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A Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon story
by Ebiris

Disclaimer: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Koudansha, TV Asahi, and Toei Douga, and DIC.

Feedback is always appreciated. Email me at danielmcdonagh@hotmail.com


Chapter 1: Wiseman's Plot! Death of the Black Moon!


"I am the Messiah." She smiled evilly "But you can call me… Dark Serenity."

"Dark Serenity?" Demando repeated in confusion.

She ignored him and turned to Wiseman. "I suppose I should be grateful. Your incompetent fumblings were able to release me. I might never have been able to influence Usagi, much less take over her body, without the push you gave her."

Wiseman was reeling. He had planned to create an ally to help control the Black Moon Family and summon the Death Phantom, but something told him that Dark Serenity might be just as much a threat to him as Neo Queen Serenity.

Ignoring the confusion around her, Dark Serenity pressed on. "Now, my servants, if we are to prevail, we must finish what was started in the past. We must return to my time and take over the Earth there."

Wiseman started. "Servant?!" he repeated angrily. "Do you know who you deal with?"

Dark Serenity's eyes flashed, and a black and pink tendril of dark power shot out from her body and enveloped Wiseman. He screamed in agony as she levitated him into the air and attacked him mercilessly.

As the attack continued, she turned to Demando and caressed his face. "I know I don't have to question your loyalty, Demando," she said sweetly, ignoring the tortured screams of Wiseman.

"Hai, Serenity-sama," Demando agreed. Her touch was ecstasy, and the look she gave him… Neo Queen Serenity never looked at him like that! He would follow her straight into hell if he had to.

Dark Serenity nodded and abruptly stopped her assault on Wiseman. The crumpled cloak and crystal ball fell to the ground. "Get up," she said angrily.

Wiseman lifted himself back up again. His eyes shone bright red with fury from under his cowl.

"Consider that your only warning," she said menacingly. "You will only live so long as you are useful to me."


The Sailor Senshi were in the Crystal Palace trying to come up with some sort of plan. Things were looking grim. They were startled when a hologram of Sailor Pluto appeared.

"You must return to the past. Something strange has happened to the Princess," she told them as a time portal formed in the room.

"What has happened to Usagi?" Sailor Venus asked worriedly.

Sailor Pluto ignored her. "Hurry! You have to return to your own time!" she urged them.

As the Senshi and Chibi-Usa walked through the portal, Tuxedo Kamen paused. "Pluto, what happened before we created Crystal Tokyo and became King and Queen?" he asked the mysterious guardian of time.

Pluto shook her head. "You already know too much about your future. It would be bad to know more. Please, just live in the present and look to the bright future." She smiled halfheartedly.

Tuxedo Kamen nodded as he stepped through. That made sense.


In the twentieth century, the black moon flagship floated high above the earth. Dark Serenity stood on the bridge with Demando, Saffiru, Esmeraude and Wiseman. "The earth is beautiful in any century," Saffiru sighed as he looked out the viewscreen.

Dark Serenity glared at him. "This beauty is a lie," she snapped. "The earth will only be beautiful after I have cleansed it."

Alarm bells went off in Saffiru's head at that statement. The entire reason they had been banished to the Black Moon was because their ancestors had refused the cleansing offered by Neo Queen Serenity and her Silver Crystal. He had a feeling Dark Serenity's cleansing would be even worse.

Looking at his brother, Saffiru lost even more hope. Demando seemed like his entire purpose in life had been realised simply by being with Dark Serenity. 'Doesn't he know she has nothing in common with Neo Queen Serenity?' he thought angrily.

Then he noticed Wiseman glaring daggers at Dark Serenity. 'So the cowled one is unhappy too? I might have to join with the manipulative bastard to save my brother.' He grimaced at the thought, but as the old saying went, 'better the devil you know'.

Dark Serenity smiled to herself. The Black Moon Family were idiots. Demando would follow her to death, and Saffiru would never betray his brother. Esmeraude was completely beneath her notice. Wiseman was a trickier subject. She knew he was also manipulating the exiles, but to what ends? She would have to find out.

She was looking forward to making the wretches on the planet below pay for what they had done to the Silver Millennium. 'They don't deserve the kind rule of Neo Queen Serenity. They deserve me!' She chuckled darkly at the thought of holding an entire world in the grip of fear. It excited her.

It wouldn't stop there, though. 'Once I have the sacred chalice, the whole galaxy will kneel before me!' She allowed her self-indulgent laughter to increase its intensity.

Saffiru gaped at Dark Serenity. That kind of laughter could in no way be construed as a good sign. He was definitely going to have to do something.


Michiru shot upright in her bed, breathing heavily with sweat pouring down her face. The dreams were becoming more and more vivid. The time of Silence was approaching.


Wiseman meditated in his quarters. Things were rapidly spiraling out of his control. Dark Serenity was far too powerful for him to defeat, and she didn't seem like she could be manipulated. 'I have to summon the Death Phantom quickly…' he thought before he detected an intruder. "What is it, Saffiru?" he asked.

Saffiru stepped into view. "Dark Serenity," he said darkly.

"Ah. I suspect you are not as enthralled as our dear prince by the new addition to our… family?" Wiseman mocked.

"She has my brother wrapped around her little finger." Saffiru glowered. "We have to stop her."

"And why is that?" Wiseman said "I thought the purpose of this exercise was to get revenge on Earth for exiling us? I am sure Serenity-hime will cause untold suffering to the Earth."

"No!" Saffiru slammed his fist against the wall. "Our quarrel was with Neo Queen Serenity because she exiled us! We just wanted rid of her so we could live on that beautiful planet that is our stolen birthright. Dark Serenity is even worse than the Queen."

Wiseman was now satisfied that he could use Saffiru. "We are too weak to defeat her, you know," he said, setting Saffiru up for his request.

"I know." Saffiru shook his head. "But we were too weak to defeat Crystal Tokyo, until you showed us how. Don't you know of a way to get her?"

If Wiseman could smile, he would be doing so now. "As it happens, I know a way to summon a power she will pale in comparison to." He summoned a small piece of the black crystal, which hovered in the air before Saffiru. A holographic map of Tokyo appeared, with a blinking light in the Azabu district. "Place this crystal here, and feed it with energy. It will open a conduit to the Black Crystal on Nemesis, and the gate will summon the Death Phantom."

"Death Phantom?" Esmeraude stepped into view. Wiseman was annoyed that he hadn't noticed her earlier.

"Ah, Esmeraude," Wiseman greeted the annoying woman. "Am I to take it you wish to be rid of Serenity as well?"

"That witch has some sort of spell on Prince Demando." Esmeraude spat on the floor. Wiseman decided he would kill her for that. "I should be the one to rule beside him."

Wiseman summoned another piece of the black crystal. It was shaped into a tiara. "Then you can help summon Death Phantom. This tiara will boost your natural energy; you can feed it to the Black Crystal which Saffiru is going to plant on the Earth." 'Of course, it will drain your life force to death, you irritating harpy,' he added mentally to himself.

Esmeraude's eyes lit up and she eagerly accepted the tiara. Saffiru was a little smarter. "I haven't agreed to your plan yet, Wiseman. And you haven't told us what this Death Phantom is," he said, pointedly ignoring the shard of the black crystal hovering before him.

"It is kind of like a God. It will easily defeat Dark Serenity." Wiseman decided he should end this conversation before Saffiru started asking more awkward questions. "I leave the choice to you." He teleported out, confident that Saffiru would play along with his scheme.


While Wiseman plotted, Dark Serenity was keeping herself busy.

Teleporting to the ruins of the Silver Millennium on the Moon, she observed the devastation which had been wrought by Queen Beryl and the armies of Earth one thousand years previously. The absence of any kind of atmosphere didn't bother her in the least.

She extended her arms and concentrated on her innate magical powers. The Ginzuishou appeared between her outstretched palms, adding inconceivable amounts of power to her spell. A bright silver light spread out from her, enveloping the wrecked palace. When the light subsided, the palace was restored to the splendour it had displayed at the height of the Silver Millennium.

Dark Serenity smiled at her handiwork before she suddenly felt lightheaded. Swaying on her feet, she put a hand to her head "I have to be careful in using the Ginzuishou…" She reminded herself of what it was capable of — and the price it exacted for using its fullest power.

"The Ginzuishou shouldn't be used for such frivolous purposes," a voice came from behind her.

Dark Serenity spun around to confront the intruder, only to see someone who had been on the Moon far longer than she had. "Mother!" she whispered, looking at the almost transparent ethereal figure of Queen Serenity.

"Am I your mother any longer?" the goddess of the Moon asked sadly. "Something terrible must have happened to cause this change in you, Serenity-hime," she said sympathetically.

"I have changed," Dark Serenity admitted. "But it is for the best."

Queen Serenity shook her head. "The Silver Millennium died a long time ago. Let it remain a happy memory, rather than the nightmare you would unleash."

"No!" Dark Serenity responded forcefully. "Those people—" She pointed up at the white and blue orb high above. "—destroyed the most perfect civilisation ever! All because of their petty jealousy! And I will punish them."

"We always protected the Earth. Will you betray all that the Silver Millennium stood for?" Queen Serenity looked to the ground sadly. "Will you betray me?"

Dark Serenity felt tears sting her eyes at that accusation. "No…" She shook her head vehemently. "I will avenge you!"

Serenity took a few steps forward and brought a ghostly hand to Dark Serenity's cheek. "You already have. Beryl and Metallia are dead. The people on the Earth today don't even remember the Moon Kingdom. Why punish them?"

"Because it's what they deserve!" Dark Serenity balled her fists and stepped backwards away from the Queen.

"Even the Sailor Senshi who are living peacefully as humans now? Even Tsukino Usagi?"

"Tsukino Usagi," Dark Serenity spat, "is an aberration! A mistake which warped my reincarnation." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "A mistake that has now been corrected."

"No," Queen Serenity said with conviction. "You are the aberration. You are neither my sweet Princess Serenity, nor the happy girl she became in her new life. I do not know who you are."

The spirit of Queen Serenity would later decide in retrospect, that her words hadn't been especially well-chosen.

"I AM THE MESSIAH!!" she screamed, unleashing the power of the Ginzuishou once more to erase this deceitful spirit which posed as her mother to derail her from her chosen path.

Eventually Dark Serenity collapsed. "I am the Messiah…" she whispered to herself. Queen Serenity, who had almost — but not quite — lost her tenuous grip on the physical universe, decided not to bother her for a while.


"Usako!" Tuxedo Kamen looked up at the Moon. 'What did I just feel?' he wondered.

The time-travelers had been deposited by the lake where Chibi-Usa had first appeared in the past. "What is it, Mamo-chan?" the aforementioned child asked the man who would one day be her father.

"I'm not sure," he answered slowly. "I sensed something strange…"

Sailor Mercury activated her miniature supercomputer. Her eyes immediately widened. "I'm picking up a massive energy release on the Moon! The readings are consistent with the Ginzuishou!"

That got everyone's attention.

"Is it Usagi?" Mars wondered.

"Unfortunately, my computer isn't powerful enough to search for a single person on the Moon. Gomen," Mercury apologised.

"It is her!" Tuxedo Kamen spoke with conviction. "I am sure of it!" He was filled with frustration at knowing something drastic had happened to his love without him being able to do a thing about it.

"But what is Usagi doing on the Moon? And why is she using the Ginzuishou?" Venus tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"She must be fighting the enemy!" Jupiter slammed a fist into her palm angrily. "And there's nothing we can do if they're on the Moon."

Sailor Mars suddenly staggered. "What is it, Mars?" Venus asked her while putting a hand on her friend's shoulder to support her.

"I feel an enormous dark power…" Mars' eyes suddenly widened as she saw something appearing above the Tokyo skyline. "Kami-sama! What is that?!" She pointed to the massive dark crystal which was rapidly expanding over the city.

All eyes turned to the black crystal. Mercury began scanning it with her computer "Hmm. It seems to be a conduit for dark energy. The origin point is in the outer solar system. Its growth rate is already slowing down. I suspect it is approaching a critical mass."

Jupiter swallowed nervously. But she had to ask, "Critical mass for what?"

"Something very bad," was the best answer Mercury could come up with.


Saffiru looked at the desiccated corpse of Esmeraude with disgust. She had been so arrogant after receiving Wiseman's tiara. Now she was a dried-up husk. Saffiru wasn't sure how he felt about her death. On the one hand, she was the single most annoying woman he had ever encountered. On the other, she was the only ally he had right now.

Saffiru considered his position. Wiseman had amply demonstrated how little he thought of the Black Moon Clan, and wouldn't have any hesitation in killing Saffiru if he deemed it worthwhile. Dark Serenity was probably a whole lot worse than Wiseman — and the simple fact that she was connected to Neo Queen Serenity was enough to turn Saffiru's stomach.

And Demando was completely in thrall to her.

No matter which way he looked at it, he was screwed. Badly.

The arrival of the Sailor Senshi was just the cherry on top of his bad day.

"What is this?" Sailor Venus shouted at him, pointing at the nearby giant crystal.

Saffiru sighed. He was really past caring at this point. "It's the death of us all."

"Nani?" Mars was confused. She had been expecting a big speech about how they were dust before him and how he would rule or destroy the earth. But he seemed pretty unhappy with the crystal himself.

"We really have been fools. And I was the biggest fool of all, to think I could trust Wiseman," Saffiru said sadly.

"I don't understand. What's happening?" Jupiter asked.

"The crystal will summon Death Phantom, and kill everyone." Saffiru looked at each of the Sailor Senshi in turn. "Now, I'd rather be killed by the great Sailor Senshi than by that great deceiver, so if you want to kill me, go ahead."

"We don't want to kill you," Mercury said. "If Sailor Moon were here, she could turn you into a normal human like the Akayashi Sisters."

Saffiru burst into laughter, but there was no joy in it.

"What's so funny?!" Tuxedo Kamen demanded angrily.

"Sailor Moon won't be saving anyone, I can assure you of that."

In an instant Tuxedo Kamen had Saffiru by the throat. "What have you done to her?" he demanded, his voice filled with barely-contained fury.

Saffiru didn't even try to struggle. "It's not what has been done to her. It's what she will do to us. Don't think you're safe because of your previous relationship. She is—" His speech was cut off as a bolt of dark power lanced through him, killing him instantly.

"Enough with the villain's exposition. They always bored me."

Everyone slowly looked up in dawning horror at the source of that familiar-sounding voice.

"Usako?" Tuxedo Kamen whispered, looking up at the slightly different form of Dark Serenity floating above them.

She smiled darkly down at him. "Close, but you're way off."

"What's happened to you?" Sailor Mars demanded, unused to seeing such an expression on her best friend's usually goofy, sometimes beautiful, but never hateful features.

"What did you do to your hair?" Venus looked at the unusual hair colouring she had.

Dark Serenity frowned. "Look, this promises to be interesting and all, but I'm afraid I have more pressing matters right now. Would you mind giving me some quiet?" She started to examine the slowly expanding Dark Crystal.

The Sailor Senshi looked at each other in confusion. They weren't sure how to respond to this altered Usagi. On the one hand, she had killed Saffiru, but on the other, he was an enemy. And she seemed to be worried about the Dark Crystal. This led them to assume that she was still good. Her request for some quiet wasn't that unreasonable.

After a few minutes of observing the crystal, she leaned in and placed her ear to it before tapping it twice. She floated back and adopted a thoughtful expression.

"Er… Usagi? Have you found anything out yet?" Mercury asked hesitantly.

Dark Serenity glowered down at her with such force to cause the Senshi of Ice to shrink away. "Did I not just ask you for quiet? And don't call me that name."

Tuxedo Kamen had had enough. "Usako, what's wrong with you?" He leapt onto the Crystal and grabbed her arm.

"Remove your hand. Now," she hissed between grated teeth.

"Usako!" he said more insistently, trying to get a familiar reaction from her.

He got a reaction, though certainly not one he would expect from his loving girlfriend.

Dark Serenity drew back her free hand and punched him square on the jaw. Even with the enhanced strength he possessed as Tuxedo Kamen, he felt it would certainly leave a nasty bruise. She then grasped his arm and dug her nails in to force his grip loose. That done, she threw him to the ground. Hard.

"Usagi! What are you doing?!" Jupiter was very worried at this change in disposition.

"My name," she forced each word out harshly, "is Dark Serenity. Tsukino Usagi is dead!"

Everyone gasped in shock at this statement. Before anyone could question her further, a bolt of black lightning struck Dark Serenity. She cried out in pain and surprise before quickly repelling the attack. "Wiseman," she breathed.

The familiar bundle of robes appeared before her. "You caught me by surprise last time, Serenity-hime, but with the power of the Dark Crystal I will become Death Phantom and destroy you."

Dark Serenity raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Really. I must admit it's a clever plan, but you're dreaming if you think you can defeat me." She clapped her hands impatiently. "Demando!" she called out.

"I already took the liberty of disposing of our dear prince," Wiseman informed her.

She shrugged. "He would only have been a diversion. I can manage." She began to energise herself with the power of the Ginzuishou, adding to her own magic.

Wiseman began to take power from the Dark Crystal, beginning his transformation into Death Phantom.

The Sailor Senshi meanwhile, had decided that even if Usagi was acting strangely, Wiseman was the obvious enemy.

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

Dark Serenity launched a narrow beam of silver light from the Ginzuishou at Wiseman, which struggled with the black aura building around him.

"Sailor Planet Attack!!" A huge column of rainbow-like energy shot out from between the four Inner Senshi, stripping away Wiseman's already weakened defences.

There was a massive explosion of competing energies. Everyone looked on in wonder, but when the light faded, Death Phantom floated there!

"That… that was very good… But now I am invincible!!" he gloated, though it was obvious he was in fact struggling.

"I can't believe we weren't strong enough!" Mars complained bitterly.

"I'm too weak to do another attack…" Mercury was being supported by Jupiter to keep from falling over.

Dark Serenity smirked. "Nice bluff, Wiseman. But you're all out of power yourself, aren't you?" She was feeling the strain from her repeated use of the Ginzuishou herself, but she certainly wasn't about to let anyone here see that.

"Far from—" He was suddenly interrupted in his rebuttal as a red rose embedded itself under his hood. He moved to pluck the offending flower out, but it was stopped when it began frying his brain with Tuxedo Kamen's magical energy. The self-proclaimed God shrieked in agony before collapsing to the ground. The Dark Crystal began to fracture and vibrate rapidly.

Dark Serenity floated over him. "Say goodbye, Wiseman." She began to concentrate on the Ginzuishou as a silver aura enveloped both herself and Wiseman.

"N-no…" Death Phantom tried to deny his fate, but it was no use. The aura flared brighter and disintegrated him.

Dark Serenity smiled triumphantly, before she suddenly plummeted from the air. Her last conscious thoughts were, 'Perhaps I overexerted myself?'

"Usako!" Tuxedo Kamen rushed over to catch her. Meanwhile the Dark Crystal was already starting to dissolve into nothingness.

"Did we win?" Venus asked as the Senshi crowded round Tuxedo Kamen and Dark Serenity.

Mars looked at the woman in his arms. The woman who used to be Tsukino Usagi, the crybaby defender of love and justice, Sailor Moon. "What has happened to you, Usagi-chan?" She brushed a black haired pigtail away from Dark Serenity's sleeping face.


Dark Serenity slept peacefully on a futon in one of the spare bedrooms at the Hikawa Shrine. It had been quite a job for Rei to convince her grandfather that she was to be left well alone.

Chibi-Usa hesitantly slid the door open and stepped inside. The other girls and Mamo-chan hadn't told her much, just that there had been a big battle and something had happened to Usagi. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Dark Serenity's mostly black hair, with just an occasional streak of sunflower blonde to remind her of its old nature.

Fighting back tears, the little girl walked over to kneel beside the futon and look at her future mother's face. She was surprised to see the golden crescent moon on her forehead. She knew her mother had such a mark, but she had never seen it on Usagi. Her own crescent moon mark only appeared when she was really frightened and released her powers.

"Please wake up, Usagi." She sniffed sadly as she touched Dark Serenity's cheek. She was so beautiful, just like Neo Queen Serenity.

Chibi-Usa climbed onto the bed and hugged Dark Serenity as she too began to drift off. "I love you," she whispered.

In her sleep, Dark Serenity smiled warmly and unconsciously shifted her body to embrace the girl.

 

To be continued.

Chapter 2
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