//------------------------------// // Black Ranger! // Story: Mighty Morphin' Power Ponies: Origin Story // by FelixTheBrony //------------------------------// Black Ranger “...And then I found myself back here, dressed very flamboyantly by the way, talking to you guys about this,” Featherweight said, having just explained his ordeal to his classmates and Spike. The group looked amongst themselves, still a little shell-shocked by Featherweight's sudden transformation. He had taken his helmet off, so it's obvious that they weren't going to be forced to wear the suit forever or anything, but it still sounded a little strange. “So which one's mine?” Scootaloo asked, looking over the four remaining coins, having been doing so since the other Pegasus had started his story. The group looked over and rolled their eyes at her. “Scoots, did you listen to a thing Featherweight said?” Applebloom asked, already predicting the answer. “Of course! He said he dresses flamboyantly,” Featherweight blushed at that and shoved his helmet back on to cover his face. “Yeah, you didn't. He said he felt drawn ta it, like somethin' callin' ta him...” “Nevermind! I chose...” Scootaloo interrupted before she suddenly stopped talking, zoning out and keeping hold of the coin with the picture of the mastodon on the front. They stared at her for a few seconds before realising that she probably wasn't going to snap out of it anytime soon. “You know, maybe if you guys took yours as well, instead of doing it one at a time, we'd catch Twilight's killer!” Spike stressed, snatching the coin case and presenting it to the three. “Okay Spike, now we know how the coins choose their bearers, what makes you think they'd pick us?” Sweetie Belle asked, raising an eyebrow. “Plot convenience?” “...I...I-I...” Spike whimpered, apparently having not thought of that. What if the coins didn't like the ponies he had picked for them? Would they leave any lasting damage on them? Would they be stuck in this 'test' forever? But if they didn't at least try, then the one who murdered his best friend/mother/sister was going to get away with it! And damn it all, he knew the coins wouldn't choose him because he would've felt a connection to one of them by now if he had. So he had to resort to the last thing he could think of... ...he begged. He had gotten down on his knees, placed the box on the ground, clasped his hands together and peered up at them with the saddest eyes he could muster. “Please! Please at least try! I'll do anything!” For the most part, the other three just stood there, awkwardly uncomfortable with the older dragon pleading to them like a lost puppy wanting to be fed. It was really unnerving and just made them want it to stop! “Alright! Fine, just git up an' stop actin' like that! It's creepin' me out!” Applebloom shuddered, unconsciously grabbing the centre coin before freezing in place. Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle looked between Featherweight, who was looking over Scootaloo to ensure she was doing okay, to Applebloom who was frozen and staring into space, and towards Spike who looked a little happier that the third coin was being taken, before shrugging and taking the final two coins. The sabre-tooth and pterodactyl respectively, before they also froze on the spot. “Urg...Wow, what was that?” Scootaloo asked as she rose to her hooves, suddenly realising where she was... ...the day her heart was broken. The whole scene was playing out in front of her like an awful movie. Rumble standing there, looking down at the ground and telling her that he didn't want to date anymore. It was their third month anniversary at the time, both of them were fourteen years old, and she remembered being really excited about it. She had grown really attached to him over that time. He was cool, a great flyer, at least ten percent cooler than the other colts in class and he had helped her learn to fly when they were kids. He was, by all means, the perfect pony for her to get to know better. However, it appeared that Rumble did not reciprocate those feelings. In fact, by his own admission, he had felt the relationship wasn't working out the way he'd felt it would. Hearing that obviously upset her. But, instead of crying, she had gotten very angry. She had started yelling, causing quite a stir in the school's field. It seemed, now that Scootaloo was watching it from a third person perspective, as if the whole school was watching. And Rumble obviously didn't like getting yelled at, especially in front of so many other ponies. It drove him to start retaliating in kind. He had tried letting her down as gently as possible but if she was going to get snappy about it, then why should he? But some of the things he said had hurt...badly. He had called her too talkative, a big show-off, way too cocky and, worst of all... ...Just like Rainbow Dash. Now, most might see that as a compliment. After all, Rainbow Dash was one of the heroes of Equestria, a proud member of the Wonderbolts and just an overall inspiration to all. Hell, had it been a few years ago Scootaloo would have loved that comment. But Scootaloo didn't want that now. She wanted to be known as the first Scootaloo, not the second Rainbow Dash! She wanted her own image to stand out, her own style and presence. Not a cardboard cut out of some one else's. And what had stung the worst was what he'd said after that. “It's no wonder Applebloom is so much more attractive than you! She isn't just a clone of her sister!” She remembered punching Rumble square in the jaw and running off to find Sweetie Belle or Dinky...and actively avoiding Applebloom for the next couple of months. Scootaloo looked down as a sudden guilt washed over her. She didn't feel bad about what she did to Rumble even if, looking at it now, it might've been her fault that he'd lashed out. But she felt bad because, to some degree, she blamed Applebloom for her failed relationship. It was petty, she knew that, but what Rumble said made her think that...that Applebloom had been spending time with him and started talking bad about her to him. Manipulating him into thinking that she was a much better catch than her. But the worst of that came when she suddenly felt the scene fast forward to a month and a half later. Scootaloo was so focused on the scene playing in front of her, she didn't even notice the black, Earth Pony mare now standing next to her. She was in her room, trying to work on her homework, still upset about her break-up. Then Applebloom had come in, explaining that Mac had asked her to come and see what was wrong... ...that was when the anger came back. Scootaloo had suddenly exploded at the yellow teen, letting out every hurtful and spiteful remark she could think of, effectively using the poor mare as a verbal punching bag. Words like 'dirty farm pony' and 'tangled, greased mane' and even 'stupidly, childish bow' came out but the worst one was 'forever an untalented blank-flank'. Applebloom's eyes had misted up, her hooves had trembled and she bolted out of the room, quietly weeping and whimpering about one of her best friends apparently doing what Princess Luna had promised she wouldn't do. Start to hate her for being a blank flank. The Scootaloo from the past looked pretty shocked about what she did and the Scootaloo from the future felt something wet on her face. Reaching up, she rubbed a tear from her eye and turned to find the unfamiliar pony there. “Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?” “Uh...no, I've seen this all before,” Scootaloo answered, shaking the dark thoughts suddenly invading her mind. Why was she still thinking about this, anyway? She had already explained her actions and apologized for them. And Applebloom had forgiven her, though things were a little awkward for two or three months but she had forgiven her. As if the black mare knew what she was thinking about, she smiled knowingly at her. “But you haven't forgiven yourself yet, have you?” “What?!” Scootaloo yelped, having not expected that at all. The black mare shrugged, looking back at the scene, which now replayed that one, dreaded phrase over and over again, as if on a loop. Forever an untalented blank-flank, forever an untalented blank-flank, forever an untalented blank-flank... “Those were some pretty cold-hearted words you let slip. If I said something like that to one of my best friends, I know I'd be questioning myself,” Scootaloo just shook her head. “But she forgave me! It was just because I was going through a rough patch and...” “Your friend seemed like an easy enough target to share in your misery?” The mare asked, causing Scootaloo's anger to flare up. “Of course not! How dare you think I'd do something like that?!” “But you did. And to me, those 'reasons' sound like excuses,” She explained again, Scootaloo snapping out of her anger, this time opting for confusion. “Excuses?” “Yes. Excuses not to blame yourself. Like they're a good enough reason for you to act like you did.” “I...I...” “Oh I, I, I, listen honey there are other ponies in your life you know. Ponies who value your opinion of them. I mean, how would you feel if Rainbow Dash, out of the blue, called you a bad dancer?” Scootaloo flinched, as if physically struck. It'd tear her apart if her idol/mother suddenly insulted her like that. Then the words from the background, the words she uttered only eight months ago, replayed again: Forever an untalented blank-flank, forever an untalented blank-flank, forever an untalented blank-flank... And she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. A nauseatingly painful feeling crawling all over her skin, guilt crashing all over her. Those words sounded so cold, so hurtful and just... ...not something you'd want to hear from one of your closest friends. It's one thing to hear these insults from someone like Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon. They weren't nice ponies to begin with, but from someone who'd been your friend since childhood? “Applebloom...” Scootaloo whimpered, looking at the expression on past Applebloom's face. It was the perfect look of being absolutely betrayed. Her eyes were watering, her legs were shaking, her shoulders flinched every so often with racked, quiet sobs. Her lips quivering in a loose lipped frown and her nose sniffling as if trying to save face in front of her. It was one of the most miserable moments in Applebloom's life and she was the cause of it. It was her fault. She let her emotions build up, let them take control and let them guide her towards blaming her best friend for something that she had nothing to do with! She clamped her eyes shut, trying her best not to cry herself. The black mare smiled and wrapped a hoof around her, trying to comfort the filly. Scootaloo said nothing, but rested against her. “It's always best to let your emotions out, young one, not to let them build up to the point of bursting out in the worst possible way. To hold a part of the power, you need to learn to control your emotions, or you could use your new strength irresponsibly,” The black mare explained, before glowing and disappearing. Scootaloo suddenly felt a black jacket with a picture of a mastodon emblazoned on the right shoulder. “Now, unlock your new power, and heed my lessons, lest you repeat mistakes from the past...and be doomed to repeat them.” Scootaloo shivered, but stood up. Remembering how to unlock her powers from Featherweight earlier. She had, after all, caught the important parts of his explanation. She thrust the coin forwards, upside down at first, before turning it right-side up. “It's morphing time!” She felt power build up in the coin and declared, what she hoped, was the beast of the coin. “Mastodon!” Suddenly, a glow enveloped Scootaloo causing Featherweight to jump back in surprise. And before long, Scootaloo's was standing there in a black version of Featherweight's suit, with the only exception being the helmet which had an elephant trunk like pattern running down the centre of it, stopping just before the visor's bottom half. She thrust her left forehoof out, pulling her right one back and declared. “Black Ranger!”