Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Chapter 37 – Galwit Mysto

Unfortunately Kira and Connor were not so lucky as to be called away instantly and had to remain and face Tommy and Kim's wrath.

"How was San Angeles?" Kim asked as the two walked into the kitchen.

"The Overdrive Rangers doing alright?" Tommy added.

"Yeah, they're fine." Said Connor. "The city's fine too. Did you know they had four arch-enemies? Not one or two, but four!"

"Seriously?" Asked Tommy, neither he nor Kim having known this as they truthfully didn't know much of anything about the Overdrive Rangers.

"Yep." Kira said. She then took a seat at the table next to her brother and helped him peel the potatoes they'd be having for dinner.

"Did Thrax show up?" Kim asked, giving up the salad making to Connor. These two weren't offering any details of their trip themselves, it seemed that if they wanted to know anything they'd have to ask.

"Yeah, Thrax showed up." Said Connor. "He and the Sentinel Knight have that whole rivalry thing and they had it out." At that Kira shot Connor a look and hung her head. Connor had always said he was horrible at lying when it came to Tommy and Kim and he wasn't kidding. The second the lie had been uttered, the two of them knew. They weren't exactly sure how they always knew when he was lying, but they did; though they suspected that now, after ten years, it was a finely tuned skill.

"Alright, what aren't you two telling us?" Kim demanded, turning to face them and placing her hands on her hips.

"Just…don't kill us…" Kira asked.

"You know I now understand why Jason always says that hearing someone say 'don't kill me' when bad news is about imparted always makes you want to kill them." Said Tommy, taking a similar stance as his wife. Kira rolled her eyes but couldn't fault her father, or her uncle's, logic.

"Thrax…he knows about the prophecy. And he knows that I'm the one, or rather we're the ones the prophecy is about." Kira rushed out. Tommy and Kim's expressions froze hearing those words. It wasn't so much that Thrax knew of the prophecy, other beings had known there was a being of ultimate power, but the fact that he knew it was about Kira and Connor had dread filling them.

"How did he know?" Tommy asked, and here is where Kira and Connor dreaded their reactions.

"He brought Dark Spector back and the monarch of evil told him about the being with ultimate power." Connor said. "Thrax guessed it was Kira and we might have confirmed it…and added in that it was about me as well."

"You did what?!" Kim hissed.

"Eric, why don't you run? Now." Kira suggested to her brother who didn't need to be told twice, knowing well the signs of a pissed off Kim and only glad it wasn't directed at him and so he could escape.

"You told him about the prophecy?" Kim asked once they heard the front door slam shut behind Eric; there was no true fear in his retreat, he knew without a doubt that his mother would never hurt anyone, save their enemies who were trying to destroy the world, but her wrath was well known and it was always better to be far away when she blew. "The prophecy that we've spent twenty years trying to keep from our enemies?!" Her voice rose with every word, which was not a good sign.

"Maybe." Kira cowered under her mother's glare.

"How could you be so stupid?!" And there it was. Kim's voice reached a decibel that should be impossible for any human, and she got into her stride. "Do you know what this means?! There's a reason we've kept this a secret for twenty years! For your whole life, over half our lives…all that work gone in an instant because you couldn't keep your mouth shut! Do you know what you have done?!" Kira and Connor merely waited, knowing she didn't really want an answer to that question. She'd eventually run out of steam and they'd be allowed to explain, but to interrupt her now would just make things worse. "I know you two think you are invincible, and I'll admit you pretty much are, but there's still two possible outcomes of this prophecy! Yeah, maybe your interpretation of it when you restored Earth was right, and maybe it's literally impossible for your bond to fail and for destruction to befall the universe, but what if you're wrong? Did you ever think about that? Or what if Thrax realizes that you're right but decides that instead of trying to make your bond fail he's going to use your family to force you to destroy the universe anyways, even if your bond doesn't fail?"

"If he goes after our family he'll be destroyed instantly." Kira snapped, the strength in her voice forcing Kim to stop, while Kira could no longer care less about the consequences of interrupting her mother. "You know where we stand on that. We don't fuck around when it comes to our family's safety."

"But Thrax isn't that stupid." Connor added. "He knows we'll use all the power we have to destroy him if he goes after our family. And even if he got his hands on them he knows he'd never be able to use them against us. He orders us to use our power to destroy the universe or he'll kill our family, we'll use our power alright, but not to destroy the universe, and he knows it. Which means to use our family against us he'll have to just kill them instantly."

"Which he's going to try and do anyways, whether he knows about the prophecy or not." Kira said. Kim was silent and it was certainly a sight to behold, someone cutting her off mid-tirade without coming out worse for wear. Tommy, who'd let his own displeasure be known by stepping back and letting Kim run free instead of trying to reduce her anger, was thinking that he could certainly learn something from his daughter and her mate.

"Look, mom, we get that you're upset, and more then that, you're scared. And you have every right to be, the prophecy you've worked hard to protect could literally spell the end of the universe, but we didn't just tell him on a whim."

"Then why did you tell him?" Kim asked, having calmed down somewhat.

"We told him because this is the end." Said Connor. "The prophecy is coming to an end. There's no need to keep it secret anymore."

"How can you know that?" Tommy spoke up for the first time since they'd said Thrax knew.

"We just know." Kira said with a shrug. "But it makes sense. Thrax is resurrecting all the evil we've ever fought, and there's still new evil coming from the Megaforce Rangers, making this one hell of a shit show that other evil beings will want to get in on. We all know this will come to a head soon, every single Ranger will team up to fight every single villain in one monstrous battle. That battle will determine whether the universe survives, or is destroyed."

"And since we're the ones who are meant to either save or destroy the universe," Connor continued. "The prophecy has to come in to play."

"The destruction the prophecy spoke of is coming, there's no doubt about that. The question now is whether or not Connor and I will be strong enough to stop it. The universe will be saved or destroyed. Either way the prophecy is fulfilled."

-C/K-

Three days after their return to Reefside was when the next call came, this time from the Mystic Force Rangers, and by now Kira and Connor saw the trend and knew these enemies were appearing in reverse chronological order. As such they were all on alert for Mesogog to show up next. Things had been surprisingly calm over those three days, if not pretty silent. Tommy and Kim were still pretty peeved though they admitted they were really more mad at the fact that after twenty years they hadn't been consulted on the prophecy's revelation, and also, of course, the worry for their family and especially for their daughter and her mate; Tommy grudgingly admitting the worry had extended to Connor as well for both he and Kim had come to love Connor like the son-in-law they knew he'd one day be. The call from the Mystic Force Rangers had been very vague and basically said 'come to Briarwood' with no indication of where to go, so Kira and Connor did the only thing they could do, they headed to the Rock Porium, which Kira remembered Xander mentioning back during the first fight with Thrax.

"This is kinda cool." Connor said when they entered the record shop.

"Why thank you." A voice said and the two turned to come face to face with a man who looked like he had stepped out of the '70s. "I'm Toby, the owner."

"I'm Connor, this is Kira."

"Hi."

"So what can I do you for?" Toby asked. "Looking for some new tunes?"

"Old friends actually." Kira said. "We're here to see the Mystic Force Rangers."

"What do you want with them?" Toby suddenly became suspicious and defensive, and a bit angry.

"Easy." Connor said, instinctively taking a step in front of his mate. "We're Power Rangers too." They both activated their Dino Morphers as proof.

"The Mystic Rangers called for help but didn't tell us where to meet them." Kira elaborated. "Xander mentioned that he worked here, so this is where we thought we'd start." While Kira and Connor, and basically every other Ranger teams', interaction with the Mystic Force Rangers was limited to Xander during the first battle against Thrax, as well as the trip to Eltar, they'd kept appraised of the situation in Briarwood, just as they kept appraised of the situation in any town being attacked by monsters. As such, they knew that the Mystic Force Rangers' identities had been revealed to the small town of Briarwood and that its inhabitants knew of the existence of magic and the magical beings that dwelled in the forest. They were also incredibly loyal, the identities of their Rangers never making it beyond the borders of Briarwood, and were apparently protective of them as well.

"Hey, Toby it's alright." An Australian accented voice said as Xander and the others entered the room, having caught Kira and Connor's last words. "They really are Rangers, and our friends." Xander assured his boss.

"Oh, well alright then." Toby smiled and went off into his office as there were no other customers around.

"Sorry about Toby." Madison said. "He's a bit eccentric."

"He wouldn't be the first eccentric guy we've met." Kira said, thinking of RJ.

"So what's the problem?" Connor asked, getting right down to business.

"I think we'd better head to Root Core for this." Nick said, and the others wholeheartedly agreed. They informed Toby they were leaving and led Kira and Connor into the forest surrounding the town. At some point they passed through a magical barrier, entering the part of the forest that was inhabited by those mystical creatures that weren't as mythological as the world seemed to think.

"Here we are." Vida said as they arrived at a colossal tree that stood hundreds of feet above the others and apparently had an interior which was marked by the shape of a dragon's head carved into the wood that had glowing red eyes and who's mouth opened to reveal an entrance into the tree.

"You really weren't kidding about your command centre being a hollowed tree." Kira muttered to Xander as the Mystic Rangers led the way to the main chamber.

"Bowen." Udonna smiled at her son as he led his friends into the room. After all these years she still took great pleasure in seeing her son every day, his loss during the great battle still being fresh in her mind though it had been when he was a baby.

"Bowen?" Connor asked quietly, more to himself and Kira then to anyone else.

"Hey mom." Nick said, giving her a hug.

"Wait…mom?" Kira asked. Although she'd met them all on the way to Eltar there hadn't been much, or really any, time for socializing so the extent of the meeting was largely to introduce themselves. During the six months they spent on the planet they hadn't all stayed together, instead splitting up by Ranger team and scouring the planet for a way home.

"Yeah." Madison said, answering for them. "Udonna and Leanbow had a son, Bowen, who was lost during the great battle against The Master almost thirty years ago. Bowen was adopted and re-named Nick by a couple outside Briarwood, he came here to find his birth family and did so by becoming a Ranger."

"And The Master is your arch-villain." Connor clarified. "Who captured Leanbow cause he was once evil, which is why he's not here."

"Yep." Said Chip.

"Ok, well now that we're caught up on the family history, mind telling us why you called us here?" Asked Kira.

"We are sorry to inconvenience you," Udonna started but Kira interrupted her.

"No, no, no inconvenience, trust me." Kira said in absolute seriousness. "All you interrupted was days of the silent treatment from my parents, after a lot of yelling. My wanting to get to the point has nothing to do with you interrupting or inconveniencing us, and all to do with wanting to know what's going on and what we can do to help fight whatever evil is attacking, as I assume that's why you called us here."

"Actually, that isn't why we called you here." Daggeron said.

"This was found in the Mystic Mother's chambers recently." Udonna said, holding up a crystal orb. "She went missing not long ago, but this was overlooked until now."

"Yeah, I'm sure we know why she went missing." Connor muttered.

"Why?" Vida asked, and by the look on her face, and the other Mystic Rangers' faces, they truly didn't know.

"We told you Thrax is back." Kira said, and they nodded but still didn't get it, at least the younger ones didn't; recognition flashed across the faces of Udonna and Daggeron. "Didn't Xander tell you all those years ago just who Thrax was? Or rather what his connection to the Mystic Mother is?"

"He obviously did cause they remember." Connor added, pointing to the adults.

"Of course." Xander said. "I can't believe I forgot."

"Well obviously we all forgot so why don't you tell what it is we forgot?" Vida demanded.

"The Mystic Mother, or Rita, is Thrax's mother." Kira said.

"Like, his legit biological mother, not any mother of magic thing." Connor clarified.

"What?!" The Rangers cried. It took a moment for their shock to abate enough for the memory of that conversation to return, but eventually it did and they remembered the why, but not the how.

"She's the Mystic Mother!" Chip said. "She's all powerful, how could anyone have captured her? The Master couldn't even destroy her and he's the closest being that's ever come to matching her power."

"Not quite." Kira said. "Since you forgot that the Mystic Mother was a real mother, I'm assuming you also forgot that she was once Rita Repulsa, first arch-enemy of the Original Power Rangers, and turned evil by Dark Spector. Rita's incredibly powerful, no question, but there are beings as powerful, and more powerful, then she is."

"And her son is one of them?" Madison asked. "I know you said he returned all past evil to life, thus why The Master is back, but you think he turned his mother evil too?"

"We have no doubt that Rita Repulsa lives once more." Said Connor.

"But Thrax probably didn't have to do anything, she probably went with him almost willingly." Kira said. "Thrax was taken from Rita and Zedd much as Nick, Bowen, or whatever you want to be called, was taken from Udonna and Leanbow. I'm sure they can tell you how it feels to lose a child, and what they'd do to be with that child once more." Although Kira had no first hand experience, for which both she and Connor thanked god for, Kira was well aware of her own parents desperation to be with and protect their children. Though, now that she thought about it, Kira though of Eric much in a similar fashion. He was her brother, and she'd never say he was like a son or anything like that, but with a ten-year age difference, he was certainly her baby brother and she was nearly as protective of him as Tommy and Kim were.

"We would have done anything." Said Udonna, wrapping an arm around her son. "We would have done anything to be with you again." She spoke for Leanbow as well as he was not there, but she knew her husband felt the same way. "The Mystic Mother probably did not fight very hard when her son came for her. I wouldn't have." The Mystic Rangers nodded, not truly understanding, for they themselves didn't have kids, but understanding the sentiment.

"She probably tried to use her magic to turn him good again," Kira said. "But it's gonna take a lot more then Rita's magic alone to stop Thrax. When her magic didn't work, as Udonna said, neither she nor Zedd would have fought him."

"So what is that thing?" Connor asked, changing the subject back to the tast at hand and pointing to the crystal orb.

"It is a special, and rare, piece of magic." Udonna explained. "It allows for one to place their thoughts inside for others to see. As such, it can carry messages, memories, plans, ideas; it contains the complexity of a person's mind, though its powers are limited to what a person gives into it."

"And what did Rita give into it?" Kira asked.

"A message." Said Daggeron. "For the both of you." Udonna came forward then and held the orb out to Kira and Connor.

"It will only work for you." She said. "We tried to access its message, but were rebuked, and informed it was for you alone."

"We shall leave you." Daggeron said.

"No, stay." Said Connor, speaking for both of them with Kira's permission. "Whatever she has to say it can't be so secret that you can't know."

"Rita probably just wanted to ensure that we heard the message, and others didn't hear it then decide not to give it to us. If someone like Thrax got their hands on this orb, they'd either have to destroy the message, never knowing what it is, or let us hear it too." Kira said, taking the orb from Udonna. At her touch nothing happened, though when Connor brought his hand to cover the orb as well it lit up, the room going dark, the only light coming from the orb as an image of the Mystic Mother rose from within it.

"Kira, Connor," The image said in Rita's scratchy voice, though it was less scratchy then when she was evil. "Thrax is coming for Zeddy and I, as we are sure you knew he would. We will not fight him, he is our son, and we apologize for the destruction we will no doubt cause when evil once more. Please, tell your parents that; we do not wish to fight them. We also wish to warn you, we know of the prophecy, and no doubt once we are Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd once more, Thrax and other evil beings shall know of it as well."

Kira and Connor were shocked that Rita knew of the prophecy, though they supposed that they now had a reason for Thrax suddenly bringing up the being of ultimate power, even if he had blamed that knowledge on Dark Spector.

"Don't worry, no one spilled your secret, I was informed as Mystic Mother. The Great Power has magical properties, though it is not entirely magic, and as the mother of all good magic, that part of it falls under my jurisdiction. Thrax will no doubt try to use the prophecy against you, and will try to use me to meet that end. Although with evil surging through me I do not have the powers of Mystic Mother, for they are pure goodness, I retain the memories and will know the inner workings of the prophecy and be able to attack it with my dark magic. This could end very badly for you, though I'm not entirely sure how."

"Great, another mystery."Connor grumbled, not liking this turn of events.

"If dark magic overtakes the magical properties of the prophecy, the bit of magic mixed into The Great Power that ties you to the prophecy will be encased in darkness as well. How this will upset the prophecy I do not know, but it will, that I promise you, for The Great Power is entirely goodness, but a part of it will then be forced to darkness. You cannot allow that to happen, or all could be lost, no matter whether you think it impossible for the universe to end in ruin. But you shall not fight my dark magic alone. I have filled this orb not only with this message, but also with my magic as Mystic Mother. You will know if darkness attempts to overtake The Great Power, and should that happen, use my magic to stop it. You both are strong, but you have no pure magic within you, it is a mixture of magic and power itself, and you will not easily be able to fight pure dark magic, without pure light magic." Here Rita paused and smiled down at them, though it was nothing like the sadistic smiles Kira vaguely remembered from her childhood. "Darkness will always be defeated by light. Have faith that you can succeed, and do not be afraid to accept help and let others in. You are never stronger then when you fight as one." Here is where the message ended and Rita's form disappeared back into the orb, leaving behind a faint glow that told them the magic she said she left in the orb was indeed there.

"What prophecy is she talking about?" Nick asked after a moment.

"One that speaks of a being with an ultimate power that will either save the universe, or destroy it." Kira said, she and Connor giving a brief overview of the prophecy, as they knew they'd be doing for awhile to come as they informed other teams of the prophecy, only those from the Space Rangers down knowing the entirety of it, Dino Thunder and Jungle Fury notwithstanding. Though perhaps Lightspeed, Time Force, and even Wild Force, certainly Taylor, knew at least some of it, for when Kira had reached her physical maturity and Dana had been called in they'd been forced to tell her some of it. Once the explanation was done, the Mystic Force team merely sat there, taking it all in, though it didn't take too long, Kira and Connor were thankful for that.

"Ok." Said Nick, standing up and speaking for his team, though giving ample opportunity for the others to speak up for themselves if they disagreed with him. "Well, like the Mystic Mother said, don't be afraid to accept help. I'm sure there will be a big giant battle when Thrax's forces get pushed back enough times to really piss him off, but if you need anything before then, let us know. We're here to help." No one else spoke up, all of them completely agreeing with what Nick said.

"Thank you." Connor said. "We may just take you up on that."

"See that you do." Nick said just as the alarms blared and the Rangers all turned towards a crystal ball, which worked, and even looked, much like the Viewing Globe.

"Leanbow." Udonna muttered, seeing her husband leading some forces against the citizens of Briarwood.

"We'll get him back mom." Nick promised, earning a small, though sad, smile. "Let's go guys!" He called to the others and let the way out of Root Core. Kira and Connor followed them, not wanting to stay in the hollowed tree alone, but didn't join in the fight, choosing instead to help people to safety and then watch from the sidelines, ready to step in, but only if needed.

"Dad!" Nick called, gaining the attention of a being who was in some kind of purple armour and carrying a shield and sword.

"Son." He said, though with a mocking tone. "Have you come to join me at last? We can defeat them you know, rule the world as father and son."

"That line didn't work for Darth Vader, it's not going to work for you." Nick said, referencing his father's all time favourite movie, or rather, movie trilogy.

"If you will not join me, you will be destroyed."

"That one's not gonna work either." Nick pulled out his Morpher, the others following suit.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!"

"Strong as a Tree! Green Mystic Ranger!"

"Ever-changing as the Wind! Pink Mystic Ranger!"

"Fluid as the Sea! Blue Mystic Ranger!"

"Fast as Lightning! Yellow Mystic Ranger!"

"Fearsome as Fire! Red Mystic Ranger!"

"Flurry of Snow! White Mystic Ranger!"

"Power of the Sun! Solaris Knight!"

Kira and Connor watched as they took on Leanbow, or Koragg as he was called while evil, along with his foot soldiers the Styxoids. The foot soldier, naturally, were dealt with pretty quickly and the real battle was with Koragg, for none of them wanted to hurt Leanbow, though he was determined to hurt them. Watching Nick and Udonna fight their father and husband brought back Kira's worry over her own father. Tom, what they called Tommy's Evil Green Ranger counterpart, had been growing stronger, and both Tommy and Kim were getting worried. Kira had been forced to hear this inadvertently, she hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, as there were still some things her parents wanted to protect her from, even though she was now almost twenty, a Ranger, and more then capable of taking care of herself, and one of those things was Tom. Kira hoped with all her heart that he didn't make an appearance and that she and her mom weren't placed in the same position that Nick and Udonna were now. However, if she was being honest with herself, there was no chance of it not happening. With Tom getting stronger and all past evil returning, Kira knew it was probably only a matter of time until the Evil Green Ranger made an appearance once more.

"If he does we'll deal with him together." Connor said through their bond, seeing what she was thinking. Kira smiled sadly up at him, knowing Connor would be fighting right alongside her, but wondering what good it would do, and if it would cause more harm then good. It wasn't that they needed the extra Ranger for power level, Tommy alone was more then capable of dealing with Tom, especially when he got pissed, which always seemed to happen pretty fast where Tom was concerned. But rather she knew Tom considered her and Eric his kids as much as they were Tommy's, which technically speaking was true as Tom was a part of Tommy, and with the temperament of the Evil Green Ranger, she wasn't sure what Connor's presence, what her boyfriend's presence, would do to that temperament.

"He'll have dad's memories, he'll know all about what happens once a month, and if you think dad was bad with the yelling and threats…" Kira shuddered. "Dad would never follow through with them. He'd yell and rant and threaten because he deems it his job to try and scare his daughter's boyfriend, but his evil counterpart might just try and kill you on sight for that very reason." Connor was about to protest so Kira continued before he could. "I know you're about to say there's no chance of you not being there when, cause we both know it is when, I face the Evil Green Ranger, I just want you to be prepared for the vicious attacks you'll probably be faced with." Connor didn't respond for at that moment the two were brought out of their musings by the return of the Mystic Rangers; apparently they'd finished their battle while Kira and Connor were talking.

"He'll be back." Nick said a bit despondently.

"And like you said, you'll get him back." Kira said. "Your dad won't be evil forever."

"And to turn yours, and Rita's, words back at you, don't be afraid to accept help if you need it." Added Connor. "You let us know if there's anything we can do."

"We will. Thank you." Nick and Connor shook hands, the two Red Rangers having a kind of bro bonding moment that only Red Rangers seemed to be able to have. With the message delivered and received, Kira and Connor returned once again to Reefside, this time preparing to be there for awhile, for if the reverse chronological order was followed, Mesogog would show up next, and they'd have another Ranger fighting his dad, though this one was much closer to them, and though that didn't make the situation worse, it made their feelings worse as it hit closer to home; right next door in fact to their own familial battle they were both dreading.

A/N - I added in the scene at the beginning when Kim goes off on Kira and Connor, enough of you expressed an interest in seeing it so I decided to be nice. I mean it certainly was mentioned before the edit, but really only in passing.

To try and simplify Rita's message: The Great Power has some magical properties to it, which Rita as Mystic Mother knows about and can manipulate. Once she's turned evil again, she can't manipulate The Great Power like she could as Mystic Mother (she can't access the Mystic Mother powers with evil inside her), but she still knows about its magical properties and so can use her dark magic to turn those magical properties evil, to turn pure goodness into evil, which will cause problems for Kira and Connor and the prophecy. Though as of now we don't know what those problems will be. In the orb she placed some of her magic as Mystic Mother (before she was turned evil) to help counter her dark magic for in this case you need to fight magic with magic. Kira and Connor can, of course, access The Great Power, but not only the magical properties in it, they access it as a whole, so they can't fight the dark magic and need help, which is where the magic in the orb comes in.

I really hope that helps. If it doesn't, PM me!

Next chapter Eric gets a feature, which I'm excited about! I feel he's been kind of neglected and relegated to the role of Kira's baby brother and not much else for awhile.

Review please!