It was another day in Juuban. However, it was the furthest thing from peaceful. Luna and Artemis, battered and covered in bandages due to the previous battle, stared at the TV, watching the news.
"This just in, the dark spots on the sun continue to spread at an unusual pace," the news reporter said. "Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and other national disasters believed to be caused by this phenomenon, continue to occur throughout the globe. The National Weather Bureau has declared this an unprecedented atmospheric event and released a statement saying they do not know how this will affect Japan."
Luna and Artemis then looked at each other, knowing that this wasn't a coincidence.
"We will have to act quickly," said Artemis.
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Back at the Tsukino's house, the smell of burnt food was in the air. The kitchen was in a state of utter disarray and chaos. Pots, pans, and other utensils lay everywhere as Usagi had just finished what she was making in the kitchen, which was a poor curry attempt. She had just set the food on the table while her family stared at the dish before them with dubious looks on their faces.
"There we go! Thank you all for waiting!" she said brightly. "I hope you're all hungry because I made my special curry for tonight's menu."
"We're... thrilled you've made such an effort for tonight's dinner, Usagi," said Kenji trying not to show his disgust."
"Yeah. It looks - good?" Harusuke spoke, trying to keep a straight face. "And it shows... how much you worked hard on it."
Usagi then blushed. "Oh, come on, you two. You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."
"Well, it is," said Kenji. Then he turned to the other family members. "Shall we dig in, everybody?"
Shingo looked at his plate, his face cringing from the sight of it. "Is this even edible?"
Harusuke then nudged Shingo gently. "Don't be rude, Shingo."
"Yeah. It might not look good, but what matters is the taste," said Usagi. "Watch. It's going to blow you all away."
She then took a spoonful of curry and popped it into her mouth while the rest of the Tsukino's watched. She chewed for a few seconds or so, but suddenly, tears began to stream down Usagi's face causing everyone to be alarmed.
"Is something the matter, Usagi?!" Kenji asked worriedly. "What's wrong?!"
"It's hot!" Usagi cried as she stuck out her tongue, trying to cool it off.
"I knew it," muttered Shingo. "Note to self: Never let Usagi cook."
Harusuke could only sigh, shaking his head shrugging.
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Later that night, all guardians met up at the Hikawa Shrine, readying themselves for the final battle. The air felt tense as they waited for Luna and Artemis to arrive.
"It's finally time," said Minako quietly. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yeah. And truth be told, I can't wait," grinned Makoto as she cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this."
"Well, there's no turning back now," said Ami. "We've finally come this far, and this will be the toughest fight we've ever faced."
Usagi then went over to Rei. "Say Rei, did you at least give Yuichiro a kiss before coming here?" she whispered.
Everyone except Usagi sweatdropped, feeling awkward, and Rei couldn't help but blush bright red.
"And just why'd you bring that up?" Rei asked, trying not to show her embarrassment.
"Well... I just thought, what if something bad happens," Usagi went on. "I mean, I don't want you to have any regrets."
"Nothing bad is gonna happen to us!" exploded Rei yelling at the top of her lungs. "Just mind your own business!"
Usagi was so startled that she fell flat on her bum on the cold hard ground.
"Ouch! You didn't have to yell at me like that!" whined Usagi. "I was just concerned about you, is all!"
"Usagi, you need to stop thinking about the 'what ifs,' " said Minako.
"I agree," nodded Makoto smiling warmly. "When this is all over, I intend to get out there and experience all the love I can."
Usagi was surprised, but a smile worked its way to her cheeks too. "I see. Sorry about that," she apologized. "You're right."
"Love, huh?" mused Ami as she gazed upwards to the sky. "I'd like that too..."
Everyone then stared at Ami, a bit surprised that she would say such a thing, making the latter blush bright red with embarrassment. Usagi then noticed Harusuke, who was sitting on the steps completely silent.
"Is something wrong, Harusuke?" Usagi asked. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
Harusuke then stood up and looked towards Usagi and his friends. "Girls, there's something that I wanna say," he spoke. "So I want everyone to listen, okay?"
The girls all looked at Harusuke, giving him their utmost attention. There was a brief silence until Harusuke then spoke again.
"Listen, I know that I'm not big on epic speeches and stuff, but I wanted to say this before anything else," Harusuke spoke. "I'm happy that I have you guys as my friends, and I'm truly proud to be a part of your team. I don't know what I'd do without you guys. You've all been there for me even when I was at my lowest. And for that, I'm genuinely grateful. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, let's win this thing and go home together. But, once we do make it out of this, let's go out for ice cream or something."
Everyone stared at Harusuke, not saying a word. Then Usagi walked up to her brother and embraced him, catching Harusuke by surprise.
"Yeah. Let's do that," Usagi said happily. "Let's all go out and have some ice cream together. All of us."
Everyone heartily agreed. At that moment, Luna and Artemis finally appeared.
"All right, I think that's enough talking, guys," said Artemis. "It's time."
"Everyone! Transform!" commanded Luna.
The teens all looked at each other and gave a firm nod as they transformed for what might be the final time.
"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"
"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"
"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"
"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"
"VENUS POWER MAKE UP!"
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
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Transformation Sequence: Usagi
Usagi's body shone with rainbow-colored light as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it flashed pink and pink ribbons shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a collar that was blue with white stripes. Next, Usagi crosses her arms, and more pink ribbons wrapped around them, turning into long white gloves. The pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a tiny gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead, and a gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose as the moon shines behind her in the background.
Transformation sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.
Transformation Sequence: Ami
The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. It begins to spin around as it shines and envelopes Ami in blue light. Then, she sweeps it over her head while a stream of blue water shoots out, wrapping her body and forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body, creating a slight mist of water that forms the rest of her uniform the same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves are blue and bright blue. Finally, she turns around and then strikes her signature pose.
Transformation Sequence: Rei
The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. Then, it begins to spin around as it shines and envelopes Rei in red light. As she held up her pen while turning around, long tongues of flame erupted from it, forming several rings around her body. They tighten around her form, and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit forms having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose.
Transformation Sequence: Makoto
The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. Then, it begins to spin around as it shines its enveloping Makoto in green light. As she held up her pen while turning, long whips of lightning erupted from it, forming several rings around her body. They swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed, having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, she finishes with her signature pose.
Transformation sequence: Minako.
The symbol on Minako's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of yellow as she holds up her transformation pen. Next, it spins around as it shines and envelopes Minako in yellow light. Then she sweeps it over her head as streams of yellow stars start to emit from it. Minako then holds up the pen above her head as the streams form a spiral around her body. The stars then disappear into the ground creating a circle of stars around her as they burst into more stars going upwards, enveloping Minako's body. Then emerges wearing the same outfit as Sailor Moon's, but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves are orange and her bow bright yellow. She then opens her eyes as she finishes with her signature pose.
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"You all need to get to Point D in Arctic Circle at once," spoke Luna as they finished transforming.
"How do we do that?" asked Sailor Moon.
"Yeah, we can't exactly go through the entryway Minako found," said Solaris. "They'll be expecting that."
"True, but by putting all of your powers together, you'll be able to teleport yourselves," said Artemis.
"And since we're both injured, we'd only get in your way, so we'll stay here," said Luna. "But you all can handle this by yourselves, right?"
"Of course, they can, Luna," said Luna. "There's no doubt that the Guardians will defeat Queen Beryl as long as they combine their powers and work together."
The Guardians gathered around in a circle and held hands as the moon shone brightly above them. They all closed their eyes and concentrated, letting the power flow through their bodies, making them glow in a bright shield of light and the ground crack and crumble from the pressure.
"SAILOR... TELEPORT!" Artemis yelled.
At Artemis' command, all six of the Guardians disappeared at once, vanishing from sight, leaving him and Luna all by themselves.
"Good luck, kids," Artemis whispered as he kept his eyes at the spot where they once were.
Luna then looked up at the sky filled with anxiety and worry.
"Come back to us safely, everyone," she prayed to herself. "Please..."
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The Guardians now found themselves standing in the tundra that was the Arctic. Sailor Moon couldn't help but shiver from the cold as the cold wind and the snow blew.
"I-I-It's f-f-freezing!" she shivered as she rubbed her arms, trying to keep herself warm. "How come all of you aren't shivering in this blizzard?!"
"Pull yourself together, and you won't feel the cold!" snapped Sailor Mars.
"Speak for yourself!" Sailor Moon shot back, still shivering. "You only say that is because you got more body fat!"
"Well, this certainly got off to a rocky start," muttered Solaris. "At least, they're keeping their spirits up."
Sailor Mercury, who had just taken out her computer, began to type, scanning the area for the Dark Kingdom's hideout. After a few seconds of typing, she then pointed to the east.
"I found it!" Sailor Mercury said. "There's a strong evil aura that's coming over in that direction!"
"Then I say let's get moving," said Sailor Jupiter. "We got a lot of butts to kick."
The Guardians then set off trudging their way through the snow.
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Queen Beryl watched the Guardians approach their hideout through her crystal ball, not showing any worry, nor would she have it.
"Queen Metalia is close to full resurrection," she spoke grimly. "I won't allow anyone to interfere. I'll make sure of it. Kunzite! Zoisite! Nephrite! Jadeite!"
The Four Kings of Heaven immediately appeared, bowing before her.
"You summoned us, Queen Beryl?" asked Kunzite.
"The Guardians are making their way to our base as we speak just before Queen Metalia is about to be resurrected," explained Queen Beryl. "I want you four to eliminate the Guardians proceeding to the plan. Do whatever it takes to kill those guardians! Is that understood?"
"Yes, Queen Beryl," said Kunzite.
"We shall obey your every command," acknowledged Zoisite.
"And crush those Guardians for good," added Nephrite.
"Just leave it to us!" said Jadeite.
And with that, the four of them disappeared, leaving Queen Beryl alone on her throne.
"I hope you're ready, Guardians," she said with a sinister grin. "Because you're about to experience one of the most effective traps that fell even the mightiest of warriors, and the ironic thing about it is that you'll get murdered by the ones you once loved!"
She then erupted in a cruel cackling fit that echoed throughout the Dark Kingdom.
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The Guardians were still walking around in the snow. The blizzard had passed, and it was now a lot less cold than before, but they kept up their guard. Then suddenly, Sailor Mercury stopped causing everyone else to as well.
"Hold on, everyone. The evil aura is getting stronger," she warned.
Then a thick violet mist began to shroud the area.
"Here they come!" said Sailor Jupiter as she, along with the other guardians, took their stances, ready to fight.
For a while, there was nothing but mist. Then Sailor Moon saw a shape forming inside the fog ahead of them. At first, she couldn't tell what it was, but then she gasped. The figure that she was seeing turned out to be a person that hung by chains. And not just any person either. It was Tuxedo Mask whose cape looked torn to shreds, and the man himself was battered and bloody. The other Guardians could see him too.
"It's Tuxedo Mask!" gasped Sailor Moon. "We have to help him!"
She rushed forward, trying to get to him so she could help, but Solaris barred her way.
"Sailor Moon, stop!" he warned. "It could be a trap!"
"Isn't that obvious by now?" sighed Sailor Jupiter rolling her eyes.
"Come on, Sailor Moon! They're doing this because they know that you'll run to him!" Sailor Mars groaned. "Honestly, you're so predictable!"
Sailor Moon puffed her cheeks, feeling embarrassed as well as annoyed. Sailor Mercury then pressed a button on her earring, activating her visor.
"Hold on, I'll check it out," said Sailor Mercury. "We'll see if this is a trap or not."
Then they all heard Tuxedo Mask speak as he looked up, his eyes so vulnerable and desperate.
"Sailor Moon... Please - help me," he begged.
Sailor Moon bit her lip, trying her best not to fall for this, but seeing Tuxedo Mask in this weakened state, she couldn't bear to see him like this. She tried to go to him again, but Sailor Mars, Venus, and Jupiter tackled her down.
"Let me go! I have to go to him!" cried Sailor Moon. "He's suffering! He needs me!"
"Control yourself, you idiot!" cried Sailor Mars.
Then Sailor Mercury gasped her scanning of Tuxedo Mask complete.
"Watch out, everybody!" she cried. "That's not the real Tuxedo Mask!"
At that moment, the fake Tuxedo Mask unleashed a powerful blast from his hand at them. The Guardians immediately jumped out of the way dodging the incoming attack but only narrowly.
"You see?! I told you so!" Sailor Mars cried crossly.
"I didn't want to believe it!" Sailor Moon wailed miserably.
Then the fake Tuxedo Mask revealed himself to be Nephrite, who snidely laughed as he stepped out into the open.
"Typical Sailor Moon. Always willing to do whatever it takes to save her beloved Tuxedo Mask," Nephrite sneered. "If it's that easy to deceive you, then getting the Silver Crystal should be a breeze."
"Hey, you! How dare you trick me!" Sailor Moon snapped angrily. "Granted, I was stupid to fall for it, but you're stupid for trampling on a young girl's pure love! Because of that, now you've made me angry! Now I'm going to-"
"We get it already," deadpanned Sailor Mars. "Get to the point already."
Sailor Moon paused for a few seconds before resuming her cheeks scarlet from embarrassment. "A-Anyway, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"
"That's pretty big talk, Sailor Moon," said Nephrite. "But you're in our territory, and as long as you're in Point D, you and your friends don't stand a chance!"
He waved his hand as he disappeared into the fog. Once again, the fake, chained and wounded Tuxedo Mask reappeared before them.
"S-Sailor Moon... I love you," the fake Tuxedo Mask gasped. "Please... Save me..."
"You've to got to be kidding me," said Sailor Mars. "What kind of idiot would fall for the same trick twice?"
She found that out soon enough as Sailor Moon rushed ahead, much to her disdain.
"It looks like my sister is that idiot," groaned Solaris as he ran after her.
Solaris and Sailor Mars ran until they caught Sailor Moon once again tackling her to the ground.
"Hey! Didn't you listen to anything I said!" yelled Sailor Mars.
"But he needs me!" wailed Sailor Moon. "What if this time it's real?!"
But Sailor Moon was wrong again as the fake Tuxedo Mask turned back to Nephrite as he unleashed another mighty blast of dark energy, forcing them to all dodge.
"See?! I told you!" cried Sailor Mars.
"I'm sorry!" Sailor Moon cried.
"Enough of this! Stop taking us for fools!" Sailor Jupiter yelled as she extended her antenna in her tiara sparking with power. "JUPITER SUPREME...!"
But as she was preparing to unleash her Supreme Thunder, the illusion disappeared as Nephrite appeared before her. Sailor Jupiter instinctively hesitated upon seeing him, remembering that Nephrite wasn't himself and her loved one. Then suddenly, from below her, a dark shadow erupted from the ground catching Sailor Jupiter in its clutches, suspending her several feet in the air. Sailor Jupiter tried to break free, but the shadow held her tight. Sailor Moon took off her tiara, turning it into a white disc, preparing to cut the shadows to free her, with Solaris and Sailor Mars following suit.
"MOON TIARA..."
"MARS FIRE..."
"SUNSHINE..."
But before they could attack, Nephrite immediately got close to Sailor Jupiter and his shadow forcing the three to stop their attacks.
"I wouldn't be so quick to attack if I were you, Guardians," he said with a sneer. "Unless you want to hurt Sailor Jupiter in the process!"
"Damn it!" growled Solaris. "That's playing dirty, you coward!"
"But he's right," said Sailor Mars. "If we attack now, then Sailor Jupiter will get caught in the crossfire!"
"Don't worry about me!" yelled Sailor Jupiter. "You've got to make your move and go stop Queen Beryl!"
Nephrite then smirked as he raised his hand, which sparkled with electricity.
"Then I guess you'll be the first to die, Sailor Jupiter," he cackled. "Now, taste the power of the Corona Borealis!"
He then grabbed Sailor Jupiter by the throat and began shocking her causing her to cry out in pain. The rest of the Guardians stood there frozen, unsure of what to do.
"So how does it feel, Sailor Jupiter? To feel pain from your own element?" laughed Nephrite mockingly. "You must be suffering as well as feeling disgraceful. But don't worry, it'll all be over soon enough."
Then suddenly, Sailor Jupiter grabbed Nephrite by his arm, clenching it tightly and taking him by surprise, smirking bravely.
"I'll have to admit, you've got guts to attack me with electric bolts, Nephrite," grunted Sailor Jupiter. "But allow me to show you what a real electric bolt feels like."
"What are you doing?!" demanded Nephrite. "Let me go!"
Nephrite pumped up the power of his electricity, trying to shock Sailor Jupiter into letting him go, and his shadow even squeezed harder, but like a stubborn bulldog, she refused to let go. Sailor Jupiter's antenna extended from her forehead, sparking with electricity as she began gathering power.
"I'm sorry about this, Nephrite," she said with an apologetic smile. "I know that what you're doing is not your fault, but if you're planning to kill my friends, I'll be the one to stop you! Prepare yourself!"
"Damn you, Sailor Jupiter!" yelled Nephrite. "CURSE YOU!"
"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER! ! ! ! !"
As she let out a bloodcurdling scream, Sailor Jupiter summoned every ounce of strength she had as a tremendous lightning bolt shot down from above. The thunderbolt struck them both, shocking them with overwhelming watts of power with a mighty boom. A massive explosion shook the area as the resulting lightning made a brilliant flash of light, forcing the Guardians to shield their eyes. When the smoke cleared and the light dimmed, the Guardians looked up only to have a haunting and terrible sight meet their eyes.
Due to the overwhelming power, a tree-like pillar of ice formed with Sailor Jupiter in the middle close to the top, her body singed, smoking, and even a little bloody. As far as Nephrite's body, it was nowhere to be seen. Everyone immediately towards the ice pillar, desperate to get her down.
"Just hold on, Jupiter!" yelled Solaris. "We're coming!"
He and Sailor Moon had just started to climb up the pillar when they heard Sailor Jupiter.
"Everyone... I'm sorry, but - I'm not going to make it..." Sailor Jupiter called weakly. "You have to... go on without me. Hurry! Leave me here!"
"No! There's no way we're doing that!" Solaris yelled. "We have to go there together!"
"Remember what you said, Mako? You told us that you were going to find all the love you can, or was that lie?!" Sailor Moon cried, her eyes welling with tears. "Just stay strong! If you lie, the King of Hell will rip out your tongue!"
Sailor Jupiter smiled weakly. "Please... this isn't the time to cry," she said. "Chin up... You'll be fine. Just hurry - and go."
At that moment, her eyes slowly closed, and her body went limp; as she took her final breath. Everyone's eyes widened in shock, realizing that Sailor Jupiter was dead.
"No! Mako! You can't die! MAKO!" Sailor Moon wailed as she sank to her knees in despair as she cried mourning for the loss of her friend.
"There's nothing more we can do for her, Sailor Moon," Sailor Venus spoke quietly. "We need to go."
"Forget it. If this is what we have to go through, then we should give up the Silver Crystal!" sobbed Sailor Moon.
"How can you even say that?!" snapped Sailor Mars.
"Surely, you don't mean that!" gasped Solaris.
"It's true! That's what we should have done from the start!" Sailor Moon spoke bitterly as she immediately stood up. "Queen Beryl! You can have the Silver Crystal!"
She ran past the others trying to get Queen Beryl's attention, but Sailor Mercury and Solaris blocked her way, restraining her.
"Stop it, Sailor Moon!" said Sailor Mercury.
"Don't be such a fool!" Solaris said.
"Let me go! That Crystal's the reason why Mako died!" Sailor Moon snapped. "We should just quit and go home."
At that moment, Sailor Mercury gave Sailor Moon a hard slap across her cheek, surprising Sailor Moon and the other Guardians. Sailor Mercury herself was also surprised for what she did, but she spoke calmly to Sailor Moon.
"I'm sorry for slapping you, Sailor Moon, but you have to understand," the blue Guardian said. "Don't let Jupiter's sacrifice be in vain."
Sailor Moon only held her cheek, not saying another word. Then, Sailor Mercury's computer made a beeping noise sounding like a warning. Sensing that it was detecting another enemy, Sailor Mercury looked at her device and then turned around.
"Someone else is coming," she warned. "And it's coming right for us."
Sailors Mars, Sailor Venus, and Solaris stepped bravely forward, ready to fight, but Sailor Mercury blocked their path.
"Listen, you four need to go on ahead without me," she said. "I'll stay here."
"But Mercury...!" protested Sailor Mars.
"No buts. You, Venus, and Solaris have more firepower than I do, Mars," said Sailor Mercury firmly. "Besides, Sailor Moon needs all the support she can get right now. Get going!"
"Are you sure about this, Sailor Mercury?" asked Solaris. "I can stay behind and help you."
"No, Solaris. You especially have to stay with Sailor Moon," Sailor Mercury said. "Sailor Moon needs you not only as a guardian but as a brother too. Now go! I'm not going to ask you again."
The Guardians could see that Sailor Mercury was serious, but Sailor Moon was still worried.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to die," the Guardian of Water said with a reassuring smile. "Once I've defeated the enemy, I'll catch up with you."
"You promise?" Sailor Moon asked.
Sailor Mercury answered with a nod, and with that, the four of them went on ahead. They all were still worried, but they knew that they had a job to do and had to keep going. Sailor Mercury waited until the rest of her friends were out of sight, then she bravely stood her ground as the purple fog returned.
"Now, come and get me!" she yelled.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
"My, my. Aren't we feeling a bit brave today?"
Sailor Mercury knew who that was. Sure enough, stepping out of the fog, Zoisite appeared before her.
"Zoisite. I should have known you'd show up," Sailor Mercury smiling mirthlessly. "If I asked you to surrender and cease this endless fighting, would you do that for me?
"Sorry, but I have no intention of leaving you alive, Sailor Mercury," said Zoisite. "It's no use trying to talk your way out of it."
"I figured you'd say that," sighed Sailor Mercury. "Then I guess you leave me no choice but to stop you."
"Do you intend to fight me all by yourself?" Zoisite asked snootily. "I mean, I'll give you credit for your bravery, but do you honestly think you can take me on?"
"I have no choice in the matter," said Sailor Mercury. "We may have once been allies, and I may have fallen in love with you, but now you're an enemy, and I have to stop you! So douse yourself in water and repent!"
"Have it your way then!" yelled Zoisite as he then went on the attack.
He unleashed a powerful blast of petals at Sailor Mercury, forcing the girl to duck. She then ran forward and countered with a few quick and fast punches, but Zoisite dodged the incoming attacks with ease and then floated upwards into the air. Next, he raised his hand and fired an array of ice, forcing Sailor Mercury to jump into a backward flip dodging them.
"You're quite the nimble little brat, Mercury," Zoisite spoke in an annoyed tone. "But let's see you try to dodge this! Zoi!"
With a wave of his hand, the ground erupted with lava which gushed out dangerously towards Sailor Mercury. However, the blue Sailor Guardian immediately took action.
"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"
She unleashed a powerful blast of bubbles at the lava, making it immediately harden to rock. Zoisite clicked his tongue and let out a yell as he unleashed a powerful burst of fire from his hand. Sailor Mercury jumped out of the way in the nick of time, but she barely made it by the skin of her teeth.
"Zoisite's more powerful than he ever was before!" she thought. "I don't even think I stand a chance against him, but he has to have a weakness!"
She then pressed the button on her earrings, activating her visor as it scanned Zoisite, trying to find a weakness. At that moment, her computer detected something on Zoisite that caught Mercury's attention. On the diagram of Zoisite, a single red dot began bleeping in the middle of his forehead. She then looked up and saw something in the middle of Zoisite's forehead, a strange jewel. It flickered for a moment, but then it disappeared.
"That's got to be it! The source of all of his power!" she thought. "Maybe if I can get close to him, I can catch him by surprise by hitting him there and then take him down! It's the only way!"
"Come on, Sailor Mercury! Don't tell me you're at your limit already!" called out Zoisite. "If you refuse to attack, then I will! I'll show you the true power of Zoisite, one of the Four Kings of Heaven!"
He summoned his will, shrouded himself in a ball of fire, and charged straight at Sailor Mercury. This time she didn't run.
"MERCURY BUBBLES SPRAY!"
She crossed her hands as she charged her technique, but instead of unleashing her attack, she raised the bubble over her head, shrouding herself, protecting and minimizing the scorching heat of Zoisite's attack. She then found herself inside of the fireball, which was sweltering. Then a rope of fire suddenly appeared and wrapped around Sailor Mercury by her hips, binding her tightly as well as burning her. Sailor Mercury screamed in agony as the fire continued to fry her alive and could feel herself slipping away, growing weaker and weaker. Zoisite then appeared with a gloating look on his features.
"What a pity. It seems that you've reached the end of your rope," Zoisite said as he lifted Sailor Mercury's face with a finger. "Now, any last words before I send you to hell, Sailor Mercury?"
Sailor Mercury didn't answer, her eyes vacant. Then she flashed a weak smile as she tightly held her computer in her hand.
"Guess this will be the last time I'll use this," she said to herself weakly.
"What are you mumbling about?" asked Zoisite. "I can't quite hear you."
Then as Zoisite got closer to her, Sailor Mercury raised her computer and smashed it directly on his forehead. Zoisite yelled in pain and surprise as the gem on his forehead flickered again. This time it cracked as the wound began to bleed. At the same time, the fireball and the rope dissipated.
"Damn you, wench!" cursed Zoisite. "You scarred my face! You'll pay for that!"
He then threw out his hand, planning to blast Sailor Mercury while holding his face, but to his surprise, he could only summon a few petals, surprising him.
"Wh-what?! What did you do to me?!" demanded Zoisite.
"I... attacked your weak spot... thanks to my computer," said Sailor Mercury panting. "You shouldn't... have let your guard down."
Now Zoisite was furious. He held out his hand and attempted to summon a sword of ice, but he was having trouble doing so. Seeing this as an opportunity, Sailor Mercury looked around, trying to see if she could use anything to take down Zoisite. Then she saw it. Because of Zoisite's fireball, she noticed that they were in a crater of ice with spikes jutting out from all sides.
"I don't want to do this, but it's my only option," Sailor Mercury thought to herself. "And I'm on my last legs anyway, so I've got nothing to lose."
And using what little strength she had left, Sailor Mercury grabbed one of the spikes closest to her and struggled, trying to break it off. At the same time, Zoisite wiped the blood from his eyes and summoned an ice sword. He then looked towards Sailor Mercury, his face still twisted into an angry snarl.
"You think that you can get away from me after scarring my face?!" he hissed. "For scarring my face Sailor Mercury, your life is forfeit!"
He then shot straight towards her, his ice sword poised, hoping to cut off her head. But then, at that last minute, Sailor Mercury jumped forward in a roll dodging the blow. Then as she landed back on her feet, taking advantage, she jumped towards Zoisite, holding the icicle in hand barreled right into Zoisite, using the icicle to stab him right in the chest.
Everything was silent. Zoisite slowly looked down, speechless as a thin trickle of blood dripped out of his mouth.
"I-Impossible..." he gasped.
"Sorry, Zoisite... but you lose," panted Sailor Mercury. "I may not be as strong as the other Guardians..., but I'm smarter. I only wish there could have been another way."
She then sank to her knees in exhaustion as Zoisite staggered back a couple of steps before falling on his back, dead. Sailor Mercury then tried to get up, but her body failed her as she fell to the ground. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she was now losing all feeling to her body.
"I don't have any more strength. I can't even move," Sailor Mercury whispered weakly to no one in particular as her eyes slowly closed. "I'm sorry, everyone - especially you, Usagi. I guess - I wasn't able to keep my promise after all."
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As the Guardians continued, Sailor Moon suddenly stopped, as did everyone else. They were far away from where they left Sailor Mercury, but even they knew that another one of them had fallen.
"Ami is... Ami is..." began Sailor Moon.
"She's gone," finished Solaris quietly, who was just as shocked. "No... it can't be..."
Sailor Moon fell to her knees, tears once again overflowing as she pounded her fists to the ground.
"Why?! Why did she choose to stay behind?!" she wailed. "We should have stayed with her! We should have helped her!"
"Crying like a baby isn't going to help us!" Sailor Mars said firmly, trying to keep it together. "The enemy is gonna keep coming at us and won't stop!"
"But... But I never thought that it'd turn out like this!" Sailor Moon sobbed.
"They're gonna pay for this!" growled Solaris clenching his fists in anger. "Those Dark Kingdom monsters are gonna pay for killing our friends!"
Then suddenly, unbeknownst to Sailor Moon, the ground under her began to glow ominously. Seeing this as another enemy attack, Sailor Venus immediately took action.
"Sailor Moon! Look out!" she yelled as she pushed Sailor Moon out of the way.
No sooner than she did, a black sphere of energy erupted from the ground encasing Sailor Venus as it shot high in the air. She desperately tried to break out of it by punching it, but it wouldn't even budge.
"No! Minako!" cried Solaris.
"Stop it right now!" yelled Sailor Moon, now more desperate than ever. "I'll give you the Silver Crystal; just let Minako go!"
"Don't you dare do that!" objected Sailor Venus. "If you do, then I'll never forgive you!"
Then the black orb suddenly shot downwards into the hole where it came from, taking Sailor Venus with it. Then, they all heard a familiar voice from inside of the pit.
"What a foolish girl you are, Sailor Moon. Begging for your life," it said. "The Silver Crystal will be ours, but after we kill you all!"
"That sounds like Kunzite!" gasped Solaris. "He's the only one capable of manipulating dark energy like that!" Then he shouted into the hole at the top of his lungs. "Kunzite, get out here and face us right now! If you want someone to fight, then fight me!"
"Sorry, but I have some unfinished business with Sailor Venus," Kunzite's voice said. "But don't worry. Once I deal with her, you'll be the next to die!"
At that moment, the hole suddenly lit up, the ground also trembling from the power, and Sailor Venus screaming in agony. Sailor Mars immediately grabbed Sailor Moon and Solaris, dragging them, sensing that the ensuing fight would catch them in the crossfire.
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Inside of the hole, Sailor Venus writhed in agony as Kunzite used his black energy to torture her while she remained inside it.
"Struggle all you want, but you're not getting out of my barrier," Kunzite sneered. "You'll die in the depths of darkness, a fitting end for a Guardian such as yourself."
"Kunzite..., please! This... isn't you! It's not the man - I fell in love with!" Sailor Venus begged as she tried to stay conscious. "Please... go back to how you were before! I'm begging you!"
But Kunzite's only response was another blast of black energy from his hand into the barrier, making Sailor Venus scream in pain again.
"I've just about done with your mumbling," he spoke coldly. "I could never love an enemy to the Dark Kingdom! Prepare to die!"
As he continued unleashing blasts into the orb at her, Sailor Venus felt her heart sink with despair. However, she gritted her teeth, pointed a finger to the middle of her tiara, and began concentrating as hard as she could. Seeing this, Kunzite couldn't help but laugh.
"Do you honestly think you can attack me while you're in there?" he smirked. "The other Guardians couldn't even break this barrier, so what makes you sure you can?"
"Forgive me, Kunzite, but you leave me no choice," Sailor Venus said in her thoughts as she kept charging. "But no matter what you say, I'll always love you."
"VENUS... CRESCENT... BEAM! ! ! ! ! ! !"
She summoned her will, and using every ounce of power she had left, Sailor Venus fired a powerful blast of light from her finger. The beam pierced straight through Kunzite's barrier and also directly in the middle of Kunzite's forehead.
"Impossible!" Kunzite shrieked in pain as the overwhelming power disintegrated him into dust.
A giant explosion shook the area creating another tree of ice. In the middle of it all, Sailor Venus rested right on top of it, her body lifeless and limp.
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Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Solaris didn't stop running until they were far enough away from they left Sailor Venus. When they stopped to catch their breath, they could see Minako's lifeless body hung from the tree of ice made because of the explosion.
"No... Not Minako too!" Solaris spoke with horror. "Damn it!"
Sailor Moon was overwhelmed with despair as she continued to cry. The only one who didn't appear to be shaken by the events was Sailor Mars. She was silent for a few seconds, then she spoke.
"You know what, Sailor Moon? I had a lot of fun arguing with you all the time, even though that's all we ever did," she said. "And Solaris, what you said back at the resort, it made me happy."
Sailor Moon and Solaris then looked at Sailor Mars gasping with horror.
"Wait, why did you just say that?!" demanded Sailor Moon. "Don't tell me that-"
"I just wanted to tell you two just in case something bad happens," said Sailor Mars.
"Mars, if this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny," said Solaris. "What are you-"
Then, another familiar laugh came, Jadeite appeared.
"I'm sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting," Jadeite spoke with a grin. "I understand that you're mourning for your friends; mine got killed as well. Therefore, in the name of the Dark Kingdom, I shall avenge my comrades by killing you three and taking the Silver Crystal as a trophy!"
Solaris stood bravely in front of Sailor Moon and Mars, ready to fight, but Sailor Mars calmly walked forward, gently pushing him back. Sailor Moon and Solaris tried to stop her.
"No, Sailor Mars! We know what you plan to do!" Solaris cried. "You don't have to do this!"
"Yeah! We can handle the rest!" sobbed Sailor Moon. "We'll beat them and Queen Beryl and come back home! So, please, Rei, don't go! We don't want you to die!"
"I appreciate both of your concerns, but I'm afraid I can't let you guys do that," Sailor Mars spoke quietly. "You both need to save your strengths for the bigger battle."
"No way! There's no way in hell I'm going to let you do that! We already lost three of us! We can't lose you too!" Solaris snapped, his voice cracking. "If anyone should fight right now, it should be me! Let me go!"
Sailor Mars then looked at Solaris and saw that his eyes were about to burst into tears. She then smiled as she kindly held his cheek, wiping his eyes.
"Listen, Solaris; I have to do this. Like Mercury said, Sailor Moon needs her big brother to look after her if I'm gone," Sailor Mars said. "So I need you to be strong and protect your sister with your life, okay?"
Solaris bit his lip from behind his mask and clenched his fists. Then Sailor Mars smiled wider, brimming with confidence.
"Besides, you two have never seen anyone come close to beating me!" she said brightly. "Give me two minutes, and we'll go finish Queen Beryl together!"
She turned towards Jadeite and walked bravely towards him while Sailor Moon and Solaris looked on with worry.
"I take it you're finished now, Sailor Mars," the last King of Heaven spoke. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd say we get a move on."
"I couldn't agree more, Jadeite!" yelled Sailor Mars as she brought her hands together with her index fingers pointed. "And don't think I won't show any mercy! MARS FIRE-!"
But before she could even think about launching her attack, Jadeite slammed his hand into the ground and disappeared below the surface.
"Where'd he go?!" cried Sailor Mars.
She looked around, trying to see where Jadeite went. Then, suddenly, the ice erupted from beneath Sailor Mars and, to Solaris and Sailor Moon's horror, snapped shut, encasing Sailor Mars inside it like a beast closing its jaws. Silence fell, neither Sailor Moon nor Solaris saying a word. Then, several powerful explosions came from inside as a pair of voices shouted. The mountain of ice shook and flashed wildly inside as Sailor Mars and Jadeite battled inside of it. Finally, the ice exploded with a mighty boom, now nothing more but a pile of rubble. Once again, there was nothing but silence. Then Jadeite stepped out, holding a lifeless Sailor Mars by her hair.
"No! Rei!" shouted Sailor Moon and Solaris.
"Well now, I guess that just leaves, you two," Jadeite panted while smirking with triumph as he let go of Sailor Mars dropped her to the ground. "Prepare yourselves!"
As Sailor Moon and Solaris stared in horror, Jadeite started walking towards them, intending to finish the job. Then to the surprise of them all, Sailor Mars grabbed Jadeite by the ankle, stopping him in his tracks, her body battered, so weak that she could barely turn her head, but eyes still filled a fire that burned bright with determination.
"No way! She's still alive!" gasped Sailor Moon.
"But how?!" demanded Jadeite. "You should have been dead already!"
"I'm... not beat yet," gasped Sailor Mars as she tightened her grip. "I won't... let you... hurt my friends, Jadeite."
Jadeite then raised his hand to attack, and Solaris was about to run towards them, desperately trying to get to them, but Sailor Mars had already made her move.
"Mars... Fire - SOOOOOOUUUUUULLLL! ! ! ! ! ! !"
A gigantic torrent of flames erupted from where Mars held Jadeite, incinerating him into ashes instantly. The overwhelming power of her Fire Soul alone made the entire area explode, shaking the whole area, and like the other guardians, Sailor Mars was now encased in a tree of ice with her in the middle with Sailor Moon and Solaris staring in shock. Sailor Mars her power now spent, looked at Sailor Moon and Solaris and gave one last smile.
"Usagi... turns out you were right... about Yuichiro before," she whispered. "I should have... kissed him... but then again... I don't think... I could have..."
And with that, Sailor Mars closed her eyes as she, too, fell lifeless.
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Solaris and Sailor Moon were now on their own. The two siblings were sitting on a snowbank, still in shock with what had happened to their friends.
"Mako. Ami. Minako. And Rei. They're all gone," sniffed Sailor Moon as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
"I know," said Solaris. "I saw it happen."
"I get it now... It's all a dream. Just a dream," Sailor Moon went on, hugging her knees to her face as she cried. "When I wake up, they'll all say "good morning" like always. And Rei will call me "silly Usagi" as usual."
Solaris stared at Usagi before turning towards the ground staring at the snow. Then he stood up.
"Usagi, I understand that you're in a lot of grief right now, but we have to keep going," he spoke gently. "If we stay here and don't do something, we'll end up being next."
"What's even the point?" Usagi wept miserably. "Everyone's gone. Maybe we should stay here and let ourselves die. At least that way, we'll be able to be with them in the afterlife."
At that moment, Solaris finally snapped.
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK LIKE THAT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "IF YOU SAY THAT AGAIN, I SWEAR I WILL SLAP YOU SO HARD; MOM SLAPPING YOU WILL SEEM LIKE A TICKLE!"
Sailor Moon jumped, her eyes wide and her body trembling like deer.
"Listen to me, you may have given up because of everything that's happened, but I'll be damned if I'm going to give up! Especially on you!" Solaris went on, his voice trembling with emotion. "You know why? If we give up now, Queen Beryl wins! The Dark Kingdom will take over our planet and kill everyone! And if you think our friends dying is bad, just imagine Queen Beryl killing everyone else! Luna, Artemis, Mom, Dad, Shingo, Naru, Umino, Motoki, Ms. Haruno, she'll kill all of our friends and family without a second thought! Even Mamoru!"
Sailor Moon's eyes went even wider with realization and horror.
"That's why we can't give up! If we do, everything we know and love will be gone, and our friends would have died for nothing!" Solaris went on, his eyes filled with unshed tears. "Is that what you want, Usagi?! To go out like a helpless victim without doing anything to stop her?! NO! I know you! You would fight to the bitter end to protect your friends and family even at the cost of your own life! I've seen your courage time and time again, and though you were scared, you still got back up and fought just like our mother did back at the Silver Millennium! Come on, Usagi! We've already lost so many of our loved ones, so let's not lose anyone else!"
Sailor Moon slowly stood up, her eyes not leaving her brother.
"How do you know that?" she spoke tearfully. "How can you be so sure that we'll be able to win this without dying?"
"I can't give you a guarantee that we won't come out of this fight unscathed," said Solaris. "But it's better than waiting around for death when we've at least could have done something to help save the Earth from evil, and I'm sure the other Guardians would have told you the same thing!"
"That's the way to tell them, Harusuke," said a familiar female voice. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
Solaris and Sailor Moon hen jumped at the sound of the voice and looked around, wondering where it came from, then a ghostly hand touched Sailor Moon's shoulder, causing her to look behind, and to her and Solaris' surprise, there stood an ethereal Sailor Jupiter. And she wasn't alone. Sailor Mercury, Mars, and Venus were there as well.
"N-No way... E-Everyone...?" gasped Sailor Moon.
"They're here... they're all here," murmured Solaris.
"It'll be okay, Usagi," said Sailor Jupiter. "There's no need for tears."
"Be strong," said Sailor Mercury.
"And don't you or Harusuke ever give up hope," added Sailor Venus.
"Stand up and fight, Usagi," said Sailor Mars. "And never forget, we'll always be with you and your brother."
Then for the first time in what seemed to be a while, a smile formed on Sailor Moon's lips as she wiped her tears.
"Yeah. I will. Thank you, everyone," Sailor Moon said.
"And Harusuke, make sure you protect your sister," said Sailor Mars. "She needs you."
"I know," smiled Solaris from behind his mask. "You can count me."
"Good. Now go. Both of you," said Sailor Mars.
Sailor Moon and Solaris each gave one last look at their friends, and then while giving each other a firm nod, the two took off running across the frozen wasteland, resuming their journey to Point D.
"That's right! I'm not alone in this!" Sailor Moon thought to herself. "My friends are with me, and my brother is too! I promise we'll stop The Dark Kingdom, everyone! I promise!"
"We'll avenge all of you!" Solaris said in his mind. "The Guardians and the Four Kings of Heaven! You better watch out, Queen Beryl, because Usagi and I are coming for you!"
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In the Dark Kingdom, Endymion was still going under Queen Beryl's treatment of dark energy. Then the coffin suddenly stopped as it slowly opened. The prince of Earth slowly rose as his eyes opened, both now filled with malice as he let out a cruel and throaty chuckle.