Power Rangers Cosmic Crisis

Prologue

Lord Zedd, the self-proclaimed emperor of all he sees, was no fool, and despite being imprisoned in a crystal for what seemed like an agonizing eternity, his mind was far from idle.

This defeat at the hands of a Morphin Master was unexpected, just like his destruction due to the foolish eltarian's desperate sacrifice and his resurrection and enslavement at the hands of that accursed necromancer. He had never considered the Morphin Masters to be more than a myth… something to scare acolytes from the path of evil, but he was more surprised that he had been able to hold his own against one.

Maybe their strength was not as great as it had been televised, or maybe, he was more powerful than even he thought.

Whatever the reason, the Morphin Masters were not infallible.

He just needed another chance and he was certain of his victory against all forces that oppose his goals of conquering all that exists, with or without the intervention of the Morphin Masters.

Time seemed to melt away and all that remained was his thoughts of vengeance against all whom have wronged him.

And then, he felt it… Something cracking the crystal he was encased in.

Light filtering through his prismatic confines before it all shattered.

He tumbled on something rough as his form was expelled.

"Yes!" He yelled, his fists tightening on his staff, as he relished being in his true form again, instead of the miniature ragdoll he was trapped as. He flexed his limbs, feeling free again.

Where was he?

He focused on his ocular receptors underneath his visor, awakening them from their slumber. The bright light within the prism had unnerved him so much that he had forced his 'eyes' shut, preferring the darkness over the myriad of splintered colours, which reminded him of his enemies.

He was greeted by the azure skies, grassy ground, tall trees, and mountains in the distance.

Zedd couldn't discern whether he was on Earth or some other planet, but it was certain he was free. He felt a soft breeze against his flesh.

"My lord?" A whimper said from behind him. If he had lips, they would have twisted into a smirk. Of course, one of his many followers had liberated him from his captivity. A sycophant devoted to him, though he couldn't care less about them. That was proof of the power he still held over the universe, despite Zordon's great purge.

The voice felt familiar… too familiar. It was masculine and groveling… Almost like his old general, Goldar. However, how could someone like that buffoon sneak past the Morphin Masters and free him?

He could care less.

Lord Zedd turned around, expecting to see his winged feline subordinate, clad in his characteristic gold armour. Instead, he was met by something less visually appealing than his own form… someone who appeared as a pink pig with wrinkly and saggy skin wearing a grey tunic and a monocle.

"Who are you supposed to be?" He sneered. "I suppose I have you to thank for my liberation."

The creature bowed deeply.

"Yes, my lord." He said before breaking into a bout of coughs.

Zedd grunted.

"I apologize, my lord." He said promptly. "My constitution is not what it once was."

"Your name, creature!" Zedd demanded.

"Mordred of Diazzi." He spluttered eagerly. "I was once the vizier of Lord Alios' Obsidian court."

Zedd's visor flared with crimson light on hearing that name, and he barely refrained himself from incinerating the creature on spot for mentioning that being before him. However, this Mordred was clearly resourceful and seemed to be loyal to him… or his clan, at least.

"Tell me how a weak creature like you were able to free me?" He demanded, before pausing. "And what you expect in return?"

"I expect nothing in return, my lord. Merely the honour of serving your empire, however long I can, just like the rest of my family." Mordred said quickly.

Good. The answer that ensures his survival.

"As for how I freed you…" He gulped, pointing to something lying on the ground, beside him… something that looked like cracked eggs as well as rune markings burned to the ground.

"A power egg…" Zedd gasped.

"I used its power to liberate you from the Grid." He said, coughing again.

"Fine. You have my gratitude." Zedd said grudgingly. "You have proved your loyalty by using this power to free me instead of using it to bolster your own powers."

"I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing… My loyalty has always lied with the Obsidian Dynasty."

Zedd snorted. It was poetic, almost. A connection he had refused to acknowledge, being the one that rescued him.

"This egg…" Zedd reached out with his magic, trying to see if the artefact had any residual power… Only to be disappointed. However, it could have some other use… Maybe something that could help him best the Morphin Masters themselves. After all, magic worked in strange ways, and all a binding ritual needed was a tiny shred of a connection. "Gather the remains. We may need it again."

"Of course, my lord." Mordred said, reaching over to grab the cracked shell, only to fall into another coughing bout.

"Pathetic…" Zedd scoffed, pointing his staff at the creature. "I can't have someone work for me be this weak!"

Bands of lightning slithered across the length of his staff before converging into an orb at the 'Z'.

"My lord?" Mordred asked in fear, his eyes widening.

Zedd chuckled before shooting the creature with the lightning bolt. He watched as he fell over, writhing in pain before his body went limp.

A red glow washed over the creature, and his body hovered in the air and flung around wildly as if it was a marionette being pulled by invisible strings. The muscles of his limbs became taut, and his skin became smooth. The broken tusks on his lower jaw became whole again, and his face became devoid of creases.

His eyes snapped open and he took a deep breath.

"My lord?" He asked, his voice hesitant yet no longer wrecked with the tremors of old age.

"What did you think, I was going to kill you?" Zedd sneered. "I am many things. Ungrateful is not one of them."

The warlord would have grimaced if he still had a face. He didn't care for semantics or honour. He would sacrifice this boar without a second thought if he needed to do so later, but making his servants think hecaredfor them had proven to serve him well before. They would be motivated to prove themselves to him or earn his approval even more, and quite frankly, it was immensely satisfying to see his legions of soldiers grovel before him.

The creature did not reply.

"Consider this a gift for your loyalty, Mordred. I restore to you your youth. A second life, if you will."

"Thank you, my lord." The creature bowed again, and this time, he did not break into another spree of coughing his lungs out.

"Carry on, now." Zedd instructed.

Mordred nodded, scooping the remains of the eggs, and then looked at him, awaiting further command.

"Where are we?" Zedd asked.

"Planet Levinna of the Ginga system. The unique foliage of this world has some mystical properties, which I deduced would be sufficient to cloak the ritual I conducted to liberate your majesty." He explained.

Zedd grunted. That was smart, he admitted reluctantly. Where was this creature when he was fighting Zordon and his pesky power brats all those years ago?

"I assume you have a ship from where we can leave this planet?" He asked.

"Yes, my lord, and in it, there are other soldiers loyal to the Dynasty even now. There are not many of us left, but we will fight for you, my lord." Mordred informed him.

Zedd would have smiled if he could. This was a gift horse he hadn't expected. He was ready to fight his way with just Mordred and his magic at his side, but now… even with a small army, his chances increased tremendously.

"How many soldiers?"

"Fifty of us, sire. Not all are fighters. Some are scientists. Others mages. Few are spies." Mordred said before smiling. "However, there are capable fighters awaiting your command, including my own son."

"Your son?" Zedd asked curiously.

"Mordant. He is a prolific fighter, the best of us. It is because of his strategies and skills we were able to survive after the fall of the Empire. When we got news of your return, we gathered our forces, but by the time we reached Earth, you were…"

Zedd's visor glowed red, and Mordred fell silent.

"But we adapted our plans and acquired this Power Egg, a relic strong enough to liberate your majesty." The diazzian completed hastily.

"I look forward to meeting these soldiers and I hope your son is worthy enough to lead my forces to battle. Lead the way to your ship, Mordred. I want to assess my new army."

Mordred bowed.

"It would be his honour. All of our family's honour that you would trust our kin again."

"Again?" Zedd asked curiously. "I don't believe you or your son were part of my armies before."

"No. We were still in the Homeworld." He answered.

Zedd fumed. Again, theHomeworld. Like, that place was ever his home.

He wouldn't say anything. Loyalties could waver, if these pathetic sycophants knew how little he thought of the Obsidian Dynasty.

"But my nephew was your lead warrior. I believe he went by the name of Goldar." Mordred said reluctantly.

Zedd snorted. Goldar was related to this pig, but it did explain why his voice was so like his old general.

"He clearly did not share the family resemblance." Zedd commented dryly.

"Goldar's mother was my sister, a diazzian but his father was a Grifforzer from the planet Titan. He took after his father in terms of looks and temperament… He joined the Fearcats instead of conscripting to the Homeworld like the rest of our family." Mordred said bitterly, before brightening up. "But just like the rest of our family, he found his way to your services."

Zedd stayed silent. It seemed he and Goldar was more alike than he thought.

Zedd was never a part of the Dynasty. He was a rogue agent, disowned by his own clan, except now that the clan was gone… All these mindless followers had turned to him. Fools… but they were useful fools, at least for now.

He wished he had his wife and Goldar at his side, but they were gone, beyond his reach. But if he played his cards right, they would be back, just like he was…

But first, the entire universe will pay for the injustice the Morphin Masters, the Power Rangers and Zordon had committed against him.

Lord Zedd had returned, and now it was time for a revolution that would change the cosmos forever.

A/N:

This fic is not connected to any of my other stories and diverges from canon after the events of "Dino Fury" and "Once and Always." It is my take on Cosmic Fury, and will be a bit different, but I will throw in ample easter eggs like Levinna here.

This entire story spawned from an idea I had planned for my other Cosmic Fury fic, a sequel to my "Once and Always" rewrite, but something I could not include in that, because of continuity conflicts with my other fic "Power Rangers Unlimited," which is also in the same verse.

This was originally going to be just a one-shot exploring that concept, but I decided to make it bigger and more different, since it would be a while before I get to the other CF fic (especially because I have to complete my DF rewrites of both seasons before that, which I haven't yet started) and I really want to write something for Cosmic Fury.

Though, fair warning, this fic will involve stuff from other seasons too, and even other continuities, like from the comics and the movies.

Mordant is from the 95 movie and the idea of him being related to Goldar is from an unused idea from the movie.

Mordred is an original character, and I named his species and planet Diazzi after a character from another show I love… Kudos to anyone who can spot that.

Obsidian Dynasty and Allios are stuff I made up, and important to Zedd's backstory as hinted here.

Hope you liked this prologue and please review. :)