//------------------------------// // Episode 1: The Birth of Harmony // Story: Harmony, A Power Rangers Story // by DeadpoolMLP //------------------------------// Rainbow sat in awe for most of class. Tommy Oliver. The Greatest Ranger to ever live. Green, Red, White, Black...he was Rainbow’s idol. And he was standing right in front of her. What is she supposed to say? What is she supposed to do? He was a myth. A Legend. Even among other Ranger teams, he stood as some sort of Power Ranger icon...He was- “Miss Dash, are you okay back there?” Tommy asked, a little confused by the blank expression on Rainbow’s face. “You haven’t taken any notes yet…” Dash seemed to snap back to reality, looking as all the girls gave her a strange look. She quickly scanned the board and copied down everything on it, without questioning actually why it was there. “Yeah I’m uhhh...fine!” Tommy frowned. He had seen this behavior before in Connor. “Dash, are you a sports player by chance?” Dash looked up at the science teacher, still starstruck by all this. “Uhhhhh...yeah. Why?” Tommy took a deep breath “You do realize that school work is just as important as sports right?” Dash blinked, a little bewildered by this “Uhhh...yeah. I do. I just….” “Just what miss Dash?” Tommy asked, a little concerned for the girl. “You’re Tommy Oliver!” Dash exclaimed, praticially snapping her pencil in two as she slammed her hands on the desk, standing up in excitement Tommy blinked. He didn’t understand what was such a big deal “Yes...I am...what’s so amazing about that?” Dash’s mind was about to explode. “You’re….the Green Ranger! The White Ranger! The Red Ranger! Twice!” Tommy blinked, as he tried to figure a way to feign ignorance “I umm...have no idea what you’re talking about.” Dash squinted “Don’t play dumb with me! Look at your arm!” Tommy looked at his arm. He had thought bringing his Dino Thunder Morpher to school would go unnoticed. He apparently was wrong in that assumption… “This is a replica kid. I’m just a fan like you.” “Fine…” Dash squinted at him. Leaning forward on her desk “Activate it…” Tommy sighed, but just before he could confess his Ranger status, a girl with red and yellow hair spoke up “Dash, leave him alone. He’s not a frickin Power Ranger. Those aren’t real.” Tommy couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this. After countless stopped attempts of world domination, a full scale alien invasion, and world wide news coverage, this girl thinks they weren’t real? Where was this girl from? “Anyways...I think we should get back to-” As if on cue, the bell rang. As the class left in a hurry, Tommy let out a sigh. Note to self: Don’t bring your morpher to class. Tommy sat in the break room, worried. The girl knew. How? I mean, sure, some of the later teams weren’t exactly secret about them being Rangers, but he had always kept a low profile. I guess this kid was a fan, but god...the odds of that… “Mister Oliver?” Tommy looked up to see a woman with dark blue hair, who had to be at least in her 40s. “Ummm...I don’t think we’ve been introduced…” “Yes, well...I’m the Vice Principal. When is your next class?” Tommy looked at the clock on the wall. 10:30. “Not for another half hour. Do I need to go somewhere before then? My schedule says…” The woman interrupted him “Yes, well your schedule hasn’t been updated with the new school activities. We didn’t have time to get yours up to date with the rest of the staff on such short notice. Please...walk with me.” Tommy nodded, getting up and walking with the older woman into the hall, students passing them as they went. “I assume you’re Luna then?” “Yes. I am Vice Principal Luna. Why do you ask?” Luna gave Tommy a disapproving glance, as if she already disliked what he was about to say, before he could say it. Reminded him of Reefside. “It’s just...one of my new students. I had a couple questions about them.” Luna frowned “Was it Snips or Snails?” Tommy tilted his head to the side. He hadn’t heard those names before, but he felt like he was going to have to get used to them. “No...Rainbow Dash. She seemed to recognize me.” Luna’s frown only grew “Yes, well Rainbow has a tendency to be a bit delusional. She wants to be a Power Ranger when she grows up.” Tommy frowned. While being a Ranger was great, it had a lot of risks Tommy wouldn’t wish on anyone if they had the choice. “Right. Should I be worried?” “As long as she gets her school work done, there shouldn’t be a problem. Although...keep an eye on her friends. After the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands, those 6 need to be kept on watch.” Luna said, obviously trying to keep her stern composure in light of what happened only a few weeks ago. Tommy crossed his arms, having no idea about what had happened. “What happened at the Fall Formal?” Luna gave Tommy a disapproving look “I will have to brief you on that later...I have a meeting to get to…” Luna left Tommy, walking into a dark room, and shutting the down with an audible slam. She seemed wound a little tight. Still….he needed to find out what happened at this “Fall Formal” and “Battle of the Bands”... Ducking into a supply closet, Tommy pulled out his old communicator. He always kept it on him, but the thing definitely had some years on it. The old strap was practically shredded and while the electronics in the thing still worked, it was in dire  need of a tune up when Tommy got the chance. Clicking the button on the thing, Tommy heard Billy on the other side “What do ya need Tommy? I’m in the middle of cross referencing the tech between the Lightspeed and-” “I need you to look up info on the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands. Both would have happened this year.” Tommy could almost hear Billy frown through the communicator as he heard the sounds of Billy’s chair swiveling, the distinct sounds of a keyboard coming through as well “”Right...hmm...OH! That’s when both the spikes in energy happened. First one I got visual data on and...hmmm….I see 6 girls, and a demon...Sound familiar?” Tommy frowned. A New Ranger team? Could...those girls be the new team? It couldn’t be… “What do the girls look like?” “Uhhhh….Well we got a blonde in a cowboy hat, long pink haired one, Big poofy pink haired….one has Rainbow Haired...gosh, and I thought you had crazy hair back in the day” Tommy couldn’t help but smirk at this. “Hey it was in style...wait...Rainbow haired…Rainbow Dash!” Without warning, Tommy ended the call, leaving Billy to roll his eyes as he got back to work. Tommy rushing back into the hall. He needed to find those girls. Unfortunately...the bell rang. He was late for his next class… Rainbow sat at lunch, Pinkie, Sunset and AJ sitting with her. “I’m telling you guys! That’s Tommy Oliver! The Green Ranger!” Dash exclaimed, on the verge of angry at this point. She knew it was THE Tommy Oliver. There was no doubt in her mind. Sunset groaned “Alright...I’ll humor you Dash. Let’s say he is. What does that change?” Dash frowned. She hadn’t really thought of that yet… Tommy was a scientist, and a teacher. She knew this. She had followed Tommy’s career ever since she was a kid. But...it could mean things. I mean, with what happened at the Fall Formal…”He could be here to check out the school! I mean, with all the crazy stuff that’s happened in the last year, The Sirens, the Fall-” Sunset glared at Dash. She knew that was a sore spot for Sunset… “Right, Right...still. Him showing up all of a sudden can’t be a coincidence. He’s the greatest Ranger of all time. He’s gotta be here for a reason!” Sunset sighed. While it was all a load of nonsense...Dash did raise a point. If these Power Rangers were real, the events of the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands would definitely raise some eyebrows from such an organization. She hadn’t ever considered that their actions would gain any attention outside of the school, but goes to show what she knew. AJ raised an eyebrow at Dash “Greatest Ranger of all time eh? He’s that good?” Dash smiled, eager for the change to finally let her fangirl out “Oh yeah! Okay, so it all started when Rita-” Rarity stood outside in the school courtyard, poised in one of the many stances her cousin Lily had taught her. Rarity had made a habit of skipping out on lunch to practice her martial arts, as in her own words, “it brought serenity to her chaotic mind.” Or...in laymen’s terms, It calmed her immensely. Rarity always did have a bit of a maelstrom of a mind, and finding time to practice her martial arts was something she found immense pleasure in. Fluttershy smiled as she watched her friend practice. She always found joy in helping her friends in whatever way she could, and watching Rarity was always one of those ways she was happy to do. “Fluttershy, you can go eat if you would like. I just ask you to be here because I appreciate your company…” Rarity spoke, performing a high kick, letting out a “KIYAH!” for emphasis Fluttershy spoke in a calm, kind voice “Oh don’t worry Rarity, I brought my own lunch. I enjoy being here to cheer you on.” Rarity smiled softly at this, performing a series of punches before pulling off a roundhouse kick, spinning around to face Fluttershy “Yes well...Thank you Darling. You’re such a kind soul.” It was at this someone from across the street yelled in terror. The two girls looked to see where it came from, only to see the sight of what looked like a group of 5 humanoid creatures approaching the school, people running in fear from the monsters. Fluttershy, without thinking, got up and ran towards the screaming people, running towards a person who seemed to be trapped in their car as the monsters approached. Rarity was aghast at this. She always knew Fluttershy was a selfless soul, but those things could hurt, or even kill her for all she knew! She needed to do something, call someone, get… No. Rarity needed to defend her friend. There wasn’t any time to get help. Running at the monsters, Rarity leaped into the air, hitting one of them with a flying kick “KIYAH!” She let out, letting her yell pump her full of adrenaline as she landed back on her feet. This was the first time she had ever had to use her Kung Fu training against anyone other than the air… Fluttershy struggled against the jammed door. She saw the fear of the woman inside. This is what drove her. After her parents lost everything in the Invasion of Earth in 1999… She scanned the area around her. The other side of the car was blocked by these monsters, who seemed to be some sort of humanoid reptile creatures, almost resembling a dragon in that way. She needed a way to break open the window. It was then she spotted it. A metal garbage can lid. She could use that to break open the car window… Tommy took a deep breath, using this moment to break as the students worked on a introductory project as a chance to walk to the window and get some fresh air in. Tommy was much more at home fighting monsters than teaching kids, and it showed. He needed some time away every once and awhile. Looking out the window he spotted...Monsters?! Tommy had to do a double take as he saw two of the girls from his earlier class fighting off what he could only assume were a new set of goons. While Rarity seemed to be holding her own at the moment, Fluttershy was not prepared in the slightest to fight off those things...he needed to help them. Looking around the class, he winced. Skipping out of a class the first day would look bad, but kids dying on his first day would look worse. Walking to the front of the class, Tommy spoke in a clear voice. “Alright kids, I need to take a ten minute break to deal with a family emergency. Each of you find a partner and look over pages 10 through 15 until I get back!” Tommy then stepped out, swiftly running down the halls and past Vice Principal Luna, who he only yelled “FAMILY EMERGENCY! BE BACK IN FIVE!” as he ran straight past, the 40 year old woman only looking at him with a scowl. He could tell they were gonna have a rocky relationship. Rushing outside, he shivered a little at the cold. What were these two even doing out here?! Tommy shook his head. Questions for later. Dipping behind a wall, Tommy pulled out the key to his Dino Thunder Morpher. Note to self: Always bring your Morpher to class. You never know when your students are going to be attacked by random minions. With a shout, Tommy activated his morpher. “DINO THUNDER! POWER UP!” And in a flash of light, Tommy was now Dino Thunder BrachioRanger. Jumping into battle, Tommy immediately slashed one of the goons with his Brachiostaff, Fluttershy letting out an eep as sparks flew over her, ducking behind the car door she had been trying to break open as Tommy did a spin over the car, kicking the monster on the other side in the face. Tommy could easily make  quick work of the minions, but his first priority was protecting the girls. Tommy ducked as one of the monsters took a swing at him, only to see Rarity perform a flawless jumping roundhouse at the monster, knocking it on it’s ass as Tommy spun around and slashed at it with his staff, the monster seeming to evaporate into a fog before dissipating into nothing. Fluttershy rushing to the metal lid she had seen, she grabbed it only to be attacked by one of the monsters, who launched an energy blast at her. Holding the lid up to her face, it seemed to absorb the blast, only knocking Fluttershy down, before Tommy flew in with a flying kick, letting out a “SIC-KIYAH!” as he did, the monster disappearing like the two previous ones, leaving two left. Fluttershy, still holding the lid, rushed back to the car, cocking back her left arm, lid firmly held in hand, and punching the car window as hard as she could, the lid smashing through the window as Fluttershy reached into the car with her other arm, grabbing the handle and pulling on it as hard as she could, finally unjamming it and allowing the woman inside to escape. Rarity watched as the Ranger in front of her went on. He moved with such grace, such fluid motion. Never before had she seen such a proficient fighter. Tommy all the while, was in the zone. This was practically his bread and butter by this point, taking care of goons, fighting monsters, driving zords...he was a Ranger to the core. Using one of the monsters to kick off of, Tommy did a backflip, spiralling midair to throw his staff at the final goon, it causing the goon to dissipate and leaving him alone with the two girls. While he wanted answers...he didn’t have time for that. He heard the sounds of Rarity clapping, her speaking up. “Thank you mister Ranger sir! Without you I don’t think I could have taken these monsters out on my own…” Tommy chuckled, audibly lowering his voice to respond. “Yeah, well once a Ranger, always a Ranger. Glad to help, but I need to be off. I’m sure there are more of these things around.” Before the girls could respond, Tommy ran off behind the same wall he had originally morphed behind, demorphing and rushing back to his class. Rarity blinked at this. Trying to comprehend what had just happened. She had just met a Power Ranger… Fluttershy spoke up, clearly also a little shell shocked from all this “Did...you get a picture of him?” Rarity internally kicked herself at that thought. “No sweetie...I did not….” As soon as Tommy got back to class, he looked to see that the students were already packing up. Great first impression eh Tommy? Ugh...this was going to be an interesting school year. The bell rang as he gathered up his papers, Tommy letting out a sigh. He needed to find those girls. Rainbow knowing his identity? Monsters attacking Fluttershy and Rarity? Strange spikes in the Morphing Grid? No, this couldn’t all be just a coincidence, and he needed answers. Just as he was about to leave, Vice Principal Luna stepped through his door. Oh joy, we’re doing this now… “Doctor Oliver...care to explain your sudden absence from your classroom during the last period?” Tommy sighed “JJ got the flu, and I needed to confirm my credit card number with Kat. That’s all. Sorry I didn’t give you any more notice. It kinda happened all at once.” Luna squinted at the now 38 year old man. It was pretty clear she didn’t want to believe him, but she had no reason to doubt him either… “I see...Well make sure to get back to your class sooner next time. Luckily for you, this was your last class for the day...you may do as you wish for the next hour before the school day ends.” Luna spoke her next words with a firm tone. “I’d suggest you familiarize yourself with your coursework Mr. Oliver” Tommy winced. Again, this was going to be an interesting school year. Rainbow tapped her foot, watching the clock as the final minutes of the school day went by at a crawl. She wanted to get home to put down her findings. Her teacher was Tommy Oliver! THE Tommy Oliver! She needed to cross reference all her material, look into forum posts, discuss stories with her fellow fans… At that thought, the bell rang. Dash zoomed out of her chair, grabbing her bag and books all in one motion as her english teacher yelled at her to wait. She didn’t seem to notice. This was bigger than some dumb english homework. This was the Power Ranger- Rainbow was stopped by the sight of Tommy standing in front of her on the outside of the English classroom door. “Rainbow Dash...we need to talk…” The six girls sat in their AP science room, Tommy pacing in front of his desk “Ummmm...why are we all here again?” Pinkie asked, raising her hand like she was still in class. Tommy stopped, turning to the girls “Right...so...My name is Tommy Oliver.” Tommy then pulled out his teacher’s bag, emptying it to reveal five very unique devices, all very familiar to Rainbow Dash. “I’m a Power Ranger. Some would argue I’m THE Power Ranger…” Sunset’s eyes went wide. Was it all true?! Giant robots, monsters from outer space, Pizza Monsters?! It couldn’t be. “You said those were replicas…” Tommy frowned at the flame haired girl “If only they were. Then I’d have a normal life. Unfortunately, they aren’t. Sunset Shimmer was it? I heard you turned into a demon recently. Care to explain that?” Sunset frowned “It’s a long story…” “I have time. Girls...explain…” Tommy said, sitting down at his desk and looking the girls dead on. Tommy blinked in amazement at the girls. While this wasn’t the weirdest thing to ever happen to him...it was definitely up there. “Right...so you’re a horse from another dimension?” Tommy asked Sunset “Yup.” “And you tried to steal a magic crown from a princess of that dimension?” “I did steal it.” Sunset said, a hint of pride coming through. “Right...then you turned into a demon and mind controlled the entire school save for these five girls in a plot to take over your original dimension?” Sunset nodded “That’s right…” Tommy blinked “That doesn’t sound like a very solid plan. I mean...I’ve heard worse...but still, what were you planning to do with a bunch of teenagers?” Sunset blinked, only now realizing how stupid of a plan she had made… The other girls chuckled a little, Tommy calling them out next “Right...and you girls just...forgave her?” AJ spoke up first “It seemed like the right thing to do. Ah mean, Princess Twilight told us that forgiveness was the first step to helping someone get better.” Tommy frowned. There were a lot more steps that should be before that. Then again… The Former Green Ranger looked to the girl in the leather jacket. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of a Younger Tommy Oliver. Someone who was corrupted by the promise of  power and had it come back to bite them. Tommy smiled at her. “Right...I know that feeling. In any case...it seems your school has become the target of some sort of evil. The monsters that attacked Rarity and Fluttershy are proof of that. And while I’d love to deal with them myself...I’m just too old to do this on my own anymore. So I’m about to make you a proposition-” Dash, without thinking, blurted out “YES! I WANNA BE A RANGER!” Tommy sighed. He knew this would be tough. “Dash, settle down. Look, If you guys really wanna become Rangers, you have to learn what it takes first. Come by my house at 287 Canterlot Corner tomorrow morning and we’ll talk. Alright?” The girls nodded, save for Sunset who seemed quiet after the talk about the Fall Formal. Tommy looked to the dour girl, walking up to her desk as the others went to leave and kneeled down to her “Hey...I get it. You don’t fit in with the others yet...just, come on by tomorrow and we’ll talk. I’m sure my wife could probably teach ya something…” Sunset nodded, slowly getting up and walking out, glancing at the science teacher before smiling at walking to her locker. Tommy sat on his new porch on the Saturday morning. While the sudden move to this new city did cause a little bit of stress, he did have a lot of friends who were willing to help move, and when you have teleportation tech lying around, moving isn’t all that hard. He heard the sound of a yawn as Kat joined him, her very noticeable australian accent coming through “Why are you up so early honey?” Kat said, stretching as she sat down with her husband “I’m meeting with the new team.” Kat frowned at this. “Thomas…” Tommy rolled his eyes. Kat had hoped to settle down and move away from Ranger Duty by now. But like he said, ‘Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger.’ “There’s a lot more to it than that Kat. These girls need to be Rangers. Seems like they’re gonna be dealing with monsters anyways, and from what I’ve seen, they have a tendency to get themselves into trouble, so teaching them some discipline would do them some good.” Kat crossed her arms, obviously disapproving of this plan, but not disagreeing with it either. This wasn’t either of their first rodeos. They both knew what it took to be a Ranger, and from what Tommy had told her the night before, these girls certainly had what it took. It was then a beat up 1977 Lincoln Continental pulled up to their house, the girls all climbing out. Tommy looked to his wife, who seemed to scan the girls up and down, as if to determine their Ranger status then and there. In her older age, Kat had grown judgemental of each of the new teams that went by, especially with all the exposure she got as his wife. Tommy got up from his chair, walking to greet the girls “Up early I see.” Rarity rubbed her eyes “Yes, well Rainbow Dash wouldn’t stop calling us all night. She was practically yelling over the group call.” “Look, I’m just excited alright!” Dash spoke defensively, her face in a pout that almost made Tommy crack a smile. He could tell she was just happy to meet her idol. AJ shrugged “Ah just muted y’all and went to bed. I wake up at the crack of dawn anyways.” Pinkie, who didn’t seem any different from yesterday, happily answered “I’m more interested in what cool stuff you got I can mess around with! So many cool gadgets to play with as a Ranger!” Tommy finally broke a smile at that. Ah, to be a new Ranger again… “We’ll get to that later. First...you all need to learn what it means to be a Power Ranger.” The six sat in Tommy’s living room, sipping tea that Kat had made. The house was roomy, if not a little empty due to everything being packed up. Boxes were still lain about the house willy nilly, most of them marked “Tommy’s stuff” as if to indicate that something was in there that Tommy didn’t want you to know about. Which in Tommy’s case..would probably be a lot of it. “So...what first Mister Oliver sir?” Pinkie asked with a chipper grin, obviously excited to start Tommy gave the girls a serious look. “Right, well you don’t need the complete history, but as I’m sure Rainbow Dash is aware, the Power Rangers have been around for a long time. Even before the Mighty Morphin days, there’s always been a Power Ranger team to stop the forces of evil...but that’s the thing. There’s always a new evil around the corner. And these guys are trying to kill you. Being a Ranger is not a walk in the park. It’s a dangerous duty that only those who are brave enough can commit to. Sometimes it’s thrust upon a team, sometimes they choose, but when you take up the responsibility of being a Power Ranger...you need to accept the risks. And that’s why you’re all here today. You all have the choice. You can become Rangers, and protect the world from whatever evil threatens your high school...or you can walk away. Forget I’m a Power Ranger, and live a normal life. But you have to decide that as a team. Being a Power Ranger isn’t a solo business. You need a team behind you or else it doesn’t work. So...girls...as a team...do you wanna be Rangers?” It was clear Dash had already made up her mind long before this, but the others weren’t so certain. Sunset was the first to speak up, Tommy smiling as he could tell she had a leader inside her “Well, It is an interesting offer. I mean...Super Powers, Giant Robots-” Pinkie added “Technically they’re closer to Mecha. Mecha Zords, you know?” Sunset rolled her eyes “Yes, Mecha Zords, Weapons, suits...it’s all very interesting...but I’m not sure all of us are on board..what happens if we win? Do we just...go home? Will our families be in danger?” Tommy shook his head at this “As long as you keep your Ranger identities a secret, none of your families should be in jeopardy. And if they do end up on the line, I’d be willing to lay my life on the line to help save them. Like I said, it’s a risky business…” AJ frowned at this. “Ah trained my whole life to protect mah family. Already lost Ma and Pa to a barn fire. Ah ain’t losing Mac or Bloom to some monster.” Tommy nodded “And you won’t...but that’s the catch 22 of all this. If you walk away, you get a free life...but god knows what demon or alien invasion happens next. The Power Rangers aren’t always successful you know. We win most of the time, but some of the times...the bad guys win. We’re here to stop that.” AJ pouted at this. She didn’t like the idea of putting her life on the line like this, but if it protected her family, it was better than just standing by and letting some horde of demons take them out. “Ya don’t leave us with a lot of options Mister.” Tommy sighed. Sadly, she was right. “Right...Anyone else opposed?” Fluttershy spoke up, in her signature gentle tone “Will we get to help people?” Tommy tilted his head a little at this. “Yes that’s….kinda the idea.” Fluttershy smiled “Then I’m in.” Rarity spoke up next “Well, I do like the look of the suits. I’m sure they give you a bit of helmet hair, but I could get used to it…” Tommy couldn’t help but laugh on the inside at this. Rarity in a lot of ways reminded him of him old friend Kimberly. “Yeah, the helmet hair is another risk, but fortunately, there is a solution. Lots of gel.” Kat couldn’t help but laugh at that from the kitchen. Tommy looked to Sunset. She seemed apprehensive. “Sunset?” “It’s just...a lot. I mean...a lot….” Sunset said, trying to form a sentence to describe her feelings on the matter. Tommy nodded “Trust me, it’s a lot for all of us. Most teams don’t believe it when they first get their powers.” “So like….if we chose now….is that it? Are we just...stuck doing this the rest of our lives?” Tommy let out a sigh at this. While he himself always thought this was his life...he understood a lesson Zordon taught him years ago. “No...if you so choose, you can always walk away from this. Being a Power Ranger isn’t a job. It’s a choice and one no one can force onto you. I would never make any of you be, or stay Rangers if you didn’t want to anymore. Just remember that once you become a Ranger, the Power will always be there to protect you.” Sunset sat for a second, the girls all looking at her intently as she made her decision “Right...let’s do it then. Let’s become Rangers…” Dash let out a “YES!” as she leaped out of her seat, before sitting back down and blushing profusely, obviously over the moon at this decision. “Right...now, the fun part. Follow me, we need to go visit a friend.” Tommy said with a smile. Tommy drove the girls into the city using his family minivan. While it did make him feel a little older than he would like, having a lot of space to lug around his equipment and have room for the wife and kid was certainly nice. Still, he did long for the days of Red Lightning. The girls seemed to marvel at the skyscrapers of Canterlot City. Not often did any of them get to see the downtown area, and the sight of the spires shooting into the sky was always a sight to behold. Tommy only frowned at this. He knew in a few short hours, these girls would be towering above all of this. He also spotted a sight that gave him pause. Promethea INC. Home of the former Red Ranger of the 1986 Mighty Morphin team, Grace Sterling. Tommy had never been a fan of hers. Driving up to a beat up apartment complex under the shadow of the pillars of the city, Tommy stopped and parked, looking to the girls, “Alright gang...we’re here.” Pinkie tilted her head completely to the left. Who could live in such a beat up apartment? “Uhhhh...are you sure? This place doesn’t seem like somewhere one of your friends would live…” Tommy let out a chuckle. Billy always did seem to want to fly under the radar. This wasn’t the worst place he’d seen Billy set up shop at “Nope, this is the place alright. My buddy likes to keep to himself with his research.” Pinkie seemed to give a half hearted nod. She had obviously built up a few preconceptions on what being a Ranger was going to be like. Unfortunately, it’s not always glamorous. Walking into the alley on the side of the apartment, Tommy walked up to one of the garage doors, lifting it and having to hold back a laugh at the sight of an old Volkswagen Bug sitting in the garage. It didn’t surprised Tommy that Billy still kept this old thing around. “Mister Oliver...are you SURE this is the place? It seems a little...run down, as it were.” Rarity spoke up, a little concerned as she jumped at the sight of a cockroach skittering across the garage floor. Tommy smirked, nodding at the fashionista. “This is definitely the place...now...where’s that access panel?” Tommy walked over to a far wall in the garage, searching for something as a beam of light quickly ran over his body “Identity Confirmed. Tommy Oliver. Green Ranger.” The old voice of Alpha Five gave Tommy a smile. Billy loved that old bot. He also couldn’t help but be amused by the fact that Alpha still recognizes him as the Green Ranger...that was a whole lifetime ago. As soon as the scan was complete, the wall shifted, pulling away to reveal a brightly lit hall filled with a network of wires and lights. The girls looked in, standing in awe as Tommy led them down the hall. The sounds of electricity and mechanical gadgetry echoing through the hall. Sunset seemed a little freaked out by all this. I mean, her new teacher, in the span of a day had revealed the existence of Monsters, Giant Robots, Superheroes….it was a lot to take in. And now she’s supposed to take up these new powers and become a Ranger herself? She didn’t know how to process all this. After everything, The Battle of the Bands, the Fall Formal, her days as the bully of CHS….Celestia… Sunset shook her head, She still hadn’t decided in her head if she had forgiven herself for all that. Sure, the school seemed on good terms with her, but herself? It was still a rocky path of redemption. Then again...being a Superhero was a great way to prove that she was good in the most literal way… “Mister Oliver-” Tommy interrupted the leather coated girl. “Just call me Tommy. Now that you girls are Rangers, We’re on equal footing.” Sunset nodded. “Right...umm...Tommy...You said before you understood how I felt about the Fall Formal...how?” Tommy stopped, the girls looking at him with a sense of intrigue. Dash seemed to be almost excited to hear this story from the man himself. “Right….guess I should tell you girls that story. Well...when I became the Green Ranger, it wasn’t because I chose to be a hero. It wasn’t my choice at all. Rita Repulsa, the Space Witch that fought the Mighty Morphin Rangers, had kidnapped me when I first moved to Angel Grove.” Fluttershy spoke up, asking a question that made Tommy tilt his head a bit “Angel Grove? Isn’t that two towns over?” Tommy made a mental note to check a map when it got a chance. Having Angel Grove be so close could come in handy. “Yes. In any case, Rita kidnapped me and gave me the Green Power Coin, brainwashing me in the quest to destroy the Power Rangers. I nearly did. If Jason hadn’t destroyed the Sword of Darkness, I probably would have destroyed them all.” Sunset blinked at this. While it wasn’t exactly spot on what she did, it was very reminiscent of what happened at the Fall Formal. She smiled at this. Finally someone to confide in her mistakes. “What happened next? Did you get the White Ranger Powers then?” Tommy shook his head. “No. I stayed as the Green Ranger. I became the sixth member of the Mighty Morphin team. They welcomed me with open arms. I hope you girls are doing the same with Sunset here.” Tommy looked to Sunset with a smile, Sunset giving a small smile back. She was more than happy to see someone sticking up for her. The group reached the end of the hallway, and exited into what looked like a scientist/engineer’s wonderland. Bundles of wiring, machinery, and mechanical parts littered the half dozen workbenches scattered around the room, with the wall opposite the entrance taken up by an impressive array of monitors. Said monitors were showing different portions of Canterlot, including the front of CHS, while others were running through algorithms of things that went completely over the Rainbooms’ heads. A swivel chair with its back to the entrance was seated in front of the monitors. Tommy let out a whistle “You’ve really settled in, haven’t you Billy?” “I figured that if there was going to be a new Ranger team, they’d appreciate having a command base that wouldn’t be easy to find.” Billy said as he swiveled the chair to face them. “I actually bought the entire building, for privacy, and figured I might as well use the upper floors for something productive. In addition to this workshop and the living quarters on the above floor, I converted the third floor to a basic infirmary, and the fourth floor to a training holodeck.” Applejack raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms “What do y’all mean, ‘command base’?” Billy’s face lit up upon hearing Applejack’s question, obviously eager to answer. Said eagerness left when Tommy answered instead “Every Ranger team has a base of operations that plays an important role in their fight against whatever evil of the week has popped up. Aside from being a place to meet up away from prying eyes, a base, and more specifically the support personnel that maintain it, is the source of the Ranger team’s technology and weapons, in addition to providing a secure channel to communicate with each other. Hope you girls memorized the address, you’ll be coming here a lot as Rangers.” Applejack appeared satisfied by that answer, as her eyebrow returned to its normal position, and she started looking over some of the stuff on the benches. Both Tommy and Billy were startled by the energy with which Pinkie was already flitting between the benches, picking up and examining various bits and bobs, but what really caught their attention was that she was looking at it all with a critical eye, as if she already had a decent amount of experience in engineering. Rarity also noticed Pinkie’s actions, and thinking it was just Pinkie being her normal, hyperactive self, promptly tried to pull her away “Pinkie, darling, maybe it would be best if you stopped playing with all of Billy’s equipment. It was no doubt expensive to acquire, and I don’t think he would appreciate it breaking because of your...enthusiasm.” Pinkie surprised Rarity by disappearing from her grasp and appearing next to one of the tables closest to the entrance. “What kind of car engine are you trying to make, Billy? From all the parts here, it looks like you want it to run on electricity, but the block itself is obviously fueled by gasoline.” All eyebrows in the room, except Pinkie’s, raised in surprise upon hearing this. After not getting an answer, Pinkie turned around, and upon seeing the dropped jaws of her friends, gave out a confused “What? What did I say?” Applejack recovered first, and decided to ask the question on everyone’s mind “Sugarcube, how did y’all figure that Billy was makin’ a car engine? Let alone how ya knew the difference between the electric and gasoline stuff?” Pinkie rolled her eyes, but her trademark smile never left her face. “My parents run an automobile repair shop in town. I grew up helping them out with the orders. All my sisters did. Limey decided she was going to be a full time mechanic because of it.” Fluttershy spoke up next “I thought you worked part-time at the Sugarcube Cafe?” She immediately hid her face behind her hair “If you don’t mind me asking...I mean.” Pinkie’s smile seemed to grow wider, if possible. “No worries Flutters! And yeah, the Cafe is my preferred place to work, but Mom and Dad still call on me to help from time to time. Mostly with the big orders or the ones with fast deadlines. I do save a portion of the money I make from the Cakes in order to work on my secret project. Beat-up old race car I found outside Angel Grove Raceway while visiting Uncle Ernie one time. Real beauty, with a nice red paint job.” As Pinkie kept answering questions from her friends, most of them wondering what other secret hobbies she had, Tommy and Billy exchanged a glance. Both of them could tell that this group of Rangers was going to be one of the more interesting teams. Dash watched as the other girls looked around their new command center, inquiring about their new base of operations. She could tell the others were skeptical about all this...while she on the other hand, could only just contain her excitement. She was going to become a Ranger. A Power Ranger. Part of a legacy of heroes who had defended the earth time and time again. She had practically trained her entire life for this. Going in and out of different martial arts dojos, as well as her own self training. She always knew she had what it took to be a- “Dash I presume? You okay there?” Billy spoke up, interrupting her train of thought. “Huh? Oh ummm..yeah. I am...I’m just...excited.” Dash said, grabbing the back of her head, blushing just a bit. Billy chuckled at this. Reading over her profile, he could tell Dash was going to be an interesting choice for a Ranger. “Hey, I’m sure you’ll do great. Only reason I got chosen as a Ranger was my technical knowledge. I couldn’t even fight off a single putty without morphing when I started.” Dash smiled. Out of the all the original Mighty Morphin Rangers, Billy had always been the most humble of the group. He had seen both sides of the coin, both as Ranger, and as Technical advisor. “Yeah, I know. Been following you guys for years. Is it true you designed the Turbo Powers?” Billy had a laugh at that. “Yes, yes. You know, Tommy hated those things for the longest time.” Tommy frowned at this “I didn’t hate them...just felt like an odd jump from magical space crystal powers to...cars…” “You were just happy you got the sports car.” Billy said with a smirk. “You’re darn right. Red Lightning was AWESOME!” Dash grinned at this. Seeing the two former Rangers banter right in front of her...it was like a dream come true. Billy stood up from his chair “In any case...You girls wanna be Power Rangers right?” Dash, as well as the other girls, looked to Billy with mixed reactions, some excited, others nervous. This was the big moment. “Right...I’m gonna need you all to stand in line. With your...magic, I need to hone in on the frequency of your unique energy signatures.” Both Rarity and AJ blinked at this, while Dash and Sunset seemed to follow without question. Fluttershy and Pinkie followed suit, eventually the girls lining up next to each other in front of the two former Rangers. Billy grabbed what could only be described as looking somewhat like a TSA wand, waving it up and down across the girls with no real regard for personal space “Fascinating! Your magic seems to have an almost identical signature to the frequency of the Morphing Grid...I mean, I had the hypothesis that they were similar in nature, but this is conclusive proof! Your...Ummm…” Billy looked to Sunset, as if waiting for an answer Sunset blinked awkwardly at the genius “Ummm...Equestrian magic?” “Yes! That! Your Equestrian Magic is basically just weaponized raw Morphing Grid Energy!” Billy spoke with vigor. Tommy had never seen him this excited before. He couldn’t help but be amused by his old friend waving a wand up and down a pair of teenage girls. In any other situation, he’d have to call the cops on Billy. “Right...so…” Billy ran over to his computer, sitting down and typing away, Sunset walking over to him and looking over his work “Wait...that over there looks like Celestial Magic…” Billy nodded “That’s the Mystic Force team. Probably the closest thing I have to cross reference when it comes to what I’m planning for your powers. Just gotta...double check the frequency with that of the Zeo Rangers...and...Viola!” The girls walked over to see a wavelength go across Billy’s main monitor. While Sunset smiled at this, the others were left confused. “I don’t get it…” Pinkie spoke up, tilting her head. Sunset chuckled “Girls...this is the wavelength of the Elements of Harmony. Recreated to allow us to…” Sunset looked to Billy, waiting for an answer. “It will allow you to harness it to morph. I’ll need to construct proper morphers, but this will be one hell of a power source. Practically harnessing raw energy from the Morphing Grid! Even the Zeo powers couldn’t achieve that!” Billy spoke, a grin on his face Dash couldn’t help but grin along with the genius. Not only would she become a Ranger, but she’d become one of the most POWERFUL Rangers. All her fanfic dreams come true… Rarity frowned at the genius “How long will these ‘morphers’ take to construct?” Billy thought to himself, looking to the fashionista “Well, given I already have the signature fixed down, I could probably whip them up over night...you girls don’t mind staying the night do you?” Applejack looked ready to object, but an exuberant Pinkie drowned out whatever she was going to say “RANGER SLEEPOVER!!!”