ANDIE

She was losing her mind. Darcy and Greg were unconscious somewhere, and she was locked in a room unable to get to them. The door opened and Andie tensed. The man who entered was one of the Rebels.

"Relax," he said. "I am just here to bring you some food. We've all been instructed not to harm you, Pink Ranger."

"Andie," she said. "What's your name?"

"Rupi, of Eltar. Son of Imyra and Dodivan, and more importantly, Brother of Zydia... Who you and your friends killed."

"I'm sorry you lost your sister... I can see how much you're hurting." Andie suspected that Rupi wasn't inherently evil. Maybe she could reason with him.

"Eat your food."

"I'm not hungry."

"I didn't ask if you were hungry." He shook his head. "Look, I cooked it myself. It's not poisoned or anything. There's no honor in killing your enemy with poison. When I destroy you all, I want your blood on my hands as the light leaves your eyes. Just eat it. The Great Wizard wants you taken care of."

Andie could tell he was being honest, and she was starving. She sighed as she looked at it, then froze. The food was not from Earth... But she recognized it. "Hazenfelz and lux... This was..."

"Your favorite meal. I know. He specifically asked me to make it for you, and was very detailed about how to prepare it."

"He always had me make it for our dinner when I was sad... It comforted me... Because Sera used to make it for me when I was small..." Daphne was overwhelming her.

"He isn't going to hurt you, Andie. He misses Daphne, and she lives inside of you. Now, please eat. I have other things to tend to."

Andie knew she had to eat. She'd be weaker if she didn't, and she trusted that the food was untainted. Still, she hesitated. Zell was playing mind games and she knew it. What was his goal? Did he expect her to just become Daphne again? Did he think she'd simply submit to him and love him?

I do love him, Daphne thought. I love him, but I know what he is... And I must protect my family.

Darcy, Andie thought. Darcy and Greg need me. I have to stay strong. They're unconscious. I'm the only one who can get us out of here.

She forced herself to eat the food. It was comforting in a way she hadn't expected. Rupi watched her silently, looking bored. When she was done, he took her dishes and left her with a plastic cup of a sweet juice she couldn't identify that was probably from Eltar.

She felt an energy with her and turned, startled. Zell smiled at her kindly. "Apologies, my dear," he said. "I simply wanted to know if you enjoyed your meal."

Andie knew how to keep Zell calm. "Yes," she said politely. "Thank you."

"Of course. The juice is from the honeyberry. Maizon has an incredible gift for sustaining the gardens of Eltar here on Earth."

"Maizon?"

"Yes, he is a dear friend. He is known by most as the Warlock, however, I have known him since well before he took that name. In fact, I did not recognize him when he and Eva Leigh first took me in. Eva Leigh is the Alchemist, of course. Almost no one knows their true identities." Zell smiled at her. "Do you require anything, my dear? More blankets? Another pillow, perhaps?"

Andie shook her head. "I just want to see my sister and Greg," she said softly.

"Your siblings are resting. They are perfectly safe. Do not concern yourself with them. You may explore the property, my dear. I have enchanted it to keep you inside, of course... For your safety. However, you are free to roam. The areas you should not be in will simply keep you out. The garden in the back is lovely, and Maizon has graciously allowed you access. You are not my prisoner, Daphne. You are my most treasured guest." He kissed her hand gently before bowing to her and leaving. He did not lock the door.

LIDO

He knew Andie was in trouble. He could feel her fear, and he saw flashes of Zell. "Zuzu... We must go to her," Lido said. "She is in serious danger." Zell had her... Zell had Daphne and her siblings, and Lido wasn't there to protect them. Zell was going to destroy everyone Lido loved all over again.

"Not this time," he vowed. "I must not fail them this time..."

"Aviary." Someone said harshly.

Lido turned around to see Lady Eleanor and Sir Matthew. He bowed his head and put a fist over his heart. He hoped they had not come to destroy him. "Yes, Lady Eleanor?" He asked.

"We have been alerted to an emergency situation in Angel Grove involving our grandson. I recall your connection to Daphne. Does it still exist with Andie?"

Lido was surprised. "Since my light was returned to me, it has reformed," he said.

"Good. It is high time Sir Matthew and I come out of retirement. Bring us to the children, Aviary!"

"His name is Lido, my love," Matthew said affectionately. "Please forgive her. She is quite worried about our Gregory."

"Of course. I would be honored to assist you," Lido said.

"Thank you." He summoned a glorious sword from out of nowhere and tested it out before smiling. "Ah yes... It is nice to hold a sword again. I feel like my younger self!"

Eleanor offered her husband a rare smile... Lido was fairly certain she never smiled for anyone else... Then, she put her battle face back on and summoned her own sword. "We must hurry, Matthew. The children are in terrible peril," she said.

"Zuzu... Go ahead and watch for trouble," Lido said.

Zuzu flew off quickly. "Lead the way, Lido," Matthew said.

Lido nodded and began to walk. Eltar's greatest warriors followed behind him.

IVAN

He arrived in Angel Grove and headed straight to Chase's house. He'd called ahead, and Chase and AJ sat with Koda when Ivan arrived.

"The others are on their way," Chase said as he greeted him. "Prince Phillip's bringing them."

"My boy Phil's coming?" Kira asked as she came up behind Ivan.

"Lady Kira!" Ivan cried in delight.

Kira hugged him. "And us, too," Dustin added.

Jayden, who stood beside Dustin, said, "It's good to see you again, Sir Ivan."

"You as well, brave Sir Jayden! I appreciate you three joining us."

"Doc O sent us," Kira explained. "He's with the Legacy team preparing for a fight... Just in case Zell decides to wreak havoc on the town."

"Is Liza back yet?" Dustin asked.

"I think she just got through with everyone a little while ago," Jayden said. "Liza was supposed to bring them to town, then she was going to join the Legacy team."

"Everyone?" Ivan asked.

"Vida and the others," Kira explained.

"Vida? Then she is-?"

"She's Vida again," Dustin confirmed.

"Thank goodness..." Ivan took a deep breath. "I must go on ahead. Kindly bring everyone along once they're ready."

"Ivan, you can't just run into battle alone. We need a plan," Jayden said firmly.

"My plan is to keep that fiend from causing them any further harm," Ivan said.

"Ivan... You're not alone," Chase said.

"Let us help," AJ added, her expression determined.

"M'Lady, Zell is an enemy like no other, and you are quite new to your powers," Ivan said kindly. "I cannot, in good faith, ask you to stand against him."

"I've been practicing," AJ said. "I've gotten the hang of it."

"AJ very good," Koda confirmed.

"She definitely is," Jayden said, "but none of us should be running in there blind. Let's not forget that Zell nearly took out the entire new generation of the Chosen the last time any of us faced him. Taylor nearly killed himself to stop him, and that was with the element of surprise in his favor. He doesn't have that anymore. Zell knows what Taylor can do."

"I understand your view, Noble Jayden... However, I cannot afford to wait any longer. I can sense how much danger they are in, and he will not hold off on harming them for long," Ivan said. "I trust you all to come up with a heroic strategy to save them... For now, I must go into the enemy's camp. Those Rangers have a complicated past with Zell that he may be able to manipulate. I do not. I am hoping that will give me an edge so I may help them. On my honor, I must go to their side."

Jayden nodded. "I understand, Sir Ivan," he said.

"You understand? Jayden, he's going to get himself killed!" Kira objected.

"Ivan is a warrior, just like the Samurai. His quest is to protect those Rangers at any cost, and we can't deny him that. This is his path to walk, Kira."

Ivan bowed. "Thank you, my good Sir Jayden!" Ivan said. He looked at the others. "Fear not for me, my friends... Simply believe I will succeed, and be the cavalry when I need thee the most." With that, Ivan ran off into battle.

ANDIE

She was exploring the grounds, hoping she would find a clue as to where Darcy and Greg were. Andie discovered a small room off to the side of a staircase, barely visible in the dimly lit hallway. She opened the door and discovered a bedroom. A few cogs and other pieces of a machine were scattered around the room. A bunch of pieces had been pulled together to form two crude robots, one dressed as a male and one as a female. The robots did not appear to be functioning. Each wore a cardboard crown on their heads.

Andie got closer to one, trying to touch it. "They don't work," a young voice said. The sound made Andie jump and spin around. A fully functional robotic creature looked back at her. He seemed to be a child, and she might have been frightened, but he seemed more sad and lost than dangerous. "I can't bring them to life."

"Are these your friends?" Andie asked gently.

"They're supposed to be my parents... My real ones are gone..." The robot sniffled. Some kind of fluid leaked from his eyes.

"I lost my parents, too," Andie said. "I'm Andie. What's your name?"

"I'm Sprocket."

"It's nice to meet you, Sprocket. How did you end up here?"

"My parents joined Great Zell's Alliance, but when the battle happened, they both... They both died! And I didn't have anybody to take care of me, but Great Zell let me go with him and Mora. He takes care of me now."

"My family is missing, Sprocket... My brother and sister are somewhere in this house. I really, really need to find them. Can you help me?"

"Great Zell will be angry, Miss Andie..."

"Sprocket, if you help me, I promise I'll protect you. My brother is really good with technology. Maybe he can help you figure out how to build some company. It won't be your parents, but you wouldn't be so lonely."

"You mean... Like a friend?"

"Exactly. Help me and I'm sure he'll help you."

Sprocket nodded. "Okay," he said. "No one should lose their family. I'll help! I know exactly where they are."

Andie was beyond relieved. "Thank you, Sprocket," she said.

He carefully led her down a hallway. "Stay here," he said softly. Andie nodded. She watched from the shadows as Sprocket approached a door. The twins stood guard outside of it.

"Great Zell needs you two to tackle a mission," Sprocket said.

"But we were told-" Boom said.

"To stay here," Blast finished.

"He said you need to test the trigger of the new explosive you developed," Sprocket insisted. "He wants to be sure it can be controlled properly when the time's right. I'll stay to stand guard."

"We get to-" Boom began, her eyes widening with joy.

"Blow stuff up?" Blast finished excitedly.

"Yep. Go have fun!" Sprocket said.

"Yay!" The twins cried in delight. They joined hands and skipped off in the opposite direction.

"All clear, Miss Andie," Sprocket said.

Andie hurried to him. "Thanks, Sprocket," she said. "You did great." She kissed his cheek.

Sprocket made a content sound before opening the door. Andie saw Greg and almost started to cry. He was chained to a chair and his neck hung at an odd angle. Zell had obviously let Greg wake up just so he could torture him, but he was unconscious again now.

Andie began healing Greg. "Wake up, Greg..." She begged softly. "Please... I can't do this alone."

After several minutes, Greg groaned. "Greg! Greg, it's Andie. I'm here. You're going to be okay," Andie said urgently.

"Andie..." Greg mumbled.

"Sprocket... Can you get these chains off of him?" Andie asked.

"Sure I can," Sprocket said. He easily broke the chain where it connected to the floor and began unwinding it from around Greg.

"Andie... Are you hurt?" Greg asked weakly.

"No," Andie said. "He locked me in a room, but he hasn't hurt me."

Greg nodded. "Darcy... Where's Darcy?"

"She's one corridor over," Sprocket replied.

Greg jumped. "What the...? A robot?" He asked, finally coherent enough to notice.

"Greg, this is Sprocket. He's helping us. He led me to you," Andie said. "And I promised you would help him later... He's lonely. He wants you to build him a friend."

Greg stared at Andie. "Seriously?"

"Greg... We owe him."

Greg sighed. "I'll see what I can do... Maybe I can take a look at his circuitry and figure out how it works."

"Thanks, Mr. Greg!" Sprocket said excitedly.

"Can you move?" Andie asked Greg.

Greg nodded. "You did a good job healing me," he said. "Thanks."

"Sprocket... Please take us to Darcy," Andie said.

"This way," Sprocket said, leading them out of the room. Andie hoped Darcy was in better shape than Greg had been in.

DARCY

She was struggling to wake up. The sedative had been powerful and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake it... But her mind seemed oddly clear.

Let me take the lead, Serafine said urgently.

Darcy figured Sera couldn't possibly make things worse, so she didn't fight her. Suddenly, it felt like Darcy's entire body was on fire. No... She wasn't just on fire, she was Fire. She could feel her element running through her veins, literally burning the chemicals out of her system. It didn't hurt. In fact... She sort of liked it...

Finally, Darcy opened her eyes. The fire continued to burn through her, giving her strength, until she was fully free from the effects of the sedative. After that, it stayed within her, but it was much calmer. Her skin began to return to her normal temperature.

Darcy searched the room she was in. She'd been placed comfortably on a large bed. She was still fully dressed except for her shoes. She found her combat boots at the foot of the bed and put them back on. Then, she summoned not only her daggers, but Serafine's wand. She was ready for anything that might come next.

Carefully, Darcy listened at the door for any sign of trouble. She heard someone in the hallway saying, "Her room is right this way..."

Darcy prepared herself for an attack. She got into a fighting stance and waited for the door to swing open. When it did, she immediately hit the one who opened it with a powerful kick.

The robot let out a startled cry. "Darcy, stop!" Andie said urgently. "Sprocket is helping us."

"Andie?" Darcy asked in surprise. She flung her arms around her sister. "Thank God!" She pulled Greg into the hug, too. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Greg said too quickly.

"Greg was hurt pretty badly. I healed him," Andie explained. "I'm okay. Zell didn't hurt me."

"That bastard put his hands on you?" Darcy asked Greg. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"Um... Excuse me, Miss Darcy... But we should go before he comes back," Sprocket said. "Please don't kick me again," he added quickly.

"Sorry, Sprocket," Darcy said. "I thought you were one of the bad guys."

"I am, technically... I'm the Prince of the Machine Empire... Only, the whole Empire got wiped out recently, including my parents, which means I'm technically the King now... But since everyone else is gone, I'm the King of Nothing. It's just a title. There's no one to rule."

"You're not evil, Sprocket," Andie said firmly. "You're just a kid."

"But I'm meant to take over the universe."

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know... I never really thought about it before."

"Your parents are gone, Sprocket. It's your choice now," Darcy said.

"Great Zell scares me," Sprocket admitted. "He acts like everyone's best friend, but he lies. He's always making promises, but with a catch... And he organized the whole kidnapping Tommy Oliver thing, claiming it was so we could finally defeat all the Power Rangers at once, but... Well, I don't think he cared about any of that. It was just a distraction to lure Zordon out of hiding. I think Zordon's the only one he wanted to destroy, and he didn't care who got hurt or killed in the process... Including my family and all our people..." Sprocket looked genuinely upset, which was impressive for a robot.

"You're smarter than ninety-five percent of the bad guys," Greg said, clearly impressed. "Most of them think they'll be the one minion Zell won't betray. You see right through him."

"I'm honest. He likes that about me," Sprocket said with a shrug.

"Why do you stay with Zell, Sprocket? You obviously don't trust him," Darcy said.

"He's all I've got," Sprocket said sadly. "My parents are gone. The other bad guys don't care about me. They would have left me to rust... But Great Zell took me with him. He promised to protect me and take care of me, and so far, he's done that... But I know if I make him angry, he'll destroy me..."

"You don't have to stay with him, Sprocket," Andie said. "We'll help you. You're our friend now."

"Friend?" Sprocket asked in surprise.

"You're helping us. Friends help each other."

"She's right. Stay with us, and we'll get you out of here," Darcy promised.

"See, Sprocket? I don't have to build you a friend... We'll be your friends," Greg said.

Sprocket leaked fluid from his eyes. "I promise I'll protect you guys," he vowed.

"Let's start by leaving this room," Darcy said.

Andie nodded. "Good plan," she said. They headed out together.

ZORDON

He was standing with nearly everyone at the training space Jayden and Dustin ran. They hadn't called everyone back in, but everyone who was currently living in Angel Grove was gathering to help. Zordon took a quick head count.

Jayden stood with the other Samurai Rangers. Emily, Mia, Kevin, and Antonio looked serious and determined. The last time that team had seen battle, they'd lost both Mentor Ji and their Green Ranger, Mike. They hadn't recovered emotionally, but the Samurai team was especially disciplined and they put their emotions aside in times of battle.

Kira and Dustin stood close together. The normally laid-back Dustin looked nervous. He'd lost the two other founding members of his team in the last battle, and the only reason he hadn't completely snapped was because his girlfriend Kira survived. Kira looked eager and determined. Her leadership skills had been put to the test last time, and she'd risen to the occasion beautifully.

Bridge from the SPD team had stayed in town because Mora was still on the loose, and he joined them now. He was nibbling on toast... Or, as he insisted on saying, buttery toast... To get himself psyched up for battle.

Doctor K was obsessively calculating the details of their plan. Ziggy watched her adoringly. Dillon, Summer, Flynn, Gemma, and Tanaya waited for instructions dutifully. Their Red Ranger, Scott, was back home, but the rest of the team had stayed behind as a ripple effect of Doctor K choosing to stay with Billy, who she'd learned was her father.

Tommy stood with the rest of the Legacy Rangers. Sage, Thorn, Kenny, Zeke, Liza, and Josh all looked eager to join in the fight. Maddie, the former Yellow Ranger, had come as well. She no longer had powers, but Maddie was gifted in Martial Arts and could hold her own in a fight.

The current Chosen stood with Caius and Zedd. Rita stayed by Zordon's side. Jason, Adam, Tanya, Rocky, Billy, and Kimberly stood together.

"Kimberly my dear, you should not have come," Zordon said with concern.

"This is about your family, Zordon," Kimberly said. "Nothing could keep me away."

"You already faced my father once. You fought bravely to protect me, and I can never repay that debt. Your loyalty and courage are beyond compare... However, you now carry precious cargo."

"Which is why Kimberly will be staying at the Command Center with Justin," Billy said. He put a hand on Kimberly's stomach and smiled peacefully.

"I'll keep Kim and the baby safe, guys. I promise," Justin said. Zordon hadn't even noticed him arrive. Justin was so severely scarred by everything he'd seen at eleven years old that he'd refused to leave his house most of the time... Until Tommy was kidnapped. Somehow, Cassie and TJ had convinced him to help, purely because it was for Tommy. TJ had later sacrificed himself to save Justin, Cassie, and Doctor K, enabling them to destroy Venjix and free Tommy. Cassie and Justin were both devastated by the loss, but they'd kept fighting so TJ's death was not in vain. Cassie had gone into the past afterward to stop a small part of Divatox that had escaped death by jumping into the past before Tanya killed the rest of her. Cassie was still in the 1980s handling that with Lucas from the Time Force team. To Zordon's great surprise, Justin had chosen to stay and see things through until Zordon's father was finally defeated.

"Yes, pregnant women shouldn't be on the front lines," Kevin said.

"You better not pull that crap on me," a voice said firmly.

"Karone!" Kira cried out. She ran over and hugged her.

"And, you know, the rest of us," Zhane said dryly.

"Andros, Zhane, V, you came!" Tommy said.

"Of course we did," Andros said.

"We wouldn't miss this," Zhane added.

"We'll always come when we are needed," V chimed in.

"Okay, I'm ready! Aim me at those sons of bitches!" Gia declared cheerfully as she entered with Jake and Noah by her side. Troy came in behind them with Nessa. Mena came in next.

"Mena-" Zordon began.

"Zordon, please don't try to talk me out of helping," Mena said. "This is my fight, too."

"And mine," Nessa chimed in. "I took out some of the bastards back on Eltar, but it's time to get the rest of them.

"Don't start without us," Chase said. He led the rest of the Dino Charge team inside.

"Pardon the delay. We hit some difficult weather in the jet," Prince Phillip said.

"It's my boy Phil!" Kira exclaimed.

"Lady Kira," Phillip said fondly. He bowed to her before she came over and hugged him.

"Thank you for coming," Kira said seriously.

"We are Power Rangers. This is what we do! However, even if it were not, Sir Ivan has already lost his true love once. We cannot allow him to lose her again."

"Aw, Phil! You're getting all emotional and sappy under that Royal exterior!" Kira teased him.

"Do we have a plan of action?" Kendall asked.

"Don't die," Kira replied. "That goes for all of us. We're not losing anyone this time. Understood?"

"That's my kind of plan," Vida said as she arrived with Chip, Pierce, Logan, Chelsea, Scott, Amos, and to Zordon's surprise, Van, Allie, and a teenager he did not recognize.

"Van?" Mena asked in surprise.

"I'm here to make things right," Van promised. "So are Logan and Allie."

"Okay, New Kids... Introduce yourselves, please," Kira said.

"You're not going to take the lead, Tommy?" Andros asked quietly.

"I'm going to let Kira handle this one," Tommy said. "She's more than proven herself."

"I'm Chelsea," Chelsea said. "Yellow Stone Warrior Ranger and Native New Yorker."

"Scott, Black Stone Warrior and band leader," Scott said proudly.

"I'm Pierce. I'm the Green Stone Warrior and I'm a Shaman," Pierce said.

"About time you admitted that," Sage said with a smile.

"I'm Logan..." Logan began. "I was part of the Rebellion for six years because I had no memories and they brainwashed me... But I'm determined to make up for everything I did as Neptune."

"You're not the only former villain here, Logan," Zedd said. He smiled at Logan encouragingly. "If I can come back from everything I did, so can you."

Logan nodded, then looked at Van. "My name is Van. I was brought into the Rebellion as a child by my father, but I walked away... And my father is gone now," Van said.

"Gone?" Mena asked in surprise.

"He was killed in the last battle," Van said sadly.

Mena seemed to immediately lose all anger she'd previously been clinging to. "Oh, Van... I'm so sorry." She hugged him. "Evil or not, I know how much you loved him."

"I get the evil dad thing," Nessa added. "If you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thank you guys," Van replied.

"Is it my turn?" Allie asked.

"Go for it," Scott told her.

"Hi, I'm Allie! I used to be a Tulpa, but I'm real now, and I have the ability to create other Tulpas. I was made to be part of the Rebellion, but I walked away a while ago because I started making my own choices. I'm really excited to be here. And this is Freddy, my boyfriend."

"Hey," Freddy said.

" 'Hey?' That's all you've got? Everyone else said they were a Ranger or an ex-Rebel," Kira said. "What's your super power?"

"I play bass," Freddy replied.

Chelsea started laughing. "Freddy's a civilian," Van explained.

Kira shrugged. "I mean, that's good enough for me," she said, "but can he fight?"

"When I need to," Freddy replied.

"Let him help," Mia said. Everyone looked at her. "Spike, Skull, and Bulk weren't trained, but they fought as hard as any of us. It wasn't about having powers. It was about doing the right thing. Give Freddy a chance."

Kimberly had tears in her eyes. Billy hugged her. Zordon knew why she had gotten upset. Skull had died saving her life. "She's right," Kimberly said through her tears.

"Alright. Welcome to the Crazy, Freddy," Kira said. "Now... We don't have the luxury of time. Not only did Zell kidnap three baby Rangers, but Sir Ivan went all Knight of Zandar and ran into battle to save the day with jack shit for backup... So we're probably going to have to save him, too."

"Ivan did what?" Vida asked in horror. "That idiot! He'll get killed... Or worse." She stared at her feet.

"Have faith in him, Vida," Chip said.

"I do... But I know what that bastard can do, Chip... I found out the hard way."

"You're going to come back from that, Sis..." Madison said as she walked into the room. "Stronger than ever." She was crying but trying to smile, and Zordon knew the girl was horrified by what had happened to her sister.

Zordon nodded at the last two arrivals. "Maddie? Xander?" Vida asked in shock.

"Why do you always seemed so shocked?" Xander asked. "We'll always come when you need us, Vida. Every. Single. Time."

Vida flung her arms around them both. Chip wedged his way into the hug. "How did you know?" Vida asked.

"Why, I called them, of course," Rita said.

"Mystic Mother... I am so sorry for what I've done-" Vida began.

Rita put up a hand to stop her. "Hush, Vida. I understand better than anyone what happened to you. I was you! But you came back from it a lot sooner than I did, and I am very grateful for that." Rita hugged Vida, then opened her arms to welcome the rest of the Mystic Force team into the hug.

Doctor K suddenly stood up and frowned. "This is bad... We have some idea who Zell has with him, but there are too many variables..." She shook her head. "In nearly every scenario, we fail."

"We won't fail," Allie said.

"Optimism is nice, however, science and numbers-"

"Don't matter."

"I beg your pardon?" Doctor K looked morally offended.

"What matters at the end of the day is us. If we believe we're going to lose, then we already have... We're going to pull this off. I believe in us."

"Just because you believe-"

"K... She's right," Ziggy said gently. "How often have the Power Rangers defied the odds? We can do this, and we will. There's no other choice. Those kids need our help, and we're not going to fail them. That's not who we are."

"We've got this," Summer added.

"I'm no optimist," Dillon said.

"No kidding," Flynn said, trying to cover the comment up with a cough.

Dillon rolled his eyes before adding, "But I do believe in the Power Rangers. I believe that, together, we can do anything."

"What do you say, Doctor K? Are you in?" Summer asked.

Doctor K frowned, looking at Gemma. "Gemma?" She asked.

Gemma took a deep breath. "I'm in," she said.

Doctor K sighed. "Fine. We'll try it. However, when we all get ourselves killed, kindly remember that I tried to warn you."

"That's the spirit!" Ziggy said with a laugh. "Okay, RPM's ready to get in gear! What about everyone else?"

"Oh, I've been waiting for this ever since those assholes killed my best friend and her boyfriend. Bring on the carnage!" Gia declared.

Troy took a deep breath at Gia's words. Zordon watched as Nessa put a hand on his back, calming him instantly.

"Troy? Is the rest of the Mimic Force ready for action?" Kira teased him. She never missed an opportunity to call them that.

"Mega Force is ready," Troy said, not even acknowledging the nickname.

"Mystic Force is itching for a fight," Xander reported.

"Samurai Rangers, back in action," Jayden added.

"Legacies?" Kira asked.

Tommy went to answer, then stopped himself. "Ready!" Sage and Kenny, the joint leaders, replied in unison.

"We're ready," Andros said for his group.

"We were born ready," Ollie said on behalf of the Chosen.

"SPD, Emergency!" Bridge announced as he finally finished the last piece of buttery toast. "Well... I'm ready, anyway."

"Remember guys, Bridge is the only one who can capture Mora. If you kill her, you mess up the time line," Adam said.

"Bridge can keep her..." Tommy mumbled.

"Don't feel bad, Tommy," Vida said. "I fell for Mora's act, too, and I knew she was still around. No one knew she was here when you got kidnapped."

Tommy smiled at her. "Thanks for that," he said.

"No more roll calls needed," Kira decided. "We're ready, Zordon. Are you?"

"I am as ready as is possible, given the circumstances," Zordon replied. "Alphas, I need all of you to take the following people to the Command Center... Justin, Kimberly, Doctor K, Kendall-"

"My team needs me," Kendall objected.

"I know you are worried about Sir Ivan, Kendall... However, we require your skills at the base, to guide us and keep us as safe as possible," Zordon said. Kendall nodded and stopped protesting. "In addition to those four... Please take Caius."

"Zordon, no," Caius said.

"This was not my idea, Caius."

"Hear me out..." Caleb said softly. "I saw something... When Lido shows up... Which he will... Zell is going to try to kill him. He'll realize that to do that, he now needs to kill you... And he will, Caius... And I... I refuse to lose another parent." Zordon put a comforting hand on Caleb's shoulder. His adoptive parents had been savagely murdered and left for poor Caleb to find simply because the boy was strong enough to tell Zordon's father no. Caius, being Caleb's biological father, had taken him in after that. "Besides... If you die, and Lido dies, we all lose. The battle ends with Zell gaining too much power for us to stop him. But if you stay out of it, Zell won't end up taking on Lido."

Caius sighed. "Very well... To the Command Center," he said. He knew Caleb's visions, just like his own, were never wrong.

"Alright. We have our assignments. Let's go," Kira said.

After kissing Billy goodbye, Kimberly joined those who were going to the Command Center. They left, and everyone else prepared to march into battle.

IVAN

He arrived at a property and was overwhelmed as he felt Andie. Clearly, he was in the right place. Ivan drew his sword and continued to walk toward the house.

He entered with no issues, which made him nervous. There was no chance that Zell would have no forces at the entry point to resist him. Ivan was very much on guard as he walked through the house.

"Ah... The Knight," a voice said. Every inch of Ivan's body, be it flesh or blood, turned cold. "Yes. I was expecting you. Welcome, Sir Ivan."

Ivan spun around and found himself facing Zell. He showed no fear. "Zell." He said flatly.

"Now, Sir Ivan, I gave you the honor of your title. Can you not grant me the same?"

"You are, in no way, shape, or form, Great, Zell. If you like, I shall address thee as Sir Zell, but that is the best I am willing to offer."

"I see. I understand your viewpoint, Sir Ivan. However, I fear you simply misunderstand me. I am not the evil foe they have made me out to be. I respect you deeply, Sir Ivan. You are an honorable man, a quality I find has become quite rare in this modern age. Perhaps we can come to an understanding."

His cadence was soothing. Ivan almost wanted to listen to this charming man, but he knew in his heart what Zell truly was. "I fear that is quite impossible, Sir. I do not negotiate with heartless fiends who pick on women and children and try to destroy all that is Good."

"I am not out to harm them, Sir Ivan. They are my family. I simply want them returned to me."

"You murdered them!"

"They forced my hand. Serafine and Ash betrayed me. They were a threat to me."

"And Daphne? Was she a threat to you as well?"

Zell stiffened. Ivan knew he'd hit a nerve. "In some ways, my Daphne was the biggest threat of them all." Zell studied him. "You love her. I see it in your heart, Sir Ivan. I understand. Daphne is easy to love. She can warm even the coldest of hearts. That, above all things, was why she had to be destroyed. Do you see now? Love is weakness, Sir Ivan... And I could not allow myself to become weak. I freed another of that state... The Aviary boy held such a deep love in his heart for my Daphne that he was willing to face me in battle to defend her honor... Much like you. I cured Lido of his affection. I shall cure you as well."

"Nothing you can do to me will ever make my love for her fail," Ivan declared firmly.

"Perhaps that would be true of most... I could simply kill you, Sir Ivan... However, I admire your warrior's spirit. Your courage is admirable. I think I would like to keep you around. You shall make an excellent warrior, my Knight."

"I am not your knight, Sir! My loyalty is and always shall be to Zandar!"

Zell laughed. "Yes, your services and your loyalty shall be of much use to me," he said with amusement. Suddenly, flames shot out of the floor.

Ivan drew his sword, ready to fight his way out. Zell laughed at him again as they began to battle. It seemed to be going well at first, until Ivan realized too late that Zell had moved the flames. With one swift blast of energy, he threw Ivan into the fire.

ANDIE

Andie, Darcy, Greg, and Sprocket found themselves in the same room as Zell and Ivan just as Zell shoved Ivan into the fire. "No!" Andie screamed. Before she could stop to think, she jumped into the flames, shoving Ivan out of the way.

She expected it to hurt, but it didn't. "M'Lady, no!" Ivan cried out.

"I love you," Andie told him. The flames seemed to back away a bit, almost as though they were confused by such a proclamation.

"No one has ever dared take the place of my intended target! Daphne, why? Why would you do this for such a sad specimen? He is but a man... I am a God!" Zell declared. He did not make the fire stronger, but he also didn't put it out.

"He is pure of heart," Andie replied. "I won't let you taint him."

Zell was furious. He increased the power of the flames. Andie still felt no pain or heat, but she was having trouble breathing. She clutched her chest, trying to get air.

"Andie!" Greg cried out. He looked to Darcy for guidance.

Darcy stared at the flames. They lessened, struggling to continue burning as Darcy tried to control them. Greg took her hand. This increased the power, and Andie felt the flames diminish. Finally, Zell gave up and the flames vanished entirely.

"Are you okay?" Darcy asked.

"I'm still me," Andie promised. "The flames didn't turn me."

"Of course they didn't," Zell said. "If you are to be by my side, I want you to choose it. I would never force you, my dear. Your innocence and purity are what I value most about you. My magic is not meant to turn you. The Knight, however, is another story!"

New flames shot up. Ivan jumped back before they could surround him. Darcy and Greg rejoined hands. Andie took Greg's hand in her own. Within seconds, the evil flames Zell had summoned were extinguished.

"Impossible!" Zell cried out. He stared at them. "You would betray me? Even you, Daphne?"

"Daphne might not," Andie said. "But I'm not just Daphne, Zell... I am Andie... And Isobel... And probably a bunch of other people throughout time... And I'm not a weak, vulnerable little girl you can prey upon anymore." Andie found strength as she clung to Greg's hand. Ivan came to stand beside her, and Isobel's talisman radiated heat and power. So did Daphne's.

Zell looked genuinely upset. "My Daphne... Do you not understand? I very nearly loved you, my dear. I came closer than I ever have before... And I simply could not allow myself to have that weakness."

"That's what you can never understand, Zell," Darcy said. "Love isn't weakness... It's strength. And it will always be stronger than evil." With that, she sent her own flames at Zell. He screamed in pain before glaring at her and fleeing.

"Are you okay, Ivan?" Andie asked.

"You saved me, M'Lady... I am unscathed by the flames," Ivan said, his confusion clear. "I thought... I thought I was going to lose you when you took my place. Why would you do that? After all, 'twas my mission to save you."

"Because, sometimes, the damsel in distress likes to save the Knight instead," Andie replied. She let Ivan hold her, knowing he needed to convince himself she was actually safe.

"Zell's lying," Greg said.

"What else is new?" Darcy asked. "I mean, his mouth was moving, right?"

"No, I mean about the fire. His logic as to why it didn't turn Andie is flawed. He didn't have control once he unleashed the spell on Ivan. The fire's path was set, and he couldn't stop it just because he didn't want to turn Andie. Fire doesn't work like that. I think there's more to it..."

"Like what?" Andie asked.

"Okay, so... Based on Ash's knowledge of the way spells work, for one to be so powerful that it can strip anyone of the good in their souls, there would need to be someone who was immune... It's about balance. And the souls would need to be very powerful. We know it's not the Chosen, because Zell turned Zedd... But what if Zell found what he thought was a brilliant loophole and he used us? There's no record of him using the spell before he turned Lido, right? What if he created it and used Ash, Sera, and Daphne as the balance? Ash and Sera were long-dead by then, and even if he created it before Daphne died, he said it himself... He didn't want to taint her purity. He was drawn to it. He'd have given her immunity anyway, and he probably figured Ash and Sera were no longer a threat to him."

"That's his mistake," Darcy said. "He'll always underestimate us... And we'll use it to our advantage every time."

"Might I suggest we move this adventure forward? Perhaps while he recovers, we can find an exit?" Ivan asked.

"That sounds like a plan," Greg said. "I'm all for it."

"Come on," Darcy said. "He'll be back soon. This definitely isn't over yet."

ZORDON

They reached the property Nick had told Caleb to find. As they crossed onto the property, a pocket realm sprang up out of nowhere. "Damnit! What the hell?" Kira demanded.

"It is a pocket realm," Zordon explained. "There is an Eltarian who excels at creating them called the Warlock. If he and the Alchemist created this one, as I suspect, we must use caution."

"How do we get out of here?" Vida asked.

"We do not," Amos said suddenly.

"What? Why the hell not?" Zhane asked.

"This is not our job, my friends... At least, not all of us." Amos looked at Pierce. "Go, my Little Fish. Take your team, Vida, Chip, and the others from Stone Hollow. The rest of us must remain here."

"I don't understand. Why wouldn't we all go in together?" Tommy asked. "We need to help."

"We will help, Man of Many Colors," Amos told him. "Unfortunately, it will not be in the way you expected. This realm holds an army, created by the Alchemist. We must remain behind to defeat her Golden Soldiers. It is the only way to defeat her, and if we do not defeat her, everyone will perish. She draws strength from her armies. The time has not yet come for all of you to face Zell. It is the time of the Stone Warriors."

"I must go with them," Zordon said. He couldn't let these young Rangers face his father alone.

"In time, Zordon," Amos promised. "You and the Mystic Mother will both move on without the rest of us, but not yet. Your time will come soon."

Pierce looked at Amos. "So... It's me, Logan, Chelsea, Scott, Vida, Chip, and who else?" He asked.

"Me," Nessa said firmly.

"Nessa-" Troy began.

"Don't worry, Handsome. I'll be back," she promised. "I need me some eye candy, and I can't get that if I'm dead." She kissed him playfully.

"Yes... Nessa, Mena, Allie, Freddy, and Van must also go with you, Little Fish," Amos said.

"Freddy? Seriously?" Pierce asked. "No offense, but-"

"He is meant to be with the others. Do not question it, Pierce. I know what I speak of."

Pierce sighed. "Alright. Let's do this. You guys ready?"

"So ready," Chelsea said.

"Let's go save our friends," Scott added.

"Now... Someone must open a portal to help them cross through. The spell will fry it fairly quickly, but it should last long enough to allow those I listed to cross," Amos said.

"I'm your girl," Liza said.

"No," Tia said. "It should be me. I'm Chosen. If I can't do this, no one should."

"She is correct. The frying of the portal from Zell's magic would kill you, my spirited one. Your sister's magic is meant to balance Zell's and stand against it. You can open the next one," Amos said.

"Fine by me," Liza agreed.

"Be careful, Tia," Taylor said. He took her hand and Zordon felt him lending her some energy. Tia focused and moments later, a portal began to open.

"Hurry!" Amos said.

Those who could hurried through the portal. Just as Logan crossed through, the portal sealed shut. The force of it sent Tia backward through the air.

"Tia!" Taylor screamed.

"I am okay," Tia said after letting out a groan.

"I'll heal you-" Taylor offered.

"No, Taylor. Your energy took a hit, too," Zedd said. "Allow me." He quickly healed them both. That was good, because suddenly, the Golden Soldiers began filling the realm. They were quickly surrounded.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Sage declared. Everyone who had the ability to morph did, and the others prepared themselves for battle the best they could.

"We'll get them back," Rita said, squeezing Zordon's hand. "But first... We fight these fools."

Zordon nodded. The Golden Soldiers were difficult to destroy because they were literally made of solid gold, but they didn't seem to be any smarter than Putties, Pirahnatrons, Cogs, or any of the other low-level minions the Rangers had fought before. There might be a lot of them, but Zordon knew they could handle this and win in the end.

PIERCE

They found themselves inside of the house they'd been looking at. At least, Pierce assumed it was the same house. The inside seemed significantly larger than the outside had appeared. "Where do we start?" Scott asked.

"This way," Van said. "I can feel Raff."

They headed together as a unit, hoping for strength in numbers. Pierce spotted several of the Eltarians shortly after. There was also an army with them, but not a golden one.

"You all came just in time for tea!" A little girl cried with delight.

"Tea?" Chelsea asked.

"That's Mora," Vida said harshly.

"And Cindy Sunshine!" Mora said in an angry tone.

"Right, and Cindy Sunshine. Don't let the cute exterior fool you. She's psychotic, evil, and actually a child aspect of an evil adult woman named Morgana. She's the one who tricked me into coming in here in the first place."

"Don't! Mention! That! Name!" Mora screamed. She immediately sent a monster from her army toward Vida.

"Watch out, V!" Chip shouted. He pulled her to safety.

They were soon surrounded by Mora's monsters. Everyone started to get separated. Pierce found himself far away from his brother, which he wasn't thrilled with. Scott wasn't too far away, and the two of them teamed up to battle the monsters as best as they could.

Suddenly, one of the Eltarians tried to cut off Scott's head while Scott was distracted by another monster. Pierce blasted him with water before facing off against him. "Not today, Fucker!" Pierce declared, battling him one-on-one.

The Eltarian had a lot of weapons. He kept pulling them out of thin air. Pierce was outmatched. He didn't care. Using his Martial Arts training, he knocked the weapons away from the Rebel every chance he got. Finally, he kicked him hard, sending him back toward one of his discarded weapons. It impaled him through his chest.

"You okay, Scott?" Pierce asked.

"I'm good," Scott said, finally catching his breath. "You?"

"I'm okay. Come on. We've got more to do, and this guy's not going to be an issue anymore." Pierce didn't kill the man. He wasn't a murderer, and the guy was no longer a threat... But he knew the chances of him surviving were slim.

RAFFITTY

He spotted Rupi, impaled upon his own sword, and rushed to his side. "Rupi... Hold on, alright? Do not let go," Raffitty said urgently.

Zell drifted through briefly. He had kept himself cloaked, but he showed himself slightly so Raffitty could see him. "Ah... He served his purpose, then. Pity he didn't last longer," Zell mumbled.

"Great Zell... Help him. Please. You are the only one with the power to save him from a wound this severe," Raffitty said.

"That is true, my boy," Zell said. "However, I do not deem it beneficial to me at the present time. There are far better uses of my energy. Rupi was of little use to me. Carry on." Zell vanished again.

"Damnit!" Raffitty cursed. He pulled Rupi into his arms. "Be strong, Rupi. I will find a way to save you."

"No..." Rupi said softly. "No, Raff... Let me go."

"Rupi-"

"I wish to be reunited with Zydia, and our parents. I made my choice... It was the wrong choice..." Rupi coughed up blood. "Go on... Take it out... The sword only prolongs... The inevitable."

"Rupi... I'm sorry," Raffitty told him honestly.

"I know you are, Raff. All is well... Now, end my pain." He looked deep into Raffitty's eyes. "Just... Tell Captain Smith... Tell him I'm sorry. Please. Will you do that for me, Raff?"

Raffitty knew there was no saving Rupi. He was bleeding out too rapidly. The second the sword was removed, he'd be dead. "Of course I will," Raffitty promised him.

Rupi looked peaceful then. He nodded and closed his eyes as he whispered, "Thank you."

Raffitty pulled the sword out quickly. Rupi died seconds later in his arms. Raffitty shook his head and cast a spell to burn Rupi's remains to ash so no one could try to harvest them for anything. He then conjured a canister to keep the ashes in. No matter what else happened, he would bring Rupi home to Bob. He tucked the canister safely away before resuming the fight.

MENA

She spotted Greg as he, Andie, Darcy, and Sir Ivan came into the room. Before Mena could run to him, she saw Boom and Blast begin blowing up everything in their path. "Oh no..." She whispered. She knew she had to protect the others, but how?

"Mena!" Greg called, running over to her. "Are you okay? What are you doing here?"

"I am with the rescue mission," Mena said proudly. "Are you all hurt?"

"We're okay," Greg promised her.

"What's that?" Mena asked, seeing the robot by his side.

"This is Sprocket. He was part of the Machine Empire, and now, he's our friend," Greg said. "Sprocket, this is Mena. Please protect her, because I care about her very much."

Mena blushed slightly. "Of course, Mr. Greg," Sprocket said.

"We have to stop the twins," Mena said. "They're very dangerous."

"What do you suggest?" Greg asked.

"If I can find one of their devices and rewire it, I may be able to turn it against them."

"There's one over there," Sprocket pointed out.

Mena smiled. "Thank you, Sprocket. Greg, stay here and please watch my front."

"Your back," Nessa corrected Mena with a smirk as she joined them. "Hey, Greg."

"Hi, Nessa," Greg replied.

"Go on, Mena. We've got you covered," Nessa promised.

Mena nodded and headed toward the device. She carefully opened up the chamber that led to the wires, making sure not to set it off, and began analyzing what she saw. After a few moments, Mena was pretty certain she knew how it worked. "Here goes..." She mumbled as she began to rewire it. Finally, she figured out what the trigger was and accessed it. When Boom and Blast came closer, Mena threw the device at them, activating the trigger and setting it off.

Boom and Blast screamed as they were wounded by the blast. "That wasn't-" Boom mumbled.

"Any fun at all," Blast finished. Barely standing, they both quickly fled while they could still escape with their lives.

"They shouldn't be a problem for a while," Mena said with a smile.

"Mena... You're brilliant!" Nessa declared.

"That was incredible!" Greg agreed.

"Thanks... Now, let's keep going," Mena said. She knew the fight was far from over.

CHELSEA

She'd started off fighting random monsters, but now, Chelsea saw someone she needed to focus on. Vida and Chip were directly battling Felina with magic. They were trying to hold their own, but Felina was extremely powerful. Chelsea watched as they exchanged spells. Vida and Chip were barely dodging Felina's attacks, and every time they managed to hurt her, Felina came back at them stronger.

Chelsea sped around another monster, running in circles until he collapsed on the floor and knocked himself unconscious. She got closer to Vida and Chip, knowing they needed help as soon as possible, but another monster came at her. Chelsea swatted the giant troll-looking thing away from her with a speedy kick to the head before going back toward her true target.

"Vida!" Chip cried out as Felina flung him through the air. He landed hard and was defenseless as Felina geared up to attack.

"Not today, Bitch!" Vida shouted, attacking Felina with a tornado. "You okay, Chip?"

Chip managed to give a thumbs up. "Fools! You think you can stop me? You are weak!" Felina screamed.

"Weak? No, weak is that outfit!" Vida retorted. "Where do you shop, Morticians R Us?"

Felina tried to attack, but Vida dodged the spell. She made it to Chip, who she tried to help back to his feet. Felina circled in for what Chelsea was certain was meant to be the killing blow.

Summoning lightning, Chelsea sent it straight at Felina. Since Felina hadn't noticed Chelsea watching them, she was completely unprepared. A bolt of lightning shot straight through Felina's heart. She screamed in agony as she collapsed on the floor, more wounded than Chelsea had ever seen her, but somehow still alive.

"Stupid immortal bitch..." Chelsea mumbled.

"Thanks, Chels," Chip said as Vida helped him walk toward her.

"Come on," Chelsea said. "Let's book before the bitch finds a way to recover from that." She led Vida and Chip toward safer ground, refusing to look back at Deep-Fried Felina.

NESSA

Her battle skills were being put to the test and Nessa was loving every second of it. She fought fiercely, taking on monster after monster. Mora kept drawing more, but that hardly mattered. Nessa was up for the fight.

Allie fought by Nessa's side, using her mind to outwit the monsters. She could outsmart most of them because they were similar to Tulpas in a way, and for those who weren't, Allie created Tulpas to take them down.

"You're very good at that," Nessa commented.

"I learned from the best," Allie replied.

The girls fought back-to-back, taking down every monster they could. "They just keep coming..." Nessa mumbled.

"Don't worry," Allie said firmly. "We can do this! We're going to win."

"I like your attitude, Allie."

They continued fighting, until the ranks of monsters finally began to thin out. "My hand is tired..." Mora mumbled.

"Too bad! Keep drawing, Useless Child!" The Warlock shouted at her.

"Useless? I'll show you useless-"

"Enough!" The Alchemist said. "Mora, please just draw a few more monsters. You had a great number ready to go before this fight began, but we do need more now. I'll serve you and Cindy Sunshine an extra special blend of tea later if you help us now."

Mora's face lit up. "Excellent!" She said. She began drawing again.

"Take out the kid and we're good to go," Nessa said.

"No," Allie said. "They used to do that to Ingrid... It's cruel. We can find another way."

"She's not actually a little girl, Allie."

"She has the maturity and mindset of one. I have a better idea." Allie approached Mora. "Hi, Mora," she said pleasantly.

"Hi," Mora said in confusion.

"My name is Allie. That's a lovely doll. Can I see her?"

Mora smiled. "This is Cindy Sunshine. She's my best friend."

"Best friends are great to have. Look, Mora... I don't want you or Cindy Sunshine getting hurt. This fight's getting out of hand. If you stay, the Alchemist won't protect you, no matter what she says. You know that, right?"

"She is a liar sometimes," Mora admitted.

"Walk away, Mora. Go someplace safe, and let us finish this fight. You're loyal to Zell, right? Unless he needs you, there's no reason for you to be here where you might get hurt."

"You're right... I don't want to get hurt."

"Good. Go on, Mora. I won't hurt you. I promise."

Mora nodded. She took Cindy Sunshine and skipped away with her sketchbook. Nessa started at Allie in shock.

"How the hell did you do that?" Nessa asked.

"I believed in myself," Allie said with a smile. "Come on. Let's get rid of the rest of the monsters."

VAN

No matter how much it scared him, Van knew he had to be the one to face Raffitty. They stood batting now, and Van focused on the present, not allowing himself to think about how severely Raffitty had beaten him before.

"You can't defeat me, Vancello!" Raffitty argued. "Give in. You can still join us. You have value. Zell will see that."

"Never," Van said firmly.

"Very well. Then you shall perish, you foolish boy!"

"You first."

They struggled, and Van knew Raffitty was surprised by how hard he fought. Van dodged several blows and managed to land a few hits.

"Damn you, Boy! Do you think this is what your father would have wanted?" Raffitty demanded.

"My father would have wanted to live," Van said harshly. "But standing by your side got him killed."

Van managed to get one of Raffitty's swords away from him. They dueled against each other. "You have gotten very skilled with a sword," Raffitty remarked.

"You taught me well," Van replied.

"Indeed. I did not teach you all of my tricks, however." That was when Raffitty moved so swiftly, Van could not anticipate where the sword would come from. It should have pierced his chest. Instead, Raffitty stiffened, then fell at Van's feet.

Van stared at Raffitty in shock. He looked up and realized Lido stood nearby. "Thank you..." Van said softly.

Lido stood over Raffitty. "Raff... Listen to me. I can stop you. You are weak from my attack," Lido said. "I could sever your head from your body, and while I know that your magic would make it grow back, it would take much time. You are no threat to us now... However, I will spare you that pain in the hopes that you do the right thing."

"Lido..." Raffitty mumbled.

"I know Rupi is dead, Raff. Felina's as good as dead herself. Do not end up like them. Walk away. Go find Captain Smith and help his chapter. I have known you a very long time, Raffitty. I know the man you are better than nearly anyone. Make the right choice."

Raffitty was clearly too weak to respond. Van knew his healing powers would kick in and save him, but for now, he was out of the battle. "Come, Van," Lido said. "We must help the others."

Van nodded and followed Lido. He had no idea that danger was coming for him.

FREDDY

While most of the monsters created by the Kid Who Wasn't Really A Kid had been taken out by Nessa and Allie, Freddy spotted the strongest of them headed straight toward Van. Lido was with him, but he was distracted by what appeared to be a crumpled mess, otherwise known as Raffitty, on the floor.

Instead of trying to warn Van, Freddy sprang into action, his instinct to protect his friend too strong to ignore. He attacked the monster with no weapons, no training, no ability to morph, no super powers at all... It didn't matter. The risk to his own safety didn't matter. He had to try. It was the right thing to do, and as far as Freddy was concerned, it was the only thing to do.

The monster attacked back with fire. Freddy had quick reflexes, and he dodged the attacks fairly easily, which seemed to piss the monster off more. Freddy managed to kick the monster several times, causing it to cry out in pain, but he wasn't going to be able to destroy the thing on his own. Unless...

"Hey! What's that?" Freddy asked, pointing behind the monster.

To Freddy's great amusement, the monster actually turned around and looked behind him. Freddy used the opportunity to kick the monster hard in the head. It stumbled forward, falling into its own flames and burning up quickly.

When it turned to ash, Freddy smirked and said, "Made you look."

LOGAN

He couldn't believe his rotten luck. Logan was facing off against the Warlock, which was no easy task. Logan might have magic, but he was still new to using it, unlike the Warlock. Still, few others stood any chance against this particular Eltarian, and Logan knew it.

"You will regret betraying us, Neptune," the Warlock spat.

"That's not my name," Logan said firmly. He knew names had power. It was probably a good thing the Warlock had no idea what his new one was.

"It doesn't matter. You are going to perish. You and every last pathetic human here."

"Enough talk." Logan attacked the Warlock hard, catching him off-guard as he cut off their verbal exchange. The Warlock hadn't expected Logan's extreme skill in Martial Arts to be his weapon of choice, and Logan was able to knock him backward. As the Warlock struggled to regain his footing, Logan tore off his amulet.

"No!" The Warlock screamed.

"Pierce!" Logan called.

Pierce came running over. "This is the source of a huge amount of his power," Logan said. "If we destroy it, he'll be useless."

"Let's do it," Pierce said eagerly.

The brothers joined hands. Together, they raised enough energy to destroy a small town, and they focused it on the powerful amulet. It shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. The Warlock screamed and collapsed onto his hands and knees.

The Alchemist came toward them and was ready to attack when she suddenly fell to her knees as well. "My Army..." She mumbled.

"Nice timing, Rangers!" Pierce cried out. Logan knew their allies had defeated the Golden Soldiers.

"I shall build you a new amulet... A better one," the Alchemist promised the Warlock weakly. She grabbed him and used the little bit of energy she had left to open a pocket realm. They escaped into it, but Logan wasn't worried. Those two wouldn't be back for a long time.

FELINA

She was going to die. Immortal or not, the Yellow Ranger had damaged her too severely. Felina could feel her energy escaping steadily. If it didn't stop soon, she'd perish.

Suddenly, Felina saw Zell reappear. The magic of the brothers had captured his attention. He wanted it for himself, and if he couldn't steal it from them, he'd find a way to control them. She knew that was his only focus in that moment.

The Red Ranger... Darcy, Serafine, Belladonna, whoever she was these days... was too close. She was gathering strength for an attack. The fire grew and Zell did not seem to notice.

"Zell..." Felina croaked out in warning. She was too far away for him to hear such a quiet sound. Knowing it would likely take the last of her energy and possibly kill her, Felina still did what she had to do.

She focused her energy on Zell and knocked him back with a blast of air, moving him out of the way of Darcy's Fire attack. Zell stared at her in surprise, then seemed to realized what had happened. Quickly, he rushed to her side.

"Felina... My most loyal companion..." Zell said sadly, looking at her.

"Are you hurt, my Master?" Felina asked softly, her voice hoarse.

"No, my dear... You have saved me," Zell promised her.

"That was worth my energy, then."

Zell sighed. "Do not abandon hope, my dear Felina," he said. He poured a small amount of energy into her, just enough to keep her alive. "I must send you away for you to survive. I promise I shall come for you soon, my dear. Recover."

"You are saving my life?" Felina asked in surprise.

"You have more than proven your worth today, Felina. Rest. Recover. We shall be reunited soon." With that, Zell sent her outside of the time line. She could not die there, as no time passed, and with help, she would recover.

"Thank you..." She whispered, knowing Zell heard her. She fell unconscious soon after.

SIR MATTHEW

Now that Zell had shown himself and most of the minions were dead or had fled, Matthew knew it was time. "We must target the source, my beloved," he said to Eleanor.

"I am ready," she promised him.

He stole a quick kiss before the two of them zeroed in on Zell, distracting him from the boys he'd refocused his attention on after sending the bratty sorceress away.

Matthew drew his sword. Zell turned toward the two of them and laughed. "The Eltarian Guard's finest," he said. "Well, this is an honor."

"We do not fear you, Zell," Eleanor said. "We never have, and we never will."

"I would expect no less, Lady Eleanor," Zell said, bowing to her respectfully. "Now, if we must do this, let us get it over with."

Zell had clearly not expected their arrival, but he recovered from the surprise quickly. He was more than capable of fighting back. Matthew and Eleanor might be retired, but they were not completely out of practice. They held their own well in battle, and it all came back to Matthew as they continued to fight.

"For Eltar!" Eleanor screamed. She ran Zell through with her sword before swiftly pulling it back out. His wound burned and he seemed stunned by this. Eleanor turned toward Greg. "We must hurry to him," she told Matthew.

Zell, unfortunately, had other plans. Matthew saw the attack coming seconds before it happened. He dove in front of Eleanor, shielding her from the magical blast with his own body and absorbing the majority of the attack.

GREG

"Gram! Grandpa!" Greg screamed as he watched his grandparents get blasted into a wall.

"Fear not, Sir Greg!" Ivan said. He jumped in front of them, ready to defend Greg's grandparents no matter what.

Greg made his way closer to his grandparents. He realized very quickly that his grandfather was dead. "Oh, Greg... I'm so sorry," Andie said softly.

"Gram... Is my Gram okay?" Greg asked Ivan.

"She is breathing steadily," Ivan said. "I believe your grandfather saved her life."

Greg nodded. His heart hurt, but he couldn't focus on that. Zell was still a threat. He'd lost his grandfather, but he refused to lose anyone else.

Zell raised energy for an attack. It was almost as if Greg's grandmother sensed this. She sat up, looked at her husband, took a deep breath, and ran straight back into battle. Her sword pierced Zell's chest easily. She attacked him multiple times, leaving burning holes in his flesh with each thrust. He cried out in agony. Finally, Greg's grandmother pierced Zell's throat.

"For Matthew..." She said steadily.

Severely wounded and in need of either more energy or someone to heal him, Zell retreated quickly. "Gregory..." Greg's grandmother said.

"Gram... I'm so sorry, Gram..." Greg said. He felt tears in his eyes.

His grandmother gave him a hug before kneeling beside his grandfather. She pulled him into her arms and allowed herself a moment to grieve. Nearly everyone looked away to grant her some privacy, but Greg joined her.

"He was the bravest, strongest man I have ever met," his grandmother said. "And he was very proud of you, Gregory. You must never forget that."

"I won't," Greg said sadly.

His grandmother kissed his grandfather's forehead before releasing his body. "Goodbye, my Love," she said softly. She waved her hand and his body vanished.

"What did you do?" Greg asked.

"I sent him home. We shall bury him later... But this fight is not yet over, Gregory," she explained.

He couldn't believe she was still ready to fight. Then again, his grandmother was supposed to be the fiercest warrior Eltar had ever seen. It made sense that she'd handle her grief by finishing the battle.

Suddenly, one of the remaining monsters attacked. Greg took a hit to his head and everything went black.

SCOTT

They had all gathered close together as Sir Matthew died and Lady Eleanor and Greg dealt with this fact. Scott's heart broke for them. He clung to Van, thinking about Van's father, and all the other losses they'd seen recently.

When Greg took a blow to the head, things quickly got worse. He began to misfire, and the earth shook. Scott watched in horror as a giant hole began spreading across the room. There was no time to think.

Using every ounce of Air magic he had, Scott lifted everyone up off the ground. The bad guys fell freely into the hole, but Scott levitated all of the Rangers and their allies off of the ground and to a safer place. A few of the Alchemist's creations remained, and they quickly fell into the hole. Most of Mora's monsters were already dead, but any that survived fell into the hole, too. Scott gently placed his friends down on solid ground before feeling the effects of using too much magic. He was dizzy and weak. The ground beneath his feet began to crumble away.

"Scott!" He heard Van scream as everything went dark and he blacked out.

VIDA

She ran toward Scott without even thinking. As Vida ended up at the hole, she turned herself into a tornado. She flew into the hole, grabbing Scott and pulling him back up. She carried him toward the safe area the others were in.

"Is he okay?" Darcy asked in horror.

"He's breathing," Vida said. "We can fix the rest... Andie?"

"Of course," Andie said. She began healing Scott, restoring what she could of his energy. Slowly but surely, Scott began to stir.

Vida sighed in relief. "Thank God," she said. "Are you okay, Scott?"

"I... I think so," Scott said.

"That was really brave," Allie said. "You saved us all, Scott!"

Scott smiled. "All in a day's work for a Power Ranger, right?" He asked. "We'd better fix Greg before he misfires with his powers again."

Andie started to heal Greg's head. He came around a few moments later. "Thanks," Greg mumbled, squeezing Andie's hand.

"His followers have been weakened," Eleanor said. "Some were killed, and the few who survived have all fled. We are winning the battle but we must not stop now."

"She's right," Vida said. "Our best chance is if we attack now."

"Do you think we can defeat him?" Mena asked.

"Not for good, but we can certainly force him to retreat for a while," Eleanor replied.

"That's good enough for me," Vida said. "Come on, Guys. Let's finish this!"

RITA

The Golden Army had fallen. No one from her side was dead, and Rita was thrilled about that. "Come on, Zordon!" She said. "The portal is inching open. I think we can slip through."

Zordon took Rita's hand and followed her through the opening. It sealed up right behind them. Suddenly, they were separated. Rita frowned. "Zordon? Zordon, where'd you go?" She called.

"My apologies, my dear," a voice she never wanted to hear again said. "I wanted to spend some time alone with you."

"I don't think so," Rita said. She turned around to face Zell, her usual fear of him replaced with pure rage. "You're going to pay, you bastard! Vida is one of mine. How dare you turn her like you turned me?" She attacked him before he could anticipate it.

"Rita... I wanted you to join my side again. That is all I was after," Zell said.

"Sell that to someone more foolish than I am." Rita defended herself again. Her rage made her power stronger, and Zell seemed confused by the outburst. She went as far as to smack him in the head with her wand.

Zell finally had enough. He knocked Rita away from him with a powerful blast of energy. She hit the wall hard and lost consciousness almost immediately.

ZORDON

"Rita!" He screamed. He raced to her side to check on her. She seemed relatively unhurt, but the force of his father's attack had knocked her out.

"Hello, my boy," his father said coldly.

"Father," Zordon replied.

"We meet again. Tell me, how did you get your power back? I see you are still just a boy."

"Looks are deceiving, Father."

"You know what comes next, my boy." His father reached toward him. Zordon backed away. "There is no use fighting," He grabbed Zordon by his throat and began to choke him. Zordon struggled to think of a plan to retaliate. He refused to be his father's victim again.

"No! Zell, let him go!" A voice cried.

"Mother..." Zordon whispered, feeling her more strongly than ever.

"I mean it, Zell! Let Zordon go!"

His father laughed lightly. "You would fight me for our boy?" He asked.

"Let. My son. Go. Now. Before I show you why you shouldn't underestimate me."

"Daphne-"

"I will not let you harm him ever again, Zell!" Andie stood in front of him defiantly, ready to destroy him.

His father summoned his energy tube. "I don't want to harm you, Daphne," he said. "Killing you was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I do not wish to do it again, but you leave me no choice!" He stepped inside the energy tube to gain even more strength. He'd clearly already used it to heal some injuries before attacking Rita and Zordon, but now he was going to get even stronger.

Andie shook her head. "Not this time," she said. She touched the energy tube and Zordon heard his father cry out in surprise.

"No! What are you doing?" His father demanded.

"You are trapped inside of your energy tube, Zell," Andie explained.

Darcy touched the tube. It began to visibly heat up. "What are you doing? Stop this at once, Bella!" His father screamed.

"Now, Greg!" Darcy cried out.

Greg touched the ground. Suddenly, the earth began to shake. The earthquake centered directly around the energy tube. Zordon heard his father scream as the tube cracked. Ultimately, it shattered, and his father fell out onto the ground, severely wounded.

With the last ounce of strength he had, Zordon's father slipped out of the time line, into the realm where he'd spent so much of his time. When he left, the house finally began to feel safe again.

Andie stared at Zordon, clearly feeling as awkward as Zordon felt. Seeing the look in her eyes, Zordon touched her shoulder. "Mother..." He said softly.

Andie seemed to morph instantly into his mother. "Oh, Zordon... My brave, wonderful Zordon..." She said softly.

"I have missed you so much, Mother," Zordon said.

Andie hugged him, which was both shocking and extremely comforting. "I have missed you, too, Zordon," she said softly. Zordon felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

"Is it over?" Mena asked softly.

"For the time being," Zordon said, forcing himself to focus on the present again. "My father will return eventually, but it will take him and his people some time to recover. Today, my friends, you have saved the world. Again." He smiled at them encouragingly.

"Then it's time we leave this place," Vida said. "The house doesn't feel nearly as confusing anymore. Come on, Guys. I want to introduce you to everyone."

"We did it," Darcy said proudly. She looked at her team and smiled.

"Now what happens?" Chelsea asked.

"Now, you take time for yourselves," Zordon said, helping Rita back to her feet as she came around. "You have earned it, Rangers. I am very proud of you all. Rest, recover, and know that you have done well today. The Power will always protect you, my friends... Because once a Ranger, always a Ranger. A time may come when you are needed again, but for now, enjoy your time off."

"Amen to that!" Vida said. "Vacation, here we come."

Together, they made their way out of the house and headed back to the outside world. The battle might be over for now, but Zordon would remain vigilant. He never knew when trouble would rise again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's only one chapter left!