Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. All references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
Across The Millennia
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part Seven: Prism of the Past - Endings
Rating: PG-13
The Moon: a thousand years ago....
The mind numbing fear Serena felt as she lay on the floor, bound and gagged with two menacing looking thugs looming over her was paralyzing. Serena wished she was strong and brave like the Guard, especially the fiery Rei whom she admired, yet she wasn't. She prayed with all her strength for someone to help her and her mother.
Little did Serena know was that her thoughts traveled through the cold hard floor of the catacombs and up into the darkened palace to T'alya who staggered from the fear Serena felt. The power of Serena's thoughts were so overwhelming, she had to lean on Princess Jupiter for support.
"T'alya! What's wrong?" Princess Mars demanded.
"I just felt Serena's thoughts. She is horribly frightened," T'alya replied.
"Can you get a fix on where she is?" Princess Venus asked anxiously.
T'alya concentrated. "Serena's thoughts are jumbled, erratic from her fear, but I sense coldness, darkness, a dank, musty atmosphere. Does that mean anything?"
Jupiter nodded. "You bet it does! She's in the catacombs!"
"And that's where we're going! C'mon!" said Mars.
Princess Mercury felt like she was being cooked alive.
Lying on the floor of the generator room, the blue haired Guardian was helpless as the flame creature called Helion approached her. Mercury tried to move, but the terrible heat he generated sapped away her strength.
"It is a pity you have to die. But I am under orders to make sure this place stays in the dark until our mission is complete," said the fire creature.
"Mission? What....mission?" Mercury asked in a croak.
"I cannot say. All you need to know is that you are about to die."
"Not today, creature. Not ever," came a voice from behind him.
Helion whirled around and scowled at seeing Ambassador T'Lar standing in the doorway. Garbed in a skin tight, black bodysuit which she wore under her ceremonial robes, the Vulcan stateswoman, wearing a gas mask that covered her face glared at the creature.
"Another victim to feel the fires of my wrath," growled Helion.
"You are sadly mistaken. Princess Mercury, hold your breath. Activate."
Before Helion could act, strong jets of thick, white mist from nozzles in the ceiling quickly filled the large room. Mercury, knowing what the mist was took a deep breath while Helion coughed and gagged from the fire retardant.
"Ventilate," said T'Lar.
Air vents opened in the floor and powerful vacuums sucked the mist out of the room, leaving Helion, in his human form dazed and shocked on the floor.
"No! This cannot be! I deactivated the firefighting system!" he cried.
T'Lar quickly crossed the floor and snapkicked Helion on the jaw, rendering him unconscious. "Yes. But I reactivated it," she said coldly.
The Vulcan diplomat knelt down beside Mercury. "Are you well?"
Mercury nodded. She still felt weak, but was alive, and that was the important thing. "I think so. Ambassador? What are you doing here?"
"Making myself useful. Before I became a diplomat, I taught engineering at the Vulcan Science Academy. I decided to assist you in restoring the power," T'Lar explained. "Ambassador Kronin and Lady Hectare are in the control room nearby. When we saw you menaced by the fire creature, we reactivated the fire suppression system. Is he one of the kidnappers?"
"Yes, he's part of the plot," said Mercury, suddenly feeling very worried. "Ambassador, can you restore the power alone? I have to find the others."
T'Lar nodded. "By all means, go ahead. This should not take long."
Mercury sprinted out of the room. T'Lar took a moment to put a mental block on Helion's mind to keep him from regaining consciousness, then she stared at the generators. While it was illogical to feel the way she did, the Vulcan stateswoman was actually looking forward to getting her hands dirty.
The massive fists of the stone monster called Yahr smashed down on the ground, releasing powerful tremors that scattered Prince Darien, Haruka Ten'oh and Michiru Kai'oh like tenpins.
Darien was first to regain his footing and, drawing his broadsword charged the creature. With lightning swiftness, he swung his weapon in a wide arc, cleaving the monster's left arm off at the shoulder. Haruka and Michiru, seeing what Darien had done were amazed.
"Incredible! Didn't think he could do that," said the mannish looking blonde from Uranus. "There's lots more to cape boy than I thought."
"Well, Prince Darien is Earth's most powerful warrior," the blue haired beauty from Neptune pointed out. "Even if he is a man."
Darien, his face a mask of anger pressed his attack. A second swing relieved the monster of his right arm, then, with a roar of rage, Darien finished the job by bringing the sword down on the creature's head, splitting it in two all the way down to it's waist. With a cry of agony, the beast crumpled to granite colored rubble. Darien, not even breathing hard, glared down at the rubble as Haruka and Michiru approached him.
"Not bad, cape boy," said a smirking Haruka. "You sure made short work of that brute."
"Yes. You were most impressive," said an appreciative Michiru.
Darien wasn't in the mood for compliments. He was worried about Serena. "Let's go. We have to find Serena and her mother," he growled. Without waiting for the girls, he pushed off. The trio had only travelled a few paces when Michiru saw a shadow looming over them. She whirled around and saw the monster, back in one piece and charging at them.
"Move!" Michiru screamed. Darien and Haruka saw the creature barreling at them and dove out of the way as it rumbled past, crashing into a wall. Despite it's great bulk, the monster quickly got back to its feet.
"Our turn!" growled Haruka, her eyes hard and flinty. "This will put you down! Uranus World....SHAKING!"
The tall blonde unleashed an energy blast which streaked towards the monster, smashing into it with tremendous force, literally blowing it apart. Yet, before the shocked eyes of the trio, the monster's shattered pieces quickly reformed, it's mouth twisted into a snarl, it lumbered towards them.
"What in the universe does it take to stop this thing?" a frowning Michiru wondered aloud. "Neptune Deep....SUBMERGE!"
Michiru's water based energy blast hit the stone monster with all the force of a battering ram, blowing a huge hole in it's chest and it crumbled to rubble for a third time, only to reform yet again. The monster slammed a foot on the ground and the shockwaves knocked Darien and the girls off their feet.
"Foolish--worms," the creature growled. "As--long--as--I--am--one--with--the--earth--nothing--can--destroy--me."
The monster, approaching the trio raised it's arms, intending to bring them down on Darien and the girls, too dazed to move.
"Mercury Bubbles....BLAST!"
A thick, freezing mist descended over the entire area, disorienting the monster and giving Darien and the girls the chance they needed to escape where they came face to face with Mercury.
"Thanks for the rescue," said Darien. "How'd you know we were here?"
"Mars told me Serena and the Queen are in the catacombs. They're approaching from the basement, I was heading for the courtyard entrance when I saw you," Mercury explained. "I know how to stop the monster!"
"How?" Michiru asked.
"Physical contact with the ground must give him the ability to reconstruct it's mass," Mercury said. "Get the creature off it's feet with a shockwave and I'll imprison it in an ice block before it can regain it's footing."
"That sounds crazy, kid," Haruka grumbled.
"Have you got any better ideas?" Mercury yelled back angrily.
"Mercury's right! This is our best chance! Let's do it!" said Michiru.
Mercury touched the stud in her right earlobe, activating her VR visor which she trained on the creature as her fog dissipated. "Now!" she shouted.
"Uranus World....SHAKING!"
"Neptune Deep....SUBMERGE!"
The two girls aimed their energy blasts at the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that hit the unsuspecting monster hard before it could steady itself. Time seemed to stand still as Mercury waited for just the right moment to unleash her power. When that moment arrived and the tremors knocked the monster off it's massive feet, she quickly acted.
"Shine Aqua....ILLUSION!"
It took only an instant for Mercury to encase the monster in a huge, solid block of ice, it's feet a mere four inches off the ground. It's face was locked in an expression of surprise.
"I'll be damned! You did it!" cried Haruka, playfully ruffling Mercury's hair. "You've got a real brain under those blue bangs!"
"Enough talk! Let's get going and rescue Serena!" ordered Darien. And the foursome rushed off.
Deep in the catacombs, Moloch and Geyenne felt a sudden and familiar pressure on their brains.
Be prepared. The Guard knows where you are, and I've lost contact with Yahr and Helion, said the voice of their leader in their minds. I'll join you shortly, but you must keep those females at bay until I arrive. Then we can take the prisoners to our Queen. Do you understand?
Moloch and Geyenne, not wanting to give away anything just nodded. They then tumed to face Serena and the Queen.
"It won't be long now. Soon, you'll be on your way to hell," said a cruelly grinning Moloch.
"After you, scum!" a voice growled from behind. Moloch and Geyenne whirled around and found themselves facing the Guardians and T'alya. Mars was beside herself from rage. Serena, her princess was endangered, and nothing would save the vermin she faced from her fiery wrath.
"Release the Queen and her daughter----NOW!" Mars snarled. "Fight us and I guarantee you death with be the end result!"
"And if the Guard does not destroy you, I will," T'alya hissed, her own anger easily matching Mars'. While Vulcans abhorred violence, especially killing, T'alya was ready, if not eager to punish the villains who threatened Serena.
Moloch sneered. "Bah! We're not afraid of you! Geyenne! Attack!"
Before the startled eyes of the Guardians and T'alya, Moloch transformed into a liquid form and he unleashed torrents of water from his arms which hit the girls with brutal, blockbusting force. Before they could catch their breath, Geyenne's form shifted to that of a cloud like shape and she blasted the stunned defenders with high velocity winds that tore at their bodies like razors. The cloud creature then held it's arms high and the pressure dropped precipitously as everyone clutched at their throats,.
"This is how I subdued everyone earlier, by sucking the oxygen out of the air," said the cloud creature. "But this time, I am going to kill you."
"No you don't!" roared Darien, Mercury, Haruka and Michiru close behind. The prince from Earth hurled his sword at the creature who turned at the sound of the voice and caught the blade in the chest. While the blow didn't hurt Geyenne in her cloud state, her concentration was broken long enough to save the others. Darien and Michiru used the distraction to pull Serena and the Queen out of danger. Moloch, enraged, fired a water blast at the defenders who dodged it, striking the wall instead, causing it to shudder mightily.
"Missed! But I won't!" snarled Haruka, preparing to use her powers.
"Correction! We won't!" said Mars, ready to unleash a fireball.
"No! Don't!" cried a frantic Mercury, stepping in front of Mars and Haruka. "We're over fifty feet below the surface, and these walls are centuries old! A stray blast could bury us under tons of rubble!"
"What this needs is pinpoint accuracy!" growled Venus. "Jupiter! You take the walking fountain! I've got it's partner! Venus Crescent Beam....SMASH!"
Jupiter, a feral look on her face nodded, the antenna shooting up on her tiara. "Jupiter Thunder....CRASH!"
Venus' energy beam hit Geyenne squarely on the chest in the same spot Darien struck her with his sword. But this time, the creature cried out in pain as the incredible heat of the beam seared Geyenne's body, causing her to revert to human form. At the same time, Jupiter summoned lightning which she hurled at Moloch. The impact of electricity striking the creature's watery form was spectacular as sparks flew and the monster screamed from terrible pain.
"Mercury! Freeze them! NOW!" T'alya shouted.
Mercury nodded. "Shine Aqua....ILLUSION!"
Before the creatures could act, Mercury imprisoned them in a solid sheath of ice. The look of horror on their faces as Moloch and Geyenne were encased were frozen in place as they were subdued. For several moments, no one spoke as they stared at the block of ice and the creatures trapped inside it.
"It looks like we won," said Jupiter, cracking a smile.
"I would agree with your assessment," said T'alya. While she didn't let it show on her face, the Vulcan girl was greatly relieved to have helped rescue Serena from the danger she had been in.
Darien was already freeing Serena, then the Queen. "Are you two all right?" he asked worriedly.
"Oh, yes!" cried Serena, throwing her arms around Darien's neck. "Thank God you came! All of you!"
Now it was Mars who smiled broadly, grateful that Serena was unharmed. "It was our pleasure, Princess."
"I must say you've all done well," said Serenity, helped to her feet by Venus. She walked to the ice block and peered at the imprisoned villians. "But who are these creatures? And why did they abduct Serena and I?"
"We don't know, your Majesty. But one thing's for certain, they weren't acting alone," said Michiru in a grim tone. "Haruka, Darien and I battled a third monster in the courtyard while Mercury and Ambassador T'Lar confronted a fourth in the basement."
"We think someone on the inside, someone who knew about the catacombs planned this kidnapping," Haruka growled to the Queen. "You've got a traitor in your court. We'd better get you and the Princess to safety."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," a voice intoned. Everyone whirled around and were stunned to face a smirking Administrator Stefan.
Serenity was horrified. "Stefan? You? You're behind this madness?"
"Stefan nodded. "I am."
"But why? You're my most trusted aide! What made you do this?"
"Something I wanted but could never achieve while you lived, your Majesty....power," said Stefan. "For as long as I've been here, I've yearned for power, dreamed of it, night and day, but you had it all. Power is the only thing I ever wanted in life, but you kept me from it!"
Mars, hearing what Stefan said was shocked. While the words were different, she had said the same thing to Venus about her need for Serena's friendship, and how fate, and T'alya kept her from achieving it. Mars saw in Stefan, the end result of how greed and jealousy could poison a soul.
"But, that has changed. My new ruler has given me what I've craved. Once you and your brat are in her hands, the Moon will be mine!" yelled Stefan.
The Guard, Darien, T'alya, Haruka and Michiru stood between Stefan and the royal family, their faces set and hard.
"Over our dead bodies!" snarled Mars.
Stefan, looking unconcerned, shrugged. T'alya saw that as a sign of impending danger. "If you wish. Dead bodies it is," he said casually.
Before T'alya could shout a warning, Stefan's eyes glowed and the rescuers were driven to their knees screaming in pain and their minds were ruthlessly assaulted. Stefan then waved his arm and the assemblage were whisked off their feet and slammed hard against the far wall, unable to move.
"Telepathy and telekinesis. This is power, Your Majesty. Power that can, and will destroy you," said the traitor.
T'alya, pinned next to Serena had braced her mind for the attack, thanks to techniques learned from her mother. But the effort to block the pain was tremendous. Yet, she managed to reach out and clasp Serena's hand, establishing the telepathic link between them.
Serena. Listen. I have momentarily blocked Stefan's assault. I believe I can stop him, but I will need help. I will need power. Power only your mother can provide through the Imperium Silver Crystal. Do you understand?
Despite the pain, Serena nodded ever so slightly. I do. Mother, please. Help T'alya. She is our only hope. Bless her with the power of the Crystal!
Serenity, feeling the psychic bond with her daughter closed her eyes and concentrated. While Serenity was unable to use the Crescent Moon Wand while in her predicament, she was able to tap into the Imperium Silver Crystal's near infinite power and produced something miraculous.
The crescent moon on Serenity's forehead began to glow as she focused the Crystal's energy on T'alya. Before the shocked eyes of Stefan, the Vulcan girl's body glowed from silvery energy that enveloped her. The power of the Crystal flowed into T'alya, transforming her into something much more than mere mortal. The light was so great, it blinded everyone, including Stefan.
When the light faded, the rescuers were left in heaps on the floor, save for one who stood tall and proud, her body glowing brightly from the energy that infused every cell. T'alya's dress had been replaced by a Guardian uniform, her colors being a violet bow in front and back, a purple skirt with black, knee high, spike heeled boots and a golden tiara with a purple gem in the middle beneath her parted bangs. Everyone gasped at the awesome sight before them.
Stefan was shocked to see the transformed T'alya, still glowing like a sun approach him, a look of sheer hatred on her face. He poured more his power into his onslaught, but she still kept coming.
"No! It can't be! It isn't possible!" the traitor cried.
"You are quite wrong, traitor. It is possible," T'alya snarled, feeling the power she had been given welling up inside her. With each step T'alya took, her resolve to crush Stefan grew. "I am a beacon of logic in a world of madness. I am a champion of order against the forces of chaos. I....AM....VULCAN!"
When she closed to within six feet of Stefan, his mindpower battering her mercilessly, T'alya stopped, crossed her arms over her chest and a gleaming, golden sphere enveloped her. T'alya grinned and it was malevolent as the power sang mightily within her heart. "Vulcan Shockwave....STRIKE!"
T'alya thrust her arms outward and the energy sphere rocketed towards Stefan. The sound of the sphere which caused the floor to ripple as it grew in size before striking the traitor was not unlike a thunderclap, temporarily deafening the others and left their ears ringing as they crumpled to the floor.
Stefan, smashed against the wall from T'alya's energy blast was barely alive. The impact shattered every bone in his body and severed his spine. The traitor could only look on in horror as T'alya, her face still twisted from hate approached him. He knew deep in his heart that death was coming for him.
"Please! Stay back! Don't come near me! Don't kill me!" he cried.
"It is much too late for that, vermin!" T'alya growled, her fists repeatedly clenching and unclenching. Kneeling in front of Stefan, T'alya clutched his head in her hands and stared deep into his eyes where she saw nothing but fear. Stefan, forced to stare at T'alya saw a monstrous hunger to kill.
"Before I terminate your miserable existence, you are going to tell me who your master is," said the Vulcan girl, her voice ice cold and menacing. "Your mind to my mind. Your thoughts to my thoughts. I feel what you feel. I know what you know. Reveal your secrets to me."
Stefan, fought with all his strength to keep from revealing what he knew. The harder he fought, the harder T'alya probed his mind, her telepathic abilities boosted by the power Queen Serenity gave her. As the others watched, the mental battle between he and T'alya raged silently on, Stefan, his face twisted from monstrous pain writhed like a snake but couldn't break free of the Vulcan's iron grip. Finally, Stefan screamed horribly and, a second later, so did T'alya. She released her grip on the traitor, his eyes having gone glassy, lifeless.
A worried Serena was first to reach T'alya who was on her knees, her eyes closed. When she opened them, her face was once again calm and placid.
"Tal? Are you alright?" Serena nervously asked.
T'alya nodded. "I am....well."
Serenity stared quizzically at the Vulcan girl. "When you screamed, we feared the worst. What happened?"
"My attempt to probe Stefan's mind for information on our adversaries met with failure," T'alya replied, her stoic mask in place as she rose to her feet and smoothed her skirt. "The traitor's mind was well shielded. My last burst of mental force to break down his defenses resulted in Stefan suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage. And the shock was nearly fatal to me as well."
"Is he dead?" Mercury asked.
"Worse than dead. His body continues to function, in spite of his injuries, but Stefan's mind is gone. Destroyed. What you see before you is nothing more than mere vegetable matter," T'alya said matter of factly.
Haruka, despite priding herself as being tough shivered slightly from the coldness in T'alya's voice. ''Remind me never to get you angry."
The Guardians were puzzled. "How did you do that?" Venus asked T'alya.
"I used the Imperium Silver Crystal to give T'alya her powers," Serenity replied. "Her telepathic abilities enabled her to withstand Stefan's onslaught. I gave her the push she needed to defeat him."
Serena's eyes were filled with awe as she stared at T'alya and clasped her hand. "Wow. Tal, you look sensational. Love your boots."
"Does this mean T'alya's one of us now?" Mars asked.
Serenity looked at the Vulcan girl. "Well, that's up to her."
"I must admit I had not counted on this. Yet, I am quite comfortable with what I have become," she said, glancing at her uniform. A feeling of great pride filled her heart to be wearing it. She then dropped to one knee and bowed her head before the Queen. "Your Majesty, it would be an honor to become a member of the Guard. You have my word as a Vulcan that I will faithfully use the power you bestowed upon me to help protect you and the princess."
Serenity blushed and placed a hand on the Vulcan girl's shoulder. "Please, stand up. If anything, I should bow to you for saving us all....Guardian T'alya."
The newest member of the Guard rose to her feet. T'alya liked the sound of her title. "Thank you. If I may be so bold, I would like to ask a favor."
"What sort of favor?"
"That you rescind the rule prohibiting fraternization between the princess and the Guard. Such a rule is illogical because of the deep feelings the girls have for Serena, feelings which have caused them great emotional pain because it kept them apart from her. Like the others, I would gladly lay down my life for Serena. All we ask in return is to have her as our friend."
Serenity pondered T'alya's words for several moments before she smiled and gave her answer. "T'alya, your logic is as flawless as your mother's. Very well, the fraternization rule is hereby rescinded."
At the moment Serenity said those words, the girls rushed up to Serena. With tears of joy flowing, they all took turns hugging Serena, finally able to tell their friend just how much they loved her. And Serena happily returned every last bit of affection showered on her. Mars, sobbing like a baby hugged Serena the longest. The Guardian from the Red Planet then turned to T'alya and held out her hand, the Vulcan girl walked up to Mars and took it.
"Thank you....my dear friend," said Mars giving T'alya her warmest, most sincere smile. "You've made my most cherished dream come true."
T'alya, her eyes moist returned Mars' smile. "I am glad to have done so."
"You know, Mich, I gotta tell you, I had fun today," said a smiling Haruka, watching the tender scene. "I can't wait to join this crew."
Michiru shook her head and chuckled. "Only a lunatic like you would call what we just endured fun. Still....this adventure did have it's moments."
It took no time at all for T'alya to acclimate herself as the newest member of the Guard.
Despite misgivings from T'Lar who disliked the notion of her daughter becoming part of a regiment that, when the need called for it, dealt in violence, T'alya took her position as a Guardian very seriously. She trained longer and harder than the others, determined to become the best she could be. In time, T'alya had grown so proficient in her abilities, pairing them with a highly analytical mind that made her an excellent strategist, Mars, greatly impressed with the Vulcan girl graciously gave up her position as team leader to T'alya.
With the elimination of the fraternization rule, something Luna and Artemis strongly argued against, Serena gained four new friends, all of whom she quickly grew to love with all her heart. For Ami, Makoto, Minako and especially Rei, having Serena as their friend enriched their lives beyond measure. Serena and the girls spent many happy hours together, their friendship growing into an unbreakable bond. Rei was the happiest of everyone, being with Serena mellowed her greatly, now that she was finally close to the princess.
As for the criminals responsible for the kidnapping attempt on the Queen and Serena, when T'Lar and T'alya probed their minds for information on their leader, they unwittingly triggered hemorrhages and the criminals instantly went into deep, unbreakable comas. Then there was Stefan, confined to a guarded room in the palace hospital, his body a shattered ruin and his mind destroyed. Yet, despite all odds, the traitorous former aide to Queen Serenity still lived, a mystery to the Moon Kingdom's finest physicians.
In time, Stefan ceased to be a concern when doomsday arrived.
Ironically, the attack occurred during a ball to celebrate Queen Serenity's birthday. Led by Beryl Darkholme, changed by dark forces into an avatar of evil, she brought the dread forces of the Negaverse, along with Prince Darien's four generals, seduced by the darkness into her slaves to the very door of the palace itself. Despite warnings from Luna and Artemis, the assault was swift, sudden and merciless, the Moon Kingdom's standing army was routed by a force ten times it's size and, aided by the generals, using fantastic powers that made short work of the Kingdom's defenders.
By the time the Guard sprang into action, the kingdom had been overrun by Beryl's legions. While the Guard managed to defeat the generals and kept Beryl herself at bay, they were not able to combat the true evil that had come to the Moon. Much to the horror of the populace, not even the power of the Guard could turn the tide of battle as Beryl's mistress, the terrible demon called Metallia, a horrible apparition that literally filled the night sky over the palace ruthlessly attacked the Guard, their powers useless against the demon's monstrous might. Yet, the girls fought with everything they had.
T'alya, alone in the Ambassador's suite after her mother had traveled home to report in person on the alliance between the Moon Kingdom and Vulcan was deep in a meditative trance when the attack began. Snapped out of her stupor by the sound of explosions, T'alya ran to her window and was shocked to see the battle raging below and the demon hovering in the sky above. Just as she was about to morph into her uniform, the entire palace rumbled as if from a massive earthquake and the floor collapsed under her feet.
When T'alya opened her eyes several minutes later, mildly amazed to still be alive after her fall, she found herself in the ruins of the ballroom which was directly below the Ambassador's suite. Fear momentarily gripped her heart as broken and ravaged bodies, her mother's aides among them, lay all around her and smoke hung heavy in the air from raging fires. Rising to her feet, T'alya stilled her fear and with a burst of concentration, her robes altered instantly into her Guardian uniform. She quickly activated her communicator.
"Mars! Mercury! Jupiter! Venus! This is Vulcan! Respond, please! What is your status?"
Nothing. Frowning, T'alya rushed through a hole in the far wall and into the courtyard where she found herself in the middle of a nightmare. For as far as T'alya could see, everything was burning. Fires raged as the dead and the dying littered the blood drenched ground and the smell of death hung heavy in the air. The once elegant and beautiful Moon Kingdom had been reduced to shattered, smoldering wreckage. And, filling the sky above, its visage glowing bright red from the endless sea of flames was the demon. And it was laughing.
T'alya, enraged rushed towards the apparition, intent on fighting it. After covering only a hundred yards, T'alya came across the Guard, or rather, what was left of it. Their bodies, mutilated beyond belief were barely recognizable as human after Metallia butchered them. Tears sprang from T'alya's eyes at the sight of her friends, reduced to lifeless mounds of rended flesh. Fiery Rei. Clever Ami. Bold Makoto. Sweet Minako. The people she cherished most in her life. All dead. The Vulcan girl dropped to her knees, crushed.
"No. Oh, no."
But the worst was yet to come for the Vulcan girl. The sound of an angry shout caused T'alya to look skyward to see a furious Prince Darien, sword in hand leap off a parapet high above the ground and into a crimson beam of light in a futile attempt to battle Metallia. T'alya could only watch as Darien was immobilized by the blood red light while screaming from unimaginable torment, then was stilled. An instant later, T'alya watched in horror as Serena leaped off the very same parapet and into the light.
Suspended in mid-air, Serena screamed from hellish agony as she desperately tried to reach her beloved Darien. But the princess failed to reach him as she succumbed to the pain and died, her hand mere inches away from Darien who was already dead. At the very moment Serena died, T'alya's mind exploded from the endless anguish Serena felt, her screams echoing through the devastated landscape. Even worse than the pain was the sudden and horrible emptiness that filled T'alya's brutalized mind.
The psychic link was dead. She could no longer feel Serena's presence. Her sweet and loving soul that filled the Vulcan girl with such boundless joy was gone. It proved too much for T'alya.
"SERENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"A beautiful sight, is it not?" said a harsh, cruel voice. The heartbroken T'alya whirled around and found herself face to face with a smirking Stefan, no longer crippled and brain dead.
T'alya grew furious. "How is it that you are back among the living?"
Stefan chuckled. "You can thank my mistress, Queen Beryl for that, dear child. She restored my vigor, gave me power. Power to help bring down Serenity's kingdom, and to do....THIS!"
The traitor concentrated and a blast of mental energy hit T'alya squarely in the chest, blowing her off her feet and sending her flying away where she crashed hard to the ground. The Vulcan guardian was barely conscious as Stefan loomed over her.
"My power is greater than ever, you Vulcan bitch. This time, I'm going to destroy you!" the traitor snarled.
"Not likely." T'alya thrust kicked Stefan in the chest and he cried out from pain. Moving quickly, T'alya sprang to her feet and delivered a punch that lifted the traitor several feet off the ground and rendering him senseless when he returned to it. But it was not enough to stop him as Stefan unleashed another mindblast, this time at the ground, sending hundreds of razor sharp stone shards flying at T'alya, shredding both her uniform and her flesh like paper. But T'alya refused to scream, not wanting to give Stefan the satisfaction.
"How does it feel, bitch?" asked Stefan who staggered towards the mangled T'alya who lay sprawled on the ground, bleeding profusely from dozens of terrible wounds. "How does it feel to know that the Moon Kingdom is in ruins, your friends are dead and you are about to join them?"
"After you!" growled T'alya, leaping up to land another powerful blow that staggered Stefan. "Now, to end this insane drama!"
T'alya held her arms high and with a flash of light, a seven foot long silver staff appeared in her hands. Then, at one end of the staff, a bright greenish energy construct, shaped like a scythe blade flared to life. Stefan gasped from horror at what he saw, as the sight before his eyes was death itself.
"Face now my ultimate weapon! Face the power of my Vulcan soul!" T'alya shouted. "Vulcan Deathscythe....DESTROY!"
Before Stefan could cry out, the energy blade from the weapon sliced the traitorous former aide to Queen Serenity in half and the bloody pieces disintegrated in a fine red mist.
Everything was quiet. Breathing heavily, ignoring the great pain of her injuries, T'alya stared up at Serena and Darien, their lifeless bodies floating in the crimson light. Tears coursed down T'alya's cheeks in streams as she realized the severity of her incompetence. She failed Serena, the girl T'alya loved with all her heart. She failed her friends, her fellow Guardians who trusted her with their lives. She failed her mother who had been proud of her accomplishments, both as a Guardian and a Vulcan. She failed her race whose lineage of logic she abandoned in favor of emotion. And, she failed herself for having come to this sad fate. The guilt wracked T'alya's soul and tormented her mind. Suddenly, life had no meaning, no purpose for her. Existence itself had become....illogical.
"Serena. My princess. My friend. I am sorry," she whispered.
Scanning the ground, T'alya spied a broken stone spire, well over a foot long from a shattered statue laying nearby. Dropping to her knees, T'alya picked up the spire, carefully examined it's needle sharp point then nodded, concluding it would suit her needs. Now possessed by a deadly calm, T'alya pressed the point of the spire lightly against her heart. She then stared up at Serena again.
"Please, wait for me, Serena. I am coming to join you," she said.
T'alya closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then plunged the spire into her chest with such force, the point came out her back. There was a brief moment of monstrous, all-consuming pain unlike anything T'alya ever felt before as she slumped to the cold, hard ground. With greenish blood pouring from her chest, the pain slowly vanished and T'alya felt a pleasant, wonderfully soothing warmth wash over her ravaged body.
The daughter of Vulcan knew that death was only moments away, but she was fully at peace and wasn't afraid. If anything, T'alya was happy and looked forward to oblivion, for soon, she would be reunited with her beloved Serena. In the end, that was all she cared about. The thought of that made T'alya smile as her eyes closed for the final time....
Next: School Of Hard Knocks