*******************************************************
**A Soul Reclaimed**
By Brickgirl
Brickgirl@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/palace/7112
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and friends do not belong to me.
Adonis, Thalia, and this story do.
**Part 6: To All Thing An Ending**
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The soft music and flickering lights sought to ease the tension of
those
in the hall. Silken gowns and capes swirled around the room. From all
outward appearances, this seemed to be a quite ordinary royal ball, like
so
many others that were often held in the palace on the moon. Yet the
usual
tittering of conversation was absent, as were the occasional bursts of
laughter. Those in the room danced stiffly, lacking their usual
carefree
grace. The expressions behind their masks varied from angry to
stonefaced to
despair.
Suddenly, the Princess Serenity swept into their midst like an angel
in
feathery white. Her partner was tall and dark, his identity shielded by
a
gilded mask. The few that knew of the Earth Prince’s presence in the
palace
were not present at the ball. The other dancers stopped to watch,
wondering
at the man’s identity, and admiring the beauty and grace of the
Princess. The
pair whispered back and forth, the love between the two obvious to even
the
most unobservant. Their happiness eased the hearts of the people of the
moon,
and for a time, the impending battle was forgotten.
__________
"My Queen, our forces stand prepared, save those who attended the
ball.
Shall I retrieve them?"
"No Adonis. I will sense Beryl’s forces approaching with enough
time
to
warn them. Let them enjoy themselves for now. Perhaps it will help
them to
remember what they are fighting to save."
"As you wish."
Queen Serenity, Adonis, and the cats Luna and Artimis sat in a small
chamber that overlooked the hall and the festivities taking place. The
Queen
watched her daughter for a moment, then turned to Adonis. "She looks
quite
happy, doesn’t she?"
"Yes, My Queen."
Serenity sighed. "I’m glad she has one last chance to enjoy herself
before the battle. Between the events with Beryl, and the death of Lady
Thalia, things have been quite hard for her recently."
"Yes." Adonis shifted his position, gazing down at the Princess
below.
"She and the Lady Thalia were quite close."
"On another subject, were you able to discover any more information
about the Cult of Apollo."
"No, your Majesty. Fortunately or unfortunately, they seem to have
ceased activity. Without any new information, I’m afraid I have no
leads as
to where to search."
"I have some information for you," the Queen said, still gazing at
her
daughter. "They planned the attack that killed Lady Thalia."
Adonis started, looking at the Queen with shock. "But . . . but the
attack was against the Princess," he stammered. "Lady Thalia was killed
in an
attempt to defend her."
"I think that is what we were meant to believe. According to the
Princess, the first attacker claimed he wished the Princess, but once
the rest
of the attackers arrived, they concerned themselves only with Thalia.
With so
many, they could have attacked the Princess while Lady Thalia was busy
fighting. But they didn’t."
"But the shot that killed Thalia was aimed for . . ."
"The Princess, I know. Whoever planned that knew that Thalia would
react in time to save the Princess, probably by taking the arrow
herself.
They must have known how sensitive she was to anything that reminded her
of
her mother’s death."
Adonis nodded. "That makes sense," he said absently, "But how does
this
indicate the Cult of Apollo?"
"No one of Earth would have dared to attack their Senshi. Those
Terrens
involved in the attack must have been misled into thinking they fought
another
of the Senshi, not Earth."
"But what would the Cult gain from the death of the Senshi of
Earth?"
Serenity sighed. "I think you know Adonis."
"My Queen-"
"You made a mistake Adonis." Serenity reached under her chair,
pulling
out a large, ancient book. Adonis froze. "There are only a few people
who
know of the hidden rooms inside of the castle, where Andora’s Prophesy
was.
Myself. Luna. Artimis." She looked at her advisor. "And you."
Adonis straightened, looking at the Queen with almost pleading eyes.
"I
did what needed to be done."
"By forming a group of traitors? By feeding them knowledge they had
no
right to know?" Her voice rose. "By killing my foster daughter?"
Adonis’s voice hardened. "After the death of Queen Thetis, you
allowed
a monster into the palace, while I took steps to protect your kingdom!
I
found the group responsible for the attack, killed those who knew of it,
and
use the rest to form a group who were willing to save what they believed
in!"
The Queen rose, looking her advisor in the eye. "You killed an
innocent
girl because of a prophesy you didn’t understand! Do you have any idea
of
what your actions have done."
"I saved us!"
"You condemned us to death!!!"
Adonis took a step back, his confidence shattered. "What . . . what
are
you talking about?"
"Your attack failed. Thalia survived. Somehow, Metallia got a hold
of
her and turned her into the monster that we now know as Beryl." She
looked at
Adonis. "You are the cause of all this. Your actions are what set the
prophesy in motion. Thalia was never the danger." Her voice hardened.
"You
were."
Adonis tried to speak, but nothing came out.
"Get out of my sight!" the Queen hissed, her beautiful face twisted
in
anger. Adonis tried to protest. With a flash, Luna and Artimis
switched to
human form and trained their weapons on him. He stood frozen for a
moment,
then swiftly turned, his cape swirling behind him. He paused at the
doorway.
"You will regret this, my Queen," Adonis said, quite calmly. "If
not
today, then someday. Your kingdom will fall thanks to your weakness."
Then
he was gone.
Serenity stood for a moment, watching the empty doorway. Then, she
suddenly grew rigid, her hand clenching the top of her chair. The
Ginzuishou
appeared, flashing as it hovered in midair in front of the Queen.
"What is it, Queen Serenity?" Luna asked.
"Warn the others," Serenity said, her voice pained. "Metallia is
coming."
__________
The sky darkened over the palace, as swiftly as if someone had
thrown a
black cloth over the moon. A portal opened up, and the Dark Kingdom’s
army
poured through, led by Endymion’s four former generals. The Moon
Kingdom army
was quick to engage them, but from the beginning it was a losing battle.
There were many more in Metallia’s army then in Serenity’s, and they
were able
to see and function much better in the surrounding darkness.
The Senshi met the Generals head on. They held nothing back,
knowing
that the men they loved were beyond reach, and that their duty lay in
protecting the Moon Kingdom. The Generals were swiftly cut down, and
the
Senshi moved on to aid the rest of the army, leaving behind only a few
tears
as their actions.
Queen Serenity stood atop a tower of the palace, watching the battle
below. Luna and Artemis stood with her, ready to defend their Queen if
necessary. Pluto stood in the shadows nearby, generating a shield that
protected the Queen and cats from any falling debris or overzealous
attackers.
She knew the Queen’s moment would come soon.
__________
Princess Serenity huddled behind a fallen pillar, trying to hide
herself
from the demons that attacked her people all around her. She
desperately
wished that she knew something about fighting so she could help her
mother’s
army, or at least defend herself, but she didn’t. She and Prince
Endymion had
been separated when a section of the palace wall collapsed, and now she
was
alone and quite frightened.
"Now what do we have here?" a harsh voice rang out behind her. The
Princess whirled and found herself face to face with Beryl. She gasped,
tried
to back up, but stumbled over her frothy dress and fell.
"Why, it’s a pretty, pretty princess, all alone," Beryl cackled,
leaning
over the fallen girl. Her eyes glinted red. "A new toy to play with?"
"Leave me alone!" screamed the Princess. A burst of energy shot
from
the crescent moon on her forehead, throwing the witch backwards.
Serenity
struggled to her feet, glaring at Beryl as she shook her head dazedly.
"Get
off of the Moon! You can’t have it!"
"Whose going to stop me?" Beryl snarled. "You?" With a scream, she
leapt towards the Princess, her claws ready to tear the girl to pieces.
Something flew towards Beryl, impaling itself in her side. She
shrieked
and crashed to the ground. Serenity stared.
A perfect red rose quivered from Beryl’s fallen body.
"No, I will," said Prince Endymion as her strode over to the
Princess.
Her gently helped her to her feet.
"And you said you only gave roses to the pretty ladies," the
Princess
murmured. Endymion smiled.
Beryl managed to stand, dark blood coursing down her side.
"Endymion,"
she gasped, her voice full of pain. "Join me! Rule by my side as king.
You
will have more power then you ever dreamed!"
"Sorry, offer graciously denied," spat Endymion. He stepped in
front
of
Serenity and drew his sword. Beryl’s eyes narrowed.
"You will be mine. One way or another." A giant pillar of dark
energy
burst from the sky. Endymion was sucked away from the Princess, up
towards
the black clouds in the sky. Without a thought, Serenity dove in after
him.
She couldn’t see anything, but could hear Endymion’s voice, pleading
her
to get away. Ignoring him, and the incredible pressure that was
crushing her,
she strained for him. She felt him grab her hand, and smiled, despite
the
immense pain.
Then a flash of dark fire consumed them both.
__________
"No!" shrieked Beryl, staring accusingly at the sky. "You killed
him!"
Two dark red eyes flared in the sky. The stone on Beryl’s crown
flared
as well. She shook her head, as if to clear it. When she looked up,
there
was a feral gleam in her eyes.
"Kill them," she hissed, "Kill them all!"
__________
Serenity stared at the sky in horror, where her daughter and Prince
Endymion had hung but a moment before. She stared down at the
battlefield,
her fists clenched. She saw the fallen bodies of the generals, and the
Senshi
grouped together. There was a sudden flash of fire from the sky, and
then
they too were gone. She saw Beryl laughing at the sight
"No, it wasn’t supposed to be this way, for any of you," the Queen
murmured, tears falling from her eyes. With a flash, the Ginzuishou
appeared
before her. She cupped it in her hands.
"What are you doing?" gasped Luna. The cat took a step towards the
queen, but was stopped by a gentle look.
"What I should have done from the beginning," Serenity said. "For
all
of them." She raised her arms.
The world went white.
__________
Setsuna stood over the fallen Queen. Serenity’s breath was ragged,
and
the Senshi of Pluto knew she didn’t have long.
"Will . . . they be all right?" the Queen gasped. Setsuna smiled.
They will all reawaken in the future on Earth. Your daughter will
be a
senshi, and someday will rule in a time as glorious as the Silver
Millennium.
You will see her again someday."
Serenity struggled to reach for something at her side. Setsuna
picked
it up for her. It was an ancient book, miraculously untouched by the
battle.
"Take it," Serenity wheezed. She shuddered once, then was still.
Setsuna bent over and kissed her friend on the forehead, then closed her
eyes
with gentle fingers.
Stepping away from the queen, Setsuna flipped through the book.
When
she came to the torn page, she frowned. Calling up her staff, she held
it
over the book. The missing piece reappeared as if it had never been
torn at
all. Setsuna read, even though she knew the words by heart.
The Light is reborn
Yet Darkness will follow
An Earthen Angel will rise and fall
Her power to Darkness
And Darkness swallows all but Light
Light entraps Darkness
Light to Darkness, Darkness to Light
The Light reborn from Darkness
An Angel’s heart weeps
And the Moon shines no more
Save for a distant Light
These were the words that Adonis had read, but he had failed to
continue
reading. Setsuna studied the words that the advisor had missed.
The Light shines on
Love shines on
The Angel flies again
Something caught Setsuna’s eye, half buried in the rubble. Closing
the
book, she walked over, sifting through the gravel. Picking up the
object, she
began to smile.
It was a perfect red rose.
Still smiling, Setsuna vanished.
__________
The woman awoke with a gasp. Grasping a hand to her head, she tried
to
sort out the images she had seen. Looking down at herself, she saw not
the
long purple gown that she had been wearing before, but, rather, a dress
of
copper silk. It took her a moment to recognize it.
It was what she had worn the day that she had nearly died,
protecting
Princess Serenity.
Struggling up, she climbed off of the stone bed and staggered over
to a
mirror that hung on the wall in a twisted black frame. She was no
longer
Beryl. The woman in the mirror was not fourteen any longer, perhaps six
or
eight years older, but was unmistakably Thalia.
Thalia collapsed on the ground, weeping with relief and revulsion at
who
she had been, what she had done. She huddled on the floor for a while,
shuddering at the grotesque memories that still remained in her mind.
A cracking noise finally brought her out of her misery. Looking up,
she
was startled to see the walls around her starting to crumble. Over the
time
she had slept, the Dark Kingdom had slowly disintegrated, and now the
last
pieces were falling to dust.
"I’ve got to get out of here," Thalia muttered to herself. Looking
to
the right, she saw the portal Beryl’s minions had used so many times to
attack
Earth. It still glistened with magic.
Thalia walked over, but hesitated before stepping through. How
could
she face Princess Serenity, now Sailor Moon, after all she had done to
her.
How could she face Endymion, the other Senshi?
A large rock heading her way gave her no time for contemplating.
She
hurled herself into the portal, shouting, "Take me to the Princess
Serenity!"
She only hoped that her friends would take *her* back.
__________
The walls of the room were wrought of the finest crystal. They
glittered and flashed in the sunlight. It would have been enough to
blind
most people, but the occupants of the room were quite used to it.
"There were thirteen people injured this time," one said, pushing
her
long, dark hair back. "We’re lucky we got there in time. Another
minute or
two, and we would have had several deaths on our hands."
"We need to figure out where these creatures are coming from, and
why
they seem to insist on destroying Crystal Tokyo," said another, tapping
away
on a small blue computer.
The woman at the head of the room stood. Her golden hair, tied up
in
odango, flowed over her white gown. "We have a responsibility to the
people
of this city, myself more then anyone. By creating this new era of
peace, I
have also bound myself to the protection of those I now rule." Queen
Neo
Serenity looked pointedly at her Senshi. "Now, more then ever before,
we
*must* stand for justice. We must protect the future. Both theirs . .
."
She clasped a hand to her slightly bulging abdomen, " . . .and ours."
The Senshi were silent for a moment. Makoto spoke first. "The
thing I
don’t understand," she said "is how these creatures even exist. I mean,
you
purified the entire Earth with the Ginzuishou. I thought that all evil
was
destroyed."
A small black shape uncurled. "Even the power of the Ginzuishou
could
not eliminate all of the evil that existed on Earth," Luna said, falling
into
her old role as teacher. "Evil is as much a part of nature as Good.
Though
the Ginzuishou was able to eliminate many of the lesser evils of
mankind, much
of the petty greed and hate that for so long has plagued the human race,
you
could no more remove the evil from a person with them still remaining a
person
as you could remove the water from a stream and leave it a stream. The
problem is when the evil overwhelms the good in a person, leaving them
less
then human. The Ginzuishou made the people of Earth better people, but
not
gods."
"Rei, were you able to sense anything from the monsters that you
fought
off?" the Queen asked. Rei shook her head.
"Their magic shields them too well. I can’t read anything from them
at
all. And except when they attack, they don’t register at all. Which
means
that they shield themselves very well, or they are out of range."
"It would make sense that they are situated a good distance from our
location," Ami stated, looking up from her computer. "Each time they
appear,
they seem to use a very strong teleportation, indicating great
distance."
Minako stood, taking charge of the Senshi. "Next time they attack,
Ami,
try to get a readout of the portal on your computer. We may be able to
track
it back to the source, or at least, get some idea of the general
direction
that they are coming from" Ami nodded. "The rest of us need to work on
finding out the weakness of these creatures. Individually, our powers
have no
effect. We’re luck that they seem to be more interested in causing
damage
then fighting us. In the next battle, we must try combining our powers.
Hopefully, we will be more successful. We want to be able to destroy
these
monsters if necessary, not just drive them off, as we have been doing."
The
Senshi nodded.
Suddenly, without warning, the Ginzuishou appeared in front of the
Queen, flashing urgently. Serenity cupped her hands around the crystal
and
closed her eyes briefly, as if conversing with it.
"What is it, Usagi?" Minako asked, calling the Queen by her
childhood
name as only the Senshi did.
"Something is coming," she replied.
A portal flared open on the ceiling, and a small figure hurled
through
it. Four lights flashed as the Senshi transformed, but Neo Serenity
waved
them off. She walked tentatively to the figure on the floor. It was a
young
woman, dressed in a copper-colored silk gown of ancient design. Her
reddish
hair swirled around her still face and the floor. Even sprawled in
awkward
unconsciousness, she was still graceful.
The young queen stared in shock at the girl. Then, falling to her
knees, she cradled the girl’s head in her arms. Unnoticed, tears ran
down her
face.
"Oh my god," Serenity whispered. "Thalia?"
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This part marks the halfway point of the story. For those who asked if
this
story would continue beyond the events of the Silver Millennium, your
answer
is now obviously yes! The remainder of the story will concern itself
with the
early struggles of the Crystal Millennium, and Thalia’s return to the
side of
good (yay!). If I’m lucky, I will be able to finish this story by
March, and
start with the next. Plans for future stories will be announced in
later
parts.
I recently discovered that there happened to be a character named Adonis
in
the "Codename: Sailor V" manga by Naoko Takeuchi that was the
predecessor of
Sailor Moon. I chose the name Adonis completely at random, just because
I
liked it. Not only that, but the character in "Codename: Sailor V" was
also
somewhat two-faced. Weird, huh?
Next Time: Who is the mysterious enemy attacking Crystal Tokyo? Will
Thalia
tell her friends about her existence as Beryl? Does she still love
Endymion?
See you in a week or two!
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