Beauty and the Beast: Serena and Diamond's Tale

Rated: PG

Genre: Drama/Romance

Disclaimer: I thought I told you… I don't own Sailor Moon!

Summary: A twist of the classic French fairy tale with a taste of Sailor Moon R. Can the curse of the Negamoon be destroyed by true love, not lust? Serena x Diamond. Read and review please!

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long delay, but I've been working on other stories (check out my other Sailor Moon story with the Disney Princesses), I have recently started my junior year in college (and about to finish the first half of it), and I've been spending way too much time with my boyfriend. And I have to admit I had a case of writer's block with this story.

A little comment about this chapter… It has the elements of the final episode with Emerald, but there is a twist to it. I hope you like it.

Chapter 8

Emerald stood outside of Wiseman's chambers and listened to every word that was coming from the creature beneath his lavender cloak. She did her best not to breathe heavily or make any sound that would grab his attention. "Soon," Wiseman hissed, "the Silver Crystal will be mine, and I won't need Diamond and his pathetic family anymore. Only I, the Doom Phantom, will rule the world – no, the universe!"

He let out a menacing laugh but abruptly stopped when he heard Emerald's fan hit the glassy floor. "Oh no," she muttered as she bent down to pick it up. But it was too late. "Emerald!" called Wiseman.

She approached him cautiously for she knew why he summoned her. "Yes, Wiseman?" she asked.

"Have you retrieved the Silver Crystal yet?"

The green-haired soldier bit her lower lip and shook her head. As much as she wanted to kill the Moon Princess and give Wiseman what he wanted at first, she now had a reason not to. She thought of a fib quickly in hopes that Wiseman would believe her. "Diamond has it hidden away," she lied. "He won't even let Sailor Moon have it again!"

"Silence!" Wiseman's eyes glowed brightly, and a cloud of dust circled around the room in his fury. "You have failed me, Emerald! And you have lied to me! I know you have not carried out my plan as you were assigned to do, and you became friends with Sailor Moon!"

He shot a ball of dark energy toward her, but the ball stopped only three feet away from her and floated in midair. Emerald looked at Wiseman in fear and then glanced back at the energy ball. She noticed it began to change colors and create triangular object inside.

She snapped out of her trance at the voice of Wiseman. "I will give you one last chance, though, Emerald. Do it and you will be greatly rewarded."

The ball floated into her gloved hands and disappeared, leaving a black tiara with an emerald stone in the center in her palms. A queen, she thought. He's going to make me a queen?

"If you kill Sailor Moon and her friends, I will see to it that you will be joined with Diamond in holy matrimony and become his queen: Queen of Nemesis!" said Wiseman. "Your dreams will finally come true. Isn't that what you want, Emerald? Don't you want to be your prince's queen? All you have to do is to get rid of those Sailor brats, and you can have everything your heart desires."

"I won't!" she exclaimed. "I won't harm my only friend and her fellow Sailor Scouts! Sailor Moon has done a lot for all of us, and she can help us rebuild Nemesis! She is not evil at all – you are! You are the evil one! You've used us from the beginning, and I refuse to be your little pawn anymore! Once Diamond hears this –"

"Prince Diamond will not hear any of this!" As Wiseman's eyes glowed so did the emerald on the tiara. It shot a beam of green light into Emerald's eyes, hypnotizing her so she would listen to Wiseman's every command. Once she was under his spell, she placed the tiara on her head and was surrounded by black swirls of smoke.

Before the smoke consumed her completely, she whispered in a monotone voice, "I am sorry, Serenity. I am sorry, Diamond. Forgive me."

Meanwhile, Diamond and Sapphire ran through the hall that lead to Wiseman's chambers hoping that their relative was still alive. They finally reached the door, but when they heard a loud noise from behind the obsidian barrier, they were afraid it was too late. The black glass shattered into pieces without warning. Diamond and Sapphire looked up to see a black dragon with green hair and green eyes letting out a high-pitch cry. On top of the dragon's head stood a black tiara with an emerald stone, controlling the dragon's actions and thoughts.

"Emerald?" asked Diamond.

The dragon made eye contact with the two princes and breathed green fire from her mouth at them. Both Diamond and Sapphire dodged the fiery blast and hid behind the rubble from her destruction. From where he was hiding, Sapphire saw Wiseman laughing as the dragon continued to cause more damage to the room. "Wiseman," he breathed under his breath.

The cloaked creature used his magic to grab the dragon's attention and then ordered, "Emerald, I want you to search for Sailor Moon and her friends, and when you find them, kill them!"

The dragon flapped her black and green wings and flew through the roof of the dark crystal palace. Shards of glass landed on top of the two princes, though neither of them was severely injured. From the corner of his eye, Diamond watched Wiseman disappear into thin air. "Curse you, Wiseman," he hissed under his breath.

Sapphire brushed himself off from the rubble and helped his brother stand up on his two feet. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do to stop Emerald," he said.

The White Prince reluctantly nodded his head. "I'm sure the Sailor Scouts will heal her."

"I doubt it, brother. They don't know that this is Emerald. They'll attack her and destroy her. Only then will they realize their mistake. In addition, I don't think Sailor Moon's crystal can heal her. The tiara Emerald is wearing is too powerful for it. I could feel the power of the Dark Crystal controlling the emerald stone in the center. Sailor Moon's only option is to kill her."

The thought of losing Emerald from Sailor Moon's scepter filled Diamond's mind, knowing that what Sapphire was saying was most likely true. "But do you think we have a chance to tell the Scouts not to fight Emerald?"

Sapphire looked at his brother with sadness in his eyes. "No. Emerald has probably found them by now, but it doesn't mean that we can't try."

Outside of Diamond's palace and in the dark forest, Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts searched high and low for the Earth Prince. They listened for sounds of monsters attacking an injured Tuxedo Mask, and they were drawn to noisy battle in the center of the forest. They found him destroying each dark shadow with his cane, but he was still outnumbered.

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" cried Sailor Venus as her golden heart-linked chain smashed through three shadows and encircling four others.

"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" cried Sailor Mars, sending fiery rings to burn the four captured shadows.

"Jupiter Thunder Dragon Crash!" cried Sailor Jupiter as her dragon of lightning swallowed up a dark shadow fighting against Darien.

Sailor Moon turned to Sailor Mercury and asked, "Do you think you can fool all of these shadows and get us out of here?"

"I'll try," replied Sailor Mercury. "Mercury Bubbles Freeze!"

A cold fog filled the forest and with Tuxedo Mask at their side, the five girls made a mad dash out of the forest and back toward the clearing. Once they were safe from the shadows, the Earth Prince collapsed on the ground and breathed heavily. "Thank you, girls, for saving my life," he said in between pants and gasps for air.

"Just breathe, Darien," said Sailor Moon. "Now don't get mad at us, but we're going to go back to Crystal Tokyo to get you healed and then we are going to go back to Diamond and save him and his family from the Doom Phantom."

"You what? You're going back there! You're crazy! They put you under their spell, didn't they?" Tuxedo Mask turned to the other four Sailor Scouts and glared at them. "And I thought I told you to stay at Crystal Tokyo! This is my battle and my battle alone!"

"Darien, will you just listen for once?" asked Sailor Mars. "Diamond is the one who needs our help. He is an innocent man being used for the forces of evil. The Doom Phantom has been living in Wiseman all this time, and we need to stop him! He is the real enemy, not Diamond, not Sapphire, and not Emerald Rubeus and the Four Sisters were not the real enemy either. They have all been used and the three of them will be killed once the Doom Phantom is free. Whatever he promised them will not happen. They have been tricked, and they just now realized it."

"You must believe us, Darien," pleaded Sailor Mercury. "Serena was kidnapped because Diamond was attracted to her purity, but he has changed. In fact, the entire family has changed."

"Serena's goodness brought the Black Moon family over to our side," explained Sailor Jupiter. "All they wanted was to have a better life than the one they got here on Nemesis. They don't really need the Silver Crystal now. After all, Wiseman is the only one who really wants it so he can control the universe."

"And that is why Diamond let Serena go and gave her back the Silver Crystal," concluded Sailor Venus. "He didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands. Serena is its rightful owner, and only she can save the Black Moon family from Wiseman."

Tuxedo Mask looked at the girls with a dumbfounded look on his face. "He let her go? You mean you didn't attack him?"

The girls shook their heads, and Sailor Moon replied, "Darien, will you help us fight with Diamond and his family against the Doom Phantom?"

The Earth Prince sighed for a moment. He was so confused from what he had heard. Diamond, the bad guy, kidnapped his beloved Serena and the Silver Crystal, and now he returned them and wanted to fight against Wiseman. This makes no sense, he thought, but since our trip to the future, nothing does. He shifted his gaze toward Sailor Moon, whose eyes were pleading him to say yes, and nodded his head in response. "I'll work with him," he replied.

Not a moment too soon, the Sailor Scouts heard a screeching cry above them. They looked up and saw a black dragon coming toward them. She shot green fire from her mouth, and the girls jumped out of the way. "A dragon? On Nemesis?" asked Sailor Mars. "If she wants to play fire with fire, she's got it! Mars Fireball Charge!"

The dragon shot another fireball and swallowed up Sailor Mars' attack, striking the girl hard. Sailor Mars lost her footing and fell onto her knees burnt and sore.

"Sailor Mars!" cried the four Sailor Scouts.

"I'll be fine," groaned Sailor Mars. "This dragon is a tough one. Careful, you guys."

Sailor Venus nodded her head and then cried, "Venus Love Chain Encircle!" Her chain of hearts wrapped around the neck of the dragon, and with all of her strength, the blonde Sailor Scout pulled the monster down to the ground.

The dragon cried and shot more fire from her mouth, but Sailor Mercury saw it as an opportunity for her next attack. "Mercury Shine Aqua Illusion!" She sent her water attack into the dragon's mouth, extinguishing the fire from within. The dragon howled in pain as the water ran down her fiery throat.

"Now let's see if you can fight without your fire, dragon!" hissed Sailor Jupiter. "Taste your own medicine with a jolt or two! Jupiter Thunder Dragon Crash!"

As Sailor Jupiter's electric dragon electrocuted the black dragon, Sailor Moon heard a familiar voice crying in pain inside her head. She looked at the dragon closely, deeply into her emerald green eyes. An image of the owner flashed in her mind.

"Emerald!" she cried.

The four Sailor Scouts looked at Sailor Moon in confusion. "What do you mean, Sailor Moon?" asked Sailor Jupiter.

"Guys, don't hurt the dragon! It's Emerald!"

The dragon groaned as if she was agreeing with the Moon Princess. Sailor Moon courageously walked toward the creature and placed a white-gloved hand on the snout. "Emerald, if it is really you, please say something."

Her only response was another groan.

"Don't worry. I'll save you." Sailor Moon took out the Silver Crystal and held it over her head. "Moon Crystal Healing Activation!"

The Silver Crystal shot a beam around the dragon and then exploded in a great pink ball of energy. But its power wasn't strong enough. Emerald was still a dragon, and to Sailor Moon's dismay, it was a sign of failure. The Silver Crystal alone could not defeat the power of the Dark Crystal.

"Emerald!" cried Sailor Moon. "This can't be! How can I save you?"

"Sailor Moon," said Tuxedo Mask, "I don't think you can save her."

"I was afraid this would happen." Behind her back, Sailor Moon heard the voice of Prince Diamond. With Sapphire at his side, the White Prince frowned at the dragon. "Emerald, I'm sorry I have to do this to you. I hope you can forgive my decision." He looked at Sailor Moon and said, "Use your scepter on her, Sailor Moon."

"But it will kill her!" said Sailor Moon. "I don't want to kill her!"

"It has to be done if you want to set Emerald free. Otherwise, she'll stay as a dragon forever."

Sailor Moon looked at the dragon for a moment and felt sorrow creeping into her heart. Since the first day living in Diamond's kingdom, she was able to set aside her differences with the green soldier and formed an unlikely friendship with the older woman. Even without the power of the Silver Crystal, she was healed by the purity and innocence of the Moon Princess' heart. How can I kill her, she thought. She's my friend.

The dragon, on the other hand, felt her mind being controlled by the tiara and with her newfound strength, she broke free from Sailor Venus' chain and used the tiara's emerald stone as a laser to shoot at the Sailor Scouts. The girls became exhausted, and the dragon had the chance to destroy Sailor Moon, but she felt the tiara's power slowly decrease as a red rose broke through the gemstone.

Sailor Moon turned to Tuxedo Mask and reluctantly listened to his command. "Now, Sailor Moon!"

She nodded her head and pulled out her Moon Scepter. She bowed her head and shed a tear for her friend. "I'm sorry, Emerald. I hope you will forgive me. I don't want to do this, but it's only the way." She sighed and pointed her weapon at the monster. "Moon Scepter Elimination!"

Beams of golden crescent moons hit the dragon as she vanished into nothing. Suddenly, the image of an exhausted Emerald appeared. Her head was bowed, but as she looked at the Sailor Scouts, tears were streaming down her delicate cheeks. "Thank you, Sailor Moon, for saving me. Now I am free from Wiseman."

She noticed Prince Diamond standing not too far away and said, "I know you can beat him, Diamond. I believe in you." She looked at Sailor Moon once more and bid the Moon Princess farewell. "Goodbye, Serenity. Take good care of my prince."

Her image faded away in the pink light, and the black tiara that was on her head shattered into a million pieces.

Sailor Moon dropped down onto her knees and began to cry. "No! Don't leave me, Emerald! Don't leave us!" She rested her head against the chest of her beloved who was also crying. Tuxedo Mask knew in his heart that Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts had been right all along. It was Emerald's honesty that gave him a change of heart toward the Negamoon.

He looked over his shoulder at Diamond and Sapphire and gave a weak smile. "Normally, I'm not the kind of person who likes to admit that he is sometimes wrong, but I have to say that Sailor Moon was right about you," he said.

Diamond nodded his head and replied, "Apology accepted. Now will you ever accept mine after all the damage that I have caused?"

"I don't know if my future self would, but I personally do accept yours," answered Tuxedo Mask. "I can only hope he will understand. Now where is Wiseman?"

"He must be back at the Dark Crystal Palace," said Sapphire. "We need to stop him right away, but first, we need to get you back to your normal condition, Prince Endymion, before you can fight. In the meantime, the Sailor Scouts can think of a plan to get rid of Wiseman before he becomes the Doom Phantom. If he is in his ultimate form, I'm afraid Sailor Moon's Silver Crystal might now be powerful enough to destroy him. We must put an end to him before he harms someone else!"

The Sailor Scouts nodded their heads in agreement and ran toward the doors of the Dark Crystal Palace. As they were in their rush against time, Sailor Moon noticed Tuxedo Mask and Prince Diamond side by side. She was very glad they put away their quarrels and decided to work together for once. But maybe this will be the only time too, she thought bitterly.

Somehow she knew in her heart she would lose one of them before the night was over.

Okay, that's a wrap! Please read & review this chapter!

TheGoodWitchoftheNorth