Fire Heart
It was another beautiful day in Briarwood, the sun was shining, the skies were clear, the birds were singing and Natalia was almost on the verge of screaming and punching Xander's lights out as she worked her shift at the Rock Porium. She and her friends were all busy doing one task after another as per their instructions from Toby and Xander hadn't lifted so much as a finger all morning, as he was in one of his "I'm supervising" moods. It was greatly infuriating Natalia to no end.
"All righty, work the beat. Work the beat," said Xander, as he zipped through the store on a rolling desk chair. "Stocking doesn't have to be boring."
Suddenly, Xander's fun came an end as he was startled by the sudden appearance of a scary-looking cardboard cutout of a renowned musical artist. Xander sighed in relief when Toby popped his head out from behind the cutout.
"Oh, it's you, boss," said Xander, as he rose up from his chair. "How're you today?"
Toby smiled. "Very happy, since you've asked. Nice work, Xander, I like the way you've got everyone working." Toby chose to ignore how Natalia face palmed and everyone else rolled their eyes. They were all working because it was their job and also because they knew if they didn't do the work, it wouldn't get done as Xander was too lazy to soil his soft, pretty hands. "You are a born leader."
"If by 'born leader,' you mean Xander's an extremely lazy employee, then yes," muttered Natalia.
"I heard that, Lia!" said Xander, shooting Natalia an annoyed look over his shoulder.
"You were supposed to!" Natalia shot back. She sighed in exasperation and rolled her eyes. Xander was so full of it sometimes and it really got in Natalia's nerves. Did Xander's gigantic ego even fit in the record store?
Xander scowled before replacing it with a curious look as he glanced at the cardboard cutout. "So, boss, who's the old guy?"
Toby's jaw dropped and he looked at Xander as though the Green Ranger had lobsters crawling out of his ear.
"'Who's the old guy?'" echoed Toby, in shocked disbelief. "No offense, but have you been living under a rock? How can you not recognize one of the greatest musicians there ever was? Guys! Do none of you know him?"
When Xander, Chip, Vida and Mason all shook their heads, Natalia piped up, "That's Jake Bonebreaker. The guy who put the 'metal' in metalhead. Lead guitar and vocal on metal mega classic, Harry Hatchet. He's one of my dad's favorites."
Natalia had never particularly liked heavy metal music as she favored music like Jimi's, but whenever it'd been her dad's turn to pick the music when they spent time together, she'd put up with it out of love for her father.
Toby smiled proudly at Natalia. "See? Now, that's what I like to hear. That girl knows her music. Now, I'd like you all to learn from Natalia's example, so your assignment today is to play some of Jake's music and learn to like it. Okay? Class dismissed."
"Toby, wait up. I got you something," Natalia left her work station as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a ticket to Jake Bonebreaker's next concert, which would be touring in Briarwood later that week. "I wanted to say thanks for taking me on and being such a great boss, so I snagged you this the other day. I hope you like it."
Toby's jaw dropped and he looked at the ticket like Natalia had just handed him a solid bar of gold. "Like it? I don't like it, I love it! This is a front-row ticket to Jake Bonebreaker's concert! I've been trying like crazy to get one, but it's been sold out for ages! Oh, you angel!" Toby held Natalia in a quick, tight embrace and then kissed her forehead. "Natalia, you are now my favorite employee! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Oh, I've got to go let everyone on my Facebook know! Where's my computer?"
Natalia smiled and couldn't help but chuckle as Toby ran into his office, the ticket clutched tightly in his hand and then he slammed the office door shut.
"Wow, I don't think I've seen Toby that happy since we gave him a guitar-shaped cake for his birthday," remarked Mason, smiling. "That was a real nice thing you did for him."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to thank him," said Natalia, as she resumed her work. "Toby took a chance on me when I came to Briarwood and he's been a real decent boss. I felt like I owed him." Toby was a bit of a goof, but he was a really nice guy who'd treated Natalia with more than her fair share of kindness and gentlemanly respect. Out of all the places she'd worked and the people she'd worked for, Natalia's favorite by far was Toby and the Rock Porium. Snagging the ticket had been a stroke of luck and the perfect means of showing Natalia's gratitude.
"Guys, who wants to take care of the King of Metal?" asked Xander, loudly.
Xander expected someone to quickly agree, find one of Jake's soundtracks and get it playing but no one volunteered. Natalia was not the only one fed up with Xander's behavior, everyone else was too and they wanted Xander to get off his lazy butt and get to work.
"I'm busy," said Vida.
"Sorry, heavy metal makes my nose bleed," said Chip, not looking up from his work.
"I've got my hands full and I don't even like heavy metal," said Mason, gesturing to the still remaining boxes of records that he was unloading.
Natalia just flat-out shook her head. "Nope."
Xander scowled and sighed. "Fine. I'll take care of it myself then! Just like I do everything else around here." But instead of getting out one of Bonebreaker's soundtracks and putting it on, Xander pulled out his morpher and aimed it at the cardboard cutout of Jake Bonebreaker. "With a little help from some magic."
Before Xander could cast his spell, however, he found himself being dragged across the room by his ear. Natalia had decided enough was enough, snuck up behind him and grabbed him. She looked like a mother punishing her naughty child and it caused everyone else to laugh.
"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" yelped Xander, as Natalia pulled hard on his ear. "Let go, Natalia! Who do you think you are, my mother?"
"No, I'm your leader, which makes me worse. For crying out loud, Xander! How many times do I have to tell you? We do not practice magic in front of humans!" hissed Natalia. "What if Toby sees your little creation? How're you going to explain when you turn it back into a cardboard cutout? Do you want Toby to think he's losing his mind or get us all exposed?"
"No," admitted Xander. When Natalia put it like that, it did sound like a pretty stupid idea.
"Then knock it off and do your work without using magic, or I will kick your butt into next Tuesday. Got it?" demanded Natalia. "And if you even think that I'm bluffing, reconsider that. Because you know I can and I will."
Having witnessed Natalia's martial arts moves for himself, Xander had no desire to be on the receiving end of them and so he quickly nodded and Natalia released his ear. Xander scowled as he gently rubbed his red and aching ear before finally starting on his share of the work.
Vida high-fived Natalia as the Red Ranger returned to her work space. There was nothing better than putting Xander into his place.
Half an hour later, everyone's morphers went off.
Vida put her phone on speaker. "Go, Udonna."
"Rangers, there's a very strong dark-magic presence in your area. Three blocks from your place of employment at a parking garage," said Udonna, urgently. "Get there as quickly as you can."
"We'll be right there," said Vida. She closed her phone. "How do you guys want to handle this?"
Their shifts wouldn't be over for a few more hours yet and if they all disappeared, it might look pretty bad, especially after Natalia had been so generous with her gift to Toby.
"We can't all split on Toby. Mason, why don't you and Vee go take care of this? Call if you need backup," said Natalia.
Mason and Vida nodded and then took off.
XXX
In the parking garage, Necrolai slipped her hand into the backseat of a vacated taxi.
Earlier that day, a university professor had discovered a map written by the Ancients and had planned to present to the head of his university for further study and much more. But he'd been disturbed when the taxi he'd entered had turned out to be a monster in disguise that tried to end him. Terrified out of his mind, the professor had run off and accidentally left the map behind in the process.
Necrolai recognized it immediately and she was exceedingly pleased. "Excellent. Morticon and Koragg will most grateful indeed." If Necrolai were to follow the map's instructions to the treasure that it spoke of, great power would be rewarded to the dark forces.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Necrolai hid in the shadows.
XXX
Mason and Vida raced to the parking garage.
They were almost at the source of the dark magic when Mason suddenly grabbed Vida and pulled her back, much to the Pink Ranger's annoyance.
"What?" hissed Vida.
Mason pointed to the rotating camera, which was nestled high on a pillar. "Smile. We're going to be on camera if we go any further."
"Ah, crap," muttered Vida. This wasn't good. If they were caught on the camera, everything they'd been doing and their very identities would be exposed. They couldn't risk that. Then Vida's face lit up with a brilliant idea. "Bro, can you loop the feed and send the rest to Rootcore?"
Mason grinned. It wasn't often that he got to use his cameraman skills on the field. It was kind of exciting. "Is the sky blue?"
Quickly, Mason whipped out his morpher and there was a shimmer of blue light as the camera's feed was looped and whatever else it picked up was sent to the surveillance equipment back at Rootcore so they could study it if at all necessary.
With the camera dealt with, Mason and Vida walked into the parking garage, expecting some form of trouble but there was nothing there. Not a soul around, human or otherwise, and nor was there anything even remotely evil, just a vacated vehicle.
"There's nothing down here but a taxi," said Vida, annoyed. "We rushed all the way down here for nothing? Figures."
It was the wrong thing to say as the taxi suddenly came to life and transformed into a demonic-looking beast, Taxi Cab Monster, and launched itself at them as it made a loud roar.
"Whoa!" Mason quickly dodged the blow that came his way and whipped out his morpher. This creep was tough and they needed more power to deal with it. "Let's Ranger up, sis! Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
After morphing, Vida leapt into the air and delivered a devastating kick to Taxi Cab Monster's chest and then Mason blasted it across the parking garage with a powerful geyser of hot water. They were about to strike again when suddenly, Mason and Vida were blasted with dark magic that wounded them. When their attacker came into view, Vida was shocked to see who it was.
"Necrolai?!" exclaimed Vida.
"Who else?" said Necrolai, smugly. "And I believe you've met my little friend. Finish them off!"
Before either of them could react, Taxi Cab Monster attacked again. He slashed at them with his claws and then tossed them across the parking garage. While they were down again, Mason hit the distress signal button on his morpher and soon enough, reinforcements arrived.
"Flamma Aeterna!"
"Fulgur Percusserit!"
A powerful beam of fire shot out of nowhere and Necrolai shrieked in pain as she was badly burnt. Lightning shot out and struck the Taxi Cab Monster hard enough to cause severe cracks in its armor. But the monster still stood and by a miracle, Necrolai still had her prize but she was no condition to continue the fight against the Rangers.
"You!" hissed Necrolai, as Natalia, Chip and Xander arrived. "I'll deal with you later!" She whistled and Taxi Cab Monster turned back into a car and Necrolai placed her stolen property inside. "Deliver the map so that I may have that glorious power!"
Before anyone could stop her, Necrolai set off a smoke bomb which made it impossible to see her and when the smoke cleared, she was gone.
"Oh, man!" whined Xander. "She's gone! Now, what do we do?"
Necrolai had vanished with something important and they had no idea what it was or how to retrieve it so that she couldn't use it against them. This was not at all good.
"Now, we go to Rootcore and find out what Necrolai's up to," said Mason, grinning. He gestured to the camera. "Big brother was watching the whole time."
"Oh, sweet," said Chip, excitedly.
XXX
Later that day, the Rangers met up with Udonna to review the security footage from the parking garage. At first, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary that would be of any use to them but then Mason spotted Necrolai examining an old piece of parchment.
"Wait, what is that?" murmured Mason. He zoomed in and saw that it was a map. "Is that a map?"
Udonna nodded and then she frowned. "Yes, but there's more to it than that. It's a map written by the Ancients. Mason?"
"On it." Mason cast a spell that copied the map and made it materialize in Rootcore.
Udonna picked it up and when she examined it, she placed a hand over her heart and turned quite pale. "Oh my. Well, this certainly explains why Necrolai was so eager to leave. But I don't understand how this is possible. I thought this was lost."
Natalia frowned. "Why? What is it?"
"It's the map to the Fire Heart," announced Udonna.
"The Fire Heart? No way!" exclaimed Chip, excitedly. Then his face fell as he realized that he had no idea what the Fire Heart even was. "What's the Fire Heart?"
Udonna looked grave. "The Ancients believed it to be a source of tremendous magical power. So, they sought to protect it from the darkness by hiding it in a place of untold danger with clues only a great intellect would be able to decipher. It's been hidden for centuries and no one has ever found it. And now it appears Necrolai thinks she might stand a chance at retrieving it."
Vida slammed her fist into her palm. "Which means we need to beat that scaly overgrown bat to the prize." Vida was more than eager to go after the Fire Heart if it meant clipping Necrolai's wings. The Pink Ranger had been after some serious payback ever Necrolai had turned Mason into stone.
For once, Udonna did not encourage Vida's eagerness for battle, which spoke volumes as to the level of danger presented by their quest.
"It will not be that easy, Vida," said Udonna, gravely. "According to this map, you must traverse the Cimmerian Forest to reach the Fire Heart's location."
Ever the arrogant one, Xander dismissed Udonna's worries. "Oh, that won't be a problem. We like forests, don't we guys? I'm sure we can handle whatever boogeyman's out there."
Udonna's eyes narrowed and became cold, causing Xander to flinch. "Do not be so quick to dismiss the dangers, Xander. You are about to embark on the most dangerous journey of your entire life. This is unlike any forest you've ever encountered. The Cimmerian Forest has long been forbidden to even the strongest of magical practitioners and warriors for a reason. It is the place of nightmares. Not only will no magic work there, but the forest is home to dangerous and evil beasts, ravenous demons, sinking sand and much, much more. With this journey, returning with the Fire Heart will not be your success, your success will be to return alive. So, you must face this with the utmost seriousness and caution, otherwise you will never return. Is that understood?"
With the seriousness of the situation fully settled on them, the Rangers all nodded and murmured in agreement to Udonna's wishes. With no magic to help them and only the map to guide them, they could not afford to be reckless or unprepared if they were to survive the Cimmerian Forest and return with the Fire Heart. This was going to be their greatest if not their most dangerous adventure yet.
XXX
An hour later, the Rangers forced themselves to ignore the warning sign, forbidding entrance to the dangerous forest and began making their way through the Cimmerian Forest.
Natalia was taking the lead. As their magic was of no use to them and as Natalia was the only one with survival training, she was carrying a backpack with survival supplies: food and water, a first-aid kit, a Swiss army knife, tinder and matches, rope, fish hooks, a sewing kit, a flashlight, a compass, blankets and materials to make a shelter. She really hoped they wouldn't need any of it, but it was better to be prepared just in case.
"This isn't so bad," said Chip, a few minutes into their walk. He was attempting to lighten the mood as the forest was not only fairly dark due to the thick, binding tree branches blocking the sun, but there were also a great deal of skeletons lying around, both animal and human. "This is my kind of place."
"Well, it isn't mine," said Mason, grimacing. He shuddered as he narrowly avoided stepping on a black frog. "Ugh. I can't wait until we're out of this place. I am so not looking forward to this."
"I am," said Xander. "Hey, Natalia, since you're carrying all the gear, why don't I lighten your load a little bit and take the lead? I know how to read maps pretty well."
Natalia raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Xander nodded and held out his hand for the map. "Sure, I'm sure. Like Toby says, I'm a born leader, and besides, I'm more than willing to help a friend. Please?"
Natalia hesitated but then gave in. If Xander was speaking true, then she could trust him to lead them through safely. But if he was just blowing hot air, she'd take back over and teach Xander a lesson. Either way, the situation would be handled.
"All right, but you tell me if you need me to take over again. All right? You heard Udonna, we can't afford any mistakes or mess-ups. We have to get out of this dump as quickly and safely, which means everyone else's well-being has to come before pride. Is that clear?" said Natalia, warningly.
Xander nodded. "Crystal." He took the map and began leading them through the forest.
Fifteen minutes, a chilly breeze, five large spider webs and animal skeletons, and unnatural noises later, Xander suddenly stopped in his tracks and held out his hand.
"Whoa!"
At once, everyone collided with Xander, not realizing that he'd meant "stop."
Vida scowled at Xander as she smacked the back of his head. "Next time, say 'stop.' 'Whoa' is for horses. I don't see any horses around here. Do you? What's the hold up?"
"I just wanted to double-check the map." Xander ignored everyone's exasperated sighs and annoyed looks as he reexamined the map and then picked the direction. "Okay, I've got it. We go—what was that? Did anyone else here that?"
Everyone froze as a particularly loud and threatening sounding animal-like growl hit their ears.
"Now that you mention it, I have thought that someone's been following us ever since we came here," admitted Chip. "But I didn't want to say anything because I always think someone's following us. But now I'm thinking that I might be right because something is definitely off."
Everyone nodded in agreement and then they nearly jumped out of their skins as a familiar troblin swung down from a tree branch, smiled and said, "Hi, guys!"
"Gah!" Xander clutched his heart and took a deep breath to calm down. "Oh, it's only Phineas."
Phineas feigned offense. "Oh, it's only the Rangers!"
Natalia chuckled. "Sorry, Phineas. We're a little on edge. We're on an important mission, trying to get through the forest. And speaking of which, what's a nice troblin like you doing in this deathtrap?"
Phineas giggled. "Oh, stop it. You're going to make me blush. But since you've asked, I was following you because I was following you because I was worried and didn't want anything bad to happen to my friends. So—" Phineas performed an amazing acrobatic leap through the air and landed gracefully onto the forest floor. "—I have come to offer my services in leading you through the forest."
Xander shook his head. "Thanks but no thanks. We've got a map. We're fine."
Natalia held up a hand. "Shut it, Xander. I want to hear this." She turned to Phineas. "Phineas, you know the way through the Cimmerian Forest?"
Phineas nodded. "Sure do. I've been here many, many times. Sometimes, out of boredom, sometimes out of a desire for adventure. And despite all the crazy things that have happened to me here, I've not only survived but I know this forest like the back of my hand. I know where all the nasty things are and how to stay away from them. So, will you follow me?"
Not needing any further convincing, Natalia nodded. They had the map, but it didn't show them all the dark creatures and their homes or how to avoid them. Phineas knew the forest, which meant their odds of survival were greater if they stuck with the oddball troblin.
"Guys, I think we should go with Phineas," said Natalia. "He knows the way through the forest and the quicker we get through, the quicker we find the Fire Heart and beat Necrolai to it. Xander, I'm sorry, but I'm going with Phineas."
Phineas beamed. "I like her. She knows what she's talking about. Okay, so that's one. Who else would care to join us?"
Natalia joined Phineas' side but no one else followed her as they were unsure about trusting Phineas, a troblin who got beat up by mice, to lead them to safety. But that wasn't all. Xander had just taken a major blow to his pride. He felt as though he'd just been slapped in the face and told that he was useless. Who did Phineas think he was, taking the lead without Xander's permission? And what was Natalia thinking, just blindly following the troblin when Xander was the born leader and in charge?
"Wait, hold on! You're following Phineas? We don't need help!" protested Xander. "I can lead us through the forest. Don't you trust me?"
"When you're letting your ego get the better of you? No, I don't," said Natalia, bluntly. She wasn't doing this to be cruel. She was doing what she thought was best for their survival and throughout the time that Xander had been in charge, it had become clear that despite the Green Ranger's intentions, Xander had no idea what he was doing. Natalia wasn't surprised by Xander's behavior but she was still disappointed. It was great to be able to lead the charge but being a leader also meant knowing when to be a follower. "Look, Xander, it's not a sign of weakness for a leader to get help. Phineas knows the way. I trust him and I'm going with him. Is anyone else coming?"
"I will," said Mason. He looked at Vida and Chip, who were staring at him incredulously. "What? It makes sense. If Phineas knows his way through the forest, he can lead us out of it safely. He probably knows details that aren't even marked on that map. I say, we let Phineas take charge."
Xander looked furious. How dare they question him, who was the born leader? "Oh, come on! I can lead us safely through the forest. I'm a born leader!"
Natalia raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Oh, really? You're a born leader? What makes you one, Xander? Just because Toby said so?"
"Well, why not? That's how it worked for you! Udonna said you were the leader and that's what you've been ever since!" said Xander, angrily.
In Xander's mind, Natalia was being a huge hypocrite. After all, despite Natalia's prowess in battle and her skills, Xander couldn't see why Natalia was leader of the Rangers. It was only because Udonna had said Natalia was the Red Ranger that Natalia had even gotten the position in the first place. Natalia hadn't asked for it or worked for it. She'd just been handed everything on a silver platter, which was completely unfair in Xander's eyes.
It was the wrong thing to say as Natalia's eyes blazed like hot fire with anger making Xander flinch and step back.
"How dare you!" Natalia hissed, furiously. "I didn't become leader of the Rangers just because Udonna said so! I'm the leader because the magics chose me and I chose to accept the destiny I was given. I took control for the good of the team and everyone else who's depending on us to win this war. I work hard every single day to be a good leader so that we can live to fight another day. I know when to take command and more importantly, I know when to listen to others and follow them, just like I'm doing now. Just like a good leader is supposed to do. So, if you want to let your ego get the better of you by walking through this deathtrap of a forest without any help, go right ahead. But I'm sticking with Phineas!"
Without waiting for a reply, Natalia stormed off towards Phineas and Mason followed her without saying so much as a word. They then waited a moment to see if anyone else would follow them, but neither Chip nor Vida joined them.
"Well, fine!" yelled Xander, angrily. "Go and get lost forever, for all I care! I've got the map and I know exactly where I'm going! I don't need help and I don't need YOU! Not as a friend and certainly not as a leader! So, GET LOST!"
"FINE!" yelled Natalia. "See if I care if you get eaten by a boar beast or a giant spider or whatever the devil's in this heaven-forsaken forest!"
"FINE!" yelled Xander. "AND SAME TO YOU!"
Without further ado, the two groups split up and went off in different directions. No one spoke, not wanting to set off the two angry Rangers. Chip and Vida exchanged nervous, worried looks. Natalia and Xander had had their disagreements, but they'd never gotten so angry with one another or fought like that before. Was it the beginning of the end of their friendship forever?
XXX
An hour later, it quickly became clear to Chip and Vida that Mason and Natalia had made the right call in following Phineas. They'd been walking for miles and didn't appear to be getting any closer to the Fire Heart than when they'd first started and what was more, Chip had been marking their way by nicking trees with his penknife and he soon discovered that he'd marked the same exact stump three times in a row.
"Uh, excuse me. Fearless leader?" said Chip, hesitantly. "I think we're going around in circles."
Xander rolled his eyes in exasperation. "We are not Chip. Don't start up with me!"
"But we've passed this stump three times. I've even marked it. See?" said Chip, gesturing to the tree stump that had not one but three nicks in it. "We're going around in circles."
Xander sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are you even doing something so ridiculous, Chip? Marking the tree. Come on! Where'd you get such a stupid idea? A comic book?"
Chip flinched as though he'd been slapped and hesitantly said, "Uh…Natalia told me…"
"Don't mention that tyrant's name!" snapped Xander, angrily. Natalia this, Natalia that. Who cared about Natalia? Xander didn't! Xander did not want to hear about the Red Ranger or her so-called talents and skills. She was no leader. She was a hypocritical cow who deserved whatever fate she got. It was only right after what she'd done. "I know where we're going and we don't need any help from that cow! So, shut up and stop following her direction unless you want to go follow her into the pit!"
Chip looked as though he was about to cry and Vida stepped in.
"Hey!" Vida angrily stepped in and punched Xander in the face, sending him down and giving him a rather beautiful black eye. "Leave Chip alone, Xander! Just because you're on the outs with Natalia does NOT mean you get to take it out on Chip! He doesn't deserve to be treated like that and if I EVER catch you acting like that again, I'll rearrange your limbs! And FYI, being a 'born leader' doesn't mean you get to act like a dictator! Chip is trying to help, which is more than I can say for you. And also, he's right. We're lost! So, why don't you just apologize to Chip and admit that we're lost?"
Xander glared as he stood up and clutched his bruised eye. "I'm not apologizing because I didn't do anything wrong!" he snapped. In his anger, Xander refused to see himself as anything other than the victim in all this mess that lay before him. "And I won't admit anything because there's nothing to admit! We are NOT lost!"
Vida nearly popped a vein. "UGH! You and your ego! We are TOO!"
"We are not!" argued Xander.
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"We are sinking!" said Chip, loudly over their arguing.
Xander and Vida's argument came to an end as they realized Chip was right. In the course of their bickering, they hadn't notice the swamp sand pit, which acted like quicksand only much, much worse and they were sinking like stones into the muddy pit. Their argument forgotten, the three Rangers struggled against the thick, disgusting swamp sand that was pulling them down. It was not easy, as it was quite heavy and they could barely move. By a miracle, Chip managed to grab a hold of a thick, sturdy vine and held out his hand.
"Guys, take my hand!" cried Chip.
Vida grabbed Chip's hand and then together, they pulled each other out of the swamp sand. Once they were safe, they grabbed a hold of Xander, who was up to his neck in the filthy stuff and pulled him to safety on the outside of the pit. But there was no time for resting or celebration as Vida suddenly realized that the map wasn't on Xander's person.
"Where's the map?" asked Vida, frantically.
Xander frantically looked around and his heart sank as he saw the map get sucked to the bottom of the swamp sand pit. Refusing to give up, Xander tried to remain optimistic.
"Okay, okay, no worries. It's a tiny little setback, but we can get through this," said Xander, trying to sound cheerful. "A map? Who needs a map? I've looked at that thing a million times! I've got it all up here, like a picture on my phone." Xander tapped his temple with enthusiasm but neither Chip nor Vida even attempted to crack a smile.
"And I guess, that's supposed to make us feel better?" said Vida, sarcastically. She scooped up some of the mud dripping off her clothes and tossed it onto Xander's face. "Why didn't we go with Phineas when we had the chance?"
Xander looked affronted but not wishing for another black eye, wisely said nothing.
XXX
Meanwhile, Xander's band of misfits were not the only ones struggling through the Cimmerian Forest. Despite being the Queen of the Vampires, Necrolai was having her own fair share of problems too. For one, she'd had a late start after having to heal from Natalia's fire attack and the army of Hidiacs she'd brought with her were being slowpokes, which only angered her.
"For the last time, hurry, you fools!" screeched Necrolai. "The Master will reward me when I bring him the secret to the Fire Heart! Quickly!"
Not wishing to invoke their mistress's wrath, the Hidiacs started to pick up the pace only they did it too late as suddenly, Aranea the Spider Queen, a very dangerous spider the size of a small elephant with large fangs that dripped deadly poison, suddenly shot out two lengths of thick webbing and took two of the Hidiacs into her web up above in the trees.
Necrolai gasped in horror before becoming angry. "Release them!" She attempted to blast the web with dark magic but much to her surprise, her magic vanished into thin air. "My powers don't work here! They're useless and so are the two of you! Ugh!" Without her powers, Necrolai was going to have to survive the forest the old-fashioned way and if that meant sacrificing a few Hidiacs on the way, then she was willing to pay the price. "Leave them! We must hurry!"
Quickly, the Hidiacs followed the Vampire Queen through the dangerous Cimmerian Forest.
XXX
Not long after escaping the swamp sand, Xander and his group found Natalia and the others about to make their way down the right-hand path in the fork in the road. Upon seeing each other, Natalia and Xander glared and looked away. After the fight they'd had, they weren't speaking to each other any time soon and no one could blame them. Some pretty harsh things had been spoken.
"Hey, guys. Whoa, what happened?" asked Mason, concerned as he eyed their weary faces and swamp sand stained clothing. "Are you all okay?"
"Yes, no thanks to Mister Born Leader," said Vida, as she glared at the Green Ranger. "We went in circles for an hour before wandering into a swamp sand pit thanks to his pigheadedness!" She walked away from Xander and looked pleadingly at Phineas. "Hey, Phineas, I'm really sorry for not listening to you earlier. Would it be all right if I joined you guys now?"
Phineas eagerly nodded. "Sure, the more the merrier! What say you, Natalia?"
"It's more than fine with me. Here, Vee. You're probably parched. Drink this slowly." Natalia reached into her pack and handed Vida a bottle of water, which she eagerly downed. "Chip, we're only half an hour's walk away from the end of the forest. Do you want to come with us?"
Chip nodded and walked over to them, eagerly accepting a bottle of water and a packet of trail mix from Natalia's pack.
Realizing he was losing his followers, Xander tried to remedy the situation. "Guys, guys, wait! Don't go. I know the way out, I really do! We are fine!"
"Oh, he's right. You really are fine, because if you follow him down the left-hand trail, you will be likely eaten by a boar beast or the giant Spider Queen Aranea and her cluster as you enter her territory," said Phineas, before anyone could speak. "But hey, have a nice day."
If Chip and Vida weren't persuaded before, they certainly were now after hearing Phineas' dark description of what lay ahead of them.
"Guys, please," begged Xander, desperately. "He's just trying to scare us! I'm in charge and I'm your friend. Don't you want to come with me?"
"After seeing how your ego nearly got us killed? No way. I'm going with them," said Vida. She was done putting up with Xander's crap and unlike the Green Ranger, Vida wanted to live to see her next birthday. So, she was doing what she should've done in the first place and sticking with Phineas. "And you haven't been acting like a friend, so why would I want to go with you? Humph!"
Xander desperately looked to Chip and tried to bribe him. "Chip, buddy, I'll cover your shifts at the Rock Porium for three weekends if you stick with me."
Chip folded his arms across his chest and pretended to think about it. "Follow you after all the nasty stuff you said to me and how you refused to apologize? Hmm. No!" Chip gave Xander a disgusted look as he stayed by the side of Phineas's group.
Xander felt heartbroken at having lost his friends to Natalia and Phineas but he refused to give in as he quickly regained his composure. "Fine. I'll just go on my own. See you all later!"
Without waiting for a reply, Xander stormed off down the left-hand pathway in the fork in the road.
XXX
Half an hour later, Phineas had led Natalia's group safely out of the forest and to a cliff overlooking a rock quarry. The skies were clear, the darkness was gone and Natalia felt her magic return to her. They were safe and had survived the Cimmerian Forest.
"Congratulations, you have officially made it out of the Cimmerian Forest!" said Phineas, proudly. "Now, once you've finished your business here, simply use that tree down there—" Phineas pointed to the lone tree that stood down in the center of the valley. "—and you'll be back at Rootcore, safe and sound. Got that? Good."
Everyone quickly offered words of gratitude to the troblin, grateful that he'd been kind enough to lead them through the deathtrap forest.
"Wait, Phineas." Before the troblin could leave, Natalia pulled out a cluster of berries she'd packed. "Consider this a thanks for helping us. And I know it's a lot to ask, but could you please check on Xander? Make sure he doesn't get himself killed." As mad as Natalia was at Xander, she didn't actually want the Green Ranger to get hurt or worse.
Phineas nodded as he quickly gobbled down the berries. "Not a problem. I'll go find him right now."
"Thanks for everything, Phineas!" said Mason, as the troblin left. "Come on, guys. Let's hurry and find the Fire Heart and get out of here before Necrolai and her goons show up."
No pun intended, the Rangers weren't out of the woods yet. They still had work to do before they could return home for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.
XXX
Meanwhile, Xander was still sulking as he trudged through the forest.
It'd been quite a miserable journey after he'd gone off on his own. He stunk from the swamp sand, he was sweating like a pig and his legs ached like nobody's business from walking so far for so long. If that wasn't enough, Xander had run into scores of sticky spider webs, tripped over branches and roots at least half a dozen times, chased by boar beast that tried to skewer him, mistaken bad berries for good ones and gotten sick and tumbled down a hill which had led to a number of bad abrasions and lacerations and he was going out of his mind with no one to talk to.
It was all Natalia's fault. If she hadn't decided to follow Phineas in the first place and said all those lies, Xander wouldn't have had to go off on his own and he wouldn't have ended up in so much trouble. If Natalia had only stayed and followed Xander's directions, everything would've been fine. But no. Little Miss Red Ranger had to go be a hypocritical cow and turn everyone against him. Who did she think she was, anyway?
Your leader, perhaps? said a nagging voice in Xander's head. You've never had a problem with Natalia's leadership before now. Why should this time be any different?
Because I took the lead this time, he argued. I know what I'm doing! Natalia just thinks she does because Udonna put her in charge of us. But that doesn't mean anything! Natalia thinks she's special just because she got to be the Red Ranger, but that's not true. Being a leader's not that hard of a job. I was born to lead!
If that's true, then why was Natalia chosen to be the Red Ranger and not you? Xander stopped in his tracks as he considered this. You heard what Natalia said, she works hard to protect the team and ensure victories in battle. She's had to take care of everyone and carry the burden of leadership even though you can see in her eyes that sometimes she's scared. She puts everyone else's well-being ahead of her own and even pulls extra shifts at Rock Porium when someone on the team's sick. When was the last time you did anything for your team?
Xander racked his brains, trying to recall when the last time he'd done something for someone was. When was the last time he'd done some extra work at the Rock Porium? Or just done his share of the work instead of "supervising." Or worked with one of the Rangers during study hour to help them master their incantations? When was the last time he led the charge and knew the best battle strategy so everyone would come out safe and victorious? When was the last time Xander had listened to someone else's ideas or suggestions for work or play instead of just sticking with what he wanted to do? When was the last time he took care of someone, regardless of convenience?
After a good twenty minutes of trying to recall such an incident, Xander realized, with a pang of shame, that he couldn't remember anything of the like because he hadn't done anything but serve his own ego and self-interests for quite a while. It suddenly dawned on him what a burden Natalia must've had, as leader. What must it have been like, to come to a town she didn't know as a stranger and suddenly be plunged into a war she thought she couldn't win at first? To suddenly go from being independent and keeping only herself alive to having to take care of a team of people she barely knew as well as protecting a town she hadn't grown up in? She had to work every day to know who to trust, to be strong enough to ensure the safety and well-being of all the innocent lives depending on them to win the war against the Master as well as the team. It must've been such a hardship. But still, Natalia persisted and she stuck it out because that was the kind of person she was.
Suddenly, Xander regretted his harsh words and his inexcusable behavior, not just to Natalia but to the rest of his friends and he no longer envied Natalia's position as Red Ranger. Xander thought he knew everything but as it turned out, he knew nothing and should've listened instead of shooting his mouth off. Natalia was chosen to lead instead of Xander for a reason and it was a very good reason. She was what he wasn't. But maybe, with some hard work and persistence, Xander could change some of his less than popular personality traits.
"I've got to go back," said Xander, sadly. "I've got to go back and apologize to all of them." If Natalia didn't barbeque him and the others didn't kill him first, Xander was going to make the biggest and best apology in history and he was going to shape up.
Before Xander could attempt to go find his friends and attempt to reconcile with them, he suddenly found himself trapped in one of Aranea's webs and was about to be spider food.
"AUGH! HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" yelled Xander.
Suddenly, as if answer, Phineas leapt into the clearing and waved. "Hi, there!"
"Phineas!" Xander had never been so relieved to see the troblin in all his life. "Oh, thank goodness. I take back everything I said. I'm so happy to see you!"
Phineas smiled. "Me too, Xander. Oh, and by the way, Natalia asked me to check on you. So, if I were you, I'd give her a huge basket of berries to thank her."
Xander's jaw dropped. "What? Natalia sent you? Really? I thought she hated me."
Phineas waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, she doesn't hate you! Friends argue all the time. You just got to know when to apologize when the time comes. And speaking of time coming—" Phineas turned to Aranea, who was climbing down her web and screeching at Phineas to go away. "—yo, spider! Come and eat me! Once you've tasted troblin, other food will be a problem!" Phineas laughed and looked apologetic. "Sorry, Xander. I'm not the best rhymer especially at this timer!" He laughed again. "Get it?"
If Xander could've face palmed, he would've. "Yes, Phineas, I get it. Now, not to be a jerk but could we please focus on this nasty spider who wants to eat me?"
Phineas immediately snapped back into action. "Right! Come on, spider! Over here! Come and try a rare delicacy, troblin tartare!"
Phineas' taunting did the trick and within moments, he was doing a series of impressive backflips as he led the spider off the web and away from Xander. When the spider was in position, Phineas leapt into the air and then spider jumped after him, only to fall right into Phineas' trap, a giant and very deep hole that he'd covered up with loose branches and dirt.
After having vanquished the scary Spider Queen, Phineas naturally celebrated by doing a song and dance. "The spider fell into the bottomless pit! The spider fell into the bottomless pit! The spider—ooh!" Phineas was cut off when there was a great thud sound followed by a shudder. Cautiously, Phineas peered into the hole and winced. "Ooh, it was not bottomless after all. Oh, boy. Is she going to be mad at me if she ever gets out of there."
But there was no time to dwell on that as Phineas returned to Xander and freed him of the spider's disgusting webbing.
"You okay? You look like Aranea ate you and spat you out," said Phineas.
"I feel like it and I probably deserve it," admitted Xander. He deserved everything he got after his behavior. "Hey, uh, Phineas, thanks for coming after me. You saved my life. But if it's not too much trouble, could I ask you one more favor?" When the troblin nodded, Xander hesitantly asked, "Would you lead me out of the forest and to my friends?"
Phineas looked visibly touched as he nodded. "Sure, Xander. I'd be honored."
Xander sighed in relief and gratefully followed Phineas out of the Cimmerian Forest.
XXX
Meanwhile, Natalia and the others were carefully making their way down in the quarry. Though it seemed to be deserted, everyone was keeping their guard up as they had no way of knowing if the secret to the Fire Heart was booby-trapped or if Necrolai and her soulless goons were close behind them or not. They were all on edge and more than eager to get what they came for and get back to Rootcore. It'd been a very long day.
"Hey, guys, I think I've found something," said Chip. He pointed to some shimmering rocks just a few feet away. "What do you think that is?"
"My guess, it's what we're looking for," said Mason.
"Vee, Chip, care to do the honors?" asked Natalia.
Vida and Chip nodded and then they blasted and blew away all the heavy rocks by combining Chip's lightning with Vida's tornado. With the rocks gone, it was Natalia's turn to step up as the secret to the Fire Heart was trapped within some kind of goo that had hardened. Quickly, Natalia melted it away, creating a giant yellow-ish green puddle and leaving behind a cylinder container. As it was too hot to touch, Mason quickly cooled it down with a blast of cold water and then retrieved it. After opening the container, they found an old roll of parchment tied up inside.
"We found it! We found the secret of the Fire Heart!" said Chip, excitedly.
"And you'll wish you hadn't!" Suddenly, the Rangers were blasted with dark magic and the scroll went flying into the air. Necrolai then swooped in from above and snatched it out of the air. "I'll take this. Thank you, Rangers, for doing my work for me. But I'm afraid that the Fire Heart is mine. Hidiacs, attack the Rangers!"
Out of nowhere, an army of Hidiacs and the Taxi Cab monster arrived to take down the Rangers.
"Okay, that's it! I've had it!" growled Natalia. It was time to deal with this once and for all. "Let's Ranger up and clip her wings. Mason and I will take care of her goons. Chip, you and Vee get the Fire Heart scroll! Ready? Let's do it! Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
After morphing, Vida and Chip attacked Necrolai to try and retrieve the Fire Heart scroll while Mason and Natalia went after the Hidiacs and Taxi Cab Monster.
"Flamma Aeterna!" Natalia sent out a powerful wave of fire that burnt the Hidiacs into and partly melted the Taxi Cab Monster. But in spite of the heat, the Taxi Cab Monster was still on the attack, causing Mason to step up to the plate.
Mason summoned up one of the biggest bodies of water in his life. "Magi Staff! Aqua Vitam!" A giant tsunami emerged and splashed directly down onto the Taxi Cab Monster and then Mason plunged his Magi Staff into Taxi Cab Monster, setting off an explosion that destroyed it.
"Yes! Way to go, Mace!" cheered Natalia.
Mason just gave a humble bow in response.
Meanwhile, Chip and Vida were struggling against Necrolai, who kept blasting them with dark magic. She was about to take off with the Fire Heart scroll when suddenly…
"Magi Staff Ax Mode!" Xander appeared out of nowhere, fully morphed and with his sword drawn. He plunged it into the ground and set off an earthquake that sent Necrolai flying into a pile of rocks and causing her to injure her wings. "Hey, guys!"
"Bit late, aren't you?" snapped Vida. "I'm amazed you made it this far on your own. Or did you actually have to ask for help like the rest of us pitiful mortals?"
Xander flinched. "I deserved that. Listen, guys, I'm really sorry. I really want to make it up to you all. I was a total jerk."
"Yeah, you really were," said Mason. "And as much as I'd love to listen to the new humble you, we've got bigger issues at hand!"
Mason was right, for at that moment, Taxi Cab Monster was being restored and enlarged thanks to the dark seal appearing beneath his feet, forcing the Rangers to Titan up. Once in Titan form, Vida turned into a ball, which Natalia kicked at Taxi Cab Monster after boosting Vida's firepower. It caused Taxi Cab monster to revert from car form to humanoid and left him vulnerable for the next attack that came his way. Quickly, the Rangers formed their megazord and injured Taxi Cab Monster once more with their sabre before destroying him forever with the Mystic Spell Seal.
Realizing she was outnumbered and outgunned, Necrolai decided it was time to split. "Time for me to return to the Pit."
"Give me that!" Vida jumped down next to Necrolai and grabbed the Fire Heart Scroll. After a brief tussle, there was a ripping noise and then Vida ended up with half of the Fire Heart Scroll. "Oops."
"Foolish, girl! Look what you've done!" screeched Necrolai. With each party only having half of the Fire Heart map, neither side was going to be victorious in finding it first. "Koragg, I can't fly! Get me out of here, quickly!"
Before anyone could stop her, Necrolai disappeared through a dark seal with her half of the prize.
XXX
The next day at the Rock Porium, Xander was making good on his promise and more.
He'd made a very long, very meaningful apology to everyone, bought them all breakfast and lunch at his expense and was doing more than his fair share of the work at the Rock Porium. He was doing so much work, in fact, that the others had some extra time to kill during their shift, which was a nice thing to experience for once.
"Guys, I know I already said this about a million times, but I'm saying it again. I'm really, really sorry," said Xander, his voice thick with emotion. "Being a leader isn't worth it if I lose you all. I was a really cruel jerk to all of you and you didn't deserve it. I should've just swallowed my pride and listened. I deserved everything I got. And Lia, I'm particularly sorry to you. You are a born leader and that's for a very good reason. I also didn't realize what that must be like for you and I apologize."
Natalia smiled softly and gave Xander's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I accept your apology and I forgive you. And I'm sorry for what I said. I said some pretty terrible things."
"But true things," admitted Xander. "I let my pride get the better of me. Being leader is more than just giving orders and thinking you know best. It's also about knowing when to follow and listen. So, thanks for the lesson. So, are we still friends?"
Natalia nodded and then resumed her work. Regardless of any arguments they had, the Rangers were friends above all else and they would never let a fight really tear them apart.
Mason smiled. "Well, I'm proud of you, Xander. You actually learned something from all this."
Xander grinned and nodded.
"Hello, mates!" Everyone turned around and their jaws dropped as Jake Bonebreaker entered the Rock Porium. "My tour bus broke down and I thought I'd kill some time hanging out here while it's being fixed. Oh!" Jake's face lit up when he saw the cardboard cutout. "He's a handsome fellow, ain't he? So, can I speak to whoever's in charge for some recommendations?"
"Oh, absolutely!" said Vida, excitedly. She pounded on Toby's door. "Boss, Toby! You've got to come out here right now!"
"Why? What's—Jake Bonebreaker!" exclaimed Toby, excitedly. He was bursting with excitement. "Holy cow! Holy freaking cow! This is such an honor! I'm your biggest fan! Sign my autograph book?"
Jake happily nodded and then went off with Toby to sign the autograph book and discuss business. It was truly the perfect end to a perfect day.
XXX
Meanwhile, Morticon was anything but pleased that Necrolai had only managed to return with half of the Fire Heart map and nearly destroyed her for it.
"And what do you expect me to do with this, hag? One half of the puzzle is worthless!" yelled Morticon. "You have failed me again!"
Necrolai would've sweated with fear if she could've. "But the Rangers only have half as well! Surely, that is some good news for us?"
"Hardly!" scoffed Morticon. "I alone must have the power of the Fire Heart!"
"And you will," promised Necrolai, quickly. She'd been thinking it over ever since her defeat and had come up with a rather ingenious idea. "I have come up with a plan to defeat the Rangers…from the inside."