Here comes the next chapter! The plot begins to progress faster, and I guess that in two or three acts, the Crystal Forest arc will be done.
Disclamer: I own nothing, just playing with two universes. OUAT goes to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, SM goes to Naoko Takeuchi/Toei.
The Guardian of Time. The Princess returns.
Storybrooke
Everyone stared at Little Em in shock of what she just said. After a long moment of silence, Emma finally spoke:
"The… 30th… century…?"
"So, you are from the future?" – Rosalie asked – "This explains a lot."
"No way, she can't be from the future!" – Regina protested, shaking her head.
Everyone looked at the mayor and Danielle asked in surprise:
"She can't…? But… why?"
"Remember the laws of magic, Danielle." – Regina said, after what Danielle nodded – "Time travelling is forbidden. So, I don't see how this kid could have went back in time."
Everyone then looked back at Little Em, who exclaimed:
"But it is true! Go back in time is possible. But to do so, you need this."
Little Em showed the key around her neck, which Emma and Mary Margaret saw days ago. After the mother and daughter exchanged a look, Emma asked:
"So… what do you plan to do next?"
"I guess we should go to the future, all together." – Danielle stated – "So, we can help you, Little Em."
Little Em kept silent for a moment, before finally saying:
"Yes, let's do it. Tomorrow morning, I'll lead you to the 30th century."
Then, they agreed to meet each other at the main street again the next morning. At Mary Margaret's loft, no one took long to go to bed, knowing they needed a good sleep before the unusual journey. Everyone's sleep was peaceful, but soon Mary Margaret's face turned a bit frowned. She began to dream.
Celestial Kingdom, eons ago
Queen Serenita was running through the corridors of the castle, searching for Lux and Athena. The cats were yet very young, so it wasn't easy to always keep an eye on them.
"Lux…! Athena…!" – the queen of Heavens was calling – "Where are you…?"
Then, she thought that there was one place the kittens didn't explore yet, a place forbidden to visit. Serenita's suspicions weren't wrong, because that was where she found the two pets sitting there, staring at a door with large eyes and open mouths.
"Lux, Athena, there you are…" – Queen Serenita said – "This place is forbidden you know… you can't go there."
"Your Majesty… we're sorry. We were playing chasing each other and we just found this room…" – Athena said, lowering her head as ashamed of doing something wrong.
"It wasn't on purpose, Your Majesty." – Lux added.
Queen Serenita knelt to the kittens and after giving a stroke on their heads, she took them in her arms.
"I'm not angry." – she said with a small smile, before sternly pursuing – "But I want to be sure this won't ever happen again."
The two kitties nodded, promising to never go there again. As they were heading the throne room, the white kitty asked shyly:
"Queen Serenita… what was this beautiful door…?"
"Can we at least know the reason why this place is forbidden?" – Lux asked on his turn.
The queen sighed. After all, it was better to honestly explain what was at stake behind this door.
"This door permits to travel across time. And on the other side of the door, there is a guardian, protecting it and making sure no one ever commits a time travel."
Lux and Athena looked at each other surprised. Then, they looked up at their queen with an interrogative look, which made her pursue.
"Magic can seem unlimited, but it's not. There are laws, which can't be infringed, in order to keep Heavens and lands safe from the worse. Time travelling is one of the forbidding. That's why this door is forbidden and kept secret from everyone. That's why, please Lux, Athena, forget about what you just saw."
Storybrooke
Mary Margaret's eyes opened in the dark. She looked at the alarm clock to see that it was only 2:00 am. She then looked at the ceiling, remembering the dream she just had. "What was it…? Did I just dream a… memory?" Mary Margaret knew that it was one, even if before this moment, she did not remember this incident. "What if the memory is a warning?" – she thought worried – "Are we doing right, by going to the future with Little Em?" She sat on the bed and even in the dark, she could see Little Em sleeping on the couch. Mary Margaret then laid back, and thought: "We must do it. We'll do it not only for Little Em, but also for Emma… for her friends. Maybe it's the only way to rescue Cecilia, Alexandra and Emily." Minutes after, Mary Margaret drifted back to sleep.
When the sun was up, everyone arrived at their meeting point as agreed, right under the clock tower. Emma, Danielle and Rosalie were already in their Sailor forms. Even though no one said it aloud, they were nervous about this. None of them knew what to expect from the time travel.
"So… are you all ready?" – Little Em asked, grabbing the key.
Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Danielle, Rosalie, Regina and the cats all nodded. Little Em then held the key above her head and she said:
"I'm calling for the power of the god of time! I beg you, oh great god of time Chronos, bring me and my companions to the future!"
Soon after those words, the group was standing in a column of light. Little Em then gave the hand which wasn't holding the key, and instructed everyone to grab it. It was a measure of security, to make sure that everyone would make it to the 30th century.
"Oh, now you're saying that we could be lost in space-time forever?!" – Regina exclaimed, not pleased by the idea at all.
"Take my hand and this won't happen!" – Little Em said, ignoring Regina's snarky tone.
"Since you made the decision to go with us, you must trust her!" – Danielle commented, after what Regina couldn't protest.
Then, as everyone was holding her hand, everything was twirling around them. The heroes couldn't tell if it was them who were spinning around an axis or if it was the town which was spinning around them. Soon, the vision of Storybrooke became very blur, before disappearing completely. And a moment after, the column of light disappeared, as long as Little Em, the three guardians, David and Mary Margaret, Regina and the cats. It was as if none of them stood there a minute ago.
Tempus domain
Sailor Light looked around with surprise. It was a huge empty space. Well, that wasn't exactly empty; there were lots of clocks hanging in the air. Each of those clocks was showing a different time, moving with different speed. Emma got reassured to see that her parents were standing behind her.
"So… what do you think is going on here…?" – Emma asked.
"Hmm… No clue. It doesn't look like the future." – David commented.
Lux, who was on David's shoulder nodded in agreement. Mary Margaret said:
"Not sure, but… But I wonder where the others are."
Emma got a bit alarmed, because her mother had a point. Little Em, Rosalie, Danielle, Regina and Athena were nowhere in sight.
"Emma…!" – a familiar voice exclaimed.
Emma and her parents turned around, to see Rosalie with Athena on her side, Danielle and Regina walk to them.
"Thanks gods, you're okay." – Emma sighed in relief.
"Yes, we are." – Danielle said – "But we're clueless at where we are."
"Do you guys understand what's going on?" – Regina asked – "Because it seems like we're lost in time!"
"We're outside space and time to be more correct." – Mary Margaret said.
Regina and the others looked at her a bit confused and surprised. Before Regina had the chance to ask Mary Margaret how she could know that, a voice was heard.
"Don't make any other move from there!"
Everyone looked in the direction they believed the voice came from. They could see a figure approach them. Soon, they could see that it was a woman and that she was wearing a Sailor uniform! She had blue eyes, blonde hair styled in a bun and she seemed to be between twenty and thirty years old. Her Sailor uniform was very dark blue, with long boots and ball-like earrings. The sleeves looked like wings and there was a small (stopped) watch attached at the ribbon around the woman's neck. The color of the ribbons at her front and back was faded blue. But there was an impressing detail about her: she had a key-like scepter.
"You… you are a Sailor Guardian…?" – Emma asked in surprise after a moment of silence.
"Anyone who dares to break the laws of magic, to journey through time shall be eliminated!" – the woman said coldly, rising her scepter.
Everyone backed away, avoiding to be hit, and Emma let out a short scream. Mary Margaret looked at the woman once more and she whispered:
"Sailor Tempus…"
The guardian made another step ahead and she said half-sternly, half-apologetic:
"I have no choice, this is the law. I am Sailor Tempus, the Guardian of Time. My duty is to prevent anyone go on the other side of the space-time door."
Everyone looked shortly behind Sailor Tempus, seeing that there indeed was a door they failed to notice because of the bad vision in this "place". Regina then said:
"Wanna play rough?! Fine! Let me show you my anger!"
With those words, while Sailor Tempus' scepter began to glow in order to attack, Regina created a fireball in her hand. Mary Margaret and David grabbed each other and the guardians gasped, fearing a very ugly scene. But before the two women had a chance to hurt each other, a kid's scream echoed:
"NO! Stop it!"
It was Little Em. She ran to Sailor Tempus and she looked in Regina's direction:
"Don't hurt her!"
As Regina (and the others too) had a look of surprise on her face, Little Em looked up at Sailor Tempus and hurried to explain:
"Please, don't harm my friends! I brought them with me!"
"What…?!" – Sailor Tempus said, slightly taken aback, and she looked more attentively at Emma, she understood who she was – "You… you are… Sailor Light…!"
After a short moment of surprise, Sailor Tempus recomposed herself and addressed Little Em in a stern tone:
"Do you understand you broke the rules? That you committed the forbidden?"
"Yes… I know, and I'm so sorry!" – Little Em said, looking down ashamed – "I just thought Sailor Light could help."
Little Em waited for Sailor Tempus to say something. She expected that the guardian would ground and punish her, but she didn't expect for her to kneel and hug her!
"Oh, Emma…! My princess, thanks gods you are okay…!"
Then, Sailor Tempus stood up and faced the group and with a slight bow, she said:
"If I had known, I would have welcomed you better… Please, accept my apology."
"So… does that mean we can go further…?" – Emma asked.
"I am very well aware of what's going on at the 30th century." – Sailor Tempus said – "You're maybe the last hope for the future. Yes, I let you pass the space-time door."
Everyone looked at each other relieved.
"Though, I'm not sure about her." – Tempus said, looking at Regina, indicating that she knew about the Evil Queen.
"Oh, I knew this was coming…" – Regina commented, rolling her eyes.
"Don't worry about her, Sailor Tempus." – Danielle reassured the guardian of time – "She really tries to redeem herself."
Sailor Tempus nodded and then, she opened the door. As the team approached it, the guardian warned:
"You might be shocked of what you'll see on the other side."
"You're not coming with us?" – Emma asked.
"No, I can't." – Tempus shook her head – "My duty is to stay here, no matter what."
Emma only nodded in understanding. Rosalie and the cats were the first to go to the other side of the door. Regina and Danielle followed, Mary Margaret and David were the next to go. Before Emma and Little Em went through the portal of time, the little girl waved her hand in a goodbye sign. Sailor Tempus smiled at her and she said:
"Good luck."
When she was alone again, the guardian closed the door.
Crystal Forest
"This is where I live… it's called Crystal Forest." – Little Em announced, her mood quickly getting dark.
And this was understandable. Everyone looked shocked around themselves. It looked like this place was… dead. The trees had been burned, the sky was dark and there was nobody around.
"So… this is our world in the future…" – Emma said quietly.
"The whole world seems be dead." – Rosalie added.
"And there are no people…" – Mary Margaret said, tightening her grip on David's hand.
"It wasn't always like this…" – Little Em half-whispered, grabbing Emma's hand – "It used to be a pretty and joyful place."
"It's difficult to imagine that…" – Danielle commented, her voice losing all emotions.
"Even I never brought that much destruction." – Regina said, not less shocked that the others.
Then, Emma's attention got caught by what seemed to be a castle. She looked at Little Em, and she asked:
"The castle… Who does it belong to?"
"That's my home." – the kid replied.
Everyone got surprised. So, did that mean Little Em was a princess? Then, they remembered that Sailor Tempus called her "princess", but back then they thought it was an endearment.
"Follow me." – Little Em then said, and began to walk.
The others immediately followed their small guide. Mary Margaret never let go of her husband's arm, horrified by what awaited their world. She whispered:
"I can't imagine how this could have happened…"
"Me neither. But that's why we're here, to bring back peace." – David replied – "Do you think it's the Enchanted Forest of the future?"
"Most likely, yes. Well, at least it reminds me of it. The castle… doesn't it look familiar to you?" – Mary Margaret asked.
David nodded. It was similar to the one they used to live in, before the Dark Curse. But could it be the same one? Soon, the group entered the castle and Little Em led them to a hall, where was lying a woman's figure. But they couldn't distinguish her clearly, because she was inside a huge crystal. Little Em approached it and Emma asked, surprised:
"Little Em… who is this…?"
"She is my mum." – Little Em replied with sadness – "Queen Selene."
Sailor Light got surprised to hear the name. But then, everyone's attention got caught by a man approaching them. What was particular about him was that he looked exactly like Captain Hook! It was really him, there were no doubts. He had the same hook instead of his left hand. The only difference was that he was dressed in a more… royal-like outfit. Nobody could understand what was going on. How could this be? Captain Hook was in Storybrooke of 21st century, in his Jolly Roger. So, how was this possible?
"What…?" – Emma asked, her eyes widening.
"It just can't be…" – Danielle mumbled.
"What is the pirate doing here?!" – Regina exclaimed.
"Glad to see you too, Regina." – the pirate in question replied – "But I can understand your confusion."
Then, to everyone's biggest surprise, Little Em ran to him and shouted:
"Dad!"
Little Em tried to hug him, but she went right through him. The pirate looked at her and said with a slight smile:
"You made a wise choice of bringing them here, Little Swan."
Hook then turned to the others and he welcomed them to the 30th Century of the Crystal Forest. Then, Sailor Light noticed that Hook casted no reflection on the crystalline walls. As she looked at him with wonder, he explained:
"My real body is lying elsewhere, unconscious. I am currently speaking to you in a spirit-like form."
"I am not sure to understand… Why would you be there?" – Sailor Rose asked.
"Here, in Crystal Forest, I am known as Pirate King Killian Jones." – the man answered.
This introduction made everyone realize that he was actually Captain Hook from the 30th Century. Regina mentally wondered how Hook managed to become a king. King Killian then addressed Little Em, and said gently:
"You should introduce yourself to them."
"I… I don't know…" - Little Em said nervously.
She hesitated. She really lacked in self-confidence when it came to this particular matter. A grey kitten, with a star on his forehead, approached Little Em and he said:
"Don't be afraid, Princess. Have courage."
Little Em nodded and, with a slight bow, introduced herself:
"I am Princess Emma Snow Jones, daughter of Queen Selene and Pirate King Killian Jones, and the first princess of the Celestial Kingdom."
Everyone looked and listened to her speechless. Then, King Killian announced:
"Emma Swan… This girl is your daughter."
"WHAT!?" – everyone shouted in unison.
"Little Em is my daughter…?! Mine and Hook's…?!" – Emma gasped, her cheeks turning redder at each word said.
"So, this means in the future, Emma and Captain Hook… will fall in love and… get married…" – Mary Margaret said, as her mind was processing.
"And have a child…" – David added – "Oh my… our daughter and a villain."
"But when the hell does that happen?!" – Regina exclaimed, this comment making Emma blush even more, if that was even possible.
"And Emma gets to keep Killian…!" – Danielle commented.
Emma gave a short look in her friend's direction, which made Danielle cover her mouth with her hand, blushing slightly to her own words. She couldn't believe she said this at loud. And she also felt a pain. She just got the proof that she would never belong with Hook. But her friend did. Danielle reminded herself that it was not the moment to think about those things. Rosalie spoke the next:
"That would mean… Queen Selene is… Emma's future self!"
Sailor Light slowly approached the huge crystal, in which her future self was lying. Due to the reflections and the shines of the crystal, Emma couldn't see the woman in all details. But she could tell that she was wearing a long dress, and that she had blonde hair. And the queen's facial features seemed to be more mature than her current ones. As Emma was staring at the sleeping figure, Athena asked:
"But why is the Eternal Crystal enveloping the queen like that?"
"Her situation is similar to mine…" – Danielle said quietly – "When I was a baby, I was enveloped in the red crystal and slept inside during long years."
Regina put a hand over her daughter's shoulder, as to comfort her from the painful past. The Pirate King explained:
"The queen had never even left the castle. Except one day, when she left suddenly in panic. That was when a tremendous explosion occurred. Everything in the vicinity, except the Crystal Castle, was turned to dust. During that explosion, the queen was suddenly encased in the Eternal Crystal, which protected her. But her five Sailor Guardians and I were hit head-on and fell unconscious. Emma and Apollo were the only ones capable of withstanding the destruction. I often told Emma stories of the queen's time as Sailor Light, which would have prompted to go to the past to seek help."
"Who's Apollo?" - Lux asked after the king's explanations.
"I am." – the grey kitty said – "My name's Apollo. I'm Lux and Athena's son."
Everyone got surprised and they looked down at the two adult cats. Lux and Athena had a look of disbelief on their faces and after they shortly looked at each other, they turned away from each other in embarrassment. But the kitty Apollo seemed to be slightly amused. Then, returning to more important things, David asked:
"How did you not age after all these years?"
The three guardians, Mary Margaret and Regina looked at him questioningly.
"People from the Celestial Kingdom are gods, so they are immortal. Selene was crowned queen at the age of twenty-eight during the 21st century, and gave birth to Emma at the beginning of the 30th Century. With the immeasurable power of the Eternal Crystal, she gained her godhood back and she has remained youthful ever since. The power spread around the Earth, and finally all of humanity had extended longevity."
"Isn't the Crystal Forest the Enchanted Forest?" - Mary Margaret asked.
"Selene, one year after being crowned, merged all the realms into one, becoming the Crystal Forest, where both technology and magic could co-exist. Earth was peaceful, until the attack occurred. A black megalith appeared along with the explosion. It lies opposite to the Crystal Castle. The black megalith started siphoning all the energy, creating a space distortion and causing citizens to disappear. The only thing that can save the planet is the Eternal Crystal, but only the queen can use it and she is unconscious."
"The Dark Star Clan did this. Please, Your Majesty, tell us about the Dark Star Clan." – Rosalie pleaded.
Killian took them to a highly advanced computerized room. He then showed them an image of the Dark Realm, introducing it to them.
"Dark Realm…?" – Rosalie asked confused.
"It's a dimension of illusionary darkness, which portals are impossible to calculate. Its existence was unknown for a long time. Centuries ago, a lone criminal from the Dark Kingdom was banished by the queen to the Dark Realm, and it became a forbidden realm. It was left alone and unchecked for centuries… until in the 30th century, when it started give off massive energy. It was then immediately hijacked by the Dark Star Clan." – Pirate King Killian explained – "The Dark Star is a militant cult that renounced the society on Earth and which is worshipping the Dark One."
The latter words sent chills down everyone's spine. So, there were people who were for the existence of the Dark One, the most powerful dark wizard? "How dark could a human soul be…?" – Regina wondered – "Could this happen or have happened to me?" David and Mary Margaret were tightly holding each other's hand, and the three Sailor Guardians just stared at the image on the screen, their expressions blank. Killian Jones pursued:
"They started creating conflicts and committing mass murder. They made the Dark Realm their headquarters and started a fledged attack against Earth."
"The black megalith in Crystal Tokyo is actually the Dark Crystal!" – Lux realized, then he explained to the king – "The crystal is used by the Dark Star as an energy source. Even small ones have considerable power."
"I see now… The Dark Star is using the Dark Crystal to attack Storybrooke in the past!" – Killian concluded – "We must stop them. If they commit damage in the past, it could bring catastrophic consequences to the future."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We will fight together for the sake of our future." – Rosalie said with determination, as the others nodded.
"But we would need our friends. Cecilia, Alex and Emily… they were abducted by our enemies." – Emma asked.
"They are most likely kept captive in the Dark Realm." – King Killian said.
"But how could we go there and save them?" – Mary Margaret asked.
"Well, I guess the better solution would be to examine the black megalith and find out!" – Regina said, to which Danielle nodded in agreement.
So, the team went out the castle after King Killian wished them good luck and to take good care of Little Em.
Dark Realm
"It seems like Duckling returned to the 30th century… and brought people with her." – Prince Ernest said, observing the group through a hologram – "That's a perfect opportunity to get everything I want."
Ara Bagh, a woman of Arabic beauty but her soul being dark as the night, approached her prince and she said, sometimes hissing like a snake:
"If you permit me, my Prince, I could take care of that. I have all the necessary power to bring you Duckling and the Eternal Crystal."
After a moment of reflection, Ernest nodded. He said with a small grin:
"I let you take care of this. And don't hesitate to eliminate all those people who are protecting her. Now, go!"
Once he gave his order, Ara teleported herself away.
Crystal Forest
The group was standing nearby the black megalith, but without approaching it too much. Little Em was tightly gripping Mary Margaret's hands, who was keeping the girl close to her, in a protective manner. Regina was walking around, trying to look at the black megalith from all angles.
"I'm impressed at how much dark magic will evolve in centuries…" – she admitted at loud – "The emission of darkness is greater than from anything or anyone I ever faced with. The study can take longer than I expected, the black megalith is way too complex."
"Time is something we don't have, Regina." – David commented.
"Do you have better suggestions then?" – Regina asked sarcastically.
"Guys, let's not argue, alright?" – Rosalie interfered – "We won't progress if we surrender to negative emotions."
Before anyone had the chance to say something to that, Ara appeared in front of the group and she commented:
"The pinky guardian has-s-s-s a point you know… Too bad your little adventure s-s-s-stops here."
David immediately stood himself in front of Mary Margaret and Little Em, while Regina made a fireball appear in her right hand. Sailor Light, Sailor Fire and Sailor Rose stood in a ready-to-fight position.
"You're funny, guys. Do you really think you had a chance against us, and the great dark magic we possess?" – Ara said with an evil grin.
Are began to emit dark aura around her and within seconds, she transformed into a giant snake. As she opened her mouth in a threatening manner, Regina threw her fireball to her face. Snake-Ara shook her head a moment and then she violently pushed Regina aside with her tail. Then, before the guardians could react, she grabbed Little Em.
"Help me! Don't let her kill me!" – the little girl screamed.
"Little Em!" – Sailor Light yelled.
"Let's-s-s-s s-s-see the power you inherited from the queen, Duckling…" – the snake hissed – "Go ahead, show me your white magic."
Little Em closed her eyes, not wanting to see the mouth of the snake swallow her. Tears began to fall from her eyes, she wished she had her mother's powers more than ever.
"Flaming Arrow!" – Danielle yelled, making a shot with an arrow-like flame.
"Evil Queen is NOT afraid of some freaky snake!" – Regina shouted, sending another fireball on snake-Ara.
As the snake was hissing in anger and pain, suffering from the burns, Rosalie took her magical belt and, as it began to glow, she shouted:
"Love Roses Chain!"
The belt hit the snake's tail, which dropped Little Em. David and Mary Margaret ran to catch the little girl before she would hit the ground. After seeing that Little Em was okay, Emma made the Nebula Wand appear in her right hand and she yelled:
"Heavens Princess Kiss!"
A huge beam of light went from the weapon and straight on the monster. The snake was shaking and hissing even more, and Emma concentrated to give everything she had within to transform it into the light emitted by the wand. Sailor Fire and Sailor Rose encouraged her, saying that the thing was almost done. After a while, the snake finally surrendered to the Light and she turned back to her human form. Breathing heavily and coughing, she said her last sentence:
"You'll s-s-see… we are more powerful than… anything…"
Seconds after, she died, her body turning into a smoke of darkness before dissolving itself in the air. Sailor Light fell on her knees, exhausted due to the amount of her personal energy given during the battle.
"You did it, Sailor Light!" – Little Em exclaimed joyfully.
Emma gave to Little Em, her future daughter, a weak but gentle smile. But then, Prince Ernest appeared in front of them.
"Who are you?!" – Danielle asked.
"I am Prince Ernest, the head of the Dark Star clan." – he introduced himself – "I must say I didn't expect you to fight back this long. I hope you like the 30th century in its current state, because I plan to turn it much darker."
"Why are you doing this…?!" – Emma shouted, standing on her feet – "Why causing so much trouble? Why spreading so much evil and darkness around?!"
Prince Ernest looked at Sailor Light, and straight in her eyes. He did not take long to recognize the green eyes he was seeing. "Those beautiful eyes… Those are the same eyes that belong to the gorgeous goddess, Selene." – Ernest thought – "In any form, at any age, she is perfect." Then, the reversed black star on his forehead began to glow in a dark purple color and it made a strange effect on Emma. She couldn't move her eyes away from Ernest. She felt herself being hypnotized, but she could do nothing about that. And before she knew it, the black star shot a flash, after which everything in Emma's mind went black. But before she passed out, she could swear that she heard her friends and family scream "Emma!" in a very panicked tone.
A/N: The most of the chapter was written by me. The part between Little Em tries to hug her dad and until the moment King Killian realizes that Dark Star uses the dark crystal in Storybrooke was written by my friend (a part I eventually edited). Concerning Sailor Tempus... well, all I can say that she is a canon OUAT character! But you'll have to be a bit patient before finding out her identity. ^^ Oh, and when Emma turned immortal ,as stated in the act, the Guardians, Snow and Charming (and the cats) did too.
Reviews please?