A/N: And here is Chapter 7! I wanted to update this story and Voldemort's Victory a lot sooner, but I just came back from a week long trip in the Smoky Mountains, and the cabin I was staying in didn't have wi-fi, (but it did have a movie theatre and a game room!). Hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll try to update my Harry Potter story within the next week or so.
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Power Rangers or Kingdom Keepers, but KK7 finally comes out next week! :)
Chapter 7: Legend of the Stonecutter's Quill
A large crowd of kids ranging in age from about eight to seventeen gathered in front of the magic shop on Main Street U.S.A. Posters hung on the light poles and inside shop windows advertising for free jars of "Hades' Ooze". Dozens of kids were already holding samples of the sticky, blue goop; the store front was littered with several crates filled with hundreds of jars.
Some kids were stretching the ooze as they pulled them from the jars. Others were molding them in their hands. Some were even throwing the contents at one another. It was an ooze free-for-all!
Hades, who had transformed himself into a creepy looking carnival wizard, stood at the front of the crowd, a jar of his creation in each hand.
"Boys and girls, girls and boys, gather round and feast your eyes! This ain't sludge, and this ain't guck…this is the one and only Hades' Ooze! Yesireebob. It's ooey, and gooey, and even kind of chewy. But best of all, it's FREE!"
Storey Ming, who was standing at the back of the crowd, took a jar of the strange goo from the case that was handed to her. She looked at it curiously, shrugged, then headed for home, taking the jar with her.
The sun had risen fully in the sky by the time Rafiki and the Keepers arrived at the fort on Tom Sawyer's Island. The Keepers silently looked around the spacious courtyard, which wasn't that different from its sister at Walt Disney World. As a matter of fact, the only difference they could see between the two was the fact that this one had a small fire pit directly in the center of the courtyard.
"Please gather around the fire," Rafiki was telling the Keepers, "We must determine your elements before you can begin your journey for the Great Power."
"Our elements?" asked Willa.
"Your Stonecutter elements," Rafiki explained, "from the legend of the Stonecutter's Quill."
"Wayne told us the legend back when we first became Keepers!" exclaimed Finn, "Are you saying the two are connected?"
Rafiki nodded.
"We don't have much time."
When Mr. Ming came home from work that afternoon, he was surprised to find a small blue jar sitting on a table in the living room. Storey was spending the day at Disney World with some friends, so he assumed she had come home long enough to drop off the mysterious object.
His curiosity getting the better of him, Mr. Ming picked up the jar and read the label pasted on the side.
"Hades' Ooze"
Mr. Ming shrugged, opened the jar, and stuck his finger inside.
Suddenly, a crackling electrical current ran over his entire body. His face went completely blank, and his eyes momentarily glowed blue. Without another word, Mr. Ming, now a mindless zombie, turned around and walked out of the house.
The streets were filled with other parents who had obviously also discovered the jars their children had brought home from the park. Together, they walked back to the Magic Kingdom, unknowingly about to begin the destruction of the planet…
The Keepers stood in a straight line on one side of the now lit fire pit. Rafiki was busy preparing some kind of concoction with a coconut from his stick and the ashes from the fire.
When he was finished, he faced the Keepers again, carrying a handful of the magic dust.
"It is said that to those who possess the Great Power, all things are possible. Hundreds of other warriors like yourselves have tried to obtain it…all have perished."
"So how can we get to it?" asked Maybeck.
"The only way to obtain the power is to achieve the highest state of being…"
"And how do we do that?" Finn wanted to know.
"By learning the ancient art of the Stonecutter. It is the perfect union of mind, body, and spirit. Now, close your eyes, and reach deep inside yourselves. Your elements are waiting."
The Keepers did as they were asked. No one spoke as Rafiki blew the magic powder over each of them in turn.
Clouds formed overhead…the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad seemed to roar…a strong wind blew through the treetops…the water that surrounded the Island splashed…the sun pushed its way through the clouds, making the fort even warmer than before…and there was a song floating somewhere nearby…a familiar tune that all of the Keepers knew by heart…
"When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you…"
Then, as quickly as it had happened, the sky cleared, and everything was like it had been before.
Well, almost everything…
The Keepers were now all wearing new uniforms, similar to those that a ninja might wear, in their respective colors. Only their eyes showed under their hoods.
One by one, the Keepers opened their eyes and removed their hoods and face masks. Each of them had a gold emblem embossed on the front of their uniforms: Maybeck's emblem showed a mountain…Amanda's, a cyclone of wind…Willa's, a sun…for Charlene, a fluffy cloud…for Philby, an ocean wave…and finally, for Finn, a star.
Rafiki smiled and approached Maybeck, who stood at the end of the line.
"Maybeck," the wise baboon said, "you are the Mountain…strong and powerful."
Maybeck grinned, and Rafiki moved on to Amanda.
"Amanda, you are the Wind…mighty like a storm!"
Willa was next.
"Willa, you are the Sun…the brightest star in the sky!"
The baboon continued on to Charlene, who wasn't looking very happy at the moment.
"Charlene…Charlene, what's wrong?"
"I'm a cloud," Charlie pouted.
Rafiki chuckled.
"Yes, a Cloud! Like the one with a silver lining!" said the monkey, giving Charlene a kiss on the forehead.
This seemed to cheer Charlene up a little. Rafiki continued down the line until he reached Philby.
"Philby, you are Water…calm and cunning."
Finally, it was Finn's turn.
"I'm a star?"
"Finn," said Rafiki, "you are so much more than that! You are Magic…a true beacon of hope and leadership!"
Rafiki turned away from the Keepers then and began walking up the stairs to one of the watch posts.
"You will need the power of all of your elements to reach the Great Power."
The Keepers walked up to him, confused at his statement.
"You're not coming with us, Rafiki?" asked Maybeck.
Rafiki looked back at them sadly.
"This is your destiny," he answered, "not mine. Only you can find the Great Power. Believe in yourselves! The elements of the Stonecutter's Quill will be your guide. Trust them!"
At his words, a storm cloud appeared behind him and completely surrounded the baboon. Within a matter of seconds, Rafiki and the cloud had vanished.
As the Keepers stared in shock at his disappearance, they heard a voice on the wind.
"Good luck, Keepers!"
A/N: So, how was that? I didn't go into the entire origin story of the Stonecutter's Quill since pretty much everybody here has, (I'm assuming), read at least the first Kingdom Keepers book. Since the original tale only had 5 elements, I decided to get a little creative and make one up for Finn. Wait until you see the Zords and the Megazord that I have in mind! They are going to be awesome, if I do say so myself! That scene will be coming up in about 2 or 3 chapters. (This story will probably only have about 10 or 12 chapters total, since the movie isn't really that long.) Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, and I will update as soon as I can. Don't forget to review, follow, and favor me as an author, (so you can keep up with any new stories/chapters), or this story. PMs are also welcome! Have a great week, and I will see you all real soon!
Love, Mickeygirl20 :)