Episode 8: Part 2

A warm fire crackled in the fireplace of the antique shop as Noelle Moreau turned over the sign in the front door to show that the shop was temporarily closed. Despite the chill and darkness of the early evening outside, the four knights and two Ocean Rangers enjoyed the welcoming light and warmth of the cozy rustic store. As Noelle made her way back inside where everyone had gathered, she listened in as Kristen sat in her armchair explaining the whole situation to Cam and Naomi.

Both of the older Rangers sat holding hot cups of tea that Laura had prepared and mulled over the young Druid's words about the threat of Balor, the existence of the Faerie Courts, and battle that was raging over the control of Somerset Valley. After Kristen had finished telling the story, Cam sat back and took a long sip of tea while furrowing his brow, "To think... there might have been something to all the myths about the banshees and leprechauns that my grandparents would go on about."

"Yeah... that makes two of us," Connor muttered while clapping his older cousin on the shoulder.

"I guess we really shouldn't be too surprised," Naomi sighed with a thoughtful look, "After all, Hine Nui, Pele, and those other beings we dealt with out in Hawaii were all gods and myths as well."

Cam turned his gaze toward the other three knights, "So all of you have been going around fighting these Fomorians since the start of the school year, with swords and armor? Do any of you actually know anything about medieval style combat?"

"The magic of the Faerie armor gives us a bit of a knack for it," Laura admitted, "Otherwise, we just kind of use our own skills and aptitudes to take us the rest of the way."

Kristen nodded solemnly, "But they are learning and progressing. Whenever we have free time, I've been training with them and teaching them what they need to know about their powers."

"Even so, you can't expect these four kids to fight off a horde of invading monsters by themselves," Naomi protested before turning to the knights with an apologetic look, "Err, no offense to you four."

Quinton bit his lip for a moment before trying to give a positive look, "It hasn't been all that bad... I mean, we've become better fighters, we've sort of got a Megazord type contraption on our side, and Kristen said her Druid order is gathering help for us in the meantime too."

Connor was silent for a long moment before turning toward Cam, "You know, when I think about it, it all makes sense now... all your classified reports that you wrote about the battle of Honolulu, and the medal you were awarded... I had no idea you were a Power Ranger too."

"Even so, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this," Cam replied seriously, "Based on everything you and I now know, none of this is to be brought up when our families meet for Thanksgiving in a couple days. This stays between you and me... and the rest of your friends too."

Everyone in the room gave a silent nod of agreement before Noelle cleared her throat, "If we've got that settled for now, maybe we should worry about the new monster at large. Whoever he was, he was a lot deadlier than he looked and he was strong for a Fomorian."

"Fear Gorta... if I'm not mistaken," Kristen said as she rose from her chair and ambled thoughtfully over toward her bookshelf. As she pulled out a tome and paged through it, she continued, "According to Celtic legend, he may have been a fey creature in the form of a starving emaciated man. It was said he appeared during times of great famine and could bestow terrible curses on those who were selfish and refused to give him alms."

Laura crossed her arms with a mild huff, "Well he certainly wasn't friendly enough to warrant that. I can't imagine why he'd be showing up again now either... unless he wants to bring about the next great Potato Famine or something."

Connor and Cam exchanged a look between each other before Kristen interjected, "It could be that the holiday of Thanksgiving is coming. There's usually plenty of food and charity going around and based on the powers of that monster's aura, it's a perfect time to punish everyone by causing their meals to rot."

"Come to think of it, that does sound really rotten," Noelle frowned to herself, "Maybe they figure if people begin starving, people will eventually grow too weak to fight back."

Laura nodded in agreement, "Then what say we show that monster some generosity and give him a thorough beatdown."

Quinton glanced at the crackling fireplace and gave a concerned look, "Sounds great Laura, but how are we going to lure that thing back out... and how are we going to fight it? You saw what happened to us last time."

Naomi tapped her finger to her chin before turning to Kristen with a sly smile, "Miss Bloom, you mentioned that the pub owner O'Doyle was also a Druid right? Perhaps he might be able to help us. I have an idea... and it also involves calling in a few more reinforcements."

Early the next morning, the four knights made their way into town with Cam to O'Doyle's Pub to meet Kristen and Naomi who were enacting their part of a plan to combat the newest Fomorian threat. Thanksgiving Break had just begun so the college campus and the bustle of the surrounding town had begun dying down. As they walked inside to get away from the late November chill, Quinton rubbed his hands, "I wonder what the girls and Mr. O'Doyle have planned."

Upon entering the virtually empty pub, they were greeted with warm aromas of food wafting through the air making everyone stop and pause. Noelle was the first to smile and give a content sigh while they headed toward a central table covered with a big spread of tasty items. There they saw Kristen already setting up several places at the table with plates and silverware.

"Oh wow… looks like Thanksgiving came early. All this smells great," Noelle said.

"You can give your compliments to the cook then," Naomi grinned as she walked out of the kitchen with the restaurant owner, "Turns out Mr. O'Doyle here is both a Druid and a wizard in the kitchen."

The older Druid gave a gruff smile and shrugged modestly, "Oh, it's nothing. I had a lot of help."

"No doubt," Laura commented with a watering mouth as she circled the table and observed the offerings. There was a unique mix of food from both Ireland and England along with what almost looked like some cuisine from the Hawaiian Islands. Beside bowls of rice, pineapples, roast pork, and mochi were plates of corned beef with cabbage and potatoes along with beef pasties and Yorkshire pudding. "You two cooked this all by yourselves?"

The Yellow Ocean Ranger smiled and gestured to the kitchen, "Well... not exactly. I recruited a little bit of help from some friends."

From the kitchen doors emerged a tall bespectacled Japanese man in a dark green sweater along with a short brunette woman wearing some sporty pink sweats. Each of them carried the last bowls of food out with welcoming smiles. "Everyone… meet David Hosokawa and Alexandra Coach, more Ocean Rangers."

The knights smiled in surprise while Cam walked over to greet David and give Alex a hug. "Hey Dave, you guys made it after all. Thanks for the help."

The Green Ocean Ranger chuckled as they shook hands, "It took a while doing some portal hopping in the water, but we made it. Besides, I had to supervise and make sure Alex didn't kill you guys with food poisoning."

The Pink Ranger pulled a wooden cooking spoon from her apron and lightly smacked her boyfriend in the shoulder, "Very funny David. I am not that bad of a cook and you know it."

"I don't know Alex, I think Dave was being kinda generous on that one," Cam teased making Alex sigh in exasperation.

"Keep it up Cameron and you're gonna be next on my hit list."

Quinton eyed the food again and scratched his chin, "So… I assume we're going to have a feast of sorts to draw that monster out again? How are we even going to attempt eating all this anyway?"

"They also called in some help to eat all this grub," answered another two people who entered from a side room.

Everyone turned to see a long haired Hawaiian man in a red long sleeve shirt along with a younger blonde woman wearing orange flannel. Naomi gestured over to the other two Ocean Rangers with a laugh, "The rest of our team, Desmond Waihee and Hannah Johnson."

The two youngest Ocean Rangers exchanged a grin and a thumbs-up while they headed towards the table.

"Wow… awesome!" Connor smiled brightly, "We've got a whole team of real veteran Power Rangers backing us up here. How cool is that?"

"Best we not waste too much time and get on with things, don't you agree?" Mr. O'Doyle interrupted gently while clearing his throat.

Soon enough the two teams of heroes took their seats at the table and began to partake of the bountiful meal before them.

"Wait… guys, shouldn't we say grace or something?" Cam frowned to the others while he was already halfway done making the sign of the cross over himself.

Beside him, Naomi and Connor gave neutral shrugs while Desmond began shoveling food into his mouth with his usual cheerful grin, "Nah. It's fine. It's technically not Thanksgiving so I think we can get away with it here."

Cam simply rolled his eyes quietly and began to follow suit.

While the others began to eat and chat, Noelle looked over toward Laura who was already filling her plate with the meat pasties and Yorkshire pudding covered in gravy.

"Uh Laura, we should probably be careful so that if the monster shows then we won't be too full to fight."

"Speak for yourself," the Winter Knight replied with a smirk, "It's not often I get to eat this stuff from home and I'll be damned if I let that monster cause all this to rot."

"That's the spirit," the Orange Ranger Hannah smiled from across the table, "Now could one of you pass the pineapples this way?"

No sooner had everyone finished their first course was when everyone in the pub heard some commotion from outside. Just like before, they could see people fleeing past the restaurant while shouting warnings to each other. Everyone got up quickly and hurried outside only to see the familiar form of the starved ghoul Fear Gorta make his way down the empty street. As the four Hibernian Knights stood at the forefront to meet their foe, the Ocean Rangers took positions behind them while Laura waved their two Druid allies toward the safety of the pub's door.

"Stand back Kristen, we'll take care of this one. We've got a little score to settle with that Fomorian."

As he came upon the group of defiant humans, the skeletal ghoul in rags gave a sinister smile, "So... you knights were the ones feasting and you didn't invite me? I see you already invited some other friends."

"Friends that are going to help make sure you don't spoil the holidays for all the other innocent people here!" Desmond called back defiantly before leading the Ocean Rangers in a quick morph.

"You're making a mistake," Fear Gorta growled as he stepped forward to attack and drew his mace, "I'm going to make you pay dearly for that insult."

"Not if we have anything to say about it. Everyone?" Connor prompted while raising his ring.

"Athru!" the others answered as they followed suit and donned their own mystic armor and weapons. As the four Faerie warriors drew their blades in unison, they grouped together to repeat their own battlecry.

"Four Swords, One Heart! Hibernian Knights, to arms!" the four called rallying their weapons together while the other Ocean Rangers stood behind them as backup.

As the four armed Hibernian Knights readied their blades against the incoming monster, Cam drew his own saber and joined in their formation beside his cousin. "Got room for one more sword?"

Connor smiled and clasped hands with the Blue Ocean Ranger before pointing his blade forward to spur the knights on, "All right… let's take it to Balor and his flunkies! All together now!"

With a unified cry, the four knights led the charge and clashed with their Fomorian enemy. Fear Gorta gripped his mace and skillfully ducked and wove past the first strikes of the Winter, Spring, and Autumn Knights. While the three swept by, both Connor and Cam attacked together and locked weapons with the ghoul, temporarily matching him with their combined strength. Despite Fear Gorta's attempts at any counter blows, both The Summer Knight and Blue Ranger protected each other and deflected aside each strike.

While they clashed, the Fomorian hesitated as he felt a rush of cold air sweep by him. The wave of air had been brought on by the Winter Knight's rapier and the icy magic began to slow the Fomorians movements making him more sluggish and numb. As he reached within his rags he tried to pull out his cup that sprayed projectiles at close range, but it was knocked away as Noelle tossed her spinning blade to deflect it.

Fear Gorta gave another surprised gasp before he was blinded by a follow up attack from Quinton who called upon a lightning burst filled with Spring thunder. While the ghoul staggered and scrambled to regain his bearings, Cam stepped aside letting the four knights regroup for a combined finishing attack. Once he shook off the blast, Fear Gorta snarled toward the knights and began to expand his withering aura out toward them, "You'll pay for that insult you annoying children!"

To his surprise and horror, the monster's aura was countered as a burst of bright vibrant magic radiated out against it. The four knights turned in surprise to see the six Ocean Rangers behind them standing with their glowing Ocean Bracers. The bright energy that spread from the tribal bracelets resonated with the magic of light and Creation which neutralized that of the Fomorian.

"All right everyone, now's our chance!" Laura called as she moved to strike and waved the others on.

While the ghoul was pinned in place and weakened by the combined strength of the Ocean Rangers, the four Hibernian Knights surged forward and charged their weapons with their own respective elements. Amid the light of the Rangers, Fear Gorta's eyes went wide as he was struck by four devastating blows one after the other. The Fomorian ghoul gave a raspy wail as the four colorful slashes tore through him and reduced him to a blaze of shadowy wisps that dissipated away on the winds. As the four knights gave a cheer, they turned and gave a wave to the six Ocean Rangers standing nearby to thank them for their timely assist in the battle.

Once they had sheathed their weapons, Quinton removed his helmet while wearing a big smile, "You know... that battle really worked up an appetite. Do all of you guys still wanna go finish our non-Thanksgiving meal? It would be a shame to let it go to waste."

Amid the laughter and affirmative responses, the knights and the Ocean Rangers decided to give thanks for the victory as well as the fellowship. Despite the stark differences of the two teams, they shared the same goals and right now, they were all interested in celebrating over a meal with some new friends.

The next evening, the knights and Ocean Rangers all sat together at two large tables finishing their dinner in O'Doyle's Pub. After another intense battle, the familiar warm environment was a nice welcoming reward, especially since the pub had reopened and a fair number of local patrons had come in to enjoy some pre-Thanksgiving drinks and meals.

"I don't know about you, but I'm glad classes and Fomorian attacks are over for a while," Laura said with a content smile, "As strange as it sounds, I'm actually looking forward to spending some time at home and having another big holiday meal with the whole family."

"That makes two of us Laura," Naomi sighed as she finished her own meal, "You know, I really wasn't expecting to go back into battle after all this time, but it still felt good to jump back in the saddle and help some new friends."

"I wouldn't have worried. You guys haven't lost your touch at all," Quinton said with a grateful nod.

Noelle chuckled, "Believe us, you, Cam, and everyone else can come by and help us any time you want. Lord knows we'll need it."

"Aw, come on now Noelle. Give yourselves a little credit," Cam grinned slinging a brotherly arm over Connor, "From what I've seen, you four are definitely no pushovers and I'm sure this town will be in safe hands. Besides... it seems like heroism runs in our family too, right kid?"

The Summer Knight couldn't help but laugh in agreement. As a waitress came and cleared the table, everyone looked over to where Eliza McConnel was setting up with some of her band members to perform some live music for the evening. She gave a smile and waved Connor over to join them prompting the knight to turn to his cousin, "Hey Cam, you're not too rusty with the mandolin are you? What do you say we have some fun and put on a little show for our friends?"

The Blue Ocean Ranger laughed and nodded, "Sure! You're on man. What did you have in mind?"

Naomi cleared her throat and interrupted gently, "Whatever you perform, please refrain from any vulgar drinking songs you learned on the Navy ships, okay?"

Cam gave a mock sigh and dramatically rolled his eyes, "Yes dear, whatever you say."

Connor got up and led the way over toward the other musicians to get their permission to borrow some instruments for a duet. As he took up a fiddle and handed Cam a mandolin, he grinned, "You wanna do Darcy's Drunken Donkey?"

Cam chuckled and sat down preparing to strum the strings, "If you still remember how to play it, then I'm game. Lead on kid."

As Eliza gave a low whistle to get the pub's attention, the Summer Knight and Blue Ocean Ranger launched into a lively bouncing Irish tune in the form of a humorous ballad. While they played together and switched off singing verses, they told the funny story of two Irish bootleggers who accidentally got their donkey drunk with whiskey and won a big horse race while trying to chase it down.

When the two finished, they were met by applause and lots of laughter from the pub's patrons, the other Ocean Rangers, Kristen, and the three other knights. As Mr. O'Doyle handed Cam a beer, the two cousins exchanged a smile and a laugh between themselves. While they both would eventually have to go back to opposite ends of the country after the holidays, they savored the moment of warmth and fun surrounded by family and friends. Now that they both knew the truth about each other they realized they would now share an even stronger bond that went even beyond family. It was a different kind of family now... whether they were magic knights or Power Rangers, they were all heroes committed to protecting their homes and each other.

A/N:
Some sharp eyed readers had commented on some similarities of the monster to the Horseman of Famine from PR Vanguard, but they aren't quite the same. Famine tainted food and caused people to eat uncontrollably so that they could be drained of their energy later. Fear Gorta here was a little more to the point and just caused everything to wither and rot around him.

Before we get into the Silver 5th Knight story arc, we've got one more fun filler holiday plot coming up that will take us off the beaten path a little.

As for the silly music that Cam and Connor played, it actually is a real song performed by the group Gaelic Storm. I love listening to music while I write and that song seemed like the perfect way to end it while showing the playful sides of both the cousins too. Thanks for reading!