Author Notes:

Dipping my toes into the world of fanfiction, with this idea of a self-contained short story which would serve as a hypothetical sequel to both the Netflix Anniversary Special, Once & Always, and to Lionsgate's 2017 Power Rangers reboot movie. Still, while the Multiverse is on the rage lately, with the MCU, DCEU, and other franchises giving it a try, it's worth noting that, thanks to the Morphin Grid, Power Rangers has done the Multiverse storyline since before it was "cool". Also, the Boom Comics are a heavy inspiration for this, so if you are a fan of those, I hope you'll enjoy this style of writing. Of course, as a novice writer, any feedback (positive, negative, concrit or flames) are deeply appreciated.

Anyways, read on this little Prologue I hope to expand upon soon enough, and may the Power protect you… Always.

Instagram: If you are a fan of Cosplay, I have an Instagram account dedicated to my Red Ranger cosplays alongside fellow Rangers, as well as tons of movie, video game and anime characters. Find me there as: puerto_rican_ranger

Pairings: J.J. / Minh ~ Jason / Trini ~ Tommy / Kimberly ~ & Others

Disclaimer: I don't own Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Netflix's Once & Always, or Saban's Power Rangers (2017).

One fateful day in 2017, the evil traitorous Green Ranger Rita Repulsa was revived and attacked Earth in search of the Zeo Crystal.

Five teenagers with attitude problems had their lives changed forever when Zordon chose them to defend the universe.

Unbeknownst to them, decades earlier, in a parallel Earth, similar events had already occurred. They didn't know that they were part of a much, much larger legacy.

The people of this particular Earth are uneasy, not sure if their home was truly protected by…

POWER RANGERS

01: Prologue

The loud alarms sounded all throughout the usually peaceful city of Angel Grove, California. These sirens were usually set up for severe weather alerts, mostly in the forms of those rare instances that tornadoes would hit the Golden State, or any other sort on abnormality that would occasionally be cause for concern for the citizens of the big city. But, currently, they were blaring for something no one had ever been instructed on how to handle. Not the citizens, not the government leaders, not the police at the scene.

After all, what is the protocol when a giant golden monster is tearing through the city alongside an army of rock men-like monsters?

Officer Stone had been on the scene, actually taking what he jokingly called a "much earned time off", having a little snack at the local Crispy Cream the moment he received the very confused call through the radio. The description had been erratic, and he had not understood what the man on the other line had meant when he said that a "golden goliath" was heading straight to Angel Grove. He did now.

So as he and all available officers scrambled through the wrecked streets, crying out for the civilians to seek shelter away from the incoming boulders that had somehow come to life, he came to a very worrying sight. A young teenaged girl, likely shell-shocked by what she was witnessing (and who could blame her?), who was frozen on the spot, her eyes on the incoming giant monster and its henchman, minutes away from being crushed. And for all the fear he felt, which was immeasurable, he couldn't just ignore the young lady and carry on. So he rushed, vaulting over the rubble, and reaching her in what he hoped would be enough time to shake her awake and get them both away before they were killed.

"We need to move, now!" Officer Stone told her firmly, the fear evident in his tone, but he pushed through. He took hold of her by the arm, and surprisingly it didn't seem to startle her, but she did turn to look at him, and it was here he noted that her face showed less fear and more… confusion?

"What's happening?" the young teen clad in yellow asked, and the officer could have sworn her tone sounded almost offended by what she was seeing. "What is that even supposed to be?"

"I-I haven't the slightest idea, but little miss, we need to move before we find out!" he pulled at her, but she was surprisingly very sturdy for such a young girl. She did take a few steps with him, before she gave pause, her eyes back on the giant creature slowly approaching the interior of the city.

"Yes… Yes! Run, right! Sorry, let's move, get out of here!" she quickly said, something seeming to finally click on her head. And he could have sworn that, as they both ran through the streets, outright dodging the falling debris that was finally reaching their location, that for some reason, it seemed less like he was leading her to safety and more that it was her doing it.

"Stone!" one of his fellow officers called out, signaling to the man to run to one of the nearest makeshift bunkers the police had managed to get more or less ready in such a small time frame. He was sure it wouldn't really hold that thing stomping it flat, but maybe he – it – whatever wouldn't catch sight of them here. "What are you doing still on the streets?!"

"There are civilians still out on the open!" he said, exasperated. "Please allow her to…" he gave pause, turning to the side, and noticing… "Wait…? Where did the girl go?!"

Then the other officer asked him a question that outright floored the young cop. "…What girl?"

Minh Kwan ran right back through the wrecked streets of what the nearby signs claimed was Angel Grove. The streets names were different, the city structure was twisted, and she had no idea what those monsters even were. They looked too different from anything she had seen before. But… Angel Grove or not, this was still a city in danger, innocents in need, and she had a duty to protect them above all else.

So once she had gained enough distance from the good officer that she knew had just been trying to do his own duty, which she really wished once this was over she could find and make up an excuse for why she sort-of bailed on him, Minh took out the familiar in more ways than one Morpher from her yellow jacket, and after making sure she was out of sight, poised herself.

Arms and hands stretched, just like how she had done it before. Just like how she had been taught by her Uncle Zack and Billy. Much like how she had been told her own mom had done countless of times.

"It's morphin time!" she cried out, "Sabertooth Tiger!"

…but nothing happened.

Minh's eyes went wide. That sudden surge of power, like lightning coursing through your very veins that she had felt those months ago when she had first morphed in the moon of all places was just not there. Wait… why? She tried it again, forcing herself to clear her mind. She knew she had messed up the first time she had tried to morph, her mind too dead set on revenge to properly access the Morphin Grid… but now, she was sure she was truly trying to save people.

This was what a Power Ranger was meant to do.

And she had managed to morph every single time afterwards, from her training sessions with Jason, to the actual fights alongside the Mighty Morphin team whenever a stray monster from whatever it was Aisha, Adam and now Rocky had been keeping tabs on (they never really told her much about that and it irked her) as they worked off Earth in their SPA. Usually said monsters wounded up on Angel Grove, because that city was a monster magnet for some reason.

But, now? She couldn't even feel the power behind her Morpher. And it freaked her out.

"No! No! No!" she cried out, shaking the thing to see if that somehow made it click. It was dumb, she knew, but she was moments from being stepped on and it resulting in a lot of people likely dying afterwards. "Come on! You've worked each time before! Can you not see that giant, ugly… gold thing about to squish this city?!"

But the morpher did not react in the slightest. Did Billy forget to tell her that morphers needed to be charged every so often like a phone or something?

Shaking her head, she quickly motioned to the wristwatch Billy had made for her, that served as a communicator, and while pressing the correct button, said, "Billy! Jason! Uncle Zack, anyone!" she cried out, hoping to catch any of their attention. "I-I have an emergency here! There's a big monster out here in… Angel Grove, or a part of the city I haven't been to before, maybe? S-Still, I need assistance, my morpher is not allowing me to morph! Can anybody read me?!"

All she received was static in response, and this made her blood run cold.

"Oh no, no, no…" she softly whimpered, looking up, as she realized that the golden monster's little (as in about seven feet tall at least) minions had taken notice of her, with a few perched up on the rooftops that surrounded the small alleyway she had hidden in to try and morph. "…Hi there," she greeted with a very nervous grin.

They pounced at her within moments. Minh back flipped instantly, landing atop a nearby dumpster, just as the first of these creatures landed where she had been standing, creating a massive crater, as its strength proved enough to shatter the outright concrete below it. Minh took a heavy breath, as several other of these… rock monsters landed nearby, surrounding her.

No powers. No allies. Big problem.

But, suit or not, she was still a Power Ranger, and no one who held that title would ever back down from a fight if the lives of innocents were at stake, and she wasn't going to be the first to sully that honor.

So she took a fighting stance, a mirror of the one her mother used and had taught her ever since she had first taken martial arts classes when she had been five. She still recalled she had never once managed to actually score a victory over her mom, and granted, she now knew why.

The rock monster rushed at her, its movements erratic, since its limbs were unevenly matched, and it's body seemed like a combination of its very surroundings, but for what it lacked in style, it surely made up in raw power, as Minh vaulted over the creature by flipping into the air, just as it crushed the dumpster with its… fist she imagined.

Minh landed behind it, and gave it a solid kick to the back.

And she winced. It felt like she had hit an outright brick wall fortified by titanium. What were these?! Not that she had time to ask, as the creature grabbed the crushed industrial dumpster and took a swung with it at her, causing the teen to have to drop right to the ground to dodge getting smacked or slashed by a sharp edge. The makeshift battering ram seemed effective, as it left a nasty gash on the nearby building, letting Minh know that if she got hit by that, she'd likely be torn in two.

The other rock monsters, four in total counting the current swordsman wannabe, all charged at her at once, breaking the unspoken rule to attack one at a time.

"No villainous respect from you guys it seems – ack!" she tried to joke, but as she flipped herself over and retook her stance, she came inches from one of those things slamming its fist right into her jaw. This wasn't going to work, evidently. So, in a desperate attempt to follow Billy's usual advice…

"Fight smarter, not harder," he told her, as he signaled to his head, smiling at her knowingly.

"What? Another famous quote borrowed from one of your many books?" Minh had asked with a little laugh. Billy had shrugged, signifying more or less, and Minh turned her head to the side, "Let me guess… The Art of War?"

"DuckTales actually."

So Minh ran, not away from the creatures mind you, this was a strategic retreat in all sense of the words. They followed, because of course they did. Having literal rocks for brains meant they were very easy to read. So she led them directly into one of the many building that surrounded… whatever part of Angel Grove she was currently in. It was an empty basketball court, just one floor, one heavy looking roof, and Minh was very careful in scanning the area, making sure nobody was hiding out here or something like it. Not that she had much time, since those creatures were next to her in moments.

No powers? No back-up? No weapons? No problem!

Minh retook her stance, and with her hand extended, motioned to the nearest rock thing to "come catch these hands". It happily obliged, charging at her, and she proceeded to dodge its attack, moving to the side, and using her kicks not against the thing, but to try and push its own attack and use the monsters own momentum to aim it where she wanted it to go. It crashed its fist into one of the structural walls of the court's roof.

Another monster charged, and she flipped over the first one. Then she flipped again, and again, and again. She back flipped continuously, landing next to another supporting area of the building, and the monster was right there. She dodged, her eyes widening in a bit of fear the moment she felt the strong rush of wind blow past her as the thing's arm had been a lot closer than she should allow. But it still tore through the structure just like how she wanted it to.

Another punch aimed at her torso, meant to crush her ribs into dust, but she was able to slide herself right under the things legs, and emerge on the other side and just run towards her next, and hopefully, final structural weak point. She could hear the roof begin to crumble, and she just prayed she was as quick as she believed herself to be, because if not, this wasn't going to be pretty.

The next thing she knew, two of the rock monsters took aim at her. She only needed one of them to do so, but beggars can't be choosers, so she charged at them. The moment they were inches from each other she jumped, landing with her feet right on one of them, and boosting herself up with his…face or the equivalent of one. The two creatures, caught off-guard, crashed against the structure, as she landed on the furthest bleachers, next to the window she had been aiming for.

Then she heard the roof begin to cave in, and she smiled. The four rock monsters all turned to her, then looked up, noticing the very roof above their heads about to come down.

"I'll show myself out," Minh said with a smile and a wink, as she jumped right out of the nearby window, breaking through the glass as best she could, hoping she did the jump right and wouldn't emerge at the other side torn to shreds, just as the roof collapsed and she heard the creatures break into pieces. Minh landed on the street outside, rolling on the ground, glass on her hair and everywhere else, and managing to steady herself just in time for all the dust and dirt from the collapsed building to hit her. She coughed, utterly messed up, but alive and, especially, mostly intact. "O-Okay!" she tried her best to retain a positive attitude, standing up and brushing herself off, "That buys me some time. Okay, Minh think. You were just at the Command Center less than thirty minutes ago. Both you and J.J. had been training… Wait, J.J.? He was with me, is he…?"

Before she had a chance to worry about someone else, she felt her body grow cold. She turned, and right before her, standing in a row on the very street she had managed to roll into, stood what seemed to be over twenty of those rock monsters. Every single one of them had their eyes, some with more than two, some without any, on her, and she outright gulped at the sight.

She raised her hand and pointed to the collapsed building, smiling nervously at the group. "…Those weren't friends of yours by any chance?"

The creatures all roared something unholy at her, as they charged at her, causing her eyes to widen immensely in fright. Minh just turned around and ran, feeling the very ground shake thanks to the weight and power behind those monsters currently gunning to crush her very skull. This was bad! Very bad!

"J.J.! Can you hear me?!" Minh cried out into the communicator, in a last ditch effort to get herself, and the city itself, some much needed back-up. "Uncle Zack! Jason! Tommy! Kim! …Billy, please, anyone! I can't fight these alone!"

The monsters in question now seemed savvy enough to launch several stone projectile her way, and she tried her best to dodge them all, freerunning her way across the city and vaulting over signs, mailboxes and every other structure she could, but inevitably, one stone projectile hit the sign she had just placed her foot on, crushing the thing to pieces, and causing Minh to fall and crash against the streets herself. She rolled, her hands on her bruised knee, hoping against everything she had not broken anything, but then she realized, than in a matter of moments, the monsters were upon her.

And she could do little else but sigh.

"…Guess I'll be seeing you soon mom," she muttered, her eyes watering a bit, but she still tensed herself for the hit…

…It never came.

Minh looked up, her eyes wide, tears now streaming down her cheeks, just as what was undoubtable a Sabertooth Tiger Dino Zord vaulted right over her, and with its metallic paw, clawed the stone army and reduced them all to rubble. Minh was frozen in place. That was it, wasn't it? That was her Zord. Her mother's Zord. But it also wasn't?

It looked different. The design more… alien in nature? Maybe? She couldn't quite grasp what she was seeing. It was and it wasn't the Zord she knew, and as she looked up, where the cockpit should be at, she couldn't quite make out the person riding it, but she did see enough yellow in it.

Then she heard a voice, speak out through what she assumed were speakers that the Zord had, filters and all. Hers had them too, she thinks.

"You alright?" a voice that was both familiar and alien to her asked, and all she could do was slowly nod. What was happening?! "Good! Now get to safety!" the young teenaged girl piloting this version of the Sabertooth Tiger Dino Zord instructed, before she, and the Zord itself, turned around, ready to face down the rest of the invading army, alongside the big, gold monster leading the charge (or so Minh assumed).

But Minh could only stare in awe and confusion and fright and outright shock as several other Dino Zords, familiar in some ways yet strange in others, joined in on the fight. In no time, those five Zords were at the ready. The city... was saved...

The Power Rangers had arrived!

Only...

Those weren't her team. Those weren't her Rangers…

And all Minh could mutter was…

"W-Where… When am I…?"

END OF CHAPTER