XIV. Power Rangers In Retrograde - Mystic Force – Scaredy Cat

(Based from summaries from .com)

"I wonder what Xander wants with us alone," Madison says to her sister as they wanted through the mystic wood.

"I don't know," Vida smiles as she bends down to smell a hauntingly vibrant purple flower," But the forest has never been more beautiful." She quickly bears her fangs at her sister, eyes flashing red, "And if you tell anyone I said something that girly I'll drink you dry."

Madison backs up a step and shivers, "T-That was a joke right s-sis."

Vida laughs, "Of course it was," her face returning to normal as she looks at her pale terrified sister with concern, "D-Did I really come on that strongly."

Madison nods quietly as Vida hugs her sister, "S-Sorry sis, it just came as a natural response when I wanted to look scary didn't mean to terrify you."

"We need to cure you Vida," Madison says gravely.

Vida sighs, "I fears its long past time for that."

"Exactly," A small green faerie flitters into view before growing to full size, standing their brazen in her nudity with only a few vines and a crown of flowers for decency.

"Xander!" The girls embrace their friend a moment before smiling as they find a old log to sit down on.

"Toby's gone mental since you stopped coming to work, he thinks you've found a better job."

"I've just been busy," Xander motions to the forest sheepishly, "The first needs me."

"Toby needs you, We need you," Vida hisses, "We're not just Power Rangers we're friends!"

Madison shushes her sister, as she looks at the broad smile and confused gaze of Xander, "It's that important is it."

"It's the most important job I've ever had..."

"More important that saving the world, more important then being a Power Ranger?" Vida incites.

There is a moment of silence and Xander nods, stating with a solemn and definitive, "Yes."

Vida goes quiet, "Oh..."

Xander breaks the silence, "But I need your help Maddie."

"Anything for a friend," she answers without hesitation.

"I need your magic."

"What?" Vida asks confused.

"When Chip and Vida freed me from my bark prison they poured all their magic into me, and I felt a change...not just on the outside but in here," she touches her breast, "in my heart, my spirit. Udonna says sprites are guardians of the forest and I can hear the forest weeping, needing tending, care. I can't turn my back but from what I've been able to glean a sprite isn't just one element it's all of them bound up into one package. Wind to spread pollen, earth to tend the soil, lighting comes with the clouds..."

"And water to feed them," Madison nods understandingly.

Xander nods, "And fire to build characters and keep prevent overgrownt from choaking the younger lives."

"But Alexis and Phineas..."

Xander nods, "I think between Vida's powers and my own we can rescue Phineas. You won't admit it but your stronger then all the other rangers combined Vida, and so am I, it came with our changes this great new power and I think together…."

Madison looks to her sister curiously, "Is that true V?"

After a moment Vida nods, "I could wipe all you guys out with ease if I went all out, except maybe Xander and Udonna."

"Udonna would take a bit more effort but is well within your means," Xander explains, "Myself...well...like you I haven't shown my full strength."

Vida nods, "You think together we can rescue Phineas?"

"I think together we have the best shot, assuming he's still got some semblance of his true self buried within the dragon's body."

"So is that why you wanted me here, to conduct a raid on the Underworld, but how do we ever get there?"

Xander smiles, "You tell me, Black Ranger."

Vida smiles sheepishly, "You really thought this out didn't you."

Xander smiles, "I may have changed a lot but I still won't leave a friend behind."

Madison interjects, "Well if your going on this daring raid your going to need as muck power as possible right, so how do help?"

Xander smiles and motions to Madison's Mystic Morpher holder, "Just point your Morpher at me and focuses all your power into me."

"Alright!"

At a beach cave Necra and a handful of Styxoids look into the mouth of the cave. The Styxoids advance but as they near the entrance a dark seal flashes instantly destroying the Styxoids, Necra massages her chin, "Hummmmmm, just as I thought."

"Your so cold."

Necra turhs to see LeeLee walking up with a wolf and a cat beast at her heal, "Daughter so good to see you ag-."

"Quiet 'mother', you and I both know theirs no love in this half of you only darkness and evil."

"Thank you," Necra purrs, "Now while your here, there's a energy field protecting this cave. I must have what's inside." before blasting the barrier with some of her new powers, it flashs for a moment as Necrolai turns to her daughter, "There, I took care of it. LeeLee be a dear and fetch me what's in there."

"You're joking right?" LeeLee counters and her mother caresses her hair. "Right?"

"No," Necra says flatly before throwing her daughter at the field, the barrier wavers, LeeLee dropping to her knees as she howls in pain. Necrolai walks over and pushes LeeLee into it again. "You're almost through, just tough it out LeeLee."

"Moooooom, please," tears beginning to run down LeeLee's face.

In and instant Alexis and Nicole are on Necra, drool dripping from their fangs as they threaten to tear her apart.

"Come now LeeLee that didn't hurt, now did it?" Necra says casually tot eh beasts, "Now get your pets off me."

"Friends mother, Friends, not that you would know what that means," LeeLee picks herself up as she gives Necra a murderous glare.

Turning to a swarm of bats Necra tries to escape only from the due to do the same a black cloud battling overhead before Necra, battered and beaten falls into the sand. "J-Just tell me what you felt."

Alexis and Nicole reform and hold Necra by her arms.

"We should just kill her for all the trouble she's caused," Nicole growls bearing fangs dripping with venom.

LeeLee sighs.

"No use," Alexis intercedes, "Can't kill a royal vampire without a perfect Dawn Crystal we'd just wind up with 2 of them who were even younger until eventually wed have a swarm of ankle biter vampire babies to deal with.

"We need to reunite them, bring back my real mother."

"No use," Necra hisses, "My other half turned tail and fled with the white Witch, she's with your vaunted Power Rangers now."

LeeLee sighs, "Nicole, Alexis, Let's go girls, sounds like we have a lot to get caught back up on, and to catch the others up on."

"N-No, Wait! Tell me what you felt!"

LeeLee sighs, "It tingled a bit, but felt like you were pushing me against a solid wall."

Necra stroked her chin, "I was able to lessen the protective field, but it seems resistant to even the slightest evil."

"Too bad your not the Power Rangers," Nicole grins darkly, licking her lips.

"Hummm," Necrolai schemes, "Then one of you fetch me whats inside."

Alexis and Nicole look to LeeLee, "LeeLee?"

LeeLee sighs, "Fine, Nicole go and get whatever it is my half mother wants so we can move on."

Taking out her Mystic Morpher Nicole nods changing into the Rose Ranger as she enters the barrier with a small grunt of pain dropping to her knees on the other side, "That hurt, like a lot!"

Alexis and LeeLee rush to her side without thinking and help her up, glaring back at Necra as she rushes past them and deep into the cave.

"It still worked!" she cackles as she flies ahead, Alexis and LeeLee helping Nicole get her breath back.

"Guys! Rangers! Help!" Clare calls out as Maddie, Chip, and Manni (Manticore's human form) "Come quickly, you have got to see this!"

Rushing over to where the last dragon egg is nested Mannie shrugs, "Uh I don't se-"

"Shhh! Shh!" Clare motions as the egg trembles a moment.

Shouting she grabs Manni excitedly, "Did you see? Did you see?"

"I saw! I saw!" Manni says excited, "It moved, it moved!"

"This is so great! This is so great! I'm so excited!" Chip exclaims, "What does it mean?"

The other Rangers look at him oddly, "It means it's gonna hatch," Madison explains.

"So does anyone know how to hatch a dragon egg?" Maddie wonders.

After a moment Chip pips in, "Udonna will know?"

"Udonna not here!" Clare says shaking Chip in a panic.

"I know where we can find info," Maddie say moving to a book counter with a large white book, "1001 things you want to know about dragons."

Clare lets out a relived sigh as Maddie begins reading.

"Ah, here we are, hatching dragons," Maddie reads, "To hatch a dragon egg, set it upright and proceed to bludgeon it with a sledgehammer?!"

"Excellent!" Vida shouts running off, "I'll get the hammer!" until Clare stops her.

"Oh no you don't!"

An odd knocking suddenly distracts everyone, "Do we have a door?" Chip asks confused as he and the other Rangers follow the sound to the entrance of Rootcore where Liera waits stepping back as the large dragon head opens, Still clutching Udonna Snow Staff like a favored toy.

"Knock, knock?"

"You need to return Udonna's Snow Staff Liera."

"It's so warm though, I…I can't just give it up..."

"Wait!" Chip exclaims as he rushes back inside and starts rummaging about, "I have a thought."

The other Rangers lead Liera inside as Chip finally finds what he's looking for, Nick's old Training Morpher.

Alexis, LeeLee, and Nicole chase after Necra through the pitch black of the cave when something drops onto Nicole's shoulder and she flips out, "Frog! Get it off! Get it off me!" she says dancing around in a panic knocking Red and LeeLee deeper into the cave.

"You can't be afraid of a little frog," Red jokes, 'that is so girly...almost as if...'

"I'm not afraid," Rose trembles, "I'm prettified, ugly, slimy frogs-"

"Speaking of ugly," LeeLee muses pointing to a mummified figure crouched in the dirt."

"It looks like a mummy," Red says brushing the frog off Rose casually.

"Hey! Hey! Over here! There's something else," Rose shouts the group scrambling over as she finds a small gold and blue object.

"What is it?" LeeLee wonders.

"It's a lamp with the Mystic Force crest on it, a lost treasure," Red says picking it up. "And now it's ours."

It's glows suddenly and shaking of the ground follows.

"Everybody hang on!"

"Whoa!"

"Not another earthquake!"

"Just give me what I came for," Necra says as LeeLee transforms to her Royal Vampire form.

Red protects the lamp, "No you won't get this lamp."

"I'm not?" Necra says blazing through the Rangers, and up into Red's face, "You can keep you're lamp." tossing her aside as she rushes to the Mummy, "I want this."

As LeeLee and Rose combine but Necra blasts them with a wave of energy and is gone before they recover.

"Where is she?"

"She's gone."

"And she took the mummy," LeeLee says as she and Rose uncombined.

"I got a bad feeling we'll see that thing again," Red muses.

"Yeah, maybe," Rose adds, cradling the lamp, "But at least she didn't get the lamp."

"Yup, definitely has a Mystic Force symbol on it," Maddie says, the group now back at Rootcore, the Gang all hugging the return of LeeLee, Alexis, and Nicole.

"Maybe there's more writing," Nick comments as he begins to dust it with a rag.

The lamp begins to shake, the top popping off as a figure rises on a trail of smokes settling into the figure of a humanoid feline figure.

Nicole purrs and licks her lips, "Cute."

"It's a genie!" Chip exclaims!

"Correct! I am the Great Genie Jenji," he says with a bow, "Give the lady a prize, I grant you one wish."

A dress forming on Chip who takes it in stride and laughs turning around, "How do I look ladies?"

They all laugh in turn as they start making suggestions.

"Hairs all wrong."

"God who did your makeup."

"Are you even using a push up bra?"

And with each suggestion Chip becomes more and more female in appearance by the time the last spell is cast Chip is a gorgeous young woman and finally realizes it looking to the genie, "Hey wait a minute."

"Sorry only one wish to a customer!" Jenji reminds them, "Don't take all day. Got a lot of things," his voice starting to raise, "Like sit in a cave for another nineteen years!"

"Those were suggestions not wishes!"

"Sorry no refunds."

"Change me back!"

"Yeah change Chip back!"

Jenji smiles, "Is that a wish?"

"Fine yes, I want to be a man again!" Chip blurts out

"Granted!"

At first nothing seems to change, and everyone looks to Jenji expectantly,

"I threw in a bonus," he smiles, "Just focus."

Chip thinks hard and suddenly he's back in his old body.

Jenji smiles again, "Now think about that knockout of a woman you once were."

And like that Chip is back as a woman in the dress.

Nicole sighs absently, "Wish I could do that."

"One wish!"

"WE know!" Everyone yells.

"Fine! Fine! No need to get violent," Jenji says sheepishly, "I-I hate violence." after a very short pause he continues, walking about the room, "Now here's the rules. You're the master, I'm the genie; you get one wish, can't hurt any body with it, blah blah blah blah blah."

"A real live genie," Chip says in awe, "Always wanted one of those."

Maddie laughs.

"Don't you mean masters," Nicole injects.

"What? Come again?"

"Masters," Nicole says putting down her tea, "We were all here when you were released, LeeLee, Alexis and I all defended your lamp from Necrolai so don't we each get one wish?"

Jenji paces about nervously, "Well yes, I guess, technically."

"Nice one Nicole," Chip says patting her back.

"One wish," Jenji reminds them, "Don't take all day. Got a lot of things," his voice starting to raise, "Like sit in a cave for another nineteen years!"

"Are you blaming us?" Maddie says annoyed.

"Oh so now it's blame the big cat."

"So one wish right?" Maddie confirms.

"Airplanes; balloons; cash; DVDs, not pirated, elephants; ferns; gold; houses; igloos; jade; kites; limes; moats; necklaces; opals; polo ponies; quilts; who put the steps? Roast-beef; six silver saddles; Texas; under earth; bases; v; whales; xyris; yaks; and zippers." pausing to take a deep breath before finishing. "A to Z, anything your heart desires."

"Wait someone actually wished for a zipper," Alexis laughs.

"Grant-" Nicole growls and clamps Jenji's mouth shut, "That was a question not a wish."

"You know your cute when your angry," Jenji purrs.

Nicole purrs back.

Manni walks over with a confident stride, holding out her hands, "I wish for a hundred diamonds."

"Granted!"

Jenji says dramatically as Mannie's hands are filled with the perfect gemstones just as Clare walk past them carrying the egg, "Oh! Is that a dragon's egg, cause I'm hungry."

"Yes," Clare says turning around to face Jenji.

"Can someone say Omelet?"

"Does, you-know-who know you brought home a stray cat?"

"Don't worry," Nicole muses, "he isn't to keen on staying. We just need to get some work out of the way first."

"Ohhhh it's about to hatch," Jenji comments, someone better sit on it, it's uncomfortable but it's the only way.

Clare sighs as she looks down at the egg, "Oh boy."

The Master's energy swirls around the mummy Necra's elation is cut short as noise in the distance brings her and Koragg running to see a swarm of bats become a black tornado and back again while the very cave itself, rocks, vines, lighting, water, everything smashes and decimates the Hidiacs and Styxoids.

"What is going on here!"

Xander and Vida stop their assault as they turn to Koragg, "Free Phineas and well leave."

a gout of flame engulfs the two as a small bird sized black dragon circles Koragg and lands on his shoulder, the knight gently patting it's head. "You mean Black Wing?"

"Black?"

"Wing?"

Koragg explains.

'We had come to an agreement, at least at first, The Red Wizard would stop blasting our forces and we would get it out of of the alcove. Work began to widen the entry and in short order the Red Wizard was able to push into the wider caverns but was still quite a large to move comfortably.'

"Now you will submit to the Master!"

A gout of flame met Koragg's shield but he weathered it as the eye opened.

"Submit!"

Phineas continued to breath fire even as the Master poured his black magic into the dragon. The Two streams enveloping each other twisting and rolling darkness within fire.

"You brainwashed him!"

"I set HER free."

"Her?" Vida and Xander said looking at each other confused.

Koragg leads the two to another cavern, where several dragon eggs sit waiting.

"The Red Wizard is no more, he was consumed by the magic that created Black Wing. Now all she wants to do is revive her race. I gave her the means and a safe place to do that."

"Phineas isn't safe here! With you!" Vida protests.

Xander shakes her head, "Let's go."

"B-But?"

Xander takes Vida's hand and starts to fly away, "We lost this one."

The small Black Wing spitting fore on their tail as they retreat.

"You did what?" Alexis explodes, "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was."

"We stood the best chance, two extremely powerful entities on a small scale raid," Xander explains.

"I don't care how powerful you two have become we're a te-"

"WE are a team," Madison interject at the defense of her sister, "We barely know you."

"Yeah," Chip jumps in, "Don't think to boss us around when you we barely know anything about you. Xander is the team leader! If he-"

"She!" Xander corrects.

"She thinks a raid was best I trust hi-her!"

Alexis sighs as the other rangers share similar sentiments, "That's fair...i really haven't been open with any of you...but there is so much to tell how do I even start..."

"At the beginning," Manni adds confused.

Alexis sighs and takes a seat, "Alright," she begins creating an image of her future, "I come from the future, the year age of 3000, 3006 to be to be exact. But it was a future not meant to be."

"Woah, cool, Time travel!" Chip injects.

"Are those trees?"

"And dragons?"

The image shifts to glass towers and flying cars, "This is what the future should be, but there is a lock on this particular era, in the other timeline forces that govern all magic, The Tribunal of Magic prevent direct interference in the catalyses in this age. So I had to go back, further."

"How far," Chip asks nervously.

"further then the Great War," Alexis looks to Udonna, "And manipulated events to preserve the future that should be. And to protect Bowen."

"My son is alive?" Udonna is nearly brought to tears.

Alexis changes the image to Zyuuland, "I made sure when his guardian took a portal it wasn't to the Human World as intended by one far removed from this war."

"You sent a human child to Zyuuland, but they HATE humans," Nicole interjects.

"When he passed through the portal I made sure it would turn him to a Zyuuman, Bowen was raised by a caring clan and is safe."

Udonna releases a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"So how did you get involved with the Mystic Force," Clare asks.

"Originally I was just going to watch from afar, but since you ran into trouble I just count sit back and do nothing," she laughs, "truthfully its not the first time I've stepped in since coming to this era though it is the first time I've had….friends..."

"So if your mission is a success why are you still here," Xander asks the burning question.

"You have no home to return to now that the future has changed, do you," Udonna suspects.

Alexis nods.

"You know Nicole should really be here to hear this, where is she," LeeLee wonders.

Xander coughs, "Last I saw she and Jenji headed out for some...alone time."

LeeLee scoffs, "What seriously? Are those two a couple ALREADY, they just met."

"Animal pharamones can be a tough force to resist," Alexis smiles shifting to her wolf form.

LeeLee blushes, "Oh….uh….I mean I guess I get it, their both cats, with our without my magic."

Everyone nods.

"It's working," Necra purrs, as The Master's swirls up and around the mummy giving life to a strange new figure. Necra gasps.

"This new body, it feels right, I fee so strong, so right."

"Welcome back to your true world," Necra says walking over and kneeling, "Master Imperious. I am here to do your bidding."

"I love being powerful," Imperious whispers before returning his voice to normal, "Now arise my servants."

Necra walks over to Imperious' side, "Sire, you will be the one to conquer the surface world. You will defeat the Power Rangers." She says following Imperious out.

"Good! Good! Good!" Jenji says walking around Clare, "Now the important thing is you can't get off the egg until it hatches."

"And how long is that?" Blecker injects.

Jenji walks about thinking, "A few minutes, a couple days, sometimes a month, anywhere up to thirty or forty years."

Clare gasps, "I can't sit here for forty years!"

"I know what to do," Maddie exclaims, "I wish we had enough blankets and supplies to keep the eggs warm and healthy so they can hatch without Blecker, and Clare needing to sit on them forever."

Jenji raises his arms dramatically, "Granted." numerous blankets, with heating pads and what look like hearts appear atop the eggs, knocking Clare off, Chip helps her stand as Nicole moves to inspect the heart.

"What are these things?"

"For the best heath of a dragon they need to feel the pulse of a heartbeat, these artificial hearts are all tied to one of you to insure a true being is there to nurture each egg."

"You going to be OK to watch the egg, Clare?" Maddie says heading out of the small room and toward the main one, "We should check in on the crystal ball, in case Necra is up to something with that mummy."

Clare nods as Jenji and the Rangers head for the main room, they pickup the pace as they see the crystal ball started to react to something, "Ohh more eggs," Jenji whispers.

"Evil doesn't sleep," Nicole muses as she sees the dark cloud forming over the city, "We have to go."

"Wait!" Vida calls out, "We need to call Xander."

"No time, I'll pick up his slack," Nicole inserts grabbing Vida's arm."

"OK have fun, play safe," Jenji begins, "I'll be gone by the time you get back. Bye."

"Your going to abandon me?" Nicole mewls softly and bats her eyes.

"Uh."

"You still ow us," she growls and then counts as he grabs the lamp, "five wishes; myself, LeeLee, Alexis, and Clare, and Udonna. Back in the lamp, your coming with us."

"But most for you..."

Nicole growls, the Rangers chuckle.

"Fine," Jenji protests and he turns to smoke and returns to the lamp, "When it comes to fighting, I'm just a kitten."

As Nicole is walking out her arm is suddenly wrenched as the Lamp pulls away, "Actually I think I forgot my key." then wrenched in another direction, "Someone should keep an eye on...Do you want me to sit on the eggs?" and then wrenched away again.

Quickly the Rangers arrive on the scene the massive cloud shooting bolts of lighting about as a figure starts to emerge.

"Over there!" Nicole shouts, fighting with the lamp.

"Wow, look at that!" Vida adds, "I've never seen anything like it!"

"OK, well this was fun," Jenji says poking his head of the lamp, "What say we run home, grab a pillow, get under the covers and hide."

"At last," Imperious says as he appears, "The Power Rangers. Let me introduce myself. I am the Destroyer of your World, I am Imperious, Dark Wizard of the Underworld."

"Don't call yourself a wizard," Alexis protests, "Wizards use their power to help people!"

"Your Witch Udonna has mislead you Red Wizard. Magic is for fulfilling your own desires! Come to my world and learn what real power is!"

"Thanks for the invite! But not a chance!"

Raising his fan Imperious quickly blasts the Rangers, knocking them back a bit, Imperious laughing all the while.

Getting to their feet the Rangers quickly Ranger up: Red, Blue, Black, Pink, Yellow, and Green.

Everyone turns to Nicole who is not only the Green Ranger but, male, not a skirt in sight on his suit.

"You alright in their Nick?"

"Alright!" he cheers, "I'm over the moon I'm back to normal!"

"Riiiiiiiight," The Rangers are remember dumb founded and hug the Green Ranger, "Congratulations!"

"I'm a boy! Whahoo!"

"I just remembered," Red smiles under the helmet, "We have a genie in here who owes us some wishes. I'll just rub it and get Jenji to help us."

Frantically rubbing the lap Jenji pops his head out, "Sorry I just granted my own wish, to leave!" the Lamp leaping from Red's hand and bouncing away to hide behind some trees.

"Some genie you are," Red grouses as she gets to her feet drawing her sword, "Fine! I'll do it myself."

Charging Imperious the Dark Wizard vanishes before Red can hit him, laughing all the while, "Where'd he go?"

"A better question is," Imperious says popping up behind Red "Where are you going!" with just a simple touch of his finger he sends Red flying back.

"Now your going to have to deal with me," Green announces as vines erupt from the shrubbery around to wrap around Imperious, "Vine power!"

"You got me! Help me! Help!" Imperious mocks.

"Got ya."

"Majilera," Imperious chants the vines shattering like glass as he floats back to the ground.

"No!"

"You should be doing your magic at children's parties." Imperious taunts as he wraps Green in vines of his own, "Inacio." Before blasting Green back with another fan blast. "Next," he taunts turning to Pink.

"We're going to rock you like a hurricane!" Black says running up beside Pink. "Let's show them a double twister!" Black invoking the fusion spell as the upgraded Pink Ranger transforms into a tornado, "We're gonna blow you away!"

"I don't think so," Imperious counters by turning into a dark tornado of his own, the two tunnels clashing against each other, "Munfassa."

The two grind against each other for several moments neither gaining any ground until both stop Imperious staring the Pink Ranger down, "Your more they you appear, tasted the forbidden fruit of Dark Magic have we and liked it?"

Imperious offers his hand, "Come with me Black Witch and together you can rule at my side as my queen."