Both Zi-O and She-Ra had turned back to normal, following the battle. They turned to face the creature they had just fought, but instead of seeing the skeleton knight, they saw a royal guard badly battered in its place.
Chronera quickly went to check on the guard. She checked for a pulse and was relieved.
"He's alive but badly wounded," Chronera said. "We need to take him back to the infirmary."
"Wait, but he was that monster," Bow argued. "Shouldn't we find out how it happened?"
"The only way we can find out is to question him and he has to be healed first," Chronera insisted as she lifted up the guard. "Lady Adora, we may need to find transportation."
Adora was silent as she looked at Chronera. There was a strange look in her eyes.
"It's alright, I can take him back to the palace," Glimmer offered, grabbing onto the guard's body.
"But Lady Glimmer-" Chronera started.
"It's fine. I'll just teleport right back to the palace. I'll meet you guys there."
Without waiting for a response, Glimmer teleported away with the guard. Adora sighed a little bit, before turning her attention to Woz. She didn't know who this weirdo was, but she definitely needed some answers now.
"Okay, buddy," Adora pointed at Woz. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"My name, Lady She-Ra, is Woz! I am an ancient historian from Mystacor who works directly for Queen Angella! I suppose that would be all the relevant information about me. What's more important is that we stopped that Another Rider!"
"Woah, woah slow down there scarf-y!" Adora said. "Okay, let's first start with how you changed Chronera into that 'Common Rider Zi-O'."
"Actually, Lady She-Ra, it's Ka-Men Rider Zi-O. It is an ancient language lost to the current state of Etheria! It was one of the major languages when the First Ones ruled over this planet!" Woz said, looking to Chronera. "And she is a direct descendant of them."
Glimmer had returned to the palace's infirmary with the guard still with her.
"I need help here! Like right now!" Glimmer yelled, gathering the attention of the attendants to her. They did not ask any questions, simply gathering that a guard had been injured outside the palace walls. They took him to an empty bed in the infirmary to take better care of him.
Glimmer just sighed a little bit. They were having such a good time earlier, why did the arrival of Chronera suddenly have to make everything worse? From transforming into some armored guardian to fighting that skeletal knight, it was all so confusing. She just wished things would go back to normal soon.
Chronera reappeared in her mind, telling Glimmer they could not be friends. Glimmer pouted a bit as she teleported off back to her bedroom to sulk about it. Chronera reminded her a lot of Adora when they had first met her. She was socially awkward, having no sense of how to act around actual people. And maybe she just found her the slightest bit cute when she was talking about her clocks. If they were friends, then maybe she would be able to get past the awkwardness of Chronera being a guard assigned to protect her.
"Like I even need a guard! I can hold my own in battle!" Glimmer yelled, burying her face in her pillow. She screamed into it, and soon stopped. She lifted her head a bit. "Maybe I should stop being weird too… If she wants to be my friend, eventually, then I guess I gotta not act like I don't care either." She screamed back into the pillow. "What am I supposed to do?!"
"Well maybe start by telling her that, yourself," a male voice chimed in. Glimmer groaned and rolled over to see who it was. Bow stood there, smiling and chuckling to himself. "Come on, Glimmer. If you're that set on being her friend, then you gotta give her time. She's obviously more uptight and stricter than even Adora!"
"Yeah but I hateeeeee waiting! I just want things to be normal right now!" Glimmer groaned.
"Patience is a virtue or something, right?" Bow asked, looking up to his best friend. "You gotta be patient with her like you were with Adora. Things were weird with her for a while, but eventually it was like those weird times never existed."
"Ugh, I hate when you're right!" Glimmer blipped back to the floor. "But it's weird that Mom didn't mention my guard was going to be a transforming warrior woman."
"Yeah that whole shtick about the Demon King and stuff is super weird! And that Woz guy is even weirder than all that!" Bow said, opening the door to her room. "Adora and Chronera are going to see how the guard is, so we should probably join them to see what happened to him."
Glimmer nodded and blipped ahead of him.
"Bet I can get there faster!" Glimmer yelled, blipping ahead and laughing. Bow frowned.
"Oh come on, that's not fair!" the archer yelled, running after her.
"Do you know him?" Adora asked as Chronera looked at the guard. The royal physician was checking him.
"I patrolled the palace with him once or twice. He didn't really stand out to me," Chronera confessed.
"And the whole going monster thing, I bet that's new."
"We need to wait until he wakes up so we can ask him how it happened. I suspect it was not voluntary."
The two were silent for a moment. Adora kept glancing at Chronera who noticed.
"What is it?" Chronera asked, starting to get annoyed.
"Look, I gotta ask about this whole 'heir to the Demon King' thing," Adora said.
"If you're asking if I knew about it, I don't. As far as I know, my parents repaired clocks for a living," Chronera said firmly. "Woz seems to know more than I do."
"Yeah, that weirdo. And you just met him today?"
"Yes, I met him earlier when I bumped into him but I am positive I have never seen the man before today. Now, come on, we need to report to Her Majesty. She needs to hear about this."
Chronera exited the infirmary and Adora followed. As they exited, they passed Glimmer and Bow who came to see them.
"Sir Bow, Lady Glimmer," Chronera greeted before she continued marching to the throne room.
Both Chronera and Adora stood before Queen Angella with Bow and Glimmer. With them was Woz who smiled as he stood to Chronera's right. Adora was standing to her left and kept shooting glances at both Chronera and Woz.
"Your Majesty," Chronera got down on one knee and bowed her head. "I've come to deliver a report on the incident at the festival."
"Very well, Chronera," Queen Angella permitted.
"A creature, we believe from the Horde, attacked at the festival. Together with Lady She-Ra, Lady Glimmer and Sir Bow, we were able to subdue and defeat it," Chronera reported, giving a detailed report of the attack. Adora was a bit surprised at how much detail that she recalled despite having focused so much on fighting the creature. "However, by the time we finished off the monster, in its place was a member of the Royal Guard."
"So, the monster was a member of my royal guard?" Queen Angella asked.
"He could've been turned into a monster by Shadow Weaver," Adora added.
"Until he wakes up so we can question him, that is all we know so far," Chronera finished.
"And were you able to keep Princess Glimmer safe?" Queen Angella asked.
"Lady Glimmer insisted on engaging the creature with Sir Bow and Lady Adora," Chronera answered, lowering her head. "I apologize. I should've prevented her from getting involved."
"Wait, Chronera did save Glimmer's life," Adora interjected. "She used her own body as a shield."
"Did she?" Queen Angella questioned, smiling.
"She did, Mom," Glimmer confirmed.
"Yeah, she guarded Glimmer's body with her body," Bow added half-jokingly.
"Chronera, you may rise," Queen Angella commanded.
"Your Majesty?" Chronera raised her head.
"You have my thanks. And Woz, what is your assessment?"
"Your Majesty, My Princess did just as I predicted! She was able to awaken the Ridewatch and transform into Kamen Rider Zi-O! It was splendid to watch!" Woz announced, raising out his arms in a grandeur fashion once more.
"Yes, I wanted to ask about that, Queen Angella. What's this about an 'heir to the Demon King'? That doesn't sound good. And is Chronera secretly a princess?" Adora asked.
"It's… all very hard to explain. Even I only have limited knowledge to it, that's why I require Woz to explain things such as this. He is the expert on the history of Etheria, including information on the First Ones that many are simply unaware of," Queen Angella explained, looking down to Woz. He bowed a bit and turned to the others.
"I will simply tell this story, and you may all ask questions as I tell it!" Woz said, opening his tome and scanning the pages with his eyes. "According to this book, many ages ago, Etheria was visited by a mysterious being known as Oma Zi-O. He quickly consolidated power within the world, much like the Horde has done. He was faced down by the original bearer of the title of She-Ra!"
"The original She-Ra?" Adora raised an eyebrow to Woz. She had remembered many of the things that Light Hope had told her, including the She-Ra lineage.
"Correct. She-Ra led a great war against Oma Zi-O, and on the Day of Oma when Regulus, the star in the Leo constellation glowed at its brightest… She-Ra struck down Oma Zi-O! However, before he died, he left her a great warning. That when the Day of Oma returned, when Regulus glowed as bright as it did before, a new Zi-O would take his place!" Woz announced, turning the pages of his tome to a new page. "However, there are those who would seek to unseat Zi-O from her rightful throne! The creature you saw before you was one of those."
"So, you did know about that thing after all!" Glimmer walked over and pushed a finger into his chest. "What was that thing even?"
"Of course, Princess Glimmer, I will tell all I know. The creature you encountered is known as an Another Rider. For you see, Oma Zi-O's powers were not his own! He stole the powers of nineteen heroes known as the Kamen Riders! By sealing their powers into Ridewatches, he could use them as his own," Woz turned another page. "But those who would seek to unseat him were known as the Time Jackers. They too stole the powers of Kamen Riders, and twisted them into monstrous aberrations. According to my research, the Another Rider we all encountered today was Kamen Rider IXA!"
"But we defeated it, so there shouldn't be any problems now," said Adora.
"That, there, lies a problem. Tell me, did anyone collect the watch that fell out of Another IXA when he attacked us?" The others remained quiet, and they shook their heads. Woz sighed a little bit. "It seems our battle is not yet over. As long as that watch exists, then we will have to face off against IXA again."
"So tell us! How do we beat him?" Bow asked, tilting his head a little bit.
"The Time Jackers lack the proper power to create Riders based on the nineteen that Oma Zi-O stole from. So they stole the powers of those nineteen's allies. IXA was a close ally of the one and only Kamen Rider Kiva. If we use Kiva's power, we should be able to fully neutralize IXA's power and destroy the watch he used to transform."
"But the person who turned into Another IXA is in the infirmary," Glimmer said. "He's not a threat anymore."
Swartz went to visit the guard who was resting in the infirmary. When the guard saw him, he paled and started to panic. With a cruel smile, Swartz plunged his hand into the helpless guard's chest and took out the IXA Another Ridewatch.
"Stop sleeping on the job."
He pressed the button on the Ridewatch.
IXA!
A guard on patrol noticed Swartz in the infirmary.
"Hey, what are you doing in there? This infirmary is off limits to non-palace personnel!" the guard said, walking towards Swartz. The purple-clothed man scoffed a bit as he plunged his hand with the Another Ridewatch into the injured guard's chest.
"No please…" the guard managed to say, before he yelled aloud and was covered in dark energy, turning him back, once more, into Another IXA.
IXA!
Another IXA threw off the blanket and rose from the bed. Swartz smiled and turned to the guard on duty who still stood at the doorway. The guard, armed with his spear, grunted and ran forward to engage the monster in battle. It did not last very long, however, as he was quickly tossed from the infirmary into the hall. He hit the wall quite hard, before falling unconscious.
"Now, Kamen Rider IXA, retrieve the Kiva Ridewatch for me. Even if you have to do some unsavory things to obtain it."
Another IXA summoned his bone sword and stepped out of the infirmary. He was headed in the direction of the throne room.
"Until the Time Jacker responsible for turning him comes to reactivate the Ridewatch," Woz corrected. "He opened his tome." And that should be happening soon."
"Your Majesty!" a guard rushed into the throne room. She looked alarmed.
"What is it? What's going on?" Queen Angella stood. Chronera took her position, standing protectively in front of Glimmer who looked annoyed whole Bow prepared his bow and arrow. Adora drew her sword.
"A monster has infiltrated the palace! The guards are trying to subdue it! Your Majesty, you need to get to safety, now!"
They heard a loud ruckus as it got closer and saw more guards running by with spears. A violent impact was heard as guards were thrown to the floor. Another IXA was soon seen as it entered the throne room with guards hanging onto it, trying to weigh it down. Annoyed, the beast released a golden aura that blasted the guards off it and slamming them into the walls.
"Right on time. Those Time Jackers are always so punctual," Woz smiled.
"Your Majesty, Lady Glimmer, you both need to get to safety!" Chronera instructed as she put on the Ziku Driver. "Sir Bow, please escort the royal family to someplace safe! There's a fortified room under the palace, someplace no enemy can enter!"
"No!" Glimmer protested.
"Lady Glimmer?" Chronera answered.
"Stop treating me like this! I've had to put up with it from my mom for so long, I don't need to put up with it from you!" Glimmer scolded.
"Lady Glimmer, now's not the time-"
"No, you listen! I am not going to run and hide when my friends are risking their lives to protect this kingdom! I'm going to protect this kingdom with them and nobody, not you, not my mother, is going to tell me otherwise!" She glowed brightly and Chronera stepped back in front. "You're my bodyguard, so guard me! I need someone to watch my back!"
"O...Okay," Chronera was cowed.
"Well," Woz frowned. "That is no way to speak to My Princess."
Another IXA slowly stepped into the throne room and She-Ra transformed.
"FOR THE HONOR OF GREYSKULL!"
Chronera activated the Zi-O Ridewatch then docked it into its slot on the Ziku-Driver before she turned the buckle clockwise.
"Transform!" Chronera called out.
Rider Time! Kamen Rider~Zi-O!
She-Ra charged into battle and crossed swords with Another IXA while Bow provided long-ranged support. Chronera and Glimmer were about to join them when Queen Angella stopped them.
"Chronera," Queen Angella approached Zi-O with something in her hand. "This is the item you require to defeat the Another Rider." Much to Glimmer's surprise, it was a yellow and black Ridewatch.
"Your Majesty?" Zi-O asked, as Angella put the Ridewatch in Zi-O's hand. She looked down at it, where there was a bat shaped mark on the top of the watch with a date printed on the bottom: 2008. It was the same date emblazoned on Another IXA's shoulder.
"Another watch…"
"That watch contains the powers of Kiva. You should be able to use its power to defeat Another IXA." Queen Angella said, entrusting the Ridewatch of Brightmoon to the young warrior. Zi-O looked down at it again, before turning the dial to reveal Kiva's face. She held the Ridewatch outwards, before clicking the button on it.
Kiva!
"Then that must go… there." Zi-O said, placing the newly obtained Ridewatch onto the left railing on the belt. It slid on quite comfortably, as the hit the button on top of the belt once more. She spun the belt counter clockwise, and it once again made an announcement.
Armor Time!
A big cartoonish gold and black bat with red eyes appeared out of thin air. As soon as it did, it split in half and pieces of armor flew out and onto Zi-O's body, attaching to her arms, head, chest and legs. Finally, the two halves of the bat attached to her shoulders.
Biting! Kivaaaaa!
Woz opened his tome and loudly declared.
"Rejoice for a new era has come! The future ruler of time and space has inherited the power of a Rider! Her name is Kamen Rider Zi-O: Kiva Armor!"
The Kiva Armor had changed Zi-O's appearance, equipping her with a red breastplate and additional armor on her shoulders, arms and legs. The armor on her left leg, from the knee down, had chains wrapped around it. Finally, her helmet had new detailing which included a purple fanged mouth plate and a visor that spelled 'KIVA' in yellow characters of the unknown language.
"I think… I can do this!" Zi-O announced, running forward with her arms displayed much like Kiva, as she summoned her sword to her side.
Edge of Time!
Running forward, she took several easy swings at Another IXA, doing blows to him that even made She-Ra watch in amazement. It was as if her entire fighting style had changed to accompany her new transformation. Another IXA prepared to lumber over with his sword, striking downwards at Zi-O, who miraculously slipped out of the way.
As Another IXA recovered to strike, a sparkling blast hit in the face, disorienting it. Zi-O turned and looked at Glimmer, giving her a nod of thanks. Glimmer smiled and blasted when she saw an opening, keeping Another IXA off balance as She-Ra and Zi-O took turns landing slashes on the skeleton knight.
"My Princess and She-Ra fighting side-by-side!" Woz declared. "Truly an awesome sight!"
Bow took an easy shot at Another IXA, an explosive arrow striking him in the back. He staggered forward directly into Zi-O's fist.
"Chronera, I think it's time to finish this thing off!" She-Ra said.
"Very well!" Zi-O pressed the buttons on her Ridewatches and belt.
Finish Time! Kiva!
She spun the belt buckle to initiate the attack.
A giant Kiva symbol appeared below Zi-O as energy gathered in her right foot. At the same time, the entire room became pitch black as a blood red crescent moon appeared.
"I won't allow you to use Mr. Nago's power any longer!" Zi-O yelled, feeling as if someone had made her say that. A memory that didn't belong to her, perhaps? She raised her left leg and the chains surrounding it shattered, causing it to open up. Now she had a red boot with bat-like wings flanking it.
She used her right foot to proper her into the air and she performed a flip before performing a flying kick as crimson energy surrounded her extended left leg.
Wake Up Time Break!
Another IXA prepared his punch as his fist glowed yellow. As Zi-O crashed into him, Another IXA threw his punch. However, his attack failed, and Zi-O's foot crashed into his chest and she pushed him right into the wall. A large crack shaped like Kiva's symbol appeared on the wall behind Another IXA upon impact.
Another IXA groaned as his body shattered like glass, releasing the guard trapped within the monster who collapsed. The Another Ridewatch was expelled from his body before it sparked and shattered.
"Wonderful work, everyone!" Woz announced, walking toward the four who had just defeated Another IXA. "It's truly wonderful to see that this is all working out well! My Princess, you will make an excellent Demon King!" Woz waved his hands a bit, summoning over some attendants to take care of the fallen guard.
"Woz," Zi-O approached the man. "I refuse."
"Hm?"
"I refuse to be this 'Demon King'. I will use this power to protect Brightmoon and all of Etheria," Zi-O swore.
"Oh, My Princess, you must know that in order to protect the Rebellion you will need the power of Oma Zi-O! On the Day of Oma, you will transform into a being beyond recognition, and you will single-handedly destroy the Horde!" Woz said, holding his book tight in his hands. "Won't that be wonderful, for the Horde to finally be gone?"
The Horde to be gone was something Chronera wanted more than anything. They had taken everything from her; her home, her family and her childhood. It was tempting, but to destroy one threat only to replace it with another was not something Chronera could condone. According to Woz, it was her destiny and something she could not avoid. However, maybe she could take control of her own destiny.
"I'll use this power to destroy the Horde," Zi-O swore. "But I will not become Oma Zi-O. If I am destined to become a Demon King, then I will become the Demon King who protects Etheria!"
Swartz was not too upset about his first failure. He was used to trying out different methods in attempting to obtain the Ridewatches. He smiled a bit as he entered the Fright Zone, home to one of the many other Ridewatches around. In his hands he held an Another Ridewatch, which seemed to announce itself as he walked into the darkness.
THEBEE!
It was several days later. The guard managed to recover as were the other wounded guards. Unfortunately, when questioned, he had no memory of the time he spent as Another IXA. The past several days also gave Chronera time to process what was happening to her. She had joined the Rebellion and became a royal guard so she could fight the Horde. Now she had this grand destiny hanging over her head, and not a very good one.
She was the heir of the Demon King Oma Zi-O.
It was not a title that belonged to someone like her. She was not evil. She swore she would become a Demon King to protect Etheria, but she also knew that power could corrupt and it was possible Oma Zi-O's power could corrupt her.
Soon enough she found herself being called to the room where the Princess Alliance would often meet. It was a room she found herself guarding every once in a while, but never would she enter. She wondered why she was being summoned to enter?
"Your Majesty, you summoned me?" Chronera asked politely. She saw the Etherian Princesses all sitting in their seats. She recognized Netossa and Spinnerella. She had not had the chance to meet Perfuma, Mermista and Frosta. She had heard that Entrapta had sadly never made it home from one of their missions into the Fright Zone.
Bow waved at her and Adora smiled while Glimmer, well Glimmer did not seem too happy to see her. Honestly, they had not really talked after the incident with Another IXA.
"Yes I did, Chronera. Please take a seat at the table."
"But, Your Majesty, the table is for Princesses of the Princess Alliance." Chronera retorted, standing at attention again. Queen Angella sighed a bit, as she looked at the sad sight.
"Chronera, please relax. After much discussion, we have decided that since Zi-O is the Princess of Time, you technically qualify now as a princess. And we would like to have your input here at the table." Queen Angella explained, pointing her to an empty seat next to Adora.
Chronera wasn't so sure. She looked at the faces of the other princesses to judge their expressions. She then looked back at Queen Angella who was expecting a response. To be honest, she could never refuse a command from her.
"Very well, Your Majesty." Chronera took a very deep breath in an attempt to relax herself, just as she walked over to the open seat. She then went and sat down. It just seemed so surreal. She was just a soldier and now she was a princess.
"You'll get used to it, trust me. At least you didn't sit in the wrong chair," Adora said.
"Princess Glimmer…"
"I thought I told you to drop the formalities, Chronera." Glimmer said as she walked Chronera to her new room. Chronera wasn't sure what to make of getting a new room, since she was so used to staying in the barracks all her life.
"I… I'm sorry." Chronera sighed a bit, fidgeting her hands a bit. "This is all just new to me. Just a few days ago I was just a rank and file guard. Now I'm a princess and I'm the heir to a Demon King, it's just all too much for me. I thought being your bodyguard was going to be my only promotion in my lifetime, to be honest."
"You seem really closed off from reality, so you mind filling me in on that? Even Adora eventually managed to figure things out, but you… I don't get you. I've never seen a guard so passionate about their role as a guard."
Chronera sighed again, looking down at the ground.
"If we're going to be allies from now on, you might as well know this… Why I'm so obsessed with this job and protecting people."
"Oh?" Glimmer turned around to face Chronera, who looked quite downtrodden. She looked up to Glimmer.
"My family… died in a Horde attack during our village's annual Starlight Festival." Chronera said, biting her lip and staving back any tears that might have tried to escape her usually stoic face. "Everyone in my village… And I couldn't do anything. My father hid me away in a room hidden behind our family's old grandfather clock. While I was hiding, Horde soldiers came in. I heard everything that happened and I just kept quiet until I was sure it was safe to come out."
Chronera remembered seeing her parents' bodies and just staying beside them.
"Then they came. Members of the Rebellion found me inside my parents' shop… I'll never forget what the Horde did to my family… to my home… to my village. When the Rebellion offered to train me to be a warrior, I agreed. Since that day, I swore that no one would ever have to suffer another Horde attack like I did." Chronera sniffled a little, her stoic face breaking down more and more as the memories flooded back into her head. "I'll never forget the man who found me after the Horde destroyed my village… Even though after I came to Brightmoon I never saw him again."
Glimmer quickly gave Chronera a hug. She understood how traumatic it was for Chronera to have to go through that and have to live with the fact that she had survived and her family had not. Her whole village was destroyed and so she could no longer go back to her home.
"I know I acted wrong… I thought that interpersonal relationships would make this all harder than it actually is… but if you want to… I would like to be your friend, G...Glimmer."
Adora was in her room, lying on her bed. Chronera's introduction to the Princess Alliance went smoothly. Perfuma even gave her flowers. Although, the Princess of Power was still bothered.
It was the fact that Oma Zi-O and the first She-Ra had clashed in the past. She did not believe Chronera could become a tyrant like Oma Zi-O, but she thought she knew Catra, her best friend, and looked how that turned out.
She should not judge someone she just met and Chronera was loyal to Brightmoon, Queen Angela and the Rebellion, but with so much potential power she could gather from the Ridewatches, how long until Chronera decided to use those powers for other reasons?
Adora shook her head. She had to have faith in Chronera's words from earlier when they fought Another IXA. She was going to protect everyone with her power, and Adora would be there to make sure she stayed on that path. Her eyes moved over to her sword, and she frowned. Hopefully she would never have to fight her new friend.
"And so young palace guard Chronera begins her journey to becoming Oma Zi-O. Well, she claims she will become a Demon King to protect Etheria. Perhaps that will be true someday. But to do that, she will need to gather more and more power. She's also destined to clash with She-Ra as history repeats itself. Oh, perhaps I've read ahead too far again." Woz smiled as he closed his book.
A/N: Again, I'd like to thank KR Chrome for helping edit and co-write this chapter. Hope you all enjoy!