THE FINAL CHAPTER

Disclaimer:

I feel sad about many things. What happens in this chapter is one of them. The fact that I don't own Sailor Moon is another. *sniff* Take out your tissues, everyone... here it comes!

Melina and Usagi tramped slowly through the snow, hugging each other sadly. Their silent tears lay frozen on their cheeks, and the other five Senshi stood frozen in blocks of ice behind them.

"Usagi-chan... Do... Do you think we'll make it?" Melina asked, rubbing futilely at her tears. Usagi sniffed, a determined, angry look blossoming on her cheeks.

"We have to, Mel-chan. The others believed we could, so we have to believe in ourselves too," Usagi said, glancing over her shoulder at their friends. Melina glanced back too, and felt more tears burning her eyes. Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the area, and Usagi and Melina found themselves in a black sphere, which flew down through the earth until it reached an underground cavern. The sphere faded, and the two girls tumbled onto the floor of the cavern.

"Welcome, little princesses, to my kingdom," a voice snickered. The two girls whirled around to find Queen Beryl leering at them.

"Beryl. What do you want this time?" Usagi said coldly, glaring at the woman. Beryl grinned.

"Well, firstly, I have a little surprise for you, Amaterasu," Beryl cackled, snapping her fingers. A nearby stalactite split in two, revealing a cage of dark energy with a crumpled figure trapped inside. Beryl clicked her fingers, and the cage vanished, depositing its prisoner onto the floor of the cavern. Melina gasped as she recognised the figure.

"D-David! Oh, no, David, wake up, please!" Melina wailed, rushing over to him and gently brushing his blood-stained blonde hair from his eyes. She gently tucked his fringe behind his ear and turned to Beryl, her eyes blazing.

"So sorry, Amaterasu, but I would like a private audience with Princess Serenity, so you'll have to go for now," said Beryl, before flicking her hand. Another black sphere surrounded Melina and flew her up into the vaulting, quiet ceiling of the cavern, where crackling black energy secured the sphere to the rock. Melina yelled and threw herself against her cage, but quickly realised that Beryl and Usagi were not the only ones down in the cavern.

***

"I know you've probably been missing someone, Serenity," said Beryl, nodding to someone behind Usagi. Usagi whirled around and saw a figure half hidden in shadow, his blank, midnight-blue eyes glaring coldly at her.

"M-Mamoru!" Usagi gasped, recognising the caped figure. She stepped towards him, but he simply walked past her, knelt before Beryl and kissed her hand. Usagi stared in horror and sadness at him.

"See Princess? Your Prince – Mamoru, Tuxedo Mask, Endymion, whatever you wish to call him - doesn't love you anymore. He loves me now, and there's nothing you can do to change that," Beryl said, smirking. Usagi took a deep breath and glared at Beryl.

"He doesn't love you, Beryl. You've hypnotised him into joining you. Somewhere underneath that cold person you've created is the real Mamoru, I know it! He's probably screaming his head off and trying to get out right now!" Usagi said defiantly. Beryl grinned.

"Silly girl. Don't you know that hypnotism only works if the person who is hypnotised actually wants to do what they are being hypnotised to do?" Beryl sneered.

"Well, then, you've brainwashed him, and you're going to pay!" Usagi shouted, reaching for her brooch. "Moon Prism Power!" The rock cavern turned pink and white momentarily, and then Sailor Moon stepped out of the pink sphere.

"Do you really think that you can defeat me, Serenity? Your mother couldn't, and neither can you. Shall I prove that to you?" Beryl asked quietly. She clicked her fingers, and Tuxedo Mask stepped towards Sailor Moon, pulling out a black rose. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stood staring at each other while Beryl watched them gleefully.

"Well, isn't this ironic. The Prince, who once gave his life to protect his princess, now about to take the life of his princess. Kill her slowly, Endymion. I want to see her suffer before she dies," Beryl said coldly, a small smirk flitting on her lips as she watched Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask threw the black rose at Sailor Moon, narrowly missing her throat and hitting a large boulder behind her. Sailor Moon shied away from the rose, noticing out of the corner of her eye that it had almost split the boulder in two. She quickly dodged out of the way of another rose, which took the end off of a stalactite.

***

Up in the ceiling, Melina watched the fight and wondered how to heal Mamoru. She thought about that day not long ago when Usagi had remembered her past life as the princess, and how Usagi had found the Star Locket that Serenity had given Endymion in the Silver Millenium. Melina gasped as Sunshine's words echoed through her mind. "The Star Locket was a symbol of Selene and Endymion's love for one another. It supposedly had strong powers due to their love." Melina looked at the sphere surrounding her, trying to find a way out, when her brooch began to glow with soft golden light. The sphere exaporated, and Melina floated down to the floor of the cavern.

"Sun Prism Power!" Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask and Queen Beryl all turned as the room was flooded in golden light, and then Sailor Sun stepped out of her gold sphere of light and glared at Beryl.

"Sailor Moon! Use the Star Locket!" Sailor Sun shouted, before raising her arms. "Sun Golden Stream!" Thousands of sun shapes flew out of the palm of her gloved hand and enveloped Beryl, distracting her. Sailor Moon turned from Sailor Sun to look into Tuxedo Mask's hypnotised eyes.

"Please, Endymion," she said, sinking to her knees, her fuku glowing and turning into her princess dress, the crescent moon glowing on her forehead and the Star Locket tinkling a lullaby in her hands. Tuxedo Mask's eyes narrowed, and another black rose materialised in his hand. "Please, Endymion, you have to fight Beryl's power. Come back to me, my love." Tuxedo Mask paused, a flicker of something like curiosity in his blank eyes. "Don't you remember, Endymion, my love? Don't you remember our locket, and all the wonderful times we had? Please, Endymion, you have to remember," Princess Serenity pleaded, holding the locket out towards him. Tuxedo Mask stared at the locket, before reaching out and touching it. Silver light flooded the cavern, and Tuxedo Mask suddenly transformed into Endymion. He staggered back, clutching his head as memories flooded into his mind. He blinked and shook his head, then a smiled formed on his face as he saw Serenity and helped her to her feet, before taking her into his arms and kissing her. The two heard a scream, and turned just in time to see Sailor Sun fly across the room and crash into a large rock. She screamed in pain as she collided with the rock, then sank to the floor of the cavern, groaning. Serenity turned to Beryl.

"That's it. I've had enough of you hurting my friends, Beryl. You're going to pay!" Serenity shouted. Beryl chuckled.

"Oh, really? You're sick of me hurting your friends? Well, how about I hurt you instead!" Beryl shouted, waving her hand. Endymion yelled and pushed Serenity aside. Serenity stared in horror as Endymion plummeted down a gaping chasm that had opened beneath their feet, and felt a sharp pain spread across her chest as it slammed shut again. The cavern became blurred behind Serenity's tears, and she sank to the ground, sobbing.

"And so ends Prince Endymion. Dying for his love once again. What a waste," Beryl sneered.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling reached their ears, and Beryl looked up to see a large chunk of rock crash heavily into the floor between her and Serenity. Beryl's eyes widened as she realised that her kingdom was collapsing, and fled through a fissure that was glowing with dark energy. Sailor Sun limped quickly to the sobbing Princess' side.

"Princess, we... we have to get out of here, this place is coming down!" Sailor Sun gasped, clutching her side. Serenity stared blankly up at Sailor Sun, before nodding slowly and pulling out her Crescent Moon Wand. The Silver Crystal glowed and created a glowing silver bubble around the two girls and David, the two princesses hugging one another as they were carried back up through the earth and away from that horrible scene.

"Beryl. You have failed me," the quiet voice said.

"It's those meddling children, Queen Metalia. I need more power to be able to defeat them," Beryl said. The dark form in front of her frowned.

"I shall give you the power that you need, Queen Beryl," the dark form of Queen Metalia said, moving towards Beryl. Metalia's form enveloped Beryl, and the Negaverse Queen screamed in agony as Metalia's power flowed into her.

The bubble burst through the snowy landscape and dissolved, and Serenity, Sailor Sun and David landed gently on the snow. Serenity looked around, and could just make out the ice towers with the other Senshi inside them. She burst into fresh tears and held on onto Sailor Sun tightly, as though she too would die if Serenity let go of her arm. Sailor Sun hugged the Moon Princess and wondered what to do next. Suddenly, the area shook violently as though an earthquake had hit, and the two girls looked up to see a cloud of purple smoke shoot out of a large hole in the ground. Next second, a huge purple-and-black, poisonous-looking flower rose out of the hole.

"What the heck is that?!?" Sailor Sun yelled, staring at the flower.

"Beryl," Serenity said coldly, clutching the Crescent Moon Wand with one hand and holding on tightly to Sailor Sun with the other. She stepped forward and the flower opened, revealing the evil Queen's altered form.

"OK, I've had just about enough of you, Beryl. I'm taking you down!" Serenity said, pointing the Crescent Moon Wand at Beryl. The ground shook, and a stone pillar rose under Serenity's feet, lifting her high into the sky. Sailor Sun stared up at Serenity as the Silver Crystal glowed, and the spirits of the other senshi appeared at her side. Sailor Sun's eyes widened as she realised that Princess Serenity was doing as Queen Serenity had, using the full power of the Silver Crystal.

"NO!! PRINCESS, DON'T DO IT!!! YOU'LL DIE!!! WE NEED YOU, PRINCESS!!!" Sailor Sun screamed, tears forming in her eyes. Suddenly, her brooch glowed and enveloped her in golden light, transforming her fuku into her white, gold-spattered princess dress. The glow grew brighter, and then her brooch turned into a copper-coloured gem, similar in shape to the Silver Crystal.

"It's the Bronze Crystal that Sunshine was telling me about!" Amaterasu gasped, gazing at it as it hovered in the air above her hands. The Bronze Crystal glowed gently, causing another pillar to rise under Princess Amaterasu's feet. She jumped from that pillar to Serenity's, and held the Bronze Crystal out next to the Crescent Moon Wand. The two Crystals began to glow very brightly, and the light washed over the five Senshi surrounding Serenity, making their ghostly forms solid. Then a river of energy burst out of the Bronze Crystal and flowed into the Silver Crystal, causing its glow to become extremely bright.

"What are you doing, Amaterasu?!?" Serenity screamed at the Sun Princess.

"We...We need you to protect this world, Princess Serenity. If you use the full power of the Silver Crystal, you'll die, and then who'll be able to protect everyone? But if I give you the power of the Bronze Crystal, you can save some of the energy of the Silver Crystal and still be able to defeat Beryl. I... I don't matter as much as you do, Princess..." Amaterasu gasped, concentrating on sending the flow of energy into the Silver Crystal.

"What are you saying?" Serenity asked, her eyes wide, concern written all over her face.

"I'm saying I don't matter as much as you do. You... You're the hope of the world, Princess. I'm... I'm just a Senshi," Amaterasu whispered, watching as the Bronze Crystal began to crack.

"Amaterasu..." Serenity whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"I... I can't hold on much longer, Princess. It's time to end this!" Amaterasu said, looking up angrily at Beryl. Serenity nodded sadly, then turned and directed the glow of the Silver Crystal at Beryl. The entire north pole was enveloped in pink and gold light, and Beryl screamed as the flower exploded beneath her feet. Beryl's screams were quickly replaced by those of Amaterasu, whose Heart Crystal exploded out of her chest, the black spirit evaporating with a shriek upon coming into contact with the combined power of both the Silver and Bronze Crystals. Amaterasu whimpered in pain and passed out, collapsing into Serenity's arms. Her Heart Crystal, now pure once again, drifted back into her chest. Amaterasu twitched and groaned as the Crystal re-entered her body.

"Is she-?"

"I hope not..."

"Melina, are you OK?"

"Come on Melina, hang in there..."

"Melina, please, wake up..."

"I... I don't think I can do anything..."

"What do you mean, Mercury? She's not..."

"Noooo!!! Melina, please, wake up, speak to me!!" Melina opened her eyes a little and saw Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako and Sora staring worriedly at her. Sora burst into joyful tears when she saw Melina open her eyes.

"Oh, Mel! I'm so glad you're alright! I was so worried about you!" Sora cried, hugging Melina fiercely.

"D-did we do it? D-did we get her?" Melina whispered, staring at Usagi. Usagi wiped away a tear and nodded.

"We got her, Mel-chan. Thanks to you," Usagi said, a weak smile forming on her lips. Melina let out a gasp as pain shot through her body, and then the Bronze Crystal in her hand began to glow blood red. Melina stared at it and knew what it meant.

"Sorry, guys, but it... it looks like my time is up," Melina whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. Sora sat up, her eyes clouded with worry.

"W-What do you mean?" Sora asked. Melina smiled gently at her.

"I mean that it's too late. I'm not going to be around much longer, Sora. My time has come," Melina said, gritting her teeth as another jolt of pain shot through her. Sora wailed and threw her arms around Melina.

"Don't go, Melina! You're my best friend, what am I going to do without you?!?" Sora sobbed into Melina's shoulder. Melina put her arm around Sora gently.

"Sora, listen to me. You need to get a hold of yourself. You'll be fine. You'll just do what you did before you came to Tokyo. And besides, you'll still have the others. Usagi, Rei, Ami, Minako and Makoto will all be there for you," Melina whispered sternly in Sora's ear. Sora wailed again and ran over to Usagi, clinging tightly to her skirt and sobbing fiercely. Melina smiled weakly at her friends.

"Well, I can't leave you guys without some parting gifts. Firstly, for Usagi..." Melina said, gripping the Bronze Crystal. A spot on the ground below the pillar began to glow with golden light, and then the body of Tuxedo Mask floated up onto the snow. A beam of golden light shot out of the Bronze Crystal, the crack in it growing slightly. The light flew over the girls' shoulders and into Tuxedo Mask, who opened his eyes dazedly. A second later, he and David were enveloped in golden bubbles of light, which drifted away beyond the horizon.

"Mamoru... Will he be alright, Melina?" Usagi asked, staring after her love.

"Yes, he'll be fine, but he won't remember being brainwashed by Beryl. I don't know how many other memories his time underground might have robbed him of, but you'll just have to see. David probably won't remember much either, after the trauma that he's been through. As for you guys," Melina said, smiling weakly at her friends, her eyes coming to rest on Sora. "I don't want you guys to be sad about me. I did what I had to do. So..." Melina whispered, lifting her free hand and gripping the Bronze Crystal. A tiny ball of golden light appeared on her fingertip, and she touched this light to each of the girls foreheads. "I'm sorry to have to do this, you guys. You're my best friends, I don't want you to be sad. Please, just forget about me," Melina whispered as she touched them. One by one, the girls' eyes went blank and they fell asleep. Melina held up the Bronze Crystal and it glowed very brightly, lighting up the entire North Pole.

"Sunshine..." Melina whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Sunshine gasped as a strong, sad feeling swept over her.

"What's wrong, Sunshine?" Luna asked.

"Melina..." Sunshine whispered, staring into space. Luna and Artemis exchanged glances, before turning back to Sunshine.

"What about her, Sunshine? What's happened?" Artemis asked.

"I... I have to go," Sunshine choked, before disappearing in a flash of golden light. Artemis looked at Luna.

"I wonder what that was all about," he said.

"I hope nothing's happened to the girls..." Luna said, frowning worriedly.

Melina gasped as pain shot through her body again. She clutched the Bronze Crystal to her chest, hoping that Sunshine had got her message. There was a flash of gold by her hand, and Sunshine appeared, tears flowing down her furry cheeks.

"Oh, Sunshine, you came," Melina gasped, reaching out to pat her friend. Sunshine gently touched her tear-stained cheek to Melina's.

"Why did you do it, Melina?" Sunshine pleaded, staring at her.

"I... I had to, Sunshine. Princess Serenity was going to sacrifice herself to defeat Beryl. She's the Moon Princess, the hope of the world, I had to protect her. I... I remembered you telling me that the Crystals were connected, and..." Melina grunted as more pain shot through her. She waited until the pain settled before continuing, "And so I decided to put the power of the Bronze Crystal into the Silver Crystal, so that Serenity didn't need to kill herself."

"Oh, Melina..." Sunshine whispered, her chest heaving and her eyes filled with tears.

"At least the combination of the two Crystals got that spirit out of my Heart Crystal," Melina whispered. Sunshine smiled weakly, before looking over at the other senshi.

"Are they-?"

"No, they're fine. I... I didn't want them to be sad about me, so I... I made them forget me." Sunshine nodded sadly and kissed Melina's cheek.

"Thank-you for everything, Sunshine," Melina whispered, her eyelids sinking.

"MELINA!!!!" Sunshine cried, cuddling up to Melina. Sunshine looked up and wailed, "Why, Eternity?!? Why did this have to happen?!?" After a while, Sunshine noticed the Bronze Crystal in Melina's limp hand. She gently took it and layed it on the rock beside Melina's body, before curling up around it and stroking it with her paw, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. As she stroked, she felt the jaggedness of the crack begin to shrink under her paw. She looked at it, and found the Crystal whole and perfect once again. As she stared at it, energy flowed out of it and into her, turning her body liquid gold. Sunshine gasped in surprise and pain as she felt herself growing larger, and then burst into fresh tears as she realised that she had turned back into Queen Solaris. Solaris looked out at the Senshi and knelt beside Melina's body, gripping the Bronze Crystal. Protective golden bubbles formed around the Senshi, and they drifted off over the horizon, heading back to Tokyo.

"Oh, Amaterasu, my dear, brave, precious girl. You did so well, my darling. I'm so very, very proud of you. Your friends may have forgotten you, but I know they will probably always feel that there is something missing. Let's go home, honey," Solaris whispered, grasping Melina's hand and the Bronze Crystal at the same time, causing Melina's body to glow with a bright golden light. Solaris gathered her daughter's body, still glowing, up into her arms. She gripped the Bronze Crystal and another protective bubble formed around them. Solaris kissed her daughter's cheek as they flew away towards the Sun, where King Alexander's ghost was waiting to welcome them.

THE END... OR IS IT?

Author's Notes: Stay Tuned... For Season 2!