[ ] Act 21 - Nemesis / Secret Maneuvering Originally appeared in Nakayoshi, December 1993. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.1, 7.96. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "After Chibi-Usa... Tuxedo Kamen... went into the space-time storm...!" Usagi stares ahead blankly. "I'm going after him! I'm going into the space-time storm too!" "Sailor Moon!?" Pluto says. "No! It's too dangerous! You can't even tell where you're going!" "If he went, I'm following him! I'm going to get him back! Mamo-chan!" "We don't know where he went, or how far he's gotten," Pluto says. "Dark holes in time and space can open up anywhere. It's impossible to find anything in this storm!" "I'm going, Pluto." The wind blows heavily. "No matter how far you go," says Ami, "it looks like everywhere's the same." She looks forward at a wave in the distance. "Where does this way lead?" "I don't know," says Pluto. "Nobody's gone through there before. It's not allowed. It goes deep into space-time. From here, it's much darker, and the storm is stronger. It supposedly sucks in everything, and makes it vanish. Here, if you want to know the point you're at, you must have a space-time key. Without one, in this place beyond the flow of time, you'll be left to wander aimlessly forever... That shockwave, and storm... I feel Small Lady may have run into something. It pulled her along somewhere..." "Well," says Minako. "That must be where Tuxedo Kamen went!" "Then they're not together..." says Usagi. "No," says Rei. "He has a strong sense of responsibility. He keeps his promises. He's definitely with Chibi-Usa." "Usagi," says Makoto. "Do you know why Chibi-Usa's so important to him? It's because Chibi-Usa is his child with you. That's what he's thinking about. He went after her because we're with you. That child of yours is so important to him. He's doing everything he can to protect her." "I know..." Usagi says. "If only he thought of me like that... I want to be with him... Why is this happening? Finally... I thought I could finally be with him... But we've been torn apart again..." A swirl appears in the air. "What..." says Pluto. "I'm getting some reaction. Who's there!?" In a flash of light, a black ball appears. "Luna-P!?" Static fills its eyes, and it beeps erratically. Pluto picks it up. "It's broken." "Chibi-Usa must have sent it here," says Ami. "She takes Luna-P with her everywhere," says Pluto. "What's happened? Small Lady!? Where are you!?" Usagi suddenly loses consciousness and falls over. "Usagi!?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diamaund and Safir lie on the ground in total darkness. Diamaund sits up. "Where am I?" "Uhh..." moans Safir. "Brother..." "Safir!?" Safir looks around and sees that they're in a black cavern, with rocky walls. "Oh no... The underground prison?" He hears a voice. "This is at the foot of the Evil Black Crystal's reactor. It was dangerous above ground, so you were brought here." The woman with two pointed balls of hair appears in the shadows in a black dress. "The reactor was beginning to meltdown." "It what?" "The power of the Mystical Silver Crystal triggered it, speeding up the fusion reactions. So with the crystal, and the recent explosion, fires started on the planet's surface with the fusion reactions. Unbelievable energy was released. It's because of you, Safir. You were using the reactor to get the power of the Evil Black Crystal, and that brought about the reactions. The planet grew. Now, this planet Nemesis is matchless." Diamaund looks at her forehead. "The Black Moon mark... Who are you?" She smiles. "The Wiseman will tell you. Come, follow me." The woman leads them ahead, soaring through the darkness. "Are we falling inside Nemesis?" Safir asks. "The core is the heart of the fusion reactions, where it's dark, cold, and quiet. Twisted space created by the negative power of the Evil Black Crystal. The end of space-time, from which the Wiseman rules." They approach a glowing dark crystalline structure. "That will be your new castle, the Wiseman's Dark Castle." "The Wiseman's castle..." thinks Diamaund. "Has he always been appearing from this twisted space...?" He looks at the woman, who resembles the queen. "She looks like..." "Just who are you?" he asks. They set down on the ground. The Wiseman sits before them. "Welcome to our castle," he says. "You've been hiding this place from us, Wiseman," says Diamaund. "Prince Diamaund, Safir, have you been introduced to my pretty Rabbit?" "The Rabbit!?" Diamaund thinks. "It can't be! That's the Rabbit!?" "But how!?" he stammers. "That body...!" "Pardon me," the woman says. "The Wiseman's will is absolute. This form has the true will. So instead of being misled, you can follow the right path. You should know that. Have you forgotten?" "So... The Wiseman has been somewhere else... Wiseman! Who are you!? Show me your true form! What on earth are you planning to do!?" The Wiseman's eyes glow from under his hood. Light shines out from his body, filling the room. Waves surround Diamaund and Safir. "My will is absolute," he says. "You will do as I say. Carry out my intentions." "Yes, Wiseman," they say. "We will carry out your intentions." The Rabbit holds out a black earring. "Take this stronger earring of the Evil Black Crystal, a mark of your sworn loyalty to Nemesis, a symbol of the power of the Evil Black Crystal." A crystal floats in the Wiseman's hand. "The Mystical Silver Crystal. With the Rabbit, I have finally gotten it. But why isn't it sending out light? Where is the power it showed before!?" "If you aren't Neo-Queen Selenity," the Rabbit says, "you can't use it. That crystal belongs to the queen." "I see," says the Wiseman. "But the power from before... was from the crystal carried by the Sailor Moon of the past. In which case, we will have to get Neo-Queen Selenity and Sailor Moon. We will get the two Mystical Silver Crystals of the future and the past! You should be able to do that easily." "I will, Wiseman," says the Rabbit. She brings his hand to her face. "I will present the two crystals to you immediately. A simple task." Diamaund crosses his arms. "Neo-Queen Selenity's castle is not easily penetrated. Besides, we don't even know if the crystal the Rabbit brought is the real thing. You trust her rather easily, Wiseman." The woman looks angrily at him. "You'll see when I capture Neo-Queen Selenity. I've put another Evil Black Crystal monolith into the planet Earth. That will make the queen herself appear, and she will kneel before me." "If you do that," says Safir, "the planet will be destroyed." "It doesn't matter, if we get the two Mystical Silver Crystals, and the bodies of the queen and Sailor Moon. I already have what I want." She gestures to the man in a tuxedo beside her. "The man I love, Endymion." She hugs him tightly. "Prince Diamaund, Safir, with that earring, you can transport freely. Prepare for the attack on Earth!" "Look, Safir!" says Diamaund. He looks up in the sky. "Nemesis is glowing so brightly... It's such a huge planet." The Rabbit stares into Endymion's black eyes. "I have you. Finally. Nobody can come between us. You'll be mine forever." She reaches up and kisses him deeply. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two people appear in the distance. A man with short, dark hair embraces a woman with two ponytails flowing from pointed balls of hair. "Mamo-chan?" The woman looks back. "Chibi-Usa?" Usagi stares ahead. "Darkness everywhere... Where is that?" She sees the four girls leaning over her. "Everyone?" Usagi's mom walks into the room. "You're awake?" she asks. "Are you all right? I heard you were exercising, and fell from the horizontal bar. Did you get a concussion?" Usagi jumps out of bed. "Mom!?" "Everyone's here having tea." Usagi looks around. "This is... my room," she thinks. The Luna-P ball lies on the floor. She picks it up and tosses it into the air. "Luna-P!?" "Lady..." it says. "Lady..." "We had the king fix it," says Luna. "We used Luna-P to erase your mom's memory. Usagi-chan, you overused your power, and you collapsed. Remember? Once we returned from the future, we came back here." "You glad to be home?" Rei asks. "Usagi, you were snoring," says Makoto. "I was not!" "You were, you were! We had to hold your nose." Chibi-Usa runs into the room. "Hey! You're all here to play!" Usagi pauses. "Usagi?" "I... I can hardly believe this... We're all back together again. I'm so happy!" She smiles sadly. "I'm happy, but that's selfish... Without Chibi-Usa here... this house is so empty..." "Usagi! Usagi! Hey! I brought Luna-P to school! Everyone wanted it! Hehe!" "Oh, you're hopeless," says Minako. "We're all trying to cheer you up." "You're starting to talk like a mother, Usagi," says Makoto. "I will find those two somehow," says Usagi, "and get them back safely. Just like all of you, they're so precious to me. I want to borrow your strength." "You've become strong, Usagi-chan," thinks Luna. - Shingo enters the house. "Mom?" he says. "What are you staring at, just standing there in a daze?" "Oh, Shingo," she says. "It's Usagi... Suddenly, she looks beautiful somehow... I was a bit startled." "That brat Usagi, beautiful!? There must be some mistake!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- King Endymion approaches the center of the Crystal Palace, and the frozen queen. "Selenity... Bring peace here. Please. Our daughter... Small Lady was... You saved Sailor Moon with your power. I felt your effect on her. She couldn't use it in the future. The past Sailor Moon's Mystical Silver Crystal. Was it you that released its power? Selenity... Haven't you waken up!? I need your strength. As this spirit, I can't do anything. This planet keeps decaying. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were captured... And then our daughter... Selenity, why can't you bring us peace?" "You're still obsessing about what happened, King." He looks down and sees the small gray cat. "Diana...?" "If we're ever really in a crisis," she says, "the queen will surely come to save us, just like she helped Sailor Moon. Right now, the queen's injured body is being healed by the Mystical Silver Crystal. She's storing her power for when that time comes. That the queen hasn't awakened is a sign that she's really okay. Pluto is worried for you. Cheer up." "Pluto?" "Diana," Pluto says. "Soon the day when the small princess becomes your master will arrive. No matter what, you must give her your protection. Small Lady is important to me. She's our only princess. I want to do everything I can to protect her. I want to give her my love." "We'll rescue Small Lady safely for sure," says Diana. "Then we'll restore this planet to its former state, a planet of peace." King Endymion scratches her chin. "Thanks, Diana." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Usagi waves as the others leave her house. Rei looks into the sky. "The red glow of the sunset..." she says. "Like blood..." Usagi stares at the sun. "Mamo-chan... Chibi-Usa...! I hope you're safe..." A key falls to the ground. "The space-time key..." A bright burst of light flashes. The space around Usagi distorts. "What's going on!?" she says. Buildings in the distance waver. The street moves under her feet. She holds her shoulders. "My body's being ripped apart!" She falls down. "Are you all right!?" the others call. "What's happening!?" The key glows. She picks it up. "Usagi!!" "The space-time key..." she thinks. "Is it Pluto calling? Oh no! Is there some emergency in the future!?" She raises her arm into the air. "Moon Crystal Power!" "Venus Star Power!" "Mercury Star Power!" "Mars Star Power!" "Jupiter Star Power!" "Make Up!!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Pluto!" Usagi calls. "Sailor Moon!" "What happened? There was a shock all the way in our dimension." "Sailor Moon," Pluto says. "It's serious..." The wooden space-time door slowly opens, revealing the landscape of the future Earth. Usagi gasps as she sees a pair of black monoliths in the wasted planet's surface. "There's... a second Evil Black Crystal!? The Black Moon struck again!?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Rabbit enters the shining Crystal Palace. She approaches the queen. "Queen," she says. "Neo-Queen Selenity. Wake up. It's me." King Endymion rushes into the room. "Who's there!?" She turns and looks at him. He gasps as he sees her face. "It's me," she says. "Your daughter. Usagi Small-Lady Selenity." "Small Lady...!? It can't be...! But... Only those of the Silver Millennium can enter the Crystal Palace... But that body!" "I grew." A silver crystal hangs from a chain in her hand. She holds her hand to his face. The Luna-P ball beeps in alarm. Usagi runs into the palace. "King!" She stops abruptly. "Who are you?" She remembers the woman in the darkness with Mamoru. "You're..." "Have you forgotten me?" the Rabbit asks. She grabs Usagi's arm and reaches for the brooch on her chest. The crystal case holding the queen glows brightly. The Rabbit quickly fades out of the room. She reappears and falls to the ground. "You can't keep me out of here," she says. "I do have the ability to enter this palace. You treat we like an invader, trying to remove me from this place." "Small Lady...!?" She stands up. "Once that name suited my appearance. But, I'm no longer the little one of before. Wiseman." The Wiseman appears behind her. "I am the queen of darkness, Black Lady. I was chosen by the ruler of darkness, the Wiseman. I have been reborn as the queen of Nemesis, the planet of darkness." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1993 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1996 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sailor Moon Translations | Sailor Moon Volume 6