Mystic Force: Dawn Of Darkness
Chapter 2: Back In Action
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: September 21, 2016
Summary: Picking up where Mystic Force: The Forgotten Ray of Light left off, we find our heroes facing a new set of challenges, and not all of them are from evil villains attempting to take over the universe
Rated: M for adult situations
Ships: NM, VX, CC, UL
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers; that now belongs, once again, to Saban (THANK GOD). I'm not making any money off this work of fiction, just getting tons of enjoyment for writing and having my readers comment. Ella, Alex, and the other original characters featured here are mine, please do not take them without asking.
If you're wondering what Morticon looks like now, I kind of imagine him as Josh Holloway with the long hair and a scruffy beard
I apologize for the six year wait on this story, a lot of things both good and bad happened in real life that sent my muse off on an extended vacation. I won't bore you with the details, only say that I'm sorry it's taken so long and hope you like the story.
Dedication: Ang and Enigma – thank you for being behind me 100 percent and never giving up on me. And thanks to everyone who's asked when I was gonna get back to it.
Early August 2007
Woodland Village
"You've done an extraordinary job with the children, Itassis," Nikki commended her as the pair watched the last of the children Itassis taught leave the small school on the outskirts of Woodland Village. "They aren't afraid of you at all now."
"If there's one thing I've learned from the Rangers, it's that children are more resilient then adults, and accept things much more easily. Not to say that the Rangers are children any longer."
The two laughed at that, as only those who'd lived countless years could. In the months since the Master's defeat and the revelations that had followed, the pair had grown extremely close. No one else could quite relate to them the way they did to each other, both having been evil for longer than they could remember before turning to the light. "You received the invitation to Rootcore, didn't you?"
"I did. Is there any indication as to what this meeting is about?" the former terror asked.
"None that I've been able to pick up on," Nikki spoke, and then suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. A shiver worked its way up her spine, causing her heart to speed up and her senses to come alive. "Do you feel that?"
"Yes, but I do not recognize the energy."
The former Vampire Queen nodded and narrowed her gaze into the darkest part of the forest. "I do."
Though neither of them had used their powers in months, they came readily enough. Nikki pushed Itassis to the left even as she fell to the right, missing the blast that suddenly scorched the ground where once they'd both been standing. Both females rolled onto hands and knees, heads snapping up as a hulking figure emerged from the shadows. "YOU!" Nikki hissed, her ire turning to pure anger and hatred. Twenty-five years ago, the Master had chosen his second in command, and it hadn't been Necrolai, who'd served him loyally for years. No, he'd picked this deformed and demented creature.
"So the rumors are true…traitor!" he roared, blasts of laser fire leaving the sword he'd hefted to the sky.
"I'm no traitor," Nikki shouted back. "I merely chose the right and true side. In case your dead carcass hadn't noticed, your precious master is dead and gone. Destroyed by the Mystic Force!"
"They'll die, just like you're about to hag!"
"Nikki?" Itassis hissed.
"Itassis, allow me to introduce Morticon."
Same time
Rootcore
Udonna's eyebrow was arched as she watched her children gather in the main room of Rootcore. She noticed the apprehensive looks on the faces of four of them, and wondered what exactly they had to say that had them looking that way. The request for a team meeting had come the night before, and now everyone but Nikki and Itassis was gathered.
"Okay, someone say something!" Chip finally broke the silence. Lianbow, Daggeron, and Jenji were leaning back against the wall while Phineas, Leelee, Clare and Toby sat around the center table. Udonna stood near the Xenotome, and the others were grouped together like the team they were.
Ever the leader, Nick took a deep breath and moved away from his team. "We have an announcement to make," he started, watching Chip stare at him in confusion while everyone else looked on avidly. "Madison and Vida are pregnant."
The reactions were varied as Nick's words settled over the group. Leelee and Clare squealed in delight while Toby chuckled at them. Jenji and Phineas both just scratched their heads while Lianbow and Daggeron grinned from ear-to-ear and Udonna stood quietly, her eyes sparkling. And then there was Chip, standing there with his mouth gaping open and lips working up and down like a fish.
"Someone say something, please!" Madison begged. She'd caught both Udonna and Lianbow's expressions and was suddenly very fearful of the White Witch's response.
"Congratulations guys!" Toby finally spoke up, his shock fading. "I knew something was up!"
Congratulatory hugs and well-wishes were issued from most of the group; when it came to Udonna and Lianbow, Vida and Madison stood staring at the couple who had been everything to them for the last year – friends, confidants, mentors, parents…
Lianbow approached Vida first, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaning down. He very gently kissed her forehead and pulled back. "Congratulations, Wind Warrior," he murmured, smiling. "You do your Titan justice."
Blinking back tears, Vida smiled up at him. "Thank you."
"I expect another feisty Pink out of you," he joked, causing her to crack up laughing as he reached over and extended his hand to Xander. The pair grasped each other's arms, the elder Knight smiling. "You've made us all proud, and we welcome this news happily. Congratulations."
Turning, he found himself facing his little mermaid, who looked terrified of his reaction. His eyes darted to his son, who stood, head high, ready to accept whatever his father had to say to him. Smiling, he ignored his son and reached out for Madison, drawing her into his arms, holding her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear.
Trembling, she murmured, "For?"
"Bringing more joy to this family," he told her. "I've missed more milestones in his life than I can count, I'm happy to not have to miss this one as well." He reached up and wiped away the tears that spilt over her cheeks in a river. She laughed and launched herself at the man who had been father and mentor to her for months.
The girls finally moved to stand before Udonna, both of them nervous as to what their mentor had to say. She moved away from the Xenotome and moved to stand before them, hands clasped in front of her. "Well, I guess those plans to expand Rootcore are going to be necessary after all," she quipped, a smiling lighting her features and brightening her eyes. She threw her arms open, allowing both girls to hug her. "Grandbabies!" she let out a husky laugh that had both the girls relaxing as she hugged them tightly. "Thank you!"
Daggeron stood between the boys, laughing. "Nick, I think your mother is more than okay with the idea of grandchildren."
The Red Ranger laughed and nodded, feeling the weight lift from his shoulders. He'd been extremely worried his mother would be disappointed that they were having children so soon. She was just the opposite, he realized. She was extraordinarily happy to know she had two grandbabies on the way.
"What?" Vida laughed, pulling back to stare up at his mother, and Nick knew he'd missed whatever she'd said. "Are you serious?"
"I started knitting blankets and booties last year after we defeated the master, I knew it wouldn't be long before my fondest wish came true," Udonna teased, making the girls blush and Xander and Nick's eyes widen in shock. Before anyone could respond to that, the alarms began to sound, all of them jolting. It had been almost a year since the alarms had gone off. After a second of paralyzing shock, the Ranger responded. Xander and Chip were at the computer in seconds, pulling up the communication system.
On the other side of the screen was Itassis, obviously out of breath and the look on her face could have melted an iceberg. "Rangers! Nikki and I are being attacked not far from the village school! Hurry!"
"Mom?" the one-word question carried a wealth of other questions within.
"They'll be fine morphing for now; their suits will protect your unborn children. GO!" she urged. As the Rangers morphed, alongside Lianbow and Daggeron, Udonna closed her eyes and reached her hand out to Clare, who took it tightly. Together the two quietly uttered a spell, hoping that it would give Madison and Vida extra protection in the battle.
Woodland Village
She was angry. Life had been relatively peaceful since the defeat of the Master and now one of his top idiots was threatening to destroy everything she had worked so hard to preserve. Yes, she had been the Queen of the Vampires, yes she'd been so bent on helping the Master take over, but the Rangers, Itassis, Udonna and most importantly her own child had taught her some very valuable lessons. She had done everything she could to redeem herself from her centuries long quest to destroy all traces of light from the world. She was not going to idly stand by while Morticon's snobby self decided he was going to ruin all of that.
"GET UP AND FIGHT LIKE A WARRIOR!" she hissed in demand as Morticon lay on the ground where she and Itassis had kicked him. She knew he'd fully expected to destroy her and Itassis. Obviously, he hadn't expected either former evil villainess to try and take him on, let alone succeed at it. "You are absolutely pathetic," she finally spat at him, stepping back from him. "The Master is dead; all the others are gone; the Rangers won the battle months ago. Go back to hell where you came from."
Turning, she moved to help Itassis up from where the former Terror had fallen to her knees after being knocked down. She was less than a foot away when Itassis' voice rang out in alarm and warning. "YOU WILL DIE HAG!" Morticon roared as he sliced down with his sword, intending to take Nikki's head from her shoulders.
The former Vampire was pushed out of the way, and when she rolled onto her back, she found the Red Wolf Knight standing where she had been, his sword holding off Morticon's. Lianbow gave a mighty push and sent his former comrade stumbling backwards in shock, sword spinning off into the trees. "Traitor! I knew you were a no good traitor, Koragg!"
"I do not go by that name any longer, old friend," Lianbow informed him, his voice even as he struggled to contain his own anger. "And striking at an opponent's unguarded back is unsportsmanlike." While he hadn't recognized the man fighting Itassis or Nikki, he could never forget the voice. It was one that haunted his dreams.
"What the hell is going on?" Chip finally uttered as the Rangers and Daggeron helped Nikki and Itassis to their feet.
Nikki shot him a look then flicked her hand in Morticon's direction. "Apparently you guys screwed up and didn't kill Morticon. He's back."
The Rangers' stunned eyes moved from her face to the man facing the Red Wolf. He didn't look like Morticon at all. Pale skin, long, grungy blonde hair, green eyes, and a build to his body that made him larger than even Daggeron. This was not Morticon as they knew him. "You've got to be kidding!" Vida growled. He looked like Calindor, but not quite.
"I wish I were," Nikki deadpanned, shaking her head. "He's never been able to get the best of Lianbow, evil or otherwise. It's why Koragg had so much free reign in the underworld. He was the only one of us who was able to best Morticon after the Master changed him."
"I don't care who he is, he's not going to get away with attacking the world again!" Nick hissed, sword held firmly in his hand. Chip and Xander stepped forward, flanking him, weapons at the ready.
Morticon rushed toward them, growling and cursing under his breath as the three Rangers attacked as a unit. Nick swung his sword out while Morticon side stepped him and moved right into Xander's axe swinging down in an arc, causing him to stumble and roll. When he came to his feet, Chip was there to meet him with a shot of lightning from his crossbow. He was thrown back away from the three, landing at the feet of Daggeron and Lianbow.
"I am far from done!" he snapped, reaching out to grab their ankles, hoping to use some of the power whirling around inside of him. He was too slow, as both of the elder warriors jumped back out of the way. Pushing to his knees, his eyebrow rose in interest as he watched the rangers rally around the pink and blue rangers protectively. With a smirk, he reached down into the dirt and pushed his power, molding it to create a new, more demented version of the Hidiacs.
Using the link he shared with his creations, Morticon sent them after the male Rangers, Lianbow, Daggeron, Itassis and the hag, Necrolai. His hope was that he'd distract them enough for him to get close enough to the Pink and Blue Rangers to discover why the team was so protective of the two. "You two are mine!" he roared while the other members of the team were busy fighting his minions.
"Think again buster!" Madison announced as she kept him occupied and Vida whipped out her magi-staff.
"WIND POWER!" the Pink Ranger summoned her powers, launching herself at Morticon. The whirlwind scooped him right up and sent him flying away from Madison. However, neither of them expected him to regain his composure at the last second and slam the Blue Mermaid back into a tree with his powers.
"MADDY!" Nick and Vida let our startled yells as Madison slumped on the ground, groaning.
With a feral grin, Morticon directed more power at the other members of the team, sending them scattering. He saved the Pink Ranger for last, getting a good grip on her from her fallen position. "You and your sister, there is something different about the two of you from last we met," he murmured.
"Kiss ass Morticon!" she gasped as he choked her.
Neither of them noticed the blur of white racing out of the trees, magi-staff in hand, until a booted foot slammed into Morticon, sending both him and Vida tumbling. Forced with no other option, Morticon released the Pink Ranger as they fell through the air, hoping to right himself when he landed to see what hit him. When he summersaulted to his feet, he was faced with not one but two new players to the fight.
"Lignum pedibus!" the unarmored blonde called, snapping her fingers.
Morticon let out a growl as he suddenly found his feet stuck to the ground. "Who are you to interfere witch?"
Clare said nothing, simply let her eyebrow raise in disdain and folded her arms in front of her as the warrior next to her stepped forward and said "Power down!" In seconds, Udonna was revealed. "My, Morticon, how the mighty have fallen," the white witch teased. The second he raised his blonde head and stared at Udonna, she let out a gasp, "What power is this? Who are you?"
"Lost your senses in your old age, White Witch? I am Morticon, as I have always been!"
The blonde haired sorceress watched Udonna begin to shake and step back. "No…." she murmured, before turning her eyes to Clare.
"MOM!" Nick called to her, alerting her to the danger. Suddenly Morticon was moving, but he merely took two steps and vanished.
The Pit
He found himself back in the remains of the Master's Pit, injured from his first run in with the Rangers. His shrewd mind was still trying to figure out why the male Rangers were protecting the Pink and Blue Rangers so fiercely, why the White Witch had stopped attacking him so suddenly and looked at him in dismay. And who was the blonde sorceress with her? The woman wasn't very old, just out of her adolescence, but she looking hauntingly familiar.
Needing to rest and mend his body, he built a cocoon of power around himself to recharge. As he let his mind wander into sleep, he was assaulted with images he couldn't place.
Skin so soft, it felt and looked like peaches. Ethereal blonde hair. Pale pink lips that caressed his own. Purple and white silk. Happiness beyond compare.
With those thoughts in his head, he fell into a deep, restorative sleep.
Rootcore
With everyone relocated to Rootcore, they were joined by Leelee and Phineas to celebrate the wonderful news of the new lives growing within the Pink and Blue Rangers. Clare had spent her time flitting about making sure everyone was alright while Lianbow, Daggeron and Udonna prepared food for the hungry family. Nikki and Itassis took the opportunity to talk with Toby, Leelee and Phineas to explain what had happened.
"That was a close call," Chip murmured, drawing Clare onto the bench next to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Relax, we're all okay. You and Udonna have seen to Maddy and V, they're fine."
Clare nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I know."
"What was up with Udonna this afternoon during the fight?" Xander asked from the seat where he and Vida were perched together. "She seemed to really space out when she saw Morticon."
Vida nodded in agreement and the three Rangers looked at Clare for answers. "Right."
Shrugging, Clare sighed. "I don't honestly know. I've never seen her like that before," the sorceress murmured. "Where are Nick and Madison?"
Vida pointed upwards. "Balcony."
"You know guys, we really ought to let the others know what's going on," Chip suggested. "I mean, I know we can take care of things, but just in case…it might be helpful to have the other teams on standby."
"Excellent idea, mate," Xander nodded while Vida scowled at Chip's suggestion, which had obviously put her back up. "V, relax. He's right, having them on standby is a good thing. We can't risk you or Maddy right now, not in your conditions."
The Pink Ranger sighed when she felt his hands caressing her belly. "I know."
The Balcony
Peace. It was all Nick could ask for after the day they'd had. He was abundantly happy he and his dad had hung the wooden swing they'd made together on the balcony, it made the quiet place that much more appealing for being alone with his girlfriend.
Speaking of, he looked down at the dark head resting against his chest and smiled. She had scared the hell out of him earlier in the afternoon; if it hadn't been for his mother and cousin and the powers that be, she would have been gravely injured. As it was she was just sore and tired. Her ear was resting on the right side of his chest and her hand was flat against the left, dead center over his heart. The pose was ironic for him, since she already held his heart in the palm of her hands. Sighing happily, he moved his own hand, which was resting on her belly, back and forth, struck with wonder and a fierce protectiveness that this was where their child lay growing.
Off in the distance, the bright yellow sun was setting, lighting the world on fire in shares of red, purple, and pink to mix in with the fading blue with its fading rays. The stars were just starting to become visible, twinkling in the sky. Off in the distance, he could see Fireheart soaring over the hills and valleys of the Magical Realm.
It struck him from out of the blue, the urgency welling up in him so swiftly and intensely he almost choked with it. Swallowing, he briefly wondered what she's say when he asked her. "Madison?" he murmured, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
"Hmmm?" she sleepily replied, her fingers curling into his shirt.
"Baby, wake up for me," he coaxed, nudging her into a sitting position.
Yawning, she looked startled when she caught sight of his face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he murmured, removing his hands from her person and holding them out in front of him, palms facing her, in a calming gesture. "I have something I want to ask you."
She sat back and stared at him, giving him her full attention. "You know I love you, right?" She nodded. "And you know I am beyond excited for our baby, right?" Again she nodded. "Then will you do something for me?"
"Anything."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a black velvet box and slid off the swing to one knee. Madison's eyes widened and her hands came up to cover her mouth as tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Marry me?"
Lignum pedibus is latin for stick feet. I tried, please give me a break with this one, I really don't know Latin. Thanks!
