Chapter 20: The Last Hurrah

“We’re here,” Venus said running up to the rest of the Scouts in the center of the park. 
She, Pluto, and Earth surveyed the scene.  “What’s going on here?” Earth asked.  “There’s nothing.  It looks completely normal!  It isn’t even dark here!”
Sailor Moon shrugged.  “We’ve been trying to figure that out too.  It makes it so much creepier.”
“Well I’m so glad that this is creepy for you, Scouts,” a voice from nowhere boomed.  “I live off of wonderful energy that humans produce and you all will be delicacies.”
“Where’s it coming from!” Mars shrieked. The Scouts looked frantically around, searching for the body that the voice belonged to. 
“I don’t see her!” Uranus called out.
The ground began to quiver slightly and the Scouts looked to the rocks bouncing along the ground.  “She’s right beneath us!” Earth screamed, grabbing Saturn and diving off to the side as the giant form of Metalia burst through the ground below them. 
“Hello, my little cowering children,” Metalia boomed, looming high over the heads of the Scouts.  “I hope you enjoyed playing with the toys I sent out for you.  I do hope that you were hurt badly.”
“No such luck,” Jupiter shouted up at her. 
“Yeah!  They all caved without a need for a fight,” Mercury said, her fear evaporating.
Metalia shrugged.  “I guess that’s what happens when you do a half-ass brainwashing job.  Let that be a lesson to you, do something all the way, or don’t start it in the first place.  Well, that just means that I’m going to have to privilege of killing you all on my own.”
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus gathered in a circle and took out their talismans and placed them at arm’s length in the circle.  They began to glow with the color of their aura until the circle turned black.
“Pluto Crystal Power!”
“Uranus Crystal Power!”
“Neptune Crystal Power!”
“Saturn Crystal Power!”
The black aura transformed into a solid mass above the four scouts and they hurled it at Metalia.  The giant ball sailed at her and smashed to pieces right before making contact with her body.
“Did you honestly think that would work?” she cackled with delight.  “I am the all-powerful ruler of darkness and you think a big beach ball will stop me!  I’m almost insulted.”
“I hope you were!” Venus shouted. 
Metalia turned and flashed her eyes, sending a blast of energy that threw Venus back.
“Venus!” Sailor Moon shouted after her. 
“Let me set the record straight, Scouts,” Metalia began, seeming to grow larger with every word.  “I have big plans for this planet and I would like to start soon.  And I’m no moron like those who preceded me; I’m not going to waste time with small talk.  I’m going to kill you all right now.”  She held out her hand directly at Sailor Moon and Earth.  “So long, girls.”
The ground began to rumble and a blast of black energy shot straight for the girls.  “NOOOOOO!!!” Pluto shouted.  She and Mercury jumped, pushing Earth and Moon out of the way, but being blasted themselves. 
Sailor Earth stared in horror as her mentor and friend writhed in agony as the electrically charged blast began sucking the energy from them.  “Let them go!” she shouted.
The Midnight Façade helped her to her feet.  “Earth, I think this might require a drastic measure on your part momentarily,” he said.  “This isn’t going well already.  She wasn’t kidding when she said that she wasn’t going to drag this out.”
Earth looked out at Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter firing away at Metalia.  She turned and beside her was Tuxedo Mask trying to lead Sailor Moon away from the fallen Venus, Pluto, and Mercury.  “I know what I have to do before I try that.  I made a promise that the Rock would be a last resort.”  She barely had time to blink before she saw Jupiter and Mars entangled in a web that began to drain their energy.
She looked away and held he hand over her face.  “Guardian Sun protect me!” she shouted and waited for the giant ball of flamed to transform her into Sailor Sun.  But nothing happened.  “Guardian Sun protect me!” she called frantically.  Earth turned around and was met by a blinding flash of light.
***
“Where am I?” Sailor Earth said, rubbing her eyes.
“You are on the sun, with me,” a soft voice that she recognized as Sailor Sun’s called to her.
Earth regained her sight and found herself standing face to face with a woman made of flames.  “Why didn’t I transform?” Earth asked.  “We’re being wiped out down there and I need you!  We all need you!”
Sailor Sun looked forlornly at her.  “I can no longer help you.  Not now, at least.”
“But why?” Earth asked frantically. 
“There has always been a fundamental battle between good and evil in this universe.  You and the Scouts represent the ultimate good and Metalia is the ultimate evil.  I represent and preserve the balance of power in the universe, I cannot help you because my influence on the side of good would throw the balance off, creating havoc.”
Earth stood, baffled.  “But don’t you want good to win?”
“Of course I do, but you have to beat evil on your own.  You have been provided with all of the knowledge and tools to do so throughout your life.  The only way for you to win is to do it on your own.”
“I get it,” Sailor Earth said, despondently.  “I don’t think its fair, but I get it.”
“I have faith in you,” Sailor Sun said, laying a hand on Earth’s shoulder.  “Your heart is your strongest weapon, always remember that.”
She leaned over and gave Earth a hug and then there was another flash of light.
***
“Earth!  Where were you?” Sailor Moon cried.  “They’re gone, they’re all gone!”
Above them, Metalia cackled and Jacey had just enough time to see her entangle Tuxedo Mask and The Midnight Façade in another web.  The other Scout were gaunt and still in their crackling prisons. 
Earth lowered her head.  “Sailor Moon,” she whispered.  “I’m going to attack her head on and distract her.  While I do that, you need to attack with the Silver Crystal.  It’s the only option that we have left.”
“But you. . .” Moon started.  “You won’t survive.”
“I know,” Earth sighed.  “But it’s the only way.  You have to promise that you’ll finish her off no matter what.  Don’t pay attention to what happens to me.  You still have a chance to save everyone else.”
Moon nodded.  “Good luck.”
Sailor Earth dashed off towards Metalia.  “Hey ugly!” she called up to her.  Metalia looked down indignantly.  “Yeah you!  Molten Lava Flow!!!!”  She let out the attack of hot lava that encased Metalia and cooled instantly.  “Did it work?” she thought to herself.
“That was hardly an attack!” Metalia cried, bursting through the shell.  “Say goodbye you annoying little brat!”  She raised her had and threw Earth a foot deep into the pavement.
“Moon Crystal Power!!!” Sailor Moon shouted.
“What?” Metalia cried as the white light surrounded her.  “NOOO!!!!”
Sailor Moon sighed, her shoulder slumping down as she fell to her knees.  She looked up and the white light blasted her backwards.  “NO!” she thought.  “This isn’t supposed to happen!”  Her eyes fluttered and landed upon Metalia who looked as though she was laughing as hard as ever.  “I’m sorry everyone, I really am.”
“Fools,” Metalia laughed.  “They were never even a challenge.”
“They might not have been, but I am,” a voice strained.  “I’m going to send you back to the Hell that you came from.”  Earth’s hand grasped the edge of the hole that she lay in and she began to pull herself out, but she faltered. 
“You aren’t strong enough,” Metalia laughed.  “There’s no way you can beat me now.”
Earth’s eyes began to glow red and an aquamarine aura surrounded her.  “Rock of Magma,” she bellowed and the aura turned into a blazing fire.  “You are the one that doesn’t stand a chance now.”  Her voice had gone cryptic and she began to float slowly out of the hole and towards Metalia.
Metalia still looked unshaken by Earth’s recovery.  “You must die now!” she shouted and sent her most powerful blast of energy at her.
Earth stood, braced against the blast, unable to overcome it, but not weak enough to succumb to it.  “Help me!” she called out.  “I need you!”
“I’m here for you, Jacey, Sailor Earth,” The Midnight Façade’s voice came to her.  “I love you and I know that you can beat her once and for all.”
“I’m here too, Sis,” Tuxedo Mask rang in her mind. 
A chorus of the Scouts came into her head, filling her with the energy that they had left, filling her with power.
“Jacey, I’m here,” Jen’s voice came to her.  “In every life, in every form, I’m here and I’m ready to help you!”
“Be strong!” Apollo and Athena’s voices called out.  “We’re behind you all the way!”
The entire city began to quake with the power that the battle was emitting.  Earth was engulfed in a giant ball of flames, her eyes glowing beyond recognition.  “Sorry to delay those plans of yours,” she bellowed, the voices of all of the Scouts echoing with hers.  “Wait, no I’m not!”
“You won’t win!” Metalia shouted, shielding herself from the immense power levels that Earth was emitting.
“Yes, we will.”  She turned her head up to the sky and the ground began to break open, the bodies of the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask and the Midnight Façade rose in the air.  Earth’s eyes went black and the flames imploded into her body.  “SELF DESTRUCT!”
The city was covered in a blinding white light and everything was silent.