Dark Wish Part Two
This was bad.
This was very, very bad.
The entire world was not only covered in a shroud of perpetual darkness and black-and-white coloring, but the city was in ruins and there were a number of Hidiacs, Styxoids and others of the Master's forces crawling all over every inch of the city. Briarwood's citizens looked to be enslaved by the dark forces and were clearly miserable, judging by the tearful looks on their faces and the threadbare rags that they wore.
Toby slowly crawled into view, pushing a broken shopping cart filled to the brim with what looked like complete junk. When he saw the Rangers, his face lit up.
"Guys, you're okay. Where have you been? I was so worried about you," said Toby. "I thought that…" Toby's voice trailed off and he frowned as he looked at Natalia. "Who's the girl with the ponytail? I've never seen her before."
Natalia's blood ran cold at this admission and everyone else looked confused as well as worried.
"Toby, quit playing around. You know who this is. This is Natalia. You hired her when she first got into town, remember?" said Vida, worriedly.
But Toby wasn't playing around. He looked genuinely confused. "Hired her? What're you talking about? I think I'd remember if I ever hired a girl with a Jimi Hendrex bracelet. Besides, when could I have hired her when the store's been closed for months? Didn't even make it to the one year anniversary like I hoped."
This did not sit well with the Rangers. Natalia had been wiped clean from Toby's memory and the Rock Porium had never celebrated its special party. What else had happened?
"Toby, can you tell us what happened to the city?" asked Mason.
Toby's confusion increased. "Tell you? You mean, you don't remember? How could you forget how the world went to Hades five and half months ago? The darkness rose up from the depths and took over, destroying everything in its path. Everything good is gone. Color, laughter, happiness…even music is banned."
"Music is banned?" said Chip, shocked.
How could something as harmless and innocent as music be banned?
Toby nodded as he retrieved an old Hitclip from his shopping car and placed the earbud into his ear, closing his eyes in contentment as he listened to the melody.
"Five and a half months ago, mankind lost everything but I still have hope when I hear even the tiniest bit of music," said Toby, as happy tears slid down his cheeks. "At least this way, Imperious can win, not really. Not as long as I have hope."
Five and a half months ago? Why does that seem familiar? Natalia thought long and hard and then it came to her. She knew why that date was so important. Five and a half months ago was when everyone's world had changed in every way possible.
She gestured for everyone to join her under the tree for a private word.
"Guys, I think I know what Imperious did. Five and a half months ago was when I came to Briarwood. Remember?" said Natalia.
"Yeah, so what?" asked Xander, confused.
Natalia glared at Xander. "So, when I came to Briarwood, I was on my way to City Hall to check their records. I planned to make it a quick stop but I was delayed because the earthquake wrecked my bike and then I helped that old man who was Udonna in disguise. What if…what if Imperious wished that none of that ever happened? Because no one offered to help that old man until I did, and if I didn't do that…if I just ran straight through town without stopping and none of you followed my example to help—"
"Then we never became the Mystic Rangers," finished Mason, horrified. "And without the Mystic Rangers, the world was easy pickings for the Master's forces. Gads, what have we done?"
"We didn't do anything," insisted Vida. "This is all on Imperious. And here's what I don't get, if Imperious wished that we never became Rangers, then why we remember the other timeline?"
"Well, it's standard narcissist villain M.O.," replied Chip. "There's no fun in making your enemies suffer if they don't even remember it."
"He's probably right. I mean, I don't think we've even met a bigger narcissist than Imperious," said Xander. "But that doesn't matter right now. We need to Ranger up."
"We can't, genius! In case you haven't noticed, our morphers are gone!" said Natalia, in agitation. It seemed in this timeline, Natalia's magic wasn't the only thing she had trouble controlling. "And I'm guessing Mason's powers have greatly depleted since in this world, we haven't trained. Am I right?"
Everyone checked and found that Natalia was indeed corrected. Their morphers had vanished as though they had never existed, which technically, they hadn't. Which meant that Chip, Vida and Xander were essentially powerless. When Mason tested his water magic, he found that it was indeed as Natalia had said, his powers weren't what they were prior to the dark wish's granting.
"What about your magic? Can you still use it?" asked Vida.
Natalia tried and while she was successful in conjuring a flame in the palm of her hand, she had a hard time making it recede, which confirmed her suspicions.
"Dang it," she muttered. "It's just like before. I was afraid of this."
"Afraid of what, exactly?" asked Xander, confused.
Natalia looked grim, if not distraught. "I've always had my fire magic, but until I became a Ranger, I had a horrible time controlling my powers. I caused a lot of fires, especially when I was angry or scared. And most of the time, I couldn't get the fire to come or do what I want even when I wanted it to," said Natalia, grimly.
"Crap," muttered Xander. "Okay, but what about your necklace? Clare said it had untold power. Couldn't you use it to undo all this?"
"If I knew what triggered it, yes. But I don't, so I can't," said Natalia, regretfully. She'd had her necklace for as long as she could remember and twice she'd used its awesome power in battle, but Natalia had no idea how to use it. The magic came when it wanted. Until Natalia knew how to invoke it herself, she had no way of using it.
"Okay, we need to get to Rootcore. Maybe Udonna and Clare remember the other timeline and can help us," suggested Mason.
Everyone nodded in agreement and tried to use the tree shortcut to get to Rootcore, only to find that it didn't work, which did not bode well.
XXX
Back in the Underworld, everyone was exceptionally happy that the granting of the wish had worked above and beyond what any of them could have ever dreamed. Imperious was especially pleased at the turn of events.
"My genius plan has worked perfectly!" said Imperious, gleefully. "We now have a world where those wretched Mystic Rangers never existed! Erased from everyone's memories except for their own! I want them to always know what they lost! Oh, is it not simply perfect, Necrolai?"
Necrolai eagerly nodded. "It's wonderful, my lord. But I can't help but wish we could have gotten our hands on the Mystic Crystal. It would've been the icing on the cake!"
Despite having wished the Rangers out of existence, the dark forces had not managed to find the Mystic Crystal and use its power to suit their own evil purposes. Which was a blessing for those who fought against the darkness.
Imperious nodded in agreement. "You do have a fair point, Necrolai. I would have loved to have gotten my hands on that crystal, but we must take the good with the bad, so to speak. Rest assured, we will find it and destroy the princess in the process, but until that day comes, we will enjoy our good fortune. For we have won!"
Everyone cheered at this. Everyone that is, except for Lee-Lee.
Lee-Lee was the only one not celebrating. She couldn't believe what had happened. The darkness had won and Necrolai had everything she'd ever wanted and more. But at what cost? Innocent lives had been destroyed, her friends were at evil's mercy, Phineas didn't remember their relationship which left Lee-Lee heartbroken and the life she had envisioned for herself was gone. If this was what it was like when evil had its greatest victory, then Lee-Lee was more certain than ever that she wanted no part of it and nor could she bear to let it continue for another minute.
Imperious had left the black lamp unguarded by the throne. It would be so easy to grab it, rub it and have Jenji reverse the dark wish. She was just about to do this when suddenly…
"Stop right there! What're you doing to the lamp, child?" demanded Imperious, making Lee-Lee jump a foot.
"Nothing, my lord!" said Lee-Lee, quickly as she pulled her hand back. She put on her best innocent look and silently prayed she wasn't about to be punished. "Just admiring the genie's prison. You have exquisite taste in pottery, my lord. It's simply divine."
Much to Lee-Lee's relief, Imperious not only believed her, but he accepted her compliment. "I do, don't I? Well, I can't fault you for having such taste, my dear. But all the same, you'll understand if I have extra guards and protection spells posted around the lamp for its protection."
Lee-Lee's heart sank as she helplessly watched Imperious take the lamp away and put it under his protection. Guards, she could've handled. But protection spells? Lee-Lee was out of her league there. There was nothing more she could do. Nothing except for praying for a miracle.
XXX
The long walk to Rootcore was a dismal one to say the least.
It was far too quiet. There wasn't anyone in the Mystic Force to be found, not of magical or human blood and nor was there even an animal going about its business in the forest. Everything was either gone or destroyed beyond repair. And when they finally reached Rootcore, a horrific sight awaited them. Rootcore was destroyed and the remains of Xenotome sat at the mouth of what was once the entrance. What's more, there was a grave marker at the foot of what had once been Clare's favorite tree and it was marked with an engraving of her favorite flower.
"No…" murmured Natalia, horrified.
"What happened here?" murmured Mason, as he picked up the remains of the Xenotome.
"Whose grave is that?" asked Xander, worriedly.
Before anyone could answer, an angry but familiar shout frightened them.
"Shoo! Get away from there!"
Everyone turned around to see Udonna standing behind them. But she was not the wise and kind White Sorceress Queen that they knew. Udonna's hair was lank and unkempt, her face smudge from cinders and dirt, her clothes were filthy rags and there was a hardened if not crazy look in her eyes as she swung her broken broom at them.
"My home! Get away from there! Shoo!" she screeched.
Mason quickly stepped forward and tried to defuse the situation. "Udonna, calm down, it's me! It's Nehir! Your godson. Remember?"
Upon hearing Mason's birth name, Udonna's narrowed as she slowly lowered her broom. "Nehir? If you're him, prove it. What did I tell you before you left?"
"You told me it was okay to be scared, but I had nothing to fear because I had it within me to be as brave as my parents and everything was going to be okay as long as I stood beside my father and Aurora," said Mason, promptly. "You hugged me and promised everything was going to be okay. And I promised that I'd do my best to be brave and protect Aurora."
Natalia's brow wrinkled. Again with Aurora. What was it about that name that bothered her so much? Why wouldn't it leave her alone?
For a moment, Udonna didn't react and then her eyes filled up with tears as she hesitantly reached out and touched Mason's face.
"It is you," she whispered, as she then embraced Mason. "Nehir, oh Nehir. Thanks the heavens you're here. I thought you were dead. But where on earth have you been all these years? Where're Daggeron and Aurora?"
"It's a long story, one I don't have time for," said Mason, regretfully. "Auntie Snow, please, we need your help. What happened to Rootcore? Where's Clare?"
Udonna's eyes welled up with tears again and her shoulders shook with uncontrollable sobs. "Clare is dead. When the darkness came, the prophesied five did not. I waited, but they never came. And when the darkness consumed the light magic, they destroyed Rootcore and they took Clare and forced her to raise the Underworld's gates. It killed her. My niece is gone."
Mason, Natalia, Vida and Chip were distraught to hear this, but Xander took the news of his girlfriend's death the hardest. A horrific choked sob escaped Xander's throat as he collapsed to his knees, unable to breathe as tears made their ways down his cheeks.
"No, no, this can't be true!" sobbed Xander, as he buried his face in his hands. "Clare…oh, gods, Clare, no! Not her!"
As the others knelt down to offer comfort, Udonna looked puzzled at Xander's reaction.
"Why does this man grieve for Clare?" she asked, softly. "He didn't know her."
"He did and he didn't. It's hard to explain," said Mason, hastily. Now wasn't the time to explain that in another timeline, Clare lived and was in a serious relationship with Xander. "Auntie Snow, please, I know this is hard, but is there anything you can do to help us reverse this?"
Udonna tearfully shook her head. "Don't you understand? I have no powers, no light magic of any kind. I'm as helpless as any human. I can't help you."
Mason's face fell. Udonna had been their last hope of undoing the dark wish. If they didn't even have her help, then what chance did they have of beating this?
"Please, leave me. I wish to be alone with my niece for a while," said Udonna, sadly, as she moved to kneel at Clare's grave.
Out of respect for their former mentor, the Rangers left Udonna alone to mourn while they roamed the forest as there was little else to do.
"Let's see, we've lost Jenji, we're no longer Mystic Rangers, our magic's pretty much gone—in fact, there's no longer any good magic and the world's ruled by dark forces. This is officially the worst day of my life," said Chip, miserably. "I mean, if we could use Natalia's necklace, maybe we could undo all this, but since we can't—"
"Just because I can't use my necklace doesn't mean it's all hopeless," interrupted Natalia, who'd stopped walking.
"I know that look on your face. That's your plan face. Do you have a plan?" asked Chip, hopefully.
"Maybe. It's possible, but I think I may know who to go to for help," said Natalia, hesitantly. She was horribly understating it, but the truth is, her idea was beyond insane and an extreme longshot. She was loathe to even consider it, but there was no choice in the matter. What other options did they have at this point? None. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
Natalia did not wait for a reply as she disappeared behind a big oak tree. A few minutes later, she emerged, looking pale and shaken as though she'd been in a great deal of pain but she also seemed no less determined to continue on.
"Okay, we need to head to the clearing. Our help will meet us there. Don't ask, just go," she said, briskly. "Go!"
No one dared to disobey or even argue as they raced to the clearing. When they arrived, Koragg descended from out of nowhere.
"I have come as you asked, Red Witch," said Koragg, as he plunged his sword into the ground, marking a truce between them.
"As Natalia asked?" said Vida, startled. "Wait a second, Natalia, you didn't—"
Natalia nodded. "I did. This is our help."
"Koragg?!" exclaimed Xander, sounding both horrified and incredulous. "He's your plan? Work with the guy who's been trying to trash the city and kill you for months? Are you completely insane?!"
"Do you think I like this?" hissed Natalia. Consorting with Koragg was the last thing Natalia wanted to do, considering their history and their shared hatred of each other. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And in times like this, the enemy of her enemy was her temporary ally. Not to mention, they were lucky she'd been able to even trigger the mind link spell let alone actually persuade Koragg to help them. Her magic was worse off than she'd first thought, which limited their options. "No! I don't! But in case you haven't noticed, I can't control my powers, Mason's powers have been depleted, you lot have no magic, the world has gone to Hades and we have no idea how to reverse this, much less the means to do it! We need help and Koragg may be our only hope."
"The Red Witch is correct," said Koragg, gruffly. "I have no desire to ally myself with the likes of you, but if we are to reverse this madness, then we need to talk and work together."
Oddly enough, when Chip and Xander didn't move from their defensive stances, Vida was the first one to try and defuse the situation instead of Mason.
"Guys, they're right. Look, I love a fight as much as the next person but we're at the end of our rope here. We need help. So, let's just here what he has to say," said Vida.
It took a moment but soon enough, Chip and Xander agreed and loosened up a bit.
"We'll talk," said Natalia. As a gesture of goodwill between them, even if it was temporary, Natalia withdrew Koragg's sword from the ground and held it out for the Knight Wolf to take. "What do you want to know? Do you remember the other timeline?"
"Yes, I do. But unlike you, I remember this world's timeline as well. But I don't know what triggered the change," said Koragg. "You must tell me what you know of this."
"What we know is that after our genie got captured by that stupid bulldog and the yeti, the world went to Hades. We think it's because Imperious made a dark wish," explained Vida. "We think he wished that we were never the Rangers. Is that right?"
Koragg nodded in agreement. "You're correct. For as I remember in this timeline, I never quarreled with any of you. Not even the Red Witch."
Well, that confirmed one of their suspicions but it still left some questions unanswered.
"What about those two Barbarian Beasts?" asked Mason. "Fightoe and Fifty Below?"
Koragg growled and he gripped his sword tightly at the mention of their names. "Fightoe and Fifty Below. They work for Imperious and they are as much my enemies as they are yours. I will gladly help you destroy them."
While Natalia wasn't surprised, the others couldn't have been more shocked to hear those words come out of Koragg's mouth. Since when did Koragg have enemies within the Underworld? He'd been working for the darkness since the beginning!
"Excuse me? Am I missing something?" exclaimed Chip. "You and that backstabbing traitor have been trying to turn us to vapor for months and now you're saying that you don't like the new guys because they got rid of us?"
Koragg growled again as he shook his head. "Not because they did it, but because of how they did. They acted without honor and they tried to destroy me! But most of all, those two are planning to overthrow and destroy the Master! Fightoe and Fifty Below cannot be allowed to live after what they've done. They must pay dearly for their treason!"
Koragg's explanation did not please some of the Rangers. Xander, most of all, who scoffed and shook his head at the Knight Wolf.
"So, you want darkness to rule the world, but not if it's not done nicely. And we're supposed to work with you? Give me a break!"
It was the wrong thing to say as Koragg pushed the others aside, grabbed Xander by the scruff of his emerald green shirt.
"Niceness has no meaning in my life, Green Ranger. Honor is all that truly matters!" snarled Koragg. "Without honor, victory is meaningless! It is the cornerstone of every warrior's being and the one thing that no one can ever take away from you!"
At that moment, Natalia interfered before Koragg lost his temper and punched Xander's lights out. "Koragg, stop it. He's got the message, let him go and I'll sweeten our bargain."
Koragg growled once more as he released Xander and then turned his head to Natalia. "What do you propose, Red Witch?"
Natalia took a deep breath. She needed to be a little calmer because her bargain, while probably their best shot at victory, was still mad beyond reason.
"I don't know why and frankly, I don't care. But I know that the only reason you're not duking it out with those two is because that stupid hag has your magic. Correct?" When Koragg nodded, Natalia continued. "But I know you, Koragg. I know you always have an ace up your sleeve so that you're never completely helpless. And I'm betting that ace is our only way out of this mess so that we can have our world back and you can have what you want most. So, here's my proposal: you help us reverse the wish and we'll get your magic back and you can get your revenge on Fightoe and Fifty Below. Deal?"
Natalia held out her hand for Koragg to shake and the Knight Wolf accepted. "Deal. Follow me."
And with that, the Rangers followed Koragg on a trek through the forest.
"So, what exactly is your plan, Koragg?" asked Natalia.
"The plan is simple but dangerous. You five must go to the Tribunal of Magic and ask them to reverse the wish," said Koragg.
"Who're the Tribunal?" asked Vida.
"Legend has it that King Leanbow's ancestor, the Mystic Mother, who is the creator of magic as well as its ultimate sovereign, chose three different practitioners of great power to act as keepers of mystical knowledge, guardians and watchers of the world. They're neither good nor evil, they just are. They take action only when all three of them agree. They're immortal and their power is second only to the Mystic Mother and the Mystic Crystal," explained Mason. "They reside in another dimension. Many have gone off to ask for their help, but few have ever returned as the pathway there is extremely dangerous."
"The Blue Wizard speaks true," said Koragg.
"But if Necrolai has your magic, how're you going to transport us the Tribunal's dimension?" asked Mason, confused.
"I'm not. He is." Koragg stopped walking and pointed to their method of transportation, which turned out to be Fire Heart.
For a moment, everyone was excited at the prospect of riding to another dimension on Fire Heart's back and stepped forward, but then Fire Heart, who didn't know them in this world, reacted with hostility. He blew blue fire at them, which Natalia had to absorb to prevent her teammates from being barbequed. While Natalia had lost her control over her fire magic, she had not lost her immunity to fire itself, which was quite lucky.
"Ah, man. He doesn't remember us. We raised him from an egg," said Vida, sadly.
"Not in this timeline, you didn't. In this world, I found him and raised him. He's my dragon," said Koragg, gruffly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a whistle that had been made to look like a dragon and blew three notes, causing Fire Heart to kneel down and bow his head in submission. "Fire Heart will take you to the Tribunal's dimension now. Go swiftly and with honor, but be warned: Imperious will be prepared for this, so the skies will not be left unprotected. And when you reach your destination, Fire Heart will return to me."
"We understand," said Natalia, as the others nodded in agreement. "Thank you."
Two words I never thought I'd ever say to Koragg of all people. Gads, what's happening to me?
With nothing further to be said, Natalia and the other Rangers climbed onto Fire Heart's back and then held on tightly as the dragon to the skies. This was going to be a bumpy ride.
XXX
On any other day, Natalia would've leapt at the chance to fly on Fire Heart's back like a dragon rider in How to Train Your Dragon, but not today. Today, she couldn't enjoy the feel of the wind against her face or the view that was fantastic in spite of the darkness as she was tense with apprehension and she was looking everywhere in search of whatever guards or booby-traps awaited them in skies as well as the portal that would take them to the Tribunal's dimension. While they had Fire Heart for protection along with Natalia's two emergency grenades and her hunting knife, for the most part, they were sitting ducks if they were attacked, which Natalia did not like in the least.
"This is amazing!" cheered Chip. "You guys have to admit, this is one exciting adventure. Not knowing where we're going, not knowing if or when we're going to get there or if we'll even come back! It's so exciting!"
Natalia bit back a groan. Oh, yeah, real exciting! It took all of Natalia's restraint not to snap at Chip. She knew he was just trying to help but he wasn't actually doing any good. Heck, if he, Xander and Vida hadn't gotten so lazy and kept taking the easy way out, none of this would've have even been happening in the first place! Why hadn't they listened to everyone's warnings? Had Natalia not been clear enough when she kept trying to get them to fight things out like they were supposed to? Was all this actually on Natalia's hands as leader for failing to get her team to work as they were meant to?
Suddenly, an all too familiar cackle hit their ears and they were nearly knocked out of the sky by not one but three dark magic blasts and then the culprit, Necrolai, came into view.
"Going somewhere?" taunted Necrolai. "I don't think so!"
"Fire Heart, evasive maneuvers! Lia, I hope you got something up your sleeve," said Mason.
Natalia nodded and kept her eyes on the Vampire Queen as Fire Heart then performed a series of impressive aerodynamics to evade Necrolai's attacks as the old hag chased them all over creation and then some. When the opportune moment arrived, Natalia pulled the pin from one of her grenades and tossed it straight at Necrolai.
"Surprise, hag!"
Necrolai screeched as the grenade exploded in her face and nearly knocked her clean out of the sky. The grenade explosion left Necrolai dazed enough that she was unable to defend herself from Fire Heart who quickly hit Necrolai with his diamond-hard wings before blasting her with blue and white fire. The two attacks not only severely injured Necrolai but they also caused her to be knocked out of the sky and she fell like a stone straight to the ground down below.
"That was way too close," said Natalia, as she sighed in relief.
Everyone murmured in agreement. If it hadn't been for Mason's quick thinking, the situation could have ended horribly.
Although the skies were now clear and the rest of their flight seemed to be smooth, Natalia was still anxious about what lay ahead of them. One grenade and my knife and magic we can hardly use is all we have left to defend ourselves once we're in the Tribunal's dimension. Will it be enough or are we headed straight for our deaths?
Suddenly, the skies darkened even more as an unexpected storm unlike any other came into view.
"Mason, is that it?" yelled Natalia, to be heard over the thunder.
"I'd say so," said Mason. "Everyone, hang on!"
Fire Heart blew fire at the lightning storm, causing it to transform into a sparking green portal. Everyone then clung onto each other for dear life as Fire Heart flew straight into the portal, not knowing what to expect.
XXX
Although the flight to the portal hadn't been too horrible in consideration, the journey through the portal was far from enjoyable as not only was visibility all but nonexistent but the seemingly endless turbulence made the flight seem like the roller-coaster ride from Hades. By the time they reached the end of it, everyone was sick to their stomachs and nearly puked as soon as they climbed off Fire Heart's back and their feet touched solid ground.
"Ugh…" Natalia clutched her stomach and willed herself not to vomit as she tried to catch her breath. How was she even this queasy when she hadn't even eaten that day, she didn't know. "Let's never do that again. All in favor, say 'aye.'"
"Aye!" said everyone in unison.
After a few moments, everyone's stomachs settled and once the Rangers appeared to be okay, health-wise, Fire Heart took off without looking back.
"There goes our ride home," said Xander, disappointedly.
"Forget about finding a ride back. How're we supposed to find our way through this?" asked Vida, gesturing to their surroundings.
The dimension the Rangers resembled a seemingly endless muted colored desert with a sun blocked by an overcast sky. There were no shadows, plants or animals, nor landmarks to tell them which way to go or any living soul ask for directions.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," said Chip, nervously. "I mean, I know I said this was an exciting adventure and all, but I kind of wish we'd stayed in Briarwood now."
"Unfortunately, we can't go back now that Fire Heart's gone. We have to go forward," said Natalia. She was as reluctant to cross the desert as her friends were as without proper navigation, a desert, magical or otherwise, was dangerous without proper survival supplies. But they'd come this far and they couldn't turn back now, literally. "Mason, you're the expert on this sort of thing. Do you have any ideas about which way to go?"
"Uh…" Mason rubbed his temples in consideration for a good long moment before snapping his fingers when an idea came to him. "I've got it. My dad said that the Tribunal favors the sun but they also like to test people with misdirection. Meaning in this world, left is right and right is left and the way ahead is the way behind, so we need to go…" Mason looked around and then pointed in the direction opposite of the shining sun. "That way."
Mason's logic sounded more confusing than Alice in Wonderland but nobody said this aloud as they began walking in the direction Mason had pointed.
The walk through the desert was not at all fun for the Rangers. What little relief they felt from the heat of the desert ended when the sun emerged from the clouds, increasing the temperature even more, making everyone hot and miserable. Miraculously, Mason was able to use his water magic to filter out everyone's sweat and provide them with some liquid relief. Natalia offered the use of her jacket to anyone who wanted a bit of shade as her immunity to fire left her unaffected by the heat of the desert. The jacket was shared between the others in shifts of fifteen to twenty minutes. It wasn't much but it was all they could do to endure. If that wasn't enough, the hot wind blew the sand in every possible direction, stinging their eyes and burning their skin. The sand dunes kept shifting in size from the wind, which caused a lot of falls and tripping from the unpredictable changes. And finally, there were a number of heat mirages of water or other such relief that the Rangers craved, which caused a lot of unnecessary problems for the Rangers.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Rangers reached an area of the desert that was flat as a pancake with dead trees and large rocks and decided it was as good a place as any to take a rest.
"I know the Tribunal's all about misdirection and all that, but would it kill them put up a sign so that people know where the devil they're going?" complained Xander, as he wiped the salty sweat off his forehead.
"Oh, yeah, sure. It could say 'secret tribunal of magic, three miles ahead,'" said Vida, sarcastically.
"Well at least we would know if we were finally getting somewhere." Chip pointed out. "I mean, we've been at this for hours and for all we know, we've been walking around in circles all day. There's got to be something by now, right?"
As if in answer, a sword-carrying, masked zombie formed out of the sand, making everyone stand up and take a defensive stance.
"Who the heck are you?" demanded Mason.
The zombie pointed his sword at them. "My name of no importance. You humans are. Which of you is the leader? I would speak with them."
Natalia's eyes narrowed as she stepped forward. "That would be me. What do you want?"
"It is not what I want that is in question, human female. It is what you want," he replied, as he sheathed his blade. "Why have you and your allies come here? This dimension is no place for the likes of you."
"Ordinarily, I would agree with you. But in this case, I can't. We seek the Tribunal of Magic," said Natalia, coolly. "Would I be correct in assuming that your presence means we're headed in right direction?"
The zombie looked intrigued as he nodded. "You are indeed correct, female. If you truly seek the Tribunal, then this is the right way. You are to be applauded for making it this far. Countless generations of powerful and foolish souls of your people before you have journeyed in seek of them. But none have made it to this middle ground in centuries. You may go onwards."
Middle ground. Meaning they were halfway to the Tribunal of Magic. Finally, they were getting somewhere! Natalia's friends cheered in relief that they were almost to their intended destination and one step closer to reversing the dark wish at last.
"Wait a second…" Mason hesitantly stepped forward. "I knew I recognized your markings. You're not just a zombie, you're a bargaining guard. Your kind never allows anyone to get past them without some kind of price, so what's yours?"
The zombie's eyes glinted. "Clever human. You're right. There is a price to pay if you wish to continue onwards. If your leader consents, you will pay it or you will all die where you stand. Do you accept my terms, human female?"
As the last question was directed at Natalia, the Red Ranger's eyes narrowed with distrusted. "Nice try, but I don't enter into a deal without reading the fine print. Name your terms then I'll consider them before I either accept or reject."
The zombie seemed pleased with Natalia's answer as he gestured to the sky, which was now growing dark with storm cloud as the sun began to vanish.
"When the rain falls, all those who have tried to reach the Tribunal of Magic and failed will arise from their graves. When they do, you must fight them and if you're still standing when the sun returns, your request to continue onwards will be granted. Those are my terms and I will not change them. Will you accept, human female?" demanded the zombie.
Natalia bit back a groan at thought of fighting the undead just to gain passage to the Tribunal, but nodded. "If that's the only way, fine. We accept your terms."
"Very well then." The zombie snapped his fingers and then sun disappeared entirely as scores of the undead rose from the desert floor and the rain began to fall. "Your time starts NOW!"
And with that, the Rangers launched into battle against the scores of zombies and skeletons. Natalia unsheathed her knife and used it to block the zombie leader's blows from his dagger that he'd drawn instead of his sword. She then kicked him and trapped his left arm beneath her right one before giving it a hard pull, disarming him, literally, before she grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic and threw him over her shoulder. Though sheer dumb luck, Vida managed to disarm two of the zombies and used their swords to pin at least half a dozen of them to a dead tree. She then produced to duck and match the punches and kicks that came at her from the other undead warriors and she retaliated with some impressive moves of her own that she'd learned from Daggeron. Though Vida received several lacerations and abrasions from the fight, the Pink Ranger did not quit.
Chip rolled onto the ground to avoid being stabbed and struck with the undead warrior's sticks and swords before performing a sweeping kick that knocked his opponents down. He then leapt up into the air and performed an impressive spinning kick on three of the undead warriors before punching the living daylights out of two more. Mason broke a branch off a nearby tree and swung it so hard that two of the undead warriors' heads went flying. He then plunged it straight into their hearts, briefly returning them to their sandy graves. Mason then proceeded to meet their blows with his own before punching them so hard that they saw stars. Xander, who'd been suppressing his grief and rage through the whole trip, unleashed it. He grabbed a slender, dead tree trunk that lay on the desert floor and used it like a baseball bat to beat the living daylights out of the zombies who came near him, crushing them into bone dust.
Finally, just as Natalia had the zombie leader pinned to the ground and prepared to make one last strike with her knife, when suddenly, the zombie yelled, "Stop! Enough! It is done!"
Natalia froze mid-stab as she realized that the battle had indeed stopped. Every single undead warrior had stopped fighting, for the rains had ceased and the sunlight had returned to the desert. The Rangers were still alive, still standing, in spite of the odds that had been stacked against them. They had fulfilled the bargaining guard's terms. They'd won.
Natalia moved away from the zombie and sheathed her knife as she watched him reassemble himself. He then gave the Rangers a respectful bow, as did the other undead warriors. "The sun has returned and you are still standing. You have won this day and more." The zombie then produced a key from out of nowhere and slipped into Natalia's hand. "Use it wisely, human female, for that which appears to be what you seek may not be all that it seems."
Before anyone could ask what the zombie meant, he disappeared into the sand.
Glad that the worst of their trip seemed to be over, Natalia and the other Rangers resumed their journey onwards.
Eventually, as the sun began to set, they reach two doors in the middle of the desert. One was white and the other was black.
"Okay, this is messed up. Two doors in the middle of nowhere leading to nowhere? What's this all about?" asked Vida.
"Maybe it's another test," said Natalia. She took the key out of her pocket. "Let's see what's behind door number one."
Natalia plunged the key into the keyhole of the white door and swung it open. Behind the white door, they saw Briarwood and Rootcore restored to normal with color, music, laughter and light magic. Home, love, family and safety, everything that they'd sought to get back by the reversal of the dark wish and it was just a few steps ahead of them.
"I can't believe it. It's home!" said Xander, excitedly. "Let's go get it!"
"Yeah, I'm with you. Let's go," said Vida.
Before the Pink and Green Rangers could take a step forward, however, Chip came in between them and the door.
"Guys, wait a second. I know this is going to sound insane, but something isn't right here. Think about it, if this was a movie, what would you say this was?" asked Chip.
"Too easy," said Mason, nodding in agreement. It made perfect sense for there to be a good door and a bad door with neither one truly as it seemed. Classic misdirection trick. "Way too easy. And remember the warning about the key. The bargaining guard said, 'Use it wisely, for that which appears to be what you seek may not be all that it seems.' What if this is what he meant?"
"Meaning this isn't just a trap, it's a trick," finished Vida. "It's not what we want. We can't go through this door."
"Speak for yourself," said Xander. He gazed longingly at the white door's contents and a tear slid down his cheek as Clare came into view, looking radiant with her beautiful smile.
Natalia's heart ached in sympathy for the Green Ranger. She understood all too well what he was feeling as she had felt it herself on more than one occasion.
There's nothing I wouldn't give to have my adopted parents back in my life. If someone offered me a chance to have them back in the blink of an eye with no questions asked…would I be able to see the great price I'd have to pay and have the strength I needed to refuse it?
"Xander, we can't. We came here to ask the Tribunal of Magic to reverse the wish. If we keep taking the easy way out, then we don't deserve the happiness we seek," said Natalia, gently.
Realizing that Natalia was right, Xander swallowed painfully as he furiously rubbed his tears away. "Close that door before I change my mind. Do it!"
Natalia didn't even hesitate to slam the door shut. When she did, the white door and the key turned to sand and disappeared, leaving them with but one option. The black door. When Natalia opened it, they found a swirling green vortex, which didn't look the least bit inviting. But as they had no other choice, the Rangers all took deep breaths and then stepped through one-by-one, not knowing what was next for them.
XXX
Surprisingly enough, the trip through the portal not only went smoothly but it felt calming, relaxing. Like floating in a swimming pool with nothing but your thoughts and the sounds of the crashing water to distract you. When the Rangers emerged from the portal, they found themselves not only cleaned of the mud they'd sustained during the zombie fight, but the coloring had returned and they were in a realm that was akin to paradise with a pleasantly cool temperature, blue skies, and green cliff side that overlooked a majestic blue ocean.
There was also a beautiful white stone pavilion with three sets of different colored carpeting, black, red and white marked with balancing scales. On those three sets of carpet stood three beings, the Tribunal of Magic, Dark, Neutral and Light. They were all faceless and wearing identical floor-length robes with sleeves that fell past their hands and different shaped headdresses.
"Holy crap, we made it," whispered Mason. He whispered so quietly, it was barely heard. And who could blame him? They were standing in the presence of three of the most powerful magical beings ever to exist and this moment was all they had to convince said beings to fulfill their request.
"You are to be congratulated, young warriors. For you are the first to make it this far in over three hundred years," said Light.
"But while your efforts are applauded, you must make haste to make your case. For we do not entertain guests for very long, even ones such as you," said Neutral, warningly.
Ever the charismatic one, Xander naturally stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Xander. And—"
"Enough! We know who you are and do not care about trivial matters such as names," said Dark, sharply. "Do not waste our time or you will be punished."
Taking the hint, Xander turned to Natalia. "Lia, maybe you should take lead on this."
"Yeah." Remembering her lessons about diplomacy and tact, Natalia respectfully knelt down and bowed her head before the Tribunal. "My lords and lady, we're here because the dark wizard Imperious stole our genie and used him to wish that Mystic Rangers never were, that we never became the warriors and magical practitioners that destiny foretold us to be. When that happened, the forces of darkness took over and destroyed our world. Having no other choice, we came here in hopes that you would reverse this dark wish."
"You speak with a respect and grace far beyond your years. This pleases us. Rise and tell us more," said Neutral.
Natalia did as she was commanded and rose to her feet. "What is it you want to know?"
"Why should we do as you ask?" asked Dark. "What have you to offer us?"
"We have very little, but what little we have is invaluable." Believing that Dark meant he wanted an item to bargain with, Natalia took off her necklace, her most valuable possession, and held it out. The gemstones alone were worth a fortune and the magical energy it possessed was of far greater value. Surely, it would be enough to appease the Tribunal. "This has great magical power. If you want it in exchange for reversing the wish, it's yours."
Natalia had no desire to part with her necklace, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And if the Tribunal was as Mason had said it was, then she knew it would be safe and protected in the possession of the Tribunal.
"A selfless as well as tempting offer," said Light, sounding impressed. "But one we must refuse. We are scholars, guardians and watchers. We do not accept bargaining chips. And even if we did, we could not accept such a treasure as the one you possess. For that is for you and for those of your bloodline to wield alone, young lady."
Natalia strove to conceal her confusion as she returned her necklace to its place on her neck. Me and my bloodline? What the heck is she talking about? Natalia yearned to know what Light meant but knew now wasn't the time to ask. They came here to get the wish reversed, not gets answers to the mystery that was Natalia's past.
"Very well. But if I may ask, if you won't accept a trade in return for granting our request, what will you accept?" asked Natalia, respectfully.
"Justification for reversing the wish," said Neutral. "We do not judge good or evil magic, we just ensure that there is magic. So, choose your words wisely when you tell us why you want the wish reversed and why we should do it. And also, explain as to how your genie was stolen in the first place."
Pleased that they might pull it off after all, Vida took a step forward.
"Our genie was stolen because we were tired," admitted Vida. "We'd been in battle after battle. We asked Solaris Knight to use Jenji to end the battle quickly. When he refused, I chose to disobey him and when I did, Jenji was captured."
"And who was responsible for this loss?" asked Dark.
"No one was responsible, mate!" said Xander, unable to keep the agitation out of his voice. "It just happened! Sometimes things just happen!"
A storm cloud then arose, sparking dangerously, making Xander back off.
"You would do well to keep to your temper and not speak so to us, Green Ranger," said Light, warningly. "We are not the ones responsible for the losing of your genie or for the events that have unfolded."
"And what? You're saying we are?" said Chip, sounding both angry and confused. "Fightoe and Fifty Below captured Jenji and did this, not us!"
At that moment, Neutral intervened before another fight could unfold. "Perhaps it'd be best if we were to change the subject. You have yet to tell us your reasons for why we should grant your wish, Mystic Rangers. Speak now while there is still time."
Realizing they might lose their best chance at undoing the dark wish, everyone quickly voiced their reasons for wanting Imperious' wish reversed.
"Without light magic, without the Mystic Rangers, the world as we know it has plunged into darkness and chaos. Innocent people and the people we love are suffering. Without our powers, we can't protect them," said Natalia. "If you reverse the wish, we'll have hope again. We'll go back and fight to our last breath."
"If the wish is reversed, I'll have my father, the Solaris Knight back. And maybe that's selfish of me, but I lost my father once for over fifteen years. I can't lose him again," said Mason, as tears slid down his cheeks. "If he was back, my family would be restored and he could help us become stronger protectors of the world."
"We would have color and laughter again. Our job at the Rock Porium, our friend and employer, Toby smiling and enjoying his store's one-year anniversary party like he deserves," added Vida. "And we'd all have music!"
"I'd have my girlfriend back. She'd be alive and she'd the beautiful, happy girl that I love," added Xander, as tears slid down his cheeks. "She'd have her life back. And we'd have Udonna, Phineas, and Rootcore and our dragon back!"
"And I'd have my cape!" piped Chip. He ignored the odd, quizzical looks he received from the others. "Well, it matters to me!"
"You present a good case. But our decision must be unanimous. Leave us to discuss," said Light.
So, having no other choice, Natalia and the others turned away and waited for what seemed like an eternity while the Tribunal discussed what course of action they would take. Eventually, the Tribunal called them back.
"We have made our decision," said Dark. The few moments in which he paused before announcing their choice seemed endless. "We admire the ability it took to get here and we applaud the case you have presented to us as well as your astounding courage and selflessness. But by the powers entrusted in us, we must decline your request."
Natalia's heart sank and everyone else looked equally distraught, if not more. Their wish wasn't going to be granted. They'd journeyed so far and fought so hard and it was all for nothing. Darkness was still going to reign over the world and they had no means of stopping it.
"Do not think us heartless. The solution lies within you. You have not shown us your wisdom and nor have you learned from your mistakes," continued Neutral.
"Should you convince us otherwise, we will grant your wish. Until then, leave us and return to your home from whence you came," said Light.
She then waved her hand and just like that, the Rangers found themselves outside the Rock Porium with nothing having changed.
All that work, all that fighting and we still failed in every way we could've imagined, thought Natalia, as she watched in dismay as the Master's forces continued enslaving the people of Briarwood. Now what hope is there left in the world? What do we do now?
To Be Continued