This will be the chapter with the final fight in this story. It will end with the Scouts meeting at least one person who will be key to their hopes of returning to their respective time periods, if not more than one. Who that person is, or who those persons are, you'll just have to read on so you can find out, folks. After they meet that person or those persons for a long enough time, it will not be much longer before they finally are able to return to them, one way or another, for sure.
With no further ado, here's the next chapter of Time Vortex One, everyone. Until later, then, I'll close this. TUS out.
Elsewhere On The Imperial Palace's Grounds
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
September 14, 174 BC - September 15, 174 BC
On the way to wherever Abigail was now, they quite unexpectedly encountered Duke Ereugig. And as they did so, they all saw him being quite suddenly transformed himself. He was being transformed from just Duke Ereugig into a man that was wearing a silver-trimmed navy blue and bright red tuxedo and matching trousers, as well as matching footwear. His cummerbund was almost exactly like the one that he'd worn while he'd danced at least once with Queen Serenity, and a teal green-trimmed mostly black mask appeared mainly over the top half of his face. This mask of his was cut, in fact, almost exactly like Prince Darien's mask would be cut whenever he was actually Tuxedo Mask, and not just Prince Darien. Not exactly, as a matter of fact, but still enough like it that if it'd been a totally white mask instead of the color that it actually was, some people might think he was wearing Tuxedo Mask's own mask. Supposing, of course, that his face was quite clean-shaven, and that his attire looked enough like Prince Darien's attire might look whenever he was actually Tuxedo Mask in the future. His footwear was a pair of moccasins that'd been made from mostly brown buckskin, as well.
They all soon heard, "Not again, please! I really don't want to be Sentinel Whaleduck right now! Why do I have to be Sentinel Whaleduck right now?"
"Whaleduck? What kind of name is that?" thought Moon. "Who's in danger?" she wondered, as she and her current companions still moved toward where Twilight was currently leading them. For she'd also remembered at least one of her own previous dreams and/or visions of possible futures for her and other members of her own particular crowd in the Universe. Most specifically as they related at least to her and to Prince Darien, as a matter of simple enough fact here.
Not more than a few seconds later, then, Ereugig was completely Sentinel Whaleduck, even if he really didn't want to be. And there were even some duck-like wings that'd appeared on the back of his tuxedo and his buckskin moccasins. All four of those wings were all largely gray in color, but not entirely, in fact. For along each of their respective edges, there were several white, teal green, light blue, and bright red streaks, wherever they weren't gray in color. The two wings on his back were quite considerably larger than the two wings on the backs of his moccasins were, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
Then he began flying through the air, while his own wings carried him through it in the necessary manner or manners. His wings then carried him through it just as Queen Serenity's own Celestial Wings had earlier done for her back in Tarokauni III's own atmosphere, as a matter of fact. He flew off, in fact, in the exact same general direction that the Scouts were now heading toward. But he wasn't going that direction for the exact same reason or reasons they were, as the Scouts might later find out, in fact.
He soon was flying at least a few feet above all their heads, and they all wondered what was making him do so here, in due time. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons.
By the time that they met up with Abigail, she was already in one, if not the only one, of her Sailor Scout states of being, as a matter of fact. Abigail was in her Sailor Scout state of being as Super Sailor Rainbow, and when they met up with her, several other Scouts were already there with her as well.
Moon soon asked, "What's the story here, Super Sailor Rainbow?"
"I thought that if we all tried to use at least some of the power from each of our crystals, whichever ones they might actually be, for at least the time being tomorrow, when we leave, we might somehow be able to get back to each of our respective time periods, Moon."
"I don't really know if that idea might work well enough for us tomorrow, Rainbow."
"Chrysalis and I seem to think that it might somehow work, at least, Junior Sailor Moon."
"Maybe at least two of you might think so, Rainbow. But I still think that it might be quite risky for us to try it here, at least as of the current time, anyway."
"And you don't want to risk your fellow Scouts from your time period without hearing at least a bit more about my idea here?"
"Not if I don't absolutely have to, Rainbow. For I believe that I and other sentients from my time period, at least, if not any other time periods as well, would need them to survive well enough for at least a little while longer, if at all possible."
"Because of your current enemies, if I may ask this?"
"As of my time period, anyway? Yes, that's what I believe is the case here, as a matter of fact, Rainbow."
"You realize that Royal Sailor Serenity could probably have you do as I think might be appropriate enough here, don't you?"
"Maybe she can, but I happen to know her quite a bit better than you do in my life, Rainbow. You can't possibly deny that here."
"Maybe not. But if I'm not too mistaken here, you and your mother, at least, are each among my descendants, in actual reality. So if that's the case, then you theoretically could still be inside me, in a manner of speaking. For at least one of my children will be an ancestor of yours, Moon. Maybe even more than one, I think."
"I suppose you might say the same thing could then logically enough be true for your future husband, for all the obvious reasons, Rainbow," said Junior Sailor Mercury.
"No matter who he might then happen to be, I believe that I could do just that, if I really wanted to here, Mercury," said Rainbow.
"But you won't, most likely," said Royal Sailor Serenity.
"No, I don't think that it's necessary here. Or at least not at the current time, anyway," replied Rainbow.
Just then, Whaleduck passed over their heads, and he headed toward the nearest available wall of the Imperial Palace, for some yet-unknown reason. As he did so, Amilaram and her fellow Monitors who were also Scouts came to where Moon was now standing in a cluster with Serenity and anyone else that had just come there with her in search of Abigail. Also there were all four of the Beta-level Scouts from Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Peppermint, Skyhorse, Mini Moon, Twilight, Starhawk, and Nightwalker were all standing between Moon and Rainbow. Or at least for the most part, they all were doing so at the current time.
"What's up, Amilaram?" asked Moon.
"It seems something rather strange is happening on the other side of the Imperial Palace from where we were just training with each other," answered Amilaram, as she looked around her, and also saw Whaleduck flying over the nearest wall of the Imperial Palace.
"Strange enough to make a relative stranger begin flying in the air all of a sudden?" asked Moon.
"Yes, I believe so. I suggest that you have all the other Scouts that you can find well enough on these grounds come here, so that we can check it out well enough. I think it may even have something to do with our getting home to our respective time periods well enough, as well."
Just then, a series of loud howls sailed through the air from the general direction of the future Crystal Palace, toward which Whaleduck was now flying as quickly as he could do so. The Scouts didn't know why, but they then did just as Amilaram had just suggested that they do here.
Five minutes or so later, then, at most, all the other Scouts who weren't actually native to the current time period joined their fellow Scouts and both cats there. They all did so rather quickly, in fact.
Then Serenity soon led everyone in the same general direction that they'd earlier seen Whaleduck flying off in. Meaning, quite naturally, toward the future Crystal Palace's actual location in the Moon City local area. The royal guards at the necessary gate let them all out in rather short order, and accepted their orders to let them back in later, if they either wanted or needed to get back in later on, even while it was still night in the local area of Moon City. Supposing, of course, that they could then be let back onto the Imperial Palace's own grounds safely enough, if and when they were ever able to do so well enough later on.
The assembled Scouts and cats prepared themselves for at least one potential battle as they headed toward the actual location of the future Crystal Palace, for all the obvious reasons. Even Moon, quite naturally, did so, as she and the rest of her current companions continued on their ways to that particular place in the Moon City local area of 174 BC. They didn't yet know, most likely, that Duke Ereugig was actually the Moon Kingdom's current Prime Minister, if they ever would do so well enough in their own respective lives. Supposing, of course, that they didn't yet already know it in any or all of them, quite naturally.
They followed the howls and several duck calls punctuated with various whistle-like sounds away from the Imperial Palace, not yet knowing what was going on here. By the time that they then all got within half the distance between the two Moon Kingdom Palaces, several quite large and quite bright flashes of light were often appearing in the nearby skies.
Several of those flashes were of colors that Whaleduck was now wearing either on his wings or on his clothes, while others were not. By the time that they got about eighty percent or so of the way to the Crystal Palace's future location from that of the current Imperial Palace, they were all then beginning to hear the sounds of a rather fierce battle. And Serenity was starting to see from what was still a considerable distance, that quite a few large monsters were holding several people from the Moon City local area captive in various manners most likely too numerous at the current time. She then said to her Scouts and cats that were now with her, "It seems that Whaleduck is opposing at least a few large monsters that are holding various people from the local area captive somehow. And he seems to not be doing quite as well as he might want to be doing against them, Scouts. For his flashes of power seem to be dimming at least a little bit. He may need our help, as a matter of fact."
"So you want us to step on it, if we can?" asked Mars.
"Yes, if you can do so, that's exactly what I want you to do here, Mars. Peppermint and Skyhorse, come with me now. Moon, you lead the others while we're away from you all here. I have an idea that might help him while the rest of you are still heading toward his current location."
"Are you sure that it actually would be wise for you to leave us here, Royal Sailor Serenity?" asked Mercury.
"It may not be wise for me to do so, Mercury. But from the looks of things, it seems Sentinel Whaleduck may very well need our help here."
"What about you, Peppermint, and Skyhorse?" asked Moon.
"I think we'll be fine, Moon. God willing, of course. Moon, I need you to lead the rest of the Scouts toward where the flashes are coming from, and ask no more unnecessary questions here. I will be powering up one power level, and becoming Sentinel Serenity. I need you all to do as I have just said here, or my idea will most definitely not work well enough, whatever that idea of mine might actually be here."
"Fine, we'll do as you've just ordered us to do here. But please note that I still object to this idea of yours that requires your impending absence from us, then."
"Understood, Moon. Your objection is now noted. But please carry out my orders to the letter, just the same, Moon. I'll talk with you later about this idea, if at all possible. Supposing, of course, that we all survive at least long enough for me to do just that before we have to leave this time period behind again, for all the obvious reasons."
"All right, Mother." Then Moon turned to the rest of her Scouts that'd still be accompanying her toward the necessary location, and she said, "You all heard what she said, I'm quite sure. Let's do it, then. Good luck, then, Mother, with your current idea, whatever it might actually be here."
"Thank you, Moon. Now come with me, Peppermint and Skyhorse, as the others all do as I've just ordered them to do here." Serenity had Peppermint and Skyhorse walk in another direction entirely, as Moon continued to lead the rest of the Scouts toward the necessary nearby location as needed. When the rest of the Scouts were far enough away from her, Peppermint, and Skyhorse, Serenity then said, "Peppermint, Skyhorse and I will need to have you place one of your feet on each of our backs, as we both fly in the air next to each other. You then will need to attack whoever's fighting with Whaleduck as we carry you to the necessary part of Moon City's local area, and do so to the best of your current ability to do so, Peppermint."
"How will you both do so, if I may ask you this, Serenity?" asked Peppermint, in very short order.
"Would you care to show her, or should I, Skyhorse?"
"I'll do so, Serenity." Skyhorse then did just as Serenity had now suggested here. And when she then did so, exactly six wings materialized on the necessary parts of her own uniform or her current footwear quite soon afterward. Which in this case, was actually a pair of mostly brown leatherized boots with gold soles on them. Where the boots weren't brown or gold, and where they didn't have the wings on them, there was at least some turquoise blue silk trim and some beadwork on them. The beadwork on them was arranged in such a manner as to suggest the presence of two horse's heads on each of the boots now in question here, in fact. While the turquoise blue silk trim also ran all along the top edges and down the back line of the boots, as well.
After Skyhorse called on the very same Eagle Wings power that Sylvia had at least once before called on, and would later call on, Serenity soon called upon her Celestial Wings power again. Four wings then materialized on her uniform's back, just as they had done before, and exactly where they'd done before, when Serenity had last used them. As before, she tested each and every single one of them out, first alone, and then with at least one, if not all, of the other wings that were now also present on her current uniform's back. After she then did so well enough to suit her sufficiently well, she soon knelt on the nearby ground, and had Skyhorse do the same to her own left. Skyhorse knelt down just to Serenity's left, and then Serenity had Peppermint step onto both of their backs, for all the obvious reasons.
As soon as Peppermint then did so, some safety straps of some unknown sort then suddenly appeared around her feet, so that she'd not fall off either or both of her current companions too easily, of course. One strap appeared for each foot, quite naturally. Once Peppermint was sufficiently secured to her position on their backs, Skyhorse and Serenity then had her lean forward so that her head was between both of their heads, at least until they were all able to get airborne well enough. She did so, in very short order, and not more than about another minute or two later, then, all three of them were quite airborne.
Skyhorse and Serenity had begun to hold hands with each other, so as to provide a more stable platform from which Peppermint could then attack Whaleduck's current opponents, whoever they might then be here. Serenity held Skyhorse's right wrist with her own left hand, and Skyhorse held Serenity's left one with her right hand, at the same exact time. Peppermint began to prepare herself for the upcoming battle, of course, as her supporters continued to maintain their current holds on each other. She quickly began preparing all of her currently-available various weapons for various potential uses, as Serenity then began checking periodically on her other Scouts' progress toward where Whaleduck was still opposing his current foes. And he was then beginning to tire at least a little bit every so often where he now was located, which was quite close to, if not immediately above or on, the future grounds of the future Crystal Palace, in fact. Serenity's Scouts, as well, had also begun to quicken themselves as they headed toward the current battle's present location.
At Serenity's urging, then, Skyhorse began quickening the beat of her wings, so that they could all hopefully get there even quicker. Of course, when Skyhorse sped that beat up, Serenity then had to do the same, if she'd not already begun to do so, for all the obvious reasons. They both began to pick up even more speed for themselves, as they continued to fly through the Moon's own skies as they currently needed to do here.
Wherever necessary, Skyhorse and Serenity dodged various clouds or nearby ground terrain, quite naturally enough. By the time that they were all within a reasonable enough weapons range for Peppermint's various weapons, whatever those weapons of hers might actually be, Peppermint told them both, "Any time that you two actually want me to begin attacking Whaleduck's foes, you should both tell me. All my currently-available weapons are now quite ready for my use here, as needed."
"Fire when I say you should do so, then, Peppermint, and not before," said Serenity, not too long afterward. Peppermint agreed to do so, in very short order, then.
When they were then five hundred yards away from the nearest of Whaleduck's current opponents, Serenity asked, "Are you sufficiently close to use at least one of them now, Peppermint?"
"I need at least another 140 yards for most, if not all, of them to work well enough for me, I think, Serenity."
"We'll see what we can do, then, Peppermint," said Skyhorse, with Serenity's permission, not more than a few seconds later.
Just then, Peppermint briefly looked down, and said, "Serenity, the nearest of your Scouts is about twice our distance away from the location, it seems to me."
"Where are Luna and Artemis now?"
"Luna's on Mini Moon's left shoulder, while Artemis is on Venus's corresponding shoulder, it seems, Serenity," answered Peppermint.
Serenity said to her Scouts and cats, "Scouts, hurry it up even more, if you can. We'll need you to be near Whaleduck in the next five minutes, at most, I think. Luna and Artemis, when they get within five hundred feet of his position, you two are to both hop off the shoulders of the Scouts that you both are on now, and get under whatever amounts of cover that you each can find. Try to stay together as much as you can, you two, when you do so. Moon, prepare to use your weapons and powers now, and tell everyone else to do the same as well, of course. No debate here. For if you all aren't ready to fight by the time that any of you get within five hundred feet of Whaleduck's position, I don't know if we'll all be able to get back to our respective time periods easily enough here."
"Understood, Sentinel Serenity," Moon soon replied, after she and the rest of her current companions had acknowledged Serenity's latest orders to them, of course. The other Scouts began preparing for battle, if they'd not already done so, for all the obvious reasons, quite naturally. As they did so, Serenity then closed her current communications channel again, as well, in fact.
A minute or so later, at most, then, Peppermint said, "We're close enough for me to use my weapons, you two. Any time you want me to start doing so, just tell me."
"Then fire when ready, Peppermint," said Serenity, not more than a few seconds or so later. Peppermint wasted very little time and motion as she then began to attack the nearest of Whaleduck's current opponents. Several hits from her weapons later, that opponent of Whaleduck's turned away from him, and started trying to get to his newest opponent here. Fortunately, Peppermint and her two current supporters were still quite out of his reach, both physically and with his various weapons and powers.
Whaleduck took the chance that had just been provided to him by Peppermint's current distraction. And he proceeded to withdraw from at least one pouch or scabbard that he was now carrying, at least one knife or one sword, if nothing else as well, as the case might actually be for him at the current time. He then used whatever he'd just withdrawn from its holder or their holders on his current opponent to the best of his ability to do so. And within two or three minutes more, that opponent was no more, at least in the sense of actually being alive any longer. That opponent then quite loudly crashed to the ground without being able to make any more vocalized sounds of any sort. When he crashed to the ground around him, it sounded like a great flash of thunder and lightning, as a matter of fact.
Then Whaleduck motioned to the next opponent that he'd be fighting against, now knowing that someone had definitely aided him just moments before. Peppermint began attacking that opponent as Whaleduck also closed with it, at least covering Whaleduck's approach toward that opponent. As before, that opponent couldn't reach Peppermint or her supporters either, even after Whaleduck closed in on him. Five minutes later, then, after being attacked both by Peppermint and Whaleduck, at least, if not anyone else as well, that opponent also went the way of his unfortunate fellow monster. And he too crashed rather loudly to the ground, as the other one had earlier done.
By that time, then, all the other Scouts besides the three that were now in the air were on the scene to a sufficient enough degree. And they were engaging various monsters that were still holding captives in the present location of the battle. Jupiter, Chrysalis, and Venus, at least, if not anyone else as well, engaged one of the monsters, which were all quite strangely quite similar in average size to the monsters that the Scouts had earlier faced on Tarokauni III, at least, but they didn't necessarily look the same. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons. But they still weren't immortal, quite naturally. Monsters weren't generally immortal, as a rule, in any case at all. And the Scouts all knew that was true, at least. Whether they generally didn't know enough about monsters besides that or not, which might actually be the case here, as a matter of fact. Other Scouts attacked other monsters as they either wanted or needed to attack them as well. For instance, Moon, Mini Moon, Corona, Eclipse, Mercury, and Mars, at least, if nobody else as well, attacked one particularly large monster by themselves.
That monster then began charging on them, also heading in a direction that might bring him quite close to, if not right on top of, where Whaleduck was currently in the midst of a fight with yet another monster. Of course, they ran, if the need arose for them to do so, for all the obvious reasons. Peppermint saw them, seconds later, and she switched her main attack to that particular monster, just as Serenity then began using her Moonbeam Tiara Power Blast attack on the monster that was currently in the middle of a fight with Whaleduck.
Serenity generated several tiaras within thirty seconds, in fact. And she began using them as best as she possibly could on that monster that her future mother had switched her attacks from. Within a minute of her beginning to generate tiaras to use in attacks, she'd generated at least a dozen or so of them, if not more. And she was using them on that opponent of theirs. Skyhorse aided her with the help of some grenade-like canisters and a suitable weapon to launch those canisters from that Peppermint had just given her, even while they were still flying in the air.
Of course, in order for Serenity and Skyhorse to be able to use those current attacks of theirs, they'd have needed to have their hands free. So Serenity had called upon her Moon Star Web Power to at least some degree, so that she was still in at least some contact with Skyhorse, by the use of ropes. Which, in this particular case, each ran between Serenity and Skyhorse in the hip and/or waist areas of their respective uniforms, as a matter of simple enough fact here. Skyhorse and Serenity widened the gap slightly between them both, so that they'd have more room to use their current attacks. But they didn't widen that gap too much, for the obvious enough reasons. Mainly because of the simple fact that Peppermint definitely wouldn't be able to fly in the air if they were too far away from her, and if she somehow fell off them both quite accidentally, if not for any other reason whatsoever as well here.
Whaleduck and others continued attacking various monsters as the need arose for them to do so, including, of course, Peppermint. The one that'd been charging Moon and the members of her current cluster of Scouts fell primarily due to Peppermint's attacking of him, and he fell just mere inches from the nearest part of Whaleduck in the battle. Whaleduck saw that, and he was fortunately quite able to keep himself far enough away from that monster, when he crashed quite loudly on the ground near Whaleduck's current location.
Five to ten minutes later, then, it was all over, except for the shouting and the freeing of the monsters' captives, so to speak. Whaleduck soon made his way to where the captives had been held all during the battle. And he found that there were eight or so captives there. Among them was his future wife, though he didn't yet know that. And that future wife of his might actually someday turn out to be Abigail Calumet's own mother or grandmother, given the right circumstances, as a matter of simple enough fact here.
The Scouts soon freed the captives from their bonds, wherever necessary. And they all temporarily withdrew from the scene. At least for a few moments, anyway, so that they could transform back out of their respective Scout states, if they could possibly do so here.
Moments later, they found Whaleduck talking to at least one of the former captives that they'd helped to free just a little while before. And Whaleduck soon introduced everyone to the former captives as needed. One of them, he introduced as the Baroness Karenna, and he said, "She is the reason that I periodically have to become Sentinel Whaleduck. Though I don't really know why that is the case for me right now, I still know that it is. Maybe someday, I'll learn why it is the case for me right now in my life, people. But as for right now, at least, I don't really know why it is that way for me in my life."
"Maybe God wants you to protect me as much as you possibly can, whenever you're Sentinel Whaleduck," said Baroness Karenna, as she looked at her fellow former captives and all her other current companions. Those former captives, in fact, were other members of her own immediate family, as well as one or two of her life's closest friends.
"Maybe so, Baroness, but I don't always like quite suddenly becoming Whaleduck in my life." This, of course, was from Whaleduck, here.
"You don't seem to like fighting all that much, Whaleduck, do you?" asked Serena Moon, all of a sudden.
"No, I can't say that I generally like doing so, Serena Moon."
"Nor do I, as a matter of fact. But when the need actually arises, I still fight to the best of my ability to do so, just the same, Whaleduck."
"You mean when you're upset with your friends or relatives, don't you, Serena Moon?"
"At least then, if I have to, if not any other times in my life as well. I know of at least a few others who are a lot like the both of us, but you probably wouldn't know them. I have a question for you, however."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, I do. Do you by any chance have a relative that is tall, dark, and clean-shaven?" She proceeded to describe Prince Darien to at least some degree, if not totally. Though she still left out his name, for obvious reasons, of course.
"No, I don't. But I know of at least one periodical visitor to Moon City that might reasonably enough fit the description that you just gave me here, Serena Moon. His name is Prince Yageru Kyotosho, and he claims to be from an underground village somewhere here on the Moon called Kyoto. Though where exactly it is, he won't say to a sufficient enough degree."
"Is he in Moon City's local area now?" asked Serena Moon.
"I believe so, Serena Moon. I do know that he's staying at the Crescent Earth Inn now, just outside of the main part of Moon City."
"Where exactly is that inn?" asked Queen Serenity.
"Look for the first quite large red cedar tree cluster to the east of the Imperial Palace. In the middle of it, there's a clearing. In the middle of that clearing, then, there'll be one white oak tree about thirty or so feet in average diameter." He proceeded to tell them all exactly how to access the inn within the trunk of that very same tree. And then, not too long after he did so, he let them all leave for that location, for all the obvious reasons. As they all did so, Luna and Artemis soon appeared and joined up with them all as well.
They left Whaleduck and the former captives alone again, so that they could go to the necessary tree, and so that Whaleduck could have at least some privacy with those former captives for at least a little while. Serenity, of course, led the way to that tree, quite naturally.
When they were all far enough away from Whaleduck and his current companions, Serena said, "Whaleduck is quite interesting, I think. He reminds me of Prince Darien and Dad for at least one reason that I can't quite understand at the current time, if I'll ever be able to do so somehow, Mother."
"Maybe so, Serena. But we can't pursue potentially romantic relationships with anyone at all from this particular time period. If I weren't married, however, I might possibly think otherwise, quite naturally."
"Time problems might arise?"
"At the very least, yes, if no other problems as well, Serena. And we're going to have to try to get back home to our own respective time periods before too much longer, as it is, anyway."
By the time that they all got to the necessary tree at least an hour or two later, a woman about Queen Serenity's age appeared just outside it, and she was sweeping a good-sized area in front of and around it. That woman soon introduced herself as the Prophetess Ruth. And she asked them if they were looking for Prince Yageru Kyotosho.
"As a matter of fact, Prophetess, we were," said Queen Serenity.
"I was expecting that you would be. I've been expecting you ever since you all first arrived in this time period because of whatever brought you here. And I've been waiting for you to show up here at the Crescent Earth Inn. I know that you met up with Sentinel Whaleduck, and that he told you of this inn. In fact, I happen to be his aunt, and I also know about his dual identity as both Duke Sebastien-Jean Ereugig and Sentinel Whaleduck. I have been a prophetess for at least as long as Queen Serenity has been a Sailor Scout in her own life, if I'm not too mistaken here. Prince Yageru Kyotosho is not actually from the Moon. Prince Yageru Kyotosho is actually from the Earth, as Prince Darien will eventually be, in fact. He comes from the same general area of Earth that Prince Darien will."
"Is that so, Prophetess?" asked Serena Moon, as Prophetess Ruth began to escort them inside her inn, and bring them to where Prince Yageru was staying in it.
"That's correct, Moon Princess Serena. Abigail, you and others were earlier wondering if your idea that you'd thought of would work well enough to get each of you back to your respective time periods sufficiently well. It'll work out well enough, if you have the help of my nephew Prince Yageru Kyotosho, my nephew Duke Ereugig, King Jason, and Queen Eve, at the very least, if no one else as well, when you try it out. You'll return to the Imperial Palace either with my nephew, or just before he comes there as well. By the time that you all then do so, Duke Ereugig will already be there with Baroness Karenna, at the very least, if nobody else as well. By local dawn of September 15, 174 BC, then, you'll all need to be in the same general area on and around the future Crystal Palace's grounds that you each actually materialized in earlier, if possible. And you'll all need to be in whatever Scout states that you each were in when you first appeared here in this particular time period of the Universe's history, if you all can be, here. The cats don't have to transform themselves by then, for all the obvious reasons, of course. The others that I have just mentioned here will also have to be near enough to you all in order for them to somehow make it possible for you to return to each of your respective time periods, as appropriate," said Prophetess Ruth.
"Did you inherit this power of prophecy, by any chance?" asked Raye.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. In fact, I am descended from Prince Obarok and his first wife, at the very least, Raye. My gift of prophecy has been passed down from his third daughter of that marriage between him and his first wife, at the very least, and primarily through the third children of the first, if not only, marriage of the appropriate descendants of Obarok and his first wife, if not even longer than just that. Sometimes the gift of prophecy has been passed down to more than one member of one, or more than one, of a particular family's generational history. Meaning, in essence, that in a particular family, there could be at least one, if not more than one, generation in which multiple descendants receive the gift of prophecy, Raye."
"Theoretically speaking, then, if I may, could this gift of prophecy even go back to Abel Adamson, somehow, Prophetess Ruth?"
"I don't know that for sure, Raye. But if I ever find out that it's true, somehow, I don't really think that I'd be too surprised about it, in fact, Raye."
Just then, they all arrived outside Prince Yageru's room in the inn, and Prophetess Ruth said, "All of you will not be able to fit in the room at the same time, I think. But I think that a few of you could be in there easily enough here, just the same."
"Who, in particular, do you suggest, then, Prophetess Ruth?" asked Queen Serenity, in very short order.
"You, for one. Abigail for another. Margaret for a third. Rini for a fourth. And Serena for a fifth. Everyone else, not at the current time, if at all." Prophetess Ruth said this as she began knocking on the room's door, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
"Why them and myself, if I may ask?"
"In your own time period, Queen Serenity, you are the Queen. Because of that, your presence in my nephew's room is required here. Abigail actually has to be there because it was originally her idea in the first place. Margaret is to be there because of the fact that she is to be your future mother, as she once was, in your own life. Serena is to be there, for she is your oldest daughter of six daughters in it as well. Rini is to be there, for she will eventually be, in time, your daughter Serena's future daughter, after the end of the Moon Kingdom. The Moon Kingdom will fall. There's no doubt about that in my mind at all. You surely will sacrifice it to save as many people and animals, at least, from a state of permanent death or destruction, as you possibly can, by using your Crystal and Wand to trap them all somehow. And you'll somehow send them to the distant future, to have some new futures of their very own, whether or not the Negaverse ever rises again. Which I'm sure that it'll do at least once more, if not even more than that, Queen Serenity."
"I am to be Rini's mother?" asked Serena Moon.
"Yes, Serena, you are to be. As you have undoubtedly already marked at least one such scroll that same way, in fact." Just then, Prophetess Ruth heard some very faint signs of movement in Prince Yageru Kyotosho's room of the inn.
"I am to be Serena's daughter?" asked Rini, quite surprised, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
"Yes, that is so, Rini. But you and so many others here won't actually know this for a fact again, once you each return to your own respective time periods. And at least not until you yourself, Rini, are later sent back in time to find her and so many others in her life of the late 20th Century and/or early 21st Century AD. You yourself, Rini, as a matter of fact, will think the Imperium Silver Crystal is lost, and you'll go hunting for her eventually. Some length of time after you do so, you then will learn that she is your mother, or that she'll be your mother, in your very own time period. And she'll eventually free your mother from whatever is holding her captive, somehow. But not without at least some, if not a lot of help, as a matter of fact."
"I see. Then that might explain why her hair reminds me quite a bit of my mother, Prophetess Ruth."
"Yes, I believe that it just might, once you remember that as well, Rini. But you still won't remember that for quite a while, after you encounter her in what is currently the future here, and what'd actually be the past for you in your life."
Just then, the room's nearest door to them all opened, and Prince Yageru appeared just inside his room. He then said, "Hello, Auntie Ruth. I suppose that these are the people you were expecting to come here to find me, if I'm not too mistaken here."
"But only five of them will be able to meet with you here, it seems."
"If that's the case, so be it. But I was expecting to be able to meet more of them at sufficient enough length here, in fact, Auntie Ruth."
"God hasn't apparently seen fit to allow more of them to meet with you here in your room, Yageru. If He had, then I'm sure that He'd have let me know that, of course, here."
"Who are we to doubt God's plan, then, Auntie? Mere mortals, that's what we are, and will continue to be, at least until His Son finally comes to collect all the saved souls in the Universe and bring them to Heaven forevermore, I believe. Send them in, then, if you will. And I'll meet with them in my rooms."
Prophetess Ruth did so, and she had everyone else return downstairs for a time with her. She even took all of the other people and animals with her to an underground cavern of sufficient size, and she provided food and drink for them all as needed. Amy was temporarily in charge of the remaining members of her current traveling group, as a matter of fact, after Serenity had chosen to put her in charge of them while she and others were absent for the time being, at least.
Now that all the fighting is done for this story, three chapters will close this story, in very short order, for sure. The next-to-last one should be especially sad, for many, of course, because many people will have to part from each other, and possibly for good, when they do during that chapter, whether they like it or not. But it won't be able to be helped, because that's the way life goes sometimes for people, you know, folks.
Until next time, then, I'll close this. TUS out.