In the following month, Marie taught Beth everything she knew. How to travel to the Spirit realm via a trance, how to heal with herbs, how to grow and prepare these herbs, different chants, symbols, and ancient languages, praying styles, how to direct her Life, Inner, and Sailor Energy at the same time to make her attacks more powerful, and even some basic martial arts that were best used as self defense.
At the end of the month, Beth began to notice changes in her Mother. She was growing paler and thinner, and she no longer smiled as often as she use to. On the first day of the next month, Marie passed away. The funeral for both of her parents was held in a glade in the forest behind the Castle. The Timberlin's Pegasus herd came, of course, and almost the entire Kingdom. Even those from the other Planets. The Kings and Queens of Mercury, Venus, Earth and the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto, and the Princesses and Princes of those Planets. Beth did not show emotion during this event, but felt torn apart on the inside.
After the funeral, after everyone left to the Castle, she and the Pegasus herd were the only ones there. A light red Pegasus named Cherry Blossom stepped closer to Beth, and nudged the girl with her nose. "Beth, we of the Last Pegasus Herd wish that you send us to the Spirit Realm. We will be better off there. Deathdancer will stay here to protect you, and assume the role of Guardian. Will you send us to the Spirit Realm?" Cherry Blossom asked.
Beth looked each winged horse in the eyes. She knew what she must do. "Ok, but I will come to visit everyone as often as I can, alright?" They all nodded, and Dancer stepped up behind Beth and nickered softly.
"Dancer, lad, you take care of Beth." Poseidon said as Beth began to chant. The sign of Proteus appeared on her forehead.
"Tell Mommy and Daddy I miss them. A lot." Beth said as the rest of the Pegasus' were surrounded by a white light. When the light vanished, the herd went with it. A tear trickled down Beth's cheek as she stared at the spot where they stood before.
***
Eight years later…
Sailor Proteus and Deathdancer raced each other on a beach near the castle of Neptune. Proteus was running as fast as Dancer, but the winged horse wanted to use his wings.
"No! That's cheating!" Proteus yelled as Dancer took to the air.
"Come on, oh mighty Guardian!" The Pegasus teased. "Let's see what you're made of!"
"I'll show you what I'm made of." She replied. "First one through the forest and to the Castle wins! And you have to go -through- the forest, not over it!" Dancer just snorted, shook his head, and began weaving his way through the trees with Proteus right below him.
"I'll beat you yet, Sailor!" Dancer called as he gained a few yards on Proteus.
"Oh no you--ahhh!" Sailor Proteus was in the middle of her retort when she literally fell through the forest floor, landing on her back some twenty feet down.
"M'Lady!" Dancer yelled, then spun in midair and landed in front of the giant hole. "M'Lady, are you alright?" He called down into the hole.
The response he got was a soft groan. "I'm alright… just a bit sore. But I can't see very well down here. I think I see a tunnel, though. Go get Michiru and Haruka and bring them here. Tell them to bring lights, too."
"Alright. Don't go anywhere!" He said, then took off for the Castle.
"Is she over there?" Michiru asked. Haruka was a few yards ahead of them, scouting ahead so no one would fall down the hole if they didn't see it.
"I think so. I can hear her calling-Ahhh!" Haruka suddenly dropped out of sight.
"Haruka!" Michiru raced forward, and would have fallen down the hole if Deathdancer hadn't caught her with a wing.
"I'm alright… Beth caught me." Came a voice, then a laugh.
"Not funny. Get off me!"
"I'm going to find something that Dancer can lower me with. Don't go anywhere!" Michiru ordered, then began looking around for some vines or discarded rope that soldiers or hikers may have left.
"Hey, there's a tunnel down here-"
"She said to not go anywhere!" Dancer shook his head as Beth and Haruka argued good naturedly.
"Lady Neptune, did you find anything?" The Pegasus asked.
"I think so." Michiru replied, returning to the hole with some vines in her arms. "I'll tie them together, then you can lower me into the hole. Haruka, do you still have your light?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, stay there for a few more minutes." Michiru said, working on tying the vines together.
"I didn't think you were that kind of person, Lady Neptune." Dancer said, chuckling.
"Neither did I." Michiru replied. "But sometimes you just have to do things." Soon, she had a length of vine rope about thirty feet long, give or take a foot. "Dancer's going to lower me now!" She called, fastening the vine to the saddle Dancer wore.
Michiru tied the other end of the vine around her waist and stepped carefully into the hole. Dancer held the vine taunt and lowered her into the hole until he felt the vine suddenly become loose. "Are you down?" He called.
"Yes, we're all down here now. We're going to explore. Catch!" Beth's voice said as a small communicator flew out of the hole. It would have smashed into the ground had Dancer not caught it with his wing. "It's on, we'll talk through that."
"I will wait here." Dancer said. He lay down next to the hole, placing the communicator face up so he wouldn't get a cramp holding it in his wing.
Haruka, Michiru, and Beth walked cautiously down the tunnel, with Beth in the lead and Haruka bringing up the rear. Beth carried Michiru's lantern while Haruka carried her own. Michiru somehow found herself stuck in the middle.
"Where do you think this leads?" Haruka asked, her voice echoing down the tunnel.
"I don't know." Michiru replied. "Beth, do you see anything up ahead?"
"Can't tell." Came the reply. "I see something, it's a bit lighter up there. We're almost there, I think."
Soon, the three came to a small cavern. The room itself held them somewhat comfortably, but they may have felt a bit crowded if Dancer had been with them. In the middle of the room was a rock 'table' about three or four feet high and between three and five feet in diameter. The table seemed to be made of obsidian or granite, and was laced with what looked like quartz or diamond, maybe even silver. The walls of the cavern glittered in the lantern light, and they noticed that there were possibly hundreds or thousands of gems imbedded in the rock wall.
"This is… amazing." Michiru whispered. She reached out and touched the rock wall, trailing her fingers across the gems.
"Who do you think made this?" Haruka asked, walking around the room. "I don't think this was made naturally."
"It wasn't." Beth replied, her gaze riveted to the table. "It was made to store something. Look."
On the table sat a pair of kama. Both had black wooden handles, and sharp metal blades. Strange runes were carved into the handles. Haruka was about to touch it when she suddenly stopped and drew her hand back. "I know what those are." She said, staring at the weapons.
"The Spirit Kama…" Michiru finished what her friend was getting at. "They're supposed to be weapons of dark and evil power. No one has ever mastered them, ever. Father said the last that tried went mad from its power and disappeared somewhere."
Beth frowned. "You both seriously believe that?" Both girls nodded, their faces deadly serious. The younger girl raised an eyebrow, then snorted. "It's just a rumor. A legend." She said, reaching to grasp the handles of the Kama.
"No, wait!" Michiru yelled, and Haruka dashed forward to try to stop Beth. She was too late.
The moment Beth's hands touched the weapons, a shock traveled through her body. She tried to tear her hand away from the Kama, but found she couldn't move. She ground her teeth and wrapped her fingers around the Blade, determined not to let go. Wouldn't be surprised if this were the end of me she thought as a rush of images and feelings flooded her mind. She saw dead bodies, victims of both the Kama and the Negaverse. She saw what everyone in the Solar System was doing at that exact moment in a split second, and her mind spun with the speed the images were taking in her mind. She felt the emotions of millions of people, all the way from Pluto to Mercury. She realized they and the Earth people were no different in mind and body, except for the fact that those that lived on planets other than Earth had an insanely longer lifespan. They all had terrible thoughts, feelings, and desires that shouldn't be lived. Heck, she could tell what her two friends with her desired, but it didn't surprise her all that much. She felt their emotions, Dancer's emotions, and the emotions of everyone living around her.
Beth gasped for breath and finally tore herself from the Kama. She panted and shuddered, then leaned against the wall for support. "Are you alright?" Michiru asked as she and Haruka steadied the shaking girl.
"Never better." Beth said as she took a few deep breaths. As soon as her body stopped shaking, she was filled with an unnatural power. Her senses suddenly flared; eyesight became sharper, hearing became better, even her smell was enhanced, if only slightly. She clenched her jaw as her muscles strained, growing in the sudden power surge. In a matter of mere moments, she felt like a very different person. She could feel how hard her muscles were, and how much stronger she was. "Say… do you know what happens to the people that could master them?"
"We were told that the person that did master it would grow in strength and power, feeding off the energy of the Kama, which is supposed to feed off the natural energies of those living." Haruka said, helping Beth to stand upright. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I feel… very… different." She replied, reaching out and grasping the blade again. This time, no images or feelings were felt, just a strong and warm power. She stood there for a moment, then gently lifted the Kama from the rock table. Haruka and Michiru stared at her, shocked that she wasn't going insane. Beth held them for a moment, studying it, before she finally spoke. "Well, I'm not insane."
"No, you're not." Michiru whispered. "You're not."