Out of the watchful eye of Diana and Luna, Small Lady sat alone on the ground in a secluded room in the castle's highest tower. There she traced the ground with her finger and pouted, ashamed by her earlier behaviour.
"It's not fair…" she muttered. "I wish I could act like a real lady, like my mom. I just want to make her proud. I just want to make a difference."
The ground in the centre of the room suddenly rippled and turned black. Small Lady stood up and regarded the space, first with interest, then with fear; Mrs. Sawyer rose from the space in the darkness. Her fiery red hair still had a mind of its own, and its strands all seemed to point in the direction of Chibi-Usa.
"Ginzuishou…" she said in a low voice. "I must have it….this time I will have it…"
"Who are you?!" said Small Lady, taking a step back.
"Give me the Crystal, child…" said Mrs. Sawyer. "I need the strength to transform this weak body…."
She reached for the hand that was still holding the Silver Crystal. This caused Small Lady to find her voice.
"No! I won't let you take it! Moon Crystal Po—"
Mrs. Sawyer (or at least the entity using her body), grabbed Small Lady by the shoulders; Small Lady retaliated by slapping her across the face. Undeterred, Mrs. Sawyer lunged again for the hand gripping the Crystal, this time wrapping both her own hands around Small Lady's fist.
"It shall be mine!" she declared. Suddenly, the Crystal shone through both Small Lady's and Mrs. Sawyer's fingers.
"What's happening?!" cried Small Lady.
The light became more and more intense, until the entire room was awash in light. When only white iridescence could be seen, the light finally dissipated. The Crystal dropped to the floor; both Small Lady and Mrs. Sawyer had vanished.
Bridgette and Phoebe were about 100 yards away from the palace when they spotted the mob move en masse to the castle.
"I'll clear a path through them," instructed Bridgette, still in the suit. "When you get inside, look for the guard Gerald. Tell him to take the Princess to a safe location and stay put until I find him!"
"Got it," said Phoebe. Bridgette used the full power of her suit to blast through the unsuspecting crowd, and Phoebe ran straight through them. She eventually reached the castle entrance; she only turned the first corner when a gun was pointed at her. She raised her hands in defense.
"Don't shoot!" said Phoebe.
"Who are you?" demanded Gerald. "How did you get in?"
"Are you Gerald? I was sent by Bridgette to find you. She told me you two were friends."
"Just friends? Hmm…" Gerald lowered his weapon and regarded Phoebe with new eyes. "Aren't you that famous doctor? I heard you were smart, but no one mentioned how beautiful you are…"
Phoebe was unimpressed. "Later, Romeo. Right now we need to locate the Princess."
Arnold and Helena were still in the garden. They both laid in the grass, looking up at the sky, their heads touching.
"…and that's what happened to my family," explained Helena.
"Do you miss them?" asked Arnold.
"Sometimes…I barely remember them. Bridgette has been my family. She's my sister, my mother, my father…"
"Sounds like you really love her."
"Yeah…" Helena said, a faraway quality in her voice.
Arnold sat up. "Do you hear that?"
"What?"
Arnold stood up and ran over to the tall tree in the garden. "Sounds like there's something going on outside." He climbed the tree with dexterous speed, reaching the top in no time. At that height he could see over the castle walls; from his vantage point he could see the unruly mob in front of the palace, fighting to get inside.
He quickly descended the tree, just as Helena approached the trunk. "What's wrong?"
"We have to leave," Arnold said, grabbing her hand and running out of the garden. "What's the safest place in the palace?"
"I know a spot – follow me."
Bridgette showed no signs of slowing down, even as she reached the front of the rebellious skirmish. She pulled her punches, however, when she spotted a familiar face cowering before her near the palace gates: it was the guard from earlier.
"Please, don't hurt me!" said the guard.
"I wouldn't dream of it," said Bridgette. "But where were you earlier?"
"Forgive me, Lady Bridgette. The princess from Crystal Tokyo, she overpowered me to get into the castle."
"No matter. Help Gerald find Princess Helena."
"Oh, thank you, thank y-"
"Don't thank me! Just do your job." Bridgette returned to quelling the angry mob. The guard cocked his gun, his face darkening with an unreadable expression.
"With pleasure…."
Diana and Luna were also running through the palace at this time, still unable to locate their princess.
"Small Lady? Small Lady?" called out Luna.
The guard nearly ran over Luna as he turned the corner.
"Get out of my way, you mangy fleabag!" he said, and kicked Luna with the full force of his foot.
Luna hit the wall hard, and was knocked unconscious. The guard continued onward; Diana came to the aid of her mother, who was unconscious.
"Mama! Wake up mama!" she cried, fighting back tears.
Eventually, Luna's eyes fluttered open.
"Mama! Are you hurt badly?"
"No….Diana…" Luna said hoarsely, her breathing laboured. "I need you to find….Chibi-Usa. I fear something terrible has happened to her. Follow that man."
Arnold and Helena found themselves in the chamber of the highest tower in the castle. As they scaled to the top of the winding stairwell, Helena's eyes locked onto the glittering item in the corner of the room.
"We should be safe here," said Arnold, looking out the open window to survey the chaos on the ground below.
Helena walked over to the source of the glittering and picked it up, examining it. "Hey Arnold…isn't this…"
She froze. The guard was at top of the steps, his gun pointed directly at her.
Arnold turned around. He didn't react; instead he calmly walked over to Helena and stood in front of her, shielding her with his own body.
"Arnold…what are you doing?"
"I won't let him hurt you, Helena…"
"But Arnold…"
BANG!
The barrel of the gun smoked from firing its round. Arnold's hand went reflexively for his chest before he collapsed to the ground.
"ARNOLD!"
"Death to the Last Haste monarchy!" the guard yelled, aiming the gun at Helena as his finger flexed the trigger….
Gerald tackled the guard and the bullet meant for her veered to the left and hit the wall; Helena fell to the floor. The two men grappled in the small space of the room as Gerald tried to wrest the gun from the guard's grip, and the guard tried to fire off another round to subdue Gerald.
They were so engrossed in their struggle that BOTH men tripped over Helena and stumbled out the open window of the tower.
Rhonda and Patty rolled up in their vehicle, just as Bridgette subdued the last of the mob. Rhonda jumped out of the Rolls Royce before the car had even stopped.
"That. Was. Incredible!" she exclaimed, rushing up to Bridgette.
"Uh…and you are?" said Bridgette.
"Rhonda Wellington Lloyd – designer and investor of your senshi warrior suit." She handed Bridgette her card.
At that moment, Phoebe appeared at the entrance after running full tilt.
"Gerald's in trouble!"
"What's wrong? Where's Gerald?"
"Look up there!" Patty pointed to the highest tower, and all four woman watched as the two men toppled out of its open window to the ground below.
"Oh my God!" cried Rhonda.
"GERALD!" Bridgette used the suit to leap the castle walls and get a head start to finding the fallen men.
"Arnold, please don't die…" pleaded Helena, her eyes filling with tears. She held him close to her body, disregarding the blood that was quickly seeping from his chest and staining her royal dress.
Arnold slowly raised his hand and held it to her cheek. "Don't cry, princess…" he managed to say. "I'm so glad…I got to spend time with you….all I wanted was to be your friend…."
"You're are my friend, stupid football-head," she cried. "But not if you die…I forbid you to die…!"
"I just wish….that we had more time together…I wish you and I could spend one more day in the garden…."
Arnold eyes closed and he went still. Helena went hysterical, bawling her eyes out as rocked back and forth as she held the dead boy in her arms.
Then she remembered. The Crystal lay at her feet. It had gotten her to speak again…could it really bring the dead back to life?
She picked it up and inspected it, turning it over in her hands. Could this little rock really perform miracles?
Only one way to find out.
Diana scaled the winding staircase of the tallest tower. She was close, she could feel it. As she got to the top she was horrified by what she saw: Arnold, dead on the ground. And Princess Helena, standing over the boy, holding the Crystal above her head with both hands.
"I WISH TO GO BACK IN TIME, BEFORE ANY OF THIS AWFULNESS HAPPENED."
"NO!" said Diana, running towards the Princess.
But it was too late.
The damage had already been done.
A vague wish. Coupled with the Pink Moon Crystal. And the Time Key.
All spelled catastrophe.
The birth of the grave incident.
Bridgette found Gerald at the base of the tower, critically wounded but still alive. He had fallen on top of the traitorous guard, who had died upon impact with the ground.
She knelt beside him, on the verge of tears. "Gerald…"
Gerald strained to turn his head. "Hey girl…lookin' good…"
Bridgette laughed in spite of herself. "You idiot…"
"Is that anyway to talk to the man who saved the Princess? I deserve a medal."
"Stop talking. You need medical attention."
Gerald chuckled, then groaned.
Rhonda, Patty and Phoebe arrived at that moment.
"Is it bad?" asked Rhonda.
Phoebe knelt beside him to check his vitals. She shook her head. "It looks grim."
Bridgette broke down. "I'm so sorry…"
"Sorry for what?" asked Gerald.
"I've kept you at arms' length for so long…I used my position as an excuse to not get close to you…"
"Shh-shh-shh…enough of that," he said. "You did what you had to do. You've done an awesome job. And you'll do an even better one when I'm gone…"
"Don't talk like that…I love you Gerald…"
"Back atcha, Bridge…" they kissed.
A white light exploded out of the tower. The last thing Rhonda, Phoebe and Patty would see is that light.
The last thing Gerald and Bridgette would see is each other.
The last thing Mr. Sawyer would see as he held his twins Liam and Lila was the wall of white as it descended upon his home.
Sailor Pluto gripped her chest and steadied herself with her glaive.
She felt it. An immense disturbance in the balance of space-time.
She closed her eyes and focused her energy to pinpoint its source.
30th century…no…29…28….25…21st?
What had happened?
She raised her glaive; a rip in the space-time continuum had opened up, and out fell an unconscious Diana and Luna.
Where was Chibi-Usa?
Sailor Pluto looked to the space-time door. It heaved and creaked with the chaos held within.
She frowned. There was a major loss of something. Somewhere in time.
Sailor Moon.
Sailor Mercury.
Sailor Mars, Jupiter and Venus.
They could not be relied upon to fix a problem of this magnitude.
A new team would be needed. In lieu of the old.
As Diana and Luna came to, Sailor Pluto braced herself as she prepared to task them with their most impossible mission yet.
THE END?
Read Sailor Helga for the rest of the story :)
