DIMENSION DOMINATE

A Sailor Moon/Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Story
by cookirini

The Bogus Journey, Part III


It was another day, another load of work. There was little rest for the prisoners working on Project Oversoul; they were worked for sixteen hours, their scientific expertise squeezed from them like juice from a lemon. All around, there were roboticized humans and SWATBots, holding sway over the scientists.

It wasn't that the scientists didn't try to delay or sabotage the project in general. Every opportunity was taken to do so. People worked as slow as could be done without arousing suspicion; people pretended to be unable to read the directions, which were written in English; some, like Professor Tomoe, messed up the wiring, the currents, thereby directly sabotaging the project, the most dangerous way of all if a person was caught.

Yet the project endured, charging headlong to its inevitable conclusion. When problems were found, Robotnik would order the problem immediately fixed, and not by the person who originally made the mistake. Those who were actually caught intentionally delaying the project were tossed into prisons, even threatened with roboticization if their crime was serious enough. As for those whom Robotnik suspected were saboteurs - but who managed to get away with it - they were placed under heavy guard around the clock, robotnic eyes watching their every move.

Of all the prisoners, however, the one who had the least security detail lingered in his cell for one more moment, sitting in the corner, looking at the remains of his friend. He didn't cry; he was unable to. He had exhausted himself from days of crying, and he just couldn't anymore.

I wish I could turn back time. Respectfully covering the charred bones up with his prison blanket, he shuffled meekly out the door when his robot escort appeared to bring him to his work place. I wish I could stop everything from happening...if only it...if only it had been...me...

The robot and its charge left the cell area, traveling down the long white hall towards the working room Tails had come to know as his new job. As long as he worked, others would be spared the full show of the terrible power he'd witnessed. And though Robotnik thought he had easily broken Tails' will to fight with threatening the Mobians, in truth, it was broken when Sonic took the blast for him.

It should have been me. Tails couldn't help but clench his fists at the thought. At least...you'd be here...

A sudden, shrill noise brought Tails out of his miasma. Looking up, he turned around, confused, as the shrill noise sounded a lot like someone was calling his name. Blinking, he could only see a phalanx of roboticized people, walking towards him and his own escort. There was nothing, it seemed, out of the ordinary.

Then he saw a tuft of curly orange-and-yellow hair come up from in the middle as the group got closer, and the feeling of familiarity hit. There were few people he knew with orange hair. And only one with such yellow streaks in it...

"Taaaaaaiiiils!! Taaaails, vere ah...Oh! Heheh, hello Tails, dere you are! I kneeew it vas you!" Instinct proved right; Professor von Schlemmer was being duly carted off by the cadre of roboticized humans as they passed by. "Nice day for a stroll isn't it!"
"...Hi, Professor." Tails' voice was low, flat. "Nice to see you too."
"So, I see you've been hubluckened into working on this nefarious project as well!" Casually breaking free of his guards as if they weren't even there to hold him, the scientist hobbled over to the fox. "I'm actually on my vay to my cell. It's not bad, but ze mattress is pretty hard. Last night it caused my carblunkle to go...carblunk! I von't be able to sit for an entire weeek at dis rate!"
"That's nice."
"Huu huu!" The professor waved his hand in front of his face as he chuckled, in order to catch his breath. "So, anyhoo, ven's Sonic going to come rescue us from dis terrible place? I'm making a bet with someone as to when he'll come."
"...He's not."
"Oh? Why not?" The professor turned his head to the side. "Did he get lost on ze way here?"
"No, professor...he's...gone."

Tails couldn't bring himself to say it; he simply turned away from von Schlemmer, forcing his tears back. Professor von Schlemmer, for his part, didn't know what Tails meant, and hence simply pat the fox on the shoulder.

"Eh, don't worry. He'll come eventually. He ALWAYS does! Because if he doesn't dis time, I'm out tventy bucks!" At this, the robots recaptured him, dragging him back towards his cell. "In the meantime, I'll tell the professor von Schlemmer that I saw you and I said hi. Heehee."
"...You're von Schlemmer, Professor."
"...I am?!" Gasping with all-too-genuine surprise for what had to have been the millionth time at this revelation, von Schlemmer gave a laugh as he disappeared down the hall. "Amaaazing! But how vill I give what you said to myself? Mmm...pretty complicated, dere..."

Tails watched quietly as the procession left; afterwards, he gave a sigh and looked down. Despite being a genius, the professor was so childlike, that he still believed Sonic was coming to rescue them all. It was in his laugh, that insane hope that had always sustained him and others on Mobius.

It was something that Tails wished he could sustain.

So much for hope. Tails thought glumly as he tried the near-impossible task of pushing memories of his friend's death into the back of his mind. I doubt anyone would actually be able to rescue anyone...

"You." He was suddenly pushed hard by his guard. "Into the control room."

The fox nearly stumbled into the control room as the robot pushed him another time. Regaining his balance, he saw the crystalline statue of Sailor Moon, now borne onto a metal pedestal, the half-complete Seek-O-Matic pointing at it. Turning his head down, he walked on, to where Tomoe sat, as the doors closed on them. They were alone, unlike nearly every other person inside, with no one to guard them. Robotnik knew they wouldn't rebel, especially not Tails.

"Good morning." Tomoe waved to the fox as he sat down. "You look a little better than before."
"Huh?"
"You have the look," Tomoe brought up a control box and began to wedge it onto a large metal slab. "Of someone who's met an old friend."
"Well...yeah..."

With that, Tails looked at the dias. Sailor Moon was still there, silent as ever, the crystal glowing slightly. It was apparent the bad doctor was using it minimally; for what, the kid didn't know, and didn't care.

"Not that it matters." Tails quickly turned away from the dais. "It's not like anyone has the power to challenge Dr. Robotnik anymore. The only person who could even intimidate him...I mean...he..."
"Hey." There was a pat on the fox's back. "You cannot give up hope. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel."
"I'm sure." Tails' shoulders hunched again. "Since those sailor people are all locked up, with their leader."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Tails picked up a wrench and began to tighten more screws. "Robotnik beat all four of them when they fought him. He even showed me the ones he has stashed downstairs, as an incentive to keep the scientists working. After all, without their heroes...to protect..." at this, Tails' voice slightly cracked. "Why shouldn't they work for him?"
"Only four of them, huh..."

"Maybe..." Tomoe's face seemed to brighten, his eyes sparkling as thoughts of purple eyes and youthful giggles filled his mind. "Hope isn't lost for anyone..."

His declaration was suddenly cut short by a loud sound. The doors to the lab were thrown open; in walked two roboticized humans. In their arms wasthe figure of a girl, who was struggling to no avail to break free of them.

"Here." They threw the girl down on the ground in front of Tomoe and Tails. "Here's your daughter, Professor Tomoe. She'll be helping you from now on. Maybe this will make you work faster."
"My dau-Hotaru!?!"

Quickly, Tomoe ran to pick up his child from the floor, but was taken aback by what he saw. The person they threw at his feet was too old to be his daughter, and too tall; furthermore, she looked nothing at all like his daughter. He was sure they were mistaken when he saw that this girl's hair was far lighter than his child's.

Then the girl's face looked up at him. Her green hair fell to her shoulders, and Tomoe became truly shocked.

"Y-you're not-"

Quickly, the woman put a wary finger on her lips, and Tomoe immediately understood. He looked up at the robotic humans, and gave a nervous smile.

"...You're not hurt! Thank goodness!" He gave the woman a tight hug. "I'm so glad you are all right...I was looking everywhere for you..."

The robots saw this seeming show of emotion, and pronounced themselves satisfied by walking out of the lab. As soon as the doors shut, the embrace stopped, and Tails simply watched, confused, as the professor drew back from the woman.

"...And...you are...are you crazy?" He changed his tune the moment the doors closed, and he stared at the woman, wide-eyed. "You've doomed yourself! Why?!"
"I had to, professor." The woman's response was spoken in a soft, sonorous voice. "I did it for your daughter."
"My..." The professor looked at the woman, his worry evident. "She's-"
"Captured." Tails could easily sympathize with the look of horror on the professor's face. "We didn't find out until this morning...I'm so sorry, Tomoe-sensei."

The professor shook for a moment. It was as if he was unsure whether to explode in anger from the news, or attack the woman, or just beak down and cry. In any event, he simply kept shaking, forcing his emotions down and sighed.

"But...Kaiou-san..." His teeth were clenched. "That doesn't change the fact that your life is in danger here. If they learned you've lied to them...!"
"They won't stop me." The girl stood up, her blue eyes fierce with determination. "Because I don't plan on having you stay here."
"The security here is completely impassable," Tomoe protested as he stood up as well. "They will know we've escaped before we even leave the room."
"Have faith in me, Tomoe-sensei." The girl smiled. "We'll get you out of here by tonight, and if not tonight, tomorrow night..."

It was here that the two humans realized that Tails was watching them the entire time, simply staring at them. Realizing that he probably had no idea what was going on, the two blushed with embarrassment before Michiru gave a curtsy.

"Forgive me, Tails..." Tomoe looked down. "Tails, this is one of my former students from Mugen Gakuen...Infinity Academy...Kaiou Michiru. I...She is obviously being a bit silly..."
"I know." Suddenly, Michiru was right in front of Tails, leaning down to his level. "It's nice to meet you, Tails."
"Likewise...I guess..."

She's beautiful...but...

Tails simply sighed after his introduction, and turned away to work more on the machine. Somewhat surprised, Michiru turned to Tomoe, confused.

"...Please forgive him." Tomoe nodded. "His friend was...taken by the madman who has captured us."
"I see." Michiru began to look around. "So he's having you build something fro him now. I don't like the looks of..."

It was at this point that Michiru spotted the energy shard with Sailor Moon in it. Tomoe could see the shadow of pure horror on her face, as well as the shock of realization as she looked at Tails, who kept his head turned away from the crystal as much as he could.

"...I see." Forcing down her own emotions, Michiru turned away from the crystal, her face darkened. "We should get to work. But be ready, Professor, the plan is already set."
"The plan...?"
"To help you and others escape." Michiru quickly took up a hammer. "Now to work. As you said, they mustn't find me out..."

With that, Michiru began to bang carelessly on the machine, which startled Tails and caused him to look at her. He saw that she, too had her back turned towards the crystal, as if she, too didn't want to see what was there. The reason why, he didn't know, but he clearly couldn't help but wonder as he continued work on the nefarious machine Robotnik was forcing them to make.

-

Outside, with their ears to the door, two voices gasp.

"Oh-ho-ho no...!" Scratch spoke through gritted teeth as he grasped his mop. "I knew it! That girl wasn't his daughter after all! Those dumb robots..."
"Oh, you did not!" Wearing a maid apron and lace tiara, Grounder poked his drill at Scratch's chest. "I knew! That's why I'm Robotnik's favorite!"
"What?!" Dropping his mop, Scratch put his wings on his hips. "You are not. He told me I was!"
"Oh yeah?" Grounder began to raise his voice. "What about the time you saved that farm those turkeys owned-"
"Doh!" Remembering where they were, the chicken smashed Grounder's head in and began to drag him down the hall. "That doesn't matter right now! We can argue later; right now we've got to warn the boss before those three escape!!"

------------------------------

"Do not move!"

Queen Beryl took several steps back, glaring at the three monsters as they began to float towards her. Their eyes bore into her, knowing her intention; their long teeth gnashed angrily at her presence,

"NOW!!" The three began to move in. "You who dares to escape their fate! In the name of our god, we, the Furies, have decided that it is time to PUNISH you!!"
"Hoooold it!"

The three harpies were suddenly stopped in mid-air by a shrill, whiny voice. Suddenly, a short old lady appeared out of nowhere to accompany the voice. Suicide blonde hair, blue polyester dress, white shawl, hot pink lipstick, and giant Italian sunglasses – she was quite the sight to behold, her giant purse notwithstanding, as she stood in front of Queen Beryl.

"My dear! What seems to be the matter?!" Hunched over, the old woman took a wooden cane out of nowhere and pointed it with an arthritic shake at the Furies. "What has my poor Beryl done this time!?"
"What?!" The monsters shrieked angrily at the interruption. "Who are you, old shrew!? How dare you interrupt us!"
"Oh...!" At this, the old woman began to moan pitifully. "Oooh, ooooh, ooh! If only I's been more attentive to my dear, wonderful, sweet granddaughter! Oooh, Beryl, can you ever forgive Granny Gemstone for abandoning yoo-oo-oou?!"

At this, the old woman began to sniffle and boohoo to the Furies, who were looking quite surprised, if not downright appalled, that the old woman was defending a known killer. However, Queen Beryl noticed the bony spike spurs poke out of the shawl and instantly realized the true identity of the so-called shrew.

Opening her mouth to say something, she soon decided not to call the hedgehog out – it would have endangered her just as much as him. It was also an incentive that, in her opinion, Sonic was just acting rather ridiculous.

"This...monster is your grandchild!" The Furies began to move in, clearly angry. "Yet you cavort with her! How?!"
"OoooOOOH!" Gulping, the self-proclaimed Granny Gemstone threw herself at the Furies' clawed feet. "Please don't hurt her! Oh, ladies, you're young and pretty, like I used to be, Please please please be kind to me and allow me to take my poor, unfortunate granddaughter to see the king!"
"What? Why?" At this, one of them laughed. "To get her sentence reversed? That will never happen!"
"Even so," Sonic's voice cracked, nearly giving the game away, but he managed to get back in role. "Even if I could only spend a few moments with Beryl on the way there...surely...you're kind enough to let that happen?"

At this, Sonic gave the Furies large puppy eyes underneath the glasses, or something resembling it. Had Beryl seen the front of him as he did it, she would have her stomach do the talk for her and it would involve bringing her lunch back up to her throat.

"...Get up, old woman." Suddenly, Sonic was lifted up and brought onto his feet. "We are the Furies, not an appeals court!"
"Hooowever..." Suddenly, one of the other Furies spoke thoughtfully. "This old woman flatters me and reveres us all so kindly.. Surely, the king wouldn't disallow such an insignificant visit."
"Certainly, as their inevitable parting will only increase their sorrows!" At this, all three monsters began to crow and cackle. "And our glorious king loves sorrow. What delight it will bring him to turn down this old woman's request! Kukukuku!!"
"Ahahahaha!"
"Hohohoho!"
"Heeheehee..."

At this, the Furies cackled some more, and floated away to torment other unworthy, leaving the two fugitives to their own devices. Turning towards the clearly amused Beryl, Sonic threw the old lady clothing off and winked.

"Looks like you owe me one, Beryl!"
"...Mmm." Reassuming her regal airs now that the threat was gone, Beryl simply walked past the hedgehog. "It appears you are good for something, after all..."

This resulted in the hedgehog frowning at the back of the ungrateful queen. Indeed, Sonic was truly beginning to doubt his alliance with her, given that he had already saved her twice and had not even been given a word of thanks for risking himself for her.

"...Well...guess we've gotta churn and burn!"

Nevertheless, she was his guide, and at the moment she was all he had. With a resigned shrug, he revved up and dashed forward to Beryl, picking her up as he resumed their trip through the underworld, even as his faith in her shrank dramatically.

"Don't go so fast!" A mere five minutes in, Beryl's voice suddenly raised again. "Are you trying to give me whiplash? I want to be conscious when I get back to Earth!"
"...Ok, time out."

Suddenly, Beryl was smack on her bottom with an angry yelp. She leaped up, her fingers crackling with black energy, as she glared at the bonehog who had dropped her.

"What was the meaning of that?!" The exposed muscles on her face contorted with a million wrinkles as she seethed. "How dare you..!"
"Skip the melodrama." Sonic tapped his foot. "I think it's time we leveled with one another."
""'Leveled'?"
"Yeah, like 'why do you want so badly to get back to Earth'." If Sonic had eyes, he'd be glaring. "And I'm not helping you until I know what exactly you want to do when you get back...especially if it's to help my take out Buttnik so you can take over!"
"Hmph." A smirk came onto Beryl's face. "Now why would I want to do that?"
"Because you did it before..?"
"Heh." Beryl turned away. "I suppose the thought crossed my mind..."
"Well, then you can just cross this thing by yourself, sister!" Sonic began to rev up. "Because I'm trying to save Earth. So if that's how it's going down-"
"Wait!" Suddenly, Beryl's hand slammed down on his shoulder. "You fool, do you really think I would do that the minute I got back! Stupid rodent!"
"...Then what would you do when you got back?"

There was a moment of silence at this. Beryl slowly let go of Sonic's shoulder and turned away, taking several steps back. Surprisingly, she started to slouch for the first time, and she picked at her dress nervously as she looked down, searching for the words she wanted to say. Looking at her, Sonic, for one second, almost imagined Beryl could have been a girl nervously waiting for her date to the prom, as opposed to an ancient, evil, tyrannical queen.

"If I had to pick one reason..." Beryl's voice lowered, her back posturing once more with authority.. "It would be for...him. The one I love."

Sonic blinked at this. It was hard to imagine someone like the queen actually loving someone, at least to him. Yet the way her eyes sparkled at the thought of love seemed to indicate that she had genuinely cared for someone once, and still did so.

"Endymion..." Beryl closed her eyes. "The sound of wind in the trees. The smell of the sea and the sand. He was all that and more; the prince I always dreamed of. As a man of Earth, he would have - should have - been mine..."

At this, the tone of the queen changed. It became enraged and bitter once more; this time, however, it was more so than the hedgehog heard before. It sounded like the wounded, angry cry of a woman scorned for far too long.

"But he was taken. In every life we had lived, he was taken from me...stolen from me...because she took him!" Beryl clenched her fists, the image of shadows and spirits of long ago swirling in her mind. "Every time I tried to make something, she stopped it. She destroyed everything. That foul child...when I return...she'll PAY for ruining my life! And I will destroy her, and everything she ever loved!! I will make her get on her hands and knees...I will chain her to a wall...and then..."

Sonic stared at Beryl's back as she then spoke her plan of revenge - detail by painstaking, bloody, torturous, nail-ripping detail - and he was unable to believe what he was hearing. Though he was pretty sure he was much younger than the queen, and had not experienced what she had in her life, the reasoning made no sense to him. Not only did it make no sense to him, but he was sure Robotnik – himself a scorned lover - would disown such a crazy, fanatical idea. Robotnik, at least, wanted a world to conquer when he was finished shutting his enemies up in a cell. Queen Beryl didn't even seem to want that.

It was at the part where the queen mentioned her plan for children under the age of two that Sonic finally snapped.

"Nuh uh." Sonic turned away, cutting Beryl off. "That's it. I've had it. All you want to do is go back and find some girl who's dating the guy you like and destroy her and half the planet for no reason!? Heck no!"
"Th-what?! Fool!!" At this, Beryl's eyes opened and flashed, and she glowed red as she turned to face the hedgehog. "Not just any girl! Sailor Moon. The so-called champion of love and justice who kills my hopes for love. That hateful princess Serenity who takes everything from me!"
"What?! Sailor-"

Help me...Sonic...

Sonic's eye sockets widened substantially at the queen. The name of the person he was supposed to save echoed into his mind, and memories of the helpless woman trapped inside the crystal, used by Robotnik, her voice crying for help, would have made his blood boil in the overworld.

"Yes..." There was a dream-like quality once more to Beryl's voice. "After so long, I will finally have my revenge. To be able to watch her as she begged for mercy. To have the whole world at my beck and call once more...and my beloved prince at my side. If I were to go up there...now that I am on my way to fulfilling my dream..."
"...Then I'm definitely not helping you!" Sonic shook his head. "Because I'm trying to save her!"
"...WHAT?!" This time, it was Beryl's flashing eyes that widened, her trance stopped by Sonic's words. "What did you just...!?"
"You heard me."
"How...?!" At this, lightning flew out of Beryl's hands. "You dare help her instead of me?! You HAVE to help me!!!"
"No."
"WHY YOU vermin, you worm, you disgusting pile of-"
"Save the histrionics." Beryl was abruptly cut off once more. "It's obvious what you really care about. It's not about how beautiful or how powerful you are. That's not why I was helping you."
"No! You only helped me because you wanted to get out, you little slime!"
"Because I want to save the world. I'm not so selfish to think that I'm gonna get rewarded for getting out of here with something or that I get to throw people's kindness back in their faces!" There was a pause. "It's no wonder you were stuck in that despot's den. Because it's obvious you'll never learn your lesson. And I'm not stickin' around to see if you do."
"Don't...!" Beryl's eyes widened hatefully. "Don't you DARE...! STOP!!!"

With that, Sonic began to rev up. He ignored Beryl's angry cry and just shook his head.

"Oh yeah - don't call me, queenie." With that, he sped off. "I'll call you..."

Seeing the hedgehog run of broke the straw. Letting out an enraged, animal-like roar, Beryl glowed a bright red, throwing her hands at the fast disappearing hedgehog on the horizon of the endless caves.

"NO!!!! NO ONE DOES THIS TO ME AND LIVES!!!" She screamed, throwing all of her power at Sonic, only to have it inevitably miss or go through him. "COME BACK HERE!!! COME BACK HERE NOW!! COME BACK!!!!!!!"

There was no response, not even a hint of a response. All she heard was the echo of her power as it ricocheted off of the walls of the cave. Finally, after several minutes of screaming angrily, throwing everything she could at the disappearing hedgehog, she fell to her knees, her power nearly spent.

"WHY?!?!?" Her enraged wail became a moan of anguish. "WHY AM I ALWAYS ABANDONED?!!? Why...must everyone LEAVE me?! Endymion, WHY?!"

"

Finally, it was going to happen. Beryl had worked up the courage for many months – many years – to finally talk to the prince and confess her love for him. Combing her long, dark brown hair, dressing up in her most beautiful court gown, the young sorceress finally caught the prince alone, strolling thoughtfully down the pathways of the court garden.

"Prince Endymion..."

Finally, he turned, and Beryl's heart leaped for joy. His blue eyes stared right into her, as if they could jump start her soul. The prince of all Earth, the most powerful man on the planet, and the sage, all alone in private. It was a dream come true to the girl who schemed to win his heart and become queen by his side.

"Hmm." Examining the girl, frowning slightly at her flashy attempts to seduce him, Endymion spoke coolly to the sorceress. "Can I do something for you?"
"Oh, oh yes!" Batting her eyes as best as she could, Beryl excitedly raised her arms. "I made up a spell, just for you. It transforms a a stone slab into a statue of you in battle. Would you like to see it?"
"...Maybe later."
"Are you sure?" Beryl began to wave her hands. "I made the spell just for you. So you can...Sire?"

To her shock, Endymion had walked away from her. Worried, Beryl began to follow, wondering what she had done wrong to offend the prince. She had dressed in her finest; she was considered the most beautiful girl in the kingdom. She was a powerful sorceress in her own right, the strongest in the king's court, and unlike most people she had access to the prince. Surely, it could only be a matter of time before her charms impressed him, but it appeared that she had to keep applying pressure to her suit...

"Aah!"

Beryl's dreams of pursuit were interrupted by the sound of a squeal; within an instant, Endymion was by the pond that was situated in the middle of the garden. At the edge of it was a drenched little tabby cat, meowing pitifully as it tried to dry itself off. In the pool were to arms flailing wildly above water.

"Pffft!" A head kept bobbing up and down, sputtering water everywhere. "Hepfffft!!"

Endymion's hand shot in, just as Beryl his behind a column, wondering what was going to happen next. Slowly, Endymion pulled out a set of arms, followed by a head, then the rest of the body, clothed in a simple white travel dress.

"Oh...!" The girl tumbled into Endymion, much to Beryl's annoyance, before quickly shying away. "I...I'm so sorry...!"
"It's ok..." Clearly confused, Endymion stared at the drenched girl. "What are you doing here? This place..."
"I saw that kitty." The girl nervously pointed to the cat, who was scampering away at that moment. "It was stuck in the water, and I wanted to help it."
"But...you looked like...can you even swim?"
"No..." The girl blushed, her wet blonde hair sticking to her face. "But I still wanted to help. My mother always tells me to help those in need...and I wanted to come here and help people..."
"I see." Endymion looked surprised. "Do you know where you even are right now? Do you know...who I am?"
"...No..." The girl looked nervous and scared, bringing her hands to her chest. "Are you a...are you guarding something here? Am I somewhere that I shouldn't be? Ooh, i-if I'm intruding I'll leave immediately, I'll go look for the cat's owner, I'll take the cat and leave. I didn't mean any harm, honest!"

Beryl's face also began to blush, but not for the reasons that the girl's did. It was supposed to be Beryl's time with the prince; it was her pursuit, her conquest to capture what she had always desired. What was worse, she could see the decal on the intruder's head, sticking out like a yellow sore in the light.

"So you do not know about me...I see." The prince's face began to soften at the girl's true reasons for being at the castle; he spoke in a tender voice Beryl had never heard him use before. "Here, come inside. I'll dry you off."
"Oh, I..." Shivering, the girl looked worried. "I don't want to get you in trouble. If anyone were to find out I was here..."
"It's ok." Gently, Endymion helped the girl up. "I promise no one will hurt you."
"I...all right..."

Taking off his cape, the prince quickly covered the girl up. Taking her hand, he led her out of the garden, and towards the direction of his private wings, where the girl could dry off without interference. As they turned the corner, Beryl could see the tender look in the prince's eyes, something he had never given to anyone else. It was as if he was smitten the instant he looked at her.

"Why...I was beautiful..." Her voice hoarse, she graped at the hard rocks on the ground, her long teeth clenching angrily onto her lips as enraged tears formed in her red eyes. "Beautiful...powerful...I held the world in my hands...I knew the greatest magics, yet...I am always abandoned. No one...wants me. I don't understand!! It's...it's not FAIR!!"

"That witch...that awful...it's all her fault...It must be...it...must...!!!"

"It's not about how beautiful or how powerful you are...but it's obvious you'll never learn that lesson."

"NO!!!! LIAR!!!"

Screaming, Beryl summoned up the most powerful attack she could muster, full of rage and hate, hurling it in the direction that the hedgehog went. As with all of her other powers, as with all of her other evil aspirations, it did nothing in the underworld.

"You lie...! You...it's not...true...!!"

Finally, there was nothing left for her to throw and she collapsed to the ground, weeping loudly, at the pointlessness of it all.

------------------------

"So...there it is."

The sunset over Tokyo had just started to dim to a dim purple as night took over the city. There were no stars out; the overwhelming power of the citadel brought cover to it, blanketing the entire city in a pall of swirling, thunderous clouds. Lightning began to streak across the sky, but no rain came down.

Then, one streak of lightning, as if by command, crackled down to the earth, illuminating, for a split second, the three girls who stood on a building a mere block away from the entrance to the Crystal Fortress. Three girls, dressed in the attire of sailor soldiers.

"What do you mean, 'there it is'?" The wind picked up around the three figures as one of them, green dress flying, spoke up. "It's not like anyone can't see that thing from Mt. Fuji, Venus. Its a blight on the entire city!"
"Well, not for long."

Another peal of thunder rumbled as the group stepped forward. At the sound, the green-skirted girl's tiara glimmered; from it, a tiny rod emerged.

"Man, I wish Luna and Artemis had stuck around town to see the light show." The green-skirted figure rubbed their hands together. "This is going to be much more fun than fighting Xenian."
"...Fighting Xenian was fun?" The other figure, blonde hair licking her thighs, blinked. "Jupiter, what brand did you drink before coming here?"
"What?! You-"
"Don't get too cocky, you two. And stop fighting. Remember the objectives," the third figure spoke. "Learn the plans of the enemy. Rescue the princess if possible."
"Yes..."

There was a long silence at this. Finally, in the distance, the faint sound of a clock could be heard, chiming the time. It was six o'clock, on the spot.

"Ladies," After cracking their knuckles, one of the figures took out a sword; it gleamed brightly even in the shadows with an unearthly power. "It's time to storm the castle."

END OF PART FOUR