The present time faded and Ami found herself being catapulted into another world, another dimension.
This time the world around her reminded her of her Sailor planet Mercury.
Ice and water were the makings of this realm and Ami knew in her heart this was truly her first home as she gazed out the window.
As she stood on the iced surface of her castle, her blue eyes swam with unshed tears as she was invaded by memories.
Turning her head she barely felt the ice-cold breeze gripping her body and saw on the horizon as a large mass of darkness headed towards her.
Frowning she squinted trying to make out the formation, and when she did, her heart pounded in anticipation as she could make out the beams of light and darkness fighting for supremacy.
'We're at war!'
Wanting to know what was going on, Ami found herself looking through the eyes of her rescuers who not surprisingly were in the midst of the fray.
They were giving a valiant fight but Ami could see they were not going to win.
The leader of the Dark Power was now making his way towards them cutting down the lesser soldiers with a deadly accuracy that could be heard as bodies were ripped open and burned rapidly with the black acid that seeped from his body.
Feeling the heaviness of his evil power deep in her soul, Ami made her mind up to enter the fight, even though oddly remembering the guys' words to her before they left.
'Stay here' they had urged her, 'You'll be safer.'
'Well safer is not where I want to be' and unconsciously blocking her thoughts from them, she made her way out of the castle.
As she stepped out of the guard gate however, Ami's body was taken from her and she realised that what she was about to witness were her deepest memories and all she could do was let it happen as her body was guided through the motions of the past event.
She found herself standing in the midst of the bloodshed around her, clashing bodies, beaming lights, grunts of might and cries of anguish were the only sounds heard as she stood calmly waiting for her enemy to approach.
In the corner of her eye, she saw him and turned to face the leader as he saw her.
As red eyes clashed with blue everything else around them froze and soldiers quickly dropped their weapons and stood back to let their leaders chose the outcome of this war.
Her enemy was tall and huge. Wafts of stale air permeated from his grotesque body, and when he smiled at her razor sharp teeth made their presence known as he snapped at her.
Chuckling deep in his throat, he uttered gutturally "Hmm the Queen herself has come to offer me her kingdom. Play your cards right and I'll keep you alive to be my mate." As he said the words his snake like tongue proceeded to lick his thin lips.
Eerily calm Ami watched him "I'll give you one chance to leave my kingdom. You're fouling up the air. Leave now"
Laughing loud, he raised his black taloned hands tipped with razor edge points. "I take orders from no one little girl." With this he sent a great surge of power towards her ripping the ice surface in front and behind her.
Ami did not even blink and gave a small smirk. "Is that all you've got?" she taunted him. "You've got to do much better than that cause you're doing nothing to blow up my skirt."
Accepting the challenge the beast sent a stronger blast at her body, this time causing her skirt and blouse to be ripped from her body leaving her in her short under-dress.
Smiling at her lustily he added, "You will make a fine mate"
Grinning Ami drawled "And you'll make a fine coat," with this she raised her arms before cupping her hands and sent him a strong blast knocking him and many of his minions back a half mile.
Growling the beast charged towards her like a bull and like a true pro Ami dodged each of the blast of power he sent at her.
Jumping into the air Ami summoned her powers together and sent shards of ice into the beast's skin causing him to howl in pain.
As his skin started to spout the black acid of his heart into the air around him Ami telepathically told her generals to stay back from the gushing bile and to move the soldiers out of harm's way before she made her final attack.
About to send herself into a spin for her last move, she felt a great surge of power come from the beast's weakening body.
'What the hell?'
As another skin burst forth from the creature's body, a huge shockwave ripped through the air and flattened her army.
"No!!" Ami dropped to the surface to look at her men, many of whom were dead.
"Bastard!" she shouted, "You know the rules. While the leaders fight no harm can be done to the other's army.'
"I have no intention of playing by the rules. It's not my fault you can't protect your followers better," he rasped sending her a blast, which caused the earth to shake and tremble.
"Argh" Ami was sent through the air and crashed into the ice wall guarding her castle.
Not even having time to catch her breath she felt as a sharp pain ripped through her leg.
Nevertheless she pushed herself albeit a little wobbly from the wall and refused to look at her leg, which was paining badly.
Looking up at him as he grinned smugly at her she said, "Who are you? What are you?"
"I am your King! Bow to me and I will save you," he commanded.
"I bow to no one" Ami sent another blast, disappearing to reappear behind him conjuring a spear of ice and casting it deeply into his heart.
Backing off she watched in fear as he pulled the spear from his body and licked his acid blood from the tip throwing it towards her with a speed she could not dodge.
Suddenly Nephrite appeared in front of her and took the spear deep into his back saving her.
As she looked at his face in horror, he grinned at her painfully 'You were always stubborn. You should have stayed in the castle.'
'Shh conserve your strength,' she sent him and took him into her arms, kissing his forehead while keeping her eye on the beast who was watching them.
Sending the others a message, Kunzite nodded and appeared to take Nephrite away from the battlefield.
Kunzite looked lovingly at her 'We will not leave you' looking at the scrapes on her face and bruises forming on the rest of her small body barely visible through the linen of the short dress left on her.
'You have to'
Stubbornly he shook his head, as did the others.
Frowning Ami sternly sent 'I'm not asking you to stay,' and as they were about to argue she played her trump card. 'I'm giving you a direct order'
With this they had no choice but to abandon her but continued to keep a vigil over her from a hill not far from the battlefield.
Standing up she looked at the beast 'I'm through playing with you'
'Good cause you were starting to bore me,' he stated cockily.
He charged at her sending small knives of dark light into her body and then he just stopped and admired the damage he had made.
Ami watched in horrid fascination as her wounds started to heal but not with the cleansing feel of when Nephrite attended to her. No, this healing was evil and she felt a coldness seep into her heart where there had never been before.
"What did you do?" she shouted.
"My mate has to be like me. If not in the physical form then definitely within the soul," he drawled.
As she dropped to her knees Ami felt the darkness changing her. Evil thoughts became her main focus and flashed in her brain and she let out a shrill of pain and her normal ocean blue eyes turned a bright shade of red.
Gasping for air under the foulness that was seeking to pervade her soul, Ami felt the presence of the others, knowing they would try to come to her rescue and be killed because of it.
Gathering her strength, she stood as her body tried to fight off the evil invasion.
"I will not fail them," she gritted her teeth and concentrated on building her strength as bolts of lightning lit up the sky.
As it continued to build, the ice surface started to shake, breaking in areas revealing the swirling angry waters beneath.
Raising her hands to the sky the bolts of lightning connected with her and a large wave washed over her hiding her from the his sight.
As the water receded, she stood strongly and lifted her eyes to meet with the beast's.
As they turned from blue to silver radiating with her energy, Ami focused her powers amassing them to one point in her body waiting for that moment of release while the beast sent his most powerful blast at her.
"Yai!" she sent her blast at him, ripping through his power blast and travelling straight and through him and spreading outwards to his remaining army leaving none alive.
Everything then became eerily calm and Ami let out a breath right before toppling backwards as her strength left her.
She never made it to the ground however as Endymion's arms closed around her and held her close to his chest.
"Queen, are you alright?" Jaedite asked her softly as they gathered around her sans Nephrite who had been transported back into the castle for the healing process.
"I'm fine," she smiled at them, "Just tired that's all. But I can walk," she stated pointedly looking at Endymion as he made to get up with her in his arms.
As they started to walk towards the castle Ami looked at the dead soldiers laying scattered on the battlefield and her eyes filled with tears.
'Make sure their families are all provided for,' she said 'and they'll each be buried with full military honours.'
As she turned to make her way through the gates, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and instinctively grabbed at the nearest thing to her, Kunzite's arm.
'What is it?' they asked urgently.
She started to shake violently 'The darkness... the darkness still lives... within me' Her eyes glowed an unnatural red and her white kingdom started to grow black vines around it swallowing it up.
She heard a growl and lifting her eyes she gasped as her protectors now took on the look of the beast she had just defeated. Their kind eyes had hardened and their bodies became grossly misshapen.
She could hear the cries of her kingdom's little children calling for their mothers as they were brutally raped by monsters who were their fathers.
Blinking rapidly everything returned as normal, and she knew that was their future if the darkness fully claimed her.
As her abdomen lanced her again, she quickly made up her mind and took a few steps away from them.
'Get away from me' she messaged as they turned to hold her trying to help. 'You can't help me. No one can,' and floated backwards from them.
'Ami,' she heard Nephrite's call in her mind as he struggled from his bed in the healing chamber within the castle. 'Wait for me'
Smiling sadly, she sent 'No, I cannot. Take care of your brothers for me,' sending them each this farewell message and let them know the only way to destroy the evil fully was with her own death.
As they each screamed, pleaded and shouted at her begging her to stay she chanted these words:
'All that I am and all that I will be comes from the link between you five and me. I will return to another place and time and once again I will be yours and you will be mine.'
Before they could truly foster in their heads what she was about to do, she charged her powers and on under a clear blue sky reflected by the surface of white ice came a brilliant but deadly burst of light claimed her small body ripping it into shreds.
'NO!!!!!!' they felt the broken link at once and gasped as their minds sought to seek and connect with hers, reeling with the fact that something which had been a part of them since her birth had disappeared leaving them incomplete.
As she felt their anguish, despair and anger Ami found herself standing outside of the portal gates with Pluto, shocked at all that had been revealed.
"Throughout the centuries you have returned to them as you have seen with your first recollection of living in Scotland but the link was never as powerful as it had been before and only when it is will you actually find rest," Pluto told her softly.
"You have to choose Ami. Do you want to live your ultimate destiny or resign yourself to your current fate?"
"Return me to them, Pluto. I have many questions to ask and I will not get the answers here," Ami told her friend.
Nodding Pluto waved her magic staff and Ami found herself back into the dark room where the others were waiting.
Standing before her they looked at her expectantly before preceding her back into the lighted hall where they walked silently into the large living room and gestured for her to sit.
'When you are ready to ask, we are ready to answer' Endymion sent.
Taking a deep breath Ami began.
This time the world around her reminded her of her Sailor planet Mercury.
Ice and water were the makings of this realm and Ami knew in her heart this was truly her first home as she gazed out the window.
As she stood on the iced surface of her castle, her blue eyes swam with unshed tears as she was invaded by memories.
Turning her head she barely felt the ice-cold breeze gripping her body and saw on the horizon as a large mass of darkness headed towards her.
Frowning she squinted trying to make out the formation, and when she did, her heart pounded in anticipation as she could make out the beams of light and darkness fighting for supremacy.
'We're at war!'
Wanting to know what was going on, Ami found herself looking through the eyes of her rescuers who not surprisingly were in the midst of the fray.
They were giving a valiant fight but Ami could see they were not going to win.
The leader of the Dark Power was now making his way towards them cutting down the lesser soldiers with a deadly accuracy that could be heard as bodies were ripped open and burned rapidly with the black acid that seeped from his body.
Feeling the heaviness of his evil power deep in her soul, Ami made her mind up to enter the fight, even though oddly remembering the guys' words to her before they left.
'Stay here' they had urged her, 'You'll be safer.'
'Well safer is not where I want to be' and unconsciously blocking her thoughts from them, she made her way out of the castle.
As she stepped out of the guard gate however, Ami's body was taken from her and she realised that what she was about to witness were her deepest memories and all she could do was let it happen as her body was guided through the motions of the past event.
She found herself standing in the midst of the bloodshed around her, clashing bodies, beaming lights, grunts of might and cries of anguish were the only sounds heard as she stood calmly waiting for her enemy to approach.
In the corner of her eye, she saw him and turned to face the leader as he saw her.
As red eyes clashed with blue everything else around them froze and soldiers quickly dropped their weapons and stood back to let their leaders chose the outcome of this war.
Her enemy was tall and huge. Wafts of stale air permeated from his grotesque body, and when he smiled at her razor sharp teeth made their presence known as he snapped at her.
Chuckling deep in his throat, he uttered gutturally "Hmm the Queen herself has come to offer me her kingdom. Play your cards right and I'll keep you alive to be my mate." As he said the words his snake like tongue proceeded to lick his thin lips.
Eerily calm Ami watched him "I'll give you one chance to leave my kingdom. You're fouling up the air. Leave now"
Laughing loud, he raised his black taloned hands tipped with razor edge points. "I take orders from no one little girl." With this he sent a great surge of power towards her ripping the ice surface in front and behind her.
Ami did not even blink and gave a small smirk. "Is that all you've got?" she taunted him. "You've got to do much better than that cause you're doing nothing to blow up my skirt."
Accepting the challenge the beast sent a stronger blast at her body, this time causing her skirt and blouse to be ripped from her body leaving her in her short under-dress.
Smiling at her lustily he added, "You will make a fine mate"
Grinning Ami drawled "And you'll make a fine coat," with this she raised her arms before cupping her hands and sent him a strong blast knocking him and many of his minions back a half mile.
Growling the beast charged towards her like a bull and like a true pro Ami dodged each of the blast of power he sent at her.
Jumping into the air Ami summoned her powers together and sent shards of ice into the beast's skin causing him to howl in pain.
As his skin started to spout the black acid of his heart into the air around him Ami telepathically told her generals to stay back from the gushing bile and to move the soldiers out of harm's way before she made her final attack.
About to send herself into a spin for her last move, she felt a great surge of power come from the beast's weakening body.
'What the hell?'
As another skin burst forth from the creature's body, a huge shockwave ripped through the air and flattened her army.
"No!!" Ami dropped to the surface to look at her men, many of whom were dead.
"Bastard!" she shouted, "You know the rules. While the leaders fight no harm can be done to the other's army.'
"I have no intention of playing by the rules. It's not my fault you can't protect your followers better," he rasped sending her a blast, which caused the earth to shake and tremble.
"Argh" Ami was sent through the air and crashed into the ice wall guarding her castle.
Not even having time to catch her breath she felt as a sharp pain ripped through her leg.
Nevertheless she pushed herself albeit a little wobbly from the wall and refused to look at her leg, which was paining badly.
Looking up at him as he grinned smugly at her she said, "Who are you? What are you?"
"I am your King! Bow to me and I will save you," he commanded.
"I bow to no one" Ami sent another blast, disappearing to reappear behind him conjuring a spear of ice and casting it deeply into his heart.
Backing off she watched in fear as he pulled the spear from his body and licked his acid blood from the tip throwing it towards her with a speed she could not dodge.
Suddenly Nephrite appeared in front of her and took the spear deep into his back saving her.
As she looked at his face in horror, he grinned at her painfully 'You were always stubborn. You should have stayed in the castle.'
'Shh conserve your strength,' she sent him and took him into her arms, kissing his forehead while keeping her eye on the beast who was watching them.
Sending the others a message, Kunzite nodded and appeared to take Nephrite away from the battlefield.
Kunzite looked lovingly at her 'We will not leave you' looking at the scrapes on her face and bruises forming on the rest of her small body barely visible through the linen of the short dress left on her.
'You have to'
Stubbornly he shook his head, as did the others.
Frowning Ami sternly sent 'I'm not asking you to stay,' and as they were about to argue she played her trump card. 'I'm giving you a direct order'
With this they had no choice but to abandon her but continued to keep a vigil over her from a hill not far from the battlefield.
Standing up she looked at the beast 'I'm through playing with you'
'Good cause you were starting to bore me,' he stated cockily.
He charged at her sending small knives of dark light into her body and then he just stopped and admired the damage he had made.
Ami watched in horrid fascination as her wounds started to heal but not with the cleansing feel of when Nephrite attended to her. No, this healing was evil and she felt a coldness seep into her heart where there had never been before.
"What did you do?" she shouted.
"My mate has to be like me. If not in the physical form then definitely within the soul," he drawled.
As she dropped to her knees Ami felt the darkness changing her. Evil thoughts became her main focus and flashed in her brain and she let out a shrill of pain and her normal ocean blue eyes turned a bright shade of red.
Gasping for air under the foulness that was seeking to pervade her soul, Ami felt the presence of the others, knowing they would try to come to her rescue and be killed because of it.
Gathering her strength, she stood as her body tried to fight off the evil invasion.
"I will not fail them," she gritted her teeth and concentrated on building her strength as bolts of lightning lit up the sky.
As it continued to build, the ice surface started to shake, breaking in areas revealing the swirling angry waters beneath.
Raising her hands to the sky the bolts of lightning connected with her and a large wave washed over her hiding her from the his sight.
As the water receded, she stood strongly and lifted her eyes to meet with the beast's.
As they turned from blue to silver radiating with her energy, Ami focused her powers amassing them to one point in her body waiting for that moment of release while the beast sent his most powerful blast at her.
"Yai!" she sent her blast at him, ripping through his power blast and travelling straight and through him and spreading outwards to his remaining army leaving none alive.
Everything then became eerily calm and Ami let out a breath right before toppling backwards as her strength left her.
She never made it to the ground however as Endymion's arms closed around her and held her close to his chest.
"Queen, are you alright?" Jaedite asked her softly as they gathered around her sans Nephrite who had been transported back into the castle for the healing process.
"I'm fine," she smiled at them, "Just tired that's all. But I can walk," she stated pointedly looking at Endymion as he made to get up with her in his arms.
As they started to walk towards the castle Ami looked at the dead soldiers laying scattered on the battlefield and her eyes filled with tears.
'Make sure their families are all provided for,' she said 'and they'll each be buried with full military honours.'
As she turned to make her way through the gates, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and instinctively grabbed at the nearest thing to her, Kunzite's arm.
'What is it?' they asked urgently.
She started to shake violently 'The darkness... the darkness still lives... within me' Her eyes glowed an unnatural red and her white kingdom started to grow black vines around it swallowing it up.
She heard a growl and lifting her eyes she gasped as her protectors now took on the look of the beast she had just defeated. Their kind eyes had hardened and their bodies became grossly misshapen.
She could hear the cries of her kingdom's little children calling for their mothers as they were brutally raped by monsters who were their fathers.
Blinking rapidly everything returned as normal, and she knew that was their future if the darkness fully claimed her.
As her abdomen lanced her again, she quickly made up her mind and took a few steps away from them.
'Get away from me' she messaged as they turned to hold her trying to help. 'You can't help me. No one can,' and floated backwards from them.
'Ami,' she heard Nephrite's call in her mind as he struggled from his bed in the healing chamber within the castle. 'Wait for me'
Smiling sadly, she sent 'No, I cannot. Take care of your brothers for me,' sending them each this farewell message and let them know the only way to destroy the evil fully was with her own death.
As they each screamed, pleaded and shouted at her begging her to stay she chanted these words:
'All that I am and all that I will be comes from the link between you five and me. I will return to another place and time and once again I will be yours and you will be mine.'
Before they could truly foster in their heads what she was about to do, she charged her powers and on under a clear blue sky reflected by the surface of white ice came a brilliant but deadly burst of light claimed her small body ripping it into shreds.
'NO!!!!!!' they felt the broken link at once and gasped as their minds sought to seek and connect with hers, reeling with the fact that something which had been a part of them since her birth had disappeared leaving them incomplete.
As she felt their anguish, despair and anger Ami found herself standing outside of the portal gates with Pluto, shocked at all that had been revealed.
"Throughout the centuries you have returned to them as you have seen with your first recollection of living in Scotland but the link was never as powerful as it had been before and only when it is will you actually find rest," Pluto told her softly.
"You have to choose Ami. Do you want to live your ultimate destiny or resign yourself to your current fate?"
"Return me to them, Pluto. I have many questions to ask and I will not get the answers here," Ami told her friend.
Nodding Pluto waved her magic staff and Ami found herself back into the dark room where the others were waiting.
Standing before her they looked at her expectantly before preceding her back into the lighted hall where they walked silently into the large living room and gestured for her to sit.
'When you are ready to ask, we are ready to answer' Endymion sent.
Taking a deep breath Ami began.