Now even Ben looked at Mal. "It's your call." He said to her. He might be the king of Auradon but as far as leading the team all final calls came down to the purple haired girl. In fact if or more likely when Ben and Mal got married, if something happened untoward happened to Ben afterwards she would in fact be Queen of Auradon, sole ruler.
They watched as the monster paced around them. It seemed to ignore Jordan for the moment, who was unconscious from being slammed into head first from the impact of the monster landing around them. It instead seemed to focus on Ally.
For a sinking moment Mal had the horrible realization that despite its brutish but simple impacts this thing was smart enough to know the young blonde was the daughter of Alice, who it had been implied at least once that the Red Queen wanted revenge on. "Hey, ice man." Mal called out. "Don't turn your back on us." He stared back, almost amused.
Mal glanced at her friends and took a deep breath. "Okay guys." The purple haired girl hoped she was making the right call here, but it was time to stop playing games. If Snowblaze was this tough she was sure it would take everything they had to stop the Jabberwock and ultimately Red Queen herself. "Let's get to work."
The six teens pulled out their iPhones. Jane took out the magic wand. Ben formed his sword and shield. The six teens input their numbers and transformed. Ben combined his sword and shield and transformed. Jane used the magic wand to transform.
"I knew it." Aziz said to himself. "I knew they had to be the Power Rangers." He hesitated a moment. "Well, except Jane. That was a surprise to me." The white ranger hadn't been around long enough for him to develop a suspicion she was a ranger but even then he suspected she had known something.
"Wow." Ally murmured entranced.
"Hey boys." Mal said to Ben and Jay. "Let's see if this thing can remain unimpressed with our weapons now." She suggested. She formed her staff as Jay formed his scimitar. Ben already had his sword out since he needed it to morph.
The two rangers and the knight leapt at him. The two swords struck the ice creature in the arms as Mal drove her staff into its chest. The three were more than delighted to see their weapons did not break, or catch in him, and that they even did him damage.
"Our turn Carlos." Lonnie said to the yellow ranger. "Now we're not defenseless." She pulled out her tessen's while Carlos formed his clawed daggers. The two rangers dodged under the monster's attempt to ram his bulky arms into them and struck them from behind.
He turned toward them and Jane struck him with her wand, surprised sometimes that it could even be used as a physical weapon. The others joined the white ranger. "Now we just have to…"
Ally realized it was getting ready to launch some blizzard like attack. "Look out!" She called, feeling that it was already too late.
Evie was in front of them though with her mirror shield and reflected the attack back at the monster, causing it to land in the snow hard. It didn't seem to deter it though. It started to rise again.
"Let's see what you think of this bow." Audrey declared and shot one of her magically appearing arrows at the monster. It struck him and that was followed by the red ranger, Mal, Jay and Ben striking him hard.
Ben looked to the rangers. "It's time to finish this monster off. Use the Auradon blaster while I keep this thing distracted from you." He said.
"Be careful." Mal said to her boyfriend as the three of them moved back to the other four rangers.
"I'm going to check on Jordan and make sure she's okay." Jane told them. "You guys send this Snowblaze thing back to the ice age."
The six rangers nodded. First of course was Mal's staff. Under it Audrey's bow was placed. Behind it was Evie's mirror shield. On top were Jay's scimitar and then on either side Lonnie's tessen's and Carlos's claw daggers. Then Carlos, Evie, Mal, Audrey, Jay and Lonnie stood side by side as they took the Auradon blaster and unleashed a stream of energy, destroying Snowblaze.
"Hey Jordan, wake up." Jane said as she knelt beside the genie girl and shook her shoulder gently. With a moan she opened her eyes. "That was a nasty fall, are you okay?"
"I'm thinking not." Jordan moaned softly. "You look like the white ranger."
Then she looked up to see the other six rangers and the Auradon Knight coming toward her. Jane helped her rise and together they turned to face Aziz and Ally, who were still kind of shocked to see them that way.
"Time to get up you two." Mal the purple ranger said as she came to help Aziz up.
"You two don't want to catch cold, especially right here and right now." Ben the Auradon Knight voiced as he came to help Ally up.
"Aziz was right." Ally whispered in awe. "You guys are all the Power Rangers."
"How could you keep this from us?" Aziz asked, going between anger and shock despite his suspicions for days about this.
"We didn't really have a choice." Evie answered as they all powered down now. "This is the kind of thing that puts people in danger, even more so if they know what's going on."
"Remember that attack at the library?" Mal asked him. "That was orchestrated to separate us because even if you didn't know who we are, we knew who all of you are." She looked between Aziz and Ally. "Our friends, and we needed to help you."
"Is this why Chad left the tourney team? Why he left school?" Aziz asked, feeling confused.
"Yes." Ben answered him. "He disliked that Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay were given the chance to come to Auradon and to help the way they have. He's gotten mad at Lonnie, Jane and especially Audrey over the fact we've all bonded over this experience."
"You've got to be kidding me." Aziz muttered.
"It's not their fault." Ally said to him.
"No, it's not." Aziz agreed. "Man, I knew Chad could be kind of stubborn, but I never thought he could have gone over the edge like this." He realized something then. "The Dark Knight that led those soldiers, that was Chad, wasn't it?"
"I'm afraid so." Audrey said softly, her hand instinctively touching her cheek where he had hit her several times over the last week or so.
"You knew too?" Ally asked Jordan.
"Let's get to the cruise boat." The genie girl said. "I'd rather not stand out in the snow talking anymore." As they started to walk again Jordan got back to the question. "Not at first, I only knew just before Reviveslime, that giant ugly thing that attacked our school. They needed me to help get Mal back from some parallel micro world called the Dark Dimension." She brushed some snow off of her shoulders and hair. "I wanted to duck and run after that, but I didn't." She looked to Ally and Aziz. "Thanks to you."
"Us?" Aziz asked. "What did we do?"
"We only helped get everyone into relative safety." Ally added.
"Yeah, but you didn't have to play the good Samaritans like you did." Jordan replied simply. "The selflessness you two displayed despite not knowing anything about the situation made me realize I couldn't just stand by and do nothing if I could make a difference." She looked to Jane. "That was a lesson I still learn, because until recently Jane did everything she could to help even though she didn't have ranger powers either or even genie magic."
"Don't forget Doug." Evie said. "He does the same thing Jane does and he isn't a ranger either."
Jordan laughed. "Nope, can't forget him either." She agreed.
"But if Auradon needs you, then why are you here?" Ally asked them.
"Because you're our friend." Audrey replied simply. "And we help our friends." She looked toward the woods a bit. "It took me a while to learn that one though."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I guess that explains why you've changed so much recently." Aziz noted.
"No offense because you're right." Audrey responded simply. "But it also explained why Chad changed so much, and I was kind of afraid that it would make you guys feel like he did, that we'd lose your friendships too." She confessed.
"After all you've done for Auradon? After all you're doing for me now?" Ally asked and shook her head. "That isn't possible Audrey."
Ben and Jay were on either side of Aziz now. "So, are we cool?" Ben asked him.
Aziz clapped both of them on the back. "Yeah, we're cool guys. I get why you had to keep it a secret." He high fived with Carlos. "I'm just glad I don't have to be in the dark anymore."
"Me too." Ally said as she gave Lonnie a hug. "And now for the first time since this started I actually feel that if my mother is alive we can defeat the Red Queen and her forces and rescue her."
"It's what we do." Lonnie said as she rubbed her arm. "We help our friends and we stop evil."
"Hey, guys." Audrey called. "I see the docks." She started off and the others were right behind her. They approached the docks and they saw a moderate boat sitting at the docks. Weirdly a walrus with a captain's sailing hat was at the helm while two penguins were boarding some other animals on the boat.
Another penguin looked at them. Then he blinked. "Alice?" The penguin asked and then took another look. "No, you're her daughter Ally. And I see you brought some friends."
"Yes." Ally answered. "We need to cross this ocean in order to rescue my mother from the Red Queen. Can we please come aboard?"
"Do they have tickets?" The walrus asked, making them all jump slightly. They weren't sure the walrus could hear them.
"Tickets?" Lonnie asked nervously. "We don't, we didn't know we needed any."
"Without tickets we're not supposed to let anyone on board." The penguin said almost apologetically.
"You have got to be kidding me." Jay said.
"We have to go." Ally insisted. "We need to rescue my mother from the Red Queen before they kill her."
"Another of you said that this is the only way." Carlos added as he pointed to the penguin.
Walrus shook his head. "I'm sorry but without a ticket I can't let you on. It's company policy." He replied.
A small bird flew up, a ticket on its back. "Thank heavens I didn't miss the boat." The bird said with a sigh. "I was afraid I would when I was trying to avoid Snowblaze. Glad that won't be an issue anymore." The bird glanced to the side and saw the teens, then gasped. "Hey, you guys are here!"
"Yeah, stranded." Aziz said with a roll of his eyes.
"You have to let these people on." The bird said to penguin and walrus. "They just destroyed that awful Snowblaze. It's now much safer to cross this arctic death trap."
"You destroyed Snowblaze?" Walrus asked shocked.
"Yeah, he was a pushover for us." Mal noted.
"It was really very entertaining." The bird noted with delight. "It was nice to finally see one of Jabberwock's little minions put in its place."
"You've given this area some sort of stability and finally showed Jabberwock and the Red Queen that Wonderland isn't theirs." Walrus said with a delighted laugh. He waved a flipper toward the boat. "Forget the tickets then, come on board."
"Thank you." Mal said with a smile.
"Thank you so much." Ally agreed as the group of teens boarded the boat. They took seats near the edge and a few minutes later the boat took off.
"You don't get seasick, do you?" Jay asked Audrey, kind of teasing but also since he was the only one who knew for sure that she didn't like heights.
Audrey waved it off. "No, I love it out here." She looked to the ocean. "I prefer Auradon where the weather is usually nicer and the water isn't as dark, more like a nice clear blue. But other than that." She looked to Jay. "What about you?"
"I've never been on the ocean before, for obvious reasons." Jay reminded her. "So I guess we'll find out." He was pretty sure he didn't get seasick though.
"Audrey and I sailed a lot with our parents when we were younger." Ben said as he placed his arm over Mal's shoulder. The purple haired girl leaned against his body. "Her parents own a yacht, her mother Aurora loves the water."
"What about your parents?" Mal asked him.
"My mom liked the water well enough but she much preferred the library." Ben answered her with a laugh. "My dad was fine with it but he didn't exactly enjoy it either."
Evie looked a little nervous. "I don't' like how dark it is down there." She admitted reluctantly. "Hook used to talk about the dangers of the sea all the time, and that was just the piranhas, sharks and octopus that would be in the water. It doesn't take Wonderland into account at all."
"Don't worry, E." Mal said. "Nothing will happen, and even if it does we're all here."
As the minutes passed it seemed as if no one had to worry about being sea sick. The rangers answered whatever questions Ally and Aziz had to the best of their abilities and even told a couple stories of their own now that they didn't have to hide that.
Then the boat shook and Carlos glanced up. "Did we hit land already?" He asked. There was nothing in sight. "Nope, but at least we didn't hit an iceberg either."
"What was that?" Lonnie asked.
The boat shook again and this time they saw a large skeletal shark jump out of the water and then returned under the surface. The eight warriors got up cautiously.
That same bird that vouched for them destroying Snowblaze flew around announcing, "All hands brace for impact, we have a Skeleshark attacking the boat. All hands brace for impact."
"What do we do about that?" Aziz asked.
"Get inside." Mal said to the three civilians. "Make sure everyone else is safe and tell the captain to continue on course. We're going to protect the boat."
"Alright, be careful." Jordan said reluctantly as she started into the boat with their friends.
"Let's get to work guys." Mal said. The six teens took out their iPhones, input their numbers and transformed. Ben summoned his sword and shield and transformed. Jane took out the magic wand and transformed.
"A Skeleshark." Jordan heard a passenger say. "It has to be for revenge."
"Revenge for what?" The genie girl demanded to know.
"For your friends destroying Snowblaze." The penguin that had been at the docks answered. "Jabberwock must have heard about it already and is looking to make you guys pay…and everyone else on this boat too."
"Don't fret." Ally told him. "They'll stop the Skeleshark too. I guarantee it."
Audrey handed Ben her blaster. "I'm sticking with my bow, but on water our close range weapons aren't going to work here." She said.
Ben sheathed his sword and took his blaster. "You're right Audrey. Thanks." He said.
Jay, Carlos, and Mal were in the same boat as their weapons were primarily short range. Evie kept both blaster and shield ready. The shield would work well if something was reflected but without it she was left with the blaster too. Lonnie's tessens could be tossed and would return to her automatically so she stayed with her weapons. Jane stayed with her wand but also had her blaster ready.
"Come on bone head." Jay said softly. "Come on out and play."
The boat rocked again and they saw the Skeleshark emerge from the water toward the boat. Then it started to jump from the water but each of the team unleashed a blast, or a tessen and arrow in Lonnie and Audrey's case, and it recoiled into the water.
"It's going to take more than that to defeat that bag of bones." Evie noted. "We need to use the Auradon Triangle Spark." Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Jane nodded in agreement. They'd never tried it with Jane before but it made sense that if Lonnie could fill in for Mal, or that they could do it all six of them, that Jane could fill in for one of them as well. It even made theoretical sense that all seven of them could make one together.
"I think you're right." Mal agreed. She looked to Audrey, Ben and Lonnie. "Keep that thing distracted if it shows up before we're ready." She looked to the two boys. "And you two be very careful, if that thing strikes the boat you two might be the ones to take a swim."
"Looks too cold for that." Carlos joked weakly. It wasn't the swim that bothered him so much as the idea that Skeleshark was down there. It might not eat them but tearing to shreds was always a possibility.
They saw the rising and falling of its tail and its back as it swam through the water. Ben shot Audrey's laser as the red ranger herself fired an arrow at the figure, but it didn't seem to care much about the attack.
Jane stood next Mal and Evie. "I don't think any of those bones are all that sensitive, except the ones on the face." The white ranger volunteered. "That's why the shot made it recoil."
"So even taunting it to come out isn't going to work." Ben said. "We're on its time table."
"Maybe it'll just let us go about our way." Lonnie said, even though she didn't believe that. "Get bored and sail off for something else to terrorize." She raised her tessens and prepared for a strike.
Ben was sure the Skeleshark was angling toward the boat to try another attack. "Get ready Mal." He advised them. "I think it's getting ready to strike again."
Skeleshark instead slid under the waves again and struck the boat hard, almost causing the eight warriors to lose their balance. They did lose their positioning and then Skeleshark leapt out and aimed to take Ben down but Mal tackled him to the ground. In that process its fin cut into her side and she fell hard.
"Are you okay Mal?" Ben asked her even as he heard it splashing into the ocean again.
Mal touched her side. "A bit tender but nothing broken and the suit made sure there was no bleeding." She answered softly.
"Thanks honey." Ben said softly.
"Anytime Bennie-Boo, anytime." Mal said with a small smirk.
The Auradon Knight helped her up and then she returned to her place next to Evie, with Jane handing the purple ranger her laser. Then they took up waiting positions again.
"Come on you bag of bones." Jay whispered. "Stop stalking us and get up here."
"I think I see it." Lonnie said as she pointed to the opposite side of where Skeleshark had originally landed back in the water. "That thing is fast, I wish we had some kind of lightning strike to use against it."
"It's probably better we don't." Jane replied. "As a skeleton shark I don't even know if it would care. Meanwhile who knows what is down there that could get hurt or killed just by the act."
This time it was pretty obvious that Skeleshark was going to the front of the boat again. But it still seemed to be pacing them.
"We need to make it come out." Mal said.
"How do we do that?" Carlos asked.
"We bait it out." Jane decided. She looked to Lonnie. "You're just using your tessen, so give Aziz your blaster." She handed the pink ranger her own blaster. "Give that to Ally. Have them come out to help us."
"I don't get it." Audrey said. "So we have two more possible defenders but what good will that do?"
"I'm going to want the extra protection in case this goes wrong." Jane said. She unfurled the little wings on her back, a cross between fairy wings and small angel wings. "I'm going to be the bait."
"You're kidding." Carlos gasped.
"I'm not." Jane replied and then looked to Lonnie. "Get Ally and Aziz."
They both hesitated again and looked to Mal. The purple haired purple ranger hesitated only a moment and then confirmed, "Do it."
Lonnie opened the door and called for Ally and Aziz. They were given the lasers and brought onto deck with them. Then Jane took flight a little above the boat. "You want something to snack on, come and get it your inflight meal." Jane called out.
"This is a bad idea." Carlos said with a shake of his head. He was kind of wishing that Jane wouldn't be so eager to throw herself to the wolves, even if she had her friends to keep her out of those jaws.
"No it's actually a good idea." Mal said to him gently. "You just don't want to see it because it puts Jane in danger." She understood, she had wanted to keep Ben off the field of battle for similar reasons but had to put that desire aside when he had been revealed to be the Auradon Knight.
They watched from all three available sides as they waited for Skeleshark to strike. From behind Jane Ally called out, "Its coming up from behind."
The white ranger fluttered to the side and she literally felt the air move as it soared by her. They all watched as it splashed down into the water again. It quickly circled around to go after Jane again. The white ranger backed up a little and waited as it came up again.
Ally, Aziz, and Ben fired their lasers. Audrey released an arrow while Lonnie threw one of her tessen. It struck but it was merely a distraction.
Jay and Carlos jumped onto the girl's shoulders and they combined their laser blasts and the Triangle Spark lashed out and blasted Skeleshark in the face, causing the bones to explode into pieces, many of which fell scattered into the water.
"We did it." Evie said. "So much for that thing."
"That was great." Jordan said as the door opened. They heard applause from inside, from the crew and passengers.
From the top deck they saw the ship's captain now. "Very impressive." Walrus said happily. "I wasn't sure if the story of all of you destroying Snowblaze was an exaggeration or not but now I can see for myself that it was all true."
"You guys did great." Jane said as she fluttered down. Ally handed the white ranger her laser as Audrey got hers back from Ben and Lonnie got hers back from Aziz. "All of you, even without powers."
"Glad to be of help." Aziz said sincerely and Ally nodded in agreement.
The team powered down. "I just hope that we can get a bit of peace for a while." Mal said.
In the darkened conference lounge one could see the Red Queen sitting regally in a throne room. One side had a large opening and there sat a large creature with almost mechanical wings with green skin and what seemed like a fire in its belly. One spot was currently empty and another had a figure enshrouded in shadow.
Then from the open spot a large wasp flew in with a large spear to take the last seat. First she looked to Red Queen. "It's true, the daughter of Alice has shown up here to find her mother." She looked to the large creature. "It's also true that Snowblaze was defeated, as was one of the Skeleshark's that you have scattered in the oceans, Jabberwock." Then she looked to the shadows. "All of it done by the very people you cautioned us about, including your daughter."
From the shadows Maleficent leaned forward. "My little brat and her pathetic little friends are coming here to undo all of the progress that you made since I left you the seed that was given to me." The evil fairy stated. "We can't allow that to happen."
"We will stop them Maleficent, I promise you that one." Red Queen promised.
"First they have to cross me, and they will fail." The Wasp Queen responded. "When they come to my mountain my army will squash them flat…like a bug."