“From this moment, life has begun
From this moment, you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on.”

Jenny stood in the Simudeck singing the popular wedding song by Shania Twain. Her voice was pure, smooth, and emotional. She didn’t realize that Carlos and Ruth had come to watch. They had heard Jenny’s singing from down the hall, so they came in to investigate. They listened as Jenny sang the rest of the song. When she was done, they applauded. Jenny spun around, startled.

“Hey, good job!” Carlos called.

“Yeah, where did you learn to sing like that?” Ruth asked.

“I-I-I don’t know....” Jenny stammered, blushing.

“You know, you should’ve been a singer,” Ruth said. “You’d be a hit.”

“No, I couldn’t. It’s too much of a hassle.”

“Well, it’s worth it if you want to be famous,” Carlos said.

“I don’t want to be famous; I just want to be accepted,” Jenny told him. “Excuse me.” She walked past them out of the Simudeck. Ruth and Carlos shrugged and left also.

On the Scorpion Stinger, a strange-looking woman walked through the dim red-lit halls. She wore a purple scaly costume with a hood shaped like a mantis head. Her face was plastered with makeup, similar to Astronema’s. She walked straight up to Scorpius.

“Furio said that you wished to see me, Father,” she said.

“That is correct,” Scorpius replied. “I’d like you to meet our ally, Astronema and her minions. Astronema, this is my daughter Trakeena.”

Astronema......pleasure to meet you,” Trakeena said.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Astronema told her. “I only wish that my daughters were as evil and loyal as you.”

“You have daughters?”

“More than one?” Scorpius added.

“I have two,” Astronema explained. “My daughters have been corrupted by the forces of good. I’ve tried many times to bring them back to the dark side, but they’ve grown stubborn.” She lowered her head and looked as if she was going to cry.

“I think I can help bring them back,” Trakeena said.

“Yes.....a good idea, my sweet daughter,” Scorpius said. “Bring sweet Tonfa Spice back.”

“Master, Master!” Furio called happily, racing into the room.

“How dare you interrupt us!” Scorpius shouted angrily.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I have great news! We’ve discovered the location of the Lightstar Crystal!”

“Lightstar Crystal?” Astronema asked.

“Only the most powerful jewel this side of the black hole portal,” Scorpius told her. “Its power depends on the personality of its possessor.”

“Where is it located?” Trakeena asked.

“It’s located in a hidden cave on the planet Kondarr,” Furio replied.

“Bring me the Lightstar Crystal at once!” Scorpius ordered. “Trakeena, go with him.”

“Yes, Father,” Trakeena said, taking a bow.

She and Furio left the Scorpion Stinger.

Meanwhile, back on the Megaship, the Rangers and Spices were eating at the dining room table. Ruth sat by Jenny’s locker scanning through the Necronomican, a.k.a. the Book of the Dead. Other than the unfamiliar writing, all Ruth saw were human skulls, eyeballs, etc.

“Are you sure you want to look at that?” the Cryptkeeper asked.

“This is way beyond my understanding,” Ruth said.

“Do you understand how it was made? It’s bound in human flesh and inked in human blood.”

“Eeeeuw; that’s revolting!” Ruth closed the book and threw it carelessly, hitting Jenny in the back of the head.

“Ow! Hey, what’s the big idea!?” Jenny demanded.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” Ruth said.

Just then, Maya and Leo came in carrying the twins.

“Hey, Ruth, do you mind if we take the children down to a planet?” Maya asked.

“A planet?” Ruth asked. “Hmm.....”

“Oh, let them go, Ruth,” Jenny said. “They’ve been cooped up on this spaceship for too long; they need some fresh air.”

“Well.....when you put it like that, I guess it would be best for them,” Ruth said. “Okay, go ahead, but be careful.”

“Oh, I’m coming, too!” Spinal called, hopping out of his seat.

“Don’t worry; I used to baby-sit,” Leo said.

Spinal tapped him. “You sat on babies??”

Everyone laughed. Leo shook his head as the three warriors carried the twins out. They went down to another jungle planet.

“Wow.....those trees are huge!” Spinal observed.

“Look! There are berries up there!” Maya exclaimed. “Come on, let’s go pick ‘em!”

“You want me to go up there?” Spinal asked.

“Oh, come on,” Maya said. “Leo, you stay here.”

“Wait a minute!” Leo cried as Maya and Spinal started up the tree. “You’re not gonna leave me here with the kids, are you? Huh? Are ya?”

When Spinal reached six feet up, he slipped and dropped back to the ground with a scream. He landed on his rear, then started up the tree again. Leo looked up and eventually got dizzy.

“Okay, that’s high enough!” he called. “You can come on down now!”

“Are you kidding!?” Maya called back. “We’re not even close to the berries.”

The two continued to climb. By the time they did reach the berries, Leo couldn’t even see them. Maya and Spinal picked the berries and stored them in a brown leather bag. When they were done, Maya grabbed a thick vine and swung her way down with the greatest of ease. Spinal turned around and was stunned to find that Maya was no longer in the tree with him.

“Maya?”

“Come on, Spinal!” Maya called.

“What!? No way!” Spinal cried.

“What’s wrong, Spinal?” Leo called. “You scared?”

“I don’t like high places!” Spinal looked down and realized just how high he was. He passed out, leaning against the trunk.

“Spinal.....you all right up there?” Leo asked.

Spinal heard a soft growl that woke him up. “W-W-What was that?” he stammered.

He turned to his right where a beast made its way through the trees. It poked its head out of the branches and looked directly at Spinal. It was pink and furry. Spinal gasped and turned around, digging his fingers into the trunk. The pink beast slowly moved closer to Spinal and slowly licked him with its giant tongue. The tongue pressure caused him to fall out of the tree. Spinal crashed abruptly on the ground, where he lay unconscious. Leo and Maya started over to check on him, but saw that the pink beast was moving closer to do the same.

“Oh, it’s the Pink Galactabeast!” Maya cried.

The beast stood over Spinal and sniffed at his unconscious body. Then it gently nudged him with its paw. Spinal began to stir. He let out a groan as he turned his head to look at the beast. He gasped and tried to crawl away from it, but it only stepped closer.

“No.....get away from me!” Spinal pleaded. “Please!”

“Spinal, there’s nothing to worry about,” Maya said. “She’s our friend.”

“Friend!?” Spinal cried. “If she’s your friend, why doesn’t she crawl over to you instead of me?”

“Isn’t it obvious, Spinal?” Maya asked. “She likes you!”

“But why!? I’m just a pile of bones!”

“It doesn’t matter how you look. It’s what’s inside that counts.”

The pink beast continued to stare at Spinal sweetly, nodding its head. Spinal scrambled to his feet and backed away. The beast still pursued him.

“No! Please get away!” Spinal pleaded. “Leo, Maya, please help me!”

Leo and Maya just stood there laughing. The twins flapped their arms in goofy laughter also. Soon, Spinal and the beast were out of sight.

“Come on, let’s go back,” Maya said. “Spinal will be okay. He can teleport back on his own.”

Leo nodded. Suddenly, they were surrounded by small explosions. The Galaxy Rangers held the twins tightly.

“Rangers, out of our way!” Furio shouted. “The Lightstar Crystal is ours!”

Leo tapped his communicator. “Guys, we’re under attack. We need help.”

“Don’t bother calling your friends,” Trakeena said. “They’ll never get here in time.”

No sooner than she finished the sentence, the other Rangers and Spices teleported in front of them.

“Care to repeat that?” Jenny asked.

Trakeena gave a curious look. “Are you Astronema’s daughter?”

“No, not really. I’m just a girl in the world.”

“Stingwingers attack!” Furio commanded. “Destroy them all!”

The Stingwingers attacked. The Galaxy Rangers pulled out their Quasar Sabers. The heroes rushed into battle.....

Spinal was still trying to get away from the Pink Galactabeast. The beast suddenly shot its paw under him and tossed him straight up into the air. As Spinal screamed, the beast positioned itself underneath him. Spinal landed on its soft, furry back. He sat up as the beast began to walk. Spinal wanted to jump off, but he was too afraid of heights to do so.

“Where are you taking me!?” he cried in panic.

The beast continued to walk until it eventually reached a large cave. It lowered its head to the ground, causing Spinal to tumble to the ground. When Spinal stood up, the beast gently shoved him closer to the cave with its snout.

“You want me to go in there?” Spinal asked.

The beast nodded.

“Okay.....here goes nothing.” Spinal took a deep breath as he cautiously stepped into the cave.....

Meanwhile, the others had retreated and returned to the Megaship.

“I can’t believe it!” Maya cried. “They’re after the Lightstar Crystal!”

“What is this Lightstar Crystal anyway?” T.J. asked.

“It’s a crystal practically capable of anything,” Maya said. “Its power depends on the personality of its owner.”

“Wait......I don’t understand,” C.C. said.

“It means that if its owner is good, the crystal’s power will benefit the forces of good,” Maya told her.

“And then there’s the loose talk that if it falls into the wrong hands, it’ll mean total destruction of the entire universe,” Jenny said. “Same thing we’ve all heard before.”

“Exactly.”

“It must be hidden somewhere on that planet,” the Cryptkeeper said. “We have to find it before they do.”

“Come on, we’ll take the galaxy gliders,” Andros suggested as he and the Space Rangers left the bridge.

“The what?” Damon asked as everyone else followed.

Spinal walked deep into the strange cave. The torches on the wall automatically lit up as he passed.

“What is this place?” he asked himself.

As he walked deeper, he saw a red carpet ahead. It went up a few small stairs to a round stone platform. On top of the platform was a crystal. It looked almost exactly like the Zeo Crystal. Spinal slowly walked up to it and reached out for it.......

“Do not touch the Lightstar Crystal!” a deep, beastly voice ordered abruptly.

Spinal gasped and stepped back. “Who said that? Who are you?”

“I am the guardian of the Lightstar Crystal,” the voice replied. “Anyone who desires it must first defeat me in battle.”

“Well, I don’t want the Lightstar Crystal; you can keep it,” Spinal told him. “I’m leaving.”

He turned around and started out, but a row of blades popped out from the ground, blocking the exit.

“Not so fast, little trespasser,” the voice said. “Did you really think that I’d just let you walk out of this cave?”

Before Spinal could react, a beam of red light encircled both of his wrists and pulled them together. The light disappeared, leaving Spinal’s wrists bound together tightly with thick rope.

“What are you doing!?” he cried.

The voice only laughed sinisterly as another red light formed between Spinal’s wrists. It formed a tail, which lay on the ground. Suddenly, the light beam shot upward, yanking Spinal off the ground. Now, that light disappeared, leaving Spinal bound and suspended in the air.

“Hey!” he screamed. “Let me go, you creep!”

“I’ll let you down as soon as you accept my challenge,” the voice told him.

“No! Never!” Spinal cried. “I told you, I don’t want the Lightstar Crystal.”

“Now look what happened to all the other tortured souls who made the same choice.”

The lighting in the cave grew brighter, and hundreds of figures dropped down all around Spinal. They were all rotting corpses of many different species, suspended and bound in the same manner as Spinal was. Spinal screamed in horror. The corpses were pulled back up out of sight, and the lighting returned to normal.

“So.....won’t you reconsider?” the voice asked.

“No!” Spinal responded. “I won’t fight you! How can I fight you if I can’t even see you?”

“Oh, you’ll see me; count on it. But if you refuse to fight, it won’t bother me a bit. I could use some company, and you look like you could hang around forever....”

The voice laughed again as Spinal began to struggle.....

Meanwhile, the other heroes walked along the planet Kondarr searching for the crystal. The Rangers used the energy-tracking devices while Jenny used the power of her necklace.

“Do you really have time to play with that necklace?” Damon asked.

“This necklace can help lead us to the crystal,” Jenny told him.

“But Jenny, that necklace is evil!” Ashley protested.

Jenny shot her a look. “So?” She hurried off in one direction.

“Okay, according to this, the crystal is.....that way,” Carlos said, pointing in Jenny’s direction.

“That girl is crazy!” Damon exclaimed.

“Perhaps.....” the Cryptkeeper replied. “But that’s why she’s our leader.”

They all ran to catch up with Jenny......

Despite being tied up in the cave, Spinal was barely able to reach his ring.

“Guys.....come in.....I need help!” he groaned. “Rangers? Spices, do you read me?”

No response.

“Andros? T.J.? Jenny? C.K.?” Spinal continued. “Does anybody read me?”

“I’m afraid that your little communication device will not work in this cave,” the voice told him. “Face it, little one, you’re trapped. Only I can save you, and that is only if you fight me.”

“I will not fight you!” Spinal shouted.

“Suit yourself.”

Spinal continued to twist against the ropes, but they were just too thick.

“Oh, do stop struggling,” the voice said. “No one has escaped or defeated me, so you might as well abandon all hope.”

Just then, Furio and Trakeena appeared in the cave.

“There it is,” Trakeena whispered. “The Lightstar Crystal!”

“Finally!” Furio exclaimed as he approached and reached out for it.

“Do not touch the Lightstar Crystal!” the voice snapped. “You must earn it by defeating me in battle.”

“Says who?” Furio asked.

“Me.” The perpetrator of the voice stepped out. It looked like an old-fashioned werewolf. However, he was more muscular, and he wore a thick, metal armor.

“Oh my God, it’s a werewolf!” Spinal thought. “I hate werewolves!”

“Hey, look up there!” Trakeena said, pointing at Spinal.

“It’s a Spice Club member,” Furio told her. “We’ll take him to Astronema for extra credit.”

“Sorry,” the werewolf said. “Captors keepers, losers weepers.”

“What are you talking about?” Trakeena asked coldly. “And just who do you think you are?”

The werewolf put his head on his chest and lowered his head. “My name is Roganzi; I am the guardian of the Lightstar Crystal. If you want it, you’ll have to face me. That’s all there is to it.”

“We don’t need a stupid match,” Furio said. “We’re just taking it.”

He snatched the crystal from its resting place, then called on the Stingwingers. Roganzi fought off the killer bees in order to reclaim the crystal. During the battle, Furio fired an energy blast, breaking the ropes that suspended Spinal. Spinal let out a shriek as he dropped.

“Seize him!” Furio demanded.

Spinal stood up quickly and fought the Stingwingers. Gradually, the attacks on him stopped. Spinal noticed that everyone was too busy fighting Roganzi now.

“Now’s my chance,” he told himself.

He produced his weapons and sliced through the blades that blocked the exit and ran out of the cave.

“The Spice boy is escaping!” Trakeena screamed. “We must stop them before they find their way here!”

“Leave them alone!” Furio cried. “We must seize the crystal while we still can.”

“No, you can’t,” Roganzi said as he hit Furio’s face with his backhand.

“Um.....perhaps we should just pursue the Rangers and Spices.” So the bad guys vanished from the cave. Roganzi laughed with triumph.

During their search, the heroes split into small groups. Jenny, the Cryptkeeper, C.C., and Hallie formed one group. Spinal managed to find them.

“Hey guys!”

“Hey Spinal!” the Cryptkeeper called.

“Where’ve you been?” Jenny asked.

“It’s a long story,” Spinal told them.

“Well, we have a short story,” the Cryptkeeper said. “We’re just out looking for the Lightstar Crystal.”

“Lightstar Crystal? Why?” Spinal asked.

“Scorpius is looking for it, and we have to find it before he does,” Hallie replied.

“Well.....you’re in luck, because I know where it is,” Spinal said. “The Pink Galactabeast took me there, but I didn’t know that you were looking for it. Besides, there’s a fierce werewolf guarding it.”

“Hmph! Who’s afraid of a werewolf?” Jenny asked.

“I am, for one,” Spinal said.

“Well, take us to the crystal,” Jenny said. “We need to get it, werewolf or no werewolf.”

“It’s this way!”

The heroes started to run, but a voice called out to them.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Trakeena asked. “The crystal will be ours.”

“Who are you!?” Spinal called, his voice trembling.

“I am Trakeena, daughter to Scorpius.”

“Eeeuw. Since when does Scorpius have the ability to give anyone children?” Jenny asked.

“You insult my father, you’ll pay. Attack, Stingwingers!”

The Stingwingers attacked. Even Furio and Trakeena got involved. Trakeena went after Jenny, and they battled fiercely. Trakeena buried her staff into Jenny’s stomach. Jenny quickly straightened herself and thrust kicked Trakeena, knocking her back.

The Stingwingers knew that they had to subdue the Spices, and there was no quicker way to do it than to use their stingers. While Jenny was busy with Trakeena, the Stingwingers snuck up and seized her. As she struggled, several more Stingwingers shot their stingers, stunning her. She dropped to her knees.

Soon the other Spices were struck by the stingers.

“Ow.....these stingers hurt!” Hallie screamed.

“Looks like we’ve got them,” Trakeena said to Furio.

“Yes, we do,” Furio replied.

“Tie them up,” Trakeena ordered calmly with a smile.

“What!? No!!” Spinal screamed as he tried to lunge free. He wasn’t about to be tied up AGAIN!

“Go on, tie them,” Trakeena said.

The Stingwingers zapped the Spices with one more stinger, knocking them out.

When the Spices awakened, they were bound to the ground. Metal stakes were pounded into the ground to restrain them. They were placed on the ground in a circle, their heads towards the center. Their limbs were chained in a spread-eagle position.

“That should keep ‘em waiting,” Furio said.

“What are you gonna do with us, you ladybug?” Spinal asked.

“Oh no, don’t answer that!” the Cryptkeeper cried.

But Trakeena answered. “We could destroy you now, but we have something else in mind. We’ll leave you here so that Clawhammer can eat you for lunch.”

“Oh no. Kill us! KILL US!” the Cryptkeeper demanded.

“Never, EVER leave us out in the middle of nowhere,” Jenny said. “There’s a chance that we might escape.”

“Come on, Furio, let’s go take care of the others,” Trakeena said.

“Now don’t move,” Furio said.

The Stingwingers disappeared, leaving the Spices alone.

“Well, they’re gone,” C.C. said. “I feel a little better.”

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble. A devastating roar shook the ground.

“What was that?” Hallie asked.

“Who cares?” Jenny said. “It ain’t gonna find us.....at least.....not before we get out of here.”

She began to pull at the chain holding her left wrist. Spinal’s right wrist was bound with the same chain.

“Spinal, help me pull, will you?”

“Okay.”

They both concentrated on pulling that one stake. Jenny noticed that the entire dragon head of her necklace was glowing red.

“Why is my necklace glowing?” she asked.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look friendly,” the Cryptkeeper said.

Jenny looked at Spinal. “So.....how’s life?”

“Oh please,” Spinal said. “I’ve been dead for about 3,000 years, and you’re going to talk to me about life!?”

“Okay, forget it!” Jenny yelled. “Hmph!”

“You remind me of your mother when you do that,” the Cryptkeeper commented. “Hmph!”

The rumbling came again. The ground shook beneath the Spices. If they had been standing, they would’ve lost their balance. Now the rumbling sounded like giant footsteps. Soon, the perpetrator appeared. It looked like a giant lobster.

“Jumping Jupiter!” Jenny exclaimed.

“Hey, C.K., do I remind you of Mommy when I do this?” Hallie asked. “AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

The other Spices joined Hallie in screaming. Only Jenny was able to withhold her scream. When the screaming stopped, the Cryptkeeper answered Hallie’s question.

“Well, I wouldn’t know; I’ve never heard your mother scream.”

As the giant lobster came closer, the Spices noticed that its eyes were glowing red just like the necklace.

“That thing’s being drawn to your cursed necklace!” Spinal cried.

“Just calm down and keep pulling!” Jenny told him.

They both continued to pull at the same stake. In his unsuccessful attempt to stop screaming, Spinal let out a series of loud whimpers. The lobster stepped even closer until it was struck by pink lasers. The creature fell backwards, and the Pink Galactabeast appeared in front of it.

“Not that thing again!” Spinal cried.

The pink beast fired laser rings from its mouth. The lobster let out a scream just before it exploded. Then the pink beast turned to the Spices. It stared at Spinal with its caring facial expression.

“What?” Spinal asked nervously. “Don’t look at me like that.”

The beast lowered its head towards Spinal and slowly stuck its tongue out.

“Oh no.....” Spinal groaned. “Oh God, no, no, no; please don’t lick me again; no, what’re you doing, NO!!!”

The beast ignored his screams and licked him slowly, pressing its tongue against him. The other Spices burst out laughing.

“So, Spinal, who’s your new girlfriend?” the Cryptkeeper asked.

“Shut up!” Spinal screamed.

The beast fired its eye lasers, destroying the chains. The Spices stood up.

“Okay, Spinal, you will take us to the Lightstar Crystal, won’t you?” Jenny asked.

“Well......okay, but I’m not touching it,” Spinal said.

“What’s the matter, Spinal?” the Cryptkeeper asked. “Does the Lightstar Crystal bite?”

“No, but the guardian does,” Spinal told him.

The pink beast lowered its head and nudged Spinal with its nose again.

“You want us to get on?” Spinal asked.

The beast nodded. So the Spices jumped on top of it.

“Wow.....its fur is so soft!” C.C. exclaimed.

“Yeah.....” Jenny agreed. “Come on, let’s go get that crystal!”

The pink beast carried the Spices back to the cave. When they hopped down, Jenny opened her ring and contacted the others.

“Guys, we’ve found the Lightstar Crystal. I’m sending the teleportation coordinates now.” She pressed her ring in a Morse code manner. A minute later, the other Rangers and Spices arrived, Leo and Maya carrying the twins.

“Isn’t this a little dangerous for those kids?” Spinal asked.

“Maybe, but there are no baby-sitters in the Lost Galaxy,” Leo said.

The heroes walked into the cave. It appeared to be empty.

“I don’t see any guardian,” Jenny said. “Are you sure there is one?”

“Oh, he’ll show up,” Spinal told her. “In fact, he wouldn’t even let me go. Just walk up and get the crystal; you’ll see.”

Jenny gave him a suspicious look, then proceeded to the Lightstar Crystal. She reached out for it.....

“Do not touch the Lightstar Crystal!” the same hideous voice demanded.

Everyone was startled. Jenny gasped and stepped back.

“What was that?” she asked.

“I am the guardian of the Lightstar Crystal,” the voice said. “If you want it, you must defeat me in battle.”

“No problem,” Jenny said boldly. “We’ll take you down.”

“Not ‘we,’” the voice told her. “Only one of you may fight me.”

“Don’t listen to him, girl!” the Cryptkeeper called. “Just grab the crystal and let’s go!”

As soon as he spoke, the Lightstar Crystal lit up. It fired a white laser from its tip, striking Jenny in the chest. She was knocked all the way back to her friends.

“I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple,” the voice said. “The only way out is to fight me.”

Jenny stood up. “You got it. Come on, show yourself!”

At her command, Roganzi stepped out of the shadows. “You asked for me, here I am.”

“Let’s go.” Jenny took a fighting stance.

Kai grabbed her shoulder. “Are you crazy!? You can’t fight him by yourself!”

Jenny roughly shoved him to the ground. “Will you stop telling me who I can or can’t fight!? I am my own woman! When I say I’m going to fight, then jumping jiminy, I’m going to fight! Do I make myself clear!?”

Kai just stared at her, his eyes wide behind his Blue Ranger helmet. Jenny turned back to Roganzi.

“Let’s try this again.”

“I’m all yours, pretty one,” Roganzi said.

But before they could start fighting, they had another interruption.

“Stingwingers, attack!” Furio screamed from behind.

The Stingwingers rushed into the cave, and the heroes fought them off. Jenny looked for her opportunity to go after Roganzi.

“Well, whenever you’re ready,” he called as he disappeared within the shadows.

“Hey!” Jenny screamed. She blocked a Stingwinger’s kick, then elbowed its chest. “Hold ‘em off, guys! I’m after you, Fido!”

With that, she raced into the shadows at full speed.

“See, look at her,” Damon said. “She just runs into the darkness like a blind mouse.”

“She’s the courage of our team,” C.C. said. “She drives us into these things.”

The heroes continued their battle.......

Jenny still ran blindly through the darkness. After a while, she stopped and looked around. All she could see was darkness. All she could hear was silence.

“Hello?” she called. “Show yourself!”

Suddenly, something grabbed her shoulder, spun her around, and pummeled her stomach. Because of the darkness, Jenny could tell if she’d been punched or kicked, but the blow knocked her down into a heap. Suddenly, torches lit up on the walls around her. Strangely enough, the flames were blue. Jenny looked around; she appeared to be in some kind of underground arena. There was no sign of her attacker. Jenny stood up slowly.

“Here, Fido.....” she called as if calling a dog. “Come here....”

In response, Roganzi rushed at her from behind. Jenny spun around just in time to block his punch. Roganzi threw another punch, but Jenny dodged it and kicked his hip. Roganzi stepped back and paused.

“My name is not Fido. My name is Roganzi.”

“Roganzi?” Jenny gave him a nasty look. “What a funky name for a werewolf.”

Roganzi let out a vicious growl and attacked again. Jenny attempted a side kick, but Roganzi grabbed her ankle and shoved her back. He raced up and tried to stomp on her, but Jenny quickly rolled aside and threw a leg sweep. Roganzi sprang to his feet. He fired an energy blast from both his eyes and mouth. Jenny leaped out of its path, and the blast exploded on the wall. Jenny rolled into a crouching stance and threw a green fireball from her palms. Surprisingly, Roganzi disappeared before the attack could hit him. Jenny stood up and moved to the center. Roganzi reappeared behind her. As Jenny turned around, the werewolf moved to keep his position behind her.

“This isn’t funny!” Jenny called, her voice shaking. “Let’s hurry up and end this fight!”

“As you wish.....” Roganzi thought with a smile.

He charged at her and grabbed her. He pinned her arm behind her back, and put his arm around her neck. Jenny used her free arm to try to pull Roganzi’s hairy arm away, but his hold was strong.

“Let me go, you big bad wolf!” she cried.

“You know......” Roganzi trailed off. “I’ve had a lot of challengers......but none were as pretty as you are.”

“Oh stop it!” Jenny cried, still trying to break free.

Roganzi only tightened his grip even more, beginning to strangle her. He noticed a streak of blood trickling down the edge of her face.

“You put up a good fight, woman,” the werewolf said. “With a sweet little thing like you, I think I’ll play with my prey for a while.”

Jenny struggled again, but still couldn’t break Roganzi’s hold. Roganzi ran his slobbery tongue over the side of her face, tasting her blood.

“Mmm.....I could taste evil in your blood.”

“That doesn’t mean that I’m evil,” Jenny gasped. “Now for the final time, unhand me!”

She threw her upper body forward, throwing Roganzi over her shoulder. Roganzi quickly stood up and charged again......

The battle over the Lightstar Crystal raged on. Furio aimed his palm at Rachel, who gave a shrill scream.

“Say goodnight, you incompetent newborn!” Furio said coldly.

Rachel screamed again as Furio fired the energy blast at the infant. Luckily, Spinal ran across and snatched Rachel before the blast could hit her. Spinal fell down, his back scraping against the ground. He held Rachel in the air to protect her from harm. He finally stopped near Carlos.

“Carlos, I think you need to take better care of your kid,” he said, handing Rachel over to him.

“Hey!” Carlos cried, overwhelmed by the sudden helplessness. He pulled out his Astro Blaster and zapped the attacking Stingwingers.

Slowly, the battle came to an end. Soon, all fighting ceased.

“This is getting us nowhere!” the Cryptkeeper cried.

“Hmm.....for once, I think you’re right,” Trakeena said.

“I wonder how Jenny’s doing with that wolf?” C.C. asked.

The answer came when Roganzi flew out of the shadows, crashing on the ground abruptly. As he scrambled to his feet, Jenny stormed out after him in a calm rage. Roganzi fired a blue energy ball from his palm. Jenny leaped over it, flipping once, and nailed him in the face with a jump kick. Everyone else could only watch as Roganzi leaped at Jenny, claws extended. Jenny flipped over his head and landed gracefully on her feet.

“You go, girl!” the Cryptkeeper cried. “Get dirty!”

“My turn,” Jenny declared softly.

She squatted down, placing her fingertips on the ground. She looked Roganzi in the eye, growling softly. Suddenly, her eyes flashed yellow, and she let out a scream as she leaped at the werewolf. As she flew at him, her entire body flashed yellow, and she assumed the appearance of a glowing panther. Her scream turned into a panther’s roar. She tackled Roganzi, clawing all over his body, leaving claw marks on his armor. She soon ripped out his armor, exposing his filthy fur. Now Jenny clawed his body, shedding his blood everywhere. Finally, Roganzi threw her arm off, sending her crashing into the wall. When she hit the ground, the glow disappeared, and Jenny was returned to an attractive, half-beaten woman. Both fighters stood up again.

“Good grief!” Jenny groaned. “Don’t you know when you’re beaten?”

“No one has defeated Roganzi!” the werewolf roared.

“Until now, you mean,” Jenny corrected.

She ran at him again, then performed a cartwheel, kicking Roganzi’s face with both feet. She immediately followed with a crescent kick, then a thrust kick to the chest. Roganzi crashed into the wall, then collapsed to the ground. Jenny took a few steps closer and displayed a sinister smile.

“Down, boy,” she said, as if commanding a dog. She turned to the others. “Now the crystal shouldn’t bite anymore.”

“Thank you,” Trakeena said sweetly. “Now we’ll take the crystal.”

She snatched the Lightstar Crystal from its resting place.

“Hey!” Ruth screamed.

“Toodles,” Trakeena called.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Jenny growled. “Heads up, Fulgore!”

Trakeena spun around. Jenny charged at her, leaping off Fulgore’s shoulders. As she landed, she grabbed the crystal and tried to yank it from Trakeena’s grip. However, Trakeena’s grip on the crystal was strong. She and Jenny pulled the crystal in opposite directions. Ultimately, the crystal split cleanly in half. Everyone gasped.

“Nice going,” Furio growled.

“Now look what’s happened!” Trakeena cried. “The Lightstar Crystal is useless now!”

“Good!” Jenny said with a grin.

Trakeena threw her half of the crystal down. Surprisingly, it didn’t break anymore.

“You’ll pay for this, Spice Club. All of you will pay!”

With that, the aliens vanished. Jenny still held her half of the crystal.

Well......if they don’t need it, then neither do we.”

She dropped the half on the ground, and the heroes gathered near the wall. Meanwhile, Robyn and Rachel waddled over like ducks and each picked up a half of the Lightstar Crystal.

“Uh-oh......” they mumbled in unison.

“Rock broke,” Robyn said.

“We fix!” Rachel exclaimed.

The twins held each half of the crystal in front of them and waddled toward each other. They fit the halves together like a puzzle. As soon as they did, the crystal flashed brightly. The light engulfed the twins, who screamed. The Rangers and Spices turned in their direction and gasped.

“Oh no! The twins!” Ruth cried.

After a moment, the crystal stopped flashing. The Lightstar Crystal was in one piece again, and it lay on the floor. The twins were prone near the crystal, apparently unconscious. However, there was something obviously different about them. They were no longer infants. The Lightstar Crystal had turned them into girls. When they stood up, the others got a better look at them. Now the twins appeared to be around Hallie and Kathy’s age. The twins examined themselves carefully, then looked at each other.

“Rachel?” Robyn mumbled.

“Robyn.....” Rachel responded.

“Wow.....” Damon mumbled. “This is incredible!”

The twins rushed over to them.

“I can’t believe this!” Ruth gasped. “Is it really......?”

Robyn pointed to Rachel, then to herself. “Rachel and Robyn.”

Rachel pointed to herself, then to Robyn. “Rachel and Robyn.”

“This is great....” Jenny said. “Sort of.....”

She ran and picked up the Lightstar Crystal. The heroes teleported back to the Megaship.

When they got back to the Megaship, Jenny went straight into her bedroom. Leo followed.

“So, what are you going to do with that?” Leo asked.

“The same thing I do with all the other treasures,” Jenny said, opening the cabinet that contained the artifact collection. She set the Lightstar Crystal inside. “Store it and ignore it.”

“I see.....” Leo nodded.

They went into the dining room to join the others. Jenny sat right in front of Ruth and Carlos.

“Okay.....we have some good news and bad news,” she said. “The good news is, now that the Lightstar Crystal has turned your kids into more independent little girls, we can train them to defend themselves, and they can help us fight Scorpius. The bad news is, if anyone on the Terra Venture finds out that they’re illiterate, they’ll freak out!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll teach them how to read and write,” Ruth said. “We’ll give them the education they need.”

“I hope you do a good job, because most parents don’t,” Jenny said. “That’s why, unfortunately, we have to go to school.”

The parents laughed as Jenny got up and left the room, shaking her head.

Well, instead of two little girls in the group, now the Spices have four. At least their baby-sitting problems have been solved. Just how effective will Robyn and Rachel be? We’ll find out soon.

The End