Time passed, as time has a habit of doing. Rita and Zedd returned, and with the aid of Master Vile were able to overthrow Mondo and Machina, and retake their old place as those in charge of conquering, or attempting to conquer, the Earth. For several months they tried this, and were later strengthened by the arrival of Divatox, a fierce pirate queen who had managed to awaken Maligore, the Great Flame of Destruction. With the two of them bonded in sinister marriage, they had plans to unleash a reign of dark terror upon the universe, starting with Earth.
Divatox, Maligore, Rita, Zedd, and Vile all joined in an alliance to conquer the Power Rangers, but despite the added numbers, they failed just as miserably together as they had apart. Then it came to pass that Zordon decreed it was time for the Rangers to move on with their lives. They had done much, even Skull who had but so recently joined them, and it was time they turned their attention back to the lives they had neglected in order to save the world.
Thus were new warriors chosen. Billy selected a young man by the name of T.J. Johnson to be the new Red Ranger. Kat was impressed by a newcomer to Angel Grove, Cassie Chan, girlfriend of the former Phantom Ranger. Adam picked one of his soccer students, Carlos Alvarez, to take his place as the Green Ranger. One of the cheerleaders caught Tanya's eye, and Ashley Hammond became the new Yellow Ranger. Rocky discovered a young genius while helping out at the Little Angels Orphanage, and Justin Stewart took his rightful place as the new Blue Ranger. Rocky and Billy had a good laugh over the fact that Rocky had chosen a studious young man, and Billy had picked out a strong fighter. But for some odd reason, it just seemed right.
Skull didn't leave the team, since his own personal quest as Phantom Ranger was unfinished. His quest, chosen after he'd had some time to deal with his new abilities, was nothing more nor less than making certain Earth was safe for all time, or at least as safe as he could possibly make it. Though Tanya had retired now, she accepted his mission and helped out the new Rangers whenever she could, teaching them the various ways of the Power Chamber and giving advice on the occasional new monster.
Trini also was unable to choose a successor, since she had sworn to return the Golden powers to Triforia only. Shortly after the transfer of powers, she received a message that a sister of Trey's was ready to assume the position that was theirs by right, Queen of Triforia and the new Gold Ranger. Trini and Rocky went to Triforia, where as a former Gold Ranger Trini was now entitled to settle if she so chose. The two of them conferred, and with good wishes from all their friends, settled into a new life on a new world.
In the ensuing year, many changes happened in the world of the retired Rangers. Billy and Katherine married two months after passing their powers on, in a grand celebration that every active and inactive Ranger attended, including the ghosts of Tommy, Kim, and Trey. Those last three guests remained out of sight, however, to all but those who had known them. Trini and Rocky came back to attend the wedding, and announced their own engagement at the same time.
Adam and Sarah Diaz dated for another three months, but in the end, the experiences he had went through as a Ranger had changed him so greatly that she could no longer understand him, despite the fact he was now retired. They broke up cordially, and Adam went on a trip around the world to find himself. In the end, he found someone who could understand him: Aisha Campbell, whom he encountered while in Kenya. The two of them were married within a month of their reunion, and ten months after the wedding, Aisha gave birth to the first of the children of the Power Rangers: Thomas Rockford Park.
Tanya and Skull were married a year after young Thomas' birth, and another year later, the second of the children of the Rangers were born: Jessica Lynn Skullovitch.
Jason Lee Scott married a girl he'd met on his return to Angel Grove, Emily Maddison. Though she never knew of his Ranger activities, she didn't seem to have the same problem with his selfless nobility that Sarah had had with Adam's, and indeed that appeared to be part of the reason that she loved him. The same was with Angela Clearfield, the girl Zack Taylor had chased for years. On his return home, it appeared that they both had matured a great deal, and they had made a couple of it.
Weddings occurred with those to whom the original Rangers had passed their powers as well. Ashley Hammond met and fell in love with Andros, an alien from K0-35 who had come to Earth with his sister Karone and his best friend Zhane. Zhane and Karone were a couple already, and Ashley and Andros fell in love at first sight, and were married after their own tenure as Rangers was ended.
While visiting their friends on Earth at one point, Rocky and Trini brought Trinara, youngest sister of Trey of Triforia, with them. She encountered Carlos Alvarez, and it was said ever after that wedding bells were heard all over the world with their first look at each other. They were married inside of a week later, in a double ceremony with Cassie Chan and her beloved Valon of Eltar.
With each turning of the years, more children began to be born to all the various Rangers, until twenty years later, ten of them were in existence. Thomas Rockford Park, son of Adam and Aisha Park; Jessica Lynn Skullovitch, daughter of Eugene and Tanya Skullovitch; Adam Daniel DeSantos, son of Rocky and Trini DeSantos; Kimberly Maura Cranston, daughter of Billy and Katherine Cranston; Jason William Lee Scott Jr., son of Jason and Emily Scott; Curtis Jeffrey Taylor, son of Zack and Angela Taylor; Esther Cassandra Hammond, daughter of Ashley and Andros Hammond; Amber Janine Chan, daughter of Cassie and Valon Chan; Auriela Winter Alvarez, daughter of Carlos and Trinara Alvarez; and Zharone, daughter of Zhane and Karone. The eldest of them was nineteen, the youngest fifteen, and every last one of them was inseparable from the last.
On the anniversary of the day that Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, and Billy had been chosen as the first Power Rangers of Earth, the varied families and other friends gathered at Billy and Kat's house for a celebration. Those spouses who were unaware of the meaning of that date only believed it was for a party and reunion, while those who had been Rangers murmured softly of old wars and old friends. The children stayed in another room, talking and enjoying each other's company. Despite the differences in ages between Thomas, the oldest, and Zharone, the youngest, they were all one in thought and deed.
Things had been peaceful for years on Earth, since the death of Zordon and the healing of evil. Terra Venture had launched some years before, and messages back told those on Earth of their Galaxy Rangers and the battle renewed against the dark forces. But Earth itself was safe, and Skull had recently passed on the Phantom Ruby to someone else: the eighteen year old son of his best friend Farcus Bulkmeir and his wife Sarah Diaz Bulkmeir.
With this peace, no one expected the house to suddenly shake during a late-night conversation, or a strange whooshing sound to come from where the children were. As silence fell, Billy quickly made his way to the doorway, his eyes wide. He looked inside, then the tension appeared to drain out of him as he looked back at Trini, Zack, and Jason. Softly, he spoke one single sentence.
"Here we go again."