Two days before Christmas and all through the base,
The Rangers were getting ready for the holidays at a frantic pace.
Sydney Drew sat on her bed, eyes closed, fingers turned up, as she concentrated on her lotus position. Her mouth formed a small o as she chanted, "Ohhhhmmmmmm, ohhhhmmmmmm."
She waited all year for this time, the time when all her skills will be put to the test. The time where it was her against the world, and she knew she would win.
The pink ranger was prepared for last minute Christmas shopping.
The yellow ranger sighed and looked at her bed,
She wondered what the hell was going through Jack's head.
Z looked at the costume sitting on her bed. This year I will stand up to him. She was not going to be humiliated again. She was going to tell Jack no, that he could find another stooge to help him. She reached for her morpher.
"Jack, come in."
"Jack here."
"I'm not going to do it this year."
"But Zzzzz! It's tradition, you can't back out!"
"Aren't we getting a little too old to play dress up?"
"Hell, no!"
"Can't you ask someone else? How about Syd? Or Bridge, he'd do a good job."
Jack laughed, "How about I ask Sky? He'll look great. No, it's got to be you."
"Fine, I'll do it. But this is the last time."
"Thanks, Z."
"Jack, maybe we can switch roles?"
"Nope! Who better to play the man in red than me?"
"Damn." Z looked at her bed again before she stuffed the green tights and elf ears into her backpack and headed out.
The green ranger who loved all things buttery,
Walked to his lab all babbly and muttery.
"If I make ten batches and do little shapes, it could be enough for the whole base." Bridge Carson talked to himself softly as he looked at his cookbook. This year everyone was going to have a little bit of the Hanukkah spirit.
He turned around and checked to make sure he had all his ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, eggs, and last and definitely not least butter. Bridge fired his laptop which held the program that controlled his makeshift oven's temperature and set it for 400 degrees.
In a flurry of mixer noise and a dustcloud of flour, one hour later he had ten pounds of cookie dough ready to chill and cut into shapes. Bridge let out a sigh of relief as he placed it into the fridge and made him some toast.
"Hey Bridge?" Boom walked into Bridge's lab with a tangle of cords. "I need about 200 feet of extension cable, do you have it?"
"Sure, but what do you need all that for?"
"For my vision! I'm going to decorate the whole base in lights!"
"But the base is already lighted, and what happens if we get attacked and need to call the megazords? The other robots might laugh if we're all holiday-y."
"But it's Christmas! This place needs to be more festive."
"Okay," Bridge said unsure, "but does Cruger know about this?"
"Not yet, but he'll love it."
Bridge found the extension cable and handed it to Boom. Boom took five steps out of the lab and tripped over the wires he was carrying. Bridge laughed as he watched Boom roll down the highway like a big ball of rubberbands.
And Sky ran through the park looking at all the sons and dads,
He got misty eyed with a big case of the sads.
Everyday he would jog through the park and nothing would bother him, but today all he could see were families. Sons and fathers playing ball, flying kites and planes, going fishing at the lake, it was almost out of a flyer for deadbeat dads to spend more time with their kids.
It had been so long since his father was gone, but Sky always got a little sadder around the holidays. This used to be his favorite time of the year before he lost his father. He gathered his emotions and locked them in a cage as he ran back towards headquarters.
Gruumm and Mora were planning and scheming,
Wondering why the Earth was so happy and gleaming.
"Gruummmm! I'm bored! Come play with me!"
"Not now Mora," he growled as he looked into his viewing globe. "All the rangers seem to be preoccupied by this Christmas."
"What's Christmas?"
"Christmas is a celebration of the birth of a child long ago," Broodwing walked in to Gruumm's chamber, "Apparently, it revolves around giving gifts and a man named Santa Claus."
Mora bounced excitedly, "I want gifts! And so does Cindy Sunshine! Where do I find Santa Claus?"
"Go to the shopping mall, child, look for a fat man wearing a red suit."
Jack waited at the mall for the yellow ranger,
Little did he know he was in lots of danger.
The red ranger looked in the mirror provided in the Santa hut and adjusted his beard for the hundredth time.
"Damn it Z, you're late," he muttered under his breath. Jack looked outside the hut to see a long line of kids waiting for Santa. He couldn't do this until his elf was here. He kept hunting the crowds hoping to see her. Then he felt a tap on his back.
"I want my gifts!"
He turned around to see twenty krybots and Mora standing behind him.
"Oh shit."
"Santa? I said I want my gifts now!" Mora stamped her feet. "Krybots get him!"
The last thing Jack saw was the face of a krybot before he got knocked out.
Bridge and Sky stayed at the base, and Syd and Z headed for the mall,
Soon they would be getting an urgent call.
Syd wondered why Z was in such a hurry to separate; the better for her though, she still needed to find a present for the yellow ranger. Syd took advantage of her petite frame by squeezing under arms and through the crowds of last minute shoppers.
At the base, Bridge pulled out another sheet of cookies from the oven. The aroma of freshly baked cookies brought in many employees from the base and Bridge spent most of his time swatting wandering hands from the cookies.
Bridge looked concerned as he watched his roommate walk past, melancholy and distracted.
Z rushed to the bathroom at the mall and quickly put on her costume, grimacing as she pulled the tights on. She quickly left and headed to the Santa hut. Outside the hut was a long line of kids waiting.
"Miss elf?" a little girl approached Z, "Where's Santa?"
Z kneeled down, "Santa is coming all the way from the North Pole, let me go check on him."
The yellow ranger, now a green elf, walked into the hut and looked for Jack. All she could see were signs of struggle and a lack of Santa Claus's. She pulled out her morpher, "Rangers! Jack is missing!"
The rangers gathered together to try to find Jack,
All they wanted for Christmas was their red ranger back.
They met up at the mall near the Santa hut: Syd came with twenty shopping bags in hand, Sky was still in his jogging shorts, Bridge had his apron on, and Z was still in green.
"Nice costume Z," Syd tried hard not to laugh.
"Hey! I'm doing good work!" Z pulled down her long shirt to cover up the tights.
Sky looked at Bridge, "So are you going to cook all the bad guys?"
"Yup, gonna make them all nice and buttery!" Bridge waggled his fingers in front of his mouth.
Bridge turned to Z, "What happened to Jack?"
"We were supposed to meet up, every year he plays Santa Claus and I help him out. When I got here, he was gone and the hut shows signs of trouble."
Suddenly, all their morphers started beeping, "Rangers!" Kat's voice said, "There have been reports of Krybots near the mall. Go investigate immediately!"
"Maybe this has something to do with Jack?" Syd said as they ran to a mall entrance. They searched the perimeter to find krybots and Jack being held prisoner.
"Ah, Rangers!" Mora walked forward from the krybots. "Maybe you can tell me how I get presents from Santa?"
"Let him go!" Z yelled.
"Fine, don't tell me!" She turned back to Santa Jack, "I want presents!"
"No!" Sky yelled suddenly, "Christmas is not about presents! It's about being with your friends and family and showing them how much you love them."
"Sky, that's really sweet," Syd smiled at him then grimaced, "Now it's time to kick some bot."
The two groups charged at each other and clashed. Multiple Z's fought off droves of krybots. Syd charged up her fist with a piece of steel and pounded on a nearby foe. No one could touch Sky as he put up forcefield after forcefield. Bridge weaved in between the robots closing in the distance between the rangers and Jack.
Jack struggled against the two krybots holding his arms, he jumped up and swung his legs back, flipping and twisting the krybots. He took advantage of their disorientation and punched them in the face. The rest of the rangers were making quick work of the remaining krybots.
"Uh oh," Mora looked around, "Time to go! I'll get you next time rangers!" She disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Guys, thanks for coming to my rescue," Jack said as they gathered together.
"Anything for Kris Kringle," Z punched his arm lightly.
Sky looked around, "Um, so what do we do now?"
"Well, you guys can join Z and I at the homeless shelter," Jack played with his fake beard, "We're going to pass out presents there."
"Perfect! I just got done shopping, I have plenty of presents!" Syd exclaimed.
Bridge jumped up and down, "Oooh, ooohh, oohh, and I'll bring my Hanukkah cookies! They're…"
"Buttery!" The rest of the rangers finished. They laughed and chattered as they went to the homeless shelter.
The rangers celebrated in many different ways,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!