//------------------------------// // 2: Ranger Yellow // Story: Power Rangers: Sky Strike // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// Laser shots rang out through the forest, Rangers red and blue in pursuit of the Reverse Empire’s minions. Sunset leaped off a rock and slashed downwards creating an arc of energy sent directly at several of the foot soldiers. Drawing her pistol, Sunset rolled to the left and fired off a series of shots at several more thugs, before Grey leaped out of the darkened forest. “You again?” Sunset gasped leaping backwards to avoid the robot’s sword slash. She met his blade several times, the blades clashing again and again until Grey kicked her in the chest making Sunset stumble back. He then kicked leaves into her face temporarily blinding her. A laser cannon popped up out of Grey’s wrist, and Sunset was knocked to the ground by several little shots.  She quickly recovered, leaping into a tree and then gliding down, small ‘wings’ unfurling from her arms. Calling out: “Falconic Break!” she managed to score a slash across the chest, before coming around for another pass. This time Grey was ready, and reached out and grabbed her by the ankle, throwing the unicorn into a tree. Sunset groaned as she impacted the old alderwood. “...Okay, yeah that smarts, going to feel that one tomorrow....” She mumbled. Out of nowhere came Shining, slamming a gauntlet covered fist into Grey’s chest plates. He stumbled back and Shining managed a slash across the chest. Another came, but Grey side-stepped it only to be hit in the face by a fireball thrown by Sunset.  “Lesson number one, there’s two of us this time,” Sunset said readying her blade, before leveling it and charging forwards. Grey sidestepped the strike and kicked Sunset in the back making her stumble forwards. Shining attempted to get in another blow, but was sent flying by a series of missile strikes.  “Lesson number two, don’t get cocky,” Grey said, lighting a cigarette with one hand and using the other to hold off Shining’s sword strikes. Tossing the cigarette into the forest floor, he resumed his attack.  “Hey, no littering!” Shining lectured only to be punched in the face by Grey. “Are you really one to lecture me about all that?” Grey said, surprisingly snarky for a robot. “In case you haven’t got it yet, I’m evil. Hello?” He spun and dodged a powerful side kick from Sunset grabbing her by her suit and throwing her into Shining. The two Rangers picked themselves up off the forest floor and launched duel slashes at Grey knocking him back. Shining closed the distance dealing several devastating blows before Sunset punched Grey in the face. He was swift to recover and went on the defensive matching Sunset’s sword blows. Sunset grinned under her helmet and twisted her blade, knocking Grey’s own sword up and out of his hands. Grey blinked in shock only to send Sunset into Shining’s arms with a palm strike. “I’ll give you this, with two of you standing against me, there’s less of a slim margin for failure,” Grey complimented. “To get even this far, well it’s impressive. You actually damaged some of my systems.” “We’ll be damaging all of your systems here in a minute,” Sunset said, readying a fireball.  “How… witty,” Grey drawled sidestepping the blazing ball of flame. He picked up his sword and advanced, even as laser shots from the two ranger’s pistols bounced off his metallic casings. His blade glowing, he launched a devastating slash of energy at the two Rangers, only allowing them the smallest fraction of a second to dodge. Dodge they did, but just barely. So Grey did something else, opening up his other wrist and launching a rocket at them. Sunset ducked and shouted: “Must have messed up your targeting system, you missed!” Shining facepalmed. “...Sunset, experience has taught me you never say that. Ever.” “...why?” Sunset asked, suddenly feeling very nervous with the smug look on Grey’s face. Then she heard it, a loud rumbling sound. “Oh yes, you’d do well to listen to your comrade,” Grey half-mocked, half advised. “It seems he has more of a good head on his shoulders. Thing is, I never miss.” Both Shining and Sunset turned and let out shouts of shock as massive boulders came tumbling down a hillside. They broke into sprints running through the forest as the boulders rumbled close behind. Then they saw it, a massive cliff with the only way to go being down into the rushing rivers below. “Oh boy…” Sunset said before she got an idea, pressing a button on her communicator. “When I say jump, we jump!” “Are you crazy?” Shining asked. “We’d never be able to make it, even if we glide the winds rushing up from the chasm would send us flying right up into a cliff wall!” “Just trust me!” Sunset said as the edge of the cliff came up fast. “Now jump!” A piercing shriek rang out through the air and Shining surprisingly didn’t feel the cracking of bone. No, instead he found himself inside of what looked to be a very fancy airship.  “...you’re certifiable, you know that right?” Shining deadpanned as he looked at Sunset, fiddling with the controls of the strange air vehicle. “Hey, if it works, it works,” Sunset shrugged, the Falcon Zord at her command. “...Hey, shouldn’t we all have one of these?” “I’ll… I’ll gladly take you up on that, soon as I find one,” Shining said. “Good grief, think you took several years off my lifespan back there.” “So I’m guessing you’re not into crazy mares are you?” Sunset joked. “Nor am I into getting my ass beat by that rust bucket,” Shining said. “I think one thing is becoming rapidly clear. We need another Ranger…” “Yeah,” Sunset agreed as they soared off into the skies. Already, the coordinates had been set for Ponyville. There was no place like home indeed. “The question is, where do we find one…?” Unknown to them, one auburn-maned kirin watched from the clifftops, and looked down at her wrist where a familiar type of morpher rested… “Concentrate, focus!” Starswirl said as he clashed blades with Sunset. “Shining may be well trained but you are not!” As it seemed, after being partially responsible for Radiguet’s return, Starswirl took it upon himself to train the Rangers for what was to come. Special attention was given to Sunset, who’s fighting style was more wild and untamed than anything else. Her rage wasn’t tempered, unlike Shining who managed to keep a cool head during battle and had years of training to back him up. “Crazy stunts like the one you pulled yesterday will not keep you alive in battle,” the aged wizard said. “Only a calm mind and a cool head will do that. Your enemy is relentless! Unflinching! And quite unstoppable at this rate!” He peppered each phrase with a sword strike, before whirling around and firing a magical fireball at Sunset. She after a short second threw up a shield of teal green magic. “Impressive, but still too slow,” Starswirl said. “Not to mention…” he said before tossing another fireball shattering the shield. “Easily cracked.” “Yes, well,” Sunset muttered. “Not all of us are supreme mages are we? I’m doing my best here, Starswirl. I’m a student of Princess Celestia, shouldn’t that be enough?” “All the same,” Starswirl said. “The enemy is not going to be as merciful as I am. Sometimes our lives require us to do things that may not seem immediately possible to us. My advice is thus follows. If your best is not good enough, then find a new ‘best’ and then surpass that. Otherwise, you may have to live with the consequences, your team is relying on you.” “But… but what if I can’t…?” Sunset asked. “I didn’t ask for any of this, I was hoping to just live out my sentence peacefully. Not… not become a part of a superhero team!” “Ifs? There are no ifs. Wondering about what you can or cannot do is the path to ruin. Self-doubt is the path to ruin!” Starswirl lectured, setting his blade aside for the moment. “I understand your fear. All have it. All live to see such times have these worries. All who see such times wish these things would just go away. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. And all we have to do is decide how to break the chains that bind us! So, I ask… what will you do?” “I… Well, first things first,” Sunset said. “It is fairly evident that as I am now… no, as we are now we cannot defeat the Reverse Empire. Celestia detected three others with enough power to morph, correct?” “Yes, this is quite so,” Starswirl said stroking his beard. “Even if she could put a name or a face to those who were gifted with Birdonic Waves, as she calls them.” “I believe the first order of business around here is to find them,” Sunset said. “The stronger we are together, the better hope we have of defeating the Reverse Empire.” “That’s the spirit!” Starswirl praised. “You may make a fine leader yet…” Bringing out a scroll of paper, he unfurled and it revealed a map of Equestria and her surrounding kingdoms. In the back of the room, Shining frowned as he leaned up against a pillar. “So why was she chosen again…? I have more years of experience, and I’m battle-ready, so why not me? Why her…?” Shining wondered to himself. He frowned. Was he… jealous? No, he wasn’t jealous. Just concerned for the state of the team. If a common criminal was leading, what was the world coming to? Starswirl noticed Shining’s expression and frowned to himself, even as he adjusted his reading glasses. Shining didn’t know why he had been passed over, but Starswirl did. Sunset, ill-trained as she was was more… flexible. Shining was too by the book for Starswirl’s tastes. A good team leader required a bit more… creativity. Hopefully, Shining would realize this and soon. Otherwise, he may have to step in and deal with things himself! Far and away, Radiguet had settled into an old castle, driving out the resident changeling queen. Her warriors had put up a fight, but in the end, they all fell to him and Grey. “Yes, all is moving according to plan. Not even the Power Rangers can stop us now. All the same though… I know there are three other potentials out there and if they are to join with the Rangers… Well, there is a small chance they may be able to defeat me. The dimensional bug mother has yet to fully settle in, so she can only just produce Reversers and not dimensional bugs to create true warriors.” This was not ideal in the slightest. At one point he was the most powerful ruler in all of the universe, and now he was reduced to hiding out in castles! He hadn’t anticipated how powerful the Two Sisters truly were, nor had he expected to run into Power Rangers here of all places. Then again, Radiguet thought with a snarl. Rangers always showed up, they were just so heroic like that. Always with twelve legs and coming in assorted colors. Always. That idiot Lothor hadn’t asked for his evil ninja powers from him and not expected to get something to challenge him right? The fool. He had a good plan though, Radiguet mused. Opening up the Abyss of Evil, or at least one of it’s cracks and unleashing every monster from the underworld onto Blue Bay Harbor? Truly inspired. It was just a shame every other part of his plans fell apart at the seams. Still, he had the right idea. It seemed nobody knew anything villain-wise. Rangers had to be defeated in their true Ranger forms. It was the only right thing to do!  It was showing them the respect they deserved, Rangers at least deserved that much given how many evil tyrants they’ve defeated over the years. “But then again…” Radiguet thought, an evil smile forming on his lips. “They haven’t met me yet have they…?” He threw his hand up and lightning split the sky, Radiguet laughing maniacally all the while. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…..!” Meanwhile, Sunset and Shining searched. Taking the train to the eastern regions of Equestria, the two pulled into a very old station. Mists covered the station platform, with only a small ticket teller’s building nearby. Ramshackle and nearly falling apart, calling it a building might have been generous actually. “Guess nopony else is going out as far as we are. I can kinda see why,” Shining muttered. “Good grief, I can barely see a thing in this mist! It’s almost as thick as pea soup out here!” “Speak for yourself, it’s cold and it’s damp and I don’t even want to begin to think what that’ll do to my mane…” Sunset said as she nervously stepped forwards, hearing the boards creaking underneath her hooves. Shivering, she zipped up her jacket. “Didn’t know you could be such a girly girl…” Shining remarked. “Hey, you think looks this good come naturally?” Sunset asked. “Hell no! If I want to keep my badass bitchness I have to work at it, work at everything. And that includes my appearance.”  “Speak for yourself, I’m more worried about getting jumped,” Shining said a hand on his sword, ready to draw it if it came to that. “You’re overly paranoid,” Sunset said to him. “I doubt there’s anything out here to be scared of!” “Welllllllllllcoooooommmme,” a voice said from out of the gloom, with an old stallion wobbling into view. His mane was unkempt, and he looked as if he was half-crazed. Sunset and Shining shared a nervous look. “Apologies if I scared you all. Oh, it's just that I'm not used to seeing anypony taking the train to... the end of the line. The final destination. The last stop!” At this, he burst into maniacal laughter as he vanished into the gloom. Sunset then said to Shining: “...well, okay, I guess there’s a little something to be scared of out here.” Eventually, the mist cleared. Through a series of wanderings, some circle backs and a walk through the woods, the two Rangers came across a farmhouse, the fields peppered with scorch marks and practically destroyed.  “Well, that’s not ominous at all is it?” Sunset asked, wondering if she should go for her morpher. “Hiiiiiiii!” a voice came from behind Sunset and she jumped. Right into Shining’s arms in fact.  “Gah! Don’t do that, I nearly blasted you!” Sunset shouted as Shining let her down, and the two found themselves face to face with… well, to be honest, they weren’t sure. It had the features of a pony, but it looked as if it bore a lion’s mane and resembled vaguely draconic as well. In the back of their minds, the two knew they’d read of something like this before but couldn’t place exactly where. Turning to Shining as he let her down, Sunset said: “Speak to nobody about this.” “I won’t say a word,” Shining said a grin threatening to break free. He turned back to the newcomer. “Sorry, who are you?” No answer. “Can you at least tell us where we are?” Shining pressed. Again, there was no answer. “Can she even speak…? Was that one time a fluke?” Sunset murmured, leaning over to Shining. “...well, I assume she’s a she. I mean, she’s flat as a board.” At this, the creature looked rather insulted. “Oh for the love of…” Shining muttered at Sunset’s snarky remark before turning back to their new ‘friend’. “Can’t you say at least something?” Finally, the creature burst out laughing. “Gotcha! Sorry, sorry, but that was too good. Oh, you don't know how much I missed jokes. Hi-larity! Am I pronouncing that right? Some words I haven't said in a will. While! While. Hi, I'm Autumn Blaze!” the creature began to babble. “You've just arrived, and perhaps you're tired or hungry or reflective and want to sleep and eat and journal? Which you should do, of course! But first— Oh! Oh, what joy to talk with another creature! It's been so long! You must tell me everything about you! There's so much to say, so much to do! Oh, look at me. I'm going on, and you haven't seen— I mean, have you seen—? W-What am I saying? Of course, you haven't. Sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve talked to anyone, oh of course I already said that! Haha, silly me! Sorry, so sorry. It's a lot for me to pro-cess. Process? Uh, deal with.” Sunset bit back a comment of how of course it had been so long since Autumn talked to anyone, she doubted anyone could even get in a word edgewise! “What are you anyway, I mean I can’t just keep calling you a ‘thing’,” Sunset said. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s racist. Or something. Speciest?” “I’m a kirin! Remember it! Commit it to memory, cause there’s nothing quite like us!” Autumn said excitedly, though her voice quickly took on a bitter note. Sunset may not have noticed it, but Shining did. “Interesting, that’s interesting. The way she said that last part…” Shining thought to himself. “Clearly there’s something we’re not being told here. Curiouser and curiouser. We could press her for details, but on the other hand, she may not want to tell us straight out. As much of a talker as she is, well… Some things are never really shared in public.” He’d also taken notice of the yellow glow that faded in and out along Autumn’s wrist. Okay, now that was interesting. So she was the yellow Ranger? Huh, well Shining supposed they couldn’t exactly be picky in a crisis, could they? And make no mistake, it was a crisis that they faced with Radiguet looming down on the kingdom. But how could they make Autumn understand? For that matter, would she even want to be part of the team? “Wait, a kirin!” Sunset said as she snapped her fingers in recognition. “Now I remember! You used to be allies with Equestria, but a few odd years ago your nation suddenly went dark on everyone. My teacher, Princess Celestia, she’s been wanting to find out what happened to her friend Rain Shine for the past several years!” Sunset noticed the dark look on Autumn’s face -not to mention the flickers of flame in her mane- when she said ‘her nation’. Okay, yeah something was off here. “Yes, well, I… uh, well I wasn’t party to any of that, I wasn’t aware that…” Autumn trailed off. It was clearly obvious she was lying. “Buuuuuuuuut anyways, did you say the great great great super great Princess Celestia was your teacher?” “Well, emphasis on ‘was’. She’s not now, and pretty sure she doesn’t want to take me back,” Sunset sighed sitting down upon a rock. “I… kinda maybe sorta screwed up majorly. Turns out, temporarily going mad with power is a real downer for your relationships!”  “Ooof, full-on supervillain?” Autumn asked. “So, uh, did you imprison your teacher in a cage of your own making? Take over the kingdo… oh, I’m being insensitive aren’t I?” “Yeah, uh you think?” Sunset asked. Actually, she didn’t even know why she was pouring her heart and soul out to this kirin, she barely even knew her! “Doy!” Autumn facepalmed. “...and now you see why I stick to farming, much less troublesome than managing relationships,” she went on before looking out over the farm. “Or, at least I used to farm anyways…” “Can you tell us what happened here?” Shining asked. “Vandals? Bandits? Maybe we can catch them for you. It’s the least we can do. Mother always said you find friends in the most unusual places.” “Ooooh, momma’s boy huh?” Autumn giggled. “Oh, he totally is!” Sunset teased. “He still sends her postcards, letters! And they’re in the same city!” “Shuddup…” Shining said his cheeks flushing a bright red.  “Anyways, not sure you can ‘catch’ the guys that did this. Well, not guys as in guys in plural. Guy as in just one, singular. Well, at least I think he was a guy. Hard to tell with that lipstick. Anyways, his great blue floatingness appeared over the kingdom and send down lightning. Caught my entire farm ablaze! I was just glad I had the foresight not to build a wooden hut, let me tell you!” “Wait wait wait, back up,” Shining said. “Great blue floatingness? He didn’t say anything about welcoming you to his nightmare and not passing go?” “Oh yeah, he totally did say that now that you mention it!” Autumn said snapping her fingers in remembrance. “I thought he was just being uber-dramatic and referencing pop culture like some big goofball until he brought down the lightning. Talk about a dick, right?” “Oh, uh, yeah, totally!” Sunset nodded along in agreement. “But he’s not just going to stop at farms. He’s going to…” “Take over the whole world?” Autumn asked. “Oh yeah, I figured, standard supervillain procedure and all that. But not my problem, I gotta worry about how to take care of the next season’s crops! Good grief! This is such a setback, am I right?” “...well, at least she has her priorities straight…” Shining uttered before looking Autumn dead in the eye. He took on his best ‘I am the Captain of the Royal Guard and you will listen to me’ voice. He said: “He’s going to destroy more than just your crops. He’s going to destroy everything, or did you miss that part? You may not have noticed, and Sunset may not have but I did. See that power now, the one coursing through your veins and the one you feel in your very soul? You’re a Ranger now, a Power Ranger. It’s your responsibility to protect Equestria, and your home!. This isn’t just something you can just back out of.” “I… see,” Autumn said. “But… but what if I don’t want to?” Shining’s jaw dropped. “What if you don’t want to? You can’t just lay back as Radiguet lays waste to your home. And he will come here again, once he’s done with Equestria he’ll come here. And when you hear us fighting, screaming, and dying… Just know you could ha- OW!” Sunset smacked him over the head. “I’m sorry, he’s an idiot,” she apologized before looking at Shining. “Can’t you see she’s scared out of her mind? I’d be too if you just told me all of that. I didn’t have the luxury of a choice. She does. We can find the other Rangers, maybe we don’t need five of us. Four or maybe just three will do. No need to guilt-trip her.” “I wasn’t guilt-tripping her!” Shining hissed as he pulled her aside. “I was informing her of her responsibilities. She’s a Ranger now, saving the world is a bit more important than tending to your farm I should think!” “True, but your approach needs work,” Sunset said before going back to Autumn. Gently, she grasped the kirin’s hand. “I’m sorry about him, he’s a good fighter but not the best pony person. Or kirin person I guess in this case. But he’s right, even if his approach needs work. You do have a responsibility now. Radiguet will come for you. Once he figures out where his power went, who it empowered, well… Your people are going to be in grave danger.” Autumn wanted to scream how they weren’t her people, and indeed she almost did. Flames licked at her mane. But then she thought to herself, did they really deserve even that? Even after how they kicked her out? ...well, she supposed her own approach could have used some work. But she needed to make them understand. Stripping themselves of all emotions, including love was… it was horrible. Hell, without the ability to fall in love they may not reproduce and the village would die out. But they certainly didn’t deserve to be conquered by a madman, even if it would probably be a good solid rightful blow to their prideful stupidity. “I… I need time to think on this....” Autumn said before a laser blast nearly relieved her of her head. Sunset and Shining whirled around and drew their swords, Grey walking up. He strode through the burnt crops, hand charged with energy. “Oh great, it’s him again…” Shining said. “I do deeply apologize, but I think you just ran out of time, Ranger. You will submit…” Grey said, leveling his blade at Autumn. “...or be destroyed.” “Stand back,” Shining said as Reversers swarmed the area, the magma-infused bug minions swarming the area. “We’ll handle him. Just get to safety, okay?” “No… no, I’m done running,” Autumn said. “Question though, first of all. Did he have a part in destroying my crops?” “More or less, considering he’s Radiguet’s right-hand minion,” Shining answered. “Why?” “Good to know…” Autumn growled before looking directly at Grey. “I needed someone to beat up for that. You. You destroyed my crops, you and your empire!” Flicking her wrist, a morpher appeared. Grey’s optics widened. Uh-oh. “Nice to see you’ve finally come around,” Shining said. “Oh, just shut up and let me deal with this soon to be scrap pile. How does it go?” Autumn asked and both of her fellow Rangers looked at her strangely. “Doy! The little morphing call, the transformation phrase!” “Take off, wings rise!” Sunset and Shining answered as they morphed dodging a sword swing from Grey. Autumn nodded before kicking Grey in the back, making him stumble forwards. Striking a pose, she called: “Take off, wings rise!” “No!” Grey called as Autumn and company leaped atop a hill to avoid sword swings from him and his minions. “Oh yes,” Autumn said looking over her new suit. “So what do you call yourselves? Like Bird Force or something? No, that’s dumb. Sky Strike sounds oh so much better!” “Well, uh… we haven’t really thought about it…” Shining admitted sheepishly. “Though now that you mention it…” “I like it. Now… With the reach of a Falcon! Power Ranger Red!” “With the speed of a swallow! Power Ranger Blue!” “With the strength of an owl. Power Ranger Yellow!” Autumn shouted before they all completed the role call as explosions erupted in the background. Thank Grey’s missiles for that actually. “Power Rangers Sky Strike!” The trio quickly set about dispatching the minions, Autumn kicking a rock towards several of the Reversers. “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t she be using a weapon?” Sunset asked as she and Shining held back Grey. “I don’t think she needs it!” Shining answered watching the Reversers topple down all over the place, complete with comical pinfall sounds. “Strrrrrriiiiikkkkkkkkkkkkeeeeee!” Autumn said grabbing a Reverser and spinning him over her head and then throwing him into his comrades. “...or is that only for Baseball?” Punching the air, she then rocketed towards several more of the minions like a freight train. She plowed through them like one as well, the Reversers not even able to hold her back.  “Cannonball!” Autumn cried as she jumped into the air and off a hill into another crowd of minions. Slamming a hoof into the ground, a massive gaping fissure appeared sucking all of the mooks inside. Atop a hill, Grey, Sunset, and Shining all dueled the three giving it their all. Grey swung an arc of energy wide before both Shining and Sunset leaped over it kicking him in the face. Grey staggered before unleashing a torrent of missiles. Sunset, remembering her training created a shield to knock them right back at Grey. The robot rolled out of the way, and then sent another slash of energy at the two. Shining held it back, before slicing right through it with a call of: “Swallow Strike!” He punched Grey with a call of: “Bird Strike!” and one gauntlet-powered fist. Grey staggered but headbutted Shining in return.  “Oh no, you don’t!” Autumn said grabbing Grey by the chest and tossing him head over heel into the dirt. “That’s for being party to ruining my crops! And this…” Here, she tossed him through several trees ripping them up like toothpicks. “...is for hurting my new friends!” Grey staggered, but in the force that was the nigh-unstoppable powerhouse of Autumn Blaze -not to mention the two other Rangers- he knew when to make a tactical retreat. “Another time!” He teleported off, and Autumn de-transformed and embraced her two new comrades in a tackle hug, the much larger Kirin squeezing hard. Sunset and Shining were left gasping for air as Autumn released them. It was obvious the fireball didn’t know her own strength, for good or for ill. “Oh my gosh, did you see that? I was so awesome. Oh, I so gotta blog about this. I actually fended off a supervillain! Like, an actual honest to Mystic Mother supervillain!” “Yeah, I think you’ll do,” Shining decided. “I think you’ll do just fine. No more hugs okay?” “But I like hugs!” Autumn nearly whined. “I’m a cuddle bug, so sue me!” "I may very well do so!" Shining shouted. Autumn, she was hugging Shining again while Sunset just shook her head and smiled. Yeah, she’d fit in just fine into their little group. Just fine. Or at least, that was her hope. There was, after all, something she wasn’t exactly telling them about… Back at the base, reconverted from the Castle of the Two Sisters, Starswirl would have this to say. “She’ll tell us when she’s good and ready. For now, we give her time. If she wants to elaborate, she will. It’s her secret to tell after all. For now, we focus our efforts on finding the other two Rangers…” Little did they know, but one would come to them sooner than they thought. The black condor was soon to arrive in their midst. The question was, would he accept his responsibility? Newtech City: A monument to technology, the city on the east coast had stood tall and proud, always ahead of the curb. Already, the new Earth headquarters for Space Patrol Delta was being constructed, recruits being set loose onto the mean city streets. Some, it was said, would become Rangers. Some would go on to become legends. Others would work the beat. Guess what happened to one Robert Williams?  Not that he was complaining. Alien criminals who would cut you up and throw your remains in a dumpster, or blast you with water or god only knew what else? No thank you. Humans were difficult enough to arrest. Some said he had no ambition. Robert personally thought he valued his life and limbs more. Being a regular cop was already dangerous enough thank you! No wearing multi-colored spandex for him. Okay, technically it wasn’t spandex but rather a self-expanding nanofiber but you get the idea. There were fashion do-nots and fashion do-nots.  “Bil, Bil, Bil,” Robert said as he walked his daily beat down Fifth and Main. “...why do I have to keep coming back here, just to reassure you?” Looking up into an apartment, he saw a pug-nosed alien looking down at him. “But I swear, I really saw it this time!” “Righhhhhtttt,” Robert said leaning on his car. “Okay, aliens I can believe. Elves I can believe, I mean Briarwood exists. But magical little horses dressed like strippers? This isn’t Death Metal Barbie! I’ve got more important things to be concerned about than your rambling conspiracy theories.” “You're not gonna do something about this, you're not gonna do change this?” the alien refuted. “I mean, prostitution is illegal, right? You're going to leave this, you’re not going to do something about this?” “Yes,  I’m not going to do anything about this. I’m not going to change this, I’m not going to do something about this. I’m going to leave this as is,” Robert deadpanned. “Please don’t call me about this again, if you’re really desperate to get material for sex go look on the internet. Don’t just imagine it in your head!” “Oh, so you think I’m imagining this?” the alien asked.  “Well duh, why do you think I’m breaking out the sarcasm?” Robert said. “I only break it out for abject stupidity. Which granted, is my day to day life. Thanks for that, life. But no, I don’t think there’s a magical little horse busking on a street corner soliciting others for sex. It’s like say… Oh, I don’t know, a puppy dog shooting up demonic hell beasts. This isn’t the internet!” Then, shouting as across the street a mugger ran out of a diamond store. “Now if you excuse me, I have actual real-life crimes to worry about!” Robert shouted before running off after the mugger. Charlie, the SPD Red in Training joined him, out on her daily jog. “So, business as usual?” the cadet asked having seen the whole thing. “Magical horse sex, really?” “Oh shut up,” Robert grumbled. “You go ahead and cut him off, I’ll follow him!” Rounding a corner he chased the thug into a warehouse where a knife was pulled on him. Robert pulled out a baton and blocked the blade before walloping the thug with an elbow to the face. The thug staggered and lunged. Charlie showed up about then and watched in horror as the knife went straight and true. She pulled out her gun, but in her panic shot her fellow officer in the shoulder. From her perspective, it seemed Robert had been stabbed. But it was not to be, as the knife had missed him, Charlie’s shot nicking him in the shoulder. Despite his pain, he managed to take down the thug with a baton strike. “You’re a terrible shot, you know that right?” Robert said clutching his shoulder.  “I panicked, okay?” Charlie stammered. “What would you have done in my place?” “I don’t know, actually hit the guy?” Robert said as he cuffed his quarry. He began to rant and rave, rather… annoyed about the pain of getting shot. “When you shoot, you don’t hit your partner! Nor do you take your sweet time about the shot, I counted at least five seconds between the attempted stab and the shot. You don't wait for a special occasion to shoot someone after they nearly gut check your partner! Birthdays, or friggin' President's Day! Honestly! Oi!” “I’m sorry, okay?” Charlie said. “As I said, I panicked. Not future red ranger material, I know, but I panicked.” “Your apology is noted. Acceptance is still pending. Oh god, this hurts like a bitch!” Robert howled. “Oh god, this is humiliating!” “I could have shot you in the ass,” Charlie noted with a deadpan look. “This is true,” Robert admitted. “Oh well, at least I won’t be the laughing stock of the precinct.” “Beer and a burger after your shift ends?” Charlie asked. “I’m… I’m sorry, is little miss by the rules no dating on the job asking me on a date?” Robert asked. “No. More like an apology for getting you shot,” Charlie said. “Though if you don’t want it, I can take someone else. Beevor or Cliff perhaps.” “Okay, point taken. It’s a date,” Robert teased. “But first… can we get this bullet out of my shoulder? Like, oh dear god in heaven it’s starting to hurt now…” “How long have you two been married?” the knife-wielding thug asked before Robert shut him up with a glare.  “You’re lucky I’m not authorized for a confinement card…” Robert muttered as he helped his capture up. “Like, seriously, you so are. You got me shot!” “Going power-mad already?” Charlie teased. “Wow we are lucky you never wanted to go for a morpher…” “Hah!” Robert snorted. “Me in a ranger suit? That’ll be the day!” And yet neither he nor Charlie noticed the sorta distinct black glow emanating from his wrist at any time...