Hey guys, I'm back with the newest installment of Destiny's Folly. I realize that it's been almost a week since I posted the last chapter, but I didn't want to post this one until I was completely satisfied with it. Those of you who may question the title of this story are going to get the first glimpse of what it means in this chapter. I realize that I may not exactly be covering new territory, but I hope that I've come up with an idea that puts a fresh spin on it.

To Ryan: I'm glad you still like this story. I try not to let myself become someone who writes for reviews, but it's always nice to hear nice things said about your work. I don't think anyone who saw There's No Business like Snow Business expected a bombshell like that, especially the way she did it. I understand that it would have gotten trickier and trickier to maintain the Tommy-Kim relationship since AJ apparently wasn't interested in reprising her character (with the exception of the Turbo movie), but I had kind of expected one last T/K moment before it ended forever. And I did feel that they passed up a perfect opportunity in the Turbo movie to address the Letter once and for all and finally set fans' minds to rest. Anyway, back to your review. Really hurting Sara would totally throw my story off track, so it's safe to assume that she's going to be just fine. I'm not ruling out a little drama, but for the time being Sara most likely will come out of whatever scrapes she gets into in one piece.

To cmar: I'm glad to hear that I've gotten a little bit better at keeping Sara from being a Mary-Sue. I realize that some of the things I see as flaws might not necessarily mean that everyone else would. That's why to be honest, I'm glad I have a reviewer who isn't afraid to tell me that my character(s) need work. I agree that Kim might have reacted a little violently, but Sara did pretty much just tell her that she was a cold-hearted bitch. Even the sweetest person isn't going to just take that. As for changing history… *smirk* Just wait and see. As I said in my author's notes, it won't be long now before my plot takes shape.

Disclaimer: Sara/Alex is mine, PR is not.

Chapter Three: Questions and Guests

I sighed and got up from the boulder I had been sitting on. Now that I had calmed down some, I realized that I was probably being a little immature and paranoid. So Kimberly blew up at me. Thinking back on it, I had just told her that one of her oldest friends and teammates nearly died. I squirmed with the uncomfortable knowledge that I probably wouldn't have taken it well either. So she had let off some steam ranting about the first things that came to mind. I had no right to use a mistake she hadn't even made yet against her in anger.

I bit my lip and began walking back toward the Command Center. It was time to face the music. I stopped in my tracks when I heard a sound that seemed strange in my present surroundings. It almost sounded like…feathers rustling. I whirled around just in time to be body-slammed to the ground by a six-foot wall of feathers.

I groaned. "Anyone ever tell you guys that you have a lousy sense of timing?" I snarled, shoving the tenga off me and scrambling to my feet.

"What's the matter Ranger? Missing your wings?"

I blinked. "Oh-kay, I'm not even going to ask. Back off buzzard." I snapped, rearing back and decking another tenga.

"Shouldn't you be morphing by now?"

I grunted as I grabbed a tenga and swung him around once before letting go, sending him crashing into one of his brethren. "I would if I could banana breath."

Goldar looked confused then sneered. "Aw, did those goodie-good Rangers finally decide that you were too evil for their squeaky clean image?"

I opened my mouth to retort but was cut off by another voice. "You wish Goldar."

I turned around in surprise to see six brightly-colored forms behind me. Before I could speak, the pink one was in front of me, pressing an object into my hands.

"This belongs to you."

I looked down in surprise to find Alex's morpher in my hands, but before I could protest, I was body-slammed again from behind, sending me flying forward to land flat on my face. I growled and pushed myself to my feet, whirling around to face my attacker.

"Ninja Ranger Power now!" I called, letting the Power guide my arms through the call.

It was an odd feeling, transforming into a ninja. The swaths of fabric were lighter than my jeans, but I knew they had to be immensely strong with what the Rangers generally went through fighting tengas. And I knew intellectually that my entire head was covered except for holes in the mask for my eyes, but my peripheral vision wasn't impaired at all. I wondered briefly how that worked but was forced to turn my attention on the fight before me as I was kicked right in the chest by a tenga.

I twisted my body around in the air and landed on my hands, springing off to flip over to my feet. Then I looked down at my hands in surprise and shook my head wryly. That was going to take some getting used to. I looked up and sidestepped a tenga's lunge, grabbing him by the arm and kneeing him in the chest before letting him drop to the ground. The rest of the fight was a blur of tenga feathers, brightly-colored fabric, and intermittent pain as I was either kicked, punched, slammed into the ground, or slammed against a rock.

Needless to say, I didn't even want to think about the pain that I would have been in if I hadn't morphed. Anyway, eventually the tengas got tired of being kicked around (by the others anyway) and flew the coop, Goldar following close behind after a few more minutes of trading insults with Tommy. If I had thought facing tengas powerless was a nerve-wracking experience, I clearly hadn't counted on turning around to find myself standing alone across what seemed like an invisible line from the six of my 'teammates'.

Tommy reached up silently and yanked off his uniform, just like they did on the show, the movement apparently having the same effect on the others. I took a deep breath and did the same, feeling only a slight change. I wasn't, however, expecting to feel a bolt of pain so intense that I couldn't help but double over from it.

"Sara?" I heard Kimberly ask tentatively.

"I…" my voice cut into a cry as another bolt of pain attacked me. "What's happening to me?"

Gentle hands took my arms and tugged them away from my middle. "Where does it hurt?" Billy asked me gently.

I had to wait out a fresh wave of pain before I could answer him. "My…my stomach. Does this always happen when you gain powers?" I gasped.

"I-I'm afraid I've never seen this happen before." Billy answered helplessly.

"I have." Tommy said grimly. "When I lost the Green Ranger powers."

Everyone gasped. "But how could she lose the Silver powers?" Rocky asked. "She's just like Alex."

"I don't know man. We'd better get her to Zordon." Tommy answered.

Billy nodded and put one of my arms around his neck, lifting me to my feet. I smiled tightly at him and gritted my teeth against the pain I still felt. Then I felt a slight buzz against my skin and I looked up to find myself back in the Command Center.

"Rangers, what has happened?" Zordon asked.

Tommy stepped forward. "Something strange happened when Sara demorphed. It sounds like what happened to me when I lost the Green Ranger powers the last time Zordon."

"I feel like I'm being ripped apart from the inside." I said through clenched teeth.

"How can this be Zordon? Alex never had a problem with her powers before. Why is Sara having trouble now?" Adam asked.

"I do not know Adam. I have never heard of an interdimensional double using a Ranger's powers before. Sara, are you certain this did not happen in your dimension?"

I shook my head, yelping as I felt a needle prick my arm. "The last time I saw something like this was when a member of a later Ranger team had a magical tattoo placed on his back. Every time he morphed, the snake would move up his back until it finally reached his neck and killed him. Or that was the plan anyway. His teammates managed to destroy it just in the nick of time. Come to think of it, he was a metallic Ranger too." I mused, feeling the pain fade slowly as I spoke.

"That had to have sucked." Rocky commented.

"Y'know, Silver Rangers seem to always end up having trouble with their powers." I reflected thoughtfully. "Zhane had to have his recharged because they kept shorting out as an effect of his time in cryosleep. Ryan had the homicidal tattoo. And Merrick…well…Merrick ended up being entombed for 3,000 years because of a mask he was forced to use. It just doesn't pay to be a metallic Ranger sometimes."

"But Alex never had trouble?" Aisha asked in confusion.

"She couldn't." I answered absently. "The first Silver Ranger in my world was Zhane and he came after you guys retired. There's never been a Ranger named Alex period. Unless you count the original Red Time Force Ranger, but since he died before that incarnation started, I don't think he counts." I rambled, then shook my head, trying to clear it. "Sorry, it must be the painkillers."

Rocky looked surprised. "Alex doesn't even exist in your world?"

I shrugged. "They didn't really get into your family members, so she could for all I know. But not as a Ranger. To be honest, I'm surprised you guys have seven Rangers period. I always thought six was a full team. But hey, it's television. I'm sure they changed a lot of things."

Tommy looked at me a little strangely, then shook his head. "Maybe we should ask Ninjor. If anyone would know, it would be him."

"You rang?" came the high voice of the Morphin' Master in question.

I blinked. "Okay, I think there was just a little too much painkiller in that syringe."

Aisha laughed. "No honey, that was Ninjor. He does that sometimes. You get used to it."

I glanced around and finally saw the blue-armored form. "Oh, okay."

Ninjor looked at me and I could sense his displeasure even though he had no expression to read. "Who is this? This is not my pupil."

I smiled tiredly. "Nailed it right on the head. My name is Sara. Excuse the giddiness, it's just an effect of the massive painkillers freezing my nerves so I don't have to actually feel my body ripping itself apart."

"Oh dear. You didn't try to use Alex's powers did you?"

I exchanged a glance with everyone. "I'm sensing that it was a bad thing."

"Oh my. It's no wonder you're having trouble. My power coins were never meant to be used by someone other than who they were created for. They are linked with the physical body of the Ranger who wields them."

My mouth dropped open and I groaned, smacking a hand over my face. "Christ."

"What is it?" Billy asked.

"I forgot all about that." I exclaimed. "The only reason Kim was able to pass on her coin was because it had been severed from her previously due to it being stolen by one of Rita's lackeys. She didn't even get it back until a couple of days before she passed it on."

"So what you're saying is that we have to sever Alex's link to her coin for you to be able to use it?" Kim frowned.

Ninjor shook his head. "Sara is not a Raven, nor a Silver personality."

Tommy looked confused. "Then can't you create her a new coin?"

Ninjor studied me for a long moment, then shook his head again. "I'm sorry Rangers, but I cannot."

"Why not?" Aisha asked.

"Because you already have a Black Ranger on your team."

I exchanged a startled glance with Adam. "I'm a Black personality?"

"Yes. I'm afraid that the only way I can help is by easing Sara's pain. You must give up the Raven coin."

I nodded and twisted my wrist, handing the morpher to Tommy. "I hate to say it, but if Kimberly had a hard time with her coin being held on the moon, Alex must be in terrible shape having it be a dimension away." I pointed out quietly.

Ninjor nodded. "She is right Rangers. I'm afraid I have no choice but to sever her link to her coin."

The other Rangers exchanged a troubled look, but Tommy nodded. "If there's no other alternative. We have to think about what's best for Alex."

I looked around at all of the saddened faces and felt my heart sink. I've been nothing but trouble for them. Why have the Fates done this to them? Don't they have enough to deal with without having a total stranger mess everything up for them?

"Sara?" Adam asked gently.

I forced a grim smile. "Don't mind me. I guess I'm finally starting to come down." I lied.

"I'm sorry you had to give up your coin." Kimberly said tentatively.

I shook my head with a smile I didn't feel. "No, it's better this way anyway. I mean, I didn't earn it. Alex did. Besides, I'm pretty much a liability to you guys. Y'know, because I would have gotten my ass royally kicked if you guys hadn't shown up."

"Ah, you didn't do all that bad." Rocky said. "You held your own pretty well for someone without powers."

I smirked wryly. "I got body-slammed to the ground twice. Um, Kimberly…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for saying what I did about that letter. I shouldn't have done that."

The beautiful Pink Ranger chewed on her lip for a few seconds then sighed deeply. "Don't apologize. I mean, I was looking for a fight. I shouldn't have been surprised when I got one. To be honest, I wasn't really mad at you. I was just blowing off some steam. I just miss Alex, and when you told me about Jason I just kind of lost it."

I smiled tentatively. "I kind of figured that was what happened when I was calm enough to think straight. I mean, I probably wouldn't have taken it well either. I just want you guys to know that I'll help you any way I can in making things right again."

Aisha reached out to touch my arm gently. "You're just as much a victim here. It must be frightening, being in a strange place, not having the identity you've always known…"

I smirked humorlessly and changed the subject. "Anyone have any ideas on what to tell to Alex's family?" I asked quietly.

Rocky sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Good question. Mama is like Rafiki from The Lion King. She knows all, hears all, and sees all. Nothing gets past her."

I blinked. "So she knows you're a Ranger then?"

He opened his mouth then closed it again with a thoughtful look. "I never thought about that. If she does, she's never said anything about it. Which isn't like Mama. All you have to do is say the word 'ouch' and she goes into protective mother mode."

"Speaking of, how on Earth does everyone just overlook you guys anyway?" I questioned.

"Perception alteration. If they aren't directly told who we are, our powers make it so our behavior doesn't send up any red flags." Billy explained.

Tommy nodded. "Back to a cover story, how are you at acting?"

I blinked a few times. "I-I've never tried to act before. Are you suggesting that I pose as Alex? Doesn't that seem a little…wrong to you? I mean, she's not a character in some play. She's a real live human being."

"I don't like the idea either Sara, but we can't just let Rocky's mother think her daughter is missing." Tommy pointed out.

"But…she's her mother. She'll know something's wrong. I mean, I can only imagine how worried she was when Alex was under Rita's control."

Rocky looked sad. "Mama's been under a lot of stress since Papa died. With eight small children to look after, it's easy for the older kids to slip through the cracks. By the time Mama noticed what was going on with Alex, she had already been freed from Rita's spell."

I resisted the urge to laugh. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. "If there's no other alternative, I'll try. I mean, I don't want to get you guys into a tighter spot than I already have. But I don't think it can be done for very long. Even if no one in Angel Grove notices something different, Rita and Zedd are going to know something's up when the Silver Ranger doesn't show up anymore."

Zordon sighed. "Unfortunately, Sara is correct. Once our enemies discover that the Silver Ranger is powerless, they will stop at nothing to capture her for revenge."

"And, no offense Sara, but you aren't going to be able to hold them off for very long." Kimberly pointed out.

I nodded. "I got lucky today. They weren't expecting me to fight back so crudely. And you guys showed up before they could overpower me. But that's not gonna work for long."

Rocky shrugged. "So we'll teach you how to fight."

I smiled slightly. "I have no doubt about that Rocky, but that's going to take time. You guys can't exactly baby-sit me until I know how to defend myself. And even then, there's only so long that I could hold off tengas and the Terrible Twosome without powers. Sooner or later, the law of probability is going to come into effect."

Tommy sighed. "She's right. There may be six of us, but we won't be able to have someone with her at all times. The only thing I can think of is keeping her in the Command Center until we find a way to switch them back."

Aisha sighed too. "What we need is a way to turn one day into several."

I looked over at her and sighed thoughtfully. She summed it up pretty well.

"Zordon, is there such a planet as Phaedos?"

The Morphin' Master blinked. I didn't blame him--I was as surprised as he was by my question. I hadn't even been thinking about the alternate storyline. "There are many who are aware of the sanctuary of the Great Power. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged in bewilderment. "I-I don't know. It just came out. I guess all this talking about fighting and powers reminded me of Dulcea."

"Who's Dulcea?" Adam asked curiously.

"The Master Warrior of the planet Phaedos." I answered.

"How do you know of Dulcea Sara?" Zordon asked.

"It was one of the ways the Rangers got the Ninja powers." I answered.

Everyone looked at me in surprise, but it was Billy who said what everyone else thought. "One of the ways?"

I shrugged. "They did a feature movie, but didn't tie it in with the show. So you ended up getting the Ninja power two ways. The way you guys apparently got it, with Rito coming to town and when a sliceable named Ivan Ooze was released from his hyperlink chamber. He came back for revenge on Zordon, destroyed the Command Center, and you guys went in search of the myth of the Great Power on Phaedos. Same animal spirits, same zords, simply called Ninjetti instead of Ninja."

"So in other words, the dimension they created split around the time Rito came to town?" Billy asked.

I nodded. "One way was the movie timeline, which ended when the movie ended. The other was the show timeline, which still goes on. But they seemed to learn their lesson. The second feature was treated as one long episode."

"So we had two movies? Cool." Kimberly said.

"Well…some of you did. Aisha had already decided to stay in Africa when it was made and Billy had already supposedly left for Aquitar. And um…Rocky pretty much missed out on everything when he hurt his back training for a charity martial arts tournament."

Rocky frowned. "Aw man…"

Tommy looked confused. "Didn't Kim leave for Florida before Aisha stayed in Africa?"

I nodded, wincing slightly. "She did, but ended up getting captured along with Jason when they came back to surprise everyone."

"So why would talking about fighting remind you of Dulcea?" Adam asked.

I could have kissed him for changing the subject. Talking about what happened on Muiranthias was not something I wanted to do.

"Well because she had Tommy flat on his back within like a second." I answered with a smirk. "Any woman with skills like that is highly memorable."

Tommy frowned. "That's exaggerating a little don't you think?"

I turned my smirk on him. "Not quite. She has a mean slice with that staff of hers."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something more going on here than you're telling us Zordon?" Rocky asked.

I looked up and recognized the sage being's expression for what Rocky had--thoughtful distraction. "I agree with Rocky. For starters, why did I even bring up Phaedos? I wasn't even thinking about that storyline. I mean, yeah, Dulcea is an incredible warrior, but going from talking about my situation to talking about Phaedos is a leap of randomness even for me."

Before the Rangers' mentor could answer, a gust of wind flew through the Command Center, ruffling everyone's hair and clothes and putting the Rangers on defense immediately. I blinked in surprise when I was pulled close to a warm body with a protective arm around my waist and looked over to see Adam standing beside me with a wary look on his features. I felt my face heat and turned my head away, hoping my reaction wasn't noticed.

Standing in front of the viewing globe was a sleek black panther, watching everyone with glowing green eyes before settling the unsettling orbs on me. Come cub. It is time for your position in this fight to be revealed.

I was confused. "What do you mean? What position?"

Adam stiffened beside me. "Sara? Who are you talking to?"

I glanced at him in bewilderment. Didn't he hear him?

He cannot hear nor see me cub. None of them can. I am your spirit guide and yours alone. Speak to me with your thoughts, not your voice.

I was still puzzled, but did so timidly. Okay, so what did you mean by position? And what fight are you talking about?

The fight between Good and Evil of course young one. You were brought here for a reason. It is time for the mistakes dealt by Fate to be corrected. Come with me and all will be revealed.

Come where?

Phaedos. Your destiny calls. Do not keep it waiting young one, or know failure to protect those you love.

I took a breath and stepped forward to stand next to the panther, turning to face my newfound companions. "I have to go."

Adam frowned, stepping forward. "Go where?"

"Phaedos. The answers I need are there."

Rocky looked worried. "Sara, what's going on? What did you see?"

I smiled gently at him. "Don't worry Rocky. I have a feeling I'm in good hands."

Tommy shook his head. "You can't just go off to some planet Sara. It's too dangerous."

I looked at him and let my gaze sharpen. "I'm not under your leadership Tommy. You can't tell me what I can and cannot do. The sooner I find out why I'm here, the sooner I can help you get Alex back."

Kimberly stepped forward. "You can't go alone." She protested. "What if Rita or Zedd find you?"

"She's not going alone. I'm coming with her."

I joined everyone else in giving Adam a surprised look at his firm declaration. "Adam…"

If the frog wishes to accompany you, so be it. Time is of the essence and the precious minutes wasted trying to discourage him are not worth it. However, he will be merely an observer of your trials. He cannot help you in any way.

I looked down to give my guide a skeptical look, but nodded. "There's no way to change your mind?" I asked, looking up at Adam.

He shook his head. "Tommy and Kim are right. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

I sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this." I muttered, holding out my hand. The moment our hands met, another gust of wind blew through the Command Center and we were gone.

====================

Finally, some of the questions surrounding Sara's arrival are about to be answered. What trials does the planet Phaedos have in store for the newest Black personality? And what is the secret behind Adam's determination to keep her safe? Those answers and more will be revealed in the next chapter of Destiny's Folly. The fun is only beginning…