Is A Friend In Deed

• By Midnight Ranger

It has been two months since the day Rita, Zedd, and company destroyed the Machine Empire, making them the only evildoers going for the city of Angel Grove. But, the evil couple hasn’t regained all that they had before Mondo and Machina ousted them, so now, they’re doing worse than they ever have against the Power Rangers But Rita has a plan to tip the balance of power in the evil aliens' favor and has called in some special help to carry it out. In fact, Rita, Goldar, Rito, and Finster are waiting for its arrival on the moon right now.

Rita Repulsa hadn’t told her husband, or her minions what her brilliant plan was, or whom she had hired to help her out with it. She wanted to wait until her help arrived before she let them in on her secret.

Zedd, Finster, Goldar, and Rito were getting impatient. All week long, Rita had been bragging about her plan, but didn’t give any clue about what it was. Zedd couldn’t wait until his wife told him what the plan was, not because he was sure it would work-none of Rita’s plans ever did-but because he wanted to laugh in her face when he heard how ridiculous it was.

“Well, Rita," he said, “when is this Calvary of yours going to show up?"

“Any minute now," the evil empress replied. "Give them some time."

“We’ve given them a half an hour already," said Goldar. “How much longer do we have to wait?"

“Look!" cried Finster.

The evil aliens looked up to see a red and a gold streak of light sail toward them. The lights hit the ground in front of them and materialized into two scorpion warriors, one male and one female. The male was a large, two legged scorpion with a thick, red exoskeleton, a long tail with a sharp stinger on the end, and two lethal looking pinchers on the end of his human looking arms. The female was a human in gold scorpion armor and was a warrior that Rita, Zedd, Finster, and Goldar knew only too well.

“Scorpina!" Finster gasped.

Scorpina smiled. “I’m back! Did anyone miss me much?"

“Not at all," said Zedd. “Kicking you out of my palace was one of the best moves I ever made."

“Oh Zeddy, mind your manners," said Rita. “I heard that Scorpina had herself a new boyfriend and they’d gone into the bounty hunter business together and..."

“And business has been going so bad that she’s come to beg for her old job back so she and lover bug over there can make the down payment on their honeymoon cottage," interrupted Goldar.

“Hey, does this bug thug have a name?" asked Rito.

The scorpion male stepped forward. “I am Scorpio, son of Quatal, greatest bounty hunter ever."

There wasn’t a villain in the galaxy that didn’t know of the great bounty hunter Quatal, who would still be around today if his ship hadn’t been shot down by one of his many rivals. He was known far and wide for his skill at the trade, (It was said that anyone who became Quatal’s target never lived to see his next meal.) but no one knew he had a son.

“With lovely Scorpina at my side," Scorpio continued, “I plan to surpass my father in fame and legend."

“That will be a rather hard thing to do," said Zedd. “Your father was one of the best there ever was."

"The, best there ever was. And with our combined power, strength, skill, and brains, Scorpina and I will have no problem taking his place at the top."

Goldar and Rito started to chuckle. Rita silenced them with one of her wicked glances, then turned to Scorpio and Scorpina. “I want you to go to Earth and destroy the Power Rangers."

“What?!" cried Zedd.

“She couldn’t destroy them with me as her partner. What makes you think she’ll do better with him?" Goldar asked, pointing to Scorpio.

“Because I have Scorpio for a partner and not you," said Scorpina.

Scorpio pulled reached into a bag hanging from his wide, black belt, the only clothing he wore. “And because we have this." He pulled out a round, golf ball sized crystal.

“The Prism of Polaris!" Zedd gasped. “Where did you get it?"

“We received it as payment for returning some stolen property to our last employer," explained Scorpio.

“And I’m sure you know what it’s capable of," said Scorpina.

“Indeed,"said Zedd.

It was a quiet day at the Angel Grove Youth Center and the Zeo Rangers were enjoying every minute of it. Tommy Oliver, the Red Zeo Ranger, Adam Park, the Green Zeo Ranger, and Rocky Desantos, the Blue Zeo Ranger had just finished dismissing their karate class and were now practicing some moves with Trey, the young Lord of Triforia and the Gold Zeo Ranger. Tanya Sloan, the Yellow Zeo Ranger, and Kat Hillard, the Pink Zeo Ranger, were watching them from a table nearby.

Meanwhile, some of Tommy, Adam, and Rocky’s students were at the bar ordering drinks from Ernie, the Youth Center’s owner.

“I’ll have a pineapple smoothie," said fourteen-year-old Terry Springwillow.

“I’d like a chocolate milkshake," said eleven-year-old Justin Stewart.

“Give me one of those tropical fruit specials," said fourteen-year-old Matt Renald.

“Coming right up," said Ernie. He turned to go get their drinks.

Terry turned to her friends. “It’s been really quiet over the last few days."

“Yeah," agreed Justin. “This had been the longest time we’ve gone without a monster attack since Rita Repulsa first showed up."

“Let’s hope the peace lasts even longer,"said Matt.

“You know," said Justin, “Rita and Zedd’s attacks haven’t been very lethal lately. The Rangers destroyed the last monster they sent in no time. And it wasn’t the whole team that beat him. It was just the Red, Pink, and Gold Rangers."

“Yeah," said Mark. “Rumors are starting to fly around saying that the Rangers have finished off those alien invaders and went back to their own planet."

“Maybe," said Terry. She looked over her shoulder at the group of teenagers sitting at a table. “Or maybe not."

Terry Springwillow had always suspected that Tommy, Kat, Rocky, Adam, Tanya, and either Jason Lee or their new friend Trey were the Zeo Rangers, but she hadn’t been able to prove it, yet.

“Hey, Terry, look at this," said Justin. Terry turned toward the T.V that was just a few feet away from them. A picture of all six Zeo Rangers fighting a monster was on the screen.

“Hey, guys," Terry called to her karate teachers and their friends.

“What?" Tommy called back.

“There’s a story about the Power Rangers on the news."

Tommy and his five friends came over to the T.V just as the reporter started to speak.

“The Power Rangers have been defending Angel Grove from alien attacks for almost three years," the male reporter said, “but it’s been a month and a half since we’ve last seen an attack from either the Machine Empire, or Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. Citizens of Angel Grove are beginning to wonder weather they have finally seen the last of them, or are the evil aliens preparing for a huge attack that will test the Rangers' strength to the extreme?"

“Let’s hope not," said Adam.

“In other news," the reporter continued, “while six Super Heroes were enjoying their vacation in Angel Grove, another was being kept busy in Leewood. Masked Rider, the incectoid warrior who has defended Leewood from the evil Count Dreagon for the past year and a half, could be seen doing his job at Leewood High’s Dollars for Scholars fund raising pizza feed."

An image of people eating pizza in Leewood High’s cafeteria appeared on the screen. Suddenly, a monster that looked like a huge spider with two human legs appeared in the middle of the room. The creature started firing lasers from its spider legs and people started running.

“It wasn’t long after the monster made his entrance before Masked Rider appeared on the scene and started to kick this bad bug’s tail end," the reporter continued.

As he spoke, Masked Rider entered the cafeteria and he and the spider started fighting. The T.V audience were shown a few seconds of the fight before they saw Masked Rider transform into Masked Rider Super Gold and finish the spider off with a shot of his laser.

“The Masked Rider was victorious, as usual," the reporter continued. “No one was hurt, and the cafeteria sustained only minimal damage. The Pizza Feed resumed on the lawn in front of the school. Masked Rider disappeared before any reporters could catch up to him for an interview."

“Now, that bug guy is cool," said Mark.

“Yeah,"agreed Justin. “But not as cool as the Power Rangers."

“No way. Masked Rider is way cooler."

“Yeah right. The Power Rangers are the best."

“Hey, you know what," said Tommy. “Neither the Rangers or Masked Rider are more cool than the other."

“That’s right," said Rocky. “They both have the same amount of coolness."

As they talked, Ernie walked toward them with Terry, Justin, and Matt’s drinks.

“What would really be cool," said Terry, "would be if the Power Rangers and Masked Rider joined forces, even if it was just for one battle."

“I agree with Terry," said Ernie. “A team up like that would be the most exciting event of the century."

Tommy, Adam, and Rocky could not help but smile. They wanted to tell Ernie and Terry that such an event had already happened on the planet Edenoi just one week before Masked Rider came to Earth, but doing so would reveal that they were Power Rangers, so they kept their mouths shut.

The next picture that appeared on the screen was a picture of what looked like a red and gold comet light.

"NASADA satellites recorded these images of a strange light that teleported to the moon," the reporter said. "Astronomers aren’t sure what it is, but they are continuing to analyze the pictures taken of it and will hopefully be able to give us an answer."

Tommy tapped his friends on their shoulders and motioned for them to follow him to the now abandoned hallway between the boys and girls locker rooms.

"I think we should teleport to the Power Chamber and see if Zordon and Alpha know anything about this light," he said.

“I agree," said Trey.

The Rangers tapped their communicators and vanished in columns of red, green, yellow, pink, blue, black, and gold light.

"Ai-yi-yi!" the robot Alpha 5 exclaimed as the Zeo Rangers materialized in the middle of the Power Chamber. "Rangers, we were just about to contact you."

"About the light that landed on the moon?" asked Kat.

"Yes," said Alpha.

"Is it good or bad?" asked Tanya.

"Unfortunately, what teleported to the moon are two new menaces that we have to worry about," said Zordon of Eltare, the Rangers mentor."Observe the monitor."

The Rangers and Alpha turned toward the large computer screen that was across the room from Zordon's energy tube. On it appeared the thermal images of two insect warriors, one of which Tommy, Adam, and Rocky had hopped they would never see again.

"Scorpina!" Adam gasped.

"Who's that with her?" Tommy asked.

"That is Scorpio," said Zordon, "the son of one of the most dangerous bounty hunters that ever lived."

"This isn't good," observed Trey.

"Hey, we've beat Scorpina before," said Rocky, "We can do it again, even with that ugly bug on her side."

"Yeah, but it won't be easy," said Adam. "She was pretty tough to beat before with Goldar fighting along side her."

"You must be ready for Scorpio and Scorpina's attack," said Zordon. "It may come at any time."

"We'll be ready," said Trey.

Scorpina stood on a hilltop overlooking Angel Grove. Beside her, in a cup of grayish blue potion rested the Prism of Polaris. Her plan was a simple one; attack Angel Grove, wait for the Power Rangers to come and defend it, then use the potion and the Prism to freeze the Rangers solid.

The only problem with this plan was that it took a long time for the tools of her operation. For the Prism to work, it had to be cold enough outside for a thin layer of ice to form on the top of the potion. Scorpina knew that it didn't have to be freezing cold outside for the potion to freeze, but she had been out here for two hours and was starting to get impatient. She was tempted to go to Alaska and attack a town there, so by the time the Rangers showed up, the potion would be ready.

At midnight, Scorpina looked at the cup for the hundredth time and saw that, finally, a layer of ice had formed on the top of the potion. Now, all she had to do was have Scorpio deactivate the scanner jammer that allowed them and Rita and Zedd's forces to teleport to Earth without the Power Chamber's scanners picking them up.

In the small living quarters of Pyramidas, the Gold Ranger's Zord, Trey was laying on his bed, sound asleep. But his slumber was interrupted by a beeping noise that came from his communicator. Trey woke and pressed a button on the communicator.

"This is Trey."

"Trey," replied Zordon, "you and the other Rangers are needed in downtown Angel Grove. Scorpio, Scorpina, and the Tengus are attacking."

"This late at night?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe this."

"Neither do I. Rita and Zedd have never had any of their warriors initiate an attack at night."

"There's a first time for everything, I guess. I'll be right there. Gold Ranger out." He turned off his communicator and activated his Zeonizer. "Gold Ranger Power."

In seconds, he had transformed into the Gold Ranger and had teleported to downtown Angel Grove. The other Zeo Rangers joined him shortly in their Ranger uniforms.

Scorpio, Scorpina, and the Tengus were barging into homes and apartments and driving the people inside out.

"Stop right there, you creeps," demanded Tanya.

The villains turned and faced the heroes.

"Hello, Rangers," said Scorpina. "It's so nice to see you. I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Scorpio."

"Hey, Rangers," said Scorpio. "I can't begin to tell you how awesome it's going to be when we destroy you."

"We'll just see who's going to be destroying who tonight," said Tommy.

The Tengus attacked, but were overwhelmed by the Rangers in less than five minutes.

"I thought you said this was going to be tough," said Trey, flipping two Tengus over his shoulders and into a trash dumpster.

Kat kicked a Tengu in the back and sent it crashing into a brick wall. "This is the easy part."

Tanya jumped into the air and wrestled a flying Tengu to the ground, while Rocky and Adam beat the stuffings out of two more.

"We may not have our Ninja Powers anymore," said Rocky, "but we can still kick some Tengu tail."

"I'll say," said Adam.

Tommy was also having an easy time taking out a few bad birds. He punched the two in front of him in the chest, then kicked the one behind him in the stomach.

"I don't get paid enough for this," said one Tengu.

"Let's get out of here," said another.

They took to the air and flew back to the moon.

As Tanya, Kat, Rocky, and Adam exchanged high fives, Tommy and Trey turned toward Scorpina and Scorpio.

"It looks like the odds just tipped in our favor," said Trey.

"Six against two," Tommy pointed out.

"My kind of odds," said Scorpio.

"You are going to pay for all the humiliation you caused me," said Scorpina. "And revenge is a dish best served cold."

She threw the contents of the cup she had been hiding behind her back on the ground in front of the Rangers. As soon as the Prism hit the ground, it began to glow with ice blue light and the liquid on the ground turned to a grayish white mist that began to engulf the Power Rangers.

"Brrr," said Rocky. "Who turned on the freezer?"

"I can't feel my legs," said Tanya.

"What's happening?" asked Kat.

"We need to teleport out of here," said Tommy.

He raised his hand skyward and prepared for teleportation just as the mist engulfed him and his comrades, but by the time Alpha teleported them to the Power Chamber it was already too late.

Alpha 5 didn't know what to do. The Rangers were now safe in the Power Chamber, but they weren't moving. Tommy still had had his hand pointed skyward and was looking up, while the others were looking downward and looked like they were trying to move away form something cold. All of the Rangers had a thin layer of ice covering each of their suits.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi!" the robot exclaimed. "What are we going to do Zordon?"

"This was done with the help of the Prism of Polaris," said Zordon, "therefore, only it can reverse the spell and return the Rangers to normal."

"But Scorpina took it back to the moon when we brought the Rangers here."

"Then, we must send for someone who can get the Prism from her. Alpha, send a distress transmission to Aquitar. We must enlist the help of the Alien Rangers."

Alpha tried to do as he was told, but after a few seconds, he found that it was impossible. "I can't do it, Zordon. There's something blocking the transmission. I can't get it to go any further than Jupiter."

"This is Rita and Zedd's work, no doubt," said Zordon.

On the moon, Rita, Zedd and their warriors were celebrating their victory.

"Yes!" cheered Zedd. "The Rangers are nothing but ice statues, and, thanks to Finster's signal blocker, Zordon is unable to call for any reinforcements. Earth is now ready for the taking. Soon, it will be...."

"Ours," finished Rita.

"And we will get our payment," said Scorpina.

"And be known throughout the entire galaxy as the ones who defeated the Power Rangers," said Scorpio, clutching the Prism. "Without this, they will spend eternity as Zeo popsicles."

He, Rita, Zedd, and Scorpina laughed hysterically, while Rito and Goldar watched from a distance.

"Oh, man, Goldar," said Rito. "I always thought it would always be us who got to finish off those Rangers."

"If you weren't so stupid, we would've finished them off a long time ago," said Goldar.

"If I weren't so stupid? What about you?"

"Rito, Goldar," interrupted Zedd.

"Yeah, Ed?" asked Rito.

"For the millionth time, it's Zedd you imbecile. Now, both of you prepare yourselves. We will soon begin a full scale assault on Angel Grove. Then, we'll take another city, then another until I control all of Earth."

"Until we control all of Earth," corrected Rita.

"Oh yes, of course. We," mumbled Zedd.

"This is terrible," said Alpha. "Rita and Zedd are going to take over Earth, and there's not a thing we can do about it."

"Yes, there is," said Zordon. "Scan the city of Leewood and find Prince Dex, the Masked Rider."

"We can't ask Dex to help us. If he leaves Leewood, Count Dreagon will capture it."

"We have no choice. If we hurry, Dex may have enough time to get the Prism and return to Leewood before Count Dreagon discovers he's gone. Scan the city."

Alpha did as he was told and soon found that Dex was in a house in the suburban part of Leewood the belonged to the Stewart family.

"You must go there and tell him of our situation, since we have no way of contacting him from here," said Zordon.

"I just hope I'm not noticed by any of the neighbors," said Alpha.

It had started out as a normal day for Dex. The Plague Patrollers were forcing him and his people to dig up the poisonous gases that lay under the soil of Edenoi. But he and his three friends, Donais, Zarious, and Ferrian, managed to sneak away from their taskmasters when they saw five strangely dressed invaders watching their people being forced to destroy their planet.

A week later, Dex, disguised as a human, left Edenoi, was adopted by the Stewart family, and began his career as a defender of Earth.

Prince Dex of Edenoi, who went by the name Dex Stewart while he was on Earth, had many dreams that were really memories of his life on Edenoi, but this was the first time since it happened a little over a year and a half ago that the memory of his encounter with the Power Rangers had shown itself to him in his sleep.

His dream was interrupted by the sound of the Stewart's alien alarm going off. It not only woke Dex, but his entire family as well.

The intruder couldn't be evil, or didn't come to harm to him or his family. If they did, his Insectopathic sense, the sixth sense that all Edenoites had that warned them of danger, would've awakened him and warned him long before the alarm did. But he still got up and went downstairs to see who the intruder or intruders were. He was followed by his family-his adopted parents, Hal and Barbara, his adopted sister, Molly, and his adopted brother, Albee.

When the Stewart family were halfway down the stairs, they could hear Furbus, Dex's pet Monotomorax, screaming. Dex reached the bottom of the steps first and gasped when he saw who the intruder was. It was an Alpha unit, but what was it doing here?

"Ai-yi-yi! Calm down, little guy," the robot said to Furbus. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Dex walked over to the alarm panel and turned the alarm off, then walked back to the frightened robot. "Alpha? Alpha 5, is that you?"

"Yes it is," Alpha replied. "I'm surprised you recognized me. You were just a little baby the last time I saw you."

"My grandfather often showed me images of when he worked on you when he was teaching me about robots," Dex explained. "So, I never forgot what you looked like."

"You know this guy?" asked Molly.

"Yes," said Dex. "This is Alpha 5, Alpha, this is my adopted family Hal, Barbara, Molly, and Albee Stewart."

"Greetings," said Alpha.

"Hi," said the Stewart family.

"And this is Furbus," said Dex, patting his pet on the head.

"Laddie, laddie," said Furbus.

"Hello, Furbus," said Alpha.

"What brings you here to Leewood at this hour of the night?" asked Hal.

"I'm sorry that I woke all of you up," apologized Alpha, "but I have to talk to Dex. This is an emergency."

"What's wrong?" asked Dex.

"The Rangers need your help," said Alpha.

"The Power Rangers?" asked Albee.

"Yes," replied Alpha. "They've been frozen and we need your help to get the Prism of Polaris, the only thing that will thaw them. Will you please come back to Angel Grove with me?"

Dex thought for a moment before finally saying; "All right, if you'll allow me to get dressed first." The only thing he was wearing were blue pajama bottoms.

"Okay," said Alpha. "But please hurry.

Dex ran upstairs and came back down in a few minutes wearing white pants, a white and black striped T-shirt, a white jacket, and tennis shoes. "I'm ready."

"Be careful," said Barbara.

"I will," said Dex, "and I'll try to be back before Dreagon discovers I'm gone."

A few minutes later, Dex and Alpha teleported to the Power Chamber. The first thing the young prince saw when he entered the room was the frozen Rangers.

"Who did this?" he asked.

"An old enemy of the Rangers, named Scorpina," said a voice that Dex assumed belonged to Zordon of Eltare, "and her boyfriend, Scorpio. They used a powerful potion to freeze the Rangers. The main ingredient of that potion, a crystal known as the Prism of Polaris, is what we need to break the spell.

"Once we have the Prism, Alpha will shine a light on it that will cause the Prism to shine multicolored light on the Rangers and thaw them."

Suddenly, an alarm went off and an image of Scorpio, Scorpina, Rito, Goldar, and the Tengus attacking the suburban section of Angel Grove appeared on the monitor. In Scorpina's hand was a cup of the same potion she used to freeze the Rangers. The top of the potion was frozen and the Prism was floating underneath the ice.

"It appears that Scorpina is ready for anyone who is brave enough to try and stop her and her comrades," said Zordon. "You must be careful, Prince Dex, or you'll suffer the same fate as the Rangers, then all of Earth's defense against Rita, Zedd, and Dreagon will be gone. The moment the Prism touches any of the potion that has been spilled on the ground, the whole liquid turns into a mist that will transform any organic thing it touches into ice."

"I will be careful," promised Dex.

"Here," said Alpha, handing him a spare communicator. "Use this to contact us if you need to."

"Thanks," said Dex, putting the communicator on his wrist.

"Good luck, Masked Rider," said Zordon. "And may the power protect you."

"Ecto Phase, Activate!" cried Dex.

At the Springwillow residence, all chaos had broken loose and was now running wild. Terry and her parents, Scott and Janice, were trying to get out of their house as Scorpio tore it apart.

Janice and Terry raced out the door, down the porch steps and across their front lawn, but before Scott Springwillow could follow, he tripped over the door stop and fell. It was then that Scorpio decided to have a little fun with this human. He pinned Scott to the ground with his foot.

"Dad!" cried Terry when she saw her father at Scorpio's mercy. She ran back up the porch steps.

"Terry! No!" her mother cried.

Scott, meanwhile, was trying his best not to panic.

"Do anything you want to me," he said to Scorpio, "but just leave my wife and daughter alone."

"Beg," said Scorpio.

"What?"

"I want you to beg for their lives and yours, human."

But he didn't get to hear what he wanted, because after he finished talking, Terry grabbed him and pushed him off her father with such force, that they both fell off the porch and into Janice's flower bed.

Terry landed on top of Scorpio and pinned the villain to the ground."Run, Dad!"

But before Scott could say or do anything, he was seized by a Tengu. At the same time, another one grabbed Janice and seconds later, another bird pulled Terry off of Scorpio.

"Let go of her," said Scorpio, getting up.

"Huh?" said the Tengu.

"The girl's mine. I'm going to crush her myself. Nobody pushes me and gets away with it."

But no sooner was Terry free, when she elbowed the Tengu in the ribs and kicked Scorpio in the stomach. Outraged, Scorpio grabbed her arm with his tail and yanked her to the ground.

"You brat!" he roared. "You're going to pay big time for that!"

"You're the one who's going to pay big time for what you've done," said Terry. "The Power Rangers are going to show up any minute and kick your butt clear into the next universe."

"The Power Rangers? Don't make me laugh, kid. The Power Rangers are nothing but multicolored whimps that my girlfriend and I turned into ice less than two hours ago. The only way to change them back to flesh is with the Prism of Polaris. And there's no way you or any other weakling human is going to take it from us." He threw back his head and laughed.

Suddenly, an energy blade came out of nowhere and sliced off Scorpio's tail. As the insect monster howled in pain, someone kicked him in the stomach and sent him hurling into the trunk of the Springwillow's orange tree.

Terry, who had expected her rescuer to be a Power Ranger, was surprised to see that it was not a Ranger who attacked Scorpio, but a different hero.

"Masked Rider?" she asked.

"Yes," the insect hero replied, as he helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"Uh-huh."

"But neither of you will be once I get through with you," said Scorpio.

"Run," Masked Rider ordered Terry. He raced forward to battle Scorpio, but Terry didn't move.

At first, the two combatants blocked every kick, every punch and every sword strike they threw at each other. Then, Scorpio swung his sword downward toward Masked Rider's head. Masked Rider blocked it, but in doing so, he left his torso unprotected. Scorpio took advantage of that opening and kicked him in the ribs. Before Masked Rider had a chance to recover from the blow, Scorpio blasted him with orange energy bolts from his eyes. He did this over and over again, not giving Masked Rider a chance to go on the offensive again.

Terry just stood there, not knowing what to do. She had to stop Scorpio from shooting Masked Rider, but she didn't know how. She looked down at Scorpio's tail, still wrapped around her arm, and got an idea. She uncoiled the tail and cracked it like a whip.

She was an expert at using a whip. Granddad Springwillow, a rancher taught everything there was to know about using one during her stay at his ranch the summer she was ten. She just hopped she had mastered the art of whipping well enough to help Leewood's hero out now.

After being hit for the third time by Scorpio's blasts, Dex knew he had to think of something fast, or he was toast. If Scorpio would juststop firing on him for just a moment, he could transform into Masked Rider Super Gold and have a chance to defeat this bad bug.

Just as Scorpio was about to take another shot at him, the stinger of Scorpio's own tail smacked him in the eye, then in the shoulder.

"Masked Rider Super Gold!" Dex cried.

Instantly Dex's armor changed from his green and black suit to a gold and black suit with thicker armor. During his transformation Dex saw that his rescuer was none other than the red headed girl he'd saved from Scorpio earlier. Dex wanted to thank her for saving his life, but now was not the time. He had an evil bug to finish off.

"Ecto Ray Activate," he commanded. Instantly, a laser gun appeared in his hand.

Dex shot at Scorpio. Scorpio saw what was coming and ducked, but not quick enough to avoid the bolt completely. It hit him in the shoulder.

Scorpio howled in pain, then glared at Dex and the girl, his eyes red with rage. He knew that if Masked Rider shot at him again, the shot might destroy him. The only thing Scorpio could do to avoid that was retreat.

"We'll meet again," he vowed.

And with that, he vanished.

The Tengus, not wanting to suffer the same fate as Scorpio, released Scott and Janice, and flew away.

"Mom! Dad!" Terry called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Janice said.

"So am I," said Scott. He faced the Masked Rider. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," said Terry.

"You're welcome said Masked Rider, putting a hand on Terry's shoulder. "And thank you for distracting Scorpio. You're a very brave young woman."

Terry blushed. She'd never been called brave by a Super Hero before.

"I must go now," said Masked Rider.

"To get the Prism of Polaris?" Terry guessed.

"Yes," said Masked Rider. "How did...?"

"Scorpio told us about it right before you showed up. It's the only thing that can save the Power Rangers and we have to get it."

"We?"

"Yeah. You and me."

"Oh, I don't think so," said Janice. "You've had enough adventure for one day."

"But Mom," whined Terry, "I want to help the Power Rangers and Masked Rider."

"You can do that by helping your neighbors evacuate their homes so we don't have as many civilians to worry about," said Masked Rider. He turned to leave, but then turned back toward Terry. "Maybe someday, you'll be a Power Ranger and defend Angel Grove from evil."

Terry smiled. "What if I move to Leewood and become a Rider?"

"Then I'll be proud to fight by your side."

After a couple more rescues, Dex finally found Scorpina standing underneath a tree with her cup of potion in her hand. Dex’s plan was to seize her from behind and take the cup away from her, but that plan was discarded when she turned and saw him.

“Well, what do we have here?” asked Scorpina.

“I’ve come for the Prism, Scorpina,” Dex said. “Hand it over, and I’ll let you leave Earth unharmed.”

Scorpina’s first thought was to fight him, but then she remembered the contents of her cup. Why waste time fighting him, when she could just freeze him?

“You want it?” she asked. “Here it is.” She tossed the potion on the ground.

Dex quickly jumped into the air to avoid the mist, flipped over Scorpina and landed behind her. Scorpina leaped into the air and landed on a tree branch.

“That was good,” she said, “but not god enough.” She took the Prism out of the cup, to show Dex she still had it, then tossed it on the spilled potion.

The moment the Prism touched the liquid, it turned to mist. Before Dex could move, the mist had turned his feet to ice. Scorpina laughed.

“I’m not beaten yet,” said Dex.

As the mist rose up to his knees, Dex crouched down and grabbed something on the ground.

“Masked Rider Super Blue!” Dex cried.

In a flash of light, Dex’s Super Gold suit changed into a suit of blue, black, and red. Just before his body was frozen completely, he changed into a liquid mass and slid up the tree where Scorpina was perched.

“What’s this?” she roared.

Dex slid up to a branch that was directly across from Scorpina and materialized into a solid form that wasn’t frozen.

“So you think you’re pretty cleaver....” began Scorpina.

“Yes I do,” said Dex. “Not only did I escape your mist, but I also got the Prism.” He opened his hand so she could see the Prism of Polaris inside.

Seconds later, the mist disappeared. Although it was powerful, it didn’t last very long.

Dex smiled and jumped from the tree. Once he was on the ground, he contacted the Power Chamber.

“Alpha, Zordon, I have the Prism,” he said. “Teleport it to the Power Chamber. I’ll stay here and finish this battle up.”

He knew that there might still be civilians in the area and he couldn’t leave until he was sure they were safe.

The Prism vanished from his hand in a flash of white light.

Scorpina jumped down form the tree. “You’ll pay for this.”

Dex activated his Blue Saber and made ready to do battle with Scorpina, but as she attacked, he heard some one run up behind him, and his Insectopathic Sense told him that it was trouble. As Scorpina swung her sword at him, Dex changed back into a liquid form and slid away from her. The next thing Scorpina knew, she was crossing swords with Goldar.

“Goldar, what are you doing?!” demanded Scorpina.

“Getting rid of that little bug brat,” said Goldar.

“I’ll get rid of him myself.”

Before either of them could move, Dex slid back to them and knocked them off their feet. Then, he slid a few feet away from them and transformed back into a solid form.

Goldar jumped to his feet and shoved Scorpina down as she started to get up. “Let an expert show you how it’s done, little girl.”

Goldar rushed forward. He would regain some of the honor that he lost when he failed to destroy the Power Rangers by getting rid of this little pest.

But Masked Rider was a better swordsmen then he thought. In no time the Prince of Edenoi was beating Goldar.

Scorpina was so busy watching Dex kick Goldar’s butt, that she was surprised when Scorpio came up behind her.

“What happened to you?” she asked when she saw the sorry state her boyfriend was in.

Scorpio had a nasty cut across his right eye and his right shoulder, his other shoulder looked like it had been shot with a powerful laser, and his handsome tail had been cut off.

“That pest, Masked Rider,” Scorpio said, “is what happened to me. He and his little sidekick ganged up on me.”

“Sidekick?”

“Yeah. A little girl with long red hair that was done up in a cutesy, little braid. Oh, how am I going to explain this to Uncle Scorpious? He’ll fry me for failing so miserably, and Cousin Trakeena will never let me live it down.”

Scorpious was Scorpio’s guardian who supplied him and Scorpina with all the equipment they needed for bounty hunting.

“We haven’t failed, yet,” said Scorpina.

“How can you say that?" asked Scorpio. “I saw the Prism being teleported away. The Rangers will be thawed soon, and we will have failed our assignment, and it’s all that stupid brat’s fault. Ooo, that Masked Rider is like an annoying bug.”

“He is an annoying bug, but he can be used to turn our defeat into a victory. Look at him, Scorpio. Doesn’t he look like he needs a rest?”

“Needs a rest?”

“Yes.” Scorpina pulled a dart from her belt.

“That’s one of our Pontoya tranquilizer darts!” exclaimed Scorpio.

“Yes,” said Scorpina. “The only one we have left that will penetrate any kind of armor.”

She tossed it at Dex, hitting him in the forearm. As soon as the dart pierced his skin, Dex’s powers deactivated, leaving him without any protection against Goldar.

“Having a little power failure, are we?” Goldar laughed.

Dex kicked Goldar in the ribs, then stumbled backward. The dart was beginning to take affect on him and he started to feel sleepy. Deciding to make his escape before Goldar recovered, Dex pulled the dart out of his skin, ran across the street, and into Angel Grove park, thankful that no civilians were around when he demorphed.

Scorpio turned on his communicator and told Finster to activate the scanner jammer. While it was on, Zordon and Alpha couldn’t teleport Dex to the safety of the Power Chamber.

“Run all you want, Bug Boy,” Scorpio shouted. “You won’t get far.”

In was so dark in Angel Grove park, that Dex could barely see two feet in front of him. When he reached the playground equipment, Dex stopped and contacted the Power Chamber.

That was all he could say before he collapsed in front of the merry-go-round. Before he fell asleep, he heard Scorpio’s evil laughter echoing through the park.

One problem had been solved and another had formed. Alpha had set up his special lamp so its light would shine directly on the Prism, and the Prism’s rainbow light would shine directly on the Rangers. Everything was going according to plan, except for the fact that it was taking longer to thaw the Rangers than Zordon and Alpha thought it would, and Dex had disappeared.

Alpha was hurrying from computer console to computer console, trying reestablish a communication link with Dex, or at least trying to find out where he was, but after an hour of trying, he wasn’t having any success.

“You must keep trying to find Dex,” said Zordon.

“I haven’t had any luck so far,” said Alpha. “Ai-yi-yi.”

He looked at the six frozen Rangers, hopping they would show signs of being thawed soon. The ice on their suits had melted and puddles of water surrounded their feet, but they still weren’t moving.

Suddenly, Alpha saw Tommy’s outstretched hand open and close, then drop to his side. The other Rangers were also beginning to come around.

Tommy took off his helmet. “Zordon, what happened?”

As the other Rangers removed their helmets and Alpha turned off the lamp, Zordon quickly told the Zeo Rangers what Scorpio and Scorpina had done to them and how Dex had gotten the Prism so Alpha could break the spell.

“But now, we’ve lost contact with Dex,” said Alpha, “and we have no idea where he is.”

“I’ll go find him,” volunteered Tommy.

“We’ll go with you,” said Kat.

“All right. Back to action.”

When the Zeo Rangers arrived in the suburban part of Angel Grove, they didn’t see any signs of Rita and Zedd’s forces, but they saw all of the people, who had been evacuated from their homes, returning to them. There wasn’t a trace of Dex anywhere.

“Let’s split up,” suggested Tanya. “We’ll cover more ground that way.”

“Okay,” said Tommy, “But be careful.”

Each Ranger left the group in a different direction.

Tommy was just about done searching his section of the street, when he saw a young girl with long red hair done up in a single braid, wearing red and white striped pajamas running toward him. As she got closer, he saw that she was his student, Terry Springwillow.

“Hi, Red Ranger,” she said when she caught up with him. “I’m glad to see that you and your friends are okay. Scorpio told me what he did to you.”

“Thanks,” Tommy replied.

“Are you looking for the Masked Rider?”

“Yes. Have you seen him?”

“The last time I saw him was after he saved my family and I from Scorpio. He ran toward the park to get a Prism.”

“Toward the park?” asked Tommy. Terry nodded. “Okay. Thanks.”

He ran toward the park. Along the way, he checked in with the other Rangers. After they told him that they had found nothing, he told them what Terry said, and to meet him at the park.

The Rangers combed through the whole park, but the only trace of Dex that they found was his communicator, smashed to bits and laying in front of the merry-go-round.

“Where could he be?” Adam asked as he and his friends left the park.

Suddenly Rocky saw a teen-age boy that looked like Dex lying on the sidewalk, beneath a streetlight a few yards away from them.

“Guys, look,” he said, pointing to the boy.

Without another word, Tommy, Rocky, and Adam bolted toward the teenager.

“Guys wait!” Kat called after them. “It could be a trap.”

As the three teens got closer, they saw that the boy was indeed Dex. He was lying on his side and facing the Rangers with his eyes closed.

Adam, who reached Dex first, knelt beside the prince and called out his name. When Dex didn’t respond, Adam decided to check his pulse to make sure he was still alive. But when he touched Dex’s neck, Adam’s hand whet right through Dex as if he were a ghost. Startled, Adam pulled his hand away.

“It’s just a hologram,” Tommy observed.

They heard laughter and looked up to see Scorpio and Scorpina sitting on the streetlight above them. Adam jumped to his feet and Tanya, Trey, and Kat rushed forward to stand by their friends in case the two villains decided to attack.

“Hi, Rangers,” said Scorpio. “Enjoy you’re little chill out?”

“You won’t be laughing when we smack that grin off your face,” said Tommy. “What have you done with our friend?”

“Just pricked him with a tranquilizer dart to help him get some rest,” said Scorpina, innocently. “He’s sleeping like a baby right now.”

“Where?” demanded Adam.

“We’ll tell you,” said Scorpio, “and then we’ll make a trade. The Prism of Polaris for your precious prince.”

“No,” said Trey.

“Trey...” Tommy began.

“The Prism has too much power to be in their hands. We can’t give it to them.”

“We can’t leave Dex in their hands either.” Tommy turned to the villains. “Where and when?”

“The old boat house at the beach,” said Scorpina.

The Rangers knew about that boathouse. It was so old now, that the Angel Grove City Council prohibited anyone from going anywhere near it, or the old dock in front of it.

“That place is off limits,” Kat said.

“Not for us,” said Scorpina. “Be there exactly at dawn. Not a minute early, not a minute late, or else your friend pays the price.” She fired an energy beam at holographic projector that was projecting Dex’s image. The device exploded and the image disappeared.

“And don’t forget to bring the Prism,” said Scorpio.

The two villains laughed and vanished.

Back at the Power Chamber, the Zeo Rangers were formulizing a plan to get Dex back, keep the Prism, and keep themselves from being destroyed or captured.

“It’s obvious that they want to trap us,” said Tanya. “Why else would they tell us not to come any earlier than sunrise?”

“But how can we avoid a trap when we don’t know what it is?” asked Rocky.

“We just have to be as careful as we can,” said Adam. “If we don’t show up at all, they’ll kill Dex.”

“I doubt it,” said Trey. “Rita and Zedd aren’t powerful enough to take his powers away from him, but he’s still valuable to them. They can bribe Count Dreagon into leaving Earth and let them conquer it without any competition, or they can give him to Dark Specter, the Grand Monarch of Evil, in exchange for power.”

“So, if we were to surprise them by arriving early, Dex will be okay?” asked Kat.

“Maybe,” said Zordon. “If Zedd became outraged enough by your arrival, he may order Dex’s execution, despite what he’ll lose if he does.”

“So, Dex would still be in danger if we showed up early,” said Adam.

“Dex is in danger as long as he’s Rita and Zedd’s prisoner,” Tommy pointed out.

“So, what do we do?” asked Kat.

“I don’t know,” said Tommy, “but we’d better think of something and soon. Dawn’s only a half hour away.”

Dex opened his eyes. He was awake, but he felt groggy. He could see that the black sky was beginning to turn gray.

How long have I been asleep? he thought to himself. Then, he saw and smelled the salt water of the ocean. And where am I?

He looked around and saw that he was sitting beside a metal pole that was standing upright and had a “No Trespassing” sign on top of it.

And his hands were shackled to it.

Dex moaned and closed his eyes again. Seconds later, the smell of a being that hadn't bathed in ten thousand years entered his nostrils and chased the grogginess from his mind. He opened his eyes to find himself face to face with the vile scented Rito Revoto.

“Good morning, Bug Boy,” Rito said.

Dex turned his head and covered his nose.

“Now, Rito, show some respect,” scolded Rita Repulsa. “After all, he is royalty.”

“Sorry,” said Rito. He stepped away from Dex and Lord Zedd stepped up to the boy.

“Welcome, Your Highness, Prince Dex of Edenoi,” Zedd said. “It is an honor to have you here at our temporary base.”

“The honor is entirely yours, Zedd,” Dex replied as he stood up. "I asure you."

“Enjoy your sleep, brat?” a cruel voice asked.

Dex didn’t have to look in the direction the voice came from to know that it belonged to Scorpina.

“Yes I did, thank you,” he said.

“Good,” said Scorpio. “It’s the last peaceful sleep your ever gonna have.”

“You’re going to spend the rest of your life paying for humiliating us in front of the citizens of Angel Grove.”

“I doubt it,” said Dex. “In case you haven’t figured it out already, Zordon has the Prism and will use it to return them to normal. As soon as they’re thawed, they’ll be coming after me.”

“We know,” said Rita. “That’s why we prepared a little surprise for them.”

“Finster,” Scorpio called, “is the force field Scorpina and I brought ready yet?”

“Yes, Scorpio,” the alien handyman answered.

“Good. Turn it on.”

Dex heard an electronic buzzing sound, then saw a blue web form between him and the villains, then disappear.

“When the Rangers come to free you...” Zedd began. He picked up a rock and threw it at the invisible web. “This is what will happen to them.”

The rock struck the web and exploded. At the same time, the web became visible again, but just for a moment.

“Perfect,” said Scorpio. “Now, turn the force field off and let’s take our positions. It’s almost dawn.”

Finster shut off the force field.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” said Dex. “I’ll...”

His speech was cut short when Rito stuffed the middle of an old cloth in his mouth and tied the ends together behind his head.

“That should keep you quiet,” Rito said.

The sky had gone from gray to pink and the sun was beginning to show itself when the Zeo Rangers teleported to the boat dock. They saw Goldar, Rito, Scorpio, Scorpina, and the Tengus forming a monster wall in front of Dex, who was shackled to a pole and gagged. Rita and Zedd were perched on top of the roof of the boathouse at the end of the dock. The space in front of the boathouse was littered with old wooden boxes that were left there when the boathouse was abandoned.

“Right on time, Rangers,” said Scorpio.

Tommy held up a round, golf ball sized prism, so the villains could see it. “We’ve brought you the Prism, now let Dex go.”

“First, give it to us,” said Scorpina.

Tommy rolled the Prism across the dock to Scorpina. She picked it up and smiled.

“Destroy them,” she ordered her comrades.

The monsters charged forward, but the Rangers were ready for them. They fought the villains with all they had. The Tengus were easy to defeat, but the other four were harder.

Tommy and Goldar were sword fighting in the thick of the fray.

“Kinda brings back old memories of past battles, doesn’t it, Tommy?” Goldar said.

“Yes it does,” Tommy agreed, kicking Goldar in the ribs. “I’m reminded of how badly I kicked your butt battle after battle.”

“That’s about to change.”

He raised his sword to strike the Red Ranger, but before Tommy could block it, Trey slid between him and Goldar and blocked the blow on his staff.

“Go get Dex, we’ll hold these guys off,” the Gold Ranger said.

“Okay,” said Tommy.

Goldar smiled. Yes, Red Ranger. Go save your friend and meet your doom.

The attack on the Rangers was only a diversion. If they were to allow them to just go get their friend, they might get suspicious and not go near the force field.

Dex watched the battle with concern. The villains were pushing the Rangers closer and closer to the force field. They had no idea there was danger behind them and he had no way to warn them.

Then, Dex saw Tommy break away from the battle and come racing toward him.

“Hang on, man. I’m coming.”

“No!” Dex cried. “Don’t come any closer!” But the gag in his mouth made his words muffled and impossible to understand.

Tommy was now only a few feet from the force field. Within seconds, he would run into it and be killed. Dex had to do something fast. Suddenly, he got an idea. Using telekinesis, the ability to move objects with one’s mind, Dex lifted one of the old boxes and shoved it toward the force field. The box hit the force field and exploded, just before Tommy was about to hit it.

“Whoa!” Tommy cried, jumping backwards. “Guys, don’t come any closer. There’s some kind of destructive wall between us and Dex.”

Zedd was furious. “Shove them into the force field!” He glared at Dex. “The last to go will see his Ranger friends go before him.”

Tommy contacted Zordon and Alpha. “Is there anyway to break through this field?”

There might be,” said Zordon. “We have a device here that might be able to make a temporary hole in the force field, but Alpha has to retrieve it from the storage room. I will teleport it to you as soon as possible.”

“Hurry,” said Tommy.

Already, the villains were forcing the Rangers closer and closer to the force field. Scorpio punched Adam in the ribs and sent him flying backwards. He would of hit the force field, if Tanya hadn’t grabbed him and stopped his momentum.

“Thanks,” Adam said.

“No problem,” Tanya replied.

The battle continued for several more minutes before Zordon contacted Tommy again.

“Alpha has found the device. When it arrives, press the red button on the top and throw it at the force field.”

Tommy finished off the Tengu he was fighting, then turned just in time to see a small silver cylinder materialize before him. He pressed the red button on the top of it and threw it at the invisible web. When it exploded, the whole web became visible, just like it did when Dex’s box hit it. The only difference was that there was now a seven-foot high, six-foot wide gap where the device had hit it.

“Hurry and get Dex out of there,” said Alpha. “You only have a few minutes before the web starts to repair itself.”

“I’m on it,” said Tommy.

He pulled his laser out of its holster and raced through the hole. If Rita and Zedd decided to attack him, he wanted to be ready to defend himself.

“I don’t think so, Tommy,” said Rita. She fired a bolt from her staff at the Red Ranger, who manned to dodge it and dive for cover behind an old rowboat.

Before Tommy could shot back, another laser bolt sailed over his head and barely missed hitting Rita’s big toe. Tommy turned to see Kat standing behind him.

“Go get Dex,” she said. “I’ll hold them off.”

A bolt from Zedd’s staff struck the front side of the boat.

“Be careful,” said Tommy before running off toward his captive friend.

Soon, he was at the young prince’s side. Dex moved as far away from the pole as the shackles would let him, and curled back his hands. Tommy cut the chain connecting the shackles together and untied Dex’s gag.

“Thanks for getting that Prism and for warning me about the force field,” said Tommy.

Dex took the gag out of his mouth. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s get it back from Scorpio and Scorpina.”

“The Prism of Polaris? Don’t worry about it. It’s safe in the Power Chamber. The crystal I gave Scorpina was just a cheep store bought one.”

Dex smiled. “A wise move.”

“Thanks. Now, let’s get out of here. You’d better morph, the going could get rough.”

Dex nodded. “Ecto Phase Activate!”

Within moments, he was transformed into the Masked Rider.

Kat, meanwhile, was running out of cover. Rita and Zedd had nearly blasted the rowboat to bits and she didn’t know how much longer she could last.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tommy and Dex running toward her, but unfortunately, so did Rita.

“You’re toast,” the evil empress said as she aimed her wand at the two young men.

“No!” Kat cried.

She aimed her pistol at Rita’s wand and pulled the trigger. The laser bolt ripped through the red bulb at the top of the wand, making it useless.

“That’s the end of your evil power,” the Pink Zeo Ranger said.

Rita howled in rage. “Curse you, Katherine.

Tommy and Dex ran to Kat’s side.

“Nice shot,” complimented Tommy.

“Thanks, said Kat.

“Look out!” cried Dex, pointing at Zedd.

The villain had energized his staff and fired an energy bolt directly at them. Tommy, Kat, and Dex raced out from behind the boat just as the bolt shattered it to pieces.

“That was close,” said Tommy, as he and his friends raced through the shrinking hole in the force field.

“You won’t escape,” declared Zedd. “Scorpina, take care of them.”

Scorpina, who must have been close by, attacked the trio of heroes so fast that they didn’t have time to defend themselves. In the blink of an eye, she had Tommy and Kat on the ground and Dex back on the other side of the force field.

“Fry him, Zeddy,” said Rita.

“Gladly,” Zedd replied.

He fired another energy bolt at the prince, but Dex saw what was coming, summoned his Electro Saber and deflected the bolt right back at the two villains. The bolt hit the section of roof that was under their feet and caused it to collapse sending Rita crashing into the boathouse. Zedd managed to stop his fall by turning his staff horizontally. It was barely long enough to go across the hole and stop his fall. He hung there for seconds before he lost his grip on the staff and followed his wife to the bottom of the boathouse. The staff slid off the roof and landed on the dock.

Meanwhile, Scorpina stood between Dex and the opening in the force field.

“This was supposed to be my return to glory, but you ruined it,” Scorpina hissed. “The Rangers would’ve been destroyed if it weren’t for you.” She pointed her sword at Dex’s chest. “If I can’t destroy the Rangers, I’ll settle for bringing about your destruction.”

“You can try,” said Dex, “but you won’t succeed.”

They charged at each other and started fighting. At first, Dex had the upper hand, but after a few clever moves, Scorpina started winning.

Tommy, Kat, or any of the other Rangers couldn’t help him because Goldar, Rito, and the Tengus were keeping them busy.

Scorpina kicked Dex’s legs out from under him and kicked his sword out of his hand. Then, she and raised her own sword over her head and prepared to bring it down on his head. But just before the sword hit its mark Dex spotted Zedd’s staff, grabbed it, and used it to block the blow. He, then, hit Scorpina in the stomach with the butt end of it and kicked her legs out from under her.

“Dex!” Rocky shouted. “The hole is collapsing! Get out of there, now!”

Scorpina grabbed Dex’s leg. “You won’t be going anywhere.”

Dex tried to pull his leg lose, but Scorpina’s grip was so strong, he couldn’t. So, after picking up his weapon, he dragged her along as he made his way to the hole.

“Hurry!” Kat cried.

“Worry about yourself, Pinky,” said Rito. He swung his sword at her, but she ducked just in time.

Dex was now just a few feet from the spot where the hole was supposed to be. The web was invisible now, so he couldn’t see how much the deadly web had repaired itself. To find out, Dex threw Zedd’s staff at the web. The staff exploded into a million pieces and the force field became visible. Dex could see that the hole had almost disappeared completely. There was just a small space left at the bottom of the force field for him to crawl under.

With one last desperate pull, Dex got his leg free from Scorpina’s grasp and dove underneath the force field. No sooner had he made it to safety than the hole disappeared completely.

Scorpina, blinded by rage, didn’t see this. She started to crawl toward the hole that she thought was there, but all she found were the lines of a deadly web.

Scorpina exploded in a ball of flames. The only thing on her body that made it through the blast in one piece was the fake Prism of Polaris. The explosion had blasted it from the pocket of her golden armor and into the force field generator’s narrow tube that projected the deadly web. The prism slid down the tube and into the generator itself, blocking the force filed. Seconds later, the generator exploded.

Adam rushed over to Dex and helped him to his feet.

“Looks like we’ve seen the last of Scorpina,” Adam said. “Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Dex replied. “Did I miss much?”

“Not much. We’re just about done here.”

The Tengus had retreated earlier, Rito was retreating now, Tommy and Trey were battling Scorpio, while Rocky, Tanya, and Kat were battling Goldar.

Scorpio knocked the Red and Gold Rangers down then saw the Green Ranger and the Masked Rider flip over them and punch him in the chest with such force that he was pushed backwards several feet.

“Are you all right?” Dex asked.

“Yeah,” replied Tommy.

“Where’s Scorpina?” asked Trey.

“Gone,” said Adam. “Blown up by her own force field.”

Scorpio heard this and wailed.

“You killed her! You murdered her! I’ll see that you pay for this, all of you!” He turned and fired a laser bolt out of his eyes that struck Goldar in the back. “Get lost. This is my fight now and mine alone.”

“It’s your funeral,” the gold clad baboon said. And he disappeared.

Scorpio gave a loud battle cry and turned back toward the Power Rangers and Masked Rider.

Rocky, Tanya, and Kat rushed over to their friends.

“We can take him out with the Zeo cannon,” Tommy said quietly, as he nodded to Dex and Trey, “if you two will distract him while we set it up.”

“We’re on it,” said Trey.

“Let’s flank him,” Dex suggested.

The Gold Ranger attacked Scorpio’s left. Scorpio tried to punch him, but Trey grabbed his arm before the blow reached its target. Scorpio snorted, flicked his arm, and dumped Trey flat on his back. But while Scorpio was busy with Trey, Dex attacked form the right and kicked Scorpio in the hip.

The Zeo Rangers, meanwhile, were setting up the Zeo Cannon; a weapon so big that four Rangers had to hold it while a fifth operated it. The Cannon took awhile to set up because the Rangers had to summon it, then summon and put into the large weapon the five Zeo Power Cells. But soon, that was all done and Tommy got behind the Cannon and put his hand on the trigger.

“We’re ready,” he called to Trey and Dex.

The two heroes backed away from Scorpio.

“Am I too much for you two cowards?”

“No. We just don’t want to be in the way,” said Trey.

“Of what?”

Scorpio soon found out. Tommy pulled the trigger and a multi colored fireball hit the evil bounty hunter in the back. Trey and Dex had to shield their eyes as Scorpio exploded into a million crispy pieces.

“And that’s that,” said Tanya.

“Not quite,” said Dex.

The Rangers followed him to the boathouse where Rita and Zedd were pulling themselves out of the old building. Both villains were covered with scrapes, bruises, and dust.Rita’s hair was completely undone and her dress was torn.

Masked Rider and the Zeo Rangers surrounded them and drew their weapons.

“It looks like this is our final confrontation, said Tommy.

“You’re going to destroy us?” said Rita. “But we don’t have our weapons. We’re defenseless.”

“After we did so much for you, you’re going strike us down in cold blood?” asked Zedd.

“After all you’ve done for us?” asked Rocky.

“Yes,” said Rita. “If it weren’t for me and Zedd, Tommy wouldn’t have become the White Ranger and leader of the Power Rangers. And you, Katherine, if it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t be a Ranger at all.”

“We helped you get rid of the Machine Empire,” said Zedd. “It was we who blew them up. And we took such good care of you, Prince Dex, while you were with us.”

“You’ve also caused us and the people of Earth a lot of pain and suffering,” said Tommy. “That’s something that can’t go unpunished.”

The evil couple exchanged nervous glances.

“What are you going to do with us?” asked Rita.

“That’s going to have to be for Zordon to decide,” said Tommy. “We don’t hurt the defenseless.”

After Tommy destroyed Scorpio’s signal blocker with Zeo Zord V and the rest of the Rangers and Dex had rounded up Rito, Goldar, and Finster, Zordon contacted his old friend Demitria and had her send a ship to pick the villains up. The ship arrived an hour later and teleported the villains from their confinement field in the Power Chamber. They would be taken to Eltare to stand trail for their evil deeds.

After they were gone, Kat, Tanya, and Trey were formally introduced to Dex, and Tommy, Adam, and Rocky told him what had become of Aisha and Billy. The Rangers and Dex exchanged stories about what happened to them since they last met in 1995.

Finally, Trey cleared his throat to get his friends' attention.

“Now that Angel Grove is safe from evil, I feel it is time to return home to Triforia.”

None of Trey’s friends wanted him to leave, but they knew that because Trey was the Lord of Triforia, he couldn’t stay on Earth for very long because his people needed him. Besides Trey himself, Dex knew that better than anyone in the room. He too would have to go back to his home planet someday.

“We’ll miss you,” said Kat.

“I will miss you, too,” said Trey. “You’ve been great friends, some of the best I’ve ever had.”

“Take care of yourself,” said Tommy, shaking Trey’s hand.

“I will,” Trey promised. He walked over to Dex. “Thank you again for all your help.”

“You’re welcome,” said Dex. “Be swift and be safe.”

“Good luck on your journey, Trey of Triforia,” said Zordon, “and may the power protect you.”

Trey crossed his arms in front of his chest and vanished in a flash of gold light.

“It is time for me to return to Leewood,” said Dex. “Dreagon will have his monsters tear the city apart if he discovers I’m gone.”

“If you ever need any help, be sure to contact us,” said Tommy.

“I will,” said Dex. “Thank you.”

After shaking hands with Tommy, Adam, and Rocky, and hugging Tanya and Kat, Alpha teleported Dex back to the Stewarts’ house in Leewood.

Completed December 1999

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