Chapter Text
Two figures stood atop the fortress's parapet, overlooking a desolate battlefield, fires slowly dying down. The princess gazed mournfully across the wasteland, at the soldiers searching for other survivors among the dead. The ragtag allied forces under her command had won the day, but it had been a costly victory.
The knight beside her pulled his helmet away, long dark hair tumbling free. “I pray Prince Cerulean’s forces fare better,” he said, leaning on his blood-stained sword. His armor didn't look much better. But his sapphire eyes still shone with relief. “But you are still with us, Your Majesty. And as long as you are, I will fight single-handedly if I must.”
“I know you would, Sir Cobalt,” the princess said. “Your devotion is wasted on me, but I am thankful all the same.” She closed her eyes to the destruction and turned to face him. “I am certain you'll see us through this war. It's what comes after that scares me.”
“Your union with Prince Cerulean? Do you not wish for it?”
“I… He is a fine man. Kind, strong, and wise. To bond our kingdoms would bring prosperity to our people, and I would personally want for little. I would live a comfortable life…”
Cobalt leaned against the wall, arms folded. “And yet…?”
“And yet. It’s not where my heart lies.”
The knight’s face shifted fractionally, and he stood upright again. His hand twitched, longing to reach out to her, but still holding back. “And where does your heart lie?” It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer - he needed to hear her say it.
“Maybe it’s selfish of me,” she continued. “In fact, it certainly is. But there is a part of me that dreads the day this campaign ends. The day you return home with your people, and I never see you again…” Tears dropped to the bricks below. “I can bear this marriage. But I can’t bear to lose you.”
A gauntleted hand came to rest on her shoulder. “Tell me to stay. Say the word, and I’ll never leave your side again.”
In the audience, Usagi sniffled and tried to keep herself from outright bawling. A handful of popcorn helped. In the seat next to her, Makoto was having about as much luck.
The princess brought her hand up and wrapped it around his. The music swelled, rising but shifting in odd directions, growing both more hopeful and more chaotic. The internal struggle was plain to see on her face, but it resolved into determination. Her voice came as a whisper.
“Sir Cobalt… Please stay. I do not know how fate will punish us for this defiance, but I dare not face the future without you.”
He leaned closer, whispering back: “I will wage war against fate itself if I must, Princess.” The music intensified further as he took her other hand in his, leaned in and kissed her.
At this, Usagi couldn't stifle a single sob, but she put a hand over her mouth to muffle it. The other girls didn't seem quite so affected, but Makoto, hopeless romantic that she was, was right there with her.
“I only wish that I had met you sooner.”
***
“Wahh, that was so beautiful!” Usagi cried. She and the rest of the girls had exited the movie theater, and the cats who had snuck in through Usagi and Minako's purses had wriggled out and walked alongside them.
“And speaking of beautiful,” Minako said, “Princess Lilac and Sir Cobalt? Gorgeous, both of them!”
“Right?” Makoto gestured with what remained of her soda. “Lilac especially, what a cutie. Did you catch who her actress was?”
“I’m more impressed with the worldbuilding,” Rei mused. “How do you get all that into two hours and not have it be a boring mess?”
“If only real history was that interesting,” Minako grumbled. “Maybe I wouldn’t be tempted to fall asleep in that class…”
“You’re not the only one, I bet. Right, Usagi?”
“Huh? O-oh, right, for sure,” Usagi said. She did her best to recover, but it was obvious she was distracted. “I dunno, history isn’t my worst subject.”
“Second only to astronomy, right?” Minako asked with a smirk.
Rei replied: “Mina, be nice.”
“I'm not being mean! It's nice you found something you enjoy, Usagi~”
Usagi huffed. “Seems like we should know about space, right? It's kinda part of our jobs, isn't it?” Was that a decent excuse? She sure hoped so, because it was the one she’d been using for a while. “I do like it though.”
“It's a fascinating subject, isn't it?” Ami chimed in. “Actually, I had some ideas on that, and on the history subject. I-it’s just a pet project idea of course! Right now I’m way too busy preparing for our finals.” Her eyes went wide as she stared off into the distance, reminded of the horrors she had been battling. It was no wonder - these were the finals for their final year of high school, and this was the time for all her years of cram school to prove their worth. The pressure must have been debilitating. “But someday I’d like to try my hand at game design, to make educational games that get that information across in an entertaining way.”
“Educational games, huh?” Makoto asked with no small amount of trepidation. “Well if anyone can pull that off without it being a boring mess, it's you, Ami.”
“Aw, thank you Mako!” She flashed the taller girl a smile.
Out of their earshot and almost out of Usagi’s, Minako muttered something like ‘Will you two hook up already?’
Rei slowed her pace just a little and locked step with Usagi. “You okay? You seem out of it.”
“Maybe I am,” she said with a chuckle and a hand scratching the back of her head. “Getting ready for finals and all, can’t afford to mess this one up…”
“Still very strange seeing you actually putting effort into studying.”
“Hey!” Usagi puffed out her cheeks. “It’s still hard, but I wanna graduate with you girls…”
And… I need to be better. I want to be someone they'd be proud of.
“Doesn’t have to be perfect as long as you slip through, right? But… I get the sense that’s not everything. Have you and Mamoru still been having trouble?”
“Ah… Yeah, a little.” Ever since he returned to life after Galaxia struck him down, things had been… tense. And Usagi was self-aware enough to have an idea why. He had been on the way to university, on his way to secure his dream. And not only had that fate been denied to him, his vengeance against Galaxia had been denied too. With no other outlet, even though he was mature enough not to lash out at her, of course a bitterness would form between them. And it went both ways. And the bitterness at that event had opened the way for plenty of other issues to rise to the surface.
But that wasn't the only thing on her mind, either.
‘I wish I could've met you sooner, Bunhead.’
A sudden wave of vertigo overtook Usagi and her hand darted out to stabilize herself. She missed the nearby wall and felt herself falling, but Rei caught her outstretched arm and pulled her back upright, a hand around her shoulders to keep her steady.
“Usagi!” she said. “Are you all right?”
“Y-yeah,” she said, straightening back up. “Dizzy all of a sudden. Maybe I need something to drink…”
“You too?” Makoto asked. She looked up to see the taller girl leaning against the wall. “Was there a little earthquake or something?”
“I didn't feel anything,” Minako said. “Rei, did you?”
“No, nothing.”
“That was no earthquake,” Luna chimed in. “I felt it; that was a shift in energy!”
Artemis hopped up onto Minako's shoulders. “You too, Luna? I didn't feel it. You're sure?”
“Positive. Ami, can you-”
“Already on it,” she said, her visor snapping over her eyes. “I had vertigo for a moment too… Ah! There! I'm picking up a massive energy spike just outside the shopping district. It's- wait… Not one, two of them, close together!”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Luna cautioned. “Girls, you'd better transform!”
Usagi sighed but retrieved her brooch from her purse. She hadn't actually worn it in a while; there hadn't been a need. It had taken time and patience, but with the Silver Crystal’s power she had been able to repair it, even with it being as thoroughly shattered as Galaxia had left it. She hadn't been able to transform until the work was done, but since Galaxia's defeat the only threats that had emerged were very small scale; lone monsters from other worlds or vengeful youkai. Nothing a few guardians by themselves couldn't handle.
She popped the brooch open briefly. In the compartment in the bottom, safe and sound, was the Legendary Silver Crystal. That little stone that had both thrust her into a life of danger, and protected her from it time and time again. A symbol of a grand life lived in the distant past, and a grand life awaiting in the distant future… whether she was ready for it or not. And the top half was a mirror, reflecting neither the past nor the future, only the present. With the peace they had enjoyed for some time, with Usagi finally being allowed to rest both her body and mind and not constantly fight for her life… Well, she had put on a little weight. Just a little. But she looked good with some softness to her features, and she had earned those snacks after all they had gone through. There was a time she would have been in distress over her figure, but that time was long past.
Usagi snapped the brooch shut again. She hoped they could quickly dispatch this threat and move on with their lives. But something told her that it wouldn’t be so easy this time.
“Moon Eternal, Make Up!”
***
The source of the disturbance wasn’t hard to find, and they weren’t the only ones who had found it. A crowd had gathered around a central street crossing, gawking at something in the middle of the road, and the Sailor Guardians pushed through the throng to the front. Standing there were two humanoid figures, clad in strange armor like knights from another world. One was a good deal taller and bulkier than the other. They were frozen in a strange stance, like they were welcoming destruction - perhaps literally frozen, as a pale blue crystal crust clung to their bodies, slowly dissolving into the air. And as it dissolved, the figures underneath began to grow more distinct…
“Everyone, please move away!” Minako advised the civilian crowd. “We can’t be sure if these two are hostile!”
“Leave it to us,” Makoto added, slamming a fist into her palm. “If they want trouble, they can get it from us, not you.”
Around the crossing the people murmured and began to disperse anxiously, but many were unsure and lingered. Usagi stepped forward cautiously, her Eternal Tiare at the ready. Rei was right behind her, hands preemptively curled into a finger gun.
“Be careful, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars,” Ami cautioned. “Their energy is rising as the crystals are coming off…”
Usagi extended a tentative hand to brush against the shoulder of the larger knight. But before she made contact, the figure’s neck twisted, crystal cracking from the movement, eyes full of hate beyond the helmet’s visor.
“Wah!” Usagi stumbled back, and the knight’s gaze followed her.
“So,” a deep masculine voice echoed from under the helmet, “You've cheated us again?”
“Cheated you?” Rei asked. Her hands raised in preparation. “Pretty sure we’ve never met you, buddy.”
The knight’s head tilted, and he shifted his upper body to shake loose more of the crystal around him. “Is that right? Loren! Where are the others?”
The other knight shifted out of her dramatic pose, head tilted up in thought. After a moment, a snarky feminine voice drifted from her: “Nowhere nearby, that’s for sure. I’ve got a signal, but it’s not even in this solar system. Where the hell…? Hey!” Ami jumped in surprise, mid-scan herself. “Don’t trace my scan! How rude.”
“They must have been lured away,” the male knight mused. “The guardians divided us before they did this. But…” his gaze trailed over each of the guardians, and beneath his helmet grew a wicked smile. “These ones know nothing of that.”
“Says you!” Usagi said. “We know exactly who you are and why you're here! R-right girls?”
“Hollow bluffing,” the female knight accurately surmised. “Gnomon, let's kill them. Save everyone the trouble later.”
“Agreed,” he growled. “Their blood will be the red carpet for Queen Eternity!”
The female knight chuckled and shook off some more of the crystal dust. “Just don't forget to take Serenity alive, yeah?”
Usagi’s heart skipped a beat. Serenity? How did these two know her by that name?
“Just try it, assholes,” Rei taunted, stepping partly between Usagi and the knights. “Whoever you are, if you want a fight, we'll give you one!” The other guardians took their places near Usagi, ready to jump into the brewing conflict and protect her. Usagi steeled her resolve and tightened her grip on her Tiare. The people remaining in the area around them, so far still gawking at the confrontation, started scrambling for cover.
The larger knight smirked and flexed his muscles, sending all the remaining icy crystal exploding off of him. Bronze armor gleamed underneath, with a tall fin-like arc rising from the middle of his helmet. “I am Gnomon, the Sundial Knight!”
The other did a spin to shake loose the dust clinging to her; without it obscuring her, Usagi could see that not just her armor but her whole midsection was transparent, with flowing golden sand trapped within her body. “And I am Loren, the Hourglass Knight!”
“What are you trying to do, steal our intro?” Usagi countered. “I won't forgive you for that! Or for whatever you're planning! We are the Sailor Guardians, and in the name of the moon-”
The team finished in unison, striking a pose: “We'll punish you!”
A heartbeat passed, then two. Then Gnomon pounced. The road cracked underfoot as he launched himself at them, and it absolutely shattered where his fist came down, right where Usagi had been standing a moment ago. She and the others leaped back, and the remaining civilians, realizing that this was very real and very dangerous, let out panicked cries and ran for safety.
Usagi landed on her feet, Tiare twirling in an outstretched hand. “Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!” Energy rushed forward in waves, kicking up debris as they closed in on their target, but Gnomon slammed a foot into the ground, and a wall of concrete rubble erupted from the ground, shattering under the impact of the attack but sending the energy spiraling off into the air. And in the shockwave of the attack connecting, the knight leaped into the air and bore down on Usagi.
His fist collided with the ground again, and he rose with a leg sweep and came in swinging at her. Usagi backpedaled, twisting and dodging out of the way of each punch, but she could feel the wind brush past her face closer and closer each time. And it wasn’t long before her foot caught on something and she stumbled back. Gnomon’s attack went wide as she fell away from it, but there was no chance of her dodging the next one.
But before he could make his next swing, Makoto shoulder tackled him from the side, wincing a bit from slamming into that mass of metal and muscle, but her strength was enough to knock him away from Usagi.
“Oak Evolution!” she barked. Her arm lunged and energy bullets lanced through the air, light gleaming off of his armor. He made an expression somewhere between a smirk and a grimace and his hands moved almost faster than the eye could follow, knocking most of the attacks out of the air and sending them colliding with the ground or flying off into the sky. A few connected, but he seemed unfazed. And before the barrage was even finished, he lunged forward with a fist cocked back.
Makoto crossed her arms in an X and blocked his attack, and while anyone else’s knees would have buckled under the impact, she stayed standing. With a grunt of exertion, she pushed his hand aside, dove in low and delivered a solid punch right to his gut. He stumbled, but a counter-punch came soon after, connecting with Makoto’s jaw and sending her reeling. She almost lost her footing, but a hand went up and popped her jaw the other direction. “That how it’s gonna be?” she snarled, before charging back in, lightning at her fists. She and the knight traded blows back and forth, but while she was getting hits in, they just didn’t seem to be pressuring him.
“Venus Love Me Chain!” came Minako’s voice, and before Gnomon could react the attack had wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his torso. Makoto hopped back, readying another attack, while Minako dug her heels in and pulled on the chain hard, hoping to keep the knight off-balance.
But the effort was wasted. With a wicked grin, Gnomon dug his own feet in and spun, and Minako was dragged through the air. The chain clotheslined Makoto and sent her sprawling, and Minako was forced to dispel the chain, sending her hurtling through the air. But before she could collide with anything solid, a pillar of water rose to cushion her. She tumbled through it but it slowed her momentum enough for her to land safely.
Ami hurried to her side, letting the water disperse. “Are you all right?”
“Just ticked,” she said, wringing out her hair. She shook herself loose to regain her balance, then charged back at Gnomon. “Crescent Beam Shower!”
Ami turned her attention back to the other knight, whose fighting style was significantly flashier. She hovered a good six feet off of the ground, suspended by a pillar of golden sand. Tendrils rose from the pillar, the sand constantly flowing to maintain its shape, and darted forward in quick stabs aimed at Ami and Rei.
“Flame Sniper!” Rei shouted as she skidded to a stop, fire erupting from her hands and splashing against the sand, drilling partway through as she kept up the effort. The grains crystalized into glass under the heat, but the Hourglass Knight whipped the tendrils outward and sent the hunk of glass careening towards her, shattering on the pavement.
“Good try,” Loren taunted, “but you'll have to do better than that!”
Rei tried to reposition, but another pillar of sand jutted out of the ground from under her, sending her tumbling into the air. She managed to right herself midair, taking aim at the smaller tendrils rushing to meet her. “Burning Mandala!” she shouted, jets of flame rushing to meet the approaching sand. Her attacks cut through, and misshapen lumps of glass tumbled through the air. And, seizing the momentum as she began to fall, Rei snatched one of the glass shapes and bore down on the knight in a brutal swing.
“Sloppy!” she shouted, more sand arms rushing in. Rei batted aside the first and second, but the third knocked her makeshift weapon aside, and the fourth tore it from her hands. And the fifth slammed into her and sent her sprawling to the ground.
“Sailor Mars!” Ami exclaimed. As the knight’s attack bore down, she took a ready stance. “Aqua Rhapsody!”
The water rushed against a wall of sand, slowing its momentum to a crawl and leaving it to drop to the ground in muddy clumps. Ami seemed to be having more luck with this strategy than Rei was with turning it to glass, but smaller tendrils began rising from the sides of the muddy section. Was there no limit to how much sand she could generate?
But before Loren could strike, something flew in through an opening in her defenses and struck her helmet. Her head jerked to the side, and her expression soured. “Ugh, with this guy again.”
A familiar figure stood perched atop a nearby street lamp, arm still outstretched from tossing his signature rose. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” Mamoru said.
“That’s okay,” Loren countered, turning her attention to him. “You were pretty forgettable, too.”
“I’ll give you something to remember, then!”
He leaped from his perch, pulling forth his cane and slicing through the tendril whipping towards him. Usagi, from where she watched from the other side of the plaza, gripped her Tiare tighter in determination. Despite herself… seeing him rush to their aid still gave her courage. Seeing him still jump into the fight without hesitation, despite now being rather underpowered compared to the girls, still gave her heart that little flutter that made her fall for him in the first place.
Though it was becoming less common for him to jump to her aid, specifically.
She didn’t have much time to dwell on it. The Sundial Knight was bearing down upon her again. A fist came swinging, but she dodged out of the way, letting him rush past like a charging bull. She managed to fire off an attack that burst against his back, and while he flinched, it didn’t seem to slow him down. He turned, a grin on his face. One leg rose into the air and slammed into the ground, and the very pavement underfoot cracked under the pressure. Like a seesaw, the ground under Usagi’s feet jerked upward and sent her flying skyward. Vertigo took hold immediately, but she managed to right herself in time to see the knight leaping into the air after her.
“Rainbow Moon Heartache!” she called, and this time the attack connected. He was sent slamming back into the ground, but the detonation of energy only threw her higher. Now she was definitely at a height where the fall would hurt. Her eyes widened and chest started to tighten, but something else tightened around her and yanked her back down. Before she knew what was happening, she was safely back at ground level with Minako’s arm around her to keep her steady.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Thanks, Sailor Venus.” She shook her head free of the dizziness and set her attention back on her opponent, who was dusting the concrete rubble off of his armor.
“That’s enough toying with my food, I think,” he growled, raising a hand halfway in the air. The fingers were curled as if grasping at something, and an eerie blue energy clung to it. And when he jerked his arm all the way upward, the energy pulled something forth from the ground… something that chilled the blood in Usagi’s body. A pillar of icy crystal.
Distorted through the transparent stone, the knight’s grin turned wicked and wild. A bright blue light pulsed in the center of the mass and quickly grew brighter, and Usagi’s skin was riddled with goosebumps.
“Watch out!” Makoto called, snapping Usagi out of her terror. “It’s gonna-”
Too late. With a flash of light and a deafening crash, the crystal burst, scattering shards and energy throughout the clearing.
But someone bounded between the girls and the blast, planting their feet into the ruined concrete and thrusting out an arm, splitting the blast of energy to either side and shielding the guardians from harm.
Usagi hadn’t had a chance to catch her breath from the sight of the crystal before it was stolen again by the person protecting her from it. The light was too bright to make out more than a silhouette, but the tall boots, the long gloves, the exposed midriff and ponytail flowing behind her…
“Fighter…?” she breathed.
The explosion petered off, the crystal’s stores of energy depleted, and the light faded. The newcomer stood among the wreckage and shards of crystal now jutting from the ground. Usagi’s surprise turned to confusion; this new person was definitely wearing a Starlight fuku, the same style Seiya and the others wore, but it wasn’t identical. The figure wearing it seemed somewhat younger, and the cut of the uniform reflected that, covering her body a bit more. She was shorter, her frame a bit narrower than how she remembered the leader of the Kinmokian guardians. And most prominently, while her hair was a similar style, it wasn’t black, but a soft pink.
“Who…?” Gnomon started. For the first time since he had arrived, he sounded unsure. “You weren’t here last time. Who are you?”
“Shut up,” she said, the cold response somewhat dulled by her young voice. Although she probably wasn’t much younger than Usagi had been when she started. Her outstretched hand gripped her weapon tighter: a Sailor Star Yell much like Seiya’s, but gold instead of silver.
“Hmph. Have it your way! One more guardian hardly makes a difference!” He clenched a fist and more icy blue crystal jutted forth. With a roar, he came in swinging at the newcomer.
“Star Redemption Blaster!” she shouted. From her Yell, a flurry of silver lights erupted and spun through the air before seeking their targets and detonating, giving off a wave of energy even Usagi could feel. Most focused on Gnomon, but a few flew past him, cutting through Loren’s sand barriers and blasting her from her perch. With a yelp, she regained her balance and flew over to her companion’s side.
"The hell is this brat?” she spat. Her sand tendrils were back at the ready.
“So that’s how it is,” Gnomon mused, getting up from where he had been knocked to the ground. “It was you who did this.” He cracked his neck like he was going to jump back into the fight, but turned away. “Loren! We fall back for now.”
“Seriously? I had those three on the ropes!”
“I don’t doubt it,” he reassured her, “But the circumstances have changed. We shall return to the original plan until Her Majesty arrives. Then these fools will know the weight of their mistakes.” He added this last statement with another murderous grin, before the two disappeared into crystal dust.
“Are they gone…?” Ami asked. She, Rei and Mamoru hurried to join the others, a little worse for wear but not badly wounded.
“I think so,” Mamoru said. “But I don't like the look of these crystals.” Usagi was tempted to agree. The remaining shards were glowing again, and emitting a low, ominous hum. And she had seen ones like them before: in the future city she would come to rule.
“You shouldn't,” the Starlight said. She still hadn't turned to face the others. “Sailor Moon, you'll need to purify them. If they burst, we'll have a lot more problems to deal with.”
“O-okay!" Usagi gulped and raised her Tiare higher. “Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!”
She spread the attack wide, the power settling over the entire plaza. The crystals reacted, their light shifting from blue to gold, then dimming to nothing. The crystals themselves remained where they were, but they were lifeless. Usagi stumbled a little, light-headed from the intensity of the technique, but Mamoru caught her arm and held her steady.
“Are you all right, Sailor Moon?”
She gazed up at him, meeting his eyes behind his mask. “Mmm. Thank you, Tuxedo Mask.” There was that old spark. The fire might have been sputtering a little, but that spark was still there. They would be okay.
The Starlight guardian began walking away.
“Wait!” Usagi objected. She couldn't just let her walk away. She needed answers for any of this.
“Be careful,” Mamoru cautioned, “We don't know if we can trust her.”
“Oh, don't start with that again. She helped us, we're on the same side.” Mamoru bristled, but Usagi hadn't taken her eyes off of their new ally for fear she would disappear. “Who are you?”
She stopped, but still didn’t turn around. She took a moment to consider how to answer, if to answer, but finally responded: “Sailor Star Reclaimer.”
“Reclaimer…” Usagi stepped a little closer. She wanted to see this girl’s face. “Fighter never mentioned another guardian.”
“I’m new,” she replied simply. So much for getting more information that way.
“Can you tell us anything about this enemy?” Luna asked, slinking over to Reclaimer’s side from wherever she had been hiding. Usagi silently thanked her.
Reclaimer lightly sighed. “Not much. Not sure what they let slip, but those two are working for one Queen Eternity. She wants to rule this world, and she needs the Legendary Silver Crystal to do it. You’ve probably heard that one before.”
“Yeah, once or twice,” Rei chimed in. “Is that all you know of them?”
“It’s all I can tell you,” Reclaimer clarified. “But we are on the same side. I’m here to take her down and protect everyone.”
Usagi moved closer still, almost close enough to reach a hand out and touch her shoulder. “Then we should work together!”
“No. It’s… it’s better we don’t.” It sounded like it was hard for her to say that. And finally, she turned around.
Some part of the magic of their Sailor Guardian powers shielded each of their identities, so if there was anything familiar in the face underneath, Usagi couldn’t pick it out. But what stood out most to her were the eyes: instead of the dark, intoxicating sapphires that were Seiya’s eyes, Reclaimer’s were fiery, piercing rubies. And it looked like she had been crying recently.
“Are you okay?” Usagi asked.
Reclaimer looked like she wanted to respond, but ultimately she turned back around and walked away. “Just keep doing what you're doing.”
“Reclaimer, wait!” Usagi called. But she didn't. The smaller guardian leaped into the air, jumping from perch to perch until she reached a rooftop and left Usagi’s line of sight, leaving her with far more questions than answers.