Mystic Faith Part Two
Nick and Vida were always ready to run headfast into battle, living for the adrenaline rush.
Chip was in it for the adventure and thrill.
She was much like Xander, always trying for a peaceful resolution before resigning themselves to the fact that no matter how much they wanted, the merlocks only understood the language of war.
Madison never liked conflict or fighting, yet now she was the only one who could.
As the cave crumbled around them, her first thought was for the safety of her team, who were defenseless without the protection of their suits and something happened before she could realize it.
Blue light exploded out of her, nearly blinding her, and when it subsided a second later, she saw herself floating above the debris encased in a protective bubble, and she saw her friends in another one, unharmed.
Before she could catch a breath, one of Master's tentacles slammed against her protective bubble, throwing it towards the rubble.
The bubble shattered on impact, and she rolled on the dusty floor.
"Even with all this power, you are weak!" The Master sneered from above.
"Maddie!" She could hear Vida and the others yell out her name, and she forced herself to focus.
Bolts of red lightning darted towards her, but she was ready. A giant shield appeared before her, absorbing the attacks.
She noticed that even now, the Master was keeping distance between them.
Her powers were weakening him.
It made sense.
The Master got his powers from despair, while she channeled it from belief… faith… hope.
She had so many questions about where this new power came from, but there would be time for that later.
Now, she needed to find a way back to Briarwood.
She took to the air, taking the Master's focus, while mentally directing the bubble holding her friends to gently lower them to the ground, before dissipating away.
"You said this is the future of our world, but you were lying, weren't you?" She asked him. "From what Udonna told us, even the simplest of temporal spells takes up a lot of magic, and knowing how gluttonous you are, you don't seem the type to expend all the magic you stole from us just to take a trip to the future. This is just a pocket dimension, isn't it? All this talk of great power, but in reality, you hide behind illusions and thievery."
The Master's nostrils flared with anger, and his tentacles dug to the ground, excavating mountainous chunks of the desiccated earth, and threw them at her.
Madison flew to dodge the barrage of boulders, but the Master doubled the attacks with lightning bolts, which even if she dodged directly, hit some of the boulders, splintering them into slightly smaller fragments, but still large enough to crush her.
She formed a bubble around herself, protecting her from being directly hit by the attacks, though the bubble itself took many hits, and was thrusted around like a ping pong ball.
Thankfully, her transformed self was not susceptible to motion sickness. Otherwise, she would be vomiting her guts out by the constant whirling of the bubble.
Her powers had changed. While she still had magic, it was not as strong as what it was, when she was usually morphed. She didn't have her magi staff or her morpher anywhere on her, nor did she feel tethered to Xenotome's grimoire of infinite spells. The only thing aside from her suit was a sapphire ring on her index finger, with a strange symbol on it… same as the one on her chest. She could sense it was the source of her new powers, but nothing more than that. Maybe her morpher had changed to that ring.
Whatever the case, despite the incredible new abilities she now possessed, she wished she could access her titan mode, so she could fight the towering form of the Master on equal ground.
Wait…
Maybe, she still can.
An insane idea took form in her mind, and she took a deep breath, not knowing if it would work, but really hoping it did.
She closed her eyes, and visualized her titan form in her mind's eye… how giant it was, how powerful, and how it felt…
She heard a startled gasp, and smiled, opening her eyes to see herself in a glimmering blue sphere, which was connected to a larger structure.
She looked up to see the outline of her mystic titan form standing tall, with her bubble encased inside the titan's chest. The titan despite looking like the actual titan form she accessed, was less metallic and more consolidated blue energy.
She raised her hands upward, and the titan mimicked her movements. A trident appeared in her hands, while a giant trident appeared in the titan's hand.
The Master wasted no time in shooting lightning bolts at her, but she swung the trident, and the titan did the same, deflecting the lightning attacks.
She felt herself connected to the projection. It wasn't as perfect as what her original titan form had been, but it was close enough.
She pounced at the Master, who promptly shielded himself with his tentacles, but her trident cut through the tentacles, eliciting painful shrieks from him, and stabbed his chest.
She dug the trident, deeper, forcing the Master to his knees, as the magic he had stolen seeped out, first as glowing bubbles of light, and then, as a gushing stream of intense light.
The surrounding began to shimmer, as the dark dimension fell apart, and they found themselves back in the battleground of Briarwood.
"No!" The Master yelled, reverting into his normal shape and size, and escaping her hold.
However, before he could escape or launch another attack, the other mystics surrounded him, morphed and armed with their magi staffs.
"Do you believe you can take me on!" He thundered. "I AM THE MASTER OF THE UNDERWORLD!"
Madison let go of her titan construct, and joined her friends, as they circled their opponent, whose wounds were still gaping and leaking magic.
"The Underworld is not yours anymore." Another voice cut through the emptiness of the evacuated city sector.
The rangers turned their heads at the familiar voice to see Udonna stroll towards them, completely unharmed and escorted by Necrolai and Itassis.
"Itassis! You are alive!" The Master gasped. "Where is Sculpin!"
"He is no more." The terror told him nonchalantly.
"What!" He yelled in disbelief. "What are you standing there for! Itassis, Necrolai, slay the mystics, starting with the white witch!"
The rangers tensed at his words, but the villainesses stayed where they were.
"I said, DESTROY HER!" He yelled again, but his words went unheeded.
"We don't blindly follow you anymore." Necrolai said coldly.
"Courage is the truth of magic… Light and creation, its wonders, not death and destruction." Itassis said softly, her eyes wandering over to Daggeron's prone form. "I see that now, even if I fear it might be far too late."
"BUT I AM YOUR MASTER!" He spluttered in indignation.
Itassis armed her sphinx canon, aiming at the Master, and the rangers promptly moved out of the way, as she fired.
"This puppet has cut the strings." She spat, as a golden beam of raw magic slammed against the monstrous being, throwing it back. In his prime, he would have easily absorbed the blast, but weakened and battered, he was forced to endure it, even as the energies wracked through his form.
"This is not over!" He vowed, as a spell circle flashed underneath him, and he disappeared in a puff of crimson smoke.
The rangers demorphed, except Madison, whose eyebrows furrowed when she realized saying "Power Down" didn't automatically revert her back to her civilian form, but before she could think more about it, she saw Nick run towards Udonna, as silent tears ran down from their eyes.
Madison smiled lightly, hugging her sister and the others, even though her eyes were still fixed on Udonna and Nick's somber faces before wandering towards the fallen knights.
"Tell me white sorceress, why do you shed tears?" Itassis asked Udonna curiously.
"The tears are for our sadness, our losses…" She told her new ally. "For my husband, Leanbow… and our dear friend, Daggeron."
"That is something I cannot help you with." The former terror lowered her head apologetically.
"But I know someone who can…" Another voice said, as a golden spell circle appeared before them, and three individuals stepped out.
Clare, clad in an orange gown marked with ruins and symbols of the arcane order.
The Snow Prince, in his glacial blue form.
And a third woman, whom Madison didn't recognize. A woman in white robes, with a M shaped tiara much like her own on her forehead.
"Mystic Mother!" Udonna gasped reverently. "You survived!"
"I did, my child. Just before that abomination could drain the last of my magic, I teleported myself to a refuge which no one would associate with me…" She said slowly. "My old dark dimension, but I was still wounded, and fell unconscious, while my magical energies rejuvenated and healed my form, which was why I was unable to offer my assistance before."
The rangers looked at the newcomer. They had heard of her just before the final battle began, but they barely knew anything of her aside from the fact that she was a ceremonial figure for the mystic realm… someone the forces of Light hold in high regard.
"What did you mean when… Can you help my husband and Daggeron?" Udonna asked.
"I can't." Mystic Mother said softly, before pointing her finger at Madison. "But she can…"
Udonna turned to look at her as well, and the others as well. In midst of the battle and the loss of their friends hitting them, her new found powers had not been discussed.
"Madison…" Udonna muttered. "What… You do not wear the armour of the mystic anymore."
"I don't understand it myself." She shrugged. "But if there's anything I can do to help, I will…"
"You are not a ranger anymore, Madison Rocca. You are a champion of Adara." The Mystic Mother said, walking towards her.
"That's what the Master called me." Madison registered. "What does that mean?"
"Don't call him that!" The Mystic Mother said scornfully. "That creature is not a master of anything. Call him by his true name… Octomus. But back to the matter at hand, it means you are part of something greater. The power you channel is older than even the ways of the mystics and ancient than even the Morphin Masters themselves… You embody hope itself. You are not a blue ranger anymore. You are now the Blue Lantern."
She paused.
"I know it doesn't explain much, but hope is the foundation of belief and faith, which in turn creates magic." The Mystic Mother said patiently. "The answer to why or how you have acquired this great power eludes me, but right now, you are one of the most powerful beings in the universe."
Madison blinked in disbelief.
"All I did was morph." She shook her head. "I… Can you tell me how to help Daggeron and Leanbow?"
"With your powers, you can heal wounds or replenish the energies and magic of people around you… While Leanbow and Daggeron appear dead, they were struck down in their ancient mystic modes, and the forms remain… which means their bodies are still unwounded, merely in stasis due to severe deprivation of magic. All they need to reawaken, is a fraction of your energies… your hope."
Madison gulped. That kind of made sense, but everything the Mystic Mother still felt like gibberish. Then, she remembered during the battle with the Master in his pocket dimension, when she had morphed into this lantern form, the energy that was expelled had healed her friends. Maybe it was something like that.
She walked over to where the two knights were laid on the ground, and knelt beside them. She closed her eyes and extended her hands over their bodies, and concentrated.
She reached out with her energies, with only directive… to heal them completely.
She focused on the faces of Daggeron. How he had trained them and warmed up to them.
She thought of Leanbow. How his reappearance had made Udonna and Nick happier.
It was a long shot, but she even thought of Jenji… of how the genie had sacrificed himself to protect them from Sculpin's attack.
And she let all her powers flow out.
She opened her eyes to see a wave of blue light wash over them all.
The ancient mystic modes of the knights shattered to reveal their human forms, before both took a deep breath, waking up.
Udonna and Nick ran over to them, as they stood up, hugging Leanbow, tears of joy and relief escaping their eyes.
"Thank you…" Nick mouthed at her, while hugging his parents, and she nodded her head happily.
She suddenly noticed that she was back in her civilian clothes. She searched her pockets for her morpher but it wasn't there anymore, but the sapphire ring on her finger was still there.
"Great to have you back, teach!" Chip grinned as he hugged Daggeron.
"Great to be back!" The solaris knight laughed.
"Hey don't forget about me!" Another familiar voice said, and they turned around to see Jenji as he appeared before them.
"Jenji!" Madison laughed, hugging him. "It worked!"
"Whatever you did, it didn't just bring me back…" The feline genie said, letting her go, as he showed her his wrists, which were no longer clad in grey shackles. "You freed me from the lamp."
Madison laughed, as Clare came in to hug the cat next, while she hugged Daggeron quickly before hugging her sister, Chip and Xander.
"You really stepped up, sis!" Vida said proudly.
"Yeah, you saved all our asses back there." Xander agreed.
"And you sent the Master packing!" Chip added. "You were like Majestia, but magical and better!"
"I don't know what I did…" Madison admitted. "All I knew was that I couldn't give in… That we had to make it out of there."
"And we did." Nick came over, joining the hug. "Thanks to you."
Madison blushed. "Any of you would have done the same…"
"Shut up and take the credit, sis." Vida elbowed her.
There were hugs and cheers all around, as they celebrated surviving their greatest foe and reuniting with those, they had thought they had lost, when the skies darkened again.
The Master's laugh echoed through the streets as his form towered over them once more.
"Great! Look who's back for round 2." Xander said darkly.
"I have got an idea!" Jenji piped up. "Let's all run!"
"No." Nick said before anyone else could say anything. "I am through running."
"I found my birth parents." He looked at Udonna and Leanbow, who smiled at him.
"I have found my home." He smiled at Madison, gently taking her hand, and if they were not facing the ultimate evil right now, she would have fainted from joy. She smiled, even though she could tell her cheeks were probably redder than Nick's suit right now.
"No more running." Nick looked up at Octomus defiantly. "I stand and fight!"
The others cheered loudly.
"Yeah, we fight!" Vida yelled, taking her other hand.
"So be it!" The Master chuckled, before noticing the Mystic Mother.
"YOU! I DESTROYED YOU!"
"You were mistaken, Octomus." She smirked at him. "I warned you, good magic is more powerful than evil."
"Let's do it, guys. One last time!" Nick yelled, letting go of her as he reached for his morpher. The others also reached for their morphers, while Madison gulped.
Her morpher was gone. Does that mean she was powerless to fight?
"Maddy?" Vida asked, noticing her plight.
"My morpher… It's vanished." She said slowly.
"What do you mean?" Udonna asked worriedly.
"Your morpher has not vanished, young one." The Mystic Mother chuckled, coming forward, and pointing to the blue ring on her finger. "It has just changed. Call upon your power, and it will appear."
"Theatrics!" Octomus scoffed from above, letting loose a torrent of crimson energy at them.
Clare raised her hands, and a crystalline dome shaped shield encased them, shielding them from the blast.
"Clare, you have powers?" Nick asked.
"Yes! The Mystic Mother made me a full sorceress!" She said giddily.
"I merely brought your full potential to the surface, child. The power was always within you." The elderly woman said. "But there will be time for explanations later. Morph, Mystic Ones!"
The rangers didn't waste any more time, before raising their morphers to the skies.
"MAGICAL SOURCE, MYSTIC FORCE!" They yelled with vigour, while Madison closed her eyes and focused on the power, she had held just moments prior, and a string of words came to her mind, just like the morphing calls, but something more serious than that… like a promise, or an oath.
"In fearful day…" The other rangers paused to look at her, as she started to chant and her body lit up in a blue glow. "In raging night, with strong hearts full, our souls ignite. When all seems lost in the war of light, look to the stars, for HOPE BURNS BRIGHT!"
As she finished speaking, she was once more clad in the mysterious form fitting blue armour and her eyes lit up with an azure glow.
"Incredible…" The Mystic Mother murmured, as Clare lowered her shield.
"Be careful, mystic ones. He absorbs magic itself. He will use your own power against you if you let him." Mystic Mother warned them.
"But he is weakened by my new powers." Madison noted as a plan came together in her mind. "I have an idea. I will hold him, so that he is weakened and can't absorb his magic, and then you guys attack him."
"That is a sound plan, blue ranger." Itassis commended her. "Without his succubae spell, he is just another monster."
"Let's do it guys!" Nick said. "It's time to finish him once and for all so that he never endangers the world ever again."
The rangers nodded, preparing themselves for what they hoped was their final battle against the forces of darkness.
Hope you guys enjoyed reading this, and please review. :)
I had fun rewriting the scenes of "Mystic Fate" and tweaking them to fit this AU, though I could not help but add some easter eggs like mentioning the Dark Dimension from MMPR to explain Mystic Mother's absence.