Here we are, the final chapter. It has been a good ride and it is sad that this story has to come to an end. Thank you all for your support and I hope this final chapter is everything you are expecting.
Now, onward to the finale.
Epilogue
Gently, Serenity eased her consciousness out of Sailor Moon's mind. She now had no place within the child's thoughts and it was time to break the link.
They were all inside the void. The dimension that was her prison for so long was no longer dark and cold. The entire void was filled with light and warmth, glowing in the aftermath of the two Silver Crystal. Its power gave Serenity the strength needed to finally leave this place.
Sailor Moon and Small Lady floated contentedly as the thoughts of their victory overwhelmed them. They both had a small smile on their faces and had their eyes close.
"Are we dead now?" Sailor Moon asked. "But we protected everyone, so it's okay, Chibi-Usa."
"Yeah," Small Lady whispered.
Serenity felt pride swelled in her chest. Her baby girl had grown up so much. In time, she would become a queen far greater than her.
"You two are not dead," Serenity spoke getting the attention of her daughter and past self.
"What?" they both said at once.
"The power of your two Silver Crystals and wish to protect one another brought about a miracle," Serenity explained.
That explanation wasn't completely true, but it was easier to say that then to explain how she merged with Sailor Moon and used the energy from her body to keep both Sailor Moon and her daughter from dying.
"Mommy," Small Lady whispered. She was near tears from hearing her mother's voice again.
"Come, everyone is waiting for you," Serenity said as she sent their spirits forward. "Return to them."
With that, Sailor Moon and Small Lady disappeared from the void.
With a thought, the Silver Crystal appeared in Serenity's hands. Now that the Black Moon was defeated, Small Lady didn't need the crystal anymore.
It was finally time for her to return as well. Even with the Death Phantom defeated, there was still work to be done. In a flashed, Serenity faded away.
Luna peered out the window as she looked over her ruin home. It was hard to believe that just three months ago this was once a living city. Now, it looked like a graveyard. Even if the past senshi were able to repel the Dark Moon, would Crystal Tokyo and the Earth ever recover? They haven't faced a worldwide cataclysm like this since the Second Ice Age. This time, however, they didn't have the Silver Crystal or Serenity.
"Serenity..." Luna whispered as she fought back tears.
It has been months since she'd seen her former ward. She didn't want to see her, not in that state. Seeing Serenity lying prone in a crystal coffin was too much for her. She already watched one of her sovereigns die before her eyes. She didn't wish to relive the experience.
"Luna, you shouldn't stand so close to the window," Artemis said softly. "An attack could come at any time."
"Does it matter?" Luna asked hoarsely. "Everything is all but destroyed. Is there anything worth living for?"
"Don't talk like that!" Artemis yelled. "We must have faith in the senshi of the past."
Luna lowered her head. "It's hard to have faith. Endymion is still mortally injured, Small Lady has been taken by the enemy, and Serenity...is all but dead. What hope is left to have?"
Diane watched her parents with sorrowful eyes. It was strange how a day that started out so joyful had ended in more tragedy.
For the first time in months, everyone was hopeful when Small Lady had returned with the past senshi. They thought for sure that Sailor Moon could awaken Neo-Queen Serenity with the power of her Silver Crystal. Not only did Sailor Moon's effort end in failure, Small Lady has been captured. The Sailor Senshi were also becoming weaker by the day. It was only a matter time before the barrier around the Crystal Palace broke. When that happened, they would all be at the mercy of the Black Moon.
"After everything we've been through, it can't end like this," Artemis said firmly, refusing to give into despair. "Sailor Moon maybe inexperience, but she is still the future Neo-Queen Serenity. If anyone can save Small Lady, it's her."
"I know, but..." Luna suddenly stopped herself as a spike of energy got her attention.
All the cats' ears perked as they looked at one another.
"Is that..." Artemis started.
"I know that energy anywhere," Luna said in shock. "It's the Silver Crystal!"
"But how?" Diane asked. "After all this time, why do we feel it now?"
Luna shook her head. "Doesn't matter! We must hurry to it!"
The three cats ran down the empty halls as they used their senses to track the sacred crystal. It only took them a moment to realize that the Silver Crystal's energy was strongest near the chamber of the sleeping queen.
They pushed the large double doors opened and ran into the room. They all stopped when they saw the Silver Crystal floating lazily above Serenity's crystal coffin.
"It has really return," Luna whispered in awe.
"It must have been lured back by Serenity," Artemis observed.
Diane slowly stepped forward. "Can the crystal awaken the queen?"
The Silver Crystal pulsed once, then twice, before a large wave of energy shot out of the room. The light continued upwards until it shone out from the very top of the Crystal Palace. The light then scattered into several beams, each hitting a single crystal point around the palace forming a star formation.
In the chamber where the Four Guardian Senshi stood creating the barrier, they were showered by the wave of energy.
Venus opened her eyes in shock as she felt the energy heal her. "This is...the Silver Crystal's power!"
The senshi immediately broke formation and looked at each other in astonishment.
"That means..." Jupiter started, unable to finish as tears built in her eyes.
"Serenity's alive..." Mars whispered as she fell to her knees. "Thank you, Kami."
In the room that held the fallen king, energy also washed over him. Endymion's eyes slowly opened as he felt his wounds heal and his strength return to him.
"Serenity," Endymion whispered.
Once the people within the palace were healed, the energy wave spread across the city. The Black Moon's ships that were still encircling Crystal Tokyo were instantly purified by the Silver Crystal's power. This caused the ships to lose their power and free the people inside from the Black Poison Crystal's influence.
The buildings that were hit by the wave were restored to their former glory, along with the natural life around the area. The sky was also cleared of negative energy, allowing sunlight to return.
Within minutes, Crystal Tokyo was fully restored to state it was before the Black Moon's attack and the energy wave kept spreading. Across the globe, the Silver Crystal's power healed and restored the Earth and its people as well as freeing the people Nemesis. It kept going until the wave came full circle. Even then, it still was not done.
Once the Earth was restored, a beam of silver energy shot off from the Earth and headed straight towards Nemesis.
On Pluto, the Outers were still fighting the endless waves of droids and spaceships sent against them by the Black Moon. They were all hurt and exhausted, but they didn't even consider giving up the fight. They would fight until they were either dead or the enemy was defeated.
It was during one of their many battles that the bolt of silver energy passed over them. The sparkles from the Silver Crystal instantly healed their wounds and restore their energy. Even their uniforms were repaired as the silver wave destroyed the remaining droids and deactivated the Black Moon's spaceships.
"The Silver Crystal," Saturn muttered.
Neptune smiled. "It would seem that the Black Moon was lying when they said they'd killed her."
"Serenity has saved us once again," Uranus whispered as a smile graced her face.
Saturn nodded as she too smiled. "That is why she is the messiah."
Once passed Pluto, it only took a second for the energy beam to hit Nemesis. Without the Black Poison Crystal to absorb the Silver Crystal's energy, the entire planet was washed by the crystal's healing energy. The remaining influence of the Black Crystal was shattered and the people of Nemesis were once again normal humans.
They were all confused by this change of events and some of them looked around like they had just woken up from a long dream.
With its mission completed, the silver wave dissipated into space.
Back in the Crystal Palace, the cats were unaware of any of these events. They all stood transfixed at the crystal coffin as the Silver Crystal's power spread over the room. It soon became too bright for them to see and they were forced to turn their eyes.
"Luna, Artemis, Diane!" someone yelled.
Artemis' immediately turned his head when he heard the voice. "Minako!"
Venus and the other senshi ran into room.
Now Artemis was the one near tears as he ran up to his former ward and jumped into her opened arms. He purred in happiness as Minako hugged him.
"Oh thank god," Artemis whispered as his voice crack. "You're okay..."
"It's alright," Venus whispered in comfort. "I'm fine. We're all fine now."
Mars attempted to stare at the crystal prison that held her friend's body. "Serenity..."
"It is a healing wave," Mercury informed. "Serenity is using the Silver Crystal to restore the planet."
"While she's still trap in that crystal?" Mars asked.
"It could be because Serenity is planning to free herself last," Mercury stated. "That is, if she has any strength left to do it."
Jupiter shook her head. "Dear oh Serenity, always putting others before herself."
"That is why I love her," a deep voice said.
All the senshi and cats turned towards the door to see a fully healed King Endymion staring at them.
"Your Highness," Diane exclaimed as she bowed before her sovereign. "Thank the heavens that you have recovered."
"I wouldn't have been to recover without her," Endymion said as he walked closer towards the crystal prison. The light was still too bright for him to get close, however.
Within another few minutes, the light faded and everyone could see again. The Silver Crystal continued to float above the crystal coffin as if awaiting its next order. Then, slowly, the Silver Crystal floated down until it passed through its mistress' prison. The crystal then went into Serenity's chest and disappeared.
There was a moment where nothing happened, but then without warning the crystal prison shattered. The shards of the crystal coffin dissipated and Serenity was left lying on the stone altar. She remained there unmoving.
"Serenity?" Mars questioned as she moved closer. "Why isn't she waking up?"
Mercury took out her computer and quickly scanned her queen. "She used up a lot of energy. I...I think she fell back to sleep."
"She woke up only to fall asleep again?" Mars asked with a mixed of relief and frustration.
Venus laughed. "That's our Serenity."
"That girl," Luna scolded with tears in her eyes.
Endymion said nothing as he walked towards the stone altar. He then lifted his wife by her shoulders and leaned her tenderly against his chest. He then lowered himself until he gently pressed his lips against hers.
They stood locked like that for what felt like hours. The entire time Endymion was kissing her, he filled his wife with energy from his own Golden Crystal. Slowly, Serenity began to shift in his arms and return the kiss.
When Endymion finally pulled a way, the loving sight of his wife's blue eyes greeted him. She looked tired, but Serenity gave him a warm smile.
"Good morning, Mamo-chan," Serenity whispered.
Endymion crushed her in a hug. "Good morning, Usako."
The senshi and the cats stood back as they watched the heartwarming scene. They all had smiles on their faces and their eyes shone with unshed tears.
Endymion slowly helped his wife up and they walked to great the Sailor Senshi. Serenity made sure to hug each one of them as her senshi crowed around her, savoring the warmth of their bodies. After months of being disconnecting from the world, it was nice to have physical contact again.
"Everything is back to normal," Venus whispered in relief.
Serenity shook her head. "No. We still have the Dark Moon to deal with. Although I have healed the people of Nemesis from the Black Poison Crystal's influence, there is still much healing that needs to be done."
Mars frowned. "You still want to help them after everything they've done?"
"The people of Nemesis were used by the Death Phantom," Serenity said firmly. "They're not completely at fault for what has happened."
"Even if that is true, the people of Earth now have the cruelty of the Black Moon burnt into their minds," Mercury said sullenly. "Even if you do forgive them, the people of Earth will reject those from Nemesis."
"And I can't blame them," Jupiter said as she crossed her arms. As far as she was concern, she would never forgive the Black Moon for the suffering they had caused.
"I didn't say it would be easy. It may take years, maybe even several generations before the people of Nemesis and the Earth can live together peacefully," Serenity said somberly as she felt the mixed emotions in the room. "But we can start to heal some of those wounds now."
Serenity then walked out of the room. The senshi looked at each other for a moment before they followed their sovereign. They kept walking until they were outside the palace. The courtyard was cleared of people and the sun warmed their skin, reminding them that the Earth has been saved.
Serenity looked into the sky as Endymion put his hand on her shoulders. He nodded in encouragement as Serenity closed her eyes.
"People of Nemesis, this is Neo-Queen Serenity speaking," Serenity said as she spoke through the minds of everyone on Earth and Nemesis.
Even the Outers heard their queen's voice and closed their eyes to listen. The Guardian Senshi did the same along with the three Mau cats.
"The war is over. Your leaders of the Black Moon Clan are dead. Your prince, Demande, was betrayed and murdered by the monster that has been manipulating you all this time. That monster's name was Death Phantom, although you may know him best as the Wise Man," Serenity said.
Serenity paused to allow the people of Nemesis to take in the information.
"The Death Phantom was an aspect of chaos that had existed within Nemesis for many millenniums. He used the power of the Black Poison Crystal on your planet to manipulate you and to bring out your darkest desires and wishes," Serenity explained. "He used you to attack the Earth and fulfill his desire to destroy this planet and Nemesis."
Serenity then projected her memory of Demande's final moments. She also showed images of Saphir's death taken from Sailor Moon's memories, and the final battle against the Death Phantom.
The Guardian Senshi were stun at what they saw and at that moment, their own memories of the past returned to them.
"In Prince Demande's final moments, he wished peace between our two worlds. Even though we may had branched in different directions, we are all still children of Earth," Serenity said. "We all have the same souls, hearts, and desire for a happy future. Even though you were all misled, I know that all of you from Nemesis just wanted a better life for yourselves and your children."
Serenity mentally prepared herself for her next words.
"Many wounds have been opened during this terrible war. Many lives have been lost on both sides that could have been avoided. I know the anger from the people of Earth runs deep. So deep that you do not wish to forgive the people of Nemesis. But anger and hatred solves nothing," Serenity said firmly. "If we hate and reject the people of Nemesis, then the cycle will start over again. In order to prevent such beings like the Death Phantom from taking advantage of the weakness in the human heart, we must all come together and learned to forgive and learn from our mistakes."
People from all over the world listened to the queen's words. Some people were so touched that they were moved to tears. Even the people from Nemesis were moved. For them, it was hard to believe that anyone would forgive them for their crimes. Especially a person that they were taught to hate and fear their entire lives.
"I won't ask you to forgive now. The hurt and anger is too recent for that. But I hope that the hearts of the people of Earth will heal and welcome back their fellow men in time," Serenity said. "As for the people of Nemesis, although I can't offer you a place on this world for the time being, I will work as hard as possible to improve your lives on Nemesis. If you will have me, I would gladly become your queen and together we can build a new future."
Serenity slowly opened her eyes. "Let the hatred and fear of the past be wash away with this new day."
No one spoke as the senshi watched Serenity and their king.
"Well spoken, my queen," Luna said proudly.
Artemis nodded. He also smiled proudly. "Your mother couldn't have done better."
Serenity lowered her eyes. "Do you think it was enough?"
"It's a beginning," Endymion said softly as he hugged his wife.
Pluto stood in front of the Gate of Time as she watched the never-ending void move around her. The Guardian of Time feared nothing. After living countless centuries there was nothing left for the senshi of Pluto to fear, not even death.
At least, that is what she believed before she heard footsteps echoed in the void. She knew this moment would come. This was a moment that has been building for over a thousand years. Yet, Pluto was still unprepared as Neo-Queen Serenity stood behind her.
She appeared to be calm, the very picture of her namesake. Pluto, however, knew better. What she would say next would have many consequences for both herself and the future.
"Why?" Serenity asked.
"You will have to be more specific, my queen," Pluto answered.
"You know the question," Serenity said firmly. "Why did you take our memories? We were led to believe that the effects of being frozen caused our missing memories. But now I know that you purposely sealed them. Specifically, you sealed all our memories involving the Black Moon."
Pluto said nothing for a moment. "I did."
"Why?" Serenity asked again.
"It is dangerous for one to know their own future," Pluto answered. "You were allowed to see too much because of the carelessness of the Black Moon. I did what needed to be done to preserved the timeline."
"So you took our memories to ensure that the Black Moon rebelling would happened?" Serenity asked, her temper rising. "You did this so a war that killed millions of people would happened!? Pluto, do you know how many lives could have been saved if I had known what was going to happen!?" Demande, Saphir, Esmeraude, even Rubeus, and countless others could have been saved!"
"Could they?" Pluto questioned.
"You never gave me that chance!" Serenity shouted in frustration.
There was a long paused.
"Tell me honestly, me queen. If you had known about the coming of the Black Moon, what would you have changed?" Pluto asked without a hint of sarcasm.
Serenity wasn't expecting that question. "What?"
"If you had known that banishing the rebels would lead them to Nemesis, what would you have done differently?" Pluto questioned. "Would you have killed or cleansed them to ensure that they would never become the Black Moon Clan?"
Serenity shook her head. "There had to be other options than those."
Pluto's eyes became solemn. "I am afraid there were no other options, my queen. By the time you had caught the remaining rebel forces, Triten and his group were beyond your reached. If you had left Triten alone, he would had continued his campaign of terror against Crystal Tokyo and converted others to his cause. His reign would have brought countless more deaths."
Serenity lowered her eyes. "Then, I should had cleansed him?"
"If you had, Triten and his group would had become model citizens and lived out the rest of their lives happily in Crystal Tokyo," Pluto stated. "Without prisoners to manipulate the Death Phantom would still be on Nemesis, plotting against the Earth."
"But he wouldn't have been as strong," Serenity said.
"How can you be sure of that?" Pluto asked. "The Death Phantom was an eternal being who just had to wait for the right time to put his plan into motion. Even without the Black Moon Clan, he would have found others to do his bidding."
"We could had found and destroyed him," Serenity insisted.
"So you would had hunted and kill a being before it committed any crime?" Pluto asked.
Serenity was struck by Pluto's words. "But the Death Phantom was an aspect of chaos."
"Yet, he was still a life," Pluto said. "Were you not the one who said to honor all life, even the ones who would do evil. Killing the Death Phantom when he attempted to destroy the Earth by opening the Dark Gate is not the same as hunting him down and murdering him."
Serenity's knees began to shake. "I know that. Even as I said those words, I knew that I couldn't kill the Death Phantom in such a way, even knowing the evil he would do. I...I just can't believe that this was the right path."
"There is no right path," Pluto said. "We make our choices base on our experience and morals. Every path that we chose has its own consequences. Maybe making one choice would have preventing one tragedy, but something else could happen that is far worst. People can't live their lives based on what ifs, because people cannot see into the future and see all the difference branches it can take."
"Pluto, are you saying that even if I did know what was going to happen, that I would had made the same choices?" Serenity asked slowly.
"It is impossible to completely predict people, even when you know them. However, given your values and morality, I doubted that you would had forced a cleansing on Triten or attempted to purified Nemesis knowing the rift that it would had cause," Pluto answered. "Even if you did know, I believe you would had made the same choices."
"Then why did you seal my memory?" Serenity asked. "If I would had made the same choices, why was it necessary to ensure the timeline?"
Pluto said nothing for a moment. "I did it for your own peace of mind, my queen."
Serenity wasn't expecting that answer. "What?"
"If you had known, you would had endlessly tormented yourself over every decision, just as you are doing now," Pluto said. "That is the curse when one knows too much about things that is beyond their grasp."
"So, all my memories have returned?" Serenity asked.
"Yes, even the ones where you send Small Lady back to the past," Pluto said. "I've sealed your memories only to the point where the information would have been of no real consequence."
Serenity stared at Pluto. "It's strange. A part of me wants to be mad at you, but another part wants to thank you."
"If I have lost your trust, my queen, I full understand," Pluto said humbly.
Serenity shook her head. "No, you haven't lost my trust. You're the Guardian of Time beyond all else. Your duty to protect time is more important than making me feel better about my choices." She then smiled sadly. "Besides...despite all that has happened things still worked out. Earth and Nemesis are saved and we can begin to build back any broken relationships. You can't continually live in regret of the past. We can only work towards a better and brighter future."
"Well said, my queen," Pluto said with a nod.
Serenity turned to leave the Time Gate. She suddenly stopped and looked at Pluto one last time. "Pluto, if I had cleansed Triten, what kind of future would had happen?"
Pluto said nothing as she took in her queen's words. "It would be a future you would not wished to see."
Serenity nodded her head. "As I thought." Was all she said as she returned to her own time.
And done. Shadow of the Dark Moon is completed.
I went back and forward about whether I should give a more completed conclusion like showing what exactly becomes of Nemesis, but it didn't really flow with the chapter. To have anything more after Serenity and Pluto had their confrontation felt like it would drag the story. Besides, I think the vagueness adds to the depths of this story.
Speaking of vagueness, I decided not to specially tell what Pluto meant with her final words. From the start, I knew what Pluto's words were meant to portray, but I realized that not everyone may have the same idea after Serenity and Pluto talked. Instead of forcing the conclusion that I came to, I thought it would be best to leave it up to the readers to decide.
And finally, the full reason why I wrote this story. As I said in the prologue the R season left a lot of unanswered questions that has plagued me since middle school like: How was Crystal Tokyo restore so quickly, how was Neo-Queen Serenity revived, how exactly did Neo-Queen Serenity and Sailor Moon merge during the final battle, did Neo-Queen Serenity have any awareness when she was asleep, what exactly was the Death Phantom, why did Nemesis become a bumping ground for prisoners, and why did Serenity allow children of prisoner to remain entrap on that planet since they committed no crime?
My biggest question of all, however, was; what exactly happened with the people of Nemesis? Demande gave this heartwarming speech about wanting to give his people a better life to the point that he sold his soul and begged Sailor Moon to take care of Nemesis and reunite his people with the people of Earth, and we get no conclusion. We never find out if the people of Nemesis joined with the Earth and it is never mentioned again in the anime. Even worst, very few fanfics cover this subject. I think in my fifteen years of being a fan I have read only two or three fanfics that talked about the aftermath of the R season. After so much time, I decided it was time for me to give my take of what happened between the Earth and the Dark Moon and how Neo-Queen Serenity could had taken care of them.
I also feel there are far too few stories about Neo-Queen Serenity. Most tend to paint her as either a naive person, or a dictator. It probably because painting Crystal Tokyo as a dystopia is really popular given the success and high regard of such stories like 'I'm Here to Help'. Nothing wrong with that, but I personally liked reading stories that stays true to the spirit of the anime. I also wanted to show that you can have a discussion about the nature of Crystal Tokyo and rather having a ruler like Neo-Queen Serenity is a good or bad thing without changing the nature of the characters. Which is partly why I had that final confrontation with Pluto since she is a popular person to paint as the chess-master or manipulative bitch.
With all that said, I think the story turned out well despite being relatively short. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all have a bless day.