Act Twenty Five: And Then, the Outer Guard Will Fade…

Uranus couldn't believe this situation. First, the Starlights were frozen in time and condemned to nightmares for all eternity, then, Sailor Sun was killed in cold blood, and now, the Inner Scouts had given their lives so that the rest of them could escape death! The sandy-blonde sky soldier realized with horror that the prophecy was coming true. The stars had been locked away, the sun had fallen, and now, the inner guard was completely wiped out. That meant they, the Outers were next. And then, Serena would be left defenseless. That was the part she couldn't stand. There was no telling what Serenata would do to their Princess once they were gone.

The sky soldier's dark green eyes filled, and she held on more tightly to the sobbing Moon Princess. She didn't know what to do. This was definitely worse than Chaos. With Chaos, she'd had the slightly cold comfort of knowing that the Starlights were there. Now, all that stood between Serena and her cruel fate was the Outers. The outer guard. Neptune met Uranus' eyes. Both knew that they would need a miracle to survive. This whole situation was hopeless. Nevertheless, Uranus knew that they would all fight to the end. As long as any of them remained alive, their Princess would never be put at the mercy of the enemy.

After thirty minutes, Pluto said, "We need to get moving again. If we stay in one spot for long, we'll surely be found."

Uranus nodded, and helped Sailor Moon to her feet. The petite blonde's tears still continued to flow like a river, but her sobs were stilled. She clung to Uranus, and stayed close to them all. Neptune kept one hand on the petite blonde's shoulder, offering silent reassurance. Saturn's eyes were watchful, ever focused on the shadows, lest something should take them by surprise. Pluto's face was grim, but the time soldier didn't need to say that it was hopeless; they all knew that already.

The five walked through the tunnels for hours, all of them jumping at the slightest sound. Sailor Moon almost had a heart attack when a rat scurried across her foot. After they'd been walking for what felt like several miles, Neptune was struck with a feeling that they'd gone down a path that led to somewhere they'd never been before. The air in this tunnel was mustier than that of the others, and it seemed darker somehow. Was it possible that they were now underground, and that they would never see the light of day again? Neptune decided not to have any expectations. The night's events had taught her not to try and figure out what would happen next.

Finally, they came to an ancient-looking door. This door had nothing carved on it. Cautiously, Pluto and Uranus pushed it open. No negativity came rushing out, so that was surely a good sign. They walked in.

"We'll try to rest here. Goodness knows we need it," Pluto stated.

They all nodded silently. Nobody powered down. That was too big a risk to take. Uranus sat down and rested her back against a wall. Neptune joined her. Pluto stayed near the door. She was the lightest sleeper, able to wake up at a moment's notice. Saturn curled up next to her, and all four Outers drifted into a troubled sleep. Sailor Moon moved into the darkest corner, and remained awake. The petite blonde couldn't sleep; every time she closed her eyes, horrifying images flashed behind her closed lids.

Unfortunately, sleep overcame her eventually. And thus, the Moon Princess dreamed. She was in a stone chamber, and the frozen forms of the Starlights surrounded her. Healer was kneeling over Fighter; clearly, she'd been trying to free the dark-haired girl when she succumbed to Serenata's spell. Maker was lying next to Healer. Something told the blonde that the violet-eyed Starlight had been the last to freeze. In the next dream, she was among the charred remains of her bedroom, and her eyes fell upon what was left of Renee. It was too terrible to describe. In the final dream, she hovered like a ghost over the inert forms of her Inner Senshi, lying among the rubble.

She awoke sobbing quietly, and didn't allow herself to drift into sleep again. She didn't need any more nightmares. The blonde curled into a fetal position and lay there, too sad and too drained to move or even think. Nevertheless, she did not sleep. Her mind simply shut down, and she sank into darkness. She did not resurface. Whether this was from fear, grief, or despair, no one, not even herself, would ever know.

†§†

Pluto suddenly jerked awake, and her eyes scanned the room. Uranus and Neptune were clearly still breathing; good. Saturn was next to her, sleeping fitfully as only children could do, and Serena…where was Serena? The time soldier stood up and looked around. There she was; she was curled into a fetal position in the darkest part of the room. That wasn't good. The Guardian of Time knelt next to her Princess' still form. She was still breathing, and her eyes were open. Something was wrong. She looked more closely. The blonde's eyes were open, but they were unfocused, like her mind wasn't here in this room with the rest of them.

"Princess?" she whispered.

There was no response.

Lightly, she touched her hand. "Princess?"

Still no response. Pluto felt her heart-rate accelerate. This wasn't good. There was no telling where the petite blonde's mind was now. All anyone could do was wait and hope that she would come out of it soon. The time soldier remained beside the girl, and she did not sleep again. She needed to make sure that her Princess returned to them. If Serena was allowed to completely sink into darkness, they would all be lost.

†§†

Eventually, Serena's mind awoke, and she sat up. Pluto was kneeling next to her. "Pluto, is something wrong?" she asked.

Pluto faced her, and the time soldier's face held relief. "Good, you're awake. I woke up and checked on you, and it was like you had sunk into a coma."

"I guess everything that's happened finally caught up to me."

"Yes. Did you sleep at all?"

"Yeah, but I had a bunch of nightmares. About the things that have already happened, I mean."

"I understand. These recent events would give anyone nightmares."

A wolf's howl sounded throughout the tunnels. It sounded close by. Serena tensed, and all color left her face. Pluto gripped her staff, and she woke Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn. The wolf howled again, and they were all ready for battle in an instant. The sound was even closer. It had been a bad idea to stop here, Pluto realized. And now they were trapped. It wasn't advisable to try and get away now, considering how close the wolf appeared to be. Perhaps Serenata would just pass them by. The door opened, and Pluto thrust Serena into the shadows in an effort to keep her hidden.

"When will you fools realize that no matter where you go or what you do, you will never be able to hide from me for long?" Serenata sneered.

"I guess we all just hate you so much that we decide running for all eternity is easier than spending five minutes in the same room as you," Uranus retorted. The sky soldier turned her dark green eyes to Pluto, silently begging the time soldier to do something.

Pluto casually aimed a blast at Serenata that was designed to create tons of smoke. When it cleared, only Pluto was left. The others had taken Serena and run, like they were supposed to. Serenata raised her arms, and Pluto regarded her stoically.

As they ran, a blood-curdling scream echoed behind them. Sailor Moon's face became even paler, and she stumbled. Uranus grabbed her arm and pulled her along, despite the fact that her vision was clouded by tears. Neptune was wiping away tears as she ran, and she held Saturn's hand tightly. Saturn was weeping, too, but she kept going. Their first priority was to protect Serena. They all kept moving forward, not daring to look back. Finally, they ducked into a corner, and came face to face with Maximus. Maximus howled, and Uranus swore, then launched a kick at the wolf. The wolf sank his teeth into her leg. Neptune sent him flying, and moved to help Uranus, but Uranus waved her away.

"No. Keep going. We need to make sure Serenata doesn't get her hands on the Princess," she said through clenched teeth, clutching her leg.

Neptune's eyes filled with tears, and she opened her mouth to object.

"Go," the sky soldier hissed.

Neptune nodded, and, along with Saturn and Sailor Moon, disappeared into the shadows. They moved as fast as possible, trying to put as much distance between Serenata and themselves as possible. A single, agonized scream followed them, and was abruptly cut off. Neptune sank down, sobbing. Sailor Moon stopped, and knelt beside her, but Saturn grabbed the blonde's arm. When the blonde looked at the small girl in question, she said, "We need to keep going."

Neptune pulled herself to her feet. "Go," she ordered. "We've lost ground. I'll stay to make sure there's a greater distance between you and Serenata."

Sailor Moon shook her head, and would have stayed, but Saturn, who was surprisingly strong for someone so small, pulled her along. No screams followed them, but the blonde felt the all-too familiar pain in her heart as the water soldier sank into the arms of Lord Death. Tears blinding her, she let Saturn lead her to unknown places. Finally, they reached a door, and Saturn threw it open. It led outside. Surprisingly, it was still night time. Or it was the next night. Serena climbed out and took a breath of fresh air. Serenata appeared, and Saturn raised her glaive.

Sailor Moon gasped, "Saturn…no! Don't!"

"It's the only way," Saturn told her sadly.

"NO!"

"Stay back."

"No, I won't let you do this!"

"Run, Princess."

"But—"

"Now."

Sailor Moon obeyed, and tears spilled from her eyes as her last soldier fell.