She barely noticed the creatures of darkness crawling out of the walls. Urania's arrows took care of them quickly, and she couldn't help but smile. That's my girl.

She felt comforted when Asteria's hands found hers, and even chuckled at her words, even if every movement felt like it tore her body even further. She didn't know why but laughter in the face of pain had always been her thing. Whenever she got hurt really bad, she would just start laughing uncontrollably. It was like her mind attempted to trick itself to think that everything was fine, that everything was the exact opposite of the pain her body was feeling. Denial at its best.

Still the tears came, though from the pain or the laughter she didn't know.

"Well, then I'm worse, because I'm the hopeless idiot who loves you anyway..." she whispered, trying her best to look into Asteria's eyes, wanting to have those be the last thing she saw. "You did the right thing in the end. That's the most important thing. That's the woman I fell in love with. And I... forgive you."

She heaved a sigh, wincing as the sword dug deeper. With careless abandon she pulled it out of her shoulder and handed it to Urania. "Here. Go fight them. I'm just glad you came back to me. I love you. Thank you for giving me the happiness that we had. And may we meet again someday in the Cauldron..."

Her body began to dissolve into stars, just like the ones Asteria loved so much.

Cosmos, guide me with your light... she prayed as she waited for the end.

She could feel the tears forming in her eyes yet again as Thalia spoke. But she did her best to keep them aside. Instead, she just smiled at her. She would make sure that the last thing Delphine would see was a smile. Not tears.

"I love you too. Forever and always." Her voice broke a little, but she kept her smile from wavering.

Moments later, Thalia's form began to disappear in bright sparkles. Quite like the night sky that Urania always adored. Rather fitting and tragic at the same time.

How weird it was. In her mind, Urania had already mourned Thalia's loss. When she first realized that they could not win this war. That this outcome was inevitable. And even when she decided to work with the enemy as a last resort, knowing full well that the odds had not improved significantly, either then. In her mind, she knew this would happen, so she had prepared herself for it.

So why was it still no less difficult?

She remained on her knees, mindlessly holding onto the sword that Delphine handed to her. Her smile finally faded away as the woman she loved had almost completely disappeared. There was nothing but a blank expression in her eyes. No pain, no sorrow, no fury. Just emptiness.

"Is that it? Really?"  Incredulous, Sailor Chaos shook her head  but sent another blast to Cosmos.  Was it out of impatience or simply because she could, it didn't matter.  What was this? Stability? Without struggling against one another?

What nonsense!  It was obvious that the light was a mistake. It must be. 


"We wouldn't struggle if you let me rule in peace!" She snapped but looked her over, "In the beginning, there was darkness and all was quiet. There was no fighting because what need of it did we have then?" 

This was going nowhere but still, she stared on at Sailor Cosmos, her thoughts muddled as other, more intrusive thoughts came.  Didn't she want completion? Didn't she want something to acknowledge her existence? Something...something...


'Or someone to be there?'    

Her eyes widen a little and she jerked her head around to see who had spoken, but there was no one. Noe one spoke.  It was just the cries of creatures that were irrelevant to her cause. Still, that voice was familiar. She recalled it from somewhere- right?   The crystal of her heart glowed briefly, a dark aura surrounded her body as it only seemed she wasn't yet done. 

'The light abandoned us both.'  Yes, she remembered this.  'Why must we have failed when others succeed? Why must we be alone and scorned for not obtaining it?'

Words- silently conveyed to someone else and she had been the result of this conversation. The thought of others, the children that she created before now, the deaths of them for seeking such lights.  One, she recalled, stood out- what had they wanted?  A place to resettle. A place for their people to survive, regardless of others that were there. It was a small price to pay, hadn't it?  Why act like humans wouldn't do the same thing if the tables were turned?

Ah, but that's evil, isn't it? How horrific it is to prioritize your people over others.  But no matter, that child was also gone. Back home as failed as it was.  It also ended up within her. Another agonizing defeat from then, but it fueled her now. 

Her hand tightened on the shaft of her spear as she stared at Sailor Cosmos, "Why were you chosen to be?"  She asked, "We strive so hard to be- to be like them and yet we were passed over. What flaw was it in us back then?"

Another outburst again, but it seemed more vicious this time, " How is it that some become stars but others can never achieve that? What cruelty is it beyond us that decides those fates?"   It definitely sounded like another but it was still Chaos's voice, " Why did the light decide that? Failed stars weren't good enough for it. It didn't want to bless them with those things you seek to have! "

Perhaps it was just another wild mood swing and Sailor Chaos was talking nonsense again- another path of circular reason but with the addition of brutal swipes and power behind it.  

"The light, abandoned us. Abandoned me!" Sailor Chaos shouted, " You, the Emissary of it, can do no more than continue this dance until we both cease! Until there's no more reason for our fight!"

Her attack had been successful. Shouldn't that be enough for celebration? Her sisters would be proud—Atropos had witnessed it, but surely when Lachesis was told even the often-snarly middle sister would have a kind word or two to offer. Those precious offerings of affection were always what the youngest craved. Sailor Clotho ought to have been happy, or at least satisfied. She told herself that's what she felt. So why was it that tears continued to stream down her face, thankfully obscured by the veil, and why was it that she felt that same pain slicing through her own heart? Why couldn't she be stronger? She didn't know them—she shouldn't care about them! These were their enemies!

The pink-haired girl wept silently as the one with dark honeyed skin and hair slowly faded, her body dissolving into shimmering stars. It almost always happened when these soldiers died. Why was it so beautiful? Why did only they deserve this final moment?

The emotions roiled inside her, misplaced jealousy and sorrow mixed with the fresh trauma of watching yet another death. When she lashed out again, once more setting her sights on Urania, Clotho almost blamed the somber sailor soldier for daring to let the other one die. Not only was the woman a traitor, she did it for nothing! How senseless could any of them be?

"Weighted Whorl!"

Somewhere, another small glow flickered... and went out.

The tears that pricked Cosmos's eyes had never left, so they could not rise anew for Thalia, but she felt the loss deeply, scoring through her heart. First Euterpe, with her songs and laughter, and now Thalia, who could see the good in anything. They had buoyed the spirits of the others so many times—Thalia keeping Urania from looking on everything with a doomed critical eye and Euterpe causing solemn Melpomene to smile. They provided distraction when the battle had been too much, each young woman doing her best to turn thoughts from all that they had seen—blood and suffering—to warm the group's collective heart with much-needed cheer. With the loss of sweet Terpsichore, neither had complained about picking up the weight of the departed's work. They knew how important it was, and they never complained.

The indignant rantings of Chaos rang in her head, the sound seeming to overlay itself with similar words in different tones, as though her memories of other conversations chose to play at the same time, vying for dominance. The barbed questions thrown at her were those she could not answer. Could never have answered. Once, she had asked similar things of herself, wondering why she had been chosen, wondering why she couldn't enjoy a life of peace and rest like so many around her seemed to. Their ignorance sealed them away from the true horrors of everything out there. Ages ago, Cosmos too had demanded to know what had she done to deserve her role in this eternal conflict.

Then, as now, there was silence. Over time, she stopped asking. It was too hard to contend against it, struggling like an animal caught in a trap, every motion causing the mechanism to squeeze tighter and hurt more deeply. The more she tried to know, the more she understood how little she knew, and the more it kept her awake at night, terrified and alone. Cosmos no longer believed that there was some higher power making choices, moving them around like pawns on a chessboard. She had seen too much. It was easier to accept this as random: not fate, but merely chance.

Once again, she had chosen not to parry the attack from Sailor Chaos, merely absorbing and deflecting what she could. The rest she welcomed, even as it burned against her skin. And then the outbursts kept coming, blasts of energy seeming to respond to the emotional peaks of the woman's frenzy. This time she didn't reply, she set her mouth in a firm line and tried to hold her ground. She could feel the energy lashing out at her, sizzling with darkness, but she did her best to match it with her shields at the lowest cost to her that could be managed. She had something else to do—she had to protect Thalia. She couldn't do it in life, but she had to try and do so in death.

"Thank you... for believing in her..." the white-haired woman prayed, her brooch glowing slightly once again as the Lambda power reached out to cradle another of its fallen children, ushering a secure passage to the Galaxy Cauldron, where hopefully someday it would meet its beloved once more.

Chaos would never accept equality. Chaos would never back down, content to accept less than the whole. Here it was, happening again, with only the promise of more pain for everyone. In the war they fought, neither Light nor Dark emerged as victors. As she watched her opponent continue to strike out, Cosmos felt empathy for the woman's distress—her agony. This entity, like so many others, operated like herself and those she loved: with wants and needs, feelings and dreams, hopes and disappointments... Even though Chaos caused so much that she couldn't accept, neither could Cosmos deny the seed of truth in what she said. Did they not all deserve a chance?

"I don't have answers... but there has to be a better way than this!" she protested, directing her powers once more to the shield she surrounded herself with, trying to endure her counterpart's outrage and pain.

Atropos almost held tight to her sword as Thalia jumped to save her traitorous lover, but she instead let it get ripped from her hand. Moments like these were the only ones she could relate to these Soldiers of Light, if only a little bit. She would have done the same for either of her sisters. Sacrificing everything for the love of those special to you, Atropos understood well. It was too bad that these poor girls didn't just understand Mother's desires and come to their side. They could have lived on with each other for eternity.

Atropos shoved all those feelings aside, allowing Urania only a few precious moments as her lover died amongst a beautiful shower of sparkles. Why were they allowed to be beautiful, even in death? The thought angered her and as Clotho used her attack, Atropos lifted her hands. The girl had better react or else she would die, knowing her traitorous acts were all in vain.

She spoke her attack in a low whisper.

"Atropos String Entangle."

Urania was still on her knees, right besides where Thalia once lied, her back turned on her enemies. Her mind was still foggy, trying to come to terms with the reality she thought she had accepted long ago. But even then, she managed to hear Clotho yelling out her attack. Atropos, not so much, but it was all the same.

Without even glancing at the two sisters, Urania only shifted her body sideways and raised her right hand towards them. Even without saying the words, her shield of light materialized and protected her from the incoming attacks, dissipating upon impact. Was it because of Cosmos' residual boost that the shield managed to hold against their combined force?

"So you won't even let me have this one moment, huh?" she said solemnly as she attempted to get up and right herself. She did not pick up the sword of Atropos; she wanted nothing to do with this cruel blade except to make it disappear.

As she rose, her knees almost gave out, causing her to momentarily lose her balance, even though she was not physically injured. But she managed to stand straight, now facing the sisters of darkness, her eyes still glued to the ground.

As she finally raised her head, empty, emotionless eyes met Atropos' figure. Atropos. The one responsible for all of this.

Even though Clotho was technically the one who killed Thalia, she did not bear strong ill feelings against the younger sister. Urania had observed enough to know that she took no pleasure in all of this. If Atropos had instructed her to spare them, she would have done so with no questions asked. Her wicked actions appeared to be only a result of affection towards her sisters; in that sense, Urania could even relate with the veiled girl. Wasn't it the same for her?

No. Atropos was the only one to blame.

An arrow of light appeared in front of Urania. And then another. And another. Twelve arrows materialized out of thin air, the signs that she would recognize as the twelve zodiacs flashing above each one of them before fading away. Without even the need to actively command them, they formed a circle in front of the senshi of stars. They felt natural to her, as if she would be able to control them as easily as she can control her own hands, even though their presence surprised her. When did she call them? Had she been always able to do that? How curious.

The arrows instantly readjusted their aim, tips pointing towards Atropos as Urania regarded her once more. Hey eyes were still as empty as ever, betraying no prevalent emotions.

Finally, she smiled sadly at the eldest of the sisters. "Is this really the only way I can make you understand?"

Urania's gaze never left Atropos' form. She did not have to look at Clotho, or even make any movement of her hands, as the twelve arrows instantly shifted their aim towards the pink-haired servant of darkness and shot towards her, one by one, in rapid succession.

Urania was observant too, after all. She understood Atropos' one weakness, possibly her only redeeming quality, the moment she dove in to protect her sister from attacks that threatened her well-being, not long ago. But not this time. She was not sure if Clotho would manage to evade some or all of them, but arrows are fast. Atropos would not be able to protect her this time, much as she would like.

The pain that Atropos is spreading... Isn't it only fair that she gets to feel the same?

tl;dr?:

She planned her moves when the arrows appeared, her panic mounting as the menacing forms of starlight assembled in front of Urania—that traitor, who had managed to completely protect herself from both her attack and her sister's—aiming towards Atropos. She wouldn't be as foolhardy as Thalia, rushing forward to take the blow. Clotho knew better than that. Her big sisters were strong. They didn't need her to protect them, they needed her to follow the rules and work within their masterful plans. (Even Lachesis, for all her wildness, operated on principles that made it possible to work with her. She communicated these to the youngest often through biting comments or sweeping gestures, but with time, Clotho learned what was expected. She did her best to keep learning.) It would have been remiss for her to simply stand there and do nothing, however. There were other sailor soldiers they needed to take care of. Mother was waiting; that was clear by the many changes in their environment that could have only been due to her machinations.

She could use her spinning, perhaps. Her attempt to strike the dark-haired girl blind had probably passed. That was too bad, but she'd just have to save that for another moment. Lachesis was not with them, or perhaps they could have used their combined attack to make quick work of her. Besides, Atropos... she was so strong. She was the strongest, most powerful of all of them. She could probably absorb the impact of all twelve arrows, run forward, grab her sword, and continue the fight. Hadn't Clotho seen her do similar feats on other worlds, striking down those who tried to protest Chaos's reign with grace and efficiency?

The fiber materialized on her distaff. The string glowed softly on her spindle. Her fingers twitched for a moment, ready to begin their usual work. Maybe she could work up a net, acting as a shield. Isn't that the sort of thing she had done before? It wouldn't work on every arrow, but removing a few would make things easier for her sister. In a way, this fight only prolonged the inevitable. The deaths of these sailor soldiers... they had sealed their fates the moment they accepted Mother's invitation, hadn't they? It didn't matter how they found themselves on this path. It was theirs to walk. She would spin, Lachesis would measure, and Atropos would cut. That was merely fate.

When the arrows turned on her, she couldn't react fast enough. Clotho winced as the first pierced through her, pale eyes wide, but still hidden beneath the veil. She may have dodged a second or third, but another made contact, and she inhaled sharply at the pain, but she did not cry out. Yet another made contact, and so quickly one more slammed into the girl, knocking the distaff from her hand. It clattered loudly to the floor, but that was only background for the continued onslaught. She couldn't protect herself. She tried to grit her teeth, tried to withstand it the way she knew that her sisters would, but she didn't have their stamina. The tears that had never stopped running down her face weren't even for herself, but they continued to flow as the shock of the assault ran through her like electricity, overwhelming everything else. Memories flashed through her mind, all those happy moments with her sisters, replayed in a fragmented loop.

She couldn't keep her grip on the spindle. It fell from her grasp as her wounded body slumped to the floor. The darkness of their home and the deep navy fabric of her uniform disguised the blood. Surely she would take a moment, and then rise to her feet, wouldn't she? She knew that's what Atropos or Lachesis would have done—and how Lachesis would laugh at the insolence! Clotho tried to laugh, but the only noise she made was a soft, gentle whimper, slowly twisting towards that of a strangled, terrible gurgle. Her vision, already poor, blurred and faded. The senses she usually relied on seemed distant, dimmed.

"It was always going to end like this," whispered a small voice.

"Alone."

Erato lifted her head to Terpsichore, her stomach lurching at the sight of the girl's body. She had never seen so much blood, and it was a miracle that Terpsichore was still moving, still talking.

No, not a miracle. A curse.

Terpsichore's words cut deep, and Erato never averted her eyes from Terpsichore's. If Erato had been the one killed and controlled by Chaos, she would have wanted her fellow senshi to do the same thing to her that she and Calliope had just done to Terpsichore. As her vision grew narrower, Erato felt a small bit of comfort in that she would see Terpsichore on the other side, and everything would be okay.

The monsters summoned by Chaos began to surround Erato and Calliope, and the blonde looked over at her friend. "Do we deserve this? Is what we did so terrible that we deserve this?" she said, sorrow and anger dripping from her words. "I don't think so. We did our best. At the end of the day, it wasn't enough."

She turned her gaze to the screens surrounding them, watching as Thalia joined the dead and Urania seemingly disposed of Clotho. Seeing the Chaos sister fall brought a small smile to Erato's lips, but the image of Euterpe and Thalia's dead bodies still burned in her mind. I love you guys! Euterpe had said.

Erato's eyes widened, the pain from the dagger fading for just a moment. All this time, she had been convinced that she lost everything she had ever loved, everything that had loved her. Her aunt, her parents, her company...all of it was gone. All Erato had ever wanted was someone to love her, someone to be with her until the end. And in that moment, she realized that she had it all along. These girls, these senshi who were dragged into a life they didn't choose right alongside her, they loved her. Regardless of how much they disagreed, how much they argued and judged each other's actions, they all shared the same fates, the same reality. This life of being a sailor soldier was unavoidable. It was full of death and pain and heartache, but it was also full of friendship and love. The Muse senshi had followed her to Earth to save her planet without question. They never left her side, at least in spirit. They were all in it together.

She had found the love she always wanted. And so she was at peace.

As the strength granted by Cosmos started to fade, Erato slumped to the floor, her back facing the cold surface. The sounds of the creatures around her didn't phase her, didn't take away the comfort that she felt. The blood from her wound had stained the entire right side of her fuku, coating the hand that held the dagger in place and staining the ends of her blonde hair. Red was always her color.

She looked to Calliope, still beautiful despite how battered and broken she was, and extended her hand for the other girl to take. "I will see you again," she said softly, a small smile on her lips. "Someone has to teach you how to do your hair."

If Calliope took her hand, Erato didn't see, but she would give it a squeeze as her eyes closed. "Give 'em hell, Cosmos," she whispered.

The senshi of glamour released her final, strangled breath, as her soul was wrapped in her parents' embrace once more.

A better way? How could there be a better way? There was never any choice to begin with, was there? Sailor Chaos opened her mouth to retort but froze for a brief moment.  It sounded like a string of an instrument had snapped in the darkness of a theater.  The sound that reverberated even through all the cries of her shadows and the senseless noise of a body shambling it's way through the endless maze.  But that sound, she knew.    It was Clotho. 

This was confusing on many levels for the dark soldier as it was conflicting and made little sense.  She was not accustomed to this thing- these 'feelings' that pulled her around. Perhaps this body was a mistake, she should've just turned that powerful failed star into another child of hers- an extension of herself.  And yet, at the time she had been desperate to become a star herself, believing fully that she could carry on the insignificant things that came with it. 

She was rather unprepared for it though her face showed nothing. No concern, no outrage, nothing at the sight of Clotho's demise, though her inner-self was an odd volatile mess that was so chaotic it lived up to her name. 

It made no sense.  Clotho had always been squeamish, annoying, and completely ill-suited for the work she gave her. Always crying because someone died!  She wasn't even her favorite daughter.  Her usefulness came from being a linchpin for Atropos.  She kept the elder stable and steady in a way that  Lachesis could not. She had still performed her duties crying all the time.  

She had not been useful. 


But she still inspired a feeling you wanted. 

She was an absolute disaster when it came to actual battle. 


A delight when she successfully carried out a mission you enjoyed watching. 

A complete mess. 



'And I will never let her go.'

That last thought was one she could at least acknowledge.  She would never let the Fates go.  Perhaps she believed her own story she told them after these long centuries of fighting.   

"The light passed over you.  That's why you writhe and lie in darkness alone.  The light abandoned you to this world. It did not care if you were in pain but it blessed others with it's glory and gave them everything."   She had said that to them.  She had promised them that they would get everything they wanted if they followed her. 

And they would.  She would not let them go. Sailor Chaos was selfish, she refused to let one of hers go. Never.  Her power soared once more. A deafening sound as the shadow creatures did everything to capture the fading soldiers' light but this was merely a side-effect of what she was doing.  Strengthening her shadows, deepening the darkness to try and capture every shred of light- to keep in what she wanted the most. 

No, no more. She won't allow any of them to be happy.  The only satisfaction she could have from this was another Cosmos Soldier died.  Not that that one mattered.  She shouldn't be feeling anything, really, after all, she could just bring Clotho back. Maybe even make her better after a fashion.  Just not now, not yet, not when she's in battle. 

She exhaled softly green eyes fixed on Sailor Cosmos once more, "There is no other way. Unless all can be made in the way you speak, there is no other way. There's no better way."   She lifted her spear that glowed a reddish tint with purpose and aimed it at Sailor Cosmos, letting loose her full power now, "We will be here again and again, Cosmos.  Because wherever stars are born, we of the darkness are born with them. We, the unfavored and unloved by the light, will continue to fight for it to be ours.  That is what the Light established and that is what it'll be until the universe freezes and becomes mine once more!"

The lovely darkness where she would rule as the only star left.  Even if in the back of her mind, something said " And you'll be like you were before."

She was prepared for the fight, prepared for Sailor Urania’s wrath. She had wanted that wrath, so she could finally end the foolish girl’s life. Atropos had stood, giving Urania a level stare, ready to take on anything she threw her way.

She was not prepared for what transpired before her eyes.

The arrows that were meant for her, for her, were sent at the last second at Clotho. For the first time in her life, Sailor Atropos screamed. Screamed in fear for her sister’s life. Screamed out of desperation of the action she knew she could not do. It was too late. She could not save her.

It was as if time had stopped as Atropos stood frozen, feet feeling like they were glued to the floor, as she watched each arrow hit that tiny, frail body. The small body she was supposed to protect, supposed to give her the world and more, supposed to make things better, the small body that she had brought into this world without even asking if she wanted to. Atropos watched Clotho crumple to the ground, her own eyes wide as saucers, entire body trembling in anguish.

Another first happened for Atropos in that moment. Tears. Cold, stinging, painful tears that streamed down her stony cracked cheeks. She ripped the veil off of her face. No more hiding. There was no need. Perhaps she deserved this but she would make them all pay. A silent rage was building within Atropos and now was the time to act.

Her hand shot out in front of her, Nightshade flew from its resting spot on the floor into her hands, driven by her strong emotions. The second it was in her hand, she lunged towards Sailor Urania with a loud roar, raising the sword with two hands above her head and drove it down through Urania’s chest, knocking her flat on her back with the force of her push. It went straight through and stuck a few inces into the dark stone that camouflaged Urania’s blood. She didn’t even bother making the sword’s poison enter her body, much to Nightshade’s disappointment. She knelt beside Urania, both hands still on the hilt, pushing on it and using it to hold herself steady as her shaking body felt it may falter at any moment.

”I guess...we are even now,” she said, voice trembling as she gazed right into the dying girls eyes. Leaving the sword stuck in Urania’s chest, she flung herself away from her and rushed over to Clotho.  She knelt, cradling her beloved pink haired sister in her arms. More tears rushed out of her eyes as if a dam inside of her had burst. She rocked and caressed Clotho’s limp body, murmuring apologies for her failures between sobs that she never knew could come from herself.

She only stopped when a faint glow emerged from Clotho’s chest.  It was a Sailor Crystal, but not like one she had seen before. It shone, much like any other, but its shine was tainted, dimmed. The crystal was cracked with dark splotches that marred it’s surface. She stared, completely transfixed on it as it rose higher above them. For a brief moment, she saw a translucent figure of beautiful pink haired girl that she almost didn’t recognize. She had no deformities, her eyes open and shining at her. Clearly able to see with them.

”Clo...tho..?” she whispered, hardly believing what she was seeing.  The girl smiled brightly, looking happier than Atropos ever remembered, before the tainted crystal and phantom like figure zipped away, presumably to the Galaxy Cauldron where she would be reborn one day. Atropos stared, still clinging to Clotho’s body. Whatever that was… No, she pushed whatever thoughts came to her mind. Now was not the time. She had work to do.

Lowering her sister’s body to the ground, she bent over it, gently brushing the hair out of her face, following with a soft kiss to her forehead.

”You were amazing… I love you.”

It was the last praise she would ever give to her or anyone. It was time for Atropos’ last revenge.

They were all falling, one by one.

She barely paid much heed to the newly formed creatures. She materialized her Cudgel and swung at them upon instinct. Lachesis had yet to respond to her call but even that didn't seem to matter at the moment, despite the anger still coursing through her. Melpomene's heart broke a little more with each failing aura.

First, Thalia. The dusky sunset faltering into midnight, the warmth consumed until there was nothing left at all. If she hadn't been already so affected by Meela's death, Melpomene was certain this one might have broken her. How could she say goodbye to the girl she'd known her entire life, the girl full of laughter and life? Her counterpart in so many intricate ways? She'd known that one day Death would separate them, one way or another. It was the inevitability of the world. Somehow, this knowledge did not make it any easier to experience.

Perhaps, if the universe were kind, Thalia would meet with Euterpe in the afterlife.

But theirs was a cursed existance, forever plagued by darkness and destruction no matter how hard they fought. Hadn't that become apparent after so many battles?

As if agreeing, her strength increased once more, bolstered by the loss of someone so dear to her.

Erato's ashen embers pulsed with their very last heat soon after that, the aura seeming to wisp away in the wind. It did not matter that Melpomene was not as close to Erato as Thalia or Euterpe. She still loved her all the same, and Erato's death came as another pointed dagger to her very being.

As did the burst of Pyrrhic strength, her powers growing ever stronger. It sickened her even though it invigorated her.

Death was inevitable, who knew that better than she? But she'd never thought her dear sisters would ever have to die like this, in such cruelty. It would have been easy to lose herself to grief, to become truly encompassed by it, to lose herself.

"Lachesis!" The name ripped its way through her throat as she swung her Cudgel once more at an approaching creature. She should have moved to Calliope's side, she should have gone to support Urania. But instead, she stayed where she was, her magic crackling with the amplified power of the fallen and her heart fueled with all the emotions that she'd once rebuked.

Perhaps she'd already lost herself to grief after all.

Urania watched with dispassion as Clotho took the brunt of several of her arrows and collapsed to the ground. Perhaps there was the tiniest hint of sorrow in her eyes for the youngest sister. She always gave off the impression that she was stuck in a situation that she did not want to be.

The dark blade flew straight to Atropos' hands once more. Perhaps Urania did have a little time to react, but there was no use. She knew that she had used everything she had with her previous attack. Even calling for her shield would have certainly failed now; there was no energy left in her. She could have attempted to dodge, but with no means to strike back, what good would that do?

She hoped that was enough. That Thalia would still be proud of her for that little. She fought back and managed to strike back, just as she told her.

So she just stood still as Atropos drove her blade right through her chest. She winced at the pain, this burning sensation coursing through her body, but perhaps she was so emotionally numb that she did not even feel the full extent of it.

Atropos retreated straight back to her fallen sister, as a cracked crystal emerged from her battered body, bright but a little dim. A ghostly figure of Clotho appeared, only it did not carry the deformities that her physical body had to endure.

Perhaps they were more similar than she thought.

Urania's own body began to fade away in those familiar sparkles from before. It was a welcome sight, at this point. Would they actually see each other again, at the Galaxy Cauldron? Perhaps Thalia was waiting there for her. No -- first things first, she'd have to apologize to Erato. Though a lot of yelling would probably be involved. She briefly smiled at the thought.

"She's only using you..." she finally managed to say between deep breaths. Her vision was almost completely obscured by now. "Perhaps now you understand... the pain you cause... a different kind than the one you've lived with..."

And then her breathing finally ceased. Sailor Urania's body was gone, her own crystal ready to join Thalia's once more.

The combined powers of both Sailor Calliope and Sailor Erato were enough to put the tormented and corrupt spirit of Sailor Terpsichore to rest-and what a horrific rest it seemed to be. She screamed and hollered at the two of them, in both fear and pain berating them both as her body turned to literal ash. Calliope, breathing heavily, could only hug her harp in shock. What warranted such a horror to befall Terpsichore? Wasn't dying once already enough torment? 

Then suddenly, she heard the voice of her double:

"Ah. Thy teammates have no strength at all. See how they fall?"

Calliope could have screamed. All it took was a mere passing glance at the screens around her to see that the rest of her comrads-her friends-were dying, breathing their last and wishing their last wishes. But this was not all. Erato, one who had shown such strength and power mere moments before had fallen to the ground, her fuku stained with red. Calliope ran to her, grasped her hand, and begged for her to hold on-for her to stay with her, that everything would be alright. But it was not to be. Erato's life faded before Calliope's eyes. Another life taken during the battle against chaos.

But it would not be the last. Calliope, still holding Erato's body, looked up to meet a ghastly sight. 

The her teammates had fallen. Wished their last wishes, hoped their last hopes, fought their last fight. For most, Calliope had been to ensnared in her own battle to see how the other fights had transpired, though the wounds on the bodies of the fallen told the stories that she missed. Stories of courage and strength, of strong women who fought for what they believed in until the very end. 


"No..." Calliope could only mumble one word as she heard the familiar footsteps behind her. A familiar silhouette towered over her-one that had been for what seemed like hours. 

Even with Sailor Erato gone, Calliope's battle still remained. Even when others fights were lost, Calliope's fight was still ongoing. Be that a blessing or a curse, Calliope knew not. For she was alive, but the same could not be said for them.

"Thy comrades were as weak as I could ever imagine." 

These mocking words may as well have fallen on deaf ears. Calliope painfully stood up to face her double for the last time. Yet the woman's posture had changed, and Calliope would have been foolish not to take note. Where the polearm would have been at the ready, it was nowhere to be seen. Where the glimmer of hatred and maniacal victory was once seen in her eyes, it was replaced with a more dull and fatigued look. 

Calliope's heart fluttered. Perhaps seeing others die had softened her? 

"Yet they still fought valiantly." Calliope spoke gently, watching her double stare at the screens. "Even when separated, they still displayed brilliant power."

A pause, as the other woman looked from screen to screen.

"That they did."

Calliope felt her heart pound with this new revelation unfolding in front of her. This woman was unlike any other beings of chaos she had ever fought! When she would normally be using this temporary-cease-fire to ambush her, her actions had shown she refused to do so! She was showing sorrow, and even honoring the dead that she had mocked so coldly before! 

Calliope began to approach her, her heart filled with a hope she'd never thought she'd feel again after seeing so much death. "They used the power of the arts to create miracles."

"Did they?"

"Yes." Calliope hugged her harp as she continued. "Singing, dancing, painting, performances-each of them were skilled in such activities." Tears slid down Calliope's eyes as the moments of recollection with each of the Cosmos Senshi bubbled in her memories. "They were truly the best team that one could have ever asked for."

The woman stared at her, and gestured toward Erato's body. "She came to your aid when fatally struck."

"...Indeed she did." Calliope continued to walk closer to this double of her. "Do you not see? There is more to life then fighting, and there are more then one ways to truly fight."

Her double stared at her as Calliope held out her harp. It was within arm's reach.


"Tis not a sign of weakness. Tis just another way to hone the spirit. To build hope. To build character. To build unity, and to build friendship." Calliope smiled through her tears. "The arts are not a sign of weakness by any means, but 'tis never too late to learn of it. Come. It will not hurt you." She gestured toward the harp.

This was extraordinary. Whoever this woman was, whatever form of chaos birthed her, she was truly contemplating Calliope's words. The woman examined the harp carefully, and the way one would grab an ornate artifact, gently took the harp from her hand. She turned it over and over in her hands carefully, lifting it up so what little light had somehow managed to fill this dungeon was reflecting in the crystals-making the golden harp glimmer and shine like the physical embodiment of Calliope's faith, a faith that was growing stronger by the second the longer she watched.

"It is a lovely tool." The woman mused, holding it in both hands. 

Calliope nodded. "It has helped lead me to victory during many battles, as much as it has created miracles. For that is what a Sailor Senshi truly is-a defender of miracles."

"Miracles, you say?" And the woman smiled. It was such a genuine smile, full of kindness and light as she walked over to Calliope, ready to hand the harp back to her.


"Shame that yours has run out, Caecelia."

A horrendous sound of bending metal echoed throughout the room. Calliope staggered back, her entire body quivering with effort. Calliope opened her mouth to speak, but only the metallic taste of blood was all that came out. Coughing, wheezing, Calliope fell to the ground, her only working arm desperately trying to remove the object thats now found themselves impaled in her chest. She craned her head, trembling with weakness as she tried again and again to grasp and remove the object from her chest.

But she was too weak. Her body began to go numb, her previous injuries finally taking their toll on her as well. She wanted to scream for help, but she couldn't talk. Her fading vision rested on the screens of her friends, as unmoving as they were.

"Thy truly is a disgrace."

Weather or not the woman was still in the room, or had simply vanished with her task being completed was of no concern to Calliope now. Her words echoed throughout the room, fading until calliope could hear sound no longer. She no longer felt any pain, and her body wasn't responding to what she commanded it to do. Her thoughts were becoming muddled and slow. It was all Calliope could do was reflect on the screens her fading vision would not let her unsee.

And she felt angry. She was angry beyond reason. They all fell one by one, and their deaths would solve nothing. How foolish Calliope was to try to take the diplomatic approach with a being of chaos! Of course it would trick her. 

It was during these final moments, as the life began to flicker from her eyes, she would still notice that there was one Sailor Senshi missing. The one that she had met all that time ago, the one that visited her planet with such sad eyes. The one that gave her and the others hope beyond hope, meaning beyond meaning. The one that had given them each of their forms similar to hers.

Sailor Cosmos was still not here. Even after everything, even as she herself was dying, Sailor Cosmos was still not here.

"C...os..mos.." Calliope choked out, reaching to the screens as though she were envisioning the glorious cloak that adorned their light of hope, trying to grab it, to pull on it.

"W..hy?"

Caeceila T'suleon would breathe her last feeling nothing but frustration and regret, with the two pieces of her broken harp having dealt the final blow.

They never should have joined forces with such a cowardly leader who did nothing as they fell.

Those pale eyes, full of opal wonder. How many times had she taken them for granted? How many times had she just stood there while her sister suffered? Wasn't it her job to protect them? Wasn't it the job of the strongest to be the one to stand in the way of all blasts? Conflicted between rage and sorrow, Sailor Lachesis could only look to the body of her sister. "Clotho!" Sailor Lachesis screamed, she could feel tears welling up, but nothing came out. Perhaps all the humanity in her was completely gone now. Perhaps she was nothing more than a demon now. A demon that could only destroy everything. If she had only been there to protect her. 
 
Walking over to her sisters body, she kneeled down and held her. Her life was gone. She stared into those eyes, those eyes that could see nothing yet everything. A small tear made it's way down her cheek. It was tinged red, the color she had come to know so well. Could she even cry anymore? "Clotho..." Sailor Lachesis for the first time since birth, felt her eyes soften. She held one of the only people she cared about in her hands, for the last time. She buried her head into her sister's lifeless corpse. What good would killing Sailor Cosmos bring? What good would destroying everything in her path bring? her sisters were all she had, and now they were incomplete without Sailor Clotho. 

She removed her mask, gently placing it next to her sister. The blood that trickled down from her cheek was almost in the place of tears. It held the same meaning for her. She was in a state of disbelief that she, Sailor Lachesis, the one who decided when the time for a soul to die, couldn't control her sister's fate. Maybe there wasn't a reason for anything anymore. 

She looked over just as Calliope fell. If she was going to die. She wanted to be with Clotho, the sister that showed her the most compassion. She looked up to Sailor Melopmene. "Go ahead, make me suffer." She had one more bloody tear fall from the other eye. "I know that's what you've wanted to do to me from the beginning. In the end, we are all the same aren't we?"

She looked up to the sky. "I was born incomplete, I wasn't meant to be here. I followed Chaos blindly due to my own pain, in a sad attempt to quelch it." As she spoke, she mindlessly stroked Sailor Clotho's hair, something she wished she would have done more. 

"Soldier of Cosmos..." the somber tone echoed through the battlefield. "Do with me what you will, we have both lost so much, I will end your pain too, if it is what you wish." She raised her hand, aimed at Melpomene. So many thoughts were rushing through her head. Was this what it felt like? To lose everything?

Atropos now stood above Urania’s body, ready to take the sword out, but she stood motionless. Her eyes empty to all around her save Urania’s final words and the sounds of Lachesis’ arrival. Urania’s words struck her as she pondered over them, her purpose, her sisters’ purpose.  Chaos had promised them everything except now...they had lost everything. She listened to Lachesis’ words, not turning to look at her.

What...what was she doing…? Atropos turned, staring wide eyed at Lachesis.

No…

She would not let her sister die. Rage fueling her, she ripped Nightshade from the ground.

She was stunned momentarily as Nightshade shrieked laughter in her mind, and she found herself almost laughing with the accursed blade. Was this Mother’s doing as well? Was she the reason the sword affected her so?

She screamed, a wild look on the her normally stone cold face, and rushed at the last remaining soldier being sure to maneuver herself between Lachesis and Melpomene. The sword fueled her manic rage as she lunged like a feral animal towards Melpomene.

She would end this!! Melpomene would die and Mother would be pleased! She could use her wonderful power and return Clotho to her, just as she had returned the Cosmos’s soldiers back to life. Except Mother loved them! She would make sure Clotho was happy and beautiful and sweet as she should be.

They would have the life they always wanted!

She felt as if Chaos's palace constricted around her, the walls inching forward like a horror film or haunted house, threatening to reduce the available space until all within were crushed. That would be what Chaos wanted, wouldn't it? She'd finally have everything. The woman with hair of shadow and blood spoke of "the beginning", a time when no light existed, as what she intended to return to. No matter how much Cosmos tried to convince her of the need for harmony, she didn't comprehend it. Chaos sought dominion—total control. There was no room for life in the vision of the future that the green-eyed woman worked for. For that reason she would always be there, although perhaps not in this form, pushing back. Regardless of where or what Cosmos nurtured, Chaos would find it and strike it down.

That endless cycle, doomed to be repeated again and again.

Cosmos lifted her staff, pushing out, as the other woman attacked again. She felt the sheer force of the raw power seek to shove her backwards, scraping her heels against the floor, even as she settled her weight and shield against it. She felt the sting of fatigue in her muscles as she pushed back, moderating her own abilities as best she could to resist. If she remembered correctly—not that she necessarily did in these circumstances—this would serve as a test for another strike, the next more deadly. She had to be prepared. She had to stay alert. If any of her teammates could rejoin her, they could help tip this precarious impasse.

Was this what she would be fated to? Operating out of an eternal playbook formed from endless repetitions of the same "final battle"? They'd both be weakened and injured, but not dead. Or perhaps they'd both die, or one would die, but the Galaxy Cauldron would welcome them back, clean them up, and release them for another round at each other's throats. Just like her friends. Not just the ones who died today, but all the others. So many.

Too many.

Her heart seized suddenly, and she felt another succumb to rest: Erato. The soldier of passion fought bravely and fiercely today, but in the end she could not withstand the horrors of this place. The others left so quickly after that Cosmos caught her breath at the speed. Erato's act was not enough to protect Calliope, even though she had aided with the awful twisted form of the fallen Terpsichore. Urania, having lost Thalia, seemed to have lost herself—the new power she summoned against Clotho drove Atropos to fury. The tears stung her eyes again, sympathy and grief. They did not deserve to die here, like this. They deserved so much better. This was why she had never asked anyone to follow her; wasn't this always how it ended?

Only Melpomene remained—did she have enough to truly face Lachesis and Atropos, both grieving sisters together? Could Cosmos reach her in time, or would it just drag Chaos closer to one more sailor soldier to murder and make a puppet of? If she tried to lend more aid to the last, would it be enough to temporarily rise above the oppression of the darkness?

But even if they did... it would all happen again. And again. And again.

There was no room for sympathy in her heart for Lachesis. Not with the way she'd taken such glee with Meela, and others before her. Not as crystalline midnight shattered and honey yellow hardened and disintegrated before her very eyes. Not with the way her own magic crackled with power, infinitely stronger than she'd ever felt in her entire life. Wisps of purple-grey clung to her fingers, soft and gentle and full of promise. The power coursing through her very being acted like a barrier to her grief and her own suffering. A blessing and a curse, tragic to the very end.

But such built-up power needed an outlet. And as Atropos came to join Lachesis, Melpomene did not back away from either attack from the Chaos Senshi. She stood unmoving, accepting.  

This would end now.

She began to sing. The notes were slow and rang sharp. An orb of inky blackness began to form and grow in her hands, gaining in size.  Memories of her sisters played through her mind, fueling the strength and size of the orb just as much as their deaths had done.

Memories of growing up with Thalia, different sides of the same coin. Meeting someone as cheerful and sweet as Meela, her bright personality a breath of fresh air amongst the darkness. The silent understanding with Urania, working together without unnecessary words. The passionate Erato, her love for fashion a welcomed distraction amongst all the darkness in the world. She thought of all the songs she'd shared with Calliope, their voices mingling and creating something new. The late night conversations with Polyhymnia, listening to Clio as she went on about a new historical discovery, playing games with Terpsichore.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and Melpomene did not blink them away. A rainbow of colors sang in her heart, twisted and grieving, but comforting all the same. She could feel each of them as she poured the power of their auras into the building attack. Together, they would wipe out the rest of the Chaos Senshi.

She released the Exode Chorus, sending all of her strength, all of the last strengths of her sisters, at Lachesis and Atropos.

Just as she felt Atropos's sword pierce through her, and Lachesis's attack sent her to her knees.

The pain did not matter, as she slid down to the ground. She'd expected it. Breathing was difficult now, the sword having done irreparable damage, but that didn't matter either. Death had finally come for her, an inevitability she'd known her whole life. Lying upon the ground, body contracting against the pain, magic spent, and heart wrought with grief, she didn't think of her sisters. She'd soon join them, after all.

Her mind, instead, went to Cosmos. Strange, how she had not thought of the beautiful woman much since arriving in this place, when often Cosmos was all she could think upon.

Cosmos was alone now. The woman didn't deserve it, no matter how easy it might have been to blame her. But Melpomene knew that a heavy burden had been set upon those shoulders, one that would continue to take its toll upon the woman fate had damned.

"Cosmos," Melpomene began. Talking reminded her of the fire-hot searing pain in her torso, but she continued to try through every labored breath. But what was there to say to someone like Cosmos? A million things she wanted to say, opportunities lost, emotions left unsaid, what did they matter now? Tragedy could not bring comfort to a cursed existence. Cosmos would be alone in this cruel world, and perhaps that was the worst tragedy of it all. She closed her eyes, seeking out that brilliant white light one last time. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry..."

The Lambda power burst forth from Sailor Cosmos in a dazzling array of sparkling energy, the first offensive attack aimed towards her opponent, her grief made tangible in this terrible moment.

She felt those words, that sentiment, as clearly as if Melpomene had stood beside her and whispered it into her ear. She knew with the same clarity that the young woman had breathed her last. A thousand regrets tumbled through her mind. There were so many things she should have done differently... and yet, in the deepest secret hiding places of her heart, she knew: it could have ended no other way. Chaos had grown so strong and woven its influence so deeply into the very fiber of the universe. Darkness had tipped the balance further and further towards itself, smothering everything else that stood in its way. Any action she could have take now would not have been enough. It was never going to be enough.

She couldn't save them. Saving them wasn't ever going to be an option. There wasn't a future where they could laugh and sing and dance together again, the way they had in those few precious moments where their lives shimmered with love and friendship. Erato's vibrancy, Calliope's intensity, Thalia's cheer, Urania's serenity, Polyhymnia's piety, Clio's curiosity, Euterpe's optimism, Terpsichore's sweetness, and Melpomene's empathy... all of that was lost to her now, scattered like dry leaves to the autumn wind. Even if they were born again, they'd never recapture what they had. They'd never achieve what she longed for. They would never be normal girls.

They'd simply keep fighting, over and over, trying to push back as if there was some hope to one day walk in the light of a better dream made real. She'd gather more poor souls to her, like doomed moths clustered around the flame that both delighted and harmed them. She'd melt their wings like Icarus flying too near the sun. They'd either die at Chaos's hand, blissfully unaware of all that existed out there, or they'd suffer by her side while the same treacherous power snuffed them out, but this time they'd know and understand so much—too much.

And in the end, she'd find herself here.

Alone.

"What is the point... if I'm all alone? I can't... There's no reason, not without you guys!"

That sorrowful, pained voice echoed through her mind, and she could almost feel the words on her own lips. Through the haze of her tears she vaguely could see the form of Chaos, but she also saw something else, so many other forms, so many other people standing there, and she knew them but she didn't remember their names. She just remembered how it had felt to have their hand placed on hers, or their arms around her shoulders. She remembered so many eyes, shining like jewels when they met hers, and so many smiles and so many voices that had called out her name with love and with hope and with terror and with fear.

How long? How many more times? How could any of them be expected to endure it? How could she? What was the point of trying to bring about an impossible future? Why believe in miracles when they were so quickly erased, so quickly overcome by more horrors?

That was surprising.  The first time she's actually done something that surprised Sailor Chaos enough that it pushed her back a bit as she narrowly managed to block it.  Had she been right? Did all it take for that brilliance to shine, to give an actual challenge than lay there like a stone, was to kill everyone and everything Sailor Cosmos cared about?  Eyes narrowed slightly, though it had been nice to see such anguish, such suffering ended in the way it had, part of her felt irritated.   

Doing it this way was so bothersome to a degree.  If only Cosmos had just agreed and came back obediently, none of this would've been a problem.  If she had only just bowed to Chaos's will, no one would've had to suffer as they had.  If only the light had not thought to ignite others less brilliantly so, in the universe,  suffering, death, devastation, and the like would never had existed in the first place. 

Everything would've been silence.  Everything would've been still and dark.  A peace would've reigned for untold eons if the Light hadn't decided to do what it had.

'If only the light had not passed us over in her favors, we would not be as we are.'  A voice in her mind whispered.  'This fight would not be. '

Sailor Chaos tried to disregard the thoughts and held her spear again, attacking once more with tendrils of darkness seeking to damage Cosmos.   She did not think about anything but Sailor Cosmos.  Atropos and Lachesis, in her mind, would be fine. They could hold their own against one measly soldier, couldn't they?

Even if they couldn't, Chaos was confident that she could bring them back- after all, that's what Chaos Guardian was for.  Her little guardian fairy that existed in the cauldron when she wasn't at her side.  The other piece of her that obediently obeyed her commands.

"You've lost, Sailor Cosmos!" Not that this battle was winnable by any means, really. At least, she thought it should be, but a feeling inside told her that no, this was merely just one in a trillion battles to be fought against her.  It would never end.   "You're alone! Without any one but me!  Why don't you stop with this foolishness?  Just surrender, now!"

She did not say she would kill her.  Truth be told, she did not want to. Consume her light? Yes, that was highly possible, but that was different.  Different in that it would mean Cosmos would always be with her. Never alone.  Never...

"Surrender and I will spare you."

Nightshade struck true to its target, yet somehow, somehow Lachesis had did the unthinkable and taken on the blast that was intended for the both of them all by herself.

No…

No…

No, no, nonono...NO!!

Her mind screamed as, once again, she watched the unthinkable happen. Scrambling towards Lachesis, leaving her cursed blade behind, she picked the limp woman up in her arms. Fighting back the whirlwind of emotions that threatened to cripple her, she disappeared


”Mother!” she cried as she appeared in the throne room, just as her Mother had finished addressing Cosmos. She laid Lachesis down on the ground in front of her, just as a glowing Crystal appeared from her sister’s chest. It too looked tainted, just as Clotho’s had. She frantically looked at her Mother, her stoic composure nearly gone.

”Please! Save her!” her voice wavered as she pleaded with her Mother. She had been there for her when she first awakened. She was there to take her in when the Light didn’t it. She had promised them eternity together, hadn’t she?

Once again a phantom like figure appeared, around the crystal as it floated above Lachesis’ body. She looked so...peaceful. It was a look she had never seen on her sister’s face. Was that how they should have been? Atropos looked to Mother for answers and perhaps, hope too.

Why now?   Chaos exhaled through her nose, obviously irritated.  She was so close to having Cosmos surrender! So close to getting what she wanted and now this little brat comes bringing her a dying shell, simpering about how it needed to be saved!   Of all the insolence!  Had she not told her that children were best seen and not heard?

If it wasn't for the fact that Atropos was her favorite, she would've incinerated her on the spot for interrupting her fight.  It was just rude.

With her jerky motion of her hand, she tried to create a cage to keep Cosmos in, though it was obvious the other woman could see what she was doing if successful, and turned to Atropos with a thunderous expression.  

She walked over to the remaining fate and her shell of a sister, eyeing the crystal, before letting it do what the others had done. No matter how much she wanted to, they would all always end up back there, in the Galaxy Cauldron, whether they wanted it or not. She could see there was no choice in the matter- then again had there ever?  Idly the idea of forced reincarnation did occur but that, of course, took time she had not patience for.  Perhaps, Chaos Guardian was collecting them?  It was a thought.  She still felt oddly attached to the three and it would be nice to steal them once more. 

Still, the sailor crystal was gone, Lachesis's body was just that, and Chaos looked down at Atropos saying: 

"You interrupted my battle for this?" She tsked, poking the body of Lachesis once, "This is a shell, Atropos, the only thing I can do for it is make it my puppet. It is no longer your sister."  She turned her eyes to Cosmos. Cosmos, the thing she longed for the most, " Be a good girl and wait until I'm done with Cosmos."

She was unconcerned about it, the body that was there. It was as if it were nothing more than another stone in the wall among dozens.  Sailor Chaos took no care of it, though she could feel her power she had lent Lachesis returning.  Ah, the snakes, she had missed them terribly.    She had to admit, giving these girls part of her power had diminished her in a way- the same with her more powerful creatures. Still with their deaths, that power returned. 

Perhaps now she could force Cosmos to stay?

A slight smile played on her lips as one of the snakes seemed to appeared from somewhere in her tangled of hair to slither onto her shoulder, giving her cheek a 'taste' then slighter down the length of her body, wrapping around until til fixated itself on the top of her skirt with a hiss. There was one other one that slithered out and looked out upon her shoulder, before, it too, slithered down her left arm, wrapping around it and fixated itself there. 

There should be a third.   She looked at Atropos, the last remaining fate.  A part of Chaos warred with the other one.  She could kill her now, take her power back and revive her and the others later. Or she could leave her alone and then revive the others. 

She wanted to suck her teeth at this indecision.  She really liked this one too. After all, Atropos ranked a few spots behind Cosmos- the sensation of taste, sight, feel, and actual sound, ranking ahead of her. But that was still pretty high, wasn't it?

She liked the former little star, seeped in darkness.  It would be a shame to kill her.

She...she wasn’t going to do anything…?

Mother...wasn’t...going to..?

It was as if Atropos’ brain ceased to function. She stared blankly at Lachesis’ motionless body. What had been the point of their lives until now? Why had she even awakened her two sisters if this was the fate to await them? She had thought Mother needed them, wanted them even. Yes, Atropos had been aware of her Mother’s attitude towards other life, towards the universe at a whole. It was why she had chosen to follow her. She understood why Mother was the way she was and yet Mother had been there for her, allowed her the chance to awaken and be with her sisters.

She thought they were special…

The only reason she obeyed was due to her inability to react. Somehow in the span of a few hours, her entire existence had been shattered and discarded as if she were just a mere insect. The only thought that crossed her mind was why when suddenly Nightshade appeared in her hand.

Again, the sword’s supposed sentience screamed maniacal laughter in her mind and she gripped the swords hilt stronger. It wanted...no, craved death. The sword wanted blood and it didn’t matter whose. Atropos’ mind broken, she had no control over the swords urges and before she realized what she was doing, Atropos had launched herself towards Mother. The move was foolish but she no concept of foolishness anymore. She just wanted her two sister’s back.

She struck at her mother, aiming for her chest. If death had come to her sisters, it would soon be her turn to return to the Cauldron and see them again.

It was a nice thought, if she had been capable of thought, but now she just acted on the sword’s urges, and the sword only had one urge: to kill.

It was automatic, a barrier that she threw up to protect her crystal from the haphazard swing of Atropos.  She felt herself sigh, at first.  These creatures, these little stars and their feelings, their emotions always getting the best of them in the end.  

I'm better than that.  She thought to herself. 

Oh really?  Whispered the voice, You're the same one that wished to spare her because of it. All your attachments you've wasted your energy on. 

It was annoying, but it was true. Even if the sisters had been necessary, she could've gotten rid of them earlier when the last soldier fell.  She could've done a lot of things.  Yet, as she watched Atropos's rage and obvious mental break from the loss of her sisters, the last hope she had had,  Sailor Chaos found she couldn't muster up even a lick of anger towards the girl.  

She sucked on her teeth, a hand extended as she launched a power blast at the girl that she had once called daughter, fully intending to end her life.  Maybe that was a kind of mercy she could offer her while also reclaiming the last vestige of power she had given her.  It was curious, she found no pleasure in this.  This suffering that she often thought was beautiful in its' own way, seemed to lack that beauty right now.   

Was it the emotions? Perhaps.  How odd.  Though, to anyone observing, it would seem as if Sailor Chaos was merely annoyed with Atropos and little else.  As seemingly coldly as she dismissed her for her wish earlier to save Lachesis, she appeared the same way towards the girl now. Green cat-like eyes that contracted to narrow slits as if the sight of Sailor Atropos was repugnant to her as a bug. 

It wouldn't matter, in the end, she thought to herself, the darkness has won.  Silence will fill every corner of the galaxy and then the universe until it was like it had been before. 


Yet something pricked her mind. How had the light been born and why in the first place?  Chaos banished the thought for now.  She had to take care of this first before she could return to Cosmos. 

The only thing that should truly matter.

Atropos' body bowed to the overwhelming power Chaos had unleashed on her.  The sword, Nightshade, fell from a hand that became phantom like in appearance.  The body was dying- or maybe had been dead the moment she launched herself at Chaos so.  The imperfect sailor crystal, the malformed glimmering light underneath the darkness shimmered before Chaos, revealing another image of Atropos.  One where the girl was whole, free of damage and injuries with clear eyes that reflected a different light. 

For a brief moment that seemed like an eternity, Chaos reached for Atropos's Sailor Crystal. Something unspoken- words that formed within her welling from these feelings she could never truly express sincerely.  She wanted to coax it to stay.  She wanted to say many things to the first of what she considered a successful awakening that she forced.  

But the words died just as the Sailor crystal vanished back to the Galaxy Cauldron. Reminding the emissary of darkness that this was inevitable.  The only way for anything to ever be peaceful again would be under her rule.  Under her control.  For every light in the night sky to wink out of existence and return them all back to where they had begun. 

The third snake appeared, slithering down her right arm, wrapping itself there.  She turned, her cape and hair flared out as she turned back to Sailor Cosmos, her eyes glowing with an unearthly light. She walked towards the soldier in white, the reason she existed to chase it at all, her aura of menace growing with each step in the strangely quiet room.

"Surrender, Sailor Cosmos." She commanded, her voice demanded obedience. "Or perish under my heel."

The calls for surrender fell on deaf ears. The longer this went on, the more the memories bubbled to the surface, and the clearer the murkiness of the situation appeared to her. There would be no winner in this battle. Regardless which of them seemed to have the upper hand when they had exhausted themselves, there could be no victor. Even if she laid herself down and let Chaos kill her, she'd return. She'd always return. They'd always be here, struggling against each other, with no hope of ever finding peace.

The arrival of Atropos, the envoy of Chaos clutching the limp form her of other sister, only provided a momentary delay. It took some measure of the attention that had been focused on Cosmos, redirecting attention. The attempt at a "cage" almost brought a smile to Cosmos' lips... how quaint. As if either of them could truly control the other. It didn't shock the woman in white that her counterpart dallied with the girl. Exactly what Chaos felt towards those who reported to her, Cosmos would never boast that she understood... but she had watched, many a time, as the entity wrestled with itself, trying to determine what was the better choice for its subordinates. Killing Atropos or sparing Atropos... the question remained up in the air until the grieving young woman turned her sword against the one she so devotedly called "Mother".

After that, there was only one option.

Now, Chaos's earlier statement was right in its entirety. They were alone. They were together. They were the only ones left.

"No," she replied, holding her ground even as Sailor Chaos advanced. "That has never been an option."

She knew, somehow, that this was how it would be. In the end, they would be the only ones left... but they would always be together. The poor Sailor Crystals of all those who had fallen in this endless war would gather at the Galaxy Cauldron, soaking in the energy of that marvelous holy place, and they'd find themselves reborn. Their destinies would continue to guide them, leading them into battle once again. Any rest would be brief. Any peace would be temporary and entirely a matter of perspective. They would be called forward because that was simply how it must be, and they would fight.

And they would die.

Most would suffer first. Most would lose their family, loved ones, and friends. Most would see their worlds destroyed. Most would react in shock to the pain of the veil torn from their eyes, exposing them to the truth of the seemingly-idyllic places they called "home". Most would spend their waking hours tormented by the choices they'd have to make. Most would ache for a life that was no longer available to them, dreams extinguished as doors shut on possibilities and a single path emerged. Most would walk it only because they could see no other way—although she knew too that some would deviate, resisting the tide that pulled, inevitably finding themselves going under.

And they'd do it for nothing.

What could she do for them? How could she stop it? "Defeating" Chaos would do nothing. She knew this; she had experienced it firsthand more times than she could count—more than she could recall. Chaos would be reborn, strengthened by all it had done in these previous lives. What could she possibly do to prevent it?

The Galaxy Cauldron...

The blue eyes widened suddenly as the thought took hold, the roots implanting themselves firmly in soil all too rich and willing. All of this suffering... could end... if it could not revive them... The internal conflict squeezed her heart, the sour metallic twinge of disloyalty tainting her tongue. Had she not guarded it? Had it not sheltered her? In a way, was it not her home? How could she think of such a thing!

"How can you deny that it is true?" came the faint, sharp whisper. Was that Clio's voice?

The pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place. She had been working on it for eons, always unsure of the hues and placement, but suddenly the whole of the image was made evident to her. She knew what she had to do. She knew what could finally resolve this endless war—what could end it. But not here. Chaos would follow her. Chaos would try to stop her, would try to turn her attention back towards their fight. Her counterpart could not understand the larger picture, could not understand the necessity of what Cosmos now knew would be her final mission.

How could she manage it? How could she catch Chaos off-guard, make her move before it was clear what she intended? She had to act swiftly and with purpose—her chances of success would be much higher if she could do what must be done before her goals were clear to those around her. She could not wait for Chaos to grow stronger or for more soldiers to die for this lost cause.

There had to be a better time. When the battle was still young, perhaps—before she understood that it was eternal, that it could not be won. If she traveled back, if she returned to that moment where they faced each other before they understood how broad the scope of their fight spanned, perhaps she'd have a chance. Perhaps... perhaps someone else would be better equipped to make that choice. There was one star that shone brightly in both their memories, one star that they both knew could have made a significant impact on everything that had happened since that time...

If she could influence that star...

Cosmos closed her eyes, the Lambda power gathering in her heart and soul. With so many tears shed today, there were none more to give for the grief of this final decision. She ached with the pain of the decision, thinking of all those friends and dear ones that she would never see again, but she could not let her own selfishness interfere with what she now understood to be the only way to finally end the suffering inflicted on so many. This was how she could save them. It wasn't what she had ever intended—not what she had dreamed of, but it was possible.

She had seen too much to believe in impossible things.

The white light that surrounded her, illuminating her body even in this place of darkness, intensified. If Chaos had struck out against her, her opponent would have found no satisfaction. For this action, Cosmos was ready to risk it all. She poured her emotions into this thought, driving her energy with the force of her will. She had finally found something to focus on, something that would finally provide the results she'd been trying so hard for. There would be peace at last. It was so much less than they all deserved, but it was the only thing she could promise.

The eyes as blue as the clear sky on that distant planet, that place she had known and loved, opened to regard Sailor Chaos one final time, the power that surged through her body reaching its peak.

"Farewell," said the gentle voice.

She knew they would meet again... and yet, they would never meet again.