[Tuesday, October 5th, 1993 12:01pm]

The green power coin appeared to levitate slightly above a small pedestal Rita had constructed for it in the Moon Palace. It spun slightly as the green energy continued to surge through it. Goldar admired it, but knew enough not to touch it. He had to admit that as far as plans went, this was one of Rita's finest. While he would never bring himself to question her, he had begun to wonder if after 10,000 years if she was up for this. It was her actions that trapped them inside that dumpster in the first place, and now that they were free, she seemed to be falling back on old habits. But, if this plan with the green ranger were to work the way she intended, maybe they had a shot to finally end this centuries old war with the Sage of Eltar.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked him.

Goldar was a trained warrior, so even though he hadn't said a word, he was well aware that Finster had entered the room. He could tell by the pattern of the footsteps, the weight of his feet and, most importantly, the sound of his tail dragging behind him as Finster entered.

"If it does what our Empress says it can, we will finally be rid of those bothersome rangers," Goldar snarled, never taking his eyes off the coin as it continued to twist and turn, crackling with energy.

"I crafted the spell myself, it will work. It searches your mind, finding your deepest, darkest desires and focuses them. The stronger the feelings, the more the spell with take hold. In 48 hours the spell will completely take hold and the green ranger will never be able to break free of it. He will belong to Rita," Finster explained.

"What about the Sword of Darkness?"

"The sword gains its strength from the warriors that are defeated with it. When bested in battle, the sword absorbs its enemy, trapping their essence inside the sword. Rita plans to give the sword to Tommy, assuming he can pass the trials."

Goldar couldn't help but be impressed. Rita truly had thought of everything this time around. The Trials of Lokar were known throughout the universe; it consisted of three trials, testing the limits of each being unfortunate enough to find themselves in the trial. In all of history, there was only one being who had been strong enough to not only survive the trials, but pass them, but even that was so long ago that Goldar had convinced himself it was a myth. He'd seen what happened to warriors who dared take the trial in hopes of gaining the sword, and all of them had failed.

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then I suppose its back to the drawing board," Finster reluctantly admitted. "The Empress seems to have a lot of faith in this… this teenager,"

"Teenagers are susceptible at this stage of development, open to suggestion. Its why that windbag Zordon keeps picking children to fight his war; he knows he can manipulate them, mold them. Its about time Rita followed suit," Goldar brought up.

"We may actually win this time."

"Yes, we will," he snarled.

[Tuesday, October 5th, 1993 1:46pm]

There were only a few moments before the next class begin as Richie hurry to his locker to get the appropriate textbooks. His transition two Angel Grove High School had been a difficult one. He didn't know very many people and he always seems to be a target for the school bullies.

Bulk and Skull had developed a reputation at Angel Grove High School for not being the most intelligent people but that didn't stop them from having a two-on-one advantage with anyone they targeted. Bulk was easily over 200 pounds and while all of that wasn't muscle his fists still packed a punch. Score on the other hand was much skinnier and never really got physically involved but his constant heckling and berating took it's toll as well.

Richie thought the taking a karate class at the juice bar after school would help him with this but his Sensei seemed a little too preoccupied with a sense of Honor to teach him how to defend himself.

The hallways while crowded appear to be clear of bulk and skull and Richie hurried over to his locker. No sooner then when he opened his locker did bulk and skull seem to come from out of nowhere.

Bulk grabbed him by the collar pushing Richie up against the lockers.

"Look what we have here, Skull. It's another loser," Bulk scoffed.

"Yeah, a loser," Skull added.

"Gimme your lunch money or I'll turn you into a twerp sandwich, kid."

Richie reached in his pocket, ready to hand over everything he had, but it was Tommy who walked over to them. He remained silent as he accessed the situation.

"Get out of here, geek, or you're next," Bulk snapped.

Tommy took one slight step back, aiming a sabat kick at Bulks head. His foot stopped only an inch or two away from his face, but it was enough to make a point.

"Do you know how many bones are in the human skull bulk?" Tommy asked him never moving his foot and seeming to have perfect balance.

"I um…"

"Neither do I but if I see you bother this guy again I'm sure this kick will bring more of them then you like. Do we understand each other?" Tommy asked.

Bulk put Richie down, doing his best to straighten his clothes. Skull handed Richie his backpack.

"I think so."

"Good," Tommy said as he put his foot down.

Bulk and Skull head away in the opposite direction has Richie put his book bag over his shoulder and regained his composure.

"Thanks man. You saved my butt."

Tommy simply stared at him unsure what to say. He had no idea who this kid was or why those bullies would even take the time to harass him. But to Tommy that was irrelevant.

"Don't worry about it," Tommy said dryly, walking away.

He walked towards his class, but it was Kimberly, who had seen the entire incident, who hurried over to him.

"That was really nice of you. Bulk and Skull are such creeps," she said cheerfully.

"No big deal," he said in a monotone voice as they continued to walk. "No one should have to feel helpless."

"You're the new kid, right? I'm Kimberly," she introduced.

"Tommy."

"Would you want to get together after school at the juice bar? It's no big deal or anything just a few of us getting together and hanging out," she offered.

Tommy stopped. "Thanks, but I have plans. Another time," he told her.

"Oh. Okay," the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. "Well, I'll see you around," she said cheerfully, walking away.

[Tuesday, October 5th, 1993 3:33pm]

Tommy stood in silence in the Moon Palace, watching as the green power coin levitated on its pedestal. The allure of power was intoxicating to him. Think of it, he thought to himself. Power. More power than you can even imagine. And it's all mine.

While Rita had done a good job of explaining to him about her centuries old war against Zordon and the power rangers, he had no interest in her personal conflicts. All he wanted was power. More specifically, he never wanted to feel helpless again.

With this coin, I will be strong. I will be powerful. No one will oppose me, he thought. He regretted not meeting Rita sooner, not being made this offer sooner. If he had, he may have been able to save her.

"It is an impressive sight, isnt it?" a voice asked him.

Tommy turned slightly as Holder emerged from the darkness, standing next to him. The coin continued to crackle with energy. It was almost as if the coin was calling to Tommy. Was it possible that the coin had a will of its own, he wondered. Even if it did, Tommy convinced himself that powers would be made to serve him.

"What do you want?" Tommy asked in what Goldar was convinced was a purposely disrespectful tone.

"My Empress has chosen you, but I do not trust you. You aren't ready for the power that awaits you, and soon your inadequacies will be exposed. You will not survive the trials of Lokar."

"Trials?"

"In order to prove yourself worthy of the power, you will have to endure the three trials of Lokar. If you manage to survive, you will have earned the Sword of Darkness and a place at the side of my Empress," he told him.

"I am ready," Tommy insisted.

Goldar let out a laugh that Tommy was convinced was meant to be disrespectful. "We will see, human."

There was a swirl of energy, and in an instant, Rita appeared across from them with her staff in hand.

"Leave us," she ordered.

"As you wish, my Empress," Goldar replied, turning and walking away.

"The time has come for you to take the Trials of Lokar. Lokar is the overseer of the Island of Illusion. You will be tested mentally, physically and emotionally. If you survive, you…" she was interrupted.

"When I survive," Tommy corrected.

"If you survive, you will rewarded with the Sword of Darkness, the most powerful blade in the galaxy. With it, no force will be able to oppose you."

"I'm ready," he said, reaching out for the coin, but Rita quickly grabbed his wrist, stopping his hand inches away from the power coin.

"You will be given the power of the coin until you have succeeded. Power is only as good as the warrior who wields it."

The coin would have given him the advantage he needed, but he knew Rita was right. If he was going to earn the power, he had to do it on his own. He lowered his hand, nodding.

"I'm ready."

Rita waved her staff slightly, and a portal appeared in front of them. There was a slight hum to it as energy seemed to swirl around inside of it.

"Go, my evil green ranger. Go and make me proud. But if you do not succeed, do not bother returning," she warned.

Tommy was nervous, even a little scared as his heart raced, but it wasn't apparent by the look on his face. He turned to face Rita, nodded, and without another word stepped inside the portal.

As he stepped through the other side, he found himself still in the Moon Palace. It was the same room, but the pedestal housing the green power coin was gone, and there was no sign of Rita.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked out loud, unsure of what was happening, but stood ready.

"There must be some mistake," a voice said.

Tommy turned around quickly to see a female warrior standing there with a long blade in each hand. She wore golden armor that faintly reminded him of Goldar, but the armor only seemed to cover her chest, her right arm and leg, and some sort of helmet on her head. Her stance didn't indicate that she was confrontational at all, and Tommy was unsure of what to make of her.

"What happened?"

"I don't know how you got here, human," her inflection on the word human sounded condescending. "But this is no place for you. I am here to compete in the Trials of Lokar, so go back the way you came or I will destroy you myself," she hissed.

Tommys posture stiffened. "I am here for the Trials of Lokar. I am Empress Rita's green ranger," he said proudly.

The warrior cracked a half smile. "You? A human? Rita is really scraping the bottom of the barrel this time. You think you are a match for the mighty Scorpina?" she asked.

"So is this a trial to see who can talk the most? Or should I put you down now?"

"You arrogant human! The cost of your arrogance will be your life!" Scorpina snarled, rushing towards him with both her swords.

Tommy dodged her swords, but she kicked him in the chest, knocking him up against the wall. He slid down to the floor, and Scorpina lunged downwards with her swords attempting to stab him.

Tommy rolled out the way, wrapping his legs around her ankles, tripping her. Scorpina fell over, but before she could get back to her feet, Tommy drilled his elbow into the back of her neck, then drove his knee into the side of her face. Scorpina was down, and Tommy kicked one of her swords away from her. He stood back, almost taunting her to come after him again.

"Why you little…" Scorpina charged at him again, but he was able to block every sword attack she attempted. She tried to kick him in the chest again, but this time he caught her foot, tripping her. Scorpina fell flat on her back, and before she could move, she realized Tommy had both swords in his hands, and he had them in an X shape pressed against her throat.

"Surrender," he said.

"To a human? Never! You'll have to kill me before I ever…" she was cut short as Tommy pushed downwards, separating her head from her body with one stroke.

Her body crackled with green and white energy, and within seconds she faded away. Tommy dropped both the swords, looking around the room.

"Is that it? Is that all you've got?" he called out, unsure of what was about to happen next but, at the very least, wanted to appear ready.

"CONFIDENT. OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK." a voice echoed through the entire room. "YOUR DEMEANOR IS A FACADE, A RUSE. I SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE THOMAS."

Tommy tried to figure out where the voice was coming from, but with no success.

"You see what happened to the last person who under estimated me. So are we going to fight, or are you going to play Wizard of Oz all day?"

"YOU ALMOST BELIEVE THAT, DON'T YOU THOMAS? IT'S SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR."

"Lets get on with it," Tommy insisted.

"AS YOU WISH."

Smoke began to fill the room. Tommy was concerned about being able to breath as the smoke got so thick that he couldn't see anything. Through the smoke he could hear the sound of energy crackling. It reminded him of the sound the green power coin made while it sat on its pedestal, but much more intense.

"What's going on?"

Through the thick smoke, a figure began to emerge. Tommy stood ready, still a little wore from the last battle, but prepared to defend himself. As the figure came closer, Tommy got a better look at him and was stunned to see…

… himself. It was obviously him, but much older. His hair was shorter, and he was dressed in all black. He even had a little facial hair. More importantly, Tommy noted, he was unarmed.

"Tommy. Wait…" the doppelganger called out, holding his hands up.

"What is this?"

"I'm you. From the future. We only have a few moments. Please, pay very close attention," he urged him.

"No," Tommy caught his imposter with a kick to the chest, knocking him back. "You're an illusion. You're part of the trial. I have to defeat you," he insisted.

He kicked again, but the imposter deflected the attack. It became obvious rather quickly that whoever this was, he had no intention of attacking.

"Tommy, we don't have time for this. Things are about to be set into motion. You have to stop the rupture before it's too late," he said.

"I KNEW IT. YOU'RE WEAK. YOU MANAGED TO DEFEAT SCORPINA BUT YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR EVEN THE SIMPLEST TRICKERY. YOU WILL FAIL, TOMMY," the voice taunted.

"Tommy, you can't listen to him. This is a trick. I'm here to warn you. Your friends are in danger. The world is in danger. You have to stop the rupture," the imposter warned.

"The only thing that needs to stopped is you!" Tommy shot back, rushing in with a series of punches. Each one was blocked,but Tommy managed a leg sweep that knocked the imposter over.

He fell to the floor with a thud, and Tommy stood over him with a sword in hand.

"Tommy please. Stop this. I'm trying to help you," the stranger insisted.

"I don't need your help. My Empress has given me all the help I need," Tommy told him, lunging back and preparing to stab the imposter through the chest.

The stranger rolled out of the way, kicking the sword out of Tommy's hand, then caught him in the stomach with a kick that knocked him up against the wall. He placed his forearm against Tommy's throat, holding him in place.

"Damn it Tommy snap out of it. You need to listen. He's coming and unless we stop the rupture, we…" he was interrupted when Tommy put both his feet on the stranger's chest and kicked him, using the wall for even more strength. It was enough to knock the stranger back. He stumbled, stopping short of the window.

"We don't have to do anything. I have to win this. I will win this," Tommy proclaimed, walking towards the stranger with determination.

"Someone special to me once told me strength doesn't come from winning. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that's real strength," he told him.

Tommy swung a punch, but it was caught. The stranger twisted his arm, ending up behind his back. Tommy struggled a bit, but then lunged back, forcing both of them out the window. They both found themselves hanging over the ledge, but it was the stranger who was holding on to Tommy as he clutched the windowsill, keeping both of them from falling.

"Just do it. End it," Tommy demanded, struggling to break free as if he wanted to be dropped.

With the last of his strength, the stranger pulled Tommy up, allowing him to grab the ledge.

"Remember. Seal the…" before he could finish his sentence, the stranger was gone. He didn't fall, he simply disappeared.

Tommy pulled himself up through the window and back into the chamber. He glanced over the side trying to make sense of it, but the imposter was just… gone.

"VERY GOOD. THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU YET, HUMAN. PREPARE FOR YOUR THIRD AND FINAL TRIAL," the voice announced.

Still a bit confused, Tommy opened his eyes, but he was no longer in the room he was in previously. Instead, it was a child's bedroom. He looked around, trying to make sense of his new surroundings. There were two twin size beds in the room, each on opposite sides. Over the bed on the left, on the wall were multi colored letters that spelled out DAVID. On the opposite side, above the bed on the right, there were letters that spelled out another name.

"Tommy," Tommy sighed. "This… this is my bedroom. When I was a kid."

There were children in the beds fast asleep. He walked over to what was his bed and tried to pull back the cover, only to discover that his hand went straight through.

"What the…"

"YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO EFFECT ANYTHING HERE, THOMAS. THIS IS YOUR PAST. YOUR CHILDHOOD. THIS IS THE NIGHT IT HAPPENED, ISN'T IT?" the voice asked.

Tommy sighed. "Yes."

Without another word, Tommy walked straight through the bedroom door and into the hall. The door next to his bedroom door had the same multi colored letters as in his room, but they spelled out…

"Elaine," he sighed.

Tommy watched as the door at the end of the hallway opened, and his father stepped out into the hall wearing only his boxers, robe and house shoes. He quietly walked over to Elaine's door, turning the knob and stepping in.

"Don't worry honey, its daddy. You want to play a game?" he whispered.

"No," a voice answered softly. The voice was filled with fear and nervousness.

His father undid his robe, opening it as he stepped inside. "Don't worry sweetheart, it'll be fun," he insisted. He glanced back and forth one final time, then finally closed the door behind himself.

"HOW LONG, THOMAS? HOW LONG DID HE DO SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS TO YOUR LITTLE SISTER?" the voice asked him.

"For months, maybe years. She was only seven years old," he confessed.

"SHE LOOKED UP TO YOU, IDOLIZED YOU. SHE LAID IN BED AT NIGHT WISHING YOU WOULD SAVE HER. SHE WISHED YOU WOULD TAKE THE PAIN AWAY, BUT YOU NEVER DID, DID YOU?"

"I was ten years old. What was I supposed to do?"

"ANYTHING. ANYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN WHAT YOU DID."

From the other side of the door, he could hear his sister crying. It was a sound that had haunted him his entire life. Her low whimpering, her tears, the occasional grunt or sigh from his father. Each little sound sent a chill down Tommy's spine.

He dropped down to his knees and tears rolled down his face. It was a part of his past he had never been able to escape, never able to come to terms with. Her pain, her suffering… it was his fault.

Just then, his bedroom door opened and a young Tommy walked out into the hallway wearing a pair of white pajamas red stars on them. In his hand was his stuffed green dragon that his sister had saved her allowance for weeks to get it for his tenth birthday. Though he tried to pretend he was too old for stuffed animals, he never admitted to her that it was one of his prized possessions.

Tommy looked up as his younger self stumbled into the wall, yawning and wiping his eyes.

"No, daddy," Elaine whimpered sadly.

Young Tommy walked over to the door, trying to open the door but realized the door was locked.

"Laney?" he called out.

"Go back to bed, Thomas!" his father screamed.

"YOUR SISTER NEEDED YOU. SHE WAS COUNTING ON YOU. YOU KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING IN THERE BUT YOU CHOSE TO DO NOTHING. YOU WERE A COWARD." the voice taunted.

Tommy watched as his younger self ran back into his room, only to return a moment later with a black jacket on. He hurried down the steps and out the front door, never looking back.

"WHERE DID YOU GO?" the voice asked.

Tommy, completely devastated, saw no more need to deny it. There was no use fighting, there was nothing to fight. It was all happening again exactly as he remembered it.

"I… just left. I ran away. Police found me the next day behind a diner in Stone Canyon trying to find food in a dumpster. I told them everything, and that led to my father being arrested. We were all put into the foster care system, I never saw David or Elaine again," he confessed.

"TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE, THOMAS. IF ONLY YOU HAD BEEN STRONG ENOUGH. IF ONLY YOU WEREN'T SUCH A WEAKLING. YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HER. BUT YOU WERE A COWARD. YOU WERE WEAK THEN AND YOU'RE WEAK NOW. RITA CHOSE POORLY WHEN SHE SELECTED YOU FOR THE SWORD. YOU WERE NEVER BE WORTHY. YOU WILL NEVER BE STRONG ENOUGH. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE THAT 10 YEAR OLD BOY WHO ABANDONED HIS SISTER. YOURE NOTHING."

The voice was only echoing sentiments that Tommy had told himself a million times before. Ever since that night, he has been trying to escape this memory. He learned how to defend himself, mastering every form of martial arts he could find. He was determined never to be that little boy again. He wanted to be strong enough to protect himself, to protect her. Now he knew it didn't matter how far he ran, how much to stayed to himself, how hard he trained, this one moment was always going to be a part of him.

"YOU HAVE FAILED, THOMAS. YOU WILL NEVER BE WORTHY OF THE SWORD OF DARKNESS. YOUR PUNISHMENT IS TO REMAIN HERE, RELIVING THIS MOMENT FOR ALL OF ETERNITY," the voice taunted. "YOU LET THIS HAPPEN. IN A WAY, IN ANY WAY THAT MATTERS, YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN YOUR FATHER. IT MAY AS WELL HAVE BEEN YOU IN THERE VIOLATING YOUR SISTER. YOU'RE PATHETIC, TOMMY OLIVER," the voice said, laughing at him.

Tommy wasn't sure if it was the sinister voice that sent him over the edge, reliving this moment from his past, being told that his fate was to remain in this moment, or a combination of all of it, but in that moment all his doubt, fear and pain were replaced with rage.

He stood up, and in a moment of blind anger, kicked his sisters door off the hinges. His father was standing there putting his robe back on.

"What the hell are you?" he snapped.

"YES, THOMAS. DO IT. END HIS LIFE. END HER SUFFERING. PROVE THAT YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT HER. PROVE YOU ARE WORTHY," the voice urged.

Tommy balled his fist, trembling with anger. He knew he could easily dispose of his father, but it was then that he realized.

"No," he took a deep breath. "There is no changing the past. No more running, no more hiding. I accept this. This is part of me," Tommy said, closing his eyes.

"WELL DONE, THOMAS."

Tommy opened his eyes only to find himself back in the Moon Palace. The pedestal holding the green power coin was there, as well as Rita.

"I knew you could do it," she insisted. "Congratulations my evil green ranger."

Tommy stood in front of Rita, dropping to one knee. "It is done."

"Rise and accept your reward," she said.

Tommy rose to his feet. The green power coin disappeared, and almost all at once Tommy found himself in the green ranger costume. He extended his hand, and the Sword of Darkness appeared in his hand. It was long and thin, and on the end just above the handle was a symbol that closely resembled the design of Rita's staff.

"The sword possesses the power of every warrior that has ever fallen to its blade. With it, you will be able to finally destroy Zordon and the power rangers. We will rule this galaxy… and will we destroy anyone who opposes us," there was a slight pause. "Even Dark Spector himself."

"It will be done, my Empress," Tommy snarled.