Journey to the Mystic Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers

Broken Spell Part One

Long ago, hidden from the prying eyes of the humans, there was a magical dimension ruled by the White Sorceress Queen and her Fire Wizard King. The King and Queen were much beloved by their people and their heiress, the prophesied Light, was even more so, for the Royal Family were benevolent, fair and just and used their powers to protect their people from those who would do them harm and usher in an era of peace, harmony and the wonders of light magic and the family's most sacred treasure, the Mystic Crystal. And so, for many years, all was well.

But then a dark shadow fell upon the worlds. The Master of All Evil, ruler of the darkness and the greatest practitioner of dark magic, sought to conquer not only the Mystic Woods but also the human world and beyond. He would take their power and rule them as a tyrant. And when the Master rose into power, the Great Battle began and an army of the undead, led by the foulest of dark creatures swarmed the lands. It was not long before the ravages of the Great Battle caused the future to seem hopeless but then the legendary Mystic Warriors, led by their Queen and King, came forth and fought against the Master's forces.

Against insurmountable odds, they drove the evil back but the Master refused to surrender and then he learnt of the prophecy of the Light, causing the Master to cast his evil eye upon the Princess and he declared that if the Light was not destroyed, then she would be placed under his dark power to serve his evil purposes. This could not be allowed to happen. The Light was foretold to have untold power and could vanquish the darkness but because of the Princess's young age, she could not be allowed to fight in the Great Battle.

Although it was said that the Master could not truly win unless the Light was no more, the King and Queen refused to risk the life of their daughter and they sought to protect not only the worlds but also their beloved child from the war. And so, with heavy hearts, they entrusted their child with the Solaris Knight and sent him away to keep the Light safe from the darkness. Hoping that one day, when the war was over, the Princess could return and take her rightful place as Queen and restore hope to all the lands and beyond.

But not long after the Light was sent away, a horrible betrayal took place and balance was tipped in the Master's favor, forcing the Fire Wizard King to make the ultimate sacrifice to end the Great Battle and save his people and his family. Together, with the aid of the Gatekeeper, the Fire Wizard King cast a spell which sealed the Master and the darkness away behind giant gates and down into the depths of the underworld for all eternity, saving the worlds from the evil and restoring hope and peace to the lands once more.

But though the realms were safe once again from the Master's dark touch, there was no celebration of the win for the great victory did not come without great loss. The Mystic Crystal disappeared and was believed to be lost. And the Fire Wizard King and the Gatekeeper who'd sealed away the darkness, along with the brave Mystic Warriors who'd fought to protect their people, paid the ultimate price and were lost forever. For the sake of her people who needed her, the White Sorceress mourned alone not only for her husband and the brave souls who'd lost their lives in the battle, but also for her daughter and the Solaris Knight, who could never be found and were believed to be lost forever.

As the years passed, the human world never knew of the Great Battle or of the great sacrifices that had been made to save them from destruction. Even until this very day, they live in ignorance and peace, unaware of what is about to awaken.

XXX

Fifteen years later…

It was gorgeous early summer's day, bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in sight and even better, there was a strong, cooling breeze to ease off the day's heat.

But as glorious as the day's weather promised, it was in sheer contrast to the mood of young Natalia Russell as she steered her motorcycle over to the lookout point just up ahead. She'd been traveling since dawn's early light and needed a water break. After parking her bike, Natalia took off her helmet and shook her long mane of dark red, almost black, hair free of its thick ponytail, allowing the wind to blow it every which way. She then took out a bottle of water from one of the duffle bags that were tied onto her bike and drank half of its contents in a single gulp.

Man, that felt good, she thought. I wouldn't give up traveling on my bike for the world, but sometimes, it'd be nice if I didn't have to park it every time I wanted something to eat or drink. But nothing's perfect, is it?

After putting the bottle back, Natalia stepped towards the brick wall lining the lookout point and leaned on it as she gazed at the city of Briarwood just down below.

"So, that's Briarwood," she said, to herself. "Wonder how much has changed. I can't believe I'm finally coming back."

Natalia hadn't set foot in Briarwood since she was five and having reached the age of twenty just a few months prior, that time had been very long ago. Natalia was used to traveling and usually looked forward to what lay ahead at the end of a trip, but this time, she felt a mix of both somewhat eager anticipation and dread. Natalia had been seeking out answers to questions she'd been asking for years and her work as well as strange sense of summoning, had led her to the city of Briarwood.

"Someone give me strength to do this," she murmured, as she remade her ponytail and got back on her bike. It was lucky she was wearing black gloves, or any passerby would've seen that Natalia was gripping her bike's handles so tightly, her knuckles were whitening. "Because I have the feeling that whatever happens now, my life's never going to be the same."

Natalia took a deep breath and put on her helmet before making her motorcycle roar with life. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe things weren't going to be so terrible after all.

But then again, knowing Natalia's luck, it probably was.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the city of Briarwood, the Rock Porium, the city's best-known music store, was being blasted with the sounds of hip-hop music as the store's self-appointed DJ, Vida Rocca, a girl with an attitude that matched her short, spiky black hair, bounced around while scratching at the records in the machine. Music was Vida's life, she loved how happy it made it her and most of all, she loved sharing that with her loved ones.

"Go, Vee," cheered Mason, Vida's younger brother. He was holding up a camcorder and was making one of his famous video diaries. He grinned when Vida smiled into the camera. "Sounds great, sis!" Mason was Vida's opposite in just about every way. Mason's fair skin, light blue eyes and dark blue hair which he kept in a small ponytail was in contrast to Vida's tanned skin, dark brown eyes and short, spiky black hair. If that wasn't enough, the two siblings had entirely different personalities as well. While Vida was outgoing, loud and had an attitude that often got her into trouble, Mason was quiet, gentle and was considered the sibling with common sense, but still, Mason was considered the heart of their little group of friends.

"Hi-yah!" cried Chip, as he thrust his plastic sword in front of the camera. He was wearing a paper crown on his head and his Rock Porium jacket was tied around his neck like a cape.

Mason laughed. "Battling again, Chip?"

Chip grinned as he nodded before resuming his epic battle.

Charlie "Chip" Thorn, with his bright red hair and charming smile and kind heart, was an overgrown kid. He loved playing games involving magical fantasy and superheroes. In fact, if anyone ever wanted to know something about either subject, Chip was the considered the expert as there wasn't anything that he didn't know about them.

"Hey, Mason, get a shot of this. I've been working out," bragged Xander.

Xander Bly, a very handsome Australian with an equally charming personality, flexed his muscle, showing off the bulging bicep.

"Whoa. Nice one, Xander," said Mason. But Mason's smile quickly vanished when he turned around to get a shot of an approaching customer, only to see that it wasn't a customer at all, but the owner of the store, Toby Slambrook, who was soaking wet and still wearing his scuba gear. "Toby! Uh…what a nice surprise, boss."

Just like that, the music stopped, Xander stopped flexing his muscles, and Chip's crown, sword and cape disappeared in the blink of an eye as the four of them regrouped around Toby, trying not to show how guilty they felt at having been slacking off instead of doing their assigned work.

"Hey, nice snorkel, boss," said Xander, quickly as he attempted to smooth things over. "What brings you by? I thought you were taking the day off."

Toby's reply, "Yes, I was," came out garbled and slightly muffled until he yanked off his snorkel and goggles. His face now clear, it was plain to see the look of displeasure on Toby's face. "As a matter of fact, I was at the beach snorkeling with the little fishies when one of them swam up to my mask and he looked at me with these big fish eyes and said—" Toby squashed his face, puckering up his lips like a fish, making his employees laugh. "'Are your employees cleaning the store like they said they would do? I'll bet they aren't!' But I can't answer him because I don't know, and then I realize, I forgot my wallet so I came back to get it and now I see that the fish was right. So, now, I have to go back to the reef, find the fish and tell it 'no.'" Toby looked disappointed at his employees as he began walking to his office.

"Why don't you relax, boss? Take a breather. I'll rally the troops and give them work to do, like sweeping the floor, stocking the merchandise, and taking out the trash, and so on," said Xander, as he gave his friends a look.

Usually, Toby fell for Xander's charming personality but today, it was clear that he would not be so easily swayed for once. "Oh, you mean, you'll do the jobs I pay you for?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, hallelujah!"

And with that, Toby's office door slammed shut and the blinds on the office door window went down, making them all wince.

Xander, who liked to delude himself into thinking he was Toby's right-hand man, clapped his hands together. "All right, you heard the man. Snap to it! Chip, grab a broom, Mason, deal with the stock. Vida, take care of the trash. Snap, snap!" And with that, Chip and Mason set to work while Xander plunked down into an armchair with a pillow behind his head and the latest sports magazine in his hands, preparing himself to be lazy the rest of his shift.

Vida, however, who refused to let herself be ordered around by anyone not actually in charge or let Xander's ego get the better of him, swooped down and swiped Xander's pillow.

"And just what do you think you're doing while we're working?" she demanded.

Xander grinned. "I'm glad you asked, Vee. I'm supervising. It's not as easy as it looks. I know it looks like I'm not doing anything but trust me, I'm very, very busy. Up here." He tapped his left temple, beckoning to the 'well-oiled machine' that was his mind.

Vida snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Uh-huh. Xander—" Before Vida could rip Xander a new one, an unexpected earthquake began shaking the store.

"EARTHQUAKE!" yelled Xander. He tossed his magazine aside and dove under the nearest desk.

"Everybody, take cover!" screeched Vida, as she joined Xander.

"It's the end of the world!" cried Chip, laughing. "Just kidding!"

Mason scowled as he grabbed Chip's arm. "Chip, knock it off and get under here!" Without waiting for a reply, Mason dragged Chip under the counter to wait out the earthquake.

Toby, who prided himself on being a friend as well as an employer, briefly stepped out his office with a list of safety instructions. "Everybody stay calm and follow the safety procedures!" When the force of shaking increased, Toby let out a petrified squeak. "Get under a desk!" He then shut his office door and hid under his own desk.

XXX

Just outside of the city limits, Natalia's ride was interrupted by the earthquake.

"Whoa!" The shaking of the earth quickly caused Natalia to lose control over her motorcycle and the bike slid off the road and landed sideways as it collided with a great oak tree.

Ignoring the screaming protests of the bruises she'd sustained in the crash, Natalia pulled herself from the wreckage and latched onto a tree branch. She squeezed her eyes tight, willing the earthquake to soon stop so she could fix her bike and get back on the road.

This isn't right. This wrong. Natalia couldn't explain it but somehow she just knew that something wasn't right, that this was no ordinary earthquake and something terrible was going to happen.

XXX

Eventually, the earthquake ceased and the employees inside the Rock Porium nervously emerged from underneath the desks.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Mason, as he stood up. After everyone said yes, Mason looked at the store and groaned. The earthquake had dealt quite a hand to the Rock Porium. Merchandise and garbage littered the floor, which hadn't been the cleanest to begin with and several displays had been wrecked. "Ah, man. Look at this! The store's messier than before!"

Vida laughed. "You'd have thought that wouldn't be possible."

"Well, the good news is the worst is over," said Xander, cheerfully.

XXX

Xander had no idea just how wrong he was.

Unbeknownst to him, the human world was not the only place affected by the earthquake's devastating power.

In another dimension, hidden from the humans' prying eyes, a great book of magic, the Xenotome, lit up with a warning of a terrible darkness about to be unleashed. The book's warnings came too late as cracks in the great gates of the underworld appeared. The cracks were not big enough for the Master to regain his freedom, but they were great enough for some of his most loyal servants, Koragg the Knight Wolf and Necrolai, Queen of the Vampires, and his army of foot soldiers, Hidiacs and Styxoids, to escape their stinking prison.

And it would not be long before the vile creatures of darkness would set out to not only claim vengeance for their imprisonment but also revive their Master and ruler.

XXX

With the earthquake over, Toby decided to close the store for a few hours while he called a repairman to fix some of the damage done to the store and give his employees a chance to recover from the trauma of the earthquake. Naturally, they took full advantage of this by doing some of their favorite activities.

Mason resumed making his video diary. "After narrowly escaping death, the human race copes in a variety of very different ways. Some use physical activities." Mason turned the camera to Xander, who was decked out in a helmet, elbow and knee pads as he zipped around on a green skateboard. "Some listen to music." Vida, who was sitting in the open trunk of her jeep wearing earbuds, smiled and waved at her brother's camera. "Some eat. Chip, what kind of pizza are you eating, out of curiosity?"

Chip was sitting on a bench, stuffing his face with a specially made pizza. "Cheese, pepperoni, anchovies, chicken, and chocolate covered marshmallows."

Mason grimaced and forced himself not to be sick. Only Chip would even consider eating a pizza with those toppings combined, much less actually eat it.

"Excuse me," said a voice. "Can you help me?"

Mason turned around and was immediately rendered speechless. Standing in front of him was easily the most beautiful girl that Mason had ever seen. She had tanned skin and an oval shaped face with fine features including eyes as brown as a chocolate bar and her dark red, almost black hair hung in a high ponytail. She wore a dark blue jeans and black boots, a dark red shirt and black leather jack with red and white stripes on the sleeves and a fiery phoenix on the back. A necklace of a ruby-eyed dragon encircling a snowflake with diamonds and amethysts hung on her neck from a silver chain. She was walking a damaged black motorcycle decorated with red flames and tied to it were several duffle bags.

Before Mason could ask what she wanted, Xavier, who was not only taken in by the girl's beauty liked to think that he could get any girl to like him, swooped in. "Hi, you must be new to town. I'm Xander." He took the girl's hand and attempted to kiss it "And you must be—"

"Not interested," she said, bluntly, as she pulled her hand away. She gave Xander an unimpressed look. "I just need directions, not a date. And I'm sorry, but I was asking him." She pointed to Mason, who turned a faint shade of pink from embarrassment.

"Oh." Xander looked disappointed but admitted defeat. "She's all yours, Mason. Good luck to you."

Mason face palmed while the girl looked a little amused. "I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive Xander. He means well, it's just that sometimes, he's a little…"

"Hopeless?" she suggested.

"That's one way of putting it." Mason admitted. He switched off his camcorder and placed it with the rest of his stuff on the ground in front of the shop. "Let's start over. My name's Mason Rocca. What's your name?"

"Natalia Russell," she said, as they shook hands.

"Nice." Mason studied Natalia's face for a moment and his brow wrinkled with puzzlement. "I'm sorry, but do I know you? You look familiar." It was strange. Mason couldn't place it, but he just knew that he'd met Natalia somewhere before.

Natalia looked surprised before shaking her head. "I don't think so. I'm new here."

"Oh." Mason felt disappointed but concealed it well. "So, what can I help you with?"

Natalia beckoned to her damaged motorcycle. "Well, as you can see, the earthquake messed up my motorcycle."

"Ah." Mason grimaced at the unsightly damage. It was a shame as the bike was pretty cool. No doubt it would be a very costly repair. "Sorry about that. It looks like an awesome bike. Real beauty."

Natalia looked pleased. "Thanks. I made her myself."

Mason gaped. "What? No way. You made this? That's so cool! So, I take it you're looking for the nearest repair shop?"

Natalia shook her head. "Actually, I was wondering if there was somewhere I can park it and fix it myself. Call me fussy, but I don't let anyone touch my bike. So, do you know a place?"

Mason nodded and pointed to little rest area across the street with a big, shady tree. "Yeah, you can go over there. No one will bother you."

"Great."

Natalia began walking her bike over to the tree.

"Hey, would you mind some company?" asked Mason, suddenly. This surprised everyone who was watching, including Mason himself as while Mason was generally a nice guy, he wasn't spontaneous like that. It was as if Natalia was bringing out something in Mason that he'd never known before.

Privately, Natalia was also surprised as she generally kept to herself and didn't get asked out often, but for once, she found herself deciding the heck with it.

"Not at all. Come on over," she said.

Mason smiled as he joined Natalia under the tree and the two got to talking while Natalia worked on her motorcycle with a set of tools she kept in one of the duffle bags. Two hours later, the two of them were well on their way to becoming good friends. Mason learned that Natalia was a former military brat who'd been traveling on her own for the past few months. She'd seen a lot of interesting places growing up and was more than happy to tell an eager Mason of her favorite sights. In turn, Mason answered told Natalia about his group of friends, he answered Natalia's questions about Briarwood and gave her some recommendations for some of the city's sights and whatnot. All in all, the day was looking up.

XXX

"Help! Help! Oh, please, won't somebody help me?"

Natalia, who was almost done fixing her bike, looked up from her work to see an old man in a fedora, looking frantic as he desperately called out for help. A crowd quickly gathered, everyone anxious to find out what was wrong and if possible, find out what they could do to help.

"Someone, please, help me," begged the old man. He seemed to be on the verge of tears. "It's my brother. We were walking just up the road when some creature grabbed him. I fear the worst."

"Where did it take him?" asked Natalia, curiously. "Is it very far from here?"

The old man shook his head. "No. It's just on the edge of town. The creature took him into the woods. Will someone come with me to get him back?"

Upon the old man's mentioning of the woods, the people of Briarwood began shaking their heads and backing away. While officially, people were allowed to into the city's woods, unofficially it was an unspoken rule to never go there. People generally stayed cleared of the woods due to many whispered rumors and old wives' tales of strange creatures and whatnot that lived in the woods and also because the few who'd ever gone into the woods did not come back.

"Won't somebody please help me?" asked the old man, his voice thick with emotion.

"I will," said Natalia, surprising them all. She wiped her hands clean of the motor oil that'd stained them on an old rag and stood up. "I could use a break."

The old man gave Natalia a relieved look as he gratefully shook her hand. "Thank you, young lady. You can't know what this means to me."

But while the old man was pleased with Natalia's response, everyone there except for Mason looked at Natalia like she'd lost her mind.

"Hey, New Girl, before you go and something stupid, you should know something about those woods," said Xander. "If you go in, you won't come out. If you're smart, you'll get away from this crazy old coot and stay away from those woods."

Natalia raised an eyebrow as she slid her leather jacket back on. "So, I've heard. But do you know what else I'm hearing? An old man needs help getting his brother back and nobody else in this city seems to care. So, thanks for the advice but no thanks. I can take care of myself."

Xander looked flabbergasted at Natalia's attitude but said nothing.

"I'll come with you," offered Mason. He seemed nervous but no less resolute. "I'm scared to death of the woods but I know how I'd feel if it was my sister who'd been taken. So, I'm coming."

Vida gave Mason an incredulous look while Natalia gave Mason a grateful smile.

"I'll come too!" piped Chip. "I've always wanted to go on a dangerous quest. This is a dangerous quest, right?"

"Perilous," said Natalia, dryly. She was little amused by the redhead's puppy-like excitement but part of her felt concerned that his eagerness would lead to trouble and that he wasn't fully grasping the seriousness of the situation.

Chip made an excited grin as he punched his fist into the air. "Sweet!"

Bored of waiting, Natalia clapped her hands together. "Well, if no one else is coming, let's go. We got a life to save." She turned to the old man. "Lead the way."

The old man was only too happy to oblige.

XXX

Unbeknownst to them, Natalia and her merry band of rescuers had been watched by Necrolai, Queen of the Vampire. In appearance, she was a hideous cross between a winged, fanged black bat and a humanoid female. Her heart was as dead as that of her soulless minions and though she portrayed herself as loyal servant of darkness, it was said that ambition for power and position burned inside her like a wildfire. For that, many did not trust her and saw her only as a pawn to be gotten rid of when her usefulness ended.

Necrolai flew away from the rooftop where she'd been spying from and disappeared into the shadows before flying gracefully to the floor of the Pit where her commander and his army of Hidiacs and Styxoids were waiting.

"What news do you bring, Necrolai?" demanded Morticon. He was a dark creature, a hybrid of a dark wizard combined with machinery. Once, he'd served as great leader in the Master's army, but now, he was trapped in the Pit until he found a source of power great enough to free him.

"My lord, Morticon, I have seen the human world and it's all that we imagined and more," said Necrolai. "It's ready to be destroyed at your command!"

"Excellent!" said Morticon. "And destroyed, it will be!"

"Please, my lord, allow me to be the one!" begged Necrolai.

"In due time, hag!" snarled Morticon, as he pounded on his throne. "We must not make the same mistakes as before! We must be clever, ruthless and this time, we will be victorious!" He slammed his sword into the ground, causing the ground to shake and then he rose up to face his army of undead warriors. "Listen, my soulless warriors! For fifteen years, you have lived only in nightmares, but no longer! Where's Koragg? Send them forth to all who live in the light to destroy!"

Koragg the Knight Wolf, a dark warrior wizard clad in purple, silver and gold armor adorned with wolves, the Master's strongest and most obedient of warriors, stepped forth into the throne room. Unlike Necrolai and Morticon, who were burning with ambition despite their claims of loyalty to the Master, Koragg was not so foolish.

"Careful, Morticon," warned Koragg. "Remember, you are but a servant of the Master. He made you into what you are and he can easily reverse that decision."

Morticon glared at Koragg. "Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do, Koragg! You will do as I say and claim this world for our kind's own!"

Koragg tightly gripped his sword. "If that is the Master's wish—"

"And it is!" shouted Morticon.

"Then I shall obey. For the Master's commands cannot be denied," finished Koragg. "And as a soldier of honor, I see this fulfilled."

A dark creature Koragg might've been, but an honorless one, he was not.

XXX

Meanwhile, the closer Natalia got to the woods, the more she felt as though something was amiss. The sunshine seemed to have vanished in the blink of an eye and a slight chill had descended despite it being having been a warm summer's day at first and it didn't help that the old man's attitude seemed to have changed. The old man kept asking questions about Natalia and her two new friends and he became less anxious and less like a worried relative and more like someone who was trying to glean information. Natalia didn't know what was up but she knew she didn't like it and more importantly, she couldn't turn back now.

The entrance to the forbidden woods looked like something out of Sleeping Beauty, every inch seemed to be covered with twisting, thorny branches. It had a sense of foreboding that Natalia strongly disliked but at the same time, the woods felt natural as though she'd been there before and knew them somehow. But as this was impossible, Natalia pushed that thought aside.

"Are you sure you're willing to enter?" asked the old man, as they reached the only accessible area of the woods. "The woods are a very scary place."

Natalia's eyes narrowed. "You ask a lot of questions for a guy whose brother is in danger."

"Everyone is in danger," said the old man, gravely.

"Everyone's in danger?" repeated Chip, excitedly. "From what?"

Before the old man could answer, suddenly there was a loud honking and a car arrived with Xander and Vida in tow.

"Xander? Vida, what're you two doing here?" asked Mason, surprised.

"For the 'brother with the common sense' you're insane, Macey, if you think I'm letting you go into those woods without me by your side. Wherever you go, I go," said Vida, as she got out of the car. "Besides, you were right. No one should turn away another in need."

"And I didn't want to let my best friends leave this world behind without me, so I tagged along," said Xander, attempting to sound blasé and failing.

"Well, it's good to have you with us," said Chip, happily.

While Mason and the others exchanged hugs and grateful murmurs, Natalia kept her attention on the old man, who seemed a little too happy for Natalia's liking.

"So, there are five," whispered the old man, unaware that Natalia had heard him.

Five? That was an oddly specific number. Why does it matter that there's five of us here? What the heck is going on here? Natalia began to regret offering to help. Was she leading Mason and his loved ones on a rescue mission or into a trap? She didn't know. But she knew there was no turning back now. If anything goes wrong, I'll do my best to protect them. That much, I can promise.

The old man led them into the woods and then after instructing Natalia to lead the group in a specific direction, fell into the back of the crowd.

It wasn't long before Natalia saw a shimmer of light in the air and then felt something strange as she and the others crossed into a darker area of the woods.

"Whoa. Did anyone else feel that?" asked Mason. "I felt something, something strange but also…kind of familiar. Am I going insane?"

No one else but Natalia seemed to have felt what Mason did. Natalia shook her head. "No, you're not insane. I felt it too. Wait…where's the old man gone?" She'd suddenly realized that the old man had up and vanished into thin air. "Oh, crap."

"Ten seconds in the woods and we're already lost," said Chip. "All right!"

Natalia rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand what Chip found so exciting about any of this. Did he think life was a fairytale? He was out of his mind. "Can you please stayed focused so we can get out of here? Come on, let's go."

Without waiting for a reply, Natalia turned around and began heading out of the woods. The others quickly followed, all but Chip were nervous and uneasy with the woods. Chip was taking a different approach entirely by eagerly telling the group of what he thought lived in the woods thanks to all his reading on mystical lore.

"…trolls, goblins, and elves live in the woods too. I've also heard a witch lives here. She's hideous with green skin and a black tongue with yellow acidic drool that slowly drips out of her tongue when she talks," said Chip.

Both Natalia and Mason chuckled.

"I think you've been reading one too many fairytales, Chips," said Mason.

"I'm inclined to agree," said Natalia. "Guys, seriously, just relax. There's no such thing as—okay, what're you all doing?" She faced the group as they suddenly stopped walking and gazed at her with fear in their eyes. Natalia sighed in exasperation. Should've guessed. "Oh, don't tell me. You're pranking the new girl, right? Fine. I'll play along." Natalia rolled her eyes as she feigned fright. "Ooh, I'm so scared. There's someone behind me!"

"There is someone behind you!" blurted out Mason, pointing over Natalia's shoulder. "Look!"

Quickly, Natalia spun around to see a tall figure standing behind her, dressed from head to toe in black with only their pale blue eyes visible. The sight of those eyes did not give Natalia fear but rather, they caused a nostalgic feeling to stir in Natalia's heart.

Those eyes. How do I know those eyes? Who the heck is this person?

Mason stepped forward. "Guys, run. I'll dealt with this."

Natalia gave Mason a look of surprise as she didn't see any weapons on Mason's person and nor did she figure him to be a trained fighter.

"I'd love to, but my feet won't move," whimpered Xander.

Before anyone could react, an army of armed Hidiacs suddenly leapt out of nowhere and took defensive positions.

"Oh, crap. She's brought friends," said Vida.

Quickly, the woman in black reacted. She thrust out a wand adorned with a sparkling white snowflake and shouted out, "Dispel Aratan!"

Natalia and the others screamed in terror as five, high-powered broomsticks suddenly swooped in and snatched them off the ground. They zoomed through the air and the horrendous trip seemed like it was never going to end until at last, they reached the biggest tree Natalia had ever seen in her life and were dropped off at its roots. At the base of the tree was the carved out, moss and vine-covered dragon's head with ruby eyes.

"You guys okay?" asked Natalia, as she helped Mason to stand. After everyone said they were fine, Natalia began dusting off her leather jacket.

Xander looked severely freaked out as he stood up. "Okay, New Girl, now you know why no one ever goes into the woods. And you—"

"My name is Natalia," she interrupted, in agitation. "Natalia Russell. It is not New Girl. And for the record, I didn't force you to come so don't pin this on me!" Even if she had been the one leading the charge, how could any of this be blamed on her? It wasn't like Natalia had known what was going to happen!

"Uh, guys, before we get into a fight," interrupted Mason, as he got in between them, "shouldn't we figure out where we are?"

"You're at Rootcore," said an unfamiliar voice.

Suddenly, the woman in black appeared and began walking towards them.

Without thinking, Natalia protectively shielded the group with her body and her gloved hands began to smoke, but no one took any notice of this as they all quickly walked into the dragon's mouth. Soon, the beast's mouth closed and they found themselves in the middle of an unfamiliar room. Inside it looked as though it'd been carved right out of the tree and it was filled with countless book as well as strange objects. The broomsticks were hanging on the wall and behind them were five panels alit with a different color and symbol. The same colors and symbols surrounded a large, golden crystal ball that sat in the center of the room: a red phoenix, a blue merman, a yellow garuda, a green centaur and a pink butterfly.

"What the heck is this place?" whispered Natalia.

"A place of safety." Everyone's heads shot up to see the strange woman on the balcony up above. "I thought it best you were brought here for your protection."

"And this place is quite lovely," said Mason, quickly. "Forgive me, but who exactly are you?"

The stranger removed her black cloak, revealing herself to be a redheaded, smiling woman dressed all in white. Something about her seemed familiar to both Natalia and Mason but neither one of them voiced these thoughts.

"I am Udonna, White Sorceress Queen of the Mystic Woods," she said, kindly. "Welcome to my home. It is indeed an honor to make your acquaintance at last."

An honor to make our acquaintance at last? That doesn't even make sense. What could possibly be so special about us? Heck, why on earth is she calling herself a sorceress? She can't be serious about that…can she? But instead of voicing these thoughts, Natalia wisely held her tongue and instead bowed to show respect for the Queen. The others quickly followed suit.

"The honor is ours, Your Majesty," said Natalia.

Udonna held up her hand. "Please, call me Udonna. No need for such formalities."

Natalia raised a surprised eyebrow but once again said nothing on the subject and instead changed the topic. "What exactly are we doing here? And more to the point, where is exactly is 'here'?"

Udonna smiled approvingly. "You ask good questions. I like that," she said, warmly. "It is the mark of a strong, intelligent leader."

Natalia blinked in surprise. Leader? She can't possibly mean me. Natalia was no leader. She'd never been a leader in her entire life. Why on earth would change that? More importantly, what made this sorceress think that Natalia was fit to lead in the first place?

"When you five entered the forest, you stepped into a magical dimension, the Mystic Woods," said Udonna. "Though I rule alone now, there was a time when I and my kin along with brave, mystical warriors upheld a sacred duty to protect this and your realm from those who would do it harm with the power of light magic. It was a golden age, one that lasted for many years until…" A shadow of grief and pain flickered across Udonna's face. "…until that peace was destroyed fifteen years ago by army of dark practitioners who sought to conquer not only our world, but also your own. When we finally defeated them and sent them back to the Underworld, victory of the Great War was ours. But it did not come without heavy cost. The gate to the Underworld was sealed with a powerful spell, but the recent earthquake has caused a crack to form in that gate. Now, the darkness has returned and I fear it is only the beginning."

Xander raised his hand, catching Udonna's attention. "Uh, excuse me. The beginning of what exactly?"

Udonna looked grave. "The end of both of our worlds."

Vida rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she scoffed. "None of us are buying into this fairytale!"

Udonna fixed Vida with a stern look. "This is no fairytale. What I tell you is what happened."

Vida angrily opened her mouth to protest but Mason placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Hey, why don't we just listen? We can always leave afterwards." Mason shot a questioning look at Udonna. "With your permission, please?"

Udonna nodded and Vida begrudgingly became silent.

Udonna beckoned for them to join her as she stood before a great, heavy book that sat on a pedestal. "This is the Xenotome, the Book of the Unknown. In it is everything we do not yet know." As if for proof, the open page of the book glowed before changing from blank to a map and writing in a language that Natalia felt was familiar.

"What language is that? I swear, I've seen it before," asked Natalia.

"Me too," said Mason, in agreement.

Udonna looked surprised and then shook her head. "That cannot be possible. This is the Language of the Ancients. Only residents of the Mystic World know it. But for you five, that will soon change as you will learn it if you choose to remain here and fulfill your destinies."

While Chip looked excited, Mason, Vida and Xander exchanged confused looks and Natalia's brow wrinkled.

"And those destinies would be what, exactly?" asked Natalia.

Udonna's smile widened. "According to this text, when evil rises again, five mystical warriors from the human realm will step forward and vanquish the Master's darkness with the greatest power for light the worlds have ever seen. You five are those prophesied warriors. You are the Power Rangers. And you, Miss Russell—"

"Natalia, please," she interrupted.

"Natalia," corrected Udonna, "you will be their leader, the Red Mystic Ranger."

Chip looked thrilled. "Really? That's awesome!"

Chip's friends, however, were either in a state of shock or outright disbelief.

Okay, that's it. I've officially stepped into crazy town, thought Natalia. Being Power Rangers was one thing, everyone knew of Power Rangers and their fantastical battles—who hadn't?—but magic was another can of worms entirely. This was completely insane. Her? A mystic warrior? What did she or any of her friends know about magic, let alone fighting in some insane fantasy battle? More to the point, how Natalia possibly be worthy of being a Ranger, much less serve as the Red Ranger and lead them to victory? This couldn't be happening. There had to be a mistake.

Natalia quickly shook her head. "No. No, this is a mistake."

"Destiny does not make mistakes, Natalia," said Udonna, seriously.

"In this case it did. I'm not a warrior, much less a leader for some battle!" protested Natalia.

"Well, I'd be happy to follow you into battle, Gorgeous," teased Xander, which earned a scowl from Natalia and a smack from Mason. "She's got a point. How're we supposed to fight and defeat pure evil when we don't know anything about magic? Plus, our university hasn't even won a football game in the last six years."

Udonna quickly whipped out five wooden wands, each adorned with one of the colorful symbols that decorated the interior of Rootcore, and began passing them out, starting with Natalia. "These are your magic wands. With them, you will have access to the powers that lay dormant within you." As each individual received their wand, the tops of the wands briefly glowed with light, signaling the bond between them and their new owners. "But you must never go anywhere without them and you must use your powers responsibly."

The moment was interrupted when a young woman with long, curly blond hair, gowned in a dress that looked as if it'd been made with fabric scraps, ran into the room frantically calling out the White Sorceress's name.

"Aunt Udonna! Aunt Udonna!" The young woman stopped when she saw that her aunt was not alone and her mood changed perceptibly. "Oh, we have guests. Hello!" She smiled and curtsied to Natalia and her friends. "I'm Clare, sorceress in training and Udonna's niece. Nice to meet you. What're your names?"

Xander smiled charmingly and waved at Clare before beginning the introductions. After everyone made Clare's acquaintance, Clare remembered why she'd come to Rootcore in such a manner.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Excuse me. Udonna…" Clare quickly whispered something incomprehensive into Udonna's ear, causing the older woman to look upset.

"My apologies for leaving you like this but I'm needed elsewhere for the moment. It would be in your best interests to stay here until I return. The woods are unsafe for you at the moment," warned Udonna.

Without waiting for a reply, Udonna snapped her fingers and disappeared in a shower of sparkling white lights.

Clare looked envious as she snapped her fingers in an attempt to mimic Udonna's spell only for nothing to happen. "Wish I could do that. I practice and I practice but nothing ever works!" she grumbled. After a moment, her grumblings ceased and she smiled at her guests. "So, while Udonna's gone, can I conjure you anything? Food? Tea?"

Conjure? That was the last straw. "Okay, that's it! I'm out of here," declared Natalia. She'd had enough of this insanity. She dumped her wand on a table. "Anyone coming with me?"

Mason and the others quickly murmured in agreement and attempted to follow Natalia, only for Claire to block the way.

"Oh! No, you can't go. Udonna said you had to stay here until she came back," said Clare, in the tone of explaining something obvious.

"Well, no offense, but Udonna isn't really the boss of us. We need to get back to Briarwood. People are worried about us by now," said Mason.

Realizing that she was losing them, Clare attempted to remedy the situation. "Oh, this is not good!" She looked worried for a moment before an idea brightened up her face. "I know! I will conjure a spell that will make you stay put until Udonna gets back. C—"

But that was as far as Clare got, because quicker anyone could blink, Natalia whipped out a small can of knockout gas from her jacket pocket and sprayed it in Clare's face, causing the blond sorceress to pass out into Natalia's arms.

"Whoa," gasped Chip, as Natalia, carefully lowered Clare onto a nearby seat. "Where'd you get that stuff and how'd you do that so quickly?"

"Long story," said Natalia, briskly. Her military father had always wanted Natalia to be able to protect herself, so he'd trained her in self-defense and insisted she always carry cans of knockout gas mace in the event of an emergency. Clare's attempt to force them to her will qualified as an emergency, at least in Natalia's books. "Let's just get out of here. Shall we?"

No one argued as they all quickly followed Natalia out of Rootcore and into the woods.

XXX

Natalia and the others quickly ran through the woods, searching the way out and back to Briarwood. Despite thinking that they knew the way out, however, it was not long before they realized that they were nowhere near their intended destination as they came upon a small village that not only looked like a warzone but was also filled with beings such as none of them had ever seen before. Creatures of beauty with great wings, some of ugliness with green skin, some resembled humans except their ears were pointed instead of curved. In the midst of all the mess Udonna, who was unsurprised and remarkably pleased to see the five of them.

"I should've known you wouldn't stay at Rootcore," said Udonna, warmly.

"What happened here?" asked Vida, her eyes wide with worry.

Udonna looked sad. "This is Woodland Village, one of the many under my reign. It was destroyed in an attack by the dark forces. No one was seriously hurt and there were no casualties, thank heavens, but that will not always be the case. The darkness will destroy everything and everyone in its path until it reigns supreme over the realms and finds what it desires most."

"What's it looking for?" asked Chip.

"Me," said Udonna, gravely. "I am not only Queen and a powerful source of light magic in this realm, but I am all that remains of the Royal Family and the rightful owners of the Mystic Crystal."

"What's the Mystic Crystal?" asked Mason, his brow wrinkling in puzzlement.

"The Mystic Crystal is a gemstone unlike any other. It houses the greatest source of magic that has ever been," explained Udonna. "I cannot fully explain what it can do as the Crystal had no limitations, except for that of its wielder. For generations, its power was used to better the lives of all who live here and beyond and in turn, the Crystal was protected from those who would seek to use its great powers for evil, for while it is said that only those of the Royal Family can use it, the darkness has longed to use the Crystal's power to achieve its evil desires. They will stop at nothing until the Crystal is in their possession."

Natalia and her friends exchanged horrified looks. Any doubt they had about the existence of magic or Udonna's tale was gone now. And they were starting to worry about what this meant, not just for their own lives but the lives of their loved ones and other innocents. If the destruction of this little village was just the beginning, who could say what would happen next? Especially if the darkness got their hands on Crystal?

"Why don't you just use this Crystal to stop the darkness?" asked Xander.

Fresh tears glistened in Udonna's eyes. "I am only part of the Royal Family through marriage, not by blood. Such power is not for me to wield. And even if that were not true, it would make no difference, for the Mystic Crystal was lost during the Great Battle fifteen years ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss," said Mason, sympathetically. "We all are."

Udonna nodded. "Thank you. But you need to know, that once the darkness finds me, they will go after you five. By accepting the wands, you have marked yourselves the five Mystic Warriors who will vanquish the darkness."

"Hang on, I never said I was going to be part of this!" protested Natalia. She'd agreed to help an old man find his brother, not take part in some insane war that had nothing to do with her! Besides, Natalia knew full well that if the truth about Natalia came out, no one would want her serving on a team much less as a leader.

But Natalia's protests fell on deaf ears as suddenly, the villagers noticed the five's presence and at once, they were swarmed.

"It's them! It's them!" cried a male elf. "It's the protectors! Hail the Mystic Force!"

Despite the five's protests, the entire village began bowing down to them and singing praises. While Xander, who was quite full of hot air, was thrilled with it, Chip was just excited while Mason, Vida and Natalia were not at all at ease. How desperate were the villagers that would place such great faith in people they didn't know?

Suddenly, there was an earth-shattering roar as a twenty-foot dark blue monster made entirely of rock, Bouldy, appeared out of nowhere. His terrible presence caused the villagers to flee in terror.

"Take out your wands!" ordered Udonna.

"Uh…we kind of left them back at the tree," said Chip, sheepishly. To be fair, even if they hadn't left the wands at Rootcore, how were any of them supposed to use any defensive magic when they didn't know a single spell?

Udonna looked disappointed but did not speak of it. Instead, she took command. "Very well. Then it appears I have no choice." She whipped out her wand and spun it. "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" There was a shower of sparkling white lights followed by a circle of ruins which transformed Udonna's white dress in white and gold battle armor and her wand into a tall Snow Staff. "Flurry of Snow, White Mystic Ranger!"

"Now that is cool," said Vida, enviously.

But there was no time dwell on that Udonna leapt into battle—quite literally—and began blasting at Bouldy with her Snow Staff. The spells had little effect but thankfully Bouldy's blows were missed as Udonna gracefully dodged the monster.

"Oh, crap. Guys, we have company!" said Natalia.

Out of nowhere appeared an army of the undead, hideous and soulless monsters known as Hidiacs, appeared. They were great in number as well as armed to the teeth and to make things worse, they did not seem the least bit friendly.

"Well, the way I see it, we got two options. One, we can surrender and be destroyed. Or two, we can run and hopefully survive," said Chip, as he began backing up.

"Or option three, Plan Xander. I'll just lay the old charm on them," said Xander, smoothly.

Xander moved forward in an attempt to speak with the Hidiacs, but Natalia stopped him by thrusting out her arm. She gave him an exasperated scowl.

"Or we can fight, live for another day and then get the heck out of dodge," argued Natalia. While Natalia wanted no part in any mystical war, she wasn't about to run or be destroyed when there was another choice. Not to mention, she didn't think that schmoozing over the Hidiacs was going to accomplish anything when it was plain as day that they weren't going to listen.

"I'm with Natalia. Let's fight!" said Mason.

But before any of them could fight, however, the Hidiacs' leader, a Styxoid, waved its arms and caused a great explosion which sent Natalia and the others flying. Those who didn't land painfully onto the hard ground were slammed into the trees. Furious, Natalia and her friends began fighting for their lives. Natalia unleashed a series of impressive martial arts moves that defeated several of her opponents while Chip and Xander were quickly backed into corners. When the Styxoid attempted to blast Mason into oblivion, Vida protected Mason by pushing out of way, causing her to be caught in the blast instead, which was a big mistake.

"All right. That's it. Now I'm mad!" growled Mason. His eyes were like raging storms. "No one messes with my sister!" He closed his eyes and thrust out his hands. Suddenly, powerful geysers of water shot out from beneath the surface of the earth, sending the Hidics flying into the air. The water around them then froze and shattered into a million pieces upon hitting the ground. "Guys, just focus! Believe in magic!"

"Okay, I'll try!" yelled Chip, as he was backed into a corner. "I believe!" Suddenly, powerful bolts of lightning shot out from Chip's body, destroying the Hidiacs. "Whoa. Guys, it works! The magic works! Just believe!"

Xander, who was up against a tree, closed his eyes tightly. "Okay, I believe in magic!" Powerful vines shot out from the tree, decimating the Hidiacs.

After ducking from a punch, Vida found herself surrounded. "I believe. I believe!" Vida then cheered in awe and shock as she transformed into a huge pink tornado. "I like! Well, all except for the color." If there was one thing Vida hated it was the color pink.

Meanwhile, Udonna had worn down Bouldy enough for a freezing spell to be more effective. With a great swing of her snow staff, the monster was frozen to its core and then it melted into a great puddle. No sooner had she done this, there was a great explosion of fire and Natalia emerged from the flames without so much as a scratch on her. Unlike the others, she did not looked pleased with herself or even excited about the destiny that lay ahead of her, which troubled Udonna.

"You have all done exceedingly well," said Udonna. "I'm proud of you all. You truly are the ones. Does this mean you will accept your legacy?"

Chip excitedly nodded. "Heck yes! I kicked some serious evil butt back there!"

Vida nodded. "I'm in."

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with my sister, but I'm with you," said Mason, as Vida playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Ditto for me," said Xander, as he wrapped his arms around his friends. "Someone's got to look after this lot, don't they? Might as well be me."

Everyone laughed at this before turning to Natalia, who had yet to speak.

"And you? Will you accept your legacy as the leader of the Mystic Rangers?" asked Udonna.

Expecting a resounding yes like the others, there was a swell of disappointment when Natalia shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry, but no. I'm out of here," she said. "Magic doesn't work for me."

Mason frowned in confusion. "But you created that explosion and came out without a scratch! How can you say magic doesn't work for you after that? You do believe…don't you?"

Natalia avoided Mason's eyes as she held up a grenade pin. "I can't explain how I survived but I didn't use magic, I used a grenade for that explosion. Anyway, why should I believe in magic when it's never believed in me?" she demanded. When no one answered, Natalia held up her hands in a surrender position. "I'm sorry, but I'm not a Mystic Warrior much less a leader. I can't accept this. I need to leave. The sooner the better."

Udonna looked disappointed but she did not attempt to dissuade Natalia. "The choice is your own, but know that this is a tragic moment. Whether or not you believe it yourself, I know that you are meant for so much more than what you think. But I would advise that you consider your choices carefully before leaving Briarwood. In the meantime, I will have Clare escort you safely through the forest." Udonna snapped her fingers and Clare appeared, snoring as she was still out cold from the knockout gas. Udonna chuckled and shook her head good-naturedly. "Oh, child. When will you learn to master your spells?"

Natalia raised her hand. "Actually, she didn't. I hit her with knockout gas."

"I see." Udonna waved her wand. "Evigilare Faciatis!"

Instantly, Clare awakened and scrambled to her feet as soon as she realized where she was. After Natalia apologized for knocking Clare out, to which Clare dismissed with her own apology for trying to spell Natalia and the others, Clare was instructed to see Natalia out of the woods. It was a task that Clare was reluctant to accept as it meant losing a possible friend all too quickly for Clare's liking, but one that Natalia was only too eager to get over with as she'd had enough insanity for one day.

XXX

No sooner had Natalia left, Koragg emerged via a teleportation spell, startling Udonna and the other rangers.

He stood tall and menacing as he drew his sword. "Do not celebrate your victory so soon. You may have defeated my foot soldiers, but you will not defeat me! Wolf Attack!"

Before anyone could react, powerful magic shot out of Koragg's shield, injuring his foes and sending them all flying.

"It is the end for you!" cackled Koragg.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Review and tell me if I should continue this.