//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Sacrifice 
// Story: Power Rangers: Harmony 
// by ShootingStar25 
//------------------------------//

"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.