Hello, Everyone! First of all, let me apologize for my disappearance. It was partially due to Halloween and needing to get ready for that and making sure I had everything I needed. But, mostly, it was due to my new-found obsession with K-Pop and K-Dramas. One group in particular, EXO, has practically taken over my brain for the last several weeks. Combine that with keeping up with Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Once Upon A Time, and you have a great recipe for keeping me from writing. Also, I am having the hardest time writing Alex as a bad guy. I have never had to do that before, so my brain is totally revolting at having to do it to one of my most precious characters. We won't have much longer to wait for that to be over though, so that's helpful.

This is the first chapter with the Island of Illusion. If you're following where I am in the episode list, you'll notice I kinda skip over the spinning wheel episode, but that was mainly because I really wanted to get to this point. I hope you all enjoy, and I'll do my best to not slack off so badly for the next chapter.

Chapter Seven

The Island of Illusion

Alex was gaining confidence with her new powers. The more she trained with the Brush, the more she thought of ways to get back at the Rangers for lying to her. She had taken to transporting to Earth in disguise and watching the Rangers continue with their lives like nothing had happened. Seeing them acting like she had never been there made her anger rise even more.

Rita had been angry with her for not attacking the Rangers after the Putties' attack, but Alex told her that she had something in mind that would be far better than what she could have done after the attack. While Rita kept the Rangers busy with a transformed spinning wheel of Kim's, Alex began to prepare something particularly complicated and clever.

The Rangers continued to struggle with their desire to get Alex back, and their need to maintain their cover. Alex's absence from school had raised a few questions at school, but only from teachers. Most of the other students hadn't even noticed that the quiet girl in the back of class had disappeared with no explanation.

Most troubling for the Rangers was the complete lack of any kind of panic from Alex's parents. There were no Missing Person flyers, and even the teachers at school hadn't made a fuss over her disappearance, meaning that they must've gotten a semi-reasonable explanation from Alex's parents.

Zach was forcing himself to practice for a dance competition, but it was clear his heart wasn't in it. Despite his brilliant moves, he was constantly doubting himself and there was no way he could win if he continued doing that.

Frustrated at his own lack of confidence, Zach fled to the park. The other Rangers prepared to follow him, but they were stopped before they could even leave the Youth Center. The ground began to shake violently. Most people rushed out, figuring it was an earthquake, but the Rangers knew better. They contacted Zordon as soon as everyone was too occupied to notice.

Zordon urged caution. He had no idea what was going on, but he and Alpha had detected some strange energy radiating from Rita's moon base. The Rangers decided to find Zach and inform him of what was going on. Tommy had to stay behind with a couple of kids he'd been teaching Martial Arts, but everyone else rushed out to find Zach.

They had just found Zach in the park when the Putties attacked. They morphed quickly when Scorpina and Goldar arrived. Even that fight didn't last long though. Rita sent a huge monster, Mutitis to attack them, and the Rangers called on their Zords. Only when they were engaged in battle with the ugly monstrosity, did Rita call on her ultimate ally. Locar was a giant head floating menacingly in the sky. His breath made Mutitis look even uglier.

By this point Tommy had managed to leave his students in Ernie's care and join the Rangers with the Dragon Zord. Unfortunately, Mutitis's added ugliness had some actual use. He sprayed both Zords with a toxic foam that drained them rapidly of power.

As the Zords struggled, Alex transported to Rita's side and informed her that the preparations were complete for the Island of Illusion. Alex had been working on perfecting the Island for about a week, determined to make it terrifying for the Rangers. She was going to make them pay for betraying her. They weren't going to get away with it.

The Zords finally fell to the effects of the toxic foam. As they tilted, the world twisted around the Rangers and they fell through reality. The Island of Illusion was waiting to receive them. Waiting to consume them in the combined rage of a Space Empress, and pain of a human girl. Rita's power created the island, but it was Alex's pain that would turn it into a maze of terror.

When the Rangers landed, they were no longer morphed, and were arrayed along a palm tree. At least they were all together, though they soon discovered their lack of communicators and morphers. They felt almost naked without them, but they proceeded to explore the island. The girls clung to Jason and they all felt like they were being watched.

Although they had yet to see anything scary, a foreboding atmosphere permeated the air around them, making them jump at the smallest of provocations. Zach thought he saw something strange in the bushes, but decided to write it off just as a strange sound filled the air. The Rangers covered their ears against it, but decided to try following it and discovering the source.

Zach was the one who found the little man playing on a strange flute against a tree. "Hello?" Kim called to the little man. He stopped playing and jumped up, turning to face them. "Do you think you could help us?" Kim asked. "You see, Rita-,"

The little flutist pushed back his green hood and spoke, interrupting Kim's request. "Rita! Stay away and don't come near if that Wicked Witchie sent you here! No friend of hers is a friend to me. You can't fool Quagmire, no siree!" With that, Quagmire turned on the spot and disappeared in a puff of colored smoke.

"Was it something I said?" Kim asked, confused. The others shrugged and turned away from the spot to continue on their way. They hadn't walked far when something finally happened. Goldar's head appeared to be projecting from the sky.

"Did you lose your precious Power Coins?" he called tauntingly. "You'll soon lose more than that!" With those words, several monsters appeared in front of the Rangers. They were monsters that had already been defeated, yet here they were.

The Rangers got into fighting positions, ready for the monsters to attack. The monsters approached, but just as they got within range, they vanished. "Weird," Billy exclaimed. "They disappeared!"

"Man! What kind of place is this?" Tommy wondered.

"A place where nothing is real except the danger!" Goldar answered. "Welcome to the Island of Illusion!"

Zach was freaking out. "Aw man, this is too weird!" he exclaimed. He was moving, walking away from the Rangers. "I don't think I can handle this." The Rangers followed him, worried. Zach didn't walk far before he was confronted with a large snake coiled on a branch in front of him. Zach was terrified of snakes, and his already low confidence level was only being exacerbated by the Island's magic.

The other Rangers hurried to his aid, but they couldn't see the snake. It was Zach's fear, so only he could see it. Zach finally broke away from them, and the invisible snake, and ran a short way away. "We can't fight something like that!" he exclaimed. "I don't feel so good." He didn't look so good either. To the Ranger's horror, Zach's lower body had already started to fade out of existence.

There was a puff of multicolored smoke, and Quagmire reappeared. "If Rita makes you doubt and fear, soon you're going to disappear!" he said. Another puff, and he was gone again.

"He means your loss of confidence is causing your body to dematerialize," Billy said.

"Come on, Zach!" Jason called. "Fight it! Don't let Rita get to you!"

"I'm trying!" Zach insisted.

"It's no use, Power Rangers!" Goldar was back in the sky to taunt them. "You can't fight your own worst fears! One by one, you shall all fade away forever!"

Sorry for the shortness!