Dark Wish Part Three
The situation could not have possibly been worse.
Despite risking their lives on a terribly difficult if not almost impossible journey and fighting against incredible odds to convince the Tribunal of Magic to undo the dark wish, the Rangers' efforts had been completely fruitless. The Tribunal had refused to grant their request. Their magic was still either gone or depleted and the Master's forces were still in charge of the city. The Rangers had failed in the worst of ways and now mankind was suffering it for it.
The air was thick with sadness and pain. Everywhere the Rangers went, the sight was the same. The Master's forces were destroying anything they didn't like, beating on anyone who so much as looked at them funny, and enslaving the rest in terrible ways. Those who were lucky enough to temporarily escape from such harsh treatment ran for their lives and huddled together in hiding places as they cried and shook with terrible fear and grief. There were heart-wrenching cries for help, mercy and hope, but there was none of that to be found in this world.
Despite the injuries she'd sustained during the Rangers' flight to the Tribunal's dimension, Necrolai was leading the charge against Briarwood's citizens.
"Any human who doesn't obey the law will either be executed or taken to the mines!" she ordered. "You live only to serve us now!"
It was a horrible, tragic sight to see. And the Rangers hated every bit of it. But what could they do? Without their magic, without their allies, they had no way of fight Necrolai and her goons, never mind undoing the dark wish.
"This is worse than when the darkness gained the upper hand during the Great War," said Mason, sadly. "I never thought I'd see anything like this again and I prayed I never would. But at least back then, I had hope. Everyone did. But now? Now, there's nothing left."
"They've taken over the entire city and there's nothing we can do about it," said Chip, in agreement. "The world belongs to the forces of darkness now."
"We failed," said Xander, as tears glistened in his eyes. "And now everyone's paying the price for our mistake. Oh, gods…"
Suddenly, the sound of a music box's sweet little melody diverted their attention. Everyone turned and looked to see Toby smiling with hope as he cradled his itty-bitty music box to his ear and played its uplifting little tune. It was such a small event, but that single moment of seeing Toby holding onto hope and joy despite of all his sufferings, forever changed the hearts of the Rangers in a big way, even if Toby never knew of it.
Toby hadn't even finished playing the song when Necrolai swooped down and swiped the music box from him, crushing it in her scaly palm.
"How dare you disobey the law? You were told once already, music is forbidden!"
"But it's just a little music box! What harm can it do?" protested Toby. "Please, I promise, I'll share it with no one. Just let me keep it, please! Show mercy, Your Evilness!"
Necrolai was unmoved. "There is no mercy for the likes of you and the law is the law! You were warned, now you must be punished with death! Take him away!"
Toby looked scared to death as Hidiacs and Styxoids grabbed Toby and began dragging him away with the rest of the prisoners to be executed or sent to the dark mines, which was a death sentence in itself for anyone who worked there.
"If we had our magic, they wouldn't get away with this!" said Vida, in frustration.
When Toby cried out for help, Natalia finally lost control of her temper.
"THAT'S IT! I don't care what our odds are. I don't care what power we have or don't have. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Well, I am a soldier's daughter and I won't stand by and watch innocent people suffer when I can still fight!" said Natalia, fiercely. "And I will fight!"
And with that, she ran towards Necrolai, the Hidiacs and Styxoids. She put her thumb and index finger into her mouth and whistled sharply, catching their attention.
"Hey, Fangs-For-Brains, catch!" said Natalia.
Before Necrolai could react, Natalia had pulled the pin on her last grenade and tossed it right into Necrolai's face, causing Necrolai's foot soldiers to scatter and release Toby, who wasted no time in fleeing for his life while thanking Natalia for her help.
Natalia took advantage of Necrolai's momentary distraction from explosion by jamming her elbow into Necrolai's collarbone, sending the Vampire Queen stumbling backwards as she screeched in pain when Natalia delivered a hammer fist to the right side of Necrolai's head and a forward kick to Necrolai's ribcage with Natalia's left foot. The final kick caused Necrolai to fall to the ground and when she tried to retaliate, Natalia leaned down and struck her in the face, not once but three times and used the Vampire Queen's distraction from the punches to snatch up the black and purple device containing Koragg's magic.
It would've been so easy to simply use Koragg's magic to regain control over Natalia's own and in the fight against the Master's forces. But Natalia had seen the consequences of taking the easy way out and she refused to take that path. So, instead of using Koragg's power, Natalia slid the device into the safety of her jacket pocket before taking a defensive stance again.
"You will pay for that, Red Ranger!" screeched Necrolai, furiously.
"You want me? Come and get me, hag!" snarled Natalia. "Who's with me?"
Inspired by Natalia's selflessness and courage in spite of the terrible odds against her, Mason and the others quickly followed her example and began fighting against Necrolai and the foot soldiers. They had neither magic nor weapons to aid them but their courage was greater than any magic they could have ever wielded.
XXX
Unbeknownst to the Rangers, the Tribunal of Magic had not yet finished with them. All three were watching the Rangers' actions from afar, curious as to how events would unfold. Would the Rangers show a change of heart that would justify the reversal of the wish or would they retreat back into their bad habits that had caused the situation in the first place?
"Three of them have no magic while the other two's powers are depleted and all but gone, yet they continue to fight," said Neutral. He was both impressed and puzzled by their actions, for mankind did not often act as the Rangers were currently doing.
"Unless the Red Ranger learns to unlock the mystery of her necklace, their destruction is imminent unless…" Light looked to Dark for an answer and did not have to wait long for one.
"No," said Dark, firmly. "You two may vote otherwise, but mine remains unchanged. If we are to act, it cannot be so yet. Let us watch and see if they will convince me to change my mind."
Light and Neutral agreed and resumed watching the battle unfold.
When the battle went south and the Rangers became not only severely banged up but also captured and at Necrolai's mercy, Dark changed his tune. For by now, despite what was surely to be their fate, the Rangers refused to give up.
"Look at what's happened to them. Even though they haven't learned their lesson, they are showing extraordinary courage and selflessness. They refuse to surrender, even though fate is against them and they are willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believe to be just," said Dark. "And what is more, even though it would benefit them greatly, not one amongst them has tried to use Koragg's magic for their own personal gain."
By now, even Dark was impressed with the Rangers' actions and for Dark to be impressed was a feat onto itself for such a thing was rarer than a blue moon.
Neutral nodded in agreement. "They even had the nerve to face us and survive to tell the tale. Very few humans have ever had the nerve to do such a thing."
"And rarely have we been in the presence of one with such a bloodline such as the Red Ranger's," said Light. "What's more, I say their extraordinary selfless courage as well as their record speaks for itself and merits special circumstances. I vote to reverse the genie's wish."
Once more, Neutral nodded in agreement. "I also vote in favor of reversing the genie's wish. But our ways are set in stone. We must be unanimous. What is your vote, Dark? Do you agree with us?"
Neutral and Light turned to look in Dark's direction and then after a moment's pause, the black-gowned guardian voiced his vote.
XXX
In spite of their numerous wounds, Natalia and the others struggled against their captors' tight grips as they glared down Necrolai. Despite what was most likely going to happen, none of them were afraid, for if they perished today, then at least they perished doing what was right. It was an honorable, noble death. What more could anyone ask for in such a thing?
"What're you going to do to us, hag?" asked Natalia.
Miraculously, Natalia had managed to keep Koragg's magic away from the Vampire Queen, which meant one less thing to worry about as far as their fates were concerned. But that didn't mean that the hag didn't have something nasty planned for them.
"Something I've wanted to do for a long time now: annihilate you!" said Necrolai, smugly. She took one of the Styxoid's blades and raised it to strike at the Rangers, but before Necrolai could act, there was an earth-shattering thunder-like noise.
Everyone looked to the skies as suddenly the color returned in full and time itself reversed for everyone except for the Rangers and the Master's forces to the exact moment when Imperious had made the dark wish. Back in the forest, Rootcore and the Xenotome were restored to their former glory, Udonna became the White Sorceress Queen she once was, and both Clare and Daggeron were given back their lives. What was more, Natalia could feel her strength and her control return to her in full and then the Rangers' morphers were returned to them as their injuries completely healed.
For a moment, no one could understand what had happened, and then it hit them: the Tribunal had voted to reverse the wish after all.
"NO!" screeched Necrolai, as she realized what had happened. "This cannot be happening!"
"Oh, it can, hag," said Natalia, smugly, as the others cheered at having their magic back and at full power. "And now you're going to get it, big-time. Ready, guys?"
"Ready!" said the Rangers, in unison. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
And with that, Natalia and the others morphed into the Mystic Ranger forms, relishing in the return of their magical powers and the restoration of the city to its former glory as well as everyone's happiness and freedom.
Despite the Rangers' powers being restored and having lost Koragg's magic, Necrolai refused to surrender. She snapped her fingers and her foot soldiers resumed their defensive stances.
"Bring it on, Rangers! Get them!" yelled Necrolai. "ATTACK!"
Battle cries emitted from the Rangers' throats as they launched themselves into the fight.
Dark magic was blasted all over the battlefield and the Hidiacs and Styxoids swiped at whatever they could with their weapons. But the Rangers were not only armed and ready for the attacks, but they were also dodging or blocking them with astounding grace and agility.
As Mason leapt into the air to dodge an impending dark magic blast, thrust out his Magi Staff and aimed it at twenty-five Hidiacs and Styxoids. "Oceanum Soluti!"
Powerful geysers of water shot out of the ground, sending the foot soldiers sky high before Mason turned them to ice. When they hit the cement ground, they shattered into a million pieces.
To dodge the swarming Hidiacs, Chip rolled beneath a car before thrusting his Magi Staff at the heavens. "Percutiens Tempestas!" Powerful lightning rained down from the skies and reduced all the foot soldiers into ash.
After punching and kicking the living daylights out of a number of foot soldiers, Xander called forth his earth magic for assistance. "Vinea Impetum!" The biggest vines that Xander had ever conjured burst out of the ground and punched through the foot soldiers, destroying them.
After clearing the area of civilians, Vida unleashed her wind power onto the remaining Hidiacs and Styxoids who were foolish enough to stay behind and fight. "Inspiratione Aerem!" A powerful pink tornado emitted from Vida's Magi Staff and it sent her enemies flying into the skies before she cast another spell that destroyed them completely.
With her teammates destroying the Hidiacs and Styxoids and getting any civilians to safety, Natalia was left alone to deal with Necrolai. By now, Natalia had changed her Magi Staff into a sword and was using to block Necrolai's attempts to slice and dice her. Finally, Necrolai decided to use dark magic against the Red Ranger.
"Take this!" Dark magic shot out of Necrolai's eyes at some nearby combustibles, but Natalia just absorbed the fire and emerged unharmed.
"Nice try, hag! Now, it's my turn! Flamma Aeterna!"
A steady stream of white-hot fire emitted from Natalia's Magi Staff and severely burnt the Vampire Queen to the point where Necrolai was forced to retreat through a dark seal to save her life.
But although Necrolai had been forced to retreat and the foot soldiers had been destroyed, the battle was far from over.
Furious and alarmed at that his genius plan was unravelling, Imperious tried to salvage what he could of the situation by destroying the Rangers via sending Fightoe to the surface world and using a dark seal to enlarge the Barbarian Beast to an incredible size.
"I'm back, Rangers!" cackled Fightoe.
"And so are we! Let's Titan up, guys!" said Natalia. "Galwit Mysto Prifior!"
And with that, the Rangers morphed into the Titan forms and joined together to form their Megazord. When they did, they were ready for Fightoe's attacks. The dog-like Barbarian Beast used his staff to form gigantic boulders which he sent flying at the Rangers but to Fightoe's shock, the Rangers were able to slice through the boulders like a hot knife through butter. They then used their Titan Megazord Galaxy Slash Attack to destroy Fightoe's staff by slicing it in two before they proceeded to wound him so greatly that the Barbarian Beast not only shrunk down to normal size, but he retreated to the Underworld to regain his strength.
The Rangers had won…for now.
XXX
Meanwhile, all of the Underworld was in an uproar over the recent turn of events. The dark world that everyone had loved was gone thanks to the Tribunal of Magic, which meant there was going to be retribution and that was causing quite a fair amount of panic and anger from everyone there. But that was nothing compared to Koragg's wrath as the Knight Wolf unexpectedly returned to the Underworld in such a terrible rage that threatened to shake the Underworld down to its core.
"WHERE ARE THOSE BEASTS?" roared Koragg, as he slashed through at least twenty Hidiacs. He was furiously searching for Fightoe and Fifty Below as it was high time that they were punished for their actions. "THEY WILL PAY FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ME!"
"Koragg?!" exclaimed Imperious, shocked. He couldn't believe the Knight Wolf was still alive when he could have sworn that Fightoe and Fifty Below had destroyed Koragg for good. But as Imperious knew better than to reveal this if he valued his life, Imperious instead feigned ignorance and asked instead, "what on earth's gotten into you? Calm down and tell me what's happened."
Koragg growled as he held his sword at Imperious' throat. "Fightoe and Fifty Below attacked and tried to destroy me! And what is worse, those two are planning to overthrow the Master! If you had anything to do with this, I swear, I'll—"
"I had no part in this, I swear!" lied Imperious, praying Koragg would believe him. "In fact, I threw those two treacherous ingrates out of the Underworld when I discovered they were planning a coup. How could I have possibly known they would attack you? Koragg, please!"
A louder growl emitted from Koragg's throat as he pressed his sword harder against Imperious' throat. After what seemed like an eternity, Koragg released Imperious and sheathed his sword.
"Consider yourself lucky I believe you, Imperious. But you had better pray that I don't find you've been lying to me when I find and destroy Fightoe and Fifty Below, because if I do, I will destroy you in the blink of an eye! For by my sword, the Master will not be threatened!" snarled Koragg.
Imperious quickly nodded. "Yes, I understand. Koragg, naturally. By all means, track those traitors down and destroy them."
Koragg did not reply as he then stormed out of the throne room.
As soon as Koragg was gone and the throne room was cleared of even the foot soldiers, Fightoe and Fifty Below peered out from their hiding place. They were as shocked as Imperious was, if not more, to learn that Koragg had survived. For they had truly believed that the Knight Wolf had perished from their ambush in the woods.
"You idiots!" hissed Imperious, furiously. Why had he trusted these buffoons to destroy Koragg? They were clearly too incompetent to destroy a Hidiac, never mind the Knight Wolf. What was worse, with Koragg still alive, Imperious had little chance of destroying the Master and claiming the throne for himself. "You gave me every assurance that you'd destroyed Koragg! I should hand you both over to him as punishment for your failure!"
Although the two Barbarian Beasts were still powerful and dangerous, perhaps more so than Imperious, even with Fightoe's staff destroyed, Fightoe and Fifty Below felt quite frightened of the dark wizard's anger.
"My lord, please—" began Fightoe.
"We humbly—" Fifty Below started.
"Silence!" ordered Imperious, sharply, making them fall quiet. Imperious tapped his chin with his finger as he contemplated what to do next and then it came to him. "Well, this is your lucky day, you two. For I have decided to give you another chance. Return to the city and destroy those pesky Rangers and when you return, you shall be rewarded as I promised. Is that understood?"
Fightoe and Fifty Below both nodded and bowed before leaving to fulfill their orders.
While this was going on, Imperious' quarters were deserted, for in his haste to try and regain his victory, Imperious had left Jenji's prison out of its protective case and unguarded. Making it all too easy for Lee-Lee to swipe the lamp. She lifted open the lid and peered inside. The sight of Lee-Lee made Jenji sigh in immense relief.
"Lee-Lee! Oh, boy. Am I glad to see you!" said Jenji.
"Likewise. Sorry, I couldn't stop Imperious when he captured you," said Lee-Lee, regretfully. "But I have good news. The dark wish has been reversed!"
Jenji had guessed as much as he'd sensed the reversal of his spell (it was a genie thing) but it still felt so good to hear it said aloud.
"Oh, that's fantastic! Thanks for telling me. So, uh, don't take this the wrong way but is the coast clear? Can I skedaddle now?" asked Jenji. If Imperious came back and made Jenji recast the wish, there was going to be trouble of the worst kind.
Lee-Lee nodded and rubbed the lamp, enabling Jenji to emerge from his prison. "You're free, big guy. Now, go home before Imperious or my mom come back and you still have a chance."
Jenji nearly startled climbing the walls with joy as he stretched. "Thanks, Lee-Lee. But before I go, take this in lieu of a wish as a token of my gratitude."
Before he left, Jenji snapped his fingers and Lee-Lee found herself in possession of a small magic cauldron that would produce an unlimited amount of whatever kind of food that the owner wished, which was perfect for upcoming date Lee-Lee had with Phineas.
It was truly magical.
XXX
Meanwhile, Natalia and the others were taking advantage of their momentary peace to reunite with their loved ones at Rootcore. It was hard to say who was the more frantic to see if their missing loved one was truly returned safe and sound, Mason or Xander. For both the Blue and Green Rangers seemed to be having a race as they ran to Rootcore as fast as they could. The sight of Rootcore restored and the absence of Clare's grave was a welcoming sight, but it was not the one they wanted as they ran inside in their base of operations.
Both Jenji and Udonna were waiting for them when they arrived, smiling broadly at the sight of them. "Rangers, you've returned!"
"Udonna, Jenji, you're back and you're all right," said Natalia, crying in relief.
"Thanks to you guys," said Jenji, happily.
Mason and Xander frantically scanned the room for Daggeron and Clare but didn't see either one of them, which made them both worry.
"Where're my dad and Clare?" asked Mason, worriedly. "They're not…?"
"We're both right here, son," said Daggeron, as he entered the room from the kitchen.
Mason nearly cried in relief as he ran straight into his father's arms. Mason was glad to see that although Daggeron was a little dazed and lightheaded from the dark wish, Daggeron was otherwise all right; as was Clare, who came out from behind Daggeron, alive and well.
"Clare, you're here. You're alive," said Xander, with choked emotion. "Oh, thank the gods! If this is a dream, don't wake me up."
Clare began to both cry and laugh as she ran straight into Xander's arms. The Green Ranger lifted Clare up and spun her around in joy before pulling her in close for an intense, passionate kiss that left them both breathless.
"I love you so much. I'm never letting you go again," said Xander, quietly, as he held Clare close. He seemed to truly mean it, as he gave no indication of releasing Clare from his arms.
Clare, however, didn't seem to mind in the least, as she rested her head against her boyfriend's chest. "I love you too, Xander, so much."
"It's really good to have you all back. And boy, do we have one heck of a story to tell you," said Chip. "You may not even believe what we had to do in order to get the dark wish reversed."
Udonna, Daggeron, Clare and Jenji all looked intrigued to hear this and beckoned for the story to be told. Vida took lead and recanted how they had realized what Imperious had wished for, how they'd bargained with Koragg for the Knight Wolf's help in reversing the wish, how they'd journeyed across miles of desert land to reach the Tribunal of Magic, how they had pled their case to the Tribunal and failed only to end up succeeding in convincing the Tribunal in the end when they faced off against Necrolai and her foot soldiers despite their powerlessness.
Needless to say, the Rangers' audience was quite shocked as well as impressed to hear of everything the Rangers had gone through to reverse the dark wish. Convincing one of their most formidable enemies to work with them was a great feat, but visiting the Tribunal of Magic and persuading them to help was another task entirely, a task that not even Udonna and Leanbow had ever attempted in their lifetimes.
Daggeron was exceptionally proud of his students. "I've got to say, going to the Tribunal of Magic took a lot of guts, guys. I'm impressed. But I still can't believe Koragg helped you."
"Koragg may be our enemy, but for once, our goals were the same," said Natalia. "Besides, considering what the Barbarian Beasts did to Koragg, it's only natural that Koragg would want revenge. And what better way to do that than to work with us? Enemy of my enemy and all that."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Hey, guys, I just want to say that I'm sorry," said Jenji. "Because if it wasn't for me, none of this would have ever happened. So, I'm really sorry." In Jenji's mind, the whole mess was his fault because if he hadn't been turned into a genie, it wouldn't have been possible to grant
"Jenji, it wasn't your fault. You're a genie. You had to grant the wish," said Mason. "If anything, we should be blamed for not protecting you better."
Jenji didn't look convinced but he didn't argue.
Although she didn't want to spoil the moment, Udonna felt it was necessary to remind everyone that they still had a big problem.
"The battle isn't over yet, everyone. Fightoe and Fifty Below are still out there," said Udonna. "And they will not take this defeat lightly. They will return for revenge and when they do, we'd best be ready for them, for it will not be an easy victory."
Right on cue, the crystal ball lit up with dark magic activity. Fightoe and Fifty Below had returned and they were waiting in the city's junkyard for the Rangers.
"Duty calls," said Mason, as he hugged his father again.
Natalia placed her hands on her temples as she used the now fully-restored mind link between herself and Koragg to speak with the Knight Wolf. She had agreed to help Koragg get his revenge against the Barbarian Beasts and she was a woman of her word. Not to mention, any extra help against Fightoe and Fifty Below would be invaluable, even if it was from one of their biggest enemies. But even though she was the one making the call, it still hurt like the devil.
Koragg, if you're still interested in revenge against Fightoe and Fifty Below, meet us at the junkyard, said Natalia, as she slowly breathed through the pain. They're waiting for us there.
I will be there, Red Witch. Our alliance may still stand but the right to destroy those Beasts is still mine until I say otherwise, and don't you forget it! swore Koragg.
As if I ever would, said Natalia, dryly. She then ceased communication with Koragg and turned to her teammates. "Come on, let's go."
Everyone quickly followed Natalia out of Rootcore. But before Xander left with them, he kissed Clare one last time.
"Be safe," he murmured. "I love you."
"I love you too," said Clare, as they reluctantly parted.
XXX
Down at the city's junkyard, Fightoe and Fifty Below were waiting, armed and ready for what they believe was sure to be an entertaining but swift victory. Considering how their previous battle with the Rangers had ended, it was that crazy of a belief.
"We meet again, Rangers. Ready for another humiliating defeat?" sneered Fifty Below.
Natalia gripped the hilt of her Magi Staff in anger. "We'll see about that! Let's get them, guys! Ready?"
"Ready!" said the Rangers, as they drew their weapons and charged them up.
But a surprise came their way when Fightoe and Fifty Below did not attack together as they had the previous time they'd fought.
"Oh, no you don't! Divide and conquer. You take Solaris Knight. I'll deal with the Rangers," said Fifty Below to Fightoe.
Fightoe nodded and led Solaris Knight on a chase through the junkyard where they did battle while Fifty Below fought with the Rangers.
In spite of his staff being broken, Fightoe was still a formidable opponent against Daggeron, for he was well trained in hand-to-hand combat and he was still in possession of powerful dark magic. Daggeron kicked at Fightoe and the dog-like creature used his broken staff to block Daggeron's blows before delivering a powerful kick of his own that sent Daggeron straight into scrap heap. Ignoring his screaming muscles, Daggeron leapt into the air and gracefully dodged Fightoe as he charged straight for the Solaris Knight. Then Fightoe blasted Daggeron with dark magic straight from Fightoe's eyes and the force of the attack was strong enough to de-morph Daggeron and disarm him of his lamp.
Fightoe cackled in smug delight as he towered the injured Daggeron. "You pitiful, insignificant weakling! And you call yourself a knight? I would've thought it'd be harder to kill a knight!"
Fightoe raised his weapon and was about to strike when suddenly…
"WOLF ATTACK!"
An all too familiar dark magic attack came out of nowhere and injured Fightoe as he went flying. He landed painfully on the roof of a dead car and when he slid down onto the ground, his eyes went wide in terror at the sight of his attacker.
Thanks to Phineas, Koragg was back to his full strength and he was more than ready to claim his revenge as he leapt down from on top of a building while growling in furious anger.
"The right to destroy this beast is mine!" roared Koragg.
"Koragg?!" exclaimed Fightoe, terrified. "How did you find me, let alone survive the ambush?"
"The stench of your betrayal led me here, Fightoe! And it takes a lot more than the actions of cowardly, dishonorable traitors to destroy me!" Koragg drew his sword. "Now you will pay with your life for attacking me and threatening the Master! Hiyah!"
And with that, Koragg launched into battle against Fightoe while Jenji emerged from his lamp and took Daggeron to safety behind a scrap heap where they could watch the battle as Jenji healed up Daggeron's wounds.
Koragg's sword clashed against Fightoe's broken staff as the two's weapons met one another. By a miracle, Fightoe manage to catch Koragg's sword with his broken staff and thrust his arm upward, sending Koragg spinning into air. Fightoe blasted at Koragg with dark magic, but the Knight Wolf was prepared. He grabbed a broken car door and used it to reflect Fightoe's attack back onto the Barbarian Beast, which left Fightoe injured and dazed. Koragg then took advantage of Fightoe's vulnerability by plunging his sword into Fightoe's torso, causing the Barbarian Beast to explode in a shower of dark magic. Fightoe was now destroyed forever.
"You live without honor, you die without honor," spat Koragg. "Now, where is Fifty Below?"
Fifty Below was at the other end of the junkyard, kicking the Rangers' butts six ways from next Thursday. Thanks to the orb he wore on his chest, Fifty Below had managed to absorb and redirect the Rangers' attacks back at them and he'd prevented them from destroying the orb by continuously blasting them with dark magic and hitting them with exploding ice chunks as well as powerful blizzard attacks from the gem on his head.
By now, all five Rangers were on the ground, injured and struggling to get back up. The situation was beginning to look hopeless and they knew exactly why.
"We should've done our best to defeat this guy when we had the chance!" said Vida, regretfully. "If I hadn't disobeyed Daggeron, none of this would've happened. It's all my fault!"
"It's not your fault, Vee. Xander and I had our hand in this too. We took the easy way by using Jenji instead of fighting it out like we were supposed to," said Chip. "We all messed up."
"Chip's right. It's like Lia and everyone else was telling us, we can't use the easy way every time. It made us lazy," said Xander, groaning in pain. "And I think it's what the Tribunal was trying to tell us too. But we didn't listen!"
"That's what we've been trying to tell you this whole time, guys!" said Natalia and Mason, together in exasperation.
While Natalia and Mason deeply cared for Vida, Chip and Xander, there were times when the trio were dumber than posts. Still, it was a relief to hear that they'd finally gotten through the trio's thick skulls. Finally the trio had learned that their laziness, the taking of their magic for granted as well as Jenji's capture was all their fault in the first place. Finally they understood what everyone and their dog had been trying to tell them. Finally they were taking responsibility for their actions. And it was long past time for it, too.
The only reason why Mason and Natalia hadn't just said this when the Tribunal asked who was to blame for Jenji's capture was because some lessons had to be learned by one's self. And when the other three Rangers hadn't listened to everyone else's subtle but clear warnings about the consequences of their actions, there had been no other choice but for them to reach this conclusion the hard way.
XXX
Back in their dimension, the Tribunal of Magic was quite pleased by the recent turn of events as well as the Rangers' admission of their irresponsible behavior and their desire to do better from that moment onwards so as not to let history repeat itself. The lesson that the Tribunal had been trying to teach them had finally been learned.
"It seems that the Rangers have finally taken responsibility for their actions," said Light. As guardian of good magic, it pleased her to see that her advocates were proving themselves worthy of their powers and titles.
"And learned that the easy way is not always the right or the best way," added Neutral. It was a lesson that was hard-taught but quite valuable and never forgotten once it was learned.
Even Dark nodded in agreement. "A valuable lesson merits a valuable reward, one that I believe we have been saving for a rainy day. If we are all agreed?"
Both Light and Neutral agreed and then all three of them raised their arms as they cast a powerful spell to aid the Rangers.
XXX
Just as Fifty Below was about to end the battle, there was a great flash of flight that all but completely blinded Fifty Below. When it faded, the yeti-like Barbarian Beast was shocked to see that not only were all five Rangers completely healed of their wounds, but they were also stronger and more powerful than ever before as they stood tall in their new gold and white uniforms and carried their new weapons, the Mystic Lion Staff.
Xander was now sporting a white and gold collar adorned with the minotaur symbol and an emerald, gold and white bracelets adorned his wrists, his boots were now white with the Mystic symbol in black and gold and there were minotaur horns on his helmet. "Element of Earth, Green Legend Warrior!"
Vida was now wore a white and gold collar adorned with the butterfly symbol and a pink sapphire, gold and white bracelets adorned her wrists, her boots were now white with the Mystic symbol in black and gold and there were butterfly wings on her helmet. "Element of Wind, Pink Legend Warrior!"
Chip was now sporting a white and gold collar adorned with the garuda symbol and a yellow topaz, gold and white bracelets adorned his wrists, his boots were now white with the Mystic symbol in black and gold and there were garuda wings on his helmet. "Element of Lightning, Yellow Legend Warrior!"
Mason was now sporting a white and gold collar adorned with the merman symbol and a dark blue sapphire, gold and white bracelets adorned his wrists, his boots were now white with the Mystic symbol in black and gold and there was a shark's fin on his helmet. "Element of Water, Blue Legend Warrior!"
And finally, Natalia was now sporting a white and gold collar adorned with the phoenix symbol and a ruby, gold and white bracelets adorned her wrists, her boots were now white with the Mystic symbol in black and gold and there were phoenix wings on her helmet. "Element of Fire, Red Legend Warrior!"
Natalia and her teammates had earned what none before them ever had, the Legend Warrior powers of the original Mystic Warriors.
Daggeron and Jenji watched this with stunned amazement, for they knew at once how this had occurred. Never before had anyone been granted the greatest powers of the original Mystic Warriors, for the Tribunal of Magic had never once deemed anyone worthy of such great power. It was quite a feat to watch and truly a great moment in history.
Koragg, who had decided that it was revenge enough to see one of the Barbarian Beasts fall at the hands of the Rangers, was also highly impressed. Only truly honorable and strong warriors could have achieved such a feat. And while this did mean that it would be harder than ever to defeat the Rangers, especially the Red Witch, Koragg was looking forward to the challenge.
Fifty Below, however, could not understand what had just happened. He'd been at the cusp of victory and now suddenly, his enemies were more powerful than ever.
"WHAT?!" yelled Fifty Below, shocked. "How is this possible?"
As in in answer, the air rippled and images of the Tribunal of Magic appeared in the sky above them.
"Congratulations. You have not only shown exemplary courage in the face of dire battle, but you have finally learned that the right way is rarely the easy way," said Light. "As a reward, we have seen fit to bestow upon you the powers of the first legendary Mystic Warriors who fought like you many eons ago."
"Use your powers wisely, Rangers and do not repeat the mistakes of the past," warned Neutral. "And remember that as we saw fit to give you your powers, we can also reverse this as easily as we reversed your genie's wish. Do you understand?"
All five Rangers nodded and bowed in respect for the Tribunal of Magic.
"We understand, my lords and lady. We thank you for this gift and swear on our lives, we will do our best to fight with honor and prove ourselves worthy of your mercy and wisdom," vowed Natalia, as the others murmured similar words.
"See that you do," said Dark. "Now we take our leave. And as I doubt we will ever meet again, Red Ranger, you should know this: that which you have always sought, is far closer to you than you believe."
Before Natalia could ask what Dark meant, the image of the Tribunal vanished and they were left alone with Fifty Below, who decided to try and win despite the overwhelming
"I don't care what kind of powers you have! You cannot defeat me!" yelled Fifty Below. He sent forth another blizzard attack, but this time all the Rangers dodged it before they prepared to make their first round of attacks.
"Xander, Chip, go!" ordered Natalia.
"You've got it, boss!" said Xander.
The Green and Yellow Rangers joined their Mystic Lion Staffs together and said in unison, "Praemium Scopulus!"
Green and yellow magic shot out of their staffs and formed a hail of boulders that exploded upon making contact with Fifty Below. The exploding boulders not only injured Fifty Below and left him too dazed to defend himself, but it also began to crack his orb.
"It's working! Our turn, sis!" said Mason as he and Vida joined their staffs together. "Tempestate Iactatis!"
Blue and pink magic shot out of their staffs and a terrible windy storm arose, but instead of a tornado, a powerful waterspout descended from the heavens and sucked up Fifty Below, bouncing him up and down like a yo-yo before dropping him like a stone, cracking his orb even more.
"Now, it's my turn," said Natalia. She thrust out her Lion Staff and spun it around. "Ignis Tonabit!"
A great explosion of fire emitted from Natalia's Mystic Lion Staff that not only completed the shattering of Fifty Below's orb, leaving him defenseless, but it also caused the yeti-like Barbarian Beast to explode in a shower of dark magic.
Finally, all the Barbarian Beasts were destroyed forevermore, but the battle was not yet over as Imperious came into view from up on top of a tall building.
"Don't be so quick to celebrate, Rangers! This battle is not yet over!" cackled Imperious. He thrust out his fan and conjured a dark seal and from it emerged Imperious' secret weapon, a gigantic robot that was powered by the residual dark magic energy of all four fallen Barbarian Beasts. "Let us see if your Legend Warrior powers can vanquish my beautiful creation!"
Imperious then retreated to the Underworld as he cackled in smug glee.
"Let's Titan up, guys!" said Natalia. "Legendary Warrior Style!"
"Right!"
What Imperious hadn't counted on was that with the Rangers' new Legend Warrior powers came a seriously powerful upgrade for their Titan and Megazord forms.
Natalia spun her staff around as a ring of phoenix fire encircled her. "Legend of the Sky, Mystic Firebird!" And with that, Natalia not only grew in size, but she was transformed into a giant red and gold phoenix with blazing hot, fiery wings.
Mason and the other three Rangers underwent a different transformation. "Legend of the Jungle, Mystic Lion!" As the four of them joined together, they transformed into a giant white and gold lion with razor-sharp fangs and claws.
Natalia took to the skies and sent down a shower of white-hot fireballs down at Ursus, nearly burning the robot to a crisp. Mason and the others charged straight at the mechanical menace before raising their left arm which became alight with powerful light magic before they brought it down hard onto Ursus, exposing the circuitry and dark magic beneath its protective armor. With their opponent severely weakened, the Rangers then prepared their next attack. Two rows of fire were conjured and then Natalia created three great rings of phoenix fire, which Mason and the others leapt through.
With each leap through the rings, their level of power increased expotentially and they all then joined together as one, creating the Manticore Megazord. They then proceeded to swipe even harder at Ursus before wrestling with the robot and then tossing it like a stone into a nearby empty field. When Ursus was down, they summoned forth their Legend Striker, a three-pronged blade, which they used to slice through the now approaching Ursus like a hot knife through butter. Urus then attempted to fix itself but the Rangers were ready and used their final, most powerful attack. They ignited their Legend Striker with powerful, white-hot phoenix fire, which they then sent straight at Ursus, causing the robot to explode into dust with no chance of repair.
They won.
XXX
With the battles finally over, the Rangers met up with Clare and discovered that miraculously, there was still at least a good half-hour before the one-year anniversary party, which meant they still had a chance to be one time for all the fun and celebrating. They wasted no time in quickly fixing up their appearances before heading down to the store for some well-earned leisure time at what was assuredly going to be one of the best parties of the year.
On their walk there, everyone kept cheering and leaping for joy over their victories as well as their new powers and the exciting fun that awaited them at the Rock Porium when they arrived.
"That was so completely unreal. I can't believe it actually happened," gushed Chip.
"Yeah, tell me about it. We should be proud of ourselves. We really did it, guys. No more Barbarian Beasts. The world's safe from the dark forces, we have our magic back and most importantly, I have my girl back," said Xander, as he slid his hand into Clare's.
"And we still have time to make it to the party!" said Clare, excitedly, as she kissed Xander's cheek. "Oh, I can't wait for everyone to taste make cake! It's going to be so great. I—Koragg!"
Everyone stopped in their tracks to see Koragg standing before them. He did not draw his sword or take a defensive stance, but no one was taking any chances as truce or no truce, Koragg was still the Master's most faithful servant.
"What do you want, Koragg?" demanded Vida.
"I want what is rightfully mine, Rangers. I have fulfilled my end of our bargain by helping you reverse the dark wish. Now, you will fulfill your end of our bargain. Did you retrieve my magic from the hag as you promised?" demanded Koragg.
Natalia nodded as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the device containing Koragg's magic. Miraculously, she'd been able to keep it safe, despite all that had happened. "A deal's a deal. You helped us, now we're helping you. This belongs to you and no one else."
Returning Koragg's magic to the Knight Wolf was probably a big tactical mistake, but it was the honorable thing to do and Natalia was prepared to deal with the consequences as she was a woman of her word.
"My magic!" exclaimed Koragg, as he snatched the device. He muttered an incantation and the device turned into a large, purple orb which he then placed into his torso. Judging by Koragg's posture, the return of his magic had strengthened him a great deal. "You have my gratitude for this, Red Witch. But nothing more. With the Barbarian Beasts' destruction, our alliance is over. When next we meet on the battlefield, we will be enemies again."
Natalia nodded. Neither she nor anyone else there was surprised by this, but there was still a strong feeling of disappointment that their alliance had ended. Working with Koragg had felt oddly good, as though it was meant to be. But they couldn't change Koragg's mindset.
"We may be enemies, Koragg, but we don't have to be," said Mason, hesitantly. "You don't have to serve the Master. You could ally yourself with those who are truly honorable and not have to watch your back around Imperious and those like him. Why not switch sides? Join the good fight?"
Koragg shook his head in disagreement. "You may be honorable warriors but my allegiance is to the Master and him alone. Unlike those Barbarian Beasts, I am no traitor."
Loyalty was an admirable trait and something that no one could argue with, even if it was loyalty to the wrong side with the wrong leader. And seeing as how Koragg was immovable on this matter, no one attempted to argue with the Knight Wolf further.
"We've got it, Koragg. We're enemies again, now and forever. But know this, we're stronger than ever now that we have our Legend Warrior powers. So, take that into consideration the next time you attack," said Natalia, warningly.
Armed with their newfound powers and increased strength, there was every chance that the next time Koragg and the Rangers met on the battlefield, Koragg would not walk away with his life.
"Believe me, Red Witch, your increased powers will only make my victory all the more satisfying when I defeat you," said Koragg.
Without waiting a reply, Koragg then summoned a dark seal and disappeared into the depths of the Underworld.
It was a bittersweet moment, but one that they could not dwell on. For at that moment, it was time to enjoy some well-deserved fun and games at the Rock Porium's anniversary party. And it was a party that was well worth the wait and so much more.
There were all kinds of music playing until well after closing time, everyone was dancing and laughing, Toby was so happy that he thanked his employees for all their help and hard work in making the one-year anniversary celebration so special in his speech about the store; Clare's cake was so delicious that it was not only completely consumed by the end of the day but it received scores of great reviews and pleas for the recipe, and all in all, it was truly a magical and fantastic day.