RWBY Rangers: Remnants of the Grid

by DareDreamer

The Earth is under attack once again: this time from creatures that almost brought another world to its knees! Just when they thought their fight was over, Ruby and her friends must morph into action against a Grimm invasion that threatens to overwhelm Earth! With many more Power Rangers standing by their side, they must unlock hidden powers to defeat this threat... and another.

13. Interlude: Rebirth

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

"POWER RANGERS, FIRE!"

SHA-BLAM! Cinder remembered a blast of color and light, her Aura shattering to pieces, and her scream - one of either pain or denial, she was uncertain - as she saw the cliff racing away from her. And those… kids… the ones who had thwarted her plans, the ones she had underestimated, staring down at her as they grew further away. These were not just any kids, but a group of powerful young warriors similar to a student Huntsmen team - the "Power Rangers," as they called themselves, who had unexpectedly bested her in battle.

This was where it got fuzzy. Whatever was left of Cinder's energy and willpower kept her from blacking out the moment the sea swallowed her up. It was what drove her to push forward when her body had given up, her unrelenting spirit forged from the fires of pain and torture. The water had threatened to fill her lungs before she breached the surface, but she was losing strength, energy… and power. Her resistance was dwindling and she had managed to find a rock, but her grip was slipping and her eyes drooped from exhaustion.

Time was a blur. The last thing Cinder remembered seeing during her desperation to hold on was a brightening light… but that was probably just her mind slipping away as her fingers finally loosened their grip. After that, there was only darkness as Cinder slipped into the sea.

As her body descended into the depths, Cinder's mind was consumed by regret. She lamented the missed opportunities, the delayed actions, and the stagnation of her former self. Her thoughts were a tumultuous sea of what-ifs and could-have-beens, a storm of self-doubt and remorse.

If there was one comfort Cinder sought, it was that no one would control her again.

…

The world was black and quiet, a stark contrast to the tempest raging within Cinder's mind, a storm of emotions threatening to consume her.

Warmth accompanied a gentle light breaking through the dark. The silence broke under distant laughter. Something wet pushed forward, causing everything they touched to stick to their owner…

…whose amber eye shot open amidst a sudden, sharp air intake, the abruptness of her awakening jolting her into the present.

Cinder shot up with a start, her rapid and frantic gasps accompanying her throbbing heart. Those gasps faded into a sharp hiss and a groan as she squeezed her eyes shut, shielding her face from the overhead sun's unbearable brightness. Once the haze faded from her eyes, the ashen-haired woman noted the glittering expanse of gentle ocean, the warm sand she was lying in, and the faint figures of people relaxing on the shoreline or enjoying themselves in the water.

Cinder concluded that she had been washed ashore somewhere in Vale, her strength still relatively depleted from her last battle. The memory of that defeat prompted an annoyed hiss from the woman's teeth as she rose to her feet and brushed sand from her clothes absentmindedly. Her mind was already forming a strategy: gather her bearings, lay low for a while, and bide her time until she could strike back at those stupid kids who preached worthiness, a concept Cinder knew more than any of them. She scoffed to herself and tugged at her jacket before turning to…

…jacket?

Cinder paused and finally glanced over herself, quickly realizing she was no longer wearing her dark red mini-dress. In its place was a leather jacket over a dark crimson top with fiery patterns, the jacket's sleeves ending in small spiked wrist cuffs for an intimidation factor. Her black choker remained around her neck to hide the painful scars beneath, and amber earrings glimmered from the sunlight. She also spied black jeans with ripped holes in the knees, held up by a dark belt, and ended in a pair of high-heeled leather boots that were not at all suitable for sand, but Cinder would manage.

How Cinder obtained this new attire was a mystery. Perhaps she had been found by someone and taken in… but the fact that this supposed someone had abandoned her on the beach sparked irritation in her mind. Besides, she shouldn't waste her time thinking about her wardrobe when the most important thing was to-

"Oh my god, you're alive! I was this close to calling an ambulance… uh, unless you still need one?"

Cinder snapped her head towards another woman with an odd-looking Scroll in her hand. The stranger slightly jolted from her glare but recomposed herself in moments. "You are okay, right? What happened that made you all washed up? Boat accident? Fell overboard? Were… oh crap, you weren't shipwrecked, were you?!"

Cinder did not heed the woman's questions since another thought slowly came to her once she took in her surroundings. She was just on Vytal not too long ago… but if this was the northernmost reaches of Sanus, then… no, she was getting ahead of herself. This region of the continent was well-known for shallow waters and cliffs that acted as natural borders, but Cinder now knew that everything had a weak point.

Perhaps she had found Vale's.

"You," she spoke, caring little for the woman's concerns for Cinder's well-being. She knew it had to result from Ozpin's propaganda about "defending humanity" and "protecting the helpless." "How far is Vale?"

She expected an immediate response like the foolish believer in the Huntsmen cause this person undoubtedly was. Instead, the woman turned silent and stared blankly at Cinder. Cinder was on the verge of making herself clearer when a response finally came. "Um… wow… whatever happened to you, it must've made you hit your head so hard."

Cinder scowled at the woman. "I asked you a question."

"And it makes literally zero sense to me," she replied with a shake of her head. Cinder had to fight back the urge to make things more forceful… but this person was even more of an idiot than she initially believed if she didn't know where Vale, of all places, was!

"Fine, then," Cinder uttered through her attempts to keep her composure. A person too frightened to talk would be useless to her. "Let's make it a little simpler: where am I?"

"Ah, a tourist, then," the woman smiled. "In case you didn't see the sign, this is Huntington Beach. A real popular destination this time of year."

Cinder was the one to pause this time… until her face furrowed again, brushing away the nonsensical name that was not at all familiar. "I said… where… am I?"

The woman's face faltered. "Oh, uh… do you want me to be more specific? Then, California, I guess. Better?"

"Beacon Academy," Cinder demanded as she approached the woman. "How close am I to it?" The stranger hastily took a step back and raised her hands. "H-hey, okay, I-I don't know how messed up in the head you are from whatever accident that was, but I don't think there's a school by that name here! Or anywhere!"

"Impossible," Cinder hissed. "Everybody knows about Beacon. And the Academies." None of what the woman was saying made any sense and continuing this conversation was starting to be a waste of time, so Cinder brushed off her next words and stormed off toward the distant skyscrapers. It did not take Cinder too long to leave the beach…

…but where she arrived did not resemble the city of Vale. Not even in the slightest. Everything looked… strange to her. The architecture was similar to Mantle but in an environment fit for either Vacuo or the island of Menagerie. Cinder couldn't stop the confusion and bewilderment that washed through her as she roamed the streets, surrounded by unfamiliarity. She saw advertisements for products, companies, and films she did not recognize. No establishments had any "No Faunus" signs in their windows, and none of the posters she saw displayed Huntsmen and Huntresses in their usual heroic light, inspiring others to join their ranks in a subliminal message Cinder would not fall for.

Cinder wandered through the city for what felt like hours, ignoring the passersby around her and paying no mind to any warnings to watch where she was going. She could not look away from the cityscape, and for the first time in a long time… she felt lost, truly lost. Everything about this city felt wrong as if it had been cut off from the rest of Remnant.

It was the only explanation Cinder could conjure. Maybe the CCT couldn't reach here, which would explain why that woman found the terms "Vale" and "Beacon Academy" to be unfamiliar. This inner reasoning calmed Cinder as she trudged onward, returning to her original recovery plan and gathering her strength before setting off. The sooner she did so, the sooner she would hunt down those pathetic children and strike when their guard was down, celebrating what they believed to be their ultimate victory.

And… that also meant returning to her side.

Cinder sighed at the move she would eventually and begrudgingly have to make. She wished to stay, to be alone for a brief moment… but too long and she would find her, dragging her back to her side.

Don't think about that. The kids. Focus on the kids. Focus on finding them and destroying every last one, extinguishing their foolish and idiotic beliefs with them. To do any of that, Cinder needed to gather her bearings first. Wherever the hell she was, it had to have a place where she could…

Hm. That place looked like a good start.

Cinder approached a small roadside bar near an alleyway, neon signs making the building stand out. Not only would she have a moment to collect her thoughts, but perhaps she would receive more clues to her whereabouts… as well as put a few brutes in their place. Knocking down the self-entitled and prideful would never cease to be her guilty pleasure.

The chiming bell from the opening door drew all manner of eyes Cinder's way as she showed herself inside. Some lingered for a moment before snapping away when amber orbs turned in their direction, while others remained locked on her form like beasts eying a potential prey animal. Cinder chose to ignore those stares in her stride towards the bar counter, the music from a nearby jukebox accompanying her footsteps as the only sound in the entire establishment.

As Cinder nestled herself into a stool near the counter, an unguarded shot glass before her, her fiery eyes glanced around the foreign structure. She hadn't been to many of these places, especially after she found her and took her in, but one look at Cinder told the occupants that she was not the kind of woman to be messed with. Cinder hoped these people had the same idea and would leave well enough alone.

What little liquid remained in the glass left a rather bitter taste in Cinder's mouth, leaving her to groan in disgust and shove the empty glass away. She pondered, caring little for a spilling sound and a startled swear…

…nor did she care for the approaching heavy footsteps. Or for the strong hand that firmly clasped her shoulder. "You got something you wanna say?" growled a deep, masculine voice. If it was fear this man wanted from Cinder, she would give him none. Despite the possible retorts on how he should piss off and whatnot, Cinder decided to keep her mouth shut and avoid eye contact.

Not yet…

"Hey! I'm talking to you, little miss prick!" He loudly barked. Cinder could almost hear his teeth clenching in rage and his fists tightening. "You got two options here. One: you fork over the cash that'll get me a new jacket. Or two: I'll have to make do with your teeth."

How barbaric. Cinder could do far worse than that.

"The hell's your problem?!" The frustration was growing hotter, though it would never reach Cinder's own inner fire. "You deaf or something?! Hasta habla ingles or whatever?! If you don't say sorry right now, I'll make you wish you were!"

Cinder scoffed.

"Grrr…. I'll teach you to disrespect me, you stupid piece of-!"

Now.

Cinder's arm shot in a frightening movement, her fingers closing around the man's throat as she snapped her head towards him. His eyes widened in surprise when Cinder's amber orbs bore into them, the woman rising from her seat as she tightened her grip and left him struggling for air. The brute choked and thrashed against her grip while Cinder heard the other patrons scramble to their feet in alarm. She never took her eyes off the man as he stared him down, slowly focusing her Semblance through her limb.

"I'm afraid you'll be the one who's begging," she seethed. "And until that happens… your punishment for disrespecting me will be excruciating." Cinder turned her eyes to the stunned crowd next. "I suggest you all pay very close attention. And hope you don't make the same mistake as this blundering idiot."

Whatever response the man was about to give never made its way out as Cinder focused her grip, making the desperate man's face turn red. The woman concentrated with all her effort, her face twitching into a smile. Any second now, she'd smell that familiar scent of cooking flesh and the sight of Aura being burned through, followed by agonized screams and desperate pleas for mercy. Cinder's eyes gleamed with masochistic pride as she awaited those first screams…

Wait… something was wrong. Why was there no-

Pain exploded across the side of Cinder's head and her head spun as she collapsed to the floor, bits of glass surrounding her. There was an awful ringing in her ears coupling with her moan, her brain throbbing in her skull. Her blurred vision barely captured the man straining to gulp down lungfuls of air as he smashed the broken bottle onto the floor and glared at Cinder with murderous eyes.

All this pain… from a bottle? How? Cinder's Aura should have shielded her from-

Cinder realized the hard pounds weren't coming from her heart too late. A boot hit her right in the ribs, sending her tumbling along the floor and knocking out a table before she collided with the wall, pain shooting through her body along with an audible gasp. She could feel something warm on the side of her face… and something wet, too. She touched her fingers to that portion of her face and pulled them away…

…revealing red liquid coating her fingers.

Blood. Cinder was bleeding… from a bottle… the impossible-sounding thought contradicting the liquid on her hand froze the blood that remained in Cinder's body, her amber eyes blown wide in shock. How this was possible would have to wait as the bellowing roar of the man snapped her out of her trance, causing Cinder to roll away from a boot that would have caved in her skull and shoot an arm at his enraged face. The hard blow only staggered him and he wiped his mouth with a low growl, giving Cinder time to examine the blood on her hand and face.

"What… what the hell did you do to me?!"

The man grinned at her. "Aww, the pretty thing can't stand a little scratch? Well, you ain't gettin' scratched… you're gonna get busted up." He threatened while glaring daggers at Cinder, a glare she returned with a fierce intensity. "You won't get another chance."

"I won't, eh?! Well, how's THIS?!" The man threw out his fist and Cinder easily sidestepped away, grabbing the limb and bringing her elbow down on top of it as hard as she could. With any luck, his Aura would-

CRUNCH!

"YYYEEAAAAAARRRGGGHHH!" A howl of pain and agony erupted from the man as he stumbled away, cradling his limp arm as other patrons hurried around him. His wails and screams rang out even as his eyes burned with hatred for the stunned and confused Cinder. "My… my ARM! Y-you just BROKE MY FRIGGIN ARM, YOU FREAK! ARRGH!"

Cinder didn't understand. Aura would've needed to flare up after a strike like that! Why hadn't it done so?! Why had nothing happened?! She had to snuff those questions away as a band of tough-looking patrons gathered around, grumbling in irritation as fists clenched and men whipped pocket knives. The bartender froze from behind the counter and his body tensed up. Other bargoers hurried out of their seats and made a mad dash for the exit, unwilling to be caught in the coming chaos.

Shoving her confusion away, Cinder sternly stared at each of the patrons. She showed no signs of fear or hesitation, silently daring any of them to try what that brute had done. And she wordlessly promised each of them that - while she may not have known how she had broken his arm so easily - she would do much worse to them.

"What the hell are you idiots waiting for?!" the man roared. "MURDER that dirty bi-" An empty glass to the face cut him off mid-sentence, a satisfied smirk on Cinder's face as she watched the brute collapse amongst the remains. One of the patrons off to her side immediately charged, but she grabbed his jacket and redirected his momentum to hurl him into a nearby jukebox, the impact jolting the machine to life. Loud rock music began blaring from the speakers, snapping everyone else into action as their angered roars threatened to drown out the noise.

Cinder didn't remember the last time she had let loose like this. She would be sure to savor it.

They were all sloppy and predictable in their movements, hoping brute force would win them the day. Cinder weaved away from each fist and blade as if doing so in her sleep, all while demonstrating that their displays of power were mirrors of intimidation that she would shatter with experience. She spun away from a punch and smashed her elbow in a man's face, driving a hard kick to his ribs as he held his bleeding nose. She grabbed the next man's wrist without trying and gave it a sharp twist while never breaking eye contact, earning a pained wail from the idiot before Cinder threw him against the wall.

Cinder leaped at her next target in mid-charge, acrobatically wrapping herself over him and squeezing her thighs around his throat. A quick backflip sent him crashing into a table, where a sharp stomp to his nape snapped his neck. Cinder's next victim came at her with a pool cue, which she promptly grabbed and jabbed him in the throat with. She spun the wooden tool like a staff and rapidly struck the man in several spots before somersaulting over a wild haymaker and squeezing the cue against his neck.

"HRK! GCK! G-get her off! Get her off me, dammit!"

Three more men rushed in, one of them smashing a beer bottle and brandishing the jagged edge like a weapon. Cinder narrowed her eyes and shoved the choking man forward with her foot, breaking the cue in half and leaving him motionless at her boots. She engaged the first two men with lethal precision, dodging their knives until she jabbed the broken edges into their chests and kicked them away. The last man roared in desperation, but Cinder seized his arm and threw him over her shoulder before slamming the broken bottle deep into his midsection. Cinder grinned at how he clung to life, blood seeping from his shirt…

SMASH! Something wooden crashed against her body and knocked Cinder to the floor. She fought through the pain with a hiss and rolled onto her back, kicking away a patron holding two stool legs. Cinder sprung back to her feet and grabbed two pocket knives, allowing the muscle memory from her blades to take over from there. The man bellowed and swore with each successful cut, spewing vulgar threats at Cinder's face that culminated in another scream when Cinder stabbed him through the hand, pinning him to a table.

"ARGH, YOU PSYCHO MOTHER-" A quick slice across his throat ended his sentence and his miserable life. Cinder left him to choke on his own blood as she hurled her remaining knife, which struck a patron in the forehead and dropped him on the spot. A few witnesses to this brutality wisely dropped their weapons and hightailed it out of the bar in a panic, but more shoved tables aside and charged into the fray… much to Cinder's delight.

She redirected one opponent's charge out of a window and made another suffocate with his scarf. She flipped onto a table to avoid a metal pipe and launched two liquor bottles into the air, precisely kicking them to nail two men in the head. Cinder kicked herself off and drove her boot onto the man's ribs, a satisfying crack ringing out. The second man tried to stand up, but a sharp kick to his chin made him lose some blood and a few teeth.

Cinder blocked a beefy arm and jabbed another patron in the lungs, allowing her to grab his head and smash her knee into his face. Once he was downed, a hard stomp to his groin rewarded her with a shrill scream and a quick twist of her foot left him a writhing, whimpering mess. Cinder's body swelled with sadistic satisfaction and she tore his knife from the holster, ready to finish him off…

"C'MERE, YOU DIRTY SON OF A-" A pair of arms wrapped around Cinder's midsection and lifted her into the air, crying out when her back smashed against the wooden floor. Almost instantly afterward, Cinder was bombarded and pounded by fists and feet from all sides, the monstrous snarls and vulgar swears barely audible throughout the brutal beating that made it impossible for her to focus properly. The relentless, murder-eyed mass poured all their energy into beating the tar out of Cinder… and each of their hits shot horrible memories through her system. The pain she felt then and the pain she felt now became indistinguishable, berating yells blending with demands of death. Blood and saliva flew from Cinder's mouth as she remembered hot tears spilling from her eyes, every hit echoing over and over amidst scolding demands and offensive slurs.

And then… Cinder screamed.

Pain, anger, and torture shot from her voice as she lashed out with everything she had. A sharp kick snapped someone's knee, a headbutt smashed in some teeth, and an ear-splitting shriek rang out when she wrenched back a man's arm. Once the crowd had been weakened enough, Cinder exploded outward in a furious rage, bashing and beating away everyone in range. She shoved a knife someone was holding into his gut, smashed a man's face against the wall, and slammed another patron aside with a stool before jabbing a broken wooden leg into his back.

"-ing DIE ALREADY!"

Cinder was ill-prepared for the last man standing to charge into her like a raging bull, but she dropped low and threw him over herself like a ragdoll until his screaming form collided with the jukebox headfirst. The music distorted into unpleasant and incomprehensible noises amidst the sparks and shattered glass as the man's body twitched and spasmed… before going still.

Cinder could hear her exhausted breaths and feel her body aching all over as she looked around at the carnage and wiped blood from her mouth. The unmoving bodies, the debris, the blood… and through all of that, Cinder saw no signs of Aura flaring up or breaking, not to mention her Semblance failing to activate when she tried burning that man's throat: the same man who was scrambling for safety not too far away. Cinder scowled in anger and was about to make a move for him…

Ch-chk!

"Whoever you are… and wherever you came from…" somebody hissed in Cinder's ear. "You better get the hell outta my bar before I blow your goddamn brains out."

Cinder spied the bartender from the corner of her eye, a shotgun pointed at her head. She clenched her fists and bared her teeth, the anger from her injuries and the possible witnesses who saw her at her lowest still boiling hot. The bartender remained on high alert and focused his aim, his stern words escaping his gritted teeth. "I ain't playing around, lady. Don't do anything you'll regret."

"You already did."

Cinder moved fast and swept out the man's legs, knocking him to the floor with a surprised grunt. He lost his grip on the shotgun and Cinder promptly caught the weapon, striking the man across the face with the butt before stomping on his throat and pointing the two barrels at his face.

"W-wait, WAIT!" he coughed with both hands raised. Cinder would never tire of this: people who thought they were invincible and could get away with anything until any power they had was stolen and used against them, reducing them to the same people they used to torment. Cocky and bloodthirsty one moment, desperate and pleading the next.

"Th-the register… everything in it's yours, just-"

"SHUT UP!" Cinder roared as she jabbed the weapon into the man's face. "I don't want your money; I wanna know what the hell's going on! Why hasn't anyone here unlocked their Auras?! And what's happening to my Semblance?! Why isn't it working?!"

The man groaned from beneath her boot as he scrambled to get his words out. "What… wh-what the hell is any of that supposed to mean? Did one of those punks get a lucky hit in or-"

"ANSWER ME, GODDAMMIT!" Cinder screamed again.

"Hrk! L-Listen, lady…" the man sputtered. "You must be a real piece of work in the head. There ain't anyone on God's green earth with any 'aura' or 'semblance' or any other crazy whatchamacallit."

Cinder snarled at him and rested her finger on the trigger. "Don't lie to my face, you sorry piece of crap. Nobody on Remnant is born without an Aura."

"The only remnant around here is YOU, you rotten little ska-"

BLAM! Cinder spun and pulled the trigger… and watched the man with the broken arm collapse to the floor with a bloody hole in his chest. There was no flash of Aura and no sign of it shattering. Nothing. Cinder lowered the smoking weapon with heavy breaths, staring at her hand as fear started to rise through her being and the bartender's words echoed in her mind.

"Where am I?" Cinder asked him next, trying to hide the desperation in her voice. "What is this place?! Why can't I-"

"We interrupt this broadcast for a special report."

Cinder's head jerked upward to a ceiling-mounted TV screen nearby, hearing the on-screen reporter's words loud and clear. "Approximately fifteen minutes ago, Angel Grove, California, reported an incursion. Details are still coming in at this time, but what has been made clear already is that the city is once again under attack by an unidentified force of monsters. A citywide evacuation is underway and eyewitnesses have told us that the Power Rangers are already on scene-"

Cinder was taken aback. Power Rangers? As in… those kids? She watched the footage change to chaotic city streets, police officers ushering panicked crowds…

…and shots of black red-eyed monsters rampaging through the streets, roaring and howling with primal fury.

Grimm… did that mean she knew about this place?

"For the first time in over three decades, the people of Angel Grove and the world are baffled beyond belief. No one knows exactly what these monsters are or what master - if any - they serve, but these creatures are relentless and ruthless. Numerous casualties have already been reported thanks to the suddenness of this attack,"

Cinder blinked in confusion as she watched a Beowolf lunge at a camera, the footage abruptly switching to an aerial view before things got too graphic. None of this was adding up: first Beacon Academy, then Aura and Semblances… and now, people had no idea what the Grimm were? Cinder focused all her attention on the broadcast as the reporter continued to speak.

"This surprise attack has already shocked the nation and the planet, but these mysterious monsters were not the only ones to act fast. The US military is struggling to mobilize, but fortunately for Angel Grove's citizens, their defenders quickly responded and arrived to combat the creatures within moments."

That was when Cinder saw them. Their colors and weapons were the same as she watched them fight… but they were dressed in the most ridiculous-looking costumes Cinder had ever seen. Themed helmets, colored spandex, weapons that looked like props or cheap toys… they were like kids playing pretend.

Except they weren't kids. From what Cinder heard from their grunts, yells, and battle cries, they sounded like adults. Full-grown, mature adults still acting like children. It was enough to make her blood boil; they foolishly held on to selfless beliefs and futile hopes after all these years, proving more and more that they weren't worthy of what they had coincidentally found. They still held on to a power that was never truly theirs.

The red one cleaved a Beowolf in two with his blade. The blue one skewered a leaping Sabyr and slammed it into the street. The black one decapitated a swooping Griffon with a single swipe of his axe, the yellow one stabbed and slashed with twin daggers amidst acrobatic prowess, and the pink one fired arrow after arrow.

And finally, there he was—the green one. Tommy Oliver, the one name Cinder could clearly recall. Not only was he just as nonsensical as the others, but he was effortlessly slashing through the Grimm with a single dagger. Just like the Huntsmen, this group was showing off for attention, paying no heed to their dangers and expecting praise once they were finished.

It was disgusting.

"Social media users suspect that what we see here is only the beginning," the reporter continued. "And perhaps they are correct, given the many monster attacks the world has witnessed since the early 90s. If this is the case, it leaves us all with two questions: One, where will these creatures strike next? And two, will the Power Rangers be able to withstand the coming crisis… and protect the people of Earth as they always have? Now back to your regularly scheduled programming."

Cinder paused before returning to the bartender slumping against the wall, his chest moving in and out from every breath. She stepped towards him and readied the shotgun, willing to extract answers by any means necessary. "You. What is this 'Earth'?"

The man stared at Cinder with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "If you wanna threaten me, lady… then you should start asking some serious questions."

"I am not the type of person who wastes time," she growled.

The bartender scoffed. "Really? Then maybe you're down with a bad case of memory loss, sweetheart… 'cause how else can somebody not know the name of their own damn planet?"

Cinder was once again silent the moment those words met her ears. What did he just say? Everything Cinder remembered upon waking up came flooding back to her. The people's reactions to hearing of Vale, Beacon Academy, Aura, and Semblances… cities, products, and pop culture Cinder didn't recognize… those Power Rangers looking different with their colored suits and weapons…

…and her Aura and Semblance not working…

No.

It couldn't be. It… It was impossible! There was no goddamn way that Cinder was… was…

…on another freaking planet.

"Now," the bartender sputtered, making Cinder's dumbstruck face snap back at him. "If you're done spewing all kinds of bullcrap about 'aura' and 'semblances' and whatnot, you are gonna put down the gun, walk outta here, and leave me to clean up the mess you made in this here establishment. If not, then you'll be waking up tied to a chair and hearing sirens before I have the cops collect your sorry ass and haul you off to an insane asylum with the other fre-"

CRACK! Cinder slammed the shotgun's butt against the bartender's face, knocking him out cold. The weapon clattered to the ground as Cinder tried to keep herself from hyperventilating and stared at her shaking hands. The revelation made everything clear, despite how bizarre and impossible it sounded for Cinder. She was on another world - a planet called Earth where those wannabe heroes resided - operating with its own logic. Different names, different places, different physics…

Wait.

Those people knew nothing about Aura and Semblances because they had never heard of them… almost as if they never existed. Her Aura failed to protect her because she had no Aura. And her Semblance was unable to activate because of its absence.

Did… did this mean…

"No," Cinder whimpered with unrestrained fear and terror in her tone, emotions she had never felt since childhood. Her breath grew frantic and her heart hammered against her ribs before she spun on her heel and bolted for the restrooms. "No, no, no, no, nonononononono..." Everything felt like it was closing in on her and Cinder swore she felt eyes on her. Desperate to escape them, she swung the bathroom door open and slammed it shut behind her, spinning to see her distraught and panicked expression in the mirror.

No no no no no please no…

Her scramble to remove her jacket and top lasted several seconds, but it felt like several minutes. Cinder couldn't control her heaving chest as she stared at herself, shaking uncontrollably with blown-wide amber eyes. She couldn't do this, she didn't want to do this, she knew it couldn't be true, but she needed to know.

Cinder was never a praying woman, but she begged and pleaded to every god she knew to grant her mercy and please—please—don't let it be true. With her heartbeat pounding in her ears and sweat trickling from her brow, Cinder carefully turned her back to the mirror and forced a squeezed-shut eye to pry open…

…and what Cinder saw caused her breathing to stop.

Or, rather, what she didn't see.

She spotted only bare skin between her shoulder blades. The tattoo of black heels pressed sole-to-sole in a heart shape had disappeared. Her greatest achievement was gone. Her destiny was stolen. Her purpose was erased.

All the power she had and all she ever hoped to obtain… wiped. Because the Four Maidens did not exist here. Nor would they ever.

For the first time since those tortuous teenage years, Cinder was small. Cinder was frail. Cinder was weak.

Cinder was powerless.

"NNYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHHH!"

Cinder collapsed to her knees and wailed in despair; her heart and soul shattered like broken glass. Tears spilled from her eyes and she screamed countless times, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a fetal position and die on the spot. What spurred such thoughts further were the haunting images of every person in her life scowling at her, laughing at her, or taunting her like the worthless, wasteful piece of filth they saw her as. Flashes of those punks beating down at her rushed back, the physical pain of those blows returning with them. The wound she suffered from that bottle stung again, the dried blood feeling wet once again and mixing with her tears.

Cinder did not know how long she lay there. Nor did she care. Without h- power, she was nothing. Without any power, she had been thrown back down to the bottom rung of the ladder, a ladder raised from her reach to ensure she never crawled out of the pit again. The collar was back on her neck and her life was no longer hers. Someone would find her again, control her again until she faded into dust, with no one batting an eye as she blew away…

Cinder didn't have the mental strength to stop the memories. Being beaten down, the same tasks again and again and again, berated, broken, scolded, tormented, neglected, starving, sleepless nights, falling down, pain pain so much pain…

By her. By them. By them. By her, even if it didn't seem as such. And by…

…them.

The sobbing stopped and her chest no longer ached. Cinder slowly rose, her tear-soaked face still…

She remembered a device. She asked him what it was and what it meant.

Power Rangers…

The blue one called them Power Morphers. They came from here just like the kids. And if Aura and Semblances didn't work here, that meant those devices failed to function on Remnant…

And that meant…

That meant Cinder needed to stop lying and sobbing like a pathetic little baby and get herself together. The power she sought from those devices wasn't from Remnant. It was from here, on Earth. And those Rangers still had them.

And she knew exactly where they were…

Well, sort of. But Cinder refused to let that stop her. Her mission hadn't changed.

She planted her hands on the floor and rose back to her feet, slipping her top and leather jacket back on and meeting her reflection with her trademark expression of resilience and determination. The blood on the side of her face was promptly wiped away and she confidently strode outward.

After acquiring a roadmap from a stand, some keys from a deceased bar patron's pocket, and a pair of sunglasses, Cinder mounted one of the several motorcycles parked outside the establishment. Once a brief study of the map satisfied her, Cinder slipped on the shades, gunned the engine, and peeled out of the parking lot.

She paid no mind to the police cruisers that sped past her with blaring sirens; her eyes focused on the road ahead. Uncertainty remained - as Cinder had to pull over more than a few times to check her progress - but they were bumps in the road she could now overcome. The cityscape faded to an open road stretching through the desert, a trail Cinder blazed at high speeds while the wind blew through her ashen hair.

The sight of an approaching sign was her first clue that she was on the right path. The second was a police barricade just beyond it, ushering vehicles out of the city. Cinder almost chuckled at how focused they were on their evacuation. And if not for the roaring engine of her bike on fast approach, they may not have noticed her at all.

If the engine hadn't drowned out their demands for her to halt, Cinder would have ignored them as she did their waving arms. She surged ahead at full throttle, blowing past a gap in the barricade before the officers could do anything to stop her. And Cinder was long gone in seconds, smirking at their fading sight in her rearview mirror.

With another minor obstacle dealt with, Cinder steeled herself and sped into the distant city. Mere seconds after she entered, she heard distant roars, snarls, and howls accompanied by gunfire and shouting. She brought the motorcycle screeching to a halt after tearing down several blocks, where an abandoned police convoy and an overturned van met her. Cinder could barely distinguish the letters "SWAT" over savage claw marks and holes. Whatever those letters stood for meant nothing to Cinder since her attention was on what lay inside.

The Power Rangers were here, but she wasn't stupid. If she were going to get to them, she'd need to live. Cinder disembarked from the motorcycle and strode towards the van with a confident smirk… only to pause and raise a brow when she spied blood pooling on the street. Turning her attention away from the open doors, Cinder moved to the van's side (or roof, to be exact). The crimson liquid led her to an armored law enforcement officer whose protective gear had not shielded him from whatever Grimm had gotten to him. He was clinging to life and struggling to crawl away, all while a helmet, goggles, and mask hid the pain and terror Cinder knew he was feeling. Slipping off her shades and tossing them away, Cinder quietly chuckled as she approached the man. Her stride didn't break when he weakly turned in her direction, a low moan leaving his as he mustered the strength to speak.

"Sssshhh…" Cinder cooed, kneeling and placing a finger over the man's mouth. The corners of her mouth lifted in a bright smile as she watched this man - an enforcer of the elite who served as a fist of oppression - fight to hold on. "Aww… look at you…" she whispered. "So helpless… so fragile… and so weak." She normally spoke that word contemptuously but didn't resist the thrill of saying it with a smile. "All people in this world are like this, hmm? No Aura, no Semblance, nothing to protect them?"

The man gurgled again. Cinder wouldn't allow him to ruin this - his last moment like this. "No? Well… that's a shame." Her hand slowly snaked to the ground, wrapping a knife handle with her fingers. "Because the weak… are stepping stones for the strong."

Cinder plunged the knife into the man's throat in the blink of an eye, watching as he jerked with a final choke. A few more twitches and gurgles… and the gnat fell limp. Only then did Cinder reap her spoils, donning the man's bulletproof vest and arming herself with a pistol and an assault rifle. They would suffice until she reached her true goal, which rested deeper in the battle-scarred city.

All Cinder had to do was trek through the chaotic streets and fill any Grimm she saw with bullets. She put down a few beasts that noticed her presence, but fighting like this would take its toll fast. Firearms were not Cinder's specialty, but she would make do with what she had. She couldn't take them all on like before, not when she was… like this. Perhaps she could lure one of them away. Surprise them, then take their device and return to where she belonged. Judging by the sounds of fighting up ahead, she was getting close.

Cinder turned down the next block… and there they were.

If their color-coded outfits didn't capture attention, their over-the-top yelling and stylish movements made up for it. Cinder had to bite back disgust as she maneuvered through debris and moved behind a wrecked car, the attacking Grimm dwindling by the second. Whatever she needed to do to get one of those coins - just one - Cinder needed to do it fast. But how was she supposed to do so without drawing attention to herself? Being inconspicuous here looked impossible.

"ARGH!" The blue one was knocked to the ground by a Beowolf, the monster sinking its teeth into the man's lance as she struggled to hold it back. The impact knocked something loose from his person: a small orb-shaped object that bounced along the street, unnoticed by the Grimm or the Rangers…

…but not by Cinder. Timing her moment right, she snatched the object as it rolled past her position. The woman glanced back at the battle, watching each Ranger to see if either noticed its absence. Fortunately for her, all of them were too preoccupied with the black beasts. The red one decapitated the Beowolf with a single swipe, and the rest of the beasts were just as unlucky.

Cinder crouched as low as she could, daring not to make a sound as the Rangers gathered their bearings. The yellow one was the first to speak amidst ragged breaths. "What… what the heck were those things?!" Strange… why did she still sound younger?

The others merely shared glances beneath those statue-like helmets, their true emotions hidden beneath those still visages like the faceless soldiers they resembled. The red one sighed deeply as he looked at each of his allies. "Tell me… that those weren't… what I think they were."

"The evidence… says otherwise," groaned the blue one.

"I never, ever thought I would see those ugly mugs again," the black one sighed.

"Whoa, hold up," the yellow figure butted in. "You know these things?"

"Unfortunately…" answered the pink warrior, a gloved hand upon her helmet. "What in God's name are they doing here again? And how did they get here?"

"They're Grimm," the red one spoke the word with venom on his tongue, to which the yellow figure just shrugged. "Really? I was gonna say 'pure nightmare fuel.'"

"No… that's what they're called."

"Say what now?"

"They're creatures of chaos and destruction from a world far beyond this one," the green one - Tommy - explained. "It's a long story. And if they're here… ugh, there might be more. We need to get the others."

Cinder rose a brow. Others? What others?

"So… this is big, then?"

"Very big," the black one replied. "You really think all of the Rangers can handle this? I mean, there was another planet full of these freaks!"

All? Cinder's grip on the vehicle's hood tightened at the thought. All? There were more of these Power Rangers?! More with powers they never understood and squandered to their hearts' content?! It was enough to set her heart alight with anger once again…

"They don't know these monsters like we do," answered Tommy, prompting the blue warrior to snap his head towards him. "Wait… you're not suggesting-"

"...yes."

"Tommy, the last time we saw them," whispered the pink one. "We wished them goodbye. For good. And the portal was permanently shut down and depowered so this would never happen again! Zordon made sure of that!"

"I know. And I think I have an idea on how to bypass that," Tommy told her. "Come on, I can get her on board… though she's not gonna make it easy." The Rangers all accessed strange devices on their wrists before the Red Ranger touched the yellow one's shoulder. "I'll fill you in when we arrive."

They were gone before Cinder could even blink, whisked away in beams of light. Alone once more, Cinder stared at the orb-like object resting in her palm with curiosity in her amber eyes. It was a curious thing that she tapped with a single finger… before light shot from the top - startling her in the process - and materialized into a message similar to those usually found on Scrolls.

Current Draft (to be sent Grid-wide)

Memo to all Power Rangers

It has recently come to my attention that Ninjor - the legendary creator of the Power Coins - has decided to establish a makeshift hideout for himself here on Earth. Given the recent crises that have plagued Earth in recent years, such as the 2014 Armada Invasion, Ninjor believes that he should relocate various artifacts, equipment, and a collection of coins he has forged (should the worst happen and new Rangers need to rise) from the Temple of Power on Rutabaga 6 to aid us in future endeavors. He has informed me that his settlement choice lies in the Amazon rainforest due to how secluded it is and a visual reminder of how life on Earth (and all life throughout the universe) must be cherished and protected against evil.

The coordinates are enclosed below should he require assistance in his efforts. Ninjor's stronghold is currently surrounded by wards designed to keep evil forces at bay, ensuring it remains safe and hidden from the next (trust me, there will be a next) planet conqueror that has their sights set on Earth. Let this be another step forward in securing our planet and keeping the Ranger legacy alive.

Billy Cranston, Mighty Morphin Blue Ranger

So, there were more of these coins at this location. Cinder stored the device away and set her sights beyond the battered city, hoping one of them would prove useful for her and restore her status…

…

Cinder was no stranger to strife and hardship. But she didn't want to say she expected either of those from traveling. Countless hours had passed for her once she had managed to sneak aboard a plane with great difficulty, discreetly murder a guard or two, and get completely lost in a jungle. A jungle filled with blistering heat, animal-based rackets, and miles of walking with no Aura to protect her from anything. She could barely stand her scent after wandering around for so long and resisting her growling stomach.

Cinder looked at the device's map, pinpointing her destination for the millionth time. It was her only guide and hope of salvation in this godforsaken place. The screen made it look so simple as if the hidden lair was only a minute or two away. Cinder audibly groaned upon looking ahead to see more of this infernal jungle… but steeled herself with a deep breath and pressed on.

She would not be defeated, and certainly not by this stupid planet and its stupid logic that had reduced her to a shell of her former self. It was a shell Cinder needed to escape, and fast. All she needed to do in the meantime was not let an oversized leaf slap her in the face again or have one of those filthy monkeys blow out her eardrums. Cinder swore to herself that she would find a way to strangle the damn thing's neck if it dared screech at her again.

Every step of her journey gave her a new reason to loathe this pathetic planet with every fiber of her being. This is what those duty-obsessed, color-coded cretins had sworn to protect? Legions of identical trees that stretched far to the heavens and were impossible to tell apart, sweltering conditions that could leave one boiling, and creatures that had no respect for a superior being in any way?

They were more swallowed up in their hubris than Cinder thought. They limited themselves so much and kept their true potential restrained… and because of that, they were all unworthy. She'd make sure of that. This determination inspired Cinder to focus on her ultimate destination instead of her current surroundings or weary condition. The ensuing minutes crawled slower than snails and dared to dwindle the last reserves of Cinder's patience, but she never stopped walking and forced herself through the hardships. She would endure, she had to endure…

…like the rest.

When she emerged from the brush, Cinder's efforts were rewarded, the first spoil of many. She spied a waterfall that many a weary wanderer such as herself would be relieved by, the surrounding pool offering refreshment and a haven from the heat. But Cinder had her eyes on something much more tempting: a natural hole embedded in the nearby rock wall, beckoning her inside. Cinder smiled as she crept toward it with confidence in her stride, her legs no longer shaky.

Secluded? More like obvious. Anybody would want to use a cave for a secret hideout. Cinder never thought she would thank somebody for making such an idiotic location choice, but here she was. Met by darkness as she entered, Cinder ventured deeper inside. She did not come all this way to end up in an ordinary cave.

True to the intercepted message, the cave was anything but ordinary. The faint glow of torchlight gave way to a temple-like environment built within the cave, the flames revealing heroically posing statues of various costumed warriors, decorated pillars, and weapon cases. Cinder had to repress any feelings of awe, for these displays proved that these Power Rangers were just as striking and showboating as the Huntsmen, proudly showing off their "legacy" in a false promise to the masses.

The message said there were coins here that granted their users power, much like what Cinder had previously seen. And they could grant such a thing to anyone? To people who failed to understand what power really was and those who would do nothing but waste away and utilize it for war games?

Pawns. All of them. And Cinder found the idea of pawns repulsive.

"Ah… there we are. My friends, your patience is about to be rewarded."

The voice echoed across the chamber, prompting Cinder to peek behind a pillar. Further down the cave, a blue mechanical figure hoisted a set of tongs and retrieved a golden coin from a kiln, the object illuminated with heat. The figure gently set it down next to a second coin and set to work. Cinder would have watched like an intrigued child if it were not for two other voices nearby.

"Thank you so much for doing this. If you're right about these objects, we can finally return to our rightful duty."

"Yeah. And the sooner we get back out there, the sooner we can find the rest of our friends. They must be worried sick wherever they are."

Cinder froze and a silent curse slipped from her mouth. With that strange blue figure was a red-haired girl with green eyes and a ponytail accompanied by a scraggly blonde boy. Cinder knew those two: they were Beacon students. Huntsmen and Huntress wannabes who believed every lie Ozpin told them about heroism and justice, unwilling soldiers who ignorantly sold their souls to be puppets in his war. The girl was Pyrrha Nikos, a Mistrali champion who rose to become a disgusting legend before she could even graduate.

And the boy… Cinder was drawing a blank on the little wimp, but she cared little about identities. How they got here was the top question on her mind, which was already reviewing all she had learned from her infiltration of the Academy. They were two student team members in a close partnership with another…

…and if Cinder wasn't mistaken, she was a part of that other team.

The dust shop, the hallway, and the CCTS tower. The good news was that she was oblivious (like the rest), but if those two were here on Earth with her, did that mean the rest were as well? Did that mean she was here? Cinder decided that it was safe for her to assume so, which meant it was also safe for her to assume that-

Gods damn it, were they being given this power, too?! How stupidly selfless were these Ranger people if they would just hand over their precious power to every kid they found?!

No, calm down. She needed to stay focused. Stay focused and get what she came here for. And then…

"And… behold!" the blue-armored stranger dramatically declared in a tone that made Cinder want to cringe. "Your hot-off-the-forge Power Coins! Made possible only by your connection to the Morphin Grid itself!" He handed the pair two gauntlets crafted for the left hand, which they each took and admired with amazement and astonishment. "Oh, wow…" the boy breathed as he slipped it on and clenched his fingers. "This… this looks incredible, Ninjor!"

"Jaune Arc!" he spoke boldly. "Though you are young and inexperienced, you have an honorable heart and a loyal soul, the qualities of a hero in the making!"

Oh, please. Cinder moaned inwardly. Spare me your praise.

"The Silver Stallion represents that same courage and prowess shown in champions from Earth's past. Let it remind you of the heroes that have come before you on Remnant, and may it guide you down the road to become one yourself!"

The boy's giddy grin and excited laughter made Cinder want to hurl.

"Pyrrha Nikos! The people of Remnant know you best as an undefeatable warrior, but beneath that layer - where most never tend to look - you are kind and majestic with a clear vision. You inspire others to rise above any challenge and pursue their own paths. You are not just a symbol of might; you are a symbol of freedom! And there is nothing more suitable for a new beginning than the Golden Eagle!"

She responded with a gentle smile. "Thank you, Ninjor."

"No, no, no," he interjected with a shake of his head. "Thank you, both of you, for showing me something that I never believed possible: an entire world of heroes from beyond the Morphin Grid willing to defend their world from those horrible, ravenous beasts you call the Grimm. I believe you are ready to fulfill your sworn duty to defeat those monsters and drive them from this planet. Is that right?"

"YES!" Jaune eagerly shouted, much to Cinder's ire.

"More than ready," Pyrrha answered with a nod.

"Very well! Now, raise your Power Coins before you and call out their names! You were a Huntsman and a Huntress in training on Remnant…" The figure triumphantly raised his arms to the ceiling. "But here, you are Power Rangers! And IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"

The children raised their left hands and clenched them into fists, their gauntlets aglow with the golden circles embedded in them.

"SILVER STALLION!"

"GOLDEN EAGLE!"

KRA-SHAM! In a bedazzling flash of light, the two students were gone. Cinder could not restrain her awe at what remained in their place: a pair of shining armored warriors donned in silver and gold, donned head to toe in glimmering plating and sparkling metals. Cinder's amber eyes washed over heavy-duty silver plates, polished armor, golden feathers atop a streamlined helmet, and a simplified design. The pair had gone from mere students to radiant figures, exactly the kind worshipped and praised by the populace.

The fires of jealousy were difficult to extinguish.

All of Jaune's breath left him as he and Pyrrha looked over their new appearances. "Oh… my… g-god… Pyrrha, I… we look INCREDIBLE!"

She laughed in delight while fluidly moving her limbs one by one. "And I feel amazing! All this energy flowing through my veins! Do all Rangers feel like this their first time?!"

"The first morph is always the most cherished," Ninjor told them with the voice of a proud teacher before he pointed ahead of himself. "Now go! This planet and your friends need you!"

"Whoa, wait!" Jaune stammered. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to go out there and crush some Grimm skulls, but aren't you going to train us first?"

"Train you?" Ninjor laughed. "It is you who must believe me when I say that you already know what you must do. But if it is a hint you require, those devices on your wrists double as communicators and teleporters. Use those if you have somewhere to be in a hurry! Which you do! Right now!"

"We won't forget this!" Jaune added as he and Pyrrha quickly fiddled with those devices, which was quicker and easier than Cinder expected. With a final wave from them both, the two students finally vanished in bright streaks of gold and silver that raced away from the cave's opening. Cinder released a held breath amidst a sigh from Ninjor. "May the Power protect you both, Rangers. You and your friends will need it."

No. Cinder is the only one who needs it.

Ninjor returned to his crafting and forging equipment, allowing Cinder to move out of hiding and sneak through the temple. She passed weapons and artifacts she cared little for, crept past statues she couldn't bear to look at, and stayed far away from lit torches… until she reached her goal like a thief sneaking through vault security.

An entire collection of glimmering gold Power Coins, decorated with symbols and creatures of all kinds, was lined up upon the farthest wall. All these options… Cinder didn't know where to start or which one to take; they all looked so tempting. She could feel their power from here, radiant and proud as they stood on display like museum trinkets. But Cinder knew they were destined for more than sitting around on a shelf for ages. She strode across the row, her amber eyes washing over the treasure trove. Unfortunately, none of the coins really stood out to her. She needed something strong, something impossible to match, something that could not be surpassed…

She paused. Were Cinder's ears playing tricks on her, or was there a faint hum amongst the crowd of coins?

She glanced over her shoulder to a spot she had missed. A small black box secured by a lock and chain was lying separate from the other coins. Cinder had no idea what was held within… but if it had to be hidden, locked away, and concealed like this…

Then this had to be it. A locked box meant that whatever this was was immense. It was something dangerous, something feared. Something destructive.

Something… perfect.

Yes… Cinder could feel it now. All of these coins radiated incredible energies, but this one… this one promised power, and lots of it—more than any of these could give. This was her right, and Cinder was bursting at the seams with eagerness as she-

"HALT!"

Snapping out of it in a heartbeat, she spun over her shoulder to see the cave's other occupant standing stoically behind her and wielding a sword. Cinder urged her body to calm itself as she fully turned around… painfully wrenching herself away from her destiny for one more moment.

Soon. Soon.

"Who are you?! And how did you find this place?!" He demanded, jabbing the blade in her direction. Cinder gave a casual smile and raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'm so sorry for this trouble, kind sir. I was just hoping to find some friends of mine. To find something familiar in all of this… mess."

That made him lower his guard, the trusting fool. "I… I beg your pardon? You are from this Remnant planet as well?"

Cinder feigned surprise. "Oh? You know of it, then?"

"Why, yes, I suppose so," Ninjor answered. "But I'm afraid you're too late. I encountered two promising young warriors from that world mere moments ago, suspicious as I was to their presence. Unfortunately, I have already sent them away to aid in a great crisis."

The Grimm. "That's such a shame…" Perhaps Cinder could keep the idiot distracted… "But I must agree with you on one thing. They are promising."

"Ah! How true!" He chuckled. "Proud youths with dreams of protecting their people and defending their world from raw, savage evil! It is a fight they swear to win by any means!"

If by win… Cinder thought. You mean fight and follow orders until they die while their expendable hides are replaced over and over.

"Indeed. But these Power Rangers… they are different. They were not born with power, were they?" Cinder's query made the machine hum in approval. "Yes, you are correct. As fascinating as soul-based energy fields and their resulting abilities are, no such thing exists in this dimension. Hence the existence of the Morphin Grid and every conduit that channels its power, such as the many Power Coins I have crafted. The most legendary of all morphers, they…"

Cinder didn't bother to listen to this droll rambling any longer than she needed to. Once Ninjor's attention was no longer on her, she slinked close to the far wall and slipped a hand behind her back, gently grasping the tiny locked box and slipping it inside her pocket. Her devious smirk returned as she plotted her silent escape and prepared a farewell…

…only to find a blade pointed at her face.

Cinder realized too late that the cobalt-clad construct was no longer droning. He was still and silent until three words deeply boomed from his figure. "Put. That. Down."

Cinder gave him her most innocent smile. "Put what down?"

The blade inched closer to her throat and she caught the machine's free arm trembling. "I will not tolerate thieves, especially of the…" He caught himself in time and regained his posture… but something deeply shook him. If he was afraid of the contents within, Cinder was off to a better start than she thought. "Hand it over. Now."

"And what is it you believe I have taken?"

"Th-that is not important!" he stammered. "What is important is the empty space I see right behind you. This was all a diversion, wasn't it?! Well, the jig is up, as the saying goes here! Now show me the box; I know you have it, you scoundrel!"

Cinder slyly fished the container from her pocket and held it up, her smile still wide and mischievous.

"Now…" Ninjor breathed. He tried to remain intimidating, but Cinder could see right through him. He was on the verge of calming himself, undoubtedly wishing the whole endeavor would blow over before forcefully evicting Cinder from his abode. "Put it down. Immediately."

Cinder's amber eyes twinkled. "As you wish…"

Without warning, she smashed the box onto the floor with great force, breaking the lock with a sharp crack that made Ninjor jolt back in terror. The black container spilled open, but Cinder had no time to glance at the contents before Ninjor's blade was at her throat again.

"What have you done?!"

She chuckled. "You tell me."

"You… I-I… no, no…" His voice quaked and he slowly backed off, his grip tightening around his weapon. "I-it matters not. Th-the coin, it… it's been - it is dormant and has been so for thousands of years. It will not awaken to a common crook! Your efforts are for naught, stranger! Leave this place, or I-!"

Cinder chuckled maliciously and met Ninjor with glowing amber eyes, flashing a knowing grin. "Oh… how little you truly know of Remnant, machine. Did you really believe everyone there is willing to become a Huntsman and fall in line like good little soldiers… just like your Rangers? Only a select few have other goals in mind than conformity."

"Spoils?" Ninjor spat. "A wasteful effort, stranger. That Power Coin ran dry ages ago and will not be replenished soon! Not by one who seeks a fortune like your-"

"I don't want fortune," Cinder growled with a shimmering fury, causing Ninjor to retreat in confusion. She glanced down at the golden coin at her feet, her mind relishing the forbidden energies within waiting for her to reach out and take it. She slowly bent down, extending a hand toward the glowing coin that beckoned her forth.

"I. Want. Power."

"No! No!"

Cinder's finger touched the shining surface… and it pulsed with an ominous red light that washed over its surface in rapid flashes, similar to a heart pumping blood through a body. Cinder gasped and drew back to her full height while Ninjor jolted backward, his breath hitching. The Power Coin jerked and twitched before slowly rising from the ground, hovering with no regard for gravity until it was level with Cinder's astonished face.

Finally, the woman could see what was embedded in the coin's surface: a majestic and powerful bird with widespread wings, rising from a pile of ashes and surrounded by glorious flame. Her peripheral vision noticed Ninjor shaking and trembling again, and an abject fear radiated over him. It made Cinder's smile brighter, even as the machine became desperate.

"Please, wait… you… y-you don't understand! Th-that coin… it's done t-terrible things! It's dangerous! The power it holds within, i-it's too much!"

Cinder humphed. "Humor me, construct."

"The warrior I forged that coin for!" Ninjor shouted anxiously. "H-He was like any other: proud, noble, adored his planet and his people more than anything! There was no line he would not cross, no rule he wouldn't break if it meant their safety. He and his team safeguarded their world and fought a war that would have ravished it…"

Cinder paid no attention to him. Her eyes were focused on the coin and the incredible power she felt within. If what she had learned was true, she would be equal to a full Maiden… and maybe beyond.

The coin pulsed with crimson light that expanded outward, the light reforming and materializing into an outer shell. The coin proudly sat within a circle, surrounded by a familiar text reading "POWER RANGERS." Cinder's heart soared at the sight of what she now learned was called a Power Morpher, much like those the idiotic children she remembered wielding.

"But…" Ninjor continued. "But he… lost faith. He used his power in ways it was never meant for. He became dependent on it and relished what it gave him. And as the coin's power grew with each battle and fed his hunger, he grew obsessed with destroying his enemies and all those he believed to be his enemies. And in the end… his addiction destroyed himself and his home."

Ninjor was on the verge of dropping to his knees from how frantic and desperate he appeared. "Please… don't. Don't do this… If you do, you… you'll destroy yourself, too. You'll destroy this world and doom this entire universe. I-I beg you, please… w-walk away while you still can. You don't understand…"

Cinder was silent as she stared at the coin, contemplating the words. Not the words Ninjor had spoken to her in a frantic plea to turn her away - to deny her what was rightfully hers - but words that had come from the coin itself, two words that echoed in her mind like embers waiting to ignite.

"If this warrior couldn't handle the power," Cinder declared. "Then he never understood. He didn't deserve it… and no one deserves power more than me."

If only Ninjor had a face for Cinder to admire the fear and horror written on it. She would savor it greatly but savor the coming moment even more. Building up her resolve and determination, Cinder held the morpher in front of her while Ninjor rushed forward. His arm reached out for Cinder in pure panic and despair…

But her roar overpowered his scream as she bellowed the words that reverberated in her thoughts.

"INFERNAL PHOENIX!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

KRA-BOOOOOOOM! The morpher burst open and an explosive red light erupted from the coin, engulfing the entire cave in a raging wildfire that blasted Ninjor back. Cases shattered open, pillars cracked, and statues were smashed apart as the warrior slammed against a wall. He heard torches clattering to the ground amidst an incredible roar, boundless energy floating freely around him. That energy focused on a single point, flowing and racing faster than the strongest winds…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Cinder screamed louder than she could remember as she felt everything at once. Her nerves sizzled and her muscles burned from the energy seeping inward, her body absorbing it all in seconds. The crimson flow howled and bellowed as it was drawn to Cinder like light sucked into a black hole, bombarding the woman with every molecule of its essence. Her screams grew louder and the roars became deafening, the light spreading all over in painful, burning sensations that draped red material over her dark clothes. Cinder was being destroyed from the inside out, the force tearing at her body and soul as it burned her down to reform her into something else. Once the process reached its peak and the light swallowed her entirely, Cinder's screams of agony and the ever-rising hum joined as one, her silhouette brighter than a star and causing Ninjor to shield his face.

FWA-KROOOM! A second blast just as intense as the first rocked the chamber, the shockwave blowing over the downed Ninjor and scattering pieces of forge equipment. The mentor grunted in surprise and took up his sword… before his spirit sunk at what he saw in the woman's place.

Cinder breathed heavily upon feeling everything rush back together. The first thing she felt was fullness, a feeling that abolished the empty, hollow shell her body once was. Her heart pounded in her chest, fueling her with incredible strength. Every cell felt more alive than ever; her nerves burned with life rather than pain, and her muscles were abnormally augmented to the point where Cinder believed she could leap miles high and smash through solid concrete.

She felt good. Better than she did when she took part of the Fall Maiden's power and perhaps even better than if she took the rest.

And it had been far too long since she had felt this way.

The outside was just as impressive as the inside when Cinder examined her body. Her black clothes had been replaced by a dark crimson-amber suit alive with orange tints and black ashen swirls. Flame-like designs trailed down the arms and legs, gold cuffs covering the wrists. The cave floor glowed with heat from a pair of orange boots, with a similar heat washing over Cinder's entire body. A small hiss that ended in a gentle exhale left her lips and she flexed her fingers, her red gloves sporting wickedly sharp orange talons, sparks flickering from the tips. Cinder's head was concealed by an intimidating helmet sporting the visage of a great bird, a golden beak stretching down over the visor while the head's feathers fused with surrounding flame designs. Reds, yellows, and oranges gave the suit a fiery glow… and it was a glow that flowed through Cinder's eyes as she finally opened them beneath the visor.

"O-oh…" Ninjor whispered. "No, no no no no no…"

Cinder grinned deviously amidst a low chortle. "Oh yes."

"You… wh-what…" He sounded so broken and hopeless now, and Cinder loved it. "What have you done…?"

"What have I done?" Cinder echoed, her words burning with the rest of her. "No… the real question is 'what will I do next?' Let me show you my answer…"

Ninjor snapped out of his fear-induced trance and took up his katana. "That power will NOT leave this place! HYYYAAAAAH!" He lunged at Cinder - his movements born of desperation over rage - and Cinder braced herself as her body exploded with raw power. Or she would have if her body hadn't moved on its own…

…and sent Ninjor crashing through a pillar with a blazing kick ten times more effective than an ordinary strike. What happened next could only be described as the most horrifying sight Ninjor had witnessed. But for Cinder, it was little more than swatting a fly. Ninjor fought like a man backed against a wall, allowing Cinder to easily evade his swings and leave vicious scalding marks with hard swipes from her new claws. Fireballs blasted from her palms to keep him at bay and she spewed fiery streams from her hands in pyrokinetic acrobatics. Stray fireballs pounded the walls and bombarded the ceiling, stone chunks raining all around while out-of-control fires engulfed everything they saw.

Cinder was a literal firestorm and she felt reborn.

The only thing she loved more than that was the pair of feather-like blades that materialized into her grip, outmatching Ninjor even more. Cinder's weapons surged with such intense heat that a precise blow sliced his katana in half. His gasp of shock was matched only by the delightful scream that came when Cinder drove one of her blades into his shoulder and sliced with a furious motion that severed his arm, leaving behind sparking circuitry and exposed wiring.

A hard kick knocked him against the wall before Cinder threw a fireball at another pillar. The structural support fell like a tree, crushing the defenseless machine under its weight and shaking the entire cave. With a satisfied chuckle, Cinder approached the writhing machine and knelt down, her helmet vanishing in a swath of flame.

"You are right to be afraid, construct. Such power hidden away like this… it's a waste. Almost as much as having it squandered and used for petty things… like protecting the weaklings that should be dominated."

Ninjor grunted weakly from his position. "They will… stop you… y-you are not… the first to… be unworthy…"

"Unworthy?!" Cinder snapped as she rose back up, the very word an offense. "I am far from unworthy after I have spent my entire life held back and restrained. I've been handed off from master to master, each of them holding the chain connecting to the shackle around my neck… but no more. No. More."

Cinder's eyes burned with vengeful rage, amber flames flowing from her bright irises as she stared down at the hunk of scrap metal beneath her. "I broke that shackle now. Nobody will ever control me, use me, deny me, or lock me away ever again. I decide who's worthy and who's not, and every Huntsman and Ranger out there? They have no idea how unworthy they are, willing and obedient soldiers fighting and dying in a war that will never end."

Cinder turned her gaze towards the tunnel from which she entered. "So I'm going to punish them. Punish them for being so blind in using their power, and punish them for even hoping they can stop me from taking not just the power I so rightfully deserve… but this world. A world I have all for myself, the first thing I've had for myself. A world without him, a world without her, a clean slate for me to start anew and become who I was meant to be from the beginning!"

Cinder spread her arms wide open, gesturing at the chaos and devastation enveloping the cave. "So look around, machine… this is what this whole world will be soon enough!" A wide grin of satisfaction split her face, her amber eyes still burning. "And I will be its queen. I will be its master. I… will be the Power Ranger."

So Cinder turned and walked away. She walked away from everything that conspired against her, everything that stopped her from reaching her full potential, and everyone who doubted her. If she could see them now, she'd watch as she burned them all and melted them away to nothing.

Yes. Even Salem. Cinder wasn't afraid to admit that because that witch wasn't here. And she'll never be here. Cinder could never return to Remnant, nor would she want to. She had everything she could ever want and it didn't come in four pieces, but a single object that made it all the more satisfying. As she burned her bridges behind her and melted down the walls keeping her at bay, she couldn't help but cry tears of joy and shriek with delight to the heavens.

The heavens that she could reach out and touch. Cinder went from the ground to dozens of miles high in mere seconds, blasting off like a rocket with flames shooting from her feet. Freedom… true freedom at long last. And it was no dream. The fact made Cinder laugh and cry her heart out as she hovered, her joyous tears falling like rain.

"Thank you…" she heard herself whispering amidst sobs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much…"

As much as she didn't want this feeling to stop, Cinder straightened herself with a relieved breath. The Grimm, those Huntsmen kids, the Rangers…

…it was time to get to work. She had a world to make her own.

…

Cinder didn't care where she was going, only that she found enemies to dominate and people to bring under her heel when she arrived. She roared over the ocean like a comet, a fiery stream behind her as she flew at speeds she never believed she would achieve. This power that flowed through her system and ignited her entire being was greater than anything either of the Four Maidens could hope to give her. What little she could do with the Fall Maiden's power was a mere ember compared to the inferno this Power Coin was capable of.

In a way, the coin was reborn too. Cinder almost felt pity for the inanimate object filled to the brim with power beyond her wildest dreams. Hidden and imprisoned for thousands of years, never to be used again… Cinder only wished she had found it sooner, but what mattered was that she found it at all.

Cinder spied a city in the distance, smoke rising amongst the skyscrapers. Her smile didn't last when she noticed something else streaking for the city: multiple somethings. Curious rather than disappointed, Cinder's gaze turned to a squadron of ten military-grade aircraft of small size roaring through the skies en route to the city. They didn't resemble the high-tech ships of the Atlas military but rather small winged craft with roaring jet engines and aerodynamic wings. Cinder could see missiles beneath the wings, ready to engage whatever Grimm were in the city.

Well… Cinder couldn't have that.

She boosted off at high speeds until she was directly near the rearmost aircraft, peering at the canopy inside. A man in a military uniform, an oxygen mask, and a flight helmet held a control stick, his gaze trained on the city before his head slightly motioned to the right…

…and snapped in Cinder's direction, eyes wide in shock. How adorable, it was like looking at a little pet in a glass box.

Cinder wiggled her fingers at the man inside before snapping them, sparking a flame. That flame spread until all five talons were ignited, which she stabbed into the aircraft's hull before dragging back. The screeching metal and the burning gash she carved was music to Cinder's ears. She ripped through the wing just as easily, leaving the aircraft to spiral out of the sky.

The canopy popped open and the pilot's chair flew out, a parachute unfurling in the process. Cinder merely scoffed and flicked a flame with her finger… burning the parachute and sending the screaming pilot plummeting to his doom. By now, the other aircrafts were breaking formation and coming her way, having noticed their squadmate's absence. Cinder wasted no time blasting for them, not flinching at the missiles two of the vehicles fired her way. Sparks flew from her fingers as she rolled through their path, the embers serving as makeshift flares for the projectiles to detonate against.

Cinder slammed right on top of a canopy, startling the pilot inside before she began beating on the glass. A few direct hits were enough to shatter the pilot's only protection, allowing Cinder to grab him and throw him out to the sea. She was back in the air in seconds, lobbing a fireball at an incoming fighter. The craft exploded instantly and screamed downwards in a blazing spiral, the sight pleasing Cinder greatly.

BAM! A missile collided with her dead-on, knocking Cinder out of the air and briefly stunning her. Flames blasted from her palms before she could hit the water, rocketing her back to high altitudes. She veered high with burning palms, throwing fireballs at the aircrafts and moving in for the kill when the closest ones took evasive action. Her sword cut through a wing like a hot knife through butter, a blast to another vehicle's jet engine turned the whole one-person aircraft to scrap metal, and a thrown blade pierced another's cockpit… and its pilot's chest.

Cinder took a full minute to decimate the entire squadron, this world's feeble excuse for power. If this is what she could do against a squadron, Cinder smiled as she imagined what she could do to entire armies. She could eradicate them all like the bugs they were and force the remainder to bow at her feet.

Enough daydreaming. Cinder had her ex-master's pets to put down.

The flames blasting from her palms and soles allowed Cinder to reach land in record time, the city consumed in a battle between the Grimm and a military struggling to understand what they were dealing with. Either Cinder's newfound pride or power directed her attention to a Leviathan wading its way to shore, missiles and tank rounds bombarding the behemoth to little effect. Neither side noticed Cinder's rapid approach as she flew towards the gigantic sea creature at full speed, two fists extended and a roar accompanying her velocity. The Red Ranger's body burst into a glorious flame until Cinder resembled a meteor burning in the atmosphere…

…and pierced the Leviathan's skull like a bullet. The massive monster moaned its dying breath as its red eyes dulled, the enormous body hitting the ground with a loud thud before disintegrating. Several soldiers below turned to Cinder's hovering body in disbelief and delight, their faces alight with relief.

But Cinder wanted fear, not praise. And she got it when she blasted every weaponized vehicle and scorched every soldier she saw into ash. She melted down metal and sent soldiers flying with a single blow. Cinder felt disgusted at how weak these men were: they were like bugs without Aura to protect them. Blows that anyone on Remnant could shrug off were fatal to these men, with the limbs she severed and the holes she blasted through bodies. Cinder thought that they would have died if she so much as touched them.

And these kinds of people were who the Rangers protected? The new reason for them wasting their power fueled Cinder's fury, which she unleashed on the remaining forces that struggled to bring her down.

An incoming rotary craft fired a missile at her, but Cinder caught the projectile like it was nothing and released it back in the vehicle's direction. She did not look back as she marched away from the falling aircraft, which went up in flames behind her and consumed the screaming survivors.

The city was no battlefield for Cinder; it was a playground. A place for her to experiment further with these new powers without holding back. She added more fuel to the burning fires with every Grimm she vaporized and every vehicle she melted down. The sparks from bullet impacts were incorporated into Cinder's form, allowing her to intensify them into devastating blazes that consumed entire squads.

Cinder blasted holes through Beowolves, roasted Ursai heads, impaled a Goliath's throat with its tusk, and drove a Death Stalker's own stinger into its skull. She had never felt more unstoppable. This part of the city was already hers, so now she needed to move on to the rest. And a few blocks down, she found a bunch of civilians - helpless, Aura-less civilians, the poor gnats - cornered by a Beowolf pack that had just devoured another squad of soldiers.

Cinder would have left them to their fate if she didn't require subjects to lord over.

The Beowolves were nothing but smoking, evaporating husks in less than ten seconds, Cinder's flames eating away at them and melting their bones to mush. The people stared at her as though they found the whole thing impossible. What a lack of imagination.

"My god…" one of them whispered.

"No," Cinder responded, her helmet distorting her voice to make her sound more intimidating. "I am far greater than any god."

"C'mon, we gotta go. Right now!" The crowd hurried off in a clustered panic, a select few bidding Cinder thanks as they departed. It took all of Cinder's self-control not to roast them on the spot, the woman turning to fly off…

"...what?"

Cinder paused and turned around. One of the civilians hadn't fled when they had the chance. A blonde woman met Cinder's gaze with confusion and a hint of suspicion. Cinder stared this woman down, her talons spreading… but she didn't flinch.

"Is something the matter?" Cinder whispered amidst the crackling embers that were once Grimm.

The woman frowned. "Who are you? You're not like any Ranger I've seen."

"That's because I'm not," Cinder retorted while admiring the woman's boldness. A shame it wouldn't last. "You should be grateful I allowed you to be spared, but if you aren't…"

The woman raised a brow. "What are you- 'allowed'? That's every Ranger's job! Why would you even-" She stopped when Cinder conjured a flame in her hand and stared the woman down. "This is why. They have all this power and waste it in many ways."

The woman still wasn't scared, and it was starting to irritate Cinder. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she snarled. "Your protectors are flawed and ignorant, and if you or anyone else thinks otherwise, I-"

"HYAH!" The woman surprised Cinder by doing the one thing she was not expecting. A leaping kick nailed Cinder to the street before a handspring shot her back to her feet. She was lucky the woman couldn't see her face, or Cinder would be humiliated by the visibility of her stunned face and wide eyes.

"H-how…"

"Whoever you are, you're not doing anything!" the woman fiercely declared as she whipped out a device that split down the middle to reveal a brush-like tip. The blonde woman brought the device to her shoulder without breaking eye contact…

"GO GO SAMURAI!"

The device traced a red symbol out of thin air and the woman swiped her arm across it, prompting the glowing symbol to fade into her body. Once the ensuing flash faded, Cinder understood the reason for this woman's attitude.

"You're one of them…"

"I am," she proudly announced while holding a sword high. "And a real Red Ranger's gonna be your downfall!"

Cinder summoned her twin blades and launched at the woman, who cartwheeled to the side and clashed blades with her. Cinder attacked with glee and relentlessness: she didn't expect to go up against a Power Ranger this soon, but this one - with her sheer audacity and false beliefs in dousing Cinder's flame - would be the first of many to fall. The rest would be too engulfed in their hopes to surrender and they would come at Cinder in force.

She would allow it. How fitting it would be to have them come to her only to be demolished and obliterated by her power. It was a power that they mimicked by a mere fraction. And this one was mimicking it poorly. She was fast, but Cinder was faster. She leaped through the air with agility and grace, but Cinder flew at terrifying speeds to close the distance. The woman danced around Cinder's defenses and struck where she could, but each hit was the equivalent of being scratched for Cinder. Barely painful but annoying.

This woman wielded fire, too, from coating her blade in it to launching burning symbols that Cinder slashed apart. It did her no good as Cinder moved faster than the woman could track, dodging her blasts and knocking her airborne before striking her onto a transport truck. The woman vaulted off just as Cinder crashed down, her superheated blade cleaving the vehicle in two. She was on her opponent before she could get her bearings, Cinder grinding her against the pavement as she flew. She released the woman at the end of her path, flinging her into an overturned bus. Cinder grinned at the woman crumpling to the ground, but it turned into a frown when she propped herself up with her sword.

"Persistent."

"S-Samurai Rangers…" she groaned, reaching for her waist buckle. "...never give up! DOUBLE DISC! SPIN SWORD, DUAL MODE!" She attached a white disc to her blade and spun, summoning a second sword in her grip. The mockery made Cinder growl before she blasted towards her target. The woman fought surprisingly well after being dragged and thrown like a ragdoll, presumably another aspect of the power she and so many others didn't deserve. Back and forth they went, all four blades a blur as sparks flew from each clash.

This woman had training, whoever she was. How she moved and struck at exposed spots Cinder deflected in blinks was like fighting a seasoned Huntress. Cinder quickly pressed the advantage and lashed out in a flurry of blades, furious movements cutting through the woman's guard. After staggering her opponent, Cinder plunged a superheated blade into the ground to create a small explosion that knocked the other Red Ranger airborne. Cinder pursued and slashed in rapid pirouette-like movements before dashing across her target at high speeds. Each slash wore the yelping woman's energy down, sparks showering in droves…

"RRRAAAAAAAH!" Cinder spun in a fiery ball and smashed the woman with a blazing overhead heel stomp. She crashed into the street in a cloud of dust and shattered asphalt while Cinder flawlessly floated down, setting herself near the woman's beaten, battered body. Her suit was gone now, leaving her a pathetic, near-unconscious body that weakly reached out for the device that granted her the power…

Cinder relished the pained whimper when her boot landed on the woman's wrist, lowering herself to pick up the scroll-brush thing responsible for her transformation. "You know… it's almost funny. Where I come from, power comes from within. But here, it comes from these… toys? And here I thought you couldn't get more pathetic…"

"Hrngh…" the woman moaned as she fought to keep her eyes open. "Y-you… you already have a morpher… what would you want with…"

Cinder was sorry that the woman couldn't see her delighted smile. "This."

CRUNCH! Cinder clenched her fist and crushed the device in her grip, watching how the woman's face lit up with horror upon seeing metal bits and pieces falling to the ground. "N-no!" Red energy flowed from the remains and into Cinder's arm, fading into her being and filling her with an intoxicating sensation.

Cinder didn't know how to explain this properly… but somehow, she felt stronger than before. Better than before.

This power… all of this power that every Ranger held… it needed to be hers and hers alone.

"You'll… never win," the woman seethed with vengeful eyes. "My teammates and every other Power Ranger out there… they'll learn about you. And when they do, they-"

Cinder promptly silenced her with a kick to the face, knocking the woman out cold and leaving her body lying in the street. Cinder turned on her heel and marched off, taking a few steps forward before shooting off into the sky with a burning trail behind her. She already knew what they would do when they discovered her presence.

And they were more than welcome to try.

…

Cinder was right. They were here, too.

And they had the same powers and costumes as the rest of the Rangers. But they were inexperienced with this kind (or any kind) of power, so Cinder had barely broken a sweat as she beat them into the ground. She may not have taken their power, but she had hopefully taught those kids a lesson about what happens to "heroes" that tried to "save the day". The inept, naive idiots were probably still shellshocked, struggling with the idea that they could be defeated and how little they understood about power.

The Rangers were the opposite. They were better trained, experienced, and coordinated and had almost gotten the better of Cinder. Almost. She would not let them come close to doing that again; for that, she needed… more.

All fires need fuel to continue burning and to grow so huge that they consume everything. Cinder was a lone predator in unfamiliar hunting grounds, unable to tackle larger prey. She needed a new strategy: consume Ranger powers and become powerful enough to defeat the stronger members and thus overpower them and the entire world.

So she heeded the woman's advice and allowed them to come to her. The young ones were the most eager, and their desire for "justice" was strong. Seasoned veterans required more effort to dispose of, but Cinder's power was everlasting, outclassing theirs by miles. Whether against them, the Grimm, or powerless humans, Cinder craved conflict and her growing strength with each victory. She relished triumph over the weak, such as when she hurled a soldier into a missile's path, sliced off a tank barrel, and impaled a soldier in a reverse grip before throwing him at his comrades. A low fire blast launched another soldier airborne, where Cinder buried both blades into his shoulders from behind before launching him at his allies.

She would grow bored of exterminating any insects she encountered, so she would often leave them to… well, rather grim fates. And speaking of, Salem's creatures proved to be less of a pushover, yet still helpless against Cinder's fiery wrath. A flaming flipkick would deprive a Beowolf of its head, Cinder would bore a hole through an Ursa by flying right through it, and mighty Wyverns would be brought crashing down to earth with her blade in its skull. They would try to overwhelm her with sheer numbers, but that would not save them, especially when Cinder harnessed her anger to achieve new ways to abolish her enemies.

After Cinder had been bodied by a bunch of Ursai, energy and heat had gathered into her throat before it burst outward. Her roaring scream of anger was accompanied by a brilliant stream of fire from her mouth, roasting and incinerating any Grimm caught in its touch. If that hadn't filled Cinder with great pleasure, then it was the burning tornado she had conjured by spinning in place with extended blades. The firestorm had plucked Goliaths from the ground and not even flying monsters like Nevermores and Ravagers could escape the searing winds that pulled them to their hellish demise.

But then, the Grimm had changed. Red had become purple, and the creatures of darkness were infected with terrifying new powers and abilities to which they had struggled to adapt. There were times when the soulless beasts outmatched Cinder, but the mere thought of defeat brought forth more of her anger. She would not be bested, least of all by the witch's minions. She had to pour more effort into vanquishing these altered abominations, which would have exhausted any other warrior.

But Cinder was never tired. She was never weary, never needed a breather, and never needed to stop. The coin had given her so much and allowed her to march on as if every fight was her first. It was this strength and might that she used as her greatest weapon…

…a weapon she had used effectively against every Ranger she encountered. A warrior clad in black with horns and a cape was proficient in brute force and blast power, with Cinder dodging shots from his powerful cannon and engaging him in close quarters. His single broadsword was no match for her two feather-like blades, even as she set them alight and hurled them like burning boomerangs that cut off escape routes and cut through his armor. He had fallen in minutes and Cinder claimed his power for her own.

Next was a Ranger team that was fully mechanized, as Cinder had surprisingly learned when she had bisected the pink one across the middle. Her disgust was apparent as she rendered the rest to melted metal and scrapped junk: the Rangers would grant such power to mere machines?! Their weakness and unworthiness knew no bounds, and Cinder proved her dominance by ripping the red one in half with her bare hands.

The power was not limited to this world, either, as Cinder found herself up against another Ranger team that claimed to be from a planet known as Aquitar. She heard one of them say that they commanded water… which her fire made short work of. Cinder forced them to watch her ruthless smile as she drained it all away, leaving the human-like lifeforms weakened husks.

And after each battle, she asked herself the same question: who's next?

Her answers always came loudly.

"GO GO MEGAFORCE!" Her last encounter had been up against a pair of Red and Pink Rangers, who foolishly believed they would be the ones to defeat her. Cinder would have played along and drawn out their duel if she had the time or patience. But she refused to starve any longer.

"DRAGON SWORD!"

"PHOENIX SHOT!"

Cinder's twirling blades deflected pink energy bolts and perfectly blocked the crimson blade, shooting tiny fireballs from her fingers to keep the Pink Ranger at bay while locking swords with the Red Ranger. "Give up! There's two of us and one of you!"

"Plus, you give phoenixes a bad name!"

Apparently, they didn't know how to shut up. Cinder didn't know what was worse, that or their reliance on weapons and gadgets instead of raw strength. These two were more trouble than they were worth, making Cinder curse the power they were given and fight that much harder for it to be in more fitting hands. She had gone back and forth with these two far longer than she had hoped, pushing through whirlwinds and thunderstorms called forth through… cards?!

The absurdity of it all allowed Cinder to add her flames to the winds, using the Rangers' attack against them. Yet they remained resolute in defeating Cinder, going all-out in a move that had the Pink Ranger riding atop the Red Ranger, bombarding Cinder with energy blasts. Not even Cinder could defend herself against the barrage, and her frantic attempts left her wide open to a strong slash from the Red Ranger.

"SKY STRIKE!"

The resulting power was almost overloading and threatened to consume Cinder. It would have done so, too, if it was not for the Power Coin that chose her. Instead, she consumed the power instead of the other way around, much to the duo's horror.

"Wh-what?! How are they still-"

"Who is this guy?!"

She whirled on them with burning palms, her answer loud and clear. "I. Am. Power."

The pink one - a true mockery of the phoenix - flew upward to escape the ensuing fireball that enveloped her partner. Cinder shot after her and seized her by the throat, slamming her into the street before holding her aloft. Her struggles were amusing, but it was time to end this game.

"NYYYAAAAAAAAAAH!" Her screams were filled with agony as Cinder pried the power out of her body, pink bleeding into red while the girl acted as if she was being torn apart. She grew weaker and Cinder grew ever stronger, tapping into more of her full potential. Once the girl had fallen limp and unconscious, Cinder discarded her like the useless thing she was.

"EMMA!" Cinder could see how horrified the boy was without his helmet, the fear still in his eyes as he angrily addressed Cinder. "What did you do to her?!"

"What I've done to other Rangers…" Cinder made her voice as ominous as possible as she turned toward him with talons spread. "...and what I'll do to the rest. Starting with you."

The boy struggled to his feet, fingers tight around his sword. "N-no… you're not… I… won't let you… hurt anyone else…" Cinder was ready to retort on how hopelessly stupid that statement was, but he was already moving forward with a determined battle cry…

…that turned into a scream as his suit uncontrollably spasmed and brought him to his knees. Cinder watched in surprise at the boy writhing in agony, a painful scream leaving him as his power was ripped from him, fading away before he fell limp. All the while, Cinder was left stunned and confused.

That was not her. Something else had taken his power and stole it from her. Something else was here with her and with the same goal. Something else wanted to make this world theirs… and wrench freedom out of Cinder's hands.

No. No. She would not let this happen! Whatever else was doing this, Cinder vowed to burn it to its foundations and leave no trace behind. The kids, the Rangers, and now this… an ordinary woman would have her work cut out for her.

But Cinder was far from ordinary and she never would be again. Once they were all smoldering ash, she would stand atop them all and reign supreme…

…

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID, STUPID!

A STUPID idea with STUPID results! A complete WASTE of Cinder's time!

They… she was not as naive as Cinder believed. She was a puppet without strings just like her, so Cinder had thought it best that she forge new strings to replace the ones the girl never realized she had trailing behind her all this time. She played to the girl's beliefs and offered her a chance by her side. An opportunity for her to stay close until Cinder saw her chance to take the power that not even a real Huntress was worthy of.

But that idiot child had seen right through it, even if she didn't realize Cinder's true intentions. Even after Cinder had broken her spirit and showed her that those she admired could fail, she had the gall to call Cinder's bluff and… and…

"People must have looked down on you, so now you look down on others! Which means you look down on me and think I'm stupid enough to believe every crappy lie that comes out of your mouth! You wanna talk about power?! About right and wrong?! About strength and weakness?! You say you're the most powerful person in this world and know the truth, but the real truth I see here is that YOU DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO SEE YOU AS WEAK EVER AGAIN!"

"SHUT UUUUUP!"

Cinder could barely hear her howls over the scorching winds that set the surrounding Grimm alight. Those that remained became the victims of Cinder's high-temperature tantrum, her claws impaling their bodies and her body searing with fires that matched her ever-rising anger. Cinder imagined purple as silver and replaced black with red, motivating her further as she tore through the crowd of Grimm with her amber eyes burning.

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ME! YOU'RE JUST A STUPID KID, RUBY! YOU DON'T KNOW POWER! YOU DON'T KNOW ME! YOU! DON'T! KNOW! ANYTHING! NRRRRAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

Cinder watched her burn. She watched all of them burn before a final eruption (and its accompanying roar) vaporized the ashes. And then, Cinder was all alone, falling to her knees in despair while her tears sizzled and evaporated on her face. She didn't understand… she had won, she had broken those kids' bodies and spirits, she had smashed them into the ground for the second time now, so… so…

Cinder could still feel everything. The pink one's lightning tearing through her much like… she had to force her hand away from her neck. The lingering ache where that weakling boy had cut off her arm and where Pyrrha had run her through with her spear. The aftereffects of her beatdown from that muscle-brained blonde - including her broken leg - were still fading, her newly discovered regeneration (Cinder could only imagine what Salem's face would be if she were there to witness it) repairing any wound in seconds, no matter how fatal. Even now, the physical pain would only be existent if she recalled them…

…but what Ruby Rose had done scarred her more than any of them.

How dare she… She still believed that broken, selfish, uncaring world was home and held on to it, even wishing to return?! She spoke about being out of place and "belonging"?! She had the gall to compare herself to Cinder, calling her weak and scared?! Things that Cinder will never be aga- never was?!

Cinder was not weak. She was not scared. And she would not be deceived or controlled again. She was the strongest being in this or any world. She was power itself. She would destroy anything and everything that dared challenge her and rule over the terrified people who would pledge allegiance to her.

Her glowing hands were melting the road beneath her. Cinder bared her teeth while her eyes burned with an inferno, flames trailing from her irises like torches.

And she vowed to herself that Ruby Rose would burn. SLOWLY.

And not just her, she promised as she rose to her feet. Cinder would ensure that ALL of them would burn. The blonde, the Schnee, the Faunus, the inexperienced boy, the hyperactive one, the stoic one, and the false champion. They all needed to die for following her like a child messiah, praising her as if she were someone special.

To do that, she needed to continue her work. Drain the powers of every Ranger she came across, grow until her powers were unmatched and undefeatable, and…

Right, Cinder had nearly forgotten.

That dragon… that was what was also feeding on the power, absorbing it, infecting it. Cinder needed to destroy it and remove her competition, but it wouldn't make it easy. This Grimm was cunning and intelligent, and its ability to goddamn talk left it a dangerous adversary.

But Cinder refused to be afraid of this Grimm or any Grimm. She had many enemies now, each vying for world dominance and racing for a throne she needed to keep. This was a different game than the one she knew, but the rules did not bother Cinder.

Because Cinder was not a pawn, she was a player. And she swore to do whatever it took to win. Losing was not an option since it meant the end of everything she had strived for. She had been set back for the last time: a slip-up she could easily recover from. For every rung she fell down, she would climb a hundred - no, a thousand more until she reached the top of the ladder.

Cinder ascended higher than the surrounding skyscrapers, her face tight with anticipation as she planned her next move and determined the greatest threats to her plan. She was not Salem, the type to sit back and wait while others did her work for her. It was a recipe for defeat, one she would never allow.

Cinder Fall - the one true Power Ranger - was a wildfire that would sweep this entire planet and wipe all her enemies off the board. And as the fires burned, she would be the queen that would never be overthrown, the world too powerless to act against her.

And her reign, like the fires she commanded, would last forever.

…

MY BROTHERS… MY SISTERS…

The soulless ceased. Every vile head was silent as they all listened to the voice resonating in their minds. It spoke through them all, from those in the land and the sky to those in the sea.

OUR HOUR OF TRIUMPH IS AT HAND. THE POWER RANGERS ARE NEARLY FINISHED. THEIR STRENGTH WANES, THEIR LIGHT FADES, AND MORE OF THEIR PRECIOUS MORPHIN GRID IS BEING CONSUMED BY MY WILL. SOON, THEY WILL BE POWERLESS TO STOP US.

Roars and howls of agreement rang out worldwide, instilling terror in any survivors in earshot.

BUT… THERE IS ONE THAT CAN. ONLY ONE REMAINS TO THREATEN US.

They were all silent once again.

SHE IS ALL THAT STANDS BETWEEN THIS PLANET AND ITS NEXT DARK AGE. SHE IS THE LAST OF THE LINE MOTHER SEEKS TO EXTINGUISH. AND SHE MUST NEVER KNOW HER FULL POTENTIAL.

They answered with rage and fury.

GO NOW. FIND HER. SCOUR EVERY CITY, EVERY ISLE, TO THE VERY ENDS OF THE EARTH IF YOU MUST. DO NOT STOP UNTIL YOU HAVE FOUND HER.

They obeyed. They ran, flew, and hurried, from the smallest scourge to the most massive monsters. They searched for the scent and hunted, their prior tasks long forgotten.

AND ONCE YOU HAVE LOCATED RUBY ROSE… BRING HER TO ME.