Author's Notes/: -Sighs- This chapter is oddly short because it didn't want to cooperate - and that's *after* I expanded it.

I'm highly amused to note how many people liked Prescott. Don't worry; there will be *plenty* of Prescott moments in the future. Especially Tommy/Prescott moments. -Grins-

Enjoy!

Chapter 25:Magic Lessons

Astronema watched as Zeus let loose several shots in quick succession. Most of the target Quantrons were instantly destroyed. The remaining ones charged forward, attacking in a large group. He holstered one gun swiftly, altering use of the other with his empty fist. It was three minutes before they were all destroyed, and he kicked the final one in disdain as it twitched.

"Not bad," Astronema allowed.

He looked up at her. "What do you suggest I do differently?" With anyone else his tone would have been sharp, if he had even asked at all. For her, it was sincerely curious and held no animosity.

They were both well aware of the rumors flying through the Dark Fortress, the chosen 'headquarters' for the Dark Rangers. Neither particularly cared. They knew the others wouldn't believe they weren't sleeping together even if it *had* actually mattered to them. The truth was more complex than that: sworn allies, and vowed to be nothing more. The real truth was that they were friends, best friends even, and Astronema was coming to think of Zeus as a younger brother. They would never admit it, however; a friend in the UAE meant a weakness, and weakness meant death.

Instead they spent a great deal of time training together and plotting their newest conquest. They were vicious in their desire to get revenge against the Power Rangers, and had no qualms about sending out attacks on innocent people or peaceful planets to rile them. Wherever they went, disaster and destruction was left in their wake.

Secretly, they also spent their nights talking. They spoke of the families they'd lost, and the 'friends' that had betrayed them. She told him stories of her life in the UAE, and he shared tales of his past that he'd only told one other person. They grew closer the more they learned of one another; Zeus was the only person Astronema had *ever* shown the inside of her locket to, while only she knew how much he still cared for Rocky DeSantos, the former Red Ninja and Blue Zeo Ranger of Earth. In the end, they had come to trust one another with far more than their lives. They knew each other's secrets, and loved one another with fiercely. As such, he knew any advice she had for him would be well worth listening to.

"You could have simply electrocuted them, rather than allowing them to get so close," she informed him. "It would save you a lot of time, and keeps your eyes open for other attacks."

"My magic isn't that reliable. I can only use it when I'm really angry," he admitted. Humility was foreign to Zeus, and only Astronema had the privilege of seeing it.

"I could teach you," she offered.

He blinked at her, then slowly smiled. "I'd like that," he said softly.

"Untie your hair," Astronema instructed. "Your mind has to be free and relaxed to focus your magic in the beginning. Wearing loose things helps that."

She and Zeus were sitting cross-legged on the floor of her room, both wearing night clothes. Usually this was their conversation time, but they had agreed it would be best to practice in secret. Her rooms were chosen because they'd been magic protected long ago. She'd warned him about the potential of magical backlash. Rito Revolto's transformation was a prime example used for new magic students.

Zeus obediently reached up and pulled out his hair tie. He paused to observe Astronema for a moment. Her hair was the simplest he'd ever seen it; golden blond hanging loose just above her shoulders. Without make-up, her face seemed ... softer, somehow. As she turned large blue eyes to him, he was suddenly struck by the thought that she was truly beautiful.

"Is that your natural hair?" he asked abruptly.

"Yes. I can't use any magic during this exercise," she answered warily. "Why?"

"You look nice like that. Without any bright hair or make-up. And that outfit you wear ... "

She frowned at him as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What's wrong with my outfit?" she demanded. In spite of her words, even now her tone was filled with only mock indignation. Zeus' simple honesty always amused rather than annoyed her.

"It looks like you dismantled a tin can and glued it to yourself," he told her bluntly.

She swatted him gently. "I'm not going to change my image just for you. I've worked too hard to make a name for myself," she lectured. "Now focus."

"Yes, ma'am." He ducked another swat with a grin and finally quieted.

"Close your eyes. Focus nothing but the sound of my voice and your own breathing."

He followed her instructions, noting in the back of his mind that her voice could be rather soothing when she wasn't screeching.

"Don't try and picture anything; that's a beginner's mistake. You're too good for that. Let the picture come to you. Feel the desire for your magic, and let it show itself to you."

- As she spoke, he found the image of a pool of midnight blue coming to mind. The surface crackled and sparked with energy, entrancing him. Almost as soon as he saw it, she continued. -

"Don't just grab into the pool. You'll end up hurting both of us. It's tempting, I know. But you have to be more cautious than that. Let your body adjust to the energy it's producing. Feel it pulsing, and make it a part of you."

- He did as she told him, and felt the wealth of potential energy. It *was* tempting, and it took visible restraint not to just grab it. But even though he couldn't admit it, he trusted Astronema. She wouldn't let him hurt himself. As he tried to feel it pulse, he realized abruptly that the pulse of the magic was in tune with his heartbeat. It was reassuring, somehow. -

"Now," she whispered, her voice so soft he didn't startle. "Touch it. Don't grab; just touch. Slowly!"

- He mentally recoiled at the command, reaching out more slowly. He skimmed the surface of the pool and found energy coursing through him. Somehow he thought it should have been painful, but it wasn't at all. It was warm and soothing, like being wrapped in a blanket. -

"Now ease yourself in, just a bit at a time. Don't go all the way in; just a bit."

- It was a bit like attempting to wade in a swimming pool; it felt too cold to just stand there, but he couldn't bring himself to go all the way in. And the energy pool *was* cold. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt anything this cold without being completely frozen. In his mind, he was standing just at the edge, moving in only to mid-calf.

It was sort of fun, though. The lightning crackled around him in an almost friendly way. He held out a hand in front of him, watching it surround the hand and flash in bursts of brightness.

He flexed his fingers for a moment. Lines of lightning curled around them as he watched. Grinning to himself, he pointed across the pool.

The response wasn't at all what he'd expected. Lightning shot straight from his hand, a line of electricity arching across the pool before it hit the edge. It hit some sort of barrier that left it flashing against it, as though trying to push it's way through.

He turned his hand palm up, letting the electricity return to him. -(It's all right,)- he thought soothingly. -(You'll get more chances to play, I promise.)-

The lightning flared brightly, swirling at his feet and hand until it began to wrap around him. -

When he finally heard Astronema's voice again, there was a touch of approval in her voice. "Open your eyes, Zeus."

As he did, he found her smiling at him: a real, kind, smile. "You did it." Now she sounded proud. "You were able to access more magic at once than any beginner I've ever seen."

He smiled back, inwardly glowing at the praise. "So what do I do now?"

"Use it," she encouraged.

"For what?"

"Anything you want."

He grinned slightly and focused, running a hand over his hair. Instantly his head was covered in a mass of shoulder length blond curls.

She swatted him instantly, recognizing the taunt, then paused to study him. "Longer," she declared. "And straight."

He obeyed, growing the hair to his waist and straightening it.

She rolled her eyes. "Stick with your natural color. You make an awful blond."

Offended, he shifted it to a beached shade that was more highlighted than anything else. "Do not."

"Like that, no," she agreed, nodding her approval. "But I still think you look better natural."

He followed her advice, shifting the bleached coloring into his true dark brown. "What else?"

"Clothes we can work on later," she mused. "But you do need some sort of signature attribute. I've got my Wrath Staff and my headband, Rita has those horrible cones in her hair, even that idiot Divatox has her mask."

He thought for a moment. Something occurred to him, and he focused. "Well?" he asked when he finished.

She stared at the large feathery black wings sprouting from his back. "You look like the angel of death."

He grinned darkly. "That's the idea."

She shook her head at him. "How are the blueprints coming?"

"Oh, I'm *way* past the blueprint stage," he responded, banishing his wings to stretch out on the floor. "Actually, I've only got two more to build before we've got a set. Then there's just adjustments to yours and that stupid serpent-thing; whatever he's calling it."

They sat in silence for awhile, both adjusting themselves more comfortably for sleep. They always slept in the same room; it was a good idea to have someone to watch your back, even if it only added to the rumors. "Astronema?" he asked at last.

"Yes?"

"How did you always know when I was ready for the next step?"

She raised up on an elbow to look at him. "Mind link," she explained. "Every teacher mind links to their student to make sure that they're doing it correctly. Any good teacher, anyway," she added with a sniff.

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yes," she answered simply, laying back down and rolling over to face the opposite way to signal the end of the conversation. The lights dimmed and he closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

"Zeus?"

The whisper was so soft he barely heard it. "What?"

"I trust you, too."

She stared out the window of their room on the Dark Fortress. She ignored the sound of Zedd's snoring, leaning against the wall as she stared at the stars. It had taken years, but she had finally managed to learn how to mostly tune out the meat grinder Zedd had stuck in his nose at night.

She was tired. Tired of losing, tired of fighting. And even now, when she finally had the Power to annihilate those blasted Rangers once and for all, it was hard to summon the energy to care. She didn't know what she wanted anymore; but she couldn't remember what it was like to do anything else.

A strange urge came over her, and she reached for her staff. It sparkled at her touch, the magic sweeping over her in a soft display of flickering lights. It didn't usually react this way, but she supposed it was because she hadn't wanted Zedd to wake up and see what she was doing.

She drifted over to the mirror, staring at her reflection. Her hair now drifted over her shoulders in silky strands of green, framing the triangular emerald embedded just below her collarbone. Her eyes were the same bright shade as the emerald, but dull and flat.

Her fingers came to drift faintly across the emerald, and she glared abruptly. "This is your fault," she hissed under her breath. "You're the one doing this to me! I was *happy* with my life, *damn* you!"

The emerald sparkled faintly.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. She wouldn't explain this to Zedd, and she wasn't stupid enough to trust any of the other Dark Rangers. But the Gemstone Power wasn't as simple as Morphin energy. The Power Gems had *thoughts* and emotions attached to them. They weren't just stone; they were evil, manipulative things that changed the way you thought, the way you acted.

And hers had been efficiently silenced for fifteen thousand years - until that Ranger Brat's Zeo Power woke it up.

She didn't know what was going to happen now. But she did know that she was changing; that the Gemstone was trying to bring back the girl she'd been. The girl that was supposed to be dead.

She scowled abruptly, reaching for her staff. In an instant the emerald was covered and her hair was gray and twisted into its usual cones. She wouldn't surrender. She was Empress Rita Repulsa, damn it - and no *rock* was going to take that away from her.