Sailor Moon Future
           Episode 7: The Final Battle?  End of the Sailor Senshi?

Pink Lady: Things just haven't turned out as they're supposed to be!  We, the
Sailor Senshi of the future, came back to the past for training only to be
chased by a villain *picture of Ruby Starr* out to replace our future with her
own!  We've found all the Sailor Senshi and are hurrying our way towards a
conclusion....

    In Rei's temple, one of the traditional gathering spots for the Senshi
(if this weren't the first time they'd all gathered there), all five civilian
form Senshi, the generals, Mamoru, and the future Senshi are crowded around a
fire.  Rei stares into it.
    Rei: She's going to attack us soon...  very soon...  another two hours....
    Luna: We have to attack her first!  
    Kameko: Aren't you forgetting something?  What do we do about Metallia?
    Everyone except Pink Lady: Who?
    Pink Lady and Kameko explain as much of the Metallia story as they can
remember to everyone.  She's an evil force released by Beryl, and it would be a
disaster were she ever to be released.  The Senshi died the first time fighting
her, and the second time almost all died, and only with the help of the Silver
Crystal did they return to life.
    Kameko: We're not as powerful Senshi as you a thousand years in the
future, but that's still a lot more than you right now.  If it took five
Senshi to get rid of Metallia, with our help you can do it without anyone
dying!
    Usagi (from the kitchen): They can all come back to life anyway!  I'll
bring everyone back to life!
    Luna (thought): She's getting into the spirit of things, but her reasoning
leaves much to be desired.  "Usagi, there's no guarantee _anyone_ will survive.
And if nobody survives, there's nobody to bring anyone else back."
    Pink Lady: Kameko-chan, you said we're forgetting something before?  I
think you forgot something too.  Let's get all the Senshi.  Every single one,
even the ones who didn't do this the first time!  Metallia will never know
what hit her.
    Kameko: We only have two hours!  And what if Ruby Starr gets to Metallia
before we do?

    Usagi brings in a tray of fresh-baked cookies.  "Ta-da!  Let's get well-
nourished before our trip!"  Luna objects on the grounds that cookies are
empty calories, and Usagi can't bake cookies anyway.  Usagi cries "At least I
did something useful while you were all in there arguing!"  Pink Lady winks.
"Me and Kameko showed her what she was doing wrong.  Don't worry, Luna."
All the humans have some; Mamoru compliments Usagi on how well she baked the
cookies.  Usagi gets hearts in her eyes.  "Really?  You liked it?"  She gives
Mamoru a big hug and kiss, and he blushes, and then she hugs Kameko and Pink
Lady, and _they_ blush.

    After everyone has had their snack, the girls transform and gather in a
circle.  Tuxedo Mask and the four generals stand inside.  Usagi looks in Tux-
edo Mask's eyes for a long moment, until Rei shouts "Usagi, let's go!"  With a
cry of "Sailor Teleport" and a burst of special effects, they are all tran-
sported to the Arctic in front of a palace of ice.  Kameko is glad that they
don't have to hike for miles through ice or face any of the minions that
killed the Senshi in the original history; they knew where to teleport to, and
as for the minions, it was just too early for them to be around.

    As they approach the palace, a huge explosion blows a large gap in the
side, sending stone and ice flying all over the place.  The group approaches
the palace a bit more cautiously after that, most going to the door, but Sailor
Moon and Sailor V sneaking a peek in the gap.  Before Rei can drag them back,
they shout "Hey guys, you have to see this!"  The future Senshi run over,
and Rei tries to drag them back while they try to drag everyone else over.
The outcome of the scuffle has everyone at the gap.
    An undirected blast from the gap sends most of the group sprawling; they
then get up and all look directly in.  We see what's inside, too.  A black-
haired woman is attacking three Senshi, sprawled on the ground; three Senshi
very familiar to Kameko and Pink Lady.
    Mistress 9: It's all over now.  Die, Senshi.  The presence of Ruby Starr
has awakened me early, and now with the help of Metallia's power I will ensure
that neither Ruby Starr nor you humans rule the world....
    Sailor Moon: Uh, future people, she doesn't sound like a youma or
Chronicle...  do you know her?
    Sailor V (pointing at the unconscious Senshi): Uh, do you know _them_?
    Pink Lady thinks.  "Looks like Saturn...  oh, I know.  She's Mistress 9."
The future Senshi attack.  "Pink Moon Heart Arrest!"  "Bio-Sphere!"  Mistress
9 is rapidly taken down, being much weaker than in the regular series, and
attacked by much stronger people.
    Sailor Moon future (Pink Lady): Moon...
    Sailor Earth: Healing...
    Sailor Moon: Wait, can't we let her get Ruby Starr first?
    Sailor Moon future: No, we can't because we don't want Saturn to destroy
the world.  Or to die if she loses!  And stop that.  Now we have to start over!
    Sailor Moon future (Pink Lady): Moon...
    Sailor Earth: Healing...
    Sailor Moon: Stop doing this!  I want to know what's going on!
    Sailor Moon future: Save that for later!  Moon...
    Sailor Earth: Healing...
    Sailor Moon: all right ... Escalation!
    As Mistress 9 glows, Kunzite explains.  "Long, long, ago in the final
battle for the moon, you and the other four Senshi held off Queen Beryl's
forces of evil for some time.  But there are other Senshi, and they were not
at the battle.  We never knew what had happened to them then, whether they
had fled or ignored the Moon, or if they did fight, but some other connected
battle that wasn't the final one.  If so, then history is repeating itself.
It may be your fate to be the final defenders of this planet forever, no
matter how much others help.  And ours, then, to die somehow."
    Sailor Earth disagrees.  "You can't say that!  We saved you!  And we can
save them!  Fate can be changed, things can be changed...  the future can be
changed.  We're doing it!"
    Mistress 9 flickers, and turns into Sailor Saturn.  The glow shatters.
Saturn stares at Sailor Moon, and Saturn doesn't look happy.
    Sailor Moon: If I did anything to you, it happened a thousand years ago
and I'm really sorry, whatever.  So let's let bygones be bygones, okay?

    The Outer Senshi start to groan and wake up.  Uranus and Neptune are
still dazed.  Pluto regains her senses fast and shouts at Saturn not to do
anything.  Saturn turns and disappears.
    Pluto speaks as though she is having great difficulty admitting to what
she is about to say.  "Pink Lady, Kameko...  I'm glad you're here."
    A wing of the palace explodes, and Saturn reappears.  "It's done.  Metallia
is dead."  She still doesn't look happy.  She motions to the surroundings.
"And next..."
    Sailor Moon future: Wait, I was your friend!  Don't you remember?  You
can't destroy the planet.
    Pluto: She can't remember.  That hasn't happened.
    Sailor Moon future: Oh.
    Saturn: I am...  the Senshi of destruction....

                               COMMERCIAL BREAK

    Sailor Saturn is confronting the Senshi.
    Sailor Earth steps away from the group.  "Listen to me.  I know about you.
Invited by a new age", she says, as an aside pointing to the Outers and adding
"a lot newer than those guys over there".  She continues "I'm the Senshi of 
the one planet that has kept life in the Solar System...  a custodian of the
Earth who has nothing to do with the politics of the Silver Millennium.
Whatever happened to you then, I had no part in!"
    Sailor Moon (future): You don't have to feel unloved and unwanted!  You
used to be my friend, when I was a lot younger and you were a bit older....
I know there's no need for you to be like this!
    Saturn stands there, thinking.  Then she nods.  "Goodbye, Senshi." and
disappears.
    Kameko: So why doesn't she help us against Ruby Starr?
    Sailor Pluto: Don't press your luck.

    Against a blank sky-blue background, there is a shimmer.  Ruby Starr
appears, along with her seat, a cylindrical object which, as the camera pans
out, proves to be a nuclear missile, directly aimed at the gathered Senshi.
The missile falls, and she disappears again.

    Sailor Mercury's computer beeps.  She takes one glance at it and her eyes
widen (more than usual). "Everyone!  Look up in the sky!  That's a nuclear
missile!"
    Sailor V: Boy, Ruby Starr must be _serious_.

    The entire group's amassed attacks make short work of the missile, which
explodes chemically when hit.  Meanwhile, Ruby Starr has appeared on the
ground with a machine gun and is aiming at the Senshi's backs.  Tuxedo Mask
throws a rose at the gun, which flies out of Ruby Starr's hands.

    Ruby Starr: You're pretty good.
    Sailor Moon: What ever happened to fighting honorably?
    Ruby Starr: I fight because I have to.  Your existence will cause my
future to disappear.
    Sailor Uranus: You're fighting to save your world.  And we for ours.  And
we will not let you get in _our_ way, no matter _what_ we have to sacrifice
to get rid of you.
    Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus look at each other, and then charge
Ruby Starr, not giving her a chance to teleport. They are stopped by an
invisible shield.  Ruby Starr picks up the gun and shoots them with a few
dozen bullets at point-blank range, the recoil hardly affecting her.  They
fall to the ground, dead.

    Tuxedo Mask throws a rose.  This one embeds in the gun, which shatters
into metal shards.  Next to charge Ruby Starr is Sailor Moon of the future
and Sailor Earth, after their respective attacks just bounce off of Ruby
Starr's shield.  Ruby Starr knocks them down with an energy blast, not
having any bullets.  Tuxedo Mask orders the generals to stay back, and then
he and the others charge.  As they pound on the shield, it begins to weaken
and crack, and Ruby Starr's blasts, weakening and spread among 7 people and
two cats, don't have enough power to knock them out instantly.

    Finally the shield cracks.  "Moon Healing Escalation!  Shabon Spray!
Fire Soul!  Supreme Thunder!  Crescent Shower!  Dead Scream!"  The cats
scratch, and Tuxedo Mask punch Ruby Starr hard.  Ruby Starr is hit by all
attacks at once, another coming whenever she tries to move.  With each
successful attack, she fades a bit.  Then she whispers "If I can't share in my
own future, Senshi, I still must preserve it...."  Sailor Pluto screams
"Run!  She's about to release all her temporal energy potential...."

    Before they can even turn, let alone run, Ruby Starr glows red and
sparkly.  The sparkles engulf the Senshi, cats, and Tuxedo Mask, who begin
to age, and immediately collapse.  Ruby Starr disappears into nothingness.

    Sailor Moon future and Sailor Earth awaken.  They run over to the Senshi,
but Kunzite stops them.  "It's too late...  they started to age, and they
died of starvation after aging just a month...."
    Sailor Earth: It's never too late!  What about the Ginzuishou?
    Sailor Moon future: We can change things as if they never died, right?
As if all of this never happened, but without Ruby Starr here.  They won't
remember any of this, but they'll be alive!
    Sailor Earth points to the generals.  "What about them?  In that history,
they're going to stay brainwashed, and die."
    Kunzite: Go do it.  Save the Earth.
    Sailor Earth: But....
    Kunzite: Do it!  Without the Senshi, the world will face threats that will
go unopposed.  It'll be destroyed anyway!  We can't avoid our fate, but we
can do some good by dying....
    (Flashbacks to the Senshi meeting as in the original series, having fun
together, even Rei and Usagi fighting....  Then to the final battles against
Wiseman, and against Nephrenia.)

    After a long pause, Sailor Moon future holds the Ginzuishou.  Sailor
Earth lays her hands on it.  sphere of pure whiteness expands and passes
over them, and over the generals, and the dead Senshi, and continues past
them.  The theme song plays.

    Sailor Moon future and Sailor Earth: Take us to the future!  To the
31st century!  Take us home!

    They reappear in a heap of rubble, surrounded by hundreds of yards of
barbed-wire fence.  A guard, wearing a jacket with a red symbol with a star
in the center, tells them to avoid the restricted zone.  They hurry out, onto
a city street.  Nothing made of crystal is around, and the buildings are all
blackened and burned.  No people are in the streets.  Mount Fuji is visible in
the background, but it has lost its top....

    Sailor Earth: I feel it.  The Earth is in pain.  This is wrong...  horribly
wrong.
    
    The guard asks them how they got there and what they were doing there,
as there aren't any people around for miles.  "If you stay there too long",
he explains, "the taint will get you.  Worse even than radiation...  it never
decays."  The Senshi look at the guard in bemusement, and spot the headline
on his newspaper.  "Coronation of Ruby Starr July 14, 3004 AD".

Coming attractions:

Kameko: Can this really be our world, now?  Is there some way to alter it
again?

Tune in again next time for: "The Sailor Senshi!  Living in the Future."