CHAPTER 26

That evening after their encounter with Wicked Lady and Grim Man at the Cherry Hill Temple, Amy, Raye, Lita and Mina were all at Serena's house watching the news with her and her father. Luna and Artemis were curled up on a sofa in between Lita and Amy innocently watching too while pretending to be just ordinary cats.

The Newsreader spoke, "Reports have come in about a huge crystal quartz structure apparently growing somewhere in the countryside just outside our city. Witnesses driving along the country road noticed it as soon as it became as tall as the nearby trees. Some cautiously approached it but when they were only a few feet away it began to spark and flash with electrical energy and they ran away fearful of serious injury. The police have no idea what it is, but it seems to be slowly getting bigger and bigger. The Chief of Police has given this official statement."

Then the camera changed to a recorded video of the Chief. He said with solemnity, "Due to past attacks against our city from mysterious forces, we warn all citizens to stay away and not panic. I have faith that our friendly Sailor Scouts will soon be investigating this and if it is a threat they will save us."
Dad remarked, "I hope so too. Thank goodness we have those Sailor girls to protect us."
None of them could say anything in his presence, but they expressed mutual agreement. Though they were very worried because this was their toughest situation yet and Nephlite had made it clear that he could no longer safely aid them.

Just then Mum came in with a tray full of teacups. "Here's a cup of tea for everybody."
They each took their cup expressing thanks including Dad. But then he said, "My dear wife. You seem to have brought out an extra cup."
Everybody stared wide eyed as Mum gasped and looked at the cup of tea sitting by itself on the tray. "Why so I have. That's strange. I don't know why but I have a funny feeling that I needed to prepare this cup of tea. But why should I prepare it for nobody?"
Dad said, "That's weird all right. But what's weirder is that I myself think that this cup should rightfully belong to somebody. But I can't imagine who."
Mum said in confusion. "Well I guess I'd better take it out then."
Dad stood up. "I'll go out to the kitchen with you and drink my cup with you sweetheart."
"Okay honey. I suppose I'll drink it. There's nobody else to really have it. Though." She left the sentence unelaborated upon as Dad followed her out leaving the girls behind with the television.

"That's odd," said Luna. "On a previous time when Rini terminated her magical connection with Serena's family they lost all their memories of her until she re-cast the spell."
Lita said, "Do you suppose it's because she never officially broke the spell before we left on our trip to the future with her?"
Amy said, "Yes I bet it is precisely that. And since she was brainwashed and transformed by that Grim Man, they have as good as lost their memories again, but the spell still retains some small part of their memory subconsciously."
"That sounds like a very plausible theory to me," said Artemis.

At this point Serena started to cry thinking about what Rini had become. "I never thought until today that I could really miss her so much. The house seems so empty without little Rini running all around the place."
Raye surprised Serena and everybody else by getting out of her chair and going over to hug her tenderly. Looking Serena in the face she smiled and said, "Stay positive Serena. Granted this is our most difficult situation, but don't dwell upon the obstacles. Somehow we will find a way to overcome and get Rini back."

This was a magnanimous gesture for Raye and everybody smiled. They all kept reverently silent but they were all proudly grateful to Raye for being so kind and comforting. Serena hugged her back with happy tears and said, "Thank you Raye."

Elsewhere the four sisters and Birdy's two dear friends were all safely at the home of Jed, Tweetus, Dorothy and Jordan. They had everything they needed. Dorothy had gone out to buy extra groceries. Rebecca said to Tweetus, "We can never thank you enough. We'd all probably be dead by now if it weren't for you."
"It's our pleasure. Any friends of the Sailor Scouts are our friends too," Tweetus replied with a smile.
Avery, Catzi and Julie were all seated in the living room watching little Jordan playfully run around laughing and waving joyfully at them excitedly.
Birdy was in the kitchen helping Dorothy make cups of tea for everybody and Prizma was upstairs with Jed near the upper floor balcony. "We must not risk letting any of you be seen at the windows," he was cautioning her. "But here at least you can see a view of the surrounding neighbourhood from above. As long as you don't actually set foot on the balcony itself."
Prizma thanked him and gazed out shuddering slightly at the sight of the Dark Crystal growing so gigantic in the far off distance. But then glancing down she gasped at the sight of a familiar looking figure, obviously injured staggering along the street ignoring and shrugging off anybody who tried to ask if he was all right. As he turned aside to enter Mr. Baxter's park she said, "S-Sapphire?"
"What is the matter?" Jed asked her.

Sapphire was holding the very ball that Sailor Pluto had previously given to Rini. He leant up against a tree hugging it close to his chest. As his legs gave way and he slid down the tree trunk sitting on the ground he recalled the scenes he had had revealed to him. He saw how the families of Rubeus, the four sisters and their friends had all intimately known each other. One day they had all gone out on a picnic together. The mothers and fathers sent the children to play while they prepared the blanket and the food in the picnic baskets. Tamara and Connie had always been tomboys. That is why they chose to kick a football around with their best buddy Rubeus. As for the others, Birdy and her dear friends Julie and Rebecca joined her sisters in playing with jumpropes and smelling the beautiful flowers and playing hide and seek among the trees and bushes.
Suddenly they all heard their loved ones scream and running they were horrified to find them all lying sprawled dead on the ground. The Wiseman and the Grim Man materialized. "Trust us children," they cried. "We will take you to safety before the evil ones who killed your parents come back."

They believed them not simply due to their shock and grief alone. The deep dark magic they exerted made them seem angelic to their eyes. So they dematerialized with the two figures. Later he saw how Emerald, Doom and Gloom had their parents killed while they all slept at night. The two sinister figures woke them up to tell them they must escape with their protection or be killed. Unfortunately they were not in time to save their parents. Then all the other Droids were deceived into believing their families were killed. In reality though they were already orphans in an orphanage for girls. Wiseman and Grim Man killed the staff and all the children except for a randomly selected few. Finally Sapphire and his big brother Diamond lost their parents.

Sapphire could see in his memory Wiseman and Grim Man saying to him, his brother and all the others, "Your parents and all your other family members were betrayed and murdered by your world's own king and queen. Diamond, we hereby appoint you Prince and Ruler of the Black Moon Clan. Here on this lonely asteroid the two of us will train you all and raise you to adulthood so you can avenge your loved ones some day."
"Thank you dear saviours and guardians," said Prince Diamond. "Praise be to our mentors. And one day we will bring that evil king and queen to justice."
Everybody else, including Sapphire, had cheered and pledged devotion to Wiseman and Grim Man. But the present Sapphire began to tremble and groan with his eyes shut. "No Diamond. We have all been manipulated. The Wiseman and Grim Man will destroy you. Just like they destroyed our mothers and fathers and have been responsible for the deaths of almost all of us." Then with a groan he slumped down unconscious. The blue ball remarkably hovering beside him inches off the ground when it slipped from his grasp.

Suddenly he woke up to find himself in a bed with clean, white sheets and pillows. He looked around the room to see three other empty beds and a woman with long black hair staring at him in concern. "Are you all right?"
"Who are you and where am I?"
Before she could answer his question another woman's voice said, "She is our friend Tweetus. She and her husband Jed went to make sure you were all right at my request."

Turning to the open door he saw a figure he knew very well entering with a bowl of soup. "Prizma! It's you!"
She set the bowl down on the nearby table. "This is the room I share now with my sisters. Julie and Rebecca have two beds made up in another spare room."
"Prizma. I must talk to you." He started to rise then winced in pain.
"Take it easy." Tweetus urged him. "You were very badly hurt. Dorothy patched you up to the best of her first-aid abilities.
Sapphire noticed the bandages all over him, including one wrapped around his head. "Where's the ball? She helped me escape. She will help me explain."
"I have it." It was Catzi who had spoken and she entered the room with the ball in her hand. Avery, Birdy, Rebecca and Julie entered behind her.
Catzi handed it to Sapphire. "She has already spoken to us through it. We know who she is, but she wants to tell the full story with you present."
Sapphire took the ball in his hands and Sailor Pluto appeared in a hologram in the air above the bed.

"All of you listen carefully to me. The fate of the universe is at stake." All mouths were grimly shut tight as Sailor Pluto spoke on.
"In the future Sapphire here had been covertly spying upon the Wiseman. He overheard him communicating with the Grim Man through his crystal ball. He heard them discuss their final plans to subjugate Crystal Tokyo by destroying the Sailor Scouts in the past and eventually bring the whole known universe under the power of the Doom Phantom. The Doom Phantom is the Grim Man's true identity. The Wiseman is in a pact with him to help each other win their goals. The Doom Phantom will become supreme master and in return the Wiseman will be revenged upon those who banished him for his crimes. He heard the Doom Phantom say that he will kill Prince Diamond and the remaining Droids as soon as they have tracked down and killed the six of you and then Wicked Lady will be infused with massive dark power from the huge crystal outside town and she will kill the Sailor Scouts here in the past, thus eradicating their future selves."

Everybody covered their mouths to stifle their horrified gasps and Sailor Pluto invited Sapphire to take over. "As soon as I heard that I realized that I was going to be killed too. So I fled the castle and ran through the city to reach the Door to Time. But the Wiseman was looking to execute me then after talking to his ally. So he chased and intercepted me just as I was leaving the city. He said, "Where are you going in such a hurry Sapphire?" I admit I was scared but I looked at him and defiantly replied that I now knew that he was working for the Doom Phantom and had been deceiving all of us. He immediately attempted to destroy me by sending a blast of energy from his crystal ball. I could feel my life force being sucked away, just like he had done to poor Doom and Gloom. But I was determined to fight and concentrating hard, I managed to teleport myself far away before becoming a dried-up corpse."

Looking towards Sailor Pluto's image silently she was prompted to finish the story. "Sapphire was badly injured, but he staggered as fast as he could till he reached the Door to Time. When he saw me he raised his hands shouting out that he came in peace. After his explanations I gave him this communication device and allowed him to pass through time back to the past wishing him good luck and saying that I would help him as best I could. You must tell the Sailor Scouts as soon as possible. They will help your efforts to convince Prince Diamond and the others of the truth."
Tweetus said, "We will call them at once Sailor Pluto. We will do whatever we can to oppose the Doom Phantom."
"Call me anytime you need to discuss anything," said Sailor Pluto as her image disappeared back inside the ball.
Sapphire looked up at Prizma smiling and asked, "Could you all leave me alone except for Prizma please?"
Prizma blushed but her sisters and Birdy's two friends all smiled and winked at each other. "Yes we should leave you two alone for awhile," said Avery.

"See you later Priz," said Catzi as they all walked out along with Tweetus shutting the door.
Prizma sat down next to Sapphire and smiled back at him. They reached out and took each other's hand. There had been a time when they were very young as children living on the Wiseman's lonely barren asteroid that they had felt mutually attracted to each other. Then as they grew older Sapphire had slowly begun to grow cold and hard towards her. She had been rather hurt and confused by this and it had made her crotchety and bad tempered. But now they both realized that had been the negative influence instigated by the Wiseman's magic. He had been subtly sowing seeds of discord among certain members of the clan and he and the Doom Phantom had thrived on the energy of anger and resentment to consolidate and strengthen their power. Now they knew in their hearts that they had always dearly loved each other.

At that moment Prince Diamond and the Droids were all gathered by the Dark Crystal hearing something that they couldn't believe. "What? My brother Sapphire has fled here to the past to join the traitors we seek? Are you serious Grim Man?"
The Doom Phantom put a fake sympathetic inflection into his voice. "I know it sounds hard to comprehend your highness. But the Wiseman tells me that he deserted his post and fled to the powerful guardian of the Door to Time. Before he could do anything she had sent him on his way."
"But why would Sapphire do such a thing?" exclaimed Regalia.
"He personally assisted with our Droid conversion," added Marzipan.
"And he's my only sibling!" Prince Diamond actually looked ready to cry but Wicked Lady was standing next to the Doom Phantom with a stony neutral expression.
"I pledge my allegiance in tracking him down and punishing him with the others Grim Man."
"We must search for all of them. Wicked Lady will help us." The Doom Phantom did not need to exercise any mind control on the clan members at this stage. They fully believed and trusted their "mentors" and were convinced of the guilt of the ex-members they sought. The Doom Phantom knew he would need to keep close watch on them though when it came to Sapphire. Especially the Prince. He was troubled in his mind and thought over and over to himself. "But why Sapphire? Why would you turn against me? I can't understand it."

Getting back to Prizma and Sapphire, they had been having a very intimate chat while she helped him eat his soup. She filled him in on all the details. How Sailor Mars, otherwise known as Raye, had been keeping all of them safely hidden at the Cherry Hill Temple since setting them free of the brainwashing and how deeply they still mourned the deaths of Rubeus and the Droids who had been part of their team, including his two dearest friends. "They never knew the truth Sapphire. It was a terrible tragedy, their dying. Catzi was the most heartbroken of all."
"Emerald and her brothers have been killed also Prizma. They were tricked into losing their lives by the Wiseman."
Prizma gasped in horror and tears began to well up in her eyes. Sapphire went on.
"And now that we know who the Grim Man really is and how he helped the Wiseman murder our families for their sinister purpose."
He clenched his jaw determinedly and started to get out of bed. "Prizma! I must go to my brother and the others who still live."
She restrained him by gently hugging him and staring into his eyes with a tearful expression. "No Sapphire. You are injured and in any case they would probably kill you on sight."
He held her shoulders and smiled. "But Prizma. Diamond is my only brother and I have to try to help him, just as you would try to help any of your sisters."
Prizma stared up at him sobbing as he went on to say, "And what about the rest of our friends? Elizabeth, Amanda, Daisy, Carmen and Angela as we knew them before they became Droids? Wouldn't you be concerned about them too?"
Prizma sniffed. "O-of course Sapphire. But I love you. You'll almost certainly die in the attempt."
As she began crying on his shoulder Sapphire admitted to himself that she spoke the truth. "I love you too Prizma. Yet what other choice do I have?"
Prizma wiped her eyes and blew her nose on a handkerchief. "Please let me just talk to Jed and Tweetus and see what they say."

A few minutes later Jed was on the phone to the Cherry Hill Temple asking for Raye. Chad answered and as soon as he replied, "Raye's not here. She's spending today with her friends," Jed knew exactly who these friends were.
"That's all right. I know where she might be. Goodbye."
He hung up and dialled Serena's number first. "Hi Jed," said Serena with a cheery smile.
"Hello Serena. Can I urgently speak to Raye please?"
Next moment Raye had taken the receiver and was listening to what Jed had to say to her. "Okay Jed. We will all meet you and Tweetus at the Temple while Dorothy and Jordan stay with our friends. I'm sure between my priestess magical arts and your extra-terrestrial powers we can conjure up what will be most helpful to the current problem."

So the girls all explained to Serena's parents that they were all going to Raye's home and they said it would be okay providing the others phoned their own respective parents and they did not stay out too late. Amy, Lita and Mina quickly did so promising their parents to be home faithfully no later then nine o'clock. Luna and Artemis casually followed them to the Cherry Hill Temple where Jed and Tweetus had materialized inside the room housing the Sacred Fire and were invisibly hanging around awaiting the Scouts. When they all privately met the two aliens explained what their plan was and Raye concentrated hard upon the Sacred Fire channeling both their energy and her energy to seek to carry out their purpose.

Later that day Sapphire was walking through the city limping in pain. He was wearing his clothes except for his jacket which he had left behind at the Youma family's home in Prizma's care. His bandages were underneath his clothing but the one wrapped around his head was clearly visible. He was staring at the huge crystal in the direction he was taking.

Suddenly Wicked Lady, Prince Diamond and the Droids all appeared floating in the air above him. Wicked Lady shouted, "Thank you for making it so easy to find you!"
Looking up he cried out, "Wicked Lady. Stand aside. I wish to speak to my brother and our mutual friends."
Wicked Lady however was preparing to attack with her parasol. "They're not interested in anything you have to say you traitor."
But Prince Diamond seized her arm to restrain her. "Wait a minute. He is my brother and I do want to give him a chance to explain himself."
The Droids were all emboldened by their prince's own boldness. "Yes," they agreed. "We will hear his defence before we take any action against him."
Wicked Lady was about to protest, but then she could hear the voices of both the Wiseman and the Doom Phantom inside her head.
"Do not attack them Wicked Lady."
"Let them have their way for now. We will handle the situation ourselves."

Diamond and the Droids thought nothing at all suspicious as Wicked Lady relaxed and moved away from their group hovering to one side while they all stared down at Sapphire on the ground. Prince Diamond folded his arms. "Well brother. Speak your piece. Why did you desert the Wiseman and come here to the past?"
"Diamond," implored Sapphire. "We have been manipulated by our so-called mentors. They murdered our loved ones and made us think the rulers of Crystal Tokyo did it."
Animal Instinct cried, "That's a very strong accusation Sapphire." The Droids were all bug-eyed upon hearing this and Prince Diamond gasped.
"Sapphire you must be mistaken. The Wiseman and Grim Man have been very good to us."
"Diamond you don't realize. We were used and discarded when we were no longer needed. And how about some of our objectives when Emerald and her brothers took over from Rubeus? We never wanted to hurt any of the people here in the past. But our mentors began persuading us to feel justified in causing some pain occasionally. Those charm bracelets, the flu epidemic and savage threatening animals."
Regalia, Injector and Animal Instinct all flinched upon being reminded of how much they had hated doing what they were told they had to. Marzipan, Mistrust and even Diamond were also feeling perturbed. Could there be any truth in what Sapphire said?

Suddenly Sapphire looked up above and gasped in horror. "It's Wiseman!"
Diamond and the Droids turned around just in time to see the Wiseman standing in the midst of a temporary time portal that allowed his holographic image to appear in the sky above them. For once he didn't have his crystal ball and he emitted a powerful blast of destructive energy from his spectral hands that surrounded Sapphire and made him scream as it illuminated him. Sinking to his knees as it faded the clan members tried to protest. "Wiseman wait a minute!" shouted Diamond.
"Give him a chance to speak," cried Animal Instinct.

But as the Doom Phantom appeared next to Wiseman's image they both began to speak.
"Sapphire has betrayed you and you know what we do to traitors."
"Even if he is your brother."
Their eyes glowed red and Diamond and the Droids all began to struggle within themselves. "He is a traitor."
"But what if?"
"He should die."
"Yet?"

Nearby in the shadows the Sailor Scouts were in observance along with Tuxedo Mask. Sailor Moon shuddered. "Can't we do something?"
Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask both said a firm No at the same time and Sailor Mercury added, "We must stick to the plan. Everybody hold up your Dark Crystal Wedges and concentrate as hard as you can. No matter what happens."

They each had a Wedge in both hands. Back when they had first captured Mistrust's Wedge off her Raye had been studying it closely with her priestess powers. When they met Sapphire at the Youma's family home and seen the couple he had concealed in his pockets the Youma aliens had combined their magical energy with that of Sailor Mars to create others and they were now fighting with all their might to counteract the brainwashing of the Doom Phantom and his servant, thus turning their own weapons against them.
They could sense that something was interfering with their mind control. They couldn't tell what it was or where it came from but the clan members were not giving in to them. They continued to protest and Prince Diamond said, "Where is the absolute proof that my brother is a traitor? What is your side of the story to his accusations?"
Sapphire gasped and called out, "Diamond! Wiseman's the traitor! Ask him about Grim Man's true identity!"

At this both sinister figures shouted out loud. "SHUT UP TRAITOR!" And to the horror and dismay of all watching they both attacked Sapphire at once. The Doom Phantom threw his reaper's blade which spun around slicing Sapphire in two while the Wiseman's energy reduced the two halves to withered husks just like Doom and Gloom before their sister devoured them as a dragon.
"SAPPHIRE!" Diamond screamed aghast.
The Wiseman said, "Good riddance. Now I can carry on guarding our prisoners in Crystal Tokyo while the rest of you take care of things in the past."
The Doom Phantom said, "Yes. Wicked Lady, Diamond and the rest of you come with me."
Wicked Lady, who had been standing and watching the proceedings with amusement, responded, "I hear and obey my master."

She and the Doom Phantom dematerialized while the Wiseman's portal closed. Diamond and the Droids lingered behind looking upset. They were unaware of Tuxedo Mask and the Sailor Scouts hiding nearby. It had been terrible for even them to watch, but they had strict instructions to just keep aiming the Dark Crystal Wedges magic at the clan members.
Diamond and the Droids slowly lowered themselves to the ground to gaze mournfully upon Sapphire's remains. But even as they reached the ground they were mysteriously fading away into thin air. Diamond was weeping and so were the Droids. Injector had changed into her human form so that she could safely cuddle together with the others in shared grief. Diamond turned to face them wrapping himself into a group hug and they cried on each other's shoulders for a few moments.

Then breaking apart he clenched his fists, ground his teeth and angrily said, "Wiseman. Grim Man."
The Droids all reacted similarly, "Yes. They killed him in cold blood," snarled Regalia.
"It's an outrage," exclaimed Marzipan.
"Let's go and confront Grim Man," said Diamond and the Droids all vanished with him.

Sailor Moon and her friends all lowered their Wedges and bowed their heads. They knew that once the clan members were back with the Doom Phantom they would be easily influenced to believe that Sapphire had deserved to be executed.
They had succeeded in helping Sapphire attempt to warn his brother and protect Prizma, her sisters and Birdy's friends with the help of the Youma family. Now they needed to make sure it had not been in vain.