"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Lacie said again, peering out at the silent girl. "You sure you're not gay?" Mary muttered. Angela giggled as Lacie hit Mary on her arm. "Shut up." Lacie commanded. In the quiet, Rachelle stiffened. "Someone else's here." The girls started to unconsciously glance around. Angela peered deep into the shadows of the pillars. Rachelle glanced where Angela was looking. "Someone's in there. In the darkness." Chaos prevailed for a moment as all six girls flung themselves on the opposite side of pillar away from the shadows. Barely breathing, Angela risked a glance around the pillar. Now she thought she could see something in the dark, a shadow-blacker against black. A soft whisper inched through the air towards her. She was positive it wasn't an innocent whisper of wind, but the sound of a cloak. A low hiss echoed menacingly from the deepest shadowy point. At that, Princess Diamond turned, hand dropping to her side and bringing forth a short, thin blade. "Who's there?" The shadows were silent. Malorie squeaked. "I don't like this! It's creepy!" Angela smiled at her before turning back to peer even harder into the shadows. A pair of blue eyes suddenly flashed in the darkness. Angela gasped. "There he-she-it-oh, whatever. It's there, at any rate." "So who-or what is it?" Mary asked, peering around the other side. "Is it an it, a he, or a she?" "I don't know, I can't see!" Angela griped. Diamond's sword was raised. Her entire body was tense, and focused. Sky blue eyes flashed more brightly then the ones in the darkness. "I warn you, come out now. Or I'll come in for you." A low, terrible laugh stained the air, coming from the pillar's shadow. It was so evil all the girls shuddered. "That would be a male." Elisha remarked, teeth chattering slightly. Diamond had not even blinked. She pointed her sword straight at the darkest point. "Who are you and what do you want?" A dark voice cut through the darkness, sounding like the death-call of a serpent. "So you're the warrior princess." "My name is Diamond." Diamond said coldly. "Yeah, go girl, don't give him any ground!" Lacie cheered softly. "Oh, yes, the lovely head princess. Honored to make your acquaintance." The dark shadow said. There was a slight sneer in his voice. "Jerk." Mary muttered. There was a murmur of agreement. But Angela's heart heard the undertone in the man's cocky talk. Despite a very good disguise of disdain, underneath was a note of worry. Diamond's sword wavered just a fraction of an inch. "What do you want?" The black form within the shadows moved forward to the edge of the darkness. For a moment it looked like he would step out, but instead he stayed at the very edge, just out of the rays of moonlight. "The stars are pretty tonight." The person said calmly. "You should look at them." "No, she shouldn't, you asshole." Elisha muttered. Diamond's sword snapped right back up. "Hah. Right. Nice try. Actually, that was a pretty lame attempt to trick me." A sigh whispered through the air from the darkness. "Look at the sky." "No." Diamond said firmly. There was a bite of impatience in the man's voice this time. "Look, I don't have time. I'm risking my life coming here. I'm not going to kill you, rape you, torture you, or take you hostage, all right? I swear it." Diamond looked evenly into the shadows. "How can I believe you?" There was a long pause. "Don't!" Mary, Lacie, Elisha, and Malorie all hissed. "Do." Angela whispered. A black flash hurtled out of the dark and embedded itself in the ground a foot from Diamond. All girls squealed and jumped before realizing it was just a rose. A black rose. "You've got my word." The voice said slowly. "Ooooh, we have now reached the level of extensive creepiness." Rachelle said, shivering. Diamond hesitated, and then, not dropping her sword, turned and gazed up at the stars. All the girls behind the pillar peered up expectantly too. "Um, okay." Mary said, after a few seconds of this. "Are we supposed to see something?" Malorie wondered. "All I see are a bunch of little dots." Lacie said. "Those would be stars, Lacie." Mary said in a snooty professor tone. She grinned at Lacie to show she was joking. "Hah-hah." Lacie muttered. Diamond glanced back at the shadows suspiciously. "I see nothing out of the ordinary." "No?" The shadows inquired. "Look harder." Once again, Diamond looked up. "I still don't see anything." Lacie grumbled. "Wait." Malorie said, pointing at something. "What's that?" All the girls peered at where she was pointing. A tiny red dot, slightly bigger than the rest of the stars, was moving quickly through space. It was headed off at the Moon. "A red comet?" Diamond asked softly, spying the same thing the girl had. "But-there aren't any comets scheduled to appear in the night sky at this time." "Uh-oh. The Bat Sign's in the sky, Robin." Angela clucked. "To the bat mobile." Rachelle muttered. "What's that supposed to mean?" Diamond cautiously edged closer to the shadows. The blue eyes in there flashed. "You figure it out." Diamond looked up again. She bit her lip. "It's heading towards the Earth, and Moon." "You have twenty seconds on the clock to figure out the answer." Elisha whispered. The girls giggled nervously. Diamond went as straight and tense as a board. "The Moon! It's Beryl!" "Ding-ding-ding! That is correct! Johnny, tell our contestant what she's won!" Mary murmured. "Quiet." Angela ordered. "That attack you've been so worried about and been preparing for?" The shadows asked. Diamond nodded mutely. "It's happening now." Diamond stared into the shadows. "Who are you?" "A friend." Diamond was silent. Then, quickly, she bowed her head. "Arigatou. I thank you." Silence from the shadows. "I don't like this." Mary said, worriedly. "I mean, who the heck is he?" "Who knows." Elisha said with an impatient shrug. "He is evil." Angela thought to herself. "Very, very evil." Diamond hesitated, then raised a hand. A thin ray of moonlight twisted in the air and fell into her palm. She threw the light into the darkness. The shadows vanished. The man was gone. "Itai!" Angela shrieked. "Yikes! Disappearing man! Watch him vanish before your very eyes!!!" "Where'd he go? He couldn't go anywhere without heading out into the moonlight!" Lacie gasped. "Disapparation!!" Rachelle murmured. "Like in Harry Potter." Princess Diamond blinked. Then shook herself, and flew back into the ballroom, crying out, "Attack! Beryl's attacking! Come on, numbskulls, this is it!" "'Numbskulls'?" Angela said, starting to laugh. "That sounds like something I would have said. This Princess is cool!" Several ladies let out surprised screams before fainting into their debonair men's arms. Several men started to pace nervously. One man fainted (all the girls looked at him in disgust.) The Princesses didn't come close to fainting. Not by a long shot. Each of them immediately turned, kissed their dates, and walked straight to Diamond. "Look at that. Just abandon their guys when their friend's in trouble. You go, girls!" Rachelle cheered. "Garnet, Obsidian, alert all castles and individual tribes on the plains. Everyone must band together for this attack." Diamond ordered authoritatively. "Topaz, Emerald, round up our generals, I want to give them a bit of a pep talk. Amethyst, Sapphire, start warming up visual cameras and computers, I want people to be able to report in any time. Let's move!" "Whoa." Lacie said, stepping back slightly. "Girl knows how to give orders. Boss-y!" "Not really." Mary said, shaking her head. "She just knows what needs to be done and gets in charge. She knows what to do. I respect that." The Princesses all nodded, then were off like shots. Sapphire and Amethyst were the only ones who stayed in the room. They ran to one side of the room and began flipping switches so that large screens sprung up all over the ballroom. The tables had all been magically cleared away by a wave from Diamond. "Boy, I wish I could clean my room that easily!" Elisha sighed. Diamond typed on a keyboard, then grabbed a microphone and nearly wrenched it out of its hold. "Opal to Moon, Opal to Moon! Serenity, do you read me?" There was static a moment, and then a large screen popped up in the air above Diamond. Angela nearly fainted in delight. On the screen was the very person she wished she could be every day of her life, the butt-kicker of evil, the girl that managed to attract all the guys with her kind heart. From the silver hair and midnight eyes to the crescent moon on her forehead, Princess Serenity of the Moon was real. Diamond smiled, "Hey, Serenity." "Diamond!" Good to see you!! What's up? Meet someone at the party?" Serenity said, grinning back. Diamond's smile vanished. "No, unfortunately. Serenity, listen, I didn't call for chitchat. We've got a serious problem. Beryl's been spotted, she's heading towards your planet." Serenity's smiling face at once turned pale. "No." She whispered. "Then- Metallia-the prophecies are coming true?" Diamond nodded, then glanced at Serenity. "You're hiding something." Serenity turned red. "Endymion's there, isn't he?" Blushing, but with a hint of a smile, Serenity nodded. "Earth's corrupted now. The people are turned against us by Metallia. What choice did I have but to have him come here?" Diamond smiled. "Take care, Serenity. Prepare yourself." "You too, my friend." Serenity said, before the screen went blank. Diamond sighed and pushed her hair back. "Well, the Moon's warned at least. Better prepare troops to go help them-" "Princess Diamond!" A screech rang out through the room as a man with an uncomfortable blue uniform charged in, face white and almost in hysterics. Diamond stared at him. "Raoul? What is it?" The man gasped for air. "Beryl's not the only one, Highness! The other one-Rubian-she's coming into our system-" A black arrow flew out from a high window and lodged itself in the back of the man. He arched his back and then fell, blood streaming out of his mouth. All the girls instantly recoiled. "Ewww!!" Elisha screeched. Angela stared, wide-eyed, at the person on the floor. This insanity had just taken a turn for the worst. She hated seeing people on the news dying from starvation. Road kill made her wince. In movies, if a good guy died, she always looked away. Now someone, a real person, had been killed right in front of her. She felt sick. Rachelle had turned away, face pale. "I could have gone without seeing that." She murmured, voice high and squeaky. Diamond stared at the man on the floor. Then, almost imperceptibly, her eyes shot up and began scanning the rafters of the room. "There." Mary said, pointing to a high dark corner. A dark shadow crouched there. The girls could almost make out the bow in its hands. "Our friend from before?" Lacie muttered. Rachelle whimpered. The girls clustered together. "If an arrow hits us, do we get hurt?" Elisha wondered. "Oh, THANKS for making me feel a ton better, Elisha!" Mary muttered. Another dark shot flew down straight at Diamond's foot. At the last possible second, she moved her toe just enough so that it embedded in the floor. "That would have HURT." Malorie murmured. Another shot flew. This time, it was aimed towards Diamond's knee. She merely bent her leg. The arrow whistled past to hit the ground right in front of Angela. She immediately leapt back and knocked everyone else over. "Klutz." Mary complained, sounding muffled from Rachelle's leg in her face. "Oh, yeah, like YOU wouldn't have jumped back!" Angela retorted angrily. "Baka!" "Echei!" "Oh, shut up, the both of you." Lacie grumbled. Diamond slowly backed away from the dark corner, gently treading around the dead man's carcass. The only signs of life in him now was the blood still draining from his mouth. His eyes had rolled back into his head, and his hands and face were molded into grotesque expressions of pain. "I think I'm going to go somewhere and throw up." Rachelle whispered. "Yuck." Malorie agreed. Diamond edged backwards just as three more arrows flew down and stuck into the man's chest and stomach. "This guy's not the best shot." Malorie commented. Diamond suddenly grabbed at something on the inside of her neckline and leapt back as five more arrows flew to where she had been standing. "Diamond Star Power-MAKE UP!!!!" She cried. Something like an explosion of light erupted in the ballroom. Several screeches were heard, the loudest from Angela and Mary. "OWWWW!!!!!" Angela yelled. "MY EYES!!! I'M BLIND!!!!!" Mary screamed, clawing at her face. "No, you're not." Elisha said calmly. "See, the light's going away now." The two girls blinked sheepishly at Elisha. "Oh my-hey, you guys, look!" Malorie exclaimed, pointing at something in the center of the ballroom. The Princess Diamond was no longer there. Instead, a girl in an extremely short skirt was in a jaunty pose. Her blue eyes flashed angrily up at the archer. "YIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!" The girls screeched. "Sailor Diamond!!!" The Princess-turned-Senshi did not even bother to strike an odd pose. Hands on her hips, she sternly asked, "All right, come out. You want to fight, you've GOT your fight, buddy!" "Go girl!" Angela cheered. "I'm still a die-hard Moonie, but man! This girl doesn't bother with long stupid speeches, she just gets to it!" The shadows slowly slid down the wall, reminding the girls of jell-o gone wrong. The dark mass swirled upward into a human form, then the black disappeared to be replaced by colors and a face. All the girls gasped. "That's the brown-haired guy from before!" Rachelle hissed. "I REALLY do not like that guy." "Me either." Mary muttered. Sailor Diamond calmly took a fighter stance. Angela wondered if she saw a blue fire dancing in her eyes. The brown-haired man, what was his name- Uther, that was it-his eyes were as black as coal. "This is weird." Lacie muttered, snapping Angela out of her trance. I mean, if this was the guy we saw a few minutes ago, then he's got to be really, REALLY old!!" "Several centuries at least!" Elisha murmured. "That means..." Angela muttered, importantly. The girls all held their breath. "...he must be ancient!" she brightly finished. The girls all sighed. "You've got a definite ditz syndrome going for you there, girl." Mary groaned. "Wonder how he stayed in such good shape?" Malorie mused. "I mean, except for that evil-henchman thing going on, he's not too bad on the eyes." "You're hitting on a BAD GUY?!?!" Elisha and Rachelle screamed. "Yuck!" "I am NOT hitting on him!!" Malorie cried defensively. "I'm just making a casual remark!!" "Uh-uh! No hitting on, liking, or making casual remarks on any and all evil doers!!!" Mary yelled. "Um, while you guys were yelling, she just conked the bad guy on the head with a weird light disc and he took off." Lacie remarked. "WHAT?!" Angela shrieked. "Darn! I missed a fight!" "It really wasn't much." Lacie said with a shrug. "Easy for YOU to say." Angela muttered. Diamond stood alone now, breathing deeply. A troubled look was easily discernible on her face. As if making a decision, a keyboard popped up from a hole in the middle of the room. Sailor Diamond typed something on it-and immediately threw herself to one side as a fireball hit where she had been standing. The fire spread like liquid over the ground, and soon the room was ablaze. The girls all shrieked and ran in different directions. Too late, they realized the fire had enclosed them in circles-all separately. "HELP!!!!!!" Rachelle screeched from hers. "Calm down, Rachelle!" Angela called from hers, trying to fight panic. From somewhere, hidden to them by flame, Diamond roared. "Girls, I need back-up NOW!!!!!!!!!!" "Icy Glacier Freeze!" Someone yelled. Blue ice swarmed from a hallway and quickly surrounded and covered the flame. The flames seemed to try and leap higher, but the ice was everywhere, and the fire was smothered. Six other Sailor Senshi stood in the doorway. Each was easily recognized as a princess., and each had a uniform specially decorated with their colors. "Took you long enough." Diamond said calmly, stepping over a pile of melting ice. "Sorry." Sailor Topaz said, smiling slightly. "Heard your call, felt the evil presence, had to throw a few demons off my back." "So she's already sent out troops?" Diamond said, a frightened look on her face. Sapphire nodded, "And is getting more ready. We've got a full assault on our hands. The order to send troops to help the Moon was canceled halfway through." "Good." Diamond said. "We have to help our friends, but we're going to need all the help we can get over here ourselves." Garnet and Obsidian both had their eyes closed. "I've got a bad feeling about this war." Garnet remarked. "There's a lot of darkness in my view." Obsidian nodded. "I thought that's what I felt, but I wasn't sure." She looked at Diamond. "Now what?" Diamond bit her lip. "Better put up a magical defense, first of all. Order all people to try and get to a city as quickly as possible. Civilians who can fire weapons or call magic-get them out here fighting too. This is going to be a tough one." "Better do a Jewel Senshi Group Attack, D." Emerald said, smoothing her hair slightly. "We work better together." "Right." Diamond said holding her hands out to Topaz and Amethyst. "Better do this now, guys." All the Senshi held hands. The human girls were very still. In each of them, some strange sense was slowly starting to break loose. "Diamond Light Power!" "Topaz Beauty Power!" "Garnet Fire Power!" "Sapphire Water Power!" "Emerald Nature Power!" "Obsidian Fear Power!" "Amethyst Death Power!" "JEWEL SENSHI ATTACK!!" A blaze of lights blasted out of each of the girls and spiraled up through the ceiling. The human girls saw the lights arch across the sky. "Shield us!" Diamond cried. The lights stopped, swirled, and, like a cloak, settled in a dome over the planet. Almost immediately, crackles of lightning began to flash on it. "She's already trying to break through." Garnet murmured, knees bending slightly. "Stubborn idiot." "Everyone take a break." Diamond ordered. "Send messages to generals and troops with computers. Sapphire, I need you over here to fix the computer that sends interplanetary messages, I think the fires melted some of its wires." Sapphire nodded and trotted after her sister. "Oh, and you all might want to de-transform." Diamond called over her shoulder. "Save your energy." "Hey, you should too, fearless leader." Obsidian called, sailor outfit melting into a black dress. Diamond smiled, and her sailor fuku disappeared into the white dress. "Happy?" Obsidian nodded, and a computer popped up beside her. She began typing on it. Meanwhile, the human girls had all fallen to their knees. "What was THAT?!" Lacie shrieked. Mary knew she didn't just mean the light show. "That electric jolt that went through us when those Senshi called on their powers? Gee, I have no idea, I didn't feel it." "This is so weird." Rachelle murmured. "When Diamond yelled out her power, I didn't feel a thing, but with Garnet-ow! Felt like a mule kicked me in my ribs." "Same thing with me and Topaz." Malorie muttered. "And you're right, it hurt!" "Isn't it obvious?" Elisha said with a shrug. "Somehow, someway, we're connected with them. Heck, maybe they're like our past lives or something." "No, they're more than that." Angela said. "If they were just our past lives, we wouldn't have been painfully pulled out of our world and forced to see all these memories. They've got a link with those two guys in the park, and this stuff's all got something to do with our time." "You're probably right." Rachelle said with a sigh. "Great, Not only do I have school and homework, now I have to figure out an ancient riddle. Great." "Huh." Mary said, not totally convinced. "Next thing you'll be saying is that we can really transform into superheroes." There was complete and utter silence for a moment, and then everyone burst out laughing. "Yeah, right!" Lacie spluttered. "I'm not even close to being superhero- like." "You're strong." Malorie pointed out. She wasn't laughing as hard as the others. "So? I haven't got the skill for making battle plans or anything. The guys I fight mostly go down after one punch." "Even so, I mean, why would a bunch of teenagers be trusted with the fate of a world?" Elisha sensibly pointed out. "It'd be more reasonable if strong smart adults were, instead." "Unless our past lives were superheroes." Angela said, who was also not laughing as hard, though she was giggling. "That was speculation, nothing more." The laughter died away into a faintly uneasy silence. "SHOOT!" The loud yell broke through the silence. The girls, humans and princesses, all looked at Princess Emerald. "Rubian's stronger than we thought." Emerald said angrily, pointing something out to Diamond, who had come beside her. "Look! Here, and here, and here! The shield's almost broken in all those places! Worse, they're close to our palaces! If her lines break through, they'll hit our city first! Some shots are actually breaking through and hitting!" Diamond looked grim. "Better move a lot faster, then." The work sped up. A large circular marble table came up in the room, with seven large, puffy chairs. The princesses all sat in these, typing or staring at screens or just resting. Suddenly, the computer screens blipped, then went black. Garnet leapt up with a cry. "What happened?!" "The electricity center must have been destroyed." Diamond murmured. Then, very slowly, "Whose castle is that in?" There was a small squeak in the middle of silence. Sapphire's hand slowly raised into the air. "Oh, Sapphire!" Garnet said, eyes wide. Sapphire looked down, hands buried in the folds of her dress. "M-my guy- is there. In my part. I-I told him to go there, to wait for me." Her voice broke. Diamond went over and kneeled on the floor by her friend. "It's all right. You can't fall apart, none of us can. You don't know if he's been injured, and just because one part's been destroyed doesn't mean your castle's fallen yet." Sapphire nodded, but her head was still down. Diamond patted her sister's hand, and stood. "The mobile communicators may not have failed yet. Get the screens ready so we'll be able to quickly see messages. In the meantime-" She stopped, then went on. "Just pray, I guess." Each princess nodded before setting about to the task of setting a large, four-sided screen up above the table. Diamond stayed near Sapphire, whose head was up now. Her eyes were damp, but fierce. A huge boom of thunder and a flash of light made all girls glance at the outside. "The shield's breaking!" Emerald cried in horror. "Give it more power!!" Diamond ordered in a scream. More lights spread from the princesses out into the sky, but it was too late. The multicolored light shield had vanished. All the princesses stared as dark masses swarmed in from the plains. Rubian's armies, from what the human girls could see, were dark and blood red blobs shaped like human women with long sharp teeth and horrible black wings. They slithered towards the castles. A shout rose from the towers as soldiers of Opal rushed out and towards the oncoming hordes. Diamond had collapsed in a chair, face drained, white light still pouring from her hands and going towards the armies. "Why?" She whispered. "That shield should have held for hours. What happened?" "Diamond-stop it!" Topaz cried. The white light was still flowing from Diamond, and she had started to look sick. The light dimmed and the flow stopped. Amethyst and Topaz smoothed Diamond's hair and hands. "Don't ever do that again." Amethyst said, voice trembling. "Never let your raw power out like that, you know that. It'll kill you." "It would have killed them too." Diamond said ruefully, but the color was coming back in her cheeks. "So Rubian's really back after all these years." Obsidian muttered, watching the battle. "But who's she got with her? From what I hear, that shot we gave her as kids should have kept her traveling a long time." "She probably met up with some Dark Lord and he gave her power." Sapphire mused softly. Diamond sighed. "Does it matter? She's back, and we've got to do something!" She tried to stand up. Topaz forced her back. "Oh, no, you don't. You are going to stay seated. You need a bit of rest." Diamond didn't argue. She sighed again, then sat up straighter. "Try and contact our mobile field units. We need to see what they need." "Too late, looks like they've already contacted us!" Garnet said, pointing at the four-sided screen. Diamond wheeled her chair to face the screens. All the other princesses took their seats. The screen blipped a few different colors, then shone blue, and a man's face, tan, with mop of purple-black hair, flipped in and blue eyes. He seemed to smile reassuringly at Garnet, who had suddenly sat straight up. "Hello, General." Diamond said, smiling a little. The figure on the screen bobbed his head. Angela noticed his hair was matted with blood, and his face wasn't just tanned, but dirty with battle grime. "Majesties." He said, nodding at each princess. "Sapphire and Garnet Palaces are holding out for now, but we're weary. We need some relief soon, or else we're in trouble. The beasties aren't winning, but neither are we. Thank you." Diamond sighed. "Reinforcements will be there as soon as possible, general. Any word from the nomadic tribes?" The general swallowed hard. "Princess-the tribes were wiped out. The plains are close to being a desert. The demons destroyed all life." All the girls stood completely still. "All life outside the shield?" Diamond whispered. "All life." The General sighed. "I'm sorry, Majesty. A few members of tribes did manage to make it inside the shield while it was still up, but most are gone." Diamond didn't move for a second. Her eyes were brimming with tears. Then those eyes narrowed, and the tears evaporated. "They'll pay." She hissed. "I swear, Rubian will pay!" "She really loves her people." Mary remarked quietly. "I wonder how many people died." Lacie said softly. No one answered her. The screen flickered. "Kylian?" Garnet inquired nervously. The general smiled kindly at her as the screen flickered again. "I've got to go, the front line's back. Don't' worry, I'll see you again." He said, more to Garnet than anyone else. She smiled, biting her lip slightly. "Love you." Then the screen was blank. Garnet's lip trembled slightly. Diamond noticed, and smiled. "Don't worry. Your Kylian's a very capable fighter. He'll take care." Garnet nodded, and then briskly brushed her hands on her dress. "Back to waiting?" She asked, in fake cheerfulness. "Until further notice." Sapphire confirmed. "Meanwhile, I've almost got these darn interstellar cables hooked back up-" A huge explosion knocked all the girls off their feet-except for Diamond, who fell out of her chair. Angela shrieked as pieces of the marble ceiling shook slightly. Bits of gravel fell down on them. "Ow! It got in my eye!" Lacie complained. "Oh my GOD!!!!!" Mary screamed. "Don't have to be so sarcastic." Lacie muttered. "No-seriously-oh my GOD!" She cried again, pointing out of the windows. Angela and the other girls looked-and stared. There were two huge craters in the ground where the red and blue palaces had been. Red-black demons were everywhere in the holes. Garnet saw what had happened. Her eyes opened so wide you could see an inch of white all around. Then she wailed, "Oh my GOD!! KYLIAN!!!!!! KYLIAN!!!!!" She started running out of the room, but Amethyst and Obsidian managed to grab her and force her to the floor. She kicked at them, screaming, "Kylian! KYLE!!! Oh my God, I let him go! I let him go!!!!" Diamond quickly leapt out of her chair and grabbed a glass of water that appeared in the air with a "pop!". She ran over to Garnet and threw the water in her face. Garnet stopped wailing, spluttered, and just wept, tears mingling with the water on her face. "Sorry." Diamond said quietly. "But you can't get hysterical. We need to keep calm." "But he's DEAD!!" Garnet cried, burying her face in Amethyst's shoulder. "My love-my friend-oh, God!" "Garnet, please!" Diamond said, taking her sister by the shoulders and shaking her slightly before hugging her. "Don't fall apart! You must fight for him now!" Slowly, Garnet stopped sobbing, though tears still coursed steadily from her eyes. Sapphire had fallen back into her chair. She was very white. "Chasem." She murmured softly, hardly moving. "He-he's gone, too. I-I told him to go to the Sapphire Palace, told him he'd be safe-" Her hands were so tightly clenched that blood was starting to trickle from where her nails had pierced her skin. "Sapphire-stop it!" Emerald cried, shaking her sister's arm. But Sapphire didn't relax. She went on muttering to herself. "-told him to wait for me, I'd be along soon, told him to stay there till it was over-" Diamond went over and shook her sister slightly, but Sapphire's head just rolled on her shoulders. "She's in shock." Diamond told the others. "We can't just let her keep hurting herself like this!" Emerald said, angrily motioning at her bleeding hands. Diamond studied Sapphire for a long moment. Then she reached out and slapped her, hard, across the face. Emerald and Topaz gasped, but Sapphire blinked, looked at her sister, and then burst into uncontrollable sobs. Diamond held her sister and rocked her back and forth, crooning in her ear, until, after a few minutes, the sobs ended, and Sapphire pulled out of the embrace, eyes lighted with a blue flame. "They'll pay." She whispered, in a voice completely cold and very different from her normal voice. "I swear, for killing my Chasem, they'll pay." "And my Kylian." Garnet said, eyes red and still wet. "What on Opal was strong enough to do that much damage?" Obsidian murmured, looking out at the wreckage. "I don't know." Topaz said, looking out as well. She sharply caught her breath. "Uh-oh-Amethyst, they're headed towards your castle now." "And yours, too, Topaz." Obsidian said, looking sadly at her yellow-haired sister. "Well, I think Mattukin's still in our main castle here." Amethyst said, voice trembling for the first time. "But-my people, my friends-" "Charles' still here too." Topaz said bravely. "At least-I think he is. I mean, you know, he's a counselor and so he would naturally stay, right?" Diamond smiled at Topaz for her courage. "Let's hope so. Anyway-" "Diamond!" Sapphire called from her place behind a computer. "I've got the interstellar cables hooked back up, they should run okay now." "Let's try them out." Diamond said, pressing a few buttons. "I want to make sure Serenity's all right." A screen popped up. Instead of showing a face, there was only static. Diamond frowned and pressed a few buttons again. Static. A few sparks flew over Diamond hair as she typed more furiously. Nothing. "That can't be good." Elisha muttered. Furiously, Diamond pounded on the keypad. "It can't be." She muttered. "It's not possible-I mean, no-" There was static, and then- The screen went black. Angela had felt sorry for Sapphire and Garnet when their loved ones had died. She had felt nervous for Amethyst and Topaz when their palaces were going to be destroyed, but the sound that Diamond now made cut her straight to the heart. "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" A terrible scream ripped through the night. Diamond began typing more furiously than ever. "Serenity!! Serenity!! Answer if you can hear me!! Serenity?! ANSWER ME!!!" The screen remained blank. "No!" Diamond cried, pounding the screen. "No, no, no-" And then, as someone had flicked a switch, she stopped crying. Topaz put a hand on her shoulder, but Diamond shrugged it off. Topaz glanced at Amethyst, and a look of worry passed between them. "Diamond-" Obsidian began. "Don't talk to me right now, please." Diamond said, her face set in stone. Emerald started to speak. "Did you hear me?! I said, don't talk to me!!" Diamond yelled, voice as sharp as a knife. Emerald backed away. A loud crash and a boom like thunder signified the destruction of Topaz's and Amethyst's castles. Amethyst's face crumpled, and she hid her face in her hands, shoulders jerking up and down. Topaz bravely tried to stand straighter, but the quivering in her lip and the paleness of her face was evident. Obsidian one-armed hugged her sister, black hairs mingling with blond. She whispered something into Topaz's ear, and slowly Topaz relaxed, face still white. "This is-awful." Malorie said, staring at Topaz. "And she's so brave." "Diamond's castle is next in line." Mary said quietly. No one answered her. Diamond rose unsteadily, face grim. "It's time." She stated. "For what?" Emerald asked. "For us to go to the Moon." Diamond said, face pale but calm. "Diamond-" Topaz said, trying to cover her sadness. "If the signals are knocked out on the Moon, but not here, you know that can only mean-" "Yes, I know." Diamond said. "The Moon's probably in chaos. If anyone there's-" She stopped. "The people that survived need our help. The atmosphere is probably going. We have to save some." "What about Opal?!" Obsidian said angrily. "Our people are still here! They need us! We're their link!" "Rubian broke through our shield." Diamond said. "She's much too powerful for us to fight. Besides, look at this." She gestured at the fighting going on outside. "The plains tribes are dead. Four of our cities have fallen. We can't stop the others from either, probably not even our main one." "That's still no excuse not to stay here and fight for what's left!!" Sapphire argued. "Perhaps." Diamond said evenly. "What you want to do is no matter to me. I'm going." She grasped her transformer in one hand and stood up. "But-Diamond-our people!" Topaz protested. "Our home!! Doesn't that mean something to you?" "Our people are dying, and I can do nothing." Diamond said quietly. "You will not let me use my full power, but you will not let me help where I am needed." "We won't let you use your full power because it'll kill you!" Sapphire said angrily. "And we won't let you go to the Moon because-because you should stay with us, and-" "And what? Die with you? It's the only thing that can happen if we stay!" Diamond said, quiet fury visible. "But we'll at least be with each other and our people." Garnet said quietly. "Look, I have to find out what happened to the Moon!" Diamond said, anger in her voice but not on her face. "The connections there are out, and I want to know why. And if there are survivors-the survivors need help. And I'm going to give it to them." There was a long pause. Finally, Topaz stood. Without a word, she walked over to Diamond and held her hand. "Diamond's right. We can't do anything here. Besides-in my heart-I know that Charlie's gone. I don't have much left to live for now." Diamond squeezed her sister's hand gently. "I'll go too." Garnet said next, walking next to Topaz. "Mars is my friend. So is Serenity. If I can help them, I will." Emerald stood irresolute for a second, then sighed. "What the heck? I might as well. Jupiter can help me kick Rubian's butt." She stood next to Garnet as a crash sounded the end of her castle. Obsidian and Sapphire were set stubbornly. Amethyst hesitated, uncertainly. "Amethyst!" Sapphire hissed. "Don't go along with this foolishness!" Obsidian pleaded. Amethyst hung her head. "I-I'm too worried about Saturn to not go. I mean, I love our people, but we can't really help them. Maybe we can help the Moon." She stood next to Diamond's other side and took her right hand. Diamond gave her sister a grateful look. Sapphire and Obsidian stood stubbornly side by side. Diamond and the others calmly looked at them. A wavering look quickly passed over Obsidian's face. Sapphire noticed, and roughly poked her sister with her elbow. "What good can you do here, Obsidian-chan?" Topaz asked gently. "You can't save our people, nor can you save our planet from dying." Obsidian wavered again, then looked away. "What if Pluto's lying hurt somewhere?" Garnet asked. Obsidian bit her lip. Sapphire jostled her again. "Please, Obsidian-chan." Diamond said. "Come with us." Obsidian gave Sapphire one last glance. Then, slowly but firmly, she crossed to the other side and stood by Amethyst. "Traitor." Sapphire muttered. "I'm sorry, Sapphire." Obsidian said, looking down. "But-you know I am feel about Pluto-she's my best friend aside from you guys, and she's always been so mysterious and alone." Her voice faded away as she shrugged. Sapphire stood defiantly alone. "I won't go." She said firmly. "And I won't let YOU guys go. You should stay here! We can at least try again! Put up a shield around our remaining cities or something!" "Sapphire," Garnet said. "Think of Mercury! She might need your help now!" "Not going to work with me, Garnet." Sapphire said stubbornly. "I care too much about my friends." "What friends?" Diamond said harshly. "Sapphire, your city is destroyed and everyone who was in it is dead, including your Chasem! You can't do anything for them now!" "I have friends in the other cities too!" Sapphire said challengingly. "Sapphire." Diamond said, some of her power creeping into her voice. "Please. I am asking you as a friend." Sapphire folded her arms. "So be it." Diamond said, taking out her transformer. "Diamond Star Power-MAKE UP!!" "Blinding light alert!" Mary cried as a wave of light swept over them. "Ow." Elisha complained. Sapphire looked somewhat shocked. "Diamond," she said, "Diamond you're- you're not seriously thinking-" "Amethyst Star Power-MAKE UP!!" "Topaz Star Power-MAKE UP!!" "Garnet Star Power-MAKE-UP!!" "Emerald Star Power-MAKE UP!!" "Obsidian Star Power-MAKE UP!!" Six Jewel Senshi stood in different positions, the same determined expression on each of their faces. "Last chase, Sapphire." Sailor Diamond said. "Come with us." Sapphire sighed in defeat. "I can NOT believe I'm dragged into your lunacy." Sailor Diamond smiled. "Come on, Saph." "You owe me BIG for this." Sapphire muttered. "Sapphire Star Power-MAKE UP!!" There was a flash of blue. Sailor Sapphire had her arms crossed and a sour look on her face. "Shall we?" Diamond asked, holding out her hands. "Ladies!" A voice cried. Diamond sighed as she turned to face the tall dark man and golden haired woman that had charged into the room. "Hello, Advisor Lune, Advisor Demetri." "Advisor LUNE!?!?!" Angela shrieked. "Lune?! You were a human?!?! Oh my God!!" "It might be a different Lune." Rachelle suggested. "Yeah, right, what are the chances of THAT?" Elisha said snobbily. "Princess Diamond." The golden haired woman said angrily. "What on Opal are you doing?" "We're leaving. The other planets-I think they're in trouble, they need us there." "Impossible." The woman said flatly. "How would you get past Rubian's outer defenses? She's circled our planet, you can't leave." "Now, Lune," the dark man said, "we can't stop them from going. They have a right to their actions." Lune snorted. "I'm not letting you go into God-knows-what peril. Pure stupidity on your account, ladies." Before Diamond could reply, Topaz stepped forward. "Where are our parents?" She meekly asked. Lune's face froze, then went completely blank. "I am sure they are fine, Topaz." "You lie." Topaz said, a note of panic rising in her voice. "I'll ask again: where are our parents?!" "Topaz." Lune looked at the dark man for help. Demetri sighed. "They went on an expedition to the plains tribes today, ladies." Topaz turned gray. "So our parents-are dead?" She asked in a very small voice. Demetri nodded. "I'm sorry, lady. I loved Jemma and Titan as well." "Well, that settles it, doesn't it?" Diamond said in a clear, distant voice. Topaz and the others turned to stare at her. "There's nothing left for us here now." Diamond said reasonably, though her face was pale. "Perhaps there's something worth living for out on the Moon." "You're-you are going to the Moon?" Lune asked sharply. "Why? Has something happened there? Is my sister all right?" "Their communication systems are out, Lune." Sailor Garnet said sadly. "We don't know what that means." For a moment Lune's lower lip quavered, then she stubbornly pursed it. "Well, then I suppose you should go check on Selenity and the others princesses." "We'll check for Luna as well." Diamond said, giving Lune an affectionate look. "Do come back, won't you, your Majesties?" Demetri said. "I would not like you to vanish. This day has already seen far too many losses." Obsidian smiled gently at Demetri. "Of course we will. Don't worry." "We're all going to die." Sapphire said pessimistically. "Don't jinx us!" Emerald ordered. "Too late." Diamond stepped back in finality. "Tale care of yourself, Lune, Demetri. We want to come home to a planet with some life still on it." "The survivors have all clustered into our halls." Demetri said. "There's not as many gone as you would think." Emerald and Amethyst brightened a little, but Garnet shook her head. "I know Kylian's gone. I can feel it." Demetri opened his mouth, then shook his head and stepped back. "When you come back we'll begin the reconstruction." Lune said briskly. "I'll try and start now. I believe Rubian's backing off a bit, I might go search through the debris for survivors." "Be very careful." Emerald said to Lune. "Rubian might have backed off, and she might not have. Take good care of yourself." "You too, ladies." Lune's mouth trembled again. The girls turned away from her and held hands. "Let's do this." Diamond ordered. "Diamond Light Power!" "Topaz Beauty Power!" "Garnet Fire Power!" "Sapphire Water Power!" "Amethyst Death Power!" "Obsidian Fear Power!" "Emerald Nature Power!" "JEWEL SENSHI POWER!!!" A white ball of power formed around the seven Sailor Senshi. Slowly it rose into the air. Diamond looked down. "We'll be back!!" She called. "And we'll be waiting!" Lune cried back. Diamond smiled, and then the ball of power flew out of a window and into the sky. "Darn!" Elisha said, trying not to smile. "Oh, well, they vanished. Oh no. Well, I guess we can't follow-" Each of the Earthling girls rose into the air. "YIPE!" Rachelle screamed. "HELP!! I'M LEVITATING!" Angela yelled. "GET ME DOWN!!" "HELP!!" "YIKES!!" "I WANNA GET DOWN NOW!!!" But they didn't float back down. The girls flew out of the window in the same direction the Senshi had gone. "This goes beyond odd." Elisha muttered blackly. "Here we are, flying through space. Soon we'll run out of oxygen or something and die. This is awful. This is terrible. We're all gonna-" "Wow!!" Angela cried. "Look at all the stars!! And the planets! It's beautiful!!" "She's right!" Malorie said. "Man, and I only thought I'd see this if I became an astronaut!!" "Yeah!" Rachelle said. "It's gorgeous!" "You are far too happy." Elisha muttered. "We're all going to die." "Well, you're right." Mary told her. "As in the fact that none of us are getting any younger. But I suggest you relax in the meanwhile and enjoy this spectacular view!!" Elisha sighed, but couldn't help admiring a nebula as they passed. The Sailor Senshi flew on ahead, not talking, not looking at stars. Just flying, all eyes concentrated forward to their destination. Too soon for the girls, the familiar sight of Earth came into view. And- "Oh, my God."