“I, I, I…” Shinobu was in full on panic mode.
Sarah eagerly whispered to Su. “I haven’t seen her this flustered since that time she found Keitaro’s present to Naru for White Day and thought it was for her.”
Usagi sweatdropped. “Er, I realize this may be a bit much, but—”
-SYSTEM ERROR-
“shinobu.exe” has performed an illegal operation and will now shut down. |
“Um, Shinobu?” The future queen shook the newest Senshi a little. “Shinobu?” She looked anxiously to the other Hinata Sou residents. “Does she do this often?”
“Indeed, named for the source of the world’s salvation.” Eris’ tone and expression had a wistful, nostalgic air to them. “Beautiful, filled not with cold crystal, but coruscating patterns of wild magic. Life there is not preserved and sterile, but rich, vibrant, and active.”
“So, how does this come to pass, rather than Crystal Tokyo?”
“Crystal Tokyo formed after the arrival the foe so powerful, Sailor Moon was forced to douse the sun with the Ginzushou. The resultant freeze left all of the system uninhabitable, save a few square miles of Earth, and caused magic levels to drop to near zero.
However, in my timeline, a weapon was found that was the Senshi would normally never consider using: A chaos enchantment in another Tokyo ward. Before we took hold of it, it merely made life there…odd.”
A piece of Dominus near the top elevated, an approximation of a raised eyebrow. “Odd?”
“Million in one chances cropping up nine times out of ten, that sort of thing.” Sailor Eris gave a dismissive wave. “That isn’t important. What is is that instead of halting the sun’s fusion reactor, Sailor Moon instead used the Ginzushou to enhance the innate chaos of Nerima, engorging it with energy.”
“But the Silver Crystal is composed of order magic. The attempt shouldn’t have worked! It should have destroyed the chaos!”
Eris bore a look of curiosity. “For a cloud of evil particulates, you sure seem to know a lot about the nature of magic.”
“We’ll discuss my nature after you’re finished. Please, proceed.”
The Senshi shrugged. “Very well. Anyway, you’re right. Had Sailor Moon fed the power of the Ginzushou directly into the Neriman chaos, they would have nullified one another. However, she directed it into a human, one on whom the enchantment had focused. As his innate order rose, the natural balance within him added to his chaos, which spilled into the enchantment. Soon the chaotic forces of Nerima spread through most of the country, manifesting in swirling clouds of unstable power.
It was with this power the foes of the Senshi were defeated. They had been prepared for ice, fire, every Senshi element, but not raw chaos. They were consumed, and with their power the chaos spread to encompass the world. Neo Queen Serenity rules over a dynamic empire of carefully controlled anarchy.”
“Sounds like an oxymoron to me.”
“The Senshi watch over various parts of the world to ensure others do not threaten Serenity’s rule. When they do, they are put down. Aside from that, do what thou wilt is the whole of the law.” Eris rose and stretched. “Well, that’s my story, what’s yours?”
Dominus expanded to human size. “You still haven’t explained what it is you intend to do with the Zodiac Amulets.”
“Ah yes. The future is always uncertain. In order to ensure the rise of Neo Nerima and my own existence, I must supplant Sailor Pluto and guide Sailor Moon to that which can save the lives of billions. To do that, I require the additional power the Amulets can provide. With it, I can pull the nexus of energy in the Kuiper Belt from Pluto to Eris.”
There was a brief silence. “I don’t follow.”
“Sailor Pluto is one of the most powerful Senshi, yes?” Dominus simulated a nod. “Yet her namesake planet is the smallest, the furthest from the Sun, and was the least inhabited during the Silver Millennium. The truth is that Pluto’s only distinguishing feature, aside from its moon, is that it acts as a nexus of power for nearly every celestial object in the Kuiper Belt, the ring of debris Pluto inhabits. Almost all magic of the area is focused through Pluto and into its Senshi.”
“Almost.”
“Yes. Eris is the exception, the only other settlement made there during the Silver Millennium. What few asteroids I’ve been able to hijack have given me sufficient power to challenge the Senshi, but it won’t be enough to overthrow Pluto. I need the Amulets for that. But enough about me. What about you?”
The nebulous youma seemed uneasy. “I’m afraid my backstory isn’t nearly as rich as yours. You know how every foe purified by Sailor Moon’s attacks is reduced to dust?”
“Yes. Moondust, they like to call it.”
“Well, it accumulates after a while.”
Another brief pause. “Are you saying that you are the assembled remnants of every youma the Senshi defeated?”
“Youma, Cardian, you name it, it’s in me. The stuff just accreted until the fragments of thought managed to form a sort of patchwork sentience. The knowledge aggregated with the mass, so I know much of what each of my constituents experienced, overheard, and learned. The end result is before you: A conscious dust cloud with a relatively impressive intellect capable of taking over a body sufficiently racked with negative emotions and remaking it into a monster.”
Eris considered this for a moment. “What happens if someone tries to use a vacuum cleaner on you?”
“I really wish you would stop calling them that.”
“Shush, I think she’s coming around!”
Shinobu blinked a few times and looked around. She was in her bed. Nyamo, Su, and Motoko were there, so it wasn’t morning. Nyamo was watching her, and there went a hand getting the damp cloth off her head. What was it attached to? Oh, the blue-haired girl who had shown up with her friends and who was a—THAT WASN’T A DREAM!?
Motoko turned to face the bed as Shinobu surged up into a sitting position. “Ah, you’re up.”
“Fuku buddies!” cried Su, reinforcing Shinobu’s realization of her short-skirted fate.
“I, but, I,” Shinobu stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Ami smiled kindly. “It may seem overwhelming now, between the skimpy costume and the incredible power, but you’ll get used to it. Look at it this way: You’ve just made nine very good friends in the space of a few seconds.”
There was a brief pause where Shinobu’s anxious expression shifted to a small but very sincere smile. “Thank you.”
Hotaru rose, and Su realized that she had mistaken the girl for her Pararakelsean doppelganger. “I’ll go tell everyone you’re feeling better.”
Motoko had a gleam of eagerness in her eyes. “Yes, time to find where lies that which shall make me stronger than ever before.”
“And stuff ya in somethin’ ya’d only want Keitaro t’ see ya in.” Shinobu couldn’t help but laugh a little at Su’s comment, and Motoko’s reaction to it.
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(Posted Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:40)
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