2427/Portal to the Tau System

Portal to the Tau System
Date of Scene:	23 March 2025
Location:	Plot Room 1
Synopsis:	The time comes for the sparkles to face down Mistress 9 and stop her from bringing Pharaoh 90 into this world... and rescue Hotaru. Through hard work, determination and grit they manage to save her, only for Saturn to awake. However, instead of the Senshi of Destruction ending everything... they stop her. Refusing to accept the loss of one more after such a grueling battle. Saturn leaves them with one duty... Become strong enough so she won't have to awaken again... and... take care of Hotaru.
Cast of Characters:	Hotaru Tomoe, Haruka Tenoh, Rashmi Terios, Mamoru Chiba, Jadeite, Chibiusa Tsukino, Amanda Faust, Laura La Mer, Usagi Tsukino, Setsuna Meiou, Molly Skyline

---

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
It was mid afternoon when Mistress 9 was ready. They'd been... subtle, this time. Power was hers, they'd just had to be careful. She and Viluy were now in the prior Tomoe Laboratory. The very one where she had joined this world. A massive domed structure was now beginning to spark, with a strange, terrible darkness within it...

However... Then the darkness began to spark... and then stars seemed to appear within it. She tapped on the console and... "Tell the professor to hurry, Pharaoh 90 will arrive soon... but I expect resistance to arrive sooner."

As the last member of the Witches 5 bowed and dusk ported away, Mistress 9 stepped back and smirked. Now nothing could stand in their way. She held out her hand and a shield of darkness formed over the dome, protecting it from all of them...

Overhead, clouds gathered, ominous lightning reverberating through the air...

The rise of Pharaoh 90 was here.

Most those connected to magic could feel, at first, this strange tingling... Followed by what felt like a hole had been stabbed through reality itself. Across the city, people stopped and shook, before shaking their heads and quickly retreating. Unease in all at the strange, dark weather that was quickly beginning to block out the sun. Another storm? already? And it looked like it was going to be a nasty one... The heart of the storm?

An old, seemingly abandoned laboratory on the edge of the city... surrounded by strange, white boxes... with a black star on them.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Not many things draw Haruka Tenoh's attention like ominous storms - the wind whipping past her in ways that clearify it's unnatural situation. The rest of the things tha followed only served to accelerate her concern, and the woman averted her course - she was riding her motorcycle today, and the tired screeched and a black skid of burning rubber left its trail on the Tokyo streets as she veered in a new direction, taking the most direct path to the heart of the oncoming storm - even in parts where it involved her zipping on streets through traffic the wrong way. Something in her spirit, in her sense of Duty, told her this was too critical to worry about even curosry attempts to follow traffic laws.

    Into a nearby tunnel as Haruka Tenoh on one side, and out the other side as the pretty Sailor-Suited soldier, the Guardian of Wind, the Blade of the Outer Senshi, Sailor Uranus, her henshin being practical enough to go with the shorts as she roared out of the tunnel on the back of that same motorcycle.

    As she arrived outside the dome, kicking the stand out from her motorcycle after parking it slightly in an alleyway, drawing her sword with the gleaming wind-wall blade from its pocket space as she approached the laboratory. She was alone now, but she wouldn't be for long. There was no way only she sensed that.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Sundays are supposed to be days off. How can someone even *attempt* to lead the double life of student/mahou without break days?! Ordinarily when trouble sparks up on a Sunday, Rashmi would be heading toward the disturbance, training the most teenagery of 'UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH' sighs she could summon. But not this day.

Not when Nicomachea's initial analysis reported not only a massive Dark Energy surge, but a space-time disturbance on a truly massive scale.

This is not the time for teenage antics. Thus Rashmi simply inhaled her soba, tossed the wreckage into the trash, and took off for the edge of Tokyo, washing the lump of food down with a melon soda on the wing. Calories are mana, after all, and she's gonna need all the mana she can get.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Tuxedo Kamen is incredibly pleased his alt-future-daughter has a temporary henshin, but he's also a little jealous right now because she can fly and he can't.

Yet.

Either way, though, it's a couple of minutes for them to get there with Mamoru rooftop-jumping-- but when they do, and they're stopped at the edge of a rooftop near the suburbs, the masked teenager in a cape stands there and squints at the big dome. "I think this is definitely going to be a day for increasing numbers of combos," he tells Masquerade Lapine.

He takes a rose and wings it at the dome, knowing it won't pop it like a bubble but being amused by the mental image nonetheless. "Oh, there's Sailor Uranus," he says, watching Haruka run past the building they're on. "I'm gonna get closer, you coming?" he asks, and then jumps off the building and starts running in Haruka's wake. Run jumping. Jumping laterally.

Jadeite has posed:
It sounds kind of bad to say that he's relieved when he realizes the spike of power is from Mistress 9? But Jadeite is. There is something deeply straightforward about Mistress 9, as far as he knows - she is a villain, and she is possessing a child, and with any luck, purification will enough of her away to rescue the girl trapped inside of her.

So he's trailing Mamoru and Lapine on the battlefield, an ice shield already manifested, eying grounds for places he can set up shields for people to hide behind if need be.

"We're coming!!"

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Chibiusa was enjoying her Sunday before the unseasonable black clouds suddenly started rising. Once it became clear that it was magical, the gem on her necklace that was Luminous Titan's standby mode pinged.

    She glances towards Mamoru and clutches Lumie, then she looks around for an easy place to hide.

    A short while later, Masquerade Lapine is flying through the air along side the jumping Tuxedo Kamen. As they approach the storm, Luminous Titan starts scanning the area and feeding readings and images to her. The black star boxes are a very clear sign of whose responsible.

    "Right," she says to Tuxedo. "We'll need to work together on this one."

    She grips the edge of her cape, the part of her barrier jacket that's actually her Device, and watches the building from behind her mask. Haruka's going in, as Tux points out, and she lands somewhere behind the Wind Senshi. "I'm coming too!" she says, before running in on foot.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy doesn't even notice the storm at first. She's sitting in front of her computer watching anime. Just regular anime about someone playing a VRMMO! She can do that sometimes! It's not like she only consumes gender-bender stories! But then her relaxing Sunday is interrupted by a tingling in... magic-senses? Amy's not really sure how to describe it. It is more akin to sensing a Witch or other strong source of Dark Energy than it is to any physical sensation, but it's different; like how a shoulder massage or a leg falling asleep is a different kind of feeling than being poked or cut.

    She looks out the window at the growing storm and feels a chill. Could it be another Walpurgisnacht? But it doesn't feel--

    Wrong

            WRONG

        Wrong!

    It intrudes on her awareness. It's localized to a distant location. It's like suddenly noticing a background noise or tinnitis and now you can't un-notice it. It's sharp, not fuzzy. There's this sense of a hole, or a divide.

    Amy holds her hands to the sides of her head. "Uuuugh, magic stuff! Why've you gotta be so weird!"

Group text from AMANDA: Hey does anyone else feel that?

    She gives herself a minute to get ready, and then sets off, flying across the sky on a rocket. She's not sure where she's going, at first, beyond that way, but soon she spies Rashmi and moves closer to talk to her, shouting over the wind. "WHAT IS IT? IT FEELS WRONG!"

~~ Meanwhile ~~
    Sitting outside one of the lab windows peering in, is a pair of red eyes set in the face of a little white fox-cat-creature. He does need to keep on top of if the Earth is going to be destroyed soon, after all. He may not have met quota yet, but escaping is better than being destroyed.

    Next to him, a dusk bunny wearing a collar of blue light climbs up, with difficulty. They look at each other, it sniffs him, and then they look through the window, watching.

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Ah!", Laura vocalises, rapidly flying towards a sandbag and striking it with a kick and sending it flying into a small square delineated by 3 rows of brick. A training regimen meant to get her used to fighting while flying with the Snow Crystal Tropical Style form, and she has been showing results, coupled with the youmas that spring up every day.

"That seems good", the Pretty Cure remarks, landing back on the ground taking note of the 12 or so times she could keep it juggling into the air, even if she had to hold back to avoid destroying it. Not unlike the remains of its sandy brethrens that fell victims to the first times she started doing this specific training.

Slap! Just when she gets a flier in her face, when the wind suddenly starts picking up. "What is up with this?" she squints at the paper. "An all-you-can-eat at Lazy Kattaru, until August 2024?", she raises an eyebrow at it, before crumpling it and tossing it in a nearby bin.

"Right, back to train-", she says, but three Lazy Kattaru cut her off in much the same way. "Seriously, what is up with this?", she looks around, noticing the way too rapid darkening of the sky. A youma with power over the sky? They don't make them this powerful.

Moments after, the wintry figure of Cure La Mer flies off towards the center of the unusual weather phenomenon.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Usagi Tsukino wasn't actually with her friends and family, for once. She was... at her house, helping oversee some of the construction, stopping in and watching it all. It had been discussed, the idea of moving, but her parents didn't want to go, and Shingo didn't want to go, and her great grandfather was more on her parents' side. So the house was being rebuilt...

And a strange storm was brewing. The bad kind.

"Grandpa, I just remembered I have a group project, and you know it's almost finals -"

"Go on, Usagi-chan, go and do that project then, and keep your responsibilities in mind next time. Just think of how inconvenient it will be for them to have to wait for you to arrive!"

That was the good thing about her grandpa - he was a practical man, who didn't hem and haw.

"And make sure to get those grades up! You'll need them for law school!"

A sweat drop, as Usagi raced away from the house. That was the bad thing about grandpa... he was a real dog with a bone about her future!

It's a few minutes later that Sailor Moon flings herself up and amidst the group of her friends, eyes catching sight of Kamen's billowing cape and Lapine's cheerful bunny ears. They're running, so she falls in alongside them.

"Looks like it's trouble time again, huh?"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
One by one the mahou arrive, amongst others... And the rose hits the roof and just kind of... lodges in there. Well, it was a big building, so...

However, as the first of the mahou began to approach? The boxes erupted, revealing... YOUMA?! Swarms of them! One made of a stapler, one made of a monster truck, one made of a tootsie pop, at least ten of them... And they began to attack, launching waves of staples, of beams of light, candy, all manner of blasts and assaults launched at the sparkles...

The true trouble began when one ran towards the building and discovered that those youma weren't the only ones. Under the ground, there were yet more youma, a mole youma lunging out to strike the first sparkle to come out...

Rashmi Terios has posed:
"MISTRESS 9!" Rashmi yells over the wind, tilting closer so she can fly and talk at a slightly more conversational tone. "There's something going on with space-time, I think she's opening a portal! But it's not the same readings as the Dusk Zone portals so it's probably *lots* worse!"

Banking and swinging down as the dome comes into view, Rashmi comes to a halt a good twenty meters above the ground as the mahoujin begin forming up... And looses a startled squeak as the boxes burst open, disgorging an almost comical assortment of youma.

    << *BONG!* >> << TELEPATHY >>

<< So we're all on the same page, I'm *pretty sure* this is Mistress 9, and I don't know *exactly* what she's doing in there, but it looks like it involves a portal, *not* to the Dusk Zone, >> she says to the assembed group, as she spots targets for simple Barrets to fire, dialed up for maximum homing and damage. Each youma gets only two each, as there are more than enough fighters assembled that those hit by her shots are likely to stumble into the way of a much more powerful attack.

<< We need to stop her before she can finish! >>

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Oh no!

    Suddenly Masquerade Lapine is surrounded by boxed youma. << Watch out! They're everywhere! >> she calls out telepathically.

    Fortunately with her positioning, she's not alone. As a tootsie pop youma launches hard candy at her, she holds up her cape to cover her head as she's pelted over and over. One of the pieces knocks off her bunny eared top hat, and she quickly grabs it before it gets too far away.

    After a moment, the purple hat glows, and she flings it through the air where it spins and arcs like a boomerang, around her cape and hopefully into the side of the candy monster.

    Yet that's only one monster among many, and others are lining up to attack the mahou even more. << If Mistress Nine's here, then... we need to get past them. >>

Jadeite has posed:
Dozens and dozens of youma? Honestly? This is what Jadeite was made for. He's here to annihilate those who would get between his prince and princess (sorry, his uh. HIs ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend? His two good friendshe is not romantically engaged with??) so that they can go into battle fresh.

He drags his arm back, summoning a great foxglove flower made of ice, flexes the stem back, and LAUNCHES the bell-shaped flower made of ice into the crowd of youma. "Glory of the Snow!!" Those who the bell doesn't hit directly will be grazed by shards from the collapsing ice - and hopefully help clear the way to Mistress 9 herself!

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus nods to Tuxedo Mask, Usagi, and Small Tuxedo Mask Rabbit as they arrive. She smiles further as more and more arrive; one of the wonderful things about Tokyo - she's never alone. That thought sends a bit of euphoria through her, through Sailor Uranus who was once further away from her allies - and she grins. She's got to protect this world with everything she has. Including from evil storms.

    When the youma appear, Uranus stops running wildly and instead braces her sword, but there's a heavy blast of attacks and shje is caught out alone - at least until Jadeite's ice attack comes up through the youma at a handy time for her to not be pelted by storm of projectiles. "Thank you!" she calls after taking cover, before vaulting over the top of the car she took cover behind once the projectile storm is over and diving towards one of the youma with her sword. "I think they're trying to keep us back, so obviously, we shouldn't waste too much time with them!" she says, as she tries to cut the one she's in melee with down anyways.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    "THAT'S A PORTAL?!" Amy shouts back. "I CAN FEEL IT!"

    She tilts down towards the laboratory, seeing the monsters come out... which are going to be a problem for everyone coming in on the ground, huh...

    As destructive as her attacks may be, against magical targets -- they're generally nothing special. She'll need to come up with something besides just shooting them...

    "I've got it!" Amy swoops down on the rocket, towards one of the near corners of the building.

    << Incendiaries out! >> she calls to allies, as she hurls grenades down, hopefully setting closeby youma on fire and creating a blaze on the ground that will slow up youma coming around the building. She flies to the other near corner and repeats this, before leaping off as the rocket flies up into the sky so she can call it down on something later (probably not so much later.)

    "What is--" << What is this place, anyway!? >>

Laura La Mer has posed:
<< Mistress 9...>> Laura furrows her brow, focusing towards the inside of the laboratory. << Thanks, Page! Good think she signaled her location so clearly! Let's hurry!>> she eagerly throws herself at the eye of the storm, only sparing a glance at the number of youmas around on the way to the lab.

A giant candy cane is tossed at Laura just when she arrives on the place, catching her in the curve of the sweet, and piercing through a nearby building, almost pinning her on the wall if not for her pushing back with her feet and breaking the head of the candy with a loud crack.

"Back to you! I don't have time for this!", she tosses the sweet back at the youma that targeted her.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
From the boxes, youma, and plenty of them. Masquerade Lapine is in the middle of them, and Sailor Moon will not have that. Into her hand drops the Spiral Heart Moon Rod, and with it, carves a circle of light. There are too many friends and enemies - she needs an attack that can discriminate. And luckily, she has one.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

Purifying light floods the youma and the battlefield.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Fun for the whole family," Tuxedo Kamen calls over to Sailor Moon, grinning at her. And youma erupt everywhere in front of them, and suddenly he's not grinning the same way anymore, but it's still a smile and it still shows his teeth-- it's just that the light in his eyes is different.

A smorgasbord, all pelting them with attacks and projectiles, and even as Masquerade Lapine does her cape-tanking moves in the air, her alt-dad is mirroring them on the ground below.

AoE. Need an AoE. Or at least a cone--

He flings out his cape, yelling out "Tuxedo Glittering Rose Bomber!" and letting loose a veritable double bouquet of magical red roses, all winging out petals-first, all exploding on fist-force impact into petals and glitter. So much glitter, getting in monster-faces.

<< Oho, nice kettling, everyone, >> comes Mamoru's mental voice cheerfully. << Nobody go melee on them in a minute. >>

He takes cover around a wall and puts his hands on the ground, looking around the corner for a second and then shuts his eyes, pulling up power from the ground. He's listening as much as he can over the wind, over the yelling and attacks -- just monitoring the tenor of the fight. And keeping track of where Moon and Minibun are.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
The candy monster is knocked back, but not aside, by the throne hat of the chibiest of sparkles, a short delay, but a well earned one. and the gathered youma are fortunate to not be too bunched up, as Jadeite's blast of ice and Amy's fire assault send damage through many of their ranks, hurting and aching quite a few.

Uranus' fortune to avoid a swarm of ranged attacks is, well, quite fortunate indeed, before she charges into melee range with a great rubber ducky one. Her blade strikes tree, creating a gash in its side but not cleaving it in half. La Mer manages to even launch a candied assault back at the very one who had targetted her and the little lupine.

Then Tuxedo Mask just... glitterbombs and flowerbombs the area, while Sailor Moon launches her own sparkle blast, sending destruction and sparkles in ALL directions and allowing them to push in even further! They were almost there! However, as they approach the doors... A great, metal door seals the way! And they hear an obnoxious voice from within the building cackling. "MWA HA HA HA HA! You can never break my doors! For I am Doorknobder!"

Indeed, it seemed that Mistress 9 had brought the A-game of youma, one that was almost borderline competent.

Worse, those who had been parted from their path were getting back up, rushing towards them, trying to close in on the group that was now blocked off from going forward!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
<< Yeah let's not waste more time with these ones than we have to, >> Rashmi says, winging blasts almost willy-nilly, in an attempt to help out as many of her allies as possible... And then DOORKNOBBER TAKES THE STAGE, barring their way in the most infuriating of manners.

    << *BONG!* >> << SEPTA BARRET -- BOOST UP >>

A Mid-childan spell seal spreads under her feet, and seven foxfire wisps materialize around her, before streaking out to give all her friends a momentary boost in shot power.

<< Target the door, everyone! >> she calls, charging up a Solar Barrage and walking fire up and down th path to the door. << I'll sweep the road! >>

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
BLOCKED, YOU SAY?

One of the youma just noticed the masked boy with his glowing hands on the ground, and Mamoru's blue eyes widen behind his mask. He SLAMS a white-gloved hand on the ground and yells all in a rush, "TuxedoLaSmokingCrater!!!"

Then he's scrambling back away from the youma, then jumps right over its head as the ground beneath the door and the walls around it starts blowing up. He jumps over its head and over the rest of the crowd of youma and lands in amongst the group of mahoujin, his cape billowing and settling as he keeps pace with everyone else.

Jadeite has posed:
"Glory of the Snow!!"

Mamoru is taking the lead - so Jadeite trails him, andensures that no one follows by clearing out theyouma stalking them with another shattering ice flower attack. The coast is clear for his friends to break th door down!

Laura La Mer has posed:
<< No need to tell me twice! >> Cure La Mer smiles, stretching her arms as she feels that Septa Barret - Boost Up begin to fill her with power. Shot power? Oh, if she has shot power. Like, a plethora of it. She is going to adoore this.

"Perfume Shiny Ring - Bubble Form!" she declares as she inserts her pen under the Aqua Pact and the ring above it, the cover splitting open again. Grasping it by the now attached pen, Cure La Mer shouts "Aqua Charge!" and rotates the disk, a vortex of bubbles entering her Aqua Pact. The mermaid spins around, a trail of glowing pink energy following behind her. "Pretty Cure Ocean Bubble Shower!" she shouts, pointing the Mermaid Aqua Pact at the youma, the magical item briefly glowing yellow before it rapidly fires an uncountable torrent of bubbles. Rest in pieces, Doorknobber.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy conjures a grenade launcher and fires at distant youma a few times while others clear the way forward, but...

    It's a door youma?!

    "I've fought Demon Wall countless times in countless games! You think this is gonna stop me?!"

    She conjures some cosplay outfit that incorporates a long black coat and armored boots and gauntlets, her hair briefly in a ponytail (it's Faris Scherwiz's outfit from the Amano art) and holds out one of her red-bladed cosplay swords like a captain giving the order to

    "FIRE!"

    There is not an offscreen pirate ship at her command, but an (artillery) cannon appears over her shoulder, fires, and disappears anyway! Sending the door an explosive shell burning with Rashmi's power boost!

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Lapine sure knows how to pick them. Her first real fight was against Rubeus, and now she's going up against Mistress Nine. She feels like the kind of MMO player who bought the story and level skips and is now stepping into the raid without fully knowing what her rotation is.

    Still, these are actual legit youma, and they don't really have time to take on all of them. It's going to be a real serious fight just to get through this many, let alone whatever Mistress Nine has in store.

    As her hat returns to her hand, she places it back on her head at a tilt. Rashmi's power boost is felt, and Lapine's cape pings to her. << Moonlight Message Ready >>

    Throwing out a finisher this early in any other context would be unwise, but this is a target rich environment and she's sure to hit something. Maybe even many things. Turning her back on Doorknobber, she looks at the crowd of youma closing in behind her and, with a swoosh of her cape, shouts, "Send!"

    The tip of her cape glows bright golden yellow, and that glow leaves a trail. The trail becomes a massive crescent that spins through the air and arcs around, trying to hit many of the youma before turning back and spending the rest of its energy on the door youma, probably briefly following after her alt-papa's attack.

    Then Masquerade checks her energy reserves as she turns to keep up with the rest of the group. She's not being left behind!

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus continues to press the youma away - particularly any of them that get too close to the little one, though she's keeping her eyes open for the behalf of any of her allies as well, teamwork being what it is.

5tThe presence of Doorknobber makes for things annoying, and Haruka thinks about trying to kick the door before being reminded of what happened the last time she tried to put her senshi-speed to use kicking something metal. But then she scoffs. "You think a door can stop us?" she asks, even as she's parrying another youma's attack. "You better reinforce that whole building." she adds, looking over as Mamoru slams his hand into the ground and the earth responds in kind - slamming upward and around the pathway. "They don't make buildings strong enough for us." she calls. Then she draws her blade back and swings it through the air a few times, sending cutting waves through to literally carve a path now that she's enhanced by the Page Mage's energy. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Doorknobder was invincible so long as... As...

The ground under the door was shoved up, forcing the door itself out of alignment as magical bubbles, magical artillery and magical wind sword magic. The door crumbles and is cut to pieces and Doorknobder is... standing there... her laughter dying. And she squeaks, pointing down the hall. "Down the hall, third door on the right, stairs are on the second door on the left, down one floor, keep going until you see the big ominous portal."

She'd then try to run for her life, likely not making it very far with the other mahou outside covering the group that got in.

the youma that attempted to follow were knocked back and away by Lupine and Jadeite's assaults to clear the way, the amplified attacks clearing the way...

As the group traverses, they'd soon get a good idea of what this building had been. While the signs outside had long since faded, one of the walls bore the name 'Tomoe LifeSciences'...

And at one point they'd pass a large framed picture, now covered in dirt and cocked to the side... With what looked like a very young Hotaru, smiling. Behind her was Dr. Tomoe and a woman none of them had likely never seen before. Hematite... might... have seen a picture of her during his time working in Obsidian, but otherwise...

And the Doorknobder daimon had given them the correct directions, it led them to a long overgrown and abandoned lab... now... it held a large, domed structure. Within which a glimmering, shimmering spark could be seen. And something seemed to be being made within, some kind of reaction, sparkling off randomly in wild bursts.

Mistress 9 was standing there, her back to them, before she began to chuckle. "I was wondering how long it would take you... But you'll find you're too late. You've come to stop me, to save your precious child, to end our ambitions..."

She'd then turn to face them, smirking. "But nobody will be able to save you."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    As the door youma gives them directions, Lupine runs past her and says, "Thanks!"

    Is there anything weird about a youma giving accurate directions? Not in Small Lady's mind. It's honestly one of the more normal things that youma do.

    As she passes by the picture, she slows down and studies it for a moment. Young Hotaru, her father and... possibly her mother? "Lumie..." she says, and then spreads out her cape. Luminous Titan catches the hint, and takes a digital picture of the family portrait. Then she runs on ahead.

    As they reach the center of the lab, where Mistress Nine is, Masquerade holds up her cape in front of her to give herself a mysterious look. "How dare you torment such an innocent little child so? Hotaru-chan, who only ever wanted to enjoy her life with her friends and family with whatever time she had!"

    Dramatic Cape Swish. Pose strike. "The Rosen Bunny Magician of Mystery! Masquerade Lapine! We're here to take her back!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Faintly relieved that a youma existed who could show some self-preservation, Rashmi soars down the indicated hall... and slows up behind Masquerade Lapin, contemplating the portrait. Carefully, as Masquerade moves on, she reaches out to straighten the picture... and flies on past.

Pulling up as they reach the loaboratory, she takes a position behind and above the smol pink mahou, Nicomachea floating over her right shoulder.

"I guess you're not a student of history, Mistress 8.5," she says. "Everyone, *everyone* who's threatened the world on our watch has *lost.* You're not gonna be any different. Give Hotaru-chan back, stop this insanity, and then -- *maybe* -- we can talk about letting you go."

...Oh shit Rashmi did *not* come to play.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus takes one look at DoorKnobber and... just shakes her head. There was an apocalypse to resolve, and she couldn't really stop.

    She doesn't pay attention to the directions - on some level that's surprising, but her mind is in a few other places; and she figures someone else will, one of those Devicers with the easier memory. She does, however, slide down the stairs after the rest of the team, because she can.

    When she sees the picture... the small Hotaru visible there, with father and... maybe mother? She pauses for a much longer time, hand on her hip. Eventually she reaches out and takes it, stuffing it in the same place she'd stuff her sword normally - a little subspace pocket that she hopes she remembers the picture is in before putting the sword in it. Still better chance of making it out of here than leaving it on the wall.

    Haruka is there in time to drop down (from where?!) behind Lupine after her dramatic speech. She points her wind sword, brilliant energy visible on the blade, at Mistress Nine. "I don't see Hotaru-chan's biological father here... but let me warn you - her Papa is." she says. "And she's been away from her home for too long. I don't care if I have to pull you apart from her one strand at a time." she says. Strand? Hair? DNA? Something else? Doesn't matter. She means it, even if it's not clear.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Oh, there was a humanoid youma behind the door! "Uhh... thanks..." Amy says to her, running onward with the others.

    Tomoe LifeSciences, huh... They had this abandoned place this whole time and we never tried to loot it?! We should look into them some more, see if there's any others..."

    She sees Yokino Meiou-san -- Tomoe Hotaru -- in the picture. "Is that..."

    No time to stop and ask questions.

    Amy switches back to her standard outfit as they approach what will presumably be the Portal Room.

    The hole in reality feels so close...

    And there's Mistress 9. She monologues, and Amy feels like the hairs on the back of her neck are standing up. Serious creepy dangerous vibe.

    But Amy and her friends are here together. They can't lose while they're together, right?

    We can't all lose... but how many will we lose...?

    "You're all--" Amy points dramatically, then hesitates briefly, "Well, not entirely.." she rallies, "You're at least partially talk! If you could end the world and nothing could stop you... you'd have done it already! Something is keeping you... and we're gonna find out what it is, and stop you, and take Yokina-- no, Tomoe Hotaru-san, back!"

Laura La Mer has posed:
"You catch on fast", Laura smirks extremely pleased when the youma gives them the directions. "Of course, that much is natural. Just as it is me, Laura Apollodoros Hyginus La Mer, the Bubble Bomber and Grand Ocean's next Mermaid Queen", she introduces herself fully, flipping back her hair. Should someone tell her that the youma ran away already?

When she pays attention again, she doesn't realise that fact and doesn't give chase, following the directions with a fast pace. The name on the sign does get her to start understanding, a frown accompanying that realisation. But it's only the photo that gets her to stop.

Seeing Hotaru that young again sends her back to that unexpectedly retrieved memory, and noticing that woman that she had only seen briefly in the dark of that night, with only the fireflies and the festival to brighten her face...

With the understanding she has now of what her very first friend went on to face, tears start welling up in the mermaid's eyes. The one good thing losing that memory has done for her, is she has a crystal clear recollection of that day, and how much Hotaru had made her happy to have her as her first friend.

It's with shaking hands that she goes on to take out the Aqua Pot and take a bubble photo of it, sometime after Rashmi straightened it and before Haruka took it.

When she goes on to find Mistress 9, she will still have those tears in her eyes, accompanied by a angry scowl. "You really think I need saving? Bet on it, 9. It will take you on that many times to get Hotaru back."

Jadeite has posed:
If the youma's getting out of the way, Jadeite will let her. He's got bigger fish to fry.

So as he arrives to the scene - he'll let those who know Hotaru better make their delcarations to save her. He's only met the girl briefly. He is not the one who will be breaking her heart out of the beast. Instead, he begins growing icy walls for the mahou to duck behind when Mistress 9's attacks begin in earnest. If she remains as difficult to damage as she was before, this will be a battle of attrition, and none of them can afford to take too much damage.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"GODS she's so cute," is Tuxedo Kamen's current contribution as he watches Chibiusa doing a justice speech. At least it's under his breath and probably to Sailor Moon.

Well, it's not his only contribution. And he wishes they hadn't left so many of their friends outside fighting the massed youma. He eyes Rashmi over the 8.5, wondering if he's missed a joke or a reference, then... then Amy's calling Mistress 9 out and Mamoru worries.

<< Combos. We're going to have to be combining attacks a lot, I think. We did not come in here with enough people to take out Beryl so-- so we have to be smarter about this than just throwing attacks, right? If we pull the plug on the machine does the portal stop? >>

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Mistress 9 had to cringe a little as the internal Hotaru squealed when she saw Masquerade Lapine's pose. SO! COOL! She even had music!

Mistress 9 responded by binding the girl tighter within her. How did the child have such a will to fight STILL?!

"Give her back? Oh dear... I suppose you'd like a corpse that badly, that sounds quite cruel, child." before her eyes flickered to Amy and she grinned. Not even responding to that... because to her? The world had already ended... These fools just didn't realize it.

And then... papa was here. "Oh, what pleasure. And here I wasn't sure I'd be able to let her see her father die before her eyes... but it seems we have a volunteer."

She glanced towards La Mer and scowled slightly. The ring girl... Hmm. So many targets. The little girl with the theme music. The obnoxious fool with a sword. The girl who gave her the broken ring (YES IT WAS BROKEN, IT SUMMONED A STUPID SPARKLE AND SHE WASN'T WORRIED, YOU WERE WORRIED!)

And then her eyes fell on Rashmi and... "A-ahhh..." She clutched her head, crumbling to her knees. "N-no... I... I'm sorry..." she said... in... Hotaru's voice?!

She looked up at Rashmi... "I-I'm... I'm so sorry... you're going to have to watch more of your friends die."

Suddenly two long bundles of hair erupted from behind La Mer and Uranus, lashing out to coil around them. Coiling around arms and necks, before trying to tighten and, well, choke them out... At the same time dark energy would erupt through them, draining their energy and making them feel as if their very bodies were being torn apart.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus probably wishes she had held the sword in a more offensively useful position when the hair whips up and grasps her, coming from behind her, from the shadows, avoiding Jadeite's ice shields and locking aroundf her, the sword still outstretched. She screams out as the dark energy erupts through her, it's as much in anger as pain.

    "You harpy! Give... Hotaru... Back!!!" she calls between more unintelligible screams. But deep down she knows - this is just pain, she can endure, Hotaru endured pain from this witch for years... and she just has to hold on until one of her allies breaks her free. Then she'll slap her so hard Hotaru will feel it - wait no that's counterproductive. Probably?!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Yeah yeah, blah blah, die die," says Tuxedo Kamen, another rose in his hand, and as it flies to cut the hair choking out Haruka, he's got one more in his other hand, and he underhand dart-throws that one at the hair squeezing Cure LaMer.

"Hotaru-chan, I'm so sorry you're possessed by someone so completely cringe!" he calls out earnestly, spending a lot more attention on keeping Masquerade Lapine in sight than he is on anything else.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's not just talking to give the villain time, of course. She's reached out with her magic, and guided...

    As that hair reaches out, Amy steps to the side of the door as a cartoonishly big rocket -- white with red nosecone and fins, big enough for her to ride on her way here -- flies out of the hallway and straight at the dome!

    Amy starts running after it as soon as it flies past her. Flinging a smoke grenade between the dome and Mistress Nine, as she runs towards the dome herself. << I'm going for the machine! Let me know if you need backup! >>

    BOOM!

    The rocket EXPLODES with not inconsiderable power, that was almost finisher-tier!

    ...And reveals the dome is protected by some kind of forcefield. "WHAT?! No fair!"

    BANG!

    BANG!

    Amy tries to pierce the forcefield with another signature attack, but it's weaker, magically, than the explosion she just used. "No, no, no..." She looks back in alarm at Laura, Uranus, and Tuxedo Mask, thinking to herself, Did I pick the wrong target!?

    << What do I do?! >>

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Posturing and Mean Girl talk was expected, but when Mistress 9's voice flickers to Hotaru-in-pain, for a moment Rashmi looks *deeply* concerned. Then *another Dark jerk* makes a joke about 'friends dying,' and the breath Rashmi draws in, and the look of ury on her face, almost seem to make her double in size and fury.

"*Never.* *Again.*" is all she says, as a spell-seal spreads out underneath her.

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BARRAGE -- BLAZE SHIFT >>

Rashmi's 'fire' is not proper fire, in the strictest sense. It clings, and *feels* like burning, and gives off a terrible heat, but for living creatures the effect is more of an ultra-painful sunburn than a real burn. To non-living matter, and Dark Energy constructs, however...

Which is why when Rashmi brings out the flaming machinegun, she aims for the bundle of hair attacking Uranus. Technically, hair is nonliving, *and* it's probably being animated by Dark Energy! Which likely means that barring Uranus' sword -- which doesn't have the immediate leverage -- fire best.

<< Follow the cabling! >> she says into the telepathic group chat. << Portals need a power source, right? Look for the biggest amount of cabling all going to one place! >>

Jadeite has posed:
"Would it kill villains to take a drama course?" Jadeite calls out - and since Mistress 9 has taken no notice of him so far, he'll dodge behind his ice shields to get to Sailor Uranus, cutting her from the hair with his sword. with a few expert slices. "

Laura La Mer has posed:
She dares use Hotaru's voice? That is probably par for the course with someone like her, but all she obtains from it is La Mer is about to summon the whale on her from the start, going with the attack that has the potential to hurt Mistress 9 the most and Hotaru the last. Besides the power of the Land of Happiness.

Unfortunately, the attack from La Mer's blind spot does work at grappling itself around the Pretty Cure's neck, giving her that familiar sensation she had felt when she was in Hotaru's body. This is nothing though! She has withstood it once for Hotaru's sake, she can do it again, no matter what, she won't give in. All her effort goes towards taking a hold of the hair crushing her and trying to break it off of her.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Chibiusa soaks up her father's praise. She didn't quite hear but Luminous Titan did and made sure she knew about it.

    Then Mistress Nine starts taunting them, starts mocking them, using Hotaru's voice.

    Unforgivable. Times like these make Small Lady really wish that she had powers so that she could teach these meanies a lesson!

    Oh wait. She does.

    As the prehensile hair lashes out, Masquerade once again takes to the air, flying within the limited airspace of this room. She wasn't one of the ones targeted, but she figured that it was only a matter of time. In her mind, speaking with Luminous Titan, she tries to formulate a strategy. This device was once used to keep M9 in check. Could it again be used to cast her out?

    While the calculations on that are being made, Lapine still has to keep the pressure up. LT calls out, << Rose Barret >> as a spread of rose-shaped magical energy spheres fire from beneath her spread cape, targeting not the main body Mistress Nine herself but various locks of hair that are attacking her allies.

    << What if we just start cutting all the cables we see? >>

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Amy's rocket travels through the air and... hits... something. A weird, dark energy field over the dome itself. It flickers for a moment, before seeming to fade away... still there. Still protecting it. Which is revealed when the second hits it. Mistress 9 only laughs. "Did you truly believe I would have just let the target of my efforts be so easily destroyed while I yet live? If you wish to stop the arrival of my master... you'll have to kill me. I suppose it's not such a problem, though... after all... Hotaru is used to being let down by the people around her."

Then her grin only grows as they rush to save the girls... The rose and fire is launched...

And then Uranus is SHOVED away, the hair letting her go and she finds herself thrown directly into the path of the rose and flames, Jadeite's sword having only enough time to cut off a split end or two before it disappears back underground.

La Mer finds herself in a similiar position, thrown into the path of the rose spheres and rose plant, the hair vanishing under the ground.

Mistress 9 holds out her right hand, an orb of dark magic forming within it as she looks at all of them...

And her eyes, for a moment, would lock with Tuxedo Kamen's...

And he'd see that vicious, cruel grin form on her lips...

Before her eyes moved to Masquerade Lapine and she sent the orb of crackling dark energy at her...

Right before two batches of hair launched out from the ground, one going to try and grab Lapine's feet and hold her there for the blast to hit...

The other rising up from Kamen's feet, to try and grab, and stop him, from defending the smaller mahou!

Internally, Hotaru screamed, begging, pleading with her to stop, leave her alone! LEAVE ALL OF HER FRIENDS ALONE!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- BLAZE SHIFT >>

As the orb of crackling Dark Energy is launched at Masquerade, a shell of whirling, golden flames enfolds the smollest, pinkest of smol pinks. << Not a bad idea, Lapin-tan, >> Rashmi says, narrowing her eyes at Mistress 9. << Hang on a second, gonna do something dumb. >>

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR FLASH >>

In the space between one breath and the next, Rashmi seems to turn into a blip of golden energy, and streak forward, popping back to flesh *right* in Mistress 9's face.

"If she can hear us, then she knows how much we believe in her. It's not gonna be *us* that kicks you out, it's gonna be *her.* Because she's been fighting you since before you had the strength to *wiggle a nose hair.*"

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD -- RED SHIFT >>

When Rashmi builds a shield *expressly* to collapse and kick back, so much kinetic power gets layered onto the basic shield structure, that the whole construct can collapse when breathed on, and magnify the force of that breath into the kinetic force of a truck. And the shield taps against Mistress 9 *right* as it comes up.

"We'll keep her busy, Hotaru-chan!" she calls over the collapse of the shield. "Show her why you're the one she should be afraid of most!"

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Masquerade suddenly watches as her launched projectiles are basically being used on her friends. Well, really, her friends are being thrown into the line of fire but it's the same thing. She's so distracted by the worry over that, she doesn't notice that she's the next target.

    Luminous Titan, in its deep spooky movie voice, calls out a warning << It's Coming! >>

    Lapine looks. Her purple mask hides her widened eyes. The hair wraps around her feet, holding her in place as the dark orb flies directly at her.

    << Protection! >>

    Chibiusa holds up her cape in front of her, and a giant pink magic circle with a rose outline in the middle and a ring of bunnies around the edge appears in front of her. The orb impacts, drives into the shield. Sparks and lightning fly as Small Lady pours everything she can into defense.

    "Lumie was made... to contain you!"

    She grits her teeth and shuts her eyes. The orb draws closer, sending rose-colored cracks all over her magic seal. Rashmi's own shield comes in clutch, giving her a second wind.

    "He wont give up... and neither will I!"

    Just then, the shields shatter. The orb impacts, sending her through the air and into the ceiling. Her cape is wrapped around her, tanking the rest of the hit, leaving her bruised as she hovers near the ceiling.

    Yet at the moment of impact, she managed to sneak one attack out. A spread of Rose Barrets fired from her cape, arcing around the dark orb and closing in on Mistress Nine herself.

    As Lapine falls from the ceiling, she lands behind Tuxedo Kamen.

    She's a bit beat up but... not nearly as much as she would have been without Rashmi's help.

    "Hotaru-chan! Luminous Titan is here! He wants to help you. We all do!"

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus staggered forwards a few steps at the shove - which she wasn't expecting - and now she's in the path of two attacks, from her own teammates. But they're attacks she's familiar with - and one of those is from someone she has two lifetimes of connections to. The other is from her housemate. She knows what to do, better than any enemy would, and she's fast enough to do it.

    She turns her staggering into a twirl on her toes, reaching out with the hand her sword isn't in - and catching Tuxedo Mask's rose neatly between her middle and forefinger. She comes out of the twirl sniffing it's beautiful aroma before throwing it back - using the nullifying properties of the rose to catch out Rahsmi's attack before it can give her a seriously-uncomfortable-in-combat sunburn. The whole thing is rather... overdramatic.

    "Sorry, but I'm just. too. fast." she says, looking at Hotaru. Some of the overdramatic nature of this is for Hotaru's sake. And some of this is just Haruka By Nature. But then she's off, running, making a wide loop around to avoid the incoming attacks, so she can come at Mistress Nine from behind - and wrap her arms around her - and hug her.

    "Hotaru-chan, people came to save the world, but they also came to save you." Sailor Uranus says. "I know you're fighting, too. We're gonna get you back."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    The cables, Rashmi points out. Amy turns, looking at the mess of wires leading away from the dome in all directions.

    Attacks are coming for Tuxedo Mask and the kid... but what's coming might be even worse! Please be okay... Amy thinks.

    But what can she use on wires? Is exploding really going to work well??? If only she had--

    Amy conjures the red-bladed costplay prop swords that Ahmya applied her enhancement to, sharpening and toughening them such that they might survive being used for a single attack before breaking. Amy was going to use them for a fake-out attack against Seriss Nyx, but that wasn't how that fight went. But maybe now...!

    That's gotta be enough to cut mundane wires, right?!

    Amy starts to run in a circle around the dome, slicing at wirews. She can't tell which ones are plugged into anything, so she'll just have to try to get all of them!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
And then it's going to try? Stopping him??? Mistress 9 thinks she can stop him from helping Masquerade Lapine. This melee guy right? He's so melee. Nothing ranged about him at all.
That's the thing though: the hair catches at Kamen's feet, starts to wrap around him, but-- it's generally more effective, if your aim is good enough, to intercept and interrupt an attack at a distance than throwing yourself in the way. Past habits aside.

Before it gets his hands he's got a rose he's about to throw petals-first at the crackling dark energy ball headed for Chibiusa-- but then Rashmi's got her shielded, and Mamoru has more things to worry about.

He sighs through his teeth, and then-- there's a line of sparking change like self-lighting charcoal across Tuxedo Kamen's formalwear, and in its place is the armor of the Prince of Earth, which comes with the sword of the Prince of Earth, and that sword is also pretty good at haircuts tbh.

He swords the hair.

His other hand comes up and glows, and he points it at-- that bundle of cables over there. "Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!"

Laura La Mer has posed:
La Mer is thrown in the path of the floral attacks meant to save her, but in those brief moments, she will get someone to rescue her. Kururun will be quick to react, flying the Aqua Pot out of Laura's hair and moving it rapidly to catch the mermaid inside before she gets in a collision path of the roses and rose barrets.

La Mer blinks as she opens her eyes in the underwater space of her home. "Thank you, Kururun. You are amazing", she happily tells the seal fairy, and then she jumps out of the Aqua Pot, nestling it safely in her hair again.

"You really know nothing if you think we are going to have to kill Hotaru to save the world! Hotaru... she would always look on with optimist no matter how you hurt her. You had already lost before you even started. This is just a temporary setback, is all", the mermaid stares up at the Messiah of Silence.

"You always say that hope and rebirth come in the end, and she never stops fighting! So, don't worry, Hotaru! You do your part, and we will do Hotaru! Because you will be reborn free of her, right in this life! So, keep fighting on, with us!", the mermaid appeals to her friend with a smile.

As La Mer stirs with her pen the disk at the center of her Compact, a column of water starts spinning inside the Mermaid Aqua Pact. "Pretty Cure Swirling La Mer Stream!", she shouts, a huge rotating beam of water erupting out of the Pact, following the direction of the pen into those cables.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Luminous Titan? "THAT FOOLISH DEVICE?!" Mistress 9 yelled and, for the first time, she sounded *angry*. She'd been amused before, but now? She sounded PISSED! HOW DARE THAT DEVICE STILL EXIST! SHE HAD ALMOST DESTROYED IT ONCE! AND--

Then she cringed, cocking her head to the side and reaching up a hand as if to shield her ear. Why? Because HOTARU SAW the level of extra that WAS Sailor Uranus. And she SQUEALED with such a high pitched, delighted squeal, that it actually stunned Mistress 9. It got even worse when there was a SECOND one when La Mer pulled off a aqua pot hoodwink, like watching a sparkle shrink and then grow to avoid a strike. This was all VERY distrac--

Wait, what? why was--

Rashmi was in her face, she lifted up both hands over herself, absorbing the impact but knocking herself back...

And then arms.

She was being hugged.

... She... was... being... hugged...

She twitched, arms trembling. How... how dare... How dare she...

"G-gr... grk... grrrr..." Mistress 9 gurgled, as she and Hotaru wrestled for control... "Let... let me go... you... I will not be... m-made a fool... of... U-unhand... me..." she growled.

But Haruka refused. And this extra time bought allowed Endymion's sword to flash forward, cleaving through the hair with ease, making it disappear back under the ground, now much shorter.

"... Very well," Mistress 9 said. Before suddenly metallic spikes erupted from her body in layers, racing up it and piercing Sailor Uranus, knocking her back and away...

"Sorry, Hotaru... but I'm going to kill this 'papa' too," Mistress 9 said, lifting a hand up, dark energy forming as strands of hair coiled around the wounded Uranus' neck, holding her there and--

And then the dark energy disippated. And Mistress 9 screamed, reaching up a hand to grip her hair. "STOP IT! THIS IS MY BODY AND I WON'T LET YOU!" she screamed, shaking her head... Before growling and then slamming her hand down, leaving nothing but a crater where Uranus *had* been.

Uranus, to her fortune, would find while the wounds had been plentiful from that, they hadn't been very deep. Only a few had managed to pierce and they had, perhaps due to Hotaru, perhaps due to a miracle, hadn't punctured any vital organs...

However, the lab was crumbling around them now, as they destroyed more and more equipment. Their attacks would show one thing. The barrier only seemed to cover the dome and the control console. The equipment around the lab, all of the wires, were being torn apart and left in shambles. But he reaction within the dome was only growing more active.

Mistress 9 would have been more furious about it, but well... after this portal, it was not like they'd have any need for the rest of the equipment. So what did it matter if they destroyed it all? Her fury, however, was only growing. "My master... is coming."

However, their destruction also did reveal something else... There was one large cable, covered in dirt, that WAS shielded by the same barrier. Leading off to a cube-shaped box. And their attacks were making that machine crackle, lights flickering on across it, the barrier of darkness surrounding it turning opaque.

"I... will not be... defeated... by a squad of *pathetic* children! BEGONE!" she yelled, her hair retracting... Before it rushed forward in a flurry of dark energy and coiling, hairy whips, attempting to lash out and strike all of the mahou!

Rashmi Terios has posed:
    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD >>

Curling up in her own Shield bubble, Rashmi rides out the attacks, and the recoil, and the being turned into a human pinball, straining against the forces involved as the shield cracks more and more.

Disorienting, perhaps, but she's fought Aloisia before. It's not exactly *new.*

And a check at her accumulator shows it full and ready, so perhaps now is the time to give *everyone* a helping hand. "Verbal command: Accumulator Purge."

<< There's a shielded cable! >> she calls out to her team, as they each do their best to weather the storm that is Mistress 9. << Hit it with everything you've got! >>

    << *BONG!* >> << COMMAND INPUT EXECUTE. PURGE CHANNELS GREEN. ALTERNATE GRIMOIRE LOADED. AWAITING COMMAND. >>

"YOU CAN DO IT, HOTARU-CHAN! YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF HER *ANY MORE!* SOLAR BLESS!"

<< *BONG!* >> << SOLAR BLESS >>

And all of the collected mana saved back from Rashmi's fighting eplodes outward, all at once, and anyone she happens to be near, benefits greatly from the golden burst of power.

Shoot better, punch/kick harder, move *faster.* And for those affected, their magic burns with the unyielding faith they have in themselves, each other, and in Hotaru Tomoe.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Moon Spiral Heart Tram!"

It's a shout that echoes from a distance, rapidly growing louder as space closes, fit to rival Mistress 9's furious scream. They hear it first - and then they see it, the enormous pink heart, flying towards them, wrecking anything in it's path - but where usually this heart is just an attack, a projectile, a battering ram meant to kill, this time at the center of that heart, is the crouched figure of Sailor Moon, hand splayed out to keep her balance, hair blowing behind her. The Moon Princess' fuku is torn and tattered from the fight with the endless youma horde above, but she's rocketing in -

Right to Mistress 9!

At what seems the last second, she bails, diving free as the heart plows towards Mistress 9. Sailor Moon spins through the air, twisting to face Mistress 9, and Rashmi's Solar Bless infuses her with strength and energy, enough to help strengthen the flood of silver light she summons forth.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

And then Sailor Moon meets the ground and rolls across the floor, a brief wheel of motion forming before she crashes against the wall.

"In the name of - Moonlight and Justice and, and Love - eat moonlight you - hairy jerk!" She waves a fist woozily in Mistress 9's direction.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Small Lady, still reeling but not yet out of the picture, watches as Mistress Nine's control weakens. The clock is ticking, and their time is almost up, but if they can just make this last push.

    Rashmi is buffing them again. Solar Bless shining alongside Masquerade's Moonlight. She looks at the golden energy glowing in her hands, and the silver energy radiating from her cape.

    << Team Tactic Calculated >> intones Luminous Titan, and Chibiusa immediately understands. When she steps forward to be side by side with Kamen, she signals him telepathically. << I think that's our cue! >>

    Chibiusa makes a small alteration to the form of her attack. Two really. First, to make sure that her next Moonlight Message merges well with Tuxedo Kamen's signature attack. Two, to turn it into a sealing spell that might not be able to completely contain Mistress Nine, but could probably at least give her a bad time with everything else going on.

    Her cape glows as she stands next to her papa, and she raises it to the side as rose-colored energy gathers within, adding itself to Mamoru's power. "Moonlight la--"

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus thanks the combination of ancient luck and henshin armor for not being dead or critically injured from the spikes, though her uniform is tattered now and she's bleeding - she was able to catch that moment of weakness Hotaru gave her and roll out of the way and back to her feet in one smooth motion.

    Bleeding but unbroken, the Sailor Soldier with the short blonde hair chuckles. "You know, normally, when I hug girls, they don't react quite so violently." she says, with a smirk. She almost puts her sword back in the subspace pocket before remembering and instead she just dismisses the blade and puts the empty handle in. There's something precious taking up that spot now.

    "But I like hugging Hotaru better when I can pick her up and swing her around and you're a little bit tall and evil and spikey for that." She doesn't want to hurt Hotaru... but she needs to do something... and she collects the energy into her hand. The familiar orange gem grows in her fingers.

    But times have changed, and Haruka is more than just the Princess of Uranus, she's more than just a soldier, she's a guardian, a protector, and sometimes that means you need to do more than just throw yourself out with aggression. Sometimes you need to hold back... protect others... or even just control their movement. The gem fades from orange-gold to yellow-white and then she throws both her palms forward. "ELEGANT WIND WALL!" she calls, and the orb of energy bursts out forward, creating a series of walls of wind energy to either side of Mistress 9 - to attempt to help her friends, to hem her in for the purifying wave of the just-in-time arrival of her Princess and Sister In Arms.

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Hotaru!" Laura smiles radiantly when she sees the girl react against Mistress 9's control. Seeing a sign from her after all this time, she can say there has never been a single time she has been more filled with motivation than today. Hotaru is fighting back. Not bad, uh, Mistress 9? This is the one you have been looking down on!

"Hang in there, Taru-chan! Just a little more!" Ah, she let that slip... Eh, she is pretty sure it won't cause problems.

"This is for our days full of happiness! Together! Snow Heart of Happiness!" La Mer smiles, with the snow ring on her finger, casting a light, showing a vision of happiness to all of those present, the blessing of Chanteur.

When the moon
Returns to its home
The sun will rise
And shine upon the world
Not one day goes by
Without it happening again
It really is a miracle
That today...is here

Drifting through dreams
The seeds slumber
They wait beneath the snow
For their future to arrive

Reach out and touch
The hearts of those dear to you
And hope will shine upon the world
Like the dazzling sun

A dazzling wave of purification will reach forward, breaking up as much dark energy as possible, and if it reaches Mistress 9, the song is going to hurt her a whole lot.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    ...Did the bunny girl say she has Yokina-san's Device? Who would have that?! Amy wonders to herself, but she kind of has to focus on other things.

    Like how the attacks on Mistress 9 seem to be weakening the field. Very well then.

    THIS IS MY BODY AND I WON'T LET YOU! "NO IT ISN'T!" Amy shouts back, holding out her arm. "You stole it... and I hate when people do that! It's so lame!" A missile rack appears on the arm and fires a salvo of a dozen mini-missiles, arcing around the dome to fly towards Mistress Nine!

    The Messiah of Silence is going all-in on hair. "Gyah! Unhand me!" screams Amy, trying to cut the hair with one of her swords. "This is not hot! Lemme g--arrrgh!"

    Meanwhile, Amu's missiles fly through Rashmi's burst of energy -- the missiles may not have faith in themselves, per se, but the missile has faith in where it is, because it has faith in where it isn't -- and accelerating even faster in a boost of golden power to ram into her at high speed and then explode, as it seems everyone's going all in on the ranged attacks now!

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Endymion unceremoniously crouches down beside Masquerade Lapine as Rashmi buffs them all insanely again. He's armored, he's bulky, he can take a pummeling, and he makes a pretty great stationary shield, especially when he's got all that extra cape. But right now? Right now it's time to do some damage.

His glowing hand, extra gold thanks to Rashmi, is adding to the rose-colored light coming from Masquerade Lapine's cape-- together, the colors bring the rosy-aureate wash of dawn, of the sun coming out in this dim little hell lab that's rapidly filling with smoke and debris.

The tiny girl next to him begins the attack, and Endymion finishes it:

"--Smoking Bomber!"

It's an immense PCHOOOOO of sunny golden Rashmi energy, silvery-pink Chibiusa energy, and white-gold Mamoru energy, ringed about with circling crescent moons that spiral down the attack and try to bind that which they are helping laser, possibly into the wall. "In the name of the Earth, Moon, and this Bun I found--"

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Mistress 9 held up both hands, catching that stupid spiral heart. As if she'd allow herself to be stopped by something so pathetic. As if she--

Only for a moon healing escalation to join it. She dips back slightly, a foot pushed away. Okay, maybe--

And then the winds themselves were blocking her in, trapping her... Curses. Fine, she could--

Then the songs join in, washing over her, burning away at her dark energy. No. NO! She wouldn't... she COULDN'T be defeated by a bunch of pretty sparkles and a SONG AND DANCE NUMBER!

And then high grade explosives. Okay. Rude. Also, ow. But fine, she had this. She had this. She--

And then a laser blast from this strange, random bun that dropped in on everyone's life. This time, at least, she shot the right person.

She screamed as she was enveloped in purification and magic, thrust back against the very barrier that had protected the machine...

Dirt and machinery flew into the air, as the walls and floors around them began to crumble, revealing the open sky above and the youma outside, their numbers now far more dwindled, but still fighting...

And the machine, the square? Went silent...

As the dust began to clear, they saw Mistress 9, kneeling. Burned, singed, hurt... but smiling. "My master... is here..." she said.

The dome shattered outward and a hand tha could only be viewed as... composed of dark energy... climbed out... wrapping fingers around Mistress 9, while another hand crawled out as well... darkness spilling out through a great swirling vortex in the middle.

Mistress 9, meanwhile, laughed. "You desire her so much? Very well, you may have her! I... have no need for such a host! She can perish with the last of you fools!" Mistress 9 yelled, before... she seemed to just... melt away. The metal spikes, that once plunged so often from Hotaru's body, seemed to be draining away into the hand that held her. And the girl began to shrink, bit by bit, until...

It was Hotaru. The little girl they'd known. Still wearing the same outfit she'd been wearing that fateful day they all went for ice cream. Wearing a small pink, gold and red ring with a heart on it, the Land Heart Kuru Ring...

She looked hurt, exhausted, panting, but... Alive...

But as more of that darkness seeped into the world through the, now open, portal, it remained to be seen how long she would before that hand crushed her...

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sometimes what was needed was a shield to protect. A wall to guard. A hand to help. A hug. But sometimes - what was needed was still a Soldier. Was still a blade. Still a warrior. Was still the Soldier of the Silver Millenium and her blade.

    And Sailor Uranus was quick - speed was her gift, and she moved like it - perhaps even buyoed by the windy walls as they dissapated, she drew the hilt of her blade from its secure space and let the winds form up into it quickly, before she came in and brought it down - the Space Sword, the blade forged with Solar Wind. "GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY!" she yells with - not anguish. Determination. "SHE HAS HER OWN LIFE, AND YOU CAN'T KEEP IT ANY LONGER."

    She leaps into the air and brings the Space Sword down in a two handed slash, to cut the hand - and if that doesn't work she'll hack and slash until it is done. Until this monster has let go of her precious family member.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Hotaru was... Hotaru was back to normal.

    Chibiusa's eyes widened behind her opaque mask, but even with her face hidden her body language revealed her concern. She stepped forward, watching as the giant hand holds their lost friend in its grasp.

    Looking up at Pharoah 90, Chibiusa shouts, "Get lost! Who invited you?!" She's actually mad that the enemy is being so stubborn about letting go.

    Mistress Nine seems to be gone, but... the threat is far from over.

    Hotaru's family, friends and loved ones can likely handle the hand itself, but just in case Masquerade Lapine flies into the air and starts peppering both hands with rose barrets. Some of them move towards the hand holding Hotaru to soften up the target for Uranus's attack, but the majority go after the opposite hand trying to push it back through the portal or, more realistically, at least slow down its entry into this world.

    Chibiusa takes off her cape and holds it in front of her. "Do it now, Lumie!"

    << Royal Seal >>

    Lapine spins in the air, and the held cape follows the movement of her hand like a dancing ribbon. Underneath her floating feet is a glowing magical seal. The light from the arcane circle radiates towards the dark portal in an attempt to force closed what it's currently trying to open. Whether it works or fails, hopefully the effort might at least buy them some time.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Oh no, no no no no no--

Hotaru has won free... but an impossibly huge hand has hold of her. Just by the *look* of it, it might be on the scale of Walpurgisnacht, if not *more* dangerous. One cannot assume how insensate just an arm is, it might be attached to an aware, prescient doom kaiju.

Thus, Uranus' attack trips something in Rashmi, and a dozen Barrets fade into existence as she slots a module into place in her book.

    << *BONG!* >> << BURST INDEX: SOLAR BARRAGE >>

The Barrets gleam more brightly, then launch in a torrential stream; tuned for maximum hitting power, and layered over with an extra soupcon of kinetic punch, Rashmi targets *one single knuckle* of the monstrous hand, and just opens the hose on it.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Sometimes when things go sideways, nothing lines up right...and when Mistress 9 attacked, Setsuna found herself all the way across town.

A quick henshin and a LOT of roof-running later, and she finds herself STILL quite a bit away from the action as the Dark possessor who's seen Tangled WAY too many times manages to get pushed out of Hotaru.

Sailor Pluto landed on a nearby building...and then took half a second to observe the scene...bending the rules a bit and stretching out her perception of the moment to give herself more time to think.

...or, more crucially, to calculate angles, judge distances, estimate times...and then she manifests the Garnet Rod.

She stares at the large Garnet at the bottom of the heart-shaped ring...then takes a deep breath and ives it a kiss before spinning around in place as she whispers,

            <<...dead scream.>>

Thus, as her spin completes, a large purple ringed ball of Death energy manifests at the end of the Garnet Rod...and after a very slight delay where Sailor Pluto adjusts her aim, the ringed ball flies downrange in near silence to hopefully land LAST on the wrist of the giant hand...letting the energies of Death and The Underworld follow all the others with their typical finality.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    As the walls crumble, the Incubator leaps away, scampering off to a far enough distance to be safe. The dusk bunny is not so lucky, poofing into darkness and dissipating as it's crushed under rubble.

    Mistress 9, the Messiah of Silence, was driven back... but they failed to destroy the machine, and may now be paying for it.

    It feels wronger than a Witch. How does it feel wronger than a Witch?!

TMistress 9 is abandoning the body... she's confident enough in whatever it is coming through the portal that she doesn't need the body anymore. A chilling thought.

    "You think I'll let the world end here?!" Magical Rocket Puella Red shouts at the portal. "I told Walpurgisnacht: I won't let you close the curtain on stories before they start! And you've been holding back Hotaru-san's story! I won't let monsters like you do that to anyone, and I won't let you do it to her! Hotaru-san deserves to shine!"

    "And that's why all of us... why this world... will stop you!" Amy raises her sword, and then brings it down like a captain giving an order, gritting her teeth as she feels more than a quarter SOUL consumed, the most power she's dared to channel safely at once to summon countless launch tubes, missiles, and explosives with no visible means of movement in the air above her.

    COMMUNAL BLAZER!

    Explosives of every type are launched towards the arm and the portal it's reaching out of, from high-tech-looking missiles to cannon shells to improvised mortars and pipe bombs and molotov cocktails, everything but an exploding kitchen sink!

~~ Elsewhere ~~
    "WHAT IN THE HELLS WAS THAT?! What were they saying?! Can't you get sound on this thing?" Clarthas shakes their gauntlet after the holofeed cuts out.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
There's a moment of chaos, as the power that everyone unleashes is countered - and then overwhelms the monster that sought to defeat them. There's Mistress 9's rage and frustration, there's the hope of victory - and then there is Hotaru, clutched in a hand of dark energy.

Sailor Moon isn't the fastest or most mobile hero, but she is quick-witted - and what better way to cut off a hand than at the wrist?

Forcing herself to her feet, she grips her tiara and the metal begins to glow. "No! You don't get to have her!"

And she hurls that gleaming cosmic disc at the wrist of that enormous hand.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Laura La Mer has posed:
And there she was, Hotaru, tired, yes, hurt, yes, but It is only a matter of minutes before they can get her somewhere where she can recover, and then, they can tell her all about everything that is going on.

She feels so happy right now, and it's not at all tied to the influence of the Snow Ring, but to see Hotaru again, if she didn't have to recover, Laura would so glomp her right now.

Oh, yeah, and there is a giant kaiju hand from somewhere. That too. Seriously, just how many of these guys do they have to fight before Hotaru is allowed to live in peace? But she still has something she can do, and that's just thanks to Mistress 9 herself who stopped her from using that power earlier.

"Marine Heart Swirl Ring! Charm Up!", she smiles, as she stretches her arm upwards, a blue sphere engulfing her from the ring on her arm and making her change form. "Five powers, roar through the seas!", she shouts, the ring creating a blue heart above her from which a bioluminescent whale comes out. Jumping inside of its mouth, La Mer swims in it, sending the purifying whale crashing against the giant hand. "Pretty Cure Marine Beat Dynamic!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Tuxedo Kamen straightens up from where Prince Endymion had been doing a combo attack with Mystery Smol Pink, brushing off his jacket, and he occupies himself, for a moment, by throwing roses at where he thinks attacks are going to hit when nobody's in the way, and he's looking, looking, looking for a shift in the way the hand is positioned, a change in the way it's holding Hotaru. It's not until it looks like the hand is going to drop her, it's not until

(oh shit it's pluto)

the last attack hits that the hand actually does start to let go to drop her, and it's not until she actually starts to drop that Tuxedo Mask moves, lightning-speed, to steal the young girl swiftly, weightlessly, and immediately from the grip of the monster who had her.

Should he succeed in his self-appointed task, on landing, he'll instantly begin to give Hotaru healing energy. "Hey! Wake up, wake up-- you have a wedding to prep for!"

Molly Skyline has posed:
"Starfall."

Seriss is high up in the sky; fresh from receiving her upgrades from Dr Tomoe and feeling more powerful than ever -- and Mistress 9 is in trouble, so it's time to intervene. After uttering the spell she rockets downwards, diving straight into the middle of the battle at full speed and landing amongst the Mahou; just at the last second she rights herself and fires a blast into the ground, slowing herself to land safely while letting off a considerable explosion, blasting a crater into the floor and sending anything near her flying.

As the dust settles she rises from a crouch and spreads her red wings, looking at the Mahou arrayed against her; and red painted lips turn upwards in a delighted smile. "No shortage of you. Most excellent." She flourishes her staff, "Cygnus Lich, charge Solar Barrage; homing barrets, one hundred per target." On her Battle Visor targets are still being labelled. Rashmi Terios: Hostile. Sailor Moon: Hostile. And so forth. "Maximum thermal and dark energy output." << ARMED >>

"Fire."

The word spoken a torrent of searing barrets come flying out of the staff and rocket off to their intended targets, while Seriss beats her wings to take back to the sky; but it's a defensive position she's taking, to protect Mistress 9 and whatever is coming through the portal. "Lich, deploy Neutron Barrier, Aurora shift," she instructs, while barrets are still flying out of her staff, "Also Vulcan Active Defense, target any attack and any enemy target that gets too close."

<< AFFIRMATIVE. DEPLOYED >>

As a bubble of energy snaps into place around Seriss and a glowing orb appears behind her, she looks down at what's going on and flshes a grin. "Oh you thought you were winning today? That's adorable. Lich? Charge Dark Buster, maximum kinetic output. Disengage safety protocols. Wait for my signal."

<< CHARGING >>

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
The hand held the girl, intending to crush her... and the portal, worst of all? Was refusing to close. With something blocking the way, it couldn't be closed.

But a sword slashed into the hand, a barrage of blasts attempted to force a finger open, the hand shaking slightly, more darkness spilling forth from the portal. Then dead scream impacted it, each blow after the other making the hands grip weaken, slightly. Explosion after explosion tearing into it... A tiara clashing against the wrist from one side, as a whale of purifying energy smack it from the other. Finally, the combined assault manages to make the hand drop Hotaru... just for a second. The hand opening, to give them fleeting hope...

Before crushing closed, so tight there would be nothing but a splatter.

Except Tuxedo Kamen already had her, his healing magic washing over the exhausted, collapsed girl. Her eyes slowly opening. "W-wedding? W-who's? I... I don't think I can marry you... senpai... Usagi wouldn't like me anymore... I could be a flower girl, though?" she offered.

She was a little out of it. But that... was good news. What was bad news was everything else...

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
However, despite the force leveled on it... the hand showed no signs of damage. More and more of the darkness spilled forward and, as it did, a pillar of darkness shot into the sky, the clouds tinging a dark purpole. A cold, merciless voice spoke. "Congratulations... all.... you have proven your worth... you will all make wonderful hosts..."

The darkness continued to spread, washing out, absorbing all it touched, two massive eyes peering out from it. Even as they launched more attacks, they seemed to not phase the monster. Worse, the portal refused to close... And with Nyx here, their doom was even more foretold. How could they defeat... both of them?

Hotaru's eyes glazed over. And a symbol appeared on her forehead... A symbol familiar to many of them. A symbol many had suspected, but feared seeing... The symbol of Saturn. She began to glow and then... Mamoru would be pushed away, and Hotaru was flying across the battlefield, her eyes closed...

And Sailor Saturn landed on the remains of one of the nearby walls, a glaive in hand, her fuku materializing around her, her tiara forming on her forehead. The fuku dark purple, the body the small, young, child-like Hotaru they all knew... But the eyes... Cold. Colder even than Mistress 9's had been.

"I am an emissary from the abyss of death... Protected by Saturn, the planet of Destruction... I am the soldier of silence, Sailor Saturn." She lifted her glaive to the sky... And her eyes, for a moment, flickered over the gathered. Even like this... she still wore the ring.

Tuxedo Mask, who had been one of her host's senpai in Obsidian and one of the few people who had powers like her own. Sailor Moon, who both she and Hotaru admired so greatly. Uranus and Pluto, who had been her fellow outer senshi. La Mer, Hotaru's first friend, who Hotaru hadn't even remembered until now... Jadeite, another one of her senpai... Luminous Titan, the one who had stuck by Hotaru's side, even when it got him hurt... Rashmi... the one who had made Hotaru's time as a 'villain' so much fun... If not for them, she would have perished before... this... could happen. Hotaru would have died meaninglessly. At least now... it would have purpose.

"From where I stand, it doesn't feel like much time has passed since my previous awakening. It seems as though... I am once more the uninvited guest," Sailor Saturn said with an almost playful grin on her lips, as if she was a normal young woman, not the harbinger of the universe's destruction. "This destiny was not one that was supposed to occur, an alteration to history itself."

She leaped from the rooftop, before landing in the entranceway of the portal and rammed the glaive into the darkness, practically ignoring Seriss Nyx... And worse? The husk holding Molly's body would likely realize... this? Had just gotten out of her pay grade, despite her new power.

Pharaoh 90 HOWLED, the darkness ceasing its spread.

"In the explosion that wounded Hotaru Tomoe, she was supposed to find her eternal rest. Instead, due to the influences of this monster, Hotaru was kept alive and used as a host to bring about this tragic fate... Alas, it could not be helped. And I... am sorry."

... The worst part? Is the words she said? Could be summed up as... 'I am sorry for surviving.'

But now... now she supposed... she'd have to bluff. Well. Was it truly a bluff if you would accept either outcome, but hoped for one in particular?

"This path has been pre-destined. The path of destruction. And now that I have awakened, I must fulfil that destiny and swing this silence glaive."

She then flew up and lifted the glaive into the sky. "Death reborn... revolution!"

The power of the glaive erupted out, enveloping the spire of darkness, the dark clouds, turning to... a different purple. Enveloping it all in a violet light.

Pharaoh 90 roared, and for the first time? It sounded afraid. "N-no... my... my power... this... This destruction... this dormant power... It is destruction... it is..."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
"I condemn you and this planet... to total annihilation!" Sailor Saturn yelled.

"N-no... nooooooo!" Pharaoh 90 yelled, as the darkness began to sink back, disappearing into the portal, attempting to escape. "I... I refuse! Stop! I won't be... I won't... Protect me!" Pharaoh 90 yelled to the Dark Phoenix, but in this situation... what could she do?

The creature vanished into the portal... and Saturn... landed on the ground, in front of the sparkles, her back to many of them. Then she glanced to Pluto... and then her eyes, for a moment, leaped to Chibiusa. And she smiled. At least she could rest well, knowing the future was in good hands. "Uranus... I will trust you to clean up what remains." In this case... Nyx. "Pluto... Young Lady..." It seems she'd noticed a small caped mahou trying to close the portal as well. "When I go through, close the portal behind me, otherwise earth will be destroyed as well when my glaive falls."

She then paused... before walking towards the portal, her glaive still shimmering with the light of destruction. A part of her wished to look back, one last time. To see those she was leaving behind... But this was her destiny. Her duty. And that... might jeopardize it.

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Under their combined forces, that hand - opens. For a brief instant, just long enough to let slip that frail girl, the hand opens, before slamming shut, fingers clenched, energy bulging in imitation of muscle, a death sentence.

Except that Tuxedo Kamen was there, as Sailor Moon knew he would be, from the moment it became clear that a rescue at speed would be what's needed. However, there's no chance to breathe, to enjoy the relief of success, because besides that hand, that initial limb of a terrible threat, there is a new entry to their number, a boost to the enemy side: Seriss Nyx.

Sailor Moon's tiara flickers back into being on her forehead, just as the attacks are launched, a hundred fiery, darkness tinged energy bullets - for each of them.

Her arms fly out, raised in front of her face and head to take the blow, unable to shield herself, and her power flickers around her, with each hit, until the barrage ends. In spite of everything, she's going to keep fighting, because they've finally achieved what they were hoping to, and she won't let this be the end of anything - but there's a pillar of darkness shooting into the sky, gathering force, and the enemy declares that will be hosts? Absolutely not! Absolutely not!

Behind her forehead, the symbol of the Moon glows on Sailor Moon's forehead, the Silver Crystal in her broach brightening with her growing determination, her growing defiance. This will not be the end, no matter what any spooky-handed enemy has to say about it!

But it's as those words are said that something she does fear happens: Saturn, happens.

There is Hotaru - and then there is Saturn, standing there, glaive in hand, the Soldier of Silence, protected by the Planet of Destruction - and her terrible power is far more worrisome than yet another enemy seeking to destroy their world. That at least is starting to get normal (probably shouldn't be, but-). This is an ally with the power to do far more than she should.

Sailor Moon strides forward, first walking, and then running, and then leaping, as Saturn strikes, her power swelling, that enemy quailing, and she knows in a prescient moment what Saturn will do, just before the terrible words are said -

"SATURN, DON'T!"

But it's too late. She has swung her glaive. She has promised the end, with only Pluto to close the door and prevent this from killing them all, to ensure it only kills her, and Sailor Moon is so tired of that, so tired of battles that end in killing, that decide when and where someone will die, and this, this is not going to end that way, not when the rest of them will be the ones to live with it, not when they've fought this hard -

"DON'T YOU DARE CLOSE THAT DOOR, PLUTO!"

And she leaps, and for an instant, there's a glow about her, a power that some of them have witnessed before, an instant where the bow at her back is longer and pink, where her skirt is an ombre of colors from white to yellow to blue, her shoulders touched with armor, light billowing like butterfly wings -

And she grasps Saturn's glaive with white gloved hand and stops it's descent.

"No," she says, and her voice rings, and then the glow fades, and there is Sailor Moon, her skirt torn, her sleeve sliding from one arm, her bows in tatters, her eyes fierce with determination. "Saturn, you do not get to throw your life away when we've all fought so hard for it!"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Tuxedo Kamen steps back as he's pushed away, faint smile on his face, still, but it's a smile full of grief.

He looks away from Saturn, then is just-- suddenly closer to Chibiusa, because oh dear god even if they're all going to die in a minute anyway, his alt-future daughter isn't going to be first, damn it. Those missiles are coming for them--

His cape is up in the way instantly, between himself and Masquerade Lapine, and the barrage seems neverending, and then-- his cape is in shreds by the end of it, and he's a mess, and the little pink mahou shoujo right there is probably also a mess, but if she is, she's also a mess who's getting hugged very tightly.

But then -- her voice is ringing -- and Tuxedo Mask looks up, eyes wide behind his mask. And then his eyes are bright, bright. "Small Lady," he whispers, "your mother is wonderful."

Apparently even the near-end of the world and the near death of Hotaru Tomoe and the being very grateful that you and everyone you care about and also everyone you don't care about is going to survive this fight... it's not enough to counter the effect of seeing Super Sailor Moon on Tuxedo Kamen.

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As all the attacks land and Hotaru is stolen away from the THING holding her, Sailor Pluto lets out a sigh of relief as she moves to close the distance between herself and the gateway.

But then...

...then the THING behind them all...the THING named Pharoh 90 shows itself...and causes Sailor Saturn to awaken.

Again.

And just like the last time, Sailor Pluto will have to watch Saturn's Silence descend...and the only thing she can do to stop it is to close the door and make sure it happens on the other end of the portal.

Sacrificing the little girl that Pluto had come to love and had sworn with all her heart to protect.

The little girl who Pluto had PROMISED she would not allow to have to kill herself.

Once more, DUTY calls...and as ever...Pluto has to sacrifice.

Thus, the Garnet Rod is raised and Pluto opens her mouth to call upon the power of her bloodline...only to be interrupted.

        "DON'T YOU DARE CLOSE THAT DOOR, PLUTO!"

The cry brings Pluto up short.

Partially because it's screaming at her to do what she wants to do...but more importantly because it's her Princess...her SOVEREIGN screaming it at her.

So despite the tears running down her face, the expression Pluto wears is one of joy as she runs over to help Usagi, using the Garnet Rod to brace as she grabs for the pair to help Sailor Moon.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus growls lowly in her throat as everything that they've done results... in incoming damage that she snarls through and takes as each blast cuts further damage into her fuku - and then, Sailor Saturn awakening in Hotaru. In yet another force of destruction taking up residents in her smallest, most delicate, most protectable family member's body. "You're not needed here, Soldier of Destruction!" Uranus growls. "We've got it under control! Stay asleep!" She adds... and then some of that facade drops. "Please." she says in a much more heartfelt, sad way. "Please, we've done too much to have you end it."

    And then she's going forward anyways, she's going... alone, she's going to die alone, to protect them all. "No. No that's not right either. I fought so you could come back! So you could ride with me in my car! So you could paint and play music and watch British Television and dress up with your mamas!" she yells, and now tears are in her eyes. "They won't forgive me if you don't come back! They won't forgive themselves!" She pauses. "I won't forgive myself!" She yells.

    And she tries to push forward but she can't, she doesn't have the strength to press on, she can't follow where Saturn treads... no one can...

    And then Usagi does. She stops the glaive. She does what should be impossible.

    And she's in shock, for a moment, but maybe she shouldn't be - their Princess has always done the impossible, especially with so much help here, so many teammates. She blinks. "NOW WE HAVE TO HELP HER!" She says, drawing energy from it, reaching her gloved hand out to grasp for Sailor Moon's or someone elses. "PULL THEM BACK ACROSS! WE HAVE TO."

Laura La Mer has posed:
Laura just frowns when their tries amounted to nothing, ready to turn around and try one more, giving herself a push in the precious few seconds she still has with the whale. She can still do it, this isn't over yet...! And then Dark Phoenix happens, her attack piercing through the whale and tossing her out of it, and putting her back in the Snow Crystal Tropical Style.

Falling down, she lands on her hands and leaps back, finding a standing position on her feet, breathing heavily at all the exhertion she has had so far, and grimacing at the unexpected enemy. Who told them this is a dark energy party anyway? Sorry, no time to deal with you, but you sure are in line after that hand has been stopped!

However, the young mermaid feels her blood turn to ice when Sailor Saturn manifests. This cannot be... Not now when everything was so close to be over, they could have done it still. What do they do now? Do they who is a lot of ways but not others, Hotaru herself? How can they work it out?

But then Sailor Moon does something and the glaive stops glowing, and with Sailor Saturn being pulled back by Sailor Moon, and Sailor Pluto being pulled back by Sailor Pluto, La Mer flies forward as well, grabbing onto Moon alongside Pluto, and pulling back with all the strength she still has, not giving up no matter what her aches try to tell her.

There will be Kururun as well, coming out of the Aqua Pot, pulling on Moon's sleeve, groaning with her name and pulling in all the effort she can find in the entirety of her seal body.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Oh no. Seriss Nyx is here?!

    But they got Hotaru, and after everything they did to that hand, surely it--

    Is unmoved, save for dropping Hotaru.

    You'll all make wonderful hosts.

    Did we lose?! Amy wonders. She can do that a few more times, even if it takes everything...

    Sailor Saturn.

    Who ended the world, in Kriemhild Gretchen's memory.

    Who ended the world, 14,000 years ago.

    I don't think I can beat that... Amy thinks.

    At least a new civilization will try again... but that thought is too sad for her to even completely form.

    Hotaru Tomoe... was supposed to die?

    Amanda's darkening soul gem flares to brightness -- the two-thirds-ish of it presently uncorrupted, anyway -- and she shouts angrily, "She was supposed to die?! That's a load of crap! Even if her name is Hotaru!" (Firefly)

    '...People care about you, and you deserve that.' Rashmi's words play through Amanda's head.

    "You... deserve better!"

    But Saturn attacks Mistress 9's boss, and drives him back, and in so doing, has pulled the pin on the world's resetting.

    Isn't there anything they can do?!

    And Sailor Moon tells her to stop, and grabs Saturn, and hugs her, and holds the glaive--

    --And Amy has a few precious seconds to think--

    And they're screaming, pull them back

    Amy shifts her left glove into a gauntlet and slots the grief seed in next to her soul gem, just in case. The corruption already within it begins to drain into the seed...

    Amy transforms the rest of her outfit to flight mode, flying over, grabbing, pulling, pouring on thrust to help pull back through the portal!

    "Once they're on this side, can't you throw the glaive through and close the portal?!"

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Suddenly Seriss! The worst of all possible surprises.

No, no, wait, that is suddenly Seriss *with hundreds of Barrets.* *That* is the worst surprise. And *just* as Hotaru was rescued...!

Curling in on herself, she hurriedly erects a Shield... Which is almost immediately shattered, and in the space between its destruction and another Shield being erected, multiple Barrets sear away at her Barrier Jacket.

And again, after the second Shield fails.

And after the third.

And the fourth.

By the time the assault eases, Rashmi is singed, gravely hurt, and exhausted... but still alive.

Just in time for the bottom to drop out of her heart, as Sailor Saturn awakens.

"Hotaru-chan," she breathes, and in her voice is a bottomless sadness. For Hotaru, for Haruka, for Setsuna and Laura, and herself. Because she knows the stories... She knows what this means.

Which is terribly, awfully confirmed, as Saturn marks Pharaoh 90 as her enemy, and condems him to annihilation.

*No...*

But Sailor Moon, who worried so much, who had *honest and good concerns about a person given the duty of an apocalypse,* and knew where her duty lie...

...Refused.

Joy *leaps* in Rashmi's heart, as friend after friend rushes to Hotaru's -- always Hotaru, Saturn can come later -- defense, to Sailor Moon's aid. And she scrambles to her feet, pushing off the ground, *ignoring Seriss* in her drive to do as her best friend asked, and *save Hotaru first.*

Getting rid of Seriss can be a job for later, because all trash will be swept up in its time.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    A new Devicer shows up, and Masquerade Lapine is... somehow even more concerned than she already was. "Oh shoot..." she mutters. They almost had it. She was sure!

    Her cape is once again wrapped around her, held up to shield her as another magical barrier appears to tank the incoming barrage. Masquerade keeps moving, and stays moving, trying to avoid taking too many shots at once, trying to space the inevitable impacts out so that her shield has time to recover between hits. There's such overwhelming firepower that she can't really find an opening to attack. Then, when she thinks she can't tank anymore, Kamen is with her, shielding her, and she extends her shield to also help him, and the two of them protect each other so that they can last just a bit longer.

    << Is all of this really coming from one person?! >> asks the future princess.

    Luminous Titan responds, << Confirmed. >>

    Kamen has Hotaru. It's not all hopeless. Lapine kinda wishes she had a barrier right now, though that likely wouldn't stop what was happening.

    Then Saturn awakens.

    There's a sinking feeling in Small Lady's gut when she realizes.

    Saturn is here. Present. Ready, willing, and able to push the reset button.

    This is not how Chibiusa expected her story to end...

    Except now, Saturn is talking about going through the portal, to end Pharaoh 90, to use that power and...

    "You can't!" calls out Masquerade Lapine. "You can't! If you do..."

    Yet her momma is already in motion. The younger version of her mother, Sailor Moon, is throwing herself into danger, putting her hand under the glaive, stopping it from dropping... "Wait, no!" calls out Chibiusa, not wanting to lose her either.

    She keeps trying to stop the gateway from opening further, but she dare not close it all the way. Not while those two are on the other side. So eventually, with everyone calling to help pull them back, she joins in. Flying through the portal, into that hell world, to grab onto Sailor Moon and Hotaru along with everyone else, and boost backwards, trying to get to safety.

Molly Skyline has posed:
Seriss arrived too late; despite her newfound power, the battle is lost.

But, perhaps thanks to Sailor Moon... not the war. Time to get serious.

Seriss lets her wings carry her upwards; there is one, very definite way to make sure that Pharaoh 90 will not be destroyed today, by the one foe that terrifies everyone so rightly, Nyx included; she can... close the portal. The irony of Molly giving up her life to close a portal to save her friends, and now Seriss blasting a portal machine to save her god, is not lost on her, but she dwells on it only for a moment.

"Fire!" she yells, pointing her staff at the portal machine; an unstable beam, crackling with dark energy slams into it and explodes, sending pieces of machine and chunks of concrete ricocheting around about the space.

As the portal flickers and blinks shut, that leaves Seriss Nyx here with a number of Mahou, and her being the only one left to fight. But... they've been fighting this whole time, and a number of them look like they're bordering on spent. Seriss is fresh, and newly upgraded. Surely this is a good time to...

"Lich, charge Solar Ray, maximum thermal output, ten second duration."

<< ARMED >>

"Fire." Seriss levels her staff at Masquerade lapin, nad sends a little taste of the surface of the sun in her direction.

"Again," she states, and sends one towards Amy.

"Again," she snarls, and a beams is cut loose at Sailor Moon. "AGAIN," and she fires a beam at Sailor Pluto.

But this isn't going Seriss' way. Inside, behind her eyes, Molly is for the first time in over two months, feeling a little spark of joy. Her friends are alive. They're Alive. And Hotaru has been saved, and the portal closed, and what Seriss wanted is not going to come to pass... at least not yet. Not yet. There's still time to stop her, and now there's more time. Breathing room, for her friends.

"Lich, rapid charge Event Horizon," Seriss snarls, "Disengage safety protocols, overcharge to one hundred and fifty percent. Fire on my command. Target my host's annoying little friend."

<< AFFIRMATIVE. CHARGING. >>

A little progress bar appears on Seriss' Battle Visor, filling up... rapidly. More rapidly than Molly ever managed, even with similar instructions. "I know how to shut you up," Nyx snarls, seemingly at nobody in particular. "Get ready to say Goodbye."

And then the progress bar is filled.

"Fire."

Seriss levels her staff at Rashmi, and a crackling ball of dark energy coalesces in front it; as it fires, it pushes Seriss backwards, while a series of barrets blink-blink blink into being in orbits around her; some of them freezing cold eclipse barrets, with the rest being magnetar shifted, and then aall in unison they fire as well, emptying beams some of which freeze and some of which tear at anything metal (like barrier jackets, say).

As the furious assault comes to an end, Seriss is once again grinning, hovering over the battlefield as she is and looking down as the dust clears, to see the results of her handiwork.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Perhaps ignoring Seriss was, tactically, a bad idea.

While she was definitely a present threat, saving Hotaru was far and away the greater priority, and Rashmi put all of her attention to it.

Which is why her first reaction was *surprise,* when Nicomachea's warnings started lighting up eyes, ears, and brain.


<< ALERT. MASTER. ALERT. TREMENDOUS ANOMALOUS CORROSIVE ENERGY READINGS PROXIMATE >>

"....Wha--?"

    << *BONG!* >> << SOLAR SHIELD. SOLAR SHIELD. SOLAR SHIELD. >>

The Shields go up *just* as Rashmi is turning to face the threat, activated by her ever-loyal Device... But they shatter like glass in the face of such a torrential attack.

The first, largest ball of Dark Energy slams into her, shredding vest and dress, and the follow-up beams *just keep juggling her,* rending layer after layer of protection away.

...Ignoring Seriss was *definitely* a bad move.

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
Sailor Saturn knew her destiny, knew her fate. From the moment her eyes had opened and she had taken on the role she was given, she knew it would end like this. She was... the maid at the end of existence. The one you called to clean away the wreckage, but never for the party. Her role was to awaken in one breath, then be snuffed out in the other. This was her role. This was...

Not that. @*$#?! Hands were HOLDING the glaive up?! IMPOSSIBLE?! HOW? This wasn't... she couldn't...

And then PLUTO was involving herself?! "W-what are you--" And then URANUS?! MY OUTERS! MY FRIENDS! THE HECK?! "T-this is my duty, it--"

And then there was a seal and a little pink/blue haired girl pulling. "????" It was amazing the sounds that could come out of a sailor of destruction's throat when she was sufficiently baffled. And now there was a red head with explosives?! Wait, wasn't that the problem LAST time?!

"Let... me..."

And it was hopeless, two more joined in the fray, grabbing onto the pile and pulling her BACK! Those heels were made for stepping forward and ending all of reality, NOT holding up a whole pack of sparkles who desperately yelled 'NOT TODAY!' And the sparkles ended up in a pile, the glaive nearly dropping out of her hand, but the light of destruction... faded...

And Saturn knelt there, on her knees, surrounded by those who refused to let her go. Refused to allow her to do her duty.

... Was this why she slept? So others wouldn't feel the pain, the grief, the hurt of her dying? So they wouldn't stop her?

... Maybe eternal sleep... was better. Maybe...

... And then the portal was destroyed. She watched, helplessly (something she, admittedly, was both used to and entirely unused to experiencing). Staring with wide, horror filled eyes... Before her gaze lowered. "You... fools... do you even... know... what you've done? That... thing... that monster is still out there... I could have ended it. I could have protected this world! The life of one, for the life of a planet, is not a difficult equation!" she snapped, not turning to look at them. Refusing to look at them. Because if they could see the smile on her face, the tears falling from her eyes...

She didn't want to go. She wanted, so desperately, to stay. She'd finally been allowed to enjoy them and... And then... then Seriss Nyx was firing on them...

Her glaive went up.

And when the dust settled... "Silence wall..." Saturn said.

All of them were surrounded in a dome of... well... silence. Not a single blast having gotten through. "Very... well," Saturn said softly. "... That thing will return... If I destroy it, I perish as well. If you wish to... to save... Hotaru..." If you wish to save me... "Then I leave her in your care." Slowly, she turned to face Sailor Moon, Pluto, Uranus, all of them. And she was trying SO hard not to smile. To not look HAPPY.

"I will leave Hotaru... with all of you. Grow stronger. Strong enough to destroy that monster... so I won't awaken again. And... perhaps... next time... I won't be the uninvited guest..." She then looked away. "I will seal the glaive, for now. Until a threat comes. Pluto, if you would deal with... that?" she asked, motioning to Seriss Nyx... Before... collapsing back. Amidst the pile... and blinking.

"Sailor... Moon?" Hotaru asked. "... Am I charon again? When did my skirt get purple?"

"... Oh, hey, nothing hurts. I ache all over, but I don't hurt!"

... Then... she blinked and reached out and... "You're warm..." she whispered, a hand touching Usagi's cheek. "I can... feel it?"

... Best. Day. Ever.

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    After all of it, after everything was said and done, Masquerade Lapine just barely got through the portal with her mom and friends before suddenly it was closed.

    Only to have another boss fight right after.

    Does she have it in her? Does she get a second, or even third wind? Can she face yet another boss?

    Her energy reserves say 'no'.

    Saturn is sore about being saved, and Lapine doesn't really have time to think about it. She has to figure out--

    Silence Wall.

    They are inside, and the thing that's taken over Molly is outside. For a moment, Lapine actually feels... safe?

    "We'll do it, Saturn-chan. We'll get stronger, I promise!"

    Then, it's over. A part of her wants to throw something at Nyx, but such parting shots would only be a sign of pettiness at this point. Small Lady actually does need to save enough energy for the trip back.

    Luna-P, however, has her own energy reserves, has been watching this battle from a distance, and is not above being petty. In fact, despite its unchanging smile, the way it's bouncing up and down makes it very clear that the catball is angry and offended.

    Of its own volition, it turns into a paintball gun and fires a spread of multicolored paint at Nyx. It's not very powerful, and it's probably drawing unnecessary aggro on itself, but it also makes Luna-P's opinions on this matter very clear. Don't hurt Small Lady!

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
Sailor Uranus is... moved to a lot of emotions. To Pluto showing up to help and to close the door then not close the door, then Sailor Saturn, then Sailor Moon defying cruel destiny, then Seriss Nyx arrives as they're all exhausted and now Sailor Saturn's NOT destroying the world and she has her little girl back?!

    And the shots ping off Saturn's wall. Then there's a whole lot of... things... and she just kind of loses it.

    She starts crying and just puts her arms around Hotaru in the safety of the Silence Wall.

    She hugs her so tight and she can feel the warmth in her body which is also a shock.

    "I'm not letting this girl go." Sailor Uranus says, firmly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Not to an evil planet or a chumped up Witch or even another Soldier." she says. "IF I have to fight again I will, but if you know what's good for you, you won't make me!"

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
As Nyx prepares to be a sore loser and beam spam those who just saved it's life, Pluto winds up to cast Garnet Ball to protect at least herself, Saturn, and Moon...and then Saturn throws up her OWN barrier...negating the need.

As Nyx flies off and Uranus hugs Saturn tightly...Pluto does as asked and flings a parting Dead Scream at the fleeing villian...her incantation lost in the general noise.

And then she's on her knees hugging Uranus and Saturn...right until she sees Rashmi land.

Pluto quickly gives Saturn a hug, then disentangles herself to run over to her other friend, "...Page Mage!"

She once more drops down to check on the battered Device Mage, "...can you answer me? Nicomachea, are you functional?"

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
Sailor Moon had not come up with a plan beyond stop her, a fact which she will readily admit if anyone happens to ask. Stop her was the most important thing that anyone could do in this moment, after all.

And stop her, she had. The Silence Glaive was heavy against Sailor Moon's hand, impossibly so, but she refused to release it, and in turn -

In turn, her friends refused to release them.

"I don't care what your duty is," the Moon Princess who will be Queen declares, as they pull, "We're not done yet! I didn't ring any bells, so you don't get to declare us out!"

With everyone's help and everyone's hands, Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn are pulled out of the way before the portal is closed by Seriss Nyx's barrage of attacks, and Sailor Moon huffs and puffs, and breathes, exhausted - and Saturn raises a wall of power, that blocks Seriss Nyx's attacks. Almost effortlessly, it seems.

So this is the power of Saturn, fully awakened. At least she can do something besides destroy the world.

"You're not allowed to go and sacrifice yourself before the fight is even done," Sailor Moon says tiredly, and bonks Saturn right on the head. Just outright bonks the Soldier of Death from the planet of Destruction. "Have more respect for your senpai. Don't sell us short, alright? We can handle this."

And then here's a swarm of people there, for hugs, and Hotaru asking a question, and Sailor Moon says very quietly, "No, Hotaru-chan. You're not going to be Charon, ever again. Congratulations on waking... Sailor Saturn."

And then she wriggles free, because the Silence Wall went up but not over everyone, and she can see a smoking wreck where Rashmi's barrier jacket was. As she passes, she ruffles a hand through Masquerade Lapine's hair, proud of her for everything she accomplished, and for her confident vow that they'll get stronger.

"Rashmi-chan! Tell me you're still awake, please, it's really bad if you're not conscious!"

Laura La Mer has posed:
La Mer's attention turns to that unknown woman who has started causing trouble out of nowhere, and now is raining fire indiscriminately. She is quite tired right now, but she has every intention of seeing this to the end, thank you very much. There is always her good only trademark. Can't go wrong with that.

But her reaction is outpaced by a zone of Silence that stops all of that. Then, Saturn is... Saturn is letting go? That's what she is saying, right? She is not actually going through with the reset of this planet. Immense relief fills the Pretty Cure, that this might finally be the end.

... That's a sad speech. For a moment, Laura thinks about Saturn's point of view, awakening only to be tossed away again, and the Soldier of Silence is going away this time too, holding her glaive back, entrusting the Planet to them, and Hotaru as well!

"I promise you: you won't awaken to regret your decision today", she stares directly at Saturn. They owe her that much, even if they can't really make her fate better. She can only hope that thought is enough to make her go back to sleep in peace.

And then, the strife ends, and Hotaru awakens right before their eyes, with a bottomless glee and relief filling Laura's pink-blue eyes. "Taru-chan!", Laura throws herself at her best friend, glomping her. She said she would wait for it, but the relief and joy was too immense, she couldn't contain herself. "I am so glad you are back!"

Molly Skyline has posed:
The vents on Seriss' barrier jacket and Cygnus Lich's haft open and hiss, letting off a whoosh of steam; Seriss' barrier jackt is glowing from the mana she just burned off, as she drifts downwards, towards Rashmi. "Lich, charge Stellar Pulse, maximum kinetic output, one hundred barrets."

<< ARMED >>

Some paintballs come flying up towards her; the Vulcan Defense doesn't even bother to intevene, letting them impact against her shield and get reflected, flying back off into the surrounding debris. But nobody else seems to be challenging her--

The Dead Scream slams into her defenses; some of it is reflected, and some of it is absorbed, but the shield surrounding her falls and the Vulcan Defense is overwhelmed. Seriss's armor gets heavily blasted, but she doesn't fall out of the sk and she certainly is not dead. Still; she'll have to be leaving, but first...

Seriss assumes a firing position over where Rashmi is laying, and flourishes her staff, aiming it downwards. "Seems your friends have won the day," she intones, "And I'll be taking my leave, but first... there is an annoyance to take care of, rather eralier than I had planned." She licks her lips, and opens them, about to utter that one word. 'Fire'. That would send a hundred more barrets down into--

"...Or perhaps not," she muses. "Molly pleads well for your life, little child. 'Let her live and I'll stop fighting you', she said." Seriss points the staff away from Rashmi, and looks upwards as she starts rising up into the air. "Very well then, sweet little Molly; a bargain well struck. Your friend shall live today."

As Seriss rises, she puts them to finger and snaps; and in a burst of darkness she vanishes, reappearing well up into the sky, where her wings beat furiously to carry her away from the battlefield.

Rashmi Terios has posed:
Rashmi is in *rough* shape, so be sure. What remains of her Barrier Jacket is in tatters and shards around a roughed-up bodysuit peeled away in places to show some pretty ugly burns and scrapes. Next to her, Nicomachea sports a fairly impressive suite of cracks, and is missing a few shards... But she breathes. And a moment after Usagi's panicked questions, one eye opens, and she struggles to shift herself on the ground.

"...We did it...?"

<< *BONG!* >> << CONFIRMED. STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY 75% AND HOLDING. MASTER'S INTEGRITY... HOLDING. >>

As close as the Device can really come to 'she'll be okay, eventually.' The redhead's eye tracks upwards, upon hearing the beat of wings in the air, just in time to see Seriss jaunting off to who the heck knows.

"Really... Really... Hate... her..."

Chibiusa Tsukino has posed:
    Luna-P gets ignored, but the catball still angrily bounces. Then it glances towards the Silence Wall to bounce off to... who knows where.

    Lapine looks at where the catball goes off to. Sorry, Luna-P, but we still don't want to give away too much. You never know who's watching.

    Small Lady, bruised and tired and exhausted, manages to get up to her feet and walk up to Rashmi, squatting down next to her Devicer mentor and saying, "Any fight you can walk away from, right?"

    Then she glances at the rest of the page mage and says, "Um... though I mean maybe 'walk away' is generous in your case."

    Her masked eyes go to Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, and she starts walking towards the former to check up on him. For a moment, she turns towards her mother and says, "Thanks for coming when you did."

Hotaru Tomoe has posed:
"... Wait, so I can be a REAL Sailor Senshi? Yayyyyy..." Hotaru said, before leaning into the hugs she was receiving. She felt... so tired. So incredibly tired. So exhaustedly tired. "I feel... like I've been fighting for years..." she mumbled softly. "But... it's over... I feel..." She closed her eyes. "I don't want to go again, papa..." she said softly. Well, Uranus called herself that, not her. So she was just continuing it...

"I saw it all... you were all so awesome... so cool... the combos, the attacks... even Luminous Titan came, I hope he got a recording of it..." A tiny, gloved hand reached out to hug La Mer as well, giggling softly. "I... kept he ring safe..." she said happily. "Sorry she ate it... but... it helped... in my dark moments..."

Finally, she glanced towards Lapine and... "Thank you... Luminous Titan. For everything. We, ummmm... we'll talk later. And thank you adorable and cute mysterious stranger. I hope we can work together in the future... Thank you, Rashmi for... everything. Thank you... ever..."

And then? Then she just... collapsed, into the arms, into the hugs, into the love.

Alive.

Safe.

Whole. In a way that had nothing to do with prosthetics, and everything to do with her heart. As her henshin ended and the wall of silence faded away, the glaive disappearing as well...

And, somehow, as Uranus and Pluto would discover... she was even lighter now. Well. Lighter as a whole, but technically heavier now...

Usagi Tsukino has posed:
"Suna-san, think you can carry Rashmi-chan back?" Her friend is given as gentle a hug as Sailor Moon can manage, before she's left to their mutual friend, and the medical professional among them, Sailor Moon standing wearily, watching Chibiusa walk away, her temporary henshin fitting her so well...

And she runs after her, picking her up to hug her tight and also, carry her over to Tuxedo Kamen, so the three of them can regroup together.

"You never to have to thank me, Chibiusa-chan," she whispers quietly, for just Chibiusa to hear. "I'll always come when you need me. No matter what."

Setsuna Meiou has posed:
Sailor Pluto stands and gently picks up Rashmi, then looks over to Uranus, "Let's head home. We can take care of them there. Anyone else who wants or needs a place to crash overnight is welcome to come."

Amanda Faust has posed:
    They pull Saturn back, and close the portal, and then Nyx is attacking Rashmi, dammit! Who... shields it? And shields again? "Wow! That's amazing shielding, Rashmi-chan!"

    Solar beams are turned on all of them. Amy flies out of the way, the beam just beginning to hit her for an instant before she's out of it's path. Burning. "Yeow!" The burn hurts, but she escaped the worst of it -- she can regenerate this much without spending significant power, and she does.

    Saturn warns that that enemy is still out there. "We'll deal with it then! We'll find another way! Who knows what we'll be able to do by then! One life... doesn't deserve to be sacrificed, Saturn!"

    "And we've seen what that does! We grieved Molly-chan and we'd give anything to have her back! Your friends won't let that happen to you!" Sorry, Molly. Seriss Nyx can hear; she has to pretend she doesn't know.

    "RASHMI!" Amy flies towards Rashmi, trying to tackle her out of the barret storm's path, but the silence wall stops them before she can reach. "RASHMI-CHAN! Are you okay?!" Well, she's alive.

    Magical Rocket Girl Red glares upward at Seriss Nyx. She superjumps up, out of the Silence Wall, and suddenly is holding some massive sci-fi looking cannon that Rashmi and Molly recognize, aimed upward. It looks meant for a wielder easily two or three times her height -- but she onlt needs it to exist for a moment.

    It's strange, for the people inside the Silence Wall, hearing no sound -- there's a flash of thrusters for stabilization, the giant muzzle flash-like backblast, and no sound at all as she fires up at Seriss Nyx, who thanks to Molly knows exactly what's about to come her way.

    To everyone outside the field, the nearly-deafening BOOM rings out, then echoes off of distant buildings.

    The gun vanishes and Amy drops back down to the ground, and doubles over as she lets out a breath.

    She stands, and takes a breath, and walks with the Outers and Rashmi. "I'm coming to help."

Laura La Mer has posed:
"Don't worry about it, it helped you, so it's fine!", La Mer smiles brightly, still holding onto her friend and hugging her. She really is back and she isn't going to go anywhere now. Surely the Queen will understand, and won't pull a trick like that again. She may approve of their friendship now, right?

"You did amazing holding on all this time, you really showed it to Mistress 9, and there are so many things I want to tell you", she grins happily. "But you must be feeling so tired right now. Promise me you will have the best sleep ever, got it?" the blue-pink-haired girl asks jovially.