A.N. What is this nonsense? Two chapters in one day? Well it'll be three in one week hopefully. Ch. 20 is almost done. And this puppy is long. Like really really long. :)
P.S. I've kinda taken over for the next little while I guess. We shall see how that goes. I dunno what's going to happen.
Chapter XIX
Feet-n-Feathers
The school day seemed to drag on forever, in Ellie's opinion, although that was probably only because she was so excited for practice that evening. Dress rehearsals! The whole thing was very exciting, playing the lead in the school play and getting to dress like a princess, it was all right up her alley.
The final bell rang at long last, and Ellie snatched up her bag and books before darting out into the traffic jammed hallway. Her English teacher said something to her as she flew out the door, but she hadn't quite caught it.
Unworried, she picked her way through the hallway, dodging the little clusters and the stream of people heading in the opposite direction. Ellie made it to her locker in record time, popping it open easily and shoving everything inside before slamming it closed again. She didn't even pause to look at her reflection.
On the other end of the hall she caught the others, making their plans for the day. Spike stood there too, though he was quiet and looked unhappy. "Come on, Spike! We get to dress up today!"
Spike gave her a hateful look, or a look that was about as hateful as he could manage, which wasn't much, really. "Yay…" he groaned.
"Aw, Spike, there are worst parts!" she tried, not that she could think of anything off the top of her head.
He just shook his head, motioning for her to lead the way. Her smile brightened, turning around and bouncing down the hall.
They had to split up at the dressing rooms, and Ellie made sure to give him her best supportive look before dashing into the girls' room.
Fifteen minutes later she twirled herself around in front of the floor to ceiling mirrors, admiring herself from every angle. "This dress is gorgeous!" she squealed, some of the other girls agreed, reaching out to touch her poufy skirt and squealing with her.
When they exited the dressing rooms, however, her smile faltered. Spike stepped out of the other room just a few breaths after they had come out of theirs, clutching the foam, fur covered horse head under one arm, and dragging the back end of his costume behind him.
"It's not that bad," she said, but at the look on his face she decided to go with the truth. "Okay, okay, maybe it is…"
Spike just laughed dejectedly, lamenting about his awful luck, before they were ushered through the back door and onto the stage.
o.O.o
A warning bell went off deep in the house, loud and clear, instantly halting all conversation. The noise was still unfamiliar and it took several seconds before anyone placed it properly.
Cain and Del were to their feet in the next instant, barreling down the stairs and into the basement where Shaw sat waiting in front of his giant monitor, jumping from security camera to security camera until he had located the disturbance.
Upstairs, the other two teachers were making their own way towards their base. Jess came first, grabbing the edge of the sofa and flipping herself over it in one fluid movement, landing easily on her feet, but before she could close the distance, a startled, high pitched squeak sounded as her colleague made her own entrance. Lilly slid into the room, the slick floor catching against her feet and sending her straight at the wall.
She righted herself quickly, flushed slightly, and followed behind Jess as they too prepared for the coming battle.
o.O.o
"Stop! Stop!" their director shouted. "This is Sleeping Beauty not Macbeth!" The students froze, all except for Spike, who managed to trip over his extra legs. "And you!" the man growled, turning on Spike. He was far scarier than any many in pink had the right to be. "You clumsy, daft twit!"
Ellie watched Spike go red from across the stage and made to take a step forward, wanting to say something before the distinct chime from her wrist drew the attention to her.
"No phones in the auditorium!" the man shouted again, this time towards her.
Ellie paid him no mind, giving Spike an excited grin before bounding over to him as fast as her heels and dress would allow. He met her eyes with a frightened look of his own, but pulled himself to his feet anyways.
"There's an, uh, family emergency," she lied quickly. "We have to go."
The little man stomped his foot in anger. "My show! We have two weeks, two, to get this right and my Aurora is running off!"
"Sorry!" she added hastily, dragging Spike back behind the curtain and into the dressing room. "Yes?" she asked a few moments later, pressing one of the buttons on her communicator.
"Time to go. Wintressa's forces have struck the park. Proceed with caution, and protect the civilians at all costs. Remember the rules, and good luck." Shaw's voice faded out and the two of them shared a look.
"We simply can't fight looking like this," Ellie acknowledged, tugging at her fairytale dress. Spike nodded vigorously, eager to get out of his furry costume.
o.O.o
The other four sat downtown around one of the small tables that filled up the main room of Confetti's, lamenting over the dull afternoons they had had for the past week. The bell over the main door chimed, causing them all to glance that way, mild interest flickered over their faces as Officer Skullovitch walked in, but they quickly retreated to their previous conversation.
"I bet the next time those monsters show up we'll end up in the papers for sure. I can't believe no one saw us. How do you miss that?"
Alex scoffed, looking to Jaime for support, but the boy only shrugged, sipping his milkshake quietly, "This place has been dead for years, Logan. Since what? Like '98? No one thought the Power Rangers would end up back here."
"He's got a point, how do you miss that? We wear rainbow colored spandex and fight monsters, it's kinda hard to miss that," Ian hurried to add.
"Whatever-" she started, but was quickly cut off by a loud bang and several shouts. The four of them spun in their seats, taking in the mess.
Not unlike one of their many encounters with Spike, Officer Skullovitch seemed to have knocked over a tray filled with glasses of pop. The dark liquid was everywhere, dripping off the counters and puddling on the tiles, glistening glass shards intermingling with the ice cubes.
While Spike's dad seemed to have jumped out of the way and avoid almost all of the mess, the bartender hadn't fared so well. Bulk was soaked from the waist down, looking like he had peed himself. "Numbskull!" he shouted, shoving the taller man towards the supply closet. "Go get the mop!"
The kids laughed, ducking their heads down so as not to look so obvious, barely recovered by the time the morphers strapped to their wrists beeped to life. They looked up at each other; suddenly the easy fun had evaporated, replaced by a new, deeper type of excitement.
They snatched up their bags as quickly as possible -although Logan paused to take a huge gulp of his milkshake- a little eager, a little weary, and hardly remembering to lie low and look innocent, completely missing the jerking heads from the bar and how, instantly, the petty bickering over spilt drinks had come to a halt.
"What is it?" Alex asked as they crowded around her in the tight space between her and Logan's cars.
"Disturbance in the park, Ellie and Spike will meet you there. Good luck," their supposed teacher stated simply, cutting the signal almost immediately afterward.
Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, and then settled over the foamy mustache on Logan's face. "Uh, Logan," Jaime said, gesturing to his mouth. "Whip cream."
The other boy swiped at his mouth unfazed, "Come on, then. Let's kick some ass!"
A whoop of excitement later, the group was clambering into the vehicles and speeding towards the park.
o.O.o
Ellie and Spike finally made it the open green area. They slid to a stop as the neared the center of the park. People were scrambling to get out of the way, running in every direction, screaming and causing even more chaos, while their friends stood in various stances being circled by dozens of the blue minions.
The other rangers dashed to help their partners, Spike a little more wary than his counterpart. The little training they had had was certainly helping. More confident than before, the young rangers struck out, channeling the adrenaline pumping through their veins driving them on.
Ellie flew at them, her superior agility allowing her to overtake the monsters, and, using her unique method of sharp kicks and flips, reminiscent of her cheerleading days she downed a pair completely on her own. At her back, Spike was far more defensive, allowing the Nippies to fall on each other as he dodged and ducked their attacks. The peace keeper of their group, too, was holding his own; there was careful skill to his movements, unlike the freestyle type that the rest of them seemed to fall back on.
Logan and Ian fought their way through the crowd, leaving melting pieces in their wake. They were a team, clearly using each other in a way that made them more effective, and yet, it was their leader who stood amongst the largest pile of icy chunks.
Alex felled another of the icy soldiers, turning immediately to the next before sending its head rolling through the dull browning grass. Each of the Nippies fell in turn, shattering like ice as they hit the ground. They were down to just ten when a deep, menacing laugh came from a small group of trees.
Dressed in shiny ribbons and a sequin incrusted nightmare of a dress stood a monster the likes of which they had never seen before. Clearly male, and yet decked out like a princess from head to toe, he made his way towards them as slowly as possible before flashing claws several inches long and deathly sharp. He showed teeth when he laughed again, long, wicked fangs, and a barbed tongue.
So caught up in his sudden appearance, they had almost completely forgotten about the rest of the Nippies, until one of them let out a strange noise, and they fell to the monster's side that is.
"Who are you?" Alex asked warily, taking her position at the front of the group as the rest of them fell into formation.
"Mister…" he started, pausing for the effect, "Feathers."
The monstrous man took a slow step forward, his minions jabbering on in their odd language at his flank. "Uh… Alex?" came a timid voice from somewhere behind her, and Alex slipped back into her fighting mode.
"Ready?" she asked over her shoulder, smirking a little.
"Ready!" her teamed called out in unison, and she turned to face their enemy.
"Power Rangers: Vendian!" they shouted, simultaneously starting up their morphers.
There was a power rush, and the warm, cushioning feeling, that accompanied the morphing sequence, and then, when they opened their eyes a fraction of a second later, they stood in full gear.
Alex clenched her fists, glancing at the sharp edges of her gauntlets. "Let's do this," she growled, leading the charge.
The monster lunged too, bringing his forces and swarming around them. There was a flurry of motion, the sound of falling hunks of ice, the shouts and grunts as the young rangers fought their way out. Weapons were swung, the loud booming thud of Spike's hammer and his terrified squeaks being one of the most noticeable sounds.
Alex herself was caught battling the monster, their formidable claws slicing at thin air as they danced around each other. Growing frustrated, his human like face was flushing darker and darker.
"Come on, Featherbrain, is that all you've got?" she mocked, not that she was fairing any better. So far she had not managed to sink a single blow.
Feathers let out a strangled cry, and suddenly the world went pink. Constricted in what could only be the dress itself, Alex struggled to free herself, but her limbs were pinned to her body and she could do little more than flail.
The light and sounds from the outside world were almost completely cut off; she could barely make out the voices of her teammates as they tried to win what seemed like a nearly impossible battle.
o.O.o
Outside of the silky cocoon, the others dried to free Alex of her imprisonment, and still fight off the monster himself. Feathers dagger-like claws kept them at arm's length, unable to get closer without becoming seriously injured.
He grinned wickedly at the five of them, and they watched helplessly as the rosy cloth constricted further, seemingly shrinking and pulling closer and closer towards the monster's body. A jewel at its belt suddenly came to life, shining with a pale blue light.
They seemed to come to the same conclusion at that moment, that Alex was being slowly sucked into the glowing gem, as odd and farfetched as that may have seemed even just this morning.
Logan was the one to take action, shouting towards Jaime and Spike, both who stood on the opposite side of the battlefield, "Grab it!"
Unthinking, the two boys sprang forward, latching onto the monster's arms, as Logan ushered Ian closer. The two rangers knelt down; hands lay flat, before Logan turned his head towards Ellie. She nodded, understanding what she was meant to do, and stepping back a few steps and then rushing forward. Using their hands like a spring board, Logan and Ian threw the slight Pink Ranger into the air.
Her skirt rustled in the wind as Ellie dived down on the monster, bringing her sharp fans to the material that had captured Alex, slicing cleanly through the fabric. Feathers screamed in agony, a purplish smoke erupting from the frayed edges. Ellie continued on her path, landing crouched on the ground before springing back up and running to Alex's side.
The Green Ranger had rolled several feet away, the cloth melting around her, filling the air with the same acrid smoke. The others had continued the assault on the writhing mass of pink, but they were soon clouded in the smoke, forced to back off, they circled the fallen beast warily, ready to descend should he so much as move.
But the smoke soon cleared, leaving nothing but a dry patch of grass. "Is it dead?" Alex asked, picking herself off the ground, and shooing away Ellie's helpful hands.
"He's just… gone. Not like last time," Jaime noted, approaching the spot and studying the ground closely.
"Nothin' left," Logan agreed. "You all right?"
Alex nodded, dusting off her bright backside. "Sure," she added offhandedly, pressing the call button on her morpher.
"Alex –" Jess answered immediately, but was quickly cut off by a low rumbling.
The ground shook below their feet, promptly sending Spike sprawling to the ground. The teens crowded closer together, starring in horror as the sky seemingly opened up, spiraling webs of purple smoke climbed higher and higher above their heads, forming a solid mass, tall as a skyscraper. Feathers was back, bigger than ever before.
"Zords! Call the zords!" rang a shout, but Alex didn't know who had shouted the order.
"On their way," Cain responded a moment later, the intermingling voices of their teachers filtering through the hidden speaker on the Green Ranger's morpher. "Just jump," he reminded them, slightly softer than before.
It became a mantra running through her head as Alex led her team away, to the far edges of the park, just as the massive animals appeared on the horizon. The shiny wings of the Parrot Zord appeared first, circling them from high above, the head of the yellow Giraffe Zord appeared next, high above the trees, and then, dashing around cars and over trees were the four others. Jaime's tiger, Logan's dingo, and Spike's stag, followed closely behind her own zord.
The emerald cougar looked down at her, and although she had but a few seconds to take it in, Alex felt as though they were connected. The monstrous machines seemed alive, as if they were real animals ready to fight at their side.
She exhaled sharply, screwed up her eyes, and put some trust into this connection, hoping against all odds that this might work, and then let go, jumping into the air. Alex felt the compressing force as she entered the cockpit, not unlike when the suits formed over their bodies, before she opened her pale eyes and stared in wonder the park tens of feet below. All around she could suddenly hear her fellows and her teachers, whooping and laughing at their own success, but the mood was short-lived, as Feathers struck a moment later.
He spun on one foot, send the ribbons around his waist stretching outward, causing spark to erupt where ever the material touched and the zords to shake violently. They were too small, Alex knew, to cause him any real damage, and as the thought popped into her head, she was calling to her team. "We need the Megazord!"
Worried, disjointed voices erupted all around her, but she shrugged them off. The words came to her instantly and she pressed a few keys on her controls, "Bring them together. Megazord Mode!"
Beneath her, the entire zord shook, and she watched a small, revolving diagram on one of the monitors above her as her zord folded, twisted, and contorted until it had taken shape as the right arm, and with a series of hissing locks, fitted against one of the protruding bars of the Giraffe's left flank.
Her seat lifted then, like an elevator, cutting off her view and transferring her to a larger cockpit. The seat locked into place at the forefront of the group. Jaime rose from the floor on her left and Logan on her right. The other three appeared behind them, locking into place.
She checked the schematics quickly, receiving the green light. Everything was as it should be. They marched forward, a little uneasy, but the zords seemed to compensate for their mishaps, keeping the Megazord upright despite the fact that Logan and Spike couldn't seem to get the legs to move in any kind of pattern.
They grappled against their opponent, forcefully throwing him to the ground several times, but they were constantly being bombarded with the fluttering ribbons of destruction that continued to reign over them. Aggravated, Alex struck out with the arm under her control, snatching one of the ribbons out of the air.
Astonished that she had actually managed to catch it on her first try, a smug smile descended over her features, before she gave a sharp tug and sent the beast tumbling to the ground face first.
"The sword, Alex, you need the sword!"
She nodded to know one in particular, shouting out her own orders. Ian pressed a code into his control pad; the right arm of the Megazord instantly grabbed at the chest and pulled out the glistening hilt of an empty sword. Then, without warning, the sword flared to life, a brilliant white blade appeared, as if it was made out of pure light.
Feathers was just getting back to his feet as they brought the sword down in a wide arc, slashing through his body and tearing it into pieces, a look of agony marring his face. As chunks of melting ice rained down on the streets below, the sword disappeared, first the blade, and then the hilt was secured back into the body of the Giraffe.
They all breathed a sigh of relief, until the previous shaking sent them falling through the open sky. Unprepared for the shutdown, the rangers were thrown to the ground in an unpleasant heap. There would be extra bruises in the morning.
They watched as the Megazord came apart: The parrot launched itself from the head of the giraffe, folding up the giant face inside in pink shell, the arms detached and returned to their cat shapes, and the giraffe seemed to stretch, drawing out its neck and stepping out of the slowly unfurling legs. But as that scene completed, and their attention was drawn away from the retreating beasts, the gathering crowd became more noticeable.
Aware that their order must be kept secret, the teens fled, tearing into the woods, only to demorph when they were far from the prying eyes of Angel Grove.
"I bet that got us the front page of Angel Times!" Logan laughed excitedly, wincing after a moment and then clutching at his ribs.
Nervous laughter erupted, releasing the tension of the last hour, only halted by the tell-tale beep of their morphers. "No more," Ellie groaned from her perch on an old root.
"Good job!" Shaw's voice answered, sounding relieved that everything was successful. "Come back to the house, we'd like to discuss today's events as soon as possible."
He signed off then, leaving the six of them to drag themselves to the edge of town, battered and bruised.
o.O.o
Four of the five adults were set in the living room when the crunch of gravel alerted them to the arrival of their young heroes.
The kids dragged themselves through the door, sweaty and dirty from their hapless journey through the woods. Bruises seemed pepper their skin where it was visible, a few scratches marred arms, and a few of them were limping ever so slightly. But ragged as they were, each one was beaming, proud of their achievement.
"Bravo," Lilly said brightly, clapping her hands as she jumped off the back of the couch and stepped closer to the kids. She snagged Spike by the sleeve and pulled him closer, examining a wicked scratch across his cheek, as her fellow mentors chattered on. "My god Spike, what did you do?"
The boy went red. "Got smacked by a stick in the woods."
"Oh," she said softly, trying to shield her amusement. "It's-" she started, cut off as Cain reemerged from their little Bat Cave. Lilly turned with the rest of them, eying the odd man expectantly.
"Minimal damage. Hardly a scratch."
They all breathed a sigh of relief, and happy grins settled over them. So far so good. Maybe they could do this. Maybe they could save the world. Again.