AUTHORS NOTES
DISCLAIMERS: Rights to Sailor Moon are owned by Naoko Taceuchi, Kondansha Publishing, Toei, DiC, Optimum Productions, Cloverway...am I forgetting anything?
This story is supposed to provide an alternate story line to the Sailor Moon series. It starts after the Sailor Moon R series ends (the Death Phantom is destroyed and Rini goes home to Crystal Tokyo). The next events are of my own creation and do not relate to the Sailor Moon S series (at least not intentionally).
I finished this fanfic over a year ago, before the S and SuperS seasons were dubbed in America. Please excuse any attack names that are DiC-ish, because that is what I had to work with at the time. ;) This story, after looking back, seems a cross between Japanese and American references. So, please excuse the term "Negaverse" as opposed to "Dark Kingdom", because the story focuses on Jedite.
Anyway, please enjoy the story!
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CHAPTER 19
It took Serena a moment or two to recover from her dizziness. The entire world seemed to spin around her. She physically had to hold her head in one place to try and stop the spinning. "Woah," she muttered to herself. "what a trip!"
Before Serena could explore her new surroundings, they seemed to slowly fade out of focus. However, a clear vision of the Imperium Silver Crystal appeared in front of the blurred scenery. A familiar voice began to speak. "YOU MUST REOBTAIN THE IMPERIUM SILVER CRYSTAL! YOU MUST MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE!"
The vision of the crystal then vanished, allowing Serena's surroundings to come back into focus. She appeared to be in a domed structure with a small opening to the north of her. The domed walls spiraled with all the colors of the spectrum, swirling and changing, converging and dispersing in front of her eyes. However, Serena wasn't focusing on what was around her. "I know that voice!" she thought to herself. "Who was it…who was it…Dang! It's right on the tip of my tongue…"
Her train of thought was halted suddenly when she heard a familiar voice echo in her mind. "Serena!" it called to her.
Serena recognized the voice in a heartbeat. "Darien?" she called aloud. "Oh, no! I gotta help him!"
Noticing the opening within the dome, Serena entered it. She proceeded to run down a long hallway, not knowing what to expect. She didn't know what kind of danger Darien was in, or where he was for that matter. But no matter what danger he was in, Serena would do anything in her power to help him. She would even walk through fire itself. Darien had saved her countless times, and knew that he would do the same for her.
The hallway came to an end at another domed structure. This dome seemed to be identical to the one Serena first came to. "This is weird," she thought to herself. "Am I back to where I started?"
Her question was answered by a noise behind her. She turned to see the opening to the hallway seal behind her. The walls seemed to close around the opening instead of using a door. Once the opening was completely sealed, it was as if there was no opening to begin with. "Great," Serena said aloud. "Just great. I'm trapped in here, I have to look for the Imperium Silver Crystal again, and I still don't know where Darien is!" She kicked the wall where the opening used to be. "What a great day so far!"
The voice from before called to her again "Serena!" it shouted. "Help me!"
Serena found it was closer than before. Once again, she turned around. Directly in front of her, she could see a lone figure. It was a man, clad in a tuxedo, shackles around his wrists.
However, it was not the Tuxedo Mask that she had known. Instead, the man wore a tuxedo of light violet, equipped with a yellow cape. Long blonde hair peeked out from under the top hat. The top hat itself looked like the top was punched out of it. And to top it all off, he wore a lima bean-green mask. His yelling now took on a more sarcastic tone. "Oh, Serena!" he falsely yelled, "Help me! Help me! I'm so trapped! I need help! Serena! Help!"
Upon seeing the false Tuxedo Mask in his mismatched costume, Serena's first reaction was an odd one: she burst out with uncontrollable laughter. She fell to her knees, trying to compose herself. "No way!" she shouted, drying her eyes from laughter tears. "You gotta be kidding me!"
The man in the tuxedo looked up at Serena. "What are you laughing at?" he shouted in anger. "I'm Tuxedo Mask! Don't you recognize me?"
Serena rose to her feet again, removing the last of the giggles from her system. "You're not Tuxedo Mask!" she shouted, seriousness returning to her voice. "He can't even transform back into Tuxedo Mask! How dare you fool me into thinking you're Darien! What have you done with him?"
The tuxedo-clad figure's shackles disappeared from his arms, allowing free movement. "He's not here," he responded with no emotion.
"Give me a break!" Serena shouted. "What have you done with him?"
The man began to get angrier. "Nothing!" he shouted, reaching behind his back. He pulled out a whip, and cracked it once. A yellow colored rug covered his body from view for a second or two. When it rose, it revealed a blonde-haired male with an odd symbol on his forehead. The shirt he wore barely covered his stomach, and he wore yellow pants. A smile appeared upon his face. "I am Tigerseye!" he yelled triumphantly. "You can forget about your dear 'Darien', now that I'm around!"
Serena's eye's bulged from her sockets. "Ugh!" she shouted in disgust. "When was your last trip to the mall?" Her eyes showed no interest in him whatsoever. "I'd never forget about Darien! Where is he, you creep?"
Serena's reaction was quite a shock to Tigerseye. He was used to having women fall all over him. "You can forget about your Tuxedo Mask," he cackled. "I'm much more of a man than he is!
"Not by the looks of it!" yelled Serena, inspecting Tigerseye's choice of clothing.
Tigerseye began to grow furious. "Okay!" he shouted. "We're going to have to do this the hard way!" He lifted up his whip again and cracked it. "One!" he shouted.
A huge wooden board rose from behind Serena. It caught Serena off balance, causing Serena to lay upon it.
Tigerseye, happy that this finally shut the girl up, proceeded along with his routine. "Two!" he shouted.
Shackles appeared upon the board and encased Serena's arms and legs, forcing her not to escape.
Tigerseye had to physically restrain himself from saying "Three!", for this time it was not needed. "I have to stick with test," he thought to himself. He looked into Serena's eyes. "Now look, you're going to have to listen to me. Are you going to listen to me or not?!" he shouted.
Serena's defense still held strong. "Do I have a choice?" she remarked.
Tigerseye was inclined to agree. "No, you don't!" he shouted with glee. "Now," he began to explain, "number one: Darien IS NOT HERE!"
"All right, all right," Serena said. "You made your point!"
Tigerseye raised his hand once again, making a new shackle appear over Serena's mouth, much to her displeasure. He began again. "First, you reject me. Now you interrupt me! I'm going to keep you here until you decide to cooperate with me. I'm tired of these games. Will you?" Serena only nodded in agreement.
"Very well," he said calmly. With a wave of his hand, the board and shackles disappeared, allowing Serena to stand on her own two feet.
"Now, I can explain," Tigerseye began once more. "The reason that I am here is to give you have a choice to make. A choice between two things."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" A smile appeared on her face. "Wow, this is gonna be easy!"
"Anyway," Tigerseye remarked, impatience washing over him, "you have to choose from which is behind Door #1, or Door #2." Two doors appeared on both sides of him, labeled respectively. "Now, whichever one you choose, you get to keep what's behind it. What you don't, will be destroyed. Do you understand?"
"Do I find out what's behind the doors after I pick the one I want?" Serena asked.
"Actually, I'll reveal the contents now, if you like," Tigerseye corrected.
Serena was somewhat confused. "…All right," she said, unsure of herself.
Tigerseye waved his hand in front of the first door, causing it to open. Serena was shocked at what she saw. Behind the first door were her friends, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. All four of them were suspended within multi-colored crystals. All appeared to be unconscious.
"My friends!" Serena gasped. She turned an angry gaze towards Tigerseye. "What have you done to them?!?"
"Nothing," Tigerseye replied calmly. "They are all asleep."
Tears began to fall from Serena's eyes, seeing her friends helpless. "What…what happened to them?" she uttered, barely able to get the words out.
Tigerseye began to explain. "As they entered that portal you went through, they were intercepted by yours truly." He began to emit a high-pitched laugh. "When they saw how powerful and handsome I was, they had to bow towards me!"
Serena looked disgusted. "My friends would never give up!" she shouted. "They would fight 'till the end!"
Tigerseye laughed again. "Oh, they didn't give up voluntarily!" he cackled. "One raise of my hand, and the crystal trap was set! Your "Scouts" never knew what hit them!"
Serena became furious. She created a fist with her right hand, and tried to throw a punch headed towards Tigerseye's face. Anticipating her move, Tigerseye snapped his fingers. A temporary shield was erected around his head, blocking the blow. Serena reared her hand back in pain; it was as if she was punching solid steel.
Tigerseye raised a finger and wagged it in front of Serena's face. "Uh, uh, uh!" he cackled once more. "I wouldn't do that, 'Sailor Moon'! Do you want to end up like your friends?"
Serena, realizing her position at the moment, had to comply. "All right," she said. "Besides, I know which door I'm gonna choose anyway."
Tigerseye smiled. "I wouldn't be to sure about that, my dear," he said. With a second wave of his hand, the second door opened, revealing the contents within.
Serena gasped at what had lain behind the door. Like the first door, all four of her friends were suspended within the same four crystals. Both doors had contained exact duplicates of her friends.
Serena couldn't explain what was happening. "What the…" she whispered, trying to sort things out in her mind. . "My friends…both doors are the same…which door has my real friends?"
Tigerseye grinned as he saw Serena deliberate with herself. "Well, that seems to be the question of the day, doesn't it?" he said cockily.
"Wha…wha…WHAT'S GOING ON?" she shouted, finally able to speak.
"What, you haven't figured it out, yet?" Tigerseye said. "One of these doors contain your friends. The other door contains a set of harmless clones. All you have to do pick the right door, and you get your friends back."
"And…and what if I…choose wrong?" Serena stuttered, cringing at the thought.
"Well that's simple," Tigerseye said with no emotion. "Your friends are blown to kingdom-come!"
Serena thought for a moment, trying to let this situation sink in. She had to ask Tigerseye again, to make sure that with only a few words she could destroy her friends for good. "Okay," she said. "So, if I make the right choice, my friends go free?"
"Of course," said Tigerseye, reassuringly. "You have my word no harm will come to them."
"And if I make the wrong choice…you'll des…destroy them?" Serena could barely get the words out. She couldn't even think of the notion of her friends gone.
Tigerseye looked shocked. "Hey, who said I was going to destroy them?"
Serena was confused. "But I thought you said…"
"I said," said Tigerseye, cutting her off, "that your friends would be destroyed if you make the wrong choice. I never said who or what would destroy them!" A twisted grin appeared on his face. "The task lies with you!"
Serena nearly collapsed when she heard those words. "WHAT!" she shouted.
Tigerseye let a high-pitched laugh pass through his lips. "That's right!" he said. "Only you can choose the fate of your companions! You get to destroy what you think is false!" An object appeared within his left hand. "Here, catch!" he shouted, throwing the item toward her.
When Serena caught it, she recognized it upon inspection It was a round, golden object with a red oval in the center. "It's the…Moon Tiara!" she remarked.
"Remember that, 'Sailor Moon'?" he cackled. "All you have to do is throw it at what you think is false. Heck, I'll even get you started!" With yet another wave of his hands, Serena's tiara solidified into an energy discus. "Now I'll return when your ready to do your little 'deed'. Make sure you pick the right one!" With another high-pitched laugh, Tigerseye disappeared from view.
Holding her tiara in hand, Serena began to sweat profusely. The pressure was really on her now. One million emotions and scenarios played out in her head. She kept imagining what would happen if she made the wrong choice. She would have to live with the burden of sending her friends to an early grave. She couldn't live with herself if that happened.
As she tried to concentrate, memories flooded her head as well. She remembered the good times that she had with the other Sailor Scouts. She remembered how they all met, how they became Scouts, the countless enemies they faced, and all the times they had won those battles. With all these thoughts circulating in her head, and the million voices that went along with them, Serena thought she would pass out.
But soon, one voice rang out louder than the others. One sweet, clear voice that had greeted her when she came to this horrid place. "MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE, SERENA," the voice rang out. "MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE."
It was then that Serena's thoughts became clear to her. All the confusion and worry cleared away, allowing her confidence to return. "Queen Serenity," she thought to herself. "Mother, I won't let you down!"
"Hey, Tigerseye!" she shouted aloud. "You there? I made my choice! You can come out, now!"
Tigerseye rematerialized in the middle of the two doors. He laughed once again. "Well, don't just stand there, throw the disk!" he cackled. "I just hope you made the right choice!"
Serena smiled. "Oh, believe me, I made the right choice, all right!" She shifted into her fighting stance, preparing to make the 'right choice'. "Moon Tiara…MAGIC!!!" she shouted.
She threw the energy disk with all her might with dead-on aim, heading straight for her target…the center of the two doors.
Tigerseye didn't know what was happening until it was too late. When he saw the tiara heading his direction at blinding speeds, he didn't have any time to evade the attack. It struck him square in the chest, surrounding him with engulfing bright light.
His strength held out to ask one last question of Serena. "Why…Serena…why…?"
"My friends would never give up that easily!" she said, her turn to be cocky. "Besides, I knew both sets were fakes. I couldn't see them breathing." She did several hand gestures that up until now she only did as Sailor Moon. "In the name of the Moon, I punished you!"
Tigerseye could do nothing but scream as the light from the tiara engulfed him completely. However, something unexpected happened. The scenery around Serena began to crack and break away. Explosions surrounded her as the dome began to collapse. She could only use her clothing to shield her as chunks of the domed ceiling rained down upon her…
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Serena opened her eyes, fearing the worst. She thought she would see debris of the dome everywhere, maybe even a huge chunk trapping her as well. However, nothing remained of the dome. All that surrounded her was a void, the different shades of pink swirling all around her. Serena just stared ahead in disbelief. "Did I win?" she thought aloud. "Am I alive, for that matter?"
"Very much so, my dear daughter," came a voice from afar.
Serena recognized that voice from inside the dome. "Mother?" she asked aloud. "Is that you?"
A woman in a familiar white dress with silver hair appeared in front of her. She had the familiar meatball hairstyle to go with it. She was Queen Serenity. "Serena," she said in her beautiful voice, "I'm so proud of you."
Serena's eyes widened. "Was this whole thing the test?" she asked. "Did I pass it, Mother?"
"Oh, Serena, still full of questions I see," Serenity remarked. "Yes, you passed."
Overcome with joy, Serena practically danced around her mother from the past. "Yahoo!" she cried. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I actually passed a test! I passed! I passed!"
Serenity began to laugh. "Woah, slow down Serena!" she said. Serena did as she asked. "As I was saying, I'm very proud of you. You have shown courage and merit far greater than I have seen in ages."
An object appeared between the two. It was the Imperium Silver Crystal. "The Crystal!" Serena shouted, grasping it. "I got the crystal back!"
Serenity smiled. "You earned it, my daughter," she said. "Now, time is short. We must be off to the ceremony."
"A ceremony?" Serena asked. "What for?"
"You'll see," Serenity said. She offered Serena her hand, a signal for her to take it. But Serena decided to put her arms around Serenity in an embrace.
"Thank you, Mother," she whispered, "for giving me courage…for giving me life…for everything." Serenity returned the embrace as they both faded into the mist…
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CHAPTER 20
Luna and Artemis laid upon the park bench, waiting for some sort of sign. The Sailor Scouts had been gone literally for hours. The sun had set a while ago, and the stars were sparkling in the sky. Luna was getting worried. "Artemis?" Luna asked him, "do you think something went wrong during the tests?"
Artemis lowered his head. "I hope not," Artemis responded. "They've been gone a long time."
A wave of silence swept between the two for the next few moments. Neither cat could offer a word of consultation to eachother. Both didn't know what was going to happen.
Soon after, the silence was broken, but not from words from either of the cats. A sound from behind them caught them off guard. A large doorway had appeared from where had been nothing before.
Both cats turned behind them. "Luna!" Artemis shouted with joy. "The portal's reopened!"
The portal flashed with the colors of all five Sailor Scouts, creating a wondrous display of beauty. A sweet voice came from inside. "Luna… Artemis…" it chanted.
Luna gasped. "Queen Serenity!" she shouted.
"The Sailor Scouts have done well," Serenity said in a joyous voice. "The time has come for the Guardian Ceremony."
Both Luna and Artemis nodded. With happiness washing over them, both bounded toward the portal and entered it. Once they entered, the portal closed with an abrupt flash.
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The next thing Serena knew was that she was lost in a mysterious thick blue fog. She also noticed that Queen Serenity was gone from around her arms. She was just embracing the vapor. "Queen…Queen Serenity?" she asked out loud. "Mother? Where'd you go?"
Placing the Imperium Silver Crystal in her pocket, she spent a few moments wandering the fog, trying to get her bearings. She didn't feel any dizziness like before, so it was easier to explore. The only thing that seemed to obstruct her vision now was the fog she was traversing in.
After a few moments of exploring, she began to hear a voice. "Elistar?" the voice exclaimed. "Elistar? Are you here?"
This voice was unmistakable. "Amy!" Serena shouted with joy.
After a small pause, Amy spoke again. "Se…Serena?" Amy yelled. "Is that you? I can't see much in this fog!"
"Amy! It is you!" Serena yelled back. "Try and follow my voice, and I'll try and follow yours!"
"I'll do better than that!" shouted Amy. She pulled out her computer, and started punching in different calculations, writing a new program. After a few moments, she finished typing and began to run it. A bright light began to emanate from the screen. "Okay, Serena!" Amy shouted. "Just follow the light!"
Serena did as she was asked. As The light became bigger and closer, Serena could make out Amy's outline within the fog. When she was around ten feet away, she could make out Amy perfectly. It was then that Serena broke into a run. Amy, happy to see her friend once more, did the same. Both met in the middle, meeting with an embrace. "Oh, Amy," Serena said. "It's so good to see you again!"
"It's great to see you, too," Amy remarked.
The hug was broken off after a moment. "So, Amy," Serena started. "Let me guess. You passed the test, right?"
Amy smiled once again. "Yes, I sure did!"
"All right, Amy!" Serena said, congratulating her. "So what did you do?"
"Well, I had to fight a mountain," explained Amy, trying to find the best way to put it.
"Excuse me?" said Serena, "You had to fight a what?"
"I'll explain later," said Amy. "But after I was through, I received this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her prize from the test. "It's the Mercury Planet Crystal."
She handed it to Serena, admiring the beauty. "Wow," Serena said in amazement. "It's got a model of Mercury and everything!" She handed it back to Amy, who pocketed it once more.
"So, Serena," Amy said. "Did you pass your test?"
"I did!" exclaimed Serena enthusiastically. "I can't believe it myself."
"Let me write something down," said Amy, typing on her computer once again. "Today, on this date," she typed, "Serena actually passed a test."
Serena knew this was sarcasm. "Gee, Amy, I never get to see how funny you are! You're a laugh riot!"
Amy giggled. "Well, you have to admit that it isn't every day that you pass a test. But anyway, congratulations!"
"Thanks, Amy," said Serena, reaching into her pocket. "I got the Imperium Silver Crystal back, too!"
"Great!" said Amy, knowing that it was a great achievement within itself. "What did you have to do?"
"Well, I just had to…"
Her explanation was cut off by another voice in the background. It was to the left of where they were standing. "Lana?" it called. "Lana, where'd you go! Lana!"
"That's Mina's voice!" Amy remarked. "I'll call her over here."
"No, wait a sec," halted Serena. "I got an idea. Let me see your computer."
Reluctantly, Amy handed the device to Serena. She flashed the light emanating from the computer screen towards where Mina's voice came from. "Miiiiiiiiiiiiina Aiiiiiiiiiinnnoooooo!" she said in a booming voice. "Cooooome to the liiiiiiight! Cooooome to the liiiiiiight!"
Mina turned around, seeing the light flash in the distance. "Who's there?" she yelled.
"It's us!" shouted Amy. "Serena's just goofing off!" Serena was a tad angry that Amy blew their cover.
"Guys!" shouted Mina, running toward the twosome. She nearly ran into Serena thanks to the thick blue fog. But both girls managed to stay upon their feet. "All right!" she exclaimed. "You're both here!"
"Yep," said Serena. "We both passed the test!"
"Wow," said Mina, somewhat stunned. "Serena passed the test! Okay, Serena passed the test….Serena passed….no matter how many times I say that, it still sounds weird."
"You're real funny, Mina," remarked a sarcastic Serena. "Hardy har, har."
"Well, I passed the test, too!" she held out the orange crystal she received. "And I got the Venus Planet Crystal to prove it!"
Before Mina could say much else, another voice was heard, this time to the right of them. "Mom?" the voice yelled. "Where are you, Mom?"
"That's Raye!" Mina said. She began to shout towards the direction Raye was in. "Raye! Over here!"
Raye turned to see a light within the blue fog. "Mina?" she yelled. "You're here, too?"
"Plus Serena and I," added Amy.
"Just follow the light, and you'll find us!" shouted Serena.
As told, Raye followed the light. Once she got there, the foursome hugged once again. "So did you all pass the test?" Raye asked. "I did."
"So did the rest of us!" Serena exclaimed.
"Raye smiled. "Now here's a switch," Raye remarked. "Serena actually…"
"I get it, okay," Serena shouted, tired of all these jokes on her behalf. "I already got enough from Amy and Mina!"
"I got the Mars Planet Crystal," said Raye, pulling it out from under her robes. "So, what did everyone do on their tests?"
Before anyone could answer, Amy held out her hand. "Hold on," she said. A red light began to beep on her computer. "I'm detecting another figure approaching us at alarming speeds!"
The group could see the shadow outlined in the blue fog. "Come back here, Richter!" she exclaimed. "Where did you…"
The shouting was cut off, when the figure collided into the group, accidentally tackling Raye and Mina to the floor. Serena and Amy were able to recognize her when the hullabaloo was over. "Lita!" they both shouted.
Raye was the next to speak. "Nice goin', Ace!" she muttered in pain. "Could you please get offa me!"
Lita slowly staggered to her feet, with Raye and Mina afterwards. "Sorry, guys," she apologized. "Guess I got carried away." The rest of the characters face faulted as Lita laughed it off. "So, uh, did everyone do good on the test?"
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It was soon after this that everyone began to explain their adventures in the strange realm of the testing grounds. Amy told the story of how she out-smarted a mountain creature. Mina was next with the evil talent agent/Hawksseye and how Mina was able to choose between friends and fortune. Raye told how she defeated the evil Fire Marshal using scroll and psychic powers. Serena interjected that she would never cross Raye on a bad day again. Lita told how she saved a young girl from an monster called Fisheye. Serena was the last to go, explaining the difficult choice she had to make, and how Tigerseye made it even harder. And all recounted the experiences with their elders of the Silver Millenium. Each girl had a crystal to show, proving they had earned the right to come this far.
"This is so great!" Serena said. "The Sailor Scouts are back together again!"
"Remember," said Amy, "we're probably going to have to call ourselves 'Sailor Guardians' now. Remember what Luna and Artemis said?"
"It's going to be hard saying 'Guardian Venus' instead of 'Sailor Venus'," Mina said. "I'm still gonna call everyone 'Sailor' instead."
"I agree," added Lita. "It's easier that way."
"Yeah," muttered Raye, who was pretty much silent during most of the conversation. "But only one thing's got me confused."
"What's that?" asked Mina.
"Well, all our 'parents' disappeared once we came here," Raye said. "I wonder why that is?"
"Wait a sec," said Serena, recalling what Queen Serenity had told her. "I think Queen Serenity said something about a…ceremony…or something that we have to be at."
"A ceremony?" asked Lita. "What for?"
"Maybe it's to officially say that we had passed the tests," Amy guessed.
"Maybe," said Raye, considering the possibility. "I'm just a bit skeptical."
At this time, the individual crystals began to glow they're respective colors. They began to float out of the hands of the Sailor Scouts, grouping together several feet into the air. The Scout's could only watch as they began to form a circle in the air.
"Hey, Raye," Lita muttered to her, "I think you got a reason to be skeptical now."
The crystals then broke off from their circle, and proceeded to float into the distance. The fog then began to dissipate. Once the fog was gone, the Scouts could finally see the where their guardians had led them. Broken pillars and ruins surrounded their location. In the distance, they could see the ruins of a palace. They had returned to the ruins of the Moon Kingdom, of the Silver Millenium.
The Scouts could only marvel of what was around them, not able to take it in the first time they arrived. Nobody said a thing, for there was no need for words. When they looked to see the palace, they saw five objects outlined in the distance. They were the Crystals, lined up at key locations from left to right: Mercury, Venus, Imperium, Jupiter, and Mars.
The crystals then began to emit beams of concentrated light that headed downwards toward the floor. When the beams struck, the symbols of the planets, and a crescent moon appeared on the ground.
"Stand upon your respective planet symbols," spoke a voice from afar. "The ceremony is about to begin!"
"Who was that?" asked Amy.
Serena recognized the voice immediately. "Queen Serenity!" she remarked, proudly. "She's the one who brought us back here. Now we have nothing to worry about!"
"Well," Mina said, "I guess it's time…"
"…to face our destinies," Raye finished.
"Well, lets go!" Lita shouted, energetic to finish this event.
Each of the Sailor Scouts slowly walked towards the five symbols glowing on the ground, doubts pushed away from their minds at last. Each person stood upon a planet symbol, underneath their respective crystals, and the ceremony began.
About twenty feet in front of them, a white spotlight appeared. Standing within it were two familiar feline figures.
"Luna!" Serena shouted.
"Artemis!" shouted Mina.
"Hi, guys," said a joyous Artemis.
"It is good to see you again, Sailor Scouts," said Luna with a tear in her eye.
"Today," Artemis began, "you've taken your final step in your training. You've become full fledged Sailor Guardians!"
"We're so proud of you all," Luna commented.
"As well as the rest of us," said a voice within the background.
"Elistar!" Amy shouted. "So that's where he went!
The crystals above the Sailor Scouts began to glow once more. Each one of them repeated the process of before. Floating off into the distance, forming a line, and emitting beams of light from before. However, the order of the crystals differed: Mars, Jupiter, Imperium, Venus, and Mercury.
Once the crystals emitted the light beams, the same five planet symbols were created. However, five figures stood directly across from them. The first wore Shinto robes that had looked like Raye's, only a different color scheme. The second was very well built, wearing only a pair of green pants. The third was a beautiful woman with crescent moons sewn into her dress. The fourth wore an orange, strapless dress with blonde hair almost touching the floor. The fifth was an elderly man, wearing blue robes and carrying a staff to lean on. These were the Sailor Scout's ancestors. These were the Guardians of the Planets.
"Greetings, my children," greeted the man within the blue robes. "We must all introduce ourselves to begin this ceremony. I am Elistar, Guardian of Mercury."
The woman in the strapless dress was next. "I am Lana, Guardian of Venus."
The woman in the Shinto robes spoke next. "I am Selene, Guardian of Mars."
The man with the well built physique was the next to speak. "I'm Richter, Jupiter's Guardian."
Finally, woman in the center with the crescent moon dress spoke. "And I'm am Queen Serenity, Ruler of the Silver Millenium." The girls were happy to see their parents once again.
"We are you elders from the past," began Elistar.
"We are the Planetary Guardians," continued Lana.
"We have protected our respective planets with our spirits for centuries," continued Selene.
"We didn't let any evil forces get through!" continued Richter.
"And, now," Queen Serenity finished, "it is time to pass this duty, and this power, onto the five of you."
A bright light began to flash into the background, mostly for dramatic effect. Serena and the rest were mesmerized by this. Soon after this, Serena noticed that her clothes were fading from here body. Embarrassed, she threw her arms over her chest. However, it wasn't needed. Pink ribbons flew around her body, much like when she transformed into Sailor Moon. However, the ribbons seemed to hover around her and cover most of her. Looking around her, she noticed her friends the same way; Amy with blue ribbons, Mina with orange, Lita with green, and Raye with red.
Queen Serenity continued the proceedings. "The five of you are now ready to receive the Guardian Powers," she said.
The Mercury symbol under Amy began to move with Amy along with it. She had moved in front of the Sailor Scouts, and the center of the area. Elistar and Queen Serenity began to switch places in the same fashion. Both met within the center of room.
"My dear Amy," Elistar began, "your intelligence and bravery in the face of danger is unparalleled to any of which I've seen." The Mercury Planet Crystal began to descend from the sky, with a golden apparatus forming around it. When the crystal reached Elistar's hands, it had transformed into a wand. It had a handle of solid gold, with the symbol of Mercury etched onto it. The crystal lay at the top, energized with pure energy. "Amy," Elistar began once more, "I bestow to you the 'Mercury Planet Power'!"
The newly created wand within Elistar's hand flew into Amy's. She clutched it, and closed her eyes. The ribbons around her body began to fly around her, just like when she transformed into Sailor Mercury previously. The ribbons flowed like water, encasing her in a familiar Sailor suit. The basic design was the same, but there were differences in her appearance. She wore the same blue boots, but her gloves had also donned the same blue color. A gold stripe streaked the bottom of her skirt, the bow on her back was longer, the broach in the middle of her chest bow had the symbol of Mercury etched on it, and her tiara had the Mercury symbol in the middle as well. "Congratulations, Guardian Mercury!" Elistar announced.
Amy could hardly believe her eyes. Not only had she gotten her powers back, she had become more powerful than before. Elistar grasped Amy's and began to shake it. Without any words though, Amy reached out her free arm and hugged Elistar. Elistar returned the hug with joy. Amy remained speechless as she floated back toward the line of Scouts.
Raye was next. She floated towards the center as Elistar and Selene switched places. Selene looked into Raye's eyes with love and happiness. "Raye, my daughter," she began. "You have proven that you have extraordinary spirit. The spirit inside you has reached out to your friends in the form of your kind words and undying devotion. You have earned this right." The Mars Planet Crystal began to descend, a gold apparatus attaching onto it as well. It reached Selene's hands, becoming a wand. The solid gold handle had the symbol of Mars etched onto it. Upon the top lay the crystal, new energy surging through it. "Raye," Selene began again, "I bestow to you the 'Mars Planet Power'!"
The wand then left Selene's hand, and flew into Raye's. When she clutched it, the ribbons surrounding her became streams of fire, enclosing her in her familiar Mars costume. She noticed subtle differences as well. Like Guardian Mercury's costume, her gloves were now red in color, a gold stripe appeared at the base of her skirt, and the bow upon her back appeared to be somewhat longer than before. Upon her broach and tiara was the symbol of Mars. "Congratulations, Guardian Mars!" Selene announced.
Raye felt her strength increase to at least ten times of what she felt with her old power. Raye reached out and put her arms around Selene's waist one more time. Selene returned the embrace and whispered something into Raye's ear. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered.
"Thanks again, Mom," Raye whispered back. Raye smiled as she floated back toward the line of her friends.
It was Lita's turn next. She took Raye's place in the center of the room as Selene and Richter switched places as well. A half smile appeared upon Richter's face as he spoke. "Well, kid," Richter began, "strength comes in many forms. You showed many of 'em, if not all of 'em, to me today." The Jupiter Planet Crystal began to float into his hand, a golden wand forming upon it as well. When it reached Richter's hand, the solid gold wand attached to the energized crystal, Jupiter symbol etched on the handle. "Lita," Richter began again, "I bestow to you the 'Jupiter Planet Power'. Catch!"
Richter, instead of letting the wand float out of his hand, simply tossed it to Lita. When she caught it, the ribbons became lightning, streaking across her body and encasing her in her Sailor Jupiter costume. Like the other Scouts, the same differences were noticed. The gold stripe, the length of the bow, the colored gloves, which were green in her case, and the places of the Jupiter symbol. "Congrat's, Guardian Jupiter!" Richter announced. "I'm proud of ya, kid," he added.
As Lita felt the new power surging through her, she felt like she could take on one hundred clones of Lilithite and not even break a sweat. She and Richter hugged, and Lita thanked Richter for all he had done. She smiled as she took her original place with her friends.
Mina was the next in line. As with the others, she took her place front and center as Richter and Lana switched places. When Mina and Lana met in the center, both smiled. "Mina," Lana began, "with your love and strength, you have made friendships that will last to the ends of time. Your title, 'Goddess of Love', fits you perfectly." She and Mina giggled a bit as the Venus Planet Crystal began it's descent. It reached Lana's hands with yet another golden wand attached to it. The wand had the symbol of Venus etched upon it, with the crystal resting on top. "Mina," she began once again, "I bestow to you the 'Venus Planet Power'!"
The wand floated out of Lana's hands and into Mina's. Once Mina took possession of the wand, the ribbons around Mina morphed into long chains of hearts, much like her Love Chain spell. The hearts enclosed around Mina's body, encasing her in her Sailor Venus uniform. But like the others, there were differences in her costume. A gold stripe streaked the bottom of her skirt, she wore orange gloves, the bow and her back seemed longer, and the symbol of Venus appeared on both her tiara and broach. "Congratulations, Guardian Venus!" Lana announced.
Mina felt the strength of the crystal surge through her body. She felt incredibly powerful, like she could take out the same mountain that Amy had fought. She and Lana hugged, and after which, Mina floated back towards the line.
The time had come for Serena to accept her power. As she floated to the center, she felt the ribbons around her disappearing. In their place, was a white, flowing dress with crescent moons laced into the fabric, much like Queen Serenity's dress. When she reached the center, Lana and Queen Serenity switched places.
"Oh, Serena," Queen Serenity began. "I am so proud of you. Of you and your friends," she said, motioning to the Scouts in the background. "All of us have watched you from above. We watched you grow up and mature this past year. You have changed so much since the first time you received your powers. And now, it is time for you to take your final step. However, it is not me who should present it to you."
Serena seemed a bit shocked. "What? Why?"
Queen Serenity only smiled. "You'll see," she said, floating towards the background.
When she reached the other elders, a new figure teleported into the ceremony. He took a few steps toward Serena so that she could recognize him. She had when she saw the glint of a red rose in the distance. "Darien!" she shouted in joy. He took a few more steps toward her, and she saw that he was clad in the familiar black tuxedo she always fantasized about. "Hey," she said, "you…you turned back into Tuxedo Mask!"
Tuxedo Mask smiled. "Yes, my sweet Serena," he said. "And now, it is your turn."
The Imperium Silver Crystal, which had hung over Queen Serenity's head, began to float above Tuxedo Mask before it began it's descent. As it was, Tuxedo Mask threw the red rose clutched in his hand at the crystal. When the rose made contact with the crystal, the crystal began to change shape.
The spherical crystal began to branch out somewhat, forming what looked like petals. The crystal also developed a pinkish tint. When the crystal reached Tuxedo Mask's hands, it had taken the form of a rose. Serena was astonished.
Soon after that, Tuxedo Mask held a new object within his hand. It took on a heart shape. He took the newly created Imperium Silver Rose Crystal and placed it within the heart. After that was done, the heart closed around the crystal. He had created a new broach. Tuxedo Mask looked up when all was said and done. "Serena," he began, "on behalf of Queen Serenity, and the entire Moon Kingdom, I present to you the 'Moon Lunar Power'!"
The new broach floated out of Tuxedo Mask's hand and into Serena's. The broach flashed the colors of the five scouts, and Serena began to transform once more.
Pink ribbons flew out of the broach, encasing her arms and legs in red gloves and boots. Her Sailor suit now seemed the same, except for the new broach in the middle of her chest bow, her longer bow on the back, and a gold stripe on the bottom of her skirt. Her tiara next with the crescent moon symbol in the middle, and the circles on her meatballs not long after that. She had once more become Sailor Moon.
Queen Serenity then took her place back in the line, Tuxedo Mask along side her. "Congratulations, Guardian Moon!" she announced.
Serena's next actions were something she just couldn't help. She ran over to Queen Serenity and gave her a tight hug. The Queen had returned the embrace as well. When the hug ended, Tuxedo Mask had interjected. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, reaching under his tuxedo jacket.
Sailor Moon looked on as he pulled out some sort of long wand. "This is the Moon Lunar Staff," Tuxedo Mask announced. "I acquired this when I…got my powers back."
He handed the staff to Sailor Moon, who marveled at the new weapon. "Wow," she said in awe. "Thanks, Tuxedo Mask! But, how did you get your powers back?"
Tuxedo Mask smiled. "I'll explain later." Accepting this, Sailor Moon just took a hold of his arm as both of them floated back towards the line of newly powered Scouts.
Queen Serenity spoke again. "You are now officially the Sailor Guardians, my children!"
"May these powers serve you well," Elistar added.
The Sailor Guardians and the two cats now crowded around eachother, congratulating and celebrating.
"Wow!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "I can't believe this!"
"I never dreamed of this power!" Sailor Mars added.
"I feel like I've been totally reborn!" Sailor Mercury commented.
"I'm just glad we got our powers back!" Sailor Venus added.
Sailor Moon raised a fist into the air. "Now we can tear Jedite and Lilithite apart!" she shouted.
"Oh yes," said Selene. "Those two."
All the Guardians looked back at the elders. "I sense that they have returned to Earth," Selene added.
"What?" said Sailor Venus.
"Yeah, afraid so," added Richter. "See for yourselves."
A circle was outlined in thin air. All the Scouts looked into it. In the vacant lot, Lilithite stood. Behind her were several ogre monsters and even more creatures dressed in black armor. "Oh, no!" Amy said. "Their going to attack Earth!"
"Well," said Sailor Moon, "now that we got new powers, we can take care of all those guys and still be home in time for dinner! You with me!"
"Yeah!" cried the rest of the Guardians.
"I'll open a portal so you can travel to the same time and place when their going to attack," said Queen Serenity. "Just remember to take care of yourselves."
"We will," said Sailor Moon. "Thanks again."
"Your welcome, my daughter," said the Queen, raising her hand.
A portal opened up to the left of the cats, Tuxedo Mask, and the Sailor Guardians. They could see a cityscape through the other end. Each of the Guardians took a last look around them, and the elders. Once everyone said their good-byes, each stepped through the portal, ready to face their worst enemy.
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NEXT TIME...
The Sailor Senshi are teleported back to Earth to seek out and destroy Jedite...but nothing is there? Also, the training grounds are set for Negaverse's reentrance, and the Seven Generals of the Apocalypse to lead them!
DISCLAIMERS: Rights to Sailor Moon are owned by Naoko Taceuchi, Kondansha Publishing, Toei, DiC, Optimum Productions, Cloverway...am I forgetting anything?
This story is supposed to provide an alternate story line to the Sailor Moon series. It starts after the Sailor Moon R series ends (the Death Phantom is destroyed and Rini goes home to Crystal Tokyo). The next events are of my own creation and do not relate to the Sailor Moon S series (at least not intentionally).
I finished this fanfic over a year ago, before the S and SuperS seasons were dubbed in America. Please excuse any attack names that are DiC-ish, because that is what I had to work with at the time. ;) This story, after looking back, seems a cross between Japanese and American references. So, please excuse the term "Negaverse" as opposed to "Dark Kingdom", because the story focuses on Jedite.
Anyway, please enjoy the story!
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CHAPTER 19
It took Serena a moment or two to recover from her dizziness. The entire world seemed to spin around her. She physically had to hold her head in one place to try and stop the spinning. "Woah," she muttered to herself. "what a trip!"
Before Serena could explore her new surroundings, they seemed to slowly fade out of focus. However, a clear vision of the Imperium Silver Crystal appeared in front of the blurred scenery. A familiar voice began to speak. "YOU MUST REOBTAIN THE IMPERIUM SILVER CRYSTAL! YOU MUST MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE!"
The vision of the crystal then vanished, allowing Serena's surroundings to come back into focus. She appeared to be in a domed structure with a small opening to the north of her. The domed walls spiraled with all the colors of the spectrum, swirling and changing, converging and dispersing in front of her eyes. However, Serena wasn't focusing on what was around her. "I know that voice!" she thought to herself. "Who was it…who was it…Dang! It's right on the tip of my tongue…"
Her train of thought was halted suddenly when she heard a familiar voice echo in her mind. "Serena!" it called to her.
Serena recognized the voice in a heartbeat. "Darien?" she called aloud. "Oh, no! I gotta help him!"
Noticing the opening within the dome, Serena entered it. She proceeded to run down a long hallway, not knowing what to expect. She didn't know what kind of danger Darien was in, or where he was for that matter. But no matter what danger he was in, Serena would do anything in her power to help him. She would even walk through fire itself. Darien had saved her countless times, and knew that he would do the same for her.
The hallway came to an end at another domed structure. This dome seemed to be identical to the one Serena first came to. "This is weird," she thought to herself. "Am I back to where I started?"
Her question was answered by a noise behind her. She turned to see the opening to the hallway seal behind her. The walls seemed to close around the opening instead of using a door. Once the opening was completely sealed, it was as if there was no opening to begin with. "Great," Serena said aloud. "Just great. I'm trapped in here, I have to look for the Imperium Silver Crystal again, and I still don't know where Darien is!" She kicked the wall where the opening used to be. "What a great day so far!"
The voice from before called to her again "Serena!" it shouted. "Help me!"
Serena found it was closer than before. Once again, she turned around. Directly in front of her, she could see a lone figure. It was a man, clad in a tuxedo, shackles around his wrists.
However, it was not the Tuxedo Mask that she had known. Instead, the man wore a tuxedo of light violet, equipped with a yellow cape. Long blonde hair peeked out from under the top hat. The top hat itself looked like the top was punched out of it. And to top it all off, he wore a lima bean-green mask. His yelling now took on a more sarcastic tone. "Oh, Serena!" he falsely yelled, "Help me! Help me! I'm so trapped! I need help! Serena! Help!"
Upon seeing the false Tuxedo Mask in his mismatched costume, Serena's first reaction was an odd one: she burst out with uncontrollable laughter. She fell to her knees, trying to compose herself. "No way!" she shouted, drying her eyes from laughter tears. "You gotta be kidding me!"
The man in the tuxedo looked up at Serena. "What are you laughing at?" he shouted in anger. "I'm Tuxedo Mask! Don't you recognize me?"
Serena rose to her feet again, removing the last of the giggles from her system. "You're not Tuxedo Mask!" she shouted, seriousness returning to her voice. "He can't even transform back into Tuxedo Mask! How dare you fool me into thinking you're Darien! What have you done with him?"
The tuxedo-clad figure's shackles disappeared from his arms, allowing free movement. "He's not here," he responded with no emotion.
"Give me a break!" Serena shouted. "What have you done with him?"
The man began to get angrier. "Nothing!" he shouted, reaching behind his back. He pulled out a whip, and cracked it once. A yellow colored rug covered his body from view for a second or two. When it rose, it revealed a blonde-haired male with an odd symbol on his forehead. The shirt he wore barely covered his stomach, and he wore yellow pants. A smile appeared upon his face. "I am Tigerseye!" he yelled triumphantly. "You can forget about your dear 'Darien', now that I'm around!"
Serena's eye's bulged from her sockets. "Ugh!" she shouted in disgust. "When was your last trip to the mall?" Her eyes showed no interest in him whatsoever. "I'd never forget about Darien! Where is he, you creep?"
Serena's reaction was quite a shock to Tigerseye. He was used to having women fall all over him. "You can forget about your Tuxedo Mask," he cackled. "I'm much more of a man than he is!
"Not by the looks of it!" yelled Serena, inspecting Tigerseye's choice of clothing.
Tigerseye began to grow furious. "Okay!" he shouted. "We're going to have to do this the hard way!" He lifted up his whip again and cracked it. "One!" he shouted.
A huge wooden board rose from behind Serena. It caught Serena off balance, causing Serena to lay upon it.
Tigerseye, happy that this finally shut the girl up, proceeded along with his routine. "Two!" he shouted.
Shackles appeared upon the board and encased Serena's arms and legs, forcing her not to escape.
Tigerseye had to physically restrain himself from saying "Three!", for this time it was not needed. "I have to stick with test," he thought to himself. He looked into Serena's eyes. "Now look, you're going to have to listen to me. Are you going to listen to me or not?!" he shouted.
Serena's defense still held strong. "Do I have a choice?" she remarked.
Tigerseye was inclined to agree. "No, you don't!" he shouted with glee. "Now," he began to explain, "number one: Darien IS NOT HERE!"
"All right, all right," Serena said. "You made your point!"
Tigerseye raised his hand once again, making a new shackle appear over Serena's mouth, much to her displeasure. He began again. "First, you reject me. Now you interrupt me! I'm going to keep you here until you decide to cooperate with me. I'm tired of these games. Will you?" Serena only nodded in agreement.
"Very well," he said calmly. With a wave of his hand, the board and shackles disappeared, allowing Serena to stand on her own two feet.
"Now, I can explain," Tigerseye began once more. "The reason that I am here is to give you have a choice to make. A choice between two things."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "That's it?" A smile appeared on her face. "Wow, this is gonna be easy!"
"Anyway," Tigerseye remarked, impatience washing over him, "you have to choose from which is behind Door #1, or Door #2." Two doors appeared on both sides of him, labeled respectively. "Now, whichever one you choose, you get to keep what's behind it. What you don't, will be destroyed. Do you understand?"
"Do I find out what's behind the doors after I pick the one I want?" Serena asked.
"Actually, I'll reveal the contents now, if you like," Tigerseye corrected.
Serena was somewhat confused. "…All right," she said, unsure of herself.
Tigerseye waved his hand in front of the first door, causing it to open. Serena was shocked at what she saw. Behind the first door were her friends, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. All four of them were suspended within multi-colored crystals. All appeared to be unconscious.
"My friends!" Serena gasped. She turned an angry gaze towards Tigerseye. "What have you done to them?!?"
"Nothing," Tigerseye replied calmly. "They are all asleep."
Tears began to fall from Serena's eyes, seeing her friends helpless. "What…what happened to them?" she uttered, barely able to get the words out.
Tigerseye began to explain. "As they entered that portal you went through, they were intercepted by yours truly." He began to emit a high-pitched laugh. "When they saw how powerful and handsome I was, they had to bow towards me!"
Serena looked disgusted. "My friends would never give up!" she shouted. "They would fight 'till the end!"
Tigerseye laughed again. "Oh, they didn't give up voluntarily!" he cackled. "One raise of my hand, and the crystal trap was set! Your "Scouts" never knew what hit them!"
Serena became furious. She created a fist with her right hand, and tried to throw a punch headed towards Tigerseye's face. Anticipating her move, Tigerseye snapped his fingers. A temporary shield was erected around his head, blocking the blow. Serena reared her hand back in pain; it was as if she was punching solid steel.
Tigerseye raised a finger and wagged it in front of Serena's face. "Uh, uh, uh!" he cackled once more. "I wouldn't do that, 'Sailor Moon'! Do you want to end up like your friends?"
Serena, realizing her position at the moment, had to comply. "All right," she said. "Besides, I know which door I'm gonna choose anyway."
Tigerseye smiled. "I wouldn't be to sure about that, my dear," he said. With a second wave of his hand, the second door opened, revealing the contents within.
Serena gasped at what had lain behind the door. Like the first door, all four of her friends were suspended within the same four crystals. Both doors had contained exact duplicates of her friends.
Serena couldn't explain what was happening. "What the…" she whispered, trying to sort things out in her mind. . "My friends…both doors are the same…which door has my real friends?"
Tigerseye grinned as he saw Serena deliberate with herself. "Well, that seems to be the question of the day, doesn't it?" he said cockily.
"Wha…wha…WHAT'S GOING ON?" she shouted, finally able to speak.
"What, you haven't figured it out, yet?" Tigerseye said. "One of these doors contain your friends. The other door contains a set of harmless clones. All you have to do pick the right door, and you get your friends back."
"And…and what if I…choose wrong?" Serena stuttered, cringing at the thought.
"Well that's simple," Tigerseye said with no emotion. "Your friends are blown to kingdom-come!"
Serena thought for a moment, trying to let this situation sink in. She had to ask Tigerseye again, to make sure that with only a few words she could destroy her friends for good. "Okay," she said. "So, if I make the right choice, my friends go free?"
"Of course," said Tigerseye, reassuringly. "You have my word no harm will come to them."
"And if I make the wrong choice…you'll des…destroy them?" Serena could barely get the words out. She couldn't even think of the notion of her friends gone.
Tigerseye looked shocked. "Hey, who said I was going to destroy them?"
Serena was confused. "But I thought you said…"
"I said," said Tigerseye, cutting her off, "that your friends would be destroyed if you make the wrong choice. I never said who or what would destroy them!" A twisted grin appeared on his face. "The task lies with you!"
Serena nearly collapsed when she heard those words. "WHAT!" she shouted.
Tigerseye let a high-pitched laugh pass through his lips. "That's right!" he said. "Only you can choose the fate of your companions! You get to destroy what you think is false!" An object appeared within his left hand. "Here, catch!" he shouted, throwing the item toward her.
When Serena caught it, she recognized it upon inspection It was a round, golden object with a red oval in the center. "It's the…Moon Tiara!" she remarked.
"Remember that, 'Sailor Moon'?" he cackled. "All you have to do is throw it at what you think is false. Heck, I'll even get you started!" With yet another wave of his hands, Serena's tiara solidified into an energy discus. "Now I'll return when your ready to do your little 'deed'. Make sure you pick the right one!" With another high-pitched laugh, Tigerseye disappeared from view.
Holding her tiara in hand, Serena began to sweat profusely. The pressure was really on her now. One million emotions and scenarios played out in her head. She kept imagining what would happen if she made the wrong choice. She would have to live with the burden of sending her friends to an early grave. She couldn't live with herself if that happened.
As she tried to concentrate, memories flooded her head as well. She remembered the good times that she had with the other Sailor Scouts. She remembered how they all met, how they became Scouts, the countless enemies they faced, and all the times they had won those battles. With all these thoughts circulating in her head, and the million voices that went along with them, Serena thought she would pass out.
But soon, one voice rang out louder than the others. One sweet, clear voice that had greeted her when she came to this horrid place. "MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE, SERENA," the voice rang out. "MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE."
It was then that Serena's thoughts became clear to her. All the confusion and worry cleared away, allowing her confidence to return. "Queen Serenity," she thought to herself. "Mother, I won't let you down!"
"Hey, Tigerseye!" she shouted aloud. "You there? I made my choice! You can come out, now!"
Tigerseye rematerialized in the middle of the two doors. He laughed once again. "Well, don't just stand there, throw the disk!" he cackled. "I just hope you made the right choice!"
Serena smiled. "Oh, believe me, I made the right choice, all right!" She shifted into her fighting stance, preparing to make the 'right choice'. "Moon Tiara…MAGIC!!!" she shouted.
She threw the energy disk with all her might with dead-on aim, heading straight for her target…the center of the two doors.
Tigerseye didn't know what was happening until it was too late. When he saw the tiara heading his direction at blinding speeds, he didn't have any time to evade the attack. It struck him square in the chest, surrounding him with engulfing bright light.
His strength held out to ask one last question of Serena. "Why…Serena…why…?"
"My friends would never give up that easily!" she said, her turn to be cocky. "Besides, I knew both sets were fakes. I couldn't see them breathing." She did several hand gestures that up until now she only did as Sailor Moon. "In the name of the Moon, I punished you!"
Tigerseye could do nothing but scream as the light from the tiara engulfed him completely. However, something unexpected happened. The scenery around Serena began to crack and break away. Explosions surrounded her as the dome began to collapse. She could only use her clothing to shield her as chunks of the domed ceiling rained down upon her…
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Serena opened her eyes, fearing the worst. She thought she would see debris of the dome everywhere, maybe even a huge chunk trapping her as well. However, nothing remained of the dome. All that surrounded her was a void, the different shades of pink swirling all around her. Serena just stared ahead in disbelief. "Did I win?" she thought aloud. "Am I alive, for that matter?"
"Very much so, my dear daughter," came a voice from afar.
Serena recognized that voice from inside the dome. "Mother?" she asked aloud. "Is that you?"
A woman in a familiar white dress with silver hair appeared in front of her. She had the familiar meatball hairstyle to go with it. She was Queen Serenity. "Serena," she said in her beautiful voice, "I'm so proud of you."
Serena's eyes widened. "Was this whole thing the test?" she asked. "Did I pass it, Mother?"
"Oh, Serena, still full of questions I see," Serenity remarked. "Yes, you passed."
Overcome with joy, Serena practically danced around her mother from the past. "Yahoo!" she cried. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I actually passed a test! I passed! I passed!"
Serenity began to laugh. "Woah, slow down Serena!" she said. Serena did as she asked. "As I was saying, I'm very proud of you. You have shown courage and merit far greater than I have seen in ages."
An object appeared between the two. It was the Imperium Silver Crystal. "The Crystal!" Serena shouted, grasping it. "I got the crystal back!"
Serenity smiled. "You earned it, my daughter," she said. "Now, time is short. We must be off to the ceremony."
"A ceremony?" Serena asked. "What for?"
"You'll see," Serenity said. She offered Serena her hand, a signal for her to take it. But Serena decided to put her arms around Serenity in an embrace.
"Thank you, Mother," she whispered, "for giving me courage…for giving me life…for everything." Serenity returned the embrace as they both faded into the mist…
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CHAPTER 20
Luna and Artemis laid upon the park bench, waiting for some sort of sign. The Sailor Scouts had been gone literally for hours. The sun had set a while ago, and the stars were sparkling in the sky. Luna was getting worried. "Artemis?" Luna asked him, "do you think something went wrong during the tests?"
Artemis lowered his head. "I hope not," Artemis responded. "They've been gone a long time."
A wave of silence swept between the two for the next few moments. Neither cat could offer a word of consultation to eachother. Both didn't know what was going to happen.
Soon after, the silence was broken, but not from words from either of the cats. A sound from behind them caught them off guard. A large doorway had appeared from where had been nothing before.
Both cats turned behind them. "Luna!" Artemis shouted with joy. "The portal's reopened!"
The portal flashed with the colors of all five Sailor Scouts, creating a wondrous display of beauty. A sweet voice came from inside. "Luna… Artemis…" it chanted.
Luna gasped. "Queen Serenity!" she shouted.
"The Sailor Scouts have done well," Serenity said in a joyous voice. "The time has come for the Guardian Ceremony."
Both Luna and Artemis nodded. With happiness washing over them, both bounded toward the portal and entered it. Once they entered, the portal closed with an abrupt flash.
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The next thing Serena knew was that she was lost in a mysterious thick blue fog. She also noticed that Queen Serenity was gone from around her arms. She was just embracing the vapor. "Queen…Queen Serenity?" she asked out loud. "Mother? Where'd you go?"
Placing the Imperium Silver Crystal in her pocket, she spent a few moments wandering the fog, trying to get her bearings. She didn't feel any dizziness like before, so it was easier to explore. The only thing that seemed to obstruct her vision now was the fog she was traversing in.
After a few moments of exploring, she began to hear a voice. "Elistar?" the voice exclaimed. "Elistar? Are you here?"
This voice was unmistakable. "Amy!" Serena shouted with joy.
After a small pause, Amy spoke again. "Se…Serena?" Amy yelled. "Is that you? I can't see much in this fog!"
"Amy! It is you!" Serena yelled back. "Try and follow my voice, and I'll try and follow yours!"
"I'll do better than that!" shouted Amy. She pulled out her computer, and started punching in different calculations, writing a new program. After a few moments, she finished typing and began to run it. A bright light began to emanate from the screen. "Okay, Serena!" Amy shouted. "Just follow the light!"
Serena did as she was asked. As The light became bigger and closer, Serena could make out Amy's outline within the fog. When she was around ten feet away, she could make out Amy perfectly. It was then that Serena broke into a run. Amy, happy to see her friend once more, did the same. Both met in the middle, meeting with an embrace. "Oh, Amy," Serena said. "It's so good to see you again!"
"It's great to see you, too," Amy remarked.
The hug was broken off after a moment. "So, Amy," Serena started. "Let me guess. You passed the test, right?"
Amy smiled once again. "Yes, I sure did!"
"All right, Amy!" Serena said, congratulating her. "So what did you do?"
"Well, I had to fight a mountain," explained Amy, trying to find the best way to put it.
"Excuse me?" said Serena, "You had to fight a what?"
"I'll explain later," said Amy. "But after I was through, I received this." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her prize from the test. "It's the Mercury Planet Crystal."
She handed it to Serena, admiring the beauty. "Wow," Serena said in amazement. "It's got a model of Mercury and everything!" She handed it back to Amy, who pocketed it once more.
"So, Serena," Amy said. "Did you pass your test?"
"I did!" exclaimed Serena enthusiastically. "I can't believe it myself."
"Let me write something down," said Amy, typing on her computer once again. "Today, on this date," she typed, "Serena actually passed a test."
Serena knew this was sarcasm. "Gee, Amy, I never get to see how funny you are! You're a laugh riot!"
Amy giggled. "Well, you have to admit that it isn't every day that you pass a test. But anyway, congratulations!"
"Thanks, Amy," said Serena, reaching into her pocket. "I got the Imperium Silver Crystal back, too!"
"Great!" said Amy, knowing that it was a great achievement within itself. "What did you have to do?"
"Well, I just had to…"
Her explanation was cut off by another voice in the background. It was to the left of where they were standing. "Lana?" it called. "Lana, where'd you go! Lana!"
"That's Mina's voice!" Amy remarked. "I'll call her over here."
"No, wait a sec," halted Serena. "I got an idea. Let me see your computer."
Reluctantly, Amy handed the device to Serena. She flashed the light emanating from the computer screen towards where Mina's voice came from. "Miiiiiiiiiiiiina Aiiiiiiiiiinnnoooooo!" she said in a booming voice. "Cooooome to the liiiiiiight! Cooooome to the liiiiiiight!"
Mina turned around, seeing the light flash in the distance. "Who's there?" she yelled.
"It's us!" shouted Amy. "Serena's just goofing off!" Serena was a tad angry that Amy blew their cover.
"Guys!" shouted Mina, running toward the twosome. She nearly ran into Serena thanks to the thick blue fog. But both girls managed to stay upon their feet. "All right!" she exclaimed. "You're both here!"
"Yep," said Serena. "We both passed the test!"
"Wow," said Mina, somewhat stunned. "Serena passed the test! Okay, Serena passed the test….Serena passed….no matter how many times I say that, it still sounds weird."
"You're real funny, Mina," remarked a sarcastic Serena. "Hardy har, har."
"Well, I passed the test, too!" she held out the orange crystal she received. "And I got the Venus Planet Crystal to prove it!"
Before Mina could say much else, another voice was heard, this time to the right of them. "Mom?" the voice yelled. "Where are you, Mom?"
"That's Raye!" Mina said. She began to shout towards the direction Raye was in. "Raye! Over here!"
Raye turned to see a light within the blue fog. "Mina?" she yelled. "You're here, too?"
"Plus Serena and I," added Amy.
"Just follow the light, and you'll find us!" shouted Serena.
As told, Raye followed the light. Once she got there, the foursome hugged once again. "So did you all pass the test?" Raye asked. "I did."
"So did the rest of us!" Serena exclaimed.
"Raye smiled. "Now here's a switch," Raye remarked. "Serena actually…"
"I get it, okay," Serena shouted, tired of all these jokes on her behalf. "I already got enough from Amy and Mina!"
"I got the Mars Planet Crystal," said Raye, pulling it out from under her robes. "So, what did everyone do on their tests?"
Before anyone could answer, Amy held out her hand. "Hold on," she said. A red light began to beep on her computer. "I'm detecting another figure approaching us at alarming speeds!"
The group could see the shadow outlined in the blue fog. "Come back here, Richter!" she exclaimed. "Where did you…"
The shouting was cut off, when the figure collided into the group, accidentally tackling Raye and Mina to the floor. Serena and Amy were able to recognize her when the hullabaloo was over. "Lita!" they both shouted.
Raye was the next to speak. "Nice goin', Ace!" she muttered in pain. "Could you please get offa me!"
Lita slowly staggered to her feet, with Raye and Mina afterwards. "Sorry, guys," she apologized. "Guess I got carried away." The rest of the characters face faulted as Lita laughed it off. "So, uh, did everyone do good on the test?"
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It was soon after this that everyone began to explain their adventures in the strange realm of the testing grounds. Amy told the story of how she out-smarted a mountain creature. Mina was next with the evil talent agent/Hawksseye and how Mina was able to choose between friends and fortune. Raye told how she defeated the evil Fire Marshal using scroll and psychic powers. Serena interjected that she would never cross Raye on a bad day again. Lita told how she saved a young girl from an monster called Fisheye. Serena was the last to go, explaining the difficult choice she had to make, and how Tigerseye made it even harder. And all recounted the experiences with their elders of the Silver Millenium. Each girl had a crystal to show, proving they had earned the right to come this far.
"This is so great!" Serena said. "The Sailor Scouts are back together again!"
"Remember," said Amy, "we're probably going to have to call ourselves 'Sailor Guardians' now. Remember what Luna and Artemis said?"
"It's going to be hard saying 'Guardian Venus' instead of 'Sailor Venus'," Mina said. "I'm still gonna call everyone 'Sailor' instead."
"I agree," added Lita. "It's easier that way."
"Yeah," muttered Raye, who was pretty much silent during most of the conversation. "But only one thing's got me confused."
"What's that?" asked Mina.
"Well, all our 'parents' disappeared once we came here," Raye said. "I wonder why that is?"
"Wait a sec," said Serena, recalling what Queen Serenity had told her. "I think Queen Serenity said something about a…ceremony…or something that we have to be at."
"A ceremony?" asked Lita. "What for?"
"Maybe it's to officially say that we had passed the tests," Amy guessed.
"Maybe," said Raye, considering the possibility. "I'm just a bit skeptical."
At this time, the individual crystals began to glow they're respective colors. They began to float out of the hands of the Sailor Scouts, grouping together several feet into the air. The Scout's could only watch as they began to form a circle in the air.
"Hey, Raye," Lita muttered to her, "I think you got a reason to be skeptical now."
The crystals then broke off from their circle, and proceeded to float into the distance. The fog then began to dissipate. Once the fog was gone, the Scouts could finally see the where their guardians had led them. Broken pillars and ruins surrounded their location. In the distance, they could see the ruins of a palace. They had returned to the ruins of the Moon Kingdom, of the Silver Millenium.
The Scouts could only marvel of what was around them, not able to take it in the first time they arrived. Nobody said a thing, for there was no need for words. When they looked to see the palace, they saw five objects outlined in the distance. They were the Crystals, lined up at key locations from left to right: Mercury, Venus, Imperium, Jupiter, and Mars.
The crystals then began to emit beams of concentrated light that headed downwards toward the floor. When the beams struck, the symbols of the planets, and a crescent moon appeared on the ground.
"Stand upon your respective planet symbols," spoke a voice from afar. "The ceremony is about to begin!"
"Who was that?" asked Amy.
Serena recognized the voice immediately. "Queen Serenity!" she remarked, proudly. "She's the one who brought us back here. Now we have nothing to worry about!"
"Well," Mina said, "I guess it's time…"
"…to face our destinies," Raye finished.
"Well, lets go!" Lita shouted, energetic to finish this event.
Each of the Sailor Scouts slowly walked towards the five symbols glowing on the ground, doubts pushed away from their minds at last. Each person stood upon a planet symbol, underneath their respective crystals, and the ceremony began.
About twenty feet in front of them, a white spotlight appeared. Standing within it were two familiar feline figures.
"Luna!" Serena shouted.
"Artemis!" shouted Mina.
"Hi, guys," said a joyous Artemis.
"It is good to see you again, Sailor Scouts," said Luna with a tear in her eye.
"Today," Artemis began, "you've taken your final step in your training. You've become full fledged Sailor Guardians!"
"We're so proud of you all," Luna commented.
"As well as the rest of us," said a voice within the background.
"Elistar!" Amy shouted. "So that's where he went!
The crystals above the Sailor Scouts began to glow once more. Each one of them repeated the process of before. Floating off into the distance, forming a line, and emitting beams of light from before. However, the order of the crystals differed: Mars, Jupiter, Imperium, Venus, and Mercury.
Once the crystals emitted the light beams, the same five planet symbols were created. However, five figures stood directly across from them. The first wore Shinto robes that had looked like Raye's, only a different color scheme. The second was very well built, wearing only a pair of green pants. The third was a beautiful woman with crescent moons sewn into her dress. The fourth wore an orange, strapless dress with blonde hair almost touching the floor. The fifth was an elderly man, wearing blue robes and carrying a staff to lean on. These were the Sailor Scout's ancestors. These were the Guardians of the Planets.
"Greetings, my children," greeted the man within the blue robes. "We must all introduce ourselves to begin this ceremony. I am Elistar, Guardian of Mercury."
The woman in the strapless dress was next. "I am Lana, Guardian of Venus."
The woman in the Shinto robes spoke next. "I am Selene, Guardian of Mars."
The man with the well built physique was the next to speak. "I'm Richter, Jupiter's Guardian."
Finally, woman in the center with the crescent moon dress spoke. "And I'm am Queen Serenity, Ruler of the Silver Millenium." The girls were happy to see their parents once again.
"We are you elders from the past," began Elistar.
"We are the Planetary Guardians," continued Lana.
"We have protected our respective planets with our spirits for centuries," continued Selene.
"We didn't let any evil forces get through!" continued Richter.
"And, now," Queen Serenity finished, "it is time to pass this duty, and this power, onto the five of you."
A bright light began to flash into the background, mostly for dramatic effect. Serena and the rest were mesmerized by this. Soon after this, Serena noticed that her clothes were fading from here body. Embarrassed, she threw her arms over her chest. However, it wasn't needed. Pink ribbons flew around her body, much like when she transformed into Sailor Moon. However, the ribbons seemed to hover around her and cover most of her. Looking around her, she noticed her friends the same way; Amy with blue ribbons, Mina with orange, Lita with green, and Raye with red.
Queen Serenity continued the proceedings. "The five of you are now ready to receive the Guardian Powers," she said.
The Mercury symbol under Amy began to move with Amy along with it. She had moved in front of the Sailor Scouts, and the center of the area. Elistar and Queen Serenity began to switch places in the same fashion. Both met within the center of room.
"My dear Amy," Elistar began, "your intelligence and bravery in the face of danger is unparalleled to any of which I've seen." The Mercury Planet Crystal began to descend from the sky, with a golden apparatus forming around it. When the crystal reached Elistar's hands, it had transformed into a wand. It had a handle of solid gold, with the symbol of Mercury etched onto it. The crystal lay at the top, energized with pure energy. "Amy," Elistar began once more, "I bestow to you the 'Mercury Planet Power'!"
The newly created wand within Elistar's hand flew into Amy's. She clutched it, and closed her eyes. The ribbons around her body began to fly around her, just like when she transformed into Sailor Mercury previously. The ribbons flowed like water, encasing her in a familiar Sailor suit. The basic design was the same, but there were differences in her appearance. She wore the same blue boots, but her gloves had also donned the same blue color. A gold stripe streaked the bottom of her skirt, the bow on her back was longer, the broach in the middle of her chest bow had the symbol of Mercury etched on it, and her tiara had the Mercury symbol in the middle as well. "Congratulations, Guardian Mercury!" Elistar announced.
Amy could hardly believe her eyes. Not only had she gotten her powers back, she had become more powerful than before. Elistar grasped Amy's and began to shake it. Without any words though, Amy reached out her free arm and hugged Elistar. Elistar returned the hug with joy. Amy remained speechless as she floated back toward the line of Scouts.
Raye was next. She floated towards the center as Elistar and Selene switched places. Selene looked into Raye's eyes with love and happiness. "Raye, my daughter," she began. "You have proven that you have extraordinary spirit. The spirit inside you has reached out to your friends in the form of your kind words and undying devotion. You have earned this right." The Mars Planet Crystal began to descend, a gold apparatus attaching onto it as well. It reached Selene's hands, becoming a wand. The solid gold handle had the symbol of Mars etched onto it. Upon the top lay the crystal, new energy surging through it. "Raye," Selene began again, "I bestow to you the 'Mars Planet Power'!"
The wand then left Selene's hand, and flew into Raye's. When she clutched it, the ribbons surrounding her became streams of fire, enclosing her in her familiar Mars costume. She noticed subtle differences as well. Like Guardian Mercury's costume, her gloves were now red in color, a gold stripe appeared at the base of her skirt, and the bow upon her back appeared to be somewhat longer than before. Upon her broach and tiara was the symbol of Mars. "Congratulations, Guardian Mars!" Selene announced.
Raye felt her strength increase to at least ten times of what she felt with her old power. Raye reached out and put her arms around Selene's waist one more time. Selene returned the embrace and whispered something into Raye's ear. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered.
"Thanks again, Mom," Raye whispered back. Raye smiled as she floated back toward the line of her friends.
It was Lita's turn next. She took Raye's place in the center of the room as Selene and Richter switched places as well. A half smile appeared upon Richter's face as he spoke. "Well, kid," Richter began, "strength comes in many forms. You showed many of 'em, if not all of 'em, to me today." The Jupiter Planet Crystal began to float into his hand, a golden wand forming upon it as well. When it reached Richter's hand, the solid gold wand attached to the energized crystal, Jupiter symbol etched on the handle. "Lita," Richter began again, "I bestow to you the 'Jupiter Planet Power'. Catch!"
Richter, instead of letting the wand float out of his hand, simply tossed it to Lita. When she caught it, the ribbons became lightning, streaking across her body and encasing her in her Sailor Jupiter costume. Like the other Scouts, the same differences were noticed. The gold stripe, the length of the bow, the colored gloves, which were green in her case, and the places of the Jupiter symbol. "Congrat's, Guardian Jupiter!" Richter announced. "I'm proud of ya, kid," he added.
As Lita felt the new power surging through her, she felt like she could take on one hundred clones of Lilithite and not even break a sweat. She and Richter hugged, and Lita thanked Richter for all he had done. She smiled as she took her original place with her friends.
Mina was the next in line. As with the others, she took her place front and center as Richter and Lana switched places. When Mina and Lana met in the center, both smiled. "Mina," Lana began, "with your love and strength, you have made friendships that will last to the ends of time. Your title, 'Goddess of Love', fits you perfectly." She and Mina giggled a bit as the Venus Planet Crystal began it's descent. It reached Lana's hands with yet another golden wand attached to it. The wand had the symbol of Venus etched upon it, with the crystal resting on top. "Mina," she began once again, "I bestow to you the 'Venus Planet Power'!"
The wand floated out of Lana's hands and into Mina's. Once Mina took possession of the wand, the ribbons around Mina morphed into long chains of hearts, much like her Love Chain spell. The hearts enclosed around Mina's body, encasing her in her Sailor Venus uniform. But like the others, there were differences in her costume. A gold stripe streaked the bottom of her skirt, she wore orange gloves, the bow and her back seemed longer, and the symbol of Venus appeared on both her tiara and broach. "Congratulations, Guardian Venus!" Lana announced.
Mina felt the strength of the crystal surge through her body. She felt incredibly powerful, like she could take out the same mountain that Amy had fought. She and Lana hugged, and after which, Mina floated back towards the line.
The time had come for Serena to accept her power. As she floated to the center, she felt the ribbons around her disappearing. In their place, was a white, flowing dress with crescent moons laced into the fabric, much like Queen Serenity's dress. When she reached the center, Lana and Queen Serenity switched places.
"Oh, Serena," Queen Serenity began. "I am so proud of you. Of you and your friends," she said, motioning to the Scouts in the background. "All of us have watched you from above. We watched you grow up and mature this past year. You have changed so much since the first time you received your powers. And now, it is time for you to take your final step. However, it is not me who should present it to you."
Serena seemed a bit shocked. "What? Why?"
Queen Serenity only smiled. "You'll see," she said, floating towards the background.
When she reached the other elders, a new figure teleported into the ceremony. He took a few steps toward Serena so that she could recognize him. She had when she saw the glint of a red rose in the distance. "Darien!" she shouted in joy. He took a few more steps toward her, and she saw that he was clad in the familiar black tuxedo she always fantasized about. "Hey," she said, "you…you turned back into Tuxedo Mask!"
Tuxedo Mask smiled. "Yes, my sweet Serena," he said. "And now, it is your turn."
The Imperium Silver Crystal, which had hung over Queen Serenity's head, began to float above Tuxedo Mask before it began it's descent. As it was, Tuxedo Mask threw the red rose clutched in his hand at the crystal. When the rose made contact with the crystal, the crystal began to change shape.
The spherical crystal began to branch out somewhat, forming what looked like petals. The crystal also developed a pinkish tint. When the crystal reached Tuxedo Mask's hands, it had taken the form of a rose. Serena was astonished.
Soon after that, Tuxedo Mask held a new object within his hand. It took on a heart shape. He took the newly created Imperium Silver Rose Crystal and placed it within the heart. After that was done, the heart closed around the crystal. He had created a new broach. Tuxedo Mask looked up when all was said and done. "Serena," he began, "on behalf of Queen Serenity, and the entire Moon Kingdom, I present to you the 'Moon Lunar Power'!"
The new broach floated out of Tuxedo Mask's hand and into Serena's. The broach flashed the colors of the five scouts, and Serena began to transform once more.
Pink ribbons flew out of the broach, encasing her arms and legs in red gloves and boots. Her Sailor suit now seemed the same, except for the new broach in the middle of her chest bow, her longer bow on the back, and a gold stripe on the bottom of her skirt. Her tiara next with the crescent moon symbol in the middle, and the circles on her meatballs not long after that. She had once more become Sailor Moon.
Queen Serenity then took her place back in the line, Tuxedo Mask along side her. "Congratulations, Guardian Moon!" she announced.
Serena's next actions were something she just couldn't help. She ran over to Queen Serenity and gave her a tight hug. The Queen had returned the embrace as well. When the hug ended, Tuxedo Mask had interjected. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, reaching under his tuxedo jacket.
Sailor Moon looked on as he pulled out some sort of long wand. "This is the Moon Lunar Staff," Tuxedo Mask announced. "I acquired this when I…got my powers back."
He handed the staff to Sailor Moon, who marveled at the new weapon. "Wow," she said in awe. "Thanks, Tuxedo Mask! But, how did you get your powers back?"
Tuxedo Mask smiled. "I'll explain later." Accepting this, Sailor Moon just took a hold of his arm as both of them floated back towards the line of newly powered Scouts.
Queen Serenity spoke again. "You are now officially the Sailor Guardians, my children!"
"May these powers serve you well," Elistar added.
The Sailor Guardians and the two cats now crowded around eachother, congratulating and celebrating.
"Wow!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "I can't believe this!"
"I never dreamed of this power!" Sailor Mars added.
"I feel like I've been totally reborn!" Sailor Mercury commented.
"I'm just glad we got our powers back!" Sailor Venus added.
Sailor Moon raised a fist into the air. "Now we can tear Jedite and Lilithite apart!" she shouted.
"Oh yes," said Selene. "Those two."
All the Guardians looked back at the elders. "I sense that they have returned to Earth," Selene added.
"What?" said Sailor Venus.
"Yeah, afraid so," added Richter. "See for yourselves."
A circle was outlined in thin air. All the Scouts looked into it. In the vacant lot, Lilithite stood. Behind her were several ogre monsters and even more creatures dressed in black armor. "Oh, no!" Amy said. "Their going to attack Earth!"
"Well," said Sailor Moon, "now that we got new powers, we can take care of all those guys and still be home in time for dinner! You with me!"
"Yeah!" cried the rest of the Guardians.
"I'll open a portal so you can travel to the same time and place when their going to attack," said Queen Serenity. "Just remember to take care of yourselves."
"We will," said Sailor Moon. "Thanks again."
"Your welcome, my daughter," said the Queen, raising her hand.
A portal opened up to the left of the cats, Tuxedo Mask, and the Sailor Guardians. They could see a cityscape through the other end. Each of the Guardians took a last look around them, and the elders. Once everyone said their good-byes, each stepped through the portal, ready to face their worst enemy.
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NEXT TIME...
The Sailor Senshi are teleported back to Earth to seek out and destroy Jedite...but nothing is there? Also, the training grounds are set for Negaverse's reentrance, and the Seven Generals of the Apocalypse to lead them!