Crystal Senshi: The Legend Continues

Savagekitty

Chapter Eight

Emerald stepped through the doorway and was in a world she couldn't even imagine. She wanted to stop and look at everything. It wasn't a garden, it was a whole world. She could see an ocean, for she had come through the door at the top of a hill. She could see a dense forest and the sky was every changing color, from a fiery sunset to a peaceful sunrise to blue noon. She saw a flash of darkness through the trees of the forest and followed it. She leapt from the hill and there was a split second of sickening in her stomach before the wings caught the wind and she glided inches from the ground and pulled up. She pumped her wings a few times and was over the forest, scanning before her. She went higher for a better look and noticed dead spots within the forest, and in the meadow that bordered it. So this wondrous place was dying too? Of course it was, with the Earth crumbling, this is the heart.

She saw Dream King sprinting over the meadow, and she wondered, where was he going? Where would the Crystal of Life be in this place? She looked forward, seeing a large tower in the distance. It was glistening and white. If that was the place, it would be as good as any to hold a crystal. She rose higher, heading towards the tower.

The Dream King must have seen her. She looked over her shoulder when she heard a shrieking sound. Two large black birds came at her, talons open, ready to strike. She pulled two throwing daggers and as she did a barrel roll downward, threw them, striking true. The birds fell like stones. Emerald stayed low incase there were anymore, but she was almost there. She came over a thicket of thorns and brambles and landed in a large circular clearing. She looked around and smiled.

She had read stories to Small Lady before she had gotten busy as a senshi. One of small Lady's favorites was Rapunzle. She walked around the tower and saw, yes, there was no door. High up, there was a window. Things were falling into place. This world, was something from Small Lady's dreams. She came around a turn and saw Dream King cursing and trying to find a door. She saw a few dead birds and figured he tried to fly to the window, but that wasn't how the story went, and he wasn't admitted. So he killed his minions.

"You won't be able to get in, Dream King." She said calmly as she came around the corner, "Give up, and I won't have to kill you for your crimes."

The Dream King jerked around, "Sailor Emerald. I have learned much about this planet and it has driven me to the point of loosing composure. I will have the Crystal of Life from this planet." He flicked his wrist and Emerald lunged in, expecting a weapon from him, but instead, she found a black ball of goo flying into her face. She gagged and ripped at it. It was warm and started to grow warmer as it forced her mouth open and slid into it. Her eyes widened in shock, feeling it slide down her throat. She began choking on it as the Dream King watched. She fell to her knees, hearing Garnet from somewhere. The headsets. She had forgotten them, but she could speak as she fell to her side, everything growing dim.

"Emerald? Emerald, we're free and we have to hurry. The platform is falling and the Earth…is almost gone…"

Jo stood in front of the door. The others had went back to Earth with small lady, but he had stayed, waiting. The platform was shaking, dropping a few feet every minute, jerking like it was unstable. He grit his teeth, he couldn't wait, something must have happened and he stepped through the door. He came out onto the hill as the clouds began to gather. The wind was picking up, cold and hard. He followed the tracks in the grass, through the forest and meadow. It seemed to take forever as she reached the brambles. It pulled at his skin, ripping it. He came out into the clearing. The Dream King was no where but Emerald was on the ground, her eyes staring upward. He kneeled to her, she was cold, pale. There was a black mark on her lower lip and he knew. The Dream King attacked her with a Nightmare. She wasn't dead, just in a state of sleep. He looked around the clearing, circled it and looked up at the window. He didn't understand, how was he suppose to get up there? He saw the dead birds, ok, they couldn't fly up. He knew a Dream King minion when he saw one. Was this symbolic? Small Lady had mentioned she had been here with Pegasus. Maybe he created this for her? So, as a child, she would make it from one of her favorite stories. He didn't know Earth's stories. He fisted his hands and punched the wall, confused and angered. He wiped his bleeding knuckles on his pants and went to Emerald. He fell to his knees and kneeled over her, putting his hand to her cold cheek, "Wake up, Anniee. I don't know how to do this. This is your world, not mine."

He shook his head, it was hopeless. They had lost. He would have to leave this place with Huntress and keep searching for the Dream King. They had been so close here. They had found their brothers and put them to rest. He had even found someone he thought he loved. He looked at her rpone body, "I'm sorry Anniee…"

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers. Their second kiss, though, he didn't know of the first. He pulled back and turned to get up when he heard her sputtering. She gasped, coughing, choking. He held her, patting her back to help her cough it up. She leaned over and vomited up the Nightmare and sat back into his arms, breathing raggedly.

"Took…you….long enough…" She wheezed. He was stunned. He had never seen anyone wake up from a Nightmare! She closed her eyes, her breathing becoming normal. He helped her stand, "How?"

"How what?"

"The Nightmare, no one ever woke up from a Nightmare!"

She blinked at him and then smiled, "A Nightmare? That does make sense. Joseph, you brought me back because my nightmares are always the same. That I am alone, and scared. But, you pulled me back. I heard your voice and felt your warmth and followed it back."

Jo smiled, "Anniee…" He moved to kiss her again when she stoped him, "Time for that later, the Dream King is still after the Life Crystal."

He nodded and stepped away from her, "I haven't seen him here. He must have went off somewhere else."

"Idiot. It's here all right. Hang on." She stood back, to the edge of the brambles and looked up at the window, shouting, "Rapunzle! Rapunzle! Let down your golden hair!"

There was a pause and then a rope of golden fell from the down to the ground. Jo shook his head, "Hair?"

"I'll tell you about it later, just climb."

And they did. They climbed the tower to the window and into it, where, a woman sat. her hair coiled around her on the floor, looking at them. Emerald gasped, "Small Lady?"

The woman smiled warmly at them and rose from her seat, "Leanne." She opened her arms to her and they embraced. Emerald pulled back, "I don't understand."

"There seems to be a lot of that lately," the older Small Lady said, "I saw Joseph kiss you down there. You and me are just hopeless fairytale lovers, Leanne. I am Rapunzle and you are Sleeping Beauty."

Emerald shook her head slightly, "Why are you older?"

Small Lady chuckled, "This was an accident. When I visited Helios in the Garden for the first time was when you and I were children. I came here as an escape from royal life. I came here, to this tower one day, and…never came out. Helios wasn't sure what had happened, so he made a likeness of me and sent it out into the world. I could see through it's eyes, and I watched. It was a little difficult for me, watching you grow up. No one knew Helios and myself."

Emerald hugged her friend again, feeling weepy, "You could have told me, Smally. I would have tried to help you."

"I know, Anniee, but I felt this had to be this way."

"What about the Crystal of Life?"

"The crystal is hidden away..."

Emerald turned when Jo made a strange sound. The Dream King stood behind Jo, and then pushed him to the side, a dagger in his back, one of Emerald's daggers. Emerald stood in front of Small Lady. The Dream King only chuckled, "Give me the crystal."

"Fuck off." Emerald said.

Small Lady walked from behind Emerald and Emerald protested. Small Lady shook her head, "No, Emerald. He has won…"

Emerald, horrified, stayed where she was as Small Lady walked to the Dream King, "Here is the Crystal of Life, Dream King."

She leaned up to him and, gripping his robes, kissed him. Emerald made a small noise of disgust as the Dream King, looking surprised tried to pull back. But he couldn't. Small Lady, wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, but the Dream King looked horrified and then in pain. Emerald kneeled by Jo, cradling his head in her lap as she watched the Dream King shake and he seemed to grow smaller and smaller and then, Small Lady pulled away, the Dream King was gone. All that was left was his robes. Smiling serenely, she turned to Emerald, "We win."

"What?"

"There is no Crystal of Life, Emerald. There is only life. This Garden was made from the dreams of humans, and it is true that it is what keeps the Earth going, but only because life is the stuff of dreams."

"You destroyed the Dream King with…life?"

"Yes. He was so corrupted, there was no life left in him."

Emerald nodded, understanding now. The Crystal of Life had been a farce. There were some on other planets, yes, but here, there didn't need to be one, because of life was everything here. Life, love, laughter, friends family… Emerald smiled and then started to laugh quietly, "I understand now…" Small Lady kneeled by Emerald and Jo. She laid a hand to Jo and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled weakly and she started to cry over him. It was all too much for her. Small Lady hugged her, "No tears now, Anniee."

Emerald nodded, "You're right. I need to get Jo back to see a doctor and get you home." She stood and, with some trouble, picked Jo up and they went out the window.

Emerald flew Jo to the ground and returned back to the window, where she saw Small Lady snipping at her hair with a pair of sheers. She left it to her waist, now looking very much like her mother when she was younger, down to the blue eyes. She came to Emerald and climbed to the window. Emerald took her by the hands, "You will be free of here, Smally. You will come and live your life, not as a child, but as a young woman."

Small Lady smiled and stepped into the air into Emerald's arms. There was a boom somewhere. And then a whinny. Pegasus flew through the air gliding past them. Small Lady laughed joyously and as she did there was light, that blinded them all.