"Cherry pie! My FAVORITE!" Catherine exclaimed loudly when the pie was served.
"I remembered it was, so I thought it�d be a good dessert," Setsuna smiled.
"Why don�t you have a Knight, Setsuna?" Wu Fei asked.
The comment caught her off guard and she nearly choked on a bite of pie. "Why don�t I have a Knight?" she asked, swallowing her food.
"Yeah. There�s a Knight for every other planet. Why not one for Pluto?" Wu Fei repeated.
"Well, I don�t actually know for sure."
The response of Setsuna NOT knowing something took the assembly so off guard, many of them nearly fell out of their chairs. "Did you just say you DON�T know for sure?!" Relena gasped. "Does someone have this on tape?!"
"I know it�s surprising now, but I don�t know all that much about the past Sailor Plutos. Whenever one of us does something to Time, it gets lost in the Gate and no one, not even the future Plutos, will ever know what really happened. The Knight of Pluto is one of those things. There are two theories as to why there is no Knight though. The first, and most likely, is due to Pluto�s political stance during the wars in the solar system. Since Pluto always has been sparsely populated, there weren�t enough people to form any kind of army. Since our royal family is descended from Chronos, we had the responsibility to guard the Door of Time and didn�t have the time to wage war to win more land. Pluto was also a barren waste land, so no one wanted to invade us, even for the Door, since only Sailor Pluto could get people to and from it." Setsuna continued to eat, not looking at anyone in the room, focused solely on her food. "When the first Sailor Pluto handed down the prophecy that the Moon would eventually rule the entire solar system, Pluto aligned itself with the Moon from the start to gain military protection, just incase anyone was dumb enough to try and take our frozen planet. So, without a standing military, our Senshi far away from the rest of the universe in the Fourth Dimension, and protection from the eventual victor, no Knight was ever born."
"Well, what was the second possibility?" Duo asked, not realizing there was a reason Setsuna had not said it.
Setsuna raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at Duo. "Well, if you must. Like everything else, there is a legend behind why the Knight of Pluto never showed up. When the Senshi was first born and the wars got out as far as Pluto, many people feared that Pluto would be cut off from the rest of the solar system. Because we had to import everything, food and water included, the public feared that we would die from lack of resources. Now this next part is what gets fuzzy. When I was born, there was only one other noble family on Pluto. In some of the first records, it shows that there were TWO noble families on Pluto. Legend says that the other family, the Onos, made a bargain with Sailor Pluto and fled to another dimension where they would not have to give up their nobility, but would not have to worry about the war effecting their newborn child. According to legend, that child was the Knight, but since they fled to another dimension, his soul could never get back to Pluto in this dimension. If the legend is true and Sailor Pluto really did do that, I will never know because of what I said before about the Senshi�s powers."
"Wow, cool story!" Duo said, chowing down on his food.
"Setsuna, you said that when things change, then when we won�t have existed here anymore� What�ll happen if we�re, well� involved?" Noin asked skittishly.
"You mean you and Zechs?" Setsuna asked bluntly. "Well, you�ll receive your memory as Mizuno Ami, so it�ll be up to you to decide. As for the other Senshi/Knight couples here, just remember, things might change in your mind after you�ve reverted," Setsuna said, shooting Lady Une an unusual look. However, no one noticed the worried exchange between Hirde and Yuuichirou.
* * *
After the last of the dishes were cleared away and the assembly broke apart into their usual social groups, Hirde and Yuuichirou slipped out of the dining hall, starting their walk to their suite. Neither said anything for a long while, each knowing the question that was on the other�s mind. How are we going to stay together? They stopped and looked at each other, Hirde�s eyes tearing over.
"It�ll be up to you, like I said," Setsuna said from behind them.
Hirde jumped and Yuuichirou leapt in front of her, an automatic response to surprise. "God woman! Do you have nothing better to do than to follow people around?" Yuuichirou said, relaxing.
"I overheard your mental dilemma, so I thought I�d lend a helping hand. Just remember, no one will know the past except us. You can make new traditions if you want. And I�ll give you a hint, it�s not like some of the noble houses weren�t related to the royal family at some point in time. Just keep that in mind." Setsuna turned and left.
"What a weird woman," Yuuichirou said, watching Setsuna walk away.
Hirde just looked at Setsuna, knowing what she had meant. "No, she�s just smart," Hirde said with respect. Then she turned to Yuuichirou. "Something you�ll never be, you blockhead!" she teased. Yuuichirou mock glared at her and they ran off down the hall.
* * *
"Alright Drakala, you STILL haven�t done what I�ve told you to do!" Validaria screamed. "You were told to find the Prince of Earth and take his Star Seed! Why haven�t you?!"
"Since Falon�s death, Malore�s needed help with his missions my Queen, I�" she rattled off quickly, trying to save her hide. Validaria was made and she knew it.
"DON�T MAKE EXCUSES!!!!" Validaria bellowed.
But didn�t she just� Drakala thought.
"NEVERMIND THAT!!!" Validaria blasted Drakala with a powerful psychic shock, crumpling her mind. "This is your last warning! If you don�t get into that tomb NOW, don�t bother coming back!"
"Yes my Queen," Drakala said quickly. She uttered a few words of power and vanished, making a b-line to the tomb.
Validaria turned to Malore. "And as for you. You�ve failed for the last time. The same warning goes for you. If you don�t stop the Sailor Senshi and take their Star Seeds, then don�t come back. Leave now. Remember, I have enough power to summon Chaos myself," Validaria said, glaring into the Cauldron. The steam from the Cauldron began to take shape, turning into a massive Darkling. Obviously stronger than the others, it�s eyes glowed, it breathed heavily and moved as elusively as the steam from which it was created. "Take this Darkling and take out the Senshi." Malore nodded and was about to vanish when Validaria stopped him. "Oh and, one more thing. You can link with this Darkling and increase your power 100 fold. But if he dies, so shall you. Just remember that�"
Malore nodded again and teleported away.
Now maybe I�ll get some results�
* * *
Sally and Noin were having a discussion about what Noin would do with Zechs when suddenly, something flitted through her mind. With out thought, she pulled the Aqua Mirror off her nightstand and gazed into it.
"Sally, you okay?" Noin asked.
The mirror flashed for a second, then clouded over, turning the shining surface black. "The enemy is on the move� We have to start now�" Sally murmured.
"How can you tell what that thing is saying?" Noin asked in amazement.
Sally chuckled as she set the mirror down. "It�s like reading men. You do it long enough and it just starts to come to you!" The two women laughed together nervously as they left to notify Relena of the situation. On their way to Relena�s chambers, Sally and Noin bumped into Hirde.
"You felt it too?" Hirde asked.
"Yeah, I did. It�s serious isn�t it�" Sally said.
Hirde nodded. "We don�t have time to waste, we have to get moving. No doubt Setsuna already knows."
Sally threw open the door to Relena�s chambers. Relena casually looked up from the book she was reading. "Relena, we must get ready! The enemy is on the move!" Sally said quickly.
"Alright, get everyone. We�ll do the transformation as soon as possible." Relena closed her book and looked solemnly up at the three women who stood before her. She stood and the four left the room, running into Setsuna.
"I know, we�ll start right away." Setsuna just turned and walked away. By now, none of the others were surprised by her sudden appearance, so they simply followed her.
* * *
"So the big time is finally here, eh?" Duo asked.
"Yes. I will lead the way to the Door, once there, we must combine our powers to knock Time off its current path and back into the true future. Then Princess Serenity can use the Silver Moon Crystal with the Holy Grail to change our forms back to their original state," Setsuna explained. "Here we go�" Setsuna felt the anticipation welling up inside her. Finally, we can move to the last phase of our destiny� It�s time at last. Setsuna held her hand out in front of her, summoning her Garnet Rod. When the staff appeared, she extended it in front of her, mist swirling around the huge garnet in the end of the staff. The Door of Time came phased into existence, standing infinitely tall before the warriors. They marched proudly through the huge double door, arriving for the second time in the swirling void of the Fourth Dimension. The Door remained open, all of Time swirling around the gathered warriors, Merimeia included.
"It�s been fun," Relena said. She began the final transformation as Relena Peacecraft and prepared herself to become Tsukino Usagi. "Moon Eternal Power�"
"Mercury Crystal Power�" Noin said.
Hirde closed her eyes. "Mars Crystal Power�"
"Jupiter Crystal Power�" Catherine said proudly.
"Venus Crystal Power�" Dorothy proclaimed, raising her hand into the air.
"Uranus Crystal Power�" Lady Une cried.
Sally held her hand out before her, brandishing her crystal. "Neptune Crystal Power�"
"Pluto Crystal Power�" Setsuna said, raising the Garnet Rod into the air.
Hotaru folded her arms over her chest and turned her face upwards. "Saturn Crystal Power�"
In one thunderous roar that shook the Fourth Dimension, the nine women shouted, "MAKE-UP!!!!" All the Senshi transformed at once, their Knights unconsciously following suit and morphing as well.
Sailor Moon�s eyes glazed over as a second personality took over her mind. "All of our power right here�" Sailor Moon closed her eyes, the energy of the Holy Grail pooling above her. As soon as the Grail formed, all the other Senshi transformed again, this time their Sailor fuku�s flowing into the beautiful gowns of the Solar Princesses. Moon held the Grail in front of her, suspending the vessel of all their power in mid-air. Then Sailor Moon revealed the Silver Moon Crystal, holding it high above her head, the light glittered with the force of a thousand suns, yet the intensity of a single star. "My Star Seed."
Pluto raised her staff into the air, the mist of the Fourth Dimension whipping up and swirling at an incredible speed. "DARK DOME CLOSE!" Pluto shouted. Everything froze instantly as Pluto held time in place. The Senshi formed a ring around Moon, the Knights making a second ring outside the Senshi, all their energy pooling into the Holy Grail. Serenity merged the Silver Crystal with the Grail, the power flooding out in white waves, jarring everything. The Door slowly creaked shut, but the trance didn�t end. Suddenly, the Door exploded inward, Time folding over and the mists swirling in the opposite direction of what they started. Intense burning filled each Senshi, the Knights� minds scrambling and new memories being placed into their heads. The warriors tried to keep their composure, but they began to shake in the wake of the time warp. Then the burning ceased and each Senshi, except Saturn and Pluto, began to glow. Their skin illuminated and changed, stretching and shrinking, hair growing to new lengths and assuming new shades. As the glow faded, the original Senshi of the 20th century, somewhat shaken, stood before the Door of Time.
We�ve done it� We survived! Serenity thought with pride. Endymion, I hope you have waited for me. I am back.
Pluto kneeled before Serenity. "Welcome back, my Queen."
Serenity gazed around the huge void, dazed by the sudden change and flood of new memories. "Then� It�s done�"
"HARUKA!!!!!" a soft, lilty voice shouted with elation.
"MICHIRU!!!!" came the bellowed reply. Uranus and Neptune ran to each other, throwing their arms around each other, crushing the other in their embrace. "Michiru! Ow! You�re squeezing me too tight!" Uranus gasped.
"And how would you like me to squeeze you?" Neptune asked coyly.
"Touch me gently!" Uranus said in reply, not realizing what she had said until after it had slipped out.
"Only when we�re alone," Neptune replied.
"Hey Wu Fei, what�s wrong with your nose?" Duo asked, looking oddly at Wu Fei who had thrown his hand over his nose.
"Nut-hing�" he mumbled from behind his hands, trying to keep his blood from gushing out.
"I�m so glad to see you�" Neptune sighed. Uranus pulled her close, forgetting the world around them.
Oh God� Of course, they�re the sappy ones, how could I forget? Setsuna scolded to herself. She grunted loudly, distracting the two long enough to get their attention. "Are you finished?" Uranus blushed fiercely, making sure to avoid all the staring eyes.
"Thank you Pluto, you have done more than I could have possible imagined. Rise, you never need to kneel before me. Now, lead us to Endymion," Serenity said gently, smiling regally at Pluto.
"Mama�" a voice squeaked. Where Merimeia had once sat was now very little child with fluffy pink hair. Very timidly, she stood on up out of her chair, her legs healed by the Silver Crystal�s power. "Mama!" She chirped again, running to Serenity.
"Chibi-Usa! My little girl!" Serenity bent down and picked up the small child, cradling her in her arm.
"Where�s papa?"
Serenity smiled at her little daughter. "Sleeping. We�re going to go get him. Stay here with Luna and Artemis." Serenity set her daughter down, beckoning her two guardian cats to her. "Watch Chibi-Usa. We�ll be back for her after we rescue Endymion."
"Yes Princess," Luna said.
"Now, let�s go get my husband�" Serenity said, turning to the gaping Door, the Princesses transforming back into the Senshi. Each warrior took a deep breath, ready for whatever lay ahead and walked through the Door of Time. Instantly, they were transported to a frozen field, nothing in sight in any direction except a vast plane of snow. The warriors looked around, trying to find any sign of the door to Endymion�s tomb.
"Where to?" Heero asked, still surveying the frozen land.
"This whole place has changed� I don�t know where the door is�" Moon said.
"Hold on, let me try," Mars said. "Neptune, help me. Maybe together we can find the tomb." Neptune looked at Mars skeptically. "Oh come on. We�re a team now, remember?" Mars said hotly. Neptune flipped her hair over the shoulder and reluctantly went to help Mars. She summoned the Aqua Mirror and held it out at arm�s length, willing the snow to vanish in the mirror�s surface. Mars closed her eyes and began to read the lines of power crossing under the ground. She pulled out one of her prayer scrolls and tossed it into the air, connecting it to the wave that would take them to Endymion. Almost instantly, the paper flipped away and Neptune�s mirror began to glow brightly.
"That way!" they both announced, pointing in opposite directions. Everyone groaned.
"Now what? That failed," Venus said.
"I know! I can find it!" Mercury remembered, pulling up her visor and investigating the terrain. She began to push buttons on her computer, trying to locate the tomb.
"Anything?" Jupiter asked.
A few more clicks and the computer began to beep. "Well, it appears that Mars was right! The entrance is in about 500 meters that way�" she said, pointing head long into the wind.
"Ha! I TOLD you!" Mars gloated. Neptune scowled at her and trudged back to Uranus�s side.
"That�s not all," Mercury said quickly. "Apparently, it�s about 100 meters down!"
"WHAT?!" the whole group shouted in unison.
"I guess the snow piled up in the last 20 years�" Mercury said weakly. Everyone else grumbled as they began the walk toward the door. The actual walked seemed lengthened due to the extreme cold. It bit deep into the warriors and by the time they had reached the spot Mercury indicated as the door, they were frozen stiff. "This is it. Now what?"
Mars stepped indignantly to the front of the group. "Here right?" she asked, pointing at the ground.
"Yep, right under your feet," Mercury nodded.
"FIRE�" Mars began
"NO!!!! WAIT!!!" Mercury screamed, trying to stop Mars.
"�SOUL!" Mars launched a fireball straight down, melting the ice and revealing a huge chasm� right under her feet. "ACK!!! HELP!!!!" she screamed as she fell.
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!!!" Venus sent a long chain sailing down to Mars who managed to grab on and stop her fall. Mars dangled from the chain, holding on for dear life.
"Pull me up! Help!" she shouted up. Fortunately she was only ten or fifteen feet down, but she was scared out of her wits.
"I tried to warn you�" Mercury said to herself as Jupiter helped Venus pull Mars up out of the chasm.
"Maybe we can use the chain to climb down?" Quatre suggested.
"Good idea. Maybe if I freeze it down�" Heero agreed. He pulled out his sword and froze the end of Venus�s chain to the snow, anchoring it for their climb. "Let�s go."
One by one, the warriors climbed down the chain. As they got farther down the chasm, the light vanished. After a while, no one could tell where anyone else was.
"Ouch! That�s my hand!" Zechs whispered up to the mysterious figure that had kicked him.
"Sorry�" Saturn whispered back.
"That�s my head!" Uranus hissed.
"I know�" Neptune replied.
"No making out in the dark! Baka onna�" Wu Fei scolded, trying to keep his nose plugged up. Bad time for a nose bleed!
"Can anyone get some light in here? I�m SCARED!!" Moon shrieked.
"What happened to the Princess we just saw?" Mars chided. "Scaredy cat, afraid of the dark!"
"You�re so MEAN Mars!" Moon whined in reply.
"Quiet! You�ll cause a cave in if you don�t stop your screaming!" Mercury whispered.
"Sorry!" Moon whispered, overly quiet.
Mercury pulled up her visor and examined the chasm. "Only a few more meters to go�" she told everyone.
"Hey, I think I�ve hit the ground!" Jupiter called up. "Yep, I�m here," she confirmed, moving around. That is, until she ran into some kind of wall. One by one, the other warriors finished the climb and stretched their arms.
"Quite a workout�" Trowa muttered.
"Only for the out of shape," Heero said coolly.
"That was a workout for RAMBO!" Duo hissed as he dropped to the ground. "My poor arms� They�re dead�" he moaned.
"Get up, weakling," Wu Fei said, dropping down next to Duo.
"Wu Fei, let him be. I think I know what he means�" Quatre said softly, groping around to help Duo up.
As soon as Sailor Moon reached the bottom of the chasm, the Silver Crystal started to glow faintly. Soon it was revealed that they had landed in the far corner of a large cavern, spreading out before them. Parts of the cavern jutted away into darkness again, indicating that there might be more caves beyond this. Then Sailor Moon saw the huge door that blocked the entrance to the tomb. Or at least, should have. The door was blasted wide open, the metal melted and one side hanging off its hinges. Both halves of the door were blown inward, obviously by great force, charring marks all around, revealing a dark stairway leading into the frozen land. Trailing away from the door were drops of blood�
"What happened here?" Sailor Moon shouted as she rushed to the door.
"Some kind of huge explosion�" Zechs said, moving to guard her from any potential danger.
"This is bad�" Pluto said cautiously.
As the Senshi began to gather around the door, a weak voice called out from behind them. "Princess� I�m sorry� I couldn�t protect him� Drakala was too strong�" All the warriors turned to defend against this intruder.
"Who�s there?" Uranus demanded. "This is a sacred place, none may pass but us!"
"Princess, forgive me�"
That voice! Oh God! Could it be� Moon ran the voice through her head, trying to pin it down. She thought she recognized it, but she didn�t know for sure.
"Wait� Show yourself!" Venus demanded.
"Venus, always the leader�" the voice said with respect. Venus followed the trail of blood to off into the darkness where the voice was coming from.
Suddenly, Moon recognized the voice. No! It can�t be! It�s� "Beryl�"
A badly injured Beryl dragged herself out of the shadows and stumbled before the warriors. She was dressed in a small black top with black, yellow, and orange skirts. Her hair flowed raggedly around her face, a large tiara with a big piece of beryl on her forehead. The Senshi formed a semi-circle around the fallen warrior, ready to move at the slightest threat. "I�m sorry, I couldn�t protect Endymion for you�"
"What are YOU doing here you witch?!" Mars screamed, readying to attack.
"I am here to protect Endymion," Beryl replied calmly.
"You� You ruined everything!" Uranus screamed.
Beryl hung her head. "After what I did, I know you don�t need to listen to me. I deserve to die by your hand again."
"Correct." Saturn raised her glaive above her head, ready to bring it down and destroy Beryl. "I killed you in the Silver Millenium, I can do it again."
Sailor Moon pressed her way to the front, standing before Beryl. "What are you doing here? You have done everything in your power to take Mamoru from me in the past. Why are you protecting him now?"
"Because it is my duty. I must protect the King. I am the Valkyrie of Earth." Beryl replied.
"You� How? Pluto said that all the Knights were dead when we were born�" Mercury stammered.
"I was the last Knight to be born. No one except the royal family of Earth knew my identity," Beryl told her.
"What�s going on?" Zechs whispered to Quatre.
"I don�t know� Ask Yuuichirou," Quatre whispered back.
"Thanks. Hey Yuuichirou, what�s going on?" Zechs whispered.
"Queen Beryl was the first enemy these Senshi fought! She tried to destroy the world! Twice!" Yuuichirou replied.
"You destroy the Silver Millenium for your own selfish gains, then try to restore your kingdom a thousand years later for the same purpose, now we meet you again and you claim to be HELPING us? How can we believe you? You are a destroyer of nations, not a savior of them!" Neptune shouted fiercely.
Beryl ignored the raging Senshi and turned to Moon. "Princess Serenity� You have grown even more beautiful� I was a fool to hope I could win Endymion away from you. You�ve grown stronger too. Just like I first foresaw all those centuries ago."
Sailor Moon stopped and looked at Beryl cautiously for a moment. "You knew about this?"
Beryl smiled weakly. "To some extent. I knew you would become strong like this. I never foresaw Crystal Tokyo or the birth of your lovely daughter though. That must have been revealed after I found� her�" Beryl turned her face to Sailor Moon. "Serenity, I know that nothing I can ever do will repair the damage that I have done. But please, you have forgiven some many others. I have paid for my sins and I will try forever to atone for them. Please, let me stand beside you."
"Sailor Moon, you can�t even consider it!" Venus hissed in her ear.
Sailor Moon ignored Venus and just stared at Beryl with sad eyes. "Why? Why did you do it?"
Beryl closed her eyes and turned her face to the ground in shame. "Jealousy. I had been in love with Endymion for years, but because I was the Valkyrie, I knew that we could never be together. Yet still I prayed. Then he found you. I could only watch from the shadows as your love grew and I was pushed out of his life. Right about that time, I was pronounced a Sage and became the royal astronomer. That�s when I began to foresee your future together and I became very saddened. Then the great meteor shower came and Metallia fell to Earth from her prison in the sun and I stumbled across her and the remains of the Dark Kingdom. She used my jealousy to rally Earth against the Moon and bringing the destruction of the Silver Millenium. Of course, Metallia�s campaign didn�t end there and she brought me back for a second round during the 20th century. But by that time, I was so lost I had no chance to break free from her." Beryl knelt down before Sailor Moon, bringing one arm cross her chest to give respect. "Now I have been reborn to serve the purpose I should have the first time."
"What proof do I have that this is not a trick?" Moon asked.
"You don�t. I can�t ask you forgive me with anything other than this promise; I swear that I will protect your family with my life. You are my master now. Command me as you wish," Beryl said lowly.
Sailor Moon thought about it for a moment, then reached out for Beryl. Beryl flinched, thinking her days were over, but Sailor Moon gracefully put her hand on Beryl�s shoulder. "I forgive you�"
"WHAT?!?!" the rest of the group shrieked.
"SAILOR MOON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Uranus screamed.
"Beryl is a human, so I can�t execute her. More importantly, she�s one of us. I must forgive her. I can tell she doesn�t want to hurt us anymore." Sailor Moon smiled and reached out for Beryl�s hand, kneeling down to be face-to-face with her.
Beryl smiled and began to cry. "Thank you," she whispered, putting her bloody hand in Sailor Moon�s. Sailor Moon pulled Beryl up, a few drops of blood falling on her compact.
Suddenly, the compact began to glow brightly, hot white light tearing out and filling the cavern. The Holy Grail appeared before Sailor Moon, changing shape and turning into a small circle with wings. In the middle of the circle was a brilliant eight-point yellow star. Sailor Moon�s skirt turned into liquid light, flowing around her in a new pattern and creating a short patch of rainbow colors on the front of the skirt, an emblem like her compact holding the outfit together. The rest of her fuku became pure white, with the exception of the shoulders, which became yellow, her wings shrunk and a long silky white cape grew out of her back. Her boots disappeared and were replaced with white winged high-heels. Sailor Moon�s odango became heart-shaped, the two gems turning white. Her choker thinned, a yellow star appearing in place of the moon and the crescent moon symbol on her forehead morphed into a star, identical to the one on her broach. The Moon Power Tiel transformed into a long staff, the top changing into a white orb with wings, topped by a bright glowing yellow star. The light from Sailor Moon poured through the room, healing all of Beryl�s wounds and easing the pain and exhaustion in the other fighters.
"Sailor Cosmos�" Pluto whispered. "You have become your strongest Sailor form�"
Sailor Cosmos looked down at herself in shock, not sure what to make of her newest transformation. The other Senshi gasped in awe as the light died down. Sailor Cosmos turned to Beryl and became very serious. "You say Drakala was here? She�s the one that caused this damage?" she asked, indicating the door.
"Yes. She has come for the King!" Beryl said, quickly gathering herself. She raised her hand into the air and a large rod of iron, embedded with emeralds flew out of the darkness into her hand. "We must hurry!" she said as she broke through the group and headed through the door. The rest looked at each other uneasily then followed the former evil queen into the darkness.
* * *
Once the warriors reached the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by a second cavern, even larger than the first, but supported by huge stone pillars. At the back of the cavern, opposite the staircase, was another door, still intact, Drakala blasting away at it.
"Stop right there!" Sailor Cosmos shouted.
"Oh? So you�ve found me eh?" Drakala said, turning to the Senshi. "Damn Knight put up more of a fight than I thought she would� Oh well, no matter. You will die anyway." Drakala raised her wand, summoning several large Darklings. "Kill them!" she ordered. The Darklings charged, splitting the large group into smaller sections.
"URANUS CYCLONE!" Treize shouted, spinning his spear in front of him. A sudden gust of wind blasted out from the twirling weapon, scattering a few Darklings.
"SPACE TURBULANCE!" Uranus attacked, knocking another Darkling back but doing little lasting damage. "Damn, these things are tough if they can survive that�"
"OCEAN FURY!"
"DEEP SUBMERGE!" The two attacks met and smashed into the Darkling, finally killing it.
"I could use some help here!" Treize shouted to Uranus, trying to fight off another Darkling with his spear.
"I�m on it!" Wu Fei said, running to help. "You two get help the others!" he said to Uranus and Neptune. They charged off to squash some more monsters.
"ICE STORM!" Heero swung his frozen blade through the air, missing a Darkling by mere inches, but freezing it solid.
"DEATH WAVE!" Duo let loose a blast of energy, knocking a Darkling out of the air behind Heero. "Watch your back Heero!" Duo scolded.
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!" Mars sent a Darkling flying that had been sneaking up on Duo. "Same to you hot shot!" she taunted, turning to sweep kick and on-coming creature. "AKURIO TAISAN!" she shouted, freezing the Darkling. "Yuuichirou! Some help?"
"Got it!" he said, running over and bringing his hammer down on the frozen beast, shouting, "FLAMING CRUSH!" reducing the Darkling to dust.
The battle between Darkling and Senshi raged on, but Cosmos was locked in a deadly duel with Drakala. "You will not win. I will not let this world be destroyed," Cosmos said firmly.
"Come on then! Stop me!" Drakala jeered.
Sailor Cosmos knew that her old attacks would no longer work, but she hadn�t discovered her new attack yet, so she simply found Drakala hand to hand with her staff. Drakala however, attacked with all the power she had, trying desperately to kill Cosmos. Unless I win now, I�m doomed! Cosmos landed a blow, but Drakala lashed back with a power concussion blast, knocking Cosmos to the ground. Drakala sneered over the fallen warrior and raised her wand to attack.
"NO! PSYCHIC SMAKEDOWN!!" Beryl screamed, seeing the fallen Senshi. Drakala grabbed her head in pain, screaming bloody murder.
"CRYSTAL STRIKE!" Zechs yelled, blasting Drakala to the ground.
I will NOT be defeated! Drakala struggled back up, closing her eyes and raising her wand above her head. A spinning black cone formed around her, her wounds healing. She began to laugh as streaks of lightening crackled out from the apex of the cone, bouncing off the cave walls and decimating everything in their paths. "Now I will show you the true power of darkness!" Drakala cackled. She held her wand in both hands, the cone spinning faster, fireballs coming with the lightening, thunder booming through the cavern. The walls started to shake, indicating that the cavern was going to collapse.
"Knights, form a circle around the Senshi and join hands!" Beryl ordered. The Knights did as they were told, making a tight circle around the Senshi. "Now raise you energy as a wall against this magical maelstrom!" Beryl shouted. "KNIGHT�S SHIELD!!!" she screamed, the combined energy of the Knights safely shielding the Senshi from harm. "Sailor Cosmos! You have the strength to defeat Drakala! Use you power!"
As Cosmos saw the Knights struggling to keep the shield up, saw Drakala�s attack growing stronger, saw how soon everything would be lost, a vision came to her. In her mind appeared the universe, vast and infinite in all directions, lit only by the light of stars. And one by one, she heard the stars calling to her, saying her name over and over, whispering words of power in her ears. Slowly, she realized her attack. Cosmos raised her staff into the air, looking straight at the white orb at the top. "COSMOS STAR SEED WAVE, KISS!" A growing sphere of energy blasted out from the orb, negating all the magic in the cavern, restoring balance to the walls. Drakala tried in vain to stop the attack, her magic being absorbed into the glowing ball of light. The sphere engulfed Drakala and then exploded into a storm of glittering stars, destroying Drakala and ending the battle.
"We did it!" Cosmos cheered. "And look, the door is opening!" she said, pointing to the slowly opening door. Light poured out through the door, bright like the sun. Cosmos stepped out of the ring of Knights and tried to shield her eyes, walking through the door.
"You finally came�" a voice said from within the light.
"Who�s there?" she asked. The light died, revealing a large stone room, a rectangular slab of stone raised up a few feet in the middle. On each corner of the slab was a statue of a person, supporting another piece of stone, forming a small tomb. Then, the four Generals appeared before Cosmos. "You!"
"Yes, it is us. Like Beryl, we have watched the King to match sure he was safe," Kunzite said, bowing to Cosmos. "But now you�ve come and we can return to our sleep," he said as they vanished.
On the stone slab, a figure began to move, stretching and awakening from a long sleep. "Mamo-chan�" Cosmos whispered. The figure crawled off the stone slab and walked a few steps to Cosmos. "Mamo-chan!" Cosmos said, running to the man.
"Usako!" he said, throwing his arms around her. "You made it Usako!"
Pluto smiled and raised the Door of Time, indicating for the others to move along as Cosmos and Tuxedo Kamen shared their first kiss in centuries.