Light Source Part Two
With great difficulty, Natalia and the others burst through Hekatoid's portal and emerged on the outskirts of town. Before they could attack, Hekatoid blasted them clear across the area, knocking them over and causing the earth beneath them to shake.
"You've lost, Rangers! Udonna's my prize and I'm keeping her that way! And guess what? I've got another prize as well!" cackled Hekatoid, as he happily hopped around. "You won't be able to stop me when my babies are grown! Ha-ha!"
Before anyone could react, Hekatoid disappeared through a dark spell seal and then suddenly, the ooze he'd spewed at them took effect and within moments, they were all in their civilian forms, powered down and quite tired.
As she stood up, Natalia angrily ran her fingers through her dark red, almost black hair which had come free of its signature high ponytail when the elastic broke in the fight. "I can't believe we let him get away with her!"
As long as Udonna was Hekatoid's prisoner, she was as good as dead. This couldn't be happening. Natalia couldn't be on the verge of losing a mother again!
"Natalia, as long as we're still breathing, we're not stopping," assured Mason. They'd been beaten, yes, but they weren't defeated. They'd faced off worse odds before
"And even if I stop breathing, I'm not stopping," added Chip, quickly.
Natalia smiled in gratitude. "Thanks, guys. Let's Ranger up! Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
But to everyone's immense shock and dismay, Natalia was the only one who morphed, revealing what Hekatoid had meant. He'd taken the other Rangers' powers. Without their magic, they couldn't morph and if they couldn't morph, they couldn't fight. This was not good.
"That freak stole our powers!" exclaimed Xander.
"Oh man. Not again," groaned Vida. "What do we do? Lia, what do we do?"
For once, Natalia didn't have answer. Four of her friends were powerless, Hekatoid still had her mother prisoner and if they didn't find a solution and fast, billions of poisonous frogs were going to descend upon the city and wreak unspeakable havoc. Innocent people were going to die. They had to do something. But what? And how? Natalia had the Mystic Crystal, true, but if she didn't act smart, they would lose everything anyway. What were they going to do?
XXX
Meanwhile, Lee-Lee, Phineas and Clare were hiding in the foliage outside Hekatoid's private banquet chambers. There was a portal for an entrance rather than a door and two powerful Styxoids guarding said entrance to the Terror's lair.
"I'll take it from here. Those Styxoids won't know what hit them," said Clare. She raised her arms to cast a spell but Lee-Lee grabbed her arms, stopping her.
"No, no, no!" said Lee-Lee, alarmed. "Not yet! Hekatoid's chambers are warded to alert him and the others if anything other than Terror and Hidiac magic is used! Using magic this early will just call the cavalry straight to us!"
"How do we get in, then?" asked Clare, in frustration.
Lee-Lee grinned. "This is one of the few perks of being my mother's daughter. Wait here for my signal, guys."
Without waiting for a reply, Lee-Lee burst out of the foliage and strutted over to the two Styxoid guards, who immediately crossed their blades, blocking her way in.
"No passage! Who're you?" they demanded.
Lee-Lee's face twisted in agitation. "Excuse me? Do you seriously not know who I am? I'm Lee-Lee Pimvare—my surname's an anagram for 'vampire' by the way—daughter of Necrolai, Queen of the Vampires. In fact, I'm the next Queen of the Vampires. One phone call to her and you two are so deep in the Underworld, you're digging down to get back up!"
Upon hearing this, the two Styxoid guards became alarmed and immediately bowed. They knew all too well of Necrolai and her reputation and they had no wish to risk her wrath by hurting her daughter and sole heiress.
"A thousand apologies, Your Majesty. What can we do for you?"
Lee-Lee grinned a smug grin, pleased this was going her way. "Turn around, drop your weapons and close your eyes."
The two Styxoids exchanged confused looks but nevertheless, they did as they were told. They turned around, dropped the weapons and closed their eyes. And it was most unlucky for them that they did, for this allowed Phineas to pop up from his hiding place and knock their skulls together. The guards fell unconscious and were helpless as Phineas then tied them up tightly.
"Perfect. Nice work, guys," praised Clare.
As always, Phineas blushed from the praise as he was still a humble troblin. "Ah, shucks, girl. I'm turning red," he chuckled.
"C'mon guys. We're running out of time," said Lee-Lee, beckoning for them to join her.
Clare and Phineas nodded and then they quietly followed Lee-Lee through the portal and into Hekatoid's private banquet hall. Despite what it was called, Hekatoid's private room was nothing glamorous. It was made of cold, dark stone that was dripping with disgusting, slime that reeked of pond scum and was covered in less-than-pleasing plant life as well. It was also quite dark inside, which only made it worse for the rescue party as it made it difficult to see.
"Ugh. How can anyone live in such a dark, smelly place?" groaned Clare, as she narrowly avoided stepping into a disgusting, muddy puddle.
Phineas, who didn't mind it very much, shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Some windows to allow for some more light, some curtains…this place might not be too bad. Oh, look!"
The girls looked to what Phineas was pointing at and upon seeing it, their eyes brightened. There, lying on a rock, was a piece of Udonna's white cloak.
"This is definitely Udonna's. She's here or she was here…I don't know," muttered Clare, as she looked over the scrap of fabric. "We have to keep looking. She's depending on us."
Phineas and Lee-Lee nodded in agreement and then, stealthily to avoid any guards that might be patrolling or worse, a Terror, the trio continued searching through the many winding halls and large rooms of Hekatoid's private banquet chambers until they reached his dining room, which had a large table piled high with delicious cakes, pies and other such baked goods.
"Look, I don't mean to be a doomsayer but, uh…doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Ooh, cake!" Briefly distracted from the situation, Phineas licked his lips in anticipation when he spotted the delicious baked goods on Hekatoid's table before he refocused on the problem. "Okay, we tried but if Udonna's not here, then where is she?"
Lee-Lee was quiet for a moment as she felt around in the dimly lit chamber for something, anything that might be a clue. "Don't worry. We'll find her, I know it."
Right on cue, Hekatoid's voice echoed throughout the hall and into the room, causing the trio to become afraid. Quickly, they hid in an empty storage space and just in time too, for no sooner had they done this, Hekatoid entered the dining room. His face was smeared with fluffy, white vanilla cream and he was carrying Udonna's cage.
"Yum! Yum! Cake, pies, doughnuts! All well-earned treats for me, because I'm the best!" said Hekatoid, as he placed Udonna's cage down in the middle of the room. "The Rangers don't know about this secret hideout, my prize. They'll never find you and even if they did, they can't help! I have at least four of their powers in here! Now, you'll sit here in your proper place while I wait for my poison tadpoles to be born and wreak havoc on the city! They're
Hekatoid poured himself a glass of the sweetest berry juice and then waved his hand over it, allowing him to see what was happening to his tadpoles. To his utmost horror, Hekatoid saw Daggeron in the Solar Streak Megazord trying to fry the tadpoles before they could hatch and wreak havoc upon the city of Briarwood.
"AUGH! MY BABIES! THAT MONSTER!" shrieked Hekatoid. He then called forth a dark spell seal and vanished through it.
As soon as Hekatoid was gone, the trio burst out of their hiding place.
"Udonna!" cried Clare, worriedly.
"Don't worry. She's safe and unharmed. The spell acts as a preserving agent," explained Lee-Lee. "But we have to hurry. Hekatoid won't be gone long, so we need to get her out and awake now. So, make with the magic, quick!"
Pleased to be able to do something, Clare wasted no time in casting a spell to free her aunt. "Nusatu Valerium!" The spell's effect was immediate—the cage disappeared into nothing but it wasn't all good. Udonna was still out cold like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty.
Quickly, Phineas cleared the multiple deserts off the table, allowing Lee-Lee and Clare to place the unconscious White Sorceress Queen onto the table.
"She's still under the spell! It's going to take a lot of magic to wake her up," said Clare. "More magic than I've got, unfortunately. We need to call the others!"
"No, there's no time," said Lee-Lee, quickly. If Lee-Lee was right, one of the Terrors or possibly some other Hidiacs and Styxoids were going to show up soon. They didn't have time to call the others for help with this, which left only one option. "Fortunately, I've got a Plan B." Quickly, and to their amazement, Lee-Lee whipped out Udonna's Snow Staff from her knapsack. "I borrowed this from my mom without telling her. Will it be enough to wake Udonna?"
Clare squealed in delight as she hugged Lee-Lee tightly. "You retrieved Udonna's Snow Staff! Lee, you are the greatest! This should be more than enough to wake Udonna up and restore her magic!"
Also pleased with his girlfriend's sneakiness, Phineas swept Lee-Lee into a tight embrace, followed by a passionate kiss that she returned. "Oh, I love you."
Lee-Lee smiled when they broke apart. "I know."
Following this brief moment of celebration, the trio quickly returned to the issue at hand. They had to act fast, for already they could hear the sound of Itassis and a number of undead foot soldiers approaching in the distance. Clare used one hand to aim the Snow Staff at Udonna's slumbering body while she grabbed Phineas' hand with her free one and Lee-Lee followed suit, as for this to work, Clare was going to need every last ounce of energy she could get.
"Together now, guys. Nusatu Valerium Maxium!" chanted Clare.
Lee-Lee and Phineas nodded before doing as they were told.
"Nusatu Valerium Maxium!" They chanted not once but three times. Upon the third chant, Udonna's Snow Staff showered her with sparkling white mystical energy and then she was transformed into the White Mystic Ranger, her powers fully restored. Wordlessly, Udonna then stood up and summoned forth a spell seal that transported them to Rootcore and not a moment too soon, for they were nearly caught by Itassis and the guards. Once they were safe, cheers erupted them.
"Udonna!" cried Clare, in delight as she tightly hugged her aunt, who'd powered down. "You're back and you're a sorceress again! I can't believe it!"
"Yes, and I owe you all my thanks for it," said Udonna, as she extended the hug to include Phineas and Lee-Lee. "Especially you, Miss Pimvare. I know how much you risked to save me. Thank you."
Lee-Lee smiled and made a dismissive gesture. "Oh, it was nothing. Anything for a friend." It had been a dangerous, risky mission but it was one Lee-Lee would gladly undertake many times over if it meant helping save the world and seeing her best friend smile again. "But if you really want to thank me, you should help Natalia and the others. Hekatoid's on the loose and they could really use your help, Udonna."
And Natalia really needs you more than ever, Lee-Lee wanted to say but did not. She knew if she said those words, it would lead to questions Lee-Lee couldn't risk being asked as she couldn't answer them. Lee-Lee could only hope that with Udonna's return and the restoration of the Queen's powers, perhaps the future could be altered and there was more hope to be found.
Udonna was about to ask what Lee-Lee was talking about when suddenly, the crystal ball became alight with images of the fight that was currently taking place with Hekatoid. Things were going badly and the Rangers needed some extra help and fast before it was too late.
"I must go. Magical Source, Mystic Force!" shouted Udonna as she morphed back into the White Mystic Ranger. She then called forth a spell seal and vanished through it, joining the others in their battle against Hekatoid and not a moment too soon.
XXX
Meanwhile, Leanbow was fighting for his life and more against the three Terrors. Or rather, he was fighting them one at time at Sculpin's command. At that moment, Leanbow was fighting Gekkor and the two of them had just locked their swords together.
"Stop with this useless fighting, Leanbow! Surrender while you still can and give us the Master!" roared Gekkor.
"NEVER!" roared Leanbow. As long as he drew breath, the Fire Wizard King would not grant the Master's freedom and allow such a monster to roam free.
Gekkor growled in frustration before freeing his sword. He then cast a spell that allowed him to move and attack far too quickly to allow Leanbow to defend himself. Gekkor swiftly delivered one devastating blow after another until, finally, Leanbow miraculously managed to dodge a blow and Gekkor slammed into cavern wall.
Taking advantage of his enemy's weakened and concussed state, Leanbow thrust out his sword. "Lupus Factus Igne!" White-hot flames in the form of a wolf burst out of Leanbow's sword and struck Gekkor, nearly roasting him to death.
Despite his terrible burns and injuries, Gekkor still staggered to his feet, refusing to give up. "A lucky shot! But your luck's running out, Leanbow! I'm going to take care of you, once and for all!"
Before Gekkor could do so, however, Sculpin thrust out his blade, blocking the green Terror. "Stop! In your weakened state, you will be reduced to a pile of ash if he strikes again. It is Matoombo's turn!" ordered Sculpin.
"Matoombo?" exclaimed Gekkor in disgust. A Terror he might've been, but Matoombo was more of a pacifist than a true warrior and Matoombo was too much like Itassis for Gekkor's liking. "Besides, I'm not done yet!"
"Oh, yes, you are!" snarled Sculpin, his tone not inviting argument.
"But Matoombo's such a soft—!" objected Gekkor.
"Not as soft as you!" snapped Sculpin, patronizingly. "Matoombo, go!"
Matoombo nodded in compliance. "As you wish." He stepped towards Leanbow, who stood armed and ready for what might come next. "Surrender peacefully while you still have a chance, Leanbow. Either way, the Master will reward me nicely."
Leanbow shook his head in disgust. "The Master will do no such thing for he's not what you think he is! As for me, you may as well skip the pleasantries for you're wasting your time!" Leanbow knew the mushroom-headed Terror to be honorable, especially compared to other Terrors except for Itassis, but it made no difference in that moment. Leanbow was going to do whatever it took to keep them from taking the Master's energy and reviving him. "You leave while you still can! If you fight me, you will go down, I promise you!"
Matoombo smirked. "I doubt that very much! On your knees!"
And with that, the two leapt into battle. Powerful sparks of electricity shot out of Matoombo's blade and when he used it to strike at Leanbow, it hit the Fire Wizard King's shield but the force of the blow combined with the few jolts that hit Leanbow's body, caused him to fall onto his knees. But despite this, Leanbow refused to quit. With a great battle cry, Leanbow harnessed the heat from the lightning strikes and forced them back onto Matoombo. Leanbow then stood up and charged at Matoombo. The sound of their blades striking against one another's echoed throughout the stone chamber and despite his skill, Leanbow couldn't gain any advantage.
"You're not as strong as I thought," sneered Matoombo. He then disarmed Leanbow and struck him not once but three times before finally plunging his sparking blade into Leanbow's stomach, causing the Fire Wizard King immense pain before he was tossed across the stone chamber.
Unimpressed, Gekkor sneered at Matoombo and scoffed. "I could've done that!"
Sculpin's eyes flashed dangerously. "But you didn't, did you? Matoombo succeeded where you failed!" he snapped, in irritation.
"No, he didn't, Sculpin!" Much to the Terrors' immense annoyance, Leanbow grabbed his sword and staggered to his feet. "I'm not done yet! You won't get to the Master! Not as long as I still draw breath and can fight!" No matter how badly injured Leanbow got, no matter how much pain he was in, Leanbow refused to quit. The Master would not be allowed to be revived!
Leanbow then continued to fight with every last ounce of energy he had left until his shield broke and he could barely stand. Taking advantage of their enemy's weakened state, Sculpin then plunged his weapon into Leanbow's back, causing the Fire Wizard King to cry out in pain and drop his sword as he collapsed and transformed into his Ancient Mystic Form.
When Sculpin removed his blade from Leanbow's back, a gigantic orb of the Master's energy was hanging off the prongs. "I have the Master now!"
"Well done, Sculpin," praised Gekkor. Despite his irritation, Gekkor couldn't deny that Sculpin's plan had worked and he'd done well. "Allow me." Carefully, Gekkor took the Master's energy into his hands, allowing Sculpin the chance to finish off Leanbow.
"Now that we have the Master, we have no use for you, Leanbow," said Sculpin.
Leanbow struggled to stand, his eyes wide with horror. "Do you have any idea what you've done? The Master cannot be allowed to be revived!"
"It is none of your concern, defeated warrior!" sneered Sculpin. He then plunged his blade into the ground, causing a great crevice to open beneath Leanbow's feet. The Fire Wizard King then fell into the depths and disappeared into the darkness.
XXX
Meanwhile, the Rangers had decided to go back to the Rock Porium to discuss another plan of action to take and quickly before they ran out of time. They arrived to find that since all his employees had gone, Toby had decided to take off for a bit while he exercised around the city for half an hour. That was more than fine with the Rangers as it gave them the chance to talk privately.
"What're we going to do? Lee-Lee's still not back, which means she probably hasn't rescued Udonna and we're no closer to stopping Hekatoid than when we started," said Vida.
"We'll figure something out, don't worry," said Mason, trying to be encouraging. "We always do."
"Well, we'd better. Otherwise, we're going to have a serious frog problem on our hands," said Chip. "But even if we do figure out a plan, what then? Four of us are still powerless and we don't know how we're going to get our magic back!"
Natalia let out a growl of frustration as she quickly fixed her hair. It wasn't rational, she knew, but at the same time, she couldn't stop from partially blaming herself for the mess they were in. Had she been able to act when she'd had the chance, some much would be different. Her birth parents would be safe and the war would be over because the Terrors wouldn't be a problem and she wouldn't have the foretelling of the Book of Prophecy hanging over her head like a sword.
"This is all my fault. If I'd used the Mystic Crystal on the Master in the nameless dimension when I'd had the chance, none of this would've happened!" she said, in frustration. "Heck, we wouldn't be in the situation at all!"
Xander made placating gesture with his hands, trying to calm his leader's anger. "Lia, calm down. Don't beat yourself up about the past. We're all in this together and besides, you couldn't have known what Leanbow was going to do."
"You don't get it," said Natalia, shaking her head. Nobody got it. How could they? None of them knew what she was feeling and nor had they lived her life. So how could any of them understand? "Not knowing what Leanbow was going to do is no excuse! It's my responsibility as the Princess and heiress of the Mystic Crystal to protect everyone! And thanks to my parents, I've been denied that chance again! Everything would've been so much better they hadn't stopped me from doing my duty!"
Everyone stared at Natalia in shock and worry at this. While they'd suspected Natalia was burying her feelings out of a sense of duty and for the greater good, none of them had had any inkling that Natalia had been burying feelings of anger or possibly even resentment towards Udonna and Leanbow for what they'd done. Natalia loved her birth parents, the Ranger knew that, but no relationship was perfect, especially one between parents and their children. Was the harder part of that relationship finally making itself known?
Realizing what she'd just said, Natalia immediately put up her usual façade and turned away from the others. "I'm sorry. Ignore me. I'm just frustrated." And while that was true, Natalie wasn't telling them the whole truth—that she wished she'd been allowed the chance to stop the Master, not just when they'd last faced him but also the first time, during the first Great War. Part of Natalia couldn't help but feel that had her parents made different choices and had Natalia been allowed to fulfill her destiny, so much could've been prevented. Lives wouldn't have been lost and so much would be different right then and there. But that hadn't been the case and the past couldn't be changed, so Natalia hated herself for feeling the way she did and strove to bury her darker feelings.
"I think it's a little more than just frustration. Aurora, are you…are you angry with your parents?" asked Mason.
If Natalia was feeling some kind of anger or resentment towards Udonna and Leanbow, Mason would certainly understand and nor could he blame Natalia for said feelings. He'd had somewhat similar feeling towards his own birth parents. After regaining his memories, part of Mason had been angry with Marina for leaving him—albeit unwillingly so—and with Daggeron for the curse that had caused the Solaris Knight to be trapped in the cave. But Mason had spoken with Daggeron and dealt with those feelings in a healthy manner. Had Natalia not done the same?
Natalia took a deep breath before replying in a quiet, controlled tone. "Does it matter? We have bigger problems than whatever I may or may not be feeling."
Natalia didn't want to talk about it. And even if she did, she couldn't expect any of her friends to understand. Not even Mason. How could they? It had taken her sixteen long years to find her biological parents, only for both Udonna and Leanbow to leave her again in terrible ways right before the Red Ranger's eyes. And while their intentions may have been well-meant, it didn't change the fact that Natalia had been left alone in the middle of a war yet again. None of them, not even Mason knew what that felt like.
Mason's face softened. "It does to me. It does to all of us," he said, as the others nodded in agreement. "Look, Aurora, we—"
Mason was cut off when Toby suddenly zoomed in through the open door on his roller blade, sweaty but still pumped full of energy. "Oh, you're here. I was beginning to wonder if you worked here or not. Even Lee-Lee took off and she's not back yet." Toby took a big swallow from his water bottle, which was sitting on the counter. "Boy, this diet and exercise sure makes a world of difference. I feel just absolutely fantastic!"
Everyone smiled at this but it didn't quite reach their eyes. They were thrilled for Toby's newfound joy and pleasure he had in exercising and it was clearly working, but it didn't help with their problem, which involved saving everyone in the city from Hekatoid and his insane plan.
"Glad you're feeling better, Toby," said Natalia.
Noticing his employees' distress, Toby frowned in concern. "Well, why the long faces? You want some water or maybe some fruit? Fruit drinks? And don't tell me nothing's wrong," he added when they opened their mouths to deny this. "It's clear as day and all over your faces. I know something's wrong. You come, you go, you come back, you go away again. You might as well tell me. It'll make you feel better and if you need it kept secret, I can do that. I mean, I'm not just your boss, I'm also your friend. So, c'mon guys, tell me."
Natalia hesitated before giving the others questioning looks. Toby raised a good point. They'd been keeping this hidden from him for almost a year and he'd suffered for it when he'd been snatched up by Necrolai. While complete exposure to the public was still forbidden for now, that time was probably going to end sooner rather than later and until it did, telling Toby might not be such a terrible idea. Toby was a good, loyal friend and employer. What was the harm in telling him the truth now? And besides, if he knew the truth, he might be able to save himself if the Rangers failed to stop Hekatoid. When the others nodded in agreement to Natalia's silent question, Natalia took the plunge.
"All right, Toby. You want the truth? The truth is, we're the Mystic Rangers," confessed Natalia. "That's why we're always running off all the time. We have to protect the world from evil because the fate of the world rests in our hands."
They then waited for Toby's reaction, expecting some shock and maybe some amazement, perhaps even a little hero worshipping but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, Toby looked skeptical and disbelieving before laughing.
"Ah, no. No, no, no. That's a joke, isn't it? What's the real truth?" asked Toby.
Everyone gave Toby annoyed looks as they said in unison, "That is the real truth!"
Toby laughed again, though not unkindly as he ran his fingers through his sweaty curls. "Okay. Well, then why don't you prove it to me? Let me see you…uh…what's the word? Morph."
As they couldn't morph, Mason, Vida, Chip and Xander all helplessly shrugged, which only further cemented Toby's belief that they were kidding. Natalia, however, rolled her dark brown eyes in annoyed exasperation as she took out her morpher. "Oh, for Pete's sake! Fine. I'll prove it to you! Magical Source, Mystic Force!"
And with that, she morphed into the Red Mystic Ranger, shocking Toby and causing him to trip on his own two feet.
"Holy moly!" yelped Toby, as he pointed to Natalia and stared at her in amazement. "Natalia, you…you…you're…you're the Red Mystic Ranger! You saved me from the big black bat thingy!"
Natalia nodded as she powered down. "I told you. And for the record, the hag that took you is actually, Necrolai, Queen of the Vampires. She thought you were the Gatekeeper because you're close to us. Long story, I'll tell you later."
As Toby had never told anyone that bit of the story when describing his adventure in being carried off and then meeting the Mystic Rangers, hearing it spoken from Natalia's own lips further convinced him that Natalia was telling the truth. Granted, he'd just seen it with his own eyes, but more proof always helped, in Toby's opinion. Nevertheless, Toby was rendered speechless for a few moments as he stood up and then his eyes narrowed as he held up a questioning finger.
"Wait a second! You said you're all the Mystic Rangers. So, why didn't the rest of you morph?" asked Toby, suspiciously.
This time, Chip rolled his eyes. "We would have but we had our powers stolen by an overweight, sloppy frog. That giant blue freak who attacked the city earlier, Hekatoid. Natalia was spared because her Mystic Crystal protected her."
Toby frowned in confusion. "Mystic What-Now?"
"Again, long story," said Natalia, gesturing for Toby to drop it. They really didn't have time to go into the story of Natalia's powers or the Mystic Crystal right at that moment. They had bigger fish or in this case, frogs to fry. "But the point is, that freak's got their powers and if we don't find a way to stop him, he's going to unleash billions of poison frogs on the city."
Toby, who'd been taking another gulp of his water, suddenly spewed it out, narrowly missing his employees as his eyes bulged out of their sockets in shock. "Say what?! That's not good. That's bad. Really, really bad. But the answer to this problem's so obvious!"
"It is?" said Vida, confused.
Toby nodded and began crouching down onto the floor like a frog. "You see, the frog's overweight, so use your agility. Right? I mean, you're all in such great shape. If he goes left, well, you tumble right. If he comes forward, flip over the top. And see, you guys are healthy as they come and that frog isn't. So, use that against him."
Realizing the truth in Toby's words and having come up with a new plan against Hekatoid, the Rangers suddenly all felt rejuvenated and ready to take on the blue frog-like Terror.
"Toby, mate, you're a genius. Thanks!" said Xander, as he and the others then ran out of the shop.
Quickly, the Rangers ran through the city until they came upon Hekatoid and Daggeron, who were battling it out. Daggeron had used every last drop of magic the Solar Streak Megazord possessed to fry the tadpoles but it hadn't been enough. And even worse, by doing so, he'd been left complete and utterly vulnerable to the attacks of a furious Hekatoid until Daggeron was forcibly powered down.
Hekatoid laughed at his enemy's vulnerability and failure and looked smug at his own apparent victory. "Fall, my babies! Take over this land!"
Despite Daggeron's attacks, the tadpoles had grown into adult poisonous frogs and were about to fall onto the city and wreak terrible destruction upon Briarwood.
"Not on our watch, you disgusting toad!" yelled Natalia, as she and the others appeared on the battlefield.
"Oh, really, Princess? And how do you expect to do anything when I have all your powers?" sneered Hekatoid, as he tauntingly swung the containment jar holding the other Rangers' powers.
Natalia smirked. "Not all of them, lard butt. Get him, guys!" Quickly, Natalia then morphed and gave the others some cover fire while they gracefully and nimbly leapt out of the way of Hekatoid's oncoming attacks, much to the blue frog's displeasure.
"Hey, that's not fair!" whined Hekatoid. He tried again to blast them, only for the Rangers to avoid his attacks using a series of swift somersaults, backflips and cartwheels. It angered Hekatoid even more as he couldn't hope to move with such agility and it only worsened when he continued to fail to hit any of them, for they were moving far too quickly. "STAY STILL, YOU HORRIBLE ROTTON LITTLE WEASELS!"
But Hekatoid's whines went completely ignored and soon enough, the blue frog-like Terror was becoming sweaty and tired. "Oh, I'm getting tired. I need to—OUCH, THAT'S HOT! And that's mine!"
"Not anymore, slimeball!" said Natalia, smugly.
When Hekatoid had sat down for a brief moment to rest, Natalia had taken the opportunity to fire blast the jar out of Hekatoid's hand, sending it flying out of the frog's grasp and then it shattered onto the ground, freeing the powers of the other Rangers.
"We got our powers back!" cheered Chip.
If Hekatoid could've had steam pouring out his ears in anger, he would have but then his anger quickly turned to smug satisfaction as he stood up. "Keep your stinking powers! It doesn't matter! Look!" He cast his hand towards the heavens, which had suddenly turned white speckled with dark grey as the adult poisonous frogs began to fall. "Fall, my children! Fall!"
But before the adult poison frogs could touch the ground, they were suddenly frozen in mid-fall and then they suddenly shattered in nothing.
"WHAT?!" roared Hekatoid. He couldn't believe what'd just happened. His precious babies had been frozen and then complete and utterly destroyed! "Who's done this terrible thing to my babies? Who dared?"
"I dared!" Everyone turned in shock, if not joy for some to see Udonna standing on a balcony ledge overhead in her White Mystic Ranger form, the picture of health with her powers fully restored. "Flurry of Snow, White Mystic Ranger! And I will dare to do far more to you, Hekatoid. Your reign of terror's over!"
"Mother!" cried Natalia, in relief. Words could not express Natalia's joy at having Udonna back safe and sound and with her powers back. Now that this had happened, Natalia's family was almost restored and now there was more hope for the future. "You're home!"
"She's back!" said Xander.
"I can't believe it," said Vida, shaking her head fondly.
"Way to go, Udonna!" cheered Chip.
"Udonna?" shrieked Hekatoid, in fear. It was one thing to go up against Udonna when she'd been powerless without her Snow Staff but now that she'd been fully restored to her old self, Hekatoid was now afraid and rightly so. For with Udonna's powers fully restored, the White Sorceress Queen was a force of nature to be reckoned with. "You've got your Snow Staff back and you're free? But how is that possible? No one knew of my hiding place. No one! Not even my fellow Terrors!"
Udonna looked smug as she swung her Snow Staff around. "You're terrible at keeping secrets. My friends found me and restored me all too easily! And now you will pay the price for what you've done. Shall we, Rangers?"
"We shall! Legendary Source, Mystic Force!" shouted the Rangers, as they then morphed into their Legend Warrior forms. Once that was done, they proceeded to join together into the Manticore Megazord and Udonna enlarged herself as well, and not a moment too soon, for it was right then and there that Hekatoid made himself grown into the size of a tall building.
"You won't stop me! I'm a Terror!" yelled Hekatoid. He tried once more to blast them with his disgusting black ooze, but they were ready and created a powerful shield that caused it to harmlessly bounce off them.
"Rangers, let's combine our powers!" said Udonna.
"Right!"
Udonna joined her Snow Staff with the other Ranger's weapon and together, they shouted, "Legend Warriors, United Formation!" Their combined powers then formed a blast of mystical energy so powerful that it completely obliterated Hekatoid forever. He was defeated. They had won. And unbeknownst to them all, Toby had followed, eager to see if it was true that the others were Natalia's teammates and he was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
XXX
With Hekatoid destroyed, his plan foiled and Udonna safely returned, it was time to celebrate their victory at Rootcore. As soon as they arrived and powered down, Natalia swept her mother into a tight, loving embrace and couldn't prevent the odd tear or two from slipping down her cheeks.
"Oh, thank the gods you're all right, Mother. I was worried sick!" said Natalia, breathlessly when they broke apart. Though Natalia knew what was going to come thanks to the Book of Prophecy, it hadn't stopped her from worrying herself sick over Udonna. "I was so scared I'd never see you again."
Udonna smiled softly as she cupped Natalia's face and gently brushed away her daughter's tears. "Well, you needn't be scared again. I promised I'd come home and I always keep my word. So, I promise now that nothing will ever take me away from you again."
Natalia smiled just a little but then sadness flickered in her dark brown eyes. You might do your best to keep your promise and not leave me again, but for all my anger…when the time comes, I won't be able to do the same. So, what did that say about her?
Upon seeing the sadness briefly flicker in Natalia's eyes, Udonna's brow wrinkled in concern. "Aurora, sweetheart, what is it? What's wrong?"
For a moment, Natalia was about to confide in her mother the truth of what she'd learned from the Book of Prophecy but then quickly decided against it. Quickly, she concealed her pain and put on one of her nicest smiles and made sure it reached her eyes.
"Nothing's wrong," she lied. "Nothing at all. I'm just really happy right now."
Much to Natalia's relief, Udonna believed her and they shared another embrace. Natalia closed her eyes tight as she fought back the fresh tears that stung them. She took no pleasure in lying to her mother but it was a kindness. For how could Natalia possibly look into her mother's lies and confess that Natalia knew from the Book of Prophecy that they would win the Final Battle against the Master, but at one terrible price…Natalia's own life?
It was a sacrifice Natalia was willing to make, regardless of what the Book said, but it didn't matter. How could Natalia possibly tell any of her loved ones, especially her mother, that for everyone else to live, Natalia had to die?
(A/N: Please review before I update again. Please?)