Deep in the underground frozen tundra of Point D, Queen Beryl and Metallica were buried and sealed away. As she was sealed into an eternal slumber, dreams of her unrequited love haunted her relentlessly. Endymion…. She cried out in her dreams. Endymion, not her! Please…! She reached out to him; only for Endymion to distance himself further from her reach. The constant nightmare plagued Beryl and she was trapped with nowhere to go. An endless dark and cold prison for the Queen who has never seen the light…
A lone man walks effortlessly through the battering winds of the arctic cold. He was searching for something… no his goal was someone. Dark purple eyes scanned the icy wasteland with minor effort, he inhaled the dry frozen air and caught the scent of malicious intent. A cunning smile appeared on thin lips, revealing fangs wrapped in a handsome smile. "I found you Beryl, my queen." He chuckled in a low melodic voice.
He reached out a hand that summoned a ball of energy to do his bidding. The energy floated above his palm until he pushed it toward the tower of snow. As the energy made its way to melt the obstacle to, the man directed it with two fingers, so as not to disturb the seal on Beryl. The man clenched his fist and the ball collapsed into itself, turning into a star and returned to the depths of space on his command.
As the snow melted, Beryl appeared encased in crystal. Symbols from the Moon Kingdom appeared on the crystal's surface; evidence of Princess Serenity's power. "I will release you, now." He promised the slumbering queen. His hands began to light themselves with power from the stars, another deep breath was taken as a spell was chanted.
Beryl, wecken ich die Königin mit diesem Namen aus ihrem Schlummer. Lassen Sie durch die Zodiacs macht dieses Siegel, und geben Sie ihr eine neue macht, die Macht der Sterne. Besiegen Sie derjenige, der kontrolliert ihr zuvor zu reinigen und ihr neues Leben zu geben! Wecken Sie meine Königin!
The crystal began to break and tremble as the symbols tried to fight back against the foreign spell. The caster won against the Moon Kingdom's seal and released the prisoned Beryl. The man hurried to catch the falling female body. "Endymion…" She cried in her sleep. Scarlett eyes slowly opened to see a male figure blur before her eyes. "Prince..!" Her eyes opened wide in shock as she hugged the masculine figure.
"I am sorry my queen…" The stranger apologized sincerely, "I am not Endymion. I am Ophiuchus." He introduced himself as he set Beryl down reluctantly. Beryl looked at him; He was taller than Endymion by a few inches, broad shoulders led to a muscular frame that could be achieved through years of combat training. Midnight black hair tied back in a leather tie revealed dark purple eyes drenched in emotion. He bowed from the hip and took Beryl's hand to his lips. "I am pleased to meet you my highness."
"Why did you release me?" Beryl snatched away her hand in disgust.
"I wish to make you queen of the Earth." Ophiuchus answered. "Maybe even the galaxy."
"There would be no point if Prince Endymion is not by my side." Beryl argued, attempting to walk away but instead stumble due to being in a long slumber. Ophiuchus caught her before she could fall to the snow piled ground.
"He is now ruling the Earth with Neo Queen Serenity…" He whispered into her ear.
"Neo!?" Beryl gasped. "Queen Serenity died along with Moon Kingdom after the war! The princess only sealed me away, she couldn't have possibly rebuilt the Moon Kingdom!" Beryl pushed the handsome stranger away in anger.
"They have rebuilt the kingdom on Earth, it is now Crystal Tokyo." Ophiuchus explained.
"No…" Beryl's eyes stung with tears.
"They have a child who is now the new princess, Small Lady Serenity."
"No…!" Beryl closed her eyes and covered her ears.
Ophiuchus walked over to her and held her close, "Endymion has forgotten you. He is married to the Moon Kingdom's princess and now there is a new heir to the Silver Crystal. You have been asleep for a long time, my queen… the year is now 3014." Beryl cried in anguish as news of her immortal enemy reached her ears. Ophiuchus hugged her tight while she cried against his chest. The cold blistering wind did not bother them as Beryl cried into the silence of the arctic wasteland. "Come, I have a home where you can be warm. We can start planning a way for you to regain the Earth." Beryl could only hang onto him as he opened a portal to a unknown place….
In Crystal Tokyo, Luna and Artemis were at the Crown Arcade ran by Furuhata family. An alarm went off indicating an anamoly on Earth. "Artemis…!" Luna looked over to her husband who was already on the supercomputer developed by Ami.
"It's Point D!" Artemis reported.
"Point D?!" Luna repeated in shock. "That's where Beryl is sealed! What happened?!" She asked as she looked for an answer on the screen.
"Someone has released the seal on her!" Artemis answered her question in urgency.
"We have to alert the Queens!" Luna sat down next to her husband and began to initiate communications to the ruling kingdoms.
On Mars, Phobos and Deimos answered Luna's call, "Yes Luna?" Phobos answered politely.
"Alert Queen Rei! Beryl has been released from Point D!" Luna announced in urgency.
"Yes!" Phobos and Deimos ended the transmission and ran to alert the queen.
Rei was sitting in the studio, writing a new songs for Minako's tour. She looked up to see her beloved friends running with serious looks on their faces. "Phobos, Deimos, what's wrong?"
"Rei… Beryl has been released!" They announced simultaneously.
"I see…" Rei stood up from her desk and walked toward her throne room. "I will travel to Earth. You two will come with me."
"Yes milday." They both bowed as Rei grabbed her transforming pen.
"Mars Crystal Power!" Rei shouted. All three of them held hands as a beam of red light enveloped them and transported them to Crystal Tokyo.
Minako was in her dance room practicing her choreography with her back up dancers, The Cherubs. A phone rang in another room, automatically catching her attention. "Alright everyone, take a break. We'll start up again in a moment." Minako smiled as she ran into the other room to answer her phone, "Goddess of Love and Beauty speaking." Minako listened as Artemis relayed the information of what's happening on Earth. "I'll be there soon!" Minako ran back to the studio and told everyone to go home without explaining why. "Venus Crystal Power!" An orange light surrounded her as she was transported to Earth.
Makoto was with Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna on Jupiter in her greenhouse. Her kingdom was decorated with flowers from all over the galaxy and the three outer Queens loved taking a trip there for the beauty. "You've done a wonderful job with all these flowers Mako-chan." Michiru smiled.
"Oh, thank you." Makoto blushed. "I've always wanted to open a flower shop, but this greenhouse was unexpected." Makoto stopped to prune some tiger lilies that need attention. "I enjoy your visits here, how is Hotaru doing with her internship with Ami-chan? Sometimes Ami is so engrossed in studying that I'm afraid Hotaru might pick up the habit of not eating or only eating sandwiches."
Michiru giggled, "Hotaru is doing well with Ami-chan. I haven't noticed any sandwich eating though."
Haruka was focusing on Makoto's pruning and smiled gently, causing Makoto to blush uncontrollably. Michiru patted Haruka's behind to punish her for flirting. "Hotaru should be done with her internship soon. She breezed through her studies in high school and college." Setsuna smiled at the memories of Hotaru studying, playing the piano and bringing home high grades.
Makoto and company continued chatting as they made their way to the garden for lunch. They were soon interrupted by one of her advisors, "Milady! Urgent news from Lady Luna and Sir Atemis!"
"What is it?" Makoto listened intently of the news of Beryl being released from Point D.
"Who is Beryl?" Haruka asked.
"Beryl is an Earth citizen who started the first war between the Moon and Earth. She tried to take the Silver Crystal and rule the Earth. We sealed her away when we first became Sailor Guardians. Who would release that woman?"
"I guess we'll find out when we go to Earth." Haruka smiled with eagerness. "I need a good workout."
"We had a good workout last night." Michiru smiled coyly. Haruka's face turned a cherry red as she pulled out her transformation pen. Michiru, Makato and Setsuna followed suit and held their pen in the air. "Uranus Crystal Power!"
"Neptune Crystal Power!"
"Pluto Crystal Power!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"
All four women were surrounded in light and teleported to Earth, to Crystal Tokyo.
Ami and Hotaru were in a car heading towards to Usagi's castle. They were at the hospital whenthey received news of Beryl being released from Point D. "Ami-sensei, who is Beryl?" Hotaru asked as they made their way across the highway.
"Beryl is the Moon Kingdom's first enemy. Usagi-chan sealed her away when we first became Guardians. She tried to steal the Silver Crystal in order to gain the power to rule the Earth. She hypnotized the Four Generals to turn against Mamoru-san and us. Now they are stones being held by Mamoru-san." Tears burned behind Ami's eyes as she remembered Zoisite. "We are just waiting for the Four Generals to awaken from their slumber to help protect Small Lady."
"Who would release her?" Hotaru asked.
"We're not sure. Ever since Chaos was subdued, we wouldn't have any idea on who would benefit from her awakening." Ami answered. Suddenly, a flash of light struck the road they were driving on; several cars swerved to avoid the light, causing Ami to stop abruptly. A male and female figure stood in the middle of the road.
Ophiuchus was donned in a white coat traced with black embroiders, a white belt held midnight black pants. He waved his hand to catch everyone's attention. "Citizens of Crystal Tokyo, bow to your new queen. Neo Queen Beryl!" Beryl looked down with a solemn look on her face. She was wearing a black gown decorated with the constellations from the stars as she held a staff that was shaped like a key.
Ami and Hotaru jumped out of the car with their transformation pens in their hands. "Hold it right there!" Ami shouted. "Are you the one who released Beryl?"
"Watch your tongue! She is Neo Queen Beryl!" Ophiuchus threatened. "I have released our true queen so that she may take the throne as true queen!" He announced.
"Not while we're here! Mercury Crystal Power! Make up!" Ami was covered in water and emerged as Sailor Mercury. "I am the Guardian of Wisdom! Sailor Mercury! I shall douse you cool water so that you may repent!"
"Saturn Crystal Power! Make up!" Hotaru was basked in lavender light and emerged as Sailor Saturn."I am the Guardian of Death and Rebirth! Sailor Saturn! Be reborn as you realize your sins!"
Sailor Mercury turned on her Scout Glasses to analyze the new enemy. No data was shown, "Saturn, be careful." Mercury was good with strategy, as for attacks, she didn't have Jupiter or Mars' power. "Mercury Aqua Mist!" A shroud of mist surrounded Ophiuchus and Beryl. Beryl seemed to be in a world of her own, not paying attention to what's going on around her.
"Silent Cleave Surprise!" Saturn attempted an attack but was stopped by Ophiuchus.
"Nice try." He hit Saturn in the stomach with a blast of stars. "Sterne-Extraktion!" Ophiuchus' voice reverberated through the air as he removed Saturn's powers. "The Cancer star is ours…" He smiled triumphantly. Saturn reverted back to her human form and fainted from the shock of rapid energy loss.
"Hotaru!" Mercury ran over to her comrade. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" She shot an attack at the enemy, only for it to be shot back at her. She was blown away like an insect in the harsh wind.
"Here you are my queen." Ophiuchus shrank Saturn's star down to pendant side and attached it to Beryl's staff. Beryl sighed without paying much attention to him. "I shall be back." He moved her bangs from her face and kissed her forehead before teleporting to Mercury's location.
"Your turn." He loomed over with an outstretched hand, "Sterne-Extraktion..." He whispered with malicious intent. Energy began to flow out of Mercury's body and into his hand. Mercury writhed in pain as her transformation came undone. Ophiuchus laughed maniacally as he tortured the Guardian.
"Stop right there!" Several voices simultaneously called out.
"I am the Guardian of Love and Justice! Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!" Sailor Moon announced her presence to the enemy.
"Likewise, Sailor Mars!"
"Sailor Jupiter!"
"Sailor Venus!"
"Sailor Uranus!"
"Sailor Neptune!"
"Sailor Pluto!"
"Sailor Neo Moon!" All eight scouts came to their comrades' rescue. Ophiuchus didn't look the least bit intimidated as he extracted the last of Mercury's power.
"Ami-chan!" Sailor Moon ran to her friend but was stopped by Venus.
"Sailor Moon, we can handle this." Venus gave her a stern look that told Sailor Moon that she needed to be protected no matter what.
"But Ami-chan…!" Moon cried out as she tried to make it to her friend. Venus stopped her again. "Mina-chan…." Sailor Moon felt tears well up; she could never stand to see her friends hurt, even after so many battles, the worst being against Galaxia and Chaos.
"We will handle this." Venus looked to Jupiter and Mars; all three girls nodded and went in for the attack. "Venus Rolling Heart Vibration!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!" All three attacks combined into a powerful attack towards the unknown man hovering over the unconscious Ami. He batted the attack away as if it were a tiny bee.
"My queen, here is the Virgo star." Beryl looked up to see the Sailor Scouts standing before her and Ophiuchus.
"It's them…" she growled. "And her… the one who stole Endymion from me!" Beryl went into a fit and waved her staff at the scouts. What emerged was Mercury's Aqua Rhapsody and hit Mars.
"That's Ami-chan's power! Give it back!" Sailor Moon threw her tiara at Beryl, only for it to be caught and cause no harm to the woman.
Beryl looked down at the tiara that gave her injuries in the past. It was now just a glowing headpiece in her hand. She looked back up at Sailor Moon and smiled, "I am back and more powerful than ever." She threw the tiara back, hitting Venus in the process. "I will take back what is rightfully mine. Ophiuchus.."
"Yes milady?" Ophiucus snapped to her side and bowed deeply.
"Let us go back. I wish to learn of my new powers you have granted me," Beryl commanded.
"Yes milady." He opened the portal and the two left the scouts and wreckage behind.
Without a second to spare the Outer Guardians ran towards the unconscious Hotaru. "Hotaru!" Haruka yelled in dismay. "Sweetie are you okay?!" She cried as she wiped Hotaru's hair out of her face, examining her daughter with care and urgency.
"Haruka, calm down…" Setsuna reached out. Haruka smacked her hand away.
"Our baby is hurt and you want me to calm down?!" Haruka hugged Hotaru close.
"Haruka papa…" Hotaru squeaked out, "I was fine… until…"
"Until!?" Haruka interrupted her, "Until what baby?"
"You squeezed the breath out of me…" Hotaru smiled weakly and fell unconscious. Haruka blushed madly with embarrassment. She shouldn't have lost her cool in that moment.
"Such a doting parent." Michiru teased as she squatted down to check on Hotaru. "Let's take her home. Is Ami, Minako and Makoto okay?"
"We're fine." Minako assured as she clutched her stomach. "Mako-chan, will you be able to carry Ami-chan."
"Yeah, but what about Rei?" Makoto asked.
"We can take her in Ami's car." Setsuna volunteered.
"Thanks. We gotta head to the Crown Arcade to meet up with Luna and Artemis." Minako announced to everyone. "Usagi, Chibiusa, bring Mamoru-kun to the arcade."
"Okay." Chibiusa nodded as she grabbed her mother's hand. "Mama?" Usagi looked at Ami with worry as Makoto picked her up.
"What are we going to do?" Usagi asked with a trembling voice. "Ami-chan is hurt."
"Mama, we need to get Papa and rendezvous with everyone at the arcade. Let's go; Artemis and Luna will help her."
"But…" Usagi tried to object.
"Usagi! Listen for once, the longer we wait, Beryl has more time to plan her next attack!" Minako shouted. Usagi quieted down and nodded weakly. She and Chibiusa ran in the direction of the castle. Minako turned on her communicator to get ahold of Artemis. "Artemis, have an aid kit ready, we have four injured."
"Copy that Minako-chan." Artemis replied and clicked off.
"Let's go guys." Minako sighed once they were in Ami's car and headed towards town.
-To be continued…
T/N:
*All of Ophiuchus' spells and attacks are in German
Ophiuchus Spell that released Beryl:
Beryl, wecken ich die Königin mit diesem Namen aus ihrem Schlummer. Lassen Sie durch die Zodiacs macht dieses Siegel, und geben Sie ihr eine neue macht, die Macht der Sterne. Besiegen Sie derjenige, der kontrolliert ihr zuvor zu reinigen und ihr neues Leben zu geben! Wecken Sie meine Königin!
-I the Queen with this name from their slumber awaken Beryl. Let by the Zodiacs makes this seal, and give you a new power, the star. Defeat, who controlled before clean and give her new life! Awaken my Queen!
Sterne-Extraktion
-Star Extraction