Author's Note: Decided to be nice and post this. Probably the shortest chapter out of any of them that have or will post for this fic. Please read and review. Feedback is greatly appreciated. :)
Eltar
Ninjetti Temple
4 days later (Earth time)
12 days later (Eltarian time)
Local time, unknown
"Again."
Aisha closed her eyes, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Pressing her hands together, she concentrated on her animal spirit, chanting the ancient language Ninjor had taught them.
Counting down from three, Aisha opened her eyes, now glowing blue. She reached for the huge boulder before her, lifting it with ease. With a grunt, the petite teen threw the large rock as far as she could, watching it soar hundreds of feet before landing with a thud.
"Excellent," said Ninjor.
The teens were at the Ninjetti temple, outside in the training field. When they had passed through the vortex, they had been in the cave at the mouth of the temple, and Ninjor led them inside after a night's rest. Since then, the six teens had been training virtually nonstop with Ninjor, learning about all they were capable of doing as well as enhancing their fighting skills by teaching them the Art of the Ninjetti. They were now in their twelfth day of training.
Adam Park lay on the ground shirtless, a futile attempt to alleviate the heat. He was watching Rocky in the air. The red ranger swung happily from tree to tree, flipping as he jumped. He thoroughly enjoyed his new powers, able to climb trees rapidly. Rocky released a vine, falling to the ground quickly before landing with a huge thud, creating a cavern.
Adam grunted, leaves and dirt flying onto him. Rocky gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
Adam rolled his eyes, though he could not blame his friend for his excitement. He behaved similarly after finding out his new jumping powers. For hours, all the black ranger did was bounce as high and far as he could. It took a few tries to get the aim right; slamming face first into a tree was not a particularly fun experience.
A blue-eyed wolf appeared to Adam's right, shaking off water that accumulated from its swim. Rocky and Adam yelped, not expecting the icy shower.
"Cut it out, man. That's really cold!" complained Rocky.
The wolf smiled before standing on its hind legs and stretching out, coming to stand up straight. Its fur disappeared and its snout shrank, revealing the grin of a wet Billy Cranston.
"Sorry," he laughed. "I wasn't aware the water would fly so far."
Not far from them were Tommy and Kimberly, both hovering in the air on clouds of blue energy. They sat Indian style, eyes closed as they meditated, focusing on controlling the Imanyd energy inside of them. Having bird animal spirits, Tommy and Kim would be able to fly… eventually. Ninjor warned the two that they needed much more practice before they would be able to fly in full control; however, they were able to levitate for long periods of time.
Ninjor walked into the middle of the area, raising a hand in the air. The six teens all looked towards him, moving to stand before him.
"Line up," he stated. The teens formed a straight line, unsure of what was happening.
"Morph," he said simply. One by one, the teens changed shaped, until before Ninjor were six animals: a bear, an ape, a frog, a wolf, a crane, and a falcon.
He nodded. "Human form." The teens changed back.
"Invisibility."
Each ranger closed their eyes, disappearing from his view.
"Return." They rematerialized.
"Decoy." The teens did a back handspring, leaving a decoy where they once stood.
Ninjor waved away the decoys.
"Primary weapons." The main weapon of each ranger appeared in their hands.
"Energize." The teens closed their eyes, focusing on igniting the weapons with their Imanyd energy. Ninjor smiled at the blue flames that enveloped each weapon.
"Secondary weapons."
The teens called upon their new weapons. In Tommy's hand, a war-scythe; Billy's, an axe; Aisha's, a mace; Rocky's, a kanabō; Adam's, a saber; and Kim's, a crossbow. They had spent the last four days familiarizing themselves with their new weapons.
"Adam," the young boy looked at Ninjor. "Retrieve the fruit from that tree." He pointed at an incredibly tall tree, at least 150 feet, whose fruit hang from the very top.
Putting away his saber, Adam took a few steps back before running and leaping high into the air, latching onto the tree. He grabbed the small red fruit, before pushing off, flipping backwards to land softly at Ninjor's feet, handing him the fruit.
"Nicely done." Ninjor took the fruit, tossing it gently in his hand. "Billy," the blue ranger stepped forward, watching as Ninjor reared back, throwing the fruit far into the jungle.
"Retrieve it." Billy nodded, morphing into a wolf before taking off quickly after the fruit with a growl.
Ninjor's eyes turned to Tommy. He pointed into the distance, a white mountain in view.
"On the top of that mountain is a small flower, only found there. Bring it to me." Tommy cracked his fingers, morphing into a falcon before taking off towards the mountain.
"Aisha," he pointed at a set of huge boulders that were off to the side. "Move those boulders." The yellow ranger ran over to the rocks, eyes glowing blue as she threw each boulder out of the way. She was surprised to see an entrance where they once were.
"Rocky, Kimberly," said Ninjor, "There is a small pendant behind that waterfall. It is hidden. Bring it to me. Without morphing." The two nodded, heading off. Rocky jumped onto a tree, jumping between it and its neighbor to reach the top. Grabbing a vine, he swung over to the waterfall, releasing the vine and grabbing onto a ledge. He pulled himself up quickly, waiting for Kimberly.
Kim looked at the raging river below her, knowing it would be foolish to attempt to swim. Looking quickly, she saw a tree leaning over the water slightly. Stepping back, Kim ran at the tree full speed, running along its length before pushing off at the very top, twisting as she landed on the other side.
Noticing the smoothness of the wall, she knew she couldn't climb it. Kimberly closed her eyes, levitating herself slowly into the air. She moved cautiously behind the waterfall, grateful when Rocky reached out a hand to help pull her onto the ledge.
The two looked around, seeing the pendant shining high up behind a huge boulder blocking their path. Rocky summoned his animal spirit, shifting the boulder to the side with a gentle push.
"The pendant is high up, I think in a little pocket. Let me get on your shoulders," she stated. Rocky nodded, crouching low so Kim could climb on him, his hands securing her feet. He stood to his full height, and Kim reached her small hand into the little hole, pulling out the pendant.
Rocky released her feet and she jumped down, smiling brightly at him. He laughed, hugging her tightly. Looking back out, Rocky saw a nearby vine.
"Get on my back," he stated, and Kim jumped on him quickly, hands clutching the pendant tightly. Rocky took a few steps back before leaping, grabbing onto the vine with ease and swinging back to the other side of the river. He let go once they made it over, focusing his power on landing stealthily. Kimberly released him, rushing over to Ninjor with the pendant.
Ninjor grabbed the pendant, nodding at them in thanks just as a falcon landed on his shoulder, a white flower in its beak.
"Thank you, Tommy." The falcon bobbed its head before hopping to the ground, reforming into the white ranger. Ninjor felt a pressure on his thigh, looking down to see a wolf looking up at him, a red fruit in its teeth. He opened his hand, letting the fruit fall into it. He pet the wolf gently on its head before it walked away, turning back into Billy.
Ninjor turned away from them, walking towards the entrance Aisha had uncovered.
"Follow me." The teens looked at each other before following him into the dark area.
Up ahead, the rangers saw a gated entrance, with a baby Gnarlyth chained in front. It stood quickly, trying to run at them. Ninjor threw the red fruit at it, and the Gnarlyth was distracted by the food.
Ninjor opened the gate. "I suggest you come quickly before it realizes what I gave it was not meat." The teens rushed inside, and Ninjor closed the gate behind them. Turning, he placed the small flower in a pot, replacing the dead one that was currently there.
He pointed at the object in the center of the room, a waist-high structure that had the picture of a pyramid on it with a hole in the center. Ninjor removed the Shard of Balance from his neck, placing it inside the hole. He closed the hole with the pendant he received from Kim and Rocky, turning it clockwise until it locked in place.
"Stand in a circle, link your hands." The teens followed his orders, hands joined together.
"Close your eyes." He mumbled a few words before a white light shot out. The teens were startled when they felt themselves move, now aware that they were standing on a shifting platform. The walls around them began to fade out, and the teens found themselves in another room.
Once the platform stopped, the teens dropped their hands, looking around in amazement. The room they were in was covered in the Language of the Ninjetti, with thousands of animal spirits carved into the walls. They watched in surprise as their respective animal spirits lit up, glowing hotly.
"The battle you are about to face will be brutal, rangers, and I fear you may need more protection than you have."
Rocky looked at Ninjor confused. "But this whole quest… I thought-"
Ninjor put up a hand. "While it is true you are undoubtedly stronger than before, you will still face difficulties, which is why I am preparing to give you this." He stood before them.
"Stand in line, and close your eyes." The teens did as they were told.
Ninjor walked to the platform, removing the shard from inside. Standing before the teens, he closed his eyes, concentrating on pouring his energy out of his body.
"Open your eyes," he said softly. The teens looked around, their vision tinted as they realized they were wearing helmets. Fumbling, they reached for the locks, removing their helmets and holding them in their hands.
"Oh, wow," Adam murmured. Each of them stood in spandex suits of their respective color, an emblem of their animal spirit on their sternum.
"You are wearing your new power suits." He coughed. "Your Ninjetti robes cannot protect you as these can. These Ninjetti suits are more durable for the battle you will face in the future. They will be of great use."
He sighed heavily, stumbling before leaning heavily against a wall and a loud boom resounded in the room, the ground shaking slightly under them. The rangers rushed over to him.
"Ninjor, what's wrong?" He waved them off. "Nothing, follow me." They looked at each nervously as Ninjor walked slowly to a wall, pressing his hand against it. The room began to shake as a crack of white light appeared on the wall. The crack got wider, and the wall began to separate.
"In here are your zords," he said weakly. The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently, and the teens grabbed onto each other to maintain balance. The rangers were torn between looking at their zords and helping Ninjor.
"Zords? Like Serpentera?" asked Rocky.
Ninjor nodded. "Yes." He coughed harshly. "You will need them for battle. Use your zords to get back to Earth."
Billy looked confused. "But you must show us how to use them."
Ninjor shook his head, eyes looking up at the rapidly deteriorating ceiling. "You are Ninjetti. These are your zords. Focus on your energy and it will come to you." He doubled over painfully. "Go."
Huge pieces of debris fell now, nearly crushing Adam and Aisha.
Tommy shook his head, mindful of the cave. "Ninjor, you aren't well. What happened? Why are you –" Tommy turned at the sound of a large crack – the platform they were on before was now in several pieces.
Ninjor threw Tommy a glare. "The longer you wait here, the longer this war wages. You must leave."
"Not until we know you're okay and will be safe," said Kim worriedly. Ninjor sighed, seeing the rangers would not leave him.
"I am fine, little crane. In providing you with these new additions, I had to add use my remaining Imanyd energy to support you. I am merely weak at the moment."
Billy shook his head, watching the walls around them begin to crumble. "Ninjor, the temple is falling apart. I am afraid you will not make it out safely. You must come with us," he insisted.
Ninjor smiled weakly. "I cannot. If I leave the temple, I will begin to age rapidly and die in mere minutes. I must stay here. Trust me, rangers."
Adam looked Ninjor over, seeing his pale face. "Ninjor, what's wrong with you?"
Ninjor coughed weakly. "The temple is dependent upon the shard for power. Giving you the power is, in a sense, destroying the temple," he said raggedly. The teens looked at each other in alarm. "This is but a structure, rangers. The power is not lost – it is with you, but understand, I must stay with the temple. Please, go."
The answer seemed to satisfy the rangers, though they still remained cautious. They knew his chances of escape were slim at best, especially with his sudden fatigue.
"Leave, rangers." Ninjor gave a soft smile. "You have completed your training and unlocked the full power of the Ninjetti. You can win this war, but you must leave now. I will be fine."
The rangers looked to Tommy, who was now back in the position as leader. He eyed Ninjor warily before turning. The ground beneath their feet shook hard. "We have to go." The rangers turned to Ninjor, thanking him for all that he had done with hugs and handshakes.
The mentor grabbed Billy's hand, placing the Shard of Balance in his possession before sagging against the wall. Billy stared at the pouch the shard was in before running to his zord, putting his helmet on. The blind man watched as the teens climbed inside their zords, not missing the look Tommy threw at him before he closed the door to his Falconzord.
"May the power protect you," he whispered, closing his eyes.
The teens strapped inside, focusing on their Ninjetti connection in order to pilot the zords. As Ninjor had said, it did come to them, quite naturally. Their connection allowed the teens to power the zords by thought alone.
As the zords fired up, Billy stared back at where Ninjor was, his body resting at the entrance of the room where the zords were. The inside of the temple was a cloud of dust and rubble, large stones falling down quickly to the ground.
"Tommy."
"Yeah, Billy?" responded the white ranger.
"Ninjor used his Imanyd energy to help us… but given how long he was using the Shard of Balance, the shard's energy should have completely replaced his life energy, similar to what happened to Ivan Ooze."
"That's what I was thinking," Tommy said solemnly.
Billy continued looking at Ninjor, watching as his breaths grew shallower and shallower.
"He withdrew his power too quickly. Even if he somehow managed to stay alive in the temple, he's going to…" Billy didn't finish. He didn't have to.
"I know."
Tommy commanded his zord to exit the cavern. The others quickly did the same, following him off Eltar and into space.
Ninjor had died in order for them to save the universe. He sacrificed himself… for them. For the side of Good.
They didn't need to see him take his last breath.
They didn't need another death on their conscience.
Command Center
Angel Grove
Local time, 1:22 AM
The rangers landed their zords in the desert behind the Command Center. It was the dead of night, and the darkness would have to serve as sufficient cover for the large machines until a hangar could be built.
The rangers climbed out of their zords, eyes alert from the time difference. Tommy ran full speed towards the command center, Kim hot on his heels.
Rocky's eyes widened. "Shit," he swore, racing after them.
The teens ran quickly to the Command Center, forgetting in their haste that teleportation was much quicker. Tommy burst into the main control room, glaring angrily at Zordon, the others right behind him.
"You knew."
Zordon merely looked at the white ranger. "YES."
Tommy felt his skin get hot. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I WAS NOT SURE IF YOU WOULD CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR ME, FOR THE SIDE OF GOOD, GIVEN WHAT YOU WOULD BE FACING."
Billy moved forward. "You had no right to make that decision for us, Zordon."
"I MADE THE DECISION FOR THE GOOD OF THE UNIVERSE."
Now Rocky stepped up, his irritation evident.
"We're the ones out there fighting! Shouldn't we at least know what's going on? Know what we're up against?"
"I APOLOGIZE FOR MY ERROR IN JUDGMENT, RANGERS. I DID NOT KNOW IF I COULD TRUST YOU TO REMAIN AT MY SIDE."
Kimberly now stepped forward, her eyes flashing blue briefly. "You didn't know if you could trust us?" she asked incredulously. She gave a mirthless laugh. "You recruited us when we were children, Zordon. You put us in situation after situation where we were forced to grow up a lot faster than any of us wanted to." Her voice dropped low. "We killed for you, for this stupid war."
She shook her head. "How dare you say you couldn't trust us… the only one proving to be untrustworthy is you!" she hissed.
Zordon was shocked by the pink ranger's caustic tone. "KIMBERLY, I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T-"
Adam growled. "No, you don't get to talk!" He walked close to Zordon. "Do you have ANY idea what we've been through? What they've been through?" he asked, pointing at Tommy and Kimberly. Adam raked his hands through his hair in frustration.
"We would've fought by your side, Zordon; we wouldn't have abandoned you. That's why we were your chosen," said Aisha softly. "We were just a bunch of kids that wanted to help save the world. We were going on blind faith that you were telling the truth… that you were being honest with us…"
Zordon said nothing in his defense.
"You lied to us, point blank. You saw Kimberly and I were in pain, that we were suffering… you never told us the truth about Ivan Ooze," accused Tommy.
"AND HOW WOULD YOU HAVE REACTED, TOMMY? IF I TOLD YOU THAT YES, I KNEW OF ONE OTHER CASE SIMILAR TO YOURS AND KIMBERLY'S. HOW THAT PERSON FACED SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN AND CAUSED SUCH DESTRUCTION THAT HE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LET ANYONE ELSE BE HURT. HOW HE SUFFERED IN AGONY, LOCKED AWAY AS HIS BODY BROKE DOWN FROM A POWER HE COULDN'T CONTROL. WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN A BETTER ALTERNATIVE?"
Tommy said nothing, not wanting to give Zordon any leeway. He knew if Zordon had told him that in the beginning, things might be different. If Zordon told them what they were getting into… he was sure many of them might not be rangers at the moment. Including him.
"I ADMIT I HANDLED THIS SITUATION HORRIBLY, RANGERS. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN HONEST FROM THE BEGINNING, BUT YOU WERE JUST CHILDREN." Zordon paused. "HOW WOULD YOU TELL A CHILD THAT THEY HAD TO SAVE THE WORLD? THAT THEY HAD TO KILL IN ORDER TO ENSURE ETERNAL PEACE? AND THAT IN BATTLE, THEY MAY BECOME A VICTIM OF THAT WHICH THEY ARE TRYING TO PROTECT? OR WORSE, DIE IN THE CROSSFIRE?
"I WAS IN AN IMPOSSIBLE POSITION, RANGERS. I HANDLED THE SITUATION AS BEST I KNEW HOW. I WISH YOU DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE SUCH WEIGHT ON YOUR YOUNG SHOULDERS OR THAT YOU HAD TO DECIDE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. BUT THAT IS THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION AS IT STANDS, AND IT CANNOT BE CHANGED."
The teens were silent, digesting Zordon's words. Alpha 5 stood off to the side quietly.
"Ninjor is dead," said Tommy softly. The other teens looked down sadly at Tommy's confirmation of what they all figured had happened.
"WHAT?" the Eltarian asked, startled.
"We needed more energy to have our power suits and zords," supplied Billy. "He used the energy that was giving him life."
"Was his life worth the cost of this war?" asked Rocky heatedly.
Zordon's face was troubled before he hardened his gaze. "NINJOR UNDERSTOOD THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTIONS."
Adam shook his head. "You feel nothing over your friend's death? Or Dulcea? Or anyone, for that matter, who's a victim of this senseless war?"
Zordon stared hard at his black ranger.
"YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE DEPTHS OF WHAT I FEEL, ADAM. I AM IN MOURNING OVER THE LOSS OF DULCEA AND NOW NINJOR. I FEEL REGRET AND SHAME AT HAVING TAKEN THE INNOCENCE OF YOUNG CHILDREN TO FIGHT A WAR THAT I CANNOT. I FEEL IMMENSE GUILT AT KNOWING THAT THIS WAR WAS STARTED BY MY PEOPLE, A RACE KNOWN FOR THEIR LOGIC, WHO MADE AN IRREVOCABLE MISTAKE.
"BUT I CANNOT FOCUS ON THAT RIGHT NOW," he continued. "MY PRIORITY IS ENDING THIS WAR SO NOTHING ELSE HAPPENS. I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT IN ME, YOUR MISTRUST, AND EVEN YOUR ANGER. IF THE SITUATIONS WERE REVERSED, I WOULD FEEL THE SAME. BUT AT THE MOMENT, THERE IS A BIGGER ISSUE – THE UNIVERSE IS AT STAKE AND AS RANGERS, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO END THIS WAR. THIS WAR IS BIGGER THAN ME, BIGGER THAN YOU, AND BIGGER THAN OUR ISSUES. PLEASE HELP ME."
The six teens stared up at their mentor, a myriad of emotions hitting them. Kimberly ran a hand through her hair, looking at Tommy. He looked just as conflicted as she did.
"I can't be here right now," she said softly, teleporting out of the room. The others blinked, as if just realizing that they had the freedom to leave the room.
One by one, the remaining rangers left the room. Billy was the last to leave, removing a pouch from his pocket and handing it to Alpha.
"There's your shard, Zordon. I hope this was worth it."
The sandy-haired teen stared up at Zordon before shaking his head sadly, leaving in a flash of blue.
Zordon sighed heavily.
"What now, Zordon?" asked Alpha 5.
Although the robot cared deeply for his friend, he was disappointed in him for keeping secrets from the rangers. His decision to point Billy in the right direction was his way of making up for remaining silent for so long.
"I DON'T KNOW, ALPHA. I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW."