Disclaimer: PRMF isn't mine...if it were I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Aria is my baby...
Chapter 20: Heir Apparent pt.2
"Leanbow?" Udonna cried "Could it really be you?" she embraced her missing husband.
"I don't know how to explain, but it's true" he smiled "I am alive"
"This is unbelievable" Maddie sighed
"No, this is one of Koragg's tricks" Nick sneered as he helped Aria to her feet. With the Master tamed, for now, her self-control was better, but she was not out of the clear yet.
"Leanbow survived but not Solaris Knight!" Imperious interrupted again "Now, to finish what I've started" he aimed for Udonna and fired but was redirected by Leanbow.
"UTHE SASORAY!"
-Alt. Dimension-
Now out of the Underworld Aria collapsed as if a huge weight was taken off of her.
"Aria!" her friends called "Are you okay?"
"I think so…" she said weakly.
"We'll be safe in this dimension for a while." Leanbow announced
Udonna knelt down to her pupil "I am so proud of you Aria. I told you, your heart is pure and true."
"Okay, am I the only one confused by what's going on here?" Nick asked as Leanbow walked past him
"You usually are" Aria quipped, he just looked at her "I'm tired not dead"
"No, I'm a little mixed up myself" Vida agreed
"Let me get this straight." Chip cut in "Leanbow was Koragg and Koragg was Leanbow, and one of them – or both of them – just saved our lives."
"Wait, wait. This is the same guy who's been trying to toast us for months. How can we trust it's really Leanbow?"
"All I care about is that he got us out of there." Aria argued, she shakily got to her feet, using Udonna for support. "If we stayed there, if I stayed there? It wouldn't matter who he is"
"No, he's right" Leanbow agreed "I don't blame you for not trusting me."
Udonna stepped forward "I trust you. I know it's you. What happened?"
"My tale is so incredible I'm not sure I believe it myself." They all sat around him, "It happened in the last battle of the Great War."
"You closed the Gates to the Underworld," Udonna reminisced with tears in her eyes ", and we all thought you were gone forever."
"Yes, but that's when the story just begins. My plan had worked, and the Master was sinking down into the depths. But he used the last of his dark magic to take me with him and turn me into Koragg, the Knight Wolf, his most obedient soldier. I had no memory of my previous life. Everything I did was for the Master."
"But you remember now?" Chip asked skeptically
"It must have been the virus that infected my Titan Mode. It began to break the Memory Spell."
"Then you must remember how many times you tried to destroy us" Nick argued "And Udonna, even your own wife. You almost destroyed her, then stole her Snow Staff. Does that ring any bells?"
"Well, I believe him" Aria declared "I've been in his shoes. I've been brainwashed to attack my own friends, my brothers, too many times to count and each time they've stood by me."
"I cannot tell you all how sorry I am" Leanbow apologized
Udonna put a hand on the red ranger's shoulder "Nick, no one could withstand the full power of the Master's dark magic"
"If there was any way you could forgive me, all of you…"
No one said anything, save Udonna who stepped closer before collapsing.
"You're injured" Leanbow whispered as he held her cold hands.
"I…used the Book of Dark Magic to get to the Underworld" she confessed "I'm afraid I'm as vulnerable as any human now."
"You shouldn't have done that."
Then an explosion blew "Imperious found us" Aria breathed
"I'm sending you back to Rootcore" Leanbow told his wife
"Oh, no. No, I don't want to lose you again"
"You are in no condition to fight"
"For once, I agree with him" Nick admitted "Aria go with Udonna"
"No. I'm staying" she tried but she was still weak from the Underworld
"Aria-"
"Don't bother Nick!" she fired back
He sighed before signaling Leanbow to send their mentor back.
-Rootcore-
Udonna appeared before Claire back at Rootcore before collapsing
"Udonna!"
-Alt. Dimension-
The sky darkened as not just Imperious but Necrolai and the multi-faced demon appeared before them.
"Get them Chimera!"
"That thing has a name?" Aria asked
"Ready yourselves" Leanbow warned just before red flashed around his head. He fell to his knees, grabbing his head, and screaming in pain "No!" he turned to his Ancient Mode as the others morphed
Leanbow was left on the ground while the others tried to keep up with Chimera.
"You have an appointment with the Master" Necrolai shrieked as she disappeared with Leanbow.
They were no match for the Chimera. He batted them away as if they were flies but Nick was relentless. "We don't need him anyway. We'll beat him ourselves. Power of the Phoenix!" Again, Nick was swatted aside.
They didn't know what to do. Even Aria, she was too weak to use any more of her power. So as the Chimera charged for them Aria sent a silent prayer. However, hope was not lost as Daggeron appeared on a unicorn and fired his Laser Lamp.
"Now what?" Imperious demanded
"Daggeron!" the rangers called
"But I destroyed you!"
He wasted no time, "Rangers, the unicorn's name is Bright Star, she can travel through all dimensions. If you run into trouble, she can combine with your Megazord. Now hurry!"
Daggeron kept Imperious busy while Bright Star took the rangers away.
-Woods-
Unfortunately, Chimera followed them to another dimension. Chimera was already thirty stories tall when they arrived.
"I got this!" Nick declared before swinging onto Bright Star.
"Nick?" the others called
"We can't form the Manticore, but I can still make a Megazord!"
"Come one guys we can't leave him!" Aria called
With that they became their Titan forms. The other four combining into a dragon with Aria's Reaper riding on top of it.
"OVER HERE!" they called
They maybe got one hit in before being literally knocked out of their Titan mode. Only Aria and Nick were left.
"You're both as stubborn as Leanbow!"
"Let's take our revenge on him!" another one of the faces suggested.
"Yeah crush him!"
"I'm nothing like him!" Nick yelled as he leapt to his feet.
"Nick!"
Aria got to her feet as Chimera kicked her leader in the back.
"Get up and fight!" Another voice called, Koragg
"Leanbow! What happened?" Aria cried
"Koragg!" Nicked grimaced "I knew you were lying!"
"Nick! Leanbow is in there! He doesn't know what he's doing!"
"Let this be our last fight!" Koragg announced
"Fine!" Nick spat "But after we finish this freak"
Aria stood by Nick's side as Chimera fired. This time both of them were able to shield themselves.
"What?" Chimera demanded. No one should be able to break through his attack
"FINAL STRIKE!" they called. Aria slashed him with her Reaper's blade before Nick followed suit.
Without missing a beat Nick turned and attacked Koragg.
"Nick! Remember who's in there! Remember Leanbow!"
Of course, Nick didn't listen. But before Aria could interject, Aria was left in a daze. So much so that she returned to her normal self. She hasn't felt like this since the Pit of Evil.
"Aria! Come on!" Nick called
She saw her friend struggling in battle with the Knight, so she finally stepped in. "Don't make me hurt you Leanbow"
As always, the battle was an even match. Both sides fought with the same strength and power as each other but neither were able to maintain the upper hand for long. Up until Koragg managed to separate both Nick and Aria from their weapons.
"Neither of you have a chance without your weapons" he stated "Pick them up, I won't fight an unarmed opponent"
Nick wasted no time as he ran to his fallen sword and prepared to fight again, his emotion clouding his thoughts as his stance was weak and unstable. Aria, slowly got to her feet and retrieved her daggers, unsure of what Koragg may have planned
'Come on Leanbow,' she thought 'You're in there somewhere, come on'
"You're too angry," Koragg told Nick "You must learn to control your emotions."
"There were so many times you could have destroyed us," Nick yelled, his voice breaking, "and you didn't! Tell me why!"
-Rootcore-
Udonna had been led to the closest available bed, Aria's. Her husband was once again under the influence of the Master and she could no longer help the ranger's as her magic is now gone.
She began to cry "Either my husband will destroy the rangers, or they will destroy him…all is truly lost"
"Don't talk like that" Claire demanded "You were the one who said if you believe in magic, then anything is possible."
"But my magic is gone"
There was something poking her through the thin pillow, so she reached under and pulled out a silver chain with a silver ring off it.
"You may not be a sorceress anymore, but you will always be magical." Claire reassured as she placed a red blanket on her.
Her eyes were slowly falling so she was not able to recognize either but getting a closer look at the blanket she recognized the yellow thread along the edges. Then her eyes found the rare purple gemstone set in the ring. The ring was glowing brighter than ever, it was almost blinding.
"This blanket…my ring…"
Udonna leapt off the bed and looked around Aria's room. She opened the bedside drawer and found the purple blanket as well
"Um, I don't think Aria would like that very much…"Claire said, unsure of what her teacher was doing.
"Where did you get this blanket?" Udonna asked Claire, lifting the red blanket higher
"From Nick's backpack…" she answered softly "I'm sure he wont mind if we borrow it…"
Udonna ran out the door, happy tears flooding her eyes
"Wait where are you going?!"
"I do believe! I believe in magic!"
-Woods-
The battle between the three of them was intense. While Aria was pulling her punches, Nick was gunning for Koragg.
"Fight black ranger!" he demanded
"I'm not going to hurt you Leanbow!"
Nick wasn't even aware of how open he was making himself. Aria was working on defense while Nick just went after him.
"Nick calm down! Get a hold of yourself!" Aria demanded
Again, Nick didn't listen. He was getting tired and he wanted this fight to be over.
"No rest!" Koragg said before attacking again. This time he got the upper hand and kicked Nick to the side.
Aria ran to her friend, "You okay?"
"Leanbow exists only in memory, I am Koragg now and forever. Wolf Attack!"
Aria stood in front of Nick and while his magic did not hurt her, she was greeted another flurry of images: dark magic surrounding her, a baby crying, an evil laugh, and then her as the Child of Darkness.
"Surrender now black ranger and you will be free to become who you were always meant to be."
"Never!"
He fired another attack, this time causing them to dimorph
"You have fought with honor, but now the battle is over. Since you have proven to be worthy opponent, I will grant you a swift end."
"It's not over yet" Aria muttered, her eyes turning dark, "you want the Child of Darkness?" Aria fired her own dark magic at him, pushing far back from where she and Nick were lying on the ground.
He raised his sword again to attack as Aria prepared to fire her magic again
"Leanbow wait!" Udonna cried "Don't do it
The sound of her voice snapped Aria out of as her grey-green eyes returned. Udonna ran up to Koragg and forced him to lower his weapon
"It's Bowen and Baya" she said calmly "Your children…our children"
Nick looked between Koragg, Udonna, and Aria. Aria wasn't much better. For years she wondered what her birth parents were like and here they were. She's been fighting one for months and living with the other at the same time. "What?" was all either could say
"You were with me all along and I never knew. It's truly magical"
Koragg sheathed his sword and slowly reached out for both of them "My – my children?" Koragg backed away before returning back into Leanbow, the dark magic having been removed from him.
Both Nick and Aria backed away, this was too overwhelming.
"How do you know?" Aria, the normally witty and smart-ass bad ass, whispered as tears welled in her eyes.
"I am your mother, it's true Nick" Udonna said gently before presenting him with his red baby blanket. She then turned to Aria and showed her the silver ring. "This ring has been passed down for generations, it contains old magic, very old. It is said to guide those who are lost back home. And it has."
All this time, Aria had the answer to her burning question right outside her bedroom door. Now that she thought about it, both she and Nick had the same light green eyes, the curly raven hair, and the tan skin; the perfect blend of Udonna and Leanbow.
"I knew there was a reason for you to come to Briarwood," Udonna said to Nick "It was to fulfill your destiny the greatest wizard of them all"
"This is going to take a little getting used to" Nick chuckled
But of course, there is never any down time for a ranger, even when they just discovered their missing family. The ground shook beneath them, as a cluster of blood red tentacles erupted from the ground. Aria fell to the ground as she felt the Darkness pulling her towards whatever that thing was.
"Come on rangers!"
"No!" Leanbow ordered as he froze everyone to their spots. "This is my battle, I must finish what I started. ANCIENT MYSTIC MODE!"
"No!"
"You can't!"
"Leanbow don't!"
They all begged but he kept walking towards his inevitable doom. They all watched helplessly as Leanbow jumped down into the Underworld, just was he did nineteen years ago to face the Master alone.
They heard a rumble from the hole Leanbow leapt through and then…nothing. From the hole the rangers were bestowed their Legendary Powers once more, meaning that Leanbow…was gone.
Udonna stood there helplessly, her children were back, but she lost the love of her life again.
-Rootcore-
Aria stood on the balcony where Udonna and Daggeron told them the story of Leanbow and began to meditate. She had been living with her birth mother for a year and fought along-side her twin brother for months to fight their birth father who ultimately sacrificed himself literally five seconds after being reunited.
What. The. Fuck?
'Don't get me started on how I ended up in Reefside' she thought to herself.
"Can I ask you a question Udonna?" she asked just as she stepped through the door
"Something troubles you Baya?" she asked
"Can you call me Aria? Please?"
Udonna's smile faltered a little but she nodded
"It's just that, Nick was found in the woods, he was taken to the city, safely" Aria sniffed "I was found in the woods of Reefside. I clearly wasn't born from dark magic…so…what's wrong with me?"
Udonna sat next to the poor girl, the daughter she has missing for nineteen years. "I've told you this before, there is nothing wrong with you my dear."
"Do you think the Xenotome will tell us?"
She brushed the hair from her child's face "Perhaps."
Aria stood and turned to her mentor, her mother "I'm going to need a little time getting used to…this" she admitted "I haven't had a mom for a while. I haven't even told my brothers"
"Take your time B-Aria…"
Aria smiled before rushing to check the Xenotome.
She stood before the book and asked, "How was the Child of Darkness created?"
A chill rang through the air as the book provided the answer.
"Oh my God…"
A/N: Thanks for reading 3! I appreciate yall! Please Review! XOXO