Chapter 17
Magic of Darkness, Esmeraude's Invasion
"See you later," Sora, Usagi, Riku, and Chibiusa said as they left the house.
"I'm so glad you're recovered and are feeling better, Chibiusa," added Luna.
"Yeah, thank you Luna," replied Chibiusa.
"To celebrate, would you like it if we took you out?" asked Usagi.
"Yeah, consider it our treat, Chibiusa. Anything you want, we'll accept it," added Sora.
"Really?" asked Chibiusa.
"Yeah, Usagi's allowance may be gone, but we can still do something fun together, little sister," replied Riku.
"Hey, no fair. You just said you'd treat me," piped in Chibiusa.
Usagi laughed nervously as she set Chibiusa down, until she and Mamoru bumped into each other.
"Yay, it's Mamo," cheered Chibiusa, making Usagi mildly annoyed, until Sora placed his hand upon her shoulder.
"It'll be fine, Usagi. We all promised to be kind with Chibiusa. Believe me, Mamoru's also happy to see that she's okay, just as we are," said Sora.
"You're right. I'm sorry, Sora," replied Usagi.
"Hey, don't be sorry. Even if you're feeling upset, I know that Sora and his friends can cheer you up, Usagi," squeaked Chibiusa.
She then began explaining what she wanted to Mamoru, who had some difficulty keeping up with her, until Riku slowly walked up and placed his hand on Mamoru's shoulder.
"Come on Mamoru. I'll pitch in to get the things Chibiusa wants, maybe even tell her how light and darkness are two sides of the same coin," he said.
"Okay then, when you put it like that, I guess I'll let you help Chibiusa," replied Mamoru.
"Yeah, that sounds like a fantastic idea. Chibiusa, why don't you spend a whole day with Mamo and Riku. I mean after all, I've got a whole ton of other things I need to do," said Usagi, who walked off, laughing nervously, as Luna followed her.
"What was up with her? I thought she was going to come with us, right Mamo?" wondered Chibiusa.
"Yeah, that's weird," replied Mamoru.
But Sora was concerned about Usagi, and soon followed after her and Luna to see that she was stressed out over Chibiusa being with Mamoru.
"It's just for today. Chibiusa can't go home, so we're just gonna let Mamo cheer her up on a date. It's fine, it's fine, it's totally fine!" she wailed loudly.
"Why don't you just go out with them? Then while you're together, you can try to make up with Mamoru," suggested Luna.
"Because it kills me to see him spoil her and carry her around. They're so cute, I hate it! This is so frustrating!" bawled Usagi, punching a lamp post, which made her flail about as it hurt her hand so badly.
Meanwhile, in Demande's citadel, the Prince of Nemesis sat upon his throne, thinking of a way to disempower the past, with Hyena R. Droid at his side.
"Prince Demande, Hyena R. Droid," Esmeraude said as she emerged from the dark corridor.
The two of them looked up at her.
"Preparations are nearly complete, I shall be departing for the other timeline shortly your highness," continued the green haired woman.
"Esmeraude, I suggest you remember how your predecessor Rubeus died. You must be extremely careful," warned Demande.
But Esmeraude and Hyena laughed maniacally at the mention of that name.
"How about this, Prince Demande? I'll help Esmeraude out with this task, as well as help her ensure that Rubeus' demise was the mark of one man who let his pride destroy him in the long run," sneered the wicked Keyblader.
"Hyena may be right, my liege, I have a strong sense of dignity," added Esmeraude.
"I doubt that," interjected Saphir, who arrived.
"Oh, and what makes you say that Saphir?" Hyena asked curiously.
"Because you mustn't underestimate the people of that timeline," replied Saphir.
Demande eyed his brother skeptically.
"Why don't you take a look at this, one more time?" he asked.
Instantly footage of the siege of Crystal Tokyo was projected before them as the massive armada of Black Moon ships continued to hammer into the defensive barrier around the Crystal Palace of Crystal Tokyo, that was being generated by the very same Girls that resembled Rei, Minako, Ami, and Makoto. Who were being protected by Skylight, Serlena, Scarlet, Ivory, Verona, and the other Rei.
"As you can see, my brother, the prince, is struggling with these thirtieth century Sailor Guardians, and those Keyblade Wielders that are with them. If Rubeus had completed our plan and filled the twentieth century crystal points with the power of darkness, they never would have been able to wield this much power to use it against us," explained Saphir.
"Thank you for the reminder, Saphir," said Demande who shut off the projection, making his brother apologize.
"This display of yours is really proof of Rubeus' incompetence. My plan is different, so I'm going to be working in the twentieth century. I intend to permanently infuse it with the dark power of the Malefic Black Crystal. I will plant the seeds far into the future. Considering the failures of the last strategy, I'm confident that this will not only be easier, but deadly and effective," explained Esmeruade.
"It's an interesting strategy, but our current transfer methods cannot transmit that much dark power to the world of the past. Furthermore, We would need to open a remarkably powerful dark gate," replied Demande.
"You underestimate me, I haven't overlooked that," said Esmeraude.
She produced a projection of a nearby building in the past, showing idols that resembled her, but produced pools of darkness.
"We have a unique opportunity. In the primitive twentieth century world, there are sights known as negative points. Fortunately for us, these specific locations are already teeming with negative power, just waiting to be tapped. If we drive wedges filled with the power of the Malefic Black Crystal into those points, we can transmit dark power there from the future," explained Esmeraude.
Then the statues of Esmeraude began to radiate with power and soon burst up into the sky above in the simulation.
"Once those dark wedges have enough power and fully matured, the dark gate will open. That is our chance to strike and send a dark burst of power from the Malefic Black Crystal. Then we'll transform the world into a beautiful ebony planet, and victory will be ours. I've already asked Saphir to create the dark hinges. Those are the critical wedges infused with the power of the Malefic Black Crystal," she finished with a crazed smile.
Then Saphir summoned the first hinge to them with a wave of his arms, which soon landed in her hands.
"I think it's in poor taste, but I followed your instructions to shape the hinges just like you. I'm happy to create as many as we need, but don't make me do unnecessary work like Rubues did with his string of failures. Understood?" he said, despite his wariness.
"I would never dream of it. I plan to keep this simple. I don't want to be apart from my beloved for that long," Esmeraude replied with a coy giggle, as Hyena chuckled.
"Yes, Saphir, you've done beautifully, and I'm sure that your brother would be proud of your handiwork," agreed Hyena, as Demande glanced back at him.
"Esmeraude, Hyena, I hereby grant you permission to carry out the plan Do not fail me," said the prince.
"Thank you my dear lord, I swear I will do my very best to please you and make sure that this plan is a success," replied Esmeraude.
"As will I, Demande. May the darkness give us strength," added Hyena.
Then the two of them laughed maniacally as they disappeared into the corridor of darkness. Meanwhile, several people had gathered for a grand opening of the Maxx 5 cake shop, and they were all excited to see them as they looked in anticipation of eating them, just as Rei and most of Usagi and Sora's friends arrived.
"Check it out, the pastry shop is having a grand opening sale, all you can eat cakes," the shrine maiden said pointing to the shop.
"Sounds too good to be true," mused Makoto and Terra.
"My heart's racing, I can't stand it. It's so tempting, it's evil," said Minako, accidentally slapping Rei on her back.
"Whoa, careful Minako," warned Axel.
"Did you know that cakes are remarkably high in calories? Not only do they exceed the recommended Dietary guidelines, but they also lack healthy vitamins and nutrients," explained Ami.
"Yeah, thanks, okay, we got it," said Makoto.
"Ami, cakes are nourishment for the soul. I mean, we've been working so hard we deserve a treat like this to recharge," assured Minako.
"You'll get fat," warned Artemis.
"Get real. No one asked you, Artemis," said Roxas.
"Hey, you don't need to be that harsh on him, Roxas," replied Minako.
"Yeah, I'm with Mina on this one, Roxas," agreed Artemis.
"You know, the rest of our friends would love this. Let's call them," suggested Ami.
"I already did, but they didn't answer the phone," replied Rei.
"Obviously, both Usagi and the kid are still going at each other's throats about who Mamoru loves most," smirked Axel.
"Hey, hey, come on, Axel. If I know Usagi and Chibiusa, they'd never act like a bunch of rabid wolves. Even if I have my doubts, I'm sure Riku would set them straight," Rei said.
"Well, knowing those two, they'd probably catch a whiff of these cakes, and follow the smell here anyway," added Makoto.
"So, come on. Who's ready for cake?" asked Minako, and everyone raised their hands.
"You'll regret it," whispered Artemis.
"You wanna get taken to the vet, Artemis!?" warned Axel.
"Forget I said anything then," grumbled the white cat, as Minako glared at the fiery Keyblader.
But what they didn't know was that Esmeraude was walking down the street in a convincing disguise, as several people stared at her, while Hyena kept his face hidden beneath the hood of his coat.
"Oh, so this is an earth city in the twentieth century. How primitive," she mused quietly to herself.
"She removed her earring, and the black diamond shape upon it slowly lowered towards the ground.
"But I have to admit, these people's savage energy is kind of charming," continued Esmeraude.
Then the black diamond suddenly began to vibrate, making her see that she found the first negative point, but suddenly noticed Usagi and Sora show up at the pastry shop.
"Uh oh," murmured Sora.
"So many cakes! I'm just gonna stuff my face. I'm gonna eat so much there won't be any left over!" Usagi said excitedly, which earned a nervous chuckle from Sora.
Once they went inside the shop, many people were eating different cakes, as how many they had, even the rest of Sora and Usagi's friends were having some, whilst most of them decided to take a look around the building, but poor Artemis was still upset about being locked up in Minako's basket, as well as being threatened to go to the vet by Axel. Makoto soon decided to get some more cake, but then noticed Usagi and a disguised Esmeraude feasting on cake, which made everyone around them surprised and embarrassed, while Sora decided to feast on a strawberry sundae, thanks to his previous encounters with Dante. Esmeraude felt like she was on Cloud 9 as she ate many different cakes, even laughing like a girly girl rather than a ruthless overlord, at least until Minako poked her head up to try and stop her, while Luna freed a panicked Artemis from the basket, until the dark cat noticed the others trying to tell Usagi not to stuff herself silly with cake, as Sora just simply walked off so as not to get caught up in the crossfire, but not before he noticed Esmeraude and sensed something off about her. Usagi shoved both her friends back, causing Makoto to bump into Esmeraude, who was mildly annoyed, but was about to eat when the other people noticed her and began gossiping about her eating cake.
"Oh, excuse me," she said, laughing nervously, and walked off.
She quickly darted behind a wall, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"How could I lose my cool back there? Oh, but those cake things were so cute, I couldn't help myself. Oh and those twentieth century humans were staring at me like that. So humiliating," moaned Esmeraude.
"Then perhaps you should return the favor for their false judgment about you," suggested Hyena.
"You're right, those people will pay a heavy price for judging me, Hyena. I"ll make all of them my first sacrifices to the dark henge," replied Esmeraude.
Then they both laughed wickedly, as Esmeraude cast her disguise aside and was now back in her normal garments, as she soon put both hers and Hyena's plan into action, unaware that Sora was watching from nearby.
"So Hyena's in cahoots with this lady," he whispered to himself.
Back in the dining hall, Ami and Makoto were now getting cakes for themselves, and their friends.
"Wow, cake really is nourishment for the soul," said the bluette.
"Yeah, I think that's especially true for Usagi. I mean, her soul must be famished because she's eating everything in sight," replied Makoto.
"...And then Mamo picked up Chibiusa, and she got all cuddly. That little girl is using her adorable size as an excuse to snuggle up to my Mamo," complained Usagi, as she scarfed down many cakes into her mouth.
"Give me a break," muttered Sora, as Usagi grabbed Minako's cheeks and began pulling them, while Rei tried to stop her.
"There, there, Usagi," Minako said comfortingly.
Rei was disgusted, even as Usagi hugged her, but noticed that Sora was walking off with a look of disgust on his face, while the other members of the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts noticed that Sora wasn't acting like himself.
"This will do," Esmeraude said, after she and Hyena knocked out the kitchen staff.
"Very well then, let's get to work," replied Hyena.
She produced the dark diamond on her earring.
"The negative point is right down here," Esmeraude said as the darkness from her earring seeped through the floor.
When she placed it back on to her earlobe, the dark henge soon emerged and embedded itself into the ground. At the same time, Demande stood watching the pillar of darkness roaring before him, it's dark flames spinning like a fiery vortex. Esmeraude and Hyena laughed, watching as the darkness started coming towards the henge.
"Ah, the sweet sensational power of darkness flowing from the future," she said wickedly.
Hyena chuckled malevolently.
"Come forward Droid!" called Esmeraude.
Instantly, the droid known as Marzipan appeared before them, as Esmeraude chuckled to herself.
"Oh it will take a while for the dark henge to put a barrier on this spot. But in the meantime, Marzipan, I command you to dispose of the blights outside. Be sure to do it discreetly," she said.
Disguising herself as one of the kitchen staff, Marzipan nodded as the vile woman prepared for the next phase of her mission. She began swinging her fan over the cakes, infusing them with the power of darkness. Back in the dining hall, Usagi was now more relaxed, but she looked around for Sora, who had soon returned, because of his different want for Cake, until she asked them if they wanted more. Despite asking if they wanted more, Usagi suddenly heard Chibiusa's voice talking about the many cakes, making her surprised.
"Looks like the party's already here," said Riku.
"Whoa, is this how much you ate? My gosh," squeaked Chibiusa.
"So, what brings you guys here?" Sora asked them.
But then Usagi and Chibiusa started to have at it with each other, until he and the others couldn't take it any longer.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he screamed loudly, causing his darkness to burst out, frightening the two girls, but made Mamoru back off.
They shouldn't have made Sora mad, he thought.
Suddenly he noticed two girls being frozen in ice, which made everyone wonder what was going on. More people were frozen in ice, until Mamoru noticed a woman wheeling a cart of cakes out of the kitchen. Thinking fast, Mamoru tossed a saucer towards the woman, making her duck and reveal her true form.
"Who are you and what are you trying to do!?" demanded Mamoru.
While Sora was berating Usagi and Chibiusa for their constant infighting, making them cower before him, Mamoru alerted everyone of what was happening.
"Sora stop! You've made your point!" cried Rei.
"Yeah, you don't need to vent your frustration on Usagi and Chibiusa," agreed Ami.
Sora nodded then turned his head slowly away from them.
"I'm sorry guys. You're right, I nearly let myself play the third wheel. But could sense something off about one of the people in this place, and I think they have the power of darkness on their side," he said, his eyes slowly filling with determination.
Marzipan began firing icing from the icing bottles causing everyone to jump back as she turned many plants into ice cream.
"Get Chibiusa out of here!" called Mamoru.
"Don't worry, I'm on it!" replied Riku.
The others nodded, as Riku took Chibiusa to safety, and everyone else agreed to hurry out after him.
"Looks like it's time to exercise to work off all those cakes," said Rei.
"Artemis, Luna, make sure you take care of Chibiusa," Ami said to the cats.
Luna and Artemis nodded, then led the young girl away as she wished them luck.
"Thank you, little sister," Riku said softly.
(Play the Airbuster Theme from Final Fantasy 7 Remake for this battle)
Usagi, Rei, Ami, Minako, and Makoto assumed their Sailor Guardian identities as the other Guardians of Kingdom Hearts readied their weapons, and quickly rushed to Mamoru's aid. Just as Marzipan was about to hurt Mamoru, Sora sent his Kingdom Key right at her, forcing her back.
"Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back!?" Sora called to the Droid.
"We're the warriors of light!" added Sailor Mars.
"And our goal is to defeat the darkness!" cried Sailor Mercury.
"You ruined the dreams of all those people!" declared Sailor Venus.
"And trampled on their simple pleasures!" shouted Sailor Jupiter.
"And because of what you've done, we'll make you pay!" yelled Sora.
"Cause on behalf of the moon, we're punishing you!" Sailor Moon and the rest of their friends said together.
"In that case, Heartless! ATTACK!" shouted Hyena.
As Marzipan attacked them, several Heartless of varying shapes and forms lunged furiously at them, but Roxas and most of the Guardians of Kingdom Hearts kept them busy, while the Sailor Guardians dodged and weaved around the desert droid's attacks.
"Sailor Mars, use Burning Mandala!" cried Sora.
Sailor Mars did just that, but Marzipan dodged the attack and retaliated, encasing her and Sailor Moon in frozen icing.
"You rotten-!" Sora said angrily.
"No Sora, calm down!" called Sailor Jupiter.
"You have to protect them!" added Terra.
"Okay, use Sparkling Wide Pressure, Sailor Jupiter!" replied Sora.
Sailor Jupiter nodded, then unleashed her attack. But Marzipan trapped her in donuts, causing Sora's anger to flare up even more.
"HOW DARE YOU!" roared Sora, as Sailor Venus rushed to Sailor Jupiter's side.
"Watch out, she's too fast with her sugary blasts," warned the thunder Guardian.
"Everyone, be careful. She's been transformed. Her body's as delicate as sugar," added Sailor Mercury.
"That's right, if you get zapped by her, you'll get ensnared as well," agreed Aqua.
"Are you serious?" gasped Sailor Venus.
"Yeah, the same goes for everyone else who might get trapped like them!" called Roxas.
"All right, then use Love-me chain, Sailor Venus!" called Sora.
But once again, Marzipan dodged the attack, and blasted Sailor Venus trapping her in a cake, then encased Sailors Moon and Mars in frosting.
"BLAST YOU!" screamed Sora, his darkness slowly taking control.
"Sora, don't let Vanitas take control!" cried Sailor Mercury.
But Sora didn't care. He evaded every one of Marzipan's attacks and tried to strike at her, but she still maintained her focus on trapping his friends, until Tuxedo Mask came to the rescue.
"Sugary delicacies are an art that nourish people's dreams. All these people admire beauty, and sometimes their passion can melt their delicate hearts," said the caped crusader.
"I couldn't agree more, Tuxedo Mask. So let's kick it into overdrive!" remarked Axel.
"Uh what?" asked Sailor Moon.
"While it's true that sweet treats can melt away one's worries, there are other times when it is the sugar that melts instead," continued Tuxedo Mask.
"Not what I had in mind, but I'll take it," said Sora.
"Hang on, I've got it! The hint is the sugar composition on her body! Leave it to me!" called Sailor Mercury.
She quickly dodged another of Marzipan's attacks and landed beside Sora.
"Let's go, Sailor Mercury!" said Sora.
Sailor Mercury nodded and placed her hand on Sora's hand that held the Keyblade.
"TIDAL WAVE!" they cried together.
Instantly a huge wave of water surged towards Marzipan as she tried to increase the strength of her attacks, but Sora and Sailor Mercury would not give in, until Marzipan began to feel wet and soggy all over.
"You did it, it's melting!' Sailor Mars said happily.
"Yes! Way to go, you guys!" cheered Sailor Moon.
Marzipan was now growing stiff, as she tried to throw another decoration towards them, but it fell onto the ground.
"Now, let's put this freakshow down for good, Sailor Moon," Sora said.
"You read Tuxedo Mask's mind," giggled Sailor Moon.
Summoning her Princess Rod, Sailor Moon channeled her power into it and pointed her weapon right at Marzipan.
"Moon Princess Halation!' she cried.
"And now, JUDGEMENT!" called Sora.
Their combined attacks collided against Marzipan, instantly disintegrating her, and reducing her to dust. At the same time, the Dark Henge shattered, infuriating Esmeraude.
"Wait, what in darkness is going on here?" she asked.
She quickly retreated as the staff slowly woke up from unconsciousness, and saw that everyone had now been restored to normal.
"That's impossible," gasped Esmeraude.
"Didn't you ever learn it's not polite to spy?" Tuxedo Mask said from behind.
Esmeraude turned around, and glared furiously at her foes.
"Oh, you're dashing," she said, making Tuxedo Mask rush out the door.
"That's it!" shouted Sora.
He rushed furiously at Esmeraude, but she caught his attack with her darkness, and blasted him back.
"How dare you treat my friends so shamefully!" snapped an angry Sailor Moon.
"I'll bet you're the one who's controlling that desert droid out front," Sailor Mars.
"Oh, so you're the Sailor Guardians I've heard about, and your friend must be the legendary Sora Lucis Caelum and the Guardians of KIngdom Hearts. Well you're lady friends are just skinny school girls with flat chests and flat butts," scoffed Esmeraude.
This made Sora even more angry than before, when Esmeraude noticed something within his heart as he stood up.
"Ah, Vanitas lives within you, doesn't he, Sora?" she asked.
"WHO ASKED YOU!?" screamed Sora.
"Oh, does it really hurt because it's the truth? You are just a baby. And if you're gonna be a baby, that's fine by me," Esmeraude replied mockingly.
Sora glared furiously at her.
"Then tell us who you are!" he yelled angrily, making Sailor Mars worried.
"Very well then, I'm known as Esmeraude, and I'm a member of the Black Moon Clan, just like Rubeus was before he paid for his failures. But now, we shall take over this pathetic timeline, and prevent Crystal Tokyo's creation. So until then, you'd best prepare yourselves for death. Ta-ta!" explained Esmeraude.
"Wait, Esmeraude!" yelled Sora, rushing towards her.
But it was too late, Esmeraude was gone in a whoosh of darkness as she laughed maniacally, making Sora even more angry than before.
"Where are you!? Don't you dare hide from me! Show yourself!" shouted Sora, as he swung his Keyblade in anger.
Sailor Moon and her friends looked worriedly at him, whenever they saw how he was acting differently, but the Love Guardian couldn't bear to see it any longer.
"Sora, please! This isn't like you at all!" cried Sailor Venus, her face streamed with tears.
Sora stopped in his tracks and slouched over, just as Sailor Jupiter slowly approached him, and gently rested her hand upon his shoulder.
"Sora?" she asked with a worried look in her eyes.
"I hate this… Why would someone like her talk trash about how you look right in front of me?" Sora asked, his voice filled with an icy venom.
"Don't say that, Sora. You shouldn't let what Esmeraude said get to you. We know you hold a great deal of respect for girls, but when we see you get angry, we worry about you, just the same way as you worry about us," replied Sailor Venus, as she brushed the tears aside.
Sora looked into the Love Guardian's eyes, then into everyone else's eyes, and he saw that they were filled with concern for him. He turned his head slowly away from them.
"Minako, I'm sorry," he said somberly.
But Sailor Venus ran up to him and hugged him tightly.
"Hakuna Matata," she said comfortingly.
Sora nodded and hugged her back, which made Minako happy to know that Sora's hands were firm and gentle. Then suddenly, he felt Minako's lips press up against his, and shared a kiss with him. This not only surprised their friends, but it made them smile respectfully at him as well. After a brief few seconds, Sora and Minako smiled at each other, until Sora turned towards the others behind him.
"Everyone, be on guard. If Esmeraude does show up again, we'll be ready for her," he said to his friends, after gently stepping back from Minako.
"And this time, we'll beat her, as one," replied Sailor Jupiter, making everyone nod.
"But, it looks like Minako managed to beat us to the punch," smirked Sailor Mars.
"Well, you know what they say, if at first you don't succeed, just try, try again. Got it memorized, Mako?" chuckled Axel.