Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or the image used. I do own my OC characters in this story.
Chapter Eighteen
Nehellenia finally allowed a small smile to creep upon her face as she stood in front of a dark purple coloured portal. Gwendolyn and Ariana along with Zirconia stood behind her, equipped with their weapons. From believing that she would win this war easily to now having to resort to actually attacking, Nehellenia was prepared to kill Queen Beryl and Queen Meteria, utilising the energy that Zirconia had harvested from previous attacks. They had Marcasite and she couldn't locate Helios, so she was unsure where the Golden Crystal was. That left her with no choice but to go after Beryl.
"Are you ready my Queen, we have the element of surprise" Zirconia asked, her voice quivering with anticipation.
"I want bloodshed Zirconia, leave nothing alive. If those Senshi and the Generals appear, grab Tuxedo Mask but kill the rest….I want no surviviors. Leave Beryl to me" Nehellennia said darkly.
"I will go after Althea and Violet with Zirconia, Ariana, go after the Senshi, cause mayhem" Gwendolyn ordered. Ariana nodded, feeling uneasy with it all.
Nehellenia led the way through the port Zirconia and herself had created. They landed right in front of a large grey door with grotesque creatures carved in. Behind them, the portal disappeared, and they were left in the freezing cold, a blizzard looking ready to settle in.
"She would choose a place like this wouldn't she….the woman has no class!" Nehellenia cackled at her own humour.
Zirconia stepped forward and then, separating her legs through her dark blue robed dress, with a slit on the side, she hurled an energy blast, followed by Gwendolyn and Ariana attacking the door, causing an explosion.
"That will get their attention" Ariana muttered as Zirconia stepped forward.
"Humph, let the fun begin then" Gwendolyn answered, a smirk gracing her features.
The Senshi braced themselves for the cold but instead, found themselves inside a dark building, with the Generals and Tuxedo Mask behind them. Pluto was able to manipulate the location Mercury had found and located a route inside the actual kingdom palace. The feeling of the place was hard for Mars to describe but Tuxedo Mask felt it was pressurizing, tense and dark. Simply put, pure evil. He closed his eyes, ignoring everyone around him as he tried to get a lock on Princess Serenity, but came up with nothing. Sighing in frustration, Kunzite placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Can't find her?" he asked. Tuxedo Mask shook his head, the guilt returning with a vengeance and this urgent need to find Serenity.
"He won't find her, Beryl would have thought of that I am sure" Neptune said, narrowing her eyes on him. Tuxedo Mask levelled his own cold look at her as he stretched forward. Jadeite rushed to catch up with his Prince, certain the Inner Senshi would want to rip him to shreds.
Venus squinted her eyes forward, it was clear to her they were walking down a long hallway. Saturn placed her glaive in front of her, her eyes sharpening ahead.
"Evil comes" she said, her voice taking on a deeper tone. Venus nodded, placing an arm ahead of her, feeling the power well from within her chest.
"Shoot ahead Venus, make those bastards come out" Uranus shouted in anger, desperate to get to her princess.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" Venus shouted, a bright light shooting out fast and furious, striking down several shadow Youma that had tried to get out of the way.
"Jupiter, shock them!" Venus commanded. Jupiter didn't need to be told twice as she sped ahead, her atenna standing to attention. She released a huge electric energy blast, throwing in all her anger at them. The Generals with Tuxedo Mask ran ahead with a clear pathway whilst the Senshi fought off the Youma. Pluto knew deep down Endymion's desire to save her Princess, he felt this was all his fault. Whether Serenity would forgive him was another matter in itself.
He ran as fast as he could, constantly trying to reconnect to the link he had shared with the Princess in the past, the very same link he shared with Sailor Moon but there was nothing, nothing for him to hold onto. Every time he thought he was close, the link would snap.
"She's got to be in her somewhere" Tuxedo Mask said, pumping his arms forward.
"We'll find her, I am sure Beryl has her locked away somewhere" Zoisite said before the five men stopped. Stood in front of them was a battle they hadn't been expecting to see at all.
Gwendolyn was busy fighting Althea and Violet with Zirconia. Stood watching the men with an eagle eye was Ariana, a playful grin on her face. They couldn't see Nehellenia or Beryl.
"Oh no, I don't want you guys to leave, I want to have some fun first!" Ariana all but squealed as she released an energy blast. Kunzite stood in front and created a shield to protect his comrades and Prince.
"Get out of the way woman!" Kunzite shouted. Ariana grinned before she summoned more shadow like Youma.
"Go play!" Ariana smirked as the shadow Youma descended upon the Generals. Ariana turned her back on them and went back to meditating. She was fairly certain she knew where her Queen was, fighting with Beryl but she had found something else, something that felt familiar. Once she gripped it, she moved, ignoring Gwendolyn and Zirconia.
Two nights before, she had a dream. She had been a moon maid, working quietly. Her sister had been gone for over three weeks and there were rumours of a hidden darkness within the palace. Whilst there was tension, nothing would stop the ball that was to take place. The crown princess was only a few months old but Ariana had been given the privilege to watch over the little one. Currently, she was within the Queen's rooms. It was airy, filled with light blues and silvers, a crystal made desk and a large king size bed filled with loads of pillows. Next to the bed was a cot, an elaborate one of course with diamonds here and there. Inside was the Moon Kingdom's bundle of joy. Her big blue eyes always looked so bright and full of life. Ariana smiled and felt a warmth spread all over her body. There was just something about the little Princess, she didn't know what it was but there was something powerful inside that baby.
"Ariana, thank you so much for working on your day off, I promise to reward you for this" Queen Serenity almost glided in wearing her long white fitted gown. The crescent moon shimmered just a little when she looked over to the cot.
"It's fine, I'm always happy to look after the Princess, she hardly ever cries unless something is wrong" Ariana said, picking up baby Serenity who giggled in Ariana's arms.
"Still, I will give you the whole of next week off, promise" Queen Serenity said smiling at her chosen handmaid. Suddenly, Queen Serenity's face grew serious.
"Ariana, where is your sister?" Queen Serenity asked. Ariana stiffened.
"I honestly don't know, I've tried to contact her but nothing" Ariana admitted. Queen Serenity nodded but the look of concern was still on her face. Ariana placed baby Serenity into her mothers' arms.
"I will take my leave your majesty, I'll be back first thing in the morning to take her out to the palace gardens, she'll get to meet her guardians soon" Ariana said cheerily. Queen Serenity nodded, allowing a small smile to creep on her face.
"You really are a good maid Ariana, I think I might just leave my daughter in your care rather than hiring a nurse maid, you've done a very good job these last few months. We'll speak more in the morning. Take care and if you hear from your sister, please do inform me" Ariana nodded and left, wondering why her Queen was interested in her sister. Ariana never knew that would be the last time she saw her Queen. She found her sister, or better yet, her sister had found her and drew her into the darkness.
Ariana remembered pain, sorrow and anger as her body was burning, filled with dark energy. She tried to reject it but in the end, she lost.
Now she knew exactly what happened. She had never always been a loyal follower of Nehellenia, she knew the truth. This was her time to set things right.
Ariana ran down a hallway, past the throne room where Queen Nehellenia stood toe to toe with Queen Beryl. She blasted away Youma that randomly appeared, trying to stop her. Her mind was set, she knew exactly what the outcome would be. But she had to do what was right, she had to right the wrongs she had committed. Even if it was her last action she would do the right thing. She wasn't always bad and knowing this, regaining her memories gave her the will power to carry on, to rebel against her sister and hopefully, to gain another chance.
Queen Beryl held her staff to her side, smirking at an angry Queen Nehellenia.
"My, aren't you resourceful, did you truly believe you could just walk in here and remain alive?" Beryl asked, upturning her top lip. Nehellenia cracked her fingers, her hands turning into fists. She had spent days absorbing dark energy within her body, for this one moment. But before she could strike, she had to gather information.
"Where is Sailor Moon? I know you took her" Queen Nehellenia asked
"Hmmm, not wondering where the guardian to Elysian is?" Beryl raised an eyebrow, inwardly laughing at the annoyance that flashed across Nehellenias' face.
"He is of no use unless Helios is with him, I can not locate the Priest and I doubt you can either" Nehellenia snapped. Beryl shrugged her shoulders.
"Doesn't really matter to me anymore, I have hindered you from reaching him and protected the Golden Kingdom. I also have the Moon Brat within my grasps, she will fall to the great Queen Meteria, but before that, I shall have the pleasure in killing you" Nehellenia was unsure how it happened, but within minutes, Beryl's Skin went a pearlescent white and her once red hair went wild and green. Her eyes took on more of a red colour, flashing every so often. Her dress was now a tightly fitted red slimmed gown, hugging all her curves and hiding nothing. Placing her hands forwards, her black nails shot out, stretching forward at such a rapid pace that Nehellenia almost had no time to move.
Almost screeching out, Nehellenia rubbed the side of her face where Beryl had scratched her right cheek. Nehellenia used her telepathic abilities to trace where Sailor Moon was being kept, trying to focus on a huge amount of dark energy which, after a few seconds was not hard to find. There was an immense amount of dark energy on the lower levels, reaching obscene amounts. Nehellenia's eyes widened as she glared at Beryl.
"You are going to destroy the Moon Princess's soul?" Nehellenia's question was answered by the laughing Beryl.
"Brilliant isn't it, rather than kill the brat and risk losing the Crystal, we're going to keep her body and rip the soul out!" Beryl shout out another energy blast, this time Nehellenia created a shield and blocked the attack.
"How useful do you think you'll be to Meteria when she has taken the body of the Moon Princess? How do you know the Crystal won't just follow where her soul goes?!" Nehellenia shouted, cursing their stupidity. She shot out her own energy blast with precision at a shocked Beryl, striking her lurched forward before hurling herself on Nehellenia, crushing her to the ground.
"Damn it! get the hell off me!" Nehellenia shouted. Beryl gripped Nehellenia's wrists and pinned her down before absorbing dark energy out of Nehellenia, suffocating her.
"You'll die painfully, and I will enjoy it!" Beryl snickered as Nehellenia paled.
Zirconia could feel her Queen needed her, but her eyes were squarely on Tuxedo Mask who had now transformed into Prince Endymion. Licking her lips, she hurled a massive spear created from dark energy into Violet, killing her instantly. Althea cried out as she battled with Gwendolyn. Zirconia could see a way to reach him but then she noticed Ariana was nowhere to be found.
"I'm going to help our Queen, dispatch this fool and come find me!" Zirconia shouted. Gwendolyn pushed Althea out of the way and then unleashed a huge blast shocking the Senshi and the Generals into submission. She had to buy Zirconia time. Althea screamed out in anger as she went to attack Zirconia who had in turn, disappeared.
"Damn it!" Althea screeched before blocking an attack from Jupiter. She then called out more Youma to her aid.
'I'm going to have to use the power Queen Meteria gave me' Althea thought as she closed her eyes. Immediately her hair went wild and green, much like Beryl's. Stretching out her own nails, she pinned Gwendolyn to the wall and proceeded to stab her all over, splashing her blood against the walls.
"Uranus, go and find Sailor Moon whilst there is an opening!" Venus ordered. Uranus nodded and was followed by Mars and Pluto. Endymion inwardly groaned as he was yet again blocked by another Youma. Kunzite slashed his way through giving his Prince an opening.
"Follow them!" Kunzite shouted. Endymion wasted no time as he rushed ahead, mercilessly cutting down any Youma that got in his way.
She was lying there, pale looking. Her hair had taken on more of a silvery colour and the crescent moon symbol on her forehead flashed, blinking in and out of existence. Hovering above the fallen Princess was the hugest monster Ariana had ever seen in her life. Its red eyes glared viciously at Ariana.
"Fool, what are you doing here?!" Queen Meteria spat out, exhausted from trying to break into the soul of Princess Serenity. The mental battle had proven more challenging but with every hour that had passed, she had worn Princess Serenity down, her final resistance coming to its breaking point. Ariana narrowed her eyes upon the stone that was between the eyes of Queen Meteria. It was simple enough not to miss but to hit it, what would happen she wondered?
"She is mine, maybe if you bow down to me now I will let you live, as my SLAVE!" Queen Meteria cackled as she shot out an energy blast, Ariana quickly dodged to the side, the blast smashing against the door behind her.
"Well, this is going to be fun….." Ariana moaned a little as she summoned her own powers, trying to resist the dark energy that was snagging at her brain.
Queen Nehellenia couldn't breathe. Every breath she now took was haggard. Her throat, tightening, her vision, blurring. She tried to pry Beryl off her, but it was no use, Beryl had grown stronger, more powerful. Was it through her own arrogance that she didn't see this coming? Did she truly think the other Queen would not prepare herself for their eventual battle? Was she so stupid as to believe this whole war would be easy enough to win? Was this how it was all going to end, losing everything she had fought so damn hard for?
"Get off me!" Nehellenia shouted, although her voice sounded more strangled. Beryl smirked.
"Getting tired, are we? Don't worry, I nearly have all of your dark energy, then I will put you out of your misery" Beryl snickered, her face filled with amusement before a look so grotesque and discontored took over. She went rigid and soon, spat out blood. She fell on top of Nehellenia with a thud, making Nehellenia instantly push the now dead Queen off. Her back had a black spear in it, sticking out with dark energy swirling around it. Looking down at Nehellenia was her best soldier, Zirconia. A great sigh of relief flowed out of Nehellenia as she felt her energy plus more returning.
"I know where the Moon Princess is, come on!" Queen Nehellenia shouted, ignoring the death of Gwendolyn who she had felt die.
Ariana was smashed against the wall. She had nearly managed to reach Princess Serenity but then Meteria had hurled a blast at her.
"WORLD SHAKING!" Uranus's attack hit Meteria, causing her to scream out. Ariana felt her vision blur as she saw Sailor Uranus, Mars and Pluto appear. Pluto looked at Ariana, regarding her closely.
"Should I fry her?" Mars asked, already getting herself ready to attack. Pluto was silent for a minute and for the first time in a long while, Ariana felt someone was able to read into her.
"No, she is no longer under the control of Nehellenia" Pluto said simply before launching an attack at Meteria whose whole body started to cover Princess Serenity.
"Don't get too close Endymion!" Pluto shouted, using her rod to stop him running ahead. Endymion scowled at Pluto, sweat starting to form on his forehead.
"She's killing Serenity!" Endymion shouted, a golden aura forming around him, making Pluto take a step back.
"Well, looks like you'll need me then" Nehellenia stepped forward, smirking with Zirconia by her side.
"Zirconia take care of them, Meteria is mine" Nehellenia ordered "You can take the Prince as your reward" she added with an evil smirk towards Endymion. Zirconia's hungry eyes raked over Endymion before she launched herself forward, her arms outreached towards him.
Hi Everyone,
The story is finally in the final battle :-)
Thank you all for your patience with how long this story has taken for me to update. The story still has a little way to go as it goes into another phase but that is a chapter or two away.
Prince Endymion has had his moments in this story but trust me, he learns his lesson the hard way plus, he does love her, he is just misguided in his judgement at the moment. His desire to save innocent people is what is driving him, even though he is hurting the one person he truly loves. The Generals are stuck on what to do but I just feel they would follow their Prince, whatever decision he makes.
Thanks for the support of this story, really love the comments I get :-)