************************Kitchen***************************
Billy charged, Tommy blocked. There were sparks and punches, cries of battle and sounds of pain. The putties were down for the count. Aisha, Justin and Rocky were doing there best to make sure the humans in the kitchen were out of harms way.
Adam never left Kim's side, shielding her from any rocks or sparks that came there way. He looked at her now. Clutching Skull to her chest like a frightened child holds a doll. Bulk was right behind her legs still holding Alpha. If this was a different time of place he would have words of comfort for her. A scream pulled Adam back to the fighting before them.
Billy's arm was hanging limp, clearly broken or maybe just badly dislocated, Adam couldn't tell. Tommy didn't look much better. He was favoring his left leg, his knee seemed swollen and there was a nasty gash in his suit and blood staining the white.
Tommy stopped and the helmet covering his face demorphed. "Please Billy, Don't make me do this. Please!" he pleaded. He didn't want to kill his good friend. Not if he could help it. The Billy he knew, had to be in there someplace.
"Do you think I'm beaten?" Billy growled back as he fumbled with something on his belt. "Now behold the power of darkness!" The velvet pouch opened and Tommy was engulfed in smog like wind. It formed a bubble around him, blocking him from view.
"Tommy!" Kimberly shouted. "Tommy!" her voice whispered out in his ears. There was nothing but evil wind flowing around him, trying to get into his mind and body. He had to fight it, he had to!
Darkness tugged at his face, worming its way into his ears and eyes. Choking him from the inside out. The feeling of green, long ago shoved down deep inside him, began to bubble once more. Suddenly something burned the palm of his hand bringing his mind back from that dark place. Kimberly coin! He fumbled in his glove for it, pulling it out. The glow from her coin pushed back on the darkness around him. Giving him a chance to breathe. "Please... help me." Tommy whispered to the coin.
His falcon called from inside him and the fire bird screamed beside him. The bubble of darkness burst forth with blinding light.
The nightmare ranger was forced to shield his eyes, even as disbelieve filled him. "No this can't be!"
"Oh my god..." Aisha murmured.
"What is that...?" Rocky whispered.
"Tommy?" Justin questioned quietly.
Tommy stood, blazing with white - gold light and behind him, looming large and powerful, was the spirit of the fire bird. Burning with energy that crackled over its see through form. "I'm sorry..." Tommy said quietly as the power of the falcon and fire bird joined in an attack aimed right at the nightmare ranger.
Billy screamed a terrible sound and fell... unmorphed. The triceratops coin turned black and crumbled into dust. Those powers were no more.
"Billy!" Kimberly couldn't stop her shout as she moved towards her oldest friend laying face down on the floor, unmoving. "Is... is he?" Tears were already on her face. Not Billy, not like this! He just couldn't be dead.
Rocky was to the fallen rangers side quickly. "No, he's still breathing." He assured Kim and the others. "But we should get him to medical soon."
Tommy gave his head a shake. "It will have to wait. There's still Zedd and Rita to deal with." Tommy turned to Kim. "Here beautiful. I think this is yours."
Kimberly held out her hand as Tommy returned her power coin. "Sorry to run but..."
She smiled brightly at him. "Go save the world."
Justin frowned. "But what about Billy, what if he wakes up and he's still bad?"
"Don't worry. I can handle Billy on my own, on the off chance he's still under a spell. It's morphin' time! Thunder Fire Bird!" Kimberly called out. A moment later she stood in her pink suit once more. It felt like the part of herself that had been missing for so long was finally back. "I've missed you." She said quietly to the powers before turning her attention back to Tommy and the others. "Go, stop Rita and Zedd."
Tommy nodded and basically ninja vanished along with the other rangers. For a moment Kimberly didn't move. Until a voice spoke from behind her. "Miss ranger? What do we do now?" A human asked. One of the frightened kitchen staff.
Kimberly replied. "Let's see about getting anyone whose hurt bandaged up." Most of the kitchen was wrecked and she could see a few people moaning and clutching at injuries.
"Yes ma'am." The people replied spreading out.
Kimberly wanted to help but she didn't dare leave Billy's side.
Just in case...
**************************** Rita's chambers*************************
"Say Zeddie. It's gone awfully quiet." Rita remarked. "Maybe we should check on things?"
"Now my queen. Everything is fine. No single force of good can stop my nightmare ranger." Zedd assured confidently. "Everything is perfectly fine."
Rita was already on her feet. "Still..." She moved to open the door. There should be at least a dozen warrior putties but instead she saw nothing but broken clay and empty armor. "Zedd! What kind of two bit shoddy work is this?!"
Zedd stood. "What are you going on about?"
Rita pointed at the dirt in the empty hallway. "These putties, they have all fallen apart."
"No, that's not possible." Zedd looked amazed. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the hallway and he had heard no sounds of fighting. And Tommy Oliver could never resist shouting before his attacks. "How...?"
Something made a strange sound. Like the sound of the twinkling of stars or crystal glass breaking.
"What?" Zedd asked, but Rita's eyes had gone wide. She knew that sound.
"Zeddie move!" She shouted as a bluish white light engulfed them.
"Oh no!" Rita shouted. "Zedd this is all your fault!" her voice was squeaking from being so small.
"May fault? If you had never messed with my pets in the first place this would never have happened." Zedd shouted back.
In an instant both tiny evil villains were shooting little discharges of power at each others from there staffs.
"You know I would say this is adorable if it wasn't for the fact they are so evil." Rocky's voice, though spoken normal, was like the echo of thunder to the small beings.
Rita and Zedd stopped fighting, looking up and up and up to finally see the rangers. An explosion of curses left Zedd's mouth along with a bolt of lightning from his staff.
"Ouch!" Rocky cried out as it hit him in the foot. "That hurt."
"Better stay back Rocky until Tommy returns with it." Aisha said trying not to laugh.
"Found it!" A voice shouted from behind as Tommy came forward carrying the same dumpster Rita had been sealed in so long ago. "How about a trip down memory lane?"
Zedd voice squealed. "Tommy Oliver! Don't you dare! I will have my revenge someday! Revenge!" the little lord of evil thrashed in Tommy's hand as he was picked up and unceremoniously dumped into the trash.
Rita was more dignified then that. She held her head high as she stepped into Tommy's gloved hand. He put her more gently into the container then he had Zedd.
Adam slammed the lid on top. "And good riddance."
"So is that it? We won?" Justin asked.
Tommy smiled then started to laugh with relief. "Yeah, We've won."
"But what about Goldar? Squatt, Baboo and Finster?" Adam asked worried.
That stopped the laughter. "If they are still here we will find them. Come on, let's find Ernie and the other humans. Then well see about searching the castle for any left over monsters or any humans hiding. Then we'll see about getting everyone back to earth."
"And here I thought the hard part was over." Aisha said softly, rolling her tired shoulders.
Tommy could only nod. No, the hard part was only just beginning.