Disclaimer: I only own the few characters that I made for this story and they will be easy enough to tell.
A/N: This is an AU story set after PRiS. Once again I would like to thank Gamine and ScarletDeva for their much appreciated help.
Powers Rangers: Dawn and Dusk
Chapter 3
The flame-red surface of the planet Malaris lay quiet and still. All the buildings lay in rubble, except one. By a crystal clear lake stood an immense, pink-speckled, black marble temple. Inside, four warriors stood in front of two large marble doors with a large signet etched into the stone. From within the enclosed room loud moans could be heard, gathering his courage, one of the warriors knocked on one of the marble entrances. A slight rustle was heard soon after, followed by the sound of loud footsteps before the door slowly was pulled open.
"This had better be important!" the figure yelled in annoyed anger.
"Forgive us Mistress Arath'Rost, but we bring important news," the warrior said as he kneeled, along with his brethren behind him.
"Do you know how long it's been since my desires were quenched?" Arath shouted, standing before them in a short, blood-red lace robe with black trim. The garment hung open, boldly displaying her body that was covered in a sheen of sweat. "For your sakes this news better be good or all of you will feel my wrath! Now speak quickly before I change my mind and decide to punish you anyway!"
"Yes, Mistress. We come to report that we failed our mission," one of the warriors began nervously before seeing Arath'Rost's eyes flare in anger. "We had forced Sabrina to crash of a small moon, but just as we were about to go in for the kill Zairen interfered."
"Zairen you say?" Arath'Rost asked in peeked curiosity.
"Yes, Mistress it was him," the warrior answered.
"So my old nemesis still lives," Arath'Rost said with a smirk. "Delicious, I shall be able to get my revenge on him after all. You have done well my warriors. Now leave, I have much planning to do."
"Yes, Mistress," all the warriors said before quickly leaving.
"Wait!" Arath'Rost shouted, freezing the warriors in place. "Why is Zairen not evil? The price of gaining the power he needed to defeat me was the tainting of his soul."
Turning around one of the warriors answered, "Mistress he was evil and he went by the name Lord Zedd, but while you lay imprisoned a great battle happened. Zairen was working for a being called Dark Spectre. Dark Spectre's forces had nearly defeated those of the Morphin Council. He had even captured their Council Chancellor, Zordon."
"Interesting, so Zordon became the leader of the Morphin Council while I was imprisoned," Arath'Rost replied thoughtfully.
"Yes, Mistress," the warrior answered. "On the day when it seemed the Council's forces were going to finally fall, Zordon sacrificed himself. His death created a golden wave that purified or destroyed a large portion of those that were evil at the time. That is why Zairen is good now, Mistress," the warrior finished with a bow and left along with his brethren when Arath'Rost waved them away.
~*~
"So, what do you think of Jacey?" Tommy asked as he drove Kim back to her home, his gray jeep the only car on the road.
"She's sweet. I think she is going to be good for Billy," Kim answered with a smile. "The girls and I decided to have a girls' night to welcome her."
"Just don't go too overboard," Tommy laughed. "I know how wild those can get."
Smirking, Kim replied, "We'll try not too." Then her tone growing serious she asked, "On to possibly less happy topics. What did you need to speak to all the guys about?"
"You remember I told you about the little gift the Machine Empire left me," Tommy began, "well I think that brief headache was warning."
"Any idea of what?" Kim asked contemplatively.
"None right now. Billy is going to look into it," he answered with a shake of his head. "We were going to tell the rest of the gang later. T.J. is going to tell the rest of the space rangers just so they'll know to keep a look out for anything suspicious."
"Good idea," Kim remarked as they continued the rest of their drive in thoughtful silence.
~*~
On Malaris, Arath'Rost floated in the magically warmed waters of a crystal clear lake. Eyes closed, she enjoyed the quiet as the gentle currents caressed her nude form. Suddenly she sensed a landing shuttle and immediately sent out a magical scan. Finding that there was only one occupant, she sent a message to her loyal subjects letting them know that she will handle it. Sensing a teleportation beam on the shore behind her, Arath'Rost pretended that she hadn't already noticed the person's first arrival.
"Who are you?!" a feminine voice yelled.
Turning in the water to face her new visitor, Arath'Rost opened her eyes and smirked. On the shore was a slender, blonde female in a gray and blue space suit. At the moment the woman had a taser lance pointed at Arath.
"Well, hello there," Arath'Rost responded playfully.
"Who are you?!" the woman yelled a bit louder as the blade of her lance began to spark with electricity, "and why are you in the sacred Lake of Arath?"
"A loyal follower I see," Arath'Rost said with a smile.
"Yes," the female answered, hesitating a little. "Why? Are you a follower of Arath'Rost too?"
"A follower?" Arath'Rost laughed as she slowly walked out of the lake. "I am her dear child," she proclaimed as she emerged from the waves, a menacing expression on her face as water cascaded down her body.
"Mistress!" the female began as she dropped to her knees trembling in fear as she bowed. "Forgive me, I didn't know. I had only hoped that you truly did exist."
Her expression softening a little, Arath'Rost stopped a few feet from the girl. Snapping her fingers, her red and black robe appeared around her body and she reassured, "On your feet child, I'm not going to hurt you."
"Thank you, my lady," the female replied, standing, grateful to still be alive.
"I don't hurt loyal followers such as you," Arath'Rost said as she carefully appraised the woman before her. "You were only trying to protect my lake."
"Thank you," the girl replied timidly.
"What is you name, child?" Arath'Rost asked calmly.
"Ryda, my lady," the girl responded.
"So, Ryda, I suppose you are the reason my temple was in rather acceptable shape when I returned?" Arath'Rost queried.
"I did what I could, my lady," Ryda replied with a slight blush.
"And a fine job you did," Arath'Rost complimented with a smile. "I do wonder, though, how one as young as you came to be one of my followers. Let us adjourn to more comfortable surroundings first and then you may explain," saying that, Arath'Rost snapped her fingers and teleported Ryda and herself to her temple in a cascade of pink sparkles.
~*~
After appearing in her throne room, Arath'Rost sat on her throne and waved for Ryda to take a seat on a cushioned, black marble bench. As Ryda did, she took a look around. Everything in the hall was made of black, pink-speckled marble and shined to a gleam. The seats and benches had aqua or violet cushions, except for Arath's throne which had a pink one.
"This room looks better than when I have visited in past," Ryda asked in awe. "Is your personal chamber as lovely as this?"
"More so," Arath replied with a smile at the girl's wonder. "But you ask that as if you have never been to my chamber at all."
"I haven't, my lady, I saw the doors that lead to it, but it would not have been respectful," Ryda said her head slightly bowing with a blush.
"Such obedience," Arath said, her smile widening. "I'm impressed, but now tell me how you came to be one of my followers."
"My lady," Ryda began her head still bowed and her tone slightly pleading, "is there some other way you could learn this knowledge. My voice would fail me if I tried to tell such memories."
"I could do a magical scan of your memories," Arath replied, rising from her throne and walking toward Ryda. "It won't hurt, but you will feel as if you are reliving the memories."
"Thank you, my lady," Ryda replied a little relieved but still a bit apprehensive that she will have to relieve some of the memories.
"Look up child," Arath command in a soothing tone stopping a few feet away from her, "I won't dig too deep, only deep enough to learn what I need to know."
"Ok," Ryda answered looking up and trying to calm herself.
"Good, now look into my eyes," Arath said, her eyes beginning to glow a deep violet.
Their gazes locked, Arath'Rost began to search through Ryda's memories. She saw images of the girl being teased, taunted, ridiculed, and even abused by some. One image caused Arath to stop the scan; it struck a cord so deep within her own self.
Bowing her head again as tears fell from her eyes, Ryda whispered, "I'm sorry."
"Dry your eyes dear, there is nothing to be ashamed of," Arath soothed as she stepped back a little farther away from the girl and began to pace restlessly, her mind in thought over the images she had seen.
Arath'Rost was a swirl of emotions as she strode back and forth. Part of her felt great sorrow for the girl, while another seethed with anger at some of the scenes she had seen. Finally she stopped moving and turned to the girl as an idea came to her.
"I can help you dear, I can help you get revenge on those that caused you pain, both mental and physical," Arath stated, grabbing the girl's attention.
"What do you mean?" Ryda asked her sobs stopping as she looked up.
"I can give you power!" Arath'Rost exclaimed with a grin. "I can give you more power than you have probably dreamed of."
"You could?" Ryda asked, standing up in wonder, before bowing her head again, "I …I would be grateful for anything you would gift me with, you don't have to give me the honor of such power."
"Ah, but I wish to," Arath'Rost stated with surety.
Raising her left hand, a glowing blue orb of energy appeared in her palm as she walked toward Ryda. Stopping in front of the girl, Arath slipped a finger under Ryda's chin and tilted her face up. She leaned over the girl, their mouths coming together tentatively at first, Arath's tongue exploring Ryda's lower lip slowly as she pressed the orb she held into the girl's abdomen, deepening the kiss at the same time. Stepping away from Ryda, Arath watched as the orb absorbed into the girl's body. Sparks began to appear and Ryda's space suit burst into pieces, flying away. Ryda began to glow a faint blue color as charges of electricity seemed to course over her nude body. After a while the charges intensified and she began to float off the ground. Ryda moaned and writhed in great joy at the power and pleasure that coursed throughout her body.
"It…it's too much!" Ryda cried out, her eyes closed to the intense pleasure, "I…I can't take it."
"You can dear, just give in to the power, drop you inhibitions!" Arath commanded to Ryda.
Giving in completely to the power, Ryda floated higher, her body starting to glow brighter. Finally she came to a certain point in the air and just suspended there as she gave a final cry of supreme ecstasy.
Arath'Rost shielded her eyes as a wave of blinding blue light seemed to explode from Ryda's body, bathing everything in its iridescence. As she opened her eyes a figure could be seen floating down in the fading azure light.
She had long, honey blonde hair with electric blue streaks. Her eyes were ice blue with heavy black eyeliner and her lips where a sweet pink. She wore a silver and gray spiderweb-lace shirt, through which could be seen the glint of a chain that connected two nipple rings. Upper-arm bracelets adorned her arms. A tattoo of electric blue sparkles with Arath'Rost' signet cascaded down her right shoulder. Also a butterfly tattoo could be seen below her bellybutton, above the skintight capris that hung low on her hips. She also wore a cape that was mute silver on the outside and shocking blue on the inside. At her feet were dark silver, thin heels with electric blue squiggles going up the sides. Lastly a circlet with a small sapphire glinted at her head. It was the girl, formerly known as Ryda, but reborn anew.
"Well, how to you feel, Sin'Dol, sister dear?" Arath'Rost asked with a grin as Sin'Dol finally landed on the ground.
"Never better!" Sin'Dol exclaimed as her eyes snapped open and a grin came to her lips too, "…sister, you say… I like the sound of that." With that said, both women burst into evil laughter that sounded throughout the castle and even chilled Arath's four dark warriors to the bone.