Disclaimer: All Power Rangers and Power Ranger references belong to Saban Brands. Carri belongs to KJ, who has given me permission to use her in my story. Everyone else belongs to me.

Authors notes: Welcome to the first chapter of I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Sorry I haven't wrote anything in LONG time. As always, events of MMPR:TM are canon rather than the Ninjor story from the show. Also, with the use of Carri, most of the events for Zeo transpired with her instead of Tanya. Reviews are welcome.

Dark Beginnings

Prologue:

A Glimpse Into the Past

Ten-Thousand Years Ago...

The wizard looked over at his best friend, Zedd, and nodded, as they switched places in battle They knew this would be a tough battle. This evil being had laid waste to the galaxy as he made his journey from Eltar to Phaedos, to here; Earth. Zedd looked back at Zordon; he had grown up with the wizard as best friends, along with Rita. Their friend had been born into the house of Vile though, and had long since turned her power to work for Dark Spectre. This battle would not be an easy one, however. They were up against a life-long friend...

Reyna was raised alongside Zordon and Zedd, though they never noticed her maliciousness deep within. It wasn't until she laid siege to Eltar and murdered most of its inhabitants that they had any idea. She had secretly been raising an army, with the sole purpose of destroying Earth. She, like Zordon, had glimpsed the future and seen that a small group of humans he had summoned would bring about the fall of the evil empire. She had seen Dark Spectre's demise, and the fall of the Queen of Evil, Astronema. She did not, however, see herself in that future. It scared and angered her to think that some miserable little apes from a backwater planet would bring about her downfall. So here she was, on Earth eons before that small group would come about. She would see to it that they never would. She supposed she could simply take out Zordon himself, but that was task easier said that done. Destroying the human race in it's infancy would be much easier.

Dulcea was deep in meditation, viewing the events unfolding on Earth. She wished she could help her friend, Zordon. But on her way to Earth Reyna had stopped on Phaedos. The two warriors had battled, Dulcea was on the verge of winning when Reyna cast one of the oldest spells known to the universe. She had trapped Dulcea on Phaedos, but also tainted her spirit. While she was pure and good still, she was unable to set foot near the ancient Ninjetti temple. Should she try, she would begin to age rapidly and have the Ninjetti spirits attack her as though she were an enemy.

Opening her eyes she sighed as she looked at her palm, knowing she was cursed. Her only hope was that Zordon may return after his battle with Reyna, or that she might one day have a student who would be able to lift her curse. She doubted it though, her own master, Ninjor, had gone into exile hundreds of years before, hoping to perfect his own bond with his spirit animal. Otherwise he would be able to help. She closed her eyes and prayed to the powers that be that Zordon and Zedd would emerge victorious and free her from what had become her fate.

Zordon ducked beneath Reyna's kick, following it with a jab of his staff, knocking her off balance and into Zedd's attack. Zedd swung his sword, hoping to make contact as she lost balance. She quickly regained it tore his sword from his hands, swinging it around and into his torso. He screamed as the blade pierced his stomach and out his back. Smirking, she twisted the blade and ripped it out through his side. "No!" Zordon screamed, his sky blue hair falling lightly into his face. Reyna had taken his family, his wife and son, half his planet, and now she was about to take his best friend as well.

Zedd fell limply to the ground, his blood staining the desert ground. He watched as Zordon held his staff up, conjuring dark clouds that began to pour rain and strike with lightning. As he watched his friend continue their struggle he felt life leaving his body with every breath, but he knew he would die knowing his death would be avenged by his best friend.

Rita watched the battle from atop the cliff with her faithful warriors. She wanted desperately to help her old friends, but she knew if she did then her father and brother would punish her dearly. She had already experienced one hundred years in the Vortex of Eternal Doom and Sorrow for leaving to go live on Eltar with Zordon. While it was said none could exit after being thrown in, her father, Master Vile, always had a way out. The experience had taken its toll on her mind though, had begun to warp her brain. Already she had conquered numerous galaxies using the name Rita Repulsa. She watched as Zedd was impaled, watched as his blood stained the blond hair of his that she always admired, watched as the man she loved fell and breathed his last. A flash of red appeared behind her, she turned to see a dark haired young woman looking at her, smiling. "Listen to me, Rita," the woman said kindly. She listened to what the woman had to say, and watched as disappeared in a flash of red. That was it, she couldn't watch anymore. She leaped from the cliff to join the battle.

Reyna smiled her cold, familiar smile as she walked over towards Zedds lifeless body. Laughing, she stomped on his head and said "Sorry, Zordon. But I plan on ruling this galaxy. I was just going to destroy the Earth to prevent your little band of hairless apes from killing me, but maybe I'll let your friend do it." Zordon looked confused, though he was sure he knew what she meant. Long ago there was a spell that could be used to raise the dead, it was hidden with the Galaxy Book, which was lost eons ago.

Reyna closed her eyes and knelt down next to Zedd, whispering her incantation as she touched her hand to his forehead. Zordon watched as red lightning overtook Zedd's body, ripping his skin off to reveal his muscle tissue. It was disgusting, Zordon closed his eyes, not being able to watch. There was no way he could stop it though, he knew that. Once this particular spell was started, there was no stopping it.

Zedd cried out in agony as he regained his sense of touch. This was the most horrible thing he had ever felt. He still couldn't see, but he could feel his flesh tearing from his body. It was too much. Eventually he passed out from the pain.

"Enough!" Zordon cried, blood dripping from his forehead and matting his hair. He had had enough. It was time to stop this, once and for all. "Reyna, I hereby charge you with universal genocide. Blood of the innocent has stained your hands far too many times. Half of the universe has begged for their lives at your feet, and how did you answer them? With annihilation!" He couldn't let this go on, but he was growing too weak to stop her. Something had to be done, something drastic.

Using his staff he managed to open a portal to the Lost Galaxy, it was too late to stop her from mauling Zedd, but that didn't mean he couldn't stop her from mauling anybody else. The only people in the Lost Galaxy were a band of space pirates he and Zedd had sent there years before. Using his magic he caught her in a whirlwind and hurtled her through the portal, quickly closing it so he could be sure she was trapped. Once the portal was sealed he collapsed to his knees, and began to weep for his friend. If he could hurry and get him to their ship, he might be able to replicate his skin for him, but it was a long shot. He looked at his friend, he was laying there groaning in pain. Zordon used his staff to hold him up as he began to make his way to Zedd. Before he could reach him he heard a familiar screeching voice call his name. "Zordon!"

The wizard gasped and looked, standing by his fallen comrade was Rita. While he was happy to see her, he was at the same time pained to see her. They used to be such great friends, before Master Vile came back into her life. He smiled as he remembered their journey to the moons of Aronelle and how they fought off Lord Grodes horde of Manotes. How she had saved him from Grodes sneak attack and how they defeated him together.

Rita smiled as she saw Zordon, but it was a pained smile. She was saddened by what she had to do, by what she was told to do to save her friends. She looked at Zedd and remembered their first kiss. The three of them were up against a man named Zade, and Zordon had run ahead. Zedd and Rita were alone facing Zade's warrior Shaz. Zedd had been mortally wounded, he had been shot close to his heart and for the first time since he started battling alongside Zordon he thought he was going to die. He hadn't meant anything by it, so he said, but she knew better. Seeing him lying there motionless, the flesh ripped from his body leaving exposed muscle tissue was too much. Remembering the words of the dark haired woman on the cliff she said to Zordon, Zedd "I'm sorry." Tears streaming from her eyes she pointed her crescent staff first at Zedd and cast a spell, a metallic looking exoskeleton formed over his body from the desert ground, from that tubes grew that began pumping fluid throughout his body. Then she aimed her staff at Zordon.

"Kill him!" the gold one exclaimed.

"Oh yes, please do!" The tall black and short blue ones said excitedly.

"What have you done to him?!" Zordon asked. Before he could react he felt an energy take hold of him, ripping his spirit from his body. It was a time warp, he had heard the stories of those trapped in one. As his body began to vanish he cast one last spell, a transdimensional container encased the five minions of evil and hurtled them into space.

Rita watched as the ground rose up around them, she knew exactly what Zordon was doing. He was trapping her in a "space dumpster". An archaic, but effective way to contain someone. She knew why he was doing it. He thought she was attacking him, banishing him, so he in turn was doing the same to her. But she was merely doing what the dark haired woman told her she needed to do in order to save Zordon and Zedds lives. She wasn't so sure about it though, as the woman looked saddened as she suggested it. But Rita had told herself it needed to be done.

She felt as the space dumpster was lifted from the Earth and hurtled through the atmosphere. Her minions Squatt and Babboo cried out in terror as her number one warrior, Goldar, scolded her for not killing Zordon when she had the chance. Finster, her monster maker as she called him, had passed out when the Earth rose around them.

As she floated through space she thought about Zordon, Zedd, and the good times they had all had. Then her mind drifted to all the evil she had done in recent times. Finster was from a peaceful race, but she had managed to taint his mind with her newfound evil. Squatt and Babboo were both troublemakers on Orion, she had seen their potential for evil and enslaved them, and made them loyal to her. Goldar had come to her willingly, looking to kill until he could kill no more. She managed to shed a single tear before she hit her head on the side of her container and cried out about how she was going to have a headache.

Dulcea bowed her head at the loss of her friend, Zordon. She had felt his spirit fade from this world at the hands of Rita Repulsa. She quickly raised her head as she sensed someone else's presence on Phaedos. She turned, staff in hand marveled at the young woman who stood before her. She was dressed in Phadosian armor and carried a Phadosian staff. "Who are you?" she asked, thinking it impossible for another warrior of Phaedos to live. They had all been wiped out by Reyna during her attack. Only Dulcea remained.

The young, dark haired woman smiled at the wise warrior. She didn't look any different than she did ten-thousand years from now. "I am Kaycea."

Meanwhile, inside the confines of the Lost Galaxy, Reyna was raging. She was pissed that Zordon had trapped her here, knowing there was no escape. She was doomed to live a life inside a lifeless galaxy. There was nothing here for her. She supposed she could search for the space pirates that were trapped here, that would kill a few years and give her some entertainment for a short while. But it wouldn't last long and then she would be bored and alone again.

Thousands of years passed by as she wandered through space and came across the planet the pirates were inhabiting. She was about to attack them when she saw a familiar face, one she had seen in a vision from the future. "Astronema?!" She asked silently, recognizing the blond who was playing the role of Pink Ranger. Though she hadn't seen this particular group when she had looked into the future. "Don't tell me Dark Spectre's evil empire has already fallen!" She said to herself. "I've got to get out of here. If they found a way in, maybe they can find a way out..."

She followed the Rangers back to their ship, which was the size of a small colony. Perfect she thought as she approached the ship and began to look for a way in. Once she found it she stayed out of sight for a few days until they took off. She watched as one she knew as the Magna Defender, a title passed down from father to son for hundreds of thousands of years. It looked like he was somehow holding the portal open for them escape. Yes! Reyna thought as they got ever closer to the portal..

Two Years ago

Kimberly Ann Hart smiled as the images faded from her mind. She was glad she got to see her old mentor again, even if it was just in a dream like state. She was in all too familiar setting, along with three of her friends. She had been here twice before. For them, it was their second time here. She looked over at her friend and mentor, Dulcea. The Phadosian warrior had given a glimpse into the past, shown them the origins of how their mentor Zordon had come to be trapped in the time warp, and how their enemies Rita and Zedd had had their minds corrupted into evil. She wanted them to know that the two they once called enemies weren't evil by choice. They had once been great friends with Zordon.

It was all just a pass time however, something to keep them busy while she prepared for their Ninjetti training. Kimberly knew about the procedure and how long it took. The first time she had gone through it, it had taken seven hours to complete. This time it was considerably shorter, as there were fewer people here. She looked first at Carri Hillard, her best friend, then to her newest friend she had met on her travels, and then at Jason Lee Scott, the man who had been like a big brother to her since grade school. The two of them had once been offered up as sacrifices to the younger brother of Dark Spectre, Maligore, by Divatox.

The evil space pirate had sought to use them as sacrifices for Maligore, and had tried to eliminate the Turbo Rangers with them. Jason nearly succeeded in killing his best friend, Tommy, where as Kim tried to kill Katherine, the woman Tommy dated his senior year in high school and freshman year in college. The two women had never been friends, not really. When they first met Kim could see that Katherine wanted Tommy, but he seemed oblivious to the fact. It was a tough decision for Kim to leave for Florida, but she trusted Tommy would be faithful while she was away.

But after a while she thought she was being unfair, forcing him to have a long distance relationship, only seeing her once or twice every few months. She felt like she was holding him back, so she decided to break up with him. She knew it would hurt him as it hurt her, but she felt it had to be done. She believed he deserves a girlfriend he could be close with, and maybe Kat was that girlfriend.

She wasn't surprised to see them together when they came to Muranthias to save her and Jason. But she was surprised to hear that they had broke up a few months later, not long after they passed on the Turbo powers to TJ, Cassie, Ashley, and Carlos. In 2002 she was about to move back to Angel Grove, and was hoping to have a talk with Tommy, but she started having problems. Her bath in the Muranthian volcano had changed her. Although Maligore's evil influence was gone, some power still remained. She wasn't sure at first what was going on with her, she didn't know when it had started, but one night when she was asleep she awoke to find herself in the Youth Center, years before. She was so freaked out that she ran outside, she saw Tommy and herself in her car heading for the Youth Center and panicked, closing her eyes. When she looked again she was back in bed. At first she thought it was a dream, but then it kept happening until it began happening while she was awake.

She began to think she was going crazy, until she thought of what Zordon would say. She then found herself in the Command Center, back when they were restoring Zordon to life from Ivan Ooze's attack. After a few more outbursts she found herself back home, a few days later than when she had left. She immediately sought out the help of Jason, the only other one to take a lava bath with her. They had kept in contact with one another over the years, even went out for beers once a week. But they had never talked about that day, it was something they both had wanted to put behind them. But she felt like they needed to discuss it, she needed to know if he was experiencing anything like what she was.

She arrived at his condo right as he was leaving. He told her it was important, that Tommy had summoned him for a Red Ranger meeting of sorts, and that they would talk when he got back. She wasn't sure what that was all about, she knew Jason had met a few of the other Ranger teams whenever he would get out and travel, but that was it. He never mentioned a Red Ranger Club or anything. She knew Tommy would be there, since he had been both the Red Zeo and Red Turbo Ranger.

Curious, she decided to follow. Along the way she called another of their friends, Carri Hillard. Carri was Kat's cousin, and though Kim didn't particularly like Kat, she loved Carri. They met a few times in senior year, before Kim left for Florida, and they kept in contact afterwards. Carri knew all about the Rangers, thanks to Kat telling her while she was under Rita's spell. Eventually Carri became a Ranger herself, when Tanya decided to leave the team not long after she joined. All the fighting just wasn't her. She left to pursue singing, and Carri jumped at the chance to take her place. After Carri retired she and Jason moved to Florida to attend college, at Kim's urging. The three shared an apartment for the next 3 years. It had been 2 years since they had gone their separate ways. They had all moved back to California, Jason and Carri back to Angel Grove, Kim to Stone Canyon, the neighboring city.

Once she saw him pass through the NASADA gates she told Carri to meet her there. After she hung up she watched as a giant blue ship left the space port and shot through the atmosphere. When her friend arrived she explained to her about everything that had been happening the last few weeks, about these weird teleportation spells she was having. Almost immediately Carri spat out a plan to travel to Phaedos, a place she had heard much about from Kim, and decided she was going too. Kim was confused at first, but it didn't take long for the former Pink Ranger to find out why the former Yellow Ranger wanted to go so badly. She had just suffered a bad break up with Rocky, the former Red and Blue Ranger. They had been together since high school, even did long distance when Carri moved to Florida. When she moved back they picked up right where they had left off, but Rocky had apparently been worried the whole time that she was cheating on him with Jason in Florida. Kim knew that Rocky was jealous of the relationship that Carri had with Jason, how close they were, but Jason never thought of her as anything more than a sister, just like he did Kim. Still, it didn't stop Rocky from feeling inferior. He had felt inferior to Jason ever since the original Red Ranger returned to the team as the Gold Zeo Ranger, and apparently those feelings just never went away.

A few hours later the ship returned, and Kim saw Tommy among a group of nine other Red Rangers, including Jason. She and Carri had hid until almost all the Red Rangers were gone. One they recognized from the news as Andros, the Red Astro Ranger, the one who had saved the world from Astronema, and the one who had killed Zordon. The two in dark uniforms she didn't know, and then there was Jason there as well.

The girls had made their way to the four Reds, introducing themselves. The two they didn't know introduced themselves as Wes and Eric of the Time Force Rangers and Silver Guardians. After they got all of the pleasantries aside the two Time Force Rangers said their goodbye, leaving the girls, Jason, and Andros. Kim and Carri had been formulating a plan, a long shot of a plan, but a plan, ever since Kim saw the ship take off. She explained everything to Jason, asking if he had been experiencing similar problems. To her horror and relief, he had. He had explained that his powers were different, he wasn't teleporting through time, he was able to heal faster than normal. Something he hadn't really paid any attention to until he wrecked his motorcycle two weeks ago. The doctor had said he'd be unable to walk for a month or so with how busted up his legs had been. But a day later he was almost fully healed. That was when he really took notice of his healing.

Kim told him of her and Carri's plan, and that it hinged on whether or not Andros would let them borrow his ship. The three explained to Andros just what had happened to them, and why they needed his ship. Andros had heard legends of Maligore, younger brother of Dark Spectre, on KO-35 growing up. He agreed to lend them his ship, on the condition that they bring it back immediately if he called saying he needed it. They agreed to do that, and the three were off.

They traveled to Phaedos, where the warrior Dulcea trained Jason and Kim on how to use their powers. She helped them to concentrate, and within two years time they had gained full control over their abilities. Kim could focus on anyone, anytime and teleport to where that person was in an instant. Whether it was in the future, the past, or the present. She could bend time and return to where she had just left, albeit a few minutes later than when she left. The first few times she tried teleporting she wound up returning to Jason, Carri and Dulcea a day or two later. There was one time it had been a week.

Eventually the trio left Phaedos, having been told by Dulcea that there was nothing more she could teach them. She recommended they seek out Ninjor, her master, but Kim had heard stories from Zordon about him. She wasn't impressed by what she had heard, he sounded a little senile to her. So instead the trio just traveled from planet to planet, testing their powers. On Onyx they ran into Andros' sister, Karone, formerly known as Astronema. She saved them from becoming a Snarlax's dinner. Karone recognized the ship they were using and immediately began interrogating them, asking what they had done to her brother. Kim explained everything to her calmly, and after she had made contact with Andros she decided to remain with the group for a time, and before long was good friends with them. That was four years ago.

"Kimberly?" Dulcea asked, pulling Kim back from her thoughts about the past. The Phadosian Warrior smiled at her student, she had brought her friends here to receive the power of Ninjetti, something they had declined on their last visit. Now that they had decided to accept the power, or in Kimberly's case re-accept, there was more to be taught.

"Yes?" Kim asked, looking around and realizing it was night time already. It had still been daylight when the vision of Zordon, Zedd, Rita, and Reyna had ended.

"I said it is time. If you and your friends would gather around the fire, I shall bestow upon you the ancient power of the Ninjetti." the Phadosian warrior said, gesturing the fire before them.

Slowly Jason, Kim, Carri, and Karone all gathered around the fire and held their arms up as Dulcea was instructing them to do. She blew the dust through the fire and onto each of them. A great white light overtook the four and slowly faded out as golden spirit animals surrounded them, revealing their Ninjetti garb. Kim's was pink and, of course, the crane. Carri was yellow, with the symbol of the panther on her chest. Jason was green, with the symbol of the cougar on his chest. Lastly, Karone was black with the symbol of the lion on her chest.

"You have now received the ancient power of the Ninjetti." Dulcea told them as she proudly walked from one to the other. They each smiled at the warrior as she told each of them what their symbol represented. "Carri, strong, sleak and determined, you are the panther. Jason, tough and agile, you are the cougar. Karone, powerful, brave, a hunter, you are the lion. Kimberly," Kim raised her hand to stop her master. She knew what hers meant, it was embedded into her memory from the first time she came to Phaedos. "I understand." Dulcea smiled and continued "If you wish to learn more about the power of Ninjetti, then stay and I shall teach you. If not, you are free to go." The four nodded in response.