Just beyond our world, past the veil of dreams and magic, lies the fairytale realm of Everafter. Here, the legends and fairytales of old are alive and well, living in harmony for countless centuries. However, all that changed when the evil forces of the Marchens invaded, transforming many into mystical Wonder Charms while those that survived escaped into our world. Now, under the guidance of the great wizard, Merlin, a small group of these survivors tap into the power of the Wonder Charms to face the Marchen menace. Full steam ahead, it's morphin' time! Power Rangers: Wonder Force!
Episode 2: Nobility
The old Johnson house, considered dead by the town, recently had new life breathed into it. From the outside it appeared to be the same old creepy house, but inside was the base of the newest Power Rangers team. And in the base the most prominent refugees of the Marchen Army's attack lived, four of the Power Rangers, Dorothy from Oz, and Merlin himself. Other natives of Everafter had escaped the evil army, but they were either living elsewhere, comprising the resistance movement that still dogged the Marchen Army in the Everafter, or had gone completely off the grid. But the Johnson house has become to nexus of the effort to defend earth from the Marchen Army.
As the sun rose over the house, the rangers were fast asleep. Sunny, better known to the world as Sun Wukong, was in a very deep sleep. He was snoring in a very obnoxious way, and the standard way to wake him up was not an alarm clock but Merlin using a spell that simulated the sound of a firework going off at point blank range. Alice Liddell slept in a bed surrounded by plushies, the monarch of wonderland hugging her favorite teddy bear. Jack of giant slayer fame slept in a strange position wearing a night shirt.
And Snow White, heir to the throne of Everafter, slept demurely in a queen sized bed. She rose with the sun as she always did, getting out from under her covers and yawning. She made her way to her mirror with her silken nighty billowing behind her. As she looked in the mirror her eyes snapped open and she emitted a high pitch scream, instantly awakening all in the Johnson house save Sunny.
For in the mirror Snow saw her raven black hair had become a tangled mess. This was Snows first time experiencing bed head, and it was as if the universe was making up for it by giving her the effects of many years of bed head all at once. After assuring her friends she was in no danger, she started the arduous task of taming her curling mane. She sighed and found herself remembering her life in Everafter.
In the realm of Far-Far Away there was a great air of anticipation. It was the day of coronation when Snow White would become the Queen of Everafter. Not since the days of King Arthur and Camelot had there been a true monarch of the lands of Everafter. Delegates from all of the realms were here, from as far abroad as Wonderland and Oz to the relatively more mundane realms of Perrault and the Mountainous East.
Unlike most days Snow was not up at the crack of dawn. She instead hid under the covers. A knock at her door came to which Snow yelled, "Go away!" A kind voice called in, "It's me Snow." Snow didn't want any visitors, not even her best friend. The voice said, "I'm coming in."
In came a beautiful woman with long blond hair and wearing a beautiful dress. Her steps resonated with the magically strengthen glass slippers she wore for special occasions. It was Cinderella, one of the princesses of Far-Far Away and the best friend of Snow White. Cinderella had gotten worried when Snow hadn't left her room, in a joking manner Cinderella said, "It's not like you to play hooky Snow." Snow threw a pillow to Cinderella and said, "Cindy, I am not in the mood for your mockery!"
Cinderella sat on the bed and said, "Seriously Snow, what's the problem?" Snow groaned from under the covers and pouted, "I'm worried Cindy, what if I fail. What if I don't measure up to what is expected of me?" Cinderella rolled her eyes and said, "What if ducks suddenly decide to rebel against us? What if rabbits decide they should rule the roost? The future is full of possibilities, but we need to face them. I know you will be a great queen Snow. Now get out of bed!"
Snow just gave her friend a glare from a peak hole in the covers, "Those were not very inspiring possibilities." Cinderella looked at her and said, "What if I get the palace dogs in here to drag you out of bed?" Snow sighed and said, "Fine."
She got up and said to Cinderella, "The last part of your speech was good though."
At school Snow's memories of the past were fading to the back of her mind, which was a good thing. Thinking of her old best friend would only lead her to remember what had happened that fateful day. And as Alice might say, that was one rabbit hole you didn't want to go down.
She saw Arthur and Gary chatting and decided to join them. They were talking about something that she didn't know, using words like "Election" and "Democratic process." She decided to talk to them and figure out what they were saying. She walked up to them and smiled sweetly, "Hey guys, what are you talking about?"
Arthur and Gary both turned to her, and Gary answered, "We're just talking about the school election. I mean, who wants to get into politics?" Snows eyes shone, ranger stuff and the earth were relatively foreign concepts to her, but she had practically been born into politics. She quickly got into Gary's face and demanded he explain.
After a bit of talking she got the gist and declared to the world, "I'm gonna run for student body president!" The crowd that had formed had some whispers of, "One of those weird new students" and, "how are they so oblivious" and the like. Snow blushed a luminescent red and slid away, muttering to herself, "I'm gonna go hide in a dark place until first period."
Deep in the Dark Woods, also known as the Grimm Woods, the Dark Keep stood. Within this grand evil castle the Marchen Army plotted its next move. Inside the throne room the beautiful form of General Fracture twirled in joy, "So both the brute Grizzle and the nerd Crusher have failed to destroy the Rangers and gather a sufficient amount of Mayhem Energy. With my beauty I shall succeed where they failed."
Grizzle and Crusher seethed at the insults but held there tongues. They had failed and speaking out against her here and now would bring Madame Oshka's wrath. Instead they listened, and Fracture pulled up an image on the magic mirror they used to spy upon other places. In the mirror was a humble restaurant scene, a diner in the town of Red Brook.
The image focused on a waitress who was clearly overworked. She was rushing around despite obvious signs of exhaustion, carrying plates to and fro. One particularly handsome customer waved her over, and her forced smile became genuine. Fracture pointed to the pair, "They will fall out, and when the waitress becomes desperate I will make my beautiful entrance into the human world."
When the Wonder Force members (and Gary) met during Lunch Snow stated her plans to run for president. Alice immediately wanted to be the vice president, but everyone shot her down on that. While Snow was the first to admit that she knew practically nothing about modern politics, at least she had something that resembled a logical thought process to the vast majority of beings.
As such, every break period for the rest of the day was filled with getting the low down on politics in the modern day. Her attempts at self-study by examining the current political situation. That was a mistake. And so she relied upon Arthur and Gary for info. At the end of the school day Arthur invited Snow over for dinner to give her a crash course in politics.
She politely knocked upon Arthur's door, having gone back to the Johnson house to get ready, changing her usual casual pantsuit to a relatively plain dress, at least when compared to the ones she wore in Everafter. Arthur said it was ok to show up unannounced, but she was the heir to the monarchy of Everafter, and even in exile she held herself to rather high standards.
The door opened and a reedy man opened the door. He was tall and thin in a way that suggested an academic nature, an image only increased by the tweed jacket and thick glasses he wore. His attire was professional, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. Snow realized it was like looking into Arthur's future, and the man spoke, "Hello there, I'm Andrew, Arthur's dad. I take it your Snow, Arthur's new friend."
Snow nodded demurely and Andrew let out a hearty chuckle, "Don't be so formal, I'm not some noble. Come in, Arthur has been so excited about meeting you and your other friends." Andrew guided Snow into the cozy little suburban home. Andrew continued talking, "My wife Sandra was thrilled at having another dinner guest. She loves to cook."
Snow was led to a dining room table at which Arthur sat. He smiled and said, "Your in for a treat. My mom is a whiz in the kitchen." A woman, who Snow realized was Arthur's mom Sandra, came in carrying four plates piled high with delicious home cooked food. Sandra was a pleasantly plump woman who wouldn't be out of place in a hallmark ad, her hair an auburn like that of fall and her eyes a beautiful hazel. She smiled kindly, "I hope you enjoy this meal Snow. Its so rare for Arthur to invite friends over."
Snow demurely took a bite out of her food, and as she tasted it her eyes lit up. Somehow, this food was better than practically any of the food she had eaten in her time as a princess in the land of Everafter. She was stunned, her meals had always been the best in all of Everafter, crafted by the best chefs in the entire land of fairy tales. But a simple meal cooked with love had surpassed that. Snow couldn't hold back, scarfing down the meal like a ravenous animal.
Sandra chuckled as Snow blushed luminescent after cleaning her plate, "I'm glad you liked it. Would you like seconds?" Snow nodded, wondering if she could make herself teleport away from this embarrassing situation by pure force of will. Sandra took her plate, not noticing the young woman's immense embarrassment.
She cleared her throat and decided to steer the conversation away from her unmannerly way of eating, "So Mr. Paperink, what do you do for a living?" The man chuckled, "Don't be so formal, call me Andrew." Snow didn't blush this time, but Andrew continued, "I'm actually a professor at the local university. All my life I have wanted to know the secrets of the universe, and while that's far off in the future, I have made my passion into my livelihood. I help impart the joys of learning what we do know to those who want to learn. Its great."
Sandra came back in, and what little Snow heard of the conversation after that was blocked out by the pleasure centers in her brain overloading from the food.
Elsewhere a much less talented cook worked his craft, infusing his food not with love but with a defeated sense of the nine to five workday woes. Fortunately the lack of talent and the poor quality of emotion countered each other, making the diners food average. That being the only praise one could give the little place, as it was not very cozy or anything. To sum it up in one word, the diner was generic.
A waitress who worked there looked at a handsome customer with longing in her eyes. This man was a regular to this rather mundane diner, and with his beauty and wealthy he had quickly become the item of love for the waitress. The woman had constructed a fantasy of this man, her Prince Charming, whisking her away from her dreary life and giving her the fairytale life she always wanted. The man of course didn't really notice her beyond being a member of the wait staff at a diner he liked. She never did anything that would count as stalking, but she also didn't really do anything to draw more attention to herself.
This was to change, as she wrote her number and an encouraging "call me" on his receipt. She gave him his receipt and looked hopefully for his reaction. However, he just crumpled up and threw the receipt away.
She broke down weeping, wishing with all her might that her love interest would notice her. A noble and beautiful voice answered her, "I can grant your wish." She looked up and saw a porcelain doll of a noble woman wearing a regal gown, at its feet was a strange medal emblazed with a pumpkin carriage. The voice spoke again, "Take the charm, and you will gain everything you desire and more."
The waitress did so, and she suddenly became a monster. It had the body of a pumpkin with a clock face in its center. It had the arms and legs of a shapely young woman and lacked a head. As General Fracture assumed her true form she spoke aloud, "The beautiful tale of the rags to riches princess."
In front of the general was the Cinderella Marchen, and in her left hand she held the Stroke of Midnight Carving Sword. Fracture laughed imperiously and said to her creation, "We shall attack tomorrow." The Cinderella Marchen was confused and asked, "Why not now?"
Fracture gave a look of disbelief and said, "Are you crazy? I need my beauty sleep." Fracture then opened a portal to the Dark Keep, through which the general and beast exited.
Snow entered her bed chamber a very satisfied woman. The food had been absolutely heavenly, and she now knew enough about politics to run for student body president. She got into her bed and went to sleep. Sadly her dreams were not really dreams, but memories of that fateful day. The day she was meant to be crowned. The day the Marchen Army first attacked.
It had all been going so well up until that moment. Everyone was having fun, Snow had caught up with the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty, and Snow was feeling up to the challenge ahead. Then there was the sound of alarm from the guard towers, and they appeared.
Snow was used to beings that were not human, she was practically raised by the seven dwarfs after all. But these things were monsters, an army of beasts that were quickly dubbed Tin Troopers. At there head was a strange noble woman made of porcelain. They came to conquer, as evidenced by the weapons they bore.
The guards were outmatched by the Tin Troopers. Yes the guards were better armed, but they were also caught off guard. But the real deciding factor was without a doubt the simple fact that Everafter had not encountered a war in countless centuries. The guard was not inexperienced, for there were regular training sessions, but not a single warrior had ever experienced the harsh grinding slog that was true war. The traditions of noble duels, breaking up the occasional fist fight or bar brawl, and handling the occasional attack by monsters such as the Big Bad Wolf and his ilk were not enough to prepare for an enemy that outnumbered you and fought very smartly.
In contrast the Tin Troopers fought expertly. While individually weak they were still more than a match for the guards, who were in all honesty not much more combat ready than the average civilian was. And the Tin Troopers were made from the despair of Everafter, the hurt and pain that afflicted even those who lived in the land of happy endings. They had one purpose and one purpose alone, to cause pain and misery. They were perfect for war and conquest, as these two things ultimately were among the greatest bringers of pain and misery, of sorrow and woe.
They conquered the tower with a surprising speed, and those who stood against them either perished or was turned into a Wonder Charm. Soon enough they broke into the ballroom, with the strange woman leading them.
The porcelain woman spoke with an arrogant and imperial tone, "I am General Fracture of the Marchen Army. We are the new lords of Everafter. You shall bow now or be made into Charms to fuel our power!"
No one bowed, and all who could readied for a fight. One of the dwarfs, in the confusion Snow could not remember who it was, gave her the Seven Dwarf Charm and bade her to run. She was told to go to Merlin, for the wizard of Camelot would surely know what to do. And Snow ran, she ran so fast and so far. Not even when her stepmother the Evil Queen sent the Huntsman to kill her had she been so afraid.
Snow woke up with a gasp and realized she had been reliving a nightmare. But there was no bed head, so it wasn't all bad.
Later at school she overheard Arthur and Alice talking, getting the tail end of the conversation. Alice merely stated, "And that's how I became the most normal person in Wonderland." Arthur just gaped like a fish, struck dumb by the fact that Alice could be the most normal of anything.
Suddenly the rangers morphers manifested, and the screen read, "Marchen Army detected." Snow was conflicted, she had to sign up for the student election today or she wouldn't be able to run. Arthur noticed this and said, "Don't worry Snow, we can handle the Marchen Army until you get done signing up." Snow smiled as the other rangers rushed to meet the threat.
The Cinderella Marchen and General Fracture led a host of Tin Troopers through the city, causing mayhem with there blades. The Marchen Beast was the real heavy hitter, as her Stroke of Midnight Carving Sword shot a beam that made things run down and tattered. With her beams she caused much mayhem. One beam zapped a rope keeping two window washers elevated. The now tattered and worn out rope broke, unable to hold the weight of two grown people.
It would have been a tragedy had Sunny not used the super jump power that all rangers had to save them. As Sunny set the two down they thanked him and fled. He rejoined the others as General Fracture scoffed and imperiously declared, "I am General Fracture, the most beautiful of the Marchen Army. Who are you peasants who dare stand in my way?"
Arthur shouted, "Let's tell them who we are! The Keeper of the Tales, Wonder Ranger Red!" Alice shouted next, "The Monarch of Wonderland, Wonder Ranger Blue!" Sunny went next, "The Great Sage conquering the West, Wonder Ranger Yellow!" Jack went last, "The Slayer of Giants, Wonder Ranger Black!" The Rangers shouted in unison, "Full steam ahead! Power Rangers Wonder Force!"
Fracture yawned and said, "Oh right, you're the fools that gave Grizzle and Crusher trouble. But you are no match for me!" The rangers summoned there weapons and charged as the forces of the Marchen Army also charged forwards.
Quickly Fracture proved her words false, as while she was as strong as the other Marchen Generals had been, all it took for her to flee was a lucky hit by Arthur with the Whirlwind Blade. When hit Fracture shrieked and yelled, "I need to get this fixed! I can't let my beautiful body be marred!" She fled through a portal back to the Dark Keep, leaving the Cinderella Marchen and the Tin Troopers to fend for themselves.
The Tin Troopers did not last long, but Cinderella Marchen was a different story. The Marchen Beast purred and said, "You know, I don't know what would happen if I blasted a human with my little wear and tatter beam. Let's find out!" She blasted the rangers, and while they were not physically worn out they were exhausted. While none of them knew it, the tiredness they felt was identical to what the waitress had experienced before Fracture targeted her. They felt the exhaustion of working unpaid overtime at a thankless job that was hated and back breaking.
The rangers staggered, and the Marchen Beast approached menacingly.
Snow ran to the site the Marchen Army was attacking, having turned in her documents and getting Gary to cover for her and the other rangers. She rushed in and saw her friends on the ground, with Alice being the only one still fighting. A blow from the wear and tear beam forced the wonderland monarch down.
Of the four only Jack had gone down in one blast. Arthur endured two through sheer willpower but was felled quickly. Sun Wukong had endured seven through his power as a god, however weakened that was. Alice however was a practically endless dynamo of energy and tanked a total of 15 blasts without any effect. She took a total of 30 before Snow got there.
Snow inserted the Seven Dwarfs Charm into her morpher and transformed, shouting her own part of the roll call, "The Fairest Princess, Wonder Ranger White!" She charged forwards to engage the beast and reflected on the being it was drawing from. She had hoped that Cinderella had escaped, maybe even joining the resistance in Everafter. Sadly she was mistaken. But if the Marchen Army hoped to make her hesitate by using a beast made from her old friends charm they were sadly mistaken.
After all, it wasn't Cinderella she was currently fighting. It was a thing born from the unholy fusion of an innocent human victim tricked by the Marchen Army and a Wonder Charm that comprised her friends very tale. When a charm is given willingly it allows for wonderous things, like the rangers own powers. But somehow the Marchen Army had a way to take a Wonder Charm, and when a charm was taken it became corrupted. A Marchen Beast was the result of one using a Corrupted Charm, and the only way to free the victim and the charm was to destroy the beast. Once the Marchen Army was defeated the charms would be restored, for whatever magic allowed the corrupted charms would be broken.
Snow dodged the beam with all the elegance of a professional ballerina and mentally noted that even if it were actually Cinderella then she would still do what she was about to do. After all Queens had to make hard choices. It was like that Trolly problem she studied in Ethics class the other day.
She powered up the Mirror Shield and yelled out her finishing moves name, "Seven Star Shield Dash!" Her magic summoned forth a blizzard which froze the Cinderella Marchen solid, and Snow charged forewords with her shield up, her stride enhanced by the power of the Morphin Grid. At high speed she bashed the Marchen Beast, causing an explosion that sent the monster flying.
As the monster was just barely alive, the effects of the wear and tear beam were undone. Alice quickly performed a dash of her own, hugging Snow and saying, "I knew you'd save us!" While a bit flustered at first Snow reciprocated. Sunny however drew there attention back to the moment saying, "We're not out of the Grimm Woods yet!"
This was proven correct as the tin form of Baba appeared, skipping over the Marchen Beast. Baba spoke in an upbeat manner, "Its not midnight yet. Have a cookie, it will give you the energy to be the belle of the ball!" The Cinderella Marchen ate the Eat Me Growth Cookie, steam pouring from the beats clockface as it grew to massive size while shouting, "Your just mice to me now rangers!"
Arthur called out, "Summon the Zords!" All five rangers manifested there morphers and pressed the charms again, each calling out there zords name as they summoned them.
Arthur called out, "Red Wolf Zord!" An armored red wolf manifested, Arthur jumping into its cockpit. Alice called out, "Blue Rabbit Zord!" A blue rabbit with a clock upon its back and its floppy ears being slightly reminiscing of a bulldozer, Alice jumping into its cockpit. Sunny called out, "Yellow Monkey Zord!" A yellow monkey with a strange head reminiscent of a UFO manifested, and Sunny jumped into its cockpit. Snow yelled out, "Apple Dwarf Zord!" A mechanical apple upon tank treads with a turret protruding from it manifested, and Snow jumped into the cockpit. Finally Jack yelled out, "Cloud Giant Zord!" A black ogre manifested and charged forward in a manner reminiscent of the Red Ape Ninja Zord made by Ninjor in times long past.
All the Rangers shouted, "Zords combine!" The Cloud Giant Zord formed the legs and lower torso, while the Red Wolf Zord formed the upper torso, the tail detaching and becoming a sword. The Yellow Monkey Zord became the upper arms while the UFO head became the helmet, now more like the helm of a knight. The Blue Rabbit Zord formed the right forearm, the clock face detaching to become a shield while the arm grabbed the sword. The Apple Dwarf Zord formed the left forearm, the tanks turrets becoming wrist mounted while the shield rested upon it. The Rangers shouted in unison, "Wonder Force Megazord!"
The Cinderella Marchen scoffed and said, "Let's see how shiny that giant robot of yours is when I blast it!" The beast did so, and nothing happened. The Cinderella Marchen sputtered in confusion, not realizing that the zords were a manifestation of the Morphin Grid, which was eternal by its nature.
Snow shouted, "It's time to end this tale!" Arthur said, "That's my line." Snow blushed a bit under her helmet and said, "Sorry." The Megazord charged its final strike and slashed the Cinderella Marchen, which shouted out, "Guess I wont get my happily ever after!" The Marchen Beast exploded, freeing the waitress and giving Snow the Cinderella Charm.
As the rangers unwound in the Johnson House, Snow gazed at the Cinderella Charm longingly. Alice and Arthur noticed this, and Alice said, "Don't worry Snow, we'll get everyone back." Snow nodded and said, "Yeah, I just miss my friend." Arthur said, "Wait, you were friends with Cinderella?" Snow nodded again and Arthur shouted, "Tell me everything about her!" Snow smiled and chuckled at Arthur's enthusiasm and obliged, telling stories of the two dear friends for the eager earth boy.
Author notes
Thanks to Krockman18 for making the original concepts and beta reading, and to MaMcMu for giving me various ideas.
Many of the voices are his responsibility, such as Fracture being voiced by Grey Griffin as Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender. I haven't mentioned it before because this is the first time it's being used. Same with Jack being voiced by Dave from the show Dave the Barbarian.
Also, for star strikers Seipan Warwol is voiced by Emperor Maximus from the Playmobil movie, while Jors Predrun has the voice of Toffee from Star Vs The Forces of Evil. Which really fits, because despite the guys silly name Toffee is the biggest threat. I know Mina was the final opponent, but Toffee is the big bad in my opinion. And he was the most serious character in the entire show, practically no funny moments from him.
In my fics, and my stories in general, I make the world the same unless otherwise noted. But as a fanfiction, I am not limited by studio problems and such. Given this, I have decreed that the pandemic doesn't happen in anything I write.
Originally I planned for the Everafter natives to meet Arthur's parents in the red and white queen episode. But to extend this episode and introduce some details of the parents, who will be relatively important characters, I have Snow come over for dinner so Snow can get a crash course in democracy.
When a character has a name, they will be important. If not, I just use there designation.
Fracture forgetting the rangers is because she is arrogant. She is dismissive of most beings. She is also the general who will be fought the least because she is vain. Even the most minor of injuries will cause her to retreat.
The Grimm Woods are an alternate name for the Dark Woods. It's called that because if you enter the woods you will meet the grim reaper. And a reference to the brothers Grimm. The realm of Far-Far-Away is a reference to the Shrek franchise.
Ok, I will do star strikers chapter 2 next, and then pantheon quest episode 1.
One final note, when a Marchen beast eats a cookie even though they don't have a mouth, just remember this modified version of the mst3k mantra; it's just a fanfiction, so relax.