Chapter One: An Old Beginning
It had all started when Billy had sent a distress signal from Aquitar. A previously unknown menace was attacking the water planet, and the Alien Rangers couldn't defeat the foe on their own. Naturally, the Earth Rangers felt that one good turn deserves another. Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Kat all agreed that since the Alien Rangers had helped save the Earth on two separate occasions, then they should help Aquitar. Jason, who had recently given the Gold Ranger power back to Trey, was going to stay on Earth and help Alpha with the Aquitar problem from the Command Center. Billy teleported back to Earth to also help monitor the situation, as he had not yet developed a computer system on Aquitar quite equal to that of Zordon's Command Center. Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Kat, and Tanya left for Aquitar on January 31. Billy teleported to Earth at the same time. Fortunately, the five Rangers arrived on Aquitar and Billy reached Earth before the unknown foe destroyed the Time Line.
* * *
"AYE-YI-YI!" Alpha cried. Billy had just arrived in a white streak of light seconds before the Command Center alarms went haywire.
"Alpha!" Jason cried. "What's happening?!"
"I fear that the worst possible thing that could have happened to us has finally occured," Zordon said.
"What is it, Zordon?" Billy asked. He immediately joined Alpha and began to download the volumes of incoming data.
"The evil space demon Jenga has activated her dreaded Crystal of Time," Zordon said.
"What does that mean?" Jason asked.
"The Time Line which governs the entire universe has been utterly thrown off track," Zordon said. "Fortunately, the Zeo Rangers reached Aquitar and Billy made it here before the distortion occured. If they had been in eleportation mode when the Crystal was activated, the sub-atomic particles that comprised their bodies would have been utterly destroyed."
"Talk about cutting it close," Billy said. "Is Jenga the evil being who attacked Aquitar?"
"Technically, yes. However, Aquitar is no longer her concern," Zordon said.
"What are you getting at Zordon?" Jason asked.
"She attacked Aquitar just to get all of the Rangers that protect the universe away from Earth. Trey, the Aquitian Rangers, the Zeo Rangers, and many other leagues of superheroes that you have not yet met," Zordon said. "Earth is now essentially unprotected from her powerful armies."
"Well, can't you teleport the Rangers back here?" Billy asked.
"No," Zordon said. "The Crystal of Time has completely isolated our entire solar system from the rest of the Galaxy. No one can teleport in, and no one can teleport out. And we do not have time to construct a spaceship and fly to Aquitar."
"If this Jenga lady is as tough as you say she is," Billy said, "she would blast any spaceship into space dust."
"Your assertions are correct, Billy," Zordon said.
"Why does she want the Earth?" Jason asked.
"It is a very complicated story," Zordon explained, "and is as follows. The Crystal of Time was created on Earth. Long before Rita and I had our battle here, Jenga arose from the darkest depths of all that is evil and stole the Crystal of Time. When The four pieces of the Crystal of Time are locked together, time stays on track. The owner, however, can travel to any point in time. Using it's power, she hop-scotched through time, drawing power from various sources of energy, including our Power Coins before they were assigned to six Rangers, the Zeo Crystal while it still lay in the Caves of Deception, and many other sources of power distributed throughout the universe. After she had drawn enough power to gain immortality, or at least as close to immortality as any creature can get, she created a Command Post in a Black Hole in the outskirts of the universe and waited for the ideal time to strike and ultimately gain control of the entire universe."
"Our computers show that her original plans were to begin the attack on Earth yesterday!" Alpha 5 cried.
"She must have learned of the Thirteen Earth Crystals," Zordon said.
"Earth Crystals?" Jason and Billy asked in unison.
"The Earth Crystals were created to power the Earth and all forms of Rangers," Alpha said. "However, the various forces of good throughout the Universe, of which Zordon and your friend Ninjor are a part of, felt that the Earth Crystal in it's entirety was much to strong to keep together. It was broken into thirteen parts and scattered throughout different parts of the planet."
"Until this point, only beings of pure good have known of the thirteen Earth Crystals," Zordon said. "I do not know how Jenga could have possibly learned of the Earth Crystals."
"Well, can we teleport the Earth Crystals here to protect them?" Jason asked.
"No, because no one knows the exact location of the Crystals," Zordon said.
"We could possibly locate their general area," Alpha said, "but we would have to know the exact co-ordinates to teleport them here."
"Couldn't we find the Earth Crystals the same way the Rangers found the Zeo Crystals?" Billy asked. "Can Jason and I teleport near the crystals, locate them, and bring them back here?"
"I fear that, although the trek will be very dangerous, it is our only hope for saving Earth," Zordon said.
"What would happen if Jenga should get the thirteen Earth crystals?" Jason asked. "How bad of a situation are we looking at here?"
"Jenga would be able to obliterate all forces of good that have had contact with the Earth Crystals. Myself, Ninjor, and the many other Forces of Good would be immediately destroyed if all thirteen Crystals should fall in the hands of evil. Also, any and all Rangers throughout the universe would lose their morphing capabilities."
"That's not an option," Billy said. "I think we can handle it, Jason."
Jason stuck out his fist. The former Blue and Red Rangers hit their knuckles together affirmatively.
"AYE-YI-YI!" Alpha cried. "The scanners have not only revealed the first Earth Crystal, but also told us some of its powers!"
"What do you mean, Alpha?" Jason asked.
"Yes Alpha," Zordon said. "Please tell the rest of us."
"The first Earth Crystal also has some mild power drawn from the Crystal of Time! When we get it here, we can get the red, blue, pink, yellow, black, and green Power Coins!"
"Then the Earth will have Rangers to protect it from Jenga until the Time Line is re-established," Zordon said.
"It will also boost the teleportation unit," Alpha said. "Although we won't be able to teleport out of the solar system, we can teleport Zack and Trini here to assume the Black and Yellow Ranger Power Coins again!"
"What about Kim?" Billy asked.
"Give me a few minutes, and I can teleport her here now," Alpha said. "Searching Florida."
"The three of us can probably locate the first Earth Crystal together," Billy said. "Then, we can be Power Rangers again!"
"This could be the best thing that has ever happened to us," Jason said. "Not the worst."
"I am sorry to say you are wrong," Zordon said. "It is a good thing you are getting your Powers back. Hopefully, you can get them back before Jenga arrives. If you can't, then may the Power protect us all."
"Here comes Kimberly!" Alpha cried, waving his robotic arms in the air. A white teleportation beam streaked into the Power Chamber.
"Hey?" Kimberly asked. She was facing away from Billy and Jason.
"Kim, over here," Billy said.
"Billy?" she asked. She turned around and saw her two old friends. "Jason!" She ran over to them and hugged them both at the same time. "Where am I?"
"In the new, updated Command Center," Alpha said, "now called the Power Chamber."
"Wait till you hear what we've got coming up," Jason said.
"What? Are we gonna be Rangers again?" Kimberly asked with a laugh. Her face dropped when no one laughed with her. "Really?" Kimberly asked. "We're going to be Power Rangers again?"
"For a while, at least, yes," Zordon said.
"We just have to go on a little adventure to get a special crystal," Billy said. "Then we get our powers back. And if we don't, then the universe is doomed."
"Kimberly, Jason, and Billy. You do not have to go on this quest," Zordon said. "The choice is entirely up to you."
"I'd never think of refusing," Kimberly said. "I know it's been a while, but what I promised on Day One is just as true today."
"That's true for all of us," Billy said.
"You know it," Jason said.
"Billy," Alpha said. "Please help me scan for the First Earth Crystal. I've got it pin-pointed to a twenty-five mile radius, but I think we might be able to get it down further."
Billy and Jason both helped Alpha while Kimberly was briefed by Zordon. They had no more than finished their discussion when the first Crystal was located. "Where is it, Alpha?" Kimberly asked.
"The First Earth Crystal is located in Ireland," Alpha said. "I have pin-pointed it's location to somewhere in a five mile radius."
"What will it look like?" Billy asked.
"All of the Crystals are either in the shape of a pyramid, cube, or sphere, except for the Thirteeth Crystal, which is in the shape of a pair of wings," Zordon explained. "If my memory serves me correctly, the first crystal is a Cube."
"When will Jenga arrive?" Jason asked. "Do you know?"
"Computers indicate her space fleet will enter our Solar System in approximately forty-five minutes," Alpha said.
"I guess we're ready," Kimberly said.
"I will immediately begin work on a device to help you in your quest," Alpha said. "As soon as it is created, I will teleport it to you."
Kimberly moved over between Billy and Jason. Alpha pushed a few buttons on the Control Panel before him, and all three teenagers melted into streaks of white light. The white light lifted into the air, and disappeared.
"Aye-yi-yi," Alpha said softly. "Please be careful Rangers."
* * *
Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, Rito Revolto, Goldar, Squatt, Baboo, Finster, and all of the Tenga Warriors moved back into Zedd's old palace. After some cleaning, accomplished via Zedd and Rita's staffs, the palace was in tip-top evil shape again. "I can't believe we're back in business, Zeddiekins!" Rita cried happily. "The Machine Empire is gone, at least for the time being, and the Zeo Rangers have left for Aquitar! The Earth is ripe for the plucking!"
Zedd walked out to his balcony, overlooking the moon and the Earth, and looked up into the universe. "RITA!" Zedd shouted.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she shouted back. She hurried over to him. "What is it Zedd?"
"Look up there," he said. "What do you see?" She looked into her Repulsa Scope and sighed. "Oh my gosh! Is that, could it really be? Is that Jenga?!"
"My mother has returned!" Lord Zedd cried.
"We will reign supreme!" Rita laughed happily.
Finster suddenly ran out onto the balcony. "I am afraid I have some bad news," Finster said sheepishly. "Bad news?" Rita asked. "Bad news! What could be bad news now?!"
"Apparently, the Rangers are on a trek to search out a crystal that will restore their original morphing capabilities."
Zedd and Rita turned to look at Finster. "I'm getting a headache!" Rita screeched.
Chapter Two: The First Crystal
The white teleportation streaks journeyed across the Atlantic ocean and touched down on the small, emerald Island of Ireland. Jason, Billy, and Kimberly landed on a grassy knoll overlooking a vast meadow. Sheep grazed in it lazily. "So this is Ireland?" Kimberly asked.
"We have no idea where to look," Jason said. "I guess we have to wait for Alpha's device."
"Perhaps not," Billy said. "The Crystal will probably be hidden in some sort of crevice or cavern underground."
"A cave?" Kimberly asked.
"Yeah," Billy said. "I can't imagine it would be just lying on the surface, but I could be wrong."
"I don't see any caves around here," Kimberly said. "How big of an area do we have to look?"
"It's somewhere within five miles of us, right now," Billy replied. "It's just too large of an area to search with no clue whatsoever. Jason's right. We have to wait for Alpha's device."
* * *
Jenga's entire space fleet zoomed toward Earth's moon. Jenga saw her son's palace on the cold, stone surface. "Zedd?" she asked. "Well, I was wondering where he's been. I think I'll stop by and pay my baby boy a visit." She crossed her arms, and burst into black flames. She disappeared from her space ship.
* * *
Jenga looked nothing like her son, Lord Zedd. In fact, she looked remarkably human. Her hair was mostly ruby red, curly, and hung to her waist. There were three inch-wide blue streaks in her hair, one that ran down the middle and then another on each side of it. She wore black jeans, and a green blouse. Her eyes were a bright blue, and she had a smile that could melt any man's heart. Yet she was one of the most evil creatures the universe had ever seen. Rita turned around and saw her mother-in-law. "Wha?" Rita asked. "Zeddie! She's here!"
Lord Zedd turned around and saw his mother for the first time in almost twenty thousand years. "Mom!" he cried.
"What have you been up to?" Jenga asked cheerfully.
"We just destroyed the Machine Empire!" Rita cried happily.
"Wow," Jenga said. "They're very powerful. I'm impressed."
"They used a bomb!" Rito Revolto cried. "In a present!"
"It was more than you did," Rita sneered.
"So, Zedd, are you still using Putties to fight your battles?" Jenga asked.
"Hardly, mother," he said. "We have Tenga Warriors now."
"That I brought for Ed here!" Rito cried.
Goldar growled deep in his throat and shook his head.
"What?" Rito asked, puzzled.
"I've come here to claim the Earth Crystals," Jenga said. "Ever hear of them?"
Rita and Zedd both shook their heads.
"Well then," Jenga said, "I've got quite a story to tell you. It all started about three weeks ago when a band of Rangers from the planet Polari were engaged in a battle with my Hercu-Lo Monster. While they were fighting, my main henchmen Perkiz managed to tap into their leader's Command Post. We downloaded all of their files, and discovered this thing called the Earth Crystals. They were hidden on Earth so Zordon could look over them. If they fall in the hands of evil, all Rangers lose their morphing capabilities."
"Ooo the possibilities," Rita sighed.
"Well, I've arranged for the Zeo Rangers to be on Aquitar, so the Earth is currently unprotected!" Jenga cried.
"I hate to say this," Goldar said in his throaty growl, "but the Zeo Rangers could just teleport back to Earth."
"SHUT UP YOU GOLD BABOON!" Rita screeched. "I'm sure Jenga has already thought of a plan."
Jenga gave Goldar a dirty look and continued her story. "I've set up an energy barrier around this entire solar system so nothing can teleport in or out. And, my best warriors are on direct orders to blast any spaceship out of the sky," she explained. "And without any further interruptions, I'll finish my story, and how my favorite son and his wife fit into the picture."
* * *
"How is the device coming, Alpha?" Zordon asked.
"I'm almost finished, Zordon," Alpha Five answered. Showers of sparks were raining all around him. "There!" Alpha cried. "Aye-yi-yi! I hope this works!"
* * *
Jason's communicator, the only one the three of them had, beeped the ever familiar beep. "We're here, Zordon," Jason said. "Alpha is teleporting you the device now," Zordon said.
* * *
"I just hope it makes it!" Alpha cried. "Between teleporting the Zeo Rangers to Aquitar and the other Rangers to Ireland, the teleportation system is in desperate need of a recharge!"
"Fortunately, Alpha," Zordon said, "as soon as we have the First Earth Crystal, the Power Chamber will receive a major Power Surge that should bring everything back on-line."
"I hope you're right, Zordon," Alpha said. "Aye-yi-yi. Here goes everything." The small hand-held device disappeared into a white streak of light and darted up through the ceiling of the Power Chamber.
* * *
The small, silver device landed in Billy's hands. "Billy," Alpha said through Jason's communicator. "The device works similar to a compass. The small green arrow on the display will point in the direction of the First Earth Crystal. Good luck."
Billy turned the device on. A small green arrow appeared in the center of the screen. "It looks like radar," Kimberly said, chuckling. The arrow spun in a circle around the small display. It then slowed to a halt and pointed to Billy's left. "I guess we go this way," Billy said, pointing.
"Let's go," Jason said. The three teenagers walked off in the direction of the First Earth Crystal.
* * *
Finster was in his own, private laboratory, reading over the files that Jenga had downloaded from the Command Post on Polari. He suddenly saw a piece of information that Jenga's henchman had overlooked. Overjoyed, he ran to Zedd, Rita, and Jenga on the balcony overlooking Earth. "Jenga! Lord Zedd! Rita!" Finster cried. All three turned and looked at him questioningly. "According to the information from Polari, the Earth Crystals have an extra special bonus!" Finster cried.
"What?" Lord Zedd asked gravely.
"When all thirteen fall in the hands of evil, all forces of Good such as Zordon, Ninjor, and all of the others like them in the entire universe will cease to exist. There will be no Rangers or new leaders to even try and make new Rangers. Evil will be able to rule supreme!" Finster cried happily.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAAH!" Rita laughed.
"The Power Rangers and Zordon are history!" Zedd suddenly halted. He grunted and glared at the Earth. A red beam of light shot from his visor. "NO!" he bellowed. He beat his fist against the balcony railing. His entire body was glowing bright red.
"What is it Zedd?" Rita asked.
"Those RANGERS!" he screamed.
"What rangers?" Jenga asked.
"Yeah Zeddiepie," Rita said. "The Zeo Rangers are on Aquitar."
"No, the old Rangers!" he yelled. "Jason, Billy, and Kimberly!"
"WHAT?!" Rita screeched.
"Oh great," Jenga said. "Someone else is trying to get the Earth Crystal, too."
"You don't seem very concerned," Rita said. She hoisted her skirt above the ground and tromped off away from the balcony.
"Why should I be?" Jenga asked. "They aren't Rangers. If your Tenga warriors can't defeat three Earth teenagers, I'm sure my Wulf Warriors can."
"You have Wulf Warriors?" Lord Zedd asked.
Wulf Warriors were one of the few fighting forces that were stronger than Tengas. Except for Ivan Ooze's OozeMen, but they were long gone, since Ivan was the only one who could make them. The Wulf Warriors were very muscular, six feet tall, and had the head of a wolf. Their bodies were covered with either red, white, black, brown, or gray fur. Wulf Warriors were virtually undestructible. Only a Power Ranger had a chance of actually winning a battle with a Wulf. "I say we send some Tengas down to destroy that little machine that's leading them to the Earth Crystal. They'll never find it without it," Jenga said.
"Those three are no ordinary kids," Rita said. Goldar growled in agreement.
Lord Zedd nodded his head. "They are three of the first five Rangers on Earth. They will get under your skin and drive you crazy! They give me SUCH A HEADACHE!"
"Send the Tengas," Jenga said. "Trust me."
* * *
"That thing sure is beeping loud enough," Jason said as they walked across the pasture.
"Billy," Kimberly said, putting a hand on his arm. "Look. A cave. You were right!"
"The arrow's pointing right at it," Billy said. "Come on!" The three teenagers ran for the cave. They were almost at the entrance when purple and black light streaked through the air.
"Oh no!" Kimberly cried.
"Tengas!" Billy shouted.
Twelve of the fierce birds landed in a circle around the teens. "We were so close!" Kimberly shouted.
"Kim, you and I can hold them off long enough for Billy to run in the cave and get the Crystal," Jason said. "Right," Kimberly said.
"On the word go, Billy," Jason said.
"Agreed," Billy replied.
The Tengas suddenly attacked. Jason jumped high in the air and kicked two birds in the chest at the same time, one with each foot. Kimberly did a cartwheel away from Billy and landed in front of a Tenga. She punched it in the stomach and then high-kicked it in the chest. With a painful squawk, it stumbled away backwards. "Go Billy!" Jason shouted.
Billy ran for the cave. Two Tengas jumped in front of him. Without stopping, Billy leapt into the air and flipped gracefully over the two birds. He landed on his feet and kept on running for the cave. However, the two birds jumped at him from behind. They hit him in the back and knocked him to the ground. The device flew from his grip and landed on the grass. "NO!" Billy shouted. Another Tenga ran over to the device. The bird picked it up and ripped the machine apart. "NO!"
"Let's get out of here!" the Tenga that destroyed Alpha's device said. All twelve birds flew into the air and disappeared. "No," Billy said. He crawled over to the broken machine.
"Can you fix it, Billy?" Kimberly asked.
"Not out here in the middle of nowhere," Billy said.
"Well, maybe we can find the Crystal anyway," Jason said. "I mean, we know it's in the cave."
"We don't have a choice," Kimberly said, "unless we can contact Alpha and Zordon."
"It's worth a shot," Jason said. He pushed the button on his communicator. Before he could say anything, radio static came out.
"I figured this would happen," Billy said. "Our teleporter isn't designed for long-range teleportation. At least not all at once. What with me coming here and the others going to Aquitar, teleporting Kimberly from Florida, and then all three of us here, along with the device, I'd say the Power Chamber is maxed out."
"The Zeo Crystal also isn't here on Earth helping power it either," Jason said.
"Right," Billy said. "The other guys took the Zeo Power with them."
"How will we get home then?" Kimberly asked.
"Maybe in the time it takes us to find the Earth Crystal the Power Chamber will have at least powered up enough to get us there," Billy said. "But, no use worrying about it now. Let's go find that Crystal."
"Right," Jason and Kimberly said. The three teens went into the small, cave opening.
* * *
"They're going into the cave, Jenga!" Rita shouted. She pointed the RepulsaScope at the beautiful woman. "LOOK!"
"Relax, Rita," Jenga said. "Relax. That's why you're all the time having headaches."
"Hhhmph," Rita said. "Well, what do you propose we do?"
"I'm going to send three of my Wulf Warriors into the cave after them," Jenga said. She stuck her right arm out. A bright blue flash centered around her palm, and a blue scepter appeared in her grip. A blue sapphire sat atop the scepter. "Just watch. And remember, relax." She pointed the scepter at Earth. Three balls of white light shot out of the sapphire and disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
"The Earth Crystal is definitely here," Billy said as soon as they entered the cave.
"It is so bright in here," Kimberly said. The cave was filled with a mysterious light.
"It's beautiful," Jason said. They walked through a stone archway into a huge, huge room. They walked out onto a small stone ledge that overlooked the giant room. Stalactites and stalagmites were everywhere. A crystal clear waterfall led into a small, clear, calm pool of water.
"Hey, look," Kimberly said. "That's where the light is coming from. That pool of water."
"That's where the Earth Crystal is!" Billy shouted.
"How do we get down there?" Jason asked.
"There's a way here," Kimberly said.
"It's sort of like a naturally occuring staircase," Billy said. "Let's go."
Carefully, they started to walk down to the pool.
* * *
A dark red Wulf, a black Wulf, and a brown Wulf appeared at the opening of the Cave. "In here!" the red Wulf shouted. All three crawled into the cave.
* * *
Billy, Jason, and Kimberly finally reached the pool of water. "Who wants to go get it?" Kimberly asked.
"I'll go," Jason said. He took off his shoes and socks. He then took off his black t-shirt.
"Your communicator," Kimberly said. "We probably shouldn't get it wet."
"You're right," he said. He took it off and handed it to Kimberly.
"Good luck Jase," Billy said.
Jason nodded and dove into the pool. Kimberly and Billy moved together and looked into the pool. They could barely see his body as he swam beneath the water. A few seconds later, he resurfaced. He took a deep breath of air and dove back under.
Three powerful growls came from the top of the cave. Kimberly and Billy spun around and looked up. "What are those things?" Kimberly cried.
"I have no idea!" Billy shouted back.
"They look dangerous," Kimberly said, pressing tight against Billy's body.
"They sure do," Billy said.
* * *
"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "I've finally got them on the Viewing Screen and I don't like what I see! What are those Zordon?!"
"Those are Jenga's Wulf Warriors. They are one of the most formidable fighting forces in existence. They will tear the Rangers apart without their morphing abilities. You must teleport Jason, Billy, and Kimberly out of there."
"We don't have enough energy, Zordon!" Alpha cried. "AYE-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI-YI!"
* * *
Jason swam toward the source of the light. He was tempted to get another breath of air, but he wanted to hurry up and get the Earth Crystal. With his hands out before him, he brushed against a square rock. _The Earth Crystal!_ he thought to himself. He grabbed the fist-sized cube and swam to the surface. He quickly crawled out of the pool and joined Kimberly and Billy.
"Jason!" Kimberly cried. The three Wulf Warriors suddenly jumped off of the balcony.
Jason's mouth dropped open in awe. Suddenly, three beams of light shot out of the Earth Crystal. The light struck the three Wulf Warriors. They hit the ground, and disappeared.
"Huh?" Kimberly and Billy asked simultaneously.
"Where'd they go?" Jason asked.
"How'd you do that, Jason?" Kimberly asked.
"I don't know," he said. "I just thought that I didn't want to deal with more bad guys, and then that happened. Hold this while I get dressed."
Billy took the cube, and Jason sat down on the ground to put his shoes and socks back on. Kimberly handed him his shirt and communicator. "Okay," he said after he was dressed. "You guys hang on tight and we'll try to teleport home."
"No, wait a second," Billy said. "There's no use putting more strain on the teleportation system than we have to. You teleport to the Power Chamber, and then have Alpha power everything back up to max with the Earth Crystal."
"Yeah," Kimberly said. "And then come get us."
"Okay," Jason said. "Are you sure?"
"We'll be fine," Billy said.
Jason held the First Earth Crystal in the crook of his arm and pushed the teleport button. He melted into white light and lifted a few feet off of the floor. Then, with a pitiful whine, the white light dropped back to the floor. The white light turned back into Jason. "Oh man," Billy said. "We don't even have enough power to teleport you home."
"Well, I'm heavier than you both are," Jason said. "Why don't you try it, Kimberly?"
"That won't work," Billy said. "You didn't get but two feet off of the floor, and we need to travel six thousand miles."
"Maybe we should just walk to the nearest town and hop on a plane," Kimberly said. "Anybody got any money?"
"I've got an idea," Billy said. "Jason, give me your communicator." He took the communicator, and then knelt down to the ground and pulled his shoelace out of his right sneaker.
"What are you gonna do?" Kimberly asked. "We're going to send the Earth Crystal back by itself," Billy said, "and wait for Alpha to teleport all three of us." Billy tied his shoestring to the Communicator. Then, he wrapped the shoestring around the cube several times, and tied the loose end around the communicator again. "I hope this works," Billy said. He pushed the button on the communicator and tossed the Cube into the air. It turned into white light and shot straight up through the cave.
"Let's hope," Kimberly said.
* * *
The small white teleportation stream teleported into the Power Chamber. "Aye-yi-yi! It's the First Earth Crystal!"
"It has been a very long time since I have seen that Crystal," Zordon said. "Hurry and get our power reserves to full power. First thing, try and get Jason, Billy, and Kimberly back here."
"Right Zordon," Alpha said. He put the Crystal on the counter before him and began to work. Just a few seconds later, he had two electrodes attached to the Crystal. The Power Chamber immediately began to power up. "We have enough power now, Zordon," Alpha said. He punched a few buttons on the panel before him. Three streaks of white light appeared in the Power Chamber. Jason, Billy, and Kimberly were standing there.
"We made it back," Billy said.
"And we have the first Earth Crystal," Alpha said. "Congratulations, Rangers."
"The Power Chamber is now fully powered up," Zordon said. "Alpha, teleport the others here."
"Right," Alpha said.
"Others?" Kimberly asked.
Two white teleportation streaks appeared in the Power Chamber. "Huh? Where are we?" Trini asked.
Chapter Three: Return of Some Old Friends
"Man," Zack muttered under his breath. "This place is awesome."
"Oh my gosh!" Kimberly cried. "I can't believe it's you!"
Trini and Zack turned around and saw their three old Ranger friends. "Kim? Billy?"
"Jase!" Zack cried. Trini and Kimberly quickly ran for each other and hugged tightly. Kimberly then hugged Zack while Trini moved on to Billy and Jason.
"Where are we?" Trini asked.
"The new Command Center," Zordon said.
"Zordon!" Zack cried, suddenly seeing his old mentor.
"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "This is so emotional!"
"Alpha," Trini said, laughing. She went over to the robot and gave him a hug. "How have you been?"
"I've missed you guys," Alpha said. "Aye-yi-yi!"
"We were in Switzerland doing research on a project to bring up before the Peace Conference," Zack said, "and then the next thing we know...."
"Here we are!" Trini cried. "But, what are we here for? A visit?"
"I wish it were that simple," Zordon said. "We need you to resume your old powers."
"What?" Zack asked. "Billy told us in a letter that the Power Coins were destroyed and the Rangers were powered from the Zeo Crystal."
"Yeah, but the Zeo Rangers are on Aquitar," Billy said.
"Aqui-what?" Zack asked.
"It's a planet on the other side of the galaxy," Jason said. "And a new bad guy is attacking Earth."
"Lord Zedd's mom," Kimberly said. "Her name is Jenga."
"I hope Master Vile doesn't come here and try to stir things up," Alpha said. "Aye-yi-yi."
"Huh?" everyone but Billy asked.
"Master Vile is Rita Repulsa's father," Billy said. "He was the one who ultimately caused the destruction of the Power Coins by turning us back into little kids."
"I am really looking forward to being a Ranger again," Kimberly said. "Sometimes I really regret leaving."
"It's really hard for me," Billy said. "I didn't realize how much I loved it until I gave up my Zeo Crystal. And when I thought I had a chance to be a Ranger again, we discovered that my body couldn't accept the Gold Ranger powers." Billy and Jason suddenly stopped. "Oh no," Billy said. "Does this mean I can't be the Blue Ranger?"
He turned around and looked up at Zordon. "No, Billy," Zordon said. Billy breathed a sigh of relief. "Your body only rejected the Gold Ranger powers because it was of alien origin and not designed for the Earthling body."
"That's why I lost the powers eventually," Jason explained.
"You all kind of lost me back there," Zack said. "The coins were destroyed, but we're going to be the original Rangers again? How?"
"Jenga activated the Crystal of Time which threw the entire Time Line off," Zordon explained. "Because we now have a very powerful crystal in our possession, known as the First Earth Crystal, we can teleport the coins here from some point in the past, before you were even assigned the Power Coins. Then, when Jenga has been defeated, we will send them back."
"We can even teleport the Green Ranger's coin here," Alpha said. "Rita and her henchmen are in a mode of hibernation in their Space Dumpster in the past, but the Green Coin is still in her possession. All I have to do is get a lock on it."
"Who will be the Green Ranger?" Kimberly asked. "Tommy is on Aquitar."
"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha cried. "Just when we thought things were going so well!"
"There is one candidate for the Green Power Coin," Zordon said. All five Rangers and Alpha looked up at him.
"Who?" Trini asked.
"Aisha," Zordon said.
"I thought she was in a different time," Jason said.
"Actually," Billy said, "while the Zeo Quest was supposed to be to a different time and a different place, there is no reason why Aisha's quest couldn't have been to the same time and a different place."
"That is correct, Billy," Zordon said. "I thought this for some time, because Tanya was very well adjusted to our present time. My thoughts were confirmed when Aisha sent Tanya the key of Auric through the mail, and Tanya was able to locate her parents. Alpha, scan Africa and locate Aisha."
"Right Zordon," Alpha said. A few moments later, a white teleportation beam streaked into the Power Chamber.
"Wha?" Aisha asked. "Where am I?"
"Aisha!" Kimberly cried.
"Kim?!" Aisha cried. She spied Kimberly, and then saw the rest of her friends. "Oh my gosh! Is this some kind of reunion?!" She and Kimberly shared a big hug.
"Aisha," Zordon said, "you would be proud to know that Tanya has been an exceptional Ranger."
"I'm glad," Aisha said. "But, I still don't get what I'm doing here. Or what happened to this place."
"It's the new and updated Command Center," Billy said. "The Power Chamber."
"Aisha, I will be blunt and to the point," Zordon said. "Would you like to accept the Green Ranger powers?"
"Huh?" she asked. "Green? Zeo green or Dragon green?"
"The Green Dragon Power Coin," Alpha said.
"Can that be done?" Zack asked. "The Green Ranger was a guy."
"Yes, originally. However, any of the Rangers can be either a guy or a girl," Alpha said.
"Alpha, begin scanning all time for the Power Coins," Zordon said. "Right," Alpha said.
Trini, Zack, Kimberly, Jason, and Billy moved over to the side while Zordon conferenced with Aisha. "You guys, I just thought of something," Billy said. "Where are we going to stay?"
"Well, I can tell my mom and dad that I've come home for a surprise visit," Zack said.
"My parents are still in Angel Grove, too," Trini said.
"My mom is in France, and my dad is on the East Coast," Kimberly said.
"My parents moved to Aquitar with me and Cestria," Billy said.
"Really?" Aisha asked.
"Yeah," Billy said. "I mean, well, I'm an only child, and my parents were only children, and my grandparents are all dead, so we didn't leave any family behind. And, my parents are as big into science as I am, so they jumped at the opportunity."
"Didn't they question why you had the opportunity to move to a different planet?" Trini asked.
"Actually, Zordon gave me permission to tell them I was a Ranger since I was leaving Earth," Billy said. "We've got an underwater Pod next door to Cestria, and they're getting to do a lot of experiments they never would have had a chance to on Earth, so we're all really, really happy."
"My parents are out of town for the next two weeks," Jason said. "They let me stay by myself so I wouldn't miss two weeks of school. Anyone can stay at my house that wants too. Even if my parents were home, they woulnd't mind though."
"Rangers!" Alpha cried. "I have located the Power Coins."
* * *
"WHAT?!" Jenga cried.
"AAAAH!" Rito shouted. He jumped away from the evil sorceress and ran into Goldar. "What are you yelling about?!"
"That bucket of bolts has found a way to get their original Power Coins back!"
"Hey! Sis! Ma!" Rito shouted.
"I am not your mother," Jenga said to the skeleton.
"Yeah you are. Rita married Ed," Rito said. "Anyway, let me go down with some tengas and hassle 'em before they get their powers!"
"Or my Wulf Warriors," Jenga thought outloud. "Good idea. Rito, take twelve of my fierect Wulves to Earth and find those aggravating teenagers."
"Right!" Rito shouted. His head bounced off of his shoulders, and then his body burst into black flames and disappeared.
"Hey!" Lord Zedd growled. "Why don't you have your Wulf Warriors destroy the teens, and then steal the coins. That way, we can have our own evil Rangers!"
"Excellent idea, son," Jenga said. She pointed her scepter at Angel Grove. Twelve balls of light burst from the sapphire at its point and flew through the darkness of space.
* * *
"I'm teleporting the Power Coins here from 12:34.56 p.m. July 2, 1953. At that point in time, I was cleaning the Command Center, and the computers were off line because I was trying to blast all of the desert dust out of here," Alpha said. "Since the computers were off line, the alarms won't go off. Then, when we've defeated Jenga, I can teleport the coins back, and the Alpha and Zordon of 1953 will never know they were missing."
"What about the green coin?" Aisha asked.
"That will be teleported from the same date," Alpha said. "Rita and her crew were still deep in hibernation on the moon, so they'll never know the coin was gone either."
"Wait a minute," Kimberly said. "Why can't we just keep the green coin this time? When we're through with it, you can teleport it back to you all in the past and then you can give Tommy the Green Ranger powers when you gave us our powers."
"That is not a good idea, Rangers," Zordon said. "We now know how the Green Ranger saga turned out. Everything ended happily, and it is always best to keep from disturbing the time line."
"Teleporting now," Alpha said.
Two teleportation streaks came into the Command Center. A white streak and a green streak, each producing a small wooden chest. "Rangers, accept your Power Coins," Zordon said.
Aisha took the Green Coin's Wooden Chest. The Green Dragon Coin lay against a black velvet cushion. A green sparkle appeared and ran along the edge of the coin.
Jason held the wooden chest and opened it. Pink, yellow, blue, red, and black energy shone from the box. "They're just as beautiful today as they were then," Trini said.
"Rangers, accept your Power Coins," Zordon said. As each Ranger touched their coin, it disappeared into their body. "Aisha," Zordon said. She stepped forward and looked up at her mentor. "You now possess the powers of the Green Dragon." In a flash of green light, she was wearing the Green Armor. A powerful, gold metal shield covered her shoulders and chest. An enlargement of the coin was in the middle of the shield. She removed her helmet and held it in the crook of her arm. "You will command the DragonZord which you can call on with your Dragon Dagger."
"Jason," Zordon said. "You command the power of the Tyrannosaurus." Jason was suddenly wearing his old red armor.
"Trini, you have the power of the Saber-Tooth Tiger."
"Zack, you draw your power from the Mastodon."
"Kimberly, you will once again receive your power from the Pterodactyl."
"And Billy," Zordon said. "You have served this planet bravely longer than any human ever has. It is with much honor that I return to you the power of the Triceratops."
Billy closed his eyes as the blue light overwhelmed him. He was once again in his armor, complete with the Triceratops Coin on his chest.
"It is great to be back," Zack said, laughing. An alarm filled the air.
"What is it, Zordon?" Jason asked.
"Rangers, Jenga has sent Rito Revolto and twelve of her Wulf Warriors to the park," Zordon said.
"I guess it's time to take these powers out for a test drive," Billy said.
"Make sure you morph first, Rangers," Alpha said. "You are currently in unmorphed mode. The suits are just an illusion." Alpha pushed a button on the control panel before him, and the suits fell off of the Rangers in sparkles of light.
"All right, guys," Jason said. "IT'S MORPHIN TIME!" The Rangers thrust their hands behind their back as the morphing grid was activated.
"GREEN DRAGON!" Aisha cried.
"MASTODON!"
"PTERODACTYL!"
"TRICERATOPS!"
"SABER-TOOTH TIGER!"
"TYRANNOSAURUS!"
Six teleportation streams lifted out of the Power Chamber and disappeared. "Aye-yi-yi," Alpha said softly. "Welcome back, Rangers."
* * *
The six Rangers touched down in the center of the park. "Hey!" Rito said. "I know you guys! Except for you." He pointed at the Green Ranger. "You I've never seen before."
"Sure ya' have, Rito," Aisha sneered. "It's just that last time I wore yellow."
Trini flinched slightly at Aisha's innocent comment. She hoped that she and the girl would be friends and the yellow Power Coin wouldn't come between them.
"Wulf Warriors!" Rito shouted. Twelve vicious bipedal wolves appeared around him. "ATTACK!"
"RANGERS!" Jason shouted. "ATTACK!"
* * *
Billy found himself surrounded by the three Red Wulfs. "Power Lance!" he cried. The three Wulves suddenly leapt at him. He deftly dropped to the ground in a full split and spun the Lance above his head. The sharpened blades at both ends of the Lance solidly connected with each Warrior.
* * *
Kimberly was grabbed roughly by two black Warriors. "Let go of me DOG BOYS!" she shouted. She flipped out of their grip and cartwheeled away. "Let's even up the odds," she said. "POWER BOW!" In a matter of mere milliseconds, the powerful pink weapon was in her hands. She pulled back on the taut string, producing a shimmering arrow made of pure energy. "Now don't mess with me."
* * *
Trini and Aisha were suddenly separate from the group. "POWER DAGGERS!" Trini cried.
Aisha pulled her Dragon Dagger out of her holster and held it before herself. Four Wulf Warriors, two grey and two white, approached the two girls. "Hey," Aisha said, spinning the Dragon Dagger deftly in her left hand. "This thing is almost identical to the Power Daggers."
"Just a different color," Trini said with a smile, although the smile was hidden behind her bright yellow helmet.
"Let's mess these Wulves up!" Aisha cried.
"RIGHT!" Trini shouted. The two girls slapped each other a quick low five and then jumped at the warriors.
* * *
"Power Sword!" Jason cried.
"Power Axe!" Zack whipped the Axe around in the air before him and then held it before him. "This is your last chance to back off."
"NEVER!" the three remaining Wulves cried in unison. The Red and Black Power Rangers ran at the approaching Wulves.
* * *
Billy silently commanded the Power Lance to power down. He then whipped his Power Blaster out of the holster on his left hip. "You might be strong," he said, "but you'll never be able to beat a Power Ranger!"
* * *
Kimberly smashed the Power Bow into the chest of the closest Wulf Warrior. The Wulf Warrior suddenly exploded in black light. "Hah!" Kimberly cried. "You guys aren't so tough."
Suddenly, the remaining Wulf Warrior became enraged. He rushed at Kimberly and kicked her in the stomach. With an "oof", she flew through the air and collapsed on Billy. They both hit the ground in a painful heap.
"Kimberly," Billy said. He stood up, pulling her up with him. The two armor clad Warriors backed up from the rapidly approaching warriors. Billy's and Kimberly's attackers had teamed up, and the two Ranges were quickly outnumbered.
* * *
Trini and Aisha flipped over the two Wulf Warriors, their movements perfectly in sync. However, before they hit the ground, their assailants rushed them. They flew through the air like paper dolls, knocking Billy and Kimberly to the ground again.
"Geez you guys!" Kimberly cried. The four multi-colored heroes scrambled to their feet. Eight Wulf Warriors approached them, silently and menacingly getting closer.
"These things sure aren't Tengas," Aisha said.
"Or Putties," Trini added.
* * *
"We're winning!" Rita shouted. "We're winning, we're winning, we're winning," she began chanting, dancing around the balcony.
"You really are a hyperactive little thing, aren't you?" Jenga asked.
"We're winning, we're winning, we're winning," Rita sang, ignoring Jenga's comments. Goldar growled and shook his head.
"Hey," Jenga said, "gold monkey boy. Where's Zedd?"
Goldar growled at her attitude, but knew better than to challenge her authority. "He's in his quarters," he said, "trying to super-power some Tengas with your scepter."
"I was wondering where that went to," Jenga said.
Jenga and Goldar stood in silence for a few moments. Finally, Goldar interrupted the silence by saying, "Why are you such an ugly creature?" Jenga slowly looked up at him, her eyes sparking with anger. "That's not what I meant!" Goldar suddenly recanted. "I just want to know why you look like an Earthling, when someone of your power doesn't have to!"
"I happen to think that Earth women are very attractive," Jenga said, "so I decided to make myself look like this about ten thousand years ago, although I change the clothes design every so often. You know, whenever I see something I like on one of those television broadcasts bouncing around in space. I spent two decades in a wedding dress."
"I think you'd look better in gold armor," Goldar said.
"Maybe," Jenga said, looking at her green blouse and black jeans and visualizing shiny, gold armor covering her body. She suddenly realized what he was implying and whipped her gaze back at him. "Don't you wish, monkey boy," she smarted.
* * *
"Zordon!" Alpha cried. "I've found the Second Earth Crystal! It's in Mammoth Cave!"
"Unfortunately, Alpha, we cannot spare any of the Rangers at this moment in time," Zordon said. "They still have eleven Wulves left to defeat."
Alpha looked up at the viewing glove just in time to see Jason and Zack get thrown by the Wulves into the other Rangers, knocking all six to the ground.
* * *
"I think I'm just going to stay down here this time," Billy said.
"Guys," Jason said. "Let's make the Power Blaster!"
"RIGHT!" all but Aisha cried. She silently stepped out of the way as her five comrades quickly combined their five weapons into the very powerful Power Blaster. "FIRE!" the five Rangers shouted. Five streams of light, red, blue, yellow, black, and pink, burst from the weapon. The beams of light hit the eleven Wulf Warriors. With a cacophone of screams, the eleven Wulves burst into black light and disappeared.
"Uh oh," Rito said.
The Power Blaster disappeared. "Who is that guy?" Zack whispered to Kim.
"Rito Revolto," she whispered angrily. "He's Rita's brother."
"Hey, you can't blame a guy for running," he said. "I ain't got any guts! Ha!" His head bounced off of his body, and he disappeared in black flames.
"And another one bites the dust," Jason said.
* * *
"Happens every dad-blasted time," Rita griped. She stomped past Jenga and disappeared into the dark corridors of the palace.
"These Rangers are a bit more than I expected," Jenga said, "but not to worry. Yet."
"You're obviously new here," Goldar muttered under his breath.
* * *
As soon as the Rangers teleported into the Command Center, Zordon gave them their new instructions. "Rangers," his deep, booming voice said. "We have located the second Earth Crystal. You must journey to the depths of Mammoth Cave."
"In Kentucky?" Billy asked.
"Yes, Rangers," Zordon said. "The Crystal is located in a part of the Cave yet to be explored. This expedition will prove to be most dangerous, so you must search for the Crystal in your Ranger suits. Alpha has also prepared a number of special abilities for this quest."
"Jason and Billy," Alpha said. "You both have Power Scanners. These will help you locate the crystal. Trini and Aisha, your helmets now possess Power Beams."
"Like we used to have," Aisha said.
"Correct," Alpha said.
Billy and Kimberly looked at each other knowingly. They both knew that Alpha had developed a lot of helmet devices after Jason, Zack, and Trini left.
"And lastly, Kimberly and Zack, you have the Power Scream."
"What?" Kimberly asked.
"The Power Scream," Alpha said. "The Pterodactyl and Mastodon emit a mighty scream that terrifies and frightens off intruders. However, it only works temporarily, so use it wisely."
"You got it," Zack said.
"Let's go," Billy said.
"BACK TO ACTION!" Jason shouted.
* * *
"Mammoth Cave, huh?" Jenga said.
