Forever Blue

Disclaimer: I thought this one up awhile back but never got around to it until now. And warning, you might need a tissue. Set in the 2017 film 'verse.

"Here we are, another night comes and I'm here, all by myself." Sighed one William 'Billy' Cranston as he sat on a cliff on some nameless planet in a section of the universe far from Earth.

And for Billy, it was getting harder and harder for him to even get out of bed as time passed and reasons to get up were few and far in between. As he'd been alive for over three thousand years and had loved and lost so many times in all those years. Now, at first, none of them, not even Zordon and Alpha 5 had a clue that the Blue Ranger would essentially become immortal. But immortal he had become and it was all due to Zordon's decision to revive him instead of escaping the wall after Rita had killed Billy at the boatyard. They'd get their first clue that he was gonna be around forever when thanks to a particularly brutal attack by a monster looking for the Zeo Crystal that Billy had taken for Trini. An attack they had thought they had lost him too but were all greatly relieved that wasn't the case when he scared the crap out of them when he shot up with a yell and took in a deep breath while in armor. Now at the time, the team and their mentors hadn't realized they were getting clued in on the unintended consequence of Zordon's decision.

No, they were all just too happy with the fact the young African American and genius Ranger they called friend was alive and well. Thinking it simply luck or what have you that he had been wearing armor at the time. It wouldn't be until Rita had managed to come back with her new found friend, Lord Zedd, that they would finally get a clue that something wasn't right. As those two would perform a double team attack on Billy while he was out of armor and on his way to his next class at MIT. Their attack being so powerful as to kill someone ten times over but somehow… Somehow, Billy had come back to life two hours later and no trace of an attack left on him. It was then that the rest of the team, Zordon, and Alpha came to the startling conclusion that their friend couldn't die. Especially after he had admitted to them that once while out in Mine, he had slipped and fallen and broken his neck but somehow recovered when he was pretty sure the impact of that had killed him. Zordon quickly and horrifyingly realized that it was because of him and his use of the Morphin' Grid to bring him back to life that he was no immortal. The team and especially Billy's mother weren't sure how to handle that as such a concept was horrifying.

Billy himself wasn't sure what to think of it and resolved to trying to figure out a way to undo it while doing his best to avoid the press' thousands of questions about his being still alive and a Power Ranger thanks to Rita and Zedd exposing him. And therefore, exposing Jason, Kimberly, Zack, and Trini. Trini's exposure had caused a huge fight to happen between herself and her parents, though mainly that was down to June. As it wasn't what the mother had wanted for her little girl at all in any shape or form. But none of them would stop being Rangers as it was their duty to protect the Earth. Unfortunately, any attempts by Billy, Zordon, and those from outer space to remove his immortality had failed. And even with Zordon's vast knowledge about the Morphin' Grid, not even he could get it to reveal why Billy had become the Immortal Blue Ranger. For a time, it had troubled Billy that he couldn't be a regular mortal man, but eventually, he came to accept what had happened to him. Another side effect of Zordon's decision was that his coin was forever bonded to him and wouldn't choose another user like his friends' coins had done when the time came for them to step down and allow others to take their places.

Which happened some 30 years later after they had become the Power Rangers. Being with a new team hadn't been an easy adjustment but Billy eventually got used to it. Even if he was largely unsure about being their team leader due to his many experiences as a Ranger. However, it wouldn't be until a few years after Kimberly, the last of his friends from the original team, had passed on peacefully in her sleep that the immortal ranger would begin to dislike his immortality. As it was slowly causing him to lose everyone he ever loved that had been in his life. His mother's death was especially among the hardest as he'd suddenly lost her due to a car accident that had taken her life. And if it hadn't of been for Jason and the others being there for him in his 30's when it had happened, Billy was certain he'd of fallen into a dark place. Unfortunately, he'd end up in one for about 10 years after Kim's passing as he was struggling with everything and beginning to grow his dislike of his immortality. Now yes, he had been witness to many things in his life, especially in the early days of his immortality. Such as Earth joining the rest of the universe thanks to efforts made to ensure it happening. Evil being defeated for at least 30 years had been another thing he had been able to witness.

He had even had children of his own that in his view, were fortunate to not have inherited his immortality. Even if that meant that he would be utterly alone later on despite grandchildren and the like being around. But as time passed, the once happy Billy began to grow cold and distant, even taking the ship Zordon and Alpha 5 had called home for many a year until their own deaths out into space and venturing where none had yet to do so. Discovering that there was even teams of Rangers in those uncharted sections of the universe and had even teamed up with them on occasion despite how distant and isolated he had become. He had even been able to help settle races on other planets for whatever reason. The darkness that had been slowly building in Billy for years however… Would see him do horrible things in very rare moments during his long life. Things he could never forgive himself for and even strive to try and redeem those actions despite the struggles it caused him. Others in the universe that he met, especially in those unknown sections of the universe, had tried helping him be free of his horrible burden. Even allowing greatly evil beings to try their hand, even if it meant killing him many times over.

But all attempts as they had been for many a year, were failures much to his ever there frustrations. Making Billy blame Zordon and curse him in every language he ever learned for his lot in life. Attempts at using cryotubes to hide away from the land of the living and appear dead while deeply asleep also would fail for whatever reason. Which occasionally saw him floating out in the depths of space until some passing ship picked him up or a planet's gravity pulled him in. How his immortality had broughten him back from the wrath of several Suns, he'd never even figure out as it was a mystery to even him. Billions across the universe knew of the wandering immortal Blue Ranger and some welcomed him while others didn't. But Billy, the once happy young man, now much older and no longer wishing to be alive, no longer gave a damn about any of it. And so, here he was, on a nameless planet that likely hadn't been visited by anyone while completely ignoring the fact another birthday was upon him. "Life, Death, and my Coin, my three most constant companions… Perhaps tonight I'll finally pass on from this curse of mine. And maybe… Just maybe… Forever re-unite with those I've lost in the Afterlife." Murmured Billy Cranston as he laid where he was under the night sky of the nameless planet.

His ship a burning wreck behind him after happily allowing it to crash there. He knew though that his long held desire would likely go unanswered and he'd be forced to live yet another day. Or even another year for that matter. Slowly, he closed his eyes and succumbed to slumber and hopefully, perhaps Death's Embrace as well.

Author's Notes: Well, that was a little on the depressing side.