Disclaimer: For the final time in this story, I don't own the characters; they belong to Hasbro, Saban, whoever. Not me.


CHAPTER 35

Philip blinked several times. He didn't remember getting in the vehicle…nor could he remember why he was holding the Stone of Zandar in his hand; the gem seeming to glow liquid gold on its own accord. He looked out the window. This is not Zandar…

California. He was in California. That was important, somehow, he knew. Then, it came back to him. He was here, retrieving the stone from the Amber Beach museum. He must have fallen asleep on the ride.

The Stone of Zandar. He recalled his father telling him the stories, of Sir Ivan, who disappeared in battle with a ferocious beast with the body of a lion but walked like a man. How he saved Prince Colin, Philip's ancestor, and the golden stone that became one of Zandar's most priceless treasures.

It was a myth, of course. No two-legged lion monsters had ever been seen in Zandar, let alone anywhere else in Europe. And yet…Philip leaned back in the seat. He had always felt it was true.

Something hit the back of the limo hard enough to send Philip rocking. He was thankful for the lap belt holding him in place. Outside the limo screeched to a halt, throwing gravel, and he heard his security team get out, someone yelling, "Protect the Prince!"

Protect me from…what? he wondered. Outside, he heard gunfire. "There's too many!" someone was yelling, before being cut off with a garbled yell.

Armor plating or not, Philip knew the backseat was not the safest place for him to be. And rather than be a sitting duck…he looked at the gem in his hands. It falls to me to protect this stone, he thought to himself. He climbed out of the backseat, looking at the fallen forms of his security team. "Good heavens," he breathed, and looked around for a safe place to retreat.

Something grabbed him from behind and Philip's eyes widened at the sight of a seven- or eight-foot tall beast. A beast that walked like a man…with the head of a lion. It roared at him, "Give me the Energem!"

The Energem…does he mean the stone? Something in the back of Philip's mind clicked into place. The tall beast…attacking him for the stone that was safely in his pocket…No. "Impossible!" he gasped, too shocked to struggle to try to escape. "It was you!" Philip realized. "You're the great beast that fought Sir Ivan 800 years ago!"

"And you're just some pathetic Prince!" the beast growled back. "Give me that gem!"

"Don't!" A blur of blue came flying past Philip, careening into the beast, who let go of the prince's arm. Philip staggered away as the beast rocked the limo, nearly tipping it onto its side. Philip gasped, watching the young man, whom he recognized from the museum, rail on the beast with a flurry of kicks and punches and acrobatics that put every performer Philip had ever seen to shame.

"Hang on Koda!" someone else yelled, and Philip turned to look down the road as a group of young people climbed out of a red Jeep and came running toward them. "Hey, that's-" the one in front, a young man in a red raglan t-shirt and cargo shorts, stopped short, the rest nearly running into him.

"That's the thing that tried to take the Energems from us in the woods that day!" the girl next to him in a pink hoodie gasped.

"It's back?" a boy in a green cardigan gasped.

"It must be after the Gold Energem!" added a boy in black with a backwards baseball cap.

Philip recognized them all from the museum. What were they doing here? Surely they don't mean to take on-

He found himself rising from his spot in the ditch and coming to join them. "I want to help," he told them.

"Feel like you've kinda done plenty today," the girl in pink pointed out.

"I made some mistakes. You don't understand, this gem is…" Philip pulled the gem from his pocket, holding it up in front of them "It belongs to a hero of my country. I have to protect it-whatever it takes!" Philip pleaded.

The boy in red looked at him, sizing him up. "Keep that thing safe," he said finally, nodding to the gem. "Protect that and we'll protect you," he told him.

Philip nodded. The man in blue from earlier came up and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the way. The others stepped forward, forming a protective circle around Philip and the person in blue. "Unleash the Power!" the boy in red yelled. Philip covered his eyes as there was a burst of colored light. When he put his arm down, standing in front of him were four uniformed warriors in helmets and boots. Like the knights of old…without the chain mail, he thought to himself. "Here I thought…the gem was in the hands of some careless buffoons…"

The guy in blue grinned. "Things not always what they seem," he offered in broken English. Philip nodded, his eyes wide.

The four warriors took on the lion beast, and appeared to be winning. Philip watched the monster intently. "What's that?" he asked, pointing. The monster's chest was glowing. Something pulsated from it, an unidentifiable form. Then…the light exploded, sending the four warriors and the monster sprawling. When the light cleared, there was another person, standing between the monster and the group from the museum. A young man, with a close-shaven haircut, wearing the crest of Zandar on his chest.

Philip's jaw dropped for the second time that day. "No. It can't be." But he knew that face, that look of determination. It had been in the picture books his father had shown him, in the myths and legend stories, in the paintings on the castle walls. "Sir Ivan?!"

Before Ivan could get his revenge on the beast, however, Fury disappeared into the forest off to the side of the road. The young knight watched him go, then turned to look at the group. His eyes fell on Prince Philip and he dropped to one knee. "Sire." He ducked his head in a bow. "I am at your service."

"Do you know me?" Philip stammered. His childhood hero knelt before him, flesh and blood. It seemed a lot of strange things were happening on this day. And yet somehow…Philip looked at Ivan, and made a sharp 'rise' gesture with his hand, regaining his royal composure. He looked around at the group, who had gathered in a small circle.

"Anybody else feel like we've done this before?" the boy in green asked.

"Riley, mate, only like every week," the boy in black countered.

"No, he's right, Chase," the boy in red argued. He looked around. "This is…like it's meant to be. Like we're supposed to be…" He looked at Philip. "Ah, sorry." He stuck a hand out. "I'm Tyler. This is Shelby, Riley, Chase, and Koda," he introduced them, nodding with the last name at the shaggy-haired person in blue by Philip. "We should explain." He pulled out a red gem on a cord from his shirt, identical to the gold gem Philip held in his hand, but red. "These gems…they're not just any gemstone."

"Energem," Philip recalled the lion beast saying. "And they…do they allow you to…to do that?" He mimicked their fight from earlier.

The girl, Shelby, grinned. "And a lot more," she smiled. "There's other gems left out there. A Purple, Aqua, Silver and the Graphite Energem. It's sort of our…mission…to find them all."

"A noble cause, indeed," Ivan noted. He looked at the Prince. "Sire, might I-"

Philip held up a hand, and Ivan quieted. "I have seen a lot today," he noted. "From people impersonating myself and my wife, to a mythical beast that is apparently not a legend, to the reappearance of my childhood hero, a legend in himself," he said. He looked at the group. "And while I find it all very hard to digest, something tells me…" He met Ivan's eyes. "I have made a grave mistake in coming here to belittle you and take the stone back. Indeed, I see no other hands it would be safer in, and I am sorry for my outburst at the museum. Something tells me there is no greater cause than this, and I would be remiss to take this stone away from here."

"Spoken like a guy who could use his own Energem," Riley grinned.

"Ah," Philip nodded politely to him, "but this one-" He held up the gold gem in his hand. "This one belongs to Sir Ivan. I command you to use it in your quest to find the remaining gems, and defeat the monster that has plagued you for 800 years."

Ivan bowed low. "A worthy commission, indeed, Sire," he thanked him, "but what about you?"

Philip smiled at him. "Oh…I have a feeling that our paths will cross again. But first, there are a few things I need to do back in Zandar. And you would be difficult to explain, good sir." He held out a hand to Tyler. "Should you ever need anything in your quest, don't hesitate to contact me."

"Awesome," Tyler proclaimed, shaking his hand.

"He's really not a half-bad guy," Chase whispered to Koda. Philip caught his eye and raised an eyebrow; Chase ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Good prince," Koda said with a happy smile, clapping Philip on the shoulder. Philip winced.

"Actually…." Shelby raised her hand awkwardly. "There might be something you could do for us. It's easy for us to look for gems here, but since you're on the other side of the world…" She looked at Tyler. "Maybe he could also check for the other gems in Europe. He's gotta have connections…" She looked at Philip hopefully. "Right?"

Philip grinned. "Indeed, I can think of a few," he told her with a nod. "I would be honored to join your quest. That monster Fury is still out there, which means we have gems and comrades to find."


Zandar

Philip stepped off the helicopter and onto the manicured lawn of the castle grounds. Margaret was waiting for him, along with Martin, his head of security, who looked like he was about to explode. Philip held up a hand and just shook his head. "I know, Martin," he told him. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't run off like that again, half-cocked. It's a bad habit. One I'm trying to rectify."

Before Martin could make a comeback, Philip had stepped into the castle. He knocked on the door of his and Annabeth's bedroom before stepping inside. His wife was sitting in a chair next to the window, legs propped on the bed, reading some fashion magazine. "We need to talk," he told her. He sat down on the bed. When she didn't look up from her pages, he plucked it from her hand and tossed it on the bed.

"Hey!" Annabeth protested. "You-"

"For once in our marriage, you get to listen to me," Philip told her, throwing just a hint of his father into his voice. "Your behavior is appalling. Blowing off a visit to the children's hospital to go shopping is embarrassing as well as a bit appalling. Using taxpayer money on designer jeans is ridiculous. And…" He held up a hand as she started to protest. "And I am afraid that I'm probably the cause of it. We started this relationship off well enough. You were my rock and my support when my mother's health declined and she passed away." He sank down on the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. "And after that, I threw myself into work and I buried myself in budget paperwork, and I never stopped to consider that I was perhaps pushing you away in my quest to be a good ruler." He looked at her, impulsively reached over and took Annabeth's hand. "I'm sorry. I've been selfish. I want to do better. To be a better person. For both our sakes'."

He took a breath and let it out. "There. I've said my piece."

There was silence in the room. Annabeth was silent, and Philip was sure he'd overstepped. He got up off the bed, and Annabeth's grip tightened on his hand, pulling him back down. "That was a hell of a speech," she said quietly. She bit her bottom lip, and came to sit by him on the bed. "Perhaps…perhaps we should give the hospital a call tomorrow? To…reschedule?"

He smiled. "I'd like that," he said. "I'm told my father was quiet the storyteller when he would go." He grinned, thinking.

"I think I have a few stories of my own to tell."


2 Years Later…

October 31st

Amber Beach

Philip waited until no one was watching, then ducked around the T-Rex skeleton and pushed through the delivery doors on the back wall. He took the elevator down to the basement of the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, and pressed the door release. The doors slid back.

"I came as soon as I could," he announced as his feet stepped into the command center of the Power Rangers. He'd startled Kendall Morgan, the museum director and Purple Ranger, James Navarro, archaeologist and Aqua Ranger, and Sir Ivan, Gold Ranger.

Ivan pressed a hand to his chest and bowed low. "It is an honor, Sire, to see you again."

Philip nodded to him. "And you three, as well. What is the plan?"

Kendall grinned. "It's gonna be a real treat," she informed him. "Sorry to pull you away from your Halloween plans with your family."

Philip shrugged. "As Koda once put it, this is also my family. Though I had hoped with the defeat of Fury this would all be over."

"Apparently, someone disagrees," James said. "And speaking of family, I'd like to go find my son."

"Indeed," Ivan agreed.

Kendall outlined the plan to the three men. Philip exchanged a look with James. "Sounds like fun. Let's do this," Philip said. He walked over to the stalactites on the wall, and plucked the Graphite Energem from it's spot. The pencil lead-colored gem glittered in the light, and hummed under his fingers.

Good to see you again, too, Philip thought.


The Museum was closed for the evening, but the building was far from empty.

Philip held a plastic cup of something orange-colored in his hand (laced with something else that James had refused to tell him what it was) and looked around the main hall. Chase Randall, dressed as a classic vampire, was dancing to the song over the speakers with his girlfriend, Kaylee, dressed as Morticia Addams (whom Chase had to explain to Philip). Riley Griffin and his brother, Matt, dressed as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, were chatting in the corner with Kendall (Shakespeare) and Shelby (a pirate). Tyler Navarro, dressed as a matador, snuck up behind Shelby and kissed her on the cheek.

Near a model of a ankylosaurus, James Navarro (as a policeman) and Koda (a samurai), were engaged in a furious pumpkin carving contest. James's looked more classic, from what Philip could see, and Koda's…He frowned. Is that a mammoth?

"Daddy!"

Philip jumped as something bumped into his knees, and he grinned as he looked down to see a tiny T-rex pawing at his tall black boots. He bent down and swept the T-Rex into his arms. "Hello, Thomas," he greeted his son, poking the dinosaur on the nose. "Are you enjoying Halloween in America?"

"Candy!" Thomas announced, his face stained with chocolate frosting. He reached up and pulled down Philip's black eye mask to his nose with chocolate-tinged fingers. Philip frowned and looked over at the table set up inside the Dino Bite Café, to where Sir Ivan (a scarecrow) was standing, looking appropriately guilty next to a stack of cupcakes.

"Please tell me Ivan's putting him to bed tonight?" Annabeth asked Philip, coming up to them in a flowing red dress, a ring of flowers in her blonde hair.

"He's a knight of Zandar," Philip reminded her. "He has to do what I say!" He said the last part loud enough for Ivan to hear. The knight hustled over to talk to James and Koda, making himself scarce.

"This is amazing. I'm so glad Thomas and I could come with you," Annabeth told him. She glanced around the room. "Your friends are wonderful."

"They are indeed," Philip replied, pulling Annabeth closer to him and kissing the top of her head. Thomas reached up and swiped her face with his little soft-clawed fingers. "I'm glad the two of you could come along as well. I'm sorry I missed the museum tour with you two, I got lost coming back from the bathroom!"

"Of course you did," Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "My forgetful Man in Black."

He raised an eyebrow. "And how much from the museum gift shop went on the gold card today?" he countered. "Princess?"

She blushed, but then nodded at Thomas. "You have to admit, my purchase was right on the nose," she pointed out.

Philip burst out laughing. "I cannot argue with that," he said. He looked around the room, at his friends and teammates, and to his wife and son. "Looks like they all lived happily ever after."

Thomas responded with a two-year-old T-Rex growl.


Author's Note: Those of you that can write time travel and keep track, I salute you. I tried to give Philip a proper ending, as the story was all about him to begin with, showing his growth from a spoiled royal to a husband, a father, and a Ranger. I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Shoutout to Sir Perfluous for letting me bounce time travel ideas off him. I appreciate the conversation!