Author's Note: I bring you guys another original chapter that I have been developing some time. I was originally going to post this for chapter 7 but I just didn't like how it was developing, so I decided just to spend a little bit more time working on it and then just post it later on. Now that I'm done editing it, I love how it turned out.
Anyways, here is chapter 9! Here a popular pop star comes to Amber Beach who shares a strong resemblance to Tess, but soon trouble comes when two of Sledge's of monsters kidnap both of them. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS DINO CHARGE! I ONLY OWN TESS SUTTON, HER FAMILY, MY STORYLINES AND ANYTHING YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE!
Chapter 9: Diva in Distress
In the deep bowels of space, Sledge was walking his cell blocks, trying to figure out which monster to send to steal the energems from the rangers. It was clear that Sledge was getting frustrated that the rangers continuously kept foiling his plans. "I need those energems!" Sledge roared. "Which one of you could do that for me?!"
"Sledgums, can you take a break from getting those silly energems to help me plan the wedding?" Poisandra pleaded to her fiancée.
"Silly? Those energems will help me rule the universe!" Sledge roared.
"Fine! Let's go Curio! We have a wedding to plan!" Poisandra said as she and her best friend Curio left the cellblocks.
"Thank goodness! Fury!" Sledge yelled as Fury came to his side and said "Master Sledge, I have the perfect aliens to conquer those rangers. Double Trouble!"
Double Trouble are a pair of alien brothers that are identical to each other. Double and Trouble were fairly large looking aliens that had dark teal skin and were covered in black and white armor. The only thing distinguishing Double from Trouble, is that Double had a half white mask on the left side of his face and Trouble had the half mask on the right side of his face. "We are at your service, Master Sledge" Double Trouble said in unison.
"Can you do what those other mangy monsters have failed to do?! Can you two destroy those pesky rangers?!"
"They can do twice the work that all those other cell rats can't!" Fury roared.
"You can count on us Master Sledge!" They said in unison.
"Then get me those energems!" Sledge instructed them.
"Yes Master Sledge!" Double Trouble said in unison as they headed to Earth to do Sledge's bidding. The rangers were going to be in for a challenge. If they thought one of Sledge's monsters were a challenge, they were in for a battle.
...
Back on Earth, it was another day in Amber Beach and Tess was riding her bike, trying to get to work on time. Tess's 9:30 class ran an extra 30 minutes, and now she was pressed for time to get to the museum. "Kendall is going to kill me. I am so gonna be late!" Tess stressed as she rode as fast as she possibly could. As Tess rode, she noticed one of the street lights counting down. Tess quickly peddled, hoping to beat the light. As Tess rode, she noticed a limousine coming her way. Tess quickly pulled up and jumped over the car before riding away. As she jumped over the limo, her wheels skidded across the hood.
"Sorry!" Tess yelled before riding away. Unknown to Tess, she just jumped the hood of the limo of one of the most popular superstars in the world to date.
"What was that?!" the young woman inside the limo screeched, as she looked up from her iPhone.
"It was just some reckless kid. But Piper, you need to focus right now" the man with her said. The young woman inside was none other than Piper Starr. Piper was one of the most popular young musicians in the world today, capturing the world with her fun, dance music that was simply infectious. But despite the glitz and glamour, Piper is still a 17 year old girl.
"I'm still trying to understand why you booked me to sing to here" Piper said, rolling her eyes.
"This town is one of our stops on our nationwide tour, and we really need to capture them and get your name out there" Piper's manager: Justin Jones instructed her. Piper has been with Justin ever since she was 13 years old and he always knows the direction she should go. Justin was the one who helped Piper breakout into the entertainment industry. But Justin is so business-minded that sometimes he forgets to let Piper really enjoy life.
"Then after, can we please do something fun? Like go to the amusement park or something?" Piper pleaded.
"Maybe, but you need to focus on this gig right now Piper" Justin reminded her.
Piper took off her sunglasses and said dismally "Alright..." When Piper took off her sunglasses, she looked like a person we were all familiar with. Piper's long brown hair, hazel eyes, and her all around appearance was eerily familiar with Tess. Piper was almost like a carbon copy of Tess and it was interesting that fate intertwined their paths to cross.
...
Tess managed to get to the museum in time for her shift. When Tess got back to the museum, she chained her bike up and headed inside. As Tess walked inside of the museum, she was surprised to see there wasn't a lot of people today. The museum usually had a lot of tours going on a daily basis, so it was strange to see that it was practically empty today.
Tess walked into the cafe to see that there were only a few customers today. While Shelby was bussing tables, the guys were huddled around a radio, listening to a pretty catchy song. "Hey guys!" Tess greeted the team, as she put on her apron and work hat.
"Hey" the guys said, not even looking at her as they remained huddled by the radio.
"Hey, you made it just in time" Shelby smiled, walking up to Tess.
"Yep, and two questions: Why is the museum practically empty today? And what's up with them?" Tess asked Shelby.
"Everyone is lining up at the mall, ready to get an autograph from Piper Starr. She's performing in town today. She's doing an autograph session at the mall and then a concert later today."
"Piper Starr?" Tess asked, not really knowing who she is. Tess was really bad at keeping up to date on all the big stuff in popular culture. Coming from a small country town, she was always the last to learn about all the latest things. "I think I've heard of her. She's really big right now. Everyone at my school is always talking about her, but I've never really listened to her music. Is that why it's practically empty today?" Shelby nodded her head in response.
"So, what's up with them?"
"Piper Starr is doing an on-air radio interview right now. That's why they're practically glued to the radio" Shelby explained, staring a hole right through the guys.
"How long have they been glued to the radio?"
"Way before you got here."
"I don't understand. If you guys wanna go see her, why don't you guys just go to the mall?" Tess asked the guys.
"Because, Kendall won't let us take the day off" Riley explained.
"You know, I don't really see the hype behind Piper Starr. I mean she's alright, I don't think she's great" Shelby said as the guys looked at her like she was crazy.
"Are you crazy? She's is amazing!" Chase gushed.
"Yeah, she so pretty" Koda uttered.
"How would you guys know? You guys don't even know what she looks like" Shelby shot back.
"How is that possible? She's doing an autograph signing and then a concert tonight" Tess asked confused.
"She always has sunglasses on when she has appearances or concerts or is anywhere out in public, so no one really knows what she looks like. It's her signature" Tyler explained.
"Ahhh, that makes sense... I guess" Tess said, not looking to cause a fight. It was very clear that the guys really liked Piper Starr and the last thing she wanted to do was cause a fight.
"Do you listen to Piper Starr?" Tyler asked Tess.
"I mean, I've heard of her. I don't hate her music, but I'm not crazy about her either" Tess said, trying to choose her words carefully. It was clear that the guys were pretty crazy about Piper Starr and the last thing she wanted was to cause a fight. The guys looked at her like she was insane. "Well, I'm going to get to work" Tess said clapping her hands and got to work.
...
After her on-air radio interview, Justin allowed Piper to have a little break before her autograph signing at the mall. After much contemplating, Piper decided to check out the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum. The dinosaur museum was very famous all over the world for their large collection of dinosaur fossils. "Out of all the things you wanted to do on your break, you choose to visit a dinosaur museum?"
"Yeah, I mean I think dinosaurs are cool!" Piper said as she and her manager headed inside. As Piper looked at all the dinosaur displays, they looked like they are so much larger than life. Although Piper didn't know too much about dinosaurs, she was open to learning about them. As they walked throughout the museum, Piper noticed a small cafe inside. "Hey Justin, can we get a little something to eat?"
Justin looked at his watch and said "Maybe a quick bite wouldn't hurt."
Piper smiled as they went inside the Dino Bite Cafe. Justin took a seat as Piper went up to the counter and looked at the menu, trying to decide what to order. As she looked on, Chase, Riley, Shelby and Tyler were in the kitchen and were simply starstruck. "Guys, it's Piper Starr!" Chase whispered as they were simply in awe as a superstar was in their presence.
While they were starstruck, Tess was busy sweeping but she didn't notice Piper because she had her earbuds in. As Tess swept behind Piper, Koda came out from the loading dock, carrying a large amount of archeological supplies. Koda wasn't looking where was he going, and he accidentally knocked Tess right into Piper, knocking them both over. "Tess!" Shelby yelled as the team went to go check on their friend.
"I so sorry Tess!" Koda apologized.
"It's fine! I am so sorry about that! I should've been looking where I was going" Tess apologized to the person she knocked over.
"It's fine, no harm done" she smiled as Justin came up to her and asked "Piper, are you okay?"
"Yeah" she said.
The team helped Tess up as Justin helped up Piper and they were simply in awe at what they saw. When Tess knocked Piper over, her sunglasses came right off her face. This was the first time that Piper's face was revealed in public. Everyone was surprised that Piper and Tess shared a striking resemblance to one another. Tess and Piper were like carbon copies of each other. "You have my face..." Piper said in complete awe.
"It's like looking in a mirror" Tess said, trying to look closely at Piper, hoping her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, and it wasn't.
...
After the little revelation, Piper left with her manager to set up at the mall for her autograph signing. "I still can't believe that you look like Piper Starr!" Tyler exclaimed as Tess came back into the kitchen with a tray full of dishes.
"It's crazy, but I don't think it's a big deal" Tess said, not as starstruck as her friends.
"Well a lot of studies do say for every person that's born, there is an identical person that is born out there" Riley said to the team.
"Yeah, you would know that" Shelby joked as everyone chuckled. "It is kinda cool, you have to admit that."
"It is, but I mean I'm never gonna see her again. I mean, she's a huge pop star and I'm just a normal girl" Tess said.
"Who's also a power ranger" Chase said, placing his arm around Tess. Tess removed Chase's arm and joked "Not exactly something I'd want to advertise to the world. I'm gonna take my break right now."
As Tess was about to leave, Shelby walked up to her and said "Just remember to be back for the rest of your shift. Kendall said she has a lead on another energem. She wants us to check it out later."
"Got it" Tess said as she left the cafe to go take her break. Tess walked out of the museum and as she unchained her bike, she heard someone yell "Tess!"
She turned around to see a familiar face running up to her. She went up right to Tess, removed her sunglasses and said "It's me Piper."
"Piper? What are you still doing here? I thought you left for the mall for your autograph signing?"
"I talked my manager into letting me have a little more time off before my appearance at the mall. Are you free right now?"
"I have a 30 minute break right now, why?"
"You wanna hang out?" Piper asked as Tess looked on surprised. Tess was a little taken aback. All she could ask herself is why would an international pop sensation want to hang out with a normal girl like her? But what was Tess to pass up to an opportunity to hang out with a girl as cool as Piper.
...
"I still can't believe that I met someone who looks exactly like me" Piper gushed as she and Tess were at a small little cafe in Amber Beach. As the waiter delivered the girls a box of macaroons and their coffees.
"Well, my friend Riley did say for every person that's born, there's someone out there who looks exactly like them" Tess said with a chuckle as she drank her coffee.
"What's it like? You know, having friends?" Piper asked with a somberly as she stared at her coffee.
"Honestly, it's nice. When I came to Amber Beach from my hometown, I didn't know anyone. I was terrified about going through all this alone. But then I met Shelby and Tyler and Riley and Chase and Koda. They really helped ease me into life in the city. They are amazing people and they're like my new family now. I don't know what I'd do without them" Tess said affectionately. Tess loved her friends. Tess never would have thought she would find friends as great as her team.
"It must be nice having real friends" Piper said, sensing the genuine bond Tess had to her friends.
"I'm pretty sure you have real friends too. I mean, you're Piper Starr! Who wouldn't want to be your friend?"
"That's just it. I'm Piper Starr, everyone wants to be my friend but not for the right reasons and sometimes it's hard to tell when people really want to be my friend" Piper confessed.
"What do you mean?"
"Because I'm Piper Starr, people wanna be friend but not because they really want to be my friend. They're only friends with me for the label or the perks. A lot of people would die to say Piper Starr was their friend" Piper explained to Tess. Since Piper was a well-known pop star, she has met a lot of people throughout her career but unfortunately, she hasn't met anyone who is genuinely interested in being her friend. Piper has met so many people who were only interested in being her friend for the perks or for her stuff. All Piper really wants to find one person who is truly interested in getting to know the real her.
"That's pretty mean for people to do that. If people got to know the real person behind the sunglasses, I'm pretty they'd love you right away" Tess said with a smile. "But you have to admit, you have a pretty cool life. I mean, what I would give to travel all over the world and sing for millions of fans."
"I mean it's cool sometimes, but what I would give to have your life. I mean I would love to have a real home, go to school and work like a real kid and have real friends. I never stay in the same place for too long and sometimes it gets hard" Piper confessed.
"I really wish I could help..." Tess said genuinely.
Piper looked at Tess for a second and then an idea popped into her head. A mischievous smirk appeared on Piper's face and Tess noticed this, "What?"
"I have the best idea! Why don't we switch places?"
"What do you mean switch places?" Tess asked confused.
"I mean, you pretend to be me and I pretend to be you" Piper suggested.
Tess's eyes widened at the idea of Piper being her. If Piper was in Tess's place, she would discover all of the Rangers secrets and worst of all, Piper would be put into a lot of danger. There was no telling what Sledge had up his sleeve. Also, Tess had to be back at the command center to help the rest of the team follow a lead on a new energem discovery. "I... I don't know about this" Tess said reluctantly.
"Come on! It'll be fun and you said you wanted to see what it's like being a superstar and I want to know what it's like being a normal girl" Piper pleaded. Piper has been in the spotlight ever since she was a young, that she missed out on life as a normal girl.
"But we can't stay in each other's places all day. I mean, I have a really important dig to get to after my shift and I can't miss it. Plus, I can't sing to save my life" Tess said, emphasizing the importance of her team's dig.
"Okay we switch places for a few hours. You be me for my autograph session at the mall and I'll be you for remainder of your shift and then we'll switch back. You'll make it to your dig and I'll make it to my concert. Come on, Tess! My whole life I've wanted to know what it's like to be a normal girl, even if it is just for one day" Piper pleaded.
It was clear that Piper wasn't going to give up. As Tess thought about it, if she and Piper switched back right after her shift and the autograph session, she wouldn't discover any of the ranger's secrets. Reluctantly, Tess said "Well, okay. But we need to switch back right away."
"Yay! Thank you! Thank you!" Piper said as she grabbed Tess's hand, "Come on!" and they ran to the bathroom.
As they changed clothes, Piper informed Tess "Okay, so my manager's name is Justin Jones and if they ask you anything about my music just improvise. Just pretend you know what your talking about."
"Okay, I'll try. My friends are name Tyler, Shelby, Chase, Koda, and Riley. My boss's name is Kendall Morgan, she can be a little uptight but don't take it too personally" Tess informed Piper of her team.
After switching clothes, Piper and Tess walked out, they were amazed at how much of the other they looked. Tess and Piper were truly carbon copies of each other.
Piper's style was definitely very glamorous as Tess was wearing Piper's white chiffon button up top with a black leather eyelet peter pan collar tucked into some black skinny jeans, a navy blue blazer, and a pair polished red wine Mary Jane platform heels. Piper's accessories were pretty glamorous as well as Tess wore a big black statement necklace under her collar with her yellow energem tucked inside of her blouse, stacked gold bracelets and some pretty bold statement rings. This is the complete opposite of Tess's everyday style. Tess's style was definitely more laid back and effortless, but still pretty girly. Piper was wearing Tess's bright yellow racerback chiffon romper with her denim button down shirt over it, and a pair of black low-cut converse. Tess's accessories were pretty simple with a black ornate pendant on a long gold chain, Tess's watch and her yellow bow.
"Your outfit is so cute!" Piper said as she twirled in Tess's outfit. "It feels so nice to get out of those uncomfortable heels."
"Well, this is definitely a change to what I normally wear" Tess chuckled, looking down at Piper's outfit. "Are you sure people will buy this?"
"Positive! As long as we stay to true to who the other is, nothing can go wrong" Piper said putting her sunglasses on Tess's face. Piper was confident that they would got caught, but Tess wasn't so sure if this was go idea.
"Okay, remember we switch back in two hours. Not longer, not any less" Tess reminded Piper.
"Got it!" Piper smiled. "And Tess, thank you."
"That's what friends do" Tess smiled as they headed out of the bathroom. "Now come on, my shift starts in 15 minutes."
While Piper was headed back to the museum, an ominous cackle could be heard from the distance. This was definitely going to be a very interesting experience for both of them.
...
Piper (as Tess) headed back to the Dino Bite Cafe, ready to be a normal girl even if it was for a little while. As Piper waked inside, she was a little anxious and nervous. She doesn't want to give anything away and the last thing she wanted to do was get Tess in trouble for helping her. As she walked inside the cafe, she greeted everyone "Hey everyone!"
"Hey Tess, you mind getting that table over there?" Shelby asked Piper.
"Sure" Piper took a quick pause before saying "Shelby?" not really sounding too sure. Piper needed to think on her feet.
"Yeah..." Shelby said, giving 'Tess' a strange look.
Piper went up to the table and said "My name is Tess and I'll be your server today, what can I get you on this beautiful day?" Piper jotted down their order before saying with a bright smile "Okay, your order will be out shortly."
Piper went into the kitchen to pass the order off to Riley, who was manning the grill. "So Tess, are you ready for the dig later? Kendall said she got a great lead" Riley said to 'Tess'.
"Yeah, I am so ready for the dig. We are going to find a lot of... stuff. Dinosaur stuff" Piper said, not really knowing what to say.
Riley looked at her, pretty confused as Piper said "I'm going to go clear off some table" before quickly scurrying off. Piper needed to be careful about what she was saying. The last the thing she wanted was to give herself away. As Piper cleared off a table, she said to the leaving customers "I hope you guys have an amaze-tastic day!"
As Piper left to drop some dirty dishes off in the kitchen, Chase was clearing the table next to and was simply looking at her with a suspicious look. When Chase was finished clearing off the table, he walked into the kitchen and he asked Shelby, who was prepping orders "Hey, do you think there's something a little off with Tess today?"
"Well I mean, she's a little... weird, but she's always a little weird."
"No, this is different. Like, she's not herself..." Chase said, as Shelby shrugged her shoulders and finished prepping some orders.
Chase had gotten very close to all his teammates, especially Tess. Chase has gotten to know the real Tess and all her quirks. Chase noticed that Tess wasn't so sure of herself, and normally she was so confident. Also, she said things that she wouldn't normally say. Although Tess is very bubbly and outgoing, she would never say 'amaze-tastic'. Although that girl looked a lot like Tess, that wasn't her. Chase knew the real Tess and he had come to really appreciate all the little things that made her special.
Meanwhile back at the mall, Tess (as Piper) was with Justin, ready to sign some autographs for some of Piper's fans. As Tess sat down at the table, Justin said to her "Okay Piper, the fans are lining up by the boat loads. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm so ready... Justin" Tess said reluctantly as the first fan came up to 'Piper'.
Tess smiled a million dollar smile and said "Hi, what's your name?" as a young girl walked up to the table. "Annie" she said with a sweet voice.
"Well, Annie it is so nice to meet you" Tess said as she signed the young girl's autograph book. Before the autograph signing, Tess looked on the internet to see how to do Piper's signature. The last thing, Tess wanted to do was give anything away.
"Piper, what's your favorite song off your new album?" the young girl asked.
Tess's eyes widened as she stuttered trying to figure out what to say. Tess didn't really follow Piper's music, so she didn't really know what to say. Tess had to think on her feet, "Uhhh, how could I choose? They are all so amazing! And it's fans like you, that make all of this worthwhile."
The young girl smiled through her tears and said "Thank you so much, Piper!"
As the young girl left, Justin looked at 'Piper' and said "Whoa Piper, you are a natural with people."
"Why, thanks" Tess smiled as she had to get through this autograph signing before getting back to her life.
...
Back at the Dino Bite cafe, Piper was busy washing dishes as her phone started pinging. It was an alert, reminding her it was time to switch back with Tess. Although Piper enjoyed the freedom of being able to be in a place and not have fans mob her, in the end this wasn't her life. As Piper finished the last of the dishes, Chase came up to her. "Hey beautiful, how about we cut to the chase and get out of here" as he wrapped an arm around Piper. This was the first pickup line that Chase used on Tess the first time he met her. Chase had something up his sleeve.
Piper smiled and said "Sounds fun."
When Piper said that, Chase looked at her, suspiciously. When she said that, Chases's suspicions were confirmed. Chase removed his arm and said "Okay, who are you and where's Tess?"
Piper's eyes widened and panicked "Huh? What are you talking about? I am Tess."
"No, your not. The real Tess wouldn't fall for any of my brilliant pickup lines and every time I put my arm around her shoulder, her first instinct is to move it off. Plus she would never say the word 'amaze-tastic" Chase smirked at Piper. "You may have got everyone fooled, but not me. Lemme guess, Piper Starr?"
Piper nodded her head and said "This was all my idea. I really wanted to see what it was like to be a normal girl and Tess wanted see what it was like being a superstar. We honestly didn't think we were doing anything wrong."
Chase let out a big sigh. Chase couldn't decide whether to be upset at Tess for putting their secret at risk or be happy that she wanted to help a friend. But no matter what Tess's intentions were, she did put the ranger's secret at risk for switching places with Piper. "So, when are you switching back with Tess?"
"I'm heading out to the mall right now. I promised her that we would switch back in time for your guy's dig and my concert. She was against us switching places for the whole day" Piper revealed to Chase.
"You want me to take you?" Chase offered.
"It's okay, I'll take Tess's bike" Piper smiled. "Look, don't be mad at Tess. I talked her into doing this and she was just being a friend. The last thing I wanted to do was get her into trouble."
Chase smiled at what Piper said. It was Tess's pure heart that made him really like her. Tess gave a lot of herself to people and he really liked that. "I know..." was all Chase could say.
Piper nodded her head as she ran out of the Dino Bite Cafe to go meet with Tess. As Piper left, Tyler asked Chase "Where's Tess going?"
"To go meet a friend" Chase said, deciding not to blow Piper's cover.
As Tess walked out of the Dino Bite Cafe, a sinister cackle started to sound off. Terrified, Piper looked around to see where it was coming from. Out of nowhere, Double appeared in front of you. Piper's eyes widened as she asked "What are you?"
"I am Double and I'm here to get what rightfully belongs to my Master! Now give me your energem, yellow ranger!"
"I don't know what your talking about!" Piper panicked.
"Playing dumb are we? Let's see how dumb you'll play after this!" Double roared, shooting a laser at Piper. Piper tried to outrun it, but it caught her, transporting her to a secret hideout. While Piper was being transported, Tess's bag fell to the floor as Double cackled manically.
Meanwhile, Tess was at the mall finishing up Piper's autograph session. Once Tess got the last fan, Justin said "Okay Piper, we have to get to the venue right now for sound check."
Tess looked at her watch and said "Umm yeah, I just need to do something outside really quick."
Justin looked at his watch, checking how much time they had. "Okay, but hurry."
"Thanks, Justin" Tess said as she quickly ran out to switch back with Piper. Tess walked out, looked around and asked "Piper, where are you?"
As Tess stood there, a sinister cackle started to sound off. Tess turned around and saw another one of Sledge's monsters in front of her. Tess got into a fighting stance as he cackled "Yellow ranger! Are you gonna give me that energem or will I have to destroy you first?"
"Who are you?" Tess asked, not backing down.
"I am Trouble! And now you're going to get into some trouble!"
Tess snarked "Clever, but destroy me? I'd like to see you try" as she charged at Trouble. Tess swung at Trouble with Piper's purse before hitting an aerial cartwheel into some jabs and a strong front kick. Tess was probably one of the few people that can take down a monster while wearing high heels.
"Just give up ranger!" Trouble roared as he swung at Tess.
Tess did a backflip into a low sweep kick as she joked "Give up isn't exactly in my vocabulary."
Trouble roared before sitting Tess with a strong jab, knocking her off her Tess was about to get to her feet, Trouble roared "No you don't!" before blasting her with his laser, transporting her to another location.
After being transported, Tess found herself in a large cage inside an empty warehouse. "Where am I?" Tess looked around as she heard a voice say "Tess?"
Tess turned around to see Piper with her, "Piper?! What are you doing here?!"
"I was going to meet you and this weird monster came out of nowhere" Piper exclaimed. This has Sledge written all over it.
This is what Tess was worried about. The last thing Tess wanted to do was put Piper in any danger but it was clear that Sledge didn't care who he had to hurt to get the energems. Tess had to think quick on her feet. She got her Dino com out of Piper's purse and tried to get a hold of someone "Kendall? Kendall? Shelby? Anyone?" but she couldn't.
Tess let out a sigh as she heard voices come their way. "I'm telling you I caught the yellow ranger!"
"No! I caught the yellow ranger!" the other voice argued. Tess went over to Piper as Double and Trouble appeared in front of them.
"There's two of them?!" Double and Trouble roared as Piper and Tess stood there, not sure what to do. All Tess could do was hope that her friends would notice she was missing.
...
While this all transpired, the rest of the rangers were in the command center waiting for Tess to arrive so they can go follow that lead on the energem, but she never came. "Okay, where is Tess?" Kendall asked worried. Tess was never late, and this worried her.
"I don't know, she just ran out earlier" Tyler said.
Chase let out an uneasy sigh. The last time he saw Piper when she was leaving to go meet with Tess, now she's missing. This simply couldn't be a coincidence. He had a feeling that something bad had happened, but the last thing he wanted to do was get Tess in trouble with Kendall for helping a friend.
"Alright guys, I'm worried. What if something happened to her?" Shelby suggested to the team and as if right on cue, the alarm started going off. The team went to the projector as Kendall informed them "Alien DNA by the pier and Tess is there too."
The team exchanged looks as Tyler said, "Let's go check it out!" as they quickly ran out to the pier to help their teammate.
...
"Tess, I'm scared, what are we going to do?" Piper panicked as she and Tess sat inside the cage.
"I'm not sure" Tess said, unsure of what to do. Tess's first instinct is to morph but she couldn't because Piper was with her.
"Tess, we have to call the police!" Piper panicked.
"Piper, look my friends will be here any second to help us, I know they will" Tess reassured Piper.
"Tess, what can your friends do?! Did you not see that monster?!" Piper panicked. "Tess what does that monster want? And what is really going on here?" Piper asked, wanting to learn the truth.
"Piper, I really want to tell you what's going on, I do but I can't. This is just something I can't pull you into. I can't risk putting you in anymore danger then we're already in. You're just going to have to trust that I'll get us out this because that's what friends do. I promise you I will get you to your concert" Tess assured Piper.
Piper nodded her head in understanding. Although she was skeptical, Piper knew that Tess was her only hope of escaping and all she really could do was trust her. "But I can get us out of here" Tess said as she got a bobby pin out of her hair and started picking the lock on the cage.
"You know how to do that?" Piper asked surprised.
"Believe me, it's not as hard as you think" Tess smirked as she got the cage open. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
As they were about to run, they heard someone roar "You're not going anywhere!" The girls noticed Double and Trouble in front of them, and they did not look happy when they noticed the girls got out of the cage.
Tess was ready to fight, as Piper stood behind her. "Bring it on!"
"Let's rumble" Double and Trouble exclaimed in unison as Tess pushed Piper out of the way. Tess charged towards Double and Trouble, ready to fight.
Tess ducked under Trouble's fist, as she did a strong windmill kick at Double. As they began to gang up on her, Tess did a back handspring to evade them, before hitting them both with a strong roundhouse kick. Tess then did an aerial cartwheel into a high kick at Double before hitting Trouble with a strong jab. Piper was simply amazed at how strong and fearless Tess was. Tess took everything Double and Trouble dished out and more. Tess tried her hardest to fight the two monsters off, but they simply overpowered them. Tess did a backflip and as she was about to strike Trouble with a jab, one kick from Double sent her flying.
"There's no escape now!" Double and Trouble exclaimed in unison as they stalked Tess. While Tess struggled to get up, Piper yelled "Tess!" as she went to her side.
Out of nowhere, blast came from behind, delivering effective blows to both monsters. Tess looked up to see none other than her friends coming her way. Tess smiled and said "Guys!"
"Tess are you alright?" Shelby asked.
"I'm better now that you guys are here" Tess smiled as she and Piper stood up.
"Piper Starr? What are you doing here?" Riley asked, confused.
"Also, why you wear Tess's clothes?" Koda added on.
"Long story..." Piper breathed out.
Loud roars came from behind them. They all turned around to see Double and Trouble walking towards them. "Rahhh! Rangers, we meet at last!" Double cackled.
"There's two of them?!" Shelby asked with her eyes widened.
"Piper get out of here now" Tess advised Piper as she made a beeline for the exit.
Tess walked out in front, facing Double Trouble and said "Now you guys will get to see our real strength. You still think you can still destroy us?"
"We know we can!" Trouble roared.
"Vivix rise!" Double called as an army of Vivixappeared.
"It's morphin' time! Dino Charger!" Tess yelled.
"READY!" the rangers yelled.
"Energize! Unleash the Power!" the team exclaimed in unison.
"Power rangers..." Tyler started.
"DINO CHARGE!" the whole team said in unison. While the whole thing transpired, Piper saw the whole thing unfold before her very eyes. Piper's new friend Tess was a Power Ranger.
"It's about to get wild!" Tyler exclaimed as the rangers charged into battle.
"No stand chance against me!" Koda exclaimed as he tossed those Vivix around like nothing.
"Let's see how you can handle some girl power!" Shelby exclaimed as she did a back handspring into some pretty powerful kicks. Shelby charged up her Dino Blaster and yelled "Dino Blaster!" as she shot at the remaining foot soldiers, taking them all down.
"Let's see how strong you rangers are!" Trouble roared as Tyler and Riley took brought the heat.
"Stronger than you!" Riley exclaimed as he slashed Trouble with his Dino Saber.
"Let's see how you handle this!" Tyler exclaimed. "Riley!"
"Do it, Tyler!" Riley said as he got down. Tyler jumped off of Riley's back as he charged up his Dino Blaster, "Dino Blaster, final strike!"
"You rangers are no match for me!" Double yelled as he faced off against Tess and Chase.
"You've got it all mixed up mate!" Chase exclaimed as he bent over while Tess rolled off his back and blasted Double with her Dino Blaster before hitting him with a jumping front kick, giving Chase the opening to show Tess how great his shot it. After hitting Double, he hit him with a strong jab to the chest before him and Tess hit Double together with a double front kick. When they fought together, it was like Chase and Tess were one person. Their moves were perfectly in sync with each other's. After a strong kick from Tess, she exclaimed "Chase! Let's finish him off!" as she threw him one of her Dino Chargers.
"Nice!" Chase said, catching her Hypa charger. "Let's do this together!" Chase exclaimed giving Tess one of his Dino Chargers.
Tess took Chase's Para charger and looked at him, "Together."
They loaded up their Dino Blasters, and exclaimed in unison "Dino charger, ready!"
Para Charger, engage!
Hypa Charger, engage!
"Energize!" They said in unison as they turned the barrels, as Tyler yelled "Get 'em guys!"
"Dino morpher blast, final strike!" They exclaimed in unison as he blasted Double, together. The combined blasts were powerful enough to take out Double permanently. Tess always knew that her and Chase made a great team.
"Double the pain!" Double cried out, as he finally fell. With Double down, the rangers stood tall but still had one more challenge to face.
"Nice!" Shelby exclaimed as the rangers regrouped.
"The fight's not over yet" Tess said as they turned to see Trouble on the ground where his brother perished.
"You destroyed my brother! Now I will destroy you!" Trouble exclaimed.
Meanwhile back on the spacecraft, Sledge watched the hold thing unfold. In frustration, Sledge threw his tablet across the ship. "Those useless monsters! Fire the Magna Beam!"
The foot soldier complied as he pressed the button, sending a large beam down to Earth, increasing Trouble in size and power. The beam not only made Trouble grow but also gave him the power of his fallen brother. "Are you ready for trouble?!" Trouble exclaimed as he stood over the rangers.
The rangers regrouped as Riley said "He looks tough! It's time to bring the heat!"
Riley was about to bring out his Dino Charger but Tess stopped him, "No guys, he's mine" Tess walked forward and exclaimed "Dino charger, ready! Summon Hypa zord!"
Hypa charger, engage!
From the sands of the deserts, Tess's zord emerged and came to take the fight to Trouble. Tess's Hypa zord fired lasers at Trouble, stunning him. "Take that, you rusty tin can!" Trouble yelled as he hit Tess's zord as it quickly evading it, standing next to Tyler and Chase's zords.
"He's too strong!" Tess exclaimed.
"Tess, we thought you could use a little back up" Chase said as he and Tyler summoned their zords.
"Tess, if we combine your Hypa zord to the Dino Charge megazord, Trouble doesn't stand a chance" Tyler suggested.
"You really think it will work?" Tess asked skeptically.
"We're stronger together, let's do this" Chase said, placing his hand on Tess's shoulder.
Tess looked at her friends and she realized Chase was right. When Tess was with her friends, it was like anything was possible. The rest of the team made Tess a stronger person. Tess smiled and said "Let's bring this creep down."
"Dino Charge Megazord, Para-Hypa formation!" Tyler, Chase, and Tess exclaimed in unison.
Zords combine!
Dino Charge Megazord, Para-Hypa formation!
"This is for Piper!" Tess exclaimed as placed her Dino Blaster inside her chamber.
"Time to get wild!" Tyler, Chase, and Tess exclaimed in unison.
Trouble quickly fired at the megazord, but they swiftly dodged it as they quickly fired back. The rangers weren't going down without a fight.
"Let's finish him off!" Tess exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Tyler agreed.
"Let's do this!" Chase exclaimed as they prepped to finish Trouble off for good.
"Bladed Para slash!" Tyler, Chase, and Tess exclaimed in unison. "Let's finish this joker!"
"Hypa zord, dynamic strike!" Tyler, Chase, and Tess exclaimed in unison, finishing Trouble off for good.
"The only one in trouble is me!" Trouble exclaimed as he fell, just like his brother.
"Monster extinct" Tyler exclaimed as the rangers stood tall.
...
After the fight, the rangers ran outside to see Piper still outside waiting for them. Tess quickly enveloped Piper in a hug and asked her "Are you okay? I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that."
"It's okay, I'm okay" Piper said hugging Tess back. "Plus, you saved me. You're like a real superhero."
"I still can't believe you switched places with Piper Starr" Riley said in complete disbelief.
"Yeah, I don't know what we were thinking" Tess chuckled out. Tess smiled that she had that affect on Piper. The last thing Tess wanted to do was to put Piper in any danger. But as they all hung out together, Tess's eyes widened, "Your concert!"
Piper's eyes widened in the exact same way, remembering her concert in at the Amber Beach Outdoor Stadium. Piper looked at her phone and saw she only had 30 minutes before she had to go on. "I only have 30 minutes to get to the stadium before I go on. I'm not going to make it. All the fans will be so disappointed." Piper cared about all her fans and the last thing she wanted to do was to let them down.
"Yes, you will" Tess smiled, taking her hand. "Tyler, did you guys bring the jeep?"
"Yeah! Don't worry, Piper, we'll get you to your concert" Tyler smiled as they quickly ran to the jeep. They all jumped inside as Tyler punched it to get Piper to her concert in time. Tyler simply drove like a crazy person through the streets. After dashing through the streets, the rangers and Piper finally made it to the Amber Beach Outdoor Stadium. The stadium was filled to the brim with fans, excited to see Piper perform.
The rangers and Piper ran through the line as Piper went up to the bouncer letting fans in and saw that Piper's manager was with him. "I'm here! I'm here!"
"Piper! Why are you late?! It doesn't matter, you need to get to wardrobe now! You go on in 10 minutes" Justin exclaimed.
"Okay, also, these are my friends and I want you to get them in" Piper smiled at Tyler, Riley, Koda, Chase, Shelby and Tess.
"Okay! Okay!" Justin said as he pushed them inside so he can get Piper on stage, as the fans in line simply groaned.
While Piper was in wardrobe, the rangers were in the front row, ready to see Piper perform. "I cannot believe we're here!" Shelby exclaimed as she and Tess jumped up and down in excitement. This is the first time Tess has been to a concert and she didn't know what to expect.
"Are you fans ready?!" The Emcee hyped up as everyone cheered. "Now, help me welcome... Piper Starr!"
The fans went crazy as Piper came out, dressed and ready to go. Piper looked simply stunning. Her hair was perfectly curled with cornrow braids on one side of her face. Her make up was gorgeous with hints of silver as she had flash tattoos accenting both of her arms and a set of black bangles on both arms. She was wearing a yellow flowy crop top with a plunge neckline and long bell sleeves, a short black/white tribal print body con skirt, a long black fringe vest, some tall black platform sandals, and a tattoo choker around her neck along with some dainty layered necklaces. Piper had her sunglasses on her face, given they were her signature every time she performed.
Piper stood on stage and said into the microphone, "Amber Beach, how are y'all doing tonight?!" As the rangers as well as the thousands of Piper's fans cheered their hearts out.
"Before I start, I wanna give a massive shoutout to a new friend I made today..." Piper smiled at Tess. The rangers smiled at Tess as Piper continued, "She's probably one of the coolest people I've ever met and she helped me realize that if I give people a chance to see the real me, they would be surprised. So tonight..."
Piper took off her sunglasses, revealing her appearance in public to all her fans for the very first time in her career. The fans gasped in awe at seeing Piper's face as Tess smiled that Piper was becoming more comfortable with who she is. "You guy's look amazing! So are you guys ready for some black magic?"
The fans roared as Piper was ready to perform one of the newest songs off her album, Black Magic. Black Magic is definitely a very fun and upbeat song and can get people dancing in a second. Black Magic was arguably one of the most popular and well received songs on her album. Once Piper started singing, she started dancing on stage and singing her heart out as the rangers had fun. Piper looked very comfortable dancing and singing on stage. Without her sunglasses on, Piper had this certain skip in her step and looked even more happier. Piper was so happy to see all of her fans and for her fans to see the real her.
Tess had gotten Piper to see how truly special she is. Not only had Tess become like a superhero to her, but became the pop star's first real friend.
...
After defeating a pair of Sledge's monsters and a successful concert performance by Piper, back at the museum, Tess was on mop duty after Kendall found out about her 'little switch' with the international pop sensation. Kendall was disappointed in Tess for putting the ranger's secret at risk so now Tess was working extra hours at the cafe until she's learned her lesson. As Tess mopped the floor, Chase came up to her and said "Stuck on mop duty?"
"Yep, Kendall said that my switch with Piper was really irresponsible and unethical and that it put the entire team at risk, so now I'm doing extra work as my punishment" Tess explained.
"Tess, what were you thinking? If Piper found out about our secret it would've blown everything" Chase said to Tess.
"I know, but when I was hanging out with her, I felt bad. I mean, yeah she's a big pop star and everything. But all that stuff she has now came with a price. She doesn't know what a normal life is and doesn't really have any real friends. I thought I was doing the right thing. Am I bad person for what I did?"
"Well, I know you're intentions were in the right place and you fought to protect to her. In in my book that makes you one of the best people I know" Chase said with a warm smile on his face.
"Tess, there's someone here to see you" Riley said as Tess looked at the entrance, to see Piper there.
Tess went up and said "Piper, what are you doing here? I thought you left for your next tour stop?"
"We're on the way to airport and I told my driver I needed to make a quick stop" Piper smiled. "The concert was a huge hit."
"I was really surprised when you took off your sunglasses during your concert. So does that mean no more hiding?" Tess asked, a little curious. The sunglasses were Piper's signature so she was little curious why she wasn't wearing them anymore.
"I think it was about time to ditch the sunglasses. I think if I give people a real chance to see the real me, I think they'd like what they see" Piper said optimistically. Tess was starting to rub off on Piper. Piper was now starting to see the best in people and understands that if she gives people a chance, she will find real friends who will want to get to know the real her.
"That's amazing, me and my friends had a great time and you my friend are incredible" Tess complimented.
"Thank you, my friend..." Piper emphasizing the word 'friend'.
"Piper, about the what happened..." Tess started, not beating around the bush.
"Oh, about a monster capturing us? Yeah, no apologies are needed, yellow ranger" Piper revealed.
Tess's eyes widened. How could Piper know her secret? Tess saw Piper leave when the rest of the team arrived. "What are you talking about?"
"I saw you become a power ranger" Piper revealed. "You said you were a normal girl? Normal girls don't fight monsters as power rangers. You're like a real-life superhero."
"I kinda got thrown into all of this. I really wanted to tell you but I couldn't risk putting you into any trouble..."
"I understand and don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."
Tess sighed in relief as she said "Thanks so much Piper."
"Don't mention it, and by the way I think the guy in the hat has a thing for you" Piper nudged at Tess as they both looked at Chase, who was busy waiting tables.
"Chase? No, he flirts with every pretty girl within a five mile radius, I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me. We're just friends."
"I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure he flirts with girls because that's the guy that he thinks everyone wants to see, but I can tell you he really cares. The other day when I was pretending to be you, he knew. He knew I wasn't you. I had everyone else fooled but not him, that shows he knows the real you."
Tess looked back at Chase as he flashed her a quick wink. Tess felt the heat rush to her cheeks. "I don't know..."
"Well, I know that with time, your heart will lead you to where you belong" Piper said, taking Tess's hand. As they stood there, they heard a cough behind them. They turned to see, Piper's driver waiting for her. "Piper, we have to go."
"Well, that's my cue. Thank you, Tess."
"For what?"
"For being my first real friend..."
"Don't mention it" Tess smiled as they shared one final hug before Piper left to continue living her dream. Although Piper really wanted to have a normal life, she was grateful for the life she had and Tess helped her realize it.
After Piper left, Tess went back to go back to mopping as Chase came up to her and asked "What's going on with Piper?"
"She's leaving for her next tour stop. You know, behind the sunglasses, and the glitz, and the glamour, she's a really cool girl. I'm really glad we're friends"
"Not as cool as you" Chase said leaning against the counter.
"Thank you" Tess smiled. "Hey Chase, Piper told me something pretty interesting."
"What?"
"She said yesterday, she was playing a really good me but she said that she couldn't fool you. Does that mean that you pay attention to me?" Tess said, batting her eyelashes, getting a response from Chase.
Chase shot up and stuttered, trying to find the right words to say as Tess asked "Does that mean you like me?"
Chase walked backwards and said as his face got flushed "Psshh, Tess! You see, I... What she meant, I..." trying to find the words to say. As Chase walked backwards, he was so flustered he wasn't looking where he was going. "I'm gonna get back to work" Chase said, trying to stray away from the subject and as he turned around, he walked face first into the glass wall.
Tess's cringed as Chase turned around, simply coughed and leaned his hand against the wall, "It's made of glass."
While Tess leaned against the mop, chuckling at what was happening as Chase fixed his hat and walked away, pretty embarrassed and flushed as he went to wait tables. Tess brought out this side of Chase, that even he couldn't believe was there. Chase was normally a suave and smooth guy when he talked to girls, but with Tess it's different.
Shelby came up next to her and asked "When will he ever learn?" having watched everything that happened, as she placed an arm around Tess's shoulder.
"I don't know, it's kinda charming" Tess said with a smile as she watched Chase work. It was very evident that he was trying his hardest to pretend he didn't just walk into a glass wall. But Chase was so caught up in his thoughts, he wasn't watching where he was going and he walked straight into the glass wall again. Tess and Shelby cringed again before Chase looked back at them before jokingly saying while pointing at the wall "This wall, right?"
Chase simply brushed it off as the girls simply laughed. Although Tess's life wasn't necessarily normal, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Author's Note: Well, I decided to end the chapter on a bit of a funny/happy note. It seems like people outside of the team are starting to take notice of Chase's feelings for Tess. Again, I know it's developing kind of slow but I just wanted it to happen naturally. What do you guys think of Tess's influence on Piper and their developing friendship. Also, do you guys want her to make another appearance in the story?
Also, the song that Piper sings for her concert is Black Magic by Little Mix. I love that song because it is a very fun song that can get anyone moving.
Anyways, what do you guys think of the chapter as a whole?
Next chapter: Let Sleeping Zords Lie: When Sledge's newest monster stings the Ankylo Zord, Shelby must use her advanced dinosaur knowledge to tame the wild beast and demonstrate to Kendall and the Rangers her value to the team.
Again, any feedback and criticism is welcome!
Please Read&Review!