Legal Disclaimer: Yaddah, yaddah....Cat helped me figure out where to go with this.

Friend or Stranger
by: Cynthia

The five teenagers stared up at the head floating above them. They couldn't believe this was happening to them. They were being chosen to be Power Rangers...warriors..defenders of their entire world. It was something none of them had ever considered. How could they have? Each of their worlds had consisted only of school, homework, the Youth Center, and Angel Grove. The only one of them who had ever thought about touching the stars was Billy, and he had never thought he would be called on to protect his world.

Zordon spoke quietly. "You have been through an extraordinary experience together. You need each other now. And the world needs you." Each of them felt something more than just a sense of victory at having defeated Rita's Putties and Goldar. Each of them felt...as if their destiny was calling them. This stranger needed help....and it was nothing they could turn down.

Friend or stranger
Everyone needs a helpin' hand, now and then
Friend or Stranger
Jason leveled his pistol at the Sword of Darkness as it lay only inches from the Green Ranger's hand. He had only one chance to do this. When he had first fought against Tommy days earlier, there had been a bond between them, that even Rita's magic hadn't been able to break. Jason had believed in destiny since the day he had first met Zordon, and he felt as if it were Tommy's destiny to join them.

And he only will if I make this shot. With concentration, he pulled the trigger on his blaster, watching as a beam of red light shot from the end to melt the Sword into nothingness. As he did so, a puff of dark green energy rose from Tommy, who instantly demorphed. As Jason had expected, he was overcome with remorse by what he had done.

"Fight by our side and we can defeat Rita," Jason told him. Tommy looked at him, then slowly extended his hand. As they shook, all six of the Rangers knew nothing would ever be the same again.

They need someone who'll understand
To listen to them
Help them chose a way to go
Point them towards the light
Tommy stared down at the letter in his hands, not believing what he was reading. The words didn't change, however, and hadn't since he had first read them so many months earlier. His heart still bled from the wounds Kim had inadvertently opened in him. At times he wondered if he would ever heal.

"Tommy?" he looked to see Kat standing near him. Something about the way she was smiling made him smile back at her. All isn't lost. I think...Kat likes me...and I think I like her. He didn't know what was going to happen next in their lives, but he was starting to feel it was worth it to actually do something about heading towards a future that was far brighter than the darkness he'd been living in.

He stood up and started towards the Pink Ranger. The one who had always been there for him since they had first met, the one who would always be there for him.

Someone who will brighten up their darkest night
And say it's all right
Cassie and T.J. stared at each other briefly, then headed right towards the strange young man in red as he hung over the pit. He tried to tell them not to help him, to just head out of the cave and leave him to his doom, but neither gave him the slightest consideration beyond trying to save his life.

Tommy watched them as they worked to save him, and couldn't help but smile as he kept an eye on the young black man. I think he's the one. He had been searching for his successor for months now, and the way that the stranger moved to save someone he didn't even know harked back to those early days when Jason had saved him from Rita.

Must be my destiny to be saved by someone in red. He almost laughed at that, noting the red tinges to the shirt the other wore. Red...yes. As he began to be carried to safety, Tommy made up his mind. He knew what he had to do.

(Friend or Stranger, needin' a helping hand)
(Friend or Stranger, someone who'll understand)
Ashley put her arms around Cassie and hugged the other girl as the Pink Ranger gave vent to her anger and sorrow. The Phantom Ranger hadn't been seen in days...Cassie was practically about to pass out for lack of sleep as she searched for the one who had come out of nowhere and stolen her heart.

"He'll be all right," the Yellow Ranger assured her. The last time they had seen him, he had told Cassie he would meet her again someday. It hadn't been in person, it had been via a recorded message. Not that it mattered, Cassie had taken it to heart. They would see each other again.

What else were friends....and lovers...for?

Friend or Stranger
Is it so hard to lend support for a while?
Friend or Stranger
So worthwhile to be a sport, and offer a smile
"Let's go!" Bulk shouted, waving to the rest of the population of Angel Grove. They had been through enough over the last few years, they were not going to take it anymore! Too many celebrations of darkness, too many people hurt by monsters and spells and who knew what else. The Californians were used to weirdness, but this was just too much! They were going to stop this invasion, turn it back, and teach these things that it wasn't right to invade Earth!

As they charged, the Power Rangers were amazed to find themselves not the only fighters, but just the leaders of the group. The two most amazing people, Bulk and Skull, showed the prowess they'd once used against Cogs years earlier on another world, slamming Piranatrons and Quantrons up against walls and kicking monsters in areas better not mentioned.

Two better friends, the Rangers had never had.

Give a little bit of yourself
Who knows where it will end
You can turn a stranger into a friend
Oh yes you can
She was beautiful. Clad in clothing unlike anything they'd ever seen before, she stared at them with eyes full of fear and hope. Leo and Mike Corbett both caught their breath. The same thought was going through both brothers' heads. There really are angels!!!

It was easy to decide to help her. Mike would have happily walked off a cliff right then if Maya, as she introduced herself, had asked it of him. Never had he seen someone that beautiful. Every other girl he'd ever met just vanished from his mind as he followed her into the vortex. It didn't matter that they had just met. He had the feeling he and Maya of Mirinoi would be knowing each other for quite some time.

(Friend or Stranger, needin' a helping hand)
(You can turn a stranger into a friend)

(Friend or Stranger, needin' a helping hand)
(You can turn a stranger into a friend)

rule

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