Chapter 24: Attention Seeker

Sirens blared as tons of people were shown rushing. They all ran out of the building as several SUVS arrived as well. Inside were more people as they all took a position, some behind the vehicles as they all had their blasters aimed forward. Approaching them was a figure, but just any figure; it was the Crystal Quartz Ranger as he stood before the Crystal Soldiers.

"Halt!" said Mayor Mare as she saw the figure standing there.

The ranger smiled under his helmet as his suit deactivated. Soon there was Shining Armor which got everybody to gasp.

"Shining?" said Spearhead as he was confused and shocked to see his pal.

Mayor Mare approached the young man as he stood there.

"Reporting for duty, ma'am," smiled Shining Armor.

"Good work... Captain," smiled the mayor as she patted Shining Armor on his shoulder.

"Sir, yes, sir!" saluted Shining Armor as he was given his new promotion.

Mayor Mare then turned around as everybody began to disburse. Shining Armor stood there as he was smiling at seeing how his newfound powers had truly given him what he so desired. Spearhead approached his pal as they looked at each other and then the Morpher on his wrist.

"What happened?" asked Spearhead.

"I finally got respect, that's what," said Shining Armor.

A battlefield was shown as nothing but chaos and destruction was shown. Several figures lay on the ground as they weren't moving. Ash was nearby as he was on his knees. He struggled to get up as he held into his sword. An attack hit him as he fell onto his back, the attack from Sombra, who was in front of the teen, as his blade glowed with a black aura.

The ranger coughed as he sat up to reveal his vizor was cracked as it showed his eyes. Before Ash could get up, he grabbed him by his neck as Sombra held him. The leader of the Dark Lords was looking into the eyes of his rival as Ash was trying to break free from the grip.

"I told you, Ash. Your team has fallen; the girls are no more. Now... time for you to join them." said Sombra with the evilest smile possible.

The Dark Lord tossed the boy to the ground as he raised his sword.

"NO!" shouted Ash as he put his hand up, and the blade came down on him.

At that moment, Ash awoke. He was sweating very hard as the nightmare he had encountered came into his mind. He was panting and trying to breathe as his nerves began to calm down. The boy ran a hand through his hair. While it may have been a dream, the reality was that the nightmare that Ash saw of the girls being killed was one he lived through every day.

The sun was shining down on the city of Canterlot. The ever-popular Sweet Shoppe was shown as inside was Ash. The boy was shown sitting on a stool as he was thinking.

"Hey, Ash," said Sunset as she appeared next to the teen.

"Hey," said the boy as he didn't look at the girl.

"Is everything okay?" asked the bacon-haired girl.

"Y-Yeah. Everything is fine, Sunny. Just didn't get much sleep, is all."

"Don't tell me? You were up late again," stated the girl as she made a scolding face at her leader.

"No," answered Ash truthfully.

"Don't lie to me, Ash. I'm your friend, and I'm here if you need to talk about things. I care about you. Me and the others." said Sunset as she began to move her hand onto his. "Please, if something's bothering you. Tell me. I want to help."

"I appreciate that, Sunset. But trust me, it's nothing you need to concern yourself with," said the boy as he looked into the girl's eyes.

Sunset stared back at Ash's eyes as the girl felt herself starting to get closer. She didn't get more than a few inches before their attention was taken. They heard some nearby commotion as a group of people were listening to someone standing and doing some actions.

"I'm not joking. 200 to one, and I took them all out with ease," said a nearby person as he addressed a group of people.

"What gives?" asked Ash to Sunset as they looked at the boy.

"Oh, didn't you hear?" said Mrs. Cake as she appeared behind the pair carrying some dishes to the back. "That kid over there says that he's the leader of the Power Rangers."

Mrs. Cake then stepped through the door as Ash and Sunset looked at each other with a face.

"Really?" chuckled Ash.

"So I rebound off the wall, okay. Let loose with a flying roundhouse kick, and boom! Down go the monsters." said the person as he continued to make up his story of being a Power Ranger.

All the while, Sunset, and Ash were just listening in and smiling.

"Wow, can you believe that faker?" said Sunset. "I mean, come on, does he really think he can compare to you. I mean, you're smart, cunning, athletic, handsome." The girl immediately blushed when she said that, but she was thankful Ash didn't pay much attention to the last thing he said as he continued to listen to the person.

"So, you... gonna do anything?" asked Sunset to her leader.

"As long as you're brave, defeating monsters is easy," boasted the person.

"Yeah, I will. I'm gonna step outside for a bit," said Ash as he chose to do nothing and let the kid do his thing.

"Well, the others are gonna be here soon," said Sunset as Ash walked out of the shop.

Ash had stepped outside the door and was walking to the side of the building. As he was walking down the alley, the backdoor opened, and there was Mr. Cake. He saw the teen and asked if he could throw out the trash for him, to which Ash obliged. The boy was approaching the trash bin as he lifted the top.

"We need to get stronger to stop Sombra and the others. But how? What can give us an edge over them? Am I doomed to repeat the same thing my mother and friends did?"

The boy was contemplating what to do to stop his foes. But not only that, but he was also wondering how he could keep the girls from suffering a terrible fate as he'd been having several nightmares the past few days about watching his teammates get killed right before his eyes. He shook his head as he lifted the trash bag up and into the bin. Ash closed the lid as he began to walk back to wait for the girls; at that moment, a cat was nearby as it leaped down and knocked over a plastic bottle. The boy turned to his instincts as he saw the feline. The cat approached him as she purred and rubbed against his leg, despite having a scent resembling a dog.

Ash petted the creature as he then noticed the plastic bottle that the creature knocked over as it rolled. At that moment, the boy got an idea. Soon the scene transitioned to a place in the forest where plastic bottles, jugs, and containers were all around. Ash was shown as he put on a blindfold.

"Focus my awareness. Sense the obstacles in the world around me."

Ash then pulled a lever as the plastic objects began to move and swing. The boy now began to move as his eyes were covered. He ran and immediately sidestepped the first wave of swinging objects. The boy then leaped over a log hurdle he set up as he avoided more objects before using his legs to kick at them. He then did a backflip followed by a cartwheel to avoid a series of objects that would have otherwise hit him. Ash was then shown on top of the log as he did some kicks and punches before flipping off and landing like a superhero.

"YES!" said the teen.

The rest of the Rainbooms were shown as they entered the Sweet Shoppe. They saw Sunset sitting at a nearby table and drinking a smoothie; since Ash stepped outside, she'd just been sitting there, listening and looking at the person who claimed to be a ranger.

The other girls all sat down as they had heard the noises when they entered the place.

"What's going on over there?" asked Rainbow to Sunset.

"That guy's been telling everybody that he's the leader of the Power Rangers," answered Sunset.

"What?" said Twilight.

"The other rangers, you know, they aren't bad. But uh, I can pretty much do it all by myself," boasted the person.

"Oh, you got to be shitting me?!" said Rainbow when she heard that.

"Look, it's just somebody looking for attention. You can relate to that, right Dash?" smirked Sunset to her friend.

"Screw you guys!" said Rainbow as the others all but laughed at their friend.

While the girls were sitting there, enjoying the show, their foes were already on the move.

"My lord, I have a general that will show you just how weak these humans are," stated Pharynx.

"And what makes you so sure?!" shouted Sombra as he still wasn't over the fact that he had lost the artifact.

"For I have chosen an office with a speed that cannot be unmatched. Let me present, Dragonfly!" stated Pharynx.

A blaze was shown as zipping in and out of frame was a monster as he soon came to a halt before the great lord.

"Send me into battle, and I'll make quick work of not only the humans but everything," said Dragonfly.

"Hmm," said Sombra.

"The way I see it. The path to victory is simple. Strike fast and strike hard," stated Pharynx.

"Very well, I expect results, Pharynx!" shouted Sombra.

True to Pharynx's promise, Dragonfly was quick to work. Literally. The mutant was shown zipping across a building as people were shown running. Dragonfly then leaped a huge mile away as the building itself crumbled.

"This is too easy. First the buildings, then the whole world!" declared the monster before zooming away.

Rachel picked up the destruction as the A.I. pulled up the scanners as it showed the city being attacked. She then began to contact Ash. The boy was still in the nearby forest as his bracelet beeped.

"Rachel, what is it?" asked the boy.

"Master Ash, there's a monster attacking the city!"

"When is there never," said the boy as he took off the blindfold and ran. "Contact the others."

The girls' bracelets beeped as they quickly put their hands over them. Thankfully, only Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie heard it, as everybody else was too busy listening to the person.

"What's up, Rachel?" said Sunset.

"Rangers, there's an attack on the city. Ash is already on his way, but he's gonna need help."

"We're on it," said Applejack.

Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity nodded at their friends as the rest of their friends got up and began to head out of a side entrance. However, someone was shown entering the shop with a panicked look before they could exit.

"There's a monster attacking the city!" said a boy as everybody looked at the person who was boasting about being a ranger. He had an "Uh oh" expression on his face.

"Hey, we need to go!" said Applejack as she noticed Rainbow hanging back a bit.

"What's he gonna do now?" said Rainbow as she wanted to see what the person would do.

"You're gonna stop it, right?" said another person to the kid.

"He's not gonna do anything stupid, is he?" said the chromatic-haired girl as she was a bit concerned.

"Y-You bet," said the person as he stood up and gulped a bit, trying his best not to be afraid.

Everybody else applauded as he began to walk out of place, taking some deep breaths.

"Oh, this isn't good," said Rarity.

"Come on, y'all, we need to go!" stated Applejack as she and the rest of them exited.

"Harmony Gem, power up!" shouted the four girls as they morphed while running.

"We need to get there before that guy does something stupid!" said Sunset.

"General Pharynx was right; we're on the fast track to victory!" chuckled Dragonfly.

"Stop!" said the person who managed to find the mutant.

"Who the hell are you?!" stated Dragonfly as he stared down the powerless human. "A scared little boy, that's what. Well, I don't care who you are; I'll cut you down the size rather quickly."

Dragonfly shot laser beams from his eyes as the person fell to the ground on his behind as he somehow managed to avoid being hit.

"Not bad, but you won't dodge the next one," stated Dragonfly as he began to fire up another laser attack.

"Hey!" said a voice.

Dragonfly turned to his side, as standing there were the girls.

"Why don't you deal with someone who can actually fight back?" said Sunset with some sass in her voice.

"Rangers," growled Dragonfly as he focused on his foes.

"Cool," said the person.

"Leave this to us," said Ash as he appeared and placed his arm on the boy's arm. He turned as he saw the yellow ranger by his side. "I need you to get you somewhere safe. Come on!"

Ash grabbed the teen's arm as he pulled him up.

"In case you haven't noticed, shit's about to go down," said Ash as he began to drag the person away.

"Okay, they're clear!" said Twilight as the girls saw their leader runoff.

They turned back to fight Dragonfly when they were immediately blasted. The monster ran by them as he bulldozed over the girls, who all tumbled to the floor.

"One hit from Dragonfly, and you're all down," snickered the mutant.

"And I thought Rainbow was fast," said Twilight.

"What's that supposed to mean?! I'll show you guys!" shouted Rainbow as she popped up and began to use her superspeed.

"Rainbow, slow down!" shouted Applejack as the girl's ego was taking over instead of her brain.

Rainbow was now chasing after Dragonfly as it was a literal game of chase, just on fast-forward. Two specks were zooming by; when zoomed in, it showed Rainbow running, trying to catch up with the monster, but he was just out of arms reach. Soon he turned around while still zooming by as he delivered a clothesline to the girl who was sent flying into the air and tumbled in front of her friends.

"We told you!" said the others.

"Okay, he's fast. Aw, shit! I never thought I'd be the one saying that!" complained Dash as she got up. Somehow saying that was hurting her pride.

"Guess you didn't hear; your world will come crashing down quicker than lightning. But don't worry, I'll finish you all off fast and furious!" shouted Dragonfly as he took off again.

The girls were all back in a circle, trying to find their opponent.

"Where is he?" asked Applejack.

"He's moving so fast, we can't see him!" said Twilight.

The girls could only hear the buzzing of Dragonfly's wings as they were coming from all directions. The monster was moving about using his speed to confuse the girls on which direction he would strike from.

"Ash!" said Sunset as they saw their leader running toward them.

"Don't worry, girls! I got the kid out of the way!" said Ash as he managed to leave the person in a secure and safe spot away from the fight.

"Careful; he moves so fast that he's invisible," stated Twilight as they had their fists up.

"Can't stop what you can't see!" chuckled Dragonfly as Ash stopped in his tracks a few meters away from the girls as they continued to look around.

At that moment, Ash was bulldozed over as he tumbled to the side.

"And I'm not even using my top speed," snickered Dragonfly as he took off again and disappeared.

"You okay?" asked Sunset as the girls checked on their leader.

"I'm fine," said Ash as he stood up.

The kid Ash left was watching from the hiding place as he saw the rangers.

"What do we do?!" said Applejack as they were all in a circle on high alert.

"I got an idea," said Ash as he pulled out his sword. "Before he struck, I sensed him. Just gotta focus."

Ash put his hold up as he held it and closed his eyes. The boy was taking some deep breaths as he tried to tune in his mind and use his other senses.

Concentrate. Focus on my awareness and surroundings.

"What are you doing?" said Sunset as she looked at the boy who just stood there with his weapon held out.

"Pay attention! You're our leader!" shouted Rainbow as she felt her leader was supposed to know how to deal with their foe.

"I am doing something, Dash. I'm paying attention to the wind."

"The wind?" said Applejack.

"We can't see him, but we can feel the wind he generates when he moves. And use it to tell where he is... Like right there!" shouted Ash abruptly as he threw his sword out in the blink of an eye.

The weapon moved lightning fast to the side as even the girls didn't see their leader toss his weapon until what happened. And that Dragonfly was zooming by when Ash's sword collided with the side of his leg as it revealed the monster who tumbled to the floor and clutched his knee.

"What the? How did you do that?" panicked Dragonfly as he held his knee.

"Nice one, Ash!" said the girls as they were impressed by their leader's actions.

The boy picked up his weapon from the ground when the rest surrounded him.

"That's one sharp eye, sugarcube!"

"I take it all back. I'm glad you're our leader!" said Rainbow as even she was impressed by what the boy did.

"Aw, come on, guys," said Ash as he rubbed his neck while taking in all the praise from the girls.

"Smart move. Now let's finish this insect!" said Twilight.

"I won't let you stop me so easily!" grunted Dragonfly as he got to his feet.

In the background, Pharynx was shown emerging from a pillar.

"Seems Ash is much more annoying than he is," stated the general as he looked at his foe.

"Let's finish him!" said Sunset as the girls all charged ahead.

Ash was about to do the same when his attention was captured.

"Yeah! Woo! You guys rock!" said the boy who emerged from his hiding spot and saw the rangers.

"What is he doing?!" said Sunset as they too saw the boy. "It's not safe!"

"Perfect, this time I won't miss!" said Dragonfly as he fired some lasers.

The girls ducked under as the attack was still heading for the kid. Ash managed to get in front of the boy as he deflected each shot with his sword, as the teen behind him fell to the ground.

"Get out of here!" shouted Ash as the teen behind him nodded and scurried behind a flower box.

"Now's my chance to say hello," stated Pharynx.

The general then raced out of hiding as the girls were shown charging toward Dragonfly before they were bulldozed. Pharynx kept on charging as he made contact with Ash a few meters behind the girls, as he fell to the floor as well. Pharynx stopped as he turned and slammed his gauntlets on the floor. It sent a shockwave toward the rangers as they were all hit with Dragonfly leaping into the air and over to the general's side.

"No," said the kid as he saw the rangers on the floor.

"Pharynx!" shouted Ash.

"You're mine now, yellow ranger!" snickered the general.

"Think again! You don't understand!" said Ash as he got up slowly.

"I don't want to understand anything! I only care about seeing you dead!" stated Pharynx as he marched toward them.

"And that right there is your biggest mistake!" declared Ash, pointing his sword at the mutant.

"The only mistake we made was letting you live. We've let you go for far too long, and now I'm here to finish the job!" said the general.

Ash ran toward Pharynx as he leaped into the air. He brought his weapon down as Pharynx blocked it with one of his gauntlets. He then flicked it away while bringing his other fist up and punching Ash in the chest as he tumbled back onto the floor.

"Everything we need to know about you, we already do! As for the humans you have as your team, they'll soon join the ranks of the dead!" declared the mutant.

"You've known me for a long time, Pharynx! So you know that I never give up! Not now, not ever!" shouted Ash as he got back up.

Before Pharynx could launch an attack, he was quickly blasted by some shots as he stumbled back. The girls all recovered as they fired their blasters while clutching their sides.

"Nice timing, girls!" said Ash as he held his arm.

"Hah! We'll be back when you least expect it!" stated Pharynx as a portal opened up behind them, and they disappeared in milliseconds.

"Don't worry, we'll be here waiting," muttered Ash.

At that moment, the boy emerged from the hiding spot as Rainbow saw him and started walking toward him.

"You! What kind of shit are you pulling?!" shouted Rainbow. "You realized you could've gotten hurt!"

"Rainbow, chill," whispered Ash quietly to his teammate as he stopped her.

Ash then looked at the teen as the girls appeared behind their friend.

"Hey. Listen, what's your name?" asked Ash.

"It's Colt."

"Colt. You shouldn't lie to others about being something you're not," stated Ash.

"Yeah, you put yourself and us in danger!" shouted Rainbow.

"I'm sorry. I just never thought I'd get into a real fight," said the teen.

"I know you want to help. But it takes special powers and serious training to fight these monsters and do what we do. Now we gotta go." said Ash as he and the girls began to run.

"Hey, where are you going?" said Colt as he saw them starting to leave.

"Dude! How many times we gotta tell you before you take a hint? Go home and stay there!" said Rainbow before running to catch up with the others.

While the rangers had left the scene, Colt contemplated a bit before he began to go after them.

A forest was shown, as there was the teen as he managed to follow the rangers. However, he seemed to have lost track of them a bit.

"I know I saw them run into this forest," said Colt as he hopped over a log.

While the teen was searching, our heroes were also in the forest. However, it wasn't just the girls. On the way to the forest, Ash had the girl get Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity as he had something for them all. The boy stood in front of the girls as they were all blindfolded and stood in a circle.

"Uh, Ash? Why are we blindfolded? What kinky shit are you gonna do to us?"

"It's not that, Rainbow!" declared the boy. "It's training."

"Training? Then why we here?" said Rarity as she pointed to Fluttershy, Pinkie, and herself.

"Consider this a lesson in your self-defense. Now, remember, use your senses! Rely on more than just your vision! You can do this; you just gotta concentrate!" said Ash.

The boy then pulled the lever as the plastic objects began to move. Ash was putting all the girls through the special obstacle course and training he did earlier as he felt it would be useful in fighting against Dragonfly. The girls all moved, and their instincts began to kick in. Each one was dodging and weaving out of the way of the plastic things. While the boy had no doubt his team would be alright, he was focusing on the three remaining girls as they began to do some flips and kicks of their own.

Rarity managed to block several swinging bottles with her hands before doing a cartwheel and then dropping to a split before getting back up and continuing to move. Fluttershy dodged and used her legs to kick away at the objects in her path before doing a standing front flip. She bounced off a tree to deliver a roundhouse kick and followed it up with a cartwheel flip. Pinkie managed to hop onto the log as she did consecutive acrobat flips and handstands to avoid the swinging objects before flipping to the ground.

Ash had a smile on his face as he saw the girls all performing well. At the same time, Colt was starting to get deeper into the forest as he got closer and closer to where the teens were. Rainbow did a kick as she then sensed something and stopped. The others also did the same, with some moving their heads out of the way of a swinging object, despite not seeing. They all sensed something approaching, soon emerging from a nearby bush as it was Colt. The teen was surprised by what he saw.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people, sugar," said Applejack.

"I, um... I..." stuttered Colt as the girls all surrounded him.

The girls appeared before the teen as they had transformed into their ranger outfits to avoid revealing their identities. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity hid in a nearby bush as they didn't want to get spotted. They sensed the boy approaching as the others did, as they barely had time to hide as their friends dealt with the intruder.

"What are you doing here?" said Twilight.

"Well," said Rainbow as she crossed her arms.

"You shouldn't have followed us," said Ash as he appeared and placed his arm on Colt's shoulder to get his attention. Like the girls, he too morphed into his suit to avoid revealing his identity.

"But I..." said Colt, looking at the yellow ranger.

"I know you want to be like us. But it takes much more than just a desire to be a Power Ranger. It takes dedication and an incredible amount of training." said Ash as he was speaking from experience. He brought Colt over to the obstacle course.

"You wanna know what we do? Watch," said Rainbow as she approached the obstacle course and cracked her neck.

The blue ranger approached the obstacle course as she did a backspin and executed a roundhouse kick at one of the plastic bottles that swung around. She then leaped over the log hurdle as she avoided another swinging object.

"Just like that," said the girl with a casual shrug.

"Looked easy, right. Give it a try," said Ash.

Colt nodded as he began to attempt the obstacle course. He avoided the initial swinging bottles but lost his footing and fell to the floor. Once he got up, he was immediately caught in a crossfire of swinging obstacles as he didn't know where to go. He was smacked by a bit before he leaped over to where the log hurdle was and tried to get up over it but failed to as he fell to the ground.

Ash pulled the lever as he got the objects to stop swinging, as they all looked at the teen who sat up.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see what it was like to be looked up to for once like you all. You guys are incredible. You have superpowers and don't want to worry about dealing with normal teenage issues. You don't have to worry about life, family, friends, or school. You guys are praised and given attention for what you do regularly. You guys don't ever have to worry about being miserable or sad, 'cause your lives are so perfect." said Colt.

Each of the girls was listening and taking in what Colt said as, behind their helmets, they all made sad expressions. To hear what the boy was saying as he was voicing what many assumed of them. The opinion that being a ranger was the happiest job was far from true. To think that they didn't have to deal with any issues got all of them to think of the sacrifices they had to give up to fulfill being a ranger. Essentially, they became adults because they were rangers; they gave up a part of themselves and their lives that they probably wouldn't get back.

Even the other girls of the Rainbooms hiding heard what Colt said. While they weren't rangers themselves, they knew the hardships their friends had to endure. They knew that being rangers and protectors of their home meant they were giving up a chance to be regular people. In a way, they felt sympathy.

As for Ash, he became a ranger at a very young age. He came from a long line of ranger heritage; he was used to this kind of life. He expected this kind of duty and responsibility when he accepted the power.

"But I get it. I'm no superhero," said Colt.

"Well... we don't always feel like heroes either," said Ash as he walked a few paces forward. "But we take our job to protect the Earth very seriously."

"Look, it's obvious you're a good guy," said Sunset as she bent down to address Colt. "So maybe the best way to help the world is by being yourself."

The girl was smiling behind her helmet as, at that moment, their Morphers beeped.

"We have to go. For everyone's sake, stay here," said Ash to Colt. "Come on, guys."

The rangers took off as they had to head to the city. The other three girls took Ash's message to heart as they decided to head back to H.Q. In the city, Dragonfly was back as he was tearing up more property. The group made it to the spot as they pushed past the people running away.

"What else is there for me to play with?" said Dragonfly as he took out another building.

"Nothing! Your rampage ends here!" said Ash as he and the girls arrived.

"You got lucky last time, but your luck just ran out!" said Dragonfly as he took off.

"Remember, guys. Concentrate," said Ash as he had his sword out, and the girls all had their blasters aimed.

The group was now using their training as they closed their eyes and began to use their other instincts. They began to concentrate as Ash sensed something and jumped.

"There!" said the boy.

"Nice, but too bad I'm not Dragonfly," said Pharynx as he blocked Ash's blade with one of his gauntlets and merely moved it away from his face.

"Actually, I was aiming for you!" declared Ash as he sensed Pharynx's presence and managed to locate the general.

At that moment, the boy's senses went off as coming from the side at high speed was Dragonfly. The boy shifted his eyes as he saw him coming, but he was blasted away before he could deck the ranger. The blasts came from the girls who managed to protect their leader as they hit Dragonfly on the mark.

"Your speed means nothing now that we can sense where you are," said Twilight.

"Leave Dragonfly to us, Ash," said Applejack as the girls chased after their foe.

"Right," said the boy as he turned his attention back to Pharynx and began to fight against the general.

The pair were now fighting as they moved to the nearby parking lot. Pharynx was swinging his gauntlets as Ash was blocking them with his blade. The mutant managed to grab the boy as he tossed him onto the hood of a car. Ash quickly got to a knee and continued to block Pharynx's swings before having to leap off as his fist came down on the vehicle.

Pharynx kicked the car toward Ash, who sliced it down the middle clean in half. The boy then continued to fight against the monster as they traded more blows before the ranger was tossed into a steel fence.

"Give up!" stated Pharynx.

"No! You've crossed dimensions only to be disappointed!" stated Ash as he tried to keep Pharynx's gauntlets from crushing him. The boy managed to aim his blaster on his hip at the general as he backed up.

Pharynx stumbled as that allowed Ash to rise to his feet slowly.

"I'll never stop until you all pay for what you did. No matter how hard you punch me or how much bullshit you guys put me through! I will avenge my parents and my friends!" yelled Ash.

The boy lunged as he got some good strikes on Pharynx before he was punched by the general, and he fell back.

"Fight all you want, Ash. You'll still lose in the end," stated Pharynx.

"Battle Armor Online!" shouted Ash as he stood up with the transformation happening.

The boy was now in his powered-up form as he continued to charge at Pharynx, who merely held him in a hold.

"You claim that you fight for your former friends, Ash. Let's forget, you left us hanging high and dry when we were younger!" shouted the mutant. "The only thing you will do is die!"

Pharynx delivered a hard right to Ash as the boy crashed through several walls and tumbled again.

"With you gone. The girls will be lost, and the end will arrive," stated Pharynx.

"No matter how much you knock me down, I'll get back up," said the boy.

"Then I'll make sure you never get up again," threatened Pharynx.

Pharynx rushed forward as Ash tossed his weapon upwards and jumped. The boy managed to grab onto a pole as he pulled himself up and avoided Pharynx's charge. The mutant turned around as Ash let go and turned mid-air while grabbing his sword and bringing it down on the general.

"Topaz Incisor Shred!" shouted Ash as he was zipping in and out of frame at Pharynx as the general was knocked back and damaged heavily from the boy's attack.

"Not bad, Ash," chuckled Pharynx as he coughed a bit. "But this is far from over."

Pharynx then disappeared as Ash powered down and leaned against a forklift as he was exhausted.

"Fire!" shouted the girls as they aimed their blasters.

They hit Dragonfly, who was running by as he got hit and crashed into a wall.

"Let's finish this!" said Sunset.

"Charge!" said the girls.

Their blasters began to power up with their respective colors as they aimed them at Dragonfly. Once it was charged up, they pulled the trigger as the animal spirits of their zords appeared and collided with Dragonfly as he was defeated.

"And that's that!" said Rainbow.

"Girls!"

"Ash, you good, sugar?" said Aj as they all held their weak leader.

"Yeah, but battling Pharynx took a lot out of me," stated the boy. "But the fight ain't over yet."

True to what Ash said, Chrysalis worked her magic as she revived Dragonfly and made him grow bigger.

"Just another day at the office," said Sunset.

"Harmony Zords, arise!" shouted the teens.

They were summoning their beasts as they were shown. They all began to combine as the rangers jumped into their respective zords as they were merging. The Megazord was complete as it stood ready to fight.

"I'm stronger, bigger, and faster!" said Dragonfly as he took off.

"Where'd he go?" said Rainbow.

Within seconds, the rangers' Megazord was being hammered from all directions by the giant monster. The rangers couldn't even get a second to breathe as Dragonfly kept the barrage of attacks going.

"You're gonna down quick as a wink," declared Dragonfly as he took off.

"We're moving too slow," stated Ash. "To beat this bug, we need to move quicker."

The Megazord was about to move when Ash started to fall.

"Ash?!" said the girls as they saw their leader slump over.

"Sorry, I'm exhausted," said the boy as the beating he took from Pharynx was taking a toll on him. "Sunset... take over."

Ash collapsed in his chair as the girl was worried. They all looked at Sunset, who was put in charge by their leader. The girl looked at her friend as she knew he was counting on her to lead the charge.

"You got it, Ash. Twilight, reroute the propulsion and wait for my signal."

"On it," said the girl as she began to type away at her control panel.

"Aj, your zord makes up the Megazord's legs. Which means this is your territory. So show what happens when a rhino gets to charging." said Sunset.

"Got it," said the farm girl as she gave a thumbs up.

The country girl grabbed the levers in front of her as she pushed them forward. The girl pushed her foot to the petal as the Megazord began to move its legs. It started to walk, turned into a jog, and was finally sent into a full-on sprint.

"Yee-haw!" shouted Applejack as they were moving.

"You'll never catch... What?!" said Dragonfly as he looked behind and was surprised to see the rangers on his tail. The Megazord was but a few meters and closing as Aj put the pedal to the metal.

"Never mess when a rhino charges!" shouted Applejack as she was still yelling in excitement.

"Trying to give me a run for my money, huh? Well, I still got this!" said Dragonfly as he fired some lasers at the Megazord.

It stumbled the giant mech for a bit, but Applejack kept her foot on the gas as she didn't let that affect her.

"Come on! Come on!" shouted the girl as she was inches away from catching up. "Just a little more!"

"Twilight, now!" shouted Sunset.

Twilight entered the command as the Megazord was given a small boost due to the energy being rerouted, as it allowed Applejack the speed she needed to close the distance between them and the monster. Aj pushed a button as the leg containing the rhino's horn shot out and embedded itself on Dragonfly's leg as he fell to the ground.

"Gotcha!" said Applejack as she made the Megazord trample over Dragonfly as they came to a stop.

"Impossible, they caught me?" said Dragonfly as he stood up.

"Time to finish this!" said the girls. "Harmony Megazord, Sonic Rainboom!"

The wolf's chest howled as it opened its mouth. The other zords also opened their mouths as they shot out their respective colors. The pillars of light shot forward as each had a mirage image of the girl's zords. The first to make contact was Twilight's owl, then Applejack's Rhino, next Rainbow's Peregrine Falcon, followed by Sunset's Phoenix, and lastly, Ash's wolf, as each was moments behind the other as they struck the mutant.

"Well, at least I had a good run," said Dragonfly as he fell to the ground and exploded.

"Nice work, everyone," said Sunset as the girls cheered and high-fived the other. "We did it, Ash."

"Great work, gang," said the yellow ranger as he looked at his team.

Sometime later, Colt was shown entering Sweet Shoppe as he was immediately confronted by several people. They had heard that the monster was destroyed as they began congratulating the teen, but he simply put his hand up as they stopped.

"Uh, listen, everybody. This is really hard for me, but... I'm not actually a Power Ranger," said the boy as everybody thought he was joking and laughed.

"No, seriously. The Power Rangers are the true heroes. They're great heroes and were super nice to me, even after I lied. Guess I just wanted the attention. Anyways, I'm sorry. Real sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." said the teen.

Everybody grumbled as they began to leave. Some even made faces at Colt for lying. The boy looked as everyone left the place with him taking a deep breath. He then made his way to the counter, as sitting on the stool next to him was Ash, sipping on a vanilla shake.

"Took a lot of courage to do that."

"Huh?" said Colt as he looked at Ash.

"But the real rangers will be proud of you," stated Ash.

"Thanks. That means a lot," said Colt before looking at Ash and making a face. "Hey, have we met before?"

"I don't think so," said Ash as he lied, knowing full well that he knew who Colt was. "I'm Ash."

"Colt," said the boy as he shook Ash's hand. "Well, actually, a new Colt. I learned a big lesson about myself today. Thanks to the yellow ranger."

Ash couldn't help but smile at hearing that as he took a sip of his shake.

"Here you go," said Mr. Cake as he turned to give Colt his drink when he slipped.

The cup went flying into the air as both teens gasped. It was about to hit the floor when a hand caught it. However, it wasn't Ash who acted on his instincts but Colt as he caught the object perfectly due to his fast reflexes. Even Ash was surprised as Colt placed the smoothie cup on the counter.

"Oh, nice catch. Where did you learn that?" asked Mr. Cake as he got up.

"Oh, just, uh, a friend," chuckled Colt before smiling.

All the while, Ash smiled even more as it seemed he helped Colt in more ways than one.

Author's Note: A lesson in trying to be something you're not just for the sake of attention. Plus, just because you're a Power Ranger, doesn't mean that you feel like invincible. Yeah, it takes certain attributes to be one, but even if you don't have them; just being yourself is good enough in life. As always leave a review expressing your thoughts.