/^\ __________________/ \__________________ / \ / \ / ____ _ __ ____ \ / /___ / \/ / /__ \ / ____/ ailor / / oon /____ ternity \ \ / \ A series by Lucas Bates / \ Edited by Dawn Wintour / \ Based on the show by Naoko Takeuchi / \__________________ __________________/ \ / \ / /--------------------------\ / EPISODE 6: \ < > \ In Times of Crisis... / \--------------------------/ Last time on Sailor Moon Eternity: /// Each of the five Wraiths flew off and stood near an object. Then they simply went into them. There was a low moaning sound as the five Wraiths assimilated the object they had each possessed: an ice cream cart, a popcorn making machine, a park bench, a tree, and a play structure. The five new creatures came to life and took on a humanoid form in a blaze of light. Pluto, Neptune, and Chibi-Moon suddenly became aware that they were in great danger as the Imperial forces started slowly stalking them... -**- Rei slowly backed away. If possible she would try to escape. She was quickly running out of options. Her counterpart was right. It would be very difficult if impossible to defeat both of them. Rei made a silent wish and ran. -**- Ami made a point to let the minotaur know she was going into the maze. Then she could lose it in there. It caught sight of her and charged down the short hallway. Ami ran down one of the side paths and took a series of lefts and rights until she was satisfied that the minotaur didn't know where she was. Ami sat down and looked at her computer, trying to think of a plan. In the distance, the minotaur howled in frustration. -**- When Haruka reached what she thought was a good distance, she leapt up into the air, arms ready to grasp the lizard. The lizard's back came closer and closer, Haruka approaching at a fantastic rate... /// Sailor Uranus was still soaring through the air at the gigantic lizard creature. She could swear that it was starting to fade. Haruka remembered that the faster she went, the farther away the monster would slip out of phase. She hoped that she could get there before it left her grasp again. She had no desire to repeat the process of moving slowly if at all possible. Time seemed to be creeping by very slowly, making Haruka that much more impatient. It seemed like the monster was within her reach now... The monster, almost blissfully unaware of its impending doom, continued looking for the girl which was to be its supper. Its search was interrupted when something landed on its back with so much force that it knocked the lizard over. "Sorry, lizard boy," came the voice of Sailor Uranus, "I don't have time to give you my whole speech. Let's just keep it simple, okay? I'm Sailor Uranus. Pleased to meet you. Now let's get this over with." The lizard growled. "Now, now, don't give me that," Uranus said. "Let's look at this situation. I have you pinned. Get up, and I'll splatter what little is inside your head all across this street. Got it?" It growled some more, and then howled in fury, trying to get up. "Don't say I didn't warn you..." The lizard felt two hands clamp onto its neck. It tried to shake Sailor Uranus loose, but she kept an iron grip. "Seismic SPIKES!" Her hands glowed briefly, and then the lizard was shot across the street by the impact of several spikes which were embedded in its back. Sailor Uranus had dropped to the ground before the spikes did their work. Haruka dusted her hands off and appraised the damage. The lizard had been knocked about ten feet into a building, right through the solid concrete wall. "Not bad," she said. Although the lizard had half a dozen thick stalagmites embedded in its back, it wasn't ready to die. It squirmed some, and Haruka sighed. "Can't you just die?" Apparently, it wouldn't. It pried itself off of the wall of debris and whirled around. Haruka raised her hand in the air again. "Seismic Spikes!" A small yellow diamond formed in front of her hand and shot little rays of yellow light around her. Large stone spikes broke off of the ground and shot towards their target. The lizard now had spikes in its front and back. It fell to the ground rather ungracefully with a resounding *THUD*. The girl that had been the lizard's dinner peeked around the corner of the alley where she hid and asked quietly, "Is it dead yet?" Haruka turned around and faced her with one hand on her hip. "I think so. This sucker doesn't go down easily-" She was cut off by the girl's frantic shrieking and pointing. Sailor Uranus whirled around and leapt into the air, unconsciously producing the Space Sword at the same time. She bore down on the creature, red blade aimed squarely at its head. The blade made contact, and she sliced a gash in the lizard all the way down its front side. Blood oozed from the wound. And still, it didn't die. The lizard made another charge, and this time Haruka plunged the sword right into its chest. It howled in what seemed to be a combination of anger, frustration, and absolute agony. And with one last gasp of breath, it collapsed. -**- Sailor Mercury still sat in the maze, wondering how she was going to defeat the minotaur. She used her computer to scan everything inside the maze. There wasn't much else there except one crazed minotaur, assorted bones and- Ami frowned. That was near impossible! She had detected signs of magic? Maybe it wasn't so impossible as she thought, since the Sailor Senshi's own abilities seemed to be derived from magical energy. Mercury narrowed the scan to pinpoint what exactly she had found. A picture appeared on the screen. A broadsword. Her frown deepened. She despised the thought of having to use it, but she was left with no choice. Her own attacks did not work at all here, and she somehow needed some kind of offense. Ami punched in a few commands into the computer to have it guide her through the maze to the sword, making a point to avoid the minotaur. A small box appeared on the screen with an arrow in it, telling her to go forward. Behind on the main screen was the master map, detailing where she was, where the sword was, and where the minotaur was. Strangely enough, she felt drawn to the sword, and that she didn't need to use the computer to guide her to it... She wandered around for what seemed like hours. She had had a couple of close encounters with the minotaur, close enough to hear it breathing. By some miracle, she had narrowly escaped each time and continued her search for the sword. Another hour of winding maze corridors finally led her to her destination. The sword was sitting in a sheath on a stand, enclosed in a case. It seemed to have a faint aura of blue around it. Ami touched the case, gazing at the sword as if she were in a trance. As soon as Ami touched the case, it dissolved, giving her access to the sword inside. She grasped the hilt slowly and tested its weight. Fairly light for a sword that size. Ami hoisted it up, sensing the powerful energy it possessed. Mercury removed the sheath and got her first good look at the blade itself. It was practically transparent, as if it wasn't made of metal at all. Ami set her computer to scan it now that she was in close range. The computer told her stuff that she pretty much already knew, like the fact that the blade wasn't metal, and it possessed magical energy. It also told her that the blade was a type of diamond, and the energy readings off of the sword were phenomenal. She shut the computer and put it away. Then Ami made a few practice swings. It handled well; it wasn't too heavy and was therefore manageable, but also didn't carry a lot of momentum. Then finally, the diamond blade pulsed a blue color as a voice resounded inside her head like a sonic boom: *Sailor Mercury... Mizuno Ami... Can you sense me?* -**- A deadly string of popcorn shrieked through the air at Sailor Chibi-Moon. She leapt out of the way and fired her own ribbons at the Popcorn Wraith. The ribbons wrapped around the Wraith's mouth, preventing it from shooting some more popcorn at her. At the same time, Sailor Pluto narrowly avoided the pointy tips of the ice cream cones being shot at her. "Whispering Door," she said, and once again the black portal appeared and snared the IceCream Wraith. "Deliquescent Liquefication!" Neptune shouted as she avoided a barrage of razor-sharp leaves. She countered the onslaught of the deadly leaves, turning them into water. The stream of liquefying water drew closer and closer to the Tree Wraith, threatening him with the concept of becoming a puddle. Abruptly, a long chain with a ring on the end of it flew towards Sailor Neptune and wrapped around her. PlayStructure Wraith yanked on it and pulled her off her feet. Bench Wraith shot a block of stone at Sailor Pluto. The stone was like one that supports the bench. It hit the Time Staff and knocked it out of her hands while PlayStructure Wraith snared Sailor Pluto. Tree Wraith shot a set of leaves at Sailor Chibi-Moon. Before she could react to them, they pinned her against a nearby tree. The Whispering Door portal was disturbed and disappeared, leaving a dirtied IceCream Wraith behind. The Popcorn Wraith managed to pry the ribbons off its mouth. The PlayStructure Wraith cut the chains off and hurled Neptune and Pluto towards the tree where Chibi-Moon was trapped. They landed on the ground hard. The five Wraiths converged on the three Senshi. "Show's over," said the Tree Wraith. They advanced, all posed to attack. A streak of red halted their approach, and they saw a rose embedded in the ground in their path. They looked up to find who threw it, and, on a tree branch, found a man in a tuxedo, top hat, and cape. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Chibi-Moon shrieked with joy. "The park is a wonderful place to go, to enjoy, and to relax. But when the forces of evil start disrupting this place of relaxation, then action needs to be taken to preserve it." Tuxedo Kamen said. IceCream Wraith smirked and shot cones and little scoops of ice cream at him. He leapt out of the way, but as he was doing that the Bench Wraith shot one if its huge stones at him. Tuxedo Kamen couldn't maneuver well while jumping, and couldn't get out of its way before it hit him in the leg. He collapsed to the ground, groaning. "Looks like he's not much of a problem right now," chuckled Popcorn Wraith. Again the Wraiths advanced on the fallen senshi. Chibi-Moon tried to struggle free of the leaves which were pinning her to the tree, but had no success. A cone of yellow light, filled with millions of tiny stars struck the five monsters. "Nice try, losers!" came a voice from above. "A planet covered with all that is natural is my guardian deity... The senshi of nature, Sailor Jupiter!" "The planet named after she who cares for all is my guardian deity... The senshi of love, Sailor Venus!" "And I am the one who strives to preserve peace on this planet! The senshi of love and justice, a pretty sailor-suited soldier, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" The Wraiths glared at the newcomers. And then they ran off in different directions. Sailors Moon, Jupiter, and Venus ran down to help their compatriots. Sailor Moon rushed to Tuxedo Kamen's side, while Jupiter and Venus went to free the others. "Mamo-chan... Mamo-chan, are you all right?" Usagi whispered. She knelt beside him, holding him. Mamoru opened his eyes. "Usako... I'm all right, I think my leg's broken though..." Usagi dragged him over behind a tree. "You should be safe here, Mamo-chan. Don't move." Usagi went back and joined the others. Chibi-Moon, Pluto, and Neptune were standing again. "It's about time you got here," Chibi-Moon said, turning her head away in disgust. "Oh, hush." Usagi replied. There was a high-pitched shrieking noise so loud that it forced all of them to cover their ears. "What is that?" Usagi mumbled. The five Wraiths came running from one end of the clearing in the park, on a direct charge at the Senshi. Unfortunately for Usagi and company the Wraiths were running in clothesline formation, side-by-side and each holding onto another's arm. Before any of them could react, the Wraiths ran right into them and knocked all of them to the ground. And the Wraiths attacked again. -**- "What? Who said that?" Ami looked around in confusion. "And how do you know who I am?" She heard a sigh. *Look at your hand, Mizuno-san. I am the sword.* Then it hit Ami: this was why the sword read such a high level of magical energy! It was enchanted and carried a consciousness! *Your guess is right, Mizuno-san.* "Would you please stop that?" *What?* "Reading my mind. It's a little irritating to have you reply to my thoughts before I've even finished thinking them." *I apologize, Mizuno-san. It is my nature. I have the ability to look into the mind of my Wielder. It helps me increase the magical energy I focus into the diamond when I know precisely when my Wielder attacks.* "I'm a little confused about something. Why were you left here, of all places?" *My former Wielder left me here in accordance with tradition and legend. I am the only force in this place that has the power to defeat the monsters that roam.* "Legend?" *The legend which states that those with brave and kind hearts will triumph over the creatures that preside in the Maze. There were once many monsters, but over time, there have been many people come by and wield me. They destroy one monster and the Wielder and as many people as are left are freed from the maze. There have been those others who did not take me, but another sword, and have failed.* "I'm still not following you... Would you start from the beginning and explain as much as possible?" Another sigh. *Sit down, Mizuno-san. Rest. I will tell you the tale, but I must be quick, for you must act soon.* Ami sat down, and just as she was about to question the last phrase, the voice came again. *I will come to that.* *I am Arisaku. I am the enchanted sword that resides in this land, the only sword with any power to defeat the monsters. Long ago, I was placed in the Maze by an Emperor who searched for the best people in his army. He was well aware of the kind of people who would Wield me properly, and that's why he had it set up this way.* *He filled the Maze with many monsters. Then he would take citizens from wherever he could, whether they be poor or rich. He would deposit them in the Maze. He also placed nine other swords in the Maze. Those who were not suited to Wield me would take those swords and fight. The object of the Emperor's game would be to defeat one of the monsters. When you did, you would be freed as well as whoever else survived the ordeal.* *Those Wielders who had brave and kind hearts found me by various means. When they destroyed a monster and were freed, the Emperor offered them positions as knights in his army. It was a very effecient way of finding the best warriors.* *But, the Emperor passed on and the heir was his son, a cruel man who was only interested in the thrill of the sport. He had no interest in improving his army, just playing the game. With great reluctance, he did stay with the original rules laid down by his father. However it was an empty sport with no meaning. He enjoyed only seeing the people killed.* *At this moment, Mizuno-san, there is only one monster left. I do not know what will happen after this monster is killed, whether the Emperor will stop or replace the creatures. But in two hours, two hundred innocent citizens will be released into the maze. Those with the right hearts have been rare lately, and I doubt that any of these people will survive. You are the only one who can Wield me. You must slay the creature, and save the people.* "Slay?" Ami's voice was bleak. "With a sword?" *Correct.* "I can't! It's- It's-" she grasped for the right word. "Savage!" *It is not unheard of. Mizuno-san, it is your responsibility. You must save the people. Do you wish to feel the guilt of idly standing by while these people are killed?* "N-no... But I can't! I have never killed anything in my life! I want to be a doctor... I want to save lives, not take them away!" Ami started to tremble. The thought of killing a creature like that was disturbing. *Please listen.* Arisaku's voice was now starting to calm her. *It is not like killing an innocent creature. It is not like killing a pet, or killing a person. It isn't even remotely like killing an innocent forest creature. This monster and the others that were in this maze have been murdering people for over 50 years now. Thousands have died. Killing this last monster is justified. Do you not think the same?* "W-well..." *Mine is the voice of reason, Mizuno-san. Please consider it.* And Ami felt Arisaku's consciousness fade from her mind. He had withdrawn back into the sword. She was told she had to save the people... By killing the creature. Kill it. Deprive it of its life. For what? For needing to survive? Killing was its nature. But then there were the people. What had they done to deserve this? As far as she knew, nothing. The people had the same rights to live as did the creature... Arisaku said that killing the creature was justified since it had killed so many itself. But an eye for an eye? She wondered again if this was truly the same case since it was more like thousands of eyes for one... And it all came down to the needs of the many against the needs of the few. And the needs of the many, the greater good, in Ami's mind, was more important. She was a Sailor Senshi, sworn to defend all from those who did no good in the eyes of the people. However much Ami did not like the idea, she had to do it, to fulfill her commitment as a Senshi. Her duty. "Arisaku." *Yes, Mizuno-san?* came the voice again. "I have decided to do it." *Excellent.* He wasn't in her mind and she couldn't really sense his thoughts, but it seemed he was just a little too enthusiastic in her decision. But Ami thought it wiser not to show. "But I'd like to go for other alternatives first." *What? How?* "Where can I find the Emperor?" *He does not come here. He rarely leaves his palace.* "I'm still going to try. I only want to kill it as a last resort." *You can't talk him out of it. He's dead set in his ways.* "And how do you know that?" There was a short silence. *Because others have tried and been killed as a result.* Ami put the sword in its sheath and strapped it around her waist. Then she took out her computer for the directions back to the colosseum where she first came. "I don't care. I have enough time to try, don't I?" *It's pointless, you'll see.* Ami wandered around the maze following the directions on her computer. The monster was nowhere near her at the moment, so she could move fairly freely around the maze. A short while later she entered the colosseum. It was just as she had left it, with bodies and bones. She looked up above the walls, hoping to find something. There were bright lights overhead, so it was hard to see anything. Instead, Ami used her computer to do her search. She found noobody, but did find a small source of magical energy. *See? No one is here.* "When will the people be released?" *Oh, in about an hour. They'll be herded out through that door over there. The minotaur has a vague idea of the routine, so chances are he'll show up a little while before they are put in here.* "I see." Ami pocketed her computer. "EMPEROR-SAMA!" she screamed. "I BEG YOU, PLEASE DON'T RELEASE THESE PEOPLE! I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU WISH IF YOU DO WHAT I ASK!" She paused. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME. SPARE THEIR LIVES AND DO WITH ME WHAT YOU PLEASE." If that wouldn't attract his attention, she didn't know what would. She waited a short while, but got no response. Arisaku's voice filled her mind again. *I told you. He does not care about things you offer him. You are merely a player in his eyes. He only cares to see the game proceed.* Ami shut her eyes. Now she was forced to do what she despised: to kill. There were no other alternatives to saving their lives, short of wandering around the maze forever. Then she spoke with a certain tone of resignation in her voice. "Very well... It seems I'm not left with much of a choice now. Now I'll have to kill the minotaur." Even though she heard nothing, she felt as if Arisaku was laughing. -**- Sailor Mars kept running. Her opposite self and the Wraith were still chasing her. She wished she had some more leverage in the terms of power so she could face them. A flash of fire burst over her head and she ducked. She couldn't think of anything else she might be able to do. Her anti-evil attack had no effect on the Wraith, mostly because it was in a spirit form and because it wasn't natural. Rei figured that if the Wraiths originate from a cube, then they were engineered. She skidded to a halt and turned around, raising her hands above her head. "Mars Blazing Hail!" A cloud formed between her hands and shot fireballs in the direction of her counterpart and the Wraith. She let it fire for a couple of minutes then stopped. That should hold them off long enough to find a hiding spot, she thought. Rei turned around again and resumed her running. -**- Ami's moment of truth was fast approaching. It was less than half an hour now until the people were released into this hell, and the minotaur was expected to show up very soon, according to Ami's computer. Since her attempt to talk to the Emperor, she had tried another few times and also used her computer to try to scan outside of the colosseum and maze but she was unsuccessful. Arisaku had chosen to go into a sort of sleep about twenty minutes earlier, claiming he needed to rest before the fight. Ami's distrust of Arisaku had grown steadily since she declared her plan of killing the monster. It almost seemed as if he was prodding her into it, even though he had made no outright attempt to force her to kill the minotaur. While she was waiting, she had scanned the sword that possessed Arisaku very carefully and stored the data. Then she scanned the maze for something to do, mapping every single object there. Finally a mighty roar came, and the computer buzzed at the approach of the minotaur. The countdown that Ami also had her computer do said that there was now five minutes left until the release. "Arisaku," she said quietly, touching the sword, "the minotaur is coming." *Are you prepared?* "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this over with." In Ami's eyes, even though she really had no desire to kill this monster, she believed it to be what determined her Quest. She also felt compelled to save the two hundred people who were being sent to their deaths. Sailor Mercury stood up and walked over to the entry to the colosseum from the maze. She stood a distance back from it, with the door that would let the people in behind her. Ami looked at her computer one last time and put it away. The screen showed that the minotaur was less than 100 metres away. She steeled herself and put one hand on the hilt of the sword. *The time has come.* The minotaur came into her sight, and Ami's heart started beating faster. It spotted her immediately and howled in joy. Then it started towards her. "Stop right there!" Mercury said. "Your days of hunting are over. I, Sailor Mercury, am here to stop you!" The minotaur seemed very unimpressed in her speech. It continued its stalking. *Mizuno-san, now is the best time to attack.* "How?" *Just swing at it, but do try to aim. I dislike wasting energy.* Ami unsheathed the sword. Its diamond blade glowed a bright blue as Arisaku started building up energy. The minotaur stopped and watched the blade with a certain fascination. Ami swung it back and forth a couple of times, blue energy trailing behind the blade as the minotaur stood mesmerized. Good, she thought. At least it will stand still. Then Ami started running towards it, sword at the ready. She leapt into the air and held the sword above her head. As she started down to the ground, she took a swing and made a gash in its chest. Nothing major, but the minotaur roared in anger. When Ami landed, she ducked and rolled between its legs. While she was jumping, though, the door slid open and two hundred people flocked into the colosseum. The minotaur spotted them after Ami made her attack and, ignoring her, advanced on the people. "NO!" she screamed. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!" But the minotaur didn't listen. It strode up to the now-terrified people. Most of them tried to run away but a few were left behind. The minotaur picked up a young woman and began to eat her. "NO!" Ami screamed again. Tears started streaming down her face. She'd failed to stop it before it had the chance to start killing. There was one option now: kill it while the woman had a chance. She started running again. "Arisaku, channel all the energy you have into the blade." She was rapidly closing the gap between her and the minotaur now. She held the blade up in front of her, point aiming right at the monster's back. The blade was blazing with blue energy, practically a neon color. She was less than 10 feet away from it now; she jumped, closed the distance in a short time, and plunged the sword into its back, releasing all the energy stored in the diamond blade. The minotaur wrenched back, dropping the woman and flailing its arms to reach the sword. But the sword was too far away from either of its arms. Blood gushed from the wound, and the minotaur collapsed to the ground. She went to check on the woman. The minotaur had taken off one of her legs and she was bleeding badly. Ami found something to bandage the end of the woman's leg and then returned to inspect the body of the minotaur. Blue energy was still crackling across its back. Ami made sure it was dead and then turned to face the people. They held back, afraid the monster might come alive again. But abruptly, another door opened up and they all ran out. The woman who had been attacked was being supported by a man, and they left. "That's it then," Ami said. "I believe I've completed my Quest." Ami stood there for a few minutes and nothing happened. *Mizuno-san, remove me.* Ami went over and pulled the sword free. "Okay, now I've done that. I've done everything I was told. Now what?" Arisaku was mysteriously quiet. "It wasn't the minotaur I was supposed to kill, was it? It was *you* I had to destroy!" Arisaku laughed. *It's about time, Mizuno-san. It seems you were brighter than I thought!* "Maybe so. You thrive on strong emotions like hatred, anger, and the thrill of the hunt. There is no Emperor, is there? You made it all up. This was your invention." He laughed more. *You really are quite bright. But now I'll have to kill you. You've served your purpose. I have had quite a fill of what I need. Prepare to die. You can't possibly kill me.* "You think?" Ami said hotly. "My power as a Sailor Senshi is partly derived from positive feelings. I can destroy you by channeling them through the sword. You've been the one behind all of this, killing innocent people and using lives carelessly. I'll sacrifice myself by doing this, but at leas it will prevent you from continuing! I won't forgive you!" Ami held the sword so that the tip of the blade was pointing away from her. *Mizuno-san, NO!* "Mercury Eternity Power!" A bright blue aura surrounded Ami briefly and then gathered and shot into the sword. Ami heard a loud scream of protest from Arisaku as the positive feelings of her power bombarded Arisaku's consciousness and eliminated it. There was a surge of energy that flowed off of the sword and vanished. But Ami collapsed to the ground out of sheer exhaustion. Will I live? she thought. I feel so weak that I can't even move... -**- Sailor Uranus looked at the monster. Haruka had made a full check to make sure the lizard was dead; it didn't go down easily. "It's all right," Haruka called. "It's dead now." The girl who had been attacked by the lizard took a small step out of the alley where she was hiding. "Are you sure?" "Very. This thing won't move again." "Sailor Uranus," she said, her voice now taking on a more mature tone. "You have acted properly, reflecting that you are capable of any task. You have shown that you are strong enough to overcome your faults. It is deemed that you are now worthy to take upon you this Holy Stone. Use it properly and guard it with your life. Let it not fall into enemy hands; if it does, doom shall befall your world. Now prepare to receive the Earth Stone." She held her hand out, palm up, and a small golden spark appeared. The spark solidified into a small dark blue stone, the color of the gem in Haruka's tiara. It floated away from her, and Haruka pulled it from the air and laid it in its place on the ring. The moment the Stone touched the ring, Haruka became enveloped in a wash of silver light. When it subsided, her uniform had changed. Her skirt was now three colors, a dark blue, a lighter shade of blue, and white. The button on her ribbon had also changed. It was now blue again, and the symbol of Uranus was engraved in gold. "Now you must make a choice. At this minute, two groups of your friends are under attack. Observe." Two clouds materialized in midair. One showed Rei running from a Wraith and her counterpart, and the other showed the rest of the Senshi doing battle with the Wraiths. Haruka thought about it. She didn't know who to go to. She desperately wanted to go join Michiru and help protect Sailor Moon, but at the same time she knew Rei needed the help more, being outnumbered. There was also the fact that Sailor Moon had the ability to destroy these monsters in the blink of an eye. Sailor Mars didn't have that same power. "When you have chosen, command the Earth Stone to take you there. Good luck." The girl vanished. Of course Haruka knew who she would go to: Rei. "Earth Stone, take me to Sailor Mars!" She vanished in a shower of silver lights. -**- "Sailor Mercury, you have shown that you are able to act properly despite moral implications. These acts show great character, and proves you worthy of receiving the Ice Stone. You did two proper things: first, you destroyed the monster that had been killing innocent people for years. Second, you also destroyed that which had caused the killing. You had done nothing wrong. Prepare now to receive the Holy Stone." The apparition that had appeared before Ami held out its hand and a golden spark of light came from out of nowhere. It grew into the Ice Stone, and floated to her. Ami took it from the air and placed it on the Ice Pendant. The wave of silver energy washed over her, and her button was now light blue again, with the Mercury symbol in gold; and her skirt was now light blue, a lighter blue, and white. The apparition told her about the two fights in progress; the one with Mars and the one with the rest of the Senshi. Though Usagi was her dearest friend, and Rei was her friend too, she saw that Rei needed the help more. Ami chose to join Rei. -**- Sailor Mars was gasping for breath. She'd been running for a long time now and it was starting to take its toll on her. She decided it was better now to stand and fight. She wished she'd been able to get through to the others but there was interference which she believed the Empire was responsible for. This was it; she was going to die soon. Her counterpart and the Wraith approached her. Rei noted that her other self was as exhausted as she was. She might be able to use that to her advantage. "End of the road, Sailor Mars." Mirror-Mars commented. A distortion ripple whisked right in front of Rei and stopped her stalkers. Rei looked towards the stairs up to the temple where it had come from and saw a lone figure there. "A planet far up in the sky is my guardian deity... The soldier of the sky, Sailor Uranus! Halt your advance on Sailor Mars, for I have a higher power on my side!" Mirror-Mars turned to look at Uranus. She saw the changes in the uniform. "Damn, you have a stone too now. Fiery Red Inferno!" She hurled a fireball at Haruka, but she leapt out of the way. "Watch this closely," Uranus remarked. She held the Space Sword. "Space Sword Disruption!" Haruka swung the sword and produced another distortion ripple aimed right at the Wraith. It hit the Wraith and knocked it back hard. "Am I supposed to be impressed?" Mirror-Mars remarked. "Just because you have the sword and our Uranus doesn't?" She visibly flinched as she realized that she shouldn't have mentioned it. "No matter. I'll just be on my way now..." "Mercury Glacial Force!" A virtual wall of snow and ice tumbled towards Mirror-Mars and hit her before she could react. Everyone turned to look at the attacker. "A planet of water and ice is my guardian deity. The soldier of water, Sailor Mercury!" The frosted Mirror-Mars groaned. "Damn... I'm outta here." She touched the tiara on her head and disappeared in a black aura. "Ami-chan!" Haruka and Rei said in unison. "Why do you have a stone now?" Rei inquired. "If you'd come to the meeting, Rei-chan, you would have known," Ami said with a small smile. "Haruka, I see you're all right." Haruka nodded. "Let's hurry up and finish this thing off. Sailor Moon and the others need our help now." Rei and Ami nodded. The Wraith got up and faced the trio. It started to rush them, but they did a combined Mars Blazing Hail/Mercury Glacial Force/Space Sword Disruption attack. The combined powers of the attacks blasted the Wraith into oblivion with a big puff of smoke. "We need to get to them quickly," Ami said. "The last I saw, they weren't holding out too well against other Wraiths and might not be able to hold on much longer." "Can we do a Sailor Teleport?" asked Rei. "I don't know... It tends to require a good deal of our energy to do that so we usually have to have more than three people. But with the Eternity Stones that might be different." "Ami! Rei! Haruka!" The three senshi all looked behind them, only to see Luna and Artemis. "Luna, Artemis!" Rei exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" "Looking for you," she said. "And I'm rather surprised that Ami and Haruka are here as well. And with your Stones." "We completed our Quests and came back to help Rei-chan," Haruka said. "She seemed to need the help more than Usagi-chan and the others did." "Help?" Artemis asked. "What happened? Usagi was trying to get a hold of you." "My counterpart paid me a visit," Rei said with a touch of disgust. "I couldn't contact anyone else so I guessed she was causing some interference with our communicators." "In any case, we need to hurry," Haruka told them. "Sailor Moon and the others are up against 5 monsters... Objects in the park that seem to have come alive." "Could it be...?" Artemis murmured. "Can the Wraiths possess objects?" "Perhaps," Luna replied. "I believe we should follow Haruka's advice and rejoin the others as soon as possible." "Luna," Ami said. "Can we do a Sailor Teleport? It would cut down on the amount of time to get there." "With the Stones, I believe you can. Join hands, everyone!" Luna and Artemis hopped up on Ami's and Rei's shoulders. The three senshi held hands and closed their eyes. Their Stones each started to glow and and the Sailor Teleport began. "Sailor... TELEPORT!" the trio of senshi yelled in unison. They were enveloped in a bright light and vanished. -**- Sailor Moon was thrown against a tree. She hit it with a loud THUD. "Sailor Moon!" Sailor Neptune yelled just as she was thrown into a tree as well. Sailor Chibi-Moon started running in a circle around the Wraiths and yelled "Ribbon Entangle!" The ribbon attached itself to one of the Wraiths and she kept running, wrapping it around a couple of them and into a bundle. While she was distracting the Wraiths, Sailor Pluto opened the Whispering Door. It only snared the IceCream Wraith who had the ribbon stuck to him. The PlayStructure Wraith sent a chain at Chibi-Moon. It wrapped around her and he yanked the chain and flung her at a tree. She hit the tree at a great speed and fell to the ground moaning. Sailor Pluto rushed to her side and picked her up. "Small Lady... Are you all right?" Chibi-Usa opened her eyes. "I'll... Be fine... I think..." At the same time, Sailor Moon and Sailor Neptune had managed to stand up. A large wall of snow tumbled at the Bench Wraith and the PlayStructure Wraith and knocked them against a tree. The tree fell down rather easily. Everyone looked for the source of the attack. They saw three silhouettes. "A planet of water and ice is my guardian deity. The soldier of water, Sailor Mercury!" "A planet with a fiery red surface is my guardian deity... The soldier of fire, Sailor Mars!" "A planet far up in the sky is my guardian deity... The soldier of sky, Sailor Uranus!" "We three Sailor Senshi have been given the gift of the Eternity Stones..." Sailor Mars said. "And using it to protect our friends and our planet..." Mercury continued. "Here we are!" Uranus finished. "We fear nothing," snarled Bench Wraith as it hurled a stone at them. They leapt out of the way and Sailor Mars countered with the Blazing Hail. The fireballs hit the Wraith and knocked it down. They landed on the ground and ran to the rest of the Senshi who were converging on one spot. "Haruka!" Michiru said. "You and I will have to talk." Haruka merely smiled in response. The remaining four Wraiths started to attack. Uranus did the Space Sword Disruption and blasted the chain that PlayStructure Wraith was sending and bashed it back. Sailor Mercury performed the Glacial Force and sent the last three to the ground.. Luna and Artemis joined them. "Sailor Moon, quickly!" Artemis said. Usagi produced the Moon Wand and yelled "Moon Wand Banish!" The Wand erupted with a spectrum of colors that fired at the five Wraiths. The attack subsided, showing the Wraiths completely unharmed. "Uh-oh," she said. IceCream Wraith managed to stand, albeit barely. "Your pitiful attack can't harm us when we've possessed an object." It smiled. "Sailor Moon, try retrieving the Grail!" Luna said. Usagi held her hands in the air, which usually brought the Grail out. But it didn't come this time. Usagi remember Queen Serenity saying that she didn't know if she would still be able to use the Grail. Then Haruka thought of something. "Sailor Moon, concentrate on the Grail, but don't think about it! Think of the power you need to destroy these creatures!" The Tree Wraith and Popcorn Wraiths attacked and hit the other Senshi. Usagi concentrated... She must prevent these creatures from hurting her friends! And one had already hurt Chibi-Usa- "CRISIS... MAKE UP!" The Grail appeared in her hands and worked its magic on her. There wasn't a really big difference in her uniform, but as long as she had the power of the Grail, that was all she needed. The Moon Wand started spinning as she released it from her grip. There was an aura of varying colors about it, and she prepared to toss it. She yelled "Crisis Moon Energy Dispel!" and launched the spinning wand like she would her tiara. The spinning wand flew at the Wraiths leaving a stream of energy behind it. It circled around each one of them, and enveloped them in a blaze of light. The Wraiths screamed in protest and abruptly the light subsided. The five objects sat there, and a red cloud erupted from each. "Good work, Usako..." Mamoru said. Usagi turned to look at him. He was leaning against a tree and smiling his assent. A sigh of relief escaped her. It was over for now. -**- "BLAST!" Sailor Saturn screeched. "Those accursed Sailor Senshi... AND THREE STONES!" She swung the Silence Glaive in a circle around her and destroyed some boxes. "They'll pay... I'll make sure of that." -**- To be continued in Episode 7...