Wild Force Power Rangers: Ancient Warrior Saga

Episode 29 (B) The Flute

The business district of the city was alive and busy, with the men and women who worked nearby enjoying their lunch breaks outside in the sun.

A woman sat on bench and placed her lunch bag down beside her. She opened it, revealing a fresh, homemade pasta salad. She eagerly lifted the top off and went to take the first bite. Before the fork could reach her mouth, her other arm jerked forward, catapulting the salad, and leaving it dripping down her outfit, and the outfit of the poor man who happened to be walking by at an inopportune time. She tried desperately to apologize to the man and perhaps offer to take care of the suit she had just ruined, but her efforts were lost. A loud, off key flute was nearly drowning her out, and her body was jerking around helplessly to the retched sound.

"Why can't I stop dancing!?" a man exclaimed as he mimed swimming through the air.

He wasn't alone, each person was joined in on the horrendous, synchronized dance. The group was eerily forced to slowly turn and face a single direction. At the foot of the pathway ahead, they saw what was causing their torment.

"Dance! Dance! Now I'm powerful enough to control all of you forever!" the Flute Org proclaimed, heartily enjoying himself.

He felt invincible and more powerful than ever. During their earlier scuffle, Flute Org had managed to evade the Rangers. Toxica and Jindrax had intercepted him, insisting he follow them back to Mandilok who instead of rewarding his minions, had brutally drained their powers to boost the Flute Orgs. Thanks to Mandilok's generosity, he was now able to control children and adults with his song. The Rangers didn't stand a chance against him now.

"And no one can stop me!" Flute Org laughed at the crowd.

"We can!"

The Rangers ran to the front of the group and stared up at the Org. They hadn't bothered morphing, still convinced the Flute Org was not threatening enough to merit it. Merrick was mysteriously absent; the Lunar Wolf was reliant on the wind itself to warn him of danger, but he hadn't arrived yet. They had no choice but to trust that Merrick's intuition, and the wind, would bring him to where he needed to be.

"Org! Give us the flute!" Cole demanded.

"I'd rather use it to make you dance!" the Org lifted its flute to its mouth and began playing. The six exchanged confused looks before starting a run towards Flute Org. All at once, they each hit an invisible wall that nearly knocked them back, only catching them to throw their bodies into forced movements like the rest of the adults trapped around them. They struggled, but eventually joined in with the slow dance, their limbs compelled to move at the Flute Orgs will.

"I thought he could only make children dance," Cole said through gritted teeth, every muscle inside of him working against what his body was forcing him to do.

"Okay, these moves are really out of date," said Max, still somehow able to quip even under duress.

"Well, hey, at least that's something helpful. I thought this was just how people danced in this century. Oops, sorry!" Lila's left hand forced itself outward, knocking Danny's glasses off his face.

"I used to like to dance," Alyssa grimaced as she involuntarily did the robot.

Princess Shayla was watching the scene tensely through the pond on the Animarium. The Rangers appeared to be... dancing?

"Cole, you're supposed to be fighting the Org!" she called out to him through her necklace.