Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Chapter 36 – King Mondo's Last Stand

Tommy and Kim decided to see how long it took for people to notice the ring that now graced Kim's finger. Of course with Trini around, it was spotted the moment the two, plus Kira, walked into the Youth Centre the next day. A loud squeal signalled Trini's find, followed by her rushing Kim and grabbing her hand for a better look. This action saw the other girls copying Trini's reaction and within seconds Kim was surrounded.

"Sixteen seconds." Tommy said to the guys as they approached him at a much more sedate pace, not really knowing what was going on, although it become clear upon their approach. "That's how long it took someone to notice."

"Congratulations Tommy." Billy said with a smile as he picked up Kira. He had already seen the ring from when he rescued it when Tommy was captured.

"You knew?" Jason asked, unsure if he was happy these two had finally officially taken the step they all knew was coming, or if he was upset that his little sister was engaged while still in high school. Given that it was Tommy and Kim, and the fact that Kim and Trini would kick his ass if he reacted any other way, Jason settled on happy.

"Tommy dropped the ring the other day at the beach, I found it." Billy answered to which the others nodded, understanding that 'the beach' meant the Cog fight.

"Well, congrats man." Rocky said clapping Tommy on the back, Adam repeated the sentiments while Tommy's behaviour yesterday, and this new development, clicked inside Jason's head.

"That's what you couldn't tell me yesterday." He said. "You were gonna propose but you wanted to do it before you told anyone." Tommy nodded and Jason settled a glare on him. "And you couldn't have found a better way to tell me that you couldn't tell me?!" he growled, referring to how Tommy's evasion had made him believe Kim was pregnant again.

"Hey give me a break! I was terrified of what she'd say and was more than distracted by it, so forgive me if I didn't explain things so well." Tommy countered.

"What are you guys talking about?" Zack asked, he, Billy, Rocky and Adam were completely confused.

"Nothing." Tommy said, not willing to get into that again. "Just a misunderstanding that had Kim and Trini mad at us for a bit." The others backed down at that, a girlfriend being mad at you was enough said. With that out of the way, Jason turned his attention back to the girls who were still squealing.

"Ok, alright, enough, you've oh'd and aw'd enough, it's just a ring." This earned him a glare from every single one of them, but he had achieved his objective of wading through the throng to reach Kim.

"Congratulations, Ptera." He murmured as he pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Rex." The Rangers then switched, the guys going over to Kim while the girls gathered around Tommy. Their display right in the middle of the Youth Centre had gathered quite the crowd, all of whom were thrilled for the couple and many of whom thought it was about time. However, although Tommy and Kim were happy their engagement met with the approval of their classmates, it was their other three friends whose reactions they wanted to see. When the group broke off to return to their seats it was to find a beaming Ernie and Bulk and Skull.

"About time!" Bulk said with a slap to Tommy's back.

"Congratulations you two!" Ernie said giving them both a hug. "This calls for a celebration. Free smoothies! And I'll make a cake for later."

"Chocolate?" Kira cried from her place at in Billy's arms, having recognized the word 'cake'.

"Yes it'll be chocolate." Ernie assured her earning a big cheer. "It figures that's the one word she knows perfectly."

"Yeah, that and 'no.' " Kim added with a laugh as she and the others took a seat. "So, while we wanted you guys to know we were engaged, we actually came to ask you guys a favour."

"Anything." Trini said, too happy to say no to anything her best friend wanted.

"Within reason." Jason added, although happy, he would still say no to some things. "I'm not going shopping with you."

"You have to go this time, Jase." Kim teased. "Helping to pick out and assemble a bed falls under your duties as godfather." Jason shot her a questioning look, completely confused as to what shopping, a bed, and being a godfather had to do with each other.

"Guess who finally escaped her crib last night?" Tommy supplied and from there it wasn't hard for Jason to catch up.

"You did?!" He cried with a big smile as he took Kira from Billy's lap. "That's awesome! High five!" Kira's tiny hand slapped against his big one as she said,

"I get big girl bed."

"Yes you do!" Trini cooed, her attention fully having turned from one piece of amazing news to another.

"So you'll come Jase?" Kim asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course! You're not picking out her first bed without me! I'm thinking gold frame, with Original Red Ranger bed sheets."

"Think again." Trini growled at her boyfriend, amusement shining in her eyes.

"Green will go much better with the nursery." Adam offered.

"Black!"

"Nu uh! Blue!" said Rocky, Billy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but which nursery?" Aisha asked. "Do you have to buy a bed for all three nurseries?"

"Yep." Said Tommy.

"But Tommy's parents have agreed to pay for one, while my parents will pay for the second, meaning we only have pay for the third."

"Well that's good." Kat said. "You don't have to blow all your savings."

"That's what our parents are thinking. With graduation only a few months away they want us to save every penny for when we move out."

"Which we still don't know when that's happening, or where we're going."

"None of us do." Rocky grumbled. "Mom's been bugging me about college."

"Well, we have all missed the application deadlines for a September start." Provided Billy. "I don't think any of us really know what we want to do, and with our duties here, perhaps we should all just take time off school. Get a job, and think about our futures when we have less to worry about."

"We knew you were smart, Billy, but I think that's the smartest thing you've ever said." Zack commented. "So we're agreed. No more stressing about the future until after graduation." The others happily nodded, none of them complaining.

"Unc Jay, big girl bed, go!" Kira said, sliding off Jason's lap and pulling on his arm when she decided she had been ignored long enough.

"You heard the little lady, go!" Jason said getting up and allowing himself to be led outside.

"To Ikea!" Rocky called chasing after them.

"Bulk, Skull you coming?" Kim asked. The two smiled and nodded yes, happy to be included. Everyone gathered their stuff and followed Jason and Kira's exit.

"Ernie we'll be back for that cake!" Tommy called as he was the last one out the door. It was a long and tiring process to pick out three beds with twelve people, each with their own opinion, and that did not take into account Kira's opinion. Ikea had been invaded and an hour into their trip, Kim and Tommy were positive Jason and Rocky's opinionated bickering would get them thrown out before they chose even one bed. Eventually, Trini and Aisha had had enough and sent the two away to sit in nearby chairs until they could behave. Kira had watched the entire thing with wide eyes and her young mind worked out that she never wanted to get on her aunts Trini and Aisha's bad side. Surprisingly enough, it was Bulk and Skull who picked out the first bed, to great success in Kira's opinion. From that point on she would not look at any other bed and Tommy and Kim conceded to her wishes and bought three of the same bed. Jason and Rocky were relegated to heavy lifting and then sent to different houses so they would not be in the same place trying to assemble the beds. The group split up, Tommy leading Rocky, Aisha and Zack to his place, Jason taking Kat, Billy and Trini to Kim's mom's place, while Kim took Kira, Adam, Bulk and Skull to her dad's, though the later two were quickly assigned the task of sitting and reading the instructions while not touching any of the parts after they lost one of the screws seconds after the box was open. It took a few hours, and much frustration, but eventually all three beds were set up and outfitted with sheets, pillows and stuffed toys, and the gang retreated back to the Youth Centre for a much needed break, and some cake.

-T/K-

Months passed in which the only major event was the return of King Mondo. Gasket and Archerina fled the moment Mondo returned, and the Rangers were thankful for it as it meant that instead of teaming up and causing them more trouble, things carried on as usual. On the first Saturday in May, the beautiful weather drew the Rangers to the park, foregoing their usual hang out at the Youth Centre. For now at least; none of them had any doubt that they wouldn't end up there at some point today. It was a rare Saturday that Tommy had off from work and so the entire day had been planned out, their schedule currently calling for a game of hide and seek with Kira when a problem arose. The problem being that Kira did not understand the boundaries the gang had set up for their game, and so had wandered off somewhere, no doubt having found the best hiding spot.

"Look everywhere." Kim said, worry written all over her face, something that was mirrored by each and every one of them. A baby alone in a park was bad enough, but given it was Kira, the Machine Empire may very well have been watching and could already be searching for her now that she was out of the protective bubble of being around her family. Splitting up, the Rangers began searching everywhere; under bushes, around the playground, behind trees, anywhere the toddler may have wandered off to.

A little ways away, a woman of African-American descent was walking trough the park when she came across the peculiar sight of two little feet sticking out from underneath a tarp where bricks that would be used for a new pathway were being kept. Walking over, she lifted the tarp up to reveal the owner of the feet was a little girl with chocolate brown hair and eyes to match, who quickly shushed her.

"Hiding." Kira said.

"I can see that." The woman said with a laugh. "But why are you hiding?"

"Game."

"Ah, hide and seek. Who's seeking you?"

"Mommy, daddy, Unc Jay, Aunt Trini, Unc Zack, Unc Billy, Unc-"

"So your family." She interrupted, when more than a few names were said. "Where are they?" Kira shrugged.

"I good at hiding." The woman nodded wondering what to do. She could not leave the child alone, and apparently her family was close by, but where? As if to answer her question, a woman with hair the same colour as the child's came into view.

"Kira! Kira, sweetie, please come out! The game's over, you win! Please come to mommy."

"Shhh!" Catching on quick, the woman asked,

"You're Kira?"

"Uh huh."

"Well I think you're mom's calling for you."

"But we're playing!"

"She's saying the game's over, and you won! Now let's go see your mom." Any reluctance Kira may have had died when she heard she had won and so she allowed herself to be picked up and carried in the direction of her mother.

"Hey!" the woman holding her called. "Is this who you're looking for?"

"Oh my god!" Kim cried as she rushed forward and took Kira into her arms. "Thank god you're safe! Mommy was so worried!"

"I won mama!"

"Yeah, you won." She said breathlessly, her heart finally slowing down. "Thank you so much!" she directed to the newcomer.

"No problem."

"I'm Kimberly. And this little trouble maker is my daughter, Kira."

"Nice to meet you, I'm-" Before she could introduce herself, a distant cry of "Kim found her!" was heard, quickly followed by nine people racing in their direction. Tommy reached them first and took Kira from Kim holding her close and murmuring similar sentiments as Kim had moments ago. The others caught up quickly and paid no mind to the woman as they ascertained that Kira was indeed alright. When that was done, attention could be turned elsewhere, namely to the newcomer, though she wasn't new to everyone.

"Tanya?!" Aisha cried when her eyes registered who was standing before her.

"Aisha!" Tanya rushed forward and hugged the shorter woman, though her height did not affect her own hugging ability. "I've been searching all over for you! Aunt Carissa said you came to the park with some friends, I thought I'd join you, if that's ok."

"Of course girl! Oh it's so good to see you!"

"Hey Tanya." Rocky said coming forward to give her a hug.

"It's been awhile." Adam added, giving her his own hug, though it was noted that it lasted slightly longer than Rocky's. Aisha let out a squeal and another round of hugs was given before she explained. "Guys, this is my cousin, Tanya. Her parents are Zoologists so she's been in Africa for the last three years while they conducted research."

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"Yeah, it was fun, but I'm glad to be home."

"How long are you staying?" Aisha asked. Tanya had moved around with her parents from the time she was young, never staying in one place too long.

"For good." Tanya said with a smile.

"Really?! That's amazing, Tanya, I've missed you so much! But what about Aunt Angelina and Uncle Dean's work?"

"They both got offered jobs at UCLA. They start in September. We've rented a house here in Angel Grove till the end of the summer while they look at places in L.A."

"As I said, amazing!" Aisha gushed.

"Yeah it is. Now, aren't you gonna introduce us? They know who I am, but apart from these two," she nodded in Rocky and Adam's direction. "I only know them as 'the guys.' "

"Right, of course. That's Billy, Kat, Trini, Zack, Jason, Tommy, Kimberly and their daughter Kira."

"Nice to meet you all." Tanya joined the Rangers for the rest of the day and they found a quick friend in her. She was like Aisha in many ways; cheerful, optimistic, friendly, but took crap from no one, especially Rocky and Adam. As Tanya traveled so much she never really had many friends; her cousin was her best friend, and as the boys were constants in Aisha's life, it meant they became a part of hers whenever she was home. Another thing that became clear very quickly was that Adam was absolutely besotted with Tanya. It explained a lot as to why he never showed interest in any other girl, and never spoke of his love life, or bemoaned a lack thereof. Aisha quietly explained that it had basically been love at first sight for Adam when he'd first met Tanya as a kid. Tanya knew this, it wasn't hard to see, not to mention that Adam never even tried to hide it; in fact, every time Tanya returned home Adam asked her out, always getting shot down, but still he asked again. Whether Tanya's refusal meant she never returned his feelings, or if she simply guarded her own feelings as she was away so often and for so long, even Aisha did not know, but with Tanya moving back permanently she figured it wouldn't be long before they found out. And it wasn't. By the end of May, Tanya had decided to give Adam a chance.

-T/K-

June brought around its own set of problems, least of all were the ever dreaded final exams, compounded this year by the fact that their marks would determine any colleges they got into, should they ever decide to apply. The biggest problem came in the form of Billy, who in the space of a night, seemed to have aged ten years.

"Like, really age ten years?" Rocky asked as the Rangers, past and present, appeared in the Power Chamber to deal with this latest crisis. "Or Ranger stuff making him seem ten years older?"

"Really, Rocky." Billy said as he walked out of the back hallway, various devices in his hand.

"Oh my god, Billy, what's happening?" Kim cried, rushing to his side. He still looked like Billy, but one who should be thirty, not eighteen.

"Well, you remember the regenerator I built when Zedd turned us into children?"

"Yes."

"No." Everyone answered at once, only the Originals answering in the affirmative.

"Long story short, before you guys became Rangers, one of Zedd's tactics was to turn us into children and try to defeat us while we were too young to access The Power." Trini explained quickly. "Billy built a regenerator to turn us back to normal, and it worked, but-"

"I was the only one able to use it before Zedd destroyed it. Which is a good thing, as it appears to have a side effect."

"But it's been years." Zack said. "Why now?"

"Of that we are uncertain." He admitted. "My best hypothesis is that I have been aging at a faster rate then is natural since then, but the accelerated rate was so minimal we never noticed until now, when it's suddenly sped up."

"Any idea why it's sped up all of a sudden?" Tommy asked.

"No. That is the uncertain part."

"What we do know is that at the current accelerated rate Billy ages approximately a decade in the space of twenty-four hours." Kat said. "In a matter of a week he will physically be a hundred years old."

"And that is if the accelerant does not speed up again." Alpha added.

"Can we reverse it?" Asked Adam.

"WE ARE TRYING EVERYTHING WE CAN. ALTHOUGH THE TIME IN WHICH WE HAVE TO FIND AN ANSWER IS LIMITED, WE DO HAVE TIME."

"Tell us what we can do." Said Jason. "We'll figure this out, Billy. We won't let anything happen to you."

-T/K-

A couple days passed and no progress had been made. It was at this point that Billy returned home from hiding at the Power Chamber, and the Rangers informed their parents of this latest development. They were all, naturally, incredibly worried, seeing Billy practically age before their eyes. Charles was especially worried for his son, who already looked to be the same age as he was.

"We will find a solution." Kat promised, refusing to believe anything else; her worry for Billy second only to that of his father.

"We may have found something!" came Rocky's voice over the communicator, knowing exactly where the others were and so not bothering to call, but merely beginning to speak. There was always a group at the Power Chamber, the Rangers switching out constantly for classes they absolutely could not miss, though with their parents now in the know they suspected they'd get a free pass until this was solved.

"We're on our way." Tommy said. "We'll let you know the moment we have something." He told the parents as he, Billy, Kat and Kim teleported out.

"You found something?" Kat asked when they appeared in the Power Chamber.

"They're teleporting in now." Seconds later, two old friends arrived, bringing smiles of hope to their faces.

"Delphine, Cestro." Billy greeted.

"Greetings Rangers." Delphine returned.

"WELCOME BACK, RANGERS OF AQUITAR."

"We figured that if your combined brain power could figure out a way to purify an entire planet, it may be enough to find a way to make you young again." Adam explained.

"Billy? Is that you?" Delphine asked, looking to the old man Adam spoke to.

"I have been informed about your problem." Cestro said. "And have constructed a prototype regenerator. Hopefully it will return you to normal."

"That's great. We'll try just about anything at this point." Cestro nodded and pointed the device at Billy. The others moved aside and Cestro started it up, unfortunately with undesirable consequences. The device not only didn't work, but it exploded, destroying the prototype.

"What happened?" Delphine asked after ascertaining that Cestro was unharmed.

"I am unsure." He replied. He began dismantling the device, and was quick to find the problem. "Unfortunately, I will need very pure water to fix it."

"Do we have any water purifier left?" Aisha asked. Billy shook his head.

"Negative. They took it all to Aquitar. We could make more, but it'll take time."

"Too much time." Tommy said. "We'll head to Angel Grove falls. It should be pure enough to at least tell us if the device will work." With the plan set, five of the Rangers jumped on their Zeo Jet Cycles and headed in the direction of the falls. They were waylaid, however, by the arrival of King Mondo and his latest monster.

"Guys we've got trouble!" Tommy called through the comm system back to the Power Chamber. "Jason, you're gonna have to get the water as we deal with Mondo."

"Right." Jason said and quickly teleported out. Before he could return though, Jason too was called to battle as Pyramidas was needed. Or at least they thought he was needed. The monster was defeating the Zeo Megazord with relative ease, but retreated almost immediately upon Pyramidas' arrival. He didn't even get a single hit in.

"Don't knock it." Kim instructed once the monster was gone. "We gotta get back to Billy." The Rangers did just that, but upon entering the Power Chamber, were informed it may be too late. Billy had aged a few more years in the space of the thirty minutes they were gone.

"The accelerant is speeding up again!" Alpha cried. "Aye yai yai!"

"Well let's find out if the regenerator would work in the first place." Jason said, handing the water to Cestro. He inserted it into the device and once again pointed it at Billy. This time, the device worked, or at least, appeared to work. Instead of exploding, the beam hit Billy and seemed to do its job for a minute, but the effects did not hold.

"What does that mean Cestro?" Kat asked. "Will it work?"

"With adjustments, and the pure water of Aquitar it just might."

"But do we have time for that?" Zack asked.

"There has to be, Zack." Kim said worriedly, unwilling to think of the alternative.

"I'll begin the adjustments right away." Cestro said.

"And I shall return to Aquitar and retrieve some of our water." Delphine added. The others nodded and were preparing to offer Cestro their assistance when a secondary alarm went off, signalling that there was something wrong with the Zeo Megazord, and Pyramidas.

"It appears to be a loose circuit." Billy said, taking a look at the schematics that appeared on screen. "I better go take a look."

"Billy you should rest." Kat insisted, the ever-present worry in her eyes growing, to which Trini agreed.

"Jason and I will go take a look." She said to Billy. "You can direct us how to fix it, while resting." Trini and Jason left without another word, heading to the Zord Bay and straight to the Zeo Megazord, and Pyramidas. Billy told them through the communicators where to go and what to look for and it wasn't long before they found it. Following instructions to start up the back up power, they were met with some complications.

"Guys, I think something else is going on here!" Trini cried as the Zeo Megazord. Began to jerkily shake.

"Pyramidas too!" came Jason's voice. Alpha brought up a visual on the Zord Bay just in time to see the Zeo Megazord and Pyramidas escape. The Rangers watched in horror as the two powerful Megazords began attacking downtown Angel Grove.

"Zordon, what's going on?!" Tommy practically demanded.

"MY SENSORS INDICATE THAT THE COG CHANGE MONSTER YOU FOUGHT PLACED ITS EVIL COGS INSIDE THE MEGAZORDS AND THAT THEY ARE NOW UNDER KING MONDO'S CONTROL."

"Not again." Zack moaned, remembering back to when Zedd had first arrived and had taken control of the Dinozords. "Billy, do we still have that device you made?" Billy nodded, knowing exactly which one Zack was talking about, but then brought out the bad news.

"We have it, but if Zordon is right and it is an evil cog controlling the Megazords, then the signal blocker we used against Zedd's monster won't work. We'll have to remove the cogs manually if we want to have any chance of regaining control of the Megazords."

"Right, of course, it can never be that easy." Zack's anger shone through, though they all knew it was because this was happening at the same time as they were trying to save Billy. When one of their own was in danger, more so than usual at any rate, none of them handled it too well.

"Billy we heard you." Came Jason's voice. "We'll try to find the evil cogs."

"No, you guys teleport out of there." Tommy instructed. "There's too many cogs in the Zords to find it manually, and I have a hunch Cog Changer won't make it easy for you." True enough, upon seeing the Megazords attacking the city, Cog Changer had appeared and was making a beeline for them. "Get out of there now!" Seconds later, yellow and blackish/gold beams of light teleported in.

"We could have found the cogs." Jason ground out.

"Not before Cog Changer destroyed you." Kim said, coming to Tommy's defense. "One of two things was gonna happen, either the Megazords destroy the city while under Mondo's control, or Cog Changer destroys the Megazords with you in it to stop you from finding those cogs. So we'd lose the city, or the Megazords, and either way Mondo wins. We need a plan."

"We can get a lock on Cog Changer's energy signature and I should be able to create a locator to find the evil cogs." Billy said, falling into his element. "Once we know where they are, we can distract Cog Changer while we destroy them."

"No, Billy, you need to rest!" Kat said, tears beginning to appear and cloud her voice. "Alpha and I will find a way." Turning towards her, Billy took her hands in his and looked into her sad eyes.

"Kat, I know you're worried, I am too. But this is what we do. We're Power Rangers, we protect Earth at all costs."

"And if it costs you your life then who will be left to protect Earth?"

"There are many of us, if one of us falls, the others will carry on." Kat shook her head and allowed the tears to fall. Billy pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. "It's gonna be ok, Kat." He murmured uncharacteristically. Normally he was very much like C-3PO, always having the odds of survival on hand and never making promises he might not be able to keep simply to make someone feel better.

"Alright, let's get to work." Tommy said, taking over after giving the two of them a moment. "Cestro, how's the device coming?"

"It should be ready upon Delphine's return."

"Good, keep working. Trini, Zack, Alpha and Kat will help in any way they can, as well as begin to look for a way to locate those cogs. Jason, you're gonna be useless until we get Pyramidas back so stay and help them. Billy, give them directions, but also rest, we don't wanna speed this thing up any more."

"I'll make sure he rests." Kat said as the standard determination after a break down began to set in.

"Good. The rest of us will take the Super Zeo Megazord and try to hold off the other Megazords until they've located the cogs. Ready?" The active Rangers stepped forward and activated their Morphers in response.

"It's Morphin' Time!"

"Zeo Ranger I-Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II-Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III-Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV-Green!"

"Zeo Ranger V-Red!"

"Super Zeo Megazord, power up!"

Time passed, and the Super Zeo Megazord took a beating, though thankfully, it was only them and not the city. Eventually Delphine returned with more water then strictly necessary, excusing her late return but citing she and the other Aquitar Rangers had worked out a Plan B should this fail. Keeping those outside the Power Chamber informed, Cestro inserted the water and once more used the device. This time, powered by the truly pure water of Aquitar, it worked, or mostly worked. The device brought down Billy's age by at least thirty years, but that still made him nearly thirty years older than he was supposed to be.

"Well that's something at least." Said a middle aged Billy as he now fully joined in the research and creation of the device to locate the cogs. With him no longer being an old man, he wasn't going to sit around and do nothing. More time passed and after about an hour of battling Pyramidas and the Zeo Megazord, the Super Zeo Megazord was about ready to fail them. Seeing this, and also seeing that the device to locate the cogs was now well on its way, out of the planning stage and already being built, Billy stepped forward with a plan.

"Aisha, Adam, Rocky, think you guys can handle the Super Zeo Megazord on your own?" he asked.

"Yeah…" came a confused yet sure reply.

"Good. Tommy, Kim get back here. Help is on the way guys." The Pink and Red Rangers knew exactly what Billy was getting at, and though they didn't like it with Billy still older than he should be, they knew he wouldn't do this if he really couldn't, and so they ensured the other three that help really was on the way before they teleported out and powered down the moment they reached the Power Chamber, falling into line behind Jason, Trini, Zack and Billy who were all standing at the ready.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Jason called, the second Tommy and Kim were set.

"White Ranger Power!"

"Black Ranger Power!"

"Pink Ranger Power!"

"Blue Ranger Power!"

"Yellow Ranger Power!"

"Red Ranger Power!"

Those in the Power Chamber watched as the Rangers called forth their powers, summoning their suits and weapons, which disappeared from their cases against the wall. Before the light of their morph died down, the Rangers teleported out.

"We need Ninja Zord power, now!" Calling forth their Animal Spirits in this manner for the first time in nearly a year felt wonderful, none of them could deny it. As much as three of them liked their Zeo powers, they were not the same, didn't feel quite right when compared to these powers, though they knew none would, for these powers came directly from The Great Power, from their Ninjetti Spirits, from a part of them, and so they were essentially using their own power, and not some external force.

"Ninja Falcon Megazord!" Tommy cried as he joined with the others, giving the Megazord its wings, and using them to join the Super Zeo Megazord in battle.

"Wow." They heard their three friends mutter through the comm system. They'd seen the old suits in person before, both from the cases in the Power Chamber and from Kira's birthday last summer, but had never seen the Ninja Zords in person. With another Megazord on their side, the Rangers made some headway and were able to hold the Cog Changer and Megazords off. Even with the added power though, the Rangers were certainly not winning. Even less so when Mondo himself appeared.

"Today is a perfect day for the total destruction of the Power Rangers!" He said as he too grew large so as to engage the Megazords.

"Aw man, we're in trouble." Tommy muttered. "We need the other Zords back. Any luck guys?"

"The device should be complete in 13.7 minutes!" Alpha called.

"Awesome! We can hold out that long, right guys?"

"Right!" They thought they could at least. Realizing very quickly that the Ninja Falcon Megazord was the stronger of the two, Mondo focused all his energy on them, to disastrous results. The onslaught of the Machine King proved to the Rangers exactly why they had needed the Zeo powers in the first place. Although their Ninjetti powers were incredibly strong, they were not created to fight machines that could not tire. The Ninja Zords were essentially their Animal Spirits that simply manifested themselves as Zords, they were not truly machines in their own right, and were also dependant upon their partners, one of whom was currently aging at a speed that was far beyond normal; the Wolf cried out as it began to lose energy along with its partner.

"Guys, I feel weird." Billy said as he fell forward onto the control panel, blue energy beginning to course through him. "I don't think I can hold my powers much longer."

"The Wolf is weakening too, energy levels are dropping. When Billy loses his powers so will the Wolf, the Megazord won't hold out." Trini said.

"Super Zeo Megazord isn't doing much better." Adam called.

"We have to retreat." Jason muttered, not liking this option, but liking the other one even less. "We have to save Billy." With only slight hesitation, the Rangers all agreed and teleported out; the Super Zeo Zords returning to the Zord Bay, while the Ninja Zords resumed their spiritual forms and re-joined with their partners. Arriving at the Power Chamber, the Rangers removed their helmets, though Billy lost his morph completely. Kat rushed forward to help steady him and gasped at what she saw.

"I'm an old man again, aren't I?" Billy asked, having heard her gasp. Kat merely nodded.

"Delphine, you said you had a backup plan." Kat implored, leading Billy over to a chair Rocky had just brought in.

"Yes. But it could be dangerous." She cautioned Billy.

"At this rate I'm going to die of old age in the next fifteen minutes anyways." Billy told her, a fact she could not deny. Standing up, Delphine fetched an extra bottle of water that she had brought back with her from Aquitar.

"This is water from Aquitar's Eternal Falls." She explained. "For Aquitians, the Eternal Falls is like your legendary Fountain of Youth. It makes us younger."

"However, we do not know the effects it may have on a human." Cestro added.

"I'm willing to take the risk." Delphine nodded and opened the bottle, bringing it to Billy's lips and allowing him to take a drink.

"It looks like it's working!" Jason said happily when Billy began to de-age a few seconds later. His smile dropped, however, when the effects did not last.

"What if he drinks the entire bottle?" Trini asked. "What would happen to him? Would it work?"

"We are unsure. As we have said, we do not know the effects the Eternal Falls will have on humans. Higher doses may do more harm than good." Delphine cautioned.

"I have to take that chance, Delphine. If I don't, I'm definitely dead. At least this way I have a chance." Delphine and Cestro shared a look before nodding as one.

"If you are serious, Billy, then we ask that you come with us to Aquitar where we will be better equipped to monitor and help you should problems arise." Said Cestro. Billy looked to his friends, seeing each of their desolate but hopeful faces. They knew as well as he did that this was his last chance, and the look in their eyes told him they supported his decision 100%.

"I'm going." He said.

"Then there is no time to lose. We should depart now." Delphine said as she and Cestro helped Billy to stand and prepared to support him through teleportation.

"Guys, tell my dad I'm sorry. And that I'll be home as soon as I can." His friends merely nodded, not really trusting their voices.

"Zordon, promise you will contact me if I'm needed. I know these guys won't." His attempt at humour fell short, though did not go unnoticed.

"OF COURSE BILLY." Zordon replied, although everyone knew he'd contact Delphine first to see if Billy was even capable of helping; he would not risk Billy's life in that way. "GOOD LUCK, BLUE RANGER, AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU ALWAYS." Billy nodded, and with one last look at his friends, told Alpha he was ready for teleportation.

"Wait!" a voice cried right before Alpha punched in the button. Kat rushed forward and came to stand in front of Billy, bringing her hands up to cup his face. "I'm coming with you." She said.

"No, Kat, you need to stay. Finish high school and-"

"And what? Get on with life without you there? Without knowing if you're alright or not? I don't think so. You're not going to change my mind on this one, Billy Cranston. So don't even try."

"You are, of course, welcome on Aquitar, Katherine." Delphine said, squashing any further complaints from Billy. "And we would never think to separate life mates." Billy and Katherine blushed and spluttered, attempting to voice denials, but not succeeding in the least.

"We'll let your parents know Kat." Kim said with a smile. All of them felt better with Kat going with Billy; they knew now he would be safe for she would never let anything happen to him. Sighing in defeat, but secretly happy at this turn of events, Billy nodded.

"We're ready, Alpha." Kat said smiling up at him. With a final wave goodbye, the four teleported out of the Power Chamber, and off the planet, heading to a place they hoped could cure their friend. A single moment was given before the Rangers had to turn back to the task at hand. Luckily, the device they needed to locate the evil cogs was finished.

"Alright!" Tommy said, snapping back into leader mode. "Think you guys can keep them distracted while Jason, Kim and I get to those cogs?"

"With the Ninja Falcon Megazord? No problem!" said Rocky.

"Unfortunately we can't form the Megazord without Billy." Trini said. "Zack and I can help with our individual Zords, but no Megazord."

"Oh. Well, we'll still manage."

"That's the spirit!" said Tommy as he, Kim and Jason powered down only to morph again, this time as Zeo Rangers. "Back to action!" As five Rangers kept Cog Changer and Mondo busy, Jason, Tommy and Kim snuck into the Zeo Megazord and activated the device, searching for the evil cog, which was quickly found. A blast from the Zeo Blasters saw the cog destroyed and the Zeo Megazord back in their control. Tommy and Kim quickly ran up to the cockpit and took the controls, joining the Super Zeo Megazord as Jason snuck onto Pyramidas and repeated the process, bringing his Zord back under his control. With his control over the Megazords gone, Mondo blew a fuse and became really angry. He summoned every monster in his arsenal, which, thanks to Gasket's careless use of them while his father was away, was currently very few. Three monsters and a battalion of Cogs appeared in Angel Grove Park, and the Rangers got to see just how weak the Machine Empire currently was.

"We're never gonna get another chance like this." Tommy said. "Mondo will rebuild his Empire if we let him get away. We have to finish this here and now, once and for all."

"Zack and I will hold off the goons in the park." Trini said, and the Bear and Frog Zords disappeared as their partners recalled them.

"Thanks guys. We'll take care of Mondo." It wasn't long before the Cog Changer was destroyed, but just as one giant monster disappeared, one of the ones in the park grew. Trini and Zack were quick to dispatch the Cogs and watched as one by one, the monsters grew. Pyramidas and the Zeo Megazord were fighting Mondo while the Super Zeo Megazord took on the monsters as they appeared, finally destroying the last one and leaving just Mondo.

"You Rangers will never destroy me!" he boasted, his programming making him believe he was invincible.

"Wanna bet? Zeo Ultrazord, power up!" Tommy and Jason cried, combining their Zords. In a new configuration, both the Zeo Zords and the Super Zeo Zords joined with Pyramidas, creating the Megaultrazord. Locking on to Mondo, every Zord unleashed their full power. Mondo then proved that he may have been the big boss, but he fell just like all his monsters, crumbling under the might of the Power Rangers. With Mondo gone, the Rangers had one more thing to take care of. They turned the Megaultrazord upwards, in the direction of the Moon. Mondo had used all the Empire's power on this final assault, leaving the shields protecting his base gone. The Rangers locked on and fired, destroying the Machine Empire once and for all. Feeling kind of out of sorts, the Rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber, sending the Zords to the Zord Bay. Powering down, they shared a look before collapsing in a near dead heap on the floor.

"They're gone." Tommy muttered. "They're really gone. We defeated the Machine Empire." No one seemed to truly be able to believe it. Apart from Ooze, they had never destroyed an enemy before, at least not the big boss, and certainly not leaving behind their enemies' total destruction, meaning they no longer had enemies. Five of them had spent the last four years of their lives fighting evil, while three had spent nearly a year. Either way, none of them were sure exactly what to do now that it was over.

"CONGRATULATIONS POWER RANGERS." Zordon said with pride after they had had a few moments to collect themselves. "IT IS INDEED A GREAT DAY FOR THE FORCES OF GOODNESS. THE DEFEAT OF THE MACHINE EMPIRE DEALS A GREAT BLOW TO THE UNITED ALLIANCE OF EVIL, AND CERTAINLY SENDS A MESSAGE THAT WE ARE NOT THE WEAKLINGS THEY THINK US TO BE. I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF ALL OF YOU."

"Thanks Zordon." Kim said.

"Aye yai yai! We did it! We did it!" Everyone laughed at Alpha's enthusiasm and it broke any tension they felt. The Rangers decided to not move for a bit, and simply sat on the floor, crying, laughing, holding each other and just revelling in this new feeling. Eventually though, it had to end, though none of them would complain as the interruption brought news that made a good day even better.

"RANGERS, WE ARE RECEIVING A TRANSMISSION FROM AQUITAR." Jumping up, the Rangers all crowded around the viewing screen, eager to know what was going on.

"Greetings Rangers." Said Delphine as she appeared on the screen. "We wanted to let you know that the Eternal Falls worked." She stepped aside and allowed a once more young Billy and a beaming Kat to enter the screen.

"Billy! You're alright!" Kim cried, fresh tears streaming down her face.

"Indeed. The Eternal Falls are miraculous. And Aquitar is amazing! I have never seen such technology!"

"It may be your version of heaven Billy, but you're still coming home." Trini said good naturedly, though Billy knew she would certainly teleport to Aquitar herself and bring him home if she had to.

"Speaking of which, when are you coming home? I think your dad would feel better if we could give him a timeframe." Said Tommy.

"It'll be at least a week, maybe two." Kat spoke up, her smile never having left her face. "He'll need a few more doses to ensure his body has reverted back to normal, and the Aquitians then want to monitor him for a few days after that, just in case."

"THAT IS GREAT NEWS. WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH RANGERS OF AQUITAR, YOU HAVE DONE OUR FAMILY A GREAT SERVICE."

"It is the least we could do." Said Delphine. "After all, you did help us destroy Hydro Hog."

"And as Billy has said many times, what are friends for?" Cestro added, appearing in the background.

"We're so glad you're ok, Billy." Jason said. "And we have our own news. The Machine Empire has been destroyed." Billy and Kat froze on screen, unsure if they had heard correctly.

"W-what?" Billy breathed. "Did you just say that…that the Machine Empire…"

"Are they really gone?" Kat asked. The Rangers nodded.

"When we regained control of our Zords Mondo snapped." Adam explained. "He launched a full on assault, but thanks to Gasket his forces were so depleted that he only had a few monsters left."

"We were able to destroy them, then Mondo, and finally their base on the Moon." Zack finished. "When you guys come back, it'll be to a peaceful planet."

"I'm not entirely sure I can remember what that's like." Billy said with a smile. "But it shall be good to reacquaint myself with it."

"I think all of us are looking forward to that." Aisha said.

"We'll see you soon Billy, Kat." Tommy said by way of goodbye.

"Can we hit up the Youth Centre before we head home?" Rocky asked. "I'm starving."

"Boy, you're always starving." Said Aisha with an eye roll.

"Youth Centre sounds great. We gotta relieve Ernie of Kira anyways." Upon hearing her daughter's name, Kim gasped and reached an arm out to Tommy. Her eyes were bright and happier than he'd ever seen them, though tears quickly filled them and spilled down her cheeks. Words failed her and she mentally screamed her revelation to Tommy whose reaction upon having that thought put in his head was identical to hers.

"Guys what's wrong?" Jason asked. Kim and Tommy shook their heads as they held each other tightly and it was only the brightness in their eyes that had their friends not panicking. Eventually the two calmed down enough to form words.

"The Machine Empire's gone…our planet is at peace…Kira…she…she…"

"She can grow up in peace." Tommy finished when Kim's speech failed her again. "She can grow up without having to watch her back, without wondering if mom and dad will come home alive."

"You have no idea what that means to us. We brought her into this world in the midst of a war, and she spent the first two years of her life in the middle of it all. But now it's over. She's safe." Their words had a similar effect on their friends, their love for Kira making this realization a wondrous one, though they knew that if they felt this strongly, Tommy and Kim must be completely overwhelmed.

"It's what we worked for." Jason said, as he and the others joined in a group hug. "For the safety of our planet, and those we love. It's hard to believe we finally made it happen, but we did." It was then that it finally truly sunk in. Their battle was over, and although the Originals had trouble remembering a life before all this, none of them could be happier.

A/N - Unfortunately we all know their happiness is gonna come crashing down basically in the next chapter. It is the end of Zeo and Turbo is next, naturally starting with the movie. We are now certainly into the final countdown of chapters, you can count on six more guaranteed, whether there will be a seventh depends on how long the last couple chapters are.

As you may or may not know, depending on if you actually read my author's notes, there is a sequel that will take place starting in Dino Thunder and I have recently decided it will go all the way up to the Megaforce all Ranger reunion, and though I will by no means be writing every season from Dino Thunder to Megaforce, I also won't just be cutting right from Dino Thunder to Megaforce, there will be more then that.

I have also recently decided that there will be two oneshots taking place at two important points between when this fic ends in Turbo and the sequel begins in Dino Thunder. The oneshots will be written and posted before the sequel, and I'm not sure how long after the oneshots that I will begin posting the sequel as I want to get at least a few chapters ahead so as to keep my chapters coming out regularly, even if there are times that I don't write for a couple weeks. I am very determined that I will never again start a fic and take 3 years to finish it.

So there are my future plans regarding this fic and I guess now its series, and the only thing left for you to do is...

Review please!