The army of fire led by Slade neared the Ford household. As they progressed, all organic plant life: plants, bushes, flowers, wilted away.

The Rangers, save for Sonia, intercepted the army outside.

"Slade!" Jared shouted, crouching into a fighting stance.

"Yes, I'm back."

"Jules destroyed you!" Alicia shot.

"Indeed she did. But my child, destiny works in the strangest of ways. I was gone for good, but there was... divine intervention."

"It was Hades' descendant, wasn't it? He brought you back!" Asher pitched in.

"Give the boy a prize," Slade quipped.

Asher whispered, "We can't beat him like this. We have to make a quick getaway."

"He's right, Jared." Noah added.

"Right..."

Jared and Noah put their hands together and made a big ball of boiling water explode in front of them, causing vapor to fill the area. As this was going on, Asher, Jared, and Alicia chanted a spell that protected the Ford house from harm.

When the scene cleared of vapor, they were all gone.

Slade crossed his arms. "We'll see them again."

~ Cue Theme ~

~ Black Castle ~

The mysterious man stood at an altar, watching an ancient war play out.

"Slade, come forth."

"The target has escaped, master."

"A minor inconvenience. Please do not fail me again."

"But-"

"Are you forgetting, Slade?" The man turned to Slade and eyed him down with glowing crimson eyes. "The state in which I found you? I can just as easily send you back." Snapping his hands, Slade's right arm lost its armor revealing fractured and cracked bone. As fast as it went, the armor came back.

"No, Master. I won't fail again."

"Good. Do whatever it takes."

"Yes, Master Blaine."

~ Bayview High ~

Lydia sat in the library reviewing for a chemistry test. She was half listening to music to block out excess sound when Tobias entered and half dashed to her.

"Lyd, something's come up."

"Did your computer explode?" She asked without looking up.

"No."

"Are you having a fashion meltdown?"

"No!"

"Then what's wrong?" She asked, clearly not aware of who was talking to her.

"This." Tobias placed his laptop in front of Lydia and played the footage of Slade marching with the fiery foot soldiers. Lydia looked at the screen with a bored expression, which changed quickly when she recognized Slade.

"This can't be happening."

"It is. We have to get to HQ. I'll explain on the way."

As they ran down the hallways, the ran into the Secretary, Ms. Kovanda.

"In a rush?" She asked. Ms. Kovanda was a tall women with peach skin. She had green eyes and auburn hair. A very well liked person in the school, she was kind of like a second mother to many students.

"Sorry, Ms. K. We have a project due soon and we're in a hurry." Tobias quickly said.

Ms. Kovanda smiled and laughed. "Alright, but don't hurt yourselves!" She said walking into the main office. Lydia and Tobias looked in and saw that Principal Edals wasn't there.

"Where's Principle Edals?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, he's been sick for a little while. He's got a nasty virus." Ms. Kovanda explained.

"I see... Well have a good day, Ms. K!" Lydia happily said.

"You too, dear!" Ms. Kovanda called as the two students hurried away from the front office.

~ HQ ~

"Sonia should be safe here." Alicia informed Faron and the Ford Family.

"I can take care of myself." Sonia protested again.

"No." Melody stated. "If you lose the Key, it's over. I'm sorry everything's like this, Bucket. I just, want you to be safe."

Sonia let out a small smile at the use of her nickname. Pecking her head, Melody, Faron and Kira left HQ and went outside to stand guard.

"Honey..." Reed began.

Sonia's smile faded and she turned her head away. Sighing, he left as well.

"Bucket?" Liam asked.

Sonia looked up thoughtfully. "It's just a nickname that stuck when I played softball. That was a long time ago..."

Raven said, "We should get back to the problem at hand. With Andrew and Rachel's team at Caroban, we're shorthanded again."

"So, we'll have to pull out all the stops to keep Sonia safe." Noah said.

Liam raised his right eyebrow. "So, Asher. Is this some sort of time changing event?"

Asher knew what Liam was up to. "Nice try. I can't say anything."

"Focus, guys." Noah said snapping his fingers.

~ On top of HQ ~

Sonia sat on the rooftop of HQ and looked off at the horizon.

"Hey." Noah said as he sat down next to her. "You okay?"

"Today, I woke up struggling with music. Just a few hours later, I learn that I'm part-god, a freak one of my best friends destroyed is back with an army, and another godly freak is after an energy source that's inside me to gain more power."

"Sooooo... I'm guessing you're not having the best day?" Noah asked in a joking tone.

Sonia let out a small laugh and a few tears. "No... I've seen better days."

"Hey, we'll get through this." Noah assured.

"I hope so." Sonia answered putting her head on Noah's shoulder. In turn, Noah wrapped his arm around Sonia and held her close.

The two felt a spark sitting up there, watching the sky. It was a beautiful moment that both secretly wished would last forever.

However, their wristbands went off.

There was a mass detection of energy.

~ Dark Void ~

"So, Slade... you've returned." Phoenix said with an amused tone.

"Of course. And I've come for a favor." Slade informed King Cepheus.

"You dare?!" Cepheus roared making the whole room shake. "You take your own initiative, are destroyed by a Ranger and come crawling back?!" Snapping his fingers, 10 foot tall Shadowlites charged from all sides.

Slade jumped into the air and let off crimson colored flames, burning most of them.

He then summoned a glowing blood red scythe and sliced the remaining giants in half.

"I'm not the same as I used to be." Slade said with a menacing stare.

Cepheus could see this. "What do you want?"

"I wish to capture the Yellow Ranger. I need some numbers."

"You don't need numbers when you have me!" Came a malicious voice. Twilight Yellow landed in front Slade. "I get to attack the Yellow Ranger. Me and me alone."

"Very well." Slade said. "I assume you no longer take orders from me."

"Correct." Cepheus said. "Twilight Yellow, go with him."

"Easy pickings." Yellow grunted cracking her knuckles.

~ HQ Front ~

Slade and Twilight Yellow neared the HQ with their fire soldiers.

Lydia saw this from her computer screens. "They found us!"

"How?!" Tobias said.

Raven thought it over. "They could have traced the energy signature of the Key inside Sonia!"

"Get her in here!" Tobias told Asher.

In no time at all, Sonia was inside a steel vault for safety.

"Is this necessary?" She asked.

Noah held her hands. "If it's to keep you safe, yes."

With that, Sonia was left alone.

Lining outside, the Rangers, Faron, Kira and Melody stood ready.

"Biomerge, Spirit Legend!"

"Dino Thunder, Power up! Ha!"

"Stormbreaker, Descend!" Faron commanded raising his right arm to the sky. A bolt of lightning hit his palm and became a metallic axe with a hammer head on the backside.

Melody made her palms glow gold.

"Attack!" Slade commanded. The army charged forward from the air, sea and ground.

"Scatter!" Jared shouted.

Alicia, Kira and Faron took the skies, Alicia on her Overwing, Kira in Super Dino Mode, and Faron flying on whips of wind.

She sliced at soldiers with her X-Sword as she sailed through the air. She also pressed a trigger on her Overwing handle and fired off pink lasers from the front, nailing more airborne enemies. Kira went through many demons as if they were paper. She easily walked through them with her Ptera Grips. Faron used his hammer and bludgeoned the foot soldiers so fast he appeared to be a blur.

He then sent blue lightning bolts from the head and struck hundreds of foes.

Noah dashed across the water while Liam rode his Overboard.

The Blue Ranger waved his hands and made hundreds of slicing waves cut through soldiers who got too close to the water. Liam raised boulders from under the water and launched them everywhere. Each of his projectiles was charged by a golden blast of electricity from Melody.

Jared and Asher were like wrecking balls, easily swatting away enemies with their swords. They put their right hands together and unleashed a swirl of fire and light, destroying every fire soldier in their path. A few Soldiers tried to get the drop of the two, but they were pierced in the backs by a sniper. On the rooftop was Reed wielding a modified sniper rifle that fired silver bullets filled with spirit energy. Slade and Yellow stood all the way in the back just watching and waiting.

After a while, the heroes started to wear down. Every time one enemy went down, three would rise and take its place. Eventually, the eight were lined against the front door, trying to push the attackers back.

That's when Noah cracked. He let loose all of his spirit energy screaming, "No one's getting by here! I'm not losing anyone else!" His entire body was surrounded by a large bright blue aura.

Towering water geysers rose around him and crashed on the entire army. With a vapor explosion, the water became icicle spikes. Soon after, those too exploded.

Exhausted, Noah fell to his knees and de-morphed.

Jared supported his friend and looked around. No one was there, and a flood of relief filled him.

"Gone." Jared breathed out.

"Oh, really?" Slade asked. He and Twilight Yellow were floating in the air.

Thousands more fire soldiers appeared from thin air.

"You should give up." Slade said.

"No... No..." Liam whispered heaving from exhaustion.

Sonia watched this from her safe room and cried out in frustration. Not being able to take it anymore, she fired off very powerful bursts of lightning and destroyed the safe room, freeing herself.

Tobias and Lydia got up to stop her, but she easily knocked them to the ground.

"I'm sorry!"

Raven stood in her path. "I can't let you go, Sonia."

"I have to go, Raven! I have to stop this!"

"I can't let you." Raven repeated as she rushed forward.

Sonia hit the ground with her palms and sent electrified currents through the floor and shocked Raven's leg. She then let out a sonic scream and knocked Raven off her feet.

Within minutes, everyone was kneeling or lying on the ground beaten badly.

Before the final blow could be dealt, a burst of yellow lightning forced the attackers back.

Sonia ran in front of everyone and held her arms out to her wingspan.

"Slade! Stop this!"

"If only it were that easy."

"If I go with you, will you leave my friends alone?"

Thinking it over for a bit, Slade said, "Yes. You have my word."

Noah tried to stop her. "No!"

"I'm sorry, everyone. Be safe."

Slade took Sonia's hand and they, with Twilight Yellow, entered a glowing magenta portal.

"No!" Reed shouted as he jumped off the top of HQ and fell into the portal as well.

When the portal closed, the attackers disappeared.

Exhausted, Jared and the others faded into unconsciousness...

A/N: Part 2 is finished! Next part will conclude!