Loop 24

"So, any thoughts on how you want to play this?" Zara asked, sitting on the ground next to Jason's bed, staring at the tv screen as she played Super Mario Brothers on a classic Super Nintendo she had pocketed. The controller had been reinforced with every spell Jason could think of, to ensure that it didn't break in her hands.

Jason looked up from the notebook he'd pulled from his subspace pocket and smiled. It had taken then much of the last loop to get to where they were now. The first issue had been Zara's size and it had taken Jason about two days of researching to find the right spell that would shrink her down to his height. The only pain had been that the spell needed to be reapplied once every 19 hours or she'd grow back to her original height; Jason had almost destroyed his house when he'd overslept one time. Still, that was better than transfixuring her into a toy, as he had done in the past, as now she could move about.

Next had been ensuring that she could get to a zord battle in time. That had meant using a mixture of portkey and spellbreaking so that when she activated said portkey the teleportation would break the size spell and bring her up to full size, leaving no one the wiser.

When she was Jason's height she usually slipped into her humanoid Red Dragon Thunderzord mode. Jason had been a bit surprised that she could do that but Zara had informed him that now that she was looping she remembered the conversion program and simply accessed that. Thus she could spend time in his room or wander in secluded areas of the valleys and canyons that bordered Angel Grove without crushing buildings under her dainty feet (and yes, she might be a large zord but she had dainty feet no matter what anyone said).

Faking her death had been interesting, to say the least. Jason, once more skipping the peace conference, had decided to let the Thunderzords go as it would allow Zara freedom to research and train without having to constantly come to a battle. For that they'd had to go into the final battle using an action figure of the Red Dragon Thunder Zords that Jason cast a growth charm upon and then piloted with his magic. If any of his friends noticed that he was unusually tired after the loss of the Thunderzords they didn't comment. Jason had finally left the team just before Zeo, not needing another Red Zeo crystal or the zords (having stocked up on those a few loops ago) and knowing that he had something much more important to focus on for the current loop.

The biggest issue for Zara during the last couple loops had been her inability to speak. Between Pokémon and Zord there simply wasn't any hope of learning how to produce the sounds needed to communicate with humans her needs and desires. While some Pokémon could learn to talk the mouth of an ancient dragon wasn't built for such things and Zordon had never seen the need for a Zord to be tell a Ranger they needed to swing right rather than left. While Jason and her had worked all manner of ways to communicate, starting with sign language and then actual writing Zara had longed to be able to converses with her ranger/trainer all on her own.

That's why the Machine Empire had been such a blessing.

Capturing Orbus the first time he'd showed up to make a monster grow, the two of them had worked to deactive the little annoying minion and then cannibalize his parts. Once Zara saw how something worked she could replicate it in her own body, making it her own. Even better her database was technically a part of her memories so when she Awoke she could instantly grow the needed parts within seconds; no need to worry about subspacing when it came to that!

Thus the Machine Empire's ability to speak was added to her programming and, as an added bonus, she'd engineered how they made monsters grow and found a way to not only do that but also reverse it, allowing her to grow and shrink at will without any of Jason's spells. Thus by the end of that loop she was able to swell up to Monster-Crushing Size or down to a much more manageable Person size.

Not that she'd been able to test it out too much, what with everyone thinking she was deactivated.

"I'm thinking it would be fun for you to be a part of the team."

Zara frowned at that. "Uh... really?"

"What? You don't want to be?"

"Oh, by all means, getting out more than just the occasional zord battle would be lovely DIE YOU STUPID GOOMBA! but it's not like I can just show up." She gestured at her metal form.

Jason smirked. "Let me tell you a tale about the Blue Centurion..."

~Nine Days later~

"Ah, what's the problem, rangers, cat got your tongue?" The tiger-based monster, wearing a red cocktail dress and sporting long blonde tresses, cackled as she cracked her whip. "Don't worry... Feline Fatale will have you screaming for mercy!"

"I don't think I'm old enough to hear this," Zack complained, holding his chest where the cat monster's plasma whip had struck. "Jay, we need to stop her!"

"I'm open to suggestions!" Jason stated.

"Here is one!" Feline Fatale cried out. "Submit or be dest-YYYYEMEEOOOOWWWWWW!" Red lightning struck the cat monster and caused her to fly back, stray bolts causing tiny explosions around her.

"What?" Trini said.

"What the?" Kim echoed.

"How did-" Billy began.

Jason merely smiled as their savior stepped forward, her metal fists planted on her hips. "Never fear, Rangers! I, The Scarlet Ranger, shall protect you!" With that Zara raced forward, summoning her battle staff and going at Rita's soon-to-be latest failure.

~An Hour Later~

"Aiaiai, another ranger!" Alpha exclaimed, circling around Zara. "How can this be?"

"Yeah Zordon, how is there another Ranger?" Kimberly asked.

Zack nodded. "And why does she look so different from us."

"Rangers," Zordon stated calmly, looking down at the new recruit, "while it is true that you are the protectors of earth that does not mean you are the only rangers that have been or ever will be. Long has the universe been protected by the Power Rangers and you are merely part of a greater fraternity of heroes." Zordon studied Zara for a moment, Jason standing right at her side with his helmet off. "Though I admit I am puzzled by your appearance. While you are connected to the morphing grid you are unlike any ranger I have ever encountered."

"Then allow me to explain, Zoltar," Zara said and Jason didn't know how she didn't start laughing right then and there; the two of them had decided that 'The Scarlet Ranger' would have a quirk of calling people by the wrong name. "I hail from the planet Pikachu, many light years from the farthest planet in your galaxy. My planet is a tiny one, much smaller than yours. In fact, were you to stand on it you would appear larger than any zord one could find on earth. The people of Pikachu, the Pikapikas, created their own rangers to fight the evil overlord Severus Snape, who invaded from a planet very similar to your own. To ensure they were not destroyed under foot brave Pikapika Rangers underwent a special process that bonded them forever with their Kagome Zords. I bonded with this form and became the Scarlet Ranger. When Snape was defeated we rangers, knowing that we could never again safely live on our planet and frolic and play with the gentle Voldemorts, decided to go our separate ways, seeking out other rangers and assisting them." She slammed her fist against her chest. "I swear that I will stand with you, Zoltar, and aid my fellow Rangers in battle. Rangers like Jaden, Tribble, Zork, Mabel, and Dipper!"

Zordon hummed a bit at this before nodding. "Very well, Scarlet Ranger... we welcome you to the team..." Alarms began to go off and Zordon looked at the viewing globe, which revealed a massive Feline Fatale rampaging through the city. "And not a moment too soon, it seems."

"But wait," Billy pointed out, "how can you be of assistance against such a gargantuan foe."

Jason and Zara shared a look.

~10 Minutes Later~

"Burn in the fires of justice!" Zara shouted, having transformed back into her dragon form and sized herself up to her 'normal' size. "For Pikachu!"

Loop 25

"Oh, there must be some way to defeat those pesky rangers!" Rita wailed, marching about her Moon Palace's balcony in a huff. "Some monster or foe that can defeat them..."

"That is why you continue to fail," Zara declared before unleashing a Dark Pulse attack at Rita, sending her toppling to the ground. The Empress of Evil was powerful but it also turned out that 'Evil Space Witch' equaled Ghost/Psychic type in their baseline and Dark Pulse was highly effective. 'Huh, think I got a critical,' Zara thought as she looked at Rita's crumpled form, the villain looking like she'd been hit by a battering ram. "Never send a monster to do an Iron Dragon's job!" Rita made a go for her staff only to get another Dark Pulse to the face, causing her to screech and howl before her cries suddenly turned into a rattling gasp, her arm flying to the ground and her face, twisted in a silent scream, slamming down onto the cold stone. "Pathetic," Zara said with a scoff.

While Rita was a big deal in the baseline Zara and Jason were simply beyond her. Jason had more magic that Rita could ever hope to get and even forgetting about the Pink power coin and his various zords he'd collected he had begun the task of merging his 'Prime Morphers', as he called the Red Morpher from the Potter Loop and Gold Morpher from his Intense Loop, into his final, ultimate morpher. To do that he had taken His Intense Loop Gold Morpher and his Staff from the Virus Loop and merged them into one and then done the same thing with his Red Tyranno Morpher, Red Ape Morpher, and the Red Zeo Morpher. The Zeo crystals apparently continued to gain power even when looping or in a subspace pocket, meaning Jason was a big deal.

A big deal as in, "If he really wanted to he could wipe out the entire Alliance of Evil".

As for Zara he had taken her already considerable power from being both a Zord and a Pokémon and then merged her with an extra Red Zeo Crystal he'd snagged during his pranking loops. Zara's systems had spent the loop before last studying it (that had been an interesting 18 months) and now, much like her voice box and growing powers, it was forever a part of her, able to be grown within her the moment she awoke.

Thus Zara was running on a power source that made Serpenterra look like the Energizer Bunny.

"I am Zara, Queen of the Iron Dragons, and I will do what Rita Repulsa could not: I will break the Power Rangers." She summoned her battle staff and pointed it at Rita's minions. "Any questions?"

Goldar stood there for a moment... before dropping to his knees, the other members of Rita's court mimicking him.

"Thought so!"

~Two Weeks Later~

"You know, I liked it better when the evil overlords stayed on the moon!" Zack complained as Goldar and a squad of putties swarmed him.

"They just keep coming!" Kimberly cried out as she barely missed a shot one of Finster's newest mothers, a scissor-based monster called Snip-Snip, sent at her head.

"It seems that with Zara now in command Goldar and the putties have decided to reevaluate their strategy!" Billy called out, managing to take out one putty with ease

"Where is Jason?"

Zack gestured towards the edge of the rocky outcrop they were battling on. "That crazy dragon lady tackled him off the edge of the cliff!" They heard some shouts and clatter and then silence. "Geez, they must be going all out!"

Down the cliff face, in an easy to miss cave, Jason and Zara sat with a deck of cards, Jason still in his ranger outfit.

"Hit me," Zara said. Jason dealt her a card. "21! Suck it!"

Jason chuckled before cupping his hands over his mouth. "ARGH! AAAA!" He then took a pipe he'd pulled from his subspace and struck it against a rock. "Okay, your deal," he said in a quieter voice. "So, how long do you want to keep the charade up?"

"At least another 6 months. I've almost got the full Zeo Crystal uncovered and I want to get that pocketed before anything else."

"That will be great when the others Wake up. Plus I want extra if we can get the other zords looping too."

"Aw, but I want to be special!" Zara teased.

"You are already special," Jason said and Zara was glad that as a zord she couldn't blush.

"Besides," she quickly said, wanting to move on before things got awkward, "I want to also get the Moon Base cleaned up and set up... I want to pocket that thing before we loop again and I do not feel like having Rita Stink in my subspace."

"Hit me," Jason said, getting another card before motioning to stay. Zara drew and busted, sighing and crying out roars of frustration before passing the deck back to Jason. "So about a year you think?"

"Yeah. That gives us time to pocket it before Zedd shows up. Oh! Almost forgot!" Zara reached into her subspace and pulled out the Green Power Coin, the precious item wrapped in a plastic baggie. "Found some interesting stuff in Rita's room... going to wipe my memory banks of most of it but I nabbed this."

Jason's hand glowed and he easily purified the Coin with a bit of Miko Magic before letting it bond to him before tossing it into his subspace. "And that makes Red, Pink, and Green. Think I'll get Black next, let Zack be the leader. Maybe the zords will dance."

"We're using one of your mindless drones for that," Zara complained, Jason laughing at the thought of her dancing up a storm.

~One Year Later~

Today was the day. Zara had managed to get the Zeo Crystal from under the Moon Base and cut up, ready for when Jason's friends began looping. She'd cleared out most of the garbage and she'd flown Jason up so he could transfigure the entire palace into a snowglobe that she placed in her subspace. Goldar and Finster and the other minions had been quietly destroyed in Ranger battles, leaving only Zara left. She was ready to return to Earth. And that meant the Queen of the Iron Dragons needed to be defeated.

And she and Jason knew just how.

"We aren't going to give up!" Kim declared.

"We won't let you harm the Earth!" Trini shouted.

Zara let out a chortling laugh as she stared down the Rangers. "And just how will you stop me? I am immortal! All powerful! Unstoppable!"

"No," Jason said defiantly. "You have a weakness."

"Big talk from a little ranger!" Zara said, preparing to swell up to zord size.

"But it doesn't make it less true!" Jason said, stepping in front of his friends and pointing right at Zara. "I know your one weakness... compliments!"

"Yeah Jay, you-wait, what?" Zack looked to Billy. "Did he just..."

"Affirmative," Billy said, confused.

Zara laughed again but it sounded less confident before. "P-please! That is just... bluster..."

"Your armor looks nice today," Jason said.

Zara grasped her chest and let out a pained gasp.

"I really like that color of red on you. Really brings out your eyes."

"Stop!" Zara moaned in agony.

Jason took a step forward and dramatically declared, "I'm impressed by your leadership skills!"

"No! No!" Zara screamed, falling to her knees

"You have a lovely singing voice!"

"You monster!"

"Have you thought of being a model?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zara screamed, activating a portkey and a small flash bang so that it looked like she'd exploded. Jason had set the portkey to end up on his yacht that he'd unpocketed that morning and Zara was now sitting on the deck, grabbing one of the new novels she'd been dying to check out. The plan was for Jason to claim to go to the Peace Conference and then to simply disappear, the two of them spending the rest of the loop sailing.

Jason thrust his fist into the air. "And that's how we do it! Power Rangers!"

"What... what just happened?" Trini stammered.

Loop 26

Zara blinked as she both awoke and Awoke, stretching and letting out a yawn before reaching up and tussling her frizzy hair.

She froze as what she'd just done sunk in.

"Wait..." she said slowly, pulling her hands forward and looking at the strands of slightly curly red hair. Eyes widening, she marveled at the locks for a moment before planting her palms on her soft, fleshy cheeks and letting out a small gasp before rushing over to the mirror in Jason's room and staring at herself.

The first thing she noticed was that she was tall. Maybe even a bit taller than Jason, though if so then only by half an inch. She had long deep red hair with two gold streaks running through it. Her face was slightly round but no where near being called chubby or heavy... just the right amount to keep her features from being harsh. Her eyes were baby blue with little flecks of gold, honoring both her T-rex and Dragon forms, and as those same eyes swept over her body she marveled at her muscular form. She'd seen Trini and Kim and Kat and Tonya and Aisha plenty of times and none of them could hold a candle to her. She flexed and smirked as her muscles danced... she was like an amazon given life.

"Didn't think I'd loop into being a human," she thought as she checked her Unawake memories. In this loop she was Zara Lynn Scott, a martial arts instructor and student at Angel Grove High. She was best friends with Kimberly, Trini, Zack, and Billy and all 5 of them were model students. There were some odd changes... it seemed that Trini was the brainiac of the group while Billy was really into meditation and relaxation. Kimberly was a dance nut and had even created a fighting style around her moves while Zack was training with hopes of joining the Men's Olympic Gymnastics Team. But otherwise they were the same people she knew from when Jason looped and just a week ago they had been made Power Rangers-

"JASON!" Zara cried out, backing away from the mirror. "Crap crap crap!" She hurried to get dressed, sending out a ping and getting one in response. "Okay, okay... can't teleport to him because I don't know magic... he might be able to teach me now if he has a wand that works for me. Didn't he say he and Harry raided Ollivanders during the war... focus! Focus! Dress, find Jason. Dress, find Jason."

Zara held up a bra and stared at it in horror.

"Aw crap, can't I just fight Serpinterra instead?"

~Four Hours Later~

"Sorry, sorry!" Zara cried out as she hopped out of the truck and sprinted to the fissure that normally housed her. Looking down into it she saw a familiar Tyrannosaurus head and a quick ping confirmed it was Jason. "It took me a while to figure out how to get dressed, what with never needing to do it before, and I don't know magic like you do… you can teach me magic now, right? Anyway, I can't apparate so I had to drive here and GEEZ is your truck hard to drive and don't worry I'm sure Mrs. O'Malley's dog is fine… Jason?"

The Red Ranger-turned-Zord emerged from the fissure and then slowly shrank down in size.

"Oh good, you can still use your magic. Wait… you aren't in the humanoid form… of course, you've never been the Thunderzord so you don't know how to shift to that form. Shoot, that will make things annoying for a while but I'll help you out. We'll have to go baseline though to ensure you do eventually get to be a Thunderzord." Zara began to pace. "Sorry, this is a bit overwhelming and I'm babbling… apparently I babble when I'm nervous, who knew! Huh, and we should see about getting you a Zeo Crystal after you go Thunderzord, so you can survive Rito's assault and aren't killed and replaced with a monkey. Or ape. Whatever. And hey, I can morph! Tyrannosaurus!" There was a flash and Zara was in a modified version of the Red Ranger costume, sporting a skirt like Kim did. "So cool. I am keeping this one for sure, totally get what you mean about the power coin feeling like it belongs with you. So, we are keeping this super baseline for a while, no jokes which is sad because I have this great idea where you try and woe Rita. Maybe next time. Anyway-"

It would be another 10 minutes before Zara realized that Jason, in this form, couldn't talk, lacking the Orbus upgrades they had given her.

Loop 27

Jason sighed as he focused on his weight lifting. He'd Awoken a few minutes ago in the Juice Bar and searching his memories proved that this was a baseline loop (he'd been lucking out so far that things stayed close to the same but knew that wouldn't last forever) and that he'd been a ranger now for roughly 2 months, meaning that Tommy and the whole Evil Green Ranger thing was right around the corner. He'd taken a few moments to silently celebrate being human again; once they'd installed the Orbus upgrades things had been better, with him getting his own voice (except for the beginning when Zara had decided to make him sound Scottish… he'd purposely held back Pyramidius during her next fight as revenge), but being able to walk around as a human again was a god send.

And that was why he was in such a dark mood. Because if he was human… that meant Zara wasn't.

She had loved being human and attacked life with a zeal that shocked even him. She had tried new foods and taken up hundreds of hobbies, experiencing every little joy she could with a grin. Oh, she was still snarky and a bit wicked when it came to pranks but the zord-turned-human had loved life and being a part of it. In fact that had made her an amazing Ranger as she had fought ten times as hard to protect the world she loved and wanted to be a part of.

And now the loops had taken that away from her.

He had been working to try and figure out a way to let her blend in with the people of Angel Grove. Being the Scarlet Ranger had helped but she'd had to spend her off time at the Command Center and Jason knew that while Zordon was a good mentor he wasn't the best company for someone like Zara. She might have been an ancient zord but she had the heart and soul of a teenager and that after tasting a bit of freedom she wouldn't be happy going back to the way things were.

Jason sighed again and finished his reps. 'Maybe I can get Harry to help. There must be a spell or something-'

"Hey guys!" Kimberly called out, skipping over to where Trini and Zack were standing. "I want to introduce you to the new girl. She just moved to Angel Grove. Guys, this is Zara Fakename."

"Nice to meet you!" a decidedly human Zara said with a grin, Jason standing there slack jawed.

It took over an hour before Jason was able to get Zara alone, as all his friends seemed super interested in chatting with her, finding out about her life ('Oh, from Stone Canyon… really into dinosaurs… know karate…'). But finally he managed to pull her aside while the others dealt with Bulk and Skull's latest antics (Something about a pyramid scheme to make them rich involving apples and color-coded scarves) and was now glaring at the bemused teen.

"How?"

"How what?" Zara asked.

"How are you human?!" Jason hissed, gesturing at her.

Zara looked down and blinked. "I'm not human. Zord. This is baseline."

"No, zord would be giant and metal. You are small and-"

"Fun size?" Zara teased.

"Not metal."

"Actually I am," Zara said, holding up her hand. The flesh on her skin flickered like someone turning the pages of a book and her fingers turned into the same metal they were when she was the Dragon Thunderzord. "Biomechnical."

"…what?"

"It's no different than turning from the Rex to a Dragon. Couldn't do it before because I didn't know what being human felt like but now I know. You know, like how I can do this." She shifted and within seconds was in her Tyrunt form before returning to her Human-Zara form. "Pretty neat, huh? Opens up a ton of looping possibilities."

Jason stared at her, his eye twitched. "I am thrilled you don't need to hide anymore… just one question."

"Yes?"

"Could I have done that too last loop?"

Zara smiled weakly as it dawned on her what he was saying. "Uh… I think I hear a putty attack, should totally check that out…" with that she fled.

"ZARA!"

Loop 28

"Rangers, I wish to thank you for your hard work," Zordon declared. Jason tuned him out (if you've heard one Zordon speech you've heard them all) and focused on not smiling; when he'd Awoken a few days ago in this loop, occurring after Tommy had received the power boost that let him be the Green Ranger again, he'd come up with a prank and Zara had been all for it, mad only because she hadn't thought of it first. She'd headed off to get all set up for it and Jason hadn't seen her since, only getting the occasional ping that let him know she was okay. "The threat that Rita poses remains great but you-"

The Command Center shook and the rangers all pitched about for several moments before regaining their footing.

"Aiaiaiai! What was that?"

"Rita attacking?" Tommy asked.

"No, she can't breach the command center without Zordon's permission," Trini reminded them.

"Then what-"

"Daddy!"

The Rangers turned and Jason struggled not to snicker. Zara was dressed in a little girl's school dress, complete with pigtails and Mary Jane shoes. She'd altered her skin to look blue and she hurried over to Zordon's tube, hugging it tightly.

"Daddy! I finally found you!"

"I… I… that is…"

Jason tilted his head. Who knew Zordon could stammer?

"Aiaiaiai! Whoever are you?" Alpha proclaimed. "And you must stop hugging Zordon's tube, you'll get finger prints all over it!"

"I'm Zara of Eltar and this is my daddy, Zordon! I've been looking for him for so long but I finally found him!" Zara looked up at Zordon, eyes wet with tears. "Where did you go, daddy? You told me you were going to the store to get space cigarettes and then you never came back!"

"I… I assure you you're not my daughter!"

Zara's lip trembled. "Is… is this because I have a lazy eye?" She threw back her head and let out a wail.

"Zordon, how could you?!" Kimberly proclaimed, going over and hugging Zara. "She's your daughter and just because she has a lazy eye doesn't mean you can talk to her like that!"

"She is not my daughter!"

"WAAAAAAAAAA!" Zara sobbed.

"That is messed up!" Zack declared. "My Cousin Curtis' dad walked out on them and it messed up the whole family. I've wanted to deck that man in the nose… maybe I should do that to you!" Tommy and Billy grabbed Zack before he could try and beat up the tube.

"DADDY HATES ME!" Zara sobbed as Trini and Kim consoled her, Jason just biting his fist to keep from laughing.

Loop 29

"So… not baseline," Zara said, watching as the five Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers made their first debut… and then glanced over at Jason who was crouching beside her, the two of them hidden by a rock as the newly made Rangers fought against the putties.

"Nope," Jason said. "Was wondering when we'd hit one where I never got selected to be a Ranger. Apparently in this loop my dad got a job in Stone Canyon and we moved away when I was 8."

"So who is the Red Ranger here?"

"Richie."

"…who?" the zord asked.

"I honestly don't know. I have vague memories of a cardboard cutout in the juice bar that Ernie called Richie that Trini liked to stare at but nothing else." Jason shrugged as he watched the rangers fight. "They seem to be doing a good job though."

"So, vacation loop?" Zara asked. "We've done partial ones but never a full one."

"You can if you want… I have an idea I want to do that works perfectly for this loop."

"How pranky is this one?"

"Less pranky and more getting to play up a role I've been dying to try out ever since you did the Scarlet Ranger bit."

Zara nodded. "Cool. I'll stick around to watch but I think I'll focus on some projects I've been meaning to get back too. I still need to finish knitting that blanket I started 2 loops ago and I should really see about cleaning out the rest of the Moon Palace…"

~A few months later~

"You will all fall before the might of the glorious Rita!" the wicked Green Ranger declared, easily knocking away the teens as they tried to swarm him. No matter what they did, be it a kick from Billy or a punch from Trini or Richie just standing there being...uh... Richie... the evil Ranger just would not go down. They were soon lying on the stone ground of the quarry where the Green Ranger had lured them. "There is nothing you can do to stop us! No one can stand before the might of my Empress-AARRGGHHH!" The Green Ranger cried out as bolts of energy struck him, easily damaging him even with his Dragon Shield. The wicked villain went flying backwards and landed in a heap, the Putties that had been sent to back him up staring in surprise as their commander was easily knocked out of a fight he had moments earlier been dominating.

"Oh, I don't know about that," a cool, smooth voice declared.

"What?" Trini exclaimed.

"Whoa!" Zack declared.

"Inconceivable!" Billy cried out.

"No way!" Kim said.

Richie just lay there.

The rangers turned and stared up to the top of the quarry, taking in their savior. He was dressed in a ranger outfit as well, the body black with golden armor covering his calves, biceps, and chest. Over his shoulders he wore a shield much like the wicked Green Ranger's, though his was more round. His helmet, rather than an animal motif, was a strange, abstract shape that none of the rangers could place. Still, it was clear he was one of them, connected to the Morphing Grid.

The stranger was leaning against a large bolder, the weapon he'd used to strike the Green Ranger held out. His head was turned towards them, staring down at their emerald foe, and it was clear from his body language he'd judged the Green Ranger and found him wanting.

"I'd say there is one Power Ranger on Earth who can take you down."

"How dare you strike at me, the envoy of the great and powerful Rita!"

"Hmmm... aren't you boastful. Well, if you must know..." The new ranger suddenly sprang forward, easily landing between the fallen rangers and their dark foe, his body loose and tension free as he stared down the Green Ranger. "I'm everything you'll never be."

The Green Ranger growled and with a cry of "Zi-yeah!" launched himself at the newcomer only for him to effortlessly dodge the strike.

"Faster," the new ranger taunted before with a flippant wave of his hand blocked the next strike. "Smarter." The Green Ranger went for a kick but the new Ranger caught him by the ankle and threw him to the ground. "Stronger." He approached and the Green Ranger leapt up and tried for a flurry of punches, the newcomer not even flinching as he easily stopped each one. "I am your superior...Tommy."

"How..." the Green Ranger whispered.

"Tommy?" Zack said.

"No way!" Kim gasped.

"Not possible!" Trini declared

"Him?" Billy whispered.

Richie… just stared.

The mystery ranger grabbed the Green Ranger by the throat and pulled him in close. "Tell your mistress that I'm not like the other rangers she faced. Either she leaves now or I will end her, you, and anyone else goes. Now… run along, errand boy. Deliver my message. Tell her the Onyx Ranger stands in her way now."

The Green Ranger stared him down for several moments before being teleported away, leaving the Rangers to stare at their savoir.

"Thank you…" Kim whispered.

"Don't thank you. Your fates are tied to mine."

Trini frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I've said too much as it is." Before the Rangers could respond the Onyx Ranger seemed to twist before disappearing with a CRACK!.

~Several Days Later~

"All this will belong to Empress Rita! Once I and my Zord end the Power Rangers… forever!"

The Dragonzord that the Green Ranger was standing on let out a screeching roar, challenging the Rangers to show themselves.

"How are we going to defeat that?" Kim asked.

"We have to try! Right Richie?" Zack asked.

Richie… kind of nodded. Or maybe it was just the wind blowing on him and causing him to rock back and forth slightly.

"Zordon, we're going to need to zords-" Trini began only for the Dragonzord to stumble back as lightning struck down from the suddenly black sky and sent him stumbling back, pitching the Green Ranger from his perch.

"Who dares!?" Tommy roared.

"I do," the Onyx Ranger said, everyone turning as he revealed his zord: a massive golden pyramid. "I and the might of Pyramidas will show you how meaningless and small you truly are!"

The other rangers could only watch in shock as the Onyx Ranger easily took out the Dragonzord and forced the Green Ranger to flee once more in the face of his might.

"Man, that was amazing!" Zack declared as the five original rangers ran up to the Onyx Ranger, who had recalled his zord and was now standing stoically on top of a building, his face turned towards the horizon. "You took him out like nothing."

"My zord is years ahead of his… in every sense of the world."

Billy stepped forward. "But why continue fighting him on your own? If we were to unite-"

"That can never happen," the Onyx Ranger said. "I can not risk the timeline…"

"Timeline?" Trini asked.

"I've said too much. Goodbye rangers."

~Three Months Later~

Kim stepped forward, holding her arms out wide as the Onyx Ranger, once more having moved to help them, tried to make yet another quick and dramatic disappearance. "No! Not this time! We've fought side by side… we've proven that we can stand with you… please…" Kim reached out and touched the Onyx Ranger's arm, "let us in."

The gold-and-black ranger turned his head away from you. "I don't know… the risk…"

"Please… take it," Kim whispered, the other rangers moving to back her up.

"Very well. I… am from the future… and I am your son."

Kim smiled behind her mask, reaching up with one hand and placing it on the Onyx Ranger's helm. "I knew it."

The Onyx Ranger sighed. "I come from a dark timeline. One where the Green Ranger defeated you all; he was a thorn in your side for years. You died, along with my father Eugene, on the day of my birth. I was taken in by my father's greatest friend, Farkas, who taught me-"

Kim yanked her hand away as if the Onyx Ranger had suddenly burst into flames. "Farkas… Farkas Bulkmeier?"

"Yes," the Onyx Ranger said dramatically. "Uncle Bulk told me all the time of the great love story between you and my father-"

"Eugene… Skull!? You are Skull's son?" Kim trembled. "I… I marry Skull? I sleep with Sk…uuugh… ugghh…"

"Kim?" Zack asked.

"I'm… I'm going to be sick…. UGH! GUH!"

"Take off your helmet! Take off your helmet!" Trini shouted a few seconds too late.

"Blarrggg! Gah! Gurag! Gurg!"

Hidden nearby Zara snickered. "You sick bastard."

Loop 30

Jason just watched as his fellow rangers defeated the Putties… by mambo dancing.

"Seriously, this might be the worst loop ever," he muttered.

Loop 31

Jason Awoke in utter pain.

He let out a cry and tried to bolt up, only for a pair of hands to hold him down onto the rough, lumpy mattress he was lying on. Struggling to open his eyes he found that only the left would open and reaching up his hand shook as he realized the reason he couldn't see anything out of his right was that it was gone, with only gauze hiding the empty socket. Swallowing Jason lifted his hand up, staring at the scarred skin that marred his wrist and fingers before letting it drop back down to his side.

"Are you Awake and feeling Loopy?" Zara said, Jason realizing it was her that was holding him down. She looked older than she normally did when they usually woke up, her hair cut much shorter and dirt and grime clinging to her face. She was wearing a variation of the Red Ranger outfit she had worn in her Human loop, only this one seemed more… ceremonial. "Jason?"

"Awake and Loopy? Where did you get that one Zara?" Jason asked and the Zord-Turned-Cybernetic Humaniod let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Apparently it's a common thing for Loopers to say on other branches, to let others know they are looping. If you are an anchor you say you are awake and anchored and if you're just a looper you ask for an anchor."

"Clever," Jason said, then groaned and clutched at his chest, feeling more gauze and wrappings around his torso. "Why do I feel like I was hit by every ship in the Machine Empire?"

Zara sighed. "Jason… this isn't baseline. Not anymore. I've been Awake for a few years now, watching over you. You, or this version of you, has been in a coma for a long time and… things are bad."

"How bad?" Jason asked, brow furrowing as he felt the scar on his chest just to the right of his heart.

"We made a mistake," a second voice said, one that was… familiar. "A terrible mistake, Jason. And now I need you to correct it and save not just this loop but your entire branch of the World Tree."

Jason slowly turned and his eye went wide before narrowing. "Rita…"

"No… not for a very long time," his oldest foe said. Jason looked her over and realized that she was different from the Rita he knew. There was no mocking smile or madness-filled eyes. Her voice wasn't the ear-bleeding screech that still haunted his nightmares some nights. Rather that her hair being up in massive demonic horns this Rita wore her hair down in long thick dreadlocks, a pure white like her sagely robes. She smiled kindly as she saw Jason truly take her in and she set down a tiny wand with golden opera glasses attached to it. "Once I was known as Rita Repulsa, back when I was under the control of Dark Specter. But when Andros, the Red Space Ranger, destroyed Zordon's tube, I was freed of that corruption and became the keeper of good magic. In our baseline I repented by becoming the Empress of All Good Magic and eventually I ascended, becoming the Admin of your odd little branch, so I might watch over all of you and aid you as I could."

"If you ascended… who is it that I…"

"Pranked?" the Mystic Mother asked with a gentle laugh. "A shade, as it were. A replica of my self that came into being during the same event that saw my ascension and your branch coming into being. I have enjoyed watching you defeat my darker self time and time again. A few times I have stepped in myself… though thankfully not the loop when you placed me in the sun." Rita's smile fell. "But I am afraid this loop will not be filled with laughter. As I stated I made a terrible mistake and now I must ask you to once more stop the damage."

"What's happened?" Jason asked as Zara helped him sit up.

Zara and Rita shared a look before the Mystic Mother spoke.

"Lord Drakkon is looping."

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: And we come to it at last… next chapter I explain how Jason become the anchor, how the Mystic Mother can be an admit when the Ranger Branch already has an admin… and Lord Drakkon makes his appearance.