No notes necessary from here on out. If you've been reading faithfully,
it's a wild roller-coaster ride to the finish. If not...
go back to the first chapter and start from there.
The majority of characters in this story are owned and/or copyrighted by
Naoko Takeuchi, DiC, Disney, Bandai, Toei Animation, Seagull Entertainment,
Graz Entertainment, Sunrise, Mixxzine, Saban, Playmates, and probably a half
dozen other corporations which I've neglected to mention. I should add for
the benefit of their respective legal departments that I make no claim to
the characters which the previously listed or referred to companies have
copyrighted, and I am not making any money from the distribution of these
stories (if I were, do you think I'd still be working at McDonald's?)
The characters which do not appear in either the Sailor Moon or Ronin
Warriors shows are mine. Touch them and die.
Now that that's out of the way...
Crystal Scouts #14
"Silver Lining"
"Never fear shadows. They only mean that there's a bright light
nearby."
Sailor Moon wasn't sure who had first said the quote, but she was
reasonably certain that it was her mother's favorite quote, due to the sheer
number of times Sailor Moon had heard it from her.
She was also reasonably certain that the shadows had never been this
dark--or close to her--before.
Out of the twelve Scouts (counting herself) that she'd started this
battle with, two needed serious medical attention, six had been turned to
evil, and one was now dead. Sailor Moon felt a queasy sinking feeling in
the pit of her stomach that she was sure her mother had felt watching Beryl
pick off her friends one by one.
Only she, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus remained standing and at
full fighting strength. Sailor Mercury had taken a sharp turn for the worse,
while Sailor Mars had only now begun to rally. Both of them would still
need protection, however.
Defend two fallen Sailor Scouts, try to break the spell on six
former Crystal Scouts, retrieve the shards of the Silver Crystal, and
defeat Princess Amber.
So much for a relatively simple mission to begin my solo career,
Sailor Moon reflected ruefully.
Sailor Moon wished she had at least one more teammate to help her--
like Pegasus, for example. But she hadn't seen him in years, and the
Crystal Clarion she used to call him was safely back in the Trophy Room
in Crystal Tokyo.
She sighed. Chance favors the prepared...
Like gunslingers at high noon, the two groups of fighters lined up,
staring each other down.
If this had truly been a scene from a western movie, the three
Sailor Scouts who remained standing would be wearing white hats, while the
six Shadow Warriors would be outfitted in black.
Game Machine Man (or should that be Girl?), the videogame monster,
formerly Tori Brand, the Red Sailor.
Bo Bo, the boxing vulture monster, formerly Roxanne Grant, the
Orange Sailor.
Veena, the artist monster, formerly Chloe Bloom, the Green Sailor.
Techniclon, the mad scientist monster, formerly Merry Rivers, the
Blue Sailor.
Pox, the demon monster, formerly Gail Skyler, the Indigo Sailor.
Akan, the feline monster, formerly Aurelia Steele, the Purple
Sailor.
Six enemies.
Six friends.
"Don't hurt them," Sailor Moon ordered. "Not while we can still
heal them."
"You're talking like you still have the Silver Crystal," Sailor
Venus scoffed. "Sorry, Princess. If they come after me or Mars and
Mercury, I'm going to stop them. By any means necessary."
"Even Chloe?"
Sailor Venus swallowed hard, but still nodded grimly. "Even Chloe."
"Sorry, Sailor Moon," Sailor Jupiter added. "It all hinges on
whoever's got the Silver Crystal."
"Sailor Moon."
Sailor Moon glanced at Sailor Venus. She almost _never_ called her
that, unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Be careful," Sailor Venus said sincerely.
Sailor Moon nodded. "You too." Her game face slid into place--
a determined frown. "Let's do it."
Sailor Venus smoothly flowed into a modified horse stance, while
Sailor Jupiter kept her arms folded across her chest, right index finger
tapping like a gunfighter's against her upper arm--three words and a raise
of her tiara antenna away from a Jupiter Thunder Crash.
Sailor Moon leapt forward, bounced to the right, then leapt forward
again.
Quick as a flash, Akan popped up in front of her, blocking her path.
Sailor Moon sidestepped to the right, but the speedy feline monster kept
close, also sliding to the right, placing itself between Sailor Moon and
the two other combatting Scouts.
The feline monster raised its right arm, bright claws flashing
downward toward Sailor Moon's face.
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
The golden laser beam slashed across the small of Akan's back,
causing the feline monster's back to convulsively arch, spoiling the aim of
its claws. Sailor Moon rolled out of the way as Akan sprawled face first
onto the ground.
Sailor Moon glared at Sailor Venus. The orange Scout smiled, winked,
and mimicked blowing smoke from her fingertip as Pox jumped at her from
behind. Without taking her eyes from Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus' leg shot
out like a piston, catching the demon monster square in the midsection and
hurling it backward.
Sailor Venus winked at Sailor Moon again, then flicked her head,
motioning for her to get moving.
Sailor Moon rose from the ground and took off at a dead run. She
only hoped she could find Princess Amber before she was able to piece the
shards of the Silver Crystal back together.
With the Silver Crystal, Princess Amber would definitely be able
to change the past...future...present...the timeline.
Sailor Jupiter glanced over her shoulder at Sailor Venus. For some
reason, the Shadow Warriors all seemed to be going after the orange Scout.
Sailor Venus caught Pox in the head with a crescent kick, sending
the demon monster sprawling for the third time. Sailor Jupiter had to
grin--there was a lot of Gail's tenacity in that monster.
She shook her head--that was the wrong way of thinking about it.
There wasn't any of Gail left in that monster, and there wouldn't be any
Gail left at all unless Sailor Moon somehow managed to come up with the
Silver Crystal.
A boxing glove crashed into Sailor Jupiter's chin.
The blow sent Sailor Jupiter staggering, but fortunately she did not
fall. Desperately trying to clear the bright flashing stars from her head,
she lashed out with a right jab.
Bo Bo ducked its shoulder, slid underneath the punch, and threw a
right uppercut into her jaw.
Sailor Jupiter hit Bo Bo with a left cross to the side of the head
just before the boxing monster's uppercut sent her to the ground, sprawled
across Sailor Mars' still-unconscious form.
Enraged, the boxing monster jumped on Sailor Jupiter's supine body--
or at least tried to. Sailor Jupiter's spiked heel caught Bo Bo square in
the bell on its belt, sending the boxing monster reeling.
Sailor Jupiter rose to her feet again. Following Sailor Venus'
lead, she hit Bo Bo with a crescent kick in the exact same spot where her
left cross had landed a few seconds before.
Bo Bo would probably have beaten Sailor Jupiter in a fair fistfight.
Nobody said anything about kickboxing, though.
Sailor Jupiter landed a side kick to Bo Bo's midsection, then
quickly raised her boot to catch the boxing monster under the chin as it
doubled over.
Bo Bo remained standing, although very wobbily. Sailor Jupiter
spun into a roundhouse kick, blasting the boxing monster in the side of
the head for the third time.
Bo Bo collapsed and did not move.
Sailor Jupiter stood staring down at the boxing monster, panting
heavily. Her reverie was shattered as Pox suddenly landed on top of Bo Bo's
body. The demon monster was also unconscious.
Sailor Jupiter looked over her shoulder at Sailor Venus, who shot
her a wink and a thumbs-up.
Three down, three to go...
Princess Amber slammed her fist down on the hard rock table in
frustration. No matter what way she arranged the Rainbow Crystals, they
would not join into the Silver Crystal. It was almost as if the crystals
had a mind of their own...
The crystals sat on the table, glittering, subtly mocking her.
A shadow played across the entrance of the cave where she was
hiding. Startled, Princess Amber looked up--the shadow was rapidly moving
toward her. She'd recognize that hairstyle anywhere...
Princess Amber scooped up the Rainbow Crystals in both hands and
teleported out of the cave. She wanted the Sailor Scouts to see her
triumph...
Sailor Moon stopped dead in her tracks. So close... she thought,
breathing heavily. Almost in my grasp...
The best thing to do now, she reasoned, would be to return to the
other Scouts and make sure that they were still all right.
Sailor Moon whirled around and raced out the way she'd come.
Techniclon was the next Shadow Warrior to step forward to challenge
Sailors Jupiter and Venus. The mad scientist monster talked to itself as
it tossed chemicals into its beaker, swirling the ingredients around inside
the vessel.
"Two parts hydrogen...one part sulfur...four parts oxygen..."
Sailor Jupiter knew very little chemistry, but she still recognized
the chemical formula more quickly than Sailor Venus did.
"Sulfuric acid!"
Techniclon grinned. The mad scientist monster drew back its arm.
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"
A generation ago, when the original Sailor Jupiter had faced
Techniclon, the mad scientist monster had managed to bottle the Jupiter
Thunder.
The beaker could only hold one thing at a time, however.
The exploding flask released a massive tidal wave of acid. Some of
it blasted back onto Techniclon, neutralizing the mad scientist monster,
but the majority of the sulfuric acid flowed toward the Sailor Scouts.
The Scouts leapt out of the way, Sailor Venus barely remembering to
scoop up Sailor Mercury's unconscious body.
A rare worried look crossed Sailor Venus' face. "Jupiter, she
doesn't have a pulse!"
Sailors Jupiter and Venus tried to land gently, but they quickly
found their feet and legs tightly wrapped in ropes as soon as they touched
the ground. Unbalanced, the two Scouts toppled over.
Sailor Jupiter grunted as she hit hard on one shoulder, still
cradling Sailor Mars. Sailor Venus yelled in frustration as Sailor Mercury
skittered from her grasp.
Veena stared coldly at the Sailor Scouts. The artist monster held
a feather in its hand, which it began to slash through the air.
Rough outlines were sketched in the air above the Scouts, which soon
solidified into large, heavy rocks.
Sailor Venus had rolled over onto her back, ice blue eyes glinting
in cold fury. "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
Sailor Venus held the Beam for as long as she could, blasting most
of the rocks into pebbles and continuing on to destroy one of Veena's wings
before the Beam finally winked out.
Sailor Jupiter heard a rattling noise behind her head. She rolled
over to see what it was.
Three rattlesnakes greeted her eyes, tails shaking their warning
of death.
Sailor Jupiter swiftly rolled away from the rattlesnakes, stopping
only when she bumped into Sailor Mars' supine form.
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"
The thunderbolt fricasseed the rattlesnakes, bounced off the rocky
ground, and ruined Veena's other wing, spinning the artist monster around
like a top and slamming it into the ground.
Sailors Venus and Jupiter were now working on untying themselves
from the ropes Veena had left behind. Game Machine Girl rushed in to stop
them.
Pressing a button on its wrist, the videogame monster shot manacles
at the two Scouts. The handcuffs caught Sailor Venus' hands in front of
her, but Sailor Jupiter had rolled over onto her stomach to untie the ropes
behind her back. The manacles cuffed her hands behind her, effectively
putting her out of action.
Sailor Venus' ice blue eyes now flashed with raw, uncontrolled anger
and hatred. She began to methodically bash her manacles on a large sharp
rock next to her.
Sailor Moon chose that precise moment to return. "No!" she cried,
seeing her friends subdued by the Shadow Warriors--although only one of the
seven Shadows remained standing.
"Sailor Moon!" Princess Amber called out. The leader of the Scouts
stared up at the brown-clad figure floating in the sky.
"I've defeated your friends, Sailor Moon! You're next!" Princess
Amber crowed, clenching the seven Rainbow Crystals tightly in her fist.
"Empyrean Silver Crystal, come to me!"
The Rainbow Crystals, like magnets, seemed to be actively resisting
the pressure Princess Amber was exerting.
Princess Amber stretched out her arm and squeezed harder, not caring
as the crystal shards sliced into her palm.
The Rainbow Crystals resisted with an even greater force, exploding
from Princess Amber's fist and scattering across the field of battle.
Princess Amber instantly vanished, racing to recollect the scattered
Rainbow Crystals.
One of the seven Rainbow Crystals--the red one--fell near Sailor
Moon. She quickly dove on top of it, like a football player making a
fumble recovery.
Whether Game Machine Girl was still in charge and wanted the Red
Rainbow Crystal to help her master, or whether Tori had regained some
measure of control and saw the Red Crystal as her salvation--in either
case, the videogame monster jumped on top of Sailor Moon, straddling the
supine, helpless Scout and raising its clawed hand into the air.
This would be the acid test, then. If Tori was now in control,
she would simply take the Red Crystal from Sailor Moon. If Game Machine
Girl was still in charge, then the videogame monster would likely aim
the swipe at Sailor Moon's head before snatching the Red Crystal from
her cold, dead hand.
Sailor Venus never gave anyone a chance to determine the results.
With a cry of elation, she finally shattered the manacles on her wrists.
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
The golden laser beam lanced out from Sailor Venus' fingertip,
striking Game Machine Girl squarely in the back and emerging in a
rainbow-bright burst from the center of the videogame monster's chest.
Sailor Moon caught Game Machine Girl's body as the lifeless
videogame monster slumped forward.
"Tori, I'm sorry," she cried, hot tears beginning to flow down
her cheeks. "I failed. I'm sorry, Tori..."
One of her tears glowed brighter than the others.
Princess Amber had collected four of the lost Rainbow Crystals.
She had just found the fifth and added it to her collection when fate
dealt her a joker from the bottom of the deck.
Like rockets, the five Rainbow Crystals suddenly shot from her
hand, streaking across the sky to converge in one location.
With a sinking heart, Princess Amber knew who--and what--had to
be there. All but defeated, her pride refused to let her resign this
final battle without one last salvo.
Princess Amber bravely teleported away to face her destiny.
The seven Rainbow Crystals circled Sailor Moon's cheek before
shooting into the silver tear glistening there.
The silver tear rose from Sailor Moon's cheek, hovering in the
air just above her head, now glowing a bright pink.
The Empyrean Silver Crystal had been restored.
Princess Amber suddenly appeared high above Sailor Moon--
too late.
As if in a trance, Sailor Moon slowly stood up, reverently placing
the body of Game Machine Girl on the ground. She stared at the Silver
Crystal for a moment, as if nothing else in the universe mattered, before
reaching out her hand to touch it. Bright pink light washed over Sailor
Moon's body, changing her pink Sailor outfit to the normal blue-and-red one.
Sailor Moon's reddish eyes burned holes through Princess Amber.
Sailors Venus and Jupiter had guessed what Sailor Moon was planning
to do, but neither of them were in a position to help--or stop--her.
All they could do was scream.
"Sailor Moon, don't!" Sailor Venus growled.
"No, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, calm composure finally
cracking. "Don't use the Silver Crystal! You'll die!"
She didn't have to die, though.
Even though the Silver Crystal drained the life energy of its user
to function if used to destroy, there were seven other souls inside the
Crystal to add to her own life energy.
"I am Sailor Moon! I fight for love and justice!"
"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Jupiter screamed.
"On behalf of the moon, I'll punish you!"
"No!" Sailor Venus roared.
"Moon Cosmic Power!"
Brilliant pink light shot from the Silver Crystal, speeding toward
Princess Amber.
The last remnant of the Black Moon line threw up her personal
shield. It glowed a steady jet black as the Silver Crystal's light
battered it.
The shield held.
Sailor Moon closed her eyes as if praying. When they opened again,
her reddish eyes were twin flames.
Flames of justice.
Seven colored beams of light--one for each color of the rainbow--
joined the Silver Crystal's pink beam. The seven rainbow beams combined
into a blazing white beam, which formed the center of the Silver Crystal's
second attack beam.
The new beam arced toward Princess Amber. It blasted through her
shield as if it were little more than tissue paper.
My brother, I have failed you... was Princess Amber's last thought
as the burning flame of the Silver Crystal's power vaporized her.
Sailor Moon sank weakly to her knees, nearly collapsing completely.
Sailors Venus and Jupiter had freed themselves--no, Sailor Moon
thought blankly, their bonds had likely been destroyed by the power of the
Silver Crystal. The two Scouts were huddled over Sailor Mercury, apparently
trying to revive her with CPR.
Sailor Jupiter sagged backward. "It's no use," she said dully.
"She's dead."
"No!" Sailor Venus said wildly, shoving Sailor Jupiter away and
taking over the respiration. Her ice blue eyes glittered with tears.
"Wake up, Mercury! Please wake up!"
Sailor Mercury remained unresponsive.
An animal scream came from Sailor Venus' throat, as if someone had
torn out her heart and killed her too.
"Noooo!!!"
Sailor Moon gazed at the Silver Crystal.
Seven other life forces inside. Was there enough power left?
Star light, star bright....
The old nursery rhyme came unbidden into her mind.
When you wish upon a star...
Or a Silver Crystal.
Whose life force would it use?
Only one way to find out.
Blow out the candles and make a wish...
Sailor Moon cupped the Silver Crystal in her hands, as if praying.
"Please, Silver Crystal. I wish for all twelve Scouts to get out
of this alive..."
The Silver Crystal's glowing pink radiance enveloped them all.
Comments, pleading requests, hate mail?
Direct it all to: r_strata@hotmail.com
Fourteen down, one to go...
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