A flashback, to when Usagi learned of the truth... Hecate's truth...
Hecate stood by the door. "I've told you about myself... My sister...
Now, I have another story for you... A story I have told very few..." Hecate murmured, her hands clasped together.
"Another story?"
"Yes... The True story behind the fall of my Mothers Kingdom..." Her voice was low...
"Princess! Please, enough of this playing around! You must
tend to your studies!"
The girl was half in shadow. From what could be seen,
she had her hair up in a bun with a long ponytail and blue eyes.
She sighed, "I am a Princess. I don't have to study!"
Her tutor shook her head. "You want to go to the ball tonight, don't you?' The girl nodded, finally fully visible. She had her golden blond hair up in two buns, with long ponytails, and both of her her bright eyes were blue. Her skin was pale, and she wore a flowing white gown. The girl sighed again.
"Well, if I must study, then let's get it over with."
"That's more like it, Princess..."
"Let's just go, please?" Her tutor smiled, and nodded.
"Of course, Princess Selene."
"How do you think it looks? Is it alright?" Selene asked her
four companions. She spoke of the white and golden gown she wore for
the ball.
"I think it looks wonderful." Said the first. She had short dark blue hair and blue eyes, and wore a pale blue gown.
"You're as beautiful as ever, princess." Said the second girl.
She had long black hair and purplish eyes, and wore a dark red gown.
"I agree with them both. I wish my dress was half as beautiful
as yours, Princess." Said the next wistfully, fingering the material of her
green gown. She had shoulder length wavey brown hair and green eyes,
"Oh, be quiet...." The fourth said as she punched the
brunette playfully on the shoulder. Then, to Selene, she said, "You
look wonderful, Princess." She had waist length blond hair and blue
eyes, and wore a pale orange gown. Selene smiled.
"Thank you... All of you. You are such wonderful friends." Her eyes flashed coldly, "Not that you could say anything else."
The blue haired girl winced, "But why would we, Princess?"
"You are our Princess. We'd never say anything bad about you." The black haired girl said, a small smile on her nervous lips.
"Yes, I am your Princess..." Selene turned away, "Now, on to the Ball..."
"But I..." The regal woman looked down at the speaker.
"I'm sorry..." The woman spoke softly. She had long snowey
white hair, in a style like Selene's, and blue eyes. She wore an
elegant white gown, and their was a golden cresent moon on her
forehead. The girl she spoke too was small and delicate, a child.
Her jet black hair was in two buns, but instead of ponytails, a
veritable waterfall of hair fell behind her to her ankles. She wore a
white gown trimmed with black.
"It's not fair! You love Selene more than ME!" Her voice quivvered, "Because you won't let me have my happiness!" The girl had
tears in her eyes, and she ran from the room. The woman, Queen Selene,
watched her younger daughter go.
"I love you as much as I love your sister... You know that, Hecate. I know you do..."
"This is wonderful!" Selene cried happilly. The four girls from earlier stood with her, as they watched the ball.
"Yes it is, Princess." Replied the blue haired girl, almost as though it were a programmed reaction.
"Oh Princess, look at him..." The brunette pointed towards a man at the other side of the room. He had black hair, and blue eyes, and was very handsome. Selene blushed. **Well, we are bethrothed...**
"That's Prince Endorian of the Earth..." She sighed. **Oh Endorian...**
"Selene! He's coming this way!" The blond squealed. Selene snapped out of her revery.
"Would you car to dance?" He asked, and Selene nodded mutely, a smile on her face. She didn't hear the coldness in his voice... The detatched manner. The two walked off to the dance floor.
Hecate was lying on her bed, crying. The bed looked to large for her small, delicate self. "...Not fair..." She pounded a small fist into the bed. "...It's .... not.... fair!"
"I can make it fair."
"What the...?" Hecate looked around the room. Her eyes fell on a woman, one with long black hair and grey eyes. Upon her forehead was a black sphere, with a sliver of silver at the bottom. An eclipsed moon. "Who are...?" She asked, as she stepped away from the woman.
"I am Lucifera....."
"Queen of the Eclipsed Moon Kingdom..." Hecate whispered, fear trembling in her voice.
"Yes, I am Queen. And I have come..." She smiled, cold, yet beautiful. "For my heir."
The four girls watched their Princess and her Prince dance, when enemies suddenly began pouring into the room. "Protect the Princess! Hermes Power, Make Up!" Cried the blue haired girl.
"Of course! On our lives! Aphrodite Power, Make Up!" Cried the blond.
"With all of our strength! Ares Power, Make Up!" Cried the black haired girl.
"We won't fail! This is our duty! Zeus Power, Make Up!" Cried the brunette. They transformed into four Senshi."
"Shabon Spray!"
"Cresent Beam!"
"Fire Soul!"
"Supreme Thunder!" A few of the enemies were toasted, but more came on. The four Senshi were overwhelmed, and died...
Selene, standing next to Endorian, watched with tears in her eyes. *No, no, no...* She shook her head, not wanting watch her Senshi, her friends, die. She felt Endorian pull her away. To safety...
...But it hadn't been safe anough. He too had died, and she nearly joined him. Until IT came to her help.... And as it helped her, it told her what to do. Selene walked into the destroyed palace ball room. The enemy was gone, long gone. She held in her hand a hand mirror, of silver, with black reflection. She walked to where the bodies of her four Senshi lay. "Even in death... Your powers shall aid me, protect me... Eclipse Mirror..." The mirrors surface glimmered with light. "I call upon your power..." The bodies of the four Senshi flared with light, blue for Hermes, red for Ares, gold for Aphrodite, and green for Zeus. A bubble of light floated up from each of them, and floated into the mirror. And then, into Selene. She faltered, taking a step back... "So much power..." **Your sacrifice, my friends, will
not be forgotten...**
Then, she looked up, and her blue eyes flashed black. Another voice spoke. Hers, but not...
"Finally, I am reunited."
Selene walked on, looking for any survivor.
"Mother? Hecate?" *I'm so alone.* "Is any one alive?"
"Princess!" A girl, with short black hair, cried. She rushed to the Princess.
"Senshi Cronus!" Selene gasped.
"You're alive! That's wonderful!" Selene nodded.
"All the Outer Senshi... You're all alive! I was so lonely! I can't find anyone.... Mother.... Hecate.... Endorian.... They're all dead!" Selene began sobbing, and a senshi with short blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a yellow and dark blue fuku, hugged her.
"We'll protect you, Princess."
"Thank you... Thank you, Senshi Sunaru...."
"Mother?" The small voice asked. The snowy haired woman turned to face her.
"Hecate...?"
"Oh Mother.... It's so much. I've never felt this way."
"Lucifera...."
"She's shown me my destiny, Mother. Forgive me, please. I won't leave until you forgive me."
"I... I forgive you." Queen Selene closed her eyes, and leaned back upon the pillar. The Silver Crystal fell from her hands, and she tried to pick it back up. She was too tired. Hecate saw the pale, glittering crystal, and picked it up. Queen Selene's eyes widened in fear.
"Don't worry mother. I won't fail you." She leaned foreward, and kissed the dying woman on the forehead. And thats when she saw it for the first time. Upon Hecates forehead was not a cresent moon as was on her mother. Hers was a black sphere, with a sliver of silver at the bottom. An eclipsed moon...
"The symbol of the Eclipsed Moon Kingdom..." The Queen murmered.
"And I will be their Princess...," The girl said, but not in her own voice. "And then, their Queen."
"Hecate..." Her eyes widened, then began to close.
"I love you mother...." Queen Selene's eyes closed for the last time.
"Is that Princess Hecate I see?!" The Senshi wore aqua and blue, and had wavey aqua hair and blue eyes. The girl she spoke of was indeed Hecate.
"Senshi Poseidon." The girl said simply, smiling.
"Are you alright? You're sister worried..."
"I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me..." Part of the old Hecate flared in the new, dark mind. "Why didn't she save me! I wouldn't be doing this now, if she had saved me!"
"Princess Hecate..." Hecate glared at Poseidon. She held up her hand, and a black and white lace parasol appeared. Tears streaked the young girls face.
"I'm so sorry, Senshi Poseidon... I'm so very very sorry... But now, MOTHER was the only one who truly cared about me... And she's DEAD now! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!" With every shout of that words, Hecates eyes narrowed with hatred... As though some power was taking her over. "So, JOIN HER!" Black crackling energy flared from the parasol, hitting Poseidon squarely in the chest. The woman gave off a high scream, as her body fell to the ground, lifeless.
"I heard a scream!" Said the Senshi with the long green hair and dark red eyes. She wore a dark red and black fuku, and carried a long key-like staff.
"What if it was Poseidon..." Sunaru asked, fear lacing her voice. Cronus shook her head.
"Don't think the worst, Sunaru. Princess, let's go." Selene nodded, and followed after her Senshi. Into the unknown....
"Oh my Goddess....POSEIDON!" Sunaru screamed painfully, as she ran to the body of her fallen ally. "No! You can't be gone!" She shook the body weakly. "Please...I love...."
"An enemy surprised her...She tried to defend me but..."
"Princess Hecate!"
"Selene!" She ran over to her sister, sobbing into the older girls dress.
"She died....Mother died....Everyone's been dying...."
"Don't worry, we'll make it out, sister." Hecate looked up, the eclipsed moon on her forehead hidden by strands of her black hair.
"Are you so sure, Selene?"
"Why do you ask that, Hecate?"
"It's just that I..."
"What is it?" The three Senshi and Princess watched as Hecate walked away from them. She turned back, grinning calmly, evilly, holding a black and white lace parasol.
"What the...?" Selene gasped.
"Dear, DEAR, sister... This is the same parasol I used," She grinned malicously. "To kill Senshi Poseidon." Sunaru's eyes widened with rage. "Who will be next?" The eclipsed moon on her forehead shown cleary, pulsing with power.
"No...Hecate.. It can't be..."
"Oh it is, it is!" She thrust the parasol foreward, and black crakling energy shot foreward, towards her sister. Selene watched in fear, rooted to the ground with fear... Senshi Sunaru pushed her away from the energy, but she was struck instead. Back energy danced over her body, then she fell to the ground, lifeless.
"No! Sunaru!" Selene screamed, running to the girls body. "DON'T BE DEAD!" Cronus held her back.
"It's too late. And you," She pointed her glaive at Hecate. "MUST be destroyed." Selene shook her head.
"No... She's my...." Her mirror flashed with light, and she spoke no more. Cronus took a step foreward, and Hecate stood their calmly.
"Death... Ribbon... Infinity!" Black ribbons coalesced, and shot at Hecate. The younger girl just grinned, and held up her parasol. The black torrent of ribbons hit the parasol, and scattered, destroting nearby bulidings. But not Hecate. Senshi Cronus stopped her attack. And Hecate stood their still, parasol at her side.
"Oh girls... I am undefeatable. Will you ever learn." She held up the parasol. "Meet your doom!" Black crakling energy once again shot from the parasol, lurching foreward at Senshi Cronus and Senshi Hades. The two dodged, but the energy was undaunted. It followed after them, defying all logic. The two were struck, and gave ragged screams as black energy danced over their bodies. Then, they fell to the ground, lifeless. Selene began screaming.
"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Hecate grinned.
"I'll be back for YOU, sister. Farewell for now, I want you to feel your pain...." As black energy began to engulf her, Selene heard a small, clearly terrified voice cry out, "Please, Selene... You can save me..." She was the completely engulfed, and faded away. Selene fell to her knees, sobbing.
"This can't be happening.... This can't be.... Please, let this all be a dream... A bad dream..." She buried her face in her hands, too weak to do anything...
Selene stood before the bodies of the four Outer Senshi. "It isn't a dream..." She whispered. "I wish it were..." She held out the Eclipse Mirror. "Eclipse Mirror.... Aid me...." She looked down at the four Outer Senshi. "Even in death, my dear friends. Your powers shall aid me, protect me. Just as the powers of the Inner Senshi will aid me. Eclipse Mirror..." The mirrors surface glimmered with light. "I call upon your power..." The bodies of the four Senshi flared with light, midnight blue for Sunaru, aqua for Poseidon, purplish-gray for Chronus, and black for Hades. A bubble of light floated up from each of them, and floated into the mirror. And then, into Selene, just like before. And like before, she faltered, this time taking several steps back... "So much power. So much more than before.... Your deaths will not be forgotten. And she WILL pay..... I'm so sorry, Hecate.... So sorry...." She closed her eyes, and brought the mirror up before her. "Help me...Please, help me." The mirror flashed with black light, and a hole appeared before Selene. A hole into another time, another world.... Selene opened her eyes. "Is this is? Will this save me?" The mirror flashed in answer. "I see..." Selene took a step foreward. Yet the doorway did not close. It was open, inviting to those that would dare follow...
"That is what truly happened." Hecate said calmly.
"Then you should be evil..." Usagi stated calmly. Hecate shook her head.
"No, I'm not... Somehow, even though Lucifera possessed me almost completely at first, the Silver Crystal protected me from it being complete.
I'm free now... Lucifera is gone. I rule the Eclipsed Moon."
"Wh-why the Eclipsed Moon?"
"It is apart of me now... As much myself, as you are Princess Serenity."
"Hecate..."
"Please, Princess Serenity, we must defeat my sister! She's gone too far! She nearly destroyed you once..." Usagi held back her question, she knew Hecate would answer it soon enough. "She'll do it again... And this time she'll suceed"
"Then..." She took a deep breath. "We'll have to stop her."
Usagi stood next to Endorian. She had ket her eyes closed, as the Eclipse Senshi had defeated her friends. And then...
"DON'T HURT THEM ANYMORE!" She screamed, Endorian kept his arms around her as she tried to run into the fight. "STOP IT! Please..." She pleaded. Selene's cold eyes turned to her, by Endorian. They narrowed,
"I see... Now you die..."
What is Selene going to do to Usagi? Stay tuned for Episode Eight-"Becoming One, the Last Stand"