Sailor Moon episode 67

Episode title: Rubeus Strikes out

Canadian Air date: 9/27/97

The ominous crystal form of Rubeus' great flying fortress hovered over the city of Tokyo. The sky was dark, and clouds covered the city. Rubeus hovered by his fortress, and called out to the entire city.

"Where were you, Sailor Moon? I don't know if you eluded me through your cleverness, or you were just a coward. Either way, I'm holding all the cards now. You can either say sayonara to your pals, the Simpy Scouts, or hand over the Silver Crystal and the kid. I'll be back in three hours. Think it over. You must give me your decision then. The choice is all up to you now, Sailor Moon!"

Rubeus laughed, and disappeared. His fortress rose up through the clouds and disappeared as well. Serena, Tuxedo Mask, and Rini had been listening from an alley, and watched while the crystal giant rose into the Heavens. Rini hugged her Luna Ball.

Meanwhile, out in space, Rubeus was standing on the platform that housed the mirrors, once belonging to the Four Sisters. Rubeus was staring out of one of the mirrors. As before, a laugh filled the room, and Emerald appeared from one of the mirrors.

"You're such a mastermind, Rubeus." She quipped. "Let the ones we really want get away. Did you think that one up all on your own?"

Rubeus, undaunted, replied, "Laugh all you like, Emerald. I'll get that wretched brat Rini and that nuisance Sailor Moon in my own way."

"Not in this lifetime." Replied Emerald. Rubeus put his hand in the air. It was revealed that the platform that the mirrors were on was encased by a large crystal bubble. Outside of the bubble, pillars made of even more crystal used invisible forces to keep the platform suspended. Emerald continued. "Remember Prince Diamond's ultimatum. The clock is ticking, Rubeus! Love to stay, you've got just five hours, then this job will be all mine!" She laughed, and disappeared. Rubeus said to himself,

"Annoying hyena. I'll show her! We'll see who laughs last!"

Meanwhile, Serena, Darien and Rini had met Luna and Artemis at Darien's apartment. Rini was out on the rooftop, looking at the sky. A shooting star flew by, and Darien walked up to the child, and looked over the edge.

"So," Rini began, "is it true, then? Are you really Tuxedo Mask?"

"Yes I am." Darien replied. "Is that okay with you, Rini?" Rini said she liked Darien being Tuxedo Mask, but didn't know how to feel about Serena being Sailor Moon. Darien asked her if she'd given Serena her locket. Rini had. She took out her Time Key, and pondered why it wasn't working. Darien said,

"If it worked the way you wanted it to, you'd be back in the future with the Silver Crystal, right?" Rini looked up at him. He said he wanted to have no more secrets. He asked Rini what she needed the Silver Crystal for. Rini said that she had to save her mother. Darien knelt down, and put his hands on Rini's shoulders. He said she had tell him what happened. "What happened to your mother back in the future?" He asked.

"I don't know." Replied Rini. Darien almost shook the poor child, and Rini said, "I don't know, Darien!" She began to cry. "This scary man snuck up on me, and I don't know what happened after that."

The news was announcing its report about the appearance of Rubeus' fortress. Luna and Artemis were watching.

"Thirty more minutes." Said Artemis. Luna said,

"I haven't seen Darien or Rini for a while. Do you know where they are, Serena?"

Serena was sitting on a chair across the room, staring at her locket. She said that Darien and Rini were on the rooftop.

"I could throttle that miserable brat!" She said, clutching her locket tightly. "My friends are in big trouble 'cause of her! She's never been nice to me, she's nothing but trouble! Why do I always have to save her?"

"Serena!" Exclaimed Artemis.

"I have to make a choice between four friends I love, and an ungrateful, spoiled and manipulative little brat! Guess you can tell which way I'm leaning. This is too hard for me. I don't know what to do."

"Serena, you know you can't abandon Rini. You can't mean it!" Said Luna. Serena's hands were clenched in her lap. She said,

"You're right Luna, I don't get it." She looked up, with tears in her eyes. "Part of me wants to blast that kid into outer space, and part of me wants to protect her."

"Your choice is hard." Said Luna. Serena said that she was tired. Artemis told Serena to rest while he and Luna thought up a plan, and Serena said she was going to step outside for fresh air. She went to the balcony. Out on the balcony, she was thinking to herself.

"There's just no other way." She said. "I must go alone. If I bring the Silver Crystal with me, maybe that will be good enough for Rubeus. There's no way I'm going to put Rini in any more danger." She thought for a moment. "Not too long ago, I would've said, 'I'm too sleepy!', or 'I'm too scared!', or 'I don't want to go alone!'" Tears fell from her eyes as she thought about her friends. "But now," she said, "I have to face all of my problems." She sobbed for a moment, and told her friends to wait for her.

"That's the best we can do?" Said Artemis. He and Luna had been trying to come up with a plan.

"There's no other way, Artemis." Replied Luna. "We'll give Rubeus a fake Silver Crystal, so we can buy some time to save the Scouts."

"Let's just hope during that borrowed time, we can bust the Scouts out of that space ship." Artemis said. "Do you think Rubeus will accept the Crystal without Rini?" With that plan dashed, they began to think about another plan. They didn't see Serena sneak out of the apartment behind them. Luna gasped.

"Why don't we try to fool Rubeus by disguising ourselves as Rini?" They both imagined themselves disguised as Rini, Luna on the top, and Artemis on the bottom. Then, they fell, and when Luna and Artemis came back to reality, Artemis said,

"Two great feline minds gotta do better than that!" Luna agreed. Darien rushed in, saying that the door was wide open. Luna and Artemis looked out the door, when Darien asked if Serena was there.

"She took off!" Artemis said. Darien said,

"She's gone alone!"

"Oh, no!" Cried Luna. "It's just like that meatball head! I bet Serena's going to try to fight Rubeus all by herself!" Artemis agreed, and Rini was shocked. Darien turned around, and Rini was gone. He, Luna and Artemis went after her.

"You know, it's really scary how much those two are alike. They're both a pair of meatball heads, as if they were related, or something!"

Serena was running through the streets, and pulled out her locket.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!!!"

Sailor Moon ran to the place where she had seen Rubeus' fortress before. The power all over the city went out, and once again, the huge ominous form of Rubeus' giant crystal fortress lowered itself over the populace. Rubeus' laugh rung out all over the town.

"Greetings, Sailor Moon! Greetings Rini!" He said. Sailor Moon was taken aback. She looked behind her to see Rini standing, with, of course, her Luna Ball.

"What are you doing here, Rini? It's way too dangerous!" She said. Rini replied,

"I'm coming with you! I don't care what you say, it's my fault the Scouts got captured, and I'm going to help get them back!"

"Help?" Sailor Moon replied. "The only way you're helping is by giving Rubeus exactly what he wants!" Suddenly, a pillar of light enveloped both of them, and started to lift them off the ground. Luna, Artemis and Darien arrived and could only watch while the two girls were lifted into Rubeus' fortress.

Sailor Moon, who had been unconscious for some time, woke up to see someone walking towards her. It was Rubeus. She and Rini got to their knees.

"So it's you again." Said Sailor Moon. Rini grabbed hold of her Luna Ball. Rubeus smiled. "Ha!" Sailor Moon shot. "You're even dumber than I thought! This isn't who you want! She's my cousin Trini!" Rubeus' smile disappeared. Sailor Moon went on. "Yep, Trini! Did you expect me to hand over Rini so easily? What a ditz!" She laughed at Rubeus.

"Nice try, Sailor Twit!" Rubeus retorted. "But I'll find out soon enough who she is! But first, I'm going to be rid of you once and for all!" Sailor Moon agreed, and turned to Rini.

"Now, listen, Rini." She said. "And for once, do as I say. You must find a safe place to hide." Rini agreed, and she and her Luna Ball retreated. Sailor Moon got up, looked at Rubeus, and said, "I'm ready to fight!" Rubeus chuckled. Outside the fortress, Darien, Luna and Artemis watched in panic as the great crystal fortress rose into the Heavens once again, and into outer space.

"Come on!" Rubeus taunted. "Give me your best shot, you little klutz! You don't know how eagerly I've been looking forward to this!" Sailor Moon responded accordingly.

"MOON SCEPTER ACTIVATION!!!"

Rubeus made a hand motion. Nearby, there was a large crystal that jutted upwards from a pedestal. It glowed, and the energy from the Moon Scepter was blocked. Sailor Moon couldn't understand it. Suddenly, Sailor Moon felt very heavy, and sunk to her knees. Rubeus laughed.

"You're on my turf now, Sailor Twit!" He gloated. "Try all you like, but there's absolutely no way you can beat me on this ship! How do you like my super gravity device? Let me demonstrate how it operates in reverse!" With that, he made another hand motion, and the crystal again glowed. This time, Rini saw it. Without warning, Sailor Moon was lifted high into the air, and slammed into one of the giant crystals that was responsible for holding the mirror platform in place. She looked out of a window a few feet in front of her, and gasped.

"There's the Earth!"

"Say good-bye to it all, Sailor Moon!" Rubeus said. "For you'll never see that place again! This will be your last battle ever!" Sailor Moon looked over to where the large power crystal was, and saw Rini running towards it. Suddenly, Rini was stopped by a forcefield that electrocuted her. This shock caused the Moon Beam, and Sailor Moon called out Rini's name.

"Rini?" Rubeus remarked. "Don't you mean your cousin Trini?" The Moon Beam finally stopped, and Rini got up. Rubeus said, "There's no point in trying to escape. You're in an invisible forcefield. Try to get out, and you'll feel the consequences." Rini got to her feet, and hit the forcefield again. She looked back to see the power crystal glowing. Rubeus smiled at the floating Sailor Scout.

"How do you like this little pleasure cruise so far, Miss Moon?" He remarked. "There's more!" He made another hand motion, and Sailor Moon flew downwards at an incredible speed, slamming into the floor. "Now it's time for you to grovel at my feet, Sailor Moon!" Rubeus laughed. He thrust both his hands forward, and the power crystal glowed white. With that, the G-forces that surrounded Sailor Moon intensified so much that the ground around her was indented. Her body, however, remained intact. Rubeus laughed, each moment coming closer to the demise of Sailor Moon. His smile washed away when the unthinkable happened: Sailor Moon began to get up.

"You're such a coward." She said as she slowly but surely rose to her feet. "And a vicious monster. I'll never give up!"

"How can that be?" Rubeus said in amazement. "You're standing up with the G-forces at maximum capacity!"

"So long as there are people I love in danger," said Sailor Moon, "I will stand to defy you all... and will fight for love and justice, 'cause I am Sailor Moon!"

"It would seem that I've greatly underestimated you as an adversary, Sailor Moon." Rubeus said, releasing the Gravity force. "You want to defy me? Fine! I'll hit you with everything I've got!" He powered up himself.

"MOON SCEPTER ACTIVATION!!!"

Rubeus fired a bolt of black energy, and it was met in midair by the energy from the Moon Scepter. The two adversaries stood, unwavering, as their energies battled with each other. Meanwhile, Rini had made it to the power crystal, and grabbed a hold of it. Rubeus and Sailor Moon were still battling, and Rubeus shouted,

"Sayonara, Sailor Moon!" He fired an extra burst of energy, and it cut right through the powers of the Moon Scepter, hit Sailor Moon, and slammed her into a wall. Sailor Moon fell to the ground. Rini was still trying to pull out the crystal, and Rubeus noticed.

"I turn my back for one measly second, and she's trashing my power ampliphier!" He leapt towards Rini, and was about to hit her, but he heard something behind him.

"MOON SCEPTER ACTIVATION!!"

Rubeus knocked away the tiny crescent moon that had been projected by the Moon Scepter, and created a shield to block the rest of the Scepter's energy. Sailor Moon yelled at Rini to pull harder, and Rini did. She pulled so hard, that the crescent moon appeared on her forehead, and the crystal was smashed. The blast from Sailor Moon cut right through Rubeus' shield, and he slammed into a crystal pillar, knocking one of his earrings off. Above them, the bubble that encased the mirror platform disappeared, and the platform plummeted to the deck. The Sailor Scouts, once imprisoned, appeared.

"Where are we Scouts?" Asked Sailor Venus. Jupiter replied,

"Well, we were captured by Rubeus, and then..."

Sailor Moon looked on, with tears in her eyes. "Better late than never, Sailor Scouts!" She said. The Sailor Scouts were shocked when Rubeus laughed.

"You'd better enjoy your little reunion while you can!" He said. "'Cause it won't last long. This ship is set to self-destruct, taking all of you miserable Sailor Scouts with it!"

"And what about you?" Mars shot back.

"A coward like you would go down with your ship?" Jupiter quipped. Rubeus laughed and said,

"It will be a great honor, knowing all of you are with me!" He crushed his earring. "Going down with my ship, knowing you're going down with me will be a great honor! I will be Prince Diamond's greatest hero! Prepare for your end, Sailor Scouts!" Suddenly, great pillars of fire erupted all around the Sailor Scouts. There was no way out.

"We haven't much time, guys!" Shouted Mars. "We've got to get out of here before this ship blows up!"

"But where are we supposed to go?" Asked Jupiter. "We're floating in outer space!" Sailor Mercury interjected.

"I know a way to get out here!" All the Sailor Scouts looked at her.

"Gotcha, Mercury!" Chimed Venus. "You mean teleportation, right?" Mercury nodded.

"Won't work!" Said Sailor Mars. "Sailor Moon's energy is all tapped out, and now we have an extra person to take back with us!"

"If we pool all the strength we've got," replied Sailor Mercury, "I know we can transport ourselves home again. Besides, we've got no other choice!" Sailor Moon agreed. She asked Rini if she was for it, and Rini replied,

"I'll try my best!"

"That's a good girl!" Sailor Moon said, smiling. "You'll get a special treat!" Rini smiled, and said she wanted pancakes. Sailor Moon agreed. The Sailor Scouts got into a circle, with Rini in the middle.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"

"MERCURY STAR POWER!

"MARS STAR POWER!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

"SAILOR TELEPORT!!!"

The Sailor Scouts disappeared in a flash of light. Just then, Rubeus rolled out of the flames, weak and burnt. Emerald appeared laughing. She said, "You're a real winner!". Rubeus said,

"Emerald, so glad you've come. Take back me to the future, will you? We've got to hurry. This ship is set to self-destruct in about one minute!" Emerald simply looked on, and said,

"What a pity!" Rubeus was genuinely afraid, and therefore, humbled before Emerald. He was also shocked at her apathy. She said, "You're a disgrace, Rubeus! Prince Diamond's got no use for incompetents like you. You're nothing but a failure! You struck out big time!" Rubeus knelt on the floor, feeling his life slipping away. "With the Sailor Scouts, Rini, and the Silver Crystal. That means you're no longer up to bat. And you know what that means: Three strikes and you're out!" She laughed, and disappeared. Rubeus shouted,

"No, Emerald! Come back here!"

EMERAAAALD!!!!!!!!!!

The sky on Earth glowed a bright white, as a result of a huge explosion in the orbit around the great blue orb. The Sailor Scouts appeared in the street where they had seen Rubeus' fortress. They cheered, and Rini told Serena to keep her promise: She wanted home made blueberry pancakes, and they had to made by her. Raye said,

"I think I should warn you, Rini. Cooking is definitely not Serena's forte!"

"But she promised!" Said Rini. Sailor Moon said Rini was going to be sorry. They all laughed.

A great kingdom existed in the future. Inside this kingdom, there was a palace, of which Emerald stood before a man. The man had white-blue hair, and a white suit. He sat on his throne, holding a glass of wine.

"Prince Diamond." Emerald said. "I'm afraid the mission was too much for Rubeus."

"Was it?" Said the Prince calmly. "Then he was not the man I thought he was. So now, it's your turn, Emerald. I want results. You must work diligently to not repeat his failures."

"I will succeed where he failed." Said Emerald, bowing to her prince. She disappeared. Some distance away, a large crystal pedestal in front of the throne emitted an image of the Queen of Crystal Tokyo. Prince Diamond raised his wine goblet to the image.

"I always get everything that I want." He said, smiling wryly. "Everything."