Libra: Trap or Treat

Trap or Treat is the second episode of the Libra arc, and the twentieth of Power Rangers: Neo Zeo.

Synopsis
Halloween rolls around, and Lidian's very first Halloween party is crashed by a few unpleasantly familiar monsters.

Plot
"There's nothing you can do about them?" Sabrina whispered, eyeing the nearby table. The entire team was inside Adelle's Surf Spot, and Lidian and Casey were being rather. . . mushy again. Violet had fled to the bathroom earlier, and Sabrina had just finished a conversation about surfing with Adelle.

"What am I supposed to do?" David replied.

"Talk to him. He's your friend."

"Ezra's back in town, can't he—"

"He thinks it's funny, or at least good for Lidian. I agree the kid's too uptight, but can't he be a little less—like that?"

She gestured towards the group. Casey had decided to satisfy Lidian's curiosity about her food by feeding him a bite of it, only she'd missed, and now he had a piece of shrimp in his lap and dipping sauce on his nose. The giggling was nearing critical levels.

"Okay, I'll try, when I get the chance," David said at last.

"But what do we do about them now?" Sabrina demanded.

Violet, returning from the bathroom, overheard the last part of the conversation. "Distraction," she said, and rejoined the other two at the table. She handed Lidian a napkin, which he took gratefully.

"So, what are you guys going to be for Halloween?"

"Halloween?" Lidian voiced the word as if he'd never spoken it before.

"I can't tell you, it's a secret," Casey replied, grinning. "But it's going to be awesome—with working lights and everything!"

"Aren't you a little old for trick-or-treating?" David put in, rejoining the group at the table.

"I'm not trick-or-treating. It's for costume contests, or sometimes taking little kids out," Casey replied.

"So you can pass yourself off as younger than you actually are and scam candy out of old people," Violet put in dryly. "Then you're on a sugar high all night and crash the next day. Given the situation we're currently in I'd rather not risk a repeat of '94."

"That doesn't count! I got way more candy then and I had less body mass!" Casey protested.

"You're still going to get the leftovers of what Mom buys for the trick-or-treaters," Violet retorted, turning back to her dinner. "That's plenty."

"What do you guys usually do on Halloween?" Lidian asked.

Casey seemed surprised by the question. "Just normal stuff. Candy, costumes, maybe a party if somebody decides to throw one. This year it doesn't seem like anyone will, though, which sucks. Why?"

"Just wondering." Lidian took a drink.

"What about you, then? What do you usually do?"

"Nothing." At the long silence, Lidian looked up again, and almost laughed at the horror-stricken look on Casey's face. "Ezra and I just never celebrated it, it's not a big deal."

"You . . . you still have Christmas, right?" Casey asked anxiously.

"Sometimes."

"SOMETIMES?!"

"Dad and I have him over, usually," David put in. "But we live pretty far out of the way so Halloween never really mattered to us either."

Seeing that it was safe, Sabrina retook her seat. Seeing her, Casey asked, "A-and you? You probably never had Halloween either."

"Halloween . . . wasn't that the one where everyone puts on costumes so the evil spirits won't recognize them?"

Casey slammed both hands down on the table with an audible thud. The ice clattered in the glasses. "We have to do something about this . . . I've got it! Lidian can throw a party!"

"What?"

"It's perfect—everyone thinks your house is haunted anyway, we'll barely have to decorate, plus there's tons of room," Casey continued, warming to the idea. "It'll help everyone get to know you!"

"Ezra would never let us do that," Lidian protested. "Especially not now. Our house is full of ali—of guests," he caught himself. "We can't risk exposing them."

"No, no, it's be perfect for them! They can learn about Earth in a situation where they won't get in trouble for acting—or looking—weird," Casey replied.

"Besides, Ezra will be out with me that night. It shouldn't bother him," Sabrina put in.

"This could actually work," Violet said thoughtfully.

"You too?" David asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Why not? It won't cause any harm, and we could always use a little more fun. Like a break between monster attacks."

"You have a point."

Lidian still looked uncertain. Scooting over to him, Casey clasped both of his hands and gave him the most puppy-eyed, pleading look she could muster.

"Pleeeease? It'll be fun, I promise."

Lidian held out for five seconds longer, then sighed and nodded. "Okay."

"Yay!" She hugged him. "We'll all help, except Sabrina, because she's going out, but everyone else will help! Alpha could come too!"

"Just what have we just agreed to?" David asked Violet in a low voice.

Violet chuckled darkly. "Find a costume and watch the fireworks."

oZo

Ophiuchus left the Equinox, following a thick trail of tracks to the nearest lunar crater. Climbing down the slanting staircase one of the monsters had hacked into the rock, he joined Libra at the bottom. Jewel Golems were moving in and out of a set of tunnels in the walls, which led into a natural cave system they'd decided to keep their prisoners. The Rangers didn't know about them, and they were far away from any critical systems aboard the main ship.

"I didn't expect that to work," he commented, coming up beside Libra.

The Empress shook her head. "Those dedicated to combat rarely recognize alternate solutions. However I suspect the Rangers would not have let me leave so easily had they known about the others."

"What the Rangers don't know won't hurt them," Ophiuchus said. Libra looked perturbed, and he added, "I mean, we're still being just and all, right? Taking the criminals?"

"Yes, but the Rangers' perspective has forced me to think. Some of the humans I selected have not committed crimes deserving of this punishment. I wish to return them to Earth."

"What? But they'll tell the others—"

"Which is the problem. And, of course, the other Emperors will object. If we were to wipe their memories somehow, it would undo the punishment their current imprisonment has imposed. For the moment I have separated them from the hardened criminals." Libra turned to face Ophiuchus. "But did you come out here to discuss morality or as a messenger?"

Ophiuchus looked a little nervous. "Actually I'm here on my own behalf today."

Libra looked down at him, intrigued. "Explain."

"Your new plan to test the Rangers . . . could I join in?"

"If you can give me a good enough reason for it," Libra said.

Ophiuchus sighed. "The last time I did anything useful, I almost got killed. I want to show the other Emperors that I'm good for more than just throwing myself at dangerous objects."

Libra nodded slowly. "I have noticed that you earn little respect here, though you seem eager to aid us. Yes, you may participate in the next battle."

Ophiuchus bowed. "Thank you. I won't fail you."

oZo

Halloween night was dry and only slightly cool, perfect weather. The Byron house's front door was wide open, and in spite of Lidian's doubts, kids flowed in. David got out of his car and followed the crowd inside. A short entryway divided the front door from the living room, which the party was being held in. Ducking through black-and-orange streamers, David took in the changes the Wildman girls had wrought on the place.

The inside's stately, aged look had been enhanced with cobwebs, green and purple lighting, and black drapes. Since it was a warm night, the screen door to the back patio had been left open, and that was festooned with bright orange Chinese lanterns, streamers and the like. Both areas were full of teenagers.

Violet's voice rang out from the left. "Pretty snazzy-looking, but how does a suit count as a costume?"

David turned to see Violet sitting on the sofa. She wore a deep green mermaid tail, made of fabric, with a seaweed-esque top. Pearls were twisted through her upswept hair and around her neck and wrists. She gave him a questioning look.

In answer, David pulled back his jacket and withdrew a small handgun. "Tonight you may address me as Mr. Bond."

Violet grinned. "Nice. Looks itchy, though."

"I suppose you would know all about that."

"Touché."

"Have you seen Lidian?" David asked, looking around the room.

Violet shook her head. "Last I heard he grabbed Casey for some last-minute costume help right as people started arriving."

"Right. I'll see if I can find either of them. Is there anything you want?"

"Nah, I'm good. There's a zipper in the back, I can walk around if I want to," Violet said.

Nodding, David headed up the stairs, past a witch chatting with a superhero he didn't recognize. As he went, an Egyptian queen turned and tapped him on the arm. She was a little taller than him, and wore a veil over the lower half of her face.

"Excuse me—you're David Trueheart, right?" She asked. Her voice was odd, almost gravelly, too old to be a teenager.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"A stranger. I have an interest in rare plants, and I've heard that you're something of a gardener. At least, you've managed to cultivate black lilies. Those can be difficult to keep alive."

Only someone very close to David would have noticed the change. He drew himself up slightly, cast a shifty glance around the room, and moved closer to the woman.

"You've heard correctly, though the Byrons are much better than I am. What brings you here?"

"Unfortunately, weeds."

"Hey, David!" Casey's voice was loud, but muffled, and David jumped. He looked around for the source of the voice, and saw a robot waving a sword at the top of the stairs. It was a to-scale duplicate of the original Power Megazord. As it clomped down the steps towards him, David looked around, but the woman had vanished.

"Isn't this cool! I was actually working on it before—y'know, before it became all ironic and stuff." She tried to twirl, almost lost her balance, and David caught her before she could fall down the stairs. "Thanks."

"Weren't you helping Lidian with his costume?" David asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Casey giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"You'll see in a sec." Casey tromped down the stairs past David.

He headed on, up the stairs. However, just as he reached the door to the main hallway, the lights went out. There were a couple of shrieks, followed by nervous giggling, and everyone began to talk at once. Confused, David looked around, making out the shapes of teens milling around the room.

"I'LL CHECK THE FUSE BOX!" Casey's yell was probably audible from everywhere in the house.

David decided to go find Lidian. He entered the hallway, shutting the door after himself, muffling the voices of the crowd. The passage was narrow and very dark, lit only by a single window at the far end. Dark doors stood at intervals along the sides of the hallway, all closed.

"Lidian?"

David walked down the passage. The floorboards creaked beneath his shoes. A wind picked up, moaning around the roof, and David thought he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, but nobody was there. One of the doors, which David was sure had been closed when he went past, was ajar. David raised his gun. It wasn't loaded, but an intruder wouldn't know that. It might just be a lost partygoer, he didn't want to break out any real weapons just yet.

Moving silently down the hallway, he flattened his back against the doorpost, reached over and pushed the door open. It creaked as it swung wide, revealing a pitch-black room. Was someone breathing in there?

"Red Ranger?"

That voice sounded very familiar—and very monstrous. David wheeled in time to see the door slam. Faint, eerie laughter echoed around the room. Out of the corner of his eye, David glimpsed something pale green and translucent, but when he turned nothing was there. An icy wind brushed the back of his neck.

"Remember us?" The other voice was squeaky and electronic. "You really should. We were, what, your first monsters? I mean, the first ones you fought face-to-face."

"What . . . ?"

"Aw, come on, it's not that hard!" The other voice whined.

Something cold and powerful slammed into David's back, knocking him flat. His gun fell out of his hand and clattered away into the shadows. A ghostly, metallic foot slammed down in front of his face, and he looked up to see a ghostly version of Cark glowering down at him.

"Hello again, Red Ranger."

oZo

Casey frowned, and looked through the fuse box's contents for the fourth time. All of the wires were intact, but still nothing would happen when she tried to turn the power on.

"Must be the wiring somewhere else," she said at last, with a sigh. "This is a pretty old house. Oh well, candles are cool—and very Halloweeny!"

Shutting the box with a clang, she collected the pieces of costume she'd discarded (her helmet and one gauntlet) and started back towards the house. All she had to guide her way was a little flashlight she'd borrowed from the ever-prepared Violet. Its thin beam of yellow light just showed Casey the way along the narrow, brick-paved path back to the house. It seemed very quiet after the noise of the party.

Feeling weirdly uneasy, Casey began to whistle. Even though she was a clear, non-raspy whistler, and her costume clanked with every movement, she still heard a rustle of trees. There wasn't a breath of wind. That was odd, but Casey only looked back for a second.

One second was enough.

Turning around, Casey found herself face-to-face with a tall, horned figure. It glowed blue-green in the moonlight. She let out a yelp of surprise and sprang back, costume clattering.

"I told you," Herne the Hunter said, advancing on her, "That I would hunt you down. It is time for me to fulfill my promise."

"O-oh yeah?" Casey was getting over her surprise. Expression hardening, she put her helmet back on, and struck a fighting stance. Her voice came out muffled. "We'll just see about that, Hernia!"

oZo

Violet drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair, waiting for the lights to go back on. Most of the other kids had headed outside, where they had at least the moonlight and a slightly less creepy atmosphere to hang out in. Also snacks. Violet didn't particularly mind—she wasn't a fan of noisy people—but she was starting to get bored.

Something thumped upstairs. Violet twisted around in her seat, trying to see. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but the door at the top of the stairs was shut.

"David? Lidian?"

No answer. There was another thud, and what sounded like the clatter of furniture falling over. Confused, Violet sat up straight.

"Are you guys okay?"

Leaning forward, Violet began to unzip her tail. Partway up the calf, the zipper caught. As she struggled with it, footsteps sounded from behind her, slow and deliberate. She looked around, and her eyes went wide.

"Hello, Blue Ranger."

Springing out of the chair, Violet nearly fell down, but just managed to keep her balance. She backed away, taking tiny baby steps, from the monster standing there.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"We've met before, briefly. I am Ophiuchus. Are you having trouble with your costume?" His tone was teasing.

"Yeah, actually, give a girl a hand?"

Violet threw a punch at his head, but he blocked it on a forearm. Catching her wrist, he jerked her off-balance, and she nearly fell.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. Of course I imagined it being a little more . . . dignified?"

"Then you should have attacked some other night. Nobody gets to be dignified on Halloween." Violet headbutted him, but only succeeded in hurting her own head against his helmet.

Swinging the Blue Ranger around, Ophiuchus threw her flat. Her tail ripped audibly, and she scrambled to her feet with a burning glare. Her tail had torn clean up one seam. She launched a kick at his torso, and though he caught it, Ophiuchus was winded by the blow. Holding her leg, he tried to pull her off-balance, but she braced against him and lunged in for an uppercut. His head snapped back, and he released her, but before Violet could find her balance again he'd caught her by the throat.

oZo

"Remember how you chucked us into the Labyrinth?" Spinhead's ghost demanded, hurling a ball of glowing green energy at the Red Ranger. He somersaulted aside just in time, and the blast took out an old chest-of-drawers behind him. Wood shards flew in every direction.

David sprang up and returned fire, but his Zeo Laser Pistol's shots went right through his foes, blackening the wall behind them. They let out nasty laughs, fanning out to corner him.

"You pretended it was some kind of mercy. Do you know what happened to us?" Cark demanded. "I got stripped for parts! Alive!"

"After we fell into a trap that killed me," Spinhead added. "That hurt too. A lot. Fantastic decision-making skills there."

"Did I make those traps?" David retorted. He ducked behind a bed, which flipped over as it was blasted. "How is it my fault that the people who should have been your allies turned on you?"

Cark's ghost faltered. "Well . . . we helped you, so you should have helped us back."

"By doing what? Leaving you for the Zodiac Emperors you'd just betrayed? Letting you go so you could keep wreaking havoc on my planet?"

The two ghosts stopped, and looked at each other. They were starting to get misty at the edges.

"How did Libra say this was supposed to work again?" Cark asked.

Spinhead scratched his head. "Uh, as long as we can keep the Ranger from explaining himself . . . aw nuts."

"Quick, get him!" Cark lunged for the Red Ranger, but a sudden wind blasted through the room, slamming the windows open. With a shriek, the monster evaporated into nothing.

Spinhead threw a spiral of energy at the Red Ranger, only to vanish along with it as the wind turned on him. Relieved, David stepped out from behind the bed, still holding his gun.

Running footsteps pattered towards him, and through the door appeared the Yellow Zeo Ranger. For a second, David wondered what had happened to Casey—and then he realized the person under the suit was male. He rushed to David's side.

"Are you okay?"

"Lidian? What are you wearing?"

"Huh?" Lidian looked down at himself. "Oh, yeah. I couldn't think of a costume, so I asked Casey if I could borrow her Zeonizers. She thought it was a great idea."

". . . Meaning she can't access her suit," David said slowly.

A crash rang out downstairs.

"Come on!" Lidian dashed out, David close on his heels.

oZo

Ophiuchus lifted his opponent into the air by the neck. Clawing at his hands, Violet launched an unsteady push kick at his chest, drawing a grunt but nothing more. Costume tangling around her legs, Violet continued the assault, and Ophiuchus was forced to move back a step. With an exasperated growl, he swung around and hurled her into a chair. They both fell back in a heap.

"Zeo—ack—Ranger III—hack—Blue!" She called out, between coughs. In a blue flash, she sprang to her feet, summoning her Power Axes. One she threw at Ophiuchus. He deflected it on a forearm, then doubled over with a cry of pain, clutching his limb. A gash oozed red.

Charging, Violet swung her remaining Power Axe at his head, but he ducked. His fist struck her in the side, and she turned with it. Swinging the axe back, she caught him across the chest, gashing his armor. The two sprang apart, breathing hard. Violet snatched up her second axe.

"You're stronger than I thought," Ophiuchus admitted.

"And I thought you got fried after stealing the Zeo Subcrystal, so I guess that makes us even."

Violet twirled both axes and lunged at him again, bringing the weapons forward in two arcs. Ophiuchus sprang back to avoid them, raised an arm and caught the haft of one on his arm. With a flick of the wrist, he snatched it out of the Blue Ranger's grip. She blocked his swing with her remaining axe, and they locked weapons.

David and Lidian appeared at the top of the stairs. The two combatants glanced up at them. The male Rangers drew their Zeo Laser Pistols, and Ophiuchus broke the weapon lock, shoving the Blue Ranger back. She staggered, and as Ophiuchus somersaulted to avoid the other Rangers' fire, he came up behind her. Before he could strike, he vanished in a green flash.

Relieved, Violet lowered her weapons.

"Casey?" She asked, as the other two hurried down the stairs.

"Unfortunately, no, she's still outside," Lidian replied.

Something crashed out there. Without another word the four Rangers took off, only to find their way barred by four very unwelcome ghosts.

"Hello again, big brother," Hector said. He was morphed, and like the others, his apparition was tinged with his Ranger color.

"Oh, great," Violet groaned.

oZo

"I could have taken them all," Ophiuchus protested. He stood on the bridge of the Equinox, where he'd been teleported.

"No need," Libra replied, not looking up. "You did what you were meant to; the Rangers have been delayed long enough for me to materialize more of their past victims, and the Yellow Ranger has chosen to defend herself with blows, not words."

"But—"

Libra raised a hand, cutting him off. She rose and faced him. "You have shown skill in battle. No greater sacrifice was needed tonight. Go and rest."

As she turned back, Ophiuchus glanced at the screen. The Rangers were dueling Gemini's duplicates, struggling to force their way past. He spoke in a low voice.

"Rain check, Blue Ranger?"

oZo

Casey slammed into a low wall and flipped over it backwards, falling to the ground. She was now a long way from the house, nearly in the woods. Her Megazord costume was wrecked, covered in burns and dents. The ghostly Herne the Hunter advanced on her, hands wreathed in blue fire. He was laughing.

"You're not even going to try justifying your actions in the Labyrinth?"

"To you? Nah," Casey said, picking herself up.

At her words Herne's light flared, and he hurled an energy ball at her. She tried to duck, but the ball moved with her, catching her squarely in the chest. It bowled her over; she hit the ground with a grunt and rolled into a tree.

"Knew," she panted, "should have made . . . Megazord that didn't get trashed."

Herne's ghost stood over her, energy crackling through his clawlike fingers. "Final chance, Yellow Ranger."

Casey tried to pick herself up, but her costume was crumpled around her, making her already-limited movement almost impossible.

As Herne drew back for the finishing blow, something moved in the shadows behind him. Casey saw it, but before she could get a better look, two blades shot through Herne's body. They curved upwards, somehow holding in his body. The wielder swung him around, revealing herself to be a woman. Her armor had an ancient Egyptian look, but it covered her body fully, and she had a helmet, very like the Hex Rider.

"You are not worthy to judge her," the stranger hissed in Herne's ear. "You were a tyrant, a backstabber and a cannibal. Your death was well-deserved."

Herne froze, and then dissipated in a gust of wind. Stepping back, the stranger lowered her weapons. Out of the Byron house streamed the other three Rangers, Lidian finally back in his own Ranger suit. They ran to help their fallen teammate, and Lidian was the first at her side. Seeing this, the woman began to walk away.

"Wait!" The Blue Ranger called. "Who are you? I mean, you don't have to tell us your identity if you don't want to, but what do we call you? And why did you help us? If there's something you're looking for, or trying to do . . ."

The woman halted, and looked back over her shoulder at the Rangers.

"I am the Scarab Rider. I aided you because all wrongdoers and would-be conquerors are my enemy, but I have come to this planet in search of one in particular." Turning, she faced the group fully. "Can any of you tell me where I can find the man known as the Hex Rider?"

Villains

 * Ophiuchus
 * Air Empress Libra
 * Cark
 * Spinhead
 * Herne the Hunter
 * Gemini Rangers