“Just who do you think you are?” said Morgan with a combination of anger and fear, pushing Jadeite’s limp body off her and clumsily getting to her feet.

Makoto smiled, produced her Crystal Change Rod, and replied enigmatically, “I forgot. For the longest time, I forgot who I was. But I remember now. This is who I am! Jupiter Crystal Power!”

“Wha-what? Th-this can’t be…” Morgan stammered as crackling green light surrounded her enemy.

Emerging from it wearing a white sailor suit with a green skirt and collar and pink accent bows, Makoto performed her classic fighting pose, and declared, “I am Sailor Jupiter, the sailor-suited soldier of thunder and courage, and you’re in for a shock!"

For a moment, Morgan was stunned by the appearance of yet another Sailor Soldier. Jadeite was out for the count, she was injured, and her staff was out of reach. However, she quickly regained her composure. She had created her magic gem with the last of the Blood Moon Alliance’s energy reserves to take on the fantastic power of the Silver Crystal. She didn’t need that to deal with this new foe.

Morgan brought her palms together and a ball of red energy formed before her. “I don’t care how many of you there are. Earth and the Silver Crystal belong to me! Crimson Lightning!”

Sailor Jupiter crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive posture as a continuous, red bolt of electricity struck her and coursed through her body.

“How does it feel, Sailor Soldier?” Morgan asked sadistically, cackling as she watched her foe wince under her power. “This is for my mother, Queen Beryl!”

“Tch,” Jupiter exclaimed with a wicked grin, “you call that lightning? Beryl would be rolling in her grave if she weren’t burning in hell!”

Morgan looked fearful, then yelled out in rage. The power of her attack increased in size and ferocity.

Sailor Jupiter closed her eyes, not due to the force of Morgan’s attack but to focus her internal energy. She extended her index and pinky fingers, activating the antennae behind the green gem of her golden tiara, which began to spark wildly. “I’ll show you lightning!” she said, waving her arms in a complex pattern. “Supreme Thunder!”

A noticeably larger and sharper fork of white lightning cut through the red magic and assaulted its caster, who screamed in agony as her body was electrified, her red locks standing on end and the whites of her eyes showing.

Jupiter ceased her attack, her brow furrowed resolutely. She watched as strands of smoke rose from Morgan’s now lifeless body. A second later, Beryl’s offspring keeled over with a thud. However, as she did, a black portal became visible just beyond where she had been standing.

Jupiter cursed before clapping her hands together forcefully and generating a current between her palms, while commanding, “Thunderclap Snap!” A dense sphere of electricity formed, and she pitched it like a softball.

Despite the speed and accuracy of her throw, she couldn’t be sure whether she had hit her target. Both the attack and Jadeite disappeared through the portal, which closed behind them with a faint whooshing sound.

“What’s keeping Morgan?” Commander Vardas blurted out, pounding his fist on the Blood Moon's stone meeting table.

“Forget her. We’ve waited long enough,” said King Tanzan. “Tell them, Alexandri.”

Alexandri, awake at last, and for the most part recovered from his wounds, gave his king a deferent nod and addressed Vardas, Desperre, and their guards.

"Sailor V is a lie,” he announced. “She does indeed seem to be in possession of the Silver Crystal, which grants her formidable power. However, that power is finite and completely unstable. During her battle with Zarg, and then with me, I observed that it caused her harm to sustain. I believe she only used it as a last resort for this reason. She didn’t defeat me outright. Our battle ended in a draw.”

“You’re saying that she still can’t control the crystal’s power?” Vardas asked. “But she’s fought against us since then, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, but following what happened to Zarg and Alexandri, we unknowingly gave her time to recover,” Tanzan explained.

“Recommendation?” Desperre croaked.

Alexandri responded to the hooded being, “I propose we lure out the crystal’s protector and attack with our full might. There will be casualties, but in a drawn-out battle, her stamina will surely fail, and the Silver Crystal will be ours.”

“Agreed,” said Desperre.

“I concur,” Vardas added, “but we’ll need the Youma.”

Just then, a portal appeared in the chamber. Jadeite stumbled out of it, then a dazzling light sped past him and hit the meeting table. The Blood Moon leaders and their guards took cover, as the impact sprayed chunks of stone in every direction.

“What is the meaning of this?” Tanzan roared.

“My Lords,” started Jadeite breathlessly. His nose was clearly broken and spewing blood. “The Sailor Soldier…”

“You engaged the enemy?” snapped Tanzan. “Where is Morgan?”

“Dead, my lord, but—”

“Dead?” Vardas interjected. “What about the Youma?”

“They’re all gone, but I must tell you about—”

“Gone? You fool! Morgan’s puppets were a vital component of our forces!”

“I know, but I can take her place in the alliance, I have information—”

“Betrayal!” boomed Desperre, a scabby hand protruding from his cloak and pointing at Jadeite. “Death!” Suddenly, a stream of what resembled purple fire burst forth from his fingertip, and Jadeite let loose an inhuman scream as the flames consumed him.

Tanzan and Vardas exchanged looks of concern as their mysterious ally reduced the last remnant of the Dark Kingdom to a smoldering pile of ash.

“She looks bad. Will she be okay?” Makoto asked Ami, eyeing Minako’s red skin with concern.

“I’ve done what I can,” Ami replied with a sigh, connecting an IV to her patient’s arm. “Her skin will heal on its own. The bigger issue is the internal energy radiation affecting her organs. That will take a bit longer, but she should be okay in time. Less, if I can get my latest invention up and running.”

“And how are you doing?”

“Me? Oh, I’m fine, thanks to you,” said Ami. “I didn’t even take any damage; I just depleted my energy with one big attack.”

“It must have been some attack! The mall was in ruins and there was water everywhere!”

Ami shook her head bashfully. “Venus did most of the heavy lifting. I couldn’t even finish them off in the end. If you hadn’t shown up…”

“I just wish I hadn’t let that jerk, Jadeite, escape,” said Makoto, punching her fist against her open palm in frustration.

“We don’t know that. You said your attack went through the portal with him. You probably got him. Regardless, the important thing is that we’re alive,” Ami assured her. “How did you get to us anyway?”

“When I arrived, the police were spread pretty thin to cover all the mall’s exits, so they were allowing able-bodied members of the public to help evacuate the victims. I carried a couple of people out, then on my next trip, I slipped inside.”

“I see. Well, it’s a good thing you did. I don’t think either Minako or I really expected to walk away from that fight,” Ami admitted. “But you protected us, took out Beryl’s daughter, and got us out of there before the authorities entered. You even had the presence of mind to bring us back a trophy!”

Ami crossed her lab to a station where a pair of mechanical arms were emitting lasers, scanning the red gem that had previously sat atop Morgan’s staff weapon.

“Do you think it could be useful?” Makoto asked as they watched the arms work.

“Absolutely,” said Ami. “Its power isn’t self-sustaining like the Silver Crystal, but I’m going to extract what energy it has left and see if I can find a use for it.”

“Maybe it can help Rei?” Makoto asked hopefully, looking to the exam table next to Minako’s.

“Maybe,” Ami answered, then changed the subject abruptly, “It’s late. You should get home, Mako. Luna will be worried.”

“What about you? You should get some rest too!”

“I will. Soon. I’m going to sleep on the cot in my office tonight, so I can keep an eye on things here.”

Makoto smiled. “Okay. I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon,” she said. She then did something she hadn’t done in years. She gave her old friend a hug.

Ami was taken aback by the caring gesture, unsure of how to respond in the moment. However, when she noticed Rei stirring over the top of Makoto’s shoulder, she knew what she had to do. She returned the hug, then with an arm on the tall girl’s back as they separated, she led her to the door with a smile on her face.

“Goodnight, Ami,” said Makoto as she exited the lab. “Look after our girls.”

“I will,” Ami assured her, careful to block Makoto’s view of the lab.

After the door closed, she walked over to Rei’s bed.

“A-Ami?” Rei mumbled sleepily.

“I’m sorry, Rei,” Ami said as she injected the girl’s IV with a fresh sedative. “Sleep just a little bit longer. It will all be over tomorrow.”

Ami walked over to her computer and brought up the planetary diagram she had observed so often over the last few months. Several planets were approaching orbital alignment with Earth. She then moved to one of the bulkier machines in her lab, the large metallic box of sorts with thick tubes connected to it. She entered a sequence and the top of the machine flipped opened on a hinge, revealing a more complicated looking machine inside with a small fogged-up window.

"Did you hear that?” Ami spoke excitedly, wiping condensation from the square of glass, and smiling down at the machine’s occupant. “Everything is finally in place. Tomorrow’s the big day, Usagi! Tomorrow, I’m bringing you back!"