Legendary Catastros

It was a dark and stormy night, quite literally, as Udonna gathered the Rangers for another story from the book of mystical lore.

When the twenty-four hour thunderstorm had prevented the Rangers' planned Mystic Racer practice, Udonna had decided to give them history lessons instead. But these were not ordinary, boring history lessons, no. Not only were all the lessons, whether they were on the history of those who came before them or even mystic legends and folktales, Udonna was an expert storyteller and used her skills combined with some magical illusions to make the stories incredibly exciting.

"Gather round, Rangers, and hear the story of the beast stallion whose strength was known across the lands, the legendary Catastros," said Udonna. She waved her hand over the book and a small, ghostly horse emerged from the pages. It hooves pounded like thunder as they struck the air and its neigh was fierce and loud enough to wake the dead before it disappeared into the crystal ball, whereupon the crystal ball showed images of a time long ago as Udonna continued her tale. "Many had tried in vain to tame the mightiest creature of them all, but Catastros's spirit would not be broken and his strength was greater than that of a thousand men and no one was able to harness his fearsome power. No one except for that of my late husband, Leanbow, the King."

The crystal ball's image changed from magical beings trying to capture and break Catastros to that of King Leanbow, healing and taming the fearsome black stallion. But Leanbow did not break the horse, no, he treated Catastros with the respect and care that was due to him.

"For many years, no one could go near Catastros without risk to themselves. But there came a time when Catastros ran afoul of great trouble that left him wounded and helpless. Whether by chance or fate, it is not known, but Leanbow happened upon Catastros and instead of destroying or attempting to break the mighty stallion, Leanbow chose to do the honorable thing and healed Catastros of his wounds and set him free. But Catastros, having finally found a soul of noble heart, gave his allegiance to Leanbow and served him with great loyalty for several years," continued Udonna.

A sad look crossed Udonna's face as the crystal ball's images changed to the Great Battle, where everything was in chaos. Catastros was running as fast as he could towards the gates of the Underworld as they sank beneath the surface.

"Refusing to let harm befall his beloved friend, Leanbow sent Catastros away to protect him. But Catastros's loyalty to Leanbow was too great, and the mighty stallion attempted to join my husband's side as the Great Battle reached its end. Sadly, before Catastros could reach Leanbow, Catastros was snatched up by the darkness just before the gates were closed forever—" a dark seal appeared beneath Catastros's hooves and pulled the black stallion deep into the underworld. "—and ever since that dark day when my husband fell, Catastros forged a new allegiance with Koragg and remains faithful the Knight Wolf until such a day when Koragg is no more and Catastros will find a new rider to call his own."

Udonna then closed the book just a clap of thunder hit, which only added to the effect of the story. Everyone who was listening either looked scared out of their wits from Udonna's thrilling story or sympathetic to the White Sorceress Queen's grief over the loss of her husband.

"That was the scariest story I've ever heard," said Chip. His expression changed from scared to excited. "Tell it again!"

"Even I'm a little freaked out," admitted Vida. Her eyes narrowed everyone gave a questioning look, as Vida generally prided herself on being fearless. "Just a little!"

Xander puffed out his chest. "Well, I'm not afraid." Right then, all the lights went out from the interference of the storm and when they came back on, Xander was found in Vida's arms, like the way Shaggy held a frightened Scooby in Scooby-Doo episodes. When Xander realized that Vida was giving him an unimpressed look and everyone else looked like they wanted to laugh, Xander chuckled and patted Vida's shoulder. "Just making sure you're safe, Vee."

"I'm fine, thanks," said Vida, sweetly, before she dropped Xander onto his head.

"Ow," moaned Xander.

Udonna couldn't help but chuckle at the Rangers' antics as it reminded her so much of when she was younger and learning of the mystic legends and folklore.

"Well, I for one, am sorry for your loss, Udonna," said Mason, kindly. "It sounds like Leanbow was a great warrior and a good man."

Udonna nodded and her eyes glistened with nostalgia. "He was one of the most honorable men I've ever met and the only man I've ever loved." She sighed contentedly. "I'm sure he would've been very honored to know that in a way, you five are carrying on his legacy."

The Rangers all looked visibly touched at Udonna's compliment. To know that they were doing a very great soul's legacy proud meant a great deal.

"But here's what I don't get," went on Mason, "if Catastros only sought honorable and noble riders, why is he working for Koragg? Why doesn't Catastros leave and rejoin us?"

It didn't make sense for Catastros to serve Koragg with such loyalty when Koragg was such a

"Well, Koragg prides himself on being an honorable warrior. Maybe that's what drew Catastros in," suggested Natalia. After Koragg attempted to invade Natalia's mind two weeks ago, she had discovered that the link had worked both ways and she'd been able to glean just a little information from Koragg's brain. Not much to be of any use on the battlefield but enough to know what Koragg was like when he wasn't fighting. "Plus, who knows what went on in the Underworld before the crack in the gate appeared? Fifteen years is a long time, anything could've happened. Koragg could've protected Catastros from some pretty bad stuff down there and earned his loyalty that way."

Natalia brought up a fair point. Fifteen years in the Underworld would be enough to change anyone's allegiance. There was no telling what could've happened in the Underworld to Catastros. The stallion could've been a victim of dark magic after Leanbow was lost, it could be under a dark spell of control or maybe Koragg was actually honorable and protected Catastros which could've easily led to Catastros's allegiance to the Knight Wolf.

"Natalia is right. Any one of those things could've happened," said Udonna. "And while it is a tragic loss for us, we cannot change what happened and nor would I advise that any of you attempt to do. For Catastros is a force to be reckoned with. Is that understood?" When everyone nodded or murmured in agreement and no one attempted to argue with Udonna's orders, the White Sorceress smiled. "Well, I think that's enough for one day. Since the storm's not getting any better, would any of you like to stay here tonight? I have rooms to spare, dinner will be ready in an hour and I think there's some fresh pie and hot chocolate in the kitchen if you're hungry."

The Rangers' faces lit up with excitement at the idea of their first ever sleepover at Rootcore. This was going to be a blast, especially if Chip had his way with the fun and entertainment. At that moment, Clare walked in and within moments, everyone was doing their best to keep their laughter in as Clare was not only steaming but her hair had been replaced with a load of whipped cream in the shape of an eighteenth century powdered wig. It looked quite ridiculous as well as heavy.

"Don't you just love a rainstorm? Washes away the stress of the day," gushed Clare, not noticing their reactions.

"Uh…Clare, you're steaming," said Mason.

Still not noticing that anything was amiss, Clare beamed. "Yeah. I crossed a hot cocoa spell with a spell of protection, keeps me warm on these cold, stormy nights."

Natalia face palmed and shook her head. From the few books she'd read and TV shows she'd seen on the subject, Natalia knew that mixing spells was never a good idea. It usually led to horrible results such as Clare's current state.

"Your hair!" choked Vida, as she laughed. "Your hair?"

Confused, Clare reached to touch her hair, licked some off her finger and then shrieked in terror. "Ah! I forgot to omit the part about the toppings! I'm allergic to whipped cream! Achoo!" Clare sneezed and some of the whip cream went flying, landing straight on Udonna, who scowled in disapproval as Clare became more upset. "Natalia! Natalia, quick! Point your wand at me and say 'Finishio!' That'll make it go away, it can make anything go away! Achoo!"

Natalia flipped open her morpher and having never tried the spell before or any spell that Clare ever suggested, hesitantly said, "Finishio?"

There was a shimmer of light and Clare's hair returned to normal.

Clare heaved a sigh of relief as she hugged the Red Ranger. "Thanks, Natalia. You're the best."

Natalia returned the embrace. "You're welcome." Clare was a big goofball and completely hopeless when it came to spells but she was a really sweet girl and Natalia was quite fond of her to the point where she was beginning to consider Clare a little sister. "So, Clare, it looks like we're staying for the night. What do you do for fun around here?"

Clare's face lit up. "A sleepover? That's great! Oh, I know exactly what we can do. Follow me!"

Without waiting for a reply, Clare took Natalia's hand and began dragging Natalia into another room and the other Rangers followed suit, not knowing exactly what Clare had planned but still looking forward to it as it was going to be a blast.

XXX

While the Rangers were having loads fun in the surface world, things were not quite so happy in the Underworld. Morticon was throwing yet another temper tantrum. He was always impatient to be truly free but after being briefly released to the surface world only for it to be turned back on him, Morticon's patience was practically non-existent now and his temper tantrums were becoming more frequent with each passing day.

"I can't take this anymore!" roared Morticon. "Two weeks! Two miserable stinking weeks since our last fight against the Rangers and we've accomplished nothing! How much more of this are we supposed to stomach? Koragg!"

Koragg, who'd been standing by with his arms folded across his chest as he kept a watchful eye over the Master, looked up.

"What is it now, Morticon?" asked Koragg, in a bored voice. What ridiculous, childish demand was Morticon going to make of Koragg this time? Another pathetic order to be free?

"You've got the Rangers' combining power!" said Morticon, as he grabbed Koragg's shoulder. "Use it to get me out of here or else!"

Koragg did not kindly to being threatened. He grabbed Morticon's arm and twisted it back, forcing Morticon into a kneeling position.

"Threaten or touch me again, Morticon, and I will destroy you!" snarled Koragg. "And do not ask me again for the Rangers' combining power when you know perfectly well that I told you that the power was recaptured by the Red Ranger after the spell was countered! There is nothing I can do!"

But even as Koragg said it, the Knight Wolf knew it to be a lie, one that he had no qualms about telling in the slightest. For the Rangers' combining power hadn't been reclaimed at all. As Koragg did not trust Morticon to misuse the Rangers' combining power for his own purposes, Koragg had secretly kept it and had been experimenting with it for the past two weeks, trying to find a way to use it to benefit the Master. So far, Koragg's attempts had been fruitless but the Knight Wolf was nothing if not persistent and patient. One way or another, he would find a way to free the Master.

Morticon wrenched himself free of Koragg's tight grip with a cry of pain before standing and crying out to the heavens, "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Pathetic," muttered Koragg, shaking his head. "If you'll excuse me, Morticon, I have other, more important matters to deal with."

Without waiting for a reply, Koragg left the throne room. But unbeknownst to Koragg, Necrolai had been watching, not only the scene that just took place but also Koragg's behavior over the past two weeks and what was worse, she'd seen him claim the Rangers' combining power for his own. She'd been waiting for the opportune moment to tell Morticon and now that moment had arisen.

"This is perfect," she muttered to herself, gleefully. Now, she had the perfect means to be rid of Koragg forever. Quickly, Necrolai slid over to Morticon's throne. "My lord, you should not listen to Koragg. He cannot be trusted, for he is lying to you!"

Morticon, naturally, refused to listen and he shoved Necrolai aside. "You lie, hag! Koragg would never dare betray me, for he knows I would destroy him!"

"But my lord, I swear it's the truth! I saw Koragg keep the Rangers' combining power for himself!" hissed Necrolai. "He's had it for the past fortnight, performing experiments in his chambers! Ask the Hidiacs who followed him, if you don't believe me!"

Morticon's eyes narrowed but nevertheless, he did as Necrolai suggested and asked the Hidiacs, who confirmed Necrolai's story. Needless to say, Morticon was not happy in the slightest to know that he'd been deceived.

"WHAT?!" roared Morticon. His sword then lit up with dark magic and he plunged it into the stone floor, setting off a terrible earthquake that decimated scores of Hidiacs. "Koragg's deception will be his undoing!" Morticon snapped his fingers and a Styxoid brought Morticon a dark crossbow, which he handed to Necrolai. "Take to the surface world the next time Koragg does battle against the Rangers and use it to teach him a lesson! Then he will know who to fear!"

Necrolai couldn't help but cackle gleefully as she bowed and accepted the crossbow. "As you wish, my lord."

Now, Koragg would pay for his treason. Either he would learn his lesson about the dangers of lying to his superiors or Koragg would be destroyed. However it ended, Koragg would pay and if they were very lucky, he would never be anyone's problem ever again.

XXX

As the storm raged on in the surface world, Natalia found herself trapped in a nightmare, one she hadn't had since she was a little girl and living with her adopted parents.

Heavy rains fell, thunder rumbled and lightning split the sky as the storm wreaked its havoc on the war-ravaged land.

Five-year-old Natalia was hiding behind a tree, frozen in place as she and her companion, a young boy about her age with blue eyes, watched a horrifying battle take place. The children had been fleeing the forest with their guardian, a knight in blue and gold armor, did battle against a monster, a traitor who sought to destroy them.

"Give me that girl!" demanded the monster. "Surrender the Princess and I might spare your life, Solaris Knight!"

"Never!" yelled the knight. He blasted the monster back with a bolt of magic so powerful, it burnt and glowed like the sun and wounded his enemy. But knowing that the monster was far from defeated, the knight turned to the little ones. "Children, run! Get to the safe house! I'll hold him off and meet you there, I promise! Nehir, son, protect the Princess!"

Despite their fear, the children did not disobey or argue. The boy, Nehir, slipped his hand into Natalia's and used his water magic to ease off the worse of the rain as together they ran for their lives through the forest, desperate to escape the war that had ravaged their home and ruined their lives.

Suddenly, there was a flash of dark magic and both children were blasted across the forest, their joined hands came apart as they slipped into unconsciousness and fell to the mercy of their enemies.

"NO!"

Natalia shot up in bed, breathing hard and sweating. It took a moment for Natalia to realize that it had just been a nightmare and she was safe and sound at Rootcore. But it didn't ease away her fears any quicker as she buried her face in her hands and her body soon shook with barely stifled sobs. That was the second time that very same night that Natalia had frightened awake by that nightmare. Now, there were just a few hours left before she had to get up for work. She was exhausted and shaking and wanted it to stop but there was no indication that it would.

I haven't had that nightmare in years. Why am I having it again? Why have my nightmares gotten worse since I came here? Natalia had had that dream before, but not since early childhood and even then she'd never seen that much before or felt so terrified before. Since coming to Briarwood, Natalia had had several different dreams of things that could never have happened to her, some had been wonderful and happy and others had been just the opposite. Natalia had never been addressed by name in any of them, as though her name was being blocked from her memory somehow, but that wasn't all. The dreams didn't always feel like dreams, sometimes they felt real as though they were memories and they'd been getting worse since Koragg had tapped into Natalia's mind, for some reason.

Suddenly, the candle on Natalia's nightstand lit up and Udonna came into the bedroom, dressed in her nightgown and pajama robe.

"I heard you scream. Are you quite all right, child?" asked Udonna, concernedly.

Natalia shook her heard. "Nightmare," she rasped. "Bad one."

Udonna's face softened as she pulled up a chair and conjured a cup of steaming hot chocolate, which Natalia gratefully accepted.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Udonna, softly.

Natalia shook her head and placed the now empty mug on her nightstand. She didn't want to talk about it. It felt like if Natalia did speak of it, then somehow it would make the nightmare real, which was what she didn't want. Normally, Natalia would just pull out her music box and let the box's melody lull her to sleep again but for once, Natalia didn't feel like doing that.

Natalia hesitantly bit her lip. "Udonna…" Natalia was almost afraid to ask. What would Udonna think of Natalia's request? Natalia was a grown woman. Surely, she could handle a simple nightmare on her own. "…would…would you stay with me tonight? Please."

Much to Natalia's relief, there was no scowl of disapproval, no talk of mature behavior or anything of the like. Udonna merely smiled softly and nodded.

"Of course, Natalia," she murmured, softly.

Natalia scooted over and as soon as Udonna was under the covers, Natalia curled up into Udonna's side as the White Sorceress Queen wrapped an arm around Natalia and gently stroked the Red Ranger's hair. In Udonna's comforting embrace, Natalia felt safe and unafraid, but more importantly than that, she felt like a child in her mother's loving arms again and that thought alone lulled Natalia into a deep, nightmare-free slumber.

XXX

The next morning, even though the sun was shining and there was no indication of the previous day's storms, Natalia was not in the best of moods. Natalia's nightmares had left her so tired that she'd slept through her alarm and was late for work. She yawned as she slipped on her work vest and walked into the Rock Porium.

"Hey, there you are. I was wondering where you were," said Mason. He gave her a brief kiss before looked at Natalia with concern. "Are you okay?"

Natalia nodded. "Fine, just tired."

Xander, who was shelving the stock, gave Natalia a teasing smile. "Ah, look who's decided to join us."

Natalia rolled her eyes. Less than a minute, and Xander was already annoying her. That had to be some kind of a record. "Sorry I'm late. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Aw, did the scary thunder keep you up, Red?" teased Vida. "Oh, wait, I forgot, you're not afraid of anything, are you?"

Natalia scowled at Vida. Did Vida really have to go there? Well, two could play at that game and Vida would burn. "Ha-ha, very funny, Pinky."

Vida's face colored up nicely at being called Pinky and she opened her mouth to argue, only to fall silent when all their morphers went off, signaling the arrival of dark magic in the city.

"No rest for the weary," said Chip. "Let's go, guys."

Natalia sighed as she ran out with her friends. Perfect. Just perfect. The perfect beginning to an already perfect day. What else is going to go wrong?

XXX

When Natalia and the others arrived at the dark magic's location, they were horrified to see that Koragg was there and already escalating the battle as he conjured a dark seal and incanted, "Uthay Rejor Catastros! Samba Gunitos Equestras!" Within moments, Koragg and Catastros combined together, forming the Centaurus Wolf Megazord, making themselves even more powerful than before.

"Prepare to be defeated!" declared Koragg.

This did not look good.

"How're we supposed to defeat that without our combining power?" asked Vida, scared.

"Good question," admitted Mason. It was only with their Megazord power that they'd been able to come close to defeating Koragg. Even in their Titan forms, they barely held on. How were they supposed to survive, let alone take down Koragg now that he had their magic to do with as he pleased?

"We don't have a choice, guys," said Natalia. She didn't like the odds any better than her friends did, but it didn't matter. Regardless of the odds, Koragg was on the loose and innocent people were going to get hurt if they didn't at least try to stop him. "We're the only ones who can fight him. We have to do this and we can."

"Natalia's right. We have to do this. Let's Ranger and Titan up!" said Xander. He drew his morpher and the others followed suit. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

Quickly, the Rangers morphed and then they incanted the spell that transformed them into their Titan forms. Where upon, Mason, Xander, Chip and Vida joined together to form the dragon zord and Natalia flew on their back with her blade drawn. Dragon fire was launched at Koragg and while it wounded him, it didn't do as much damage as before due to Koragg's magic theft.

"Come on! You think that can defeat me?" growled Koragg.

Natalia fired up her sword. "You may have our combining power, Koragg, but you don't have all our magic." Koragg may have stolen their combining power, but he didn't have all of the Rangers' magic or the power that came from their friendship and teamwork.

"That was nothing! Wolf Attack!" yelled Koragg.

Before anyone could react, Koragg launched a Wolf Attack. The dark magic blast was amplified from the stolen combining power, which made it hurt all the more and caused the Rangers to disband. Within moments, they were on the ground, still in their Titan forms but injured and helpless before Koragg's mercy, if he possessed any.

"Get up and fight!" ordered Koragg. He raised his blade to strike but then Necrolai's evil laugh was heard and suddenly, she fired the crossbow from a few rooftops away. It struck right at Catastros's back, injuring the black stallion.

"That'll teach you to lie to Morticon!" cackled Necrolai.

Koragg spun around, furious. "What?! I will crush you, hag!"

"You'll have to catch me, first!" spat Necrolai, as she took the skies and disappeared.

Koragg was greatly displeased. With Catastros wounded and both Necrolai and Morticon working against him, Koragg had no other choice but to abandon the battle against the Rangers.

"My own allies are turning against me. I must deal with this. Be thankful, Rangers, for you will live to see another day." Koragg conjured a dark seal that appeared beneath his feet. "Basalichi Infrado!"

Koragg prepared to leave expecting a swift exit, but a surprise came his way when Natalia, who was determined not to let Koragg escape with their combining power again, rose to her feet and launched herself at Koragg. Her actions caused the dark seal to warp and then suddenly, Koragg was forced apart from Catastros and then both the steed and Natalia were sucked away into another dimension.

"Natalia! No!" cried Mason. He tried to cast a spell to bring Natalia back but it was too late, Natalia was gone.

XXX

Natalia screamed as she landed hard on the ground of an unfamiliar beach and powered down. She groaned as she slowly stood up and dusted herself clean of the sand.

"Okay, memo to self: never do anything stupid like that again," she muttered to herself. Granted, it had seemed like a good idea at the time but looking back, launching herself at a dark seal was a very stupid and reckless thing to do. "Oh, gads, where the heck am I?"

Natalia looked around. She was on a beach near a cliff side and she could see a forest in the distance. But nothing looked right. Everything was either in muted color or was black and white like an old movie. When Natalia had jumped Koragg, she'd expected either to stop the transportation spell or be taken to the Underworld. But it was clear that neither one of those things had happened, for the dimension she was in didn't even remotely resemble the descriptions of the Underworld that Udonna's books and crystal ball had provided. And for another, Natalia seriously doubted that the Underworld had sunlight and a sky and nor was it so devoid of life. The Underworld was prison and home to countless dark creatures and yet there wasn't a soul around as far as Natalia could see.

Crud. I must've warped the seal when I jumped Koragg, realized Natalia. She facepalmed. Shoot. How could I have been so stupid? I've got to get out of here.

Natalia tried to ignite a fire, but much to her shock, no flames emerged. Thinking it was a fluke, Natalia tried again and again and again, but it was no use. Natalia's fire magic wasn't working in the forsaken dimension.

Great. The one time I didn't want my powers to be gone! This was not good. Starting to fear the worst, Natalia tried to call for help.

"Mason? Hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?" But there was nothing. No reply of any kind, not even a garbled one. Just silence. Which confirmed Natalia's fear. Magic didn't work in the dimension, which meant Natalia was as helpless as any human. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Okay, Natalia. Calm down. You can handle this. Mom and Dad taught you how to survive in any situation. You just need to apply those lessons here."

Countless camping trips and survival lessons growing up had taught Natalia many survival skills. She just needed to stay calm and apply those lessons in the alternate dimension until either she found a way out or the other Rangers freed her. Either way, Natalia couldn't afford to be a panicked mess. Panicking wasn't going to do her any good.

Suddenly, there was an all-too familiar neighing sound that made the hairs on the back of Natalia's neck stand up and her blood run cold.

I really hope that's not what I think it is. Ignoring her instincts, Natalia turned around see Catastros standing behind her, blowing smoke out of his nose and rearing back on his hind legs. Oh, crap! How did I forget Catastros came with me?

This was bad. Natalia hadn't said anything earlier to avoid being made of, but when she was a little girl and riding a horse for the first time at a local fair, the horse had gotten scared of a snake and thrown her off, leaving Natalia with a fear of horses. Hearing Catastros's origin story the previous night hadn't helped with that fear at all. And now Natalia was trapped with one of her worst fears.

In any other case, Natalia would've stood her ground but she knew better than to try and fight a horse without rope or her magic, so having no other choice, Natalia ran for her life to try and find a place to hide.

XXX

The battle was over but there was no victory, only cause for alarm. With their leader gone, the remaining Rangers frantically ran back to Rootcore to get help from Udonna.

"Udonna! Udonna!" yelled Mason.

"Udonna, where are you?" cried Vida.

Udonna emerged from her study where she'd been working. "What? What's wrong?"

"Natalia's gone!" blurted out Chip. "We tried calling her on her morpher, but she didn't answer!"

Udonna held up her hands. "Slow down, Chip! All of you, take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Where's Natalia?"

Xander took a deep breath and then recanted the story. "It all happened so quickly. One minute, we're fighting Koragg, the next Necrolai hits him with this crossbow. Koragg tried to leave but Natalia launched herself at him and then poof!" Xander made an exploding noise and gesture with his hands to add to the storytelling effect. "Koragg and Catastros get torn apart and then Natalia got sucked into a seal with Catastros!"

Udonna turned deathly pale and looked grave. "Oh, no. Natalia must've disrupted an evil spell and warped the dark seal. She and Catastros are in another dimension."

Mason's breath caught in his throat and he found it difficult to breathe. "You…you can track them down, can't you? You can bring them home?"

Udonna sadly shook her head. "Without my Snow Staff, I don't have the power to track her. And unless we know which dimension Natalia's in, I can't transport you there to rescue her or bring her back to Briarwood. I'm sorry. Perhaps the crystal ball can locate her."

Mason ran to the crystal ball and commanded it to try and find Natalia but the crystal ball was blank, unable to track down the missing Red Ranger.

This can't be happening. I can't have lost her again! Mason froze as he realized what he'd just thought. Wait, again? Where did that come from? Although Mason had thought Natalia seemed vaguely familiar when they'd first met, it couldn't have been possible for them to know each other and not know it. Which made Mason's panicked thought make no sense whatsoever.

"Even the crystal ball can't find her!" said Vida, snapping Mason out of his thoughts. "This is bad. This is really bad."

Natalia was their friend, Mason's girlfriend and their leader. Losing her was a devastating blow, emotionally. But also, Natalia was the most powerful of the five of them. Without Natalia to aid them, what hope did they have fighting alone against the dark forces?

Eventually, after some unsuccessful tries to track down Natalia down, Mason and the others went on a walk through the forest, moping. Everyone was taking Natalia's loss fairly hard as they'd all cared greatly for Natalia but Mason was taking it the hardest. Throughout the walk, he didn't say a word or crack a smile and worst of all, his eyes were red from unshed tears and he looked as though he was grieving for his lost girlfriend.

Vida angrily broke a stick against a tree. "I still can't wrap my head around it. Natalia's really gone."

"Technically, she's not gone. She's just gone from this dimension," said Chip, in an attempt to lighten the mood. His attempt failed miserably as no one even made the tiniest smile.

"It's my fault," said Mason, brokenly, speaking up at last. "If I'd acted quicker, if I'd stopped her or helped her, or if I was the scholarly wizard I'm supposed to be, Natalia would still be here."

Vida gave her brother a sympathetic look as she squeezed his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself, bro. You couldn't have known what was going to happen. Natalia wouldn't want you to."

"Vida's right, mate," said Xander, in agreement. "Besides, even Udonna didn't have an answer. So, don't beat yourself up over this. Natalia's in real trouble this time."

Suddenly, Phineas swung down from the high branch he was hanging on and startled them. "Natalia is in trouble, did you say?"

Everyone stared at Phineas, not quite sure what they were looking at as they'd hadn't yet met Natalia's troblin friend.

"Who are you?" asked Xander, wrinkling his nose. "And how do you know Natalia?"

"More importantly, what are you?" demanded Vida.

Phineas laughed. "Drumroll, please!" he said, as he thumped his fingers on a tree for dramatic effect. "I am Phineas. Natalia's my friend who saved me from the Hydra Worm."

Upon hearing his name, everyone relaxed as Natalia had told them of Phineas.

"Oh, you're the troblin," said Chip, excitedly. "Yeah, Natalia told us all about you. But she didn't tell us that you were so…well…freaky."

Instead of getting offended, Phineas took it as a compliment. "Oh, stop, you're making me blush." Phineas wasn't kidding as his skin turned pink with embarrassment. Then he noticed Vida and he brushed his tangled hair back. "Oh, a pretty girl. How do you do?" Suddenly, Phineas remembered why he'd come down from the tree. "Ooh! What's this about Natalia being in trouble?"

"Natalia's stuck in another dimension and we can't get her back," explained Mason. "We've tried but nothing worked. We've lost her."

Now, Phineas was not always the sharpest pencil in the box but there were some things he was quite good at. One, being a reliable friend and listening ear. And two, he excelled at reverse psychology and decided to use it to get the Rangers back to work at solving their missing Ranger problem.

"Oh, I see," said Phineas. "Well, I guess giving up is the right thing to do. Hey, no point in getting up just to fall back on your face again, I say."

Suddenly, everyone looked indignant as though they'd been insulted, which meant it was working.

"Hold on, who said anything about giving up?" demanded Xander.

Phineas threw up his heads. "Oh, my mistake. So, your moping around out here with long faces is actually helping Natalia. My apologies. I get things wrong sometimes."

However stinging Phineas' words were, they rang true. None of their tears and moping was actually fixing anything whatsoever. Natalia was gone, yes, but that didn't mean they had to admit defeat. Natalia had fought for all of them against overwhelming odds. Why couldn't they do the same for her? And more to the point, if they gave up now, then there was no point in continuing on at all, something they couldn't afford to have happen.

"Phineas is right. Walking around out here feeling sorry for ourselves isn't going to help anything," said Mason. "We've got to keep trying. Natalia needs us."

"I agree with Mason. We can't quit. We have to at least try," said Xander. "What've we got to lose?"

"After all, we're Mystic Power Rangers and we can do anything!" said Chip, enthusiastically.

Everyone was in agreement and began making their way back to Rootcore to try and find a way to rescue their missing leader.

"Thanks, Phineas. You really put things in perspective for us," said Vida, smiling and giving his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Oh, and you can count us in your group of friends."

Phineas nearly melted with happiness and waved at the departing Rangers. "Anytime!" To himself, he happily squealed, "I've got more friends!"

Phineas' life was truly blessed.

XXX

Meanwhile, Catastros was chasing Natalia throughout the dimension.

They'd raced along the shoreline, up into the hills and Natalia had even tumbled painfully down the hills on rocks, broken branches and tree stumps to get away from Catastros, and finally up into the woods. As soon as she found a sturdy enough tree, Natalia climbed it and used her jacket to tie herself to one of the highest branches, thinking she might finally be safe. Either she could hide in the tree from Catastros until he got bored and left and she could figure out a plan to escape the dimension, or she could stay safe up there until her friends rescued her. Either way, Natalia wasn't coming down for love or money.

After an hour or so of silence, Natalia took it as a sign that Catastros had either lost her or given up the pursuit. She carefully climbed down the tree.

"Finally," murmured Natalia. "I thought I was never going to lose—whoa!" At the sound of familiar breathing down her neck, Natalia spun around in alarm to see Catastros standing behind her, neighing loudly as he reared up on his hind legs.

Natalia, who'd fallen down backwards in fright, protectively covered herself with her arms and braced herself for Catastros's attack but much to her surprise, no attack came. Instead, Catastros made a sad, pained and tired cry before laying down on his side.

Confused, Natalia rose up to get a good look at Catastros. "Easy boy. What's wrong? Are you hurt?" It was then that she spotted the shimmering, dark magic wound on Catastros's flank and the crossbow bolt sticking out of the wound. The crossbow bolt lacked the traditional feathering and in its place were wings that bore an uncanny resemblance to Necrolai's. It did not take long for Natalia to realize why Catastros had given chase.

"Oh, I'm such an idiot," murmured Natalia, as she knelt down beside Catastros's head. Hesitantly, she reached out and pressed her hand against Catastros's nose and when he relaxed into her touch, she knew it was safe. "This is why you were chasing me, isn't it, boy? You weren't looking to hurt me, you wanted my help because Necrolai injured you."

Catastros nodded and then placed his head in Natalia's lap as he made a pitiful, pained whinny.

Natalia's heart softened as she gently stroked Catastros's mane. Now that they weren't enemies on the battlefield, Catastros didn't seem that frightening at all. At that moment, Catastros wasn't Koragg's dangerous, loyal steed, just a terrified and wounded horse who needed help.

Despite her lingering fear, Natalia knew she couldn't leave Catastros alone to suffer like this. It was cruel and inhumane, but nevertheless, this was not going to be easy.

"Okay, Catastros, listen, I don't know how we're going to get out of here, but I do know one thing. I'm not afraid of you anymore." Natalia didn't know how, but she just knew that her fear of horses was gone. She looked at Catastros and no longer felt any fear. Rather, she felt calm and compassionate. "I'm going to try and get the bolt out and then I'll try to heal you." How, Natalia had no idea as Natalia had neither magical nor any medical supplies on her person but she wasn't about to give up. "But this is going to hurt, so I need you to hold as still as you can or it's going to get worse. Understand?"

When Catastros nodded and went rigid, Natalia took a deep breath and made her way to the steed's flank. She then grabbed the bolt and gave it a hard yank, causing Catastros to cry out in pain as it came free but thankfully, Catastros neither moved his body and nor did he kick Natalia. Rather, he gave a relieved whinny as Natalia tossed the bolt aside.

"Good boy, Catastros," praised Natalia, as she gently stroked his flank. "Good boy. You did it."

Suddenly, Natalia's morpher lit up and she felt her inner fire return. Her magic was back! Natalia was at a loss as to explain how this had happened until it came to her. When Natalia had arrived, she'd been scared and her magic was gone, but when she confronted her fears and no longer felt scared, her magic had returned, which explained the dimension's purpose and made Natalia feel very proud of herself.

"Perfect timing. Okay, healing spell…healing spell…" Natalia racked her brains until she remembered the spell that Clare taught her. Clare had said it undid anything. Why not a dark magic wound? She pointed her morpher at the injury. "Finishio!"

Light magic shot out of Natalia's wand and healed Catastros's wound, causing the black stallion to rise up, the picture of health once more. In gratitude, Catastros gave Natalia's shoulder an affectionate nuzzle and he whinnied in happiness.

"You're welcome," said Natalia, smiling. She gently stroked Catastro's face and then turned serious. "Hey, listen, I know you'll go back to your master at some point…" Natalia wasn't a fool. Catastros was loyal to his master and even if he and Natalia were friends, it wouldn't change Catastros's allegiance. When they were both safe, Catastros would return to Koragg, that much Natalia was certain of. "…but, you can't run off to Koragg until we get out of here. And that hag that hurt you? She's probably going to do worse to my friends unless I get back to help them. So, please, even if it's just for a little while, let's be allies. Help me save my friends, Catastros. Help me find a way out of here."

Natalia was really taking a leap of faith but there were no other option available to either one of them. Like it or not, Catastros and Natalia needed each other if they were to survive and get back to their home dimension.

Catastros neighed in agreement and knelt down. He gestured to his back with his head once or twice until Natalia caught the hint.

"You want me to ride you? Okay." Catastros had a faceplate but nothing more. There were neither reins with a bit and nor was there a saddle, which meant Natalia would have to ride bareback, something she'd never done before. "Well, good thing I like a challenge."

With some nervousness, Natalia mounted Catastros and held on tight to his mane of long, thick black horsehair, and then yelped as Catastros suddenly stood and took off on the greatest as well as the fastest, horseback ride that Natalia had ever had in her life.

XXX

Meanwhile, Mason and the others were pouring over countless books to try and find the right spell to either bring Natalia home or at least track her down. Nothing had worked so far, but nobody was willing to give up. They had to keep trying. Natalia was depending on them to succeed.

"Nominiminiminous Rox!" incanted Xander, winking as he cast a spell on the crystal ball. His shoulders slumped in defeat when the crystal ball remained blank.

"Any luck?" asked Chip, as he joined Xander's place.

Xander shook his head. "No. And I even winked."

"Hmm. Well, let's try this one. It's supposed to contact lost loved ones." Chip aimed his morpher at the crystal ball. "Colingo Trebenage!" But once again, despite a good level of power applied to the spell, nothing happened, which only further discouraged them. "Oh, come on! We've been at this for hours! One of these spells has to work! Why isn't anything working?"

Mason looked up from the spell book he was examining. "Hey, don't get frustrated, guys. We've just got to keep trying. Udonna always says if you believe in magic, anything's possible." It only provided a sliver of hope but it was better than nothing.

Chip and Xander nodded in agreement.

Vida, who was examining the Xenotome, suddenly piped up, "Guys, I think I found something! Get over here!" When everyone joined her, Vida read aloud, "'A spell of transport is a one-way deal, unless a source can reverse the seal.'"

"Oh, goody, a riddle," said Xander, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just what we need."

Chip's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Reverse the seal? How?"

Mason paused in thought for a moment and then his face lit up and he snapped his fingers when an idea came to him. "Wait, I've got it. Vee, remember that record that came out last year? The one you used all the time for scratching? It was your favorite because if you played it backwards, it had different lyrics. Which means that maybe, just maybe—"

"If we say Koragg's spell backwards, it'll reverse the seal and get Natalia back," finished Vida, as her face lit up. "That's a great idea, Mace. And it's the best shot we've had all day. So, can anyone remember Koragg's spell?"

Chip nodded. "It was something like 'Fettuccine Alfredo!'" Chip only realized how ridiculous that sounded after he'd said it and everyone gave Chip looks that said, 'really?' Chip turned pink and quickly said, "Well, it was. I'll…uh…try and remember the spell."

"Please do, Chip," said Mason. "Remember, Natalia's counting on you."

Chip nodded and then proceeded to attempt to recall Koragg's transportation spell.

XXX

Meanwhile, Morticon and Necrolai, who were laughing and celebrating their victory over Koragg, suddenly found themselves on the receiving end of at least two of Koragg's Wolf Attacks from up above, which blasted them across the throne room and greatly injured them. In their injured state, they were no match for Koragg, who landed gracefully on the floor on the throne room and held his sword over their heads.

Necrolai gasped in terror.

"How DARE you attack Catastros, Necrolai!" growled Koragg. His sword lit up with tendrils of dark magic, as if he was about to strike at them both.

Necrolai, who always acted in her own self-interest, pointed to Morticon. "It was Morticon! He gave me the crossbow and ordered me to do it!"

"That may be true, hag, but you still pulled the trigger!" snarled Koragg. He was raging mad and rightly so, for thanks to Necrolai and Morticon's betrayal, Catastros was now lost in another dimension and as Koragg knew not which dimension, the Knight Wolf couldn't retrieve his loyal ally and friend. "I should destroy you both!"

Despite his injuries, Morticon refused to back down. "I did what was necessary! You lied to me about the Rangers' combining power, Koragg! And you left me down here to rot! ADMIT IT!"

"I admit to nothing except working to serve the Master!" spat Koragg. This time, he wasn't at all lying. Koragg had been acting on the behalf of his leader, which was more than he could ever say for Necrolai and Morticon. "I should destroy you both right now! And I will if the Master consents!" Koragg turned the eye of the Master, which glowed bright red as he gave an answer to the Knight Wolf. "As you wish, Master." Koragg turned back to his former allies. "Consider yourselves fortunate, you traitors. For the Master wishes you both alive, for now. But heed my warning, if either of you ever betray me again, I will destroy you both, with or without the Master's consent! Is that clear?"

With great reluctance, both Morticon and Necrolai agreed and then Koragg sheathed his sword and walked away from them.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" demanded Morticon. "You still owe me the Rangers' combining power!"

Dark magic emerged from Koragg's clenched fist but he did not attempt to strike. "Think again, Morticon. As the Master wills it, I owe you nothing! And even so, I cannot give you the power for I have already given it to another warrior, one that I can trust! He will take care of the Rangers. This will be your punishment, Morticon. Be grateful it isn't worse."

As means of killing two birds with one stone—keeping the Morticon from the Rangers' combining power and destroying the other four Rangers—Koragg had recreated Bouldy and sent him to the surface world, only this time, Bouldy was now Bouldster and with the help of the stolen magic, the monster was stronger than ever. The perfect means with which to defeat the Rangers.

XXX

Back on the surface, despite having morphed into their Mystic Titan forms, Bouldster was soundly defeating the other Rangers. With the added boost of their stolen magic, Bouldster was undefeatable. He kept launching one Boulder Blast after another before anyone had a chance to protect themselves much less retaliate against him. They were barely holding on and eventually, they wouldn't even be able to do that. They had to get Natalia back and quickly or else they would be destroyed.

Suddenly, Chip remembered the spell. "Guys, I got it! Koragg's spell! It was Basalichi Infrado!"

"So, say it backwards!" urged Mason.

Chip racked his brains, trying to figure out how to say it backwards. "Uh…Odarfni Ihcilasab."

Right in the nick of time, the dark seal appeared and both Natalia and Catastros emerged from it, not only were they both fully morphed and titan size but Natalia was also riding Catastros. It was nothing short of a magical miracle.

"Hey, look, it's Natalia!" said Vida.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Xander, in amazement.

"Chip, you did it!" cheered Mason.

Chip beamed, feeling very proud of himself.

XXX

As Natalia and Catastros rode on, she felt a new surge power flow through her body. In her mind, an image and incantation formed and in that moment, Natalia realized that Catastros was not only communicating with her, but he was joining their powers as one to help her, just as she'd asked him to. He was repaying Natalia for her kindness and Natalia was only too happy to take him up on the offer.

Natalia crossed her arms before throwing up a fist to the heavens. "Centaurus Phoenix Megazord!" Within moments, Natalia and Catastros bonded together to form a powerful megazord resembling a warrior in red, gold and black armor with a new, stronger weapon.

Koragg, who had been watching the battle and expecting a swift victory, was shocked by the turn of events. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Red Ranger had not only returned riding his loyal steed but now she was bonded to Catastros, which was supposed to be impossible. Was there no end to the surprises the Red Witch had up her sleeve? What kind of a witch could accomplish what she had and still remain standing?

"She bonded with Catastros," said Koragg, in amazement. "How is that possible?"

But there was no means of answer to his question as Natalia ignited her sword with powerful flames and spun it in her hands, preparing to strike at Bouldster. "Come and get me, big boy! Or are you afraid of a little fire?"

Bouldster, being the thickheaded monster he was, didn't take Natalia seriously and nor did he take kindly to being insulted.

"I'm not afraid of you!" roared Bouldster. He made a terrible roar and charged at Natalia, swinging his big, stone club at her. Natalia easily blocked Bouldster's blows with her sword and then summoned up enough energy to ignite her entire body in blazing fire. She then created a fire spin so powerful that it turned all the boulders sent after her into dust and then she swung her blade right across Bouldster, causing him to explode into gravel, destroying him forever.

With the battle over, Natalia and Catastros ended their bonding, though she remained on his back as she was then swarmed upon by her boyfriend and friends, who were all exceedingly glad to have Natalia back in one piece, alive and well. But the celebration was interrupted when, with Bouldster's destruction, came the return of their combining powers.

"Our combining power, we got it back," said Xander, happily.

"What a relief!" said Chip.

Vida did a happy flip in the air. "Now, we can kick some evil butt again."

"And it all thanks to you two." Mason looked proudly at his girlfriend before he gave Catastros an affectionate pat on the head. "Thanks, Catastros."

Catastros did not reply to Mason. Instead, Catastros neighed loudly and twisted his neck so he could look into Natalia's eyes.

Natalia's heart sank as she realized what Catastros was trying to say but although she had expected it, it didn't make it any easier. In their brief time together, Natalia had only conquered her fear of horses but she'd also grown fond of Catastros. She didn't want to part with him but she knew she couldn't make him stay against his will and nor did she want.

"I know, boy," she murmured. She quickly dismounted Catastros. "Thank you, for everything. Good-bye, Catastros. Maybe someday, we'll ride together again, if you'd let me."

Catastros gave Natalia's shoulder an affection nudge before rearing up on his hind legs and then racing back to Koragg, who combined with him.

Natalia and the others prepared for another attack but none came. Instead, Koragg remained where he was, as if he'd decided that not fighting would be the honorable thing to do after the way that his horse had been restored to him.

"I don't know how you were able to combine with my mighty Catastros, but I promise you, I will find out!" vowed Koragg. "Something about you is troubling. We will meet again, Red Ranger."

Before anyone could stop him, Koragg disappeared beneath a dark seal.

XXX

Later that day, after a hot meal and some good rest, Natalia went on a walk in forest with Udonna and Mason, both of whom were quite happy that Natalia had returned safely. Mason wouldn't let go of Natalia's had and after what she'd gone through, Natalia was not inclined to break apart anytime soon. Right now, she just wanted her boyfriend and enjoy being back home.

"I'm glad you're back. I thought I'd never get to hold you again," murmured Mason.

Natalia gently squeezed Mason's hand. "I'd never allow that to happen." She planted a soft kiss on Mason's lips while Udonna smiled softly.

"You should both be proud of yourselves," said Udonna. "You, Mason, for helping to find a way to bring Natalia back. And you, Natalia, for all you did while you were away. Not many can say they've ridden the might Catastros, much less bonded with him."

Natalia nodded in agreement. Even though it was a frightening experience, it was one of the most amazing of her life. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. But I think if he hadn't needed my help, things would've turned out pretty differently back there."

Udonna agreed. "You may be right. So, unfortunately, the next time you meet Catastros, you will be enemies again. But you conquered your fears and were rewarded. I'm very proud of you."

Natalia smiled. "Thanks. Oh, by the way, I'm really grateful for everything you all did to get me home. All of you came through for me when it really mattered. But I've got to ask, how did you guys figure out how to get me back, anyway?

Mason chuckled. "Well, actually, we had a little help with a certain troblin friend of yours."

Natalia laughed. "Phineas? Wow. You know, if you'd told me I'd be hanging around with a sorceress queen, a troblin, have friends and a boyfriend, or that I'd be a witch, I never would've believed it." So much had changed in Natalia's life and while it had its ups and downs, it had changed for the better and she loved every minute of it.

"Your journey is just beginning, Natalia. There are many adventures ahead, for all of us," said Udonna, smiling.

"Now, that I can believe," said Natalia.

Though she didn't know how exactly or what precisely lay ahead of her, Natalia knew one thing: it was never going to be boring and there was so much more ahead of her than she could ever dream of. And she was looking forward to every minute of it.