Episode 2 "Green With Envy, part one"

The inhabitants of Dande were very friendly people, the kindest Rue knew of. On top of their kindness, they were also very wise - many rivaled that of Zordon's knowledge. They were t he ones who developed the transportation program the Rangers frequently used and that the entire A.E.F. had escaped from Gali by means of. This was a one time occasion, as the transport power was limited, but they were able to help.

"It is our payment of gratitude to you, my dear Zordon," said Queen Nell, the royalty of the planet. "We have even more to repay you for; you have kept Hexxacus Zedd far and away from Dande, and we thank you for that."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zordon said, with a bow. Ninjor and the Rangers stood behind him, standing strong and tall.

"Please, all of you, call me Nell," the Queen said in a sweet tone. "I think of all of you as my equals." They all gave her a bow.

"I'm afraid, Nell," Ninjor said, calling her by which she wanted, "that if we stay here, Zedd will not be far behind, along with Rita and her Putty Patrollers. We do not wish for them to step foot on this righteous land."

"He's right," added Rue. "That witch and her Putties are more than enough to take over Dande." Lucretia, who was standing beside Rue, elbowed him in the gut and shot him a glance as if to say, "Shut up!"

"I feared as much," replied the Queen. "But I do not wish for you to leave; you deserve a grand feast fit for a king. I will hold a Grand Ball tonight, celebrating your arrival, and everyone in the A.F.E. and the Kingdom is invited." She waved her hand, calling for someone to draw near. "Lady Jule, announce through the Kingdom that there will be a Grand Ball tonight. Everyone is invited. It will be held in the Lunar Ballroom."

"But Zedd-" said Rue to Zordon telepathically.

"Hush now, Rue. Whatever the Queen wishes shall be; we will fight if Hexxacus and Rita arrive, but only then." the Eltarien wizard replied.

"Now all of you may go get ready for the ball," continued the Queen. "Outfits of your liking have been laid out for you in the rooms you will be led to by Major Kingston."

"Yes!" exclaimed Rina. She was excited - it wasn't often she could get all dressed up. Being a Ranger didn't help her social life.

"You are dismissed," ordered the Queen. The Rangers followed Major Kingston to their rooms. He was a husky man, powerful in his own respect. His armor was made of pure gold, a sign of his superiority, and he carried a large sword at all times.

Ninjor and Zordon had stayed with the Queen, although dismissed. Both had their doubts about staying on Dande, but if they disobeyed Nell, they would lose her trust forever.

"Nell," said Zordon in a quiet tone. "The time has come to discuss with you a new threat; one that we knew had been coming."

"The Psycho Morphers?" the Queen asked, her voice also low.

"Yes, that is what we need to talk about," said Ninjor. "and we'd like to inform you before the Ball tonight, if you do not care to do so."

"Fine," the Queen replied. "We shall discuss the problem. Take a walk with me in the Palace Garden."

Rina walked out of her room, as she was finished getting ready. She wore a long, stunning dark pink dress. Pink jewels lined her forehead in a "V" formation. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and had glitter in it, making it have a slight shine. Her lipstick matched her dress; her eye shadow was purple.

From the room beside her, Lucretia exited. She was dressed in a sleek and slender golden dress. Her black hair was pulled up into a bun and two black posts formed an "X" through it. When she saw Rina, both jumped for joy and started giggling profoundly.

"You look ravishing!" commented one of the guards nearby.

"Thank you, kind sir," said Rina, smiling.

"The ball guests have begun to arrive," said Major Kingston. "The other Rangers have asked that you be escorted to the Lunar Ballroom, as they are not ready yet." The girls nodded and were lead away.

In the ballroom, Dandeiens danced about. The A.F.E. had been blessed with tuxes and dresses, as the Rangers had been, the Rangers' were more extravagant. Queen Nell was on her throne in front of the large window that showed the night sky. By her side was Zordon, Ninjor and Major Kingston. On her other side stood a beautiful girl, Princess Kira.

"I don't see why we're celebrating the Rangers' arrival," said Kira. "I see them as only bringers of destruction; no matter where they go, Zedd isn't far behind."

"Shush now, daughter," said Nell. "The Rangers have saved many planets from destruction. We have a lot to thank them for." When her daughter let out a deep sigh, Nell put her hand on hers. "Please, enjoy this night. For me, at least."

"Yes mother," she moaned.

Rue, Xander, Amone and Lex all stood at the entrance of the Lunar Ballroom. They were now dressed - all in the same tuxedo, but with different colors. Rue's tux had red lining down the sleeves and across the shoulders. There was also a red square on the left side of the chest, showing that he was a Ranger. The other three had similar tuxes- Xander's lining was blue, Amone's was gray, and Lex's was green.

They smiled as they saw the girls, and the group all commented on how each other looked.

"This is great," said Rina. "A break, finally."

"Yeah, it's great not to have to be morphed, and actually on a planet having fun," said Rue.

While his fellow Rangers talked amongst themselves, Lex's eyes wandered about the room. That is, until his eyes met with a beautiful figure standing by the Queen - Princess Kira. He had met her once before, but that was only for a short time. Even then, her beauty had captured his soul, and his love for her was the purest there was.

Maybe tonight, I will ask Princess Kira to dance. Yes, I shall ask her to dance. he thought to himself. He smiled, then started paying attention to his friends once more.

Kira blushed as she saw the Dragon Ranger watch her. Although she didn't approve of the Rangers, this one had caught her eye even before this evening. She couldn't admit it, for her duty was above that of a Ranger's, and she had a future place on the throne.

The Rangers paired off into duos: Rue with Lucretia, Rina with Amone, and Xander with an A.F.E. agent. Lex crossed the dance floor to where the Queen, Princess, Zordon, Ninjor, and Kingston were standing. He bowed in front of the Queen and offered his hand to Kira.

"It would be an honor if you'd dance with me," he said politely, smiling boyishly.

"Yes!" Kira responded happily. When she noticed her mother staring at her in a disapproved fashion, she cleared her throat. "I mean, yes, I would be delighted to share a dance with a Ranger."

She allowed him to lead her to the floor, where they proceeded to waltz about the room, with the others. Their grace was stunning, their desire for each other evident.

"My daughter has grown accustomed to the Dragon Ranger," said Nell, to Zordon, who smiled approvingly.

"He's a charmer," the Eltarien replied. "But he has a duty that has determined his destiny. If she is to fall in love, she will be left behind."

"I have feared the most for her, dear friend. But who is to say that destiny binds?"

"It's always been that way, Nell. Ninjor and I have lost much in the battle we've long fought. It's needless to say, the Rangers will also lose much, including love." Zordon held his arms behind his back as he surveyed the dancing Rangers.

"Well maybe, Lexington is different. Maybe he can change the fate that has been laid out before him," Nell said. "You know as well as I, destiny is changeable."

Zordon nodded as his gazed lowered on Lex and the dancing princess.

The music had just stopped when there was a large explosion in the Lunar Ballroom. The large window that the Queen and her friends resided suddenly exploded, sending glass everywhere in the room. Everyone attending fell to the floor, shielding themselves from the peril.

Lex struggled to protect Kira - laying against her body, his back to the sky. He felt glass land on him, but it didn't cut him. He was furious. He knew who had attacked, even before turning around to face whoever was attacking. He summoned his morpher in his hand, and turned around. He looked around; many guests had been knocked out, the Queen included. Zordon and Ninjor had escaped before they could be hit, and Kingston's body was lying next to the Queen's.

"That's it," he mumbled, furious that Zedd… Rita… whoever had stomped on his dream. Part of his fury was that they had landed on Dande, something which never should of happened. He stretched his arms out, yelling: "Dragon!"

The morphed Lex waited for Rita's arrival, and low-and-behold, she walked in, along with her "posse".

She hadn't accounted just one Ranger standing, as they usually worked in a group. But this was grand. She had finally set foot on Dande - something Zedd never had been able to do. Rita held her staff as she managed to walk through the rubble. Her hair wasn't free now - it was drawn up into two large cones.

"Ah," she said, setting her eyes on Lex. "Dragon Ranger, care for a dance? I've had my hair done just for the occasion."

"A man would have to be stupid to dance with an old hag like you," remarked the Dragon Ranger, letting his fury take control.

Rue, Xander, Amone, Rina and Lucretia stood up - they all had been knocked out for a brief moment. They had been surprised to see Lex, morphed, face to face with Rita Repulsa. Rina's gaze fell to Nell and Kingston, and she ran to their side.

"Fool!" yelled Rita. She rose her staff in threat.

"Come on," said Lex. "I dare you."

Lex heard Rue summon his morpher, along with the others, but he held up his hand, commanding them to stop.

"Lex," said Rue. "You can't take her on by yourself!"

"I can sure as hell try!" yelled Lex, lunging forward, his Blade Blaster drawn. Rita was ready, but so was Lex. She went for his stomach with her staff, but he caught it with his free hand, came down, threw her over his head, and she slammed into the wall. The throw had caused him to use most of his strength - he had flipped an entire witch over his head.

Rita scrambled to her feet. She was old, but she wasn't ancient. She could still hold her own. She rose her wand, mumbled some words, and from the tip, red lightning erupted from the top, aiming for the Dragon Ranger. He flipped backwards twice, drew his Dragon Power Dagger, and fought against the power.

"Give it up, Ranger!" the witch cackled.

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Sabertooth Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

The Rangers engaged battle with the Putties that were flooding in behind Lex and Rita; Lex still tried to fight off the red lightning emitting from Rita's wand.

Rina and Lucretia jumped over two Putties together, kicking them in the faces. Amone slashed one's neck with his axe, and Xander stabbed one through the chest with his lance. Rue charged at Rita with his Power Sword, but with a wave of her hand, he was sent flying backwards into a stone pillar.

"This is between her and me," warned Lex, to the other Rangers.

"You've got that right, kiddo," the witch agreed.

Rita strengthened her end of the fight, as did Lex, whose dagger was now glowing a bright green. He lifted the dagger into the air, and the connection broke; both beings were weakening exceptionally fast.

Kira woke up, her head killing her. She slowly blinked as she observed what was happening in front of her: Lex was fighting Rita Repulsa head-to-head, the Mammoth, Sabertooth, Tricera, and Ptera Rangers were fighting gray creatures, and the Tyranno Ranger was knocked out across the room from them. Then she saw something she had wished she hadn't - her mother was knocked out, in front of the throne, blood coming from her mouth. Kingston was also knocked out beside his leader.

She ran to their sides, making sure they were okay. That is, until Rita turned towards her.