The Celestial Being
Chapter 3: In Moonlight
An original work by Erica A.
Tiara felt utterly abandoned. Her bloodshot eyes began to slowly close as she felt herself slipping away. Her eyes caught the moon, and suddenly she felt a surge of hope. But then, everything went black...
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A soft thunder made her turn. A shadow came at her slowly. Tendrils of smokey cloud curled out, the mists twirling around her feet. Trembling, Usagi grasped her brooch. It gave her little comfort.
Her friends were dead, even Mamoru, and she had never felt so alone. She whimpered at the sudden realization that she had failed. She couldn't beat Sailor Galaxia. Her moon crystal sensed her distress and shined brightly under her palm. The light gave Usagi a new hope. She turned, and ran.
The shadow followed stealthily behind her, but didn't attack. Usagi new Galaxia was just playing with her now. Her mouth gasped open as an idea dawned on her.
"Shadows cannot exist in light!" She screamed as she abruptly turned and shined her crystal down the deep, dark tunnel. The shadow disappeared. She was safe, for the moment. She knew she didn't have much time. She needed to find the entrance to the portal of time to find Setsuna before the shadow came back.
She continued running down the long tunnel. Perhaps being late all the time had helped her. A tear fell down her cheek as she thought of Tokyo...her friends...
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and a storm of dust and rocks howled after her. Pebbles striked her back and legs, making small cuts with their jagged edges. Usagi fell, finally giving in. She had had enough, and she was ready to accept the end. Rocks and dirt rained down on her, clogging her nose. She struggled to breath.
"Usagi," she heard Mamoru's voice in her head, "Don't give up my love...you are Sailor Moon, protector of love and light!"
She climbed from the rubble and continued on. She was sure she had imagined it, but she had to continue on. She had a world to protect. The rumbling ceased as she neared the exit of the tunnel. The earth settled with sporadic trembles and quakes.
She cleared her nose and mouth of the powdery dirt as best she could.
She gleamed with hope as she entered a tall cavern, with the door of time on the wall opposite of her. Setsuna appeared before her.
"Setsuna!" Usagi flung her arms and her and began to weep.
Setsuna rubbed her back.
"Setsuna...I failed." Usagi said between sobs.
"Failure and success are what you make of it," Setsuna said softly.
"Don't be philosophical with me now!" Usagi yelled at her. "Take me back in time! Let me save my friends!"
"I can't do that Usagi."
Usagi withdrew from her, as if slapped. "Why not?" She sniffled.
Setsuna spoke, "Galaxia now has control of the time portal as well...she'd kill you if you went through."
"I have to try." Usagi started toward the door.
"There's another way," Setsuna quickly added.
Usagi looked at her expectantly.
"We can bind Galaxia in the time portal, but she will escape a long time from now...I can reincarnate you and the scouts to that time, but none of you will be the same."
"What do you mean?"
"You will all be fused to one soul, one ultimate pretty soldier, who will have the power to set free Galaxia and destroy her."
Usagi paused for a moment. "Why can't we be the way we are?"
"I will have to transport your fused souls through time, in haste, because Galaxia will try to stop us. If I do that with multiple souls, chances are we will lose some of the scouts forever and will be unable to ever defeat Galaxia."
"What about Mamoru?" Usagi said with a whisper.
"He will be near you...in spirit." Setsuna said with a solemn face.
"Then do it," Usagi said, "It's the only way."
Setsuna took up her staff, her hair blew about her as if she was caught in a breeze.
The last thing Usagi saw was the bright light of the Silver Crystal binding with Setsuna's Time Orb, on top of her staff.
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In another time...
"She's beautiful," He said, looking more at his lover than his new daughter. The baby cried endlessly in her arms.
"What should we name her?" She smiled weakly as she lay in the hospital bed.
"Something royal, elegant..." He tapped the bed rail with his gloved hand, "Elizabeth?"
The woman wrinkled her nose. He chuckled, "All right...how about...Tiara?" The name lingered in the air.
The woman smiled and looked down at her newborn daughter. "Tiara," she spoke with a soft whisper.