After Billy, the Former Blue Ranger, detects a series of anomalies in the morphing grid, he sends his old friend Tommy Oliver to investigate at the local high school, Canterlot High School.
In the year 2015, Billy Cranston was living a happy life. Documenting and assisting new Ranger Teams, as well as researching the Morphing Grid, he lived happily in his apartment in Canterlot. But when a series of anomalies spike his detectors in the local high school, he calls upon his old friend to help discover what has gone down there.
Enter, Tommy Oliver. Professor in Paleontology, High School Teacher....and the greatest Power Ranger to ever live. Upon getting the call from his old friend, he reluctantly moves to this new school and discovers a group of girls with magical powers, as well as a new series of monsters attacking the school.
With this, he takes the girls to become Power Rangers, and take on whatever threat this school, and by proxy, the world may need defending from.
Billy stood at his desk, looking over the readings. Practically identical. I mean, there was a slight variation, but other than that, it was…
He needed to think. He had been watching this anomaly for months, but never before had he had some irrefutable proof. The statue, the rainbow beam, the giant unicorn in the sky...it all lead to one thing: Someone at this school had access to the Morphing Grid.
He couldn’t go in on his own. As much as he wanted to, he was already a known figure in the scientific community. He needed someone else.
Billy glanced at his cell phone. He hadn’t contacted any of the other Rangers in a long time. Who could he call? Kimberly was too busy with the Olympics, Zack had his whole Hip-Hop Kido dojo that he ran, Trini was over in Asia...Jason was….god knows where. Who could he…
Billy smiled. He hadn’t called him in a while, but better now than never. Dialing his phone, he spoke with the man on the other side “Hey...long time no see! I need a favor…”
“You’re sure about this? You realize it would be difficult to just move to Canterlot with no warning?” Tommy told Billy over the phone. “And besides, I have a wife and kid to think about.”
“You’re the only one I could think of Tommy. Look, I’ll pay for your moving costs and the house. I’ll even pay for transportation. But this could be important. There could be an entirely new team of Rangers operating here, and we wouldn’t know. If there is, they’ll need someone to guide them, if they don’t already. And you have experience with that.”
Tommy sighed “Ok. I’ll talk with Katherine about it, and we’ll let you know our decision. Do you at least know where they could most likely be based from?”
“Yeah, all of the readings seem to be centered around Canterlot High School. And wouldn’t you know it, they are looking for a new science teacher. The old one left due to all the, and I quote, ‘Crazy magic demon shit’.”
“Heh. Reminds me of old times…” Tommy thought for a few moments “Ok. I’ll do it. Just give me a few days to turn in my resignation, and say goodbye to the former Dino Thunder team. Was kinda hoping to make it to their big reunion party. Connor isn't gonna be happy...”
“Sorry Tommy. I know how much that meant to you. Alright, call me when you and your family have everything figured out. Tell Kat hi for me!”
Tommy lowered the phone, and then held his head in his other hand. “I’m getting to old for this…”
Tommy stood outside the new school, the late November snow giving him a bit of a chill. He could almost feel something in the air, but really it could be anything. There was definitely something going on at this school…
“So this is Canterlot High…” Tommy spoke to himself, students buzzing about the school grounds. Tommy checked his phone, looking up his notes for the day “Right...gotta meet with the principal...God, I hope Billy was right. This place seems...off.”
Entering the school, he shook off the loose snow on the bomber jacket Kat had given him, a green dragon sewn into the back. Kat had always been the sentimental of the two, and Tommy wasn’t going to turn her down. He looked out on the halls of the school. It had been a long time since he had been in High school himself, and those days were filled with memories of mostly skipping class to save the day.
As he walked, he noticed two kids, one wearing a beaten up tee-shirt, and the other wearing a neat cardigan sweater. It almost sent him into a flashback as the two approached a small kid, probably only a freshman, who seemed to have a british accent.
“Alright Pipsqueak, give us your lunch money!” The one in the tee-shirt seemed to yell.
The kid seemed to reel back, Tommy walking up to the three “Hey, you know bullying isn’t very nice…”
The three looked to Tommy, the two bullies seeming to look in almost shock at the sight of the former Green Ranger “It’s...it’s….it’s him!”
Tommy looked confused at this, as the two ran off, leaving him and the kid to question what just happened. Tommy kneeled down, having dealt with kids before “You okay squirt?”
“Yes sir. Who...are you by the way?”
Tommy let out a chuckle “I’m the new science teacher. Do you know where the Principal’s office is?”
The kid smiled, pointing down the hallway “Seventh door on the right!”
Tommy nodded, standing up and heading that way. He couldn’t help but shake a weird feeling about those two from before though...almost like deja vu…
Tommy knocked on the door twice. He heard the shuffling of papers and a few muffled curses before a female voice called out “Come in!”
Opening the door, Tommy stepped into the Principal’s office. She was sitting behind her desk, hands folded on it. Her multicolor hair caught his attention, as he wasn’t used to someone having their entire hair dyed like a three-color rainbow. “Hello, you must be Principal Celestia. My name is Tommy Oliver, I applied for the senior Science teacher position?”
Celestia stood up, walking around the desk to offer a handshake. Tommy took it, as she replied “Ah! Doctor Oliver. We were expecting you. Yes, we are so glad you were able to come on such short notice. I know it couldn’t have been easy to move all the way from Reefside to Canterlot, especially in the middle of the school year. I can only imagine how disappointed your former students must have been…”
“You have no idea…” Tommy thought back to when he broke the news to his former team. They were all understandably upset, Connor more than others, but they all understood the importance of why he had to move. “Thank you for being understanding. Now, if I could know which class is mine, and a list of the classes I’ll be teaching? I would like to get things sorted before the first group of the day.”
“Of course.” Celestia smiled as she took a few papers from her desk and handed them to Tommy. “You’re classroom is on the second floor, it shouldn’t be hard to find. Luckily you have until second period before you get any students, so take that time to familiarize yourself with the classroom. I hope you enjoy your time here. Have a good day, Doctor Oliver!”
“You too, Miss Celestia!” Tommy walked out of Celestia’s office, ready to get to know his new students, and hopefully narrow down the list of potential candidates for the unknown Rangers.
Rainbow Dash entered her new class, AP Science. Who the heck even goes to AP Science? The only reason she applied for the class was because she wanted to look into the science behind-
“Rainbow Dash?” Dash heard from inside, cutting off her inner monologue. She looked up to see her friends...all of them. “Girls?”
Sunset smiled “Glad to see the gang’s all here it seems.”
Dash grinned, taking a seat next to Sunset. She was thrilled to have her girls here. She thought this class was going to be as boring as watching an episode of VR troopers with Pinkie…
AJ spoke up “So what are you doing in AP Science Dash?”
Dash stuck her tongue out at AJ. While AJ had gotten in because she had excelled in her Biology class sophomore year, Dash was a bit of an anomaly within the group here.
“I’m looking to find out more about the Power Rangers!”
The group all rolled their eyes. Dash had always been obsessed with the superheroes from out of town. Giant Robots, Magic Powers, Technology beyond anything from this world...they had all heard it a thousand times by now.
Sunset groaned “Dash, how do we even know all that’s real? I mean, I guess all those news reports could be real, but this all seems a little far fetched…”
“Says the magic unicorn.” Dash snarked, a little mad at her friend’s accusations “The Power Rangers ARE real! I’ll prove it to you Sunset Shimmer! Just you wait!”
Sunset groaned. Her friend had been telling her that for a year now, and had yet to provide any physical proof. It was always “the next town over” or “This one time in Mariner Bay”, but never a blueprint, or any sign of property damage in Canterlot.
Dash waved her off, looking to Pinkie “So...you know who’s the new teacher?”
Pinkie shrugged “I dunno. I heard a rumor it was someone from out of town. Somewhere called Reefside.”
Dash pouted at this. Pinkie was usually the one who knew the latest gossip, but it seems she was short handed this time. “Well I guess I’ll just have to wait.” Dash slumped into her chair, Rarity letting out a chuckle “You can wait a few more seconds darling. I’m sure the new professor is on his or her way.”
Fluttershy spoke up, wishfully thinking “I hope he’s someone nice. I mean, Mister Split Atom always was a bit jumpy, but he was really nice…”
Dash spoke up “I hope he’s someone awesome! Like…”
It was that moment the door opened, a man in a bomber jacket walking through the door, hanging his coat on the rack and walking to the front desk “Hello class, my name is Doctor Oliver...I’ll be your new AP Science teacher.”
Dash couldn’t help but internally squeal at this, the only words escaping her mouth were a very quiet “ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh…”
A Woman stood over her desk, looking over some papers. These readings...they were identical...she needed to look into this. Canterlot High...of all places it had to be here. Right on the doorstep of her company headquarters. She had been searching for the next team, but never did she expect it right outside of her window. She frowned. She hadn’t slept in 48 hours. She couldn’t…
“Assistant, get me another coffee.” She spoke, a bit of edge in her voice.
A teenage girl in a lab coat winced. She hadn’t seen her boss like this before. She was always determined, but this case had her….obsessed. “Yes Miss Sterling!”
The girl ran off, her dark purple hair almost getting caught in the door. Miss Sterling heard the sound of a dog barking as she saw the teenager rush out of the door.
“Grace...this could be it...the next team of Power Rangers…”
Rainbow sat in awe for most of class. Tommy Oliver. The Greatest Ranger to ever live. Green, Red, White, Black...he was Rainbow’s idol. And he was standing right in front of her. What is she supposed to say? What is she supposed to do? He was a myth. A Legend. Even among other Ranger teams, he stood as some sort of Power Ranger icon...He was-
“Miss Dash, are you okay back there?” Tommy asked, a little confused by the blank expression on Rainbow’s face. “You haven’t taken any notes yet…”
Dash seemed to snap back to reality, looking as all the girls gave her a strange look. She quickly scanned the board and copied down everything on it, without questioning actually why it was there. “Yeah I’m uhhh...fine!”
Tommy frowned. He had seen this behavior before in Connor. “Dash, are you a sports player by chance?”
Dash looked up at the science teacher, still starstruck by all this. “Uhhhhh...yeah. Why?”
Tommy took a deep breath “You do realize that school work is just as important as sports right?”
Dash blinked, a little bewildered by this “Uhhh...yeah. I do. I just….”
“Just what miss Dash?” Tommy asked, a little concerned for the girl.
“You’re Tommy Oliver!” Dash exclaimed, praticially snapping her pencil in two as she slammed her hands on the desk, standing up in excitement
Tommy blinked. He didn’t understand what was such a big deal “Yes...I am...what’s so amazing about that?”
Dash’s mind was about to explode. “You’re….the Green Ranger! The White Ranger! The Red Ranger! Twice!”
Tommy blinked, as he tried to figure a way to feign ignorance “I umm...have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Dash squinted “Don’t play dumb with me! Look at your arm!”
Tommy looked at his arm. He had thought bringing his Dino Thunder Morpher to school would go unnoticed. He apparently was wrong in that assumption…
“This is a replica kid. I’m just a fan like you.”
“Fine…” Dash squinted at him. Leaning forward on her desk “Activate it…”
Tommy sighed, but just before he could confess his Ranger status, a girl with red and yellow hair spoke up
“Dash, leave him alone. He’s not a frickin Power Ranger. Those aren’t real.”
Tommy couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this. After countless stopped attempts of world domination, a full scale alien invasion, and world wide news coverage, this girl thinks they weren’t real? Where was this girl from?
“Anyways...I think we should get back to-”
As if on cue, the bell rang.
As the class left in a hurry, Tommy let out a sigh.
Note to self: Don’t bring your morpher to class.
Tommy sat in the break room, worried. The girl knew. How? I mean, sure, some of the later teams weren’t exactly secret about them being Rangers, but he had always kept a low profile. I guess this kid was a fan, but god...the odds of that…
“Mister Oliver?”
Tommy looked up to see a woman with dark blue hair, who had to be at least in her 40s. “Ummm...I don’t think we’ve been introduced…”
“Yes, well...I’m the Vice Principal. When is your next class?”
Tommy looked at the clock on the wall. 10:30. “Not for another half hour. Do I need to go somewhere before then? My schedule says…”
The woman interrupted him “Yes, well your schedule hasn’t been updated with the new school activities. We didn’t have time to get yours up to date with the rest of the staff on such short notice. Please...walk with me.”
Tommy nodded, getting up and walking with the older woman into the hall, students passing them as they went. “I assume you’re Luna then?”
“Yes. I am Vice Principal Luna. Why do you ask?” Luna gave Tommy a disapproving glance, as if she already disliked what he was about to say, before he could say it. Reminded him of Reefside.
“It’s just...one of my new students. I had a couple questions about them.”
Luna frowned “Was it Snips or Snails?”
Tommy tilted his head to the side. He hadn’t heard those names before, but he felt like he was going to have to get used to them. “No...Rainbow Dash. She seemed to recognize me.”
Luna’s frown only grew “Yes, well Rainbow has a tendency to be a bit delusional. She wants to be a Power Ranger when she grows up.”
Tommy frowned. While being a Ranger was great, it had a lot of risks Tommy wouldn’t wish on anyone if they had the choice. “Right. Should I be worried?”
“As long as she gets her school work done, there shouldn’t be a problem. Although...keep an eye on her friends. After the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands, those 6 need to be kept on watch.” Luna said, obviously trying to keep her stern composure in light of what happened only a few weeks ago.
Tommy crossed his arms, having no idea about what had happened. “What happened at the Fall Formal?”
Luna gave Tommy a disapproving look “I will have to brief you on that later...I have a meeting to get to…”
Luna left Tommy, walking into a dark room, and shutting the down with an audible slam. She seemed wound a little tight. Still….he needed to find out what happened at this “Fall Formal” and “Battle of the Bands”...
Ducking into a supply closet, Tommy pulled out his old communicator. He always kept it on him, but the thing definitely had some years on it. The old strap was practically shredded and while the electronics in the thing still worked, it was in dire need of a tune up when Tommy got the chance.
Clicking the button on the thing, Tommy heard Billy on the other side
“What do ya need Tommy? I’m in the middle of cross referencing the tech between the Lightspeed and-”
“I need you to look up info on the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands. Both would have happened this year.”
Tommy could almost hear Billy frown through the communicator as he heard the sounds of Billy’s chair swiveling, the distinct sounds of a keyboard coming through as well “”Right...hmm...OH! That’s when both the spikes in energy happened. First one I got visual data on and...hmmm….I see 6 girls, and a demon...Sound familiar?”
Tommy frowned. A New Ranger team? Could...those girls be the new team? It couldn’t be… “What do the girls look like?”
“Uhhhh….Well we got a blonde in a cowboy hat, long pink haired one, Big poofy pink haired….one has Rainbow Haired...gosh, and I thought you had crazy hair back in the day”
Tommy couldn’t help but smirk at this. “Hey it was in style...wait...Rainbow haired…Rainbow Dash!”
Without warning, Tommy ended the call, leaving Billy to roll his eyes as he got back to work. Tommy rushing back into the hall. He needed to find those girls.
Unfortunately...the bell rang. He was late for his next class…
Rainbow sat at lunch, Pinkie, Sunset and AJ sitting with her.
“I’m telling you guys! That’s Tommy Oliver! The Green Ranger!” Dash exclaimed, on the verge of angry at this point. She knew it was THE Tommy Oliver. There was no doubt in her mind.
Sunset groaned “Alright...I’ll humor you Dash. Let’s say he is. What does that change?”
Dash frowned. She hadn’t really thought of that yet… Tommy was a scientist, and a teacher. She knew this. She had followed Tommy’s career ever since she was a kid. But...it could mean things. I mean, with what happened at the Fall Formal…”He could be here to check out the school! I mean, with all the crazy stuff that’s happened in the last year, The Sirens, the Fall-”
Sunset glared at Dash. She knew that was a sore spot for Sunset…
“Right, Right...still. Him showing up all of a sudden can’t be a coincidence. He’s the greatest Ranger of all time. He’s gotta be here for a reason!”
Sunset sighed. While it was all a load of nonsense...Dash did raise a point. If these Power Rangers were real, the events of the Fall Formal and Battle of the Bands would definitely raise some eyebrows from such an organization. She hadn’t ever considered that their actions would gain any attention outside of the school, but goes to show what she knew. AJ raised an eyebrow at Dash “Greatest Ranger of all time eh? He’s that good?”
Dash smiled, eager for the change to finally let her fangirl out “Oh yeah! Okay, so it all started when Rita-”
Rarity stood outside in the school courtyard, poised in one of the many stances her cousin Lily had taught her. Rarity had made a habit of skipping out on lunch to practice her martial arts, as in her own words, “it brought serenity to her chaotic mind.” Or...in laymen’s terms, It calmed her immensely. Rarity always did have a bit of a maelstrom of a mind, and finding time to practice her martial arts was something she found immense pleasure in.
Fluttershy smiled as she watched her friend practice. She always found joy in helping her friends in whatever way she could, and watching Rarity was always one of those ways she was happy to do.
“Fluttershy, you can go eat if you would like. I just ask you to be here because I appreciate your company…” Rarity spoke, performing a high kick, letting out a “KIYAH!” for emphasis
Fluttershy spoke in a calm, kind voice “Oh don’t worry Rarity, I brought my own lunch. I enjoy being here to cheer you on.”
Rarity smiled softly at this, performing a series of punches before pulling off a roundhouse kick, spinning around to face Fluttershy “Yes well...Thank you Darling. You’re such a kind soul.”
It was at this someone from across the street yelled in terror. The two girls looked to see where it came from, only to see the sight of what looked like a group of 5 humanoid creatures approaching the school, people running in fear from the monsters.
Fluttershy, without thinking, got up and ran towards the screaming people, running towards a person who seemed to be trapped in their car as the monsters approached. Rarity was aghast at this. She always knew Fluttershy was a selfless soul, but those things could hurt, or even kill her for all she knew! She needed to do something, call someone, get…
No. Rarity needed to defend her friend. There wasn’t any time to get help.
Running at the monsters, Rarity leaped into the air, hitting one of them with a flying kick “KIYAH!” She let out, letting her yell pump her full of adrenaline as she landed back on her feet. This was the first time she had ever had to use her Kung Fu training against anyone other than the air…
Fluttershy struggled against the jammed door. She saw the fear of the woman inside. This is what drove her. After her parents lost everything in the Invasion of Earth in 1999…
She scanned the area around her. The other side of the car was blocked by these monsters, who seemed to be some sort of humanoid reptile creatures, almost resembling a dragon in that way. She needed a way to break open the window. It was then she spotted it. A metal garbage can lid. She could use that to break open the car window…
Tommy took a deep breath, using this moment to break as the students worked on a introductory project as a chance to walk to the window and get some fresh air in. Tommy was much more at home fighting monsters than teaching kids, and it showed. He needed some time away every once and awhile.
Looking out the window he spotted...Monsters?! Tommy had to do a double take as he saw two of the girls from his earlier class fighting off what he could only assume were a new set of goons. While Rarity seemed to be holding her own at the moment, Fluttershy was not prepared in the slightest to fight off those things...he needed to help them.
Looking around the class, he winced. Skipping out of a class the first day would look bad, but kids dying on his first day would look worse.
Walking to the front of the class, Tommy spoke in a clear voice. “Alright kids, I need to take a ten minute break to deal with a family emergency. Each of you find a partner and look over pages 10 through 15 until I get back!”
Tommy then stepped out, swiftly running down the halls and past Vice Principal Luna, who he only yelled “FAMILY EMERGENCY! BE BACK IN FIVE!” as he ran straight past, the 40 year old woman only looking at him with a scowl. He could tell they were gonna have a rocky relationship.
Rushing outside, he shivered a little at the cold. What were these two even doing out here?! Tommy shook his head. Questions for later.
Dipping behind a wall, Tommy pulled out the key to his Dino Thunder Morpher.
Note to self: Always bring your Morpher to class. You never know when your students are going to be attacked by random minions.
With a shout, Tommy activated his morpher. “DINO THUNDER! POWER UP!” And in a flash of light, Tommy was now Dino Thunder BrachioRanger.
Jumping into battle, Tommy immediately slashed one of the goons with his Brachiostaff, Fluttershy letting out an eep as sparks flew over her, ducking behind the car door she had been trying to break open as Tommy did a spin over the car, kicking the monster on the other side in the face. Tommy could easily make quick work of the minions, but his first priority was protecting the girls.
Tommy ducked as one of the monsters took a swing at him, only to see Rarity perform a flawless jumping roundhouse at the monster, knocking it on it’s ass as Tommy spun around and slashed at it with his staff, the monster seeming to evaporate into a fog before dissipating into nothing.
Fluttershy rushing to the metal lid she had seen, she grabbed it only to be attacked by one of the monsters, who launched an energy blast at her. Holding the lid up to her face, it seemed to absorb the blast, only knocking Fluttershy down, before Tommy flew in with a flying kick, letting out a “SIC-KIYAH!” as he did, the monster disappearing like the two previous ones, leaving two left.
Fluttershy, still holding the lid, rushed back to the car, cocking back her left arm, lid firmly held in hand, and punching the car window as hard as she could, the lid smashing through the window as Fluttershy reached into the car with her other arm, grabbing the handle and pulling on it as hard as she could, finally unjamming it and allowing the woman inside to escape.
Rarity watched as the Ranger in front of her went on. He moved with such grace, such fluid motion. Never before had she seen such a proficient fighter.
Tommy all the while, was in the zone. This was practically his bread and butter by this point, taking care of goons, fighting monsters, driving zords...he was a Ranger to the core.
Using one of the monsters to kick off of, Tommy did a backflip, spiralling midair to throw his staff at the final goon, it causing the goon to dissipate and leaving him alone with the two girls. While he wanted answers...he didn’t have time for that. He heard the sounds of Rarity clapping, her speaking up.
“Thank you mister Ranger sir! Without you I don’t think I could have taken these monsters out on my own…”
Tommy chuckled, audibly lowering his voice to respond. “Yeah, well once a Ranger, always a Ranger. Glad to help, but I need to be off. I’m sure there are more of these things around.”
Before the girls could respond, Tommy ran off behind the same wall he had originally morphed behind, demorphing and rushing back to his class.
Rarity blinked at this. Trying to comprehend what had just happened. She had just met a Power Ranger…
Fluttershy spoke up, clearly also a little shell shocked from all this “Did...you get a picture of him?”
Rarity internally kicked herself at that thought. “No sweetie...I did not….”
As soon as Tommy got back to class, he looked to see that the students were already packing up. Great first impression eh Tommy? Ugh...this was going to be an interesting school year.
The bell rang as he gathered up his papers, Tommy letting out a sigh. He needed to find those girls. Rainbow knowing his identity? Monsters attacking Fluttershy and Rarity? Strange spikes in the Morphing Grid? No, this couldn’t all be just a coincidence, and he needed answers.
Just as he was about to leave, Vice Principal Luna stepped through his door. Oh joy, we’re doing this now…
“Doctor Oliver...care to explain your sudden absence from your classroom during the last period?”
Tommy sighed “JJ got the flu, and I needed to confirm my credit card number with Kat. That’s all. Sorry I didn’t give you any more notice. It kinda happened all at once.”
Luna squinted at the now 38 year old man. It was pretty clear she didn’t want to believe him, but she had no reason to doubt him either… “I see...Well make sure to get back to your class sooner next time. Luckily for you, this was your last class for the day...you may do as you wish for the next hour before the school day ends.” Luna spoke her next words with a firm tone. “I’d suggest you familiarize yourself with your coursework Mr. Oliver”
Tommy winced. Again, this was going to be an interesting school year.
Rainbow tapped her foot, watching the clock as the final minutes of the school day went by at a crawl. She wanted to get home to put down her findings. Her teacher was Tommy Oliver! THE Tommy Oliver! She needed to cross reference all her material, look into forum posts, discuss stories with her fellow fans…
At that thought, the bell rang. Dash zoomed out of her chair, grabbing her bag and books all in one motion as her english teacher yelled at her to wait. She didn’t seem to notice. This was bigger than some dumb english homework. This was the Power Ranger-
Rainbow was stopped by the sight of Tommy standing in front of her on the outside of the English classroom door.
“Rainbow Dash...we need to talk…”
The six girls sat in their AP science room, Tommy pacing in front of his desk
“Ummmm...why are we all here again?” Pinkie asked, raising her hand like she was still in class.
Tommy stopped, turning to the girls “Right...so...My name is Tommy Oliver.” Tommy then pulled out his teacher’s bag, emptying it to reveal five very unique devices, all very familiar to Rainbow Dash. “I’m a Power Ranger. Some would argue I’m THE Power Ranger…”
Sunset’s eyes went wide. Was it all true?! Giant robots, monsters from outer space, Pizza Monsters?! It couldn’t be. “You said those were replicas…”
Tommy frowned at the flame haired girl “If only they were. Then I’d have a normal life. Unfortunately, they aren’t. Sunset Shimmer was it? I heard you turned into a demon recently. Care to explain that?”
Sunset frowned “It’s a long story…”
“I have time. Girls...explain…” Tommy said, sitting down at his desk and looking the girls dead on.
Tommy blinked in amazement at the girls. While this wasn’t the weirdest thing to ever happen to him...it was definitely up there.
“Right...so you’re a horse from another dimension?” Tommy asked Sunset
“Yup.”
“And you tried to steal a magic crown from a princess of that dimension?”
“I did steal it.” Sunset said, a hint of pride coming through.
“Right...then you turned into a demon and mind controlled the entire school save for these five girls in a plot to take over your original dimension?”
Sunset nodded “That’s right…”
Tommy blinked “That doesn’t sound like a very solid plan. I mean...I’ve heard worse...but still, what were you planning to do with a bunch of teenagers?”
Sunset blinked, only now realizing how stupid of a plan she had made…
The other girls chuckled a little, Tommy calling them out next “Right...and you girls just...forgave her?”
AJ spoke up first “It seemed like the right thing to do. Ah mean, Princess Twilight told us that forgiveness was the first step to helping someone get better.”
Tommy frowned. There were a lot more steps that should be before that. Then again…
The Former Green Ranger looked to the girl in the leather jacket. In a lot of ways, she reminded him of a Younger Tommy Oliver. Someone who was corrupted by the promise of power and had it come back to bite them. Tommy smiled at her. “Right...I know that feeling. In any case...it seems your school has become the target of some sort of evil. The monsters that attacked Rarity and Fluttershy are proof of that. And while I’d love to deal with them myself...I’m just too old to do this on my own anymore. So I’m about to make you a proposition-”
Dash, without thinking, blurted out “YES! I WANNA BE A RANGER!”
Tommy sighed. He knew this would be tough. “Dash, settle down. Look, If you guys really wanna become Rangers, you have to learn what it takes first. Come by my house at 287 Canterlot Corner tomorrow morning and we’ll talk. Alright?”
The girls nodded, save for Sunset who seemed quiet after the talk about the Fall Formal.
Tommy looked to the dour girl, walking up to her desk as the others went to leave and kneeled down to her “Hey...I get it. You don’t fit in with the others yet...just, come on by tomorrow and we’ll talk. I’m sure my wife could probably teach ya something…”
Sunset nodded, slowly getting up and walking out, glancing at the science teacher before smiling at walking to her locker.
Tommy sat on his new porch on the Saturday morning. While the sudden move to this new city did cause a little bit of stress, he did have a lot of friends who were willing to help move, and when you have teleportation tech lying around, moving isn’t all that hard.
He heard the sound of a yawn as Kat joined him, her very noticeable australian accent coming through “Why are you up so early honey?” Kat said, stretching as she sat down with her husband
“I’m meeting with the new team.”
Kat frowned at this. “Thomas…”
Tommy rolled his eyes. Kat had hoped to settle down and move away from Ranger Duty by now. But like he said, ‘Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger.’
“There’s a lot more to it than that Kat. These girls need to be Rangers. Seems like they’re gonna be dealing with monsters anyways, and from what I’ve seen, they have a tendency to get themselves into trouble, so teaching them some discipline would do them some good.”
Kat crossed her arms, obviously disapproving of this plan, but not disagreeing with it either. This wasn’t either of their first rodeos. They both knew what it took to be a Ranger, and from what Tommy had told her the night before, these girls certainly had what it took.
It was then a beat up 1977 Lincoln Continental pulled up to their house, the girls all climbing out. Tommy looked to his wife, who seemed to scan the girls up and down, as if to determine their Ranger status then and there. In her older age, Kat had grown judgemental of each of the new teams that went by, especially with all the exposure she got as his wife.
Tommy got up from his chair, walking to greet the girls “Up early I see.”
Rarity rubbed her eyes “Yes, well Rainbow Dash wouldn’t stop calling us all night. She was practically yelling over the group call.”
“Look, I’m just excited alright!” Dash spoke defensively, her face in a pout that almost made Tommy crack a smile. He could tell she was just happy to meet her idol.
AJ shrugged “Ah just muted y’all and went to bed. I wake up at the crack of dawn anyways.”
Pinkie, who didn’t seem any different from yesterday, happily answered “I’m more interested in what cool stuff you got I can mess around with! So many cool gadgets to play with as a Ranger!”
Tommy finally broke a smile at that. Ah, to be a new Ranger again… “We’ll get to that later. First...you all need to learn what it means to be a Power Ranger.”
The six sat in Tommy’s living room, sipping tea that Kat had made. The house was roomy, if not a little empty due to everything being packed up. Boxes were still lain about the house willy nilly, most of them marked “Tommy’s stuff” as if to indicate that something was in there that Tommy didn’t want you to know about. Which in Tommy’s case..would probably be a lot of it.
“So...what first Mister Oliver sir?” Pinkie asked with a chipper grin, obviously excited to start
Tommy gave the girls a serious look. “Right, well you don’t need the complete history, but as I’m sure Rainbow Dash is aware, the Power Rangers have been around for a long time. Even before the Mighty Morphin days, there’s always been a Power Ranger team to stop the forces of evil...but that’s the thing. There’s always a new evil around the corner. And these guys are trying to kill you. Being a Ranger is not a walk in the park. It’s a dangerous duty that only those who are brave enough can commit to. Sometimes it’s thrust upon a team, sometimes they choose, but when you take up the responsibility of being a Power Ranger...you need to accept the risks. And that’s why you’re all here today. You all have the choice. You can become Rangers, and protect the world from whatever evil threatens your high school...or you can walk away. Forget I’m a Power Ranger, and live a normal life. But you have to decide that as a team. Being a Power Ranger isn’t a solo business. You need a team behind you or else it doesn’t work. So...girls...as a team...do you wanna be Rangers?”
It was clear Dash had already made up her mind long before this, but the others weren’t so certain.
Sunset was the first to speak up, Tommy smiling as he could tell she had a leader inside her “Well, It is an interesting offer. I mean...Super Powers, Giant Robots-”
Pinkie added “Technically they’re closer to Mecha. Mecha Zords, you know?”
Sunset rolled her eyes “Yes, Mecha Zords, Weapons, suits...it’s all very interesting...but I’m not sure all of us are on board..what happens if we win? Do we just...go home? Will our families be in danger?”
Tommy shook his head at this “As long as you keep your Ranger identities a secret, none of your families should be in jeopardy. And if they do end up on the line, I’d be willing to lay my life on the line to help save them. Like I said, it’s a risky business…”
AJ frowned at this. “Ah trained my whole life to protect mah family. Already lost Ma and Pa to a barn fire. Ah ain’t losing Mac or Bloom to some monster.”
Tommy nodded “And you won’t...but that’s the catch 22 of all this. If you walk away, you get a free life...but god knows what demon or alien invasion happens next. The Power Rangers aren’t always successful you know. We win most of the time, but some of the times...the bad guys win. We’re here to stop that.”
AJ pouted at this. She didn’t like the idea of putting her life on the line like this, but if it protected her family, it was better than just standing by and letting some horde of demons take them out. “Ya don’t leave us with a lot of options Mister.”
Tommy sighed. Sadly, she was right. “Right...Anyone else opposed?”
Fluttershy spoke up, in her signature gentle tone “Will we get to help people?”
Tommy tilted his head a little at this. “Yes that’s….kinda the idea.”
Fluttershy smiled “Then I’m in.”
Rarity spoke up next “Well, I do like the look of the suits. I’m sure they give you a bit of helmet hair, but I could get used to it…”
Tommy couldn’t help but laugh on the inside at this. Rarity in a lot of ways reminded him of him old friend Kimberly. “Yeah, the helmet hair is another risk, but fortunately, there is a solution. Lots of gel.”
Kat couldn’t help but laugh at that from the kitchen.
Tommy looked to Sunset. She seemed apprehensive. “Sunset?”
“It’s just...a lot. I mean...a lot….” Sunset said, trying to form a sentence to describe her feelings on the matter.
Tommy nodded “Trust me, it’s a lot for all of us. Most teams don’t believe it when they first get their powers.”
“So like….if we chose now….is that it? Are we just...stuck doing this the rest of our lives?”
Tommy let out a sigh at this. While he himself always thought this was his life...he understood a lesson Zordon taught him years ago. “No...if you so choose, you can always walk away from this. Being a Power Ranger isn’t a job. It’s a choice and one no one can force onto you. I would never make any of you be, or stay Rangers if you didn’t want to anymore. Just remember that once you become a Ranger, the Power will always be there to protect you.”
Sunset sat for a second, the girls all looking at her intently as she made her decision “Right...let’s do it then. Let’s become Rangers…”
Dash let out a “YES!” as she leaped out of her seat, before sitting back down and blushing profusely, obviously over the moon at this decision.
“Right...now, the fun part. Follow me, we need to go visit a friend.” Tommy said with a smile.
Tommy drove the girls into the city using his family minivan. While it did make him feel a little older than he would like, having a lot of space to lug around his equipment and have room for the wife and kid was certainly nice. Still, he did long for the days of Red Lightning.
The girls seemed to marvel at the skyscrapers of Canterlot City. Not often did any of them get to see the downtown area, and the sight of the spires shooting into the sky was always a sight to behold.
Tommy only frowned at this. He knew in a few short hours, these girls would be towering above all of this. He also spotted a sight that gave him pause. Promethea INC. Home of the former Red Ranger of the 1986 Mighty Morphin team, Grace Sterling. Tommy had never been a fan of hers.
Driving up to a beat up apartment complex under the shadow of the pillars of the city, Tommy stopped and parked, looking to the girls, “Alright gang...we’re here.”
Pinkie tilted her head completely to the left. Who could live in such a beat up apartment? “Uhhhh...are you sure? This place doesn’t seem like somewhere one of your friends would live…”
Tommy let out a chuckle. Billy always did seem to want to fly under the radar. This wasn’t the worst place he’d seen Billy set up shop at “Nope, this is the place alright. My buddy likes to keep to himself with his research.”
Pinkie seemed to give a half hearted nod. She had obviously built up a few preconceptions on what being a Ranger was going to be like. Unfortunately, it’s not always glamorous.
Walking into the alley on the side of the apartment, Tommy walked up to one of the garage doors, lifting it and having to hold back a laugh at the sight of an old Volkswagen Bug sitting in the garage. It didn’t surprised Tommy that Billy still kept this old thing around.
“Mister Oliver...are you SURE this is the place? It seems a little...run down, as it were.” Rarity spoke up, a little concerned as she jumped at the sight of a cockroach skittering across the garage floor.
Tommy smirked, nodding at the fashionista. “This is definitely the place...now...where’s that access panel?”
Tommy walked over to a far wall in the garage, searching for something as a beam of light quickly ran over his body
“Identity Confirmed. Tommy Oliver. Green Ranger.”
The old voice of Alpha Five gave Tommy a smile. Billy loved that old bot. He also couldn’t help but be amused by the fact that Alpha still recognizes him as the Green Ranger...that was a whole lifetime ago.
As soon as the scan was complete, the wall shifted, pulling away to reveal a brightly lit hall filled with a network of wires and lights. The girls looked in, standing in awe as Tommy led them down the hall. The sounds of electricity and mechanical gadgetry echoing through the hall.
Sunset seemed a little freaked out by all this. I mean, her new teacher, in the span of a day had revealed the existence of Monsters, Giant Robots, Superheroes….it was a lot to take in. And now she’s supposed to take up these new powers and become a Ranger herself?
She didn’t know how to process all this. After everything, The Battle of the Bands, the Fall Formal, her days as the bully of CHS….Celestia…
Sunset shook her head, She still hadn’t decided in her head if she had forgiven herself for all that. Sure, the school seemed on good terms with her, but herself? It was still a rocky path of redemption. Then again...being a Superhero was a great way to prove that she was good in the most literal way…
“Mister Oliver-”
Tommy interrupted the leather coated girl. “Just call me Tommy. Now that you girls are Rangers, We’re on equal footing.”
Sunset nodded. “Right...umm...Tommy...You said before you understood how I felt about the Fall Formal...how?”
Tommy stopped, the girls looking at him with a sense of intrigue. Dash seemed to be almost excited to hear this story from the man himself. “Right….guess I should tell you girls that story. Well...when I became the Green Ranger, it wasn’t because I chose to be a hero. It wasn’t my choice at all. Rita Repulsa, the Space Witch that fought the Mighty Morphin Rangers, had kidnapped me when I first moved to Angel Grove.”
Fluttershy spoke up, asking a question that made Tommy tilt his head a bit “Angel Grove? Isn’t that two towns over?”
Tommy made a mental note to check a map when it got a chance. Having Angel Grove be so close could come in handy. “Yes. In any case, Rita kidnapped me and gave me the Green Power Coin, brainwashing me in the quest to destroy the Power Rangers. I nearly did. If Jason hadn’t destroyed the Sword of Darkness, I probably would have destroyed them all.”
Sunset blinked at this. While it wasn’t exactly spot on what she did, it was very reminiscent of what happened at the Fall Formal. She smiled at this. Finally someone to confide in her mistakes. “What happened next? Did you get the White Ranger Powers then?”
Tommy shook his head. “No. I stayed as the Green Ranger. I became the sixth member of the Mighty Morphin team. They welcomed me with open arms. I hope you girls are doing the same with Sunset here.”
Tommy looked to Sunset with a smile, Sunset giving a small smile back. She was more than happy to see someone sticking up for her.
The group reached the end of the hallway, and exited into what looked like a scientist/engineer’s wonderland. Bundles of wiring, machinery, and mechanical parts littered the half dozen workbenches scattered around the room, with the wall opposite the entrance taken up by an impressive array of monitors. Said monitors were showing different portions of Canterlot, including the front of CHS, while others were running through algorithms of things that went completely over the Rainbooms’ heads. A swivel chair with its back to the entrance was seated in front of the monitors. Tommy let out a whistle “You’ve really settled in, haven’t you Billy?”
“I figured that if there was going to be a new Ranger team, they’d appreciate having a command base that wouldn’t be easy to find.” Billy said as he swiveled the chair to face them. “I actually bought the entire building, for privacy, and figured I might as well use the upper floors for something productive. In addition to this workshop and the living quarters on the above floor, I converted the third floor to a basic infirmary, and the fourth floor to a training holodeck.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms “What do y’all mean, ‘command base’?” Billy’s face lit up upon hearing Applejack’s question, obviously eager to answer. Said eagerness left when Tommy answered instead
“Every Ranger team has a base of operations that plays an important role in their fight against whatever evil of the week has popped up. Aside from being a place to meet up away from prying eyes, a base, and more specifically the support personnel that maintain it, is the source of the Ranger team’s technology and weapons, in addition to providing a secure channel to communicate with each other. Hope you girls memorized the address, you’ll be coming here a lot as Rangers.”
Applejack appeared satisfied by that answer, as her eyebrow returned to its normal position, and she started looking over some of the stuff on the benches. Both Tommy and Billy were startled by the energy with which Pinkie was already flitting between the benches, picking up and examining various bits and bobs, but what really caught their attention was that she was looking at it all with a critical eye, as if she already had a decent amount of experience in engineering. Rarity also noticed Pinkie’s actions, and thinking it was just Pinkie being her normal, hyperactive self, promptly tried to pull her away “Pinkie, darling, maybe it would be best if you stopped playing with all of Billy’s equipment. It was no doubt expensive to acquire, and I don’t think he would appreciate it breaking because of your...enthusiasm.” Pinkie surprised Rarity by disappearing from her grasp and appearing next to one of the tables closest to the entrance.
“What kind of car engine are you trying to make, Billy? From all the parts here, it looks like you want it to run on electricity, but the block itself is obviously fueled by gasoline.” All eyebrows in the room, except Pinkie’s, raised in surprise upon hearing this. After not getting an answer, Pinkie turned around, and upon seeing the dropped jaws of her friends, gave out a confused “What? What did I say?”
Applejack recovered first, and decided to ask the question on everyone’s mind “Sugarcube, how did y’all figure that Billy was makin’ a car engine? Let alone how ya knew the difference between the electric and gasoline stuff?” Pinkie rolled her eyes, but her trademark smile never left her face.
“My parents run an automobile repair shop in town. I grew up helping them out with the orders. All my sisters did. Limey decided she was going to be a full time mechanic because of it.”
Fluttershy spoke up next “I thought you worked part-time at the Sugarcube Cafe?” She immediately hid her face behind her hair “If you don’t mind me asking...I mean.”
Pinkie’s smile seemed to grow wider, if possible. “No worries Flutters! And yeah, the Cafe is my preferred place to work, but Mom and Dad still call on me to help from time to time. Mostly with the big orders or the ones with fast deadlines. I do save a portion of the money I make from the Cakes in order to work on my secret project. Beat-up old race car I found outside Angel Grove Raceway while visiting Uncle Ernie one time. Real beauty, with a nice red paint job.”
As Pinkie kept answering questions from her friends, most of them wondering what other secret hobbies she had, Tommy and Billy exchanged a glance. Both of them could tell that this group of Rangers was going to be one of the more interesting teams.
Dash watched as the other girls looked around their new command center, inquiring about their new base of operations. She could tell the others were skeptical about all this...while she on the other hand, could only just contain her excitement. She was going to become a Ranger. A Power Ranger. Part of a legacy of heroes who had defended the earth time and time again. She had practically trained her entire life for this. Going in and out of different martial arts dojos, as well as her own self training. She always knew she had what it took to be a-
“Dash I presume? You okay there?” Billy spoke up, interrupting her train of thought.
“Huh? Oh ummm..yeah. I am...I’m just...excited.” Dash said, grabbing the back of her head, blushing just a bit.
Billy chuckled at this. Reading over her profile, he could tell Dash was going to be an interesting choice for a Ranger. “Hey, I’m sure you’ll do great. Only reason I got chosen as a Ranger was my technical knowledge. I couldn’t even fight off a single putty without morphing when I started.”
Dash smiled. Out of the all the original Mighty Morphin Rangers, Billy had always been the most humble of the group. He had seen both sides of the coin, both as Ranger, and as Technical advisor. “Yeah, I know. Been following you guys for years. Is it true you designed the Turbo Powers?”
Billy had a laugh at that. “Yes, yes. You know, Tommy hated those things for the longest time.”
Tommy frowned at this “I didn’t hate them...just felt like an odd jump from magical space crystal powers to...cars…”
“You were just happy you got the sports car.” Billy said with a smirk.
“You’re darn right. Red Lightning was AWESOME!”
Dash grinned at this. Seeing the two former Rangers banter right in front of her...it was like a dream come true.
Billy stood up from his chair “In any case...You girls wanna be Power Rangers right?”
Dash, as well as the other girls, looked to Billy with mixed reactions, some excited, others nervous. This was the big moment.
“Right...I’m gonna need you all to stand in line. With your...magic, I need to hone in on the frequency of your unique energy signatures.”
Both Rarity and AJ blinked at this, while Dash and Sunset seemed to follow without question. Fluttershy and Pinkie followed suit, eventually the girls lining up next to each other in front of the two former Rangers.
Billy grabbed what could only be described as looking somewhat like a TSA wand, waving it up and down across the girls with no real regard for personal space “Fascinating! Your magic seems to have an almost identical signature to the frequency of the Morphing Grid...I mean, I had the hypothesis that they were similar in nature, but this is conclusive proof! Your...Ummm…” Billy looked to Sunset, as if waiting for an answer
Sunset blinked awkwardly at the genius “Ummm...Equestrian magic?”
“Yes! That! Your Equestrian Magic is basically just weaponized raw Morphing Grid Energy!” Billy spoke with vigor. Tommy had never seen him this excited before. He couldn’t help but be amused by his old friend waving a wand up and down a pair of teenage girls. In any other situation, he’d have to call the cops on Billy.
“Right...so…” Billy ran over to his computer, sitting down and typing away, Sunset walking over to him and looking over his work “Wait...that over there looks like Celestial Magic…”
Billy nodded “That’s the Mystic Force team. Probably the closest thing I have to cross reference when it comes to what I’m planning for your powers. Just gotta...double check the frequency with that of the Zeo Rangers...and...Viola!”
The girls walked over to see a wavelength go across Billy’s main monitor. While Sunset smiled at this, the others were left confused.
“I don’t get it…” Pinkie spoke up, tilting her head.
Sunset chuckled “Girls...this is the wavelength of the Elements of Harmony. Recreated to allow us to…” Sunset looked to Billy, waiting for an answer.
“It will allow you to harness it to morph. I’ll need to construct proper morphers, but this will be one hell of a power source. Practically harnessing raw energy from the Morphing Grid! Even the Zeo powers couldn’t achieve that!” Billy spoke, a grin on his face
Dash couldn’t help but grin along with the genius. Not only would she become a Ranger, but she’d become one of the most POWERFUL Rangers. All her fanfic dreams come true…
Rarity frowned at the genius “How long will these ‘morphers’ take to construct?”
Billy thought to himself, looking to the fashionista “Well, given I already have the signature fixed down, I could probably whip them up over night...you girls don’t mind staying the night do you?”
Applejack looked ready to object, but an exuberant Pinkie drowned out whatever she was going to say “RANGER SLEEPOVER!!!”
After the girls made some calls to their parents/guardians about being at a sleepover at Sunset’s house, Billy asked Sunset and Pinkie if they wouldn’t mind helping him design the morphers, to which they both agreed. Soon the area near the monitors was filled with what Rainbow Dash would generously call “egghead talk”.
Pinkie looked to Billy, smiling “So...where do we start?”
Billy took a moment to think “Well, with the magic base of your powers, might be good to start with the Zeonizer design. Lemme pull it up.”
Billy took a moment to pull up the blueprints on his monitors, Sunset perking up as she saw it for the first time “That’s...a perpetual energy generator! Those are supposed to be only theoretical!” Sunset exclaimed, her eyes widening as she examined the blueprints further “And it gains strength the longer that it exists?! What even is this thing?!”
Billy smiled “The Zeo Crystal. An artifact from Triforia. A world off on the outer rim of the Milky Way Galaxy.”
Sunset seemed a little dumbstruck at this. “But….but...you’d need light speed travel to get that far…”
Billy rolled his eyes “We had that back in the Mighty Morphin days.”The genius shuddered a bit as he recalled the first time they used it, “Helping the planet of Edenoi deal with Count Dregon was our first big use of it.”
Sunset had to take a minute to steady herself. Her whole world was being turned upside down.
Pinkie simply ignored most of this, as she seemed to be preoccupied inspecting the blueprints herself “You know, if you rerouted the auxiliary circuit on the far morpher, you could probably increase the power output immensely.”
Billy looked to the girl with confusion, before looking to the blueprints, his head tilting to the side “Huh….never thought of that. Then again, the Zeo Powers are incredibly out of date. God knows once the Mystic Force team came along all bets were off….actually, they’d be a good reference point as well.”
Billy pulled up the Mystic Force morpher as well, Sunset lighting up at the sight of them. “That’s Celestial Magic! I’d recognize that anywhere!”
Billy looked to the girl with blazing hair, curious of her knowledge “You seem to know a lot about magic.”
Sunset smiled at this “I was trained by Celestia in Celestial Magic! It’s my bread and butter!”
Billy thought for a moment, looking at the two morphers, before looking back to Sunset “So if you know so much about it...question: Could one possibly take the magic from your world-”
Sunset frowned “How do you know about Equestria?”
Billy tapped his head a few times “I do my research. I’ve dealt with wormholes and alternate dimensions before Miss Equestrian.”
Sunset blushed a little “Right….continue…”
“Anyways...could one possibly take your magic, crystallize it...and use it as a power source?”
Sunset thought for a moment. “It’s not completely out of the possibility...you’d need some crazy levels of precision to get the crystallization process right, and making sure you don’t overload whatever you’re using to do so would mean constant oversight of the process...but it is feasible.”
Pinkie looked at the two, completely in the dark on what they were talking about “Ummmm...wanna clue me in on what just happened?”
Sunset chuckled a little “We’re planning to essentially recreate the Crystal Heart. It’d need an external source of power to charge it though…”
Billy frowned at this “What kind of external source we talking here?”
Sunset sighed. Equestrian Magic was a bit...abstract. “Someone intangible. Equestrian Magic is powered by emotions. Abstract concepts that have no real way of measuring.”
Pinkie blinked “What about Friendship?”
Sunset, in turn, also blinked. “That...could work. I mean, Celestia did always say ‘The Magic of Friendship is the most powerful magic of all’....never thought it would be so literal in this sense…”
Billy frowned at this. Working with abstract concepts was always a pain in the ass. “Well, I’m going to assume that the conversion rate of Friendship to Magic is 1 to 1….which would mean…”
Sunset and Billy looked over the readings, both of their hair frazzled by this point “Right, so it’s not 2 to 1…”
“Neither is it half to 1...UGH!” Sunset let out, slamming her fist on the table. “This is impossible. How could-”
“GOT IT!” Pinkie yelled out, smiling at the two, holding what looked like a redesigned Zeonizer
Sunset and Billy stared at the poofy haired girl, dumbstruck “What?”
“I got it! I just cross referenced the output of magic when we transformed during the Fall Formal and compared it to that of the Mystic Force team when they morph...it wasn’t that hard. Also made this prototype!” Pinkie exclaimed, showing off the proto-morpher.
Billy inspected the device, turning it in his hands “Hmmm...not bad. I mean, the wiring is crude, and it needs that crystal power source….but this isn’t a bad start. Good job Pinkie!”
Pinkie smiled, as they all got back to work. It was going to be a long night.
The three looked over the blueprint, all smiling “This should work great.” Sunset added, confidently looking over their work “The Tri-magical relays should allow the power flow to self regulate and-”
Billy patted the girl on the shoulder. It was clear Sunset was a little over-excited to talk magic again for the first time in a long time.
Pinkie added in, clearly excited herself “And the dual circuits will allow the overflow of electricity necessary for Morphing!”
Billy nodded “Now we just need to create the crystals. I’m thinking we use rubies as a base. The crystalline structure of them would make for a good strong shape”
Sunset nodded “Let’s get to it then. You got the stuff set up?”
Billy smiled “Ready and waiting.”
By the time that the three had ironed out the theme and finished assembling the morphers, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon, and all three of them were looking at the finished products, tired yet triumphant grins on their faces.
“Well guys, it took the entire night, but I think we can say that losing those hours of sleep was worth it.” Pinkie said, right before letting out a yawn that rattled the windows.
Sunset chuckled at this, letting out a yawn of her own. “Can’t wait to see the look on Rainbow’s face when we unveil these babies. I’m kinda disappointed we weren’t able to start on the zords, though. From what Rainbow has told us, it sounds like the monsters going big is one of the constants of being a Ranger.”
“Oh, it definitely is a constant. Only times I can remember a monster not being enlarged was when the big bad didn’t feel they were worth the effort. Which is not often.” Billy said as he draped a sheet over the table the completed morphers were on. “And don’t worry about the zords, I’ll get to work on them later today, and you girls should have them by the end of the week at the latest. If one of you first monsters does end up going big, we can just have Tommy go BrachioRanger and drop it down a fissure.”
Sunset looked at Billy as if trying to figure out the daily crossword. “I can’t tell if you are joking about dropping it down a fissure or not.”
“Remind me to tell you girls about Goldenrod sometime.” Tommy contributed as he walked into the workshop, coffee in each hand. “Here you go Billy, just how you like it.” Tommy handed off one of the cups to Billy who accepted it with a silent “Thanks.” Applejack walked in shortly after Tommy, also carrying a cup of coffee in each hand.
“Mornin’ Sunset, Pinkie. Saw Tommy making coffee, and thought y’all would appreciate a cup or two.” Applejack handed off her cups to Sunset and Pinkie. Both took long swigs before responding to Applejack.
“Thanks, AJ. I pulled all-nighters back when I was the Princess’ student, but I don’t remember feeling as happy about doing so after those sessions. Also, are you sure giving Pinkie caffeine is safe?” Sunset asked with a nervous glance at Pinkie.
“Relax, Sunny! Jackie knows I only drink decaf with 11 sugars in it! Anything else makes me lethargic.” After drinking her coffee, Pinkie seemed back to her normal, hyperactive self. “Guess now we just wait for the others to wake up? Or should we go shake them awake?”
“Five bucks says Rarity is the last of them up.” Sunset joked with a grin.
AJ smirks “I say Dash. Took her till 2 AM to finally fall asleep, she’s gonna be out for a while”
Turns out that both Applejack and Sunset were wrong, as both Rainbow Dash and Rarity came down five minutes later, without Fluttershy. Pinkie just smiled while accepting that she was now 10 dollars richer.
Sunset and Applejack grumbled as they handed Pinkie the cash, Tommy being incredibly amused by this, even if he wouldn’t show it. Reminded him of his days back at Angel Grove.
“So are they ready?!” Dash asked, her eagerness to be a Ranger from yesterday having not waned in the slightest.
Sunset rolled her eyes “Simmer down Dash. We still need to wait for Fluttershy. We do this as a team remember?” Dash grumbled at this. She had waited her entire life to be a Power Ranger.
Tommy looked to the girl with rainbow locks. She reminded him a bit too much of Connor. Best to stamp out some of those traits while he had the chance. “Rainbow, you should know more than anyone here that being a Ranger is more than just about the power. It’s a group effort. No Megazord can be formed with just one member.”
Dash attempted to correct the veteran, but Tommy interrupted her “I’m the exception, and even then, the Tigerzord could still combine with other zords.”
Sunset looked a little confused by this, but decided not to interrupt the “man of a thousand powers” as she’s come to accept him as.
Dash looked down in shame. She couldn’t argue with her idol. Letting out a sigh, she nodded, accepting Tommy’s lesson.
The air was pierced with the sound of a yawn, a bed head ridden Fluttershy walking into the room, stretching as she spoke in her signature whisper “Morning girls…”
“Mornin’, Flutters. Now that we’re all here, can we PLEASE get to unveiling the morphers? I’m afraid if I wait any longer, I’ll die of anticipation!” Dash whined. This caused everyone in the room, including Fluttershy, to roll their eyes. Tommy just sighed, looked over to Billy, nodded, and started to head off to another part of the workshop, saying
“Yeah, we can start. Billy, if you would? I’m just going to check something….You did remember to store him carefully, right Billy?”
“Course I did, Tommy. I know how important he is to you. Should be in one of the keypad-locked safes, password should be 10-17-94.” With that, Tommy walked off and Billy turned back to the girls. “Alright, as you were no doubt aware, Sunset and Pinkie were helping me with designing the morphers, and so they already know what the finished product look like. But as for the rest of you, well…” Billy gripped the sheet over the table, a grin on his, Pinkie, and Sunset’s faces.
“May I present to you, the Harmonic Morphers!” Billy pulled the sheet away, revealing six devices, each having a silver design, a gold circular plate on the top part, that had what looked like a white ovular strip under the gold plate that shined as the girls looked at each of them, a different corresponding color shining off it as the girls took the morphers off the table. The girls looked over the morphers, inspecting them, Pinkie and Sunset looking over their work.
“So...how do they work?” Fluttershy asked, a little confused.
Billy chuckled “Well there is another piece to it. Sunset?”
Sunset smiled, walking over to another table off to the side, opening a drawer, pulling out six necklaces, each having a different colored crystal hanging from them “These are the Harmony Crystals. They are the source of our new powers.”
Rainbow Dash grinned at this, stopping her dramatic posing with her new morpher. Billy was starting to wonder how much energy this girl had in her.
Walking back into the room, Tommy smiled at the red head, walking up to her as he took the crystals from Sunset, nodding to her as she ran over to stand in preparation for what came next.
The veteran Ranger motioned each of the girls, lining them up standing each next to each other, Tommy looking over the girls with a little bit of pride. This was his new team of Rangers, for better or worse.
A hotheaded fan girl.
A determined, yet disciplined Fashionista
A faithful, yet cautious farmgirl.
A selfless, yet shy caretaker.
A spunky, but rather hyperactive mechanic.
And a nervous, yet seemingly potential filled girl from another dimension…
He could make this work. These girls could be Power Rangers.
Tommy stood tall in front of the girls, speaking in a clear, firm voice “Today marks the beginning of your career as Power Rangers. I do not ask you to take on this responsibility out of a duty, but out of a clear need to protect the earth. I ask you only follow three simple rules.”
Dash spoke up, reciting the rules Zordon had once told Tommy as a teenager “Never use your powers for personal gain. Never escalate a battle unless forced to. Always keep your identity a secret.”
Tommy nodded at this “Yes. And while I could leave it at that, I think you girls are owed an explanation on why we have these rules. The first is simple. These powers are not toys. They can lead to great harm to those you protect, and should only be used for the protection of the innocent. Should I find you use your powers for personal gain, or that you forget what being a Ranger means, I can and will take your morphers away. The second is a little more complicated. As Dash knows, some of the weapons you use are extremely dangerous. Getting used to your Ranger powers isn’t something that’s going to happen over night, and even when you think you’ve mastered your powers, everyone is prone to make mistakes. Calling your zords to-”
Rarity interrupted the veteran, asking a simple question “Zords?”
Tommy smiled at this “Yes. Zords. We’ll get to that in a bit. Calling them could lead to mass destruction, and I don’t want you girls to be acting like this is some sort of game. Real people can get hurt because you decided using your giant laser was a quicker option.”
Applejack spoke up, a concerned look on her face “But don’t we wanna beat the monsters as quick as possible to minimize damage?”
Tommy shook his head. “You want to defeat the monster as efficiently as possible. Hero work is not just about beating up the bad guy fast. It’s about making sure the civilians get out safe, and reducing the cost of the battle. Taking down the baddie is a high priority, but protecting the people who the monster is trying to hurt is a higher one. You’re heroes, not warriors.”
The group all nodded solemnly. They knew this was going to be a tough task.
“As for the third rule, it’s pretty straightforward. Revealing you are the Power Rangers puts those who know in danger. Now, I’m not saying that you have to keep it a secret to everyone. Telling someone your identity in order to keep them safe is okay. But you must be careful. Act with caution, not ignorance. Telling a police officer you’re a Ranger to aid in a mission isn’t against the rules, but telling your classmates because you wantto look cool is. Understand?”
The six nodded, Tommy smiling at this. Hopefully these rules would stick.
“Right...now...It’s time.”
Dash grinned at this “Morphin time?!”
Billy let out an audible chuckle at this. He was going to have fun with Dash.
Tommy smirked at this “In a way, yes. Time for you girls to properly receive your powers.”
The five time Ranger walked over to Pinkie, who grinned like a madman at this “Pinkie Pie, the mechanic who helped design these powers...I dub you, the Harmony Pink Ranger.” Tommy then placed the necklace, a pink crystal hanging from it around her neck. Pinkie looked at her crystal, smiling at her work.
Walking over to Fluttershy, he smiled at the girl. She certainly stuck to her name, as she shook in her knee high boots “Fluttershy, the kind hearted caretaker. You showed your selflessness during that fight at the school...I dub you, the Harmony Yellow Ranger” He placed another necklace around her neck, a yellow crystal hanging from it, Fluttershy letting out a small “eep!” as he did.
Moving onto the cowgirl, who gave Tommy a nod of approval “Applejack. Your dedication to your family and friends proves you have what it takes to be a Ranger. With this power, I will give you the ability to protect them from any threat...I dub you, the Harmony Green Ranger.” Applejack looked at the necklace as Tommy placed it on her, the green crystal shining back at her as she smiled at it.
Tommy moved to face Rarity next, who gave the man a bow of respect. Tommy could tell she would make a good Ranger. “Rarity, your discipline and training have shown you have the skills to protect those the forces of evil seek to harm. May these powers aid you in your quest...I dub you, the Harmony Blue Ranger.” Rarity inspected the crystal as Tommy placed the necklace on her, commenting “Unique, yet simple. I could probably go for a change of outfit to match it though…”
Tommy walked over to the girl who could barely stand still, Rainbow Dash. She was going to be a piece of work for the Ranger of 20 years. “Rainbow Dash, while your knowledge of the Rangers may come as a strange fascination to some, it will come as a strength in your task as a Ranger yourself. You have shown the boldness, and yes, attitude, of a true Ranger. May the Power protect you, as I dub you, the Harmony Red Ranger.”
Dash could only just contain her excitement as Tommy placed the necklace with the red crystal around her neck. As soon as he did, Dash let out a “YES!” as she jumped into the air, before taking a fighting stance, doing her best to try and look as cool as she could with her Morpher and necklace. Tommy couldn’t help but be amused by this. For a fan...she was dedicated to actually being a Ranger, with all the pomp and circumstance that came with it.
Tommy then approached the final girl of the six. Sunset grinned, proud of her work, but Tommy could also tell how nervous she was. There was a lot about this girl that gave him flashbacks to his old days. Corrupted by power, given a second chance by a team of students with special powers, only to rise above, to become something greater.
Tommy smiled at Sunset, who gave a nervous smile back “Sunset Shimmer. A girl from another world, who was tempted by power. Given a chance at redemption and showed her school that she was more than just a bully. Even now, I can see you have so much potential, and thus, I gift you with the power of a Ranger to give you the chance to unlock that potential. Whether you do or not is up to you, but until the day you find your true strength, I dub you, The Harmony White Ranger.”
Tommy placed the necklace on Sunset’s neck, Sunset looking at it, a curious look of remorse coming over her as she stared at the necklace. Tommy decided not to ask, but only smiled at this. She was a Ranger now. She’d learn in time what that meant.
After a moment, Tommy heard Applejack speak up “So uhhhh...how do these things work?”
Billy stood up, sticking his left arm out in front of him “You go like this” he then pulled his arm all the way over his chest to the right, before thrusting it back left, stopping with his wrist directly over his heart “Then this, and all while saying ‘Rangers unite. Harmonize!’.”
The girls nodded, all following the motions, as loud call of “RANGERS UNITE! HARMONIZE!” ringing through the room, as each of their crystals shined bright, the golden mechanism on their morphers opening up to greet the crystal, a river of energy flowing into the device as the white strip on each of the morphers shined with a different color as an outpour of energy overtook each of the girls, a rainbow of color filling the room.
What followed was each of the girls seeing the same thing. A rainbow tunnel filling their vision as from the morpher, a suit began to envelop their bodies. First their left arm, then their torso, then their right arm and legs, and finally, a helmet formed around their heads. After it was over, the girls looked over themselves, the light fading as the room came back into view.
“Whoa…” Fluttershy let out as she looked over herself. Her suit was more light armor than anything, Yellow in color around the lower chest, stopping right in the middle of her ribs at what looked like a V-shaped triangle with the colors of a rainbow slicing the suit’s torso in half, everything above it being pure white. Her arms and legs seemed to share the color of her suit, a solid yellow, save for the boots and gloves, which seemed to be white, with a solid gold band circling around the wrist and ankles of the suit. Inspecting her helmet, she felt the sculpted shape of a wolf’s head, her smiling as she felt the distinct feeling of canine ears shooting out from her helmet.
Rarity felt her suit, being similar to the others, save for the bright blue coloring, the distinct shape of a sculpted serpent head, filling her with glee, as her helmet “Well I do say, I look absolutely ravishing…”
Applejack felt her helmet, her suit being bright green. She smiled as she felt the sculpted shape of a bear’s head form her mask “Ah did always like bears. Nice and cuddly. Strong too!”
Pinkie felt hers next, her suit being of course, bright pink. She felt, with a grin, the feeling of an alligator. And while the snout was obviously shortened, Pinkie didn’t seem to care “Wooo! Gator time!”
Dash felt hers as well. An eagle. Perfect. “I’m gonna SOAR!”
Sunset stopped at the shape of hers. A lion. She knew what it really was...a manticore. A creature of strength, power, and royalty. She had practically designed the suit herself. While the other suits matched each other in design, hers varied up the color scheme. The white above the ribs was replaced with black, and the cuff-links, which were gold on the other girls, were colored in the style of a rainbow on hers. She seemed to frown at all of it. Did she deserve the animal of Equestrian royalty? Something that her land used as a symbol of power for generations?
Only time would tell…
The girl looked over her papers. Her Serpentines’ first field test was a success despite being stopped by the Black Ranger. While she hadn’t accounted for the raised aggression…
She heard the bark of her dog below her. Twilight smiled. Spike had always been the one to bring her back down the earth when she got too involved in her work.
“Miss Sparkle…”
Twilight turned to her boss. She couldn’t help but wince at the sight. The now 48 year old woman looked as if she hadn’t slept in days, which knowing her boss’s recent behavior, was probably true. “Miss Sterling? The Serpentines’ test run went great! Granted, they were destroyed by the-”
“Destroyed? That doesn’t sound like a successful test…” The CEO spoke, her voice having an edge that Twilight could only tremble in fear at. She had heard that tone before, and it was never good.
“Yes, well, not by their own fault. It seems a black Power Ranger stopped them. Probably for the best, I seemed to have miscalulat-”
Grace once again interrupted her assistant again “A Ranger? Hmmm….Miss Sparkle, did you happen to get any footage of this battle?” Grace asked, the edge in her voice seeming to not subside.
Twilight scrambled to grab her makeshift universal remote. “Yes! I got everything on the surveillance drones!”
As Twilight pushed the button on her remote, Grace watched as a holographic screen came to life, showing the footage of the battle.
Grace glared at the sight. Tommy Oliver. Of course it was him. It was always him. That man haunted her efforts like a ghost in the night. “Twilight...Activate Project Eden. I want a test run in the quarry. Best not to damage any of the city just yet.”
Twilight stumbled at this “B-but Project Eden is far from ready! It’s still in the pre-testing phase! I still need to perform energy diagnostics on the-”
Grace gave her assistant a stern glare. “Twilight...that wasn’t a request. It was an order. Activate Project Eden and prepare it for release outside the Canterlot Quarry. I want to see how this Ranger responds to our little secret…”
Twilight reluctantly followed the order, pulling up the activation screen. At least it wasn’t going to hurt anyone…
Tommy watched as his new team fought off the group of holographic Putties, smiling at the sight. While the Dino Thunder team had to learn their skills in the field, it was nice to be able to properly train his new team before they went into combat.
“Watch your six Pinkie!” Dash yelled, backflipping to kick the putty attempting to attack her friend.
Tommy frowned at this. While it seems Dash had named herself the de facto leader of the group, he had been hoping another would have taken the spot. He glanced over to Sunset. While Dash certainly was better in combat, Tommy could see the strategic shortcomings of her…
The holoroom suddenly became filled with a red light, the holographic putties disappearing as the girls looked around, confused by all this.
“What in Blazin’ Saddles is goin’ on?” Applejack asked, covering her ears at the blaring alarm that was going off.
Tommy didn’t seem to be phased by this, simply replying “Trouble.”
Leading them all back to the main room, Tommy walked over to Billy’s computer station, looking to him “What do we got?”
“Snake monster attacking Canterlot Quarry. Seems workers got ambushed by this thing and more of those serpent creatures from before.” Billy spoke in a seemingly official tone. It was clear that this wasn’t either of these two’s first rodeo. Tommy nodded his head and turned to the girls. “Right. Girls, I’ll deal with this one. You girls still have a lot to learn when it comes to your powers, and you don’t even have your zords yet. Best you hang back and get home.”
Dash looked a little offended by this “Oh come on! We can help! I mean, we got our powers, we made it through most of the boot camp!”
Rarity seemed a little annoyed by this as well “Yes Mister Oliver. Surely we can assist you in taking down this beast.”
“YEAH! I’m ready to beat up that danger noodle!” Pinkie exclaimed, doing a few mock punches at the air in emphasis.
Tommy looked to the girls with a stern look “No. You’re inexperienced and haven’t even gotten to the higher levels of your Ranger training. Just go home and get some rest. I’ll take care of this.”
The veteran then grabbed at his wrist, disappearing as he was enveloped in a white light that shot him up into the air and out of the room.
Applejack seemed a little annoyed by this. While she would be happy to go home and do her afternoon chores, people were in danger. And she had the power now to help them. “Billy was it?” The farmgirl asked, looking to the man now in his late 30s.
“Yes?”
“Can ya show us some sort of camera of what’s happenin’ at the Quarry?”
Billy smiled. While he understood Tommy’s concern, he knew the new team would be itching to fight. Just like a Ranger should. “Sure.”
With a few strokes of his keyboard, Billy pulled up a feed of the quarry, just as Tommy materialized. The girls all gathered around the genius, who grumbled a little as they did “My computer isn’t the viewing globe you know…”
This garnered a chuckle from Dash, while the others the joke seemed to get lost on.
Looking to the screen, the girls watched as Tommy pulled out what looked like a large belt buckle, thrusting it in front of him.
“WHITE RANGER POWER!” They all watched, as he, in a flash of white light, transformed into the White Ranger, Dash fist pumping at the sight
“AW YEAH! WHITE TIGER POWER! Tommy’s got this!”
Billy looked at the girl with a strange face. “How do you know so much about the Rangers Dash?”
Dash turned to the former Ranger, caught a little off guard by this. “Uhhhh….lots of cross referencing. I mean, Once I figured out Tommy’s identity as the Black Dino Thunder Ranger through his time at Reefside, that kinda opened up a space dumpster’s worth of info. Tracked him back to Angel Grove and, well…”
Billy frowned at this. He needed to double check all the Ranger’s status after today. He had always thought they did a good job keeping their identities a secret. Then again...that was almost 20 years ago. And after the Space Rangers-
Billy’s train of thought was interrupted by the sound of Sunset’s voice, who seemed fixated on the sword the White Ranger had on him “What is that sword?”
Billy looked to the girl with fire for hair “That’s Saba. Magic talking sword. Don’t...ask…”
Sunset gave the man a strange look before shifting back to the screen. There was no way Tommy could take on that many monsters. She could count at least a hundred.
Pushing past her, Dash hung off Billy as she stared at the screen “We need to get out there!”
“Rainbow, he told us to stay here. I don’t see why he’d need our-” AJ spoke, only to be interrupted by Dash.
“AJ, we were given these powers to fight evil! We can’t just sit back here and do nothing!”
Billy watched as the girls argued, a little bemused by all this as Fluttershy spoke up next “We could at least still help those workers. It looks like some of those monsters have them trapped!”
AJ grumbled at this. She didn’t wanna go against the orders they were given, and also was hoping to let the elder Ranger handle this on his own so she could go home… “Ah just don’t see why he’d need our help.”
Rarity spoke up next, spotting something on the screen “Darling, look! That’s Big Macintosh!”
Applejack’s head shot to the screen, scanning it meticulously till she spotted her brother “.....we need to go.”
Everyone looked to Pinkie, who seemed to be silently watching Tommy do his thing, as if trying to craft some grand narrative out of the action “...huh? What?!” Pinkie exclaimed, finally realizing everyone was staring at her. “Oh….ummm...yeah! We need to help!”
Sunset seemed a little nervous. She had never fought monsters before like this. Only ever become one...and she didn’t know if the Battle of the Bands counted for anything yet.
Dash turned to the genius in the chair, awaiting some sort of response “Well?”
Billy simply smiled “Oh well...I’m sure I could cook up a quick teleportation device. Or you know…” Billy walked over to one of his many desks, opening one of the drawers to pull out 6 pairs of what looked like much shinier versions of the wrist watch Tommy seemed to lug around “Recycle some old tech. Classics never die eh?”
Dash ran over, grabbing one and grinning “Old School Communicator. Sweet! Still the same design too!”
Billy gave Dash a sideways glance at this “Alright, how did you know that?! I didn’t share any of my blueprints with anyone!”
Dash blushed hard at this, knowing she was caught red-handed “I….went digging through the patent office in Mariner Bay. My parents used to live there before they got married. Lots of the old Lightspeed prototypes are there...some of which was reverse engineered from your old zords…”
Billy let out a long sigh. He needed to contact Ryan after this at Aqua Base 2. Gotta keep the Ranger tech under wraps…. “Right. Well, come and get your communicators girls.”
The girls all gathered round the former Blue Ranger, taking the devices and strapping them to their wrists “So uhhhh...how do?” Pinkie asked, poking at hers curiously.
“Just press the button on the right. Should send you to Tommy’s power frequency.”
Each of the girls did, being engulfed in a different color of light as they were whisked away to the Quarry.
Punch, kick, high block, dodge, slash, jumping kick. He may not have been active duty for some time, but the motions of fighting as a Ranger came back to Tommy as easily as getting out of bed. He was currently neck deep in a horde of the serpent creatures, doing his best to draw all their attention to him and away from the workers that were still trying to free some of their co-workers from some collapsed equipment that had been knocked over by stray shots when the creatures first appeared. And while Tommy was no stranger to fighting large groups of minions, he wasn’t unscathed. He’d already taken more than a few small hits from some lucky blows his opponents had scored. But for every hit he took, at least a dozen were felled by his strikes.
“Tommy, behind you!” Saba suddenly said. Trusting the sword, Tommy shifted his grip on the magic weapon while spinning around, slashing down three of the reptiles that had tried to jump him.
“Thanks Saba, don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’ve already proven you’d do just fine. You were on three different teams after you retired your White Ranger Powers. Now might I suggest we focus back on clearing these monsters out?”
“You got it.” Tommy grinned under his helmet. He’d missed the banter that he and Saba had on occasion back during the Angel Grove days. Cheesy as it sounded, he’d never felt like he was fighting alone whenever he was holding Saba. And it wasn’t an uncommon thing for Saba to notice something about a monster that Tommy might have missed, not to mention that the sword would often notice an enemy trying to hit Tommy from a blind spot. Tommy was broken from his reminiscing by the voice of the large monster that was commanding the attack.
“Yesss, my soldiersss. Keep ssswarming him, give him no room to breathe! He will tire eventually!” The monster in question looked like a bigger and more physically strong version of the serpents that Tommy had been fighting, with the exception of the diamond-like pattern covering his scales. He had identified himself as a “Diamondback Serpentine” before ordering his troops to attack, and boasted that his scales were much tougher than the other creatures that Tommy was fighting.
“Damnit, it’s like there’s no end to to them!” Tommy allowed himself that small complaint, as, despite his outward appearance, he was starting to tire. He then blasted a group of the Serpentines that had been starting to get too close to the workers with Saba’s eye lasers.
“Incoming teleport signal, Tommy!” Saba suddenly called out, causing Tommy’s eyes to widen, before he smirked. “You were right, they couldn’t stay out of the action.”
“Guess so.. I was kinda hoping they would surprise me, though.”
“You know as well as I do that training is no substitute for actual experience, Tommy.”
Any further talk between the two was cut off when six beams of colored light touched down on one of the ridges of the Quarry behind and above the workers.
“Come on!” Dash yelled, as she nearly jumped straight into battle, only to be stopped by a quick grasp of the brim of her skirt from AJ.
“Now hold yer horses Sugarcube. We need to figure out what we’re gettin’ into…”
Dash grumbled at this. She had been ready all her life for this.
Sunset looked over the ridge, scanning the area “We’ve got some workers pinned on the far side of the quarry, by that excavation equipment. Another few over by the big bulldozer over there…”
AJ walked over to Sunset, looking more than a bit on edge “Where’s ma brother?”
“I’m looking! He’s….over there! In the big Excavator! Right over by Tommy!”
AJ let out a sigh. At least he was safe in the machine. “We need a plan.”
Dash spoke up, eager to take charge “Right. Pinkie, AJ, Rarity. You three take the bulldoze-”
AJ gave Dash a stern glare “Ah’m goin to save ma brother Dash.”
Dash seemed a little taken aback by this, but undeterred “Right...ummm...Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, you take the bulldozer, Me, Jack and Sunset will take the excavation equipment. Got it?”
Sunset seemed a little unsure about this. She only just knew how to fight. Same with Fluttershy, I mean...wouldn’t it be better if they all-
“RIGHT!” Pinkie yelled, sticking her left arm out “DASH! SAY THE MAGIC WORDS!”
Dash smirked at this. She had waited her entire life to do this. “Girls….it’s Morphin time!”
With a sigh, Sunset followed the girls in lining up, Dash with an almost stoic look yells “RANGERS UNITE! HARMONIZE!”
A rainbow of color filled the quarry, the Serpentines taking notice as Dash leapt from the ridge, front flipping before landing next to Tommy “Right. Let’s Rocket.” Dash said, taking a power stance next to the White Ranger.
“Aren’t you girls supposed to be back at the Command Center?” Tommy asked, the slightest bit annoyed that they disobeyed his orders. Not that he didn’t expect it, but you know, he really wished for once that a team actually listened when they were told a situation is too dangerous.
“Psssh, we got this. We’re Rangers now right?!” Dash spoke as she kicked a Serpentine in the chest
“Ah yes, the old Red Ranger ego. Some things never change do they Tommy?” Saba spoke, earning an eye roll from the Veteran.
“Watch your six Dash!” Sunset yelled as she leapt down from the ledge, AJ leaping as she took out a Serpentine from behind with a flying kick
“Leave ma friends alone ya varmits!” AJ yelled, hitting it in the back as it attempted to lunge at Dash.
The Serpentine disappeared into a cloud of smoke upon impact, AJ getting to her feet as she grabbed for an iron rod, holding it in front of her as if it was a sword “Now what fearless leader? Ah need to get closer to the darn Excavator to save ma brother!”
Tommy sighed, delivering an instinctual kick to a Serpentine that attempted to attack him from the left. Guess it was time for a crash course for these girls “Right. Trial by Fire. Dash, Sunset, clear a path with your blasters!”
“Blasters?” Sunset asked as Dash pulled out what looked what AJ could only assume was one of those toy laser guns from a white holster on her belt, firing a series of plasma beams from it at the Serpentines in the way of the Excavators, Sunset and AJ looking in shock as they slowly shifted their gaze to their sides, AJ, without a second word, dropping the iron rod in favor of the blaster, joining Dash as they cleared a path.
Sunset didn’t know what to do. She had never handled a weapon before, especially something like this. She could hurt some-
Sunset heard a voice in her helmet, her inner doubts fading as she looked to see Tommy looking at her, standing between her and a group of Serpentines.
“Trust yourself Sunset. You’re a Power Ranger now. You ever use a weapon?”
Sunset hesitated. “...no…”
Under the helmet, Tommy frowned. While weapons training wasn’t something most Rangers had, he hadn’t ever seen a Ranger hesitate like this. Usually it was gung ho into battle with new teams. Sunset was going to be an interesting case it seems…
“Follow my lead then.”
Gripping Saba’s hilt, Tommy took a deep breath as he began instructing the fellow white ranger “Pull your blaster out and grip the handle. Keep your finger off the trigger.”
Two Serpentines charged the Ranger of 20 years, Tommy in two quick motions, slashing them both with Saba, them both disappearing into a cloud of smoke as sparks flew from the contacting sword.
Sunset followed Tommy’s orders, pulling the blaster from her holster. She could feel her hand fit around the grip. For something that looked like a plastic toy, it sure had a bit of heft to it. “Right...now what?”
“Aim carefully, slowly put your finger on the trigger, take a breath, then fire.” Tommy spoke calmly through the microphone built into his helmet. He could tell the girl was scared. No reason why she shouldn’t be. After all, these things were trying to kill her.
Following her new mentor’s orders, she aimed the blaster at one of the Serpentines over the shoulder of the original White Ranger.
‘Take a breath...right…’ Sunset thought as she felt her finger touch the trigger. It all happened so fast. The flash of the beam. The cry of the monster. Sunset took it all in. She felt the rush of adrenaline to her head.
And in a moment, it all ended as she heard Tommy’s voice in her ear once more.
“Good job Sunset, now keep it up.”
Taking that as a command, Sunset started clearing the path alongside Dash and AJ. Before long, they made their way to the excavator.
“We need to get ma brother!” AJ yelled, leaping onto the excavator. She didn’t have time to question this. Her family was in danger.
Hearing a voice in her helmet, AJ didn’t stop to listen. She was too focused on the task at hand.
“Applejack, listen to me.”
She frowned as she heard the voice a second time, climbing the latter of the huge machine “What’cha want?”
She heard a sigh “You get up there, your brother is gonna recognize your voice. I’m gonna make this your call, but there is a voice changer built into the suit. If you want to reveal your identity to your brother, go ahead. He’s family, and I can understand that.”
The Farmgirl had to think. The teacher was right. If she goes up there, her brother was going to find out it was her. No doubt about it. But...she had to do it. Her family was in danger. And...she could trust her brother. She had many times in the past. She...could she?
Doubt set in. She had trusted Big Mac in the past...but this wasn’t some playground secret. She was fighting monsters and demons now. The things she had grown up hearing horror stories of. She…
“Aight Mr. Oliver, how’d I work this darn voice changer thing?”
“Left side of the helmet. There’ll be a little button on the side behind the latch” Tommy explained
AJ reached to the left of her helmet, grasping at it before eventually finding the button and pressing it
“Right...wow, that does sound a little weird…” The girl spoke, her voice being shifted to a more dark tone, shifting from her usual mezzo-soprano to a Contralto, also making her accent completely unnoticeable. This would work great.
Climbing to the cab of the excavator, the Green Ranger found the cabin balcony filled with three more of the snake monsters from below. Pulling out her blaster, she fired at the Serpentines’ one evaporating instantly, while the other two seemed to hiss in protest.
“Gosh darnit! Stay down you varmits!”
She would have to work on changing her lingo. Best keep the Countryisms to a minimum if she was gonna stay hidden behind the suit.
Feeling a small switch on her blaster, she curiously flipped it, the barrel shifting backwards as it flipped to an upright position, a blade shooting out of the front of it to form a sword
“I can work with this…” AJ remarked as she took a plow guard stance as the first Serpentine lunged at her. Stabbing the beast, she slashed the blade to the left, sparks flying as the blade made contact with the final Serpentine, it shrieking as AJ took a step back, pulling her sword back into a reversed plow guard stance, before thrusting forward once more, the final Serpentine disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Letting out a breath, Applejack dropped her stance, smirking under her helmet. Guess this proved it. She was a Power Ranger now.
She then heard the bang from the cabin of the excavator, the cries of her brother inside. Time to be a hero.
Running over to the cabin, she saw the door had been jammed, melted shut by the serpentine’s that she had just finished off. Looking through the small window, she motioned for her brother to stand back as she pressed the button on her blaster, switching it back to gun mode as she blasted open the door, Big Mac quickly moving out of the way before she did so.
“Thank ya...ummm….Yer one of those Powah Rangers on TV aren’t ya?” The 22 year old man asked, his voice shaking as he inquired about the new hero. It was clear the young man was terrified, but AJ couldn’t…
Here was the moment of truth. Did she tell her brother the truth to hide it? AJ hesitated for only a moment for making her decision….Hide it. Definitely hide it. AJ nods, speaking through the voice changer in a clear voice in an effort to try and hide her accent “Yes sir. And I’m here to save you. Now come on, there are more of those things down below.” AJ held out a hand, her brother prompt taking it. “Right. Let’s go.”
Fluttershy could hear it as she rushed to the site of the bulldozer. She could feel her breath pick up pace as she rushed to them. A familiar feeling of dread fell over her. The sounds of destruction, the cries for help. This wasn’t new to her. After all, this wasn’t the first time she’d seen this…
The young girl clutched her stuffed bunny tightly. She could hear the sounds explosions and laser fire. Was this the end of the world?
“Honey, stay close to me. We’ll get through this.” She heard her mother say as they rushed through the street. She hadn’t seen her mom this worried before. Things were gonna be okay...right?
Fluttershy held her bunny tight. It’ll be fine. Momma was here after all.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her mother stopped. She was looking up at a rooftop, a woman in what looked like metal armor.
The woman’s voice seemed to carry down from the the roof, Fluttershy hiding behind her mom at the sight.
“Power Rangers, you’re COWARDS! You would sacrifice this whole planet? I’ll ask one last time...Where are the Rangers?!”
Fluttershy seemed to blink at that. The Power Rangers? She had only ever seen the man on the TV talk about them, and her momma told her that was big kids stuff…
The woman turned to her monster friend, a black and green man-thing who seemed to be carrying a big sword. He looked mean…
“LET THE DESTRUCTION OF EARTH BE-”
It was then Fluttershy heard the voice of a man from the crowd. He was rather big, like her dad…
“WAIT!” The man yelled, walking forward out of the crowd, speaking in a firm tone “I’m the Blue Ranger.”
Another skinnier man stepped forward, practically yelling “I’m the Black Ranger!”
An old man stepped forward next “And I’m...I’m the Red Ranger!”
More and more, people came forward, also claiming to be a Power Ranger. Why? Because they wanted to be...brave?
The woman on the roof then spoke, Fluttershy only hearing a small bit of it “Destory them all!”
Fluttershy held back tears at that. She didn’t wanna go...boom…
Next she heard an explosion behind her. She clutched her bunny tight as the crowd moved forward. Just for a moment, she got seperated from her mom.
Where did she go?! She was right there and now she’s gone! The young girl panicked as she looked forward in the crowd. She could see silver and bronze men pushing the crowd back into a circle. But not her momma!
“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” The girl shifted her gaze to another rooftop, what looked like five teenagers standing on the roof
“We, are the Power Rangers…” The man in the blue shirt spoke
Them? They were...not much older than her brother…
“LET’S ROCKET!” She heard them yell as the fighting started.
Fluttershy winced as she heard her her friend Rarity call out “Behind you Fluttershy!”
Whipping around, she saw that four Serpentines had run towards a pair of workers that had fallen while making their way to the quarry’s exit.
Fluttershy almost instinctively scanned the environment. A broken leg on the closest worker. An injured arm on the farthest one. Both unable to make any sort of daring escape from the monsters...
Before Fluttershy could even register what she was doing, her body was in motion, sprinting towards the workers at a speed that would have surprised anyone that knew her.
Without a thought, the girl put herself between the workers and the monsters. She didn’t even realize she had drawn her sword, nor did she even remember having a sword.
But now she did. And that’s what she focused on.
The first Serpentine made a beeline for her, and before the new Ranger could even cognitively acknowledge he was there, she was already swinging her sword, a spray of sparks flying as the Serpentine disappeared into a puff of smoke. One down.
The second one lunged at her, but before it could reach her, she found her arms moving as she drew back her sword and lunged it forward, stabbing it into the beast as it dissipated into smoke. Two.
Then in the blink of an eye, it all happened at once. A twin blast of energy from both Serpentines. Fluttershy lifting her arm to cover her face. And finally...a flash of light.
Opening her eyes, The Yellow Ranger found herself looking at the back of a large kite shield, the yellow and silver shield seeming to cover from her elbow up to forearm, the blasts seeming to have bounced off as scorch marks marred the ground in front of her.
Not taking a moment to breath, Fluttershy glanced behind her.
With a smile under her mask, she spoke softly to the six cowering men “Everything’s gonna be okay…”
Fluttershy glanced around at the other two Rangers. They were also preoccupied with helping others. This was her moment.
Feeling a switch on her sword, she flipped it as the blade retracted, flipping towards her before shifting forwards to reveal a sort of blaster. While the girl had never handled a firearm, she didn’t hesitate. Pulling back the shield, she let loose a barrage of plasma blasts at the Serpentine on her right. It didn’t last long, but she felt her blaster heat up. Best to let it cool…
Looking to the final Serpentine, Fluttershy let out a slow breath. Fighting was always more Rarity’s thing, or Rainbows. But in this moment, she needed to be brave…
With a battle cry, she charged, leading with a side kick from her right leg, while cocking back her shield arm. With a mighty heft, she bashed the shield into the monster, letting loose the most vitriol cry she could muster in the process. The monster seemed to fly backwards, Fluttershy running after it and delivering as hard a punch she could muster to the beast’s chest, causing it to finally disintegrate into smoke.
Taking a moment to breath, she turned back to the workers, who seemed awestruck at the girl.
In a kind, calm voice, the girl spoke with concern “Are you okay?”
The one with the injured arm seemed to nod, though it seemed more that he didn’t know how to respond to the girl who had just taken down four monsters singlehandedly.
Fluttershy once again scanned her surroundings, before looking back to the men “Keep going towards the exit to the quarry. We’ll cover you, okay?”
The man seemed to nod, as he and the other workers made their way towards the exit. As she turned to provide the cover she had promised, she heard one of them call out to her.
“Thank you Mystery Ranger!”
The girl couldn’t help but smile under her mask at that. She was a hero…
Tommy took a breath as he slashed yet another Serpentine into smoke. This was getting old fast. While the seven rangers had already taken out over half the Serpentines, the remaining ones just wouldn’t give them room to breathe. And while he could feasibly take all these monsters down himself, he had the new team to worry about.
Turning to the new White Ranger, Tommy smiled. It was her time to shine.
“Sunset, this is your team. Take the lead.”
Hearing this, Sunset stopped, leaving her open for a Serpentine to take a swipe at her. While her Ranger suit prevented any significant damage, it did knock her on her ass, stunning her.
What did she do? A million thoughts ran through Sunset’s head as she sat there on the ground. She didn’t even register as Dash charged the Serpentine, hitting it in the face with a flying kick.
“Come on White! Get your head in the game!” Dash called out as she flipped backwards off the kick.
Sunset shook her head. She was a superhero now right? Time to act like it.
Climbing to her feet, she looked around her, destruction all around her. The herd of Serpentines seemed to be thinning as they all seemed to be retreating back to their commander, the 8 foot Diamondback.
“Yess my sssolidiersss, come to me and we will become more powerful than ever~” The beast seemed to speak in a hushed tone. It was then Sunset noticed it. The Diamondback seemed to be...controlling the other Serpentines. Not just ordering them around, but it was a gleam in his eyes was whenever they launched an attack. They needed to take that one out…
“Ummm…” Sunset hesitated. She wasn’t the leader after all… “D-dash!”
Dash frowned as she heard her friend over the comms mid spin-kick “What is it Sunset?”
“The big one. He’s like...controlling them all. If we took him-” Sunset was interrupted by the Red Ranger, Tommy letting out a sigh at it as Dash spoke up to the team
“Guys! We need to take out the Big Snake so we can deal with the little ones!” Dash proclaimed, turning her attention to the beast. Red Ranger Time.
Shifting her blaster into sword mode, she rushed the beast. This was her destiny now. With a charge, Dash plunged her sword into the Diamondback, it letting out a piercing cry before thrusting it’s right arm forward as an energy blast knocked Dash flying backwards into a piece of construction barrier, the concrete barrier seeming to crack under Dash, leaving the girl rather exposed.
Sunset, rather on instinct than anything else, rushed between the two as she unconsciously held up her arm to protect her friend as the Diamondback launched a huge energy blast at her.
What she didn’t even realize when she did it, saved her life as the blast seemed to reflect off the sword she had instinctively grabbed from Tommy’s hands.
Tommy seemed a little awestruck at this himself. There he was, watching another White Ranger holding Saba, and deflecting an energy blast with him.
Perhaps this girl wasn’t just going to be a good White Ranger…
Opening her eyes, Sunset had to take a split second before she registered what had happened. She was still alive, and now holding the sword of the veteran Ranger upside down in her right hand…
“Well, don’t just sit there young one. Fight back!” She heard as the Diamondback made a beeline for her. Shifting the grip of the sword to flip it around, Sunset cocked her arm back before letting loose an overhand slash with the blade, sparks flying as the blade made contact with the Diamondback, who seemed be stunned by the attack. Taking this as her moment, Sunset shifted her stance, taking a step forward with her right leg, before striking the monster again with an upward slash, following it up as she leapt into the air and delivered a final flying kick with her right leg to the Diamondback’s face, causing the beast to finally disintegrate into smoke, as well as the remaining Serpentines as the quarry filled with a thin layer of smoke, Sunset finally landing with her left foot forward and right leg back as she held Saba above her head in her right arm.
“Pretty good Sunset.” The girl heard as she breathed hard, the adrenaline rush slowly subsiding as she dropped her stance, feeling a hand on her shoulder as she looked to see the Veteran White Ranger holding out his hand “But I think I need the sword back.”
Sunset let out a sigh of relief, smiling as she handed Saba back “Yeah ummm...sorry about-”
The sky trembled with the sound of thunder, the rest of her team rushing towards each other as they regrouped in the center of the quarry.
“Should we be worried about that?” Pinkie spoke up from under her mask.
Grace scowled at the sight. Of course there was a new Ranger team. There always is. The damn Rangers just keep popping out of the woodworks every time she makes a stride forward.
The woman felt a tingle go through her as she clutched a device, a foreign energy seeming to rush through it. She couldn’t let this project fail. Not again. The world needed a better defense than a bunch of multicolored teenagers.
She couldn’t let what happened on the moon happen again…
Pressing the intercom on her desk, she let out in a rather calculated voice her next order
“Twilight, activate the Eden Energy Amplifier Network. I want to see how the Serpentines react to an energy spike like this…”
Meanwhile, down in her lab, Twilight cringed at the thought.
“B-but Miss Sterling, the network has only had a few controlled test runs! If we activate it now there could be a catastrophic-”
Twilight winced as the voice came through the intercom again, sounding much firmer this time
“Twilight, that wasn’t a request. Now, if you really want to keep that laboratory for your little experiments, I suggest you follow orders.”
The scientist let out a strained sigh “....right. Well…” Twilight looked to her 2 year old beagle, as if seeking answers from the dog “Spike, I know this is wrong. But...I need this lab. My work into discovering how this ‘Morphing Grid’ works could revolutionize the Energy Industry! Sooo…”
Twilight looked over to the far side of her lab. The Eden Amplifiers were only a concept she had done small scale testing on…
Guess it was time for to bump that up to field testing...
The sky went dark as clouds formed above the quarry, seeming to be born from the smoke that was left over from the monsters, thunder crashing again and again as bolts of electricity shot out of the newly forming storm.
Tommy frowned at this. The weather hadn’t called for any storms, so something wasn’t right.
“Girls, take cover. We might need some-”
Just then, a beam of light shot through the clouds, seeming to suck in them as it struck the ground just outside of the quarry, sending a shockwave throughout the area that sent the entire group flying backwards
“Now Rangersss we shall ssssee who the real victor issss!”
Climbing to his feet, Tommy let out a sigh. Of course Diamondback is giant sized now. Why wouldn’t he be?
Turning to face the girls, the man spoke sternly “Get to cover girls. I’ll handle this one.”
The six new rangers seemed to follow the order without question, seeming to be too awestruck by the 50 foot snake monster to argue otherwise as they hide behind one of the bulldozers.
“Are...A-are we going to have to fight something like that?” Rarity only just was able to muster out of her lips, as Dash, who seemed to be the only one excited rather than scared, answered back.
“Yeah! We’re gonna get-”
It was then they heard the cry of a falcon ring through the air, as a huge robotic white raptor passed overhead, firing lasers at the towering snake monster, which seemed to stun it.
Dash’s grin only grew at that “ZORDS!”
The others seemed confused at this. What was the giant falcon?!
It only then clicked in Sunset’s head “Is...is Mister Oliver driving that thing?”
“Yup! That’s the Ninja Falconzord! That was Tommy’s like...third ever zord!” Dash exclaimed, seeming to grin with glee at all this.
“...third? How many giant robots do you need?!” Sunset asked to herself, rather confused by the idea of needing more than one giant robot.
“Right, just need to-” Tommy’s thought process was interrupted as he jammed the joystick back in his cockpit, causing the zord to climb to dodge a huge swing from the monster
Performing an aerial loop, the veteran winced as he felt the G-forces hit him as he dove out of the loop, raining down on the monster with a barrage of laser fire, before pulling out of the dive by flaring the tail of the zord forward, rocketing forward as the zord stabilized into a forward position, just missing yet another swing from the monster.
“This thing can’t last much long can it?!” Tommy asked himself, hearing Billy over the Zord’s built in communicator
“Looks like it needs a bit of heavy lifting ey Tommy?”
Tommy smirked at the sound of his old friend’s voice “Not a bad idea Blue.”
Banking right, Tommy spun his zord around, dodging beam after beam of plasma the the Diamondback launched at him steering the zord right until he was flying directly the monster, twisting the zord back into a level position quickly before he forced the belly of the zord upwards as they hit the monster dead on, the claws of the Falconzord latching onto the chest of the beast.
“Alright buddy, let’s see how you do with a little help from gravity.” Tommy said as he flipped a switch on the console, activating a series of rocket boosters on the back of the wings, thrusting both the zord, and the monster into the air, climbing at least as high as the empire state building before Tommy let go of a small button on the joystick, the claws releasing and letting gravity take the monster all the way to the ground.
“Alright Diamondback, it’s time to say your prayers. Ninja Falcon Missiles activate!”
Shifting the zord back to a level position, the zord thrusted it’s wings forward, unleashing a barrage of missiles from it’s wingtips, seeming to finish off the monster as it fell over, exploding into a huge fireball.
The girls braced as the shock wave from the blast hit them, Sunset grasping onto the frame of the bulldozer as the shock wave hit them. “Gaaaaah!”
As the dust settled, Sunset watched as the giant falcon robot landed in the center of the quarry.
All the new reports...they were real. The Power Rangers were real…
Their powers, their monsters, their zords…
The girl stood there as Dash and her friends rushed ahead to meet to older Ranger as he climbed out of his zord.
This was her life now…
“DAMMIT!” Grace yelled as she slammed her fist into her desk, the glass cracking in several different places upon the impact. “Project Eden needs to work. I can’t accept failure like this. After what happened on the moon…”
The woman, now in her last 40s, let out a frustrated sigh. “Next time. The data we gathered from this can be useful. We can start again, and make this work…”
“Nikolai, I-”
Grace blinked, seeing the man standing in front of her disappear. Just a hallucination…
