Power Rangers: Zedd's Four Horsemen

Rocky, Adam, and Aisha were nervously watching the snake approach with their teacher. It looked to be heading for Aisha’s long dark legs first. “Whatever you do, Aisha, don’t make any sudden moves,” Rocky said, “That way, you can keep the snake from biting you as long as possible.”

Aisha nodded to her childhood friend, and kept as still as she could. “Ooh, I hate snakes,” she muttered.

Billy and Trini were about to head into the cave, when a new monster appeared in the cave entrance. “I can’t let you in there, Rangers,” the monster said, “My name’s Mysidios, and I’ve been given the job to keep you out.”

“Oh yeah? Good luck,” Billy said sarcastically, “Ready, Trini?” Trini nodded, and the two jumped at Mysidios. They were desperate to get past it, and inside to save their new friends.

Tommy and Kim were taking on a horde of z-putties all by themselves, and seemed to be actually reaching a stalemate with their enemies. They kept at it, wanting to give Billy and Trini more time to get inside.

Aisha started going into convulsions. The snake had bitten her, and her dead weight had snapped the ropes, as she slumped to the floor. Something was happening to her, and Rocky and Adam didn’t like it one bit. Speaking of which, the snake was slithering forward, wanting to make one of them the next victim.

Trini had finally gotten the Mysidios’ attention away from Billy. “Go help them, Billy,” she said. Without looking back, Billy ran into the cave. He found the three teens on the ground motionless, their teacher still up, and the snake slithering towards the teacher.

Acting on pure instinct, Billy snatched up his blade blaster and shot the snake. It disintegrated. He ran over to the teacher and undid the ropes. “What happened to them?” he asked, nodding to the teens.

“They were bitten by that... thing,” the teacher said, “What’s going to happen to them?”

“I don’t really know, but whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Billy said.

All of a sudden, the three teens jumped up. Their eyes had an almost unholy red glow to them. They circled Billy. “Join us, Blue Ranger,” Aisha said, her voice distorted and monstrous.

“No way,” Billy said, “You guys are coming with me. There’s bound to be something Zordon can do.” With that, he grabbed for his new friends, but they pulled back, and pulled him off his feet.

“More like you’re coming with us, Blue Ranger,” Rocky said. Then, the three ninja’s’ stripped Billy of his morpher, threw it away, and then teleported out with him. Billy lost consciousness somewhere in the mix.

Trini finally got past the monster and headed into the cave. Inside, she found Billy, Aisha, Rocky, and Adam gone, but the teacher still there. “What happened to the Blue Ranger?” she asked him.

“Aisha, Rocky, and Adam were bitten by some snake,” the teacher said, “They’re bad guys now, I guess. They grabbed him and teleported out. Where’s my son?”

“Jacob’s all right,” Trini said, “He’s being watched after, so don’t worry. I’ll take you to see him.” She gently grabbed the teachers arm. Before she teleported both of them away, Trini looked around.

‘Wherever you are, Billy, I hope you’re all right,’ she mused, ‘I’d never forgive myself for letting you come in here otherwise. Or for never telling you how much I care for you.’ With a small sigh, she teleported away and dropped the teacher off on a hill near where Bulk and Skull were watching baby Jacob.

As Trini teleported to the Command Center, she couldn’t help but feel more than a pang of guilt, for leaving Billy to deal with the snake. When she got to the Command Center, she found it buzzing with activity.

“What’s going on?” she asked Kim, as she popped the seals on her helmet and stepped forward.

“They’re trying to find Billy, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha,” Kim said, “But so far, they’re having absolutely no luck. With Rocky, Adam, and Aisha turned evil by the snake, there’s a slim possibility of finding the three of them, and next to none on getting them back on our side.”

Trini nodded. “What about Billy?” she inquired. She couldn’t keep the near longing out of her voice.

Kim glanced at her and smiled. “You’ve really got it bad,” she said, “How long have you had a crush on Billy?”

“Only pretty recently, really,” Trini said, “To be honest, ever since he’s started working out with the guys. He’s really filled out.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kim said. Trini sighed, and Kim gave her a sympathetic look and squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be all right. We’ll find him. Just do me one favor, would you?” Trini nodded. “You know how shy Billy is. He’ll never ask you out. Why don’t you ask him out to the dance this weekend?”

“If we get him back,” Trini said.

“Which we will,” Kim insisted cheerfully, “How about it?”

Trini was silent for a long moment. “I don’t know,” she said, “I don’t want to jeopardize my relationship with Billy.”

“You won’t, believe me,” Kim said, “You’ll be strengthening it, and taking it to a new level.” Trini hated to admit it, but she knew Kim was right. She had to do something, or she might lose the chance to be with Billy forever.

“All right, I will ask him out,” Trini determined.

“Good girl,” Kim said.

“Rangers, I’ve been searching for a replacement for Billy,” Zordon said, “Whether it’s going to be temporary or permenant, I’m not sure. I believe I have found a candidate.”

In a flurry of light, a young man around the Rangers age appeared in the Command Center suddenly. Most of them recognized him as Richie, Trini’s former boyfriend.

“Welcome, Richard,” Zordon said, “To the Command Center, the headquarters of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.”

“Thanks, I think,” Richie replied. He then noticed the Rangers. “You guys are the Power Rangers? Wow.”

“That’s right, Richie,” Tommy said, as he stepped forward. “And we need your help. We need you to become the, hopefully temporary, replacement for Billy, who is the Blue Ranger.”

“Hey, I’ll do anything to help,” Richie said, “What do I do?”

“Here you go,” Jason said, handing him Billy’s morpher.

“Now, for the Ranger code,” Zordon said, “1. Never escalate a battle unless Zedd forces you to. 2. Never reveal your identity to anyone, unless in case of an absolute emergency. 3. Never use your powers for personal gain. Break any one of these rules, and you will lose the protection of the power. Do you agree to abide by these rules, Richard?”

“I do so agree,” Richie said, “And call me Richie. Everybody else does.”

“Welcome to the team, bro,” Zack said, extending his hand.

Richie shook it. “Thanks, Zack,” he said, “It’s an honor to be a part of the team.” It was then he noticed Trini and went over to her. “Hey there, stranger.”

“Hi, Richie,” Trini said, rather coldly. The other Rangers looked at her in surprise at her tone. They didn’t know that Richie had actually dumped her, because Trini had told everybody that they had a mutual break up. She knew what Jason, Zack, Tommy, and Billy would probably do if they found out the truth.

“Can we talk later?” Richie asked quietly, “I want to get some kind of closure between us.”

Trini sighed. “All right,” she said. With that, the two went to join the other Rangers in the search for their missing comrade and friends.

Billy woke, to find himself on a cold sterile table. He was strapped down so tight, he couldn’t move an inch. “Where am I?” he demanded of the open air.

“Why, in my laboratory of course, Blue Ranger,” Finster said, as he walked over from a dark corner. “I was beginning to think that you’d never wake up. That’d be so much easier on you. To die peacefully in your sleep. Oh dear.”

“What are you babbling on about?” Billy said, “That would be so much easier than what?”

“Then becoming one of us.” This time, it was Aisha who dropped down from the ceiling and landed next to the table with the grace and agility of a cat. “Becoming one of Zedd’s four horsemen.”

“I’ll never be a pawn of Zedd’s,” Billy cried, “You’d have to kill me first.”

“You don’t have a choice, Blue Ranger,” Zedd said, as he made his way into the laboratory. “None at all. Since you destroyed my only snake of darkness, Finster will have to use the alternative chemicals. Less chance of you living through the conversion into darkness, but you’d be worth more to me dead than unconverted anyway.”

“You will become a horsemen, Blue Ranger,” Adam sneered, as he entered behind Zedd with Rocky.

“Or you will die,” Rocky said.

“Guys, you can’t let him do this,” Billy pleaded to the ninjas’. “I’m one of your friends, and he’s...” He was shut up by a strap across the mouth. A strap across the forehead made it impossible for him to move his head.

“Start the conversion process, Finster,” Zedd commanded.

“Yes, my liege,” Finster said. He started for the table, with a syringe full of a dark fluid. Once it was injected into him, Billy started losing consciousness.

One thought ran through his mind, as he drifted to sleep. ‘If only I had been able to get the courage to tell Trini that I love her,’ he mused. Then, all was black.

“Rangers, I think I have found Billy,” Zordon said, “He’s on the moon, in Finster’s laboratory. I think I can get a visual on the viewing globe.” The Rangers turned to the viewing globe, where they saw Finster hovering over a table with his back to them. He moved aside, and they all gasped. Billy had an IV of dark liquid running into him.

“What’s Finster doing to him?” Trini murmured quietly, almost to where nobody could hear her.

“With his snake destroyed, Zedd is desperate to convert Billy,” Zordon said, “He must be using the alternative chemical. That way is much more dangerous, because only one in fifty are converted. The rest...” He shut up quickly, knowing full well that he’d better not finish that sentence. The sensors controlling the viewing globe were suddenly blocked, and the picture went out.

“What happens to the rest?” Trini wanted to know. “What will happen to Billy, if he’s not converted?”

“Never mind, Trini,” Alpha said.

“WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIM?!?!” Trini screamed. Richie glanced at her. He had never seen her worked up over anything. ‘She must really love Billy a hell of a lot,’ he realized. He had figured that out right away, and was one of the main reasons why he had “dumped” her.

Zordon was very reluctant in answering. “I’m afraid that he will die,” he said softly. He had a feeling how strongly Trini felt towards Billy, and knew what that news would most likely do to her.

And he was right. Trini was quiet for several minutes, and looked to be shaking. Whether it was with anger or on the verge tears, Richie couldn’t figure out, until a strangled cry issued forth. Trini sank to her knees. Kim rushed over to her best friend.

“Sh, sh,” Kim whispered, trying to comfort her best friend. The others gave Trini a respectful distance. Kim glanced at Tommy and nodded him over. Tommy stepped over to the pair and kneeled down.

“We’ll get him back, Trini,” he whispered.

“I never told him how much I love him,” Trini gasped between tears. Kim gently passed her over to Tommy, who held her gently.

“I think he knew,” Tommy said, “Sometimes, you don’t know how much you care about someone, until that person is gone.”

“That’s right, Trini,” Kim said, “I felt the same way you’re probably feeling when Tommy left, remember? I was all broken up.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Trini said, “We tried to go up to your uncles cabin, Tommy. Zedd swiped us on the way. Tried to drain our powers, like he did yours.” Tommy’s head snapped up, as he looked at Kim. He silently mouthed, “He did what?” Anybody could tell that Tommy was outraged. But then, he stifled it, for Trini’s sake.

“Zedd will get his, sooner or later,” Tommy said, “For now, we have to focus on getting Billy back, as you should well know.”

Trini’s tears dried up as quickly as they had started. “You’re right,” she said softly. Wiping her eyes, she stood and turned to the others. “I’ll help in any way I can, Zordon.”

“I think that it would be best for you to go home, Trini,” Zordon said, “No offense or anything, but you’re no good to us like this.”

“I hate to say it, but he’s right,” Jason said.

Trini felt like arguing, but knew that Zordon and Jason both had very, very good points. “Call me the minute something comes up, you got me?” she demanded. Both Jason and Zordon nodded, and Trini teleported out.

She went for a walk in the park when she got home. She just couldn’t stand just sitting around at her house waiting for news on Billy. She came upon one spot in the park, and was taken back to a warm summer day about a year before.

She had been trying to teach Billy kung fu, but he wasn’t getting anywhere. Frustrated, she had leaned over him slightly. What she didn’t realize that Billy could see right down her shirt. When she caught him staring and realized it, they were quickly too flustered over the ordeal to get anything else done, and called it quits.

“Sometimes you don’t know what you have, until they’re gone,” Trini whispered, partly repeating what Tommy had told her. All of a sudden, a noise caught her attention. It was a rustling in bushes nearby.

She jumped up into her fighting stance. “Who’s there?” she called out.

Richie painfully extricated himself from the bush. “Ouch, it’s just me,” he said, “There seems to be something wrong with the teleporter. I meant to be right beside you, and it landed me in those bushes.”

Trini laughed shortly. “What’d you want to see me for?” she asked, “And don’t you dare say you want to get back together. You’re lucky I haven’t told Jason or Zack about what you said when we broke up.”

“I know what I said was pretty harsh, Trini,” Richie said, “And I also know that you deserve a lot better than me. Billy’s a lucky guy. He’s had you all this time, and he didn’t really know it.”

“Yeah well, love was never his best suit,” Trini said, “Mathematics, science, and English... he could handle that. But try to get him to face up to his excessive nervousness about asking a girl out, and he’ll blank out on you every time.”

“That’s why some people, some girls,” Richie corrected, “Should ask him out, because he’d take forever getting the nerve on his own.” Trini smiled at that.

“Aw, isn’t this cute?” At the semi-familiar voice, Trini and Richie jumped up and spun around quickly. They saw four armored beings atop mechanical horses.

“Who are you?” Richie asked.

“We are the Four Horsemen of Zedd,” the biggest one said, “As for individual names, you can call me War.” Trini barely recognized him as Rocky.

“You can call me Famine,” one of the others said. Trini could tell that she used to be Aisha.

“You can call me Pestilence,” another said. Trini could tell that he used to be Adam.

“And you can call me Death,” the final rider said. That voice, no matter how disguised, was one that Trini would know anywhere.

“Billy?”

“William M. Cranston is dead,” Death said, “Now, there is only Death, the final Horseman of Zedd.”

“Let’s do it, Trini,” Richie said, “It’s morphin’ time. Triceratops.”

“Saber-Tooth Tiger,” Trini shouted.

They both morphed and attacked the Horsemen. They were outnumbered, and quickly beaten back. “I’ve got an idea,” Richie said, “Start running for the water. The horses can’t go in, so we can fight them on foot.”

“Good idea,” Trini said, “Let’s go.” With that, they took off into a dead sprint towards the pond. Before they got too far, they bounced back.

“Ouch,” Richie said, “Must be a forcefield. I wonder if we can teleport.” Trini tried her communicator, but nothing happened.

“That answers that question,” she remarked, “Look, I think I might be able to get Billy talking. Do you think you can keep Famine, War, and Pestilence off my back until then?”

“I think so,” Richie said, “But be careful, all right?”

“I will, Richie,” Trini said, “You too.” With that, the two ex-lovebirds went running in different directions.

It didn’t take the horsemen too long to find their trail. “Famine, War, Pestilence,” Death said, “You go after the male. I want the female all to myself.” Nodding, the other three went riding after Richie.

Trini waited for Death in ambush. When he passed by her, she launched out of the tree into Death, knocking him off his horse. “Listen to me, Billy,” she said.

“I told you, woman,” Death said, “My name is Death, not Billy. Billy is dead, thanks to you.”

“To me?” That surprised Trini. “What did I do? Zedd and Finster are the ones that converted you, not me.”

“You acted like you had interest in Billy, then just flung him away,” Death said, “You toyed with his heart, and then pretty much dumped him for that ‘Richie’. Was making him Blue Ranger something to make him more suitable for you?”

“FYI, Mr. Know it all, I don’t date Richie anymore,” Trini said, “Secondly, I do have feelings for Bill... for you. In fact... I think I’m in love with you.” That last part was only high enough for Death to hear it.

She obviously took Death by surprise. “No, I can’t believe that,” he said, “You can’t possibly love me. Look at me. I’m a monster.”

“I do, and with all of my heart,” Trini said. To prove her point, Trini stepped right up to Death.

“Back up,” Death warned, “Back up, or I will kill you.”

“Will you? I don’t think so, Billy,” Trini said, “There has to be something of you in there somewhere. And I will do anything to pull that you out into the light.” To prove her point, Trini took the risk of getting killed by stepping to be right in front of his face, as if almost daring him to hit her.

What she did next surprised both her and Death. She slid his helmet off, did the same with her own, and gave him a long, deep kiss. Death seemed to struggle, but Trini held on with everything she could.

Before long, Death quit struggling. Trini kissed him long and hard, with all of the pent up passion she had. When she finally broke away, the distant and vacant look that had been in Billy’s eyes when he was Death was gone. Trini gave a long, heart felt sigh of relief.

“T-T-Trini?” Billy was obviously disoriented. “Where am I?”

“We’re in the park,” Trini said slowly, “What was the last thing you remember?”

“Finster hovering over me,” Billy said, “With a syringe of some really dark fluid. Everything after that is a blank.” He then noticed the armor he had on. “What am I doing in this armor?”

“It’s a long story that I’ll tell you about later,” Trini said, “Are you all right? Do you feel any different?”

Billy shook his head. “Whatever Finster gave me, it’s faded now,” he said. He looked at Trini. “That was some kiss you gave me.”

Trini blushed. “I thought you couldn’t remember anything,” she said.

“Well, you were still kissing me when I came back to normal,” Billy said, “And I would remember that.” All of a sudden, a sharp cry split through the air.

“Richie,” Trini said, “We’ve got to help him. The other Horsemen are after him.”

“Richie? Why would he be out here?” Billy asked.

“He’s temporarily taken your place on the team,” Trini said, “It’s just another part of that long story. We’ve got to help him.” Billy nodded, and the duo headed in the direction of Richie’s cry.

They found him and the other Rangers taking on War, Famine, and Pestilence and looked to be winning. “Come help us, Brother Death,” War called out, “We must smite these enemies.”

“I don’t think so, ‘Brother’ War,” Billy said, “And the name’s Billy, not Death. Not ever again will I be called Death.”

“You go against the masters wishes?” Famine cried. Billy winced once he realized that Famine had once been his new friend Aisha.

“For that, you will die,” Pestilence yelled, as he charged Billy. Luckily, the armor Billy had on repelled the lance he tried to run him through with. Billy grabbed it and surprised himself when he pulled up, taking Pestilence with it, and over. Pestilence hit the ground hard, and looked to be unconscious.

But he didn’t have any time to mull over what that could mean, as both War and Famine charged him on their mechanical horses. All of a sudden, Trini and Richie were both at his side.

Trini launched herself into the air, knocking Famine off of her horse. “This is between you and me, Aisha,” she growled, “Cat fight?”

“I’d be happy to, and I’m not Aisha anymore, Yellow Ranger,” Pestilence said, “I am your personal grim reaper.” With that, the battle between Trini and Pestilence began, with the latter executing a whiplash roundhouse kick. Trini ducked it and swept Pestilence’s leg. She went down.

“Surrender now, and we’ll try to find a way to help you,” Trini said.

“There is no helping me,” Pestilence said, “Now and forever, I am Pestilence, the first converted Horseman of Zedd.” With that, she jumped back up and started the assault again against Trini.

Richie was grappling with War, and was surprisingly winning. The Horseman was actually not so tough off of his horse. “You will not win, Blue Ranger,” War said, “You will bow to my liege before the day is through.”

“Yeah, right,” Richie said, “Look who’s winning and who’s losing.” With that, he did a tornado kick. It caught War upside the head, and knocked him off balance. “Now who’s going to lose?”

“Another day perhaps, Blue Ranger,” War promised, “I will be back, for Round 2. Count on it.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Richie said. Then, War teleported away. The still unconscious Pestilence and Famine did the same.

“Let’s get back to the Command Center,” Jason said, “Hopefully, we can get your armor off there, Billy.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” Billy said, “Let’s go.” Trini gently grabbed a hold of his arm and all of them teleported to the Command Center. When they got there, the alarms started going off.

“Ay yi yi,” Alpha said, “Which one of you would be setting the alarm off?”

“That would probably be me,” Billy said, “After all, I don’t have a power coin anymore.”

“It has more to do with you than just losing your power coin, Billy,” Zordon said, “You still have the powers you were given by Zedd when you became Death. You just don’t follow Zedd. You’ll have the armor to call upon, and you’ll have several things you had when you were Death. Super strength, more endurance, and you’re quicker than you were before.”

“All of which I noticed during the battle,” Billy said, “It’s hard to miss super strength, when you do something like I did to Adam, I mean Pestilence.” He noticed that something was bothering Zordon. “What’s wrong?”

“When you were ‘converted’, your body went through a change,” Zordon replied, “The name you were given, Death, was literal. Your body is no longer able to hold very much life force of its own. Look at your hands.”

Billy did as he was told, and saw large growths on them. “What are these?” he asked, starting to get panicked.

“They are a form of leeches, that absorb life force from a person and absorb it into you,” Zordon said, “You see, a human’s life force lowers every time a person overexerts his or herself. That energy is usually recharged by a good nights sleep. Because of the conversion process, your life force is unable to recharge itself. You have to siphon off some from other people, or you’d be dead in a matter of days. If Zedd and the Horsemen attacked constantly and you joined, you’d have a matter of a handful of days. I’m truly sorry, Billy.”

Billy had his head down, desperately trying not to cry. With a long look around, Billy finally just teleported home. There, he went to his room and locked himself in, determined not to let anyone in. “It’d be too tempting to drain their life force,” he said, “I’d rather die before I act like a vampire.”

Trini dropped by his house late that night, and went up to his room. When she knocked on the door, all Billy would say was, “Go away.”

“I’m not leaving, Billy,” Trini said, “Not until you open this door and talk to me, and I mean now.”

Billy slowly went to the door and unlocked it. Trini let herself in and found Billy sitting down on his bed, pulling his knees up to his chest. “Billy...”

“Trini, don’t,” Billy said, “I’m not ever leaving this room. It’d be too tempting to drain an innocent person of their life force. What if I take too much? I’d become a vampire, and I’d die before that happened. I’m a freak.”

“Billy, listen to me,” Trini said, “You are not a freak. You are the kindest, sweetest, gentlest, most handsome guy I’ve ever known.”

“Yeah right,” Billy scoffed, “Tommy’s more handsome than I am. I’m not the fox of the school.”

“Maybe not,” Trini said, “But I didn’t fall in love with you because of your looks alone. I fell in love with you because of who you are inside.”

Billy looked up at her. “You fell in love with me? What do you mean?” He shook his head. “No, it can’t be true. You deserve better than a freak. You can’t love me.”

“Oh no?” Desperate, Trini grabbed one of his hands, took the gloves that he had put on, took it off, and then put it to her face.

“What are you doing?” Billy demanded, as he tried to pull his hand back. However, Trini would not let go.

“Drain some life force from me,” Trini said, “I’ll show you how much I love you, by trusting you not too take too much.”

“Trini I can’t do this,” Billy said, “I might be a vampire of sorts, but there’s no way I’m going to drain life force from you. That would be horrifying. What if I start draining, and then refuse to stop by instinct?”

“I trust you, Billy,” Trini said, “With my life, with my heart, and I hope that, one day, I can with my body. You’ll die if you don’t do this, and I don’t want you to die. I’d rather lose some of my life force than watch you die slowly.”

Billy was slowly losing his resolve over the subject. “God forgive me,” he whispered. And then he let instinct take over. The life force leeches on his hand started draining Trini slowly.

Trini gasped. She could feel the life force ebbing away. Suddenly, instinct kicked in. “Billy, stop,” she said, “I think you’ve drained enough.”

Billy instinctively knew she was right and broke contact. “Are you all right?” he asked, “I didn’t take too much, did I?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Trini said. Then she yawned. “Hmm, Zordon said that rest will recharge it. I don’t think I can get home, as tired as I am. I guess I’m staying here tonight.”

“Why don’t we get some sleep?” Billy suggested, “I’m feeling kind of tired myself. The process must take a lot out of both of us. You can take the bed in here. I think I’ll take the floor.

“Don’t be silly,” Trini said, “There’s enough room in the bed for the both of us. It’s not like we’re going to do anything, right?”

“Right,” Billy said. Reluctantly, he crawled into bed, and Trini did the same right next to him. She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his chest. They were both quick to fall asleep.

The next morning, Billy woke to find Trini still in his arms. Smiling, he gently woke her. “Good morning, sleepy head,” he said.

“Mm, good morning, Billy,” she said, as she sat up and stretched. Billy did the same, and yawned. “I guess Zordon was right. A good nights sleep does recharge ones life force.”

All of a sudden, Billy’s communicator went off. He brought it up to his lips. “We read you, Zordon,” he said, “What’s wrong?”

“Zedd’s horsemen are attacking innocents in the park,” Zordon said, “You and Trini are needed there.” ‘We?’

“All right, Zordon,” Trini said, leaning over Billy to answer. “Ready?” Billy nodded. “It’s morphin’ time. Saber Tooth Tiger.” She morphed, and Billy simply willed his armor up. Trini then teleported the two of them to the battle field.

There, they found the other Rangers and the Horsemen at a stalemate. With a sharp cry, Billy lunged at War, who was closest. He pulled the big man off of his horse and roughly to the ground.

“You will die this day, Billy,” War said, “You’ve gone against the masters wishes. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be wishing you had died instead of being converted.”

“I already do,” Billy said, “Rocky, listen to me. This isn’t really you. Zedd has control over you, using the snake’s venom somehow. You have to fight him. If not for anyone else, than for your true self.”

War seemed to consider his words for several minutes, but then shook his head. “No, I will not go against the master,” he said.

“Then I’m afraid I know what I must do,” Billy said. All of a sudden, he pulled off the gauntlets from his hand. War tried to squirm away, but Billy pinned him down, proving that each Horseman had different abilities.

Billy grabbed War’s face, and willed the leeches on his hands to start draining Wars life force. “No, you can’t do this,” War said, “I’m your friend.”

“Don’t worry, War,” Billy said, “I’ve got my leeches working to drain the darkness from you, not your life force. Hopefully, they’ll be able to convert the dark energies into life force energy for me to store for later use.”

Trini and the other Rangers were taking on Famine and Pestilence. Trini took a minute to take a glimpse at Billy and War. That was all Famine needed, as she knocked Trini for a loop.

Before anyone could stop her, Famine drew a dagger, pulled Trini up, and put the dagger to her throat. Then, she turned to the others. “Don’t move, or the Yellow Ranger dies,” she threatened. It was then she noticed what Billy was doing. “William, cease and desist, or your girlfriend dies here and now.”

Billy, who had finished with draining the venom from War anyway, let go of him and stood up. “All right, Famine,” he said, “I let him go. Now let Trini go.”

Famine looked at Trini with a disgusted look on her face, then threw her to the ground. “We’re out of here,” she announced. Her and Pestilence teleported out, leaving War behind.

“Why didn’t War go with them?” Trini asked, as Billy helped her up.

“Because they were looking for War, not Rocky,” Billy explained, grinning. “I used my leeches for something good, and drained the venom that was still running through Rocky’s body and making him evil. Rocky’s back to normal.”

Trini noticed that something was amiss. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Billy replied, “I have a quite a bit of life force stored up, from converting the venom to life force. It’s amazing how powerful these leeches are.”

Tommy came walking up. “Let’s head back to the Command Center,” he said. He nodded to War. “Jason, you and Zack help him up and teleport him along with you, all right?” Zack and Jason both nodded. They then walked over to Rocky and helped him upright. Then, they all teleported away.

Later on, they all gathered at the Youth Center. Rocky joined Billy among the ranks of helping the Rangers with the powers they gained as Horsemen. Rocky gained the ability to send magnificent sound waves at any opponent, as well as accelerated senses. He had one advantage over Billy. He didn’t have to recharge his own life force by draining others.

Over the next few days, they had one of those rare vacations, free from Zedd’s constant attacks. That Friday, Billy and Trini went on their first date. Actually, it was a double date, with Tommy and Kim.

“This is just so cool,” Kim said, “I just hope we don’t get called away during the movie.”

“Same here, beautiful,” Tommy said.

Billy looked at Trini. Their eyes met and they held each others gaze for several long moments. Kim noticed, and nudged Tommy. “Check out the new pair of lovebirds,” she murmured.

Billy and Trini both blushed when she said that, and reluctantly tore their gazes away from each other. They went into the theater and grabbed some seats. Billy noticed that Tommy and Kim held hands, and wondered whether or not he should hold Trini’s hand. After hesitating, he gently took Trini’s hand in his.

Trini noticed immediately, and her heart started beating rapidly. ‘I’d better calm down,’ she thought, ‘Billy’s just holding my hand.’

Billy was about as bad. He felt silly, and like a little kid dealing with his first crush. ‘I’m just holding her hand, for goodness sake,’ he mused. It still didn’t diminish the feeling.

All of a sudden, there was a commotion out in the lobby. The Rangers and Billy went running, to find Famine and Pestilence threatening people. “We want the Power Rangers, and our lost brothers,” they said, “Or we’ll kill each and every one of the people in here.”

“Let’s go back into the theater to morph,” Tommy whispered to the others. They nodded and headed back into the dark theater. The movie was still playing, but no one was in there. “It’s morphin’ time. TigerZord.”

“Pterodactyl.”

“Saber Tooth Tiger.”

Billy called upon his armor. The four went running out to the lobby, where Famine and Pestilence were laying in ambush for them. They were tackled before they knew what hit them.

“You’re coming with us, ‘Brother Death’,” Pestilence said, as he picked Billy up effortlessly. He obviously had super strength like Billy, or at least something to simulate to a tee.

“I don’t think so, Pestilence,” Trini said, as she brought her foot up straight between Pestilence’s legs. He doubled over in pain. “Nobody takes my man anywhere, got me?”

“Oh, we’ve got you Yellow Ranger,” Famine said, as she picked Trini up by the back of the neck. “We most certainly got you.” All of a sudden, Kim came running up and clipped both of Famine’s knees from behind.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Kim growled, “Those are friends of mine.”

While Kim, Trini, and Tommy took on Famine, Billy stood up rather unsteadily and made his way to Pestilence. With a karate chop to the back of the neck, he knocked the Horseman out. Quickly, he pulled the helmet off. Underneath was the pale face of Adam Park, one of his friends before all of this started.

Billy placed a hand on either side of the face, and willed the life force leeches on his hands to start draining the evil. It only took a few minutes before he came to a bad realization.

“Damn,” he said, “Zedd’s found a way to block my leeches.”

“That’s right, ‘Brother Death’,” Pestilence said. He kicked Billy away, and jumped to his feet. “I was faking being unconscious. Don’t you remember anything about me?”

Billy did remember. The reason Pestilence could simulate super strength is that he was a powerful telekinetic. He just didn’t think about it when he tried to knock the Horseman out.

“We can help you, Adam,” Billy said, “You’re not evil inside. Not really.”

“Oh, but I am,” Pestilence said, “And don’t call me Adam!!!”

Billy could see Tommy creeping up behind Pestilence, and shook his head barely perceptibly. Tommy noticed, but Pestilence didn’t. “That’s the name you were born with, Pestilence,” Billy said, “And the name Zedd took away from you. Do you remember the first time we met? It was in the park. You, Rocky, and Aisha were all heading after your teachers baby, and the same with me, Tommy, and Kim. Does that tell you that you’re really evil? No.”

His words obviously gave Pestilence pause. Beneath Adam’s helmet, Billy could see that his eyes were flickering back and forth from Horseman mode to Adam Park mode. “Come on, Adam,” he urged, “You can fight this thing. You have to.”

Pestilence’s eyes flickered for several long moments, and then finally settled on Adam Park mode. They turned, about to join the battle against the final Horseman, when they noticed that Famine was gone. Trini was too, and Kim looked to be unconscious, with Tommy hovering over her.

Billy and Adam rushed over. “Is she all right?” Billy asked. When he got a good look at her, he bit back a gasp. Kim was dangerously thin. He had forgotten Famine’s ability, which was to literally take nutrients from an opponents body. Aisha’s conversion made it impossible for her body to manufacture them herself.

Tommy shook his head. “I don’t know, Billy,” he said, “And I’m worried.”

“As well you should be,” Adam said, “We’ve got to get her to Zordon. He’ll know how to counteract Famine’s power.”

Tommy was gentle in scooping Kim up, but she still let out a low moan. “Hang on, beautiful,” he murmured softly, “We’ll get you the help you need.” With that, he teleported away. Billy and Adam followed him, and found Alpha running a scanner over the motionless Kim.

“No need for that, Alpha,” Billy said, “It was Famine. Aisha apparently drained Kim of the nutrients she needs.”

Tommy looked miserable and desperate. “Zordon, is she going to be all right?” he asked.

“She should be, after the nutrients taken are replenished,” Zordon said, “She’ll be weak for a few days, though, while she recovers.” All of a sudden, the attack siren went off.

“What’s going on?” Kim asked groggily, as she was wakened by the siren.

“Observe the viewing globe,” Zordon said. They all turned to it, to see Aisha dangling a helpless Trini over a cliff.

“Trini,” Billy whispered. With a flash of light, he was gone. All of a sudden, he was seen on the viewing globe, knocking Aisha away and pulling Trini back from the edge. “Are you all right, Trini?” He was grateful to notice that Famine hadn’t drained her of any nutrients.

“Yeah, I’m all right, Billy,” Trini said, “Just really exhausted.”

“Teleport to the Command Center then,” Billy said, “I’m going to take care of Famine once and for all, one way or another.”

“All right,” Trini replied, as she hit her communicator and disappeared in a flash of yellow. Billy stood up and slowly swiveled to face Famine.

“This ends here and now, one way or another,” he growled, “I will not allow you to harm any more of my friends. If I have to, I’ll kill you before that happens.”

Famine just laughed coldly. “We’ll see about that, ‘Brother’,” she said, sarcasm dripping with every word. With her patented battle cry, she flung herself at Billy. He wasn’t quite ready for that, and both hit the ground. The wind was knocked out of both of them, but Billy was the first to catch his breath, thanks to his super strength.

He picked up Famine and threw her into a tree. He knew that the armor would take the brunt of the impact, but should knock her out. Then, he raised his communicator to his lips.

“Zordon, teleport Famine to the Command Center,” he said, “There has to be some way to get Aisha back.” Famine disappeared in a white beam. Billy then vanished in his own white beam. When he got to the Command Center, he found it buzzing with activity.

Alpha was scanning Famine. Billy went over to the computer to read the results of those scans. What he saw didn’t look good. “Damn.”

“What?” Adam asked, as he rushed over. “What’s the matter with Aisha?”

“It’s going to be next to impossible to get Aisha back,” Zordon answered for Billy. “The Famine persona is too strong.”

“But there has to be some way to help her,” Rocky said.

Zordon was quiet for several moments. “There may be one way, but it’s risky,” he said, “You would have to travel to the planet Quisios. There, you will find the only real antidote to the venom once it’s in this stage. She’s gone past reasoning and draining the evil from her. Only the antigen will help her now.”

“We’ll go,” Rocky said, meaning him and Adam. “We’re her best friends.”

“I’m going, too,” Billy said softly, “This is Horsemen business. And there might be a need for three of us, in case we’re attacked.” Rocky and Adam nodded, accepting him into the mission.

“Rangers, you will have to stay here,” Zordon said, “In case Zedd takes his last Horseman being kidnapped badly, and sends down a monster.”

“Though I hope he doesn’t,” Tommy said. He looked at Kim. “You’re in no shape to be fighting for a few days.”

Kim rolled her eyes at Tommy, but knew he was right. She was still really weak from Famine’s attack. In fact, she didn’t think she could even stand on her own. She looked up at Tommy from where she lay on the biobed.

“You’re right,” she admitted softly, “I feel like I can barely even move, much less stand and fight. Famine took a lot out of me.”

“Don’t worry, Kim,” Tommy whispered, “You’ll be better in no time.” Kim smiled up at him.

“We’d better get going,” Billy said, “We want to get back before it’s too late to do anything.”

“Just a second, Billy,” Trini said, “Please? I want to talk to you alone.”

“Sure, Trini,” Billy said, “I’ll be right back, guys.” Rocky and Adam both nodded, as Trini and Billy stepped into an adjoining room. “What’s up?”

To his surprise, and delight, instead of answering him, Trini gave him a long, passionate kiss. It was several minutes before they broke apart. “What was that about?” Billy asked her.

“If you don’t come back, I wanted to kiss you,” Trini said, “And to tell you that I love you.”

Billy’s eyes softened. “I love you too,” he murmured softly. With that, he pulled her close, and gave her a passionate kiss of his own. “You’re the only woman... no, the only person who’s ever understood me.”

“Come back to me,” Trini whispered rather romantically into his ear, as she pulled him into a hug.

“I will,” Billy promised, as he pulled back.

The two of them went out to the Command Center main room, and Billy, Rocky, and Adam soon teleported out. They soon found themselves in a deserted city street, but the buildings were definitely not of human design.

“This is weird,” Rocky said, “Any idea where we’re supposed to find this ‘antigen’?”

Billy shook his head. “Not really, I’m afraid,” he said, “Let’s just spread out, but don’t go too far. We each need to be at least shouting distance from each other.”

“Sounds good to me, Billy,” Adam said. The three former Horsemen went into three seperate directions, hoping to find the antigen, and hopefully some form of life around here.

It was Adam that found something strange. It was a building surrounded by a force field of some kind. When he tried touching it, he was shocked. “Guys, I’ve found something,” he yelled. Billy and Rocky came running.

Billy started to reach out and touch the force field, but Adam shook his head. “I wouldn’t,” he said, “It’s electrified, apparently.”

“If it’s electrified, then there’s one way through,” Billy said, “Electricity won’t fry someone unless they’re grounded. If we go through the air, not touching the ground at all, we should be able to go right through it.” They all started moving away, so that they could get a good running start for the leap. “Ready?” Adam and Rocky both nodded. “And go.”

The three went running at the barrier. At the last minute, they took to the air. They went right through and landed on the other side without so much as a mild shock of any kind.

They quickly ran inside the building. There, they found a lab full of chemicals and such. “This is just great,” Rocky said, “How are we going to find the right chemicals for the antigen?”

“With this,” Billy said, holding up a hand held scanner. “Alpha gave it to me to help look for the antigen. It’s set specifically for the chemicals that are supposed to make it.” They took a little while hunting for the antigen, but finally found it. “Let’s get back to Earth, shall we?”

“Oh yeah,” Adam said. The three of them then teleported away.

When they got back to the Command Center, they found that Kim had gone on home to relax more, and that Tommy had gone with her. Trini was hovering over Aisha, and so was Richie.

“Here’s the antigen,” Billy said, giving the vial in his hand to Alpha. He then followed Rocky and Adam over to Aisha. “How is she?”

“Not too good, I’m afraid,” Richie said, “Her body is slowly wasting away, without being able to absorb nutrients from an external source.”

“The antigen should revert her back to her normal state,” Zordon said, “There’s also enough in the vial for each of you, should you want to return to normal.”

Billy, Adam, and Rocky glanced at each other. “I think we’d love that,” Billy said, speaking for the three of them.

“Here you go,” Alpha said, as he came in with a little tray. It had three glasses of some foul looking liquid.

Billy, Rocky, and Adam each took a glass and downed the contents. All three grimaced at the taste, but reluctantly swallowed it. All of a sudden, Billy and Adam could feel their strength leaving them, and Rocky his sound wave power. Billy looked at his hands and shouted joyfully. The life force leeches weren’t there.

Alpha put the antigen in the saline IV running to Aisha. She started turning back to normal, as her face started regaining it’s dark color. Her eyes fluttered open. “Where am I?” she asked.

“It’s a long story, Aisha,” Adam said, “How are you feeling?”

“A little weak, but otherwise all right,” Aisha said, “Why?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Rocky asked.

“We were in the cave, and...” Her eyes flew open. “Oh my gosh.”

“Don’t worry, Aisha,” Billy said, “You’re back to normal now. We went and got an antigen, and it reversed the snake bite’s effects.”

“Thanks, guys,” Aisha said, smiling.

“I think you all need to go home, Rangers,” Zordon boomed, “Except for you, Aisha. You need some rest, and this will be the most peaceful place you could find to get it.” Aisha nodded and the others teleported to their respective homes.

The next day found them all back in the Command Center, talking. All of a sudden, Zedd appeared on the screen. “What do you want, radiator face?” Tommy demanded.

“Only a final battle, White Ranger,” Zedd said, “To the death. Me and Goldar against all of you.”

“You’ve got it,” Jason said.

“Be in the park in one hour,” Zedd said, “And prepare to die.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rocky said, “Promises, promises.” With a growl, Zedd disappeared from the viewing globe.

“Rangers, the time has come,” Zordon said, “The time for me to reveal to you this.” A pedestal appeared in the middle of the room suddenly. On it were four morphers. “Richard, er Richie, if you would please give the Blue Ranger powers back to William, please.”

“You’ve got it, Zordon,” Richie said, taking the morpher and giving it to his predecessor.

“And now,” Zordon said, “Richard, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, please step up to the pedestal.” Richie, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha did as they were told. “Trust your instincts, and take a morpher.”

Rocky was first to step up and take one. “It’s morphin’ time,” he shouted, “Yeti.” He morphed into a suit of silver Ranger armor. “Whoa, this is totally awesome.”

Richie was next to take a morpher. “It’s morphin’ time,” he shouted, “Pyramidas.” He morphed into a suit of gold Ranger armor. “I agree, Rocky, this is awesome.”

Adam was next, taking a morpher. “It’s morphin’ time,” he shouted, “Eagle.” He morphed into a suit of purple Ranger armor. He didn’t say anything, but he was awed at the power he wielded.

Aisha was last to take one. “It’s morphin’ time,” she shouted, “Orangutan.” She morphed into a suit of brown Ranger armor. “Whoa, totally stylin’.”

“Now, go to the park and wait,” Zordon said.

“You got it, Zordon,” Tommy said, “It’s morphin’ time. White Tiger.”

“Pterodactyl,” Kim cried.

“Triceratops,” Billy shouted.

“Saber Tooth Tiger,” Trini said.

“Mastadon,” Zack cried.

“Tyrannosaurus,” Jason yelled.

They all morphed and then teleported to the park. It wasn’t too long before Zedd joined them. “You die today, Rangers,” he said, “Extra Rangers or no extra Rangers.”

“We’ll see about that, tin grin,” Tommy said, “Let’s get ‘em, guys.” With their respective battle cries, the other Rangers followed Tommy in a charge at their long time enemies.

Tommy, Kim, Zack, Aisha and Rocky took on Zedd, while Billy, Trini, Jason, Adam, and Richie took on Goldar. Swords clashed over and over, as the battle started getting out of control from the beginning.

Tommy was obviously Zedd’s main target, as the White Ranger kept having to duck thrusts that would more than likely literally take his head off. “What wrong, Zedd?” he taunted, “Too old for this?”

“I’ll show you, White Ranger,” Zedd growled, giving Tommy the response he had been looking for. Zedd made the mistake of letting anger get the best of him, and Tommy and his group had an easy time dodging Zedd’s wild shots.

Goldar was getting his head handed to him. “You can not win, Rangers,” he growled.

“Funny, it sure looks like we’re winning,” Trini quipped.

“That’s what you think,” Goldar said. With a roar, he let loose a lot of energy, which knocked the Rangers around him down.

Across the battle field, Zedd regained his composure and was batting the group fighting him away easily. “Let’s show ‘em our secret weapon, Goldar,” Zedd said.

“Yes, my liege,” Goldar said.

“Make us grow,” Zedd commanded. Energy poured out of his staff and hit the two villains, making them grow to gigantic proportions. “Now what are you going to do, Rangers?”

“This, ugly,” Tommy said, “White Tiger power up.”

“We need ThunderZord power now,” most of the other Rangers yelled in unison.

Richie, Aisha, Rocky, and Adam didn’t know what to do. All of a sudden, they could hear Zordon talking telepathically. “You have ThunderZords,” he said, “Call upon them.”

“We need ThunderZord power now,” they cried in unison.

All of the zords came barreling onto the battlefield. In purple was a new zord, an Eagle. In Gold was a zord looked to be straight out of Egypt, Pyramidas. In Silver was a big, half human/half ape looking zord, the Yeti. In brown was a zord that was a full fledged Orangutan.

“Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Richie, this is a recording,” Alpha said, “Just kidding, guys. Your zords can come together, to form the ThunderMegaZord II. Richie, since you’re the unofficial leader of the four, you have to call it.”

“All right guys,” Richie said, “Let’s bring ‘em together.”

Pyramidas was first because it was the biggest of the four. It folded back, to make a big ramp way. It came up, to form a big robot that looked to be only about half finished, which it was. Rocky’s zord, the Yeti, which was the second biggest, formed the legs of the ThunderMegaZord II, while Aisha’s and Adam’s, tied for second smallest, formed the arms and hands. The zords combined, and a head popped up from the top of the zord, and it was mainly the cockpit holding the four new Rangers. The zord itself was huge, towering over all the other combatants.

“ThunderMegaZord II, take Goldar,” Tommy said, “We’ll take Zedd.” The ThunderMegaZord II nodded, and went after Goldar. ThunderMegaZord I and the White TigerZord advanced on Zedd. “We’re taking you down, Zedd, with teamwork.”

“That’s what you think, Rangers,” Zedd said, “Scorpina, arise.” With that, the scorpion monsters that most of the Rangers learned to loathe appeared beside Zedd. “Scorpina, tear them apart.”

“Yes, my liege,” Scorpina said, and she started fighting the ThunderMegaZord I.

“I’m coming, guys,” Tommy said, as he started the TigerZord over to help them fight Scorpina.

“No, you’re mine, White Ranger,” Zedd said, as he moved to block the White Tigers advancing to Scorpina and the ThunderMegaZord I.

“Bring it on, Zedd,” Tommy said, “White Tiger warrior mode, now.” His zord reconfigured, to a humanoid form. The tail turned into a sword, which appeared in the zord’s hand. Tommy had it swing the sword at Zedd, who blocked it.

The battle between the ThunderMegaZord I and Scorpina was not surprisingly swift, with the Rangers running the over grown scorpion through with the charged Thunder saber. Scorpina fell backwards and blew up. Instead of her body parts disintegrating, however, they spread out on the ground.

“Ewwww, gross,” Kim said, trying to keep her lunch down at the sight.

The ThunderMegaZord II was also having an easy time with Goldar, considering all of the Rangers inside were basically newcomers to the team. “ThunderMegaZord II, Yeti stomp finisher,” they cried in unison. The zord took to the air, it’s feet growing to magnificent proportions. It then settled down on Goldar, destroying him. Like Scorpina, however, his parts just scattered along the country side.

Tommy, however, was having more than his fair share of difficulty battling Zedd on the other side of the battlefield. “This guy’s extra tough,” Tommy murmured to himself, as the TigerZord took another terrific blow.

“Give up yet, White Ranger?” Zedd taunted.

“Not in a million years, ugly,” Tommy said, “I’m just getting warmed up, and about to pull the ace from my sleeve. ThunderMegaZord III, power up.”

Across the battlefield, ThunderMegaZord I was coming apart. “Tommy must need our help,” Kim remarked, as her zord was pulled off of ThunderMegaZord I. All of them but the Red Dragon went to aid the TigerZord.

The same was happening with ThunderMegaZord II. Richie soon found himself alone in Pyramidas, as the Yeti, Eagle, and Orangutan ThunderZords split from the combination. “We’re coming, Tommy,” Rocky shouted, as the three Rangers piloted their zords to help their new friend.

When Tommy saw the seven ThunderZords in his immediate view, he cheered. “Saba, start the initializer,” he said.

“Right away, White Ranger,” Saba said, “ThunderMegaZord III initializer engaged.” The zords from ThunderMegaZord I formed their usual combination with the TigerZord. “MegaTigerZord formed.” Then, the zords from the ThunderMegaZord II split into different ways, and reformed on the TigerMegaZord, mostly as Extra armor and, if necessary, energy boosters. “Boosters and auxiliary armor formed. ThunderMegaZord III, ready for battle.”

All eight Rangers found themselves in a huge cockpit. It had to be big, to hold all of them. “Let’s rock,” Tommy cried. He had main control, so he piloted the zord towards Zedd. It was quite a bit sluggish, because it was huge, but Tommy was able to compensate by jumping. The shock waves resulting knocked Zedd off of his feet every time, but he stubbornly got right back up.

“Come get some, Rangers,” Zedd taunted.

“Gladly,” Tommy said. The ThunderMegaZord III didn’t have a sword, but it made up for it in a way Tommy was determined to surprise Zedd with. “Let’s call upon the big finisher. Ready, guys?”

All of the others nodded. “ThunderMegaZord III, frog splash finisher,” they cried in unison. The huge ThunderMegaZord III took to the air, doing a perfect jackknife in mid air. It landed on Zedd, destroying him. “IT’S FINALLY OVER!!!” Tommy shouted, and the Rangers started celebrating.

“No, it’s not, Rangers.”

The Rangers spun the ThunderMegaZord III at the voice, and saw something that vaguely resembled all three monsters the Rangers had faced, but even uglier, if that was even possible. “Behold, my true form,” it said, “Twenty thousand years ago, an evil being known as Malvolience split itself into three beings, those being Zedd, Scorpina, and Goldar. It has been prophecized that, if all three were to be destroyed, Malvolience would rise again. Well, Rangers, you’ve just seen that prophecy come true. I am Malvolience, and now, you shall die.”

Zordon, who was watching from the Command Center, heard every word, and his eyes widened. “The legendary Malvolience,” he whispered, awed. “I never thought him possible. Alpha, recall the Rangers, now.”

“Right, Zordon,” Alpha said, “Oh, ay yi yi.”

Ten flashes of light heralded the Rangers return to the Command Center. “Why’d you bring us back, Zordon?” Tommy demanded, tearing off his helmet. “We could have taken that creep.”

“Rangers, Malvolience is the ultimate evil,” Zordon said, “There was no way you can beat him. He would have destroyed you as easily as if you had been a simple afterthought.”

“We have to try, Zordon,” Trini said, “Otherwise, all of these months fighting it’s seperate entities, and then some, would be for naught.” The other Rangers unanimously agreed.

Zordon sighed. “It’s against my better judgment,” he said, “But go, and may the power protect you.” Nodding thanks, the Rangers teleported away. “And may the all might * Shay-La forgive me for sending such innocent children to the slaughter.”

The Rangers were back in the ThunderMegaZord III, Pyramidas, and Red Dragon, respectively. “This is it, guys,” Tommy said, “There is a very good chance we’re not coming back from this one. If anybody wants to leave now, do so, and we will not think badly about that person.”

“We’re not going anywhere, Tommy,” Jason said. All eight of the others unanimously agreed.

Tears rolled down Tommy’s cheek under the mask as he contemplated exactly what order to give. “ThunderMegaZord II, split off,” he said, “ThunderMegaZord IIA, power up. Subject: Red Dragon.”

All of a sudden, the zords that had come from the ThunderMegaZord II split off from the huge ThunderMegaZord III and combined with Pyramidas and Red Dragon zords. All that was left of the mighty combination wasn’t ThunderMegaZord III, but ThunderMegaZord IIA and the MegaTigerZord.

“Kimmie, if we don’t make it,” Tommy said, turning to face his girlfriend and teammate, the Pink Ranger. “I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart.”

“I love you too, Tommy, with all of my heart,” Kim said.

“Billy, I love you,” Trini said.

“I love you too, Trini,” Billy said.

There wasn’t time for anything else, as Malvolience attacked. The MegaTigerZord met it’s charge, blocking his staff with the sword from the TigerZord warrior mode.

ThunderMegaZord IIA moved in as well, punching at Malvolience with all of it’s might. Unfortunately, it didn’t faze the master of evil in the least. “Did someone just tickle me?” he mocked, “Bah.” With that, he charged his staff with dark energy and shot the ThunderMegaZord IIA, and it went down hard. Before the energy lost it’s charge, Malvolience touched the MegaTigerZord with the other end, knocking it out of commission.

“Tommy, what do we do?” Kim asked.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know,” Tommy said, “God help me, I honestly don’t know.”

As if on cue to Tommy’s “unofficial prayer”, something happened. The overhead clouds, which had started to look stormy when Malvolience had shown up, opened up, and a ray of golden light issued forth, hitting the ThunderMegaZord IIA and the MegaTigerZord. The light blinded Malvolience, and when it’s eyesight returned, its jaw dropped.

Instead of up to ten different zords, there stood one huge zord. It didn’t look anything like any of the ThunderMegaZord/TigerZord combination. It was a classification of it’s own, one without a name.

All of a sudden, a string of words appeared in Tommy’s mind, and he had the overwhelming urge to speak. “From the lights of Heaven above us, to the fiery depths of Hell below us, and everything in between, I call upon the power to destroy Malvolience,” he cried.

“Our power readings are going off the scales,” Billy said, “Way off. What’s going on?”

“Tommy’s reaching out to all of the power in reality,” Zordon said, over the comm. “In a last ditch effort to destroy Malvolience. This is completely unprecedented. The next few minutes will determine whether this will work, or you will be destroyed one way or another. Good luck, Rangers, and especially you, Tommy.”

Tommy was concentrating on calling the energy too much to answer Zordon, or even hear him. “Tommy, we can’t take much more,” Trini said, “If we take too much power, we’ll be destroyed.” He heard, but ignored, her.

“NOW!!!!!!!!” he bellowed, his voice as loud as a hundred thunderclaps at once. The huge zord they were in transformed into pure energy and flew at Malvolience, who seemed to suck it up.

“NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” The master of evil’s shout was literally heard around the world, as he was completely obliterated. Light washed over the entire universe.

When it subsided, the Rangers found themselves in the Command Center. They knew by instinct that their powers were gone for good, but that didn’t matter. They also knew that all of the evil was destroyed everywhere. That didn’t matter either.

What did matter most to them was their teammate. Tommy’s head was cradled in Kim’s lap. “Rangers, the universe has been wiped of evil,” Zordon said, “But at a big price.” He nodded to Tommy.

All of the Rangers were looking at Kim as she raised her head up. Her eyes were red and full of tears. “He’s dead,” she whimpered. All of the Rangers felt tears welling in their eyes as they looked on as Kim cradled Tommy’s lifeless head in her lap. They could try to guess the extent to which those two had loved each other, and would still be way off the mark.

“A human wasn’t meant to channel that much energy,” Zordon said, “He burned himself out, and even added his own life force, to stop Malvolience. Tommy is a hero in the truest sense of the word. He’ll be revered all throughout the universe. His sacrifice was not in vain.” Zordon could barely get that last part out before his voice gave in to pure grief. The Rangers all bowed their heads in a respectful silence.

“Ay yi yi!”

“Oh!!!”

At Alpha’s and Kim’s exclamations, the Rangers looked up. Tommy’s prone body was bathed in light.

“* Shay-La,” Zordon whispered.

Tommy’s body raised up off of the ground. Kim scrambled to her feet, but then all she could do was watch, as her lover’s body took to the air and then stopped. Then, it swung his legs down, to where he was standing upright.

All of a sudden, Tommy’s eyes opened. His warm brown eyes were tinged with some sort of energy. “This one has not lived to his expected age,” he said, in an eerie voice. “He can not die now, so I shall bequeath upon him a portion of my energy. A small one, just enough to jump start him and give him his life force back in full force. Tell him that I said thanks.”

With that, the light left Tommy’s body, and he went limp. Kim rushed forward, trying to catch him, but his weight was too much for her, and they both fell over, Tommy on top, Kim on bottom, and their faces mere inches from each other.

Kim looked up, to see Tommy watching her. “What happened?” he asked.

Kim was overjoyed, but could get out only one sentence. “Oh shut up and kiss me,” she purred, before reaching up. She entwined her fingers into Tommy’s long locks and pulled him down into a very passionate kiss.

A little while later, the couples were in the park. With evil destroyed, Zordon had found that he could leave the time warp without any ill effects. He did, and started on to his home and family on Eltare. It had been a tearful good-bye, but the now ex-Rangers knew that it was for the best. They didn’t find out until a little later that, after both the ex-Rangers and Zordon had left, Zordon had activated a self distruct sequence that was embedded into the computer. The Command Center was now nothing but a memory.

Tommy and Billy led their respective girlfriends to one bench. They had both agreed to do this together. “Kim/Trini,” they said, “We’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time now, but have never gotten the guts to. Until now. What we’re getting at is...” They both pulled jewelers boxes from their pockets and opened them, revealing stunning twin engagement rings. “Will you marry us?”

Kim and Trini glanced at each other, before throwing their arms around their respective boyfriends. “Yes, we will!!!” they exclaimed in unison.

As him and Tommy slipped their respective rings on their respective fiancee’s fingers, Billy knew that life was going to be good from now on. They were no longer needed for combat, and they could lead long, happy lives.

And they did.