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“The Quest”

 By Meara

 Prologue 

   Or

 The story thus far….


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The world ended in a single afternoon.  

In a last and desperate act to claim the future, the creature who was
now called Death Phantom sent three small asteroids slamming into the
Earth.  The first meteor, less than ten meters across, came down in 
the arctic. It exploded like a nuclear bomb, carving out a hole 
thirty meters across and vaporizing anything within that area.  The 
light and sound of the explosion were heard more than five hundred 
kilometers away and the seismic activity it produced registered 
across the globe.

A second, smaller, hunk of nickel and iron came down in the Pacific
Ocean between California and Hawaii.  The impact created a monster 
tsunami and like dropping a pebble in a still pond, it rushed out in 
in all directions.  Destruction came not in a single wave, but in a 
succession of them, the largest over three hundred feet high.  

Roaring like a maddened beast it rolled onshore, swallowing up 
anything and anyone in its path.  Buildings, trees, cars and boulders
roiled within as it moved ever onward, unimpeded by the petty 
obstacles of man and nature.  There was no where to run, no ground 
high enough to be safe from the monster that devoured everything it 
touched.  It crested at last, almost 25 miles inland, before it was 
pulled back to the sea.  When it was gone not an intact structure 
remained.  Only a few souls had miraculously lived through the 
apocalyptic event.  In the days to come they would envy those who had
died quickly.

California, Oregon, Washington State, the eastern coastal cities of 
Mexico and all the way up to British Columbia looked like a giant 
hand had reached from the heavens and crushed what civilization had 
built.   The killer waves rolled over the islands of Hawaii, 
Polynesia, Samoa and Tonga.  By the time it reached the Philippines,
it had started to slow some, but not enough to spare them.  The last
of its fury was spent on Thailand, Vietnam and the southern most 
provinces of China.

The force of the giant tsunami ruptured the all ready unstable 
tectonic plates on North America’s west coast, setting up a violent 
chain reaction that caused other, more stable plates to buckle.  The 
New Madrid fault came to life, shuddering in a dance of death that 
would claim hundreds of thousands of lives. Volcanoes in the aptly 
named “ring of fire” awakened from their long slumber.  In Alaska, 
Italy, Africa and even ones as far away as Japan, they spewed molten 
rock and ash into the mix of water and dust that was enshrouding the 
earth.

The east fared no better than the west as one after another, tidal 
waves and earthquakes ravaged China, India, Egypt and Turkey.  From
Africa to Antarctica, from Boston to Bangkok not a region was spared 
the cataclysm.  In a matter of less than a half an hour millions 
died.  In the next few days, millions more would join them.  In a 
year, every living thing on the face of the earth would be dead.  

In a last and desperate act of their own, Usagi and Mamoru combined
the powers of the Moon Kingdom, the Ginzuishou and that of Earth, the
Golden Crystal.  They had unraveled the mystery of why contact 
between the two kingdoms had been forbidden in the past.  The 
Ginzuishou could create and cleanse, the Golden Crystal could shape 
and mold.  Even though it would take a millennia, together they could
remake a world.  

Aided by the healing magics of Elysion, the ultimate power of two-as
-one was unleashed.  Earth and what was left of her people were sent
into a state of crystalline suspension.  An entire race would sleep 
until the planet was once more whole.  

At least, that was the idea…

“This is the story of my whole damn life,” Haruka called out totally
frustrated, “Nothing ever goes the way it’s supposed to!  Why the hell
aren’t we asleep like everyone else?!

Michiru patted her lifemate’s shoulder in a comforting manner.  “I’m
sure there’s got to be a reason,” she said in an unconvincing voice.  

The two had watched in utter amazement as the wave of power had 
flowed from Usagi and Mamoru.  It headed right for them, then at the
last moment, broke to either side and continued on its way.  A layer
of frozen crystal covered everything; the Senshi, animals, trees, 
flowers and even the blades of grass.  But not them.

That’s why the voice that answered them was such a surprise.  “And 
that reason would be me.”

They turned as one, attacks all ready powering up.  Walking gingerly
so as not to fall on the icy crystal that was everywhere, was a young
woman in the fuku of Sailor Moon.  She was slender with the look of a
girl in the first blush of adulthood.  Her hair was the color of 
cotton candy and flowed half way down her back from the two cone 
shaped odongos that sat on her head.  

“Chibi-Moon?” Neptune asked in amazement.

Princess Small Lady Serenity seemed very pleased with the look of 
shock of the faces of the Outer Senshi.  “Actually I’m called Neo-Moon
these days.  Been a while, ne?”

“What are you doing here?” Uranus asked, folding her arms across her 
chest.

“I’m here for you two, of course,” she answered, holding up her hand.
“The Outer Senshi are needed.  You have to come with me.”

“What about Pluto?” Michiru glanced at where Setsuna and Lorilei were
cocooned together.

Sailor Neo-Moon held up her hand.  In it was a small key shaped 
object.  “Who do you think sent me?  Pu is waiting for you.  She’ll
explain everything.”  

Behind Small Lady a portal appeared.  It shone with a silvery mist 
that slowly cleared away.  Cinnamon eyes brimmed with contained 
amusement as she glanced back over shoulders.  

“Are you two coming?” she asked then walked into the doorway.

After a moment to collect herself, Haruka gave a snort of derisive 
laughter.  “The story of my whole damn life,” she repeated.  “Well, 
I once said I walk into hell to be with you, so how bad can the 
future be?”  Haruka held her hand out in invitation to Michiru.  

With a last look around her, the Senshi of Neptune took it.  “I hate 
it when you ask questions like that.  The answer we get is never 
good.”  She gave her lifemate’s hand a squeeze and together they 
walked hand in hand for the portal.

And onward to the future.


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