Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything else. They belong to whichever company currently holds the copyright. This is a fan work and no money is being made from it.
Author's Note: This is a new story based on the Netflix special Once and Always. This story does jump around a little and please take heed that while most of the events in the special may appear, some will appear out of sequence as flashbacks.
Unknown Location
2022
There is something about the planet Earth. From afar it is a seemingly unremarkable world with a developing civilisation yet to fully grasp the principles and mechanics to reach beyond their world. Socially, economically, educationally and magically they are an extremely backwards culture that will need generations before they reach the standard at which they should be approached by their more enlightened neighbours.
Yet despite the obvious drawbacks, the people of Earth had shown a resilience and spirit that stood as a shining example for other planets. The planet had been under attack long before life emerged, yet somehow its inhabitants had grown and evolved, seeing off threat after threat. The number of attempted invasions could not be counted although there were remnants of the invading armies to be found should they look hard enough. Indeed the native life forms were so resilient that they were mostly unaware that they had been invaded over and over again as their collective minds worked to shield them from the knowledge.
But the number of attacks had intensified over time and where at one point there had been single forces setting their sights on an easy target, at their peak the factions vying for control of the small blue globe was almost thirty. The frequency and ferocity of the invading forces had grown to the point where the natives could no longer ignore it. At that point instead of succumbing to fear or seeking to surrender, their resolve had hardened and they had fought back even harder.
Despite being outclassed by technology and magic, the defenders of the Earth had continued to see off threat after threat. Accomplished warlords known for their ruthlessness and sadistic schemes had been broken after a few encounters with the planet's protectors. Many spent years repeatedly trying to dominate the planet only to see plan after plan fail. And yet somehow despite repeated failures something compelled them to remain and try one more time in the belief that they could win; to those looking on it was like watching a gambler losing more and more credits in the hope that his luck would change.
That was the power of the Earth. The planet was a trap created long ago when the planet was still cooling. The infant world had been infused with energy that would grow as time passed, becoming a beacon that no villain could resist. It would draw them in from far and wide, promising a prize that they could not give up. That was the bait.
And once they attacked, the trap was sprung. For the energy that made the Earth seem so attractive had been used to weave countless spells into the fabric of the planet. The energy permeated the earth, the waters and the sky. It created an environment that brought forth all the positive emotions and the traits that made a being good. Even a tiny light in the darkness of a villainous heart was sufficient for the magic to work, causing that ember of light to grow.
And as the magic worked, the villain grew less evil and their desire to succeed diminished. At some level that they were unaware existed, the invaders no longer wanted to triumph. And that was when they became truly trapped as their conscious need to try one more time to conquer the Earth stopped them from walking away while the planet's energies eroded the darkness inside them.
In the end, there was no going back after exposure to the planet. Those that possessed sufficient darkness and willpower could walk away. Master Vile was one such example, although speculators had claimed that was more to do with the tantrum he had thrown at the time combined with the effects of the Orb of Doom. After leaving he had seemingly recovered although the expansion of his domain had ceased in favour of stamping out all signs of resistance inside the M-51 Galaxy.
Rita Repulsa had not been as fortunate as her father. Her exposure to the Earth had caused her to remain longer than many of the other villains, so much so that even when she was eventually forced to abandon the planet, she had been drawn back again. At the time Zordon's wave had washed over her, the Earth magic had weakened the darkness inside her enough that Zordon's energy could separate the darkness that was Rita Repulsa from the good person she had been as a child.
The darkness that had been carried away by Zordon's energy, its physical form broken down and scattered across the stars as its essence was forced into the Shadow World where vanquished villains were doomed to rest.
And that was supposed to be the end of Rita Repulsa. Even as part of her that had been purified sought out her real destiny as the ruler of the Mystic Dimension and guardian of the Magical Source, the evil that was Rita Repulsa had resigned itself to an eternity trapped inside yet another unbreakable prison. Of course, Rita had never imagined that history could repeat itself and yet another group of Earthlings would be responsible for releasing her from her entrapment.
Where the humans had acquired the technology of the Morphin Masters to drill into the fabric of reality had not concerned her at the time. She had been focused on stealing a body and preventing those around her from hindering her escape. Afterwards, she had been busy proving to the Power Rangers that had defied her so many times before that Rita Repulsa was back and every bit as evil as they remembered.
She had to admit that as she had basked in the satisfaction of killing Trini Kwan, she had forgotten all about the technology that had enabled her escape. And by the time she did remember and realised that she could use that same technology to revive her former henchmen - or even find a higher calibre of underling - and returned to the facility, the humans had staged a complete cover-up; all evidence that APEX had been there had been destroyed and the machinery moved to a new location.
Which left Rita Repulsa with only a dozen Putty Patrollers, no servants to carry out her commands and lacking the means to rebuild her army of monsters. She had told the Power Rangers that she would be busy plotting her revenge if they wanted her. Until she found a solution to her lack of resources, she hoped they would not find her.
Although given their recent loss, she expected they would be occupied for the time being. Certainly long enough for her to seek out a few old friends that had escaped Zordon's wave.
The Power Chamber
2023
It had been a difficult year for the Power Rangers. The death of Trini Kwan had shocked her team and in the aftermath, there had been more heartache and problems than they had thought possible. At their age, the Rangers had all lost friends and relatives. There had been much sadness when Ernie passed away, and the unexpected demise of Trini's husband in an automobile accident had been difficult for their friend and her daughter.
But Trini's loss had been especially difficult because of the child she had left behind. Trini did not have any family left in Angel Grove and very little contact with those relations in other parts of the country. Minh hardly knew her cousins and had been determined to remain in Angel Grove.
It had taken time to resolve Minh's guardianship and to convince her distant relatives that staying in Angel Grove was the best thing. Even among the Rangers, there had been some that believed it would be safer for Minh to leave Angel Grove, especially as she knew the truth about her mother and the circumstances of her death; some of the Rangers worried that she would seek revenge against Rita, placing Minh in danger. In the end, they had allowed Minh to decide where she wanted to be and all sides had agreed.
Minh had remained in Angel Grove with Zack stepping in to act as her guardian. It was not a perfect arrangement and the adjustment had not been easy for either party - Minh had found it difficult to understand the Rangers had failed to hunt down Rita Repulsa, blaming Billy because Trini had died saving him from the wicked witch's spell. But somehow they had... continued.
Unknown to Minh, the Rangers had been pursuing Rita but had found it difficult to predict where she would appear next. They had thought to spare her the details of how the mutilated body of Rita's unwilling host had been discovered in the facility where she had been released. It seemed that Rita had been unhappy to continue in a damaged body and had taken an alternative host.
After a few instances where she had been spotted around the time of some unexplained murders, Rita had seemingly left Earth. There had been sightings of the fugitive witch and reports of new atrocities as she had revisited the sites of some of her greatest victories. The Rangers were unsure why she had left Earth although some wondered if perhaps she was seeking out those that had escaped the so-called Z-Wave, calling in favours to rebuild her forces.
Ranger teams throughout the cosmos had been placed on alert. On Edenoi, King Dex had offered his support although much of his efforts since the defeat of Count Dregon had been spent trying to reverse the damage caused to Edenoi during its occupation; there had been a time when the planet had not been expected to survive and decades on it was clear that they still had a long way to go.
It had been hoped that with sufficient warning Rita could be held at bay until help arrived. Sadly it was often overlooked just how badly the war had affected the rest of the Universe. At the time of Rita's demise, the Earth had been one of the last planets still resisting. Dark Specter's assault had almost been a complete victory for the dark forces, and had it not been for Darkonda's treachery, the combined force of the United Alliance of Evil would have claimed Zordon's power and ruled the cosmos. When Zordon's wave had obliterated the majority of villains across space, the priority had been to rebuild planets, not armies.
There was a genuine fear that should Rita manage to build an army, she would face less resistance than during the period of her war with Zordon. With her new body and enhanced power, she could make short work of those that opposed her. She had revisited old worlds, collecting the means to assemble a new army. But her true goal remained uncertain and despite the vast detection array of the rebuilt Power Chamber, the Rangers had been unable to determine where she would appear until it was too late.
It was time. Almost a year after her release and Rita Repulsa finally considered herself in a position to launch a fresh offensive. It had taken that long to seek out the survivors of the Z-wave and press them into her service. The loss of so many great villains had been a terrible blow, but there were always those that could step in and replace them. It was the loss of the underlings like Finster that had hindered her quest. Villains led armies, but their success was often due to the efforts of their monster makers.
She had spent months seeking out, interviewing and disposing of likely candidates before she had found someone suitable. Mordant had been a survivor of Goldar's clan who had for a time studied under the likes of Finster, Baboo and Squatt before his presence had grown annoying and he had been dismissed. While his competence was as questionable as his intelligence, Mordant was a coward whose loyalty was guaranteed to the strongest villain.
With Mordant's questionable aid, Rita had located the remains of Prince Gasket's court; Gasket and Archerina had not survived the Z-wave, but their workshops had remained intact. Using their technology had allowed Mordant to rebuild Finster's machinery and create massive numbers of Putty Patrollers. Further modifications had led to the restoration of two of Rita's favourite monsters; Mordant had even taken the time to work on a little side project as a tribute to his queen... he truly understood the art of ingratiating himself with his superiors.
And so, after months of waiting, Rita was finally ready to begin her plan. And it was a scheme that was guaranteed to put an end to the Power Rangers and all those that followed in their legacy. It was just a matter of timing.
End of Part