sure to call you on your morpher. After a while, you still didn't show up. Then we finished cleaning up, and you still didn't show." "Okay! Could you please get off my ass!!" yelled the girl. "I didn't show up, because... I chose not to." "Rainbow..." "I'm sorry, alright. I broke the rule, I should have left practice to help you guys, but... I couldn't!" said the girl as she now turned around and punched the locker. "You think that I don't give a shit about being a ranger. I'm trying my hardest to please both worlds, but... it's hard. It's hard for me. I don't want you guys to think that I'm not taking this shit seriously, I do! I'm not gonna let some evil bastards destroy my home or the people that I care about. But I also can't just quit sports altogether. It's who I am, it's a part of me." The girl didn't realize it, but she was venting out her feelings to someone. Her eyes had held back all the tears she'd been piling up as the waterworks released. Drops of it hit the tiled floor as it could be heard. The girl who was described as having a tough demeanor was now vulnerable, something that nobody thought possible. "Before I became a ranger, I had my dream of becoming a professional sports player. And now, it feels like that's never gonna happen. Cause I'm giving up on it to fulfill my responsibility. I feel like I'm losing a part of me if I walk away." Ash stood there with a straight face as he listened to the cool girl vent out her sorrows and pain. He took a deep breath as he uncrossed his arms and placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. The exposed skin made contact with his hand as even then, Rainbow could feel the tiny muscles in Ash's hand as it sort of gave her warmth. "Rainbow, I get it. I am upset that you chose to ignore the call, but I'm not angry. I get it, you feel as if all of this has suddenly been thrust upon you. That, you're feeling forced to make a decision. Believe me, I know." said the boy as he was thinking back on when he chose to become a ranger. "You have a duty to uphold, but you also don't want to lose a piece of yourself in the thing that defines you. Besides, you're not alone. The girls may have given up some of their other commitments, but they didn't do so willingly. They each approached me and they vented out their feelings, they even cried their eyes. I was there to be the shoulder so that they could let it all out." Rainbow turned her head as the tears still streamed down her face. "I'm here if you need to," said Ash. Not even a second, did the girl now stand in front of the boy as she buried her face into his shirt. Ash stood there with his eyes closed as he let Rainbow pour out her emotions. The teen knew she wouldn't get past it until she let it all out. He lifted his arm as he looked to hug her. He hesitated as he put it back down. Rainbow bawled her fists up and lightly pounded against the boy's chest. After a good solid 10 minutes, the sniffles had ceased as Rainbow still had her face buried. "Feel better?" asked Ash. "Uh-huh," said the girl sniffling and wiping the last bit of water using the boy's shirt. She removed her head as she looked at her leader. "I know this isn't an easy choice, Dash. But know that this is what needs to happen. And the reason why I'm always on your ass isn't that I think you're slacking or you don't take this responsibility seriously. It's because I care about you." said Ash putting his hand on her shoulder once more, it then trailed upwards to cusp the girl's side of her face. "You have a choice to make. That's all I need to tell you. And if you do choose to continue with sports, then... I wish you luck in today's game." Rainbow put her head down for a moment to take in Ash's words. When she lifted, he was now gone. The girl looked at her wristband as it had her gem. The rest of the day, the girls were at school as Ash was in the command center as he was keeping an eye on things happening around the city. During classes, Rainbow was thinking about what was discussed between her and Ash. Safe to say, the fact that she managed to break down in tears spoke volumes. While the rangers were doing their thing, the villains were looking to make their move. "Yes, I understand," said Pharynx's younger brother. He then stood up as he exited the throne room and met with one of their officers' mutants as he was to lead him and the minions on a special mission. They were approaching their portal when they were stopped by Pharynx who stood next to the portal. "Off on a mission, little brother?" "Drilburg, go on ahead," instructed the general to the officer as the mutant left through the portal. "You're finally going out on the field?" said Pharynx. "In case you didn't know, the boss is sending me on a special mission. Seems he's looking for something, so it's up to me to find it. Drilburg and the rest of the forces are to distract the rangers so that I can conduct my search." said the mutant to his big brother. He now approached the portal as he disappeared into it. "Don't get hurt, Thorax," said Pharynx as he watched his brother leave. The school bell rang as it signaled the end of the day. Rainbow was at her locker as she was getting her stuff. At that moment, her wristband began to beep as she put her hand over it. She quickly looked around to make sure that any passing-by students weren't listening as she leaned into her locker and listened to the call that Ash was sending the girls. "What's up, Ash?" said Aj through her wristband as she was with the rest of them by the statue. "Rachel has picked up activity in the city. I'm sending you the coordinates. Get over as soon as you can." said Ash. "On our way," replied Sunset. All three made sure no one was around as they all touched their wristbands, they were now gone in flashes of light and being transported to where the threat was. Rainbow had heard the call as she had her finger over her gem. She was hesitant about touching it as her mind was conflicted. "Crash, there you are. Everybody waiting for you," said Misty Fly as she saw her teammate by her locker. "I was... just getting something," said Rainbow as she closed her locker and retrieved her gym bag. "Then let's get on the bus," said Misty Fly as both girls made it to the parking lot where the rest of the Wondercolts were boarding the bus. Rainbow got on board as she waved to her teammates and took her seat. The bus now began to move as it was driving them to where their game was being held. Meanwhile... The enemy had arrived as they managed to scare the citizens as they fled in terror. Holes were being dug up as the mutant Drilburg was popping in and out as he was throwing dirt and cement everywhere. Some of the nearby buildings could feel the weakened foundation near them as shook a bit. "Nothing in this area," said Thorax as he had a small scanner in his mutant hands. "Keep looking, we're bound to find it." instructed the general to his forces. Some of the minions now began to rip out some grass and scan the area as they were instructed. Some blaster shots were heard as a few of them fell. Thorax noticed this as they fell near his feet. He looked up as he found the cause of them. "Hold it right there!" shouted Sunset as she and the others all appeared in their ranger suits. "As much as ah appreciate a good tussle in the dirt, y'all are goin' about it the wrong way," said Aj. "Well that is a matter of one's perspective," replied Thorax. "Drilburg, handle them for me." instructed the mutant general. "Count on it!" said Drilburg. The four rangers now charged forward with their mini sabers in their hands as they were engaged. Ash was mowing down the enemies in his path as he looked in the distance and saw Thorax walking away with the scanner in hand. He flipped over a minion and did an elbow strike as he looked to chase after the mutant general. He was stopped momentarily by Drilburg as he landed some hits on the boy ranger with his drill arm as he was tossed onto his back. He looked to see how the girls were doing as he saw that Rainbow wasn't present. "Rainbow," said Ash as he quickly got back up and began to fight against the officer mutant. He did a flying leap as he managed to hit the general into a wall. "You girls take care of them, I'm going after him!" shouted Ash as he began to ran after Thorax who turned a corner. The girls now began to focus on eliminating the minions so that they could go help their leader. Ash was running into some alleys as some more minions were lying in wait to ambush the boy, but he took out each one in his path. All the while, Thorax was simply walking with the scanner in hand as he was turning some more corners. He was following the beeping sound as he tried to adjust the frequency of the device. He had turned the corner when he heard a voice. "Thorax!!!" shouted Ash. The boy had managed to get rid of all the minions that the general had put in an attempt to stop him. The mutant now turned as he came face to face with the yellow ranger. Neither said a word as they stared at one another. The scene then flashed changed as it now showed Ash and Thorax, but more so before the general had undergone his transformation to what he was now. The scene showed the two in the rain as it poured on the two when they were young teens as lightning went off in the back. A flash of lightning and the scene were back in the present time. "Thorax!" "Been a long time, Ash." While Ash and the girls were handling the attack, Rainbow was on the bus as she was looking out of the window. She glanced down at her morpher as she was thinking if she was making the right decision. "Rainbow?" "Hmm." "I said, is everything all right?" asked Soarin. "Yeah, why'd you ask?" "Cause you've been staring at the window since we left CHS." "Just... have a lot on my mind is all," replied the chromatic girl. The team's bus now arrived at the sight of their game as they got off-board. The field was filled with people from CHS, and from the team, they were facing off. They all entered the locker rooms respectively as they changed into their uniform. The whole team was in their gathering room as Spitfire was giving a last-minute pep talk to her teammates. Rainbow sat on the bench as she was barely listening to what was being said. Everything was plaguing her mind as she couldn't help but think of the others. "Crash?!!" "Huh?" "I said, are we gonna win?" asked Spitfire to the girl as the rest of the teammates looked at her. Rainbow was looking around as all eyes were on her. "Let's... kick their asses," said the girl with not much competitiveness in her voice. They bought it as they all cheered. With that, they began to head out to the field as Rainbow remained behind for a bit as she clutched her leg. The field was loud as people were cheering from the bleachers. Rainbow was walking out with her team as she was taking it in. This is what she was used to, this is where she thrived, the spotlight on her as it should be. The roar of the crowd chanting her name, the pressure on her shoulders, and the high stakes. Yet... why? "Time to put you rangers six feet under!" shouted Drilburg as he now burrowed into the ground. "Where is he?" shouted Twilight as all three girls were back to back in a circle as they had their weapons out. The ground shook as the mutant shot out and zoomed past them at high speeds from all directions as they fell to their knees. He laughed as he went back underground. "Feel the vibrations," said Twilight as they were hoping to find where their hidden enemy might be. The girls all focused as they began to use their senses and the suit's scanners to look at the area around them. Underground, the mutant was drilling through the dirt as he was using his echolocation feature to see where the girls were at. He'd now begun to move upwards as he was approaching the girl. "There!" pointed Sunset. Applejack then brought her ax down to where her friend pointed. The girl slammed her ax on the ground hoping to hit the mutant as a meteor effect occurred. However, Drilburg was able to fake the girls out as he now appeared in front of Twilight as then they drilled at the girls back and forth as they were defenseless. The trio was flung onto the ground as more minions appeared to finish off the girl. Ash was with Thorax as the two were standing in an alley as they glanced at one another. "Tell me, Thorax. Are you all looking for it?" asked Ash. "Ever since it was lost before we destroyed your dimension. Both sides have been looking for it. By the way, congrats on your new team. You really do have an impressive selection this time around. And they're all girls, so were you trying to go for a little harem?" asked Thorax. "I'll give you this, they're all good selections." "Thorax, I meant what I said. I'm taking you and your pals down. We may have been friends once, but you made your choice that day." "And I respect that. And you should know, that even though our past may have told a tale, the present has a different chapter. And no doubt the future will be written by the victor." said Thorax. He now began to walk to the dead end. "Best hurry to your girls, I doubt they'll last long." With that, a portal opened up as the mutant general disappeared. The game was neck and neck, the score was tied as both sides were giving it their all. The Wondercolts were doing their best just to match the aggressiveness that their opponents were showing. But even then, they were starting to reach their limit. Rainbow had been put in for the first half of the game, but eventually, they had to change tactics as she was told to sit out. Now with the final minutes of the game, they were desperate for a miracle. Spitfire could see her team getting pummeled, and as their captain, she was doing her best to lead them to victory. "Alright, Dash. Time to finish this. Everybody is counting on you." said Spitfire as she put her in. The girl nodded as she got on the field, she took her position as the opponents were running towards them with the ball. She managed to intercept and steal it from them as she was now running towards the net. Using her ranger skills, she was able to keep the ball away from the other players as she kept on running. She saw the net in sight as she went for a kick, but she hesitated. Her teammates were shouting at her, but she wasn't focusing on them. At that moment, one of the players from the other team went in for the steal. They missed it but the tip of their shoes collided with the girl's other leg as she lost her balance and tumbled. The whistle was blown as the referee came to check up on the girls. Neither was hurt as they gave a thumbs up. Spitfire told the coach to call for a quick time out as the ref allowed it. "Crash, what the hell? Why'd didn't you take the shot? You had it." said Spitfire. "I'm sorry. But... I can't be here." said Rainbow as she now grabbed her bag and was now walking away as there was a game going on. "Crash? What's going on? Where are you going?!!" stated Spitfire. "I needed somewhere else," said the girl as she was now running. Safe to say, her teammates were confused as Spitfire was stunned. "I don't know how long I can keep going?" said Twilight as she was starting to lose some steam. "There's too many," said Aj as she managed to clear another wave of minions as even more showed up. "We have to keep fighting!" said Sunset as she was starting to move slower as her attacks were being blocked, and in return, she was taking tons of hits. "Minions! Finish them!" shouted Drilburg as a section of them aimed their weapons at the girls as they noticed it at the last second. Blasts were fired as the girls took many to the chest as they all fell to the ground next to each other. The whole group was coming closer as they looked to end the girls. "Say your prayers," said Drilburg as the minions looked to deliver the final shot. At that moment, several of them fell to the ground. "Huh?" the mutant then looked as a blur flipped in the air. Rainbow had made it to where her friends were as she arrived in time to say them. She now began to fistfight with some of the minions as she looked to defend her friends and give them a chance to catch their breath. The girl was taking the minions down as she soon ran into Drilburg as the mutant kicked the girl and she fell to the floor. He looked to end her when Twilight's shield collided with the mutant as he was pushed back. "Thanks, Twi," said Dash as the other approached her. They helped her up as Twilight's weapon returned to her hands. "Figured you'd need me to save the day." The others rolled their eyes through their helmets as they turned their attention back to the enemy. "One more makes no difference. I'll destroy you all," said Drilburg. "I don't think so," said Rainbow with a smug smile as her wristband changed into her morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" The girl now touched the interface of her device as she drew her symbol. Her gem now began to in case her, bits of her gem were on her shoulder. She landed on a platform and lifted her head as the vizor covered the last bit of her face. She did her pose as the animal in the middle of her suit appeared behind her as it gave a screech. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger!" The enemy now began to race towards the girl as they all charged forward. Rainbow stood behind as she touched her morpher. "Harmony Lance!" shouted the girl as her weapon appeared and grabbed it. All four girls now began to fight back. Rainbow was using her long weapon to take out the enemy before they could reach her. She stabbed it into the ground as she now spun around kicking the enemy that made contact with her feet. She then flipped and then grabbed one of the minions at the end of it and used it to help swat away the others. It wasn't long as soon she went another round with Drilburg as the girl was having a smoother time. However, she was still overpowered as she took some knee strikes to her midsection and was flung to the ground. "I ain't waiting anymore!" said Drilburg as he looked to bring the sharp end of his drill arm on the girl. A yellow mirage-like wolf now appeared as it spun in a circle as it hit the mutant dead-on as several blows to its body were shown. The wolf then did one final claw swipe as the mutant was thrown back and onto his knees. It disappeared as standing a few meters away was Ash as he had his blade out. "Ash!" said Rainbow. "Topaz Slash!" shouted the boy as he now leaped into the air. He powered up as his body was outlined with the power of his gem. He then brought his blade as he did a diagonal swipe. He landed as the mutant was still kicking. "Rainbow, he's all yours!" said Ash. "Thanks," said the girl as she now began to power up her lance. "Here goes. Cobalt Spear!!!" shouted the girl as she was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the mutant. It was but seconds as the girl delivered her finishing move as she made a hole through the mutant's body as she appeared behind him. She did her pose as the mutant fell, and an explosion went off as the girl held her victory stance. The others had finished taking out the small fry as they all let out a sigh of relief. Rainbow approached Ash as the two rangers looked at one another. "You came?" said the boy. "Yeah, I have a responsibility to uphold," smiled the girl through her helmet. Ash gave her a thumbs-up as she returned the gesture. It was now evening time as the Wondercolts had made it back to CHS as they had gathered on the field. Spitfire was doing keeping a ball in the air using her feet when Rainbow made her presence known. The captain saw the chromatic girl as she grabbed the ball and put it under her arm. "Hey." "So what's the deal, Crash? You left in the middle of the game. That's not like you. Everything okay?" asked Spitfire. "Y-Yeah. Everything is fine. It's just... I'm not gonna be available for the rest of the season. Or the foreseeable future for any sports." "Ha, ha, ha. I knew you liked to joke around, Crash. That's funny," said Spitfire as she laughed at what the girl was saying. She then looked at Rainbow as it ceased. "You're not capping. You serious?" "Sorry. But, something's come up that needs my attention. And in order for me to do it, I... I need to be available at all times. So, I... can't be a part of the team anymore." "Hold up? You ditching on us, Crash?!" said Thunderlane as he overheard. "You just gonna leave us hanging high and dry?! After all, we've been through as a team?!" said Misty Fly. Soon the other teammates appeared behind Spitfire as they had expressions on their faces. "I'm sorry, guys. But... this is something that I have to do," said Rainbow. "You back-stabbing son of a bitch," said Fleetfoot. She looked to get her hands on the traitor when she was stopped by Spitfire who put her arm out. "Leave her. She's not worth it," said Spitfire. "Everybody, let's get the hell out of here." The rest of the team began to leave but not before giving the chromatic girl some dirty looks. Rainbow felt sad as she watched her former teammates label her as a villain for choosing to leave them. Spitfire was the last one to leave as she had the biggest scowl on her face. "You know if you had just told us at the start. We would have understood. Hope whatever it is you're doing is worth it. Cause you made the ultimate mistake. You let us down." said Spitfire as she turned her back on her former teammate as she began to walk. "Don't bother showing up at any games, we wouldn't want to be in the way of your responsibility." With that, the girl now left as only Rainbow was left on the field with the sun starting to set beyond the horizon as an orange light shined behind the athletic. "I wish I could tell you guys. But I can't," said Rainbow in a soft and hurtful tone. She now began to leave the field as she got to the school statue as there was Ash. He was waiting for the girl as he was leaning against the thing with his hands in his pockets. Rainbow approached the boy as they looked at each other. "This is it, huh. This is supposed to be the right decision, huh! So tell me, why do I feel like shit?!" stated Rainbow as she had her head down. "Because it never is," said the boy as had his hand grip her chin and have the girl look at him. "I understand it must be hard. And they probably hate your guts for turning your back on them. But remember, this is about a bigger picture. We're fighting to save them, to save your home. Though the choices we make may not be the ones that fill us up with joy, they are the necessary ones." Rainbow buried herself in the boy's chest as she couldn't help but still be hurt. "I just... hope that they can forgive me someday," said the girl. "Hey, I said you had to make a sacrifice. But I didn't say that you couldn't have it back once we complete our mission," said Ash as Dash now looked up at the boy. "Once we finish and defeat the dark lords, who knows, maybe... you can still get your dream of being a professional athlete." Rainbow popped a small smile at hearing that. "But for now, we have a mission. So let's complete it, together." "Together," said the girl. The pair now began to walk as Rainbow kept her head on Ash's shoulder as the boy put an arm around his friend and smiled. They were exiting the school as the sky transitioned into the night as the moon was shown. Chapter 5: Zords"Anything, Rachel?" asked Ash as he was in sitting in the chair. "Scans show nothing, master." "Boost output power by 5%. I want to find it before they do," instructed the boy. The boy leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. He wasn't alone in the command center as Twilight was near the lounge area. She was working on some assignments as the pair were waiting for the rest of the team. "Let's see, apply this formula to this equation and... done," said the girl as she finished her assignment in less than 7 minutes. "You're really smart, Twilight," said Ash as he turned around in his chair and looked at her. "Thanks," said the girl as she blushed a bit from the compliment. "Though stuff like this is easy for me. I've been meaning to ask you something?" "What?" "Why is your A.I. called Rachel?" "Well, she's called Rachel cause that's the name that my parents wanted to call their child if it was a girl. Sorry to disappoint them, but as you can tell, I'm not a girl. So instead, my father helped my mother and the team by building an A.I. that would assist them during their missions." "Wait? Your dad helped your mother?" Yup, he wasn't a ranger per se. He was more of the technical guy behind the scenes. The one who would relay information and guide the team in the field." "So, your dad built this?" said Twilight directing towards the computer program. "Yeah, he built Rachel as a way for him and my mother to use that name. But he also built her so that in the case that neither should be around, she would take care of me. Can't tell you how right he was." said the boy. "So, your father didn't make it either?" "He wasn't gonna leave my mother's side. He loved so much that he'd meet his end with her by his side and vice versa. That's dedicated love if you ask me," said Ash as he couldn't help but wipe some tears. "I'm sorry. I know it's tough being in a different dimension and not having anyone. But we're here. We may not know each other that much yet, but we're friends. We're your team. So, no matter what, we'll be here for you." said Twilight putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "I appreciate that thanks, Twilight." smiled the boy. "By the way, your math is wrong. You applied the wrong formula. You're supposed to use this set and then divide it by the estimation." Ash now scribbled his work as he showed the girl his math. "That's ridiculous, I would know..." Twilight's eyes widen as she grabbed her notebook. She was now looking at her problem and comparing her work with that of Ash's. And to her surprise, he was right. "How? How is this possible? I thought I checked my calculations, what step did I miss?" "You missed when you ignored the second step. Yes, you were right that it was a useless number. But it's useless until you get the answer from solving the equation. Then you take the useless numbers and plug them into the formula and then the rest is what you did." stated Ash. "Wow, you're correct. Huh? No offense, but I... I... um..." "Didn't think I was knowledgeable in stuff about your dimension?" said the boy. "Heh," said the girl, playing with her hair as she twirled it with her finger. "Me being here, I had to know how things worked. Plus, I was sort of an honor roll student back in my dimension. So I know this kind of stuff that you're learning." said the teen boy. Twilight then grabbed her leader as the pair was now sitting next to each other as the boy tutored the girl with some more of her problems. She was enjoying herself as she was not only getting a better understanding of the problems but also picking Ash's brain. The rest of their friends soon arrived as the elevator opened up. "Sup, peeps," said Rainbow as she tossed her bag as one of the drones caught it and set it down by the coat rack. "Wait, Twilight? Are you the one who's getting tutored?" "Why yes," said the bookworm with a smile. "I never pegged Ash to be smart." She then made a face as the boy had a raised eyebrow at that statement. "That came out wrong, what I meant to say was that I misjudged his knowledge that he had of our dimension." "It's all good, Twilight," said the boy. "Never thought I'd see the day where the egghead needs to be taught how to be smart." "I am not an egghead. I am well-read!" shouted the lavender girl to her chromatic friend. "Anyways, before we left, Rarity asked us to stop by tomorrow at her boutique. Seems she wants to make sure that we have our outfits ready for the party on Friday," said Sunset. "What party?" asked Ash. "A small school party. You know, a dance. Haven't you had one of those in your dimension?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Again, I became a ranger at age 11. And shortly after that, my whole dimension was destroyed. So... yeah, I've never experienced this whole dance thing." "Well, maybe we can invite you. I mean, I'm sure Pinkie can put you on the list if we ask her," said Applejack. "Not interested. Besides, we're rangers. This means that if duty happens on that night, you girls have to leave the party and come help." stated the boy. "So we can't even enjoy our own school events cause we're rangers?!" said Rainbow. "I told you all, there's a high price to pay for wielding such power and responsibility," stated Ash. "Anyways, now that you're all here. Time we get on with today's lesson. One that I think you'll find interesting." The team was now outside of the command center in the forest as there was a drone floating about as Rachel was scanning the area for any activity. Also recording what Ash wanted to teach the girls. They were all in a line as in front of them was the boy. "So, let me ask you all? Do you remember our recent fight?" asked the boy. "Yeah," responded the girl. "Now, do you remember seeing some kind of wolf appear and attack Drilburg?" "I was wonderin' bout that," stated the country girl. "How do you summon that thing?" asked Rainbow. "Okay, first, do you all know the animal symbol that's on your suit when you transform." "Yeah, owl." "Phoenix." "Rhino" "Peregrine Falcon." "And mine is a wolf. See, our gems allow us to sort create a mirage image of the animal that is on the suit. Sort of like a spirit in a way. So, let me show you," said the boy as he touched his morpher and changed into his yellow suit. He now turned his back to the girls as he looked ahead. He put his hands together as he was concentrating. His topaz gem was responding to the boy as he was now gathering up energy. Once he had enough and his mind was focused, he did some quick arm movements as he thrust out a hand, and the animal spirit of his wolf appeared in a yellow light as it destroyed the trees in front of it. "So awesome!" said Rainbow letting her inner fangirl come out. "So, can we do that?" asked Twilight. "Yup, you just have to concentrate. But keep in mind, it's something that requires a ton of energy and focus, which is why you should only use it when you see fit. Taking out a small horde of enemies, or trying to do a surprise attack on a foe. Either way, it's too much for you to do more than once a battle. Keep that in mind. Now then, let's see if you girls can do it." instructed the leader. The girls nodded as they touched their morphers and changed into their ranger suits. "Remember, focus and build up that energy. Let your gem respond to your mind," instructed Ash. The girls put their hands together as they closed their eyes. They were listening to the instructions given to them by their leader as he was doing his best to offer encouragement. Safe to say, it wasn't as easy to do as in the girls' minds they were tons of things that distracted them. Even a simple sentence could derail their thoughts. They remembered to tune in with their gem and listen to its inner voice. On the outside, Ash was seeing the girls focused as soon their bodies began to glow with their respective colors. The auras from the girls were now getting in sync with the gems as they were now on the same wavelength. "Now, let it out!!" shouted the boy. The girls did that as they opened their eyes and thrust their hands out. From each of the girls came the animal depicted on their suits as they glowed in the same color as their gem. A falcon, owl, rhino, and phoenix appeared as they let out a cry as they each took down some trees as targets as pieces of wood went flying. The boy was impressed by how the girls were able to execute it on their first attempt as he saw the spirits disappear. He looked back at his team as the girls were out of breath as they were hunched over. "Not bad, gonna take a while to get used to. But for first-timers, you girls did good," said Ash. "Now, that was just the first step. The other reason has to do with you all to your zords." "Zords?" said Sunset. "Let me show you," stated Ash as he now lifted his morpher so that he could speak into it. "Wolf zord, arise!" The girls were confused by what their leader said. "Wait for it," replied Ash. Just then, they heard a sound. It was faint but, it sounded like a howl in the distance. "What was that?!" said Rainbow as she was a bit scared as she looked around. The ground now began to rumble a bit. When the boy spoke into his morpher, he was transmitting a message to a mechanical animal as it was on top of a peak. It let out a howl when the call was sounded as he leaped off the cliff and landed on the ground and took off at high speeds. It was now racing towards where its owner was as the girls could feel the creature getting closer. The ground shook as they could hear something coming through the forest. They looked up as they saw a shadow, but couldn't make it out due to the sun as it landed. The creature was giant as it appeared behind Ash as it let out a howl and a few growls. "What the hell is that?!!" said Applejack. She and the others were shocked by the giant creature that towered their leader. "Girls, this is my zord," said Ash as he looked at his giant wolf as it let out some growls. "Okay? What exactly is it?" asked Twilight as she and the others were still scared. "He's a zord. Zords are colossal (bio-)mechanical robots. But they're more than that. The reason being is that serve a purpose." "Which is?" asked Rainbow to Ash. "You'll see. But first, you girls need to summon yours." "Wait, you mean, each of us has one of... that?" said Sunset pointing at the giant creature that had now laid down behind its owner. "Yup, just simply raise your morpher to speak and call on its name," said Ash as he sat on one of his wolf's front paws. The girls all did as they were told. They cast one last glance at the creature their leader had summoned. They then lifted their morphers as they spoke. "Falcon zord, arise!" "Rhino zord, arise!" "Phoenix zord, arise!" "Owl zord, arise!" All four girls initiated the call. Their signals were being sent out as in different places, the animals had their eyes shined with a flash of light. High above the clouds, there was a giant bird as it was scanning the area below. The signal was given as it let out a screech as it now descended as it tucked in its wings as it was like an arrow heading straight for the earth. Emerging from deep within the forest, there was flame. That flame grew as it cracked and sizzled. It then shot out from its nest and spread out as the flames now burned up the grass and trees around it as a small ring of fire surrounded the thing. The flames were dying down, but it served as an aesthetic for the creature as it looked like some flashing armor. The avian then took off leaving a trail of fire behind it. A cave was shown, as inside there was a creature. It had its eyes wide open as it was the only thing that was visible if you saw it in person. The eyes now rotated as they did a full 180 rotation as in the dark, the creature's face was upside down. It let out a hooting sound as it flapped its wings. It exited the cave and was now flying towards where it was being called. The last of the zords made the earth around it shake. It had been buried with dirt that upon being called it shook off the bits of the material. The feature that stood out was the longhorn on its nose as it let out a cry. It clawed at the ground as it was now charging forward. The girls had been waiting for a bit when they spoke the words. Just as they were about to say something to Ash. They all heard some noises. Once again, the ground shook. The girls tried their best to not fall, but this time, it was a much bigger impact heading their way. The trees to their left were now falling over like dominos. They couldn't see what was coming, but they noticed the longhorn that was present. The creature then made its presence known as it stomped the last of the trees and let out a cry as it was a rhino. Above, there were three bird calls as they appeared in the sky. The first one landed with such speed that it created a wind effect around its as it blew the leaves that fell from the trees around it. The next one to land had flames erupt as it landed and swirled around its body and tail feathers. The last avian creature decided to perch itself on a nearby tree that wasn't destroyed as it spun its entire head and stared at the group with its beady eyes. The girls were at a loss for words as they saw the giant creatures. Ash had been watching them as he couldn't help but laugh at their reactions. "Well, girls. Go meet your zords," instructed the boy as his wolf let out a howl. The girls now got up as they went in different directions. "Uh, hey there, big guy," said Applejack as she approached her zord. She was up close to the creature as it lowered its nose as it was mere inches from the girl as it sniffed the country girl. It was taking in the scent of its new owner as it let out a breath through its nostrils as even with the helmet, Applejack was coughing. "So, you're... big... and strong," said Aj as she didn't know what to say. The rhino just put its horn against the girl as it moved its nose barely up and down. The girl saw the affection as she rubbed its horn. "So, how fast can you go?" asked Rainbow to her falcon. The bird let out a screech. "That fast, huh. I like it," said the girl as she was already in love with her beast. Not to mention how cool it looked which was a necessity in her book. Sunset had approached her bird as the flames could be heard. The girl put her hand out to show the giant mechanical beast that it meant no harm. The bird opened its beak and shot out some fire as it touched the girl's hand. However, she wasn't feeling the flame but rather it was now swirling around her wrist and then up her arm and soon around her entire body. For the girl, the flame was comforting and warm. It calmed her soul and mind as she let out a sigh as if she had departed from a massage parlor. She then closed her hand as the flames ceased as if on her command. The firebird let out a cry as it lowered its head for the girl to pet. "No offense, but shouldn't owls be nocturnal?" asked Twilight to her zord. The response she got was a head turn by the bird as it looked at the nerdy girl. "Okay, um, if you're supposed to be my zord, does that mean you're the smartest of the group?" Once again, the owl turned its head to the side as its response. "Alright then, do you like me?" Nothing was said as both looked at each other. Soon the owl gave its answer. Another head turn to the side as Twilight's eye twitched as she was starting to go a bit mental. "Okay, I think my zord's broken," said Twilight as she was starting to have a breakdown. "Relax, Twilight. That's just how he is, right?" said Ash to the owl as he got a hooting sound from the creature. "So you do like me?" said the girl with some hope. The owl just turned its head to the side again. "AHH!!!!!" shouted Twilight as she put her hands to her helmet as she felt like she was gonna go insane with trying to understand her zord. All around, the rangers were getting to know their zords as it seemed they all were taking a liking to their new owners. Ash was watching the girls as they seemed to be enjoying themselves, well apart from Twilight as she was still trying to fully understand her owl. He then looked at his zord as it growled; the teen was now thinking back to when he started as a ranger and how his interaction with his zord went. "Alright, now that you've all had a chance to meet your zords. Do you like them?" asked Ash. "Yeah!" said the girls. "No!" said Twilight. "By the way, Ash. Why do we have these things?" asked Applejack. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, time to make them a bit easier to carry," Ash now got off the foot of his wolf zord as he turned to look at his beast. He touched his morpher as he drew a symbol as the wolf in front of him now glowed with the yellow light. Once it died down, the boy turned around as his zord was a mini-version. "Whenever these guys aren't in battle or scouting, you can turn them into pet versions. A great way for you to bond with them," said the boy as the small wolf let out a howl as it began to chase its tail by the boy's feet. "Aww, so cute!" said the girls looking at the boy playing with his zord. They all turned to their zords as the beasts let out some noises. They each touched their morphers and drew a symbol as it caused their beasts to glow. The creatures soon shrunk as they appeared in mini versions. Rainbow's falcon had decided to perch itself on her shoulder, Sunset had her perched on her wrist. Aj picked up her rhino as despite it being small, it still had some weight. Still, she held her zord like it was a stuffed animal as it let out an affection roar, the girl just made sure to avoid getting stabbed by the horn. As for Twilight, while she found her owl to be even cuter in its pet form, the owl turned its head to the side as it looked at the girl. The owl then began to peck at the girl. "Hey!" shouted Twilight as she was being attacked by her own zord. The purple ranger then grabbed her zord with both hands as she began to return the gesture. "You peck at me, and I'll peck at you back!!!" Both owl and girl were now pecking at one another as if they were having a struggle. For the others, they couldn't help but laugh at seeing how the two were acting as soon a tussle in the dirt occurred. After a while, both Twilight and her owl were shown laying on the floor with swirls around their head as it seemed both managed to tire the other out. Once they recovered, the rangers and their zords all entered the command center. Twilight's owl had decided to perch on top of her head as it had its head turned backward as to not look at the girl. Twilight was mumbling to herself at how she was given this zord as hers. "One more thing, you got to make sure that these guys aren't seen by others. And no fooling around with them when they're in this size. Rainbow!!!" "Why you got to single me out!!!" shouted the girl as she didn't like being targeted by her leader. "Cause you're the one who likes to show off and soak in attention, dumbass!" stated Ash, which the girl stuck her tongue out at the boy. "Don't worry, we promise we won't let anybody see them," said Sunset as she petted her phoenix. "Anyways, time for you girls to get going," said Ash. "There is plenty of room here, we could stay?" said the bacon-haired girl. "Sorry, but... that's... no, you all need to leave. Your families will be worried," said Ash. "Alright then," said Twilight. The girls all grabbed their backpacks as each of their zords now hopped into their bags as they fit in comfortably. Even Twilight's owl gave a hoot as he entered the lavender girl's bag. They all waved goodbye to their leader as the boy turned. He sat down on the couch as his wolf zord jumped onto the furniture. It then got in the boy's lap as it looked at its owner with its paws being pressed to his shirt. Ash looked at his small pet as he smiled. He patted it on the head as he was reminded of some memories. "I never thought that I would ever get to the see the rest of the zords. Ever since... well, now that the girls have access to their beasts. Time to find the rest of them." said the boy. The girls all made it home as they entered their houses. Twilight waved hi to her parents and her brother who decided to take a break from sleeping in his office to relieve some stress from work. They told her that dinner was ready as she went to go drop off her stuff. The girl entered her room as she petted Spike who was on her bed. She put her bag on the floor and rushed downstairs. The dog waved his tail when he heard a sound coming from Twilight's backpack. He then saw it fall to the floor as a thud was heard. The bag now began to shake a bit as it got the pet to be curious. He hopped off the bed and approached the bag with a growl preparing for the worst. Soon the zipper began to move, the bag opened and out popped the head of Twilight's zord. The mutt was confused by what he saw as the bird now exited from the bag and hopped around to take in its new surroundings. It was turned its head to the side and looked at the home of its owner. Spike let out a growl as he saw the thing to which the owl simply turned its head backward as its body was still facing forward. That sight alone got the dog to be scared as if was something out of a horror film. The owl then turned its body to look at the weird animal that was also present. While the dog was growling, the owl then had its eyes scan the dog with lights and the whole room as it rotated its head. Once it finished, the data was being transferred to its memory bank. The owl then turned to Spike as it began to peck at the dog as it did with Twilight and then flew to sit on the girl's window still. While this was happening upstairs, Twilight was having dinner with her family. They were currently listening to Shining Armor as he explained how things were going with his job. "Ever since the incidents, people were scared. And then, the vigilante shows up. Claims he's here to get rid of these creatures," said the officer. "He's a power ranger," said Twilight. Her response got the attention of everyone as they all had raised eyebrows. Especially, Shining Armor at hearing what his own sister was referring to the vigilante. "Uh, well, that's what the news reports are calling him," smiled the girl sheepishly. "Right. And then... there's the incident from the other day. We had enough problems on our hands with one of them, turns out he's got friends. And these, so-called, Power Rangers managed to stop an attack at city hall." said the boy. "Isn't that a good thing, though?" asked Twilight. "I can't deny that they're taking care of these monsters. But at least they could do is work with us. We're officers, our job is to protect people from danger." "Maybe there's a reason why they're hesitant about working with the law. Maybe it's best to trust they can handle it. I mean, nobody other than them has what it takes to defeat these monsters." said Twilight. "Since when did you become so invested in these rangers, Twilight?" asked Night Light. "Well, word has got out in school," said the girl coming up with a little white lie. Sunset arrived at her home as she entered through the door. She opened her backpack as her phoenix zord emerged. It took a look around its mistress' room. "Try not to burn anything valuable," said the bacon-haired girl as she left her zord. The bird zord now looked around as it did the same thing Twilight's owl did. It was scanning its surroundings as it was inputting the data of its new home. Once it finished the download, it then hopped onto the girl's bed as it noticed a controller. It then began to peck at the many buttons as the TV came on. It tilted its head at the bright light as it then pecked at another button and the game started up. With the farm girl, Applejack was hard at work in the barn as she was trying to push some barrels into the storage room. Despite being strong, even she had difficulty pushing them. So her tiny rhino zord walked over to its mistress's feet and gently pushed the barrel as it was moving with ease. The girl noticed this as she looked down to see her zord pushing it with its horn. "Thanks, little guy," said the girl as she petted her zord's back. The pair continued their evening chores as Applejack made sure to hide her zord in her room before she went down for dinner. Once she was gone, the zord now began to scan its environment as it was downloading the data of its new habitat. Once that was done, the rhino made its way to a small chest as it unlocked it with its horn and then crawled inside as it made its bed and caught a quick nap. For Rainbow, she arrived at her house as she told her falcon to fly up to her window. It then soared away as the girl entered her home. Once she was able to get away from her parents, she entered her room and opened her window as there was her zord waiting for her. The bird flew in and landed on a nearby bookshelf as it took in the nest of its owner. Rainbow soon left as the falcon was downloading the data. It then noticed a nearby reptile as it was Rainbow's pet turtle, Tank. The shelled creature was moving about going for his evening stroll in Rainbow's room when he felt something on his back. He looked up and saw the falcon on its shell as he smiled and carried the two for a ride. All in all, each of the girls' zords was comfortable with the new living arrangements they would have in this dimension. As well as who they had as their new owners, even if Twilight couldn't get a straight answer from her own beast. The next day, CHS was preparing for the dance which was in two days. During that time, Pinkie had finally decided what theme she wanted to go with as she was having the rest of her friends help decorate the auditorium. While our heroes were going on about their lives, the dark lords were hatching a plan. "Still no luck in trying to find it," asked Starlight. "Did you expect it to be this easy?" replied Thorax with some snark in his voice. "Our Lord has entrusted me with finding it, you and the others don't have what it takes to get results." "And you do, little brother!" shouted Pharynx as he made his presence. "Finding out where the thing is a simple task." "Then why is it taking you so long?" shouted Starlight. "I said it was a simple task, not easy. When we destroyed Ash's dimension and everything in it, we failed to see that he and his teammates had a secret plan. He may have been a rookie and only 11 years old at the time, but they knew what they were doing. They couldn't stop the weapon we used to destroy everything, so they had a last resort. Unbeknownst to him, the team knew he had to be the one to survive. So before the final fight, they sent the remaining zords that weren't their personal ones through a portal. Not to mention the other thing that I'm trying to track down. Fast forward to the final moments before everything was gone, they sent the kid through a portal with their gems in hopes that he could stop us and form a new team." "Yeah, and for five years he's been trying to track us down. Meanwhile, we were in hiding trying to recover our powers," said Starlight. "Once I was able to locate which dimension the zords and the other thing was, we made our way here. However, we were unaware that he was alive and waiting for us to make the first move. Now to the present time, he's alive. He's formed a new team, and no doubt he's locating for the rest of the zords as well. If we're to take him down for good, we need to find the zords before they do." stated Thorax. "Leave it to me, I'll search them out myself," said Pharynx as he prepared to head out. "Please, you couldn't even handle him when he was by himself. I doubt you could now. I'll go," said Starlight as she made her weapon appear. "Besides, I've been waiting for my turn." The girl mutant now left Thorax's lab as she took one of the officer mutants named Whiplash. People were shown walking on the sidewalk downtown as they were going about their day. A portal appeared in an alley as some minions, Whiplash and Starlight appeared. "Let's see how fast these humans can run!" said the girl as she pointed her staff at a nearby building. Whiplash now pulled out his chains as he flung them at where his general instructed. The whips hit the side of the building as it made people scream and run away. Parts of the building crumbled from the attack as they fell as nobody was getting hurt. The villains began to cackle as they kept on walking while causing some destruction. Cars being flipped and some more holes in the buildings the mutants were hell-bent on causing destruction. "Master Ash, there's activity downtown," said Rachel. "Bring it on screen," said Ash as the computer put the several images for the boy to see. Ash saw the villains attacking as he saw who was leading the attack. "Starlight!" growled the boy. "Should I contact the others?" asked Rachel. "No, they're in school. Besides, I can handle this myself," stated the boy. He then proceeded to head over to where the attack was as he hoped he could stop them. While the ranger was being transported, Starlight and her cronies had made it to a nearby park as they carried on their warpath. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time," laughed the girl as she pointed her staff at some nearby patrons as she used her magic to hold them in sticky goo. "We should have come to dimension sooner, these humans are so weak." "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted a voice. The general raised her staff when she sense something. Coming from out of nowhere, Ash flipped forward and did a flying kick that took down the girl. He landed and then did a kip-up as he began to engage with Whiplash who was using his chains as he attempted to take down the yellow ranger. The boy was able to flip out of the attacks as he kept his distance from the mutant all the while he fired some blasts. "Well, look who finally decided to show up and play Superman," said Starlight as it got Ash's attention when he kicked Whiplash to the side. "Starlight," said the boy looking at the girl mutant. "To think, that you of all people survived? At least it confirms that the others were dumbasses by allowing a rookie, a kid who was no more than 11 years old at the time to be the one they chose to survive. No wonder your mother deserved to die." "Don't talk about my mother or any of my friends. You guys are gonna pay for what you did to my home!" shouted the teen. "Then come get me," taunted Starlight as she gave the signal for some more minions to attack the boy. Ash wasted no time in using his gem's power as he called on the spirit of his wolf and thrust his hand out. The mirage-like state of the creature in yellow light appeared and took out all the small fry. Starlight and Whiplash then began to retreat as Ash chased after them. While Ash was dealing with the mutants, the girls were discussing their plans for Friday's dance. Rainbow had passed by some of her former teammates as they all gave the girl looks for what she did to them. The other six tried their best to say that they would forgive her. "This is serious people, we need to discuss attire!" shouted Rarity to the rest of her friends as they were all gathered in the music room. "For the millionth time, Rarity. Nobody will care what we're wearing!" shouted the country girl to her fashion friend. "I care, Applejack!" shouted the fashionista. "Okay, let's just take a moment to cool our heads," said Sunset as she put both of her hands on her friends' shoulders and separated them. "We know how much this means to you, Rarity. But I think finding the perfect attire might be going just a tad bit overboard." "Darling, attire is everything. Fashion makes a statement. And if we are to the belles of the ball, we must assert our dominance," said the girl in a dramatic voice. A spotlight shined down on her as her hair began to blow in the wind. "Pinkie!" shouted Rainbow as the party girl was the one who did the extra stuff. "It's fun!" stated the pinked-haired girl. "I'm just looking forward to having fun with you guys. Nothing like enjoying a dance with your friends," said Twilight. "By the way, Pinkie. I've been meaning to ask you, is it too late to, you know, add someone to the list?" asked Sunset. "Of course not, silly! Everybody is welcome to attend. Why?" asked the girl with a smile. "Just asking... you know... in case, someone we know wants to attend," smiled the bacon-haired girl sheepishly. "Just tell me their name, and I'll send a personal invitation," said Pinkie as she reached into her puffy hair and pulled out a card. "We're not saying that they might agree. This is just us speculating," said Twilight. Ash had managed to chase Starlight and Whiplash to another part o the city as they began to engage. The boy pulled out his saber as he leaped in between the two mutants and began to exchange some attacks. Starlight was determined to take down the boy who had been causing them problems. She was kicked back as she powered up her staff. Ash saw this at the last second as Starlight shot out a ring of light as the boy leaned back. The attack barely grazed his helmet as he avoid it. However, Starlight wasn't attempting to hit the boy as it served as the distraction needed for Whiplash to wrap his chains around the ranger's body. He then flung him over his head as the boy hit the ground. "Just give up and tell us where the rest of the zords are!" demanded Starlight as she put her foot on Ash's arm. "Even if I did know where they were. I would never tell you. So you can kiss my ass, Starlight! You punk-ass bitch!" shouted the boy. "Wrong answer," snickered the girl in a seductive tone. "Swing time!" Whiplash knew what that meant as he planted his feet. He then began to rotate in a circle as his chains were still wrapped around Ash. Starlight removed her foot as the boy was now being lifted into the air as he was being spun around. "Oh shit!!!" shouted Ash as his voice trailed when he was being spun around. "Keep spinning!!!" shouted Starlight. Whiplash understood as he began to spin faster. All the while Ash was holding in his breath as all this air sickness was starting to get to him. He was then flung into the air as he shot upwards. Gravity then did its thing as the ranger was descending. Starlight teleported into the air as she spun her staff quickly and pointed it at the boy. She fired an attack from her staff as it hit the boy when he collided onto the floor. "Thanks for helping me out, Dash," said Fluttershy as she was with her childhood friend at the animal shelter. "No problem, Fluttershy. Rarity already took care of my outfit, plus about now I would be... you know..." said the chromatic girl as she was thinking of Spitfire and the rest of her team. "I know you're probably upset with how things went, but I'm sure they'll come around," said the buttercup girl as she was washing some dogs. "I guess, anyways. Let's finish giving these guys their bath," said Dash as she began to help her friend. While Rainbow was with Fluttershy, Applejack had to do some deliveries for her family. As for Twilight and Sunset, they were with Rarity at her boutique as they had to get fitted for their dresses. The pair stood on platforms as the fashionista was working her magic. "We hope we're not being a bother, Rarity." "Twilight, it's no bother at all. Designing outfits for you girls is what I live for. It's my passion." said the girl as she was taking some measurements. "Once again, thanks Rarity. We've been so busy lately, that we kind of forgot to pick out outfits." "It's no trouble at all, Sunset. Though I do ask, why have you four suddenly been so busy as of late?" asked the marshmallow girl. Both girls made a face to each other as they knew of the scared rule they had to obey. "We've been selected for a special program," said Twilight. "What kind of program?" "Special program," said Sunset with a sheepish smile. "O-kay," said Rarity, "Well, can I also ask something?" "Go ahead." "Why did you ask Pinkie if it was alright to bring someone to the party?" asked the fashion designer as Sunset and Twilight were turning red. "Are you planning to bring a date to the dance on Friday?" "Uh, well, he's not so much as a date per se..." "Oh, it's a boy," said Rarity as she had a smile appear. "We met him the other day and he's from out of town. So we'd figured if he wanted to make some new friends and have fun, he could attend the dance on Friday," said Sunset. "Well now, I didn't expect you, girls, to be interested in a boy no less," "He's just a friend, Rarity. Besides, based on what he's been through, we were hoping we could cheer him up," said Twilight. "Well, sorry for jumping to conclusions. If he does agree, I'll be the first to welcome him as a friend," smiled the fashionista. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Where are the zords?" asked Starlight as she bent down to Ash who was still on the floor wrapped in Whiplash's chains. "Go to hell, bitch!" shouted Ash as he gave Starlight a middle finger. "Oh I will, but I'm taking you with me," said the mutant. "Whiplash, finish him." The mutant heard the command by the general as he spun once more as he sent the boy crashing into a nearby window as he collided into some furniture. Ash felt himself being ragdoll as he could hear the mutants closing in. The boy struggled to get to his feet as his morpher was sending a signal. The signal was being received by Rachel as he was transmitting the distress call to the girls. Rainbow had noticed her wristband beeping when she put her hand over it to avoid Fluttershy hearing it. The girl was busy with the animals as she quietly snuck a few meters away to answer it. "What's up?" asked Rainbow. "It's Ash. His morpher is transmitting a signal for help." "Where is he?" asked Applejack as she also answered the call as she had finished her last delivery. "He's by the central park. He's currently taking on some mutants," said Rachel. "Then we'd better hurry to help him," said Rainbow. "I'm on mah way," said Applejack as she turned the engine on and was driving towards where her leader was. "Me too," said Rainbow as she ended the call. "Hey, Fluttershy. Sorry for this, but it turns out that I needed to take care of something for my parents." "Oh, well, don't worry. I can handle the rest. Thanks for your help, Dash." "No problem. See ya," said the girl as she grabbed her backpack and raced out of the animal shelter as she was making her way towards Ash. Sunset and Twilight were being contacted by Rachel as their wristbands were beeping. They put their hands over it to silence the sound. "What was that noise?" asked Rarity as she was at a desk looking over some measurements. "What noise? I didn't hear anything, did you Twilight?" "Nope, not a thing," smiled the girl with her friend putting on fake expressions. "I could have sworn I heard a beeping sound," said the fashionista. "Well, I think you've done a lot for us, Rarity. So why don't me and Sunset get out of here so that you can finalize the designs?" "Not so fast, darling, I still have to do some final measurements." "Uh, how long will that take?" asked Sunset sheepishly. "Oh, several minutes. Maybe an hour." "An hour?!!!" shouted both girls. They were now nervous as their morphers were transmitting the signal call for help. They hoped that at least Rainbow and Applejack could answer it. "Come on now, Ash. Don't you want to see your old friends, your mother? I'm sure they're waiting to see their old comrade," snickered Starlight as she had her staff power up. She and Whiplash entered the hole in the building as they saw the damage that was created when they flung the ranger into it. The chains could be heard as they dragged along the floor. Starlight's staff was powered up as they were hunting down the boy. They heard some noises as they followed the sound. They pushed some of the debris in their way as they were closing in on the boy. At that moment, Starlight saw the boy's mirage of his animal as she put up a barrier and fired an attack as it disappeared. "Is that all you can do?" smiled Sunset. "How about this?!" shouted a pair of voices. "Huh?" said Starlight. Now a rhino and a peregrine falcon spirit appeared as they managed to catch both mutants off guard as they were hit and flung out of the shop through the hole. Starlight and Whiplash landed on the ground as Aj and Dash had found Ash as they helped him out of the shop. "Thanks, girls." "Don't mention it, sugarcube." "Now let's kick their asses," said Rainbow as Ash nodded. He got back to his feet as he stood in front of the girls. "So, your team finally came to help their leader?" stated Starlight as she got up. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Rainbow and Applejack. Both girls traced the symbol on their morphers as they now began to change. Their bodies were being encased with their gem as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as the vizor covered the last bit of their faces. Once it was complete, they did their pose as their animals were shown in the back as they let out a cry. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian, Green Ranger!" "Like it matters!" stated Starlight. She snapped her fingers as Whiplash leaped into action. The rangers now raced forward as they began to engage with the mutant. With the extra backup, they were able to divide and conquer. However, Starlight was a lot more difficult as she was engaged in another fight with Ash. Even with the Rainbow and Applejack backing up Ash, they were struggling to defeat both mutants. Sunset and Twilight were still at Rarity's Boutique as the girl was trying to figure out the final colors she wanted to implement. They were told to stand still by the girl as she was looking over her selections. "Rarity!!" shouted both girls. "In a moment, darlings. You can't rush perfection," said the girl as she lifted her finger to make her choice but retracted it as she second-guessed herself. "Rarity!!" shouted both of them once more. "I've got it!" shouted the girl as she grabbed the materials and began to sketch the final product as she showed it to the girls. "Well, what do you think?" "Great! Love it, bye!!" shouted both girls as they zoomed out of the place. "Well, rude!" shouted the girl at seeing how fast the pair left. "Constellation Slash!" shouted Starlight as she powered up her staff and did a wave attack as it hit all three rangers as down they went. They fell hard as she smiled. "You couldn't beat us before, what chance do you have now?" asked the mutant as she stood over Ash. She planted a foot on him as the boy felt the weight. "Time to say hello to your parents." She then lifted her staff and turned it upside down. Through his helmet, the boy had a scared look as the staff was charging up. Rainbow and Applejack were being held by Whiplash as the girls struggled to break free. They saw their leader in trouble as they called out to him. At that moment, blaster shots were heard as they collided with the mutant as she was thrown onto the floor. An owl and phoenix spirit appeared as they charged forward as they attacked Whiplash which caused him to be thrown back as the girls were released. "Not again," groaned the mutant. "You guys okay," shouted Sunset as she and Twilight appeared in their ranger outfits as they rushed over. "What took you so long?" asked Rainbow as she and Aj were being helped up by Twilight. "Sorry, but Rarity got carried away with the dresses," said Sunset as she helped Ash up. "Figures," stated the country girl. "Well, now that you're both here. Time we end this," stated Ash as he dusted himself off. "Harmony weapons!" shouted all of them as each of their weapons appeared before them. "Whiplash! End them." "Of course, general," said the mutant as he began to power up his attacks as he swung them downwards. They all saw it coming as they each rolled out of the way. Ash rolled through as he saw Starlight opening up a portal as she smiled. She stepped through as she waved goodbye "Wait!" shouted the boy as he had his arm out and the portal closed shut. With Starlight gone, he punched the ground at letting his target escape. The girls were trying their best to hit Whiplash as he was dodging all their shots and strikes as he hit them before they could react. He then did a tornado spin as the girls were being picked up by the massive wind effect as they swirled in the air and let out a shout. "That's it!" shouted Ash as he had enough. He leaped into the air as his blade was charging from the power of his gem. "Topaz Slash!!" The boy did a diagonal slash as he managed to cut through the tornado, it caused Whiplash to be thrown back and hit the floor. The girls noticed the tornado stopped as they all fell to the ground. "Thanks," said Rainbow as she was getting to her knees. "No problem, now... let's finish this," stated the yellow ranger. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow as they prepared to deliver their finishing move. They felt the power of their weapons up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held Whiplash in place as he couldn't move. "Full power!" shouted all of them. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each of the girls did an attack as they passed by their foe. "Charging Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first one to slid by as she did her attack. "Meteor Spike!" shouted Applejack as she slid by and swung her ax upwards. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Sunset as she pulled back on her bow and shot an arrow of red light. "Shield Splice!" said Twilight as she did her attack sliding by the mutant. The scene now changed as it spun around Whiplash as Ash was now in the air as his weapon was charged. It froze for a few seconds as he resumed the attack as he dealt the final blow of their team finisher. "Harmony Blade, Strike!!!" shouted Ash as he did a downward slash as it cut the mutant in half as he stood still for a sec. The boy was now behind the mutant as was the girls as they did their pose. The mutant now fell forward which resulted in an explosion as the ranger shifted their stances as they acknowledged their victory. The team made it back to the command center as both Twilight and Sunset were checking on Ash to see if he suffered any major injuries. "So, who was that?" asked Rainbow. "Her name is Starlight, she's the dark lords' strategist. And she's tough," stated Ash as he now sat up on the couch as he made his way to the computer. "What did she want?" asked Aj. "She asked me about something." "Which is?" said Sunset rolling her hand. "She was talking about our zords. And how they are trying to find them." "But, we have them. And they can't control them," said Twilight. "I'm not talking about our personal zords. Guess it's time I told you, girls. See before my dimension was destroyed, my team all sent the other zords that we had through a dimension portal. I guess you could say, they knew we couldn't save our home. So they made sure to save the things that would help me to defeat the dark lords." "So, you're saying that there are more zords?!!" said Rainbow as she was pretty excited about hearing that. "There are ten zords in total. Ours and then five more. A bear zord, a panther, a tiger shark, a fox, and a snake. Together those are the zords that me and my team commanded. And it seems like Starlight and her cronies are seeking them out. But unlike our zords, whoever can get their power, they belong to." stated Ash. "So, we just have to find them before they do. Sounds like a challenge," smiled Rainbow. "We'll help in any way we can," stated Sunset as she put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Thanks, girls," said Ash as he looked at his team. They all turned to look at the main screen as Rachel was pulling up the whole map of the world as they began to search for the missing zords. It was now a race against the dark lords to see who could get to the great beasts first. Chapter 6: Hidden Powers"Okay, run it back on what happened?" asked Ash as he sat in a chair. "Well..." spoke Rainbow as she began to recall what occurred a few hours ago. (Flashback) The day started like normal. Rainbow was in the park as she was skateboarding. The girl was currently working on her tricks as she wanted to improve her skills. Especially, cause the teen girl was looking to execute a special maneuver. Only a small amount of people were able to complete the trick, but she wanted to be the one who could do it with ease. The trick was to get as much air as she can after reaching up from the top of the half-pipe skateboard ramp and then bring the skateboard up above her head and then quickly back under her feet and make the landing. It takes a lot of practice to get it just right and even more to land it without any bumps. Rainbow Dash was making her way to the half-pipe to do the trick. she was going as fast as she possibly could, she was about to make the jump to do the nearly impossible trick so there was no turning back. She managed to get some air as she made sure to grab her skateboard and hold it above her head. After she completed that part of the combo, she tried to get her board back under her feet. As she had the board under her feet again, it was too late as it hit the corner of the half-pipe, and she fell. She was falling as she prepared herself to hit the ground. Her legs were swinging back and forth when suddenly the girl found herself from in the air to the ground in seconds. This shocked the girl as she was expecting to land on anything but her feet as her board then landed next to her. Rainbow was unsure what happened. The reality of the situation was that her gem had saved her as it granted the girl superspeed as she was able to land safely. "Woah, did I do that?" (End of Flashback) "And that's what happened?" said the chromatic girl. "That's what happened to me. Well, not exactly," said Applejack as she was also present. Soon the girl began to recall her incident. (Flashback) The country girl was with her family as she was doing some farm work. They had a big order for some cider by a client as each family member was looking to meet the deadline. Applejack was crushing some apples with her feet as she was in a tub of apples. Her little rhino zord was also present as the mechanical beast wanted to help its mistress as it took a liking to the girl's lifestyle. The two were hard at work as soon all the apples in the tub were turned to mush. The country girl then hopped out as she grabbed her zord and held it like a plushie as it was still a tad bit heavy despite being smaller than usual. She placed the small thing on the ground as she went to fetch the container. The girl went to the nearby corner of the room as she bent down to sift through the many ones finding the right one. She was unaware of the cupboard above her as one of the screws that were used to hold the thing was loose. Soon it slowly came undone as it fell. "Found it, ow!" said Aj as she felt the sharp thing hit her head as she wasn't wearing her signature Stenson hat. She looked up and saw the many things falling. The girl didn't have time to move out of the way as put her arm over her in hopes to protect herself. The things crashed on the girl but to Applejack's surprise, she didn't feel any pain. The girl opened her eyes and looked around her feet. Her rhino had walked slowly to where its owner was as it made a sound and nuzzled her leg. Aj bent down to pet her animal zord as she was still looking at all the clutter that lay before her. She then checked her arm for any cuts or bruises that she might have suffered, but to her surprise, her skin was fine. She checked it over several times but nothing on her smooth, fair skin. Her rhino let out a sound. "You and me both, little guy," said Aj, petting her zord while still trying to fully understand what just happened. "Applejack!" shouted a voice. "It's Granny!" shouted the teen as she quickly yanked her zord and put him behind some boxes as she told it to stay quiet. "Applejack! There you are, what happened here?" asked the elder person as she saw the clutter that lay on the floor. "Oh, just... a screw came loose, Granny. All the stuff fell. Thankfully, I was able to get out of the way. I was gonna do a quick repair." said Aj coming up with a reasonable justification while not letting her family know what really happened. "Well, alright. Glad you're safe, sugar." With that, Aj's grandmother left to check on the rest of the cowgirl's siblings. The farmer made sure that her grandma was out of distance before turning back to the boxes and looking for her zord. The rhino then popped out as in its mouth was a toolbox. Applejack just smiled at how much she enjoyed having her zord help out. Still, she was trying to figure out what occurred and there was only one person who could explain it. (End of Flashback) "And that's what went down," stated Aj to her friend as she lifted her hat. "Strange, it seems like Applejack and Rainbow Dash have experienced some new form of powers," said Twilight as she had been taking down notes and details of her friend's stories. "You think it has to do with any monsters we may have fought?" asked Sunset. "No, it's not that. I know exactly what's happening," said Ash. "Well, tell us!" stated Rainbow as she really wanted to know. "The reason is because of your gems," stated Ash as he pointed at their wristbands with the stones in them. "What about them?" asked Twilight. "When you girls took the oath and chose to be rangers, you bonded with the stones. And in turn, the stones granted you all with some hidden powers, so to speak." "Care to clarify?" asked Sunset to their leader. "Alright, for Dash. Her gem's animal and zord is a peregrine falcon. They're the fastest birds on Planet Earth that reach up to speeds over 320 km/h or 200 mph. So as part of the bond you formed with the gem, it gave you a small ability to match that of your animal spirit. So that's why you have superspeed to some degree." explained Ash. "So, how fast can I go?" asked Rainbow with her eyes going huge at hearing how much speed she could run. "Best say that for another day," said the boy as he knew what would happen if he told the girl. "Now for Applejack, her gem's animal and zord is a rhino. As you know, not only are they heavy, but strong. Not to mention they have thick skin. So as you can see, not only is your strength slightly increased, but you can make your skin harder than normal, which means you can absorb some hits if someone tries to harm you." "Can't wait to try that power out against those mutants," stated Aj. "Well, what about us?" asked Sunset as she pointed to her and Twilight. "Well, you're gem's animal is a phoenix. A mythical bird associated with Greek mythology. It symbolizes the idea of rebirth. As well as rising from the ashes. So for your power, it means you can withstand hot temperatures a little longer than us." stated Ash to Sunset. "And that's not all, your suit has some wings that you can use to sort of glide/fly." "Why didn't you tell me that before?" asked Sunset as all this time, she had some secret features of her suit. "Why does she get wings?!" shouted Rainbow as she was jealous. "Stop being a bitch, Dash," replied Sunset. "Relax, Skittles. You and Twilight also have some set of wings in your suit. And as for Twilight... well, I mean, you're gem's an owl. So your power there would be intelligence." "But I'm already smart," said Twilight. "Yeah, well, in the past. Every ranger who was picked by the sapphire stone wasn't a genius like you, to be fair. If anything, the gem made them increase their intelligence but, as far as I know, that's it." "Oh, I get the short end of the stick?!!" shouted Twilight as she couldn't believe that the power her gem gave her was useless. "Again, nobody's been a nerd when they were chosen to wield the owl," stated Ash. "Don't call me that!!" pouted the bookworm. "Look, if it makes you feel any better. Your belt has small feather darts that you can throw which create a small explosion upon impact." "That still doesn't make me feel better about myself," mumbled Twilight as she felt like she was the one who had the weakest ability. "Well, what's your power, sugarcube?" asked Aj. "Well, since my animal is a wolf, it means my dexterity, stamina, and conditioning increases. Meaning that I got a bit more energy than most people before I get tired." stated the boy. "Speaking of which, Ash. Are you doing anything come Friday?" asked Sunset. "Why?" "Well, there's a small party happening at our school. And seeing as how you've never attended a formal event due to... you know. Plus, it might give you a chance to meet some new people." said Sunset. "Gonna have to take a raincheck on that," said the boy as he turned around to Rachel. "Come on, Ash!" said Sunset as she grabbed her leader's hand and pulled him out of his chair. "Have fun. Live a little." stated the girl as she was pulling the boy towards the door. "Let me go, Sunny!" stated Ash. "What did you just call me?" said Sunset as she looked at the boy. Safe to say, she didn't expect her friend to give her a nickname. "N-Nothing. Forget what I said," said Ash as he was now questioning why did he call the girl by that name. It wasn't that Sunset hated that her leader called her by that name. If anything, she kind of enjoyed it. Regardless, it seemed Ash was being headstrong as he was focused on finding the rest of the zords and stopping the Dark Lords from destroying their dimension. The zords came from above as Ash's wolf pup leaped down from the upper floor as it landed on some obstacles to get to the bottom floor. The others came in with the three birds flying down as Aj's rhino was forced to walk down the stairs as it was the one who didn't have much mobility like its comrades. The girls saw the zords as they couldn't help but smile and awe at how they acted like pets as they were playing with each other. They soon began to play with the zords themselves as Ash was at the computer inputting some commands. Meanwhile, in the Dark Lords' lair... "Once this device is done, the rangers will be one step closer to being destroyed," stated Thorax as he was at his computers working his digits. "Shouldn't you be looking for the missing zords?!" shouted Starlight as she made her presence known as she walked through the door. Even in the hallway, she could hear her mutant friend ramble outloud. "Unlike the zords that belong to the rangers, the rest of them can be controlled by us." "Patience, Starlight. One thing at a time, besides this device, will benefit us in the long run when it comes to dealing with those meddlesome rangers." "Best leave my son to do his work," stated the mutant that was Thorax's mother. "His inventions have served us well in the past. So I do not doubt him." "Glad to hear that, mother. Especially, cause once this is done, I'll need your help for the final piece." "Well, why you're busy playing with your toys. We need to cause some chaos out in the city," stated Starlight as she left through the door. "Now I know why I broke up with her. She's too much of a control freak," stated Thorax as he was typing away at his keyboard. With Starlight, she had entered the main room of their base as two figures were present. They were shadows as their identities remained hidden. The two officers saw the general approach them as they took a knee. "While my 'ex-boyfriend' is busy playing with his inventions, I want you two to go out and create havoc on the city. Destroy anything you see in your path." "Yes, general!" shouted the pair as they disappeared. There comes a time in everyone's life when they must find the courage to seek out their destiny. But sometimes, what you seek isn't always what you find. A voice spoke that line as soon the scene changed to that of the city during the night. Tons of lights from the buildings were shown. On top of a building, there was a figure who was overlooking the place as down below the lights from the cars also shined. The figure then turned around and walked as the only thing shown was the symbol of the wolf on the person's chest. A figure was shown soaring through the air. On its back was a jet turbine as it was flying above the city. It zoomed up the side of a building as it landed. It ran a few meters as it looked to start its mission. It was soon stopped as a purple figure was shown who got the thing to stop in its tracks. The purple figure then pulled out their saber as they began to attack and slash at the thing in front of them as it was being pushed back. The thing was reaching the end of the ledge as the purple figure went for one more overhead attack when their hand was caught. The figure was then hit in the chest by the fist of the thing. It then took off as the turbine on its back allowed it to get over to another building as they looked back at the purple figure who saw the thing escape. The thing was unaware of another figure as they used their legs to trip the thing. The thing went down as the figure grabbed it by the jet engines on its chest as a flash of green was shown. The green figure then began to run forward with the thing in its hand as it collided into the wall as the thing felt the impact. The green figure then used its powerful strength as it tossed the thing off the side of the building as it was now free-falling with its back towards the ground. The thing hit a stack of boxes as they crumpled upon impact. Before it could get up to its feet, there was a surge of water that was shown as a figure came out of the water as if it was waiting for the thing to fall. A hint of blue was shown as the figure grabbed the thing by the engines on its chest and dragged it back into the water. The battle in the water was shown as the figure that dragged the thing began to attack it using some sharp claws. The thing powered up the jet engines on its chest as it began to blow at the figure as the powerful airflow created caused the blue figure to be blown into the water as it allowed time for the thing to escape. It flew out of the water with the turbine on its back and lifted into the air. At that moment, another figure was shown. It grabbed the thing with its hands and was now flying with the thing towards the top of a building. They landed as the figure made a flash of red appear in its hand as the small saber appeared as they began to slash at the thing. It retaliated by throwing a fist to which the figure hit another slash as both collided. The thing only stumbled as the red figure was thrown to the ground from the punch. The thing jumped and looked to bring its fist down when it was stopped moments before as a shield was shown blocking it. It belonged to the same purple figure from before as it did some quick kicks to its midsection that pushed the thing away a few feet. Both figures got to their feet as they prepared to fight together. The thing then looked behind as, at that moment, the other two colored figures jumped down and surrounded it. The pair ran forward when they were suddenly stopped in their tracks by some lightning. They were then hit dead-on by the voltage as a small explosion occurred from their chest as they fell. This prompted the other two figures to be concerned when they looked up in a direction as another bolt of thunder was shown aimed at them. The attack hit creating an explosion as the girls managed to jump and roll at the last second over to a different section of the roof as they now looked. To their surprise, there was another thing that appeared as it had thunder coming from its battery hands as the thing with the turbines was smiling and laughing. The new thing then powered up its electricity as it shot from its hands and head as the voltage hit the figures in front who did a backflip as they fell. The other two figures were picked up and thrown against the railing of the building before they could have a chance to fight back. With all of them laid out, the two things took the time to retreat as they disappeared into smokes. And just like that, they were gone. The blue figure got up as it was pissed off. It stamped its foot in anger as the suit it was wearing powered down. "Son of a bitch!!" yelled Rainbow as she took a step forward. "Man, those guys are tough. And they got away." The figure next to it simply put its head down as it didn't go unnoticed by the chromatic girl. "Aj, you okay?" asked the girl as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder as she powered down. "Yeah, it's just that we've never seen two of these monsters team-up. Seems things just got a lot tougher," stated the country girl as she dusted off her hat. "Yeah, no joke," stated Twilight as she powered down. "Even with our combined efforts, they still managed to overpower us. Seems we need a better plan." "Or better attacks," stated Sunset as she landed behind the trio and powered down. "I think we might need some new powers. Though I am liking these wings on my suit." "Come in, guys. What happened?" asked Ash over their morphers. "They escaped, sugarcube." "And it wasn't just one of them, they teamed up," said Sunset. "Not good. Usually, they only send one at a time. But if they're now sending multiple, then we're in more danger than I realized. In any case, nothing to do but wait till they strike again. Get some rest everyone, but stay on standby in case of emergencies." stated their leader. "Understood," said the four girls. They each touched their morphers as they turned into their respective lights and went in different directions. Ash was shown walking in town as he was currently doing some errands. The boy had entered a grocery store as he had some shopping to do to refill the fridge at the command center. And because Rainbow would always eat whatever was in there and not leave anything for the rest of them. Despite not accepting Sunset's invitation to the girls' school event, the ranger did get out more than he let on. Upon arriving in this dimension, he had Rachel inform him of how things worked here for the most part. One of those things was knowing where he could find nutrition as that required him to go to the stores to get different foods. Another thing was money, which served as no problem as the boy had some leftover gems from his dimension that when he turned into the bank for some cash, it was worth a lot more than he expected. That and cause Rachel was built by his father, the female program came with some currencies to suit where he might be. Once he did the shopping, he then turned a corner as a flash of yellow was shown. The boy arrived at the command center as drones popped out and began to put the stuff away. He then touched his wristband as he teleported once more. Fluttershy was shown at the animal rescue center as she was currently taking care of some animals. All around her were small dogs that they had finished taking a bath. The buttercup girl was singing a little tune to herself as she poured a bucket of water on the canine. Its fur was drenched as she then used a blow-dryer. The dog's hair then turned went poufy as the girl giggled. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you," smiled Fluttershy as she began to brush the dog's fur. The teen had finished the last set of dogs as she began to do a headcount. At that moment, she noticed that one of them was missing. "Oh my god, where's Mr. Pickles?" asked the girl as she began to frantically search the place. She was looking all over the place as she was hoping to find the little dog before its owner came by to pick him up. "Oh no, this is terrible!" stated the girl in a panicked tone. A throat clearing sound was heard as the girl turned around. Standing there was Ash as he held the small dog in his arms as the little thing had its tongue out in excitement. "I believe this pup belongs to you," said Ash as he held the dog out in his hand as it barked. "Mr. Pickles! Thank god you're safe," said Fluttershy as she grabbed the small dog from the boy's hand. She nuzzled it against her cheek as the dog began to lick her face. She then turned to address the teen. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I lost him." "Don't mention." "Where was he? If I may ask?" said the girl before hiding behind her hair. "Outside. He was chasing a ball and was about to run into the street until I snatched him up," replied Ash. "Well, thank you for saving him before anything... unfortunate might have occurred," stated the shy girl. "Yeah, just... next time. Make sure you keep an eye on him. Pups need constant attention," said Ash as he felt a dog near his leg as he began to pet it. Soon all the other dogs began to crowd the boy as he began to pet their heads. "Seems you've caught their attention," said Fluttershy as she saw how all the canines flocked to Ash. "Probably because of my animal zord being a wolf. And how they're related to dogs," muttered Ash that part to himself. "Listen, I know this may be sudden. But... can you watch them for a few minutes while I tidy the place up?" asked Fluttershy. "Why me? You don't even know who I am," stated Ash as he stood up. "True, but... they seem to trust you. So, if they trust you. Then I so do I." "That's not a particularly compelling argument," said Ash bluntly. "Please," said Fluttershy as she gave the puppy dog eyes. Ash saw how the girl was acting as he could see she wanted his help. Not to mention, her shy demeanor added more cuteness than she already had both due to her eyes and beauty. So he knew that if he declined, it would make him have a guilty conscience. The boy gave a heavy sigh as he agreed. Fluttershy immediately perked up as she gave Ash a hug which caught him completely off guard. The girl then left to clean up as the boy was left in the lobby with the many dogs. Once the girl left, the canines began to make noises. "Alright, settle down everyone. She'll be back. For now, just be quiet," stated Ash. His response was just a couple of barks. "Ok, not the response I was looking for, but better than nothing." He then grabbed a ball and he held it high as it got the attention of the crowd. He tossed it as the dogs now began to chase it in hopes of getting it first. Ash now leaned up against the wall as the dogs came back with the ball returned. He grabbed it and began to play fetch. For the next moments, the boy was playing with the group. "Boy, you guys really know how to keep me on my toes don't cha?" said Ash with a tired voice. "They sure do, looks like they did fine with you being around." At that moment, Fluttershy had returned as she saw how much fun the dogs had with the boy. "So, you done?" asked Ash. "Yeah, thanks." "No worries. Well, I need to leave. I got things to do." stated Ash as he stood up and headed towards the door. "Thank you... what's your name?" "It's Ash." "Thanks, Ash. I'm Fluttershy." "Fluttershy? Cute name. I'll make sure to remember it. See you around." stated the boy as he exited through the door. The boy had only made it a few meters away when his wristband went off. He looked around as nobody was nearby as he answered it. "What is it?" "Master Ash. It seems we've picked up some activity." "Where?" "By Daedalus Bridge." "We're on it!" stated Sunset as she and the others also heard the message. "Ash, we'll meet you there." "Make sure you get there as fast as you can!" replied the ranger as he turned his communicator off and began to run. At the Daedalus Bridge, people were walking on the massive structure. Standing on one end of the bridge was one of the monsters that the girls chased. "Soon this dimension will fall into chaos. And once again, we'll rule them all!" stated the mutant who was named Jet Stream. He then began to power up the turbines on his chest as he was blowing a massive wind storm in the face of the people walking. They noticed the mutant as the wind he created was now pushing them back, even so far as take them off their feet as they were flying backward. "Now for some real fireworks!" shouted the other mutant named Thundercrash as he charged up his battery hand and shot a bolt of electricity to a nearby column as it exploded. This got the people under the bridge to now run while avoiding the falling debris. They weren't the only ones running for their lives as the nearby birds and small animals were also scared as they too booked it. The girls were shown running from one end as Ash arrived from the other. They all met in the middle as they looked over the railing and saw the destruction the two monsters were doing. "It's the mutants from the other night," stated Twilight as their enemies were back. Ash took a step forward as he placed his hand over the railing. He closed his eyes as the cries of the animals that were running could be heard. The boy was now reminded of a similar scenario of what occurred in his dimension as caused him to clench his fist. "What's the plan, sugar?" asked Aj as they were still looking over the bridge. "We take them out! But this time, we do it together," said the ranger looking at his team. "You all ready to do this?" "We're ready," stated Rainbow as the others nodded. "Rangers, time to save the day. It's Morphin' time!" shouted Ash as he stood in front of the girls as his wristband changed into his Morpher. The girls did the same as they faced their leader. "Harmony Gem!" shouted Ash as he touched his Morpher. "Harmony Gem!" responded the girls doing the same. "Power up!" stated the boy as he traced his symbol. "Power up!" yelled the girls as they did the same. Go, Go, Power Rangers! The transformation now began to take place with a bit of background music to accompany our heroes. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. The girls also transformed at the same time as each was undergoing their process. They traced the symbol as their gems now encased them as they landed on a platform as their bodies turned into their suits. Each having bits of their gem on their shoulders. They lifted their heads as the vizor configured to cover the last bit of them as they each did their pose with their animal behind them as they let out noises. "Let's do it!" shouted Ash as they all stood in a line. "Phoenix wings!" shouted Sunset as she leaped off the ground as the wings on her suit popped out. She was now heading towards where Jet Stream was located. "Huh?" shouted the mutant as he saw the girl above him. "Harmony saber!" shouted Sunset as she pulled out her small weapon and did a slash attack as she passed by and did a twist in mid-air as she landed on one knee. "Didn't you learn your lesson?!!" shouted Jet Stream as he reminded the girl of what happened last time as he got up. "I guess not! But let me teach you something, mutant! I'm the Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" shouted Sunset putting her hand out and then bringing it near her face. The scene then transitioned quickly between the different parts of her suit with the last shot being the animal in the middle. "And Power Rangers never give up!" shouted Sunset doing her pose. "Hyah!" shouted Rainbow as she managed to attack Jet Stream from behind as he was distracted by Sunset. The chromatic girl managed to have her suit pulled out the sharp talons on her gloves as she did a quick scratch attack before backing off. She was in the air as she did several backflips before landing perfecting on her knees and standing up. "Turbine mutant, I'm the Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" shouted Rainbow doing the same thing with her hand by thrusting it out and then bringing it in close to her face. The scene transitions between the different parts of her suit as the last shot of her animal in the middle. "And you're gonna feel my bite!" taunted Rainbow doing her pose. With the other mutant, Applejack had managed to grab him as she was running with the thing in her hands. She then gave it a great big toss as he landed hard on the ground forward next to some trees as the country girl came to a stop. "Thunder mutant! Meet the Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" shouted Aj as she did the same action as her friends. The scene quickly transitioned between the different parts of her suits with her animal being the last one. "Prepare to be stomped!" stated the farm girl as she did her pose. "Hyah!" shouted Twilight as she attacked from the trees where Thundercrash was as she used her saber to do some attack as she backflip several times to get some distance. "Who do you think you are?" shouted Thundercrash as he wobbled a bit from Twilight's sneak attack. "Thanks for asking. Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger." stated the girl doing the same action. Her different parts of her suit were quickly shown with her animal being last as she finished by doing her pose. On the ground, heading towards Thundercrash was Ash as he was running on all fours. He slid past him as he used his legs to sweep the mutant as he now stood a few meters away standing tall. "I'm the Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger, and your rampage ends here!" shouted the leader as he too did the same as the girls. The different parts of his suit were shown off bit by bit as the boy did his pose. "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted all five of them. Jet Stream now fired up the turbines on his chest as he was currently dealing with Sunset and Rainbow as they were now in the mountains for their fight. The girls felt the power of the wind as it was like one of the wind tunnels that was used to test planes. The girls were being pushed back with ease as they landed hard on the dirt. "You guys okay?" asked Ash as he and the rest of them appeared by their friends' side. "Let's double up!" shouted Thundercrash as he appeared next to Jet Stream. "I'm down!" snickered Jet Stream as he and Thundercrash had their fists touch as they charged up. "Fire!" shouted both mutants as they shot out two attacks as they hit the group of five. The attacks then combined as explosions occurred for our heroes as they were flung into the air as they forward flipped onto the ground in pain. The rangers were hurt from the attack as the villains merely laughed at how easily they were able to fall. Ash was starting to sit up when the image of his animal on his suit began to glow. It shined quickly as a howl was heard that only the boy could hear it. He put his hand over his heart as he began to listen and communicate with his animal. "Yeah, I hear you," said the yellow ranger as he understood what his zord told him. "Guys, listen!" "This is no time to talk!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first to get up as the rest were getting to their knees. "I'm gonna destroy those son of a bitches myself!" "Wait! You've got to listen. My wolf zord told me what to do." said Ash as he was holding back Rainbow when he said that. "What?" said Rainbow as she stopped to turn her head to look at the boy. "What did you say?" asked Twilight as she didn't believe the words coming out of her leader's mouth. "I said my wolf zord spoke with me, and we agreed," said Ash as he had the girls listen. "He told me that only one can defeat two. That means we have to combine our weapons and work together." "Is that even possible?" asked Sunset. "It is, but you girls need to trust me," stated Ash. "Makes sense, I say let's try it," stated Twilight. "Let's do it!" stated Applejack. "Rhino, Phoenix, Wolf, Falcon, Owl!" stated each of the rangers as they pulled out their weapons seconds apart from each other as they said the name of their animal. "Topaz Harmony Blade!" "Ruby Harmony Bow!" "Cobalt Harmony Lance!" "Emerald Harmony Axe!" "Sapphire Harmony Shield!" They all then began to combine each of their weapons as they fitted within one or another. Once completed, their weapons now formed a cannon as they all had their hands on it ready to transform their power. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted Ash as he was at the trigger. "That won't help you!" shouted Thundercrash as he began to run towards them. "Wait!" shouted Jet Stream as he knew what our heroes were doing. "Power it up, girls!" instructed Ash as they were all concentrating as their gems were transforming their powers to make the cannon function. All the while, Thundercrash was still heading towards them as they held their position. "Hold," stated Ash as he was making sure their aim was on point. With the cannon now reached max power. "Now! Harmony Cannon, Final Shot!" shouted the boy as he pulled the trigger as their weapon shot out a sphere of energy as it was covered with the colors of their gems. It made contact with Thundercrash as he stopped dead in his tracks as he felt the power. "That did it!" shouted Ash. The rangers now had their weapons back in their hands as they turned around. Behind them, Thundercrash fell in defeat as a huge explosion went off as our heroes did their victory pose. In the background, Jet Stream saw what happened as he took off to regroup himself. "Now that was some cool shit!" shouted Rainbow as she couldn't believe what they did. "Nothing like a little teamwork," stated Twilight with the girl having a smile under her helmet. "It's not over, we need to go after Jet Stream," stated Sunset as they looked behind to see the mutant was gone. "Let's hurry and find him!" shouted Ash as all five began to scout for their missing foe. "Why didn't that fool wait?!" shouted Jet Stream as he couldn't believe that Thundercrash didn't listen. "We could have had them. This is not good." He had clutched his side a bit as he sustained some damage during the fight with the rangers. The monster had taken a few steps after leaning against a railing when suddenly two flashes of light appeared in front of him. They dissipated and standing before him were two of the generals. "Where do you think you're going?!" "General Starlight!" stated Jet Stream as he was a bit terrified by the higher-ranking commander. "Please, forgive. You have to understand, I would have been destroyed had I not retreated." "And you think you're safer by running away from a fight. The rangers show mercy, but you won't get any from me!" shouted Starlight as she turned on her staff as she looked to get rid of the mutant herself. "General, please!" pleaded Jet Stream. "Come now, Starlight. Can't you see our fellow comrade needs some assistance," stated the other general with a wicked tone in her voice. "I say we give him the help he needs." "General?" "Fear not, for I have a way to help you," stated the girl mutant as her hands began to glow. "Are you sure he went this way?" asked Ash as they had made it to the overpass that looked towards the mountain range that surrounded Canterlot City on the west side. "I saw him run towards here," stated Rainbow. "Then where did he go?" said Twilight as they were looking around. They only saw a few buildings and some junk on top of the overpass as they were trying to find their target. "Keep your eyes open. He couldn't have gone far," responded Sunset. The rangers were unaware of the something popping up from behind the railing as they heard a burst of laughter. They all turned around in shock at what they saw. Standing before the was Jet Stream, but he was ten times their size. So much so that the buildings on the overpass looked minuscule. They all jumped back as they took in the sight of their foe. "You puny rangers don't stand a chance me now!" shouted Jet Stream as he cackled. He swept his arm out as he took out the buildings next to the rangers as they just barely managed to get out of the way as they rolled. "What the hell!!!" shouted Aj putting her hand on her helmet. "What... Why... How did it get that big?!!!" shouted Twilight. "I don't know. But I've got to stop it," said Ash as he pulled out his saber and leaped into the air. The ranger did a few slashes to the giant foe to which Jet Stream merely swatted away the tiny person as the boy now hit the ground on his back. "Ash!!" said the girls as they all bent around their leader. "Okay... in my head, that worked out differently," grunted the yellow ranger as he began to sit up. "I'm having fun now!" stated Jet Stream as he was looking forward to taking out the rangers with ease. "This isn't good," said Sunset. "How the hell do we beat him now?" asked Rainbow. All five were in a line looking up at their giant foe. Ash's suit then began to glow as the symbol of his animal began to speak one more. The boy was listening to it as the animal was telling him what they needed to do. "You're right. I guess it's time," said the boy as he turned to look at the girls who were still looking at their foe. "Girls, listen up. Time I show you all another power we have." "Another power. Are you serious?!" shouted Rainbow as she was kind of excited. "Is it one that's gonna help us take him down?" asked Sunset. "Yes," answered Ash as the girls looked between each other and nodded. "Then follow my lead," said the boy as they all got in position. They stood in a line as Ash touched his Morpher as he drew a symbol. "Wolf zord, arise!" shouted the boy. His voice echoed as his Morpher recognized the different symbol that was drawn. Then an animal call was ushered as it was sending out a signal. Off in the forest, the sound was being received by the animal it was calling as it let out a howl and raced off. The girls were unaware of what their leader did when soon they heard a howl. They looked at the forest surrounding Jet Stream as racing forward was Ash's wolf as this time he was in his zord mode. "Girls, the time has come. Remember how I told you we have these guys to help us. Well, time to show them off!" stated Ash as they nodded. "Phoenix zord, arise!" "Owl zord, arise!" "Rhino zord, arise!" "Falcon zord, arise!" Each of the girls touched their morphers as they said that while drawing a different symbol. Soon their zords were receiving the call as they too were shown alongside Ash's wolf zord as they were all racing towards the giant monster. "Here they come!" said Sunset as she and the others saw them. "This is amazing!" stated Rainbow as she saw the five zords appear. Ash's wolf zord let out a howl as it picked up speed and ran ahead of the others as it leaped into the air. It tackled Jet Stream to the ground as it began to bite at it. It was clawing and using its mouth like it was a piece of meat. The giant mutant managed to get its fist under the wolf as it flung the zord away. The boy's zord recovered from being tossed as it flipped itself to land on its feet safely. At that moment, Twilight's owl appeared as it began to attack the giant mutant. "Go for it, bud!" said Twilight as she cheered on her zord. Her zord fired a set of energy beams from its huge eyes as it got Jet Stream to fumble when he tried to swat away the feathered creature. Aj's rhino and Dash's falcon were now charging forward in unison with the latter's zord flying above the huge creature. "Alright, let him have it, falcon!" "Come on Rhino, don't let that overgrown turkey steal your thunder!" Seems both of the girl's competitiveness had transferred over to their zords as well as both wanted to prove they were the better zord. Both let out a roar as they both hit the giant monster at once as he was pushed back a few feet as the impact of the attack hurt. The last of the zord was Sunset as her phoenix turned itself on fire. "Rain from above, Phoenix!" exclaimed Sunset as her bird let out a screech. The phoenix then began to shower the giant mutant with fire from above as explosions occurred around Jet Stream. The fire then turned into an air vortex that surrounded him as he was trapped in an inferno tornado. "He's still standing," stated Twilight as even after all their attacks, the giant foe was on his knees. The zords appeared behind the rangers as they let out a unison sound. "Remember how we defeated the first one. By working as one. Let's do it again!" stated Ash as the girls nodded and the zords all heard his command. "Who are you?" asked Jet Stream as he was slowly getting to his feet as he was weak. "Us? We're just five teenagers with attitude," smirked Ash through his helmet as their zords charged up their final attack. "Fire!" commanded all five of them as their zords opened their mouths and fired an energy beam that resembled their owners' color. The rainbow beam hit Jet Stream as he was taken off his feet. He was flung back even more as he slid along the floor as he stopped and a huge explosion occurred as it then changed into a huge rainbow that appeared over the entire mountain and valley range. Our heroes all cheered as they began to high-five each other. A few moments passed as all of them looked ahead overwatching the scenery before them as the rainbow they made was still shining. The voice from before began to speak as our heroes stood before and did one last fist pump to the air as their zords were behind them still as they all let out a unison roar. And so the journey begins. Destiny has brought five young people together, and now they set out on their adventures. Chapter 7: MegazordThere comes a time in everyone's life when they must find the courage to seek out their destiny. But sometimes, what you seek isn't always what you find. "You know, I didn't understand what my parents meant since I was a kid. But now... I do," said Ash as he was sitting on the paw of his zord as they were looking at the city from the mountain range out of the town. "I'm in another dimension, far from home. Apart from the girls, I don't know many people. I'm a sole survivor." Ash's wolf looked at its owner as it let out a growl. "Protecting this dimension and stopping the Dark Lords is my path. I couldn't do much to save my home. I won't let the girls suffer the same fate as I did." The girls were at the command center as Twilight was at the computer. She was working with Rachel as they were watching the footage that was recorded of them defeating Jet Stream the other day. The thing that still weighed on the girls' minds was how the mutant was able to grow ten times his size, and he almost defeated them had it not been for their zords. "Anything, Rachel?" "I'm sorry, Twilight. But I can't figure it out either," replied the A.I. to the bookworm. "It doesn't matter!" stated Rainbow as she was nearby making some popcorn as she had a bowl in her arms. "They may get stronger, but we'll be quicker!" The girl now began to do some karate punches to emphasize her point. "But they've never gotten that big before," stated Aj as she leaned on the kitchen counter. "They must bet getting help," stated Sunset. "But how?" "That's what I want to know," said Ash as the boy arrived from the elevator as he walked in. His wolf zord was in its pet size as it hung on its owner's shoulder. "Any updates?" "None, Ash. We don't know what might have caused Jet Stream to grow that big," stated Twilight. "Well, we'd best be on guard. If he found a way for him to grow, chances are we're going to be encountering them more often than one," said the boy. With the villains, they were currently talking about their next plan. With the rangers now knowing how to use their zords, they were more determined to find the missing zords so that they could counter them. In Thorax's lab, the mutant was working on his device when Starlight came in. "Boys and their toys. Typical, you neglect women," "My, Starlight. I must say you look lovely, today," responded Thorax in a blunt tone as he continued to work. "Nice to see you still love me," taunted the girl mutant. "Unfortunately, I prefer science now. That is a subject you can figure out, unlike women," responded Thorax as he began to work his digits as he inputted the final commands into the screen. "Is it ready, my son?" "Just about, mother. All I need is to do... there we go," said Thorax as he finished inputting the final commands into the system as it transmitted the data into the small device that was on the table. "It is ready," said Thorax as he picked up the device. "But does it work?" "Well, that's what fields tests are for. So, we need a volunteer," smirked Thorax. "I have just the mutant for the job," said Starlight as she left. Ash was with Rachel as the pair were trying to find out the answer as to how their foes could have gained access to get bigger. Over and over, he played the recording of them fighting Jet Stream in his gigantic form as it wasn't making any sense. Eventually, the teen let out a stressful sigh as he leaned back. His wold zord came rushing in as it jumped onto his lap. The boy looked at the zord as he petted it which nuzzled into his shirt as it then laid down on his lap. "I know I shouldn't stress myself out, but this is something that I haven't encountered before. Not even mom or the others told me that they could grow this big. So, it was either a secret, or someone is helping them. Either way, we have to stop them. And with you and the others, we stand a chance of stopping them." said Ash to his wolf zord as it let out a small howl. "Master Ash, I was searching the Morphin Grid as you requested. I seem to have picked up a strange anomaly." "What is it, Rachel?" asked the boy to the A.I. program. "Hard to say, I'm running scans as we speak. It may take a while, but I believe this could belong to either a zord or the other thing we seek." "Alright, keep me posted. I need to relax." "One more thing, Master. While I was searching the Morphing Grid, I came upon some interesting information. It seems you and the girls aren't the only rangers in this dimension." "Huh?" said Ash as he quickly returned to his seat. His wolf now leaped from his lap to his shoulder as it held on with its paws. "From where we come from, our rangers have been passed down from generation to generation. It's how your mother became a ranger and then you. So there's only been one single team of rangers to keep the peace in our dimension. But in this dimension... there's more." "I don't believe you," said Ash as he was a bit skeptical. "Allow me," said Rachel as she pulled out several files. The files came upon the screen as each one had a special symbol that belonged to the different ranger teams that this dimension hosted over the years. Safe to say, this shocked the boy as he didn't expect that this dimension suffered the same kind of threats that he was used to back in his world. But to think, that over the years, many teams of rangers like him and the girls were doing, actually defended the planet on multiple occasions. The boy began to click on them as the names of them popped up. "Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo, Time Force, Dino Thunder, Operation Overdrive," said the boy as he was listening off a few names of the list he read. "Some of these are kind of weird names to be called." "Let's not forget Master, you and the girls called yourselves the Harmony Guardian Power Rangers," stated Rachel with some sass in her tone. "It's to represent the gems we have. Plus, it somewhat of a nice ring to it," defended Ash about the team name. "Anyways, this is a lot of information." "Shall I begin to download it?" asked Rachel. "Yeah, and while that's happening. Let's take a look at this history." "Where shall we start?" asked Rachel as she was already downloading the info from the Morphin Grid to their computer. "I guess, we start at the very beginning," stated Ash as he clicked on the first folder that was labeled Mighty Morphin. The boy sat back in his chair as Rachel made some snacks appear for her master as they were going to be here a while to look at the videos of the rangers from the past. While the boy was having a history lesson, at CHS, the students were getting ready for the school event that was but two days away. Almost everybody knew about the Power Rangers as the news outlets had reported on how it captured the group fighting against the monsters and their soldiers. The latest one was showing a video of the girls and Ash as they took down Jet Stream with their zords. What was once a menacing vigilante, was now a team of defenders as everybody was counting on the rangers to save their home and take down the bad guys. And this definitely showed as a certain group was holding a meeting. "Welcome to the official Power Rangers fan club!" shouted Scootaloo as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle pulled down a huge poster as on it were the rangers as they stood with their hands on their hips. The response was a huge cheer and whistles as the crowd of students that were in the room showed their appreciation for the image of their heroes. "We now call this meeting to order!" said Sweetie Belle as she banged the small gavel on the table to get everybody to settle down. Outside of the classroom door, was Rainbow as she had her ear to the door. She was listening in on the meeting as she wanted to see what her fellow classmates thought of them, but more importantly her. "Hey, Rainbow," called out Applejack. "Shh!" said Dash as she zipped over to her country friend and put her hand over her mouth. Applejack didn't like that she swatted away the hand from her mouth. "What the hay are you doin'?" "I'm spying. Now shut up," said the chromatic teen as she went back to listening. Applejack shook her head at her friend's behavior as she too quietly listen as well. "First order of business is to express our love for the rangers. And to say which one is our favorite," smiled Applebloom. "I like the red one!" said Pipsqueak. "Green one," stated Featherweight. "Purple one," exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "Yellow!" "Red!" "Green!" "The best one! The Blue Ranger! He's the most awesome one!" said Scootaloo as her inner fangirl came out. "HE?!!!" shouted Rainbow. She was offended to think that one of her fans thought she was a boy. "I'll have you know, I ain't..." "Settle down, Sally!" stated Applejack as she put her hand over her friend's mouth to silence her. She then used her strength to drag the chromatic athlete away to avoid her blowing their cover. "Did you all hear something?" asked Sweetie Belle. The rest of the younger students all shook their heads as they continued the meeting of the Power Rangers fan club. With the two older girls, they had made it to where there was nobody else as she finally released her hand. "Aj, what the hell?!" "In case you forgot, we got to keep our identities a secret," said Aj poking her finger to her friend's shirt. "But I ain't a boy!" stated Dash as she found it insulting that people thought she was a guy under her suit. "Just let it go, Dash. There are things more important than makin' sure that people know you're a girl under that suit," stated the country girl. "It's a matter of principle, Applejack!" The two began to argue as some students who were walking by just avoided being caught in their line of sight. Eventually, the pair decided to settle it with an arm-wrestling contest. While the two rivals went to settle their differences, the rest of their ranger buddies were doing other things with their friends. Sunset was currently with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as they were in the school gardens planting some seeds. The buttercup girl had needed some help, so she asked her friends for some help to which they agreed. The trio was hard at work planting the seeds that would turn into lovely vegetables in a few months. "Thanks for helping me, girls." "No worries, Fluttershy. I don't mind getting a little bit dirty now and then," said the bacon-haired girl as she took off the gardener gloves to wipe her forehead. "I just hope that with all the candy that I planted, I can grow some sugar trees." giddy Pinkie as she pulled a cupcake out of her hair and began to eat it. "I'm not sure that's how it works," said Fluttershy as she planted some more seeds. Twilight was with Rarity as the fashionista was putting the finishing touches on her outfit that she was going to wear for the school event. As well as they were in their chemistry class as they were learning about the periodic table. Rarity did notice the wristband that was on her bookworm's wrist as the gem inside was shining brightly in the sunlight. The girl asked her friend where she got it as the lavender girl was able to come up with a lie that her parents gave it to her. The marshmallow teen seemed to have bought that lie as it got Twilight to let out a breath of relief. The day continued as it turned out that the arm-wrestling between the two rivals went a bit too far as they literally broke the lunch table. Seems Vice-Principal Luna wasn't pleased by how out of hand both Dash and Aj let their pride get. So to avoid having detention and missing the school event on Friday, the women had the two build the table. They nodded as they began to gather the destroyed pieces. Thankfully, the farm girl had a way with tools as she was able to come up with a blueprint. So the pair began to get to work on their punishment. While this was going on, Spitfire and her gang had made it to the field as they were about to start their daily practice. "Alright, gang. Let's start with five laps around the building," stated the captain as she blew her whistle. The rest of the Wonderbolts had finished their stretches as they began to do as their captain instructed. The coach was watching his team of athletes as they were getting ready for the next match of the season. After about 15 minutes, everyone was raring to go as they began to run some drills. During this time, the school groundskeeper had emerged from his tool shed as he put some headphones on. He turned on the engine of the lawnmower as he began to cut the grass for the team to use. The CMC had made it to the bleachers as they were looking to do an activity. "You really think the rangers will show up?" asked Applebloom as she was setting up a camera. "Trust me, this plan will work. I'll dress up as a monster, and Sweetie Belle will act like a damsel in distress. Once she yells how much danger she's in, the rangers will arrive, and we'll ask them for their autographs. That'll show Diamond Tiara that the rangers aren't fake." said Scootaloo as she was determined to make their rival eat her words. "And why do I have to be the one in danger?" asked Sweetie. "Because you're Rarity's little sister. So I'm sure some of her drama queen skills you have as well," stated Scootaloo. "Ooh, well, that makes sense," said Sweetie Belle. "Now give me a few minutes to change and I'll be back," said Scootaloo as she left to the side as Applebloom was setting up the small camera. While the girls waited for their friend to return, the Wondercolts were on the field doing some practice shots. They had just finished the drill when they stopped to take a quick water break. They all grabbed some bottles of water as they began to rehydrate. One of the teammates finished their bottle as they tossed the bottle towards the nearby recycling bin. It hit the edge and instead fell and rolled onto the lawn. The gardener had finished his job as he turned the engine off and left to take his lunch break. A few moments later, the lawnmower that was left behind began to glow. It then transformed as there stood a mutant named Cutup. "Chop, chop, chop!" stated the mutant as he began to look around. He noticed the water bottle on the grass as he started to get annoyed. He then looked saw the rest of the Wondercolts. "Uh, guys?" said Fleetfoot as she saw the creature. "Time for you kids to scram!" shouted Cutup. At that moment, two pillars of light shined next to him as out came Pharynx and Starlight. "This should drive the rangers out!" stated Pharynx as he slammed his gauntlets on the floor as the earth shook causing the Wondercolts to all fall to the ground. The sound didn't go unnoticed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle as they were near the bleachers and saw the mutants. They thought it was Scootaloo, but when they saw their friend return after missing a piece of the costume, they soon realized the state of the situation. The Wondercolts all began to get up as Starlight pointed her staff at them as Spitfire and her friends were all tied up. The CMC now hid behind the bleachers as they saw the older kids trapped as they were scared. The Wondercolts were squirming as they were scared at what the mutant and the generals might do. The trio was walking towards them when some blast shots were heard and fired in front of them as it created a small smokescreen. At that moment, Ash and the girls appeared in their ranger suits as they began to slash at the binds that held the Wondercolts as they were relieved to be saved. "Are you alright?" asked Ash to Spitfire. "Yeah, thanks, bud," replied the captain. "Don't mention it, get to safety," instructed the yellow ranger as he and the girls watched the Wondercolts leave. Rainbow noticed the nearby soccer ball as she used her feet to do a Rainbow move and then did a back kick as the object went sailing into Cutup as the smoke cleared, and the mutant was hit in the face as he went down. "Oh, yeah! Still got it!" said Rainbow as her skills were still on par, even after quitting sports. "Who the hell kicked that ball?!! I'll take your ass on right now!" shouted the mutant as he was pissed off. "Rangers," growled Pharynx as he and Starlight saw the five individuals as they had managed to free their captives. "Nice of you to join our lawn party." "Perfect, I'll take red and purple," snickered Starlight as she ran forward with her staff. "You can have whoever you want, but yellow and blue are all mine," stated Phraynx as he ran forward. The teens now moved to engage with their selected opponents. Well, almost, everybody. "Hey, wait a minute, y'all. How come I didn't get picked?" asked Aj as her name wasn't called by the mutants to fight. Safe to say, the farm girl was a bit disrespected that she was left out intentionally. "Because they save the best for me," stated Cutup as it seemed he would be fighting Applejack, one on one. "In that case, you better brace yerself partner for the Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" stated Applejack. She got down on all fours as she began to use her back leg to kick up the dirt behind her as she prepared to charge like her rhino towards the mutant. "Hey, what the hell are you doin'? You're tearing up school property, girl!" "Huh?" said Aj as she then looked behind her as she saw the patch of dirt she accidentally made when she dug her foot into the grass. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's okay, I'm a farmer. I know how to fix this, all I need is some... Wait a doggone minute? Why the hell am I apologizin' to a monster?" said Applejack as she had an epiphany. "Harmony Ax!" shouted Aj as she pulled out her weapon and began to run towards the mutant. "Stop!" shouted Cutup. "What now?!!" shouted the green ranger. "You're leaving footprints with those boots. Take them off!" shouted Cutup as he engaged Aj. "I don't think so!" shouted Applejack as she caught the mutant's arm under hers and used the ax in her other hand to slash at him. The pair turned as Aj was now ducking under some swings from the mutant as the girl kept on using her ax to get some blows in. She activated her power to make her skin tough to absorb the strikes of the ones she couldn't dodge in time. While this was going on, her friends were dealing with the other two generals as they were at a standstill. They were unaware of the CMC who had been watching the whole thing go down. The girls were awwing and oohing as they saw the rangers go at it. Safe to say, they were even more impressed to see them up close. "Look at them, they're so cool," said Sweetie Belle. "They're amazing!!!" shouted Applebloom. "I told you the blue ranger was the best. Though I thought it was boy," said Scootaloo. "No, I'm not!!!" shouted Rainbow as she managed to hear that comment even while she was fighting against Pharynx. She wanted to make sure that message was heard loud and clear. With Aj, she was engaged with Cutup as the country girl seemed to be holding her own. She moved the way out of the way of a lunge by Cutup as she grabbed his arm. She tossed it upwards as the girl spun and did a bicycle kick to his chest as he stumbled. "Give up?" taunted Aj. Cutup did a quick slash as Applejack didn't see it coming as she got hit. She fell to the ground as she rolled. "Time to cut you loose, ranger," stated Cutup as he began to move towards the fallen girl with his blades whirling. Rainbow saw her friend was in danger as she blocked one of Pharynx's gauntlets with her lance as she swatted him away and used her weapon to pole vault into the air. Twilight was dealing with Starlight as she blocked a magic shot with her shield and tossed it to the girl mutant as it caused her to fall to the ground. Her weapons returned as she too jumped into the air. Both girls landed by their friend as they grabbed her by the shoulders and moved Aj out of harm's way. "We got you, Aj," stated Dash. "Huh?" said Cutup. "Over here!" shouted Ash. He and Sunset now came behind as Cutup turned to them. The two teens ducked under his arms as they slashed with their sabers. They then both did a diagonal slash as they hit Cutup right in the chest. "Respect the lawn," grunted Cutup as he was coughed "Who gives a damn about this shitty ass lawn?!!" shouted Pharynx. "Let's finish this!" shouted Ash as he and the girls combined their weapons. "Harmony Cannon!" said the rangers. "Move!" shouted Starlight. "Fire!" said our heroes. Their cannon now powered up as it shot a blast towards the generals. Starlight and Phyranx moved out of the way as Cutup was slower than them. He was hit by the shot as the rangers disassembled their weapon and turned around to do their signature pose as in the back their foe fell as an explosion occurred. "All right! We did it!" stated Ash as the girls also cheered. "Not so fast, rangers," spoke a voice. At that moment, a flash of light appeared. Starlight and Pharynx saw it as the individual that appeared made them gasp. The mysterious figure was none other than another mutant general as she smiled and then turned to look at the rangers. Apart from Ash, the girls were stunned by who or what they saw. "Who the hell are you?" asked Rainbow. "It's..." "Allow me to introduce myself, Ash," said the mutant with a cold, sinister voice. "I am Chrysalis. Second in command of the dark lords." The girl mutant wasted no time as she thrust her hand out as a bolt of lightning came out. It took down our heroes no sweat as they all screamed in pain as they fell to the ground. Starlight and Pharynx were smiling at how powerful their comrade was that she was able to drop the rangers like that. "Nice shot, mother," stated Pharynx. Chrysalis then looked at the spot where Cutup was defeated as she began to work her magic. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" said Chrysalis as she had her hand out and finished her chant. The spell worked as the ritual was starting to take effect. A small tornado began to form around the spot of the defeated mutant. It then got bigger and bigger as it then blew away as there stood Cutup as he was now big. "So that explains how they got bigger," said Sunset as this was like last time. "How?" asked Ash to Chrysalis. "A new trick I learned," snickered the general. "Have fun." With that, the three generals all disappeared as they gave their final orders to Cutup to smash them. "Look out!" shouted Twilight. The rangers all rolled out at the last second as Cutup's foot almost came down on them. "Alright, girls. I think it's time for some animal power," stated Ash as they began to touch their morphers. "Harmony Zords, arise!" said all five of them as they activated the symbol to call their animals robots. The call was sent as it rang through the air. It rang several times as it was transmitting the signal. It was then received as the animals started to head towards their owners. Ash's wolf let out a howl as it was running along the forest. The others responded with their own sounds as they were shown also in between a row of trees heading towards the rangers. "Here they come," said Sunset as they saw the zords now enter the city for them to battle. Ash's wolf picked up speed as it jumped over a small bridge and then leaped forward to take a bite at Cutup as it was holding on. "Let me go, you overgrown mutt!" said the mutant as he used his arms to hit the wolf. It released his hold of its mouth as it was sent flying along the ground. "Wolf!" shouted Ash as he saw his zord take a bump. The girl's other zords also were hit as they too were slightly pushed back. Safe to say, unlike last time, the zords were taking a beating. They were all being swatted away and taking punishments from the giant mutant as they struggled. The wolf had gotten to his feet as he shook the attack off and then let out a howl. He was now communicating with Ash as he was telling his owner what they needed to do to defeat Cutup. "I hear you, bud," said Ash as he had his hand over his heart, where the symbol of his animal was on his suit. "Girls, listen. There is a way for us to win. But for that to happen, we must combine our zords to defeat the monster." The girls' zords also let out their respective sounds as they agreed with their comrade and to relay the message to the girls. "Wow, can they do that?!" said Rainbow as she was surprised and excited. "Well, let's find out, y'all," stated Applejack. "Count me in," said Twilight. "All right then. We all agree. Let's do it," said Ash as he and the girls touched their morphers once more. It was now a different symbol that was used to merge the zords. "Follow me," said Ash as he leaped up and entered his zord. "Right," said the girls as they too jumped into the air as each one absorbed into their zords. The yellow ranger entered inside as it was a huge room. Soon a control stand with tons of dials and buttons appeared in front of him as it showed his gem. It then scanned the boy as it began to recognize him and granted him access. The girls also did the same when they entered as they were given access. "You girls, set?" asked Ash over their communicators. "All good," responded the girls. "Harmony zords, combine!" shouted all five as a split-screen showed their helmets. The zords heard their command as they began to change. Aj's rhino now turned the back of it into a pair of legs as Ash's wolf jumped on top and tucked its back legs in as it was the chest. Rainbow's and Twilight's birds each took their position next to the wolf as they had their wings tucked in as Sunset's phoenix appeared on top of all three as it used its wings to connect all of the zords. The wolf let out a howl as the final transformation took place as the head of the Megazord appeared with Sunset's phoenix serving as the headpiece/helmet as a face was revealed. Inside, the rangers all appeared in a giant control room. They were positioned from left to right of Twilight, Rainbow, Sunset, Ash, and then Applejack on the far right. The tables from before appeared as they were color-coordinated. Sunset and Ash then began to switch places as the Megazord recognized the change in command as the boy was now in the middle. "This is awesome!" said Rainbow as she couldn't believe they were inside of their huge mech. "Focus, Dash," said Sunset. "Awake," said Ash as the Megazord heard his command. "Harmony Guardian Megazord!" shouted all five rangers. Their robot came online as it landed and stood with the symbol of their gems gathered in a circle. All around, different sections of their Megazord were shown of all the animals being part of this giant robot. "Hold position," commanded Ash as the girls nodded. The mech now stood in place as it was a few meters away from Cutup. "Like I'm scared," said the mutant as he wasn't impressed by the rangers' new trick. He wasted no time in charging forward towards our heroes. He then began to slash at the Megazord which didn't have much effect. Every time he swung or attacked, the rangers' Megazord simply absorbed the blow as they stood their ground. Even the kicks by the monster didn't do much against our heroes. Cutup was running out of steam as the rangers didn't move one inch or have a scratch on their zord. "Oh, you think you're tough, don't you?" taunted Cutup as he went for another attack. This time, the arm was caught by the zord's left arm which was Rainbow's falcon. It caught the arm in its mouth and with one push, it shoved the mutant back as he fell to the floor. "Now it's our turn," said Sunset. "Falcon blade," said Rainbow. The zord heard the command as the face let out a roar. The falcon then had its wing that was tucked shift to the front. They combined to create a sword as it was held in the mouth of the falcon. "Slice!" shouted Ash as the zord began to swing the sword at the mutant. It was effective as Cutup took a big hit as he stumbled back. The zord then began to do more slashes and lunges at the monster. It did a kick as the leg that had the rhino's horn struck the mutant as it felt like he got poked with a needle. He let out a painful cry at how sharp it was. Cutup fired an energy beam as it was heading towards our heroes as they didn't have time to move out of the way. "Twilight!" stated Ash. "Owl shield!" stated the girl. The owl that was the zord's right arm began to have its wings turn into a circle as it made a shield. The attack repelled off the shield as it was redirected into the sky. The smoke cleared as there stood the Megazord as it didn't have a scratch nor did the shield as it retracted in a second. The rangers then continued to hammer Cutup with more slashes as they were pushing back the mutant. "Let's turn up the heat!" shouted Sunset as she pushed some buttons on her table. The zord then had the wolf in the middle open its mouth as flames came out. The fire then took the shape of the Sunset's phoenix as it collided with Cutup as he was set ablaze and flung back a few feet. "Let's finish this, y'all!" stated Applejack. "Harmony Megazord," started Ash. "Sonic Rainboom!!!" shouted all of them as they thrust their hand out. The wolf chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each one had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant as he exploded and was destroyed once and for all. The explosion went off as above the smoke shined a rainbow as it had some magical gem dust sprinkle over the defeated mutant as well as the area around it as it was restored to its former glory. Inside the group of teenagers, all cheered as they high-fived one another at a job well done while their Megazord took a step forward as it did a victory pose. "Well, seems that last piece of data from that officer gave me what I needed," said Thorax as he had the final recording for his device. "Does it work this time?" asked Starlight as the last test Thorax did was a dud. "Trust me, with mom chanting her words, it gave me the final missing piece. Now you no longer have to be present near a fallen mutant's body to make them grow. Simply speak the words into the device, and you can revive them from even in our lair." stated Thorax. "For once, you being nonviolent and a peacemaker proves to be a good thing, little brother," said Pharynx. "But what about the rangers and their new toy?" asked Chrysalis. "Let them celebrate," spoke the leader of the dark lords as he sat on his throne. "While the rangers rest from their hollow victory, they have no idea that the forces which will destroy them grow stronger and stronger with each passing moment." the leader stood up as his shadow remained hidden as the only thing that echoed around the room was his sinister laugh. With our group of heroes, they were back in the command center as they were celebrating their victory. They were amazed that they could summon their zords to do battle against the mutant when they got bigger. But now that they could form them together to create one giant mech, it was mind-blowing. "How much more awesome can I get?!" asked Rainbow boastful. "Enough for your ego to fit the Ghastly Gouge," said Sunset. "Exactly... hey!" shouted Dash to the bacon-haired girl for saying that. "Good work, team. Now we have a way to deal with those monsters when they get bigger," stated Ash he sat down at the computer panel. At that moment, sounds were heard as all of their zords came rushing in as they were shrunk back to their pet size. The birds all landed on their owners, with Twilight's owl landing on the bookworm's head. Aj and Ash had their zord jump into their arms as the girl nuzzled her tiny creature while the boy petted his. "By the way, Ash? What's that?" asked Twilight as she pointed to the many file icons on the screen. "Oh, well, earlier I was doing some research to look for the missing zords. I had Rachel use the Morphin Grid to expand our search and well, we came upon something interesting. Turns out, you girls in this dimension have had tons of rangers that have been protecting your world for years." "No way," said Applejack. "You're serious?" asked Sunset. "I didn't believe it at first, either. But turns out, it's true. Take a look," said Ash as he clicked on one of the folders as he picked up watching the footage from where he left off. The girls soon stood behind his chair as for the next few hours, they were learning about their ranger heritage. At school, the CMC called an emergency meeting for the Power Ranger fan club. The trio of girls explained to everybody how the rangers showed up to save the Wondercolts and then take down the bad guys. While most of them couldn't believe what they were hearing, there was one girl and her pal who didn't but what the CMC were selling. "And then the Blue Ranger was all like, BAW! POW! SMASH! Oh yeah, turns out it's also a girl. Which is weird," said Scootaloo as she thought for sure the Blue Ranger would have been a boy given how much coolness they resonated. "Most of them other than the Yellow Ranger are girls. Also a bit weird," said Applebloom as she could hear the feminine in the voice of the other rangers when they were battling. "As if all of this happened. I mean, didn't you say that you three hid? So how can you have seen what you're telling us if you hid?" asked Diamond Tiara with a smirk. "I knew these Power Rangers were fake," snorted Silver Spoon. "They're real! We saw them with our own eyes!" shouted Sweetie Belle. "Unless you have actual footage, we don't believe you," snickered Diamond Tiara. "Footage? Wait, the camera!" said Applebloom as she was reminded that it was rolling the whole time. She now brought it out as she hooked it up to the laptop. "Here it is." The small country girl pushed to play as the video came up on the screen behind them as it did indeed record everything. The camera saw the rangers fighting against the mutant generals as everybody was awing and oohing at seeing their saviors in action. All the while, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon held sore looks. Still, they were intrigued by the rangers in action that they too had excitement hidden on their faces. Chapter 8: BodyguardThe city hall was busy. Busier than usual as today, there was a press conference. The mayor, a woman by the name of Mayor Mare, was seen standing on a podium as all around her sat news reporters. She tapped the microphone to gain everybody's attention as the photographers began snapping photos as flashes went off. "Good morning, everyone. As you all know, recently, we've experienced monster attacks on our fair and beloved city. But we've also been lucky enough to have the Power Rangers step in and protect us. Now understand, we are grateful for them. But we can't rely on them to save forever. That is why I've called this meeting to make an announcement. Effective immediately, we are developing weapons to counteract these monsters." said the woman as the reports got up and began to clammer while holding out their recording devices, hoping to get a word. "Recently, we've acquired the weaponry of these monsters. And through some of our best scientists, have been able to make small blasters that can damage and repel these invaders. Now a task like this isn't complete without a squad. Therefore, I've assigned some members of the Canterlot Police Department to be a part of this task." said Mayor Mare. In the background, there stood both Shining Armor and Spearhead at attention as well as other members of the police department that had been selected. "Leading the platoon will be Captain Cosmos," the man stepped forward as Shining Armor couldn't help but look at the person as he so badly want to be the one to lead. He went back to looking forward as the mayor continued her speech. "Our team of scientists, led by Dr. Ledwin, is working tirelessly to make sure that our task force named the Crystal Soldiers will have the necessary ranger weaponry to defend our home. Any questions?" asked the mayor to the audience. Watching this from their command center, was our heroes. Ash and the girls had heard about the big news that was advertised throughout all the outlets about the mayor of Canterlot having an announcement. Safe to say, they didn't expect this kind of news. Especially, for Twilight as she was worried about her brother being selected to be a part of the elite fighting force. Not to mention that soon others would have the access to firepower. The audience began to speak over each other as Ash pushed a button as the video feed ended. "Do you all think it's a good idea?" asked Applejack. "Maybe having more people who can take out these mutants could help us in the long run," stated Rainbow. "Or they could hurt us," said Sunset. "I'm just concerned for my brother. I know he can take care of himself and has combat training. But... he's doesn't know how powerful these monsters are." said Twilight. "All we can do is continue doing our part. People rely on us to stop the Dark Lords. So let's not disappoint them." said Ash to his team. At that time, Captain Cosmo, along with his lieutenants in Shining Armor and Spearhead, entered the mayor's office as did Dr. Ledwin. "What's the progress?" asked Mayor Mare to Dr. Ledwin. "With the weapons that we were able to scavenge from the rangers' battles, we've unlocked the technology these monsters use. And in no time, we'll have a way to defend our home and the citizens of Canterlot," said Dr. Ledwin. "Make sure you do. Whatever it takes. I want the secrets of the Power Rangers," said Captain Cosmos. Dr. Ledwin nodded as she left. Shining Armor and Spearhead did a salute to their captain. The two left as the boy was still upset that he wasn't selected to lead the Crystal Soldiers as he wanted to prove he had what it took to protect this city. The next day came as the sun was up. For the students at CHS, the school event that Pinkie was planning was tomorrow. And speaking of CHS, the small video that the CMC had managed to record of the rangers arriving to save Spitfire and her teammates had gone viral between students. It soon made its way online as others saw how courageous the rangers were in not only taking down these monsters but also being able to save a group of teenagers. The girls were presented the video by Pinkie as she showed them on her laptop. The video was uploaded by the CMC, who used their fake account name, Gabby Gums as it got over 1000 likes and over 100,000 views. While they were scared that they were caught on video fighting in such a place that could expose their identity. The girls were glad that their classmates were safe, nor did anybody actually know who was hidden under the suits. The video did allow everybody to see that the team was composed of four girls and one boy who served as the leader due to the voices that spoke. At a local house, Dr. Ledwin was preparing herself to leave for work. She had approached her car and opened the door when a voice called out to her. "Aunty," said a five-year-old boy as he ran towards Dr. Ledwin. "Do you have to leave?" "I have a job to do. Just like your mother. Don't worry, I'll be gone for long. Then when I get back, what do you say we go out for some ice cream?" asked the girl to her nephew. "Any flavor I want?" asked the boy. "Anyone you want," smiled Dr. Ledwin. "I'm holding you to that," stated the boy as the woman rubbed her nephew's hair and hugged him. "Goodbye," said the woman as the boy ran back to the house with his action figure in his hand. The boy entered the house as Dr. Ledwin then entered the driver's seat of the car. She then heard a cackle as she looked in the mirror on the car's side. "Going somewhere?" said Starlight as her image was shown. The nephew of Dr. Ledwin entered the house as he took a few steps forward and noticed that his aunt's purse was on the table. "Looks like Aunty Ledwin forgot her bag," said the boy as he went to grab it and give it to his aunt. Once he opened the door and stepped out, he saw what was happening. Starlight and her gang had managed to capture Dr. Ledwin. "Let go of me!" shouted Dr. Ledwin as she was being carried. "Aunty!" said the boy. "Run, Buzz! Run!" shouted Ledwin to her nephew. The boy dropped the purse as he began to do what his aunt stated. That didn't go unnoticed by Starlight. "Get that little brat!" ordered Starlight to the minions as they nodded and began to chase after the boy. The boy ran to the back gate as he opened it with the minions hot on his tail. He entered the back alley as he noticed a trashcan nearby. He opened it as he was thankfully the garbage men had already come. The kid then entered inside, and he shut the lid just as the minions passed from the back gate. They all began to scan the alley trying to figure out where their target was. Inside the trashcan, the boy could hear the mutants as he had his action figure with him. He hugged it tightly hoping that they wouldn't find him. The mutants then gave a response to each other as they split up down the alleyways. Once he didn't hear any sounds, the boy lifted the lid to sneak a peek as he saw they were gone. He let out a sigh as he got out and began to run down the alley as he hoped to find some help. The boy didn't get far as he made it to a nearby playground. The mutants didn't seem to find him as he was relieved. He was still afraid as they could potentially get him, it was at that moment, he heard and saw something. On the skatepark section of the place, there was someone who was attracting a crowd. The girl turned out to be none other than Rainbow Dash as she was showing off like normal. She was doing some tricks with her board as the kids were awing. She stopped at the top of the ramp as she did a handstand. She used her feet to flip the board as she skated down the ramp. Dash was preparing her big finish as she gained momentum approaching the other end of the ramp. She zoomed upwards as she transitioned to doing a handstand with her palm on the board. Then using her super speed, she spun several rotations in mid-air as she landed, and a rainbow streak appeared behind her. She spun in the center as the rainbow followed her to form a tornado as it dissipated and the girl flipped her hair which added more to her coolness. The kids all applauded and showered the teen with affection as Rainbow was feeding her ego as usual. The kids then left as they discussed how awesome the chromatic girl was. Watching this, Buzz was intrigued by Dash's moves as he began to follow the girl. The girl made it back to her car and tossed her skateboard and helmet in the back seat. She entered the driver's seat when at that moment, Buzz appeared by the passenger's side as the window was open. "Hey," said the kid. "Hey,... what are you doing, kid?" asked Rainbow as she saw the five-year-old. "I need help. I want you to protect me. Like a bodyguard." said the boy. "Bodyguard?" said Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, cause they're after me." "Right?" said Rainbow in disbelief as she then burst out in laughter. The teen continued to laugh for a few minutes as the boy just kept a straight face. Once Rainbow had her laugh, she wiped the tears from her eyes while catching her breath. She then looked back at the boy as he was still there. "Alright, kid. That was a good one. You got me to laugh. Now, why don't you run along." "I'm serious. They're after me." "Look, kid. I don't have time to play games. I have..." "Hey, I'm being truthful. Now are you going to help me or not?" asked Buzz. At that moment, Mayor Mare was in her office as was Captain Cosmos as they were going over the details of the task force. Her office phone began to ring as she picked it up. "This is the mayor's office," said the woman. "I understand. I don't care how you do it, just get it here." At that moment, both Shining Armor entered the room as he had some urgent news. "Madam, captain, I..." "Shining Armor, we're middle of discussing some important business. Know your place, lieutenant," said Captain Cosmo as he didn't like the boy barging in during a phone call. "Dr. Ledwin has been kidnapped!" stated Shining Armor. The boy's response got both officials shocked as they looked at one another. "I'll call you back," said Mayor Mare as she hung up the phone. "The research we have on the ranger weaponry we're designing. If that information falls into the wrong hands... get Dr. Ledwin back!" said the girl to the captain. "Yes, sir!" saluted the man as he left with Shining Armor in tow. In a warehouse, Dr. Ledwin was tied to a chair as she was being interrogated by Starlight and her gang. The girl mutant approached the doctor as she grabbed her face. "I'm going to ask you only one time, Doctor. Where's the information on the research?" asked the general. "Why, so you can use it to destroy the city! Never!" stated Dr. Ledwin. "Fine, have it your way!" said the officer mutant that was with Starlight named Sharptooth. "Meet my little friend." said the officer as she pulled out a set of shark teeth as she looked to torture the doctor for the information. "Wait!" said Starlight as she got her soldier to stop. "No need for that, she'll tell us the information. If... she sees her nephew is in danger," snickered the general. They all laughed as the doctor has a terrified look on her face. All around the city, the Crystal Soldiers were trying to find the missing doctor. They had just finished checking the known spots the doctor visited often as they came up empty-handed. "Anything?!" shouted Captain Cosmo to his lieutenants Shining Armor and Spearhead. "Nothing, sir," replied Spearhead. "Then let's move to the next coordinate. Each second we waste is a second that Dr. Ledwin's life is in danger," said the captain as he zoomed ahead in his SUV. Both Shining Armor and Spearhead got in their van and followed behind. "Alright, where do you live, kid?" "Why?" asked the boy. "So, I can take you home," said Rainbow as she was driving the car. "But I can't go home!" pleaded the boy while hugging his action figure. Rainbow just gave the boy a look as he sighed and told her. "412 Central Park Ave." "Thank you," stated Rainbow as she began to head in that direction. "Please don't take me home! They're still trying to get me!" "Who?! Whose trying to get you?!!! You're not telling me anything, kid!!!" asked Rainbow as she was annoyed. "Monsters! The ones who took my aunt," said Buzz as Rainbow made a different face. She had an epiphany as she knew what the boy was saying. They were pulling into a nearby sidewalk as she parked her car. "Why are we stopping?" asked the boy to the teen girl. "I need to make a phone call. Wait here," said Rainbow as she took off her seatbelt and prepared to open the door. "Okay," said the boy already reaching for the radio. "No!" shouted Rainbow, but it was too late as loud music began to blare. The girl covered her ears as she shut it off and gave a look to the kid. "Stay here!" said Rainbow as she exited from the car. "And don't touch anything!!" yelled the teen as she came back to the window. "Meanie!" said the boy putting his tongue out. "No cursing, no cursing. No matter how much this kid is getting on your nerves, Rainbow," muttered the girl to herself as she heard that comment. She was dying to use some vulgar language but was trying so hard not to say it given she had a kid with her. The chromatic girl then began to walk a few meters away as she came to a column. She pulled out her phone as she made sure to look back at the boy to see if he was seeing her. The kid just sat in the car with his action figure in his hands as he was playing with it. With the coast clear, Rainbow put her phone to her ear with her back turned as it looked like she was making a call. She had her bracelet up as she was contacting the rest of her team. "Rach, come in." "Yes, Rainbow," responded the computer. "I need you to check an address for me," said the chromatic girl. "Go ahead," said the A.I. "412 Central Park Ave," said the blue ranger. The computer then began to input the data as it was using the satellites to locate the address provided by the girl. It then showed on the screen as the others entered from the training room as they saw Rainbow communicating. "It belongs to the home of Dr. Ledwin," said Rachel. "Didn't we just see her on TV?" said Sunset. "She's in charge of the research that they're using to develop ranger weaponry," explained Twilight. "I think she's been kidnapped or something. Her nephew is with me," said Rainbow to the others. "For some reason, they're after him too." "What would they want with a little kid?" asked Applejack. "Beats me!" replied Rainbow. "Dash, you stay with him. We'll check up on his aunt," stated Ash. "No offense, guys. But the little shit is a pain in my ass. Oh god, that felt good to curse," said Rainbow as she finally could let out all the stress she'd been building up. "But... okay, I'll do it," groaned the chromatic teen. "We'll figure this out quickly, partner," said Aj as the transmission ended. Rainbow put her wristband down as she took the phone from her ear and put it in her pocket. She then heard a scream as she quickly turned around. At her car, some minions were grabbing a hold of the boy as the girl sprung into action. She ran and did a quick dropkick to one of the mutants as she ducked one of them. She then blocked a knee strike and an overhead fist as she punched one of them back. She used her leg to kick the other to flip onto the floor. Another attack lunged to which she grabbed it and did a knee strike to its midsection as it hit the small sign when it stumbled. The girl quickly rolled over the hood of her car as she got back into the driver's seat and started the vehicle. She put her seatbelt on as she started up the car. "Hold on!" said the girl as she turned the key and floored it as the tires made a screeching sound. She put the car in reverse as it took off, which Rainbow then spun around as they came to a stop and then zoomed forward. "Some bodyguard you are. They almost got me," complained the kid. "Yeah, well, I can turn this car around right now and let them get you. And to be honest, that's sounding like a great idea! So be grateful, you little sh..." Rainbow stopped herself as she was this close to losing it. "Can't curse in front of a five-year-old. Can't curse in front of a five-year-old." mumbled the ranger as they continued to drive down the road. "And what about my aunt?!" stated Buzz. "Don't worry. My friends are looking for her right now," said Dash. "Hopefully they do a better job than you," mumbled the kid as the girl heard that. "Don't curse. Don't curse. Don't curse." whispered the girl to herself as she focused on the road. They had gotten a good distance as they were climbing up a mountain pass. At that moment, in front of them, Sharptooth appeared. "It's the end of the road for you!" said the mutant. "I don't think!" said Rainbow as she wasn't intimidated. "What are you going to do?" asked the kid. "Something you shouldn't do ever in your life. Hold on!" said Dash to the kid as she put her foot to the gas pedal. She was attempting to run over the monster as her vehicle was racing forward. Sharptooth knew what the girl was trying to do as it jumped into the air and landed on Rainbow's windshield as it drove by. The girl was now trying to shake off the mutant from her car as they kept on driving. Meanwhile, in the warehouse, Dr. Ledwin was still tied up as Starlight and her minions kept guard. They were waiting for Sharptooth to return from her mission of capturing the doctor's nephew. What they didn't notice was that the rest of the rangers had managed to track where the missing scientist was as they were seen near the entrance. They all hid behind the corners as they all looked in. They saw the doctor as they all nodded. A barrel fell over as one of the minions went to inspect. He was approaching the object when suddenly a blaster sound was heard as he was shot. Starlight then looked towards the entrance. "Freeze!" said Ash as he and Sunset were in their ranger suits with their blasters aimed at the mutant general. "It's over, Starlight!" said Twilight as she and Applejack entered through the other entrance a few feet away as they had their enemy trapped. The doctor was happy to see the rangers as they came to rescue her. "Let Dr. Ledwin go right now!" ordered Sunset. "Yeah, right," smirked Starlight. "Minions, get them!" commanded the general as they obeyed. The four rangers now began to engage the foot soldiers. With Dash, she was still trying to shake Sharptooth from her car as they had run out of the cemented street and onto a dirt road as they reached the top of the mountain she was driving on. All the zigging and zagging, and the monster still held on. Dash was turning the car in all sorts of directions as the boy had smiled at how much fun of a ride this way. She then slammed the brakes as that caused Sharptooth to go flying and roll onto the dirt. The car stopped a few meters away as the tires screech marks into the dirt. The teen got out of the car as she went to the other side as the boy opened his door. "Are you alright?" asked Rainbow. "Uh-huh," responded Buzz as Rainbow bent down to his level. "I'll take care of her. You get to safety," said Dash as the boy nodded. They looked where Sharptooth was as she was slowly getting to her knees. "Go." The kid then took off as there was a nearby bush. He decided to hide behind that as he wanted to see what Dash was going to do. The teen approached the mutant as she had gotten to her feet. "You can't defeat me!" mocked Sharptooth as she ran to fight the chromatic girl. Rainbow raised her fists as she met the mutant. She started with a kick to her stomach as she then blocked a swing from Sharptooth. She then went for some punches in the midsection and then rolled under a swinging leg kick. The girl blocked a roundhouse from the mutant with her shoulder as she spun for a kick of her own. She went for a roundhouse as her leg was caught and Sharptooth swept her other leg as she fell on her back. The mutant wasted no time in grabbing the girl on the ground by her shirt as she lifted her. Sharptooth did some punches to her midsection before flinging her overhead as she crashed and burned once more. "Listen up, whoever you are! I don't know what your problem is, just give me the boy, and that will be the end of it!" threatened Sharptooth as she had one of her razor blades pointed at Dash who was on a knee. "So play nice and get lost!" Rainbow clutched her shoulder as she then looked to her side and saw Buzz hiding. She saw him standing there watching her, trying to see what she would do. For the girl, she had a duty. And that duty was to protect the boy at all costs. The teen took a deep breath as despite the oath she took about being a ranger, she knew that if she was going to protect the boy, then she needed to do it. Despite being a pain in her ass for most of the day, the kid was her responsibility. And she wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him. She stood up with a determined look as she raised her wrist. Her bracelet transformed into her Morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the girl as she began to transform in front of the kid. She traced the symbol on the interface of her Morpher as it recognized her. Rainbow was then encased in her gem as bits of it were shown on her shoulders. She landed on a platform and lifted her head as the visor covered the last bit of her face. Once complete, the girl did her pose with her animal behind her. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" stated Rainbow. The boy was amazed at what he saw. To think that the girl who he'd been driving crazy and was protecting him was none other than one of the Power Rangers brought a smile to his face. Rainbow leaped into the air as he pulled out her lance and began to fight Sharptooth once more. This time, she wasn't holding back as she did more of her moves while using the lance to pole vault out of danger. Even then, she was still having a tough time fighting the mutant as she was blocking her attacks while trying to throw out hers. The girl tried for multiple jabs and stabs with her weapon as Sharptooth grabbed her weapon and pulled her in. "Go, Rainbow!!" cheered the boy. Dash was in the clutches of the mutant's arms as she was trying to wiggle out of them. Her arm was being stretched that held her weapon as she dropped it from her hand. The girl then got lit up with shots to her chest as slashes made contact. Sharptooth didn't let go of the blue ranger as she kept on attacking the girl's midsection with her razor blades as more made contact. She was thrown away as she rolled and went for an attack only to be slashed at once more as she flew back a few feet. The mutant then had her arm transform into a blaster as she fired a lightning attack at Rainbow who got up and took the attack full force as an explosion went off. The explosion caused Rainbow to flip forward and land on the ground as she was hurt. She was curling up as the attacks did a number on her. Once Buzz saw Rainbow lying on the ground, he was concerned about her. "This is my lucky day. Not only do I get the kid, but I get to destroy the blue ranger," snickered Sharptooth as she began to walk towards Rainbow who was backing up slowly. "Leave her alone!" shouted the boy. He ran from his bush as he now stood in between the monster and Rainbow who was on the ground. "Stay out of this!" said Sharptooth to the kid. "Buzz, no! Get out of here!" pleaded Rainbow to the kid before clutching her shoulder in pain. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" said the boy trying to sound tough to the monster. "You know what I think? I think you should listen to your little blue friend over there! Now... move it! I've got some tidying up to do." said Sharptooth as she stood in front of the boy. "Wait! If... you don't hurt my friend. I'll... I'll... I'll give you my action figure." said the boy as he was trying to bargain with the monster in hopes of leaving them alone. "Ha! Here's what I think of your stupid, pathetic little toy!" said Sharptooth as she grabbed the object from Buzz's hand and tossed it in the air. She then pointed her arm upward as it transformed into the blaster and fired at the figure. The boy was shocked as the object landed. The figure fell as it was caught on fire. "Achilles!" said the boy as he raced over to his destroyed action figure. "New and improved, I might add," snickered Sharptooth as she was impressed with her handiwork. "Buzz! Get to safety!" stated Rainbow to the kid as she still held her shoulder as she watched the boy bend down to his seared toy in front of him. The boy grab the remains of his destroyed toy as he couldn't help but feel a few tears form. Sharptooth merely mocked the boy along with a laugh as she was enjoying herself. Rainbow had gotten to her feet as she saw the sight before her. Seeing Buzz sad about his toy being destroyed as a result of him trying to protect her. Coupled with the fact that the mutant was making fun of the boy, all of it got the chromatic girl to be angry. She was shown clenching her fist as couldn't stand for it. "You're gonna pay for that!!" shouted Dash as she leaped and flipped into the air. She did a spin kick to Sharptooth as she stumbled. Dash then began to do more kicks to the midsection of the mutant as she was fueled by her rage. She dodged an attack from the girl mutant as she began to punch the monster in the chest. She tapped into her gem's power as her fists were lightning fast as she was wailing on the monster before she stopped and then did one final spin that delivered a kick to Sharptooth's face as she went down. "Buzz!" said Rainbow as she took the downed monster to rush over to the small boy. The boy sat on his knees as he had the destroyed pieces in his hand, "Hey, you okay?" asked the girl as she bent down to which he nodded. "How about that, kid? Looks like you turned out to be my hero." She patted the boy's back as he smiled before turning back to the mutant. "Sharptooth!" "What?" shouted the girl monster as she got to her feet. "I'm taking you down here and now!" exclaimed Rainbow. "I don't think so!" replied Sharptooth as she and Dash ran at each other once more. In the warehouse, there was another fight going on. The rest of the rangers were dealing with the minions and Starlight. Ash wa dodging attacks from all angles before using his leg to flip some over before ducking under a clothesline and punching another in the midsection. Applejack jumped spin over many that tried to sweep her leg. She landed to deal a nice kick to the chest and punched one so hard that they were flying into the nearby barrels. Sunset was dealing with her group by a set of stairs. She did a low sweep before grabbing onto the railing of the stairs and kicking one away. One of them caused her to fall on the stairs as they tried to hit her as her back was facing them. She was able to roll to the side to avoid the attack and then quickly turned around and did a kick to fling the minion off of her. "Come on!" said Twilight as she managed to get to Dr. Ledwin as she untied her. "Watch out!" The girl made her and the doctor duck to avoid getting hit. They leaned back to avoid another. She purple ranger then pushed on Dr. Ledwin's left leg as it manage to kick the minion away. She quickly turned them around so that she could kick the other. They saw another minion going for an attack as the doctor made a face. Twilight used her foot to make the doctor lean back to avoid the attack as she grabbed her shoulders to spin her around and bend over so that she could roll off her back and kick the minion. "You got some good moves!" said Twilight as she was giving credit to the doctor even though she was the one who controlled her from getting hit. "Are you okay?" asked the ranger while straightening out her dress. Twilight didn't notice Starlight as the girl turned at the last second and did a kick to her chest as she was tossed. She then grabbed Dr. Ledwin as she had her staff charge up while she held the hostage in her arms. "Get out! Or the doctor is gonna need a doctor," threatened Starlight as Applejack and Sunset appeared next to Twilight to check up on her. All three girls then looked at the mutant general as she had their target in her grasp. "Let her go, Starlight!" stated Applejack to which the general just laughed maniacally. She was walking back as she was close to the entrance. She kept the rangers in front of her to see if they would try any tricks. "Starlight!" shouted a voice. The girl mutant turned to see Ash as leaped from above as he had his blaster in hand. He fired it as the shot got the general in her shoulder as she let out a pained cry. She released her hold on the doctor as the girls grabbed her. Starlight was on the floor as she looked at Ash who stood up from his knees. "Want some more? Or have you had enough?" taunted Ash. "You're all just lucky," said Starlight as she stood up and noticed she was surrounded. "Ciao." said the general as she disappeared in a flash of light. At that moment, some SUVs pulled up near the entrance of the warehouse as the Crystal Soldiers all emerged. They saw the doctor with the rangers as Captain Cosmo approached the female scientist. "Are you hurt, madam?" asked the captain. "I'm alright," replied the doctor. "Let's get you out of here," said the captain as he began to lead their target away. "Wait, wait," said the doctor as she stopped them and turned to look back at the rangers. "Thank you." "No problem. Just glad we could help," responded Ash as the doctor smiled. The captain and the doctor turned towards the SUVs. Shining Armor had been watching this whole thing as he made a face when he saw the rangers. He turned to leave when one of them called him. "Lieutenant, may sure you take good care of her?" said Twilight to her brother. The boy merely made a face, unaware that it was his own sister that was talking with him. He soon left to join his comrades as they got into their vans. "Good job, Twilight," said Ash as he put his hand on her shoulder. With one part of the mission complete, there only remained the mutant that Rainbow was dealing with. She was still engaged with Sharptooth as both weren't giving up an ounce of energy trying to take the other out. They stepped back to punch each other as they both hit dead on and stumbled back. Sharptooth then used her blaster to fire a lightning attack at Dash as she was hit. Small explosions occurred as the girl rolled through on the ground. She found her lance and grabbed a hold of it. She leaped into the air to do a downward attack with it which Sharptooth caught with her hand. She then tossed the ranger over her as Rainbow counter by landing on her feet and then flipping back over in the same position she would have landed as she did spin kick to her chest. Sharptooth fumbled once more as she aimed her blaster at the blue ranger. Rainbow twisted her body as she jumped into the air. She was now spinning towards the upper ground all the while the blasts followed her as she spun in the air. "Wow!" said Buzz as he was amazed by all the cool moves, Rainbow was doing. She landed then pushed off into the air. She was bringing her lance for an attack as Sharptooth fired a blast. It hit the girl in the chest but that didn't faze her much as she landed and thrust her weapon into the mutant as sparks flew. She then pulled back to deliver her finishing more. "Cobalt Spear!" shouted the teen girl. She was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the mutant. It was but seconds as the girl delivered her finishing move. An explosion occurred on Sharptooth as she let out a painful grunt. "Yes! She did it!" shouted Buzz with a fist pump at seeing Rainbow be victorious. "Thanks, Buzz," said Rainbow to herself. "Dash!" shouted a voice as the ranger looked to where it came from. "Where's the kid?!" asked Ash as he and the girls were running towards them as they managed to track her down after saving the doctor. "He's alright. The little sport is over there," said the ranger as she gestured to where the kid was. "Which is more than I can say for you, Blue Ranger!" stated Sharptooth as she was still kicking but was weakened from the attack as she got to her feet. "Time to raise the stakes!" "My cue," said Chrysalis as she and the others were watching from their lair. She then grabbed the device Thorax made as she pointed it at their viewing crystal ball while saying her chant. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" The device fired a pair of energy beams at the crystal ball. They then landed on Sharptooth as she got bigger. "Oh, great! They can grow even if we don't defeat them!" said Applejack. "Either way, they still fall the same way. Let's call our zords, girls!" stated Ash. "Harmony zords, arise!" shouted the rangers as they touched their morphers. The call was heard as the ranger's animals headed to where their owners were. "Zords, combine!" said all five as jumped. The rangers entered each of their zords respectively as they began to merge and combine like last time. Soon the face of the zord was shown as the Megazord stood there striking its pose. "You don't stand a chance against me!" taunted Sharptooth. "We'll see about that!" stated Ash. The rangers then made their Megazord charge forward as did Sharptooth. They had their sword out as they began to strike at the mutant. They went for an overhead attack as she caught it. The mutant then grabbed a bold of their other arm. She then used her eyes to fire a beam of attack as it struck the rangers' Megazord. Sparks and explosions occurred as the teens inside could feel the attack as they rocked back and forth. "Time to meet your end, rangers!" mocked the girl monster. "Let's sink our teeth into this fight!" said Ash as he pushed a button. His wolf that was their chest heard the command of his owner as it opened its mouth and used its jaws to bite the mutant as that got her to release her hold on them. "What the hell?!!!" said Sharptooth as she felt the attack and stumbled. "Now it's our turn!" said Applejack as they went back on the offensive. They did some more punches to the mutant as she was being pushed back. Then their Megazord leaped up and did a spin kick as they turned which got Sharptooth in her face as she fell to the ground. "Let's finish this, Sonic Rainboom!!!" shouted all of them as they thrust their hand out. The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each one had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant as she exploded and was destroyed once and for all. It was now later as at city hall, Shining Armor was in the mayor's office. He was reporting on Dr. Ledwin as Captain Cosmo had other things to attend to. "Are you sure Dr. Ledwin didn't give any information?" asked the mayor. "None, madam. The Crystal Soldiers and I saved her single-handily. Just in time." stated Shining Armor, leaving out the fact about the rangers. "Very well, that'll be all," said the mayor as she dismissed the lieutenant as he saluted. He began to walk towards the door when he stopped and turn towards the mayor to say one last thing. "By the way, Dr. Ledwin wasn't harmed." "That's good to know," said the mayor as she then returned to her desk to continue her paperwork. The lieutenant then left. A car was pulling up to the address of a house. It parked in the driveway as Rainbow got out from the driver's seat. She walked around the back of her vehicle as she opened the passenger side as out came Buzz. The boy got out as Dash bent down to his level. "Well, sport. I guess my job's over." "Yeah. You know what? You're not such a bad bodyguard after all." Rainbow merely nodded her head at hearing the statement from the five-year-old. "Thanks. Oh, hey. About what you saw?" said Rainbow. "Oh, you mean about you being the Blue Ranger? Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Besides, blue is my favorite color. And I think you're awesome." said Buzz as Rainbow couldn't help but smile at how much of a fan the boy was of her. "Thanks," said the teen girl. The boy was about to leave when Rainbow stopped him. "Oh! Hold on!" Rainbow then got up and went to the backseat of her car. She opened the door and pulled something out. In her hands, was a better and bigger action figure. The boy smiled at what she was holding as Rainbow presented it to him. "Since your other one got crispy fried," said the chromatic girl as she managed to stop by the mall where she worked and buy the kid a new toy. The boy grabbed the figure and hugged it tightly. He enjoyed it as he pushed a button as the eyes and other parts of it lit up. "Thanks," said the boy as he now hugged Rainbow and gave her a peck on her cheek as that got the teen to be stunned. She then formed a small smile as she hugged the kid back. At that moment, the door to the house opened, and out came Dr. Ledwin. "Buzz!" shouted the doctor as she ran out onto the front lawn. "Aunty!" said the boy as he ran forward. His aunt caught her nephew as she picked him up and spun him in the air. "It's so good to see you. We were worried about you," said the woman as she hugged her nephew. Rainbow was watching the interaction between the doctor and nephew with a straight face. Dr. Ledwin then put her nephew down as they prepared to enter back inside of the house. The pair looked at Rainbow who was standing there as the boy waved. "Goodbye, Rainbow. Thanks for everything!" said Buzz as he and his aunt waved which the chromatic teen did as well. The smile returned even bigger on the cool girl's face as she saw the pair talking amongst themselves as they entered their house. The others were all watching from behind Rainbow's car as they soon walked around and stood next to their fellow ranger as Dash still had a huge smile on her face. Sunset then put her hand on her friend's arm as that got her attention. "Hey!" said the bacon-haired girl as Rainbow quickly put her hand down and tried to regain her tough demeanor. "I thought you said he was a pain in your ass," smirked Sunset. "Oh, yeah. He was. So glad that's over." said Rainbow trying to save face. "Come on, let's go." "Oh, Rainbow!" said Ash as he stopped the girl in her tracks. "What?!" said the girl. "You're just a big softie at heart! All that tough, cool-girl persona is just an act," mocked Ash. "No, it's not. I'm not mushy for feelings. I'm cool, awesome, tough!" said Rainbow trying to protect her image in front of her friends. Safe to say, the others weren't buying it as she was turning red on her face. The others laughed as Rainbow tried to enter the car as Ash hooked her neck under his arm. The rest of the girls hugged their athletic friend as Rainbow was trying to break free from all this mushy, touching feelings thing as the scene froze on them all laughing while Dash was embarrassed. Chapter 9: A Sunny OccasionIn the rangers' command center, Ash was currently doing some training. The teen had sweat on his forehead as he was pushing his endurance. For the past hour, the boy was trying to relieve some stress. He had finished his latest reps of pushups as he sat down on a bench and grabbed some water. The ranger brought the drink to his mouth as the cool, refreshing liquid touched his lips. It then passed them as it sent a signal to his brain about how good it felt. Ash let out a sigh as he wiped his lips. He took the towel on his shoulder and began to wipe his forehead. "I was hoping that you would be here," said a voice. "Oh, Sunset," said the boy as he looked to the entrance of the training room; there stood the girl leaning against the door with her arms crossed. "What are you doing here?" asked the boy as he grabbed a yellow shirt. "I'm here for you," smiled the teen girl with a devious smile. "Me?" said the boy as he put the shirt on as it slipped over his undershirt. "I was hoping... since you're a skilled fighter in close combat. Maybe you could show me some holds." "You want me to show you some holds?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow. "In our last fight, I found myself getting a bit overwhelmed. So I'd figured maybe you can teach me some extra stuff so that I don't get outnumbered so easily. I want to be a better fighter, so I was hoping you could give me some private lessons." said the bacon-haired girl. "Sure, I guess," said the boy as he let out a sigh. He then made his way to the mats as Sunset did the same. The girl took off her leather jacket as she set it to the side and faced her leader who was in front of her. The first thing that Ash had them do was lock arms as he then transitioned quickly into a side headlock. He then broke it off as he told Sunset to do it again. The teens engaged arms as the boy did the same hold before breaking it. "Alright, that was a headlock. You got it?" "Yeah," responded Sunset. "That's a basic hold that you can do to anybody. Now, let me tell you some things that you can transition from it. So you can go from a headlock into a hammerlock. Mind if I show you?" asked Ash. "Go for it," said Sunset. Ash then grabbed Sunset's shoulders as he turned the girl around. He was behind the girl as he grabbed her left arm and brought it up behind her back as he applied pressure. "Now, a hammerlock is if you got your opponent's arm here, you're gonna take it and bring it up behind your back. Bend the elbow, and bring it up behind the back. So once you got it here, you're gonna apply the pressure..." Ash was walking Sunset step by step on how to execute the move. When he applied the pressure to the girl's arm, she let out a slight yelp which caused the boy to immediately let go. He was concerned that he might have hurt his teammate given he was stronger than her, but it was simply Sunset feeling the effects of the pressure that her friend said. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..." "It's okay," smiled Sunset as the boy was still behind her holding her arm as he continued his lesson. "But you apply the pressure there," said the boy as he had the sweet spot in where the hold would be most effective. "And you can control your opponent that way." "Okay, then," said Sunset as Ash let her arm go as she turned to face him. "All right, now that's a hammerlock, not a wristlock. Hammerlock," said Ash emphasizing the difference between the two holds. "Hammerlock. Got it," nodded the girl. "Alright, so try to put one on me," said Ash as he wanted to see Sunset attempt the move. Ash then raised his arm so that Sunset could grab it as she twisted it. It made Ash turn to his side as the girl twisted it some more so that she was now behind the boy as she managed to pull it off as the boy could feel a slight pressure on his arm. Sunset then released the move as Ash turned back to face her as he had a smile on his face. "Good attempt." "Thanks." "Alright, now remember, for every hold. There's a counter. There's a way out of a hold. All right. So if you have somebody in a hammerlock like this," said Ash as he now got behind Sunset once more and held her arm behind her back, "There's a counter to this." "Which is?" asked Sunset as she turned her head slightly to look at her leader. "If you're in a hammerlock, you wanna get out of it. The easiest way to get out of it is you're gonna reach for a body part, and you're gonna try to take the person down. So, what you're gonna do on me is now, I'm behind you. I got you in this hammerlock. You're gonna reach down between your legs and grab my leg and you're gonna sweep my leg. That will make me drop to the ground, that's your escape." "Oh, okay," said Sunset. "So go ahead and try that," instructed Ash. Sunset was now bending over as the boy was still behind her. At that moment, another voice was heard. "I forgot my..." Rainbow had passed by the entrance to the training room as she was stunned by what she saw. The girl saw her teammates as Sunset was bent over while Ash was behind her as he still held her left arm behind her. The boy looked up to see Rainbow as he was a surprising look on his face. Sunset was unaware of the awkward situation that was happening as she was still trying to reach for Ash's leg. "What the hell is this?!!" said the girl. "Rainbow!!" shouted Ash as he let go of Sunset's arm as the girl fell to the floor. "I was just getting something that I left behind... but... if you two need some time... I'll get it later..." "It's not what you think!!" said Ash as he waved his arms about. "I was just teaching... Sunset some holds." "Right... okay... I'm gonna leave. Just... try not to make a mess on the floor," said Rainbow as she quickly left to avoid what she saw. "It's not that!!!" shouted Ash as he didn't like what had happened. He then looked at Sunset as the girl was still on the floor. "What?" asked the girl. "Training's over! Go home!" said Ash as he now stormed out of the training center. "Ash, wait!" said Sunset as she grabbed her jacket and ran after her leader. The entire student body of CHS was in a mood. The reason being is that tonight, the school was hosting a party. So most of the students were excited. The majority of the day would be spent getting ready for the event. That being said, the girls were all looking forward to a night of hanging out and having fun. Yet, there was also the fear of an attack might happen that would result in them having to leave the party to uphold their duty. Sunset was currently with Pinkie as the pair were walking along the sidewalk. The party girl had to do some last-minute grocery shopping to get the ingredients for the cupcakes she was planning to present. "So, Pinkie Pie. What kind of cupcakes do you plan to bring?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Easy, blueberry, strawberry, cherry..." "I regret asking," mumbled Sunset to herself as the pink girl went on a tangent. They entered the grocery store, and she was surprised by what she saw. Standing there in one of the aisles was none other than Ash himself. For the girl, she was stunned to see her leader out and about like a normal person. Mainly because, every time the girls were in the command center, the boy made it seem like he never left. Given that he was technically an alien since he wasn't from this dimension, it would make sense as to why he would be hesitant about leaving. But, here he was. Walking about like he was one of them. For the yellow ranger, he was busy looking at the produce when he heard someone call him. "Ash?" "Hey, Sunset," said the boy as he turned around to see the girl. "What... are you doing here?" "Buying food," answered the teen truthfully with a straight tone. "No... I can see that. But... you're not in the command center?" "What? You and everybody else think that I don't leave the command center? That I'm a hermit?" "Well, that's not the exact words I'd use... but, yeah," said Sunset rubbing her neck, smiling sheepishly. "There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," responded Ash. The boy was then greeted by a blur of pink. "Hey there, I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the girl grabbing the boy's hand and beginning to shake him. "Are you new, you must be new. Prepared to be welcomed with a party, but first I need to know your interests!" she said with a fast tone. "Sotellmewhat'syourfavoriteflavor?Favoritecupcake?Music?Color?Doyoulikeparties!?" "Pinkie!!" shouted Sunset as she grabbed her friend back as she knew how Ash was about personal space. "Don't crowd him. Sorry, Ash. This is my friend, Pinkie Pie. She gets a bit... eccentric when she meets new people." "I see," said the boy as he could tell that from how the pink-haired girl approached him. "To answer your question. Vanilla. All kinds of music, except country. Don't tell Applejack. Yellow. Maybe." "Wow... you just... answered all of Pinkie's questions?" said Sunset with her jaw open. She didn't expect the boy to keep up with the girl given how crazy she could get. Even Pinkie was stunned by what she witnessed. The fact Ash managed to understand the excited girl when she was spitting out questions like a machine gun. Pinkie gasped, as she felt some happiness across her face. "He understood me! No one has done that before, and he actually answered instead of me having to dig to find out," said the girl as she bounced up and down in place. "Huh?" said Ash as he was confused by what the girl meant. "Don't even try. When it comes to Pinkie and the weird stuff that happens. Simply follow this logic, it's Pinkie Pie. Enough said." stated Sunset trying to help her friend from suffering a headache. "I'll take your word for it," said Ash to Sunset. "So you're Sunset's new friend she talks about a lot?" "Really? What does she say about me?" asked Ash with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing much," said Sunset looking away while turning red. "Silly. She talks about how you're the one who has the others in a special organization. One that has some top secret stuff that you can't tell. Oh, and that you're trying to teach her how to defend herself." blurted out Pinkie unaware that Sunset was turning even redder. "That's what she told you?" stated the boy. "Yup," smiled Sunset trying to not look at her leader. "Ooh, you have a fancy bracelet as well," said Pinkie as she noticed the wristband on Ash's left as the stone in the middle flashed yellow. "Yeah, it's a special thing that is given to us for our secret organization," explained Ash. "Does it do anything?" asked Pinkie as she was about to touch it. "It's just a cool-looking thing," stated Ash as the girl seemed to have believed his lie. "It doesn't do shit." "Anyways, I assume you're getting stuff for the fridge at the place. Though, I thought Rachel handled that," said Sunset. "How do you think I've been able to survive since I got here? I didn't rely on her to keep me fed. I had to actually go buy the stuff that I was going to eat." replied the boy. "Her job is to look after me, not be my butler." "Ooh, so you're the one that Sunset asked if they could attend that party that I'm throwing tonight?" said Pinkie as she reached into her hair and pulled out an envelope. "Here you go." "What's this?" asked the boy as he grabbed the envelope. He opened it as inside was a card. Ash opened it, and a burst of confetti shot out as it sprayed all over his face. He just stared at the two girls as they had different reactions. The teen then wiped it off as he began to read. "You're invited to attend the party being held at Canterlot High this evening. It's going to be the biggest, bestest, stupendous, out of this world. Be there or be circled?" read Ash as he had a raised eyebrow looking at Pinkie. "Don't you mean, squared?" "Nope," smiled Pinkie with a big grin. "Remember what I said," stated Sunset. "It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it," said Ash as he was now starting to get an idea of how to handle the party girl's behavior and antics. "Anyways, why are you here?" "I'm here to help Pinkie get some ingredients for the cupcakes she's making for the party." "Yup, and we already wasted 3 minutes talking. We need to hurry!!" shouted Pinkie as she grabbed Sunset's jacket and shook her friend as she zoomed away. Ash was about to leave when he too was grabbed by his shirt. Seems Pinkie was having the boy join them on their shopping adventure as a way to knock out his list as well. The trio spent quite a while, getting all the ingredients that the party girl wanted. When they got to the cashier, there were two stacks of food piled up with a few cans falling off. Soon the price came up as Pinkie realized she might have gone a bit over budget. Before she could explain, Ash stepped forward and swiped his credit card as the amount was paid in full. Pinkie was grateful as she gave a tight squeeze to the teen as she and the cashier began to bag the stuff. "How were you able to pay for all that?" asked Sunset as she pulled her leader to the side. "Again, there's a lot of things that you don't know about me. One is that my dad built Rachel to have any currency wherever I am. Plus, I had some leftover gems from my dimension that I cashed in to the bank." said the boy. The pair now began to grab their share of the girl's bags as they exited the store. The pair managed to somehow make it back to Pinkie's house as they got tons of stares from the people they passed. Once they dropped off the bags in Pinkie's house, Sunset said she needed to talk with Ash about some things before she would get ready to attend the party in the evening. The pink girl nodded as the two teens left their friend's house. "So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Ash. "Oh, I just said that so that I can get away from Pinkie. No offense, but I want some me-time before the event tonight." "Oh, well, then. I'm heading back to the command center then," said Ash as he was about to touch his Morpher to transport. "Hey, how about we hang out for a bit? You know, relax. There hasn't been a monster attack recently. So, why not take a small break? You know, get to know each other aside as teammates?" suggested Sunset. "I don't know," stated Ash. "Come on! What's the worst that can happen?" "I can think of a ton of things," answered the boy. "Just... give me a chance. Besides, it'll be just us. And if any danger does happen, Rachel will inform us. So, take a chance?" said Sunset. "Fine. Just this once," said Ash. "Give me a few seconds to drop off my groceries." The ranger then touched his Morpher as he turned into a yellow light and zoomed in the direction of the command center. True to his word, he returned within seconds as Sunset grabbed his hand and led him to her home. After a while, the two of them made it to her house. It was a simple two-story orange building. Ash and Sunset walked towards the door as the girl took out her keys and unlocked them. She stepped inside as the boy followed her. The boy took a moment to look around at the interior of the house; gawking at how nice and clean it was. "Wow, Sunset, you have a really nice home," complimented Ash. "Thanks, I usually try my best to keep the place clean," she said, taking off her boots. "Make yourself at home," said the girl as she went to her kitchen. Ash took a seat on the couch as the girl soon returned with two cans of soda. She tossed one at her leader as he caught it with one hand. "Thanks," said the boy as he popped the seal and took a sip. "No problem. Say, about what happened... with... you know..." "Look, I... was just uncomfortable about Dash walking in on us. I didn't mean to get upset, but... can you blame me?" responded the boy. "No. I understand. I probably would have the same reaction as you. Don't worry, she hasn't told the others. I made sure of that." winked Sunset to Ash. "That's a relief. I don't want the others to have the wrong idea either," stated the boy. "By the way, you play?" said Sunset as she grabbed a game controller and tossed it to the boy. "What?" said Ash as he held the device in his hand. "You know I'm a gamer girl. So, care to have some fun with me?" stated Sunset giving another wink to her friend. Sunset then turned on her console as the screen came on. The bacon-haired girl slotted in one of her fighting games as she told her leader how to play. Once the game started, Sunset didn't show any mercy to her leader as within a blink of an eye, it was over. Sunset took this time to gloat as Ash was still trying to figure out how to make the device in his hand function. The girl offered to teach her training partner as she booted up another fight. Before attacking, Sunset told Ash how to move and what each button did. With that in mind, the second round began. It had been about 2 hours since they first began. And in that time, Ash had picked up playing the game like that. It was after the fourth round that Sunset saw how much the boy was able to implement the information she had given him and incorporated it into his brain. Soon he began to know her attack pattern and he countered accordingly. Then Ash started to string combos as he managed to get the girl off guard. For Sunset, she was rather impressed. For as long as she had been playing the game and the number of hours she put in, getting better, knowing about hit frames, doing delayed moves. All of it, Ash was getting down within minutes of each game they played. Soon he was pulling off moves that even she couldn't do as it made the competitive side of the bacon-haired teen come out. Within the time they played, the score had been tied at 35 games each. The pair were playing one final game that would serve as the tiebreaker. For Sunset, her competitive side was taking over as the gamer rage inside was on full display. "Oh. Is that how you want to play it? Fine, I'll get rougher," Sunset growled out in frustration. Ash noticed her picking up the pace and becoming more deadly. He felt his heart pounding as he continued to dodge and counterattack her in turn. She did get a few lucky strikes, bringing their HP so close to a high percentage. When she attacked, Ash did his best to react as best as he could and managed to dodge. "Oh, come on! How'd you dodge that one? I got you!" Sunset ranted before placing the controller down and raging into her hands. Eventually, it came to the final closing moments of the fight, as Sunset grabbed Ash's character and threw them forward as she dealt a hard attack. It sent his character sailing to the left and would have knocked him out, but Ash used the analog stick of the controller to input some DI of his own that barely saved his character as he stopped Sunset from hitting his fighter again and then recovered as his fighter hung on the ledge. At that moment, Sunset had her character throw out a side special while she jumped in the air, anticipating Ash's fighter to jump. The boy jumped up as he did a side special of his own to delay his fall just enough to avoid getting hit by Sunset's side attack. As he landed on the stage just as Sunset's fighter landed as to which she spot dodged thinking the boy would attack, but instead he grabbed her and instead of throwing her forward, backward, or even upwards. He did a downward throw which flung her character into the air as she air dodged to avoid an attack but instead Ash had his character charge up his side smash as it hit the girl's character as she was but inches from touching the ground as the camera zoomed in on the final hit for 2 seconds as her fighter was sent zooming off the screen as it was over. "GAME!" said the screen as the fighter's pose was done, with Ash being the winner. The match was over. The game ended. Ash felt himself panting and calmed his beeping heart down, while Sunset seemed to calm down enough to remove her hands. When she saw the boy win, she glanced from the T.V. to him a few times, while in a daze. "Sunset?" Ash asked as he was concerned for his friend. "Marry me," she mumbled. "What?" "Oh!" Sunset began sheepishly while blushing darkly, "I mean that was amazing! You were able to pick up the mechanics in no time. Despite my little brief fit, I am actually glad to lose for once, especially against someone skilled." "Yeah, well, I mean. Once I implemented what you told me, I just started to practice the fundamentals. Then I began to explore and play around a bit with my fighter. Though, I couldn't have done it without your advice." "Thanks," smiled Sunset. "No problem, Sunny," Ash immediately facepalmed himself for what he said. "Sorry, sorry. I don't what came over me to call you that. Sorry to disrespect you." "It's fine. I'm not offended. If anything, I'm kind of enjoy it that you call me that." said Sunset with a smile. "If you're offended by it, then I'll..." "Ash, it's okay. I'm not offended by that name you can call. I like it. So, you have my permission to call me whenever you like. I promise I won't be disrespected." "You sure?" "Positive." "Well, that's a relief. Though what was that last thing you said?" asked Ash as he didn't quite hear what the girl mumbled under her breath. "Nothing! Nothing! Just... forget you ever heard anything!" said the bacon-haired girl as she was looking away trying to hide the red that was forming on her cheeks. Before Ash could push the question any further, he was immediately embraced as Sunset wrapped her arms around him. The boy was all sorts of confused as he looked down to see Sunset's head. He was unaware of the girl's face as she had her eyes closed and had a smile on her face. A few minutes passed and the boy didn't do anything, mainly because his arms were trapped by Sunset's embrace. He kept a straight and confused look on his face as soon the girl let go. She kept her head turned while playing with a strand of her hair while the red on her face returned. Ash was about to ask his friend for some clarification on what she had just said when their morphers went off. "What is it, Rachel?" "Seems there's another attack." "Send the coordinates. We'll be there," replied Ash. "Duty calls," said Sunset as she and Ash got up and hurried out the door. The latest attack had occurred near the city's bank. The dark lords had sent a huge squad of minions to take the money from the banks. They had managed to blast a hole in the vault as they began to pass the bags off to each other as they were loading up a cart. Nearby, some of the workers and people who were in the building when the attack happened, were being held, hostage. At that moment, one of the minions heard a sound. It sounded like an engine revving as they looked down the road and saw five figures heading towards them at high speeds. The figures pulled out their blasters and they fired at the minions as they fell. Soon they all leaped off their bikes, and with five zipping lights, they all took care of the enemies in front before zipping inside the middle of the bank as they all kneeled. The people inside saw the team of rangers and they felt smiles appear on their faces. The minions saw our heroes as the one put in charge gave a sound to the others near the cart. He gestured for them to escape while they held off our heroes. They all nodded as they began to move. The rangers were now all engaged as they began to fight the minions. The ones trusted with the task exited the building and climbed into their cart. "Rainbow! Twilight! Go after them!" instructed Ash as he dodged and spun kick a minion. "On it!" shouted the girls. They flung the minion they were fighting away as they rolled over some sweeping attacks as they exited the bank and got on their bikes. The pair were now chasing after the cart as they zoomed down the street. While the girls were stopping the cart from escaping, Ash, Aj, and Sunset were left with dealing with the rest. Sunset had managed to make it over to where the people were being held as she freed them from their holds. "Get to safety! Move!" said the girl. She then blocked an attack with her arm and then did some knees strikes. The group of people listened to the red ranger's orders as they hurried out of the building. "Aj!" shouted Ash as he did several backflips in consecutive order. "Coming through!" shouted Aj as the girl charged at the minions. The girl used her rhino instinct as she collided with a wall of the bank. The building shook a bit, as only a crack was shown. "You can buff that out!" said Ash as he ducked under an attack and countered. "Let's see if I can get a new high score," snickered Sunset. The ranger was on a beam above as she had her bow in hand. She kneeled as she pulled back the string as arrows made of red light appeared. She released it over and over as the girl was snipping the enemies from above as she provided cover fire for her teammates. While the trio was wrapping up the enemies in the bank, Twilight and Dash were still in hot pursuit of the truck that was escaping. They were swerving through traffic while trying to avoid the other cars. "If get to the outskirts of the city, we'll lose them!" said Twilight. "Then we better pick up the pace!" shouted Rainbow as she revved up the gas handle on her cycle. The blue ranger was now zooming forward as her bike was coming up the side of the truck. The door behind the driver opened as the minion had a blaster in hand and it fired at the girl. Rainbow was dodging the shots as they went off behind her. Even soon came up to the side as she used her leg to kick the weapon out of the minion's hands as she kicked it back. Rainbow then stood and jumped from her cycle to the exposed door as she rolled in. "Hey, there!" said Rainbow as she was seated on the floor. She used her legs to push the minions from getting on top of her. She continued to fight while seated as some of them managed to grab her legs. They flipped the girl into the air as Rainbow managed to use her powers to land on her feet. She then stepped off the wall to kick the ones who grabbed her. The ranger turned around to counter and exchange fists with the rest of them while ducking and using her legs to fight. Twilight had caught up with her driver as she put her cycle on autopilot. She was starting to regret what she was about to do as got on her bike and then jumped to the door. She managed to pull herself up as she crawled in through the window and landed on the seat as she could feel her heart pounding. The driver saw the purple ranger as Twilight waved her hand. "Give me a minute before we fight, that was scary! I am not doing that ever again!" shouted the girl placing her hand over her heart as it was beating fast. The minion then looked ahead as it made a noise to her. "What?" said Twilight as the then pointed to the windshield. Twilight then sat up as she now understood what the monster was trying to tell her. They were heading for an unfinished bridge as it would fall into a nearby river. The girl then switched places with the minion as she slammed hard on the brakes trying to get them to slow down. The sudden jerk in motion caused Rainbow and the other minions in the back to fall and tumble. "Twilight, what the hell are you doing!" shouted Rainbow as she landed on the floor. "Hold on!" shouted the girl as she put both of her feet on the brakes as the truck was still heading for the bridge. The momentum and speed at which the truck was going were too much. They wouldn't be able to slow down as it was just seconds before they would go over. The girls needed a backup plan or else they would fall along with the cash that was stolen. At that moment, the animals on their suits glowed their respective colors. The two birds emerged in their mirage spirit-like form as they soared above the metal vehicle. They each grabbed a hold of the truck as they flapped as hard as they could. They managed to lift the truck into the air as they soared over the gap and landed on the other side as it came to a screeching halt. The truck turned to the side as steam was shown coming from the engine. Everyone was relieved at how they managed to land safely as the girls let out the deep breaths they held. The pair looked at the spirits of their animals as they made noises before disappearing. "Thank you," said Twilight, trying to calm her heart. For once, she was grateful her owl listened to her. She then looked to her side as the minion drive was making a sound that when translated meant he was saying a good job. "Appreciate it," smiled Twilight with a thumbs up. "Oh, forgot one thing." The girl then punched the minion and down he went. "Ash, you there?" asked Twilight to her Morpher as she panted. "Girls, what's happening?" asked the boy. "Shipment... is... secure. But... we're gonna need a lift." "On it, we're just about to finish up here," said the leader to the bookworm. Sunset was back on the ground dealing as she spun and punched. One of the minions grabbed a hold of her by grabbing the small miniskirt that was around her on her ranger suit. "When a girl says no, she means no!" shouted Sunset as kicked the minion that grabbed her skirt as he went flying. "Nobody touches me." "You okay?" asked Ash as he put his hand on Sunset's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine," smiled Sunset under her helmet as she straighten out the ruffle in her skirt. Ash now stood in between Sunset and Applejack as the group of minions left were in front of them. "Time to end this with style," stated Ash. "Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she brought her ax downwards to the ground creating a meteor effect taking out her section. "Ruby Strike!" shouted Sunset as she grabbed her bow and did a backflip into the air. While in the air, she pulled back on the string and shot out an attack in flames as it burned her foes. "Topaz Slash!" shouted Ash as he jumped into the air and did a diagonal slash taking out his last bit of enemies. The rest of the forces were taken care of. The three rangers shared some high fives and fist pumps as the people who were held hostage began to clap and applaud at our heroes. The trio managed to pick up Rainbow and Twilight as they returned the money to the bank and its people. The team was now in the command center. "Thankfully, that attack happened before tonight's event," said Twilight. "Though I doubt it'll be the last. Seeing as how we'll have to be on alert," stated Rainbow. "No, it's fine. You girls go enjoy your night," said Ash. "Huh?" said all of them. "You've all earned it. So, I think you all deserve a night to yourselves. So, go have fun." stated Ash. "You sure, sugarcube?" "Positive." "Well then, come on! We only got a few hours, and Rarity is gonna be on our ass for being late to dress up!" stated Rainbow. The girls all waved goodbye to Ash as they touched their morphers and left. The only one who didn't leave was Sunset as she stood there looking at her leader. "Something the matter, Sunset? Shouldn't you get ready?" "Yeah, but I still got time. Besides, I was hoping we could continue our one-on-one lesson from the other day?" asked the girl. "Sure," shrugged the boy as he didn't think much of what was said. The pair entered the training room as the boy prepared to teach his teammate some more holds and maneuvers. "Now this is called a double leg takedown," said Ash executing the move on Sunset as he managed to get the girl on the floor as he was on top of her. He got off the girl as she stood up. "It's like a tackle, spear-type thing. The best defense in that is a front face choke out, okay? So charge at me with that double leg takedown," instructed Ash. Sunset then bent down and did as her leader said. She got ahold of his legs as the boy now had his arms around her head as they stayed in position. "Then you put your arm around and put it underneath and lift forward," said the boy doing the action as Sunset could feel it on her throat. "Sorry," said Ash as he released the hold as Sunset lifted herself. "It's okay," stated the bacon-haired girl as she was enjoying learning from Ash. "Okay. See how your arm goes right against that carotid artery, you just lean back, and you'll choke out your target right out," said the boy. "That works?" "Yeah," said Ash. "So if I charge at you, hook your hands, and boom." Ash now bent down as he pretended to charge at Sunset's legs. The girl did what the boy told her as she hooked her hands and leaned back while the boy could feel the girl trying to choke him out. "Good work." "Thanks," smiled Sunset. She then did something unexpected as she did the double leg takedown on Ash. The boy was caught off guard as he didn't expect the girl to do the move. The bacon-haired teen now got on top of the boy as she had her hand on his shirt. For a few seconds, they stared at one another. Each had different thoughts running through their minds. For Ash, he was impressed by how Sunset's combat skills were coming along. For the girl, she was looking at her leader as she saw her hand. She knew the boy had some muscle on him as she saw him working out the other day, but right now, she could feel them as they sent a slight tingle through her body. A tiny red formed on her cheeks as Sunset realized the situation. The girl got off before she could make it more awkward. Ash got up as he dusted himself off and gave his teammate some praises for not only taking him down to the floor but also knowing how to handle herself. They decided to call it as Sunset grabbed her leather jacket and put it on as they exited the training room. The pair made it to the lounge as Sunset gave her thanks to Ash for helping to teach her some moves. "Thanks again, Ash." "No problem. Keep practicing, and I promise you'll be a better technical fighter," said the boy as he sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. Sunset was about to touch her Morpher to teleport when her ears heard something. She then lifted her head to see the TV as the screen now changed. The sounds of a video game came online and that got the girl's attention. Not from the fact that her leader was playing given that she introduced it to him just hours before, but that it was the latest game to be released as even she couldn't manage to get a copy. "How? What? Why? Is..." "Oh, well, since you introduce me to video games. I remembered that Rachel told me this is how you guys in this dimension keep yourselves entertained. So when I first moved in, I asked a store employee what things I can do for entertainment. He suggested a gaming console and some video games. So I bought one and just left it here. After we left your house, I told Rachel to install the thing into the command center. Not to mention, download the latest game that was just released." "Now I really want to marry you," mumbled the girl. "What was that?!" asked Ash as he didn't hear what the girl said. "Nothing!!" shouted the girl waving her arms about. "What I said was... can I get in a game?" "Aren't you going to spend tonight with the girls?" said the boy, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah... but I still got time. So move over!" said the girl as she leaped over the couch and sat next to the boy. She wasted no time in grabbing the controller from his hands as she put on her gamer face. Ash was surprised to see Sunset act this way, but weirdly, kind of cute. He had a smile on his face as he watched the girl have fun until she left to join the others for tonight's festivities. Chapter 11: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 2Previously on Power Rangers... "Master Ash, I seem to have picked up something." "Another attack?" stated the boy. "No. Remember that anomaly that I detected and have been working to descramble the past few days. Well, I just decoded the signal. And I've located it." "Good news, everyone," said Thorax to Starlight and his brother. "I've found it." "Then secure it," said the leader as his shadow was shown. "At once. Up for a trip, brother?" asked Thorax. "It's one of the zords," said Ash putting a medkit in his backpack. "Which one?!" asked Twilight. "The bear zord," replied Rachel. "Where's it located?" said the bookworm. "Here," said Ash pushing a button on the command panel. "The Himalayas," said Twilight. "Yup. So, our job is to find it before the Dark Lords." "Since we are you so experienced when it comes to camping?" asked Applejack. "Before I became a ranger, my parents and I often on camping trips back home. So they taught me some things, and it's paying off," said Ash as he began to pull out some cooking ware. "You know you don't have to stand in the dark by yourself. We're a team. Me and the girls are here for you. So feel free to jump in and be a part of our friendship group." said the girl. "I know that. I was... just happy to see the look on each of your faces. It reminded me of how I was when I went camping with my parents. I just thought I would never see that image ever again in my life." "Glad we could remind you," chuckled Sunset hitting the boy playfully in his arm. So, how are we going to find the bear zord?" asked Twilight. "According to Dash, it's northwest of our location. The best bet is to head there and see if we can find anybody who can help us." "What happened?" "We were attacked," said the village chief. Ash and the girls gave glances at each other as they heard that statement. The village was shown as the villagers were gathering up pieces of their homes. All around the rangers were seeing the people at work. One of the kids who was carrying a tray of bricks tripped and fell. Applejack bent down and helped the kid up as she carried the bricks for the kid as she smiled. The others were doing their best to help as they gave some of the provisions they had in their backpacks to some of the villagers. Ash was with Twilight as the pair were sitting on a wall with the village chief. "We appreciate you all in helping us. But please, we can rebuild. It doesn't require you to be here longer than you need to be." said the village chief. "It's no trouble at all. We're just passing by, but... we can't leave people who are in need. We have to help any way we can." said Ash. "If it's not too much trouble. What happened?" asked Twilight as she pulled out a notebook from her backpack and a pen. "It started a few hours before you all arrived..." said the village chief as he began to recount his tale. "Me and a few of the scouts had just arrived from our latest adventure. We were scouting the nearby temple." "Temple?" said Twilight. "Years and years ago, our ancestors did battle with a great evil. They were able to able to defeat the darkness so in honor of that victory. They created a special jewel. One that was blessed by our gods. It was filled with light, warmth, and hope. So long as it reigned in our village, it would ward off any evil that dare step foot in our home. And it would protect us. But... over two centuries ago... the jewel was stolen." "How?" asked Ash. "A group of settlers raided our village, and during the conflict, they managed to find the jewel and run off with it. The thieves ran with our ancestral fighters in pursuit. They chased them to the temple nearby as the sky began to grow gray. Seconds later rain and storm clouds poured as both sides climbed the stairs and entered the temple." "What happened next?" said Twilight. "From the ones that were told to stay behind, they could only describe it as a flash of light appeared. Soon they climbed the stairs and entered the temple's main room. There was no one there, simply the jewel. They began to reach for it when the statues nearby began to glow. Their eyes as red as the blood that flows through us. Soon they felt some strange force pushing them against their will. They were pushed as the statues moved from their pedestals, and the jewel floated into the air. Since then, every single person who has entered the temple has never been seen again. Yet, before they were left, they heard a saying. It spoke that only when the challenge has been complete, can the jewel be set free and returned to its rightful owner. So as you can see, my family for generations and generations have tried to overcome the challenge. But everyone who has set foot in the temple has never been seen again." said the village chief as he finished his tale. "That's quite a tale. But, I doubt this has anything to do with the individuals that attacked your village, am I right?" asked Ash. "Well, as I said, just before you lot came. We were approached by some monsters. They said they were looking for something. They didn't say much, but that it was a bear." "Uh-oh," said Twilight as she looked at Ash. The boy knew who the chief was talking about. "Did you give them any information?" asked the teen. "I told them of a creature that had been recently roaming our hunting grounds. Most of the men say it resembles a bear, but yet none of our weapons seem to damage it. They were able to track it to where it lives." The village chief then pulled out a map as it showed the location of the creature's home. "Looks like we got our target," whispered Ash to Twilight before addressing the chief. "Say, if it's not too much trouble? Do you mind if we borrow that map? See... we're also looking for that creature?" "What for?" asked the man with a raised eyebrow. "Let's just say, that we need to make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. And the individuals that you spoke with earlier, are the ones we're trying to make sure they don't find it," said Twilight. "So, can we?" said the boy reaching for it when the chief pulled it back. "I will say the same thing to you as I did those monsters. The only way I'll help and give the map, is to whoever can return the jewel to our village. As the saying goes, an eye for an eye." "And I'm assuming you telling those monsters that, caused them to leave... a parting gift, so to speak?" said Twilight as the chief's silence confirmed her answer. Ash was now thinking of the dilemma they were in. They knew where the zord was located. They had a way to find it. But... to get the map to the location of the zord. They had to do something for the village chief and his people. And that was returning the jewel that was lost so long ago. And to top it all off, the jewel could only be obtained by passing whatever challenge was invoked with the temple. And after hearing how over the years, many people entered only for none to return made the boy nervous. Scared even. But... this wasn't about what he thought. This was about the bigger picture. If they were going to stop Thorax and Pharynx from getting the zord before they do. Then they needed to do this request. Even if it meant they might not come out alive. But of course, part of being a ranger was having to sacrifice. And sometimes that meant your own life. Soon, the teen let out a sigh as he looked at the chief. "We'll do it." In a different part of the landscape, there laid a temple. Based on its design, it seemed to have been built by people during the dawn of time. Throughout the years of erosion and time left an effect on the structure, it still stood its mighty ground. Bits of moss were shown growing as it added more color and camouflage to the temple. A pair of eyes were shown as it expanded to reveal a pair of binoculars. "I can't believe we're doing this shit!" stated Rainbow. "In case you forgot, Dash! We need that map to stop those mutants from gettin' the zord, first!" assured Applejack. Ash removed the binoculars as he turned to look at the girls as they were behind him all sitting down in some bushes. After agreeing to the chief's request, he and Twilight rounded up the girls and informed them of the situation. They confirmed with the chief that they would do this favor and return the jewel. So the group packed up and headed in the direction that the chief pointed. While the man said a few words of prayer as if he was preparing for the teenagers to not return, Ash assured them they would come back alive and with their treasure no less. It took a while, but soon the group came upon the temple. Since then, they've been sitting and scouting it to see if there was anything that might give them a clue as to how to overcome the impossible challenge. But from the outside, it was a normal temple. Four stairways on each side that people could climb as it merged at the top where there was an entranceway that would lead inside of the structure. And no signs of any boobytraps. So that meant once the group entered, there was no turning back. "Why are we doing this again?!!" groaned Rainbow. "Cause we're five teenagers with attitude," replied Ash. "Really?" said the chromatic girl with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, cause we've got genetically enhanced abilities. So we're at least last a bit longer than most people," answered the boy. "Almost all of us," remarked Twilight as she reminded them of how she got the short end of the stick when it came to hidden powers. "You sure this is the best way?" asked Sunset. "Best way? Hell no. But it's the only way we have in getting that map. And getting the zord before the Dark Lords gain control of it. So for that alone... I'm willing to take the risk. Even if it cost me my own life." said Ash as he made a fist and looked at his wristband that had his gem. "At least if I die, I'll be reunited with my parents and friends." "Now don't go spittin' stuff like that, sugarcube. You ain't gonna die. Know why, cause we're gonna make sure you walk out. And not just you, all of us." stated the farm girl as the rest of them stood up. "We're a team, Ash. No matter what situation we find ourselves in. We're in it to the end. So if you fall, then so do we. Cause we'll follow you to the bitter end." said Twilight. "Girls?" "We're your teammates. More importantly, we're your friends. And friends stick together no matter what." said Sunset as the rest nodded. "Thanks," smiled Ash. He then approached them and he put his hand out. The girls did the same as they put theirs on top of their leader. "Power Rangers..." started Ash. "Fear no danger!" said the group as they broke. The scene now showed the five teenagers with attitude as they approached the temple. They stood in a line as they prepared themselves for what they might encounter. Ash took the first step in climbing with the others following him close by. The group soon made it to the top as they passed through the entranceway. The idol face on top was shown as it flashed a color that the group was unaware of. The group walked along the corridor as along the walls were torches that remained lit after all this time. It gave some light as they trekked further while all being on guard. They soon came into a grander room as it was the main floor of the temple. All around the temple were covered with symbols and designs. The girls were taking the images in as they were beautiful, to say the least. For Twilight, she couldn't help but geek out at seeing so much history before her eyes. "I... can't... believe it..." said the girl in between gasps as she was in heaven. "Well, we lost Twilight," said Applejack. "So we're here. Where's this impossible challenge or the jewel for that matter?" asked Rainbow as she approached one of the statues that were present. "The chief said the jewel will only appear once the challenge has been completed," said Sunset as she approached another statue. "So... what does that mean?" asked Applejack. "I don't know. But in the chief's story, he mentioned how when the jewel was first stolen. The statues had their eyes glow." said Ash as he looked at the five stone rock figures spread out evenly in the room. "So, what? We just make these things have their eyes glow," said Rainbow as she leaned and put a hand on the statue near her. She was unaware of what that did as the rock figure began to glow. The others soon turned to look at her as the chromatic girl looked and quickly took her hand off as she backed up. The whole temple was now shaking as the statue then began to move. It took a step forward as it made a thud sound that echoed. It moved its other foot as it stood before the group. "What did you do?!!" shouted Sunset. "I didn't do shit!" countered Dash. "Well, you did something!" yelled Ash. He got the attention of the others as the four remaining statues also glowed. They too began to step forward off their pedestals as they now had the group of teenagers in a circle. Soon all five were surrounded by a vortex of light as they shot into the air. It died down as standing before the group was the statues as they were different colors. Moreso, they each had a symbol on their chest. "Okay, they friend or foe?" asked Twilight as the rangers were back to back in a circle. "I'm thinking these guys aren't too happy about us trespassing on their property," answered Sunset. "They don't scare me," taunted Rainbow. The statue in front of her raised the staff it held and pointed it at the girl. It glowed, and a water beam came out that knocked the rainbow-haired teen onto the ground. "You were sayin'?" mocked Applejack. "Alright, now I'm pissed," said Rainbow as she got up and clutched her side. Seems the attack had some effect on her as she quickly shook it off. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Sunset to the group. "Sure do. It's Morphin' time!" shouted Ash. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all five teens. The rangers' wristbands turned into their morphers as they touched the interface and drew their symbol. They appeared on a split-screen as they were being encased by their gem as bits of it appeared on their shoulders. They lifted their heads as the last bit of their suit had the vizors cover their face as they landed on a platform and did their pose with their animals behind them as they let out a sound. "Harmony Yellow!" "Harmony Red!" "Harmony Blue!" "Harmony Green!" "Harmony Purple!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted all five. They each were faced with a statue as they began to defend themselves. Rainbow pulled out her saber as she was engaged with the one that knocked her down. The blue ranger trying to get some attacks in as the statue was blocking with its staff. The girl then began to use her legs as she delivered a kick to the body of the statue as it went through it. Her leg was shown on the other side as if it was caught in the middle of a waterfall. The statue didn't feel it as it swiped the girl from it as she fell hard to the floor. It then powered up its staff as a huge tidal wave shot in beams as they collided with the chromatic girl as she took some heavy damage and flipped into the air. Sunset was dealing with a different stature as small bits of flame were shown on its shoulders. The girl pulled out her blaster as she was trying to shoot at the figure as it spun its staff rapidly in front of it as the shots were deflected. The girl then leaped forward hoping to catch the statue off guard as it merely sidestepped. The pair were now fighting with their weapons as they parried. The figure grabbed Sunset's hand as it knee the girl in her midsection before throwing her to the ground. As Sunset was getting to her knees, the statue struck the ground with its staff as a pillar of fire burst out and made contact with the girl as she took some damage. Twilight was dueling with her foe as the wind blew in her face. Since the start, the statue had made a breeze blow over the field as the girl could feel herself being pushed back. The girl tried to get a proper footing to fight, but it was effortless. The statue then swung its staff to hit the girl as the breeze stopped. Twilight had that small window to roll as she pulled out her saber to strike. It phased through the body as if Twilight was trying to swat the wind. The statue then put its hands together and looked at the lavender ranger. A tornado then shot out and sucked the girl in as she screamed and shot into the air. Applejack was swinging her ax with the statue she was facing. The girl managed to leave a scratch on the statue's face as the green ranger smiled. That smile soon faded as the attack embedded on the earth statue deconstructed the statue, only for it to reform itself. It then struck the ground with its staff. The whole earth around the farm gal began to shake as she was trying to not lose her balance. The figure then made pieces of the ground and hurled them at the ranger. Aj was hit hard in the chest as small explosions were shown. With Ash, he was doing some flips and kicks as the statue he was facing was relentless. Both had their fight take them to the wall as they both jumped onto it and began to exchange parries with their weapons before they backflipped off on it and landed. The statue had its staff power up as its body glowed. Ash pulled out his blaster and fired as the shots bounced off the statue. He fired some more as it was walking toward him. The shoots now ricochet into different directions as a few of them hit the girls as they felt the attack. The boy then tapped into his gem's power as his hands began to glow. He did some quick arm movements as he thrust one forward as the mirage-like image of his wolf came out as it headed towards the statue. The wolf attacked the figure as the sounds of metal could be heard hitting off of its body as the spirit soon dissipated. The figure stood there, unharmed as it simply brushed the small pebbles off its shoulder. "I hate these sons of bitches!" shouted Rainbow as she was being hurled into a whirlpool. The water statue then had the girl encased in a bubble as the blue ranger was trapped. "Nothing we do affects them!" shouted Applejack as a huge boulder was thrown. The girl tapped into her gem's power as she punched the rock and went through it. It served as a decoy as the statue closed in and whacked the girl as she was thrown back. "We can't even touch them!" shouted Sunset who had her bow out and was shooting it at the fire figure as the attacks burned up upon contact with the body. "If only there was a way for them to fight each other!!" shouted Twilight as she was in a tornado and then shot out as she hit the other girls as they all fell. The statues that they faced all stood side by side. They put their staffs together as their respective elements shot out and combined into one powerful beam. The beam hit the four girls as they yelled out in pain and then were tossed into the air as an explosion occurred. They landed in pain as the statues closed in on them. Meanwhile, Ash was dealing with his, when he saw his team on the ground and in trouble. He then thought of what Twilight said as a lightbulb went off. "That's it!" shouted the boy as he leaped away from the metal statue. The yellow ranger then touched his Morpher as his sword came out. The boy tapped into his gem once more as it responded to the ranger's aura. The blade began to glow yellow as he then did a slash attack that shot towards the metal statue as it collided with the others. It didn't take long as all five now turned their attention to the leader. The girls were allowed a few seconds of breathing as they sat up and saw their friend in a five on one situation. "Twilight's right. These guys can be defeated. If they use their powers against one another," said Ash as he flipped forward and landed a few meters in front of the fire statue. He did another charged-up slash attack as it caused the flames on the statue to blow in the breeze of the attack. However, the flames managed to burn up the metal statue that was behind it. When the attack ended, there stood the metal figure melting. "Fire melts metal!" shouted Ash. A water geyser was shot at him as the boy rolled away from the attack and faced the water statue. "Water quenches fire!" shouted the yellow ranger. He did another slash attack with his sword. The attack hit the water figure as it went through the body but the waves made by the contact splashed onto the fire statue as it soon died out and turned to gas. That contact between the two elements made the water statue a bit stunned as it clutched its head. "Earth swallows water!" Ash did another attack on the earth statue as it deconfigured but the rocky pieces that were tossed hit the water figure as it absorbed the figure into them and was gone. "Wind scatters earth!" The boy leaped over the two statues as the earth statue was starting to reconfigure itself. He did another slash attack as it hit the wind figure who collided back first with its rocky comrade. The contact caused a small wind to blow over the field as the earth statue was defeated as only the wind statue remained. "And I shall quell the wind!" Ash then began to spin in place with his blade out as the speed and momentum were creating his own mini tornado. The wind statue put its staff out to try to control it but soon it was sucked into the swirling vortex as it all surrounded the boy's blade. The girls were seeing this as they could feel the giant breeze that blew over. Ash once more tapped into his topaz's power as he then brought his blade down on the floor. A giant hurricane came out as it blew wind in all directions. The girls felt it as they were sitting up and got into the air. Applejack found a good grip as the others grabbed each other's hands to avoid flying away. In the middle was Ash as he grunted, concentrating on his gem and boosting it to full power. Moments later, all of the wind died down. The girls then fell on top of each other as they demorphed. They let out some pains and grunts as they rubbed themselves where the pain was. They all got up and quickly made their way to where their leader was. Ash was on a knee with his sword in hand touching the spot where it made contact with the ground. The boy's gem then demorphed his suit as the power levels reached their limit and had to recharge. He then fell onto his behind as he was taking in deep breaths of exhaustion. "Ash!" shouted the girls as they all rushed towards him. "We... did... it..." expressed the boy. He was then picked up by Sunset and Applejack as they had the boy's arms over their shoulders. All of them had some scratches and scuffs along with their faces and clothes. "Now that, that's over. How about we get back to finding where this jewel is?" suggested Rainbow. "I don't think we need to search that far," said Twilight. Apart from Ash, the girls were confused by what their bookworm friend said. They soon got their answer as the temple once again began to shake. "What now!!" shouted the chromatic girl. Soon the ground they all stood on began to glow. From the pedestals that the defeated statues were positioned initially, all began to have a pillar of light emerge. The five different lights then showed the symbol that was on each of the statues that they fought. "Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Metal," said Applejack. The five pillars then shot to the area above the group as they all conversed. The five teenagers looked away for a bit to avoid being blinded. Soon the light died down a bit as the pillars were still touching. Soon they were gone as only a single sphere of light remained. It soon began to lower itself to the group as the light hovered above Twilight's hands. It soon touched the girls' palms and when it disappeared there was a shiny, glowing stone. "Is this?" said the lavender girl holding the shiny rock up for all to see. "Yup, that's the jewel we're looking for," confirmed Ash as he got his arms off of Sunset and Applejack. "But, how? We didn't even pass the challenge," said Rainbow. "Dash, put two and two together," was all the boy said. He then approached Twilight as the girl gave the jewel to her leader to hold. Ash now lifted the gem in his hand and held it up high for all to see. A ray of sunshine shined through its reflective surface as it made the group feel warm and comforting. "Let's return this to where it belongs," said Sunset. In the village, the people had managed to fix the damage left behind by Thorax and Pharynx. They soon heard the sounds of footsteps which got their attention. They thought it was the monsters who had returned to possibly finish them off. A few more sounds were heard and coming through the entrance was none other than Ash and the girls. Many gasps were heard as they expected the group to not be standing there due to how many had failed to pass the temple's challenge. The teenagers stood there as the mumblings could be heard. The village chief made his presence known as he stepped forward and approached the boy. "Well..." "You tell me," chuckled Ash as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the shiny rock. "Is this what you're looking for?" A massive cheer and applause were heard from the villages. The girls smiled at the admiration they were receiving from the people as Ash handed the jewel over to the chief. "After many years, it has been returned," said the chief as he held the jewel. "You have your jewel, now... we kept our end of the bargain," said Ash. "Of course," said the village chief. He then had one of the villagers appear. He handed the chief the rolled-up piece of parchment. He then gave it to the boy as he unfurled it as the girls looked over his shoulder. The map showed their location as well as the mountain range near them. "Based on the location, it appears that the creature is located on the other side of the mountain," said Twilight. "So long as you stay on the path and follow the map. It will take you to your destination with no trouble. But the day's journey is a day at most." said the village chief. "Then we'd best get moving," said Ash. "So soon? Perhaps stay and then leave at dawn tomorrow?" asked one of the villagers. "Wish we could. But we need to find the creature before the monsters do," said Sunset. "Very well. We thank you for all you've done. In our time of need, you decided to lend us a hand." "Of course. We couldn't abandon y'all," said Applejack. "I hope you all succeed in your mission," said the village chief. The group of rangers then loaded up their backpacks as they prepared to head out. They were at the village entrance and they all turned back to wave at the villagers as they saw the group off. The teens followed Ash as they disappeared into the forest and came to a dirt track. With the map in hand and the location of the bear zord, our heroes were this closer to retrieving the lost zord before the Dark Lords. They had walked a few meters when suddenly there was an explosion that caught all of them off guard as they fell to the floor. The rangers all looked to see what happened as standing there were two individuals who had set up an ambush for our heroes. "Hello, Rangers!" said Pharynx as he and his brother appeared along with some minions. "Now then... we'll take the scroll," threatened Thorax. The rangers were on the ground as they held scowls on their faces. To be continued... Chapter 12: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 3Previously on Power Rangers... "If it's not too much trouble. What happened?" asked Twilight as she pulled out a notebook from her backpack and a pen. "Years and years ago, our ancestors did battle with a great evil. They were able to able to defeat the darkness so in honor of that victory. They created a special jewel. One that was blessed by our gods. It was filled with light, warmth, and hope. So long as it reigned in our village, it would ward off any evil that dare step foot in our home. And it would protect us. But... over two centuries ago... the jewel was stolen." "A group of settlers raided our village, and during the conflict, they managed to find the jewel and run off with it. The thieves ran with our ancestral fighters in pursuit. They chased them to the temple nearby as the sky began to grow gray. Seconds later rain and storm clouds poured as both sides climbed the stairs and entered the temple." "What happened next?" said Twilight. "From the ones that were told to stay behind, they could only describe it as a flash of light appeared. Soon they climbed the stairs and entered the temple's main room. There was no more there, simple the jewel. They began to reach for it when the statues nearby began to glow. Their eyes are as red as the blood that flows through us. Soon they felt some strange force pushing them against their will." "They were pushed as the statues moved from their pedestals, and the jewel floated into the air. Since then, every single person who has entered the temple has never been seen again. Yet, before they were left, they heard a saying. It spoke that only when the challenge has been complete, can the jewel be set free and returned to its rightful owner. So as you can see, my family for generations and generations have tried to overcome the challenge. But everyone who has set foot in the temple has never been seen again." said the village chief as he finished his tale. "Well, as I said, just before you lot came. We were approached by some monsters. They said they were looking for something. They didn't say much, but that it was a bear." "Uh-oh," said Twilight as she looked at Ash. The boy knew who the chief was talking about. "I told them of a creature that had been recently roaming our hunting grounds. Most of the men say it resembles a bear, but yet none of our weapons seem to damage it. They were able to track it to where it lives." The village chief then pulled out a map as it showed the location of the creature's home. "Looks like we got our target," whispered Ash to Twilight. "I will say the same thing to you as I did those monsters. The only way I'll help and give the map, is to whoever can return the jewel to our village." In a different part of the landscape, there laid a temple. Based on its design, it seemed to have been built by people during the dawn of time. Throughout the years of erosion and time left an effect on the structure, it still stood its mighty ground. Bits of moss were shown growing as it added more color and camouflage to the temple. "I can't believe we're doing this shit!" stated Rainbow. "In case you forgot, Dash! We need that map to stop those mutants from gettin' the zord, first!" assured Applejack. He then approached them and he put his hand out. The girls did the same as they put theirs on top of their leader. "Power Rangers..." started Ash. "Fear no danger!" said the group as they broke. "So we're here. Where's this impossible challenge or the jewel for that matter?" asked Rainbow as she approached one of the statues that were present. "The chief said the jewel will only appear once the challenge has been completed," said Sunset as she approached another statue. "Harmony Yellow!" "Harmony Red!" "Harmony Blue!" "Harmony Green!" "Harmony Purple!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted all five. "Nothing we do affects them!" shouted Applejack as a huge boulder was thrown. "Fire melts metal!" shouted Ash. A water geyser was shot at him as the boy rolled away from the attack and faced the water statue. "Water quenches fire!" shouted the yellow ranger. "Earth swallows water!" "Wind scatters earth!" "And I shall quell the wind!" Ash then began to spin in place with his blade out as the speed and momentum were creating his own mini tornado. The wind statue put its staff out to try to control it but soon it was sucked into the swirling vortex as it all surrounded the boy's blade. The girls were seeing this as they could feel the giant breeze that blew over. Ash once more tapped into his topaz's power as he then brought his blade down on the floor. A giant hurricane came out as it blew wind in all directions. The girls felt it as they were sitting up and got into the air. Applejack found a good grip as the others grabbed each other's hands to avoid flying away. In the middle was Ash as he grunted, concentrating on his gem and boosting it to full power. Moments later, all of the wind died down. The girls then fell on top of each other as they demorphed. They let out some pains and grunts as they rubbed themselves where the pain was. They all got up and quickly made their way to where their leader was. Ash was on a knee with his sword in hand touching the spot where it made contact with the ground. "Is this?" said the lavender girl holding the shiny rock up for all to see. "After many years, it has been returned," said the chief as he held the jewel. "You have your jewel, now... we kept our end of the bargain," said Ash. "Of course," said the village chief. He then had one of the villagers appear. He handed the chief the rolled-up piece of parchment. He then gave it to the boy as he unfurled it as the girls looked over his shoulder. The map showed their location as well as the mountain range near them. The teens followed Ash as they disappeared into the forest and came to a dirt track. With the map in hand and the location of the bear zord, our heroes were this closer to retrieving the lost zord before the Dark Lords. They had walked a few meters when suddenly there was an explosion that caught all of them off guard as they fell to the floor. The rangers all looked to see what happened as standing there were two individuals who had set up an ambush for our heroes. "Hello, Rangers!" said Pharynx as he and his brother appeared along with some minions. "Now then... we'll take the scroll," threatened Thorax. "Hand it over, Ash!" said Pharynx. The two brothers had some of their minions behind them as they were ready to lunge. The rangers all got back to their feet as they stared at the monsters in front of them. They glanced a look between each other as they knew what to do. They put their bags aside as Ash put the map inside. "Get that map!" ordered Thorax. The minions heard the command and charged. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the teens as they ran forward and transformed into their suits. "Harmony Sabers!" they said as they flipped forward and had their weapons out as they were in smaller circles taking out the minions. Ash was dodging and ducking under the minions while slashing at them. He then ran forward as two minions were attempting a high and low attack at once. The boy countered by doing a standing backflip as he timed it expertly to avoid the attacks on both ends. He then did a backspin kick as he took them out. He then did a corkscrew as he dodged some more attacks. Applejack was using her strength to punch some of the trees. It created some logs as the girl threw them at her foes as they went down. She then planted herself on all fours as she charged forward like her animal as the minions were flattened by the farm girl. She stood up and without looking lifted her arm to block an attack as she activated her ability to make her skin harden. She looked at her target as a bead of sweat was shown as the minion was scared of the girl. She then grabbed the monster and lifted it above her head. She then brought it down onto her knee as she broke the back of the monster as it disappeared. Rainbow was using her superspeed to zoom by her foes as she was punching them back and forth in a cycle. She came to a stop as she then raced up a tree that was leaned over. She reached the top using her speed and then leaped off as she activated the wings on her suit. She soared above and then did a spin strike as she took out her section of foes. "Owl darts!" shouted Twilight as she pulled out the small things from her belt and threw them. The tiny things made contact with the minions as small explosions occurred. The lavender girl had a smile through her helmet as she then pulled out her shield. She was blocking the punches by the minions before kicking and punching them in retaliation. A few of them pointed their weapons at the girl as she put her defense up as it protected her. Twilight then leaped into the air to spin as she threw her shield. The thing bounced off the trees as it ricocheted between the foes and trees before it returned as Twilight held her hand out and caught her weapon. Sunset was using the new moves she learned from Ash as she was taking out the minions with ease. One of them got a hold of her as they lifted her by her waist. Another grabbed a hold of her legs as the girl countered by rolling to the side and dragging them off of her. Another looked to kick the girl as she backflipped into the air. She pulled out her wings in midair as she was now floating into the tree branches. The girl then pulled out her blaster, and she began to snipe the monsters as they all fell. One of the minions was flung to where Ash's bag was as he noticed it and grabbed it. He was trying to run away when he was stopped by the yellow ranger as he slashed at him with his saber. The boy then was attacked by Thorax and Pharynx as the two brothers were looking to take out their foe. "Dash!" shouted Ash as he spun and tossed the backpack to the girl. "On it!" Rainbow had finished off the last of her section as she ran using her speed. She slowed down and was under the bag when she was slammed away by Pharynx. "Mine!" shouted the mutant. "Nah, partner!" shouted Applejack. The girl touched her belt as a lasso came out for her to use. She swung the thing up high and then tossed it. The rope wrapped around the general as the farm girl gave a tug and yanked the monster away from the bag as it hit the ground. Pharynx fell to his knees as he saw the green ranger holding him in place. He merely smirked as he let out a grunt and broke his hold and then grabbed the long strand of the rope as he pulled on it to get Aj to move a bit before digging her feet. "You wanna a test of strength, girl?" mocked Pharynx. "Bring it!" shouted Applejack. Both her and Pharynx were now engaged in a tug of war with the rope as each was trying to pull the other off their feet. The green ranger was tapping into her gem and using her ability to stand her ground. Pharynx knew that the girl was using her super strength as he was having some difficulty dragging her along the dirt. The monster then put his other hand in front of the other as he began to pull as Aj was now starting to move. He then did it more as Applejack was slowly losing this tug of war. The farm girl yelled as she lifted her foot and stomped it into the dirt as she held her position. Now she yanked on the rope as she was starting to make the general move. Both of them then had the same thought. They let go of the rope and pulled themselves in. They brought their right arm up as each looked to punch the other using the momentum they obtained during their tug of war. Both hit dead-on as they made contact with the chest of the other. A small explosion and earthquake occurred. Applejack then stumbled back and fell to her knees as she brought both of her arms to cover her chest. "Shit!!" said the girl as she felt the effect of Pharynx's gauntlets hitting her. Pharynx was hit as he dragged along the dirt before stopping. He looked at his midsection as he could see a dent was made in his armor. Despite wanting to destroy his foes, he did admit that Applejack was able to stand toe to toe with him in a test of strength and not hold back when it came to her punching him. All of it gave the mutant admiration and respect to the farm girl for not being afraid of getting down and dirty. "Not bad, girl," chuckled the general. He then clashed his gauntlets together before slamming them down on the ground. It created a shockwave attack that was heading to Aj as the girl couldn't defend herself. She fell back as an explosion effect occurred as she yelled. Pharynx then turned to where the backpack was and was about to grab it. "Too slow!" shouted Rainbow as she zoomed by and grabbed the bag before Pharynx could. "We'll see about that," smiled Thorax. The general now pulled out his weapon. Small daggers were shown between his fingers as he watched the blue ranger zipping away. The monster calmed his breath as tossed the small knives. They were sent sailing as Rainbow noticed them out of the corner of her eye as they landed on the ground in front of her as a thunder explosion went off as she was knocked back. The bag once more was sent flying as it landed elsewhere. Rainbow got to her feet as she turned to see Thorax. The scientist stood there as more daggers appeared in between his fingers. The chromatic girl wasted no time in running forward. Thorax tossed his daggers as he spun back a few feet. Rainbow was zipping and zagging to dodge them as she got up close and personal with the general. She was now throwing fists as Thorax was now moving his head and backing up as he dodged them with ease. "What's the matter?" taunted Thorax with the smuggest of smiles as he was keeping up with Rainbow's speed of throwing her punches. "I thought you were fast?!!" "Shut up!" shouted Rainbow. "What's the matter?!!" taunted Thorax more as that phrase was getting on the girl's nerves for not landing a hit. Thorax kept evading as he saw his window. He leaned back from the latest attack and then thrust his fist out as it hit the girl in the chest and flung her back. He then leaped into the air. Thorax raised his arms in an X as he then brought them down to launch the knives. "Worm!!!" shouted Thorax as he launched his attack. Rainbow saw the attack but was too slow. The daggers hit her as electricity flowed through her body. It then turned into another explosion as the girl yelled and fell to the ground. Thorax landed as he saw the blue ranger on the floor squirming in pain. He made more daggers appear in his hand as he looked to finish the girl off. He took a few steps forward when some shots were fired as they went off around the general creating a smokescreen. He covered his eyes to avoid being blinded by the bright sparks that went off as he was unaware of the object heading towards him. Just as it was about to hit the general in the head, he put his arm out as he caught it. Without looking and being distracted by the smoke, the mutant detected the danger. He then emerged from the smoke with his eyes open. Thorax then looked at the thing he caught as it was a shield. Standing a few meters away was Twilight. The bookworm noticed her friend was in danger as she rushed to aid her. She was hoping that her calculated plan would work, but it seemed that failed. Thorax looked at the shield and then at the purple ranger as he smiled. "Trying to attack while your enemy is blinded. Effective strategy. If your opponent can't see, that gives you a small window to strike. You're a smart one." said Thorax as he tossed the shield. Twilight grabbed it as she brought it back to her arm. "I'm impressed. Ash found someone who is smart well before the sapphire gem increased its user's knowledge. But then again, you're already smart. So that power is useless to you." "Don't remind," said Twilight as she hated that she got the short end of the stick when it came to the animals they had and the powers they related to. "Well, not necessarily. See, there is one other thing the gem could have given you," blurted out Thorax as he knew a thing or two about the stones. "Wait, what?!" said Twilight as she was distracted by that fact. "Oops," snickered Thorax. He then threw his daggers as they were in a straight line behind one another. They produced pillars of thunder as they rushed forward to Twilight at high speeds. The girl couldn't defend herself as she yelled and fell back. "Fool the mind and the battle is yours," said Thorax as he managed to outwit the nerdy girl. Pharynx had located the bag as he had his mutant arm out. He then felt some heat as an arrow of red light appeared seconds before him and erupted into flames as the mutant reeled back his arm and waved it off. He looked up into the trees above as there was Sunset who had her bow out. The girl then began to pull back in rapid session as the general put his arms together as his gauntlets deflected the arrows of light. Sunset then pulled back the string once more as the girl tapped into her gem's power. A red arrow appeared as she released it, this one now turned into a flaming one as the red ranger used her phoenix's ability to make it aflame. It made contact with Pharynx and his gauntlets as the mutant was pushed back a good distance as he fell to a knee. Sunset was about to get the bag when the tree she was in started to shake. Thorax appeared as he ran and threw his tiny daggers at the bacon-haired girl. Sunset then began to pull back her bow as she was using her arrows to intercept the knives thrown by the mutant. However, she couldn't keep up with the general's speed as she only got a small handful before they hit her and the tree. The red ranger now fell and tumbled onto the ground as she was in pain. Both brothers stood as there were the girls all on the floor as they were still struggling to move. "Thanks for the gift, rangers," said Thorax as he had the backpack in his hand. "Now, to give something in exchange," said Pharynx. Both generals began to walk toward the fallen girls as they saw them. They were backing up a bit as the brothers looked to combine their powers to eliminate the girls. At that moment, they sense something. A yellow mirage-like wolf came at them as it howled. Pharynx reeled back and thrust out a punch as it made contact with the spirit as both powers were at a standstill. Thorax then leaped above his brother and he tossed his daggers out to hit the wolf. Tt soon disappeared as both managed to fend it off. "Topaz Slash!" Ash appeared behind his animal spirit in the air. He had his sword out as his gem powered it up. The boy had managed to catch both mutant brothers off guard as he did a diagonal slash. Both felt the attack and tumbled as the bag Thorax had was tossed in the air. Ash grabbed it before landing near the girls. "Rainbow!!" shouted the boy. The girl nodded as she got up and ran. She was running around the group in a circle as a rainbow tornado formed. Thorax and Pharynx had gotten to their knees and were about to launch their attack when the tornado died down and the rangers were no longer there. They grunted as they soon teleported away. The rangers were now miles away as they were in another part of the area. Their suits were deactivated as they had taken a lot of punishment. The girls slumped to their knees as Ash was still standing. "You think... they're gonna find us?" asked Twilight breathing hard. "I doubt it. While we may be weakened, they are as well. So for now, we have some time before they set out to look for us." said Ash as he began to walk forward. "Great, cause... I need some rest after the ass-whipping I took," said Rainbow as she leaned back to crack her muscles. "What now?" asked Sunset as she got up and placed a hand to lean against a stump. "We rest. Over here," said the boy as he signaled for the girls. They saw their leader as he was standing in front of a cave. They each grabbed their backpacks as they headed to where Ash was. "We're not going in there, are we?" asked Applejack. "It's the best place. Especially cause it's about to rain," said Ash. The girls raised an eyebrow at that statement. Soon the sound of thunder was heard as water began to fall as it hit the girls. They all looked up and saw grey clouds rolling in within seconds. Lightning flashed as that served as the signal to rush in to stay dry. They all stood in the dark as soon there was light produced by Ash pulling out a flashlight. Given how hard it was raining, the group knew they were going to be here for a while. Ash now set his bag down again as he began to build them a fire. Once that was done, the girls all pulled out the medkit to start treating some of the bruises they got when battling against Thorax and Pharynx. The boy was now working with Applejack on making some food for them to eat. During the meal cooking, Sunset had grabbed the map and placed it on the ground as Twilight also looked at it. "Unfortunately, I can't tell where we teleported to," said Twilight as the area she noticed when they landed didn't match anything on the map. "And no use trying stepping out in this weather," said Sunset. "Then all we can do is wait for the storm to pass," said Ash as he shook the pan to get the vegetables to be thoroughly cooked. "How are you holding up, Aj?" "It'll take more than a punch to keep me down," said the girl as she still felt a bit sore at getting hit by Pharynx's gauntlets. Once dinner was made, the team of rangers began to eat as Ash was looking at the map. Eventually, each of the rangers reached into their backpacks and pulled out their colored shapes. They each inputted a code as their shapes turned into their zords in their pet forms. The small animals each appeared by their owners to give them company. Sunset's phoenix opened its mouth to produce some more flames to the fire they had the warmth of the cave increased as everyone gave a relaxing sigh. The group of rangers was able to pass the time by telling some stories. When it got to Twilight, the girl was ecstatic as she stood before the fire and prepared to let the chills out. "This story is called The Legend of the Headless Horse..." The thunder crashed, putting the girls and their zords on edge. The boy did his best to keep a calm face. "It was a dark and stormy night, just like this one," Twilight began. "And four people were having a slumber party." Another lightning flash appeared, displaying the howling rain and the outside of the cave. By then, Ash sat frozen as the girls all rushed to hold onto him. Rainbow hugged him from the left, while Applejack was on his right, and Sunset was behind their leader with her arms wrapped around his neck. Even the girls' zords were scared as they hid behind Ash's wolf for protection. Twilight was just near the end of her ghost story. "... And just when the last person thought she was safe..." Twilight continued in a low voice. "There, standing right behind her, just inches away was - The Headless Horse!" A gasp escaped from the girls in complete unison before another thundering crash sent them screaming as Twilight's owl made a terrifying screech sound as its eyes appeared in the dark behind them. The three girls held the boy in terror as Ash could feel them digging their nails into his skin. Twilight merely smiled as her owl emerged from the dark and landed next to her as it gave a hoot. "Looks we're finally working as a team," smiled the bookworm to her zord as for once, they were on the same page. The girls calmed down as they felt their heartbeats slowing down. They soon heard some grunts as they looked and realized they were all holding each other... specifically holding onto Ash. They did notice the muscles that were on the boy's body as they couldn't help but turn red at how they felt. "Get the hell off of me!!" shouted Ash as their nails were still digging into his skin. "Sorry!!" said all three girls as they let go of their leader. They roughly pulled away and sent him rolling backward on the floor. His wolf came up to his face as it began to lick its owner's face. "You weren't scared, Ash?" asked Twilight. "Kinda hard to be scared when I'm feeling pain and having three girls all up on me," glared the boy to his comrades as they couldn't help but turn red while looking away. Soon the time came for everyone to get some sleep. The rangers pulled out their sleeping bags as they all lay around the fire. Ash had told the girls he would be up a bit to keep watch as the girls nodded. The boy had his wolf pup in his lap as he poked at the fire with a stick. A while passed as the yellow ranger decided to tuck in for the night. His wolf also yawned as Ash got into his sleeping bag and fell asleep. Meanwhile, in the rangers' command center, Rachel was doing some work while the teens were out retrieving the bear zord. Before Ash and the girls left, the boy had given the A.I. the task of searching the Morphin' Grid for any other signs of zords popping up or the other thing the pair was looking for. While the A.I. was doing that, she came across a locked archive of sorts. It took a while, but she was able to crack it open as it was filled with more ranger history and facts from the different teams that Ash had been studying up on in his free time. She began a full download for future reference as the A.I. came across something. She accessed it as she was unaware that she was contacting someone or something. "Hello? Who's calling?" said a voice. "Who are you?" asked the female A.I. "My name is..." The morning came as the sounds of birds chirping were heard. Rainbow had opened her eyes as she sat up and stretched her limbs. Her zord had returned to its shape as it lay on the floor. She grabbed it as her nose then smelled something. "Told she'd be last to wake up," said Sunset as the others were already up. They were currently eating the breakfast that Applejack and Ash made. Seems Sunset had predicted that their chromatic friend would be the last one to wake up. And the bacon-haired girl was right. "Why didn't you guys wake me up?!" asked the girl. "Cause we didn't want to disturb you. Also, 'cause we enjoyed you snoring," chuckled Twilight as the others all tried to hold back their laugh. "And you didn't leave anything for me?" whined the girl as she got out of her sleeping bag. "Simmer down, Sally. We saved you a plate," said Aj as she handed the food to her friend and rival. "Eat up and then we're heading out," instructed Ash as he was packing up their stuff. Soon the whole team was ready to leave the cave. They were all prepared as they slung their backpacks over their shoulders. The team was about to leave when Applejack fell to a knee. "You okay, Aj?" asked Rainbow. "Yeah, I'm good. Just... still a bit sore from the punch I received from Pharynx," said the farm girl as she clutched her side. "You sure you can walk?" asked Twilight. "Don't worry... I can," said the girl trying to take a step but soon fell back to a knee. "That answers that question. You just need a bit more time to rest," said Sunset. "But we gotta move now! For all we know, they could already have the zord," said Dash as she was stressing the fact that they were running out of time. "I got an idea. Put her on my back, I'll carry her," said Ash. The boy bent his knees as Twilight and Sunset helped their friend over to their leader. They helped her onto Ash's back as he had his hands under her thighs and stood up as he held his teammate. "Thanks, sugarcube." "Anytime." "Just keeps those hands where I can see them, alright?" said the country gal letting her friend know not to try anything funny. "What does that mean?" asked Ash as he was completely clueless about what Applejack as the others chuckled at how dense he was. "Come on! Let's move!" shouted Rainbow as she exited the cave. They were welcomed to the rays of the sun as it shined on their faces. The glistening of raindrops that were on the nearby plants was shown. Twilight had taken the map from Ash when they helped their friend onto his back as she unfurled it. They were still unaware of where they were as the only solution was to follow the mountain path that the cave lead away from. They all began to walk as Ash did his job of carrying Applejack on his back as the girl held on by wrapping her arms around her leader. The teens walked for hours as they kept on following the path. Eventually, they climbed the latest slope of the path as they came to a hill. They saw another forest below them and beyond that were two mountains that had a path in the middle. Twilight was able to identify something in the area below as it matched on the map. The bookworm then informed her teammates that they were closer than expected. All they had to do was get past the ridge and through the mountains as they would be near the lair of the bear zord. "How you doing back there, Aj?" asked Ash as he turned his head to look at the girl. "Enjoying the view, partner," said the country gal. "Feeling any better?" asked the boy. "Yeah, I think I can be able to walk again... but... um... do you mind if you continue to carry me? At least until we pass the mountain pass," said the girl turning a bit red from suggesting that request. "Yeah, I don't mind," said Ash. The girl smiled as she placed her head on her leader's back and sighed while having some red on her face. The team continued traveling down as they made it to the forest. They had to stop for a quick rest as they refueled and rehydrate. After a bit, they continued on the path as they came to the mountain range and walked along the path in between. Eventually, the group made it past the ridge as they came out to the other side. Upon first inspection, they noticed some tracks on the ground. Ash bent down to let Applejack get off as the girl was a bit more healed. She thanked her leader as they began to examine the prints. "Looks like this is the right place," said Rainbow as she looked around. Their surroundings were an alpine meadow with a coastline on the far end. "Let's start searching." "Good call, Sunset. Everyone stay within distance, contact each other on our Morphers if we spot anything," said Ash. The girls nodded as all five broke apart in different directions. They were unaware of something lurking in the grass as a pair of glowing eyes flashed as it began to scout and hunt its prey. The rangers were scouting the meadow and the coastline to find any clues as to where the zord might be. Twilight and Rainbow checked near the water as they found skeletons of fish that appeared to have been eaten. Which meant that their target used this water source not only for hydration but also for nourishment. In the meadow, Sunset and Applejack came across some bushes that housed berries. Some of them were damaged as they too confirmed that the zord also had been here. Ash had been tracking the tracks on the ground, hoping to get something. But he didn't, but he did pick up on something. That when he followed a trail of the tracks, they were soon joined by something else. They looked to be smaller footprints. The group soon met up in the middle of the meadow as they told each other what they found. However, they still couldn't find any clue as to where the zord might be. "What are we missing?" asked Rainbow. "I'm starting to think it might not be here," said Sunset. "No, it's here. I can feel it," said Ash. "Watch out!" The boy sensed something. Coming at the group was a blur as small knives struck them all feel onto the ground. They felt the attack as they saw it was none other than Thorax and Pharynx as they had returned with some more minions. "Thanks for leading us," said Thorax. Seems the scientist had a backup plan. Before Ash had retrieved his backpack and disappeared with the girls, the mutant planted a small tracker on the bag. He informed Pharynx of this as they simply waited for the rangers to emerge from their hiding place and head towards the location of the zord as they quietly followed behind. "Now, then. We'll defeat you and take the zord for ourselves," stated Pharynx. "We're not letting you get the zord!" shouted Ash as he stood up with the girls following suit. They all stood in a line as they gave a nod to each other. They lifted their arms as their wristbands turned into their Morphers. "It's Morphin' Time!" shouted the boy. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the rangers as some music began to play. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. Applejack traced her symbol that her emerald gem showed it recognized it. It then encased the girl in her suit as she landed on a platform. Her whole body turned into a suit with bits of her gem on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her. Rainbow was now undergoing her transformation as she was being encased in her suit. She traced her symbol produced by the cobalt stone. She landed on a platform as bits of her gem were on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her as it made its sound. Twilight traced her symbol produced by her sapphire gem as it recognized her. The gem encased the girl as she landed on a platform. The girl lifted her head as the vizor completed the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her animal appeared behind her and made a noise. Sunset underwent her transformation as the ruby stone grew larger and encased the girl in her suit. The girl landed on a platform as bits of her gem were also shown on her shoulder. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her zord appeared behind her and made a noise. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted the group in unison. "Take them down!" shouted Pharynx. The minions all charged forward as the rangers did the same as they pulled out their sabers. The group now engaged once more with their foes. While the two groups were fighting, the eyes from before were shown as they peeked through the meadow. Ash had done a corkscrew as he landed and slashed a section of the minions he was fighting. He then heard some yelling as Pharynx had appeared and hit the boy with his gauntlets as he flew to the floor. The mutant brought his fists down as an ax stopped it from making contact with the yellow ranger. Applejack did a kick to the general's midsection as she managed to get him to back off. "Thanks, Aj." "Anytime, sugarcube," said the girl to her leader. "Care for round 2?" taunted Pharynx. "Bring it!" shouted the girl. Pharynx slammed his gauntlets on the floor as Applejack did the same with her ax. Both created a wave attack that was heading towards each other as they collided with one another. Rocks and pieces of dirt went flying as both warriors stood their ground. Both charged as Applejack ducked under Pharynx's arm swing and then spun to attack as the general moved to the side. Both traded blows using their weapons as they tried to land a hit. Applejack slid under an attack as she turned her upper body to block an overhead attack. The girl rolled to the side as she pulled out her lasso once more and tossed it at the mutant as he grabbed it. "Want to do this dance again?" taunted Pharynx. Both now began to engage in another tug of war. Like before, neither was willing to budge as they both felt their feet slipping before digging into the dirt. Pharynx grabbed the rope with his other hand as he began to pull. This time, Applejack did a different move. She felt herself being dragged as when she was but a few meters in front of Pharynx. The country gal intentionally took a step forward as the sudden shift in weight took the mutant off his balance as he stumbled forward. The green ranger took the moment to spin in the air as she swung her ax to hit Pharynx for massive damage. Aj landed as she then tapped into her gem's power as she was doing some arm movements as her hands glowed. On the other side, Ash was doing the same as he too was charging up his animal. He nodded as Aj responded with the same gesture. "Unleash the beasts!" shouted both teens. They thrust their hand out as the mirage-like spirit of their animals emerged. They charged forward to Pharynx as he had gotten to his feet and both animals collided with the mutant as he was flung into the air as an explosion went off. Thorax was engaged with Rainbow as he was tossing his daggers at the girl. Rainbow was using her speed to evade them as they landed in her path as she zigged and zagged. "Didn't you learn your lesson?!" taunted Thorax as he jumped into the air. The mutant tossed out his knives in an array of the field as they covered the girl in front of her. Rainbow noticed this at the last second as she leaped up and activated the wings on her suit. A whistle was heard as Twilight signaled to her comrade. She was dealing with the small fry as she kicked one away and tossed her shield towards her friend. Time moved in slow motion as the blue ranger as she grabbed it and then threw it Thorax was coming down. The shield hit the mutant as he fell to the floor. Rainbow landed as she immediately tossed the shield back to Twilight who threw it back into the air. "Sunset!!" The girl now appeared with her weapon in hand. She slid under a swinging arm attack as she pulled back the bow and aimed at the air. The bacon-haired girl saw the object as she got the perfect window and released it. The red light hit the shield of her comrade as it was now sending towards Thorax which erupted into flames as it caused the general to be hurled along the dirt. "Time to go all out!" said Ash as they all stood in a line with their weapons in tow. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow. They felt the power of their weapons up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held the brother mutants in place as they couldn't move. "Full power!" shouted all of them. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each of the girls did an attack as they passed by their foes. "Charging Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first one to slide by as she did her attack. "Meteor Spike!" shouted Applejack as she slid by and swung her ax upwards. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Sunset as she pulled back on her bow and shot an arrow of red light. "Shield Splice!" said Twilight as she did her attack sliding by the mutant. The scene now changed as it spun around the monsters as Ash was now in the air as his weapon was charged. It froze for a few seconds as he resumed the attack and dealt the final blow to their team finisher. "Harmony Blade, Strike!!" shouted Ash as he did a downward slash on the pair. He appeared behind them as the generals were tossed once more into the air as an explosion went off. The rangers all turned behind to look at their foes as they were still kicking. "Put them together!" shouted Ash as he gave the final order to the team. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted all the rangers. Ash stood at the trigger as they powered up their weapon. In front of him were Thorax and Pharynx as the pair were weakened and stumbling to their feet. For the boy, he was about to pull the trigger on his foes and destroy them. All that he had to do was give the command, and he would end up getting revenge for the death of his fallen comrades as well as his parents. He looked at them for a brief second, both brothers had an expression of mercy at the yellow ranger. "Time to end you both," growled Ash as he was dead set on killing both monsters. He was about to pull the trigger when a loud noise was heard. "Huh?" said everyone. Coming out of the hidden grass was a large figure. That figure growled as it charged forward. It made contact with the rangers as they all collapsed to the ground. It didn't stop with the teens as it then turned around to attack the mutants as they too fell to the dirt. Everyone felt the attack as Ash lifted his head to see what attacked them all. Upon seeing, his eyes widen. Standing before there was a creature, not just a creature, a bear, and not just a bear. But it was the bear zord that both sides were looking for as it let out a growl. "Is that?" coughed Sunset. "The zord!" said Pharynx. Both sides were starting to think about how to capture the animal before the bear stood on its hind legs. It made itself look taller as its mouth opened and an energy beam was fired. It hit all of them as they once again fell to the ground. The bear then got on all fours as it began to charge at its foes. "Alright," growled Thorax. The general then charged as he had his daggers in between his fingers. He leaped into the air as he tossed them. The small knives hit the bear as it growled a bit in pain at first but then pushed forward. It brought its claws and swiped at Thorax as the mutant was flung away. The creature was heading towards Applejack. The country girl noticed at the last second as they made contact. The green ranger had her arms out as she was tapping into her ability. She was trying to use her strength to slow down the creature as it came to a slow down with her feet dragging along the dirt. It was another test of strength as the bear was trying to take attack the girl with its jaw as the girl held its arms with hers. Soon the bear showed off its strength as it reeled its entire body back as Aj went flying into the air. The girl was about to crash into the dirt when something grabbed her in mid-air as they landed. Once she landed, Applejack saw that she landed not as hard. She looked and saw Ash under her as the boy had grabbed his teammate in mid-air and used his own body to cushion her fall. "You okay, country gal?" chuckled Ash as he had the girl on top of him. "Yeah. Thanks, sugarcube," said Applejack as she got off of him and allowed him to sit up. The fight was still going as their friends and foes were trying to subdue the bear zord. Everything they were trying to do to fight the creature was having little to no effect as it kept on charging forward and attacking displaying the guts it had. Applejack rushed in as she pulled out her rope and tried to use it. The rope got around the bear's neck and it suddenly came to a stop as it turned to look at the green ranger. Applejack began to pull as soon the girls joined in. The bear's paws were dragging only a few inches before it raised its paw to use one of its sharp claws to cut the rope. The girls fell back as Pharynx charged into the bear's side as he slammed his gauntlets. The bear skidded along the grass as Thorax appeared behind his brother and leaped into the air. Pharynx powered up his fists and slammed the ground as his brother charged up his knives, and he tossed them with electricity. The daggers hit the bear as it stunned it when Pharynx's attack made contact. A huge explosion occurred as a wind effect was made. All the foliage nearby fluttered in the wind as a result of the attack. The brother mutants saw the results of their attack as they smiled. Soon the smoke cleared and a roar was heard. Emerging from the smokescreen was the bear zord as its eyes glowed the brightest. It roared as it stood on its hind legs and raised its paws above its head to make it look even taller and tougher. Which worked as both monsters were a tad bit scared. The bear roared, and its body shined with a red aura as its guts were on full display. It wasted no time in charging forward as both monsters were slow in their attack. It then came to a complete stop as it opened its mouth once more and fired a massive beam of attack that hit both Thorax and Pharynx. An explosion much bigger was shown as both mutants were thrown into the air before they fell to the ground in pain. The creature still wanted to fight as it had scuffs along its body as it began to charge toward the fallen mutants to maul them. "Retreat!" said Thorax to his brother. Both of them then turned into pillars of light as they left within seconds before they were chewed out by the zord. The bear stomped and clawed at the ground as its anger was still on display. it then turned to the girls who were getting to their knees as it had new targets to maul. It then charged toward them as the girls didn't have time to move. They put their arms out to cover them for some sort of protection. The bear was about to make contact when a mirage-like wolf appeared to stop it in its tracks as the two animals traded claw swipes. The spirit managed to get an attack that swiped the bear back a bit as it shook the attack off. It allowed enough time for Ash to appear as he stood in front of his team. The bear looked at the boy as he stood there facing the creature. Even in its raged form, it could sense the animal within the boy as it looked to fight him. The bear started to prepare to charge as Ash put his hands up to fight. Soon, he put them down as he stood there. "Power down!" said the boy as his suit was gone. "Ash!" shouted the girls in unison. "What are you doing?!" shouted Rainbow. "Put your suit, or else you're gonna get mauled," said Twilight. "I don't want to fight you," shouted the boy to the bear. The bear roared as it began to charge at the defenseless boy. The girls shouted out for their leader to put his suit back on to fight it. Ash simply ignored them instead, he got down to his knees and put his head down. The bear made it to him within a few inches from him as its jaws were above its head as some drool was dripping from it. The boy still didn't lift his head as he remained calm and collected. "I'm not gonna hurt you," said the boy, keeping his head down to avoid looking the creature in its eyes to provoke it even more. The bear snarled as it could so easily kill the boy if it wanted to. It sensed the boy's aura as its jaws were still open. The girls were watching the scene play out before them. Right now, no one was in control except for the zord. Cause if the girls made so much as a move, the creature could potentially injure their friend or worst. So, they all waited. The bear had its eyes on its prey as Ash didn't move. The boy had his eyes close as he was awaiting whatever fate had in store for him. Soon the bear brought its jaws down. "ASH!!!" yelled the girls. The boy heard the girls scream as he opened his eyes. He soon felt his hair being a bit wet as the bear's tongue was licking it. It then brought its nose to the ranger's face as it nuzzled into it. Ash slowly and carefully brought his hand up and placed it on the zord's nose. He then began to rub it as the creature gave a low and soothing growl. The boy then traveled upwards as he reached its ear and began to scratch behind it as that served as the final sign that it trusted the ranger's word. "Thank you," muttered the yellow ranger to the zord. He stood up and began to pet the bear's face as it licked his hand. The girls stood up as well as they saw the scene. They powered down as they began to cautiously approach their leader and the creature. "It's alright, girls. She's on our side now," said Ash still petting the bear's fur. "You sure?" said Sunset. "Come on, she won't bite. Much," chuckled the boy. The girls all put their hands out very slowly while looking away. The bear approached each one as it sniffed the girls and recognized a familiar scent. While it may not have been the scent of the original teammates it last saw, it could tell that the gems were bonded with the girls as they were the new power rangers. It growled and began to lick each one of the girls' hands and nuzzle it. The girls all let out a sigh as they soon smiled. "What did you do?" asked Applejack. "Nothing. I simply showed her that I didn't want to fight. That we didn't want to harm her. So, I simply left myself open and allowed her to see we mean her no harm. When dealing with a wild animal, stay calm." said the boy. "And you took that big of a risk. Knowing that she could of... mauled you," said Twilight. "Sometimes, you have to make the necessary sacrifice. As I told you girls, the duty of being a ranger doesn't come easy. Or without a price. I was willing to lay down my life just to show her we're not her enemies." said Ash as the bear walked to him and nuzzled his leg. "Thanks, girl," said the boy. "Wait, you're calling it, her? You mean, she's a girl?" said Rainbow as she was confused. "I think it best if I show you," stated the yellow ranger. The group now followed the bear as they were walking toward a hidden cave. They followed the zord inside as it was dimly lit. Soon it let out a growl which was answered by two smaller growls. The girls were confused as soon emerging from a stack of grass were two bear cubs as their heads poked out. The twins raced to their mother as she nuzzled them with her nose. "SO CUTE!!!" said all the girls as they rushed forward. They each all got to their knees as the cubs noticed them. They jumped into Sunset's and Applejack's laps as they nuzzled them with Twilight and Rainbow looking over their shoulders. The girls couldn't help but see how precious and adorable the cubs were as they began to pet them. "So... that's why you called it her," said Twilight to the boy. "Yup. When I was following a trail of her tracks, I noticed also a different set of smaller tracks. I wasn't fully buying it, but I had a hunch as to what it may be. So when she made her presence known and began to attack us..." "She was merely defending her home. And her babies," said Applejack. "Like any mother would," stated Ash as he put his head down. For the boy, he was now thinking of his deceased mother and how she did all she could to protect him from danger well before he became a rookie. He had his head down to avoid the girls seeing a tear fall down his cheek. While the girls didn't see it, the bear zord saw the tiny drop hit the ground as she made her way to the boy's side and nuzzled his leg. Ash lifted his head to see the zord as it was trying to comfort his pain and loss. "Thanks, girl," said Ash as he rubbed her head. "Alright, time to go home. Ready?" "Of course," said Sunset. "Uh, I was talking to the bear and her cubs, Sunny." "Oh, right," smiled the bacon-haired girl sheepishly as her face turned red from embarrassment. Ash now bent down to the bear's eye level as her cubs were on her back. The boy put his hand out as soon all three zords began to glow. The gems of the rangers glowed as the bears let out a roar. Soon they reappeared in Ash's hand as three hexagons with the bear symbol on them. The boy stood up and showed them to the girls as they smiled. "Now for us to go home," said Ash as he lifted his Morpher. The group did the same as they all touched their interface and turned into their respective lights as they zoomed away from the cave and were traveling back home. "I see. This is proving some valuable information. Thank you." said Rachel as she was still inside the Morphin Grid and talking with the voice she heard. "No problem. We're here to help one another in a time of need. Speaking of it, take this." said the voice as it sent a code to the A.I. as it downloaded into her system. "If any danger should arise, then this will be the solution." "Understood. Well, I should get going. My master and his friends should be returning shortly." "Just remember, once a ranger. Always a ranger," was the last thing the voice said as it disappeared. Rachel then began to exit from the Morphin' Grid with the new info she received from her mysterious guest. At that moment, five-colored lights appeared in the command center as Ash and the girls returned. "Welcome back, Master Ash. Did you recover the bear zord?" "Yup. And not just one," said Ash as he used his gem to activate the hexagon shapes. The shapes jumped out from his hand and onto the floor. They soon changed into the bear and her cubs as they were in their pet form. The cubs were still cute as the girls awed. They couldn't help but play with them as soon the zords of theirs jumped in and began to make some new friends. All the while, Ash was seeing this with his wolf cub hanging onto his shoulder. The boy sighed as he too began to join in on the fun as the team of rangers managed to successfully recover the zord and her children from the dark lords. Chapter 13: Melodious Songstress"Alright, go!" shouted Applejack. She currently had her arm on a table and sitting across from her was Ash. The pair were having an arm-wrestling match as they were in the park. The farm girl had invited the boy to join her for a hangout as she wanted to say thanks to her friend for carrying her during their expedition the other day in tracking down the bear zord. The day started with Applejack getting ready to do her morning chores. She had just opened the door to her house as she was about to head to the barn when there stood Ash. The girl was surprised to see her leader up at this hour. "Hey," replied Ash. "Hey, sugar. Um, what are you doing here? At this time of day?" "You said you wanted to talk to me?" "Uh, yeah. But... couldn't that wait till later?" stated Applejack. "Oh, well... I mean... you didn't say what time so I just assumed that you meant when you woke up." "Don't tell me you've been out here all night?" "No, I just got here from the command center. But if you want to talk later, then I'll just teleport away," stated Ash as he was about to touch his Morpher. "No, wait!" shouted Applejack as she put her hand on Ash's wrist to lower it. "Look, I wasn't expecting you to show up outside mah house. And me talkin' with you was just a cover. See I wanted to hang out with you today. You know, mah way of sayin' thanks for takin' care of me while I was in pain." "Why didn't you just say that from the beginning?" asked Ash. "Heh, well, I... I didn't know how you would react. I mean, you don't..." "Get out much often?" stated the boy. "You girls really think I'm a hermit?" "Well, can you blame us for thinkin' that?" asked the farm girl with a sheepish smile. "Look, I'm trying my best to get out more and spend time with you all." "I know, well, if you're here, might as well give us a hand. Come on, I'll introduce you to mah folks." Applejack then led her leader into her house. The pair of teens had entered the living room as the girl's brother, and grandma was walking down the stairs. They expected Aj to be up but were shocked to see Ash. The country gal began to introduce her family members to her friend. For Ash, standing before him were two individuals. One of them had moderate sap-green eyes like Aj. His hair was brilliant orange and his skin was brilliant orange. The last person was an elder woman who had light brilliant orange eyes. Her hair was light gray and her skin was light lime green as well as wrinkling. "Ash, this here is mah family. Mah brother, Big McIntosh and Granny Smith." "Hey," said the boy as he waved at his teammate's family. "Howdy," said Granny Smith as she approached the boy and shook his hand. "I was gonna hang out with Ash today, but he offered to come over and help with the chores," stated Applejack. "Well, hope you don't mind sweating," stated Granny Smith. "No worries, I've got plenty of stamina to spare," stated Ash as his hidden power allowed him more energy than the regular person. From there, both teens made it to the orchard. Applejack grabbed some baskets as she had an easy time lifting them with her super-strength. Ash was amazed by the massive field of trees that were on the farm. He had to give credit to Applejack for living this lifestyle and having to do this much work. The pair soon made it to a section of the orchard as they set the baskets down. Both then reached into their pockets, Ash pulling out a circle shape while Applejack had a pentagon. The two rangers had their wristbands change into their Morphers for a moment. A code was sent to the objects in their hands as they began to glow. They soon transformed into their zords in their pet sizes as both Ash's wolf and Applejack's rhino appeared on the ground in front of the pair. The two animals nuzzled their owners as they smiled. "Alright, Ash. Ready to pick these apples?" "Yeah," replied the boy as the pair began to get to work. They each set up a ladder and began to pick the fruits. Their zords also pitched in as they helped their owners. Aj's rhino merely approached the tree as it hit its horn against the wooden structure. The tree began to shake as the branches began to drop the sweet red fruit that was hanging. Ash's wolf then began to pick them up in its mouth as it tossed them into the basket at a rapid pace. And so it went for the first few hours of the morning as the two rangers were hard at work. Applejack stopped for a moment to take off her Stenson hat and wipe her forehead. The girl could already feel herself sweating as she looked back at her leader. True to Ash's word, the boy wasn't even tired. His conditioning and cardio were on full display as he kept on going. Eventually, the teens stopped for a small break as Applejack pulled out some bottles of cider. She tossed one to Ash as the boy grabbed it and began to drink it. "Still as good as when I first tasted it," stated the boy as he sat and leaned back against a tree. His wolf pup jumped into his lap as Ash allowed his zord a chance to taste the drink. "Family recipe. You won't believe how much we make off of this alone," chuckled Applejack. She grabbed her rhino zord in her arms as she sat in front of her leader. "I appreciate you looking out for me during our latest trip." "No worries, Aj. You're my teammate. It's my job as your leader to look out for the rest of the rangers." stated Ash as he petted his wolf pup. "I gotta say, this little guy is nice to have. He tries to help in any way he can," said Applejack as she petted her rhino who let out a sound. "Glad to see the zord is adapting to his new lifestyle. By the way, your family hasn't seen the little thing, have they?" asked Ah. "Don't worry. I've been keeping him and my identity a secret. It's just... it's kinda hard not to tell my family that I'm a ranger. Especially, mah little sister. She's a big fan of ours. She and her friends." "I know you probably don't like keeping secrets from your family, Aj. But that's the price you have to pay. If the Dark Lords knew who you girls are, they'll target anybody close to you. They'll do anything to make you suffer." "I understand that. I just wish I could tell them. It'd be something that they'd be proud of. Especially, mah ma and pa. If they were here, they'd be smiling at seein' what their daughter is doin'." "I can tell, you miss yer folks as well. But at least they got to rest in peace. Me... I had to watch them get destroyed right before my eyes." Ash had his head down as he was thinking back. His wolf zord sensed the feelings its owner had as nuzzled against the boy. Ash felt his pup as he looked at it. The wolf looked up at its owner with its paws on his shirt. The little pet licked his face as the boy smiled. "Thanks for cheering me up, buddy." His wolf let out a small howl as Ash petted its head. "Come on, let's finish up so that we can hang out quicker," stated Applejack. The two teens then got up as they continued their work. They soon finished their section as they loaded up their baskets and brought them back to the barn. Upon returning, Ash met the last of Aj's siblings as Applebloom was helping her big brother. The farm girl introduced her little sister to her friend. After putting the baskets in the barn, Granny Smith allowed the two teens to go have fun as they left. The pair of rangers stopped by the Sweet Shoppe as Aj stated it was a popular place where she and the girls hung out. From there, the country gal took the time to strike up a conversation with her leader as she wanted to learn a bit more about him. After that, they headed over to the park. And that was where we started. "Remember, no using your super strength." "I got it, sugarcube. I play fair, unlike Dash." The pair nodded as they began to lock hands with their elbows firmly planted on the table. Once both had a tight grip on the other, they then began their arm-wrestling match. Safe to say, both were giving it their all. It was no secret that Applejack was strong, even without using her gem's power, but HELL! She was insanely strong, so much so that they were both locked in place as Ash's muscles were bulging. Applejack seemed to have a great time, but even she seemed to struggle and put as much effort into winning as she could. The table was shaking as both held each other in a tight lock, now it was a battle of endurance! "You think you can outmuscle me, sugar," said Aj grunting. "I'm not trying to. Besides, you're slowing down. Did you forget that my gem's power allows me to have more stamina and energy?" "You said no powers!" shouted Applejack as she grunted. "I said for you, to not use your power. I didn't say anything about myself. Plus, it's not about a test of strength. Now it's about endurance. So that means, the longer this goes... means I have the advantage." said Ash as he was showing off his high levels of endurance and stamina. Even Applejack was worried at how her leader was showing off his physique. The pair was now reaching down to the final stretch as Applejack could feel her weight starting to push Ash's arm down. The boy saw his arm starting to bend as he pushed himself. For Applejack, she nearly had him beat that she could taste it. The girl was tempted to just slam him using her super-strength but before she could think about that, her arm started to move in the opposite direction. Now it was the country girl who was in danger. Ash breathed heavily as he picked his arm up and fought back against his friend. Soon he brought his arm back to their starting position as he looked Aj in the eye. The girl was staring into the eyes of her friend as he looked like a predator eyeing its prey. The best way to describe it was that Ash looked like he had his wolf's eyes as it was dead set on finishing its objective. "No, I ain't going down yet," she said determinedly, closing her eyes. She wasn't going to show fear in the eyes of the alpha that was eyeing her like a piece of meat. She then began to muster every strength she had, and it became harder to hold her in place. Ash took a relaxing breath, as he felt sweat form on top of his head, before pushing harder and slowly beginning to move her hand further down. "No, not yet," she cried out, as her hand was a few inches away from touching the table. The girl panted, sounding exhausted. She shouldn't have done that and tired herself out. With one final strong push, Ash moved Applejack's hand onto the table, winning the match. She opened her eyes and stared at her hand, pinned on the table, in awe for a few seconds, before looking at her leader. "Good fight," stated Ash as he wiped the sweat on his forehead. "Wow, you're really strong. I'm impressed," she explained. "I merely turned a game of strength into a test of endurance. Of course, I couldn't have lasted that long without putting in some of my own strength. You're strong. No wonder the emerald gem chose you." said Ash as he began to rub his hand. "Well, I would have beaten you if you didn't cheat!" shouted the country girl. "I didn't cheat. The only rule that I said was for you to not use your gem's power. I didn't say anything about myself. And I played the game from a strategic plan. Without your extra strength, all I had to do was wear you down to the point where I could take advantage. Strength isn't everything. Sometimes you need a little brain to achieve victory." "I see yer point. Still, next time, nobody uses their powers. We'll see then if you can actually beat me?" snickered the country gal as Ash merely laughed. In his lab, Thorax was at one of his computers as he looking at a screen. Ever since the failure of capturing the zord, their leader was unhappy that the rangers managed to get another ally that could defeat them. Of course, such failure didn't go without punishment as Chrysalis made sure to give her boys their consequences for failing. Right now, the mutant was in his lab as he was determined to not let another scenario like that happen. He was now hard at work on locating the other missing zords and finding the other secret item they were searching for. The general was concentrating on a task when suddenly he was interrupted. He groaned as he heard something horrible. He walked out of his lab as he followed the sound waves which led to a door. He didn't bother knocking as he pushed it open. "That's the latest song from Countess Coloratura's new album," spoke the person on the TV. "Such splendid music," spoke Starlight. "You call that music?" shouted Thorax as the girl mutant looked behind her. "Ever hear of knocking!" "Please, like you did that when we dated," snickered Thorax. "I just came here to tell you to shut that thing off. I'm busy doing important stuff!" "Like getting your ass kicked by both your mother and the rangers. I knew you and your dumb brother would fail. If anything, he should have sent me to retrieve the zord." "Whatever, keep the noise down." "That noise is music. You know that if you actually got out of your lab once in a while. And it's not just some pop garage that's heard on the radio these days by wanna-be pop stars. It's none other than Countess Coloratura. One of the biggest icons in terms of music. She was able to rise through the ranks of the music world and top the billboard charts." "And you know this because?" asked Thorax. "Just you like have the little things you enjoy about this dimension. So do I," replied Starlight to her comrade. "If you're a fan of Countess Coloratura, then you're in luck. The famous music icon will be in town to promote her new album. So, feel free to stop by the Canterlot Mall to get an exclusive signed copy of her latest music." stated the person on TV. "Exclusive signed copy, you say?" snickered Starlight. "Before you even think about it, keep in mind, we're busy with our stuff. We don't need to waste it on distractions," responded Thorax. "This is any but a distraction!!!" shouted Starlight as the whole room began to shake from her voice. "This is my chance to not only meet such a famous musical icon but perhaps show her the stellar voice that I possess. Imagine dominating the music charts with none other than the Countess." "Oh, shit," muttered Thorax. The male mutant knew what was coming as he was too slow to cover his ears. Starlight now began to sing as he was treated to the horrible sounding of his comrade's singing voice. Granted in the past, before they were transformed into monsters, Starlight had a lovely singing voice. But now, with them becoming mutants, the girl had lost that part of her as her voice sounded truly like nails on a chalkboard. "Shut up!!!" shouted Thorax. "Well, impressed?" asked Starlight. "What a shit performance," answered Thorax honestly. "How dare you?!! I still possess the lovely singing voice that I once had before our transformation." "Maybe in your head," whispered Thorax to himself. "I heard that!!!" shouted Starlight. "If you're so smart, then tell me how I can impress Countess Coloratura?" "Hmm, I think I may have just the thing," replied Thorax as he left Starlight's room back to his lab and began to design something. Rarity was currently in her boutique as she was waiting for someone. Soon the bell on the door was heard as the girl looked at who entered. Safe to say, it was none other than Applejack, however, the girl didn't expect to see another person present. Let alone a boy. "Howdy, Rarity." "Hello, Applejack. So nice you could come," said the fashionista as she hugged her friend. She then looked behind the cowgirl as there was the boy who entered with her friend. "My, darling. You didn't tell me you were seeing someone." "Huh? Oh!" said Applejack as she now realized what her friend was implying. "No, it's not like that! Rarity, this here is mah friend, his name is Ash." replied the girl while having some red on her face from embarrassment. "Hey," waved Ash. "Charmed to meet you, darling. For a second, I thought Applejack finally took an interest in someone." "Rarity!!!" shouted the farm girl. "Huh?" said Ash. "Anyways, you said you needed help," stated Applejack trying to move the conversation along to avoid further embarrassment. "Oh, right. Follow me." The girl then led the pair into a spare room as it was bare. The fashionista then began to explain to her friend how she wanted her to create a dresser room for her business. With the task now laid before her, Applejack soon got to work. "On today's "DIY with Applejack", we're gonna build my friend Rarity a dream dressin' room – in just seventy-three easy steps!" "When the hell did we start recording this? And why?" asked Ash as he was behind the camera with Rarity. One second, Applejack was drawing up the plans, and now she was talking to the camera like she was recording a video to upload onto the internet. "Shush, darling. Just let Applejack do her magic," informed Rarity who was holding up the camera. "Hello, darlings! I can't wait for my fabulous new dressing room and—" said the fashionista as she turned the camera to address the viewers. She was about to go on a tangent when she heard Aj clearing her throat. "Oh. Sorry. Promise I won't make another peep." "Let's get started!" exclaimed Aj. Soon the scene changed as the trio was all of a sudden outside. "First, ya need wood. So, for step one, I'm gonna cut down one of my trees." "When the hell did we leave the shop?" stated Ash as he noticed the sudden change in surroundings. "Ooh, just a dash of peep. How many trees are we going to need?" asked Rarity before things fast forward. "Step eight – gettin' rid of splinters. Now, ya have to give each square foot of the surface thirty clockwise strokes with the buffer..." "Thirty?! Darling, that seems a bit excessive!" stated Rarity as the farmer had a look on her face. "Yes. Thirty. And then you have to double-check those strokes by— Aw, shoot! I lost count! Well, I have to cut down a new tree." stated the girl as she left. "Alright, let me know when you're done, Applejack," said Ash as made his exit. It was a while since the boy had fallen asleep in a chair. He soon felt a tap on his shoulder as he woke up. Standing before him were the girls. "You finally finished?" asked Ash. Rarity then showed the video they recorded as she fast-forwarded to the end. The boy now saw the final result of the country girl's work as he was impressed by what he saw. The trio of teens then began to head out as they were meeting the rest of their friends. They all entered the Sweet Shoppe as there were the rest of the girls. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie were present as they were shocked to see Ash. So as it turned out, the boy had officially met the friend group that the girls belonged to as he could see the friendship that the girl had with one another. The sight before the boy reminded him of his previous group of friends and how they used to have fun with one another when they weren't rangers. All of it, made the boy feel something. He didn't let any of the girls see as he quietly lowered his head and let out a few tears. His attention was then called as Rarity was tapping his shoulder. "Ash, are you okay?" "Huh, y-yeah. Sorry Rarity. I was... just thinking about something." said the boy as he grabbed a nearby chair and turned it around as he sat. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity were a bit confused by how the boy was acting. However, the others knew what their leader was thinking as they quickly began to talk about something else to take the pressure off their friend. Rarity did notice the wristband that Ash had as it was similar to the ones the others had. Before she could ask the boy about it, their attention was turned to Pinkie who had pulled out her phone. She was currently playing the latest song that was trending. Time for the spectacle Time for the show The lights are bright and the colors glow I'm not just anybody I think you know The time is now, it's about to blow! Razzle dazzle Glitz and glam Turn it all up, it's a spectacle Razzle dazzle Glitz and glam Turn it all up, it's a spectacle Give me more Razzle dazzle Glitter eyes, big surprise Lights, cameras Razzle dazzle Glitz and glam Turn it all up, it's a spectacle Hear the applause Here to impress Not just anybody, I am the Countess! "Well, what do you think?" asked the party girl. "I'll tell you what I think. It's awesome!" replied Rainbow. "I liked the hook that was sung," stated Sunset. "Really?" spoke Ash. The girls were all giving praise to the song they heard as Ash had a different opinion. "No offense, but... it kinda sucked." GASP The girls, apart from Applejack, all gasped as even Pinkie had to do a spit take. "Do you know who that was?!!!" asked Pinkie as she leaned into the boy's face and grabbed his shirt. "No," answered Ash bluntly. "That was none other than the famous and biggest pop star in all of the world. It's Countess Coloratura!" "Who?" Once again, the girls minus Aj all made even bigger gasps. Even the nearby patrons and Mr. and Mrs. Cake all did some gasps. They soon began to murmur to themselves as they carried on with their lives. "My frizz has been freaked!" exclaimed Pinkie as she let go of the boy. "Okay, why does it feel like I committed some kind of sin?" asked Ash as he wa being given that kind of vibe. "Darling? How can you not know who Countess Coloratura is?" asked Rarity. "Really?" stated Ash raising an eyebrow. "Oh, right," chuckled the fashionista as she was told by the girls that Ash was from out of town and had only been here for a while. "No offense, but I too don't know who the hay this Countess Coloratura person is?" asked Applejack as she was in the same boat as her leader. "Am I taking crazy pills?" shouted Pinkie grabbing her hair. "I mean..." muttered Ash quietly to himself. "Uh, I just told you that she's the biggest teen pop star in the whole world! How-how-how-how-how have you not heard of her?!" stated Pinkie. "Hey, I have a legitimate excuse," corrected Ash. "Don't know. Though I did know a gal named Coloratura when I was just a little girl," laughed Aj while doing a little pig snort, "Wouldn't it just be the funniest thing if that Coloratura and this Coloratura were the same Coloratura? Heh." "Do you mean to tell me that you actually know Countess Coloratura?" Pinkie asked rather bitterly as she glared at the farm girl. "Well, I don't think it's the same person, since my friend wasn't any sort of high-falutin' countess." "Do you remember what she looked like?" asked Pinkie sternly. "Sure do. She had this super colorful hairpin of musical notes that just shimmered in the light," replied Applejack. "You mean... like this?!" Pinkie asked as she pulled up a photo on her phone that had the image of the hairpin with the exact description that Aj had said. "Well, fancy that!" said Applejack in surprise, "That there's the very same hairpin!" "Talk about a coincidence," stated Ash. "That can't be true. Do you have any idea how demanding she is?" responded Pinkie. "Nah," said the country girl with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Yah!" Pinkie retorted, leaning into her face again. "I completely understand," said Rarity, "We artistes require certain necessities in order to do our best work." "There's got to be some sort of misunderstandin', 'cause Rara was just as down-home as me!" "Rara?!" said the other girls in unison with open mouths. "What's the big deal?" Ash replied, "Rara is a nice nickname." "Darn tootin' it was," stated Aj, "Even that big-name was too fancy for her, so I shortened Coloratura to 'Rara'!" (Flashback) Applejack then began to tell a tale. A visual was shown of a campsite where many little boys and girls were shouting and having a good time. They were all wearing an olive green girl/boy scout style shirt with a dark orange scarf around their necks and a green camp. "We had the best time at Camp Friendship!" Applejack narrated as a younger self and a pale blue girl with navy blue hair that had natural curls in it were doing a tug of war against another team. However, the two girls were soon pulled into the mud. They were both frazzled at first, but then Rara began to laugh, and Applejack did as well. "Rara was just so easygoin'!" Applejack continued as the two girls raced for the lake, jumped in, and started splashing at each other to clean the mud off, "We were like two apples from the same branch." Later the two girls were seen standing on a wooden stage before other campers. "Rara and I prepared this song for the camp talent show," Applejack said as her kid self grabbed a guitar, and kid Rara looked rather nervous, "When we performed, she belted it out, singin' in the most colorful, clear voice I'd ever heard!" Applejack then gave her friend a supportive smile as the pale blue girl began started to sing. As young Rara began to sing from her heart, young Applejack played her guitar and smiled. The other campers were blown away by the little girl's voice. Then the hairpin on her head started to glow, surprising young Aj as her friend's singing became more passionate. Soon, young Rara finished with a long note, and Applejack then gave a metal triangle a ting. The other campers were most impressed and cheered for Rara, who smiled happily with tears pricking the bottom of her eyes. (End Flashback) "After camp, we wrote to each other for a bit," said Aj, "but... then we lost touch. But Rara always did want to go to Manehattan to try and make it big. But a demandin' diva? She's just a plain old girl like you and me." Aj gave Pinkie a funny look about Rara turning into a diva. "I hope so, Aj," said Ash wearily, "When you make it big, the fame can go to a person's head no matter how down to earth they can be." "Well, putting that aside. You gotta at least admit the song was dope?" stated Rainbow to Ash. "As I said, it sucked!" stated the boy as everyone gasped once more. "Oh come on, it's true. No one appreciates good music anymore. All you hear on the radio is that pop mechanical garbage. Music is supposed to be about passion, about heart. And a song is supposed to not sound like that but to convey that message as well." "Hey, Countess Coloratura has some good music, Ash!" said Twilight as she was with Pinkie in defending the pop teen superstar. "Translation, she owns all of her music," stated Sunset to her leader. "No, I don't!" replied the bookworm with a sheepish smile. "Okay, I do. But that has nothing to do with it." "It's bad enough that you're dissing her music. Now we got to believe that somehow, Aj knows her," stated Rainbow. "I'm tellin' y'all, it's true. I do know her, well... not this countess gal. But I know Rara." "You really expect us to trust your word?" asked the chromatic girl. "Believe what you want, Dash. But I've never not told the truth about mah friends." "Well, here's your chance to prove it," stated Twilight as she got the attention of everyone. The girl had pulled out her laptop and showed her screen. "According to her website, she's gonna be in town to promote her latest album. She's also going to be signing some exclusive copies." "Exclusive copies?!!!" said Rarity as she stood up quickly with a glee smile. Her actions got the attention of the other customers as they looked at the girl. The fashionista had some red on her cheeks from embarrassment as she quietly sat back down. She then cleared her throat before speaking. "Darlings, this is the perfect opportunity. Not only will we see the famous music idol herself, but it will allow Applejack a chance to see if she's truly friends with her. And of course, allow Ash a chance to see just how amazing the Countess is." "Wait, why am I being dragged into this?" asked the boy. "Wish I could, but I got something to do tomorrow during her signing," stated Rainbow. "Same here," responded Twilight. The others all gave similar responses as Rarity made a face. She then turned to Applejack as she was hoping the country gal would at least accompany her and Ash for the signing. "Well, alright. I don't see now harm in provin' that I know Rara." "Again, why the hell am I going?" asked the boy as he never consented. "Hush now, darling. This is so that you can see just how popular Countess Coloratura really is. And you can ask her about the music she makes." said Rarity. "Like that'll change my opinion on her," muttered Ash as he let out a sigh. It was then settled as Aj, Rarity, and Ash would head to the mall where Countess Coloratura would be. Also, the other girls asked Applejack if she could hook them up with some signed copies. The next day arrived as the scene showed a mall. The Canterlot mall was one of the biggest and busiest places to be. And it was even busier as today, a famous icon would be arriving. A group of people before kids and teens were gathered near the front of the mall's entrance. They were awaiting the arrival of someone as they didn't have to wait long. A large limo appeared as it stopped in front of the mall. Four men emerged in punk rock style attires as some pop BGM music was played. A cloud of smoke hissed from the inside, which contained a throne as well as the silhouette of a person reclining on it. Some sun-shaped effects appeared in the background as Countess Coloratura appeared before them. The crowd went crazy seeing the teen icon. Among the crowd were Rarity, Applejack, and Ash. While Rarity was bouncing up and down like a fangirl, the duo had different expressions on their faces. While Applejack recognized the hairpin, her hair was styled with long gene-style ponytails and was now purplish white with some darker purple highlights. She was also wearing a dark purple jacket that had some studs along the button area with a darker purple top under it. She also had some black studded bracelets and a necklace as well as a similarly styled headband with a veil over her face. Lastly, she had on some very thick black top and bottom eyelashes. The men then began to part the crowd in front of them as they were leading their client inside the mall. As she was following them, the Countess was expressing her love and admiration to her adoring fans. They soon entered the building as they were making their way to the table that was set up for her as the crowd was following a few meters behind. "Clear the way! Stand back!" shouted some of the men as they held back some of the fans. "Keep your hands to yourselves." As they walked, several people didn't hesitate to take photos of the teen pop star as Rara walked with somewhat of a snooty persona. All the while, Applejack was in disbelief. "No... that can't be her," said the farm girl. "Shall we find out?" Ash asked as Applejack nodded, and the three teens began to walk up to the pop star as the line was starting to form with them at the front. Applejack looked at the person as she cleared her throat. "Um... hi," said Applejack as Rara seemed to ignore her. "Who should I make it out to?" asked the girl without looking at who spoke as she grabbed one of her albums and was preparing to sign it. "Um, well... that's kinda hard to say. Um, do you remember me? We met at Camp Friendship? I gave you the nickname 'Rara'?" The nickname seemed to do the trick as the pop star's demeanor softened. "Aj?" Rara asked in surprise. She then looked up and true to her eyes, there stood the girl she was friends with when they were little as she was now grown up a bit. "Yeah," the farm girl replied as Ash and Rarity stood by her side and smiled. "Wow! I haven't seen you in ages!" said the girl as she was still in shock to see an old colleague. "Heh. Howdy, Rara!" It was then one of the men appeared and whispered something to Rara. Applejack and Ash looked at the interaction curiously before they were each splattered on the cheek with a stamp that was shaped like a red heart. "Wuh?" said Ash in shock. "Hearties!" said Rara with a short laugh as one of the men held the stamp pad before putting it away. "Ooh, you got hearties from Countess Coloratura!" said Rarity, "Look! Ooh, she clearly thinks you're very special!" She showed the stamp to Applejack using a hand-held mirror. "You think so?" asked Ash as he wiped the mark off and quickly pointed at Rara who was giving out quick hearties to some other people. "Yeah... real special," said Applejack annoyingly as she rolled her eyes and wiped her cheek clean. Rara then came back to the table as the three were still in line. "It's been so long. I didn't know that you were a fan?" stated Rara. "Actually, it's mah friend Rarity," stated the farm girl as she pointed to the fashionista next to her. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," said the marshmallow girl as she shook the hand of the music idol while trying not to faint. "Oh, she also didn't tell me that she had a boy--" "NO!!!" exclaimed Aj as she cut off Rara from finishing that sentence. "Ash is just a new friend. He's just recently moved here, and I'm showing him around." "Nice to meet you, ma'am," said the boy as he extended his hand for the girl to shake. "Nice to meet you. Did she tell you that we used to know each other?" asked Rara. "Yeah, but our other friends didn't believe it," responded the boy. "It was nothing. Jut little kid stuff," scoffed the music icon. "Nothing? I... I thought we had fun when we were kids. And the song we performed at camp. I enjoyed." spoke Aj in disbelief. "Oh, yeah. It was. But... we were kids. And look at us now, all grown up. Time to move on." said Rara as Aj was disheartened to hear that from a friend she thought she knew. "Move on? How can you say that Rara?" spoke the farm girl. "I am not Rara! I am Countess Coloratura! And while we may have been friends when we were young, we have clearly gone in different directions!" Before Aj could respond, the three teens were suddenly pushed to the side as a few reporters and photographers emerged. They began to take some photos and ask the musical sensation some questions. "Countess Coloratura! What led you to be the success you are today?" asked a reporter. "I'm so glad you asked. Well, it all started... give me one second," said the teen icon as she quickly spotted Aj. "Applejack, forgive me. But can we discuss things later? But hey, here you go. On the house." Rara quickly signed an album and tossed it at the farm girl. Applejack looked at the thing in her hands as she saw the image of the Countess. A few photos of her holding it were taken before turning back to the music icon. For the farm girl, it seemed the truth was real. The friend she once knew was long gone and replaced by someone she didn't know. She let out a sigh as she left the huge crowd with Ash looking at his teammate. In the villains'' lair, Thorax had finally put the finishing touches on his device. "Well?" asked Starlight who was impatient. "It's complete," said Thorax as he picked up the device. "With this, you'll be able to impress that icon of yours. Of course, it needs a volunteer." "Say less," snickered Starlight as soon an officer appear. "Canary, reporting for duty, generals," spoke a female monster. Thorax smiled before combing his device with the officer. Back with our heroes, the signing was over. Rara and her team were preparing to leave as Rarity had managed to catch up with the music icon. She was hoping to get some insight on some clothes that she wanted to give the Countess for future appearances. As for Applejack and Ash, the pair were watching their friend escort the pop idol to the parking lot before talking. "Well, she's... something." "Yeah, I guess. Seems the Rara that I knew is long gone." "Hey, don't beat yourself up," said Ash as he put his hand on Aj's shoulder. "So what if she's changed? At least you're true to yourself. To me, that's more important than some fame or glory." "I appreciate you saying that sugar," smiled Applejack as she gave a hug to her leader. Ash returned the gesture as he put his arms around the farm girl. "And you know, maybe you're right. Maybe I don't Rara at all." stated the girl as she broke the hug. Just then a scream was heard. "Huh?" said Ash as he looked at Aj. The two teens then began to run in the direction of the scream. They heard it getting louder and louder as the pair came to the parking lot. There was Rara and Rarity, but surrounding them were minions as well as the monster that was sent by Thorax and Starlight. "What do you monsters want?" asked Rara in fear. "Don't you know? I'm a fan of yours," snickered Canary. "Come on!" instructed Ash to Aj. The pair ran as they began to engage with some of the minions. Ash managed to kick the ones holding the men away as they began to run. He then turned and did a few hand-to-hand combats before spinning in the air and using his leg to kick them. He then grabbed Rarity's hand as he led her to the entrance. "Ash?" "Get out of here!" instructed the boy to the girl as he turned back to block a strike before kneeing the minion and tossing him to the others. Rarity followed the instructions given by her friend as she ran to safety. With Applejack, she was ducking and punching her section of the minions. She fell onto the floor and then kip-up as she began to throw some fists. One of them hit the girl into a nearby car as the one on top grabbed her. The farm girl merely used her strength to grab a hold of the arm and fling the minion into the others. She then charged forward with a punch as they fell. Another scream was heard as she looked in the direction of Rara. A minion was about to attack the girl as Aj rushed and harden her skin to block its attack. She then spun the arm around as the minion forward flipped onto the ground to which she did a chop block to its midsection. "Aj, what are doing?" asked Rara. "Ask later, run now!" instructed the farm girl to her friend. The pop star obeyed as she ran while the farm girl went back to fighting. She was preparing to escape when the monster stood in front of her. Applejack quickly looked as she saw her friend in danger. "Rara!" called out the girl as soon a whole bunch of minions was holding back the girl as her hand was reaching out. "You're aren't going to leave so soon? Not after I have a request for you," snickered the monster. "Now... sing for me, little birdie!" She then used her claws to shoot out some energy beams. Rara looked away and put her hands up while letting out a small scream. Soon the energy beams began to do something. The voice of Rara was heard as it sang in its harmonious tone before a ball of energy appeared out of her mouth. The girl looked at the sphere as the voice was still harmonizing before it disappeared into the monster. "Thanks for the gift!" said Canary as she disappeared with the rest of the mutants. Applejack stumbled a bit as she then ran over to Rara who fell to her knees. "Rara? Are you okay?" asked the girl. "Yeah, but..." The girl cleared her throat as she opened her mouth. She then put her two fingers on it as she opened her mouth again. But like before, nothing came out. "What's wrong?" asked the farm girl. "I... I can't sing." "Oh, shit," said Ash in a dreadful tone. Upon returning, Canary then used her powers to make the sphere appear. The ball of energy was shown as Starlight was smiling. It then entered the general as she then opened her mouth and a lovely noise was heard. "Wow, I can actually tolerate your singing for once," snickered Thorax. He was impressed by how well his device worked in stealing one's singing voice. "Wonderful," said Starlight with a smile at how she sounded. "There you go," said Thorax as he was preparing to leave. "Canary, get back out in the field and steal more." "What?" said Thorax as he quickly returned to the room. "You heard me!" "Yes, General Starlight," replied the officer before she zipped away. "I thought you wanted just her voice," asked Thorax. "True, but... with this lovely voice. I should be the only one with it. Nobody else. That way, I can dominate the music world." "And how is that supposed to help us conquer this dimension?" asked Thorax. "It doesn't. This is just for me! Only I should have a golden, angelic voice." "This is all you. If it fails, you got nobody to blame but yourself!" said Thorax as he wasn't going to stick around for the consequences of his comrade's ambitions. The general left as Starlight let out an evil cackle. "Time to please, General Starlight!" said Canary as she was on top of a building looking down at some humans. She then landed as a few noticed her in fear. "Don't worry. I only need to hear you squeal!" She then powered up her claws as the energy beams shot out to some humans. The same thing happened before as their voices were heard in a harmonious tone. They soon exited from their mouths as there stood the sphere before disappearing into the mutant as she zoomed away. All the people were left touching their throats as they tried to sing but no sound was coming out. "Choir practice is in session!" said the monster as she absorbed some more from a group of people in front of a church. "Sharp in the key of B! More like B-flat!" said the mutant taking some more people who were singing. "Let's make this quartet into a quintet," she snickered as she did it once more. She then entered a recording studio as she zapped away the voices of the singers behind the booth. They all were in fear as soon their singing was no more. She laughed and was about to leave. "Hey!" said the last singer behind the booth who was also present. Yet for some reason, she didn't take his voice. "You can't sing for shit! You're using autotune!" said Canary as she left. "You've been using autotune this whole time!?!!" shouted the other members of the band as they were unhappy. While this was happening, Ash and the girls were watching this from the command center as Rachel was tracking the monster. "Someone has the power to take away your singing voice? That's so not cool!" stated Rainbow. "Seems the dark lords are trying to take everyone who has a decent voice and is probably going to try to convert that into energy." "For what, though?" asked Sunset. "I don't know, but right now, we need to put a stop to it," instructed Ash. "Where's Aj?" asked Twilight. "She's with Rara right now. She took her to Rarity's boutique. After she got her voice taken away, she needed someplace to lay low. Though I will say, it was devasting to see her." spoke the boy. "Yeah, I can imagine. Not being able to sing," stated Sunset. "Oh, no. I was talking about the meltdown she had. It was pretty brutal." "Alright, are we done talking so we can stop this thing?" asked Rainbow. "Right, we got a job to do. Oh, before I forget." The boy then tossed each of the girls a signed copy of Rara's latest album. "No way! You actually got her to sign one for each of us?!!" said Twilight with a wide smile. "Don't say I never did anything for you. Now come on, you girls ready?" "Ready!" responded the girls as they now stood in a line with Ash and lifted their arms for their wristbands to change into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all four. They each traced the symbol on their devices as they appeared on a split-screen. Their gems encased the rangers into their suits as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as their vizors formed and finished doing their poses accompanied by their zords in the background. The four were now in front of the monster. "There she is!" stated Ash. The four rangers all pulled out their sabers and charged forward. They each tried to take a swing at the monster as she was ducking and fighting back. She made contact with her claws as she spun and hit all four. "Catch me if you can!" stated the monster as the rangers chased after her. While this was going down, Applejack was with Rara. After leaving the mall, the farm girl took her pal to Rarity's place as it would give them some privacy from any fans. Of course, there were also a few men in suits as they watched the windows and doors for any peeping eyes. Sitting down in a pair of couches were Applejack and Rara as Rarity brought a tea set. She gave one to the music icon and the girl thanked the fashionista before she went back behind the counter. "I can't believe this happened," said Rara holding the teacup in her lap. "Oh, come on, Rara. It's not that bad. I mean, it could be worst. You could have turned into an old lady," chuckled Aj trying to lighten the mood as Rara glared at her. Even Rarity heard that as she took offense to the comment made by her farm friend. "Sorry," apologized the girl before munching on a cookie. "To think my career and life are over," spoke the girl. "And I was supposed to perform at the Amphitheater tonight." "I mean, that doesn't stop you from attendin'," replied the girl. "And who knows, maybe they won't ask you to perform if you tell them the truth." "Right, and disappoint all my fans who came to see me do the one thing that I'm being paid to do. The one thing that defines my life and the entire legacy that I've been building since I was little. I knew you wouldn't understand." stated Rara. Applejack felt a bit angry at Rara's attitude as all the girl could think of was her image. Her bracelet then beeped as she heard it. "I need to go." "What?" said Rara. "I just need to do something, and I'll come back," stated Applejack as she was being contacted by the others for assistance. "No, you can't!" stated the music icon as she grabbed Aj's hand when she stood up. "Rarity will be here if you need anything. Plus, you got a security team. Nobody will bother you. I just need to step out for a bit. I promise." "But, you can't leave me. Not like this, Aj. Please... you're my friend. And I know you don't leave your friends when they need you the most." said Rara as she was scared. Applejack looked at her friend and saw just how vulnerable she was. Safe to say, it reminded the farm girl a slight glance at who the real Rara once was. "Applejack, you still consider me your friend, right?" asked Rara with pleading eyes. The country gal sighed as she sat back down. With the others, they were still fighting against Canary as she kept on dodging their attacks. The rangers were doing all they could as the monster was tougher than she looked. Ash had been flung to the side as he was about to get back into the action to help the girls when he stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, Ash. But I need some alone time with you." "Starlight! I should have known you were behind this. Ever since you transformed, you've been craving your lost voice." Starlight didn't take kindly to that as she charged up her staff and fired a magic beam at Ash. The boy felt the attack as he fell back. The girls were dealing with Canary on their own as they were taking a beating. "Where the hell is Aj?" asked Sunset as got up from the floor. "I called her, but she ain't picking up!" answered Dash as with Ash dealing with Starlight, the girls need some help in taking down Canary. A few meters away, Ash had recovered as he had his blade out and was dueling with Starlight. The boy leaped over her staff as they began to wail their weapons against each other as they clanged. Starlight managed to push Ash back into a wall as the boy rolled along the edge as the mutant missed. Once more they began to exchange attacks as Ash ducked and then back spun as he kicked the monster in her midsection. He went for a low sweep as she jumped to avoid it. They both began to spin while attacking as the yellow ranger managed to get some distance. Starlight went for a low-side attack as Ash blocked it with his blade, but that served as a distraction as Starlight hit him in the chest as he stumbled and fell. Starlight then tried to attack the boy while he was on the ground as he rolled to the side. He'd kipped up and ducked another attack as elbowed the girl mutant in her side. Starlight then managed to slash at Ash as she got the boy to which he stumbled. She went for a thrust using her staff, Ash blocked it with his blade as it was this close to his face. The boy then leaped into the air as he did several rotations while Starlight slid under him. He landed and then did some kicks to the monster's chest as Starlight fell back. "Give it up, Starlight," panted Ash while pointing his weapon at her. "What am I going to do?!" stated Rara as she was having another panic attack. "Rara, get a hold of yourself! You're not the only one being affected here! Other people are suffering the same thing as you! You think everything is about you?!!!" shouted Applejack. "And that's my problem, how?!!!" countered the girl. "Since when did being famous was all you thought about? Being popular, being not true to yourself? Where's the Rara that I once knew? Where is the girl that wasn't content with image? Where's the girl that didn't care about popularity or publicity? Where's the Rara that sang because she loved to?!!!" "That type of mentality doesn't get you anywhere in this business!!! You wouldn't understand, Applejack! You're nothing but an apple-picking farmer! Someone who doesn't have the responsibilities and duties that I have! I'm a sensational musician, someone who made it big. You're just stuck here in this place, never to get out. You're nothing but a measly apple farmer, who only has to worry about keeping the family farm from going out of business." stated Rara as she glared at her friend. Applejack felt her fists clench. She took in all that was said by the diva as her blood boiled. Still, the country gal took a deep breath as she regained her composure. She so badly wanted to tell the music icon how her life had recently changed but knew that it would violate her code as a ranger. The girl instead stood up from her couch and reached into her pocket. She pulled out several things and handed them to the pop star. "This... this was the Rara that I once knew. This was the girl that I considered my friend. She was someone who cared about others, not just herself." said Applejack as she pointed to the picture of her and the girl when they were kids at Camp Friendship. "The real perk of friendship is gettin' to see your friend bein' true to their self. And Rara, when you're simply yourself, you're the brightest star I've ever seen shine. I have to go." said the farm gal as her bracelet beeped once more, and she walked out of the boutique. Rara looked at the other things in her hand. One of them was the hairpin that she always wore. Of course, the girl always had extra accessories on that she would sometimes forget it was there. Now, she was looking at it more closely. The last thing was a flash drive. The girl snapped her fingers as one of the suited men brought a laptop and plugged in the drive. A video came up as they pushed play for the pop icon to watch. It was a recording of a dress rehearsal that she and Aj did right before performing their song for the other campers. "You sure about this, Aj?" said kid Rara. "Absolutely," said kid Applejack as she began to play her guitar. The strums of the instrument began the song as Rara cleared her throat and began to sing. Planet Earth, the place I love A land of harmony Our flag does wave from high above For all of mankind to see Planet Earth, a place of friends Where humankind does roam They say true friendship never ends Planet Earth, my home Ash was still locked in combat with Starlight. The general trying to get rid of her problem. Both crossed their weapon as their faces were inches from each other. The anger and hatred were on display. "You really think that in the end, you'll defeat us, Ash?!! If your mother and your friends couldn't do it, what chances do you or these girls have?!!!" shouted Starlight. Ash ignored the monster's comments as he flung her weapon back. Starlight charged up her staff and shot an attack. Ash deflected the blasts from the general as he kept on charging forward as Starlight tried to fire more attacks to slow the boy down. Ash then leaped into the air and spun his sword rapidly. He was tapping into his gem's power as he did several quick slashes as Starlight felt them and was tossed away. "I don't have time to deal with you right now," stated Ash as he turned to find the others. "Wait!" shouted Starlight as she had her hand out. She tried to stand up but fell to her knees. The general soon grunted as she retreated. While Ash was finishing up with Starlight, the girls managed to track down Canary. "Nowhere left to run!" stated Rainbow. "Let's cage this bird!" exclaimed Sunset. "That's what you girls think!" replied Canary. She then opened her mouth as a shrieking soundwave hit the girls as they fell to the floor. "Shit!" said Rainbow as it sounded horrible. "My ears!" shouted Twilight as she put her hands over them to stop the blood-piercing ringing. "It's over, rangers," snickered the officer as she began to approach the girls on the floor. "How do we beat her?" asked Sunset as the girls were slowly getting to their feet. Soon the ground began to shake. Coming from behind the girls was a rhino as it shoved them all out of the way and charged forward. The spirit of the animal made contact with the mutant as its horn made her go flying. "What the hell?!" said Canary as she felt like she got hit by a freight train. Standing a few meters was Applejack as her hands glowed green before disappearing. "Aj!!!!" shouted the others. "Whoops, sorry, girls. Guess I should have given y'all a heads up to move out the way of mah rhino chargin'." chuckled the girl sheepishly as she almost got her friends trampled. "You think?!!!" shouted the others in annoyance. "Another human? Perfect, another voice to add to my collection," snickered Canary. "I don't think," replied Applejack smugly. Her bracelet then turned into her Morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" Applejack traced her symbol and her emerald gem showed it recognized it. It then encased the girl in her suit as she landed on a platform. Her whole body turned into a suit with bits of her gem on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her. "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" stated Aj. "Harmony Saber!" The country girl then pulled out her weapon. The four girls then leaped into the air and looked to bring it down on Canary as she blocked all of them and then let out another screech as it sent the rangers flying. Aj had flown into a nearby music store as she landed near the guitar section. She noticed a nearby bass as the girl got an idea. "Think you're up for a little music duel?!" taunted the green ranger as she strapped on the bass. "Please?" mocked Canary. She opened her mouth as a screeching soundwave was coming at the girl. Aj hooked the bass into a nearby amp as she strummed a chord. It created her own soundwave that dissipated the shriek as it traveled to Canary's ears. "What a horrible noise!" shouted the mutant. Applejack then began to work her fingers as she strummed the strings of the bass guitar. The girl was showing off her talent as she played some notes on the instrument while the monster was suffering from hearing Aj play. The country gal was enjoying rocking out as she began to strum harder and faster. She then did one final strum as she slid onto her knees. It pushed back Canary as she fell to the floor in pain from the sound. "Yee-haw!!" exclaimed Applejack as she stepped out of the music store. "Hey, girls. You okay?" asked Ash as he arrived after dealing with Starlight as they gathered by their country friend. "Never better, sugarcube." "Good, let's end," stated the boy. "Put them together, y'all!" said Aj as the rangers pulled out their weapons. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted all of them. "Fire!" commanded Aj. Ash then pulled the trigger as a sphere of energy covered in their colors shot out. It hit Canary and the mutant was destroyed as an explosion occurred. "All right!" shouted the rangers as they fist-pumped the air. "This isn't over!" stated Starlight as she made it back to the base and watched the final moments. Soon the general felt herself starting to glow as out came the energy ball that held Rara's singing voice. It let out a harmonious sound before flying off. From the small remains of Canary other, energy balls were shown and flew in all sorts of directions. In the boutique, Rara was still listening to the song as she looked at the photo and hairpin. The girl was humming the song as it gave her some remembrance. A ball of energy then entered her as the girl opened her mouth to sing the final moments of the song. Planet Earth, the place that I love A place of harmony Our flag does wave from high above For all of mankind to see Planet Earth, a place of friends Where humankind does roam They say true friendship never ends Planet Earth, my home The song ended as Rara finished in her melodious voice. "My word, that was beautiful," stated Rarity as she heard Rara's singing. The pop icon then touched her throat. She then did a quick scale as her voice was brought back. The girl smiled as she was grateful to be restored. Rara then looked at the photo as she smiled. It was nighttime. Tons of people have filled the Amiptheatre as they were looking forward to seeing Countess Coloratura perform. After dealing with the incident, the rangers all returned to see the music icon as she was back to normal. They told her that the rangers had managed to take out the monster and free the captive voices. Now the girls and the rest of their friends were invited by the music icon to attend her show. She gave them all front-row tickets as they were excited to see her perform. It took some massive convincing from all of them to persuade Ash as it took the effort of all of them to drag the boy with them. The crowd was now starting to settle down as the lights dimmed, and out came the manager of Rara. "Good evening, everyone! Welcome to tonight's musical performance. It is my great honor to introduce you all to the superstar sensational- Countess Coloratura!" The people cheered as the curtains opened to reveal the pop star. She was standing near a baby grand piano. But the most striking feature was that she wasn't wearing any fancy makeup. Her hair had its natural swirls along the edges. She wore a beautiful dark violet sleeveless shirt with blue trims. She also had a matching skirt that reached down to her knees and had some gray lacing along her neck. "This song may be familiar, yet, it's totally different. Kind of like me, Rara." Apart from our cast, the other people were left stunned and confused at the nickname. Rara just shook off their puzzled murmurs and began to play the piano. [Rara - She did a mini piano solo before she sang. The view then zoomed out to show the audience listening attentively as the spotlight shined above her.] I'm here to show you who I am Throw off the veil, it's finally time There's more to me than glitz and glam, oh-whoa And now I feel my stars align [Rara - As she continued singing and piano playing, several people began lighting up their phones.] For I had believed what I was sold I did all the things that I was told But all that has changed, and now I'm bold 'Cause I know [Rara - A silhouette of a mini-orchestra could be seen behind a screen in the background of the stage.] That I am just a human I make mistakes from time to time But now I know the real me And put my heart out on the line [Rara - The audience was now watching with smiles on their faces, clearly captivated by her voice. The CMC were smiling and holding each other. Sweetie Belle raised a hand in the air.] And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa Just like the magic inside of you [Rara] And now I see those colors Right before my eyes I hear my voice so clearly And I know that it is right [Rara - her voice began to echo as she continued to sing.] They thought I was weak, but I am strong They sold me the world, but they were wrong And now that I'm back, I still belong 'Cause I know [Rara - As she reached the chorus again, her hairpin started glowing and the audience cheered loudly and excitedly. The CMC were still smiling happily as Applebloom was trying to mouth the words. The teens were also smiling, especially Applejack and Ash. Applejack could feel her eye filling with happy tears. Ash put his hand on her shoulder as they exchanged smiles with each other.] That I am just a human I make mistakes from time to time But now I know the real me And put my heart out on the line [Rara - She was now crying happily as she poured her heart and soul into her singing. Then raised an arm in the air as she sang the final note.] And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa Just like the magic inside of you Just like the magic inside of you... The audience roared with delight as Rara finished her song and walked to the front of the stage. "Thank you, everyone!" said Rara, her voice amplified by the hidden mic along the stage. "When I arrived, I had forgotten who I really was! But then an old friend reminded me what real friendship is about, and she told me that if I was true to myself, I couldn't go wrong!" The group of teens knew who that friend was as they all looked at Applejack. The girl blinked at being called out and felt a bit embarrassed, especially when Rara was looking at her. "So I have a very special surprise for her," stated Rara as she gave some cues. The band in the background understood as they began the music, and a spotlight shined down on the pop star. Planet Earth, the place I love A land of harmony Our flag does wave from high above For all of mankind to see [Rara - She extended a hand to pull Applejack onto the stage and held her close as she finished the song.] Planet Earth, a place of friends Where humankind does roam They say true friendship never ends Planet Earth, my home The audience cheered and roared with excitement! Aj's friends cheered loudly as well, with Ash whistling loudly. A metal triangle was brought out next to the country gal. She gave it a light tap before she and Rara shared a warm hug on stage. Applejack had a warm and teary smile on her face. She knew, that no matter how far apart life took them. She and Rara would be friends forever. Chapter 14: A Mole Lotta Trouble"Come on guys!" shouted Ash. He along with the girls were running through the streets as they were already transformed into their ranger suits. "He's destroying the city!" said the boy as they all came to a pier and saw the latest monster attacking. "Alright, it's zord time!" Soon they all called their zords as they were shown. They each ran to where their owners were. "Harmony zords, combine!" shouted all five teens. They all leaped into the air as they entered their respective zords. The giant robots now had their eyes glowing as they were now combining into one as soon the Megazord was online. "Let's see what you can do when I freeze you in your tracks!" shouted the monster. She pulled out her staff and shot a blizzard spell towards the rangers. "Shit! It's cold!" shouted Rainbow as she rubbed her arms as the inside of the zord was cold as well. "This gives new meaning to chillin' like a villain," said Sunset as she too heard her teeth chatter. "Come on, girls! Focus!" shouted Ash as he held his stance with icicles hanging off of him as he pushed some buttons. The zord then put its legs together as they now began to spin really fast. The spin and the momentum were now shaking off the snow that was gathered on them as it blew the ice and snow back to the mutant. She let out a scream as she now felt the effect of her own freeze spell as she stumbled back and it ended. "Now it's our turn!" declared Ash. "How about I warm things?" taunted Sunset. She pushed a button as the wolf's head on the chest opened its mouth. Out shot a pillar of fire that was in the shape of the girl's phoneix as it flew towards the monster and collided with it as an explosion went off. "Falcon Blade!" shouted Rainbow. The Megazord now had the falcon move its arms forward to change into the sword as the falcon held it in its mouth. The Megazord was now stepping forward and taking some swings at the giant monster with its sword as she was thrown back onto the concrete. She then got back up and fired another spell toward the rangers. "Deflect!" shouted Twilight. The Megazord shifted its right arm to the front as Twilight's zord made its wings unfurl in a circle as it protected them. The spell hit the shield as the Megazord held it as it absorbed the attack. Twilight then pushed another button as he made the arm throw the shield to the monster as it hit her and then returned to the rangers. They now began to play catch as they used their sword to bounce the object in between them and the monster as she was taking more damage. "Nice one! Let's finish this!" declared Ash. "Uh-oh!" said the monster. "Sonic Rainboom!" shouted all the rangers. The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each one had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant as he exploded and was destroyed once and for all. The explosion went off as above the smoke shined a rainbow as it had some magical gem dust sprinkled over the defeated mutant as well as the area around it as it was restored to its former glory. "Well, there goes another one," said Pharynx as he, his brother, and Starlight were watching the battle. "So, which one of us is gonna tell him?" asked Thorax as they knew their leader would be angry to hear their latest plan failed. "He's not gonna find out. Cause this never happened between us. Deal?" stated Starlight. "Deal!" shouted both brothers. All three generals quietly whistled away as they left. Ash and the girls were in the command center as they were celebrating their latest victory. They were about to make their latest plan to hang out for the weekend when Twilight got a message on her phone. She read it as she sighed. She informed everybody that her family was planning a getaway in the mountains surrounding the city, and it seemed they insisted on everyone being there. Her parents managed to drag her brother from his job to go on the trip. Which was impressive given how committed he was to his line of duty. "So you'll be gone all weekend, Twilight?" asked Rainbow. "I'm afraid so. Sorry, guys. I want to hang out, but... when my mother says we do something as a family. She won't take no for an answer. You don't want to know what she did to get Shining Armor to even go on this trip. Let's just say his buddies are going to remind him for a long time to come." "Yeesh," stated Aj as she could sense that it wasn't good. "So, Ash?" "It's fine, Twilight. If anything comes up, I'm sure me and the others can handle it." "Really?" "Go have fun and spend time with your family. Trust me, you never know when they might be here," spoke the boy from experience. "Sorry," said the bookworm as she put her hand on his shoulder. She knew what her leader meant by that statement. "It's alright. Now go on. We'll see you when you get back." stated the boy. "Thanks," smiled Twilight as she gave a hug to the teen. She then exited the command center as the rest of her friends waved goodbye. The lavender girl made it home as her mother had just returned from the grocery store to pick up some last-minute items for their weekend getaway. "Hey, Mom," said Twilight as she greeted her mother with a hug. "Hey, sweetie. Are you finished packing for tomorrow?" asked Velvet. "Just about," said the girl as she entered to go finish packing. While Twilight may have seemed to be delighted about the idea of spending time with her family. She was a bit hesitant about it, mainly because she and the others all had something cool planned for the weekend as even she was looking forward to it. Now it seems she was going to miss that, and as a teen, they wanted nothing more than to hang out with their friends to do fun stuff. "I just don't see why I can't stay here for just this weekend. I'm not against the idea of spending time with you guys. It's just that me and my friends had something planned we were all looking forward to. So, can I stay just for this weekend? I promise next time, there won't be any argument." "That's a no, Twily," stated Night Light. "Please, dad. Besides, you both trust me enough that I can take care of myself. And I won't be alone, 'cause I'll have Spike to keep me company." said the girl as the dog next to her let out a bark. "If your brother is going, you have to as well," stated Velvet. "You forced me to go on this trip. In case you forgot, Mom. I'm part of an elite task force dedicated to protecting this city from the monsters that have been attacking. Plus, now the guys are going to make fun of me for what you did." said Shining Armor as he was turning red from what happened earlier in the day when his mother barged into his job and humiliated him in front of his coworkers as well as his sergeant. Safe to say, the next week was going to be a living hell the moment he walked into the place. "Oh, stop being such a baby," smiled Velvet to her oldest son. "Your friends were smiling and laughing at what I told them about you." "More like they're were laughing at my ass," muttered Shining Armor under his breath. "Shining!! What have I told you about using language at the dinner table!!" shouted Velvet as she hit her son in the back of the head. "Sorry, ma'am!" squeaked the cop as he corrected himself to avoid getting smacked more by his mother. "Speaking of which, honey? Is this the time you share the secret recipe with us?" asked Velvet as she sat back down in her chair. "Velvet, dear. You know I can't. I promised my aunt that I wouldn't tell a soul." smiled Night Light at his wife. "What's the big deal about the secret recipe anyways? It's just cookies," said Twilight. "And Hamlet was just a play I suppose," taunted Night Light. "And Beethoven's fifth was just a song," added Velvet with the same smirk as her husband. "That's not true! See both are majestic masterpieces that..." Twilight then blinked and stopped herself. She looked at her parents as she realized they got her. "Way to get played, sis," muttered Shining Armor to his little sister as she glared at him. It didn't help that Spike was holding back a snicker as she too glared at her pet. "Kids, is it asking too much for you both to make time for your family?" asked Velvet to both her son and daughter. "I have responsibilities, Mom," replied Shining Armor. "Yes, but you're both growing up. And when you get older, you'll look back on these memories you had with the people you love. Besides, we're not always going to be around." stated Velvet. "Your mother is right, son. Besides, I'm sure that both of you can afford to relax a bit. Besides, it's not like any of those monsters that have been attacking recently will show up." stated Night Light. It was now morning as the whole Sparkle family was getting ready to leave. They all put their suitcases in the trunk of their van as Twilight grabbed Spike and put the mutt in her lap. Night Light then got in the driver's seat as he started the engine and took off. Sometime in, the parents were now singing some road songs in an attempt to get everybody in the mood to be excited. Both Shining Armor and Twilight cringed a bit at hearing their parents sing as they began to do other stuff to block out the sound. Twilight pulled out a book as Shining Armor pulled out his phone. Even then, their parents insisted they join in as they both groaned. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream," sang Night Light. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream," sand Velvet. "Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream," finished Night Light as he continued. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream." "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream," groaned Twilight and Shining Armor as they sang the lyrics. Soon the song finished and both children let out a sigh. "I'm 16, how can you make me do this?" asked Twilight as she and her brother were doing something for little kids. "Twilight! Be grateful!" stated Velvet as she looked at her daughter. "Besides, this is about us spending time as a family. And we never get to do that as much as we did when you two were younger." "Yeah, 'cause we have lives, Mom. I've got responsibilities," replied Shining Armor. "Well, those can wait, son. Besides, one day you both are gonna do this with your children," smiled Night Light as he kept on driving. Both slumped in their seat as Twilight went back to reading, and Shining Armor pulled out his headphones. It didn't take long as soon the whole family reached the cabin they were heading to. From there, they unloaded their luggage and went to their rooms. The kids were glad to have a few moments of silence from their parents. Which were only a few moments as soon both Night Light and Velvet called for both of them to come downstairs. They begrudgingly came down as they were dressed in chef's hats and aprons. Velvet then pulled out two more as both brother and sister looked at each other and blinked. "Enough with the hat!" shouted Shining Armor. "I'll do everything else. I'll stir. I'll bake. I'll wrap. I'll even label, but I draw the line at funny hats!" Shining Armor was defiant in his stance at wearing the chef's hat his mother wanted him to wear. "Fine, you don't have to wear it if you won't want to," smiled Velvet to her son as she could see he was trying to protect his self-image. "And Twilight, make sure Spike doesn't eat while we're making the cookies," ordered Night Light to her daughter. "I got it covered," said the girl as she took off her apron and hat. "Come on, Spike. Let's go outside for a bit." "Don't take too long," smiled Velvet as she watched her daughter and pet step outside. The girl and her dog stepped onto the front porch as she sighed. She was glad to have gotten away from her family as she needed some desperate alone time. Spike went off sniffing the grounds nearby as Twilight approached a tree. She leaned against it as she pulled out her phone and began to dial. "Can't talk right now, Twilight. Got the latest attack right now. And it's stirred up a hornet's nest this time." replied Ash as he was being contacted through his Morpher. The yellow ranger and the girls were all in their suits as they were currently fighting some minions. However, they weren't the normal mutants they fought as they had the characteristics of hornets. They dodged their stings as they began to fight them. "What am I missing?!!" shouted Twilight as she could hear the fighting going on through the phone. "Some kind of monster that can summon lightning? Can absorb people's youth?" "No, I mean a real live hornet's nest," replied Ash as he ducked a stinger and fired his blaster. "You remember last week how we stopped the dark lords from dumping Thorax's mutant mixture into the city's reservoir. Well turns out some of it got into the nearby river. And some hornets went for a little drink, and you can piece together the rest. And we're only a few miles away from you." "Where are you guys? I can be there in like ten minutes," stated Twilight as she was looking to get in on some action. "Negative, Twilight. It's all taken care of," said Ash. He pulled out his blaster as did the girl with the serum to reserve engineer the hybrid mutants. It hit them as only a puddle of goo was left that covered the insect. It shook the substance off as it was back to normal and flew away. "Mission accomplished. Talk to you soon, Twilight," said Ash as he ended the call. Twilight sighed as it leaned against the tree even more. "Twilight, sweetie! You're missing out on all the fun!" called Velvet to her daughter. "Tell me about it," mumbled the girl in sadness. She then walked and grabbed Spike in her arms. The girl then entered the house and began to make some cookies with her family. Before she entered, Twilight's foot kicked a small pebble as it traveled a few meters. After she passed it, the ground began to shake as it cracked open, and the pebble fell into it. The whole family was hard at work making peanut butter cookies. While Twilight was having a bit more fun than her brother, both siblings were still not joyed about what they were doing. "Remind me how this is important?" asked Shining Armor as he placed some cookie dough on the tray. "Because we're doing something as a family. That's the most important thing of all," smiled Night Light. "And because me and your mother are planning to sell these at our jobs." "And you guys had to include me and my sister?" asked Shining Armor. "Family, remember," smiled Velvet as her son rolled his eyes. Soon a sound was heard. The whole house shook a bit as it got the attention of everyone. "What was that?!!" shouted Twilight. Soon the rumbling ended as the whole Sparkly family looked at each other. They all exited the house as Night Light had a flashlight in his hands and was looking out to the woods and the area in front of them. "Was it an earthquake?" asked Velvet. "We aren't near any fault lines," stated Twilight. Spike was in her arms as the dog soon began to growl. He leaped out of her arms, and he began to bark and shout. The family was confused as soon the area in front of them began to open up. Some small mounds were shown as out came a creature. It wasn't just a creature but a mole. But the way they looked didn't look like regular moles. If anything, they looked similar to the mutants that Twilight fought with the others. "What are they?" asked Velvet. "Moles, I think," replied Night Light. "Moles? Since when are moles as big as buffalos?" stated Shining Armor. The mole mutant hybrids now began to march toward the family. Shining Armor stepped forward as he looked to do his duty as an officer to protect his family. "Don't do anything rash, son. It doesn't seem they look interested in us," said Night Light as he put his hand on Shining Armor's shoulder. Twilight had to shush Spike's barking as he was making things worst for the creatures. She then took off her apron and chef's hat and handed them to her mother. The girl now began to walk. "Twily, where are you going?" asked Shining Armor as he saw his sister walking to their van. The girl opened the front door as the others turned back to see the monsters approaching them. Shining Armor was about to fight when suddenly, Twilight pulled a lever as the headlights of the car came on and flashed the creatures in the eyes. The mutant hybrids saw the light as it blinded them. They all turned tail and made their way back to their hole as they disappeared. The rest of them were stunned by Twilight as she came back to them. "Moles are sensitive to bright lights. Now, time to go!" stated the girl to her family. "Why? It's gone now," stated Night Light. "And you think they won't come back!" responded Twilight. "Come on, sweetie. It was more scared of us than we were of them," replied Night Light to his daughter. "I know you're in a hurry to get back home, sweetie. But nothing is going to ruin this vacation," said Velvet to her daughter. Twilight sighed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She then began to dial it as it seemed she was going to need some backup. "Hey, Ash. You guys still in the area?" asked the bookworm. It was now morning as driving up the path to where Twilight and her family were located, were the rest of her friends. After getting Twilight's call, Ash told her that they would be there. Of course, they couldn't just arrive in their cycles as it would potentially give away their secret identities. Thankfully, the boy had been building something in his spare time. The boy along with Rachel and some spare parts that Applejack gave him was able to construct an ATV for them to use in their regular life and during combat. Of course, the boy hadn't implemented the weapon systems in it yet, but he did manage to have Rachel install herself into the vehicle so that she could guide the team on missions. Right now, Ash was driving them as they were going over the details that Twilight told him. "Based on Twilight's description, it looks like we're dealing with the same sort of mutant hybrids as those hornets," said Sunset who was riding in the passenger seat. "I'm willing to bet it came from the same river that those bugs drank from," said Rainbow. "Thankfully, we were able to purify the water so no more incidents will occur," said Applejack as both were in the backseats. "At least this is the last of the mutation that we need to clean up," stated Ash. "Speaking of complications, let me remind you, girls, that Twilight's family doesn't know she's a Power Ranger. It is imperative that we keep them from finding out as well as you all," said Rachel to the girls. "Yeah, we know. Rule number of being a ranger: Don't tell anyone your secret unless necessary," spoke Rainbow. The drive continued for a bit as soon the rangers saw their destination in sight. They arrived as they parked outside of the cabin and got out. Twilight opened the front door as she ran to her friends with her family looking on. "You made it!" stated Twilight as she hugged each one of them. "Wait, what's the smell?" said Rainbow as her nose smelled something. "Peanut butter combined with cookie dough," said the girl as she was walking towards the house to follow the trail. "Those are the cookies we're making for me and my husband to sell," said Velvet. "I got money, how much?" asked Rainbow as she was now hungry with her tongue hanging out like a dog. "Rainbow!!!" shouted Ash. The boy was giving his teammate a glare for letting her stomach take control when they had a job to do. "Fine!" said the girl as she knew one or another, she was going to get some cookies. Soon Twilight's family invited their daughter's friends in for breakfast. "Thank you for the meal. That was delicious," said Ash as he politely thanked Twilight's folks. "Yup, I don't think I can eat another bite," said Sunset as she patted her stomach. "Can I interest anybody in a lovely waffle?" asked Velvet to the teens as they all looked at her with looks. "Just want to make sure nobody leaves the table hungry," smiled Twilight's mother. Once breakfast was done, Twilight and her family gathered the dishes and began to clean them. The others now were outside as they were talking with Rachel about what their plan was to contain the mutant mole hybrids. "We'll search the woods for any sign of those creatures. Sunset, you stay here and help Twilight to not let her parents see us transform into rangers," instructed Ash. "Got it," replied Sunset. "Remember, don't transform where her family might see you," said Rachel to the group. The three rangers now pulled out their zords. They were all in their shapes as Rachel sent the code to them to transform. They all turned to their pet sizes as the three split up. Rainbow had her falcon soar into the air to spot from above, Ash had his wolf use its nose to track the scent, while Applejack had her rhino use its horn to dig for roots and possible holes that the creatures used. Meanwhile, inside the house... "How could you invite your friends here without asking us?" said Velvet to her daughter as she was a bit upset. "They're our only hope for dealing with those giant mole thingies," said Twilight as she was drying some dishes. "Well, those thingies are gone now," said Velvet as she continued to wash the dishes while talking to her daughter. "You couldn't go two days without them. Is it that hard to be around us?" asked Night Light to his daughter. "That's not it at all!" stated Twilight, "You're not gonna make them leave, are you?" "They're guests now. And they're welcome to nose around the forest or whatever they want to do," said Velvet looking out the window to see the group of teens talking. "I won't be gone long," said Twilight as she was going to go help the others search. "You won't be going anywhere!" shouted Night Light. "You're not using this as an excuse to duck out on us!" Twilight looked to say something, but she soon saw the look her parents gave her. The girl knew better than to argue with them as she simply put her head down. They soon went back to cleaning as Sunset entered the place. The bacon-haired girl informed the bookworm that the others were currently searching while she was here to help Twilight avoid her family discovering they were rangers. At least, Twilight had some company as it brought a smile to her face despite being in hot water with her folks. Outside, the three teens were tracking down anything they could find. A hole was shown as it appeared a few meters near the cabin. It got bigger and bigger. Spike was nearby as he was sniffing the ground. A sound was heard as the small mutt looked up and came face to face with one of the mutant moles. Both of them blinked as they stared at each other. Soon it showed the overshot of the forest as a yelp was heard. "What was that?!" said Rainbow as she and Aj met up with Ash when they heard the sound. "Sounds like Spike," said Applejack. Ash's wolf pup let out a howl as he spoke with his owner. The boy heard what his zord said as his eye widen. "Oh, no!" said the teen. Immediately, all three began to run back to the cabin. The sound was also heard by the girls and Twilight's folks inside. "What's that noise?" asked Velvet. Twilight's parents were facing away from the window. Which was a good thing as running past it was Spike trying to catch one of the mutant moles as the girls saw it and sweated a bit. "That's just Spike! He's being a little rambunctious!" smiled Twilight while sweating a bit. "So, who wants to stir dough?" The lavender girl began to quickly stir the bowl of mixture she had with the wrong end of the spoon, and some spilled onto the floor. "Twilight pay attention to what you're doing," said Velvet to her daughter as they began to clean up the spills. The girls looked out of the window again, as now their friends were chasing more mole hybrids. They both gasped as Twilight grabbed Sunset's bracelet and dropped it into the batter. "Oh, how clumsy of me. I lost my bracelet in the batter," said Sunset. The parents got up and made their way to the batter to search for the girl's item. Once again, they looked at the window as the moles ran by it again with the teens chasing after them. But this time, they were in their ranger suits. "The light's better over here," said Velvet as she took the bowl and made their way to the window. Twilight was now sweating up a storm as Sunset quietly walked away. She made her way to the mixer and she quietly changed the speed to go faster. It now made the machine increase as more batter was spilled and covered them all as the parents were confused by what happened. Before they could clean up, a smell started to fill their noses. Velvet sniffed it and her eyes immediately went wide. "Oh, no! We burned a whole batch!" said the woman as they didn't pay attention to the ones they had baking in the oven. Both of Twilight's parents rushed to the oven as the teens smiled at each other. The scent of the cookies made its way outside as the teens were still chasing the mole. Rainbow stopped as the smell invaded her nose to which she could still smell them through her helmet. "Oh, man! That smell is killing me!" said the chromatic-haired girl as she so badly wanted some cookies. She then snapped out of her daze when she noticed some more holes popping out. Now more mole mutant hybrids emerged as they began to head towards the cabin. "Oh, shit. This ain't good!" said Rainbow as the others arrived. "Hurry, let's get them away from the cabin!" stated Ash. The rangers had their zords herding up the moles as they were leading them away. The girl and Twilight's parents had finished their latest batch when Spike let out a scared yelp. "Spike!" shouted Twilight as they all rushed out the door. They came across Shining Armor who had gone for a small walk in the woods to get some air. As he was making his way back, he saw Spike as he was about to be crushed by one of the mole monsters as he dove and rolled out of the way with the mutt in his hands. He slowly walked back to the cabin with him facing the monsters as that's when the others emerged from the house. They now saw more mole monsters as they began to make their way toward the family. "We need to distract them with something," said Shining Armor. "I got it! Give me your aprons," said Twilight as she took off hers. Sunset and her folks took off theirs as they gave it to their daughter. She then waved them in front of herself as she ran to lead the monsters away. Sunset then got her family back inside the house as Twilight waved the aprons as she hung one of them on a tree and ran. The moles all approached the tree, and they began to sniff them. They took in the scent as they followed the trail. Twilight kept hanging the aprons along the trees as she made her way to one of the holes. She waved the last apron in front of it as she called to the monsters. She then tossed it into the hole and ran as the monsters followed the scent and disappeared into the earth. Twilight then made her way back to the house as her parents were glad to see their daughter was safe. "I think it's time for you all to leave," said Sunset. "But what about you all?" asked Night Light. "It's fine, dad. We came prepared," said Twilight. "What are you talking about? If we're going, you're leaving with us," said Night Light as he wasn't going to leave his daughter behind in danger. "We've got it covered, Twilight," said Sunset putting her hand on her shoulder. "May we have a minute?" asked the girl to her friend's family. They all left as they left the girls to themselves. At that moment, the rest of their friends arrived as they were now discussing the plan. "I hate to say this, but there's no way we can deal with this without some of us morphing," said Ash to the girls. "He's right, Twilight. Do you want to do that in front of your family?" asked Sunset. "You kidding? My parents would freak out if they knew their daughter was constantly in danger and fighting monsters. Not to mention, my brother doesn't fully believe that we're doing a good job in defending the city." said Twilight. "Honey, help us pack the rest of the cookies!" called out Velvet. "Don't worry, we'll be fine, sugarcube," said Applejack to Twilight. "It's not that! I'm just sick of being left out of the fun," said the girl to her friends. It was now later as the sun was starting to set. The group of rangers was now in the nearby woods as they were all in their ranger suits. They had Rachel upload the remaining serum into their blasters as they began to chase down the moles. And they needed to hurry, cause while the group was hunting them down earlier in the day, Rachel did some diagnostics. The A.I. informed the group that because these mutant-hybrids were part mole, it meant that they would become more deadly in the dark. Coupled with the fact of the mutant ooze and that nighttime was fast approaching, it meant that the rangers needed to take care of the problem now before they would have to get physical. "Here's one!" shouted Rainbow as she used her superspeed to cut off a mole. She aimed her blaster to fire but the creature dug quickly into the ground to avoid it. "Stop moving!" shouted Dash. "Over here!" shouted Sunset as she and Ash fired. The mole managed to make it into a mound as they missed. "The only way to deal with them is to gather them in one place," said Ash as this wasn't working. "Easier said than done, sugar," stated Applejack. Elsewhere, Twilight and her family had already left the cabin as they were driving back. It was nighttime as they rode on the dirt path. Some moles appeared behind them as their eyes glowed yellow. They now began to chase after the passing vehicle. It didn't take long as both she and Shining Armor looked behind them to see the monsters coming after them. "Dad, we got company," said Twilight to her father. Night Light now swerved a bit as he turned the corner. The van kept on trucking as behind them the moles were gone. "See, no moles can keep up with..." He didn't finish his sentence as soon as the hood of the van had smoke coming out of it. The van then stopped as they all got out and headed to the front of the car. Night Light had a flashlight turned on as Shining Armor lifted the hood of the car. Some smoke showed as they coughed a bit as it cleared out. The men now began to look as soon they found the problem. "Yup, we threw a belt," said Shining Armor as their timing belt was broken. "You carry a spare, dad?" "As a matter of fact, no," said Night Light. "Maybe this will work," said Twilight as she grabbed her mother's purse she was wearing. "Hey, honey. That's Italian," said Velvet to her daughter who grabbed her purse and took off the strap. "Grazie Mama Mia," said Twilight in an Italian accent as she handed the strap to her brother. Shining Armor then attached the strap as it worked and the car was back to running. They all entered as Night Light was about to get in the driver's seat when his son stopped him. "I think I should drive, dad. I've had experience with high-speed chases," said Shining Armor. "But..." he didn't finish his sentence as eyes glowed around him from the woods. "You know what! Good idea!" He quickly let his son get in the driver's seat. "Buckle up. It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" said the officer. Shining Armor now punched it as the van took off. He was now driving the vehicle as if he was chasing a runaway culprit as they were zooming. Back at the cabin, Ash was out of his suit as he was talking with Rachel about their situation. Soon a figure appeared before him. "Power down!" shouted Sunset as her suit deconfigured. "Did you find them?" asked Ash. "Nothing!" "Power down!" shouted Applejack as she appeared. "Nothing on mah, sugar." They were all looking for Twilight to make sure that she and her family left safely. Rainbow was in a tree as she looked out. She heard a screech as her falcon zord appeared in its pet form. It landed on the girl's shoulder as its eyes flashed. It made her Morpher shoot out a projection as the girl was now replaying back what her bird saw. Her falcon was able to locate Twilight as it informed them of her current situation. "Let's see, car swerving which probably means... yup. They're getting moled," said Rainbow as she now saw the monster chasing the van. She then contacted the others. With the Sparkle family, Shining Armor was doing a fairly decent job at getting away from the monsters. Though the others in the van could feel the bumpy ride as they jumped a bit. "Is this how they taught you to drive back at the academy?!!" shouted Night Light to his son as he held on for dear life. "Oh, yeah. Except the course didn't mutant moles chasing after you," smiled Shining Armor as he was in his element. Soon the van drove onto some logs that were piled on the narrow path. The tires went over some of them but soon were held in place as the van didn't move. "We're beached people," said Shining Armor. Soon they all got out just in time as the moles were upon them. They ran a bit as they crushed the van as now they had no ride to help them escape. The family was slowly backing up as Spike was in Velvet's arms. The woman was unaware of where she was walking as she fell backward into a giant hole that the others noticed before they too almost fell. "Sweetie, you okay?!" called out Night Light to his wife. "Yeah, but it smells like wet mole," said Velvet as she stood up with Spike still in her arms. The rest of the family now looked back at the destroyed van as the moles were scavenging it. They soon pulled out boxes and tossed them on the floor. They were filled with the cookies they made as the monsters began to eat them. "Now it makes sense, they were never after us. They were after the peanut butter cookies," said Night Light. "Seriously?!!!" shouted both Twilight and Shining Armor. The monsters began to eat as they gobbled down on the tasty treats. They kept on eating as soon their taste buds went sour and their eyes were filled with rage. "Uh, honey. You didn't also pack the bad batch we burned did you?" asked Velvet as she could hear the growls that formed. "Oops," smiled Night Light nervously. The monsters were now fully enraged as they looked at the family and saw them as targets. They were now making their way towards them as Shining Armor took a stance. One of them met with him as he threw a punch and some kick as the mole monster just tanked it. He tried some more punches and jabs as the creature merely swapped him back towards his family with a swipe of his claw. "Son!" said Night Light as he helped Shining Armor up. The monsters were now closing in on the family. And to make matters worst, Velvet was still trapped in the hole and the others weren't around. With no other choice, Twilight let out a sigh as she stepped forward. "Twily, what are you doing?" asked Shining Armor as he saw his little sister step forward to confront the monsters a few meters away. "Guys, you might not want to see this," was all Twilight said. She raised her arm as her bracelet turned into her Morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" Twilight traced the symbol on her Morpher's interface as she soon turned into her ranger suit. With that, the girl now began to engage in combat with the monsters as she doing her duty of protecting her family. With the extra power her suit gave her, Twilight was able to deal damage to the moles' tough hides as they were flung back. She did a few kicks as she managed to make the creatures fully retreat. The ranger then turned back to look at her family. "Power down!" said Twilight as her suit deconfigured and she stood there. Safe to say, Twilight just broke one of the most important rules of being a ranger. "Dad, Shining?" asked Twilight hesitantly as she saw the gasped looks on her brother and father. "I'm... I'm... a... Power Ranger." "You're... a ranger?" said Shining Armor as there was a fit of slight anger in his voice. Before Twilight could explain, Velvet called out to them. "I'm still trapped down here," said the woman as Spike barked. They soon found a near branch and all three of them managed to get her and Spike out of the hole. It didn't take long as soon Twilight had some explaining to do. "So, how long have you kept this a secret?" asked Shining Armor. "Please, understand. I wanted to tell you guys, but... I couldn't. Brother, please just hear me out." "All this time, my own little sister," Shining Armor was anything but pleased to see his sibling being caught in a line of work that was so dangerous. "Mom, Dad, please. I didn't mean for this to happen, it just sort of... happened," pleaded Twilight to her folks. "We understand, sweetie," said Velvet. "To be honest, we kinda figured you had something behind our backs. Though we didn't expect this outcome," said Night Light. "You... knew?" said Twilight in confusion. "Well, every time an attack happens on the news. You so happen to be in the nearby area. I guess if we had put the pieces together a bit more, she would have seen that they were connected to you in some way." said Night Light. "Why do kids always think their parents are so completely out of touch?" stated Velvet. "Huh?" responded Twilight. "You think we were never your age?" said Night Light backing up his wife's claim. "You were a Power Ranger?" countered Twilight with what they were saying. "Just because our issues weren't the same doesn't mean we don't understand," said Night Light to his daughter. Twilight now understood as she smiled at her folks for taking this revelation so well. Soon the ATV arrived and out came the rest of the rangers. "Is everyone alright?" asked Ash. "Better than alright. My dad figured out what the moles are after," said Twilight to her friends. "We can cure them if we can lure them into one place," said Sunset. "And that's gonna be tough since these things keep moving," exclaimed Rainbow. "I have an idea. But it requires everyone's help," said Night Light placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We need to get back to the cabin," said Twilight as she lifted her arm again. "Harmony Gem, power up!" The girl now began to morph once more as she stood there in her suit. The others were stunned by what they saw Twilight do as it was against the rules. Especially Ash, who was very strict about them. "It's okay, we know," stated Night Light to the group. "Ash?" said Twilight to her leader. "We'll deal with this later, Twilight. Right now, we have a job to do," stated the boy. "Harmony Gem, power up!" exclaimed Rainbow. Now she began to turn into her ranger suit as the others followed. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Sunset. "Harmony Gem, power up!" stated Applejack. Both girls did the same thing as they now stood in their suits. "Harmony Gem, power up!" said Ash as he was the last one to morph. The girls all then touched their morphers as they made their cycles appear. They all got on and began to drive. Ash got the rest of Twilight's family into the ATV as he began to speak with Rachel about finding a path back to the cabin. "Rachel, input the coordinates for the cabin." "Right away, Master Ash," responded the A.I. as once again, Twilight's family was stunned by what they were seeing. The boy floored the gas pedal as he began to zoom ahead. He caught up with the rest of the girls and led the way as all five vehicles were now traveling through the woods. They all made it back to the cabin as the whole group was working to make some cookies. Twilight was stirring the mixture when Rainbow dropped some butter into the batter. "Easy on the butter," stated Night Light. "Why? It's not like they're dieting?" said Rainbow to Twilight's dad. "If something's worth making, it's worth making right," explained Velvet. The oven now let out the smell of the cookies baking as it traveled to Dash's nose. "Damn, that's good. Can I just have one?" pleaded the girl as she was then smacked in the head by Aj who gave her friend/rival a glare. Sunset was near the window as she opened it. The smell traveled out and into the woods as soon as eyes glowed. "Yes, they took the bait!" exclaimed Sunset as their plan was working. "Places, everybody," said Shining Armor. This time all the mutant moles were shown marching toward the cabin. Twilight stood out front as she grabbed a handful of cookie dough and tossed it. It landed next to one of the moles as it began to munch on it with the others coming in. The rest of Twilight's family now began to toss some more dough and cookies as they had managed to get the creatures' attention. Soon they were all eating the stuff as quickly as they could. "See, what did I tell you, son? Cookies bring families together," said Night Light. "Are you trying to compare us to rodents?" asked Shining Armor in a confused tone. "Don't be silly. Moles aren't rodents," said Velvet. "Yeah, but they are done eating," said Twilight as the moles now looked at them as they looked ready to fight. "This is where we take over," said Ash as he stepped forward with the girls. Twilight then joined them as they all gathered with her in the front. "It's Morphin' Time!" shouted Ash as their bracelets changed. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all five teens. They each drew their symbols as they appeared on a split-screen as they transformed. They were encased with their gem as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as the helmet and the vizor configured themselves to complete the morph. They each did their pose with their zords in the background. "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" shouted Twilight. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" said Ash. "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" yelled Sunset. "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" stated Applejack. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" responded Rainbow. "Harmony Guardian, Power Rangers!" said all five in unison. They all charged forward as they each began to fight the mutant hybrids. Watching this was Twilight's family as they were amazed by what the teens were doing. Though, Shining Armor still held a scowl at seeing his little sister. Soon all five managed to subdue the creatures as they rounded them up into a giant pile and surrounded them. They followed Ash's command as they pulled out their blasters filled with the antidote. They all fired it at the mutants as they began to feel the effects. Soon a glow emitted as the monsters were now gone, only tiny moles remained covered in the substance. They shook it off and dug their way back into the earth. "Amazing," said Night Light and Velvet as they saw the group of teens. "Mission accomplished, y'all," said Aj as they all powered down. "Great, so now can I..." Rainbow then had a cookie shoved in her mouth by Sunset as she knew that was what the girl was going to say. The five friends all let out a laugh. It was now morning as Ash and the rest of the girls were leaving. They were packing the ATV as the boy was looking out into the woods. He had his wolf pup on his shoulder. The teen was then interrupted by Twilight's folks who wanted to speak with him. "So, Twilight is a Power Ranger?" stated Velvet. "Yes," responded Ash as he turned to look at them. "And there's a group of bad guys that want to destroy our home? And the only hope is for her and the rest of you to stop them?" said Velvet. "Yes," sighed Ash. "Understand, Twilight didn't choose to be a part of this. But, she now has a duty to uphold. If we're to save the world and this dimension, then we need to defeat the Dark Lords. I can't stress enough how much of a responsibility this is for your daughter." "We can tell. Which is why we support her and love her no matter what she does," said Velvet as she and her husband were behind Twilight's decision to now be a protector of their world. "She's lucky. Not every parent would be so understanding," smiled Ash. "Well, maybe, they should be. Nothing is more important to us than our kids. We always knew Twilight was special." said Night Light. "You're lucky to have such a daughter. And by the way," said Ash. "Don't worry. Her secret and yours are safe. We won't tell," said Velvet. "I appreciate that. And know that I give you my full word. That we will defeat the Dark Lords. And I will make sure that Twilight comes home safe and sound. I'm gonna make sure that she spends the rest of her life with the people that care about her. I promise to give her what I never got. And that's to come home to a family and friends." said Ash. "We understand. And we're sorry for your loss. But just know, that if your parents and friends were here. They'd be proud of what you're doing and what you will do, Ash." said Velvet putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take care of our daughter. Keep her safe," said Night Light putting his hand on his other shoulder. "I will. I promise," assured the boy to the adults. "Thank you for taking our daughter under your wing. You've been a great part of her life," said Velvet as she hugged the boy. Ash was starting to get a familiar feeling that he hadn't experienced in so long. It felt like the boy was being hugged by his own mother as he couldn't help but smile and enjoy it. He then approached the ATV with Twilight's parents as the girls had finished packing. "Ash, are you upset with me?" asked Twilight. "Upset? Yes," said the boy as he glared at the girl who put her head down. "But... I understand. And so do they." Twilight looked at her parents as they smiled. "However, that doesn't mean you're the hook. Just know when you get back from your trip, you're running 50 laps in the command center," smiled Ash smugly as he thought of Twilight's punishment for breaking the rules. "Running? No, please. Anything but that, Ash!" pleaded Twilight as got to her knees and was begging her leader to think of something else. "Tough luck, Twily. That's the price you have to pay. Now you got to suffer the consequences." smiled the boy as he got in. "See you when you get." The other girls all laughed and waved as they drove off. Twilight was still on her knees with a stunning look. She was so not looking forward to her punishment. If she had known that this was what awaited her for telling her secret to her family, she wouldn't have done it in the first place. While Twilight's parents were laughing at their daughter having a breakdown, Shining Armor still had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Chapter 15: Innovation"Come on! Come on! Just one more section!" shouted Sunset. The girl was currently in the Sweet Shoppe. And it seems her noises were being rather bothersome for some folks as at the table behind her were Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The chromatic girl was trying to concentrate on her assignment. But that proved hard with their gamer friend constantly talking to herself as she played. "Take that!" "Sunset, do you mind?" asked Rainbow as she was getting annoyed. The bacon-haired girl didn't listen as she kept on playing. Rainbow then got up and shut her laptop off as that got the girl's attention. Sunset was now staring at a black screen as her eyes widen. "What are you doing?" shouted Sunset to her athletic friend. "I can't concentrate with you blowing up things in my ear. I need to finish this report," said Rainbow. "But it took me three hours, three hours to get to that level," said Sunset looking at her laptop with tears in her eyes. "Sorry, Sunset. But I'm with Dash on this. As weird as that sounds." said Aj. "Hey!" said Rainbow as she took offense to what the country gal said. "Besides, we got a paper due tomorrow. And why aren't you workin' on yers?" asked the farm girl. "Finished it last week. Twilight and I jammed on it while you two were out being David Beckham and..." spoke Sunset turning her head to her friends. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!!" shouted Applejack. She didn't want Sunset to say what she was gonna say, or it might result in a catfight to happen. "Wasn't going to," said Sunset as she restrained herself from what she wanted to say to Aj's face. She then went back to her game. In the command center, Ash was at the computer as he and Rachel were hard at work. The pair was once again going over some more ranger footage that the Morphin' Grid had and the archive that the A.I. found while the team was out searching for the Bear zord in the Himalayas. The boy was focusing on several things as he clicked on multiple footage. "Super dino mode!" shouted the rangers on the screen as they began to transform. They now had the spikes on their suits pointed out and in the case of the yellow ranger, she had a set of ptera wings. "Interesting," said Ash as he clicked on another footage. "Let's do it! S.P.D. Emergency!" shouted the next clip. They soon transformed into suits. "S.W.A.T mode!" "Okay," said the boy as the clip ended. He clicked on another set. "Go Galactic!" shouted the Galaxy Rangers as they morphed. "Lights of Orion, activate!" They now began to change their appearance a bit. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" shouted the next team of rangers. They now transformed into their suits before pulling out their morphers and inputting another code. "Legendary Source, Mystic Force!" shouted all of them as their appearance changed again. "Jungle Master Mode!" shouted the next clip of three rangers as they transformed their appearance. All these small clips that Ash had Rachel search for were in front of him. The boy was looking at these as a recent thought ran through his mind. Even if they were to find the remaining Harmony Zords, and get the secret item he was looking for. Who's to say that it still wouldn't be enough to take down the Dark Lords. So for the teen, he was doing some extra research on his part to find something that might help him and the girls. And with the ranger history as his reference, he seemed to find some inspiration. "Rachel, did you download it?" asked the boy to his A.I. "Of course, Master Ash." "Alright then," said Ash as he now pulled up the schematics of his ranger suit and had his gem in the analyzer tube. "If I can find some way to give me and the girls more power, that might be what we need to give us the edge. Like some kind of second power-up." "I understand. I'll begin synthesizing," spoke Rachel as she began to run some numbers. Ash then pulled out some other things on the screen as they were designs for some gadgets. And based on who left their initials on them, it was none other than Ash's father. The boy came across some old designs that his father was planning to make for his mother and his friends but never got around to them as they all perished before he could get a chance. So the ranger was looking over the schematics of his late father as he hoped that maybe he could make some of them come true. Ash played the video as it showed his father. "Ash, you're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I put it on a video for you. I want to show you something." The video then had a schematic appear. It was another invention that Ash's father made. "See that. I built that for you, and someday you'll realize that it represents a lot more than just using it to save people. It represents my life's work. Your mother was rather upset that you didn't inherit her gem. But it's not the color of the ranger that makes a leader. It comes from within, it's about heart. This is why, I'm making this for you, even if you are the yellow ranger. And one day, you'll do something bigger with it and your life. I know it. You're the future. You know, I've created so much in my life and so many gadgets for the rangers to use. But you know what I'm most proud of: You. My son. You are and always will be my greatest creation. I love you." The video ended as a tear fell down Ash's cheek. "Shit!" said the boy as he was tearing up and put his hands to his face. "Ash, are you crying?" asked Rachel. "Give me a sec, Rach," gasped the boy as he was taking some deep breaths. He was crying even more as, as fast as he could wipe his tears, more began to form and fall. It got to the point where the boy had to get out of his chair and stand. He put his hands to his head as he was still breathing hard. "God damn it. God damn it, dad," said Ash, still having water fall from his eyes. The teen continued to cry for a few minutes but it soon ceased. He managed to recompose himself as he took some deep and long breaths to calm himself. Ash then made his way back to his seat. "Are you okay?" asked Rachel making a box of tissue appear. "Y-Yeah. I'm good, Rachel. I just... never mind. Thanks for being concerned." said the boy as the box of tissue disappeared. "Come on, let's get started." "Right away," responded the A.I. Ash looked at the giant screen as he saw the numbers being inputted. He then looked at the video as the lasting image was his father. "Don't worry, dad. I'm going to finish what you started," said the boy. "Once again, Ash and his girlfriends had foiled our plans!" shouted Starlight as she fired a spell from her staff and made a hole in the wall. Immediately some minions made their way over to it as they began to patch it up. "Let's not forget who was the one who screwed up with the latest plan," said Pharynx with a smug smile. "And you think you're any better, dumbass!" shouted the girl mutant to her comrade. "Why don't we find out?!!" taunted Pharynx as he made his gauntlets appear as Starlight had her staff power up. "Both of you! Calm down!" shouted a voice as it boomed across the room. They looked and saw Chrysalis as she made her presence known. "No wonder Ash and his girlfriends have beaten you both. You both do nothing but fight and brag. And each of you has failed to defeat them." "I don't see you doing anything!" countered Starlight as she stared at her comrade. "Keep the noise down!" shouted Thorax as they were all in his lab. He was currently in the middle of some business when they all started to yell. "Please, all you do is lock yourself in here!" said Starlight. "I'm actually doing stuff. Like cracking the location of the next zord. And I'm this close to pinpointing its location." said the scientist as he was dialing away at his screens. "And once the zord is located, I'll be going to retrieve it!" said Chrysalis. "It's clear that I'm the only one capable of delivering results to our lord." "And how will you deal with the rangers?" asked Pharynx. "Should I remind you who is second in command?" said Chrysalis as she put her hand out and fired a spell that pushed Starlight to the wall. "Now while son searches, I'm going to go greet the rangers. And I have the perfect officer for the job." The school bell rang as it signal the end of the day at CHS. The girls were all shown exiting their final class. They were about to head to the command center to meet up with Ash. They looked to teleport when a voice called out to them. "Hey, you guys!" shouted Pinkie The pink girl was making her way with their other friends as they quickly put their arms down. "Soooooooo? Who wants to help me pack my snack bag for tomorrow's trip?" asked the party girl with a big smile. "Not it!" shouted Rainbow as she quickly ran away. "I got chores to do," said Applejack as she left. "I need to get started on my advanced physics homework!" said Twilight as she too left. "Sunset?" "Um, gee... Pinkie... I would love to, but... I... I... I... need to meet up with Ash," said the bacon-haired girl putting on a big fake smile. "See, me and him were planning to hang out. So... Bye!!" said the girl as she dashed away in a puff of smoke. "Anybody find it weird that they all left?" asked Fluttershy. "Right..." said Pinkie now having a serious thinking look. "Perhaps, it's nothing, darlings," said Rarity. Once Sunset disappeared and entered an alley, she peaked her head out to see if Pinkie followed her. Once she checked the coast was clear, Sunset released a breath. She then brought her wrist up as she touched it and teleported. She landed in the command center as there were the others. They too had done the same as they snuck to somewhere secluded and teleported to their base. The girls were now looking for Ash as he wasn't at the computer like usual. They soon heard some noises as they began to follow it. They made their way to a door as it was one they hadn't gone through yet. They touched it as it opened up, and a staircase was shown. They traveled down as the noises got louder and louder. They soon came to a medium-sized room. The place was filled with a few computers and monitors, some workshop tables, and some pieces of machinery. Soon they heard something as something came flying into frame. It was none other than Ash who was thrown onto the floor. "Ash!" said the girls as they all rushed to their leader. "Well, that didn't go as planned," said the boy as rubbed his neck. The boy was then helped by Twilight and Sunset as they pulled him to his feet. "Thanks, girls." "What are you doin' sugarcube?" asked Applejack. "Just... working on a project of mine. Rachel, boost the output by 12% and put it in sleep mode," said the boy as he made his way to a nearby computer. "At once, Master Ash," said the A.I. She inputted the program and then sealed had a metal door seal where the section he was thrown from as the girls just barely saw what was inside. With that, they followed Ash up the stairs as they made it back to the main room. "So, what is that place?" asked Rainbow. "Believe it or not, that used to be my dad's old workshop. I told you guys, that he created a ton of gadgets for my mom and friends to use when they were rangers. And recently, I came across some old schematics that he had. Some things were destroyed when my dimension perished. So, I'm hoping to recreate them, in a way." said Ash as he didn't tell his team the secret project he was working on. "What designs?" said Twilight as she was the most excited of the group. "Rachel?" "Pulling the blueprints," said the A.I. as the screens began to be filled with plans. The girls were now looking at the many designs that were shown. A few things they saw were a jet, a submarine, some kind of drill, and a few other vehicles. Not to mention a few small gadgets. The girls were amazed and in the case of Twilight, she was in heaven. "So many things," said Twilight with a smile. "Yeah, it's a lot. But, if we're gonna protect the Earth, then we might need some extra things to give us the edge," said Ash as he pushed a button to make the schematics disappear from the screen. "Yeah, yeah, got it," said Rainbow as she then looked up to see the upper levels of the command center. "So, Ash? Can you tell us what those are?" The boy looked to where the chromatic-haired girl was looking as he let out a sigh. Rainbow was looking at the symbols as they matched their zords. "Fine. Time I told you. Those symbols, belong to you guys. Each of those is your room here in the command center." said Ash. "What?" said Twilight. "You mean to tell me, I have my own room here? I could've crashed whenever I wanted to!" shouted Dash. "Rainbow!!" shouted Sunset as she hit the girl in her arm. "Yes, just like I have my own room in the command center. So do you guys. It's just..." "We understand," said Sunset. "And we get why you were hesitant on telling us." "Thanks, well, go look at them," instructed Ash. The girls made their way upstairs as they each went to their rooms. They opened the doors as they were welcomed to nothing but a bare space and a bed. "Rachel, help the girls to customize their rooms. And put some music on," smiled Ash. The A.I. put the stereos around the command center on full blast as she had the drones fly up to the girls. They each presented a touch screen for the girls to use in designing their rooms. The girls selected the color for the walls and it immediately turned to that color. The girls all smiled as they began to personalize their new rooms to their liking down to the smallest detail. Meanwhile, Chrysalis was shown walking along a shoreline as she was accompanied by some minions and the officer she grabbed. They were in the place where Thorax's tracker was sending a signal. "It seems to be here somewhere, spread out! Find it!" shouted the general. The minions and officer began to get to work. At that moment, alarms went off. Ash turned to look at the screen as Rachel pulled up the scanners all around the city as the footage showed the female general and her forces tearing up the shoreline. "Chrysalis!" growled Ash. "What's the sitch?" asked Rainbow. "Trouble down by the shoreline. Let's go, team!" shouted Ash. The girls nodded as they each slid down the pole that allowed them to quickly get down to the main level of the command center. "It's Morphin' Time!" shouted Ash. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the teens. They all appeared on a split screen as they transformed into their suits. They landed on a platform as they lifted their heads, and their helmet and vizors were configured to complete their change. They each did their pose with their zords in the background. Soon they forward flipped as they were now in front of their foes. "Stop right there, Chrysalis!" stated Ash. "Ah, rangers," snickered the general evilly. "So glad you come. Steampunk, take care of them!" "Yes, General!" said the officer in a train-like voice as he clanged his piston hands together. "Harmony sabers!" shouted the rangers as they pulled out their weapons from their side belt and charged forward. Ash ducked and swiped at his foes using his saber. He did several forward flips to avoid the quick attacks the minions tried. He continued to slash as he saw Chrysalis in the distance. The boy tried to go for her as the minions blocked his path. "Let's see here," said Chrysalis as she continued to search along the shoreline. "Based on my son's readings, it was last seen here." "Chrysalis!" shouted Ash. The general looked up to see the yellow ranger in the air as he looked to bring down his saber on her. The general merely caught as she thrust out her hand as the boy was thrown back. "That all you got?" taunted the general. "Harmony Blaster, fire!" shouted Ash he pulled out his secondary weapon. "Reflectitur!" shouted Chrysalis as her hands glowed. A barrier appeared in front of her as it then shot the blast from Ash's blaster back at the ranger. The boy felt the impact of his attack as sparks occurred when it hit him as he fell to the floor. He coughed a bit as he clutched himself while looking at the general. "You see, Ash. You can't beat me," snickered Chrysalis as she stepped forward. The girls were dealing with the rest of the minions as their leader was dealing with the mutant general. Sunset was dodging and evading shots as she leaped over some huge rocks and slid down the small hill. She then kicked up some sand to blind some of her foes as she spun and kicked them. "You're on the wrong side of the tracks, ranger," said Steampunk as he opened his firepit mouth and fired some coals. They hit Sunset who flew into the shallow water back first. "Sunset!" shouted the girls as they came to their comrade's aid. "All aboard!" shouted the monster as he fired more coals at the girls as they all fell. Meanwhile, Ash was still dealing with Chrysalis. The yellow ranger tried his best to deal any damage to the general, but she merely blocked and counteracted. Ash pulled out his sword as he leaped into the air. The general shot some spells from her hands as the boy was hit and fell. Chrysalis went for a stomp as the teen rolled out of the way. He kipped up and began to swing his blade at the general as she ducked and then hit the back of his leg to make him go down to a knee. Ash blocked an attack using his blade as Chrysalis quickly disarmed her opponent. She then kicked the boy away as he dragged along the shoreline. "To think the others had a tough time being you," snickered Chrysalis. She then forward flipped as Ash got back to his feet. The pair were now engaging in close combat as the general proved she could fight as well as she could cast magic. Ash on the defense as his opponent was ruthless in her assault. He blocked all of Chrysalis's attack with his arms as he spun back to avoid a low sweep. He landed and then pushed off as in the air he twisted. Chrysalis put her arms in front of her to block the tornado spin done by the ranger as he landed. She then spun back doing a kick as Ash ducked. She elbowed the boy in his midsection before tossing him over her. "Ignis Nent!" said Chrysalis as her hands glowed once more. She did some arm movements as soon fire shot out and circled Ash as it hit the ranger. An explosion occurred as he was tossed onto the floor. The girls were having their own problems. "Harmony Ax! Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she brought her weapon down in a green light as it hit the officer. "Harmony Lance! Cobalt Spear!" shouted Rainbow as she was now doing her finisher. She was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the mutant. Steampunk merely grabbed the end of the weapon and stopped Rainbow's attack before flinging the girl away. "No way!" shouted Rainbow on the floor. Her attack didn't do anything, nor did Aj's previous attack as Steampunk's body was too strong. "That the best you got?!" taunted Steampunk. "Ruby Harmony Bow!" shouted Sunset. The girl got to a knee and began to fire at the monster as pulled the string back in quick motions as arrows of red light shot out. They made contact with the monster, but he kept on chugging along as Sunset fired more shots. "What?!" said the girl in disbelief. "My turn!" shouted Steampunk as he fired more coals from his furnace mouth. "Harmony Shield!" shouted Twilight as she appeared and put her weapon in front of her. The girl tried to protect them all but the attack was too strong that they were all hit and tossed into the air before they crashed. "Nothing we do affects him! He's too strong!" stated Aj. "Give up, Ash!" shouted Chrysalis. "Give up, and I might... only slightly, destroy you." "You can kiss my ass, Chrysalis!" shouted the boy as he was struggling to his feet. He began to tap into his gem's power as soon his wolf mirage came out. The general merely had her hands glow as she spun them around her quickly. When the wolf came at her, she began to spin. She spun as her hands were now guiding the animal spirit. She came back around and redirected the attack at the boy who took a massive hit as he fell to his knees as another explosion happened. She then put her hands out as chains appeared and wrapped around the yellow ranger. The general lifted the boy into the air. "Look at you, so helpless up there. To think, you're just a boy trying to be a man," said Chrysalis. The general now began to walk in the air as she climbed up to where the ranger was being suspended. She then put her hand on his helmet as her powers began to dig themselves into the boy as he let out a scream. Soon it caused his suit to have his helmet deconfigured as it showed his face. The boy was now staring at his foe with his own eyes as Chrysalis smirked. "My, my... look at you. Five years ago, you were just a kid. But now, you're quite attractive. If I only I was back in my teen years." said Chrysalis while tracing his face with her nails. "To think, you now lead your new team of rangers. But look at them." Chrysalis gestured for the teen to look as he saw his team. The girls continued their fight against Steampunk, but they were losing their battle. The tough exterior of the monster was too strong as neither of the girls could deal any damage. They were also taking massive hits as they yelled out in pain. For Ash, he could see his team in danger. "How does it feel to watch your new team be destroyed right before your very eyes?" taunted Chrysalis. "Don't worry, at least when they're gone. You'll have had two teams die before your very eyes. And all you could do is watch!" "No! NO!" shouted Ash as he struggled. "Don't bother," smirked the general. Ash now struggled to break free but the chains began to get tighter and tighter the more he struggled. The boy was growling as the anger on his face was shown. Soon the ranger let out a scream. Rachel was in the command center as she was seeing her master and his friends in their losing battle. Soon the hexagons in the rangers' base began to glow. "It's time," said the A.I. She sent some codes into the shapes as they teleported away. "Say goodbye, rangers!" stated Steampunk as the girls were slowly getting to their feet. "Girls!" shouted Ash. Everything moved in slow motion as the monster looked to deliver the final blow on the rangers. Just then, something happened. The hexagons that shot out of the command center sailed towards Steampunk as they hit the mutant and managed to take him off his feet. "What?" shouted Chrysalis. The shapes now headed towards where Ash and Chrysalis were as the monster flew back to the ground. They broke the chains holding Ash as the ranger fell to the ground, and then a flash of light occurred. The general covered her eyes to avoid the blinding light as it soon died down and she saw what lay before her. Standing there was Ash, his helmet back on, but he was wearing something. The hexagons had heard the ranger's cry as they raced to help him. Ash was now wearing some gauntlets. It zoomed in on them as they were bear claws that were on Ash's hands. The boy struck a pose as he let out a cry. "What is this?!" said Chrysalis. "Bear claws!" shouted Ash as he did another pose as an explosion occurred behind him. "Not like that changes anything!" Ash lifted his right hand as the gauntlets show out tiny needles from the sharp claws as they sailed towards Chrysalis who felt them as she fell back. "I think it changes everything," smiled Ash. He now began to charge toward the general with his new weapon as Chrysalis began to fire spells at the ranger coming at her; Ash just swatted the attack away with the claws as he kept on charging. He made it over to Chrysalis as he began to swipe at the general which she had to avoid. Eventually, the ranger made contact as she was hit. "Fury Swipes!" shouted Ash as he powered up and began to lash out. He zipped past her several times as the claws were dealing significant damage to the mutant. Chrysalis recovered as she struck the ground with her hands. A rock wave move was heading towards the yellow ranger as he ran at it. It was about to make contact when he raised his right hand, the bear claw glowed as the boy made contact. The rocks were smashed to pieces as he stood his ground and created a crater from where he stood. The general was stunned as Ash then reeled back the claws as they continued to glow. "Mystic Blow!" shouted the boy as he thrust out his arms as an attack was shot towards Chrysalis as it was effective against the mutant as she was thrown back. Ash continued to charge as he leaped into the air and landed just as Chrysalis was getting back up. The pair was now engaged in close combat as Ash was using his new weapons to deal damage to the monster. Chrysalis went for an attack as Ash grabbed her arm and pulled her in so that he could knee her in the midsection as she stumbled back. The boy went for some flying kicks in mid-air as Chrysalis blocked them and Ash flipped backward to safety. Once more, Chrysalis tapped into her magic as she managed to fire a spell and hit the ranger dead center. She was pleased but soon saw the ranger emerge from the explosion as his body glowed. The bear claws had their eyes glow as their special power was transferred to the boy, by absorbing some of the damage, he was able to boost his own power temporarily. With that new power, Ash engaged with the general once more as he got near her and began to do several swipes to her body as he zoomed in and out of frame in the blink of an eye. "Eviscerate!!!" shouted Ash as he dealt the finishing move of the bear claws as it hit Chrysalis. The boy appeared as he zoomed past her and stood a few meters as in the background, the general fell which resulted in an explosion. "Want more?" taunted Ash as he turned around. "Lucky for you, I got what I came for," snickered Chrysalis as she got up and teleported away. Ash grunted but then soon went off to help his teammates. "Let's try attacking together," suggested Twilight as the girls nodded. "You can't touch me," said Steampunk. "Charging Lance!" "Meteor Spike!" "Blitz Flare!" "Shield Splice!" All powered up and did one of their most powerful attacks but once again, it didn't affect Steampunk much. He then did one huge swipe attack as he took out the girls who fell back. "Pathetic," said Steampunk as he began to chug forward. "What now?" said Sunset. "Fury Swipes!" shouted Ash. Steampunk turned and saw the ranger coming at him. Ash now zipped past him several times as his attack dealt damage to the monster as an explosion occurred. Ash then powered up his claws as they glowed. He then thrust them out as needles show out and made contact with Steampunk once more as another explosion occurred. "Not bad," smiled Ash. "Yo, Ash!" called out Rainbow. The girls made their way to where their leader was as they gathered around him. "You got him, sugar," said Aj putting her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without some help," said the boy as he showed off the gauntlets he was currently wearing as they soon disappeared. "Now, what do you say we finish this guy off?" asked the boy. "Sounds like a plan," said Sunset. "Let's put them together," said Twilight. The rangers now merged their weapons into one. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted all the rangers as they got into position. "That won't work!" shouted Steampunk as he began to charge toward them at high speed. "Ready, fire!" shouted all of them. They charged up their weapon as it shot out an orb of light in all of their colors. It made contact with Steampunk as the mutant felt it and froze. The rangers then leaped back to do their poses as in the background, the monster fell and an explosion occurred. "This isn't over!" said Chrysalis as saw what went down from afar. She then lifted her hand as she began to work her magic. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" The general finished her chant as a tornado began to form around the spot of the defeated monster. It then got bigger and bigger as it then blew away as there stood Steampunk who was now ten times his size. "Time for the express!" cackled the large monster. "Time to call for backup!" said Rainbow. "Harmony zords, arise!" shouted the rangers. The signal was sent as their zords heard the call. They all began to race to where their owners were as they followed Ash's wolf. "Harmony zords, combine!" said the rangers as they all leaped and got in their respective zords. The animals now began to merge as soon there stood the Megazord as the rangers appeared inside each standing at their station. "Let's see if you can stop this locomotive!" taunted Steampunk as he opened his furnace and shot out coals that hit the Megazord. The rangers felt the attack as they rocked inside their giant robot. The monster soon took a few steps forward to engage them as his fists were making contact with them. They were soon tossed to the ground as they crashed. "We got to get up!" said Sunset as she pushed a button. "Rhino kicks!" shouted Applejack. Their Megazord got to its feet as it leaped into the air. It began to deliver several kicks to the giant monster but it didn't push him back. It stood in place as it tanked the hits it was receiving as the Megazord leaped back and was shocked. "No way! He didn't feel anything!" said Twilight. "Falcon Blade!" shouted Rainbow. Their Megazord now had its sword out as it began to slash at Steampunk. Like before, he just tanked the hits as the sword didn't do anything against his metal body. "Let me show you some real power!" said Steampunk. The whistle above his head gave some toots as he now began to chug forward. He was coming at them at such high speeds that they didn't have time to dodge. "Owl shield!" shouted Twilight. The rangers put up their defense in hopes of protecting themselves. It worked but only for a short time as the attack was more powerful than expected. The contact caused the Megazord to fall to the ground. The attack by Steampunk did more damage than expected as the Megazord lay on the ground, but both the owl and the falcon were badly injured. They let out cries as both Rainbow and Twilight could hear them. "Damage report?" asked Ash. "We lost the owl zord," said Twilight. "My falcon is badly injured," said Rainbow. Without those two zords functioning, the Megazord didn't have any arms to fight. "This looks like the end of the line," chuckled Steampunk. "What do we do?" asked Sunset. Ash began to think. Soon a thought crossed the boy. "I have an idea. In order to beat this monster, we need some help. We need to call the bear zord and cubs to help us." "Will it work though, sugar?" "It's our only hope," said Ash as he tapped his Morpher. The image of the bear came up as he traced a symbol. "Calling Bear zord!" The signal was sent. Steampunk was on top of the rangers as he looked to bring his fists down to end them. Soon a roar was heard. Coming at him was a huge bear as it charged forward. On her back were her cubs as they too let out small growls of their own. "Look, here they come!" said Twilight. The mother bear opened her mouth as a laser beam fired and hit Steampunk. The attack was effective against the monster as he stumbled back. The cubs then got off their momma's back and ran forward. They both leaped into the air and turned into a ball as it headed towards the monster to knock him back again. "Look at the little guys go!" said Rainbow watching the cubs fight alongside their mother. The cubs landed as they and their mother all stood on their hind legs and roared. They were sending a message to Ash as the boy heard and understood. "Guys, the bear zords want to merge with the Megazord." "What?" said Sunset. "It's the only way we'll fully take down, Steampunk. Are you girls, with me?" asked Ash. "Always," said Applejack. "Then let's do this," said Ash as he made the hexagons appear in his hand. "Twilight, Rainbow, catch!" The yellow ranger tossed two of the hexagons to his teammates. They both took out their shapes and replaced them with the ones their leader gave them. Ash inputted the larger hexagon in the slot above the one his wolf was in as the rangers began to take their powers to the next level. "Bear zord, combine!" shouted all the rangers. They all roared as they leaped into the air. The Megazord was now changing as the owl and falcon arms were replaced with the cubs. The mother bear then transformed itself as the head was a new helmet for the Megazord to wear as the rest of its body was placed on the Megazord's body to serve as armor. "Harmony Megazord, Bear-Knuckle Brawler!" shouted Ash as that was the new mode they unlocked. The Megazord jumped in place as it did a few punches in a boxing ring as a spotlight shined down on it and did its pose. "Like that changes anything!" shouted Steampunk as he opened his furnace to shoot out more coals. The rangers stood their ground as they began to swing their new zords to smash the coals to pieces. The Megazord then charged forward as Steampunk fired more coals as they kept on swatting them away as they closed the distance. Soon the monster began to also charge forward. Both giants met in the middle and raised their right hand as the rangers dealt first contact and knocked Steampunk onto the floor. "Right jab!" shouted Twilight as the right cub bear fist began to deliver several punches to the giant monster. "Left Jab!" shouted Rainbow as the left cub bear began to do the same. The Megazord was now alternating between punches as it took steps forward and continued to pummel the mutant as he was taking some heavy damage. Soon both fists hit his chest at the same time as he was knocked to his feet, but they left a huge dent in his chest. "Alright!" shouted the girls as they were on the verge of winning. "Let's finish this!" stated Ash. "Uh-oh!" said Steampunk. "Harmony Megazord, Rushing Bombard Strike!" shouted Ash. The Megazord now zoomed ahead as it raised its right arm. It delivered a quick one-two combo as it raised its right arm one final time to smash it through the body of Steampunk as he stumbled back and saw the hole in him. He soon fell back as an explosion occurred. The rangers stood and the Megazord clanged its fists as they were victorious. "Man, why didn't you tell us you could do that?" exclaimed Rainbow as they made it back to the command center. She had her arm around Ash as the girls were asking their leader how he got those new gauntlets. "To be honest, I didn't they could do that. That was something neither my parents told me. But if this is what we can expect from the other zords, then we need to make sure that we find them before the Dark Lords get their hands on them." said the boy. "Not to mention that new Megazord combo," smiled Applejack. "Which means once we get all the zords, we got tons of combinations to play around with," stated Sunset. While the rangers were relishing their victory, their enemies were also discussing what went down. Chrysalis made her way back to their lair as she entered Thorax's lab. Inside were Pharynx and Starlight as the latter was smiling. "Well, well, look who failed to destroy the rangers," snickered Starlight. "For the record, I never intended to destroy the rangers. I was sent to scout the last piece of info that my son needed. And with the rangers being distracted, I was able to complete my mission. Something you've never done." said Chrysalis as she stared down Starlight. "Speaking of which," said Thorax as he was handed the disk by Chrysalis and put it in his computer. "So, what? The rangers have a new power," said Pharynx. "That won't matter. Because I found it." "Found what?" said Starlight. Both Thorax and Chrysalis smiled as they looked at the screen and saw the icon. "The location... of the next zord," said Thorax as he turned in his chair to address his comrades. Chapter 16: Deep Dive Pt. 1Off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, something was swimming about. Its eyes glowed as it opened its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The creature saw an object in its line of sight as it zoomed ahead. It shot through the water like a torpedo as soon it made contact with its prey. In the lair of the Dark Lords, Thorax was at his computer as his scanners were going haywire. "What's happening?" asked Starlight. "Our target is on the move. The Tiger Shark zord has struck," chuckled Thorax evilly as the mutant's fingers went at it on his keyboard. The monitors then popped up sonar and schematics. Soon the world map came up as it then zoomed in on the area. It showed a submarine that was losing control as it was moving towards a harsh storm. The scanners now moved away from it as it followed a trail. Soon the live feed showed the zord as it was highlighted in green. "There it is," smiled Thorax. "Great, but where's it heading?" asked Chrysalis. The submarine that the Tiger shark zord attacked had made it into the storm just moments later. With the sudden attack they encountered, they lost all control of the submarine. Coupled with the storm they were in and the waves crashing down on them, they were blind. The crew inside were feeling the effects as they rocked. "Private, situation report," asked the captain of the sub. "Emergency power only, Captain. Radar, sonar out. Visibility poor." said the man as he was sitting at his controls. Their sub rocked once more due to the waves as they felt it. "Scopes? Navigations systems?" asked the captain to another member of his crew. "All down, sir. We're running blind," responded the woman. "Then we'll need blind luck if we don't want to run into anything," said the captain. A few meters away there was a cruise ship that was trapped in the storm. However, with the sub not having any vision, it was heading straight for the larger ship. "Come on, folks. It's much safer inside," said the deck officer to some of the folks, before talking into the radio, "The upper deck is cleared." "Woah, what's that?" said a woman as she pointed out to the sea. "I don't believe it." Coming at them was the sub that was blind. "Get inside! That thing is going to collide..." At that moment, the submarine hit the ship and both ships rocked. The crew inside the sub all fell to the floor. In the rangers' command center, the rangers were currently in the obstacle course section of the place. Ash, Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were all shown on top of a building. Sunset was holding onto a rope as she repelled down. "Woo!" shouted the girl as she descended onto a ledge. She then saw the dummy as she descended to the level below her. "This is almost too easy," said Sunset as she put the dummy over her shoulders and began to climb up. "So far so good. But the best training exercises always include an element of the unexpected. There's a safety latch, but she doesn't know that," smiled Ash as he cut the rope. "Oh, shit!" shouted Sunset as she felt the rope be cut and was falling. She quickly grabbed onto a ledge and stopped her from falling. "Now, this is more like the Ash I know," said Sunset before looking up to address her leader. "Hey, you really went out on a limb for this one, Ash!" Sunset extended her other hand as out shot a cable. It flew upward and then circled the device that the rope was hanging from as it then attached to itself. "That's the test of a real ranger. Someone who is prepared for the unexpected at all times," said Ash to all as Sunset was now walking up the building. "Like the exercise you gave me, remember, submerged in icy waters without scuba gear. Oh, it's colder than a penguin's tail feathers," said Applejack as she rubbed her arms as she still could feel the freezing temps. "Well, hey, it strengthen your endurance," explained Ash for his actions. "Or how about that reaction time test, I found myself trapped in quicksand. With a very short rope," said Rainbow. "Yeah, that wasn't a test. You were just pissing me off that day," explained Ash to the chromatic-haired girl. Everyone now began to laugh as Dash had an angry look on her face. Sunset now climbed to the top of the building as she stood before her team. "Training exercise complete. As well as the testing of the new gadget, Ash," said the girl as the rest of her body made her suit disappear. "You did great, Sunny," smiled the boy as he placed his hand on her shoulder. At that moment, an alarm went off as the teens now rushed out of the training room and into the main room. Ash approached the computer and pushed a button. "What's the status, Rachel?" asked Ash. "I know this isn't our normal duties, Master Ash. But there's been a distress signal that I've picked up. A sub-to-ship collision off the Atlantic Ocean." said the A.I. as she showed the location of the crisis on the world map. "Uh, no offense, Rach? But are any of our foes involved?" asked Rachel. "Again, no. I know this isn't our usual standard saving the day type of thing, but the distress call and detail of the incident is growing every second," responded the A.I. "It's fine. We're rangers. Which means we save those in danger. So let's move team!" shouted Ash as they were heading to the hangar. "How are we going to get there?" asked Twilight as they ran. "Let's say, I've completed some more devices from my father's schematics." The gang all arrived at the hangar as Ash showed the girls what he meant. Standing there was a jet that he'd been working on the past few days. They were all amazed as they got in and the boy began to start it up as it flew out of the command center and to their destination. The rangers were now in the rainstorm. They could see the waves crashing below them. During the ride, Ash had Rachel contact the rescue support team that picked up the signal as she informed them that the help was on their way. They soon saw the ship that was damaged as smoke came from its lower levels. Next to them was the rescue craft as the rangers' jet landed on the landing pad. "Welcome aboard, rangers," said the captain of the rescue craft as he saw their jet. Ash and the girls all morphed into their suits before exiting the ship. Rachel was able to make a private comm channel for them to talk through while on the mission. They made their way to the communications room as there was the captain and his rescue crew all running about. Everywhere, bells and whistles were going off as they were looking at sonars and radar. Soon the captain saw the group of rangers he had heard about. "I never expected you guys to show up. I figured you'd guys be off fighting a monster somewhere else. But hey, I'm not complaining. I'm glad you're all here." said the captain as he approached the yellow ranger and shook his hand. "That's the duty of a ranger, Captain. Save and protect those in need. Now, what's the situation?" asked Ash. "The submarine hit a gas line causing a fire to break out below the deck. And the flooding means that the crew can't get to the valve to turn the gas off." "Any damage to the sub?" asked Twilight. "Don't know. We can't establish radio contact," said the captain. "Applejack, Rainbow, you guys check on the sub. The rest of us will concentrate on the ship. Rachel will stay in radio contact and use the schematic maps to guide us along," instructed Ash to his team through their private channel. "Two of us for a whole submarine?" asked Rainbow to her leader. "Don't worry. I suspect you'll need help," smiled the captain as he led the rangers through a door. He led them to a pool of water as soon, as something jumped out of it. "This is Nemo. He's a rescue dolphin we've been training to help us handle situations like this," smiled the captain as the dolphin came to the edge and petted its head. "Hey, there," smiled Aj through her helmet as she and Rainbow petted the aquatic animal as it gave some noises. "Alright then, team. You have your assignments. Here you go," said Ash as he handed the girls some devices. "What are these?" said Aj. Both girls pushed the button on it as the square now expanded and soon both girls were now standing there in diving gear that was fitted for their ranger suits. "Something that I've been working on for situations where we might need to dive underwater while wearing our suits," said Ash. "Nice! Let's do this!" said Rainbow as she and Applejack now dove into the water. The hole at the bottom of the pool opened up as the girls and Nemo the dolphin began to swim out into the ocean. The others all made it back out of the ship and onto their jet as they were each dropped onto the ship and split up as they were assigned their tasks. Both Rainbow and Applejack were swimming about as they were following the dolphin. They soon came upon the sunken submarine as it was teetering on the edge of a rock as it was directly below some coral. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, this is Rachel," said the A.I. through their helmets. "I'm ready for your status report." "I'm no expert, but the submarine evacuation hatch has been jarred. It's gonna be tricky to open," said Aj as she could tell it was sealed shut so even her superstrength wasn't going to do much. "That's not our only problem. The coral above is crumbling," said Rainbow as she looked up. "If the bow hits that trench the subs air tanks could explode." Meanwhile, on the ship, Ash was helping the crew load the passengers onto lifeboats. He got a hold of a girl who was scared as she held a teddy. "It's gonna be alright. Me and the others are gonna save everyone," said the yellow ranger to the girl as that cheered her up. He then put her on the boat as he talked to his Morpher. "Rachel, we'll need you to send the ship's schematics in a few minutes." "Ten-four," responded the A.I. to the yellow ranger. Back with Aj and Dash, they were still working on getting the hatch opened. Turns out those swimsuits that Ash made for them also had a few tools in them. Inside, the crew heard the sounds. "It's the rescue team," said one of the crewmen in a low breath. "Save your breath, crewman. We don't have much air left," said the captain as he looked at their oxygen levels and saw how low it really was. "We need to speed things up," said the green ranger as she pulled out a blowtorch and began to work on opening the hatch. "But what about the coral?" asked Rainbow. "We're on our way," said the captain of the rescue team as he and a few of his men were in a small watercraft as they were heading to the location of the girls to help them. "Rainbow, take over. I'll go check out on the support beams," said Aj to her friend as she handed the blowtorch to her. She now dived down as at that moment, the small watercraft made its way to them. It began to pull out some support beams with its arms as it attached to the sub. "How much longer?" asked Aj to Dash as they were held in place. "Only a few more minutes," said Rainbow through their private comm channel. At that moment, the support beams began to slip as the whole sub was moving. "What the hell?!!" shouted Rainbow as she quickly noticed the ship moving as she moved out of the way. "Oh, no!" said Aj as she saw one of the support beams and began to push on it. The girl now activated her support strength to try to hold it in place, but it was a bit difficult underwater as she couldn't plant her feet on something. "Rainbow?!" shouted Aj as she was starting to lose it. Soon the sub was turning on its side as the girl was directly under it. "Rainbow, help!!!" Soon the sub was turned on its side as dust from the coral was kicked up. "Aj?! What's your status?" said the girl to her friend. Nothing was heard, soon, emerging was Applejack as she was holding onto the dolphin. Nemo was able to swim quickly to the green ranger's aide as he managed to swipe her from being crushed. "Fine for someone who almost became a submarine sandwich," said the girl to her friend. She gave a thumbs up to the crew in the watercraft as they got the sign she was okay. "Thanks, little fella," said Applejack as she petted Nemo's nose to which he nuzzled against the green ranger. Back with the others, they were still working on calming the fire below the deck. Both Ash and Twilight were on the lower deck using their zords in their pet forms to clear some debris. Ash pulled out some more devices he made, when he gave them to him and Twilight, they now had water guns to help put out the fire. They each began to spray at the fire, but the flames grew bigger and bigger. As fast as they were spraying, the fire continued to grow. "It's no use until we shut off the broken gas main, this fire is gonna keep on raging," said Twilight to her leader standing back to back with her. "Sunset, have you located that shut-off value, yet?" asked Ash through his Morpher to their teammate. Sunset was currently in the flood section of the ship. Ash had given her another device that Aj and Dash were given as she was now in a swimsuit fitted for her ranger suit. She climbed down the ladder as she landed in the water. "I'm almost there," said Sunset as she had the schematics transmitted to her helmet as she saw the layout. "Thanks for transmitting the map, Rachel." "That's what I'm here for. Now you're gonna have to swim 20 yards down that hallway, bear left, and then 30 yards directly in front of you will be the value," said Rachel as she show Sunset the direction she would need to take by using a small pixel of her reaching her destination and getting there as the words 'Level Complete' appeared. "Copy, also love that little touch," said the girl as she smiled. "Master Ash had that made specifically for you," responded the A.I. "Now, I definitely want to marry him," muttered the bacon-haired girl. "What was that?" asked Ash as Sunset's channel was still on. "Nothing! I said I'm on it," said Sunset as she quickly realized her situation. She shut off her comm channel and then began to dive under the water as she swam. "Ash, Twilight, status report. How are you two doing down there?" asked Rachel as she switched to see what they were doing. "Good, we found some trapped crewmen," said Ash. The door was sealed shut, but they had made it to a nearby window. Ash now began to pull out a blowtorch as he began to open it. Inside, the people were trapped as there was a fire in front of them. They had buckets of water they were tossing at the flames but it didn't do much with the gas still activate. They were also running out of air as a few of them coughed. They soon noticed some sparks coming from the window as it was then pushed in as a hand was shown. They let out a small gasp as they soon saw who it belonged to. "Sorry to barge in guys, but we only have a small window of opportunity here. And I mean, a really small window," said Ash as he pulled one of them through it to show them. They all smiled and laughed at his joke. With Rainbow Dash and Applejack, they were still working on trying to move the sub. When it tipped onto its side earlier and nearly crushed the farm girl, the evacuation hatch had now been blocked by the rock it was near. The captain had brought a pulley system that they hoped would allow them to move the sub back to its rightful position to allow them to get back to opening it. "Aj? Dash? What's happening?" asked Rachel as she was checking in on them. "After the latest incident, the hatch got blocked. So we're using a pulley system to move the sub and reexpose the evacuation hatch," informed the green ranger. "Keep trying, girls. We need to hurry!" stated the A.I. to the girls through their helmets. The rangers gave thumbs up to the watercraft as they began to pull back. The craft pulled but not a few moments later, did the line snap as the watercraft was pushed back from the momentum as the sub now tipped more towards the girls. "Applejack?! Rainbow Dash?!" shouted Rachel as she heard the noise through their comm channel. "We're fine, Rach," said Rainbow to the A.I. "But the submarine still ain't movin'. The evacuation hatch is still blocked," said Aj. "If only we had better supplies or something! Ash couldn't create something to move a 2-ton sub!" shouted Rainbow. "The purpose of these gadgets that his father designed was to help those trapped in small situations. Not to... wait a minute... supplies... that's it! They must have a supply hatch! Rainbow, you're a genius." said Rachel as she began to rescan and hack into the submarine schematics. "I am? I mean, of course, I am!" smiled Rainbow boastful as Applejack just rolled her eyes in her suit. "Alright, I'm in. And I think I have it," said the A.I. as she now had the layout of the sub and found her target. "Rainbow? Applejack? I found another entrance. Every sub has a supply hatch. This one is located..." While Rachel was informing the duo of the other exit, Sunset was still heading towards the value. She was following the map that her helmet showed her as she avoided any floating debris in her way as she kept on swimming. She soon came to a small opening made by some pipes that fell as she turned on the flashlight on her head and looked around. The light scanned the area as it soon located its target. "The value," said Sunset. She started to swim forward but was stopped. Her air tank was hitting the pipe she was trying to squeeze through. The girl grunted and tried harder to squeeze through with the air tank on her back but it wasn't budging. She then contacted her Morpher. "Ash, Rachel? The only way I'm gonna fit through this is if I take my tank off and do a free dive," said the red ranger. "Copy that, Sunset. I'm gonna send Twilight in your direction," said the boy. "But by then, it'll be too late!" said Sunset as she knew they didn't have much time to wait. "As long as the gas remains on, that fire will keep on burning." "Sunset, it's too far. You'll never be able to hold your breath for that long," said Rachel as the A.I. ran the calculations of the distance and the amount of time Sunset would have to hold her breath. "Oh, yeah. Watch this!" said Sunset. She pushed the button on her air tank as it unhooked from her. The girl was determined to shut off the gas value as she was willing to take the risk. She got rid of the tank and swam through the small opening as she was making her towards the value. The girl was closing in on the target when soon she felt something. She looked down and saw her flipper was caught by a cable as it was restraining the girl in place. She began to try to pull her foot out but it was stuck. To make matters worst, her helmet was flashing red at how low her oxygen levels were. Rachel could see it as there was a warning signal being sent to her. Ash also received the signal as he was concerned for his teammate. "Come on, Sunset. Come on!" shouted Ash. The girl struggled and struggled to remove her foot but it didn't budge. She soon decided to remove the flipper as she now began to quickly swim towards the value. She approached it and began to turn it as she felt her oxygen levels about to breach. With a few more turns, the red ranger then quickly swam up towards the surface. Sunset emerged as her helmet deconfigured at that moment allowing the girl to get some air. "I did it! The gas is off!" shouted Sunset taking in some deep breaths. "Great job, Sunny!" said Ash through their private com channel. "I just hope Rainbow and Aj have saved that sub." The other two members of the team were shown cutting open the supply hatch of the sub. Once Rachel had figured out another exit for them to gain access, she informed the girls where it was as they had been using the blowtorch to open it up. "We're gonna have to resurface soon. You don't have much air left," said Rainbow as both of their oxygen tanks were running low and would soon be depleted. "Not till we open the supply hatch," said Applejack as she was determined to get the thing open and save the crew inside. Soon the girl completed the cutting as they looked to see the watercraft approach them as they gave a signal. "Alright, Captain. She's all yours!" stated Rainbow with a thumbs up. The captain and his crew on the watercraft nodded as they had their vehicle dock on top of the supply hatch. The crew inside heard the thud as the captain of the submarine made his way to their supply area. He looked up at the hatch as he saw the Captain at the other end who placed the eject hole of the watercraft over the hatch. "Welcome aboard, folks!" smiled the rescue captain to the submarine crew below as they cheered. He then made it to the window as he gave a thumbs up to the girls outside. "It worked, Rachel! We did it!" shouted Rainbow in excitement as she and Aj did a high five. "Glad we thought of it," said the A.I. as she gave credit to both girls for helping her to come up with the plan. "Ash, Twilight, Sunset? How are you all coming along?" "Fire's out," said Twilight as she and Ash just finished putting out the last flames. "Once Sunny shut off that gas value, we put it out faster than Rainbow downs apple cider," smiled Ash as he place his arm around Sunset's shoulder as the girl smiled through her helmet. "Alright, team. Let's rendezvous back at the rescue craft." "On it!" said Rainbow and Applejack as they began to head back with the watercraft and Nemo. Once they arrived, they all gave each other a quick high five at a job well done. The captain of the rescue team thanked the rangers for their help as he shook Ash's hand. The team made their way back to their jet and were about to leave when they all got a message from Rachel. "What's up, Rachel?" said Ash. "While you and the girls were finishing up with helping the rescue operation. I ran some scans on the submarine and was trying to figure out what hit it." "And?" asked Twilight. "Look at this," said the A.I. as she pulled up the photos on the jet's screen as the teens looked at it. It was the image of the sub, soon it began to zoom in on a back part of the submarine. Under a normal eye, everything seemed normal. However, Rachel did another scan as it show some hidden marks. There were teeth marks on the sub as it showed that something must have either attacked or collided with the sub. "Teeth marks?" said Sunset. "But what does that mean? Those look like shark marks. But we didn't encounter any sharks," said Twilight. "You're right, we didn't. But... this was no ordinary shark," said Ash as he pushed some buttons on the panel. The image of the teeth was put to the side as another image was brought up. The team of rangers was now looking at the thing that caused all of this as it was the Tiger Shark zord. While the team was gathering their thoughts on what went down with the missing zord, their foes were already on the move. After Thorax had tracked down the zord's signal, he'd been trying to trace where it was heading. The incident with the sub was merely an obstacle as it was traveling somewhere else. The location of it was going was an island off Costa Rica. They were now heading towards the location in hopes of cutting off the zord. "Where are the rangers?" asked Chrysalis to her son. "They're still busy with the rescue, I doubt they know what's really happening. And even if they do, we're already one step ahead of them," snickered Thorax. "Then let's hurry. We need to find that zord before they do," instructed Chrysalis as she grabbed some minions and Thorax as they exited their lair. To be continued... Chapter 17: Deep Dive Pt. 2Previously on Power Rangers... In the lair of the Dark Lords, Thorax was at his computer as his scanners were going haywire. "What's happening?" asked Starlight. "Our target is on the move. The Tiger Shark zord has struck," chuckled Thorax evilly as the mutant's fingers went at it on his keyboard. "There's been a distress signal that I've picked up. A sub-to-ship collision off the Atlantic Ocean." said the A.I. as she showed the location of the crisis on the world map. "The submarine hit a gas line causing a fire to break out below the deck. And the flooding means that the crew can't get to the valve to turn the gas off." "Applejack, Rainbow, you guys check on the sub. The rest of us will concentrate on the ship. Rachel will stay in radio contact and use the schematic maps to guide us along," instructed Ash to his team through their private channel. "Ash, Rachel? The only way I'm gonna fit through this is if I take my tank off and do a free dive," said the red ranger. "What's up, Rachel?" said Ash. "While you and the girls were finishing up with helping the rescue operation. I ran some scans on the submarine and was trying to figure out what hit it." "And?" asked Twilight. "Look at this," said the A.I. as she pulled up the photos on the jet's screen as the teens looked at it. It was the image of the sub, soon it began to zoom in on a back part of the submarine. Under a normal eye, everything seemed normal. However, Rachel did another scan as it show some hidden marks. There were teeth marks on the sub as it showed that something must have either attacked or collided with the sub. The image of the teeth was put to the side as another image was brought up. The team of rangers was now looking at the thing that caused all of this as it was the Tiger Shark zord. A jet was shown flying above the blue ocean. Onboard was a group of five teenagers and one of them was at the controls. The others were all seated and they were excited about the most part. After Rachel discovered the source of the submarine incident, she informed the rangers as they quickly packed up and headed in the direction of where the zord was located. "Here are some things to know about Costa Rica. It's a rugged, rain forested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Ranked as one of the most visited international destinations. Although the country is small and it covers only 0.03 percent of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters 5 percent of the existing biodiversity in the entire world. Twenty-six percent of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory." "Anything else?" said Rainbow as she felt like Twilight was going on a tangent to which she was getting bored. "Rugged highlands are found throughout most of the country, ranging from approximately 1,000 to 2,000 meters (3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level). The Guanacaste Mountain Range, Central Mountain Range, and Talamanca Mountain Range are the main mountain ranges extending the entire length of the country. There are several active volcanoes (Arenal Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, and Turrialba Volcano) and the country’s highest mountain (Chirripo Hill) with a height of 3,819 m/12,530 ft." "Yawn!" said Rainbow. "With jungles, beaches, and a wide array of terrain and climate zones, Costa Rica is a playground for the adventurous." "Now you're speaking my language!" said Rainbow with a smile as Twilight rolled her eyes before going back to her pamphlet. "The Caribbean region stands out for its variety of marine ecosystems and its white- and black-sand beaches, ideal for activities centered around nature and the ocean, including surfing, diving in clear water, basking in the sun, and hiking along the coast." "Sign me up for some surfin'," said Applejack. "We're not here for a vacation, girls. We're here to find the Tiger Shark Zord and get it before our enemies," said Ash as he was reminding the girls of their mission. "You've already seen the damage it did before. Imagine what it could do to a place that's populated with tons of people." "Ash is right. Not to mention that our foes are already one step ahead of us. Which means we need to pick up the pace," said Rachel. The jet zoomed ahead as the teen pushed the accelerator. While the rangers were making their way to their destination. Their foes were already on the ground near the location of the zord. The ones who were tasked with retrieving the beast were Thorax, an officer named Ivy as well as some minions. Leading the charge was none other than Chrysalis as she was proving why she was second-in-command. The general promised their leader that she would return with the zord, guaranteed. They were currently trekking through one of the nearby jungles of Costa Rica. The group was following Thorax as the general was holding a device in his hands as he was trying to pinpoint the signal of the zord. They passed more trees and greenery when the mutant stopped. "What's the problem?" asked Chrysalis. "Listen," said Thorax. Everyone remained silent as they listened. Soon the sound of a jet engine was heard. They all looked overhead as a jet was shown. It was none other than the rangers as they had arrived and were flying away. "The rangers!" said Thorax. "Seems they picked up that the zord is also here. Let's move out and get it before they do," said Chrysalis as she saw the jet miles away in the distance as it descended into the jungle and disappeared. The rangers exited the jet as they were welcomed to the sounds of the jungle. All around laid thick shrubbery and trees; the sounds of birds were heard as they looked around. "So, where do we head to, Rach?" asked Sunset. "Unfortunately, I can't pinpoint the location of the zord. All I know is that it's within the vicinity of this area. There's a small town nearby as well as a beach. And of course, there's the rainforest we're in. Not to mention the mountain range beyond." said the A.I. "So, what's the plan?" asked Rainbow. "Let's start looking here. Based on how far we are from the town, it'll be evening by the time the sun goes down. So, if anything we'll search the rainforest and the mountains for any signs of the zord. If nothing, we'll head into town first thing in the morning." said Ash. "Sounds good, but what about the jet?" asked Twilight. "Rachel?" "Already ahead of you, Master Ash," said the A.I. She then inputted a code as the jet now disappeared. "I've put the jet in cloak mode. So no one will know it's there unless they happen to bump into it." "Then let's get goin'!" stated Applejack. "Good luck, rangers. May the power protect you," said Rachel to the teens. The group was now heading in a direction as they entered the rainforest. They walked for a bit as Ash was using his Morpher to pick up a signal from the missing zord they were looking for. As they passed by some bushes, there was an image shown. It was green as it then shined before revealing it was the officer accompanying Thorax and Chrysalis. She had been sent to scout ahead by the two to figure out where the rangers were. Once she saw them disappear, the mutant turned into a green light as she teleported away. She then appeared before Thorax and Chrysalis as she bowed. "I've tracked the rangers. It appears they too are looking for the zord," said Ivy. "Then it's time for Plan B. Thorax," said Chrysalis to her son. The group was searching through the dense rainforest. Compared to their last adventure, this time the air was a bit more humid. And it could show as the girls felt their hair getting strands and all dizzy. Apart from Aj, who was used to getting her hair all dirty and out of place, the others found it unbearable. "Ash, can we stop?" said Sunset. "We can't afford to let the Dark Lords get the zord." "Yeah, but look at our hairs!" said Twilight. "What's so bad about it?" said Ash as he didn't see what the big deal was. "Just five minutes, please!" stated Rainbow. "Fine," sighed the boy as the girls were pleased. Just when the girls took a seat on some logs, an explosion went off as they were all tossed to the ground. The teens rolled around as they felt the pain from the attack. They soon lifted their heads as they saw what was in front of them. "Hello, rangers," snickered Thorax as the mutant appeared with his officer and minions by his side. "Thorax," said Ash as he started to get up. "You didn't think we'd let you get the Tiger Shark zord so easily, did you?" said Thorax as he gave the command for his forces to charge. The girls saw this and quickly got up as the teens began to split up and fight. Ash ducked an attack from a minion as he kicked it in the stomach so that it would bend over. He then front-flipped over the hunched minion as he landed behind and did a spin kick to take out the one in front of him. He then did a standing backflip to avoid a double attack as he now began to fist fight the others coming at him. Twilight was in between trees as she was ducking her head left and right to avoid getting hit. She ducked down to avoid a double punch as both minions punched the tree and felt the pain. The girl then leaped up and grabbed a hold of a branch as she began to swing back and forth, kicking the monsters away. She then let go and managed to headscissor one of them as they fell. Applejack did several standing backflips in a row as she came to a clearing. She was surrounded as the girl tapped into her gem's power. Soon her arms glowed as they shined to show she made them thicker. The country gal then punched one of the minions coming at her as he flew back a few meters. Several more tried to attack her as she ducked and then began to use her legs to do some roundhouse kicks. Aj then stopped a double overhead attack with her arms as she didn't feel them. The girl smiled as she threw them back using her strength. The girl then saw one of them charging at her as she leaped into the air and spun several rotations over it. She landed and in slow-motion, superman punched the ground as a shockwave echoed around her making the others fall back. Rainbow was fighting in place as she did several spin kicks to deflect and attack her foes. One of them managed to grab her from behind as she was lifted. The girl elbowed the minion holding her which caused him to release his hold on the teen. She then saw a tree as she ran towards it using her super-speed and then leaped off it to deliver a flying tornado kick. With Sunset, the foes chased after the bacon-haired girl as she came to a stop. She then back to move her head to avoid getting punched. She then began to fight her section of monsters as she was holding her own. One of them managed to grab her as they kneed her in her stomach. He then tossed her into the air. Ash was occupied with the last of his foes as he did several close combat counters when he saw Sunset falling. The boy grabbed a minion's arm to flip it onto the ground as he used the body to jump into the air and grabbed Sunset. He then landed as the girl was in his arms. "You okay?" asked the boy. "Yeah. Thanks for catching me," smiled Sunset as she had a small hint of red on her cheeks due to the fact she was in Ash's arms. "Look out!" said the boy as the minions tried to attack him while holding his teammate. The boy spun as Sunset used her legs to kick the monster when they turned. She then got out of Ash's arms but the boy still held her hand as she extended and kicked the monster trying to attack them from their left side. Ash did a kick to take out the one from their right. The boy then pulled Sunset back in as he grabbed her waist and lifted her so that he could punch the next minion as the girl came down with a fist to take out the one behind him. Both then backed up against each other as they were surrounded. Ash then did something that caught Sunset off guard. He hooked his elbows with hers as he leaned forward and began to spin. Sunset was now using her legs to rapidly kick all the foes that surrounded them as Ash kept on spinning. They picked up speed as the last of the minions were defeated and disappeared. Ash then stopped spinning as he brought Sunset back to her feet. However, the boy was a bit dizzy as he fell with their arms still being linked. Ash's head soon stopped spinning as he saw that he was on the ground with Sunset directly laying on top of him. The girl was pushing her body up against him as she also was coming to. Once she gained consciousness, she looked up and was met with Ash's eyes as Sunset just stared into them. The girl was distracted as she continued to stare into them. She was unaware that she was moving her face close to Ash's as her lips could feel his breath. "Sunset?" "Yeah," said the girl in her daze. "Get off of me!" said Ash as he could feel some pain. Not so from the girl that was on top of him, but that he was lying on top of some sticks and they were poking his back. "Sorry," said the bacon-haired teen as she quickly retracted her head and allowed her leader to sit up. Ash sat up as he rubbed his back, meanwhile, Sunset was turning all sorts of red at how close she was to Ash and his lips. The breath from the boy still resonated with the girl as she could feel the warmth of it on her lips as it made her turn even redder. Their attention was then brought back as Thorax threw some of his daggers at the pair who did a rollback out of the way and got to their feet. The general then began to engage with Ash as Sunset looked to help her friend. Before she could make it to him, a vine grabbed ahold of her foot as it kept her from moving. She turned her head to see the mutant holding her in place as she was then flung to the side. Sunset went flying into some nearby bushes as she then rolled down a hill and into a rocky terrain with a nearby stream. "Sunset!" called Twilight as she and the others appeared next to their friend and helped her up. "I'm fine," said the girl as she got to her feet. Ivy now jumped down in front of them. Up above, Ash was dealing with Thorax as the mutant officer was dealing with the others. The girls all looked at each other as they nodded. They each stood next to each other as they raised their arms for their bracelets to transform into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all four girls. They each shined as a few seconds later, they stood in their suits. They each pulled out their sabers and began to engage with Ivy. They each tried to attack the monster as she used her powers to make vines appear from the ground as they blocked the attacks from the girls' blades. Ivy then made more vines appear from the ground as they wrapped around the girls and lifted them into the air. Soon the monster command it with her hands as she brought them down and slammed the rangers. The girls hit the ground in pain as the vines were still wrapped around them. "Time to cut these weeds," said Applejack as she turned her hand and her ax appeared in her hand. With one quick motion, the farm girl managed to cut the vines holding her. She then did the same with the others as they were free. "Thanks, Aj. Let's see how this plant likes it when the heat is turned up!" stated Sunset as she made her bow appear. "Harmony Bow, Flare Blitz!" Sunset pulled back the string of her bow as a red arrow of light was shown. The girl released it as the arrow flew forward, it then caught on fire. Ivy saw it as she moved out of the way. She then made more greenery attack the rangers as they were flung back. Back in the forest above, Ash was dealing with Thorax. He had managed to morph into his suit as he was dodging the general's attacks. Thorax threw his charged-up daggers as the boy saw them coming. He pulled out his saber and began to deflect them by swatting them away as they exploded around him. The teen then managed to block an attack by Thorax as both were held in place as they glared at one another. "Just because you got a head start, doesn't mean you're gonna get the zord first!" declared Ash. "I wouldn't be so sure, Ash. Cause like it or not, we know where the zord is. In fact, we should be getting it right about now." stated Thorax with a snicker. The boy and mutant general glared as they tried to push the other back. Down below, the girls were still dealing with Ivy as they ducked and were trying to hit the officer. With the other three distracting the monster, Sunset had gotten into position as she had a clear shot. The girl pulled the string of her bow as she aimed. "Steady... steady..." spoke the girl. Just as she was about to release, behind the girl, the stream began to make a whirlpool. A water sprout was shot as something came out. The girl noticed it at the last second as she turned and was attacked. Sunset hit the ground in pain. The others and Ivy saw this as they were also attacked in a flash. Both Thorax and Ash noticed their allies on the ground. Soon a sound was heard. They looked up at the stream as a figure jumped out. The figure jumped from the body of water as it had stripes and fins. A set of razor-sharp teeth was shown. It landed back in the water as it resurfaced for a bit. The creature let out a sound as it slapped its tail on the water as a tidal wave formed. It rose from the stream as it was headed toward the girls and Ivy. They all felt the attack as they were in pain. The animal let out one final sound before it dived down into the water. Its figure then was shown swimming along with the current in the distance. "Girls!" shouted Ash. The yellow ranger looked back in front of him as he saw Thorax was gone. He looked back below as he caught the tail end of Ivy disappearing in a flash of light. The boy then jumped down as he made his way to his team. The rest of the rangers were on the ground as they soon demorphed out of their suits. "Sunset! Are you alright?" asked Ash as he was by the girl's side and demorphed. "Yeah... nothing but bruised," grunted the girl as she sat up with Ash's hand on her back. The boy helped her up and then helped the others. "What was that?" asked Twilight. "I think we found it," said Ash. Thorax and Ivy managed to escape as they appeared in another part of the rainforest. Awaiting them was Chrysalis as she saw the state her son and officer. "What happened?" asked Chrysalis. "The zord," stated Thorax. "That means it must have moved from its last location," said Chrysalis. When they saw the rangers' jet overhead, she instructed Ivy to scout ahead and see if she could spot their foes. Once she affirmed they were also looking for the Tiger Shark zord, she came up with the plan to have Thorax and Ivy distract them while she trekked on to the location where the zord was. But once she arrived at the location, the signal was lost. It then reappeared on the scanner. With the piece of info that Thorax relayed, she now knew where the zord resurfaced. "Where is it now?" asked Chrysalis. "It disappeared again. It dove into the stream," answered Ivy. "Then it can only mean that it's headed toward the beach. Into the town below," said Chrysalis as she pointed outwards to a small town. "That's where the stream of the rainforest connects." "Then we need to move," said Thorax. "No, the sun is going down. No doubt the zord will be resting soon. Tomorrow, we head down into the town and to the beach. Once we find the location of where it's hiding, we'll strike. And then take it." stated Chrysalis. With that, all three mutants disappeared. Our group of rangers made it back to Rachel and the jet. With the sun about to set, the teens decided to call it a day. They entered the jet as Ash and Rachel healed the team from their bruises. Now that they knew that the zord was here, it meant they had to get it first. The sun rose as it signaled the start of a new day. Before they headed out, Rachel managed to find out that the stream in which the Tiger Shark zord disappeared was connected to the beach down to the town below. This meant, that the team of teenagers was going to head toward the place in hopes that they could find it. The group exited the plane as they headed down the mountain into town. It didn't take long as they arrived. All around, people were walking about and talking. "Amazin'!" said Aj as she took in all the sights and smells that the town produced. They arrived at the town square as some market stands were shown. People were communicating and talking as they made purchases. "Some rules. One, don't leave anything valuable unattended. Also, try not to draw too much attention to yourself." stated Ash. "It says here, that Costa Rica´s territory is so small that it encompasses only 0.03 percent of the planet´s surface but is still within the top 20 richest countries in biodiversity on Earth in terms of species density. That means that it is possible to find more species in 1,000 km2 in Costa Rica as in the same area in huge countries like Brazil or Colombia," said Twilight as she had her pamphlet out and read some info as they all walked. "Anything about those volcanoes?" asked Sunset as she pointed in the distance. "Counting every location or crater where an eruption has occurred within its borders, Costa Rica volcanoes boast a stunning 112 sites throughout the country. Most Costa Rica volcanoes and their surrounding areas have been made into national parks. One of the most popular is the Arenal Volcano, which last erupted in 1968. Until then, it was assumed that the volcano was just another peak of the mountain range. The mountain and surrounding area were declared a national park in 1994. Thermal hot springs are now the area’s main attraction, most of which boast nearby trails and numerous lookout points. Currently, Arenal Volcano only releases gases in crater C and has fumarole activity in crater D. Seismic monitoring of the volcano indicates that volcanic activity remains low and external manifestations have been reduced to a minimum." "Alright, come on, let's focus. We need to get to the beach to find the Tiger Shark Zord before the dark lords can get their hands on it," stated Ash. "So, which way, then?" asked Rainbow. "Hmm," said Ash as he began to think. He noticed a nearby vendor as a man had just finished making his latest sale. He then began to speak as the dialect was one that the girls didn't recognize. Ash approached the man as he began to speak. "Perdóname, sabes dónde se encuentra la playa?" asked Ash. "Sí! Está justo al final de la calle. Gire a la izquierda en el museo. Luego camine hacia el paseo marítimo." answered the man. "Gracias!" Ash then turned to the girls as they had their mouths open. "Come on, it's this way," instructed the boy as he began to walk. The girls followed their leader as they were shocked by what went down. "How... how... what did you do?" asked Sunset. "I just spoke the dialect that is used in Costa Rica. I simply asked where the beach was and he pointed me in the right direction," said Ash as he didn't think much of what he did. "Marry me," muttered Sunset. "What was that?" asked the boy as he didn't quite hear what the bacon-haired girl said. "Nothing!" said Sunset as she quickly recomposed herself. The group of teens began to follow the directions given to them. They passed by the museum that the man mentioned as Twilight couldn't help herself. The rest of the girls soon wanted to explore as Ash sighed and followed them. The teens were now learning about the culture of Costa Rica as well as the rich history it inhabited. The tour of the museum lasted a few hours as it required Ash to literally drag them all out and back on their path. They soon came to the boardwalk that was mentioned as they arrived at the beach. Upon first glance, they saw tons of people roaming about the sandy beach. There were some kids building sand castles, adults laying in their chairs sunbathing, and even some teenagers swimming in the ocean. Under normal circumstances, the teens would jump at the chance for a beach day, but right now, they had bigger priorities. Compared to their last adventure on retrieving a zord, they had to be cautious. With this many people around, it would be careless to morph. Just as they were about to step foot, they were called at. One of the lifeguards pointed at the sign next to him as it showed images of beachwear. He then pointed at the nearby shop as that got the message across. A few moments later, the group now stood out as they were wearing some casual beach clothes. They now entered the shoreline as they looked around. They scanned the area to see if there was any evidence of the zord being present, but nothing. "What's the plan, Ash?" asked Rainbow to their leader. "Take these," said the boy as he handed the scuba device gear to Aj, Dash, and Twilight. "Search the ocean and the nearby coral reefs. If the shark zord is here, find its nesting ground and contact us." "What you and Sunset?" asked Twilight. "We'll keep an eye out here. With this many people, morphing isn't a good idea. Not to mention, if the zord attacks then we'll need to be ready. We'll search the nearby caves in case it's hiding there." said the boy. With a nod, the team began to initiate their plan. The trio soon suited up as they had the scuba gear on and dove into the water. Ash and Sunset now began to walk along the shoreline as they were going to explore the nearby caves. The pair made it to a secluded part of the beach as they entered the cavern. Under the water, the girls were shown swimming about. They had some flashlights on the top of their scuba gear as they turned it on. The deeper they descended, the darker the place got. A coral reef was shown with tiny fishes and other small creatures swimming about. Next to the reef, there was also a small cave. It was nothing but dark as a set of eyes glowed. The girls were scanning the area when several fish swam in front of them. They communicated with hand motions as Twilight told AJ and Dash to check the next sector. They nodded as all three girls were getting dangerously close to the cave as the eyes pulled back into the darkness. Back on land, Ash and Sunset were exploring the nearby caves in hopes of seeing if the zord was here. The girl saw her leader as she took this moment of them being alone to say what she wanted to say. "Thanks, you know, for saving me the other day," spoke the teen. "Don't mention it, Sunny. I just did what any good teammate would do," said Ash as he climbed over some rocks and looked around. "So... what happened back there? You know, with you speaking Spanish?" asked Sunset as she wanted to know how her leader knew the dialect. "As I told you all before, I'm from a different dimension. And there, everybody can speak different languages." "How?" asked the bacon-haired teen. "Well, we have a genetic ability that simply by looking or hearing at a form of language, it implements it into our brain for storage. It's a unique way that allows us to not only be fluent in almost any language spoken but to expand our knowledge. So as for me speaking Spanish, I simply looked at the sign above the town and read it. Soon my whole brain was flooded with the dialect and I could speak it at will." "Wow... that's incredible... You're... so amazing," said Sunset as her eyes were daydreaming while looking at the boy. "How do you make me want to marry you even more?" "What was that?" asked Ash as he didn't hear that. "Nothing!" shouted Sunset as she got rid of that thought. As the pair kept on exploring the cave, their friends under the water were encountering something. The trio arrived at the coral reef as they scanned it and looked around. They saw small schools of fish as they turned from the girls and swam into the dark cave next to them. A few seconds later, some skeletons of fishes were shown floating out of the dark abyss. This got the attention of the girls as they swam over to the nearby cavern. They looked at each other as their eyes told the message. They each then turned back to the cave and shined their flashlights in it. Small spotlights shined on the dark cover of shadows as they moved about. Soon a growl was heard, then something shot past them rapidly. The girls were thrown by the momentum and force that the water created from the figure swimming quickly. They tumbled in the water as they soon found their balance and looked out. They saw the tail end of a creature, a striped pattern on the back. But the thing that stood out was the mechanical growl that was heard. The girls knew what the creature was as they each began to send a signal on their Morphers. "What's up?!" said Ash as he and Sunset lifted their Morphers to their mouths. Before the girls could speak, there was a scream heard. "SHARK!!!" shouted a voice. The two teens ran out of the cave and looked back at the beach. Emerging from the water was none other than the Tiger Shark Zord as it took out a small sailboat. The people on it saw the fin of the zord and immediately jumped right before the shark ran through it. The people on the beach saw the creature's fin as they began to run for their lives. The lifeguards also began to book it as the entire beach was now running to safety. "Get back here, guys!" instructed Ash to the rest of his team. He then looked at Sunset as she nodded. Both took a step into the cave as they began to morph. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted both teens. They were shown on a split-screen as they began to transform. They traced the symbol of their gems as they recognized them. The teens then began to be encased in their suits as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as their helmet and vizors configured as they each did their pose with their zords behind them. They each appeared on the beach as the last bit of people left. They saw the zord continue its rampage as they looked to calm it down. Just as they were about to take a few steps, they were attacked by some small daggers that exploded upon impact. Both rangers were tossed to the floor as standing before them were Thorax and Ivy, along with more minions. "Thanks for doing all the hard work for us, Ash," snickered Thorax. With the plan made by Chrysalis, the dark lords decided to let the rangers find the zord. They figured it would go berserk and result in the entire beach being evacuated. Then they would make their move and intercept the rangers from getting to the zord first. "Now, we'll take the zord if you don't mind," said Thorax as he gave the command for Ivy and the minions to engage. Both Sunset and Ash got up and began to battle their foes. The red ranger began to cartwheel several times in the sand as she stopped and pulled out her saber. She then began to fight back as ducked and used her legs to kick them away. She then jumped into the air as she stepped off the shoulders of one of the mutants and activated her phoenix wings on her suit. The girl soared a bit as she landed and took out two minions and rolled through to continue to fight. Ash was ducking and grabbing the arms of the minions that tried to attack him. He dragged them to the ground and punched them. He then did a corkscrew as he avoided the next set of attacks before starting to spin and kick his foes. He took out some minions as he was grabbed by his shoulder and turned to which he got kneed in the chest by Ivy before being tossed. Ash was able to turn that into recovery as he tumbled to his feet and then did a bicycle knee to Ivy's face as she stepped back. The boy then pulled out his blaster and began to fire while moving about the battlefield and mowing down the rest of the minions. Thorax then leaped into the air as he engaged with Sunset as the girl was taking several shots to the chest before being flung to the ground. "Sunset!" said Ash as he appeared by the girl's side. Thorax then took the moment to throw some of his charged-up daggers in between his fingers as they soared through the air. Electricity was flowing through them as they were about to make contact. Soon mirage-like images of a rhino and owl were shown as they blocked the daggers to protect the teens. They managed to block it as they disappeared. Ash looked to his side as he saw Twilight and Applejack in their ranger suits with their sabers in hand. "Nice timing," said the boy as they appeared next to him and Sunset. "Where's Dash?" asked the red ranger. "We told her to head for the shark zord, while we provide you backup," stated Twilight. "Then let's finish this and go help her out!" stated Ash as all four began to fight together. While the four rangers were dealing with the two mutants, Rainbow had made it to the small cave that the zord was at. She was informed by Twilight to follow it while they went to help Ash and Sunset. The girl was in her ranger suit as she emerged from the water. On the rocky terrain was the zord as it was beached. It was still dangerous despite not being in the water as it could cause harm to the girl if she wasn't careful. "Alright, big guy. Don't want any trouble, just let me help you," said Dash as she began to approach the zord. It looked at the girl with its eyes as it held a demeanor. "Funny, 'cause I want some," said a voice. Rainbow looked behind her as there was Chrysalis. The general had been watching what went down on the beach when the zord attacked. She instructed Thorax of her plan to distract the rangers and keep them on the beach while she went to retrieve the zord. Granted, she didn't expect Rainbow to not be with the others but given that she was alone. She wasn't sweating. "Now then, step aside. That zord is mine," stated Chrysalis. "Like hell, I'm doing that!" said Rainbow as she took a fighting stance. "So be it," smiled the general. Her hands glowed as magic flowed through and shot out a beam that hit the girl. Rainbow fell as she felt the attack. Chrysalis then began to walk to the zord as her hands glowed. Just then some sparks went off around her as she covered her face. She looked to see Rainbow lying on the ground with her blaster in hand. Chrysalis merely smiled as she began to fight with Rainbow. The blue ranger kipped up and started to swing at the general as she merely ducked and got some shots in on the girl. Rainbow was pushed back as she then made her lance appear. The girl spun her weapon around as she and Chrysalis began to do several acrobatic moves to the side as they continued to fight. The general kept on firing her magic blasts as Rainbow was using her speed to avoid them. She raced to a wall and jumped off of it to activate the wings on her suit. "Charing Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she did one of her finishing moves in the air. The girl was coming at Chrysalis as the general put her arms up in an X-formation as she took the attack head-on. It pushed her back as her feet dragged along the ground. She was pushed back a few meters but remained on her feet. She smiled as she moved her arms in a quick motion and fired a powerful magic beam that hit Rainbow as she couldn't protect herself. Dash let out a scream as her weapon flew from her hand and fell to the floor. Chrysalis approached the girl as she grabbed and lifted her. Her hands charged up once more as they hit Rainbow dead in the chest. She let out a scream from the attack and was then thrown to the side by the general to which she crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. "Now then," said Chrysalis as she looked back at the zord. The Tiger Shark zord had been watching the fight between Chrysalis and Rainbow as it could tell the general was nothing but trouble. It growled as it bared its sharp teeth at the mutant. Chrysalis wasn't intimidated as her hands glowed. She chanted a little saying as she thrust her hand out. The magical properties swirled around the zord as it roared once more before it infused with the creature's body. Soon the eyes of Tiger Shark zord changed to that of blood red. "No!" said Rainbow who was still on the floor with her hand stretched out. "Take care of her!" commanded Chrysalis. The zord her the command by the general as it began to make its way towards Rainbow. "Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she powered up her ax and struck the ground. It made the entire earth shake as it caused Thorax and Ivy to lose their balance and fall to the ground. "Let's finish this!" said Ash as he informed the others. Just as they were about to deliver their finish maneuver, a sound was heard. They looked to see emerging from the water was a figure as it was a person. Rainbow was thrown from the ocean onto the beach in front of her friends. "Dash!" said Sunset as they checked on their friend. "Are you okay?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, battered and bruised, but still kicking," grunted the girl as she got to her feet. At that moment, a flash of light appeared as Chrysalis was shown standing next to Thorax and Ivy. "Chrysalis!" said Ash with disdain in his voice. "Nice to see you, Ash. But unfortunately, we have to make our exit. Let's go, Thorax!" said Chrysalis as she teleport her and her son away. "What about me?!" shouted Ivy as she was left behind. "Full power!" shouted Ash. The mutant turned around as she was face to face with the rangers. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow. They felt the power of their weapons up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held the mutant in place as she couldn't move. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each of the girls did an attack as they passed by their foes. "Charging Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first one to slide by as she did her attack. "Meteor Spike!" shouted Applejack as she slid by and swung her ax upwards. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Sunset as she pulled back on her bow and shot an arrow of red light. "Shield Splice!" said Twilight as she did her attack sliding by the mutant. The scene now changed as it spun around the monster, Ash was now in the air as his weapon was charged. It froze for a few seconds as he resumed the attack and dealt the final blow to their team finisher. "Harmony Blade, Strike!!" shouted Ash as he did a downward slash on the pair. They appeared behind Ivy as she stumbled a bit. The attack caused her to fall to her knees as the rangers weren't done. "Put them together!" instructed Ash. "Harmony Cannon!" said all the rangers as they combined their weapons and took their position. "Oh, shit!" said Ivy in her last moments looking up. "Fire!" shouted all in unison. The trigger was pulled as a sphere of rainbow-colored energy was shot out and headed toward the monster. It hit Ivy as the rangers turned around with their weapons in their hands as they each did their victory pose. In the background, the monster fell to the ground as an explosion occurred. "Good work, everyone," said Ash to the girls. "Rainbow, did you get the zord?" asked Sunset as they all gathered around their friend. Rainbow looked as she saw the excited looks on her friend's face. The girl sighed as she put her head down. She then spoke as they all had their eyes go wide. In the case of Ash, the boy was angry. Meanwhile... "Yes. Good. Very good, Chrysalis. I knew you wouldn't let me down." said the leader of the dark lord. "But of course, my liege," said Chrysalis as she smiled and bowed her head to show respect. "With this zord, the rangers are one step to being destroyed. And then... THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!" shouted the leader as his voice echoed throughout the throne room. He then let out the evilest and most maniacal laugh as it was the creepiest thing heard. In his hand was the shape of the Tiger Shark zord as it then changed. It showed the zord hovering about as it growled. Its eyes were still red as it showed that it was on the side of the villains and was looking to help them bring about destruction and chaos. But more importantly, the extinction of the Power Rangers. Chapter 18: The Dark Lord ArrivesIn the lair of the dark lords, the leader of them was shown on his throne. He held the Tiger Shark zord that was recently captured by his subordinates as he was most pleased. The creature was but the first step in destroying the rangers. He then stood up from his throne as bowing before him were Thorax, Starlight, Pharynx, and Chrysalis. The four generals were awaiting the command of their leader as he stood in front of them. "It is time!" With the rangers, there was a person shown punching. The person was working up a sweat as each punch he landed thudded against the sandbag. They were not only punching but the expression on their face was that of anger. Of fury, of disappointment. Only one thing rang through this person's head. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Each time he heard that it made him punch harder. Getting angrier, get pissed off even more. Soon rapid strikes were shown and a scream was heard. One final punch as the sandbag broke from the chain it was hanging off. It was sent sailing a few meters away from the floor as made a sound. The person stood there out of breath as he exhaled and inhaled. He then wiped his face as he approached another sandbag nearby. He grabbed it as he began to attach it to the chain. Once that was secure, he then went back to punching it. Grunts were heard as he was trying even harder to hit the thing. Nearby there was someone who'd been watching the whole sequence of events go down. They saw the way it was affecting him as they were concerned. "Ash?" spoke Rainbow. The boy just kept on punching as he ignored the girl's response. "Ash?!" spoke Dash with a bit more volume as the boy kept on punching trying to drown out her voice. "Ash! I'm sorry!" said Rainbow. That comment got the boy to stop punching as he breathed hard. He then made it to the nearby bench, and he began to take the tape off his hands. "What's it gonna take for you to talk to me? I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I let the team down by not getting the zord. Please... just... answer me." said Rainbow as she begged her leader to stop giving her the silent treatment. Ash sighed as he gathered his gym bag and began to walk toward the exit. He walked past the girl as he looked to exit the training room. Rainbow had her head down as it seemed that the boy's grudge wasn't going away. She didn't see that Ash stopped in the doorway as he looked at her. "I'm not mad." "Huh?" Rainbow lifted her head to see her leader as she didn't quite hear his response. "I'm not mad, Dash. I've had a few days to think about what went down in Costa Rica. Am I angry? No. Upset? Yes. But... it's not entirely your fault. If anything... it's mine." said Ash. "I should know that Thorax wouldn't be alone. And that he was just a distraction to get us away from the Tiger Shark zord. If I was a good leader, I would've seen it happening. But I guess I'm not." "That's not true. There's no way any of us could have known him and Chrysalis' plan. You can't expect to think of everything thoroughly. And you're a great leader. To me, to the rest of us. We all love having you as our leader. You've done so much for us in such a short amount of time." said Rainbow as she put her hand on his shoulder. "They may have gotten one right under our noses, but they won't next time." Ash just took a deep breath as he could see that Rainbow was trying to cheer him up. "It's not your fault. It never was. You're the best leader we could ever ask for. We think you're doing an alright job. As much as I hate losing, even I sometimes have to admit that not everything will be a victory. It just happens. Nothing we can do but accept it and move on." said Rainbow. "Heh. This is weird. You giving me advice." smiled Ash. "What can I say, I'm awesome," said Rainbow with a smug smile. "Yeah, you are," smiled Ash. Rainbow then came in for a hug as Ash wrapped his arms around the girl. He ran his hair through her hair as it felt soft. The girl was glad to know that not only did she cheer up her friend, but that he didn't hold any grudge against her for what went down. Soon they broke apart as they exited the training room to get ready. The others arrived soon after as they wanted to relax by having a campout next to the command center. Twilight informed her parents that she would be staying the night at the place so they didn't need to worry about where she was. It was now nighttime as the moon was high in the sky. During their little campout, the rangers began to take their minds off of their recent failure as they needed some cheering up. They even had the zords in their pet forms as they played with one another. The event soon went into the night as Applejack had finally asleep as she had her hat over her head. Twilight was nearby reading a book as Rainbow and Sunset were talking with Ash sitting next to them looking up at the moon. "Yeah, another win for me!" said Rainbow as she managed to even the score up with Sunset in a best of 35 series they were playing. "Hey, Ash. Want to play a game?" The chromatic girl looked at her friend as he'd been staring up at the moon for a while now. "Ash? Ash? You okay?" called out Sunset. She tossed a kernel of popcorn at her leader as it hit him, but he still looked at the round thing in the night sky. "What are you looking at, leader?" asked Rainbow. "It looks like a full moon," said Ash looking up at the sky as his wolf pup was in his lap. It gave a small howl as it understood what its master meant. "Yeah, so?" asked Sunset. "You know what happens when there's a full moon?" asked Ash with a sly smile on his face. "What?" said Rainbow as she scooted closer to the boy. "The dark forces of evil arise from the belly of the earth," stated Ash as the campfire now roared when he said it. "AJ!" said Rainbow as she tossed popcorn to her friend to wake her up to hear the story. The farm girl felt the kernel as it slipped under her shirt but kept on sleeping. "Never mind. Go on," stated the athletic girl. "They take the form of both man and beast," stated Ash as he was adding a bit more scariness in his voice as Rainbow was starting to get a bit scared. "W-What kind of beast?" said the girl with a slight terror in her voice. "Come on, Ash. Don't scare Rainbow," stated Sunset as she could tell what the boy was trying to do. She did enjoy seeing how Dash was acting. "I ain't scared, Sunset!" declared Rainbow looking at her friend. She then turned back to Ash and could see the fear on her face. "W-What kind of beast?" "A wolf-beast. With jagged fangs and razor-sharp claws. And yellow eyes that can see right through you. He howls in the night." said Ash as he looked up. Applejack then snored as it got both Rainbow and Twilight to be scared and jumped back. Sunset and Ash were laughing at seeing their friends get scared by the boy's little scary story. "Good one, Ash," said the bacon-haired girl as she enjoyed him getting Rainbow to be frightened. "Well, I'm gonna get to sleep." "Me too, there's still some extra credit I want to do so I can turn it in on Monday," said Twilight as she got up. The girls were now heading to the command center's entrance as they were heading to their rooms. Ash waved to the girls as they did the same and disappeared. He then turned back to look at the moon as Rainbow was shown to be rocking back and forth a bit. "Uhm, Ash?" said the girl as she got the attention of her leader. "Is that true... about a wolf beast?" "Nah, I was just messing with you," chuckled Ash as he placed his hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "I wasn't scared or anything," said Dash trying to save face and not show her fear. "Uhm, I think I'm gonna stay out for the night. You know... watch out for Aj. Make sure she's okay." Ash just chuckled as he could see that the girl was scared of his story. She then climbed into the tent and quickly zipped it up as inside she threw the covers over her. Meanwhile, Ash just looked back at the moon. "Oh, Rainbow. To be honest, I was just saying something that was said a long time ago by another person," stated the boy. He continued to gaze up into the night sky. In another part of the city, there was a figure shown as he too was looking at the moon. "Finally, the waxing of the full moon is upon us. Soon the rangers will be destroyed," said the figure. He then disappeared as he prepared for the final stages of his plan. The morning was shown. Ash was already up as he was currently making some breakfast. Both Aj and Rainbow were still fast asleep as they snored. Twilight and Sunset were shown exiting the command center as they were greeted by their leader as he was making them food. In a nearby forest, Pharynx and Chrysalis were present. They were currently scanning the area as behind them their minions were preparing the final things needed for the ritual. "Will this work?" asked Pharynx. "Of course, time for the rangers to meet their ultimate demise. In fact, your brother should be carrying out his part of the plan, right about now," said Chrysalis. "Then we need to make sure everything is ready and in place for when they show up." Pharynx and Chrysalis then began to put the final touches on their plan. As for their allies, they were in another location. In a downtown area, several insurance people were walking about. Phones were ringing as printers were going off. One person was cleaning his desk as he blew on some dust and smiled. "Missed a spot!" said a mutant as it got the attention of everyone. "And it's all of you!" The people screamed as the mutant opened its mouth as a vacuum was created. It began to suck in the papers from the desks, all the while people were tumbling over. Some of the folks were trying to hold on as the air vortex was so powerful that it was taking them off their feet. An alarm went off in the command center. Ash, Twilight, and Sunset were all seated at the bench eating when a drone flew toward them. "What's the matter, Rachel?" asked the boy. "There's a mutant on the loose," said the A.I. as it showed the location of the attack and the image of the monster. "We're on it!" stated Ash as he tossed a blanket at Dash and Aj as both girls awoke. "Come on guys, duty calls!" Ash then began to take off with Sunset and Twilight following him as both Aj and Dash got up and chased after them. Back in the city, the mutant was laughing as soon both Starlight and Thorax were leaning in the doorway. "Vortex! Enough meddling around!" said Starlight. The mutant was like a child as he ran off to have fun without her or Thorax's permission. "But, General Starlight!" said the mutant. "Now!" shouted the general. Vortex just closed his mouth as he caused the vacuum to stop. The trio was now exiting the building as they were talking. "That's the last time I give you a warning! Next time, I'm blasting you myself!" said Starlight. "Hold it right there, you two!" said Ash. The boy and the girls appeared in front of the mutants as they were already in their ranger suits. "We should have known that this was your doing." "My, my, Ash. I'm surprised you're able to show your face after you failed to get the Tiger Shark Zord," snickered Starlight. "Enjoy it while you can, Starlight! Cause once we take care of your friend here. We're taking back that zord!" said the boy. "Ha! You're so naïve, Ash. Cause you failed to realize that he's not the only enemy you need to worry about," snickered Thorax. "What?" said the girls as they were confused by what the mutant said. Starlight and Thorax were smiling as the time was nearly upon them. "Go get them!" ordered Starlight. Vortex then charged at the rangers. They all leaped into the air as they were now battling in the forest. The monster then opened his mouth as the vacuum began. The air vortex was affecting the teens as they could feel themselves being sucked in. They stumbled a bit as their footing was becoming unstable. Small trees were pulled out of their roots, and leaves were flying as air picked up. Soon Vortex applied more power as this time it was the final thing needed to take the rangers off their feet. They were now rolling and tumbling toward the mutant as the leaves covered their bodies and they stumbled on the ground. "Twilight!" shouted Ash as he passed by a sturdy tree and held onto the bark as the air was still sucking him. The girl also grabbed onto a tree. She then pulled into her belt as she pulled some things. "Owl darts!" shouted the purple ranger. She then threw them forward. The small things were caught in the air suction that Vortex created as they went into his mouth. An explosion then occurred as Vortex felt it as he coughed and stumbled back a bit. While the rangers were being occupied, another thing was happening. In the same forest as before, there was a circle with candles shown. Chrysalis was currently chanting as her hands glowed. Pharynx was watching this as the minions were putting the last things in place as the time was but a few hours away. He then stepped out of the cave and looked out. "It won't be long now." Rainbow and Twilight leaped into the air as they had their sabers. They brought them down on Vortex as the mutant was hit and fell back. Starlight and Thorax then appeared by his side as Vortex got up. "What the hell are you doing?!" said Starlight as she wasn't impressed by how Vortex was getting beat up by the rangers so easily. "Are you a monster or a bitch!" taunted Thorax. "I'm a monster! And I have just the thing I need to stop them!" said Vortex as he made his arm transform into a lance. He then began to charge toward the rangers as he took each one out as he passed by. He then turned around and began to charge back as the girls tried to swing but got hit instead. Ash barely moved out of the way as he began to go one-on-one against the mutant for a bit. He traded attacks with Vortex as he used his saber. Both held in place as they stared at one another. Soon the boy kicked and spun to which Vortex ducked only to slash the yellow ranger as he flew back. He then changed his arm to an ax as he looked to bring it down on the ranger. It was blocked by another ax as Applejack got back up and used her weapon to protect her leader. She then threw it back and she now began to fight. She ducked and did some cartwheels to avoid a series of combo attacks. The farm girl ten did her swings as she tried to attack Vortex. He simply stepped back as Aj threw her ax. He flung it back with his and went for a sweep as the girl had to jump over the ax coming at her feet. She landed and rolled through as she quickly brought her arm down. It made contact as at the same time, the others all pulled out their weapons and hit Vortex. They all hit, but the mutant shook it off, as he then spun with his ax arm and hit all the rangers. They flew back and hit the ground. Rainbow quickly got up and leaped into the air. She spun her lance around before thrusting it outwards. Vortex merely caught the end of the lance as held Rainbow. The mutant then changed his arm to an electric plunger as he shocked the ranger and then threw her away. "Rainbow, you okay?" asked Ash as the others all gathered around their friend and had their weapons pointed out at Vortex. "Yeah." "Not for long," mocked Vortex as he fired more electrical attacks at the rangers as they got hit. "Ash, try the bear claws," stated Sunset as she was struggling to get up. "Ready for round 2!" shouted the boy as he stood up and the bear claws appeared. "Bring it!" taunted Vortex as he accepted the yellow ranger's challenge to a one-on-one duel as the others rolled to the side to recover and watch their leader fight. Vortex immediately shot an attack as Ash rolled out just barely. He shot another electrical blast and the boy had to lean back to fall to avoid the attack. While he was on the ground, he pointed the claws at Vortex as the needles shot out and hit the monster. That allowed the boy to get up to a knee as he fired more needles. With Vortex stumbled, he then charged forward as he began to zip in and out of frame as the monster was taking some heavy damage. "Alright, let's combine our weapons, guys!" instructed Ash. The others then began to put their weapons together as soon as their cannon was formed. "Harmony Cannon!" stated the boy as they charged up their shot. "I'm not afraid of that thing," said Vortex as he stumbled and had a quiver in his voice. "Then this shouldn't hurt, Final Shot!" shouted Ash. The boy pulled the trigger as a sphere of rainbow color was shot. It traveled and hit Vortex as the mutant sparked, and an explosion occurred. The rangers held their weapon as they watched their foe be destroyed. "Nice!" shouted Rainbow. "It ain't over yet, rangers!" stated Starlight. "Go ahead, mother!" said Thorax over his communicator. Chrysalis heard the response from her allies over the communicator. She then stepped out of the cave and held the device that Thorax gave her. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" She had the device shoot out a beam of magic as it traveled to the spot where Vortex was defeated in seconds. A small tornado began to form around the spot of the defeated mutant. It then got bigger and bigger as it then blew away as there stood the monster. "Harmony zords, arise!" shouted the rangers as they immediately called their beasts. The zords were shown running toward them as they each jumped and entered their beasts. "Harmony zords, combine!" said all five in unison. The zords heard the command as they began to merge. After a few transformations, the Megazord was formed as it did its stance. Inside the rangers were shown at their tables as they stood in a line. They now stood face to face with Vortex as both were walking in a circle waiting to see what the other would do. "You thought I had suction before, you ain't seen nothing yet!" declared Vortex. He then opened his mouth as the vacuum began to form. With him being bigger, it meant he had more power to suck things in. Such as was on display as the trees were rocking back and forth. A few of them were pulled out of the ground due to the powerful wind they felt. The ranger's Megazord was also being affected as they felt themselves being pulled in by the air vortex. The trees being sucked in were also hitting them as they were causing damage to the giant robot. Inside, the rangers could feel the bumps as they were rocking about as they fell to a knee. "We need the Bear zord!" stated Ash. He then tossed the small hexagons to both Twilight and Rainbow as the girls caught them. They stood up and replaced their zord's shape with the hexagons into the holder. Ash put the larger hexagon in the slot above his zord as he began to call on the zord for help. "Bear zord, arise!" A growl was heard as charging toward them and leaping over obstacles in the streets was the mama bear. On her back were her two little cubs as they held on. It growled as Vortex turned to where the sound came from. He was immediately bit in the face by the bear's jaws as he screamed in pain and was thrown back. Her cubs then got off as they began to charge toward the monster. Then both leaped into the air as they turned into a ball and flung themselves at the monster as they ricocheted several times off of him. "Bear zord, combine!" shouted the rangers. The cubs heard the call as they retracted their paws and legs. Both Twilight's owl and Rainbow's falcon zord detached as the cubs were now the new arms. The mother bear then transformed itself as the head was a new helmet for the Megazord to wear as the rest of its body was placed on the Megazord's body to serve as armor. "Harmony Megazord, Bear-Knuckler Brawler Mode!" stated the rangers. Vortex was slowly getting to his feet as he was smoking. He saw the Megazord in its new form as they looked to deliver the final blow. "Let's do it! Rushing Bombard Strike!" shouted the rangers as they thrust their hands out. The Megazord now zoomed ahead as it raised its right arm. The giant mech did some rapid punches to the mutant as he couldn't defend himself. It then delivered a quick one-two combo as it raised its right arm one final time to smash it through the body of Vortex as he stumbled back and saw the hole in him. He soon fell back as an explosion occurred. The rangers stood, and the Megazord clanged its fists as they were victorious. The rangers cheered as they gave congrats to the bear zord and her cubs for helping them. "Everything is ready," said Pharynx as he contacted his little brother. "Me and Starlight are moving out," said Thorax as he cut off the transmission. He turned to his comrade and they both nodded. "Rangers!" The Megazord turned to look at where the two generals were as they had been watching the battle. "Catch us if you can!" taunted Starlight as they turned into lights and disappeared. "Rachel, can you track them?" asked Ash to the A.I. "I've located their signal. They're heading to the mountains." "Got it, we're on it. Let's go, girls!" said Ash as they exited the Megazord and went to chase after their foes. Thorax and Starlight were shown as they reached their destination. They were inside the cave as there was Pharynx who stood outside of the magical circle that glowed. The three generals now saw Chrysalis as she finished the saying as the ritual was taking place. "It's finished. With the full moon rising, it's but a matter of seconds." "And the rangers are headed right this way," snickered Thorax. On a mountain road, there was a police car parked. The officer inside was drinking some coffee as he was doing his duty of watching out for any speeders. He took a bite of his donut as he looked to take another sip of the hot beverage. When he looked to bring the drink to his lip, he noticed something ahead. Coming down the road were rainbow-colored lights. He pulled out his tracker to see how fast the thing was going. The second the lights passed by, the tracker went haywire as it malfunctioned and broke. "What the?" said the officer as he peaked his head out the window and saw the lights disappear behind him. The lights were none other than the rangers. They were currently heading towards the mountains as both Ash and Aj were on the ground running like their zords while the others were flying above them with their wings. It was now nighttime as the full moon from the previous was out as this time its phase was complete. The dark lords were standing outside of the cave as they looked at the thing in the sky. The moon's light then made its way into the cave as it touched the magical circle. The candles placed around began to burn brighter as the wax melted. In the center of the circle, there was a shadowy figure as they were hovering in stasis. Soon the eyes were opened as they were yellow. At that same time, the ranges had finally made it to the location where Rachel tracked down Thorax and Starlight. "See them?" asked Ash as they all stood on a small bridge looking around. "Over there!" said Twilight. "Hello, rangers!" spoke Pharynx with a sinister tone and smile. He then chuckled a bit as soon Chrysalis, Starlight, and Thorax were shown appearing next to their comrade. All four generals looked down at the rangers from the mountain ridge they were on as they each had an evil smile. The teens stood their ground as they prepared for a fight. "We're taking back that Tiger Shark Zord!" declared Ash as he pointed at his enemies. "You mean, this one?" smiled Chrysalis. The general opened her hand as inside was a heptagon shape that had the symbol of the Tiger Shark zord. It then glowed as it turned into a mini version of the zord as it swam in place and growled. "I would be more concerned with what's about to go down. The ritual is almost complete," stated Starlight. "Huh? What ritual?" said Rainbow. "The one... the one that will destroy you all," said Thorax looking at the moon. Inside the cave, the spell was complete as the shadows covering the figure disbursed and fled out of the cave. It passed the dark lords and the rangers. The teens covered up to avoid being blinded as they soon dissipated. He then began to take some steps forward. "He's been dying to meet you, Ash," said Pharynx. The four generals then stepped to the side of the cave's entrance as they knew what was coming. The rangers were still confused at what was being said as they prepared for whatever was going down. But what was about to come, was something they could never prepare for. The figure was shown standing there. They wore dark, black crystal armor. Eyes that glowed yellow. He stood tall as the dark aura around him glowed. "What is that?" said Aj. Soon the figure jumped up as it was positioned in front of the moon. "Look out!" shouted Ash. The figure turned into a streak of black light as it headed toward the rangers in milliseconds and was zipping and zagging at them as they were being hit all at once. The rangers were helpless as they kept on getting attacked. The figure went faster as he was moving in the blink of an eye. Sparks were flying from their suits as they were hit. It did one final attack on Twilight as it leaped into the air with the girl in its hand. He threw her down to the ground as the girl's suit demorphed, and she was knocked unconscious. Applejack was charging at the figure as he did the same. She went for a powered-up punch using her gem's power, but the figure simply grabbed her by the throat and began to run. It was holding the girl as he then threw her as hard as he could into some rocks as the farm girl hit back first and fell to the ground. Her suit also demorphed and she was out cold. Rainbow leaped into the air with her wings out. The figure did the same as he jumped. The scene showed the moon as zipping in and out against each other was a blue streak and a dark streak. The girl was using her super-speed to fight the mysterious figure as they collided with one another. In mid-air, the girl went for a flying kick as the mysterious individual blocked it and then did small jabs on her body that were sensitive. He then grabbed her and rushed toward the ground as he slammed the teen onto the floor. Rainbow felt her suit demorphed as she then laid back as joined her friends. Ash and Sunset were the final two as the figure raced toward them. He transformed into a black streak of light as he began to do the same thing as before. He was bouncing off the trees around them to hit them quicker and harder as the teens couldn't defend themselves from the barrage of attacks. Both flipped onto their back and in that same instance, the figure reappeared before them. Ash clutched his chest as he lifted his head. He looked in front of him as his vizor showed his eyes widen. "No... no... it can't be..." The boy was in a state of shock at what he was seeing. He thought his eyes were playing a trick on him, but they weren't. Standing before him and walking toward the fallen rangers was someone he knew. Someone who he thought was long gone. "Who are you?" asked Sunset as she struggled to get to her hands and knees. The figure stopped a few meters in front of them as he smiled. "I am the leader of the Dark Lords. Sombra!" "It can't be," muttered Ash at what he was hearing. "L-Leader?" said Sunset as she got to her feet. The scene then panned to several shots of Sombra as it showed him in his entirety as he was intimidating and evil. Sombra then turned his hand as he reached into his knee. The mutant was now pulling out a sword as it had a crystal hilt that matched his armor. He then rushed forward in a streak. in a blink of an eye, he struck down Sunset as he zoomed and appeared behind her. "AHH!!!" screamed Sunset as she let out a painful scream that echoed around. A spark of explosion occurred on the girl. She fell to the floor face first as her eyes were closed. Sombra turned to look at the scene that laid before him. All the girls were meters apart from each other as they were injured, bruised, and knocked out cold. He single-handily took out the rangers all by himself as they were no match for him. Above, the rest of the generals were all smiling at seeing how easily the rangers were defeated by their commander. Sombra was about to end their lives when he felt something. By his feet was Ash as he was lying on the ground to which the boy's hand grabbed his boot. He was injured as he tried to pull himself up using Sombra as a stand. "You... won't..." grunted Ash as he tried to speak and stand up. Sombra didn't let the boy finish as he simply grabbed him by his suit. He lifted the ranger to his face. Ash's suit had reached its limits as it demorphed and the boy was staring the mutant in the face. He tried to keep a defiant expression, but the sweat and the slight fear in his eyes that Sombra saw said otherwise. Sombra held the boy by his shirt as soon the rest of the Dark lords appeared as they all circled Ash. "I've waited too long for this moment. I've bided my time, waiting for my full power to return. And in that same time, you've been alive. I remember the screams of your mother as they were sweet lullabies to my ears. The look on your face when I slaughtered your old teammates." said Sombra as he looked Ash in the eyes. "And here I stand, the last hope they had to defeat falls so easily by my hands. I will have my revenge, Ash. I will make you suffer so that you can know what your parents and friends felt like when I murdered them. When they begged for mercy, and I killed them in cold blood!" Sombra then threw Ash to the ground as the boy hit back first to the ground. He felt it as he turned to his side and placed a hand behind him to feel the spot where he hit. The others all smiled at seeing their foe so helpless on the floor as he cowered back a bit. Sombra had his sword just inches away from Ash's eye as the fear that the teen was trying to hide came out. "Consider yourself lucky, Ash. I won't be so easy on you, the next time we meet," stated Sombra. He then retracted his weapon. He turned and began to march into the darkness as did the other Dark Lords. They all entered some smoke that appeared as when it cleared out, they were gone. Once more, the scene showed the results of the battlefield. Each of the girls was all knocked out and had bruises all over their body. Neither of them moved a muscle as they lay there. Ash lifted his head to look up and could see his team in their critical state as he had to act fast. The boy lifted his hand as he struggled to touch his Morpher. "R-R-Rache--" the boy didn't finish what he said. His hand fell back to the side as he lay there looking up at the sky. Soon all five of their bodies were shown in lights as they flashed. The A.I. heard Ash's command as she manually teleported the rangers from the forest to the floor of the command center. She quickly dispatched the drones to scan and stabilize the teens before she could treat them. Rainbow was shown stirring as she moved her head. She saw what lay before her as her friends weren't moving. She then saw Ash was still up as the girl tried her best to crawl over to her leader. The droids tried to get the girl to not move but she kept on crawling. Soon she made her way to the boy. "Ash, who was that?" spoke Rainbow softly and in pain. "Someone... who I thought was long gone," breathed Ash heavily as his chest was going up and down as he kept staring at the ceiling. "So... how do we beat him?" asked the chromatic-haired teen. "We don't," responded the boy truthfully. The final image was that of the moon, and soon, everything faded to black. Chapter 19: Truth RevealedIn the lair of the Dark Lords, Sombra was shown on his throne. The commander having now been restored to his full power was even more intimidating. And it showed as he was still relishing in his recent victory against the rangers. Being able to take them all out in a blink of an eye. Then being able to strike fear in the heart of his rival who for long held a defiant face, it made him happy to know that he was able to make the boy feel weak. Sombra then stood up as before him, were his generals as they bowed. He raised his hand as they were given their commands. As for our heroes, they were in the command center. Rachel was having the small drones attend to the teens. They were now awake as they each were being treated. They all were bandaged up as they suffered different bruises. Applejack had her shoulder bandaged up, Rainbow had her forehead being covered, Twilight suffered a bruised hand, Sunset had a wrist injury, and Ash had his entire chest covered. The A.I. was currently treating Sunset's wrist as the girl lay on the medical bed. "The medicine will help heal all of your wounds in no time. But... you need to completely rest for it to take effect," said the A.I. "Thanks, Rachel," grunted Sunset as she felt a slight sting from the spray as the ointment was applied. "So, sugar? Who was that?" asked Aj to her leader as the others also wondered. Ash grunted as he leaned against the bed frame and clutched his side. "That was Sombra." "Who is he?" asked Twilight. "The last person you ever want to cross. He's their leader and the evilest son of a bitch to ever exist. He's the reason, why my friends and my parents were murdered." said Ash. "He destroyed my entire dimension, my home, all of it. I thought he perished along with the destruction of my world. But... it seemed he survived. And this whole time, I've been chasing them, I was unaware that he was alive. He was just binding his time, waiting. To take us out." "So, how do we win against him?" asked Sunset. "Win? We're lucky to be alive. We're still standing." responded Ash as that statement got the girls to really grasp the situation. "I suggest, you all rest. You need to gain back your strength," said Rachel. "No, we should be out there..." stated Rainbow as Ash cut her off. "She's right, girls. The only way we're gonna stand a chance is if we heal up. Let's get some rest. Don't worry, everything will be fine," stated the boy. The girls simply nodded as they obeyed. They dragged their bodies to their rooms. Ash grabbed his shirt as he too began to slump out of the medical bay. Rachel then inputted the code for the scanners and drones as she was looking to keep an eye on the city while the teenagers were out of commission for a bit. The city of Canterlot was shown as walking down the sidewalk were three friends. "Oh, thank goodness you two were here to help me. Seems the others were too busy to answer." "Not at all, Rarity," said Fluttershy as she was accompanying her friend. "Ooh, just think of the fashion!" stated the fashionista as she was imagining all the sales that were going on. "The frolicking! That's short for "frosting licking"! I'm gonna get my hot little hands on the new dessert trend – the puff cake! Half cream puff, half cupcake!" said Pinkie as she then shuddered at the thought of that as her tongue hanged out and drooled. "The city is our oyster!" exclaimed the marshmallow teen. The trio soon made it to their destination as they began to explore the many shops. The fashionista was having the time of her life as she used her shopping skills and latest tips in the fashion market to get so many discounts. While the girl was having the time of her life, she did allow Rarity and Fluttershy a chance to visit some of the shops they wanted. Despite not having the majority of their friends, the girls were enjoying themselves. They were currently in the food court as they talked about some stuff. Their conversation was soon stopped as they heard some nearby individuals. They were currently watching a video on their phone as it showed the rangers and some of their epic battles. "Aren't they amazing? That yellow ranger whoever he is is rather cute. I wouldn't mind being saved by him." said a woman. "Those rangers have been getting quite the attention as of late," said Rarity. "Even at school, the CMC has managed to convince Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna about starting up a Power Rangers fan club. But it's a good thing that they're here to save us from all those horrible monsters," said Fluttershy. "I guess, it's we're quite lucky to have them. I just wonder who they really are under that helmet," said Pinkie. While the trio of friends was enjoying their mall day. In the rangers' command center, Ash was shown in his room. The boy awoke all night, his mind was plagued with what went down. The thought that his rival was back. The sight that he had to witness. His team being manhandled by Sombra. He was thankful that he showed some hint of mercy as he could have chosen to slaughter them right there had he not gotten his attention. Coupled with the fact that they failed to get the Tiger Shark Zord and was now in the hands of their foes. Safe to say, the rangers suffered many losses recently. For the boy, that was all going to change. Ash sat up as he could feel the pain shooting through his body. The medicine had made it to where he didn't feel most of his bruises from the previous day, but he was far from 100%. Yet, despite all that, he had to get up. He slowly managed to sit up as he breathed heavily. He then shifted to put his legs on the ground. Ash took a couple of moments to compose himself. He then grunted as he got to his feet and could feel his legs tremble. The boy was able to steady himself by placing his hand on his nightstand. He took more breaths as he pushed himself to ignore the pain. With a push, Ash stood up and began to drag his body. The doors opened as Ash was shown coming through. "Master Ash, you need to rest. The medicine won't take full effect if you don't rest your body," said Rachel as she was concerned for the boy. "I... can't rest, Rach. Not with Sombra back," grunted the teen. "I understand, but you don't much against him if you aren't at full health!" stated the A.I. "Even if we're at full health, there's no guarantee that we'll beat him. But I know something that may," stated Ash. He managed to make it to the computer as he sat down in the chair and breathed heavily. "Pull up... the schematics." "Ash." "Now!!!" shouted the boy. "At once, Master." Rachel then began to log into the Morphin Grid and their database. Soon the A.I. pulled up the blueprints and designs that the boy requested. It was the schematics of the secret project that he had been working on. The videos that held some ranger archive footage were also pulled up. "Are you sure?" asked Rachel as she knew what Ash was thinking. "This has to be done. We're gonna finish this!" said the boy with determination. He then took the bandages off his chest as he began to get to work. The A.I. also began to work with the boy on this secret project that they were determined to finish. The progress was shown in montage shots as code and numbers were shown on the screen. Ash was talking with the computer how certain aspects of the project as he crossed out some. His gemstone was shown on the screen as every piece of data was connected to it. While this was going on, in a secret location, Thorax was shown. The general was ordering some minions to keep on digging. They were looking for something that their radar caught when they were searching for the other zords. The general informed the others of the disturbance as he was sent to investigate. Now the mutant was searching for the thing that caused the disturbance. A sound was heard as a minion got his attention. It was a metal box as it was buried in the ground. The minion gave it to Thorax as the mutant opened it up. A light shined as he eyed what was in it. It didn't take long as they returned and he rushed to his lab. He had the object in the examination tube as info was being displayed on the screen. He soon read what it said as his eyes widen, then a sinister smile was shown on his face. "What's the status with Thorax?" asked Sombra. "He's currently examining the object in question. However, he hasn't said much about what it is. Probably keeping that info all to himself, like he always does." stated Starlight. "In that case, send a monster out to cause destruction. No doubt the rangers are too weak. This is the perfect opportunity to strike chaos in the hearts of these humans." ordered Sombra. "At once, my liege," said Chrysalis. The doors opened, and in came an officer. "Stoneface, here. What's my mission?" asked the officer as he stood before the generals. "Fire!" A beam was shot as it hit several people as they turned into stone statues. More beams were fired as people screamed and ran. As they were running, they were caught and turned into stone. Stoneface was now laughing as he was being accompanied by some minions. At the same time, the girls were shown exiting their room. They were feeling much better as the medicine that Rachel gave them worked. After a full day's rest, they were able to move their bodies without any problem. They all made their way to the central room as Ash was sitting at the terminal. "Ash, have you been up all this time?" asked Sunset. "You didn't get any rest?" said Twilight. "I'm fine, girls. I couldn't just sit back and wait. And good thing you all are up." said the boy as he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him. He then pushed some keypads as the cameras came up. On the screen was Stoneface as he was causing his path of destruction. Rachel's scanners had picked Stoneface's presence as they saw just what kind of trouble he was doing. "Looks like we're being thrown back into the fire real quick," said Rainbow. "It won't be easy. His body is made up of completely solid rock. Not even Aj's power can make a dent into something that sturdy. You girls handle this, I'll stay here and see if I can find some weakness." said Ash. "We're on it. Let's go," said Sunset. "Just watch out for his laser attack. If it touches you, even if you have your ranger suit, you'll become a nice figurine," said the boy. "Ready!" stated Sunset as she and the girls all stood in a line. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the girls. They each appeared on a split-screen as their transformation was taking place. They traced their gem's symbol that was shown on their Morpher's interface as it recognized them. They soon became encased in their suit as bits of their respective gem were on their shoulders. They all landed on a platform as they lifted their heads. Their helmet and vizor were configured as the girls did their poses with their zords in the background. "Where is he?" asked Rainbow as the girls were now teleported to where their foe was. "Watch out!" shouted Twilight. She managed to get the attention of everyone as she noticed something. Standing at the top of a building was Stoneface. The mutant saw the rangers arrive as he looked to deliver a sneak attack. Fortunately, the girls were barely able to get out of the beam's path as they rolled to the side and looked up. "So glad you could come, rangers. You'll be the centerpiece of my collection. Minions!" shouted Stoneface as a portal opened up and some footsoldiers appeared before the girls. "Attack!" The minions charged as the girls did the same. Sunset spun kick and then grabbed one of the minion's arms to drag them to the ground. One of them managed to trip the girl as she fell forward and hit the ground, but recovered at the same instance by spinning and sweeping the minion that tripped her. She then did a kip-up as she ducked and began to continue to fight. Twilight was battling on some stairs as the girl was she leaped over the railing to land on the lower section. She kicked forward to knock the minion blocking her path back as he collided with the others and tumbled. She ducked a sneak attack as she turned and blocked an arm. The girl then kneed the minion several times in the chest as she flung him over the rail and crashed hard onto the floor. She then stepped off the wall as she got to the top of the stairs as punched the rest of the minions as they fell down the stairs. Applejack was shown backflipping as she was near some parked cars. She leaned against a vehicle as a minion who was waiting on the roof of the car. Aj felt the arm grab her as the girl quickly countered by throwing the mutant off the roof, and crashed into the ground. The teen then rolled onto the roof of the car to the other side as more minions were waiting for her. They went for a punch as she opened the car door to block their fists. She then thrust her fist through the window of the door and knocked back the monsters. The girl flipped over the hood and stood at the front of the car. She then kicked it as the vehicle moved and ran into the rest of the minions as they were flattened. Rainbow was using her karate moves as she blocked and countered every punch and kick that was thrown her way. The girl rushed at the minion in front of her as he did his best to block her attacks, eventually, Dash landed an amazing kick with her foot as she took her foe down. She then did several cartwheels and finished with a backflip as she avoid the enemy fire that was aimed at her. The girl then leaped into the air as the wings on her suit came out. She turned into a blue streak that was zipping in and out of frame as she took out the minions that were trying to shoot at her. "Not bad, now... hold that pose!" shouted Stoneface as he fired a beam from his mouth. "Rainbow!" shouted Sunset as she ducked and warned her friend. The girl saw the beam coming at her as things moved in slow motion. The girl landed as the beam was inches from touching her. Then in a blink of an eye, it was stopped in its tracks. Rainbow saw that Twilight was bent down in front of her as the girl was using her shield to block the attack. The girl could feel herself being pushed as her feet dragged. The teen was determined to not let any harm come to her friend as she kept on holding. Soon the attack ended as the shield was intact and she fell on her behind. "Thanks, Twilight," smiled Rainbow at her friend protecting her. "Don't mention it," said the girl. Applejack and Sunset finished the last bit of the minions as they checked on the pair. Stoneface then retreated as that last beam attack took a lot out of his energy. He pulled back as he needed time to recharge. "After him!" shouted Applejack. "Ash, Rachel, the mutant escaped. Can you track where he's headed?" asked Sunset. "Already on it," said the A.I. as she was tracking Stoneface's signature. She soon got a lock on his signal as the cameras showed the mutant near the mall. "Girls, he's at the mall. You better hurry, there's a lot of people there," stated Ash. "Understood, have you located a weakness?" asked Sunset. "Not yet, I need more time," said Ash as the transmission ended. The girls all began to run in the direction of the mall. "Rachel, what's the status?" asked Ash. "Progress is only at 65%." "We need to finish it. I have a feeling the girls are gonna be in danger soon," said Ash as he began to furious type at the keypads. Speaking of the mall, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were walking down the stairs. They all had found some things they enjoyed on their small shopping trip. Pinkie even decided to record their hangout so that they could show it to the rest of their friends. "I can't believe all the great deals that we saw," said Rarity holding several bags in her hands. "Not to mention the free samples!" stated Pinkie as she reached into her hair and pulled a puff cake. She took a quick photo for her story later as she then gulped it down in one swallow. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Rarity," smiled Fluttershy. "Oh, please. I'm just happy to know that I got to spend the day with friends who aren't always running off and leaving us high and dry. Perhaps we should confront the rest of the girls to see if they can tell us what secret they're keeping." stated the fashionista. The three teens were about to head to the entrance when an explosion happened. They all turned their head as the people near the door were sent flying and splashed into the water fountain. Smoke was shown as the people coughed. Stepping through were more minions and Stoneface as the people saw them and screamed. "Ah, perfect!" shouted Stoneface as he opened his mouth. He had his beam shoot out as he moved it in a line. The people trying to run were caught as they were turned into statues. The few folks running up the stairs were also turned to stone. Pinkie Pie managed to push both her friends to the floor as they barely avoided the beam. It did chop a piece off of Pinkie's cotton candy hair as it fell and hit the ground with a thud. As for the girl, she wasn't worried as soon her hair replaced the small patch she lost. "Run!" shouted Fluttershy. The three now began to head off into the mall as Stoneface managed to finish off the people at the entrance. He then gave the command to the minions to search the mall for any survivors. The three girls were running and turning the corners of the building as everywhere they looked, the monsters were patrolling the halls. They were now looking for anyplace to hide less they suffer the same fate that others did. They eventually came to one of the clothing stores they visited as they rushed in. They ran and hid behind the counter. They peeked their head to see if any of the monsters were nearby. Their eyes scanned, left, and right, but they saw nothing. Just when it seemed everything was clear, there was a sound heard. The girls stayed quiet as they looked through one of the windows of the store. Minions were shown approaching a man as he was on the floor backing up in fear. The minions then split as Stoneface made his presence known and stared at the human. "Please, I beg of you," said the man as he was pleading with the monster to show mercy. "How nice. I don't have someone in that position. Thank you for being so considerate." mocked Stoneface. He then opened his mouth as he fired his beam. The man closed his eyes and looked away with his hand out. The beam hit the person and within seconds, the person was turned into a stone statue. It was a perfect life-sized replica. The girls saw this through the window and gasped. It took everything in Fluttershy's power to not scream at seeing the fate that happened to the poor man. Pinkie inadvertently knocked over some stacks of papers as they fell to the floor. The girls gasped as the sound didn't go unnoticed as one of the minions heard it. They looked in the direction of the store that the girls were hiding in. He glanced at the store and looked through the window, but the girls ducked down to avoid being seen. The minion then got the attention of Stoneface. "What is it?" asked the officer. The minion communicated as he pointed at the store. "Well, let's check it out." The monster then began to march in the direction of the store. The girls were shown as they could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer. The look of fear and terror was on their faces. "What do we do?" asked Pinkie as she knew what would happen if they were found. Ash was busy working his fingers as he needed to finish the project and go help his team. The boy was doing all he can to put the final touches but it was working. "Rachel?!!" shouted Ash. "Status... 85%." "But that can't be?! Everything is calculated. Why is it not connecting?!!" asked the boy. "The gem isn't responding. It seems we can't get it to work," said the A.I. as Ash slumped in his chair. He put his head down in defeat. "I'm sorry, Ash. We'll have to start all over again." The boy was heartbroken to think that all the work he did to get the project to be complete wasn't functioning. He put in the extra hours to make sure the project was finished, but it seems that there was a major error. If his gem didn't respond, then it meant that he miscalculated and he had to start all over from square one. Ash looked at the container that held his gem as it shined. Remember, Ash. Your gem responds to your emotions. Concentrate, and you can feel its aura. It resonates with you. You just need to focus. "Just need to focus," said Ash as he repeated the words of his deceased mother. The boy then opened the container, and he took his gem. He closed his fist as the gem was in his palm. The teen then closed his eyes as he took some deep breaths and began to focus. Ash was concentrating his mind as he tried to be one with his gem. "Focus, focus, respond to my heart," spoke the boy softly. Ash's gem began to hear its owner's heart as it shined a bit. Soon it glowed a few more times as his fist was shining in a yellow light. The boy opened his eyes as he saw his gem and smiled. "Thank you... Mom," muttered the boy while looking to the heavens. He gave gratitude to his mother for helping him in his time of need. Ash then put the gem back in the container as he began to touch more keypads. The screen showed the gem as the numbers and code appeared next to it. The progress bar then showed the percentage as it began to rise. It then stopped as the image of the gem and his ranger suit was shown. "Status, complete," said Rachel. "You did it." "And not a second too late," said Ash as he took his gem from the container. "I have to get to the girls!" "Where are you?" called out Stoneface in a low, creepy voice. He entered the store as he was flanked by the minions. They passed by the first few coat racks as they knocked them over. Stoneface had his claw finger out as he made his way to the counter. The same counter that the girls were hiding behind. He traced the surface of the wooden structure as it was digging into the oak. It left a few marks as the claw was then shown gripping the edge. "I promise I won't harm you. All I ask is that you stand still and... SMILE!!!" shouted the monster. He peered his head over the counter. Stoneface was looking to find the girls, but to his surprise, he saw nothing. A shadow outline then was shown running past one of the aisles. "Spread out! If they're here, we'll find them!" ordered Stoneface. The minions nodded as they began to split up. They were cautiously looking at their surroundings as they kept a keen eye out. Once more the shadowy outline of a person was shown. They picked up the pace as they chased after it. The outline reached the end of the aisle as did the minions. They arrived but some nothing but their comrades from the other aisles. Soon a sound was heard as a shopping cart was rolled towards them. It knocked all of them over like bowling pins as they fell. "What the hell are you doing?!" shouted Stoneface as he arrived. He was anything but amused at seeing his troops lying on the floor. At that moment, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were shown exiting from one of the nearby dressing rooms. Their little plan to distract the monsters worked as they now had a clear shot at the exit. They quietly walked toward the exit and ran before Stoneface could look back. The girls were now running as they looked to escape from the mall. As they were running, more minions spotted them as they blocked off their route. Pinkie immediately pulled out some cupcakes and threw them at the monsters. It merely hit them in the face as they were blinded. "Run!" shouted the party girl. The trio booked it as they went around the blockade. They kept on running as more and more minions popped out. They made it to the escalators and quickly ran down them. They passed by the many stone statues that Stoneface made as they were approaching the doors. They were about to leave when some blasts shot in front of them as they dropped to the floor to avoid going into them. They looked up as it was none other than Stoneface as he managed to track the girls. Now the minions appeared as they circled the girls. They were all scared as they sat and backed up against each other. Stoneface then jumped down as he approached the teens. "Don't be afraid. It'll be all over soon," told Stoneface as he tried to give the girls some comforting words before they met their fate. The girls held each other as they were in fear. Stoneface began to open his mouth as he looked to turn all three teens into stone. Just when he was about to release, some figures were shown leaping into the air. It was none other than their friends as Rainbow knocked a nearby minion into Stoneface as both tumbled and he stopped his beam. The others were shown leaping into action as they stood around their friends on the floor and fought the minions guarding them. "Rainbow Dash, what are you all doing?" asked Rarity as she was confused. "Come on!" said the chromatic-haired teen. She grabbed Rarity's hand and pulled her up as Aj and Twilight did the same with Fluttershy and Pinkie. Sunset did one last spin kick to take out the last minion as all seven girls began to book it. Stoneface was struggling to get up as some of the other minions helped him up. After he retreated and Ash sent the location of the girls, they hurried to put a stop to Stoneface. They arrived just as the monster was turning people into stone. Soon they saw their pals in trouble and they devised a plan to save them. The group of girls made it to the parking lot of the mall. Even more minions were patrolling the lot as Rainbow and Aj began to hold them off. "Over there!" shouted Sunset as she pointed at a nearby staircase. They began to run towards it as a minion jumped on a car next to them. Sunset blocked an attack and then swept the foe with her arm as he hit the hood of the car. Sunset then began to hold off her section as Twilight was tasked with getting their friends to safety. They passed by some more cars as they were about to approach the door. "We're almost there!" said the lavender girl. Just as she said that their path was blocked. "Get going, I'll hold them off!" said Twilight as she took her battle stance and began to charge. She leaped and did a split as she took out two foes at once. She landed and then ducked before spinning with her leg up high to take out another. "But, Twilight..." said Fluttershy. "Don't worry about us, we'll be right behind you," assured the girl as she blocked another attack and then leaped over the car. "Hurry, darlings!" said Rarity to Fluttershy as they continued to run toward the door. All four girls soon ended up back to back as they were surrounded. They did catch a glance of their friends about to reach the door as it meant they were going to be safe. Knowing that they all looked at each other and nodded. They now stood side by side as they raised their arms and had their bracelets change into their Morphers. Their friends made it to the door and they looked back one last time to see how their companions were doing. What they say, was an utter surprise. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted all four girls. They shined brightly as seconds later, they stood in their ranger suits prepared for battle. While the rangers thought their friends were gone, they were completely unaware that they looked back and saw them transform. "They're the Power Rangers?!!" shouted all three as they were stunned. The four rangers then began to engage as they pulled out their sabers. They were now using their moves and cars parked to their advantage as they were mowing down the footsoldiers. All the while, their friends were watching this as they were in awe. "I can't believe it," said Fluttershy. "To think, they were right under our noses the whole time," stated Rarity. Applejack slashed the latest minion as she looked up. Stoneface made his presence known as he landed and began to fight with the farm girl. Aj blocked several attacks as she swung which she missed and was slashed before being flung back. The green ranger was about to get up when several minions began to pile on her as they held her. "Get off of me!" shouted AJ. Applejack then began to tap into her power. She was shown starting to stand up as the minions now realized the danger they were in. The ranger managed to push off the horde of minions on her as she growled. She wasted no time in then bringing her left foot up and then stomping it to the ground as a shockwave occurred and hit the others. "Go, Applejack!" cheered Pinkie. "Huh?" said the girl as she heard the pink girl's voice. Stoneface took that momentary distraction as he fired one of his beams. It hit the back of Applejack as she felt it. Seconds later, a rocky surface began to form as Aj was soon covered head to toe in stone. "Applejack!!!" shouted all six girls as they saw their friend be turned into a statue. The look on their faces told the whole story. They were in utter defeat at seeing one of their best friends being turned to stone. Stoneface on the other hand was smiling and laughing as he relished in the fact that he took down one of the rangers so easily. "This can't be happening," said Pinkie as her hair deflated a bit. "Oh, it is. But don't worry, you'll join her, right now!" shouted Stoneface as he fired beams at the trio. "NO!!!" shouted the rangers. They all quickly jumped in front of the girls and put their arms out. They felt the beam hit their backs as they screamed a bit. It died down as they slumped to their knees. They turned to look at Stoneface as within seconds they too were now stone statues. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were mortified to see that their friends paid the price for their mistake. "Girls!" shouted the three as they began to look at the statues hoping to bring their friends back. They saw the statues as they remained still. It seemed there was no way for them to turn back as they started to blame themselves for them having to take the attack when they should have just escaped. "How sad indeed. If only I gave a shit, this might bring a tear to my eye," taunted Stoneface. He then turned his demeanor into a serious one as he began to approach the girls. They were scared as they saw the monster coming at them. Soon a person was shown running as they leaped into the air to spin and they did a flying kick to Stoneface's midsection as the mutant stumbled back. The girls looked to see who saved them as it was none other than Ash. The boy had made it to where his friends were as he looked to end the mutant. "Ash!!!" shouted all three. "Hope I'm not too late," smiled the boy. "Ash, they've been turned to stone," sniffed Fluttershy trying not to cry too much. "Don't worry, I'll save them," assured the boy to the buttercup girl as he then looked back at the mutant. "What chance do you stand against me, boy?!" taunted Stoneface. Ash simply smirked as he raised his arm to have his bracelet transform into his Morpher. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted the teen. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "He's a ranger too?!" said the girls. "Minions, destroy him!" commanded Stoneface to the last bit of his forces as they charged. The boy ducked the first two minions. He then blocked an attack from another with his arm as they then punched it several times in the chest. He then leaped into the air to deliver a flying kick as he took out another one. He turned around to see the mutants try to sweep him as he leaped into the air and then landed as he began to trade some fists with the rest of them. They managed to kick him into the car, and he rolled to his side when they tried to hit him. He opened the passenger side door to block a kick. He kicked the mutant and then immediately rolled onto the hood to avoid another attack. He then got on top as they followed the boy. He did some roundhouse kicks and tossed some by their arms off the car as they slammed into the ground. He then did a parkour roll off the hood to avoid some shots aimed at him. He then pulled out his blaster again and took them out. It wasn't long before the boy took the remainder of the minions out as he ran towards the car and leaped. He managed to run along the side of it as he reached the end of it and then did headscissor as he flung the last one onto the ground as it groaned and disappeared. "Time for you to join the rest of your teammates!" shouted Stoneface as he opened his mouth and quickly fired his beam. "Ash, watch out!!" shouted the girls. The boy turned as he was hit by the beam. It created a small light show as it made the girls turn to avoid being blinded. Stoneface stared into the light as he was smiling at his mission being a success. Soon the light died down. "What?!" shouted the mutant. Standing there was Ash as the ranger was glowing yellow, but the big thing was that he wasn't turned to stone like the others. "This can't be! How?!!" "I'll show you. Meet my new power!" stated Ash as his body glowed. "Battle Armor Online, Activate!" The suit heard Ash's command as he touched his Morpher. The boy was now undergoing another transformation as this time he was taking his power to the next level. It showed Ash as he stood there with his arms down. Soon his gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as he now had topaz shards on his knees. The final thing was that his chest now had some crystal armor that match his gem and had the face of his wolf's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. And with that, the transformation was complete. "Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger. Warrior Mode!" shouted Ash as he made his sword appear as it too changed with the hilt being covered in topaz. "What the?" said Stoneface as it was his turn to be in shock at what he saw. The girls were amazed by what they saw as they could tell that Ash's new power meant he was stronger than before. "It doesn't matter!" shouted Stoneface as he fired another one of his stone-changing beams. Ash simply twirled his sword in his hand as he slashed the air and two swipes shot out. They headed toward Stoneface's beam as they bypassed it and pushed it back to his mouth. An explosion occurred as the mutant stumbled back and was flung to the ground. Ash wasted no time as he ran forward. He then began to fight Stoneface as the mutant tried to swing at the ranger but he couldn't. Ash was blocking his attacks with ease as he got in his attacks to damage the monster. Stoneface stepped back and went for another beam attack. This time, Ash turned around as his cape began to work. The garment was able to protect the ranger from harm as it wasn't affecting him. Ash held his cap as he flung his arm to the side as the beam stopped on his command. "No!!" shouted Stoneface. "Time to end this!" shouted Ash. He then tapped into his gem's power as he made a yellow magical circle appear around his sword's blade and thrust it out. The circle shot toward Stoneface as it froze the minion in place. Ash then zoomed ahead as he looked to deliver the final blow. "Topaz Incisor Shred!" The boy then began to swing his blade in all sorts of directions as the screen was covered in slash attacks. He then backed up and leaped into the air and did one final diagonal slash on Stoneface as the mutant screamed in which an explosion occurred. Ash appeared behind the mutant as he had his sword out, as Stoneface was falling, Ash sheathed his sword as he did a new victory pose. An explosion went off behind the boy. The girls were smiling at their friend for defeating the monster. Soon something happened. The statues of their friends began to glow as soon the rocky surface was gone. Applejack was the first as she stumbled to the ground in which Ash caught her. "I got you, Aj." "Ash, is that you, sugarcube?" With the girls, they saw the statues of Rainbow Dash, Sunset, and Twilight all glowing as they soon turned back to normal. The rangers let out gasps as they felt themselves. Once they found to be back alive, they looked at their friends and smiled. They all heard some sounds as they made it to the end of the parking lot and looked down. The people who were all turned into statues were now reverting to their normal selves. They all let out relieved sighs and had smiles. All seven looked at each other as they too smiled, however, it was clear it was time to come clean. "This is impossible, how could Ash have found a new power? His spirit was crushed after what we did to him and his girlfriends!" shouted Pharynx as he slammed his gauntlets into the wall. The dark lords were all watching through their crystal ball as Stoneface carry out his mission. When they saw Ash transform and power up, it legit caught them off guard. Yet, Sombra wasn't worried. "Who cares if he and his friends have their new power-ups? It won't matter in the long run. I will kill him and then we'll destroy this world." stated Sombra as he glanced at the crystal ball. At that moment, Thorax was in his lab as he managed to make a discovery. Something that he believed could help crush the rangers. And it involved on bring back someone from the past. In the rangers' command center, there was nothing but silence. The team was seated, but it wasn't just them. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were also present as the rangers brought them back. It took a while, but eventually, Ash told the whole story. How he arrived from another dimension. Him being the sole survivor of his home and he was the vigilante that the news reported. Then the girls sneaked into the warehouse where he fought Pharynx and it was there they touched the stones to take the oath and become rangers. They leaped into action and fought all the monsters that showed up, even going so far as to explore different parts of the world to search their quest in retrieving the missing zords. And lastly, the enemies they were battling against. "So, you are the Power Rangers?" asked Rarity for one final clarification. "Yup," answered Ash. "And this whole time, not only were you guys fighting those monsters. But you couldn't tell anybody who you were?" stated Fluttershy. "Yes, though... my parents found out themselves in a way. But they've promised to keep it a secret," said Twilight. "And now that you three know, it means that we're in more trouble than before. Cause, you know who we really are." "That doesn't mean, we're gonna tell anybody," smiled Rarity at Ash's statement. "We understand what you're saying. The responsibility that comes with being a ranger. We understand why you kept it a secret. And believe us, we won't tell a soul." "You're serious?" said Ash with a raised eyebrow. "Totally! Who would've thought, that I'm best buddies with Power Rangers? This is the best day ever!!" shouted Pinkie as she made a party cannon appear and pull the string. Confetti shot out and showered the rangers. "We appreciate you, girls. I know that we kinda treated you guys like shit, but... it's just because we were trying to protect you," stated Sunset. "We get it, darling. And as the saying goes, water under the bridge." "Well, in that case, let me extend an offer. Seeing as you're now part of this team, despite not having powers, you're free to visit the command center as often as you want." "Really?" said Pinkie. "Sure, these transporters will allow you to teleport in an instance to the command center. If you're ever in danger, simply push the button and you'll be transported to safety. And if you want, I'm willing to give you girls some basic lessons in self-defense. That way you can handle yourself if things get dicey." said Ash. "By the way, Ash. What's with that new mode? It was pretty sick!" said Rainbow. "You like it? It's something I've been working on in my spare time. And it's not just me who can transform. All of us can upgrade our suits. I'd figured that if we're going to at least attempt to defeat Sombra, having all the zords might not be enough. So we might need some new powers to help us." stated the boy. "You're not the only one who discovered she's got a new power. Remember how we were able to track you guys in the mall with all those monsters?" asked Twilight as she had a smile. "Well, I was able to locate based on your auras. Seems I got psychometry, meaning I can sense the auras of anyone or anything in the vicinity. It means I'm not just smart. I actually have a power!!" shouted the girl as she was finally glad to be useful. The others all just let Twilight have her moment as they smiled. "We appreciate it, Ash. And thank you. For welcoming us to the team." smiled Rarity as the other two did the same. "Seems we have more guests at the command center," spoke Rachel. "Who's that?!" asked Pinkie as she pointed at the central computer. "That's Rachel. She's the A.I. that's been looking after me since I list my parents. I'll tell you about her another time. For now, let's all bring it in." instructed Ash. The boy put his hand out as soon Rainbow, Aj, Sunset, and Twilight did the same. They all looked at the three remaining girls as they smiled. Soon they too extended their hand as they were huddled in a circle. All seven teens were smiling at the moment that was before them. Each one, regardless of whether or not they were Power Rangers, one thing was for sure. They each had each other's backs. "And break!" stated Ash. "Power Rangers!" shouted all the teens as they lifted their hands into the air as the scene froze and end with them smiling. Chapter 20: Call of the Wild Pt. 1Thorax was busy pressing his keypads. Thorax lighted up his screens with tons of info and data as the mutant was sweating hard. Next to him was a table with a sheet over it. Based on the shape that the sheet covered, it looked to belong to something that walked on two legs. While the whole fiasco with Stoneface went down, Thorax was continuing his search for the rest of the zords. However, while expanding his search worldwide, he got a disturbance that messed with his results. He did manage to pinpoint its location and arrived at the place where the signal originated. And as foretold, they managed to find a black box of sorts. Thorax was handed the box as he saw what was inside. The thing was a piece. A piece of what, he had no idea. So he brought it back to his lab to examine it. Once the computer ran its analysis, the info that Thorax brought up shocked the mutant. And the next few days, he worked hard to complete the heart. The general was putting the final touches on his latest invention as his brother and Starlight watched him in his lab. "You sure this will work?" asked Starlight. "If my calculations are correct, and they always are, this will bring him back from the dead," said Thorax. "Then what?" asked Pharynx. "We introduce him to Sombra. With his help, we may destroy the rangers." "Brother, I know you're smart. But you're also a dumbass. Did the records not show that he doesn't give a shit about anybody but himself? Bringing him back using that heart will ruin our plans!" stated Pharynx. "For once, I agree with your annoying big brother. If you somehow manage to bring him back, there's no telling what he'll do. Besides, wasn't the whole heart destroyed years ago. Do you think you can complete a heart using data and parts?" asked Starlight. "That's why we not only have science but magic as well. Besides, you guys might not believe it, but a heart can live inside data," stated Thorax. A container then opened up as the heart was now complete. Thorax dug up the pieces of data he had on the thing from its completed form and finished the rest of the organ as it was now back to its original state. The mutant then grabbed it as he approached the body on the table with the sheet over it. He took it off and asked Starlight to use her magic to implement it into the vessel. Soon her staff began to glow as he returned to his work-study and pulled a level. Electricity shot out as it fused with the magic that was being enacted on the body. After a few moments, the legs began to stir. But they soon stopped as all three Dark Lords leaned in to see if anything else would happen. Nothing occurred as it seemed that the attempt to revive the mysterious figure was all for naught. "Well, that's another failure you can add to the list, brother," snickered Pharynx to his little sibling. "Whatever!!! He was a piece of shit anyway," said Thorax as he began to walk. The three generals then left the lab as it closed behind him. Thorax turned off the lights of the lab. The scene showed the sheet covered over the individual on the table. For a second, it laid still. Soon a hand emerged from under the cover as it made a fist. In the ranger command center, the girls were in the training room. Ash extended the offer to Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie to be invited to the place. As well as him offering to give them some basic self-defense classes. The girls were now in the training room as Ash was instructing them. "Remember, only use these moves to protect yourself. Don't abuse them or whatnot." "We understand, darling," said Rarity to Ash. "But I do require a nice long bath." "Alright, we can call it here," instructed the boy. The girls sighed as they were glad that the training session was over. He then pointed to where the bathrooms were as they left. Sunset and Twilight approached their leader as he was wiping his forehead with a towel. "It finally feels good that our friends know who we are," said Sunset. "It was hard not telling them that we're saving the world," spoke Twilight. "I get it, but we had no choice under the circumstances we found ourselves. Again, we did break the rule of being a ranger. But... it does feel nice to know that others are willing to keep our secret safe. Plus, with those three now in our line of work, they can at least cover for you girls when you need to sneak off." stated Ash. "Speaking of us, where are Aj and Dash?" asked Sunset. "Applejack's on her way. She had to do some last-minute deliveries for her family. But she did promise to bring some bottles of cider for us. And as for Rainbow, she's got karate class. So I told her to come here when she gets out." said the boy. While this was going on with the rangers, another thing was happening. In the lair of the dark lords, the scene showed a room. When Thorax retrieved the heart, he discovered. He also found a weapon next to it, clearly showing who and what the seat belonged to. It then showed a figure looking at the sword. The figure had a dark robe over itself as it approached the weapon. He took a few steps forward as he was unaware of the security system. Soon an alarm went off, and the figure didn't bother that it was alert. The doors opened, and in came Pharynx, Starlight, Chrysalis, and some minions, as they wanted to know what triggered the security breach. "Hold it right there!" shouted Pharynx to the robed figure. "Who the hell are you?!" demanded Starlight. The figure didn't answer as they stood there. "Hey, answer the question, bitch?!" stated Starlight once more, but the figure didn't speak. "Get them." The minions heard the command from Starlight as they began to approach the robed figure. Just as they were about to put their hands on the cloak, they were blasted by the figure's hand as they fell and evaporated. The generals were caught off guard as they didn't suspect their intruder to fight back. The rest of the minions then charged ahead as the figure started to fight back, defeating the weaklings with ease. It then reached the wall to grab its weapon as it charged up and made a slash attack that caused the minions to turn dust. This shocked the three generals as they could see the intruder wouldn't compile. "Alright, I've had enough of this shit! Who the hell are you?!!" shouted Starlight. The figure turned and looked at them. In one swift motion, it took off the robe as the generals could see its proper appearance. "Behold! It is I!" "This can't be! Master Org!" said Chrysalis as all three were in awe and shock. True to what the three generals saw, standing before them was the once long gone leader of the orgs from so long ago—none other than Master Org in his final form before he was defeated. "There's no way this is happening! He'd be too stupid to try to steal from us!" said Starlight, as she wasn't entirely buying what was in front of her. "But it is! And the last thing I am is stupid!" shouted the leader of the orgs. Master Org wasted no time in attacking Pharynx and Starlight. The mighty villain managed to kick Starlight to the side as she collided with the table. Pharynx was standing his ground as he began to swing his gauntlets at the mighty org as he took the blows but dodged a few. He then fought back as Pharynx blocked before he too was struck and fell to the ground. "Volt flare!" shouted Chrysalis as she shot an orb of fire at the org leader, who simply cut it in half with his weapon. "Accel!" shouted the general as her legs glowed blue, and she increased her movement and speed. She then began to kick several times in a row while in the air. Master Org simply put his arms together as he was blocking all the attacks thrown by Chrysalis. The general landed as she fired another one of her spells, and this time he had to dodge and roll out of the way. Chrysalis then made portals appear when she thrust her hands out to the side. Chains appeared as they began to wrap around Master Org and put him on his knees. Chrysalis was grunting as she was doing everything in her power to hold the leader of the orgs down but found it challenging. She struggled as the strength of her foe outmatched hers. Master Org managed to stand up as he looked Chrysalis in the eye. He broke the chains holding him with one shrug as Chrysalis felt her hands hurt. She grasped them as she was then grabbed and lifted into the air. "How can this be?" said Chrysalis as she was helpless by the org who held her. "I don't understand. You were destroyed so many years ago. The only way you could be back is if the org heart is restored." "I am back with a vengeance. And soon all of you will be no more!" said Master Org as he pointed his blade at Chrysalis. He looked to end the general right then and there. Soon he heard a blast sound as it collided with his right side. It caused him to stumble as he dropped Chrysalis to the floor. Entering the room was none other than Sombra, who his elite guards accompanied. He had his crystal blade out as he was not happy to see someone invading his home and insulting his generals by making them look weak. Both mighty leaders glared at one another as the tension was there. Both swung their blades as they launched a slash attack. The two attacks met in the middle as a massive explosion occurred. It caused everyone to stumble and fall to the floor as they saw the power levels on display. Back with the two alphas, both stood their ground as they stared at one another. "I give you one warning for trespassing on my property! Leave or I shall destroy you!" threatened Sombra. "Never! I will have my revenge! And no one will stop me!" stated Master Org. Both leaders looked to get in their battle stance. Another massive brawl looked to ensure. "Wait! Wait!" shouted Thorax as he appeared in the middle and put his arms between the two mighty leaders. "Thorax, what are you doing? He's trying to destroy us!" shouted Pharynx at his younger brother. "Leave him be! If he wants to play peacekeeper and get his ass destroyed, by all means, don't stop him!" growled Starlight. "Sombra, please. I brought him back," said Thorax. "What?" said Chrysalis to her son. "Do you recall the interference I discovered the other day when I searched for the zords? Well, it turns out it was a box. But inside that box was none other than the legendary Org heart." "But the Org Heart was destroyed long ago, Thorax. How does it exist now?" asked Chrysalis. "There's nothing science and magic can't do if they work in unison. As well as data. I was able to complete the Org Heart and, in turn, retrieve the mighty general of the orgs that once fought humanity for 3000 years." "You mean to tell me that little experiment you did earlier when we were present worked?!" said Starlight. "Indeed. And now the mighty leader of the orgs has risen once more," said Thorax as he looked at Master Org. "And why should I be concerned with this?" demanded Sombra to Thorax. "As far as I'm concerned, our priority is the destruction of the Power Rangers!" "The Power Rangers?!" shouted Master Org. Just hearing that name made the org's blood boil. He remembered the reason for his destruction as it fueled his hatred. "The rangers will pay for what they did." "You despise them as well, hmm?" said Sombra as he sheathed his crystal blade. He began to approach the org leader, and his comrades were surprised. To think he left himself unarmed as he came to the person who invaded their home and looked to destroy them. Sombra now stood face to face with Master Org as the leader of the Dark Lords had a sinister and evil smile. "Then it appears our goals are the same. I have a proposition for you. One that I think you'll find pleasant." said Sombra holding that evil smile with a slight sinister chuckle. The scene showed Rainbow riding her skateboard. She was dressed in elbow and knee pads, all while having a bag over her chest. The chromatic-haired teen was making her way to her karate class. It would have been faster to use her super speed to get there, but not only would it attract too much attention, but the girl was in the mood to do some cool tricks before class. She picked up the speed of her board as she came to a bench. The girl then jumped as the board grinded on the metal end before reaching the end of it and doing an ollie. The girl landed as she kept on riding. She zoomed past more people as they leaned to a side to avoid getting hit by Rainbow based on how fast she was going. The teen was coming up on a corner as it was a sharp turn. She approached it and then jumped to grab the lamp post to swing her in the right direction. The girl kept on riding as she got close to her destination. She was picking up speed as the sound of a bell was heard. A door opened, and out came a woman who exited the door. They were reading a book when a voice called out to them. "Look out!" shouted Dash. The girl was going too fast that she couldn't get her board to stop. The woman saw the teen coming at her, but she didn't move. Instead, she leaned far back as Rainbow leaped over her and did a kickflip as everything moved in slow motion. Time resumed as Rainbow landed and continued to ride. "Sorry about that! Nice moves!" shouted the athletic girl as her voice trailed and she disappeared around the corner. The woman who Rainbow almost hit now leaned back to her regular position. The scene changed to show the woman's upper body, not her face. Soon a hand reached upwards and was brought down as it held a pair of glasses. It also showed the backpack they were wearing as it was the color white and dawned an image of a tiger. Rainbow had made it to her karate class with a few minutes to spare. After changing and getting warmed up, the instructor entered the room and began to go over their lessons. Soon the end of the class was starting to wind down as the instructor ended their lessons a bit early. "Alright, line up!" said the man as the students listened. "Now we have a special guest visiting us today. Please welcome Ms. Enrilé." The instructor briefly introduced a woman who entered the room in a karate suit as the teens waved to the woman. Rainbow saw the woman as she smiled; she was unaware that the woman standing before her was the one she almost hit with her skateboard. "Ms. Enrilé is an instructor in the martial arts as well. And she has come today to test every one of you," said the instructor. "I'm grateful that you'll have me here today. I want to see what you all are capable of," said Ms. Enrilé. "Alright, one by one, you'll face off against Ms. Enrilé," stated the instructor to the students. The students obeyed as they began to prepare. For the next while, the students were being pushed to their limit against Ms. Enrilé. Safe to say, they were all shocked and surprised by just how good she was. Rainbow was watching the one-on-one fights between the other students and Ms. Enrilé as she was impressed. She was also motivated as the woman was single-handily taking down the students without so much as breaking a sweat. Ms. Enrilé managed to avoid a lunge by the student she was facing. She evaded his attack and countered with a solid blow to the student's stomach, using nothing but her shin. The student fell to his knees as it was called. She gave a smile and bowed in respect to her foe she defeated. The teen got up and rubbed his stomach as he got off the mat. Rainbow was stepping up as she was the final challenger. Both females glanced at one another as Ms. Enrilé sensed something about the teen. Both gave a bow before getting into their battle stances. "BEGIN!" shouted the instructor. Rainbow Dash quickly charged at Ms. Enrilé and started throwing punches. Ms. Enrilé did her best to evade her hits. However, the last punch was a fakeout, and she made a lousy dodge, allowing Dash to hit her with a solid blow to her face as she took a few steps back. She touched her face as she smiled at the teen. Rainbow kept on the offense as she charged and swung. Ms. Enrilé let the girl come at her with all her might. However, she focused on the technique she wanted to pull off next. She dodged Rainbow Dash's attacks and swatted away her hands. Once the opportunity arrived, and she raised her leg to kick the girl, she made a fast and sudden move, she ducked and grabbed her from the waist and swept the foot Dash was standing on, which only sent her back on her back and with her legs spread, and Ms. Enrilé got the chance to land a vicious punch to the girl. "POINT!" said the instructor. Rainbow struggled to stand up and looked a bit dizzy after the technique that Ms. Enrilé did on her. She then refocused as she charged. Both did some quick hand exchanges while trying to find an opening. Ms. Enrilé caught a forward-stepping mule kick with both her hands as she grunted and slid back an inch across the mat. Despite the stinging in her palms, she smirked. Rainbow simply narrowed her eyes as she surprised Ms. Enrilé by lifting her other leg and launching it toward her face. She barely moved her head out of the way, using her grip on her foot to flip her away from her. She landed gracefully into a crouch, not letting up her attack as Dash immediately leaped at her with a fist. The woman was forced to backpedal as she swept aside the fury of punches being thrown by the teen girl. Dash's footwork greatly improved since they first began as the fight with Ms. Enrilé motivated her to improve and adapt to the situation on the fly. Rainbow maintained her momentum to keep up with Ms. Enrilé while still keeping on the offensive. Still, she quickly spotted an opening and practically, on instinct, exploited it. She didn't see the punch coming as it plowed her in the cheek, sending her sprawling backward. Dash tried to get back up and fight, but her body ached. It was sending her a message that if she continued, she would risk her personal health. Eventually, the girl had to do the one thing she hated, and that was accept defeat. She lifted her head as she came to the view of Ms. Enrilé offering her hand. The teen extended her hand outwards and let the woman pull her up. The girl now stood on her feet as she rotated her shoulder to minimize the pressure and bruise she felt it. "You did good," spoke Ms. Enrilé. "Out of every I faced, you gave me the toughest fight." "You're just saying that," said Rainbow as she felt like the woman was trying to make her feel better after suffering such a devasting defeat. "I mean it. You're a good fighter." "Thanks. However, you were able to beat me even after taking on all the other students. Shows that I've got a lot to work on if I lost to someone like that." stated Rainbow. "Winning isn't always everything. Sometimes the best way to learn is by defeat. Trust me, I know." responded Ms. Enrilé. "Alright, that's enough. Let's give a warm applause to Ms. Enrilé for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit us," said the instructor as the students began to clap as they showed their admiration for the woman. Even Rainbow couldn't help but join in as she gave her respect to the woman that bested her. "Class is over!" The students began to pack up as they went to their lockers. It showed Rainbow closing her locker as she had her bag over her shoulder. The girl was back in her regular clothes as she put on her bracelet. She looked at the gem as she was quickly reminded of the fight with Ms. Enrilé. It still plagued her mind that she had lost. "No more playing around. I'm going to get better so that never happens to me again. I won't lose, " Rainbow said with a determined look. She then began to walk out of the building to the command center. As the girl left, Ms. Enrilé saw the teen left. She then got the attention of the instructor. "Pardon me for asking, but who is that girl? The one I faced last?" asked Ms. Enrilé. "That's Ms. Rainbow Dash. She has a bit of a competitive side. She doesn't like losing, I'll tell you that." said the instructor as he left for his office. "Rainbow Dash, huh," muttered Ms. Enrilé to herself. The doors to the command center opened up. Rainbow came in, immediately threw her bag on the floor, and stomped over to the couch area as she hopped over it and crossed her arms. A drone picked up her bag and placed it away as Ash and the others saw their friend enter. "Bad day?" asked Ash as he knew how Rainbow was. "I don't want to talk about it," said the girl as she pouted. "Someone beat you in karate class?" said Aj with a smirk. "I said I don't want to talk about it!" shouted the girl to her friends. "She totally got her ass kicked," whispered Ash to the girls as they all nodded. They all began to cackle at their friend's misery. "There, there. It's alright, Dashie," said Fluttershy as she sat next to her friend on the couch and patted her back. "Not everybody wins at everything." "I do!" yelled the girl. "I'm Rainbow Dash! The best, most awesome person alive! Nobody gets the best of me! Nobody!" "She's not gonna let this go, is she?" asked Twilight. "Nope," responded Sunset. Before the group of teens could continue to listen to Rainbow whine and complain, an alarm went off. "Ooh, flashy red lights!" said Pinkie as she jumped up and down in place as the siren got louder. "That's usually not a good thing, Pinkie," said Rarity. "Rarity is right. Something's happening," said Ash as he made his way to the computer. He slid into the chair and began to press the keypad rapidly. "Status, Rachel." "My sensors are scrambled all over the place. I can't get a clear signal." "Boost output by 13%. Increase the core momentum," said Ash as he continued to push more keys. On the screen, it was nothing but static of black and white. The picture was fuzzy, and soon it began to clear up. It showed a plaza being overrun by minions as people were screaming. "Looks like a small horde," said Twilight. "Still, best be on guard. In case any of the Dark Lords are leading the charge. Either way, those people need our help. Let's go." said the boy. "Right," said the girls. "Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie. Stay here and monitor the cams. Let us know if anything else comes up." "You can count on us, darling," said Rarity. At the plaza, minions were running amok. They weren't just chasing people; they were also destroying public property. Some windows were broken as the mutants began to steal some stuff. One of them was attacking a car when he looked up. Coming at him was a flying kick, and it knocked him down. It got the attention of the others as they looked, and standing in front of them were Ash and the girls. "Time to send you boys packing!" said Sunset. The minions then charged forward as each of the teens began to engage. Applejack stood in front of the foes as she smirked. She thrust her arms out as she tapped into her gem's power and hardened her skin. The girl then took a few steps forward as three minions attacked. She blocked them all by lifting her left arm as she smirked. Using her strength, she then flipped them over her head. She then ducked and blocked a consecutive strike to her midsection by moving her right arm up and down before delivering a kick that sent the minion into a car as it made sparks fly. Rainbow was zooming and taking down her section of foes using her superspeed. The girl did zig-zag formations as she knocked her opponents down faster than you could blink. One grabbed her by the shoulder as Rainbow countered by doing a standing backflip to take the hand off. She then did a spinning back kick and landed to sweep the minions trying to sneak up on her. The girl then began to run once more as she circled her section of foes. The girl ran fast as she created a rainbow-colored tornado that started to grow. It died down as the girl came to a stop and looked back to see the minions all lying on the ground with swirls on top of their heads. Twilight was backflipping and cartwheeling nonstop to avoid all the attacks one after the other. She landed on her feet as she blocked several more attacks with her hands and legs. The girl then leaped off a rock and began stepping on the minions' shoulders as she ran over them. She forward flipped and kicked a minion as he splatted against the wall. She then turned and blocked a blow with her leg before twisting the minion, grabbing her as they spun in the air as she recovered while the monster hit the floor. Sunset was twerking her body as she rotated in the air to avoid the minions shooting their weapons at her. She landed and slid towards some rocks as they provided the girl some cover. She then did a handstand over the rock and began to engage them. One of them went for an arm thrust as the girl moved to the side and grabbed the arm in front of her. She aimed the weapon at the other minions and began to fire while spinning in a circle. The others fell back as sparks were shown when they got shot. The girl then dragged the minion she had a hold of to the floor so that when he got to his knees, she gave a roundhouse kick to knock the monster out. Ash did his signature corkscrew as he avoided the minions. He landed on a rock and began to spin and kick while staying in place. One of the minions tried to sweep him as the boy dropped to a pushup position and extended his leg to flick the mutant away. He then transitioned using a breakdance move to balance on his hands while using his legs to kick away at any mutants trying to attack. He then pushed himself off his hands as he, spun in the air for several rotations as he landed, and then did a punch to one of the monsters as they fell into the fountain. As the teens were combating their foes, the background showed someone watching from behind a corner. They had noticed the nearby attack and began to investigate it. She saw the teens arrive as they began to fight. The one thing that stood out was the jacket she wore, as it was white. "Not yet," said the person as they stood on standby. She had a feeling she knew what was going on. Ash finished with the last minion when he turned his head. A beam was coming at him as the boy was flung into the air, as an explosion occurred behind him. Master Org sent the teen flying as he crashed into the plaza walkway. "Ash, you okay?" asked Twilight as the girls appeared next to their leader. "Nice to see you, rangers!" said Starlight as she appeared. "Starlight!" growled Ash as he stood up. "I'm so glad you came, 'cause I have a new friend who wants to meet you," snickered the general as she stepped to the side. The teens looked on as walking was none other than Master Org. The org saw the teenagers as he growled. The rangers were confused as they didn't know who or what they were facing. "Who the hell is that?" asked Rainbow. "I don't know, but we're gonna defeat them just like the others," said Ash as the girls agreed with that statement. They all raised their arms as their bracelets turned into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all five. Ash began to trace his topaz gem's symbol as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform, as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him; as he did, his pose with the animal on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. Applejack traced her symbol, and her emerald gem showed it recognized it. It then encased the girl in her suit as she landed on a platform. Her whole body turned into a suit with bits of her gem on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her. Rainbow was now transforming as she was encased in her suit. She traced her symbol produced by the cobalt stone. She landed on a platform as bits of her gem were on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her as it made its sound. Twilight traced her symbol produced by her sapphire gem as it recognized her. The jewel encased the girl as she landed on a platform. The girl lifted her head as the vizor completed the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her animal appeared behind her and made a noise. Sunset underwent her transformation as the ruby stone grew larger and encased the girl in her suit. The girl landed on a platform as bits of her gem were also shown on her shoulder. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her zord appeared behind her and made a noise. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted the group in unison. "Rangers!!" growled Master Org. They may not have been the ones that took him down, but they were still a nuisance all the same. He then began to charge forward as the teens did the same. They pulled out their sabers as they began to swing, but their foe was of a different breed. Master Org ducked and blocked all the swings the teens were trying as he delivered a powerful kick to Rainbow and sent the girl crashing into a nearby rock as she winced in pain. Applejack tried to punch the villain as it grabbed her arm and raised it. He did several kicks to her midsection as he quickly slashed at the farm girl as she screamed and was thrown back. Sunset tried her attempt as she pulled out her blaster and began aiming at the monster. Master Org merely covered up with his shoulder to minimize the damage. The girl went for another shot as he blocked it with his sword and held it while turning around. When he came around, he returned fire at Sunset as she got hit, and sparks flew as she dropped her weapons. The girl screamed and was flipped forward into the air as she landed on her back. Twilight made her shield appear as she threw it at Master Org, as it bounced off the org's body and made him stumble. It darted back, and the girl threw it once more. This time he caught it as Twilight gasped. Master Org then threw it back at the ranger as he began to bounce it off her as Twilight couldn't defend herself. He then threw the shield up as he charged up an attack with his sword and shot it toward the girl. Twilight felt it as she yelled; Master Org then saw the shield coming down as he did a back kick to hit the weapon, and it collided with Twilight as she was thrown onto the floor. "Topaz Slash!" shouted Ash as he was shown leaping into the air and using his finisher move. It hit the org leader dead-on as smoke appeared. Ash looked as soon as it showed a hand emerging from the smoke as it grabbed the ranger. The boy was now being held in the air as he dropped his weapon. The yellow ranger was now staring into the eyes of the org. "You've got guts, boy. Challenging an org," he said with a chuckle. He then threw Ash over his head as he aimed his weapon and fired his attack. It hit the boy while he was in the air as he felt the attack. Ash landed on his back in front of his teammates as they were facefirst on the ground as they were stirring. "We can't touch him," grunted Aj. "Nothing we do affects him," said Twilight. "Had enough, rangers? You're not the only ones who have friends in high places. Finish them!" advised Starlight as Master Org nodded. He pointed his weapon to the ground and kept it low as he began to approach the rangers. They were still struggling to get up as he now stood over Ash with the blade just inches from his face. "I will finally have my revenge against the rangers!" shouted Master Org. He then lifted his blade and looked to bring it down. "Ash!!" shouted the girl. The boy saw it coming as he put his hands up to protect himself. Everything was moving in slow motion as it seemed like the boy was about to meet his end. It showed something leaping into the air as they delivered a kick to Master Org's midsection as the org felt it and stumbled. Ash removed his hands and looked as he saw a person standing before him. He saw it was a woman as she wore a white jacket that had a picture of a tiger on the back. "Who's that?" asked Sunset as the girls also saw the woman standing before them. "Stay out of this! Unless you want to end like them!" warned Starlight. As the woman straightened out, the general didn't know who she was talking to. She then pulled out a flip phone as everyone saw this and what would happen next was something that blew everyone's mind. "Wild Access!" shouted the woman as she touched the buttons on her Growl Phone as the transformation began to occur. Soon the phone closed as it extended to show front and back legs as the image of a tiger appeared for a second. The phone then stood up to resemble a person in a fighting stance before it broke apart to reveal the woman as she was wearing a white suit. Soon the helmet formed on her head as it looked like a tiger. "Noble Tiger!" shouted the woman. "What?!" said Starlight in utter shock. "She's a Power Ranger?!" said Sunset as the girls were stunned by what they saw. "White Tiger Baton!" said the ranger in front of the teens as she pulled out her weapon. She then began to engage with the org leader as he swung, and she did her best to avoid and block his shots. Compared to our heroes, she was holding her own if she had experience facing the villain. She ducked and got on a rock to bounce off of it and leaped into the air. "White Tiger Baton! Tiger Thrust!" shouted the ranger. She thrust her weapon as it made contact with Master Org, who was thrown back a bit as he landed by Starlight's feet. "Wow, she took him off his feet," said Aj as they were impressed by what they saw. "You'll pay for that!" said Starlight as she prepared to engage with the mysterious individual. "No!" said Sombra as he communicated with the general. "Fall back!" "But Sombra..." "Do as your told, Starlight!" "Understood," nodded the mutant. "We must retreat." "Never!" said the org leader as he was dead-set on ending the rangers. "Sombra's orders. And if you want your revenge on the rangers, you'd best listen to him," said Starlight to the org leader as he hated being told that. "Another time, rangers. Next time, you won't be so lucky!" The general then made her and Master Org disappear as they flashed and then were gone. Ash and the girls all got to their feet as they saw the ranger in front of them. They demorphed as they turned around. The person in question was the same woman who had stopped by Rainbow's karate class earlier. The rangers approached the woman as they wanted to thank their savior. "Thanks for your help," said Ash. "It was no problem," smiled the woman. "Hold on, that voice. I feel like I've heard it before," said Rainbow to herself as she began to think when the woman spoke. "Hey, wait a minute!" The woman now turned to look at the blue ranger. "You're the one that kicked my ass in karate class!!" shouted Rainbow angrily as she demorphed when saying that. "Pause and rewind. You legit got your ass kicked?!" said Ash as he and the girls demorphed. "That's not the point!" shouted Rainbow. "I think it is," responded the boy with a smug smile. Dash had an angry, stern look as the others laughed at their friend's misfortune. All the while, the woman was giggling at seeing the friends acting like themselves. It reminded them of some people she knew. "Anyways, who are you? And why are you a Power Ranger?" asked Rainbow. "I'll tell you. But not here," said the woman. "Come on, let's head back to the command center," instructed Ash as the group of rangers left the plaza. "Who was that?!" asked Chrysalis. "A ranger, no doubt," stated Thorax. "But how can that be? There's no white gem!" said Pharynx. "You're right. There isn't. That's because she's not our ranger," said Sombra. At that moment, Starlight and Master Org teleport into the throne room. The org leader stared at the leader of the Dark Lords as he was unhappy that he had to pull out just when he had the advantage. "Tell us about your rangers," demanded Sombra. The girls heard the sounds of doors opening. Ash, the girls, and their mysterious friend were walking in. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie turned as they saw their friends returning. They saw, along with Rachel, what went down on the screens as they were thankful for the mysterious person appearing when she did. Soon it showed her walking through the doors. "Wow, you definitely have a better headquarters than I used to have," said the woman, taking in the much bigger and more space. "It's alright," bragged Rainbow as she slumped on the couch. "So spill it. Who are you? And why are you so good at karate?" "Rainbow?!!" said the girls as they glared at their friend for saying that. "It's quite alright. My name is Alyssa. And as I used to be a Power Ranger just like you all." said the woman. "Alyssa? Alyssa? Why does that name sound familiar?" said Ash as he began to walk to the central computer. The boy sat down and began researching with Rachel as the girls kept talking with their new ally. "We appreciate you saving our skin back there," said Sunset. "We would have been finished if you didn't show up," said Twilight. "Don't mention it. Master Org is quite powerful. If you're not prepared, you might end up losing your life," stated Alyssa. "Org? What's an org?" asked Pinkie. "Orgs are demonic, oni-like beings who desired to exterminate humanity and conquer the Earth for themselves," answered Alyssa. "And Master Org is the evilest of them all." "The way you speak of him. It sounds like you have a history with him," said Rarity. "She does!" said Ash as he got the attention of the girls and Alyssa as they looked to where the boy was. "Alyssa didn't just fight against Master Org. She defeated him with her friends. She was part of a team of rangers called the Wild Force. She's the white ranger." Ash then pushed some keypads as Rachel pulled up some clips and footage in the Morphin Grid archive. The girls and Alyssa were now watching the small videos shown as they saw just how much of a legend the woman was. "Memories," smiled Alyssa. "Wow, you really did all this. You're amazing," said Fluttershy as she admired what Alyssa was able to accomplish at such a young age. "No doubt, being able to take on some many monsters and put an end to the fiercest org of them all. That's no easy task," said Ash as he, too, gave his props to Alyssa. "Thanks, guys. And as for what happened at karate class, Rainbow. My dad is a martial arts instructor. He taught me my fighting skills, including our family's famous Tiger style." "Yeah... I see..." said the girl as she was now a bit embarrassed hearing who Alyssa was. "Well, as nice as it is. We still have a big threat on our hands. With Master Org returning and aligning himself with our villains. It means we're going to have to do the same." said Ash. "I'd be willing to help you guys," said Alyssa. Ash extended his hand out for the woman to shake as she did so. With the alliance now made, they began to think about how to defeat their foes. Before they could, alarms went off. Rachel pulled up the cameras as they showed a nearby quarry. "Guess who's back," said the A.I. "Alright, girls. Let's go," said Ash as they and Alyssa nodded. Pharynx was now leading the charge. Several minions were accompanying him and Master Org. It showed the rangers running to confront them as they soon stood before the large group. "Knew they come running," snickered Pharynx as he rubbed his gauntlets against each other. "There's no retreat for two this time!" stated Ash as he pointed at the group. "Be careful. We don't know what else Master Org can do," said Alyssa to the teens as she warned them to be cautious. "It doesn't matter. They're going down just the same," boasted Rainbow. "Ready, y'all!" asked Aj. "Let's do it!" shouted the six rangers as they charged. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the teens as they transformed while running. "Wild Access!" shouted Alyssa as she changed while running. Pharynx nodded to Master Org as he did too. He put his hand out as and threw pink slime on the ground. It then began to grow as the pink slim took shape. Arising were now Putrids as they banged their clubs on the floor. Thorax was able to give a boost to Master Org's powers as the great leader could now summon his foot soldiers with ease. They, too, began to charge forward. The rangers were now dealing with the foot soldiers as they were quite a handful. Applejack and Twilight worked back to back as they covered each other's weaknesses. They began to block and kick the monsters that came at them. Applejack stopped an attack using her leg as she brought the arm of the Putrid down. Twilight took that opportunity to leap off Aj's shoulders and activate her wings. She then flew by and took out any enemies caught in her path. Aj then finished by slamming her foot to the ground as a rock appeared in the air before her; she punched it toward the last remaining. With that taken care of, Pharynx then made his presence known. He bulldozed through both girls as they fell to the ground. The general then slammed his gauntlets on the floor, sending them flying. A rainbow-colored trail zoomed by as Rainbow managed to catch her friends and put them on the ground for safety. The pair got up and began working with Rainbow as they took on Pharynx. With the others, they were doing the same with Master Org. They managed to dispose of the footsoldiers with ease. However, they were having a difficult time with the leader. "Harmony Saber!" shouted Ash and Sunset. "Crystal Saber!" said Alyssa. All three charged and surrounded the org leader as they tried to attack him. Each was blocked perfectly by the villain. Sunset tried for a sneak attack as she went for a kick to the back of Master Org. The org general simply caught her foot without looking in his arm. She saw it and pushed her other leg up to try to kick him away, but he didn't move an inch, and she fell to the ground. Sunset got up as he turned and blocked a right punch by the girl. He traded their positions while holding onto Sunset's wrist and kicked her in the stomach. She fell to her knees immediately before getting up, only to be kicked in her upper body as she was thrown and crashed hard on her back. "Harmony blaster!" shouted Ash as he pulled out his other side-arm. He fired a shot as the org leader deflected the shot, hitting Alyssa, who flipped forward. "Alyssa!" shouted the boy as he didn't mean for her to get hit. He was distracted as he only barely blocked an overhead attack by Master Org as the org general pushed it to the side and quickly slashed at his chest. Ash rolled on the ground as he got to his knees. The blade of Master Org was shown on his shoulder as the boy quickly deflected it off and stood. They began to sword fight as they traded blows, to which Ash had to jump back to avoid a backspin kick by the org. He then kicked a front bicycle as Ash blocked it with his sword. The org leader spun and went for a surprise low attack aimed at the boy's feet. Ash reacted quicker as he jumped and leaped off the org's shoulders as he landed behind him. He quickly turned to fire another shot from his blaster, but the org was quicker and ricocheted the shot back to Ash. It hit his hand holding his blade as the boy dropped his weapon and felt the pain. He quickly shook it off and began to fire at the org general. Master Org deflected the first few blasts and then reflected another shot at the boy; as it hit him right in the chest, an explosion occurred. Ash was shown flying out of the explosion as he traveled a reasonable distance and collided with a rock as he fell to the ground. The boy grunted as he was in pain. Master Org was smiling as he began to make his way to the fallen ranger on the ground; Alyssa and Sunset were on the ground as they were too weak to help their comrade. "Ash!" called out both rangers as they saw him being defenseless. Pharynx was toying with Rainbow with the others as he kicked the ranger while she was on the ground. He kicked her again to turn her over and flip her into the air. The mutant then grabbed her wrists with one hand while blocking Aj's and Twilight's attacks with his other arm and leg. He then flipped Rainbow over as she landed on her back. The mutant kicked a massive boulder and sent it sailing through the air. It hit the girl as it passed them and collided with another part of the quarry. However, it did its job as all three were on the ground in pain. They, too, couldn't help or protect their leader. Ash grunted and groaned as his suit powered down from the damage he had done. The boy coughed as he clutched his side. His attention was brought back in front of him as the great org general stood over the boy. "Say farewell, ranger!" stated Master Org as he looked to bring his blade down on the human. "Ash!!!" called out each of the others as they couldn't do anything but watch. Everything moved in slow motion, and the boy's eyes widened as it looked like he was about to meet his end. Then... something happened. To be continued... Author's Note And so it begins. Hope you're all excited for what's to come. Chapter 21: Call of the Wild Pt. 2Previously on Power Rangers... "You sure this will work?" asked Starlight. "If my calculations are correct, and they always are, this will bring him back from the dead," said Thorax. "Then what?" asked Pharynx. "We introduce him to Sombra. With his help, we may destroy the rangers." "Hold it right there!" shouted Pharynx to the robed figure. "Who the hell are you?!" demanded Starlight. The figure turned and looked at them. In one swift motion, it took off the robe as the generals could see its proper appearance. "Behold! It is I!" "This can't be! Master Org!" said Chrysalis as all three were in awe and shock. "How can this be?" said Chrysalis as she was helpless by the org who held her. "I don't understand. You were destroyed so many years ago." "I give you one warning for trespassing on my property! Leave or I shall destroy you!" threatened Sombra. "Sombra, please. I brought him back," said Thorax. "But the Org Heart was destroyed long ago, Thorax. How does it exist now?" asked Chrysalis. "There's nothing science and magic can't do if they work in unison. As well as data. I was able to complete the Org Heart and, in turn, retrieve the mighty general of the orgs that once fought humanity for 3000 years." "Then it appears our goals are the same. I have a proposition for you. One that I think you'll find pleasant." said Sombra holding that evil smile with a slight sinister chuckle. "Look out!" shouted Dash. The girl was going too fast that she couldn't get her board to stop. The woman saw the teen coming at her, but she didn't move. Instead, she leaned far back as Rainbow leaped over her and did a kickflip as everything moved in slow motion. Time resumed as Rainbow landed and continued to ride. It also showed the backpack they were wearing as it was the color white and dawned an image of a tiger. "Now we have a special guest visiting us today. Please welcome Ms. Enrilé." "You did good," spoke Ms. Enrilé. "Out of every I faced, you gave me the toughest fight." "Thanks. However, you were able to beat me even after taking on all the other students. Shows that I've got a lot to work on if I lost to someone like that." stated Rainbow. "Ooh, flashy red lights!" said Pinkie as she jumped up and down in place as the siren got louder. "That's usually not a good thing, Pinkie," said Rarity. "Rarity is right. Something's happening," said Ash as he made his way to the computer. He slid into the chair and began to press the keypad rapidly. "Status, Rachel." "My sensors are scrambled all over the place. I can't get a clear signal." On the screen, it was nothing but static of black and white. The picture was fuzzy, and soon it began to clear up. It showed a plaza being overrun by minions as people were screaming. "Nice to see you, rangers!" said Starlight as she appeared. "Starlight!" growled Ash as he stood up. "I'm so glad you came, 'cause I have a new friend who wants to meet you," snickered the general as she stepped to the side. The teens looked on as walking was none other than Master Org. The org saw the teenagers as he growled. The rangers were confused as they didn't know who or what they were facing. "You've got guts, boy. Challenging an org," he said with a chuckle. He then threw Ash over his head as he aimed his weapon and fired his attack. It hit the boy while he was in the air as he felt the attack. Ash landed on his back in front of his teammates as they were facefirst on the ground as they were stirring. "Who's that?" asked Sunset as the girls also saw the woman standing before them. "Wild Access!" shouted the woman as she touched the buttons on her Growl Phone as the transformation began to occur. "My name is Alyssa. And as I used to be a Power Ranger just like you all." said the woman. Ash grunted and groaned as his suit powered down from the damage he had done. The boy coughed as he clutched his side. His attention was brought back in front of him as the great org general stood over the boy. "Say farewell, ranger!" stated Master Org as he looked to bring his blade down on the human. "Ash!!!" called out each of the others as they couldn't do anything but watch. Everything moved in slow motion, and the boy's eyes widened as it looked like he was about to meet his end. Then... something happened. The scene was as depicted. Ash was on the ground as standing before him was Master Org. The great leader of the orgs that once looked to destroy Earth. Now Master Org was shown bringing his blade down on the helpless teen as watching this was Ash's team and Alyssa as they were all too weak and hurt to help him. "This is the end for you, ranger!" shouted Master Org as the blade came down. "Ash!!" shouted the girls and Alyssa. The boy raised his arms as he looked ready to accept his fate. Just then, something happened. Master Org was hit in the shoulder by some blasts as sparks flew, and the org general took a few steps back due to being hit. Ash saw this and was stunned. He then looked up. In the distance, on top of the quarry, were some figures. Four figures stood at the top. As the image cleared up, it showed the outlines of some humans. They each stared down as they wore color-coordinated jackets and had the symbol of an animal just like the one Alyssa was wearing. The others also looked up, as did the monsters, as they, too, were surprised. "More rangers?" said Twilight as nobody knew what was happening. "Who are they?" asked Sunset. "My friends," said Alyssa as she smiled through her suit. The four figures leaped into the air as they landed. A few more minions and Putrids appeared as they began to take on the four mysterious individuals. However, they had no problem taking them down as they effortlessly defeated them all. Soon the person wearing the red jacket made his way to Ash as he helped the boy. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm okay," said Ash as he had his arm around the person's shoulder. "Let's get out of here!" shouted the person wearing the yellow jacket. The rest of them gathered Ash's teammates as they were now retreating. Pharynx slammed his gauntlets on the floor as it created an earthquake effect. It made explosions occur behind our heroes as they were running from danger. Eventually, a dust cloud formed, and when it dissipated, the rangers and the mysterious individuals were gone. "Sombra, come in. It seems we've got more company," said Pharynx as he informed his master of the developing situation and who made their presence known. In the rangers' command center, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were watching the battle unfold. They were concerned as they saw how easily their friends got overpowered and outmatched. They thought Ash would meet his end, but thankfully, the four mysterious individuals showed up in time to save him and the others. The girls could hear the doors opening as they all turned. The first to enter was their friends. "Son of a bitch! They kicked our asses again!" shouted Rainbow as she expressed her anger. Once their friends entered, Alyssa followed, as did the others. They took in the sight before them as they were amazed by what they saw. "Alright, I'm just going to say this right now. This is way better than a floating island in the sky," said the person in the blue jacket as he took in the teens' headquarters. "I know, right," said the person's buddy as he wore a black jacket. Soon the teens stood in a line as they were face to face with Alyssa and her friends. Each examined the other as off to the side; Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were watching the two sides. As it stood, two teams of rangers from different eras stared at each other. Ash took a step forward as the boy knew who he was talking to, but he decided to allow them to introduce themselves. "So, mind tell us who they are?" asked the boy. "I'm Cole," said the male in the red jacket as he extended his hand out with a cheery smile to Ash. "Pleasure to meet you," responded Ash as he shook the hand of the ranger. "Sup, I'm Max." "Danny." "Taylor." "We're glad you guys showed up. That's twice we've had to have our hinds saved," said Sunset. "Don't mention. Us rangers have to look out for each other," stated Cole. "So, you guys are Power Rangers," stated Applejack. "Indeed," said Rachel as she got the attention of everybody. Cole and the others were shocked to see the A.I. as Ash made his way to the central computer and sat down in the chair. He then began to access the footage archive he'd been looking into in his free time. Soon some videos and clips appeared on the screen for all to see. "Cole joined, and the Wild Force Rangers were formed. They used the spirits of the ancient animals to fight the evil orgs. Creatures determined to conquer Earth through pollution and destruction." said Ash while looking at the footage. Everyone was looking at the screen as they saw the many battles and fights that their new friends went through. For them, they were being taken down memory lane of their time as rangers from years ago. "Ah, the memories," smiled Max. "Well, we can reminisce later. Right now, we have a big problem to deal with." "Taylor's right. Master Org is back. And it looks like you five could use our help," stated Alyssa. "We'd be glad. It's not every day you get to team up with legendary rangers from the past," smiled Sunset as she accepted the offer on behalf of everyone. "First off, I want to know something. How did you all know he came back?" asked Ash as he swiveled in his chair and looked at the Wild Force rangers. "'Cause of this," said Danny as he presented his Growl phone. "Your Morpher?" stated Twilight as the teens were confused. "I see you got my message," stated Rachel. "Huh?" said Ash. "Allow me to explain, Master Ash. Once we cleared the image and saw Master Org for the first time, I began to do some research. I deduced who he was and knew he would be much too powerful for you five to take on by yourselves. So I sent a call through the Morphin Grid to find something that could help us. And low and behold, I was able to make contact with Alyssa. I was able to use the Morphin Grid to restore her powers and give a replica Morpher for her to transform." "The phone appeared in my hand, and I answered it. I was told of the situation and ran to where the signal was transmitted," stated Alyssa. "So you being in our city just so happen to be a coincidence?" said Rainbow as the woman nodded. "And as for the others, after you guys left to confront them in the quarry, I sent the signal out to Alyssa's friends. It seems they got it as well as the replica Morphers." "It feels good to be back in action," smiled Max. "Well, based on what we know. It seems he also has some new allies," stated Pinkie. "We'd be happy to lend a hand. After all, once a ranger..." started Cole. "Always a ranger!" replied the rest of his friends. "Now, we just need to know where and when they'll strike," stated Fluttershy. "So, what's the plan?" asked Cole as he turned to Sunset. "Uhm, why are you asking me?" said the girl. "Aren't you the leader?" "Heh, nope," chuckled Sunset. She and the others all turned their heads as the five veteran rangers looked at Ash, sitting back with his arms crossed. "Who else did you expect to lead these guys?" asked Ash with a smile. "You? But..." Cole was a bit stunned as Taylor was behind him, smiling. She then placed her hand on her leader's shoulder. "Step aside, Cole. I believe this is my territory," said the woman. "Taylor." "Let's not forget, jungle boy. Who led the rangers before you joined?" said the female with a smug smile. She then approached Ash as both rangers were looking at each other. With nightfall about to be upon them, the rangers decided to pick things up in the morning. Rachel and Ash then began to make arrangements for their new friends to stay the night. As for the girls, they each called their parents that they would be staying at a friend's house for the night, which went without any issue. In the case of Twilight, her parents knew what their daughter was doing as they wished her luck and prayed that she wouldn't get hurt. The moon was shown high in the sky. In the command center, everybody was shown fast asleep. Ash watched from one of the nearby chairs as he worked on something. Cole soon approached him as the young man looked at the teen. "Thanks," said Cole, offering his gratitude to Ash for letting them stay. "Don't mention it. We rangers look out for one another. You guys saved us; now it's our turn to repay the favor," said Ash as both males smiled. They exchanged a quick fist bump as Cole went to bed. Ash looked at the scene before him as he saw legendary past rangers were before him. With the sudden appearance of their new foe, it only made sense that they sought help from the past. But at the same time, it was still both fantastic and mind-blowing. The boy began to examine his Morpher doing one last maintenance check. He was unaware that approaching him from behind was Taylor as the female spoke up to make her presence known. "Always working?" asked Taylor with her hands behind her back. "Yup," answered Ash. "Mind if I see it?". "Sure," stated Ash as he took off his Morpher and gave it to Taylor, who grabbed a nearby chair and sat in front of the teen. The boy handed his Morpher to Taylor as she began to inspect. It was vastly different from the ones she and her friends used. It then began to change into a bracelet that fitted in the palm of her hand. "Nifty." "Easy way to transform when we need to morph," stated Ash. "It definitely beats a flip phone from 2002." "Very funny," mocked Taylor before smiling at the boy. "Let me just get this out of the way. It's an honor to be in the presence of someone as experienced and legendary as you. I can't stress enough just how mind-blowing this all is, knowing that you're actually here to help us." said Ash as he let a bit of his inner fanboy show. "Well, it's an honor to know you're leading your team as the yellow ranger. Making us yellow rangers proud." "I'm doing my best. It's not easy, especially since I became a ranger around 11, in this dimension's time." "I heard from your friends that you're not from here. Now that... was unexpected," said Taylor. "They say anything else?" asked Ash. "They just said you'd be the one to tell me." "Well," said Ash as he took a big sigh before preparing himself to tell Taylor his story. "Where I come from, our rangers are generational. This means that unless you come from a family who have been Power Rangers before you, that's really all there is. There are instances where the person who becomes a Power Ranger isn't a direct successor. Usually, that occurs when the last ranger has no offspring or chooses to give up the power and select their replacement." "So, I'm guessing your mom or dad was a ranger before you?" asked Taylor. "My mom. She... she was the last red ranger. And... she was our leader, " Ash said, trying his best not to cry in front of Taylor. "What happened?" "She was... struck down along with my former teammates. One individual destroyed my whole home. He murdered everyone I ever loved. I thought he, too, died when my whole dimension was destroyed. But recently, it turned out he was waiting. We were completely unprepared, and he gave us a beating." said Ash. "Now that he's back, we know what's at stake. And I'm going to ensure that the girls don't have to suffer the same thing I went through." Both rangers looked at each other as Ash finished what he said. Soon they turned their heads as Ash's wolf pup ran and jumped into its master's lap. The boy petted its head as the zord licked his face. "Hey, boy. Come to cheer me up," said Ash as he got a small howl. "I'd like you to meet someone. This here is Taylor. She and her friends are going to be around for a bit. Helping us to take down our foes." The zord looked at the person sitting across from its owner. Taylor put her hand out as she began to pet the zord as Ash's wolf took a liking to the female. "Our zords could never turn into pet sizes. Cute little thing," said Taylor while petting the wolf. "So, I know before you became a ranger, you were in the air force. One day you found your eagle zord, leading you to the Animarium. What was it like being the first Wild Force ranger and having to lead the team for about a year before Cole showed up?" asked Ash as he was hoping to get some advice. "Tough is putting it lightly and having to manage so many personalities. Thankfully, my discipline in the air force was able to help me. But I didn't always have the confidence. Believe it or not, when I took on my first org, I was scared." said Taylor as she recalled the first time she fought against the Motorcycle Org. "But as I got stronger, I built my confidence. Then the next time we met, I was able to defeat him finally." "Wow," said Ash, amazed by Taylor's story and words. "Well, it's getting kind of late. I'm going to bed." "Same here; we're gonna need every ounce of our strength if we're gonna defeat Master Org," said Ash. With that, Taylor left to head to her sleeping arrangements as Ash got up and headed to his room. The morning came as Ash awoke to the sound of his alarm. He woke up and exited his room as the smell of food immediately welcomed him. He made it to the central space for the command center as he saw Max, Danny, and Cole still asleep. He then made his way to the kitchen as he heard the stove sounds. It turns out he wasn't the only one who awoke as Alyssa was already making breakfast for everyone. "You're up early," said the teen as he saw her. "Old habits die hard. Plus, it brings me back to when I used to do it on the Animarium," said Alyssa. "In that case, let me help. Rachel!" stated the boy to the A.I. A drone appeared as it heard the boy's command. It then sent a code to the cupboards as they opened up and showed the many food and cooking utensils stocked. The fridge opened up as both rangers began to make breakfast for everybody. A while passed, and soon the pair had managed to make all sorts of breakfast foods. It was then transported to the dining area as the smell of food began to invade the entire command center. Eventually, the rest of the girls all awoke, as did the others. "What the hell?!!" said Rainbow as she looked to get some eggs but found the plate bare. "Not again! Cole!" shouted Alyssa as she glared at her leader. "After all these years, you still make the best eggs," smiled the guy as he gave thumbs up. "Why did I have a feeling that this was going to happen? Lucky, we made extra," said Ash as a drone delivered another plate of eggs. After they ate breakfast, the rangers began to think about their plan. Eventually, they all decided to head out and scout the city to keep an eye out for any surprise attacks. With the goal in mind, everybody broke off into pairs as they were spread across the city. "How are we gonna beat Master Org again?" asked Danny to Max as they were walking. "Hey, don't worry. Look, with these guys by our side, we can take them. And defeat Master Org again," said Max as he pointed to the ATV where Ash and Taylor were standing. The pair had dropped off Danny, Max, Applejack, and Rainbow so they could split up. "You're really positive that we'll win?" said Applejack as she examined Max's attitude. "We got a little motto. And that's never to give up. Right Danny," said Max as he addressed his buddy. "Never give up, yeah," repeated Danny as he was reminded of the motto he and his best bud believed in. "Yeah!" said Max. "Yeah!" responded Danny. "Yeah!" shouted Max as he fired up Danny by lightly hitting him in the chest. "YEAH!" responded Danny as he was hyped. Both buds then did a chest bump as Danny managed to knock Max onto the floor and on his back. "Max! I'm sorry," said Danny as he began to help his best friend up. "These guys are rangers?" said Rainbow to Aj as the personality dumbfounded the girls that Max and Danny had. Ash and Taylor watched the interaction from afar as the latter rolled her eyes at how immature and dumb her friends were. "Idiots," muttered Taylor at how her friends acted like kids. "You've got some interesting friends, to say the least," said Ash as he leaned on the ATV's door. "Yeah. It seems after all these years, they still drive me crazy," responded Taylor. "Oh, trust me. I used to feel the same way about my friends. I still do," said Ash as he gestured his head to Applejack and Rainbow. "Say it again, Aj! I dare you!" shouted Rainbow. "Make me, Dash!" growled the farm girl. Both had their foreheads pressed against each other as their little argument got out of hand. They were about to throw hands as Max and Danny had to separate and pull the two apart before a fight ensued. It seems that was easier said than done as both struggled to keep the girls from getting loose as they started kicking. "We should leave before someone gets hurt," suggested Ash. "Agreed," smiled Taylor as the pair hopped into the ATV and took off. In another part of the city, Sunset was shown driving her car sitting in the backseat was Fluttershy as Cole was in the passenger seat next to her. "I never knew there were other power rangers," said Fluttershy as she was genuinely surprised by that fact. "They are other rangers out there, all right. We all fight for the same goal," responded Cole. "It's nice to know that there are others in this world like us," said Sunset with a smile. "It's important to have friends you can count on," responded the red Wild Force Ranger. "So, Cole. Tell us about you. How did you become a Power Ranger?" asked Sunset as she was interested in knowing. "I became a ranger as I was finding my destiny." "Finding your destiny?" said Fluttershy. "I lost my parents when I was but a baby—abandoned in the jungle with no one. Eventually, I was taken in by a tribe, and I grew up in the jungle. When the time came for me to set off and find my place, I was given the Red Lion crystal. From there, I set off to Turtle Cove to find my missing parents and my place in the world. I met the rest of the gang and joined the Wild Force Rangers." "Did you ever find out what happened to your parents?" asked Fluttershy. "Yeah, they were leading an expedition to find Animarium." "What's this Animarium you speak so fondly of?" asked Sunset as she stopped at a red light. "The Animarium is a floating island that is the last remnant of the lost kingdom of Animaria. Once part of the Earth, the land was magically lifted into the sky to protect it from the Orgs and is now known as the Animarium. Its turtle shape left a similarly shaped lake in its place, forming the basis for Turtle Cove. It is a vast land covered in forests and mountains where the Wild Zords make their home." "That sounds like a lovely place," said Fluttershy as she imagined all the different kinds of animals living in harmony. "Back to my parents, they were trying to search for the Animarium. They were joined by a colleague and friend known as Dr. Viktor Adler. They worked together to prove the existence of the Animaria and, subsequently, gained enough funds to begin the expedition. Around that time, he wanted to propose to my mother, only to learn that my father had beaten him. She soon got pregnant with me. To add insult to injury, Dr. Adler soon found himself left out of the spotlight during the press conference before the beginning of their previous expedition. Embittered by the fact that my dad beat him in proposing to my mom, in addition to stealing his spotlight during their press conference and his only chance to have a family, Viktor swallowed the seeds to exact his revenge and become the new Master Org." "Hold on!" said Sunset as she swerved the steering wheel to avoid crashing into the car in front of her. "Hey, watch the road, asshole!" shouted the driver while waving his fist out of his window. "Sorry!" shouted Sunset as she peeked out the window. "Back up. Did you just say that your parent's friend is Master Org?" "Yeah. With his newfound powers, he killed my parents in cold blood. But he could never find me as my mother did everything to keep me hidden. That's how I wound up being founded by my tribe and living in the jungle. From then on, Dr. Adler eventually assumed the identity of Master Org and continued his mission of wiping out humanity and taking over the Earth by recruiting newly arisen Org spirits to battle my friends and me. In the end, when he confronted me and told me the truth. I was heartbroken, even mad. But despite all he did, I forgave him for taking my parents away from me." "You must have had a big heart to forgive someone who wanted you dead," said Fluttershy. "I just thought of what my parents would want. They wouldn't want their son to be consumed by revenge. Having to see their son sink to that level." said Cole. "Maybe you pass on that wisdom to Ash," said Sunset as she turned the corner. "He lost his parents as well?" asked the man. "Yeah. Ash lost them and his old teammates in his dimension. I know he doesn't like to talk about it, but I can't help but feel that he's hurting himself by not letting us help him. We're his friends, and we would do anything to make him feel welcome. I would do anything for him." said Sunset. "He's lucky to have such a caring friend in you, Sunset. All of you girls." stated Cole as both of them smiled. "And hey, maybe I can manage to talk with Ash." "I appreciate that," responded Sunset as she brought the car to a stop and put it in park mode. "So, where are we?" asked Cole. "Before we head out and scout the city. Fluttershy needs to do some things," informed Sunset. "I have to make sure the animals at the rescue center get their morning routine," stated the buttercup girl. "You work with animals?" asked Cole. "Oh, yes. I enjoy them," smiled the girl. "That's awesome. I love working with animals too. I feel like if you listen to someone's heart, you can truly understand who they are." said Cole as he had his empathetic connection with nature that allowed him to communicate. "I know what you mean," smiled Fluttershy. The trio then exited Sunset's car as they entered the rescue center and began to enjoy some time with the animals. After breaking apart, Twilight was with Alyssa and Rarity. The bookworm was amazed to find that the woman was a teacher as she wanted to pick her brain. They headed to the park as Alyssa wanted to teach both girls some of her family's martial arts skills. The trio sat on a bench in the parking lot as they ate ice cream and talked. "So, you were not only able to attend college and be a Power Ranger. But did so with a perfect GPA?!!!" said Twilight as she fangirled over Alyssa's intelligence. "It's no big deal," said Alyssa as she didn't think much of it. "IT IS A BIG DEAL!!!" shouted Twilight as her voice echoed around the park and got in the face of Alyssa with a smile. "Twilight, darling!" said Rarity as she yanked back her bookworm friend. "Forgive her, Alyssa. Twilight is just fascinated to meet someone who shares her level of intellect." "My big question is: How did you find time to save the world and go to school?" asked Twilight. "It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Lots of hard work in my personal life and maintaining my duty as a ranger. But like all things, if you put in the work. You'll be rewarded. Plus, I had a scholarship for a perfect GPA." "A perfect GPA score!" squealed Twilight as she was geeking out. "If you don't mind me asking, darling? Where did you learn to fight?" asked Rarity. "My dad. He was a renowned martial arts teacher. He taught me everything I know. He intended for me to take over running his school eventually, but heartbroken when I decided to move to Turtle Cove and attend Turtle Cove University. One day while he was visiting, he was proud to discover that not only was I a Ranger, but I had excelled in the martial arts he taught me. From then on, he accepted my decision to continue my education." "Wow. Your father must be strong as an ox," stated Twilight. "Actually... he once wrestled an ox. And won," said Alyssa with pride in her voice. "If it's not too much of a burden, can you teach us some moves of your family's fighting style? Please?" said Twilight as she and Rarity wanted to learn from the older girl. "Sure," smiled Alyssa. The trio was now in a small section of the park as Alyssa taught both girls some of her moves. While that was happening, Applejack was shown walking with Pinkie Pie and Danny. After the almost brawl that ensued when Ash and Taylor left the four, they decided to split up to cover more ground. Rainbow left with Max to serve as a guide for the city. That left Danny with the party girl and the farm gal to act as his tour guides. The country gal had to make a few deliveries for her family. Despite looking like a peaceful guy, the girls were amazed to see that Danny was physically strong. They were stunned when he matched Aj as both carried three boxes in one hand. The girl admired seeing that there was someone who could check her in terms of strength as she had an idea for later popped into her head. Eventually, the girls finished making the final cider delivery as Aj got in her family's truck. "Alright, that seems to be the last one. Now, let's go scou--" Aj was putting on her seatbelt when she looked at Danny, who was in the passenger seat. The man was currently looking at a photo in his hands. The image was a picture of him and a woman as they stood in front of a flower shop. If seeing that Danny was strong despite looking like a nonviolent person, the girls were even more surprised to learn that Danny was a florist who worked in a flower shop before he became a ranger. The man's look didn't go unnoticed by the girls as they decided to ask. "Must be someone special, huh?" asked Aj. "Yeah," responded Danny as he put the photo away. He felt like he was distracting them from their mission. "Sorry." "No need to apologize, sugarcube. Just wonderin' is all. So, what's her name?" asked the farm girl. "Her name was Kendall. She was someone who I was crazy about before I became a ranger. I just... never had the courage to tell her." "Aww, someone had a crush!" smiled Pinkie as she rubbed Danny's head. "Did she ever find out about you or your feelings for her?" asked Aj. "During an incident with an Org, I morphed. But I didn't think she saw me turn into a Power Ranger," replied Danny. "Once she found out I was a ranger, I confronted her. And while I felt like I could protect the world and concentrate on her, I knew I couldn't. And she knew, which is why she told me to focus on my mission and not worry about her." "Ooh, harsh," said Pinkie as she made a face at Aj as both girls knew what that kind of answer met. "Cupcake?" Pinkie pulled out the thing from her hair and offered it to Danny, who grabbed it. The silence lasted a few moments as both girls didn't know what to say. Soon Applejack cleared her throat as she began to speak. "We all have to make sacrifices. Ash told us just how important being a Power Ranger really is. Protecting the Earth and the world requires our undivided attention. And that means... we have to let go of certain things. It's not easy, believe me." said Applejack. "What changed for you when you became a ranger?" asked Danny to the farm girl. "My family. I love them to death. I enjoy everything I do with them, eat, sleep, chores, the whole shebang. But with me being a ranger, I... I don't see them as much as I'm used to. They don't even know I'm a ranger. I want to tell them, but I know the dangers that will result in me telling them. Which is why I'm trying to focus all mah attention on protecting the world so that I can enjoy it when it's all over with mah kin." "That's admirable. They're lucky to have someone like you," said Danny as she gave a thumbs up to the Aj, who turned red while tipping her hat to try to hide it. "See, sharing is caring. And we all just bonded," smiled Pinkie as she pulled both in for a big hug. Both strong individuals were amazed by the strength that the pink girl was squeezing them as it hurt a bit. "7-10 split! Beat that!" said Rainbow as she put her hands on her hips. "Please, step aside. Let me show you how it's done," stated Max with some cockiness in his voice. After splitting with Aj, Pinkie, and Danny, both blue rangers were supposed to be scouting the city. However, they got distracted when they passed a bowling alley. Rainbow was surprised to learn that before Max became the Blue Wild Force Ranger, he was training to be a professional bowler. However, as stated, he had to give up that dream to protect the Earth from the orgs. Rainbow had challenged Max to a game as the girl wanted to show off her skills and awesomeness. With Rainbow throwing the first bowl, Max stepped up to the plate as he prepared himself. After taking a deep breath, he bowled the ball as it did a perfect strike that knocked all the pins. He fist-pumped as he looked at the teen, as she was anything but amused. "That's how it's done," boasted Max. "Lucky break," scoffed Rainbow. "Alright, fine. Let's play a game of whoever gets the most strikes at the end wins. Points are irrelevant." stated Max as he laid down the challenge. "Game on!" smiled Rainbow as she and Max put on their game face. Rainbow stepped up to the lane as she got in position. She then stepped forward and threw her bowling ball as it raced down the bowling lane. It hit 8 of the ten pins as the girl was unhappy. She then went for her second throw as she managed to pick up the spare. Once she was done, Max then stepped up to the lane. He had a calm look as he took a deep breath. He then threw his ball as it rolled at high speeds and crashed into the other pins as he got a perfect strike. Max looked over to Rainbow to see what the teen thought. Safe to say, Dash was pissed. The opening bowl would depict the entire picture of the game. While the girl would get her fair share of strikes, Max managed to bowl a perfect game by getting nothing but strikes. Soon the scores were tallied despite not being about who got the most points; Max still managed to beat Rainbow in that category, to add insult to injury. "Oh, yeah!" shouted Max. "Son of a bitch!" yelled Rainbow. She kicked her foot into a bowling ball out of anger before she felt the effect and began to grab it. "You got game, Dash," said Max. "Don't try to make me feel better!" said the girl as she sat down and pouted. "You had an unfair advantage." "Come on, Dash. Don't be like that. I'm just better." mocked Max while taking in his victory. "Plus, I had someone who mentored me when I trained to be a bowler." "Well, they did a good job," grumbled Rainbow as she didn't look at her opponent. "It wasn't like that. When I became a ranger, I had to give up that dream. When I told my mentor about it, he was upset. He said that he lost respect for me." "I know how that feels. I have some people who hate my guts for what I did. I gave up sports to become a Power Ranger. They hated me when I told them I couldn't do sports anymore. Said I turned my back on them; seems like I even lost the respect they had for me." said Rainbow as her expression softened and she thought of her fellow Wondercolts. "It's not a good feeling. And when I had to ask my mentor for some assistance, it was tough. He still harbored a grudge against me. But he eventually forgave me once he saw how serious I was in learning that move. He knew that the mission I had to do, was for the greater good. Your friends may not understand what you're doing now, but they will someday." stated Max as he sat next to Rainbow. "Thanks, I... I appreciate the advice," said Rainbow, as this was one of the times she didn't mind being talked to. Especially from someone who knew what she was going through. The two blue rangers then left as they made their way to a basketball court. Max wanted to see Rainbow's skills in sports as they began a little one-on-one game. Now it was Rainbow's turn to shine. The girl proved she was a good athlete, winning the basketball game by a decent lead. Soon they tried other sports, as Rainbow proved to her word that she was a damn good athlete. "Yeah, I'm awesome," said Rainbow as she was still bragging about her latest win in soccer. "You definitely got game," stated Max as he walked with the girl. "Feel free to keep talking about me. I don't mind it," spoke the girl as she was in her own little world. "Hey, real talk. I hope you can mend things with your teammates. I know it'll be hard, and they won't understand. But don't forget, just cause you have to give up sports now. That doesn't mean you can't go back to it." "I hear you. Thanks, Max," said Rainbow as she was genuine with her gratitude as they did a fist bump. The pair were walking as they heard cheering and laughter in the distance. The two rangers turned the corner and saw the place they were about to enter when they bumped into someone, or rather "someone." "Rainbow, what the hell are you doing?!" asked Ash. The boy was with Taylor, and after leaving their friends, they scouted the city from the boy's ATV vehicle. He and Taylor were the only ones who had investigated the city once they left the command center, as everybody else was doing their own thing. "Hey, Ash," chuckled the girl sheepishly at seeing her leader. "Don't tell me that this whole time. You've been goofy off," the boy sternly stated. "I wasn't!" shouted Rainbow. "Max, you're supposed to be keeping a lookout!" stated Taylor as she too didn't like that her teammate was acting like a kid. "We were. We just came back from the sports center. No enemies in there. So, we decided to check out the amusement park next." said Max as he covered Rainbow's and his back by coming up with a lie. He gave a wink to Dash as the girl played along. "Good idea, let's go!" said Rainbow as the two blue rangers ran. "Hey, wait! We can't go in there without tickets!" said Taylor. "Great, you two go buy them!" said Rainbow as they slipped past the entrance. "Wait a minute, why do we have to pay?!! Rainbow!! Max!!" shouted Ash to his friends, but they were long gone. "Thanks, Mom and Dad!" trailed Rainbow's voice in the distance. "Not again," mumbled Taylor as she and Ash made their way to the booth. The pair made it to the booth as they had to pay for the tickets for themselves and their friends as they hurried inside to find them. While the two yellow rangers were searching for the pair of kids they were babysitting, watching from behind one of the pillars was a minion. In fact, each of the rangers was being watched by a minion who was sent to scout them from the Dark Lords. "Our scouts have reported in, Lord Sombra. The rangers and their friends are all separated at the moment. I believe this might be the perfect time to strike." said Pharynx. "Very well, take some of our best officers to dispatch of them," commanded Sombra as he sat on his throne. Pharynx was about to round up his subordinates when Thorax came into the room with Master Org appearing behind him. "Hold on, brother. Instead of our officers, why not use different creatures. Look no further than what our guest is." snickered Thorax. "Hell yeah, the Wild Blue Yonder! Let's go!" said Rainbow as she ran to the rollercoaster as there wasn't any line yet. "Dash, hold on!" shouted Ash. All four rangers then got in as the line was beginning to form. They were the first ones to get in the carts as Rainbow and Ash sat in the first cart while Max and Taylor sat behind them. "So, what's so great about this ride?" asked Max as he heard Rainbow talk about how it was the most incredible ride in the world. "First, you strap yourself into the cloud rocket car, and then you're catapulted straight through a series of daring dips and terrifying turns, flipping upside-down so many times you don't know which way is up! 'Til finally you climb to the highest peak on the rails! Then drop towards the ground at lightning speed before coming to a screeching halt! It's the coolest ride ever to exist!" said Rainbow as she described the ride to her friends. "Okay, I'm getting out!" said Taylor as she remembered the last time she went on a rollercoaster and became scared. Just as she looked to get out, Max pulled her back in as the safety bars locked them in. "Sit down, fly girl. And enjoy the ride," said Max. Soon the rollercoaster began to move forward. It began to approach the speed booster slowly. The moment it passed through, the cart shot like a lightning bolt. The faces of the people were that of excitement and joy as they cheered. For Ash, he didn't mind as he sat back and enjoyed the ride, as Taylor had a sick expression and looked like she wanted to hurl. The ride then turned upside down as they made things worst for Taylor. The rollercoaster then began to climb the steep climb as every second it got higher and higher, adding to the suspense. It then reached the top of the peak as it waited. Soon, it fell as gravity did its thing in the blink of an eye. The ride ended as Ash, Rainbow, and Max were okay. As for Taylor, she was wobbling a bit as she could feel her head spin. The boy saw her as she was leaning on a countertop. "You okay?" asked Ash. He soon got his answer when Taylor bent over into a trashcan. "Ohh," said the boy as he got his answer. He then patted her on the back as he did his job to ensure she got it all out. It didn't last long as Ash gave Taylor a napkin to wipe her mouth. He then began to lead her to sit at a table as she tried calming her stomach. "Didn't you say you were in the air force?" asked Ash. "I'm pretty sure you've done stunts and flown things that are way more extreme than a simple rollercoaster ride." "I only like flying when I'm in control," said Taylor as she clutched her stomach. Ash then gave her something to settle her stomach as Taylor drank it. From there, the pair sat at the table watching Max and Rainbow as the two acted like kids. "Look at them," said Taylor to how immature both Rainbow and Max were behaving. "Eh, it's something I've gotten used to with Rainbow. It makes her cute," Ash stated. The pair then heard some shouting. They looked as both Max and Rainbow were arguing. Ash and Taylor had to get up and stop them from fighting against each other, causing a scene and attracting attention. "Admit it, Max! That was mine!" shouted Rainbow. "Nah, it was mine!" yelled Max. "What the hell is going on?!" shouted Ash as he and Taylor broke the fight and took the mallets they were holding for Whack A Mole. "You two are causing a scene. Plus, you're doing it all wrong. Let a pro show you how it's done," said Taylor with a smug smile as she began to play. "So, when's the pro supposed to get here?" asked Ash with a smug smile that made Taylor glare at the boy for making that comment. She then began to whack the tiny moles that popped out with such vigor and moved about fluidly. The game ended as she tossed the mallet in her hand and hit the final mole as her score came up. "Not bad, but I could do that in my sleep," said Ash. He then began to lift his mallet, and a new game started, and the boy went off. He swung the small mallet as if it were his sword and cut down his enemies. He tossed the mallet over his head as he turned, and it fell when he came back around and did one final slam on the last mole as his score came up. "Now, that is how it's done," said Ash with a smug expression. "Show off," stated Taylor. "Admit it. I'm just better than you. You may have been in your prime years ago, but you're slow now, grandma. You can barely handle a rollercoaster going at 55 miles per hour." "Grandma? I've been a ranger longer than you have, Ash." "Yeah, but I'm doing a better job than you, Taylor." Both glared at each other. Soon a new game started as both turned and began to have a small competition with each other while smiling. "Man, they ruin the fun out of everything," said Rainbow. "Come on, let's ditch 'em," responded Max as he and Dash left to explore another part of the amusement park. Ash and Taylor were busy trying to win their competition that they didn't notice the pair had left. Both were trying to showcase the other their skills. Soon it came down to the wire as both rangers were whacking the moles as fast as they could. The final mole popped out as both Taylor and Ash brought their mallets down on the tiny thing and hit it simultaneously as both their scores came up, and it was a tie. "Now, that's how a pro does it," stated Taylor crossing her arms with a proud smile. "Alright, guys. Who won?" asked Ash. "Guys?" The two were expecting to have Rainbow and Max respond, but they weren't present. "Max? Rainbow?" said Taylor. "Where did those two kids run off to?" "Come on, let's go find them before they cause some shit," said Ash as he and Taylor began to walk. The pair was walking around the amusement park as they searched for their friends. They soon came to a section of the park where nobody was around. "Rainbow?!! Rainbow!!!" shouted Ash. "Max!! Where are you two?!!" yelled Taylor as the pair looked for their friends. They noticed they were the only ones in this park section as they looked for anything suspicious. Soon, blast shots were fired as the pair were caught in the blast and fell to the ground. Smoke appeared as they coughed. "Taylor, you okay?" asked Ash as he checked on her. "Yeah," responded Taylor. "Been a long time, yellow ranger!" said a voice. Both heard it as they looked in front. For Taylor, that voice was very familiar. Soon emerging from the smoke and walking towards them, someone was flanked by minions and Putrids. But not someone, something. An org as it was none other than the Motorcycle org. "Now I can settle the score after you sent me to the junkyard last time!" "Friend of yours?" asked Ash as he and Taylor stood up. "Yeah, a long time ago. He was the first org I faced," stated Taylor to the boy. "But I don't understand? I destroyed you. How can you be back?" "You can thank my new associates for bringing me back. Now I'm much more powerful and ready to destroy you and your little friend!" stated Motorcycle Org as he stared down both rangers. Both Ash and Taylor were preparing to defend themselves. However, they weren't the only ones. They and the rest of their friends were also dealing with their own problems. To be continued... Chapter 22: Call of the Wild Pt. 3Previously on Power Rangers... "Who are they?" asked Sunset. "My friends," said Alyssa as she smiled through her suit. "Sombra, come in. It seems we've got more company," said Pharynx as he informed his master of the developing situation and who made their presence known. "So, mind tell us who they are?" asked the boy. "I'm Cole," said the male in the red jacket as he extended his hand out with a cheery smile to Ash. "Pleasure to meet you," responded Ash as he shook the hand of the ranger. "Sup, I'm Max." "Danny." "Taylor." "I never knew there were other power rangers," said Fluttershy as she was genuinely surprised by that fact. "They are other rangers out there, all right. We all fight for the same goal," responded Cole. "It's nice to know that there are others in this world like us," said Sunset with a smile. "It's important to have friends you can count on," responded the red Wild Force Ranger. "If it's not too much of a burden, can you teach us some moves of your family's fighting style? Please?" said Twilight as she and Rarity wanted to learn from the older girl. "Sure," smiled Alyssa. "We all have to make sacrifices. Ash told us just how important being a Power Ranger really is. Protecting the Earth and the world requires our undivided attention. And that means... we have to let go of certain things. It's not easy, believe me." said Applejack. "What changed for you when you became a ranger?" asked Danny to the farm girl. "My family. I love them to death. I enjoy everything I do with them, eat, sleep, chores, the whole shebang. But with me being a ranger, I... I don't see them as much as I'm used to. They don't even know I'm a ranger. I want to tell them, but I know the dangers that will result in me telling them. Which is why I'm trying to focus all mah attention on protecting the world so that I can enjoy it when it's all over with mah kin." "That's admirable. They're lucky to have someone like you," said Danny as she gave a thumbs up to the Aj, who turned red while tipping her hat to try to hide it. "I know how that feels. I have some people who hate my guts for what I did. I gave up sports to become a Power Ranger. They hated me when I told them I couldn't do sports anymore. Said I turned my back on them; seems like I even lost the respect they had for me." said Rainbow as her expression softened and she thought of her fellow Wondercolts. "It's not a good feeling. And when I had to ask my mentor for some assistance, it was tough. He still harbored a grudge against me. But he eventually forgave me once he saw how serious I was in learning that move. He knew that the mission I had to do, was for the greater good. Your friends may not understand what you're doing now, but they will someday." stated Max as he sat next to Rainbow. "Our scouts have reported in, Lord Sombra. The rangers and their friends are all separated at the moment. I believe this might be the perfect time to strike." said Pharynx. "Very well, take some of our best officers to dispatch of them," commanded Sombra as he sat on his throne. Pharynx was about to round up his subordinates when Thorax came into the room with Master Org appearing behind him. "Hold on, brother. Instead of our officers, why not use different creatures. Look no further than what our guest is." snickered Thorax. "Rainbow?!! Rainbow!!!" shouted Ash. "Max!! Where are you two?!!" yelled Taylor as the pair looked for their friends. They noticed they were the only ones in this park section as they looked for anything suspicious. Soon, blast shots were fired as the pair were caught in the blast and fell to the ground. Smoke appeared as they coughed. "Taylor, you okay?" asked Ash as he checked on her. "Yeah," responded Taylor. "Been a long time, yellow ranger!" said a voice. Both heard it as they looked in front. For Taylor, that voice was very familiar. Soon emerging from the smoke and walking towards them, someone was flanked by minions and Putrids. But not someone, something. An org as it was none other than the Motorcycle org. ”Now I can settle the score after you sent me to the junkyard last time!" The situation was as if: Ash and Taylor were searching for where their friends Max and Rainbow Dash were as they went wandering. As the pair searched for their friends, they were ambushed. They were now faced with one of Taylor's old foes. "Ready to settle the score, yellow ranger?" taunted the Motorcycle Org. "Taylor, you sure you can fight? I can do this myself if..." "No, I'm good. Besides, I've been itching for a fight," said Taylor. "Surround them!" stated the org. The minions and Putrids charged as they now formed around the two rangers. They were back to back as they raised their fists. With the number of foes keeping them from escaping, it seemed like the only way out was to fight. And to be honest, that was something both rangers wanted. "So... how should we do this? You take the ones on the left, I take the ones on the right?" asked Ash with a smile. "Sounds like a plan," stated Taylor with a smile. Both shifted their eyes to look at each other as they nodded and prepared to morph. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Ash. "Wild Access!" shouted Taylor. Both rangers began transforming as they appeared on a split-screen with their respective morphs. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "Soaring Eagle!" "Crystal Saber!/Harmony Saber!" Both rangers pulled out their side arms as they began to slash at the footsoldiers. Ash was near the Ferris wheel as he was in between the gates. He fought in the small space while dodging and striking at the monsters surrounding him. The boy extended his leg to kick the enemy that tried to sneak up on him. He then grabbed onto the railing to kick two foes in front of him. He was now balancing on the railing with his hands as he flipped over to land on the area below the slight ramp to the Ferris wheel as he slashed another monster. Taylor was doing several backflips in a row as she managed to escape the monsters trying to chase her. She was now backed up into one of the booths of the amusement park. She then began to slash at the monsters charging her. Talyor then jumped, stepped off the shoulder of one of the minions, and forward flipped into the air. She landed on a table and began swinging and kicking the foes surrounding the thing. Several tried to sweep her off the thing as she jumped and then barrel-rolled into the air. Taylor landed and slashed at several foes in the air before she landed. The pair wasn't the only ones dealing with monsters. After Max and Rainbow managed to slip away from Ash and Talyor, they went off to explore some more of the amusement park. The pair was glad to escape their friends who were ruining their fun. However, they were unaware of the surprise attack waiting for them. The pair were about to make their way to one of the ring toss games when they heard blast sounds. The pair were caught off guard as they slumped to the floor. The pair grunted as they lifted their heads. "What a coincidence running into you, blue ranger!" said a voice. "No!" said Max as he saw what was in front of him. Approaching them was an org. Unlike the org that Ash and Talyor were currently battling, this org had its entire body look like a ship as it had a ship's steering wheel as a shield and an anchor on the other hand. "What the hell is that Max?" asked Rainbow as she reached a knee. "An org. One that got rid of long ago." replied Max to the girl. "And I'm back better than ever, Putrids, Minions!" shouted the Ship org in his sailor accent as the footsoldiers appeared. "Make them walk the plank!" "Ready?" asked Max. "You bet!" replied Rainbow. "Harmony Gem, power up!" "Wild Access!" Both rangers then began to transform at the same time. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" stated Dash. "Surging Shark!" stated Max. Both charged ahead as they began to work side by side in taking down their foes. Max disarmed and took down the monsters that tried to attack him. He saw the Ship Org launch its anchor at him as he flew back. He was on the ground as the anchor was coming at him. Rainbow blocked an attack and held it in place when she saw Max was in danger. She immediately kicked the foe away and took off. It showed a rainbow blur as it managed to zip past Max and grab him just as the anchor hit the ground and made a hole. The Ship Org looked to the side as Rainbow used her superspeed to save Max from danger as they were meters away. "Thanks, Rainbow," stated Max, who was on a knee. "No problem. I wasn't going to let some org turn my friend into fish food," stated the girl. "You're still the same kid I bested when we first met," said the Ship Org. "I told you I'm not a kid! I'm the Surging Shark!" declared Max as he felt disrespected by the org calling him that. "Seems you're still the Surging guppy!" said the org as he charged. The two blue rangers now pulled out their signature weapons as they did battle once more. They began swing and trade attacks, but the org simply tanked the blows and continued to fight. Every time one of them tried to attack, he blocked it with his shield and swung his anchor at them. While the pair were fighting, Rainbow sent a distress call to the others. "Rainbow, what's going on?!" asked Sunset as she talked to her Morpher as both Fluttershy and Cole heard. "We need help!" said Rainbow as she ducked an attack and went for a jab with her lance, which was blocked as Max leaped off her shoulders and tried to attack, only for him to get hit with lightning bolts from the org's eye and knock him out of the air. The others could hear the sounds of struggle. "We'll be right there, Dash!" said Applejack as she and the others in their group heard the call. "Just hang on!" responded Twilight from their group. Sunset and Cole got up in front of the rescue center. They were starting to run when a cold wind blew in their face. The pair felt it as they fell to the floor and shivered. "Are you two alright?" asked the buttercup. "You should be more concerned with yourself, little girl!" said a voice. Fluttershy looked up, and her eyes went wide. The teen was now overcome with fear as a monster walked toward them. An org was walking toward the trio as it looked like a freezer. "It's time I make some Ranger popsicles," said the Freezer Org. "Fluttershy, get to safety. We'll hold him off," stated Sunset as she got to her feet. "But--" "Don't worry. I'll go with her," assured Cole to the girl. "Now go, head to the command center and wait for us there." "Be safe," said Fluttershy as she left. "Today's forecast calls for a chilly breeze with a wind chill of negative zero!" said the Freezer Org as he began to blow cold air at the two. Both Cole and Sunset dodged rolled as they pulled out their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" said Sunset. "Wild Access!" said Cole. Both changed while they dodged as they then leaped into the air. The pair did a double kick as they pushed the Freezer Org back. He began blowing cold air as both rangers were caught in the draft. They quickly moved before their body temperatures dropped as the spot where they were once standing began to freeze as it showed a flower in a block of ice. "Pinkie, head back to HQ! We're going to help Dash!" said Aj. "Okey dokey!" said the girl as she zipped away and disappeared in a pink cloud. "Does she always do that?" asked Danny. "You get used to it when you spend enough time with Pinkie. Come on, our friends need us!" stated the farm gal. She and Danny began to run down the sidewalk as they headed to their friends' locations. They made it a few blocks when they heard a loud sound. It was so loud that both rangers fell to their knees and covered their ears. "What is that?!" shouted Danny over the loud ringing. "I don't know!!" yelled Aj as she heard the loud noise. The pair looked up as someone was standing on the bell tower building in front of them. The figure rang the bell at the top as the soundwaves traveled through the air. The nearby people also heard the loud ringing as they began to run away from it. "To whom the bell tolls, Black Ranger!" said the figure at the top. "An org?!" said Danny as he saw who it was. "That's an org?" said Applejack as what she was seeing was a monster with the body of a bell. "Orgs take on the shape of modern things," informed Danny to Aj. "Now, time to ring out the sound of your defeat!" shouted Bell Org. He then jumped down and looked to slam his hammer on the pair. "This ain't mah first rodeo! Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Applejack. "Wild Access!" shouted Danny. Both began to undergo their respective change as they morphed into their suits. "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" "Iron Bison!" The pair managed to dive out of the way of the Bell Org as its hammer hit the pavement. It left a decent-sized hole in the ground as it looked to its sides and saw Aj and Danny had it surrounded. Both charged as the org struck the hammer to its body and created loud soundwaves. They were so loud that Applejack and Danny stopped in their tracks and covered their ears. That slight distraction allowed him to swing his hammer at both as they got hit. The Bell Org grabbed Aj and threw the girl over his head as she waved about in the air. She crash-landed into Danny's arms as both tumbled to the floor in pain. "Ding Dong!" said Bell Org in a pompous tone as he began to approach the fallen rangers. "Rarity, head back to the command center! Me and Alyssa are going to help Rainbow." "Be careful, darlings," said the fashionista as she took off. Both Alyssa and Twilight began to run as a slash attack came at them. The pair saw it at the last second as they got out of the way. They rolled and recovered as they looked ahead. Like their friends, they, too, were dealing with a familiar foe. "I've been waiting for our rematch, White Ranger!" "Samurai Org!" shouted Alyssa. "You got lucky last time, but now... I'm more prepared! Full Moon Strike!" shouted the org as he powered up his sword. He drew a crescent moon with his blade and slashed it at the girls. "Twilight!" shouted Alyssa as she pushed her and the teen out of the way before the attack hit. "Thanks," said Twilight to Alyssa as they got to their feet. Both glared at the org looking to challenge them to a fight. Both females looked at one another and nodded. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Twilight. "Wild Access!" said Alyssa. Both of them now morphed into their respective suits. "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" "Noble Tiger!" Both rangers now charged at the org as he began to swing his sword at them. They were ducked and evading the slashes while also blocking. Twilight used her shield to block an attack and held the blade. She signaled Alyssa to strike as the ranger leaped into the air with her baton. The org was able to catch it with his other hand as he surprised Alyssa. He then shot magenta lightning lasers from his eye and hit the ranger as she was pushed back. "Alyssa!" shouted Twilight. The samurai org then returned to Twilight as he began to swing and kick at the girl. He charged up his sword and unleashed another slash sent to the girl. Twilight put her shield up as it hit the surface of her weapon and tried to stand her ground. The girl could feel the attack's power as her feet dug into the dirt and slid. Soon it became too much as Twilight was pushed back and fell. Her shield managed to hold up, but she still felt the momentum of the attack that caused her to fall. The nearby trees were slashed in half by the org's attack as they began to fall. They were about to fall on the girl until Alyssa ran by and pulled her to safety. "Thanks, Alyssa," said Twilight. "Don't worry. I got your back." At a moment's notice, the Samurai Org teleported as he appeared before the rangers and began to attack them before they realized it and could defend themselves. They were dealt rapid strikes to the chest and all over their suits as both rangers were once again tossed. Watching each of the fights were their foes. The Dark Lords and Master Org watched through the crystal ball as they smiled. "Look at them! Soon it'll be the end of the Power Rangers!" said Pharynx. Taylor had her eagle sword out and tried her best to slash at the last minions. She did a standing backflip to avoid a sneak attack from the Motorcycle Org and then went for an attack with her weapon. It blocked as the two held each other and stared face to face. "This time, I'll defeat you for good!" stated Taylor. "Did you forget you couldn't beat me when I was just a scooter?!" taunted the Motorcycle Org to his rival. "Now, I'm twice as powerful as the last time! You can't defeat me!" "Wanna bet?" said Taylor as she flung the org's arm away and then jumped off a booth and into the air as she activated the wings on her suit. "Huh?" said the org as he saw the ranger in the air. "Golden Eagle Sword!" shouted Taylor as she flew by and slashed. She landed and spun to do several slashes to the org's body as he felt it and then was tossed. "Had enough?!" mocked Taylor. She was immediately shot as the org turned his arm into a screw gum to fire a blast. Taylor felt the attack as she tumbled to the floor and was in pain. "As I said, I'm twice as powerful. And it's time for you to be run over!" shouted the Motorcycle Org. He turned the handles on the side of his head as gas escaped from its pipes. The org was now charging at Taylor as he looked to end the ranger. Taylor saw the for coming at her at high speeds as she was on the floor and couldn't get out of the way. She put her hands up to cover as she was about to get him. At that moment, it showed a wolf-like spirit as it charged and collided with the org as it held the attack. It then slashed at the org as he was pushed back. Taylor saw the final moments of the wolf spirits as the mirage disappeared. She turned her head and saw Ash standing there as his hands glowed a bit before turning off. "Something you can't do," said the boy with a smug smile. He then leaped into the air with his sword, which charged up. "Topaz Slash!" The boy did a diagonal slash that hit the Motorcycle Org as an explosion occurred. "Show off," stated Taylor as Ash helped her up. "Please, I still have one more trick. Battle Armor Online!" shouted Ash as he touched his Morpher to push some buttons as his body glowed. "Activate!" The boy was now having his appearance change as his suit and powers upgraded. "Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger! Warrior Mode!" Taylor was taking in the new powerup by Ash as she couldn't help but feel jealous. "Ready to end this?" asked the boy. "Right," nodded Taylor. "This isn't over!" stated the Motorcycle Org. He then began to turbo charge at them. Taylor then jumped into the air as she powered up her sword to do her signature strike. "Golden Eagle Sword! Soaring Slash!" shouted Taylor as she appeared with the image of her eagle in the background as she did a double slash across the screen. It hit the org as an explosion occurred that stopped him from charging. At that moment, Ash charged up his sword as it showed a magical circle around the blade part. He then pointed it at the org as the circle trapped and froze the org in place. The boy was now sliding ahead as his sword made tiny pieces of blade appear as they hit the org while he swung his blade. "Topaz Incisor Shred!" shouted Ash as he was zooming in and out of the screen before leaping back into the air and doing one final slash that cut the org in half. Both Ash and Taylor appeared behind the org, side by side. They each did their victory poses as in the background, the org fell, and another giant explosion occurred. Max was thrown into the air as he landed. "Max!" said Rainbow as she stood over her fallen friend. "Alright, that's it! I've had enough!" shouted the girl as she powered up her lance. "Cobalt Spear!" She was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the org. The Ship org stopped Rainbow's attack as he used his shield to block the attack as the girl's weapon was stuck in it. "Nice try, little girl," said the Ship Org. "I'm not a little girl, besides, made you look," smirked Dash. At that moment, it showed Max as he recovered. He leaped off a nearby table into the air. He used his fighting fins as he sliced one of the horns of the org's head. He landed and then did a few more slices as Rainbow removed her lance and thrust it with Max simultaneously as they knocked the org off his feet. "Nice! Teamwork!" said Max as he and Rainbow did a thumbs up. "It ain't over. Battle Armor Online!" shouted Rainbow as her suit began to glow. "Activate!" The suit heard Dash's command as she touched her Morpher. The girl was now undergoing a similar transformation to her leader. It showed Dash as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had cobalt shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her falcon's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. "Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger! Warrior Mode!" "Wow, nice!" said Max as he took in Dash's new appearance. "Let's finish this!" said the girl. "Blue Shark Fighting Fins! Surging Slice!" shouted Max, as did his signature move. He stood with the image of his shark symbol behind him as he cross-slashed the org. Rainbow powered up her lance as she began to zoom ahead with a rainbow blur following her. Her suit then made copies of her running as they leaped into the air and circled the org while running to create a rainbow barrier that kept the org trapped. "Rainbow Blitz!" shouted the girl, now zipping in and out. The org was being hit from all angles as the girl was zooming past her from the barrier that was her running really fast. It showed one final zip as it followed Rainbow, who came to a stop by sliding her feet and appearing next to Max. Both of them did their victory pose as behind them; the org fell and exploded. "Lion Blaster, Gatling Mode!" shouted Cole as he pulled out his weapon and fired some shots that stumbled the Freezer Org. "Ruby Harmony Bow! Ruby Flare!" shouted Sunset as she stepped off Cole's shoulders. The girl pulled the string back and fired an arrow made of red light as it sailed toward the monster. "Cannon Mode!" shouted Cole as his blaster extended its barrel and fired a more powerful version of his shot as it delivered some massive damage to the org. The org fell as it wobbled on the floor. "Let's finish this by turning up the heat!" said Cole. "Battle Armor Online! Activate!" shouted Sunset as her suit glowed. She touched her Morpher as she began to undergo her transformation. The suit heard Sunset's command as she touched her Morpher. It showed Sunset as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had ruby shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her phoenix's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. “Harmony Guardian, Red Ranger! Warrior Mode!” shouted Sunset. Both red rangers now charged as the org saw them coming. Both forward flipped into the air as they did a team finisher. "Red Lion Fang! Blazing Fire!" shouted Cole as his weapon powered up with red energy. He then did a devastating diagonal top right to bottom left slash. Sunset was in the air as she pulled back on the bow and had three arrows made of red light appear. The girl released them as they shot forward, and the tips turned into flames as they embedded into the org. The girl landed in a crouch position and spun around while aiming at the sky. "Inferno Fury!" shouted Sunset as she released the string. The girl shot up the arrows as pillars of fire headed toward the org. Soon they made it as a vast fire erupted and covered the screen while burning the org with arrows raining from above. Sunset got up and turned as she stood side by side with Cole. They did their pose as behind them; an explosion occurred to signal the defeat of their foe. "Black Bison Axe!" shouted Danny as he looked to swing his weapon at the Bell Org, only for it to be caught, and instead, he got hit with the hammer. He tumbled to the ground as the org stood over him. He looked to end the black ranger while bringing his hammer down. A rope flew through the air as it wrapped around the hammer and was pulled. "Easy there, bucko!" said Applejack as she was pulling on the rope to avoid letting Danny get hit. "You think that'll hold me!" taunted the org. "I'm not tryin' to!" smirked Aj. "Danny!" The girl gave the command as Danny was able to kick the org in the stomach to back it off. It caused the org to lose his balance as Applejack pulled to remove the hammer the moment he got hit. She then stomped her foot, creating a mini quake effect as it took the org off his feet. "Now it's mah turn! Battle Armor Online! Activate!" shouted Applejack as she began to upgrade. The suit heard Applejack's command as she touched her Morpher. It showed the girl as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had emerald shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her rhino's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. "Harmony Guardian, Green Ranger! Warrior Mode!" "Nice!" said Danny as he was impressed by Aj's new powerup. "Let's dance!" said Aj with her new appearance. "Black Bison Axe! Bison Slash!" shouted Danny as he made his signature move. His weapon charged with purple energy and performed a devastating horizontal slash. Applejack slammed her ax to the ground as it created vines that appeared and held the org in place. The girl now charged forward as she was throwing her ax as it bounced back to her, and she continued the assault. "Earthbreaker!!!" shouted Applejack as she took a giant leap back and slammed her weapon to the ground as a stone pillar appeared. She then punched it as the pieces began to sail toward the org as he was getting pulverized as the final image he saw was Aj doing an upward slash as she slid by. Applejack and Danny were side by side as they did their pose with their foe being defeated in the back. "Full Moon Strike!" shouted the samurai org as he powered up his sword once more and shot out his attack. "Sapphire Spin!" shouted Twilight. She tossed her shield towards the org as it began to spin fast. It was gaining momentum and power as it hit the attack and was trying to hold it back. Soon it began to push back against the attack thrown by the org and dissipated it before sailing toward the org, who was hit by the round thing as it knocked the monster to the floor. The shield returned to Twilight, who caught it and landed like a superhero. As for the org, he got to his knees and saw that the shield managed to slice the blade of his sword. "Battle Armor Online! Activate!" shouted Twilight as she was ready to end this fight. The suit heard Twilight's command as she touched her Morpher. It showed the girl as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had sapphire shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her owl's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. "Harmony Guardian, Purple Ranger! Warrior Mode!" "You may have destroyed my sword, but I'm defenseless!" shouted the org as he fired some lightning bolts from his eyes. Twilight raised her shield as, with the new powerup, she created a barrier in front of her and Alyssa. The attack just bounced off and didn't leave a scratch. That surprised the org as well as what followed next. "White Tiger Baton! Tiger Thrust!" shouted Alyssa. Her weapon was charged with white-purple energy and slashed across the screen in a plus sign symbol. Twilight began to spin with her shield in hand as a small tornado began to form. The wind from the thing began to blow off as the org could feel its feet dragging along the dirt. The girl then threw her shield as it was infused with magic. The object turned into a magic org that spread and held the monster in place as Twilight stood there with her hands out as magic flowed through them. She then made some quick motions with her arms and body as she powered up her attack. "Sacred Aura!!!" shouted Twilight as she brought her hands down, and a pillar of light rained down on her foe as he was defenseless. She floated ahead as her shield rematerialized in her hand and delivered one finally cut through the middle as she zoomed by. She came to a stop and stood next to Alyssa. The pair did their pose as behind them, the last org that was sent to take out the rangers was defeated as he exploded. "Well, so much for that plan," said Starlight as they had just finished seeing Alyssa and Twilight take out the last task force they sent. "Indeed, it seems those orgs aren't as tough as you make them out to be," snickered Chrysalis to Master Org. "You dare question the integrity of orgs!!" shouted Master Org. "Enough!!!" yelled Sombra as his voice echoed around the room. "Enough with the bickering!!" "We apologize, our liege," said Starlight, Chrysalis, Pharynx, and Thorax as they bowed in front of their leader. Master Org simply scoffed as he left. Sombra saw this as he glared at his new ally as he had some thoughts. Ash and Taylor returned to the command center as the doors opened. The pair entered, and inside were the rest of their friends as they gathered around and waited for them. "Let me guess, you guys fought some old foes?" said Taylor as she could tell based on the looks that they were given. After a quick discussion, all of the pair-ups managed to share what went down. Knowing that some old foes from the past appeared made everyone worried. If they could show up, what would stop the Dark Lords and Master Org from bringing back even stronger opponents. Ones that nearly beat the Wild Force Rangers. "I say we take the fight to them! They wanna mess with us, we'll make sure they think twice of trying to take us out!" stated Rainbow. "And how do you suppose we do that?" asked Twilight as they looked at Rainbow. Dash didn't respond as she simply sat down. "Either way, Dash. We can't blindly rush into danger if we don't know where or when they'll strike. Our best bet is to wait until they make a move. I'm having Rachel look into the scanners so that the minute they show up, we know where they are." said Ash. "So what now?" asked Pinkie. "Rachel," said Ash. The A.I. pulled up some footage on the screen as everybody looked at it. "Figured we look at some of your past battles. In case we encounter more orgs, we know how to counteract them," the boy stated. "Sounds like a plan," said Sunset. Rachel now began to play some old footage from the battles of orgs that Cole and his team fought against. Soon Cole and his friends each began to teach some new stuff to the teens as they split back up into pairs and began to train in the training area and outside of the command center for the rest of the day. While this was going on, the Dark Lords were planning their next move. Knowing that orgs were created from the pollution humans caused, they decided to create a new one, with the help of Master org. They hoped to create a new monster that could destroy the Rangers once and for all. Soon, Thorax was able to locate the proper place for their plan. He informed his comrades that the Canterlot Power Plant, which emitted tons of energy and pollution, would be the perfect spot. They would get into the system and hack it to cause a meltdown and, in the process, be able to ooze deadly waste, which they could use to create their monster. With the plan in tow, Sombra gave the order as he informed his four generals to accompany Master Org in carrying out their plan. The five showed up with tons of Putrids and minions as they saw the place. It was closed for the day as the villains found it much easier than expected. Their presence was picked up as an alarm rang in the rangers' command center. Most of them were sitting at the kitchen table when they heard the alarms and raced to the central computer. Ash was already working with Rachel with the cameras as the others rushed out of the training room. They all rushed to Sunset and Ash as the pair pulled up the cameras. It showed the image of their foes as they entered the power plant. "What do they want with a power plant?" asked Rainbow. "Well, orgs are created from pollution. And power plants are one of the things that emit tons of waste and pollution," said Twilight. "Which means they must be planning on using the power plant to create a new monster," said Alyssa as she was along the same line of thinking as Twilight. Both of them smiled at each other for thinking the same thought. "Great, we got two eggheads!" said Rainbow as she didn't like that, to which Alyssa and Twilight took offense as they glared. "It's time," said Ash to everybody as they nodded. The ten rangers began to head out as Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stayed behind. While the rangers were making their way to the place, Thorax was using his hacking skills to put the whole reactor to melt. "Using the humans' own technology against them. Shows just how corrupt they really are that they protest to protect the Earth when they don't realize they are the ones destroying it," said Thorax. "That won't matter anyway. Once we eliminate the rangers, this whole world will belong to ours. And then we can destroy it ourselves." stated Pharynx. The Rangers had made it to the power plant as they ran along the last bit of the road and entered through the gates. "Keep an eye out!" stated Cole. "And contact each other if you find them," added Ash. The rest of them nodded as they began to split up into groups. Ash and Talyor were shown on the upper part of the power plant as they came to a railing and looked down and around. They continued to move down the walkway as they looked for their foes. Ash and Cole were in the front of the power plant as they scanned for their foes. Alyssa and Twilight were inside the building as they made it to the control room. They walked in but found nothing. "Twilight!" said Alyssa as she got the attention of the teen. Twilight made her way to the computer screen as it showed the reactor starting to rise as it was but moments from melting and causing a devasting chain reaction. "This isn't good. That reactor is going to blow." "Can we stop it?" asked Alyssa. "Rachel, come in," said Twilight as she sat in the chair and pulled up to the control panel. "I need you to get into the system and help me shut it down." "Affirmative," said the A.I. as she began to guide Twilight in shutting down the reactor. At the same time, it showed Danny, Max, Rainbow, and Rainbow Dash hiding behind some boxes. The four were in the reactor room as the minions and Putrids were guarding it, the villains left behind. Some were banging on the big metal thing but not damaging it to avoid screwing up their plan. "Hey, Max, where are you guys?" asked Alyssa as she contacted the four on her Growl Phone. "We're in the reactor room," replied Max so the others could hear his conversation. "And we've got a whole party down here," said Applejack through her Morpher. "Good, we're in the control room. Twilight and Rachel are working to shut down the reactor and stop the meltdown. We'll let you know when it's clear." "Might want to hurry up, Twi! Cause there are a ton of baddies here that I'm just dying to kick their ass," said Rainbow over her Morpher. "I'm going as fast as I can, Rainbow," stated the girl to her friend as their call ended. At that moment, the control room door opened, and some foot soldiers came in. Alyssa got into her fighting stance. "Twilight, keep working. I'll buy you some time," stated Alyssa as she nodded. In the reactor room, the four rangers jumped out from their cover and began to engage with the foot soldiers. Rainbow started with a flying kick to take out a minion. Soon the rest joined her as they were blocking attacks with their arms and hands while dodging. "Remember, don't let them blow this place up!" said Danny. "Gotcha ya, partner!" said Applejack as she grabbed ahold of a Putrid and his club. She then tossed him into the nearby wall as he fell. Max was between two minions as he blocked their overheard strikes only to get kneed in the midsection. It backed him into a panel as he stepped off it to roll over a minion's back and kick him into the panel as sparks flew. Rainbow was using a bit of her speed to clear out as many of the foot soldiers as possible. She used her leg to grab ahold of a Putrid's shoulder and spun to bring the foe down with her leg on top of it. She then blocked a few more, trying to attack her legs before sweeping them with a surprise move. Back with Ash and Taylor, they were still walking about the upward place of the power plant. Ash was in front of Taylor when something jumped down behind the latter. "Surprise!" said Master Org as he looked to strike the female when she turned to look at him. "Taylor!" shouted Ash as he ran and jumped. The boy managed to barely make it in time as he pushed her out of the way as Master Org's sword sliced a strand of her blond hair. The pair tumbled to the floor as Ash was on top of Talyor. He got off and checked on her. "Thanks, Ash," smiled Taylor at the teen for rescuing her. They got up as Master Org tried to attack them. Ash blocked with his arm as he tried to kick, only for it to be swatted away. Taylor joined in and tried to do the same as the org sidestepped, then kicked her away. He then grabbed ahold of Ash and tossed the boy over his head as he landed on his back. Taylor blocked a side attack but got kneed in the midsection as the org kicked her again, and she crashed into a nearby stairwell and fell. In the control room, Alyssa was still trying to keep the monsters from getting to Twilight, but she quickly got outnumbered. Soon a few managed to charge into her as they held her against the wall. "Almost got it!" said Twilight as she was unaware of the Putrid about to strike her. She looked out of her eye and prepared to kick the being away. At that moment, two flying kicks were delivered as Cole and Sunset made their presence known. While investigating the front of the place, they ran into a small swarm of their foes and dispatched them quickly. They then entered the place to continue their search and heard the sounds of struggling coming from where the reactor room was located. They managed to make it just in time as they protected Twilight. "Thanks, guys," said Twilight. "Don't worry; we got your back. Just finish shutting it down," said Sunset as she ran and did a double split kick. Cole managed to make it to where Alyssa was being held as he took them off her to where she could push off and fight back. They nodded and began to rush in to help Sunset while Twilight did her thing. "Almost there," said Twilight as her fingers were dwindling while she sweated. She then punched the final bits of command along with Rachel as the image and schematic of the reactor came on. "Yes! We did it! The reactor's deactivated!" said Twilight as the trio finished fighting the footsoldiers and rushed over to her to see themselves. "Knew you could do it. Great job, Twilight. You as well, Rachel." said Alyssa to the girl in the chair and the A.I. at the screen. "My pleasure," said Rachel as she left the system and returned to the command center. "Guys, it's all yours," said Cole through his Growl Phone. "Copy that," said Max. "Girls, go ahead!" said Danny as he tossed the last mutant into some pipes. Rainbow and Applejack tapped into their gem's powers as their hands glowed. They both thrust their arms out as the spirits of their animals were shown and raced toward the power plant and destroyed it as they saved the whole place from exploding. "Man, am I jealous of the powers you guys got," said Max as he was impressed by what the girls did and that they could power up their suits. With both groups, they left to find Ash and Taylor. With the pair, they were still trying to fight Master Org as he was giving them a fight. He tossed Taylor above into some overhead pipes as she fell to the floor in pain. He pointed his sword and looked to bring it down. Ash then tossed himself at the org as he tumbled them away. He recovered from the roll to stand and thrust his hands as they glowed. The spirit of his wolf was lunging at the org general as he blocked and held it in place with his blade. Both were at a standstill as Ash tapped into his powers to give his animal spirit more power. "You can't beat me, boy!" shouted Master Org as he began to take a step forward while holding the wolf spirit in place. Ash could himself lose as he tried to push back the org. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder as he saw Taylor was back up. She smiled and nodded at the teen as she reminded him that he didn't have to do it alone. The boy then took a deep breath as he brought his arms back and thrust them out, as did Taylor. Now an eagle spirit was shown soaring as it helped with the wolf. Both animal spirits increased their powers as they caught the org general off guard and pushed him back as he flew. "Nice work, Taylor," said Ash as the pair did a high-five. Master Org got up and disappeared. He made it to where the rest of the dark lords were stationed. "The rangers had foiled our plans! Best we retreat!" stated Chrysalis. "Agreed," said Starlight. The five were now starting to walk when they stopped in their tracks. "Hold it right there!" shouted a voice. They all stopped and looked. In front were Ash and Cole as the rest of their friends soon flanked them. They all had scowls on their faces as they stared down their foes. The ten rangers looked at each other as they nodded and prepared to finish this fight. "Ready?!" said Ash as he and the girls lifted their arms for their bracelets to transform into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" said the five teens. "Let's do it!" shouted Cole as he and his team pulled out their Growl Phones. "Wild Access!!" shouted the five veteran rangers. Now all ten of them were undergoing their transformations. Ash and the girls drew the symbols on their Morphers as they began to morph. The gem inside began to encase them in their suits. They all landed on a platform and lifted their heads as the helmet and vizor configured. They each did their pose with their zords in the background. Cole and the others were now changed into phones that flashed the images of their animals before they stood up as humans. Soon it flashed away as they stood in their pose in their suits as their helmets configured. "Harmony Yellow!" "Harmony Red!" "Harmony Blue!" "Harmony Green!" "Harmony Purple!" "Harmony Guardian, Power Rangers!" said the five teens doing their pose together. "Blazing Lion!" "Soaring Eagle!" "Surging Shark!" "Iron Bison!" "Noble Tiger!" "Power Rangers, Wild Force!" said the five veterans as they did their pose in unison. "Power Rangers, Unite!" shouted Cole and Ash as they all stood with colored smoke shooting up behind them that soon turned into a badass explosion. "Ten Rangers?!!!" growled Pharynx as the sight of that many rangers sickened him. "Sombra?" asked Starlight to her commander. "Destroy them as you see fit!" ordered the Dark Lord. "It's fair game, guys!" laughed Starlight to her comrades as they prepared to fight. The rangers all charged as they began to split up into pairs. In the command center, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie watched the screen as the brawl started. They had some snacks nearby to watch the fight. "Take them down, darlings," smiled Rarity. "Be safe," said Fluttershy, still concerned for her friends. "Rachel, put on some epic music," stated Pinkie. "At once," said the A.I. as she put on a song that really got the girls into the mood as the music perfectly fit the fight they were watching. Max and Rainbow fought against Thorax as they ducked and evaded his attacks. Both backed away from the mutant as he tossed his daggers at them. Rainbow went for an attack as she was slashed in the midsection and fell. Max then tried a jump kick as Thorax ducked and kneed him in the chest before he tossed his knives at the ranger and sent him sailing a few meters in the air. Rainbow was near him as she helped him up. Thorax now began to charge. Max then grabbed Rainbow by her waist and tossed her up. The girl grabbed ahold of the pipes above as Max pulled out his fighting fins and blocked the tiny daggers that Thorax was tossing at him. The general got close and looked to slam his fist on the ranger as Max grabbed his arms and tried to stop it from hitting him. Rainbow swung her legs down and kicked Thorax in the face as he didn't see it coming. Rainbow then pulled out her lance as she grabbed ahold of Max and began to run in place. A rainbow tornado began to form as Thorax was getting to his feet. Dash then let go as she tossed Max, who had his arms and legs out as he spun like a boomerang and delivered an onslaught of assaults on Thorax. "Cobalt Spear!" shouted Rainbow as she charged into Thorax with her weapon and made a powerful attack that sent him crashing into some nearby barrels. Twilight and Alyssa were dealing with Starlight as they kicked at the general, who did the same to block their attacks while backing up. She then swung her staff as both ducked and blocked using their personal weapons. Twilight went for a low sweep as Starlight jumped to avoid it. Alyssa followed up by doing a spin kick as she swatted it away. She then jumped as both girls did a standing backflip to get out of the way. They crouched and turned to see Starlight on top of the warehouse. She powered up her staff and fired as Twilight blocked it with her shield. Starlight then jumped with her staff charged. "You're up, Twilight!" said Alyssa as she stopped and turned. The girl then jumped off of Alyssa's shoulders as she was airborne. She activated her wings to glide in the air and meet Starlight in the middle. Twilight swung her shield while ducking Starlight's attack as she got the general right in the midsection as sparks flew. Starlight was going down as Alyssa leaped into the air to backflip. Her feet caught the general and kicked her as she crashed to the ground. Danny and Applejack were brawling with Pharynx as the general was using his gauntlets to slam them. The pair had their axes out as they blocked each one of his swings. He kicked Aj away as he turned to deal with Danny, who tried for an attack. A rope then appeared as it grabbed Pharynx's other arm and pulled. Aj was now holding the mutant and allowing Danny a chance. He went to kick Pharynx in the midsection only to catch it and then kick Danny away. He then sliced the rope to free his arm but pulled in Aj, who was hit by his gauntlets. Pharynx slammed them on the ground as a rock wave came at Aj. The farm girl stomped her foot on the ground as she made the stones break apart as they disbursed. The general slammed the ground once more as pieces of the stone hovered in the air, and he began to kick them at his foes. Applejack was now swinging her ax as she cut down the rocks hurling toward them. "Aj, catch!" said Danny as he was still on the floor and tossed his weapon at the girl. "Thanks, Danny!" said Applejack as she turned to catch it and now was dual ax-wielding. The country gal was now charging ahead while Pharynx kept hurling rocks at her. It didn't phase the girl as she kept running full steam ahead and swung the axes to dispose of the rocks as they charged up. Soon she was closing in the distance as she slid under the last rock and was below Pharynx. He saw the girl as she was still sliding while swinging upwards. "Double Axe Smash!!!" shouted Applejack as she made both weapons contact with the general. An explosion occurred, and he let out a grunt. Ash and Taylor were backflipping in a row as they were dealing with Chrysalis, who continued to fire magic at the pair. "Topaz Harmony Blade!" "Golden Eagle Sword!" "Volt flare!" shouted Chrysalis as she shot orbs at the pair. They were able to swat away and deflect the magic orbs. Chrysalis then accelerated toward them as they were too slow in defending themselves. They fell as she continued her assault of magic. Ash then charged up and thrust his hands out as out came his wolf spirit. "Taylor!" shouted Ash as he put his hands together. "Right!" She then ran and stepped into Ash's hands as he tossed her high. Taylor then shot out her darts as Chrysalis was busy holding back the mirage image of the animal. She saw the darts coming at her as she raised a hand to blast them out of the sky. It created some smoke which Taylor used to her advantage. She was soaring downwards as her wings were out and brought her sword to strike Chrysalis as it made contact. She grunted as Ash came from the front and did a slash of his own. Master Org extended his hand as he shot out some lasers. Both Cole and Sunset were on some loading crates as they side-flipped off of it to the one below. They did it again to avoid another beam attack. They landed and fired their blasters as Master Org blocked it with his sword and returned the shots at the rangers. "Why do we get the big guy?" asked Sunset to Cole. The pair pulled out their sabers and began to swing at the org, who blocked with his sword. He flicked away Sunset's to then stop Cole's assault. Cole went for a roundhouse kick as Master Org moved out of the way. Both he and Sunset attacked at the same time. The org leader blocked it as he flung both rangers into the air. They were able to recover as they landed on their feet. Sunset then went for a high spin kick as Master Org dodged it. Cole then went low and managed to sweep the org as he didn't expect it and fell. Sunset did a cartwheel to have her hands grab the org and then flip him over as he crashed a few meters away. "Falcon Summoner! Archer Mode!" said Cole as he had his weapon appear. "Ruby Harmony Bow!" said Sunset as she had hers out too. They nodded as they looked at the org general. They released the string as they shot out powerful attacks that collided with Master Org. An explosion occurred as it followed him when he was sent flying into a nearby stairway. "Time to go full power!" said Ash as he and everyone stood in a row with the five villains slumped over each other. "Battle Armor Online! Activate!" said the teens as they began to power up and change their appearance. "Animarium Armor!" said Cole as he pulled out his belt buckle. He, too, was transforming his appearance as he powered up. "Again, why didn't we get cool stuff like that when we were rangers," stated Max to the others as he saw Ash and the girls powered up like Cole. "Let's do it together, guys!" shouted Ash. "Animarium Armor! Falcon Blast!" "Soaring Slash!" "Surging Slice!" "Bison Smash!" "Tiger Thrust!" The Wild Force Rangers did their signature moves as they struck their enemies who felt the attack. Ash and the girls soon followed it up. "Sacred Aura!" "Earthbreaker!" "Rainbow Blitz!" "Inferno Fury!" "Topaz Incisor Shred!" All five teens made their attack together; a rainbow-colored light hit the five villains as a massive explosion occurred. The dark lords were all pushed away from Master Org as he was still standing. "He's not done yet," said Rainbow as she powered down from her upgrade, as did Ash, the others, and Cole. "Then there's only one thing left to do. Let's combine our weapons!" stated Cole. "Right!" said the rest of them. "Harmony Cannon!" said the teens. "Jungle Sword!" said the veteran rangers. Both teams of rangers began to charge up their final attacks as Master Org was getting to his feet and saw them. "You can't destroy me!" said the org general. "Time to be gone for good!" said Ash. "Final Shot!" shouted the teens as their cannon fired a rainbow sphere as it hit the org. "Savage Slash!" shouted the Wild Force Rangers as they had their weapon coming down and slicing the org in half. With the two attacks connecting, the rangers all turned around and did their pose in one giant straight line. In the background, Master Org was shining and glowing as he could feel himself being defeated. He then fell as a giant explosion occurred to signal he was defeated. "They did it!" said Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie as they watched the whole thing from the command center as the music ended. "Nice job, guys!" said Cole and Ash in unison. "It ain't over yet, rangers! Do your thing, Chrysalis!" stated Starlight. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" The general finished her chant as a tornado formed around her defeated comrade's spot. It then got bigger and bigger as it blew away, as there stood Master Org, who was now ten times his size. "No way!" said the rangers. "Good to know they still make them big," said Cole. "Now your destruction begins!" shouted Master Org. "I think we can handle it from here, guys," said Ash to Cole and the others as they nodded. "Harmony Zords, arise!" said the teens. The call was made as soon the zords were shown racing toward them. "Woah, look at that," said Danny as they saw their friends' beasts. Ash and the girls jumped into the air as they entered their zords. "Harmony Zords, combine!" said the teens. The animals began to merge as soon the Megazord stood as the rangers appeared inside, each standing at their station. "The end of the rangers is here!" stated Master Org. "We'll about that!" stated Ash. "Falcon Blade!" shouted Rainbow. The Megazord then charged forward as it began to swing at Master Org, who tanked the shots as it had little effect. He then grabbed another swing from the rangers as he slashed at them. Their Megazord stumbled as he continued his onslaught. The teens felt the attacks as they were rocking back and forth. Down below, Cole and the others watched their friends get pulverized by their arch-enemy. Master Org did one final powered-up slash as it knocked the ranger's Megazord off their feet. It hit the ground hard as it lay on the floor with the org standing over them. "Say goodbye, Power Rangers!" said the org as he fired lasers from his eyes as the Megazord had sparks fly. Inside, the teens were stumbling as they, too, flew from their stations and landed on the floor. They were now defenseless as it seemed they were about to be defeated. "This is bad!" said Max as he saw Ash and the girls in trouble. "If only we could do something," said Danny. "But what can we do?" said Alyssa. At that moment, Cole's saber began to glow as the ranger pulled it out and saw it. "My saber's glowing," stated Cole as soon in his other hand was his crystal ball. It then began to glow a bright red. "And so is my crystal." "Mine's glowing too," said Taylor as she and the others were experiencing the same thing. "Rangers, I found more of your powers in the Morphin' Grid. Now you can help Ash and the girls take down Master Org once and for all. I think you can guys know what to do." "Thanks, Rachel," said Cole as he and the others put their crystals in the small hole of their sabers. "Ready, guys?" "Yeah!" said the others. "Wild Zords, descend!!" shouted all five rangers as they pointed their sabers into the air. It made a sound as it echoed around. The echo got louder and louder with each passing moment as it was sending the call. The call got picked up by Ash and the girls. "Huh? What's that sound?" said Applejack. "Look!" said Sunset as she pointed to where Cole and the others were as they stood with their sabers still pointed to the sky. The call was still going. Soon something happened. A lion was shown roaring as it began to run through the jungle. It was soon followed by a tiger, bison, shark jumping out of the way, and an eagle as it screeched. "Here they come!" said Danny. "Nice to see them again," said Taylor as she smiled through her helmet. The Wild zords were now following a trail as they descended from the Animarium and onto the ground as they raced to where the rangers were. "Woah, is that?" said Twilight in disbelief. "Looks like it!" said Rainbow in excitement. The lion then raced forward ahead of its comrade and lunged at Master Org. It sank its fangs into the org as he struggled to get loose from the cat's mouth. He then tossed the feline away as he landed on its feet. It showed Alyssa's tiger as it jumped and turned itself into a ball as its sharp claws made contact with Master Org as he felt it. "Go Tiger!" cheered Alyssa. "Alright, Sharky. Let him have it!" cheered Max to his zord. "Bison Zord, take him down!" said Danny as he gave support to his zord. Both zords growled as they charged forward together and rammed into the org, taking him off his feet. Soon the eagle zord was shown as it began to do its attack. "Go for it, Eagle Zord!" shouted Taylor with her fist up high. Her zord heard the call of its owner as its body began to glow yellow as it rained down from above. The attack made contact with Master Org as tons of explosions occurred. "Mind if we lend a hand?" asked Cole. "Sure thing!" responded Ash. "Wild Zords, combine!" said the five veterans as they put their sabers in a circle and gave the command. The zords heard the call as they began to transform once again. A screeching sound was heard as a tiny birdy came rushing down. "Soul Bird!" shouted Cole as he and his team jumped and landed on it. "Soul Drive, Merge!" The rangers then entered the back of their Megazord as it came online. "Wild Force Megazord!" said the group as their robot was formed and did its pose. "That still won't stop me!" said Master Org as he wasn't impressed. The Wild Force Megazord helped the Harmony Megazord as both robots looked to team up and ended their foe. They nodded and began to march forward as Master Org threw out some laser beam attacks and sword slashes. They hit the Megazords, but with newfound confidence, the rangers kept marching as they got close. "Shark Surge!" shouted Max as their zord thrust out their right arm. "Falcon Punch!" stated Rainbow as she did the same with their Megazord and attacked with their right arm. "Tiger Fury!" shouted Alyssa. "Owl Jab!" shouted Twilight. Both Megazords were now alternating blows and punched the org as he was being pushed back. "Fin Blade!" "Falcon Blade!" Both Cole and Ash had their Megazord pulled out their swords as they began to slice and slash at Master Org as the combined teamwork of the rangers was overpowering him. Both robots took a step back to charge their swords and thrust them forward. It made contact with Master Org's chest as they also broke his sword. "Cole, are you ready to finish this?" asked Ash. "You bet!" replied the ranger. "Soul Cannon! Fire!" shouted the Wild Force Rangers as their Megazord glowed and fired five-colored beams at Master Org as an explosion occurred. "Harmony Megazord, Sonic Rainboom!" shouted Ash and the girls as they finished up things. The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck Master Org as he exploded and was destroyed once and for all. The rangers and their Megazords looked and saw the Org heart that had brought back the org general as it was destroyed for good and never seen again. "It's over," said Ash. "Alright!" shouted the rangers inside their Megazords as they began to cheer and applaud each other. It was later as Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were outside the command center in the nearby forest. They had a picnic table with food as a drone flew carrying the last stuff. "Pinkie, put those down!" said Rachel as she in control of the drone. "Sorry," smiled the girl. Approaching them were the ten rangers as they were all walking side by side with their pairs laughing and smiling. "Over here!" said Rarity as she waved her hands. "Hey, Rarity!" shouted the teens. With the victory over the Dark Lords and the destruction of Master Org, the rangers were now celebrating. And what better way than with some friends and food. They all raced forward to begin the festivities. They weren't the only ones as Ash and the girls' zords appeared in their pet-sized forms and the Bear zord and her cubs as they too got in on the party. They all did a toss of cider to celebrate their win. Cole and the others were amazed by Aj's family cider. A small dance competition broke out as Max and Rainbow began to throw down to see who had the better moves as their friends cheered them on. Eventually, the girls busted out their instruments and began to perform and sing some songs as the rest cheered and applauded. "One, two, three!" said Rarity as she held Aj and Danny's hands in place. The pair were now having an arm-wrestling contest to see who was stronger. Both could feel the strength of the other as they tried to move their opponent's arm. They could be seen struggling as they glared at each other. "Come on, Danny! Don't lose like last time!" shouted Max as he reminded his friend of the last time he arm-wrestled a girl. "Beat him already, Aj! I got twenty bucks on you!" cheered Rainbow to her friend. Unlike last time, Danny had a more fair fight against Applejack as the girl tried her hardest to prove she was stronger. Both rangers smiled at each other as they continued with their competition. Twilight was reading a book as Alyssa made her presence known. She tapped the girl's shoulder as she got her attention. Soon the teacher gave some books to the bookworm, and Twilight was ecstatic. The two began discussing stuff as they picked each other's brains and traded knowledge. Soon everybody gathered as Sunset and Taylor were at the far end. They were waving a white piece of cloth. "Ready, Go!" shouted both of them. At the other end, Ash and Cole were in a starting position as they were racing. Both took off at the signal and began to book it down the path. Along the side, their friends were cheering them on as they continued to run and beat the other. They made it to the end as they passed Taylor and Sunset. Twilight stopped the timer, and Rachel showed the time as Ash beat Cole by one second. Ash and Cole walked to their friends with their arms over each other as they were all smiling and laughing. Soon the festivities ended and they were all back in the command center. Ash and the girls stood in a line on one side as Cole and the other stood across from them. The rest of the girls were standing on the side as they watched the interaction with the two teams of rangers. "Well, I guess this is it," said Ash. "Yeah, time for us to leave," stated Cole. "Do you guys have to go so soon? I mean, why not stay a bit longer," suggested Rainbow. "Wish we could, Dash. But... our home is Turtle Cove," said Max. "Sure gonna miss y'all," said Applejack. "Us too," smiled Danny. "You guys hung up your helmets. Now it's time for us to pick up where you all left off," said Twilight. "Don't worry. You guys are doing great," said Taylor. "If you guys are ever in trouble, don't hesitate to call us," said Alyssa. "Glad we got the honor to work with such legendary rangers," said Sunset. "Please, the honor is all ours," stated Cole. "Once a ranger, always a ranger!" said the five veterans. Cole extended his hand out, as did the others. Ash and the girls returned the gesture as they each shook the hands of their new friends. Ash broke from Taylor's handshake as he turned to look at Cole. Everybody else was waiting to see what the two leaders would do as they smiled and stared. Ash extended his hand to give his respect to the great ranger. Cole shook the hand of Ash before pulling the boy in for a quick bro hug and rubbing his hair. "By the way, we got you guys something. A little souvenir to remember us by," said Taylor. She and the rest of her friends then pulled something from behind them. It was none other than jackets. But not any jackets, replica jackets that they were wearing as they wanted to give Ash and the girls a gift. The jacket had their names on the back as the teens looked at them and grabbed them. "Woah!" said Rainbow. "Say, how about we give you guys a ride back to Turtle Cove?" offered Ash. "Great," said Taylor. "But first... you got to put the jackets on. Try them out." "Okay, okay," said Ash and the girls. The five veteran rangers helped the teens put their jackets on as they fit perfectly. They were smiling at the new outfit as they looked at each of their mentors. "Now try the dance," said Cole as he gave Ash and the girls their Growl Phones. "Alright, alright," said Ash as he and the girls all got into position with the rest of their friends standing behind them. "You ready?" asked the boy to his team. "Ready," said the girls. They all flipped the phones out. "Wild Access!" shouted Ash and the girls as they did the morph and pose. The image then changed as it showed a jet flying above the clouds. Piloting it was Ash in his ranger suit as his team was also in theirs. Their friends also tagged along as the Wild Force Rangers were seated in suits as they flew back to Turtle Cove. They were all smiling and laughing as this encounter with each other was one they would not forget for both teams. Author's Note And we come to the end of this epic team up. I honestly, couldn't wait to share this with you all as I had a blast writing it and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. Feel free to let me know how you guys felt about this teamup. Based on how well this turned out, it gives me some more confidence that I can handle other teamup for this story. On a side note, feel free to express which teamups from other rangers you would like to see interaction with our characters. Chapter 1: Arrival of a VilganteThe city of Canterlot was dark. Darkness was all that laid as the only lights on were from the buildings and some streetlamps. In a part of the city, there was a parking lot. Standing at the entrance booth was a security guard who was leaned back in his chair, reading the newspaper. The night shift had been rather slow as most of the employees had left. It was mostly quiet as soon as a sound was heard. This got the guard's attention, as he sat up and looked out of the window. He saw nothing, but he heard another sound. So he exited out of the booth and went to investigate. He began to follow the noise as it seemed to be coming from a few meters away. The trail led the guard to the only car that was in the parking lot as it belonged to the owner of the building across the street. He took a good look as he was seeing if there was anything that might cause the sound. At that moment, he was then attacked by something. The guard felt himself being shoved to the floor as he saw some things that he couldn't describe. The best thing to describe them were some mutants as they served as the role of minions. The guard was shaken by what he saw as he heard some chuckling. He looked in front of him as he felt himself being held. The thing in front of the guard was also a mutant, but based on his appearance, he looked to have a different role. The mutant in charge had a sinister smile on his face as he pointed his claw arm at the guard. "The beings of this dimension are so weak and puny. Conquering this for our leader will be a sinch," chuckled the mutant in charge. He then lifted his claw as he looked to bring it down on the guard. At that moment, some blasters were shown traveling through the air. They made contact with the mutant as he stumbled back and clutched his chest. "What the--" Some more shots were fired as they took out the mutants holding the guard as they fell. They moved around a bit before they disappeared as they were defeated. The shots came from the shadows as only a blaster was shown. "Who are you? Show yourself," said the head mutant. The blaster then moved out of the shadows as it revealed the figure that was holding it. It turned out to be a person, more specifically a teenage boy, but his face was still hidden. "A simple teen?" The teen then made the blaster disappear as he got into a battle stance with his fists raised in front of him. The mutant laughed as he summoned a few more minions. They all charged towards the boy as he raced forward. The guard was still on the ground when he was seeing what was happening. The teenager that saved him was now taking on these things as he was moving about with ease. The boy ducked the first two minions as he then blocked an attack from another with his arm as they then punched it several times in the chest. He then leaped into the air to deliver a flying kick as he took out another one. He turned around to see the mutants try to sweep him as he leaped into the air and then landed as he began to trade some fists with the rest of them. They managed to kick him into the car, as he rolled to his side when they tried to hit him. He opened the passenger side door to block a kick. He kicked the mutant and then immediately rolled onto the hood to avoid another attack. He then got on top as they followed the boy. He did some roundhouse kicks and tossed some by their arms off the car as they slammed into the ground. He then did a parkour roll off the hood to avoid some shots aimed at him. He then pulled out his blaster again and took them out. It wasn't long as the boy took the remainder of the minions out as he ran towards the car and leaped. He managed to run along the side of it as he reached the end of it and then did headscissor as he flung the last one onto the ground as it groaned and disappeared. "You'll pay for sticking your nose in our business," said the mutant as he slammed his claw into the ground. He created a shockwave attack as it was heading towards the guard. The boy saw this and acted on his instincts. He managed to get the guard who was on the ground as they both rolled through as the attack missed them. The mutant looked to see the small cracks he made as he thought he took care of the problem. He then looked to the side to see them as the boy was checking on the guard. "You okay?" asked the teen. "Yeah, who are you?" asked the guard. The teen didn't answer as he stood up and turned towards the mutant. He had a serious look on his face as he took a position in front of the thing. "Who are you?!" demanded the mutant. The boy just raised his left arm as a small device materialized on his wrist. He then brought his right two fingers as he touched the device. A bright light shined as it caused the guard to cover his eyes; the light died down as standing there was now a suit that was colored. The mutant had its eyes widen as he now pieced together who he was dealing with. "You're a r..." The boy now pulled out the weapon that he summoned as he held it. He then charged forward as did the mutant. The figure was now being surrounded in a light that matched his suit as the two met in the middle as another blinding light occurred. The security guard had been watching this as he was stunned by all that had been happening. He covered his eyes when the two figures met as it produced a bright light. It soon died down as the only thing standing there was the colored suit. The mutant was nowhere to be seen as only a small trail of flames was shown from where the person was standing. The figure then put its weapon away as it was walking back towards the guard. He backed up a bit as he saw the figure, the light from the figure activated as it got rid of the suit and revealed the person inside was the boy that had rescued him. He was shocked as the teen bent down. "It's alright, they won't bother you or anyone else," said the boy with a genuine smile on his face. "Who are you?" asked the security guard. The boy stood up and turned. "Just passing by," said the person. He then walked a few meters in front of him as he tapped his device again as a cycle now appeared. He got on it as he looked back at the guard who had his mind blown away literally. The teen gave a smile as he turned the handle of his bike and now zoomed out of the parking lot. During the ride, the same light from before occurred as the boy was now wearing his suit as he zoomed and disappeared in a flash. Morning rose on the city. Cars bustling on the streets and people on the sidewalks as they were talking on their phones or to each other. The rhythm of the city, the way it flowed, was a distraction for all that was soon to come. The rays of the morning star now entered the room of a person as it shined on their faces. The person was revealed to be a girl of 15 years of age, she dark sapphire blue with moderate purple and brilliant raspberry streaks. The girl felt the warmth of the sun as it caused her to let out a yawn. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her limbs as she sat up. Her eyes were moderate violet as her skin was pale, light grayish orchid. She looked to the table next to her as she saw it was time to get up. The girl now flung the covers and began to get dressed for school. She made her presence as she was wearing a dark purple skirt with a pink star-emblazoned over it covered her below the waist, from which stretched legs into dark purple and pink boots. A light blue, buttoned-up shirt with a magenta bow around the neck. The girl grabbed her backpack as she put it on her shoulders and exited her room. She went downstairs and prepared to eat some breakfast as she saw the TV in the living room was on. "And in other news, another reported sighting occurred in this parking lot at around 11:43 pm. The witness was a security guard who had said that he saw some strange-looking figures ambush him." said the news anchor as the screen now transitioned to a small interview video. "Tell me, sir, what happened? What did you see?" asked the reporter. "Well, I can't fully describe it. But it looked like some kind of weird mutation-ish enemy. I was caught off guard and I felt like my life was going to end. But then I was saved by some masked vigilante." "Tell me, what did he look like?" "He was wearing some kind of bright, colored suit. And he disposed of the foe." "A bright, colored suit?" said the news anchor as the video stopped. "Seems someone has gotten an earlier start on Halloween." "That's the third one this week," said the girl as she listened to the TV. "This is why I tell you to not stay out late, Twilight. You never know what might happen on the streets." "I understand, dad." "Now then, best hurry along. Or else your mother is gonna scold you," said Night Light. Twilight then finished her breakfast as she gave a kiss to her dad and left the house. She was now strolling down the sidewalk towards school. Downtown in a police station, tons of phones were ringing. Officers answered them as they were trying to calm down and answer concerns people were having. Seems they heard the news and the latest incident involving the masked person. One officer was carrying a file as he stepped through a room. "I've told you, madam, we'll get to the bottom of this. You have nothing to worry about," said a young man. He then hung up the phone as he let out a sigh and leaned back. "Brought you the file you requested, Captain." "Thanks, Spearhead," said the boy. "Can you believe this is happening? Canterlot has been quiet, nothing more than the usual thugs that commit crimes. Now a month ago, that changes. We get reports of people being attacked by some weird creature, and then that masked vigilante shows up at around the same time. It's no coincidence, the two are connected. But what I want to know is who he is? And why he's come to our city?" "That's what we're all wondering as well, Shining Armor. With these attacks, people are starting to get worried. Worry leads to panic and panic can lead to chaos. We're all that stands in the way from law and order in our city." "One thing is for certain, I will stop until I put this vigilante behind bars. I promised myself that I would keep this city safe from any harm. And no costume-wearing freak is gonna stop us from doing our duty. You bet my ass on that." spoked Shining Armor. He then began to look over the file as behind him was a huge board filled with tons of paper and lines connected. On the wall were some images of the person he was looking for, but they were all either blurry or too dark to get a proper look. Twilight had made it to school as she now stood in front of the building. She was about to enter when someone called out to her. "Hey, Twilight." "Hey, Sunset." The girl she was addressing had moderate cyan eyes, brilliant amaranth hair with light apple green stripes, and light amber skin. She was wearing a dress under her leather jacket, "So, did you hear about what occurred last night?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Yup, that's another this week." "Seems these reports are turning out to be true. A masked vigilante roaming the streets. Maybe, we should find out who he is." asked the girl as the idea gave her some excitement. "Maybe we should not don't want to get involved with something that has nothing to do with us," said Twilight as she didn't want to disobey her parent's wishes. The pair now entered the school as they soon were joined by some more of their friends. "For the last time, Dash. That vigilante ain't an alien!" said a southern voice. "Oh yeah! How do you know? You haven't seen his face," countered a girl who had chromatic hair. "Because that's the dumbest shit I've heard," said the country girl. "Figures they would be fighting as usual," said Sunset as she and Twilight made her presence known. One of the girls wore a Stenson hat on her head; she had a pale, light grayish olive hair color, her skin was that of pale, light grayish gamboge and her eyes were moderate sap green. On her skirt were three apples sewed on. The other girl had light cerulean-ish gray skin color, rainbow-colored hair, moderate cerise eyes, and wore a t-shirt that bore a storm cloud with a lightning bolt coming out of it. "I'm tryin' to tell Dash here, that the person who's been doing all these acts ain't an alien." "What other explanation is there? I mean, for the past month, people say they've been attacked by some weird things and then all of sudden, the person shows up and saves them. I'm telling you he ain't from this world." said Rainbow. "And you think that something as an extra-terrestrial is a justification on the identity of this masked figure," said Twilight. "Yeah... whatever, you just said, egghead." "I am not an egghead! I'm well-read," stated Twilight. "I gotta agree with Twilight, Rainbow. That's a bit far-fetched. But I will admit, that whoever this person is, he's not out for blood. He seems to save the people who are in danger. So it's possible he could be misunderstood." answered Sunset. At that moment, the school bell rang to signal the start of classes. The girls all broke off and said they would discuss this later with the rest of their group. Sunset had entered her history class as two more of her friends were already seated. One of the girls had pale light grayish olive as her skin color and had a pale light grayish rose color in her hair. Her attire consisted of a skirt that had a picture of a butterfly on it. The other girl had pink skin which was matched by her pink puffy hair and possessed pale light grayish cerulean eyes. "Hey, Sunset." "Hey, Fluttershy." "So, did you hear about the news?" asked the pink girl as she turned around in her seat with a huge smile on her face. "Me and the others were talking about it in the hallway. It's been a month since these incidents had started to occur. Now, people are split on whether they think this person is friend or foe." said Sunset. "Maybe he just wants to get to know people. Perhaps I should throw a party so that he feels welcomed." "Might not be the best idea, Pinkie," said the bacon-haired girl with a smug smile. "Maybe, he's just trying to hide from all the attention he's getting. I know I'd be scared of having that many eyes looking at me," said Fluttershy as she sank in her chair and hid behind her hair. In another room, Aj and Twilight entered their English class as the last of their friends was busy sewing a piece of clothing. She had white skin, her hair was made up of moderate indigo/purple, and moderate azure eyes. "Workin' on another design, Rares," said Applejack. "Darling, inspiration cannot wait. They need to be taken care of at that exact moment they come to your mind," said the fashionista. "Besides, it takes my mind off of what's going on with everyone else." "So you heard as well?" asked Twilight as she sat at the desk next to the marshmallow girl. "Darling, Sweetie Belle, and the rest of the CMC had been constantly talking about this person. They see him as a superhero. As much as their little minds are filled with wonder and happiness, I've told her and the rest of the girls to not go poking for trouble. Whatever these things are that keep attacking, are certainly not to be trifled with. Not to mention that suit he wears from images, I've seen. I get color coordination but style it up a bit." "I'm more concerned with who he is? And why all of sudden all of this is happening? Call me crazy, but I feel like things are about to change," said Twilight as she looked out of the glass window. She was looking up at the clouds as the sky was clear and the sun shined. "By the way, Twilight? How's your brother handling this? From what I've heard, it seems the police are being bombarded with tons of calls since these incidents have occurred. Many people are questioning if they can trust the authorities to handle these monsters." said Rarity. "My brother is having a tough time. He's dedicated to his job and it's no wonder he's gotten so many medals that the commissioner has given him. But lately, the way he's been. I'm worried he might be putting too much pressure on him." Somewhere in an evil lair, there was a group of figures that were discussing the recent events. A sound was heard as a wall was punched with a hole in it. "That's the third one, we've lost!" shouted a mutant as he retracted his fist. "And every time, he shows up!" "Bear in mind, he's the only one who made it out alive from that dimension. Without the others, he doesn't pose much of a threat," spoke another mutant as he was polishing his weapon. "But he's getting on our nerves, brother. Not to mention piss us off when it comes to making the beings of this dimension bow to our will." said the other mutant as he approached his brother. "Then we take care of it the same as we did the others." "It makes me filled with negativity to see my boys bonding with each other. I couldn't be a more proud mother," said another mutant as this one was a female who had a sinister smile on her face. "Your sarcasm is truly wonderful, mom," said the mutant that punched the wall. "Now then, what's the latest on our pest?" asked the female mutant. "I sent out one of my sergeants on a mission. But based on the reports that these beings of this dimension have, it seems our old foe has been busy ruining our plans." "Humans, brother. They're called humans," said the mutant who was now examining his weapon. "You would know that if you actually left the lair and took the time to scout the dimension we're in. You'll find that they have a lot to offer, and it's a shame that we have to destroy it. I'm rather fond of a few things that they were able to create." "You were always the sentimental one, little brother. No wonder, you don't have the courage to get out on the battlefield like a true warrior." "Or, it might be that I pick my battles carefully. You're just hungry for a challenge when it comes to fighting. That recklessness will be the downfall of you, big brother." "Ahh, such hatred. I'm a proud mother," said the mutant looking at her sons. "In case, I'm interrupting a bonding moment between family, the boss wants to see us," said another mutant as they appeared. This one was also a female mutant. "He just vaporized another section of his troops, if anything he's doing us a favor." With that, all three mutants began to follow their comrade to the throne room. They all stood before their leader as they immediately bowed. The thing that was in front of them was another mutant as he wore dark black armor on its body. It had some kind of crystals forming out of it as by its throne was a sword. He had his fingers tapping the arm of its throne as it could be heard. "What do you ask, master?" asked all of them. "Why? Why is a simple, no good, teenager causing us problems?!" growled the leader in a dark, brooding, low voice. His face was hidden by the shadows. "It's far from that, master. Turns out, that hero is one that we've encountered before," said the mutant who punched the wall. "So, he's here? He followed us from the other dimension," said the leader. "We had thought we had gotten rid of him with the others when we destroyed it all. But turns out, he survived. We have yet to figure out where he is," said the mutant that got the other three when she walked into the room. "Then find him. Bring him to me. I shall dispose of him myself," said the leader. "The last remnant shall be killed. And once he joins his friends, then there will be nothing to stop us from destroying this world as well." "Yes, sir!" shouted all four generals. A cycle was shown riding through a tunnel. It then exited it as it was making its way to a destination. The person on the cycle was the same boy from before as he was heading back to his headquarters. A part of the forest near the city was shown as the teen stopped in front of some rocks. He pushed a button as the rocks now pulled apart as they acted as a door. He then drove down the ramp into the dark as it closed behind him. He was now on an elevator as he was being taken upwards. The doors opened as he was standing there. He then walked into the room as it lit up; it was filled with tons of panels and computers. All the sounds of dials and whirs were heard. He passed by some containers as they contained some gems that shined. The boy made it to the main computer as he began to type in some commands. "Identification processing," said the computer. "Scanning... Welcome back, sir." "Rachel, boost the scanners up by 12%. Based on last night's incident, I want to make sure that we can figure out where the enemy will strike. That way we can be prepared," said the boy to the A.I. "At once, sir." said the computer as it began to scan. The boy now sat back in his chair. He let out a sigh as he looked to his wrist and saw his morpher. His attention was then turned towards the containers where four gems resided. He wheeled himself over to the shelf as he saw the stones as well as above them were portraits of people. At that moment, he broke down in tears. He put his hands on the table as his mind was given horrible memories. There's no time. You need to leave! Get going now! Don't worry about us! You're the last hope, kid. It's up to you now. The rest of the mission falls to you. Make me proud, my son. The boy had his eyes closed as he felt tears streaming down from his face. They fell on the desk as small puddles formed. For the teen, he was looking at the portraits of his fallen comrades as he was reminded of what happened. And how he had failed. All of it, they failed, and now... as the sole survivor, he had to live with that. That burden was now on his shoulders. And his mother... mother. "I couldn't do much cause I was just a rookie. I let you down, I should have done more. My life was the one that should have been taken, mine was worthless. You all had things waiting for you. I shouldn't be here." said the boy as he put his hand on the photo as he saw the images of his friends. "I would wish nothing more than for you all to be here, and it's my fault. But I swear, on my life, and my duty as a ranger. I will complete the mission. No matter what, I will complete the mission by any means necessary. And then... one day, one day. We'll be reunited, we'll finally all be together. I will not let you guys down. And if I can't complete the mission, then I'll die trying." The boy then let the last tears out as he wiped them away. He looked at the cases that the four gems were in as he could feel the last bit of essence of his fallen comrades in them. At that moment, he decided to retreat to his room as he told the computer to continue its search as he decided to get some rest. He left as behind him the gems shined as if the light that was to repel the coming darkness shined the brightest. Chapter 10: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 1"Link to Morphin' Grid," said Ash. "At once, Master Ash," said Rachel as the A.I. began to connect. The computer pulled up the files as the boy leaned back and continued his little research. Ever since he discovered that the girls' dimension had several different teams of rangers throughout the years, the boy had been watching some of the battles and highlights that made each team of rangers legends. He had seen the final highlights of the group called Mighty Morphin as the boy let out a tired sigh. Just watching the battles took a lot out of the teen. "Well, one down... and a shit ton more to watch," said Ash looking at the other closed files on the screen. The boy was about to start another file when the screen got a notification. "Master Ash, I seem to have picked up something." "Another attack?" stated the boy. "No. Remember that anomaly that I detected and have been working to descramble the past few days. Well, I just decoded the signal. And I've located it." "Show me," said the boy. The yellow ranger wasn't the only one. In the villains' lair, Thorax was using his technical know-how to locate something. And that something was the same thing that the ranger found. The scientist smiled as he began to run cross-reference several signals to pinpoint where the signal was located. The screen then gave the area of where it was coming from as the dark lord left his lab to report it. "Good news, everyone," said Thorax to Starlight and his brother. "I've found it." A few moments later, all three were in the throne room. Chrysalis and their leader listened to what Thorax told them. "Are you certain, my son?" asked Chrysalis. "No doubt. I've cross-referenced it several times. Plus, there's only one thing that can produce that signal." "Then secure it," said the leader as his shadow was shown. "At once. Up for a trip, brother?" asked Thorax. "Where are we heading to?" snickered Pharynx. The next day was shown as the girls exited the elevator. They were talking with one another when they saw Ash who was packing some stuff in a backpack. "Uh, sugar?" "Hey, girls. Glad you're here. Mind tossing me that bottle?" asked the boy as he was putting more stuff in the bag. "Sure?" said Sunset as she grabbed the small item from the table and tossed it to her leader. "Thanks, Sunny," said Ash. "So, what's going on?" asked Twilight. "The past few days, we noticed an anomaly. Since then, Master Ash has had me track it. And since then, I've been descrambling it. Trying to pinpoint what it is. And yesterday, we figured it out." "Which is?" asked Rainbow to the computer. "It's one of the zords," said Ash putting a medkit in his backpack. "Which one?!" asked Twilight. "The bear zord," replied Rachel. "Where's it located?" said the bookworm. "Here," said Ash pushing a button on the command panel. Rachel now pulled up a world map of the planet. It then stopped on a continent as it zoomed in. It showed a mountain range as bits of images were shown. "The Himalayas," said Twilight. "That's where the zord is located," stated Applejack. "Yup. So, our job is to go find it before the Dark Lords." "Wait, we?" said Rainbow with a raised eyebrow at her leader. "What? You thought I was gonna do this alone? I thought you girls would like a field trip." "Hell yeah!" said Rainbow. "Good, cause I got your backpacks all set," said Ash as Rachel flew over the bags to the girls using some drones. "I always did want to see the Himalayas up close. And this allows me the perfect opportunity to study them," said Twilight letting her inner geek shine. "I'm down for some good old fashion hikin'," said Applejack as she began to dig through her bag. "Sure, why not," shrugged Sunset as she went along with the others. The five teens now began to do the final preparations before they headed out. Twilight ran through a quick checklist she made in seconds as the girl was making sure they were prepared for anything they might encounter. Once everyone was set, the girls had their backpacks over their shoulders as they all stood in a circle in front of their leader. "All right, girls. We know the location of the zord. Where exactly, that's unknown. Once we transport, we won't have full access to Rachel. But she has transmitted the coordinates for us. From there, we're on our own. Understand?" "Yes," replied the rest of the rangers. "On my command," said the boy as he raised his wrist as his wristband turned into his Morpher. The girls did the same as they awaited the command of their friend. "Link to Morphin' Grid!" said Ash. "Link to Morphin' Grid!" said the girls. The five teens touched their morphers as they soon turned into lights that represented their respective colors. They zoomed out of the command center as they shot into the sky. Within moments, five lights were shown traveling across the clouds as they raced ahead. They soon landed as all five teens found themselves in a dense forest. They took a moment to compose themselves as they took in the sounds and sights of their surroundings. "Rach, come in," said Ash. "I'm here, Master Ash." "Alright, we've landed. So which way do we start walking?" asked the boy. "Head northwest," said the A.I. "Let's go, y'all! We got a zord to find!" stated Aj as she encouraged the others. She began walking as the others followed her. "I don't know, but I've been told," sang Aj. "I don't know, but I've been told," repeated the others. "The campin' badge is made of gold," sang the farm girl. "The campin' badge is made of gold," sang the others. "And over there I saw a mole," sang the country girl while pointing. "And over there I saw a mole," sang the others. "Where?!" said Ash as he stopped singing to look. "There," said Sunset as she pointed to the small creature. True to what the farm girl was singing as they hiked, there was a mole. It popped out of its tiny tunnel to peak its head. It saw the group of teens walking through the woods. It made a sound before heading back down its tunnel. "Aw, Fluttershy would love to have seen that," said Rainbow. "Fluttershy?" said Ash as he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, she's a friend of ours," stated Sunset. "Girl who has pink hair and a butterfly barrette. Buttercup skin and loves animals?" asked Ash. "Yeah... how do you know what she looks like?" asked Aj. "Before we faced Jet Stream and Thundercrash, I happen to run into her. I was passing by the animal shelter when one of the pups she was looking after got loose. It chased a ball into the streets, and I scooped the little thing up before any unfortunate could happen to it. Then, I entered the building and gave it back to her. She asked me to watch some dogs while she finished up her chores. Still, I don't get why she trusted me with such ease." "Yeah, that's Fluttershy. She may seem shy, but she knows when to trust someone. She can see the kindness in people's hearts." said Sunset. "And why didn't you tell us that you met her?" asked Twilight. "Well, I didn't think it was important. Plus, I didn't know she was a friend of yours," said Ash as he continued to walk with the small device in his hand as he began to listen to the sound. "The Great Outdoors! Well, I'm pleased as apple pie to be out here. Nothing better than diggin' yer feet into some good old fashion dirt." "Yeah, no doubt, Rarity would lose her mind if she was here," snickered Rainbow as she and Aj did a fistbump. The five teens kept on trekking as they were passing more trees. "According to my knowledge, they stretch across the northeastern portion of India. The Himalayan range is made up of three parallel ranges often referred to as the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas. While intimidating mountains like Everest and 2K tend to dominate our perceptions of the region, the Himalayas are rich in biodiversity. Climates range from tropical at the base of the mountains to perennial snow and ice at the highest elevations. These complex and diverse eco-regions are interconnected: an ecological threat to one is ultimately a threat to many." "Okay, we get it egghead!!!" shouted Rainbow as she was annoyed by Twilight. "I'm am not an egghead!! I'm well-read!" "Well-read, egghead. Same thing!!!" yelled Rainbow. "Alright, settle down. Keep in mind, we're not the only ones who are here in these forests trying to search for the zord. So, let's keep moving and try not to draw attention to ourselves." said Ash. True to the boy's word, in another part of the big forest, there was another search party. Both Thorax and Pharynx along with some minions were also trekking through the forest. The two brother monsters were leading the charge as Thorax had a small device he was using to guide them. "It would be easier if I just destroyed all the foliage in our way, little brother!" "Yes, and risk ruining my measurements," countered Thorax. "For all we know, the zord could be below our feet, and you laying waste to the foundation could trigger something bad to happen. Not to mention, I enjoy the greenery that this dimension has." "There you go again, Thorax. Being soft, showing compassion for these humans and their planet. We are warriors, we are fighters. Our mission is the same as when we destroyed Ash's dimension. To create chaos and disharmony. And if possible, destruction." "And we can't do that so long as he and his girlfriends have the powers they need to take us down. So if we can find the zord before they can, we'll be one step closer to taking them down," said Thorax. Pharynx mumbled as the pair kept on leading their men through the forest. Both parties kept on trekking as they were following each of their signals. Soon the sky was starting to get dark as the sun was starting to go down. Ash looked up as he could tell that soon nightfall would be upon them. Thankfully, they stopped by a clearing for the girls to catch their breath from all the walking they did. "Alright, girls. It's about to be nighttime soon. Best to stop here and make camp." stated Ash. The girls nodded as the boy took off his bag. He bent down and open it as he pulled out a small yellow box. "Alright, mah favorite part of being in the woods. Roughin' it. Time go find some logs and build a shelter," said Aj. "Or do this," said Ash as he showed the box to the girls. "Rachel, activate." The A.I. heard the command of the ranger as she transmitted a code to the yellow box. Ash then tossed the thing to the ground behind him. In a few seconds, it flashed. It then began to configure and expand as soon a full tent appeared behind the teen. The girls were stunned by what they saw. "What? You thought I didn't pack you, girls, with some living arrangements before we left?" said Ash with a smirk. The girls now reached into their backpacks and they pulled out small boxes that resembled their colors. Soon Rachel did the same as she sent the codes to the boxes. They all flashed as they hopped out of the girls' hands and to the ground next to them as they configured and soon were tents for each of them. "No offense, Ash. I'm grateful for you packin' these for us. But I was lookin' to get mah hands dirty." "Come on, Aj. We have these things for a reason. So best use them." said Ash. "Anyways, we still need to make a firepit. And that, unfortunately, isn't something I packed. So..." "Yes! Way ahead of you!" said Applejack as she was now excited. She rushed into the woods and began to search for some wood. "What about the rest of us?" asked Rainbow. "Well, we still need to find some water. Our backpacks are running low on that." "Good idea, Twilight. How about you and Sunset see if you can find a water source nearby. And take this," said the boy tossing the girl a canister. "That's so you can purify the water for us to drink." "We're on it," said Sunset as she and Twilight began to take off. "If you're in danger, contact using your Morphers," shouted Ash as the girls disappeared behind the foliage. "And Rainbow..." "Let me guess, you need someone to cook the food. Way ahead of you," said the chromatic girl. "Actually, leave dinner to me. What I was going to say is, can you climb that tree and give us scouting of where we are," stated the boy. "Oh, sure," said Dash. She then approached the tall tree and began to climb it. While the girl was making her way to the top, Ash began to unpack some more stuff from his backpack and the girls. He then got to work on creating a firepit. A few moments passed, and it was complete. At that moment, Rainbow made it to the top as she leaned out and looked. From where she was positioned, she could see the mountain range in the distance as well as the rest of the forest below her. She heard a nearby falcon sound as it soared above her. The girl noticed a nearby river as in the distance, she could see Sunset and Twilight. She then looked past them as there appeared to be some small objects. It was far away that she couldn't make them out, but they appeared to be huts of sorts. Ash had finished cleaning up the area when the girl slid down the tree. "How's it looking?" asked the boy as he tossed some logs for them to sit on. "Good view. But, I saw something in the distance." "What?" "Don't know. It's too far away to get a clear view. But from what I could make out, it seems to be some kind of village." said the chromatic girl. "Interesting," was all the teen said. Soon the rest of the girls came back. Applejack had managed to get some logs for them to use as she used her strength to carry them with ease. The boy then began to collect some as he put them in the firepit. "We're back," said Sunset and Twilight. "Great job, girls. Alright, stand back," said Ash as he grabbed two rocks. The ranger then struck them towards the logs as the small spark went flying to the pieces of wood. A small ember was shown as the boy then blew on it as it absorbed the oxygen, and soon it turned into a small flame. The flame then consumed the logs as it created a nice fire for the rangers. "Since when are you so experienced when it comes to camping?" asked Applejack. "Before I became a ranger, my parents and I often went on camping trips back home. So they taught me some things, and it's paying off," said Ash as he began to pull out some cooking ware. With Aj's help, the pair was able to make some stew as the night sky was upon them. The stars were out, the moon shined beautifully in the air. And below, smoke could be seen with an orange glow. The metal pot that stood on a stand above the fire as steam was shown escaping. Soon all five teenagers had bowls as they began to chow on their dinner. "This shit is good!" said Rainbow as she made a slurping sound. "Don't choke, Rainbow," chuckled Ash as he stirred the pot. For the rest of the time, the girls all sat and talked with one another. Ash had been watching them as he sighed and smiled. He then pulled out a map that had the landscape of the terrain. The boy had Rachel print out a map of the area they were going to as he was trying to figure out where the missing zord might be. His actions didn't go unnoticed as Sunset saw her leader sitting in the dark by himself as he stared at the piece of paper. Soon it came time for some dessert as both Aj and Ash pulled out some marshmallows and other stuff to make smores. The entire group was having a wonderful time as being out in nature with your friends, put a smile on their faces. "So, what's the plan?" asked Twilight. "Well, based on Rainbow's observations. There seems to be a village nearby just a few meters northwest of here. After we have breakfast, we'll pack up and head there. Maybe there's someone who can help us." stated Ash. "Well, y'all. It's gettin' late," yawned Applejack. "Don't know 'bout y'all, but I'm hittin' the hay." "Me too," yawned Rainbow. Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack all said goodnight as they each entered their tents and went to sleep. Sunset was about to do the same when she noticed Ash as he was doing some things with his Morpher. The girl then began to walk to where her leader was as she sat down on the log next to him. "What is it, Sunset?" asked Ash as he looked up. "I just wanted to have a small chat. How are you feeling?" "Good. Why?" asked the boy. "Just... concerned is all. You know you don't have to stand in the dark by yourself. We're a team. Me and the girls are here for you. So feel free to jump in and be a part of our friendship group." said the girl. "I know that. I was... just happy to see the look on each of your faces. It reminded me of how I was when I went camping with my parents. I just thought I would never see that image ever again in my life." "Glad we could remind you," chuckled Sunset hitting the boy playfully in his arm. "So, once we find the zord? How are we going to get it to join our side?" "It's not easy. Unlike our zords, when my previous team set them loose to save them. They reverted to their wild nature. So they're like wild animals. The good news is that they can't grow big while they're like that. So we don't have to worry about finding a ten-foot bear in the Himalayas. But still, we need to show it that we don't mean any harm and that it can trust us." "Well, then. Let's make sure we beat the Dark Lords before they get their hands on the zord," smiled Sunset. "We can only hope." "You said you used to go camping with your parents when you were younger. Mind telling me about it? If it's not too... you know... heart-breaking." "It's fine," assured Ash. "The first time, I went camping..." (Memory) The sun shined. Its rays peaked through the dense forest. It was then, that three individuals were shown. They were all walking along a path as around them, the animals that lived in the woods made sounds. "How much further do we have to walk?" asked a younger Ash. "Just a bit more, sweetie," said the person as it was Ash's mother. "Well, my feet are killing me," stated the boy. "Come on, son. Put your back into," laughed Ash's father. The two adults kept on trekking as their son let out a tired sigh. He then continued to follow his parents. Soon the trio came to a clearing that overlooked the lake below. They decided to stop as Ash flopped down and breathed heavily. "I hate camping!!" shouted the boy looking up. "Ash, don't say that. The idea of us going camping is to allow you to explore a different side of yourself. Not to mention, this is a small vacation for me and your mother. I don't have to worry about designing new gadgets and pieces of technology, and she doesn't have to worry about leading the others rangers into battle. Plus, we're a family. And we need to spend time with each other." "We couldn't have done that by going to an amusement park instead?" countered the boy to his father. "Ash, sweetie. Your father is right. This is a chance for us to spend time, and bond with one another. The other rangers assured me that they can handle any danger while I spend time with the two most important men in my life." "Now, get up and help me set things up," stated Ash's father. The boy got up and put his backpack down as he approached his father. While the boys were clearing out the space they were going to use, Ash's mother began to pull out their tent. The wristband on her wrist changed into her Morpher as it sent some coded message to the box as the girl tossed it to the floor. It changed and flashed as soon there stood a big tent enough to house three people. She then began to get out her stuff for cooking their dinner. Meanwhile, Ash and his father had finished clearing out all the debris around them as they had enough space to walk around. Soon they split up to get what they needed. Ash's mother was going to head down to the lake to get some water for them to use while Ash and his father went to go collect wood. The boy and his father then ventured into the forest as they were looking to collect logs. "Remember the first rule I taught you, Ash." "Yes, dad. Always mark where you're going. That way, in case you get lost. You can find your way back to where you started." said the boy. He'd listened to his father's advice as every tree they walked by, the kid had been marking them with arrows. "Good, this looks like the perfect spot," said Ash's father as they came to some trees. Around them were old branches of the trees that could be shown they were dying. Ash's father then pulled out something from his pocket. It then transformed into a small ax made for chopping wood. "I'll get started chopping down the tree while you collect the small branches we can use," said Ash's father as the boy nodded. For the next few moments, the two did their tasks. Ash's father managed to chop the tree down as it fell and made a thud. Once it was on the floor, Ash's father began to chop the bark of the tree into small logs as Ash would collect them. While they were doing that, Ash's mother had made it down to the lake below them. She had morphed into her ranger suit as she pulled out the wings of her suit and glided down. She landed and demorphed as she approached the body of water. She put her backpack down and pulled out some canisters as she filled them all with the drinking water. She had finished the last canister when her Morpher made a beeping sound. "What's up?" "Captain, we know you're on a break. But we thought we keep you updated on the situation happening back in the city," said one of the girl's teammates. "Understood, keep me posted," said the red ranger. She let out a sigh as she finished collecting what she needed. She then began to head back up. By that time, both Ash and his father were making it back to camp with pieces of wood in their hands. The pair then began to create a firepit as Ash's father taught his son how to make one that would prevent the fire from spreading in case of wind. Soon, the boy's mother appeared as she smiled to see her son and father at work. The woman then made her presence known as watching from nearby bushes were a set of eyes. Nightfall had fallen. The three individuals were now gathered around the campfire as the stars and moon were out. The family then began to eat their meal. In the eyes of Ash's parents, they were seeing their son have a smile on their faces. Soon they transitioned to roasting marshmallows before Ash's father began to regale his wife and son with a campfire story. Ash let out a tired yawn as his mother went to put their son to bed. Once she put the boy to sleep, she exited the tent to see her husband who was poking the fire with a branch to keep it warm and burning. "He's fast asleep," said the woman as she sat next to her husband. "Good. He spent a lot of energy today. Still, he seems to be enjoying himself." said Ash's father. "Indeed. Once he becomes a ranger, his whole life is going to change. His responsibilities will drastically shift. I just want to give him some last memories before he turns into an adult when he inherits the power." said the woman. "He'll still be young. But you're right, his shift to adulthood will be marked when he becomes a Power Ranger. His teenage life will be full of duties that a normal teen shouldn't have. But it's the life he's going to have to endure." said Ash's mother. "Hey, we made it work. When you became a ranger during your teen years, we only started to date. At that time, I had only asked you out for the school dance. But I knew that despite your duties to be trained and become the leader of the rangers, you were able to find balance in your personal life. That's all I want for our son. Him becoming a ranger doesn't mean he can't live a normal life." "That's why it's our job. As his parents, it's our duty to help him find balance. And as long as we're here to guide him, he's got nothing to worry about." said Ash's mom. Safe to say, both had no idea that the statement just made would have a different outcome for their son and the future to come. "Now then, why don't you get some rest, dear? You've been working nonstop." "Perhaps, you're right," smiled Ash's father as he got up and made his way to the tent. "You coming?" "I'll be there in a few minutes," answered Ash's mother as her husband entered the tent. Once he was inside, the woman then took a deep breath. The glowing eyes from before were shown near some bushes in the dark as the girl stood up. It then disappeared as the ranger looked in the direction of where it once was. She touched her wristband as it changed her into her ranger suit. Soon the fire died down for a second and came back on as the ranger was nowhere to be seen. The morning came as the family was up and eating some breakfast. They then decided to head down to the lake below them. They soon changed into their swimwear as the boy was swimming around with his parents as they were laughing and enjoying themselves. Eventually, they stopped for some lunch. "Ash, come out of the water, son. Time to eat!" called out the boy's father. "Coming!" said the boy as he was floating. He began to swim towards the shoreline. Below the water, the same glowing eyes from before were shown. It saw its prey within its sights as it fired something that hooked around the boy's foot. Ash could feel it as he looked into the water to see the eyes. He then felt himself being yanked. "Mom! Dad!" shouted the boy as he went underway. "No!" shouted both as they raced towards their son. "Harmony Gem, power up!" yelled Ash's mother as she morphed into her suit while running. She then dived into the water as she went after her son. Ash's father started to swim towards the splashing. When he got there, Ash popped out as he was coughing. He grabbed his son as he began to swim rapidly back to the shore. He stepped foot on the land when he turned around to see his wife coming out of the water with her saber in hand. The glowing eyes had belonged to a monster. It was the same monster that the red ranger encountered the night before as she was informed by her team about one escaping from the city. Ash's mother landed in front of her husband and son as the monster came onto the land. "How you dare you attack my son, monster!!" shouted the woman as she was unhappy. The creature let out a snarl as soon minions appeared. "Dear, take Ash and get to safety!" stated the girl as she ran forward to engage the mutants. "Right," stated Ash's father as he ran with his son. They were heading to some nearby rocks when suddenly more monsters appeared and blocked their path. With Ash's mother occupied, she couldn't be able to help her family. For Ash, he knew his mother was a ranger and had to fight monsters, but looking at them, he couldn't help but feel scared. "Don't worry, son. I'll keep you safe," said his father as he took a fighting stance. A few minions charged forward. They were soon blasted and fell. That surprised Ash and his father as they looked up, and a jet was flying by. Soon four more figures jumped out as they landed in front of the boy and his father. The figures were none other than the rest of the rangers as they were informed by Ash's mother of the missing monster. All four rangers pulled out their sabers and began to charge forward to engage the enemy. Ash's father took that time to grab his son as they made it to the rocks. "Stay here," said the man. "Dad," said Ash. "It's okay. I'm going to help your mother. Stay hidden, and you'll be safe." instructed the man to his son as he nodded. Ash's father then headed back to join his wife and friends. For the man might not have been a ranger, he often sparred with his wife as she taught him some moves and close combat. And it was on full display as despite not having any kind of powers, the man was holding his own against the mutants as he took them down with ease. Ash was watching this from the rocks as he peaked and saw the action before him with his own eyes. He saw his parents and the other rangers which brought wonder to the boy. The kid often told his mother that he wanted to be a ranger one day. And every time she would tell him that he would one day get his dream. He couldn't wait to become a ranger so that he could protect the world and fight against evil, just like his mom and her friends. One of the rangers was dodging and fighting against some mutants. He ducked and leaped into the air as he spun and kicked three monsters away. The monsters landed on their back. Ash saw the creatures near him as they got to their feet. They then turned their head as they saw the boy hiding behind rocks. Ash backed up a bit as the monsters had their targets in their sights. They raised their arms as Ash covered himself up. "Hey! Over here!" shouted a voice. The monsters looked into the air. "Topaz Slash!" shouted the person. They had their weapon in their hands as they did a diagonal attack that took out the mutants. Ash opened his eyes as he saw he was okay. He then looked to see who saved him as it wasn't his mom or dad. But rather, the yellow ranger. The person stood there as he turned to look at the child of his leader. "You okay, kid?" asked the yellow ranger as he bent down. "Yeah. Thanks." "Don't mention it," said the yellow ranger. He then turned his attention back to the fight as he went to help his teammates. Ash looked on as he saw his mother and team. "Thanks, honey," said Ash's mother as her husband saved her from being held by the monsters. She then stepped forward as the rest of her team appeared by her side. In front of them were the last group of minions. "Ready, team?" shouted Ash's mother. "Ready," said the others to their leader. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow as they prepared to deliver their finishing move. They felt the power of their weapons charge up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held the minions in place as they couldn't move. "Full power!" shouted all of them. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each ranger did an attack as they passed by their foes. "Charging Lance!" shouted the blue ranger, sliding by with his weapon. "Meteor Spike!" shouted the green ranger, swinging her ax upwards. "Shield Splice!" shouted the purple ranger doing the same with her shield. "Blade Strike!" shouted the yellow ranger doing a downward slash. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Ash's mother as she leaped backward into the air and pulled her bow. The scene now changed as it spun around the group of monsters. It froze for a few seconds as soon the red ranger had her charged up her attack. She released the string and resumed her attack as an arrow of red light shot out to deal the final blow. Ash's mother was behind the group along with her team. An explosion occurred as they did their looked forward. "Now your turn!" shouted the woman. "Put them together!" shouted all five rangers as they combined their weapons. "Harmony Cannon, online!" shouted the rangers. Ash's mother was in the middle as she was ready to pull the trigger. "Final Shot!" Their weapon shot out a sphere of energy as it was covered with the colors of their gems. It made contact with the mutant as he was defeated. The group now jumped back and did their victory pose as behind them their foe fell, and another explosion occurred as they had won. "Wow! Someday, I'm gonna be a ranger," said Ash still seeing this from behind the rocks. He saw his mother and her team demorphed as they gathered his father and were making their way back to where their son was. For the rest of their little break, Ash's mother allowed her team to join her family on them as a way for them to relax as well. (End of Memory) "Wow," said Sunset as she had brought her knees in as she listened to her leader's story. "Yeah. That's one camping trip I can never forget," said Ash as he was poking at the fire. "Even back then, you were seeing what it meant to be a Power Ranger." "I told you girls, being a ranger is in my blood. I... just wish both my parents and friends were here... I... miss them," said Ash trying his hardest not to shed a tear. "Hey, it's okay," said Sunset putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "If you need to let it out, go on. I won't judge." "Appreciate that, Sunset. But... I'm good," assured the teen to his teammates. "Well, go on and get some sleep. I'll be up a little bit to stand guard." "Don't stay up too late, alright." "I promise." Sunset chuckled as she got up and approached her tent. "Good night, Ash." "Sleep tight, Sunny." The girl chuckled and blushed a bit as she closed the zipper to her tent. Soon she got into her sleeping bag and fell asleep. Ash then reached into his backpack and pulled out a circle-shaped item. He then traced the symbol on his Morpher as it caused the item to glow. It flashed a yellow light as soon standing before the boy was his zord in his pup size as it saw its owner. The wolf cub then leaped into its lap as it nuzzled into the boy's shirt. "Want to me with guard duty for a bit?" asked Ash to his wolf zord as it gave a small howl. The boy then petted his pup as the pair watched the fire and looked up at the sky. They saw the stars as the sounds of embers crackling could be heard. The boy and his zord looked at the stars as they were seeing the many constellations that were out. Eventually, the pair called it as they went to Ash's tent and fell asleep with his wolf snuggled in his master's arms. The morning came as the whole gang was gathered around the campfire eating breakfast. Applejack and Ash had woken up early and began to make some pancakes for the rest of their friends as they woke to the delicious smell of the crepes. Once breakfast was over, they began to discuss the plan. "So, how are we going to find the bear zord?" asked Twilight. "As I said, there's a village that's a few meters from here. According to Dash, it's northwest of our location. The best bet is to head there and see if we can find anybody who can help us. With the missing zords, they'll be like regular animals until one side can control them and change them into their gigantic size." stated Ash. "At least, if we do get help from someone. They won't be freaked out by a massive bear roaming these parts," said Sunset. "Alright, y'all! Let's head out!" stated Applejack as she put on her backpack. The other girls followed suit as they got themselves ready to head out. Ash began to lead the way with his wolf cub on his shoulder as it held on with its paws. The entire group was now heading in the direction that Rainbow pointed as they hoped that they could get some clue as to where they might find the missing zord. They walked along the dirt path for a while as they soon came to a ridge. In the distance, they could see the small huts that Rainbow saw the day prior as it gave them hope. They continued on their path. After a while, they soon approached the village as they climbed the small hill it was on. Upon entering they saw something they couldn't see from far away. Turns out some of the huts in this village were damaged, almost like they had been attacked by something. And based on the condition some of them were in, it seemed recent. The boy and the girls all looked around taking in their surroundings as they felt a bit unease. Some of the inhabitants saw the group of teenagers as they were hesitant. Eventually, the rangers all stopped as they saw a boy who was along with someone who could be considered the village chief. "Who are you? Why have you come?" asked the village chief. "It's alright. We mean you no harm. My friends and I are just simply passing by. We're looking for something." "Whatever it is, you won't find it here!" shouted the village chief. "Excuse me, sir? I hope it's not too much of an annoyance. But what happened? Some of your homes seemed to be... destroyed." said Twilight. "We were attacked," said the village chief. Ash and the girls gave glances at each other as they heard that statement. To be continued...
Chapter 2: New Owners"Pick it up, Twilight!" shouted Rainbow as she was wearing a cap on her head and a whistle around her neck. "I'm... trying..." said the girl as she was out of breath. Her arms were to her side as she ran. She soon collapsed with her limbs spread out. "Only fifty more laps," stated Rainbow standing over the girl who was breathing hard. "Fifty laps?!" shouted Sunset who was also spread out from the exhaustion of Dash's "workout". "Rainbow, perhaps you should have pulled back a bit," stated Rarity. "What are you talking about? This is what I do every day, besides, they're fine," said the chromatic girl as she showed her friends who were dying for some water. While these four friends were busy in the field outback. The rest of the them were inside as they were in the auditorium. Applejack and Fluttershy were helping Pinkie to plan out the party she was going to throw for Friday. Given that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna allowed the girl to choose whatever theme she wanted, made the party girl have the biggest smile on her face. As for the rest of her friends, they were worried for their lives. Both Aj and Fluttershy were sitting down in front of a whiteboard as Pinkie was in front of them dressed in a lab coat with glasses on as she pointed to the board. "And that's why my math checks out," said Pinkie in a nerdy voice. "Well... that's, um, something." spoke the buttercup girl. "Yeah, something. But uh, Pinkie." "Question from the audience, must have their hand raised," spoke the party as she directed to her friends who were the only ones present. Aj looked around as there was nobody else, so she slowly raised her arm. "Yes, you in the hat." "Uh, Pinkie. Not discrediting yer board or anything. But, how can you tell what it says?" asked the country girl. The scene now showed the party girl's board as it didn't have any numbers on it at all but just random drawings and doodles. "Silly, this part tells me that the universe is round. This part right here says that chocolate milkshakes are the best kind of milkshakes. And that this one says we need apples for the party. Ooh, and oranges. And grapes! And strawberries. [gasps] Strawberry cupcakes! I'm hungry." said the girl as she now licked her lips. "That's nice, Pinkie..." said the animal-loving girl as she looked at Aj, who also had a confused look trying to figure out their friend. In the hideout, the boy was currently in the training room of his headquarters as he taking on a simulation. He was focusing on his stamina and hand-eye coordination. He did a corkscrew as he landed, and the simulation was stopped. He was then getting a message on his morpher as he left the room. He grabbed a towel as he wiped his forehead. "What's the report, Rachel?" asked the boy to the computer as the towel was around his neck. "Scans show there's some activity near the docks," said the A.I. "Anything else?" asked the boy. "Nothing, but I am scanning the entire city." "Let me know, I'm gonna go check it out," said the boy as he now entered his room and quickly put on a fresh set of clothes. He then started to make his way to where the four gems were as he grabbed them and put them in his pocket. He then entered the elevator as it descended. He was in the garage where his cycle was as he got on and revved the engines up. He now began to leave as he zoomed out of the tunnel as the rocks from the outside now slid to the side as the cycle hung in the air for a bit as it then continued through the forest and onto the nearby road. While our hero was heading towards the docks, things had occurred that made the computer pick up the activity. "I'm sick of waiting around! I say we go out and find our pest now!" shouted the mutant who was the older brother. "You need to have patience big brother," spoked the little brother. "Our master knows what he's doing." "Yeah, and he has us sitting here on our asses doing nothing! I'm a proud warrior, raised and bred on the battlefield. I crave competition, I crave for a fight." "And you'll get your fight, big brother. Patience was never your strong suit." "And you think you're so perfect, little brother? All you've done since we got to this dimension is simple standby and watch these puny weaklings from afar. I'm starting to question where your loyalty lies." "My loyalty is to you and mother. And as I've told you before, I'm scouting what these humans are like in this dimension. Best to know who we're dealing with so we can learn all their secrets. Not to mention, they do have some useful things that I like." said the mutant as he was holding a small switch that he was playing some video games on. "Oh, high score." "You two!" shouted the other female mutant. "Boss wants us in the throne room." All three mutants arrived at the throne room as the mother of the two brothers was nearby as she was looking at a device. She was used her long fingernails to swipe as she was scanning the city of Canterlot. On the throne was their leader as he sat in the darkness as only his yellow eyes were shown. The three now bent down in front of their boss. "So, what's the objective?" asked the girl mutant. "If we're going to destroy this dimension, then we need to cause as much chaos as we can. Thanks to my son's ability to do recon, we know some of the things these "humans" value. One thing is that they required water to stay alive. In fact, 60% of their bodies are made up of water. So, turns out the city is getting a shipment of its daily water that these people drink." "And you want us to destroy it?" asked the girl mutant. "Let me handle it! Knowing our pest, he's bound to show up, and when he does, I will handle him. Master," said the older brother mutant as he turned to look at their leader. "Let me put an end to our problem. He's merely one soldier against an army. And with my fighting skills, I will assure you that he will not bother us again." "You let your ego blind you, big brother." "Very well," spoke the leader. "Destroy the shipment, draw out our problem. And make sure you take care of it." "Yes, master." said the mutant as he left. "Good luck, Pharynx," spoke the mutant as he watched his big brother leave on his mission. It didn't take long as Pharynx had arrived at the docks. He saw the forklifts as they were loading containers. Inside of them were small cases of bottled water that was to be loaded into trucks and to the stores for the people of Canterlot to purchase. He appeared from a portal with a green outline as he had a small group of minions with him. "Let's see them tremble in fear!" shouted Pharynx as his gauntlets appear in his hands. He made his presence known as the workers saw the mutant and his crew as they were shocked and scared. Pharynx then slammed his fist on the ground as a shockwave attack headed toward the forklifts as they rocked back and forth. They all toppled over as the men landed. They weren't too injured as they saw the minions running towards them as they got up and hightailed it. "Ha! Ha! This is too easy!" snickered Pharynx. "You, get that shipment over here!" commanded the mutant to one of his minions as they nodded. A few minions approached the forklifts as they had their arms transform into cables as they attached to the control panel. They plugged into the machine and were now controlling the lift as they had the container land in front of them. They then opened up as inside were tons of cases of water as they fell on the minions as they were buried under the pile. "Now then," said Pharynx as he approached the container and prepared to destroy it all. He clamped his fists together as he looked to slam them on the items. At that moment a sound was heard. Some minions looked to the port as a cycle was shown. The person riding on it leaped out of his bike and flipped forward as he let out a battle cry. He managed to take two minions down with a dropkick as he then kipped up. A few more began to engage the boy as he blocked a side attack from two minions with his arm. But that left him exposed as he was kicked by another minion in the chest as he stumbled back. He recovered as he slid under a clothesline attack as he began to trade some fists with a minion, taking it out. He then turned around as he dodged some strikes from the others that were focused on him. The boy was using his parkour moves and flips to help avoid the attacks and counter. He backflipped onto some crates as one of the minions had climbed up behind him. He noticed it at the last second as he blocked with his left arm and did several kicks to its midsection before throwing it onto the ground. He then noticed a pulley as he hopped off of some crates and leaped for it as he spun around. He took out the minions in a circle with consecutive kicks as they fell and were defeated. The boy then let go as he rolled through and landed in front of the Pharynx with the rest of his minions behind him. "So, you finally show your face? You've been giving us alot of trouble, kid." "Nice to see you again, Pharynx," said the boy as he knew who the mutant was. "Tell me, are you following your mother's orders, or was your little brother too much of a bitch?" "You dare talk about my little brother?!" shouted Pharynx. He may have been a tough warrior, but Pharynx did care about his sibling. "Tell me, is your mother with the fires of hell?!" That response got the boy to hesitate for a moment as he thought back to his mother. He felt himself clenching his fists as he thought back on his mother and fallen friends. "Ah, did I hit a sensitive spot? Tell me, are your friends with her?" taunted Pharynx. "That does it! I'm here to take you down!" shouted the boy as his morpher powered up. "It's Morphin' time!" The boy's morpher now charged up as the gem inside of his device shined. He then drew a symbol on the interface of it as it recognized it and began to transform the boy. "Harmony Gem, power up!" The gem inside was a topaz as it now encased the boy as he had his head down as his body was now turning into his ranger suit. He had bits of crystal on his shoulders that resembled his gem as the middle of his suit had the symbol of his animal as it showed the outline of a wolf. He lifted his head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of him. The transformation was complete as the boy stood there in his yellow suit. "Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger!" shouted the boy as he took his battle stance. "Get him!" shouted Pharynx to his minions. They all charged towards the boy as he ran forward as well. With the extra power from the suit, the ranger was able to have his punches deal more damage. He hit a minion square in the chest as it was sent flying towards the ocean and into the water. He now began to deflect some attacks and counter. He as backed up to one of the warehouses as he hopped onto a stack of tires and ran along the wall as he leaped over the huge wave of the enemy taking some down as he landed. He then continued with some more fist exchanges as he ducked under some and used his legs along with his parkour moves to take out any in his way. He leaped into the air as he spun in the air as he hit one of them as they collided with the others as they faded away. The ranger landed in a circle as he saw himself surrounded. He then began to tap into his gem as a yellow outline encompassed him. He was calling on his animal as he thrust his hand out. A yellow-mirage-like wolf appeared as it took out all the enemies around the boy. They all fell over as it stood behind the ranger letting out a howl before it disappeared. The ranger was then blindsided by Pharynx as he hit the boy in his side. He stumbled and then engaged in a fight with the mutant who blocked his attack with his arm and then delivered some hard knee strikes to his midsection and flung the boy over his head. The ranger flew as he managed to use the momentum to roll through and land on his knees. "You've improved since we last met," said Pharynx. "All the time I spent chasing you and your buddies. I made a vow that I would become stronger. I trained rigorously, making sure that I was ready. That I complete the mission the others started!" shouted the boy. "Too bad, you'll die as your team did!" shouted the mutant as he slammed his gauntlets into the ground. The shockwave from the attack was so fast, that the boy didn't have time to get out of the way as he was hit. He was sent flying through the air as he crashed into some barrels. Pharynx was smiling as he began to approach the pile. The boy had barely got the barrel off of him as he grabbed his suit and then flung overhead once more as he landed on his back. "All that training and you're still the same rookie you were when your team fell. No wonder they didn't live, cause you couldn't save them," stated Pharynx. The ranger turned over as he saw Pharynx approach him as he struggled a bit to get to his feet. "Well, I've picked up some new tricks," said the boy as he reached to his side and pulled out his small saber. Pharynx laughed as he charged forward as did the ranger. They engaged in the middle, dodging and trading shots as he was able to use the small saber to get some strikes in on the mutant. Pharynx was being overwhelmed a bit by the boy's new moves that he picked up during his training. However, he was able to overcome it with his strength as he got a good powered-up punch to the boy as he once again was flung away. He landed hard as he crashed into more piles of junk as a small dust cloud formed. "Time to finish this," said Pharynx as he look to put the boy down. "Harmony Blaster, fire!" shouted a voice from the smoke. "Huh?" said Pharynx as he was now pelted with tons of shots. They hit him as small explosions went off and then a larger in the background as he was thrown onto his back and rolled. The mutant was getting to a knee as the smoke now cleared away. On his knees was the boy as he had a small blaster in his hand. The mutant was caught off-guard as he decided to withdraw and regroup his plan of attack. "Wait!" shouted the boy as he clutched his side which he felt some pain. He saw Pharynx transform into an orb as it was now zooming away at high speeds. The ranger now touched his morpher as his cycle appeared before him. He got on it and revved the engines as he chased after the fleeing mutant. The girls were in the music room as they were finishing up their rehearsal. "I think we're all set to perform for Friday's party," said Rainbow. "Indeed, now all I have to do is figure out what outfits we're going to wear!" said Rarity with a squeal and a huge smile. "Just don't make mine too 'frou-frou-'," said Applejack. "Don't worry, darling. It'll absolutely speak to your personal sense of style," assured the fashionista to her country friend. "Well, I need to head to the confetti store. I hear they're having a sale. Buy 100 different types of confetti, you get a free round of taffy. Mmm, so sticky," said Pinkie as she licked her lips. "Well, I need to head over to the animal shelter. I promise that I volunteer to take care of the hamsters this week," said Fluttershy. "And I'm headed over to the mall. New to pick up some new strings I ordered so that I shred some chords," said Rainbow as she strummed her guitar. It wasn't long as the girls decided to call it for the day. They all split up to go in their separate ways. Applejack had decided to accompany Dash to the mall, Twilight, and Sunset were also walking in the same direction as they had to pick up some things from Sunset's job at the sushi restaurant. It didn't take long as the four of them split into two pairs. Sunset had arrived at her work as she gathered the things from her boss and then began to leave with her lavender girl. The pair had exited the mall as they began to talk while eating some ice cream. "Any new reports?" asked the bacon-haired girl as she was leaning against a railing. "Nothing yet," said Twilight as she looked through her phone scrolling through the news. "Do you have any idea on who the masked person might be?" "Hard to say. Everybody is afraid of these creatures that have been attacking. The police haven't done much about it, and if this guy is someone who can take them down. I'm wondering why he's not working with the law. If he knows how to deal with them, why doesn't he share any information? One person can't do everything themselves." said Sunset. "Wish my brother could hear that. He's a hard worker, but he's so dedicated to his duty of protecting this city. I get he's a captain and that he's been given lots of awards and medals for his service. We're proud of him, but I wish he didn't have to focus so much on his work." "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come around," said Sunset smiling at her friend. "Come on, I'll drop you off." The two girls now began to walk to the parking lot where Sunset parked her car. They were about to enter when they heard the sound of sirens pass by. It caught their attention as they got in Sunset's car and began to trail the cars from a distance. They soon came to a small building that wasn't far from the mall as the cop cars surrounded the building. The person in charge of this squad was Spearhead as Shining Armor had some other business to attend. So he sent his partner in his place. "Get everyone to safety, move!" shouted Spearhead as he instructed his men to clear out the surrounding folks. He then made his way to one of his men as he was on the computer. "What's the report?" "Our drones were just sent in. Seems noticed one of those creatures zooming on the interstate at high speed." said a cop. "Time to show the people we can handle this," said Spearhead as he had a megaphone in his hand. "This is the CPD! Come out with your hands up!" "Did you hear? Seems they got one of those creatures cornered. Let's see if we can take a closer look." said Sunset. "I don't think we should," said Twilight. At that moment, a sound was heard as the girls looked towards the road. The cops noticed a similar sound as they saw a dot. That dot turned out to be someone. It was the boy as he was riding on his cycle as he had been chasing Pharynx since the pair left the docks. He managed to track the mutant to the building where the cops were as he spun in a circle as he came to a halt. The smoke cleared as everyone was seeing the masked vigilante as he got off. "Stay where you are!" shouted Spearhead as he addressed the ranger. "I'll handle this," said the ranger as he zoomed past them with quick speed as they blinked, and he was now in front of the building. "You clear the area and everybody else!" instructed the boy as he now raced inside. The girls saw the ranger as he entered the building. Safe to say, Sunset was now more interested. She turned to Twilight as the girl shook her head. "Come on, Twilight. Think about it. You wanted a chance to learn about this masked vigilante. Well, maybe if we see him in action. And could potentially interview him, we'll find out why these attacks are happening." "I don't know. It's too dangerous. My family would... Sunset," blinked Twilight as her friend was nowhere to be seen. She then looked out the window and saw the girl now sneaking around the back of the building. "Sunset!" shouted the lavender as she went after her friend. Sunset dipped into the nearby alley as she hopped onto some boxes and got over the fence. She then stay out of sight of the officers checking round back as she entered through a small opening that only someone of her size could enter. The lights of the building were on as she was carefully watching her surroundings. Some noises were heard as in front of her, a fight was occurring. The ranger had found Pharynx as they were fighting each other in a huge open space. Sunset was watching the encounter as the mutant and the ranger were fighting. The boy had his small saber against Pharynx's gauntlets as the mutant was now pushing the boy back as he was lifted off his feet and tossed as he was sent flying to some more debris as he hit hard. "Sunset!" shouted Twilight. The girl grabbed her bookworm friend as she pulled her behind her hiding spot with her hand over her mouth. Twilight took Sunset's hand off her mouth and glared at her to which she gestured to what was in front of her. The girls peaked their heads out as they saw Pharynx approach the ranger as soon he demorphed as he took a lot of damage and didn't change while he chased the mutant. The girls were shocked to see that the vigilante was a boy who looked to be their age as he was grabbed by the mutant. "This is where you meet your end," said Pharynx as he held the teen in his hands as he tried to break free. "What do we do?" asked Twilight as she unintentionally knocked over a can on the hiding spot they were behind as it rolled towards the mutant. Pharynx noticed this as he looked to where the can came from and saw the girls. He smiled as he dropped the boy in his hands. "Well, we have some wondering eyes. Didn't your parents tell you? It's not nice to stick your nose in other people's business," snickered the mutant. He was about to slam his gauntlets to attack the girls. "NO!!!" shouted the boy as he leaped into the air and dragged Pharynx before he could do his attack. "Get out of here!" he said to the girls. "We should go!" said Twilight to Sunset as she grabbed her arm and ran towards the way they came. "Minions!" shouted Pharynx as they appeared and blocked the girls' path. The girls fell on their bottoms as the minions looked to bring their weapons down on them as they moved out of the way and ran. They were cut off as they turned and ran in another direction. All around the minions were cutting off the girls from escaping as Pharynx was distracting the boy so that he couldn't help the girls. One of the minions looked to deliver a strike to the girls when something hit it. It turned around as an old tire collided with it as it fell. "Leave our friends alone!" shouted a southern voice. "Applejack!" said Sunset and Twilight as they saw their friend. She wasn't alone as Rainbow was with her as they were on a platform above. The pair had managed to get Rainbow's new strings from the mall. They had just exited the store when they saw Sunset and Twilight hurry off in an instant as they were concerned where their friends might be headed to. So they trailed their friends to the building; they managed to see the vigilante as he entered the place as it got Rainbow all sorts of excitement. Once Sunset and Twilight sneaked in through the back, they began to go also in case they ran into trouble. And it turns out they did as they were being attacked by the mutants and their minions. "Up here!" shouted Rainbow as Applejack threw some more pieces of rubble at the minions as their friends ran. Rainbow bent down and extended her hand as Twilight managed to grab her hand. She pulled her up as it was now Sunset's turn. "Don't think I'm letting you get away!" shouted Pharynx as he slammed the ground once more. The whole building was shaking as the people on the outside and the cops all cleared out as they feared it might come crashing down. The platform the girls were on was now unchained as it slanted and they slide down into a pile of old mattresses as dust picked up. They felt a bump as they landed and let out groans. The minions now grabbed each one of them. "Get yer hands off of me!" shouted Aj as she did a hard kick that sent one of them flying and unhooked her. Rainbow then did a similar kick as she sent another flying as the minions tried to restrain the girls as they ducked and did a punch as they fell. They didn't notice that Pharynx was in position as he tapped into his power and slammed his fists into the ground. The boy saw this as he got up from the beating he took and ran towards the girls. They soon looked in front of them as the shockwave was heading towards them as they couldn't get out of the way. The boy now leaped forward as he shielded the girls by taking the brute of the attack as a small explosion went off. The girls covered their eyes as they saw the person who protected them. It was the boy they saw who had battled the mutant. During the attack, the gems he had been carrying in his pocket were flung out as they each landed by the girls' feet, but they didn't notice them. It soon ended as the explosion died down as the boy felt the pain and fell to his knees. They looked to check on the boy when tons more minions surrounded them. "Still playing the hero? Well, time to die like one," said Pharynx. "Run! Get out of here!" said the boy as he told the girls to leave. "We ain't leavin' you with this thing!" shouted Applejack. "Get the hell out of here!" shouted the boy as he was grabbed by his shirt and lifted by Pharynx. The girls wanted to help their savior. Their eyes were soon looking at their feet as the gems began to glow. They all bent down to pick them up as it shined even brighter as if it was resonating with the girls' spirits. "Put those down!" shouted Pharynx as he could see what the gems were doing. The gems now shined the brightest as the boy's morpher resonated as well. The girls had their eyes turn white as the gem in each of their hands was now infusing with them. Soon a voice spoke to each of them. If you accept this responsibility. Your whole life will change. Sacrifices will be made, the ones you love will be put in danger. You must be willing to protect the innocents at all costs. The greatest virtue of being a ranger is not the power itself, but the reward of helping others. Do you accept this oath? "We accept," said the girls still having their eyes completely white. At that moment, the gems they each had now began to change. The one in Aj's hand now turned into an emerald stone as it circled her wrist; Rainbow's gem was cobalt as it circled her wrist, Sunset's gem turned into ruby, and Twilight had a sapphire stone. The topaz from the boy's morpher responded to the other as it pushed back Pharynx and his minions as they all fell onto their backs. "What?" said the mutant. Standing in front of him was the boy as his morpher was now restored to full power. He stood there in his yellow ranger suit as the pain was temporary gone. He turned to look at the girls behind him as they were on their hands and knees as each one had a slight headache. It soon died down as they looked to their left wrists and saw the same device as the one the boy in front of them had. "What is this?" asked Sunset. "It's advanced," said Twilight looking at her morpher. "Hey!" shouted the boy as he got their attention. "If you're gonna help, then morph." "What are you talkin' about, sugar?" asked Aj. "Just touch the interface of the device on your wrist. And the rest will happen," said the boy. "You sure we can trust him?" asked Rainbow. "What other choice do we have?" asked Sunset. The girl looked at their wrists as they saw the device. They put their two fingers over it and scanned them. It granted them access as it now gave each of them a symbol to draw. Once they finished drawing it, a prompt of words came up for them to say. They looked it over as it was telling them the words to say to morph. They all cast a glance at each other and gave a nod. "Here goes. Harmony Gem, power up." The four girls now began to change. For Applejack, she was being encased in her suit as it was green with bits of her gem on her shoulders as the middle of her suit had the symbol of an animal as it showed the outline of a rhino. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a green suit. Rainbow was now undergoing her transformation as she was being encased in her suit. It was blue as bits of her gem were on her shoulders as her symbol in the middle of the suit was that of a peregrine falcon. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a blue suit. Sunset underwent her transformation as the gem grew larger and encased the girl in her suit. Bits of her gem was also shown on her shoulder as the symbol for her suit showed an image of a phoenix. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a red suit. Twilight was the last one as she did her transformation. The gem inside her morpher now began to encase the girl. Like the other, bits of the gem were shown on her shoulder as the symbol for her suit was an image of an owl. The transformation was complete as the girl stood there in a purple suit. Now all five of them stood in a single line as dramatic shots were shown of them. The five gems felt the connection as they had been reunited once again. "Wow! You weren't kidding!" said Rainbow as she put her hands to her helmet and felt her suit. "Amazin'," said Applejack looking at hers. "Awesome," said Sunset also examining what she wore. "Yeah," said Twilight doing the same. "Let's do this," said the boy as he took a step forward. "Harmony Rangers!" said Pharynx as he thought he'd never see the day where the gems would pick new owners. He wasn't the only one as back in the lair, the other three generals and the leaders could feel the presence of the gems. Unlike when it was just the single one, they felt the connection was once again complete. A feeling that they thought was long gone and wouldn't be possible to form ever again. "So... he has a new team," said the leader as he bawled his fist as some dark energy formed and destroyed some nearby minions. "This time you won't get away, Pharynx!" said the boy. "We'll see about that! Minions!" instructed the general. His command was given as the minions all pointed their weapons at the five rangers. They fired as shots were traveling through the air. The boy was able to dodge them with ease as he leaned his body back. However, the girls were all hit dead-on as they fell with ease. They weren't hurt as the blasts didn't do that much damage. "Talk about idiots," muttered the boy to himself when he saw the girls go down like it was nothing. "Get up! And don't worry, your suit protects you." "This keeps getting better," said Rainbow as she stood up with excitement. The girls now stood up as they saw the enemy coming towards them. At that moment, they felt their bodies begin to move as they were able to act accordingly as they dodge some strikes and fists. Each one was able to block an attack and then either deliver a kick or punch taking one of them down. "How? I don't know how to fight," said Twilight. "The suit is programmed with basic fighting skills. However, don't rely on it too much," said the boy as he was now doing some parkour moves that only he could manually get the suit to do as he took out more minions. "Well, good thing, I take karate," said Rainbow as she was in her element. Out of everyone, she was the one who was having the easiest to adjust as she blocked any attacks and responded with her own. For Applejack, she was rely on her strength, coupled with her suit, which gave her a small boost. She sidestepped an attack as the minion bent over to which she used her knee to hit its midsection a few times before tossing it onto some steel pipes as it was defeated. Sunset was cornered as her suit took over for the girl. It began to initiate the proper move set as when the enemy lunged for an attack, she leaped over them and did a small backflip to get more distance. "Okay, I have no idea what I just did. But it looked cool," said the bacon-haired girl. She then saw an enemy rush her as she blocked and did a roundhouse and then transition immediately to low sweep the next enemy. Inside, she was smiling as she began to continue to fight. Seems the girls were able to use the suit's powers as they were starting to get the hang of it. As for the boy, he had managed to finish taking out his part of the minions as he was dealing with Pharynx once more. This time the boy was having the upper hand as he did some quick consecutive kicks to his midsection as he was pushing him back. He then spun in the air as a small tornado effect created around him as he hit the mutant, dragging his feet along the ground. "Time to end this!" shouted the yellow ranger as he tapped his morpher once more. Now he summoned his personal weapon. "Harmony Sword!" He then leaped into the air as it powered up. With his foe in his sight, he delivered his finishing move. "Topaz Slash!!" shouted the boy as he did a diagonal line over Pharynx. It caused a small explosion to go off as he landed with a pose. The explosion continued for a few moments, as Pharynx was shown being blown from it as he hit the steel door. He was still alive but the attack from the boy's finishing move did leave him weakened. "Give up, Pharynx!" said the boy pointing his weapon at his foe. "Ha! Never! Enjoy this while you can, cause now that you have your new team. We'll take great pleasure in destroying them as we did your old one. And this time... you will join them." said Pharynx as a portal opened up behind him. "Wait!" shouted the boy as he ran, but Pharynx disappear into the portal as it closed immediately behind the mutant. "He got away!" The girls had finished with the minions as they now stood there. They looked at each other as they couldn't help but cheer as they were amazed by what they were all able to do. Their suits now powered down as they saw each other. They all looked to the boy who was a few meters away as he powered down but his back was still turned to them. "Hey! Who are you? Mind telling us what all of this shit is?" asked Rainbow. The boy didn't say anything as he collapsed facefirst onto the floor. That caused the girls to worry as they all rushed over to check on him. They turned him over as he had his eyes closed, they could see he was still breathing as Twilight was able to locate his pulse. "I think this where we make our leave," said Twilight. "Yeah, but where? And what about him?" asked Rainbow. "We'll take him back to my house. Once he wakes up, we'll see if he can give us some answers," instructed Sunset. Applejack then grabbed the boy and flung him over her shoulders as the four of them exited the building as nobody was around to see them leave. They got into their two cars and were now traveling towards their bacon-haired friend's place as they hope to get some answers on just what the hell went down. But more importantly, who this person was.
Chapter 3: Accepting the Mantle"So, remind me what the hell happened?" asked Shining Armor to his buddy. "We had managed to corner one of those creatures into the building. And then, he showed up. He entered the building, after that there was some kind of shockwave that we had to evacuate everybody in the surrounding area. Once we got the people to a safe distance, we entered the building but found nothing. The only thing was that stuff was tossed around which signaled some kind of struggle occurred." said Spearhead. "Did you get a glimpse at who he was?" asked Shining Armor. "Me and the boys saw that he was wearing some kind of yellow suit. It also had a symbol of a wolf in the middle." "A yellow suit? A wolf?" said Shining Armor with a raised eyebrow. "Here's the photo that was taken." Spearhead handed his buddy the picture that was taken by a nearby person. It was a clear image for once as the captain now could see who they've been dealing with the past month. Safe to say, his best friend was telling the truth, the image was that of the boy as he was wearing his yellow ranger suit. He saw the design, and the symbol of the animal in the middle was a shadowed wolf head. "This? This is who we've been dealing with?" asked Shining Armor as he wasn't fully buying what his men saw. "I'm afraid that's all we have so far, sir." "Then get on the case. Next time this guy strikes, we make sure to capture," said Shining Armor as his buddy gave a salute. The doors to the throne room opened up as in came Pharynx. "Well, look who screwed up big time," snickered the girl mutant. "Zip it, Starlight!" shouted the mutant to his comrade. He then approached the throne as sitting there on the throne was his leader. His brother and mother were also present. "My lord, I..." The leader closed his fist as Pharynx knew that meant to be quiet. He remained silent as the sound of his fingers tapping his chair could be heard. After a few moments passed, the leader began to speak. "Tell me, what happened?" asked the leader. He knew what went down as they were looking through their device as they saw Pharynx carry out his mission, but he wanted to hear it from his general. "I... I encounter the ranger. He arrived at the docks to stop me. Safe to say, he's not the rookie he once was when his entire team was wiped out. He's been chasing us since we destroyed his dimension. And now... seems he has a new team." "A new team?" said Pharynx's mother. "Who are they?" "Just some girls from what I noticed," said Pharynx. "Really? He's gotten a group of girls to be his new teammates? How laughable," said Pharynx's mother with a cackle. "He didn't choose them. The gems did," said their leader as it got her to shut up. "I know about the power of the gems. So the fact that they were able to unlock their powers after being dormant for so long, means that these girls are a force to be reckoned with. That being said, we have a job to carry out. Find these rangers and destroy them." "Yes, sir," said the four generals. All around there was darkness. Darkness. Floating through that darkness was someone. It was the boy who had rescued the girls from earlier as he seemed to be drifting in the black space with his eyes closed. A light now began to shine as he was heading for it. It glowed brightly as the scene changed. Now the person was shown running along a path. He was running as he was in his ranger outfit. The boy soon came across a sight as it got him to stop and gasp. Before him, laid four other individuals. They all had suits of the same color as the ones the girls transformed into as they laid there lifeless. All around were small flames and embers as the crackle could be heard. He slumped to his knees as he saw his team not moving, not breathing. He then bent down to his leader in red as he turned the body over. The visor was destroyed as the face of the person was revealed. At that moment, a hand was brought up to his helmet as the eyes of the individual looked at him. "Son. Why? Why?" asked his mother as she looked at her child with a look. "I'm sorry," responded the boy to his mother. The hand now began to drop as it descended. In slow motion, the hand hit the ground, which served as the sign as the person he was holding was no more. The boy could see the eyes of his beloved mother as they closed shut forever. Despite wearing his helmet, on the inside, he was crying as he held his mother in his arms as she had passed away. He pulled her in close as the small embers now began to fan. They were sensing the hurt and pain inside of the boy as it fueled them. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted the lone ranger as the flames now turned into a raging inferno. The fire swirled around the bodies of the others and him as it consumed everything. As a result, the boy now woke up. He sat up as he felt the nightmare. From his forehead, sweat was shown as it rolled down the side of his face. His breathing was out of control for a second as it was soon slowing down. Once he was able to get his composure, he took some deep breaths. He ran his hand through his hair as he felt his temperature returning to normal. "You're awake," said a voice. The boy turned to who said that as standing in the living room was Sunset and the rest of the girls. They had been watching the boy since they brought him back to her house as he was exhausted. They heard some sounds coming from him as they saw him roll around in his sleep. The boy saw the girls as he quickly did a flip over the couch he was resting on as he brought his fists up ready to fight. "Who are you?!" asked the boy. "We asked you first?!" countered Rainbow. "Simmer down, Dash. He's been through a lot," said Aj as she held her friend back. She could that the boy had some issues. "We don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk," said Twilight putting her hands out trying to show they weren't going to do anything. "You collapsed after fighting that thing, and we brought you here. We've watched over while you recovered." "How long was I out?" asked the boy still in his battle stance. "A day." "A day?" said the person as he couldn't believe he was unconscious for that long. "You took a beating trying to save us from whatever creature that was," said Sunset as the boy now looked at the bacon-haired girl. "Thanks, by the way, we are grateful that you protected us." "I was just doing my duty as a ranger." "What's that? And who are you?" asked Rainbow as she wanted to know the answer to that question. "Why should I tell you, Skittles?" said the boy to the chromatic girl. "What did you call me?" said Rainbow as she looked to get physical with the boy they saved. "Simmer down, Sally," said Applejack holding her friend back again. "Aj, let me go! I'm gonna make him regret ever calling me that!" "If you're feeling froggy, jump!" taunted the boy. "That's it, I'm beating his ass!" shouted Rainbow even more as Aj now pulled back even more. Rainbow wasn't too pleased she was being punked out by this stranger that they chose to save. She was now kicking and screaming trying to free herself from her country friend so that she could punch the boy. Applejack managed to get Rainbow into a chair as she pulled out her trusty lasso and tied her athletic friend down as she still looked ready to brawl. "Rainbow!!" said Twilight as she scowled her friend for the way she was acting. "Look, we're not your enemies. We just want some answers. And maybe... we can help." said Sunset as she approached the boy. He was hesitant on the girl as she came closer. His fists were still raised; Sunset then put one hand out as she was hoping that he would grab it to show that they weren't going to harm him. "Trust me," said Sunset. The boy looked at the girl as she stood there with a genuine smile as her hand was out. The expression on her face told him that she was sincere and that she was telling the truth. Still, he wasn't fully convinced if this was a trick or something. A few seconds passed as the boy now extended one hand towards Sunset. It hovered above hers for a bit as he struggled to make contact with it. His palm now touched hers as he held her hand. Upon first contact, he could feel they were warm. They gave off a certain aura that signaled the girl was someone who was dedicated to helping her friends. He soon got that way aura from the other three who were watching him. The boy now looked at Sunset's face as the smile seemed to have gotten bigger and happier. He then brought his other fist down and returned to a regular stance. "Now then, let's try this introduction again." said the bacon-haired girl. After a few moments, the boy was now sitting on the couch he awoke to as he was drinking something. The girls had gotten him some water as Applejack offered him some of her delicious apple cider. Seems it worked like a charm as the boy tasted the liquid and the best way he could describe it was like melted gold. The cool refreshing substance and how it hit his tongue triggered his taste senses. And then feeling it hit the back of his throat as it soon traveled down to his stomach where it filled him up with a warm feeling. He finished the last bit of the drink as he removed his lips from the bottle and let out a satisfying sigh. "This shit's good," said the boy as he looked at the empty bottle. He then tossed the bottle to Aj who caught it with one hand. "Family recipe, sugarcube." smiled the country girl. "Feel better?" asked Twilight. "Yeah," said the boy. "So, can you tell us who you are?" asked Sunset as it got the boy to put his head down. "Maybe, it's better if we introduce ourselves. My name is Sunset Shimmer." "I'm Twilight Sparkle." "Howdy, the name's Applejack. But you can call me, Aj." "Rainbow Dash. Don't forget the name," said the girl with a boastful tone. "And you are?" "Well, I have a different name from where I'm from. But here... just call me Ash." "Nice to meet you, Ash. So, you said you're not here. Where is here if you don't mind me asking?" said Twilight. "I... come from a different dimension. One that's different than yours." "Dimension? Do you mean like that shit on the science fiction channel?" asked Rainbow. "If that's how it makes the most sense to you, then yes. There are tons of other dimensions besides this one and the one where I come from." "So, what brings you to our dimension?" asked Sunset. "To be honest, I didn't plan to come here. It's just this is where they are currently hiding." "Who's they?" asked Applejack. "You know that thing you guys saw? Well, that thing is a mutant. His name is Pharynx. And I've been chasing him and his buddies, as well as their leader for the past five years." "Five years? Just how old are you?" asked Twilight. "In my dimension, I'm 35,000 years old," "What the fuck?!" shouted Rainbow as she couldn't help but say that when she heard Ash's answer. "35,000 years old. But you look our age?" said Sunset. "Time works differently in my dimension. So while I'm actually 35,000 years old back there, here according to your math, I'm about 16 years old. That's why I'm technically a teenager." "Well, I'll say this. You look good for someone who's 35,000 years old," said Dash as she gave a genuine compliment to the boy. "Okay, so you're from a different dimension. And you've chasing these mutants for the past five years. So, why did they come here?" asked Sunset. "Who knows? The biggest thing they want to do is destroy this dimension just like they did mine." "Destroy it?" said Twilight as they got her to be frightened a bit. "They will stop at nothing till all is left in chaos and disarray. That's why I've been tracking them down. Nonstop. I won't rest until I complete my mission." "And what mission is that?" asked Aj. "To destroy them," said Ash. "I must, for them." "Them?" asked Rainbow. "My comrades. My... team as you could say. They were struck down in our final stand against the dark lords. Out of everyone to make it from my dimension, I was the sole survivor. I was but a rookie at the time, but I trained days on end to get better. Then, we encountered our enemies. We fought as hard as we could, but the battle took a toll on us. And in the end, both sides suffered losses. The dark lords escaped through a dimension portal, but before they left, they had constructed a weapon so powerful that anything it was caught in its blast would be wiped out in mere seconds. So my team and I tried to stop it, but we couldn't. In the end, they made the ultimate sacrifice. They gave me their gems, and I was flung into the dimension portal as I saw the blast engulf them in seconds." The girls were listening to Ash's tale as they had sad expressions appear on his face. "They were all that I had left, and they keep me alive all this time. For the next five years, I trained to become better. So that way, when it came time, I would defeat the dark lords. And so I grew from rookie to ranger, honing my skills, pushing myself to be better. Then I got the signal. My gem started to glow as did the others. They were telling me that the dark lords had come out of hiding and were set to carry out more destruction. So using the last bit of power from the four gems of my fallen comrades, I was transported to your world. And from there, I began to scout my mission. And the rest, you all know. The reports for the past month, people saying they saw a masked vigilante. That was me." "We're sorry for your loss. I can't imagine what you must have gone through to be by yourself all this time," said Sunset. "Yeah, it was hard," said Ash putting his head down. "So, what about these devices?" asked Twilight as she showed Ash her wrist. "Those are morphers. The gems you guys picked up, they transform into that when you need to fight," explained Ash as the device on the girls' wrists now changed into wristbands with the small stone embedded in the center. "Morphers? So, what are you?" asked Aj. "I'm a Power Ranger." "Power Ranger?" repeated Rainbow. "Someone who fights for justice. Who fights to protect all that is from evil," said Ash. "So you're like a superhero?" said Dash. "Yes," said Ash as he got up. He was making his way towards the door as the girls followed him. He was now leaving Sunset's house as he needed to get back to his command center. "Where are you going?" asked Sunset. "I need to leave and get back to tracking them down. Missing a day means that I'm already behind." "Let us help. We can totally kick mutant butt," said Rainbow pounding her chest. "No, cause you won't ever get a chance to do it again," responded Ash. He then grabbed Rainbow's wrist as he flipped her over as took the girl's gem from her. Applejack approached them as Ash caught her arm and did a small knee strike to her midsection before taking her gem off her wrist. Sunset and Twilight saw this as they saw the boy approach them. He didn't want to harm them as he extended his hand out. They knew what he wanted as they willingly gave him their wristbands. With the four gems back in his possession, the wristbands turned back into stones. He then pointed his morpher in front of him as his cycle appeared. "What the hell!!" shouted Rainbow as she was getting to her knees from the assault given to her by the boy. "This isn't your fight! Stay out of it!" "But we can help!" said Applejack also getting up from the knee strike. "No! You can't! Don't tell a word to anybody. Cause if you do, I will find you," said Ash. He then revved up his engine as he now sped down the street until he was out of sight. "Asshole," said Rainbow as she rubbed her wrist as the four of them watched the boy disappear. It didn't take long as Ash had arrived back at the forest. He entered the command center as he got out of the elevator. "Welcome back, sir. I was worried about you," said the computer. "Sorry, Rachel. I had a slight delay. Anyways, has there been any activity in the last day?" asked Ash. "None sir, all has been quiet since Pharynx retreated." "That's a relief. By the way, see if you can deactivate these gems," said Ash as he held the four gems and put them into the scanner. He sat down in the chair as he leaned back and let out a sigh. "Sorry, sir. I'm afraid I can't do deactivate the stones." "What? Why not?" asked Ash. "The stones have been reawakened to their former glory." "But that's impossible because, for that to happen, the oath would... need... to be... said," Ash was now starting to piece together what his computer was telling him. "The girls. Son of a bitch!" "Whoever, the stones have bonded with. They have become the new owners. And they now had a duty to uphold, just as you do, Master Ash. The time has come." Ash was listening to what the computer was saying as he leaned forward with his hands clenched. He was thinking about the girls and how the stones decided that they were worthy and made their connection with them. It wasn't that he was against the girls being the ones the gems chose, but moreso that it would require them to be his team. And that meant, the possibility of having a repeat of what he went through. "I know this may be hard, but we do not have another choice," said Rachel. "This isn't gonna be easy," said Ash to the A.I. The next day at CHS, the students had been talking amongst themselves. Seems the incident that happened two days ago was still the hottest topic. From what the news outlets had reported and the statement issued by the police, they said that one of the mutants had been cornered as the masked person had shown up. He then entered the place as a few minutes later there was a shockwave of sorts that caused the people outside to scatter. The authorities did their best to quiet the people by saying that they had people who were on the case of bringing the masked vigilante to justice. However, there were also a few people who believed the vigilante wasn't a threat and that he was here to get rid of the mutants. "So what's the word around the school?" asked Sunset. "Most of the students are in favor of Ash. They believe he's a good person and doing the job of keeping us safe, better than the authorities can," informed Rainbow. "Still, I feel like he could use our help. Even if we're not rangers, it doesn't hurt to have some friends who know this place better than him. We could find where the bad guys are located and put a stop to this." "You're still set on helping him. After the way he treated us?" asked Dash. "Yes, 'cause he's lonely. He's suffering from losing his team. Imagine how you would feel if all of us weren't here? What if I suddenly passed away the next day?" asked Sunset to her friend. "I never thought of that. Yeah, it'd leave a shitty taste in my mouth. I guess I can cut him some slack. Still, he could have asked us to hand the gems back to him instead of beating us up." stated Rainbow. "I swear, I'm going to make him pay for--" "For what, Skittles?" said a voice that interrupted the chromatic girl from finishing her sentence. The girls now look in front of them as standing there was Ash himself. Safe to say, they weren't expecting to see the boy since they last saw him. Especially, at their school. The two girls were curious as to why the boy was present as the last time he told them to forget they ever saw him and to not tell anybody his identity. The four kept to that word as they didn't tell anybody since that incident. "What are you doing here?" asked Rainbow. "Not that we're not grateful, right Dash?!" said Sunset giving her friend a stern look as the girl just huffed. "But, she is right? Why are you here? I thought you said to forget we ever met." "That was the original plan. But the rules have changed. We need to talk." said Ash. "Is it about those mutants you've been chasing?" asked Sunset. "I'll explain everything in a moment. First, take my hand. Both of you." Ash put both his hands out. Sunset put her left hand in Ash's right. Rainbow was hesitant about doing what the boy asked as she didn't trust him based on how he acted after they all saved him. She glanced over to Sunset as she saw her friend. Her expression was telling her that they should listen to him. She then looked at Ash to see his face as he had a straight look. But the way Sunset was looking at her and the fact that the boy was letting himself be vulnerable by extending his hand out. Rainbow took a deep breath as she put her right hand in Ash's left. Once Rainbow was ready to listen to him, Ash now used the power of his gem as all three now disappeared in three streaks of light as they zoomed away. Nearby, there was a small kid who had seen the trio. He was taking a zip of some apple cider when he saw the boy approaching the girls. He then saw all three disappear before his eyes as he blinked several times. The kid looked at the bottle in his hand as he then tipped it downwards as the liquid drained. The trio soon found themselves standing in the hangar of the command center. The girls were stunned by where they saw as they soon noticed Applejack and Twilight were also there. "You two as well?" said Rainbow. "I went to fetch them before I got you," said Ash. "Now that you're all here, follow me." The four girls glanced at each other as they tighten their backpacks and followed the boy. They saw him approach an elevator as he pushed a button and it opened up. He entered as he looked at the girls. They soon filed in as the door closed behind Twilight. it zoomed upwards as from the top view, Ash was in front of the girls as they remained behind him. The elevator came to a stop as the doors opened up. The boy exited as the girls trailed behind. They were amazed by the room they saw. They saw the command center as it was huge. Tons of rooms were present, a training ground, a sofa with a few couches in front of a huge screen TV, a kitchen. Up above there were several rooms as they each had the symbol of an animal on the doors. The girls were stunned that they heard Ash clear his voice as they walked towards the main computer as he stood in front of it. "Nice digs. When were you going to tell us, you had a sick pad?" asked Rainbow. "That's not what I'm here to discuss. First, let me introduce you all to someone," said Ash as he pushed a button on the panel behind. "Welcome back, master." said the A.I. "Hold on, did the computer just talk?" asked Aj. "This here is Rachel. She's a computer program that has helped me to track down these dark lords. She's also taken care of me since I was by myself. Anyways, she runs this whole place when I'm out on missions and scouting." "You're too kind, Master Ash. Now then," said Rachel as she began to have a small drone pop out. The drone now began to circle the girls as it began to scan them. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Rainbow Dash." said the drone as it moved to the next girl. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Jacklyn Apple A.K.A. Applejack." "You're name's Jacklyn?" said Ash as that piece of information got him off guard. "Don't you dare say that name again, or I'll stick mah boot up yer ass!" threatened the girl to the boy as she wasn't too fond of her birth name. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Sunset Shimmer." "So what's this doing?" asked Twilight. "Scanning... Name, Ms. Twilight Sparkle. Scan complete." The drone now flew back into its compartment as it was now transmitting the data to Rachel. Soon the profiles of each girl were shown on screen as the image of the stone they touched was next to them. "Rachel now has your info. So, do you remember these?" asked Ash as he held the four gems in between his fingers on his right. "Yeah, the stones we touched. And then we transformed into rangers," said Sunset. "Now, tell me. Did you all hear a voice when you touched them?" asked the boy. "Well..." said the girls as they looked at each other. They were now thinking back to what occurred when they touched the stone. "I mean when we touched them. It felt warm..." started Rainbow. "Like it was comforting us..." spoke Applejack. "Like, it was filling us with warmth..." said Sunset. "It was saying that should we accept, then we would be helping," said Twilight. "Just as I figured," said Ash bringing his hand down as he let out a sigh. "See, these gems allow anybody to morph when they touch them or if they're in danger." "Hold on, so you're saying that just because we were present and touched the stones. We transformed into rangers. And that if say, one of our other friends was there instead, they would have been selected to become a ranger." stated Rainbow. "Technically, no. See it would transform them to escape from the danger. For it to truly make you its owner, you have to hear a voice. And that voice speaks to you and offers you an oath, should you choose to accept that oath, then you'll be a full-fledged ranger." said Ash. "So, you're saying that the stones chose us. But why?" asked Twilight. "Cause they sense the goodness in your heart. You're all willing to fight and protect the ones you love when it matters the most. Plus, as cliché as it may sound, it's your friendship with each. That's the most potent thing that I sensed as well when I looked at your auras. And it was that friendship that the gems were drawn to." said Ash. "So, what now?" asked Sunset. "Girls, I'm offering you a choice. You stand before me as teenagers, you have your lives ahead of you. Full of promise and aspirations. However, the gems have selected you as the new owners of their powers. But just because they selected, doesn't mean you have to listen to what I'm about to say. With the stones, they have selected you four to be the new rangers." Rachel now showed on the screen behind Ash the images of the girls in their suits as all five were now present and standing side by side. "So, we're Power Rangers?!" said Dash as she had her tongue out panting like a dog in excitement. "Let me finish. If you chose to accept this responsibility and to follow me into battle. There is no turning back. Your lives as you know will change. The days of being a normal person will cease to exist. Everything will change, school, work, responsibilities. All of it will be affected greatly. You will choose to protect your world against the dark lords that seek to destroy it. Either we defeat them, or we fail. Do not accept because you're obligated to, or because the stone said it picked you. If you choose to walk away, then I understand. Only accept if you're willing to commit and fight as Power Rangers with all your heart." "Everything changes? What about our families? Our friends?" asked Twilight. "That too will be affected. The reality of being a Power Ranger isn't the good work that you do. It's about the sacrifices you have to make. You must be willing to part with things that you normally would do. You must sacrifice those closest to your heart if you hope to save your dimension. You must sacrifice, no two ways about it." said Ash. The girls all began to think about what was said. That they would need to make sacrifices should they choose to accept this lifestyle. Safe to say, this was a hard decision to make. For each one of them had things they were near and dear to their heart, but if they were to protect their dimension to avoid it being destroyed like Ash's was. Then it was the price that they were going to have to pay. "Without hesitation," said Rainbow as she gave her answer. "I accept," said Sunset. "I'm ready to give it all I've got," said Twilight. "I ain't lettin' no mutants harm my home," said Applejack. "Very well," said Ash. He now approached the girls as he began to give each of them their gems. "Rainbow Dash, your loyalty to your friends will prove vital when it matters the most. And for that, the cobalt gem has chosen you to be the Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger," said Ash as he handed the gem to the chromatic girl as it now changed back into a wristband. "Applejack, your strength, and honesty are immeasurable. It will go a long way in helping us in our crusade. For that, the emerald stone has chosen you to be the Harmony Guardian Green Ranger," said the boy as he gave the gem to the country girl as it turned into a wristband. "Sunset Shimmer, the empathy you've shown will be a great asset. And with that empathy, the ruby gem has selected you to be the Harmony Guardian Red Ranger," he said as he gave the stone to the girl as it transformed. "And lastly, Twilight Sparkle. Your intellect may be just what we need to defeat our foe. On top of that, it's the magic inside of you that will help us to be victorious. Now normally it sounds a bit weird when you say the name, but the sapphire gem has chosen you. So you will be known as the Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger." He gave the stone to the bookworm as it transformed. "From this point, you shall be known as the Harmony Guardian Power Rangers," said Ash as he stood in front of the girls. "We promise to serve as rangers!" said all four girls. "Good, now then. There are three rules you must commit to when being a ranger. Number one: You must not tell anyone your secret. No one must know, not even your family or your friends. Number two: When duty calls, you drop everything that you're doing. As I've said before, you must be willing to make sacrifices. And Number three: You must swear to use your powers not for personal use, to use it when doing good." "We understand," said all four. "Good, now then. Time to teach you all how to morph," said Ash as he raised his left hand as his wristband now changed into his morph. The girls raised their arms as the wristbands now changed into the devices. They then began to listen to Ash's instructions. "Now repeat after me. Harmony Gem, power up!" "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the girls. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. The girls were tracing the symbols that their morphers showed them. Like with Ash, the gem encased the girls as they landed on platforms as their bodies turned into the suit with bits of their gems on their shoulders. They lifted their head as the vizors covered the last bit of their face as they did a pose with each of them having that animal they command behind them as they sounded off together. "Look at us!" shouted Rainbow as she was admiring her suit. "This feels amazin'!" said Aj. "It has tons of functions," said Twilight as her helmet was relaying some info for her as she was reading them. "Uh, it's a little tight," said Sunset as she could barely move in her suit. "That's an easy fix," said Ash as he approached Sunset. He grabbed her wrist as he began to reconfigure the morpher to change Sunset's size. The suit then began to glow as Sunset stood in the same suit, but this time she could breathe a bit more as she could feel her limbs were comfortable. "That better?" asked Ash. "Much better. Thanks." "Don't mention it. Just... take good care of the suit," responded the boy as he turned his back and began to walk. "This was your mother's, wasn't it?" asked Sunset as Ash stopped in his tracks. "Yeah. She was... our leader," said the boy as he could feel a tear roll down his cheek as he silently wiped it away. While Sunset couldn't see it, she could tell that the suit brought the boy some painful memories. Before she could say anything, an alarm went off as the entire command center was flashing red. "What the hell's that? A fire drill?" asked Rainbow. "No. Something much worst. Rachel!" called Ash as his suit deconfigured his helmet as he approached the computer. "Seems the scanners have picked up some activity," said the computer. "What is it?" asked Twilight as she and the other approached the computer as well. Their suits did the same as their helmets deconfigured. "Mutant activity by city hall," said the A.I. "It's time," said Ash to the girls as they knew what he meant. "Are you girls ready?" "Ready!" they said in unison. "Then let's go!" said Ash as he began to race towards the elevator as the girls followed him. "Rachel, authorize Order 22667RT!" "At once, Master Ash. Good luck," said the computer as she spoke to them through their morphers. The team made it to the hangar as some platforms were being lowered as on it were more cycles that resembled the one Ash rode on. They were color-coordinated as the girls were smiling as their vizors allowed them to see with their own eyes. "Ladies, your rides," said Ash with a smile as the girls disbursed towards their vehicles. "Hello, handsome," said Sunset as she saw her cycle and was giddy like a filly. Rainbow let out a wolf-whistle seeing her bike as she began to feel the seat. "Where have you been my whole life?" said the girl with a smile. "Purrin' like a kitten," said Aj as she turned the handle of her bike as she heard the sound of the engine. Not to mention the tires on the bike as they burned rubber. "Uh, no offense, but I've only ever driven a car before. I'm not used to something going faster than 35 miles per hour," said Twilight as she saw her bike. "Don't worry, the cycle comes with an autopilot feature. Whenever we're on missions, the destination will be programmed into the interface, and it'll take us there. Once you get used to it and practice, you can then turn it off." said Ash as he got on his cycle. "Well, that's good to know," said Twilight as she began to approach her cycle and got on it. "Alright, girls. Let's ride!" said Ash as his vizor now covered his face. He turned the handle of his cycle as he popped a wheelie and then zoomed forward down the tunnel when the doors opened. "Wait for us!" shouted Rainbow as she didn't like someone else doing her gimmick. She then turned the handle on hers as she zoomed down the tunnel as well. The rest of them soon followed as Twilight was the last one to exit. Ash was approaching the end of the tunnel as the doors at the end opened up on the other side, the rocks slid to the side as the boy came busting out. The others soon came out as they landed and were zooming through the forest. They caught up to the boy as they now got onto the road as the GPS was guiding them to city hall. "I am in love right now!" said Sunset through her helmet as she was enjoying how her ride was handling. "How you hangin' Twilight?" asked Applejack. "So far so good, still a bit fast," said the nerd as she was still frightened that she might fall off going at high speeds. "Don't fall behind!" said Ash as he picked up a bit more speed. "Why must I chase the cat?" said Rainbow as she began to laugh. She too turned her handle to put more speed to her cycle. "Rainbow!" said the girls as they saw their athletic friend trying to show off. Ash was focusing on the road as he looked down to his cycle and saw a blue dot getting closer. He then saw Rainbow next to him as he could see through his helmet, she had a smug look. She now zoomed ahead of the boy. "Smartass," said Ash with a smug smile of his own. Rainbow was now in the lead as she smiled. She then began to pop a wheelie on her cycle as she was laughing. "Oh yeah, you think you're shit, Skittles," said Ash with a chuckled at seeing the girl was trying to punk him out. "Let's see you top that, Ash." said the girl as she was still holding her wheelie. Her cycle then landed as she kept up her momentum and zoomed ahead. "Alright, Dash. I got something for your ass," said the boy with a smug smile. He now began to put more speed to his ride as he was catching up to the girl. The others were seeing what was happening up front as their rides picked up speed so they could watch from a few meters behind. Ash was now next to Dash as the girl noticed her comrade. She could see through her helmet that he had something planned as his cycle zoomed ahead in front of her. "Alright, bitch. Watch this," said Ash. He now managed to turn his cycle around. The screech of the tires could be heard as they rotated. It left tire marks on the road as the maneuver was complete. The cycle was now riding backward as the girl was stunned by what she was seeing. Ash was grinning the biggest as he managed to punk Rainbow once more. To add insult to injury, he was now only driving backward with ease, but he made sure to give her the middle finger to her face as he was laughing. "Shit!" said the girl. "Yeah, Dash! How do you like them apples, huh!!!" taunted Ash with a laugh. "Show off!" responded the girl. "That's the Ash school of driving right here, baby!" said the boy as he did a quick look behind him, making sure that he wasn't going to hit anything. Once he had his fun with the girl, he then turned the cycle around. He was now driving forward as he zoomed ahead. The others all caught up to Dash as they snickered a bit as seeing their athletic friend get a taste of her own medicine. They all zoomed ahead as now Rainbow was the one getting left behind. With that, all five were now rushing towards city hall. At city hall, tons of minions had appeared out of a portal. They had been sent by their generals to cause some havoc. The things appeared as people saw them and screamed. They all began to run as a few fell over as the mutants chased after them. Some aimed their weapons at some nearby buildings as some pieces of rubble were flung, but nobody was hurt by it. The people were running for their lives as the chaos continued. A lady was shown running as she tripped on her heels. One of the minions appeared over her as he looked to bring its weapon down on her. She covered up to protect herself. Shoots were fired as they collided with the minion as he was thrown onto the floor and vanished. Our heroes had made it in time as the blasts came from Ash's cycle as he managed to get rid of the minion before it could harm the women. The gang approached the women as they were out of their suits. "Are you alright?" asked Ash. "Yeah, thank you." "Get to safety, move!" said the boy as they watched the women leave. Once she was out of sight, the five of them all turned to the number of minions in front of them. The girls all took their positions next to Ash as they were ready to show how serious they were taking their new roles as rangers. "Let's do it, girls," said Ash as he looked at them as they nodded. All five brought their arms up as their wristbands now changed into their morphers. "Ready?" "Ready!" shouted the girls. "It's Morphin' time!" shouted Ash. "Harmony Gem, power up!" said all five in unison. Each one was given their separate transformation as they changed into their suits and did their pose with their animals in the background. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger!" "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger!" "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian, Red Ranger!" "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian, Purple Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian, Green Ranger!" "Harmony Guardian, Power Rangers! United as one!" said all five as an explosion went off in the background to add more to their presence. "Let's take them down," said Ash as he pulled out his mini saber as the girls did the same. All five began to charge forward as the minions did the same. Each of them was now in smaller circles as they were taking a section of their foe. With the small weapons in their hands, they were having an easy time taking out the minions. The girls were starting to get into the rhythm of fighting, even Twilight, as they were mowing them down. "This is too easy," said Rainbow as she spun and did a slash attack when she landed, flinging a minion into a tree. "Girls, pull out your blasters," said Ash as he put his saber away and then pulled out his other weapon as he began to fire at the minions in a row. "Now, we're talking!" said Sunset as she flipped onto a hood of a car as she had her blaster. She bent down and spun, firing at all the minions around the vehicle as they fell. "By the laws of gravity, what goes up, must come down!" said Twilight as she leaped off of a column and kicked a minion in mid-air as it flew past her and slammed onto the ground. The girl landed on a balcony as she began to engage with the minions on the higher ground. "Comin' through!" shouted Applejack as she charged at them as she bulldozed over the minions as they fell. One of them tried to punch her in the chest as she stood there not feeling the effect as the minion hurt his hand. The girl then did a punch tossing the minion to the side as her strength was on full display. "Time to upgrade," said Ash as he tapped his morpher. He was now summoning his personal weapon as appeared in front of him. "Harmony Sword!" shouted the boy as he wielded his blade. "Cool, what do I get?" asked Dash as she saw her teammate get his weapon. She tapped her morpher as soon the weapon appeared in front of her. "Harmony Lance!" shouted the girl. She was using the long weapon as she was now taking out the enemies and helping her to do some acrobatic moves. "Mah turn!" said Aj as she tapped her morpher as an ax appeared. "Time to make the earth shake!" shouted the girl. She then charged up her weapon, and she let out a cry as she brought it down. The ax hit the ground and created a mini earthquake as it caused the minions to fall. Sunset did the same as her weapon appeared as it was a bow. She grabbed it and rolled through as she pulled the string, and it fired some arrows made of red light as they collided with the mutants. She was now taking them out from a distance as she turned with such precision and did a few flips while firing. The girl landed as behind her a small explosion went off. "Man, I'm good," smiled the girl. Seems having an artistic eye helped her when it came to aiming. Twilight saw her teammates get their weapons as she did the same. For here, the girl was awarded a shield as it appeared in her left hand. "Well, they say the best offense is a good defense," said the girl using that logic. The minions now fired their weapons at the girl as she acted on her instincts to cover up. The blasts hit the shield the girl was hiding behind as a smokescreen occurred. Once it died down, the shield appeared without a scratch as Twilight was perfectly unharmed. The girl was pleased with how well made her weapon was to handle all the firepower. They began to charge at her, as Twilight got an idea. She threw her shield at the minions as it ricocheted between them and returned to her hand. She then did a parkour flip as she tossed the shield once more. She landed and began to trade some fists with some mutants as the shield was doing its thing. The girl was able to calculate the angles as she threw her weapon at the nearby buildings as it bounced off of many objects that hit the enemy consecutively. When it kept bouncing from enemy to enemy it sounded like it was forming the notes to a song. It sounded like it was about ponies or something. The girl managed to use her legs to kick the last foe as she turned around and caught the shield in her left hand. "Normally physics don't work like this, but I'm not complaining," said the bookworm. The last bit of the mutants now gathered as Ash was in front of them. He was soon joined by the girls as they spun their weapons in their hands. They had smug smiles through their helmets as they knew their fun had to come to a close. "Time to send the rest of you packing!" said the boy. He pointed his sword at them as it started to power up with his gem. "Topaz Slash!" He then leaped into the air as his weapon had finished charging up as he did a diagonal strike as the last group of the enemy was taken down. He landed as all five now turned their back to the explosion. They took their pose as it went off once again adding to their presence and how fluid they worked as a team. "Hope you're watching," said Ash to himself. His message was directed towards the dark lords. They so happened to be watching as they wanted to see what the minion strike force they sent, cause some damage. But mostly, it was to see if Ash indeed did find a new team and to their amusement, the girls didn't disappoint. "So, boy. You have some new friends. Let's hope you will not make the same mistake as you did before," said the leader as he saw the image of the yellow ranger through their viewing device. "That. Was. Awesome!!!" shouted Rainbow as she jumped into the air and did a fist pump. "Did you see how amazing I was out there?!" "Please, I was too busy kickin' ass," mocked Applejack. "These powers are unbelievable," said Twilight. "We couldn't have done it without you, thanks," said Sunset to Ash. He was about to say something when the sound of applause was heard. The group of teens now looked around as they saw some people were clapping. They had watched from their cover as they saw the heroes take down the creatures. They showed their appreciation as they cheered. The gang raised their hands as they waved to show their love towards the folks. A few pictures and videos were being taken as the group kept on waving. The five now arrived back at HQ. "If every mission is like this, I can't wait to fight!" said Rainbow as her excitement was still high. "Remember, Dash. Being a ranger ain't bout showin' off," said the country girl as she tried to remind her friend of their responsibilities. "Yeah, yeah. But come on, you gotta admit, we were awesome out there!" "I'll admit, it was a valuable experience," said Twilight. "However, you can't just rely on the suit to do the work. We're gonna need to work on your fight skills so that you can improve your move set," said Ash to the girls as he approached Rachel. "So, now that we're rangers? What happens now?" asked Sunset. "We wait. Whenever there's an attack, we act immediately. But... a team isn't complete without a leader. Someone to guide us in battle and through tough situations." said Ash. "Okay, I volunteer myself." "Hell no!!!" shouted the rest of them at the chromatic girl. "Come on!!" groaned Dash. "Who do you think, Ash?" asked Aj. "Well, normally, it's the responsibility of the red ranger to lead." "So, Sunset?" said Twilight as they all looked at the girl. Safe to say, she wasn't expecting that. "Look, I'm not stoked about that idea. I mean, I just barely knew what a ranger is. And now you're all expecting me to lead us. No offense, but I don't think I'm qualified to lead us. If anything, it needs to be someone who has experience with dealing with our foe." said the girl. Sunset now turned her attention towards Ash as the girls did the same. It was now the boy's turn to be shocked as he saw the glances from the girls. "No, I can't. It's tradition," said the boy as he tried to decline. "Besides, I'm..." "The only one who has the experience to know what we're up against. You said so yourself, you've been chasing them for five years. Trying to take them down to avenge your team." said Sunset as she approached Ash and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know you have a way of doing things. But it makes sense for you to lead us." "But..." "She's right, sugar. You know who our enemies are," said Applejack. "But..." "The logic is there," said Twilight. "But..." "Master," said Rachel as the boy looked at the computer. "Your team has made their decision. I know you don't feel like you should be the one in charge, but I believe you are ready. If your were parents were here, they should say the same thing." "Mom, dad..." said Ash as he was thinking of his long-gone parents. His home, his team, his friends. All of it, gone. And now after tracking his enemy for so long, he had a chance to end it. With new allies by his side, the boy now had a team who was willing to help him out. From rookie to a ranger, and to being a leader. It was a lot of pressure for the teen as he felt like this was a mistake. But upon looking at the girls and how Sunset still had her hand on his shoulder, it seems they had full confidence in that he would lead them to victory. "Alright, I accept," said Ash as he grabbed Sunset's hand and held it firmly. She smiled as soon the others all gathered in a circle. They put their hands in as they looked at each other. The power bestowed upon them, the adventure they were going to have, but more importantly, the responsibility they were going to have to carry. With a smile, they all looked at Ash as this moment before him, brought a feeling he didn't think he ever have again. For the boy, he looked at the girls for a split second, his brain had them change into the images of his former teammates as if their spirits were smiling at him. Like they were telling him, that he was going to be alright. They soon changed back as the girls were still smiling. He too caused one to form on his face. "Harmony Rangers!" "United as one!" shouted the girls as they all broke their hands as it was the final still image before fading to black.
Chapter 4: Sacrifice"Focus, part of being a ranger is learning how to concentrate. You must clear your mind of all distractions," said Ash. He was currently walking around the training room as the girls were interacting with the different equipment. Well, almost all the girls. Twilight was on a treadmill as the boy could see she lack stamina. Not to say that she was fat or anything, but once Rachel showed him the video of the many times she pigged out at Hayburger. It made him question how the girl could consume that much junk food and not gain any significant pounds, though there was a slight pudginess. Sunset was at the shooting gallery as she was practicing her shots both with her blaster and bow. Seems playing video games was useful in that it allowed the girl to have a sharp eye. Of course, she had to adjust some things compared to the world of reality, but for the most part, she was able to hit the targets. Meanwhile, Applejack was lifting some weights to improve her strength. Once Ash made sure the girls got into the rhythm of their training, he now began to do his. He approached a punching bag as he began to practice his punches and kicks. The four went at it as soon the elevator to the command center opened up as in came Rainbow with her backpack slung over her shoulder. "Sup, guys!" said the girl. "You're late!" shouted Ash as he did one final punch to the bag as he noticed his teammate. "Yeah, practice ran a little later than usual," said the chromatic girl as she tossed her bag on the couch and then hopped over it as put her feet up. She then grabbed the remote and began to flip through the channels. "I said for you to be here after you were done with school," stated Ash as he exited the training room and stood behind the girl. "As I said, I had practice. Hey, Rachel, any snacks?" said the girl to the A.I. as soon a bowl appeared on the table. The girl now grabbed the popcorn and began to toss it in the air as it landed in her mouth. "I don't care if you had practice; you committed to being here with the rest of the team. You girls need to learn how to fight properly so that you don't rely on the suit," stated Ash as he crossed his arms. "I get it, Ash. So what if I'm late? It's not like it matters. Besides, I'm already a decent fighter," said the girl looking at the TV as she tossed another kernel into the air. She had her mouth open as if she was waiting to catch it, but it didn't. The girl then looked up to see that Ash had caught the kernel in his fingers as he looked down at the girl. He then popped it into his mouth as he now bent his head down to the girl as he had a stern look. "Rainbow, I said that when you chose to become a ranger, you had to follow three rules. Number one: You must keep your secret identity hidden. Number two: when duty calls, you must drop whatever you are doing. And Number three: You have to make sacrifices." "I haven't broken any of those," said the girl as their faces were still upside down. "Yes, you did," said Ash. "Would you get off my ass already?! Gees! If I wanted a lecture, I'd be at my parent's house!" said Rainbow. "I'm trying to make a point here," said Ash. "Whatever," said the girl as she went back to watching the TV. Ash then let out a sigh as he had to take drastic measures. He then quickly swiped the remote to the TV. "Hey, give that!" said Rainbow. She tried to grab the remote as Ash held it up high out of her reach. He began to walk backward with the remote still in his hand as Rainbow was now angry. The pair entered the training room as the others saw this. The pair had made it to where the wrestling mats were as the boy put the thing next to him. "Give it back!" "You'll get it back if you can defeat me," taunted Ash as he took his battle stance. "This will be easy," said Dash as she figured since she knew some karate, she could beat her leader with ease. The two rangers now stood apart from each other as they had their fists up. Rainbow went for a kick as Ash sidestepped it with ease. He quickly delivered a chop to her leg as Rainbow felt it. She then tried a punch to which the boy grabbed it and then transitioned to a standing wrist lock. Rainbow felt her wrist being torqued as she managed to roll through to reverse their position. She then got the boy in a headlock as he countered by putting his leg on the back part of hers as she bent over and he got her in a headlock. She tried to throw him off as Ash now slid down to his knees while the hold was still applied as he countered Rainbow's counter. The girl then did some punches to his midsection as it gave her the split second to free herself as she took a few steps to gain her composure. "That all?" taunted Ash as he didn't feel pain from Rainbow's punches to his midsection. Rainbow was now angry as she rushed and did a flying kick as he once again moved out of the way. He grabbed ahold of the girl as he now had her in a waist lock. He lifted her in the air as Rainbow was kicking, he could so easily slam her to the ground, but he wanted to see if the girl could do something. Rainbow tried pounding her fists where Ash's fingers were locked around her waist as he then slammed her onto the ground. The boy then quickly transition from the waist lock to a headlock as Rainbow was face-first into the ground. The others had been watching this as it kinda amused them to see Rainbow being humbled. The girl was struggling to get out of the boy's headlock as she tried to push up, but the boy kept wrenching on his hold. He decided to let go as he popped up to his feet as he quickly gave a slap to Rainbow's ass as the girl was coming to all fours. "Hey!" said Rainbow as she felt the impact of her butt being slapped. Safe to say, she was turning all sorts of red as she rubbed her tushy. "Give up," said the boy with a smug smile. "That's it!" said the girl as she was pissed off. "Come on, Dashie," said Ash. That nickname was the last straw as she didn't like it coming out of the boy's mouth. She then ran and leaped into the air to do some fast kicks as Ash was blocking all of them as he was being pushed backward. Rainbow landed and immediately went for a sweep to which the boy forward flipped over the girl. She then quickly charged at him, to which his answer was corkscrew. Safe to say, that move alone had all the girls have their jaws drop. In slow motion, Rainbow was under Ash as he was in the air in mid-rotation of the move. She turned her head to look at him as the boy gave her a quick wink. Time resumed as he landed to safety avoid Dash's attempt to hit him. Rainbow then ran at the boy as she executed a head scissors maneuver on the boy as he managed to roll through the move and land on his feet. She then tried a roundhouse kick as the boy ducked and then did a chop block to her other leg as she went down to a knee. He then delivered a knee strike to her as hit the girl who fell onto her back. The girls could hear the sound as it echoed around the room, but Rainbow wasn't too hurt. She then charged again as this time Ash caught her by using his legs as he managed to put the girl on the floor and had her in a cross-arm breaker hold as he yanked on the girl's left arm. Rainbow could feel herself being stretched as she tried her best to escape. She managed to roll onto her knees as the hold was still locked as she got a hold of his right foot. She then transitioned into an ankle lock as she was hoping to get the boy to submit. It didn't last but a few seconds as the boy countered by getting his hands on her foot and now switched their positions as he had her in an ankle lock as he was on a knee and yanking on the leg of the athletic girl. "Tap! Tap!" shouted Ash as pulled on the ankle of the girl. Rainbow was scratching and clawing at the mats as if trying to crawl out of the hold, but she couldn't. She was trying to hold on, but the pressure was starting to become too much that she felt the pain. "Tap! Tap!" yelled Ash as he applied more pressure. "Alright! I tap! You win!" said the girl as she couldn't take it anymore. Her hand was now hitting the mat with such speed as she signaled that she gave up. The boy released his hold on the girl as he ran a hand through his hair. Rainbow was now on the mat back first as she had her limbs spread out. She was panting hard as if she had finished playing a difficult game. She saw the shadow of Ash standing over her as he offered his hand which she grabbed. He then brought the girl so that she could sit up as he bent down to her level. "This is why you need to be on time for our training sessions," said Ash. "Why you got to single me out, huh?! It's bad enough that I got my ass handed to me by you. But you're talking to me as if the others don't have to follow the same expectations." said Rainbow as she pointed at her friends. "You don't see them giving up their after-school activities." "Actually, I had to quit robotics and a few other clubs I'm in," said Twilight putting her head down and rubbing her arm. "And I had to put my gaming channel on indefinite hiatus," said Sunset as she rubbed her neck. "And ah told Granny Smith that I wouldn't be able to do mah chores as much as I used to," said Applejack tipped her hat to hide her face. Safe to say, the response from the three girls got Rainbow to be shocked. She didn't expect her friends to part with things that they valued so close to her heart. "And for me, I became a ranger at the age of 11. So I had to sacrifice the rest of my childhood. As I said, the reality of being a ranger means sacrificing those that are closest to your heart. Your duty as a ranger comes first," said Ash. "But... that's not fair!" said Rainbow. "That's the price you have to pay," said the boy as he stood up and began to walk. "But I can't give up sports! It's the thing that I love the most. You expect me to just quit all the sports teams at school?!" shouted the girl. "Yes," said Ash looking over his shoulder at her. "With great power, comes great responsibility." Rainbow was anything than pleased at hearing that she would have to quit the one thing that brought a smile to her face. "Alright, let's call it for the day. You girls need to get home before your parents get worried," said Ash. They all nodded as they exited the training room. He saw Rainbow walking past him as she had an angry look on her face. The girls all grabbed their backpacks as they then activated their wristbands and turned them into their respective colored lights. Four lights shot out of the command center as they went off in different directions. Once the girls disappeared, Ash now sat down on the couch as he began to eat the popcorn from the bowl. "Rainbow, I know you may not agree with this decision. But for the fate of your dimension and in defeating these dark lords, you must make the necessary sacrifice." said the boy. The girls had split up as each of them landed a few meters away from their homes to avoid any suspicion. Nobody was nearby as they began to walk the last bit home. Twilight had made it to her home as she pulled out her keys and opened the door. "Twilight, is that you?" asked Night Light. "Yeah, dad," said the girl. "Hi, Spike," she said picking up the small creature. "So, how was school? Did you have fun today?" asked Velvet. "Y-Yeah, I did. I... had some things to take care of. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have some last-minute assignments that need to be completed." said the girl as she began to walk upstairs to her room. "We'll call you when dinner is ready," said Twilight's mother as watched her daughter disappear into her room. Sunset entered her house as she turned the lights on. The whole place now lit up as it allowed the girl to see. She tossed her backpack on her bed as she sat on the edge of it and fell back. She spread out her arms while letting out a sigh. The girl's eyes noticed something out of the corner of her pupil as it was a gaming controller. She was now thinking about her duty as a ranger and what that meant. "Usually, I would stream right now. But... my responsibility as a ranger comes first. Still... Ash didn't say that I couldn't play for fun," said the girl as picked up the controller and put on her headphones. She then turned on one of her many consoles as she began to play to relax. Applejack had made it to the farm as she entered through the gate. She passed by the farm animals as they let out noises upon seeing the farm girl. The front door was opened as the country girl took a few steps and was tackled by something small. "Hey, Applejack." "Hey, Applebloom," said the older sister as she rubbed her hand through her younger sister's hair. "So, where were you?" asked the smaller Apple sibling. "Sorry, sugarcube. But that's a secret," said Aj putting her finger to her lips. "Ah, come on! Tell me! Ah can keep a secret!" shouted the younger girl trying to get her older sibling to spill the beans. As for Rainbow, she had arrived at her home and rushed towards her room. Safe to say, her mood was unlike the others as she was distraught. Especially, cause when her parents said hello to their daughter she bolted to her room and slammed her door. That alone meant that they should give their daughter some time before addressing her. So for an hour, Rainbow was in her room sitting against her bedframe as she bounced a small ball against the wall and her hand. She was currently thinking about what went down at the command center. "As I said, the reality of being a ranger means sacrificing those that are closest to your heart. Your duty as a ranger comes first." "It's bad enough that he had to embarrass me but to say for me to quit sports. Is that even possible? What if I could balance the two, then there wouldn't need to give it up? I'm sure it'll work, right?" said the girl as the ball returned to her hand. "Sweetie, is it alright to enter?" asked Rainbow's dad. "Yeah," said the girl as she now turned to her side so that her back was to the door. The door opened, as in came Bow Hothoof who saw his daughter. Rainbow was rolling the ball with her finger as she felt her father sit on her bed. He then reached over to her hair as he began to brush his daughter's hair. "How was your day?" "Fine, I guess," responded the girl. "If you want to talk, me and your mother are right here," said Bow Hothoof as he knew his daughter wasn't the type of person to express feelings. He gave her one last rub through her hair as he got up and headed towards the door. "Dad?" said Rainbow as she sat up. "Yes," said her father as he was reaching for the door. "What would you guys think if... I... was to quit something that I loved?" asked Rainbow to her father. He simply raised an eyebrow at what his daughter was saying. "Let's say that I have a responsibility to uphold, but in order for me to do that, I would need to sacrifice something that I hold dearly." "Sweetie..." "Would... it be worth it? Is it the right decision to give up something that I truly enjoy so that I can uphold my duty?" Rainbow put her head down as she brought her knees close to her chest. While she did her best to not show it, small tears were starting to form. Bow then sat down next to his daughter as he put his arm around her. "You feel as if you were to give it up, you might not ever get a chance to do it again, huh?" said the father as the girl still had her face buried into her knees. "I'm not gonna sit here and say that I have the answer, Dash. But if there's one thing I've learned in my life, is that if you listen to your heart, then you can't go wrong. It's how I got your mother to marry me. I can't tell you what to do, only you can decide that. But know that whatever decision you make, me and your mother support it." Rainbow felt the small tears drying up as she lifted her head to look at her father. "The greatest gift that we could have ever asked for, was having you for a daughter," said Bow to his girl. He then brought her in for a hug as Dash didn't resist letting her emotions out. The hug lasted for a few moments as Rainbow's father now got up and left. He gave one last smile as he closed the door and the chromatic girl was left with her thoughts. Rainbow was now starting to think about what her dad said and what Ash had told her at the command center. She was now deciding what her decision was going to be. The morning came as the team was doing some scouting across the city. Well, moreso they were until some mutant minions had decided to make their presence. Ash and the girls were now engaged in combat as they were in the park where the attack was discovered. There was no one present given that it was still early in the morning, but evil never takes a break. "At least this happened before school," said Twilight as she was using her blaster to mow down her section of foes. She then spun in a circle as she took out the whole wave around her. "I could always do with a mutant beatdown before I start my day," said Sunset as she had her bow out and took the enemies down from afar. She pulled her weapon backward as she didn't bother to look as her shot took out a mutant in a tree. "Speaking of which, where's Dash?" asked Applejack as she had her hand in front of her as she was holding a minion back as it was swinging its arms in front trying to hit the girl. "I sent a call to her to be here," responded Ash as he was using his small saber to take down his section. He began to exchange fists and kicks as he had no problem taking out the small fry sent to cause chaos. He and the girls now had their signature weapons out as they looked to end their playtime. "Let's finish this! Topaz Slash!" shouted Ash as he jumped into the air and did a diagonal slash taking out his last bit of enemies. "Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she brought her ax downwards to the ground creating a meteor effect taking out her section. "Ruby Strike!" shouted Sunset as she grabbed her bow and did a backflip into the air. While in the air, she pulled back on the string and shot out an attack in flames as it burned her foes. "Sapphire Spin!" yelled Twilight as she tossed her shield towards the minions as it began to spin fast. It was gaining momentum and power as it hit the huge group as they were defeated. "Great work, y'all!" said Applejack. "Not really," said Ash as he wasn't happy. Rainbow had awoken as she had to get to school early for practice. The chromatic girl left her house and made it to the school where the rest of her teammates were busy warming up. Once she arrived, Spitfire had her team run some basic laps as they all took off jogging. About halfway through practice, Rainbow's wristband let out a beep sound. She looked at it and put her hand over it as she made her way to the bleachers as if she needed to get something from her bag. She had her back turned as she looked at her gem. It displayed an image of the others fighting the minions and Ash's message of telling her to come help. The girl was now deciding on what to do as ever since her talk with her father from the night before, she was still unsure about her decision. "Hey, Crash? You good?" said Spitfire as she saw the girl with her back turned. "Y-Yeah, just... needed to rehydrate," said Rainbow now turning back to her friend with her hands behind her back. "Well, come on. We still got practice," gestured the oranged-haired girl as Rainbow nodded and made her way to the field. She tossed the ball to the chromatic athlete as she began to do some fancy footwork. The rest of the team now gathered for some quick drills as they soon moved to play a small game with each other. All the time, Rainbow's morpher was going off as she chose to ignore it and focus on her practice. The girl was in her element, smiling and being in the zone. She managed to do some crazy shots, given her new powers as a ranger as it got her teammates to be shocked a bit. Eventually, it was the end of practice. "Alright, everyone. School is about to begin, so hit the showers and change," instructed the captain as her teammates all grabbed their gym bags. "Hey, Crash. Nice work out there," said the captain extending her fist. "Thanks," said the chromatic girl as she returned the gesture. "If you do that in today's game, we're gonna win no sweat," said Spitfire as the two girls began to talk as they made it to the locker rooms. Watching from afar was an individual as he had a stern expression on their face. Rainbow had finished cleaning herself of her sweat and was now changing into her usual attire. She had opened her locker to grab her t-shirt when... "Enjoying practice?" Rainbow turned around as standing before her was Ash. "Ahh! What are you doing here?" shouted the girl. "Hey, Crash. You okay in there?" asked Fleetfoot. "Y-Yeah, just the water was cold. It's all better now," said the girl hoping that her female teammates wouldn't enter and see her with Ash in the locker room. "Alright then," said Fleetfoot as her footsteps could be heard getting fainter. "This is the girl's locker room. I don't know how things are in your dimension, but we here have something called privacy!" said the chromatic. "You're not naked, are you?" said Ash as he gestured to Rainbow as she was wearing her shorts and sports bra. Regardless, Rainbow was still showing signs of red for being alone with a boy in this type of environment. "So, did you enjoy practice?" said the boy crossing his arms. "What's it to you?" responded the girl turning her back to him. "It's everything to me. I'm your leader. This morning, there was an attack. I called the team to meet at the location. Everyone was there, except you. Now granted, I'd figured you'd probably be a few minutes late, no worries. So I made sure to call you on your morpher. After a while, you still didn't show up. Then we finished cleaning up, and you still didn't show." "Okay! Could you please get off my ass!!" yelled the girl. "I didn't show up, because... I chose not to." "Rainbow..." "I'm sorry, alright. I broke the rule, I should have left practice to help you guys, but... I couldn't!" said the girl as she now turned around and punched the locker. "You think that I don't give a shit about being a ranger. I'm trying my hardest to please both worlds, but... it's hard. It's hard for me. I don't want you guys to think that I'm not taking this shit seriously, I do! I'm not gonna let some evil bastards destroy my home or the people that I care about. But I also can't just quit sports altogether. It's who I am, it's a part of me." The girl didn't realize it, but she was venting out her feelings to someone. Her eyes had held back all the tears she'd been piling up as the waterworks released. Drops of it hit the tiled floor as it could be heard. The girl who was described as having a tough demeanor was now vulnerable, something that nobody thought possible. "Before I became a ranger, I had my dream of becoming a professional sports player. And now, it feels like that's never gonna happen. Cause I'm giving up on it to fulfill my responsibility. I feel like I'm losing a part of me if I walk away." Ash stood there with a straight face as he listened to the cool girl vent out her sorrows and pain. He took a deep breath as he uncrossed his arms and placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. The exposed skin made contact with his hand as even then, Rainbow could feel the tiny muscles in Ash's hand as it sort of gave her warmth. "Rainbow, I get it. I am upset that you chose to ignore the call, but I'm not angry. I get it, you feel as if all of this has suddenly been thrust upon you. That, you're feeling forced to make a decision. Believe me, I know." said the boy as he was thinking back on when he chose to become a ranger. "You have a duty to uphold, but you also don't want to lose a piece of yourself in the thing that defines you. Besides, you're not alone. The girls may have given up some of their other commitments, but they didn't do so willingly. They each approached me and they vented out their feelings, they even cried their eyes. I was there to be the shoulder so that they could let it all out." Rainbow turned her head as the tears still streamed down her face. "I'm here if you need to," said Ash. Not even a second, did the girl now stand in front of the boy as she buried her face into his shirt. Ash stood there with his eyes closed as he let Rainbow pour out her emotions. The teen knew she wouldn't get past it until she let it all out. He lifted his arm as he looked to hug her. He hesitated as he put it back down. Rainbow bawled her fists up and lightly pounded against the boy's chest. After a good solid 10 minutes, the sniffles had ceased as Rainbow still had her face buried. "Feel better?" asked Ash. "Uh-huh," said the girl sniffling and wiping the last bit of water using the boy's shirt. She removed her head as she looked at her leader. "I know this isn't an easy choice, Dash. But know that this is what needs to happen. And the reason why I'm always on your ass isn't that I think you're slacking or you don't take this responsibility seriously. It's because I care about you." said Ash putting his hand on her shoulder once more, it then trailed upwards to cusp the girl's side of her face. "You have a choice to make. That's all I need to tell you. And if you do choose to continue with sports, then... I wish you luck in today's game." Rainbow put her head down for a moment to take in Ash's words. When she lifted, he was now gone. The girl looked at her wristband as it had her gem. The rest of the day, the girls were at school as Ash was in the command center as he was keeping an eye on things happening around the city. During classes, Rainbow was thinking about what was discussed between her and Ash. Safe to say, the fact that she managed to break down in tears spoke volumes. While the rangers were doing their thing, the villains were looking to make their move. "Yes, I understand," said Pharynx's younger brother. He then stood up as he exited the throne room and met with one of their officers' mutants as he was to lead him and the minions on a special mission. They were approaching their portal when they were stopped by Pharynx who stood next to the portal. "Off on a mission, little brother?" "Drilburg, go on ahead," instructed the general to the officer as the mutant left through the portal. "You're finally going out on the field?" said Pharynx. "In case you didn't know, the boss is sending me on a special mission. Seems he's looking for something, so it's up to me to find it. Drilburg and the rest of the forces are to distract the rangers so that I can conduct my search." said the mutant to his big brother. He now approached the portal as he disappeared into it. "Don't get hurt, Thorax," said Pharynx as he watched his brother leave. The school bell rang as it signaled the end of the day. Rainbow was at her locker as she was getting her stuff. At that moment, her wristband began to beep as she put her hand over it. She quickly looked around to make sure that any passing-by students weren't listening as she leaned into her locker and listened to the call that Ash was sending the girls. "What's up, Ash?" said Aj through her wristband as she was with the rest of them by the statue. "Rachel has picked up activity in the city. I'm sending you the coordinates. Get over as soon as you can." said Ash. "On our way," replied Sunset. All three made sure no one was around as they all touched their wristbands, they were now gone in flashes of light and being transported to where the threat was. Rainbow had heard the call as she had her finger over her gem. She was hesitant about touching it as her mind was conflicted. "Crash, there you are. Everybody waiting for you," said Misty Fly as she saw her teammate by her locker. "I was... just getting something," said Rainbow as she closed her locker and retrieved her gym bag. "Then let's get on the bus," said Misty Fly as both girls made it to the parking lot where the rest of the Wondercolts were boarding the bus. Rainbow got on board as she waved to her teammates and took her seat. The bus now began to move as it was driving them to where their game was being held. Meanwhile... The enemy had arrived as they managed to scare the citizens as they fled in terror. Holes were being dug up as the mutant Drilburg was popping in and out as he was throwing dirt and cement everywhere. Some of the nearby buildings could feel the weakened foundation near them as shook a bit. "Nothing in this area," said Thorax as he had a small scanner in his mutant hands. "Keep looking, we're bound to find it." instructed the general to his forces. Some of the minions now began to rip out some grass and scan the area as they were instructed. Some blaster shots were heard as a few of them fell. Thorax noticed this as they fell near his feet. He looked up as he found the cause of them. "Hold it right there!" shouted Sunset as she and the others all appeared in their ranger suits. "As much as ah appreciate a good tussle in the dirt, y'all are goin' about it the wrong way," said Aj. "Well that is a matter of one's perspective," replied Thorax. "Drilburg, handle them for me." instructed the mutant general. "Count on it!" said Drilburg. The four rangers now charged forward with their mini sabers in their hands as they were engaged. Ash was mowing down the enemies in his path as he looked in the distance and saw Thorax walking away with the scanner in hand. He flipped over a minion and did an elbow strike as he looked to chase after the mutant general. He was stopped momentarily by Drilburg as he landed some hits on the boy ranger with his drill arm as he was tossed onto his back. He looked to see how the girls were doing as he saw that Rainbow wasn't present. "Rainbow," said Ash as he quickly got back up and began to fight against the officer mutant. He did a flying leap as he managed to hit the general into a wall. "You girls take care of them, I'm going after him!" shouted Ash as he began to ran after Thorax who turned a corner. The girls now began to focus on eliminating the minions so that they could go help their leader. Ash was running into some alleys as some more minions were lying in wait to ambush the boy, but he took out each one in his path. All the while, Thorax was simply walking with the scanner in hand as he was turning some more corners. He was following the beeping sound as he tried to adjust the frequency of the device. He had turned the corner when he heard a voice. "Thorax!!!" shouted Ash. The boy had managed to get rid of all the minions that the general had put in an attempt to stop him. The mutant now turned as he came face to face with the yellow ranger. Neither said a word as they stared at one another. The scene then flashed changed as it now showed Ash and Thorax, but more so before the general had undergone his transformation to what he was now. The scene showed the two in the rain as it poured on the two when they were young teens as lightning went off in the back. A flash of lightning and the scene were back in the present time. "Thorax!" "Been a long time, Ash." While Ash and the girls were handling the attack, Rainbow was on the bus as she was looking out of the window. She glanced down at her morpher as she was thinking if she was making the right decision. "Rainbow?" "Hmm." "I said, is everything all right?" asked Soarin. "Yeah, why'd you ask?" "Cause you've been staring at the window since we left CHS." "Just... have a lot on my mind is all," replied the chromatic girl. The team's bus now arrived at the sight of their game as they got off-board. The field was filled with people from CHS, and from the team, they were facing off. They all entered the locker rooms respectively as they changed into their uniform. The whole team was in their gathering room as Spitfire was giving a last-minute pep talk to her teammates. Rainbow sat on the bench as she was barely listening to what was being said. Everything was plaguing her mind as she couldn't help but think of the others. "Crash?!!" "Huh?" "I said, are we gonna win?" asked Spitfire to the girl as the rest of the teammates looked at her. Rainbow was looking around as all eyes were on her. "Let's... kick their asses," said the girl with not much competitiveness in her voice. They bought it as they all cheered. With that, they began to head out to the field as Rainbow remained behind for a bit as she clutched her leg. The field was loud as people were cheering from the bleachers. Rainbow was walking out with her team as she was taking it in. This is what she was used to, this is where she thrived, the spotlight on her as it should be. The roar of the crowd chanting her name, the pressure on her shoulders, and the high stakes. Yet... why? "Time to put you rangers six feet under!" shouted Drilburg as he now burrowed into the ground. "Where is he?" shouted Twilight as all three girls were back to back in a circle as they had their weapons out. The ground shook as the mutant shot out and zoomed past them at high speeds from all directions as they fell to their knees. He laughed as he went back underground. "Feel the vibrations," said Twilight as they were hoping to find where their hidden enemy might be. The girls all focused as they began to use their senses and the suit's scanners to look at the area around them. Underground, the mutant was drilling through the dirt as he was using his echolocation feature to see where the girls were at. He'd now begun to move upwards as he was approaching the girl. "There!" pointed Sunset. Applejack then brought her ax down to where her friend pointed. The girl slammed her ax on the ground hoping to hit the mutant as a meteor effect occurred. However, Drilburg was able to fake the girls out as he now appeared in front of Twilight as then they drilled at the girls back and forth as they were defenseless. The trio was flung onto the ground as more minions appeared to finish off the girl. Ash was with Thorax as the two were standing in an alley as they glanced at one another. "Tell me, Thorax. Are you all looking for it?" asked Ash. "Ever since it was lost before we destroyed your dimension. Both sides have been looking for it. By the way, congrats on your new team. You really do have an impressive selection this time around. And they're all girls, so were you trying to go for a little harem?" asked Thorax. "I'll give you this, they're all good selections." "Thorax, I meant what I said. I'm taking you and your pals down. We may have been friends once, but you made your choice that day." "And I respect that. And you should know, that even though our past may have told a tale, the present has a different chapter. And no doubt the future will be written by the victor." said Thorax. He now began to walk to the dead end. "Best hurry to your girls, I doubt they'll last long." With that, a portal opened up as the mutant general disappeared. The game was neck and neck, the score was tied as both sides were giving it their all. The Wondercolts were doing their best just to match the aggressiveness that their opponents were showing. But even then, they were starting to reach their limit. Rainbow had been put in for the first half of the game, but eventually, they had to change tactics as she was told to sit out. Now with the final minutes of the game, they were desperate for a miracle. Spitfire could see her team getting pummeled, and as their captain, she was doing her best to lead them to victory. "Alright, Dash. Time to finish this. Everybody is counting on you." said Spitfire as she put her in. The girl nodded as she got on the field, she took her position as the opponents were running towards them with the ball. She managed to intercept and steal it from them as she was now running towards the net. Using her ranger skills, she was able to keep the ball away from the other players as she kept on running. She saw the net in sight as she went for a kick, but she hesitated. Her teammates were shouting at her, but she wasn't focusing on them. At that moment, one of the players from the other team went in for the steal. They missed it but the tip of their shoes collided with the girl's other leg as she lost her balance and tumbled. The whistle was blown as the referee came to check up on the girls. Neither was hurt as they gave a thumbs up. Spitfire told the coach to call for a quick time out as the ref allowed it. "Crash, what the hell? Why'd didn't you take the shot? You had it." said Spitfire. "I'm sorry. But... I can't be here." said Rainbow as she now grabbed her bag and was now walking away as there was a game going on. "Crash? What's going on? Where are you going?!!" stated Spitfire. "I needed somewhere else," said the girl as she was now running. Safe to say, her teammates were confused as Spitfire was stunned. "I don't know how long I can keep going?" said Twilight as she was starting to lose some steam. "There's too many," said Aj as she managed to clear another wave of minions as even more showed up. "We have to keep fighting!" said Sunset as she was starting to move slower as her attacks were being blocked, and in return, she was taking tons of hits. "Minions! Finish them!" shouted Drilburg as a section of them aimed their weapons at the girls as they noticed it at the last second. Blasts were fired as the girls took many to the chest as they all fell to the ground next to each other. The whole group was coming closer as they looked to end the girls. "Say your prayers," said Drilburg as the minions looked to deliver the final shot. At that moment, several of them fell to the ground. "Huh?" the mutant then looked as a blur flipped in the air. Rainbow had made it to where her friends were as she arrived in time to say them. She now began to fistfight with some of the minions as she looked to defend her friends and give them a chance to catch their breath. The girl was taking the minions down as she soon ran into Drilburg as the mutant kicked the girl and she fell to the floor. He looked to end her when Twilight's shield collided with the mutant as he was pushed back. "Thanks, Twi," said Dash as the other approached her. They helped her up as Twilight's weapon returned to her hands. "Figured you'd need me to save the day." The others rolled their eyes through their helmets as they turned their attention back to the enemy. "One more makes no difference. I'll destroy you all," said Drilburg. "I don't think so," said Rainbow with a smug smile as her wristband changed into her morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" The girl now touched the interface of her device as she drew her symbol. Her gem now began to in case her, bits of her gem were on her shoulder. She landed on a platform and lifted her head as the vizor covered the last bit of her face. She did her pose as the animal in the middle of her suit appeared behind her as it gave a screech. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger!" The enemy now began to race towards the girl as they all charged forward. Rainbow stood behind as she touched her morpher. "Harmony Lance!" shouted the girl as her weapon appeared and grabbed it. All four girls now began to fight back. Rainbow was using her long weapon to take out the enemy before they could reach her. She stabbed it into the ground as she now spun around kicking the enemy that made contact with her feet. She then flipped and then grabbed one of the minions at the end of it and used it to help swat away the others. It wasn't long as soon she went another round with Drilburg as the girl was having a smoother time. However, she was still overpowered as she took some knee strikes to her midsection and was flung to the ground. "I ain't waiting anymore!" said Drilburg as he looked to bring the sharp end of his drill arm on the girl. A yellow mirage-like wolf now appeared as it spun in a circle as it hit the mutant dead-on as several blows to its body were shown. The wolf then did one final claw swipe as the mutant was thrown back and onto his knees. It disappeared as standing a few meters away was Ash as he had his blade out. "Ash!" said Rainbow. "Topaz Slash!" shouted the boy as he now leaped into the air. He powered up as his body was outlined with the power of his gem. He then brought his blade as he did a diagonal swipe. He landed as the mutant was still kicking. "Rainbow, he's all yours!" said Ash. "Thanks," said the girl as she now began to power up her lance. "Here goes. Cobalt Spear!!!" shouted the girl as she was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the mutant. It was but seconds as the girl delivered her finishing move as she made a hole through the mutant's body as she appeared behind him. She did her pose as the mutant fell, and an explosion went off as the girl held her victory stance. The others had finished taking out the small fry as they all let out a sigh of relief. Rainbow approached Ash as the two rangers looked at one another. "You came?" said the boy. "Yeah, I have a responsibility to uphold," smiled the girl through her helmet. Ash gave her a thumbs-up as she returned the gesture. It was now evening time as the Wondercolts had made it back to CHS as they had gathered on the field. Spitfire was doing keeping a ball in the air using her feet when Rainbow made her presence known. The captain saw the chromatic girl as she grabbed the ball and put it under her arm. "Hey." "So what's the deal, Crash? You left in the middle of the game. That's not like you. Everything okay?" asked Spitfire. "Y-Yeah. Everything is fine. It's just... I'm not gonna be available for the rest of the season. Or the foreseeable future for any sports." "Ha, ha, ha. I knew you liked to joke around, Crash. That's funny," said Spitfire as she laughed at what the girl was saying. She then looked at Rainbow as it ceased. "You're not capping. You serious?" "Sorry. But, something's come up that needs my attention. And in order for me to do it, I... I need to be available at all times. So, I... can't be a part of the team anymore." "Hold up? You ditching on us, Crash?!" said Thunderlane as he overheard. "You just gonna leave us hanging high and dry?! After all, we've been through as a team?!" said Misty Fly. Soon the other teammates appeared behind Spitfire as they had expressions on their faces. "I'm sorry, guys. But... this is something that I have to do," said Rainbow. "You back-stabbing son of a bitch," said Fleetfoot. She looked to get her hands on the traitor when she was stopped by Spitfire who put her arm out. "Leave her. She's not worth it," said Spitfire. "Everybody, let's get the hell out of here." The rest of the team began to leave but not before giving the chromatic girl some dirty looks. Rainbow felt sad as she watched her former teammates label her as a villain for choosing to leave them. Spitfire was the last one to leave as she had the biggest scowl on her face. "You know if you had just told us at the start. We would have understood. Hope whatever it is you're doing is worth it. Cause you made the ultimate mistake. You let us down." said Spitfire as she turned her back on her former teammate as she began to walk. "Don't bother showing up at any games, we wouldn't want to be in the way of your responsibility." With that, the girl now left as only Rainbow was left on the field with the sun starting to set beyond the horizon as an orange light shined behind the athletic. "I wish I could tell you guys. But I can't," said Rainbow in a soft and hurtful tone. She now began to leave the field as she got to the school statue as there was Ash. He was waiting for the girl as he was leaning against the thing with his hands in his pockets. Rainbow approached the boy as they looked at each other. "This is it, huh. This is supposed to be the right decision, huh! So tell me, why do I feel like shit?!" stated Rainbow as she had her head down. "Because it never is," said the boy as had his hand grip her chin and have the girl look at him. "I understand it must be hard. And they probably hate your guts for turning your back on them. But remember, this is about a bigger picture. We're fighting to save them, to save your home. Though the choices we make may not be the ones that fill us up with joy, they are the necessary ones." Rainbow buried herself in the boy's chest as she couldn't help but still be hurt. "I just... hope that they can forgive me someday," said the girl. "Hey, I said you had to make a sacrifice. But I didn't say that you couldn't have it back once we complete our mission," said Ash as Dash now looked up at the boy. "Once we finish and defeat the dark lords, who knows, maybe... you can still get your dream of being a professional athlete." Rainbow popped a small smile at hearing that. "But for now, we have a mission. So let's complete it, together." "Together," said the girl. The pair now began to walk as Rainbow kept her head on Ash's shoulder as the boy put an arm around his friend and smiled. They were exiting the school as the sky transitioned into the night as the moon was shown.
Chapter 5: Zords"Anything, Rachel?" asked Ash as he was in sitting in the chair. "Scans show nothing, master." "Boost output power by 5%. I want to find it before they do," instructed the boy. The boy leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. He wasn't alone in the command center as Twilight was near the lounge area. She was working on some assignments as the pair were waiting for the rest of the team. "Let's see, apply this formula to this equation and... done," said the girl as she finished her assignment in less than 7 minutes. "You're really smart, Twilight," said Ash as he turned around in his chair and looked at her. "Thanks," said the girl as she blushed a bit from the compliment. "Though stuff like this is easy for me. I've been meaning to ask you something?" "What?" "Why is your A.I. called Rachel?" "Well, she's called Rachel cause that's the name that my parents wanted to call their child if it was a girl. Sorry to disappoint them, but as you can tell, I'm not a girl. So instead, my father helped my mother and the team by building an A.I. that would assist them during their missions." "Wait? Your dad helped your mother?" Yup, he wasn't a ranger per se. He was more of the technical guy behind the scenes. The one who would relay information and guide the team in the field." "So, your dad built this?" said Twilight directing towards the computer program. "Yeah, he built Rachel as a way for him and my mother to use that name. But he also built her so that in the case that neither should be around, she would take care of me. Can't tell you how right he was." said the boy. "So, your father didn't make it either?" "He wasn't gonna leave my mother's side. He loved so much that he'd meet his end with her by his side and vice versa. That's dedicated love if you ask me," said Ash as he couldn't help but wipe some tears. "I'm sorry. I know it's tough being in a different dimension and not having anyone. But we're here. We may not know each other that much yet, but we're friends. We're your team. So, no matter what, we'll be here for you." said Twilight putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "I appreciate that thanks, Twilight." smiled the boy. "By the way, your math is wrong. You applied the wrong formula. You're supposed to use this set and then divide it by the estimation." Ash now scribbled his work as he showed the girl his math. "That's ridiculous, I would know..." Twilight's eyes widen as she grabbed her notebook. She was now looking at her problem and comparing her work with that of Ash's. And to her surprise, he was right. "How? How is this possible? I thought I checked my calculations, what step did I miss?" "You missed when you ignored the second step. Yes, you were right that it was a useless number. But it's useless until you get the answer from solving the equation. Then you take the useless numbers and plug them into the formula and then the rest is what you did." stated Ash. "Wow, you're correct. Huh? No offense, but I... I... um..." "Didn't think I was knowledgeable in stuff about your dimension?" said the boy. "Heh," said the girl, playing with her hair as she twirled it with her finger. "Me being here, I had to know how things worked. Plus, I was sort of an honor roll student back in my dimension. So I know this kind of stuff that you're learning." said the teen boy. Twilight then grabbed her leader as the pair was now sitting next to each other as the boy tutored the girl with some more of her problems. She was enjoying herself as she was not only getting a better understanding of the problems but also picking Ash's brain. The rest of their friends soon arrived as the elevator opened up. "Sup, peeps," said Rainbow as she tossed her bag as one of the drones caught it and set it down by the coat rack. "Wait, Twilight? Are you the one who's getting tutored?" "Why yes," said the bookworm with a smile. "I never pegged Ash to be smart." She then made a face as the boy had a raised eyebrow at that statement. "That came out wrong, what I meant to say was that I misjudged his knowledge that he had of our dimension." "It's all good, Twilight," said the boy. "Never thought I'd see the day where the egghead needs to be taught how to be smart." "I am not an egghead. I am well-read!" shouted the lavender girl to her chromatic friend. "Anyways, before we left, Rarity asked us to stop by tomorrow at her boutique. Seems she wants to make sure that we have our outfits ready for the party on Friday," said Sunset. "What party?" asked Ash. "A small school party. You know, a dance. Haven't you had one of those in your dimension?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Again, I became a ranger at age 11. And shortly after that, my whole dimension was destroyed. So... yeah, I've never experienced this whole dance thing." "Well, maybe we can invite you. I mean, I'm sure Pinkie can put you on the list if we ask her," said Applejack. "Not interested. Besides, we're rangers. This means that if duty happens on that night, you girls have to leave the party and come help." stated the boy. "So we can't even enjoy our own school events cause we're rangers?!" said Rainbow. "I told you all, there's a high price to pay for wielding such power and responsibility," stated Ash. "Anyways, now that you're all here. Time we get on with today's lesson. One that I think you'll find interesting." The team was now outside of the command center in the forest as there was a drone floating about as Rachel was scanning the area for any activity. Also recording what Ash wanted to teach the girls. They were all in a line as in front of them was the boy. "So, let me ask you all? Do you remember our recent fight?" asked the boy. "Yeah," responded the girl. "Now, do you remember seeing some kind of wolf appear and attack Drilburg?" "I was wonderin' bout that," stated the country girl. "How do you summon that thing?" asked Rainbow. "Okay, first, do you all know the animal symbol that's on your suit when you transform." "Yeah, owl." "Phoenix." "Rhino" "Peregrine Falcon." "And mine is a wolf. See, our gems allow us to sort create a mirage image of the animal that is on the suit. Sort of like a spirit in a way. So, let me show you," said the boy as he touched his morpher and changed into his yellow suit. He now turned his back to the girls as he looked ahead. He put his hands together as he was concentrating. His topaz gem was responding to the boy as he was now gathering up energy. Once he had enough and his mind was focused, he did some quick arm movements as he thrust out a hand, and the animal spirit of his wolf appeared in a yellow light as it destroyed the trees in front of it. "So awesome!" said Rainbow letting her inner fangirl come out. "So, can we do that?" asked Twilight. "Yup, you just have to concentrate. But keep in mind, it's something that requires a ton of energy and focus, which is why you should only use it when you see fit. Taking out a small horde of enemies, or trying to do a surprise attack on a foe. Either way, it's too much for you to do more than once a battle. Keep that in mind. Now then, let's see if you girls can do it." instructed the leader. The girls nodded as they touched their morphers and changed into their ranger suits. "Remember, focus and build up that energy. Let your gem respond to your mind," instructed Ash. The girls put their hands together as they closed their eyes. They were listening to the instructions given to them by their leader as he was doing his best to offer encouragement. Safe to say, it wasn't as easy to do as in the girls' minds they were tons of things that distracted them. Even a simple sentence could derail their thoughts. They remembered to tune in with their gem and listen to its inner voice. On the outside, Ash was seeing the girls focused as soon their bodies began to glow with their respective colors. The auras from the girls were now getting in sync with the gems as they were now on the same wavelength. "Now, let it out!!" shouted the boy. The girls did that as they opened their eyes and thrust their hands out. From each of the girls came the animal depicted on their suits as they glowed in the same color as their gem. A falcon, owl, rhino, and phoenix appeared as they let out a cry as they each took down some trees as targets as pieces of wood went flying. The boy was impressed by how the girls were able to execute it on their first attempt as he saw the spirits disappear. He looked back at his team as the girls were out of breath as they were hunched over. "Not bad, gonna take a while to get used to. But for first-timers, you girls did good," said Ash. "Now, that was just the first step. The other reason has to do with you all to your zords." "Zords?" said Sunset. "Let me show you," stated Ash as he now lifted his morpher so that he could speak into it. "Wolf zord, arise!" The girls were confused by what their leader said. "Wait for it," replied Ash. Just then, they heard a sound. It was faint but, it sounded like a howl in the distance. "What was that?!" said Rainbow as she was a bit scared as she looked around. The ground now began to rumble a bit. When the boy spoke into his morpher, he was transmitting a message to a mechanical animal as it was on top of a peak. It let out a howl when the call was sounded as he leaped off the cliff and landed on the ground and took off at high speeds. It was now racing towards where its owner was as the girls could feel the creature getting closer. The ground shook as they could hear something coming through the forest. They looked up as they saw a shadow, but couldn't make it out due to the sun as it landed. The creature was giant as it appeared behind Ash as it let out a howl and a few growls. "What the hell is that?!!" said Applejack. She and the others were shocked by the giant creature that towered their leader. "Girls, this is my zord," said Ash as he looked at his giant wolf as it let out some growls. "Okay? What exactly is it?" asked Twilight as she and the others were still scared. "He's a zord. Zords are colossal (bio-)mechanical robots. But they're more than that. The reason being is that serve a purpose." "Which is?" asked Rainbow to Ash. "You'll see. But first, you girls need to summon yours." "Wait, you mean, each of us has one of... that?" said Sunset pointing at the giant creature that had now laid down behind its owner. "Yup, just simply raise your morpher to speak and call on its name," said Ash as he sat on one of his wolf's front paws. The girls all did as they were told. They cast one last glance at the creature their leader had summoned. They then lifted their morphers as they spoke. "Falcon zord, arise!" "Rhino zord, arise!" "Phoenix zord, arise!" "Owl zord, arise!" All four girls initiated the call. Their signals were being sent out as in different places, the animals had their eyes shined with a flash of light. High above the clouds, there was a giant bird as it was scanning the area below. The signal was given as it let out a screech as it now descended as it tucked in its wings as it was like an arrow heading straight for the earth. Emerging from deep within the forest, there was flame. That flame grew as it cracked and sizzled. It then shot out from its nest and spread out as the flames now burned up the grass and trees around it as a small ring of fire surrounded the thing. The flames were dying down, but it served as an aesthetic for the creature as it looked like some flashing armor. The avian then took off leaving a trail of fire behind it. A cave was shown, as inside there was a creature. It had its eyes wide open as it was the only thing that was visible if you saw it in person. The eyes now rotated as they did a full 180 rotation as in the dark, the creature's face was upside down. It let out a hooting sound as it flapped its wings. It exited the cave and was now flying towards where it was being called. The last of the zords made the earth around it shake. It had been buried with dirt that upon being called it shook off the bits of the material. The feature that stood out was the longhorn on its nose as it let out a cry. It clawed at the ground as it was now charging forward. The girls had been waiting for a bit when they spoke the words. Just as they were about to say something to Ash. They all heard some noises. Once again, the ground shook. The girls tried their best to not fall, but this time, it was a much bigger impact heading their way. The trees to their left were now falling over like dominos. They couldn't see what was coming, but they noticed the longhorn that was present. The creature then made its presence known as it stomped the last of the trees and let out a cry as it was a rhino. Above, there were three bird calls as they appeared in the sky. The first one landed with such speed that it created a wind effect around its as it blew the leaves that fell from the trees around it. The next one to land had flames erupt as it landed and swirled around its body and tail feathers. The last avian creature decided to perch itself on a nearby tree that wasn't destroyed as it spun its entire head and stared at the group with its beady eyes. The girls were at a loss for words as they saw the giant creatures. Ash had been watching them as he couldn't help but laugh at their reactions. "Well, girls. Go meet your zords," instructed the boy as his wolf let out a howl. The girls now got up as they went in different directions. "Uh, hey there, big guy," said Applejack as she approached her zord. She was up close to the creature as it lowered its nose as it was mere inches from the girl as it sniffed the country girl. It was taking in the scent of its new owner as it let out a breath through its nostrils as even with the helmet, Applejack was coughing. "So, you're... big... and strong," said Aj as she didn't know what to say. The rhino just put its horn against the girl as it moved its nose barely up and down. The girl saw the affection as she rubbed its horn. "So, how fast can you go?" asked Rainbow to her falcon. The bird let out a screech. "That fast, huh. I like it," said the girl as she was already in love with her beast. Not to mention how cool it looked which was a necessity in her book. Sunset had approached her bird as the flames could be heard. The girl put her hand out to show the giant mechanical beast that it meant no harm. The bird opened its beak and shot out some fire as it touched the girl's hand. However, she wasn't feeling the flame but rather it was now swirling around her wrist and then up her arm and soon around her entire body. For the girl, the flame was comforting and warm. It calmed her soul and mind as she let out a sigh as if she had departed from a massage parlor. She then closed her hand as the flames ceased as if on her command. The firebird let out a cry as it lowered its head for the girl to pet. "No offense, but shouldn't owls be nocturnal?" asked Twilight to her zord. The response she got was a head turn by the bird as it looked at the nerdy girl. "Okay, um, if you're supposed to be my zord, does that mean you're the smartest of the group?" Once again, the owl turned its head to the side as its response. "Alright then, do you like me?" Nothing was said as both looked at each other. Soon the owl gave its answer. Another head turn to the side as Twilight's eye twitched as she was starting to go a bit mental. "Okay, I think my zord's broken," said Twilight as she was starting to have a breakdown. "Relax, Twilight. That's just how he is, right?" said Ash to the owl as he got a hooting sound from the creature. "So you do like me?" said the girl with some hope. The owl just turned its head to the side again. "AHH!!!!!" shouted Twilight as she put her hands to her helmet as she felt like she was gonna go insane with trying to understand her zord. All around, the rangers were getting to know their zords as it seemed they all were taking a liking to their new owners. Ash was watching the girls as they seemed to be enjoying themselves, well apart from Twilight as she was still trying to fully understand her owl. He then looked at his zord as it growled; the teen was now thinking back to when he started as a ranger and how his interaction with his zord went. "Alright, now that you've all had a chance to meet your zords. Do you like them?" asked Ash. "Yeah!" said the girls. "No!" said Twilight. "By the way, Ash. Why do we have these things?" asked Applejack. "You'll find out soon enough. For now, time to make them a bit easier to carry," Ash now got off the foot of his wolf zord as he turned to look at his beast. He touched his morpher as he drew a symbol as the wolf in front of him now glowed with the yellow light. Once it died down, the boy turned around as his zord was a mini-version. "Whenever these guys aren't in battle or scouting, you can turn them into pet versions. A great way for you to bond with them," said the boy as the small wolf let out a howl as it began to chase its tail by the boy's feet. "Aww, so cute!" said the girls looking at the boy playing with his zord. They all turned to their zords as the beasts let out some noises. They each touched their morphers and drew a symbol as it caused their beasts to glow. The creatures soon shrunk as they appeared in mini versions. Rainbow's falcon had decided to perch itself on her shoulder, Sunset had her perched on her wrist. Aj picked up her rhino as despite it being small, it still had some weight. Still, she held her zord like it was a stuffed animal as it let out an affection roar, the girl just made sure to avoid getting stabbed by the horn. As for Twilight, while she found her owl to be even cuter in its pet form, the owl turned its head to the side as it looked at the girl. The owl then began to peck at the girl. "Hey!" shouted Twilight as she was being attacked by her own zord. The purple ranger then grabbed her zord with both hands as she began to return the gesture. "You peck at me, and I'll peck at you back!!!" Both owl and girl were now pecking at one another as if they were having a struggle. For the others, they couldn't help but laugh at seeing how the two were acting as soon a tussle in the dirt occurred. After a while, both Twilight and her owl were shown laying on the floor with swirls around their head as it seemed both managed to tire the other out. Once they recovered, the rangers and their zords all entered the command center. Twilight's owl had decided to perch on top of her head as it had its head turned backward as to not look at the girl. Twilight was mumbling to herself at how she was given this zord as hers. "One more thing, you got to make sure that these guys aren't seen by others. And no fooling around with them when they're in this size. Rainbow!!!" "Why you got to single me out!!!" shouted the girl as she didn't like being targeted by her leader. "Cause you're the one who likes to show off and soak in attention, dumbass!" stated Ash, which the girl stuck her tongue out at the boy. "Don't worry, we promise we won't let anybody see them," said Sunset as she petted her phoenix. "Anyways, time for you girls to get going," said Ash. "There is plenty of room here, we could stay?" said the bacon-haired girl. "Sorry, but... that's... no, you all need to leave. Your families will be worried," said Ash. "Alright then," said Twilight. The girls all grabbed their backpacks as each of their zords now hopped into their bags as they fit in comfortably. Even Twilight's owl gave a hoot as he entered the lavender girl's bag. They all waved goodbye to their leader as the boy turned. He sat down on the couch as his wolf zord jumped onto the furniture. It then got in the boy's lap as it looked at its owner with its paws being pressed to his shirt. Ash looked at his small pet as he smiled. He patted it on the head as he was reminded of some memories. "I never thought that I would ever get to the see the rest of the zords. Ever since... well, now that the girls have access to their beasts. Time to find the rest of them." said the boy. The girls all made it home as they entered their houses. Twilight waved hi to her parents and her brother who decided to take a break from sleeping in his office to relieve some stress from work. They told her that dinner was ready as she went to go drop off her stuff. The girl entered her room as she petted Spike who was on her bed. She put her bag on the floor and rushed downstairs. The dog waved his tail when he heard a sound coming from Twilight's backpack. He then saw it fall to the floor as a thud was heard. The bag now began to shake a bit as it got the pet to be curious. He hopped off the bed and approached the bag with a growl preparing for the worst. Soon the zipper began to move, the bag opened and out popped the head of Twilight's zord. The mutt was confused by what he saw as the bird now exited from the bag and hopped around to take in its new surroundings. It was turned its head to the side and looked at the home of its owner. Spike let out a growl as he saw the thing to which the owl simply turned its head backward as its body was still facing forward. That sight alone got the dog to be scared as if was something out of a horror film. The owl then turned its body to look at the weird animal that was also present. While the dog was growling, the owl then had its eyes scan the dog with lights and the whole room as it rotated its head. Once it finished, the data was being transferred to its memory bank. The owl then turned to Spike as it began to peck at the dog as it did with Twilight and then flew to sit on the girl's window still. While this was happening upstairs, Twilight was having dinner with her family. They were currently listening to Shining Armor as he explained how things were going with his job. "Ever since the incidents, people were scared. And then, the vigilante shows up. Claims he's here to get rid of these creatures," said the officer. "He's a power ranger," said Twilight. Her response got the attention of everyone as they all had raised eyebrows. Especially, Shining Armor at hearing what his own sister was referring to the vigilante. "Uh, well, that's what the news reports are calling him," smiled the girl sheepishly. "Right. And then... there's the incident from the other day. We had enough problems on our hands with one of them, turns out he's got friends. And these, so-called, Power Rangers managed to stop an attack at city hall." said the boy. "Isn't that a good thing, though?" asked Twilight. "I can't deny that they're taking care of these monsters. But at least they could do is work with us. We're officers, our job is to protect people from danger." "Maybe there's a reason why they're hesitant about working with the law. Maybe it's best to trust they can handle it. I mean, nobody other than them has what it takes to defeat these monsters." said Twilight. "Since when did you become so invested in these rangers, Twilight?" asked Night Light. "Well, word has got out in school," said the girl coming up with a little white lie. Sunset arrived at her home as she entered through the door. She opened her backpack as her phoenix zord emerged. It took a look around its mistress' room. "Try not to burn anything valuable," said the bacon-haired girl as she left her zord. The bird zord now looked around as it did the same thing Twilight's owl did. It was scanning its surroundings as it was inputting the data of its new home. Once it finished the download, it then hopped onto the girl's bed as it noticed a controller. It then began to peck at the many buttons as the TV came on. It tilted its head at the bright light as it then pecked at another button and the game started up. With the farm girl, Applejack was hard at work in the barn as she was trying to push some barrels into the storage room. Despite being strong, even she had difficulty pushing them. So her tiny rhino zord walked over to its mistress's feet and gently pushed the barrel as it was moving with ease. The girl noticed this as she looked down to see her zord pushing it with its horn. "Thanks, little guy," said the girl as she petted her zord's back. The pair continued their evening chores as Applejack made sure to hide her zord in her room before she went down for dinner. Once she was gone, the zord now began to scan its environment as it was downloading the data of its new habitat. Once that was done, the rhino made its way to a small chest as it unlocked it with its horn and then crawled inside as it made its bed and caught a quick nap. For Rainbow, she arrived at her house as she told her falcon to fly up to her window. It then soared away as the girl entered her home. Once she was able to get away from her parents, she entered her room and opened her window as there was her zord waiting for her. The bird flew in and landed on a nearby bookshelf as it took in the nest of its owner. Rainbow soon left as the falcon was downloading the data. It then noticed a nearby reptile as it was Rainbow's pet turtle, Tank. The shelled creature was moving about going for his evening stroll in Rainbow's room when he felt something on his back. He looked up and saw the falcon on its shell as he smiled and carried the two for a ride. All in all, each of the girls' zords was comfortable with the new living arrangements they would have in this dimension. As well as who they had as their new owners, even if Twilight couldn't get a straight answer from her own beast. The next day, CHS was preparing for the dance which was in two days. During that time, Pinkie had finally decided what theme she wanted to go with as she was having the rest of her friends help decorate the auditorium. While our heroes were going on about their lives, the dark lords were hatching a plan. "Still no luck in trying to find it," asked Starlight. "Did you expect it to be this easy?" replied Thorax with some snark in his voice. "Our Lord has entrusted me with finding it, you and the others don't have what it takes to get results." "And you do, little brother!" shouted Pharynx as he made his presence. "Finding out where the thing is a simple task." "Then why is it taking you so long?" shouted Starlight. "I said it was a simple task, not easy. When we destroyed Ash's dimension and everything in it, we failed to see that he and his teammates had a secret plan. He may have been a rookie and only 11 years old at the time, but they knew what they were doing. They couldn't stop the weapon we used to destroy everything, so they had a last resort. Unbeknownst to him, the team knew he had to be the one to survive. So before the final fight, they sent the remaining zords that weren't their personal ones through a portal. Not to mention the other thing that I'm trying to track down. Fast forward to the final moments before everything was gone, they sent the kid through a portal with their gems in hopes that he could stop us and form a new team." "Yeah, and for five years he's been trying to track us down. Meanwhile, we were in hiding trying to recover our powers," said Starlight. "Once I was able to locate which dimension the zords and the other thing was, we made our way here. However, we were unaware that he was alive and waiting for us to make the first move. Now to the present time, he's alive. He's formed a new team, and no doubt he's locating for the rest of the zords as well. If we're to take him down for good, we need to find the zords before they do." stated Thorax. "Leave it to me, I'll search them out myself," said Pharynx as he prepared to head out. "Please, you couldn't even handle him when he was by himself. I doubt you could now. I'll go," said Starlight as she made her weapon appear. "Besides, I've been waiting for my turn." The girl mutant now left Thorax's lab as she took one of the officer mutants named Whiplash. People were shown walking on the sidewalk downtown as they were going about their day. A portal appeared in an alley as some minions, Whiplash and Starlight appeared. "Let's see how fast these humans can run!" said the girl as she pointed her staff at a nearby building. Whiplash now pulled out his chains as he flung them at where his general instructed. The whips hit the side of the building as it made people scream and run away. Parts of the building crumbled from the attack as they fell as nobody was getting hurt. The villains began to cackle as they kept on walking while causing some destruction. Cars being flipped and some more holes in the buildings the mutants were hell-bent on causing destruction. "Master Ash, there's activity downtown," said Rachel. "Bring it on screen," said Ash as the computer put the several images for the boy to see. Ash saw the villains attacking as he saw who was leading the attack. "Starlight!" growled the boy. "Should I contact the others?" asked Rachel. "No, they're in school. Besides, I can handle this myself," stated the boy. He then proceeded to head over to where the attack was as he hoped he could stop them. While the ranger was being transported, Starlight and her cronies had made it to a nearby park as they carried on their warpath. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time," laughed the girl as she pointed her staff at some nearby patrons as she used her magic to hold them in sticky goo. "We should have come to dimension sooner, these humans are so weak." "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted a voice. The general raised her staff when she sense something. Coming from out of nowhere, Ash flipped forward and did a flying kick that took down the girl. He landed and then did a kip-up as he began to engage with Whiplash who was using his chains as he attempted to take down the yellow ranger. The boy was able to flip out of the attacks as he kept his distance from the mutant all the while he fired some blasts. "Well, look who finally decided to show up and play Superman," said Starlight as it got Ash's attention when he kicked Whiplash to the side. "Starlight," said the boy looking at the girl mutant. "To think, that you of all people survived? At least it confirms that the others were dumbasses by allowing a rookie, a kid who was no more than 11 years old at the time to be the one they chose to survive. No wonder your mother deserved to die." "Don't talk about my mother or any of my friends. You guys are gonna pay for what you did to my home!" shouted the teen. "Then come get me," taunted Starlight as she gave the signal for some more minions to attack the boy. Ash wasted no time in using his gem's power as he called on the spirit of his wolf and thrust his hand out. The mirage-like state of the creature in yellow light appeared and took out all the small fry. Starlight and Whiplash then began to retreat as Ash chased after them. While Ash was dealing with the mutants, the girls were discussing their plans for Friday's dance. Rainbow had passed by some of her former teammates as they all gave the girl looks for what she did to them. The other six tried their best to say that they would forgive her. "This is serious people, we need to discuss attire!" shouted Rarity to the rest of her friends as they were all gathered in the music room. "For the millionth time, Rarity. Nobody will care what we're wearing!" shouted the country girl to her fashion friend. "I care, Applejack!" shouted the fashionista. "Okay, let's just take a moment to cool our heads," said Sunset as she put both of her hands on her friends' shoulders and separated them. "We know how much this means to you, Rarity. But I think finding the perfect attire might be going just a tad bit overboard." "Darling, attire is everything. Fashion makes a statement. And if we are to the belles of the ball, we must assert our dominance," said the girl in a dramatic voice. A spotlight shined down on her as her hair began to blow in the wind. "Pinkie!" shouted Rainbow as the party girl was the one who did the extra stuff. "It's fun!" stated the pinked-haired girl. "I'm just looking forward to having fun with you guys. Nothing like enjoying a dance with your friends," said Twilight. "By the way, Pinkie. I've been meaning to ask you, is it too late to, you know, add someone to the list?" asked Sunset. "Of course not, silly! Everybody is welcome to attend. Why?" asked the girl with a smile. "Just asking... you know... in case, someone we know wants to attend," smiled the bacon-haired girl sheepishly. "Just tell me their name, and I'll send a personal invitation," said Pinkie as she reached into her puffy hair and pulled out a card. "We're not saying that they might agree. This is just us speculating," said Twilight. Ash had managed to chase Starlight and Whiplash to another part o the city as they began to engage. The boy pulled out his saber as he leaped in between the two mutants and began to exchange some attacks. Starlight was determined to take down the boy who had been causing them problems. She was kicked back as she powered up her staff. Ash saw this at the last second as Starlight shot out a ring of light as the boy leaned back. The attack barely grazed his helmet as he avoid it. However, Starlight wasn't attempting to hit the boy as it served as the distraction needed for Whiplash to wrap his chains around the ranger's body. He then flung him over his head as the boy hit the ground. "Just give up and tell us where the rest of the zords are!" demanded Starlight as she put her foot on Ash's arm. "Even if I did know where they were. I would never tell you. So you can kiss my ass, Starlight! You punk-ass bitch!" shouted the boy. "Wrong answer," snickered the girl in a seductive tone. "Swing time!" Whiplash knew what that meant as he planted his feet. He then began to rotate in a circle as his chains were still wrapped around Ash. Starlight removed her foot as the boy was now being lifted into the air as he was being spun around. "Oh shit!!!" shouted Ash as his voice trailed when he was being spun around. "Keep spinning!!!" shouted Starlight. Whiplash understood as he began to spin faster. All the while Ash was holding in his breath as all this air sickness was starting to get to him. He was then flung into the air as he shot upwards. Gravity then did its thing as the ranger was descending. Starlight teleported into the air as she spun her staff quickly and pointed it at the boy. She fired an attack from her staff as it hit the boy when he collided onto the floor. "Thanks for helping me out, Dash," said Fluttershy as she was with her childhood friend at the animal shelter. "No problem, Fluttershy. Rarity already took care of my outfit, plus about now I would be... you know..." said the chromatic girl as she was thinking of Spitfire and the rest of her team. "I know you're probably upset with how things went, but I'm sure they'll come around," said the buttercup girl as she was washing some dogs. "I guess, anyways. Let's finish giving these guys their bath," said Dash as she began to help her friend. While Rainbow was with Fluttershy, Applejack had to do some deliveries for her family. As for Twilight and Sunset, they were with Rarity at her boutique as they had to get fitted for their dresses. The pair stood on platforms as the fashionista was working her magic. "We hope we're not being a bother, Rarity." "Twilight, it's no bother at all. Designing outfits for you girls is what I live for. It's my passion." said the girl as she was taking some measurements. "Once again, thanks Rarity. We've been so busy lately, that we kind of forgot to pick out outfits." "It's no trouble at all, Sunset. Though I do ask, why have you four suddenly been so busy as of late?" asked the marshmallow girl. Both girls made a face to each other as they knew of the scared rule they had to obey. "We've been selected for a special program," said Twilight. "What kind of program?" "Special program," said Sunset with a sheepish smile. "O-kay," said Rarity, "Well, can I also ask something?" "Go ahead." "Why did you ask Pinkie if it was alright to bring someone to the party?" asked the fashion designer as Sunset and Twilight were turning red. "Are you planning to bring a date to the dance on Friday?" "Uh, well, he's not so much as a date per se..." "Oh, it's a boy," said Rarity as she had a smile appear. "We met him the other day and he's from out of town. So we'd figured if he wanted to make some new friends and have fun, he could attend the dance on Friday," said Sunset. "Well now, I didn't expect you, girls, to be interested in a boy no less," "He's just a friend, Rarity. Besides, based on what he's been through, we were hoping we could cheer him up," said Twilight. "Well, sorry for jumping to conclusions. If he does agree, I'll be the first to welcome him as a friend," smiled the fashionista. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Where are the zords?" asked Starlight as she bent down to Ash who was still on the floor wrapped in Whiplash's chains. "Go to hell, bitch!" shouted Ash as he gave Starlight a middle finger. "Oh I will, but I'm taking you with me," said the mutant. "Whiplash, finish him." The mutant heard the command by the general as he spun once more as he sent the boy crashing into a nearby window as he collided into some furniture. Ash felt himself being ragdoll as he could hear the mutants closing in. The boy struggled to get to his feet as his morpher was sending a signal. The signal was being received by Rachel as he was transmitting the distress call to the girls. Rainbow had noticed her wristband beeping when she put her hand over it to avoid Fluttershy hearing it. The girl was busy with the animals as she quietly snuck a few meters away to answer it. "What's up?" asked Rainbow. "It's Ash. His morpher is transmitting a signal for help." "Where is he?" asked Applejack as she also answered the call as she had finished her last delivery. "He's by the central park. He's currently taking on some mutants," said Rachel. "Then we'd better hurry to help him," said Rainbow. "I'm on mah way," said Applejack as she turned the engine on and was driving towards where her leader was. "Me too," said Rainbow as she ended the call. "Hey, Fluttershy. Sorry for this, but it turns out that I needed to take care of something for my parents." "Oh, well, don't worry. I can handle the rest. Thanks for your help, Dash." "No problem. See ya," said the girl as she grabbed her backpack and raced out of the animal shelter as she was making her way towards Ash. Sunset and Twilight were being contacted by Rachel as their wristbands were beeping. They put their hands over it to silence the sound. "What was that noise?" asked Rarity as she was at a desk looking over some measurements. "What noise? I didn't hear anything, did you Twilight?" "Nope, not a thing," smiled the girl with her friend putting on fake expressions. "I could have sworn I heard a beeping sound," said the fashionista. "Well, I think you've done a lot for us, Rarity. So why don't me and Sunset get out of here so that you can finalize the designs?" "Not so fast, darling, I still have to do some final measurements." "Uh, how long will that take?" asked Sunset sheepishly. "Oh, several minutes. Maybe an hour." "An hour?!!!" shouted both girls. They were now nervous as their morphers were transmitting the signal call for help. They hoped that at least Rainbow and Applejack could answer it. "Come on now, Ash. Don't you want to see your old friends, your mother? I'm sure they're waiting to see their old comrade," snickered Starlight as she had her staff power up. She and Whiplash entered the hole in the building as they saw the damage that was created when they flung the ranger into it. The chains could be heard as they dragged along the floor. Starlight's staff was powered up as they were hunting down the boy. They heard some noises as they followed the sound. They pushed some of the debris in their way as they were closing in on the boy. At that moment, Starlight saw the boy's mirage of his animal as she put up a barrier and fired an attack as it disappeared. "Is that all you can do?" smiled Sunset. "How about this?!" shouted a pair of voices. "Huh?" said Starlight. Now a rhino and a peregrine falcon spirit appeared as they managed to catch both mutants off guard as they were hit and flung out of the shop through the hole. Starlight and Whiplash landed on the ground as Aj and Dash had found Ash as they helped him out of the shop. "Thanks, girls." "Don't mention it, sugarcube." "Now let's kick their asses," said Rainbow as Ash nodded. He got back to his feet as he stood in front of the girls. "So, your team finally came to help their leader?" stated Starlight as she got up. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Rainbow and Applejack. Both girls traced the symbol on their morphers as they now began to change. Their bodies were being encased with their gem as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as the vizor covered the last bit of their faces. Once it was complete, they did their pose as their animals were shown in the back as they let out a cry. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian, Green Ranger!" "Like it matters!" stated Starlight. She snapped her fingers as Whiplash leaped into action. The rangers now raced forward as they began to engage with the mutant. With the extra backup, they were able to divide and conquer. However, Starlight was a lot more difficult as she was engaged in another fight with Ash. Even with the Rainbow and Applejack backing up Ash, they were struggling to defeat both mutants. Sunset and Twilight were still at Rarity's Boutique as the girl was trying to figure out the final colors she wanted to implement. They were told to stand still by the girl as she was looking over her selections. "Rarity!!" shouted both girls. "In a moment, darlings. You can't rush perfection," said the girl as she lifted her finger to make her choice but retracted it as she second-guessed herself. "Rarity!!" shouted both of them once more. "I've got it!" shouted the girl as she grabbed the materials and began to sketch the final product as she showed it to the girls. "Well, what do you think?" "Great! Love it, bye!!" shouted both girls as they zoomed out of the place. "Well, rude!" shouted the girl at seeing how fast the pair left. "Constellation Slash!" shouted Starlight as she powered up her staff and did a wave attack as it hit all three rangers as down they went. They fell hard as she smiled. "You couldn't beat us before, what chance do you have now?" asked the mutant as she stood over Ash. She planted a foot on him as the boy felt the weight. "Time to say hello to your parents." She then lifted her staff and turned it upside down. Through his helmet, the boy had a scared look as the staff was charging up. Rainbow and Applejack were being held by Whiplash as the girls struggled to break free. They saw their leader in trouble as they called out to him. At that moment, blaster shots were heard as they collided with the mutant as she was thrown onto the floor. An owl and phoenix spirit appeared as they charged forward as they attacked Whiplash which caused him to be thrown back as the girls were released. "Not again," groaned the mutant. "You guys okay," shouted Sunset as she and Twilight appeared in their ranger outfits as they rushed over. "What took you so long?" asked Rainbow as she and Aj were being helped up by Twilight. "Sorry, but Rarity got carried away with the dresses," said Sunset as she helped Ash up. "Figures," stated the country girl. "Well, now that you're both here. Time we end this," stated Ash as he dusted himself off. "Harmony weapons!" shouted all of them as each of their weapons appeared before them. "Whiplash! End them." "Of course, general," said the mutant as he began to power up his attacks as he swung them downwards. They all saw it coming as they each rolled out of the way. Ash rolled through as he saw Starlight opening up a portal as she smiled. She stepped through as she waved goodbye "Wait!" shouted the boy as he had his arm out and the portal closed shut. With Starlight gone, he punched the ground at letting his target escape. The girls were trying their best to hit Whiplash as he was dodging all their shots and strikes as he hit them before they could react. He then did a tornado spin as the girls were being picked up by the massive wind effect as they swirled in the air and let out a shout. "That's it!" shouted Ash as he had enough. He leaped into the air as his blade was charging from the power of his gem. "Topaz Slash!!" The boy did a diagonal slash as he managed to cut through the tornado, it caused Whiplash to be thrown back and hit the floor. The girls noticed the tornado stopped as they all fell to the ground. "Thanks," said Rainbow as she was getting to her knees. "No problem, now... let's finish this," stated the yellow ranger. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow as they prepared to deliver their finishing move. They felt the power of their weapons up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held Whiplash in place as he couldn't move. "Full power!" shouted all of them. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each of the girls did an attack as they passed by their foe. "Charging Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first one to slid by as she did her attack. "Meteor Spike!" shouted Applejack as she slid by and swung her ax upwards. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Sunset as she pulled back on her bow and shot an arrow of red light. "Shield Splice!" said Twilight as she did her attack sliding by the mutant. The scene now changed as it spun around Whiplash as Ash was now in the air as his weapon was charged. It froze for a few seconds as he resumed the attack as he dealt the final blow of their team finisher. "Harmony Blade, Strike!!!" shouted Ash as he did a downward slash as it cut the mutant in half as he stood still for a sec. The boy was now behind the mutant as was the girls as they did their pose. The mutant now fell forward which resulted in an explosion as the ranger shifted their stances as they acknowledged their victory. The team made it back to the command center as both Twilight and Sunset were checking on Ash to see if he suffered any major injuries. "So, who was that?" asked Rainbow. "Her name is Starlight, she's the dark lords' strategist. And she's tough," stated Ash as he now sat up on the couch as he made his way to the computer. "What did she want?" asked Aj. "She asked me about something." "Which is?" said Sunset rolling her hand. "She was talking about our zords. And how they are trying to find them." "But, we have them. And they can't control them," said Twilight. "I'm not talking about our personal zords. Guess it's time I told you, girls. See before my dimension was destroyed, my team all sent the other zords that we had through a dimension portal. I guess you could say, they knew we couldn't save our home. So they made sure to save the things that would help me to defeat the dark lords." "So, you're saying that there are more zords?!!" said Rainbow as she was pretty excited about hearing that. "There are ten zords in total. Ours and then five more. A bear zord, a panther, a tiger shark, a fox, and a snake. Together those are the zords that me and my team commanded. And it seems like Starlight and her cronies are seeking them out. But unlike our zords, whoever can get their power, they belong to." stated Ash. "So, we just have to find them before they do. Sounds like a challenge," smiled Rainbow. "We'll help in any way we can," stated Sunset as she put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "Thanks, girls," said Ash as he looked at his team. They all turned to look at the main screen as Rachel was pulling up the whole map of the world as they began to search for the missing zords. It was now a race against the dark lords to see who could get to the great beasts first.
Chapter 6: Hidden Powers"Okay, run it back on what happened?" asked Ash as he sat in a chair. "Well..." spoke Rainbow as she began to recall what occurred a few hours ago. (Flashback) The day started like normal. Rainbow was in the park as she was skateboarding. The girl was currently working on her tricks as she wanted to improve her skills. Especially, cause the teen girl was looking to execute a special maneuver. Only a small amount of people were able to complete the trick, but she wanted to be the one who could do it with ease. The trick was to get as much air as she can after reaching up from the top of the half-pipe skateboard ramp and then bring the skateboard up above her head and then quickly back under her feet and make the landing. It takes a lot of practice to get it just right and even more to land it without any bumps. Rainbow Dash was making her way to the half-pipe to do the trick. she was going as fast as she possibly could, she was about to make the jump to do the nearly impossible trick so there was no turning back. She managed to get some air as she made sure to grab her skateboard and hold it above her head. After she completed that part of the combo, she tried to get her board back under her feet. As she had the board under her feet again, it was too late as it hit the corner of the half-pipe, and she fell. She was falling as she prepared herself to hit the ground. Her legs were swinging back and forth when suddenly the girl found herself from in the air to the ground in seconds. This shocked the girl as she was expecting to land on anything but her feet as her board then landed next to her. Rainbow was unsure what happened. The reality of the situation was that her gem had saved her as it granted the girl superspeed as she was able to land safely. "Woah, did I do that?" (End of Flashback) "And that's what happened?" said the chromatic girl. "That's what happened to me. Well, not exactly," said Applejack as she was also present. Soon the girl began to recall her incident. (Flashback) The country girl was with her family as she was doing some farm work. They had a big order for some cider by a client as each family member was looking to meet the deadline. Applejack was crushing some apples with her feet as she was in a tub of apples. Her little rhino zord was also present as the mechanical beast wanted to help its mistress as it took a liking to the girl's lifestyle. The two were hard at work as soon all the apples in the tub were turned to mush. The country girl then hopped out as she grabbed her zord and held it like a plushie as it was still a tad bit heavy despite being smaller than usual. She placed the small thing on the ground as she went to fetch the container. The girl went to the nearby corner of the room as she bent down to sift through the many ones finding the right one. She was unaware of the cupboard above her as one of the screws that were used to hold the thing was loose. Soon it slowly came undone as it fell. "Found it, ow!" said Aj as she felt the sharp thing hit her head as she wasn't wearing her signature Stenson hat. She looked up and saw the many things falling. The girl didn't have time to move out of the way as put her arm over her in hopes to protect herself. The things crashed on the girl but to Applejack's surprise, she didn't feel any pain. The girl opened her eyes and looked around her feet. Her rhino had walked slowly to where its owner was as it made a sound and nuzzled her leg. Aj bent down to pet her animal zord as she was still looking at all the clutter that lay before her. She then checked her arm for any cuts or bruises that she might have suffered, but to her surprise, her skin was fine. She checked it over several times but nothing on her smooth, fair skin. Her rhino let out a sound. "You and me both, little guy," said Aj, petting her zord while still trying to fully understand what just happened. "Applejack!" shouted a voice. "It's Granny!" shouted the teen as she quickly yanked her zord and put him behind some boxes as she told it to stay quiet. "Applejack! There you are, what happened here?" asked the elder person as she saw the clutter that lay on the floor. "Oh, just... a screw came loose, Granny. All the stuff fell. Thankfully, I was able to get out of the way. I was gonna do a quick repair." said Aj coming up with a reasonable justification while not letting her family know what really happened. "Well, alright. Glad you're safe, sugar." With that, Aj's grandmother left to check on the rest of the cowgirl's siblings. The farmer made sure that her grandma was out of distance before turning back to the boxes and looking for her zord. The rhino then popped out as in its mouth was a toolbox. Applejack just smiled at how much she enjoyed having her zord help out. Still, she was trying to figure out what occurred and there was only one person who could explain it. (End of Flashback) "And that's what went down," stated Aj to her friend as she lifted her hat. "Strange, it seems like Applejack and Rainbow Dash have experienced some new form of powers," said Twilight as she had been taking down notes and details of her friend's stories. "You think it has to do with any monsters we may have fought?" asked Sunset. "No, it's not that. I know exactly what's happening," said Ash. "Well, tell us!" stated Rainbow as she really wanted to know. "The reason is because of your gems," stated Ash as he pointed at their wristbands with the stones in them. "What about them?" asked Twilight. "When you girls took the oath and chose to be rangers, you bonded with the stones. And in turn, the stones granted you all with some hidden powers, so to speak." "Care to clarify?" asked Sunset to their leader. "Alright, for Dash. Her gem's animal and zord is a peregrine falcon. They're the fastest birds on Planet Earth that reach up to speeds over 320 km/h or 200 mph. So as part of the bond you formed with the gem, it gave you a small ability to match that of your animal spirit. So that's why you have superspeed to some degree." explained Ash. "So, how fast can I go?" asked Rainbow with her eyes going huge at hearing how much speed she could run. "Best say that for another day," said the boy as he knew what would happen if he told the girl. "Now for Applejack, her gem's animal and zord is a rhino. As you know, not only are they heavy, but strong. Not to mention they have thick skin. So as you can see, not only is your strength slightly increased, but you can make your skin harder than normal, which means you can absorb some hits if someone tries to harm you." "Can't wait to try that power out against those mutants," stated Aj. "Well, what about us?" asked Sunset as she pointed to her and Twilight. "Well, you're gem's animal is a phoenix. A mythical bird associated with Greek mythology. It symbolizes the idea of rebirth. As well as rising from the ashes. So for your power, it means you can withstand hot temperatures a little longer than us." stated Ash to Sunset. "And that's not all, your suit has some wings that you can use to sort of glide/fly." "Why didn't you tell me that before?" asked Sunset as all this time, she had some secret features of her suit. "Why does she get wings?!" shouted Rainbow as she was jealous. "Stop being a bitch, Dash," replied Sunset. "Relax, Skittles. You and Twilight also have some set of wings in your suit. And as for Twilight... well, I mean, you're gem's an owl. So your power there would be intelligence." "But I'm already smart," said Twilight. "Yeah, well, in the past. Every ranger who was picked by the sapphire stone wasn't a genius like you, to be fair. If anything, the gem made them increase their intelligence but, as far as I know, that's it." "Oh, I get the short end of the stick?!!" shouted Twilight as she couldn't believe that the power her gem gave her was useless. "Again, nobody's been a nerd when they were chosen to wield the owl," stated Ash. "Don't call me that!!" pouted the bookworm. "Look, if it makes you feel any better. Your belt has small feather darts that you can throw which create a small explosion upon impact." "That still doesn't make me feel better about myself," mumbled Twilight as she felt like she was the one who had the weakest ability. "Well, what's your power, sugarcube?" asked Aj. "Well, since my animal is a wolf, it means my dexterity, stamina, and conditioning increases. Meaning that I got a bit more energy than most people before I get tired." stated the boy. "Speaking of which, Ash. Are you doing anything come Friday?" asked Sunset. "Why?" "Well, there's a small party happening at our school. And seeing as how you've never attended a formal event due to... you know. Plus, it might give you a chance to meet some new people." said Sunset. "Gonna have to take a raincheck on that," said the boy as he turned around to Rachel. "Come on, Ash!" said Sunset as she grabbed her leader's hand and pulled him out of his chair. "Have fun. Live a little." stated the girl as she was pulling the boy towards the door. "Let me go, Sunny!" stated Ash. "What did you just call me?" said Sunset as she looked at the boy. Safe to say, she didn't expect her friend to give her a nickname. "N-Nothing. Forget what I said," said Ash as he was now questioning why did he call the girl by that name. It wasn't that Sunset hated that her leader called her by that name. If anything, she kind of enjoyed it. Regardless, it seemed Ash was being headstrong as he was focused on finding the rest of the zords and stopping the Dark Lords from destroying their dimension. The zords came from above as Ash's wolf pup leaped down from the upper floor as it landed on some obstacles to get to the bottom floor. The others came in with the three birds flying down as Aj's rhino was forced to walk down the stairs as it was the one who didn't have much mobility like its comrades. The girls saw the zords as they couldn't help but smile and awe at how they acted like pets as they were playing with each other. They soon began to play with the zords themselves as Ash was at the computer inputting some commands. Meanwhile, in the Dark Lords' lair... "Once this device is done, the rangers will be one step closer to being destroyed," stated Thorax as he was at his computers working his digits. "Shouldn't you be looking for the missing zords?!" shouted Starlight as she made her presence known as she walked through the door. Even in the hallway, she could hear her mutant friend ramble outloud. "Unlike the zords that belong to the rangers, the rest of them can be controlled by us." "Patience, Starlight. One thing at a time, besides this device, will benefit us in the long run when it comes to dealing with those meddlesome rangers." "Best leave my son to do his work," stated the mutant that was Thorax's mother. "His inventions have served us well in the past. So I do not doubt him." "Glad to hear that, mother. Especially, cause once this is done, I'll need your help for the final piece." "Well, why you're busy playing with your toys. We need to cause some chaos out in the city," stated Starlight as she left through the door. "Now I know why I broke up with her. She's too much of a control freak," stated Thorax as he was typing away at his keyboard. With Starlight, she had entered the main room of their base as two figures were present. They were shadows as their identities remained hidden. The two officers saw the general approach them as they took a knee. "While my 'ex-boyfriend' is busy playing with his inventions, I want you two to go out and create havoc on the city. Destroy anything you see in your path." "Yes, general!" shouted the pair as they disappeared. There comes a time in everyone's life when they must find the courage to seek out their destiny. But sometimes, what you seek isn't always what you find. A voice spoke that line as soon the scene changed to that of the city during the night. Tons of lights from the buildings were shown. On top of a building, there was a figure who was overlooking the place as down below the lights from the cars also shined. The figure then turned around and walked as the only thing shown was the symbol of the wolf on the person's chest. A figure was shown soaring through the air. On its back was a jet turbine as it was flying above the city. It zoomed up the side of a building as it landed. It ran a few meters as it looked to start its mission. It was soon stopped as a purple figure was shown who got the thing to stop in its tracks. The purple figure then pulled out their saber as they began to attack and slash at the thing in front of them as it was being pushed back. The thing was reaching the end of the ledge as the purple figure went for one more overhead attack when their hand was caught. The figure was then hit in the chest by the fist of the thing. It then took off as the turbine on its back allowed it to get over to another building as they looked back at the purple figure who saw the thing escape. The thing was unaware of another figure as they used their legs to trip the thing. The thing went down as the figure grabbed it by the jet engines on its chest as a flash of green was shown. The green figure then began to run forward with the thing in its hand as it collided into the wall as the thing felt the impact. The green figure then used its powerful strength as it tossed the thing off the side of the building as it was now free-falling with its back towards the ground. The thing hit a stack of boxes as they crumpled upon impact. Before it could get up to its feet, there was a surge of water that was shown as a figure came out of the water as if it was waiting for the thing to fall. A hint of blue was shown as the figure grabbed the thing by the engines on its chest and dragged it back into the water. The battle in the water was shown as the figure that dragged the thing began to attack it using some sharp claws. The thing powered up the jet engines on its chest as it began to blow at the figure as the powerful airflow created caused the blue figure to be blown into the water as it allowed time for the thing to escape. It flew out of the water with the turbine on its back and lifted into the air. At that moment, another figure was shown. It grabbed the thing with its hands and was now flying with the thing towards the top of a building. They landed as the figure made a flash of red appear in its hand as the small saber appeared as they began to slash at the thing. It retaliated by throwing a fist to which the figure hit another slash as both collided. The thing only stumbled as the red figure was thrown to the ground from the punch. The thing jumped and looked to bring its fist down when it was stopped moments before as a shield was shown blocking it. It belonged to the same purple figure from before as it did some quick kicks to its midsection that pushed the thing away a few feet. Both figures got to their feet as they prepared to fight together. The thing then looked behind as, at that moment, the other two colored figures jumped down and surrounded it. The pair ran forward when they were suddenly stopped in their tracks by some lightning. They were then hit dead-on by the voltage as a small explosion occurred from their chest as they fell. This prompted the other two figures to be concerned when they looked up in a direction as another bolt of thunder was shown aimed at them. The attack hit creating an explosion as the girls managed to jump and roll at the last second over to a different section of the roof as they now looked. To their surprise, there was another thing that appeared as it had thunder coming from its battery hands as the thing with the turbines was smiling and laughing. The new thing then powered up its electricity as it shot from its hands and head as the voltage hit the figures in front who did a backflip as they fell. The other two figures were picked up and thrown against the railing of the building before they could have a chance to fight back. With all of them laid out, the two things took the time to retreat as they disappeared into smokes. And just like that, they were gone. The blue figure got up as it was pissed off. It stamped its foot in anger as the suit it was wearing powered down. "Son of a bitch!!" yelled Rainbow as she took a step forward. "Man, those guys are tough. And they got away." The figure next to it simply put its head down as it didn't go unnoticed by the chromatic girl. "Aj, you okay?" asked the girl as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder as she powered down. "Yeah, it's just that we've never seen two of these monsters team-up. Seems things just got a lot tougher," stated the country girl as she dusted off her hat. "Yeah, no joke," stated Twilight as she powered down. "Even with our combined efforts, they still managed to overpower us. Seems we need a better plan." "Or better attacks," stated Sunset as she landed behind the trio and powered down. "I think we might need some new powers. Though I am liking these wings on my suit." "Come in, guys. What happened?" asked Ash over their morphers. "They escaped, sugarcube." "And it wasn't just one of them, they teamed up," said Sunset. "Not good. Usually, they only send one at a time. But if they're now sending multiple, then we're in more danger than I realized. In any case, nothing to do but wait till they strike again. Get some rest everyone, but stay on standby in case of emergencies." stated their leader. "Understood," said the four girls. They each touched their morphers as they turned into their respective lights and went in different directions. Ash was shown walking in town as he was currently doing some errands. The boy had entered a grocery store as he had some shopping to do to refill the fridge at the command center. And because Rainbow would always eat whatever was in there and not leave anything for the rest of them. Despite not accepting Sunset's invitation to the girls' school event, the ranger did get out more than he let on. Upon arriving in this dimension, he had Rachel inform him of how things worked here for the most part. One of those things was knowing where he could find nutrition as that required him to go to the stores to get different foods. Another thing was money, which served as no problem as the boy had some leftover gems from his dimension that when he turned into the bank for some cash, it was worth a lot more than he expected. That and cause Rachel was built by his father, the female program came with some currencies to suit where he might be. Once he did the shopping, he then turned a corner as a flash of yellow was shown. The boy arrived at the command center as drones popped out and began to put the stuff away. He then touched his wristband as he teleported once more. Fluttershy was shown at the animal rescue center as she was currently taking care of some animals. All around her were small dogs that they had finished taking a bath. The buttercup girl was singing a little tune to herself as she poured a bucket of water on the canine. Its fur was drenched as she then used a blow-dryer. The dog's hair then turned went poufy as the girl giggled. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you," smiled Fluttershy as she began to brush the dog's fur. The teen had finished the last set of dogs as she began to do a headcount. At that moment, she noticed that one of them was missing. "Oh my god, where's Mr. Pickles?" asked the girl as she began to frantically search the place. She was looking all over the place as she was hoping to find the little dog before its owner came by to pick him up. "Oh no, this is terrible!" stated the girl in a panicked tone. A throat clearing sound was heard as the girl turned around. Standing there was Ash as he held the small dog in his arms as the little thing had its tongue out in excitement. "I believe this pup belongs to you," said Ash as he held the dog out in his hand as it barked. "Mr. Pickles! Thank god you're safe," said Fluttershy as she grabbed the small dog from the boy's hand. She nuzzled it against her cheek as the dog began to lick her face. She then turned to address the teen. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I lost him." "Don't mention." "Where was he? If I may ask?" said the girl before hiding behind her hair. "Outside. He was chasing a ball and was about to run into the street until I snatched him up," replied Ash. "Well, thank you for saving him before anything... unfortunate might have occurred," stated the shy girl. "Yeah, just... next time. Make sure you keep an eye on him. Pups need constant attention," said Ash as he felt a dog near his leg as he began to pet it. Soon all the other dogs began to crowd the boy as he began to pet their heads. "Seems you've caught their attention," said Fluttershy as she saw how all the canines flocked to Ash. "Probably because of my animal zord being a wolf. And how they're related to dogs," muttered Ash that part to himself. "Listen, I know this may be sudden. But... can you watch them for a few minutes while I tidy the place up?" asked Fluttershy. "Why me? You don't even know who I am," stated Ash as he stood up. "True, but... they seem to trust you. So, if they trust you. Then I so do I." "That's not a particularly compelling argument," said Ash bluntly. "Please," said Fluttershy as she gave the puppy dog eyes. Ash saw how the girl was acting as he could see she wanted his help. Not to mention, her shy demeanor added more cuteness than she already had both due to her eyes and beauty. So he knew that if he declined, it would make him have a guilty conscience. The boy gave a heavy sigh as he agreed. Fluttershy immediately perked up as she gave Ash a hug which caught him completely off guard. The girl then left to clean up as the boy was left in the lobby with the many dogs. Once the girl left, the canines began to make noises. "Alright, settle down everyone. She'll be back. For now, just be quiet," stated Ash. His response was just a couple of barks. "Ok, not the response I was looking for, but better than nothing." He then grabbed a ball and he held it high as it got the attention of the crowd. He tossed it as the dogs now began to chase it in hopes of getting it first. Ash now leaned up against the wall as the dogs came back with the ball returned. He grabbed it and began to play fetch. For the next moments, the boy was playing with the group. "Boy, you guys really know how to keep me on my toes don't cha?" said Ash with a tired voice. "They sure do, looks like they did fine with you being around." At that moment, Fluttershy had returned as she saw how much fun the dogs had with the boy. "So, you done?" asked Ash. "Yeah, thanks." "No worries. Well, I need to leave. I got things to do." stated Ash as he stood up and headed towards the door. "Thank you... what's your name?" "It's Ash." "Thanks, Ash. I'm Fluttershy." "Fluttershy? Cute name. I'll make sure to remember it. See you around." stated the boy as he exited through the door. The boy had only made it a few meters away when his wristband went off. He looked around as nobody was nearby as he answered it. "What is it?" "Master Ash. It seems we've picked up some activity." "Where?" "By Daedalus Bridge." "We're on it!" stated Sunset as she and the others also heard the message. "Ash, we'll meet you there." "Make sure you get there as fast as you can!" replied the ranger as he turned his communicator off and began to run. At the Daedalus Bridge, people were walking on the massive structure. Standing on one end of the bridge was one of the monsters that the girls chased. "Soon this dimension will fall into chaos. And once again, we'll rule them all!" stated the mutant who was named Jet Stream. He then began to power up the turbines on his chest as he was blowing a massive wind storm in the face of the people walking. They noticed the mutant as the wind he created was now pushing them back, even so far as take them off their feet as they were flying backward. "Now for some real fireworks!" shouted the other mutant named Thundercrash as he charged up his battery hand and shot a bolt of electricity to a nearby column as it exploded. This got the people under the bridge to now run while avoiding the falling debris. They weren't the only ones running for their lives as the nearby birds and small animals were also scared as they too booked it. The girls were shown running from one end as Ash arrived from the other. They all met in the middle as they looked over the railing and saw the destruction the two monsters were doing. "It's the mutants from the other night," stated Twilight as their enemies were back. Ash took a step forward as he placed his hand over the railing. He closed his eyes as the cries of the animals that were running could be heard. The boy was now reminded of a similar scenario of what occurred in his dimension as caused him to clench his fist. "What's the plan, sugar?" asked Aj as they were still looking over the bridge. "We take them out! But this time, we do it together," said the ranger looking at his team. "You all ready to do this?" "We're ready," stated Rainbow as the others nodded. "Rangers, time to save the day. It's Morphin' time!" shouted Ash as he stood in front of the girls as his wristband changed into his Morpher. The girls did the same as they faced their leader. "Harmony Gem!" shouted Ash as he touched his Morpher. "Harmony Gem!" responded the girls doing the same. "Power up!" stated the boy as he traced his symbol. "Power up!" yelled the girls as they did the same. Go, Go, Power Rangers! The transformation now began to take place with a bit of background music to accompany our heroes. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. The girls also transformed at the same time as each was undergoing their process. They traced the symbol as their gems now encased them as they landed on a platform as their bodies turned into their suits. Each having bits of their gem on their shoulders. They lifted their heads as the vizor configured to cover the last bit of them as they each did their pose with their animal behind them as they let out noises. "Let's do it!" shouted Ash as they all stood in a line. "Phoenix wings!" shouted Sunset as she leaped off the ground as the wings on her suit popped out. She was now heading towards where Jet Stream was located. "Huh?" shouted the mutant as he saw the girl above him. "Harmony saber!" shouted Sunset as she pulled out her small weapon and did a slash attack as she passed by and did a twist in mid-air as she landed on one knee. "Didn't you learn your lesson?!!" shouted Jet Stream as he reminded the girl of what happened last time as he got up. "I guess not! But let me teach you something, mutant! I'm the Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" shouted Sunset putting her hand out and then bringing it near her face. The scene then transitioned quickly between the different parts of her suit with the last shot being the animal in the middle. "And Power Rangers never give up!" shouted Sunset doing her pose. "Hyah!" shouted Rainbow as she managed to attack Jet Stream from behind as he was distracted by Sunset. The chromatic girl managed to have her suit pulled out the sharp talons on her gloves as she did a quick scratch attack before backing off. She was in the air as she did several backflips before landing perfecting on her knees and standing up. "Turbine mutant, I'm the Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" shouted Rainbow doing the same thing with her hand by thrusting it out and then bringing it in close to her face. The scene transitions between the different parts of her suit as the last shot of her animal in the middle. "And you're gonna feel my bite!" taunted Rainbow doing her pose. With the other mutant, Applejack had managed to grab him as she was running with the thing in her hands. She then gave it a great big toss as he landed hard on the ground forward next to some trees as the country girl came to a stop. "Thunder mutant! Meet the Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" shouted Aj as she did the same action as her friends. The scene quickly transitioned between the different parts of her suits with her animal being the last one. "Prepare to be stomped!" stated the farm girl as she did her pose. "Hyah!" shouted Twilight as she attacked from the trees where Thundercrash was as she used her saber to do some attack as she backflip several times to get some distance. "Who do you think you are?" shouted Thundercrash as he wobbled a bit from Twilight's sneak attack. "Thanks for asking. Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger." stated the girl doing the same action. Her different parts of her suit were quickly shown with her animal being last as she finished by doing her pose. On the ground, heading towards Thundercrash was Ash as he was running on all fours. He slid past him as he used his legs to sweep the mutant as he now stood a few meters away standing tall. "I'm the Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger, and your rampage ends here!" shouted the leader as he too did the same as the girls. The different parts of his suit were shown off bit by bit as the boy did his pose. "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted all five of them. Jet Stream now fired up the turbines on his chest as he was currently dealing with Sunset and Rainbow as they were now in the mountains for their fight. The girls felt the power of the wind as it was like one of the wind tunnels that was used to test planes. The girls were being pushed back with ease as they landed hard on the dirt. "You guys okay?" asked Ash as he and the rest of them appeared by their friends' side. "Let's double up!" shouted Thundercrash as he appeared next to Jet Stream. "I'm down!" snickered Jet Stream as he and Thundercrash had their fists touch as they charged up. "Fire!" shouted both mutants as they shot out two attacks as they hit the group of five. The attacks then combined as explosions occurred for our heroes as they were flung into the air as they forward flipped onto the ground in pain. The rangers were hurt from the attack as the villains merely laughed at how easily they were able to fall. Ash was starting to sit up when the image of his animal on his suit began to glow. It shined quickly as a howl was heard that only the boy could hear it. He put his hand over his heart as he began to listen and communicate with his animal. "Yeah, I hear you," said the yellow ranger as he understood what his zord told him. "Guys, listen!" "This is no time to talk!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first to get up as the rest were getting to their knees. "I'm gonna destroy those son of a bitches myself!" "Wait! You've got to listen. My wolf zord told me what to do." said Ash as he was holding back Rainbow when he said that. "What?" said Rainbow as she stopped to turn her head to look at the boy. "What did you say?" asked Twilight as she didn't believe the words coming out of her leader's mouth. "I said my wolf zord spoke with me, and we agreed," said Ash as he had the girls listen. "He told me that only one can defeat two. That means we have to combine our weapons and work together." "Is that even possible?" asked Sunset. "It is, but you girls need to trust me," stated Ash. "Makes sense, I say let's try it," stated Twilight. "Let's do it!" stated Applejack. "Rhino, Phoenix, Wolf, Falcon, Owl!" stated each of the rangers as they pulled out their weapons seconds apart from each other as they said the name of their animal. "Topaz Harmony Blade!" "Ruby Harmony Bow!" "Cobalt Harmony Lance!" "Emerald Harmony Axe!" "Sapphire Harmony Shield!" They all then began to combine each of their weapons as they fitted within one or another. Once completed, their weapons now formed a cannon as they all had their hands on it ready to transform their power. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted Ash as he was at the trigger. "That won't help you!" shouted Thundercrash as he began to run towards them. "Wait!" shouted Jet Stream as he knew what our heroes were doing. "Power it up, girls!" instructed Ash as they were all concentrating as their gems were transforming their powers to make the cannon function. All the while, Thundercrash was still heading towards them as they held their position. "Hold," stated Ash as he was making sure their aim was on point. With the cannon now reached max power. "Now! Harmony Cannon, Final Shot!" shouted the boy as he pulled the trigger as their weapon shot out a sphere of energy as it was covered with the colors of their gems. It made contact with Thundercrash as he stopped dead in his tracks as he felt the power. "That did it!" shouted Ash. The rangers now had their weapons back in their hands as they turned around. Behind them, Thundercrash fell in defeat as a huge explosion went off as our heroes did their victory pose. In the background, Jet Stream saw what happened as he took off to regroup himself. "Now that was some cool shit!" shouted Rainbow as she couldn't believe what they did. "Nothing like a little teamwork," stated Twilight with the girl having a smile under her helmet. "It's not over, we need to go after Jet Stream," stated Sunset as they looked behind to see the mutant was gone. "Let's hurry and find him!" shouted Ash as all five began to scout for their missing foe. "Why didn't that fool wait?!" shouted Jet Stream as he couldn't believe that Thundercrash didn't listen. "We could have had them. This is not good." He had clutched his side a bit as he sustained some damage during the fight with the rangers. The monster had taken a few steps after leaning against a railing when suddenly two flashes of light appeared in front of him. They dissipated and standing before him were two of the generals. "Where do you think you're going?!" "General Starlight!" stated Jet Stream as he was a bit terrified by the higher-ranking commander. "Please, forgive. You have to understand, I would have been destroyed had I not retreated." "And you think you're safer by running away from a fight. The rangers show mercy, but you won't get any from me!" shouted Starlight as she turned on her staff as she looked to get rid of the mutant herself. "General, please!" pleaded Jet Stream. "Come now, Starlight. Can't you see our fellow comrade needs some assistance," stated the other general with a wicked tone in her voice. "I say we give him the help he needs." "General?" "Fear not, for I have a way to help you," stated the girl mutant as her hands began to glow. "Are you sure he went this way?" asked Ash as they had made it to the overpass that looked towards the mountain range that surrounded Canterlot City on the west side. "I saw him run towards here," stated Rainbow. "Then where did he go?" said Twilight as they were looking around. They only saw a few buildings and some junk on top of the overpass as they were trying to find their target. "Keep your eyes open. He couldn't have gone far," responded Sunset. The rangers were unaware of the something popping up from behind the railing as they heard a burst of laughter. They all turned around in shock at what they saw. Standing before the was Jet Stream, but he was ten times their size. So much so that the buildings on the overpass looked minuscule. They all jumped back as they took in the sight of their foe. "You puny rangers don't stand a chance me now!" shouted Jet Stream as he cackled. He swept his arm out as he took out the buildings next to the rangers as they just barely managed to get out of the way as they rolled. "What the hell!!!" shouted Aj putting her hand on her helmet. "What... Why... How did it get that big?!!!" shouted Twilight. "I don't know. But I've got to stop it," said Ash as he pulled out his saber and leaped into the air. The ranger did a few slashes to the giant foe to which Jet Stream merely swatted away the tiny person as the boy now hit the ground on his back. "Ash!!" said the girls as they all bent around their leader. "Okay... in my head, that worked out differently," grunted the yellow ranger as he began to sit up. "I'm having fun now!" stated Jet Stream as he was looking forward to taking out the rangers with ease. "This isn't good," said Sunset. "How the hell do we beat him now?" asked Rainbow. All five were in a line looking up at their giant foe. Ash's suit then began to glow as the symbol of his animal began to speak one more. The boy was listening to it as the animal was telling him what they needed to do. "You're right. I guess it's time," said the boy as he turned to look at the girls who were still looking at their foe. "Girls, listen up. Time I show you all another power we have." "Another power. Are you serious?!" shouted Rainbow as she was kind of excited. "Is it one that's gonna help us take him down?" asked Sunset. "Yes," answered Ash as the girls looked between each other and nodded. "Then follow my lead," said the boy as they all got in position. They stood in a line as Ash touched his Morpher as he drew a symbol. "Wolf zord, arise!" shouted the boy. His voice echoed as his Morpher recognized the different symbol that was drawn. Then an animal call was ushered as it was sending out a signal. Off in the forest, the sound was being received by the animal it was calling as it let out a howl and raced off. The girls were unaware of what their leader did when soon they heard a howl. They looked at the forest surrounding Jet Stream as racing forward was Ash's wolf as this time he was in his zord mode. "Girls, the time has come. Remember how I told you we have these guys to help us. Well, time to show them off!" stated Ash as they nodded. "Phoenix zord, arise!" "Owl zord, arise!" "Rhino zord, arise!" "Falcon zord, arise!" Each of the girls touched their morphers as they said that while drawing a different symbol. Soon their zords were receiving the call as they too were shown alongside Ash's wolf zord as they were all racing towards the giant monster. "Here they come!" said Sunset as she and the others saw them. "This is amazing!" stated Rainbow as she saw the five zords appear. Ash's wolf zord let out a howl as it picked up speed and ran ahead of the others as it leaped into the air. It tackled Jet Stream to the ground as it began to bite at it. It was clawing and using its mouth like it was a piece of meat. The giant mutant managed to get its fist under the wolf as it flung the zord away. The boy's zord recovered from being tossed as it flipped itself to land on its feet safely. At that moment, Twilight's owl appeared as it began to attack the giant mutant. "Go for it, bud!" said Twilight as she cheered on her zord. Her zord fired a set of energy beams from its huge eyes as it got Jet Stream to fumble when he tried to swat away the feathered creature. Aj's rhino and Dash's falcon were now charging forward in unison with the latter's zord flying above the huge creature. "Alright, let him have it, falcon!" "Come on Rhino, don't let that overgrown turkey steal your thunder!" Seems both of the girl's competitiveness had transferred over to their zords as well as both wanted to prove they were the better zord. Both let out a roar as they both hit the giant monster at once as he was pushed back a few feet as the impact of the attack hurt. The last of the zord was Sunset as her phoenix turned itself on fire. "Rain from above, Phoenix!" exclaimed Sunset as her bird let out a screech. The phoenix then began to shower the giant mutant with fire from above as explosions occurred around Jet Stream. The fire then turned into an air vortex that surrounded him as he was trapped in an inferno tornado. "He's still standing," stated Twilight as even after all their attacks, the giant foe was on his knees. The zords appeared behind the rangers as they let out a unison sound. "Remember how we defeated the first one. By working as one. Let's do it again!" stated Ash as the girls nodded and the zords all heard his command. "Who are you?" asked Jet Stream as he was slowly getting to his feet as he was weak. "Us? We're just five teenagers with attitude," smirked Ash through his helmet as their zords charged up their final attack. "Fire!" commanded all five of them as their zords opened their mouths and fired an energy beam that resembled their owners' color. The rainbow beam hit Jet Stream as he was taken off his feet. He was flung back even more as he slid along the floor as he stopped and a huge explosion occurred as it then changed into a huge rainbow that appeared over the entire mountain and valley range. Our heroes all cheered as they began to high-five each other. A few moments passed as all of them looked ahead overwatching the scenery before them as the rainbow they made was still shining. The voice from before began to speak as our heroes stood before and did one last fist pump to the air as their zords were behind them still as they all let out a unison roar. And so the journey begins. Destiny has brought five young people together, and now they set out on their adventures.
Chapter 7: MegazordThere comes a time in everyone's life when they must find the courage to seek out their destiny. But sometimes, what you seek isn't always what you find. "You know, I didn't understand what my parents meant since I was a kid. But now... I do," said Ash as he was sitting on the paw of his zord as they were looking at the city from the mountain range out of the town. "I'm in another dimension, far from home. Apart from the girls, I don't know many people. I'm a sole survivor." Ash's wolf looked at its owner as it let out a growl. "Protecting this dimension and stopping the Dark Lords is my path. I couldn't do much to save my home. I won't let the girls suffer the same fate as I did." The girls were at the command center as Twilight was at the computer. She was working with Rachel as they were watching the footage that was recorded of them defeating Jet Stream the other day. The thing that still weighed on the girls' minds was how the mutant was able to grow ten times his size, and he almost defeated them had it not been for their zords. "Anything, Rachel?" "I'm sorry, Twilight. But I can't figure it out either," replied the A.I. to the bookworm. "It doesn't matter!" stated Rainbow as she was nearby making some popcorn as she had a bowl in her arms. "They may get stronger, but we'll be quicker!" The girl now began to do some karate punches to emphasize her point. "But they've never gotten that big before," stated Aj as she leaned on the kitchen counter. "They must bet getting help," stated Sunset. "But how?" "That's what I want to know," said Ash as the boy arrived from the elevator as he walked in. His wolf zord was in its pet size as it hung on its owner's shoulder. "Any updates?" "None, Ash. We don't know what might have caused Jet Stream to grow that big," stated Twilight. "Well, we'd best be on guard. If he found a way for him to grow, chances are we're going to be encountering them more often than one," said the boy. With the villains, they were currently talking about their next plan. With the rangers now knowing how to use their zords, they were more determined to find the missing zords so that they could counter them. In Thorax's lab, the mutant was working on his device when Starlight came in. "Boys and their toys. Typical, you neglect women," "My, Starlight. I must say you look lovely, today," responded Thorax in a blunt tone as he continued to work. "Nice to see you still love me," taunted the girl mutant. "Unfortunately, I prefer science now. That is a subject you can figure out, unlike women," responded Thorax as he began to work his digits as he inputted the final commands into the screen. "Is it ready, my son?" "Just about, mother. All I need is to do... there we go," said Thorax as he finished inputting the final commands into the system as it transmitted the data into the small device that was on the table. "It is ready," said Thorax as he picked up the device. "But does it work?" "Well, that's what fields tests are for. So, we need a volunteer," smirked Thorax. "I have just the mutant for the job," said Starlight as she left. Ash was with Rachel as the pair were trying to find out the answer as to how their foes could have gained access to get bigger. Over and over, he played the recording of them fighting Jet Stream in his gigantic form as it wasn't making any sense. Eventually, the teen let out a stressful sigh as he leaned back. His wold zord came rushing in as it jumped onto his lap. The boy looked at the zord as he petted it which nuzzled into his shirt as it then laid down on his lap. "I know I shouldn't stress myself out, but this is something that I haven't encountered before. Not even mom or the others told me that they could grow this big. So, it was either a secret, or someone is helping them. Either way, we have to stop them. And with you and the others, we stand a chance of stopping them." said Ash to his wolf zord as it let out a small howl. "Master Ash, I was searching the Morphin Grid as you requested. I seem to have picked up a strange anomaly." "What is it, Rachel?" asked the boy to the A.I. program. "Hard to say, I'm running scans as we speak. It may take a while, but I believe this could belong to either a zord or the other thing we seek." "Alright, keep me posted. I need to relax." "One more thing, Master. While I was searching the Morphing Grid, I came upon some interesting information. It seems you and the girls aren't the only rangers in this dimension." "Huh?" said Ash as he quickly returned to his seat. His wolf now leaped from his lap to his shoulder as it held on with its paws. "From where we come from, our rangers have been passed down from generation to generation. It's how your mother became a ranger and then you. So there's only been one single team of rangers to keep the peace in our dimension. But in this dimension... there's more." "I don't believe you," said Ash as he was a bit skeptical. "Allow me," said Rachel as she pulled out several files. The files came upon the screen as each one had a special symbol that belonged to the different ranger teams that this dimension hosted over the years. Safe to say, this shocked the boy as he didn't expect that this dimension suffered the same kind of threats that he was used to back in his world. But to think, that over the years, many teams of rangers like him and the girls were doing, actually defended the planet on multiple occasions. The boy began to click on them as the names of them popped up. "Mighty Morphin, Zeo, Turbo, Time Force, Dino Thunder, Operation Overdrive," said the boy as he was listening off a few names of the list he read. "Some of these are kind of weird names to be called." "Let's not forget Master, you and the girls called yourselves the Harmony Guardian Power Rangers," stated Rachel with some sass in her tone. "It's to represent the gems we have. Plus, it somewhat of a nice ring to it," defended Ash about the team name. "Anyways, this is a lot of information." "Shall I begin to download it?" asked Rachel. "Yeah, and while that's happening. Let's take a look at this history." "Where shall we start?" asked Rachel as she was already downloading the info from the Morphin Grid to their computer. "I guess, we start at the very beginning," stated Ash as he clicked on the first folder that was labeled Mighty Morphin. The boy sat back in his chair as Rachel made some snacks appear for her master as they were going to be here a while to look at the videos of the rangers from the past. While the boy was having a history lesson, at CHS, the students were getting ready for the school event that was but two days away. Almost everybody knew about the Power Rangers as the news outlets had reported on how it captured the group fighting against the monsters and their soldiers. The latest one was showing a video of the girls and Ash as they took down Jet Stream with their zords. What was once a menacing vigilante, was now a team of defenders as everybody was counting on the rangers to save their home and take down the bad guys. And this definitely showed as a certain group was holding a meeting. "Welcome to the official Power Rangers fan club!" shouted Scootaloo as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle pulled down a huge poster as on it were the rangers as they stood with their hands on their hips. The response was a huge cheer and whistles as the crowd of students that were in the room showed their appreciation for the image of their heroes. "We now call this meeting to order!" said Sweetie Belle as she banged the small gavel on the table to get everybody to settle down. Outside of the classroom door, was Rainbow as she had her ear to the door. She was listening in on the meeting as she wanted to see what her fellow classmates thought of them, but more importantly her. "Hey, Rainbow," called out Applejack. "Shh!" said Dash as she zipped over to her country friend and put her hand over her mouth. Applejack didn't like that she swatted away the hand from her mouth. "What the hay are you doin'?" "I'm spying. Now shut up," said the chromatic teen as she went back to listening. Applejack shook her head at her friend's behavior as she too quietly listen as well. "First order of business is to express our love for the rangers. And to say which one is our favorite," smiled Applebloom. "I like the red one!" said Pipsqueak. "Green one," stated Featherweight. "Purple one," exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "Yellow!" "Red!" "Green!" "The best one! The Blue Ranger! He's the most awesome one!" said Scootaloo as her inner fangirl came out. "HE?!!!" shouted Rainbow. She was offended to think that one of her fans thought she was a boy. "I'll have you know, I ain't..." "Settle down, Sally!" stated Applejack as she put her hand over her friend's mouth to silence her. She then used her strength to drag the chromatic athlete away to avoid her blowing their cover. "Did you all hear something?" asked Sweetie Belle. The rest of the younger students all shook their heads as they continued the meeting of the Power Rangers fan club. With the two older girls, they had made it to where there was nobody else as she finally released her hand. "Aj, what the hell?!" "In case you forgot, we got to keep our identities a secret," said Aj poking her finger to her friend's shirt. "But I ain't a boy!" stated Dash as she found it insulting that people thought she was a guy under her suit. "Just let it go, Dash. There are things more important than makin' sure that people know you're a girl under that suit," stated the country girl. "It's a matter of principle, Applejack!" The two began to argue as some students who were walking by just avoided being caught in their line of sight. Eventually, the pair decided to settle it with an arm-wrestling contest. While the two rivals went to settle their differences, the rest of their ranger buddies were doing other things with their friends. Sunset was currently with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as they were in the school gardens planting some seeds. The buttercup girl had needed some help, so she asked her friends for some help to which they agreed. The trio was hard at work planting the seeds that would turn into lovely vegetables in a few months. "Thanks for helping me, girls." "No worries, Fluttershy. I don't mind getting a little bit dirty now and then," said the bacon-haired girl as she took off the gardener gloves to wipe her forehead. "I just hope that with all the candy that I planted, I can grow some sugar trees." giddy Pinkie as she pulled a cupcake out of her hair and began to eat it. "I'm not sure that's how it works," said Fluttershy as she planted some more seeds. Twilight was with Rarity as the fashionista was putting the finishing touches on her outfit that she was going to wear for the school event. As well as they were in their chemistry class as they were learning about the periodic table. Rarity did notice the wristband that was on her bookworm's wrist as the gem inside was shining brightly in the sunlight. The girl asked her friend where she got it as the lavender girl was able to come up with a lie that her parents gave it to her. The marshmallow teen seemed to have bought that lie as it got Twilight to let out a breath of relief. The day continued as it turned out that the arm-wrestling between the two rivals went a bit too far as they literally broke the lunch table. Seems Vice-Principal Luna wasn't pleased by how out of hand both Dash and Aj let their pride get. So to avoid having detention and missing the school event on Friday, the women had the two build the table. They nodded as they began to gather the destroyed pieces. Thankfully, the farm girl had a way with tools as she was able to come up with a blueprint. So the pair began to get to work on their punishment. While this was going on, Spitfire and her gang had made it to the field as they were about to start their daily practice. "Alright, gang. Let's start with five laps around the building," stated the captain as she blew her whistle. The rest of the Wonderbolts had finished their stretches as they began to do as their captain instructed. The coach was watching his team of athletes as they were getting ready for the next match of the season. After about 15 minutes, everyone was raring to go as they began to run some drills. During this time, the school groundskeeper had emerged from his tool shed as he put some headphones on. He turned on the engine of the lawnmower as he began to cut the grass for the team to use. The CMC had made it to the bleachers as they were looking to do an activity. "You really think the rangers will show up?" asked Applebloom as she was setting up a camera. "Trust me, this plan will work. I'll dress up as a monster, and Sweetie Belle will act like a damsel in distress. Once she yells how much danger she's in, the rangers will arrive, and we'll ask them for their autographs. That'll show Diamond Tiara that the rangers aren't fake." said Scootaloo as she was determined to make their rival eat her words. "And why do I have to be the one in danger?" asked Sweetie. "Because you're Rarity's little sister. So I'm sure some of her drama queen skills you have as well," stated Scootaloo. "Ooh, well, that makes sense," said Sweetie Belle. "Now give me a few minutes to change and I'll be back," said Scootaloo as she left to the side as Applebloom was setting up the small camera. While the girls waited for their friend to return, the Wondercolts were on the field doing some practice shots. They had just finished the drill when they stopped to take a quick water break. They all grabbed some bottles of water as they began to rehydrate. One of the teammates finished their bottle as they tossed the bottle towards the nearby recycling bin. It hit the edge and instead fell and rolled onto the lawn. The gardener had finished his job as he turned the engine off and left to take his lunch break. A few moments later, the lawnmower that was left behind began to glow. It then transformed as there stood a mutant named Cutup. "Chop, chop, chop!" stated the mutant as he began to look around. He noticed the water bottle on the grass as he started to get annoyed. He then looked saw the rest of the Wondercolts. "Uh, guys?" said Fleetfoot as she saw the creature. "Time for you kids to scram!" shouted Cutup. At that moment, two pillars of light shined next to him as out came Pharynx and Starlight. "This should drive the rangers out!" stated Pharynx as he slammed his gauntlets on the floor as the earth shook causing the Wondercolts to all fall to the ground. The sound didn't go unnoticed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle as they were near the bleachers and saw the mutants. They thought it was Scootaloo, but when they saw their friend return after missing a piece of the costume, they soon realized the state of the situation. The Wondercolts all began to get up as Starlight pointed her staff at them as Spitfire and her friends were all tied up. The CMC now hid behind the bleachers as they saw the older kids trapped as they were scared. The Wondercolts were squirming as they were scared at what the mutant and the generals might do. The trio was walking towards them when some blast shots were heard and fired in front of them as it created a small smokescreen. At that moment, Ash and the girls appeared in their ranger suits as they began to slash at the binds that held the Wondercolts as they were relieved to be saved. "Are you alright?" asked Ash to Spitfire. "Yeah, thanks, bud," replied the captain. "Don't mention it, get to safety," instructed the yellow ranger as he and the girls watched the Wondercolts leave. Rainbow noticed the nearby soccer ball as she used her feet to do a Rainbow move and then did a back kick as the object went sailing into Cutup as the smoke cleared, and the mutant was hit in the face as he went down. "Oh, yeah! Still got it!" said Rainbow as her skills were still on par, even after quitting sports. "Who the hell kicked that ball?!! I'll take your ass on right now!" shouted the mutant as he was pissed off. "Rangers," growled Pharynx as he and Starlight saw the five individuals as they had managed to free their captives. "Nice of you to join our lawn party." "Perfect, I'll take red and purple," snickered Starlight as she ran forward with her staff. "You can have whoever you want, but yellow and blue are all mine," stated Phraynx as he ran forward. The teens now moved to engage with their selected opponents. Well, almost, everybody. "Hey, wait a minute, y'all. How come I didn't get picked?" asked Aj as her name wasn't called by the mutants to fight. Safe to say, the farm girl was a bit disrespected that she was left out intentionally. "Because they save the best for me," stated Cutup as it seemed he would be fighting Applejack, one on one. "In that case, you better brace yerself partner for the Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" stated Applejack. She got down on all fours as she began to use her back leg to kick up the dirt behind her as she prepared to charge like her rhino towards the mutant. "Hey, what the hell are you doin'? You're tearing up school property, girl!" "Huh?" said Aj as she then looked behind her as she saw the patch of dirt she accidentally made when she dug her foot into the grass. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's okay, I'm a farmer. I know how to fix this, all I need is some... Wait a doggone minute? Why the hell am I apologizin' to a monster?" said Applejack as she had an epiphany. "Harmony Ax!" shouted Aj as she pulled out her weapon and began to run towards the mutant. "Stop!" shouted Cutup. "What now?!!" shouted the green ranger. "You're leaving footprints with those boots. Take them off!" shouted Cutup as he engaged Aj. "I don't think so!" shouted Applejack as she caught the mutant's arm under hers and used the ax in her other hand to slash at him. The pair turned as Aj was now ducking under some swings from the mutant as the girl kept on using her ax to get some blows in. She activated her power to make her skin tough to absorb the strikes of the ones she couldn't dodge in time. While this was going on, her friends were dealing with the other two generals as they were at a standstill. They were unaware of the CMC who had been watching the whole thing go down. The girls were awwing and oohing as they saw the rangers go at it. Safe to say, they were even more impressed to see them up close. "Look at them, they're so cool," said Sweetie Belle. "They're amazing!!!" shouted Applebloom. "I told you the blue ranger was the best. Though I thought it was boy," said Scootaloo. "No, I'm not!!!" shouted Rainbow as she managed to hear that comment even while she was fighting against Pharynx. She wanted to make sure that message was heard loud and clear. With Aj, she was engaged with Cutup as the country girl seemed to be holding her own. She moved the way out of the way of a lunge by Cutup as she grabbed his arm. She tossed it upwards as the girl spun and did a bicycle kick to his chest as he stumbled. "Give up?" taunted Aj. Cutup did a quick slash as Applejack didn't see it coming as she got hit. She fell to the ground as she rolled. "Time to cut you loose, ranger," stated Cutup as he began to move towards the fallen girl with his blades whirling. Rainbow saw her friend was in danger as she blocked one of Pharynx's gauntlets with her lance as she swatted him away and used her weapon to pole vault into the air. Twilight was dealing with Starlight as she blocked a magic shot with her shield and tossed it to the girl mutant as it caused her to fall to the ground. Her weapons returned as she too jumped into the air. Both girls landed by their friend as they grabbed her by the shoulders and moved Aj out of harm's way. "We got you, Aj," stated Dash. "Huh?" said Cutup. "Over here!" shouted Ash. He and Sunset now came behind as Cutup turned to them. The two teens ducked under his arms as they slashed with their sabers. They then both did a diagonal slash as they hit Cutup right in the chest. "Respect the lawn," grunted Cutup as he was coughed "Who gives a damn about this shitty ass lawn?!!" shouted Pharynx. "Let's finish this!" shouted Ash as he and the girls combined their weapons. "Harmony Cannon!" said the rangers. "Move!" shouted Starlight. "Fire!" said our heroes. Their cannon now powered up as it shot a blast towards the generals. Starlight and Phyranx moved out of the way as Cutup was slower than them. He was hit by the shot as the rangers disassembled their weapon and turned around to do their signature pose as in the back their foe fell as an explosion occurred. "All right! We did it!" stated Ash as the girls also cheered. "Not so fast, rangers," spoke a voice. At that moment, a flash of light appeared. Starlight and Pharynx saw it as the individual that appeared made them gasp. The mysterious figure was none other than another mutant general as she smiled and then turned to look at the rangers. Apart from Ash, the girls were stunned by who or what they saw. "Who the hell are you?" asked Rainbow. "It's..." "Allow me to introduce myself, Ash," said the mutant with a cold, sinister voice. "I am Chrysalis. Second in command of the dark lords." The girl mutant wasted no time as she thrust her hand out as a bolt of lightning came out. It took down our heroes no sweat as they all screamed in pain as they fell to the ground. Starlight and Pharynx were smiling at how powerful their comrade was that she was able to drop the rangers like that. "Nice shot, mother," stated Pharynx. Chrysalis then looked at the spot where Cutup was defeated as she began to work her magic. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" said Chrysalis as she had her hand out and finished her chant. The spell worked as the ritual was starting to take effect. A small tornado began to form around the spot of the defeated mutant. It then got bigger and bigger as it then blew away as there stood Cutup as he was now big. "So that explains how they got bigger," said Sunset as this was like last time. "How?" asked Ash to Chrysalis. "A new trick I learned," snickered the general. "Have fun." With that, the three generals all disappeared as they gave their final orders to Cutup to smash them. "Look out!" shouted Twilight. The rangers all rolled out at the last second as Cutup's foot almost came down on them. "Alright, girls. I think it's time for some animal power," stated Ash as they began to touch their morphers. "Harmony Zords, arise!" said all five of them as they activated the symbol to call their animals robots. The call was sent as it rang through the air. It rang several times as it was transmitting the signal. It was then received as the animals started to head towards their owners. Ash's wolf let out a howl as it was running along the forest. The others responded with their own sounds as they were shown also in between a row of trees heading towards the rangers. "Here they come," said Sunset as they saw the zords now enter the city for them to battle. Ash's wolf picked up speed as it jumped over a small bridge and then leaped forward to take a bite at Cutup as it was holding on. "Let me go, you overgrown mutt!" said the mutant as he used his arms to hit the wolf. It released his hold of its mouth as it was sent flying along the ground. "Wolf!" shouted Ash as he saw his zord take a bump. The girl's other zords also were hit as they too were slightly pushed back. Safe to say, unlike last time, the zords were taking a beating. They were all being swatted away and taking punishments from the giant mutant as they struggled. The wolf had gotten to his feet as he shook the attack off and then let out a howl. He was now communicating with Ash as he was telling his owner what they needed to do to defeat Cutup. "I hear you, bud," said Ash as he had his hand over his heart, where the symbol of his animal was on his suit. "Girls, listen. There is a way for us to win. But for that to happen, we must combine our zords to defeat the monster." The girls' zords also let out their respective sounds as they agreed with their comrade and to relay the message to the girls. "Wow, can they do that?!" said Rainbow as she was surprised and excited. "Well, let's find out, y'all," stated Applejack. "Count me in," said Twilight. "All right then. We all agree. Let's do it," said Ash as he and the girls touched their morphers once more. It was now a different symbol that was used to merge the zords. "Follow me," said Ash as he leaped up and entered his zord. "Right," said the girls as they too jumped into the air as each one absorbed into their zords. The yellow ranger entered inside as it was a huge room. Soon a control stand with tons of dials and buttons appeared in front of him as it showed his gem. It then scanned the boy as it began to recognize him and granted him access. The girls also did the same when they entered as they were given access. "You girls, set?" asked Ash over their communicators. "All good," responded the girls. "Harmony zords, combine!" shouted all five as a split-screen showed their helmets. The zords heard their command as they began to change. Aj's rhino now turned the back of it into a pair of legs as Ash's wolf jumped on top and tucked its back legs in as it was the chest. Rainbow's and Twilight's birds each took their position next to the wolf as they had their wings tucked in as Sunset's phoenix appeared on top of all three as it used its wings to connect all of the zords. The wolf let out a howl as the final transformation took place as the head of the Megazord appeared with Sunset's phoenix serving as the headpiece/helmet as a face was revealed. Inside, the rangers all appeared in a giant control room. They were positioned from left to right of Twilight, Rainbow, Sunset, Ash, and then Applejack on the far right. The tables from before appeared as they were color-coordinated. Sunset and Ash then began to switch places as the Megazord recognized the change in command as the boy was now in the middle. "This is awesome!" said Rainbow as she couldn't believe they were inside of their huge mech. "Focus, Dash," said Sunset. "Awake," said Ash as the Megazord heard his command. "Harmony Guardian Megazord!" shouted all five rangers. Their robot came online as it landed and stood with the symbol of their gems gathered in a circle. All around, different sections of their Megazord were shown of all the animals being part of this giant robot. "Hold position," commanded Ash as the girls nodded. The mech now stood in place as it was a few meters away from Cutup. "Like I'm scared," said the mutant as he wasn't impressed by the rangers' new trick. He wasted no time in charging forward towards our heroes. He then began to slash at the Megazord which didn't have much effect. Every time he swung or attacked, the rangers' Megazord simply absorbed the blow as they stood their ground. Even the kicks by the monster didn't do much against our heroes. Cutup was running out of steam as the rangers didn't move one inch or have a scratch on their zord. "Oh, you think you're tough, don't you?" taunted Cutup as he went for another attack. This time, the arm was caught by the zord's left arm which was Rainbow's falcon. It caught the arm in its mouth and with one push, it shoved the mutant back as he fell to the floor. "Now it's our turn," said Sunset. "Falcon blade," said Rainbow. The zord heard the command as the face let out a roar. The falcon then had its wing that was tucked shift to the front. They combined to create a sword as it was held in the mouth of the falcon. "Slice!" shouted Ash as the zord began to swing the sword at the mutant. It was effective as Cutup took a big hit as he stumbled back. The zord then began to do more slashes and lunges at the monster. It did a kick as the leg that had the rhino's horn struck the mutant as it felt like he got poked with a needle. He let out a painful cry at how sharp it was. Cutup fired an energy beam as it was heading towards our heroes as they didn't have time to move out of the way. "Twilight!" stated Ash. "Owl shield!" stated the girl. The owl that was the zord's right arm began to have its wings turn into a circle as it made a shield. The attack repelled off the shield as it was redirected into the sky. The smoke cleared as there stood the Megazord as it didn't have a scratch nor did the shield as it retracted in a second. The rangers then continued to hammer Cutup with more slashes as they were pushing back the mutant. "Let's turn up the heat!" shouted Sunset as she pushed some buttons on her table. The zord then had the wolf in the middle open its mouth as flames came out. The fire then took the shape of the Sunset's phoenix as it collided with Cutup as he was set ablaze and flung back a few feet. "Let's finish this, y'all!" stated Applejack. "Harmony Megazord," started Ash. "Sonic Rainboom!!!" shouted all of them as they thrust their hand out. The wolf chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each one had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant as he exploded and was destroyed once and for all. The explosion went off as above the smoke shined a rainbow as it had some magical gem dust sprinkle over the defeated mutant as well as the area around it as it was restored to its former glory. Inside the group of teenagers, all cheered as they high-fived one another at a job well done while their Megazord took a step forward as it did a victory pose. "Well, seems that last piece of data from that officer gave me what I needed," said Thorax as he had the final recording for his device. "Does it work this time?" asked Starlight as the last test Thorax did was a dud. "Trust me, with mom chanting her words, it gave me the final missing piece. Now you no longer have to be present near a fallen mutant's body to make them grow. Simply speak the words into the device, and you can revive them from even in our lair." stated Thorax. "For once, you being nonviolent and a peacemaker proves to be a good thing, little brother," said Pharynx. "But what about the rangers and their new toy?" asked Chrysalis. "Let them celebrate," spoke the leader of the dark lords as he sat on his throne. "While the rangers rest from their hollow victory, they have no idea that the forces which will destroy them grow stronger and stronger with each passing moment." the leader stood up as his shadow remained hidden as the only thing that echoed around the room was his sinister laugh. With our group of heroes, they were back in the command center as they were celebrating their victory. They were amazed that they could summon their zords to do battle against the mutant when they got bigger. But now that they could form them together to create one giant mech, it was mind-blowing. "How much more awesome can I get?!" asked Rainbow boastful. "Enough for your ego to fit the Ghastly Gouge," said Sunset. "Exactly... hey!" shouted Dash to the bacon-haired girl for saying that. "Good work, team. Now we have a way to deal with those monsters when they get bigger," stated Ash he sat down at the computer panel. At that moment, sounds were heard as all of their zords came rushing in as they were shrunk back to their pet size. The birds all landed on their owners, with Twilight's owl landing on the bookworm's head. Aj and Ash had their zord jump into their arms as the girl nuzzled her tiny creature while the boy petted his. "By the way, Ash? What's that?" asked Twilight as she pointed to the many file icons on the screen. "Oh, well, earlier I was doing some research to look for the missing zords. I had Rachel use the Morphin Grid to expand our search and well, we came upon something interesting. Turns out, you girls in this dimension have had tons of rangers that have been protecting your world for years." "No way," said Applejack. "You're serious?" asked Sunset. "I didn't believe it at first, either. But turns out, it's true. Take a look," said Ash as he clicked on one of the folders as he picked up watching the footage from where he left off. The girls soon stood behind his chair as for the next few hours, they were learning about their ranger heritage. At school, the CMC called an emergency meeting for the Power Ranger fan club. The trio of girls explained to everybody how the rangers showed up to save the Wondercolts and then take down the bad guys. While most of them couldn't believe what they were hearing, there was one girl and her pal who didn't but what the CMC were selling. "And then the Blue Ranger was all like, BAW! POW! SMASH! Oh yeah, turns out it's also a girl. Which is weird," said Scootaloo as she thought for sure the Blue Ranger would have been a boy given how much coolness they resonated. "Most of them other than the Yellow Ranger are girls. Also a bit weird," said Applebloom as she could hear the feminine in the voice of the other rangers when they were battling. "As if all of this happened. I mean, didn't you say that you three hid? So how can you have seen what you're telling us if you hid?" asked Diamond Tiara with a smirk. "I knew these Power Rangers were fake," snorted Silver Spoon. "They're real! We saw them with our own eyes!" shouted Sweetie Belle. "Unless you have actual footage, we don't believe you," snickered Diamond Tiara. "Footage? Wait, the camera!" said Applebloom as she was reminded that it was rolling the whole time. She now brought it out as she hooked it up to the laptop. "Here it is." The small country girl pushed to play as the video came up on the screen behind them as it did indeed record everything. The camera saw the rangers fighting against the mutant generals as everybody was awing and oohing at seeing their saviors in action. All the while, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon held sore looks. Still, they were intrigued by the rangers in action that they too had excitement hidden on their faces.
Chapter 8: BodyguardThe city hall was busy. Busier than usual as today, there was a press conference. The mayor, a woman by the name of Mayor Mare, was seen standing on a podium as all around her sat news reporters. She tapped the microphone to gain everybody's attention as the photographers began snapping photos as flashes went off. "Good morning, everyone. As you all know, recently, we've experienced monster attacks on our fair and beloved city. But we've also been lucky enough to have the Power Rangers step in and protect us. Now understand, we are grateful for them. But we can't rely on them to save forever. That is why I've called this meeting to make an announcement. Effective immediately, we are developing weapons to counteract these monsters." said the woman as the reports got up and began to clammer while holding out their recording devices, hoping to get a word. "Recently, we've acquired the weaponry of these monsters. And through some of our best scientists, have been able to make small blasters that can damage and repel these invaders. Now a task like this isn't complete without a squad. Therefore, I've assigned some members of the Canterlot Police Department to be a part of this task." said Mayor Mare. In the background, there stood both Shining Armor and Spearhead at attention as well as other members of the police department that had been selected. "Leading the platoon will be Captain Cosmos," the man stepped forward as Shining Armor couldn't help but look at the person as he so badly want to be the one to lead. He went back to looking forward as the mayor continued her speech. "Our team of scientists, led by Dr. Ledwin, is working tirelessly to make sure that our task force named the Crystal Soldiers will have the necessary ranger weaponry to defend our home. Any questions?" asked the mayor to the audience. Watching this from their command center, was our heroes. Ash and the girls had heard about the big news that was advertised throughout all the outlets about the mayor of Canterlot having an announcement. Safe to say, they didn't expect this kind of news. Especially, for Twilight as she was worried about her brother being selected to be a part of the elite fighting force. Not to mention that soon others would have the access to firepower. The audience began to speak over each other as Ash pushed a button as the video feed ended. "Do you all think it's a good idea?" asked Applejack. "Maybe having more people who can take out these mutants could help us in the long run," stated Rainbow. "Or they could hurt us," said Sunset. "I'm just concerned for my brother. I know he can take care of himself and has combat training. But... he's doesn't know how powerful these monsters are." said Twilight. "All we can do is continue doing our part. People rely on us to stop the Dark Lords. So let's not disappoint them." said Ash to his team. At that time, Captain Cosmo, along with his lieutenants in Shining Armor and Spearhead, entered the mayor's office as did Dr. Ledwin. "What's the progress?" asked Mayor Mare to Dr. Ledwin. "With the weapons that we were able to scavenge from the rangers' battles, we've unlocked the technology these monsters use. And in no time, we'll have a way to defend our home and the citizens of Canterlot," said Dr. Ledwin. "Make sure you do. Whatever it takes. I want the secrets of the Power Rangers," said Captain Cosmos. Dr. Ledwin nodded as she left. Shining Armor and Spearhead did a salute to their captain. The two left as the boy was still upset that he wasn't selected to lead the Crystal Soldiers as he wanted to prove he had what it took to protect this city. The next day came as the sun was up. For the students at CHS, the school event that Pinkie was planning was tomorrow. And speaking of CHS, the small video that the CMC had managed to record of the rangers arriving to save Spitfire and her teammates had gone viral between students. It soon made its way online as others saw how courageous the rangers were in not only taking down these monsters but also being able to save a group of teenagers. The girls were presented the video by Pinkie as she showed them on her laptop. The video was uploaded by the CMC, who used their fake account name, Gabby Gums as it got over 1000 likes and over 100,000 views. While they were scared that they were caught on video fighting in such a place that could expose their identity. The girls were glad that their classmates were safe, nor did anybody actually know who was hidden under the suits. The video did allow everybody to see that the team was composed of four girls and one boy who served as the leader due to the voices that spoke. At a local house, Dr. Ledwin was preparing herself to leave for work. She had approached her car and opened the door when a voice called out to her. "Aunty," said a five-year-old boy as he ran towards Dr. Ledwin. "Do you have to leave?" "I have a job to do. Just like your mother. Don't worry, I'll be gone for long. Then when I get back, what do you say we go out for some ice cream?" asked the girl to her nephew. "Any flavor I want?" asked the boy. "Anyone you want," smiled Dr. Ledwin. "I'm holding you to that," stated the boy as the woman rubbed her nephew's hair and hugged him. "Goodbye," said the woman as the boy ran back to the house with his action figure in his hand. The boy entered the house as Dr. Ledwin then entered the driver's seat of the car. She then heard a cackle as she looked in the mirror on the car's side. "Going somewhere?" said Starlight as her image was shown. The nephew of Dr. Ledwin entered the house as he took a few steps forward and noticed that his aunt's purse was on the table. "Looks like Aunty Ledwin forgot her bag," said the boy as he went to grab it and give it to his aunt. Once he opened the door and stepped out, he saw what was happening. Starlight and her gang had managed to capture Dr. Ledwin. "Let go of me!" shouted Dr. Ledwin as she was being carried. "Aunty!" said the boy. "Run, Buzz! Run!" shouted Ledwin to her nephew. The boy dropped the purse as he began to do what his aunt stated. That didn't go unnoticed by Starlight. "Get that little brat!" ordered Starlight to the minions as they nodded and began to chase after the boy. The boy ran to the back gate as he opened it with the minions hot on his tail. He entered the back alley as he noticed a trashcan nearby. He opened it as he was thankfully the garbage men had already come. The kid then entered inside, and he shut the lid just as the minions passed from the back gate. They all began to scan the alley trying to figure out where their target was. Inside the trashcan, the boy could hear the mutants as he had his action figure with him. He hugged it tightly hoping that they wouldn't find him. The mutants then gave a response to each other as they split up down the alleyways. Once he didn't hear any sounds, the boy lifted the lid to sneak a peek as he saw they were gone. He let out a sigh as he got out and began to run down the alley as he hoped to find some help. The boy didn't get far as he made it to a nearby playground. The mutants didn't seem to find him as he was relieved. He was still afraid as they could potentially get him, it was at that moment, he heard and saw something. On the skatepark section of the place, there was someone who was attracting a crowd. The girl turned out to be none other than Rainbow Dash as she was showing off like normal. She was doing some tricks with her board as the kids were awing. She stopped at the top of the ramp as she did a handstand. She used her feet to flip the board as she skated down the ramp. Dash was preparing her big finish as she gained momentum approaching the other end of the ramp. She zoomed upwards as she transitioned to doing a handstand with her palm on the board. Then using her super speed, she spun several rotations in mid-air as she landed, and a rainbow streak appeared behind her. She spun in the center as the rainbow followed her to form a tornado as it dissipated and the girl flipped her hair which added more to her coolness. The kids all applauded and showered the teen with affection as Rainbow was feeding her ego as usual. The kids then left as they discussed how awesome the chromatic girl was. Watching this, Buzz was intrigued by Dash's moves as he began to follow the girl. The girl made it back to her car and tossed her skateboard and helmet in the back seat. She entered the driver's seat when at that moment, Buzz appeared by the passenger's side as the window was open. "Hey," said the kid. "Hey,... what are you doing, kid?" asked Rainbow as she saw the five-year-old. "I need help. I want you to protect me. Like a bodyguard." said the boy. "Bodyguard?" said Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, cause they're after me." "Right?" said Rainbow in disbelief as she then burst out in laughter. The teen continued to laugh for a few minutes as the boy just kept a straight face. Once Rainbow had her laugh, she wiped the tears from her eyes while catching her breath. She then looked back at the boy as he was still there. "Alright, kid. That was a good one. You got me to laugh. Now, why don't you run along." "I'm serious. They're after me." "Look, kid. I don't have time to play games. I have..." "Hey, I'm being truthful. Now are you going to help me or not?" asked Buzz. At that moment, Mayor Mare was in her office as was Captain Cosmos as they were going over the details of the task force. Her office phone began to ring as she picked it up. "This is the mayor's office," said the woman. "I understand. I don't care how you do it, just get it here." At that moment, both Shining Armor entered the room as he had some urgent news. "Madam, captain, I..." "Shining Armor, we're middle of discussing some important business. Know your place, lieutenant," said Captain Cosmo as he didn't like the boy barging in during a phone call. "Dr. Ledwin has been kidnapped!" stated Shining Armor. The boy's response got both officials shocked as they looked at one another. "I'll call you back," said Mayor Mare as she hung up the phone. "The research we have on the ranger weaponry we're designing. If that information falls into the wrong hands... get Dr. Ledwin back!" said the girl to the captain. "Yes, sir!" saluted the man as he left with Shining Armor in tow. In a warehouse, Dr. Ledwin was tied to a chair as she was being interrogated by Starlight and her gang. The girl mutant approached the doctor as she grabbed her face. "I'm going to ask you only one time, Doctor. Where's the information on the research?" asked the general. "Why, so you can use it to destroy the city! Never!" stated Dr. Ledwin. "Fine, have it your way!" said the officer mutant that was with Starlight named Sharptooth. "Meet my little friend." said the officer as she pulled out a set of shark teeth as she looked to torture the doctor for the information. "Wait!" said Starlight as she got her soldier to stop. "No need for that, she'll tell us the information. If... she sees her nephew is in danger," snickered the general. They all laughed as the doctor has a terrified look on her face. All around the city, the Crystal Soldiers were trying to find the missing doctor. They had just finished checking the known spots the doctor visited often as they came up empty-handed. "Anything?!" shouted Captain Cosmo to his lieutenants Shining Armor and Spearhead. "Nothing, sir," replied Spearhead. "Then let's move to the next coordinate. Each second we waste is a second that Dr. Ledwin's life is in danger," said the captain as he zoomed ahead in his SUV. Both Shining Armor and Spearhead got in their van and followed behind. "Alright, where do you live, kid?" "Why?" asked the boy. "So, I can take you home," said Rainbow as she was driving the car. "But I can't go home!" pleaded the boy while hugging his action figure. Rainbow just gave the boy a look as he sighed and told her. "412 Central Park Ave." "Thank you," stated Rainbow as she began to head in that direction. "Please don't take me home! They're still trying to get me!" "Who?! Whose trying to get you?!!! You're not telling me anything, kid!!!" asked Rainbow as she was annoyed. "Monsters! The ones who took my aunt," said Buzz as Rainbow made a different face. She had an epiphany as she knew what the boy was saying. They were pulling into a nearby sidewalk as she parked her car. "Why are we stopping?" asked the boy to the teen girl. "I need to make a phone call. Wait here," said Rainbow as she took off her seatbelt and prepared to open the door. "Okay," said the boy already reaching for the radio. "No!" shouted Rainbow, but it was too late as loud music began to blare. The girl covered her ears as she shut it off and gave a look to the kid. "Stay here!" said Rainbow as she exited from the car. "And don't touch anything!!" yelled the teen as she came back to the window. "Meanie!" said the boy putting his tongue out. "No cursing, no cursing. No matter how much this kid is getting on your nerves, Rainbow," muttered the girl to herself as she heard that comment. She was dying to use some vulgar language but was trying so hard not to say it given she had a kid with her. The chromatic girl then began to walk a few meters away as she came to a column. She pulled out her phone as she made sure to look back at the boy to see if he was seeing her. The kid just sat in the car with his action figure in his hands as he was playing with it. With the coast clear, Rainbow put her phone to her ear with her back turned as it looked like she was making a call. She had her bracelet up as she was contacting the rest of her team. "Rach, come in." "Yes, Rainbow," responded the computer. "I need you to check an address for me," said the chromatic girl. "Go ahead," said the A.I. "412 Central Park Ave," said the blue ranger. The computer then began to input the data as it was using the satellites to locate the address provided by the girl. It then showed on the screen as the others entered from the training room as they saw Rainbow communicating. "It belongs to the home of Dr. Ledwin," said Rachel. "Didn't we just see her on TV?" said Sunset. "She's in charge of the research that they're using to develop ranger weaponry," explained Twilight. "I think she's been kidnapped or something. Her nephew is with me," said Rainbow to the others. "For some reason, they're after him too." "What would they want with a little kid?" asked Applejack. "Beats me!" replied Rainbow. "Dash, you stay with him. We'll check up on his aunt," stated Ash. "No offense, guys. But the little shit is a pain in my ass. Oh god, that felt good to curse," said Rainbow as she finally could let out all the stress she'd been building up. "But... okay, I'll do it," groaned the chromatic teen. "We'll figure this out quickly, partner," said Aj as the transmission ended. Rainbow put her wristband down as she took the phone from her ear and put it in her pocket. She then heard a scream as she quickly turned around. At her car, some minions were grabbing a hold of the boy as the girl sprung into action. She ran and did a quick dropkick to one of the mutants as she ducked one of them. She then blocked a knee strike and an overhead fist as she punched one of them back. She used her leg to kick the other to flip onto the floor. Another attack lunged to which she grabbed it and did a knee strike to its midsection as it hit the small sign when it stumbled. The girl quickly rolled over the hood of her car as she got back into the driver's seat and started the vehicle. She put her seatbelt on as she started up the car. "Hold on!" said the girl as she turned the key and floored it as the tires made a screeching sound. She put the car in reverse as it took off, which Rainbow then spun around as they came to a stop and then zoomed forward. "Some bodyguard you are. They almost got me," complained the kid. "Yeah, well, I can turn this car around right now and let them get you. And to be honest, that's sounding like a great idea! So be grateful, you little sh..." Rainbow stopped herself as she was this close to losing it. "Can't curse in front of a five-year-old. Can't curse in front of a five-year-old." mumbled the ranger as they continued to drive down the road. "And what about my aunt?!" stated Buzz. "Don't worry. My friends are looking for her right now," said Dash. "Hopefully they do a better job than you," mumbled the kid as the girl heard that. "Don't curse. Don't curse. Don't curse." whispered the girl to herself as she focused on the road. They had gotten a good distance as they were climbing up a mountain pass. At that moment, in front of them, Sharptooth appeared. "It's the end of the road for you!" said the mutant. "I don't think!" said Rainbow as she wasn't intimidated. "What are you going to do?" asked the kid. "Something you shouldn't do ever in your life. Hold on!" said Dash to the kid as she put her foot to the gas pedal. She was attempting to run over the monster as her vehicle was racing forward. Sharptooth knew what the girl was trying to do as it jumped into the air and landed on Rainbow's windshield as it drove by. The girl was now trying to shake off the mutant from her car as they kept on driving. Meanwhile, in the warehouse, Dr. Ledwin was still tied up as Starlight and her minions kept guard. They were waiting for Sharptooth to return from her mission of capturing the doctor's nephew. What they didn't notice was that the rest of the rangers had managed to track where the missing scientist was as they were seen near the entrance. They all hid behind the corners as they all looked in. They saw the doctor as they all nodded. A barrel fell over as one of the minions went to inspect. He was approaching the object when suddenly a blaster sound was heard as he was shot. Starlight then looked towards the entrance. "Freeze!" said Ash as he and Sunset were in their ranger suits with their blasters aimed at the mutant general. "It's over, Starlight!" said Twilight as she and Applejack entered through the other entrance a few feet away as they had their enemy trapped. The doctor was happy to see the rangers as they came to rescue her. "Let Dr. Ledwin go right now!" ordered Sunset. "Yeah, right," smirked Starlight. "Minions, get them!" commanded the general as they obeyed. The four rangers now began to engage the foot soldiers. With Dash, she was still trying to shake Sharptooth from her car as they had run out of the cemented street and onto a dirt road as they reached the top of the mountain she was driving on. All the zigging and zagging, and the monster still held on. Dash was turning the car in all sorts of directions as the boy had smiled at how much fun of a ride this way. She then slammed the brakes as that caused Sharptooth to go flying and roll onto the dirt. The car stopped a few meters away as the tires screech marks into the dirt. The teen got out of the car as she went to the other side as the boy opened his door. "Are you alright?" asked Rainbow. "Uh-huh," responded Buzz as Rainbow bent down to his level. "I'll take care of her. You get to safety," said Dash as the boy nodded. They looked where Sharptooth was as she was slowly getting to her knees. "Go." The kid then took off as there was a nearby bush. He decided to hide behind that as he wanted to see what Dash was going to do. The teen approached the mutant as she had gotten to her feet. "You can't defeat me!" mocked Sharptooth as she ran to fight the chromatic girl. Rainbow raised her fists as she met the mutant. She started with a kick to her stomach as she then blocked a swing from Sharptooth. She then went for some punches in the midsection and then rolled under a swinging leg kick. The girl blocked a roundhouse from the mutant with her shoulder as she spun for a kick of her own. She went for a roundhouse as her leg was caught and Sharptooth swept her other leg as she fell on her back. The mutant wasted no time in grabbing the girl on the ground by her shirt as she lifted her. Sharptooth did some punches to her midsection before flinging her overhead as she crashed and burned once more. "Listen up, whoever you are! I don't know what your problem is, just give me the boy, and that will be the end of it!" threatened Sharptooth as she had one of her razor blades pointed at Dash who was on a knee. "So play nice and get lost!" Rainbow clutched her shoulder as she then looked to her side and saw Buzz hiding. She saw him standing there watching her, trying to see what she would do. For the girl, she had a duty. And that duty was to protect the boy at all costs. The teen took a deep breath as despite the oath she took about being a ranger, she knew that if she was going to protect the boy, then she needed to do it. Despite being a pain in her ass for most of the day, the kid was her responsibility. And she wasn't going to let anything bad happen to him. She stood up with a determined look as she raised her wrist. Her bracelet transformed into her Morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the girl as she began to transform in front of the kid. She traced the symbol on the interface of her Morpher as it recognized her. Rainbow was then encased in her gem as bits of it were shown on her shoulders. She landed on a platform and lifted her head as the visor covered the last bit of her face. Once complete, the girl did her pose with her animal behind her. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" stated Rainbow. The boy was amazed at what he saw. To think that the girl who he'd been driving crazy and was protecting him was none other than one of the Power Rangers brought a smile to his face. Rainbow leaped into the air as he pulled out her lance and began to fight Sharptooth once more. This time, she wasn't holding back as she did more of her moves while using the lance to pole vault out of danger. Even then, she was still having a tough time fighting the mutant as she was blocking her attacks while trying to throw out hers. The girl tried for multiple jabs and stabs with her weapon as Sharptooth grabbed her weapon and pulled her in. "Go, Rainbow!!" cheered the boy. Dash was in the clutches of the mutant's arms as she was trying to wiggle out of them. Her arm was being stretched that held her weapon as she dropped it from her hand. The girl then got lit up with shots to her chest as slashes made contact. Sharptooth didn't let go of the blue ranger as she kept on attacking the girl's midsection with her razor blades as more made contact. She was thrown away as she rolled and went for an attack only to be slashed at once more as she flew back a few feet. The mutant then had her arm transform into a blaster as she fired a lightning attack at Rainbow who got up and took the attack full force as an explosion went off. The explosion caused Rainbow to flip forward and land on the ground as she was hurt. She was curling up as the attacks did a number on her. Once Buzz saw Rainbow lying on the ground, he was concerned about her. "This is my lucky day. Not only do I get the kid, but I get to destroy the blue ranger," snickered Sharptooth as she began to walk towards Rainbow who was backing up slowly. "Leave her alone!" shouted the boy. He ran from his bush as he now stood in between the monster and Rainbow who was on the ground. "Stay out of this!" said Sharptooth to the kid. "Buzz, no! Get out of here!" pleaded Rainbow to the kid before clutching her shoulder in pain. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" said the boy trying to sound tough to the monster. "You know what I think? I think you should listen to your little blue friend over there! Now... move it! I've got some tidying up to do." said Sharptooth as she stood in front of the boy. "Wait! If... you don't hurt my friend. I'll... I'll... I'll give you my action figure." said the boy as he was trying to bargain with the monster in hopes of leaving them alone. "Ha! Here's what I think of your stupid, pathetic little toy!" said Sharptooth as she grabbed the object from Buzz's hand and tossed it in the air. She then pointed her arm upward as it transformed into the blaster and fired at the figure. The boy was shocked as the object landed. The figure fell as it was caught on fire. "Achilles!" said the boy as he raced over to his destroyed action figure. "New and improved, I might add," snickered Sharptooth as she was impressed with her handiwork. "Buzz! Get to safety!" stated Rainbow to the kid as she still held her shoulder as she watched the boy bend down to his seared toy in front of him. The boy grab the remains of his destroyed toy as he couldn't help but feel a few tears form. Sharptooth merely mocked the boy along with a laugh as she was enjoying herself. Rainbow had gotten to her feet as she saw the sight before her. Seeing Buzz sad about his toy being destroyed as a result of him trying to protect her. Coupled with the fact that the mutant was making fun of the boy, all of it got the chromatic girl to be angry. She was shown clenching her fist as couldn't stand for it. "You're gonna pay for that!!" shouted Dash as she leaped and flipped into the air. She did a spin kick to Sharptooth as she stumbled. Dash then began to do more kicks to the midsection of the mutant as she was fueled by her rage. She dodged an attack from the girl mutant as she began to punch the monster in the chest. She tapped into her gem's power as her fists were lightning fast as she was wailing on the monster before she stopped and then did one final spin that delivered a kick to Sharptooth's face as she went down. "Buzz!" said Rainbow as she took the downed monster to rush over to the small boy. The boy sat on his knees as he had the destroyed pieces in his hand, "Hey, you okay?" asked the girl as she bent down to which he nodded. "How about that, kid? Looks like you turned out to be my hero." She patted the boy's back as he smiled before turning back to the mutant. "Sharptooth!" "What?" shouted the girl monster as she got to her feet. "I'm taking you down here and now!" exclaimed Rainbow. "I don't think so!" replied Sharptooth as she and Dash ran at each other once more. In the warehouse, there was another fight going on. The rest of the rangers were dealing with the minions and Starlight. Ash wa dodging attacks from all angles before using his leg to flip some over before ducking under a clothesline and punching another in the midsection. Applejack jumped spin over many that tried to sweep her leg. She landed to deal a nice kick to the chest and punched one so hard that they were flying into the nearby barrels. Sunset was dealing with her group by a set of stairs. She did a low sweep before grabbing onto the railing of the stairs and kicking one away. One of them caused her to fall on the stairs as they tried to hit her as her back was facing them. She was able to roll to the side to avoid the attack and then quickly turned around and did a kick to fling the minion off of her. "Come on!" said Twilight as she managed to get to Dr. Ledwin as she untied her. "Watch out!" The girl made her and the doctor duck to avoid getting hit. They leaned back to avoid another. She purple ranger then pushed on Dr. Ledwin's left leg as it manage to kick the minion away. She quickly turned them around so that she could kick the other. They saw another minion going for an attack as the doctor made a face. Twilight used her foot to make the doctor lean back to avoid the attack as she grabbed her shoulders to spin her around and bend over so that she could roll off her back and kick the minion. "You got some good moves!" said Twilight as she was giving credit to the doctor even though she was the one who controlled her from getting hit. "Are you okay?" asked the ranger while straightening out her dress. Twilight didn't notice Starlight as the girl turned at the last second and did a kick to her chest as she was tossed. She then grabbed Dr. Ledwin as she had her staff charge up while she held the hostage in her arms. "Get out! Or the doctor is gonna need a doctor," threatened Starlight as Applejack and Sunset appeared next to Twilight to check up on her. All three girls then looked at the mutant general as she had their target in her grasp. "Let her go, Starlight!" stated Applejack to which the general just laughed maniacally. She was walking back as she was close to the entrance. She kept the rangers in front of her to see if they would try any tricks. "Starlight!" shouted a voice. The girl mutant turned to see Ash as leaped from above as he had his blaster in hand. He fired it as the shot got the general in her shoulder as she let out a pained cry. She released her hold on the doctor as the girls grabbed her. Starlight was on the floor as she looked at Ash who stood up from his knees. "Want some more? Or have you had enough?" taunted Ash. "You're all just lucky," said Starlight as she stood up and noticed she was surrounded. "Ciao." said the general as she disappeared in a flash of light. At that moment, some SUVs pulled up near the entrance of the warehouse as the Crystal Soldiers all emerged. They saw the doctor with the rangers as Captain Cosmo approached the female scientist. "Are you hurt, madam?" asked the captain. "I'm alright," replied the doctor. "Let's get you out of here," said the captain as he began to lead their target away. "Wait, wait," said the doctor as she stopped them and turned to look back at the rangers. "Thank you." "No problem. Just glad we could help," responded Ash as the doctor smiled. The captain and the doctor turned towards the SUVs. Shining Armor had been watching this whole thing as he made a face when he saw the rangers. He turned to leave when one of them called him. "Lieutenant, may sure you take good care of her?" said Twilight to her brother. The boy merely made a face, unaware that it was his own sister that was talking with him. He soon left to join his comrades as they got into their vans. "Good job, Twilight," said Ash as he put his hand on her shoulder. With one part of the mission complete, there only remained the mutant that Rainbow was dealing with. She was still engaged with Sharptooth as both weren't giving up an ounce of energy trying to take the other out. They stepped back to punch each other as they both hit dead on and stumbled back. Sharptooth then used her blaster to fire a lightning attack at Dash as she was hit. Small explosions occurred as the girl rolled through on the ground. She found her lance and grabbed a hold of it. She leaped into the air to do a downward attack with it which Sharptooth caught with her hand. She then tossed the ranger over her as Rainbow counter by landing on her feet and then flipping back over in the same position she would have landed as she did spin kick to her chest. Sharptooth fumbled once more as she aimed her blaster at the blue ranger. Rainbow twisted her body as she jumped into the air. She was now spinning towards the upper ground all the while the blasts followed her as she spun in the air. "Wow!" said Buzz as he was amazed by all the cool moves, Rainbow was doing. She landed then pushed off into the air. She was bringing her lance for an attack as Sharptooth fired a blast. It hit the girl in the chest but that didn't faze her much as she landed and thrust her weapon into the mutant as sparks flew. She then pulled back to deliver her finishing more. "Cobalt Spear!" shouted the teen girl. She was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the mutant. It was but seconds as the girl delivered her finishing move. An explosion occurred on Sharptooth as she let out a painful grunt. "Yes! She did it!" shouted Buzz with a fist pump at seeing Rainbow be victorious. "Thanks, Buzz," said Rainbow to herself. "Dash!" shouted a voice as the ranger looked to where it came from. "Where's the kid?!" asked Ash as he and the girls were running towards them as they managed to track her down after saving the doctor. "He's alright. The little sport is over there," said the ranger as she gestured to where the kid was. "Which is more than I can say for you, Blue Ranger!" stated Sharptooth as she was still kicking but was weakened from the attack as she got to her feet. "Time to raise the stakes!" "My cue," said Chrysalis as she and the others were watching from their lair. She then grabbed the device Thorax made as she pointed it at their viewing crystal ball while saying her chant. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" The device fired a pair of energy beams at the crystal ball. They then landed on Sharptooth as she got bigger. "Oh, great! They can grow even if we don't defeat them!" said Applejack. "Either way, they still fall the same way. Let's call our zords, girls!" stated Ash. "Harmony zords, arise!" shouted the rangers as they touched their morphers. The call was heard as the ranger's animals headed to where their owners were. "Zords, combine!" said all five as jumped. The rangers entered each of their zords respectively as they began to merge and combine like last time. Soon the face of the zord was shown as the Megazord stood there striking its pose. "You don't stand a chance against me!" taunted Sharptooth. "We'll see about that!" stated Ash. The rangers then made their Megazord charge forward as did Sharptooth. They had their sword out as they began to strike at the mutant. They went for an overhead attack as she caught it. The mutant then grabbed a bold of their other arm. She then used her eyes to fire a beam of attack as it struck the rangers' Megazord. Sparks and explosions occurred as the teens inside could feel the attack as they rocked back and forth. "Time to meet your end, rangers!" mocked the girl monster. "Let's sink our teeth into this fight!" said Ash as he pushed a button. His wolf that was their chest heard the command of his owner as it opened its mouth and used its jaws to bite the mutant as that got her to release her hold on them. "What the hell?!!!" said Sharptooth as she felt the attack and stumbled. "Now it's our turn!" said Applejack as they went back on the offensive. They did some more punches to the mutant as she was being pushed back. Then their Megazord leaped up and did a spin kick as they turned which got Sharptooth in her face as she fell to the ground. "Let's finish this, Sonic Rainboom!!!" shouted all of them as they thrust their hand out. The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each one had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant as she exploded and was destroyed once and for all. It was now later as at city hall, Shining Armor was in the mayor's office. He was reporting on Dr. Ledwin as Captain Cosmo had other things to attend to. "Are you sure Dr. Ledwin didn't give any information?" asked the mayor. "None, madam. The Crystal Soldiers and I saved her single-handily. Just in time." stated Shining Armor, leaving out the fact about the rangers. "Very well, that'll be all," said the mayor as she dismissed the lieutenant as he saluted. He began to walk towards the door when he stopped and turn towards the mayor to say one last thing. "By the way, Dr. Ledwin wasn't harmed." "That's good to know," said the mayor as she then returned to her desk to continue her paperwork. The lieutenant then left. A car was pulling up to the address of a house. It parked in the driveway as Rainbow got out from the driver's seat. She walked around the back of her vehicle as she opened the passenger side as out came Buzz. The boy got out as Dash bent down to his level. "Well, sport. I guess my job's over." "Yeah. You know what? You're not such a bad bodyguard after all." Rainbow merely nodded her head at hearing the statement from the five-year-old. "Thanks. Oh, hey. About what you saw?" said Rainbow. "Oh, you mean about you being the Blue Ranger? Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Besides, blue is my favorite color. And I think you're awesome." said Buzz as Rainbow couldn't help but smile at how much of a fan the boy was of her. "Thanks," said the teen girl. The boy was about to leave when Rainbow stopped him. "Oh! Hold on!" Rainbow then got up and went to the backseat of her car. She opened the door and pulled something out. In her hands, was a better and bigger action figure. The boy smiled at what she was holding as Rainbow presented it to him. "Since your other one got crispy fried," said the chromatic girl as she managed to stop by the mall where she worked and buy the kid a new toy. The boy grabbed the figure and hugged it tightly. He enjoyed it as he pushed a button as the eyes and other parts of it lit up. "Thanks," said the boy as he now hugged Rainbow and gave her a peck on her cheek as that got the teen to be stunned. She then formed a small smile as she hugged the kid back. At that moment, the door to the house opened, and out came Dr. Ledwin. "Buzz!" shouted the doctor as she ran out onto the front lawn. "Aunty!" said the boy as he ran forward. His aunt caught her nephew as she picked him up and spun him in the air. "It's so good to see you. We were worried about you," said the woman as she hugged her nephew. Rainbow was watching the interaction between the doctor and nephew with a straight face. Dr. Ledwin then put her nephew down as they prepared to enter back inside of the house. The pair looked at Rainbow who was standing there as the boy waved. "Goodbye, Rainbow. Thanks for everything!" said Buzz as he and his aunt waved which the chromatic teen did as well. The smile returned even bigger on the cool girl's face as she saw the pair talking amongst themselves as they entered their house. The others were all watching from behind Rainbow's car as they soon walked around and stood next to their fellow ranger as Dash still had a huge smile on her face. Sunset then put her hand on her friend's arm as that got her attention. "Hey!" said the bacon-haired girl as Rainbow quickly put her hand down and tried to regain her tough demeanor. "I thought you said he was a pain in your ass," smirked Sunset. "Oh, yeah. He was. So glad that's over." said Rainbow trying to save face. "Come on, let's go." "Oh, Rainbow!" said Ash as he stopped the girl in her tracks. "What?!" said the girl. "You're just a big softie at heart! All that tough, cool-girl persona is just an act," mocked Ash. "No, it's not. I'm not mushy for feelings. I'm cool, awesome, tough!" said Rainbow trying to protect her image in front of her friends. Safe to say, the others weren't buying it as she was turning red on her face. The others laughed as Rainbow tried to enter the car as Ash hooked her neck under his arm. The rest of the girls hugged their athletic friend as Rainbow was trying to break free from all this mushy, touching feelings thing as the scene froze on them all laughing while Dash was embarrassed.
Chapter 9: A Sunny OccasionIn the rangers' command center, Ash was currently doing some training. The teen had sweat on his forehead as he was pushing his endurance. For the past hour, the boy was trying to relieve some stress. He had finished his latest reps of pushups as he sat down on a bench and grabbed some water. The ranger brought the drink to his mouth as the cool, refreshing liquid touched his lips. It then passed them as it sent a signal to his brain about how good it felt. Ash let out a sigh as he wiped his lips. He took the towel on his shoulder and began to wipe his forehead. "I was hoping that you would be here," said a voice. "Oh, Sunset," said the boy as he looked to the entrance of the training room; there stood the girl leaning against the door with her arms crossed. "What are you doing here?" asked the boy as he grabbed a yellow shirt. "I'm here for you," smiled the teen girl with a devious smile. "Me?" said the boy as he put the shirt on as it slipped over his undershirt. "I was hoping... since you're a skilled fighter in close combat. Maybe you could show me some holds." "You want me to show you some holds?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow. "In our last fight, I found myself getting a bit overwhelmed. So I'd figured maybe you can teach me some extra stuff so that I don't get outnumbered so easily. I want to be a better fighter, so I was hoping you could give me some private lessons." said the bacon-haired girl. "Sure, I guess," said the boy as he let out a sigh. He then made his way to the mats as Sunset did the same. The girl took off her leather jacket as she set it to the side and faced her leader who was in front of her. The first thing that Ash had them do was lock arms as he then transitioned quickly into a side headlock. He then broke it off as he told Sunset to do it again. The teens engaged arms as the boy did the same hold before breaking it. "Alright, that was a headlock. You got it?" "Yeah," responded Sunset. "That's a basic hold that you can do to anybody. Now, let me tell you some things that you can transition from it. So you can go from a headlock into a hammerlock. Mind if I show you?" asked Ash. "Go for it," said Sunset. Ash then grabbed Sunset's shoulders as he turned the girl around. He was behind the girl as he grabbed her left arm and brought it up behind her back as he applied pressure. "Now, a hammerlock is if you got your opponent's arm here, you're gonna take it and bring it up behind your back. Bend the elbow, and bring it up behind the back. So once you got it here, you're gonna apply the pressure..." Ash was walking Sunset step by step on how to execute the move. When he applied the pressure to the girl's arm, she let out a slight yelp which caused the boy to immediately let go. He was concerned that he might have hurt his teammate given he was stronger than her, but it was simply Sunset feeling the effects of the pressure that her friend said. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..." "It's okay," smiled Sunset as the boy was still behind her holding her arm as he continued his lesson. "But you apply the pressure there," said the boy as he had the sweet spot in where the hold would be most effective. "And you can control your opponent that way." "Okay, then," said Sunset as Ash let her arm go as she turned to face him. "All right, now that's a hammerlock, not a wristlock. Hammerlock," said Ash emphasizing the difference between the two holds. "Hammerlock. Got it," nodded the girl. "Alright, so try to put one on me," said Ash as he wanted to see Sunset attempt the move. Ash then raised his arm so that Sunset could grab it as she twisted it. It made Ash turn to his side as the girl twisted it some more so that she was now behind the boy as she managed to pull it off as the boy could feel a slight pressure on his arm. Sunset then released the move as Ash turned back to face her as he had a smile on his face. "Good attempt." "Thanks." "Alright, now remember, for every hold. There's a counter. There's a way out of a hold. All right. So if you have somebody in a hammerlock like this," said Ash as he now got behind Sunset once more and held her arm behind her back, "There's a counter to this." "Which is?" asked Sunset as she turned her head slightly to look at her leader. "If you're in a hammerlock, you wanna get out of it. The easiest way to get out of it is you're gonna reach for a body part, and you're gonna try to take the person down. So, what you're gonna do on me is now, I'm behind you. I got you in this hammerlock. You're gonna reach down between your legs and grab my leg and you're gonna sweep my leg. That will make me drop to the ground, that's your escape." "Oh, okay," said Sunset. "So go ahead and try that," instructed Ash. Sunset was now bending over as the boy was still behind her. At that moment, another voice was heard. "I forgot my..." Rainbow had passed by the entrance to the training room as she was stunned by what she saw. The girl saw her teammates as Sunset was bent over while Ash was behind her as he still held her left arm behind her. The boy looked up to see Rainbow as he was a surprising look on his face. Sunset was unaware of the awkward situation that was happening as she was still trying to reach for Ash's leg. "What the hell is this?!!" said the girl. "Rainbow!!" shouted Ash as he let go of Sunset's arm as the girl fell to the floor. "I was just getting something that I left behind... but... if you two need some time... I'll get it later..." "It's not what you think!!" said Ash as he waved his arms about. "I was just teaching... Sunset some holds." "Right... okay... I'm gonna leave. Just... try not to make a mess on the floor," said Rainbow as she quickly left to avoid what she saw. "It's not that!!!" shouted Ash as he didn't like what had happened. He then looked at Sunset as the girl was still on the floor. "What?" asked the girl. "Training's over! Go home!" said Ash as he now stormed out of the training center. "Ash, wait!" said Sunset as she grabbed her jacket and ran after her leader. The entire student body of CHS was in a mood. The reason being is that tonight, the school was hosting a party. So most of the students were excited. The majority of the day would be spent getting ready for the event. That being said, the girls were all looking forward to a night of hanging out and having fun. Yet, there was also the fear of an attack might happen that would result in them having to leave the party to uphold their duty. Sunset was currently with Pinkie as the pair were walking along the sidewalk. The party girl had to do some last-minute grocery shopping to get the ingredients for the cupcakes she was planning to present. "So, Pinkie Pie. What kind of cupcakes do you plan to bring?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Easy, blueberry, strawberry, cherry..." "I regret asking," mumbled Sunset to herself as the pink girl went on a tangent. They entered the grocery store, and she was surprised by what she saw. Standing there in one of the aisles was none other than Ash himself. For the girl, she was stunned to see her leader out and about like a normal person. Mainly because, every time the girls were in the command center, the boy made it seem like he never left. Given that he was technically an alien since he wasn't from this dimension, it would make sense as to why he would be hesitant about leaving. But, here he was. Walking about like he was one of them. For the yellow ranger, he was busy looking at the produce when he heard someone call him. "Ash?" "Hey, Sunset," said the boy as he turned around to see the girl. "What... are you doing here?" "Buying food," answered the teen truthfully with a straight tone. "No... I can see that. But... you're not in the command center?" "What? You and everybody else think that I don't leave the command center? That I'm a hermit?" "Well, that's not the exact words I'd use... but, yeah," said Sunset rubbing her neck, smiling sheepishly. "There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," responded Ash. The boy was then greeted by a blur of pink. "Hey there, I'm Pinkie Pie!" said the girl grabbing the boy's hand and beginning to shake him. "Are you new, you must be new. Prepared to be welcomed with a party, but first I need to know your interests!" she said with a fast tone. "Sotellmewhat'syourfavoriteflavor?Favoritecupcake?Music?Color?Doyoulikeparties!?" "Pinkie!!" shouted Sunset as she grabbed her friend back as she knew how Ash was about personal space. "Don't crowd him. Sorry, Ash. This is my friend, Pinkie Pie. She gets a bit... eccentric when she meets new people." "I see," said the boy as he could tell that from how the pink-haired girl approached him. "To answer your question. Vanilla. All kinds of music, except country. Don't tell Applejack. Yellow. Maybe." "Wow... you just... answered all of Pinkie's questions?" said Sunset with her jaw open. She didn't expect the boy to keep up with the girl given how crazy she could get. Even Pinkie was stunned by what she witnessed. The fact Ash managed to understand the excited girl when she was spitting out questions like a machine gun. Pinkie gasped, as she felt some happiness across her face. "He understood me! No one has done that before, and he actually answered instead of me having to dig to find out," said the girl as she bounced up and down in place. "Huh?" said Ash as he was confused by what the girl meant. "Don't even try. When it comes to Pinkie and the weird stuff that happens. Simply follow this logic, it's Pinkie Pie. Enough said." stated Sunset trying to help her friend from suffering a headache. "I'll take your word for it," said Ash to Sunset. "So you're Sunset's new friend she talks about a lot?" "Really? What does she say about me?" asked Ash with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing much," said Sunset looking away while turning red. "Silly. She talks about how you're the one who has the others in a special organization. One that has some top secret stuff that you can't tell. Oh, and that you're trying to teach her how to defend herself." blurted out Pinkie unaware that Sunset was turning even redder. "That's what she told you?" stated the boy. "Yup," smiled Sunset trying to not look at her leader. "Ooh, you have a fancy bracelet as well," said Pinkie as she noticed the wristband on Ash's left as the stone in the middle flashed yellow. "Yeah, it's a special thing that is given to us for our secret organization," explained Ash. "Does it do anything?" asked Pinkie as she was about to touch it. "It's just a cool-looking thing," stated Ash as the girl seemed to have believed his lie. "It doesn't do shit." "Anyways, I assume you're getting stuff for the fridge at the place. Though, I thought Rachel handled that," said Sunset. "How do you think I've been able to survive since I got here? I didn't rely on her to keep me fed. I had to actually go buy the stuff that I was going to eat." replied the boy. "Her job is to look after me, not be my butler." "Ooh, so you're the one that Sunset asked if they could attend that party that I'm throwing tonight?" said Pinkie as she reached into her hair and pulled out an envelope. "Here you go." "What's this?" asked the boy as he grabbed the envelope. He opened it as inside was a card. Ash opened it, and a burst of confetti shot out as it sprayed all over his face. He just stared at the two girls as they had different reactions. The teen then wiped it off as he began to read. "You're invited to attend the party being held at Canterlot High this evening. It's going to be the biggest, bestest, stupendous, out of this world. Be there or be circled?" read Ash as he had a raised eyebrow looking at Pinkie. "Don't you mean, squared?" "Nope," smiled Pinkie with a big grin. "Remember what I said," stated Sunset. "It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it," said Ash as he was now starting to get an idea of how to handle the party girl's behavior and antics. "Anyways, why are you here?" "I'm here to help Pinkie get some ingredients for the cupcakes she's making for the party." "Yup, and we already wasted 3 minutes talking. We need to hurry!!" shouted Pinkie as she grabbed Sunset's jacket and shook her friend as she zoomed away. Ash was about to leave when he too was grabbed by his shirt. Seems Pinkie was having the boy join them on their shopping adventure as a way to knock out his list as well. The trio spent quite a while, getting all the ingredients that the party girl wanted. When they got to the cashier, there were two stacks of food piled up with a few cans falling off. Soon the price came up as Pinkie realized she might have gone a bit over budget. Before she could explain, Ash stepped forward and swiped his credit card as the amount was paid in full. Pinkie was grateful as she gave a tight squeeze to the teen as she and the cashier began to bag the stuff. "How were you able to pay for all that?" asked Sunset as she pulled her leader to the side. "Again, there's a lot of things that you don't know about me. One is that my dad built Rachel to have any currency wherever I am. Plus, I had some leftover gems from my dimension that I cashed in to the bank." said the boy. The pair now began to grab their share of the girl's bags as they exited the store. The pair managed to somehow make it back to Pinkie's house as they got tons of stares from the people they passed. Once they dropped off the bags in Pinkie's house, Sunset said she needed to talk with Ash about some things before she would get ready to attend the party in the evening. The pink girl nodded as the two teens left their friend's house. "So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Ash. "Oh, I just said that so that I can get away from Pinkie. No offense, but I want some me-time before the event tonight." "Oh, well, then. I'm heading back to the command center then," said Ash as he was about to touch his Morpher to transport. "Hey, how about we hang out for a bit? You know, relax. There hasn't been a monster attack recently. So, why not take a small break? You know, get to know each other aside as teammates?" suggested Sunset. "I don't know," stated Ash. "Come on! What's the worst that can happen?" "I can think of a ton of things," answered the boy. "Just... give me a chance. Besides, it'll be just us. And if any danger does happen, Rachel will inform us. So, take a chance?" said Sunset. "Fine. Just this once," said Ash. "Give me a few seconds to drop off my groceries." The ranger then touched his Morpher as he turned into a yellow light and zoomed in the direction of the command center. True to his word, he returned within seconds as Sunset grabbed his hand and led him to her home. After a while, the two of them made it to her house. It was a simple two-story orange building. Ash and Sunset walked towards the door as the girl took out her keys and unlocked them. She stepped inside as the boy followed her. The boy took a moment to look around at the interior of the house; gawking at how nice and clean it was. "Wow, Sunset, you have a really nice home," complimented Ash. "Thanks, I usually try my best to keep the place clean," she said, taking off her boots. "Make yourself at home," said the girl as she went to her kitchen. Ash took a seat on the couch as the girl soon returned with two cans of soda. She tossed one at her leader as he caught it with one hand. "Thanks," said the boy as he popped the seal and took a sip. "No problem. Say, about what happened... with... you know..." "Look, I... was just uncomfortable about Dash walking in on us. I didn't mean to get upset, but... can you blame me?" responded the boy. "No. I understand. I probably would have the same reaction as you. Don't worry, she hasn't told the others. I made sure of that." winked Sunset to Ash. "That's a relief. I don't want the others to have the wrong idea either," stated the boy. "By the way, you play?" said Sunset as she grabbed a game controller and tossed it to the boy. "What?" said Ash as he held the device in his hand. "You know I'm a gamer girl. So, care to have some fun with me?" stated Sunset giving another wink to her friend. Sunset then turned on her console as the screen came on. The bacon-haired girl slotted in one of her fighting games as she told her leader how to play. Once the game started, Sunset didn't show any mercy to her leader as within a blink of an eye, it was over. Sunset took this time to gloat as Ash was still trying to figure out how to make the device in his hand function. The girl offered to teach her training partner as she booted up another fight. Before attacking, Sunset told Ash how to move and what each button did. With that in mind, the second round began. It had been about 2 hours since they first began. And in that time, Ash had picked up playing the game like that. It was after the fourth round that Sunset saw how much the boy was able to implement the information she had given him and incorporated it into his brain. Soon he began to know her attack pattern and he countered accordingly. Then Ash started to string combos as he managed to get the girl off guard. For Sunset, she was rather impressed. For as long as she had been playing the game and the number of hours she put in, getting better, knowing about hit frames, doing delayed moves. All of it, Ash was getting down within minutes of each game they played. Soon he was pulling off moves that even she couldn't do as it made the competitive side of the bacon-haired teen come out. Within the time they played, the score had been tied at 35 games each. The pair were playing one final game that would serve as the tiebreaker. For Sunset, her competitive side was taking over as the gamer rage inside was on full display. "Oh. Is that how you want to play it? Fine, I'll get rougher," Sunset growled out in frustration. Ash noticed her picking up the pace and becoming more deadly. He felt his heart pounding as he continued to dodge and counterattack her in turn. She did get a few lucky strikes, bringing their HP so close to a high percentage. When she attacked, Ash did his best to react as best as he could and managed to dodge. "Oh, come on! How'd you dodge that one? I got you!" Sunset ranted before placing the controller down and raging into her hands. Eventually, it came to the final closing moments of the fight, as Sunset grabbed Ash's character and threw them forward as she dealt a hard attack. It sent his character sailing to the left and would have knocked him out, but Ash used the analog stick of the controller to input some DI of his own that barely saved his character as he stopped Sunset from hitting his fighter again and then recovered as his fighter hung on the ledge. At that moment, Sunset had her character throw out a side special while she jumped in the air, anticipating Ash's fighter to jump. The boy jumped up as he did a side special of his own to delay his fall just enough to avoid getting hit by Sunset's side attack. As he landed on the stage just as Sunset's fighter landed as to which she spot dodged thinking the boy would attack, but instead he grabbed her and instead of throwing her forward, backward, or even upwards. He did a downward throw which flung her character into the air as she air dodged to avoid an attack but instead Ash had his character charge up his side smash as it hit the girl's character as she was but inches from touching the ground as the camera zoomed in on the final hit for 2 seconds as her fighter was sent zooming off the screen as it was over. "GAME!" said the screen as the fighter's pose was done, with Ash being the winner. The match was over. The game ended. Ash felt himself panting and calmed his beeping heart down, while Sunset seemed to calm down enough to remove her hands. When she saw the boy win, she glanced from the T.V. to him a few times, while in a daze. "Sunset?" Ash asked as he was concerned for his friend. "Marry me," she mumbled. "What?" "Oh!" Sunset began sheepishly while blushing darkly, "I mean that was amazing! You were able to pick up the mechanics in no time. Despite my little brief fit, I am actually glad to lose for once, especially against someone skilled." "Yeah, well, I mean. Once I implemented what you told me, I just started to practice the fundamentals. Then I began to explore and play around a bit with my fighter. Though, I couldn't have done it without your advice." "Thanks," smiled Sunset. "No problem, Sunny," Ash immediately facepalmed himself for what he said. "Sorry, sorry. I don't what came over me to call you that. Sorry to disrespect you." "It's fine. I'm not offended. If anything, I'm kind of enjoy it that you call me that." said Sunset with a smile. "If you're offended by it, then I'll..." "Ash, it's okay. I'm not offended by that name you can call. I like it. So, you have my permission to call me whenever you like. I promise I won't be disrespected." "You sure?" "Positive." "Well, that's a relief. Though what was that last thing you said?" asked Ash as he didn't quite hear what the girl mumbled under her breath. "Nothing! Nothing! Just... forget you ever heard anything!" said the bacon-haired girl as she was looking away trying to hide the red that was forming on her cheeks. Before Ash could push the question any further, he was immediately embraced as Sunset wrapped her arms around him. The boy was all sorts of confused as he looked down to see Sunset's head. He was unaware of the girl's face as she had her eyes closed and had a smile on her face. A few minutes passed and the boy didn't do anything, mainly because his arms were trapped by Sunset's embrace. He kept a straight and confused look on his face as soon the girl let go. She kept her head turned while playing with a strand of her hair while the red on her face returned. Ash was about to ask his friend for some clarification on what she had just said when their morphers went off. "What is it, Rachel?" "Seems there's another attack." "Send the coordinates. We'll be there," replied Ash. "Duty calls," said Sunset as she and Ash got up and hurried out the door. The latest attack had occurred near the city's bank. The dark lords had sent a huge squad of minions to take the money from the banks. They had managed to blast a hole in the vault as they began to pass the bags off to each other as they were loading up a cart. Nearby, some of the workers and people who were in the building when the attack happened, were being held, hostage. At that moment, one of the minions heard a sound. It sounded like an engine revving as they looked down the road and saw five figures heading towards them at high speeds. The figures pulled out their blasters and they fired at the minions as they fell. Soon they all leaped off their bikes, and with five zipping lights, they all took care of the enemies in front before zipping inside the middle of the bank as they all kneeled. The people inside saw the team of rangers and they felt smiles appear on their faces. The minions saw our heroes as the one put in charge gave a sound to the others near the cart. He gestured for them to escape while they held off our heroes. They all nodded as they began to move. The rangers were now all engaged as they began to fight the minions. The ones trusted with the task exited the building and climbed into their cart. "Rainbow! Twilight! Go after them!" instructed Ash as he dodged and spun kick a minion. "On it!" shouted the girls. They flung the minion they were fighting away as they rolled over some sweeping attacks as they exited the bank and got on their bikes. The pair were now chasing after the cart as they zoomed down the street. While the girls were stopping the cart from escaping, Ash, Aj, and Sunset were left with dealing with the rest. Sunset had managed to make it over to where the people were being held as she freed them from their holds. "Get to safety! Move!" said the girl. She then blocked an attack with her arm and then did some knees strikes. The group of people listened to the red ranger's orders as they hurried out of the building. "Aj!" shouted Ash as he did several backflips in consecutive order. "Coming through!" shouted Aj as the girl charged at the minions. The girl used her rhino instinct as she collided with a wall of the bank. The building shook a bit, as only a crack was shown. "You can buff that out!" said Ash as he ducked under an attack and countered. "Let's see if I can get a new high score," snickered Sunset. The ranger was on a beam above as she had her bow in hand. She kneeled as she pulled back the string as arrows made of red light appeared. She released it over and over as the girl was snipping the enemies from above as she provided cover fire for her teammates. While the trio was wrapping up the enemies in the bank, Twilight and Dash were still in hot pursuit of the truck that was escaping. They were swerving through traffic while trying to avoid the other cars. "If get to the outskirts of the city, we'll lose them!" said Twilight. "Then we better pick up the pace!" shouted Rainbow as she revved up the gas handle on her cycle. The blue ranger was now zooming forward as her bike was coming up the side of the truck. The door behind the driver opened as the minion had a blaster in hand and it fired at the girl. Rainbow was dodging the shots as they went off behind her. Even soon came up to the side as she used her leg to kick the weapon out of the minion's hands as she kicked it back. Rainbow then stood and jumped from her cycle to the exposed door as she rolled in. "Hey, there!" said Rainbow as she was seated on the floor. She used her legs to push the minions from getting on top of her. She continued to fight while seated as some of them managed to grab her legs. They flipped the girl into the air as Rainbow managed to use her powers to land on her feet. She then stepped off the wall to kick the ones who grabbed her. The ranger turned around to counter and exchange fists with the rest of them while ducking and using her legs to fight. Twilight had caught up with her driver as she put her cycle on autopilot. She was starting to regret what she was about to do as got on her bike and then jumped to the door. She managed to pull herself up as she crawled in through the window and landed on the seat as she could feel her heart pounding. The driver saw the purple ranger as Twilight waved her hand. "Give me a minute before we fight, that was scary! I am not doing that ever again!" shouted the girl placing her hand over her heart as it was beating fast. The minion then looked ahead as it made a noise to her. "What?" said Twilight as the then pointed to the windshield. Twilight then sat up as she now understood what the monster was trying to tell her. They were heading for an unfinished bridge as it would fall into a nearby river. The girl then switched places with the minion as she slammed hard on the brakes trying to get them to slow down. The sudden jerk in motion caused Rainbow and the other minions in the back to fall and tumble. "Twilight, what the hell are you doing!" shouted Rainbow as she landed on the floor. "Hold on!" shouted the girl as she put both of her feet on the brakes as the truck was still heading for the bridge. The momentum and speed at which the truck was going were too much. They wouldn't be able to slow down as it was just seconds before they would go over. The girls needed a backup plan or else they would fall along with the cash that was stolen. At that moment, the animals on their suits glowed their respective colors. The two birds emerged in their mirage spirit-like form as they soared above the metal vehicle. They each grabbed a hold of the truck as they flapped as hard as they could. They managed to lift the truck into the air as they soared over the gap and landed on the other side as it came to a screeching halt. The truck turned to the side as steam was shown coming from the engine. Everyone was relieved at how they managed to land safely as the girls let out the deep breaths they held. The pair looked at the spirits of their animals as they made noises before disappearing. "Thank you," said Twilight, trying to calm her heart. For once, she was grateful her owl listened to her. She then looked to her side as the minion drive was making a sound that when translated meant he was saying a good job. "Appreciate it," smiled Twilight with a thumbs up. "Oh, forgot one thing." The girl then punched the minion and down he went. "Ash, you there?" asked Twilight to her Morpher as she panted. "Girls, what's happening?" asked the boy. "Shipment... is... secure. But... we're gonna need a lift." "On it, we're just about to finish up here," said the leader to the bookworm. Sunset was back on the ground dealing as she spun and punched. One of the minions grabbed a hold of her by grabbing the small miniskirt that was around her on her ranger suit. "When a girl says no, she means no!" shouted Sunset as kicked the minion that grabbed her skirt as he went flying. "Nobody touches me." "You okay?" asked Ash as he put his hand on Sunset's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine," smiled Sunset under her helmet as she straighten out the ruffle in her skirt. Ash now stood in between Sunset and Applejack as the group of minions left were in front of them. "Time to end this with style," stated Ash. "Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she brought her ax downwards to the ground creating a meteor effect taking out her section. "Ruby Strike!" shouted Sunset as she grabbed her bow and did a backflip into the air. While in the air, she pulled back on the string and shot out an attack in flames as it burned her foes. "Topaz Slash!" shouted Ash as he jumped into the air and did a diagonal slash taking out his last bit of enemies. The rest of the forces were taken care of. The three rangers shared some high fives and fist pumps as the people who were held hostage began to clap and applaud at our heroes. The trio managed to pick up Rainbow and Twilight as they returned the money to the bank and its people. The team was now in the command center. "Thankfully, that attack happened before tonight's event," said Twilight. "Though I doubt it'll be the last. Seeing as how we'll have to be on alert," stated Rainbow. "No, it's fine. You girls go enjoy your night," said Ash. "Huh?" said all of them. "You've all earned it. So, I think you all deserve a night to yourselves. So, go have fun." stated Ash. "You sure, sugarcube?" "Positive." "Well then, come on! We only got a few hours, and Rarity is gonna be on our ass for being late to dress up!" stated Rainbow. The girls all waved goodbye to Ash as they touched their morphers and left. The only one who didn't leave was Sunset as she stood there looking at her leader. "Something the matter, Sunset? Shouldn't you get ready?" "Yeah, but I still got time. Besides, I was hoping we could continue our one-on-one lesson from the other day?" asked the girl. "Sure," shrugged the boy as he didn't think much of what was said. The pair entered the training room as the boy prepared to teach his teammate some more holds and maneuvers. "Now this is called a double leg takedown," said Ash executing the move on Sunset as he managed to get the girl on the floor as he was on top of her. He got off the girl as she stood up. "It's like a tackle, spear-type thing. The best defense in that is a front face choke out, okay? So charge at me with that double leg takedown," instructed Ash. Sunset then bent down and did as her leader said. She got ahold of his legs as the boy now had his arms around her head as they stayed in position. "Then you put your arm around and put it underneath and lift forward," said the boy doing the action as Sunset could feel it on her throat. "Sorry," said Ash as he released the hold as Sunset lifted herself. "It's okay," stated the bacon-haired girl as she was enjoying learning from Ash. "Okay. See how your arm goes right against that carotid artery, you just lean back, and you'll choke out your target right out," said the boy. "That works?" "Yeah," said Ash. "So if I charge at you, hook your hands, and boom." Ash now bent down as he pretended to charge at Sunset's legs. The girl did what the boy told her as she hooked her hands and leaned back while the boy could feel the girl trying to choke him out. "Good work." "Thanks," smiled Sunset. She then did something unexpected as she did the double leg takedown on Ash. The boy was caught off guard as he didn't expect the girl to do the move. The bacon-haired teen now got on top of the boy as she had her hand on his shirt. For a few seconds, they stared at one another. Each had different thoughts running through their minds. For Ash, he was impressed by how Sunset's combat skills were coming along. For the girl, she was looking at her leader as she saw her hand. She knew the boy had some muscle on him as she saw him working out the other day, but right now, she could feel them as they sent a slight tingle through her body. A tiny red formed on her cheeks as Sunset realized the situation. The girl got off before she could make it more awkward. Ash got up as he dusted himself off and gave his teammate some praises for not only taking him down to the floor but also knowing how to handle herself. They decided to call it as Sunset grabbed her leather jacket and put it on as they exited the training room. The pair made it to the lounge as Sunset gave her thanks to Ash for helping to teach her some moves. "Thanks again, Ash." "No problem. Keep practicing, and I promise you'll be a better technical fighter," said the boy as he sat down on the couch and turned the TV on. Sunset was about to touch her Morpher to teleport when her ears heard something. She then lifted her head to see the TV as the screen now changed. The sounds of a video game came online and that got the girl's attention. Not from the fact that her leader was playing given that she introduced it to him just hours before, but that it was the latest game to be released as even she couldn't manage to get a copy. "How? What? Why? Is..." "Oh, well, since you introduce me to video games. I remembered that Rachel told me this is how you guys in this dimension keep yourselves entertained. So when I first moved in, I asked a store employee what things I can do for entertainment. He suggested a gaming console and some video games. So I bought one and just left it here. After we left your house, I told Rachel to install the thing into the command center. Not to mention, download the latest game that was just released." "Now I really want to marry you," mumbled the girl. "What was that?!" asked Ash as he didn't hear what the girl said. "Nothing!!" shouted the girl waving her arms about. "What I said was... can I get in a game?" "Aren't you going to spend tonight with the girls?" said the boy, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah... but I still got time. So move over!" said the girl as she leaped over the couch and sat next to the boy. She wasted no time in grabbing the controller from his hands as she put on her gamer face. Ash was surprised to see Sunset act this way, but weirdly, kind of cute. He had a smile on his face as he watched the girl have fun until she left to join the others for tonight's festivities.
Chapter 11: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 2Previously on Power Rangers... "Master Ash, I seem to have picked up something." "Another attack?" stated the boy. "No. Remember that anomaly that I detected and have been working to descramble the past few days. Well, I just decoded the signal. And I've located it." "Good news, everyone," said Thorax to Starlight and his brother. "I've found it." "Then secure it," said the leader as his shadow was shown. "At once. Up for a trip, brother?" asked Thorax. "It's one of the zords," said Ash putting a medkit in his backpack. "Which one?!" asked Twilight. "The bear zord," replied Rachel. "Where's it located?" said the bookworm. "Here," said Ash pushing a button on the command panel. "The Himalayas," said Twilight. "Yup. So, our job is to find it before the Dark Lords." "Since we are you so experienced when it comes to camping?" asked Applejack. "Before I became a ranger, my parents and I often on camping trips back home. So they taught me some things, and it's paying off," said Ash as he began to pull out some cooking ware. "You know you don't have to stand in the dark by yourself. We're a team. Me and the girls are here for you. So feel free to jump in and be a part of our friendship group." said the girl. "I know that. I was... just happy to see the look on each of your faces. It reminded me of how I was when I went camping with my parents. I just thought I would never see that image ever again in my life." "Glad we could remind you," chuckled Sunset hitting the boy playfully in his arm. So, how are we going to find the bear zord?" asked Twilight. "According to Dash, it's northwest of our location. The best bet is to head there and see if we can find anybody who can help us." "What happened?" "We were attacked," said the village chief. Ash and the girls gave glances at each other as they heard that statement. The village was shown as the villagers were gathering up pieces of their homes. All around the rangers were seeing the people at work. One of the kids who was carrying a tray of bricks tripped and fell. Applejack bent down and helped the kid up as she carried the bricks for the kid as she smiled. The others were doing their best to help as they gave some of the provisions they had in their backpacks to some of the villagers. Ash was with Twilight as the pair were sitting on a wall with the village chief. "We appreciate you all in helping us. But please, we can rebuild. It doesn't require you to be here longer than you need to be." said the village chief. "It's no trouble at all. We're just passing by, but... we can't leave people who are in need. We have to help any way we can." said Ash. "If it's not too much trouble. What happened?" asked Twilight as she pulled out a notebook from her backpack and a pen. "It started a few hours before you all arrived..." said the village chief as he began to recount his tale. "Me and a few of the scouts had just arrived from our latest adventure. We were scouting the nearby temple." "Temple?" said Twilight. "Years and years ago, our ancestors did battle with a great evil. They were able to able to defeat the darkness so in honor of that victory. They created a special jewel. One that was blessed by our gods. It was filled with light, warmth, and hope. So long as it reigned in our village, it would ward off any evil that dare step foot in our home. And it would protect us. But... over two centuries ago... the jewel was stolen." "How?" asked Ash. "A group of settlers raided our village, and during the conflict, they managed to find the jewel and run off with it. The thieves ran with our ancestral fighters in pursuit. They chased them to the temple nearby as the sky began to grow gray. Seconds later rain and storm clouds poured as both sides climbed the stairs and entered the temple." "What happened next?" said Twilight. "From the ones that were told to stay behind, they could only describe it as a flash of light appeared. Soon they climbed the stairs and entered the temple's main room. There was no one there, simply the jewel. They began to reach for it when the statues nearby began to glow. Their eyes as red as the blood that flows through us. Soon they felt some strange force pushing them against their will. They were pushed as the statues moved from their pedestals, and the jewel floated into the air. Since then, every single person who has entered the temple has never been seen again. Yet, before they were left, they heard a saying. It spoke that only when the challenge has been complete, can the jewel be set free and returned to its rightful owner. So as you can see, my family for generations and generations have tried to overcome the challenge. But everyone who has set foot in the temple has never been seen again." said the village chief as he finished his tale. "That's quite a tale. But, I doubt this has anything to do with the individuals that attacked your village, am I right?" asked Ash. "Well, as I said, just before you lot came. We were approached by some monsters. They said they were looking for something. They didn't say much, but that it was a bear." "Uh-oh," said Twilight as she looked at Ash. The boy knew who the chief was talking about. "Did you give them any information?" asked the teen. "I told them of a creature that had been recently roaming our hunting grounds. Most of the men say it resembles a bear, but yet none of our weapons seem to damage it. They were able to track it to where it lives." The village chief then pulled out a map as it showed the location of the creature's home. "Looks like we got our target," whispered Ash to Twilight before addressing the chief. "Say, if it's not too much trouble? Do you mind if we borrow that map? See... we're also looking for that creature?" "What for?" asked the man with a raised eyebrow. "Let's just say, that we need to make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. And the individuals that you spoke with earlier, are the ones we're trying to make sure they don't find it," said Twilight. "So, can we?" said the boy reaching for it when the chief pulled it back. "I will say the same thing to you as I did those monsters. The only way I'll help and give the map, is to whoever can return the jewel to our village. As the saying goes, an eye for an eye." "And I'm assuming you telling those monsters that, caused them to leave... a parting gift, so to speak?" said Twilight as the chief's silence confirmed her answer. Ash was now thinking of the dilemma they were in. They knew where the zord was located. They had a way to find it. But... to get the map to the location of the zord. They had to do something for the village chief and his people. And that was returning the jewel that was lost so long ago. And to top it all off, the jewel could only be obtained by passing whatever challenge was invoked with the temple. And after hearing how over the years, many people entered only for none to return made the boy nervous. Scared even. But... this wasn't about what he thought. This was about the bigger picture. If they were going to stop Thorax and Pharynx from getting the zord before they do. Then they needed to do this request. Even if it meant they might not come out alive. But of course, part of being a ranger was having to sacrifice. And sometimes that meant your own life. Soon, the teen let out a sigh as he looked at the chief. "We'll do it." In a different part of the landscape, there laid a temple. Based on its design, it seemed to have been built by people during the dawn of time. Throughout the years of erosion and time left an effect on the structure, it still stood its mighty ground. Bits of moss were shown growing as it added more color and camouflage to the temple. A pair of eyes were shown as it expanded to reveal a pair of binoculars. "I can't believe we're doing this shit!" stated Rainbow. "In case you forgot, Dash! We need that map to stop those mutants from gettin' the zord, first!" assured Applejack. Ash removed the binoculars as he turned to look at the girls as they were behind him all sitting down in some bushes. After agreeing to the chief's request, he and Twilight rounded up the girls and informed them of the situation. They confirmed with the chief that they would do this favor and return the jewel. So the group packed up and headed in the direction that the chief pointed. While the man said a few words of prayer as if he was preparing for the teenagers to not return, Ash assured them they would come back alive and with their treasure no less. It took a while, but soon the group came upon the temple. Since then, they've been sitting and scouting it to see if there was anything that might give them a clue as to how to overcome the impossible challenge. But from the outside, it was a normal temple. Four stairways on each side that people could climb as it merged at the top where there was an entranceway that would lead inside of the structure. And no signs of any boobytraps. So that meant once the group entered, there was no turning back. "Why are we doing this again?!!" groaned Rainbow. "Cause we're five teenagers with attitude," replied Ash. "Really?" said the chromatic girl with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, cause we've got genetically enhanced abilities. So we're at least last a bit longer than most people," answered the boy. "Almost all of us," remarked Twilight as she reminded them of how she got the short end of the stick when it came to hidden powers. "You sure this is the best way?" asked Sunset. "Best way? Hell no. But it's the only way we have in getting that map. And getting the zord before the Dark Lords gain control of it. So for that alone... I'm willing to take the risk. Even if it cost me my own life." said Ash as he made a fist and looked at his wristband that had his gem. "At least if I die, I'll be reunited with my parents and friends." "Now don't go spittin' stuff like that, sugarcube. You ain't gonna die. Know why, cause we're gonna make sure you walk out. And not just you, all of us." stated the farm girl as the rest of them stood up. "We're a team, Ash. No matter what situation we find ourselves in. We're in it to the end. So if you fall, then so do we. Cause we'll follow you to the bitter end." said Twilight. "Girls?" "We're your teammates. More importantly, we're your friends. And friends stick together no matter what." said Sunset as the rest nodded. "Thanks," smiled Ash. He then approached them and he put his hand out. The girls did the same as they put theirs on top of their leader. "Power Rangers..." started Ash. "Fear no danger!" said the group as they broke. The scene now showed the five teenagers with attitude as they approached the temple. They stood in a line as they prepared themselves for what they might encounter. Ash took the first step in climbing with the others following him close by. The group soon made it to the top as they passed through the entranceway. The idol face on top was shown as it flashed a color that the group was unaware of. The group walked along the corridor as along the walls were torches that remained lit after all this time. It gave some light as they trekked further while all being on guard. They soon came into a grander room as it was the main floor of the temple. All around the temple were covered with symbols and designs. The girls were taking the images in as they were beautiful, to say the least. For Twilight, she couldn't help but geek out at seeing so much history before her eyes. "I... can't... believe it..." said the girl in between gasps as she was in heaven. "Well, we lost Twilight," said Applejack. "So we're here. Where's this impossible challenge or the jewel for that matter?" asked Rainbow as she approached one of the statues that were present. "The chief said the jewel will only appear once the challenge has been completed," said Sunset as she approached another statue. "So... what does that mean?" asked Applejack. "I don't know. But in the chief's story, he mentioned how when the jewel was first stolen. The statues had their eyes glow." said Ash as he looked at the five stone rock figures spread out evenly in the room. "So, what? We just make these things have their eyes glow," said Rainbow as she leaned and put a hand on the statue near her. She was unaware of what that did as the rock figure began to glow. The others soon turned to look at her as the chromatic girl looked and quickly took her hand off as she backed up. The whole temple was now shaking as the statue then began to move. It took a step forward as it made a thud sound that echoed. It moved its other foot as it stood before the group. "What did you do?!!" shouted Sunset. "I didn't do shit!" countered Dash. "Well, you did something!" yelled Ash. He got the attention of the others as the four remaining statues also glowed. They too began to step forward off their pedestals as they now had the group of teenagers in a circle. Soon all five were surrounded by a vortex of light as they shot into the air. It died down as standing before the group was the statues as they were different colors. Moreso, they each had a symbol on their chest. "Okay, they friend or foe?" asked Twilight as the rangers were back to back in a circle. "I'm thinking these guys aren't too happy about us trespassing on their property," answered Sunset. "They don't scare me," taunted Rainbow. The statue in front of her raised the staff it held and pointed it at the girl. It glowed, and a water beam came out that knocked the rainbow-haired teen onto the ground. "You were sayin'?" mocked Applejack. "Alright, now I'm pissed," said Rainbow as she got up and clutched her side. Seems the attack had some effect on her as she quickly shook it off. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Sunset to the group. "Sure do. It's Morphin' time!" shouted Ash. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all five teens. The rangers' wristbands turned into their morphers as they touched the interface and drew their symbol. They appeared on a split-screen as they were being encased by their gem as bits of it appeared on their shoulders. They lifted their heads as the last bit of their suit had the vizors cover their face as they landed on a platform and did their pose with their animals behind them as they let out a sound. "Harmony Yellow!" "Harmony Red!" "Harmony Blue!" "Harmony Green!" "Harmony Purple!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted all five. They each were faced with a statue as they began to defend themselves. Rainbow pulled out her saber as she was engaged with the one that knocked her down. The blue ranger trying to get some attacks in as the statue was blocking with its staff. The girl then began to use her legs as she delivered a kick to the body of the statue as it went through it. Her leg was shown on the other side as if it was caught in the middle of a waterfall. The statue didn't feel it as it swiped the girl from it as she fell hard to the floor. It then powered up its staff as a huge tidal wave shot in beams as they collided with the chromatic girl as she took some heavy damage and flipped into the air. Sunset was dealing with a different stature as small bits of flame were shown on its shoulders. The girl pulled out her blaster as she was trying to shoot at the figure as it spun its staff rapidly in front of it as the shots were deflected. The girl then leaped forward hoping to catch the statue off guard as it merely sidestepped. The pair were now fighting with their weapons as they parried. The figure grabbed Sunset's hand as it knee the girl in her midsection before throwing her to the ground. As Sunset was getting to her knees, the statue struck the ground with its staff as a pillar of fire burst out and made contact with the girl as she took some damage. Twilight was dueling with her foe as the wind blew in her face. Since the start, the statue had made a breeze blow over the field as the girl could feel herself being pushed back. The girl tried to get a proper footing to fight, but it was effortless. The statue then swung its staff to hit the girl as the breeze stopped. Twilight had that small window to roll as she pulled out her saber to strike. It phased through the body as if Twilight was trying to swat the wind. The statue then put its hands together and looked at the lavender ranger. A tornado then shot out and sucked the girl in as she screamed and shot into the air. Applejack was swinging her ax with the statue she was facing. The girl managed to leave a scratch on the statue's face as the green ranger smiled. That smile soon faded as the attack embedded on the earth statue deconstructed the statue, only for it to reform itself. It then struck the ground with its staff. The whole earth around the farm gal began to shake as she was trying to not lose her balance. The figure then made pieces of the ground and hurled them at the ranger. Aj was hit hard in the chest as small explosions were shown. With Ash, he was doing some flips and kicks as the statue he was facing was relentless. Both had their fight take them to the wall as they both jumped onto it and began to exchange parries with their weapons before they backflipped off on it and landed. The statue had its staff power up as its body glowed. Ash pulled out his blaster and fired as the shots bounced off the statue. He fired some more as it was walking toward him. The shoots now ricochet into different directions as a few of them hit the girls as they felt the attack. The boy then tapped into his gem's power as his hands began to glow. He did some quick arm movements as he thrust one forward as the mirage-like image of his wolf came out as it headed towards the statue. The wolf attacked the figure as the sounds of metal could be heard hitting off of its body as the spirit soon dissipated. The figure stood there, unharmed as it simply brushed the small pebbles off its shoulder. "I hate these sons of bitches!" shouted Rainbow as she was being hurled into a whirlpool. The water statue then had the girl encased in a bubble as the blue ranger was trapped. "Nothing we do affects them!" shouted Applejack as a huge boulder was thrown. The girl tapped into her gem's power as she punched the rock and went through it. It served as a decoy as the statue closed in and whacked the girl as she was thrown back. "We can't even touch them!" shouted Sunset who had her bow out and was shooting it at the fire figure as the attacks burned up upon contact with the body. "If only there was a way for them to fight each other!!" shouted Twilight as she was in a tornado and then shot out as she hit the other girls as they all fell. The statues that they faced all stood side by side. They put their staffs together as their respective elements shot out and combined into one powerful beam. The beam hit the four girls as they yelled out in pain and then were tossed into the air as an explosion occurred. They landed in pain as the statues closed in on them. Meanwhile, Ash was dealing with his, when he saw his team on the ground and in trouble. He then thought of what Twilight said as a lightbulb went off. "That's it!" shouted the boy as he leaped away from the metal statue. The yellow ranger then touched his Morpher as his sword came out. The boy tapped into his gem once more as it responded to the ranger's aura. The blade began to glow yellow as he then did a slash attack that shot towards the metal statue as it collided with the others. It didn't take long as all five now turned their attention to the leader. The girls were allowed a few seconds of breathing as they sat up and saw their friend in a five on one situation. "Twilight's right. These guys can be defeated. If they use their powers against one another," said Ash as he flipped forward and landed a few meters in front of the fire statue. He did another charged-up slash attack as it caused the flames on the statue to blow in the breeze of the attack. However, the flames managed to burn up the metal statue that was behind it. When the attack ended, there stood the metal figure melting. "Fire melts metal!" shouted Ash. A water geyser was shot at him as the boy rolled away from the attack and faced the water statue. "Water quenches fire!" shouted the yellow ranger. He did another slash attack with his sword. The attack hit the water figure as it went through the body but the waves made by the contact splashed onto the fire statue as it soon died out and turned to gas. That contact between the two elements made the water statue a bit stunned as it clutched its head. "Earth swallows water!" Ash did another attack on the earth statue as it deconfigured but the rocky pieces that were tossed hit the water figure as it absorbed the figure into them and was gone. "Wind scatters earth!" The boy leaped over the two statues as the earth statue was starting to reconfigure itself. He did another slash attack as it hit the wind figure who collided back first with its rocky comrade. The contact caused a small wind to blow over the field as the earth statue was defeated as only the wind statue remained. "And I shall quell the wind!" Ash then began to spin in place with his blade out as the speed and momentum were creating his own mini tornado. The wind statue put its staff out to try to control it but soon it was sucked into the swirling vortex as it all surrounded the boy's blade. The girls were seeing this as they could feel the giant breeze that blew over. Ash once more tapped into his topaz's power as he then brought his blade down on the floor. A giant hurricane came out as it blew wind in all directions. The girls felt it as they were sitting up and got into the air. Applejack found a good grip as the others grabbed each other's hands to avoid flying away. In the middle was Ash as he grunted, concentrating on his gem and boosting it to full power. Moments later, all of the wind died down. The girls then fell on top of each other as they demorphed. They let out some pains and grunts as they rubbed themselves where the pain was. They all got up and quickly made their way to where their leader was. Ash was on a knee with his sword in hand touching the spot where it made contact with the ground. The boy's gem then demorphed his suit as the power levels reached their limit and had to recharge. He then fell onto his behind as he was taking in deep breaths of exhaustion. "Ash!" shouted the girls as they all rushed towards him. "We... did... it..." expressed the boy. He was then picked up by Sunset and Applejack as they had the boy's arms over their shoulders. All of them had some scratches and scuffs along with their faces and clothes. "Now that, that's over. How about we get back to finding where this jewel is?" suggested Rainbow. "I don't think we need to search that far," said Twilight. Apart from Ash, the girls were confused by what their bookworm friend said. They soon got their answer as the temple once again began to shake. "What now!!" shouted the chromatic girl. Soon the ground they all stood on began to glow. From the pedestals that the defeated statues were positioned initially, all began to have a pillar of light emerge. The five different lights then showed the symbol that was on each of the statues that they fought. "Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Metal," said Applejack. The five pillars then shot to the area above the group as they all conversed. The five teenagers looked away for a bit to avoid being blinded. Soon the light died down a bit as the pillars were still touching. Soon they were gone as only a single sphere of light remained. It soon began to lower itself to the group as the light hovered above Twilight's hands. It soon touched the girls' palms and when it disappeared there was a shiny, glowing stone. "Is this?" said the lavender girl holding the shiny rock up for all to see. "Yup, that's the jewel we're looking for," confirmed Ash as he got his arms off of Sunset and Applejack. "But, how? We didn't even pass the challenge," said Rainbow. "Dash, put two and two together," was all the boy said. He then approached Twilight as the girl gave the jewel to her leader to hold. Ash now lifted the gem in his hand and held it up high for all to see. A ray of sunshine shined through its reflective surface as it made the group feel warm and comforting. "Let's return this to where it belongs," said Sunset. In the village, the people had managed to fix the damage left behind by Thorax and Pharynx. They soon heard the sounds of footsteps which got their attention. They thought it was the monsters who had returned to possibly finish them off. A few more sounds were heard and coming through the entrance was none other than Ash and the girls. Many gasps were heard as they expected the group to not be standing there due to how many had failed to pass the temple's challenge. The teenagers stood there as the mumblings could be heard. The village chief made his presence known as he stepped forward and approached the boy. "Well..." "You tell me," chuckled Ash as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the shiny rock. "Is this what you're looking for?" A massive cheer and applause were heard from the villages. The girls smiled at the admiration they were receiving from the people as Ash handed the jewel over to the chief. "After many years, it has been returned," said the chief as he held the jewel. "You have your jewel, now... we kept our end of the bargain," said Ash. "Of course," said the village chief. He then had one of the villagers appear. He handed the chief the rolled-up piece of parchment. He then gave it to the boy as he unfurled it as the girls looked over his shoulder. The map showed their location as well as the mountain range near them. "Based on the location, it appears that the creature is located on the other side of the mountain," said Twilight. "So long as you stay on the path and follow the map. It will take you to your destination with no trouble. But the day's journey is a day at most." said the village chief. "Then we'd best get moving," said Ash. "So soon? Perhaps stay and then leave at dawn tomorrow?" asked one of the villagers. "Wish we could. But we need to find the creature before the monsters do," said Sunset. "Very well. We thank you for all you've done. In our time of need, you decided to lend us a hand." "Of course. We couldn't abandon y'all," said Applejack. "I hope you all succeed in your mission," said the village chief. The group of rangers then loaded up their backpacks as they prepared to head out. They were at the village entrance and they all turned back to wave at the villagers as they saw the group off. The teens followed Ash as they disappeared into the forest and came to a dirt track. With the map in hand and the location of the bear zord, our heroes were this closer to retrieving the lost zord before the Dark Lords. They had walked a few meters when suddenly there was an explosion that caught all of them off guard as they fell to the floor. The rangers all looked to see what happened as standing there were two individuals who had set up an ambush for our heroes. "Hello, Rangers!" said Pharynx as he and his brother appeared along with some minions. "Now then... we'll take the scroll," threatened Thorax. The rangers were on the ground as they held scowls on their faces. To be continued...
Chapter 12: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 3Previously on Power Rangers... "If it's not too much trouble. What happened?" asked Twilight as she pulled out a notebook from her backpack and a pen. "Years and years ago, our ancestors did battle with a great evil. They were able to able to defeat the darkness so in honor of that victory. They created a special jewel. One that was blessed by our gods. It was filled with light, warmth, and hope. So long as it reigned in our village, it would ward off any evil that dare step foot in our home. And it would protect us. But... over two centuries ago... the jewel was stolen." "A group of settlers raided our village, and during the conflict, they managed to find the jewel and run off with it. The thieves ran with our ancestral fighters in pursuit. They chased them to the temple nearby as the sky began to grow gray. Seconds later rain and storm clouds poured as both sides climbed the stairs and entered the temple." "What happened next?" said Twilight. "From the ones that were told to stay behind, they could only describe it as a flash of light appeared. Soon they climbed the stairs and entered the temple's main room. There was no more there, simple the jewel. They began to reach for it when the statues nearby began to glow. Their eyes are as red as the blood that flows through us. Soon they felt some strange force pushing them against their will." "They were pushed as the statues moved from their pedestals, and the jewel floated into the air. Since then, every single person who has entered the temple has never been seen again. Yet, before they were left, they heard a saying. It spoke that only when the challenge has been complete, can the jewel be set free and returned to its rightful owner. So as you can see, my family for generations and generations have tried to overcome the challenge. But everyone who has set foot in the temple has never been seen again." said the village chief as he finished his tale. "Well, as I said, just before you lot came. We were approached by some monsters. They said they were looking for something. They didn't say much, but that it was a bear." "Uh-oh," said Twilight as she looked at Ash. The boy knew who the chief was talking about. "I told them of a creature that had been recently roaming our hunting grounds. Most of the men say it resembles a bear, but yet none of our weapons seem to damage it. They were able to track it to where it lives." The village chief then pulled out a map as it showed the location of the creature's home. "Looks like we got our target," whispered Ash to Twilight. "I will say the same thing to you as I did those monsters. The only way I'll help and give the map, is to whoever can return the jewel to our village." In a different part of the landscape, there laid a temple. Based on its design, it seemed to have been built by people during the dawn of time. Throughout the years of erosion and time left an effect on the structure, it still stood its mighty ground. Bits of moss were shown growing as it added more color and camouflage to the temple. "I can't believe we're doing this shit!" stated Rainbow. "In case you forgot, Dash! We need that map to stop those mutants from gettin' the zord, first!" assured Applejack. He then approached them and he put his hand out. The girls did the same as they put theirs on top of their leader. "Power Rangers..." started Ash. "Fear no danger!" said the group as they broke. "So we're here. Where's this impossible challenge or the jewel for that matter?" asked Rainbow as she approached one of the statues that were present. "The chief said the jewel will only appear once the challenge has been completed," said Sunset as she approached another statue. "Harmony Yellow!" "Harmony Red!" "Harmony Blue!" "Harmony Green!" "Harmony Purple!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted all five. "Nothing we do affects them!" shouted Applejack as a huge boulder was thrown. "Fire melts metal!" shouted Ash. A water geyser was shot at him as the boy rolled away from the attack and faced the water statue. "Water quenches fire!" shouted the yellow ranger. "Earth swallows water!" "Wind scatters earth!" "And I shall quell the wind!" Ash then began to spin in place with his blade out as the speed and momentum were creating his own mini tornado. The wind statue put its staff out to try to control it but soon it was sucked into the swirling vortex as it all surrounded the boy's blade. The girls were seeing this as they could feel the giant breeze that blew over. Ash once more tapped into his topaz's power as he then brought his blade down on the floor. A giant hurricane came out as it blew wind in all directions. The girls felt it as they were sitting up and got into the air. Applejack found a good grip as the others grabbed each other's hands to avoid flying away. In the middle was Ash as he grunted, concentrating on his gem and boosting it to full power. Moments later, all of the wind died down. The girls then fell on top of each other as they demorphed. They let out some pains and grunts as they rubbed themselves where the pain was. They all got up and quickly made their way to where their leader was. Ash was on a knee with his sword in hand touching the spot where it made contact with the ground. "Is this?" said the lavender girl holding the shiny rock up for all to see. "After many years, it has been returned," said the chief as he held the jewel. "You have your jewel, now... we kept our end of the bargain," said Ash. "Of course," said the village chief. He then had one of the villagers appear. He handed the chief the rolled-up piece of parchment. He then gave it to the boy as he unfurled it as the girls looked over his shoulder. The map showed their location as well as the mountain range near them. The teens followed Ash as they disappeared into the forest and came to a dirt track. With the map in hand and the location of the bear zord, our heroes were this closer to retrieving the lost zord before the Dark Lords. They had walked a few meters when suddenly there was an explosion that caught all of them off guard as they fell to the floor. The rangers all looked to see what happened as standing there were two individuals who had set up an ambush for our heroes. "Hello, Rangers!" said Pharynx as he and his brother appeared along with some minions. "Now then... we'll take the scroll," threatened Thorax. "Hand it over, Ash!" said Pharynx. The two brothers had some of their minions behind them as they were ready to lunge. The rangers all got back to their feet as they stared at the monsters in front of them. They glanced a look between each other as they knew what to do. They put their bags aside as Ash put the map inside. "Get that map!" ordered Thorax. The minions heard the command and charged. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the teens as they ran forward and transformed into their suits. "Harmony Sabers!" they said as they flipped forward and had their weapons out as they were in smaller circles taking out the minions. Ash was dodging and ducking under the minions while slashing at them. He then ran forward as two minions were attempting a high and low attack at once. The boy countered by doing a standing backflip as he timed it expertly to avoid the attacks on both ends. He then did a backspin kick as he took them out. He then did a corkscrew as he dodged some more attacks. Applejack was using her strength to punch some of the trees. It created some logs as the girl threw them at her foes as they went down. She then planted herself on all fours as she charged forward like her animal as the minions were flattened by the farm girl. She stood up and without looking lifted her arm to block an attack as she activated her ability to make her skin harden. She looked at her target as a bead of sweat was shown as the minion was scared of the girl. She then grabbed the monster and lifted it above her head. She then brought it down onto her knee as she broke the back of the monster as it disappeared. Rainbow was using her superspeed to zoom by her foes as she was punching them back and forth in a cycle. She came to a stop as she then raced up a tree that was leaned over. She reached the top using her speed and then leaped off as she activated the wings on her suit. She soared above and then did a spin strike as she took out her section of foes. "Owl darts!" shouted Twilight as she pulled out the small things from her belt and threw them. The tiny things made contact with the minions as small explosions occurred. The lavender girl had a smile through her helmet as she then pulled out her shield. She was blocking the punches by the minions before kicking and punching them in retaliation. A few of them pointed their weapons at the girl as she put her defense up as it protected her. Twilight then leaped into the air to spin as she threw her shield. The thing bounced off the trees as it ricocheted between the foes and trees before it returned as Twilight held her hand out and caught her weapon. Sunset was using the new moves she learned from Ash as she was taking out the minions with ease. One of them got a hold of her as they lifted her by her waist. Another grabbed a hold of her legs as the girl countered by rolling to the side and dragging them off of her. Another looked to kick the girl as she backflipped into the air. She pulled out her wings in midair as she was now floating into the tree branches. The girl then pulled out her blaster, and she began to snipe the monsters as they all fell. One of the minions was flung to where Ash's bag was as he noticed it and grabbed it. He was trying to run away when he was stopped by the yellow ranger as he slashed at him with his saber. The boy then was attacked by Thorax and Pharynx as the two brothers were looking to take out their foe. "Dash!" shouted Ash as he spun and tossed the backpack to the girl. "On it!" Rainbow had finished off the last of her section as she ran using her speed. She slowed down and was under the bag when she was slammed away by Pharynx. "Mine!" shouted the mutant. "Nah, partner!" shouted Applejack. The girl touched her belt as a lasso came out for her to use. She swung the thing up high and then tossed it. The rope wrapped around the general as the farm girl gave a tug and yanked the monster away from the bag as it hit the ground. Pharynx fell to his knees as he saw the green ranger holding him in place. He merely smirked as he let out a grunt and broke his hold and then grabbed the long strand of the rope as he pulled on it to get Aj to move a bit before digging her feet. "You wanna a test of strength, girl?" mocked Pharynx. "Bring it!" shouted Applejack. Both her and Pharynx were now engaged in a tug of war with the rope as each was trying to pull the other off their feet. The green ranger was tapping into her gem and using her ability to stand her ground. Pharynx knew that the girl was using her super strength as he was having some difficulty dragging her along the dirt. The monster then put his other hand in front of the other as he began to pull as Aj was now starting to move. He then did it more as Applejack was slowly losing this tug of war. The farm girl yelled as she lifted her foot and stomped it into the dirt as she held her position. Now she yanked on the rope as she was starting to make the general move. Both of them then had the same thought. They let go of the rope and pulled themselves in. They brought their right arm up as each looked to punch the other using the momentum they obtained during their tug of war. Both hit dead-on as they made contact with the chest of the other. A small explosion and earthquake occurred. Applejack then stumbled back and fell to her knees as she brought both of her arms to cover her chest. "Shit!!" said the girl as she felt the effect of Pharynx's gauntlets hitting her. Pharynx was hit as he dragged along the dirt before stopping. He looked at his midsection as he could see a dent was made in his armor. Despite wanting to destroy his foes, he did admit that Applejack was able to stand toe to toe with him in a test of strength and not hold back when it came to her punching him. All of it gave the mutant admiration and respect to the farm girl for not being afraid of getting down and dirty. "Not bad, girl," chuckled the general. He then clashed his gauntlets together before slamming them down on the ground. It created a shockwave attack that was heading to Aj as the girl couldn't defend herself. She fell back as an explosion effect occurred as she yelled. Pharynx then turned to where the backpack was and was about to grab it. "Too slow!" shouted Rainbow as she zoomed by and grabbed the bag before Pharynx could. "We'll see about that," smiled Thorax. The general now pulled out his weapon. Small daggers were shown between his fingers as he watched the blue ranger zipping away. The monster calmed his breath as tossed the small knives. They were sent sailing as Rainbow noticed them out of the corner of her eye as they landed on the ground in front of her as a thunder explosion went off as she was knocked back. The bag once more was sent flying as it landed elsewhere. Rainbow got to her feet as she turned to see Thorax. The scientist stood there as more daggers appeared in between his fingers. The chromatic girl wasted no time in running forward. Thorax tossed his daggers as he spun back a few feet. Rainbow was zipping and zagging to dodge them as she got up close and personal with the general. She was now throwing fists as Thorax was now moving his head and backing up as he dodged them with ease. "What's the matter?" taunted Thorax with the smuggest of smiles as he was keeping up with Rainbow's speed of throwing her punches. "I thought you were fast?!!" "Shut up!" shouted Rainbow. "What's the matter?!!" taunted Thorax more as that phrase was getting on the girl's nerves for not landing a hit. Thorax kept evading as he saw his window. He leaned back from the latest attack and then thrust his fist out as it hit the girl in the chest and flung her back. He then leaped into the air. Thorax raised his arms in an X as he then brought them down to launch the knives. "Worm!!!" shouted Thorax as he launched his attack. Rainbow saw the attack but was too slow. The daggers hit her as electricity flowed through her body. It then turned into another explosion as the girl yelled and fell to the ground. Thorax landed as he saw the blue ranger on the floor squirming in pain. He made more daggers appear in his hand as he looked to finish the girl off. He took a few steps forward when some shots were fired as they went off around the general creating a smokescreen. He covered his eyes to avoid being blinded by the bright sparks that went off as he was unaware of the object heading towards him. Just as it was about to hit the general in the head, he put his arm out as he caught it. Without looking and being distracted by the smoke, the mutant detected the danger. He then emerged from the smoke with his eyes open. Thorax then looked at the thing he caught as it was a shield. Standing a few meters away was Twilight. The bookworm noticed her friend was in danger as she rushed to aid her. She was hoping that her calculated plan would work, but it seemed that failed. Thorax looked at the shield and then at the purple ranger as he smiled. "Trying to attack while your enemy is blinded. Effective strategy. If your opponent can't see, that gives you a small window to strike. You're a smart one." said Thorax as he tossed the shield. Twilight grabbed it as she brought it back to her arm. "I'm impressed. Ash found someone who is smart well before the sapphire gem increased its user's knowledge. But then again, you're already smart. So that power is useless to you." "Don't remind," said Twilight as she hated that she got the short end of the stick when it came to the animals they had and the powers they related to. "Well, not necessarily. See, there is one other thing the gem could have given you," blurted out Thorax as he knew a thing or two about the stones. "Wait, what?!" said Twilight as she was distracted by that fact. "Oops," snickered Thorax. He then threw his daggers as they were in a straight line behind one another. They produced pillars of thunder as they rushed forward to Twilight at high speeds. The girl couldn't defend herself as she yelled and fell back. "Fool the mind and the battle is yours," said Thorax as he managed to outwit the nerdy girl. Pharynx had located the bag as he had his mutant arm out. He then felt some heat as an arrow of red light appeared seconds before him and erupted into flames as the mutant reeled back his arm and waved it off. He looked up into the trees above as there was Sunset who had her bow out. The girl then began to pull back in rapid session as the general put his arms together as his gauntlets deflected the arrows of light. Sunset then pulled back the string once more as the girl tapped into her gem's power. A red arrow appeared as she released it, this one now turned into a flaming one as the red ranger used her phoenix's ability to make it aflame. It made contact with Pharynx and his gauntlets as the mutant was pushed back a good distance as he fell to a knee. Sunset was about to get the bag when the tree she was in started to shake. Thorax appeared as he ran and threw his tiny daggers at the bacon-haired girl. Sunset then began to pull back her bow as she was using her arrows to intercept the knives thrown by the mutant. However, she couldn't keep up with the general's speed as she only got a small handful before they hit her and the tree. The red ranger now fell and tumbled onto the ground as she was in pain. Both brothers stood as there were the girls all on the floor as they were still struggling to move. "Thanks for the gift, rangers," said Thorax as he had the backpack in his hand. "Now, to give something in exchange," said Pharynx. Both generals began to walk toward the fallen girls as they saw them. They were backing up a bit as the brothers looked to combine their powers to eliminate the girls. At that moment, they sense something. A yellow mirage-like wolf came at them as it howled. Pharynx reeled back and thrust out a punch as it made contact with the spirit as both powers were at a standstill. Thorax then leaped above his brother and he tossed his daggers out to hit the wolf. Tt soon disappeared as both managed to fend it off. "Topaz Slash!" Ash appeared behind his animal spirit in the air. He had his sword out as his gem powered it up. The boy had managed to catch both mutant brothers off guard as he did a diagonal slash. Both felt the attack and tumbled as the bag Thorax had was tossed in the air. Ash grabbed it before landing near the girls. "Rainbow!!" shouted the boy. The girl nodded as she got up and ran. She was running around the group in a circle as a rainbow tornado formed. Thorax and Pharynx had gotten to their knees and were about to launch their attack when the tornado died down and the rangers were no longer there. They grunted as they soon teleported away. The rangers were now miles away as they were in another part of the area. Their suits were deactivated as they had taken a lot of punishment. The girls slumped to their knees as Ash was still standing. "You think... they're gonna find us?" asked Twilight breathing hard. "I doubt it. While we may be weakened, they are as well. So for now, we have some time before they set out to look for us." said Ash as he began to walk forward. "Great, cause... I need some rest after the ass-whipping I took," said Rainbow as she leaned back to crack her muscles. "What now?" asked Sunset as she got up and placed a hand to lean against a stump. "We rest. Over here," said the boy as he signaled for the girls. They saw their leader as he was standing in front of a cave. They each grabbed their backpacks as they headed to where Ash was. "We're not going in there, are we?" asked Applejack. "It's the best place. Especially cause it's about to rain," said Ash. The girls raised an eyebrow at that statement. Soon the sound of thunder was heard as water began to fall as it hit the girls. They all looked up and saw grey clouds rolling in within seconds. Lightning flashed as that served as the signal to rush in to stay dry. They all stood in the dark as soon there was light produced by Ash pulling out a flashlight. Given how hard it was raining, the group knew they were going to be here for a while. Ash now set his bag down again as he began to build them a fire. Once that was done, the girls all pulled out the medkit to start treating some of the bruises they got when battling against Thorax and Pharynx. The boy was now working with Applejack on making some food for them to eat. During the meal cooking, Sunset had grabbed the map and placed it on the ground as Twilight also looked at it. "Unfortunately, I can't tell where we teleported to," said Twilight as the area she noticed when they landed didn't match anything on the map. "And no use trying stepping out in this weather," said Sunset. "Then all we can do is wait for the storm to pass," said Ash as he shook the pan to get the vegetables to be thoroughly cooked. "How are you holding up, Aj?" "It'll take more than a punch to keep me down," said the girl as she still felt a bit sore at getting hit by Pharynx's gauntlets. Once dinner was made, the team of rangers began to eat as Ash was looking at the map. Eventually, each of the rangers reached into their backpacks and pulled out their colored shapes. They each inputted a code as their shapes turned into their zords in their pet forms. The small animals each appeared by their owners to give them company. Sunset's phoenix opened its mouth to produce some more flames to the fire they had the warmth of the cave increased as everyone gave a relaxing sigh. The group of rangers was able to pass the time by telling some stories. When it got to Twilight, the girl was ecstatic as she stood before the fire and prepared to let the chills out. "This story is called The Legend of the Headless Horse..." The thunder crashed, putting the girls and their zords on edge. The boy did his best to keep a calm face. "It was a dark and stormy night, just like this one," Twilight began. "And four people were having a slumber party." Another lightning flash appeared, displaying the howling rain and the outside of the cave. By then, Ash sat frozen as the girls all rushed to hold onto him. Rainbow hugged him from the left, while Applejack was on his right, and Sunset was behind their leader with her arms wrapped around his neck. Even the girls' zords were scared as they hid behind Ash's wolf for protection. Twilight was just near the end of her ghost story. "... And just when the last person thought she was safe..." Twilight continued in a low voice. "There, standing right behind her, just inches away was - The Headless Horse!" A gasp escaped from the girls in complete unison before another thundering crash sent them screaming as Twilight's owl made a terrifying screech sound as its eyes appeared in the dark behind them. The three girls held the boy in terror as Ash could feel them digging their nails into his skin. Twilight merely smiled as her owl emerged from the dark and landed next to her as it gave a hoot. "Looks we're finally working as a team," smiled the bookworm to her zord as for once, they were on the same page. The girls calmed down as they felt their heartbeats slowing down. They soon heard some grunts as they looked and realized they were all holding each other... specifically holding onto Ash. They did notice the muscles that were on the boy's body as they couldn't help but turn red at how they felt. "Get the hell off of me!!" shouted Ash as their nails were still digging into his skin. "Sorry!!" said all three girls as they let go of their leader. They roughly pulled away and sent him rolling backward on the floor. His wolf came up to his face as it began to lick its owner's face. "You weren't scared, Ash?" asked Twilight. "Kinda hard to be scared when I'm feeling pain and having three girls all up on me," glared the boy to his comrades as they couldn't help but turn red while looking away. Soon the time came for everyone to get some sleep. The rangers pulled out their sleeping bags as they all lay around the fire. Ash had told the girls he would be up a bit to keep watch as the girls nodded. The boy had his wolf pup in his lap as he poked at the fire with a stick. A while passed as the yellow ranger decided to tuck in for the night. His wolf also yawned as Ash got into his sleeping bag and fell asleep. Meanwhile, in the rangers' command center, Rachel was doing some work while the teens were out retrieving the bear zord. Before Ash and the girls left, the boy had given the A.I. the task of searching the Morphin' Grid for any other signs of zords popping up or the other thing the pair was looking for. While the A.I. was doing that, she came across a locked archive of sorts. It took a while, but she was able to crack it open as it was filled with more ranger history and facts from the different teams that Ash had been studying up on in his free time. She began a full download for future reference as the A.I. came across something. She accessed it as she was unaware that she was contacting someone or something. "Hello? Who's calling?" said a voice. "Who are you?" asked the female A.I. "My name is..." The morning came as the sounds of birds chirping were heard. Rainbow had opened her eyes as she sat up and stretched her limbs. Her zord had returned to its shape as it lay on the floor. She grabbed it as her nose then smelled something. "Told she'd be last to wake up," said Sunset as the others were already up. They were currently eating the breakfast that Applejack and Ash made. Seems Sunset had predicted that their chromatic friend would be the last one to wake up. And the bacon-haired girl was right. "Why didn't you guys wake me up?!" asked the girl. "Cause we didn't want to disturb you. Also, 'cause we enjoyed you snoring," chuckled Twilight as the others all tried to hold back their laugh. "And you didn't leave anything for me?" whined the girl as she got out of her sleeping bag. "Simmer down, Sally. We saved you a plate," said Aj as she handed the food to her friend and rival. "Eat up and then we're heading out," instructed Ash as he was packing up their stuff. Soon the whole team was ready to leave the cave. They were all prepared as they slung their backpacks over their shoulders. The team was about to leave when Applejack fell to a knee. "You okay, Aj?" asked Rainbow. "Yeah, I'm good. Just... still a bit sore from the punch I received from Pharynx," said the farm girl as she clutched her side. "You sure you can walk?" asked Twilight. "Don't worry... I can," said the girl trying to take a step but soon fell back to a knee. "That answers that question. You just need a bit more time to rest," said Sunset. "But we gotta move now! For all we know, they could already have the zord," said Dash as she was stressing the fact that they were running out of time. "I got an idea. Put her on my back, I'll carry her," said Ash. The boy bent his knees as Twilight and Sunset helped their friend over to their leader. They helped her onto Ash's back as he had his hands under her thighs and stood up as he held his teammate. "Thanks, sugarcube." "Anytime." "Just keeps those hands where I can see them, alright?" said the country gal letting her friend know not to try anything funny. "What does that mean?" asked Ash as he was completely clueless about what Applejack as the others chuckled at how dense he was. "Come on! Let's move!" shouted Rainbow as she exited the cave. They were welcomed to the rays of the sun as it shined on their faces. The glistening of raindrops that were on the nearby plants was shown. Twilight had taken the map from Ash when they helped their friend onto his back as she unfurled it. They were still unaware of where they were as the only solution was to follow the mountain path that the cave lead away from. They all began to walk as Ash did his job of carrying Applejack on his back as the girl held on by wrapping her arms around her leader. The teens walked for hours as they kept on following the path. Eventually, they climbed the latest slope of the path as they came to a hill. They saw another forest below them and beyond that were two mountains that had a path in the middle. Twilight was able to identify something in the area below as it matched on the map. The bookworm then informed her teammates that they were closer than expected. All they had to do was get past the ridge and through the mountains as they would be near the lair of the bear zord. "How you doing back there, Aj?" asked Ash as he turned his head to look at the girl. "Enjoying the view, partner," said the country gal. "Feeling any better?" asked the boy. "Yeah, I think I can be able to walk again... but... um... do you mind if you continue to carry me? At least until we pass the mountain pass," said the girl turning a bit red from suggesting that request. "Yeah, I don't mind," said Ash. The girl smiled as she placed her head on her leader's back and sighed while having some red on her face. The team continued traveling down as they made it to the forest. They had to stop for a quick rest as they refueled and rehydrate. After a bit, they continued on the path as they came to the mountain range and walked along the path in between. Eventually, the group made it past the ridge as they came out to the other side. Upon first inspection, they noticed some tracks on the ground. Ash bent down to let Applejack get off as the girl was a bit more healed. She thanked her leader as they began to examine the prints. "Looks like this is the right place," said Rainbow as she looked around. Their surroundings were an alpine meadow with a coastline on the far end. "Let's start searching." "Good call, Sunset. Everyone stay within distance, contact each other on our Morphers if we spot anything," said Ash. The girls nodded as all five broke apart in different directions. They were unaware of something lurking in the grass as a pair of glowing eyes flashed as it began to scout and hunt its prey. The rangers were scouting the meadow and the coastline to find any clues as to where the zord might be. Twilight and Rainbow checked near the water as they found skeletons of fish that appeared to have been eaten. Which meant that their target used this water source not only for hydration but also for nourishment. In the meadow, Sunset and Applejack came across some bushes that housed berries. Some of them were damaged as they too confirmed that the zord also had been here. Ash had been tracking the tracks on the ground, hoping to get something. But he didn't, but he did pick up on something. That when he followed a trail of the tracks, they were soon joined by something else. They looked to be smaller footprints. The group soon met up in the middle of the meadow as they told each other what they found. However, they still couldn't find any clue as to where the zord might be. "What are we missing?" asked Rainbow. "I'm starting to think it might not be here," said Sunset. "No, it's here. I can feel it," said Ash. "Watch out!" The boy sensed something. Coming at the group was a blur as small knives struck them all feel onto the ground. They felt the attack as they saw it was none other than Thorax and Pharynx as they had returned with some more minions. "Thanks for leading us," said Thorax. Seems the scientist had a backup plan. Before Ash had retrieved his backpack and disappeared with the girls, the mutant planted a small tracker on the bag. He informed Pharynx of this as they simply waited for the rangers to emerge from their hiding place and head towards the location of the zord as they quietly followed behind. "Now, then. We'll defeat you and take the zord for ourselves," stated Pharynx. "We're not letting you get the zord!" shouted Ash as he stood up with the girls following suit. They all stood in a line as they gave a nod to each other. They lifted their arms as their wristbands turned into their Morphers. "It's Morphin' Time!" shouted the boy. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the rangers as some music began to play. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. Applejack traced her symbol that her emerald gem showed it recognized it. It then encased the girl in her suit as she landed on a platform. Her whole body turned into a suit with bits of her gem on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her. Rainbow was now undergoing her transformation as she was being encased in her suit. She traced her symbol produced by the cobalt stone. She landed on a platform as bits of her gem were on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her as it made its sound. Twilight traced her symbol produced by her sapphire gem as it recognized her. The gem encased the girl as she landed on a platform. The girl lifted her head as the vizor completed the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her animal appeared behind her and made a noise. Sunset underwent her transformation as the ruby stone grew larger and encased the girl in her suit. The girl landed on a platform as bits of her gem were also shown on her shoulder. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her zord appeared behind her and made a noise. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted the group in unison. "Take them down!" shouted Pharynx. The minions all charged forward as the rangers did the same as they pulled out their sabers. The group now engaged once more with their foes. While the two groups were fighting, the eyes from before were shown as they peeked through the meadow. Ash had done a corkscrew as he landed and slashed a section of the minions he was fighting. He then heard some yelling as Pharynx had appeared and hit the boy with his gauntlets as he flew to the floor. The mutant brought his fists down as an ax stopped it from making contact with the yellow ranger. Applejack did a kick to the general's midsection as she managed to get him to back off. "Thanks, Aj." "Anytime, sugarcube," said the girl to her leader. "Care for round 2?" taunted Pharynx. "Bring it!" shouted the girl. Pharynx slammed his gauntlets on the floor as Applejack did the same with her ax. Both created a wave attack that was heading towards each other as they collided with one another. Rocks and pieces of dirt went flying as both warriors stood their ground. Both charged as Applejack ducked under Pharynx's arm swing and then spun to attack as the general moved to the side. Both traded blows using their weapons as they tried to land a hit. Applejack slid under an attack as she turned her upper body to block an overhead attack. The girl rolled to the side as she pulled out her lasso once more and tossed it at the mutant as he grabbed it. "Want to do this dance again?" taunted Pharynx. Both now began to engage in another tug of war. Like before, neither was willing to budge as they both felt their feet slipping before digging into the dirt. Pharynx grabbed the rope with his other hand as he began to pull. This time, Applejack did a different move. She felt herself being dragged as when she was but a few meters in front of Pharynx. The country gal intentionally took a step forward as the sudden shift in weight took the mutant off his balance as he stumbled forward. The green ranger took the moment to spin in the air as she swung her ax to hit Pharynx for massive damage. Aj landed as she then tapped into her gem's power as she was doing some arm movements as her hands glowed. On the other side, Ash was doing the same as he too was charging up his animal. He nodded as Aj responded with the same gesture. "Unleash the beasts!" shouted both teens. They thrust their hand out as the mirage-like spirit of their animals emerged. They charged forward to Pharynx as he had gotten to his feet and both animals collided with the mutant as he was flung into the air as an explosion went off. Thorax was engaged with Rainbow as he was tossing his daggers at the girl. Rainbow was using her speed to evade them as they landed in her path as she zigged and zagged. "Didn't you learn your lesson?!" taunted Thorax as he jumped into the air. The mutant tossed out his knives in an array of the field as they covered the girl in front of her. Rainbow noticed this at the last second as she leaped up and activated the wings on her suit. A whistle was heard as Twilight signaled to her comrade. She was dealing with the small fry as she kicked one away and tossed her shield towards her friend. Time moved in slow motion as the blue ranger as she grabbed it and then threw it Thorax was coming down. The shield hit the mutant as he fell to the floor. Rainbow landed as she immediately tossed the shield back to Twilight who threw it back into the air. "Sunset!!" The girl now appeared with her weapon in hand. She slid under a swinging arm attack as she pulled back the bow and aimed at the air. The bacon-haired girl saw the object as she got the perfect window and released it. The red light hit the shield of her comrade as it was now sending towards Thorax which erupted into flames as it caused the general to be hurled along the dirt. "Time to go all out!" said Ash as they all stood in a line with their weapons in tow. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow. They felt the power of their weapons up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held the brother mutants in place as they couldn't move. "Full power!" shouted all of them. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each of the girls did an attack as they passed by their foes. "Charging Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first one to slide by as she did her attack. "Meteor Spike!" shouted Applejack as she slid by and swung her ax upwards. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Sunset as she pulled back on her bow and shot an arrow of red light. "Shield Splice!" said Twilight as she did her attack sliding by the mutant. The scene now changed as it spun around the monsters as Ash was now in the air as his weapon was charged. It froze for a few seconds as he resumed the attack and dealt the final blow to their team finisher. "Harmony Blade, Strike!!" shouted Ash as he did a downward slash on the pair. He appeared behind them as the generals were tossed once more into the air as an explosion went off. The rangers all turned behind to look at their foes as they were still kicking. "Put them together!" shouted Ash as he gave the final order to the team. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted all the rangers. Ash stood at the trigger as they powered up their weapon. In front of him were Thorax and Pharynx as the pair were weakened and stumbling to their feet. For the boy, he was about to pull the trigger on his foes and destroy them. All that he had to do was give the command, and he would end up getting revenge for the death of his fallen comrades as well as his parents. He looked at them for a brief second, both brothers had an expression of mercy at the yellow ranger. "Time to end you both," growled Ash as he was dead set on killing both monsters. He was about to pull the trigger when a loud noise was heard. "Huh?" said everyone. Coming out of the hidden grass was a large figure. That figure growled as it charged forward. It made contact with the rangers as they all collapsed to the ground. It didn't stop with the teens as it then turned around to attack the mutants as they too fell to the dirt. Everyone felt the attack as Ash lifted his head to see what attacked them all. Upon seeing, his eyes widen. Standing before there was a creature, not just a creature, a bear, and not just a bear. But it was the bear zord that both sides were looking for as it let out a growl. "Is that?" coughed Sunset. "The zord!" said Pharynx. Both sides were starting to think about how to capture the animal before the bear stood on its hind legs. It made itself look taller as its mouth opened and an energy beam was fired. It hit all of them as they once again fell to the ground. The bear then got on all fours as it began to charge at its foes. "Alright," growled Thorax. The general then charged as he had his daggers in between his fingers. He leaped into the air as he tossed them. The small knives hit the bear as it growled a bit in pain at first but then pushed forward. It brought its claws and swiped at Thorax as the mutant was flung away. The creature was heading towards Applejack. The country girl noticed at the last second as they made contact. The green ranger had her arms out as she was tapping into her ability. She was trying to use her strength to slow down the creature as it came to a slow down with her feet dragging along the dirt. It was another test of strength as the bear was trying to take attack the girl with its jaw as the girl held its arms with hers. Soon the bear showed off its strength as it reeled its entire body back as Aj went flying into the air. The girl was about to crash into the dirt when something grabbed her in mid-air as they landed. Once she landed, Applejack saw that she landed not as hard. She looked and saw Ash under her as the boy had grabbed his teammate in mid-air and used his own body to cushion her fall. "You okay, country gal?" chuckled Ash as he had the girl on top of him. "Yeah. Thanks, sugarcube," said Applejack as she got off of him and allowed him to sit up. The fight was still going as their friends and foes were trying to subdue the bear zord. Everything they were trying to do to fight the creature was having little to no effect as it kept on charging forward and attacking displaying the guts it had. Applejack rushed in as she pulled out her rope and tried to use it. The rope got around the bear's neck and it suddenly came to a stop as it turned to look at the green ranger. Applejack began to pull as soon the girls joined in. The bear's paws were dragging only a few inches before it raised its paw to use one of its sharp claws to cut the rope. The girls fell back as Pharynx charged into the bear's side as he slammed his gauntlets. The bear skidded along the grass as Thorax appeared behind his brother and leaped into the air. Pharynx powered up his fists and slammed the ground as his brother charged up his knives, and he tossed them with electricity. The daggers hit the bear as it stunned it when Pharynx's attack made contact. A huge explosion occurred as a wind effect was made. All the foliage nearby fluttered in the wind as a result of the attack. The brother mutants saw the results of their attack as they smiled. Soon the smoke cleared and a roar was heard. Emerging from the smokescreen was the bear zord as its eyes glowed the brightest. It roared as it stood on its hind legs and raised its paws above its head to make it look even taller and tougher. Which worked as both monsters were a tad bit scared. The bear roared, and its body shined with a red aura as its guts were on full display. It wasted no time in charging forward as both monsters were slow in their attack. It then came to a complete stop as it opened its mouth once more and fired a massive beam of attack that hit both Thorax and Pharynx. An explosion much bigger was shown as both mutants were thrown into the air before they fell to the ground in pain. The creature still wanted to fight as it had scuffs along its body as it began to charge toward the fallen mutants to maul them. "Retreat!" said Thorax to his brother. Both of them then turned into pillars of light as they left within seconds before they were chewed out by the zord. The bear stomped and clawed at the ground as its anger was still on display. it then turned to the girls who were getting to their knees as it had new targets to maul. It then charged toward them as the girls didn't have time to move. They put their arms out to cover them for some sort of protection. The bear was about to make contact when a mirage-like wolf appeared to stop it in its tracks as the two animals traded claw swipes. The spirit managed to get an attack that swiped the bear back a bit as it shook the attack off. It allowed enough time for Ash to appear as he stood in front of his team. The bear looked at the boy as he stood there facing the creature. Even in its raged form, it could sense the animal within the boy as it looked to fight him. The bear started to prepare to charge as Ash put his hands up to fight. Soon, he put them down as he stood there. "Power down!" said the boy as his suit was gone. "Ash!" shouted the girls in unison. "What are you doing?!" shouted Rainbow. "Put your suit, or else you're gonna get mauled," said Twilight. "I don't want to fight you," shouted the boy to the bear. The bear roared as it began to charge at the defenseless boy. The girls shouted out for their leader to put his suit back on to fight it. Ash simply ignored them instead, he got down to his knees and put his head down. The bear made it to him within a few inches from him as its jaws were above its head as some drool was dripping from it. The boy still didn't lift his head as he remained calm and collected. "I'm not gonna hurt you," said the boy, keeping his head down to avoid looking the creature in its eyes to provoke it even more. The bear snarled as it could so easily kill the boy if it wanted to. It sensed the boy's aura as its jaws were still open. The girls were watching the scene play out before them. Right now, no one was in control except for the zord. Cause if the girls made so much as a move, the creature could potentially injure their friend or worst. So, they all waited. The bear had its eyes on its prey as Ash didn't move. The boy had his eyes close as he was awaiting whatever fate had in store for him. Soon the bear brought its jaws down. "ASH!!!" yelled the girls. The boy heard the girls scream as he opened his eyes. He soon felt his hair being a bit wet as the bear's tongue was licking it. It then brought its nose to the ranger's face as it nuzzled into it. Ash slowly and carefully brought his hand up and placed it on the zord's nose. He then began to rub it as the creature gave a low and soothing growl. The boy then traveled upwards as he reached its ear and began to scratch behind it as that served as the final sign that it trusted the ranger's word. "Thank you," muttered the yellow ranger to the zord. He stood up and began to pet the bear's face as it licked his hand. The girls stood up as well as they saw the scene. They powered down as they began to cautiously approach their leader and the creature. "It's alright, girls. She's on our side now," said Ash still petting the bear's fur. "You sure?" said Sunset. "Come on, she won't bite. Much," chuckled the boy. The girls all put their hands out very slowly while looking away. The bear approached each one as it sniffed the girls and recognized a familiar scent. While it may not have been the scent of the original teammates it last saw, it could tell that the gems were bonded with the girls as they were the new power rangers. It growled and began to lick each one of the girls' hands and nuzzle it. The girls all let out a sigh as they soon smiled. "What did you do?" asked Applejack. "Nothing. I simply showed her that I didn't want to fight. That we didn't want to harm her. So, I simply left myself open and allowed her to see we mean her no harm. When dealing with a wild animal, stay calm." said the boy. "And you took that big of a risk. Knowing that she could of... mauled you," said Twilight. "Sometimes, you have to make the necessary sacrifice. As I told you girls, the duty of being a ranger doesn't come easy. Or without a price. I was willing to lay down my life just to show her we're not her enemies." said Ash as the bear walked to him and nuzzled his leg. "Thanks, girl," said the boy. "Wait, you're calling it, her? You mean, she's a girl?" said Rainbow as she was confused. "I think it best if I show you," stated the yellow ranger. The group now followed the bear as they were walking toward a hidden cave. They followed the zord inside as it was dimly lit. Soon it let out a growl which was answered by two smaller growls. The girls were confused as soon emerging from a stack of grass were two bear cubs as their heads poked out. The twins raced to their mother as she nuzzled them with her nose. "SO CUTE!!!" said all the girls as they rushed forward. They each all got to their knees as the cubs noticed them. They jumped into Sunset's and Applejack's laps as they nuzzled them with Twilight and Rainbow looking over their shoulders. The girls couldn't help but see how precious and adorable the cubs were as they began to pet them. "So... that's why you called it her," said Twilight to the boy. "Yup. When I was following a trail of her tracks, I noticed also a different set of smaller tracks. I wasn't fully buying it, but I had a hunch as to what it may be. So when she made her presence known and began to attack us..." "She was merely defending her home. And her babies," said Applejack. "Like any mother would," stated Ash as he put his head down. For the boy, he was now thinking of his deceased mother and how she did all she could to protect him from danger well before he became a rookie. He had his head down to avoid the girls seeing a tear fall down his cheek. While the girls didn't see it, the bear zord saw the tiny drop hit the ground as she made her way to the boy's side and nuzzled his leg. Ash lifted his head to see the zord as it was trying to comfort his pain and loss. "Thanks, girl," said Ash as he rubbed her head. "Alright, time to go home. Ready?" "Of course," said Sunset. "Uh, I was talking to the bear and her cubs, Sunny." "Oh, right," smiled the bacon-haired girl sheepishly as her face turned red from embarrassment. Ash now bent down to the bear's eye level as her cubs were on her back. The boy put his hand out as soon all three zords began to glow. The gems of the rangers glowed as the bears let out a roar. Soon they reappeared in Ash's hand as three hexagons with the bear symbol on them. The boy stood up and showed them to the girls as they smiled. "Now for us to go home," said Ash as he lifted his Morpher. The group did the same as they all touched their interface and turned into their respective lights as they zoomed away from the cave and were traveling back home. "I see. This is proving some valuable information. Thank you." said Rachel as she was still inside the Morphin Grid and talking with the voice she heard. "No problem. We're here to help one another in a time of need. Speaking of it, take this." said the voice as it sent a code to the A.I. as it downloaded into her system. "If any danger should arise, then this will be the solution." "Understood. Well, I should get going. My master and his friends should be returning shortly." "Just remember, once a ranger. Always a ranger," was the last thing the voice said as it disappeared. Rachel then began to exit from the Morphin' Grid with the new info she received from her mysterious guest. At that moment, five-colored lights appeared in the command center as Ash and the girls returned. "Welcome back, Master Ash. Did you recover the bear zord?" "Yup. And not just one," said Ash as he used his gem to activate the hexagon shapes. The shapes jumped out from his hand and onto the floor. They soon changed into the bear and her cubs as they were in their pet form. The cubs were still cute as the girls awed. They couldn't help but play with them as soon the zords of theirs jumped in and began to make some new friends. All the while, Ash was seeing this with his wolf cub hanging onto his shoulder. The boy sighed as he too began to join in on the fun as the team of rangers managed to successfully recover the zord and her children from the dark lords.
Chapter 13: Melodious Songstress"Alright, go!" shouted Applejack. She currently had her arm on a table and sitting across from her was Ash. The pair were having an arm-wrestling match as they were in the park. The farm girl had invited the boy to join her for a hangout as she wanted to say thanks to her friend for carrying her during their expedition the other day in tracking down the bear zord. The day started with Applejack getting ready to do her morning chores. She had just opened the door to her house as she was about to head to the barn when there stood Ash. The girl was surprised to see her leader up at this hour. "Hey," replied Ash. "Hey, sugar. Um, what are you doing here? At this time of day?" "You said you wanted to talk to me?" "Uh, yeah. But... couldn't that wait till later?" stated Applejack. "Oh, well... I mean... you didn't say what time so I just assumed that you meant when you woke up." "Don't tell me you've been out here all night?" "No, I just got here from the command center. But if you want to talk later, then I'll just teleport away," stated Ash as he was about to touch his Morpher. "No, wait!" shouted Applejack as she put her hand on Ash's wrist to lower it. "Look, I wasn't expecting you to show up outside mah house. And me talkin' with you was just a cover. See I wanted to hang out with you today. You know, mah way of sayin' thanks for takin' care of me while I was in pain." "Why didn't you just say that from the beginning?" asked Ash. "Heh, well, I... I didn't know how you would react. I mean, you don't..." "Get out much often?" stated the boy. "You girls really think I'm a hermit?" "Well, can you blame us for thinkin' that?" asked the farm girl with a sheepish smile. "Look, I'm trying my best to get out more and spend time with you all." "I know, well, if you're here, might as well give us a hand. Come on, I'll introduce you to mah folks." Applejack then led her leader into her house. The pair of teens had entered the living room as the girl's brother, and grandma was walking down the stairs. They expected Aj to be up but were shocked to see Ash. The country gal began to introduce her family members to her friend. For Ash, standing before him were two individuals. One of them had moderate sap-green eyes like Aj. His hair was brilliant orange and his skin was brilliant orange. The last person was an elder woman who had light brilliant orange eyes. Her hair was light gray and her skin was light lime green as well as wrinkling. "Ash, this here is mah family. Mah brother, Big McIntosh and Granny Smith." "Hey," said the boy as he waved at his teammate's family. "Howdy," said Granny Smith as she approached the boy and shook his hand. "I was gonna hang out with Ash today, but he offered to come over and help with the chores," stated Applejack. "Well, hope you don't mind sweating," stated Granny Smith. "No worries, I've got plenty of stamina to spare," stated Ash as his hidden power allowed him more energy than the regular person. From there, both teens made it to the orchard. Applejack grabbed some baskets as she had an easy time lifting them with her super-strength. Ash was amazed by the massive field of trees that were on the farm. He had to give credit to Applejack for living this lifestyle and having to do this much work. The pair soon made it to a section of the orchard as they set the baskets down. Both then reached into their pockets, Ash pulling out a circle shape while Applejack had a pentagon. The two rangers had their wristbands change into their Morphers for a moment. A code was sent to the objects in their hands as they began to glow. They soon transformed into their zords in their pet sizes as both Ash's wolf and Applejack's rhino appeared on the ground in front of the pair. The two animals nuzzled their owners as they smiled. "Alright, Ash. Ready to pick these apples?" "Yeah," replied the boy as the pair began to get to work. They each set up a ladder and began to pick the fruits. Their zords also pitched in as they helped their owners. Aj's rhino merely approached the tree as it hit its horn against the wooden structure. The tree began to shake as the branches began to drop the sweet red fruit that was hanging. Ash's wolf then began to pick them up in its mouth as it tossed them into the basket at a rapid pace. And so it went for the first few hours of the morning as the two rangers were hard at work. Applejack stopped for a moment to take off her Stenson hat and wipe her forehead. The girl could already feel herself sweating as she looked back at her leader. True to Ash's word, the boy wasn't even tired. His conditioning and cardio were on full display as he kept on going. Eventually, the teens stopped for a small break as Applejack pulled out some bottles of cider. She tossed one to Ash as the boy grabbed it and began to drink it. "Still as good as when I first tasted it," stated the boy as he sat and leaned back against a tree. His wolf pup jumped into his lap as Ash allowed his zord a chance to taste the drink. "Family recipe. You won't believe how much we make off of this alone," chuckled Applejack. She grabbed her rhino zord in her arms as she sat in front of her leader. "I appreciate you looking out for me during our latest trip." "No worries, Aj. You're my teammate. It's my job as your leader to look out for the rest of the rangers." stated Ash as he petted his wolf pup. "I gotta say, this little guy is nice to have. He tries to help in any way he can," said Applejack as she petted her rhino who let out a sound. "Glad to see the zord is adapting to his new lifestyle. By the way, your family hasn't seen the little thing, have they?" asked Ah. "Don't worry. I've been keeping him and my identity a secret. It's just... it's kinda hard not to tell my family that I'm a ranger. Especially, mah little sister. She's a big fan of ours. She and her friends." "I know you probably don't like keeping secrets from your family, Aj. But that's the price you have to pay. If the Dark Lords knew who you girls are, they'll target anybody close to you. They'll do anything to make you suffer." "I understand that. I just wish I could tell them. It'd be something that they'd be proud of. Especially, mah ma and pa. If they were here, they'd be smiling at seein' what their daughter is doin'." "I can tell, you miss yer folks as well. But at least they got to rest in peace. Me... I had to watch them get destroyed right before my eyes." Ash had his head down as he was thinking back. His wolf zord sensed the feelings its owner had as nuzzled against the boy. Ash felt his pup as he looked at it. The wolf looked up at its owner with its paws on his shirt. The little pet licked his face as the boy smiled. "Thanks for cheering me up, buddy." His wolf let out a small howl as Ash petted its head. "Come on, let's finish up so that we can hang out quicker," stated Applejack. The two teens then got up as they continued their work. They soon finished their section as they loaded up their baskets and brought them back to the barn. Upon returning, Ash met the last of Aj's siblings as Applebloom was helping her big brother. The farm girl introduced her little sister to her friend. After putting the baskets in the barn, Granny Smith allowed the two teens to go have fun as they left. The pair of rangers stopped by the Sweet Shoppe as Aj stated it was a popular place where she and the girls hung out. From there, the country gal took the time to strike up a conversation with her leader as she wanted to learn a bit more about him. After that, they headed over to the park. And that was where we started. "Remember, no using your super strength." "I got it, sugarcube. I play fair, unlike Dash." The pair nodded as they began to lock hands with their elbows firmly planted on the table. Once both had a tight grip on the other, they then began their arm-wrestling match. Safe to say, both were giving it their all. It was no secret that Applejack was strong, even without using her gem's power, but HELL! She was insanely strong, so much so that they were both locked in place as Ash's muscles were bulging. Applejack seemed to have a great time, but even she seemed to struggle and put as much effort into winning as she could. The table was shaking as both held each other in a tight lock, now it was a battle of endurance! "You think you can outmuscle me, sugar," said Aj grunting. "I'm not trying to. Besides, you're slowing down. Did you forget that my gem's power allows me to have more stamina and energy?" "You said no powers!" shouted Applejack as she grunted. "I said for you, to not use your power. I didn't say anything about myself. Plus, it's not about a test of strength. Now it's about endurance. So that means, the longer this goes... means I have the advantage." said Ash as he was showing off his high levels of endurance and stamina. Even Applejack was worried at how her leader was showing off his physique. The pair was now reaching down to the final stretch as Applejack could feel her weight starting to push Ash's arm down. The boy saw his arm starting to bend as he pushed himself. For Applejack, she nearly had him beat that she could taste it. The girl was tempted to just slam him using her super-strength but before she could think about that, her arm started to move in the opposite direction. Now it was the country girl who was in danger. Ash breathed heavily as he picked his arm up and fought back against his friend. Soon he brought his arm back to their starting position as he looked Aj in the eye. The girl was staring into the eyes of her friend as he looked like a predator eyeing its prey. The best way to describe it was that Ash looked like he had his wolf's eyes as it was dead set on finishing its objective. "No, I ain't going down yet," she said determinedly, closing her eyes. She wasn't going to show fear in the eyes of the alpha that was eyeing her like a piece of meat. She then began to muster every strength she had, and it became harder to hold her in place. Ash took a relaxing breath, as he felt sweat form on top of his head, before pushing harder and slowly beginning to move her hand further down. "No, not yet," she cried out, as her hand was a few inches away from touching the table. The girl panted, sounding exhausted. She shouldn't have done that and tired herself out. With one final strong push, Ash moved Applejack's hand onto the table, winning the match. She opened her eyes and stared at her hand, pinned on the table, in awe for a few seconds, before looking at her leader. "Good fight," stated Ash as he wiped the sweat on his forehead. "Wow, you're really strong. I'm impressed," she explained. "I merely turned a game of strength into a test of endurance. Of course, I couldn't have lasted that long without putting in some of my own strength. You're strong. No wonder the emerald gem chose you." said Ash as he began to rub his hand. "Well, I would have beaten you if you didn't cheat!" shouted the country girl. "I didn't cheat. The only rule that I said was for you to not use your gem's power. I didn't say anything about myself. And I played the game from a strategic plan. Without your extra strength, all I had to do was wear you down to the point where I could take advantage. Strength isn't everything. Sometimes you need a little brain to achieve victory." "I see yer point. Still, next time, nobody uses their powers. We'll see then if you can actually beat me?" snickered the country gal as Ash merely laughed. In his lab, Thorax was at one of his computers as he looking at a screen. Ever since the failure of capturing the zord, their leader was unhappy that the rangers managed to get another ally that could defeat them. Of course, such failure didn't go without punishment as Chrysalis made sure to give her boys their consequences for failing. Right now, the mutant was in his lab as he was determined to not let another scenario like that happen. He was now hard at work on locating the other missing zords and finding the other secret item they were searching for. The general was concentrating on a task when suddenly he was interrupted. He groaned as he heard something horrible. He walked out of his lab as he followed the sound waves which led to a door. He didn't bother knocking as he pushed it open. "That's the latest song from Countess Coloratura's new album," spoke the person on the TV. "Such splendid music," spoke Starlight. "You call that music?" shouted Thorax as the girl mutant looked behind her. "Ever hear of knocking!" "Please, like you did that when we dated," snickered Thorax. "I just came here to tell you to shut that thing off. I'm busy doing important stuff!" "Like getting your ass kicked by both your mother and the rangers. I knew you and your dumb brother would fail. If anything, he should have sent me to retrieve the zord." "Whatever, keep the noise down." "That noise is music. You know that if you actually got out of your lab once in a while. And it's not just some pop garage that's heard on the radio these days by wanna-be pop stars. It's none other than Countess Coloratura. One of the biggest icons in terms of music. She was able to rise through the ranks of the music world and top the billboard charts." "And you know this because?" asked Thorax. "Just you like have the little things you enjoy about this dimension. So do I," replied Starlight to her comrade. "If you're a fan of Countess Coloratura, then you're in luck. The famous music icon will be in town to promote her new album. So, feel free to stop by the Canterlot Mall to get an exclusive signed copy of her latest music." stated the person on TV. "Exclusive signed copy, you say?" snickered Starlight. "Before you even think about it, keep in mind, we're busy with our stuff. We don't need to waste it on distractions," responded Thorax. "This is any but a distraction!!!" shouted Starlight as the whole room began to shake from her voice. "This is my chance to not only meet such a famous musical icon but perhaps show her the stellar voice that I possess. Imagine dominating the music charts with none other than the Countess." "Oh, shit," muttered Thorax. The male mutant knew what was coming as he was too slow to cover his ears. Starlight now began to sing as he was treated to the horrible sounding of his comrade's singing voice. Granted in the past, before they were transformed into monsters, Starlight had a lovely singing voice. But now, with them becoming mutants, the girl had lost that part of her as her voice sounded truly like nails on a chalkboard. "Shut up!!!" shouted Thorax. "Well, impressed?" asked Starlight. "What a shit performance," answered Thorax honestly. "How dare you?!! I still possess the lovely singing voice that I once had before our transformation." "Maybe in your head," whispered Thorax to himself. "I heard that!!!" shouted Starlight. "If you're so smart, then tell me how I can impress Countess Coloratura?" "Hmm, I think I may have just the thing," replied Thorax as he left Starlight's room back to his lab and began to design something. Rarity was currently in her boutique as she was waiting for someone. Soon the bell on the door was heard as the girl looked at who entered. Safe to say, it was none other than Applejack, however, the girl didn't expect to see another person present. Let alone a boy. "Howdy, Rarity." "Hello, Applejack. So nice you could come," said the fashionista as she hugged her friend. She then looked behind the cowgirl as there was the boy who entered with her friend. "My, darling. You didn't tell me you were seeing someone." "Huh? Oh!" said Applejack as she now realized what her friend was implying. "No, it's not like that! Rarity, this here is mah friend, his name is Ash." replied the girl while having some red on her face from embarrassment. "Hey," waved Ash. "Charmed to meet you, darling. For a second, I thought Applejack finally took an interest in someone." "Rarity!!!" shouted the farm girl. "Huh?" said Ash. "Anyways, you said you needed help," stated Applejack trying to move the conversation along to avoid further embarrassment. "Oh, right. Follow me." The girl then led the pair into a spare room as it was bare. The fashionista then began to explain to her friend how she wanted her to create a dresser room for her business. With the task now laid before her, Applejack soon got to work. "On today's "DIY with Applejack", we're gonna build my friend Rarity a dream dressin' room – in just seventy-three easy steps!" "When the hell did we start recording this? And why?" asked Ash as he was behind the camera with Rarity. One second, Applejack was drawing up the plans, and now she was talking to the camera like she was recording a video to upload onto the internet. "Shush, darling. Just let Applejack do her magic," informed Rarity who was holding up the camera. "Hello, darlings! I can't wait for my fabulous new dressing room and—" said the fashionista as she turned the camera to address the viewers. She was about to go on a tangent when she heard Aj clearing her throat. "Oh. Sorry. Promise I won't make another peep." "Let's get started!" exclaimed Aj. Soon the scene changed as the trio was all of a sudden outside. "First, ya need wood. So, for step one, I'm gonna cut down one of my trees." "When the hell did we leave the shop?" stated Ash as he noticed the sudden change in surroundings. "Ooh, just a dash of peep. How many trees are we going to need?" asked Rarity before things fast forward. "Step eight – gettin' rid of splinters. Now, ya have to give each square foot of the surface thirty clockwise strokes with the buffer..." "Thirty?! Darling, that seems a bit excessive!" stated Rarity as the farmer had a look on her face. "Yes. Thirty. And then you have to double-check those strokes by— Aw, shoot! I lost count! Well, I have to cut down a new tree." stated the girl as she left. "Alright, let me know when you're done, Applejack," said Ash as made his exit. It was a while since the boy had fallen asleep in a chair. He soon felt a tap on his shoulder as he woke up. Standing before him were the girls. "You finally finished?" asked Ash. Rarity then showed the video they recorded as she fast-forwarded to the end. The boy now saw the final result of the country girl's work as he was impressed by what he saw. The trio of teens then began to head out as they were meeting the rest of their friends. They all entered the Sweet Shoppe as there were the rest of the girls. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie were present as they were shocked to see Ash. So as it turned out, the boy had officially met the friend group that the girls belonged to as he could see the friendship that the girl had with one another. The sight before the boy reminded him of his previous group of friends and how they used to have fun with one another when they weren't rangers. All of it, made the boy feel something. He didn't let any of the girls see as he quietly lowered his head and let out a few tears. His attention was then called as Rarity was tapping his shoulder. "Ash, are you okay?" "Huh, y-yeah. Sorry Rarity. I was... just thinking about something." said the boy as he grabbed a nearby chair and turned it around as he sat. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity were a bit confused by how the boy was acting. However, the others knew what their leader was thinking as they quickly began to talk about something else to take the pressure off their friend. Rarity did notice the wristband that Ash had as it was similar to the ones the others had. Before she could ask the boy about it, their attention was turned to Pinkie who had pulled out her phone. She was currently playing the latest song that was trending. Time for the spectacle Time for the show The lights are bright and the colors glow I'm not just anybody I think you know The time is now, it's about to blow! Razzle dazzle Glitz and glam Turn it all up, it's a spectacle Razzle dazzle Glitz and glam Turn it all up, it's a spectacle Give me more Razzle dazzle Glitter eyes, big surprise Lights, cameras Razzle dazzle Glitz and glam Turn it all up, it's a spectacle Hear the applause Here to impress Not just anybody, I am the Countess! "Well, what do you think?" asked the party girl. "I'll tell you what I think. It's awesome!" replied Rainbow. "I liked the hook that was sung," stated Sunset. "Really?" spoke Ash. The girls were all giving praise to the song they heard as Ash had a different opinion. "No offense, but... it kinda sucked." GASP The girls, apart from Applejack, all gasped as even Pinkie had to do a spit take. "Do you know who that was?!!!" asked Pinkie as she leaned into the boy's face and grabbed his shirt. "No," answered Ash bluntly. "That was none other than the famous and biggest pop star in all of the world. It's Countess Coloratura!" "Who?" Once again, the girls minus Aj all made even bigger gasps. Even the nearby patrons and Mr. and Mrs. Cake all did some gasps. They soon began to murmur to themselves as they carried on with their lives. "My frizz has been freaked!" exclaimed Pinkie as she let go of the boy. "Okay, why does it feel like I committed some kind of sin?" asked Ash as he wa being given that kind of vibe. "Darling? How can you not know who Countess Coloratura is?" asked Rarity. "Really?" stated Ash raising an eyebrow. "Oh, right," chuckled the fashionista as she was told by the girls that Ash was from out of town and had only been here for a while. "No offense, but I too don't know who the hay this Countess Coloratura person is?" asked Applejack as she was in the same boat as her leader. "Am I taking crazy pills?" shouted Pinkie grabbing her hair. "I mean..." muttered Ash quietly to himself. "Uh, I just told you that she's the biggest teen pop star in the whole world! How-how-how-how-how have you not heard of her?!" stated Pinkie. "Hey, I have a legitimate excuse," corrected Ash. "Don't know. Though I did know a gal named Coloratura when I was just a little girl," laughed Aj while doing a little pig snort, "Wouldn't it just be the funniest thing if that Coloratura and this Coloratura were the same Coloratura? Heh." "Do you mean to tell me that you actually know Countess Coloratura?" Pinkie asked rather bitterly as she glared at the farm girl. "Well, I don't think it's the same person, since my friend wasn't any sort of high-falutin' countess." "Do you remember what she looked like?" asked Pinkie sternly. "Sure do. She had this super colorful hairpin of musical notes that just shimmered in the light," replied Applejack. "You mean... like this?!" Pinkie asked as she pulled up a photo on her phone that had the image of the hairpin with the exact description that Aj had said. "Well, fancy that!" said Applejack in surprise, "That there's the very same hairpin!" "Talk about a coincidence," stated Ash. "That can't be true. Do you have any idea how demanding she is?" responded Pinkie. "Nah," said the country girl with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Yah!" Pinkie retorted, leaning into her face again. "I completely understand," said Rarity, "We artistes require certain necessities in order to do our best work." "There's got to be some sort of misunderstandin', 'cause Rara was just as down-home as me!" "Rara?!" said the other girls in unison with open mouths. "What's the big deal?" Ash replied, "Rara is a nice nickname." "Darn tootin' it was," stated Aj, "Even that big-name was too fancy for her, so I shortened Coloratura to 'Rara'!" (Flashback) Applejack then began to tell a tale. A visual was shown of a campsite where many little boys and girls were shouting and having a good time. They were all wearing an olive green girl/boy scout style shirt with a dark orange scarf around their necks and a green camp. "We had the best time at Camp Friendship!" Applejack narrated as a younger self and a pale blue girl with navy blue hair that had natural curls in it were doing a tug of war against another team. However, the two girls were soon pulled into the mud. They were both frazzled at first, but then Rara began to laugh, and Applejack did as well. "Rara was just so easygoin'!" Applejack continued as the two girls raced for the lake, jumped in, and started splashing at each other to clean the mud off, "We were like two apples from the same branch." Later the two girls were seen standing on a wooden stage before other campers. "Rara and I prepared this song for the camp talent show," Applejack said as her kid self grabbed a guitar, and kid Rara looked rather nervous, "When we performed, she belted it out, singin' in the most colorful, clear voice I'd ever heard!" Applejack then gave her friend a supportive smile as the pale blue girl began started to sing. As young Rara began to sing from her heart, young Applejack played her guitar and smiled. The other campers were blown away by the little girl's voice. Then the hairpin on her head started to glow, surprising young Aj as her friend's singing became more passionate. Soon, young Rara finished with a long note, and Applejack then gave a metal triangle a ting. The other campers were most impressed and cheered for Rara, who smiled happily with tears pricking the bottom of her eyes. (End Flashback) "After camp, we wrote to each other for a bit," said Aj, "but... then we lost touch. But Rara always did want to go to Manehattan to try and make it big. But a demandin' diva? She's just a plain old girl like you and me." Aj gave Pinkie a funny look about Rara turning into a diva. "I hope so, Aj," said Ash wearily, "When you make it big, the fame can go to a person's head no matter how down to earth they can be." "Well, putting that aside. You gotta at least admit the song was dope?" stated Rainbow to Ash. "As I said, it sucked!" stated the boy as everyone gasped once more. "Oh come on, it's true. No one appreciates good music anymore. All you hear on the radio is that pop mechanical garbage. Music is supposed to be about passion, about heart. And a song is supposed to not sound like that but to convey that message as well." "Hey, Countess Coloratura has some good music, Ash!" said Twilight as she was with Pinkie in defending the pop teen superstar. "Translation, she owns all of her music," stated Sunset to her leader. "No, I don't!" replied the bookworm with a sheepish smile. "Okay, I do. But that has nothing to do with it." "It's bad enough that you're dissing her music. Now we got to believe that somehow, Aj knows her," stated Rainbow. "I'm tellin' y'all, it's true. I do know her, well... not this countess gal. But I know Rara." "You really expect us to trust your word?" asked the chromatic girl. "Believe what you want, Dash. But I've never not told the truth about mah friends." "Well, here's your chance to prove it," stated Twilight as she got the attention of everyone. The girl had pulled out her laptop and showed her screen. "According to her website, she's gonna be in town to promote her latest album. She's also going to be signing some exclusive copies." "Exclusive copies?!!!" said Rarity as she stood up quickly with a glee smile. Her actions got the attention of the other customers as they looked at the girl. The fashionista had some red on her cheeks from embarrassment as she quietly sat back down. She then cleared her throat before speaking. "Darlings, this is the perfect opportunity. Not only will we see the famous music idol herself, but it will allow Applejack a chance to see if she's truly friends with her. And of course, allow Ash a chance to see just how amazing the Countess is." "Wait, why am I being dragged into this?" asked the boy. "Wish I could, but I got something to do tomorrow during her signing," stated Rainbow. "Same here," responded Twilight. The others all gave similar responses as Rarity made a face. She then turned to Applejack as she was hoping the country gal would at least accompany her and Ash for the signing. "Well, alright. I don't see now harm in provin' that I know Rara." "Again, why the hell am I going?" asked the boy as he never consented. "Hush now, darling. This is so that you can see just how popular Countess Coloratura really is. And you can ask her about the music she makes." said Rarity. "Like that'll change my opinion on her," muttered Ash as he let out a sigh. It was then settled as Aj, Rarity, and Ash would head to the mall where Countess Coloratura would be. Also, the other girls asked Applejack if she could hook them up with some signed copies. The next day arrived as the scene showed a mall. The Canterlot mall was one of the biggest and busiest places to be. And it was even busier as today, a famous icon would be arriving. A group of people before kids and teens were gathered near the front of the mall's entrance. They were awaiting the arrival of someone as they didn't have to wait long. A large limo appeared as it stopped in front of the mall. Four men emerged in punk rock style attires as some pop BGM music was played. A cloud of smoke hissed from the inside, which contained a throne as well as the silhouette of a person reclining on it. Some sun-shaped effects appeared in the background as Countess Coloratura appeared before them. The crowd went crazy seeing the teen icon. Among the crowd were Rarity, Applejack, and Ash. While Rarity was bouncing up and down like a fangirl, the duo had different expressions on their faces. While Applejack recognized the hairpin, her hair was styled with long gene-style ponytails and was now purplish white with some darker purple highlights. She was also wearing a dark purple jacket that had some studs along the button area with a darker purple top under it. She also had some black studded bracelets and a necklace as well as a similarly styled headband with a veil over her face. Lastly, she had on some very thick black top and bottom eyelashes. The men then began to part the crowd in front of them as they were leading their client inside the mall. As she was following them, the Countess was expressing her love and admiration to her adoring fans. They soon entered the building as they were making their way to the table that was set up for her as the crowd was following a few meters behind. "Clear the way! Stand back!" shouted some of the men as they held back some of the fans. "Keep your hands to yourselves." As they walked, several people didn't hesitate to take photos of the teen pop star as Rara walked with somewhat of a snooty persona. All the while, Applejack was in disbelief. "No... that can't be her," said the farm girl. "Shall we find out?" Ash asked as Applejack nodded, and the three teens began to walk up to the pop star as the line was starting to form with them at the front. Applejack looked at the person as she cleared her throat. "Um... hi," said Applejack as Rara seemed to ignore her. "Who should I make it out to?" asked the girl without looking at who spoke as she grabbed one of her albums and was preparing to sign it. "Um, well... that's kinda hard to say. Um, do you remember me? We met at Camp Friendship? I gave you the nickname 'Rara'?" The nickname seemed to do the trick as the pop star's demeanor softened. "Aj?" Rara asked in surprise. She then looked up and true to her eyes, there stood the girl she was friends with when they were little as she was now grown up a bit. "Yeah," the farm girl replied as Ash and Rarity stood by her side and smiled. "Wow! I haven't seen you in ages!" said the girl as she was still in shock to see an old colleague. "Heh. Howdy, Rara!" It was then one of the men appeared and whispered something to Rara. Applejack and Ash looked at the interaction curiously before they were each splattered on the cheek with a stamp that was shaped like a red heart. "Wuh?" said Ash in shock. "Hearties!" said Rara with a short laugh as one of the men held the stamp pad before putting it away. "Ooh, you got hearties from Countess Coloratura!" said Rarity, "Look! Ooh, she clearly thinks you're very special!" She showed the stamp to Applejack using a hand-held mirror. "You think so?" asked Ash as he wiped the mark off and quickly pointed at Rara who was giving out quick hearties to some other people. "Yeah... real special," said Applejack annoyingly as she rolled her eyes and wiped her cheek clean. Rara then came back to the table as the three were still in line. "It's been so long. I didn't know that you were a fan?" stated Rara. "Actually, it's mah friend Rarity," stated the farm girl as she pointed to the fashionista next to her. "Pleased to make your acquaintance," said the marshmallow girl as she shook the hand of the music idol while trying not to faint. "Oh, she also didn't tell me that she had a boy--" "NO!!!" exclaimed Aj as she cut off Rara from finishing that sentence. "Ash is just a new friend. He's just recently moved here, and I'm showing him around." "Nice to meet you, ma'am," said the boy as he extended his hand for the girl to shake. "Nice to meet you. Did she tell you that we used to know each other?" asked Rara. "Yeah, but our other friends didn't believe it," responded the boy. "It was nothing. Jut little kid stuff," scoffed the music icon. "Nothing? I... I thought we had fun when we were kids. And the song we performed at camp. I enjoyed." spoke Aj in disbelief. "Oh, yeah. It was. But... we were kids. And look at us now, all grown up. Time to move on." said Rara as Aj was disheartened to hear that from a friend she thought she knew. "Move on? How can you say that Rara?" spoke the farm girl. "I am not Rara! I am Countess Coloratura! And while we may have been friends when we were young, we have clearly gone in different directions!" Before Aj could respond, the three teens were suddenly pushed to the side as a few reporters and photographers emerged. They began to take some photos and ask the musical sensation some questions. "Countess Coloratura! What led you to be the success you are today?" asked a reporter. "I'm so glad you asked. Well, it all started... give me one second," said the teen icon as she quickly spotted Aj. "Applejack, forgive me. But can we discuss things later? But hey, here you go. On the house." Rara quickly signed an album and tossed it at the farm girl. Applejack looked at the thing in her hands as she saw the image of the Countess. A few photos of her holding it were taken before turning back to the music icon. For the farm girl, it seemed the truth was real. The friend she once knew was long gone and replaced by someone she didn't know. She let out a sigh as she left the huge crowd with Ash looking at his teammate. In the villains'' lair, Thorax had finally put the finishing touches on his device. "Well?" asked Starlight who was impatient. "It's complete," said Thorax as he picked up the device. "With this, you'll be able to impress that icon of yours. Of course, it needs a volunteer." "Say less," snickered Starlight as soon an officer appear. "Canary, reporting for duty, generals," spoke a female monster. Thorax smiled before combing his device with the officer. Back with our heroes, the signing was over. Rara and her team were preparing to leave as Rarity had managed to catch up with the music icon. She was hoping to get some insight on some clothes that she wanted to give the Countess for future appearances. As for Applejack and Ash, the pair were watching their friend escort the pop idol to the parking lot before talking. "Well, she's... something." "Yeah, I guess. Seems the Rara that I knew is long gone." "Hey, don't beat yourself up," said Ash as he put his hand on Aj's shoulder. "So what if she's changed? At least you're true to yourself. To me, that's more important than some fame or glory." "I appreciate you saying that sugar," smiled Applejack as she gave a hug to her leader. Ash returned the gesture as he put his arms around the farm girl. "And you know, maybe you're right. Maybe I don't Rara at all." stated the girl as she broke the hug. Just then a scream was heard. "Huh?" said Ash as he looked at Aj. The two teens then began to run in the direction of the scream. They heard it getting louder and louder as the pair came to the parking lot. There was Rara and Rarity, but surrounding them were minions as well as the monster that was sent by Thorax and Starlight. "What do you monsters want?" asked Rara in fear. "Don't you know? I'm a fan of yours," snickered Canary. "Come on!" instructed Ash to Aj. The pair ran as they began to engage with some of the minions. Ash managed to kick the ones holding the men away as they began to run. He then turned and did a few hand-to-hand combats before spinning in the air and using his leg to kick them. He then grabbed Rarity's hand as he led her to the entrance. "Ash?" "Get out of here!" instructed the boy to the girl as he turned back to block a strike before kneeing the minion and tossing him to the others. Rarity followed the instructions given by her friend as she ran to safety. With Applejack, she was ducking and punching her section of the minions. She fell onto the floor and then kip-up as she began to throw some fists. One of them hit the girl into a nearby car as the one on top grabbed her. The farm girl merely used her strength to grab a hold of the arm and fling the minion into the others. She then charged forward with a punch as they fell. Another scream was heard as she looked in the direction of Rara. A minion was about to attack the girl as Aj rushed and harden her skin to block its attack. She then spun the arm around as the minion forward flipped onto the ground to which she did a chop block to its midsection. "Aj, what are doing?" asked Rara. "Ask later, run now!" instructed the farm girl to her friend. The pop star obeyed as she ran while the farm girl went back to fighting. She was preparing to escape when the monster stood in front of her. Applejack quickly looked as she saw her friend in danger. "Rara!" called out the girl as soon a whole bunch of minions was holding back the girl as her hand was reaching out. "You're aren't going to leave so soon? Not after I have a request for you," snickered the monster. "Now... sing for me, little birdie!" She then used her claws to shoot out some energy beams. Rara looked away and put her hands up while letting out a small scream. Soon the energy beams began to do something. The voice of Rara was heard as it sang in its harmonious tone before a ball of energy appeared out of her mouth. The girl looked at the sphere as the voice was still harmonizing before it disappeared into the monster. "Thanks for the gift!" said Canary as she disappeared with the rest of the mutants. Applejack stumbled a bit as she then ran over to Rara who fell to her knees. "Rara? Are you okay?" asked the girl. "Yeah, but..." The girl cleared her throat as she opened her mouth. She then put her two fingers on it as she opened her mouth again. But like before, nothing came out. "What's wrong?" asked the farm girl. "I... I can't sing." "Oh, shit," said Ash in a dreadful tone. Upon returning, Canary then used her powers to make the sphere appear. The ball of energy was shown as Starlight was smiling. It then entered the general as she then opened her mouth and a lovely noise was heard. "Wow, I can actually tolerate your singing for once," snickered Thorax. He was impressed by how well his device worked in stealing one's singing voice. "Wonderful," said Starlight with a smile at how she sounded. "There you go," said Thorax as he was preparing to leave. "Canary, get back out in the field and steal more." "What?" said Thorax as he quickly returned to the room. "You heard me!" "Yes, General Starlight," replied the officer before she zipped away. "I thought you wanted just her voice," asked Thorax. "True, but... with this lovely voice. I should be the only one with it. Nobody else. That way, I can dominate the music world." "And how is that supposed to help us conquer this dimension?" asked Thorax. "It doesn't. This is just for me! Only I should have a golden, angelic voice." "This is all you. If it fails, you got nobody to blame but yourself!" said Thorax as he wasn't going to stick around for the consequences of his comrade's ambitions. The general left as Starlight let out an evil cackle. "Time to please, General Starlight!" said Canary as she was on top of a building looking down at some humans. She then landed as a few noticed her in fear. "Don't worry. I only need to hear you squeal!" She then powered up her claws as the energy beams shot out to some humans. The same thing happened before as their voices were heard in a harmonious tone. They soon exited from their mouths as there stood the sphere before disappearing into the mutant as she zoomed away. All the people were left touching their throats as they tried to sing but no sound was coming out. "Choir practice is in session!" said the monster as she absorbed some more from a group of people in front of a church. "Sharp in the key of B! More like B-flat!" said the mutant taking some more people who were singing. "Let's make this quartet into a quintet," she snickered as she did it once more. She then entered a recording studio as she zapped away the voices of the singers behind the booth. They all were in fear as soon their singing was no more. She laughed and was about to leave. "Hey!" said the last singer behind the booth who was also present. Yet for some reason, she didn't take his voice. "You can't sing for shit! You're using autotune!" said Canary as she left. "You've been using autotune this whole time!?!!" shouted the other members of the band as they were unhappy. While this was happening, Ash and the girls were watching this from the command center as Rachel was tracking the monster. "Someone has the power to take away your singing voice? That's so not cool!" stated Rainbow. "Seems the dark lords are trying to take everyone who has a decent voice and is probably going to try to convert that into energy." "For what, though?" asked Sunset. "I don't know, but right now, we need to put a stop to it," instructed Ash. "Where's Aj?" asked Twilight. "She's with Rara right now. She took her to Rarity's boutique. After she got her voice taken away, she needed someplace to lay low. Though I will say, it was devasting to see her." spoke the boy. "Yeah, I can imagine. Not being able to sing," stated Sunset. "Oh, no. I was talking about the meltdown she had. It was pretty brutal." "Alright, are we done talking so we can stop this thing?" asked Rainbow. "Right, we got a job to do. Oh, before I forget." The boy then tossed each of the girls a signed copy of Rara's latest album. "No way! You actually got her to sign one for each of us?!!" said Twilight with a wide smile. "Don't say I never did anything for you. Now come on, you girls ready?" "Ready!" responded the girls as they now stood in a line with Ash and lifted their arms for their wristbands to change into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all four. They each traced the symbol on their devices as they appeared on a split-screen. Their gems encased the rangers into their suits as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as their vizors formed and finished doing their poses accompanied by their zords in the background. The four were now in front of the monster. "There she is!" stated Ash. The four rangers all pulled out their sabers and charged forward. They each tried to take a swing at the monster as she was ducking and fighting back. She made contact with her claws as she spun and hit all four. "Catch me if you can!" stated the monster as the rangers chased after her. While this was going down, Applejack was with Rara. After leaving the mall, the farm girl took her pal to Rarity's place as it would give them some privacy from any fans. Of course, there were also a few men in suits as they watched the windows and doors for any peeping eyes. Sitting down in a pair of couches were Applejack and Rara as Rarity brought a tea set. She gave one to the music icon and the girl thanked the fashionista before she went back behind the counter. "I can't believe this happened," said Rara holding the teacup in her lap. "Oh, come on, Rara. It's not that bad. I mean, it could be worst. You could have turned into an old lady," chuckled Aj trying to lighten the mood as Rara glared at her. Even Rarity heard that as she took offense to the comment made by her farm friend. "Sorry," apologized the girl before munching on a cookie. "To think my career and life are over," spoke the girl. "And I was supposed to perform at the Amphitheater tonight." "I mean, that doesn't stop you from attendin'," replied the girl. "And who knows, maybe they won't ask you to perform if you tell them the truth." "Right, and disappoint all my fans who came to see me do the one thing that I'm being paid to do. The one thing that defines my life and the entire legacy that I've been building since I was little. I knew you wouldn't understand." stated Rara. Applejack felt a bit angry at Rara's attitude as all the girl could think of was her image. Her bracelet then beeped as she heard it. "I need to go." "What?" said Rara. "I just need to do something, and I'll come back," stated Applejack as she was being contacted by the others for assistance. "No, you can't!" stated the music icon as she grabbed Aj's hand when she stood up. "Rarity will be here if you need anything. Plus, you got a security team. Nobody will bother you. I just need to step out for a bit. I promise." "But, you can't leave me. Not like this, Aj. Please... you're my friend. And I know you don't leave your friends when they need you the most." said Rara as she was scared. Applejack looked at her friend and saw just how vulnerable she was. Safe to say, it reminded the farm girl a slight glance at who the real Rara once was. "Applejack, you still consider me your friend, right?" asked Rara with pleading eyes. The country gal sighed as she sat back down. With the others, they were still fighting against Canary as she kept on dodging their attacks. The rangers were doing all they could as the monster was tougher than she looked. Ash had been flung to the side as he was about to get back into the action to help the girls when he stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, Ash. But I need some alone time with you." "Starlight! I should have known you were behind this. Ever since you transformed, you've been craving your lost voice." Starlight didn't take kindly to that as she charged up her staff and fired a magic beam at Ash. The boy felt the attack as he fell back. The girls were dealing with Canary on their own as they were taking a beating. "Where the hell is Aj?" asked Sunset as got up from the floor. "I called her, but she ain't picking up!" answered Dash as with Ash dealing with Starlight, the girls need some help in taking down Canary. A few meters away, Ash had recovered as he had his blade out and was dueling with Starlight. The boy leaped over her staff as they began to wail their weapons against each other as they clanged. Starlight managed to push Ash back into a wall as the boy rolled along the edge as the mutant missed. Once more they began to exchange attacks as Ash ducked and then back spun as he kicked the monster in her midsection. He went for a low sweep as she jumped to avoid it. They both began to spin while attacking as the yellow ranger managed to get some distance. Starlight went for a low-side attack as Ash blocked it with his blade, but that served as a distraction as Starlight hit him in the chest as he stumbled and fell. Starlight then tried to attack the boy while he was on the ground as he rolled to the side. He'd kipped up and ducked another attack as elbowed the girl mutant in her side. Starlight then managed to slash at Ash as she got the boy to which he stumbled. She went for a thrust using her staff, Ash blocked it with his blade as it was this close to his face. The boy then leaped into the air as he did several rotations while Starlight slid under him. He landed and then did some kicks to the monster's chest as Starlight fell back. "Give it up, Starlight," panted Ash while pointing his weapon at her. "What am I going to do?!" stated Rara as she was having another panic attack. "Rara, get a hold of yourself! You're not the only one being affected here! Other people are suffering the same thing as you! You think everything is about you?!!!" shouted Applejack. "And that's my problem, how?!!!" countered the girl. "Since when did being famous was all you thought about? Being popular, being not true to yourself? Where's the Rara that I once knew? Where is the girl that wasn't content with image? Where's the girl that didn't care about popularity or publicity? Where's the Rara that sang because she loved to?!!!" "That type of mentality doesn't get you anywhere in this business!!! You wouldn't understand, Applejack! You're nothing but an apple-picking farmer! Someone who doesn't have the responsibilities and duties that I have! I'm a sensational musician, someone who made it big. You're just stuck here in this place, never to get out. You're nothing but a measly apple farmer, who only has to worry about keeping the family farm from going out of business." stated Rara as she glared at her friend. Applejack felt her fists clench. She took in all that was said by the diva as her blood boiled. Still, the country gal took a deep breath as she regained her composure. She so badly wanted to tell the music icon how her life had recently changed but knew that it would violate her code as a ranger. The girl instead stood up from her couch and reached into her pocket. She pulled out several things and handed them to the pop star. "This... this was the Rara that I once knew. This was the girl that I considered my friend. She was someone who cared about others, not just herself." said Applejack as she pointed to the picture of her and the girl when they were kids at Camp Friendship. "The real perk of friendship is gettin' to see your friend bein' true to their self. And Rara, when you're simply yourself, you're the brightest star I've ever seen shine. I have to go." said the farm gal as her bracelet beeped once more, and she walked out of the boutique. Rara looked at the other things in her hand. One of them was the hairpin that she always wore. Of course, the girl always had extra accessories on that she would sometimes forget it was there. Now, she was looking at it more closely. The last thing was a flash drive. The girl snapped her fingers as one of the suited men brought a laptop and plugged in the drive. A video came up as they pushed play for the pop icon to watch. It was a recording of a dress rehearsal that she and Aj did right before performing their song for the other campers. "You sure about this, Aj?" said kid Rara. "Absolutely," said kid Applejack as she began to play her guitar. The strums of the instrument began the song as Rara cleared her throat and began to sing. Planet Earth, the place I love A land of harmony Our flag does wave from high above For all of mankind to see Planet Earth, a place of friends Where humankind does roam They say true friendship never ends Planet Earth, my home Ash was still locked in combat with Starlight. The general trying to get rid of her problem. Both crossed their weapon as their faces were inches from each other. The anger and hatred were on display. "You really think that in the end, you'll defeat us, Ash?!! If your mother and your friends couldn't do it, what chances do you or these girls have?!!!" shouted Starlight. Ash ignored the monster's comments as he flung her weapon back. Starlight charged up her staff and shot an attack. Ash deflected the blasts from the general as he kept on charging forward as Starlight tried to fire more attacks to slow the boy down. Ash then leaped into the air and spun his sword rapidly. He was tapping into his gem's power as he did several quick slashes as Starlight felt them and was tossed away. "I don't have time to deal with you right now," stated Ash as he turned to find the others. "Wait!" shouted Starlight as she had her hand out. She tried to stand up but fell to her knees. The general soon grunted as she retreated. While Ash was finishing up with Starlight, the girls managed to track down Canary. "Nowhere left to run!" stated Rainbow. "Let's cage this bird!" exclaimed Sunset. "That's what you girls think!" replied Canary. She then opened her mouth as a shrieking soundwave hit the girls as they fell to the floor. "Shit!" said Rainbow as it sounded horrible. "My ears!" shouted Twilight as she put her hands over them to stop the blood-piercing ringing. "It's over, rangers," snickered the officer as she began to approach the girls on the floor. "How do we beat her?" asked Sunset as the girls were slowly getting to their feet. Soon the ground began to shake. Coming from behind the girls was a rhino as it shoved them all out of the way and charged forward. The spirit of the animal made contact with the mutant as its horn made her go flying. "What the hell?!" said Canary as she felt like she got hit by a freight train. Standing a few meters was Applejack as her hands glowed green before disappearing. "Aj!!!!" shouted the others. "Whoops, sorry, girls. Guess I should have given y'all a heads up to move out the way of mah rhino chargin'." chuckled the girl sheepishly as she almost got her friends trampled. "You think?!!!" shouted the others in annoyance. "Another human? Perfect, another voice to add to my collection," snickered Canary. "I don't think," replied Applejack smugly. Her bracelet then turned into her Morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" Applejack traced her symbol and her emerald gem showed it recognized it. It then encased the girl in her suit as she landed on a platform. Her whole body turned into a suit with bits of her gem on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her. "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" stated Aj. "Harmony Saber!" The country girl then pulled out her weapon. The four girls then leaped into the air and looked to bring it down on Canary as she blocked all of them and then let out another screech as it sent the rangers flying. Aj had flown into a nearby music store as she landed near the guitar section. She noticed a nearby bass as the girl got an idea. "Think you're up for a little music duel?!" taunted the green ranger as she strapped on the bass. "Please?" mocked Canary. She opened her mouth as a screeching soundwave was coming at the girl. Aj hooked the bass into a nearby amp as she strummed a chord. It created her own soundwave that dissipated the shriek as it traveled to Canary's ears. "What a horrible noise!" shouted the mutant. Applejack then began to work her fingers as she strummed the strings of the bass guitar. The girl was showing off her talent as she played some notes on the instrument while the monster was suffering from hearing Aj play. The country gal was enjoying rocking out as she began to strum harder and faster. She then did one final strum as she slid onto her knees. It pushed back Canary as she fell to the floor in pain from the sound. "Yee-haw!!" exclaimed Applejack as she stepped out of the music store. "Hey, girls. You okay?" asked Ash as he arrived after dealing with Starlight as they gathered by their country friend. "Never better, sugarcube." "Good, let's end," stated the boy. "Put them together, y'all!" said Aj as the rangers pulled out their weapons. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted all of them. "Fire!" commanded Aj. Ash then pulled the trigger as a sphere of energy covered in their colors shot out. It hit Canary and the mutant was destroyed as an explosion occurred. "All right!" shouted the rangers as they fist-pumped the air. "This isn't over!" stated Starlight as she made it back to the base and watched the final moments. Soon the general felt herself starting to glow as out came the energy ball that held Rara's singing voice. It let out a harmonious sound before flying off. From the small remains of Canary other, energy balls were shown and flew in all sorts of directions. In the boutique, Rara was still listening to the song as she looked at the photo and hairpin. The girl was humming the song as it gave her some remembrance. A ball of energy then entered her as the girl opened her mouth to sing the final moments of the song. Planet Earth, the place that I love A place of harmony Our flag does wave from high above For all of mankind to see Planet Earth, a place of friends Where humankind does roam They say true friendship never ends Planet Earth, my home The song ended as Rara finished in her melodious voice. "My word, that was beautiful," stated Rarity as she heard Rara's singing. The pop icon then touched her throat. She then did a quick scale as her voice was brought back. The girl smiled as she was grateful to be restored. Rara then looked at the photo as she smiled. It was nighttime. Tons of people have filled the Amiptheatre as they were looking forward to seeing Countess Coloratura perform. After dealing with the incident, the rangers all returned to see the music icon as she was back to normal. They told her that the rangers had managed to take out the monster and free the captive voices. Now the girls and the rest of their friends were invited by the music icon to attend her show. She gave them all front-row tickets as they were excited to see her perform. It took some massive convincing from all of them to persuade Ash as it took the effort of all of them to drag the boy with them. The crowd was now starting to settle down as the lights dimmed, and out came the manager of Rara. "Good evening, everyone! Welcome to tonight's musical performance. It is my great honor to introduce you all to the superstar sensational- Countess Coloratura!" The people cheered as the curtains opened to reveal the pop star. She was standing near a baby grand piano. But the most striking feature was that she wasn't wearing any fancy makeup. Her hair had its natural swirls along the edges. She wore a beautiful dark violet sleeveless shirt with blue trims. She also had a matching skirt that reached down to her knees and had some gray lacing along her neck. "This song may be familiar, yet, it's totally different. Kind of like me, Rara." Apart from our cast, the other people were left stunned and confused at the nickname. Rara just shook off their puzzled murmurs and began to play the piano. [Rara - She did a mini piano solo before she sang. The view then zoomed out to show the audience listening attentively as the spotlight shined above her.] I'm here to show you who I am Throw off the veil, it's finally time There's more to me than glitz and glam, oh-whoa And now I feel my stars align [Rara - As she continued singing and piano playing, several people began lighting up their phones.] For I had believed what I was sold I did all the things that I was told But all that has changed, and now I'm bold 'Cause I know [Rara - A silhouette of a mini-orchestra could be seen behind a screen in the background of the stage.] That I am just a human I make mistakes from time to time But now I know the real me And put my heart out on the line [Rara - The audience was now watching with smiles on their faces, clearly captivated by her voice. The CMC were smiling and holding each other. Sweetie Belle raised a hand in the air.] And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa Just like the magic inside of you [Rara] And now I see those colors Right before my eyes I hear my voice so clearly And I know that it is right [Rara - her voice began to echo as she continued to sing.] They thought I was weak, but I am strong They sold me the world, but they were wrong And now that I'm back, I still belong 'Cause I know [Rara - As she reached the chorus again, her hairpin started glowing and the audience cheered loudly and excitedly. The CMC were still smiling happily as Applebloom was trying to mouth the words. The teens were also smiling, especially Applejack and Ash. Applejack could feel her eye filling with happy tears. Ash put his hand on her shoulder as they exchanged smiles with each other.] That I am just a human I make mistakes from time to time But now I know the real me And put my heart out on the line [Rara - She was now crying happily as she poured her heart and soul into her singing. Then raised an arm in the air as she sang the final note.] And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa And let the magic in my heart stay true Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa Just like the magic inside of you Just like the magic inside of you... The audience roared with delight as Rara finished her song and walked to the front of the stage. "Thank you, everyone!" said Rara, her voice amplified by the hidden mic along the stage. "When I arrived, I had forgotten who I really was! But then an old friend reminded me what real friendship is about, and she told me that if I was true to myself, I couldn't go wrong!" The group of teens knew who that friend was as they all looked at Applejack. The girl blinked at being called out and felt a bit embarrassed, especially when Rara was looking at her. "So I have a very special surprise for her," stated Rara as she gave some cues. The band in the background understood as they began the music, and a spotlight shined down on the pop star. Planet Earth, the place I love A land of harmony Our flag does wave from high above For all of mankind to see [Rara - She extended a hand to pull Applejack onto the stage and held her close as she finished the song.] Planet Earth, a place of friends Where humankind does roam They say true friendship never ends Planet Earth, my home The audience cheered and roared with excitement! Aj's friends cheered loudly as well, with Ash whistling loudly. A metal triangle was brought out next to the country gal. She gave it a light tap before she and Rara shared a warm hug on stage. Applejack had a warm and teary smile on her face. She knew, that no matter how far apart life took them. She and Rara would be friends forever.
Chapter 14: A Mole Lotta Trouble"Come on guys!" shouted Ash. He along with the girls were running through the streets as they were already transformed into their ranger suits. "He's destroying the city!" said the boy as they all came to a pier and saw the latest monster attacking. "Alright, it's zord time!" Soon they all called their zords as they were shown. They each ran to where their owners were. "Harmony zords, combine!" shouted all five teens. They all leaped into the air as they entered their respective zords. The giant robots now had their eyes glowing as they were now combining into one as soon the Megazord was online. "Let's see what you can do when I freeze you in your tracks!" shouted the monster. She pulled out her staff and shot a blizzard spell towards the rangers. "Shit! It's cold!" shouted Rainbow as she rubbed her arms as the inside of the zord was cold as well. "This gives new meaning to chillin' like a villain," said Sunset as she too heard her teeth chatter. "Come on, girls! Focus!" shouted Ash as he held his stance with icicles hanging off of him as he pushed some buttons. The zord then put its legs together as they now began to spin really fast. The spin and the momentum were now shaking off the snow that was gathered on them as it blew the ice and snow back to the mutant. She let out a scream as she now felt the effect of her own freeze spell as she stumbled back and it ended. "Now it's our turn!" declared Ash. "How about I warm things?" taunted Sunset. She pushed a button as the wolf's head on the chest opened its mouth. Out shot a pillar of fire that was in the shape of the girl's phoneix as it flew towards the monster and collided with it as an explosion went off. "Falcon Blade!" shouted Rainbow. The Megazord now had the falcon move its arms forward to change into the sword as the falcon held it in its mouth. The Megazord was now stepping forward and taking some swings at the giant monster with its sword as she was thrown back onto the concrete. She then got back up and fired another spell toward the rangers. "Deflect!" shouted Twilight. The Megazord shifted its right arm to the front as Twilight's zord made its wings unfurl in a circle as it protected them. The spell hit the shield as the Megazord held it as it absorbed the attack. Twilight then pushed another button as he made the arm throw the shield to the monster as it hit her and then returned to the rangers. They now began to play catch as they used their sword to bounce the object in between them and the monster as she was taking more damage. "Nice one! Let's finish this!" declared Ash. "Uh-oh!" said the monster. "Sonic Rainboom!" shouted all the rangers. The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each one had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant as he exploded and was destroyed once and for all. The explosion went off as above the smoke shined a rainbow as it had some magical gem dust sprinkled over the defeated mutant as well as the area around it as it was restored to its former glory. "Well, there goes another one," said Pharynx as he, his brother, and Starlight were watching the battle. "So, which one of us is gonna tell him?" asked Thorax as they knew their leader would be angry to hear their latest plan failed. "He's not gonna find out. Cause this never happened between us. Deal?" stated Starlight. "Deal!" shouted both brothers. All three generals quietly whistled away as they left. Ash and the girls were in the command center as they were celebrating their latest victory. They were about to make their latest plan to hang out for the weekend when Twilight got a message on her phone. She read it as she sighed. She informed everybody that her family was planning a getaway in the mountains surrounding the city, and it seemed they insisted on everyone being there. Her parents managed to drag her brother from his job to go on the trip. Which was impressive given how committed he was to his line of duty. "So you'll be gone all weekend, Twilight?" asked Rainbow. "I'm afraid so. Sorry, guys. I want to hang out, but... when my mother says we do something as a family. She won't take no for an answer. You don't want to know what she did to get Shining Armor to even go on this trip. Let's just say his buddies are going to remind him for a long time to come." "Yeesh," stated Aj as she could sense that it wasn't good. "So, Ash?" "It's fine, Twilight. If anything comes up, I'm sure me and the others can handle it." "Really?" "Go have fun and spend time with your family. Trust me, you never know when they might be here," spoke the boy from experience. "Sorry," said the bookworm as she put her hand on his shoulder. She knew what her leader meant by that statement. "It's alright. Now go on. We'll see you when you get back." stated the boy. "Thanks," smiled Twilight as she gave a hug to the teen. She then exited the command center as the rest of her friends waved goodbye. The lavender girl made it home as her mother had just returned from the grocery store to pick up some last-minute items for their weekend getaway. "Hey, Mom," said Twilight as she greeted her mother with a hug. "Hey, sweetie. Are you finished packing for tomorrow?" asked Velvet. "Just about," said the girl as she entered to go finish packing. While Twilight may have seemed to be delighted about the idea of spending time with her family. She was a bit hesitant about it, mainly because she and the others all had something cool planned for the weekend as even she was looking forward to it. Now it seems she was going to miss that, and as a teen, they wanted nothing more than to hang out with their friends to do fun stuff. "I just don't see why I can't stay here for just this weekend. I'm not against the idea of spending time with you guys. It's just that me and my friends had something planned we were all looking forward to. So, can I stay just for this weekend? I promise next time, there won't be any argument." "That's a no, Twily," stated Night Light. "Please, dad. Besides, you both trust me enough that I can take care of myself. And I won't be alone, 'cause I'll have Spike to keep me company." said the girl as the dog next to her let out a bark. "If your brother is going, you have to as well," stated Velvet. "You forced me to go on this trip. In case you forgot, Mom. I'm part of an elite task force dedicated to protecting this city from the monsters that have been attacking. Plus, now the guys are going to make fun of me for what you did." said Shining Armor as he was turning red from what happened earlier in the day when his mother barged into his job and humiliated him in front of his coworkers as well as his sergeant. Safe to say, the next week was going to be a living hell the moment he walked into the place. "Oh, stop being such a baby," smiled Velvet to her oldest son. "Your friends were smiling and laughing at what I told them about you." "More like they're were laughing at my ass," muttered Shining Armor under his breath. "Shining!! What have I told you about using language at the dinner table!!" shouted Velvet as she hit her son in the back of the head. "Sorry, ma'am!" squeaked the cop as he corrected himself to avoid getting smacked more by his mother. "Speaking of which, honey? Is this the time you share the secret recipe with us?" asked Velvet as she sat back down in her chair. "Velvet, dear. You know I can't. I promised my aunt that I wouldn't tell a soul." smiled Night Light at his wife. "What's the big deal about the secret recipe anyways? It's just cookies," said Twilight. "And Hamlet was just a play I suppose," taunted Night Light. "And Beethoven's fifth was just a song," added Velvet with the same smirk as her husband. "That's not true! See both are majestic masterpieces that..." Twilight then blinked and stopped herself. She looked at her parents as she realized they got her. "Way to get played, sis," muttered Shining Armor to his little sister as she glared at him. It didn't help that Spike was holding back a snicker as she too glared at her pet. "Kids, is it asking too much for you both to make time for your family?" asked Velvet to both her son and daughter. "I have responsibilities, Mom," replied Shining Armor. "Yes, but you're both growing up. And when you get older, you'll look back on these memories you had with the people you love. Besides, we're not always going to be around." stated Velvet. "Your mother is right, son. Besides, I'm sure that both of you can afford to relax a bit. Besides, it's not like any of those monsters that have been attacking recently will show up." stated Night Light. It was now morning as the whole Sparkle family was getting ready to leave. They all put their suitcases in the trunk of their van as Twilight grabbed Spike and put the mutt in her lap. Night Light then got in the driver's seat as he started the engine and took off. Sometime in, the parents were now singing some road songs in an attempt to get everybody in the mood to be excited. Both Shining Armor and Twilight cringed a bit at hearing their parents sing as they began to do other stuff to block out the sound. Twilight pulled out a book as Shining Armor pulled out his phone. Even then, their parents insisted they join in as they both groaned. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream," sang Night Light. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream," sand Velvet. "Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream," finished Night Light as he continued. "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream." "Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream," groaned Twilight and Shining Armor as they sang the lyrics. Soon the song finished and both children let out a sigh. "I'm 16, how can you make me do this?" asked Twilight as she and her brother were doing something for little kids. "Twilight! Be grateful!" stated Velvet as she looked at her daughter. "Besides, this is about us spending time as a family. And we never get to do that as much as we did when you two were younger." "Yeah, 'cause we have lives, Mom. I've got responsibilities," replied Shining Armor. "Well, those can wait, son. Besides, one day you both are gonna do this with your children," smiled Night Light as he kept on driving. Both slumped in their seat as Twilight went back to reading, and Shining Armor pulled out his headphones. It didn't take long as soon the whole family reached the cabin they were heading to. From there, they unloaded their luggage and went to their rooms. The kids were glad to have a few moments of silence from their parents. Which were only a few moments as soon both Night Light and Velvet called for both of them to come downstairs. They begrudgingly came down as they were dressed in chef's hats and aprons. Velvet then pulled out two more as both brother and sister looked at each other and blinked. "Enough with the hat!" shouted Shining Armor. "I'll do everything else. I'll stir. I'll bake. I'll wrap. I'll even label, but I draw the line at funny hats!" Shining Armor was defiant in his stance at wearing the chef's hat his mother wanted him to wear. "Fine, you don't have to wear it if you won't want to," smiled Velvet to her son as she could see he was trying to protect his self-image. "And Twilight, make sure Spike doesn't eat while we're making the cookies," ordered Night Light to her daughter. "I got it covered," said the girl as she took off her apron and hat. "Come on, Spike. Let's go outside for a bit." "Don't take too long," smiled Velvet as she watched her daughter and pet step outside. The girl and her dog stepped onto the front porch as she sighed. She was glad to have gotten away from her family as she needed some desperate alone time. Spike went off sniffing the grounds nearby as Twilight approached a tree. She leaned against it as she pulled out her phone and began to dial. "Can't talk right now, Twilight. Got the latest attack right now. And it's stirred up a hornet's nest this time." replied Ash as he was being contacted through his Morpher. The yellow ranger and the girls were all in their suits as they were currently fighting some minions. However, they weren't the normal mutants they fought as they had the characteristics of hornets. They dodged their stings as they began to fight them. "What am I missing?!!" shouted Twilight as she could hear the fighting going on through the phone. "Some kind of monster that can summon lightning? Can absorb people's youth?" "No, I mean a real live hornet's nest," replied Ash as he ducked a stinger and fired his blaster. "You remember last week how we stopped the dark lords from dumping Thorax's mutant mixture into the city's reservoir. Well turns out some of it got into the nearby river. And some hornets went for a little drink, and you can piece together the rest. And we're only a few miles away from you." "Where are you guys? I can be there in like ten minutes," stated Twilight as she was looking to get in on some action. "Negative, Twilight. It's all taken care of," said Ash. He pulled out his blaster as did the girl with the serum to reserve engineer the hybrid mutants. It hit them as only a puddle of goo was left that covered the insect. It shook the substance off as it was back to normal and flew away. "Mission accomplished. Talk to you soon, Twilight," said Ash as he ended the call. Twilight sighed as it leaned against the tree even more. "Twilight, sweetie! You're missing out on all the fun!" called Velvet to her daughter. "Tell me about it," mumbled the girl in sadness. She then walked and grabbed Spike in her arms. The girl then entered the house and began to make some cookies with her family. Before she entered, Twilight's foot kicked a small pebble as it traveled a few meters. After she passed it, the ground began to shake as it cracked open, and the pebble fell into it. The whole family was hard at work making peanut butter cookies. While Twilight was having a bit more fun than her brother, both siblings were still not joyed about what they were doing. "Remind me how this is important?" asked Shining Armor as he placed some cookie dough on the tray. "Because we're doing something as a family. That's the most important thing of all," smiled Night Light. "And because me and your mother are planning to sell these at our jobs." "And you guys had to include me and my sister?" asked Shining Armor. "Family, remember," smiled Velvet as her son rolled his eyes. Soon a sound was heard. The whole house shook a bit as it got the attention of everyone. "What was that?!!" shouted Twilight. Soon the rumbling ended as the whole Sparkly family looked at each other. They all exited the house as Night Light had a flashlight in his hands and was looking out to the woods and the area in front of them. "Was it an earthquake?" asked Velvet. "We aren't near any fault lines," stated Twilight. Spike was in her arms as the dog soon began to growl. He leaped out of her arms, and he began to bark and shout. The family was confused as soon the area in front of them began to open up. Some small mounds were shown as out came a creature. It wasn't just a creature but a mole. But the way they looked didn't look like regular moles. If anything, they looked similar to the mutants that Twilight fought with the others. "What are they?" asked Velvet. "Moles, I think," replied Night Light. "Moles? Since when are moles as big as buffalos?" stated Shining Armor. The mole mutant hybrids now began to march toward the family. Shining Armor stepped forward as he looked to do his duty as an officer to protect his family. "Don't do anything rash, son. It doesn't seem they look interested in us," said Night Light as he put his hand on Shining Armor's shoulder. Twilight had to shush Spike's barking as he was making things worst for the creatures. She then took off her apron and chef's hat and handed them to her mother. The girl now began to walk. "Twily, where are you going?" asked Shining Armor as he saw his sister walking to their van. The girl opened the front door as the others turned back to see the monsters approaching them. Shining Armor was about to fight when suddenly, Twilight pulled a lever as the headlights of the car came on and flashed the creatures in the eyes. The mutant hybrids saw the light as it blinded them. They all turned tail and made their way back to their hole as they disappeared. The rest of them were stunned by Twilight as she came back to them. "Moles are sensitive to bright lights. Now, time to go!" stated the girl to her family. "Why? It's gone now," stated Night Light. "And you think they won't come back!" responded Twilight. "Come on, sweetie. It was more scared of us than we were of them," replied Night Light to his daughter. "I know you're in a hurry to get back home, sweetie. But nothing is going to ruin this vacation," said Velvet to her daughter. Twilight sighed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She then began to dial it as it seemed she was going to need some backup. "Hey, Ash. You guys still in the area?" asked the bookworm. It was now morning as driving up the path to where Twilight and her family were located, were the rest of her friends. After getting Twilight's call, Ash told her that they would be there. Of course, they couldn't just arrive in their cycles as it would potentially give away their secret identities. Thankfully, the boy had been building something in his spare time. The boy along with Rachel and some spare parts that Applejack gave him was able to construct an ATV for them to use in their regular life and during combat. Of course, the boy hadn't implemented the weapon systems in it yet, but he did manage to have Rachel install herself into the vehicle so that she could guide the team on missions. Right now, Ash was driving them as they were going over the details that Twilight told him. "Based on Twilight's description, it looks like we're dealing with the same sort of mutant hybrids as those hornets," said Sunset who was riding in the passenger seat. "I'm willing to bet it came from the same river that those bugs drank from," said Rainbow. "Thankfully, we were able to purify the water so no more incidents will occur," said Applejack as both were in the backseats. "At least this is the last of the mutation that we need to clean up," stated Ash. "Speaking of complications, let me remind you, girls, that Twilight's family doesn't know she's a Power Ranger. It is imperative that we keep them from finding out as well as you all," said Rachel to the girls. "Yeah, we know. Rule number of being a ranger: Don't tell anyone your secret unless necessary," spoke Rainbow. The drive continued for a bit as soon the rangers saw their destination in sight. They arrived as they parked outside of the cabin and got out. Twilight opened the front door as she ran to her friends with her family looking on. "You made it!" stated Twilight as she hugged each one of them. "Wait, what's the smell?" said Rainbow as her nose smelled something. "Peanut butter combined with cookie dough," said the girl as she was walking towards the house to follow the trail. "Those are the cookies we're making for me and my husband to sell," said Velvet. "I got money, how much?" asked Rainbow as she was now hungry with her tongue hanging out like a dog. "Rainbow!!!" shouted Ash. The boy was giving his teammate a glare for letting her stomach take control when they had a job to do. "Fine!" said the girl as she knew one or another, she was going to get some cookies. Soon Twilight's family invited their daughter's friends in for breakfast. "Thank you for the meal. That was delicious," said Ash as he politely thanked Twilight's folks. "Yup, I don't think I can eat another bite," said Sunset as she patted her stomach. "Can I interest anybody in a lovely waffle?" asked Velvet to the teens as they all looked at her with looks. "Just want to make sure nobody leaves the table hungry," smiled Twilight's mother. Once breakfast was done, Twilight and her family gathered the dishes and began to clean them. The others now were outside as they were talking with Rachel about what their plan was to contain the mutant mole hybrids. "We'll search the woods for any sign of those creatures. Sunset, you stay here and help Twilight to not let her parents see us transform into rangers," instructed Ash. "Got it," replied Sunset. "Remember, don't transform where her family might see you," said Rachel to the group. The three rangers now pulled out their zords. They were all in their shapes as Rachel sent the code to them to transform. They all turned to their pet sizes as the three split up. Rainbow had her falcon soar into the air to spot from above, Ash had his wolf use its nose to track the scent, while Applejack had her rhino use its horn to dig for roots and possible holes that the creatures used. Meanwhile, inside the house... "How could you invite your friends here without asking us?" said Velvet to her daughter as she was a bit upset. "They're our only hope for dealing with those giant mole thingies," said Twilight as she was drying some dishes. "Well, those thingies are gone now," said Velvet as she continued to wash the dishes while talking to her daughter. "You couldn't go two days without them. Is it that hard to be around us?" asked Night Light to his daughter. "That's not it at all!" stated Twilight, "You're not gonna make them leave, are you?" "They're guests now. And they're welcome to nose around the forest or whatever they want to do," said Velvet looking out the window to see the group of teens talking. "I won't be gone long," said Twilight as she was going to go help the others search. "You won't be going anywhere!" shouted Night Light. "You're not using this as an excuse to duck out on us!" Twilight looked to say something, but she soon saw the look her parents gave her. The girl knew better than to argue with them as she simply put her head down. They soon went back to cleaning as Sunset entered the place. The bacon-haired girl informed the bookworm that the others were currently searching while she was here to help Twilight avoid her family discovering they were rangers. At least, Twilight had some company as it brought a smile to her face despite being in hot water with her folks. Outside, the three teens were tracking down anything they could find. A hole was shown as it appeared a few meters near the cabin. It got bigger and bigger. Spike was nearby as he was sniffing the ground. A sound was heard as the small mutt looked up and came face to face with one of the mutant moles. Both of them blinked as they stared at each other. Soon it showed the overshot of the forest as a yelp was heard. "What was that?!" said Rainbow as she and Aj met up with Ash when they heard the sound. "Sounds like Spike," said Applejack. Ash's wolf pup let out a howl as he spoke with his owner. The boy heard what his zord said as his eye widen. "Oh, no!" said the teen. Immediately, all three began to run back to the cabin. The sound was also heard by the girls and Twilight's folks inside. "What's that noise?" asked Velvet. Twilight's parents were facing away from the window. Which was a good thing as running past it was Spike trying to catch one of the mutant moles as the girls saw it and sweated a bit. "That's just Spike! He's being a little rambunctious!" smiled Twilight while sweating a bit. "So, who wants to stir dough?" The lavender girl began to quickly stir the bowl of mixture she had with the wrong end of the spoon, and some spilled onto the floor. "Twilight pay attention to what you're doing," said Velvet to her daughter as they began to clean up the spills. The girls looked out of the window again, as now their friends were chasing more mole hybrids. They both gasped as Twilight grabbed Sunset's bracelet and dropped it into the batter. "Oh, how clumsy of me. I lost my bracelet in the batter," said Sunset. The parents got up and made their way to the batter to search for the girl's item. Once again, they looked at the window as the moles ran by it again with the teens chasing after them. But this time, they were in their ranger suits. "The light's better over here," said Velvet as she took the bowl and made their way to the window. Twilight was now sweating up a storm as Sunset quietly walked away. She made her way to the mixer and she quietly changed the speed to go faster. It now made the machine increase as more batter was spilled and covered them all as the parents were confused by what happened. Before they could clean up, a smell started to fill their noses. Velvet sniffed it and her eyes immediately went wide. "Oh, no! We burned a whole batch!" said the woman as they didn't pay attention to the ones they had baking in the oven. Both of Twilight's parents rushed to the oven as the teens smiled at each other. The scent of the cookies made its way outside as the teens were still chasing the mole. Rainbow stopped as the smell invaded her nose to which she could still smell them through her helmet. "Oh, man! That smell is killing me!" said the chromatic-haired girl as she so badly wanted some cookies. She then snapped out of her daze when she noticed some more holes popping out. Now more mole mutant hybrids emerged as they began to head towards the cabin. "Oh, shit. This ain't good!" said Rainbow as the others arrived. "Hurry, let's get them away from the cabin!" stated Ash. The rangers had their zords herding up the moles as they were leading them away. The girl and Twilight's parents had finished their latest batch when Spike let out a scared yelp. "Spike!" shouted Twilight as they all rushed out the door. They came across Shining Armor who had gone for a small walk in the woods to get some air. As he was making his way back, he saw Spike as he was about to be crushed by one of the mole monsters as he dove and rolled out of the way with the mutt in his hands. He slowly walked back to the cabin with him facing the monsters as that's when the others emerged from the house. They now saw more mole monsters as they began to make their way toward the family. "We need to distract them with something," said Shining Armor. "I got it! Give me your aprons," said Twilight as she took off hers. Sunset and her folks took off theirs as they gave it to their daughter. She then waved them in front of herself as she ran to lead the monsters away. Sunset then got her family back inside the house as Twilight waved the aprons as she hung one of them on a tree and ran. The moles all approached the tree, and they began to sniff them. They took in the scent as they followed the trail. Twilight kept hanging the aprons along the trees as she made her way to one of the holes. She waved the last apron in front of it as she called to the monsters. She then tossed it into the hole and ran as the monsters followed the scent and disappeared into the earth. Twilight then made her way back to the house as her parents were glad to see their daughter was safe. "I think it's time for you all to leave," said Sunset. "But what about you all?" asked Night Light. "It's fine, dad. We came prepared," said Twilight. "What are you talking about? If we're going, you're leaving with us," said Night Light as he wasn't going to leave his daughter behind in danger. "We've got it covered, Twilight," said Sunset putting her hand on her shoulder. "May we have a minute?" asked the girl to her friend's family. They all left as they left the girls to themselves. At that moment, the rest of their friends arrived as they were now discussing the plan. "I hate to say this, but there's no way we can deal with this without some of us morphing," said Ash to the girls. "He's right, Twilight. Do you want to do that in front of your family?" asked Sunset. "You kidding? My parents would freak out if they knew their daughter was constantly in danger and fighting monsters. Not to mention, my brother doesn't fully believe that we're doing a good job in defending the city." said Twilight. "Honey, help us pack the rest of the cookies!" called out Velvet. "Don't worry, we'll be fine, sugarcube," said Applejack to Twilight. "It's not that! I'm just sick of being left out of the fun," said the girl to her friends. It was now later as the sun was starting to set. The group of rangers was now in the nearby woods as they were all in their ranger suits. They had Rachel upload the remaining serum into their blasters as they began to chase down the moles. And they needed to hurry, cause while the group was hunting them down earlier in the day, Rachel did some diagnostics. The A.I. informed the group that because these mutant-hybrids were part mole, it meant that they would become more deadly in the dark. Coupled with the fact of the mutant ooze and that nighttime was fast approaching, it meant that the rangers needed to take care of the problem now before they would have to get physical. "Here's one!" shouted Rainbow as she used her superspeed to cut off a mole. She aimed her blaster to fire but the creature dug quickly into the ground to avoid it. "Stop moving!" shouted Dash. "Over here!" shouted Sunset as she and Ash fired. The mole managed to make it into a mound as they missed. "The only way to deal with them is to gather them in one place," said Ash as this wasn't working. "Easier said than done, sugar," stated Applejack. Elsewhere, Twilight and her family had already left the cabin as they were driving back. It was nighttime as they rode on the dirt path. Some moles appeared behind them as their eyes glowed yellow. They now began to chase after the passing vehicle. It didn't take long as both she and Shining Armor looked behind them to see the monsters coming after them. "Dad, we got company," said Twilight to her father. Night Light now swerved a bit as he turned the corner. The van kept on trucking as behind them the moles were gone. "See, no moles can keep up with..." He didn't finish his sentence as soon as the hood of the van had smoke coming out of it. The van then stopped as they all got out and headed to the front of the car. Night Light had a flashlight turned on as Shining Armor lifted the hood of the car. Some smoke showed as they coughed a bit as it cleared out. The men now began to look as soon they found the problem. "Yup, we threw a belt," said Shining Armor as their timing belt was broken. "You carry a spare, dad?" "As a matter of fact, no," said Night Light. "Maybe this will work," said Twilight as she grabbed her mother's purse she was wearing. "Hey, honey. That's Italian," said Velvet to her daughter who grabbed her purse and took off the strap. "Grazie Mama Mia," said Twilight in an Italian accent as she handed the strap to her brother. Shining Armor then attached the strap as it worked and the car was back to running. They all entered as Night Light was about to get in the driver's seat when his son stopped him. "I think I should drive, dad. I've had experience with high-speed chases," said Shining Armor. "But..." he didn't finish his sentence as eyes glowed around him from the woods. "You know what! Good idea!" He quickly let his son get in the driver's seat. "Buckle up. It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" said the officer. Shining Armor now punched it as the van took off. He was now driving the vehicle as if he was chasing a runaway culprit as they were zooming. Back at the cabin, Ash was out of his suit as he was talking with Rachel about their situation. Soon a figure appeared before him. "Power down!" shouted Sunset as her suit deconfigured. "Did you find them?" asked Ash. "Nothing!" "Power down!" shouted Applejack as she appeared. "Nothing on mah, sugar." They were all looking for Twilight to make sure that she and her family left safely. Rainbow was in a tree as she looked out. She heard a screech as her falcon zord appeared in its pet form. It landed on the girl's shoulder as its eyes flashed. It made her Morpher shoot out a projection as the girl was now replaying back what her bird saw. Her falcon was able to locate Twilight as it informed them of her current situation. "Let's see, car swerving which probably means... yup. They're getting moled," said Rainbow as she now saw the monster chasing the van. She then contacted the others. With the Sparkle family, Shining Armor was doing a fairly decent job at getting away from the monsters. Though the others in the van could feel the bumpy ride as they jumped a bit. "Is this how they taught you to drive back at the academy?!!" shouted Night Light to his son as he held on for dear life. "Oh, yeah. Except the course didn't mutant moles chasing after you," smiled Shining Armor as he was in his element. Soon the van drove onto some logs that were piled on the narrow path. The tires went over some of them but soon were held in place as the van didn't move. "We're beached people," said Shining Armor. Soon they all got out just in time as the moles were upon them. They ran a bit as they crushed the van as now they had no ride to help them escape. The family was slowly backing up as Spike was in Velvet's arms. The woman was unaware of where she was walking as she fell backward into a giant hole that the others noticed before they too almost fell. "Sweetie, you okay?!" called out Night Light to his wife. "Yeah, but it smells like wet mole," said Velvet as she stood up with Spike still in her arms. The rest of the family now looked back at the destroyed van as the moles were scavenging it. They soon pulled out boxes and tossed them on the floor. They were filled with the cookies they made as the monsters began to eat them. "Now it makes sense, they were never after us. They were after the peanut butter cookies," said Night Light. "Seriously?!!!" shouted both Twilight and Shining Armor. The monsters began to eat as they gobbled down on the tasty treats. They kept on eating as soon their taste buds went sour and their eyes were filled with rage. "Uh, honey. You didn't also pack the bad batch we burned did you?" asked Velvet as she could hear the growls that formed. "Oops," smiled Night Light nervously. The monsters were now fully enraged as they looked at the family and saw them as targets. They were now making their way towards them as Shining Armor took a stance. One of them met with him as he threw a punch and some kick as the mole monster just tanked it. He tried some more punches and jabs as the creature merely swapped him back towards his family with a swipe of his claw. "Son!" said Night Light as he helped Shining Armor up. The monsters were now closing in on the family. And to make matters worst, Velvet was still trapped in the hole and the others weren't around. With no other choice, Twilight let out a sigh as she stepped forward. "Twily, what are you doing?" asked Shining Armor as he saw his little sister step forward to confront the monsters a few meters away. "Guys, you might not want to see this," was all Twilight said. She raised her arm as her bracelet turned into her Morpher. "Harmony Gem, power up!" Twilight traced the symbol on her Morpher's interface as she soon turned into her ranger suit. With that, the girl now began to engage in combat with the monsters as she doing her duty of protecting her family. With the extra power her suit gave her, Twilight was able to deal damage to the moles' tough hides as they were flung back. She did a few kicks as she managed to make the creatures fully retreat. The ranger then turned back to look at her family. "Power down!" said Twilight as her suit deconfigured and she stood there. Safe to say, Twilight just broke one of the most important rules of being a ranger. "Dad, Shining?" asked Twilight hesitantly as she saw the gasped looks on her brother and father. "I'm... I'm... a... Power Ranger." "You're... a ranger?" said Shining Armor as there was a fit of slight anger in his voice. Before Twilight could explain, Velvet called out to them. "I'm still trapped down here," said the woman as Spike barked. They soon found a near branch and all three of them managed to get her and Spike out of the hole. It didn't take long as soon Twilight had some explaining to do. "So, how long have you kept this a secret?" asked Shining Armor. "Please, understand. I wanted to tell you guys, but... I couldn't. Brother, please just hear me out." "All this time, my own little sister," Shining Armor was anything but pleased to see his sibling being caught in a line of work that was so dangerous. "Mom, Dad, please. I didn't mean for this to happen, it just sort of... happened," pleaded Twilight to her folks. "We understand, sweetie," said Velvet. "To be honest, we kinda figured you had something behind our backs. Though we didn't expect this outcome," said Night Light. "You... knew?" said Twilight in confusion. "Well, every time an attack happens on the news. You so happen to be in the nearby area. I guess if we had put the pieces together a bit more, she would have seen that they were connected to you in some way." said Night Light. "Why do kids always think their parents are so completely out of touch?" stated Velvet. "Huh?" responded Twilight. "You think we were never your age?" said Night Light backing up his wife's claim. "You were a Power Ranger?" countered Twilight with what they were saying. "Just because our issues weren't the same doesn't mean we don't understand," said Night Light to his daughter. Twilight now understood as she smiled at her folks for taking this revelation so well. Soon the ATV arrived and out came the rest of the rangers. "Is everyone alright?" asked Ash. "Better than alright. My dad figured out what the moles are after," said Twilight to her friends. "We can cure them if we can lure them into one place," said Sunset. "And that's gonna be tough since these things keep moving," exclaimed Rainbow. "I have an idea. But it requires everyone's help," said Night Light placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We need to get back to the cabin," said Twilight as she lifted her arm again. "Harmony Gem, power up!" The girl now began to morph once more as she stood there in her suit. The others were stunned by what they saw Twilight do as it was against the rules. Especially Ash, who was very strict about them. "It's okay, we know," stated Night Light to the group. "Ash?" said Twilight to her leader. "We'll deal with this later, Twilight. Right now, we have a job to do," stated the boy. "Harmony Gem, power up!" exclaimed Rainbow. Now she began to turn into her ranger suit as the others followed. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Sunset. "Harmony Gem, power up!" stated Applejack. Both girls did the same thing as they now stood in their suits. "Harmony Gem, power up!" said Ash as he was the last one to morph. The girls all then touched their morphers as they made their cycles appear. They all got on and began to drive. Ash got the rest of Twilight's family into the ATV as he began to speak with Rachel about finding a path back to the cabin. "Rachel, input the coordinates for the cabin." "Right away, Master Ash," responded the A.I. as once again, Twilight's family was stunned by what they were seeing. The boy floored the gas pedal as he began to zoom ahead. He caught up with the rest of the girls and led the way as all five vehicles were now traveling through the woods. They all made it back to the cabin as the whole group was working to make some cookies. Twilight was stirring the mixture when Rainbow dropped some butter into the batter. "Easy on the butter," stated Night Light. "Why? It's not like they're dieting?" said Rainbow to Twilight's dad. "If something's worth making, it's worth making right," explained Velvet. The oven now let out the smell of the cookies baking as it traveled to Dash's nose. "Damn, that's good. Can I just have one?" pleaded the girl as she was then smacked in the head by Aj who gave her friend/rival a glare. Sunset was near the window as she opened it. The smell traveled out and into the woods as soon as eyes glowed. "Yes, they took the bait!" exclaimed Sunset as their plan was working. "Places, everybody," said Shining Armor. This time all the mutant moles were shown marching toward the cabin. Twilight stood out front as she grabbed a handful of cookie dough and tossed it. It landed next to one of the moles as it began to munch on it with the others coming in. The rest of Twilight's family now began to toss some more dough and cookies as they had managed to get the creatures' attention. Soon they were all eating the stuff as quickly as they could. "See, what did I tell you, son? Cookies bring families together," said Night Light. "Are you trying to compare us to rodents?" asked Shining Armor in a confused tone. "Don't be silly. Moles aren't rodents," said Velvet. "Yeah, but they are done eating," said Twilight as the moles now looked at them as they looked ready to fight. "This is where we take over," said Ash as he stepped forward with the girls. Twilight then joined them as they all gathered with her in the front. "It's Morphin' Time!" shouted Ash as their bracelets changed. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all five teens. They each drew their symbols as they appeared on a split-screen as they transformed. They were encased with their gem as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as the helmet and the vizor configured themselves to complete the morph. They each did their pose with their zords in the background. "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" shouted Twilight. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" said Ash. "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" yelled Sunset. "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" stated Applejack. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" responded Rainbow. "Harmony Guardian, Power Rangers!" said all five in unison. They all charged forward as they each began to fight the mutant hybrids. Watching this was Twilight's family as they were amazed by what the teens were doing. Though, Shining Armor still held a scowl at seeing his little sister. Soon all five managed to subdue the creatures as they rounded them up into a giant pile and surrounded them. They followed Ash's command as they pulled out their blasters filled with the antidote. They all fired it at the mutants as they began to feel the effects. Soon a glow emitted as the monsters were now gone, only tiny moles remained covered in the substance. They shook it off and dug their way back into the earth. "Amazing," said Night Light and Velvet as they saw the group of teens. "Mission accomplished, y'all," said Aj as they all powered down. "Great, so now can I..." Rainbow then had a cookie shoved in her mouth by Sunset as she knew that was what the girl was going to say. The five friends all let out a laugh. It was now morning as Ash and the rest of the girls were leaving. They were packing the ATV as the boy was looking out into the woods. He had his wolf pup on his shoulder. The teen was then interrupted by Twilight's folks who wanted to speak with him. "So, Twilight is a Power Ranger?" stated Velvet. "Yes," responded Ash as he turned to look at them. "And there's a group of bad guys that want to destroy our home? And the only hope is for her and the rest of you to stop them?" said Velvet. "Yes," sighed Ash. "Understand, Twilight didn't choose to be a part of this. But, she now has a duty to uphold. If we're to save the world and this dimension, then we need to defeat the Dark Lords. I can't stress enough how much of a responsibility this is for your daughter." "We can tell. Which is why we support her and love her no matter what she does," said Velvet as she and her husband were behind Twilight's decision to now be a protector of their world. "She's lucky. Not every parent would be so understanding," smiled Ash. "Well, maybe, they should be. Nothing is more important to us than our kids. We always knew Twilight was special." said Night Light. "You're lucky to have such a daughter. And by the way," said Ash. "Don't worry. Her secret and yours are safe. We won't tell," said Velvet. "I appreciate that. And know that I give you my full word. That we will defeat the Dark Lords. And I will make sure that Twilight comes home safe and sound. I'm gonna make sure that she spends the rest of her life with the people that care about her. I promise to give her what I never got. And that's to come home to a family and friends." said Ash. "We understand. And we're sorry for your loss. But just know, that if your parents and friends were here. They'd be proud of what you're doing and what you will do, Ash." said Velvet putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take care of our daughter. Keep her safe," said Night Light putting his hand on his other shoulder. "I will. I promise," assured the boy to the adults. "Thank you for taking our daughter under your wing. You've been a great part of her life," said Velvet as she hugged the boy. Ash was starting to get a familiar feeling that he hadn't experienced in so long. It felt like the boy was being hugged by his own mother as he couldn't help but smile and enjoy it. He then approached the ATV with Twilight's parents as the girls had finished packing. "Ash, are you upset with me?" asked Twilight. "Upset? Yes," said the boy as he glared at the girl who put her head down. "But... I understand. And so do they." Twilight looked at her parents as they smiled. "However, that doesn't mean you're the hook. Just know when you get back from your trip, you're running 50 laps in the command center," smiled Ash smugly as he thought of Twilight's punishment for breaking the rules. "Running? No, please. Anything but that, Ash!" pleaded Twilight as got to her knees and was begging her leader to think of something else. "Tough luck, Twily. That's the price you have to pay. Now you got to suffer the consequences." smiled the boy as he got in. "See you when you get." The other girls all laughed and waved as they drove off. Twilight was still on her knees with a stunning look. She was so not looking forward to her punishment. If she had known that this was what awaited her for telling her secret to her family, she wouldn't have done it in the first place. While Twilight's parents were laughing at their daughter having a breakdown, Shining Armor still had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
Chapter 15: Innovation"Come on! Come on! Just one more section!" shouted Sunset. The girl was currently in the Sweet Shoppe. And it seems her noises were being rather bothersome for some folks as at the table behind her were Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The chromatic girl was trying to concentrate on her assignment. But that proved hard with their gamer friend constantly talking to herself as she played. "Take that!" "Sunset, do you mind?" asked Rainbow as she was getting annoyed. The bacon-haired girl didn't listen as she kept on playing. Rainbow then got up and shut her laptop off as that got the girl's attention. Sunset was now staring at a black screen as her eyes widen. "What are you doing?" shouted Sunset to her athletic friend. "I can't concentrate with you blowing up things in my ear. I need to finish this report," said Rainbow. "But it took me three hours, three hours to get to that level," said Sunset looking at her laptop with tears in her eyes. "Sorry, Sunset. But I'm with Dash on this. As weird as that sounds." said Aj. "Hey!" said Rainbow as she took offense to what the country gal said. "Besides, we got a paper due tomorrow. And why aren't you workin' on yers?" asked the farm girl. "Finished it last week. Twilight and I jammed on it while you two were out being David Beckham and..." spoke Sunset turning her head to her friends. "Don't you dare finish that sentence!!" shouted Applejack. She didn't want Sunset to say what she was gonna say, or it might result in a catfight to happen. "Wasn't going to," said Sunset as she restrained herself from what she wanted to say to Aj's face. She then went back to her game. In the command center, Ash was at the computer as he and Rachel were hard at work. The pair was once again going over some more ranger footage that the Morphin' Grid had and the archive that the A.I. found while the team was out searching for the Bear zord in the Himalayas. The boy was focusing on several things as he clicked on multiple footage. "Super dino mode!" shouted the rangers on the screen as they began to transform. They now had the spikes on their suits pointed out and in the case of the yellow ranger, she had a set of ptera wings. "Interesting," said Ash as he clicked on another footage. "Let's do it! S.P.D. Emergency!" shouted the next clip. They soon transformed into suits. "S.W.A.T mode!" "Okay," said the boy as the clip ended. He clicked on another set. "Go Galactic!" shouted the Galaxy Rangers as they morphed. "Lights of Orion, activate!" They now began to change their appearance a bit. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" shouted the next team of rangers. They now transformed into their suits before pulling out their morphers and inputting another code. "Legendary Source, Mystic Force!" shouted all of them as their appearance changed again. "Jungle Master Mode!" shouted the next clip of three rangers as they transformed their appearance. All these small clips that Ash had Rachel search for were in front of him. The boy was looking at these as a recent thought ran through his mind. Even if they were to find the remaining Harmony Zords, and get the secret item he was looking for. Who's to say that it still wouldn't be enough to take down the Dark Lords. So for the teen, he was doing some extra research on his part to find something that might help him and the girls. And with the ranger history as his reference, he seemed to find some inspiration. "Rachel, did you download it?" asked the boy to his A.I. "Of course, Master Ash." "Alright then," said Ash as he now pulled up the schematics of his ranger suit and had his gem in the analyzer tube. "If I can find some way to give me and the girls more power, that might be what we need to give us the edge. Like some kind of second power-up." "I understand. I'll begin synthesizing," spoke Rachel as she began to run some numbers. Ash then pulled out some other things on the screen as they were designs for some gadgets. And based on who left their initials on them, it was none other than Ash's father. The boy came across some old designs that his father was planning to make for his mother and his friends but never got around to them as they all perished before he could get a chance. So the ranger was looking over the schematics of his late father as he hoped that maybe he could make some of them come true. Ash played the video as it showed his father. "Ash, you're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I put it on a video for you. I want to show you something." The video then had a schematic appear. It was another invention that Ash's father made. "See that. I built that for you, and someday you'll realize that it represents a lot more than just using it to save people. It represents my life's work. Your mother was rather upset that you didn't inherit her gem. But it's not the color of the ranger that makes a leader. It comes from within, it's about heart. This is why, I'm making this for you, even if you are the yellow ranger. And one day, you'll do something bigger with it and your life. I know it. You're the future. You know, I've created so much in my life and so many gadgets for the rangers to use. But you know what I'm most proud of: You. My son. You are and always will be my greatest creation. I love you." The video ended as a tear fell down Ash's cheek. "Shit!" said the boy as he was tearing up and put his hands to his face. "Ash, are you crying?" asked Rachel. "Give me a sec, Rach," gasped the boy as he was taking some deep breaths. He was crying even more as, as fast as he could wipe his tears, more began to form and fall. It got to the point where the boy had to get out of his chair and stand. He put his hands to his head as he was still breathing hard. "God damn it. God damn it, dad," said Ash, still having water fall from his eyes. The teen continued to cry for a few minutes but it soon ceased. He managed to recompose himself as he took some deep and long breaths to calm himself. Ash then made his way back to his seat. "Are you okay?" asked Rachel making a box of tissue appear. "Y-Yeah. I'm good, Rachel. I just... never mind. Thanks for being concerned." said the boy as the box of tissue disappeared. "Come on, let's get started." "Right away," responded the A.I. Ash looked at the giant screen as he saw the numbers being inputted. He then looked at the video as the lasting image was his father. "Don't worry, dad. I'm going to finish what you started," said the boy. "Once again, Ash and his girlfriends had foiled our plans!" shouted Starlight as she fired a spell from her staff and made a hole in the wall. Immediately some minions made their way over to it as they began to patch it up. "Let's not forget who was the one who screwed up with the latest plan," said Pharynx with a smug smile. "And you think you're any better, dumbass!" shouted the girl mutant to her comrade. "Why don't we find out?!!" taunted Pharynx as he made his gauntlets appear as Starlight had her staff power up. "Both of you! Calm down!" shouted a voice as it boomed across the room. They looked and saw Chrysalis as she made her presence known. "No wonder Ash and his girlfriends have beaten you both. You both do nothing but fight and brag. And each of you has failed to defeat them." "I don't see you doing anything!" countered Starlight as she stared at her comrade. "Keep the noise down!" shouted Thorax as they were all in his lab. He was currently in the middle of some business when they all started to yell. "Please, all you do is lock yourself in here!" said Starlight. "I'm actually doing stuff. Like cracking the location of the next zord. And I'm this close to pinpointing its location." said the scientist as he was dialing away at his screens. "And once the zord is located, I'll be going to retrieve it!" said Chrysalis. "It's clear that I'm the only one capable of delivering results to our lord." "And how will you deal with the rangers?" asked Pharynx. "Should I remind you who is second in command?" said Chrysalis as she put her hand out and fired a spell that pushed Starlight to the wall. "Now while son searches, I'm going to go greet the rangers. And I have the perfect officer for the job." The school bell rang as it signal the end of the day at CHS. The girls were all shown exiting their final class. They were about to head to the command center to meet up with Ash. They looked to teleport when a voice called out to them. "Hey, you guys!" shouted Pinkie The pink girl was making her way with their other friends as they quickly put their arms down. "Soooooooo? Who wants to help me pack my snack bag for tomorrow's trip?" asked the party girl with a big smile. "Not it!" shouted Rainbow as she quickly ran away. "I got chores to do," said Applejack as she left. "I need to get started on my advanced physics homework!" said Twilight as she too left. "Sunset?" "Um, gee... Pinkie... I would love to, but... I... I... I... need to meet up with Ash," said the bacon-haired girl putting on a big fake smile. "See, me and him were planning to hang out. So... Bye!!" said the girl as she dashed away in a puff of smoke. "Anybody find it weird that they all left?" asked Fluttershy. "Right..." said Pinkie now having a serious thinking look. "Perhaps, it's nothing, darlings," said Rarity. Once Sunset disappeared and entered an alley, she peaked her head out to see if Pinkie followed her. Once she checked the coast was clear, Sunset released a breath. She then brought her wrist up as she touched it and teleported. She landed in the command center as there were the others. They too had done the same as they snuck to somewhere secluded and teleported to their base. The girls were now looking for Ash as he wasn't at the computer like usual. They soon heard some noises as they began to follow it. They made their way to a door as it was one they hadn't gone through yet. They touched it as it opened up, and a staircase was shown. They traveled down as the noises got louder and louder. They soon came to a medium-sized room. The place was filled with a few computers and monitors, some workshop tables, and some pieces of machinery. Soon they heard something as something came flying into frame. It was none other than Ash who was thrown onto the floor. "Ash!" said the girls as they all rushed to their leader. "Well, that didn't go as planned," said the boy as rubbed his neck. The boy was then helped by Twilight and Sunset as they pulled him to his feet. "Thanks, girls." "What are you doin' sugarcube?" asked Applejack. "Just... working on a project of mine. Rachel, boost the output by 12% and put it in sleep mode," said the boy as he made his way to a nearby computer. "At once, Master Ash," said the A.I. She inputted the program and then sealed had a metal door seal where the section he was thrown from as the girls just barely saw what was inside. With that, they followed Ash up the stairs as they made it back to the main room. "So, what is that place?" asked Rainbow. "Believe it or not, that used to be my dad's old workshop. I told you guys, that he created a ton of gadgets for my mom and friends to use when they were rangers. And recently, I came across some old schematics that he had. Some things were destroyed when my dimension perished. So, I'm hoping to recreate them, in a way." said Ash as he didn't tell his team the secret project he was working on. "What designs?" said Twilight as she was the most excited of the group. "Rachel?" "Pulling the blueprints," said the A.I. as the screens began to be filled with plans. The girls were now looking at the many designs that were shown. A few things they saw were a jet, a submarine, some kind of drill, and a few other vehicles. Not to mention a few small gadgets. The girls were amazed and in the case of Twilight, she was in heaven. "So many things," said Twilight with a smile. "Yeah, it's a lot. But, if we're gonna protect the Earth, then we might need some extra things to give us the edge," said Ash as he pushed a button to make the schematics disappear from the screen. "Yeah, yeah, got it," said Rainbow as she then looked up to see the upper levels of the command center. "So, Ash? Can you tell us what those are?" The boy looked to where the chromatic-haired girl was looking as he let out a sigh. Rainbow was looking at the symbols as they matched their zords. "Fine. Time I told you. Those symbols, belong to you guys. Each of those is your room here in the command center." said Ash. "What?" said Twilight. "You mean to tell me, I have my own room here? I could've crashed whenever I wanted to!" shouted Dash. "Rainbow!!" shouted Sunset as she hit the girl in her arm. "Yes, just like I have my own room in the command center. So do you guys. It's just..." "We understand," said Sunset. "And we get why you were hesitant on telling us." "Thanks, well, go look at them," instructed Ash. The girls made their way upstairs as they each went to their rooms. They opened the doors as they were welcomed to nothing but a bare space and a bed. "Rachel, help the girls to customize their rooms. And put some music on," smiled Ash. The A.I. put the stereos around the command center on full blast as she had the drones fly up to the girls. They each presented a touch screen for the girls to use in designing their rooms. The girls selected the color for the walls and it immediately turned to that color. The girls all smiled as they began to personalize their new rooms to their liking down to the smallest detail. Meanwhile, Chrysalis was shown walking along a shoreline as she was accompanied by some minions and the officer she grabbed. They were in the place where Thorax's tracker was sending a signal. "It seems to be here somewhere, spread out! Find it!" shouted the general. The minions and officer began to get to work. At that moment, alarms went off. Ash turned to look at the screen as Rachel pulled up the scanners all around the city as the footage showed the female general and her forces tearing up the shoreline. "Chrysalis!" growled Ash. "What's the sitch?" asked Rainbow. "Trouble down by the shoreline. Let's go, team!" shouted Ash. The girls nodded as they each slid down the pole that allowed them to quickly get down to the main level of the command center. "It's Morphin' Time!" shouted Ash. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the teens. They all appeared on a split screen as they transformed into their suits. They landed on a platform as they lifted their heads, and their helmet and vizors were configured to complete their change. They each did their pose with their zords in the background. Soon they forward flipped as they were now in front of their foes. "Stop right there, Chrysalis!" stated Ash. "Ah, rangers," snickered the general evilly. "So glad you come. Steampunk, take care of them!" "Yes, General!" said the officer in a train-like voice as he clanged his piston hands together. "Harmony sabers!" shouted the rangers as they pulled out their weapons from their side belt and charged forward. Ash ducked and swiped at his foes using his saber. He did several forward flips to avoid the quick attacks the minions tried. He continued to slash as he saw Chrysalis in the distance. The boy tried to go for her as the minions blocked his path. "Let's see here," said Chrysalis as she continued to search along the shoreline. "Based on my son's readings, it was last seen here." "Chrysalis!" shouted Ash. The general looked up to see the yellow ranger in the air as he looked to bring down his saber on her. The general merely caught as she thrust out her hand as the boy was thrown back. "That all you got?" taunted the general. "Harmony Blaster, fire!" shouted Ash he pulled out his secondary weapon. "Reflectitur!" shouted Chrysalis as her hands glowed. A barrier appeared in front of her as it then shot the blast from Ash's blaster back at the ranger. The boy felt the impact of his attack as sparks occurred when it hit him as he fell to the floor. He coughed a bit as he clutched himself while looking at the general. "You see, Ash. You can't beat me," snickered Chrysalis as she stepped forward. The girls were dealing with the rest of the minions as their leader was dealing with the mutant general. Sunset was dodging and evading shots as she leaped over some huge rocks and slid down the small hill. She then kicked up some sand to blind some of her foes as she spun and kicked them. "You're on the wrong side of the tracks, ranger," said Steampunk as he opened his firepit mouth and fired some coals. They hit Sunset who flew into the shallow water back first. "Sunset!" shouted the girls as they came to their comrade's aid. "All aboard!" shouted the monster as he fired more coals at the girls as they all fell. Meanwhile, Ash was still dealing with Chrysalis. The yellow ranger tried his best to deal any damage to the general, but she merely blocked and counteracted. Ash pulled out his sword as he leaped into the air. The general shot some spells from her hands as the boy was hit and fell. Chrysalis went for a stomp as the teen rolled out of the way. He kipped up and began to swing his blade at the general as she ducked and then hit the back of his leg to make him go down to a knee. Ash blocked an attack using his blade as Chrysalis quickly disarmed her opponent. She then kicked the boy away as he dragged along the shoreline. "To think the others had a tough time being you," snickered Chrysalis. She then forward flipped as Ash got back to his feet. The pair were now engaging in close combat as the general proved she could fight as well as she could cast magic. Ash on the defense as his opponent was ruthless in her assault. He blocked all of Chrysalis's attack with his arms as he spun back to avoid a low sweep. He landed and then pushed off as in the air he twisted. Chrysalis put her arms in front of her to block the tornado spin done by the ranger as he landed. She then spun back doing a kick as Ash ducked. She elbowed the boy in his midsection before tossing him over her. "Ignis Nent!" said Chrysalis as her hands glowed once more. She did some arm movements as soon fire shot out and circled Ash as it hit the ranger. An explosion occurred as he was tossed onto the floor. The girls were having their own problems. "Harmony Ax! Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she brought her weapon down in a green light as it hit the officer. "Harmony Lance! Cobalt Spear!" shouted Rainbow as she was now doing her finisher. She was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the mutant. Steampunk merely grabbed the end of the weapon and stopped Rainbow's attack before flinging the girl away. "No way!" shouted Rainbow on the floor. Her attack didn't do anything, nor did Aj's previous attack as Steampunk's body was too strong. "That the best you got?!" taunted Steampunk. "Ruby Harmony Bow!" shouted Sunset. The girl got to a knee and began to fire at the monster as pulled the string back in quick motions as arrows of red light shot out. They made contact with the monster, but he kept on chugging along as Sunset fired more shots. "What?!" said the girl in disbelief. "My turn!" shouted Steampunk as he fired more coals from his furnace mouth. "Harmony Shield!" shouted Twilight as she appeared and put her weapon in front of her. The girl tried to protect them all but the attack was too strong that they were all hit and tossed into the air before they crashed. "Nothing we do affects him! He's too strong!" stated Aj. "Give up, Ash!" shouted Chrysalis. "Give up, and I might... only slightly, destroy you." "You can kiss my ass, Chrysalis!" shouted the boy as he was struggling to his feet. He began to tap into his gem's power as soon his wolf mirage came out. The general merely had her hands glow as she spun them around her quickly. When the wolf came at her, she began to spin. She spun as her hands were now guiding the animal spirit. She came back around and redirected the attack at the boy who took a massive hit as he fell to his knees as another explosion happened. She then put her hands out as chains appeared and wrapped around the yellow ranger. The general lifted the boy into the air. "Look at you, so helpless up there. To think, you're just a boy trying to be a man," said Chrysalis. The general now began to walk in the air as she climbed up to where the ranger was being suspended. She then put her hand on his helmet as her powers began to dig themselves into the boy as he let out a scream. Soon it caused his suit to have his helmet deconfigured as it showed his face. The boy was now staring at his foe with his own eyes as Chrysalis smirked. "My, my... look at you. Five years ago, you were just a kid. But now, you're quite attractive. If I only I was back in my teen years." said Chrysalis while tracing his face with her nails. "To think, you now lead your new team of rangers. But look at them." Chrysalis gestured for the teen to look as he saw his team. The girls continued their fight against Steampunk, but they were losing their battle. The tough exterior of the monster was too strong as neither of the girls could deal any damage. They were also taking massive hits as they yelled out in pain. For Ash, he could see his team in danger. "How does it feel to watch your new team be destroyed right before your very eyes?" taunted Chrysalis. "Don't worry, at least when they're gone. You'll have had two teams die before your very eyes. And all you could do is watch!" "No! NO!" shouted Ash as he struggled. "Don't bother," smirked the general. Ash now struggled to break free but the chains began to get tighter and tighter the more he struggled. The boy was growling as the anger on his face was shown. Soon the ranger let out a scream. Rachel was in the command center as she was seeing her master and his friends in their losing battle. Soon the hexagons in the rangers' base began to glow. "It's time," said the A.I. She sent some codes into the shapes as they teleported away. "Say goodbye, rangers!" stated Steampunk as the girls were slowly getting to their feet. "Girls!" shouted Ash. Everything moved in slow motion as the monster looked to deliver the final blow on the rangers. Just then, something happened. The hexagons that shot out of the command center sailed towards Steampunk as they hit the mutant and managed to take him off his feet. "What?" shouted Chrysalis. The shapes now headed towards where Ash and Chrysalis were as the monster flew back to the ground. They broke the chains holding Ash as the ranger fell to the ground, and then a flash of light occurred. The general covered her eyes to avoid the blinding light as it soon died down and she saw what lay before her. Standing there was Ash, his helmet back on, but he was wearing something. The hexagons had heard the ranger's cry as they raced to help him. Ash was now wearing some gauntlets. It zoomed in on them as they were bear claws that were on Ash's hands. The boy struck a pose as he let out a cry. "What is this?!" said Chrysalis. "Bear claws!" shouted Ash as he did another pose as an explosion occurred behind him. "Not like that changes anything!" Ash lifted his right hand as the gauntlets show out tiny needles from the sharp claws as they sailed towards Chrysalis who felt them as she fell back. "I think it changes everything," smiled Ash. He now began to charge toward the general with his new weapon as Chrysalis began to fire spells at the ranger coming at her; Ash just swatted the attack away with the claws as he kept on charging. He made it over to Chrysalis as he began to swipe at the general which she had to avoid. Eventually, the ranger made contact as she was hit. "Fury Swipes!" shouted Ash as he powered up and began to lash out. He zipped past her several times as the claws were dealing significant damage to the mutant. Chrysalis recovered as she struck the ground with her hands. A rock wave move was heading towards the yellow ranger as he ran at it. It was about to make contact when he raised his right hand, the bear claw glowed as the boy made contact. The rocks were smashed to pieces as he stood his ground and created a crater from where he stood. The general was stunned as Ash then reeled back the claws as they continued to glow. "Mystic Blow!" shouted the boy as he thrust out his arms as an attack was shot towards Chrysalis as it was effective against the mutant as she was thrown back. Ash continued to charge as he leaped into the air and landed just as Chrysalis was getting back up. The pair was now engaged in close combat as Ash was using his new weapons to deal damage to the monster. Chrysalis went for an attack as Ash grabbed her arm and pulled her in so that he could knee her in the midsection as she stumbled back. The boy went for some flying kicks in mid-air as Chrysalis blocked them and Ash flipped backward to safety. Once more, Chrysalis tapped into her magic as she managed to fire a spell and hit the ranger dead center. She was pleased but soon saw the ranger emerge from the explosion as his body glowed. The bear claws had their eyes glow as their special power was transferred to the boy, by absorbing some of the damage, he was able to boost his own power temporarily. With that new power, Ash engaged with the general once more as he got near her and began to do several swipes to her body as he zoomed in and out of frame in the blink of an eye. "Eviscerate!!!" shouted Ash as he dealt the finishing move of the bear claws as it hit Chrysalis. The boy appeared as he zoomed past her and stood a few meters as in the background, the general fell which resulted in an explosion. "Want more?" taunted Ash as he turned around. "Lucky for you, I got what I came for," snickered Chrysalis as she got up and teleported away. Ash grunted but then soon went off to help his teammates. "Let's try attacking together," suggested Twilight as the girls nodded. "You can't touch me," said Steampunk. "Charging Lance!" "Meteor Spike!" "Blitz Flare!" "Shield Splice!" All powered up and did one of their most powerful attacks but once again, it didn't affect Steampunk much. He then did one huge swipe attack as he took out the girls who fell back. "Pathetic," said Steampunk as he began to chug forward. "What now?" said Sunset. "Fury Swipes!" shouted Ash. Steampunk turned and saw the ranger coming at him. Ash now zipped past him several times as his attack dealt damage to the monster as an explosion occurred. Ash then powered up his claws as they glowed. He then thrust them out as needles show out and made contact with Steampunk once more as another explosion occurred. "Not bad," smiled Ash. "Yo, Ash!" called out Rainbow. The girls made their way to where their leader was as they gathered around him. "You got him, sugar," said Aj putting her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without some help," said the boy as he showed off the gauntlets he was currently wearing as they soon disappeared. "Now, what do you say we finish this guy off?" asked the boy. "Sounds like a plan," said Sunset. "Let's put them together," said Twilight. The rangers now merged their weapons into one. "Harmony Cannon!" shouted all the rangers as they got into position. "That won't work!" shouted Steampunk as he began to charge toward them at high speed. "Ready, fire!" shouted all of them. They charged up their weapon as it shot out an orb of light in all of their colors. It made contact with Steampunk as the mutant felt it and froze. The rangers then leaped back to do their poses as in the background, the monster fell and an explosion occurred. "This isn't over!" said Chrysalis as saw what went down from afar. She then lifted her hand as she began to work her magic. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" The general finished her chant as a tornado began to form around the spot of the defeated monster. It then got bigger and bigger as it then blew away as there stood Steampunk who was now ten times his size. "Time for the express!" cackled the large monster. "Time to call for backup!" said Rainbow. "Harmony zords, arise!" shouted the rangers. The signal was sent as their zords heard the call. They all began to race to where their owners were as they followed Ash's wolf. "Harmony zords, combine!" said the rangers as they all leaped and got in their respective zords. The animals now began to merge as soon there stood the Megazord as the rangers appeared inside each standing at their station. "Let's see if you can stop this locomotive!" taunted Steampunk as he opened his furnace and shot out coals that hit the Megazord. The rangers felt the attack as they rocked inside their giant robot. The monster soon took a few steps forward to engage them as his fists were making contact with them. They were soon tossed to the ground as they crashed. "We got to get up!" said Sunset as she pushed a button. "Rhino kicks!" shouted Applejack. Their Megazord got to its feet as it leaped into the air. It began to deliver several kicks to the giant monster but it didn't push him back. It stood in place as it tanked the hits it was receiving as the Megazord leaped back and was shocked. "No way! He didn't feel anything!" said Twilight. "Falcon Blade!" shouted Rainbow. Their Megazord now had its sword out as it began to slash at Steampunk. Like before, he just tanked the hits as the sword didn't do anything against his metal body. "Let me show you some real power!" said Steampunk. The whistle above his head gave some toots as he now began to chug forward. He was coming at them at such high speeds that they didn't have time to dodge. "Owl shield!" shouted Twilight. The rangers put up their defense in hopes of protecting themselves. It worked but only for a short time as the attack was more powerful than expected. The contact caused the Megazord to fall to the ground. The attack by Steampunk did more damage than expected as the Megazord lay on the ground, but both the owl and the falcon were badly injured. They let out cries as both Rainbow and Twilight could hear them. "Damage report?" asked Ash. "We lost the owl zord," said Twilight. "My falcon is badly injured," said Rainbow. Without those two zords functioning, the Megazord didn't have any arms to fight. "This looks like the end of the line," chuckled Steampunk. "What do we do?" asked Sunset. Ash began to think. Soon a thought crossed the boy. "I have an idea. In order to beat this monster, we need some help. We need to call the bear zord and cubs to help us." "Will it work though, sugar?" "It's our only hope," said Ash as he tapped his Morpher. The image of the bear came up as he traced a symbol. "Calling Bear zord!" The signal was sent. Steampunk was on top of the rangers as he looked to bring his fists down to end them. Soon a roar was heard. Coming at him was a huge bear as it charged forward. On her back were her cubs as they too let out small growls of their own. "Look, here they come!" said Twilight. The mother bear opened her mouth as a laser beam fired and hit Steampunk. The attack was effective against the monster as he stumbled back. The cubs then got off their momma's back and ran forward. They both leaped into the air and turned into a ball as it headed towards the monster to knock him back again. "Look at the little guys go!" said Rainbow watching the cubs fight alongside their mother. The cubs landed as they and their mother all stood on their hind legs and roared. They were sending a message to Ash as the boy heard and understood. "Guys, the bear zords want to merge with the Megazord." "What?" said Sunset. "It's the only way we'll fully take down, Steampunk. Are you girls, with me?" asked Ash. "Always," said Applejack. "Then let's do this," said Ash as he made the hexagons appear in his hand. "Twilight, Rainbow, catch!" The yellow ranger tossed two of the hexagons to his teammates. They both took out their shapes and replaced them with the ones their leader gave them. Ash inputted the larger hexagon in the slot above the one his wolf was in as the rangers began to take their powers to the next level. "Bear zord, combine!" shouted all the rangers. They all roared as they leaped into the air. The Megazord was now changing as the owl and falcon arms were replaced with the cubs. The mother bear then transformed itself as the head was a new helmet for the Megazord to wear as the rest of its body was placed on the Megazord's body to serve as armor. "Harmony Megazord, Bear-Knuckle Brawler!" shouted Ash as that was the new mode they unlocked. The Megazord jumped in place as it did a few punches in a boxing ring as a spotlight shined down on it and did its pose. "Like that changes anything!" shouted Steampunk as he opened his furnace to shoot out more coals. The rangers stood their ground as they began to swing their new zords to smash the coals to pieces. The Megazord then charged forward as Steampunk fired more coals as they kept on swatting them away as they closed the distance. Soon the monster began to also charge forward. Both giants met in the middle and raised their right hand as the rangers dealt first contact and knocked Steampunk onto the floor. "Right jab!" shouted Twilight as the right cub bear fist began to deliver several punches to the giant monster. "Left Jab!" shouted Rainbow as the left cub bear began to do the same. The Megazord was now alternating between punches as it took steps forward and continued to pummel the mutant as he was taking some heavy damage. Soon both fists hit his chest at the same time as he was knocked to his feet, but they left a huge dent in his chest. "Alright!" shouted the girls as they were on the verge of winning. "Let's finish this!" stated Ash. "Uh-oh!" said Steampunk. "Harmony Megazord, Rushing Bombard Strike!" shouted Ash. The Megazord now zoomed ahead as it raised its right arm. It delivered a quick one-two combo as it raised its right arm one final time to smash it through the body of Steampunk as he stumbled back and saw the hole in him. He soon fell back as an explosion occurred. The rangers stood and the Megazord clanged its fists as they were victorious. "Man, why didn't you tell us you could do that?" exclaimed Rainbow as they made it back to the command center. She had her arm around Ash as the girls were asking their leader how he got those new gauntlets. "To be honest, I didn't they could do that. That was something neither my parents told me. But if this is what we can expect from the other zords, then we need to make sure that we find them before the Dark Lords get their hands on them." said the boy. "Not to mention that new Megazord combo," smiled Applejack. "Which means once we get all the zords, we got tons of combinations to play around with," stated Sunset. While the rangers were relishing their victory, their enemies were also discussing what went down. Chrysalis made her way back to their lair as she entered Thorax's lab. Inside were Pharynx and Starlight as the latter was smiling. "Well, well, look who failed to destroy the rangers," snickered Starlight. "For the record, I never intended to destroy the rangers. I was sent to scout the last piece of info that my son needed. And with the rangers being distracted, I was able to complete my mission. Something you've never done." said Chrysalis as she stared down Starlight. "Speaking of which," said Thorax as he was handed the disk by Chrysalis and put it in his computer. "So, what? The rangers have a new power," said Pharynx. "That won't matter. Because I found it." "Found what?" said Starlight. Both Thorax and Chrysalis smiled as they looked at the screen and saw the icon. "The location... of the next zord," said Thorax as he turned in his chair to address his comrades.
Chapter 16: Deep Dive Pt. 1Off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, something was swimming about. Its eyes glowed as it opened its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. The creature saw an object in its line of sight as it zoomed ahead. It shot through the water like a torpedo as soon it made contact with its prey. In the lair of the Dark Lords, Thorax was at his computer as his scanners were going haywire. "What's happening?" asked Starlight. "Our target is on the move. The Tiger Shark zord has struck," chuckled Thorax evilly as the mutant's fingers went at it on his keyboard. The monitors then popped up sonar and schematics. Soon the world map came up as it then zoomed in on the area. It showed a submarine that was losing control as it was moving towards a harsh storm. The scanners now moved away from it as it followed a trail. Soon the live feed showed the zord as it was highlighted in green. "There it is," smiled Thorax. "Great, but where's it heading?" asked Chrysalis. The submarine that the Tiger shark zord attacked had made it into the storm just moments later. With the sudden attack they encountered, they lost all control of the submarine. Coupled with the storm they were in and the waves crashing down on them, they were blind. The crew inside were feeling the effects as they rocked. "Private, situation report," asked the captain of the sub. "Emergency power only, Captain. Radar, sonar out. Visibility poor." said the man as he was sitting at his controls. Their sub rocked once more due to the waves as they felt it. "Scopes? Navigations systems?" asked the captain to another member of his crew. "All down, sir. We're running blind," responded the woman. "Then we'll need blind luck if we don't want to run into anything," said the captain. A few meters away there was a cruise ship that was trapped in the storm. However, with the sub not having any vision, it was heading straight for the larger ship. "Come on, folks. It's much safer inside," said the deck officer to some of the folks, before talking into the radio, "The upper deck is cleared." "Woah, what's that?" said a woman as she pointed out to the sea. "I don't believe it." Coming at them was the sub that was blind. "Get inside! That thing is going to collide..." At that moment, the submarine hit the ship and both ships rocked. The crew inside the sub all fell to the floor. In the rangers' command center, the rangers were currently in the obstacle course section of the place. Ash, Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were all shown on top of a building. Sunset was holding onto a rope as she repelled down. "Woo!" shouted the girl as she descended onto a ledge. She then saw the dummy as she descended to the level below her. "This is almost too easy," said Sunset as she put the dummy over her shoulders and began to climb up. "So far so good. But the best training exercises always include an element of the unexpected. There's a safety latch, but she doesn't know that," smiled Ash as he cut the rope. "Oh, shit!" shouted Sunset as she felt the rope be cut and was falling. She quickly grabbed onto a ledge and stopped her from falling. "Now, this is more like the Ash I know," said Sunset before looking up to address her leader. "Hey, you really went out on a limb for this one, Ash!" Sunset extended her other hand as out shot a cable. It flew upward and then circled the device that the rope was hanging from as it then attached to itself. "That's the test of a real ranger. Someone who is prepared for the unexpected at all times," said Ash to all as Sunset was now walking up the building. "Like the exercise you gave me, remember, submerged in icy waters without scuba gear. Oh, it's colder than a penguin's tail feathers," said Applejack as she rubbed her arms as she still could feel the freezing temps. "Well, hey, it strengthen your endurance," explained Ash for his actions. "Or how about that reaction time test, I found myself trapped in quicksand. With a very short rope," said Rainbow. "Yeah, that wasn't a test. You were just pissing me off that day," explained Ash to the chromatic-haired girl. Everyone now began to laugh as Dash had an angry look on her face. Sunset now climbed to the top of the building as she stood before her team. "Training exercise complete. As well as the testing of the new gadget, Ash," said the girl as the rest of her body made her suit disappear. "You did great, Sunny," smiled the boy as he placed his hand on her shoulder. At that moment, an alarm went off as the teens now rushed out of the training room and into the main room. Ash approached the computer and pushed a button. "What's the status, Rachel?" asked Ash. "I know this isn't our normal duties, Master Ash. But there's been a distress signal that I've picked up. A sub-to-ship collision off the Atlantic Ocean." said the A.I. as she showed the location of the crisis on the world map. "Uh, no offense, Rach? But are any of our foes involved?" asked Rachel. "Again, no. I know this isn't our usual standard saving the day type of thing, but the distress call and detail of the incident is growing every second," responded the A.I. "It's fine. We're rangers. Which means we save those in danger. So let's move team!" shouted Ash as they were heading to the hangar. "How are we going to get there?" asked Twilight as they ran. "Let's say, I've completed some more devices from my father's schematics." The gang all arrived at the hangar as Ash showed the girls what he meant. Standing there was a jet that he'd been working on the past few days. They were all amazed as they got in and the boy began to start it up as it flew out of the command center and to their destination. The rangers were now in the rainstorm. They could see the waves crashing below them. During the ride, Ash had Rachel contact the rescue support team that picked up the signal as she informed them that the help was on their way. They soon saw the ship that was damaged as smoke came from its lower levels. Next to them was the rescue craft as the rangers' jet landed on the landing pad. "Welcome aboard, rangers," said the captain of the rescue craft as he saw their jet. Ash and the girls all morphed into their suits before exiting the ship. Rachel was able to make a private comm channel for them to talk through while on the mission. They made their way to the communications room as there was the captain and his rescue crew all running about. Everywhere, bells and whistles were going off as they were looking at sonars and radar. Soon the captain saw the group of rangers he had heard about. "I never expected you guys to show up. I figured you'd guys be off fighting a monster somewhere else. But hey, I'm not complaining. I'm glad you're all here." said the captain as he approached the yellow ranger and shook his hand. "That's the duty of a ranger, Captain. Save and protect those in need. Now, what's the situation?" asked Ash. "The submarine hit a gas line causing a fire to break out below the deck. And the flooding means that the crew can't get to the valve to turn the gas off." "Any damage to the sub?" asked Twilight. "Don't know. We can't establish radio contact," said the captain. "Applejack, Rainbow, you guys check on the sub. The rest of us will concentrate on the ship. Rachel will stay in radio contact and use the schematic maps to guide us along," instructed Ash to his team through their private channel. "Two of us for a whole submarine?" asked Rainbow to her leader. "Don't worry. I suspect you'll need help," smiled the captain as he led the rangers through a door. He led them to a pool of water as soon, as something jumped out of it. "This is Nemo. He's a rescue dolphin we've been training to help us handle situations like this," smiled the captain as the dolphin came to the edge and petted its head. "Hey, there," smiled Aj through her helmet as she and Rainbow petted the aquatic animal as it gave some noises. "Alright then, team. You have your assignments. Here you go," said Ash as he handed the girls some devices. "What are these?" said Aj. Both girls pushed the button on it as the square now expanded and soon both girls were now standing there in diving gear that was fitted for their ranger suits. "Something that I've been working on for situations where we might need to dive underwater while wearing our suits," said Ash. "Nice! Let's do this!" said Rainbow as she and Applejack now dove into the water. The hole at the bottom of the pool opened up as the girls and Nemo the dolphin began to swim out into the ocean. The others all made it back out of the ship and onto their jet as they were each dropped onto the ship and split up as they were assigned their tasks. Both Rainbow and Applejack were swimming about as they were following the dolphin. They soon came upon the sunken submarine as it was teetering on the edge of a rock as it was directly below some coral. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, this is Rachel," said the A.I. through their helmets. "I'm ready for your status report." "I'm no expert, but the submarine evacuation hatch has been jarred. It's gonna be tricky to open," said Aj as she could tell it was sealed shut so even her superstrength wasn't going to do much. "That's not our only problem. The coral above is crumbling," said Rainbow as she looked up. "If the bow hits that trench the subs air tanks could explode." Meanwhile, on the ship, Ash was helping the crew load the passengers onto lifeboats. He got a hold of a girl who was scared as she held a teddy. "It's gonna be alright. Me and the others are gonna save everyone," said the yellow ranger to the girl as that cheered her up. He then put her on the boat as he talked to his Morpher. "Rachel, we'll need you to send the ship's schematics in a few minutes." "Ten-four," responded the A.I. to the yellow ranger. Back with Aj and Dash, they were still working on getting the hatch opened. Turns out those swimsuits that Ash made for them also had a few tools in them. Inside, the crew heard the sounds. "It's the rescue team," said one of the crewmen in a low breath. "Save your breath, crewman. We don't have much air left," said the captain as he looked at their oxygen levels and saw how low it really was. "We need to speed things up," said the green ranger as she pulled out a blowtorch and began to work on opening the hatch. "But what about the coral?" asked Rainbow. "We're on our way," said the captain of the rescue team as he and a few of his men were in a small watercraft as they were heading to the location of the girls to help them. "Rainbow, take over. I'll go check out on the support beams," said Aj to her friend as she handed the blowtorch to her. She now dived down as at that moment, the small watercraft made its way to them. It began to pull out some support beams with its arms as it attached to the sub. "How much longer?" asked Aj to Dash as they were held in place. "Only a few more minutes," said Rainbow through their private comm channel. At that moment, the support beams began to slip as the whole sub was moving. "What the hell?!!" shouted Rainbow as she quickly noticed the ship moving as she moved out of the way. "Oh, no!" said Aj as she saw one of the support beams and began to push on it. The girl now activated her support strength to try to hold it in place, but it was a bit difficult underwater as she couldn't plant her feet on something. "Rainbow?!" shouted Aj as she was starting to lose it. Soon the sub was turning on its side as the girl was directly under it. "Rainbow, help!!!" Soon the sub was turned on its side as dust from the coral was kicked up. "Aj?! What's your status?" said the girl to her friend. Nothing was heard, soon, emerging was Applejack as she was holding onto the dolphin. Nemo was able to swim quickly to the green ranger's aide as he managed to swipe her from being crushed. "Fine for someone who almost became a submarine sandwich," said the girl to her friend. She gave a thumbs up to the crew in the watercraft as they got the sign she was okay. "Thanks, little fella," said Applejack as she petted Nemo's nose to which he nuzzled against the green ranger. Back with the others, they were still working on calming the fire below the deck. Both Ash and Twilight were on the lower deck using their zords in their pet forms to clear some debris. Ash pulled out some more devices he made, when he gave them to him and Twilight, they now had water guns to help put out the fire. They each began to spray at the fire, but the flames grew bigger and bigger. As fast as they were spraying, the fire continued to grow. "It's no use until we shut off the broken gas main, this fire is gonna keep on raging," said Twilight to her leader standing back to back with her. "Sunset, have you located that shut-off value, yet?" asked Ash through his Morpher to their teammate. Sunset was currently in the flood section of the ship. Ash had given her another device that Aj and Dash were given as she was now in a swimsuit fitted for her ranger suit. She climbed down the ladder as she landed in the water. "I'm almost there," said Sunset as she had the schematics transmitted to her helmet as she saw the layout. "Thanks for transmitting the map, Rachel." "That's what I'm here for. Now you're gonna have to swim 20 yards down that hallway, bear left, and then 30 yards directly in front of you will be the value," said Rachel as she show Sunset the direction she would need to take by using a small pixel of her reaching her destination and getting there as the words 'Level Complete' appeared. "Copy, also love that little touch," said the girl as she smiled. "Master Ash had that made specifically for you," responded the A.I. "Now, I definitely want to marry him," muttered the bacon-haired girl. "What was that?" asked Ash as Sunset's channel was still on. "Nothing! I said I'm on it," said Sunset as she quickly realized her situation. She shut off her comm channel and then began to dive under the water as she swam. "Ash, Twilight, status report. How are you two doing down there?" asked Rachel as she switched to see what they were doing. "Good, we found some trapped crewmen," said Ash. The door was sealed shut, but they had made it to a nearby window. Ash now began to pull out a blowtorch as he began to open it. Inside, the people were trapped as there was a fire in front of them. They had buckets of water they were tossing at the flames but it didn't do much with the gas still activate. They were also running out of air as a few of them coughed. They soon noticed some sparks coming from the window as it was then pushed in as a hand was shown. They let out a small gasp as they soon saw who it belonged to. "Sorry to barge in guys, but we only have a small window of opportunity here. And I mean, a really small window," said Ash as he pulled one of them through it to show them. They all smiled and laughed at his joke. With Rainbow Dash and Applejack, they were still working on trying to move the sub. When it tipped onto its side earlier and nearly crushed the farm girl, the evacuation hatch had now been blocked by the rock it was near. The captain had brought a pulley system that they hoped would allow them to move the sub back to its rightful position to allow them to get back to opening it. "Aj? Dash? What's happening?" asked Rachel as she was checking in on them. "After the latest incident, the hatch got blocked. So we're using a pulley system to move the sub and reexpose the evacuation hatch," informed the green ranger. "Keep trying, girls. We need to hurry!" stated the A.I. to the girls through their helmets. The rangers gave thumbs up to the watercraft as they began to pull back. The craft pulled but not a few moments later, did the line snap as the watercraft was pushed back from the momentum as the sub now tipped more towards the girls. "Applejack?! Rainbow Dash?!" shouted Rachel as she heard the noise through their comm channel. "We're fine, Rach," said Rainbow to the A.I. "But the submarine still ain't movin'. The evacuation hatch is still blocked," said Aj. "If only we had better supplies or something! Ash couldn't create something to move a 2-ton sub!" shouted Rainbow. "The purpose of these gadgets that his father designed was to help those trapped in small situations. Not to... wait a minute... supplies... that's it! They must have a supply hatch! Rainbow, you're a genius." said Rachel as she began to rescan and hack into the submarine schematics. "I am? I mean, of course, I am!" smiled Rainbow boastful as Applejack just rolled her eyes in her suit. "Alright, I'm in. And I think I have it," said the A.I. as she now had the layout of the sub and found her target. "Rainbow? Applejack? I found another entrance. Every sub has a supply hatch. This one is located..." While Rachel was informing the duo of the other exit, Sunset was still heading towards the value. She was following the map that her helmet showed her as she avoided any floating debris in her way as she kept on swimming. She soon came to a small opening made by some pipes that fell as she turned on the flashlight on her head and looked around. The light scanned the area as it soon located its target. "The value," said Sunset. She started to swim forward but was stopped. Her air tank was hitting the pipe she was trying to squeeze through. The girl grunted and tried harder to squeeze through with the air tank on her back but it wasn't budging. She then contacted her Morpher. "Ash, Rachel? The only way I'm gonna fit through this is if I take my tank off and do a free dive," said the red ranger. "Copy that, Sunset. I'm gonna send Twilight in your direction," said the boy. "But by then, it'll be too late!" said Sunset as she knew they didn't have much time to wait. "As long as the gas remains on, that fire will keep on burning." "Sunset, it's too far. You'll never be able to hold your breath for that long," said Rachel as the A.I. ran the calculations of the distance and the amount of time Sunset would have to hold her breath. "Oh, yeah. Watch this!" said Sunset. She pushed the button on her air tank as it unhooked from her. The girl was determined to shut off the gas value as she was willing to take the risk. She got rid of the tank and swam through the small opening as she was making her towards the value. The girl was closing in on the target when soon she felt something. She looked down and saw her flipper was caught by a cable as it was restraining the girl in place. She began to try to pull her foot out but it was stuck. To make matters worst, her helmet was flashing red at how low her oxygen levels were. Rachel could see it as there was a warning signal being sent to her. Ash also received the signal as he was concerned for his teammate. "Come on, Sunset. Come on!" shouted Ash. The girl struggled and struggled to remove her foot but it didn't budge. She soon decided to remove the flipper as she now began to quickly swim towards the value. She approached it and began to turn it as she felt her oxygen levels about to breach. With a few more turns, the red ranger then quickly swam up towards the surface. Sunset emerged as her helmet deconfigured at that moment allowing the girl to get some air. "I did it! The gas is off!" shouted Sunset taking in some deep breaths. "Great job, Sunny!" said Ash through their private com channel. "I just hope Rainbow and Aj have saved that sub." The other two members of the team were shown cutting open the supply hatch of the sub. Once Rachel had figured out another exit for them to gain access, she informed the girls where it was as they had been using the blowtorch to open it up. "We're gonna have to resurface soon. You don't have much air left," said Rainbow as both of their oxygen tanks were running low and would soon be depleted. "Not till we open the supply hatch," said Applejack as she was determined to get the thing open and save the crew inside. Soon the girl completed the cutting as they looked to see the watercraft approach them as they gave a signal. "Alright, Captain. She's all yours!" stated Rainbow with a thumbs up. The captain and his crew on the watercraft nodded as they had their vehicle dock on top of the supply hatch. The crew inside heard the thud as the captain of the submarine made his way to their supply area. He looked up at the hatch as he saw the Captain at the other end who placed the eject hole of the watercraft over the hatch. "Welcome aboard, folks!" smiled the rescue captain to the submarine crew below as they cheered. He then made it to the window as he gave a thumbs up to the girls outside. "It worked, Rachel! We did it!" shouted Rainbow in excitement as she and Aj did a high five. "Glad we thought of it," said the A.I. as she gave credit to both girls for helping her to come up with the plan. "Ash, Twilight, Sunset? How are you all coming along?" "Fire's out," said Twilight as she and Ash just finished putting out the last flames. "Once Sunny shut off that gas value, we put it out faster than Rainbow downs apple cider," smiled Ash as he place his arm around Sunset's shoulder as the girl smiled through her helmet. "Alright, team. Let's rendezvous back at the rescue craft." "On it!" said Rainbow and Applejack as they began to head back with the watercraft and Nemo. Once they arrived, they all gave each other a quick high five at a job well done. The captain of the rescue team thanked the rangers for their help as he shook Ash's hand. The team made their way back to their jet and were about to leave when they all got a message from Rachel. "What's up, Rachel?" said Ash. "While you and the girls were finishing up with helping the rescue operation. I ran some scans on the submarine and was trying to figure out what hit it." "And?" asked Twilight. "Look at this," said the A.I. as she pulled up the photos on the jet's screen as the teens looked at it. It was the image of the sub, soon it began to zoom in on a back part of the submarine. Under a normal eye, everything seemed normal. However, Rachel did another scan as it show some hidden marks. There were teeth marks on the sub as it showed that something must have either attacked or collided with the sub. "Teeth marks?" said Sunset. "But what does that mean? Those look like shark marks. But we didn't encounter any sharks," said Twilight. "You're right, we didn't. But... this was no ordinary shark," said Ash as he pushed some buttons on the panel. The image of the teeth was put to the side as another image was brought up. The team of rangers was now looking at the thing that caused all of this as it was the Tiger Shark zord. While the team was gathering their thoughts on what went down with the missing zord, their foes were already on the move. After Thorax had tracked down the zord's signal, he'd been trying to trace where it was heading. The incident with the sub was merely an obstacle as it was traveling somewhere else. The location of it was going was an island off Costa Rica. They were now heading towards the location in hopes of cutting off the zord. "Where are the rangers?" asked Chrysalis to her son. "They're still busy with the rescue, I doubt they know what's really happening. And even if they do, we're already one step ahead of them," snickered Thorax. "Then let's hurry. We need to find that zord before they do," instructed Chrysalis as she grabbed some minions and Thorax as they exited their lair. To be continued...
Chapter 17: Deep Dive Pt. 2Previously on Power Rangers... In the lair of the Dark Lords, Thorax was at his computer as his scanners were going haywire. "What's happening?" asked Starlight. "Our target is on the move. The Tiger Shark zord has struck," chuckled Thorax evilly as the mutant's fingers went at it on his keyboard. "There's been a distress signal that I've picked up. A sub-to-ship collision off the Atlantic Ocean." said the A.I. as she showed the location of the crisis on the world map. "The submarine hit a gas line causing a fire to break out below the deck. And the flooding means that the crew can't get to the valve to turn the gas off." "Applejack, Rainbow, you guys check on the sub. The rest of us will concentrate on the ship. Rachel will stay in radio contact and use the schematic maps to guide us along," instructed Ash to his team through their private channel. "Ash, Rachel? The only way I'm gonna fit through this is if I take my tank off and do a free dive," said the red ranger. "What's up, Rachel?" said Ash. "While you and the girls were finishing up with helping the rescue operation. I ran some scans on the submarine and was trying to figure out what hit it." "And?" asked Twilight. "Look at this," said the A.I. as she pulled up the photos on the jet's screen as the teens looked at it. It was the image of the sub, soon it began to zoom in on a back part of the submarine. Under a normal eye, everything seemed normal. However, Rachel did another scan as it show some hidden marks. There were teeth marks on the sub as it showed that something must have either attacked or collided with the sub. The image of the teeth was put to the side as another image was brought up. The team of rangers was now looking at the thing that caused all of this as it was the Tiger Shark zord. A jet was shown flying above the blue ocean. Onboard was a group of five teenagers and one of them was at the controls. The others were all seated and they were excited about the most part. After Rachel discovered the source of the submarine incident, she informed the rangers as they quickly packed up and headed in the direction of where the zord was located. "Here are some things to know about Costa Rica. It's a rugged, rain forested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Ranked as one of the most visited international destinations. Although the country is small and it covers only 0.03 percent of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters 5 percent of the existing biodiversity in the entire world. Twenty-six percent of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory." "Anything else?" said Rainbow as she felt like Twilight was going on a tangent to which she was getting bored. "Rugged highlands are found throughout most of the country, ranging from approximately 1,000 to 2,000 meters (3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level). The Guanacaste Mountain Range, Central Mountain Range, and Talamanca Mountain Range are the main mountain ranges extending the entire length of the country. There are several active volcanoes (Arenal Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, and Turrialba Volcano) and the country’s highest mountain (Chirripo Hill) with a height of 3,819 m/12,530 ft." "Yawn!" said Rainbow. "With jungles, beaches, and a wide array of terrain and climate zones, Costa Rica is a playground for the adventurous." "Now you're speaking my language!" said Rainbow with a smile as Twilight rolled her eyes before going back to her pamphlet. "The Caribbean region stands out for its variety of marine ecosystems and its white- and black-sand beaches, ideal for activities centered around nature and the ocean, including surfing, diving in clear water, basking in the sun, and hiking along the coast." "Sign me up for some surfin'," said Applejack. "We're not here for a vacation, girls. We're here to find the Tiger Shark Zord and get it before our enemies," said Ash as he was reminding the girls of their mission. "You've already seen the damage it did before. Imagine what it could do to a place that's populated with tons of people." "Ash is right. Not to mention that our foes are already one step ahead of us. Which means we need to pick up the pace," said Rachel. The jet zoomed ahead as the teen pushed the accelerator. While the rangers were making their way to their destination. Their foes were already on the ground near the location of the zord. The ones who were tasked with retrieving the beast were Thorax, an officer named Ivy as well as some minions. Leading the charge was none other than Chrysalis as she was proving why she was second-in-command. The general promised their leader that she would return with the zord, guaranteed. They were currently trekking through one of the nearby jungles of Costa Rica. The group was following Thorax as the general was holding a device in his hands as he was trying to pinpoint the signal of the zord. They passed more trees and greenery when the mutant stopped. "What's the problem?" asked Chrysalis. "Listen," said Thorax. Everyone remained silent as they listened. Soon the sound of a jet engine was heard. They all looked overhead as a jet was shown. It was none other than the rangers as they had arrived and were flying away. "The rangers!" said Thorax. "Seems they picked up that the zord is also here. Let's move out and get it before they do," said Chrysalis as she saw the jet miles away in the distance as it descended into the jungle and disappeared. The rangers exited the jet as they were welcomed to the sounds of the jungle. All around laid thick shrubbery and trees; the sounds of birds were heard as they looked around. "So, where do we head to, Rach?" asked Sunset. "Unfortunately, I can't pinpoint the location of the zord. All I know is that it's within the vicinity of this area. There's a small town nearby as well as a beach. And of course, there's the rainforest we're in. Not to mention the mountain range beyond." said the A.I. "So, what's the plan?" asked Rainbow. "Let's start looking here. Based on how far we are from the town, it'll be evening by the time the sun goes down. So, if anything we'll search the rainforest and the mountains for any signs of the zord. If nothing, we'll head into town first thing in the morning." said Ash. "Sounds good, but what about the jet?" asked Twilight. "Rachel?" "Already ahead of you, Master Ash," said the A.I. She then inputted a code as the jet now disappeared. "I've put the jet in cloak mode. So no one will know it's there unless they happen to bump into it." "Then let's get goin'!" stated Applejack. "Good luck, rangers. May the power protect you," said Rachel to the teens. The group was now heading in a direction as they entered the rainforest. They walked for a bit as Ash was using his Morpher to pick up a signal from the missing zord they were looking for. As they passed by some bushes, there was an image shown. It was green as it then shined before revealing it was the officer accompanying Thorax and Chrysalis. She had been sent to scout ahead by the two to figure out where the rangers were. Once she saw them disappear, the mutant turned into a green light as she teleported away. She then appeared before Thorax and Chrysalis as she bowed. "I've tracked the rangers. It appears they too are looking for the zord," said Ivy. "Then it's time for Plan B. Thorax," said Chrysalis to her son. The group was searching through the dense rainforest. Compared to their last adventure, this time the air was a bit more humid. And it could show as the girls felt their hair getting strands and all dizzy. Apart from Aj, who was used to getting her hair all dirty and out of place, the others found it unbearable. "Ash, can we stop?" said Sunset. "We can't afford to let the Dark Lords get the zord." "Yeah, but look at our hairs!" said Twilight. "What's so bad about it?" said Ash as he didn't see what the big deal was. "Just five minutes, please!" stated Rainbow. "Fine," sighed the boy as the girls were pleased. Just when the girls took a seat on some logs, an explosion went off as they were all tossed to the ground. The teens rolled around as they felt the pain from the attack. They soon lifted their heads as they saw what was in front of them. "Hello, rangers," snickered Thorax as the mutant appeared with his officer and minions by his side. "Thorax," said Ash as he started to get up. "You didn't think we'd let you get the Tiger Shark zord so easily, did you?" said Thorax as he gave the command for his forces to charge. The girls saw this and quickly got up as the teens began to split up and fight. Ash ducked an attack from a minion as he kicked it in the stomach so that it would bend over. He then front-flipped over the hunched minion as he landed behind and did a spin kick to take out the one in front of him. He then did a standing backflip to avoid a double attack as he now began to fist fight the others coming at him. Twilight was in between trees as she was ducking her head left and right to avoid getting hit. She ducked down to avoid a double punch as both minions punched the tree and felt the pain. The girl then leaped up and grabbed a hold of a branch as she began to swing back and forth, kicking the monsters away. She then let go and managed to headscissor one of them as they fell. Applejack did several standing backflips in a row as she came to a clearing. She was surrounded as the girl tapped into her gem's power. Soon her arms glowed as they shined to show she made them thicker. The country gal then punched one of the minions coming at her as he flew back a few meters. Several more tried to attack her as she ducked and then began to use her legs to do some roundhouse kicks. Aj then stopped a double overhead attack with her arms as she didn't feel them. The girl smiled as she threw them back using her strength. The girl then saw one of them charging at her as she leaped into the air and spun several rotations over it. She landed and in slow-motion, superman punched the ground as a shockwave echoed around her making the others fall back. Rainbow was fighting in place as she did several spin kicks to deflect and attack her foes. One of them managed to grab her from behind as she was lifted. The girl elbowed the minion holding her which caused him to release his hold on the teen. She then saw a tree as she ran towards it using her super-speed and then leaped off it to deliver a flying tornado kick. With Sunset, the foes chased after the bacon-haired girl as she came to a stop. She then back to move her head to avoid getting punched. She then began to fight her section of monsters as she was holding her own. One of them managed to grab her as they kneed her in her stomach. He then tossed her into the air. Ash was occupied with the last of his foes as he did several close combat counters when he saw Sunset falling. The boy grabbed a minion's arm to flip it onto the ground as he used the body to jump into the air and grabbed Sunset. He then landed as the girl was in his arms. "You okay?" asked the boy. "Yeah. Thanks for catching me," smiled Sunset as she had a small hint of red on her cheeks due to the fact she was in Ash's arms. "Look out!" said the boy as the minions tried to attack him while holding his teammate. The boy spun as Sunset used her legs to kick the monster when they turned. She then got out of Ash's arms but the boy still held her hand as she extended and kicked the monster trying to attack them from their left side. Ash did a kick to take out the one from their right. The boy then pulled Sunset back in as he grabbed her waist and lifted her so that he could punch the next minion as the girl came down with a fist to take out the one behind him. Both then backed up against each other as they were surrounded. Ash then did something that caught Sunset off guard. He hooked his elbows with hers as he leaned forward and began to spin. Sunset was now using her legs to rapidly kick all the foes that surrounded them as Ash kept on spinning. They picked up speed as the last of the minions were defeated and disappeared. Ash then stopped spinning as he brought Sunset back to her feet. However, the boy was a bit dizzy as he fell with their arms still being linked. Ash's head soon stopped spinning as he saw that he was on the ground with Sunset directly laying on top of him. The girl was pushing her body up against him as she also was coming to. Once she gained consciousness, she looked up and was met with Ash's eyes as Sunset just stared into them. The girl was distracted as she continued to stare into them. She was unaware that she was moving her face close to Ash's as her lips could feel his breath. "Sunset?" "Yeah," said the girl in her daze. "Get off of me!" said Ash as he could feel some pain. Not so from the girl that was on top of him, but that he was lying on top of some sticks and they were poking his back. "Sorry," said the bacon-haired teen as she quickly retracted her head and allowed her leader to sit up. Ash sat up as he rubbed his back, meanwhile, Sunset was turning all sorts of red at how close she was to Ash and his lips. The breath from the boy still resonated with the girl as she could feel the warmth of it on her lips as it made her turn even redder. Their attention was then brought back as Thorax threw some of his daggers at the pair who did a rollback out of the way and got to their feet. The general then began to engage with Ash as Sunset looked to help her friend. Before she could make it to him, a vine grabbed ahold of her foot as it kept her from moving. She turned her head to see the mutant holding her in place as she was then flung to the side. Sunset went flying into some nearby bushes as she then rolled down a hill and into a rocky terrain with a nearby stream. "Sunset!" called Twilight as she and the others appeared next to their friend and helped her up. "I'm fine," said the girl as she got to her feet. Ivy now jumped down in front of them. Up above, Ash was dealing with Thorax as the mutant officer was dealing with the others. The girls all looked at each other as they nodded. They each stood next to each other as they raised their arms for their bracelets to transform into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all four girls. They each shined as a few seconds later, they stood in their suits. They each pulled out their sabers and began to engage with Ivy. They each tried to attack the monster as she used her powers to make vines appear from the ground as they blocked the attacks from the girls' blades. Ivy then made more vines appear from the ground as they wrapped around the girls and lifted them into the air. Soon the monster command it with her hands as she brought them down and slammed the rangers. The girls hit the ground in pain as the vines were still wrapped around them. "Time to cut these weeds," said Applejack as she turned her hand and her ax appeared in her hand. With one quick motion, the farm girl managed to cut the vines holding her. She then did the same with the others as they were free. "Thanks, Aj. Let's see how this plant likes it when the heat is turned up!" stated Sunset as she made her bow appear. "Harmony Bow, Flare Blitz!" Sunset pulled back the string of her bow as a red arrow of light was shown. The girl released it as the arrow flew forward, it then caught on fire. Ivy saw it as she moved out of the way. She then made more greenery attack the rangers as they were flung back. Back in the forest above, Ash was dealing with Thorax. He had managed to morph into his suit as he was dodging the general's attacks. Thorax threw his charged-up daggers as the boy saw them coming. He pulled out his saber and began to deflect them by swatting them away as they exploded around him. The teen then managed to block an attack by Thorax as both were held in place as they glared at one another. "Just because you got a head start, doesn't mean you're gonna get the zord first!" declared Ash. "I wouldn't be so sure, Ash. Cause like it or not, we know where the zord is. In fact, we should be getting it right about now." stated Thorax with a snicker. The boy and mutant general glared as they tried to push the other back. Down below, the girls were still dealing with Ivy as they ducked and were trying to hit the officer. With the other three distracting the monster, Sunset had gotten into position as she had a clear shot. The girl pulled the string of her bow as she aimed. "Steady... steady..." spoke the girl. Just as she was about to release, behind the girl, the stream began to make a whirlpool. A water sprout was shot as something came out. The girl noticed it at the last second as she turned and was attacked. Sunset hit the ground in pain. The others and Ivy saw this as they were also attacked in a flash. Both Thorax and Ash noticed their allies on the ground. Soon a sound was heard. They looked up at the stream as a figure jumped out. The figure jumped from the body of water as it had stripes and fins. A set of razor-sharp teeth was shown. It landed back in the water as it resurfaced for a bit. The creature let out a sound as it slapped its tail on the water as a tidal wave formed. It rose from the stream as it was headed toward the girls and Ivy. They all felt the attack as they were in pain. The animal let out one final sound before it dived down into the water. Its figure then was shown swimming along with the current in the distance. "Girls!" shouted Ash. The yellow ranger looked back in front of him as he saw Thorax was gone. He looked back below as he caught the tail end of Ivy disappearing in a flash of light. The boy then jumped down as he made his way to his team. The rest of the rangers were on the ground as they soon demorphed out of their suits. "Sunset! Are you alright?" asked Ash as he was by the girl's side and demorphed. "Yeah... nothing but bruised," grunted the girl as she sat up with Ash's hand on her back. The boy helped her up and then helped the others. "What was that?" asked Twilight. "I think we found it," said Ash. Thorax and Ivy managed to escape as they appeared in another part of the rainforest. Awaiting them was Chrysalis as she saw the state her son and officer. "What happened?" asked Chrysalis. "The zord," stated Thorax. "That means it must have moved from its last location," said Chrysalis. When they saw the rangers' jet overhead, she instructed Ivy to scout ahead and see if she could spot their foes. Once she affirmed they were also looking for the Tiger Shark zord, she came up with the plan to have Thorax and Ivy distract them while she trekked on to the location where the zord was. But once she arrived at the location, the signal was lost. It then reappeared on the scanner. With the piece of info that Thorax relayed, she now knew where the zord resurfaced. "Where is it now?" asked Chrysalis. "It disappeared again. It dove into the stream," answered Ivy. "Then it can only mean that it's headed toward the beach. Into the town below," said Chrysalis as she pointed outwards to a small town. "That's where the stream of the rainforest connects." "Then we need to move," said Thorax. "No, the sun is going down. No doubt the zord will be resting soon. Tomorrow, we head down into the town and to the beach. Once we find the location of where it's hiding, we'll strike. And then take it." stated Chrysalis. With that, all three mutants disappeared. Our group of rangers made it back to Rachel and the jet. With the sun about to set, the teens decided to call it a day. They entered the jet as Ash and Rachel healed the team from their bruises. Now that they knew that the zord was here, it meant they had to get it first. The sun rose as it signaled the start of a new day. Before they headed out, Rachel managed to find out that the stream in which the Tiger Shark zord disappeared was connected to the beach down to the town below. This meant, that the team of teenagers was going to head toward the place in hopes that they could find it. The group exited the plane as they headed down the mountain into town. It didn't take long as they arrived. All around, people were walking about and talking. "Amazin'!" said Aj as she took in all the sights and smells that the town produced. They arrived at the town square as some market stands were shown. People were communicating and talking as they made purchases. "Some rules. One, don't leave anything valuable unattended. Also, try not to draw too much attention to yourself." stated Ash. "It says here, that Costa Rica´s territory is so small that it encompasses only 0.03 percent of the planet´s surface but is still within the top 20 richest countries in biodiversity on Earth in terms of species density. That means that it is possible to find more species in 1,000 km2 in Costa Rica as in the same area in huge countries like Brazil or Colombia," said Twilight as she had her pamphlet out and read some info as they all walked. "Anything about those volcanoes?" asked Sunset as she pointed in the distance. "Counting every location or crater where an eruption has occurred within its borders, Costa Rica volcanoes boast a stunning 112 sites throughout the country. Most Costa Rica volcanoes and their surrounding areas have been made into national parks. One of the most popular is the Arenal Volcano, which last erupted in 1968. Until then, it was assumed that the volcano was just another peak of the mountain range. The mountain and surrounding area were declared a national park in 1994. Thermal hot springs are now the area’s main attraction, most of which boast nearby trails and numerous lookout points. Currently, Arenal Volcano only releases gases in crater C and has fumarole activity in crater D. Seismic monitoring of the volcano indicates that volcanic activity remains low and external manifestations have been reduced to a minimum." "Alright, come on, let's focus. We need to get to the beach to find the Tiger Shark Zord before the dark lords can get their hands on it," stated Ash. "So, which way, then?" asked Rainbow. "Hmm," said Ash as he began to think. He noticed a nearby vendor as a man had just finished making his latest sale. He then began to speak as the dialect was one that the girls didn't recognize. Ash approached the man as he began to speak. "Perdóname, sabes dónde se encuentra la playa?" asked Ash. "Sí! Está justo al final de la calle. Gire a la izquierda en el museo. Luego camine hacia el paseo marítimo." answered the man. "Gracias!" Ash then turned to the girls as they had their mouths open. "Come on, it's this way," instructed the boy as he began to walk. The girls followed their leader as they were shocked by what went down. "How... how... what did you do?" asked Sunset. "I just spoke the dialect that is used in Costa Rica. I simply asked where the beach was and he pointed me in the right direction," said Ash as he didn't think much of what he did. "Marry me," muttered Sunset. "What was that?" asked the boy as he didn't quite hear what the bacon-haired girl said. "Nothing!" said Sunset as she quickly recomposed herself. The group of teens began to follow the directions given to them. They passed by the museum that the man mentioned as Twilight couldn't help herself. The rest of the girls soon wanted to explore as Ash sighed and followed them. The teens were now learning about the culture of Costa Rica as well as the rich history it inhabited. The tour of the museum lasted a few hours as it required Ash to literally drag them all out and back on their path. They soon came to the boardwalk that was mentioned as they arrived at the beach. Upon first glance, they saw tons of people roaming about the sandy beach. There were some kids building sand castles, adults laying in their chairs sunbathing, and even some teenagers swimming in the ocean. Under normal circumstances, the teens would jump at the chance for a beach day, but right now, they had bigger priorities. Compared to their last adventure on retrieving a zord, they had to be cautious. With this many people around, it would be careless to morph. Just as they were about to step foot, they were called at. One of the lifeguards pointed at the sign next to him as it showed images of beachwear. He then pointed at the nearby shop as that got the message across. A few moments later, the group now stood out as they were wearing some casual beach clothes. They now entered the shoreline as they looked around. They scanned the area to see if there was any evidence of the zord being present, but nothing. "What's the plan, Ash?" asked Rainbow to their leader. "Take these," said the boy as he handed the scuba device gear to Aj, Dash, and Twilight. "Search the ocean and the nearby coral reefs. If the shark zord is here, find its nesting ground and contact us." "What you and Sunset?" asked Twilight. "We'll keep an eye out here. With this many people, morphing isn't a good idea. Not to mention, if the zord attacks then we'll need to be ready. We'll search the nearby caves in case it's hiding there." said the boy. With a nod, the team began to initiate their plan. The trio soon suited up as they had the scuba gear on and dove into the water. Ash and Sunset now began to walk along the shoreline as they were going to explore the nearby caves. The pair made it to a secluded part of the beach as they entered the cavern. Under the water, the girls were shown swimming about. They had some flashlights on the top of their scuba gear as they turned it on. The deeper they descended, the darker the place got. A coral reef was shown with tiny fishes and other small creatures swimming about. Next to the reef, there was also a small cave. It was nothing but dark as a set of eyes glowed. The girls were scanning the area when several fish swam in front of them. They communicated with hand motions as Twilight told AJ and Dash to check the next sector. They nodded as all three girls were getting dangerously close to the cave as the eyes pulled back into the darkness. Back on land, Ash and Sunset were exploring the nearby caves in hopes of seeing if the zord was here. The girl saw her leader as she took this moment of them being alone to say what she wanted to say. "Thanks, you know, for saving me the other day," spoke the teen. "Don't mention it, Sunny. I just did what any good teammate would do," said Ash as he climbed over some rocks and looked around. "So... what happened back there? You know, with you speaking Spanish?" asked Sunset as she wanted to know how her leader knew the dialect. "As I told you all before, I'm from a different dimension. And there, everybody can speak different languages." "How?" asked the bacon-haired teen. "Well, we have a genetic ability that simply by looking or hearing at a form of language, it implements it into our brain for storage. It's a unique way that allows us to not only be fluent in almost any language spoken but to expand our knowledge. So as for me speaking Spanish, I simply looked at the sign above the town and read it. Soon my whole brain was flooded with the dialect and I could speak it at will." "Wow... that's incredible... You're... so amazing," said Sunset as her eyes were daydreaming while looking at the boy. "How do you make me want to marry you even more?" "What was that?" asked Ash as he didn't hear that. "Nothing!" shouted Sunset as she got rid of that thought. As the pair kept on exploring the cave, their friends under the water were encountering something. The trio arrived at the coral reef as they scanned it and looked around. They saw small schools of fish as they turned from the girls and swam into the dark cave next to them. A few seconds later, some skeletons of fishes were shown floating out of the dark abyss. This got the attention of the girls as they swam over to the nearby cavern. They looked at each other as their eyes told the message. They each then turned back to the cave and shined their flashlights in it. Small spotlights shined on the dark cover of shadows as they moved about. Soon a growl was heard, then something shot past them rapidly. The girls were thrown by the momentum and force that the water created from the figure swimming quickly. They tumbled in the water as they soon found their balance and looked out. They saw the tail end of a creature, a striped pattern on the back. But the thing that stood out was the mechanical growl that was heard. The girls knew what the creature was as they each began to send a signal on their Morphers. "What's up?!" said Ash as he and Sunset lifted their Morphers to their mouths. Before the girls could speak, there was a scream heard. "SHARK!!!" shouted a voice. The two teens ran out of the cave and looked back at the beach. Emerging from the water was none other than the Tiger Shark Zord as it took out a small sailboat. The people on it saw the fin of the zord and immediately jumped right before the shark ran through it. The people on the beach saw the creature's fin as they began to run for their lives. The lifeguards also began to book it as the entire beach was now running to safety. "Get back here, guys!" instructed Ash to the rest of his team. He then looked at Sunset as she nodded. Both took a step into the cave as they began to morph. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted both teens. They were shown on a split-screen as they began to transform. They traced the symbol of their gems as they recognized them. The teens then began to be encased in their suits as they landed on a platform. They lifted their heads as their helmet and vizors configured as they each did their pose with their zords behind them. They each appeared on the beach as the last bit of people left. They saw the zord continue its rampage as they looked to calm it down. Just as they were about to take a few steps, they were attacked by some small daggers that exploded upon impact. Both rangers were tossed to the floor as standing before them were Thorax and Ivy, along with more minions. "Thanks for doing all the hard work for us, Ash," snickered Thorax. With the plan made by Chrysalis, the dark lords decided to let the rangers find the zord. They figured it would go berserk and result in the entire beach being evacuated. Then they would make their move and intercept the rangers from getting to the zord first. "Now, we'll take the zord if you don't mind," said Thorax as he gave the command for Ivy and the minions to engage. Both Sunset and Ash got up and began to battle their foes. The red ranger began to cartwheel several times in the sand as she stopped and pulled out her saber. She then began to fight back as ducked and used her legs to kick them away. She then jumped into the air as she stepped off the shoulders of one of the mutants and activated her phoenix wings on her suit. The girl soared a bit as she landed and took out two minions and rolled through to continue to fight. Ash was ducking and grabbing the arms of the minions that tried to attack him. He dragged them to the ground and punched them. He then did a corkscrew as he avoided the next set of attacks before starting to spin and kick his foes. He took out some minions as he was grabbed by his shoulder and turned to which he got kneed in the chest by Ivy before being tossed. Ash was able to turn that into recovery as he tumbled to his feet and then did a bicycle knee to Ivy's face as she stepped back. The boy then pulled out his blaster and began to fire while moving about the battlefield and mowing down the rest of the minions. Thorax then leaped into the air as he engaged with Sunset as the girl was taking several shots to the chest before being flung to the ground. "Sunset!" said Ash as he appeared by the girl's side. Thorax then took the moment to throw some of his charged-up daggers in between his fingers as they soared through the air. Electricity was flowing through them as they were about to make contact. Soon mirage-like images of a rhino and owl were shown as they blocked the daggers to protect the teens. They managed to block it as they disappeared. Ash looked to his side as he saw Twilight and Applejack in their ranger suits with their sabers in hand. "Nice timing," said the boy as they appeared next to him and Sunset. "Where's Dash?" asked the red ranger. "We told her to head for the shark zord, while we provide you backup," stated Twilight. "Then let's finish this and go help her out!" stated Ash as all four began to fight together. While the four rangers were dealing with the two mutants, Rainbow had made it to the small cave that the zord was at. She was informed by Twilight to follow it while they went to help Ash and Sunset. The girl was in her ranger suit as she emerged from the water. On the rocky terrain was the zord as it was beached. It was still dangerous despite not being in the water as it could cause harm to the girl if she wasn't careful. "Alright, big guy. Don't want any trouble, just let me help you," said Dash as she began to approach the zord. It looked at the girl with its eyes as it held a demeanor. "Funny, 'cause I want some," said a voice. Rainbow looked behind her as there was Chrysalis. The general had been watching what went down on the beach when the zord attacked. She instructed Thorax of her plan to distract the rangers and keep them on the beach while she went to retrieve the zord. Granted, she didn't expect Rainbow to not be with the others but given that she was alone. She wasn't sweating. "Now then, step aside. That zord is mine," stated Chrysalis. "Like hell, I'm doing that!" said Rainbow as she took a fighting stance. "So be it," smiled the general. Her hands glowed as magic flowed through and shot out a beam that hit the girl. Rainbow fell as she felt the attack. Chrysalis then began to walk to the zord as her hands glowed. Just then some sparks went off around her as she covered her face. She looked to see Rainbow lying on the ground with her blaster in hand. Chrysalis merely smiled as she began to fight with Rainbow. The blue ranger kipped up and started to swing at the general as she merely ducked and got some shots in on the girl. Rainbow was pushed back as she then made her lance appear. The girl spun her weapon around as she and Chrysalis began to do several acrobatic moves to the side as they continued to fight. The general kept on firing her magic blasts as Rainbow was using her speed to avoid them. She raced to a wall and jumped off of it to activate the wings on her suit. "Charing Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she did one of her finishing moves in the air. The girl was coming at Chrysalis as the general put her arms up in an X-formation as she took the attack head-on. It pushed her back as her feet dragged along the ground. She was pushed back a few meters but remained on her feet. She smiled as she moved her arms in a quick motion and fired a powerful magic beam that hit Rainbow as she couldn't protect herself. Dash let out a scream as her weapon flew from her hand and fell to the floor. Chrysalis approached the girl as she grabbed and lifted her. Her hands charged up once more as they hit Rainbow dead in the chest. She let out a scream from the attack and was then thrown to the side by the general to which she crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. "Now then," said Chrysalis as she looked back at the zord. The Tiger Shark zord had been watching the fight between Chrysalis and Rainbow as it could tell the general was nothing but trouble. It growled as it bared its sharp teeth at the mutant. Chrysalis wasn't intimidated as her hands glowed. She chanted a little saying as she thrust her hand out. The magical properties swirled around the zord as it roared once more before it infused with the creature's body. Soon the eyes of Tiger Shark zord changed to that of blood red. "No!" said Rainbow who was still on the floor with her hand stretched out. "Take care of her!" commanded Chrysalis. The zord her the command by the general as it began to make its way towards Rainbow. "Emerald Smash!" shouted Applejack as she powered up her ax and struck the ground. It made the entire earth shake as it caused Thorax and Ivy to lose their balance and fall to the ground. "Let's finish this!" said Ash as he informed the others. Just as they were about to deliver their finish maneuver, a sound was heard. They looked to see emerging from the water was a figure as it was a person. Rainbow was thrown from the ocean onto the beach in front of her friends. "Dash!" said Sunset as they checked on their friend. "Are you okay?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, battered and bruised, but still kicking," grunted the girl as she got to her feet. At that moment, a flash of light appeared as Chrysalis was shown standing next to Thorax and Ivy. "Chrysalis!" said Ash with disdain in his voice. "Nice to see you, Ash. But unfortunately, we have to make our exit. Let's go, Thorax!" said Chrysalis as she teleport her and her son away. "What about me?!" shouted Ivy as she was left behind. "Full power!" shouted Ash. The mutant turned around as she was face to face with the rangers. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow. They felt the power of their weapons up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held the mutant in place as she couldn't move. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each of the girls did an attack as they passed by their foes. "Charging Lance!" shouted Rainbow as she was the first one to slide by as she did her attack. "Meteor Spike!" shouted Applejack as she slid by and swung her ax upwards. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Sunset as she pulled back on her bow and shot an arrow of red light. "Shield Splice!" said Twilight as she did her attack sliding by the mutant. The scene now changed as it spun around the monster, Ash was now in the air as his weapon was charged. It froze for a few seconds as he resumed the attack and dealt the final blow to their team finisher. "Harmony Blade, Strike!!" shouted Ash as he did a downward slash on the pair. They appeared behind Ivy as she stumbled a bit. The attack caused her to fall to her knees as the rangers weren't done. "Put them together!" instructed Ash. "Harmony Cannon!" said all the rangers as they combined their weapons and took their position. "Oh, shit!" said Ivy in her last moments looking up. "Fire!" shouted all in unison. The trigger was pulled as a sphere of rainbow-colored energy was shot out and headed toward the monster. It hit Ivy as the rangers turned around with their weapons in their hands as they each did their victory pose. In the background, the monster fell to the ground as an explosion occurred. "Good work, everyone," said Ash to the girls. "Rainbow, did you get the zord?" asked Sunset as they all gathered around their friend. Rainbow looked as she saw the excited looks on her friend's face. The girl sighed as she put her head down. She then spoke as they all had their eyes go wide. In the case of Ash, the boy was angry. Meanwhile... "Yes. Good. Very good, Chrysalis. I knew you wouldn't let me down." said the leader of the dark lord. "But of course, my liege," said Chrysalis as she smiled and bowed her head to show respect. "With this zord, the rangers are one step to being destroyed. And then... THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!" shouted the leader as his voice echoed throughout the throne room. He then let out the evilest and most maniacal laugh as it was the creepiest thing heard. In his hand was the shape of the Tiger Shark zord as it then changed. It showed the zord hovering about as it growled. Its eyes were still red as it showed that it was on the side of the villains and was looking to help them bring about destruction and chaos. But more importantly, the extinction of the Power Rangers.
Chapter 18: The Dark Lord ArrivesIn the lair of the dark lords, the leader of them was shown on his throne. He held the Tiger Shark zord that was recently captured by his subordinates as he was most pleased. The creature was but the first step in destroying the rangers. He then stood up from his throne as bowing before him were Thorax, Starlight, Pharynx, and Chrysalis. The four generals were awaiting the command of their leader as he stood in front of them. "It is time!" With the rangers, there was a person shown punching. The person was working up a sweat as each punch he landed thudded against the sandbag. They were not only punching but the expression on their face was that of anger. Of fury, of disappointment. Only one thing rang through this person's head. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure. Each time he heard that it made him punch harder. Getting angrier, get pissed off even more. Soon rapid strikes were shown and a scream was heard. One final punch as the sandbag broke from the chain it was hanging off. It was sent sailing a few meters away from the floor as made a sound. The person stood there out of breath as he exhaled and inhaled. He then wiped his face as he approached another sandbag nearby. He grabbed it as he began to attach it to the chain. Once that was secure, he then went back to punching it. Grunts were heard as he was trying even harder to hit the thing. Nearby there was someone who'd been watching the whole sequence of events go down. They saw the way it was affecting him as they were concerned. "Ash?" spoke Rainbow. The boy just kept on punching as he ignored the girl's response. "Ash?!" spoke Dash with a bit more volume as the boy kept on punching trying to drown out her voice. "Ash! I'm sorry!" said Rainbow. That comment got the boy to stop punching as he breathed hard. He then made it to the nearby bench, and he began to take the tape off his hands. "What's it gonna take for you to talk to me? I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I let the team down by not getting the zord. Please... just... answer me." said Rainbow as she begged her leader to stop giving her the silent treatment. Ash sighed as he gathered his gym bag and began to walk toward the exit. He walked past the girl as he looked to exit the training room. Rainbow had her head down as it seemed that the boy's grudge wasn't going away. She didn't see that Ash stopped in the doorway as he looked at her. "I'm not mad." "Huh?" Rainbow lifted her head to see her leader as she didn't quite hear his response. "I'm not mad, Dash. I've had a few days to think about what went down in Costa Rica. Am I angry? No. Upset? Yes. But... it's not entirely your fault. If anything... it's mine." said Ash. "I should know that Thorax wouldn't be alone. And that he was just a distraction to get us away from the Tiger Shark zord. If I was a good leader, I would've seen it happening. But I guess I'm not." "That's not true. There's no way any of us could have known him and Chrysalis' plan. You can't expect to think of everything thoroughly. And you're a great leader. To me, to the rest of us. We all love having you as our leader. You've done so much for us in such a short amount of time." said Rainbow as she put her hand on his shoulder. "They may have gotten one right under our noses, but they won't next time." Ash just took a deep breath as he could see that Rainbow was trying to cheer him up. "It's not your fault. It never was. You're the best leader we could ever ask for. We think you're doing an alright job. As much as I hate losing, even I sometimes have to admit that not everything will be a victory. It just happens. Nothing we can do but accept it and move on." said Rainbow. "Heh. This is weird. You giving me advice." smiled Ash. "What can I say, I'm awesome," said Rainbow with a smug smile. "Yeah, you are," smiled Ash. Rainbow then came in for a hug as Ash wrapped his arms around the girl. He ran his hair through her hair as it felt soft. The girl was glad to know that not only did she cheer up her friend, but that he didn't hold any grudge against her for what went down. Soon they broke apart as they exited the training room to get ready. The others arrived soon after as they wanted to relax by having a campout next to the command center. Twilight informed her parents that she would be staying the night at the place so they didn't need to worry about where she was. It was now nighttime as the moon was high in the sky. During their little campout, the rangers began to take their minds off of their recent failure as they needed some cheering up. They even had the zords in their pet forms as they played with one another. The event soon went into the night as Applejack had finally asleep as she had her hat over her head. Twilight was nearby reading a book as Rainbow and Sunset were talking with Ash sitting next to them looking up at the moon. "Yeah, another win for me!" said Rainbow as she managed to even the score up with Sunset in a best of 35 series they were playing. "Hey, Ash. Want to play a game?" The chromatic girl looked at her friend as he'd been staring up at the moon for a while now. "Ash? Ash? You okay?" called out Sunset. She tossed a kernel of popcorn at her leader as it hit him, but he still looked at the round thing in the night sky. "What are you looking at, leader?" asked Rainbow. "It looks like a full moon," said Ash looking up at the sky as his wolf pup was in his lap. It gave a small howl as it understood what its master meant. "Yeah, so?" asked Sunset. "You know what happens when there's a full moon?" asked Ash with a sly smile on his face. "What?" said Rainbow as she scooted closer to the boy. "The dark forces of evil arise from the belly of the earth," stated Ash as the campfire now roared when he said it. "AJ!" said Rainbow as she tossed popcorn to her friend to wake her up to hear the story. The farm girl felt the kernel as it slipped under her shirt but kept on sleeping. "Never mind. Go on," stated the athletic girl. "They take the form of both man and beast," stated Ash as he was adding a bit more scariness in his voice as Rainbow was starting to get a bit scared. "W-What kind of beast?" said the girl with a slight terror in her voice. "Come on, Ash. Don't scare Rainbow," stated Sunset as she could tell what the boy was trying to do. She did enjoy seeing how Dash was acting. "I ain't scared, Sunset!" declared Rainbow looking at her friend. She then turned back to Ash and could see the fear on her face. "W-What kind of beast?" "A wolf-beast. With jagged fangs and razor-sharp claws. And yellow eyes that can see right through you. He howls in the night." said Ash as he looked up. Applejack then snored as it got both Rainbow and Twilight to be scared and jumped back. Sunset and Ash were laughing at seeing their friends get scared by the boy's little scary story. "Good one, Ash," said the bacon-haired girl as she enjoyed him getting Rainbow to be frightened. "Well, I'm gonna get to sleep." "Me too, there's still some extra credit I want to do so I can turn it in on Monday," said Twilight as she got up. The girls were now heading to the command center's entrance as they were heading to their rooms. Ash waved to the girls as they did the same and disappeared. He then turned back to look at the moon as Rainbow was shown to be rocking back and forth a bit. "Uhm, Ash?" said the girl as she got the attention of her leader. "Is that true... about a wolf beast?" "Nah, I was just messing with you," chuckled Ash as he placed his hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "I wasn't scared or anything," said Dash trying to save face and not show her fear. "Uhm, I think I'm gonna stay out for the night. You know... watch out for Aj. Make sure she's okay." Ash just chuckled as he could see that the girl was scared of his story. She then climbed into the tent and quickly zipped it up as inside she threw the covers over her. Meanwhile, Ash just looked back at the moon. "Oh, Rainbow. To be honest, I was just saying something that was said a long time ago by another person," stated the boy. He continued to gaze up into the night sky. In another part of the city, there was a figure shown as he too was looking at the moon. "Finally, the waxing of the full moon is upon us. Soon the rangers will be destroyed," said the figure. He then disappeared as he prepared for the final stages of his plan. The morning was shown. Ash was already up as he was currently making some breakfast. Both Aj and Rainbow were still fast asleep as they snored. Twilight and Sunset were shown exiting the command center as they were greeted by their leader as he was making them food. In a nearby forest, Pharynx and Chrysalis were present. They were currently scanning the area as behind them their minions were preparing the final things needed for the ritual. "Will this work?" asked Pharynx. "Of course, time for the rangers to meet their ultimate demise. In fact, your brother should be carrying out his part of the plan, right about now," said Chrysalis. "Then we need to make sure everything is ready and in place for when they show up." Pharynx and Chrysalis then began to put the final touches on their plan. As for their allies, they were in another location. In a downtown area, several insurance people were walking about. Phones were ringing as printers were going off. One person was cleaning his desk as he blew on some dust and smiled. "Missed a spot!" said a mutant as it got the attention of everyone. "And it's all of you!" The people screamed as the mutant opened its mouth as a vacuum was created. It began to suck in the papers from the desks, all the while people were tumbling over. Some of the folks were trying to hold on as the air vortex was so powerful that it was taking them off their feet. An alarm went off in the command center. Ash, Twilight, and Sunset were all seated at the bench eating when a drone flew toward them. "What's the matter, Rachel?" asked the boy. "There's a mutant on the loose," said the A.I. as it showed the location of the attack and the image of the monster. "We're on it!" stated Ash as he tossed a blanket at Dash and Aj as both girls awoke. "Come on guys, duty calls!" Ash then began to take off with Sunset and Twilight following him as both Aj and Dash got up and chased after them. Back in the city, the mutant was laughing as soon both Starlight and Thorax were leaning in the doorway. "Vortex! Enough meddling around!" said Starlight. The mutant was like a child as he ran off to have fun without her or Thorax's permission. "But, General Starlight!" said the mutant. "Now!" shouted the general. Vortex just closed his mouth as he caused the vacuum to stop. The trio was now exiting the building as they were talking. "That's the last time I give you a warning! Next time, I'm blasting you myself!" said Starlight. "Hold it right there, you two!" said Ash. The boy and the girls appeared in front of the mutants as they were already in their ranger suits. "We should have known that this was your doing." "My, my, Ash. I'm surprised you're able to show your face after you failed to get the Tiger Shark Zord," snickered Starlight. "Enjoy it while you can, Starlight! Cause once we take care of your friend here. We're taking back that zord!" said the boy. "Ha! You're so naïve, Ash. Cause you failed to realize that he's not the only enemy you need to worry about," snickered Thorax. "What?" said the girls as they were confused by what the mutant said. Starlight and Thorax were smiling as the time was nearly upon them. "Go get them!" ordered Starlight. Vortex then charged at the rangers. They all leaped into the air as they were now battling in the forest. The monster then opened his mouth as the vacuum began. The air vortex was affecting the teens as they could feel themselves being sucked in. They stumbled a bit as their footing was becoming unstable. Small trees were pulled out of their roots, and leaves were flying as air picked up. Soon Vortex applied more power as this time it was the final thing needed to take the rangers off their feet. They were now rolling and tumbling toward the mutant as the leaves covered their bodies and they stumbled on the ground. "Twilight!" shouted Ash as he passed by a sturdy tree and held onto the bark as the air was still sucking him. The girl also grabbed onto a tree. She then pulled into her belt as she pulled some things. "Owl darts!" shouted the purple ranger. She then threw them forward. The small things were caught in the air suction that Vortex created as they went into his mouth. An explosion then occurred as Vortex felt it as he coughed and stumbled back a bit. While the rangers were being occupied, another thing was happening. In the same forest as before, there was a circle with candles shown. Chrysalis was currently chanting as her hands glowed. Pharynx was watching this as the minions were putting the last things in place as the time was but a few hours away. He then stepped out of the cave and looked out. "It won't be long now." Rainbow and Twilight leaped into the air as they had their sabers. They brought them down on Vortex as the mutant was hit and fell back. Starlight and Thorax then appeared by his side as Vortex got up. "What the hell are you doing?!" said Starlight as she wasn't impressed by how Vortex was getting beat up by the rangers so easily. "Are you a monster or a bitch!" taunted Thorax. "I'm a monster! And I have just the thing I need to stop them!" said Vortex as he made his arm transform into a lance. He then began to charge toward the rangers as he took each one out as he passed by. He then turned around and began to charge back as the girls tried to swing but got hit instead. Ash barely moved out of the way as he began to go one-on-one against the mutant for a bit. He traded attacks with Vortex as he used his saber. Both held in place as they stared at one another. Soon the boy kicked and spun to which Vortex ducked only to slash the yellow ranger as he flew back. He then changed his arm to an ax as he looked to bring it down on the ranger. It was blocked by another ax as Applejack got back up and used her weapon to protect her leader. She then threw it back and she now began to fight. She ducked and did some cartwheels to avoid a series of combo attacks. The farm girl ten did her swings as she tried to attack Vortex. He simply stepped back as Aj threw her ax. He flung it back with his and went for a sweep as the girl had to jump over the ax coming at her feet. She landed and rolled through as she quickly brought her arm down. It made contact as at the same time, the others all pulled out their weapons and hit Vortex. They all hit, but the mutant shook it off, as he then spun with his ax arm and hit all the rangers. They flew back and hit the ground. Rainbow quickly got up and leaped into the air. She spun her lance around before thrusting it outwards. Vortex merely caught the end of the lance as held Rainbow. The mutant then changed his arm to an electric plunger as he shocked the ranger and then threw her away. "Rainbow, you okay?" asked Ash as the others all gathered around their friend and had their weapons pointed out at Vortex. "Yeah." "Not for long," mocked Vortex as he fired more electrical attacks at the rangers as they got hit. "Ash, try the bear claws," stated Sunset as she was struggling to get up. "Ready for round 2!" shouted the boy as he stood up and the bear claws appeared. "Bring it!" taunted Vortex as he accepted the yellow ranger's challenge to a one-on-one duel as the others rolled to the side to recover and watch their leader fight. Vortex immediately shot an attack as Ash rolled out just barely. He shot another electrical blast and the boy had to lean back to fall to avoid the attack. While he was on the ground, he pointed the claws at Vortex as the needles shot out and hit the monster. That allowed the boy to get up to a knee as he fired more needles. With Vortex stumbled, he then charged forward as he began to zip in and out of frame as the monster was taking some heavy damage. "Alright, let's combine our weapons, guys!" instructed Ash. The others then began to put their weapons together as soon as their cannon was formed. "Harmony Cannon!" stated the boy as they charged up their shot. "I'm not afraid of that thing," said Vortex as he stumbled and had a quiver in his voice. "Then this shouldn't hurt, Final Shot!" shouted Ash. The boy pulled the trigger as a sphere of rainbow color was shot. It traveled and hit Vortex as the mutant sparked, and an explosion occurred. The rangers held their weapon as they watched their foe be destroyed. "Nice!" shouted Rainbow. "It ain't over yet, rangers!" stated Starlight. "Go ahead, mother!" said Thorax over his communicator. Chrysalis heard the response from her allies over the communicator. She then stepped out of the cave and held the device that Thorax gave her. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" She had the device shoot out a beam of magic as it traveled to the spot where Vortex was defeated in seconds. A small tornado began to form around the spot of the defeated mutant. It then got bigger and bigger as it then blew away as there stood the monster. "Harmony zords, arise!" shouted the rangers as they immediately called their beasts. The zords were shown running toward them as they each jumped and entered their beasts. "Harmony zords, combine!" said all five in unison. The zords heard the command as they began to merge. After a few transformations, the Megazord was formed as it did its stance. Inside the rangers were shown at their tables as they stood in a line. They now stood face to face with Vortex as both were walking in a circle waiting to see what the other would do. "You thought I had suction before, you ain't seen nothing yet!" declared Vortex. He then opened his mouth as the vacuum began to form. With him being bigger, it meant he had more power to suck things in. Such as was on display as the trees were rocking back and forth. A few of them were pulled out of the ground due to the powerful wind they felt. The ranger's Megazord was also being affected as they felt themselves being pulled in by the air vortex. The trees being sucked in were also hitting them as they were causing damage to the giant robot. Inside, the rangers could feel the bumps as they were rocking about as they fell to a knee. "We need the Bear zord!" stated Ash. He then tossed the small hexagons to both Twilight and Rainbow as the girls caught them. They stood up and replaced their zord's shape with the hexagons into the holder. Ash put the larger hexagon in the slot above his zord as he began to call on the zord for help. "Bear zord, arise!" A growl was heard as charging toward them and leaping over obstacles in the streets was the mama bear. On her back were her two little cubs as they held on. It growled as Vortex turned to where the sound came from. He was immediately bit in the face by the bear's jaws as he screamed in pain and was thrown back. Her cubs then got off as they began to charge toward the monster. Then both leaped into the air as they turned into a ball and flung themselves at the monster as they ricocheted several times off of him. "Bear zord, combine!" shouted the rangers. The cubs heard the call as they retracted their paws and legs. Both Twilight's owl and Rainbow's falcon zord detached as the cubs were now the new arms. The mother bear then transformed itself as the head was a new helmet for the Megazord to wear as the rest of its body was placed on the Megazord's body to serve as armor. "Harmony Megazord, Bear-Knuckler Brawler Mode!" stated the rangers. Vortex was slowly getting to his feet as he was smoking. He saw the Megazord in its new form as they looked to deliver the final blow. "Let's do it! Rushing Bombard Strike!" shouted the rangers as they thrust their hands out. The Megazord now zoomed ahead as it raised its right arm. The giant mech did some rapid punches to the mutant as he couldn't defend himself. It then delivered a quick one-two combo as it raised its right arm one final time to smash it through the body of Vortex as he stumbled back and saw the hole in him. He soon fell back as an explosion occurred. The rangers stood, and the Megazord clanged its fists as they were victorious. The rangers cheered as they gave congrats to the bear zord and her cubs for helping them. "Everything is ready," said Pharynx as he contacted his little brother. "Me and Starlight are moving out," said Thorax as he cut off the transmission. He turned to his comrade and they both nodded. "Rangers!" The Megazord turned to look at where the two generals were as they had been watching the battle. "Catch us if you can!" taunted Starlight as they turned into lights and disappeared. "Rachel, can you track them?" asked Ash to the A.I. "I've located their signal. They're heading to the mountains." "Got it, we're on it. Let's go, girls!" said Ash as they exited the Megazord and went to chase after their foes. Thorax and Starlight were shown as they reached their destination. They were inside the cave as there was Pharynx who stood outside of the magical circle that glowed. The three generals now saw Chrysalis as she finished the saying as the ritual was taking place. "It's finished. With the full moon rising, it's but a matter of seconds." "And the rangers are headed right this way," snickered Thorax. On a mountain road, there was a police car parked. The officer inside was drinking some coffee as he was doing his duty of watching out for any speeders. He took a bite of his donut as he looked to take another sip of the hot beverage. When he looked to bring the drink to his lip, he noticed something ahead. Coming down the road were rainbow-colored lights. He pulled out his tracker to see how fast the thing was going. The second the lights passed by, the tracker went haywire as it malfunctioned and broke. "What the?" said the officer as he peaked his head out the window and saw the lights disappear behind him. The lights were none other than the rangers. They were currently heading towards the mountains as both Ash and Aj were on the ground running like their zords while the others were flying above them with their wings. It was now nighttime as the full moon from the previous was out as this time its phase was complete. The dark lords were standing outside of the cave as they looked at the thing in the sky. The moon's light then made its way into the cave as it touched the magical circle. The candles placed around began to burn brighter as the wax melted. In the center of the circle, there was a shadowy figure as they were hovering in stasis. Soon the eyes were opened as they were yellow. At that same time, the ranges had finally made it to the location where Rachel tracked down Thorax and Starlight. "See them?" asked Ash as they all stood on a small bridge looking around. "Over there!" said Twilight. "Hello, rangers!" spoke Pharynx with a sinister tone and smile. He then chuckled a bit as soon Chrysalis, Starlight, and Thorax were shown appearing next to their comrade. All four generals looked down at the rangers from the mountain ridge they were on as they each had an evil smile. The teens stood their ground as they prepared for a fight. "We're taking back that Tiger Shark Zord!" declared Ash as he pointed at his enemies. "You mean, this one?" smiled Chrysalis. The general opened her hand as inside was a heptagon shape that had the symbol of the Tiger Shark zord. It then glowed as it turned into a mini version of the zord as it swam in place and growled. "I would be more concerned with what's about to go down. The ritual is almost complete," stated Starlight. "Huh? What ritual?" said Rainbow. "The one... the one that will destroy you all," said Thorax looking at the moon. Inside the cave, the spell was complete as the shadows covering the figure disbursed and fled out of the cave. It passed the dark lords and the rangers. The teens covered up to avoid being blinded as they soon dissipated. He then began to take some steps forward. "He's been dying to meet you, Ash," said Pharynx. The four generals then stepped to the side of the cave's entrance as they knew what was coming. The rangers were still confused at what was being said as they prepared for whatever was going down. But what was about to come, was something they could never prepare for. The figure was shown standing there. They wore dark, black crystal armor. Eyes that glowed yellow. He stood tall as the dark aura around him glowed. "What is that?" said Aj. Soon the figure jumped up as it was positioned in front of the moon. "Look out!" shouted Ash. The figure turned into a streak of black light as it headed toward the rangers in milliseconds and was zipping and zagging at them as they were being hit all at once. The rangers were helpless as they kept on getting attacked. The figure went faster as he was moving in the blink of an eye. Sparks were flying from their suits as they were hit. It did one final attack on Twilight as it leaped into the air with the girl in its hand. He threw her down to the ground as the girl's suit demorphed, and she was knocked unconscious. Applejack was charging at the figure as he did the same. She went for a powered-up punch using her gem's power, but the figure simply grabbed her by the throat and began to run. It was holding the girl as he then threw her as hard as he could into some rocks as the farm girl hit back first and fell to the ground. Her suit also demorphed and she was out cold. Rainbow leaped into the air with her wings out. The figure did the same as he jumped. The scene showed the moon as zipping in and out against each other was a blue streak and a dark streak. The girl was using her super-speed to fight the mysterious figure as they collided with one another. In mid-air, the girl went for a flying kick as the mysterious individual blocked it and then did small jabs on her body that were sensitive. He then grabbed her and rushed toward the ground as he slammed the teen onto the floor. Rainbow felt her suit demorphed as she then laid back as joined her friends. Ash and Sunset were the final two as the figure raced toward them. He transformed into a black streak of light as he began to do the same thing as before. He was bouncing off the trees around them to hit them quicker and harder as the teens couldn't defend themselves from the barrage of attacks. Both flipped onto their back and in that same instance, the figure reappeared before them. Ash clutched his chest as he lifted his head. He looked in front of him as his vizor showed his eyes widen. "No... no... it can't be..." The boy was in a state of shock at what he was seeing. He thought his eyes were playing a trick on him, but they weren't. Standing before him and walking toward the fallen rangers was someone he knew. Someone who he thought was long gone. "Who are you?" asked Sunset as she struggled to get to her hands and knees. The figure stopped a few meters in front of them as he smiled. "I am the leader of the Dark Lords. Sombra!" "It can't be," muttered Ash at what he was hearing. "L-Leader?" said Sunset as she got to her feet. The scene then panned to several shots of Sombra as it showed him in his entirety as he was intimidating and evil. Sombra then turned his hand as he reached into his knee. The mutant was now pulling out a sword as it had a crystal hilt that matched his armor. He then rushed forward in a streak. in a blink of an eye, he struck down Sunset as he zoomed and appeared behind her. "AHH!!!" screamed Sunset as she let out a painful scream that echoed around. A spark of explosion occurred on the girl. She fell to the floor face first as her eyes were closed. Sombra turned to look at the scene that laid before him. All the girls were meters apart from each other as they were injured, bruised, and knocked out cold. He single-handily took out the rangers all by himself as they were no match for him. Above, the rest of the generals were all smiling at seeing how easily the rangers were defeated by their commander. Sombra was about to end their lives when he felt something. By his feet was Ash as he was lying on the ground to which the boy's hand grabbed his boot. He was injured as he tried to pull himself up using Sombra as a stand. "You... won't..." grunted Ash as he tried to speak and stand up. Sombra didn't let the boy finish as he simply grabbed him by his suit. He lifted the ranger to his face. Ash's suit had reached its limits as it demorphed and the boy was staring the mutant in the face. He tried to keep a defiant expression, but the sweat and the slight fear in his eyes that Sombra saw said otherwise. Sombra held the boy by his shirt as soon the rest of the Dark lords appeared as they all circled Ash. "I've waited too long for this moment. I've bided my time, waiting for my full power to return. And in that same time, you've been alive. I remember the screams of your mother as they were sweet lullabies to my ears. The look on your face when I slaughtered your old teammates." said Sombra as he looked Ash in the eyes. "And here I stand, the last hope they had to defeat falls so easily by my hands. I will have my revenge, Ash. I will make you suffer so that you can know what your parents and friends felt like when I murdered them. When they begged for mercy, and I killed them in cold blood!" Sombra then threw Ash to the ground as the boy hit back first to the ground. He felt it as he turned to his side and placed a hand behind him to feel the spot where he hit. The others all smiled at seeing their foe so helpless on the floor as he cowered back a bit. Sombra had his sword just inches away from Ash's eye as the fear that the teen was trying to hide came out. "Consider yourself lucky, Ash. I won't be so easy on you, the next time we meet," stated Sombra. He then retracted his weapon. He turned and began to march into the darkness as did the other Dark Lords. They all entered some smoke that appeared as when it cleared out, they were gone. Once more, the scene showed the results of the battlefield. Each of the girls was all knocked out and had bruises all over their body. Neither of them moved a muscle as they lay there. Ash lifted his head to look up and could see his team in their critical state as he had to act fast. The boy lifted his hand as he struggled to touch his Morpher. "R-R-Rache--" the boy didn't finish what he said. His hand fell back to the side as he lay there looking up at the sky. Soon all five of their bodies were shown in lights as they flashed. The A.I. heard Ash's command as she manually teleported the rangers from the forest to the floor of the command center. She quickly dispatched the drones to scan and stabilize the teens before she could treat them. Rainbow was shown stirring as she moved her head. She saw what lay before her as her friends weren't moving. She then saw Ash was still up as the girl tried her best to crawl over to her leader. The droids tried to get the girl to not move but she kept on crawling. Soon she made her way to the boy. "Ash, who was that?" spoke Rainbow softly and in pain. "Someone... who I thought was long gone," breathed Ash heavily as his chest was going up and down as he kept staring at the ceiling. "So... how do we beat him?" asked the chromatic-haired teen. "We don't," responded the boy truthfully. The final image was that of the moon, and soon, everything faded to black.
Chapter 19: Truth RevealedIn the lair of the Dark Lords, Sombra was shown on his throne. The commander having now been restored to his full power was even more intimidating. And it showed as he was still relishing in his recent victory against the rangers. Being able to take them all out in a blink of an eye. Then being able to strike fear in the heart of his rival who for long held a defiant face, it made him happy to know that he was able to make the boy feel weak. Sombra then stood up as before him, were his generals as they bowed. He raised his hand as they were given their commands. As for our heroes, they were in the command center. Rachel was having the small drones attend to the teens. They were now awake as they each were being treated. They all were bandaged up as they suffered different bruises. Applejack had her shoulder bandaged up, Rainbow had her forehead being covered, Twilight suffered a bruised hand, Sunset had a wrist injury, and Ash had his entire chest covered. The A.I. was currently treating Sunset's wrist as the girl lay on the medical bed. "The medicine will help heal all of your wounds in no time. But... you need to completely rest for it to take effect," said the A.I. "Thanks, Rachel," grunted Sunset as she felt a slight sting from the spray as the ointment was applied. "So, sugar? Who was that?" asked Aj to her leader as the others also wondered. Ash grunted as he leaned against the bed frame and clutched his side. "That was Sombra." "Who is he?" asked Twilight. "The last person you ever want to cross. He's their leader and the evilest son of a bitch to ever exist. He's the reason, why my friends and my parents were murdered." said Ash. "He destroyed my entire dimension, my home, all of it. I thought he perished along with the destruction of my world. But... it seemed he survived. And this whole time, I've been chasing them, I was unaware that he was alive. He was just binding his time, waiting. To take us out." "So, how do we win against him?" asked Sunset. "Win? We're lucky to be alive. We're still standing." responded Ash as that statement got the girls to really grasp the situation. "I suggest, you all rest. You need to gain back your strength," said Rachel. "No, we should be out there..." stated Rainbow as Ash cut her off. "She's right, girls. The only way we're gonna stand a chance is if we heal up. Let's get some rest. Don't worry, everything will be fine," stated the boy. The girls simply nodded as they obeyed. They dragged their bodies to their rooms. Ash grabbed his shirt as he too began to slump out of the medical bay. Rachel then inputted the code for the scanners and drones as she was looking to keep an eye on the city while the teenagers were out of commission for a bit. The city of Canterlot was shown as walking down the sidewalk were three friends. "Oh, thank goodness you two were here to help me. Seems the others were too busy to answer." "Not at all, Rarity," said Fluttershy as she was accompanying her friend. "Ooh, just think of the fashion!" stated the fashionista as she was imagining all the sales that were going on. "The frolicking! That's short for "frosting licking"! I'm gonna get my hot little hands on the new dessert trend – the puff cake! Half cream puff, half cupcake!" said Pinkie as she then shuddered at the thought of that as her tongue hanged out and drooled. "The city is our oyster!" exclaimed the marshmallow teen. The trio soon made it to their destination as they began to explore the many shops. The fashionista was having the time of her life as she used her shopping skills and latest tips in the fashion market to get so many discounts. While the girl was having the time of her life, she did allow Rarity and Fluttershy a chance to visit some of the shops they wanted. Despite not having the majority of their friends, the girls were enjoying themselves. They were currently in the food court as they talked about some stuff. Their conversation was soon stopped as they heard some nearby individuals. They were currently watching a video on their phone as it showed the rangers and some of their epic battles. "Aren't they amazing? That yellow ranger whoever he is is rather cute. I wouldn't mind being saved by him." said a woman. "Those rangers have been getting quite the attention as of late," said Rarity. "Even at school, the CMC has managed to convince Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna about starting up a Power Rangers fan club. But it's a good thing that they're here to save us from all those horrible monsters," said Fluttershy. "I guess, it's we're quite lucky to have them. I just wonder who they really are under that helmet," said Pinkie. While the trio of friends was enjoying their mall day. In the rangers' command center, Ash was shown in his room. The boy awoke all night, his mind was plagued with what went down. The thought that his rival was back. The sight that he had to witness. His team being manhandled by Sombra. He was thankful that he showed some hint of mercy as he could have chosen to slaughter them right there had he not gotten his attention. Coupled with the fact that they failed to get the Tiger Shark Zord and was now in the hands of their foes. Safe to say, the rangers suffered many losses recently. For the boy, that was all going to change. Ash sat up as he could feel the pain shooting through his body. The medicine had made it to where he didn't feel most of his bruises from the previous day, but he was far from 100%. Yet, despite all that, he had to get up. He slowly managed to sit up as he breathed heavily. He then shifted to put his legs on the ground. Ash took a couple of moments to compose himself. He then grunted as he got to his feet and could feel his legs tremble. The boy was able to steady himself by placing his hand on his nightstand. He took more breaths as he pushed himself to ignore the pain. With a push, Ash stood up and began to drag his body. The doors opened as Ash was shown coming through. "Master Ash, you need to rest. The medicine won't take full effect if you don't rest your body," said Rachel as she was concerned for the boy. "I... can't rest, Rach. Not with Sombra back," grunted the teen. "I understand, but you don't much against him if you aren't at full health!" stated the A.I. "Even if we're at full health, there's no guarantee that we'll beat him. But I know something that may," stated Ash. He managed to make it to the computer as he sat down in the chair and breathed heavily. "Pull up... the schematics." "Ash." "Now!!!" shouted the boy. "At once, Master." Rachel then began to log into the Morphin Grid and their database. Soon the A.I. pulled up the blueprints and designs that the boy requested. It was the schematics of the secret project that he had been working on. The videos that held some ranger archive footage were also pulled up. "Are you sure?" asked Rachel as she knew what Ash was thinking. "This has to be done. We're gonna finish this!" said the boy with determination. He then took the bandages off his chest as he began to get to work. The A.I. also began to work with the boy on this secret project that they were determined to finish. The progress was shown in montage shots as code and numbers were shown on the screen. Ash was talking with the computer how certain aspects of the project as he crossed out some. His gemstone was shown on the screen as every piece of data was connected to it. While this was going on, in a secret location, Thorax was shown. The general was ordering some minions to keep on digging. They were looking for something that their radar caught when they were searching for the other zords. The general informed the others of the disturbance as he was sent to investigate. Now the mutant was searching for the thing that caused the disturbance. A sound was heard as a minion got his attention. It was a metal box as it was buried in the ground. The minion gave it to Thorax as the mutant opened it up. A light shined as he eyed what was in it. It didn't take long as they returned and he rushed to his lab. He had the object in the examination tube as info was being displayed on the screen. He soon read what it said as his eyes widen, then a sinister smile was shown on his face. "What's the status with Thorax?" asked Sombra. "He's currently examining the object in question. However, he hasn't said much about what it is. Probably keeping that info all to himself, like he always does." stated Starlight. "In that case, send a monster out to cause destruction. No doubt the rangers are too weak. This is the perfect opportunity to strike chaos in the hearts of these humans." ordered Sombra. "At once, my liege," said Chrysalis. The doors opened, and in came an officer. "Stoneface, here. What's my mission?" asked the officer as he stood before the generals. "Fire!" A beam was shot as it hit several people as they turned into stone statues. More beams were fired as people screamed and ran. As they were running, they were caught and turned into stone. Stoneface was now laughing as he was being accompanied by some minions. At the same time, the girls were shown exiting their room. They were feeling much better as the medicine that Rachel gave them worked. After a full day's rest, they were able to move their bodies without any problem. They all made their way to the central room as Ash was sitting at the terminal. "Ash, have you been up all this time?" asked Sunset. "You didn't get any rest?" said Twilight. "I'm fine, girls. I couldn't just sit back and wait. And good thing you all are up." said the boy as he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him. He then pushed some keypads as the cameras came up. On the screen was Stoneface as he was causing his path of destruction. Rachel's scanners had picked Stoneface's presence as they saw just what kind of trouble he was doing. "Looks like we're being thrown back into the fire real quick," said Rainbow. "It won't be easy. His body is made up of completely solid rock. Not even Aj's power can make a dent into something that sturdy. You girls handle this, I'll stay here and see if I can find some weakness." said Ash. "We're on it. Let's go," said Sunset. "Just watch out for his laser attack. If it touches you, even if you have your ranger suit, you'll become a nice figurine," said the boy. "Ready!" stated Sunset as she and the girls all stood in a line. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the girls. They each appeared on a split-screen as their transformation was taking place. They traced their gem's symbol that was shown on their Morpher's interface as it recognized them. They soon became encased in their suit as bits of their respective gem were on their shoulders. They all landed on a platform as they lifted their heads. Their helmet and vizor were configured as the girls did their poses with their zords in the background. "Where is he?" asked Rainbow as the girls were now teleported to where their foe was. "Watch out!" shouted Twilight. She managed to get the attention of everyone as she noticed something. Standing at the top of a building was Stoneface. The mutant saw the rangers arrive as he looked to deliver a sneak attack. Fortunately, the girls were barely able to get out of the beam's path as they rolled to the side and looked up. "So glad you could come, rangers. You'll be the centerpiece of my collection. Minions!" shouted Stoneface as a portal opened up and some footsoldiers appeared before the girls. "Attack!" The minions charged as the girls did the same. Sunset spun kick and then grabbed one of the minion's arms to drag them to the ground. One of them managed to trip the girl as she fell forward and hit the ground, but recovered at the same instance by spinning and sweeping the minion that tripped her. She then did a kip-up as she ducked and began to continue to fight. Twilight was battling on some stairs as the girl was she leaped over the railing to land on the lower section. She kicked forward to knock the minion blocking her path back as he collided with the others and tumbled. She ducked a sneak attack as she turned and blocked an arm. The girl then kneed the minion several times in the chest as she flung him over the rail and crashed hard onto the floor. She then stepped off the wall as she got to the top of the stairs as punched the rest of the minions as they fell down the stairs. Applejack was shown backflipping as she was near some parked cars. She leaned against a vehicle as a minion who was waiting on the roof of the car. Aj felt the arm grab her as the girl quickly countered by throwing the mutant off the roof, and crashed into the ground. The teen then rolled onto the roof of the car to the other side as more minions were waiting for her. They went for a punch as she opened the car door to block their fists. She then thrust her fist through the window of the door and knocked back the monsters. The girl flipped over the hood and stood at the front of the car. She then kicked it as the vehicle moved and ran into the rest of the minions as they were flattened. Rainbow was using her karate moves as she blocked and countered every punch and kick that was thrown her way. The girl rushed at the minion in front of her as he did his best to block her attacks, eventually, Dash landed an amazing kick with her foot as she took her foe down. She then did several cartwheels and finished with a backflip as she avoid the enemy fire that was aimed at her. The girl then leaped into the air as the wings on her suit came out. She turned into a blue streak that was zipping in and out of frame as she took out the minions that were trying to shoot at her. "Not bad, now... hold that pose!" shouted Stoneface as he fired a beam from his mouth. "Rainbow!" shouted Sunset as she ducked and warned her friend. The girl saw the beam coming at her as things moved in slow motion. The girl landed as the beam was inches from touching her. Then in a blink of an eye, it was stopped in its tracks. Rainbow saw that Twilight was bent down in front of her as the girl was using her shield to block the attack. The girl could feel herself being pushed as her feet dragged. The teen was determined to not let any harm come to her friend as she kept on holding. Soon the attack ended as the shield was intact and she fell on her behind. "Thanks, Twilight," smiled Rainbow at her friend protecting her. "Don't mention it," said the girl. Applejack and Sunset finished the last bit of the minions as they checked on the pair. Stoneface then retreated as that last beam attack took a lot out of his energy. He pulled back as he needed time to recharge. "After him!" shouted Applejack. "Ash, Rachel, the mutant escaped. Can you track where he's headed?" asked Sunset. "Already on it," said the A.I. as she was tracking Stoneface's signature. She soon got a lock on his signal as the cameras showed the mutant near the mall. "Girls, he's at the mall. You better hurry, there's a lot of people there," stated Ash. "Understood, have you located a weakness?" asked Sunset. "Not yet, I need more time," said Ash as the transmission ended. The girls all began to run in the direction of the mall. "Rachel, what's the status?" asked Ash. "Progress is only at 65%." "We need to finish it. I have a feeling the girls are gonna be in danger soon," said Ash as he began to furious type at the keypads. Speaking of the mall, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were walking down the stairs. They all had found some things they enjoyed on their small shopping trip. Pinkie even decided to record their hangout so that they could show it to the rest of their friends. "I can't believe all the great deals that we saw," said Rarity holding several bags in her hands. "Not to mention the free samples!" stated Pinkie as she reached into her hair and pulled a puff cake. She took a quick photo for her story later as she then gulped it down in one swallow. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Rarity," smiled Fluttershy. "Oh, please. I'm just happy to know that I got to spend the day with friends who aren't always running off and leaving us high and dry. Perhaps we should confront the rest of the girls to see if they can tell us what secret they're keeping." stated the fashionista. The three teens were about to head to the entrance when an explosion happened. They all turned their head as the people near the door were sent flying and splashed into the water fountain. Smoke was shown as the people coughed. Stepping through were more minions and Stoneface as the people saw them and screamed. "Ah, perfect!" shouted Stoneface as he opened his mouth. He had his beam shoot out as he moved it in a line. The people trying to run were caught as they were turned into statues. The few folks running up the stairs were also turned to stone. Pinkie Pie managed to push both her friends to the floor as they barely avoided the beam. It did chop a piece off of Pinkie's cotton candy hair as it fell and hit the ground with a thud. As for the girl, she wasn't worried as soon her hair replaced the small patch she lost. "Run!" shouted Fluttershy. The three now began to head off into the mall as Stoneface managed to finish off the people at the entrance. He then gave the command to the minions to search the mall for any survivors. The three girls were running and turning the corners of the building as everywhere they looked, the monsters were patrolling the halls. They were now looking for anyplace to hide less they suffer the same fate that others did. They eventually came to one of the clothing stores they visited as they rushed in. They ran and hid behind the counter. They peeked their head to see if any of the monsters were nearby. Their eyes scanned, left, and right, but they saw nothing. Just when it seemed everything was clear, there was a sound heard. The girls stayed quiet as they looked through one of the windows of the store. Minions were shown approaching a man as he was on the floor backing up in fear. The minions then split as Stoneface made his presence known and stared at the human. "Please, I beg of you," said the man as he was pleading with the monster to show mercy. "How nice. I don't have someone in that position. Thank you for being so considerate." mocked Stoneface. He then opened his mouth as he fired his beam. The man closed his eyes and looked away with his hand out. The beam hit the person and within seconds, the person was turned into a stone statue. It was a perfect life-sized replica. The girls saw this through the window and gasped. It took everything in Fluttershy's power to not scream at seeing the fate that happened to the poor man. Pinkie inadvertently knocked over some stacks of papers as they fell to the floor. The girls gasped as the sound didn't go unnoticed as one of the minions heard it. They looked in the direction of the store that the girls were hiding in. He glanced at the store and looked through the window, but the girls ducked down to avoid being seen. The minion then got the attention of Stoneface. "What is it?" asked the officer. The minion communicated as he pointed at the store. "Well, let's check it out." The monster then began to march in the direction of the store. The girls were shown as they could hear the footsteps getting closer and closer. The look of fear and terror was on their faces. "What do we do?" asked Pinkie as she knew what would happen if they were found. Ash was busy working his fingers as he needed to finish the project and go help his team. The boy was doing all he can to put the final touches but it was working. "Rachel?!!" shouted Ash. "Status... 85%." "But that can't be?! Everything is calculated. Why is it not connecting?!!" asked the boy. "The gem isn't responding. It seems we can't get it to work," said the A.I. as Ash slumped in his chair. He put his head down in defeat. "I'm sorry, Ash. We'll have to start all over again." The boy was heartbroken to think that all the work he did to get the project to be complete wasn't functioning. He put in the extra hours to make sure the project was finished, but it seems that there was a major error. If his gem didn't respond, then it meant that he miscalculated and he had to start all over from square one. Ash looked at the container that held his gem as it shined. Remember, Ash. Your gem responds to your emotions. Concentrate, and you can feel its aura. It resonates with you. You just need to focus. "Just need to focus," said Ash as he repeated the words of his deceased mother. The boy then opened the container, and he took his gem. He closed his fist as the gem was in his palm. The teen then closed his eyes as he took some deep breaths and began to focus. Ash was concentrating his mind as he tried to be one with his gem. "Focus, focus, respond to my heart," spoke the boy softly. Ash's gem began to hear its owner's heart as it shined a bit. Soon it glowed a few more times as his fist was shining in a yellow light. The boy opened his eyes as he saw his gem and smiled. "Thank you... Mom," muttered the boy while looking to the heavens. He gave gratitude to his mother for helping him in his time of need. Ash then put the gem back in the container as he began to touch more keypads. The screen showed the gem as the numbers and code appeared next to it. The progress bar then showed the percentage as it began to rise. It then stopped as the image of the gem and his ranger suit was shown. "Status, complete," said Rachel. "You did it." "And not a second too late," said Ash as he took his gem from the container. "I have to get to the girls!" "Where are you?" called out Stoneface in a low, creepy voice. He entered the store as he was flanked by the minions. They passed by the first few coat racks as they knocked them over. Stoneface had his claw finger out as he made his way to the counter. The same counter that the girls were hiding behind. He traced the surface of the wooden structure as it was digging into the oak. It left a few marks as the claw was then shown gripping the edge. "I promise I won't harm you. All I ask is that you stand still and... SMILE!!!" shouted the monster. He peered his head over the counter. Stoneface was looking to find the girls, but to his surprise, he saw nothing. A shadow outline then was shown running past one of the aisles. "Spread out! If they're here, we'll find them!" ordered Stoneface. The minions nodded as they began to split up. They were cautiously looking at their surroundings as they kept a keen eye out. Once more the shadowy outline of a person was shown. They picked up the pace as they chased after it. The outline reached the end of the aisle as did the minions. They arrived but some nothing but their comrades from the other aisles. Soon a sound was heard as a shopping cart was rolled towards them. It knocked all of them over like bowling pins as they fell. "What the hell are you doing?!" shouted Stoneface as he arrived. He was anything but amused at seeing his troops lying on the floor. At that moment, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were shown exiting from one of the nearby dressing rooms. Their little plan to distract the monsters worked as they now had a clear shot at the exit. They quietly walked toward the exit and ran before Stoneface could look back. The girls were now running as they looked to escape from the mall. As they were running, more minions spotted them as they blocked off their route. Pinkie immediately pulled out some cupcakes and threw them at the monsters. It merely hit them in the face as they were blinded. "Run!" shouted the party girl. The trio booked it as they went around the blockade. They kept on running as more and more minions popped out. They made it to the escalators and quickly ran down them. They passed by the many stone statues that Stoneface made as they were approaching the doors. They were about to leave when some blasts shot in front of them as they dropped to the floor to avoid going into them. They looked up as it was none other than Stoneface as he managed to track the girls. Now the minions appeared as they circled the girls. They were all scared as they sat and backed up against each other. Stoneface then jumped down as he approached the teens. "Don't be afraid. It'll be all over soon," told Stoneface as he tried to give the girls some comforting words before they met their fate. The girls held each other as they were in fear. Stoneface began to open his mouth as he looked to turn all three teens into stone. Just when he was about to release, some figures were shown leaping into the air. It was none other than their friends as Rainbow knocked a nearby minion into Stoneface as both tumbled and he stopped his beam. The others were shown leaping into action as they stood around their friends on the floor and fought the minions guarding them. "Rainbow Dash, what are you all doing?" asked Rarity as she was confused. "Come on!" said the chromatic-haired teen. She grabbed Rarity's hand and pulled her up as Aj and Twilight did the same with Fluttershy and Pinkie. Sunset did one last spin kick to take out the last minion as all seven girls began to book it. Stoneface was struggling to get up as some of the other minions helped him up. After he retreated and Ash sent the location of the girls, they hurried to put a stop to Stoneface. They arrived just as the monster was turning people into stone. Soon they saw their pals in trouble and they devised a plan to save them. The group of girls made it to the parking lot of the mall. Even more minions were patrolling the lot as Rainbow and Aj began to hold them off. "Over there!" shouted Sunset as she pointed at a nearby staircase. They began to run towards it as a minion jumped on a car next to them. Sunset blocked an attack and then swept the foe with her arm as he hit the hood of the car. Sunset then began to hold off her section as Twilight was tasked with getting their friends to safety. They passed by some more cars as they were about to approach the door. "We're almost there!" said the lavender girl. Just as she said that their path was blocked. "Get going, I'll hold them off!" said Twilight as she took her battle stance and began to charge. She leaped and did a split as she took out two foes at once. She landed and then ducked before spinning with her leg up high to take out another. "But, Twilight..." said Fluttershy. "Don't worry about us, we'll be right behind you," assured the girl as she blocked another attack and then leaped over the car. "Hurry, darlings!" said Rarity to Fluttershy as they continued to run toward the door. All four girls soon ended up back to back as they were surrounded. They did catch a glance of their friends about to reach the door as it meant they were going to be safe. Knowing that they all looked at each other and nodded. They now stood side by side as they raised their arms and had their bracelets change into their Morphers. Their friends made it to the door and they looked back one last time to see how their companions were doing. What they say, was an utter surprise. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted all four girls. They shined brightly as seconds later, they stood in their ranger suits prepared for battle. While the rangers thought their friends were gone, they were completely unaware that they looked back and saw them transform. "They're the Power Rangers?!!" shouted all three as they were stunned. The four rangers then began to engage as they pulled out their sabers. They were now using their moves and cars parked to their advantage as they were mowing down the footsoldiers. All the while, their friends were watching this as they were in awe. "I can't believe it," said Fluttershy. "To think, they were right under our noses the whole time," stated Rarity. Applejack slashed the latest minion as she looked up. Stoneface made his presence known as he landed and began to fight with the farm girl. Aj blocked several attacks as she swung which she missed and was slashed before being flung back. The green ranger was about to get up when several minions began to pile on her as they held her. "Get off of me!" shouted AJ. Applejack then began to tap into her power. She was shown starting to stand up as the minions now realized the danger they were in. The ranger managed to push off the horde of minions on her as she growled. She wasted no time in then bringing her left foot up and then stomping it to the ground as a shockwave occurred and hit the others. "Go, Applejack!" cheered Pinkie. "Huh?" said the girl as she heard the pink girl's voice. Stoneface took that momentary distraction as he fired one of his beams. It hit the back of Applejack as she felt it. Seconds later, a rocky surface began to form as Aj was soon covered head to toe in stone. "Applejack!!!" shouted all six girls as they saw their friend be turned into a statue. The look on their faces told the whole story. They were in utter defeat at seeing one of their best friends being turned to stone. Stoneface on the other hand was smiling and laughing as he relished in the fact that he took down one of the rangers so easily. "This can't be happening," said Pinkie as her hair deflated a bit. "Oh, it is. But don't worry, you'll join her, right now!" shouted Stoneface as he fired beams at the trio. "NO!!!" shouted the rangers. They all quickly jumped in front of the girls and put their arms out. They felt the beam hit their backs as they screamed a bit. It died down as they slumped to their knees. They turned to look at Stoneface as within seconds they too were now stone statues. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were mortified to see that their friends paid the price for their mistake. "Girls!" shouted the three as they began to look at the statues hoping to bring their friends back. They saw the statues as they remained still. It seemed there was no way for them to turn back as they started to blame themselves for them having to take the attack when they should have just escaped. "How sad indeed. If only I gave a shit, this might bring a tear to my eye," taunted Stoneface. He then turned his demeanor into a serious one as he began to approach the girls. They were scared as they saw the monster coming at them. Soon a person was shown running as they leaped into the air to spin and they did a flying kick to Stoneface's midsection as the mutant stumbled back. The girls looked to see who saved them as it was none other than Ash. The boy had made it to where his friends were as he looked to end the mutant. "Ash!!!" shouted all three. "Hope I'm not too late," smiled the boy. "Ash, they've been turned to stone," sniffed Fluttershy trying not to cry too much. "Don't worry, I'll save them," assured the boy to the buttercup girl as he then looked back at the mutant. "What chance do you stand against me, boy?!" taunted Stoneface. Ash simply smirked as he raised his arm to have his bracelet transform into his Morpher. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" shouted the teen. Ash now began to trace the symbol that his topaz gem showed as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him as he did his pose with the animal that was on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "He's a ranger too?!" said the girls. "Minions, destroy him!" commanded Stoneface to the last bit of his forces as they charged. The boy ducked the first two minions. He then blocked an attack from another with his arm as they then punched it several times in the chest. He then leaped into the air to deliver a flying kick as he took out another one. He turned around to see the mutants try to sweep him as he leaped into the air and then landed as he began to trade some fists with the rest of them. They managed to kick him into the car, and he rolled to his side when they tried to hit him. He opened the passenger side door to block a kick. He kicked the mutant and then immediately rolled onto the hood to avoid another attack. He then got on top as they followed the boy. He did some roundhouse kicks and tossed some by their arms off the car as they slammed into the ground. He then did a parkour roll off the hood to avoid some shots aimed at him. He then pulled out his blaster again and took them out. It wasn't long before the boy took the remainder of the minions out as he ran towards the car and leaped. He managed to run along the side of it as he reached the end of it and then did headscissor as he flung the last one onto the ground as it groaned and disappeared. "Time for you to join the rest of your teammates!" shouted Stoneface as he opened his mouth and quickly fired his beam. "Ash, watch out!!" shouted the girls. The boy turned as he was hit by the beam. It created a small light show as it made the girls turn to avoid being blinded. Stoneface stared into the light as he was smiling at his mission being a success. Soon the light died down. "What?!" shouted the mutant. Standing there was Ash as the ranger was glowing yellow, but the big thing was that he wasn't turned to stone like the others. "This can't be! How?!!" "I'll show you. Meet my new power!" stated Ash as his body glowed. "Battle Armor Online, Activate!" The suit heard Ash's command as he touched his Morpher. The boy was now undergoing another transformation as this time he was taking his power to the next level. It showed Ash as he stood there with his arms down. Soon his gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as he now had topaz shards on his knees. The final thing was that his chest now had some crystal armor that match his gem and had the face of his wolf's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. And with that, the transformation was complete. "Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger. Warrior Mode!" shouted Ash as he made his sword appear as it too changed with the hilt being covered in topaz. "What the?" said Stoneface as it was his turn to be in shock at what he saw. The girls were amazed by what they saw as they could tell that Ash's new power meant he was stronger than before. "It doesn't matter!" shouted Stoneface as he fired another one of his stone-changing beams. Ash simply twirled his sword in his hand as he slashed the air and two swipes shot out. They headed toward Stoneface's beam as they bypassed it and pushed it back to his mouth. An explosion occurred as the mutant stumbled back and was flung to the ground. Ash wasted no time as he ran forward. He then began to fight Stoneface as the mutant tried to swing at the ranger but he couldn't. Ash was blocking his attacks with ease as he got in his attacks to damage the monster. Stoneface stepped back and went for another beam attack. This time, Ash turned around as his cape began to work. The garment was able to protect the ranger from harm as it wasn't affecting him. Ash held his cap as he flung his arm to the side as the beam stopped on his command. "No!!" shouted Stoneface. "Time to end this!" shouted Ash. He then tapped into his gem's power as he made a yellow magical circle appear around his sword's blade and thrust it out. The circle shot toward Stoneface as it froze the minion in place. Ash then zoomed ahead as he looked to deliver the final blow. "Topaz Incisor Shred!" The boy then began to swing his blade in all sorts of directions as the screen was covered in slash attacks. He then backed up and leaped into the air and did one final diagonal slash on Stoneface as the mutant screamed in which an explosion occurred. Ash appeared behind the mutant as he had his sword out, as Stoneface was falling, Ash sheathed his sword as he did a new victory pose. An explosion went off behind the boy. The girls were smiling at their friend for defeating the monster. Soon something happened. The statues of their friends began to glow as soon the rocky surface was gone. Applejack was the first as she stumbled to the ground in which Ash caught her. "I got you, Aj." "Ash, is that you, sugarcube?" With the girls, they saw the statues of Rainbow Dash, Sunset, and Twilight all glowing as they soon turned back to normal. The rangers let out gasps as they felt themselves. Once they found to be back alive, they looked at their friends and smiled. They all heard some sounds as they made it to the end of the parking lot and looked down. The people who were all turned into statues were now reverting to their normal selves. They all let out relieved sighs and had smiles. All seven looked at each other as they too smiled, however, it was clear it was time to come clean. "This is impossible, how could Ash have found a new power? His spirit was crushed after what we did to him and his girlfriends!" shouted Pharynx as he slammed his gauntlets into the wall. The dark lords were all watching through their crystal ball as Stoneface carry out his mission. When they saw Ash transform and power up, it legit caught them off guard. Yet, Sombra wasn't worried. "Who cares if he and his friends have their new power-ups? It won't matter in the long run. I will kill him and then we'll destroy this world." stated Sombra as he glanced at the crystal ball. At that moment, Thorax was in his lab as he managed to make a discovery. Something that he believed could help crush the rangers. And it involved on bring back someone from the past. In the rangers' command center, there was nothing but silence. The team was seated, but it wasn't just them. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were also present as the rangers brought them back. It took a while, but eventually, Ash told the whole story. How he arrived from another dimension. Him being the sole survivor of his home and he was the vigilante that the news reported. Then the girls sneaked into the warehouse where he fought Pharynx and it was there they touched the stones to take the oath and become rangers. They leaped into action and fought all the monsters that showed up, even going so far as to explore different parts of the world to search their quest in retrieving the missing zords. And lastly, the enemies they were battling against. "So, you are the Power Rangers?" asked Rarity for one final clarification. "Yup," answered Ash. "And this whole time, not only were you guys fighting those monsters. But you couldn't tell anybody who you were?" stated Fluttershy. "Yes, though... my parents found out themselves in a way. But they've promised to keep it a secret," said Twilight. "And now that you three know, it means that we're in more trouble than before. Cause, you know who we really are." "That doesn't mean, we're gonna tell anybody," smiled Rarity at Ash's statement. "We understand what you're saying. The responsibility that comes with being a ranger. We understand why you kept it a secret. And believe us, we won't tell a soul." "You're serious?" said Ash with a raised eyebrow. "Totally! Who would've thought, that I'm best buddies with Power Rangers? This is the best day ever!!" shouted Pinkie as she made a party cannon appear and pull the string. Confetti shot out and showered the rangers. "We appreciate you, girls. I know that we kinda treated you guys like shit, but... it's just because we were trying to protect you," stated Sunset. "We get it, darling. And as the saying goes, water under the bridge." "Well, in that case, let me extend an offer. Seeing as you're now part of this team, despite not having powers, you're free to visit the command center as often as you want." "Really?" said Pinkie. "Sure, these transporters will allow you to teleport in an instance to the command center. If you're ever in danger, simply push the button and you'll be transported to safety. And if you want, I'm willing to give you girls some basic lessons in self-defense. That way you can handle yourself if things get dicey." said Ash. "By the way, Ash. What's with that new mode? It was pretty sick!" said Rainbow. "You like it? It's something I've been working on in my spare time. And it's not just me who can transform. All of us can upgrade our suits. I'd figured that if we're going to at least attempt to defeat Sombra, having all the zords might not be enough. So we might need some new powers to help us." stated the boy. "You're not the only one who discovered she's got a new power. Remember how we were able to track you guys in the mall with all those monsters?" asked Twilight as she had a smile. "Well, I was able to locate based on your auras. Seems I got psychometry, meaning I can sense the auras of anyone or anything in the vicinity. It means I'm not just smart. I actually have a power!!" shouted the girl as she was finally glad to be useful. The others all just let Twilight have her moment as they smiled. "We appreciate it, Ash. And thank you. For welcoming us to the team." smiled Rarity as the other two did the same. "Seems we have more guests at the command center," spoke Rachel. "Who's that?!" asked Pinkie as she pointed at the central computer. "That's Rachel. She's the A.I. that's been looking after me since I list my parents. I'll tell you about her another time. For now, let's all bring it in." instructed Ash. The boy put his hand out as soon Rainbow, Aj, Sunset, and Twilight did the same. They all looked at the three remaining girls as they smiled. Soon they too extended their hand as they were huddled in a circle. All seven teens were smiling at the moment that was before them. Each one, regardless of whether or not they were Power Rangers, one thing was for sure. They each had each other's backs. "And break!" stated Ash. "Power Rangers!" shouted all the teens as they lifted their hands into the air as the scene froze and end with them smiling.
Chapter 20: Call of the Wild Pt. 1Thorax was busy pressing his keypads. Thorax lighted up his screens with tons of info and data as the mutant was sweating hard. Next to him was a table with a sheet over it. Based on the shape that the sheet covered, it looked to belong to something that walked on two legs. While the whole fiasco with Stoneface went down, Thorax was continuing his search for the rest of the zords. However, while expanding his search worldwide, he got a disturbance that messed with his results. He did manage to pinpoint its location and arrived at the place where the signal originated. And as foretold, they managed to find a black box of sorts. Thorax was handed the box as he saw what was inside. The thing was a piece. A piece of what, he had no idea. So he brought it back to his lab to examine it. Once the computer ran its analysis, the info that Thorax brought up shocked the mutant. And the next few days, he worked hard to complete the heart. The general was putting the final touches on his latest invention as his brother and Starlight watched him in his lab. "You sure this will work?" asked Starlight. "If my calculations are correct, and they always are, this will bring him back from the dead," said Thorax. "Then what?" asked Pharynx. "We introduce him to Sombra. With his help, we may destroy the rangers." "Brother, I know you're smart. But you're also a dumbass. Did the records not show that he doesn't give a shit about anybody but himself? Bringing him back using that heart will ruin our plans!" stated Pharynx. "For once, I agree with your annoying big brother. If you somehow manage to bring him back, there's no telling what he'll do. Besides, wasn't the whole heart destroyed years ago. Do you think you can complete a heart using data and parts?" asked Starlight. "That's why we not only have science but magic as well. Besides, you guys might not believe it, but a heart can live inside data," stated Thorax. A container then opened up as the heart was now complete. Thorax dug up the pieces of data he had on the thing from its completed form and finished the rest of the organ as it was now back to its original state. The mutant then grabbed it as he approached the body on the table with the sheet over it. He took it off and asked Starlight to use her magic to implement it into the vessel. Soon her staff began to glow as he returned to his work-study and pulled a level. Electricity shot out as it fused with the magic that was being enacted on the body. After a few moments, the legs began to stir. But they soon stopped as all three Dark Lords leaned in to see if anything else would happen. Nothing occurred as it seemed that the attempt to revive the mysterious figure was all for naught. "Well, that's another failure you can add to the list, brother," snickered Pharynx to his little sibling. "Whatever!!! He was a piece of shit anyway," said Thorax as he began to walk. The three generals then left the lab as it closed behind him. Thorax turned off the lights of the lab. The scene showed the sheet covered over the individual on the table. For a second, it laid still. Soon a hand emerged from under the cover as it made a fist. In the ranger command center, the girls were in the training room. Ash extended the offer to Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie to be invited to the place. As well as him offering to give them some basic self-defense classes. The girls were now in the training room as Ash was instructing them. "Remember, only use these moves to protect yourself. Don't abuse them or whatnot." "We understand, darling," said Rarity to Ash. "But I do require a nice long bath." "Alright, we can call it here," instructed the boy. The girls sighed as they were glad that the training session was over. He then pointed to where the bathrooms were as they left. Sunset and Twilight approached their leader as he was wiping his forehead with a towel. "It finally feels good that our friends know who we are," said Sunset. "It was hard not telling them that we're saving the world," spoke Twilight. "I get it, but we had no choice under the circumstances we found ourselves. Again, we did break the rule of being a ranger. But... it does feel nice to know that others are willing to keep our secret safe. Plus, with those three now in our line of work, they can at least cover for you girls when you need to sneak off." stated Ash. "Speaking of us, where are Aj and Dash?" asked Sunset. "Applejack's on her way. She had to do some last-minute deliveries for her family. But she did promise to bring some bottles of cider for us. And as for Rainbow, she's got karate class. So I told her to come here when she gets out." said the boy. While this was going on with the rangers, another thing was happening. In the lair of the dark lords, the scene showed a room. When Thorax retrieved the heart, he discovered. He also found a weapon next to it, clearly showing who and what the seat belonged to. It then showed a figure looking at the sword. The figure had a dark robe over itself as it approached the weapon. He took a few steps forward as he was unaware of the security system. Soon an alarm went off, and the figure didn't bother that it was alert. The doors opened, and in came Pharynx, Starlight, Chrysalis, and some minions, as they wanted to know what triggered the security breach. "Hold it right there!" shouted Pharynx to the robed figure. "Who the hell are you?!" demanded Starlight. The figure didn't answer as they stood there. "Hey, answer the question, bitch?!" stated Starlight once more, but the figure didn't speak. "Get them." The minions heard the command from Starlight as they began to approach the robed figure. Just as they were about to put their hands on the cloak, they were blasted by the figure's hand as they fell and evaporated. The generals were caught off guard as they didn't suspect their intruder to fight back. The rest of the minions then charged ahead as the figure started to fight back, defeating the weaklings with ease. It then reached the wall to grab its weapon as it charged up and made a slash attack that caused the minions to turn dust. This shocked the three generals as they could see the intruder wouldn't compile. "Alright, I've had enough of this shit! Who the hell are you?!!" shouted Starlight. The figure turned and looked at them. In one swift motion, it took off the robe as the generals could see its proper appearance. "Behold! It is I!" "This can't be! Master Org!" said Chrysalis as all three were in awe and shock. True to what the three generals saw, standing before them was the once long gone leader of the orgs from so long ago—none other than Master Org in his final form before he was defeated. "There's no way this is happening! He'd be too stupid to try to steal from us!" said Starlight, as she wasn't entirely buying what was in front of her. "But it is! And the last thing I am is stupid!" shouted the leader of the orgs. Master Org wasted no time in attacking Pharynx and Starlight. The mighty villain managed to kick Starlight to the side as she collided with the table. Pharynx was standing his ground as he began to swing his gauntlets at the mighty org as he took the blows but dodged a few. He then fought back as Pharynx blocked before he too was struck and fell to the ground. "Volt flare!" shouted Chrysalis as she shot an orb of fire at the org leader, who simply cut it in half with his weapon. "Accel!" shouted the general as her legs glowed blue, and she increased her movement and speed. She then began to kick several times in a row while in the air. Master Org simply put his arms together as he was blocking all the attacks thrown by Chrysalis. The general landed as she fired another one of her spells, and this time he had to dodge and roll out of the way. Chrysalis then made portals appear when she thrust her hands out to the side. Chains appeared as they began to wrap around Master Org and put him on his knees. Chrysalis was grunting as she was doing everything in her power to hold the leader of the orgs down but found it challenging. She struggled as the strength of her foe outmatched hers. Master Org managed to stand up as he looked Chrysalis in the eye. He broke the chains holding him with one shrug as Chrysalis felt her hands hurt. She grasped them as she was then grabbed and lifted into the air. "How can this be?" said Chrysalis as she was helpless by the org who held her. "I don't understand. You were destroyed so many years ago. The only way you could be back is if the org heart is restored." "I am back with a vengeance. And soon all of you will be no more!" said Master Org as he pointed his blade at Chrysalis. He looked to end the general right then and there. Soon he heard a blast sound as it collided with his right side. It caused him to stumble as he dropped Chrysalis to the floor. Entering the room was none other than Sombra, who his elite guards accompanied. He had his crystal blade out as he was not happy to see someone invading his home and insulting his generals by making them look weak. Both mighty leaders glared at one another as the tension was there. Both swung their blades as they launched a slash attack. The two attacks met in the middle as a massive explosion occurred. It caused everyone to stumble and fall to the floor as they saw the power levels on display. Back with the two alphas, both stood their ground as they stared at one another. "I give you one warning for trespassing on my property! Leave or I shall destroy you!" threatened Sombra. "Never! I will have my revenge! And no one will stop me!" stated Master Org. Both leaders looked to get in their battle stance. Another massive brawl looked to ensure. "Wait! Wait!" shouted Thorax as he appeared in the middle and put his arms between the two mighty leaders. "Thorax, what are you doing? He's trying to destroy us!" shouted Pharynx at his younger brother. "Leave him be! If he wants to play peacekeeper and get his ass destroyed, by all means, don't stop him!" growled Starlight. "Sombra, please. I brought him back," said Thorax. "What?" said Chrysalis to her son. "Do you recall the interference I discovered the other day when I searched for the zords? Well, it turns out it was a box. But inside that box was none other than the legendary Org heart." "But the Org Heart was destroyed long ago, Thorax. How does it exist now?" asked Chrysalis. "There's nothing science and magic can't do if they work in unison. As well as data. I was able to complete the Org Heart and, in turn, retrieve the mighty general of the orgs that once fought humanity for 3000 years." "You mean to tell me that little experiment you did earlier when we were present worked?!" said Starlight. "Indeed. And now the mighty leader of the orgs has risen once more," said Thorax as he looked at Master Org. "And why should I be concerned with this?" demanded Sombra to Thorax. "As far as I'm concerned, our priority is the destruction of the Power Rangers!" "The Power Rangers?!" shouted Master Org. Just hearing that name made the org's blood boil. He remembered the reason for his destruction as it fueled his hatred. "The rangers will pay for what they did." "You despise them as well, hmm?" said Sombra as he sheathed his crystal blade. He began to approach the org leader, and his comrades were surprised. To think he left himself unarmed as he came to the person who invaded their home and looked to destroy them. Sombra now stood face to face with Master Org as the leader of the Dark Lords had a sinister and evil smile. "Then it appears our goals are the same. I have a proposition for you. One that I think you'll find pleasant." said Sombra holding that evil smile with a slight sinister chuckle. The scene showed Rainbow riding her skateboard. She was dressed in elbow and knee pads, all while having a bag over her chest. The chromatic-haired teen was making her way to her karate class. It would have been faster to use her super speed to get there, but not only would it attract too much attention, but the girl was in the mood to do some cool tricks before class. She picked up the speed of her board as she came to a bench. The girl then jumped as the board grinded on the metal end before reaching the end of it and doing an ollie. The girl landed as she kept on riding. She zoomed past more people as they leaned to a side to avoid getting hit by Rainbow based on how fast she was going. The teen was coming up on a corner as it was a sharp turn. She approached it and then jumped to grab the lamp post to swing her in the right direction. The girl kept on riding as she got close to her destination. She was picking up speed as the sound of a bell was heard. A door opened, and out came a woman who exited the door. They were reading a book when a voice called out to them. "Look out!" shouted Dash. The girl was going too fast that she couldn't get her board to stop. The woman saw the teen coming at her, but she didn't move. Instead, she leaned far back as Rainbow leaped over her and did a kickflip as everything moved in slow motion. Time resumed as Rainbow landed and continued to ride. "Sorry about that! Nice moves!" shouted the athletic girl as her voice trailed and she disappeared around the corner. The woman who Rainbow almost hit now leaned back to her regular position. The scene changed to show the woman's upper body, not her face. Soon a hand reached upwards and was brought down as it held a pair of glasses. It also showed the backpack they were wearing as it was the color white and dawned an image of a tiger. Rainbow had made it to her karate class with a few minutes to spare. After changing and getting warmed up, the instructor entered the room and began to go over their lessons. Soon the end of the class was starting to wind down as the instructor ended their lessons a bit early. "Alright, line up!" said the man as the students listened. "Now we have a special guest visiting us today. Please welcome Ms. Enrilé." The instructor briefly introduced a woman who entered the room in a karate suit as the teens waved to the woman. Rainbow saw the woman as she smiled; she was unaware that the woman standing before her was the one she almost hit with her skateboard. "Ms. Enrilé is an instructor in the martial arts as well. And she has come today to test every one of you," said the instructor. "I'm grateful that you'll have me here today. I want to see what you all are capable of," said Ms. Enrilé. "Alright, one by one, you'll face off against Ms. Enrilé," stated the instructor to the students. The students obeyed as they began to prepare. For the next while, the students were being pushed to their limit against Ms. Enrilé. Safe to say, they were all shocked and surprised by just how good she was. Rainbow was watching the one-on-one fights between the other students and Ms. Enrilé as she was impressed. She was also motivated as the woman was single-handily taking down the students without so much as breaking a sweat. Ms. Enrilé managed to avoid a lunge by the student she was facing. She evaded his attack and countered with a solid blow to the student's stomach, using nothing but her shin. The student fell to his knees as it was called. She gave a smile and bowed in respect to her foe she defeated. The teen got up and rubbed his stomach as he got off the mat. Rainbow was stepping up as she was the final challenger. Both females glanced at one another as Ms. Enrilé sensed something about the teen. Both gave a bow before getting into their battle stances. "BEGIN!" shouted the instructor. Rainbow Dash quickly charged at Ms. Enrilé and started throwing punches. Ms. Enrilé did her best to evade her hits. However, the last punch was a fakeout, and she made a lousy dodge, allowing Dash to hit her with a solid blow to her face as she took a few steps back. She touched her face as she smiled at the teen. Rainbow kept on the offense as she charged and swung. Ms. Enrilé let the girl come at her with all her might. However, she focused on the technique she wanted to pull off next. She dodged Rainbow Dash's attacks and swatted away her hands. Once the opportunity arrived, and she raised her leg to kick the girl, she made a fast and sudden move, she ducked and grabbed her from the waist and swept the foot Dash was standing on, which only sent her back on her back and with her legs spread, and Ms. Enrilé got the chance to land a vicious punch to the girl. "POINT!" said the instructor. Rainbow struggled to stand up and looked a bit dizzy after the technique that Ms. Enrilé did on her. She then refocused as she charged. Both did some quick hand exchanges while trying to find an opening. Ms. Enrilé caught a forward-stepping mule kick with both her hands as she grunted and slid back an inch across the mat. Despite the stinging in her palms, she smirked. Rainbow simply narrowed her eyes as she surprised Ms. Enrilé by lifting her other leg and launching it toward her face. She barely moved her head out of the way, using her grip on her foot to flip her away from her. She landed gracefully into a crouch, not letting up her attack as Dash immediately leaped at her with a fist. The woman was forced to backpedal as she swept aside the fury of punches being thrown by the teen girl. Dash's footwork greatly improved since they first began as the fight with Ms. Enrilé motivated her to improve and adapt to the situation on the fly. Rainbow maintained her momentum to keep up with Ms. Enrilé while still keeping on the offensive. Still, she quickly spotted an opening and practically, on instinct, exploited it. She didn't see the punch coming as it plowed her in the cheek, sending her sprawling backward. Dash tried to get back up and fight, but her body ached. It was sending her a message that if she continued, she would risk her personal health. Eventually, the girl had to do the one thing she hated, and that was accept defeat. She lifted her head as she came to the view of Ms. Enrilé offering her hand. The teen extended her hand outwards and let the woman pull her up. The girl now stood on her feet as she rotated her shoulder to minimize the pressure and bruise she felt it. "You did good," spoke Ms. Enrilé. "Out of every I faced, you gave me the toughest fight." "You're just saying that," said Rainbow as she felt like the woman was trying to make her feel better after suffering such a devasting defeat. "I mean it. You're a good fighter." "Thanks. However, you were able to beat me even after taking on all the other students. Shows that I've got a lot to work on if I lost to someone like that." stated Rainbow. "Winning isn't always everything. Sometimes the best way to learn is by defeat. Trust me, I know." responded Ms. Enrilé. "Alright, that's enough. Let's give a warm applause to Ms. Enrilé for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit us," said the instructor as the students began to clap as they showed their admiration for the woman. Even Rainbow couldn't help but join in as she gave her respect to the woman that bested her. "Class is over!" The students began to pack up as they went to their lockers. It showed Rainbow closing her locker as she had her bag over her shoulder. The girl was back in her regular clothes as she put on her bracelet. She looked at the gem as she was quickly reminded of the fight with Ms. Enrilé. It still plagued her mind that she had lost. "No more playing around. I'm going to get better so that never happens to me again. I won't lose, " Rainbow said with a determined look. She then began to walk out of the building to the command center. As the girl left, Ms. Enrilé saw the teen left. She then got the attention of the instructor. "Pardon me for asking, but who is that girl? The one I faced last?" asked Ms. Enrilé. "That's Ms. Rainbow Dash. She has a bit of a competitive side. She doesn't like losing, I'll tell you that." said the instructor as he left for his office. "Rainbow Dash, huh," muttered Ms. Enrilé to herself. The doors to the command center opened up. Rainbow came in, immediately threw her bag on the floor, and stomped over to the couch area as she hopped over it and crossed her arms. A drone picked up her bag and placed it away as Ash and the others saw their friend enter. "Bad day?" asked Ash as he knew how Rainbow was. "I don't want to talk about it," said the girl as she pouted. "Someone beat you in karate class?" said Aj with a smirk. "I said I don't want to talk about it!" shouted the girl to her friends. "She totally got her ass kicked," whispered Ash to the girls as they all nodded. They all began to cackle at their friend's misery. "There, there. It's alright, Dashie," said Fluttershy as she sat next to her friend on the couch and patted her back. "Not everybody wins at everything." "I do!" yelled the girl. "I'm Rainbow Dash! The best, most awesome person alive! Nobody gets the best of me! Nobody!" "She's not gonna let this go, is she?" asked Twilight. "Nope," responded Sunset. Before the group of teens could continue to listen to Rainbow whine and complain, an alarm went off. "Ooh, flashy red lights!" said Pinkie as she jumped up and down in place as the siren got louder. "That's usually not a good thing, Pinkie," said Rarity. "Rarity is right. Something's happening," said Ash as he made his way to the computer. He slid into the chair and began to press the keypad rapidly. "Status, Rachel." "My sensors are scrambled all over the place. I can't get a clear signal." "Boost output by 13%. Increase the core momentum," said Ash as he continued to push more keys. On the screen, it was nothing but static of black and white. The picture was fuzzy, and soon it began to clear up. It showed a plaza being overrun by minions as people were screaming. "Looks like a small horde," said Twilight. "Still, best be on guard. In case any of the Dark Lords are leading the charge. Either way, those people need our help. Let's go." said the boy. "Right," said the girls. "Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie. Stay here and monitor the cams. Let us know if anything else comes up." "You can count on us, darling," said Rarity. At the plaza, minions were running amok. They weren't just chasing people; they were also destroying public property. Some windows were broken as the mutants began to steal some stuff. One of them was attacking a car when he looked up. Coming at him was a flying kick, and it knocked him down. It got the attention of the others as they looked, and standing in front of them were Ash and the girls. "Time to send you boys packing!" said Sunset. The minions then charged forward as each of the teens began to engage. Applejack stood in front of the foes as she smirked. She thrust her arms out as she tapped into her gem's power and hardened her skin. The girl then took a few steps forward as three minions attacked. She blocked them all by lifting her left arm as she smirked. Using her strength, she then flipped them over her head. She then ducked and blocked a consecutive strike to her midsection by moving her right arm up and down before delivering a kick that sent the minion into a car as it made sparks fly. Rainbow was zooming and taking down her section of foes using her superspeed. The girl did zig-zag formations as she knocked her opponents down faster than you could blink. One grabbed her by the shoulder as Rainbow countered by doing a standing backflip to take the hand off. She then did a spinning back kick and landed to sweep the minions trying to sneak up on her. The girl then began to run once more as she circled her section of foes. The girl ran fast as she created a rainbow-colored tornado that started to grow. It died down as the girl came to a stop and looked back to see the minions all lying on the ground with swirls on top of their heads. Twilight was backflipping and cartwheeling nonstop to avoid all the attacks one after the other. She landed on her feet as she blocked several more attacks with her hands and legs. The girl then leaped off a rock and began stepping on the minions' shoulders as she ran over them. She forward flipped and kicked a minion as he splatted against the wall. She then turned and blocked a blow with her leg before twisting the minion, grabbing her as they spun in the air as she recovered while the monster hit the floor. Sunset was twerking her body as she rotated in the air to avoid the minions shooting their weapons at her. She landed and slid towards some rocks as they provided the girl some cover. She then did a handstand over the rock and began to engage them. One of them went for an arm thrust as the girl moved to the side and grabbed the arm in front of her. She aimed the weapon at the other minions and began to fire while spinning in a circle. The others fell back as sparks were shown when they got shot. The girl then dragged the minion she had a hold of to the floor so that when he got to his knees, she gave a roundhouse kick to knock the monster out. Ash did his signature corkscrew as he avoided the minions. He landed on a rock and began to spin and kick while staying in place. One of the minions tried to sweep him as the boy dropped to a pushup position and extended his leg to flick the mutant away. He then transitioned using a breakdance move to balance on his hands while using his legs to kick away at any mutants trying to attack. He then pushed himself off his hands as he, spun in the air for several rotations as he landed, and then did a punch to one of the monsters as they fell into the fountain. As the teens were combating their foes, the background showed someone watching from behind a corner. They had noticed the nearby attack and began to investigate it. She saw the teens arrive as they began to fight. The one thing that stood out was the jacket she wore, as it was white. "Not yet," said the person as they stood on standby. She had a feeling she knew what was going on. Ash finished with the last minion when he turned his head. A beam was coming at him as the boy was flung into the air, as an explosion occurred behind him. Master Org sent the teen flying as he crashed into the plaza walkway. "Ash, you okay?" asked Twilight as the girls appeared next to their leader. "Nice to see you, rangers!" said Starlight as she appeared. "Starlight!" growled Ash as he stood up. "I'm so glad you came, 'cause I have a new friend who wants to meet you," snickered the general as she stepped to the side. The teens looked on as walking was none other than Master Org. The org saw the teenagers as he growled. The rangers were confused as they didn't know who or what they were facing. "Who the hell is that?" asked Rainbow. "I don't know, but we're gonna defeat them just like the others," said Ash as the girls agreed with that statement. They all raised their arms as their bracelets turned into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted all five. Ash began to trace his topaz gem's symbol as it recognized it. It then had the gem encase the boy as he landed on a platform, as his whole body turned into the suit with bits of his gem on his shoulders. He lifted his head as the vizor covered the last bit of him; as he did, his pose with the animal on it appeared behind the boy and let out a howl. Applejack traced her symbol, and her emerald gem showed it recognized it. It then encased the girl in her suit as she landed on a platform. Her whole body turned into a suit with bits of her gem on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her. Rainbow was now transforming as she was encased in her suit. She traced her symbol produced by the cobalt stone. She landed on a platform as bits of her gem were on her shoulders. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose with her zord behind her as it made its sound. Twilight traced her symbol produced by her sapphire gem as it recognized her. The jewel encased the girl as she landed on a platform. The girl lifted her head as the vizor completed the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her animal appeared behind her and made a noise. Sunset underwent her transformation as the ruby stone grew larger and encased the girl in her suit. The girl landed on a platform as bits of her gem were also shown on her shoulder. She lifted her head as the face had the visor appear as it covered the last bit of her. The girl did her pose as her zord appeared behind her and made a noise. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" "With the fiery of the phoenix, Harmony Guardian Red Ranger!" "Harmony Guardian Power Rangers!" shouted the group in unison. "Rangers!!" growled Master Org. They may not have been the ones that took him down, but they were still a nuisance all the same. He then began to charge forward as the teens did the same. They pulled out their sabers as they began to swing, but their foe was of a different breed. Master Org ducked and blocked all the swings the teens were trying as he delivered a powerful kick to Rainbow and sent the girl crashing into a nearby rock as she winced in pain. Applejack tried to punch the villain as it grabbed her arm and raised it. He did several kicks to her midsection as he quickly slashed at the farm girl as she screamed and was thrown back. Sunset tried her attempt as she pulled out her blaster and began aiming at the monster. Master Org merely covered up with his shoulder to minimize the damage. The girl went for another shot as he blocked it with his sword and held it while turning around. When he came around, he returned fire at Sunset as she got hit, and sparks flew as she dropped her weapons. The girl screamed and was flipped forward into the air as she landed on her back. Twilight made her shield appear as she threw it at Master Org, as it bounced off the org's body and made him stumble. It darted back, and the girl threw it once more. This time he caught it as Twilight gasped. Master Org then threw it back at the ranger as he began to bounce it off her as Twilight couldn't defend herself. He then threw the shield up as he charged up an attack with his sword and shot it toward the girl. Twilight felt it as she yelled; Master Org then saw the shield coming down as he did a back kick to hit the weapon, and it collided with Twilight as she was thrown onto the floor. "Topaz Slash!" shouted Ash as he was shown leaping into the air and using his finisher move. It hit the org leader dead-on as smoke appeared. Ash looked as soon as it showed a hand emerging from the smoke as it grabbed the ranger. The boy was now being held in the air as he dropped his weapon. The yellow ranger was now staring into the eyes of the org. "You've got guts, boy. Challenging an org," he said with a chuckle. He then threw Ash over his head as he aimed his weapon and fired his attack. It hit the boy while he was in the air as he felt the attack. Ash landed on his back in front of his teammates as they were facefirst on the ground as they were stirring. "We can't touch him," grunted Aj. "Nothing we do affects him," said Twilight. "Had enough, rangers? You're not the only ones who have friends in high places. Finish them!" advised Starlight as Master Org nodded. He pointed his weapon to the ground and kept it low as he began to approach the rangers. They were still struggling to get up as he now stood over Ash with the blade just inches from his face. "I will finally have my revenge against the rangers!" shouted Master Org. He then lifted his blade and looked to bring it down. "Ash!!" shouted the girl. The boy saw it coming as he put his hands up to protect himself. Everything was moving in slow motion as it seemed like the boy was about to meet his end. It showed something leaping into the air as they delivered a kick to Master Org's midsection as the org felt it and stumbled. Ash removed his hands and looked as he saw a person standing before him. He saw it was a woman as she wore a white jacket that had a picture of a tiger on the back. "Who's that?" asked Sunset as the girls also saw the woman standing before them. "Stay out of this! Unless you want to end like them!" warned Starlight. As the woman straightened out, the general didn't know who she was talking to. She then pulled out a flip phone as everyone saw this and what would happen next was something that blew everyone's mind. "Wild Access!" shouted the woman as she touched the buttons on her Growl Phone as the transformation began to occur. Soon the phone closed as it extended to show front and back legs as the image of a tiger appeared for a second. The phone then stood up to resemble a person in a fighting stance before it broke apart to reveal the woman as she was wearing a white suit. Soon the helmet formed on her head as it looked like a tiger. "Noble Tiger!" shouted the woman. "What?!" said Starlight in utter shock. "She's a Power Ranger?!" said Sunset as the girls were stunned by what they saw. "White Tiger Baton!" said the ranger in front of the teens as she pulled out her weapon. She then began to engage with the org leader as he swung, and she did her best to avoid and block his shots. Compared to our heroes, she was holding her own if she had experience facing the villain. She ducked and got on a rock to bounce off of it and leaped into the air. "White Tiger Baton! Tiger Thrust!" shouted the ranger. She thrust her weapon as it made contact with Master Org, who was thrown back a bit as he landed by Starlight's feet. "Wow, she took him off his feet," said Aj as they were impressed by what they saw. "You'll pay for that!" said Starlight as she prepared to engage with the mysterious individual. "No!" said Sombra as he communicated with the general. "Fall back!" "But Sombra..." "Do as your told, Starlight!" "Understood," nodded the mutant. "We must retreat." "Never!" said the org leader as he was dead-set on ending the rangers. "Sombra's orders. And if you want your revenge on the rangers, you'd best listen to him," said Starlight to the org leader as he hated being told that. "Another time, rangers. Next time, you won't be so lucky!" The general then made her and Master Org disappear as they flashed and then were gone. Ash and the girls all got to their feet as they saw the ranger in front of them. They demorphed as they turned around. The person in question was the same woman who had stopped by Rainbow's karate class earlier. The rangers approached the woman as they wanted to thank their savior. "Thanks for your help," said Ash. "It was no problem," smiled the woman. "Hold on, that voice. I feel like I've heard it before," said Rainbow to herself as she began to think when the woman spoke. "Hey, wait a minute!" The woman now turned to look at the blue ranger. "You're the one that kicked my ass in karate class!!" shouted Rainbow angrily as she demorphed when saying that. "Pause and rewind. You legit got your ass kicked?!" said Ash as he and the girls demorphed. "That's not the point!" shouted Rainbow. "I think it is," responded the boy with a smug smile. Dash had an angry, stern look as the others laughed at their friend's misfortune. All the while, the woman was giggling at seeing the friends acting like themselves. It reminded them of some people she knew. "Anyways, who are you? And why are you a Power Ranger?" asked Rainbow. "I'll tell you. But not here," said the woman. "Come on, let's head back to the command center," instructed Ash as the group of rangers left the plaza. "Who was that?!" asked Chrysalis. "A ranger, no doubt," stated Thorax. "But how can that be? There's no white gem!" said Pharynx. "You're right. There isn't. That's because she's not our ranger," said Sombra. At that moment, Starlight and Master Org teleport into the throne room. The org leader stared at the leader of the Dark Lords as he was unhappy that he had to pull out just when he had the advantage. "Tell us about your rangers," demanded Sombra. The girls heard the sounds of doors opening. Ash, the girls, and their mysterious friend were walking in. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie turned as they saw their friends returning. They saw, along with Rachel, what went down on the screens as they were thankful for the mysterious person appearing when she did. Soon it showed her walking through the doors. "Wow, you definitely have a better headquarters than I used to have," said the woman, taking in the much bigger and more space. "It's alright," bragged Rainbow as she slumped on the couch. "So spill it. Who are you? And why are you so good at karate?" "Rainbow?!!" said the girls as they glared at their friend for saying that. "It's quite alright. My name is Alyssa. And as I used to be a Power Ranger just like you all." said the woman. "Alyssa? Alyssa? Why does that name sound familiar?" said Ash as he began to walk to the central computer. The boy sat down and began researching with Rachel as the girls kept talking with their new ally. "We appreciate you saving our skin back there," said Sunset. "We would have been finished if you didn't show up," said Twilight. "Don't mention it. Master Org is quite powerful. If you're not prepared, you might end up losing your life," stated Alyssa. "Org? What's an org?" asked Pinkie. "Orgs are demonic, oni-like beings who desired to exterminate humanity and conquer the Earth for themselves," answered Alyssa. "And Master Org is the evilest of them all." "The way you speak of him. It sounds like you have a history with him," said Rarity. "She does!" said Ash as he got the attention of the girls and Alyssa as they looked to where the boy was. "Alyssa didn't just fight against Master Org. She defeated him with her friends. She was part of a team of rangers called the Wild Force. She's the white ranger." Ash then pushed some keypads as Rachel pulled up some clips and footage in the Morphin Grid archive. The girls and Alyssa were now watching the small videos shown as they saw just how much of a legend the woman was. "Memories," smiled Alyssa. "Wow, you really did all this. You're amazing," said Fluttershy as she admired what Alyssa was able to accomplish at such a young age. "No doubt, being able to take on some many monsters and put an end to the fiercest org of them all. That's no easy task," said Ash as he, too, gave his props to Alyssa. "Thanks, guys. And as for what happened at karate class, Rainbow. My dad is a martial arts instructor. He taught me my fighting skills, including our family's famous Tiger style." "Yeah... I see..." said the girl as she was now a bit embarrassed hearing who Alyssa was. "Well, as nice as it is. We still have a big threat on our hands. With Master Org returning and aligning himself with our villains. It means we're going to have to do the same." said Ash. "I'd be willing to help you guys," said Alyssa. Ash extended his hand out for the woman to shake as she did so. With the alliance now made, they began to think about how to defeat their foes. Before they could, alarms went off. Rachel pulled up the cameras as they showed a nearby quarry. "Guess who's back," said the A.I. "Alright, girls. Let's go," said Ash as they and Alyssa nodded. Pharynx was now leading the charge. Several minions were accompanying him and Master Org. It showed the rangers running to confront them as they soon stood before the large group. "Knew they come running," snickered Pharynx as he rubbed his gauntlets against each other. "There's no retreat for two this time!" stated Ash as he pointed at the group. "Be careful. We don't know what else Master Org can do," said Alyssa to the teens as she warned them to be cautious. "It doesn't matter. They're going down just the same," boasted Rainbow. "Ready, y'all!" asked Aj. "Let's do it!" shouted the six rangers as they charged. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the teens as they transformed while running. "Wild Access!" shouted Alyssa as she changed while running. Pharynx nodded to Master Org as he did too. He put his hand out as and threw pink slime on the ground. It then began to grow as the pink slim took shape. Arising were now Putrids as they banged their clubs on the floor. Thorax was able to give a boost to Master Org's powers as the great leader could now summon his foot soldiers with ease. They, too, began to charge forward. The rangers were now dealing with the foot soldiers as they were quite a handful. Applejack and Twilight worked back to back as they covered each other's weaknesses. They began to block and kick the monsters that came at them. Applejack stopped an attack using her leg as she brought the arm of the Putrid down. Twilight took that opportunity to leap off Aj's shoulders and activate her wings. She then flew by and took out any enemies caught in her path. Aj then finished by slamming her foot to the ground as a rock appeared in the air before her; she punched it toward the last remaining. With that taken care of, Pharynx then made his presence known. He bulldozed through both girls as they fell to the ground. The general then slammed his gauntlets on the floor, sending them flying. A rainbow-colored trail zoomed by as Rainbow managed to catch her friends and put them on the ground for safety. The pair got up and began working with Rainbow as they took on Pharynx. With the others, they were doing the same with Master Org. They managed to dispose of the footsoldiers with ease. However, they were having a difficult time with the leader. "Harmony Saber!" shouted Ash and Sunset. "Crystal Saber!" said Alyssa. All three charged and surrounded the org leader as they tried to attack him. Each was blocked perfectly by the villain. Sunset tried for a sneak attack as she went for a kick to the back of Master Org. The org general simply caught her foot without looking in his arm. She saw it and pushed her other leg up to try to kick him away, but he didn't move an inch, and she fell to the ground. Sunset got up as he turned and blocked a right punch by the girl. He traded their positions while holding onto Sunset's wrist and kicked her in the stomach. She fell to her knees immediately before getting up, only to be kicked in her upper body as she was thrown and crashed hard on her back. "Harmony blaster!" shouted Ash as he pulled out his other side-arm. He fired a shot as the org leader deflected the shot, hitting Alyssa, who flipped forward. "Alyssa!" shouted the boy as he didn't mean for her to get hit. He was distracted as he only barely blocked an overhead attack by Master Org as the org general pushed it to the side and quickly slashed at his chest. Ash rolled on the ground as he got to his knees. The blade of Master Org was shown on his shoulder as the boy quickly deflected it off and stood. They began to sword fight as they traded blows, to which Ash had to jump back to avoid a backspin kick by the org. He then kicked a front bicycle as Ash blocked it with his sword. The org leader spun and went for a surprise low attack aimed at the boy's feet. Ash reacted quicker as he jumped and leaped off the org's shoulders as he landed behind him. He quickly turned to fire another shot from his blaster, but the org was quicker and ricocheted the shot back to Ash. It hit his hand holding his blade as the boy dropped his weapon and felt the pain. He quickly shook it off and began to fire at the org general. Master Org deflected the first few blasts and then reflected another shot at the boy; as it hit him right in the chest, an explosion occurred. Ash was shown flying out of the explosion as he traveled a reasonable distance and collided with a rock as he fell to the ground. The boy grunted as he was in pain. Master Org was smiling as he began to make his way to the fallen ranger on the ground; Alyssa and Sunset were on the ground as they were too weak to help their comrade. "Ash!" called out both rangers as they saw him being defenseless. Pharynx was toying with Rainbow with the others as he kicked the ranger while she was on the ground. He kicked her again to turn her over and flip her into the air. The mutant then grabbed her wrists with one hand while blocking Aj's and Twilight's attacks with his other arm and leg. He then flipped Rainbow over as she landed on her back. The mutant kicked a massive boulder and sent it sailing through the air. It hit the girl as it passed them and collided with another part of the quarry. However, it did its job as all three were on the ground in pain. They, too, couldn't help or protect their leader. Ash grunted and groaned as his suit powered down from the damage he had done. The boy coughed as he clutched his side. His attention was brought back in front of him as the great org general stood over the boy. "Say farewell, ranger!" stated Master Org as he looked to bring his blade down on the human. "Ash!!!" called out each of the others as they couldn't do anything but watch. Everything moved in slow motion, and the boy's eyes widened as it looked like he was about to meet his end. Then... something happened. To be continued... Author's Note And so it begins. Hope you're all excited for what's to come.
Chapter 21: Call of the Wild Pt. 2Previously on Power Rangers... "You sure this will work?" asked Starlight. "If my calculations are correct, and they always are, this will bring him back from the dead," said Thorax. "Then what?" asked Pharynx. "We introduce him to Sombra. With his help, we may destroy the rangers." "Hold it right there!" shouted Pharynx to the robed figure. "Who the hell are you?!" demanded Starlight. The figure turned and looked at them. In one swift motion, it took off the robe as the generals could see its proper appearance. "Behold! It is I!" "This can't be! Master Org!" said Chrysalis as all three were in awe and shock. "How can this be?" said Chrysalis as she was helpless by the org who held her. "I don't understand. You were destroyed so many years ago." "I give you one warning for trespassing on my property! Leave or I shall destroy you!" threatened Sombra. "Sombra, please. I brought him back," said Thorax. "But the Org Heart was destroyed long ago, Thorax. How does it exist now?" asked Chrysalis. "There's nothing science and magic can't do if they work in unison. As well as data. I was able to complete the Org Heart and, in turn, retrieve the mighty general of the orgs that once fought humanity for 3000 years." "Then it appears our goals are the same. I have a proposition for you. One that I think you'll find pleasant." said Sombra holding that evil smile with a slight sinister chuckle. "Look out!" shouted Dash. The girl was going too fast that she couldn't get her board to stop. The woman saw the teen coming at her, but she didn't move. Instead, she leaned far back as Rainbow leaped over her and did a kickflip as everything moved in slow motion. Time resumed as Rainbow landed and continued to ride. It also showed the backpack they were wearing as it was the color white and dawned an image of a tiger. "Now we have a special guest visiting us today. Please welcome Ms. Enrilé." "You did good," spoke Ms. Enrilé. "Out of every I faced, you gave me the toughest fight." "Thanks. However, you were able to beat me even after taking on all the other students. Shows that I've got a lot to work on if I lost to someone like that." stated Rainbow. "Ooh, flashy red lights!" said Pinkie as she jumped up and down in place as the siren got louder. "That's usually not a good thing, Pinkie," said Rarity. "Rarity is right. Something's happening," said Ash as he made his way to the computer. He slid into the chair and began to press the keypad rapidly. "Status, Rachel." "My sensors are scrambled all over the place. I can't get a clear signal." On the screen, it was nothing but static of black and white. The picture was fuzzy, and soon it began to clear up. It showed a plaza being overrun by minions as people were screaming. "Nice to see you, rangers!" said Starlight as she appeared. "Starlight!" growled Ash as he stood up. "I'm so glad you came, 'cause I have a new friend who wants to meet you," snickered the general as she stepped to the side. The teens looked on as walking was none other than Master Org. The org saw the teenagers as he growled. The rangers were confused as they didn't know who or what they were facing. "You've got guts, boy. Challenging an org," he said with a chuckle. He then threw Ash over his head as he aimed his weapon and fired his attack. It hit the boy while he was in the air as he felt the attack. Ash landed on his back in front of his teammates as they were facefirst on the ground as they were stirring. "Who's that?" asked Sunset as the girls also saw the woman standing before them. "Wild Access!" shouted the woman as she touched the buttons on her Growl Phone as the transformation began to occur. "My name is Alyssa. And as I used to be a Power Ranger just like you all." said the woman. Ash grunted and groaned as his suit powered down from the damage he had done. The boy coughed as he clutched his side. His attention was brought back in front of him as the great org general stood over the boy. "Say farewell, ranger!" stated Master Org as he looked to bring his blade down on the human. "Ash!!!" called out each of the others as they couldn't do anything but watch. Everything moved in slow motion, and the boy's eyes widened as it looked like he was about to meet his end. Then... something happened. The scene was as depicted. Ash was on the ground as standing before him was Master Org. The great leader of the orgs that once looked to destroy Earth. Now Master Org was shown bringing his blade down on the helpless teen as watching this was Ash's team and Alyssa as they were all too weak and hurt to help him. "This is the end for you, ranger!" shouted Master Org as the blade came down. "Ash!!" shouted the girls and Alyssa. The boy raised his arms as he looked ready to accept his fate. Just then, something happened. Master Org was hit in the shoulder by some blasts as sparks flew, and the org general took a few steps back due to being hit. Ash saw this and was stunned. He then looked up. In the distance, on top of the quarry, were some figures. Four figures stood at the top. As the image cleared up, it showed the outlines of some humans. They each stared down as they wore color-coordinated jackets and had the symbol of an animal just like the one Alyssa was wearing. The others also looked up, as did the monsters, as they, too, were surprised. "More rangers?" said Twilight as nobody knew what was happening. "Who are they?" asked Sunset. "My friends," said Alyssa as she smiled through her suit. The four figures leaped into the air as they landed. A few more minions and Putrids appeared as they began to take on the four mysterious individuals. However, they had no problem taking them down as they effortlessly defeated them all. Soon the person wearing the red jacket made his way to Ash as he helped the boy. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm okay," said Ash as he had his arm around the person's shoulder. "Let's get out of here!" shouted the person wearing the yellow jacket. The rest of them gathered Ash's teammates as they were now retreating. Pharynx slammed his gauntlets on the floor as it created an earthquake effect. It made explosions occur behind our heroes as they were running from danger. Eventually, a dust cloud formed, and when it dissipated, the rangers and the mysterious individuals were gone. "Sombra, come in. It seems we've got more company," said Pharynx as he informed his master of the developing situation and who made their presence known. In the rangers' command center, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were watching the battle unfold. They were concerned as they saw how easily their friends got overpowered and outmatched. They thought Ash would meet his end, but thankfully, the four mysterious individuals showed up in time to save him and the others. The girls could hear the doors opening as they all turned. The first to enter was their friends. "Son of a bitch! They kicked our asses again!" shouted Rainbow as she expressed her anger. Once their friends entered, Alyssa followed, as did the others. They took in the sight before them as they were amazed by what they saw. "Alright, I'm just going to say this right now. This is way better than a floating island in the sky," said the person in the blue jacket as he took in the teens' headquarters. "I know, right," said the person's buddy as he wore a black jacket. Soon the teens stood in a line as they were face to face with Alyssa and her friends. Each examined the other as off to the side; Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were watching the two sides. As it stood, two teams of rangers from different eras stared at each other. Ash took a step forward as the boy knew who he was talking to, but he decided to allow them to introduce themselves. "So, mind tell us who they are?" asked the boy. "I'm Cole," said the male in the red jacket as he extended his hand out with a cheery smile to Ash. "Pleasure to meet you," responded Ash as he shook the hand of the ranger. "Sup, I'm Max." "Danny." "Taylor." "We're glad you guys showed up. That's twice we've had to have our hinds saved," said Sunset. "Don't mention. Us rangers have to look out for each other," stated Cole. "So, you guys are Power Rangers," stated Applejack. "Indeed," said Rachel as she got the attention of everybody. Cole and the others were shocked to see the A.I. as Ash made his way to the central computer and sat down in the chair. He then began to access the footage archive he'd been looking into in his free time. Soon some videos and clips appeared on the screen for all to see. "Cole joined, and the Wild Force Rangers were formed. They used the spirits of the ancient animals to fight the evil orgs. Creatures determined to conquer Earth through pollution and destruction." said Ash while looking at the footage. Everyone was looking at the screen as they saw the many battles and fights that their new friends went through. For them, they were being taken down memory lane of their time as rangers from years ago. "Ah, the memories," smiled Max. "Well, we can reminisce later. Right now, we have a big problem to deal with." "Taylor's right. Master Org is back. And it looks like you five could use our help," stated Alyssa. "We'd be glad. It's not every day you get to team up with legendary rangers from the past," smiled Sunset as she accepted the offer on behalf of everyone. "First off, I want to know something. How did you all know he came back?" asked Ash as he swiveled in his chair and looked at the Wild Force rangers. "'Cause of this," said Danny as he presented his Growl phone. "Your Morpher?" stated Twilight as the teens were confused. "I see you got my message," stated Rachel. "Huh?" said Ash. "Allow me to explain, Master Ash. Once we cleared the image and saw Master Org for the first time, I began to do some research. I deduced who he was and knew he would be much too powerful for you five to take on by yourselves. So I sent a call through the Morphin Grid to find something that could help us. And low and behold, I was able to make contact with Alyssa. I was able to use the Morphin Grid to restore her powers and give a replica Morpher for her to transform." "The phone appeared in my hand, and I answered it. I was told of the situation and ran to where the signal was transmitted," stated Alyssa. "So you being in our city just so happen to be a coincidence?" said Rainbow as the woman nodded. "And as for the others, after you guys left to confront them in the quarry, I sent the signal out to Alyssa's friends. It seems they got it as well as the replica Morphers." "It feels good to be back in action," smiled Max. "Well, based on what we know. It seems he also has some new allies," stated Pinkie. "We'd be happy to lend a hand. After all, once a ranger..." started Cole. "Always a ranger!" replied the rest of his friends. "Now, we just need to know where and when they'll strike," stated Fluttershy. "So, what's the plan?" asked Cole as he turned to Sunset. "Uhm, why are you asking me?" said the girl. "Aren't you the leader?" "Heh, nope," chuckled Sunset. She and the others all turned their heads as the five veteran rangers looked at Ash, sitting back with his arms crossed. "Who else did you expect to lead these guys?" asked Ash with a smile. "You? But..." Cole was a bit stunned as Taylor was behind him, smiling. She then placed her hand on her leader's shoulder. "Step aside, Cole. I believe this is my territory," said the woman. "Taylor." "Let's not forget, jungle boy. Who led the rangers before you joined?" said the female with a smug smile. She then approached Ash as both rangers were looking at each other. With nightfall about to be upon them, the rangers decided to pick things up in the morning. Rachel and Ash then began to make arrangements for their new friends to stay the night. As for the girls, they each called their parents that they would be staying at a friend's house for the night, which went without any issue. In the case of Twilight, her parents knew what their daughter was doing as they wished her luck and prayed that she wouldn't get hurt. The moon was shown high in the sky. In the command center, everybody was shown fast asleep. Ash watched from one of the nearby chairs as he worked on something. Cole soon approached him as the young man looked at the teen. "Thanks," said Cole, offering his gratitude to Ash for letting them stay. "Don't mention it. We rangers look out for one another. You guys saved us; now it's our turn to repay the favor," said Ash as both males smiled. They exchanged a quick fist bump as Cole went to bed. Ash looked at the scene before him as he saw legendary past rangers were before him. With the sudden appearance of their new foe, it only made sense that they sought help from the past. But at the same time, it was still both fantastic and mind-blowing. The boy began to examine his Morpher doing one last maintenance check. He was unaware that approaching him from behind was Taylor as the female spoke up to make her presence known. "Always working?" asked Taylor with her hands behind her back. "Yup," answered Ash. "Mind if I see it?". "Sure," stated Ash as he took off his Morpher and gave it to Taylor, who grabbed a nearby chair and sat in front of the teen. The boy handed his Morpher to Taylor as she began to inspect. It was vastly different from the ones she and her friends used. It then began to change into a bracelet that fitted in the palm of her hand. "Nifty." "Easy way to transform when we need to morph," stated Ash. "It definitely beats a flip phone from 2002." "Very funny," mocked Taylor before smiling at the boy. "Let me just get this out of the way. It's an honor to be in the presence of someone as experienced and legendary as you. I can't stress enough just how mind-blowing this all is, knowing that you're actually here to help us." said Ash as he let a bit of his inner fanboy show. "Well, it's an honor to know you're leading your team as the yellow ranger. Making us yellow rangers proud." "I'm doing my best. It's not easy, especially since I became a ranger around 11, in this dimension's time." "I heard from your friends that you're not from here. Now that... was unexpected," said Taylor. "They say anything else?" asked Ash. "They just said you'd be the one to tell me." "Well," said Ash as he took a big sigh before preparing himself to tell Taylor his story. "Where I come from, our rangers are generational. This means that unless you come from a family who have been Power Rangers before you, that's really all there is. There are instances where the person who becomes a Power Ranger isn't a direct successor. Usually, that occurs when the last ranger has no offspring or chooses to give up the power and select their replacement." "So, I'm guessing your mom or dad was a ranger before you?" asked Taylor. "My mom. She... she was the last red ranger. And... she was our leader, " Ash said, trying his best not to cry in front of Taylor. "What happened?" "She was... struck down along with my former teammates. One individual destroyed my whole home. He murdered everyone I ever loved. I thought he, too, died when my whole dimension was destroyed. But recently, it turned out he was waiting. We were completely unprepared, and he gave us a beating." said Ash. "Now that he's back, we know what's at stake. And I'm going to ensure that the girls don't have to suffer the same thing I went through." Both rangers looked at each other as Ash finished what he said. Soon they turned their heads as Ash's wolf pup ran and jumped into its master's lap. The boy petted its head as the zord licked his face. "Hey, boy. Come to cheer me up," said Ash as he got a small howl. "I'd like you to meet someone. This here is Taylor. She and her friends are going to be around for a bit. Helping us to take down our foes." The zord looked at the person sitting across from its owner. Taylor put her hand out as she began to pet the zord as Ash's wolf took a liking to the female. "Our zords could never turn into pet sizes. Cute little thing," said Taylor while petting the wolf. "So, I know before you became a ranger, you were in the air force. One day you found your eagle zord, leading you to the Animarium. What was it like being the first Wild Force ranger and having to lead the team for about a year before Cole showed up?" asked Ash as he was hoping to get some advice. "Tough is putting it lightly and having to manage so many personalities. Thankfully, my discipline in the air force was able to help me. But I didn't always have the confidence. Believe it or not, when I took on my first org, I was scared." said Taylor as she recalled the first time she fought against the Motorcycle Org. "But as I got stronger, I built my confidence. Then the next time we met, I was able to defeat him finally." "Wow," said Ash, amazed by Taylor's story and words. "Well, it's getting kind of late. I'm going to bed." "Same here; we're gonna need every ounce of our strength if we're gonna defeat Master Org," said Ash. With that, Taylor left to head to her sleeping arrangements as Ash got up and headed to his room. The morning came as Ash awoke to the sound of his alarm. He woke up and exited his room as the smell of food immediately welcomed him. He made it to the central space for the command center as he saw Max, Danny, and Cole still asleep. He then made his way to the kitchen as he heard the stove sounds. It turns out he wasn't the only one who awoke as Alyssa was already making breakfast for everyone. "You're up early," said the teen as he saw her. "Old habits die hard. Plus, it brings me back to when I used to do it on the Animarium," said Alyssa. "In that case, let me help. Rachel!" stated the boy to the A.I. A drone appeared as it heard the boy's command. It then sent a code to the cupboards as they opened up and showed the many food and cooking utensils stocked. The fridge opened up as both rangers began to make breakfast for everybody. A while passed, and soon the pair had managed to make all sorts of breakfast foods. It was then transported to the dining area as the smell of food began to invade the entire command center. Eventually, the rest of the girls all awoke, as did the others. "What the hell?!!" said Rainbow as she looked to get some eggs but found the plate bare. "Not again! Cole!" shouted Alyssa as she glared at her leader. "After all these years, you still make the best eggs," smiled the guy as he gave thumbs up. "Why did I have a feeling that this was going to happen? Lucky, we made extra," said Ash as a drone delivered another plate of eggs. After they ate breakfast, the rangers began to think about their plan. Eventually, they all decided to head out and scout the city to keep an eye out for any surprise attacks. With the goal in mind, everybody broke off into pairs as they were spread across the city. "How are we gonna beat Master Org again?" asked Danny to Max as they were walking. "Hey, don't worry. Look, with these guys by our side, we can take them. And defeat Master Org again," said Max as he pointed to the ATV where Ash and Taylor were standing. The pair had dropped off Danny, Max, Applejack, and Rainbow so they could split up. "You're really positive that we'll win?" said Applejack as she examined Max's attitude. "We got a little motto. And that's never to give up. Right Danny," said Max as he addressed his buddy. "Never give up, yeah," repeated Danny as he was reminded of the motto he and his best bud believed in. "Yeah!" said Max. "Yeah!" responded Danny. "Yeah!" shouted Max as he fired up Danny by lightly hitting him in the chest. "YEAH!" responded Danny as he was hyped. Both buds then did a chest bump as Danny managed to knock Max onto the floor and on his back. "Max! I'm sorry," said Danny as he began to help his best friend up. "These guys are rangers?" said Rainbow to Aj as the personality dumbfounded the girls that Max and Danny had. Ash and Taylor watched the interaction from afar as the latter rolled her eyes at how immature and dumb her friends were. "Idiots," muttered Taylor at how her friends acted like kids. "You've got some interesting friends, to say the least," said Ash as he leaned on the ATV's door. "Yeah. It seems after all these years, they still drive me crazy," responded Taylor. "Oh, trust me. I used to feel the same way about my friends. I still do," said Ash as he gestured his head to Applejack and Rainbow. "Say it again, Aj! I dare you!" shouted Rainbow. "Make me, Dash!" growled the farm girl. Both had their foreheads pressed against each other as their little argument got out of hand. They were about to throw hands as Max and Danny had to separate and pull the two apart before a fight ensued. It seems that was easier said than done as both struggled to keep the girls from getting loose as they started kicking. "We should leave before someone gets hurt," suggested Ash. "Agreed," smiled Taylor as the pair hopped into the ATV and took off. In another part of the city, Sunset was shown driving her car sitting in the backseat was Fluttershy as Cole was in the passenger seat next to her. "I never knew there were other power rangers," said Fluttershy as she was genuinely surprised by that fact. "They are other rangers out there, all right. We all fight for the same goal," responded Cole. "It's nice to know that there are others in this world like us," said Sunset with a smile. "It's important to have friends you can count on," responded the red Wild Force Ranger. "So, Cole. Tell us about you. How did you become a Power Ranger?" asked Sunset as she was interested in knowing. "I became a ranger as I was finding my destiny." "Finding your destiny?" said Fluttershy. "I lost my parents when I was but a baby—abandoned in the jungle with no one. Eventually, I was taken in by a tribe, and I grew up in the jungle. When the time came for me to set off and find my place, I was given the Red Lion crystal. From there, I set off to Turtle Cove to find my missing parents and my place in the world. I met the rest of the gang and joined the Wild Force Rangers." "Did you ever find out what happened to your parents?" asked Fluttershy. "Yeah, they were leading an expedition to find Animarium." "What's this Animarium you speak so fondly of?" asked Sunset as she stopped at a red light. "The Animarium is a floating island that is the last remnant of the lost kingdom of Animaria. Once part of the Earth, the land was magically lifted into the sky to protect it from the Orgs and is now known as the Animarium. Its turtle shape left a similarly shaped lake in its place, forming the basis for Turtle Cove. It is a vast land covered in forests and mountains where the Wild Zords make their home." "That sounds like a lovely place," said Fluttershy as she imagined all the different kinds of animals living in harmony. "Back to my parents, they were trying to search for the Animarium. They were joined by a colleague and friend known as Dr. Viktor Adler. They worked together to prove the existence of the Animaria and, subsequently, gained enough funds to begin the expedition. Around that time, he wanted to propose to my mother, only to learn that my father had beaten him. She soon got pregnant with me. To add insult to injury, Dr. Adler soon found himself left out of the spotlight during the press conference before the beginning of their previous expedition. Embittered by the fact that my dad beat him in proposing to my mom, in addition to stealing his spotlight during their press conference and his only chance to have a family, Viktor swallowed the seeds to exact his revenge and become the new Master Org." "Hold on!" said Sunset as she swerved the steering wheel to avoid crashing into the car in front of her. "Hey, watch the road, asshole!" shouted the driver while waving his fist out of his window. "Sorry!" shouted Sunset as she peeked out the window. "Back up. Did you just say that your parent's friend is Master Org?" "Yeah. With his newfound powers, he killed my parents in cold blood. But he could never find me as my mother did everything to keep me hidden. That's how I wound up being founded by my tribe and living in the jungle. From then on, Dr. Adler eventually assumed the identity of Master Org and continued his mission of wiping out humanity and taking over the Earth by recruiting newly arisen Org spirits to battle my friends and me. In the end, when he confronted me and told me the truth. I was heartbroken, even mad. But despite all he did, I forgave him for taking my parents away from me." "You must have had a big heart to forgive someone who wanted you dead," said Fluttershy. "I just thought of what my parents would want. They wouldn't want their son to be consumed by revenge. Having to see their son sink to that level." said Cole. "Maybe you pass on that wisdom to Ash," said Sunset as she turned the corner. "He lost his parents as well?" asked the man. "Yeah. Ash lost them and his old teammates in his dimension. I know he doesn't like to talk about it, but I can't help but feel that he's hurting himself by not letting us help him. We're his friends, and we would do anything to make him feel welcome. I would do anything for him." said Sunset. "He's lucky to have such a caring friend in you, Sunset. All of you girls." stated Cole as both of them smiled. "And hey, maybe I can manage to talk with Ash." "I appreciate that," responded Sunset as she brought the car to a stop and put it in park mode. "So, where are we?" asked Cole. "Before we head out and scout the city. Fluttershy needs to do some things," informed Sunset. "I have to make sure the animals at the rescue center get their morning routine," stated the buttercup girl. "You work with animals?" asked Cole. "Oh, yes. I enjoy them," smiled the girl. "That's awesome. I love working with animals too. I feel like if you listen to someone's heart, you can truly understand who they are." said Cole as he had his empathetic connection with nature that allowed him to communicate. "I know what you mean," smiled Fluttershy. The trio then exited Sunset's car as they entered the rescue center and began to enjoy some time with the animals. After breaking apart, Twilight was with Alyssa and Rarity. The bookworm was amazed to find that the woman was a teacher as she wanted to pick her brain. They headed to the park as Alyssa wanted to teach both girls some of her family's martial arts skills. The trio sat on a bench in the parking lot as they ate ice cream and talked. "So, you were not only able to attend college and be a Power Ranger. But did so with a perfect GPA?!!!" said Twilight as she fangirled over Alyssa's intelligence. "It's no big deal," said Alyssa as she didn't think much of it. "IT IS A BIG DEAL!!!" shouted Twilight as her voice echoed around the park and got in the face of Alyssa with a smile. "Twilight, darling!" said Rarity as she yanked back her bookworm friend. "Forgive her, Alyssa. Twilight is just fascinated to meet someone who shares her level of intellect." "My big question is: How did you find time to save the world and go to school?" asked Twilight. "It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Lots of hard work in my personal life and maintaining my duty as a ranger. But like all things, if you put in the work. You'll be rewarded. Plus, I had a scholarship for a perfect GPA." "A perfect GPA score!" squealed Twilight as she was geeking out. "If you don't mind me asking, darling? Where did you learn to fight?" asked Rarity. "My dad. He was a renowned martial arts teacher. He taught me everything I know. He intended for me to take over running his school eventually, but heartbroken when I decided to move to Turtle Cove and attend Turtle Cove University. One day while he was visiting, he was proud to discover that not only was I a Ranger, but I had excelled in the martial arts he taught me. From then on, he accepted my decision to continue my education." "Wow. Your father must be strong as an ox," stated Twilight. "Actually... he once wrestled an ox. And won," said Alyssa with pride in her voice. "If it's not too much of a burden, can you teach us some moves of your family's fighting style? Please?" said Twilight as she and Rarity wanted to learn from the older girl. "Sure," smiled Alyssa. The trio was now in a small section of the park as Alyssa taught both girls some of her moves. While that was happening, Applejack was shown walking with Pinkie Pie and Danny. After the almost brawl that ensued when Ash and Taylor left the four, they decided to split up to cover more ground. Rainbow left with Max to serve as a guide for the city. That left Danny with the party girl and the farm gal to act as his tour guides. The country gal had to make a few deliveries for her family. Despite looking like a peaceful guy, the girls were amazed to see that Danny was physically strong. They were stunned when he matched Aj as both carried three boxes in one hand. The girl admired seeing that there was someone who could check her in terms of strength as she had an idea for later popped into her head. Eventually, the girls finished making the final cider delivery as Aj got in her family's truck. "Alright, that seems to be the last one. Now, let's go scou--" Aj was putting on her seatbelt when she looked at Danny, who was in the passenger seat. The man was currently looking at a photo in his hands. The image was a picture of him and a woman as they stood in front of a flower shop. If seeing that Danny was strong despite looking like a nonviolent person, the girls were even more surprised to learn that Danny was a florist who worked in a flower shop before he became a ranger. The man's look didn't go unnoticed by the girls as they decided to ask. "Must be someone special, huh?" asked Aj. "Yeah," responded Danny as he put the photo away. He felt like he was distracting them from their mission. "Sorry." "No need to apologize, sugarcube. Just wonderin' is all. So, what's her name?" asked the farm girl. "Her name was Kendall. She was someone who I was crazy about before I became a ranger. I just... never had the courage to tell her." "Aww, someone had a crush!" smiled Pinkie as she rubbed Danny's head. "Did she ever find out about you or your feelings for her?" asked Aj. "During an incident with an Org, I morphed. But I didn't think she saw me turn into a Power Ranger," replied Danny. "Once she found out I was a ranger, I confronted her. And while I felt like I could protect the world and concentrate on her, I knew I couldn't. And she knew, which is why she told me to focus on my mission and not worry about her." "Ooh, harsh," said Pinkie as she made a face at Aj as both girls knew what that kind of answer met. "Cupcake?" Pinkie pulled out the thing from her hair and offered it to Danny, who grabbed it. The silence lasted a few moments as both girls didn't know what to say. Soon Applejack cleared her throat as she began to speak. "We all have to make sacrifices. Ash told us just how important being a Power Ranger really is. Protecting the Earth and the world requires our undivided attention. And that means... we have to let go of certain things. It's not easy, believe me." said Applejack. "What changed for you when you became a ranger?" asked Danny to the farm girl. "My family. I love them to death. I enjoy everything I do with them, eat, sleep, chores, the whole shebang. But with me being a ranger, I... I don't see them as much as I'm used to. They don't even know I'm a ranger. I want to tell them, but I know the dangers that will result in me telling them. Which is why I'm trying to focus all mah attention on protecting the world so that I can enjoy it when it's all over with mah kin." "That's admirable. They're lucky to have someone like you," said Danny as she gave a thumbs up to the Aj, who turned red while tipping her hat to try to hide it. "See, sharing is caring. And we all just bonded," smiled Pinkie as she pulled both in for a big hug. Both strong individuals were amazed by the strength that the pink girl was squeezing them as it hurt a bit. "7-10 split! Beat that!" said Rainbow as she put her hands on her hips. "Please, step aside. Let me show you how it's done," stated Max with some cockiness in his voice. After splitting with Aj, Pinkie, and Danny, both blue rangers were supposed to be scouting the city. However, they got distracted when they passed a bowling alley. Rainbow was surprised to learn that before Max became the Blue Wild Force Ranger, he was training to be a professional bowler. However, as stated, he had to give up that dream to protect the Earth from the orgs. Rainbow had challenged Max to a game as the girl wanted to show off her skills and awesomeness. With Rainbow throwing the first bowl, Max stepped up to the plate as he prepared himself. After taking a deep breath, he bowled the ball as it did a perfect strike that knocked all the pins. He fist-pumped as he looked at the teen, as she was anything but amused. "That's how it's done," boasted Max. "Lucky break," scoffed Rainbow. "Alright, fine. Let's play a game of whoever gets the most strikes at the end wins. Points are irrelevant." stated Max as he laid down the challenge. "Game on!" smiled Rainbow as she and Max put on their game face. Rainbow stepped up to the lane as she got in position. She then stepped forward and threw her bowling ball as it raced down the bowling lane. It hit 8 of the ten pins as the girl was unhappy. She then went for her second throw as she managed to pick up the spare. Once she was done, Max then stepped up to the lane. He had a calm look as he took a deep breath. He then threw his ball as it rolled at high speeds and crashed into the other pins as he got a perfect strike. Max looked over to Rainbow to see what the teen thought. Safe to say, Dash was pissed. The opening bowl would depict the entire picture of the game. While the girl would get her fair share of strikes, Max managed to bowl a perfect game by getting nothing but strikes. Soon the scores were tallied despite not being about who got the most points; Max still managed to beat Rainbow in that category, to add insult to injury. "Oh, yeah!" shouted Max. "Son of a bitch!" yelled Rainbow. She kicked her foot into a bowling ball out of anger before she felt the effect and began to grab it. "You got game, Dash," said Max. "Don't try to make me feel better!" said the girl as she sat down and pouted. "You had an unfair advantage." "Come on, Dash. Don't be like that. I'm just better." mocked Max while taking in his victory. "Plus, I had someone who mentored me when I trained to be a bowler." "Well, they did a good job," grumbled Rainbow as she didn't look at her opponent. "It wasn't like that. When I became a ranger, I had to give up that dream. When I told my mentor about it, he was upset. He said that he lost respect for me." "I know how that feels. I have some people who hate my guts for what I did. I gave up sports to become a Power Ranger. They hated me when I told them I couldn't do sports anymore. Said I turned my back on them; seems like I even lost the respect they had for me." said Rainbow as her expression softened and she thought of her fellow Wondercolts. "It's not a good feeling. And when I had to ask my mentor for some assistance, it was tough. He still harbored a grudge against me. But he eventually forgave me once he saw how serious I was in learning that move. He knew that the mission I had to do, was for the greater good. Your friends may not understand what you're doing now, but they will someday." stated Max as he sat next to Rainbow. "Thanks, I... I appreciate the advice," said Rainbow, as this was one of the times she didn't mind being talked to. Especially from someone who knew what she was going through. The two blue rangers then left as they made their way to a basketball court. Max wanted to see Rainbow's skills in sports as they began a little one-on-one game. Now it was Rainbow's turn to shine. The girl proved she was a good athlete, winning the basketball game by a decent lead. Soon they tried other sports, as Rainbow proved to her word that she was a damn good athlete. "Yeah, I'm awesome," said Rainbow as she was still bragging about her latest win in soccer. "You definitely got game," stated Max as he walked with the girl. "Feel free to keep talking about me. I don't mind it," spoke the girl as she was in her own little world. "Hey, real talk. I hope you can mend things with your teammates. I know it'll be hard, and they won't understand. But don't forget, just cause you have to give up sports now. That doesn't mean you can't go back to it." "I hear you. Thanks, Max," said Rainbow as she was genuine with her gratitude as they did a fist bump. The pair were walking as they heard cheering and laughter in the distance. The two rangers turned the corner and saw the place they were about to enter when they bumped into someone, or rather "someone." "Rainbow, what the hell are you doing?!" asked Ash. The boy was with Taylor, and after leaving their friends, they scouted the city from the boy's ATV vehicle. He and Taylor were the only ones who had investigated the city once they left the command center, as everybody else was doing their own thing. "Hey, Ash," chuckled the girl sheepishly at seeing her leader. "Don't tell me that this whole time. You've been goofy off," the boy sternly stated. "I wasn't!" shouted Rainbow. "Max, you're supposed to be keeping a lookout!" stated Taylor as she too didn't like that her teammate was acting like a kid. "We were. We just came back from the sports center. No enemies in there. So, we decided to check out the amusement park next." said Max as he covered Rainbow's and his back by coming up with a lie. He gave a wink to Dash as the girl played along. "Good idea, let's go!" said Rainbow as the two blue rangers ran. "Hey, wait! We can't go in there without tickets!" said Taylor. "Great, you two go buy them!" said Rainbow as they slipped past the entrance. "Wait a minute, why do we have to pay?!! Rainbow!! Max!!" shouted Ash to his friends, but they were long gone. "Thanks, Mom and Dad!" trailed Rainbow's voice in the distance. "Not again," mumbled Taylor as she and Ash made their way to the booth. The pair made it to the booth as they had to pay for the tickets for themselves and their friends as they hurried inside to find them. While the two yellow rangers were searching for the pair of kids they were babysitting, watching from behind one of the pillars was a minion. In fact, each of the rangers was being watched by a minion who was sent to scout them from the Dark Lords. "Our scouts have reported in, Lord Sombra. The rangers and their friends are all separated at the moment. I believe this might be the perfect time to strike." said Pharynx. "Very well, take some of our best officers to dispatch of them," commanded Sombra as he sat on his throne. Pharynx was about to round up his subordinates when Thorax came into the room with Master Org appearing behind him. "Hold on, brother. Instead of our officers, why not use different creatures. Look no further than what our guest is." snickered Thorax. "Hell yeah, the Wild Blue Yonder! Let's go!" said Rainbow as she ran to the rollercoaster as there wasn't any line yet. "Dash, hold on!" shouted Ash. All four rangers then got in as the line was beginning to form. They were the first ones to get in the carts as Rainbow and Ash sat in the first cart while Max and Taylor sat behind them. "So, what's so great about this ride?" asked Max as he heard Rainbow talk about how it was the most incredible ride in the world. "First, you strap yourself into the cloud rocket car, and then you're catapulted straight through a series of daring dips and terrifying turns, flipping upside-down so many times you don't know which way is up! 'Til finally you climb to the highest peak on the rails! Then drop towards the ground at lightning speed before coming to a screeching halt! It's the coolest ride ever to exist!" said Rainbow as she described the ride to her friends. "Okay, I'm getting out!" said Taylor as she remembered the last time she went on a rollercoaster and became scared. Just as she looked to get out, Max pulled her back in as the safety bars locked them in. "Sit down, fly girl. And enjoy the ride," said Max. Soon the rollercoaster began to move forward. It began to approach the speed booster slowly. The moment it passed through, the cart shot like a lightning bolt. The faces of the people were that of excitement and joy as they cheered. For Ash, he didn't mind as he sat back and enjoyed the ride, as Taylor had a sick expression and looked like she wanted to hurl. The ride then turned upside down as they made things worst for Taylor. The rollercoaster then began to climb the steep climb as every second it got higher and higher, adding to the suspense. It then reached the top of the peak as it waited. Soon, it fell as gravity did its thing in the blink of an eye. The ride ended as Ash, Rainbow, and Max were okay. As for Taylor, she was wobbling a bit as she could feel her head spin. The boy saw her as she was leaning on a countertop. "You okay?" asked Ash. He soon got his answer when Taylor bent over into a trashcan. "Ohh," said the boy as he got his answer. He then patted her on the back as he did his job to ensure she got it all out. It didn't last long as Ash gave Taylor a napkin to wipe her mouth. He then began to lead her to sit at a table as she tried calming her stomach. "Didn't you say you were in the air force?" asked Ash. "I'm pretty sure you've done stunts and flown things that are way more extreme than a simple rollercoaster ride." "I only like flying when I'm in control," said Taylor as she clutched her stomach. Ash then gave her something to settle her stomach as Taylor drank it. From there, the pair sat at the table watching Max and Rainbow as the two acted like kids. "Look at them," said Taylor to how immature both Rainbow and Max were behaving. "Eh, it's something I've gotten used to with Rainbow. It makes her cute," Ash stated. The pair then heard some shouting. They looked as both Max and Rainbow were arguing. Ash and Taylor had to get up and stop them from fighting against each other, causing a scene and attracting attention. "Admit it, Max! That was mine!" shouted Rainbow. "Nah, it was mine!" yelled Max. "What the hell is going on?!" shouted Ash as he and Taylor broke the fight and took the mallets they were holding for Whack A Mole. "You two are causing a scene. Plus, you're doing it all wrong. Let a pro show you how it's done," said Taylor with a smug smile as she began to play. "So, when's the pro supposed to get here?" asked Ash with a smug smile that made Taylor glare at the boy for making that comment. She then began to whack the tiny moles that popped out with such vigor and moved about fluidly. The game ended as she tossed the mallet in her hand and hit the final mole as her score came up. "Not bad, but I could do that in my sleep," said Ash. He then began to lift his mallet, and a new game started, and the boy went off. He swung the small mallet as if it were his sword and cut down his enemies. He tossed the mallet over his head as he turned, and it fell when he came back around and did one final slam on the last mole as his score came up. "Now, that is how it's done," said Ash with a smug expression. "Show off," stated Taylor. "Admit it. I'm just better than you. You may have been in your prime years ago, but you're slow now, grandma. You can barely handle a rollercoaster going at 55 miles per hour." "Grandma? I've been a ranger longer than you have, Ash." "Yeah, but I'm doing a better job than you, Taylor." Both glared at each other. Soon a new game started as both turned and began to have a small competition with each other while smiling. "Man, they ruin the fun out of everything," said Rainbow. "Come on, let's ditch 'em," responded Max as he and Dash left to explore another part of the amusement park. Ash and Taylor were busy trying to win their competition that they didn't notice the pair had left. Both were trying to showcase the other their skills. Soon it came down to the wire as both rangers were whacking the moles as fast as they could. The final mole popped out as both Taylor and Ash brought their mallets down on the tiny thing and hit it simultaneously as both their scores came up, and it was a tie. "Now, that's how a pro does it," stated Taylor crossing her arms with a proud smile. "Alright, guys. Who won?" asked Ash. "Guys?" The two were expecting to have Rainbow and Max respond, but they weren't present. "Max? Rainbow?" said Taylor. "Where did those two kids run off to?" "Come on, let's go find them before they cause some shit," said Ash as he and Taylor began to walk. The pair was walking around the amusement park as they searched for their friends. They soon came to a section of the park where nobody was around. "Rainbow?!! Rainbow!!!" shouted Ash. "Max!! Where are you two?!!" yelled Taylor as the pair looked for their friends. They noticed they were the only ones in this park section as they looked for anything suspicious. Soon, blast shots were fired as the pair were caught in the blast and fell to the ground. Smoke appeared as they coughed. "Taylor, you okay?" asked Ash as he checked on her. "Yeah," responded Taylor. "Been a long time, yellow ranger!" said a voice. Both heard it as they looked in front. For Taylor, that voice was very familiar. Soon emerging from the smoke and walking towards them, someone was flanked by minions and Putrids. But not someone, something. An org as it was none other than the Motorcycle org. "Now I can settle the score after you sent me to the junkyard last time!" "Friend of yours?" asked Ash as he and Taylor stood up. "Yeah, a long time ago. He was the first org I faced," stated Taylor to the boy. "But I don't understand? I destroyed you. How can you be back?" "You can thank my new associates for bringing me back. Now I'm much more powerful and ready to destroy you and your little friend!" stated Motorcycle Org as he stared down both rangers. Both Ash and Taylor were preparing to defend themselves. However, they weren't the only ones. They and the rest of their friends were also dealing with their own problems. To be continued...
Chapter 22: Call of the Wild Pt. 3Previously on Power Rangers... "Who are they?" asked Sunset. "My friends," said Alyssa as she smiled through her suit. "Sombra, come in. It seems we've got more company," said Pharynx as he informed his master of the developing situation and who made their presence known. "So, mind tell us who they are?" asked the boy. "I'm Cole," said the male in the red jacket as he extended his hand out with a cheery smile to Ash. "Pleasure to meet you," responded Ash as he shook the hand of the ranger. "Sup, I'm Max." "Danny." "Taylor." "I never knew there were other power rangers," said Fluttershy as she was genuinely surprised by that fact. "They are other rangers out there, all right. We all fight for the same goal," responded Cole. "It's nice to know that there are others in this world like us," said Sunset with a smile. "It's important to have friends you can count on," responded the red Wild Force Ranger. "If it's not too much of a burden, can you teach us some moves of your family's fighting style? Please?" said Twilight as she and Rarity wanted to learn from the older girl. "Sure," smiled Alyssa. "We all have to make sacrifices. Ash told us just how important being a Power Ranger really is. Protecting the Earth and the world requires our undivided attention. And that means... we have to let go of certain things. It's not easy, believe me." said Applejack. "What changed for you when you became a ranger?" asked Danny to the farm girl. "My family. I love them to death. I enjoy everything I do with them, eat, sleep, chores, the whole shebang. But with me being a ranger, I... I don't see them as much as I'm used to. They don't even know I'm a ranger. I want to tell them, but I know the dangers that will result in me telling them. Which is why I'm trying to focus all mah attention on protecting the world so that I can enjoy it when it's all over with mah kin." "That's admirable. They're lucky to have someone like you," said Danny as she gave a thumbs up to the Aj, who turned red while tipping her hat to try to hide it. "I know how that feels. I have some people who hate my guts for what I did. I gave up sports to become a Power Ranger. They hated me when I told them I couldn't do sports anymore. Said I turned my back on them; seems like I even lost the respect they had for me." said Rainbow as her expression softened and she thought of her fellow Wondercolts. "It's not a good feeling. And when I had to ask my mentor for some assistance, it was tough. He still harbored a grudge against me. But he eventually forgave me once he saw how serious I was in learning that move. He knew that the mission I had to do, was for the greater good. Your friends may not understand what you're doing now, but they will someday." stated Max as he sat next to Rainbow. "Our scouts have reported in, Lord Sombra. The rangers and their friends are all separated at the moment. I believe this might be the perfect time to strike." said Pharynx. "Very well, take some of our best officers to dispatch of them," commanded Sombra as he sat on his throne. Pharynx was about to round up his subordinates when Thorax came into the room with Master Org appearing behind him. "Hold on, brother. Instead of our officers, why not use different creatures. Look no further than what our guest is." snickered Thorax. "Rainbow?!! Rainbow!!!" shouted Ash. "Max!! Where are you two?!!" yelled Taylor as the pair looked for their friends. They noticed they were the only ones in this park section as they looked for anything suspicious. Soon, blast shots were fired as the pair were caught in the blast and fell to the ground. Smoke appeared as they coughed. "Taylor, you okay?" asked Ash as he checked on her. "Yeah," responded Taylor. "Been a long time, yellow ranger!" said a voice. Both heard it as they looked in front. For Taylor, that voice was very familiar. Soon emerging from the smoke and walking towards them, someone was flanked by minions and Putrids. But not someone, something. An org as it was none other than the Motorcycle org. ”Now I can settle the score after you sent me to the junkyard last time!" The situation was as if: Ash and Taylor were searching for where their friends Max and Rainbow Dash were as they went wandering. As the pair searched for their friends, they were ambushed. They were now faced with one of Taylor's old foes. "Ready to settle the score, yellow ranger?" taunted the Motorcycle Org. "Taylor, you sure you can fight? I can do this myself if..." "No, I'm good. Besides, I've been itching for a fight," said Taylor. "Surround them!" stated the org. The minions and Putrids charged as they now formed around the two rangers. They were back to back as they raised their fists. With the number of foes keeping them from escaping, it seemed like the only way out was to fight. And to be honest, that was something both rangers wanted. "So... how should we do this? You take the ones on the left, I take the ones on the right?" asked Ash with a smile. "Sounds like a plan," stated Taylor with a smile. Both shifted their eyes to look at each other as they nodded and prepared to morph. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Ash. "Wild Access!" shouted Taylor. Both rangers began transforming as they appeared on a split-screen with their respective morphs. "With the courage of the wolf, Harmony Guardian Yellow Ranger!" "Soaring Eagle!" "Crystal Saber!/Harmony Saber!" Both rangers pulled out their side arms as they began to slash at the footsoldiers. Ash was near the Ferris wheel as he was in between the gates. He fought in the small space while dodging and striking at the monsters surrounding him. The boy extended his leg to kick the enemy that tried to sneak up on him. He then grabbed onto the railing to kick two foes in front of him. He was now balancing on the railing with his hands as he flipped over to land on the area below the slight ramp to the Ferris wheel as he slashed another monster. Taylor was doing several backflips in a row as she managed to escape the monsters trying to chase her. She was now backed up into one of the booths of the amusement park. She then began to slash at the monsters charging her. Talyor then jumped, stepped off the shoulder of one of the minions, and forward flipped into the air. She landed on a table and began swinging and kicking the foes surrounding the thing. Several tried to sweep her off the thing as she jumped and then barrel-rolled into the air. Taylor landed and slashed at several foes in the air before she landed. The pair wasn't the only ones dealing with monsters. After Max and Rainbow managed to slip away from Ash and Talyor, they went off to explore some more of the amusement park. The pair was glad to escape their friends who were ruining their fun. However, they were unaware of the surprise attack waiting for them. The pair were about to make their way to one of the ring toss games when they heard blast sounds. The pair were caught off guard as they slumped to the floor. The pair grunted as they lifted their heads. "What a coincidence running into you, blue ranger!" said a voice. "No!" said Max as he saw what was in front of him. Approaching them was an org. Unlike the org that Ash and Talyor were currently battling, this org had its entire body look like a ship as it had a ship's steering wheel as a shield and an anchor on the other hand. "What the hell is that Max?" asked Rainbow as she reached a knee. "An org. One that got rid of long ago." replied Max to the girl. "And I'm back better than ever, Putrids, Minions!" shouted the Ship org in his sailor accent as the footsoldiers appeared. "Make them walk the plank!" "Ready?" asked Max. "You bet!" replied Rainbow. "Harmony Gem, power up!" "Wild Access!" Both rangers then began to transform at the same time. "With the speed of the falcon, Harmony Guardian Blue Ranger!" stated Dash. "Surging Shark!" stated Max. Both charged ahead as they began to work side by side in taking down their foes. Max disarmed and took down the monsters that tried to attack him. He saw the Ship Org launch its anchor at him as he flew back. He was on the ground as the anchor was coming at him. Rainbow blocked an attack and held it in place when she saw Max was in danger. She immediately kicked the foe away and took off. It showed a rainbow blur as it managed to zip past Max and grab him just as the anchor hit the ground and made a hole. The Ship Org looked to the side as Rainbow used her superspeed to save Max from danger as they were meters away. "Thanks, Rainbow," stated Max, who was on a knee. "No problem. I wasn't going to let some org turn my friend into fish food," stated the girl. "You're still the same kid I bested when we first met," said the Ship Org. "I told you I'm not a kid! I'm the Surging Shark!" declared Max as he felt disrespected by the org calling him that. "Seems you're still the Surging guppy!" said the org as he charged. The two blue rangers now pulled out their signature weapons as they did battle once more. They began swing and trade attacks, but the org simply tanked the blows and continued to fight. Every time one of them tried to attack, he blocked it with his shield and swung his anchor at them. While the pair were fighting, Rainbow sent a distress call to the others. "Rainbow, what's going on?!" asked Sunset as she talked to her Morpher as both Fluttershy and Cole heard. "We need help!" said Rainbow as she ducked an attack and went for a jab with her lance, which was blocked as Max leaped off her shoulders and tried to attack, only for him to get hit with lightning bolts from the org's eye and knock him out of the air. The others could hear the sounds of struggle. "We'll be right there, Dash!" said Applejack as she and the others in their group heard the call. "Just hang on!" responded Twilight from their group. Sunset and Cole got up in front of the rescue center. They were starting to run when a cold wind blew in their face. The pair felt it as they fell to the floor and shivered. "Are you two alright?" asked the buttercup. "You should be more concerned with yourself, little girl!" said a voice. Fluttershy looked up, and her eyes went wide. The teen was now overcome with fear as a monster walked toward them. An org was walking toward the trio as it looked like a freezer. "It's time I make some Ranger popsicles," said the Freezer Org. "Fluttershy, get to safety. We'll hold him off," stated Sunset as she got to her feet. "But--" "Don't worry. I'll go with her," assured Cole to the girl. "Now go, head to the command center and wait for us there." "Be safe," said Fluttershy as she left. "Today's forecast calls for a chilly breeze with a wind chill of negative zero!" said the Freezer Org as he began to blow cold air at the two. Both Cole and Sunset dodged rolled as they pulled out their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, power up!" said Sunset. "Wild Access!" said Cole. Both changed while they dodged as they then leaped into the air. The pair did a double kick as they pushed the Freezer Org back. He began blowing cold air as both rangers were caught in the draft. They quickly moved before their body temperatures dropped as the spot where they were once standing began to freeze as it showed a flower in a block of ice. "Pinkie, head back to HQ! We're going to help Dash!" said Aj. "Okey dokey!" said the girl as she zipped away and disappeared in a pink cloud. "Does she always do that?" asked Danny. "You get used to it when you spend enough time with Pinkie. Come on, our friends need us!" stated the farm gal. She and Danny began to run down the sidewalk as they headed to their friends' locations. They made it a few blocks when they heard a loud sound. It was so loud that both rangers fell to their knees and covered their ears. "What is that?!" shouted Danny over the loud ringing. "I don't know!!" yelled Aj as she heard the loud noise. The pair looked up as someone was standing on the bell tower building in front of them. The figure rang the bell at the top as the soundwaves traveled through the air. The nearby people also heard the loud ringing as they began to run away from it. "To whom the bell tolls, Black Ranger!" said the figure at the top. "An org?!" said Danny as he saw who it was. "That's an org?" said Applejack as what she was seeing was a monster with the body of a bell. "Orgs take on the shape of modern things," informed Danny to Aj. "Now, time to ring out the sound of your defeat!" shouted Bell Org. He then jumped down and looked to slam his hammer on the pair. "This ain't mah first rodeo! Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Applejack. "Wild Access!" shouted Danny. Both began to undergo their respective change as they morphed into their suits. "With the strength of the rhino, Harmony Guardian Green Ranger!" "Iron Bison!" The pair managed to dive out of the way of the Bell Org as its hammer hit the pavement. It left a decent-sized hole in the ground as it looked to its sides and saw Aj and Danny had it surrounded. Both charged as the org struck the hammer to its body and created loud soundwaves. They were so loud that Applejack and Danny stopped in their tracks and covered their ears. That slight distraction allowed him to swing his hammer at both as they got hit. The Bell Org grabbed Aj and threw the girl over his head as she waved about in the air. She crash-landed into Danny's arms as both tumbled to the floor in pain. "Ding Dong!" said Bell Org in a pompous tone as he began to approach the fallen rangers. "Rarity, head back to the command center! Me and Alyssa are going to help Rainbow." "Be careful, darlings," said the fashionista as she took off. Both Alyssa and Twilight began to run as a slash attack came at them. The pair saw it at the last second as they got out of the way. They rolled and recovered as they looked ahead. Like their friends, they, too, were dealing with a familiar foe. "I've been waiting for our rematch, White Ranger!" "Samurai Org!" shouted Alyssa. "You got lucky last time, but now... I'm more prepared! Full Moon Strike!" shouted the org as he powered up his sword. He drew a crescent moon with his blade and slashed it at the girls. "Twilight!" shouted Alyssa as she pushed her and the teen out of the way before the attack hit. "Thanks," said Twilight to Alyssa as they got to their feet. Both glared at the org looking to challenge them to a fight. Both females looked at one another and nodded. "Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted Twilight. "Wild Access!" said Alyssa. Both of them now morphed into their respective suits. "With the cunning of the owl, Harmony Guardian Purple Ranger!" "Noble Tiger!" Both rangers now charged at the org as he began to swing his sword at them. They were ducked and evading the slashes while also blocking. Twilight used her shield to block an attack and held the blade. She signaled Alyssa to strike as the ranger leaped into the air with her baton. The org was able to catch it with his other hand as he surprised Alyssa. He then shot magenta lightning lasers from his eye and hit the ranger as she was pushed back. "Alyssa!" shouted Twilight. The samurai org then returned to Twilight as he began to swing and kick at the girl. He charged up his sword and unleashed another slash sent to the girl. Twilight put her shield up as it hit the surface of her weapon and tried to stand her ground. The girl could feel the attack's power as her feet dug into the dirt and slid. Soon it became too much as Twilight was pushed back and fell. Her shield managed to hold up, but she still felt the momentum of the attack that caused her to fall. The nearby trees were slashed in half by the org's attack as they began to fall. They were about to fall on the girl until Alyssa ran by and pulled her to safety. "Thanks, Alyssa," said Twilight. "Don't worry. I got your back." At a moment's notice, the Samurai Org teleported as he appeared before the rangers and began to attack them before they realized it and could defend themselves. They were dealt rapid strikes to the chest and all over their suits as both rangers were once again tossed. Watching each of the fights were their foes. The Dark Lords and Master Org watched through the crystal ball as they smiled. "Look at them! Soon it'll be the end of the Power Rangers!" said Pharynx. Taylor had her eagle sword out and tried her best to slash at the last minions. She did a standing backflip to avoid a sneak attack from the Motorcycle Org and then went for an attack with her weapon. It blocked as the two held each other and stared face to face. "This time, I'll defeat you for good!" stated Taylor. "Did you forget you couldn't beat me when I was just a scooter?!" taunted the Motorcycle Org to his rival. "Now, I'm twice as powerful as the last time! You can't defeat me!" "Wanna bet?" said Taylor as she flung the org's arm away and then jumped off a booth and into the air as she activated the wings on her suit. "Huh?" said the org as he saw the ranger in the air. "Golden Eagle Sword!" shouted Taylor as she flew by and slashed. She landed and spun to do several slashes to the org's body as he felt it and then was tossed. "Had enough?!" mocked Taylor. She was immediately shot as the org turned his arm into a screw gum to fire a blast. Taylor felt the attack as she tumbled to the floor and was in pain. "As I said, I'm twice as powerful. And it's time for you to be run over!" shouted the Motorcycle Org. He turned the handles on the side of his head as gas escaped from its pipes. The org was now charging at Taylor as he looked to end the ranger. Taylor saw the for coming at her at high speeds as she was on the floor and couldn't get out of the way. She put her hands up to cover as she was about to get him. At that moment, it showed a wolf-like spirit as it charged and collided with the org as it held the attack. It then slashed at the org as he was pushed back. Taylor saw the final moments of the wolf spirits as the mirage disappeared. She turned her head and saw Ash standing there as his hands glowed a bit before turning off. "Something you can't do," said the boy with a smug smile. He then leaped into the air with his sword, which charged up. "Topaz Slash!" The boy did a diagonal slash that hit the Motorcycle Org as an explosion occurred. "Show off," stated Taylor as Ash helped her up. "Please, I still have one more trick. Battle Armor Online!" shouted Ash as he touched his Morpher to push some buttons as his body glowed. "Activate!" The boy was now having his appearance change as his suit and powers upgraded. "Harmony Guardian, Yellow Ranger! Warrior Mode!" Taylor was taking in the new powerup by Ash as she couldn't help but feel jealous. "Ready to end this?" asked the boy. "Right," nodded Taylor. "This isn't over!" stated the Motorcycle Org. He then began to turbo charge at them. Taylor then jumped into the air as she powered up her sword to do her signature strike. "Golden Eagle Sword! Soaring Slash!" shouted Taylor as she appeared with the image of her eagle in the background as she did a double slash across the screen. It hit the org as an explosion occurred that stopped him from charging. At that moment, Ash charged up his sword as it showed a magical circle around the blade part. He then pointed it at the org as the circle trapped and froze the org in place. The boy was now sliding ahead as his sword made tiny pieces of blade appear as they hit the org while he swung his blade. "Topaz Incisor Shred!" shouted Ash as he was zooming in and out of the screen before leaping back into the air and doing one final slash that cut the org in half. Both Ash and Taylor appeared behind the org, side by side. They each did their victory poses as in the background, the org fell, and another giant explosion occurred. Max was thrown into the air as he landed. "Max!" said Rainbow as she stood over her fallen friend. "Alright, that's it! I've had enough!" shouted the girl as she powered up her lance. "Cobalt Spear!" She was now zooming ahead with her weapon like she was jousting. Her gem powered outlined her body as she was now spinning as the attack gained power and speed as it made its way to the org. The Ship org stopped Rainbow's attack as he used his shield to block the attack as the girl's weapon was stuck in it. "Nice try, little girl," said the Ship Org. "I'm not a little girl, besides, made you look," smirked Dash. At that moment, it showed Max as he recovered. He leaped off a nearby table into the air. He used his fighting fins as he sliced one of the horns of the org's head. He landed and then did a few more slices as Rainbow removed her lance and thrust it with Max simultaneously as they knocked the org off his feet. "Nice! Teamwork!" said Max as he and Rainbow did a thumbs up. "It ain't over. Battle Armor Online!" shouted Rainbow as her suit began to glow. "Activate!" The suit heard Dash's command as she touched her Morpher. The girl was now undergoing a similar transformation to her leader. It showed Dash as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had cobalt shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her falcon's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. "Harmony Guardian, Blue Ranger! Warrior Mode!" "Wow, nice!" said Max as he took in Dash's new appearance. "Let's finish this!" said the girl. "Blue Shark Fighting Fins! Surging Slice!" shouted Max, as did his signature move. He stood with the image of his shark symbol behind him as he cross-slashed the org. Rainbow powered up her lance as she began to zoom ahead with a rainbow blur following her. Her suit then made copies of her running as they leaped into the air and circled the org while running to create a rainbow barrier that kept the org trapped. "Rainbow Blitz!" shouted the girl, now zipping in and out. The org was being hit from all angles as the girl was zooming past her from the barrier that was her running really fast. It showed one final zip as it followed Rainbow, who came to a stop by sliding her feet and appearing next to Max. Both of them did their victory pose as behind them; the org fell and exploded. "Lion Blaster, Gatling Mode!" shouted Cole as he pulled out his weapon and fired some shots that stumbled the Freezer Org. "Ruby Harmony Bow! Ruby Flare!" shouted Sunset as she stepped off Cole's shoulders. The girl pulled the string back and fired an arrow made of red light as it sailed toward the monster. "Cannon Mode!" shouted Cole as his blaster extended its barrel and fired a more powerful version of his shot as it delivered some massive damage to the org. The org fell as it wobbled on the floor. "Let's finish this by turning up the heat!" said Cole. "Battle Armor Online! Activate!" shouted Sunset as her suit glowed. She touched her Morpher as she began to undergo her transformation. The suit heard Sunset's command as she touched her Morpher. It showed Sunset as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had ruby shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her phoenix's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. “Harmony Guardian, Red Ranger! Warrior Mode!” shouted Sunset. Both red rangers now charged as the org saw them coming. Both forward flipped into the air as they did a team finisher. "Red Lion Fang! Blazing Fire!" shouted Cole as his weapon powered up with red energy. He then did a devastating diagonal top right to bottom left slash. Sunset was in the air as she pulled back on the bow and had three arrows made of red light appear. The girl released them as they shot forward, and the tips turned into flames as they embedded into the org. The girl landed in a crouch position and spun around while aiming at the sky. "Inferno Fury!" shouted Sunset as she released the string. The girl shot up the arrows as pillars of fire headed toward the org. Soon they made it as a vast fire erupted and covered the screen while burning the org with arrows raining from above. Sunset got up and turned as she stood side by side with Cole. They did their pose as behind them; an explosion occurred to signal the defeat of their foe. "Black Bison Axe!" shouted Danny as he looked to swing his weapon at the Bell Org, only for it to be caught, and instead, he got hit with the hammer. He tumbled to the ground as the org stood over him. He looked to end the black ranger while bringing his hammer down. A rope flew through the air as it wrapped around the hammer and was pulled. "Easy there, bucko!" said Applejack as she was pulling on the rope to avoid letting Danny get hit. "You think that'll hold me!" taunted the org. "I'm not tryin' to!" smirked Aj. "Danny!" The girl gave the command as Danny was able to kick the org in the stomach to back it off. It caused the org to lose his balance as Applejack pulled to remove the hammer the moment he got hit. She then stomped her foot, creating a mini quake effect as it took the org off his feet. "Now it's mah turn! Battle Armor Online! Activate!" shouted Applejack as she began to upgrade. The suit heard Applejack's command as she touched her Morpher. It showed the girl as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had emerald shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her rhino's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. "Harmony Guardian, Green Ranger! Warrior Mode!" "Nice!" said Danny as he was impressed by Aj's new powerup. "Let's dance!" said Aj with her new appearance. "Black Bison Axe! Bison Slash!" shouted Danny as he made his signature move. His weapon charged with purple energy and performed a devastating horizontal slash. Applejack slammed her ax to the ground as it created vines that appeared and held the org in place. The girl now charged forward as she was throwing her ax as it bounced back to her, and she continued the assault. "Earthbreaker!!!" shouted Applejack as she took a giant leap back and slammed her weapon to the ground as a stone pillar appeared. She then punched it as the pieces began to sail toward the org as he was getting pulverized as the final image he saw was Aj doing an upward slash as she slid by. Applejack and Danny were side by side as they did their pose with their foe being defeated in the back. "Full Moon Strike!" shouted the samurai org as he powered up his sword once more and shot out his attack. "Sapphire Spin!" shouted Twilight. She tossed her shield towards the org as it began to spin fast. It was gaining momentum and power as it hit the attack and was trying to hold it back. Soon it began to push back against the attack thrown by the org and dissipated it before sailing toward the org, who was hit by the round thing as it knocked the monster to the floor. The shield returned to Twilight, who caught it and landed like a superhero. As for the org, he got to his knees and saw that the shield managed to slice the blade of his sword. "Battle Armor Online! Activate!" shouted Twilight as she was ready to end this fight. The suit heard Twilight's command as she touched her Morpher. It showed the girl as she stood there with her arms down. Soon her gem shoulder pads began to get bigger as she now had sapphire shards on her knees. The final thing was that her chest now had some crystal armor that matched her gem and had the face of her owl's head. The ranger also had a cape that formed as it fluttered in the wind. "Harmony Guardian, Purple Ranger! Warrior Mode!" "You may have destroyed my sword, but I'm defenseless!" shouted the org as he fired some lightning bolts from his eyes. Twilight raised her shield as, with the new powerup, she created a barrier in front of her and Alyssa. The attack just bounced off and didn't leave a scratch. That surprised the org as well as what followed next. "White Tiger Baton! Tiger Thrust!" shouted Alyssa. Her weapon was charged with white-purple energy and slashed across the screen in a plus sign symbol. Twilight began to spin with her shield in hand as a small tornado began to form. The wind from the thing began to blow off as the org could feel its feet dragging along the dirt. The girl then threw her shield as it was infused with magic. The object turned into a magic org that spread and held the monster in place as Twilight stood there with her hands out as magic flowed through them. She then made some quick motions with her arms and body as she powered up her attack. "Sacred Aura!!!" shouted Twilight as she brought her hands down, and a pillar of light rained down on her foe as he was defenseless. She floated ahead as her shield rematerialized in her hand and delivered one finally cut through the middle as she zoomed by. She came to a stop and stood next to Alyssa. The pair did their pose as behind them, the last org that was sent to take out the rangers was defeated as he exploded. "Well, so much for that plan," said Starlight as they had just finished seeing Alyssa and Twilight take out the last task force they sent. "Indeed, it seems those orgs aren't as tough as you make them out to be," snickered Chrysalis to Master Org. "You dare question the integrity of orgs!!" shouted Master Org. "Enough!!!" yelled Sombra as his voice echoed around the room. "Enough with the bickering!!" "We apologize, our liege," said Starlight, Chrysalis, Pharynx, and Thorax as they bowed in front of their leader. Master Org simply scoffed as he left. Sombra saw this as he glared at his new ally as he had some thoughts. Ash and Taylor returned to the command center as the doors opened. The pair entered, and inside were the rest of their friends as they gathered around and waited for them. "Let me guess, you guys fought some old foes?" said Taylor as she could tell based on the looks that they were given. After a quick discussion, all of the pair-ups managed to share what went down. Knowing that some old foes from the past appeared made everyone worried. If they could show up, what would stop the Dark Lords and Master Org from bringing back even stronger opponents. Ones that nearly beat the Wild Force Rangers. "I say we take the fight to them! They wanna mess with us, we'll make sure they think twice of trying to take us out!" stated Rainbow. "And how do you suppose we do that?" asked Twilight as they looked at Rainbow. Dash didn't respond as she simply sat down. "Either way, Dash. We can't blindly rush into danger if we don't know where or when they'll strike. Our best bet is to wait until they make a move. I'm having Rachel look into the scanners so that the minute they show up, we know where they are." said Ash. "So what now?" asked Pinkie. "Rachel," said Ash. The A.I. pulled up some footage on the screen as everybody looked at it. "Figured we look at some of your past battles. In case we encounter more orgs, we know how to counteract them," the boy stated. "Sounds like a plan," said Sunset. Rachel now began to play some old footage from the battles of orgs that Cole and his team fought against. Soon Cole and his friends each began to teach some new stuff to the teens as they split back up into pairs and began to train in the training area and outside of the command center for the rest of the day. While this was going on, the Dark Lords were planning their next move. Knowing that orgs were created from the pollution humans caused, they decided to create a new one, with the help of Master org. They hoped to create a new monster that could destroy the Rangers once and for all. Soon, Thorax was able to locate the proper place for their plan. He informed his comrades that the Canterlot Power Plant, which emitted tons of energy and pollution, would be the perfect spot. They would get into the system and hack it to cause a meltdown and, in the process, be able to ooze deadly waste, which they could use to create their monster. With the plan in tow, Sombra gave the order as he informed his four generals to accompany Master Org in carrying out their plan. The five showed up with tons of Putrids and minions as they saw the place. It was closed for the day as the villains found it much easier than expected. Their presence was picked up as an alarm rang in the rangers' command center. Most of them were sitting at the kitchen table when they heard the alarms and raced to the central computer. Ash was already working with Rachel with the cameras as the others rushed out of the training room. They all rushed to Sunset and Ash as the pair pulled up the cameras. It showed the image of their foes as they entered the power plant. "What do they want with a power plant?" asked Rainbow. "Well, orgs are created from pollution. And power plants are one of the things that emit tons of waste and pollution," said Twilight. "Which means they must be planning on using the power plant to create a new monster," said Alyssa as she was along the same line of thinking as Twilight. Both of them smiled at each other for thinking the same thought. "Great, we got two eggheads!" said Rainbow as she didn't like that, to which Alyssa and Twilight took offense as they glared. "It's time," said Ash to everybody as they nodded. The ten rangers began to head out as Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stayed behind. While the rangers were making their way to the place, Thorax was using his hacking skills to put the whole reactor to melt. "Using the humans' own technology against them. Shows just how corrupt they really are that they protest to protect the Earth when they don't realize they are the ones destroying it," said Thorax. "That won't matter anyway. Once we eliminate the rangers, this whole world will belong to ours. And then we can destroy it ourselves." stated Pharynx. The Rangers had made it to the power plant as they ran along the last bit of the road and entered through the gates. "Keep an eye out!" stated Cole. "And contact each other if you find them," added Ash. The rest of them nodded as they began to split up into groups. Ash and Talyor were shown on the upper part of the power plant as they came to a railing and looked down and around. They continued to move down the walkway as they looked for their foes. Ash and Cole were in the front of the power plant as they scanned for their foes. Alyssa and Twilight were inside the building as they made it to the control room. They walked in but found nothing. "Twilight!" said Alyssa as she got the attention of the teen. Twilight made her way to the computer screen as it showed the reactor starting to rise as it was but moments from melting and causing a devasting chain reaction. "This isn't good. That reactor is going to blow." "Can we stop it?" asked Alyssa. "Rachel, come in," said Twilight as she sat in the chair and pulled up to the control panel. "I need you to get into the system and help me shut it down." "Affirmative," said the A.I. as she began to guide Twilight in shutting down the reactor. At the same time, it showed Danny, Max, Rainbow, and Rainbow Dash hiding behind some boxes. The four were in the reactor room as the minions and Putrids were guarding it, the villains left behind. Some were banging on the big metal thing but not damaging it to avoid screwing up their plan. "Hey, Max, where are you guys?" asked Alyssa as she contacted the four on her Growl Phone. "We're in the reactor room," replied Max so the others could hear his conversation. "And we've got a whole party down here," said Applejack through her Morpher. "Good, we're in the control room. Twilight and Rachel are working to shut down the reactor and stop the meltdown. We'll let you know when it's clear." "Might want to hurry up, Twi! Cause there are a ton of baddies here that I'm just dying to kick their ass," said Rainbow over her Morpher. "I'm going as fast as I can, Rainbow," stated the girl to her friend as their call ended. At that moment, the control room door opened, and some foot soldiers came in. Alyssa got into her fighting stance. "Twilight, keep working. I'll buy you some time," stated Alyssa as she nodded. In the reactor room, the four rangers jumped out from their cover and began to engage with the foot soldiers. Rainbow started with a flying kick to take out a minion. Soon the rest joined her as they were blocking attacks with their arms and hands while dodging. "Remember, don't let them blow this place up!" said Danny. "Gotcha ya, partner!" said Applejack as she grabbed ahold of a Putrid and his club. She then tossed him into the nearby wall as he fell. Max was between two minions as he blocked their overheard strikes only to get kneed in the midsection. It backed him into a panel as he stepped off it to roll over a minion's back and kick him into the panel as sparks flew. Rainbow was using a bit of her speed to clear out as many of the foot soldiers as possible. She used her leg to grab ahold of a Putrid's shoulder and spun to bring the foe down with her leg on top of it. She then blocked a few more, trying to attack her legs before sweeping them with a surprise move. Back with Ash and Taylor, they were still walking about the upward place of the power plant. Ash was in front of Taylor when something jumped down behind the latter. "Surprise!" said Master Org as he looked to strike the female when she turned to look at him. "Taylor!" shouted Ash as he ran and jumped. The boy managed to barely make it in time as he pushed her out of the way as Master Org's sword sliced a strand of her blond hair. The pair tumbled to the floor as Ash was on top of Talyor. He got off and checked on her. "Thanks, Ash," smiled Taylor at the teen for rescuing her. They got up as Master Org tried to attack them. Ash blocked with his arm as he tried to kick, only for it to be swatted away. Taylor joined in and tried to do the same as the org sidestepped, then kicked her away. He then grabbed ahold of Ash and tossed the boy over his head as he landed on his back. Taylor blocked a side attack but got kneed in the midsection as the org kicked her again, and she crashed into a nearby stairwell and fell. In the control room, Alyssa was still trying to keep the monsters from getting to Twilight, but she quickly got outnumbered. Soon a few managed to charge into her as they held her against the wall. "Almost got it!" said Twilight as she was unaware of the Putrid about to strike her. She looked out of her eye and prepared to kick the being away. At that moment, two flying kicks were delivered as Cole and Sunset made their presence known. While investigating the front of the place, they ran into a small swarm of their foes and dispatched them quickly. They then entered the place to continue their search and heard the sounds of struggling coming from where the reactor room was located. They managed to make it just in time as they protected Twilight. "Thanks, guys," said Twilight. "Don't worry; we got your back. Just finish shutting it down," said Sunset as she ran and did a double split kick. Cole managed to make it to where Alyssa was being held as he took them off her to where she could push off and fight back. They nodded and began to rush in to help Sunset while Twilight did her thing. "Almost there," said Twilight as her fingers were dwindling while she sweated. She then punched the final bits of command along with Rachel as the image and schematic of the reactor came on. "Yes! We did it! The reactor's deactivated!" said Twilight as the trio finished fighting the footsoldiers and rushed over to her to see themselves. "Knew you could do it. Great job, Twilight. You as well, Rachel." said Alyssa to the girl in the chair and the A.I. at the screen. "My pleasure," said Rachel as she left the system and returned to the command center. "Guys, it's all yours," said Cole through his Growl Phone. "Copy that," said Max. "Girls, go ahead!" said Danny as he tossed the last mutant into some pipes. Rainbow and Applejack tapped into their gem's powers as their hands glowed. They both thrust their arms out as the spirits of their animals were shown and raced toward the power plant and destroyed it as they saved the whole place from exploding. "Man, am I jealous of the powers you guys got," said Max as he was impressed by what the girls did and that they could power up their suits. With both groups, they left to find Ash and Taylor. With the pair, they were still trying to fight Master Org as he was giving them a fight. He tossed Taylor above into some overhead pipes as she fell to the floor in pain. He pointed his sword and looked to bring it down. Ash then tossed himself at the org as he tumbled them away. He recovered from the roll to stand and thrust his hands as they glowed. The spirit of his wolf was lunging at the org general as he blocked and held it in place with his blade. Both were at a standstill as Ash tapped into his powers to give his animal spirit more power. "You can't beat me, boy!" shouted Master Org as he began to take a step forward while holding the wolf spirit in place. Ash could himself lose as he tried to push back the org. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder as he saw Taylor was back up. She smiled and nodded at the teen as she reminded him that he didn't have to do it alone. The boy then took a deep breath as he brought his arms back and thrust them out, as did Taylor. Now an eagle spirit was shown soaring as it helped with the wolf. Both animal spirits increased their powers as they caught the org general off guard and pushed him back as he flew. "Nice work, Taylor," said Ash as the pair did a high-five. Master Org got up and disappeared. He made it to where the rest of the dark lords were stationed. "The rangers had foiled our plans! Best we retreat!" stated Chrysalis. "Agreed," said Starlight. The five were now starting to walk when they stopped in their tracks. "Hold it right there!" shouted a voice. They all stopped and looked. In front were Ash and Cole as the rest of their friends soon flanked them. They all had scowls on their faces as they stared down their foes. The ten rangers looked at each other as they nodded and prepared to finish this fight. "Ready?!" said Ash as he and the girls lifted their arms for their bracelets to transform into their Morphers. "Harmony Gem, Power up!" said the five teens. "Let's do it!" shouted Cole as he and his team pulled out their Growl Phones. "Wild Access!!" shouted the five veteran rangers. Now all ten of them were undergoing their transformations. Ash and the girls drew the symbols on their Morphers as they began to morph. The gem inside began to encase them in their suits. They all landed on a platform and lifted their heads as the helmet and vizor configured. They each did their pose with their zords in the background. Cole and the others were now changed into phones that flashed the images of their animals before they stood up as humans. Soon it flashed away as they stood in their pose in their suits as their helmets configured. "Harmony Yellow!" "Harmony Red!" "Harmony Blue!" "Harmony Green!" "Harmony Purple!" "Harmony Guardian, Power Rangers!" said the five teens doing their pose together. "Blazing Lion!" "Soaring Eagle!" "Surging Shark!" "Iron Bison!" "Noble Tiger!" "Power Rangers, Wild Force!" said the five veterans as they did their pose in unison. "Power Rangers, Unite!" shouted Cole and Ash as they all stood with colored smoke shooting up behind them that soon turned into a badass explosion. "Ten Rangers?!!!" growled Pharynx as the sight of that many rangers sickened him. "Sombra?" asked Starlight to her commander. "Destroy them as you see fit!" ordered the Dark Lord. "It's fair game, guys!" laughed Starlight to her comrades as they prepared to fight. The rangers all charged as they began to split up into pairs. In the command center, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie watched the screen as the brawl started. They had some snacks nearby to watch the fight. "Take them down, darlings," smiled Rarity. "Be safe," said Fluttershy, still concerned for her friends. "Rachel, put on some epic music," stated Pinkie. "At once," said the A.I. as she put on a song that really got the girls into the mood as the music perfectly fit the fight they were watching. Max and Rainbow fought against Thorax as they ducked and evaded his attacks. Both backed away from the mutant as he tossed his daggers at them. Rainbow went for an attack as she was slashed in the midsection and fell. Max then tried a jump kick as Thorax ducked and kneed him in the chest before he tossed his knives at the ranger and sent him sailing a few meters in the air. Rainbow was near him as she helped him up. Thorax now began to charge. Max then grabbed Rainbow by her waist and tossed her up. The girl grabbed ahold of the pipes above as Max pulled out his fighting fins and blocked the tiny daggers that Thorax was tossing at him. The general got close and looked to slam his fist on the ranger as Max grabbed his arms and tried to stop it from hitting him. Rainbow swung her legs down and kicked Thorax in the face as he didn't see it coming. Rainbow then pulled out her lance as she grabbed ahold of Max and began to run in place. A rainbow tornado began to form as Thorax was getting to his feet. Dash then let go as she tossed Max, who had his arms and legs out as he spun like a boomerang and delivered an onslaught of assaults on Thorax. "Cobalt Spear!" shouted Rainbow as she charged into Thorax with her weapon and made a powerful attack that sent him crashing into some nearby barrels. Twilight and Alyssa were dealing with Starlight as they kicked at the general, who did the same to block their attacks while backing up. She then swung her staff as both ducked and blocked using their personal weapons. Twilight went for a low sweep as Starlight jumped to avoid it. Alyssa followed up by doing a spin kick as she swatted it away. She then jumped as both girls did a standing backflip to get out of the way. They crouched and turned to see Starlight on top of the warehouse. She powered up her staff and fired as Twilight blocked it with her shield. Starlight then jumped with her staff charged. "You're up, Twilight!" said Alyssa as she stopped and turned. The girl then jumped off of Alyssa's shoulders as she was airborne. She activated her wings to glide in the air and meet Starlight in the middle. Twilight swung her shield while ducking Starlight's attack as she got the general right in the midsection as sparks flew. Starlight was going down as Alyssa leaped into the air to backflip. Her feet caught the general and kicked her as she crashed to the ground. Danny and Applejack were brawling with Pharynx as the general was using his gauntlets to slam them. The pair had their axes out as they blocked each one of his swings. He kicked Aj away as he turned to deal with Danny, who tried for an attack. A rope then appeared as it grabbed Pharynx's other arm and pulled. Aj was now holding the mutant and allowing Danny a chance. He went to kick Pharynx in the midsection only to catch it and then kick Danny away. He then sliced the rope to free his arm but pulled in Aj, who was hit by his gauntlets. Pharynx slammed them on the ground as a rock wave came at Aj. The farm girl stomped her foot on the ground as she made the stones break apart as they disbursed. The general slammed the ground once more as pieces of the stone hovered in the air, and he began to kick them at his foes. Applejack was now swinging her ax as she cut down the rocks hurling toward them. "Aj, catch!" said Danny as he was still on the floor and tossed his weapon at the girl. "Thanks, Danny!" said Applejack as she turned to catch it and now was dual ax-wielding. The country gal was now charging ahead while Pharynx kept hurling rocks at her. It didn't phase the girl as she kept running full steam ahead and swung the axes to dispose of the rocks as they charged up. Soon she was closing in the distance as she slid under the last rock and was below Pharynx. He saw the girl as she was still sliding while swinging upwards. "Double Axe Smash!!!" shouted Applejack as she made both weapons contact with the general. An explosion occurred, and he let out a grunt. Ash and Taylor were backflipping in a row as they were dealing with Chrysalis, who continued to fire magic at the pair. "Topaz Harmony Blade!" "Golden Eagle Sword!" "Volt flare!" shouted Chrysalis as she shot orbs at the pair. They were able to swat away and deflect the magic orbs. Chrysalis then accelerated toward them as they were too slow in defending themselves. They fell as she continued her assault of magic. Ash then charged up and thrust his hands out as out came his wolf spirit. "Taylor!" shouted Ash as he put his hands together. "Right!" She then ran and stepped into Ash's hands as he tossed her high. Taylor then shot out her darts as Chrysalis was busy holding back the mirage image of the animal. She saw the darts coming at her as she raised a hand to blast them out of the sky. It created some smoke which Taylor used to her advantage. She was soaring downwards as her wings were out and brought her sword to strike Chrysalis as it made contact. She grunted as Ash came from the front and did a slash of his own. Master Org extended his hand as he shot out some lasers. Both Cole and Sunset were on some loading crates as they side-flipped off of it to the one below. They did it again to avoid another beam attack. They landed and fired their blasters as Master Org blocked it with his sword and returned the shots at the rangers. "Why do we get the big guy?" asked Sunset to Cole. The pair pulled out their sabers and began to swing at the org, who blocked with his sword. He flicked away Sunset's to then stop Cole's assault. Cole went for a roundhouse kick as Master Org moved out of the way. Both he and Sunset attacked at the same time. The org leader blocked it as he flung both rangers into the air. They were able to recover as they landed on their feet. Sunset then went for a high spin kick as Master Org dodged it. Cole then went low and managed to sweep the org as he didn't expect it and fell. Sunset did a cartwheel to have her hands grab the org and then flip him over as he crashed a few meters away. "Falcon Summoner! Archer Mode!" said Cole as he had his weapon appear. "Ruby Harmony Bow!" said Sunset as she had hers out too. They nodded as they looked at the org general. They released the string as they shot out powerful attacks that collided with Master Org. An explosion occurred as it followed him when he was sent flying into a nearby stairway. "Time to go full power!" said Ash as he and everyone stood in a row with the five villains slumped over each other. "Battle Armor Online! Activate!" said the teens as they began to power up and change their appearance. "Animarium Armor!" said Cole as he pulled out his belt buckle. He, too, was transforming his appearance as he powered up. "Again, why didn't we get cool stuff like that when we were rangers," stated Max to the others as he saw Ash and the girls powered up like Cole. "Let's do it together, guys!" shouted Ash. "Animarium Armor! Falcon Blast!" "Soaring Slash!" "Surging Slice!" "Bison Smash!" "Tiger Thrust!" The Wild Force Rangers did their signature moves as they struck their enemies who felt the attack. Ash and the girls soon followed it up. "Sacred Aura!" "Earthbreaker!" "Rainbow Blitz!" "Inferno Fury!" "Topaz Incisor Shred!" All five teens made their attack together; a rainbow-colored light hit the five villains as a massive explosion occurred. The dark lords were all pushed away from Master Org as he was still standing. "He's not done yet," said Rainbow as she powered down from her upgrade, as did Ash, the others, and Cole. "Then there's only one thing left to do. Let's combine our weapons!" stated Cole. "Right!" said the rest of them. "Harmony Cannon!" said the teens. "Jungle Sword!" said the veteran rangers. Both teams of rangers began to charge up their final attacks as Master Org was getting to his feet and saw them. "You can't destroy me!" said the org general. "Time to be gone for good!" said Ash. "Final Shot!" shouted the teens as their cannon fired a rainbow sphere as it hit the org. "Savage Slash!" shouted the Wild Force Rangers as they had their weapon coming down and slicing the org in half. With the two attacks connecting, the rangers all turned around and did their pose in one giant straight line. In the background, Master Org was shining and glowing as he could feel himself being defeated. He then fell as a giant explosion occurred to signal he was defeated. "They did it!" said Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie as they watched the whole thing from the command center as the music ended. "Nice job, guys!" said Cole and Ash in unison. "It ain't over yet, rangers! Do your thing, Chrysalis!" stated Starlight. "Wicked spirits, hear my plea. Watch as the devil may cry from even the deepest parts of Tartarus; darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance! Open the gates of chaos so that new life shall be born!!!" The general finished her chant as a tornado formed around her defeated comrade's spot. It then got bigger and bigger as it blew away, as there stood Master Org, who was now ten times his size. "No way!" said the rangers. "Good to know they still make them big," said Cole. "Now your destruction begins!" shouted Master Org. "I think we can handle it from here, guys," said Ash to Cole and the others as they nodded. "Harmony Zords, arise!" said the teens. The call was made as soon the zords were shown racing toward them. "Woah, look at that," said Danny as they saw their friends' beasts. Ash and the girls jumped into the air as they entered their zords. "Harmony Zords, combine!" said the teens. The animals began to merge as soon the Megazord stood as the rangers appeared inside, each standing at their station. "The end of the rangers is here!" stated Master Org. "We'll about that!" stated Ash. "Falcon Blade!" shouted Rainbow. The Megazord then charged forward as it began to swing at Master Org, who tanked the shots as it had little effect. He then grabbed another swing from the rangers as he slashed at them. Their Megazord stumbled as he continued his onslaught. The teens felt the attacks as they were rocking back and forth. Down below, Cole and the others watched their friends get pulverized by their arch-enemy. Master Org did one final powered-up slash as it knocked the ranger's Megazord off their feet. It hit the ground hard as it lay on the floor with the org standing over them. "Say goodbye, Power Rangers!" said the org as he fired lasers from his eyes as the Megazord had sparks fly. Inside, the teens were stumbling as they, too, flew from their stations and landed on the floor. They were now defenseless as it seemed they were about to be defeated. "This is bad!" said Max as he saw Ash and the girls in trouble. "If only we could do something," said Danny. "But what can we do?" said Alyssa. At that moment, Cole's saber began to glow as the ranger pulled it out and saw it. "My saber's glowing," stated Cole as soon in his other hand was his crystal ball. It then began to glow a bright red. "And so is my crystal." "Mine's glowing too," said Taylor as she and the others were experiencing the same thing. "Rangers, I found more of your powers in the Morphin' Grid. Now you can help Ash and the girls take down Master Org once and for all. I think you can guys know what to do." "Thanks, Rachel," said Cole as he and the others put their crystals in the small hole of their sabers. "Ready, guys?" "Yeah!" said the others. "Wild Zords, descend!!" shouted all five rangers as they pointed their sabers into the air. It made a sound as it echoed around. The echo got louder and louder with each passing moment as it was sending the call. The call got picked up by Ash and the girls. "Huh? What's that sound?" said Applejack. "Look!" said Sunset as she pointed to where Cole and the others were as they stood with their sabers still pointed to the sky. The call was still going. Soon something happened. A lion was shown roaring as it began to run through the jungle. It was soon followed by a tiger, bison, shark jumping out of the way, and an eagle as it screeched. "Here they come!" said Danny. "Nice to see them again," said Taylor as she smiled through her helmet. The Wild zords were now following a trail as they descended from the Animarium and onto the ground as they raced to where the rangers were. "Woah, is that?" said Twilight in disbelief. "Looks like it!" said Rainbow in excitement. The lion then raced forward ahead of its comrade and lunged at Master Org. It sank its fangs into the org as he struggled to get loose from the cat's mouth. He then tossed the feline away as he landed on its feet. It showed Alyssa's tiger as it jumped and turned itself into a ball as its sharp claws made contact with Master Org as he felt it. "Go Tiger!" cheered Alyssa. "Alright, Sharky. Let him have it!" cheered Max to his zord. "Bison Zord, take him down!" said Danny as he gave support to his zord. Both zords growled as they charged forward together and rammed into the org, taking him off his feet. Soon the eagle zord was shown as it began to do its attack. "Go for it, Eagle Zord!" shouted Taylor with her fist up high. Her zord heard the call of its owner as its body began to glow yellow as it rained down from above. The attack made contact with Master Org as tons of explosions occurred. "Mind if we lend a hand?" asked Cole. "Sure thing!" responded Ash. "Wild Zords, combine!" said the five veterans as they put their sabers in a circle and gave the command. The zords heard the call as they began to transform once again. A screeching sound was heard as a tiny birdy came rushing down. "Soul Bird!" shouted Cole as he and his team jumped and landed on it. "Soul Drive, Merge!" The rangers then entered the back of their Megazord as it came online. "Wild Force Megazord!" said the group as their robot was formed and did its pose. "That still won't stop me!" said Master Org as he wasn't impressed. The Wild Force Megazord helped the Harmony Megazord as both robots looked to team up and ended their foe. They nodded and began to march forward as Master Org threw out some laser beam attacks and sword slashes. They hit the Megazords, but with newfound confidence, the rangers kept marching as they got close. "Shark Surge!" shouted Max as their zord thrust out their right arm. "Falcon Punch!" stated Rainbow as she did the same with their Megazord and attacked with their right arm. "Tiger Fury!" shouted Alyssa. "Owl Jab!" shouted Twilight. Both Megazords were now alternating blows and punched the org as he was being pushed back. "Fin Blade!" "Falcon Blade!" Both Cole and Ash had their Megazord pulled out their swords as they began to slice and slash at Master Org as the combined teamwork of the rangers was overpowering him. Both robots took a step back to charge their swords and thrust them forward. It made contact with Master Org's chest as they also broke his sword. "Cole, are you ready to finish this?" asked Ash. "You bet!" replied the ranger. "Soul Cannon! Fire!" shouted the Wild Force Rangers as their Megazord glowed and fired five-colored beams at Master Org as an explosion occurred. "Harmony Megazord, Sonic Rainboom!" shouted Ash and the girls as they finished up things. The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf as each was moments behind the other as they struck Master Org as he exploded and was destroyed once and for all. The rangers and their Megazords looked and saw the Org heart that had brought back the org general as it was destroyed for good and never seen again. "It's over," said Ash. "Alright!" shouted the rangers inside their Megazords as they began to cheer and applaud each other. It was later as Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie were outside the command center in the nearby forest. They had a picnic table with food as a drone flew carrying the last stuff. "Pinkie, put those down!" said Rachel as she in control of the drone. "Sorry," smiled the girl. Approaching them were the ten rangers as they were all walking side by side with their pairs laughing and smiling. "Over here!" said Rarity as she waved her hands. "Hey, Rarity!" shouted the teens. With the victory over the Dark Lords and the destruction of Master Org, the rangers were now celebrating. And what better way than with some friends and food. They all raced forward to begin the festivities. They weren't the only ones as Ash and the girls' zords appeared in their pet-sized forms and the Bear zord and her cubs as they too got in on the party. They all did a toss of cider to celebrate their win. Cole and the others were amazed by Aj's family cider. A small dance competition broke out as Max and Rainbow began to throw down to see who had the better moves as their friends cheered them on. Eventually, the girls busted out their instruments and began to perform and sing some songs as the rest cheered and applauded. "One, two, three!" said Rarity as she held Aj and Danny's hands in place. The pair were now having an arm-wrestling contest to see who was stronger. Both could feel the strength of the other as they tried to move their opponent's arm. They could be seen struggling as they glared at each other. "Come on, Danny! Don't lose like last time!" shouted Max as he reminded his friend of the last time he arm-wrestled a girl. "Beat him already, Aj! I got twenty bucks on you!" cheered Rainbow to her friend. Unlike last time, Danny had a more fair fight against Applejack as the girl tried her hardest to prove she was stronger. Both rangers smiled at each other as they continued with their competition. Twilight was reading a book as Alyssa made her presence known. She tapped the girl's shoulder as she got her attention. Soon the teacher gave some books to the bookworm, and Twilight was ecstatic. The two began discussing stuff as they picked each other's brains and traded knowledge. Soon everybody gathered as Sunset and Taylor were at the far end. They were waving a white piece of cloth. "Ready, Go!" shouted both of them. At the other end, Ash and Cole were in a starting position as they were racing. Both took off at the signal and began to book it down the path. Along the side, their friends were cheering them on as they continued to run and beat the other. They made it to the end as they passed Taylor and Sunset. Twilight stopped the timer, and Rachel showed the time as Ash beat Cole by one second. Ash and Cole walked to their friends with their arms over each other as they were all smiling and laughing. Soon the festivities ended and they were all back in the command center. Ash and the girls stood in a line on one side as Cole and the other stood across from them. The rest of the girls were standing on the side as they watched the interaction with the two teams of rangers. "Well, I guess this is it," said Ash. "Yeah, time for us to leave," stated Cole. "Do you guys have to go so soon? I mean, why not stay a bit longer," suggested Rainbow. "Wish we could, Dash. But... our home is Turtle Cove," said Max. "Sure gonna miss y'all," said Applejack. "Us too," smiled Danny. "You guys hung up your helmets. Now it's time for us to pick up where you all left off," said Twilight. "Don't worry. You guys are doing great," said Taylor. "If you guys are ever in trouble, don't hesitate to call us," said Alyssa. "Glad we got the honor to work with such legendary rangers," said Sunset. "Please, the honor is all ours," stated Cole. "Once a ranger, always a ranger!" said the five veterans. Cole extended his hand out, as did the others. Ash and the girls returned the gesture as they each shook the hands of their new friends. Ash broke from Taylor's handshake as he turned to look at Cole. Everybody else was waiting to see what the two leaders would do as they smiled and stared. Ash extended his hand to give his respect to the great ranger. Cole shook the hand of Ash before pulling the boy in for a quick bro hug and rubbing his hair. "By the way, we got you guys something. A little souvenir to remember us by," said Taylor. She and the rest of her friends then pulled something from behind them. It was none other than jackets. But not any jackets, replica jackets that they were wearing as they wanted to give Ash and the girls a gift. The jacket had their names on the back as the teens looked at them and grabbed them. "Woah!" said Rainbow. "Say, how about we give you guys a ride back to Turtle Cove?" offered Ash. "Great," said Taylor. "But first... you got to put the jackets on. Try them out." "Okay, okay," said Ash and the girls. The five veteran rangers helped the teens put their jackets on as they fit perfectly. They were smiling at the new outfit as they looked at each of their mentors. "Now try the dance," said Cole as he gave Ash and the girls their Growl Phones. "Alright, alright," said Ash as he and the girls all got into position with the rest of their friends standing behind them. "You ready?" asked the boy to his team. "Ready," said the girls. They all flipped the phones out. "Wild Access!" shouted Ash and the girls as they did the morph and pose. The image then changed as it showed a jet flying above the clouds. Piloting it was Ash in his ranger suit as his team was also in theirs. Their friends also tagged along as the Wild Force Rangers were seated in suits as they flew back to Turtle Cove. They were all smiling and laughing as this encounter with each other was one they would not forget for both teams. Author's Note And we come to the end of this epic team up. I honestly, couldn't wait to share this with you all as I had a blast writing it and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. Feel free to let me know how you guys felt about this teamup. Based on how well this turned out, it gives me some more confidence that I can handle other teamup for this story. On a side note, feel free to express which teamups from other rangers you would like to see interaction with our characters.
Chapter 1: Arrival of a VilganteThe city of Canterlot was dark. Darkness was all that laid as the only lights on were from the buildings and some streetlamps. In a part of the city, there was a parking lot. Standing at the entrance booth was a security guard who was leaned back in his chair, reading the newspaper. The night shift had been rather slow as most of the employees had left. It was mostly quiet as soon as a sound was heard. This got the guard's attention, as he sat up and looked out of the window. He saw nothing, but he heard another sound. So he exited out of the booth and went to investigate. He began to follow the noise as it seemed to be coming from a few meters away. The trail led the guard to the only car that was in the parking lot as it belonged to the owner of the building across the street. He took a good look as he was seeing if there was anything that might cause the sound. At that moment, he was then attacked by something. The guard felt himself being shoved to the floor as he saw some things that he couldn't describe. The best thing to describe them were some mutants as they served as the role of minions. The guard was shaken by what he saw as he heard some chuckling. He looked in front of him as he felt himself being held. The thing in front of the guard was also a mutant, but based on his appearance, he looked to have a different role. The mutant in charge had a sinister smile on his face as he pointed his claw arm at the guard. "The beings of this dimension are so weak and puny. Conquering this for our leader will be a sinch," chuckled the mutant in charge. He then lifted his claw as he looked to bring it down on the guard. At that moment, some blasters were shown traveling through the air. They made contact with the mutant as he stumbled back and clutched his chest. "What the--" Some more shots were fired as they took out the mutants holding the guard as they fell. They moved around a bit before they disappeared as they were defeated. The shots came from the shadows as only a blaster was shown. "Who are you? Show yourself," said the head mutant. The blaster then moved out of the shadows as it revealed the figure that was holding it. It turned out to be a person, more specifically a teenage boy, but his face was still hidden. "A simple teen?" The teen then made the blaster disappear as he got into a battle stance with his fists raised in front of him. The mutant laughed as he summoned a few more minions. They all charged towards the boy as he raced forward. The guard was still on the ground when he was seeing what was happening. The teenager that saved him was now taking on these things as he was moving about with ease. The boy ducked the first two minions as he then blocked an attack from another with his arm as they then punched it several times in the chest. He then leaped into the air to deliver a flying kick as he took out another one. He turned around to see the mutants try to sweep him as he leaped into the air and then landed as he began to trade some fists with the rest of them. They managed to kick him into the car, as he rolled to his side when they tried to hit him. He opened the passenger side door to block a kick. He kicked the mutant and then immediately rolled onto the hood to avoid another attack. He then got on top as they followed the boy. He did some roundhouse kicks and tossed some by their arms off the car as they slammed into the ground. He then did a parkour roll off the hood to avoid some shots aimed at him. He then pulled out his blaster again and took them out. It wasn't long as the boy took the remainder of the minions out as he ran towards the car and leaped. He managed to run along the side of it as he reached the end of it and then did headscissor as he flung the last one onto the ground as it groaned and disappeared. "You'll pay for sticking your nose in our business," said the mutant as he slammed his claw into the ground. He created a shockwave attack as it was heading towards the guard. The boy saw this and acted on his instincts. He managed to get the guard who was on the ground as they both rolled through as the attack missed them. The mutant looked to see the small cracks he made as he thought he took care of the problem. He then looked to the side to see them as the boy was checking on the guard. "You okay?" asked the teen. "Yeah, who are you?" asked the guard. The teen didn't answer as he stood up and turned towards the mutant. He had a serious look on his face as he took a position in front of the thing. "Who are you?!" demanded the mutant. The boy just raised his left arm as a small device materialized on his wrist. He then brought his right two fingers as he touched the device. A bright light shined as it caused the guard to cover his eyes; the light died down as standing there was now a suit that was colored. The mutant had its eyes widen as he now pieced together who he was dealing with. "You're a r..." The boy now pulled out the weapon that he summoned as he held it. He then charged forward as did the mutant. The figure was now being surrounded in a light that matched his suit as the two met in the middle as another blinding light occurred. The security guard had been watching this as he was stunned by all that had been happening. He covered his eyes when the two figures met as it produced a bright light. It soon died down as the only thing standing there was the colored suit. The mutant was nowhere to be seen as only a small trail of flames was shown from where the person was standing. The figure then put its weapon away as it was walking back towards the guard. He backed up a bit as he saw the figure, the light from the figure activated as it got rid of the suit and revealed the person inside was the boy that had rescued him. He was shocked as the teen bent down. "It's alright, they won't bother you or anyone else," said the boy with a genuine smile on his face. "Who are you?" asked the security guard. The boy stood up and turned. "Just passing by," said the person. He then walked a few meters in front of him as he tapped his device again as a cycle now appeared. He got on it as he looked back at the guard who had his mind blown away literally. The teen gave a smile as he turned the handle of his bike and now zoomed out of the parking lot. During the ride, the same light from before occurred as the boy was now wearing his suit as he zoomed and disappeared in a flash. Morning rose on the city. Cars bustling on the streets and people on the sidewalks as they were talking on their phones or to each other. The rhythm of the city, the way it flowed, was a distraction for all that was soon to come. The rays of the morning star now entered the room of a person as it shined on their faces. The person was revealed to be a girl of 15 years of age, she dark sapphire blue with moderate purple and brilliant raspberry streaks. The girl felt the warmth of the sun as it caused her to let out a yawn. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her limbs as she sat up. Her eyes were moderate violet as her skin was pale, light grayish orchid. She looked to the table next to her as she saw it was time to get up. The girl now flung the covers and began to get dressed for school. She made her presence as she was wearing a dark purple skirt with a pink star-emblazoned over it covered her below the waist, from which stretched legs into dark purple and pink boots. A light blue, buttoned-up shirt with a magenta bow around the neck. The girl grabbed her backpack as she put it on her shoulders and exited her room. She went downstairs and prepared to eat some breakfast as she saw the TV in the living room was on. "And in other news, another reported sighting occurred in this parking lot at around 11:43 pm. The witness was a security guard who had said that he saw some strange-looking figures ambush him." said the news anchor as the screen now transitioned to a small interview video. "Tell me, sir, what happened? What did you see?" asked the reporter. "Well, I can't fully describe it. But it looked like some kind of weird mutation-ish enemy. I was caught off guard and I felt like my life was going to end. But then I was saved by some masked vigilante." "Tell me, what did he look like?" "He was wearing some kind of bright, colored suit. And he disposed of the foe." "A bright, colored suit?" said the news anchor as the video stopped. "Seems someone has gotten an earlier start on Halloween." "That's the third one this week," said the girl as she listened to the TV. "This is why I tell you to not stay out late, Twilight. You never know what might happen on the streets." "I understand, dad." "Now then, best hurry along. Or else your mother is gonna scold you," said Night Light. Twilight then finished her breakfast as she gave a kiss to her dad and left the house. She was now strolling down the sidewalk towards school. Downtown in a police station, tons of phones were ringing. Officers answered them as they were trying to calm down and answer concerns people were having. Seems they heard the news and the latest incident involving the masked person. One officer was carrying a file as he stepped through a room. "I've told you, madam, we'll get to the bottom of this. You have nothing to worry about," said a young man. He then hung up the phone as he let out a sigh and leaned back. "Brought you the file you requested, Captain." "Thanks, Spearhead," said the boy. "Can you believe this is happening? Canterlot has been quiet, nothing more than the usual thugs that commit crimes. Now a month ago, that changes. We get reports of people being attacked by some weird creature, and then that masked vigilante shows up at around the same time. It's no coincidence, the two are connected. But what I want to know is who he is? And why he's come to our city?" "That's what we're all wondering as well, Shining Armor. With these attacks, people are starting to get worried. Worry leads to panic and panic can lead to chaos. We're all that stands in the way from law and order in our city." "One thing is for certain, I will stop until I put this vigilante behind bars. I promised myself that I would keep this city safe from any harm. And no costume-wearing freak is gonna stop us from doing our duty. You bet my ass on that." spoked Shining Armor. He then began to look over the file as behind him was a huge board filled with tons of paper and lines connected. On the wall were some images of the person he was looking for, but they were all either blurry or too dark to get a proper look. Twilight had made it to school as she now stood in front of the building. She was about to enter when someone called out to her. "Hey, Twilight." "Hey, Sunset." The girl she was addressing had moderate cyan eyes, brilliant amaranth hair with light apple green stripes, and light amber skin. She was wearing a dress under her leather jacket, "So, did you hear about what occurred last night?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Yup, that's another this week." "Seems these reports are turning out to be true. A masked vigilante roaming the streets. Maybe, we should find out who he is." asked the girl as the idea gave her some excitement. "Maybe we should not don't want to get involved with something that has nothing to do with us," said Twilight as she didn't want to disobey her parent's wishes. The pair now entered the school as they soon were joined by some more of their friends. "For the last time, Dash. That vigilante ain't an alien!" said a southern voice. "Oh yeah! How do you know? You haven't seen his face," countered a girl who had chromatic hair. "Because that's the dumbest shit I've heard," said the country girl. "Figures they would be fighting as usual," said Sunset as she and Twilight made her presence known. One of the girls wore a Stenson hat on her head; she had a pale, light grayish olive hair color, her skin was that of pale, light grayish gamboge and her eyes were moderate sap green. On her skirt were three apples sewed on. The other girl had light cerulean-ish gray skin color, rainbow-colored hair, moderate cerise eyes, and wore a t-shirt that bore a storm cloud with a lightning bolt coming out of it. "I'm tryin' to tell Dash here, that the person who's been doing all these acts ain't an alien." "What other explanation is there? I mean, for the past month, people say they've been attacked by some weird things and then all of sudden, the person shows up and saves them. I'm telling you he ain't from this world." said Rainbow. "And you think that something as an extra-terrestrial is a justification on the identity of this masked figure," said Twilight. "Yeah... whatever, you just said, egghead." "I am not an egghead! I'm well-read," stated Twilight. "I gotta agree with Twilight, Rainbow. That's a bit far-fetched. But I will admit, that whoever this person is, he's not out for blood. He seems to save the people who are in danger. So it's possible he could be misunderstood." answered Sunset. At that moment, the school bell rang to signal the start of classes. The girls all broke off and said they would discuss this later with the rest of their group. Sunset had entered her history class as two more of her friends were already seated. One of the girls had pale light grayish olive as her skin color and had a pale light grayish rose color in her hair. Her attire consisted of a skirt that had a picture of a butterfly on it. The other girl had pink skin which was matched by her pink puffy hair and possessed pale light grayish cerulean eyes. "Hey, Sunset." "Hey, Fluttershy." "So, did you hear about the news?" asked the pink girl as she turned around in her seat with a huge smile on her face. "Me and the others were talking about it in the hallway. It's been a month since these incidents had started to occur. Now, people are split on whether they think this person is friend or foe." said Sunset. "Maybe he just wants to get to know people. Perhaps I should throw a party so that he feels welcomed." "Might not be the best idea, Pinkie," said the bacon-haired girl with a smug smile. "Maybe, he's just trying to hide from all the attention he's getting. I know I'd be scared of having that many eyes looking at me," said Fluttershy as she sank in her chair and hid behind her hair. In another room, Aj and Twilight entered their English class as the last of their friends was busy sewing a piece of clothing. She had white skin, her hair was made up of moderate indigo/purple, and moderate azure eyes. "Workin' on another design, Rares," said Applejack. "Darling, inspiration cannot wait. They need to be taken care of at that exact moment they come to your mind," said the fashionista. "Besides, it takes my mind off of what's going on with everyone else." "So you heard as well?" asked Twilight as she sat at the desk next to the marshmallow girl. "Darling, Sweetie Belle, and the rest of the CMC had been constantly talking about this person. They see him as a superhero. As much as their little minds are filled with wonder and happiness, I've told her and the rest of the girls to not go poking for trouble. Whatever these things are that keep attacking, are certainly not to be trifled with. Not to mention that suit he wears from images, I've seen. I get color coordination but style it up a bit." "I'm more concerned with who he is? And why all of sudden all of this is happening? Call me crazy, but I feel like things are about to change," said Twilight as she looked out of the glass window. She was looking up at the clouds as the sky was clear and the sun shined. "By the way, Twilight? How's your brother handling this? From what I've heard, it seems the police are being bombarded with tons of calls since these incidents have occurred. Many people are questioning if they can trust the authorities to handle these monsters." said Rarity. "My brother is having a tough time. He's dedicated to his job and it's no wonder he's gotten so many medals that the commissioner has given him. But lately, the way he's been. I'm worried he might be putting too much pressure on him." Somewhere in an evil lair, there was a group of figures that were discussing the recent events. A sound was heard as a wall was punched with a hole in it. "That's the third one, we've lost!" shouted a mutant as he retracted his fist. "And every time, he shows up!" "Bear in mind, he's the only one who made it out alive from that dimension. Without the others, he doesn't pose much of a threat," spoke another mutant as he was polishing his weapon. "But he's getting on our nerves, brother. Not to mention piss us off when it comes to making the beings of this dimension bow to our will." said the other mutant as he approached his brother. "Then we take care of it the same as we did the others." "It makes me filled with negativity to see my boys bonding with each other. I couldn't be a more proud mother," said another mutant as this one was a female who had a sinister smile on her face. "Your sarcasm is truly wonderful, mom," said the mutant that punched the wall. "Now then, what's the latest on our pest?" asked the female mutant. "I sent out one of my sergeants on a mission. But based on the reports that these beings of this dimension have, it seems our old foe has been busy ruining our plans." "Humans, brother. They're called humans," said the mutant who was now examining his weapon. "You would know that if you actually left the lair and took the time to scout the dimension we're in. You'll find that they have a lot to offer, and it's a shame that we have to destroy it. I'm rather fond of a few things that they were able to create." "You were always the sentimental one, little brother. No wonder, you don't have the courage to get out on the battlefield like a true warrior." "Or, it might be that I pick my battles carefully. You're just hungry for a challenge when it comes to fighting. That recklessness will be the downfall of you, big brother." "Ahh, such hatred. I'm a proud mother," said the mutant looking at her sons. "In case, I'm interrupting a bonding moment between family, the boss wants to see us," said another mutant as they appeared. This one was also a female mutant. "He just vaporized another section of his troops, if anything he's doing us a favor." With that, all three mutants began to follow their comrade to the throne room. They all stood before their leader as they immediately bowed. The thing that was in front of them was another mutant as he wore dark black armor on its body. It had some kind of crystals forming out of it as by its throne was a sword. He had his fingers tapping the arm of its throne as it could be heard. "What do you ask, master?" asked all of them. "Why? Why is a simple, no good, teenager causing us problems?!" growled the leader in a dark, brooding, low voice. His face was hidden by the shadows. "It's far from that, master. Turns out, that hero is one that we've encountered before," said the mutant who punched the wall. "So, he's here? He followed us from the other dimension," said the leader. "We had thought we had gotten rid of him with the others when we destroyed it all. But turns out, he survived. We have yet to figure out where he is," said the mutant that got the other three when she walked into the room. "Then find him. Bring him to me. I shall dispose of him myself," said the leader. "The last remnant shall be killed. And once he joins his friends, then there will be nothing to stop us from destroying this world as well." "Yes, sir!" shouted all four generals. A cycle was shown riding through a tunnel. It then exited it as it was making its way to a destination. The person on the cycle was the same boy from before as he was heading back to his headquarters. A part of the forest near the city was shown as the teen stopped in front of some rocks. He pushed a button as the rocks now pulled apart as they acted as a door. He then drove down the ramp into the dark as it closed behind him. He was now on an elevator as he was being taken upwards. The doors opened as he was standing there. He then walked into the room as it lit up; it was filled with tons of panels and computers. All the sounds of dials and whirs were heard. He passed by some containers as they contained some gems that shined. The boy made it to the main computer as he began to type in some commands. "Identification processing," said the computer. "Scanning... Welcome back, sir." "Rachel, boost the scanners up by 12%. Based on last night's incident, I want to make sure that we can figure out where the enemy will strike. That way we can be prepared," said the boy to the A.I. "At once, sir." said the computer as it began to scan. The boy now sat back in his chair. He let out a sigh as he looked to his wrist and saw his morpher. His attention was then turned towards the containers where four gems resided. He wheeled himself over to the shelf as he saw the stones as well as above them were portraits of people. At that moment, he broke down in tears. He put his hands on the table as his mind was given horrible memories. There's no time. You need to leave! Get going now! Don't worry about us! You're the last hope, kid. It's up to you now. The rest of the mission falls to you. Make me proud, my son. The boy had his eyes closed as he felt tears streaming down from his face. They fell on the desk as small puddles formed. For the teen, he was looking at the portraits of his fallen comrades as he was reminded of what happened. And how he had failed. All of it, they failed, and now... as the sole survivor, he had to live with that. That burden was now on his shoulders. And his mother... mother. "I couldn't do much cause I was just a rookie. I let you down, I should have done more. My life was the one that should have been taken, mine was worthless. You all had things waiting for you. I shouldn't be here." said the boy as he put his hand on the photo as he saw the images of his friends. "I would wish nothing more than for you all to be here, and it's my fault. But I swear, on my life, and my duty as a ranger. I will complete the mission. No matter what, I will complete the mission by any means necessary. And then... one day, one day. We'll be reunited, we'll finally all be together. I will not let you guys down. And if I can't complete the mission, then I'll die trying." The boy then let the last tears out as he wiped them away. He looked at the cases that the four gems were in as he could feel the last bit of essence of his fallen comrades in them. At that moment, he decided to retreat to his room as he told the computer to continue its search as he decided to get some rest. He left as behind him the gems shined as if the light that was to repel the coming darkness shined the brightest.
Chapter 10: Trekking in the Himalayas Pt. 1"Link to Morphin' Grid," said Ash. "At once, Master Ash," said Rachel as the A.I. began to connect. The computer pulled up the files as the boy leaned back and continued his little research. Ever since he discovered that the girls' dimension had several different teams of rangers throughout the years, the boy had been watching some of the battles and highlights that made each team of rangers legends. He had seen the final highlights of the group called Mighty Morphin as the boy let out a tired sigh. Just watching the battles took a lot out of the teen. "Well, one down... and a shit ton more to watch," said Ash looking at the other closed files on the screen. The boy was about to start another file when the screen got a notification. "Master Ash, I seem to have picked up something." "Another attack?" stated the boy. "No. Remember that anomaly that I detected and have been working to descramble the past few days. Well, I just decoded the signal. And I've located it." "Show me," said the boy. The yellow ranger wasn't the only one. In the villains' lair, Thorax was using his technical know-how to locate something. And that something was the same thing that the ranger found. The scientist smiled as he began to run cross-reference several signals to pinpoint where the signal was located. The screen then gave the area of where it was coming from as the dark lord left his lab to report it. "Good news, everyone," said Thorax to Starlight and his brother. "I've found it." A few moments later, all three were in the throne room. Chrysalis and their leader listened to what Thorax told them. "Are you certain, my son?" asked Chrysalis. "No doubt. I've cross-referenced it several times. Plus, there's only one thing that can produce that signal." "Then secure it," said the leader as his shadow was shown. "At once. Up for a trip, brother?" asked Thorax. "Where are we heading to?" snickered Pharynx. The next day was shown as the girls exited the elevator. They were talking with one another when they saw Ash who was packing some stuff in a backpack. "Uh, sugar?" "Hey, girls. Glad you're here. Mind tossing me that bottle?" asked the boy as he was putting more stuff in the bag. "Sure?" said Sunset as she grabbed the small item from the table and tossed it to her leader. "Thanks, Sunny," said Ash. "So, what's going on?" asked Twilight. "The past few days, we noticed an anomaly. Since then, Master Ash has had me track it. And since then, I've been descrambling it. Trying to pinpoint what it is. And yesterday, we figured it out." "Which is?" asked Rainbow to the computer. "It's one of the zords," said Ash putting a medkit in his backpack. "Which one?!" asked Twilight. "The bear zord," replied Rachel. "Where's it located?" said the bookworm. "Here," said Ash pushing a button on the command panel. Rachel now pulled up a world map of the planet. It then stopped on a continent as it zoomed in. It showed a mountain range as bits of images were shown. "The Himalayas," said Twilight. "That's where the zord is located," stated Applejack. "Yup. So, our job is to go find it before the Dark Lords." "Wait, we?" said Rainbow with a raised eyebrow at her leader. "What? You thought I was gonna do this alone? I thought you girls would like a field trip." "Hell yeah!" said Rainbow. "Good, cause I got your backpacks all set," said Ash as Rachel flew over the bags to the girls using some drones. "I always did want to see the Himalayas up close. And this allows me the perfect opportunity to study them," said Twilight letting her inner geek shine. "I'm down for some good old fashion hikin'," said Applejack as she began to dig through her bag. "Sure, why not," shrugged Sunset as she went along with the others. The five teens now began to do the final preparations before they headed out. Twilight ran through a quick checklist she made in seconds as the girl was making sure they were prepared for anything they might encounter. Once everyone was set, the girls had their backpacks over their shoulders as they all stood in a circle in front of their leader. "All right, girls. We know the location of the zord. Where exactly, that's unknown. Once we transport, we won't have full access to Rachel. But she has transmitted the coordinates for us. From there, we're on our own. Understand?" "Yes," replied the rest of the rangers. "On my command," said the boy as he raised his wrist as his wristband turned into his Morpher. The girls did the same as they awaited the command of their friend. "Link to Morphin' Grid!" said Ash. "Link to Morphin' Grid!" said the girls. The five teens touched their morphers as they soon turned into lights that represented their respective colors. They zoomed out of the command center as they shot into the sky. Within moments, five lights were shown traveling across the clouds as they raced ahead. They soon landed as all five teens found themselves in a dense forest. They took a moment to compose themselves as they took in the sounds and sights of their surroundings. "Rach, come in," said Ash. "I'm here, Master Ash." "Alright, we've landed. So which way do we start walking?" asked the boy. "Head northwest," said the A.I. "Let's go, y'all! We got a zord to find!" stated Aj as she encouraged the others. She began walking as the others followed her. "I don't know, but I've been told," sang Aj. "I don't know, but I've been told," repeated the others. "The campin' badge is made of gold," sang the farm girl. "The campin' badge is made of gold," sang the others. "And over there I saw a mole," sang the country girl while pointing. "And over there I saw a mole," sang the others. "Where?!" said Ash as he stopped singing to look. "There," said Sunset as she pointed to the small creature. True to what the farm girl was singing as they hiked, there was a mole. It popped out of its tiny tunnel to peak its head. It saw the group of teens walking through the woods. It made a sound before heading back down its tunnel. "Aw, Fluttershy would love to have seen that," said Rainbow. "Fluttershy?" said Ash as he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, she's a friend of ours," stated Sunset. "Girl who has pink hair and a butterfly barrette. Buttercup skin and loves animals?" asked Ash. "Yeah... how do you know what she looks like?" asked Aj. "Before we faced Jet Stream and Thundercrash, I happen to run into her. I was passing by the animal shelter when one of the pups she was looking after got loose. It chased a ball into the streets, and I scooped the little thing up before any unfortunate could happen to it. Then, I entered the building and gave it back to her. She asked me to watch some dogs while she finished up her chores. Still, I don't get why she trusted me with such ease." "Yeah, that's Fluttershy. She may seem shy, but she knows when to trust someone. She can see the kindness in people's hearts." said Sunset. "And why didn't you tell us that you met her?" asked Twilight. "Well, I didn't think it was important. Plus, I didn't know she was a friend of yours," said Ash as he continued to walk with the small device in his hand as he began to listen to the sound. "The Great Outdoors! Well, I'm pleased as apple pie to be out here. Nothing better than diggin' yer feet into some good old fashion dirt." "Yeah, no doubt, Rarity would lose her mind if she was here," snickered Rainbow as she and Aj did a fistbump. The five teens kept on trekking as they were passing more trees. "According to my knowledge, they stretch across the northeastern portion of India. The Himalayan range is made up of three parallel ranges often referred to as the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas. While intimidating mountains like Everest and 2K tend to dominate our perceptions of the region, the Himalayas are rich in biodiversity. Climates range from tropical at the base of the mountains to perennial snow and ice at the highest elevations. These complex and diverse eco-regions are interconnected: an ecological threat to one is ultimately a threat to many." "Okay, we get it egghead!!!" shouted Rainbow as she was annoyed by Twilight. "I'm am not an egghead!! I'm well-read!" "Well-read, egghead. Same thing!!!" yelled Rainbow. "Alright, settle down. Keep in mind, we're not the only ones who are here in these forests trying to search for the zord. So, let's keep moving and try not to draw attention to ourselves." said Ash. True to the boy's word, in another part of the big forest, there was another search party. Both Thorax and Pharynx along with some minions were also trekking through the forest. The two brother monsters were leading the charge as Thorax had a small device he was using to guide them. "It would be easier if I just destroyed all the foliage in our way, little brother!" "Yes, and risk ruining my measurements," countered Thorax. "For all we know, the zord could be below our feet, and you laying waste to the foundation could trigger something bad to happen. Not to mention, I enjoy the greenery that this dimension has." "There you go again, Thorax. Being soft, showing compassion for these humans and their planet. We are warriors, we are fighters. Our mission is the same as when we destroyed Ash's dimension. To create chaos and disharmony. And if possible, destruction." "And we can't do that so long as he and his girlfriends have the powers they need to take us down. So if we can find the zord before they can, we'll be one step closer to taking them down," said Thorax. Pharynx mumbled as the pair kept on leading their men through the forest. Both parties kept on trekking as they were following each of their signals. Soon the sky was starting to get dark as the sun was starting to go down. Ash looked up as he could tell that soon nightfall would be upon them. Thankfully, they stopped by a clearing for the girls to catch their breath from all the walking they did. "Alright, girls. It's about to be nighttime soon. Best to stop here and make camp." stated Ash. The girls nodded as the boy took off his bag. He bent down and open it as he pulled out a small yellow box. "Alright, mah favorite part of being in the woods. Roughin' it. Time go find some logs and build a shelter," said Aj. "Or do this," said Ash as he showed the box to the girls. "Rachel, activate." The A.I. heard the command of the ranger as she transmitted a code to the yellow box. Ash then tossed the thing to the ground behind him. In a few seconds, it flashed. It then began to configure and expand as soon a full tent appeared behind the teen. The girls were stunned by what they saw. "What? You thought I didn't pack you, girls, with some living arrangements before we left?" said Ash with a smirk. The girls now reached into their backpacks and they pulled out small boxes that resembled their colors. Soon Rachel did the same as she sent the codes to the boxes. They all flashed as they hopped out of the girls' hands and to the ground next to them as they configured and soon were tents for each of them. "No offense, Ash. I'm grateful for you packin' these for us. But I was lookin' to get mah hands dirty." "Come on, Aj. We have these things for a reason. So best use them." said Ash. "Anyways, we still need to make a firepit. And that, unfortunately, isn't something I packed. So..." "Yes! Way ahead of you!" said Applejack as she was now excited. She rushed into the woods and began to search for some wood. "What about the rest of us?" asked Rainbow. "Well, we still need to find some water. Our backpacks are running low on that." "Good idea, Twilight. How about you and Sunset see if you can find a water source nearby. And take this," said the boy tossing the girl a canister. "That's so you can purify the water for us to drink." "We're on it," said Sunset as she and Twilight began to take off. "If you're in danger, contact using your Morphers," shouted Ash as the girls disappeared behind the foliage. "And Rainbow..." "Let me guess, you need someone to cook the food. Way ahead of you," said the chromatic girl. "Actually, leave dinner to me. What I was going to say is, can you climb that tree and give us scouting of where we are," stated the boy. "Oh, sure," said Dash. She then approached the tall tree and began to climb it. While the girl was making her way to the top, Ash began to unpack some more stuff from his backpack and the girls. He then got to work on creating a firepit. A few moments passed, and it was complete. At that moment, Rainbow made it to the top as she leaned out and looked. From where she was positioned, she could see the mountain range in the distance as well as the rest of the forest below her. She heard a nearby falcon sound as it soared above her. The girl noticed a nearby river as in the distance, she could see Sunset and Twilight. She then looked past them as there appeared to be some small objects. It was far away that she couldn't make them out, but they appeared to be huts of sorts. Ash had finished cleaning up the area when the girl slid down the tree. "How's it looking?" asked the boy as he tossed some logs for them to sit on. "Good view. But, I saw something in the distance." "What?" "Don't know. It's too far away to get a clear view. But from what I could make out, it seems to be some kind of village." said the chromatic girl. "Interesting," was all the teen said. Soon the rest of the girls came back. Applejack had managed to get some logs for them to use as she used her strength to carry them with ease. The boy then began to collect some as he put them in the firepit. "We're back," said Sunset and Twilight. "Great job, girls. Alright, stand back," said Ash as he grabbed two rocks. The ranger then struck them towards the logs as the small spark went flying to the pieces of wood. A small ember was shown as the boy then blew on it as it absorbed the oxygen, and soon it turned into a small flame. The flame then consumed the logs as it created a nice fire for the rangers. "Since when are you so experienced when it comes to camping?" asked Applejack. "Before I became a ranger, my parents and I often went on camping trips back home. So they taught me some things, and it's paying off," said Ash as he began to pull out some cooking ware. With Aj's help, the pair was able to make some stew as the night sky was upon them. The stars were out, the moon shined beautifully in the air. And below, smoke could be seen with an orange glow. The metal pot that stood on a stand above the fire as steam was shown escaping. Soon all five teenagers had bowls as they began to chow on their dinner. "This shit is good!" said Rainbow as she made a slurping sound. "Don't choke, Rainbow," chuckled Ash as he stirred the pot. For the rest of the time, the girls all sat and talked with one another. Ash had been watching them as he sighed and smiled. He then pulled out a map that had the landscape of the terrain. The boy had Rachel print out a map of the area they were going to as he was trying to figure out where the missing zord might be. His actions didn't go unnoticed as Sunset saw her leader sitting in the dark by himself as he stared at the piece of paper. Soon it came time for some dessert as both Aj and Ash pulled out some marshmallows and other stuff to make smores. The entire group was having a wonderful time as being out in nature with your friends, put a smile on their faces. "So, what's the plan?" asked Twilight. "Well, based on Rainbow's observations. There seems to be a village nearby just a few meters northwest of here. After we have breakfast, we'll pack up and head there. Maybe there's someone who can help us." stated Ash. "Well, y'all. It's gettin' late," yawned Applejack. "Don't know 'bout y'all, but I'm hittin' the hay." "Me too," yawned Rainbow. Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack all said goodnight as they each entered their tents and went to sleep. Sunset was about to do the same when she noticed Ash as he was doing some things with his Morpher. The girl then began to walk to where her leader was as she sat down on the log next to him. "What is it, Sunset?" asked Ash as he looked up. "I just wanted to have a small chat. How are you feeling?" "Good. Why?" asked the boy. "Just... concerned is all. You know you don't have to stand in the dark by yourself. We're a team. Me and the girls are here for you. So feel free to jump in and be a part of our friendship group." said the girl. "I know that. I was... just happy to see the look on each of your faces. It reminded me of how I was when I went camping with my parents. I just thought I would never see that image ever again in my life." "Glad we could remind you," chuckled Sunset hitting the boy playfully in his arm. "So, once we find the zord? How are we going to get it to join our side?" "It's not easy. Unlike our zords, when my previous team set them loose to save them. They reverted to their wild nature. So they're like wild animals. The good news is that they can't grow big while they're like that. So we don't have to worry about finding a ten-foot bear in the Himalayas. But still, we need to show it that we don't mean any harm and that it can trust us." "Well, then. Let's make sure we beat the Dark Lords before they get their hands on the zord," smiled Sunset. "We can only hope." "You said you used to go camping with your parents when you were younger. Mind telling me about it? If it's not too... you know... heart-breaking." "It's fine," assured Ash. "The first time, I went camping..." (Memory) The sun shined. Its rays peaked through the dense forest. It was then, that three individuals were shown. They were all walking along a path as around them, the animals that lived in the woods made sounds. "How much further do we have to walk?" asked a younger Ash. "Just a bit more, sweetie," said the person as it was Ash's mother. "Well, my feet are killing me," stated the boy. "Come on, son. Put your back into," laughed Ash's father. The two adults kept on trekking as their son let out a tired sigh. He then continued to follow his parents. Soon the trio came to a clearing that overlooked the lake below. They decided to stop as Ash flopped down and breathed heavily. "I hate camping!!" shouted the boy looking up. "Ash, don't say that. The idea of us going camping is to allow you to explore a different side of yourself. Not to mention, this is a small vacation for me and your mother. I don't have to worry about designing new gadgets and pieces of technology, and she doesn't have to worry about leading the others rangers into battle. Plus, we're a family. And we need to spend time with each other." "We couldn't have done that by going to an amusement park instead?" countered the boy to his father. "Ash, sweetie. Your father is right. This is a chance for us to spend time, and bond with one another. The other rangers assured me that they can handle any danger while I spend time with the two most important men in my life." "Now, get up and help me set things up," stated Ash's father. The boy got up and put his backpack down as he approached his father. While the boys were clearing out the space they were going to use, Ash's mother began to pull out their tent. The wristband on her wrist changed into her Morpher as it sent some coded message to the box as the girl tossed it to the floor. It changed and flashed as soon there stood a big tent enough to house three people. She then began to get out her stuff for cooking their dinner. Meanwhile, Ash and his father had finished clearing out all the debris around them as they had enough space to walk around. Soon they split up to get what they needed. Ash's mother was going to head down to the lake to get some water for them to use while Ash and his father went to go collect wood. The boy and his father then ventured into the forest as they were looking to collect logs. "Remember the first rule I taught you, Ash." "Yes, dad. Always mark where you're going. That way, in case you get lost. You can find your way back to where you started." said the boy. He'd listened to his father's advice as every tree they walked by, the kid had been marking them with arrows. "Good, this looks like the perfect spot," said Ash's father as they came to some trees. Around them were old branches of the trees that could be shown they were dying. Ash's father then pulled out something from his pocket. It then transformed into a small ax made for chopping wood. "I'll get started chopping down the tree while you collect the small branches we can use," said Ash's father as the boy nodded. For the next few moments, the two did their tasks. Ash's father managed to chop the tree down as it fell and made a thud. Once it was on the floor, Ash's father began to chop the bark of the tree into small logs as Ash would collect them. While they were doing that, Ash's mother had made it down to the lake below them. She had morphed into her ranger suit as she pulled out the wings of her suit and glided down. She landed and demorphed as she approached the body of water. She put her backpack down and pulled out some canisters as she filled them all with the drinking water. She had finished the last canister when her Morpher made a beeping sound. "What's up?" "Captain, we know you're on a break. But we thought we keep you updated on the situation happening back in the city," said one of the girl's teammates. "Understood, keep me posted," said the red ranger. She let out a sigh as she finished collecting what she needed. She then began to head back up. By that time, both Ash and his father were making it back to camp with pieces of wood in their hands. The pair then began to create a firepit as Ash's father taught his son how to make one that would prevent the fire from spreading in case of wind. Soon, the boy's mother appeared as she smiled to see her son and father at work. The woman then made her presence known as watching from nearby bushes were a set of eyes. Nightfall had fallen. The three individuals were now gathered around the campfire as the stars and moon were out. The family then began to eat their meal. In the eyes of Ash's parents, they were seeing their son have a smile on their faces. Soon they transitioned to roasting marshmallows before Ash's father began to regale his wife and son with a campfire story. Ash let out a tired yawn as his mother went to put their son to bed. Once she put the boy to sleep, she exited the tent to see her husband who was poking the fire with a branch to keep it warm and burning. "He's fast asleep," said the woman as she sat next to her husband. "Good. He spent a lot of energy today. Still, he seems to be enjoying himself." said Ash's father. "Indeed. Once he becomes a ranger, his whole life is going to change. His responsibilities will drastically shift. I just want to give him some last memories before he turns into an adult when he inherits the power." said the woman. "He'll still be young. But you're right, his shift to adulthood will be marked when he becomes a Power Ranger. His teenage life will be full of duties that a normal teen shouldn't have. But it's the life he's going to have to endure." said Ash's mother. "Hey, we made it work. When you became a ranger during your teen years, we only started to date. At that time, I had only asked you out for the school dance. But I knew that despite your duties to be trained and become the leader of the rangers, you were able to find balance in your personal life. That's all I want for our son. Him becoming a ranger doesn't mean he can't live a normal life." "That's why it's our job. As his parents, it's our duty to help him find balance. And as long as we're here to guide him, he's got nothing to worry about." said Ash's mom. Safe to say, both had no idea that the statement just made would have a different outcome for their son and the future to come. "Now then, why don't you get some rest, dear? You've been working nonstop." "Perhaps, you're right," smiled Ash's father as he got up and made his way to the tent. "You coming?" "I'll be there in a few minutes," answered Ash's mother as her husband entered the tent. Once he was inside, the woman then took a deep breath. The glowing eyes from before were shown near some bushes in the dark as the girl stood up. It then disappeared as the ranger looked in the direction of where it once was. She touched her wristband as it changed her into her ranger suit. Soon the fire died down for a second and came back on as the ranger was nowhere to be seen. The morning came as the family was up and eating some breakfast. They then decided to head down to the lake below them. They soon changed into their swimwear as the boy was swimming around with his parents as they were laughing and enjoying themselves. Eventually, they stopped for some lunch. "Ash, come out of the water, son. Time to eat!" called out the boy's father. "Coming!" said the boy as he was floating. He began to swim towards the shoreline. Below the water, the same glowing eyes from before were shown. It saw its prey within its sights as it fired something that hooked around the boy's foot. Ash could feel it as he looked into the water to see the eyes. He then felt himself being yanked. "Mom! Dad!" shouted the boy as he went underway. "No!" shouted both as they raced towards their son. "Harmony Gem, power up!" yelled Ash's mother as she morphed into her suit while running. She then dived into the water as she went after her son. Ash's father started to swim towards the splashing. When he got there, Ash popped out as he was coughing. He grabbed his son as he began to swim rapidly back to the shore. He stepped foot on the land when he turned around to see his wife coming out of the water with her saber in hand. The glowing eyes had belonged to a monster. It was the same monster that the red ranger encountered the night before as she was informed by her team about one escaping from the city. Ash's mother landed in front of her husband and son as the monster came onto the land. "How you dare you attack my son, monster!!" shouted the woman as she was unhappy. The creature let out a snarl as soon minions appeared. "Dear, take Ash and get to safety!" stated the girl as she ran forward to engage the mutants. "Right," stated Ash's father as he ran with his son. They were heading to some nearby rocks when suddenly more monsters appeared and blocked their path. With Ash's mother occupied, she couldn't be able to help her family. For Ash, he knew his mother was a ranger and had to fight monsters, but looking at them, he couldn't help but feel scared. "Don't worry, son. I'll keep you safe," said his father as he took a fighting stance. A few minions charged forward. They were soon blasted and fell. That surprised Ash and his father as they looked up, and a jet was flying by. Soon four more figures jumped out as they landed in front of the boy and his father. The figures were none other than the rest of the rangers as they were informed by Ash's mother of the missing monster. All four rangers pulled out their sabers and began to charge forward to engage the enemy. Ash's father took that time to grab his son as they made it to the rocks. "Stay here," said the man. "Dad," said Ash. "It's okay. I'm going to help your mother. Stay hidden, and you'll be safe." instructed the man to his son as he nodded. Ash's father then headed back to join his wife and friends. For the man might not have been a ranger, he often sparred with his wife as she taught him some moves and close combat. And it was on full display as despite not having any kind of powers, the man was holding his own against the mutants as he took them down with ease. Ash was watching this from the rocks as he peaked and saw the action before him with his own eyes. He saw his parents and the other rangers which brought wonder to the boy. The kid often told his mother that he wanted to be a ranger one day. And every time she would tell him that he would one day get his dream. He couldn't wait to become a ranger so that he could protect the world and fight against evil, just like his mom and her friends. One of the rangers was dodging and fighting against some mutants. He ducked and leaped into the air as he spun and kicked three monsters away. The monsters landed on their back. Ash saw the creatures near him as they got to their feet. They then turned their head as they saw the boy hiding behind rocks. Ash backed up a bit as the monsters had their targets in their sights. They raised their arms as Ash covered himself up. "Hey! Over here!" shouted a voice. The monsters looked into the air. "Topaz Slash!" shouted the person. They had their weapon in their hands as they did a diagonal attack that took out the mutants. Ash opened his eyes as he saw he was okay. He then looked to see who saved him as it wasn't his mom or dad. But rather, the yellow ranger. The person stood there as he turned to look at the child of his leader. "You okay, kid?" asked the yellow ranger as he bent down. "Yeah. Thanks." "Don't mention it," said the yellow ranger. He then turned his attention back to the fight as he went to help his teammates. Ash looked on as he saw his mother and team. "Thanks, honey," said Ash's mother as her husband saved her from being held by the monsters. She then stepped forward as the rest of her team appeared by her side. In front of them were the last group of minions. "Ready, team?" shouted Ash's mother. "Ready," said the others to their leader. All five now stood as their bodies began to glow as they prepared to deliver their finishing move. They felt the power of their weapons charge up as a light shot from each of them as it was rainbow-colored. The lights now held the minions in place as they couldn't move. "Full power!" shouted all of them. They each began to slide towards the mutant as they had finished charging up. Each ranger did an attack as they passed by their foes. "Charging Lance!" shouted the blue ranger, sliding by with his weapon. "Meteor Spike!" shouted the green ranger, swinging her ax upwards. "Shield Splice!" shouted the purple ranger doing the same with her shield. "Blade Strike!" shouted the yellow ranger doing a downward slash. "Blitz Flare!" shouted Ash's mother as she leaped backward into the air and pulled her bow. The scene now changed as it spun around the group of monsters. It froze for a few seconds as soon the red ranger had her charged up her attack. She released the string and resumed her attack as an arrow of red light shot out to deal the final blow. Ash's mother was behind the group along with her team. An explosion occurred as they did their looked forward. "Now your turn!" shouted the woman. "Put them together!" shouted all five rangers as they combined their weapons. "Harmony Cannon, online!" shouted the rangers. Ash's mother was in the middle as she was ready to pull the trigger. "Final Shot!" Their weapon shot out a sphere of energy as it was covered with the colors of their gems. It made contact with the mutant as he was defeated. The group now jumped back and did their victory pose as behind them their foe fell, and another explosion occurred as they had won. "Wow! Someday, I'm gonna be a ranger," said Ash still seeing this from behind the rocks. He saw his mother and her team demorphed as they gathered his father and were making their way back to where their son was. For the rest of their little break, Ash's mother allowed her team to join her family on them as a way for them to relax as well. (End of Memory) "Wow," said Sunset as she had brought her knees in as she listened to her leader's story. "Yeah. That's one camping trip I can never forget," said Ash as he was poking at the fire. "Even back then, you were seeing what it meant to be a Power Ranger." "I told you girls, being a ranger is in my blood. I... just wish both my parents and friends were here... I... miss them," said Ash trying his hardest not to shed a tear. "Hey, it's okay," said Sunset putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "If you need to let it out, go on. I won't judge." "Appreciate that, Sunset. But... I'm good," assured the teen to his teammates. "Well, go on and get some sleep. I'll be up a little bit to stand guard." "Don't stay up too late, alright." "I promise." Sunset chuckled as she got up and approached her tent. "Good night, Ash." "Sleep tight, Sunny." The girl chuckled and blushed a bit as she closed the zipper to her tent. Soon she got into her sleeping bag and fell asleep. Ash then reached into his backpack and pulled out a circle-shaped item. He then traced the symbol on his Morpher as it caused the item to glow. It flashed a yellow light as soon standing before the boy was his zord in his pup size as it saw its owner. The wolf cub then leaped into its lap as it nuzzled into the boy's shirt. "Want to me with guard duty for a bit?" asked Ash to his wolf zord as it gave a small howl. The boy then petted his pup as the pair watched the fire and looked up at the sky. They saw the stars as the sounds of embers crackling could be heard. The boy and his zord looked at the stars as they were seeing the many constellations that were out. Eventually, the pair called it as they went to Ash's tent and fell asleep with his wolf snuggled in his master's arms. The morning came as the whole gang was gathered around the campfire eating breakfast. Applejack and Ash had woken up early and began to make some pancakes for the rest of their friends as they woke to the delicious smell of the crepes. Once breakfast was over, they began to discuss the plan. "So, how are we going to find the bear zord?" asked Twilight. "As I said, there's a village that's a few meters from here. According to Dash, it's northwest of our location. The best bet is to head there and see if we can find anybody who can help us. With the missing zords, they'll be like regular animals until one side can control them and change them into their gigantic size." stated Ash. "At least, if we do get help from someone. They won't be freaked out by a massive bear roaming these parts," said Sunset. "Alright, y'all! Let's head out!" stated Applejack as she put on her backpack. The other girls followed suit as they got themselves ready to head out. Ash began to lead the way with his wolf cub on his shoulder as it held on with its paws. The entire group was now heading in the direction that Rainbow pointed as they hoped that they could get some clue as to where they might find the missing zord. They walked along the dirt path for a while as they soon came to a ridge. In the distance, they could see the small huts that Rainbow saw the day prior as it gave them hope. They continued on their path. After a while, they soon approached the village as they climbed the small hill it was on. Upon entering they saw something they couldn't see from far away. Turns out some of the huts in this village were damaged, almost like they had been attacked by something. And based on the condition some of them were in, it seemed recent. The boy and the girls all looked around taking in their surroundings as they felt a bit unease. Some of the inhabitants saw the group of teenagers as they were hesitant. Eventually, the rangers all stopped as they saw a boy who was along with someone who could be considered the village chief. "Who are you? Why have you come?" asked the village chief. "It's alright. We mean you no harm. My friends and I are just simply passing by. We're looking for something." "Whatever it is, you won't find it here!" shouted the village chief. "Excuse me, sir? I hope it's not too much of an annoyance. But what happened? Some of your homes seemed to be... destroyed." said Twilight. "We were attacked," said the village chief. Ash and the girls gave glances at each other as they heard that statement. To be continued...
