This is the 2012 Director’s Cut version of a story that was originally written back in 2004. I’ve wanted to go back to this one and fix some typos, but as time progressed, I ended up redoing and reworking a good chunk of the story. The end result is an edit that bares the same basic plot, but features significant changes and additions to the narrative that brings it closer to the original story that was intended to be, but wasn’t due to a number of factors. This is something that was laying around for quite some time and I’m pleased to see it made available for people to gander at.
Disclaimer: The author of this document would like to clarify that Power Rangers and its characters is owned by Saban Brands and not the author.
Timeline: The main story (barring the flashbacks) takes place between the three-part Season 3 opener A Friend In Need (the Masked Rider crossover) and the four-part Ninja Quest (the one where they get the NinjaZords).
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Planet Eltar
Some Time Ago…
On the Northeastern portion of the planet’s desert area lies the Temple of Ancients, one of Eltar’s oldest monuments and home of its greatest treasures. If there was anything of great value on this planet, chances are it would be found here. Within the main chamber of the temple, two Eltarian honor guards stand in front of a pillar, completely covered in holy light from the searing sky. On top of that pillar laid a fine-crafted black box with various colored jewels placed on certain corners of the box.
All seemed peaceful in the temple until a hunter, dressed in various robes, slowly entered the temple, much to the annoyance of the two guards, who had not expected (nor wanted) to be seeing anybody today. Pulling off the mask used for protection against the strong sandwinds outside, the hunter looks to be a human female, except for darkened veins on sides of her face. She slowly approached the two guards, who positioned themselves to block her path to the pillar of light.
“Turn away,” the guard warned in Eltarian. “Or we will attack.”
Just as quickly, the hunter pulls out a peculiarly crafted longbow and fires two arrows at one of the guards, killing him instantly. The second guard rushed towards the hunter with his scimitar, but the hunter pulled out her own blade, a fine-crafted traditional-style katana sword, and blocked the guards attacks. After a few blocked attacks, the hunter delivered a stiff kick to the guard’s abdomen, following with a quick stab of the blade through his heart.
Sheathing her weapon, she approached the pillar of light and reached for the box. Eltarians were known for the light shields which prevented physical contact. Apparently, the hunter’s unique biology made her resistant to their shields, because she had managed to grab onto the box and pull it off the pillar with little effort.
Pulling out the box, the hunter opened the top with a slight twist of a knob. Her eyes widened at the sight of a circular object, about an inch in diameter. The object was letting out a faint glow, constantly shifting colors from red to white to yellow and so on. Looking for any suspicious characters, the hunter swiftly grabbed the object and placed it in her pouch, tossing the crafted box aside.
With quick haste, the hunter drew her arms up to her chest in a cross position and soon vanished in a flash of bright purple light.
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Spacecraft Orbitting Planet Eltar
Some Time Ago…
The minute the hunter materialized on the transporter pad of her spacecraft orbiting Eltar, she approached the navigation console and plot a course for Onyx, a wasteland planet where the most fiendish warriors gather together, play cards, and get drunk. In other words, the perfect place to gain information concerning a certain Eltarian sage whose exploits were the stuff of legend on his own planet.
With the co-ordinates set, the hunter set the ship on auto-pilot and went to her small bunk. Lying on the padded bed, she pulled out her newly-claimed prize from her pocket and examined it carefully. She took a piece of paper from her other pocket and her eyes switched from the coin to the paper, which had a list of descriptions written in a scripture native to her culture. It took all of two minutes to confirm her suspicions and belief. There was no mistaking what she had just discovered.
After years of searching, the mythical Eighth coin of power was finally in her hands…
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Jersey Complex
Earth (Terra)
Three Years Ago…
In a small apartment complex, run down from years of neglect, a young adult woman trains in the martial arts. She has been keeping up with her form for years now; it’s the only driving force in her somewhat complicated life. A life where she has always been searching for purpose and answers, a life where she was always in motion, a life with blood shed. It’s not a normal life by the standards most people would know, but it’s the one she lives and she had never thought of how things could have been different. The only difference in her mind is that she wouldn’t be here if things had been different way back when.
She had been in hiding for quite some time and yet she knows she can’t hide forever.
Just as she finished her session, she hears a knock on the door. Almost immediately, she picked out a random shirt laying on the floor and slipped it on before opening the door. Just as she was about to open the doorknob, she suddenly finds herself enveloped in light. When the light faded, she found herself not in her apartment, but in a strange room unfamiliar to her. She rubbed her eyes and blinked for a moment before it dawned on her that she was in a darkened computer room.
The girl surveyed her new surroundings. The lighting was present but weak, the walls had a solid, gunmetal appearance with no texture or markings, the computer consoles seemed far more advanced than anything she had seen on Earth, and there were no doors, much to her own dismay. Without hesitation, she approached one of the computer consoles and studied its layout; a smattering of touchkeys and screens with strange lettering unfamiliar to her. Just as she was about to reach for one of the keys, a segment of the wall behind her suddenly opened up, revealing a portal of light that illuminated the room. From the light walked in a tall, blonde-haired woman wearing a ragged cloak of clothes that covered her entire body. The girl didn’t know what to make of this woman until she spoke.
“Welcome aboard,” the blonde-haired woman said with a thick accent.
The girl studied this stranger that stood before her, unsure of what to make of her. She took a step back, positioning her feet slightly apart and raising her arms slightly. Her stance softened when the strange woman before her sighed for a moment before letting out a small smile.
“My apologies,” the woman spoke with a thick accent. “It’s been some time since I’ve formally introduced myself.”
The girl raised an eyebrow, silent as the woman continued…
“My name is Dulcea. I am a master warrior from a planet called Phaedos. And I need your help…”
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Angel Grove, CA
Earth (Terra)
Present Day
In the main district of downtown Angel Grove, people were quickly rushing away from the fish monster known as Pirantishead, who was using his signature fish flute to fire beams of energy at various nearby vehicles. When he turned to fire another round, he saw six familiar figures wearing colored costumes. Immediately, the monster stopped his attack and groaned at the sight of the six.
“Power Rangers?!” Pirantishead squirmed, “Again?!”
White Ranger waved his finger. “Do we really have to destroy you again, Tuna face?” he said in a almost whining voice, “I mean this is like, what? The third time Zedd’s pulled you out of mothballs?”
Angered by Tommy’s taunt, Pirantishead fired a couple of missiles at the Rangers, who managed to dodge the projectiles. Red Ranger, brandishing his Power Sword, jumped at the creature and slashed across his nose. The monster was sent reeling as a result of the attack.
Next up, Black Ranger rushed towards the monster and delivered a side kick, which Pirantishead managed to block with both arms. However, Adam was quickly able to connect with another sidekick that the creature did not block and was sent flying towards the side of a destroyed car.
Blue Ranger pulled out his Blade Blaster, along with another pistol, and shoot several beams at Pirantishead, all of which made impact. All it took was a quick slash from White Ranger’s saber along with Pink Ranger’s Flame Arrow shot from her Power bow and the monster was destroyed. However, almost instantly, another monster appeared and struck White Ranger from behind. White Ranger saw the blue-skinned monster and attacked with a kick that knocked the creature back a step.
“Fang?!” Billy yelled upon noticing the monster, “Zedd brought back Fang?!”
“Yip!” was all the monster said as he dashed at Blue Ranger. Blue Ranger dodged Fang’s claw swipes and managed to land a snap kick on the monster’s chest, which caused him to recoil back a bit. White Ranger jumped in and used Saba to slash across Fang’s chest, the killing blow that made Fang explode. This summoned a third monster of the past, King Sphinx, to appear and knock down White Ranger with his staff.
Tommy looked up, noticing the huge Sphinx monster that was standing tall before him. “What the?!”
“It’s King Sphinx to you, sonny!” the monster snorted snidely.
“Tommy, get back!” Kim shouted, remembering that Sphinx was a monster that Rita used before Tommy came into the picture. “If he flaps his wings and blow you away, you’re a goner!”
“Not yet!” Tommy grunted as he delivered a stern kick to King Sphinx’s chest.
The Rangers ganged up on Sphinx and kept him busy. A dizzying sidekick from the Red Ranger knocked Sphinx to the ground and the six Rangers formed the Power Cannon, which had replaced the aging Power Blaster as their combined weapon. When King Sphinx was back on his feet, the Rangers fired a fully-powered blast that enveloped Sphinx in yellow light. A second later, Sphinx exploded, ceding victory to the Rangers.
Tommy let out a sigh of relief. They had won the day, but he knew there would be more to come.
-o-
In the lunar palace on the moon where many of the Rangers’ battles are caused, Lord Zedd sat atop his throne and grumbled as he saw the Power Rangers destroy Pirantishead for what seemed like the third time. Just ahead was the Titan warrior Goldar, who squirmed at the sight of Zedd’s latest creation being destroyed by the Rangers. Zedd silently cursed at those teenagers. Time and time again, they had foiled his plans by sending just one monster after another. His latest attempt – sending multiple monsters at once – was a very risky plan with a higher potential for success, but still, they triumph.
“Master,” the warrior said, breaking Zedd’s trance. “Our monsters have been destroyed.”
“I know that, you insolent fool!” Zedd spat, causing Goldar to recoil on instinct, “That’s the last time I will ever use those sorry excuses for monsters!”
“B-But, your evilness,” Goldar argued, “Pirantishead had been instrumental in the crippling of the Rangers’ original Dinozords. King Sphinx is a cunning soldier who was able to divide the Power Rangers and almost defeat them. And Fang was also a ferocious servant done away by his own thirst for revenge.”
“But they’re all worthless monsters,” Zedd rebutted as he stood from his throne, “None of those monsters were effective when they were alone. What makes you think they’ll be effective together?!”
Goldar did not answer.
“With Rita out to collect worthless artifacts, I’m on my own,” Zedd said as he walked around the chamber of command, “I will have to come up with a better monster than the worthless garbage we currently have.”
“What about the Reaper monster in the Alchemy Lab?” the Titan warrior suggested, “With its various abilities, it will prove to be Armageddon for those accursed Rangers.”
Zedd shook his head as he looked ahead. “No, that monster needs more time before it is fully energized and I am saving it as a last resort. I will need a monster that will get the job done NOW.” He turned to Goldar. “Oversee the reinforcement of the latest batch of Putties while I draw up plans for a new monster.”
Goldar looked at his master in awe. “We’re not going to attack?”
“No, not yet,” the fleshman answered, “Let the Rangers savor their minor victory over the first wave, because my next monster will be no walk in the park.”
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Within a private compartment of the express train, a dark-haired girl settled into her seat as the crew prepped for final departure. She carried few belongings with her; only a second set of clothes and an assortment of concealed items that she had managed to sneak on board without setting off any alarms. Maybe it was ignorance on the part of the security on this train, maybe it was pure luck on her side. The girl didn’t dwell on that for too long. Instead, she merely looked out the window at the cityscape, ignoring the rumblings as the train began its course. It was going to take a couple hours before the train reached her next stop, but the girl didn’t mind. She preferred things going slowly… if only for a short while.
Once the train gained speed, the girl began to dig into her coat pocket. From it, she pulled out an object wrapped in cloth. She slowly peeled away the cloth to reveal the item within; a small gold-tinted coin that glowed fiercely in many colors. Her gaze went from the coin in her hand to the landscape out the window as the cityscape grew smaller in distance. She studied her ticket intently. A trip to a quaint little city called Angel Grove…
TO BE CONTINUED…
