Hello Ranger Nation! Time for Part Two of this three-week update!

It seems like some of you have guesses on where the plot is going next based on reviews, and while I cannot confirm nor deny them, you've certainly got some interesting ideas bouncing around. Guess you're just going to have to check this chapter and next week's to find out!

I want to say that while this chapter might seem a little weird, it was much, much weirder before. In other words, this is the more normal version, for whatever that sentiment's worth.

It seems like the admins have at least fixed reviews so I get a notification when I get one. That's at least a step in the right direction. Thank goodness for that. So if you want to comment on this chapter or any other, fire away!

Anyway, let's see what this chapter has in store…

Legend 11: The Old Switcheroo

It had been three days since Lyn had recovered from her mysterious "illness" that had threatened her life. While Arthur was grateful his friend was still alive, he couldn't comprehend why she was so insistent to leave for the Magical Realm. The other Rangers had written it off as Lyn being her quirky self, but Arthur could tell something was different. There was a reason, and she wasn't telling him.

"Lyn, if you could just explain why you have to go, I would trust your judgment more" Arthur said as he walked through the main room of the Crystal Caves towards his friend, who was busy packing. "This feels very…spur-of-the-moment."

"I told you before, Arthur," Lyn said as she pushed another book into the bag. "This is a personal matter that I've really thought through. I feel like this sabbatical will be good for me getting in tune with my magic." She glanced over at the purple crystal-head of her staff that was leaning against the stone wall, where she saw the Phoenix Spirit give a nod. "Besides, Morgana has no access to the Magical Dimension. It'll be perfectly safe."

"But what will we do if we need you?" Arthur asked. "Will you be able to return quickly? How will we contact you?"

"Jeez," Lyn said as she shook her head. "You're my friend, not my dad. I have contingencies in place in case things go south in my absence. For example…" She grabbed a wooden box and handed it to Arthur. As Arthur moved to open it, he found he couldn't.

"I cannot open it," Arthur said as he continued to struggle.

"I put a spell on the box," Lyn replied. "When you really need it, the box will open and not a moment sooner."

"Why are you being so vague?" Arthur asked. "I feel as if you are hiding things from me. More than you were before."

"I like to think it's part of the 'mysterious mystic' archetype I'm going for," Lyn said with a grin as she turned back to her packing. "But in all seriousness, Arthur, it's for your own good. If you knew all the secrets in my head, it would probably crush you."

"Perhaps," Arthur said. "But perhaps not. It is not good for you to keep secrets from your friends."

"Arthur, I just need you to trust my judgment," Lyn replied as she put the last book in her bag. "I know what I'm doing and I can take care of myself. I don't want to have the same argument we did a few days ago, so please, just drop it."

Arthur sighed as Lyn closed her bag and grabbed her staff from where it was leaning on the wall.

"I'll be back in about a week," Lyn said as she walked to the exit. "Don't worry about taking care of Ruby. She's pretty self-dependent when it comes to feeding and stuff. I also left some money I created on the table for emergencies."

"Understood. Good luck with your sabbatical," Arthur said. "The others wish you well as well."

"Thanks," Lyn replied. She raised her staff and slammed it on the ground. In a flash of purple flame, she disappeared, leaving Arthur in the Crystal Caves alone.


"What do you think about Lyn's sabbatical?" Wayne asked Percy. The two were sitting at the Diner, watching as their two friends continued to work.

"Something definitely changed when she came back from her coma," Percy replied. "It logically makes sense that she needs some time to adjust to whatever happened to her."

"I mean, when you put it like that…" Wayne said as he mulled over Percy's words.

"One pizza, coming in hot," Lance said as he placed the cheese pizza on the metal stand. "Anything else for you two for the moment?"

"Not that I can think-" Wayne said as he reached for a slice, only for Percy to smack his hand. "Ow!"

"Are you paying for the pizza?" Percy asked. When Wayne shook his head, Percy smirked. "That's what I thought."

"C'mon, man," Wayne said. "Just one slice. You won't even notice it's gone!"

"No way," Percy said. "I don't just give things to people for free."

"Just when I thought you two were starting to get along," Lance said to himself, shaking his head before walking back to the counter. Thankfully, the Diner was pretty empty, so he got a few minutes to rest.

"So, now that you're not trying to run away from work, how do you like it?" Gwen asked as she walked over to the Blue Ranger, a teasing smile on her lips.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Lance asked.

"Nope," Gwen said as she poured a glass of water for herself. "But seriously, how are you liking it?"

"It's not great, but it's not terrible," Lance said. "People can either be really nice or really mean and there's a good deal of stress involved. That being said, I think my parents are happy I've actually got a job, and it's certainly got its benefits."

"Oh?" Gwen asked. "And what are those?"

"Well-" Lance started before Arthur walked into the Diner, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Uh…"

"Please tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing," Gwen said.

"Yeah, that's Arthur with a bunch of roses," Lance replied. As the Red Ranger made his way over to the two of them, he offered the roses to Gwen.

"For you, my lady," Arthur said with a smile.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gwen asked as she looked at the flowers in a mix of bewilderment and disgust.

"I have been researching the courting rituals of this age," Arthur said. "Many sources seemed to agree that flowers are a wonderful gift from a man to a woman."

"Except this woman doesn't want them," Gwen replied as she pushed the flowers away from herself. "Buzz off, Arthur. I'm working."

"Perhaps we could talk when you are done working, then?" Arthur asked hopefully.

"Not happening," Gwen said before she noticed a group of people walking into the Diner. "When are you going to get that I'm not interested? Now, if you could leave me alone, I need to get back to work." With that, she started to walk over to the group of customers.

"I thought she hated working," Wayne muttered to Percy. The two had been listening in on the conversation, given it wasn't exactly discreet.

"Between working and dealing with Arthur, she's just picking the lesser of the two evils," Percy replied.

Meanwhile, back with Arthur and Lance, the Blue Ranger was looking at Arthur with a bit of concern.

"Don't you think you're trying a little too hard?" Lance asked.

"No, I believe I am not trying hard enough," Arthur replied. "I believe in destiny and if Gwen is some form of Guinevere, then we are destined to be together."

"Ok, you definitely don't want to say that to her," Lance said. "When we were trying to save Lyn, she showed a real hatred for destiny. Say that kind of stuff to her and you'll never have a shot."

"Then what would you suggest?" Arthur asked. "You seem to know Gwen quite well. Perhaps you can think of a way to get her to agree to a date."

"I mean, the fact that you feel like you have to force her is the first sign that something's wrong," Lance replied. "But I'll tell you what. I think I have something that might work, at least to get you two together for a little while. I just need you to start to train me in more advanced swordplay starting tomorrow."

"A trade of actions, then?" Arthur said. "What do you have in mind?"

Lance had to admit that this likely wasn't a great idea, but he could help more people if he has better sword training. That's at least what he was telling himself. He was just hoping that Gwen would forgive him over time.


"We said we were sorry!" Liecanthrope screamed as the green energy burned into his and Whipvern's chests. His fellow general seemed to be enduring the pain fine, but he was a thinker, not a fighter. "What more do you want from us?"

"I want results!" Morgana roared as she increased the intensity. Liecanthrope began to scream in agony and Whipvern joined soon after as the intensity got past even her tolerance. Morgana finally let up after a few moments of this devastating use of her power. The two generals fell to the ground, their chest and chestplate smoking in the place where Morgana had been burning them.

As Liecanthrope sat up, he noticed a black rune had appeared in front of him. He spun the rune clockwise, allowing the sound of Arthur and Lance talking to echo in the space around the Fae Beast.

"I'll invite her to go to dinner with me, but then you'll show up in my place," Lance's voice said. "You'll tell her that I mixed up my schedule and I'm running late. I'll just never show up. Then you can enjoy dinner with her and maybe get her to better understand you."

"That plan might just work," Arthur replied. "Let us try it!"

"I mean, you've obviously got time now that Lyn's off on her sabbatical in the Magical Dimension," Lance's voice replied. "I can kind of see why you're trying this now."

With that, the rune disappeared as the voices faded.

"What was that?" Whipvern demanded as she glared at Liecanthrope. She was still blaming her fellow general for her failure and she didn't need him to get off the hook so easily.

"That was our next opportunity," Liecanthrope said before looking over at Morgana. "Isn't that right, my queen?"

"I heard that the wizard is gone," Whipvern said. "It sounds to me like we lost our opportunity!"

"No, Liecanthrope is right," Morgana said. She had considerably calmed down after her display of power. "Even if we cannot steal the wizard's power, her absence is indeed a great opportunity. We shall leave the Rangers' dead bodies as a welcoming present for her when she returns. Without her guardians, it will be easier to steal her power."

"If it is dead bodies you want, then I will offer my services," Whipvern said as she took a knee in front of the sitting Morgana. "I am the more powerful of the generals, after all, so my Fae Beast will be more powerful."

Liecanthrope looked ready to snipe back a retort when Morgana raised a hand to stop him.

"Very well," Morgana said. "You will have one chance to make a Fae Beast to destroy the Rangers. Do not fail me like you have before."

"You will not regret this, my queen," Whipvern said as she stood up and was surrounded by silver runes. "The Rangers will fall before my next Beast's fists." With that, she disappeared into the energy field the runes created.

"You're letting that muscle-bound idiot run wild again?" Liecanthrope asked. "She ruined my plan last time! Why are you trusting her when she acts so foolish?"

"Because even a fool succeeds sometimes," Morgana said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a wispy shadowed figure walking towards her from the trees. "Now, leave me. I have important matters to attend to."

"Understood, my queen," Liecanthrope said as he slunk away, likely off to check his wound.

Morgana looked over to see the ghostly figure of Mordred sauntering over to her. As he stopped, he leaned against her throne. Morgana sighed. There was nothing she could do to his spirit form, so she would have to allow it.

"Where have you been hiding, Mordred?" she asked. "After our first conversation, you vanished."

"I wanted to see the world," Mordred replied. "A lot has changed in a few thousand years."

"So instead of helping me, you went on a world tour?" Morgana asked. "You owe me for releasing you from the tree, among other things. I need you close by so you can help me when I need you."

"It was not a 'world tour,'" Mordred replied. "I needed to better understand how the world is different. I also wanted to know what I could do as a spirit. I may lack a body, but I still have quite a bit of power."

"Then perhaps you can destroy Arthur and his blasted Knights," Morgana said.

"Arthur…lives?" Mordred asked in shock. "I wounded him severely all those years ago in our last battle! He should have died, just as surely as I did from the wounds he gave me!"

"I know," Morgana said. "Yet somehow he lives. If you are so confident in your power, use them against our enemies such as his Legendary Knights. I have already sent one of my generals to create a Fae Beast and deal with Arthur and one of his warriors. You will go after the other Rangers that will not be at Arthur's gathering."

"If I recall, my debt to you was to be paid when I killed Arthur," Mordred replied as he glared at her. "As such, Arthur is my only target. I couldn't care less about the riffraff Knights he's recruited. They will never match the Knights of the Round Table and thus won't be a problem. I will slay Arthur."

"I saved you," Morgana said, her tone becoming increasingly aggressive. "You owe me for that, so you will do as I say."

"Did we make a contract when you freed me?" Mordred asked. When Morgana didn't answer, he shook his head. "I don't remember making one. As such, your original deal is still in effect. Your sisters taught me how your crafty deals work. You promised me great power in exchange for killing Arthur and that's what I'm going to do! I'm never making another deal after what they told me."

"You talked to my sisters?" Morgana asked, rather shocked by this knowledge.

"Yeah, we had a few thousand years to kill," Mordred said as he rapped his knuckles against the treebark of the tree Morgana's sisters were trapped in. "All we could really do was talk."

"What else did they say?" Morgana asked, her eyes filled with curiosity and her anger forgotten.

"Oh, we talked about you a lot," Mordred said with a laugh. "Mostly about how your daddy threw you away after the first glimpse of a male heir. You really wanted that crown, didn't you? Probably why you claimed that title of 'Queen of the Fae' you like to throw around. It's all just a way to cover up your-"

Morgana quickly stood up before creating green runes in her hands and launched an energy blast at Mordred's head with one of the runes.

"Shut up!" she demanded, tears in her eyes. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She continued to repeat that phrase as she launched blast after blast at Mordred. However, because he was a spirit, they simply went through him as if he were mist.

"I'm sorry, did I hit a nerve?" Mordred said with a gleeful tone.

"You want to slay Arthur so bad?" she screamed. "Go ahead and do your own plan! See if I care!"

"That's all I was asking for," Mordred said. "Now, I don't want to necessarily screw with your general's plan, but we'll just see if I can…I don't know, spice it up a bit!" He disappeared in a swirl of smoke as he whipped around his cloak.

"That arrogant bastard!" Morgana said as she fell back into her throne, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Just like all other humans! I hate them! I hate them all!" She broke down into sobs, glad that Liecanthrope could not see his queen in such distress.


Lyn sighed as she hiked through some trees. Time didn't really appear to pass in the Magical Dimension, so she wasn't sure if it had been hours or days that she had been hiking.

"How far are we?" she asked as she looked up at the large purple Phoenix Spirit hovering above her.

"Yggdrasil is still a long ways off," the Phoenix Spirit replied. "Unlike places like Rootcore, which lies closer to the human dimension, Yggdrasil is deep within the Magical Dimension where it is safe from any human that might stumble between dimensions."

"That's great and all," Lyn replied, "but how far are we talking? I don't know if I packed enough supplies. I mean, I have the Blank Shield Emblems you told me to bring, but I don't know about food."

"I ensured you did," the Phoenix Spirit replied. "Considering we just became partners, I cannot have you dying on me just yet."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Nix," Lyn said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Is that the nickname you ended up on?" Nix said as it flew ahead and looked back at the straggling Lyn. "I suppose I have heard worse. Though you seem to just be copying the style of your own name."

"What would you prefer? 'Giant-Ass Flaming Bird'?" Lyn asked. The two laughed at that as Lyn seemed to get a second wind.

"Nix will do," Nix replied. "Just as long as we don't include a 'y'. Then I really am just copying your naming convention." That earned another chuckle out of Lyn.

"Alright, got it," she said. "No 'y's." As she continued to walk, she grew silent for a few minutes.
"I can tell you are thinking about your friends," Nix said. "The psychic rapport we share tells me as much. But why are you thinking about Arthur in particular?"

"I'm just worried he's going to do something stupid," Lyn replied. "He's either going to be hyper-focused on something going wrong in my absence or he's going to try and make a move on Gwen Chambers. Either option isn't that great."

"I see no need to fear," Nix said. "It is just humans being foolish."

"It's actually more than that," Lyn said as she continued to follow the purple flaming bird, though her eyes were on her footing. "I'm worried about history repeating itself, and Arthur and Gwen getting together would be the start of that."

"Is this related to that 'Great War' you and your past self were discussing?" Nix asked.

"Something like that," Lyn replied. "I'll explain it to you sometime, but right now, I have a really important question: Are we there yet?"

Nix sighed at the bad humor before continuing onwards.

"Oh, come on!" Lyn said as she followed behind. "I thought it was funny!"


Gwen sighed as she looked at the very damaged screen of her phone to check the time. When Lance had suggested going out for dinner in the downtown of Avalon Hollow, she had jumped at the chance. Maybe this was a sign that Lance had been picking up on her signals. Boys were generally oblivious and she was convinced that Lance Marlow was no different. She looked down at her clothes and sighed again. Sure, her white dress was somewhat attractive, but she didn't really have the money to buy what she really wanted. Maybe that was why Lance only saw her as a friend. Then again, this was a great opportunity if it went right… She was interrupted from her thoughts by Arthur's voice cutting through the crowd.

"My lady!" Arthur said as he made their way over to the White Ranger. "You look radiant this evening."

"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked. "I thought Lance invited me for dinner. Why are you here?"

"Strange," Arthur said as he stroked his chin. "Sir Lance told me that we were going to dinner. He also said he would be late. Perhaps we should go to the restaurant and start eating. I am sure he will arrive when he can."

"Fine," Gwen said with a sigh. "I guess it's better to be with someone for a little while instead of sitting at the restaurant alone."

"Where would you like to go?" Arthur asked, remembering Lance's suggestion that he let Gwen choose. He has said it was common courtesy for a date and Arthur was going to do whatever it took for Gwen to like him.

"I was thinking Mexican," Gwen said. "I know a good place near here."

"Mexican?" Arthur asked. "What kind of food is that?"

"Oh, you'll like it," Gwen replied as she led the way. "There's lots of meat and some great sauces."

"Very well," Arthur said as he followed Gwen "Sounds appetizing."

As the two continued to make their way through the crowd, Arthur was too far behind to see the grin on Gwen's face. She knew how to get rid of Arthur and it wasn't going to take much work. Once Lance finally showed up, it would just be Gwen waiting for him, just the way it should be.


"Thank goodness Queen Morgana gave me this chance," Whipvern said as she looked down at the Rangers' as they made their way through the crowd. "After Liecanthrope caused me to fail last time, I was unsure of my next opportunity."

"Do you always talk to yourself on the rooftops?" a male voice said. Whipvern whirled around to see a male figure in a shadowy cloak standing behind her. Though she didn't recognize him, Morgana would have known him to be Mordred.

"Who are you?" Whipvern demanded.

"Someone who wants to see Arthur Pendragon dead," Mordred said. "And I'm willing to do anything to ensure it."

"I'm working on it," Whipvern replied. "So buzz off so I can figure out the perfect target for my Fae Beast."

"Morgana would be disappointed if you failed her again," Mordred said, "and from what I can see, that's the path you're headed down."

"What did you say?" Whipvern muttered as she marched towards Mordred. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

As she lashed out to punch him, however, her fist went right through him.

"You're an impulsive one," Mordred remarked. "I think I like you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Whipvern demanded.

Mordred responded by walking into her. Whipvern screamed out as she felt this being enter her entire being. Her body began to convulse as her eyes closed. Excruciating didn't even begin to describe the pain she was feeling as the shadowy spirit slipped his way into her body. Soon, however, the convulsing stopped and her eyes opened to reveal her normally yellow reptilian eyes as shadowy black human ones, like pools of pure darkness. The cloak that had been on Mordred appeared in a flash of black light on Whipvern's shoulders.

"Now then," Whipvern said with a deeper edge to her voice. "Let's get to business."


The bell rang as Gwen pushed her way through the door. The Mexican restaurant had about a dozen tables scattered around the room and a stage lining one of the walls with a Mariachi band playing an upbeat song. There was also a large glass window looking out to the street.

"Welcome to Chip Sombrero's, home of the Chip Sombrero," the waitress said in a bored tone. She looked over Gwen's shoulder at Arthur and sighed before continuing. "Table for two?"

"If I must," Gwen replied.

The waitress didn't seem to notice Gwen's response, automatically grabbing two menus and gestured for the pair to follow her.

"Enjoy your meal," she said in a flat tone as she dropped the menus on a table and walked away.

"And I thought I hated working," Gwen remarked.

"She certainly lacks enthusiasm," Arthur agreed.

"Hi, I'm Jack and I'm going to be your server for the night," a waiter said as he walked up to the table. "Can I get you started with some drinks? Plus, why don't you tell me what kind of sauce you would like in your Chip Sombreros?"

As Gwen gave her order, Arthur was too distracted by how he could feel a presence watching him. Gwen didn't seem to notice it, but his instincts were telling him that someone was watching the pair. More specifically, it seemed focused on him over Gwen. He has originally wondered if it was Lance keeping an eye on them in case things went south, but he could sense malice coming from whoever was watching. Because of that, it was definitely not Lance.

"Yo, you good?" Gwen asked as she looked at the Red Ranger in confusion.

"I'm fine," Arthur said as he continued to glance around. "I just have this feeling that someone is watching us."

"I hope they aren't getting the wrong idea," Gwen said as she checked her phone. "Man, Lance still hasn't texted back. Where the hell is he?"

Arthur tried to think of a reasonable answer, but thankfully didn't have to as Jack came back.

"I brought out drinks and our signature Chip Sombreros," Jack said as he placed the glasses down before placing the large sombreros made of tortilla chip on the table. Inside each of the three brims was a different sauce. Arthur's looked like a kind of salsa, while Gwen's was a sour cream.

Gwen broke off a large chunk of the brim of her Chip Sombrero and dipped it into the sour cream before bringing it to her mouth. Arthur, unsure what to do, simply copied Gwen's actions. However, she seemed pleased with the taste, whereas Arthur immediately started coughing as the chip and salsa went down his throat.

"Oh, Arthur, how's the Chile de Arbol Salsa?" Gwen said. "You weren't paying attention, so I ordered for you. Is it too hot?"

Arthur continued to cough as he grabbed his glass of Pepsi and chugged it down. However, it didn't seem to do much, as his face was still red.

Jack, walking past, noticed the struggling young man and grabbed a large glass of milk. Arthur immediately chugged that as well. His face began to return to its normal color and except for a few coughs, he seemed to have recovered.

"That was rather…intense," Arthur said as he pushed his Chip Sombrero away from himself. "I think I will be avoiding eating any more of that."

"You know, a lot of Mexican food is spicy like that," Gwen said in a sly tone. "If you couldn't handle that, maybe you should leave."

"Not a chance," Arthur said firmly as the waiter brought out another Pepsi for Arthur and pulled out his pad. "That being said, I will make sure to order for myself this time."

"What can I get for ya?" the waiter asked.

There was a loud crash as a large furry creature slammed through the glass window and wobbled a bit before correcting himself. He was at least 8 feet tall, had large feet and fur all over. His most prominent features, however, were his giant fists.

"Whatever it is, it'll have to be to-go!" the waiter screamed as he and the other civilians in the restaurant ran for their lives towards the side exit.

The two Rangers stood up and moved to block the monster's path.

"Who are you and why are you interrupting our date?" Arthur demanded.

"My name is Smashsquatch and it-" the monster started before Gwen interrupted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gwen said as she stepped in front of Arthur. "'Date'? Was this some kind of scheme of your's?" Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on. "Lance was never showing up, was he? Oh, you two are so dead!"

"Uh, hello?" Smashsquatch asked as he tapped Gwen on the shoulder with his large fist. "I'm supposed to fight you, but you're making this really awkward."

"Oh, not as awkward as it's going to be for Arthur and Lance when I'm done with them," Gwen said as she whirled around. "We're going to deal with you and then I'm getting to the bottom of what's going on here!"

Arthur gulped. He didn't like the sound of that.

"Alright, great," Smashsquatch said as he leapt back and cleared his throat. "I'm going to start from the top?"

"Fine," Gwen sighed.

"My name is Smashsquatch, and it looks like you Rangers are hungry!" Smashsquatch shouted. "How about a double helping of knuckle sandwiches?"

"I know not what a knuckle sandwich is, but it is certainly off the menu," Arthur said as he and Gwen pressed the button on their watches, transforming them into their Legendizers, before pulling out their Shield Emblems. They quickly inserted them into the Legendizers before shutting it.

"Dragon! Unicorn!" the Legendizers announced as the sound of horns filled the air. Both Rangers struck a pose as the horns continued to play.

"Legendary Knight, Ready to Fight!" they shouted as they pressed the button on their Legendizers.

"Legend Begin!" the Legendizers announced.

Morphing Sequence

Arthur is standing in a sea of fire with a sword embedded in a stone in front of him. As he draws the sword and raises it above his head, the blade begins to glow. The glow then transfers from the blade to Arthur, traveling through the hilt, down his arm and then through his whole body excluding his head. As Arthur puts the blade into the loop on his left side, the glowing energy forms into his Ranger suit. Flame then swirls around his head, creating the helmet as a dragon's roar can be heard in the background.

Gwen is standing in a light filled area with visible particles of light and a sword embedded in a stone in front of her. As she draws the sword and raises it above her head, the blade begins to glow. The glow then transfers from the blade to Gwen, traveling through the hilt, down her arm and then through her whole body excluding her head. As Gwen puts the blade into the loop on her left side, the glowing energy forms into her Ranger suit. Light particles then swirl around her head, creating the helmet as a unicorn's whiney can be heard in the background.

End Morphing Sequence

"The Noble Dragon! Red Legendary Knight Ranger!" Arthur said as he drew his sword and posed.

"The Free-Spirited Unicorn! White Legendary Knight Ranger!" Gwen said as she also drew her sword and posed.

"The Legend Begins Anew!" Arthur shouted.

"Power Rangers Legendary Knights!" the two Rangers shouted together as they posed.

"Time for you to taste the cold steel of justice!" Arthur said as he pointed his sword at Smashsquatch.

"Bring it on!" Smashsquatch said as he slammed his fists together before charging at the Rangers.


Percy looked up from his crossword to look at the TV screen. Jeopardy was on and, as usual, he was getting all the clues right.

"What is Tennessee?" he said seconds before the contestant guessed the same.

"Percy, what are you doing in here?" his mother said as she walked into the room. She scowled in disapproval as she grabbed the remote and switched it off. "You are supposed to be studying for your exams, not watching American garbage."

"I find Jeopardy to mentally stimulating," Percy replied, making sure to choose his words carefully.

"All game shows are the same," his mother said as she shook her head. "They make people think that they can just guess their way into fortune and fame. No, you must work for everything." She glared at her son. "And I do not see you working nearly as hard as you should be."

"I-" Percy said before noticing his mother's glare and looked down at the ground. "Yes, mother."

"When your father and I moved to this country from Korea, we had to work hard to get everything we deserved," Percy's mother said. "You deserve much as well. You simply must work for it."

"I understand, mother," Percy said.

"Now, go study," Percy's mother ordered. "Your father will be home soon and he will be angry if he doesn't see you working hard."

"Yes, mother," Percy said as he stood up and headed towards his bedroom. He was personally convinced that he didn't need to study at all. After all, he was smart enough to deal with any exam that came his way. He shouldn't have to waste his time studying. That being said, he also didn't want to mess with his father.

I guess it's time to study after all, he thought as he sat down at his desk and flipped open a textbook.


"Yggdrasil is just over this hill," Nix said as it flapped its wings and soared over the hill before looking back at Lyn expectantly.

"Wow!" Lyn said as she reached the top and looked down at the small forest in front of her. There was one large tree in the center of the formation that seemed to slip into the clouds with its immense height. Every so often, it seemed to pulse with a blue energy.

"Come," Nix said as she swooped down and hovered over Lyn. "I will show you around."

"Please," Lyn said with a nod. As she made her way down the hill and into the forest itself, various birds of different sizes and colors flew from tree to tree. Lyn could hear their "voices" just like Nix and most of what they were saying was about her and Nix.

"What kind of bird is that?" one said to another as Lyn and Nix passed their branch.

"Never mind the bird!" the other one said. "Did they bring a HUMAN to Yggdrasil?"

"A human?" another bird said as they landed on the branch next to the other two birds. "Well, would you look at that! It is a human!"

The other birds on other branches continued to mutter among themselves as Nix led Lyn towards the large tree in the center of the forest.

"This is Yggdrasil itself," Nix said as they landed on one of the branches extending from the large tree, "It grants all Mythic Birds the power of Fae Energy." They glowed blue for a second as the energy from the tree flowed into the Phoenix Spirit. "Ah, I have been waiting a long time for this. It feels good to be home."

"Immortal Phoenix Spirit?" a bird said as they landed on a branch next to Nix's. It looked like some kind of owl made of solid light. "It really is you!"

"It is," Nix replied. "Though I will not be staying long. I merely wish to teach my partner more about myself and this place."

"You have partnered with a human?" the owl asked. "I certainly would have never expected that. When you were drawn from this dimension into the human one, we had hoped you would return quickly. Instead, we have been waiting 1500 years for you to return."

"I know," Nix said as they bowed their head. "I was captured to use my powers of rebirth to restore that girl's predecessors." Nix nodded towards Lyn. "However, we have recently come to an understanding."

"You accepted the one who captured you?" the owl asked as it tilted its head, a bit confused.

"Are you questioning your former ruler?" Nix asked. "That is rather bold of you."

"Things have changed, my friend," the owl replied as they shook their head. "We have not had a singular ruler in a long, long time. We are run by the Council of Wings now. Which actually brings me to why I came here."

"What does that mean?" Nix asked.

"The Council of Wings predicted your return," the owl replied, "and they wish to speak with you."

"What do you think?" Nix asked as it looked at Lyn.

"Hey, I'm following your judgment here," Lyn replied. "I know nothing really about this place. So it's more of a question about what you think, partner."

Nix considered this for a moment before nodding. "Very well." It turned to look at the owl. "Take us to the Council of Wings. If they wish to speak to me, then let us do that."

"Very well," the owl said as they took off around the giant tree base. Nix flew away as well, leaving Lyn to run to catch up.

"Damn birds," she muttered as she ran. "I swear they always forget about the weakness of human endurance."


Gwen let out a battle cry as she flipped over one of Smashsquatch's swinging fists before raking her sword along his chest. If it affected him, he didn't show it. Instead he lashed out with another punch. Gwen grunted in pain as the giant fist struck her in the gut and sent her flying back. She landed on her side and started rolling along the ground until she hit the stage.

"Ow…" Gwen said as she rubbed her back and slowly stood up.

Arthur slashed horizontally into Smashsquatch's side, but similar to Gwen's attack, it didn't appear to do much. Smashsquatch looked down at the sword that had struck him and quickly backhanded Arthur away. As he landed on a table, it shattered, causing Arthur to fall to the floor.

"Number 8! Dwarf! Time to Start the Legend!" Gwen's Legend Blade announced as the Emblem in the window glowed a brilliant gold color. Rock music began to play before the sword began to glow the same gold color and morphed into the Legend Breaker. "Activate Ax Power!"

Gwen ran forward and swung the ax at Smashsquatch's legs, trying to knock him down. However, even the Legend Crusher appeared to have little effect on Smashsquatch.

"If that's not working, let's try this instead," Gwen said as she pulled out the Dwarf Shield Emblem and inserted a duplicate Unicorn Shield Emblem

"Number 5! Unicorn! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Crusher announced. Gwen pressed the red button once and heavy metal music began to play. "Activate Light Power!"

"Unicorn Horn Slash!" Gwen shouted as light particles gathered around her to form a glowing Unicorn. As Gwen brought the ax down in a mighty swing, the Unicorn arced its head downward so the ax and the horn were falling at the same time. Smashsquatch yawned as he smacked the ax aside with one fist before slamming the other into Gwen, sending her flying back yet again. The Legend Crusher morphed back into the Legend Blade from the force of the attack.

"My lady, are you alright!?" Arthur shouted as he ran over to Gwen and offered a hand to help her up. As soon as Gwen regained her bearings, she smacked Arthur's hand away.

"I'm fine" Gwen said defiantly as she grabbed her Legend Blade from the ground. "That being said, this Fae Beast is really strong. Like, really strong."

"He certainly appears to possess more power than we can deal with," Arthur agreed.

"Of course he does," Mordred/Whipvern said as they appeared in a swirl of their shadowy cape. "I created him, after all."

"Whipvern?" Gwen asked. "Something seems…different about you."

"Whipvern? Is that the name of this vessel?" Mordred/Whipvern asked. "I didn't see the point in asking before. I was too focused on my revenge."

"Vessel? Revenge?" Arthur asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh come now, Arthur," Mordred/Whipvern replied. "I know you weren't always the sharpest sword on the rack, but I expected more from you. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"You speak in riddles," Arthur replied before leveling his sword at Mordred/Whipvern. "Yet I sense the malice coming from you. I know you are an enemy."

"I'm disappointed," Mordred/Whipvern said as they shook their head. "I was hoping you would recognize your greatest enemy, but no matter." They reached for the weapon on their hip and revealed Whipvern's whip. They looked at the weapon in disgust. "This is a coward's weapon. I must find a better one. Smashsquatch?"

"Yes?" the Fae Beast asked.

"Get me the girl's sword," Mordred/Whipvern ordered. "I want a proper weapon to kill Arthur with."

"Understood," Smashsquatch replied with a nod as he ran forward at the Rangers.

"Arthur?" Gwen asked as she dove to the side, away from Smashsquatch's charge and extended fist. "What the hell did you do? Why did you piss off Whipvern so much?"

"I…do not know," Arthur replied, "but I do know that we will need help." He pressed the communicator button on his Legendizer and spoke into it. "Sir Lance, Sir Wayne, Sir Percy. We require your assistance. A pair of powerful foes have appeared at Chip Sombrero's."

"They'd better be quick!" Gwen said as she dodged another swing from Smashsquatch. "I can't dodge forever and this guy really wants to pulverize me!"

"Stand…still!" Smashsquatch complained as he repeatedly swung at the White Ranger.

"There's only one course of action if I am to save Gwen," Arthur said as he pressed the top of his belt buckle and pulled out a Dragon Shield Emblem. "I hope this works." He flipped open the pommel on his Legend Blade and inserted the Emblem.

"Number One! Dragon! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blade announced as the Emblem glowed with a red light. Rock music began to play and Arthur tapped his foot impatiently as his teammate continued to dodge Smashsquatch's fists, though she was slowing down. As soon as the music stopped, Arthur pressed the red button under the Emblem window twice. His sword's blade became encased in flames as Arthur ran forward. He raised his sword over his head as the flames intensified. "Dragon! Legend Break!"

Smashsquatch cried out in pain as the sword sliced into his back, breaking through his naturally tough fur that had been acting as armor. He stumbled forward, forcing Gwen to leap out of the way as Smashsquatch fell to the ground, his back smoking.

"Tch," Mordred/Whipvern remarked. "Falling so quickly, Smashsquatch? I expected more from you. Let's see if you can do better with a bit of extra Fae Energy and a second shot." They raised a hand as a rune appeared in their palm before an energy beam fired out of it. As the beam struck Smashsquatch, his back quickly healed as he stood up.

"Feeling strong!" Smashsquatch roared. He whirled around in a lariat to strike both Rangers at once with his outstretched fists. Both Rangers grunted as they went flying, Gwen hitting the wall by the kitchen and Arthur hitting the one by the stage. As Gwen struggled to stand, Smashsquatch grabbed her Legend Blades in one hand and brought it over to Mordred/Whipvern.

"My lord," he said as he presented the sword to Mordred/Whipvern.

"Finally," Mordred/Whipvern said as they grabbed the hilt of the White Legend Blade and looked it over. "This is the weapon that will slay Arthur once and for all. You may kill the girl. Arthur is mine."

Arthur groaned as he slowly stood up. As he looked over at Mordred/Whipvern, the general was charging at Arthur. The Red Ranger barely raised his sword over his head to block Mordred/Whipvern's overhead strike.

"I've been waiting thousands of years for this!" Mordred/Whipvern shouted as they swung again and again at Arthur with great skill, varying the angles and speed of their swings. Arthur was barely able to block the ferocious attacks.

"I know not who you are," Arthur said between his frequent blocks, "but your skills are quite impressive. Who trained you?"

"You did," Mordred/Whipvern replied. Arthur barely blocked the next strike due to sheer surprise at his foe's answer.

Gwen quickly stood up as Smashsquatch lumbered towards her again. This time, however, he wasn't just seeking her sword. He was out for blood.


Lyn let out a gasp as she, Nix and the owl finished their trip towards the front of Yggdrasil. There was a large entrypoint within the trunk of the tree, wide enough for even Nix's giant wingspan. Each side of the entrypoint had a large silver hornbill-like bird standing there, guarding the tree. They nodded as the owl led the way inside. Blue light seemed to travel from the outside of the tree into this large chamber. As the owl led the way, Lyn and Nix slowly stepped/flew into the giant space and looked around in wonder. There were six large nests, each on a large pedestal, with the blue Fae Energy of Yggdrasil flowing into each nest. There was a bird residing in each nest, absorbing the energy as it flowed into them. There were also glowing etchings of what Lyn assumed to be the bird's names.

"So, the immortal Phoenix Spirit has indeed returned," one of the birds, a green dragon-esque bird remarked. Their "voice" sounded female, though it was more regal-sounding than Nix's. Their name etching was Itsumade.

"Chakora told you they would," a small silver bird that resembled a partridge replied. Their "voice" sounded like a little girl and their name etching matched what it called themself: Chakora. "The moon told Chakora so."

"You constantly talk about the moon," a large, white, serpentine bird said in a masculine "voice" as they shook their head. Their name etching was Huma. "And it is seriously odd. Perhaps you should make some real friends."

"Enough," a gigantic red cardinal-looking bird said with a booming masculine "voice". Their name etching revealed the name Minokawa. "We need not fight among ourselves, especially when we have guests."

"Indeed," a golden eagle-like bird agreed with their peaceful masculine "voice". Within its etching was the name Thunderbird "We must show cohesion as a Council. Any less from us would be disrespectful to ourselves and our guests."

Lyn glanced around at each of the birds. Out of the six on the pedestals, only the black sparrow had not spoken. She wasn't quite sure if it was by choice or if the others just weren't giving them a chance. Either way, their name was revealed to be Yosuzume through the etching on its pedestal.

"Immortal Phoenix Spirit, welcome to the Council of Wings," Minokawa said as they bowed their head. The other five birds did the same. "We have been waiting and hoping for a long time for your return."

"Though we do question why you have brought a human to our sacred tree," Itsumade said. "Was it not one of your decrees that non-birds be banned from entering our section of the forest?"

"I have changed very much since I made that ruling," Nix replied. "Not only do I now believe that certain humans are trustworthy, I have made one my partner."

Parts of the council began to "mutter" among themselves before Minokawa let out a screech to reign them in. Minokawa looked at Lyn and narrowed its eyes.

"Is this not the human who imprisoned you within her own body?" Minokawa asked in an accusatory tone. Lyn grimaced a bit at the reminder of her predecessor's actions. "Why would you associate with a human who abused your power?"

"Because that was the past, and this is now," Nix replied as they looked at each council member in turn. "You might not agree with my decision, and that is fine, but it is my decision to make. This human was willing to turn against her own incarnations and die to allow me to be free. That was enough for me."

"I see value in your words," Thunderbird said with a nod of their head. "However, I am afraid that most of my fellow council members will not see it that way. One act of virtue will not appease them as easily as it will me."

"Consider this, then," Nix replied as they once again looked at each council member. "Morgana Le Fay is free. She will decimate the humans if she gets her way. We have the power to protect them. Should we not use it?"

"The humans have done nothing for us," Itsumade replied. "I see no reason for us to aid them."

The other birds voiced their agreements.

"Your time among the humans has made you weak," Minokawa said. "We were holding this meeting for two reasons: to figure out your intentions here and also to figure out whether it was right to revert our system to you as ruler. The answers we have received are…disappointing."

"Chakora doesn't like it!" Chakora agreed.

"The immortal Phoenix Spirit is corrupted by that human partner!" Itsumade shouted. "We must drive them out before the same happens to us!"

"Hey!" Lyn shouted. "I haven't corrupted anybody!" Her voice echoed around the inside of Yggdrasil differently than the council's did. All of the council looked at her in surprise.

"What did you say, human?" Itsumade asked. "You have the nerve to lie to the Council? The immortal Phoenix Spirit was never like this until it met you! You must be the cause of their ridiculous request!"

"Jeez, prissy much?" Lyn muttered as she looked around at the council. "Look, I thought Nix and I were here because they wanted to show me their home. I didn't know anything about a plea like this. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"You expect us to believe a story like that?" Huma asked. "We know humans to be liars. Why should you be any different?"

"Hold," Yosuzume said, finally revealing its "voice" to be a smooth masculine one. "Are you sure we're not being too hasty? We could be kicking out a great opportunity that flew right onto our branch."

"Hasty, Yosuzume?" Itsumade asked. "It was ridiculous we even entertained this human in our sacred place! There is no opportunity here!"

"No, perhaps Yosuzume is right," Minokawa said. "I can sense truth in the human's words and the immortal Phoenix Spirit appears to really trust her. Perhaps we should consider their plea. That being said, I believe waiting until tomorrow might be the best move." They turned to look at Lyn and Nix. "We will allow you to stay the night and will reconvene tomorrow morning. Do not make us regret this."

"Understood," Lyn said with a small bow. "Thank you."

As the owl led Lyn and Nix out of the chamber and back outside, Lyn could hear the Council members arguing amongst themselves.

"Well, they certainly didn't take long," Lyn remarked as she stepped over a tree root.

"My job as a ruler was a hard one when I was by myself," Nix replied with a nod of understanding. "I cannot imagine what it would be like ruling in a group. There appeared to be many strong opinions within that group."

"Are we going to talk about what you just did?" Lyn asked. "You said this was a sabbatical to learn more about each other, but it seems you had an ulterior motive."

"I merely wish to help the humans you care so much about," Nix said. "I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries."

"Nah," Lyn replied. "This is probably for the best. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take, right?"


Arthur grunted in pain as Mordred/Whipvern's blade slipped past his defenses and bit into his side.

"Oh, Arthur," Mordred/Whipvern remarked as they followed through on the slash before pulling the sword back to block Arthur's retaliation. "You really have let yourself go. When I fought you before, you were much stronger than this!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Arthur shouted as he struck with an overhead swing into Mordred/Whipvern's blade as he continued to speak. "Who are you? Why do you claim we have fought before?"

"Because we have," Mordred/Whipvern said as the two combatants pushed against one another with their blades. "You remember nothing? I thought the younger body might be one of Merlin's tricks, but he messed with your memory as well?"

"You know not what you speak of!" Arthur shouted in anger as he put his full strength into his downward force. Mordred/Whipvern grinned at Arthur's reaction before sliding his sword across Arthur's and hooking the crossguards. With a flick of his wrist, Arthur found himself disarmed, the sword flipping in the air and landing blade down in the wooden floor. Mordred/Whipvern then swiftly kicked Arthur in the gut before stomping on his stomach as he fell backwards.

"I hope you just got distracted by your anger," Mordred/Whipvern remarked as they spun his sword in their hand before leveling it to Arthur's throat. "Otherwise, you just lost to the simplest trick in the book."

"You have no honor," Arthur said. He gulped as he felt the tip of the blade just pierce the fabric in the neck of his suit.

"I don't care about honor, I care about winning," Mordred/Whipvern said as they pulled back the sword and raised it over their head for the finishing blow. "And once I've slain you, I win!"

Gwen looked over Smashsquatch's shoulders as she struggled to restrain his arms and gasped at what she saw.

"Arthur, hang on!" she shouted. "I'm coming!"

Arthur grunted as he struggled against Mordred/Whipvern's boot. As he shimmied back and forth, trying to escape, the wooden box that Lyn had given Arthur before clattered to the floor. The entire box was glowing with a dark brown light, darker than the color of the box itself.

"What is that?" Gwen asked herself. "Well, whatever it is, I hope it helps." She ran at Mordred/Whipvern and leapt into the air, striking them with a corkscrew kick. Mordred/Whipvern grunted in pain as they stumbled off of Arthur, clutching their side.

"Thank you, Gwen," Arthur said as he accepted her extended hand to pull him up.

"Oh, don't thank me yet," Gwen replied. "Because you're dead meat later. But I need to know something: what did you do to Whipvern to make her so bloodthirsty?"

"I wish I could tell you," Arthur said. "She seems very different from normal."

"Guinevere?" Mordred/Whipvern said with a laugh as they looked the White Ranger over before looking at Arthur. "You let yourself be saved by Guinvere?"

"Oh god, it's my worst nightmare," Gwen muttered as she held her helmet in her hands. "The 'Guinevere' club is multiplying."

"You would do well to not insult my queen," Arthur said sternly as he grabbed the wooden box from the ground before opening it easily. Inside was a Shield Emblem labeled GOLEM. It had a dark brown color to the text, had the silhouette of a rocky humanoid creature and had the number 9 labeled at the bottom. He grabbed it before pulling his Legend Blade from its place embedded in the floor and inserting the Emblem.

"Number Nine! Golem! TIme to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blade announced. Arthur pressed the button once as rock music began to play. Mordred/Whipvern had just mostly recovered when the music finished. "Activate Fist Power!"

"'Fist Power'?" Mordred/Whipvern asked with a laugh as they looked up at Arthur. "You think you can punch your way out of a sword fight?"

"You fail to play by the rules," Arthur remarked as his Legend Blade morphed into a bunch of large stones that flew around his fists and morphed into large rocky boxing gloves. There was a slot on the right one with a small clear window, showing where the Golem Emblem was, along with a red button under the window. "Why should I be forced to follow them?"

"Fine then," Mordred/Whipvern said as they grabbed their sword with their undamaged hand. "I don't care what weapon you use! I will still slay you, Arthur Pendragon!"

"Uh…White Ranger?" Smashsquatch asked. Gwen turned from watching Arthur and Mordred/Whipvern to see the large beast shifting towards her. "I kinda need to destroy you now. Can we start fighting again?"

"Man, you're a weird one" Gwen remarked as she charged forward with her fist drawn back. Just as she was about to reach Smashsquatch, three Pegasus Cycles whinied as Lance, Percy and Wayne leapt off of them and came in with flying slashes. All three Rangers landed in a crouch as Smashsquatch buffeted from sparks flying from his body.

"Did someone order back-up with an extra side of Ranger?" Wayne quipped as he and Percy got up from their crouch. Wayne looked around quickly. "Wow, date night turned into a disaster for you guys, huh?"

"You knew too?" Gwen asked as she stomped her foot in anger. She looked at Percy, who was standing with his arms crossed, before marching up to him. "You! Did you know?"

"I'm surprised you didn't, waitress-girl," Percy replied. "Arthur and Lance weren't exactly discrete about their plans. Half the Diner likely heard them discussing it."

"All of you are pieces of shit, you know that?" Gwen snapped as she turned to look at Lance. "And you…I don't even know what to say to you right now. You manipulate me into spending time with…with Arthur of all people! You weren't ever going to show up, were you? You son of a-"

"Uh…I don't want to interrupt you guys if you're fighting amongst yourselves," Smashsquatch said as he scratched his head the best he could with his giant fist. "But I kinda need to destroy ya."

"Oh, I have no problem with fighting you," Gwen said as she slammed her fist into her palm. "But these jackasses are next on the chopping block."

Meanwhile, Arthur and Mordred/Whipvern had been trading blows, though Morded/Whipvern was certainly taking a heavier amount of damage. Arthur's fighting style had changed, matching more to a boxer than a swordsman. And while Mordred/Whipvern had been mocking Arthur bringing gloves to a swordfight, it appeared to be the perfect counter given Arthur's opponent knew nothing about Arthur's moves and Arthur's Ranger powers made him automatically experiences with his new weapons.

"Now to finish you!" Arthur said as the left glove split apart for a moment, the stones floating in the air. Arthur pressed the button on the right glove twice. The sound of a bell ringing filled the air as Arthur placed his left hand in the position it had been before. The stones flew back onto his hand and formed the boxing glove again. Powerful energy began to flow around the right glove.

"I won't let you!" Mordred/Whipvern shouted as they charged forward, brandishing their sword as they did so. Arthur deflected Mordred/Whipvern's swing with the left glove before punching into their jaw with the right.

"Golem! Legend Smash!" the gloves announced as a blast of energy exploded from the glove on Mordred/Whipvern's jaw. The possessed general went flying in an arc before crashing to the floor.

"I refuse to be beaten…Ah!" Mordred/Whipvern said as they slowly tried to stand up before sparks flew all over their body. They fell to the ground again as shadowy smoke began to flow around them. The smoke flew out of Whipvern and coalesced into Mordred. Because of the nature of his spirit form, Arthur was unable to see him. Instead, the Red Ranger looked over Whipvern as she moaned in pain. He marched forward, ready to capture the general

"You owe me answers," Arthur said as the Legend Gloves shattered and reformed into the Legend Blade, which Arthur leveled at Whipvern's head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Whipvern groaned as she slowly stood up. She was bleeding out of the corner of her mouth from Arthur's final punch and was clutching her injured side from Gwen's kick. "I don't even know how I got here."

"No more lies!" Arthur shouted as he moved closer. "You will tell me what has occurred today and why you seek my death more than ever!"

"I will always seek your death, Red Ranger," Whipvern replied. "However, it appears that I have been beaten today. I have nothing else to do but flee."

Silver runes appeared around her before forming an energy field she disappeared into. Mordred disappeared in a spiral of smoke with a swish of his cloak.

Arthur let out a grunt of frustration. He still had no answers to what was going on and the one who knew all had gotten away. He looked over at the Rangers as they fought Smashsquatch.

"Hold him still!" Gwen shouted as she aimed Lance's Legend Bow at Smashsquatch's face, a glowing white energy arrow pointed at his forehead. Lance was holding one giant arm, while Percy and Wayne were holding the other. Gwen pressed the button under the window on the Legend Bow's body. Instead of the Elf Shield Emblem, however, the Unicorn Emblem was in the window as it glowed with powerful white light.

"Unicorn!" the Legend Bow announced as Gwen launched the arrow at Smashsquatch. "Legend Shoot!" The arrow pierced Smashsquatch's forehead and flew through. Sparks flew from the hole as the three Rangers jumped out of the way.

"Guess I put my fist in my mouth!" Smashsquatch shouted as he fell to the ground and exploded. Thankfully, the explosion was small enough to not damage the restaurant any more.

"Alright, now that that's done," Gwen said as she tossed the Bow back to Lance and accepted her Blade from Wayne. "You four are seriously fu-"

"Let me interrupt that thought," Lance interrupted as he pointed behind Gwen. The Whiter Ranger whirled around to see a black rune hovering above Smashsquatch's remains. A tornado of black energy appeared around it, piecing Smashsquatch back together before the resurrection rune seared itself onto the back of Smashsquatch's neck.

"Ready to smash!" Smashsquatch said with a laugh as he grew to the size of a skyscraper. The Rangers cried out as the ceiling shattered from Smashsquatch's growth and fell towards them. Smashsquatch looked down at the Rangers as they were buried in the debris.

"Number Nine! Golem! TIme to Start the Legend!" a voice announced. Suddenly, the debris that had piled up on the Rangers shattered, leaving the Rangers none the worse for wear. Arthur had the rocky gloves back on his fists, which had just been used to destroy the debris.

"Let us defeat this Fae Beast once and for all," Arthur said as the gloves shattered apart and reformed into his Legend Blade.

"Fine," Gwen sighed as she and the other Rangers pressed the button on their belt buckles and pulled out their Zord Emblems. They quickly inserted them into their Legend Blades.

"Dragon Legendzord! Hippogriff Legendzord! Gargoyle Legendzord! Basilisk Legendzord! Unicorn Legendzord! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blades announced as the swords glowed the Rangers' colors. Suddenly, colored beams of light flew from the tips of their swords and arced into the sky. The beams flew into a cave and struck statues of the Rangers' Legendary Creatures. The statues' eyes began to glow as the stone forming their bodies cracked before shattering, revealing the Zords inside. They ran, flew or slithered out of the cave and reached the Rangers in seconds.

The Rangers leapt into the Zords' heads, the metal morphing to allow them entry, before stabbing their swords into the contraption on their right. The Zords bellowed in response to the link.

"I see no reason to waste time," Arthur said as he pulled a duplicate Dragon Legendzord Emblem from his belt buckle and held it in front of himself before hurling it forward. "Zord Combine!"

The Gargoyle Legendzord's body rotated upwards as the wings folded onto its back and its back legs folded into the body. Its front arms supported the weight that the head was now bearing. A large hole opened in the end of the Legendzord's body that was up in the air.

The Unicorn Legendzord did a similar thing, its legs also folded into the body as its front legs bent to support the weight that the head was now bearing. A large hole opened in the end of the Legendzord's body that was up in the air.

The Basilisk Legendzord's head came off as it curled into a "u" shape. Each one of the Legendzord's ends slid into the holes in the Gargoyle and Unicorn Legendzord's bodies and clicked into place, forming the hips and upper legs.

The Dragon Legendzord and Hippogriff Legendzord arced upwards. They let out a roar and a screech respectively as their bellies slammed together. The heads and necks of the Legendzords rotated around to create arms, while the heads detached and attached to the shoulders. However, there was still a large shield-shaped hole in the chest of the Megazord and two large bumps right where the head should be. The main body of the Megazord slammed down onto the legs as the Basilisk Legendzord's head connected above the waist. For the final steps, the Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem slid into the shield-shaped hole in the chest and the bumps, half red and half blue, opened up to reveal a Knight-like helmet with a robotic mouth visible under the visor.

"Gallant Legend Megazord!" the Rangers shouted as they landed on the platforms, each one in their own color, before inserting their Legend Blades into the contraptions at their sides. "Ready for Battle!"

"Ready or not, here I come!" Smashsquatch shouted as he charged towards the Megazord, his fist drawn back.

"Oh, we're ready," Lance said the Rangers drew their swords from the contraptions, summoning a shield with the team's logo in one of the Megazord's hands and a brilliant silver longsword in the other. As Smashsquatch reached the Megazord, he slammed it into the Megazord's shield, which had been raised in time. However, the force of the punch caused the shield to curve inwards as a hole ripped into it, making it useless. The Gallant Legend Megazord looked at the shield as Lance gulped.

"Apparently not ready enough," Percy commented dryly as the Megazord dropped the broken shield. It brandished its sword as it slashed again and again at Smashsquatch, which had no effect whatsoever, sliding against his hard armor-like hair.

"This isn't working, so let's try the Qilin Legendzord!" Wayne said as he pulled out the Shield Emblem and inserted it into his Legend Blade.

"Qilin Legendzord! Time to Start the Legend!" the Legend Blade announced as the blade glowed gold. A beam flew out of the tip of the sword and flew towards an abandoned cave, where it struck a statue of a Qilin. The stone cracked before shattering, releasing the gold Qilin Legendzord from its slumber. The dragon-like Legendzord bellowed as it ran on its stubby legs towards the battle, reaching it in a few seconds. It slammed head first into Smashsquatch as he readied another punch, knocking him back.

"Zords Combine!" Wayne shouted as he hurled the Emblem forward.

The Dragon Legendzord Shield Emblem flew out of the body and flew forward, pushing Smashsquatch back, away from the Megazord. The Qilin Legendzord let out another bellow as its body and head separated. The body split in half and, as the Dragon and Hippogriff heads came off, went onto the shoulders with the legs in the air. The head split in half also and each half flew into the Megazord's hands. A gigantic Qilin Legendzord Shield Emblem flew into the hole in the chest, finishing the combination.

"Defensive Legend Megazord!" the Rangers shouted as the Megazord posed.

"I smashed one shield, I can smash a few more!" Smashsquatch shouted as he slammed his fists together before charging at the Defensive Legend Megazord with a flurry of punches. The Megazord was able to block the first few, but quickly found itself outmatched. After all, the shockwaves from the shields were not forcing Smashsquatch back like it had other Fae Beasts and he wasn't slowing down. Soon, the fists slipped past the Qilin Legendzord's head-shields and slammed into the body of the Megazord itself.

"We can't take much more of this!" Gwen shouted as the Megazord shuddered from the barrage of attacks.

"He's just too powerful!" Lance agreed. "It would take a miracle to beat him!"

It was then that the rattling stopped. Smashsquatch gasped as he struggled to catch his breath from the onslaught. He would need a minute or two to rest before he could attack again.

"We just need a new strategy," Wayne said. "Maybe we have something in our arsenal that can beat him. If only we had a way to change weapons or something, we might have a shot."

"And if wishes were fishes, no one would ever go hungry," Percy snapped. "We can't focus on 'if only' ideas. We need to think about what we can do."

Arthur was silent as he considered the other Rangers' words. If defense wasn't working, they would need a powerful offense and the Rangers had already seen their sword fail. If only Wayne was right…Then again, Arthur had this gut feeling that he was. Now if only he could implement it…That's when it hit him.

"I have an idea," Arthur said as he pulled out the Golem Shield Emblem from his belt and inserted it into his Legend Blade.

"Uh, Arthur, that only works outside the Megazord," Gwen said. "Have you lost your mind? We're wasting valuable time!"

"Wait, maybe he's onto something," Lance said.

"That's right, defend your boyfriend," Gwen snapped.

"What the hell does that mean?" Lance asked indignantly.

"You spend so much time with him, he must mean a lot to you, right?" Gwen asked. "Probably more than I mean to you. After all, you were willing to help him trick me. Just shows the difference in how much you care about each of us, right?"

"Gwen, look, I'm sorry," Lance said. "I was trying to help the greatest number of people I could and-"
"Keep telling yourself that," Gwen interrupted. "I sincerely hope you believe it, no matter how wrong it is."

"That's enough!" Arthur shouted as he pressed the button on the Legend Blade once. "We will have time to talk after this battle. First, we need to defeat this hairy abomination."

"Activate Fist Power!" the Legend Blade announced as all of the Rangers' Legend Blades shattered into fragments that turned to rock and flew onto the Rangers' fists, becoming rocky boxing gloves. The same thing happened to the Megazord, though the Shield Emblem in the chest didn't change.

"Gallant Legend Megazord: Fist Mode!" Arthur shouted.

"I can't believe it!" Wayne said with a laugh. "It worked!"

"I never could have done it without you suggesting it," Arthur said. "Now then, time to outpunch this beast."

The Megazord stomped forward as it started to barrage the just-recovered Smashsquatch with punches. It was a similar attack to what the Fae Beast had done, but because the Megazord was a robot, it could go longer than Smashsquatch could ever hope to. Smashsquatch let out a cry as the Gallant Legend Megazord: Fist Mode ended its barrage with an uppercut to the chin that sent Smashsquatch flying.

"Time to finish you!" Arthur said as he pressed the button on his right glove twice.

"This doesn't look good!" Smashsquatch shouted as the Megazord pulled back a glowing fist.

"Your Legend is Over!" Arthur shouted as the Megazord flew forward with its charged fist.

"Golem! Legend Smash!" Arthur's glove announced as the Megazord slammed its right rocky fist into Smashsquatch's gut before a shockwave of force flew through the glove and ripped right into Smashsquatch, creating a hole in his stomach.

"I got squashed!" Smashsquatch shouted as he fell backward, the Megazord whirling around in time to pose in front of the explosion.

"My knights, victory is ours!" Arthur announced.

"And now, we get to have a little chat," Gwen said.

"Oh boy," Wayne muttered as he buried his helmet in his hands.


"Did you think I wasn't going to find out?" Gwen asked. She didn't even give the guys a chance to answer before continuing. "Do you just think I'm stupid? Is that it?"

"We don't think you're stupid," Lance said. "We just thought-"

"You're right," Gwen interrupted. "Thinking is too generous. You just schemed a way to force me with a guy I have shown zero interest in and completely ignored my feelings. It's quite clear you weren't thinking at all."

Lance bowed his head in shame as Gwen shifted her focus to Wayne and Percy.

"And you two just let this happen," she said. "Did you not consider that this plot you were hearing was wrong?"

"It wasn't my problem whether it was wrong or not," Percy replied. "It doesn't affect me, so why should I care?"

"And I just…didn't consider it," Wayne said. "I figured things would work out fine in the end."

"So, you're an asshole and you're an optimist," Gwen said as she pointed to each young man in turn. "And you, Arthur, you're the mastermind behind all of this."

"I am," Arthur said. "I forced Lance into tricking you. Do not hold any animosity against him. The blame is mine to claim."

Lance looked over at Arthur in shock. Was Arthur really throwing himself completely under the bus to protect Lance? They had been co-conspirators at best, with Lance making up a majority of the plan. Was Arthur really willing to take the blame completely? Was Lance really ok with that? He wasn't sure.

"Arthur, wait-" Lance said before Arthur put a hand up to stop him.

"I do not want your relationship with Lance to be soured by my actions, Gwen," Arthur explained. "Hold your contempt to me and me alone."

"Oh, contempt is one word for it," Gwen said as she crossed her arms. "But why are you so adamant about taking the blame? I thought the point of this little scheme was to get me interested in you. Which, just so you know, did not work."

"Because a small bump like this will not ruin our relationship completely," Arthur said as Gwen's eyebrows arched. "After all, we are destined to be together and-"

There was the sound of bone hitting bone as Gwen punched Arthur straight in the face.

"I hate that word," she hissed as she jabbed her finger into Arthur's chest. "No one, man or god, decides my destiny and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. So get this stupid idea out of your head. The two of us are never getting together and that's the end of it." She turned to Lance. "Lance, I guess I have no reason to be mad at you if it was all this jackass's fault. Could you take me home?"

"Uh…sure," Lance said as he led the way to his disguised Pegasus Cycle.

"Eat shit," Gwen said to Arthur before whirling around and stomping off towards Lance. A few seconds later, the two of them had their helmets on and rode off.

"Ouch," Wayne said as he grabbed Arthur by the shoulder. "You think maybe this is a good sign you should back off?"

"I believe that will be the proper action for the moment," Arthur said. "I'm just glad Lyn was not here to see this humiliation."

"Yeah, but at least she helped out with that Golem Shield Emblem," Wayne said. "That being said, I hope she comes back soon and that she isn't having trouble."

"As do I," Arthur said.
"You two worry too much," Percy said. "I'm sure Lyn's fine. It was just a sabbatical. She'll rebalance her magic and be back soon."

"Since when are you an optimist?" Wayne remarked.

"He has some strange optimism when it comes to Lyn," Arthur said. "He said something similar in the hospital."

"I call it the way I see it," Percy said. "She's a fighter and there's nothing she can't do if she puts her mind to it. She's fine."


So," Minokawa said as they looked at their fellow members in the Council of Wings. "We have made our decision."

"I don't like it," Itsumade said with a dismissive mental sniff. "I still think we shouldn't give in to this human and spirit's demands."

"The council voted and you lost," Yosuzume replied. "You would do best to come to terms with it."

"Chakora supposes that she can find something to like about the human," Chakora said. "Chakora might have voted against helping, but Chakora respects her friends."

"There is the potential for virtue in that human they call 'Lyn'," Thunderbird replied. "I am pleased we will help it grow."

"That's one word for it," Huma said. "But will she be willing to accept our gift? I've calculated some of the potential outcomes and there is great risk to her and the immortal Phoenix Spirit if it fails."

"I have a feeling she will accept that risk in stride," Minokawa said before letting out a loud telepathic call to the guards outside. "Bring in the human and the Immortal Phoenix Spirit! The Council of Wings would have words with them!"

And that's it for another chapter! This one, like I said before, was even weirder before, with Gwen, Arthur and Lance going as a group to Chip Sombrero's. A lot of it was the same besides that, besides a threesome joke and a few other jabs at Arthur's expense. I feel like this version works a lot better, even if it does take a little bit of a leap in logic to work properly.

I look forward to seeing what you guys think of next week's chapter. I just have a little bit more to write and some editing to do, but it'll be ready for my birthday next week. Look forward to it!

Just remember one thing for me: may the power protect you, always.