Bedtime Stories, part one
"She hasn't been sleeping well lately, Kaylee," Kelly spoke into the phone, giving her friend an update on her five-year-old daughter, Hannah. "She says she can't fall asleep because the nightmare monster will come and—"
"Eat her," the former Ranger Legend chuckled, and Kelly found it was relieving to hear. Clearly, she was familiar with this problem. "I know. I heard it all the time from Hayden, but Dustin and I quickly found a solution..."
"How?"
"A bedtime story. I used to make them up, most times, or tell her stories from any of my past Ranger team days. She loved them. Normally she used to have a lot of questions when I finished, but I'd tell her to dream it up her way," she stated, no doubt smiling at the thought. "Used to put her right to sleep."
"Thanks, Kayl," Kelly breathed, grateful, before a noise from Hannah's room prompted her to say goodbye. "I can hear her waking. I'll talk to you later."
"Good luck, Kel-Bel," Kaylee responded, before they both hung up.
"Mommy…," Hannah's voice drifted through the doorway, and her little blonde head poked out of her room.
"Yes, sweetie?" Kelly smiled, getting up and walking over to her. She noticed the young girl look bothered by something. "What's wrong?"
"I…I can't sleep…I tried but…but the nightmare monster…," she trailed off, sniffling.
"Aww, its okay, Han," Kelly soothed, picking her up and carrying her back to bed. "I know just how to chase the nightmare monster away."
"You do?" she gasped, and her mother chuckled, nodding. She sat her down on her bed, and crawled in beside her, making sure they were both warm.
"A bedtime story," Kelly declared, hugging Hannah close. The girl's eyes lit up with wonder, clearly excited at the idea.
"But…my friend Becky's mom reads to her, from the princess books, and it doesn't help," Hannah frowned.
"That's because these kinds of stories are special…," Kelly smiled, warm memories already coming to mind. "These are stories about the Power Rangers. They chase away nightmare monsters."
Hannah's gasp grew into a grin, and she practically began bouncing in her seat. "Ranger stories! Ranger stories! I love Ranger stories! Hayden tells me them at family renunions!" the young girl gushed, mispronouncing words in her excitement. "Which team, Mommy? Is it the nanimals? The dinosaurs? The superhewoes?"
"Even better," Kelly leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper, causing Hannah to fidget in suspense. "The Magicians."
"Oh!" the blonde giggled. "The one where Mommy Nature gave them powers? With wands and stuff?" When her mother nodded, it only caused her to giggle more, thrilled. "Hayden and the twins tell me their mommies were on that team!"
"They were," Kelly smiled. "And so were Uncle Conner, Uncle Dustin, and their old friend Ethan…and me."
"You, Mommy?" Hannah gasped, little hands flying to cover her mouth. "Oh, which colour were you Mommy? Which color?"
"Why don't I start at the beginning, hmm?" Kelly laughed, and it was enough to quiet her daughter, who was ready to listen. "It was a few months after Aunt Kaylee and Kira were done High School and they were travelling, doing concerts for the CD they'd begun to record…they were driving through the town of Briarwood, Dustin and Conner on board with them—"
"But Mommy, Aunt Kira said she dated Uncle Hunter in High School?" Hannah frowned, scrunching her little five-year-old nose in adorable confusion.
"She did. For a little while. But, see, sometimes, adults are a little confused on who they like, especially if they're faced with two similar and caring guys like Hunter and Conner. That's what happened to Aunt Kira, and for a while, she chose Hunter, because she thought he was more special, or at least, simpler."
"Is this a grown-up thing…cuz I don't get it very well," her frowned deepened.
"It's a grown-up thing," Kelly laughed, ruffling her daughter's blonde hair. "All you need to know is that Hunter stepped out of Aunt Kira and Uncle Conner's way after their Prom to let them be together."
"The Pretty Princess Ball?" Hannah gasped. She'd seen pictures before, of the Dino Rangers at Prom, and of other family friends. She'd always loved the beautiful floor-length dresses they wore. Princess Dresses!
"It was after they beat Mesogog. You know, the big scary Dino-Man?" Kelly smiled when Hannah gasped, before clawing at the air and making roaring noises. She tickled the little girl into a quiet state, leaning back against the headboard. "Do you want to know Mommy's Ranger story, silly bum?"
"I do! I do!" she clapped her hands over her mouth, indicating she'd be quiet. At least for a little while.
"Alright. Well, it all started during the road trip, when their car broke down…"
--Bedtime Stories--
"This is ridiculous!" Kira groaned, kicking pebbles on the side of the road in her anger. Conner placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her, while Kaylee watched and Dustin talked in a low voice on his phone. Behind them, a huge cloud of smoke was drifting up from their vehicle. "I can't believe it! That thing was running perfectly fine all morning!"
"Tori's gonna kill me…," Kaylee gulped, turning to see her sister's blue van in disarray.
"Guess we jinxed ourselves by ditching the tour bus," Conner pointed out, smiling weakly. "They said it was a bad idea."
"But we wanted to make it feel like a road trip!" she grinned. "And we missed you guys while touring…"
"Well, looks like you're gonna spend some time with us now," Dustin stated, flipping his phone shut. "I talked to her, and she's on her way, but she won't be here for at least two hours."
"This hick town is that far from Reefside and Blue Bay?" Conner groaned, face-palming.
"No…but Storm Chargers has a lot of drop-off orders," he grinned sheepishly, reminding them all that it had been his task to clear those deliveries before he and Conner had left to pick up the girls from their concert. "Oops."
"Great…," Kira sighed, pulling away from the group and making her way down the road.
"Where are you going?" Kaylee called.
"Our car isn't going anywhere. And I'm hungry. We might as well make the best of getting stranded just outside a town," she exclaimed, and realizing she was right, they followed, grabbing some stuff from the car before locking it and running to catch up.
--Bedtime Stories--
"And so they took their first few steps into Briarwood," Kelly stated. "I can still remember how frustrated Dustin sounded on the phone."
"So it was you he called?" Hannah asked, blinking. "Why?"
"Because Mommy's good with cars and can fix them."
"Why not a mech…meh…ma…thingy," she frowned, unable to say it.
"Mechanic?" she offered, laughing when Hannah clapped excitedly. "I'm not sure. But it got me to Briarwood, and was ultimately why I was present to become a Ranger."
"Why?"
"Well, we didn't know it at the time, but someone had caused Aunt Tori's van to break down…with magic."
"Ohhh!"
"That someone was the Mystic Mother, an old and magical woman who'd once opposed Rangers as Rita Repulsa, but had chosen the side of good. She knew all sorts of things, past, present and future, and knew those four were her only hope of saving Briarwood."
"From who?" Hannah asked, eyes wide in amazement.
"Lothor."
At the name, Hannah gasped and grabbed her blankets, shoving them over her head and going into hiding. Laughing, Kelly pulled her end up, staring at her daughter beneath the sheets. "What is it, Han?"
"I'm hiding from the meanie space ninja," Hannah declared. "Mikey told me all about him from his mommy and daddy's stories. He was an evil nasty man who fought Mike's parents, and Aunt Kaylee, and Hunter, and Dustin, and Shane, and Cam. And the Dino Rangers! And he mommy-napped you!"
"He did," Kelly nodded, chuckling. "But that fight against the Dino Rangers and Wind Rangers is just why the Mystic Mother chose Kaylee, Kira, Conner and Dustin. They'd faced and beaten him together before…and she knew the moment Mesogog's fortress fell that Lothor would escape his bottle prison a—"
"He was in a bottle?" Hannah giggled. "But he's big!" She stretched her arms as much as she could, trying to create a sizeable Lothor.
"Yes, he was. But he wasn't a match for mommy's friends. And when he got loose, he wasn't very happy with them. If it weren't for being mommy-napped, though, I might not have had the chance to be part of the magic team."
"Why?"
"Well, your mommy had a few choice words for her kidnapper back in the day, and I guess I proved myself for when he got out…"
--Bedtime Stories--
"Dustin? Kaylee?" Kelly called, peering into the tree line just past the smouldering van. "Kira? Conner? Anyone?"
"They aren't here, my dear," a voice spoke softly, and the redhead whirled around to see a woman clad in beautiful white robes standing by the van. She hadn't been there a second ago, had she? And…hold on…was she glowing?
"Who…who are y-you?" she stammered, taking a step back.
"Do not fear. I mean you no harm, not ever, Kelly Holloway."
"You know…you k-know my name?"
"I know many things. I am the Mystic Mother. The source of all good magic, of past, present and future things. I am the one who made your friends into magical warriors."
"Magical warriors?" Kelly frowned, pausing her retreat. This woman seemed familiar, warm, and welcoming, and she was finding that slowly, her doubts were slipping away. Magic…she said magic…do I trust her because of a spell she cast…or something else…? Kelly wondered.
"Lothor has risen with the aid of the Underworld's Mistress, Necrolai, and seeks to wreak terror upon the city of Briarwood."
"Why?" Kelly blinked, a little confused. "Blue Bay Harbour and Reefside have the Rangers who trapped him."
"But Briarwood has the magic flowing through it he would need to overthrow the world's balance of power," Mystic Mother sighed, her glow dimming a little. "They are the only ones who can stop him, which is why I gave them the strength to become Power Rangers yet again."
"Magical warriors…," Kelly nodded, understanding, before adding under her breath. "Guess I'm not needed here to fix Tori's' van then."
"Quite the contrary, my dear Kelly," the Mystic Mother smiled, practically gliding across the grass towards her. She lightly tugged at a strand of Kelly's hair between two fingers. "We already have a Red one…but perhaps…a lighter shade would suit you."
"Wha—" but Kelly's question was never formed, because she found herself speechless seconds later as a ray of pink light descended from the clouds above. It swirled around her, bringing with it a breathtakingly peaceful gale. The wind and pink light wrapped around her, and seconds later, everything was tinted like looking through sunglasses.
"Oh…Oh my…," Kelly gasped, looking down at her pink-gloved hands. She brought them up and ran them over her smooth pink helmet, tracing the butterfly pattern of her visor with shaking fingers. "I'm…I'm a…a…"
"Power Ranger?" The Mystic Mother offered, smiling softly.
"Why me? I mean…I never…the others…"
"Your friends are in danger, Kelly. Trapped by the Ten Terrors that Lothor and Necrolai have unleashed from the Underworld. You are their only hope."
--Bedtime stories--
"My Mommy! A Power Ranger!" Hannah clapped excitedly, bouncing up and down as she struck a few fighting poses. "Pink Mystic Ranger! Ha!"
"Actually, Han, it was more Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Kelly cried, performing the morph she remembered so well.
"Don't forget the pink, Mommy!" Hannah exclaimed, tossing her stuffed pink teddy up into the air. Kelly caught it, smiling, and spoke the last of her morph softly.
"Ever changing as the wind, Pink Mystic Ranger…," a wave of nostalgia hit, and she passed the pink teddy bear back to her daughter, flashing back into the story.
--Bedtime Stories—
"I wonder if I can call Tori with this phone," Kaylee mused, staring at her Mystic Morpher Cell and contemplating it.
"I wouldn't try it," Kira advised, chuckling. "You might, like, summon your Minotaur thing and squish yourself again."
At the thought of this ordeal, Kaylee's eyes widened and she pocketed the device like everyone else, looking around with an innocent chuckle. Then, something clicked in her mind, and she sighed loudly. Kira patted her shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"You realize this means we have to cancel the tour, right?" Kaylee asked, the dread of it all in her voice. Beside her, Kira bore a similar expression. Dustin, Conner and Kelly sympathized, subconsciously touching the Solar Cell hidden away in their pockets.
"She's right," Kira nodded solemnly. "Lothor's not going down without a fight, and with the freaking Underworld on his side, that could take time. Something that we don't have if music takes the front seat."
"Then it doesn't get to call shotgun," Conner shrugged, making it seem as simple as snapping his fingers. Kira smiled, chuckling to herself—simple. "These new magical powers do. And our jobs to protect Briarwood."
"It's not that bad of a city," Kelly mused, staring down at it from their vantage point—a hill looking down upon Briarwood, where the large tree that housed their underground base was located, amongst many others like it. "I could get used to it. Find a place to open up a new Storm Chargers. We need a communal Rangers hangout spot like my shop or Cyberspace, right?"
"I think you're adjusting to being a Ranger quite fast, Kelly," Dustin chuckled, patting her on the shoulder. "It's coming to ya naturally now."
"I have a suggestion," a slightly raspy voice stated, and they all turned to see a tall, thin Japanese woman with long, flowing black hair and black and purple robes step out of the tree that led to Rootcore.
Kaylee was the first to recognize her—and she screamed, ducking behind Dustin. "Scorpion Lady! Hide my head! And all shiny silver plates!"
"Please, Kaylee, I mean you no harm," she smiled warmly, touching a hand to her heart. "The good magic of the Mystic Mother runs through me, remember? I have seen the light."
"Sabrina, right?" Kira questioned, remembering the transition Scorpina had made not so long ago, after chasing down Kaylee and the Dragonzord.
"Kira Ford. Yellow Ranger of Lightning," Sabrina bowed, and then did so to the other four. "Conner McKnight, Red Ranger of Fire. Dustin Brooks, Orange Ranger of Earth. Kelly Holloway, Pink Ranger of Wind. Kaylee Hanson, Green Ranger of Nature. I am honoured in your presence, Mystic Warriors."
--Bedtime Stories—
"Eventually the others explained to me she'd been an enemy before, during their Dino Days, but White Magic had purified her, making her good. She'd left Reefside with the Mystic Mother to reside in Briarwood, where she set up the Rock Porium."
"What's…that?" Hannah yawned, leaning back against her pillows. Evidently, sleep was finally settling in.
"A really awesome record store where we all got jobs. Like a mix of Hayley's Cyberspace and Mommy's Storm Chargers."
"But Mommy's a Power Ranger…who babysat store?" Hannah's eyes flickered shut.
"Tori owed me a favour," Kelly shrugged. "And wanted to learn how to run a business. This was a good thing, I guess, because she was going to be there for a while, since we had the Ten Terrors of the Underworld to deal with, not to mention gain a Blue Ranger and pick our successors…"
Kelly leaned over and kissed the young blonde on the forehead, smiling warmly. "But that's a story for another time, sweetie. Goodnight."
"Pwomise?" Hannah whispered, a lock of her mother's red hair clutching tightly between her little fingers.
"I promise, Han. Tomorrow night's bedtime story, I'll tell you the happy ending…"
Author's Note: Well, there you have it. Flashbacks and bedtime stories of how Kelly became a Ranger, along with Kira, Conner, Kaylee and Dustin. Scenes taken directly from the two-parter beginning of my MF series.
Now, I'm stopping here for two reasons, one – it's late, I'm falling asleep at the computer, but I'm tired of the constant pushing to update for Kelly's Ranger history added onto the stress of my personal/emotional/school life. So there we go. And Two – it makes a nice transition into the second chapter, which focuses mostly on how some of the season will develop, and the third, which will focus on the end of Kaylee, Kira, Dustin, Conner, Kelly and the Blue Ranger (le gasp, who could it be?) as Mystic Force Rangers, why it wasn't a full season, and how Xander and the other Rangers come into play as their successors. Good night (or day, depending on when you're reading this) everyone!