AN: Here is the new chapter...
"Gather around Rangers, and hear the story of the beast stallion," Udonna spoke up from the Xenotome. A storm had hit outside, and was causing the lights inside of Rootcore to flicker, granting her the perfect atmosphere for her tale. "Whose strength was known across the land. The Legendary Catastros," the story lit up in the book. An illusion of Catastros flew from the book and galloped through the air, into the globe to reveal his story.
"Many have tried in vain to break the mightiest creature of them all," the six Rangers watched as the globe showed many in the magical community attempted to tame the powerful horse, and were thrown around. "But Catastros was stronger than a hundred men, and no-one was able to harness his fearsome power. Catastros fled into the forest during the great battle of good and evil, but before the seal was closed, evil reached up and dragged Catastros down to the lowest depths of the pit," they watched as the horse fled through the forest as fighting went on all around, until a spell seal appeared and brought him down.
"That was the scariest story I have ever heard," Chip announced when the image faded. "Tell it again!" he pleaded.
"Even I'm a little freaked out," Vida admitted, and frowned when she saw the others smirk. "Just a little," she shrugged.
"Well I'm not scared," Xander grinned, before the lights dulled and they were plunged into darkness. With a laugh, Udonna waved her hand and restored the lights to reveal Xander in Vida's arms, Scooby-Doo style. "Just making sure you're safe V," he tried with a smile.
"Aw, how sweet," Vida smiled, and proceeded to drop him. "Dork," she rolled her eyes as the others laughed.
"You guys can't possibly be afraid of a silly horse," Nick rolled his eyes.
"Be warned Nick, Catastros is no 'silly horse'," Udonna smiled as Xander got to his feet, brushing himself off as he frowned at Vida.
"But Koragg must have tamed him, since he has control over him," Maddie spoke up.
"Yes, for Catastros remains loyal to Koragg to this day," Udonna nodded as she walked over.
"Ahh, don't you just love a good brainstorm?" Claire's voice rang through Rootcore, and everyone looked around at her. They all stared, trying not to laugh as they looked at her head, which looked to be covered in a strange cream mixture. "Washes away the stress of the day," she smiled.
"Claire...you're steaming," Maddie giggled as they couldn't stop laughing.
"Yeah, I crossed a hot cocoa spell with a spell of protection," Claire smiled brightly. "It keeps me warm on these cold, stormy nights," she told them.
"Your hair..." Ria managed to say through her laughter. Confused, Claire touched her hair and tasted the strange covering on her hair. She let out a horrified scream in realisation. "I forgot to omit the part about the toppings!" she cried. "I'm allergic to whipped cream!" she screeched, and sneezed loudly, jerking forwards. Cream flew from her head, and splattered Udonna, and the Rangers covered their mouths, attempting to hide their laughter. Scowling, Udonna walked off, and Claire turned to the others. "Quick, Nick! Point your wand at me and say 'finishio'!" she told him, and sneezed again. "It'll make it disappear. Hurry!" she pleaded as Nick jumped down from the table and flicked out his wand.
"Finishio?" Nick tried as Claire sneezed loudly again. The cream disappeared from Claire's head, and she sighed in relief.
"Thanks Nick," the apprentice smiled thankfully at him. "Well, I better go," she told them, and pushed past, bright red. Ria followed her hoping to cheer her up...
Xxxxx...
The next morning Ria arrived in Rock Porium late, much to the shock of Toby.
"That's gotta be a first," she glanced around at Xander, who was leaning on the counter with a magazine in his hands. "You're actually late!!," Ria blushed, " I'll have you know that I was up late last night". She looked around and found that the Red Ranger wasn't there.
"Weird...wonder what's keeping Nick," she mused as she took the magazine from Xander and flicked through it. "Normally he's like the first one here after me," she commented. As Nick walked in, looking exhausted.
"Nice of you to join us," Xander commented, but Nick just walked straight past him.
"Sorry I'm late. I didn't sleep much," he sighed as he put on his work shirt.
"Aww, did that scary thunder keep you up?" Vida teased him, and Nick scowled at her. "Oh, I forgot. You're not afraid of anything, right?" she smirked.
"Very funny. Go pick on Ria, she doesn't seem to be scared of anything either," he told the Pink Ranger.
Ria thought back to her nightmares that plagued her every single day and thought how wrong the statement was.
Their morphers suddenly chimed, and they grabbed them quickly.
"No rest for the weary," Maddie smiled sympathetically at Nick as they hurried out.
"Let's go!" Vida called out as they ran out, and Toby remained completely oblivious to them as he listened to music behind the counter.
Xxxxx...
Having been alerted to dark magic gathering in town, the Rangers sprinted towards it as quickly as they could, and just as they reached the place, the ground shook.
"Look!" Maddie spotted Koragg first as he leapt into the air, casting the spell to summon Catastros "Uthe Mejor Catastros"
"Let's Ranger up!" Nick yelled, and they quickly grabbed their morphers.
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!" they morphed as Koragg combined with the powerful horse "Uthe Mejor Ultimas", forming his Megazord.
"Prepare to be defeated!" he roared down at them as he drew his swallow-tail weapon.
" I really don't like how this day is starting," Ria frowned, and they called on their Titan power, and went into their Dragon Formation with Nick riding on their back.
"Fire!" Nick yelled, and they shot a blast of fire at Koragg that knocked the powerful dark Knight backwards.
"That was nothing!" Koragg yelled as he called on his purple magic. He slashed them with it, and the Titans all crashed to the ground, breaking apart. "Get up and fight!" he demanded as they groaned. However, something hit him from behind, and Koragg's Megazord staggered.
"That will teach you to lie to Morticon!" Necrolai called up, and Koragg whirled around.
"What?! I will crush you, hag," Koragg snarled down at her.
"Hah! You'll have to catch me first!" the bat mocked, leaping into the air and flying off.
"My own allies are turning against me..." Koragg breathed in horror.
"I must deal with this!" Koragg ignored the rangers, and cast another spell "Basilichi Infredo"
"No!" Nick leapt up and tackled the Megazord before he could leave the battle. The purple light beneath them exploded, and Koragg was separated from Catastros, and all three went flying, before Catastros and Nick were sucked through the warped spell seal.
"Nick!" Vida cried out in horror.
"No, stop!" Xander yelled, but Koragg had disappeared, and so had Nick and Catastros.
Xxxxx...
"Udonna!"
As soon as they reached Rootcore, the Rangers called out for their mentor.
"What? What is it?" Udonna asked as she hurried down the steps.
"Nick's gone!" Chip told her quickly as they ran over to the pair.
"We tried to contact him on his morpher, but he didn't answer," Vida told them when they frowned.
"Take a breath and then explain what happened," Udonna told them gently, seeing them all looking panicked.
"Ok, we're battling Koragg, and then poof! Nick gets sucked into a seal with Catastros!" Xander told the pair. Udonna looked worried.
"Necrolai attacked Koragg and he went off to deal with their dissension issues, and Nick tried to stop Koragg, breaking apart his Megazord," Ria added in.
"Nick must have disrupted an evil spell and...Warped the dark seal," Udonn spoke worriedly. "This is a big problem. Very big," she walked past them and over to the globe.
"Since we do not know what dimension Nick is in, I can't transport you there," Udonna explained.
"We have to do something!" Chip yelled, horrified at the thought that their leader was stuck somewhere alone, dealing with the powerful Catastros. "Come on guys," they ran over to the globe by Udonna, but she shook her head.
"He is somewhere that even the crystal ball cannot find him," she sighed.
"This bad...this is really bad," Vida groaned.
Xxxxxx...
Furious, Vida whacked a stick against a tree trunk and tossed it aside.
"I can't wrap my head around it," she growled. "Nick's gone...really gone," she muttered as she caught up with Chip.
"Well, technically he's just gone from this dimension," Chip told her with a small smile. When Vida and Maddie both looked at him with raised eyebrows, he shrugged. "Technically," he repeated.
"Thanks for that, really raised the spirits there Chip," Xander sighed.
"There's gotta be something we can do to get him back," Ria spoke up as Chip looked sheepish.
"But even Udonna didn't have an answer," Xander shook his head. "Nick's in real trouble this time," he sighed. Suddenly a figure swung down from the trees, and the five cried out in shock, jumping back.
"What's that?" the figure turned around quickly. "Nick's in trouble?" he demanded.
"Who are you?" Xander demanded.
"More like what are you?" Vida corrected, all of them on edge as they stared at the strange creature.
"Phineas? This is the Troblin that Nick told us about remember" Ria told the others.
"But he didn't tell us that you were so...well...freaky!" Chip told him with a wide grin.
"Aw, stop it now, I'm blushin'," Phineas waved him off with a bashful smile. "Come on, come on," Chip's awe was replaced by disgust as he was pulled into a hug by the strange Troblin. "Gimme a hug!" he was quickly pushed away. "Ok, too soon," he raised his hands, backing away, before looking at the other four. "Oh...girls..." he looked from Maddie, to Ria and then to Vida. "I love that...oh! What's this about Nick being in trouble?" he asked quickly.
"He's trapped in an evil dimension," Maddie told him sadly. "There's nothing we can do to get him out," she shrugged.
"Oh, well, I guess giving up is the right thing to do," Phineas nodded in understanding. "Hey, no point in getting up just to fall back on your face again, I always say," he laughed lightly.
"Hey, who said anything about giving up?" Ria demanded.
"Yeah, we didn't say we were giving up," Xander frowned.
"Oh, my mistake," Phineas raised his hands in defence. "So you're moping around here with the...long faces is actually helping Nick," he walked past them as they all watched him. "Yeah, I get things wrong sometimes," Phineas nodded.
"He's right," Vida nodded. "Walking around feeling helpless isn't gonna bring Nick back," she told the others, who nodded in agreement.
"I agree, we've got to at least try," Xander told them.
"After all, we're Power Rangers," Chip grinned triumphantly. Laughing a little, they ran back to Rootcore, ready to try and find Nick.
Xxxxx...
"Nomininmini...ness...rox!" Xander tried another spell by the crystal, but once again it failed.
"Did it work?" Chip asked hopefully as he walked over.
"No! And I even winked," Xander complained.
"The Crystal Balldidn'tfall victim to your charms?!! The Horror!!" Ria smirked, not looking up from the book she was skimming through at the table.
"Let's try this one," Chip suggested. "It's supposed to contact lost loved ones," he held up his wand, and cast the spell "Colinog Trebanage," but nothing happened. "Come on!" Chip groaned.
"Don't get frustrated. Just keep trying," Maddie told them from the Xenotome.
"We're still trying but there aren't that many spells that help locate missing Rangers in different dimensions," Vida told her with a sigh, shoving the book aside and moving onto the next one in the pile.
"Hey guys!" they looked around as Ria called out. "It says here 'a spell of transport is a one way deal, unless a source can reverse the seal'," she read out as they ran over.
"Oh goody, a riddle," Maddie smiled.
"Reverse the seal?" Chip repeated with a frown. "But how?" he questioned.
"Reverse the seal...reverse..." Ria mumbled as she thought about it. "Ah...reverse the spell, and that'll reverse the seal!" she realised.
"You think that if we say the spell backwards, the seal will be reversed and send Nick back?" Maddie asked her, and Ria nodded "I think so".
"Just one problem with this theory," Xander gave a weak smile. "Can anyone actually remember the spell Koragg cast?" their hopeful smiles instantly dropped.
"Oh, it was something like, 'fettuccine alfredo'!" Chip told them, and they all looked at him with raised eyebrows. "It was!" he insisted.
"Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that easy..." Maddie sighed. They all looked around as they heard a loud roar echo from the crystal ball, and ran over as it showed a new monster attacking the city.
"Looks like we're going to have to deal with him first," Xander told the others
"Keep thinking Chip, you have to remember that spell, I know you can I believe you" Ria told the Yellow Ranger as they drew their morphers and flipped them open.
"Uh, pe-peppercini all-day-oh..." he tried, and they gave him a flat stare. "Uh...ready?" he called, avoiding their looks.
"Ready!"
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!" they morphed and hurried off to battle, where the monster towered over them.
"Let's make this interesting!" the monster declared, calling on more power. He grew even larger and his armour began even tougher, making them groan.
"I knew today was gonna be a bad day," Ria whined. They called on their Titan magic and began to fight, but the monster was a lot more powerful than they were. They rushed at the monster, attacking him, but his armour was too thick for them.
"Boulder blast!" the monster threw large boulders at them, slamming into the Titans and knocking them to the ground.
"Wehaveto remember that spell," Maddie groaned.
"We're going to need Megazord power to take this freak down...but till we can get Nick back, we gotta keep fighting or this freak will destroy the city!" Vida yelled, and shot into the air. She dodged the boulders that were hurled at her, and rammed into the monster. He stumbled backwards, and Vida fell backwards, before the monster caught her and slammed her into a building. "Anyone else want to step in?" the Pink Ranger yelled out.
"You see why you don't charge in without thinking?" Xander yelled as he used his axe to attack the monster and force him to release Vida.
"Yeah, that's normally your job," Vida shot back.
"Hey, I remember the spell!" Chip spoke up suddenly. "It was Basalichi Infredo!" he told them.
"You want to say that backwards?" Vida yelled as she and Xander were thrown back by the rampaging monster.
"Oderfni Ichilisab?" Ria tried, and a red spell seal appeared. They heard a yell, and Nick, along with Catastros, rode through the seal.
"Go Catastros!" Nick cheered.
"Look, it's Nick!" Ria laughed happily.
"I can't believe it worked!" Chip grinned.
"I can't believe he's riding Catastros!" Maddie exclaimed as Nick rode past.
"Hey guys! Need a little help!" the Red Ranger called to them. "Centaurus Phoenix Megazord!" he combined with the powerful horse, creating an even more powerful Megazord.
"Whoa, he combined with Catastros!" Xander yelled.
"This is nuts!" Vida exclaimed as they watched.
"This is how it's done, Red Ranger style!" red magic surrounded the weapon that was like Koragg's, and Nick spun it as he approached the monster.
"I'm not afraid of you!" the monster roared, running to meet him.
"Come on!" Nick challenged. The two fought it out, but it was clear that Nick was much stronger. "I'm all fired up!" the Red Ranger called as the back of the Megazord lit up red. When the monster hurled more boulders at him, he cut through them with it, and destroyed the monster.
"Nick, that was awesome!" the other Rangers ran over to him.
"Thanks Catastros," Nick patted the horse, only for him to rear up and throw the Red Ranger off. "No, wait!" he pleaded as Catastros ran off, straight towards Koragg. The Knight combined with Catastros to form his Centaur Zord form.
"Catastros rides with me," Koragg told him coldly.
"No! But I thought he had changed!" Nick got back up, horrified.
"I don't know how you were able to combine with my mighty Catastros, but I promise you I will find out," Koragg warned Nick. "Something about you is troubling," he commented, more to himself than the others.
"I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Nick asked curiously.
"We will meet again, Red Ranger," Koragg didn't answer him, and backed away into another spell seal, disappearing.
"I don't understand..." Nick sighed.
Xxxx...
"Man, Nick gets all the cool stuff," Vida complained as she slumped over the desk, not bothering to read the book in front of her.
"Jealousy isn't becoming of you V," Xander commented, and she shot him a scowl.
"Yeah, it's more a green colour, don't you think?" she challenged.
"Ohh, I love when V gets snippy, it's always fun," Ria grinned as Xander went red and frowned back at her.
"I don't, it's always me she picks on," the Green Ranger grumbled. Vida stuck out her tongue, and when Xander hit her over the head with his book, she tackled him off his chair.
"Well you can just admit you have hots for each other" Ria remarked before giving a squeal as the two chased her around.
"Wonder when they will grow up," Maddie sighed as the three rolled along the ground. Ria's laughter exploded through Rootcore as Xander managed to pin her down while Vida tickled her sides. Maddie shook her head and tried to focus on her book as Ria flailed around the ground.
"Ria, apologise and I'll let you up," the smirking Green Ranger told her.
"Never!" Ria managed to say as tears of laughter appeared in her eyes. She continued to flail around as they both poked her sides again.
"That's not the right answer," Vida told her as the others sighed.
"Even after a day like this, you guys are still messing around?" Nick questioned as he and Udonna walked in.
"It's normally the only way to stop V and Xander from fighting and Ria loves to help," Chip shrugged, and Ria nodded as the two stopped tickling the girl long enough for her to look up.
"I did not sign up for this when I tried to help old man you find his brother," Nick told Udonna, who hid her smile.
_x_
AN: Hope ya enjoyed it...
Review...
And yeh! I am gonna skip some chapters...