Chapter 6

To say that Celestia was happy to see them again was an understatement. She was overjoyed when the five of them returned, and even happier when they told her that they were willing to become Power Rangers. She decided to get started on their training immediately, thus asked the five of them to stand on the pedestals of their colors.

“As Rangers, you must abide by three rules at all times,” Celestia began, “One, you must never use your powers for personal gain or selfish reasons.”

“What, so we're not allowed to use our powers to make traveling easier?” Fluttershy asked looking away, “Whoops…”

“As long as you are not trying to use your powers for selfish reasons, it should be fine.” Celestia said with a warm smile, “But I urge you to be careful with that. We'll get to why in a minute. Second rule, you must never escalate a fight on your own. As you are defenders, it is your job to act in response to danger. Thus, only use your full power if your enemies force you to do so.”

“So, if we have like a super laser beam of death, we can't use that on small enemies,” Pinkie Pie said, “That makes sense. Don't want people to be afraid of us.”

“So, what's the third rule?” Rarity asked.

“The most important rule of all,” Celestia said, “You must keep your identities a secret. No one on the surface is to know that you are Power Rangers.”

“So, I can't tell my Daddy that I'm doing this?” Twilight asked.

“I'm sorry sweetheart, but no,” Celestia said, “If anyone knew your identities, they would be put in danger.”

“It's sort of a shame that the five of you are so young,” Spike said, “That's going to make things harder. Still, you have to do your best to keep your Ranger lives separate from your human lives.”

“So, why are we standin’ on these colored sections?” Applejack asked.

“We are going to attempt morphing for the first time.” Celestia said.

“Um, what's morphing?” Pinkie Pie asked, “I have an idea of what you mean, but my mind is sort of dirty at times, so…”

“Oh my God, seriously?” Fluttershy asked, “I thought Rarity was the slutty one.”

“I'm not going to deny that my mind was going there too,” Rarity said, “I have a reputation to uphold after all.”

Everyone laughed, including Fluttershy to a degree. Twilight looked around confused.

“I don't get it,” Twilight said, “What are we talking about?”

Spike pinched the bridge of his nose, “Can we please be a little more serious? You five are the guardians of the planet now, so start acting like adults.”

“Kinda hard to do that when the oldest one here is eighteen.” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“God…” Spike groaned. To his surprise though, Celestia giggled.

“Take it easy, Spike. They're only just starting. Morphing, in this context is the process of altering your bodies to enter your celestial armor.”

“Armor?” Twilight asked, “You mean that armor that you and the others were wearing in the image you showed us yesterday?”

“That's right,” Celestia said floating in a circle around the room, “While you are Rangers at all times, you will not be expected to fight high level enemies in your natural bodies. To access your full power, you have to morph into your celestial armor.”

“Where is this armor?” Rarity asked.

“It's with you now, but it's hidden deep within your hearts,” Celestia explained, “You must focus on the bonds you have with each other while upholding the virtue that you all represent in order to call out the armor and make it materialize.”

“What about our clothes?” Fluttershy asked, “Some of us are wearing clothes that won't fit in that armor.”

“Your clothes will be magically displaced when you morph,” Spike asked, “As long as you exit your armor normally, your clothes will be replaced as they were before you transformed.”

“So, we're gonna be naked then,” Applejack pointed out. Spike groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“I suppose, but you'll be in your armor so it won't matter,” Spike said.

“But we will be naked, right?” Rarity asked, “You know, I'm starting to wonder why this team has to be a group of women.”

“I bet the person who came up with this rule was a man,” Fluttershy said rubbing her arm, “He wanted an excuse to see hot women naked.”

“Ooh! Ooh! Maybe it's like a magical girl transformation!” Pinkie Pie chirped excitedly, “That would be really neat, wouldn't it?”

Spike cleared his throat loudly to get everyone's attention, “Why don't you try it for yourselves and see what happens?”

“I think we made him mad,” Twilight whispered.

“It didn't bother me at all.” Applejack said with a shrug, "I'm comfortable in my body."

The five girls all stood in the middle of their pedestals and tried focusing on their bond, or lack thereof at the time. The water in the middle began swirling around, and a bright light shined out from the center of the whirlpool.

“What's happening?” Rarity asked as magical energy built up and swirled around all of them.

“This place is in direct connection to the Morphing Grid,” Celestia explained, “While you can morph anywhere, it is easiest in this space.”

“Keep going!” Spike urged, “It's almost happening!”

The five of them continued to focus on one another, but the energy felt unstable thus it couldn't latch onto anyone. As such, after a few seconds, the energy dissipated with nothing happening.

“Um, did we do it?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I don't know, are any of us wearing a suit of armor?” Fluttershy asked sarcastically, “No? Then I guess that means we failed. Surprise surprise, am I right?”

“You don't have to be a bitch about it.” Rarity pointed out.

“Well why don't you show us how it's done then?” Fluttershy asked, “Oh wait, you can't, because you're a failure too.”

“It was just our first time,” Rarity said, “Expecting us to get it right the first time isn't realistic.”

“I bet it was your fault we didn't morph anyway,” Pinkie Pie said, “You're always so guarded after all.”

“My fault?! I was focusing on everyone as much as I could! I bet it was you who fucked it up! Probably thinking about some stupid Japanese cartoon or something!”

“Oh my God, what is your problem!” Rarity fussed, “Do you have to attack everyone?! We're just trying to be your friends!”

“Maybe I don't want to be friends with any of you!” Fluttershy shouted, stepping off her pedestal and walking over to Rarity and Pinkie Pie, “Maybe I was just fine being by myself away from annoyingly loud bitches who disrupt my sanctuary!”

“It's funny how you're calling us loud when you're shouted more than any of us right now!” Pinkie Pie pointed out, “And I wasn't thinking about anime! I was trying to think about you guys! Unlike you, I'm actually an open book!”

“Yes, I realized,” Rarity said folding her arms, “You make it pretty clear that you're only here because you think it's fun.”

“What?! I don't even know why you’re here!” Pinkie Pie shouted at Rarity. As she, Rarity, and Fluttershy continued to argue, Applejack looked around the room. Spike looked frustrated, Celesta looked worried, but it was Twilight that caught Applejack's attention.

She was kneeling down, holding her head tightly to cover her ears and she was trembling. Realizing that she was getting really upset, Applejack whistled loudly to get everyone's attention.

“All three of y'all, SHUT IT!!!” Applejack ordered, “You're upsettin’ Twilight!” Once all three of them noticed Twilight they calmed down and looked away from one another, “Honestly, I think the issue here is all of us, an' y'all three jus' demonstrated what the problem is. If this is gonna work, we need to be on the same page, an' start actin like a team.”

Rarity sighed and walked over to Twilight kneeling before her, “Hey, it's okay sweetie. We're not screaming at each other anymore.”

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and looked at Rarity, “I don't like it when people fight.”

“Aw, we're sorry, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie said also kneeling down next to Rarity, “We'll try to be more careful next time.”

They all looked at Fluttershy, who folded her arms and turned away.

“Well?” Rarity asked, “Aren't you going to say something too?”

“I don't want to be over there,” Fluttershy said, “There are too many people.”

“Alright, but you could at least apologize to Twilight over there,” Rarity said, “You're just as much to blame for upsetting her as we are.”

“Fine! I'm sorry too! Are you happy?” Fluttershy fussed, walking to the long couch like seat and sitting down, arms folded and legs crossed, “I hate it here so much.”

Spike took a deep breath, “Well then, that was interesting. Your Majesty, what do you want to do?”

“For now, let's not worry about morphing,” Celestia said thoughtfully, “We'll take a break, and then resume with their combat training. Girls, when you're ready, come into the training room on the left.”

Twilight immediately stood up and walked over to the training room, not saying anything to anyone. Applejack sighed and walked after her, with Pinkie Pie skipping behind her. Rarity took another look at Fluttershy before running after the others.

“Spike,” Celestia said looking at Fluttershy, “Head to the training room ahead of me.”

“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” Spike asked.

“Yes, it's fine,” Celestia said, “I wish to talk to her alone.”

Spike shrugged and did as was told. Celestia floated over to Fluttershy and sat down next to her.

“Here to yell at me too?” Fluttershy asked. Celestia shook her head.

“I know what's really going on here Fluttershy.” Celestia said softly.

“Oh? Then what's going on?” Fluttershy snapped, “What's my problem?”

“You're afraid of them, aren't you?” Celestia asked, “That's why you attack them, and push them away. It's the same as an animal lashing out at what they deem a threat. I can see what's within your heart, so I know that this isn't who you really are.”

“No, but it's who I have to be,” Fluttershy pouted, hugging her knees, “They wouldn't understand me anyway. If I told them, they wouldn't be able to help me.”

“You haven't even given them the chance,” Celestia said, placing a hand on Fluttershy's back, “I'm not saying to rush it, but perhaps you could try opening up to them a bit.”

“Why should I?” Fluttershy asked defensively.

“Remember how I can see what's in your heart? I can do the same for them as well, and I can confirm that all four of them are worried about you. They'd be willing to at least try to help. All you have to do is give them the chance to do so.”

“But they'll leave me,” Fluttershy said tearing up, “I know they will. Once I get close to them and let them in, they'll disappear…”

“Just like Rainbow Dash, right?” Celestia asked, shocking Fluttershy.

“You know Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.

“I know about her because she takes up such a huge spot in your heart,” Celestia explained, “I know that she was special to you, and that when she vanished, you were broken. They cannot replace Rainbow Dash, but they can have their own places in your heart as long as you allow them to occupy it. Like I said, don't rush it. But do consider it. Not for them, or for the world, but for yourself.”

With that, Celestia rose from the seat and flowed toward the door to the left, fading away into a white mist. Fluttershy looked at the room, thinking about what Celestia said. After a second, she took a deep breath and then walked into the training room. It was a large open area, almost like a karate dojo.

Everyone turned to look at Fluttershy when she entered the room. She averted her eyes and put her focus on Spike and Celestia, who both stood at the far end of the room. Once everyone else focused on them, Celestia cast a spell creating what looked like a magical representation of one of the golems from before.

“This ladies, is a putty,” Spike said, “They are Luna's main foot soldiers. Your training first will be to see how you fare against one.”

“Pssh! I got this,” Pinkie Pie said stepping forward.

“Um, are you sure you want do this?” Rarity asked.

“Come on, it's just a hologram, right? It can't hurt us or anything.” Pinkie Pie said. Immediately the Putty whacked her in the stomach, making her fly across the room.

“That's a strong ass hologram.” Applejack quipped, getting laughs from everyone there.

“Yeah, that hurt a bit…” Pinkie Pie groaned.

“For now, I want to see how you fare in actual combat,” Celestia said, “It will help Spike and I figure out how much work is needed. You will all take turns fighting the Putty before you. Now, unless Pinkie Pie wants to go again…”

“Nope,” Pinkie Pie said rising up still holding her stomach, “I'm good. I wouldn't want to take away someone else's chance to get wrecked- I mean, have a crack at it.”

Applejack, being the leader, decided to go first. She was expecting to be able to at least be able to knock it off it's feet, but sadly she was picked up and thrown to the ground almost as quickly as Pinkie Pie.

Spike rolled his eyes, “Next.”

Rarity stepped up next, this time dodging most of the Putty's attacks. Doing that she lasted a good while. But when she tried to kick it, the holographic monster grabbed her leg and tossed her into the wall.

“Ugh…” Rarity groaned sitting up, “This is harder than I thought…”

Spike sighed, “Next.”

Twilight braced herself and tried a more direct approach, by literally tackling the Putty. Everyone was wide eyed seeing her act so brazen. Sadly she didn't do much better, as the golem picked her up, flipped her around, and then dropped her onto the floor. Everyone winced looking at that, Celestia actually looking away covering her eyes.

“Well that didn't work…” Twilight moaned lying on the ground. Spike shook his head.

“Next,” he said, clearly getting frustrated now.

Finally was Fluttershy, who probably did the best surprisingly. When the Putty tried to attack, she ducked easily, and even balanced on her hands to do a sweeping kick, briefly knocking it off balance.

“Holy shit!” Pinkie Pie cheered, “Go Fluttershy! You can beat it! Avenge me!!!”

Sadly, the Putty learned. It picked her up by the back of her dress, and punched her hard in the stomach making her fly back toward the group. She landed right in front of them, and while she was breathing, she didn't get up or move.

“Um, are you, okay?” Twilight asked slowly.

“Just, leave me here for a bit…” Fluttershy moaned, clearly in a lot of pain. Spike pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well, this turned out exactly how I expected,” Spike said, “Pinkie Pie, do you want another turn?”

“Nope!” Pinkie Pie said shaking her head, “I don't think any of us are going to do better than Fluttershy.”

“So, with that in mind, you girls are the worst fighters I've ever seen.” Spike said simply.

“Well gee, sorry!” Fluttershy groaned forcing herself to her knees, “We sort of skipped our amazon warrior training for the last seventeen years!” When she noticed Spike was blushing looking at her, she looked down, and immediately turned away covering her chest.

“It's fine,” Celestia said floating forward, “This is why we needed to see how you'd fare in actual combat. This just means we need to actively train. All of you, pair up. We will start with the basics.”

Fluttershy fixed the top of her dress and then walked over to Pinkie Pie, “Hey, you and me, okay?”

Pinkie Pie looked a little taken aback, but she soon nodded happily, “Perfect! I was hoping we could be partners!”

“So what do ya say?” Applejack asked Twilight, “Wanna team up with me?”

“Um, actually, I was hoping Spike would be my partner,” Twilight asked, surprising Spike a bit.

“Wait, me?” Spike asked.

“Well, we have an odd number of people here, and I probably need the most help,” Twilight said, “You don't mind, do you Applejack?”

“Not at all,” Applejack said, “I'm proud of ya for takin’ this so seriously. You take care of her, Spike.”

Spike shrugged, “Alright I guess. I'll be your partner.”

Twilight smiled brightly and ran over to Spike. Applejack shook her head smiling at that.

“So, that just leaves you and me,” Rarity said walking behind Applejack, running her hands on Applejack's shoulders, “That's not going to be a problem, is it?”

“N-not at all,” Applejack said blushing.

“As the five of you have bonded with the Power Coins, you now have the hearts of warriors,” Celestia explained floating around the room, “Because of that, you can call on your instincts to get you through most minor issues. However, against an opponent with true skill you will need to know the basics of combat. I will guide you today.”

Now paired up, the girls followed Celestia's guidance through actually learning how to fight. Fluttershy and Applejack didn't need as much help, as they both had minor experience in both martial arts and street fighting respectively. Thanks to this, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were able to learn pretty well from their respective partners.

Spike was more so acting as a personal tutor for Twilight, who had literally no combat experience at all. Still, with Spike's help she was able to pick up a few things. By the end of the first day she was able to at least throw a decent punch and kick without looking too tense.

Needless to say, the first day of training ended in success. All five of the girls went home exhausted, but feeling just a little better about the whole becoming Power Rangers thing.

Author's Notes:

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