PRLG: A Different Shade of Pink
Episode XLV. Journey’s End, Part III: The Man Behind the Mask
by Green Senturion

The four Galaxy Rangers on the moon helplessly fought against the numerous Stingwingers, knowing that they weren’t making much progress.

“We’ve got to think!” Kai called, “Think about what the Ancient Rangers taught us…what we can do with what we learned from them…what can the Galactabeasts do?”

Cassie stopped briefly before punching a Stingwinger in the face. She then turned to Kai and said, “Wait a minute…aren’t we not hurt by fire, according to the Rangers?”

“Not that that stopped the Megazord from dying,” Damon quipped.

“THAT,” Maya said as she kicked a Stingwinger in the gut, “Was because it slammed into a rock…a big, hard rock known as the moon.”

“But while we’re not hurt by fire, normal people probably are,” Damon said.

The Rangers kept fighting, searching wildly for ideas. Finally, Kai shouted, “Guys…I hate to say this…but there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do…”

“Don’t talk like that!” Cassie cried. As Kai was taken down by a Stingwinger, she body slammed it and allowed Kai to get up. “No matter how bad the situation seems, no matter how helpless we seem to be…the Power Rangers will always know what to do!”

“Come on, Mike, just a little further,” Leo cautioned.

Descending the ramp to the engine room was a grueling task for Mike, but Leo supported him throughout. Slowly, Leo allowed Mike onto the floor, afraid of Trakeena surprising them. He then looked down and saw and smelled the rank, slimy footprints leading up the opposite ramp; clearly, Trakeena had been and gone.

Mike groaned and cried as Leo helped him hobble to the cocoon. “Mike, we can do this,” he urged, “Just hold on.” He then reached for the cocoon and hoped for the best.

Upstairs, Trakeena had entered the control room, now fully mutated. This form was her green form—in it, she looked completely like an insect, with big yellow eyes, green skin and muscles, and intimidating antennae. Her feet were slimy and left a reeking trail wherever she walked. But she had power, and that fact was all she cared about. Best of all, Deviot was gone for good, so the power was all hers.

“I’ll make you proud, Daddy,” she said, “And I’ll crush those silly Rangers for you.” She then grabbed the joystick and prepared to attack the citizens of Terra Venture.

Out of the cocoon stepped the merged being. No one would have known upon sight that two people coexisted in this singular new life form. He was proud, tall, and mighty. He was the Red Galaxy Ranger.

“Now I see,” came Mike’s voice from Leo’s body, “Why destiny was confused, and thought that I should have been the Red Galaxy Ranger.”

“We both were destined,” came Leo’s voice, “And together, we’ll stop Trakeena.”

“Let’s go!” the two cried at once.

Maybe it is hopeless, thought Cassie as she fought more Stingwingers, not daring to raise her Saber for fear of striking a citizen. Why should I save these ingrates who turned over Mike…no, they’re innocent. They’re scared—they can’t be blamed.

“But what can I do?” she called out, “What can I do?”

“YOU cannot do anything,” a voice spoke, “But I can.”

Cassie stopped, and watched as the several Stingwingers surrounding her fell the ground. She then turned around and saw the helmet of the Phantom Ranger appear in view, his face revealed. The brown eyes, the dirty blond hair, the earring…she was sure she knew him.

“But how…” she started, but he waved her away and repaired his visor with a flash of his hand. “Later,” he said, “Now, I owe more people than just you.” He then grabbed his Power Ruby from his chest and said, “Just as Zordon cleansed the world of evil just a while ago…now I cleanse this planet in his name!”

Three flashes of light signaled the oncoming assault of the Power Ruby. A red wave of light spread from where the Phantom Ranger stood and spread outward. The Rangers were de-morphed and the citizens were healed. But most importantly, the evil Stingwingers were turned to dust. The Galactabeasts roared triumphantly.

The Phantom Ranger fell, and Cassie walked to his side. He clutched his chest and breathed heavily. “Thank you,” she said, but he replied, “No, thank you, for trusting me for so long. Soon, I promise I will repay you—but right now, Leo and Mike need your help.”

Cassie followed the Phantom Ranger’s hand to the Scorpion Stinger rising into the air. She nodded to him, and called to the other Rangers. By now, everyone knew who they were—but as their journey would soon be over, Cassie wasn’t concerned. She had revealed her identity once already, so this second revelation and breaking of Zordon’s rules didn’t seem as bad as the first. “Guys…let’s go get the Jet Jammers and get up there. Galactabeasts, stop that Stinger from hurting anyone here.” The beasts roared in approval, and her teammates smiled at her. It’s good to be a veteran, Cassie thought.

“Trakeena!” Mike’s voice called. Unless he was talking to Leo, his voice was always the one that stuck out when morphed. “Your time is up. Surrender.”

Leo whistled as he saw Trakeena turn on her heels. To think that I actually thought she was hot once! She glowered, “Never…I have power…and I will use it to destroy you!”

Punches and kicks were exchanged between the pair as the autopilot steered the ship. Trakeena countered Leo’s saber slash with her staff strike—the two were deadlocked.

“It’s over, Ranger,” she said as she knocked his saber to the ground, “You have lost!”

“Not yet!” Kai cried. Into the control room flew the four remaining Galaxy Rangers on their Jet Jammers. At once, they struck Trakeena and brought her to her knees.

As she reeled, Leo called, “Let’s do this, guys!” The Rangers were confused to hear Mike’s voice, but were currently more concerned with defeating the bug princess. “Lights of Orion, Activate!” the teens called. Their armor donned, they attacked the weakened Trakeena at once with their group energy attack.

However, the attack failed. They bounced off Trakeena, and she seemed unfazed. She then used her staff to fire a powerful wave at the five teens. They were all floored. She stood above them and pointed down her staff as she laughed, “Goodbye, Rangers.”

However, the five teens swung their sabers simultaneously and knocked her staff away. They then got up and struck her to the ground together, but she managed to strike them all down as she fell. Leo was the first to rise, having the strength of two within him. “Trakeena is too strong…so it’s time we power her down.”

The Keys appeared in his hands as he called, “The Ancient Rangers will be once again with us in this final battle. Red Armored Ranger!” His additional armor loaded on top of his Orion Armor and made the powerful warrior seem nearly invincible. Trakeena looked afraid.

Leo grasped her with his claws and said, “Back up, guys…this could get ugly.” The other Rangers grouped behind him as he drew Trakeena in close. “Goodbye, Trakeena. FIRE!” The missile blasts in the small range devastated not only Trakeena but the front half of the ship…although the smoke clouded their vision, the Rangers could feel the floor sinking beneath them as they began to fall.

Fortunately, however, they landed. When the smoke had cleared, the Rangers could see the Galactabeasts gently lowering the Rangers to the ground, Leo included. “Remember,” he said, “Fire can’t hurt us.”

Cassie looked around wildly and said, “Wait a minute…where’s Trakeena?”

Kai looked around as well and said, “Yeah…shouldn’t your armor have powered her down…and not killed her?”

He was right, but the Rangers weren’t too concerned. As she was not within view, they considered themselves to have won. Only when she reappeared a year later and threatened a town on earth would the Rangers realize their mistake and beat her for good.

But for now, they were content. As they landed on the ground, they were happy to be greeted by the droves of happy citizens and familiar friends. Bulk and Professor Phenomenus were the first to approach.

“Well done, Rangers!” the Professor cried giving each Ranger a high-five.

“Yeah…” Bulk muttered, then, giving Cassie a hug, cried, “You got me again!”

More surprising, however, was the Red Turbo Ranger greeting the Rangers.

“Robot T.J?” Cassie asked as he, she, and the other Rangers de-morphed. “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” he said, “I’ve learned a bit from talking with the Phantom Ranger. Turns out that your Trakeena that you just seemed to beat was the one Eltar was worried about. We can feel safe again thanks to you, Galaxy Rangers.”

“You mean…” Cassie began.

“Eltar is the New World,” Robot T.J. concluded happily.

Damon looked around at the overpopulated region where they all stood, “Wait…Eltar can’t be big enough to support all these people…what will we do?”

“There turns out to be an easy solution to that problem,” a voice came from the crowd. Phantom Ranger appeared before the Rangers and continued, “Mirinoi was in the Lost Galaxy until recently, as you know. The slaves of Mutiny all lived on Mirinoi, as it were! Mirinoi was the home of all the residents of the Lost Galaxy, including the Ancient Rangers, for quite some time. Since I believe you have some unfinished business on that planet anyway, we can deposit the slaves back on their home planet and thus allow the citizens of Terra Venture to live peacefully and with enough resources on Eltar.”

“There’s just one problem,” Maya said, “How do we get back to Mirinoi?”

“I believe I can solve that problem too,” the Phantom Ranger said. A silver black remote shimmered into his hand and he depressed a small red button on it. As he did, through a large, multicolored portal in the sky appeared a sleek, smooth black jet.

“What…is THAT?” Cassie asked.

“You didn’t really think I’d come back to join you and not bring a new zord with me?” the Phantom Ranger laughed. “This is the final zord that Zordon gave me, the Shadow Winger. It is his legacy, and it comes from the future. However, he did tell me that it would serve one purpose before it had to return there permanently, and I believe this is it. Its speed is unmatched, and its riding is great—it will take us all to Mirinoi and back.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Damon asked, “Let’s get this puppy moving!”

After promising to return shortly, the Galaxy Rangers and the Phantom Ranger, along with the former slaves, boarded the Shadow Winger. The Galaxy Rangers morphed again as they boarded. Within minutes, the great zord had arrived on the lush, forested surface of Maya’s home planet, Mirinoi.

The slaves and the Rangers were disappointed to see that the planet was still encased in stone. The Rangers turned to one another and sighed. However, the Phantom Ranger said, “You underestimate my usefulness.” He began to use his Power Ruby again when he fell to the ground, exhausted from the previous strain on Eltar.

“No,” Cassie said, “You’re still weak. Besides…this mission to save Mirinoi and bring Terra Venture safely into the New World was ours…we should be able to save it.”

“Maybe,” Maya said, “Since the Quasar Sabers caused our problem, they can solve it too.”

The Rangers shrugged. This suggestion was as good as any other. The Phantom Ranger and the slaves watched as the five Galaxy Rangers placed their sabers into the stone from which they had drawn them a while ago.

Like magic, the planet of Mirinoi came out of its petrified state once all five Sabers had been replaced and the teens had been powered down. Likewise, the Galactabeasts appeared behind the trees with flashes of light. At the same time, from behind the trees came a shining, silvery spirit, that soon revealed itself to a young, pale skinned Caucasian woman who now seemed to be in a very vicarious state.

“Kendrix!” Maya cried. She rushed forward and gave her old friend the greatest hug imaginable.

“You guys were great,” she said, hugging the Rangers, in turn, “All of you. But especially you,” she said, stopping before Leo and Cassie. “Without you, Cassie, I don’t think anything would have happened the same.”

“I certainly doubt it,” Cassie laughed.

“And Mike,” she said, “You had to sacrifice yourself to save Terra Venture. You made a brave and noble sacrifice.”

“As did you,” Mike said.

“But I am whole again,” she said, “And you should be too. You had to live as part of someone once already, when Magna Defender captured you. You shouldn’t have to share a body with Leo…you should be your own person.”

“What?” Damon cried, “Is that why your voice changed? Is that you behind that helmet, Mike?”

“It’s both of us,” Leo’s voice spoke, “I had to…bring him into the cocoon with me…so he wouldn’t die,” he finished softly.

“But for serving the legacy so well, you will be rewarded,” a voice spoke from near Kendrix. The spirit of the Magna Defender emerged from the Power Ruby and put his hands over Mike’s Magna Morphers, which now were on Leo's wrists. The Transmorphers, however, were gone from his and the others' wrists. As the Magna Defender waved his hands over the Magna Morphers, they cracked. Leo then glowed with green and black energy. A moment later, Mike emerged from Leo’s body, fully corporeal. The Magna Defender disappeared back into the Phantom Ranger’s gem.

“Mike!” Kai cried. The six Rangers then exchanged a big hug.

“You see,” Kendrix said, “Everything worked out for the best.”

“Mirinoi is back, and we’re all safe,” Maya stated. “But…Eltar is where we belong now.”

She looked at the Sabers, then the Galactabeasts, then at the people. “Some day we may be back,” she called, “But now, our place is on the New World, with the people we protected for so long. Goodbye, friends…I hope to see you again!”

“Goodbye!” Leo cried as he turned his back toward the people. However, the voice was of Mike’s. Mike gave Leo an odd look. “I guess you don’t have your powers, and I don’t really have my voice back,” Leo laughed.

The seven teens and the Phantom Ranger the boarded the Shadow Winger and returned to Eltar. The ship disappeared into a green time portal, and with it left a legacy.

As the Rangers descended from the jet, they were cheered once more. Cassie sighed and turned away from her friends, who were psyched to be reunited. They’re all fine, she thought, But I still haven’t what I’ve wanted for so long…

She turned around as a hand touched her shoulder. She looked up at the familiar helmet, yet the unfamiliar person: the Phantom Ranger.

“Cassie, you must understand,” he began, “That I never wanted to hurt you. You don’t understand…I’m not quite…human. I’m a ghost robot.”

Cassie sighed and said, “And I realized that I can’t just love a helmet…I need to see your face to love you.”

“And to love you…I need to show it to you.” He put his hands behind his helmet and unlatched it. Cassie’s eyes lit up as he lifted up the helmet and showed his face.

Cassie stared in disbelief. It couldn’t be…no, that just didn’t make sense. But it was. “Andros?”

“Robot Andros, actually,” he said, “You see, I am what I said I was: a ghost robot. The Power Ruby, with all the Ranger spirits within, comprises my ghost part, and naturally I am a machine…a robot.”

Cassie shook her head as he continued, “Zordon made me before the other Robot Rangers, since he knew Andros before he knew all of you. Karone’s Robot was defective for obvious reasons, and Zhane’s died out when he did.”

“That’s why Andros was freaked out when he met Robot T.J.,” Cassie reasoned.

“Yes…so…since I was the only functional Robot Ranger left…when he saw that you Turbo Rangers needed help…he gave me the Power Ruby.”

“So,” Cassie said, as tears streamed down her face, “I’m in love with a robot.”

At this point, all eyes were on her. Cassie laughed gently as she saw everyone, Rangers and citizens included, staring at her. The Phantom Ranger then gently held up his Ruby and said, “Cassie, many great things have happened today…do you not think that maybe there could be…one more?”

He concentrated on the Ruby and said, “Rangers, I have served you all well, helping wherever I was needed, and at the moment, no evil remains in the universe. Please, I don’t care if I lose my powers, but will you enable me to be with the one person I care about the most in the universe? Please?”

Robot Andros closed his eyes and clenched the Ruby tight in his fist as though praying. Cassie clasped her hands together and hoped too.

Then, a miracle happened. From the Ruby stemmed numerous spirits of past Rangers, all flying into Robot Andros’ chest. The last to touch him were the six recognizable spirits of the Ancient Rangers. Then in a flash of white light, the Phantom Ranger powered down for the final time.

Cassie staggered toward him as he touched her wrist and said, “Feel.” She gently stroked his chest, where no indentation existed anymore. He held up his empty hand and said, “My mission is finally complete.”

The crowed “awed,” and the Galaxy Rangers smiled and cried. “I love you…Andros.” Cassie said.

“And I love you, Cassie,” Andros said.

The two exchanged a long, passionate kiss. The crowd cheered, and the Rangers cried. Far away on Mirinoi, the Galactabeasts created fireworks—though they weren’t quite sure why. In the Lost Galaxy, the Ancient Rangers smiled; and from wherever his soul rested, Zordon laughed. And for a while, for just a little while, everything was right with the universe.