The First Senshi
Part 4
One morning, like every morning, Sailor Mahou-Henshin reminded herself of her duty by strolling through the endless garden of starseeds. "So beautiful, all shining," she sighed happily.
"So Mahou-Henshin, I see you have found a purpose for yourself. Planting the starseeds?" said a familiar voice that Mahou-Henshin had not heard since— she could not remember when she last heard that voice.
"Seishou-Yami-chan?" she asked sweetly, turning around to greet her visitor.
"Of course, my friend," the taller girl answered, "Where have you been planting these seeds, Mahou-Henshin? I see there are many fewer here than when I left. The brightest are gone."
"Oh, I planted those first!" Mahou-Henshin said and smiled, "You see, their hosts will be my soldiers, my Sailor Senshi. They can protect their systems from—"
"Your soldiers, are they?" Seishou-Yami suddenly interrupted bitterly, "So you planned to use up all the powerful starseeds on your own soldiers? You planned to get rid of me with them, did you? You want to control this universe on your own, don't you?"
"I didn't say—"Mahou-Henshin stammered defensively.
"Ha!" the dark senshi laughed, while scooping the starseeds in front of her up into her arms, "Well, I have news for you, little one! This isn't the only universe! I created my own just to be the base. Now that I know what you are planning, I can use it for my headquarters to take on your soldiers with my soldiers."
"Seishou-Yami, I—!" she protested.
"Just you watch, I will be the one owning this universe as well!" she laughed menacingly and leaped up and out of the Caldron, starseeds gathered in her hands.
"I didn't want that at all..." Mahou-Henshin said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes, "You were my sister, I don't want to fight you. I just..."
When she thought Mahou-Henshin was not looking, Sailor Seishou-Yami would return back to the Galaxy Caldron to sneak off with more starseeds to plant in her own senshi. Right from the start, she taught them hatred for Sailor Mahou-Henshin and all of her soldiers. Aching inside, Mahou-Henshin prepared herself and her senshi for battle.
"Where are we?" Minako asked, her voice echoing eerily in the dark corridor of black stone.
"This must be the Black Universe," Sailor Moon said, staring into the darkness.
"It's so..." Makoto started then paused before continuing, "cold."
"Cold hardly describes it," Haruka disagreed, "My skin doesn't feel it; my soul does."
"We should hurry before this gets to us all," Sailor Pluto urged.
"We should split up," Rei suggested, "that way, we'll find her faster."
"No," Neptune said sharply, "We can't. Not with you four unable to fight."
"We can too fight!" Makoto argued.
"Stop it, stop it!" Pluto scolded, "You see what this place is doing to us already?"
Makoto sighed, "Gomen..."
Before they could proceed down the hall they heard footsteps coming towards them. A moment later, four senshi came out of the darkness, eagerly malicious looks in their eyes.
"Sailor Epsilon!" Sailor Mercury cried in surprise.
"Sailor Theta!" Saturn exclaimed.
"White Universe senshi," Theta laughed.
"We are Sailor Pi," announced the new soldier in blue.
"And Sailor Beta!" the orange-suited woman added.
"We were expecting you," Epsilon said evenly, "Especially after Sailor Sigma caught her chatting with all of you. We couldn't let something like that happen again."
"You didn't kill her did you?" Sailor Moon stammered.
Theta laughed, "Of course not. You would know if we did."
"How would—?" Mercury pondered but was cut off.
"Theta Thunder Javelin!"
"Pi Endless Entrancement!"
She screamed and dodged out of the way along with Rei and Haruka. Unlucky Saturn was hit by Pi's attack and stood where she was stunned and unable to move. To their immense relief, her brooch remained intact.
"Hotaru!" Setsuna gasped.
"Deep Submerge!"
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
The dark senshi retaliated quickly, "Epsilon Dire Shatter Attack!"
"Beta Engulfing Smog!"
The attacks collided and disappeared but Sailor Moon quickly raised her tier, "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"
Sailor Pi and Sailor Beta were not quick enough to get out of the way.
Beta screamed while Pi moaned, "That light... the Ginzuishou..."
A moment later, the two senshi were collapsed on the ground, like heaps over their golden staffs.
Epsilon and Theta quickly kneeled down next to their fallen allies. Theta glared up at Sailor Moon, "You have not seen the last of us. Explore if you want, but you won't get far!" With that, all four senshi disappeared.
"Hotaru? Hotaru!" Sailor Pluto said, gently shaking Sailor Saturn, who still held her glaive firmly in her hand.
Suddenly, she blinked and shuddered.
"Hotaru?" Pluto asked.
"That was—"she started quietly, then looked around, "We have to get going!"
"Sailor Moon's attack must have freed her," Mercury commented quietly and Makoto agreed with a nod.
"Let's go!" Minako reminded them all, "We don't have much time before those four come back."
"I don't think it's just those four though," Rei said darkly.
"Anyway," Haruka urged, leading the group forward, "We don't have much time to loose!"
"So Mahou-Henshin, my friend," Sailor Seishou-Yami said, smiling down on Mahou-Henshin from her great throne, "How does it feel to have lost this little game you started?"
"There was no game, and I haven't lost!" Sailor Mahou-Henshin argued from where she knelt on the floor, hands bound behind her back.
"So you have confidence in your senshi?" she asked, "That Sailor Moon doesn't look that impressive to me. Why call her when you could have called someone like your Sailor Galaxia, hm?"
"Sailor Moon's starseed shines brighter than any of the other starseeds that have come from the Caldron! Brighter even than us," the helpless soldier declared boldly.
"You see those shackles on the wall over there?" Seishou-Yami asked, gesturing to the wall behind her captive, who twisted around, trying to catch a glimpse of them, "I want to bring your precious soldiers here, put them over there, and make them watch me kill you."
"You wouldn't—"
"Oh, yes I would," she responded with a smile, "Then I would take all of their starseeds and place them in a new generation of my own soldiers."
"You can't do that!" Mahou-Henshin exclaimed, "They would never be reborn again! You cannot upset the balance!"
"So these are your first ones, are they?" when Mahou-Henshin nodded, her smile widened, "That's why you must be so confident."
"You don't understand," Sailor Mahou-Henshin protested, "You cannot go through with this. You do not know what it would do to the balance."
"So you are using this 'balance' thing to convince me not to kill you?" Seishou-Yami laughed.
"You can't—"
"I'm sick of listening to you!" the dark soldier interrupted, "Sailor Sigma, take her away!"
"Yes, Sailor Seishou-Yami," a purple-clad senshi with a tall silver staff emerged from the shadows and bowed. She strode over to their captive, placed a hand on her head, and then tapped the ground twice with the gold butt of the staff. They were gone.
Alone now, Sailor Seishou-Yami laughed long and hard, her laughter echoing off the stone walls of her great hall. "Sailor Moon," she said when her laughter died down, "You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into."