Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Sol Empire ❯ Shadows Arise, Heros Fall ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Title: The Sol Empire
Rating: R
Category: Alternate Universe/Romance/Drama
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all its characters are the property of someone else, I'm simply going to borrow them for awhile. I do this for entertainment purposes only, and I don't make a dime. Any similarities between this piece and others are entirely coincidental.
Legend:
Words surrounded by ** indicate telepathic communication and thought.


The Sol Empire continued…

Raindrops slipped down the cold window pain at a snails pace.
It had been raining for 7 days straight, and the sun didn't seem ready to make an appearance any time soon. The young woman watched as the streets filled with water once more that day, and sighed. It just wasn't going to let up. As much as she loved the rain, this was a little ridiculous.
"Solace, honey! Hurry up, we're going to be late!" came a voice from behind.
*Damn. *
She sighed again. *Why? *
"Coming De!" She hollered.
She slowly made her way down the stairs, not looking forward to what the day was bound to bring.
Deanna looked up at the girl, and smiled.
"Cheer up honey. This one will be different, you'll see."
Solace looked at the woman through narrowed eyes. It wasn't going to be any different. One more interview, one more rejection. Such was the cycle of her life.
First it was with adoption. Though they didn't call that an interview, in those days, it was "a meeting."
Then there was the endless stream of job interviews.
Now it was for the "Education."
She already knew she wouldn't get in. This was the school of her dreams. She'd applied once before, and after that rejection had settled with trying elsewhere. The only problem was, nobody wanted her, and she didn't know why.
Honestly, she wasn't the least bit surprised.
She only wished it would stop raining.
*****************

Serena woke up with a lazy stretch and a yawn. Luna breathing and purring softly in her sleep beside her. Life was good.
She rolled over and saw the digits displayed on her alarm clock and screamed.
"WHY DIDN"T SOMEONE WAKE ME!!!! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" She rolled out of bed and threw on her uniform. Luna stretched out on the bed, but before she could even get a word out, Serena had vanished.
*What's gotten into her? I've never seen her move that fast. * The cat thought.

Serena bolted out the door and was down the street without a second thought.
*If I don't hurry, I'll miss Darien, and I just CAN'T let that happen! *
She rounded the usual corner and prepared herself for the crash, and consequential fall.
She felt the crash alright, but before she could fall, a pair of arms grabbed her and held her close.
*Oh, Darien! You've finally recognised your true feelings! *
She looked up into the midnight blue eyes of her love, but was startled when a forest green greeted her, rather than the usual. She quickly pulled away, and got a better look at the stranger in front of her. Bleach blonde hair, green eyes, freckles, a body hugging white T-shirt, fleece jacket and jeans. All stretched over one of the finest male bodies she had ever seen.
*Wow*
"Hey sweetheart, isn't it supposed to be Sunday? I mean, unless you go to an all week school type thing." He said.
She looked at him in confusion. *Sunday? No way. That means I just blew sleeping in.*
"It's Sunday?" She asked.
"Last time I checked." He replied with the sexiest grin.
"Damn! That's just great." She sighed. What a crappy day, and it hadn't even started yet.
"Cheer up sweetheart. I mean, if you hadn't have woken up in a rush this morning, we'd have never met!" He said. "I'm Steve."
"Hi. I'm Serena."
"Nice to meet you Serena. You'd' better be a little more careful in the future though. I'd hate to see you hurt that pretty face."
She blushed crimson. "Tthank-you." She stammered.
"I'd better get going now, wouldn't want to be late for work. I'll see you around Serena" He said, walking away.
Serena sighed. *Wow*

She made her way on a cloud to the Crown Arcade, where Andrew was waiting with a smile and a shake.
"What brings you here so early Serena? And on a Sunday, in a rainstorm to boot?" Andy asked.
*Wha?! It was raining?* She looked outside and noticed the showers for the first time. That certainly explained why she was soaked.
"I thought it was Friday...." She murmured.
*****************

The clouds swirled angrily high above the Earth's surface. A fierce battle being waged between darkness and light.
An evil presence dwelt there, hiding his rage from the rays of the sun. He had waited his whole life for this moment, hiding in the shadows…
Now it was time to make his presence known. He would destroy the Senshi and their Princess, just as his ancestors had done before him. The Shadow King smiled.
*This would be fun. * He started his descent towards Earth
Thousand of miles beneath him, the rain poured on.
*****************

"Was he even cuter than Darien?!" Mina shrieked, making yet another attempt to get the truth out of her best friend. After meeting the mysterious, sexy stranger she'd encountered in the street that morning, Serena had called an emergency meeting with the other Senshi. As usual, they'd decided to mete at the temple, just for convince sake.
She'd just finished telling them about her encounter, and was now being bombarded with questions.
"WELL!!" Come on Rena, spill it! Mina whined, impatient as usual.
Serena choked. She had been uncharacteristically attracted to the stranger. It was that knowledge alone that made her keep her tongue. Sure, she was well known for her infamous crushes, but this was different. What scared her most was the almost magnetic attraction she'd experienced. It had been even stronger than the one she felt with Darien. How was that possible? They were destined to be together, to rule the universe together! They were soul mates…
Or were they? She looked back on the last couple of weeks, and for the first time noticed the changes in her "beloved." He seemed awfully distant of late. Granted, he was a busy man, trying to balance school and his internship, battling evil forces. He didn't have much time for her it seemed. But, perhaps it was something else?
Serena decided then and there that it was time for her to have a chat with her boyfriend, find out exactly where he stood on the subject of their relationship. So what if they were *gulp* "destined" to be together? Nothing was written in stone, right?
She looked up and realised that she had once again spaced out, and she had four very anxious friends staring at her, waiting for an answer.
She sighed.
"Yeah, he kinda is. He kept called me sweetheart," she giggled softly.
All her friends stared at her in shock.
"Wow, Rena. That's really something." Lita whispered.
All of her friends began asking more questions.
"What does this mean Serena? What about you and Darien?"
"Are you and Darien breaking up?"
"Does that mean Darien's available?"

"Anyone want more cookies?"
They all stared at Rei, who had been silent up until that moment.
"Rei! This is important stuff here, it's not the time for cookies!" Mina cried. "Can't you see Serena is in a severe love crisis?!"
Rei said not a word, but stood slowly and left the room.

"What's up with her?" Mina huffed.
The room was suddenly filled with the incessant beeping of communicators, halting the conversation.

*figures* everyone groaned.
Ami switched hers on first. "What's up?" she asked the device. Luna's panicked voice could be heard form the other side.
"You girls must hurry! We've detected dark energy somewhere near the docks, but we can't identify what the source is. It's the strongest reading we've ever seen! Hurry! And be careful! Luna's voice faded out.
Ami called out into the hall, "Rei, we have an emergency here, come help!"
Rei emerged from wherever it was she'd disappeared to, looking slightly annoyed.
"What is it?" she sighed.
"We have Senshi business to attend to." Ami answered, removing her transformation wand from her pocket. The other's all followed suite.
The small room was suddenly filled with an elaborate display of light as each of the Senshi transformed.
"Mercury Star Power!!!"
"Mars Star Power!!!"
"Jupiter Star Power!!!"
"Venus Star Power!!!"

"Moon Prism Power!!!"

"We have to hurry!" Ami shouted.
"RIGHT!" said the rest in unison.
*****************
The sight that greeted the Senshi when they reached the docks filed each of them with a sense of impending doom. The sky had darkened to and eerie, ghostly black. Shadows loomed all around them, cast by invisible beings of matter. The evil hung thickly in the air, to a degree almost suffocating. Still, the rain poured on.
Sailor moon shivered. This wasn't natural.
A figure appeared high above them, smothered in a black fog. It appeared to be vaguely humanoid, but the Senshi couldn't be sure.
"Ami, can you tell us what it is?" Jupiter whispered.
Mercury shook her head as she tapped away on her computer. "I can't be sure exactly, I'm only detecting energy, no solid shapes." She looked up at her friends and shrugged. "I'm sorry."
Well, whatever it is, it doesn't belong here!" Jupiter cried. "Why don't you come down here! Or are you afraid!"

A cold laughter sent chills up the Senshi's spines. It seemed to come from all around them, yet form no where at the same time.

"Afraid? You think that I fear you brats?" The man cackled. "You can't be serious!"
The Shadow King slowly lowered himself to a position where he could be seen by his enemies. "I am the essence of darkness! The master of fear! I am The Shadow King!"

"Oh please!" Rei moaned. "Not another corny speech! We get enough of those from Tux Boy!" With that thought in mind, she began her attack.
"I'm going to show you what fear really is!" She cried. "MARS FIRE……
SURROUND!!!!"
A blazing mass of energy was sent towards the nemesis cloud; a shocking display of colour igniting the sky.
To the horror of the Warriors below, the cloud simply absorbed all of that energy.
The insane laughter filled the air once again.
"Oh my, is that the best you can throw at me?" he mocked. "You Senshi are so pathetic, you always were! It's a shame you had to become allies with my sworn nemesis, you seem like you'd be fun to have around for a awhile!"
"Please ladies, surrender now, or prepare for a most gruesome death."
"We'll never surrender!!" exclaimed Sailor Moon. "How dare you threaten Earth! To take away Light! I am Sailor moon! I stand for Love and justice! And in the Name of the Moon…
"Save it brat!"
The looming shadow beside the Senshi of the Moon suddenly came to life, moving toward her at an alarming rate.
"Watch out Sailor Moon!" Jupiter cried. "JUPITER THUNDER…
Her battle cry was cut off when she found herself thrown to the ground by a powerful force.
She choked on her words, and winced in pain.
"Sailor Moon!"
The other Senshi were in very similar situations, each being attacked by misty black clouds.
"It's no use!" Mina cried. "They just keep absorbing our energy!"
"What are we going to do?!" Ami asked.
"Sailor Moon, watch out!!" All three warriors cried to their leader.

Serena was frozen, watching the black mist as is came ever closer to her. She knew it would swallow her whole if she didn't do something. But, she couldn't move. She was afraid. All the little insecurities in her life came to invade her mind at that one moment.
Darien? Did she really love him? She couldn't be sure. She was fairly certain that he didn't love her. After all, he wasn't here was he? He always came to her rescue, her prince, her knight in shining armour. Where was he now? When she needed him?
She whimpered as the blackness moved even closer, it was almost surrounding her…
"Sailor Moon!" her friends called.
"Someone help me!" She cried, tears running down her face.
A white light came out of nowhere then, striking at the shadows around her. Strangely enough, they seemed to part, and before her stood a strange man in white robes, who seemed very familiar…
"Are you alright milady?" he asked.
"mmm.."
She couldn't speak. He didn't wait for an answer luckily. Instead, he swept her up into his arms and hightailed it out of there.
Her Prince had rescued her. Unfortunately, this wasn't the Prince she'd had in mind.

"WHAT!" The Shadow King bellowed. "Who the hell are you!!!"

"Your worst fucking nightmare I'm afraid." The strange man smirked. He drew his shining blade up and struck a pose.

"Humph, we'll see about that!" The King threw a new attack then, but the man easily deflected it with his blade. This angered The King, who had assumed that the battle would be over by now. He continued to throw bolts of darkness at hi new enemy in rapid succession. He was pleased when he saw his opponent begin to weaken.
A sheen of sweat had formed upon the strangers' brow.
"Milady, I don't know how much longer I can hold this!" he choked, his concentration faltering and some of the dark energy soaring past. It headed straight for Sailor Moon, but before it could hit her, a shield tossed her out of the way taking the blow for her. It wasn't just any shield however, but Tuxedo Mask. (aka Darien Shields.)
Her beloved slumped to the ground as the darkness overtook him.
"DARIEN!!" Serena cried, as she ran to her soul mate.
"Don't touch him!" the Stranger in White called out. "He's been tainted, if you touch him you'll kill yourself as well."
Serena fell to her knees as a wave of nausea overtook her being. This can't be happening…
She reached out with mental fingers to touch Darien's mind, only to find that the link they shared, a link that had once shone of purest gold, was dissolving, disappearing completely.
*No Endy, please don't do this… *
* I must, now leave me.*
*But, I need you! *
*Goodbye Serenity *
With that, her link with him collapsed. It left her with a hollow feeling inside, a though half her soul had suddenly been ripped away, leaving her bleeding and torn…
"Endy?" she whispered before she gave into her tears.
There was nothing left to fight for anymore…

*That's NOT true! *
A strange voice entered her thoughts.
*Now get up! Help me! *
She turned in pure awe to the stranger in the white. He had forced himself upon her mind, picking up what pieces her could find to anchor her back to reality. She stood with new determination, ready to destroy that ark being which had stolen something most precious to her.

The Shadow King had paid close attention to the goings on below, and chose that moment to strike. With that, he unleashed hell upon the Terran world, using powers that had lain dormant for millennia. Chaos rained over them in a shower of destruction, as the shadows pushed the light back into the recesses of time.
He'd won this battle once; he was damn well going to do it again. It was all too easy…

From somewhere inside that prison of darkness, a spectre of light appeared. As the seconds ticked by, it only became stronger.
All the light that had been pushed away surged forth and manifested itself into that small spectre.
The Shadow King gasped. It was impossible, she had been destroyed!
"NO! IT CAN'T BE!" he choked.

"But I'm afraid it is luv." She said softly.

The Senshi stared in surprise at the new arrival. A woman this time, who glowed, like the sun itself.

"Sol." Whispered the man in white.

The Shadow King twitched in anger at the sight of his arch nemesis, the one whom his ancestors had supposedly done away with over millennia ago.
He was starting to reconsider what kind of power he held here. There was no chance he could win against her while he doubted his strength, so with that thought in mind, he vanished into thin air…

"That was quick" Lita commented. She looked at the woman curiously. *She must have a lot of power *

All attention was then focused on the Terran Prince.
"Endymion, please." Serena begged. "Come back to me."
The life had been drained from the would-be-soldier.
"He's gone Ser." Rei whispered, the ache filling her heart. It was bad enough that she had to watch her best friend suffer, but she had once loved him too…
"Derian," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Serena buried her face into the robes of her saviour, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. The man simply held her, patting her back comfortingly.
The Lady of Light stepped forth then, and everyone parted to let her through. She knelt down beside the lifeless body of the Terran Prince, and touched the tips of her fingers to his brow.
She looked up at the Senshi of the Moon, who had been watching her every move.
"I can restore his life highness," she said. "But, there are consequences to my doing so."
"Consequences?" Serena asked. "What kind of consequences?"
" I can remove the darkness and replace the light, but by doing so he will forever be linked to me. The simplest way that I can explain is that he will forever be my servant." The Lady said softly.
"Servant?!" She snapped. "Darien is a Prince! Not a servant!"
"Yes, and he will forever be a Prince, just not the way he used to be. He will be a Prince of light, serving my purposes. He will no longer be able to fulfil his destiny."
Serena pondered those words for a moment, as the implications of what this woman was saying came to light.
"You mean….?"
"He will no longer have any ties to you highness. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I can't lie to you." She said sadly.
"Then I've lost him?" she whispered.
"Not completely Ser!" Rei interjected. "He could still live! He may not be tied to you anymore, but he'll still be alive!" The look on Rei's face said it all: she didn't want to say goodbye either. It was a horrible price to pay, but they had the chance to give Darien back his life. Not doing so would be selfish.
Still, Serena's heart ached at the thought of her Endymion with someone else…


*Let it be done then. *
*As you wish, Highness. *

There were no flashy light shows this time, just a simple rebirth. Darien's heart began to beat again, slowly at first, but more quickly as the seconds ticked by. The coverlet of darkness that had consumed his soul was washed away by the purest light. The tattered remains of his mind were mended together with delicate threads. His lifeblood began to flow….
A small breath escaped the lips of the Terran Prince, renewed life in his veins. He opened his eyes and stared up into windows of amber.
"Milady Sol…" he croaked.

"Hush, you must rest." She replied.

Serena watched the exchange in silence. What had happened here tonight? So much has changed in the course of a few hours: the appearance of new enemies that even she couldn't defeat. The arrival of a white robed stranger wielding a blade of light, the loss of her soul mate: first to a gruesome death, then the arms of another woman. A woman who wielded the power of light and was called Sol…
Suddenly Serena felt very afraid, and very alone. For the first time, the future was shady an unknown…
She knew her fellow Senshi felt the same way.

The sun began to come up over the horizon. Everyone gathered in the small group by the sea wondered exactly what it would bring with it….

And still, the rain drizzled on…

To be continued
*****************
Nimuea
Well? Did you hate it? Love it? Please let me know. This is my first SM fic and I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong/ right:)