Power Rangers In Retrograde - Mystic Force – Trick 51 Light Source (Part 2)
"This isn't good," Mary Jane/Pink whispers just before Vida/Windshere lets loose a blast of hurricane winds that knocks the Rangers into the far wall demorphing them and knocking them out cold.
"The Pink Ranger is still our prize," With consciousness fading Heckatoid dances over to the Rangers, adding insult to injury as lightning wracks their bodies, "and I think I'll take something else."
"This is over toad," Mary groans as her morph breaks and she passes into darkness, "Not by a long shot."
"Ah finally awake."
"Huh..." Peter looks around confused, surprised to find himself in the Pitt with LeeLee in vampire form sitting on the throne while a handful of Hidiacs watch from the stands around them, "what?"
"It's a good thing that Heckatoid is such a stupid tub of lard, he didn't even think twice when my minions dragged your bodies off."
"I failed Master," Mary quickly takes a kneel, head bowed before LeeLee.
"Who are you," May looks confused to Mary then back to LeeLee, "I thought You were the Orange Ranger."
"We both are," LeeLee explains, "We both draw power from the same source, but have been sharing the same Morpher."
"While my master fights to control her hunger I have been fighting in her place, but I'm not nearly as skilled with magic as she is," Mary looks to the other Rangers with a bowed head, "It is my penance for serving as Morticon's concubine to fight on in Master LeeLee's name and improve her reputation."
"You don't need to be so secretive," Peter pips in, "everyone understand that by satisfying Morticon's lusts you spared the people more of his rage."
"And you don't need to hide in the shadows," Ben address LeeLee, "Everyone understands that your blood thirst is a curse you can't control. That's why we all made a personal sacrifice."
"Did it help?" May smiles warmly, "The blood I mean, has it helped the hunger any?"
"I-It did," LeeLee smiles, holding back tears, "But the hunger only grows stronger, I've been told my numerous sources if I could just resist it for a day or two I could break the habit..." she hangs her head in shame, "...but I just don't have the willpower."
"You sell yourself too short," Mary Jane speaks next, addressing both, "You are Power Rangers, and not just some man made facsimile like we have but Power Rangers who wield real magic. You are blessed with powers most can only dream of and decided to use that power for the good of all. Whatever personal sins you believe you may have committed you are real heroes."
"Agreed."
"Yup."
"You tell um' mom!"
"T-thank you," LeeLee's voice cracks, "seriously."
"Y-Yeah," Mary mirrors her mentor's sentiment.
"We should probably get back to the fight," Peter coughs nervously, "Don't suppose you could sneak us back to that cave, we need to figure out how to break the Prink Ranger free of whatever Heckatoid did to her."
"Yeah! It's morphin' time!" May smiles as she leads her family in reaching for their Spider Braces.
Nothing happens.
"What? Why can't we morph?"
"Let me try," Mary says flipping open her Mystic Morpher, "Magical Source! Mystic Force!"
Nothing happens.
LeeLee hisses annoyed, "Looks like what Heckatoid took as his prize."
"Was our ability to morph," Peter sighs and throws up his arms, "just perfect."
"Can't you just make us new morpher's dad?"
"Would take too much time, besides I'm not 100 percent sure how I got the originals to work in the first place, I'd be starting from scratch."
Taking the morpher from her apprentices loose grip LeeLee steps down from the throne, Morphing into the Orange Ranger, "Then it's up to me." turning her gaze to the undead around them she puffs out her chest and raises her voice loud enough to reach the highest levels of the pit, "Do not lay a hand on the Rangers while I'm gone, your Queen has spoken."
The handful scatter around all cringe and hind behind the nearest pillar as LeeLee strides out, Mary smiling, "Some of the Master's minions threw their lot in with the next Queen of the Vampires, giving us some eyes among his forces but most of them serve the Terrors."
"It's like an undead Civil War!" May laughs, "cool."
"In my experience civil wars are never cool, especially when spider-men are involved," Peter warns as he trails after LeeLee, "Let's not take chances with these guys and give LeeLee some backup."
"But you can't morph," Mary protests.
"But we still have the proportionate strength, speed, and senses of a spider," Ben says as he leap onto a pillar and stick them before leaping after Peter, May right behind them.
"You still owe me an explanation for that clone pops!"
"It will have to wait until after we deal the biblical plague just hovering over the city."
"Fine! Fine Moses but I'm not just going to let you forget this!"
Mary Jane smiles and looks over at Mary, "That's going to be a fun conversation."
"Not going to join them?"
"Who me?" Mary Jane smiles, "Their the ones with the powers, not me..." before it grows into a massive smirk, "But if you're willing to lend me a hand I might have something almost as good back at home," and then offers her hand to Mary, "what do you say? Partners?"
Mary smiles and takes the hand, "I'll show you the way out, Partner!"
Gekkor leads the attack with a jumping strike, bur Lienbow expertly evades, countering by tearing his sword deep into the Terror's stomach and forcing a grunt of pain before moving past him.
"Full power," Lienbow calls as he spins around his sword burning with fire magic as he delivers a downward strike that leaves Gekkor reeling.
"I get the winner," Nimea laughs from the ground as giant fight around her.
"You waste your potential fighting for the wrong side," Lienbow admonishes.
"On the contrary if good magic really is as strong as your conventions I couldn't have picked a better side for my rival!"
"A lucky shot," Gekkor growls as he gets back to his feet and back into a battle stance, "but your luck's running out, Koragg. I'm going to take care of you once and for all!"
"Stop!" Sculpin interjects, "It's Motoombo's turn."
"What!" Gekkor howls in indignation, "I'm not done yet."
"Yes you are. Motoombo, go!"
"Go." the white terror parrots as Gekkor fumes and steps off to the side.
"Motoombo," Gekkor protests, "He's such a soft-"
"Not as soft as you," Sculpin interrupts curtly, "Motoombo, finish this!"
"As you wish," Motoombo lumbers forward, shoving Gekkor out of the way in the process.
"Hey!"
"When I am through with you, the Master will reward me nicely."
"You're wasting your time!" Lienbow counters.
"I doubt that very much," Motoombo growls as he draw his blade and summons lighting around him as he prepares for battle.
"You're going down," Lienbow yells as he charges forward, shield out and sword high.
Before Lienbow can react Motoombo closes the distance in a flash and presses his blade into Lienbow's shield forcing him down and forcing Lienbow to reconsider his tactics as he struggles to push back against the Terror's raw strength, "On your knees."
"D-Daughter?" Chillfrost shrinks down to her human form as she enters the glade, "your partner sounded worried, do you need to talk to someone?"
"M-Mamma?" Bowen's voice cracks, tears in her eyes as she looks up into Udonna's warm face, and grows into her female form, naked, and collapsing into Udonna's arms, crying, "m-mamma I failed, them, I failed everyone. I destroyed them."
"You didn't do anything," Udonna says softly as shes runs her hand gently through her daughter's hair, "they were long since, gone, you avenged them."
"Partner," Dreadwing lands in a hurry her face twisted in worry and pain, "Briarwood is in danger."
"Briarwood is always in danger," Bowen says disheartened, "the entire world has gone to hell."
Yellow lightning arcs across her body making her wings spasm, "I also need to vent some power."
Slowly Bowen stand, and takes out the Dragon fire morpher, her voice still defeated, "A-Alright partner, We'll go help Briarwood."
Chillfrost smiles, 'Not bad Dreadwing, maybe getting back in the fight will do Lightbringer some good.'
Billy's breathing becomes harder and harder and he hammers the sky pool with another blast, his body starting to flicker, size pulsing, scales fading to flesh.
"You're running out of energy," Mrs. Cranston warns.
"I...I can't stop now."
"You're a monster, a murderer!" Mistflayer/Madison protests, "their only babies."
Billy's breath cuts short as his body reverts to human, naked, and short of breath, but as he and his wife fall Fireheart's swoops in and grabs them in her claws depositing them in a near roof and taking human form as she lands next to them, summon up a Mystic Force like uniform to cloth Dr. Cranston.
"I was wondering why my babies weren't falling," Heckatoid appears, looking to the dragons and down to Dr. Cranston, "Which one of you has been killing my babies."
To weak to stand Dr. Cranston is held up by his wife and Fireheart, as he stares down the giant with defiant resolve, "That would be me."
Heckatoid laughs evilly as he looks to the dragons, "And you just let him?"
"He's an elder!"
"We couldn't just-"
"Where is your heart Rangers, your concern for life, he's slaughtering my babies! Most of you are female, most of you are mothers yourself, how could you stand such disregard for life?"
"H-He's right."
"We've been fighting the wrong enemy."
"Maybe you just need a little more power to face such a dangerous foe, have some of mine," Fireheart looks in disgust at Dr. Cranston as the Dragon Rangers all turn their gaze on him while Heckatoid chuckles in delight as the dragons, even Fireheart who returns to the sky and enveloped in multi colored light while they all tremble from electricity that courses through them, 'And in the meantime don't pay attention to the power I take in return.'
"Don't lissssten to him, it'sss a trick!"
Before the Dragon Rangers can do much else the Mermaid Titan appears and they are all restrained by massive serpents.
"Thank you, at least one Ranger is thinking straight," Dr. Cranston smiles.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't approve of these tacticsss but I will not let my friendsss attack someone they respect ssso much who is only doing what he thinksss is right."
"He's been a human too long."
"Thinks just like one of them."
"Thinks like a man."
"Has no understanding of what it means to be a woman."
"A mother."
"You're wrong," Mrs. Cranston stares down the dragons as he helps Billy to stand, "On all counts," before whispering into his ear, "tell them, make then understand."
"She's right, I understand all to well what it means to be a woman, AND to be a Power Ranger," Billy nods, the dragons holding back and thus the snakes vanish and he takes a long breath, "In my youth I went on many adventures, fought many foes, and had many strange tales. One of those tales lead to meeting my wife when an experiment design to restore the other Rangers and myself to our rightful ages after being turned into children had a delayed effect that made me age rapidly. I uses the healing waters of Aquitar to repair the damage and it was there I met the woman of my dreams. So I can understand how confusing, how overwhelming life and magic can be, which is why I have faith you will break through this dragon mind and return to your true selves. But I also know what it means to be a woman for one of my earlier inventions resulting me swapping bodies with one of my fellow Rangers, but unlike everything you have experienced we couldn't just explain ourselves to everyone and go on with our lives as normal. While we did eventually reverse the swap the other ranger and I had to walk in the others' shoes, she had to act as tutor and scholar when she was more the athletic type then the academic, and I had to forget everything I was conformable with and get use to the nuances of makeup, gymnastics, and relating to my fellow school girls, not to mention a completely foreign biology from the one o was used to. My experiences may not have been as through but I do have a sense of what you are going through and even so I can not, in good conscious let these tad poles fall and damn all the earth."
"Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Heckatoid protests as he brings his weapon to his lips and points the end toward Dr. Cranston, "he just wants to kill my babies!"
As he blows a blue flame toward Dr. Cranston Th Mermaid titan quickly vanishes, appearing on the roof as the Blue Ranger and uses her shield to guard against the flames.
"You ssslimy toad!" The Blue Ranger hisses, "Attacking an old man who can barely ssstand isss the lowessst."
"T-Thank you," Billy says weakly as Mrs. Cranston start to lead him toward the door to the inside as the dragons align around the building and behind Toby.
"We may not be able to bring ourselves to destroy babies..."
"...But you on the other hand!"
Taking the brunt of a dozen plus dragon breath Heckatoid howls, quickly shrinking down to human size to avoid destruction, but is still left smoldering and burnt.
"Forget about us?" the Orange Ranger announces herself with a flying bolder to the Terrors back side as she stands tall flanked by the Parkers.
"Y-You, but I took your powers," Heckatoid protests as he pats his lantern jug, "their in here."
"Thanks," Peter smirks a he drops into a battle stance, "Now we know just what we need to break."
"Their not alone," Phenioxflame/Phineas announces as the dragons all shrink down to human form and take out their Mystic Morphers, "It's morphin' time!"
Nothing happens.
May slides over to the confused Dragon Rangers as the Blue Ranger lands beside Orange, "Welcome to the no powers club."
"Sssso we jussst got to break that lantern," Blue looks to Orange confidently as she looks over the full team ready to fight.
"That's a fair bet," Orange comments.
"Let's do this," Ben cracks his knuckles, "Rangers lets show this guy REAL power!"
Heckatoid huffs as he tries to blast Peter only for him to vault over the attack, "Stop dodging you little insect!"
"Spiders are Arachnids not insects," May chides as she winds up and delivers a heavy fist to Heckatoids stomach, but he barely flinches.
"Guys," Toby/Blue Ranger calls out as a sick bubbling noise fills the sky, "What's that sound?"
"Games over," Heckatoid laughs as they all look up and seen a billion frogs start to fall, "It's time!"
"Oh no," Billy watches in horror from inside a building as the frogs begin to fall.
"Yellow Dragonfire Ranger!"
And in a flash of thunder they all turn to ash, as the Yellow Dragonfire Ranger hovers in the sky, glaring down at Heckatoid.
"Lightbringer!"
"You're back!"
"Thank god!"
"Oh god!"
"Better Partner?" Bowen, in male form, says softly.
"The Light," Heckatoid growls.
"Y-Yeah, feeling much better now, Partner," Nicole responds softly.
"Good, then we're done here."
And then in a flash of thunder they are gone.
"W-What just happened?" Madison asks confused.
"I'm not quite sure," the Blue Ranger looks over to her.
"Yoink!" May exclaims as she swipes the jar out of the confused Heckatoid's hands "You snooze, you loose."
"No wait!" Heckatoid gasps as she bounces way and joins the other Rangers as May opens the jar and releases the Ranger powers and then immediately shift into Ranger form and focus their magic together.
"I was so close to victory! Damn you Rangers, Damn yooooou!"
Lienbow groans as he is slammed into the wall and Motoombo raises his blade to make the final blow, thinking quickly Lienbow rises his shield to block, only to watch it shatter after just a few moments and he falls to the ground face first.
"You're weak," Motoombo says flatly as Lienbow struggles back to his feet, sword ready.
And this drops his sword as Sculpin's spear stabs into his back, extracting a pulsing red orb of energy from him and causing Lienbow's body to change from that of Koragg to his own Ancient Mystic Mode before once more collapsing face first into the dirt.
"I have The Master now," Sculpin gloats as moves his spear toward Gekkor who takes a firm hold of the orb.
"Nice work, Sculpin, allow me."
"Now that we have the Master, we have no use for you," Sculpin says dangerously as Lienbow struggles to his feet.
"What have you done? The Master cannot be revived!"
"Foolish Warrior," Gekkor stands back in shock as the Orb floats out of his grip and takes a shadow form, "thanks to the arrogance of the Mystic Force in the other world I have already been revived, you were just an inconvenient chain around my neck."
"NO! Impossible!" Lienbow protests as several tendrils snake out for the shadows and impale him, leaving him cold and limp on the ground as the Master turns, heading for the exit, "Come my Terrors, there is still so much work to do."
"As you wish Master," Gekkor laughs as he picks up Nemia and falls in like behind the Master, Sculpin, and Motombo.
"I take it the battle went well?" Udonna turns to the Yellow Dragonfire Ranger as he lands.
'You have already committed the genocide of a billion babies, and the death of an entire city, but I can still show you the path to their true resurrection.'
Dragonfire holds his head and drops to his knees, 'Don't listen to him Nick!'
"Both of you just shut up!" Dragonfire howls to the sky as she demorphs back into the young girl, collapsing into Udonna's arms, voice cracked and broken, 'just leave me alone.'
"Talk to me Bowen, you can confide in your mother," Udonna says softly.
'Some mother,' The Master taunts, 'she left you alone, abandoned, ignorant of your great power and responsibility.'
'She though you were dead,' Blecker protests.
'But I can grant you all you desire, I can save this city, I can wipe away the pain.'
"I just wanted to save the innocents," Bowen breaks down into tears.
'Then open my heart and together we will save them all.'
Bowen pulls away from his mother as she curls up into a fetal ball, crying, taking dragon form Udonna wraps a wing around her in comfort.
"Let it all out, don't worry, mamma's here."
"O...Okay," Bowen whispers in defeat, "y-you win...just make the hurting stop."
"Shh, shh, mamma's here," Udonna purrs softly.
'You have made the right choice,' The Master chortles as Bowen's eyes soot wide open, glowing read as a dark smile creeps over her lips, 'It's morphin' time.'
"Bowen?" Udonna reverts back to human form as Bowen morphs into the Red Ranger and draws her sword, "What's wrong?"
'Nick no! Don't!'
And then plunges it into Udonna chest and out the other side, "And by the hand of the Master the Mother of the light dies. It's almost poetic."
'You promised you would save them,' Bowen's voice squeaks weakly from the back of the mind of The Master's new body.
As Udonna's blood pools around her boots the Master smirks, "And I always keep my promises."
A Dark Spell Seal forms around them, glowing an eerie red from the blood, and brighter then normal as the stones around them start to pull together, start to soften, becoming flesh, as half a dozen people wake up confused, only to vanish into a new spell seal before they can fully process what just happened.
"There is always a cost to power, you wanted to save a city so the White witch had to die, her blood, her life force the fuel to tear down the barrier between life and death and return what was lost."
'This is Madness Nick,' Blecker howls in protest, 'You have to fight back, take back your body.'
"Quiet Pink Ranger!" Nick!Master howls as she takes out the Dragonfire morpher and Blecker screams out in pain before being silence as the Red Ranger takes on one final transformation.
"Blue Dragonfire Ranger!"
Throwing back his head he roars, then takes the power inward, as he shifts into female variant and then powers down, sporting now a tail and cat ears as well and red slip pupils.
"Yes, this will do nicely, the blue energy is already attuned to the darkness, makes things so much easier," Nick!Master purrs as she absently begins to lick the back of her hand and start to groom her hair as she forms a new outfit of a corset and tight pants, similar to the outfit Nicole wore when she was the Empress of Evil.
'Peace and quiet at last,' Bowen's voice says exhausted as The Master forms a mirror of ice and inspects her reflection, purring softly as she turns side to side to get a good look at her outfit and new body from every angle.
"I couldn't ask for a better body. Young, fit, attractive, and capable of bearing strong children. I will be the mother of the new age of darkness. And my children will inherit all the fabled power of the Light. This is purrrrrfect."
'Just keep your promise.'
The Master smiles, a dark twisted smile, "I will, don't you worry, but I will need more then the blood of the White Witch to do as you ask."
'Whatever,' Nick whispers dispassionately. 'Do whatever you want...just save this city...save all the cities.'
the Master smiles, purring darkly, "Your wish is my command.'
Authors note: From a narrative perspective it felt like the end of the above part and the part below wont need a lot of filler, but by the same token just cutting to the below without some form of transition also feels wrong, in the future I may return and expand this transitional section but until then I hope this synopsis will serve as a sort of descriptive montage the bridge the gap.
***By the final arc all the other mystic force have been taken out of the picture, The Master/Bowen has personally killed his parents, in turn killing his own soul and becoming just the Master's Vassal, Toby is the reborn Serpentina, Kat and Summer are reborn Itassis, Vida is the feral Windshere, etc, only Toby (Serpentina), Chip (never went full dragon before thing hit the fan), The Bowen Drone (for an interesting face off between The Master with a broken Bowen and a Bowen still full of hope), B2/Bernard, B3/Betty, and Blecker, who has bee pull out of the fusion by the last act of defiance by the Mystic Mother when the Master came to kill her, are left for the final battle, six Rangers, vs the corrupted light***
"Toby!" Chip's voice cracked as the Blue Ranger dropped limply to the charred ground, curled up into a fetal ball, twitching, whimpering. Lighting crackling across the Chip's eyes as The Master, as Nick, pulled her closer with a sadistic grin, "W-what did you do to her?"
"I only showed her the future, and the past," The Master twisted Nick's feminine features into a crocodile grin, "But don't worry you'll understand soon enough."
"Stop this madness Nick," Blecker snapped, "Don't let the Master control you like this. You're better then this."
Bowen cracked her head an unnatural ninety degrees as she looked to Blecker with a dark grin, "Shhh, be patient Partner," her use of that word dripping with venom and raw malice, "You'll get your turn, and then we can be together again, forever, in the darkness."
Her head snapped back to Chip who ground her teeth and struggles to break the grip of the Master's tendril that held her snared and then…
"Somebody please help me?"
Xander, Vida, Chip, and Madison all stop what their doing and turn to the old man, along with several random townsfolk.
"Please. Someone. Anyone. I need help." he pleads again to the crowd, "It's my brother. We were walking just up the road, and some...creature...grabbed him. I fear the worst. It's just out of town; the creature took him into the woods."
The crowd looks at each other, shaking their heads in denial.
"Can you imagine that, V? Him asking for someone to go into the woods." Xander talks softly into Vida's ear.
She does not respond.
"V?"
"Won't somebody please help me?"
"I will." a trio of voice breaks the silence and the crowd parts to reveal Nick, Blecker, and his older brother, Chris. Nick kneeling by his motorcycle, apparently tinkering with it while the Blecker's are standing by a rent-a-car, the younger leaning on a wood stick with a dear-hide wrap for the handle, a native American design.
"I could use a break," Nick adds.
"Thank you," the Old Man sighs in relief.
Nick stands up as the Bleckers gather around near him Nick slipping on his leather jacket as the Old Man totters over to him. Xander steps up, still wearing his skating pads.
"Hey, I'm a–I'm Xander. You're new around here, aren't cha? Probably not aware of all the facts. And there's just one: you go into those woods, you don't come out."
"Heard about it. But the guy needs help. No one else in this city seems to care," Nick starts, him and the Old Man starting to turn away.
"Oh I'm sure we can handle anything if we work as a team," the older Blecker comments as Vida steps forward, "besides, what kind of jerk just abandons someone in need asking for help?"
"Make that four!" Nick turns back, looking at Vida with surprise, who looks around at the rest of the crowd with disappointment, "Not everyone in this city's a coward."
Chip looks around the scene confused, as he steps forward, his demeanor one of excitement, "I'll go too! I've always wanted to go on a dangerous quest." Chip's smile fades into a frown, and he turns to Vida. "This is a dangerous quest, right?"
Silence.
Chip looks to Vida curiously, "I said 'This is a dangerous quest, right?'"
'They can't hear you,' The twisted voice of the Master echoed in Chip's head, 'You're not here. You were never here. This is the world where you were never born, when you never became one of the Mystic Force.'
"W-What?" Chip looks around in confusion.
'Watch and see,' The Master taunts as Past!Nick nods and starts walking "Well, let's get going then."
Vida walks off after Nick, and Chip follows, joined by the Bleckers. The entire crowd disperses. Xander looking at Madison in astonishment.
"Don't look at me! I'm the sister with the common sense."
And both watch as their friends walk off with the Old Man, the world blurring, time compressing as the scene shifts to the edge of the woods, a sign reading "Danger: Keep Out," stood by the threshold. The Old Man, Nick, Vida, the Bleckers and Chip file in a line past it.
The Old Man whispering softly, "and then there were four." Raising his voice to audible levels he looks over the others, "You sure you're willing to enter? The woods are a very scary place."
Nick stares suspiciously at the Old Man, "You ask a lot of questions for someone whose brother is in danger."
"Everyone's in danger," he says cryptically.
Chip hold his tongue, and looks to the Bleckers, to gauge their reaction.
The younger Blecker eyes the Old Man suspiciously.
"That doesn't sound suspicious at all," he says sarcastically as he rolls his eyes.
His older brother, and Chip, chuckle.
A moment later a horn honks, and everyone turns around to face the noise. It's Xander and Madison, driving Vida's truck.
Vida scowls annoyed and storms over, "Xander! I told you if you ever took my car I'd rearrange your limbs."
Xander hops out of the truck, not even bothering with the door before brushing imaginary dust off of the hood, "You're going into the woods and never returning. As if you're even gunna see it again."
"He's got a point," Chip jokes.
"You're my sister. Where you go, I go."
The Old Man, standing a ways off, watches; "And so, there is six...quite unprecedented."
The teens are wandering single file through the forest, followed by the Old Man. And time speeds up, the last year flying by around Chip, with most of the beats the same, Unonna looses her snow staff, The Ranger grow stronger, Nick learns he is The Light and Lienbow awakens from inside Koragg. Without a Yellow Ranger Udonna is able to re turn Chip's wand for Chris, which places the Gold Ranger in his place, preserving the titan megazord. While the presence of Vida and Blecker leads to the same trials of the twin pink Rangers and Bleckers dissension into Nicole, permanently. But while some things stay the same others change drastically but in the end they come to the same fate. The Mystic Force defeated, powerless, at the feet of the Master. And then destruction, darkness, the end of all light and hope.
"It all ends the same," The Master looms before Chip in the black void as the world crumbles around him, leaving just the two of them, "The light dies, good magic looses."
"It's a lie!" Chip is back in her female body, trembling, eyes watering, "darkness can't win!"
"It is inevitable. I have witnessed a dozen life times. No Xander, No Madison, No Vida...No Nick, you name it, it all ends in darkness. In the end the light always dies, only darkness is eternal."
"It's impossible," Chip curls into a ball sobbing as the Master drops her to the scorched earth, "impossible..."
"You're sick," Blecker turns up her nose at the Master, as Chip joins Xander and Madison in fetal balls, "I don't know how but we're going to beat you, AND save Nick!"
The Master laughs darkly as she pulls Blecker close, "I want to show you something, Partner."
"Somebody please help me?"
Xander, Vida, Chip, and Madison all stop what their doing and turn to the old man, along with several random townsfolk.
"Please. Someone. Anyone. I need help." he pleads again to the crowd, "It's my brother. We were walking just up the road, and some...creature...grabbed him. I fear the worst. It's just out of town; the creature took him into the woods."
The crowd looks at each other, shaking their heads in denial.
"Can you imagine that, V? Him asking for someone to go into the woods." Xander talks softly into Vida's ear.
She does not respond.
"V?"
"Won't somebody please help me?"
"I will." a single voice breaks the silence and the crowd parts to reveal Nick, casually kneeling by his motorcycle, apparently tinkering with it.
"I could use a break," Nick adds.
"Thank you," the Old Man sighs in relief.
Nick stands up as a male Blecker looks around confused, "What kind of trick is this?"
'Not a trick,' the Master speaks in his mind, "a vision, of another past."
Nick Russell slips on his leather jacket as the Old Man totters over to him as Xander steps up, still wearing his skating pads.
"Hey, I'm a–I'm Xander. You're new around here, aren't cha? Probably not aware of all the facts. And there's just one: you go into those woods, you don't come out."
"Heard about it. But the guy needs help. No one else in this city seems to care," Nick starts, him and the Old Man starting to turn away.
"Make that two," Vida steps forward, joining Nick Russell, to his surprise, as she looks around at the rest of the crowd with disappointment, "Not everyone in this city's a coward."
Chip steps forward next, his demeanor one of excitement, "I'll go too! I've always wanted to go on a dangerous quest." Chip's smile fades into a frown, and he turns to Vida. "This is a dangerous quest, right?"
"Perilous," Vida smiles.
Chip's smile returns full force, "Sweet!"
Vida walks off after Nick and Chip follows as the crowd disperses. Xander looking at Madison in astonishment.
"Don't look at me! I'm the sister with the common sense."
And both watch as their friends walk off with the Old Man, the world blurring, time compressing as the scene shifts to the edge of the woods, a sign reading "Danger: Keep Out," stood by the threshold. The Old Man, Nick, Vida, and Chip file in a line past it.
The Old Man whispering softly, "and then there were three." Raising his voice to audible levels he looks over the others, "You sure you're willing to enter? The woods are a very scary place."
Nick stares suspiciously at the Old Man, "You ask a lot of questions for someone whose brother is in danger."
"Everyone's in danger," he says cryptically.
Chip is still excited, "Everyone's in danger? Yeah!"
A moment later a horn honks, and everyone turns around to face the noise. It's Xander and Madison, driving Vida's truck.
Vida scowls annoyed and storms over, "Xander! I told you if you ever took my car I'd rearrange your limbs."
Xander hops out of the truck, not even bothering with the door before brushing imaginary dust off of the hood, "You're going into the woods and never returning. As if you're even gunna see it again."
"He's got a point," Chip jokes.
"You're my sister. Where you go, I go."
The Old Man, standing a ways off, watches and smiles; "And so, there is five."
The teens are wandering single file through the forest, followed by the Old Man. And time speeds up, the last year flying by around Blecker, But unlike with the other vision things are vastly different, there is no missing rangers no struggle for the One True Pink Ranger. Lienbow still emerges from Koragg, Nick still earns of his destiny, but other beats are drastically different. In the opening conflicts between Koragg and Udonna she looses her snow staff, no longer a ranger she is forced to serve as mentor and teacher only. Vida is turned into a vampire by Necrolai and Chip destroys her with the Dawn Crystal when Vida feigns protecting her mistress, but Necrolai survives and thus so to does Vida's undead fate, but despite all that thanks to Chip's faith she stands beside the other Ranger against her mistress in every battle to come. There is no cursed game that brings in the Adventurers of another world. There is no Orange Ranger, or Black Morticon Ranger. The four Rangers do wind up stuck in dragon form after being covered in the Fireheart slime, and birth a small clutch of dragon eggs before Udonna eventually separates them. If there is a Dark Wish it isn't visible in this vision of this world and so the ranger used Deep Fusion to unlock their Legendary Modes. In a world without the Bleckers, or even for without just the younger brother if Chris still exist he would have never been in Briarwood on that fateful day so when they team needs a Gold Ranger it is due to breaching the cavern where Imperious and Daggeron were imprisoned. Without Blecker it is Maddie who kisses Daggeron after the frog saves her life, while without the taint of Vida and Nicole's magic within him Koragg never becomes Lieonna, and Imperious is destroyed rather then redeemed. The Ten Terrors rise, while Lienbow/Koragg guards the masters life energy until he is found by Sculpin and the Master's Essence forcefully extracted. When Serpentina is chosen she still tricks Hecatoid to slim Vida and Nick, robbing them of the power to morph but as with Summer and Kat Itassis intervenes and they are able to use that borrowed power to destroy Serpentina, but at the same time leading them down the road of their own corruption into Itassis's children, their personalities becoming more distant, more hands off, as they removes themselves for the fighting to observe events. Meanwhile Madison struggles with her transformation into Serpentina's child, and with gaining control of her petrification power and serpent children. In the end only Chip and Xander stand against the reborn Master in the Titan Matoombo's body, Two Rangers alone against The Master.
"See, Partner," The Master twists Bowen's words, "In the ends darkness always wins."
Blecker crosses his arms, and rolls his eyes, "That's not what I saw, Partner, last I checked Chip and Xander were still standing."
The Master balked, "You think two Rangers can defeat me? Two Rangers when I've already defeated 4 times that many in this timeline?"
"What I saw, Partner," Blecker twisted the words like a knife, "was someone tuning out during the last ten minutes of the show, and making wide generalizations to the ending. As the saying goes 'it ain't over until the fat lady sings.'"
Blecker's forms shift, taking on his earlier form, when he was just first settling into the Pink Energy and it only changed his gender without changing too much mass, "And I think I have quite the unique perspective on fat ladies."
The Master scoffed and thew up her arms, "Fine! I was offering you a curtsey by sparing you the destruction of your friends, but so be it, and watch as they fall before my power!"
Chip and Xander could barely stand, their breath was short, and their dominant arms was shot making their wands hang limp, But Xander flashed his trademark smile.
"I'm going to give Plan Xander one last shot," He whispered.
Chip smiled, "Has to work eventually."
"See that's why I like you Chip, never one to give up," Xander groans, back cracking as he straightens up and takes a moment to fix his hair as he stretches out his good hand toward the Master, "Terribly sorry friend, But I feel we may have gotten off on the wrong foot...Name's Xander, Xander Blythe pleased to -"
And he was blasted back, crumpling into a heap on the ground groaning in pain.
'I told you,' The Master taunted as Blecker watched.
"Still don't feel like singing," Blecker crossed her arms defiantly and took a seat on a charred stump, casually patting the ground next to her, "Have a seat and just let the show finish naturally."
The Master, in the form of The Light, appeared next to her, arms crossed and nosed turned up in disdain, "I'll stand."
Blecker smirked as she whipped out her Mystic Morpher and summoned up a large bucket of popcorn, "Want some?"
The Master watched the moment in time frozen, a dark grin spread across her face, 'What can one Ranger do against such power?' and reached for the bucket, "I don't think this story is going to end the way you want, no matter how much you believe in it."
Tilting back her head she tossed a handful into the air and caught it expertly, "But I think I'm going to like how this show ends."
Blecker just smiled as she held out of one the bottles to The Master, the pop and fizz as her own was opened the only sound in the frozen moment as she took a sip. The Master looking at her incredulously before taking the bottle and opening it to take her own sip, the two women giving a contented breath as they finished their sip, Blecker smiling at the Master as time resumed.
"So uh," Chip groaned as he used his good arm to raised his wand arm defensively, "Don't suppose I could convince you to finish this with a game of checkers?"
"Fall Ranger! Fall and be consumed by Darkness!"
Black lighting lashed out from The Master, striking the already prone Xander and still weak Chip, and he chucked darkly as he waited for the dust to settle.
"It's over," The Master, both of them laughed.
Blecker casually tossed some more popcorn in her mouth, "It isn't over until the credits roll."
The Master/Nick snarled derisively at Blecker, "Will you can it with the insufferable optim-"
"What!?" Matoombo!Master balked as he saw not only was Chip still standing but Xander was next to him, and flanking them were Nick, Vida, Madison, Daggeron, Lienbow, and Udonna.
"I knew you guys would show up," Xander smiled one eye swollen shut, "You ready to show this guy what real power is?"
"Ready!"
"Magical Source! Mystic Force!"
Eight Rangers stood tall, defiant.
"Wolf Warrior!"
"Solaris Knight!"
"White Mystic Ranger!"
"Green Mystic Ranger!"
"Pink Mystic Ranger!"
"Blue Mystic Ranger!"
"Yellow Mystic Ranger!"
"Red Mystic Ranger!"
Power exploded behind them as the Rangers stood together, "Let's show The Master the power of Good Magic!"
Blecker smirked, but both Masters just laughed evilly.
"Is that the best you can do, this pathetic last stand!" They said together, "Well then Power Rangers hit me with your best shot, it will only make me stronger!"
"Together as one!" Red lead but the others joined on the second verse, "Power Ranger Mystic Force!"
A rainbow of power shot from the Rangers but Matoombo!Master just laughed opening his mouth wide as he swallowed the Rangers attack, and their Morph failed, the Rangers collapsing to the ground exhausted.
"It can't end like this," Maddie protested, "Not after everything we've been though...I refuse to give up."
Nick Russell dropped his head, "We've got nothing left, we gave it our best shot...and we failed...we lost."
Nick!Master looked over to Blecker with a dark grin, "Convinced yet? Or are you going to force me to make you watch your friends be destroyed?"
"Why, Partner, is that a hint of concern for my feelings?" Blecker smirked back.
Nick!Master huffed, crossing her arms as she took an angry swig of the soda, "Suit yourself. If you must see this to the end to be convinced, SO BE IT!"
"So that's it?" Vida caught her breath as she looked over to Nick Russell irritably, "the Great Nick, the Red Ranger, is calling it quits?"
Nick's breaths are heavy as he looks away, Xander quick to intercept, "Whoa, Whoa. No. Don't walk away. Answer her. Are you giving up?"
"Get out of my way," Nick says annoyed.
"No, Nick." Chip interrupts, "You answer that."
"Guys, wake up and smell the Darkness," Nick throws up his arms in frustration, "We've done our best, and we failed."
"We're no match for that thing," Nick!Master and Alt!Nick say together, the same hopelessness in their voices.
"Fine," Together they even caught their breath, "yes, I've given up."
"In the end," Before time froze again, Nick!Master holding her head and heaving chest as she took a seat next to Blecker, "The darkness will always prevail."
Blecker rolled her eyes, annoyed, "You paused the show again!"
Nick!Master growled, knocking the bucket of popcorn out of Blecker's hands and bringing the back of her hand across Blecker's face.
"Yeowch!" Blecker hissed as she rubbed her red cheek, Nick!Master's eyes going wide with shock.
"Shit! I'm sorry, Partner," an uncharacteristic tenderness and familiarity in her tone and the special word cut through the normal anger and bile as she summoned up a wash cloth wrapped around some ice before she gingerly pressed it to the red mark, "I-I wasn't thinking."
Blecker smiled, wincing a little from the pain and took the ice pack, "It's alright, Partner, we all make mistakes."
On reflex Nick!Master summoned a new bucket of popcorn and set it in Blecker lap before her face shifted back to the hate filled mask of the Master and she stood turning her back to Blecker, "Have it your way, because of the connection the two of you share I wanted to spare you the gory details but fine, you want to see things to the end, no more interruptions!"
"Don't you say that," The Master almost immediately regretted those words for at the moment time resumed, Madison stood up, her voice defiant, Vida and Xander turning immediately toward her as she stormed toward Nick.
"Don't you say that, not you! You have held us together through all of this! You will NOT give up."
Nick did his best to ignore her.
"Listen to me!" she shrieked, voice cracking, "Giving up is not an option for you! We are a team, and you are this team's leader! We go on no matter what!"
Madison and Nick share a moment before they are blasted apart as Matoombo!Master floats down toward them, "It is time to finish this meal."
"We fight to the last breath," Nick stands back up defiantly, the other Rangers, Lienbow, and Udonna included, rise with him as he takes a long breath, "Power Rangers!"
"Power Rangers!"
Launching into the second round, it follows the first, no matter what they throw at The Master he just devours it and knocks them down.
"Not now!" Nick pushes back to his feet defiantly, "This is not our end."
"You are only one."
"And unfortunately for you, the wrong one," Nick stands tall as he summons his Lion Staff and Magi Sword, "I call forth the powers of good magic still left in the world! Of all the good magic still left in my body, come to me now!"
Matoombo!Master growls, Nick!Master bits her lip, Blecker smiles.
"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
...
..
.
Nothing happens.
Nick growls and tried again.
"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
...
..
.
Still nothing.
The Master, both of them laugh evilly as they kick Nick to the ground, "There is no more magic left in you or this world."
"I beg to differ."
"What?!" The Master turn in shock to see Toby and Phineas standing at the head of a small group each. Toby leading a group of civilians and Phineas a group of forest beings.
"Look, I spoke to some of the people from the city," Toby begins, "and I told them that the forest, and the ones who live there are not the ones we need to fear."
"And I spoke the same truth to those in the forest," Phineas adds, "Either we stay the way we were...and perish...OR we stand together and fight the real evil!"
"Yeah!" the people of the forest and the city cheer together as Phineas and Toby stare down Matoombo!Master.
"Power Rangers..." Toby explains softly, "You have fought all year for us. Your magic is used up. Well, now let us give you some of our magic."
"That's right," Phineas joins in, "you're not the only ones...All of us...believe in magic, thanks to you."
The two groups gather around the Ranger, Forest Folk and City clasping hands as Toby and Phineas spoke as one.
"Let's show him!"
"Together!"
"WE BELIEVE IN MAGIC!" Everyone said together and energy began to envelope the group.
Blecker hit the ground with an unceremonious thud as Nick!Master gasped, where once there were only five Rangers, five Rangers that were battled and ready to collapse, now stood over 2 dozen, all different variants of of the core colors, all with their own helmets.
"You okay Nick?" The Gold Ranger, asked, helping up her sister to her feet.
"Fine," She smiled as she reached out her hand to the Master, and pulled her Revolution Morpher from her pocket, strapping it to her wrist, "I'm cashing in one of your many favors, Nick, lend me your power, one last time."
"You got it Partner!" Nick!Master bounced in her step as her form reverted to just The Master and Lightbringer took form over head, before dropping down onto the Red Operation Turbo Ranger, with an explosion of force and power as Bowen/Nick Rusell became armor for Nick Blecker and they shouted together.
"Turbo mode!"
The Master cackled, as a wall of Magic shot toward him, but he just opened his mouth, "You think this last minute trick will save you, I'll consume all your magic, and then the world!"
"Bottoms up!" Everyone said together as the Master continued to laugh, but it was short lived, his eyes starting to bulge.
"I consume everything and yet more c-comes, is there no limit to this...this power?"
"No!" Everyone shouts together as the Master's body begins to bulge and tear, until it finally explodes, and the Rangers all demorph, dropping to their knees. What's more Toby finds herself back in her human male body, as do all the others who had lost their humanity. Save for Nick and Blecker who were still women, the later shivering, collapsed into the former's arms.
"Nice work, Partner," Blecker smiles as Udonna and Lienbow make their way over draping a pair of blankets over the two.
"I feel so weak, so cold...if this what it was like for you? I-I'm sorry."
Blecker smirked, "Not the cold but yeah, you always left me weak in the knees."
Xander chuckles, "So that's it then?"
"We still need to find my sister, and rescue her."
"I can help with that," Itassis makes her presence known.
"Itassis! You're alive!"
She pushed back her glasses and smiles, "Thanks to Necrolai, yes. I have been given a second chance at understanding this thing you call 'courage.' But more presently with the other Terrors gone I can lead you to where the Pink Dragon is being kept, but I must warn you Gekkor has striped her mind, she is little more then a feral beast only interested in causing havoc and breeding more of her kind."
"It'll be fine," Nick Russell purrs softly as she rests her head on Blecker's chest, nodding off, "I believe."
"In magic?" Udonna wonders.
"In my friends."
Lienbow smiles, sharing a kiss with his wife, "That's real magic."
Everyone begins to laughs, the world was still a mess, even with all the evil gone it would take decades to rebuilt, but for the first time in months the people of Earth had something to keep them going.
Courage
...
..
.
Courage
and
Hope.
Fin
