CHILD SOLDIERS
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Got the idea after reading "Price Of War" by PinkRangerV, which is awesome and everyone should read. Special thanks to them for the inspiration. This is a one-shot, which may be expanded on someday. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Takes place towards the end of the first season, but not after a particular episode.
Zordon knew the real reason Alpha had been hesitant to make Jason, Zack, Trini, Kimberly, and Billy Rangers: they were children. Yes, children, no more than fifteen when they first started. Truthfully, he had also been hesitant to give them the tremendous responsibility and burden of fighting Rita's forces for a world that wouldn't ever know who they were or how much they fought for them. However, after some initial doubts, the five teens had risen to the challenge set before them and had proved themselves as worthy soldiers. Yes, soldiers: Jason with his courage and leadership, Trini with her gentle spirit and lightning reflexes, Billy with the technical knowledge and eagerness to learn more, Zack with the confidence and ability to lift the mood of even the most direst of circumstances, Kimberly with her positive attitude and comforting spirit, always there for her friends. Then there was Tommy, very much like Jason: courageous, headstrong, willing to fight for what was right. True, he hadn't started out on the side of good, but once the spell had been broken he had proved himself to be a mighty warrior and faithful friend. The Rangers were many things: friends, brothers, sisters, loyal, trustworthy, but most importantly: children and soldiers. They displayed their roles every day: playing in the park, going on dates, going to school, hanging out, training with each other under the guise of sparring, teaching martial art classes, practicing gymnastics, or even studying, often using their knowledge to fix the zords, come up with a way to defeat Rita's latest monsters, or reverse a spell. Zordon was proud of them and told them so whenever he could. He had seen the Rangers be playful with one another, teasing and pulling tricks. He had seen them band together to study for examinations and tests. He witnessed them turning to one another when they were anxious, worried, upset, or scared, most particularly Tommy turning to Kimberly or Jason after a nightmare. They were proud soldiers, but not too proud where they couldn't ask for help if they needed it. The wizard turned his attention to the viewing globe, which Alpha had turned on so that he could check on the Rangers and then smiled at the serene sight of his soldiers talking amongst themselves. They wore their colors as badges of honor: Red, Yellow, Black, Blue, Pink, and Green. While he knew that they displayed the colors proudly, they probably weren't even aware that they often chose to wear their colors in such abundance. Then, the viewing globe crackled and the scene shifted to show a type of dragon monster destroying the warehouse district of Angel Grove. Alpha contacted the Rangers and Zordon watched as they shifted from children into ready soldiers at the familiar beep of their communicators. Once they had been appraised of the situation, everyone-even Tommy whose powers were limited-morphed and appeared at the location of the attack. Zordon watched grimly as they fought. They were children. They were soldiers. And he couldn't be more proud of them even if he tried.
THE END