"The tunnel of time is being closed, Pluto. Your senshi
cannot stop time, can they?" he taunted, his voice slightly trembling.
He was afraid of Venus, they all realized.
Venus floated five feet away from him. She was glowing
gold, and her clothes transformed from her normal Sailor uniform to
a long gown similar to the Moon Princess. Her hair was flying wildly
about her, but no wind was blowing. Her eyes, however, were scary,
scintillating almost. Their eerie silver color somehow balanced the
gold surrounding her.
"For the crimes you have committed against generations
of living creatures, you shall receive no MERCY!!"
"Venus. .how can we help you?" Eternal Sailor Moon asked,
coming closer to her friend.
"Fight him. . use the planet powers I opened to you,
" she smiled, realizing how left out the others felt.
Planet powers?, they questioned, wondering what she
was talking about. They felt a sudden surge of energy in them, and
found the answer. Mars needed no further explanation. She and Jupiter
teamed up.
"Mars!" she shouted first. "Planet. ..Fireball. .BLAST!!"
"Jupiter!" she said enthusiastically. "Planet. .Thunderball
CRASH!!"
The two simultaneous attacks wore down the Shadow Warrior,
but he was still standing.
"Dark MOON! Lend me your POWER!!" he screamed up to
the clouds, hands in the air as supplication.
"Mercury!" the attacks continued. Mercury felt a sudden
surge of energy. "Aqua Spike STRIKE!!"
Hundreds of spikes flew off Mercury's fingertips, puncturing
the skin of the Shadow Warrior. Mercury watched as her accurate shots
healed over instantly. The others looked behind them and saw nothing
but darkness.
"We've got to hurry, Venus!" Jupiter called out.
"Before it's too late! It's all disappearing!" Neptune
finished Jupiter's comment.
Pluto stood by helplessly. This was a fight of powers,
not physical strength. Without her Orb. . She watched Neptune and
Uranus blast the Shadow Warrior one last time before Jupiter and Mercury
got in another shot. They were slowly wearing him down, but that Dark
Moon power was great and fierce. Why didn't Saturn stop this all?
Pluto thought. Maybe even SHE didn't have enough power.
Saturn looked at Pluto immediately after hearing her
thought. I have the power, but it's not my place now, she responded.
All of the senshi except Venus, Pluto, Eternal Sailor Moon, and Saturn
stood back.
"This is it Shadow Warrior. ." Eternal Sailor Moon shouted,
pointing her rod at him intimidatingly. "You're FINISHED!"
Eternal Sailor Moon held her hands in front her chest,
calling upon her silver crystal, the legendary ginshouzo. A
white light illuminated her for a second, and suddenly, wings and
all, she became the Moon Princess. Her rod also glowed in a white
light and lengthened, transforming into a double edged sword. Venus
also took her cue from Sailor Moon and held her Prism in front of
her body. Immediately, it blazed into a golden sword identical to
Sailor Moon's. The senshi stood in awe at the glorious sights they
both made.
Saturn pointed her glaive at the Shadow Warrior. "I
will not allow you to cast a shadow over time!" She paused a moment,
then shouted, determination in her eyes, "Silence Glaive SURPRISE!!"
Immediately flowing Saturn's shout, Eternal Sailor
Moon and Venus crossed swords creating a blend of white and golden
light. The other senshi were lending their powers to the duo by calling
upon their planet powers.
The attack made by Saturn was blocked very shortly
by the Shadow Warrior, but the power was too much. He flew back, but
what was left of the area around them had disappeared with the exception
of a quickly fading tree. He bounced off the tree and fell in the
same spot he stood in before.
"Mercury Planet Power.. "
"Mars Planet Power. ."
Eternal Sailor Moon and Venus immediately felt the
new power from the Inner Senshi.
"Neptune Planet Power. ."
"Uranus Planet Power. . "
Pluto could see the increase in the power of their
swords as each senshi gave of themselves. Amazing. .
"Jupiter Planet Power. ."
"Saturn Planet Power. ."
"Pluto Planet Power. ."
They were ready to finish this battle once and for
all.
"Shadow Warrior, prepare to meet your maker. .in HELL!!"
The crossed swords raised forming an 'X', and with
a fury unlike anything ever beheld, the combined powers of the Senshi,
the Golden Prism, and the ginshouzo struck the Shadows with
the death blow. What remained of the sky was filled with an intense
golden light and the screams of the Shadow Warrior's painful death.
A whisper flew through the air for the Senshi. "There
are others. .evil will never be conquered. ." Then there was nothing
but silence and the darkness of a world long disappeared. All their
efforts. .all that power was for nothing. Earth was gone, and they
were merely there for a limited time. Soon they too would disappear
with everyone else.
The senshi all fell to their knees except Pluto. She
held her hand out to her Orb, calling it to her. It floated to her,
and reattached to her staff.
"I am sorry everyone. I have failed you," Pluto said,
her head bowing low.
Everyone crowded around her to encourage her.
"No you didn't Pluto, " Jupiter said assuredly.
"You did all that you could," said Neptune, leaning
on Uranus for strength.
"There was no way to know it'd be like this," Mercury
said.
The assured smiles of the Senshi gave her a spark of
hope. She just didn't know what to do this time. What would they do?
Would they ever live again on Earth?
The continually illuminated Venus walked to Pluto and
placed a hand on her shoulder. "You CAN change this, Pluto. You can
reverse this all."
"How?"
"You must stop time and repair things from within,"
Venus declared. she stopped Pluto as she began to protest. "It is
the only way. Don't fear. I will be with you to guide you."
A tear ran down Pluto's cheek. Everyone knew what stopping
time meant. How could they. .
"Hold hands, everyone. And concentrate. ." Pluto whispered.
Venus and Pluto stood in the middle of seven glowing
senshi.
"Now Pluto. ."
"Dark Dome. .Close. ." she whispered.
And then, there was nothing but the silence and darkness
of the void called space. The light of the senshi stayed strong, surrounding
the two with a great energy. Pluto detached the Garnet Orb from her
staff.
"Now what?" she asked curiously.
Venus' hand touched the Orb. "Place your hand over
mine, then concentrate."
Pluto conceded, then slowly closed her eyes. The Orb
began to glow red brightly. In a flash, everyone was transported to
another time and place. Before Pluto and Venus was the future Queen
of Crystal Tokyo. Both dropped immediately to their knees to honor
her.
"Rise, Pluto. .Venus. There is no need for any of that,
" she said smiling, walking down from her dais.
Without any further questioning, the Queen stood before
the two, noticing briefly the other senshi that were before her.
"Eternal Sailor Moon. ." she whispered.
"We need your help. ." Pluto began, but was stopped
by a raised hand.
"I know, Pluto. Here, " she said, cupping her hands
together.
A small light formed in her hands, then began to grow.
"Here is the light of all life. It was never lost, only
misplaced in evil. Take it, and bring back the life of the world."
Pluto nodded. She looked to Venus and smiled. "Arigato,
Venus. Arigato. ." she whispered. Holding the Light of Life
in her hands, she muttered, "Take us back. ." Upon closing her eyes,
they were once again in the void of space. Pluto released the light
and watched it grow.
Venus sighed. "My job is done." With that final comment,
she also succumbed to the stoppage of time.
The rift was being repaired, Pluto thought. It's going
to be all right. .
Usagi and the others slept calmly at Miyaki's house.
Hotaru sat awake for most of the night, one of two people remembering
their ordeal.
"She did it. .we did it. ." she whispered to herself,
happier than she had been in days.
The next morning brought joy and happiness to everyone.
No one except Hotaru and Setsuna seemed to remember what happened
that night.
"What happened to the crystals?" Hotaru asked Setsuna
when they were alone at Master Yamada's.
"I awoke with them in my hands. It's really strange,
" she said, sipping on her tea. They sat on a small porch watching
Usagi and her friends greet Mamoru. "Even Minako doesn't remember.
Perhaps it's for the best."
Hotaru nodded. It was best to leave the past far behind
them.
Chibiusa and the cats were with Mamoru when Usagi approached
from afar.
"MAMO-CHAN!!" she ran into his arms, almost knocking
Chibiusa over.
"Usako. ." he laughed, embracing her tightly.
Mako smiled at the picture they made, then glanced
briefly at Michiru and Haruka at the edge of the stream.
"What unlikely couples they make! Destiny sure has a
strange way of choosing our mates."
"Tell me about it, " Rei agreed, putting her hands on
her hips.
"Only one thing's for sure when it comes to love," Mina
concluded.
"What's that, Mina?" they asked.
"Only time will tell. ."
However, for Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibiusa, their destinies
were written in the stars and etched forever in the hallways of time.
.
The End
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