"I really wish I had the chance to delve deeper into your history." Kendall remarked as she helped Fairy Godmother affix the symbol of their school on what would be the command center doors when Cam and Aziz got ready to weld them onto the entrance. "To see what's so similar to ours and what differences they are."
Audrey laughed a bit. "I don't think I hear too many people say that." She noted. "No offense."
Kendall brushed it off. "It's probably not everyone's thought." She admitted. "Not in what amounts to a virtual fairy tale." With the symbol affixed Fairy Godmother had to take a moment to relax as she was still sore from the injuries she had sustained during the final conflict with Paradias; where he had brought his ship down on the school and command center, hence why they were doing this now. "But back home I run the Amber Beach museum and history has always fascinated me. Not just the paleontological kind either."
"The what?" Jay couldn't help but ask.
"She means dinosaurs genius." Carlos answered with a smirk and then had to dodge Jay's hand as he aimed for the back of his head.
"Maybe we could do some kind of exchange of information?" Lonnie suggested. "That way you guys can learn what you want to know and we can learn what we want to, or need to know."
"That sounds like a great idea." Donnie agreed.
"If it weren't for you guys and my dad I'd love to stay here for a while." April admitted. "It's so cool here."
"I guess when you five came to Auradon, they didn't exactly send exchange students to the isle in return." Rose speculated.
"Four." Tommy corrected her. "Amy came back with us when we, the zeo rangers, and the space rangers came here to help unite the team after Maleficent tried to separate them."
Fairy Godmother seemed to think a moment. "That is true." She agreed. "And the truth is that no student in Auradon would want to go the isle for any extended length of time. We weren't even entirely sure that the Isle kids would stay here that long though of course we know now otherwise." She looked around at the rangers. "But your world is different. We could consider an exchange program of our own."
"Exchange program?" Kat questioned.
"You mean someone from our world would stay here for a while, and someone in Auradon would stay in our world for a while?" Amber asked.
Fairy Godmother nodded. "That would be the idea." She replied.
"I bet we could find some volunteers on our end." Karone noted with a small smile. "The catch would be trying to find a volunteer who could do so without disrupting the ranger teams."
"It would be more or less the same problem here too." Mal agreed. She knew in theory Ruby could have gone as she was privy to the inside workings of their team and what they did but for some reason Mal thought it was best Ruby not be the one to go.
"We can worry about that idea after we've done what we came to do here." Andros said. "Right now it's hard to worry about that when we have to make sure that you guys are ready to go."
"So if we had to leave in an hour, what is it that you think would still need to get done?" Rose as conversationally as she worked on setting up an interface that they hoped would accept the neon armor the way it had originally been set up.
"You mean besides the neon armor?" Lonnie asked with a laugh as she sat by Will, the two of them holding hands. She only gave the response because she knew what the pink overdrive ranger was working on and it had been harder to interface than she had anticipated.
Rose rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Yes, besides that." She answered with a smirk.
"We still lack zords." Will answered with his own smile at the sarcastic quips going around.
"That's right." Kendall answered. "Luckily that's our next step." She was working with Cam and now Doug on that too as they worked to retie the zords into the command center's systems. "We're working to tie in the Auradon Megazord and the Auradon Warzord now."
"Why those?" Amy asked as she passed Ben a screwdriver as he shut the console that centered on their communications systems, one thing that had seemed to integrate in well enough.
"Because Audrey, Jay, Carlos, Evie and Lonnie are all ready to go." Cam answered. "And Fairy Godmother says you, Will, Melody and Aquiella can control the Warzord without a problem, though Mal can lend a hand in that regard too."
"Shouldn't we be worrying about the steed zord and the dragon zord?" Audrey asked as she handed Evie a few chips that had to be hooked into another of the consoles before they could test it out and then connect it with the others.
"The dragon zord actually doesn't seem to need it." Donnie replied, sounding amazed even as he said it despite the fact they had realized it hours ago not long after finishing the modifications to Rockwell's helmet. "I think it's because of its unique biological qualities." It was the only zord to almost appear alive compared to the rest.
"The steed zord is easier to link up." April added. "For lack of terms here, it doesn't have as many moving parts as the actual battlezords."
"And we can't even bring up the Auradon Battlezord, the Auradon Falconzord, or the Auradon Battlebear until we can successfully link up our powers." Jordan said to Ally, Jane, Aziz and Miranda.
"I have to admit, this process is going a lot slower than I was hoping for." Miranda lamented with a sigh. "But I guess it's better to take longer and get it right than to rush it and have some mistake happen."
"Be glad we're only building from the ground up as opposed to doing that while trying to get it set, manufactured and established." Fairy Godmother said. "It's a good thing it took so long for Paradias to return. If he had done so even a decade earlier we wouldn't have been ready for it."
Mal frowned just a little as she wondered how her mother had gotten to become the same threat level as Paradias. Granted Maleficent was known and feared in Auradon and was arguably the most diabolical villain in their history. Yet, no ranger powers had been developed to fight her. In fact it was Audrey's father Phillip, a simple prince, who had defeated her. Even Jafar had evidently been by Aladdin with some assistance from Donatello's older brother Raphael.
"Are you okay Mal?" Ben asked her softly as he placed his hand gently on her back.
Mal nodded. "Yes. Just kind of wondering how my mother suddenly became our next ranger threat when she was never that way beforehand." She answered.
"I think maybe it's something she, I guess inherited when she joined forces with Paradias." Ben supplied. In truth no one fully understood why Paradias chose to seek out assistance from Maleficent when it was clear he probably didn't need it. The point seemed moot now that he was gone.
Mal glanced down at where Ben currently had the Praeleanthor sword in a scabbard at his waist. "I think I know where Amber and the others pulled it from now. What that ancient civilization must have been fighting now." She found herself confessing to Ben.
Ben looked at her oddly. "We already know they were fighting demons." He reminded her.
"You didn't feel it, that battlefield you fought that beast version of you in." Mal said. "They weren't fighting just demons Ben. That civilization was dealing with demons from the lowest parts of the underworld itself." She shook her head softly and said in a quieter voice, "Might as well call it what it is. That civilization was dealing with Hell itself."
That gave Ben slight pause. Of course the concepts of heaven and hell were known about but it wasn't exactly something that was touched on much in their schooling. Even those who knew what Lonnie knew about objects like the torii considered it mere legend and not fact. He glanced back at Tommy, Amber, Jason, Kat, Donnie and April with an even higher degree of respect. "If they've seen all that and have come out so well…" He mused impressed.
Mal nodded. "I know." She agreed. "I only hope if push comes to shove we would do so well."
Ben kissed her on the cheek softly. "Let's hope we never have to try." He replied gently. They both feared they wouldn't be that lucky. That meant Chad himself had the potential to eventually command and unleash all of that on Auradon itself.
After what had happened; not just the knowledge Maleficent was still out there with Chad and Marcellus and possibly Undine, but the knowledge that Sermaya and his three minions were still a very active threat proved that luck was not always on their side.
"I think it's about done." Rose said to them. "We should have the zords ready to go in just a few minutes."
As if something had heard her the alarms sounded. When the newly installed large screen that was installed to replace the view screen of the original one in the command center they saw a gathering of feathers before rising up and transforming into Simorgh again. But this one was colored very differently; in yellow. He also grew to immense size.
"Talk about passing go without collecting two hundred dollars." April mused in some shock, though she knew only about half of them would get the monopoly game reference.
"So much for bird brain being done." Amy said to her sister.
Mal nodded. "Time to see if those zords really are up." She said to Rose. "Once we get outside we'll morph and then call them out."
"I wish we could help." Ashley said. "But our zords can't use the same gateway to come here the way we can." It made her wonder how Paradias's ship had been able to come into this world if their zords couldn't do it.
"Man, it sucks to have to be on the sidelines still." Aziz noted.
"I hear ye." Miranda agreed. "We're just going to have to wait it out."
Alex kissed Amy on the cheek. "Good luck." He said.
Amy blushed and shyly waved as she followed Mal and her team mates out of the command center.
They easily found the giant monster. Simorgh had been destroyed near the torii but the distance was easy to cover at that size. He looked down at the Auradon teens. "Thought you'd seen the last of me? You can never get rid of something so divine." He said.
"Divine?" Jay questioned. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Not at all." Divine Simorgh answered with a laugh. "And now you're all so tiny and bite sized. Guess I'll need more than a mermaid meal."
"Don't count on it creep." Mal said as she looked at her team mates. "Let's get to work." As Ben formed his shield and drew the Praeleanthor sword to combine then, the rest of the team pulled out their iPhones and input their numbers. They all transformed.
"Time to call the zords guys." Audrey announced.
"Right." Will agreed.
Together they tried to summon the Auradon Megazord and the Auradon Warzord. Nothing happened. Evie quickly activated her helmet intercom. "Rose, Jane. It didn't work. Our zords didn't come." She told them.
"What? Oh no." Rose gasped and dived toward the console, Jane and Doug right behind her as they began to find out what went wrong.
Divine Simorgh laughed. "Did your plan just fall apart little rangers?" He questioned and then unleashed a huge stream of feathers at them. It struck the Auradon Knight the ten rangers down. He then moved to step on them.
A stream of energy struck him in the chest and he fell back hard. There was a roar from the skies as Mal's dragon zord descended down in front of the large bird monster. "There is something to be said for a zord that for whatever reason doesn't need or seem to want to interlink fully into the system." Mal said happily.
"Can you keep Divine Simorgh distracted until our zords are connected again?" Audrey asked their leader.
"I hope so." Mal answered softly. Right now she didn't have a choice but she didn't think in a face to face battle her zord would really be outdoing this monster solo. "Let's hope it doesn't take long." She then jumped onto the head of her zord and from their placed her iPhone into the slot in the console. It transformed it into its Chinese dragon like form.
The dragon zord headed toward Divine Simorgh, who rose up and then dove hard onto the back of the dragon zord. Mal used the tail to slap him in the back of the head in order to knock him off but with little to show for it aside from the zord's freedom.
"Come on, come on." Amy whispered. It wasn't clear if she was trying to encourage her sister or encourage the others to find out what happened to the zords.
"One of the circuits must have been fried from the call." Rose said as she pulled out one of the longer wires. She tossed it onto another console in annoyance even as she saw Cam checking for another one. "Some of these components must have been damaged in that last attack, but we have no way of knowing which ones until it's too late."
"We should see if Alpha can send some fresh replacements." Carlos suggested to Andros.
The red space ranger nodded. "It's a good idea, and we'll do that. But it won't help us right just now." He replied.
"Do ye have another replacement there?" Miranda asked Cam.
"I think I've got one." Cam said and tossed it to Rose who quickly set to installing it.
Divine Simorgh again took to the skies and this time as the dragon zord headed toward the monster with its attack charging the bird monster responded by unleashing another storm of feathers, this time at the zord. It struck multiple times and Mal nearly lost her balance on the stand. The zord itself seemed to be living just enough to feel the pain and lost its charge focus.
"Hang in there M!" Evie called out though she didn't know if her chosen sister could even hear her from that distance.
Divine Simorgh dove down and slammed hard into the dragon zord. They both came crashing down on the ground but it was the monster that was standing when the dust settled as the dragon zord was trying to right itself. The bird monster unleashed another powerful gust of wind energy at the dragon zord and struck it down again.
"Jane, how is it coming?" Carlos asked her nervously over the intercom helmet.
"Rose just got the new circuit in." She answered the yellow ranger. "Try it again."
Again they proceeded to call for their zords. The Auradon Megazord emerged from the mountain and the Auradon Warzord showed up behind it. From the forests somewhere Ben's steed zord showed up as well. The Auradon Knight and the rangers boarded their zords and together the two battlezords slammed into Divine Simorgh so that the dragon zord could recover.
"I see that you managed to get your acts together. What a shame." Divine Simorgh commented dryly and then the wings slammed hard into the two battle zords.
"Time to go on the offensive here." Audrey said to her team. Lonnie and Jay nodded, inserting their weapons into the console they shared to form the sword of the Auradon Megazord.
"And let's make it a double." Will added as Aquiella and Melody extended the blades on either arm of the Auradon Warzord.
"Let's skewer us a bird." Jay commented.
The two battle zords headed Divine Simorgh and swung their blades at him. The wings rose up and blocked the attacks before spreading, knocking the swords away from his body as his clawed talons slashed the two zords back hard.
The steed zord galloped toward Divine Simorgh and at the last moment did an about face so that the rear hooves struck his chest hard. "Mal, are you okay?" He called out.
"I'm fine." Mal said. "But it's going to take a bit to get my zord up again." She sighed. "I think I'm out you guys."
"Don't worry about it Mal." Audrey said to her. She had never been able to get herself to call her M the way Evie did. Then again she figured maybe it didn't matter, no one else did not even her own twin sister. "We're going to try the Auradon Defender Megazord to take him out."
"Then we'll provide you with cover." Will said to the red ranger. The three girls in the cockpit with him nodded in agreement. The Auradon Warzord moved forward and again attacked with the wrist blades.
Divine Simorgh blocked them with one of the wings and then used the other to slash the warzord hard. In the meantime the Auradon Megazord got on the back of the Steed zord and formed the Defender megazord. The sword turned into a lance as the warzord took a step back so they could face Divine Simorgh.
"Look, it's a knight on a horse." Divine Simorgh taunted. "How very trite. Bring it on rangers."
The Auradon Defender Megazord charged forward, the lance aimed at his chest. At the last moment he soared upward, hooking the claws of his feet into the battlezord and tossed it hard. They found it was very awkward to get up from that one.
"Looks like that went out well for you." Divine Simorgh taunted and then powered up blasts from his feathers, again striking them all hard.
Now the Auradon Warzord moved in and tried to attack but he flew up and behind them, pulling off what Donnie feared his younger brother Mikey would call a great back flip. He landed behind the warzord and slammed his beak hard into its back. Then he grabbed it by the chest and back and slammed it into the ground hard, followed by slamming his feet into the warzord hard.
"This isn't looking so good." Amy said. "What do we do?" A console on her left exploded and she couldn't help but look out a little shriek.
"Amy." Mal gasped. She placed her hands on the console. "Come on, please get up." She pleaded to the zord. "My sister needs me." She sighed a bit. "Not that it will help much I suppose, we can't do this on our own." The dragon zord roared in response.
With a twirl Divine Simorgh turned around and blasted the Auradon Defender Megazord just as Carlos and Evie had almost managed to get the battle zord on their four feet again. As it crashed down again the yellow ranger muttered, "Do all horses have such a hard time getting up again?"
Divine Simorgh then leaned down and grabbed the warzord by the neck and lifted it up. The four of them could easily see into his eyes. It was like he could see exactly where the two mermaid rangers were. "You two aren't much of a meal now but hopefully you two still taste just as great. And the humans might make for an interesting flavor." He said.
"That is just disgusting." Will noted. The Auradon Warzord tried to break the grip but the bird monster held firm.
Like a whip the dragon zord uncurled and rose, shooting toward the bird monster. The dragon zord snaked under the Auradon Warzord and it met Divine Simorgh face to face, where it unleashed the attack Mal thought of as a dragon pulse right in its face. The Auradon Warzord's hands latched onto its back as Divine Simorgh dropped them and fell back.
"Thanks for the help Mal." Melody called out. "But what do we now?"
"I don't know." Mal answered. "I'm open to suggestions."
"I think I have one for you." They heard over the helmet intercom. It took them a moment to recognize it as Cam since he normally was not around to speak to them over the system. "Your zords can be combined together just like the dragon zord combines with the Auradon Megazord."
"Let's give it a shot." Amy suggested excitedly.
Mal laughed a little bit. "Like we have a real choice their sis." She remarked teasingly. Then she grew serious. "Alright then Will, girls. Let's bring it together to form the Auradon Wardragon Megazord." She thought it was kind of a cool name considering she made it up on the spot.
Just as the Auradon Megazord would do the Auradon Warzord took the spot on the upper back of the dragon zord, the tail wrapping around it for protection. Mal found herself a place in between Will and Amy as the blades slipped out of the warzord and combined to form a double bladed lance.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Divine Simorgh questioned.
"Well, I think a dragon should normally be better than a bird." Will noted.
"So a war dragon ought to be even better." Mal added with a smirk. "Let's just test that theory out." This time it was Divine Simorgh who moved in to attack the new battle zord, but this time his claws had very little impact against the additional dragon armor around the Auradon Warzord portion of the battle zord.
The Auradon Wardragon Megazord lashed out with the double bladed lance and struck in succession, and as the bird monster stumbled backwards the battlezord then turned around and slammed the tail hard into him, sending him flying to the ground.
"That wasn't very nice." Divine Simorgh replied. "I think it's time for me to make a hasty exit. Sermaya might just need me." With that he took to the skies.
"We're not letting you get away that easily." Mal declared and the Auradon Wardragon Megazord took to the skies themselves. The double sided lance started to twirl around and then it unleashed a huge windstorm, mixed with green almost like part of the color of Mal's dragon zord, and it struck Divine Simorgh in the back hard. This time it was the bird monster that crashed to the ground hard as the Auradon Wardragon Megazord landed on the ground.
By that time the Audrey and the others had gotten the Auradon Defender Megazord back onto its feet. "Mal, are we ready to finish this?" Jay asked her.
From the Auradon Wardragon Megazord the purple haired purple ranger responded, "I think so Jay. Get ready all." The new battle zord again flew straight toward Divine Simorgh as it powered up the lance and struck hard with the lance, and this was followed by a powerful shield ram from the Defender Megazord.
As both battle zords landed on the other side of where they started Divine Simorgh fell to the earth with an explosion. "And that ends that monstrous bird." Carlos declared happily.
"I sure hope it does." Amy said softly as she forced the fear she had of her two mermaid friends getting killed by that cruel bird monster.
"And the zords are working just great." Melody declared with a smile, oblivious to her friend's worry. "We're one step closer to being back in full force."
Aquiella, being partially empathic as well, could feel Amy's concern and she touched her shoulder reassuringly. "If it comes back we'll defeat it again." She promised.
The rangers sent the megazord and the warzord back to the mountains while Mal restored the steed zord and the dragon zord back to their crystalline forms so they could spend some time around Mal and Ben and returned to the command center.
Carlos ran over and hugged Jane for a moment with a burst of, "You guys did it! That was awesome!" Then he realized what he was doing and quickly took a step back as he let her go. Both of them were blushing.
"Great job guys." Mal said to Cam and Rose as they came in.
"Would have been better if the circuit hadn't died." Rose said with a small laugh.
"Yeah well we can't have all the luck." Lonnie remarked.
"I just hope we can get finished up here before something else happens." Billy commented. "I don't know how many more close calls like this we can take."
It was then that Ben received a text. He saw it was from his mother and he just looked up. "Mom is on her way to the command center. She says it's urgent and has asked us to prepare one of the cots."
"What?" Amy questioned. "Is she okay?"
"I'm sure she's fine." Audrey reminded the rose haired girl. "She was the one who texted after all. I'd more worried about who she's bringing with her."
Ally quickly made up one of the cots they had in case of an unexpected injury. A few minutes later Belle came down into the command center with the last person any of them expected; brunette woman in a blue top and long but torn blue pants. She looked very pale and was bleeding from several gashes in her arm and even one across her forehead.
Ellie gasped in shock as Alex murmured, "Mom?" As the two of the headed toward Anna.