Disclaimer: Saban owns the Rangers etc. I have permission from Peregrine to use the name Alesto in this story. I've chosen to do a re-write because I wasn't happy with some parts of the story. So, here we go. Mouse, September 2002.
Timeline: set just after end of PRLG, Kendrix has returned and Karone has gone home to KO35. And the Megaship was re-built by the people of KO35.
Destiny Chronicles 1: A Gathering of Warriors.
By Mouse.
Dimitra appeared in a swirl of mist just outside the Temple of Ninjetti. Like many others before her, she knew that it wasn't wise to disturb Dulcea without an invitation. She stood there for a moment, knowing that the watchful spirit of the Master Warrior would let Dulcea knew that she was there. She looked out over the Neola jungle and marveled at how the most dangerous jungle in the Universe could also be so beautiful. She sensed someone approaching and looked up to see Dulcea standing before her. Behind her veil she smiled. She bowed her head in greeting and spoke softly.
"Dimitra."
"Dulcea. May I enter?" Dulcea nodded and Dimitra walked with her into the heart of the Temple. It was not wise to enter without permission.
"Of course. What brings you to the Temple? You haven't visited in a long time." Dulcea's tone was curious.
"I know. You are aware of course regarding the recent situation with Dark Specter and the loss of Zordon?" Dulcea bowed her head for a moment and then looked at the Iquitian, something in her tone made her suddenly wary.
"Yes. He was a great loss to us all." Her eyes were curious.
"Well, something survived his sacrifice." Dulcea's head jerked up, there was only one thing was powerful enough to survive the wave of Zordon's good energy.
"Surely not! It's not time for that, is it? The Ancient Prophecy of Darkness surely can't be now."
"I'm afraid so. He will be coming. He has survived this many millennia; it's not surprising that he's still there. The question is, what are we going to do about it?" Dulcea started pacing back and forth in front of Dimitra. She looked agitated, something that looked out of place in the ruins, as they leant an air of calm and serenity to the place.
"I've been watching for the signs, we all have, but I've seen nothing to indicate that this will be the Year of Destiny." Duclea stopped pacing and looked at Dimitra. "The Ancient Prophecy states about the Blue Wolf Mage and his companions, all Rangers of some form or other. But I haven't managed in all these years to decipher the most important part of the Prophecy. No one has. We have no idea how to defeat him. Plus there is only one Blue Wolf that I can think of that exists at the moment, and he's a human!" Dimitra looked shocked, Human's really weren't supposed to be Blue Wolf's.
"That is most distressing. Is he a Ranger?" Dimitra devoutly hoped he was, because if he wasn't, then hope was lost before they even began.
"Was a Ranger. At the moment he is studying on Triforia. He was Earth's first Blue Ranger and the most intelligent person that I have ever met. But even he will need help. We will have to contact Alpha to gather the Rangers. All the Rangers."
"Who is he? Zordon barely told me anything about previous Rangers when I took his place on Earth." Dimitra was curious now, Blue Wolf's were the rarest of all the Ninjetti. And the most dangerous.
"Billy Cranston."
~*~
Angel Grove. Earth, January.2000
"All I know is that Alpha transmitted a message to every single Ranger that there has been, requesting our presence where the Command Center was located." Jason frowned at his friend. Tom had come to his house about an hour ago after starting to get all of his old friends and teammates together.
"I don't know about this Tom, are we sure it's from Alpha?" Flashes of the trials and tricks played on the Rangers over the various years running through the former red and gold rangers mind. Tom grinned and put him at his ease.
"The Space Rangers are. They said he's with another set of Rangers on the Terra Venture, the Galaxy Rangers, and that they are going to be joining us at our destination as well." This got a raised eyebrow from Jason but before he could speak, another voice piped up.
"I thought all the evil in the universe was wiped out by Zordon's wave?" The petite Asian young woman looked concerned, as they all did. They had all thought their days of fighting evil were over when they had passed their powers on, and then with Zordon's sacrifice, they thought finally they could have peace.
"So did I Trini, but apparently, something survived. We'll know when we get there."
"But where are we going?" Tom glanced at Zack and then smiled over at Kim in a shared memory. He had told her where they were going and she had welcomed the chance to make a difference again. So, when TJ had been contacted by Alpha, he had quickly told the former, and longest, Ranger Leader about the message. Tom and Kim had then spent a harrowing four days tracking everyone down and convincing them to come to Angel Grove. They had begged, borrowed and pleaded to get there friends and companions to come but come they did. What was that saying they were all fond of, once a ranger, always a ranger? Kim had gotten the Morphing and Ninja Rangers, Tomas the Zeo and TJ the Turbo Rangers. But it would be a close call with a couple of them to make it in time. Kat was flying in from Australia and Áisha from Africa. All up, there were fifteen Earth Rangers to be transported to their destination. TJ had arranged for Andros to pick them up in the AstroMegaShip once it had collected Andros and the others from KO35. They were to gather at the site of the old Command Center and wait to be picked up. The original Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, minus one sandy haired Blue Ranger, all looked at Tom as he told them their destination.
"Phaedos."
~*~
KO35, January.2000
"Are you ready to go Karone?" Andros yelled out to his sister and grinned at his friend. Zhane was leaning against the wall, his bag at his feet. His eyes twinkled with suppressed laughter, the two of them had been ready for almost an hour, but were still waiting upon Karone. Karone had recently returned from Terra Venture and her stint as the Pink Galaxy Ranger. Her brother and her boyfriend had been amazed at the change in her. She was now full off confidence and somehow had seemed to finally come to term with her evil past. Now, she was feeling like a normal person again and was glad to be back with her brother and boyfriend. So when they had gotten the call from Alpha and the Galaxy Rangers, the former Space Rangers and Pink Galaxy Ranger were only too happy to answer the summons. The Galaxy Rangers were waiting in orbit to pick them up. Some people weren't made for quiet lives and the Red and Silver Space Rangers were to such of those people.
"Coming." Andros rolled his eyes and slung his bag over his shoulder, tapping his foot impatiently.
"We could be waiting awhile then." Just then Karone walked out of her room, smiling at her brother and her boyfriend.
"I heard that Zhane. Lets go." Nodding at her brother they all teleported to the Astro Megaship where the former Galaxy Rangers were waiting for them.
They quickly settled into their former quarters and then met on the bridge. Karone quickly introduced Zhane to her former companions. Leo and Mike looked over at Andros, still feeling slightly out of place flying the ship since it was originally his. Even though this wasn't the same AstroMegaShip, it still felt weird. Upon finding out the original AstroMegaShip had been destroyed, the people of KO35 had quickly constructed another, which Andros took great delight in delivering to the Galaxy Rangers. He had explained to them that it was his gift to them, for helping his sister so much. And also, he had felt it was the right thing to do. They had accepted the gift with thanks, and things looked much better from then on for the Galaxy Rangers.
When the Space Rangers had visited Terra Venture chasing the Psycho Rangers, there wasn't much time to get to know their predecessors. After they had left and Karone joined the team, things had quieted down for a little while and Alpha was able to explain to them that Andros had flown around in the very same ship for almost two years by himself. They found that fact hard to believe. But after meeting Andros and seeing what a good leader he was, they understood that sometimes being a Ranger involved huge sacrifices.
"Where are we going again Mike?" Mike looked over at Maya and smiled. She had only been home for a little while before getting Kendrix's message to come and join them. She had jumped at the chance to be with her friends again.
"First we are stopping at Earth to pick up all the former Rangers there and then onto a planet called Pheados. Apparently the Earth Rangers know all about it." Andros and Zhane grinned at each other. Karone saw this and looked at them, confusion on her face.
"What? Do you know this Phaedos that were going to?"
"Only that it's the home of the Great Power and it's guarded by Dulcea, the best warrior in the known galaxies. This is one lady you don't want to get angry with you." They all laughed at Andros's wry tone. Karone looked at her brother, still confused. All her time as Astronema, she had never heard of this planet.
"How do you and Zhane know her?" He smiled at her.
"We called past there on our way to find Zordon once. Zhane and I went down to pay our respects. She taught us a little humility and respect. She's the best warrior I've ever seen."
"Oh. Okay." He grinned at her.
"Don't' worry about it though Karone. You'll like her. Once you get past her brusque manner and keep just back out of her reach." The two of them laughed.
"How long until we get to Earth?" Damon asked.
"About two hours at this speed." Mike said, looking up from the controls.
"It'll be good to see home again, even if it will only be for a few minutes." Kai said. He was staring out the forward view port.
"How many Rangers are we picking up again Mike?" asked Kendrix from her position at the science station.
"Fifteen. From the original right through to the Turbo Rangers."
~*~
Command Center Ruins, Earth. January. 2000
They had all gathered around the ruins of the command center. Renewing old friendships and generally catching up with one another was the order of the morning. They had all spread out across the globe and some of them hadn't seen each other in years. So it was good to talk and reminisce about old times. As Jason looked around him he saw that each of them stood together in their teams, and it was interesting to watch the various interactions going on. He was standing off to one side watching his friends with a slight smile on his face. But his thoughts were in turmoil about what awaited them. Why were they being called upon again? It was something to be concerned about. Trini walked over to him, concerned, as he was being unusually quiet for Jason. They had been married almost three years and she could always read his moods like an open book.
"Are you okay Jason?"
"Yeah. I suppose I will be honey. It's just that everyone's here, except one. The one I really want to be here." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"I know, I miss Billy to. You never know, they have called together every single Power Ranger that they could, so he must have been included. He will be waiting for us on Pheados, I have a feeling he will." He smiled at her and they walked back over to the others. She always had a way of making him feel better, no matter what. But Jason did miss Billy a lot, and had often wondered what had happened to his friend. The two of them had always had a special bond, ever since they were small children and had met just after Billy and his father moved to Angel Grove. It had been hard on the former Gold Ranger to say goodbye when Bill made his move to Aquitar but deep down he understood that this 'Little Bro' needed someone special in his life. He knew better than everyone just how much Billy hurt with the loss of his powers and being relegated to the sidelines. He just hoped that he was all right. They all looked up at the familiar sound of someone teleporting in. Andros appeared and smiled at everyone.
"Everyone ready to go?" A chorus of yes's answered him. He touched his communicator. "Okay Zhane, bring us up." And with that they were gone in a flash of multicolored streams of light.
~*~
AstroMegaShip.
They had settled their gear into the rooms they had been assigned and then had congregated in the main room aboard the Megaship so that they could all get to know one another. It was strange, to see all the former Rangers gathered together. Everyone was a little overawed, especially the Galaxy Rangers. They knew were in the presence of living Power Ranger legends and the some of the oldest Power Rangers in the Universe. It was a humbling experience to say the least. The Galaxy Rangers were amazed at what the original Morphing Rangers went through just to protect the Earth in the first early days of Rita's attacks. They knew that it had been no easy task. At first no one had known who or what they were. But as the attacks got more and more frequent and the Power Rangers stopped every single one of them, they were soon trusted heroes. Their stint as Power Rangers was slightly easier from a trust point of view. People now knew what Power Rangers stood for. Andros stepped forward to do the introductions for everyone. As the Red Space Ranger, he had meet all past and present Rangers of all incarnations through his numerous trips to Earth since the defeat of Dark Specter.
"Mike, Leo, Damon, Kai, Maya and Kendrix these are the Earth Power Rangers." As he said their names they each of the Terran Rangers stepped forward to greet their fellows.
"Jason Scott, the first Red Ranger and Gold Zeo Ranger." Tall and broad shouldered, dressed in a red T-shirt and blue jeans, he, without seeming to, inspired confidence and leadership.
"Honored to meet you all." His voice was deep, but kind and had an underlying strength to it.
"Trini Kwan-Scott, the first Yellow Ranger." Petite and serene, dressed in a yellow blouse and black jeans she seemed the soul of calm.
"Hello. Nice to meet you all."
"Zack Taylor, the first Black Ranger." Hyper as always, he was smiling and dressed in a casual black and red striped top with black jeans he grinned at everyone.
"Yo Everyone!"
"Kimberly Hart-Oliver, the first Pink Ranger and Crane Ninjetti." The petite young woman in the short summer pink dress just smiled at everyone.
"Hey! Great to finally meet you all!"
"Aisha Campbell, Yellow Ranger and Bear Ninjetti." Aisha nodded and her smile seemed to light up the room. Dressed in a yellow shirt of African design and jeans, she looked tired but alert, her plane had only arrived in Angel Grove two hours before Kat's.
"Greetings all."
"Adam Park, Black Ranger, Frog Ninjetti, Green Zeo and Green Turbo." Adam was unchanged and unchangeable. He nodded and smiled shyly, his black T-shirt and jeans striking a good contrast against Aisha's bright colors.
"Great to see you all again."
"Rocky DeSantos, Red Ranger, Ape Ninjetti, Blue Zeo." Rocky grinned and caused some immediate comparisons between him and Zack as the jokers of the group. Red T-shirt and blue jeans made him look very similar to Jason.
"Hello everyone."
"Justin Stewart, Blue Turbo Ranger." The youngest ever Power Ranger smiled and looked quite relaxed in his blue T-shirt and jeans. He looked the same age as the Galaxy Rangers.
"Hey everyone!" Smiles greeted the youngest Ranger, his enthusiasm catching.
"Kathryn Hillard, Pink Ninjetti, Pink Zeo and Pink Turbo Ranger." The tall Australian smiled shyly and looked a little nervous around everyone. She was dressed in just a white and Pink stripped T-shirt and blue jeans, looking tired as she just flown in from Australia only an hour before.
"G'dáy all. Nice to meet you." Her voice was soft but her accent was strong and true.
"Tanya Sloan-Park, Yellow Zeo and Yellow Turbo Ranger." Tanya was dressed similarly to Aisha and had a smile as big as her cousins.
"Hey! Fantastic to meet y'all!"
"Cassie Chan, Pink Turbo and Pink Astro Ranger." Cassie was the same as always. Pink T-shirt and white jeans and a smile that encompassed everyone.
"Hey."
"Ashley Hamilton, Yellow Turbo and Yellow Astro Ranger." Ashley smiled as well. She had a yellow dress thought brought out the golden color of her hair.
"Hello all."
"T.J. Johnson, Red Turbo Ranger and Blue Astro Ranger." TJ grinned at the others. Like Jason and Rocky, he to was dressed in blue jeans and a red T-shirt.
"Hey!"
"Carlos Valeris, Green Turbo and Black Astro Ranger." Carlos had a green T-shirt and black jeans on and nodded welcome to everyone.
"Hey."
"And finally, Tomas Oliver. Former Green and White Ranger, Falcon Ninjetti. Zeo Red and Red Turbo Ranger. Tomas was also the longest ever Ranger Leader." Tomas smiled at everyone and they all looked at the very poised and confident person in front of them. Dressed in his long time favorite of white T-shirt and blue jeans.
"Hello everyone."
Andros smiled and took a deep breath as he took a break from introducing the long list of Terran Rangers. He grinned inwardly as he realized that no matter what color each Ranger held, they all seemed to stick to their primary color when in normal attire. Shaking his had at the track his thoughts were going he motioned for the Galaxy Rangers to step forward.
"Mike Corbett, the Magna Defender, his brother Leo, the Red Galaxy Ranger." The two brothers were almost identical, and both wearing red T-shirts and black jeans.
"It's an honor to finally meet you all."
"Kendrix Morgan, the Pink Galaxy Ranger." Kendrix smiled and looked around at the others. She was in a pink blouse and blue jeans. For once she wasn't wearing her glasses, having switched to contact lenses. Of course, everyone had heard of Kendrix, and the ultimate sacrifice she had made. Her sweet smile made them all marvel at the strength of her soul, to make that decision.
"Hello."
"Maya, the Yellow Galaxy Ranger." Maya was unchanged and looked extremely comfortable in her native clothes.
"Greetings."
"Kai Chen, the Blue Galaxy Ranger." Kai grinned as he looked around the group. He was in blue jeans and blue T-shirt.
"Hey!"
"Damon Henderson, the Green Galaxy Ranger. You all knew Zhane the Silver Ranger and my sister Karone, she took over as the Pink Galaxy Ranger for a while for Kendrix." They all moved forward to shake hands, renew old friendships and make new ones. Every one of them knew exactly what it took to be a Ranger, and every one of them knew that they were in the presence of a group of very special people.
~*~
Aquitar. January. 2000.
Billy looked up at Alesto, confusion on his features. He had returned to Aquitar from studying on Triforia with Prince Trey in response to an urgent summons. Alesto had told him of Dimitra and Dulcea's urgent call to all the former Rangers, including him. But he hadn't told him why he had to go. He thought he still had a few more years of study with the mentor of the Aquitian Rangers.
"But why do they need me? I still have a lot of studying I need to do. I was also hoping to go back to Eltar, to help them rebuild their planet." He left unsaid why he wanted to return to Eltar as well, as he knew that it wouldn't be taken into consideration. Once a Ranger he thought slightly bitterly.
"I'm sorry William, but you are needed. Delphine is waiting for you, to teleport you to Phaedos. You have learnt all you will need to know for the upcoming trials you will face. We can teach you no more." Billy looked at his old friend and frowned.
"I don't have a choice do I?" He looked at his hands and thought about all the technical miracles that he had wrought with them over the years and all the things he had learnt over the last five years.
He had grown quite a lot in the last few years, not only in physical form but mentally as well. His hair was now shoulder length and his blue green eyes were deep and sad with the knowledge that was hidden behind them. He had on what he had jokingly called his uniform, which was just a blue loose shirt and trousers with boots. He sighed, the weight of what he had learnt over the last few years weighed heavily on him. The Magic that was inherent in his genes. Working to bring his soul and spirit together harmoniously. He had studied Magic first with Zordon before his capture and subsequent death. Then he returned to Aquitar and studied with Alesto about the connection between science and Magic. He had also spent some time with his old friend Prince Dex of Edoni, leaning how to use the power of his mind to full effect. Then he had spent the last two years on Triforia studying with Trey, bringing his spirit and soul together in harmony with his Magical abilities. He sighed, he knew that what they wanted, it just wasn't going to be easy.
"Alright. I'd better go." With a nod at his former teacher he left the chamber and walked towards his destiny.
~*~
Phaedos. January. 2000.
With a flash of multicolored lights, twenty-five former Power Rangers appeared by the Temple of the Ninjetti. The former Ninja Rangers smiled in remembrance, for they all had fond memories of the temple and the warrior that resided in it. Dulcea and Dimitra stepped forward as one, motioning for them to enter. With trepidation and many comforting glances at one another they did so.
"Welcome Rangers, to the Temple of the Ninjetti." They all walked in and looked around, taking in there surroundings. They started murmuring among themselves, wondering what was going to happen next. Tom and Kim walked over to Dulcea, smiles on their faces but their eyes were worried. Before they had teleported down they had decided to approach her straight away.
"Is everyone here?" Tom asked softly, not wanting to break the mood.
"We are just waiting for William. He should be here any moment." Kim smiled in relief. She had been half-afraid that he hadn't been called.
"It will be good to see him, we haven't seen him in almost six years Dulcea."
"He has changed somewhat." Dulcea suddenly looked up at the sky as if sensing something. "Here he comes now." A blue teleportation stream landed in the center of the temple and Billy was suddenly standing there. He looked more relaxed than at anytime his friends had ever seen. He clearly wasn't expecting so many of them to be there. They quickly surrounded him and made him feel more than welcome. After a few moments Dulcea got their attention.
"Rangers, we have gathered you all here for a purpose. For those of you who don't know us, I am Dulcea, Master Warrior of Pheados. This is Dimitra of Inquita. We are all that's left, besides Alesto of Aquitar, of the Great Council. We, and you, are all that stands between the universe and the greatest evil ever known." There was stunned silence around the circle of Rangers.
"What evil is that Dulcea? I thought all the evil in the Universe was destroyed by Zordon's wave?" The former rangers looked at each other. They thought finally, that they could rest. Jason was the first to recover, and as was his very nature, asked the question they were all thinking.
"As the Galaxy Rangers can tell you Jason, some types of evil survived. This is the oldest evil of them all. It has many names on many different planets. On KO35 he is called Cashan. On Inquita, Rebal. On Aquiatar, Verrék, and on Earth, Satan. He is all these and more. It is the oldest evil known to the Universe. Each of your planets has built legends, stories, and tales about how evil this being is. Believe us when we say that he is all this, and more." She glanced at Dimitra and seemed to gain strength to continue. "There is a Prophecy that states a Blue Wolf Mage will lead all the greatest Rangers ever known in a battle that will decide the fate of the Universe for once and all in The Year of Destiny. You all are the greatest Rangers ever assembled in one place and time and for one purpose only. Together you have faced Zedd & Rita, Ivan Ooze, The Machine Empire, Divatox, Astronoma, Scorpious and Trakeena. But this is will be your greatest challenge ever." A stunned murmur ran through the assembled Rangers. They had faced challenges before, but nothing that sounded this dire. Jason glanced at his friends and knew that the worse was yet to come. Andros looked confused and stepped forward to get Dulcea's attention.
"Dulcea, what is this Prophecy that your talking about and who is this Blue Wolf Mage?" Dulcea glanced at Dimitra and she nodded. Dulcea looked around at the young people gathered before her. They were the best that she had ever seen and ever would be. They had a small chance of winning with these Rangers on their side.
"The Prophecy states that one who has held the Blue powers and becomes one with the Wolf Spirit, the most dangerous of the Animal Spirits and the most noble. Who will bring the magic of his spirit and soul together to become the most powerful Blue Wolf Mage that there will ever be. He will bear the brunt of all the attacks but will he will also be at the forefront of all our hopes and defenses. He will he joined by the greatest assemblage of heroes, all who have held the Power, and they will be his companions in the greatest Battle that the Universe will ever know. There is no more noble a quest." Jason stood forward, he had a feeling he knew what was coming but he had to ask. Part of him didn't want to accept what was about to happen, but another part reveled in the fact that they got to save the Universe one last time.
"Who is this Blue Wolf Mage Dulcea?" She just looked at him and smiled and then sought him out in the crowd of Rangers. All eyes followed hers and the former Blue Ranger smiled at his friends. Billy Cranston never looked so confident in his life.
"I am."
End Part One.