SWORD
The Priestess of the Pythian Temple walked along the walls, regarding her enemy coldly. She wore a flowing white robe, cinched at the waist with a black belt, and kept her hands hidden within the voluminous sleeves. A wind stirred, pulling her long red hair out behind her and whipping a few strands across her green eyes. She absentmindedly pushed her hair aside, the gray gem on her forehead shining dimly in the morning sun.
Before her, sprawled among the fields, were her attackers. She had no idea why or how they had come to this planet, but suspected the five prisoners had something to do with it. Perhaps they were all in this together, the five she held now merely a distraction while the larger force arrived. She cursed herself for being caught in so obvious a trap and spun around. Inside the temple courtyard, a few hundred brown robed serpent monks waited patiently for her commands. She sighed inwardly, knowing her followers were not warriors. She glanced over her shoulder back to the hostile army and frowned. Today would not be a day of life, but a day of death.
"My friends," she announced, facing her monks. "We have fallen on hard times. First, the five prisoners invaded our world, distracting us from this harsher threat."
The priestess gestured behind her to the massing army. A frightened murmur rippled through the assembled monks. The priestess raised her chin bravely, offering the others her strength. She opened her mouth to continue her speech when she heard someone beside her clear his throat. She turned to see her advisor in his red robe standing near her with another white robed monk behind him. Her advisor inclined his head when she faced him and the white robed monk fell to his knees, pressing his forehead on the ground.
"What is it?" the priestess hissed in the serpent language.
"Mistress Kyn," her advisor said quietly, "this monk is the caretaker of the prisoners. He begs to speak with you directly."
Kyn frowned in thought and nodded. The red robed advisor clapped his hands and the white monk sprung to his feet, his head still bowed.
"You may speak," Kyn told him.
The monk known to the prisoners as Tenki bowed deeply and raised his head.
"Mistress," he said. "The prisoners offer you their services in the upcoming battle."
Kyn glanced quickly at her advisor, who shook his head slightly. The red haired priestess also had her reservations. The prisoners had distracted her and the monks long enough for the army to arrive at their gates, but now they offered help?
"It's a trap," Kyn concluded. Tenki did his best to conceal his shocked expression. "Put as many guards as we can spare with them. They're up to something."
Tenki bowed again and backed away without rising. The priestess Kyn turned back to her monks, but the thought of the prisoners offering to help still puzzled her. What were these strange people up to?
********
As Tenki left the dungeon after delivering his news, Makoto punched the wall of the cell. Minako, who had been leaning on the same wall in her own cell, dashed aside as dirt and crumbling rocks fell on her.
"What are you doing in there?" Minako demanded.
"Punching the wall," Chibiusa, who was across from them, answered.
"Sorry," Makoto apologized.
Above them, a faint cry was heard followed by a thunderous yell. It appeared as if the attack had finally come. The dungeon was rocked again by another explosion and the trapped senshi had to duck and cover to avoid being struck by falling rocks. Outside their cells, the ten guards watched them.
Rei shook her head sadly. "They won't stand a chance against Abyss and her demons. I don't think these monks have ever held a weapon before. They'll be slaughtered."
Ami sighed. "If I had my computer, I could scan for structural weaknesses. Perhaps we can still escape and help."
A louder explosion sounded and Chibiusa cried out in alarm as the ceiling caved in. All five senshi retreated to a corner of their cells as far from the wreckage as possible. When the dust cleared, they risked moving.
"Everyone okay?" Minako asked.
"I'm fine," Chibiusa coughed, "but the guards aren't."
"Oh dear," Ami said, looking at the ten guards who had been caught under the falling ceiling. "Are they - ?"
"I'm afraid so," Rei replied, shaking her head sadly. "What a waste of lives."
Suddenly, Makoto appeared in front of her cell. Rei nearly cried out in surprise as the tall senshi opened her cell door.
"Mako-chan!" Minako gasped. "How did you get out?"
"My door fell off when the ceiling fell," Makoto replied with a smile. "Not the neatest break, but it works!"
As Makoto freed Ami, her doctor instincts took over and she immediately checked all ten guards. Rei had been right; none of them were alive.
"Come on," Minako called. "We have to help."
The five girls ran up the stairs as another explosion sounded.
********
Kyn watched her monks fall. The serpent men were not prepared for battle and lacked both training and proper weaponry. The priestess felt a piece of herself die each time a monk lost his life on the battlefield.
They had met the demon's charge only a few hours ago but the tide had quickly turned in favour of the enemy. The monsters launched explosives at the thick temple walls and rapidly gained ground, eating the dead on both sides for energy. There seemed to be an unending wave of them coming from the mouth of the valley, but why such a host would attack the temple was beyond her. Far to the back, Kyn's keen eyes could make out a purple haired woman with a blue haired child beside her. Kyn's eyes steeled in anger. They must have started this attack.
The priestess reached behind her to the quiver of golden arrows she had strapped to her back. She drew one out, nocked it on her bow, and aimed it above her head.
"Make-Up!" she cried, releasing the arrow.
A few feet above her head, the arrow exploded into a shower of gold, transforming priestess Kyn into Sailor Apollo. The guardian senshi of the planet Pythia stood on the battlements in her black and white senshi uniform, high above the raging battle. The few monks who noticed her gave a cheer, but most were far too occupied with the battle. Sailor Apollo nocked another arrow and shot it into the fray. The golden projectile split into hundreds of razor sharp shard and sliced through the demons, passing the monks without injury. Apollo aimed another arrow, but before she could fire, she heard a cry behind her. She whirled around and saw a dozen flying demons entering the temple courtyard. They were carrying land-bound demons and dropping them into the courtyard, then swooping down to devour the monks. Apollo fired, piercing one winged demon through the neck. It fell screaming, and as Apollo watched it go down, she caught sight of another of her growing problems.
The five prisoners had escaped.
Apollo nocked another arrow, aiming it at the fleeing pink haired child. She was about to loose it when the child cried out, throwing herself into a monk and knocking him aside as another demon swooped down. Astounded, Apollo watched the brown haired girl leap onto the fleeing demon and wrestle it to the ground. The black haired one had her head bowed in prayer as she flung a piece of paper at a demon, causing it to freeze so the monks could kill it. Sailor Apollo leapt from the wall, placing herself in front of the five strangers.
"What are you doing?" Apollo demanded, aiming an arrow at them.
"Helping," Makoto said breathlessly.
"Like we said we would," Minako added.
Sailor Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you fighting my monks?"
Chibiusa blinked in confusion. "Why would we?"
Apollo lowered her bow and shook her head. "I don't understand you strangers."
"If you gave us our transformation pens, we could help save the lives of your monks," Ami said gently.
Apollo raised her bow, pointing the arrow at Ami's heart. "No, you're trying to trick me. As soon as I give you your weapons, you'll turn on me and my monks."
Rei sighed. "If we wanted to hurt your monks, we would have let the demons eat them while we ran away."
"Instead we risked our necks to save them!" Makoto said angrily.
Apollo considered their words. The screams of the dying on the battlefield echoed around them.
"Your monks die each second you hesitate," Minako pointed out.
Apollo lowered her bow and pulled the pens out of her quiver. She hesitated another second, then thrust out her open hand toward the strangers. Gratefully, the five senshi took their transformation devices.
"Thank you," Chibiusa said. "Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!"
"Mars Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
"Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
"Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
Sailor Apollo watched in amazement as the five prisoners transformed into the five warriors she had caught before. When their transformations were complete, Apollo was able to look at them differently. They were all dressed similarly to her, only their leotards were white where hers was gray, and they had tiaras where her gem rested.
"Where do you want us?" Sailor Venus asked.
Apollo blinked in shock. Looking at the blond senshi was almost like looking into a mirror. In their normal forms, Apollo had thought they could not have looked more different, yet as senshi, they could easily have passed as twins.
"I'm unaware of your military strengths," Apollo said. "Please fight the battle however you see fit, but the child will stay here with me."
Sailor Moon's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?"
"I need some reassurance that the others will return. If they start to fight my monks, I'll kill you."
The four inner senshi tensed, but said nothing. They hated to place the princess in danger, but knew it was the only way to gain the strange Pythian senshi's trust. Slowly, they nodded.
Sailor Apollo nodded grimly back, and motioned for Sailor Moon to follow her. With one frightened look back at her friends, the pink senshi did.
********
"Jupiter Oak Revolution!" Sailor Jupiter cried.
Three demons fell to her attack, and the five rescued monks hissed their thanks to her. Jupiter smiled and paused for an instant to catch her breath before another assault came. The four senshi had spread out through the battle, doing what they could to save the monks from the demons. They had been fighting for hours and, as the sun was beginning to set, there was no end in sight.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury yelled.
Jupiter leapt aside as a stream of water rushed by her, taking several demons with it. The green senshi fought her way to her blue friend and Mercury smiled wearily.
"Some fun, huh?" Jupiter said with a grin.
"Sure," Mercury replied unenthusiastically. "As the sun sets, the demons will only get stronger. We should retreat into the temple and try to hold it from there until morning."
Jupiter nodded. "I'll contact Sailor Moon and she can inform Apollo."
Mercury nodded, then ducked as a giant flaming arrow shot past them and into the demons. Sailor Mars appeared, fighting fiercely.
"We're almost to Abyss," she cried over the fighting. "Should we try to get her?"
"When she's surrounded by an army?" Jupiter exclaimed. "I don't think that's wise."
"Contact Sailor Moon," Mercury pressed. "We don't have that much more time."
The red and blue senshi protected Jupiter as she flipped open her communications device to speak with the pink hostage. Quickly, Jupiter related the message and Sailor Moon nodded before signing off.
"Supreme Thunder!" Sailor Jupiter called, electrocuting several approaching demons.
"Hang in there," Mercury told her friends. "I doubt we'll be getting much sleep tonight."
********
Sailor Apollo sounded the retreat and the monks fought their way to the temple gates. On the battlements, Sailor Apollo and Sailor Moon kept the demons away as the monks raced in. The four senshi were the last to enter, standing near the massive doors until they were certain all the monks were safe. As the gates closed, the demons hammered into the wall, and the senshi raced for the battlements.
"Hi!" Sailor Moon called over her shoulder as her four friends arrived.
She leaned over the edge of the wall, holding her scepter at arm's length. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
A few demons backed off as small pink hearts pelted them from above. They growled in annoyance until Apollo's arrows found their chests.
"Venus Love-Me Chain!" Sailor Venus called.
Her orange chain whipped the demons closest to the wall, strangling some of them. A few monks joined the six senshi, throwing rocks and spears down at the masses. Eventually, the demons retreated and the defenders could rest.
Apollo placed strict patrols along the walls before she and the senshi went into the courtyard to deal with the injured. Sailor Mercury immediately took over and the monks obeyed her without question, knowing her responses to be the best. Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon offered to help, while Jupiter, Apollo, and Mars headed to the sheltered doorway of the temple to talk.
"How much food do you have?" Jupiter asked, watching the monks scurry around in the courtyard.
"Enough for a while," Apollo replied. "We also have a well of fresh water."
"We should still ration the food," Mars suggested.
"There are no longer as many mouths to feed," Apollo said somewhat sadly. "I had thought the attack was to free you, but the way you fought, I no longer doubt your loyalty."
"Thanks," Venus said as she walked past with some bandages.
Apollo smiled. "I still don't understand why the demons are attacking here."
"That's what we would like to know as well," Mars said. "We thought Abyss would hide somewhere until things had blown over. We had no idea she would immediately form an army and start again."
"Abyss - is that the blue haired girl?" Apollo asked.
Sailor Moon looked up from a wounded monk and gasped in spite of herself. "That's Akumu!"
Sailor Apollo seemed confused. As quickly as she could, Sailor Mars explained the recent events of Earth to the red haired senshi. Sailor Apollo nodded in understanding.
"I didn't see any restraints on this - Sailor Nyx, was it? Perhaps she has joined forces with Abyss after all," Apollo mused.
"Akumu would never do that!" Sailor Moon cried.
"Chibiusa-chan, come here please," Mercury called from across the courtyard.
Still angry at Apollo's accusation, Sailor Moon moved away from the monk she had been treating to Mercury's side.
"I seem to have offended the child," Apollo said quietly.
Sailor Mars smiled. "She and Akumu are close friends, that's all."
Apollo nodded. "I admit I find your story hard to believe. A thief girl saves your princess, becomes a senshi, and keeps running away?"
"It does sound odd," Jupiter said. "I hardly believed it myself when I heard it."
Apollo blinked in surprise. "You were not there while your city was under attack?"
"I was there," Jupiter said somewhat bitterly, "but I was trapped in a giant crystal for most of it."
Sailor Apollo was curious as to how she had ended up in a crystal, but ended the conversation when she saw how frustrated it made the green senshi. Instead, she turned her eyes to the walls where her monks patrolled. The sun had set and the walls were lit up with torches. Suddenly, a cry sounded.
"Looks like our break is over," Apollo said. "Come on."
Without a word, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter followed Apollo to the walls. Venus, Moon, and Mercury rose to join them, but Apollo waved them aside.
"Stay with the wounded. We will call if you are needed," Apollo ordered.
The three senshi nodded and returned to their work.
The demons bombarded the temple walls with explosives and even their own bodies. Flying demons soared overhead only to be shot down by the defending monks. Land bound demons scrapped at the thick wooden doors and tried to climb the walls, but were repelled.
The three senshi were in the middle of it. Sailor Apollo and Sailor Mars aimed their arrows at the sky, shooting down anything that flew. Sailor Jupiter helped the monks with the ground demons, pouring hot oil on them as they tried to scale the walls. When the night had thickened to midnight, a large dragon rose from the back of the army and soared into view. Apollo nocked an arrow.
"Wait!" Sailor Mars said.
Apollo hesitated as the dragon hovered near the temple walls. It remained a safe distance from the projectiles of the monks, but Apollo knew she could hit the purple haired woman who stood on the beast's back. Behind her, Akumu sat meekly.
"Give me what I want and we will leave you in peace," Abyss called.
Apollo sighted her arrow. "What is it you want?"
"The Sword," Abyss replied.
A collective gasp rose from the defending monks. Sailor Apollo loosed her arrow, but it bounced harmlessly off a shield Abyss had erected around herself. Hearing Abyss' voice, Sailor Moon rose from her work and headed to the walls.
"You could never possess the Sword," Apollo yelled.
"What Sword?" Sailor Mars whispered to Jupiter. Her brown haired friend shrugged.
"Give it to me, or you will all die!" Abyss snarled.
"Why doesn't your friend strike her down?" Apollo demanded quietly to the senshi.
"I don't know," Sailor Mars replied, bowing her head in concentration, "but I'm getting more negative energy from Abyss than usual. Maybe Akumu is under a spell of some sort."
"Can you break it?" Jupiter asked.
"Not with that shield raised around them," Mars answered.
Apollo paused in thought for a moment. "The Sword is not here."
"What?!" Abyss shrieked. "You dare joke in a time like this?"
"I never joke," Apollo replied. "You will not find the Sword within these walls."
"Where is it?" Abyss asked angrily.
Sailor Apollo remained silent. Abyss waited a moment, but it soon became clear from the senshi's stance that she would not answer.
"Fine," Abyss said. "If you won't tell me where to find it, I'll just destroy your puny temple and search on my own."
"She's loosing her concentration," Mars murmured, fingering her sacred paper. "Keep it up."
"You can't destroy my temple," Apollo called. "You've been trying all day."
Abyss's face turned red with anger and she shook her fist at Apollo, who stood coolly on the walls. Sailor Mars watched intently, waiting for her moment. Unnoticed by the defending senshi, Sailor Moon moved to stand silently behind them.
"I will destroy your temple," Abyss yelled. "I will kill all your monks while you watch, then I will kill you!"
"Now!" Apollo snapped.
"Evil Spirits Begone!" Sailor Mars cried, whipping her parchment at the dragon.
"Akumu-chan!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.
The piece of paper struck Akumu on the forehead and the girl blinked as if clearing her head. Abyss gave a shrill yelp of surprise as Akumu looked around her.
"Akumu!" Sailor Jupiter called from the walls. "Transform!"
Akumu looked down to the temple and saw her friends standing there. She felt as if she had just woken from a long dream, but she had no idea what she was waking to. Before she could get her thoughts together, Abyss had the crystal gun pointing at her chest. From the wall, Sailor Moon gasped in terror.
"I stole your heart once," Abyss snarled. "I can do it again."
Akumu's eyes widened in fear. The dragon began to turn, Akumu stared down to her friends one last time as the dragon soared into the distance. As Abyss left, her demons disappeared with her until all that remained with the rising sun was the devastated battle field.
********
Sailor Apollo lead the exhausted senshi into the temple proper, letting the serpent monks clean up the mess of the battle. They passed through the great hall and into a small side door on the opposite side of the entrance to the dungeon. The senshi realized they must have passed this door on the way to their trial, but had not noticed it until Sailor Apollo swung it open.
Inside was beautifully decorated with thick carpets on the floor and rich tapestries on the walls. A single bed was tucked into the far corner and a desk and chair against the other wall. Sailor Apollo motioned for the girls to enter and sit. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus sat on the floor, while Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars made themselves comfortable on the bed, leaving the chair free for their hostess. Apollo bent her head and closed her eyes in concentration, and her senshi uniform glowed white for an instant before reverting into her priestess gowns. The gray gem on her forehead remained, as did her quiver of arrows and bow.
The priestess placed her weapons against the wall and the five alien senshi touched the gems of their tiaras, transforming themselves back into their human form.
"Thank you for helping me defend my home," the priestess said. "My name is Shinja Kyn."
"Hino Rei," Rei said. She motioned to her companions as she introduced them. "This is Aino Minako, Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami, and Kino Makoto. Nice to meet you."
Kyn smiled and sat down on her chair. There was a knock at the door and Kyn called for the person to enter. It was Tenki, carrying a tray of food and drink.
"Forgive me, Mistress," Tenki hissed. "I thought you and the guests may be hungry."
Kyn nodded. "Set it down."
Tenki did as he was told and backed out of the room, not raising his head once to look at the senshi. Chibiusa watched the whole thing curiously, not understanding what had been said in the hissing serpent language. Kyn motioned for them to eat, and they gratefully helped themselves.
"I hope you forgive me for my earlier actions," Kyn continued.
"We understand," Minako said. "If you had shown up on our planet unexpectedly, we probably would have reacted the same way."
"Why are you on this planet?" Chibiusa blurted.
Kyn and the others looked at the princess sharply. She blushed, embarrassed at her sudden question.
"I mean, you're not a snake like the other people here. You're human," Chibiusa clarified.
Kyn nodded. "I am aware of that."
"Then why are you - " Chibiusa pressed.
The priestess' green eyes flashed in anger. "Where I'm from is not important. We have more pressing matters."
Chibiusa nodded meekly and was silent. Minako looked at the cowed princess to their hostess and was somewhat annoyed by Kyn's rude behavior.
"We need to find and secure the Sword before Abyss does," Kyn continued as if her conversation with Chibiusa had never happened.
"What is the Sword?" Ami asked.
Kyn laughed. "I'm surprised you Earthlings don't know. Wasn't it you who used it to defeat Chaos?"
"Chibi Chibi?" Makoto whispered. "The Sword of Galaxia?"
Kyn nodded. "Didn't you know Galaxia is in exile on this planet? She came here because it is peaceful and without threats."
"Why does Abyss want the Sword?" Chibiusa asked.
"It is the most powerful weapon in the cosmos," Kyn replied, not looking at the pink haired girl. "Why do you think Abyss would want it?"
"That's enough," Minako said. "Leave Chibiusa alone."
Kyn blinked in surprise. "Have I done something to offend you, Minako?"
"Not me," Minako said. "Chibiusa. You're being very rude to her."
"I am sorry," Kyn apologized, "but on this world, children are taught to listen and learn without interrupting their elders with pointless questions."
Chibiusa blushed angrily and Minako opened her mouth to retort when Rei spoke quickly.
"Where is the Sword?" she asked.
"With Galaxia," Kyn replied. "She remains the Sword's guardian, in spite of retiring from her senshi duties."
"We better hurry," Makoto said, leaping to her feet. "We need to reach Galaxia before Abyss."
"That's impossible," Kyn said calmly. "No one except me knows where Galaxia lives, and I'm not about to lead Abyss there. As long as we remain in the Temple, Galaxia and the Sword will be safe."
********
On a small island far to the east of the Pythian Temple, a cottage stood. It faced the ocean and a sandy beach, with a small forest behind it. A vegetable garden grew on one side of the cottage and it was to this garden that a woman walked.
She was tall with extremely long hair that cascaded to her ankles. It was golden blond at the top, but gradually faded into waves of intense orange which later became a fiery red. The woman had pale skin and sad, red eyes that seemed burdened with far too many deaths.
The woman knelt in her garden, humming to herself as she weeded the vegetables. The sun was shining and the ocean waves lapped gently against the shore, easing some of the woman's tension. She lived alone on the island, not trusting herself with human contact after what she had done to the galaxy over a hundred years earlier.
Suddenly, the sun was darkened by a shadow. The woman looked up sharply, hoping that it was only a cloud that had distract her attention. Her heart sank as she saw the outline of a huge dragon circling in the air above her cottage.
"There she is," Abyss whispered to herself.
Akumu sat behind Abyss, her hands chained together and the crystal gun still pointing at her chest. Sailor Mars had cleared her body of the drug Abyss had been feeding her, but Abyss had been quick to react. As Abyss peered over the dragon's shoulder to where Galaxia worked, Akumu could see her transformation pen sticking out of her captor's pocket and wished she could reach it and be free.
Abyss turned to face her prisoner. "Soon you will outlive your usefulness to me, child. You will give me more power than anyone can imagine."
"Why would I do that?" Akumu demanded.
"Because," Abyss said with a sly smile, "you will have no other choice."