Once upon a time there was a girl named Lily. She lived with her mother and father and they were very happy. One day, her mother had to go on a trip.
"But why do you have to go?" Lily asked.
Lily's mother continued to fold clothes and put them in her bag while she put together her response.
"There are people who need me," she said.
"But I need you"
Lily's mother stopped folding and wrapped Lily in a tight hug.
"I need you too, Lily, but I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can"
Lily buried her head into her mother's shoulder.
"Promise?" she asked.
"I promise," Lily's mother said.
She finished packing and but on her shoes and coat.
"The taxi will be here soon, do you want to wait with me on the porch?"
Lily waited with her mother, and helped her carry her single duffle bag to the car when it arrived. As it drove away, she ran all the way down the block, waving, until it turned and left her view. Back at the house, her father was waiting on the front porch. Lily ran into his outstretched arms.
"Don't worry, Lilybean. Mom will be back before you know it. How about pizza for dinner?" Lily's father asked.
Lily nodded, and the two walked inside.
The next day, an officer knocked at their door. He took off his hat.
"I'm so sorry," he said. He pulled a small wooden box out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Lily. "She wanted you to have this"
Lily took the box and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.
"I'm not sure-" Lily's father began.
"Don't worry," the officer said. "It won't open before she's ready, and when she's ready, she'll know"
The officer then picked up a duffel bag from the ground and handed it to her father, along with a folder.
"Everything you will need to know is in here," he said. He then saluted, put his hat back on, and left.
The years went on, and eventually Lily's father married again to a woman named Camille. She had two daughters of her own; Drizrinchi and Rinshisasia.
Lily's step sisters were bossy, and Camille did nothing to stop their behavior. They weren't as bad when her father was at home, but he had to go to increasingly more work trips in order to make ends meet.
Then one day, the day after he left for France, another officer came to the door.
And from that day forward, Lily's step mother and sister's were nothing but cruel to her, treating her as though she were a servant in her own home. After forcing her to sleep in the attic with the soot and ashes, they gave her the cruel nickname-
"Cinderlily!"
"Cinderlily!"
"Cinderlily!"
Cinderlily balanced the plates, bowls, and cups on the tray.
"I'll be up in just a second!" she called up.
Fran the mouse wiggled her whiskers.
"You're too good for them," she said.
"Yeah, yeah, too good," Flit the mouse agreed, before taking a large bite from his cheese.
She was about to answer their question when another yell came from upstairs.
"CINDERLILY!"
"Coming! I'm sorry- I'll be back in a moment," she told her mouse friends.
Cinderlily finished balancing the breakfast dishes and went up the stairs to serve breakfast. Drizrinchi, then Rinshisasia, and then Camille.
"Well, it's about time you got up here," Drizinchi said. Cinderlily handed her her plate. "Ugh! This egg is too runny! And bacon? Are you trying to make me fat?"
"I'm sorry, we ran out of sausage. I'll get some more for tomorrow after work," Cinderlily said as she picked the dirty dishes from the previous morning's breakfast.
"You better!" Drizinshi called after her.
Next was Rinshisasia, who was pulling clothes out of her closet and tossing them to the floor.
"Good morning, Rinshisasia,"
"Ak!" Rinshisia yelled in surprise, before turning around. "Oh, it's just you. What do you think, this one-" she held up a shirt, "or this one?" holding up one almost identical.
Cinderlily pointed at one.
"Thought so."
She threw the one Cinderlily pointed to on the growing floor pile and put the other one on. She then examined herself in the mirror, turing this way and that before rejecting that one to the pile as well.
"I'll leave your breakfast on your desk," Cinderlily said.
"Uh huh. Whatever." Rinshisasia said, not paying attention.
Last was Camille. When she entered the room, the radio was playing the news. Not wanting to interrupt, she set the food on the side table and turned to leave when a part caught her ear.
"-elbrate the royal prince's twenty first birthday, a traditional style royal ball will be held at the Fancy Shmancy Hotel this Saturday. All are invited to attend. And to all the single ladies, put your hands up because it is rumored that the prince is looking for a bride! After the break, -"
"Eeeeeeeh!"
Drizrinchi and Rinshisasia were listening outside the door, and had squealed with glee at the news.
"Mom! Mom! Can we go?" they asked.
Camille smiled.
"Of course, my darlings," she said. "Cinderlily, on your way home from work, schedule three dress fittings at That Fancy Boutique. I want to make sure we get a time before all the slots fill up"
"Three…?" Cinderlily smiled hopefully. "Oh, Camille, that is so kin-"
"Not for you!" Camille snapped. "The third dress is for myself. As if I'd be seen in public with you."
Some of the hope fell out of her smile.
"And besides," Camille continued, "you simply have too much to get done around the house to be galavanting at the ball"
"What if I get it all done before the ball?" Cinderlily asked.
"All the laundry, mop all the floors, clean the chimney, AND get your step sisters ready, and I'll consider. You're on your own for a dress," Camille said.
"Thank you, Camille! I-" Cinderlily's phone alarm went off. "-I have to go, can't be late for work." Cinderlily ran out of the room quickly.
Rinshisasia huffed.
"You're not really letting her go, are you?" she asked snarkily.
Camille laughed dryly.
"There is no way she will be able to get through all her chores with time enough to spare for a fitting session. There's nothing to worry about"
"Oh good. If she was there, I'd just die of embarrassment," Rinshisasia said.
"I'm going to die of embarrassment," Theo said. He turned off the radio and put his head in his hands. "I said I needed a break, not a bride! I've never even dated a girl before. What am I going to do?"
Casey just shrugged.
Growing up a prince, Theo didn't get the chance to talk to many other people his own age and make friends. Casey was the son of the captain of the royal guard, and the two had been friends before they learned to crawl.
"Fake your own death?" he suggested.
"No"
"Fake my death, and say you're too emotionally traumatized for a birthday"
"What is it with you and faking a death?"
Casey shrugged again.
"Probably too many soap operas. Don't give me that look, it won't be so bad," Casey said between bites of pancake. "King RJ doesn't seem to upset"
"Of course I'm not upset," King RJ said as he walked in with a garment bag. "Why would I be upset?"
Theo sighed.
"Didn't you hear the news? They said I was looking for a bride!"
King RJ just took this in stride.
"Just because you're looking doesn't mean you have to find one on Saturday. And if someone proposes, no is always an option. Just- be gentle when you do"
Theo rolled his eyes. King RJ didn't seem to notice.
"Anyway,I need your honest opinion on this," he said, and unzipped the garment bag. Inside was a purple tuxedo so extravagant, the Joker would think it was too much. "Do you think I should wear a regular or a bow tie with this?"
Theo let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Thank goodness it wasn't for him.
"Bow tie. Definitely," he said.
King RJ smiled at him.
"I was thinking the same thing!" he said, and left the room.
"So what are you going to wear to the ball?" Casey asked with a smirk.
Theo hadn't even thought about that. He shrugged.
"I think my old prom suit still fits," Theo said.
Casey wrinkled his nose.
"Theo, no girl is going to fall for you if you show up wearing that old thing"
"That's the idea"
Casey shook his head and grabbed Theo's arm, dragging him out of the room.
"Hey!" Theo yelped. "Where are we going?"
"We," Casey paused dramatically, "are going to make you look like a prince"
Faking his own death didn't sound so bad anymore. Unfortunately, by the time Theo came to this conclusion, they were already in the car on their way to the Men's Suit Place.
When they arrived, Theo was about to get out of the car but Casey stopped him.
"Hold on- you can't go out looking like that!"
Theo looked down at his clothes, then back at Casey.
"You'll be recognized and mobbed the instant you step out of the car. Lucky for you, I thought ahead and bought these," Casey said, and produced a pair of Marco Grouch glasses.
Theo glared at them, and then Casey.
"You can't possibly be serious."
Casey grinned.
"Fine. Give me those," Theo said, and put them on.
When the two walked into the store, it was completely empty, save for the staff.
"I called ahead!" Casey explained when Theo looked around confused. We'll have the whole place to ourselves until one. Smile!" Casey was able to snap a picture with his phone before Theo chucked the disguise glasses at his head. Casey laughed, and Theo was only able to hold his angry face for a few seconds before he started laughing too.
With the help of the staff, they picked out a blue suit vest over a black button up shirt, black blazer with blue accents, and skinny blue tie for Theo, and for Casey a simple white button up with a dark red blazer.
They walked out of the store, Casey's arm draped over Theo's shoulder.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Casey teased.
Theo pushed his arm off of him and grinned.
"So I guessed you saved me from a fashion disaster of RJ picking something out for me, so I'll give you that," Theo said.
Cinderlily riffled through the boxes before pulling out the dress.
"There you are! An oldie, for sure, but still a goodie. But I'm sure a little makeover won't hurt," she said to the dress, and laid it out on her bed with her sewing kit next to it. "If I have time. I'll be back for you later"
She tightened her apron, and went to tackle the chores.
Fran and Flit crawled up the dresser and onto the bed. Fran shook her head as she looked at the printed out pattern. There was no way Cinderlily would have enough energy to spruce up her dress after doing all those chores. Then she got an idea; She would finish the dress for her! Then she would be able to go to the ball and have fun for a change instead of bossed around. She pushed up her imaginary sleeves, and got to work.
All that week, the two worked hard at their tasks. Too soon but at long last, the day of the ball arrived, and Cinderlily had not even time to look at her dress again. After helping Drizrinchi and Rinshisasia into their dresses and do their hair and makeup, she ran up the stair to see what she could do with her dress in the short hour before the taxi arrived to pick them up. She looked around for it, then spotted it on a hanger on her door.
She gasped.
Not only had the dress been washed free of dust, it had been repaired and beautifully embellished.
"Ta da!" Fran said triumphantly. "What do you think?"
Cinderlily wiped a tear from her face.
"It- it's beautiful! Oh, thank you Fran!" Cinderlily said, and picked her up and kissed her on the head before gently placing her back on the bed. Fran blushed.
"Well? Quit standing around and get ready! Your ride will be here soon!"
Cinderlily got dressed as quick as she could, putting her hair up with her best ribbon. And just in time to, as that's when the taxi pulled up. As she walked down the stairs, she was met with varying looks of disgust and disapproval. She ignored these the best she could. Once at the bottom, she gave a little twirl.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"She can't come with us!"
"Yeah, she'll ruin the plan!"
Drizrinchi and Rinshisasia started talking unintelligibly at the same time, but went silent when Camille raised her hand.
"Why, Cinderlily, my dear. You can't possibly think I'll let you go wearing that."
"It belonged to my mother. I'm sure it will be fine," Cinderlily said.
"Don't be ridiculous. It won't hold up. Look at it-" she reached out and toor the dress at the shoulder "-already falling to pieces."
Drizrinchi and Rinshisasia smiled wickedly to each other as they got the idea.
"Yeah," Drizrinshi agreed. "Something like," she tore a hole in her skirt "like this could happen!"
"Or this!" Rinshisasia ripped at the sleeve. Then her ribbon. Then the two attacked her dress, ripping at it until it was nothing but tatters.
Cinderlily waited until the taxi left before running from the house and into the garden, where she fell to a bench and cried. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she wasn't alone anymore. When she looked up, she saw an old man with white hair and a green jacket.
"C'mon, now. Dry those tears. We can't have you going to the ball like that!" he said.
"Who are you?" Cinderlily asked.
"Why, I'm your fairy godfather, Master Phant!" he explained. "And you must go to the ball, for it is your destiny. Lives are at stake!"
"Lives?" Cinderlily asked, drying her tears. "It's just a party"
Master Phant waved his hand.
"Don't worry about that now, I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first; transportation!"
He took out his wand, and with a wave of it, turned the lone squash in the garden into an elegant limo. Fran and Flit crawled up on the hood. With another wave, Fran became the driver and Flit the doorman.
"But Master Phant, are you sure-" Cinderlily tried again.
"Of course I am, my dear. Now, let's get you looking sharp!"
With a final wave of his wand, Cinderlily's dress transformed from tatters into a short yellow dress with black knee length leggings underneath and black high heeled shoes.
"Now off you go, the spell wears off at midnight, so you don't have much time!" Master Phant explained as he guided Cinderlily to the limo. As she sat down, he held up his hand and snapped his fingers. In his hand appeared the box her mother left her all those years ago, and he handed it to her. Cinderlily tried to open it, but still it would not.
"Keep that with you, you'll know when the time's right," Master Phant said, and attached a strap to the box so it wouldn't have to be carried all night in her hands.
At this point, Cinderlily decided to just go enjoy herself. There would be plenty of time to ask questions after the ball. Flit closed the door, and off they went.
The ball finally arrived, and Theo's worst fear came true. Every girl there immediately mobbed to him as soon as they saw him, trying to get his attention and flirt with him. He couldn't see or hear it, but he could perfectly immagine Casey laughing at his predicament.
As though summoned by thought, Casey appeared by his side with drinks.
"I got this for you, oh no, I spilled," Casey said as he very purposely spilled one of the drinks onto Theo's shirt. "You better go clean yourself up"
Theo pretended to glare at him while silently thanking him, and went to the restroom. After cleaning up, he loitered in the hallway, procrastinating his return to his own party. There was still time to fake his death. He was looking around for a sharp object and some sort of red liquid when he met her.
He was about to pick up a very promising looking fire poker when it happened.
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. "You look kind of… out of it. Do you want to take a break from the party with me? I know this great place in the hotel that's pretty exclusive," she said with a wink.
Theo looked from the girl to the poker and back again. He could always fake his death after. He took her offered hand and smiled. Together, they walked through several halls and ended up in a courtyard with some benches and a nice water feature. The music could be heard faintly in the background, and in the soft light, the mystery girl glowed.
"So, you wanna dance?" she asked nervously.
Theo looked down at their still linked hands before taking her other and putting it on his shoulder.
As the two of them danced, Theo felt the world go still.
"There you are!" one of the bellhops from the hotel shouted, breaking the moment. "Your father is waiting for you, there's no time to lose. I'll make sure your friend gets to safety"
"I have to go now, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise"
The two of them left, and went up to the privat set of suits the royal family was staying in. Casey was standing in front of RJ, who was holding two wooden boxes.
"RJ, what is this about? Time for what?"
King RJ said nothing, just handed him and Casey one of the boxes that opened in their hands. Inside each box was an ordinary looking pair of sunglasses, his blue and Casey's red.
"Sunglasses? RJ, you can't be serious," Theo said.
"Oh, I am. All you need to do is put them on and read the inscription inside"
They put them on, and read the inscription out loud.
"Jungle beast, spirit unleashed!"
They became power rangers! Theo still had questions.
"Why us? Why now?" he asked.
"Dai Shi has awakened, and only by the power rangers combining their three animal spirits can he be defeated"
"Three?" Casey asked. "But there are only two of us"
"Well, then,"RJ said with a shrug, "you better go find your missing ranger"
"We don't have time- we'll have to defeat Dai Shi on our own. Let's go!"
Cinderlily followed the bellhop, worried about the safety of her new friend all the way. As they walked, she remembered the last time someone said those words to her.
I have to go. I'll be home as soon as I can. I promise-
Cinderlily pushed that thought out of her mind. Not those words, now was not the time. The other ones.
It's time.
She took the box from the strap and held it in her hands. After so many years, it opened.
The party downstairs was pandemonium, people screaming and pushing. The building was surrounded by masked monsters.
Theo and casey looked at each other.
"Ready?"
"Ready"
"With the strength of a tiger, Jungle Fury Red Ranger!"
"With the stealth of a jaguar, Jungle Fury Blue Ranger!"
"With the speed of a cheetah, Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger!"
The three rangers looked at each other, or mostly, red and blue at yellow, until she broke the silence.
"Turns out, I was needed too," she said.
It was the girl from before…
Theo shook his head. There would be plenty of time for questions later.
Together, they fought the rinshi and won.
The three rangers powered down.
Theo ran to her and hugged her. That was amazing!" he said. She hugged him back. "I just realized I never caught your name"
"I'm-" she began to answer, when the clock began to strike midnight. "I'm really sorry, I have to go"
She pushed past him and ran. As she ran, she dropped her morpher sunglasses, but with camera crews arriving, she didn't want to risk being recognized.
Cinderlily got back to her house just as the clock finished striking midnight, and the spell was broken. She quickly grabbed a broom and started sweeping, expecting Camille and her stepsisters to return from the party.
Hours passed, but still no sign of them.
Around three AM, Cinderlily decided that it was safe to assume that they had gotten a room at the hotel and would return in the morning.
The next morning, Theo and Casey were in the royal suit, discussing their next move.
"The renshi attack was only the beginning," RJ said. "Dai Shi won't give up until the whole planet is destroyed. Theo, we need you to bring back the yellow ranger"
Theo wasn't entirely paying attention, staring out the window in a daze. Casey snapped his fingers in front of his face.
"Earth to Theo, come in Theo," Casey said. "You must know something about her. The two of you seemed pretty close after the fight.
Theo swatted his hand away.
"I don't know where she is, I wasn't even able to catch her name," Theo said, annoyed.
"C'mon, Theo, think!" Casey said. "You must have some sort of clue"
"Really, I don-," Theo said, then cut himself off when he remembered. "She dropped her morpher, right after the fight!" he said, pulling it out of his jacket pocket. "But how will we know who it belongs to if I don't even know how to contact her?"
"The morpher will only work for her," RJ said. "Let it be your guide"
"But that could take days- weeks even!" Theo protested.
"Then I suggest you get started"
Theo was about to protest when Casey grabbed him by the shoulders and led him out of the room. There was an announcement to make.
Several hours later, there was a line out the door of women, young and old, eager to prove that they were the Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger.
"Forget weeks, this is going to take forever," Theo complained.
"It won't be that bad," Casey said. "Okay," he said to the first applicant. "Your name?"
"Jellica," the woman replied.
Casey gestured to the glasses.
"Whenever you're ready,"he said.
Jellica tried to put on the sunglasses, but they were too small. She practically slammed them on the table before storming out the door.
"Well, we're off to a good start," Theo said bitterly.
This process continued for several hours, and around noon Casey's stomach was yelling for food.
"I'm going to go grab us some lunch. You okay holding down the fort while I'm gone?" Casey asked.
Theo shooed him with his hand as he called up the next person. Shortly after Casey left, he came back in, grabbed Theo by the arm, and started to pull him out the door, all the while talking gibberish.
"Renshi- Dai Shi- Buffalord- we gotta go!" Casey sputtered in an attempt to explain. However, the sight before him explained well enough. An army of warriors the same as the ones they had fought the night before surrounded one that looked like a giant freaking buffalo. Then a woman stepped out and laughed.
"Attack," she said.
The two rangers fought valiantly, but were losing.
"You two look like you could use a hand," a voice said before punching the rinshi holding Theo down.
"Thanks, I-" Theo froze. "It's you. But just to be sure," Theo pulled the morpher out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"No! You can't possibly be the yellow ranger," the woman who ordered the attack said.
"Camille? What are you doing here?"
"Well, since you already know too much, hiding the rest would only slow me down. It's time you see the truth," Camille said.
She then morphed her body into that of a giant camilione monster.
"I'm looking forward to this, Cinderlily. It's not often one gets to kill the same power ranger twice. You'll die just like your mother," she said.
"Not a chance," Cinderlily said, and she put on the sunglasses. "And my name is Lily. Don't call me Cinderlily ever again. Jungle beast, spirit unleashed!"
The three rangers fought together and defeated the rinshi army, the Buffalord, and Camille.
"Well done, guys!" RJ congratulated the rangers. "So, Theo, who's your new friend?"
"I'm Lily," Lily said, and she shook RJ's offered hand.
"Excellent! Hello, Lily!" RJ said. "So, When's the wedding?"
Lily and Theo were flabbergasted, alternating between looking each other and looking at RJ. Finally, Theo found his voice again.
"Maybe we should go on a date first. Wanna go get lunch?"
Lily smiled.
"I thought you'd never ask."