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Sailor Neso started to rest a hand on top of where Chronos clutched his arm, but Sailor Flora stopped him. He looked up at her, eyes wavering. A ghost of a smile lit up on his face. What was he smiling at? To those who might not know him, it might seem perverse for him to grin in the middle of this, but the senshi of spring would understand. Neso was upset, and this was how he expressed it. It was how he expressed everything.

"I told the police officer to take Princess Chibimoon over to the closet to hide," he said, scanning for Kaden. In the fray, he had lost track of the tiny pink girl. He just knew she was hurt, and badly.

His Princess was calling out a charge to the cats in the room. Neso let his blue eyes fall to her, then back up to Flora. Only when the Princess gave him the word would he escort her out of the room, his arm wrapped protectively around her.

Azzo watched Ares disappear through the mirror. He shook his head, and sighed. He figured it was time to go he paused at Laocoon. "You know the last time I got flung through one of those mirrors I ended up in a girls bathroom..."

He paused, "I haven't seen her around... I figured your queen'd be here." He looked at Laocoon, "I can't help but feel like I missed something while I was sleeping for however long that was." He looked at the cat, he was tempted to give her a soft scratch behind her ears. He sighed, "Imma head home, hopefully I won't see anymore Youma... I've had enough for one night."

He paused, "One day when you're not busy we need to hang out again." He said at Laocoon with a sad grin. "Sorry I couldn't be any help with that Crystal. I swear civilians are ******** useless around here." He was using a handkerchief to wipe his hands. He sighed shaking his head.

The battle was over. The senshi had lost -- they'd failed at the duty they felt in the core of their beings, they'd let the Crystal fall into the hands of evil. Over the sudden, cold silence, they could hear the clock tower in the distance, chiming away. It was one AM. Halloween was over, the witching hour had passed as well. However, in spite of all of this, it seemed that there was still time for just one more taste of the supernatural. One more apparition.

The end of the ballroom began to gleam with a soft silver light, a silhouette forming within: distinctive hair, a long gown. Shimmering blue eyes, and the ghost of a regal scepter with the ghost of a regal gem set into it. She offered a soft smile to the crowd of beaten and battered senshi, and those words echoed in their heads again: "Do not despair."

Queen Serenity -- the Ancient Lady -- regarded them all with grace and compassion. It was strange to note that she wasn't angry or upset, there was no trace of even the slightest feeling of defeat upon her features. She still looked calm, and she still looked confident in them all... and for some, that alone gave them a little ray of hope.

"Darkness has always hated the light," her apparition began. "They have always been in opposition, and perhaps always will be. But hatred is not always the force at work here. There is also envy."

Her gaze swept the room, making contact with everyone there, before she continued. "It is only natural, then, that the darkness tries to take the light away. But in this... they will not succeed."

Serenity stood tall and proud, and her presence was so strong, so calming, that it almost seemed like she was alive -- that she wasn't a sparkling phantom people could see the back wall through, that any minute she might announce that she was going to begin fighting alongside them. In a way... she already was. She was lightening emotional burdens, dulling their pain, offering words that spelled out something other than defeat.

"You have not been defeated yet. The Negaverse may have taken this one light away from you, but the presence of this one means there are others. So do not despair. Stand tall and be proud, Sailor Senshi from across the galaxy... stand tall, and let your light shine."

And then, as quick as a breath, the apparition faded, the silhouette blurred until there was nothing more than a soft glow in the air remaining -- and then that was gone too. A few sparks of light fell to the ground and vanished, and the senshi were left alone once again.

Maia frowned when Themis did nothing, but the look was replaced by confusion, then fear when the negaverses Queen arrived.

Themis was clinging to her and shaking, or was that her. Maia couldn't tell. She was frighten to. The woman had the ability to make super youma and suddenly one was headed straight for them.

Maia mind went blank and for a moment it seemed that the same could be said for Themis. Fortunately, he did attack, unfortunately Maia was far to close. She barely managed to curl into a ball while being washed over by excruxiatingly loud noise. The attack did not last long, but Maia still felt warm liquid seep through her fingers.

She looked up and Themis was gone. Turning her head she tried to look for him, but she'll frlt dizzy. Then she saw the truly unbelieveable, a cake monster which was being attacked, no devoured by senshi and negaversers. Maia frowned knowing she would not be participating in that, but instead she pulled herself up and focused on getting phyiscal with any negaverse agent who dare to have cake. The crystal must have been near it, yes.

Maia was so focused she noticed the blood on her hands, in her ears, or the goings on around Beryl, but she did notice the sudden lose of energy.

She frowned looking around, the senshi looked dejected. They had lost?

Many were slipping out or dissapearing so Maia quickly turned to find her friends.

Just one piece.... one star in the darkness was gone, but there were more, more candles in this great darkness.
MuCephi turned and saw where Castor had fallen. They had fought in the past, he was rude....arrogant...
But he had also fallen, he needed her, or someone and she meant to help him regardless of what had gone before.
He was one of those lights in the dark she was sure of it.
She stooped and took his arm carefully lifting it over her shoulder. "Here...put your weight on me." She said softly. "Let's get you some help."

It was strange. He didn't expect her. Serenity, or, MuCephi. One filled him with the shining hope. That thin thread that he'd clung to when everything had seemed to go to hell. A smile half formed as the senshi of Blood offered her assistance. "It's funny in a way." Using her as his crutch, the senshi of hail winced at the movement. "The last time I heard her," he looked back to where the image of the queen had just been. "Was when I almost died while fighting Nealite. I maybe more near death experiences, and we'll start seeing her more often no?"
A tiny chuckle. A fragment of a laugh.

A fragment of hope.