Dark Light

Disclaimer: I don’t own Sailor Moon.

A/N: Alright, here’s yet another Sailor Moon story that I’ve started. I hope you like it, and please review!

Chapter 1:

The end of the Silver Millennium was a tragic blow to the community of galaxies known as the Silver Alliance. When the news reports came in over the vid screens and the holoemitters the galaxies reeled in shock. To them, it wasn’t possible. One of the strongest members of the Silver Alliance had fallen. The Lunar Kingdom, home of the Lunarians, had been destroyed by the Negaverse, one of the most feared dark forces in the universe.

Of course, said those who were against the Silver Alliance, it hadn’t happened all at once. They ignored the warning signs; they were too arrogant, too powerful. They deserved the horror that had been wreaked upon them.

Those who were staunch supporters of the peaceful era that had reigned for several thousand years believed differently. They mourned the loss of the Lunarians, and their beloved royal family. News of the complete destruction of the Lunar Kingdom caused many allies to freeze in shock, or, in the case of the kingdoms within the Sol System, to band together in grief and rage.

The members of the Sol System, divided into two groups, met soon after the tragedy and consoled each other. All of them had lost their daughters. The members of the first group, the Inners, lost their children during the attack on the moon, as the nearby barbaric planet Earth called it. The second group, the Outers, lost their daughters before the attack, and, as such, only stayed for a brief time before they rushed to their homes to watch for any signs of evil approaching from the other galaxies in hopes of taking over the system while it was weak. They had found out with the rest of the alliance what exactly happhappened on the planet, and knew that the only way the Negaverse would have reached the Lunar Kingdom was if their daughters had failed in their defense of the Outer Rings of the system.

So, they all grieved, and in their respective parts of the system, they began to plan.

The Hall of the Lost – Mercuria

“Diana, we must do something. We don’t know whether or not Selenity was able to vanquish Beryl and her minions before she died. For all we know, we could be the next ones in line.”

The queen of Mercuria wearily smiled at her friend, Maliya, the queen of Jutara, who was standing at her seat at the table. It was clear that Maliya wanted to fight to avenge the deaths of her close cousins and daughter.

“Be easy, Maliya,” said Diana, folding her hands into the voluminous robes she wore. “I too have lost several loved ones, but I shall not blindly attack in hopes of striking the viper queen.”

Yes, she too had lost loved ones. Her only daughter, Ami, and her best friend, Selenity, as well as her daughter. Diana briefly closed her eyes in pain. She wished that she had paid some attention to the warning signs. Yes, they had been subtle, but maybe if she had looked a little harder…

“I’m not saying we should blindly attack, Diana! I think we should prepare!”

“Prepare for what?” asked Aphrodite, queen of Venuvia. “For another attack by Beryl? We don’t have enough resources and our strongest sors wrs were destroyed in the attack. We are weaker without Selenity, and even with her, we were still weak. How could we defeat someone who eliminated the strongest of us?”

“Yes, I understand that, but we can at least prevent some deaths. We could evacuate those who aren’t ready and willing to fight, and send them out to the Tanara Galaxy,” said Maliya, pacing back and forth at the front of the room.

“Evacuate! Like that would work! Most likely, Beryl has already spread her followers throughout the galaxy by now. Anyone trying to escape would most likely be killed. It is useless to do that!” Aria, queen of Marsian, stated, palming the sword at her side. If only they could have fought…

“So, it’s useless to evacuate, to prepare, or to fight! We’re just useless monarchs who are sitting around waiting, just as we sat around while our loved ones were slaughtered!” growled Maliya, slapping the table in frustration.

“Please calm yourselves. my friends. I do believe I have an idea that will be most helpful.”

“The four monarchs looked up in surprise at the sound of the voice. Who was that? No one else had been invited to the meeting. They looked at each other anxiously. What if it was Beryl? What if she’d planned to take them all out at once?

“I am not here to harm you, and you should know that, given the fact that I have known all of you since before you were born,” said the voice, stepping out of the shadows into the light.

Diana’s eyes, as well as the others, widened. Sailor Pluto? Why was she here? She never left the Gates of Time.

“Pluto,” she said, in a calm tone, dark eyes focusing on the Keeper of Time. “What brings you here in this time of tragedy?”

“Alas, my friends, it is not to relieve this tragedy. It is, however, to help make the future better for all of us.”

Aria, dressed in battle armor, narrowed her eyes at the guardian as she stood up from the table and clenched her sword handle with such strength that her knuckles turned white. “How could the future be made any better? Selenity is dead, the Silver Alliance is gone, and the Silver Millennium has ended! All that is ahead of us now is a time of war! Without Selenity evil shall overrun us all, and soon there will be nothing left of us but a memory!” she spat, anger causing flames to lick up the side of her body.

“Please, remain calm, Aria. Though the future does look grim, there is hope. With the defeat of Beryl ther-”

“Wait,” Aphrodite said sharply. “Beryl has been defeated?”

Pluto nodded slightly. “Yes, but only at a great price. As I was saying, there is hope because before she died Selenity was able to send the souls of your children a millennia into the future. They will be reborn into a time where they will be needed.”

“Our children will be needed again? Do you mean to say that though they will be reborn into a new life, they will be forced to fight once more?” asked Diana.

Pluto, her eyes shining with knowledge, nodded, hand firmly on her staff.

“But that’s not fair!” shouted Maliya, eyes narrowed. “They should be free to live their own lives without worrying about having to fight!”

“It is their destiny, you know that,” said Pluto, eyes apologetic as she calmly put a hand on Maliya’s shoulder. “If they do anything they weren’t meant to do then this universe will surely collapse. Plus, I have seen a future of peace that will only come after they fight a battle against the ultimate evil.”

The hall whistled forbiddingly as they all looked at one another. One final battle against the ultimate evil? Surely they wouldn’t have to do that? Wasn’t there anyone else to battle this evil?

Though they were all thinking the same thing, it was Diana who finally spoke. “There isn’t anyone else I assume? No one else to fight this…this evil?”

Sailor Pluto shook her head. “No, Diana. I’m sorry, there is no one else to fight,” she said gently.

The monarchs looked at one another, thoughts running through their heads at a rampant pace.

“What about the Outers? Surely they must know someone else?” asked Aphrodite, studying the Sailor Senshi closely. There was always a chance that the queens of the outer planets might know someone, given the fact that in order to protect the system they had found connections that not even Selenity would have been able to uncover.

Pluto looked at each of them in turn and slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry, they know as much as I do. Trust me, there is no one else.”

It took a minute, but eventually the monarchs were able to accept the awful truth. That their daughters would fight and probably die again without knowing all the joys that could be found in life. If only…

Maliya spoke next. “Well, how do they defeat this evil? Surely, there must be a way.”

Aria looked at her comrade. “You aren’t suggesting that they fight this monstrosity!?” she said, horrified beyond belief. She was all for solving problems with bloodshed, if it was necessary, but she did not want her daughter to throw away her life for a cause that she seemed destined to die for.

“Yes,” snapped Maliya, looking at her friend through narrowed eyes. “I am. You heard Setsuna. The only way they can live a peaceful life is to fight and defeat this evil. So, logically, I want to know how they can defeat it.” Having said this, she looked over at Setsuna, clearly expecting an answer.

So, naturally, Setsuna obeyed.

“Well, it shall be difficult. They shall have to fight many weaker foes beforehand in order to defeat this evil. But, ultimately, no matter how many they fight, they will only win once they Princess Serenity on their side.”

“What!?” said Diana. “Serenity? Surely you cannot mean that. She was not meant to fight, nor will she be in the future. That is why our daughters became her guardians. They were to protect the light of the universe.”

“And they shall need that same light to defeat the ultimate evil. Light and dark exist to battle one another, and the only way to win against this evil is to use the purest light,” said Setsuna.

“Wait. So, you’re saying, in your own roundabout way, that one cannot exist without the other?” asked Maliya.

Setsuna nodded.

“So, if one destroys the other they’re both doomed?”

“Yes,” said Setsuna. “And if they both perish than the universe is doomed as well.”

“So, Serenity, as light, cannot destroy this evil?” asked Diana.

“No, she cannot. However, she can win by containing the evil. With the help of your daughters she could trap the evil, thus allowing the natural balance that light and dark create to continue,” said Setsuna, her all-knowing eyes landing on each one of them as she idly moved her staff from side to side.

“So, a peaceful future can only be achieved through the containment of this evil? And it can only be contained if they find Serenity?” asked Aphrodite, making sure that she understood everything.

“Yes,” said Setsuna, voice stern as she made it clear that there was no other alternative.

Diana pondered this, her intelligent brain racing to discover any way that their daughter’s mission could be made easier. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. Finally, she decided to ask Setsuna; expecting only bad news in return. “Is there anything we can do, any way we can help them?”

Setsuna turned towards her, a small smile on her lips. “Yes, actually there is. Please, all of you listen closely, because what I will need you to do will eventually help save the universe.”

End of Chapter 1! Please review!!