The Legend of the Purple Ranger

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The Legend of the Purple Power Ranger

For years, this story has been passed down only from Power Ranger or former Power Ranger, to Power Ranger to Be. It is a part of what they call their Orientation – phase one is the telling of the legend, phase two is the dreams showing them what will happen if they do not use the power granted to them for good, and phase three is getting the power. The story is told in private. It has been told many times by different people, with different words, but the story has remained the same. Often it is the first time of the teller telling, and oft the tell-ee doesn’t believe the teller – at first. Then they meet her. Power Rangers know who to tell, because when they are wearing their helmets, an Aura appears around the person.

Zordon told the first team within the Command Center, they told the next Rangers so on and so forth. Often chosen ones would have to be told years in advance, when they were no more than younglings and have years-long orientations. However earned ones usually had no more than a few weeks and sometimes less, for varying reasons. The reason was that only Power Rangers to be could be told. This was a direct order from the Morphing Grid of Earth itself, where Power Souls were forged. To be a chosen or earned ranger and to defy a direct order from the Morphing Grid, meant you would shortly after, simply cease to exist.

Many millennia ago, centuries before Zordon of Eltaire came, back in the days when humans still lived in caves, a nameless evil came to the Earth to conquer it. The Morphing Grid had newly evolved and had yet to choose and to create power souls. This was because it had used up most of its power creating the humans that now walked the planet. Many of the Morphing Grids of other planets of long standing and even the newer ones looked down upon the humans with disdain. The humans were weak and puny. They had no powers to protect them. Yet Earth’s Morphing Grid (From now on I’ll call it EMG) stood strong and silent.

When the nameless evil came and towered high above EMG’s creation, EMG launched its master plan. Searching throughout the Earth, it found what it was looking for, a treasure precious beyond any other, a young girl, old enough for responsibility, yet young enough to make dreams come true. She appeared to be the least of the least of the humans. One of her legs was twisted from birth on. She was timid, and had but a short time to live- and she was female. Her name was Kon – ka. It meant “worthless”. Yet buried deep within her was a spirit stronger than any metal, and any other among alien races.

Kon-ka was at the mate-able age, yet no would have her for a mate. So EMG took the form of a young human man. It walked up to Kon-ka’s parents and made the greeting. It told them that his name was Laiono. It meant ‘destiny’, a thing that even the most intelligent of humans still barely understood. Her parents vaguely understood somehow that that “he” was someone of great power, but couldn’t put it into words. They still honored “him”.

Kon-ka hobbled in a few minutes later, and EMG smiled warmly at her. She smiled; however, her parents looked at each other in surprise. They had never known any one to be kind to Kon-ka. “Laiono” turned to her parents and made the court-offer. In return, he offered them wahai araino – hidden prosperity, the kind of blessings you can only find if you look within. Not understanding how he could make an offer like that, they stared at him but accepted.

‘Laiono’ went to Kon-ka and courted her, which basically meant offering her a name. Maiana meaning beginning, was the name he offered. She didn’t understand that name at the time, or this strange young man, who her parents had made an honored guest, who courted her, after knowing her but a small time. Yet she looked into his eyes and saw kindness, wisdom, strength, and power, and knew he was the man she daydreamed about. She accepted. Years later, Maiana’s parents, having lived a long, happy, loving life, died peacefully in their sleep at a ripe old age.

Meanwhile, EMG and Maiana traveled a long, long way, until they came upon the entrance of the Sacred Cave. Maiana still didn’t understand; anything. There ‘he’ showed ‘his’ true self. It told her that in time with bonding to it she would understand, but for now she must fight the nameless evil. “Come to me.” EMG sent purple light flying around her. Her leg was healed and she felt better than she had in all her life.

What was this creature that had given her parents a strange court-offer, her a strange name, and now healed her? EMG responded to her very thoughts, In time, Maiana, you will understand. I will help you. For now, though, you must become the Guardian of Earth. With those thoughts, it again sent purple light sweeping around her. She became as tall as the towering Nameless Evil. As the purple light swirled around her, a purple suit formed on her. A helmet, gloves, boots, and weapons followed.

As she touched each weapon, she knew the names, uses, and purposes of each one. On her belt, there was a massive coin called a power coin. Its specific name was the Jurassic Power Coin. Across her collarbones were the Zeo Crystals. On her left hip rested the Saber of Quasars. On her right rested the Saber of Crystals. All were sources of Power. And she knew what she would be called; The Purple Power Ranger, Guardian of Earth, or just simply, the Power Ranger.

That day she fought the Nameless Evil and won. But more came, and the more she morphed and battled, the more she bonded with EMG, and the more she understood his plan. Centuries passed, and she grew more powerful than ever, as did her opponents. She lived on, never growing old.

One day, a young wizard from a distant plant came. As he knelt before her, quivering, she asked why he had come to Earth. To learn from her many things, was his reply. “What do you mean me?” She asked him. “Why, do you not know, O Guardian of Earth?” “I know many things, but not this.” “Why all the forces of Good in the Galaxy know your name. Where others have failed, you have succeeded, where others have lost, you have won. Where others have surrendered and fled, you have stayed and fought on. Where others have been destroyed, you have conquered.” “What is your name, young wizard?” “My name is Zordon and I am from Elktaire.” “Very well, young Zordon of Elktaire. You may stay and learn.”

Decades passed. One evening, while training with Zordon, Maiana said something cryptically to him. Most nights during training, she would say such things, and it was Zordon’s task to discover the hidden meaning before the end of training. Tonight’s was, “Zordon of Elktaire, there are two ways Greatness can be discovered. Greatness can only be discovered within or after a certain state and lives only as long as that state is in effect.” It bothered Zordon, because he had been doing so well at guessing, but tonight he couldn’t make heads or tails of it. And training was over. Maiana saw his troubled look and said, “You should not trouble yourself so, Zordon of Ektaire, for this is one that can not be truly understood until seen.”

Several more decades passed. One morning during breakfast, Zordon finally asked, his question, “Why is it that humans win, when others lose, that while, only one of you has any powers, and yet you win, when other planets, whose entire race have powers, lose?”

“We may not have bodily Powers, but we do have powers. EMG calls them Spirit Powers. Zordon of Elktaire, long ago, EMG watched other planets create their races, with all sorts of powers. Yet each one could be defeated, and when that happened, the race would surrender and flee, lost forever. A few, a very few would stand and fight, and then be overrun, for there would not be enough of them. Our entire race is endowed with Spirit Power. If there is fight for freedom, or survival, we fight to the end. We give, when we have nothing left to give, we fight when we have lost all fight. We fight to win, even when we’ve already lost. This for us will be both a blessing and curse for us, a ‘BlessingCurse’ if you will.”

“What do you mean a ‘BlessingCurse’?” “Zordon of Elktaire, in the future, evil leaders seeking only conquer and destroy, will be drawn to Earth, because, somehow they will know that if they destroy Earth, the rest of the Galaxy will follow shortly. However to defeat Earth, will be no easy task. For teams of Power Rangers, whose suits are less powerful, than my own, will rise up them.” “But if they will be weaker, why not use a single warrior like you self to fight for all time?”

Maiana sighed. “I did not say that they would be weaker, only that their suits would be. However, together with their spirit powers and the power of teamwork, they will be more powerful than I could ever hope to become. Zordon of Elktaire, what happens to Precious Metals, and Precious Gems, strong and beautiful, for centuries, after millennia?” “They degrade until they are worthless.” “And what happens to a stone sculpture that a sculptor is sculpting, if after he or she is finished, he or she continues to sculpt?” “The sculpture would eventually crumble to dust.” “Yes, Zordon of Elktaire. The same would happen, if a warrior possessing Spirit Power fought for Good endlessly. My own time is nearly at an end. In but a century or two, I would be reduced to apathy. Depression would follow shortly thereafter, until I have lost the will to live, and die a slow death.”
Maiana sighed once more. “Zordon of Elktaire, you have become my friend. Is it possible, that I might ask of you a favor?” She asked her favor. He was puzzled, she explained. He argued, and they went their separate ways. The next day, he returned to apologize, only find the agonizing truth. She had fought the most difficult battle of her life. In the end, it was too much for her, and her last words were, “My name is Maiana, Beginning, for I am the source of a legacy, my end is its Beginning, the legacy of Power Rangers.”

The last blow destroyed her. Her Jurassic Power Coin shattered into six pieces. Each one displayed the image of one of the creatures of the Jurassic coin: the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Pterodactyl, the Mastodon, the Saber-Toothed Tiger, the Triceratops, and the most powerful, the Dragon. Her Zeo Crystals fell from the suit, and combined into one. Her Saber of Quasars shattered into five pieces, which each formed one of the five Quasar Sabers. Her Saber of Crystals shattered into six pieces. Each one became a Crystal Saber.

Looking upon her destruction, Zordon knew what he must do. He did as she had asked. He took the pieces of the Power Coin to Ninjor, who formed the six Power Coins with them, who then had them hidden away. But the sixth one, the Dragon coin was stolen. The Zeo Crystal, he hid on the world of Kanethos, laying traps so that only a team worthy of the Zeo Crystal could reach it. The five Quasar Sabers he carried to the planet Miranoi and placed them in stone. Only the chosen ones could remove them. Lastly, he took the six Crystal Sabers to the land of Animaria, and placed them in the hands of Princess Shayla. Lastly, he created Zords, that when combined became the Megazord, the size that Maiana could once become, and other weapons, for each team.

The universe soon forgot the Purple Ranger, Defender of Earth. But Zordon remembered, and told the story to the First Rangers. But the legend does not end there, it still goes on today. For legend has it that, her spirit remains a guide to all rangers, seen and heard only by them, and teaching them the Ranger Code of Honor:

1. We give when we have nothing left to give.
2. We fight when we have no fight left in us.
3. We fight to win even when we’ve already lost.
4. Our secret is for us to know, and others to find out.
5. We always find a way to win for Good.

The End