Disclaimer: I do not own any characters related to Power Rangers they are owned by Saban/Disney et. al

I do however own the Tanzetti characters and reserve the right to reuse them as I please.

Prologue

She ran.

The sharp branches of the trees cut at her from all sides. She could feel them slice through the folds of her uniform, through the unprotected skin underneath. She ran harder.

Her legs burned, there was no strength left in body. If she didn't get there soon she'd collapse from exhaustion before she could fulfill her task. That wasn't an option.

She kept running.

There was only one goal now, one hope. Madala had to get to the temple before Baylin. Everyone else was dead, there was only her. In her hands she clutched the six Tanzetti Crystals, three in each hand, the chains woven over her fingers so she couldn't drop them. The seventh crystal hung on her neck, its thick chain clung to the torn fabric of her shirt as she ran. She clenched her fists tighter around the chains and felt them cut into the soft skin of her hands.

Good, she thought. The blood will make them stronger.

The mist was heavy around her but she knew where she was going. The great temple, just beyond the forest. The most powerful spot on the planet. It was believed that was where the crystals came from. They were found in the earth by explorers who then built the great temple to contain their power. No one knew if the legend was true, but every Tanzetti knew the story from birth, and she herself had felt the power of the temple many times.

There would be no on waiting for her now, except perhaps Baylin. They were all dead, the Tanzetti warriors who had protected the planet for thousands of years were now lost. Her mother, her sister, her cousins, all killed trying to evacuate as many people as possible to escape Baylin's forces. Her father killed trying to infiltrate the Fortress of Dava, and Jayden…

No! she screamed in her head. I won't think of Jayden. I can't.

She blinked her eyes and pushed away the thoughts of her betrothed. She could still see his eyes, watching her only as he died. Her tunic now stained with his blood.

I'll be with him soon, she thought. The comfort of the thought made her run faster.

The entire planet paid the price for Baylin's greed. The Tanzetti fought as long as they could, but too many people were dying, so they tried to evacuate. The forces attacked the ships and Baylin used his own power to bring them down. Madala had stayed on the planet with her two cousins, Juniper and Kanya, using the power of the crystals to hold Baylin off. He'd overpowered them easily. They had no idea he had so much magic at his disposal. The battles had raged continuously after that, until every last one of them was destroyed, except her. Now she was going to take the one thing Baylin wanted. She was going to destroy the planet.

The mist began to lift and she knew she was close. There were no markers or signs here, not even a path through the woods, but she knew the way well. The power guided her and she saw the great stone stairway rise out of the mist.

She tried to take the ancient stone stairs two at a time and tripped, shattering her kneecap against the rock. She resisted the urge to heal it with her crystal and climbed the rest of the way with her hands to balance. It would take every ounce of strength she had to focus the power of the seven crystals, and with her death coming so soon there was no point in wasting energy over a broken bone.

When she reached the top he was standing there. Tall, well muscled, clothed in elegant blue silk and black armor, dark hair tied back securely in a club knot, several small trundles hung in tight curls at his temples.

"Baylin," she breathed. Her body gave way and she was on her knees, staring up at the man who'd destroyed her family, destroyed her entire race, for the sake of the power of the Tanzetti.

"I knew you'd come here," he said. His voice a rich bass that echoed through the stones and into the silence of the jungle. "You're the only one left. The power of this temple can no longer protect you."

Madala shook her head. "I don't need its protection. I'm going to destroy it."

He shook his head slowly and she forced herself to her feet, refusing to let him look down on her when she died. "It doesn't have to be that way," he said softly. "You have another option."

"That's no option," she said. "If I die the power dies with me."

He took a cautious step forward, then another. "We were friends once," he said, his voice still soft, barely above a whisper. "More than friends."

"You made that choice, not me."

He took another step. "It could have been different, between us."

She stood her ground, clutching the crystals tighter. "I guess we'll never know."

"You don't have to do this, Madala," he said. "I can protect you. I can give you more power than ever imagined. More than the crystals. We can create the Tanzetti race anew, they'll be an unstoppable force in the galaxy."

Madala allowed herself a tight smile. "You just don't get it, do you?" she said. "It was never about the power."

"It's always about the power."

Madala shook her head. "No."

His face hardened then, revealing the evil she'd come to know in him. He took another step forward and Madala knew she had to make her move. She stepped to the side trying to get deeper into the temple. She was at the edge of the platform and she didn't want to fall before she'd completed her mission. Baylin had just revealed his trump card and the fate he had planned for her would be much worse than death.

He stepped to block her and she moved again, rolling to the side to avoid jumping on her weak knee. She stopped in the middle of the temple, he turned, skirting the edge and stood, bracing himself to lunge.

She didn't give him the chance. She closed her eyes and reached out for the power. Her one crystal first, then the others, radiating out from her hands. There was only one way for a warrior to use the crystals together, and that way was death. The combined power would tear her apart as it struck a final blow to everything around it. It occurred to her that maybe it was lucky Baylin was here. Even if she couldn't muster the power to destroy the planet, the power would take him out with her.

She could feel his presence still in the temple. He was screaming her name, telling her to stop. She felt the assault of his powers pressing against hers, trying to hold her back, but it was too late. The power of the temple had joined her own. It radiated through her body, tearing it apart, each molecule vibrating, longing to break free.

Someone was screaming, but she couldn't tell if it was her or Baylin.

There was only one thought on her mind as she felt her body dissolve into the magic.

Jayden….