Disclaimer: This is the 29th fic of the Earth Crystals Saga. Astounding. Power Rangers and all related indicia belong to Saban. Pac-Man belongs to Atari, I'd imagine. Another reference belongs to Nintendo. I rate it PG-13 for violence, disembodied skulls, and a few heavy thoughts. Maggie, Molly, Heather, Martin, and Marge's grandfather belong to me. If you'd like to use them, just drop me a line. I'm almost positive I won't mind. One plot point was blatantly stolen from the movie "Ghostbusters," which I decided to steal only after Cheryl Roberts stole it for one of her fics.

Firewalker
By Jeremy Ray Logsdon

In the early morning hours of the day after Thanksgiving, many events had already transpired across the cosmos. While most of Angel Grove was just going about its regular, everyday business, though, in one spot on Brady Street, Angel Grove, one young woman was trying desperately to muster up more than just a minor sparkle of magic.

Marge Lubbock, Mancer-in-Training, was searching for her elemental calling. Her grandfather, an Aquamancer, had given her some tips. However, she was beginning to think that she would never be able to find a medium in which to yield her magic.

The Red Thunder Ranger dipped her fingers in a clear bowl filled with water. Sitting Indian style on the floor before the bowl and her magic book, she quickly glanced over the inscription in the book, closed her eyes, and solemnly chanted, "I beseech thee, powers of water. Guide me in my quest; instill in me the tranquility of the waters."

She waited a few moments, and then, she opened her eyes. The bowl of water was glowing a subdued red, but as soon as she removed her fingers, the glow faded. Mancers could channel their energy through any medium; she, however, was on a search for the one particular element or medium that would suit her best. And after many hours and many failed attempts, she was no closer to finding it than she was before she began.

"I didn't think it would be water," she muttered, scratching through the word Aquamancer on a legal pad beside her.

She flipped through a few more pages in her book, scanned the words, and lifted her hands into the air. "I beseech thee, powers of air. Guide me in my quest; instill in me the fluidity of the winds."

Again, there was a glow around her fingers, but it was another failed attempt.

"Crud."

She leapt to her feet, hurried over to her computer, and gently rested her hands on the monitor. "I beseech thee, powers of technology. Guide me in my quest; instill in me the new wisdom of technology."

Growling under her throat at the failed attempt, she darted over to her dresser and rummaged through her jewelry box. It took her a few moments, but she soon enough found a suitable ring. Cradling it, she spoke, "I beseech thee, powers of quartz. Guide me in my quest; instill in me the clarity of the crystal.

"Son of a-"

"May I come in?" her grandfather asked from the door.

"Please," she said, walking over to her bed and sitting down heavily.

"Brought you a bowl of dirt," he announced with a smile.

"Thanks," Marge said, grinning. Plunging her fingers into the substance, she implored, "I beseech thee, powers of earth. Guide me in my quest; instill in me the strength of the soil."

After the anticlimactic glow, he asked, "What all have you tried?"

"Everything. I've got a list of some stuff, but I can't even find half of these things."

"Have you tried fire?"

Nervously, she admitted, "I've been afraid to try."

"How come?"

"I was looking through the magic book, and saw the fire people have some scars on their fingers. I talked to one man from Tokyo. They can charm away their scars, but they keep 'em because they're proud of them."

"You're a smart, patient woman, Marjorie," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out."

"I hope-" She looked up and saw the room was empty. "-so." Having her grandfather suddenly disappear on her was going to take some getting used to.

She opened the book again and scrolled through the possible lists of Mancers. It was always possible she could find a new medium that no one had used before, but it was extremely unlikely. And as it was, she had reached the end of her list of easily identifiable objects. Fire was the only thing she had left.

"All right," she groused, grabbing a sheet of paper off of her desk and a lighter most often used to light candles.

Just as she was about to light the paper, she remembered a trick her older brother had taught her years before. One summer, he had taken up juggling as a hobby. After learning to juggle clubs, he had moved on to fire batons. For his fuel, he used alcohol rather than kerosene. He was still a pretty bad juggler, and he often grabbed the burning end as often as the right end, which was why he used alcohol. It burned at a much lower temperature than most fuels. It was still fire, but it was a much safer fire.

Marge hurried to her bathroom and grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol from the medicine cabinet. Also seizing a dry washcloth from the closet behind her, she doused the washcloth with alcohol and returned to her bedroom. She touched the lighter flame to the saturated washcloth, and it immediately lit up with pale flames. It didn't burn as brightly, but it was burning, just the same.

Closing her eyes, she quickly juggled the burning washcloth back and forth between her hands. Even if it did burn at a lower temperature, it was still a bit uncomfortable to hold. It was cool enough, though, that if she kept it moving, she was unharmed. Hurriedly, she chanted, "I beseech thee, powers of fire. Guide me in my quest; instill in me the energy of the flames."

Instantly, the heat filling her hands disappeared. She opened her eyes and saw an intense cloud of fire had coalesced around her fists. "I've done it!" she cried triumphantly. The cloud of fire disappeared, but the energy of the flames was indeed dancing through her veins.

"I'm a Pyromancer," she said happily. Just as she reached for the phone to call her grandfather, the red dragon tattoo on her left hand lit up and she heard a two-toned ring. "I'm here, DECA," she said as she pressed the emblem on her skin.

"Congratulations, Marge," DECA returned. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks," Marge said, a smile evident in her voice.

"Marge, can you please come to HQ?" DECA asked. "I have some things to tell you that would be simpler in person."

"I'll be there in just a few."


"In the next few days, Marge, you'll be presented with a Quest. Every new Mancer must successfully complete this Quest before they can become a full-fledged Mancer. You can use no significant magic until then."

"How dangerous is this Quest?" Marge asked, looking at the black and green oscilloscope that undulated with DECA's every word.

"Extremely dangerous," DECA said. "Just because you have magical powers is no guarantee that you will survive."

"This is what the book said about the people who just disappear out of society, isn't it?" Marge asked. "They really just die on their quest?"

"Yes, it is."

"Will I be allowed to use my Ranger powers, if I need to?"

"Most assuredly. The other Rangers may even be able to journey on your quest with you. Do not worry, Marge. If I thought even for a moment that you could not survive any challenge presented you, I would never have given you the tools to become a Mancer."


"It's a shame Ernie's got flattened," Molly remarked as she tacked a curtain of shiny, blue foil to the lowest rafters. Molly and Hallie were standing atop ladders in the gym, hanging huge foil sheets in various wintry shades to cover the less attractive areas of the gym. The dance committee, headed by Ms. Appleby, was doing their best to transform the high school gymnasium into a Winter Wonderland, and so far, they were doing an admirable job.

"The new Youth Center is supposed to be even better than the old one," Cassie said.

"Yeah, we talked to Ernie this morning," Ashley continued. "He's got all these great plans. An aerobics studio, a juice bar, restaurant, dance studio… It's gonna be great."

"Did he say when he expects a grand re-opening?" Hallie asked, climbing down from her ladder.

"They're bulldozing the lot today," TJ answered.

"He's hoping for a Christmas opening," Ashley answered. "Apparently, he's got so much money now, he's in the position to say, 'Do it quick, no matter how much it costs.'"

Suddenly, Molly hopped down off of her ladder and looked at the far end of the gym. Maggie and Martin were stringing clear lights along a series of short trees, but the Pink Thunder Ranger had already stopped. She gestured to her sister that she, too, had gotten the signal, and she began to excuse herself to Martin.

"You have to go?" Martin asked. "How come?"

"Something just came up," she said. "But… Come to my house at ten 'til six, okay?"

Martin grinned happily, blushed, and answered, "Okay."

"Ms. Appleby, we need to go," Molly told her, already walking toward the exit. "Maggie and I. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Make sure you sign out on the clipboard," Ms. Appleby said over her shoulder as the two girls hurried out of the gym. As soon as they were completely out of sight, they tapped their tattoos and vanished away in pink and yellow glimmers of light.


"Mt. Jasmine," DECA said as the holographic display lit up with the mountain. "Until this morning, it was an extinct volcano."

"That's only about thirty minutes outside of Silver Falls," David said, referring to one of Angel Grove's sister cities.

"It's going to erupt soon?" Heather asked. "How soon?"

"Within a few hours," DECA said.

"Thirty minutes outside of Silver Falls," Maggie repeated. Looking at David, she asked, "Is that like thirty miles?"

"About," he said. Looking at DECA's screen, he asked, "How big will the eruption be?"

"It's going to make Mt. St. Helens look like a hiccup," Marge answered. "Silver Falls will be wiped off the map. Stone Canyon will be damaged beyond repair, and Angel Grove will also suffer thousands of fatalities. A cloud of ash is going to surround the planet for roughly three months. It won't block out the sun completely, but… it is going to get a bit chilly pretty much everywhere. And earthquakes will be triggered all along the San Andreas Fault that are going to decimate every city within any proximity."

"That sounds like a hydrogen bomb," Heather commented.

"It's actually more like several hundred hydrogen bombs," Marge said.

"Can we stop natural phenomena?" David asked. "And have the other Rangers been notified?"

"We cannot easily stop a natural volcanic eruption," DECA said.

"Shouldn't we be notifying people in all these cities?" Molly asked.

"Civilians have not been notified, because this is not a natural volcanic eruption," DECA answered. "A new evil has been unleashed on the planet, and they are responsible for Mt. Jasmine's eminent eruption."

"New villains?" David asked. "I thought Zordon destroyed all of them last Friday."

"He destroyed all active villains," DECA clarified. "Those in hibernation were not affected. The power source for these five demons has been sealed up in a sarcophagus in Egypt, but it was opened this morning. Apparently, the powerless demons have been hibernating in Mt. Jasmine for some time. The reasons are not yet known, but now that they have their powers back, they've decided to cause trouble."

"So these five bad guys are about to make the volcano erupt?" Heather asked. "Well, you gotta give 'em credit for originality."

"This ties directly in with me," Marge spoke up. "I completed my Mancer training recently, and I've discovered that my element is fire. I'm a Pyromancer."

"Congratulations!" Maggie said energetically. Similar but silent emotions passed among the group.

"Thanks," Marge accepted, "but now, I have to undergo a quest. I have to prove myself worthy of my powers, and DECA believes this is my quest. I don't have to go alone, and I'm hoping you'll come with me to help me stop these demons and prevent the eruption. I could really use the backup."

"I'll come with you, Marge," David said eagerly.

"Me too," Heather affirmed, nodding.

"We're in," Maggie answered for herself and her sister.

"What exactly are we going to do?" Molly asked.

"I'm going to need to cast a spell of some type," Marge said, "and I'll need you all to watch my back. Probably a series of spells… Whoever these demons are, they aren't going to like me being there. You'll have to fight them off for me, so you'll need to be morphed."

"I'm in, but… how long will this take?" Maggie asked.

"Hopefully, just a few minutes," Marge said. "I have some ideas on how to solve the problem. Don't worry. We'll be back in time for the dance."

"I can teleport you there whenever you are ready," DECA said.

"Let's do it, guys," Marge agreed. "Thunder Bolt, Now!"


"Geeze, it's dark in here," Maggie complained as soon as the diffuse glow from their teleport had faded.

"We're in a cave, Maggie," Marge said. "Of course it's dark."

"Just activate your Power Beams," Heather suggested. In unison, the eyes on the animal design on all five helmets opened just a bit wider, allowing bright, halogen lights to shine forth.

"Rangers!" a male voice called from a passage to the right. Footsteps running away sounded next.

"Wait," Marge said quickly, stopping the others from running after the mysterious voice. "It's a trap. He saw us before we saw him."

David agreed, "She's right. It would have been to his favor to have remained silent."

"So what do we do?" Molly asked, her hand resting lightly on the Blaster at her hip.

"You just need to cast your spell, right?" Heather asked. At Marge's nod, Heather continued, "Do you need to cast it in a specific place, or will anywhere do?"

"So long as I'm in the volcano," Marge said, "which we are."

"Then let Maggie, Molly, and myself go after whoever that was," Heather suggested. "If it's a trap, then we'll fight our way out."

"We might be dealing with another Rito Revolto," Maggie theorized.

"David can stay here and watch your back while you cast your spell," Heather said.

"What is your spell?" Molly asked.

"I'm going to flush the evil out of the mountain and weave a temporal folding spell to restore the mountain to the state it was in before the caves were created," Marge said.

"Can you do that?" Maggie asked.

"That's the test," Marge answered. "I sure hope so."

"Then let's go, girls," Heather said, walking off in the direction of the voice. Maggie and Molly, Blasters out, were close behind.

"What do you want me to do?" David asked.

"Just watch my back."

Marge knelt down on the ground and demorphed in a red flash of light. As soon as she demorphed, she found herself in her civilian clothing and a small duffel bag around one shoulder. Kneeling on the ground, she opened it and removed a flashlight and her magic book.

"Do you need some light?" he asked.

"Give me a minute," she said. She held her magic book open with one hand, shone the flashlight on it with the other, and found the expected spell displayed on the page before her in an elegant, handwritten script. "No, I'm good."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the spell and chanted, "Fire within me, radiance abound, light my path." Magically, an area around her about ten feet in diameter lit up brightly.

"Those words made that happen?" David asked in surprise. "Wow. Talk about power."

"There are about ten thousand extremely simple spells that have been performed so often, they just kind of come with being a Mancer," Marge said. "No skill needed."

"In the genes, huh?"

"Sort of. And that's one of the simple spells. Eventually, though, I'm going to need to learn a variety of dead languages… Latin, ancient Aramaic, Olde English… A few others." Smiling eagerly, she looked up at him and said, "I'll get to write a few of my own spells, even, but I need to decide what language I'm going to write them in. I'll probably use Aramaic, because that's a language my grandfather speaks and that's what all of his spells are in."

"You're an amazing woman, Marge," David told her, a smile evident in his tone.

"Thanks," she said. "And it just occurred to me, I can bend your ear all about it when we aren't sitting inside a killer volcano full of demons."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," David returned.

"You better."


"They're on their way!" the tall henchbeast, Jinxer, cried as he ran up through the cavernous maze.

Vypra, a humanoid who looked to be of Asian descent with a large pair of bat wings on her back, was standing in the middle of a particularly long passage. Mounted on the ceiling above her was a small, black device, barely visible.

"All five?" Vypra asked, folding her arms across her chest as Jinxer joined her.

"Only three," Jinxer answered.

"And we only needed two," Vypra said with a quirky smile. Flicking her hand, she activated the device mounted on the ceiling, and then, the two disappeared from the hallway.


"I thought I heard voices up here," Heather said as the three blonde Rangers carefully traversed the dark labyrinthine passages. Heather and Molly held the front of the group, while Maggie was walking behind them backwards, her Thunder Blaster aimed at the empty space behind her.

"Power Scan," Molly commanded quietly. The black visor on her helmet rapidly transformed into a sheet of silver with a yellow light traversing the horizontal midline. Immediately, her field of vision changed, allowing her to analyze each and every thing her gaze landed upon.

"Do you see anything?" Maggie asked.

"Nothing," Molly answered.

However, as soon as she said that, a minor alarm went off on her scan. The black device planted into the ceiling began to flash red in her vision. White light in a strobe effect began to flash in the tunnel.

"Get out of the way!" Molly cried, throwing herself into Heather and knocking her to the ground. Maggie jumped backwards as soon as the light touched her, but Heather and Molly were temporarily stuck beneath the device. Molly, lying on her back on the floor, quickly pointed her Blaster at the ceiling and fired. It immediately shorted out, and the light faded away.

"Are you okay?" Maggie asked, hurrying to her teammates and helping them up.

"I feel fine," Heather answered.

"I don't think it did whatever it was supposed to do," Molly said, looking at her own body. "If anything weird had happened, it should be showing up on my Scan, and it's clear."

The trio continued on through the maze, the silence only broken by the soft buzz of Molly's Power Scan and their footsteps. "I'm having the weirdest déjà vu, and I finally figured out what it is," Heather commented.

"What's that?" Maggie asked idly.

"A video game," Heather answered. "Remember Pac-Man? Y'know, the little yellow dude who was always in a maze, eating those little energy pellets and being chased by ghosts?"

Molly started to say something, but before she could form her thought into coherent words, any and all semblance of sanity left the situation. The stonewalls changed into a glowing, neon blue surface and giant, floating, softly glowing balls appeared in a single file line around them. "What just happened?" Molly finally managed to ask.

Maggie touched one of the closest balls. As soon as her glove touched the surface, it disappeared, and a loud "wocka" sounded. She moved up to another, and again, wocka. She hurried a few feet up the maze and ran through three of the glowing balls, producing a strangely enchanting wocka-wocka-wocka melody. "I think we're in a video game," Maggie answered strangely.

"Let's go back the way we came," Heather suggested hurriedly, back-tracking. However, as soon as she rounded the corner, she was presented with not a view of the cave they had left but a long, neon blue corridor, filled with energy pellets. "Okay… we're trapped," she said, turning back to her teammates.

"I think we've established what that thing on the ceiling was," Molly said. "Sort of."

"If we're in a video game," Maggie theorized, "then we can get out by beating the game. Right?"

"Makes sense to me," Molly agreed. "How do we beat Pac-Man?"

"We just need to clear the maze of these energy pellets," Heather said. "That's pretty simple. Let's just try and stay together, touch all of these pellets, and get out of here."

As the three began to walk down the long corridor filled with energy pellets, Molly commented, "If we run, we'll get out of here faster, right?"

"Sounds good to me," Heather said. The three shared a quick glance before tearing off down the corridor. Frantic "wocka-wocka"'s sounded through the air as they touched the energy pellets.

Just as they were about to reach the corner, a ghostly apparition darted out of nowhere. It was little more than a skeletal torso, encased in a glowing, translucent, red shroud. Its ghastly, grinning skull actually seemed to light up with joy as it saw the three Rangers.

"I forgot the ghosts! I forgot the ghosts!" Heather cried. She yanked her Thunder Blaster from her holster and fired a series of three shots. Each of the green blasts of energy merely passed harmlessly through the ghost. "Guns don't work! RUN!"

Screaming, Maggie and Molly turned tail and run. Heather, not surprisingly, was close behind, with the red ghost flying after, long skeletal arms reached toward them.

"Split up!" Heather shouted as they reached the end of the corridor. "It can't get all of us!"

Rounding the corner, all three ran through the first opening, and as they were immediately presented with a variety of turns and twists, they were quickly separated. "Where's the red ghost?!" Heather shouted.

"Not with me!" Molly answered back.

"Me neither!" Maggie cried, coming to a slow run and then a walk. Still cautious, she looked all around her as she entered a four-way intersection of the maze. "I think we lost him."

She had no more than said it, however, when a pink, but otherwise identical, ghost slid past her. As it caught sight of the Pink Ranger, it backpedaled and flew for her. "PINKY!" she screamed.

"There are four ghosts!" Heather remembered with a loud shout. She screamed as the orange ghost came barreling for her. Turning on her heel, she darted back down the corridor, looking over her shoulder for the orange ghost. She collided with a solid body, and both she and Molly screamed as the bounced off each other.

"Come on!" Molly cried, pulling Heather along behind her. Unfortunately, the orange ghost, Clyde, was close behind. The two Rangers continued to run screaming down the corridor, absorbing the energy pellets and leaving a cleared path behind them.

As they rounded the corner, however, they simultaneously ran into a much larger and more brightly glowing ball. Instantly, their armor began to shine with a soft glow, and as the orange ghost saw them, it slid to a halt, began to flicker blue, and ran away.

"Power Pellets!" Heather yelled. "We can kill the ghosts!"

Yelling at the top of their lungs, the Green and Yellow Thunder Rangers ran down the empty corridor. The orange ghost had a bit of a head start on them, but in their Powered-Up-Pac-Man Mode, they were able to move much faster than Clyde. Heather ran ahead of Molly, and with a leap, she landed on the fleeing ghost. As soon as she touched him, his orange cloak completely vanished, and only a small, transparent skull was left. It quickly disappeared through the maze, leaving them alone.

"Hey!" Maggie cried, running up to the other two from a side passage. "I just found a way out. The Warp Zone… It leads down into the cave."

"We haven't seen it," Heather said.

"Follow me," Maggie entreated, hustling off through the now-mostly empty maze.

Sure enough, after a few troublesome turns and twists, the neon blue corridor was at an end, and a regular, stone passageway led them to safety. "You don't think the ghosts can leave the maze, do you?" Molly asked as they hurried away.

"I don't think so," Heather answered warily. She turned around to look, and just as she did, the complete quartet of ghosts, red, blue, pink, and orange, came flooding into the cave. The three Rangers shared one look, a loud scream, and tore off running.


"They sure are making a lot of noise," David remarked.

Marge, kneeling before a stone crock filled with a handful of crushed herbs and oils, cocked an ear and listened. "Think they're okay?" she asked.

"Have you ever screamed like that when you're okay?" David asked. "I'll go check on them."

Before he could actually leave, though, Maggie ran past them, yelling, "Run!"

David watched as she disappeared down the cave. She was promptly followed by their remaining two teammates. Heather, as she ran past, cried, "Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde are coming!"

"What?" Marge asked in disbelief. As if in answer, the quarter of ghosts streamed past them, still chasing the three Rangers.

Once again, before David or Marge had a chance to say or do anything, the four ghosts, now glowing blue, came running up to them again. This time, though, Maggie, glowing slightly, was close behind. Just as they reached Marge and David, she leapt into the air and landed on the ghosts. They immediately vanished, turning into four, disembodied skulls, which promptly fled.

"What the heck was that all about?" David asked as Heather and Molly rushed to Maggie's side and helped her up.

"Pac-Man," Maggie answered quickly.

"We'll explain later," Heather started, "maybe… if we can… but we never really found anything, so we're going to go the other direction and keep looking for… something."

"If those ghosts come back," Molly said, "run until you find a corner. There should be a Power Pellet in it. Touch it, and you can defeat the ghosts just by touching them."

"Pac-Man?" David asked.

"We'll be back," Maggie said, as the three hurried off in the opposite direction.

"If I were mean," Marge commented as she flipped through the pages of her magic book, "I could comment on the fact that all three of them are blonde. But I'm not mean, so I'll just be quiet."

Suddenly, two men, one in red and the other in green overalls, ran past them. David looked in shock, not only that they weren't alone in the cave, but astounded that the shorter, chunkier man in red had a raccoon tail and the taller, more muscular, green-wearing man of the pair had a yellow cape flowing out behind him.

"What was that?" Marge asked, looking up.

"Given what happened earlier… I think those were Italian plumbers."

"What?" Marge asked incredulously.

Before David could try and clarify, a flying carpet whizzed past, being ridden by an incredibly short man, wearing an orange and white toadstool hat. Close on his heels was an attractive blonde, wearing a pink ball gown and riding a green dinosaur.

"This time last year, all that would've seemed really strange to me," David murmured.


"Dead end," Heather muttered, mostly to herself, as their stone path came to an abrupt end. However, rather than ending in a solid wall, they found themselves on a ledge, overlooking the entire Pac-Man maze.

"This is so weird," Maggie said. "I mean… a video game? How stupid is this? It's like we're in a fictional story or something."

"No, this is reality," Molly commented. "Fiction has to make sense."

"Look, exactly opposite us," Heather said, pointing. "It's another ledge like this one." Touching her belt buckle, she began to teleport. She rapidly transformed into a glowing, green silhouette. On the other side of the labyrinth, an identical silhouette appeared. As the first faded, the second solidified into the Green Thunder Ranger, a process that was almost simultaneous.

"Is it clear?" Maggie asked on the radio systems. Without waiting for conformation, she, too, teleported across the distance.

Just as Molly was about to follow suit, a throng of black bodies dropped from the ceiling. Heather and Maggie both screamed in surprise, but instantly, the two Rangers began fighting. In the din, she saw occasional flashes of light from their Blasters, but they were overwhelmed in just a few seconds. "Maggie! Heather!" Molly cried.

"Go get help!" Maggie cried back.

Molly fired a few shots across the expanse, striking a few of the black creatures. They fell to the ground, but all too quickly, they all disappeared down the tunnel, taking Heather and Maggie along with them. "Maggie? Heather?" she asked nervously through the communications system. There was no reply. Biting back fear, she turned and ran back to find David and Marge.


"Let go of me!" Maggie hissed as she was manhandled by a group of the leathery fighters. All four limbs were each held tightly by a pair of the bat-like humanoids, and she was hoisted above their shoulders. For her struggles, she was just held tighter.

Suddenly, though, she was airborne. With a grunt, she landed beside Heather, who had landed with just as little grace. "Get down!" Heather shouted.

Maggie obeyed unquestioningly. Several green shots from Heather's Blaster flew over her head and struck several of the Batlings that had been holding them captive. The fighters disintegrated as they were struck, but it did Heather and Maggie little good. A stone door slid down from the ceiling and landed with a boom, trapping them.

"Where are we?" Maggie asked as she lifted her head up.

"Small room," Heather stated as she began to assess their situation. "Figure twenty feet square?"

"There's a video screen," Maggie said, pointing to a black square set into the room.

The room was filled with adequate light, although the source couldn't be found. Heather leaned back to look at the ceiling, and she saw that the room was so incredibly tall, she couldn't make out any features on the ceiling. "Well, we aren't jumping out."

"Let us out of here!" Maggie screamed at the ceiling. Of course, there was no answer, although an object did suddenly appear on the video screen. She furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of the object.

"What is it?" Heather asked.

"Four blocks put together in an L-shape," she answered. Shrugging, she continued, "I don't get it."

Suddenly, with a whiz and a thump, said L-shaped object fell from the sky and landed in the center of their prison. "I know where we are," Heather said. "I don't believe it, but I know…"

"It just changed," Maggie said, pointing to the video screen. There was now a straight line, composed of the same four blocks. "Where are we?"

"We're in another video game," Heather told her, just as the straight line came plummeting down, narrowly missing Maggie. "This is Tetris."


"They were kidnapped!"

"What?" David asked as Molly ran up to him.

"Gone," Molly said. "These weird black things just took Maggie and Heather! They told me to go get help."

"Maybe we should ask DECA to contact the Power Station?" David suggested.

"You two go check it out first," Marge said.

"Are you sure?" David asked.

"I'll be fine," she answered, still kneeling on the ground. "Nothing has happened around here yet."

"This way," Molly said quickly, taking his hand and pulling him behind her.

Marge pushed a few long strands of hair out of her eyes and opened her magic book again. Sighing, she muttered, "I didn't think it would be this hard."

She had mixed the herbs for a temporal folding spell, and she even had the chant ready, but she realized before she even cast the spell that it was a temporary solution at best. If successful, Marge would have successfully folded time back a few days and restored Mt. Jasmine to its original state. However, there would have been nothing to keep the villains from rebuilding the cave system as they had after waking from hibernation.

Glancing down at the book, she saw that she had opened to a page inscribed with silver letters, faintly glowing, which read, "Blocking Evil." "Maybe," she whispered to herself as she began to read the spell.


"They're falling too fast!" Heather yelled. She slammed herself into the wall, narrowly missing a reverse-L block.

"We-" Maggie's comment was interrupted by a scream. Heather turned to see her pink companion pinned to the floor beneath one of the straight blocks.

"Maggie!" Heather cried. She attempted to run to Maggie's side, but before she could even begin to clear the obstacle of blocks blocking her way, Maggie's body disappeared in a glimmer of pink light. "No!"

At that very moment, a heavy block dropped. She took the blow on her shoulders and crumpled beneath it. Heather hit the ground hard, stunned but otherwise okay. As the shock of the hit began to register with her, she realized she didn't even feel any pain. The thumps of the blocks that continued to fall echoed in the chamber, but she didn't have time to hear more than a few before she, too, disappeared.


"What's her name?" Molly demanded of the tall, gangly henchbeast she currently held in her possession. Jinxer was shaking nervously in her grip, her sharp Thunder Claws pressed against the tender flesh of his neck.

"Vy-vypra," he stammered.

"Hey Vypra!" David called. The winged demon, standing atop a ledge above them, slowly turned and looked down at them.

"Rangers," she acknowledged. "Jinxer."

"Where are they?" Molly asked, having to struggle to keep her anger in check to keep her voice steady.

"They?"

"The Pink and Green Rangers!" David shouted.

"Tell us where they are, or we will kill him," Molly threatened. "Right here, in front of you."

Vypra sighed, crossing her arms. "I really wish you wouldn't do that," she said. "He may look stupid, but he's actually a very good servant. I'd hate very much to lose him."

"Then tell us where they are!" Molly screamed, pressing her Thunder Claws harder against his neck. Jinxer was literally shaking and whimpering in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Jinxer," Vypra said apologetically. "I guess you'll have to die."

"What?" David asked in disbelief. Vypra shrugged and walked away. As soon as she disappeared from sight, Jinxer began to sob mercifully. Molly, almost as panicked as her hostage, looked to David for support.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," David said to Jinxer. "Tell us where they are, if you intend to live."

"Queen Bansheera needed them," Jinxer sighed unhappily. "She was enslaved by Rita Repulsa, and she must destroy five virtuous warriors before she can escape."

"With the volcanic eruption?" Molly asked.

"No. That was merely a ruse to get you here," Jinxer admitted.

"What was the deal with the video game?" Molly continued. "That was just weird."

"The device you destroyed created that. That was a powerful spell, designed to capture you with an enemy of your own creation. Your Green Ranger mentioned video games, and that supplied your own demise. Green and Pink were defeated in a game of Tetris. Fair and square, completely legit. Ask anybody. We won 'em."

"But if you need five Rangers, and you only have two," David interrupted.

"We need five virtuous warriors," Jinxer clarified. "Rangers or non-Rangers. It doesn't matter. We already have three, captured from Triforia."

"How did you get to Triforia?" Molly asked. "I thought you just received your powers this morning."

"The Vorax are still in existence," Jinxer explained. "You know, the greatest bounty warriors? Of course, work for them is limited, but that worked in our favor. They captured three fine warriors for next to nothing!"

"Where are they?" David asked.


"Move cautiously, Ranger," a deep, soothing voice spoke. "You may be injured."

"The woman is a Ranger," a more gruff voice countered, "and they're hard to seriously injure. You should know that."

"I think I'm okay," Maggie said groggily as she came around. Everything around her seemed to glow blue, and it took her a few moments to realize that the form standing above her was not a Ranger of a bizarre shade of blue, but one of black with a golden trim. "Gold Zeo?" Maggie asked.

"I am not the Gold Ranger of Earth," the Gold Zeo Ranger said. "I am Lord Trey of Triforia, original Golden Ranger and template for the Ninja-Based Gold Zeo Power on Earth."

"That's a lot of words to say Ninjor stole your design," the gruff voice commented.

"Where am I?" she asked as Trey helped her to her feet. She cast a quick glance around her. She seemed to be in a circular cavern. The walls and floor were glowing blue, and stalagmites of blue crystal grew from the floor in numerous places. Everything was giving off a low light, and everything in the room carried a blue tinge. Looking down at her armor, she saw that she looked almost lavender.

"Imprisoned with the rest of us," one of her fellow prisoners said. The one with the gruff voice was wearing a bizarre form of black armor, with green and golden trim. A green hexagonal design was on his chest, and horns grew on each side of his helmet. As if the horns weren't unusual enough, a black cape with a red interior hung from his shoulders.

"You aren't a Power Ranger, are you?" Maggie asked.

The caped warrior snorted contemptuously. "I'd sooner be dead than a Power Ranger," he spat.

"Ignore him," another prisoner said. Maggie turned to see a tall, broad-shouldered man, covered in heavy, spiked armor, walk up behind him. "He's very bitter. My name is Loyax; he's Magna Defender."

"Why are we here?" Maggie asked.

"We're going to be eaten," Magna Defender answered.

"What?!"

"We aren't going to be eaten," Loyax told her.

"Thank goodness."

"We're just going to be killed."

Before Maggie could blurt out again in shock, Heather literally fell from the ceiling, landing in a heap in the center of the room. "Heather," Maggie sighed gratefully, hurrying over to her friend. Looking back at Loyax, she cried, "And what do you mean killed?!"

"I do not intend to go down without a fight," Trey said. "I am sure Queen Bansheera can be defeated. There is no such thing as an invincible foe."

"That isn't entirely true," Magna Defender countered.

"Maggie?" Heather asked.

"There are five of us here," she said, helping Heather to her feet. "These guys are Trey, Magna Defender, and Loyax."

"Where is here?" Heather asked, looking around.

"Queen Bansheera's lair," Trey answered. "Rita Repulsa actually did the universe a favor by capturing the beast."

"Back story, please," Heather requested.

"Twelve thousand years ago, Rita Repulsa imprisoned Queen Bansheera, a powerful villain, in a pocket dimension," Trey said.

"This is that pocket dimension," Loyax added.

"A stipulation was placed on her imprisonment," Trey continued. "If she can defeat five noble warriors, she will be freed."

"If she hasn't defeated five warriors in twelve thousand years, I think we can handle her," Maggie said.

"You don't understand," Magna Defender said simply.

"We are the first five warriors to be presented to her," Loyax said. "Queen Bansheera's henchmen had their own powers stripped from them. The powers were sealed up somewhere on this planet, and the henchmen themselves entered an extended period of hibernation. From their perspective, she has been imprisoned only for a few days."

"Maggie and I have been fighting against Jenga for months," Heather said. "I'm sure we can handle-"

"You still don't understand," Magna Defender interrupted. "Queen Bansheera is a being composed of pure energy. You cannot hit her. You cannot shoot her. You can do nothing with our limited capacities in this prison to harm her in anyway whatsoever. She, however, can do essentially anything to us she wishes. We are going to be killed, and Queen Bansheera will be released upon the universe again."

"I liked it better when we were in a video game," Maggie sighed.


Rubbing her thumb and index finger together, a small speck of fire was produced. She spread her palm, and the tiny spark descended to the crock of herbs below. Concentrating with her eyes clothes, Marge chanted, "Fire within me, fire below me, fire above me, fire beside me. Hear my plea. Purge these caves of all that is evil. Remove them from this natural place, and let them return no more."

She slowly opened her eyes, her breath caught in her throat and her muscles tense. The spark of fire descended into the crock, and for a moment, she thought it wasn't going to work and her heart sank. But then, a column of red fire blasted out of the crock, shooting directly to the ceiling. The flames spread quickly, and in a matter of moments, the cave had been transformed into a reality of endless fire, dancing in all colors in all directions around her.

"Is this hell?" she asked nervously. She then realized that she felt no intense heat, only a delightful warmth, and whatever fear she had felt faded.

"No," a feminine voice spoke. Marge turned to see a beautiful woman ascending from the sea of fire she was on. The woman had skin as black as ebony, hair as white as snow, and she wore a long, sweeping gown composed of yellow flames. "This is not a place of punishment. For the Pyromancer, this is a plane of enlightenment."

"I'm confused," Marge admitted.

The woman smiled and said, "Then you have come to the right place."


Heather had her ThunderBlaster pulled from its holster. She turned the output as high as it would go. "This is energy," she said, tucking the gun back into its place on her hip.

"It's like trying to consume a star with the flame of a match," Magna Defender said, walking in circles within the prison. "You Rangers still don't understand. We're fighting a creature's pure life force, unhindered by flesh. We don't stand a chance!"

"We certainly don't if you're going into the fight with that attitude!" Maggie shouted back, stepping right up to the massive warrior.

"Relax," Trey said. Maggie and Magna Defender, still standing in front of each other, turned to look at Trey. The Gold Ranger of Triforia was sitting on the ground cross-legged with his Staff in his lap. The triad design at its peak was spread open, and a strange golden glow (tinged blue from the light of the prison) obliterated a clear view of what Trey was doing to his Staff. "I have a plan."

"I will go first," Loyax offered. "I have no attack of pure energy. While she is destroying me, perhaps the rest of you can bombard her with your own personal attacks."

"No," Trey said. "There will be no sacrifices made."

"Are you planning on sharing your plan with the rest of us?" Heather asked.

With a clap, the triad design snapped shut, and the glow around his staff disappeared. "If I tell you, she will hear," he answered.

"She's coming," Loyax said suddenly.

True to Loyax's prediction, an amorphous cloud of blue energy emerged from one of the walls. Deep within were the vague features of a female face, just barely discernible. Almost in unison, Heather and Maggie lifted their Blasters and fired a volley of shots at Queen Bansheera. Magna Defender had his sword up in a moment, and he quickly transformed it into a rifle and shot at her. Just as Trey lifted his staff to shoot as well, Queen Bansheera glowed a brighter blue and sent a huge ball of energy at each of the five warriors. Each blast hit them squarely, and all were thrown asunder.

"We need a bigger blaster," Heather groaned from her prone position on the floor.


"I am the essence of all that is a Pyromancer," the woman said. "All knowledge gained from Pyromancers past and present lives within me and forms the essence of this place. Any of this knowledge is now yours for the taking, once you learn to wield it."

"Does this mean I passed?" Marge asked hopefully.

"Yes," she answered. "You are the Earth's newest Pyromancer. I foresee you becoming a powerful Mancer, Marge. I look forward to your knowledge being added to this place and conversing with you in the future."

A ring of fire appeared before her, floating effortlessly. The fire died away, and a ring of silver metal remained behind. It turned, and Marge saw that it was a bracelet, wide and a bit garish. Raised beads that Marge instinctively knew were lights lined the entire bracelet. The bracelet, once formed, lowered into her waiting hands.

"All Mancers wear them, but only fellow Mancers and a select few others can see them," the woman said. "You will learn its use in due time. Never remove it."

"What is your name?" Marge asked.

The woman opened her mouth to answer, but Marge suddenly found herself kneeling in the cave, surrounded by motes of red light. All were still and silent, and then, they began to swarm everywhere, passing through Marge and flooding down through the cave.


With a pained moan, Maggie slammed into a stalagmite and slid to the ground, blue energy dancing across her armored frame. Even before Queen Bansheera's attack had fully dissipated from her body, Maggie had rolled over and opened fire on the glowing being with her Blaster.

Queen Bansheera was attacking much harder and much faster than any of them had anticipated. With each massive strike she made, more and more of the cloud that seemed to compose her was disappearing. She was no longer a disembodied face. Now, deep within the cloud that made her energy source, a glowing female shape could be seen.

Magna Defender hit the ground silently, his gun sliding away from him and landing next to Maggie. As Queen Bansheera moved on to attack Heather, Maggie kicked Magna Defender's rifle over to him with the heel of her foot. She continued firing as Magna Defender retrieved his rifle and began to attack again.

For one of the few times in her Ranger career, Maggie truly believed she would not survive to see the end of the fight. Still, she continued shooting.

Loyax jumped before Heather with his shield, barely deflecting a powerful blow. The shield was blown out of his hands, and the next shot struck him in the abdomen, knocking him away. Heather was the next to be hit, and she, too, was knocked off her feet.

Trey ran at Queen Bansheera with his staff out before him, but before he fired, Queen Bansheera hit him so hard he flew directly backwards and slammed into the wall behind him.

Maggie jumped to her feet, hoping to avoid the next blow that had her name on it. She had already been hit three times, and each shot was taking more and more out of her. She honestly didn't know how much longer she was going to survive.

True enough, the fourth blow did get her. However, from her position on the floor again, she saw Trey had already leapt to his feet and was running directly at Queen Bansheera. The triad symbol snapped open, and a bright, golden glow poured forth.

Deep inside the cloud, Maggie saw Queen Bansheera turn and look at Trey. With one arm up defensively before his face, Trey plunged into the cloud. Blue energy consumed him, but he continued moving.

Trey pulled his arm back, and with a mighty yell, plunged the staff deep into Queen Bansheera's body. Finally, Trey tipped his head back and screamed. Joining his cries was the animalistic bellow of the Queen. Her hands clamped onto the staff, and with a lurch, Trey was jerked off of his feet.

"Trey!" Heather cried, lifting her Blaster to fire at the Queen.

"No!" Loyax interjected, placing his hand on her gun and pushing her aim off. "You could strike the Prince."

"She's killing him!" Heather shouted. The blue glow in the cavern began to alternate with flashes of gold as the light from Trey's staff intensified.

"No," Magna Defender said, shaking his head. Trey's staff fell apart, and small fragments of it hit the ground. The glow remained, brighter than ever. "They are killing each other."

Instantly, the blue light decreased in intensity as they were shifted from the pocket dimension and back into the cave. Queen Bansheera came with them, but the intense blue and golden glow obscured any features except for Trey.

The gold light flashed brighter for a moment as Trey demorphed. Red light suddenly flashed through the area, and the swirling motes of energy temporarily consumed the four standing warriors. The light then continued on its way, and the blue glow that had been Queen Bansheera disappeared into nothingness.

It seemed as though time stood still for a moment, but then, Trey, demorphed and badly battered, fell to the floor in a boneless heap. In what had been the epicenter of Queen Bansheera's life force was a golden shard, slowly spinning as it effortlessly defied gravity. But then, it, too, plummeted to the ground and clattered to a stop next to Trey.

"Trey," Loyax said sadly, kneeling by his body.

Trey slowly opened his dark amber eyes, smiled, and reached for the golden shard.


The red light flooded through the cave, fitting into every nook and cranny and seeking out evil wherever it was. It got them all. Vypra, Loki, Diabolico, and baby Impus were all swept away before they knew what them. Even Jinxer, being held hostage by David and Molly and forced to lead them to their imprisoned teammates, was whisked away. As soon as the red light touched him, he transformed into pure black energy and was forced from the cave. All were forbidden to return.

Marge's first spell was a success. It was just a few seconds too late.


"You'll be okay," Heather promised him, kneeling beside Trey with her helmet off. She carefully clasped her hand with his. The Triforian Prince was horribly burned, bleeding, and at death's door. "DECA can help you, and if she can't, Dimitria can. Just hold on."

"No," Trey said. In his left hand he held the golden shard. Making eye contact with Heather, he pulled his hand out of her grip and pushed the shard into hers. "Please… Give this to Dimitria."

"Trey, you can't die like this," Heather pleaded, a hot tear slipping down her cheek. "You shouldn't die defending Rangers from a world that isn't your own!"

"Earth is more important to the fight than… than you can understand now," he managed to get out. A spot of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth and slid down his chin, which Heather wiped away with her gloved fingers. Trey swallowed hard and continued, "You will someday know…"

Marge slowly walked up to them, looking about uncertainly. "What happened?" she asked.

"He's dying," Maggie said sadly. "He saved us."

"Maybe I can cast a spell?" Marge suggested hopefully. She began to quickly flip through her magic book. "I'm a Mancer now, so maybe I can save his life."

"No," Magna Defender said forcefully.

"No death magic," added Loyax. "It isn't right."

"Maggie," Molly called as she and David ran up to them.

"I think your spell worked," David told Marge.

Trey coughed, spitting up blood. "Please let us help you," Heather tried again.

"The fight… will continue… without me," Trey said. After his final words were spoken, Trey of Triforia closed his eyes and died.

All present were silent for a few moments before Magna Defender interrupted the silence by saying, "Queen Bansheera is not dead."

"Of course not," Loyax agreed.

Looking at Marge, the demorphed Ranger wearing red, Magna Defender said, "We are not leaving this planet until Queen Bansheera is dead. Do not get in our way, and we will not get in yours."

Magna Defender knelt down beside Trey's body and carefully lifted the still form into his arms. He then turned and began to walk away, his black and red cape flowing behind him as he effortlessly carried Trey's body away.

"If we can be of assistance," Loyax offered, "please do not hesitate to call." With that said, he stood and followed Magna Defender out of the cave.

Heather looked down at the golden shard, glowing faintly in her hand. "He asked me to give this to Dimitria," she said.

"What is it?" David asked.

"I'm not sure," she answered.

"Let's go home," Marge spoke sadly.


Epilogue I

"It's not a bad planet," Trakeena remarked as she, Villamax, and Kegler walked through Angel Grove Park. "From what I've gathered, this snow on the ground is a temporary thing. It's much like Mirinoi… only better!"

"Look!" Kegler cried, pointing into the sky. The three villains watched as a black orb sped across the horizon, a speck against the setting sun.

"Villains," Villamax whispered.

Trakeena pointed her staff at the ball and concentrated, sending a tendril of green energy out. It made contact, and instantly, the black energy flew at them. At the last moment, it coalesced into six forms that were dumped unceremoniously on the ground before them.

"My very own hencharmy," Trakeena said happily. "What are your names?"

"We do not serve insects," Vypra said as she stood up. Unfurling her wings, she added, "I'm a bat. I eat insects."

Before the two villainesses could continue arguing, purple lightning cracked across the sky. In their midst, a purple flash of light produced a shapely woman in a black leather suit and shoulder-length mint green hair.

"Astronema," Trakeena and Vypra said in unison.

Astronema said nothing as she casually looked over the group around her. "The UAE is a pretty small organization these days," Astronema remarked. "You can all join us in our fight against the Rangers, or I'll have you killed right now. We just don't need any competition."

"We would be honored to join Jenga's army," Villamax said.

"Jenga retired," Astronema told him. "I'm in charge now." Looking at Vypra and Diabolico, she asked, "Do you submit? I promise you won't be sorry."

"We'll gladly serve with you," Vypra said.

Astronema smiled, and just before they all teleported away, she remarked, "Excellent."


Epilogue II

"Did DECA say what it was?"