Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos
Episode 22 'Shortcut'
Usagi awoke with a face full of sand.
Coughing and sputtering she got up, spun around, and then ran back into the
ocean which had delivered her onto the beach. Only after spending a good
five minutes spitting did her mouth feel clean enough for her to stop and
return to shore. As she trudged out of the water she noticed that Sailor
Jupiter and Sailor Mars were already on their feet and looking around. None
of the others were in sight. Sailor Mars had her hands on her hips. "You
know Usagi, a nightgown isn't exactly the best choice of clothing for a swim
in the ocean or a walk in the desert!"
"You're definitely not helping Rei," Usagi replied and stuck out her tongue.
She turned her back to Mars and lifted her locket from her chest. She had it
attached to a chain around her neck so she just held it forwards. "Moon
Eternal, ma....." Usagi's voice died down. Something wasn't right. She
couldn't feel the power that the locket usually gave off when preparing for
a transformation. Suddenly afraid of what she would find she slowly turned
her locket around to look at the front of it.
"Come on Usagi, we don't have all day," Mars scolded impatiently. When Usagi
didn't reply or stick her tongue out at Rei it got Sailor Jupiter's
attention.
"Usagi, what's wrong?"
"It's gone."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look!" Usagi spun around, the locket hanging from her fingers. There were
tears in her eyes. At first all Jupiter saw was the look of anguish on
Usagi's face. But an 'oh my' from Mars brought her attention to the locket.
Plainly put, it was broken. To be more precise, most of the outer covering
was missing. But the most startling fact was that the heart-shaped
ginzuishou was clearly now it two pieces, -and dead black.
"What am I going to do?!" Usagi nearly wailed. Mars was grasping for
something to say but Sailor Jupiter clearly saw that Usagi was trembling.
Jupiter moved forward quickly and just in time to catch Usagi before she
fell. On Jupiter's shoulder the trickle of tears burst into a waterfall.
"Don't worry Usagi. It will be okay."
"Oh it's so horrible. You couldn't imagine what it's like. I feel like a
part of me is missing, like it's been ripped away. It's...." Whatever she
was going to stay was lost in a fresh batch of tears.
"Don't worry Usagi, it will be okay. We'll figure out a way," Jupiter
comforted. She was pulling up a blank and looked to Mars for any ideas.
Sailor Mars was thinking like mad. There had to be something they could do.
Think. Think. "What if you used your prism power instead. You didn't need
the ginzuishou for that.
Usagi shook her head. "No, it wouldn't work. That broach was completely
destroyed before I was powered up with the ginzuishou."
"But maybe-"
"Don't you see Rei! The moon princess was never meant to be a senshi!"
"I'm sorry Usagi, I don't understand."
"All of your senshi powers come from within. You were born with it. But my
power came through the prism locket, the crystal, and the grail. They're
only weapons. That's why there was no Sailor Moon in the time of the Silver
Millennium. It wasn't until now that we needed to use these...tools.
"I take it you've put a lot of thought into this."
"Yes. I've been working on it during the past year and a half we spent in
during the Silver Millennium." Good, Mars thought. She had Usagi thinking
again. Now to put it to good use.
"What about that power you were supposed to inherit on your eighteenth
birthday back in the Silver Millennium?"
Usagi shook her head. "That might be possible anywhere but here. Ami
explained it to me. All of our powers run off of the strands of magic now.
Even if there was something inside of me there is no way I could focus it
into anything usable. And I don't even know how to.
"There must be something Usagi that you can still use to fight. Does
anything come to mind." They had to find something to get Usagi going.
Suddenly Usagi smacked herself in the head.
"Of course! How could I have forgotten." She let go of Jupiter, hopping
around in excitement. "The solution is right there in front of me and I
didn't even realize it."
"What is it?"
Usagi settled down a bit. "The night when we were attacked, after the first
battle that strange little girl came to me in my room. She looked exactly
like Chibi-usa, but it wasn't her. I'm not sure what she is. Anyway, the
important part is that she told me that we have to go to the Caverns of
Shmite."
"Just great. Now we have her receiving her instructions from strange little
girls in the middle of the night."
"It's not even possible for us to pass through the caverns of Shmite without
having the whole sailor team. We can't pass up the chance of being able to
bypass that factor of the caverns," Sailor Jupiter commented.
"Do you know how far away we are from them Jupiter?" Usagi asked.
Sailor Jupiter squinted. "Not too far. We should be able to get underground
before the sun goes down, and to the caverns of Shmite shortly after.
"Good. It's decided then." Usagi popped Luna's pen out of her sub-space
pocket. "Disguise magic, make up!" There was a flash of light and in a
moment Usagi was no longer standing there in her soaking wet nightgown, but
clothes suitable for traveling instead. Jupiter and Mars detransformed as
well. "Well now."
And so a confident Makoto led off a determined Usagi, who was followed by a
frustrated Rei.
**********
After spending at least an hour walking through identical terrain it is only
natural for the mind to daze and for the walking to become automatic. That's
why there was no possible way for Usagi to stop herself from walking into
Makoto when she stopped. Without even a comment Rei automatically lifted
Usagi back up to her feet. She stood next to Makoto as Usagi tried to become
un-dazed. "What is it?" Rei asked. Makoto was now kneeling.
"This." As Rei observed, Makoto stuck her arm right under the ground as if
there was nothing there at all.
"Is this the same entrance we passed through on our last visit?"
"No. We're still quite a ways away from the city. Right now we're close to
the main entrance to the Caverns of Shmite."
"How far down?"
"That's the thing. I'm not sure how far down this cavern goes before you hit
ground and I don't really want to jump blindly and hope that it works out
all right."
"So we'll be riding strands of magic down?"
"That's about it."
"Is Usagi coming or is one of us going to stay here while the other checks
it out?"
"I don't know. Can Usagi use the strands of magic?"
At the sound of her name Usagi snapped out of her daze. "Can I do what?" she
asked as she knelt down next to them.
"Can you use the strands of magic."
"Well, sorta," Usagi admitted honestly. "What do you need me to do?" Makoto
explained the situation. "Well, I haven't used them much yet but I'm sure I
can manage. So basically it's repelling, only without any harnesses or other
safety things."
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Now let's hurry up and go. I can already see
the sand worms coming towards us."
"Sand worms!!!"
"Yeah, over there," Makoto answered, pointing. "They'll be here in a minute
or so, so let's go." After making sure her concentration was focused and
with a good grip on the strands of magic she jumped into and right through
the sand.
"You're next dumpling head," Rei announced. "And you better hurry."
"I know what I'm doing," Usagi responded as she stepped through the hole.
"That's good, because I don't know what you're doing," Rei commented as she
followed Usagi through.
***
Black. There was nothing but black. It only took a couple of seconds for the
penetrating light from the surface to vanish as the 3 senshi glided down the
strands of magic into a seemingly bottomless pit. Although the 3 of them
couldn't see any of the cavern they were passing through, the strands of
magic were easily seen.
After a few minutes Usagi asked, "Is it just me, or are the number of
strands of magic decreasing.
"Of course they're not silly," Rei replied. "I don't know wh-hey!"
"Yes Usagi, they are. I hope they don't run out before we hit the bottom."
As they continued downwards the number of strands decreased by more and
more. When there were no longer enough strands to support Usagi's disguise
it disappeared as well.
"Oh dear," Usagi cried.
"What is it now?" Rei asked. Her answer came not in words but as an added
weight on her back. "Usagi, what are you trying to do?!" she shouted as she
struggled to stop them from continuing downwards.
"My strand just ran out and I can't see any more. What else was I supposed
to do?"
Before Rei could answer Makoto stated calmly, "I think we're going to have
to jump soon. I should have thought of it while we were farther up but now,
with only two visible strands of magic there's no way you could transform,
or for either of us to make a light."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Just let me continue on for now. If the strand ends less than fifty feet
above the ground I can make it. If it's more than that I want you to take
Usagi back up to the surface."
"No Makoto!" Usagi objected. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself like that!"
"What else are we supposed to do? Risk all of our lives? Usagi?" Silence.
"Usagi?" Silence. "Usagi, answer me!"
Usagi spoke almost in a whisper. "Do you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Do you hear the water?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Makoto answered.
"Same here," Rei added.
Usagi continued in a soft voice, "I can hear the water, below us. Trust me."
With that she let go of Rei's back and fell backwards and downwards into the
pit.
"Usagi!!!!"
A splashing noise was heard from below. "Hey, she was right." Suddenly the
two strands of magic they were hanging from disappeared and they found
themselves falling towards the water as well. It was freezing cold.
Rising to the surface they met only complete darkness. "Usagi, where are
you?"
"Over here." Swimming towards the sound of her voice the two of them found a
ledge that they could climb up onto.
Once they were all up on the ledge Rei spoke. "Now how the heck are we
supposed to see anythi-" Suddenly the cavern was illuminated by a dim light,
the source being unidentifiable. Right in front of them was a tunnel which
led away from the hole they had been traveling down through. Rei turned
around to look at the water they had just climbed out of but found nothing
but rock. "Hey, where did the water go?" The other two spun around.
"It was- hey, now we're dry as well!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Welcome to the Caverns of Shmite," Makoto said as she led them through the
tunnel and into another chambre. "This is ...quite different from how I
remember it." At the other side of the room were two gigantic pillars
covered with carvings. The entrance to the caverns of Shmite being right
between them. The only thing, was that instead of the normal entrance there
was a weird kind of portal. It was kind of like looking into a wall of
liquid metal. A 7-year-old Chibi-usa stood in front of it.
"Of course it's different. We're going to take a little short-cut."
"Hey, it's you again," Usagi exclaimed.
"What do you mean by a 'little short-cut'," Makoto asked.
"Oh, we're just going to jump from here to the other end of the caverns,"
she answered.
"So this is where all of the strands of magic have gone to," Rei said.
"Yes, he kind of forgot that you wouldn't be able to make it all the way
down without the strands."
"Who? Who's 'he'"?
"Don't worry, just follow me," she said cheerfully as she passed through the
portal.
"Let's go," Usagi said.
"But we don't even know where it goes," Rei objected.
"I trust her," Usagi responded before stepping into the portal. Makoto
nodded at Rei and the two of them followed her through.
*****
"YES, I CAN SEE IT. HER STAR SEED GLOWS BRIGHTLY. SHE MUST BE THE ONE. OUR
ONE RAY OF HOPE," the old man said.
"See, I told you. Her shine is brighter than all of the others," the little
girl said.
"WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. AS SOON AS SHE ARRIVES I SHALL PLACE HER
THROUGH THE TRIALS."
"Are you sure that that's a good idea? What if she isn't ready for it?"
"IF SHE REALLY IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THEN THERE IS NO
WAY THAT SHE WILL NOT BE READY FOR IT."
"But what if she isn't the one. I'm starting to feel doubt now."
"NONSENSE. YOU ARE JUST EXCITED. SHE MUST BE THE ONE."
"If you say so." The little girl bowed and disappeared.
*****
Usagi, still in her nightgown, stepped into the room. In the middle of it
was an arch, just sitting there, and on the far side on a pedestal was a
medallion encased in crystal. Everything was made of a gold-coloured rock.
Usagi just stood there, staring through the archway at the medallion on the
other side of the room. A voice spoke to her inside her head. "I HAVE BEEN
WAITING FOR YOU."
"You have?"
"YES. YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE. ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE TRIALS TO BECOME OUR
MESSIAH?"
"Yes."
"THEN PROCEED."
Rei and Makoto stepped out of the portal to find Usagi slowly walking
towards a doorway in the middle of the room. "No, Usagi, stop!" Rei cried.
She charged towards Usagi but it was too late. Usagi stepped into the
doorway and vanished. Rei just passed through it and came out on the other
side. "Nooooooo!"
The little girl stepped through the portal through which they had entered
the room. "Don't worry, she'll be all right. This is something that she has
to do on her own."
"Do what?! What is she doing."
"She's just earning that medallion over there. Her shine is incredible; I'm
sure she is the one," she said before stepping back into the portal.
"But what if she's not?" Rei asked.
***
Episode 22 'Shortcut'
Usagi awoke with a face full of sand.
Coughing and sputtering she got up, spun around, and then ran back into the
ocean which had delivered her onto the beach. Only after spending a good
five minutes spitting did her mouth feel clean enough for her to stop and
return to shore. As she trudged out of the water she noticed that Sailor
Jupiter and Sailor Mars were already on their feet and looking around. None
of the others were in sight. Sailor Mars had her hands on her hips. "You
know Usagi, a nightgown isn't exactly the best choice of clothing for a swim
in the ocean or a walk in the desert!"
"You're definitely not helping Rei," Usagi replied and stuck out her tongue.
She turned her back to Mars and lifted her locket from her chest. She had it
attached to a chain around her neck so she just held it forwards. "Moon
Eternal, ma....." Usagi's voice died down. Something wasn't right. She
couldn't feel the power that the locket usually gave off when preparing for
a transformation. Suddenly afraid of what she would find she slowly turned
her locket around to look at the front of it.
"Come on Usagi, we don't have all day," Mars scolded impatiently. When Usagi
didn't reply or stick her tongue out at Rei it got Sailor Jupiter's
attention.
"Usagi, what's wrong?"
"It's gone."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look!" Usagi spun around, the locket hanging from her fingers. There were
tears in her eyes. At first all Jupiter saw was the look of anguish on
Usagi's face. But an 'oh my' from Mars brought her attention to the locket.
Plainly put, it was broken. To be more precise, most of the outer covering
was missing. But the most startling fact was that the heart-shaped
ginzuishou was clearly now it two pieces, -and dead black.
"What am I going to do?!" Usagi nearly wailed. Mars was grasping for
something to say but Sailor Jupiter clearly saw that Usagi was trembling.
Jupiter moved forward quickly and just in time to catch Usagi before she
fell. On Jupiter's shoulder the trickle of tears burst into a waterfall.
"Don't worry Usagi. It will be okay."
"Oh it's so horrible. You couldn't imagine what it's like. I feel like a
part of me is missing, like it's been ripped away. It's...." Whatever she
was going to stay was lost in a fresh batch of tears.
"Don't worry Usagi, it will be okay. We'll figure out a way," Jupiter
comforted. She was pulling up a blank and looked to Mars for any ideas.
Sailor Mars was thinking like mad. There had to be something they could do.
Think. Think. "What if you used your prism power instead. You didn't need
the ginzuishou for that.
Usagi shook her head. "No, it wouldn't work. That broach was completely
destroyed before I was powered up with the ginzuishou."
"But maybe-"
"Don't you see Rei! The moon princess was never meant to be a senshi!"
"I'm sorry Usagi, I don't understand."
"All of your senshi powers come from within. You were born with it. But my
power came through the prism locket, the crystal, and the grail. They're
only weapons. That's why there was no Sailor Moon in the time of the Silver
Millennium. It wasn't until now that we needed to use these...tools.
"I take it you've put a lot of thought into this."
"Yes. I've been working on it during the past year and a half we spent in
during the Silver Millennium." Good, Mars thought. She had Usagi thinking
again. Now to put it to good use.
"What about that power you were supposed to inherit on your eighteenth
birthday back in the Silver Millennium?"
Usagi shook her head. "That might be possible anywhere but here. Ami
explained it to me. All of our powers run off of the strands of magic now.
Even if there was something inside of me there is no way I could focus it
into anything usable. And I don't even know how to.
"There must be something Usagi that you can still use to fight. Does
anything come to mind." They had to find something to get Usagi going.
Suddenly Usagi smacked herself in the head.
"Of course! How could I have forgotten." She let go of Jupiter, hopping
around in excitement. "The solution is right there in front of me and I
didn't even realize it."
"What is it?"
Usagi settled down a bit. "The night when we were attacked, after the first
battle that strange little girl came to me in my room. She looked exactly
like Chibi-usa, but it wasn't her. I'm not sure what she is. Anyway, the
important part is that she told me that we have to go to the Caverns of
Shmite."
"Just great. Now we have her receiving her instructions from strange little
girls in the middle of the night."
"It's not even possible for us to pass through the caverns of Shmite without
having the whole sailor team. We can't pass up the chance of being able to
bypass that factor of the caverns," Sailor Jupiter commented.
"Do you know how far away we are from them Jupiter?" Usagi asked.
Sailor Jupiter squinted. "Not too far. We should be able to get underground
before the sun goes down, and to the caverns of Shmite shortly after.
"Good. It's decided then." Usagi popped Luna's pen out of her sub-space
pocket. "Disguise magic, make up!" There was a flash of light and in a
moment Usagi was no longer standing there in her soaking wet nightgown, but
clothes suitable for traveling instead. Jupiter and Mars detransformed as
well. "Well now."
And so a confident Makoto led off a determined Usagi, who was followed by a
frustrated Rei.
**********
After spending at least an hour walking through identical terrain it is only
natural for the mind to daze and for the walking to become automatic. That's
why there was no possible way for Usagi to stop herself from walking into
Makoto when she stopped. Without even a comment Rei automatically lifted
Usagi back up to her feet. She stood next to Makoto as Usagi tried to become
un-dazed. "What is it?" Rei asked. Makoto was now kneeling.
"This." As Rei observed, Makoto stuck her arm right under the ground as if
there was nothing there at all.
"Is this the same entrance we passed through on our last visit?"
"No. We're still quite a ways away from the city. Right now we're close to
the main entrance to the Caverns of Shmite."
"How far down?"
"That's the thing. I'm not sure how far down this cavern goes before you hit
ground and I don't really want to jump blindly and hope that it works out
all right."
"So we'll be riding strands of magic down?"
"That's about it."
"Is Usagi coming or is one of us going to stay here while the other checks
it out?"
"I don't know. Can Usagi use the strands of magic?"
At the sound of her name Usagi snapped out of her daze. "Can I do what?" she
asked as she knelt down next to them.
"Can you use the strands of magic."
"Well, sorta," Usagi admitted honestly. "What do you need me to do?" Makoto
explained the situation. "Well, I haven't used them much yet but I'm sure I
can manage. So basically it's repelling, only without any harnesses or other
safety things."
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Now let's hurry up and go. I can already see
the sand worms coming towards us."
"Sand worms!!!"
"Yeah, over there," Makoto answered, pointing. "They'll be here in a minute
or so, so let's go." After making sure her concentration was focused and
with a good grip on the strands of magic she jumped into and right through
the sand.
"You're next dumpling head," Rei announced. "And you better hurry."
"I know what I'm doing," Usagi responded as she stepped through the hole.
"That's good, because I don't know what you're doing," Rei commented as she
followed Usagi through.
***
Black. There was nothing but black. It only took a couple of seconds for the
penetrating light from the surface to vanish as the 3 senshi glided down the
strands of magic into a seemingly bottomless pit. Although the 3 of them
couldn't see any of the cavern they were passing through, the strands of
magic were easily seen.
After a few minutes Usagi asked, "Is it just me, or are the number of
strands of magic decreasing.
"Of course they're not silly," Rei replied. "I don't know wh-hey!"
"Yes Usagi, they are. I hope they don't run out before we hit the bottom."
As they continued downwards the number of strands decreased by more and
more. When there were no longer enough strands to support Usagi's disguise
it disappeared as well.
"Oh dear," Usagi cried.
"What is it now?" Rei asked. Her answer came not in words but as an added
weight on her back. "Usagi, what are you trying to do?!" she shouted as she
struggled to stop them from continuing downwards.
"My strand just ran out and I can't see any more. What else was I supposed
to do?"
Before Rei could answer Makoto stated calmly, "I think we're going to have
to jump soon. I should have thought of it while we were farther up but now,
with only two visible strands of magic there's no way you could transform,
or for either of us to make a light."
"So what do you suggest?"
"Just let me continue on for now. If the strand ends less than fifty feet
above the ground I can make it. If it's more than that I want you to take
Usagi back up to the surface."
"No Makoto!" Usagi objected. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself like that!"
"What else are we supposed to do? Risk all of our lives? Usagi?" Silence.
"Usagi?" Silence. "Usagi, answer me!"
Usagi spoke almost in a whisper. "Do you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Do you hear the water?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Makoto answered.
"Same here," Rei added.
Usagi continued in a soft voice, "I can hear the water, below us. Trust me."
With that she let go of Rei's back and fell backwards and downwards into the
pit.
"Usagi!!!!"
A splashing noise was heard from below. "Hey, she was right." Suddenly the
two strands of magic they were hanging from disappeared and they found
themselves falling towards the water as well. It was freezing cold.
Rising to the surface they met only complete darkness. "Usagi, where are
you?"
"Over here." Swimming towards the sound of her voice the two of them found a
ledge that they could climb up onto.
Once they were all up on the ledge Rei spoke. "Now how the heck are we
supposed to see anythi-" Suddenly the cavern was illuminated by a dim light,
the source being unidentifiable. Right in front of them was a tunnel which
led away from the hole they had been traveling down through. Rei turned
around to look at the water they had just climbed out of but found nothing
but rock. "Hey, where did the water go?" The other two spun around.
"It was- hey, now we're dry as well!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Welcome to the Caverns of Shmite," Makoto said as she led them through the
tunnel and into another chambre. "This is ...quite different from how I
remember it." At the other side of the room were two gigantic pillars
covered with carvings. The entrance to the caverns of Shmite being right
between them. The only thing, was that instead of the normal entrance there
was a weird kind of portal. It was kind of like looking into a wall of
liquid metal. A 7-year-old Chibi-usa stood in front of it.
"Of course it's different. We're going to take a little short-cut."
"Hey, it's you again," Usagi exclaimed.
"What do you mean by a 'little short-cut'," Makoto asked.
"Oh, we're just going to jump from here to the other end of the caverns,"
she answered.
"So this is where all of the strands of magic have gone to," Rei said.
"Yes, he kind of forgot that you wouldn't be able to make it all the way
down without the strands."
"Who? Who's 'he'"?
"Don't worry, just follow me," she said cheerfully as she passed through the
portal.
"Let's go," Usagi said.
"But we don't even know where it goes," Rei objected.
"I trust her," Usagi responded before stepping into the portal. Makoto
nodded at Rei and the two of them followed her through.
*****
"YES, I CAN SEE IT. HER STAR SEED GLOWS BRIGHTLY. SHE MUST BE THE ONE. OUR
ONE RAY OF HOPE," the old man said.
"See, I told you. Her shine is brighter than all of the others," the little
girl said.
"WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. AS SOON AS SHE ARRIVES I SHALL PLACE HER
THROUGH THE TRIALS."
"Are you sure that that's a good idea? What if she isn't ready for it?"
"IF SHE REALLY IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THEN THERE IS NO
WAY THAT SHE WILL NOT BE READY FOR IT."
"But what if she isn't the one. I'm starting to feel doubt now."
"NONSENSE. YOU ARE JUST EXCITED. SHE MUST BE THE ONE."
"If you say so." The little girl bowed and disappeared.
*****
Usagi, still in her nightgown, stepped into the room. In the middle of it
was an arch, just sitting there, and on the far side on a pedestal was a
medallion encased in crystal. Everything was made of a gold-coloured rock.
Usagi just stood there, staring through the archway at the medallion on the
other side of the room. A voice spoke to her inside her head. "I HAVE BEEN
WAITING FOR YOU."
"You have?"
"YES. YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE. ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE TRIALS TO BECOME OUR
MESSIAH?"
"Yes."
"THEN PROCEED."
Rei and Makoto stepped out of the portal to find Usagi slowly walking
towards a doorway in the middle of the room. "No, Usagi, stop!" Rei cried.
She charged towards Usagi but it was too late. Usagi stepped into the
doorway and vanished. Rei just passed through it and came out on the other
side. "Nooooooo!"
The little girl stepped through the portal through which they had entered
the room. "Don't worry, she'll be all right. This is something that she has
to do on her own."
"Do what?! What is she doing."
"She's just earning that medallion over there. Her shine is incredible; I'm
sure she is the one," she said before stepping back into the portal.
"But what if she's not?" Rei asked.
***