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**A Soul Reclaimed**
By Lady Brick
Lady_Brick@yahoo.com
http://www.mindeclipse.com/ 
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and friends do not belong to me.
            Adonis, Thalia, and this story do.
**Part 7: Ties Not Easily Broken**
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Neo Queen Serenity sat in a small room painted in beautifully 
muted colors.  Her unwavering eyes focused on the figure laid out 
on a large bed next to her, a young woman with beautiful copper- 
colored hair.

"Do you think it's really her, Luna?" Serenity asked the cat who 
sat on her lap.  Luna gazed at the sleeping figure before 
answering.

"You should be able to tell better then anyone.  You were closest 
to her."

Serenity sighed.  "But she died so long ago."

"So did you, for that matter.  We never found her body."

"I know.  I guess we'll just have to wait until she wakes up."

Luna hopped off of the Queen's lap.  "I'll check back later, to 
see how she's doing?"  And how you're doing, the cat added 
silently.  "Shall I have someone bring you dinner?"

The Queen shook her head minutely.  Luna sighed quietly and 
pushed her way out of the door.  Artemis was waiting for her in 
the hall.

"Did you tell her?" Artemis asked.  Luna shook her head.

"I didn't have the heart.  Besides, we have no evidence that 
Thalia is still under Metallia's influence."

"We don't even know if that *is* Thalia, Luna.  I thought Beryl 
was killed years ago.  How could she have survived all of this 
time?  Where was she?"

Luna looked pointedly at Artemis.  "It happened before.  For now, 
I say that we trust that that is Thalia, and she has returned to 
her old self."

"But how can we trust her?  She did such horrible things under 
Metallia's influence-"

"So did the King.  If I remember correctly, he nearly killed 
Serenity.  Do you question him?"

Artemis was shaken.  "No, not... not at all," he stammered.  "But 
this is different!"

Luna swatted him with a paw.  "No it isn't, you dolt.  Don't you 
dare say a word of this, to the Queen, the King, the Senshi, or 
anyone else, do you hear me?"  She glared threateningly at 
Artemis before running off.

"Yes, your Majesty," he muttered under his breath.

__________


<I'm not dead> was Thalia's first thought.  She blinked slowly, 
trying to bring the room in to focus.  A worried face, quite 
familiar, hovered above hers.  Thalia gasped.  How could...

"Queen Serenity?" she gasped, her voice nothing more then a weak 
croak.  The woman looked startled for a moment, then laughed 
gently.

"No.  Well, yes, in a sense.  Thalia, it's me.  Princess 
Serenity."

"Princess...?"  Thalia struggled into a sitting position.  She 
studied the beautiful room around her.  "Where are we?"

"My palace, in Crystal Tokyo. On Earth"

"Why do you have a palace on Earth?"

Serenity smiled.  "My friend, you have quite a bit of catching up 
to do."

__________


"You were a Senshi?" Thalia said several hours later.  "I still 
don't believe it."  Inwardly, she remembered the young girl who 
had foiled Beryl's plots so often.  She thought she remembered 
her being the Moon Princess, but this Sailor Moon had been so... 
clumsy.  And seemingly not that bright.  "I can't imagine you 
doing something so undignified."

Serenity laughed.  "Usagi was quite different then Princess 
Serenity.  She may have been silly and a bit of a clutz, but she 
had the strength to come through for her friends, the whole world 
even, whenever she was needed.  I'm both Usagi and Serenity now.  
I may be a Queen but I'll fight for my people if I have to, even 
if I'm no longer a Senshi."  

"What do you mean?"

"In order to create Crystal Tokyo and start this new era of 
peace, sacrifices had to be made.  I used a great deal of energy 
in order to purify the Earth, so much that I don't have the power 
to transform into Sailor Moon anymore."

Thalia shook her head.  "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not really.  The results were worth it.  Look around you.  It's 
like the Silver Millennium all over again, but without the petty 
power struggles and political games.  This time, there is no war 
between the Earth and the Moon."

"Because the Moon is dead!"

Serenity seemed unfazed by the blunt comment.  She gently touched 
the mark on her forehead.  "The Moon lives on through me, and 
will live on through my daughter as well.  Someday, she will be a 
Senshi and fight in the name of the Moon."  Serenity patted her 
hand and stood.  "You should get some rest.  You've been through 
a lot."

<You have no idea>  "Thank you.  For everything.  And I'm sorry I 
wasn't there for you during the years."

"Don't be," Serenity said gently, her eyes glittering in the 
light, as though through a sheen of tears.  "You did more for me 
then anyone else.  You were my sister."  She left the room.

Thalia leaned back, but was unable to sleep.  Images spun through 
her head, a strange blend of her days on the Moon and her time as 
Beryl.  Gardens and Balls mixed with carnage and corpses until 
she could no longer tell one from another. With a cry, she 
smashed her fist into the crystal wall by the bed.  The pain 
shocked her back to herself, and she flung herself back on the 
bed, weeping.

"Thalia?"

The voice caught her by surprise.  She whirled to see a small 
figure sitting on the floor.  "Luna?"

The cat padded over and leapt onto the bed.  Thalia reached over, 
hugging her gently with one arm, wiping her tears away with her 
other hand.  "Oh Luna, everything is such a mess!"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I can't.  I... I just can't."

"I already know, Thalia."

Thalia stiffened.  "What do you mean?"

"I know about Beryl."

The air seemed to go out of Thalia.  She said nothing, but 
continued to stroke the cat with a small trembling hand.

"She told me they planned it," she finally murmured.

"What?"

"Metallia told me that Serenity and Endymion arranged to have me 
killed so they could be together.  I knew it wasn't true, but she 
showed me them... together.  I was so upset, and then..."  She 
gestured with her hands.  "I did all of those horrible things."

"You didn't..."

"Everything is my fault!" Thalia cried suddenly.  "The 
destruction of the Moon Kingdom, all the people who were killed, 
Queen Serenity..."  She buried her face in her hands.

"Did you do any of those things of your own free will?"

Thalia looked at Luna in shock.  "Of course not!"

"Then how can it be your fault?"  Thalia tried to protest but 
Luna cut her off.  "Metallia possessed incredible power.  No one 
person alone had the strength to resist her will.  She nearly 
forced Endymion to kill Serenity with but a fraction of the 
energy with which she held you.  There is nothing you could have 
done alone against that sort of evil."  Luna shifted her 
position.  "Do you still have your henshin stick?"

Thrown by the change of subject, Thalia fumbled for a moment.  
Closing her eyes, she summoned the wand.  When she opened her 
eyes, she gasped with surprise.  The henshin stick had changed.  
It was more elaborate, trimmed with gold and crystals.

"You have the power to fight alongside your friends again," Luna 
told her sternly.  "If you choose to sit around and feel guilty, 
then you'll let Metallia win.  She may not be forcing you to do 
evil anymore, but she'll have succeeded in impairing your ability 
to do good.  Don't let that happen, Thalia.  You can rise above 
your past and become a Senshi again.  Reclaim your identity."

Thalia stared at the henshin stick for a long moment.  Then she 
stood.  "Where are the training grounds?"

"Just past the East Garden.  Why?"

Thalia laughed softly as she paused at the door.  "Don't tell me 
you've gone soft, Luna.  You should have been the first to say 
that I'm out of practice."

Luna watched her leave with a smile.  "Welcome back Sailor 
Earth," she murmured.

__________


Thalia soon found herself in a large field dotted with metal 
figures.  Most bore scars from previous training exercises.  
Summoning her henshin stick, she raised it and shouted her 
transformation phrase.

"Earth Crystal Power Makeup!"  She blinked in surprise as energy 
swirled around her.  Where had those words come from?  That 
hadn't been her transformation phrase.

The transformation finished, Thalia looked down at her fuku.  It 
too had changed.  Pale blue crystal gauntlets that ended in a 
point over the top of her hand had replaced her gloves.  The bow 
on her chest now extended to a small crystal breastplate.  Her 
boots no longer laced up and ended with a crystal knee guard.  

"Very interesting."  Thalia turned to see Luna perched on one of 
the statues.  "It seems the power of your crystal evolved during 
the period that Sailor Earth ceased to exist.  Do you still have 
the original crystal?"  Thalia reached up and found the crystal 
still at the center of her breastplate.  Pulling it free, she 
transformed it into a sword simply with a thought.  Smiling, she 
set to work, seeing what kind of damage she could do to the metal 
figures in her path.

__________


"This isn't working Venus!" yelled Mars, dodging a huge 
crystalline fist.  The Senshi had encountered two of the monsters 
during a routine patrol of the city, and had suddenly found 
themselves desperately fighting for their lives.  This encounter 
was far different then the last.  These creatures seemed to have 
no qualms about killing any innocent pedestrians that got in 
their way, and seemed very eager to crush the Senshi.

"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"  The massive burst of energy smashed 
into the larger of the two monsters.  As with the previous 
attack, it seemed to have no effect.

Mercury, who had been trying to track the teleportation, gasped 
in shock when she saw the results of Jupiter's attack.  "Guys!" 
she yelled.  "These creatures are absorbing the energy of our 
attacks!  Using our powers make them stronger.  We need to use 
physical attacks!"

"We don't HAVE any physical attacks!"  Mars yelled back.

Venus stared at the two monsters for a moment.  "Mercury, could 
we hit them with enough power to overload them?"

"Too dangerous," Mercury shot back.  "I can't calculate the 
amount of energy such a strategy would require.  We might simply 
supply them enough power to wipe out the whole city."

"Great," muttered Jupiter.  "Let's not try that approach."

A scream caught their attention.  One of the monsters had 
cornered a young man who had been hiding behind the side of a 
building.  The Senshi watched in horror as the creature stabbed 
him through the stomach with a sharp crystal arm.  The man 
convulsed, then stiffened as the monster began to drain his life 
energy.

"My god," murmured Jupiter in horror.  The creature turned and 
hurled the body in their direction.  The Senshi scattered.  Venus 
rolled to her feet.  Noticing a crumbling stone statue that stood 
towering over the street, she had an idea.

"Mercury, blind them!"  The area filled with mist.  "Mars!  
Jupiter!  Aim for the base of that statue!"  At the two Senshi 
summoned fire and electricity, Venus formed an energy chain.  She 
looped it around the top of the statue and pulled with all of her 
might.

With a rumble of ancient masonry, the statue slowly crumbled, 
then collapsed, directly on top of the two monsters.  As the dust 
cleared, the Senshi cautiously approached the pile of rubble.

Roaring, the creatures burst forth.  The Senshi jumped back, 
though it was unnecessary.  The monsters were obviously injured.  
One had cracks running up its side, while the other was short one 
arm.  With a guttural moan, the creatures teleported away.

Mercury noted something glistening in the rubble and walked over 
to investigate.  Brushing aside the rocks, she found the arm that 
the monster had lost.  She scanned it with her computer.

"Hey guys, come look at this."  The Senshi gathered around.  On 
the screen of the computer was a perfect 3D replica of the 
crystal arm.  The image turned into a framework of glowing lines.  
Inside could be seen the form of a human arm.

"These things are actually human?"  Mars asked in disbelief.

Mercury snapped her computer shut.  "Or were.  There seems to be 
some sort of symbiotic relationship between the human host and 
the crystal exostructure.  I'll need to bring the sample back for 
further analysis."

"Then do it," Venus said.  She walked over to where the body of 
the young man lay.  She leaned over and gently shut his eyes.  
"We need to learn how to stop these things.  Before anyone else 
dies."

__________


Thalia wandered the gardens, still in the form of Sailor Earth.  
Finished reacquainting herself with her powers, she had decided 
to do some exploring.  It was wonderful to walk around and enjoy 
the simple beauty of nature.

"I still can't believe that all of these plants were grown by 
magic," she said to Luna, who trailed behind her.

"It's fairly easy to manipulate the formation of vegetation on 
Earth, since it occurs naturally here.  Is something wrong?"  the 
cat asked, realizing that Thalia had stopped suddenly.

"Up there, behind that hedge.  Is that..."

"King Endymion."

Thalia swallowed.  In her mind, she saw Endymion writhing on a 
stone slab, screaming as the dark power tore his mind apart.  She 
shook her head, trying to banish the vile images.

"You're going to have to face him sometime," Luna said, guessing 
at the source of Thalia's discomfort.  The girl nodded and 
hesitantly walked forward.

Endymion heard her approach and glanced up from the roses her was 
studying.  His face broke into a smile.  "Thalia!  It's so good 
to see you up and about.  Are you feeling better?"

Looking into his handsome, kind face, Thalia felt all of the old 
longings in her heart, both her childhood crush and Beryl's 
overwhelming lust.  It was all she could do to keep from breaking 
into tears.  Would he really be so kind if he knew what she 
really was?  Would Serenity?  "I'm fine," she managed shakily.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.  
She could hear Beryl's voice screaming for her to claim what was 
hers.  She slowly backed up.

"No.  I... I have to go."  She turned and fled, following the 
twisted paths in wild circles around the palace.  When she was 
sure he wasn't following her, she collapsed and let the tears 
flow freely.  Hearing a noise, she turned, but it was only Luna.

"Oh Luna, I can't do this!" she sobbed, throwing her arms around 
the small cat.  "I can still feel her inside of me!  I don't want 
to hurt anyone again!"

"Maybe Serenity can use the Ginzuishou to..."

"No!  I can't tell her, Luna.  She'd never forgive me."

"You know that's not true."

"I... just can't.  Not right now.  Maybe not ever."

Luna cuddled next to the weeping girl.  She wished she could tell 
Thalia what to do, but, for once, she herself didn't know.

__________


Endymion backed silently away from the hedge where he had 
overheard Thalia and Luna's odd conversation.  Like the others, 
he had been confused as to what had actually happened to Thalia 
over the years she was missing.  Her garbled explanations had 
made little sense, but they had been content with the knowledge 
that a long lost friend had returned.  Now, Endymion was curious.

"What could have happened that she couldn't tell her closest 
friends about?" he mused as he walked back to the castle.  He 
only hoped that she could let them help her with whatever it was 
before she let it tear her apart.

__________


Serenity sat in a soft chair in her private drawing room.  One 
hand was clasped on her growing belly.  She smiled as she felt a 
small movement.

"Hello Serenity."

"Hello Setsuna," she replied without looking up.  "What brings 
you here today?"

"We are approaching an important event in the timeline.  It will 
determine the fate of the future of your Kingdom."

Serenity looked up at the ever-somber Guardian of Time.  "Don't 
they always?"

"I'm quite serious, Serenity.  The Small Lady may be in danger."

"What?" Serenity asked sharply, her smile fading.

"The destructive forces that you have recently encountered are 
much more dangerous then you realize.  They possess enough power 
to destroy this world, and they are crazy enough to do.  And at 
the present time, you are in no shape for battle."

"The Senshi... "

"...will not be enough.  You need the aid of the Senshi of 
Earth."

"Thalia."

"Yes."  Setsuna kneeled beside Serenity.  "She has been hurt.  
Badly.  There are things that have happened to her that she can't 
bring herself to talk about.  Not even to you.  She thinks her 
past is still with her, but it is only the ghosts of the past.  
You need to give her the strength to fight both past evils and 
present.  If she can't, then everything is lost."

Serenity was silent for a moment.  "I love Thalia with all my 
heart, and I always have.  I've trusted her with my life.  If she 
needs my help, I will do all I can."

Setsuna placed her hand on Serenity's belly, smiling when she 
felt a kick.  "She's going to be quite special."

"I know.  I've already met her, remember."  Serenity smiled at 
her friend.  "Now whenever she gets out of hand," she joked, 
"you'll send her back to the past for me, right?"

"How you curse your younger self."

"Watch what you say about my daughter!"

Setsuna chuckled, then grew serious once more.  "I will do my 
best to protect the Small Lady, but there are limits to what I 
can do."

"I don't ask for any more then that."

"I know."  Setsuna turned to leave.  "Remember, help Thalia.  Her 
soul is very fragile right now.  She needs your love more then 
she knows."  With that, she vanished.

__________


The two crystal creatures reappeared in a cavern deep beneath the 
ground.  They approached an intricate throne and bowed deeply.

"My lord, we were repelled by the Senshi."

"As expected."

"Haion was badly injured," the creature continued, gesturing to 
his one-armed partner.

"So I see."  A massive crystal claw lashed out of the darkness, 
smashing the unwary Haion to pieces.  "There.  Now he will never 
have to suffer from his failure again."

"Uh... yes my Lord," the remaining creature said, nervously 
eyeing the crystal shards that now cluttered the floor.  "Shall 
we continue our assault on the city?"

"Of course.  Young Serenity chooses her alliances poorly.  Her 
mistakes must be... corrected.  Her Senshi will not be able to 
stand against our might."

"Yes, my Lord."  The creature bowed deeply, then retreated into 
the surrounding darkness.  He flinched nervously as dark, insane 
laughter followed him.  He walked faster down the tunnel, but the 
echo still followed him.


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Slowly and surely, this fanfic WILL get revised ^^;;  It's sort 
of crazy working on a billion different projects (not the least 
of which is grad school) and watch all of them progress far too 
slowly, but what can you do?  Anyway, Priestess of Light is also 
moving along slowly but surely, so keep an eye out and don't give 
up hope ^_^