Had a pretty bad chest infection so not really been focused on writing, so sorry it took a bit longer to release this chapter!

Thanks to everyone for your awesome reviews, I'm glad you enjoyed the changes to the previous chapter. I hope that continues!

Let me know what you think!

Chapter 26: Earning Her Destiny

After the rescue of the four Masters, the atmosphere in Jungle Karma Pizza should have been buzzing. But instead, they now had something new to worry about.

After calling on a strange power and destroying Talon, the Phantom Beast General, Ari had passed out, and hadn't woken up. Three days had passed, and she showed no signs of waking. Nobody knew what to do. Not even the Masters, who had known what the power was.

"I should really stay," Cam muttered, standing in the doorway and staring at Ari, who remained motionless.

"Cam, you said it yourself, you need to be in Blue Bay Harbour," Xander told him, walking over to the worried Samurai. "Your students have exams, and you can't put your life on hold," he reminded Cam, whose frown only deepened.

"But she'd do it for me," he muttered.

"And would you want her to?" Xander's voice was quiet. Cam gave a small smile.

"No. I'd be more annoyed if she did," he answered honestly. "If anything changes, let me know," Cam requested, and Xander grinned back.

"I have every Ranger Ari knows in a group message," he held up his phone. "I'll update it as soon as she wakes up," Xander told him, shaking Cam's hand. The Samurai looked back to Ari, before sighing and leaving. As he disappeared, Xander's smile fell. "Come on Ari, have you any idea how many people are worried about you?" he whispered as he walked back over to her bed.

"Any change?" he looked over to Minos, who lingered awkwardly in the doorway.

"None yet. How are you holding up?" Xander asked.

"I'm more confused as to why you all have trusted me so easily. Well, almost all of you," Minos corrected himself. Casey, Theo and Dom all remained suspicious of him. Even Lily was still a little wary, but for the most part was just as kind to him as she was to everyone else, especially after she heard what had happened in his past.

"You helped us out a lot, and Ari told me so many times that there was good in you," Xander looked back down at the sleeping girl. "You gave me back my Animal Spirit-"

"After stealing it..."

"But you gave it back voluntarily. You offered. Ari didn't force you," Xander shook his head. Minos' frown grew.

"You people are all so confusing," he muttered. "Have you eaten?" he asked. Xander shook his head.

"Not hungry," he muttered. Minos frowned, before turning and walking away. "Come on you pain, why won't you wake up?" Xander sighed as he took Ari's hand. The girl remained motionless, except for her slow breathing. A few minutes later, he jumped as a plate with pizza was set down in front of him.

"She won't appreciate you starving yourself," Minos muttered as Xander looked up in alarm.

"Right...thanks mate," he gave a small smile, before hearing footsteps thudding towards them.

"How is she?" Joe asked as he ran into view. "Oh, uh..." he stared at Minos, who stepped out of the way and left without a word.

"Still the same," Xander said as Joe walked in, glancing at Minos curiously. Joe took a seat, and took a slice of pizza when Xander offered it.

"So what exactly happened out there Xander?" Joe asked quietly as they ate. Xander sighed, leaning forwards to balance his elbows on his knees.

"The four Masters were captured and being used to fight against us," Xander started. "Ari managed to find a way to stop them, but it got Master Swift trapped. Minos," he glanced out to where Minos was stood, staring out a window. "He saved her prison before it could be thrown into the sea, and RJ freed her thanks to his dad," Joe was barely keeping up, but nodded. "Since the others were still trapped and still way more powerful than us, we went to free them. That's when we found out who Minos really is...and Ari just lost it," Xander still remembered her furious words.

"Why? Ari doesn't just lose it for no reason," Joe frowned, staring at his unconscious sister.

"Dai Shi ripped apart Minos's family, made him believe Pai Zhuq had killed them all," Xander's voice was even quieter. Joe sighed, understanding. While she tried to keep it hidden, Ari had issues when it came to family, especially if someone tried to rip them apart. "Master Swift explained it to me afterwards, and Cam recognised it as well from Ninja lore. For years, probably even before the Great Beast War, there was a legend," he told the older man.

"About Ari?" he asked curiously.

"Nobody knew it was about Ari. A daughter of Sun and Moon, someone who was connected to both Ninjas and Pai Zhuq, would become a protector to all, as the Legendary Golden Warrior," Xander repeated what Jenna had said.

"And they never figured it would be Ari?" Joe stared at him. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it seemed.

"Joe, this is a legend for thousands of years ago. Most people don't even know about it," Xander looked at him again. "Nobody thought it would be Ari, because nobody thought it was real," he leaned back in his seat.

"Have you spoken to Althea?" Joe asked quietly as Xander fell silent.

"Not yet. She and Daggeron have gone somewhere, problems in another part of the forest," Xander shook his head. "Of all the times to go off the damn grid," he groaned, putting his hands to his head.

"Hey," Joe reached out and gripped his shoulder. "She'll be fine. She always is," he soothed quietly, trying to believe his own words.

"Ari..."

"Meraki..."

"It's Ari," the girl groaned, opening her eyes. "Where am I?" she wondered as she stood up, looking around the darkness. She held out her hand, but nothing happened. "Hey, my Dino Power!" Ari tried again, but no matter how much she called on her power, it didn't appear. She then focused on her inner sun power, but even that didn't work. "Okay, can't glow either. Hello?" she called.

"Meraki!" she jumped, and covered her eyes as light flashed in front of her. When she opened her eyes carefully, she found herself surrounded by snow. She found that she was also wearing her Mystic uniform, complete with the cape. "Thank the Spirits. I have been calling you for days Meraki," she looked up to see Snow Prince standing in front of her, and she fell into a bow before him.

"Why am I here, Snow Prince?" she asked curiously. "How am I here?" she added.

"I've summoned your spirit here. Since you called on your true power, your spirit has wandered endlessly," Snow Prince explained.

"True power?" Ari repeated, before remembering the battle with Dai Shi and Talon. "Snow Prince, what was that?" she asked, baffled.

"It is the power that had lain dormant within you since birth," Snow Prince told her, moving. When Ari looked up, she fell backwards in alarm as she saw him kneeling before her. "You are the Legendary Golden Warrior, the true Protector of the realms," he told her.

"I'm the...what?" Ari was just becoming more confused, the more he answered her questions.

"The Legendary Golden Warrior," Snow Prince repeated. "Your arrival has long since been predicted, but nobody realised just who you were," he admitted. "With great power, you will protect your worlds from any harm," he told her.

"But I...why me?" Ari wondered.

"We do not choose our destinies, nor can we explain why they are ours," Snow Prince chuckled. "We must simply accept them, and follow them," he told her as he got to his feet and put a hand on her shoulder.

"And I'm just to accept that I'm this legendary warrior meant to protect the different realms?" Ari asked, struggling to process the information.

"Well...not quite," a bright golden light shone, and Snow Prince bowed low as Mystic Mother appeared before them. "There's a little more to it, dear girl," she smiled at Ari, who looked up curiously. "You see, now that you have unlocked the power within you, you must follow the trial," Mystic Mother told her.

"What trial?" Ari asked.

"It is the trial of the Great Protector, the one who predicted the arrival of the Legendary Golden Warrior, who would possess his powers and use them for good," Mystic Mother explained. "You must face three challenges, to prove yourself worthy of the title. If you succeed, then the powers will be yours. If not..."

"You lose the powers forever," Snow Prince finished for her.

"What if I don't want the powers?" Ari asked stubbornly.

"Meraki...do you really wish to turn your back on your destiny?" Snow Prince asked her gently. Ari looked down at the snow beneath her, which hadn't even begun to melt. "This is a part of you, the same as magic," he said to her. Ari didn't answer straight away, before sighing heavily.

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

Standing alone in the centre of an arena, Ari braced herself for what was to come. To the side, Snow Prince watched with worry as Mystic Mother sat on a throne.

"Are you ready?" she called to Ari, who nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she muttered. Her powers were still not responding, and her Solar Morpher was still with her body. Her Mystic Morpher should have been by her side in her uniform, but even it was missing, and Ari had a strong suspicion that her magic wouldn't work either, or her animal spirit or ninja powers.

"Begin!" Snow Prince threw his hands into the air, and the arena went dark as a bubble went over it, sealing Ari inside. Now, she had only two options: finish the trial, or forfeit and lose her powers forever.

The darkness was lessened slightly by stars overhead, and a figure appeared opposite Ari, surrounded by lights. When the shattered, she stood a step back her eyes widening.

"I knew it..." she whimpered.

"Hello, little Ranger," Calindor laughed as he faced her, in his human form.

"I've already faced you down once, I can do it again," Ari told him, but her voice quivered as much as she shook.

"Can you really? Oh Meraki, can you really fight me again? That little Pai Zhuq test was nothing compared to this!" Calindor called on his armour, and fired a golden blast. It slammed into the ground in front of Ari, who screamed as she was blasted backwards across the arena.

"What's happening to her?" Joe was on his feet as Ari screamed, and a bruise appeared across her cheek.

"I don't know...I'll get RJ," Xander ran off to find the Wolf Master as Joe grabbed Ari's hand.

"Ari, you're okay, wake up!" Joe pleaded with his younger sister. She just whimpered, and a cut appeared on her lip.

Ari slammed to the ground again as Calindor laughed loudly.

"Honestly, you're the Legendary Golden Warrior? Is that a joke?" he mocked as Ari pushed herself to her feet. "You're a joke, child. The Yellow Mystic would be better suited to the role than you, and he's an idiot!" he taunted.

"Hey!" Ari shouted. "Chip would be a fantastic choice! Any of them would be! Because they're protectors of both the magical and human realms, they've risked their lives so many times to defend both worlds!" she told him angrily. "And so have I!" she then ran at him, and began to fight him as her anger overwrote her fear. Nobody insulted her friends.

"You really think you can fight me? You still fear me!" Calindor blocked her punch.

"Yes, I do still fear you. But like I said before, I'm not alone anymore. I can still fight you, even if I'm scared," Ari dropped and flipped him. As he fell, he disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"Very good," Ari jumped as an unfamiliar voice spoke up. She looked around as a man appeared behind her, wearing long robes. "I think I may be a little impressed," the man told her.

"Let me guess, you're the Great Protector who predicted me?" Ari asked with a frown as she wiped the blood from her split lip.

"That's me," the man looked amused. "But whether I was right to pick you as my successor remains to be seen. You've passed the first test, but two remain. You've proven your ability to fight your fears...but how about this?" he then disappeared.

"Mysterious...I don't like it," Ari muttered, looking around for any sign of her next test.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," she whirled around to see herself leaning against the side of the forcefield that penned her in. "How about this instead?" her twin asked with a grin.

"Uh...I'm not going to fight you," Ari took a step back, raising her hands.

"Fight you? Pff, Ninja Basics 101, I'm not stupid," her twin rolled her eyes. "I'm saying let's get out of here," she touched the forcefield, and it rippled, allowing her to step through. "Let's go. Back to Ocean Bluff, back to Xander and the others," Ari's heart gave a painful pang at the thought.

"But the Trials..." she muttered, taking a step back. The other Ari gave an aggravated sigh.

"Are you for real?" she asked. "I'm giving you a way out, a way back to the others. Forget this stupid destiny thing. We never asked for this power. I'm you, and I know what you're thinking. You just want some semblance of a normal life, which you're not going to get if you keep going," the copy told her.

"No!" Ari shook her head. "I'm doing this! I was chosen, and I'm not going to throw that away," she shook her head.

"I said let's get out of here," her copy growled, lighting an energy-ball in her hand.

"And I said no," Ari fell into a fighting stance, tensed and ready to avoid the attack. "If I give up this power, then so many people I could help could be hurt, or worse. I'm doing this," she growled. Her copy straightened up; the energy-ball disappearing.

"There's the backbone," she grinned, before dissipating in black smoke like Calindor had done.

"The courage to fight for the power to protect everyone, even if it means fighting your own desires," Ari looked around as the man reappeared. "The power of the Great Protector must be fought for. It is the only way to prove you are willing to do anything to protect everyone," he told her, before shrugging. "Of course, that was the easy one. This one...you may find a bit of a challenge," he shrugged, and disappeared.

"And I thought the bad guys liked to talk," Ari huffed, wondering just what the last challenge was going to be.

"Trust me, we do," she looked up in alarm as a young man appeared in front of her. Ari's eyes widened as she took in the appearance of the young man, who stood in front of her, wearing Ninja Gear with gold lines and the symbol of a Sun Ninja over his heart.

"Who..." Ari started, but stopped as she took in his appearance. He had dark brown hair that was styled up out of his face, and was tall and well built. He looked a lot like Xander, but the main difference were his bright green eyes. "But how?" she whispered in alarm.

"Getting the picture, mum?" the young man chuckled, before throwing an energy-ball at her. Ari dove out of the way, rolling along before pushing herself up. She tried to do the same, but nothing happened, and she was forced to move again. "All those bad guys you told me about, they had the right idea!" Ari stared at the young man as he laughed. "All this power, and you wasted it, fighting for justice and peace!" he yelled, throwing another ball at her.

"That's not wasting it!" Ari told him, running at him. He reacted in surprise, but before Ari could strike him, she pulled back. She'd never met him, but there was something in her that stopped her. A familiarity, not just from being her son, tugged on the back of her mind, like she had met him before.

"See?" he chuckled. "What a waste," Ari was hit in the stomach with an energy-ball, and she screamed in pain as she slammed to the ground. Gasping for breath, Ari clutched at her stomach. "You can't even bring yourself to hit me! I'm evil, through and through, and you can't stop me! I'll destroy everything!" he declared with a loud laugh.

"But you're..."

"I'm what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Family?" he asked, and Ari felt tears burn at her eyes. "You always go on about the greater good, and fighting to protect everyone, but it's nonsense!" he yelled, glowing brightly with anger. "It's a waste of time. Why protect everything, when with this power, you can rule everything?" he asked.

"No!" Ari pushed herself up, spitting out the blood that pooled in her mouth. "We fight to protect everyone, so nobody gets hurt. So those who are defenceless can live in peace, and not fear," she told him. Her son just stared at her blankly.

"But why? We could have everything and anything we ever wanted. Nobody would dare hurt us or break up our family," he told her desperately.

"But how many families would you rip apart to keep ours safe?" Ari asked, and inhaled sharply. That was the final test.

"All of them. Nobody is more powerful than me!" he yelled, and was caught off guard when Ari's punch connected with his jaw.

"And nobody is more important than any one person!" Ari shouted back as he lay on the ground clutching his jaw. He looked up in alarm, his eyes wide in a familiar way to the girl. "Not you, not me, not anyone. That was the challenge, wasn't it?" she looked around to the man watching nearby.

"It seems I chose well indeed," the man chuckled as he walked over. "The will to fight even family to protect everyone is probably the most difficult challenge of all. No one person is more important than another. With that message, I'm sure your son will grow up just fine," he commented, looking to the young man on the ground, who disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"Yeah...let's not get ahead of ourselves there," Ari went red at the idea, and the man laughed.

"If you insist, Meraki. Ari. Whichever you prefer, you are just what I hoped for. You are the true Legendary Golden Warrior," he reached out and took her hands. Ari gasped as warmth filled her, and she felt something stir inside. "The power is yours. But I warn you, you will not be able to use it as easily as you did the first time. That was raw power, untrained and dangerous. You must train it," he warned her with a smile.

"Not a problem," Ari grinned back. "Just one question. Who are you exactly?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity. The man gave a small laugh.

"The Mystic Mother may be the Empress of Good Magic, but Magic existed long before she did," the man smiled. "As well as the Great Protector, I was often known as the Father of Magic...or simply Merlin, if you will," he admitted, and Ari's jaw dropped.

"She's settled down again," RJ commented as everyone wondered just what was going on. While RJ, Xander and Joe stood with Ari, the others stood in the doorway. RJ had attempted to shoo them away, but that was as far as they had gotten.

"What is going on?" Xander asked. After the initial beatings, Ari seemed to settle down again, before starting up again. A large burn mark had appeared on her stomach, not unlike her Dino Power.

"I don't know," RJ admitted in a quiet voice. "I've never seen anything like this," he told the young man, who ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of how to help her.

"That's it. I'm calling Udonna. If she doesn't know how to get in contact with Althea and Daggeron, I'm bloody tracking them down myself," he growled, but he only made it two steps before Ari suddenly sat up with a gasp, making everyone jump. "Ari!" Xander turned, staring at her.

"Oh man, the next time he takes me out of my own body, I'm going to kill him. Great Protector or not," she groaned, sucking in air in harsh breaths.

"Ari!" she let out a cry of surprise when everyone burst in and threw themselves at her.

"Huh? What's up with you guys?" Ari looked at them blankly.

"We were so worried about you!" Lily told her, tears in her eyes.

"Even Theo was," Casey grinned, and the Blue Ranger flushed as Ari laughed, hugging Lily tightly.

"I'm fine guys, but I won't be if you don't get off me. Rhinos are heavy, you know," she smirked to Dom, who scowled back at her.

"Yeah well," Dom rolled his eyes and stood up. "Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'm getting my Rhino Spirit to sit on you," he threatened, making everyone laugh, relieved that Ari seemed fine.

"So what happened?" Xander asked as he took her hand again. Ari smiled at him, but there was a trace of a blush on her cheeks as she looked at him.

"It's a long story," she chuckled, glad to be back and feeling better than ever.

Once again, a couple of changes were made to this, while I was actually writing it. Initially the final test was going to be her fighting Xander, but I thought that Spencer-Not-Spencer (as I call him) was a better choice.

I hope you liked it!

Please review!