//------------------------------// // Laughter and Joy // Story: Rainbow Sentai Harmonyranger // by Xero Key //------------------------------// Laughter and Joy: by Xero Key Christmas was just around the corner at Canterlot High school. The halls were decked with holly and garland, a few with mistletoe to the annoyance of the teachers, and good feelings were in the air. “Christmas Party at my house!” Especially for the Pink Ranger. Pinkie Pie, lover of parties and good cheer, would never remain calm during this time of year. “Pinkie. School only just got out, Hearth’s Warming isn’t for a few weeks.” Sunset Shimmer said while trying settle Pinkie down. It didn’t work as she inexplicitly found herself wearing a Santa hat. “It’s called Christmas Sunny! You know, Santa and Presents and Trees and Presents…” “And a charity concert at the hospital we have tonight.” Sunset said smiling while crossing her arms. Pinkie stopped jumping in mid-air before somehow turning her head nearly one hundred eighty degrees towards Sunset. “Oh My Gosh! I almost forgot! I have to get ready!” Pinkie Pie then zoomed off in a trail of pink peppermint scented smoke. “I will never understand that girl.” Sunset said shaking her head. Power Rangers The charity concert went off without a hitch. The girls were dressed in female Santa suits in their Ranger colors, and their pony attributes stayed after the concert ended because of the good feelings everywhere. They signed autographs and took pictures with fans until one boy came up to Pinkie Pie. “Excuse me miss.” He said in a strong British accent. “You are the Pink Ranger, right?” “That’s me!” “My name’s Pipsqueak and…I…” He started to tear up and close his eyes. Pipsqueak ran forward and hugged Pinkie’s legs, surprising her. “I want you to save me Mum!” He said sobbing. Pinkie didn’t know what to do about the boy crying at her legs. She looked around awkwardly, noting that they had drawn attention to themselves, before looking down and feeling sad at seeing the boy in tears. Her hair and pony ears flattened, and she knelt down to look the boy in the eye. “I don’t know if I can save her. Tell me what’s wrong.” Her voice was sympathetic, calm, and soothing. More like Fluttershy as her friends noticed. They had never seen her so serious. “Me Mum has HAE and she’s in the hospital right now and this always happens and I don’t think she’s coming home and I can’t live without her!” He cried, all of his emotions coming out in tears on Pinkie’s costume. The tears couldn’t be stopped from Pinkie’s eyes either, the sheer fear and sadness she felt from the boy causing her pony attributes to fade away. “Pipsqueak! Oh Pip. Don’t bother the woman.” A man came up to them out of breath. “I’m so sorry miss. He didn’t mean to bother you. Come along Pipsqueak, your mother is waiting.” He took Pipsqueak by the hand and led him back into the hospital, leaving Pinkie on her knees, the crying having stopped but the tears remained. Her friends came over and helped her to the jeep and drove home. The next day at the command center, Pinkie’s hair was still straight as she worked at the computer. Sunset came up behind her with two mugs of steaming liquid. “I got hot cocoa. The weather’s been kind of cold lately so I thought you might like some.” She got no response, Pinkie continually scrolling through the computer, clicking now and then to open a link in a new tab. “What are you looking at?” “HAE. Hereditary Angioedemea.” She said, bring up one of the tabs. “The boy from yesterday, the one crying, he said his mom was in the hospital for it.” On the screen were images of people with extreme swelling, the most grotesque on their faces. “How can someone survive like that?” Sunset asked. “They can’t in the worst cases. Apparently stress, sudden weather changes like hot to cold or cold to hot, sudden pain, or even regular stomach issues can cause swelling, and it usually starts around puberty. Their C1-inhibitor, what stops swelling in the body, doesn’t work so they blow up like a balloon.” Pinkie said seriously, closing her eyes and sighing. “It can range from the limbs to the throat, sealing the airways shut as your own body chokes you.” Pinkie’s eyes opened in a glare. “How many other little children fear losing their parents every year just because it gets nippy outside. It’s not fair.” Sunset didn’t say anything, merely gave Pinkie the hug she desperately needed as they both read on about the disease, swearing to do something to help the poor bot and others like him. From the scrying pool, Nightmare Moon and Adagio watched Pipsqueak lounge in his room without energy to do anything. “My Queen.” Adagio said. “He is so desperate for a cure that he ran to the Power Rangers. Perhaps a bargain could be made with us.” Nightmare raised an eyebrow beneath her helm. “Oh?” “We cure his mother. Then use the ensuing grief at her death in a…car accident or something as she leaves the hospital, to power a monster able to destroy the Rangers!” Adagio clenched a fist and smiled evilly. “Why Adagio, that is brilliant.” Nightmare waved her hand over the pool and its image shimmered to a swollen woman in the ICU. “Suffer in life no more, be healed and live a life galore. But do not die to soon,” Nightmare smiled like a serpent. “or your son shall cry evermore!” And as her scythe touched the pool, a negative light filled the hospital, and Pipsqueak shot up from his bed sweating. The next day Pipsqueak and his father were rolling his mother out of the hospital in a wheelchair miraculously cured. On the roof above them Adagio was smiling and snapped her fingers, summoning a legion of Terrorvons. “Go cause havoc around the area so that the Rangers are drawn out. Once they are here, make sure they do damage to that woman there.” She said pointing to Pipsqueak’s mother. The Terrovons vanished in a puff of smoke only to reappear on the street below, attacking anything and anyone. It didn’t take long for the Rangers to arrive, already morphed, and start fighting off the Terrorvons. Pinkie ended up surrounded as she noticed one Terrorvon heading towards Pipsqueak and his family. She quickly drew her blaster and fired off a bolt towards the monster, just as Adagio’s smirk became a wide smile. The Terrorvons all vanished and Pinkie could only watch, as if in slow motion, her blaster bot hit the wheelchair Pipsqueak’s mother was in, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks and fling the woman into the air. She landed face first on the ground as her husband and nurses rushed to her side. They found enough of a pulse but had to rush her into the hospital for emergency treatment. Pipsqueak just sat on his knees staring at Pinkie with wide eyes, before they shrunk into a glare. Pipsqueak got up and slowly walked into the hospital, never noticing that his shadow seemed thick in the early winter light. Pinkie didn’t move from her spot, blaster still drawn and in its fired position. Her friends came over to talk to her, but she ignored them, calmly demorphed and walked away, hair flat. Inside a darkened waiting room Pipsqueak sat waiting for information about his mother. From the shadows he could hear a friendly voice. It was the Pink Ranger’s fault. “She couldn’t have known it would disappear.” But she had other options. “Let me mum get captured?” She’s a Power Ranger, she could have saved her. “I guess you’re right.” She didn’t care. “No. She didn’t.” Do you want her to suffer? “Yes.” Do you wish me to do it? Pipsqueak raised his head from his lap, his eyes darkened by tears. “Yes.” From the shadows a smile formed. It didn’t take long for the new monster to begin attacking the city. The Rangers arrived on the scene within in minutes. It looked like a female harlequin mixed with a Halloween witch, maze like patterns going around its limbs, and colored black and grey. “Ah Rangers. I’ve been looking for you, especially Pink. A little boy asked me to pass along a message. Die!” She opened her hand and a bolt of black energy fired off at the Rangers, sending them flying. “What are you talking about?” Applejack was able to grunt out from the ground. “The Pink one hurt my charge by shooting his mother. Tsk tsk. How naughty for heroes. Anyway, I should introduce myself, after all I am far more polite than you.” She curtseyed. “I am Grief Seed. And after I’m done with the boy’s wish, this world will fall to darkness for Queen Nightmare Moon.” Pinkie got up holding her side. “You…Were created from Pipsqueak’s sadness weren’t you?” Grief Seed nodded. “That means you are my responsibility.” Pinkie turned her head to the other Rangers. “Leave this to me. It’s Morphin’ Time!” Pinkie activated her morpher. “Power Rangers! Harmonize!” A pink light pulsed from Pinkie’s Morpher as her body was covered in a white-pink glow, leaving her head and over the top smile exposed. Appearing behind her was the tops of clouds in which she cartwheeled a bounced around, causing tufts to fly off her and create her uniform. She stuck her head in a cloud and pulled it out as a loud neigh was heard, causing her helmet to appear. She then posed with her hands stretched out as if saying ‘don’t talk to me’ to two people. “Element of Laughter: Pink Harmony Ranger!” Pinkie posed and pink smoke appeared behind her. “I’m taking you down Clown.” Pinkie charged forward and started fighting Grief Seed hand to hand. “Oh please. You made me Mother.” “Then I brought you in, I’ll take you out! Rock and Load!” Pinkie’s nun chucks appeared in her hand. She used them to keep Greif Seed on her toes until the monster leapt away. An aura of pink surrounded Pinkie, causing cotton candy clouds to fill the area. She began to swing the nun chucks over her head like a lasso, its tie extending with every revolution. Pinkie the whipped it forward so that it ensnared Grief Seed, pulling her towards Pinkie. Pinkie then kicked her left leg out as Grief Seed entered range and the contact caused an explosion. In the hospital, Pipsqueak woke up from a nightmare. “Son, your mother is okay, but she’s starting to swell again.” His father said, kneeling down to eye level. “It will be fine. Don’t blame the Pink Ranger, it was an accident.” They heard stomping as they looked out the window and saw Grief Seed fighting the Megazord with its Strato Shield. “We better get to the hospital shelter, come on.” His father dragged Pipsqueak away from the window. Outside in the fight, Grief Seed was taunting Pinkie. “Death is inevitable but the boy couldn’t see it. No matter what I would have been born from his sorrow! I am the grief that was seeded the moment he realized he could lose his mother! You, Pink Ranger, merely let me grow!” In the cockpit, Pinkie Pie had her head bowed. “We may lose people.” She raised her head determinedly. “But that just means we need to be happy with what little time we have! I promised I’d make others Smile no matter what!” Pinkie Pie’s belt began to glow as balloon shaped light appeared outside the Megazord. The light burst and revealed a large pink backpack like form that attached to the back of the Megazord. Part of it extended with the Megazord’s guns, making them appear like Gatling guns as the rested in their finishing position. The rest of it lowered itself to form to cannon like structures that bent upwards to rest beneath the arms of the Megazord. “Party Cannons!” The weapons began to glow. “Fire!” Pinkie said pointing forward. And fire they did. The two large guns pulsing out energy rapidly, while the shoulder guns were unleashing an unending barrage. Greif Seed cried out as she was struck, finally falling as the attack ended, and caused an explosion destroying her. In the castle ruins, Adagio kneeld before Nightmare Moon in submission. “My Queen. I have failed you.” “True, the plan did fail. But now I know that the Thief is protecting it.” Nightmare said, her back turned to Adagio. “’It’? My Queen?” “In time Adagio. But for now, we must wait for the rest of the Rangers to show their true colors. Only then will my revenge be ready.” The next day at the hospital, Pinkie Pie visited Pipsqueak and his parents. “I’m really really really sorry I put you back in here just as you left!” “It’s alright.” The mother said. “You didn’t plan on me being there.” “Still. I promised I’d help Pipsqueak so I made a few calls. You can come in now!” She called out of the room. A woman with pink hair tied in loops came in. “Hello, I’m Joy. I have HAE as well, but I also work with an organization that can help you get treatment.” The woman smiled and tears started to fill the families’ eyes at the hop she brought, smiles on their faces. Pipsqueak turned to thank Pinkie, but she was gone. He went to the window and saw her walking away from the hospital. He opened the window. “Thank you so much!” Pinkie turned and waved, satisfied that the world was a better place this Christmas season.