Ponyville:

Pink was everywhere from the moment Robert Williams woke up on the day of February 14th. Balloons shaped like hearts in ghastly shades, streamers hung on buildings and even topiaries cut up in the shape of hearts, from the moment he woke up he knew exactly what day it was.

Now Valentine’s Day or whatever ponykind called it here in this new age was all well and good with him, especially as it was the day when women without a boyfriend could easily be picked up for a one night stand, but even he had his limits on how much pink he was willing to take.

“I swear by God, I’m probably going to need some very strong brandy just to wash today’s memories away,” Robert grumbled to himself as he stepped out of the Carousel Boutique clad in a thick brown fur coat. “Mein Gott, pink everywhere you look! It’s like a bloody bottle of Pepto-Bismol barfed itself all over the town.”

He only groaned further to himself when he saw a nearby park with a gazebo decorated with pink hearts. To make matters worse it seemed, there was a small wooden arch shaped bridge covered in heart shaped lights over a tiny gurgling stream flowing through the center of the park.

“Watashi wa jigoku ni iru,” Robert muttered in Japanese (He still occasionally lapsed into full sentences of it and not just phrases when he was displeased about something from time to time) as he tried blinking to clear away the sight. Nope, still there. “Un, koreha jigokudenakereba naranai. Kore ni tsuite no setsumei dake... Kyōki,”

He heard a small chuckle come from behind him and he turned to see Sunset.

“I take it you’re not a fan of the holiday as well… Or at least Equestria’s version of it?” Sunset asked with a small smirk. She didn’t quite understand the language her boyfriend was speaking, but she definitely got the general gist of it from his tone.

“...Wait, you mean all of Equestria’s decorated like this?” Robert asked as his eyes wandered to some outdoor dining tables given the frilly frou-frou touch and when Sunset nodded he muttered “Kill me now,”

“Okay, well maybe not to this extent but pretty much,” Sunset admitted with a slight tinge of distaste at seeing the decorations. She had to admit, there was tastefulness and then there was going overboard completely.

“Pinkie?” Robert asked gruffly, knowing the mare’s… tendencies (To put it one way) of going overboard from his Welcome to Ponyville Party some months back. Robert sighed and muttered “Shitte ita hazudesu...” to himself at Sunset’s nod.

“Well, not all bad I suppose,” Sunset smiled.

“What, I can commit Seppuku after seeing all of this?” Robert asked dryly.

“No…” Sunset trailed off, slightly disturbed at that remark before she linked his arm with hers. “You have me to help you endure, don’t you?”

Robert smiled in realization at that fact as she rested her head on his shoulder. Softly, he kissed her forehead.

“Okay, but if you want to go out on a date… Please for the love of all that’s Holy in the universe don’t take me somewhere that makes Madam Puddifoot's look tame by comparison,”

Sunset blinked, not recognizing the reference but she chuckled and smiled again.

“I’ll try not to, Pinkie Promise,”

Elsewhere:

The clatter of pins hitting the floor and a bowling ball rolling down the lane was the ever-constant sound that filled the Ponyville Bowling Alley. It was a popular establishment, ever since it’s introduction fifty some odd years ago.

One strike filled the hall with cheers as a familiar yellow maned pegasus knocked down all of the pins in one particular lane. With a boom and a bang, they hit the floor.

“Seriously… If you’re trying to take me out on a date… You really need better tastes in places,” Rainbow Dash complained, looking absolutely bored out of her mind in her bowling shirt. “Bowling’s not a sport. Hoofball and soccer, yes, but this… This is not a sport!”

“It is so a sport, and yes, this is a date for your information,” Lightning put in as she stepped aside to let her marefriend/not marefriend have her roll. In the background, Vapor Trail rolled her eyes and chuckled as she continued strumming her guitar and humming to herself as she practiced a song Grape had known before his death.

“I've been everywhere, man, I've been everywhere, man. Across the deserts bare, man. I've breathed the mountain air, man. Of travel I've had my share, man. I've been everywhere…” She hummer to herself as she strummed the notes.

“Most romantic of things man… Taking your girl out for a date bowling!” A stallion dressed in a gaudy green shirt and with a brown mustache known only as “The Dude” remarked.

“Shut it Dude, when has your opinion ever mattered?” Rainbow snapped as she rolled her ball down the lane and ended up striking down all of the pins with a resounding clatter. Well, all except for two.

“Ooh… A split, worst of the worst.” “The Dude” remarked. “Gonna take a miracle to pull this one off.”

“Hah, I don’t need miracles!” Rainbow bragged. “I’m that awesome!”

Lightning and Vapor both rolled their eyes in unison, used to her bragging by now. However, when Rainbow did roll, all she managed to do was strike down one of the pins.

“You were saying?” Lightning asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.

“Set that split up again,” Vapor suddenly said. Both Rainbow and Lightning stared at her in stark disbelief, unable to believe their own ears but sure enough, the pins were set up in the exact same position.

Vapor put down her guitar, lined herself up with a gold ball in hand and rolled. To both of her fellow pegasi and “The Dude”’s astonishment, both pins hit the floor with a loud clatter. Vapor smiled to herself.

“Should shut up Rainbow’s bragging for a while,” She thought to herself.

Just then, a figure Vapor and Lightning recognized walked in the door and their eyes widened considerably.

“Mom?” They asked.

Meanwhile, thankfully for Robert, Sunset didn’t take him to anywhere that in his own words “Made Madam Puddifoot's look tame by comparison” and instead took him to the local inn/tavern, the Prancing Pony for drinks.

Robert snorted at the irony. He’d had at least two sexual relations with mares here that he could remember, probably more, (Albeit, one of those encounters was only used so he could get information out of said mare.) and here Sunset was, taking him to the exact same location.

“Sunset, you do realize what happens with mares when I wind up taking them here, right?” Robert asked in complete deadpan, raising an eyebrow. “Me banging them till they’re senseless. Long night of sex, the completely mindblowing kind?”

“Yes, but have you had a mare take you here before, and with no sexual intentions whatsoever in mind?” Sunset sniped back at him.

Robert tried to come up with an answer, and Sunset covered her mouth with a hand to hide the giggles as he stumbled for an answer. Finally, Robert managed to mutter out an “Et tu, Sunset?” before he took a small sip of his tea.

“Didn’t know you knew Shakespeare, or even took an interest in him,” Sunset remarked.

“I don’t, the plays bore me to tears really. Even if a very attractive looking woman took me to one, I’d probably walk out by the end of the first act,” Robert admitted.

“Even if it was me?” Sunset asked, with an eyebrow raised. Robert quickly took a step backwards, realizing the mistake he probably made about then.

“Well, maybe not in your case Sunset-Chan,” He backpedaled and Sunset chuckled and kissed his cheek.

“No, it’s fine,” Sunset replied with a nod of understanding. “We all have our own tastes in entertainment. To tell you the truth, I found Gojira rather depressing frankly. Bit cynical,”

“Yeah… the 2014 film’s way better if you ask me. Doesn’t look like a guy in a rubber suit, that one and the special effects are way better,” Robert remarked. “Heresy, I know, probably, but… You did say we all had our own tastes in entertainment,”

“Et tu, Robert?” Sunset dryly replied, and Robert stood gobsmacked at having his own words used against him before his head hit the table with a thud.

But sadly their little date was to be cut short as something far more urgent was about to come up, as Sunset found out when she heard her Growl Phone ring.

Swiftly going for it and pulling it out of her pants pockets, she flipped the small gold device open. Sunset knew the news she could receive generally meant one thing and one thing only. The Gold Ranger heard Vapor’s voice at the other end of the line.

However, she was surprised at the Purple Ranger’s tone of voice. The mare sounded nearly close to tears, and Sunset’s eyes widened.

“You alright?” she asked in a worried tone of voice.

“Just… Just get over here,” Vapor sniffled, her voice breaking. “I… I can’t really tell you this over the phone, it’s better if you see and hear about this in person.”

“I… I’ll be right there,” Sunset stuttered out and shot a look at Robert, who nodded in understanding before they both ran out of the tavern.

“Don’t worry mate, we’ll foot you the cheque!” Robert shouted to the barkeeper.

Robert and Sunset raced to Vapor’s location, namely Sugarcube Corner where they found her, in her usual attire of a thick brown fur coat and purple double eighth note pendant sobbing at one of the tables.

Behind her was Pinkie, rubbing Vapor’s shoulders in a comforting manner as she sobbed with Fluttershy offering tissues to her fellow pegasus. Nearby stood Lightning, with a look on her face that could only be described as a mix of anger and sadness.

“What’s… What’s wrong?” Sunset stuttered out, the only time she’d seen Lightning like this was when she’d had her wing replaced with that metal prosthetic, which like her regular wing now hung limply at her sides.

Fluttershy looked at Vapor with a look of compassion as she wiped away the pegasus’s tears with a handkerchief. Privately, Sunset thought to herself that if that look of compassion could be weaponized, the Rangers wouldn’t have anything to worry about. Their enemies would just surrender on the spot.

“I… I got a visit from my mom earlier today,” Vapor finally said, still sniffling. The words she had next to say hit everybody like a thrown brick to the face. “It’s… It’s… She’s got Breast Cancer,”

“Goddamnit…” Robert muttered quietly. Sunset meanwhile wrapped an arm around Vapor like a mother or older sister would and pulled her into a hug.

She wanted to tell Vapor that everything would be alright, but she knew that was probably pointless, and Vapor wouldn’t believe her anyways. So instead, she just pulled the young Wonderbolt into a hug and let her cry.

“We’re your family as well, Vapor…” Sunset whispered to the crying mare. “Whatever happens, we’re in this together,”

“There’s… There’s just gotta be something we can do…” Lightning muttered to herself, looking absolutely helpless. Some years ago, Vapor’s mother had taken her in. Vapor had informed her of what exactly was going on in the Rider household between Lightning’s father and Lightning herself and had since become like a second mother to her. She was just furious that one of the sweetest mares she’d ever known had to have been dealt this hand in life.

Then, after several moments of just staring blankly and talking quietly to herself, the only other sound in the room being Vapor’s sobbing, she got an idea.

“Sunset, can’t we do something? This is probably a little crazy, but right now, I think a little crazy is in order,” Lightning asked quietly, almost whispering. “I think there’s someone we can ask about all of this, as long as two certain ponies can manage to keep a secret,”

Sunset noted the emphasis on the someone and her eyes widened.

“Wait, who are we talking about?” Pinkie asked in confusion, before looking at Robert. “Wait, our resident human?”

“...Trying very hard not to be offended here…” Robert muttered.

“No, I think Lightning means someone else, someone who knows a lot more about what I think Lightning wants to tell you and Fluttershy about, and has been around for thousands of years,” Sunset explained.

“P-Princess Celestia?” Fluttershy asked in surprise, eyes widened.

“No, not her,” Sunset corrected, “But she is a Princess, just not a pony,”

Next, the Princess of Empathy gave both Fluttershy and Pinkie a hard look.

“Now, what you’re about to see, you cannot, and I repeat cannot be said a word about to anypony else aside from a few others we’ll tell you about at a later date,” Sunset stated firmly. “Pinkie Promise,”

Pinkie and Fluttershy nodded, before doing the time-honored sacred motions, Pinkie reciting the phrase all the while.

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” She said, before Fluttershy joined her. Robert sighed, hoping to God both Lightning and Sunset knew what they were doing before reaching for his amulet and flipping it open.

“Princess,” Robert stated into the amulet. “Four, five if you can manage to get Sunburst, to transport, plus two guests,”

With that, the four Rangers became pillars of light which shot upwards through the roof with Fluttershy and Pinkie becoming white pillars following after them…

The Animarium:

Fluttershy stumbled forwards as she landed on the soft grass in a clearing on the Animarium, Pinkie landing nearby.

She took a step back in shock and let out a small “Meep,” as the truly massive Falcon Zord flew above her head, letting out a loud screech as he flapped his powerful wings. Fluttershy nervously swallowed at the giant metal gold talons ending in sharp claws, perfect for tearing her to ribbons.

“Wow… That’s one big bird…” Pinkie gasped before her eyes widened in realization and she let out another gasp.

“Wait, wait, wait, that’s a-” She stammered out in shock before swiftly grabbing Fluttershy by the shoulders. “Do you know what this means?”

“They’re the Power Rangers?” Fluttershy asked calmly.

“They’re Power Rangers!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly before she looked at Fluttershy. “...Wait, how’d you know?”

“It really wasn’t that hard to figure out, not when you get teleported to a place with a giant metal Falcon in a flash of light and said Falcon resembles the giant metal animals we’ve been seeing fighting those monsters lately,” Fluttershy commented.

“Oh… Guess when you put it that way…” Pinkie trailed off.

“...Well, guess that saves the trouble of explaining a few things,” Lightning muttered, before wiping away a tear.

Princess Shayla soon stepped into the clearing.

“Welcome friends,” She greeted cheerfully before noticing the grave look on everyone’s faces. “W-What’s wrong?”

Sunset was quick to explain everything.

“Oh… That’s… That’s horrible…” Shayla whispered, not knowing what else to say while nearby, Sunburst pulled Vapor into a hug upon hearing the news while Navi gently nuzzled Lightning.

“Please… Please tell me there’s something the Morphin’ Grid can do…” Vapor pleaded, but her heart broke when Shayla shook her head.

“I wish I could tell you otherwise… And while the Grid is capable of many wondrous things, many miracles, there are some things even it can’t do,”

“This is bull,” Lightning snarled. “We can access so many unthinkable powers, fight alongside powerful friends and partners, save the day from giant crazy monsters and yet we can’t cure one simple bucking illness!” She roared in fury.

“Doctors can treat this, you know,” Sunburst put in.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t always work…” Pinkie replied in a mumbling tone of voice, her hair deflating like a balloon.

“Fucking amazing… Fucking bloody amazing,” Robert grumbled to himself. “Thousands of years in the bleedin’ future and yet nobody can still get rid of this damn piece of shit!”

“It’s so unfair…” Navi whispered while shaking her head.

“There’s a reason there’s been so many organizations created over the years to help promote and spread awareness about the many various types of cancer,” Sunset explained in a kind tone of voice, sounding exactly like a mother. “In fact, I believe money is being raised to help combat, and maybe, just maybe, cure it one day,”

Sunburst suddenly snapped his fingers.

“Wait, isn’t the color Pink usually associated with Breast Cancer awareness?” He asked, and everyone nodded. “I got an idea, although I don’t know if I can pull it off,” He murmured as he paced back and forth, placing a hand to his chin in thought and stroking his beard. “Would it be possible… No, that’s crazy, even for us…”

“Spit it out man,” Robert snapped impatiently.

“Could we alter our costumes, just for one day, fiddle with the Morphin’ Grid energy so that when we morph, we all become Pink Rangers?” the Black Ranger pondered.

“Can’t see why not, if I remember correctly the In Space team went all Blue one day to combat some absolutely mental doubles of theirs as part of a trick,” his teammate remarked. “Plus, there was the Megaforce team and their Ranger Keys which allowed them to go all Red and presumably other colors as well. Think they went all Silver once now that I think of it,”

Sunburst looked to Shayla hopefully, and she smiled.

“Now, that I can do… But why?” the Princess of Animaria inquired.

“I’ve got a plan,” Sunburst smirked. “Time to think Pink,”

The Smokey Mountains: Stratusburg:

Nimbus gray clouds covered the skies above Stratusburg, almost seemingly reflecting the mood of the Rangers as they teleported down.

“So, where’s your mom’s house?” Sunburst asked as they wandered up a misty mountain pathway, Sunburst rubbing his arms to keep himself warm from the cold. “...I hate Winter… So glad Winter Wrap-Up’s coming at the end of the month…” He mumbled to himself.

Eventually, they found themselves at Vapor’s childhood home. She flashbacked to years gone by, the fun she, Grape, and Sky Stinger had running through the yard and playing their games.

There she and Sky Stinger were, flying high in the clouds above while Grape Vine was reading from a book of spells. His horn glowed a purple color and he stepped out onto a cloud, and then hopped onto another. But as young as he was, his magic couldn’t last very long, and soon his hooves gave way and he fell foot by foot as the ground rushed up to greet him. Vapor let out a yell of fear, before she unfurled her growing wings and rocketed down towards Grape Vine as fast as she could her keen eyes trained on his falling form even through the wintry mists but simply wasn’t fast enough. Then Sky Stinger rocketed past her and caught Grape in his arms as Vapor caught up to him and wrapped her arms around him sobbing her heart out into Grape’s neck.

“You… You foolish stallion! You could have been killed! Why…? Why’d you do that?” She whispered through her tears.

“Same reason you two are up there all the time. Ah want to be as free as a bird and feel what you feel when you’re in the sky. That sense of calmness, where nothing could ever get to ya,”

“Grape, you’re an idjit.” Sky told him and Grape only laughed.

“...Yeah, guess Ah am.”

Suffice to say, Vapor’s mom had seen the whole thing and what happened, and she wasn’t happy. She had taken the young colt to back to her bedroom in the house.

With a resounding Clap! across his behind, the brush hit again and again and each time the hit became more and more painful, like a fire burning as the brush hit again and again. Vapor’s mom wasn’t being abusive, and Grape knew he’d done wrong and nearly gotten himself killed. It wasn’t the first spanking he’d received after all. His birth parents had given him some when he’d done something wrong, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Vapor had heard each and every Clap! and she knew she’d probably be next, for not watching Grape and what he was doing.

“Although I’m proud of you, my little Vine, you did try and learn a spell that’s very difficult, you nearly got yourself killed in the process,” Vapor’s mom had told him, “You understand what you did wrong right?”

“Yes… Yes, Ah understand…” Grape sobbed before Vapor’s mom finally finished and pulled him into a hug whispering soft words into his ear.

“It’s alright, you understand I never was trying to hurt you don’t you?” Vapor asked kindly, and Grape nodded tearfully. “When I saw you fall… I… I was so scared… I didn’t want to lose you…”

Vapor shook herself back to the present day as she hummed “Black Water” to herself clutching her pendant.

“Black water keeps rollin' on past just the same. Old black water, keep on rollin', Mississippi moon, won't you keep on shinin' on me. Old black water, keep on rollin', Mississippi moon, won't you keep on shinin' on me. Old black water, keep on rollin', Mississippi moon, won't you keep on shinin' on me...” She sung to herself as a calming measure and tried as hard as could to keep her mind off of what she was about to see.

“She loved him, didn’t she? Grape Vine, I mean?” Sunburst whispered towards Lightning, who nodded.

“I’ve never been really sure, but I’ve always had that sneaking suspicion she did. Childhood crush, at the very least,” Lightning whispered back. Sunburst nodded.

“Ah… Puppy love. It would explain a few things, wouldn’t it?” He murmured, again stroking his beard in thought. Eventually, the path ended and the group came to what looked to be an old church converted into a house. Light blue paint on the sides, and shuttered windows. A lantern hung over the porch, providing a light to cut through the often misty mountainsides.

Vapor gently knocked on the pure white door, and a voice answered: “Come in.”

“Mom!” Vapor shouted as she walked in and the older mare pulled her into a hug. Everyone present could see where Vapor got her looks, her mother was an almost exact copy of her appearance wise.

“Please… Please tell me you’re joking about all of this… Please…” Vapor whispered as she sat down on a comfy looking red couch next to her mother.

“I’m sorry, I wish I was… But when I was at my last doctor’s visit… they found it. A tumor,” Vapor’s mom explain and Lightning covered her mouth in shock.

“No… No, that can’t be true!” Vapor sobbed. “It… It, just can’t!”

Vapor’s mom pulled her into a hug as her daughter continued to sob. “I’ve already lost Grape, then da, and now I’m going to lose you…”

“Don’t say that… There’s still a chance for me, isn’t there?” Her mom asked. “It’s in the early stages, maybe I can make it through this,”

“But… But what if… What if you can’t?” Vapor whispered. Her mom sighed.

“I’ve lived a good life, haven’t I?” She asked. “Raised two beautiful girls, both of which are now Wonderbolts, like they always wanted to be. I’m perfectly happy the way my life’s turned out,”

“Stop saying that!” Vapor shouted, suddenly angry! “I… I just don’t want you to lay down and die! You… You can fight this!” Vapor shouted, her voice beginning to break.

“Yes, and I am, with all of my being,” Her mom answered. “But Vapor, dear… You know there’s a very good chance that I’m not going to make it,”

“There’s… There’s just got to be something I can do…” Vapor whispered, hardly believing her mom’s words. It sounded to her like she was just giving up, even when there was a chance they could beat this thing!

“Live your life Vapor, that’s all I can ask of you,” Her mom said. “Maybe I’ll make it through this, maybe I won’t. Doesn’t matter. Just do me one small thing…”

“Anything…” Vapor whispered, as her mom grasped her hand tightly, “Anything at all, I’ll do it, just for you,”

“Keep on living Vapor, be the mare I know you are. Kind, compassionate… Use that drive of yours to go on soaring ever higher. Find somepony to love, that’s all I want from you. Just live,”

“I… I will,” Vapor whispered. At some point during their conversation, all the other Rangers had stepped outside, feeling they were intruding.

Vapor, wiping away her tears stepped outside the house where Lightning immediately greeted her surrogate sister.

“Is… Is she going to make it?” Lightning asked.

“I… I don’t know…” Vapor whispered. “She says she’s going to fight, but…”

Lightning gripped her sister’s hand.

“You were always there for me when I was growing up, now I’ll be here for you,” Lightning told her. “Tartarus, we’ll help her fight. Give her confidence!”

“She’s right,” A voice Vapor would know anywhere put it. There, standing near a small fountain was Sky Stinger, out of his Wonderbolts uniform and dressed in a black leather jacket.

“Sky… What are you doing here?” Vapor asked, her eyes widening in shock.

“I came as soon as I heard,” the dark blue pegasus answered. “ Sunburst told me what he’d been planning. And I think I’ve got a good idea on how-”

“Wait, Sunburst let you in our secret as well?” Lightning shouted in shock, her head whipping around to face the unicorn in question, who held his hands up defensively.

“Hardly, he came to me telling me how he figured it out for himself,” Sunburst replied. Sky Stinger nodded in confirmation.

“Yep, wasn’t really that difficult when I saw a Ranger with a metal wing. Started putting two and two together, and so… Here I am,” Sky answered with flushed cheeks, and a nervous chuckle.

“...Kinda hard to keep a secret identity with this damn thing…” Lightning muttered, looking back at the offending wing.

“We’ll work on an illusion spell for it later,” Sunset stated. “Anyways… Sky, Sunburst, what’s your plan?”

“Well, I built off the idea that Breast Cancer is associated with the color pink and thought to organize a parade, raise money for treatments for anypony who’s been inflicted with the disease. I thought all of us marching in the parade, fully morphed would definitely inspire ponies,” Sunburst explained.

“And I rounded up all the ponies in town, talked to the mayor even, got this cleared with him,” Sky added and was suddenly pulled into a hug by Vapor who whispered repeated thank yous over and over to him. Sky’s cheeks flushed even redder, if that were possible. Sunburst with an awkward laugh, cleared his throat.

“So then…” Sunburst stated. “Let’s march, shall we?”

Down below, in the lower parts of the town, a fine pink mist found itself surrounding and encompassing a stack of bowling balls in a Bowling Alley before reforming and creating itself a new body. The result was an Org with one large head resembling a bowling ball with one yellow cycloptic eye. On his shoulders were two bowling balls, red with black flame detailing.

The new Org chuckled before going into full-on laughter.

“Time for me to make some strikes!” He laughed before running off.

Meanwhile, unaware of the newest Org, the Rangers and Sky had put the parade together, everyone dressed in pink attire of some kind and ready to march down Main Street. True to Sunburst’s promise, when the Rangers morphed all of their costumes had become a bright pink.

Despite the circumstances, Vapor couldn’t help but grin at the sight of Sunburst in his now all pink costume. He looked, no other way to say it, absolutely ridiculous.

Sunburst seemed to have noticed it as well as he marched with the rest of the town and was muttering on how maybe he shouldn’t have altered his costume under his breath.

All around them, ponies dressed in all shades of pink and all kinds of pink attire marched behind them.

“...Never seen so much pink in my entire life.” Lightning remarked. “Must say, I do prefer aqua but this… This is nice,”

“Hey, turnout’s good and we’re raising lots of money here, so all the better I say,” Vapor said happily, hoping and praying that one day all of the money that was being raised today would go on one day to solve and cure cancer forever.

Right about then, as everything was going good, as things often did, they took a turn for the worse. From out of nowhere, a flaming bowling ball spinning like a tornado knocked down quite a few people and sent them flying like bowling pins, complete with the classic sound.

“Oh, that makes quite a few strikes!” The Bowling Org laughed as he checked off something on a clipboard. “Keep this up, and I’ll be setting a new record!”

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me…” Vapor muttered. “Why today of all days?”

The Bowling Org laughed again as he once again used the parade marchers as his “Pins”. Vapor snarled and clenched her fists.

“Time to let this creep know who he’s dealing with, eh?” She asked and the Rangers all nodded before doing their respective role calls.

“Lightning Speed! Ferocious Thunderbird!”
“Cunning Wit! Fighting Fox!”
“Great Strength! Monstrous Leviathan!”
“Shadowed Intent! Vampire Bat!”
“With a Virtuous Heart, Blazing Phoenix!”

Sunset placed a hand on her Cutie Mark emblem and clutched at it before projecting an image of a red and gold lion roaring behind her.

“Guardians of the Earth, united we roar! Power Rangers, Wild Force!” The team shouted at the Bowling Org as an explosion of pink smoke erupted behind them.

“You’ve… You’ve got a lot of nerve attacking a parade made to raise Cancer awareness!” Vapor shouted, her voice breaking as she gripped her Trident, quite possibly more furious than she’d ever been at the Plug and Turbine Orgs. That said a lot really, given what they’d done.

“Well, a parade to me says pins, pins to just knock down and score a strike!” The Bowling Org laughed, doing a little dance of glee. Next, with a grin on his face, he pulled out one of his bowling balls.

“Well then, time to end your little bowling streak and smash that beloved ball of yours then,” Vapor challenged, stepping forwards and swinging her Trident behind her in an intimidating posture.

“You don’t have a chance in Hell! You’ll just end up striking out! Now I’d advise you to get lost!” The Bowling Org taunted.

“Really?” Lightning challenged. “Shut up, idiot!”

“You’ll be the one getting lost,” Robert snarled.

“I’m afraid we have no intention of listening to anything you have to say,” Vapor added.

“Yeah, we hate guys like you!” Sunburst put in.

“Do you have any idea who’re you’re dealing wi-” The Bowling Org asked before he was cut off.

“No, and we don’t care. When we see some Org we don’t like… We blow it up!” Sunset finished pointing her Phoenix Blade at him before all the Rangers shouted: “Lights of Orion, activate!”

A golden glow covered the Rangers, and when it faded, they were covered in the adornments the Lights had given them, with their Crystal Sabers now in Crystal Sword form.

The Bowling Org roared in rage and charged towards them, two Bowling Pins in hand which he wielded like clubs. The Rangers dodged and ducked the wild and rather clumsy swings and Vapor and Lightning kicked the Org in the face making him stagger back.

Sunset joined in and sliced the Org across the chest with a horizontal slice from her sword.

“Now… You’ve really done it… Piss off!” The Org snarled before taking a step back, assuming a stance and rolling one of his bowling balls towards them. The Rangers jumped to the left to avoid the flaming inferno of a ball as it hit a collection of trees, igniting them and making them erupt in an explosion.

He then rolled again, but this time Robert caught the bowling ball, and like the world’s most dangerous game of Hot Potato, the Rangers began tossing it back and forth between them until it finally ended up in the hands of Vapor. She pulled her arm back, and threw the ball at the Org who could only shout “That’s not how you bowl!” before it hit and he was sent flying back like, ironically enough, a bowling pin.

Vapor dashed forwards and with a flying leap, slashed downwards with her Crystal Sword encased in water and split the Org down the middle before the remnants, as ever, exploded from the pure Morphin’ Grid energy used in the attack.

Then, from behind her, Vapor and the rest of the Rangers heard a chorus of cheers and saw all of Stratusburg cheering for them and chanting their names. She let out a sigh of relief. They’d done it… They’d saved the parade. Vapor would find herself smiling even more when she found a familiar pink ribbon sticker on the rear bumper of Robert’s Mustang.

Fillydelphia Docks:

A pipe flute echoed across Fillydelphia’s docklands as its player carefully played a haunting tune as the waves crashed up against the breakers in the dark of the night. The Duke Org playing the flute rested atop a metal shipping container, legs dangling off the side as he played his tune.

Coming here always made Zen-Aku feel calm, tranquil. He never knew why, maybe it was because nobody ever bothered to look for him here, or maybe it was the sound of the sea. Whatever the case, whenever he came here, he felt at peace. Zen-Aku smiled as he thought back…

“A young mare such as yourself shouldn't be out here alone at this time of night, who knows what you might run into?” The Duke Org said in a surprisingly friendly way. Nervously, Vapor reached for her Crystal Saber and pointed it at the Duke Org.

“I'm not afraid of you!” Vapor yelled, though her voice betrayed her feelings.

“Now now, is that any way to treat a friend?” The Duke Org questioned even as he rested a black crescent moon like blade on his left shoulder. “You and I... We're both actually on the same side, believe it or not.”

Vapor was stunned beyond words. An Org, a Duke Org at that, saying that they were both on the exact same side? It didn't make sense!

“...Of course, knowing how you ponies treat anything that's different than you... Well, I wouldn't be surprised to find out you don't believe a word I'm saying. Hell, 3,000 years ago, I wouldn't have believed a word I was saying. Well, not before HIM anyways…” The Duke Org trailed off, seemingly lost in his own memories.

Then, his eyes shot wide open as he detected a presence behind him.

“Retinax…” Zen-Aku growled as he turned to face the eye themed General Org, Crescent Blade drawn. “You’ve made a rather large mistake coming here, I can assure you of that,”

“Funny, you talking about mistakes when you’ve made quite a few of your own,” Retinax commented dutifully as Zen-Aku leveled his blade at him, one of the tips dangerously close to Retinax’s main eye. “You’ve really got to get better taste in allies, ones who actually trust you and won’t turn on you at the drop of a hat,”

“And you’re offering yourself as an ally?” Zen-Aku deadpanned. “Funny, never thought you had a sense of humor,”

“Think about it for a moment,” Retinax remarked. “Have the Rangers ever trusted you? You’re an Org, their natural enemy. Who’s to say they won’t turn on you one day once your usefulness is expended?”

Zen-Aku, for the briefest of moments, had doubts about the Rangers, it was true that most of them, aside from Vapor and Sunset didn’t really trust him, and he had heard them talking, whispering behind his back when they thought he wasn’t listening. But he also knew that if he allied himself with Retinax, then they’d never trust him and all of his steps towards redemption… They’d all have gone to waste.

“I’d advise you to leave… Now,” Zen-Aku growled out in a warning tone, his eyes beginning to glow. “They may not trust me, but I won’t throw away the trust of those that do.”

“Really?” Retinax asked and Zen-Aku looked away from him and lowered his blade. “Prejudice and hatred destroyed this world once… Who’s to say it won’t again? History repeats, I’m walking evidence of that. But I aim to build a better world, one free of hatred and scorn. All you have to do be a part of it… Well, join me... Join the Org Family,”

Family. That word echoed in Zen-Aku’s head. Something he’d never been apart of and no one had ever offered to him. He dropped his blade with a loud clattering sound and Retinax laughed, he had him.

“I’m sorry… Vapor, Shayla… Merrick,” Zen-Aku thought as he threw his crystals into the sea and teleported away along with Retinax...

Author's Notes:

Huge thanks to Randomnoob57 for the chapter edits here, and helping bring out the emotional pain and hurt. Also...

Now for the serious stuff. It's been estimated that of March 2017, there have been more than 3.1 million women with a history of Breast Cancer in the US alone. This includes women who've already been treated. However, about 40,610 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2017 from breast cancer. An estimated 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 63,410 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
Source Link to information here

Anyways, this was what the Thunderbird was alluding to in the last chapter, a metaphorical character death, with Zen-Aku sacrificing his principles and throwing away everything he's done to redeem himself. Also, if no one gets the In Space homage here, it's the all Pink Morph, in tribute to the All Blue Morph to fool the Psycho Rangers as part of TJ's 2-part plan to defeat them along with "Psycho Silver". Anyways, as a bonus, I've managed to find a translation of "Pirate Girls", one of the insert songs in this chapter.

Everything has been hidden in this heart
The real screams charges out
In order to retrieve it someday
Let’s believe in the voiceless voice and go together

Painful and sad feelings alone
I will not inflict on others
Until I grasp that Earth I saw that day

Surpassing the blue oceans and the universe
The reborn power now becomes one
Oh no! Super high tension
All the evil that huddle in the dark
With one strike of light—look, isn’t it numbing?
Get it down splendidly

Encounters come out of nowhere
The power that overflows from fateful moments
On the other side of dreams yet undreamt
Let’s advance on the road between roads, and get our hands on it

Kindle the burning thoughts
Accumulated one by one
Until we find our own treasure

Because we’re seeing the same future
There’s nothing to fear
The “not bad!”
Whispered from your back
No matter what enemy appears
As long as you have comrades, you won’t lose to little things
Get it down splendidly

Surpassing the blue oceans and the universe
The reborn power now becomes one
Oh no! Super high tension
All the evil that huddle in the dark
With one strike of light—look, isn’t it numbing?
Get it down splendidly