At the appointed hour, Terra and Celeus were quietly waiting in the corner of her room. Terra had shed her dress for a plain green tunic and leggings. She had one small bag of essentials and keepsakes, and one larger one that held Celeus. He was not overjoyed at being deposited in a bag, but Terra insisted, and he preferred the bag to the tower.
Even though they were both expecting Aspen, they were not prepared for the way he materialized in front of them. They both started, and Celeus almost screamed, Terra quieted him just in time.
"We're taking him too?" asked Aspen skeptically.
"He has proven his worth Aspen, besides, we can't just leave him in the tower," said Terra.
"Well, I don't know about that . . ."
"Aspen!"
"My duty is to obey, excellency."
"Why does everyone keep calling me excellency?"
"No time princess. Stand close to me."
"I should have known that's what you were up to Aspen!" cried Celeus.
"Shut him up before he alerts the guards, princess. You may like him, but he's not going to cause me to lose you. Anyway Celeus, she has to stand close to me for the teleport to work. Or would you rather try jumping out the window? We're a good four stories up, but I hear cats always land on their feet."
Celeus scowled at Aspen and Terra shoved his head back into the bag and tied it.
"We're ready now," said Terra, and she stepped close to Aspen. He put his arms around her and pulled her even closer. Terra blushed and he smiled.
"Now say 'Ceres Teleport' with me."
"CERES TELEPORT!"
A swirl of green light enveloped them both and Terra closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, they were standing in the ball room, near the cascade.
"Why are we here? I thought we were leaving," asked Terra.
"Because we can't teleport out of the palace. Iris isn't as stupid as her guards and she's put a spell block on the outer walls. She apparently doubts my ingenuity. I can get us out manually."
"But how? The exits are all blocked."
Aspen smiled and gestured to the waterfall, "This one's not."
"The central cascade? How're we going to get out this way?"
"We're going to jump into it. It'll carry us to the crystal pool outside the palace."
He looked at Terra for a moment, as if he were going to say something, then changed his mind.
"Give me his honorable cattiness, he's going first."
Terra untied the bag and a ruffled Celeus came out.
"Well I never. To put a guardian cat in a bag! Humph! I am still you're superior Ceres Knight . . . "
"No, you're not. Now shut your kitty-cat mouth and get into the waterfall, your prune-ness."
"Waterfall! I am not going to get into that waterfall. What do you want to do, kill me?"
"If this doesn't, the guards will. This waterfall is our ticket out. Now get into the waterfall before I throw you in Celeus!" said Terra impatiently.
Celeus leapt to the edge of the barrier surrounding the waterfall disgustedly. He put a paw in and then jerked it out.
"You can't be serious, this water is freezing!"
"Too bad," said Aspen and he 'accidently' nudged Celeus into the cascade. He screeched all the way down. After Aspen was sure Celeus was safe, and wet, at the bottom, he turned to Terra.
"I have something to say to you, Terra," he said softly.
"Um, Aspen, I'm sure it's important, but why don't you tell me when we're nice and safe and where we're going."
"Because I'm not coming with you."
"What?! Don't be silly, of course you're coming with me. You're my protector."
"I can't, Terra. I have to protect you and that's what I'm going to do. Someone must get the Jadestone away from Iris or no one on Ceres is safe, let alone you. You're in the most danger because you're the biggest threat to her. You're the only other one who can unleash the full power of the Jadestone."
"Then let me help you! I must be able to help you. What if I'm Sailor Ceres?"
"But you can't transform without the Jadestone, and we learned earlier today that it still is loyal to Iris. They way you can help me the most is by leaving this place and keeping yourself from danger."
"Why do you do this for me?"
"Because I am Ceres Knight and it's my duty, and, because I love you," he added quietly.
Terra was astounded and confused, but out of instinct, she put her arms around his neck tightly. Then emotion overwhelmed her and she began to cry. Aspen hushed her.
"You must go, my princess. Celeus is waiting. You must travel to the fringe of the eastern forest. Birch is waiting for you there. Don't worry, he has earned my trust. Now go, and don't look back."
"But Aspen . . ."
"Go, now, you must hurry!"
"Come back to me Aspen, please."
"I will come back to you, my princess. If there is any way. I will."
She looked at him one last time then closed her eyes and stepped into the waterfall. Aspen sighed and then took two white lilies from his negative space pocket. He kissed them and then threw them into the water too.
"I promise that I will come back to you my princess. By Demeter, I swear it."
~*~
Aspen slipped quietly though the palace, toward the High Queen's bedchambers. The guards at this post were asleep. This did not surprise him. He opened the door softly and snuck into the pitch black room. After he had taken no more than three steps, a vivid green light washed over the room and temporarily blinded Aspen. When his vision cleared, Iris, High Queen of Ceres was in front of him along with her prime minister. The Ceres Emerald Jadestone hovered over her hands and glowed brightly. It was at the peak of its energy, charged for an attack. They had been waiting for him. He might as well go out with a fight . . .
Dark green energy cloaked Aspen and pooled in his hand. He got ready to cast it when suddenly the Jadestone discharged its power.
"COSMIC CERES POWER!"
A bolt of pure energy flashed out of the Jadestone and struck Aspen full in the chest. He fell, unconscious, without another movement.
The High Queen looked disdainfully at his body and said, "Thornbrush, dispose of this traitor."
"As you wish it your excellency."
~*~
The prime minister had drawn all the correct figures on the floor and spoken all the correct incantations. The correct herbs burned in the incense censers. A body lay in the correct position on the dark stone cairn, yet Death had not yet arrived.
Thornbrush knew that Death would take his own sweet time. He always did. It was a reminder that Thornbrush might summon all day and not have Death answer. It was humbling.
After a certain time had elapsed, someone, or something did arrive, in a burst of pale grey smoke that smelled of death. The dark cloaked figure looked to the altar and nodded.
"You have done well servant Thornbrush."
"And my reward, milord?"
"The Queen is still bent to your will?"
"Yes, milord?"
"Then you require no reward."
As quickly as he had arrived, the Death Knight vanished, taking the body on the altar with him.
<End of current Dreamscape>
~*~
"Wow, this outfit looks totally cool on you, Jettra!' cried Serena as she yanked the girl out of the dressing room, "Don't you think so guys?"
"Yeah, it does look pretty good," observed Meattra.
The others agreed. If she wasn't good at anything else, at least Serena could match colors. The outfit in question was a green skirt and oversized sweater, and it complimented Jettra's olive hair nicely. Meattra had already been matched with a pale yellow sun-dress and matching sandals.
Ami, Rei, Serena, Meattra, Jettra, and Lita were all trooping around the mall, looking for bargains and wardrobes for the two scouts outside of time. So far they'd done a pretty good job of it. Both girls had about five outfits apiece, and both Rei and Lita had promised clothes loans to the new girls.
The girls were walking along having a great time (Rei was challenging Serena to a contest at the arcade, Ami and Meattra were talking about history, and Lita and Jettra were scoping out suitable guys) when suddenly Ami caught a glimpse of familiar grey hair and Rei got a vibe.
"Aaaargh!" cried a woman down the mall concourse, "Leave me alone you, you, . . ."
"What's wrong with that woman?" asked a man, the girls tried to see, but a crowd blocked their vision.
"She's all pale, look, she's getting up. She's like a zombie!"
"What are you doing, lady?!?!? Aaaargh!"
"Look, now that man is just like her!" cried a second man.
"And that one, and that one . . ." added a hysterical woman, "We're surrounded!"
The two outer scouts looked at each other and began to say something, Ami stopped them, noting that Void was a scout so the spell wouldn't work on her. Rei led them all into the closest women's bathroom.
~*~
Void was amused. Her plan to gather energy was working marvelously well. She had already gained enough to more than heal her wounds, and now she was just storing it up. As an added bonus, thanks to Lord Dis's amulet, all the humans she'd drawn energy from had become like mindless slaves. Her own personal army of zombies. Things couldn't get better. That meant the only way they could go was down. They went swiftly. She was supervising her zombies as they gathered energy from the other humans when six shadows appeared at the corner of her vision.
"I am Sailor Moon and I fight for love and justice."
"I am Sailor Eternity and resistance is illogical!"
"I'm Sailor Mars and if Sailor-moon-brain can't beat you, I will."
"I am Sailor Jupiter, and I'll keep Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars in line."
"I'm Sailor Chronos and time stops for no man, or twisted Sailor."
"And I am Sailor Mercury, douse yourself in water and repent!"
"In the name of the moon"
"In the name of Mercury."
"In the name of Mars."
"In the name of Jupiter."
"And in the name of the time-stream."
"We'll punish you!"
Void was once again amused by their act, but this time she wasn't fooled. She knew that under their kawaii facade that they were seasoned warriors, at least the two new ones were. She looked for an exit, and found one in the skylight, twenty yards away. She began to sprint.
Void's field of vision immediately dropped to about a foot and she tumbled over a bench that someone had inadvertently placed in the middle of the mall concourse, beside a potted plant and a fountain. Void found herself in the fountain. Bewildered, she called her zombies to attack. They milled about for a few moments, then began to swarm around Sailor Moon. Void began to slink away, soaked and embarrassed.
"The fog doesn't seem to affect the zombies. They can see perfectly well." said Mercury. She brought out her VR visor and minicomputer and scanned them, "Just as I thought, they don't see things optically like we do, they have heat-sensitive vision."
"Eeeeeeeekkk!" cried Sailor Moon as the zombies swarmed her, "I don't care how they see Mercury. How do we get them to leave me alone!?!!"
"You might try the Crescent Moon Wand. It did work on the skeletons."
"Great idea Sailor Mercury. Thanks a bunch."
Sailor Mars and Jupiter fended of the zombies long enough for Sailor Moon to start her attack, meanwhile, Eternity and Infinity hunted about in the fog for Sailor Void.
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!"
The light from the Crescent Moon wand blanket the zombies, and momentarily confused them. They walked into each other and fell down, but they did not return to human form. As soon as the light finished, the zombies got up and ambled toward Sailor Moon again.
"Mercury! It didn't work! What do we do now?" she cried.
"Then the zombies need to be worn down first, Sailor Moon, try your tiara. Mars, Jupiter, try your attacks."
"MARS FIRE"
"JUPITER THUNDER!"
"MOON TIARA!"
"IGNITECRASHMAGIC!"
The combined attack reduced the zombies to a pile of slobbering limbs.
"No prob, Mercury!" said Sailor Moon, calling out the Crescent Moon Wand for a second time, "MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!"
The pile of mindless zombies turned back into mindless mass humanity shoppers and disaster was again averted. The fog began to clear and Sailor Eternity and Sailor Chronos looked up to see Void looking down through the skylight. They had both started toward her when she suddenly smiled a dark smile and raised her hand. She promptly vanished in a black shroud.
~*~
Kazracite was still pacing her 'chamber' when she received Void's report. It did not please her. She was in a desperately foul mood when she passed Chaos's 'chamber's' 'door.'
She peered into the portal and was infuriated to see Chaos peacefully asleep on her bed, beneath Qintozite's cloak.
End Episode Seven
Roll Credits and Play Ending Song (Forever)
Final edit finished August 11, 1998 (8:36PM)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail comments (and flames, as you may wish) to lindseybrowning@hotmail.com or
sailorceres@usa.net.
Visit the mondo SMRS homepage and the homepage of Princess Terra and Celeus at
http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/garden/8378
Please send me feedback!!!
Smiles and Ceres Cosmic Power,
Lady Ceres
a.k.a.
Lindsey Browning