Rini and the Beanstalk

(BiggerBetterBarbie)

Rini walked down the steps of her home where she saw her parents, Serenity and Endymion (noticed I didn't put any royalty in front of their names!), sitting down at the table. In front of them were two bowls of carrot soup, and a third bowl awaited Rini at her empty seat. She kinda slouched her shoulders, not thrilled with the idea of having to settle for carrot soup for the third night in a row.
"Carrot soup again?" Rini said.
"Yes, my little pink angel. I'm afraid this is all that's left in the kitchen." Endymion said.
"But Daddy!" Rini said, only to have Serenity slam her hands on the table.
"No buts, young lady. Now come and sit down before your soup gets cold." Serenity said. Rini just sighed and sat down at the table with the soup in front of her. As she did that, Serenity still had an angry look on her face.
"Rini, don't think this isn't hard for me. I don't even like carrot soup, but it's all we can afford!" Serenity said. Endymion rested a hand on his wife’s shoulder and rubbed it up and down.
“Now now, dear. Getting frustrated will not alleviate our situation any better.” Endymion said.
“I’m sorry, my love. It’s just so tough. The economy has never been this bad…” Serenity said.
"Mommy? Daddy? Are we broke?" Rini asked. Serenity and Endymion looked at each other before giving their answer.
"No no, sweetie. We've got enough money that we'll be able to stay in this house… unlike other less fortunate people in this town." Endymion said.
"He's right, Rini. We should be thankful we still have our home and each other. We may be low on resources, but no matter what, we will survive." Serenity said.
"Yes, you're right." Rini said. Not wanting to talk any more about the grim reality of it all, Rini finally started eating her carrot soup, cringing with each and every bite she took. But she was eventually able to finish it all up.
"Okay, I'm done! May I please be excused and go play with Hotaru?" Rini said.
"Yes you may. Just remember to be back before the sun completely sets." Serenity said.
"And be careful, like you always are." Endymion said. He then leaned over and kissed Rini on the forehead.
"I will! Thank you, Mommy and Daddy!" Rini said as she got up from her chair and ran out of the house.

Town was only a quick two-minute jog away from where Rini lived, and that's exactly the time it took for Rini to make it into town. Thinking of what her mother said at the table, she looked around and saw the many people sitting on sidewalks, doing things like covering themselves with blankets to stay warm, resting their hands over a barrel fire, or begging other people for food, shelter, or both. She watched as the blue-haired girl named Amy was on her knees begging at a tall blonde-haired woman she recognized as Amara.
"Please… I have no running water! All I ask is I fill up some buckets at your house." Amy said.
"Forget it, lady! I'm not about to waste the last of my water on someone like you!" Amara said as she stormed past Amy.
"Please!!! I've already been turned down by everyone else! I'm begging you!" Amy shouted as tears started to fall down her eyes. Rini looked away, it was too much for her to witness. Although there were some people who were still able to find a good time, like Lita and Mina who were laughing about the show they watched last night put on by the Starlights. However, the overwhelming majority of the population struggled mightily to live a happy and prosperous life. For example, Raye was trying to start a fire with two chopsticks, but had no luck. Trista had a long look on her face as she realized that now every last one of her outfits was dirt and she had no way of washing them clean.

Rini finally found some relief as she heard a familiar voice calling her name. Rini looked over and saw the best of her friends, Hotaru, running towards her. Not too far behind her Kakyuu, the lovely looking mayor of the town.
“Hi Hotaru! Where were you?” Rini said.
“I was just with Mayor Kakyuu. She and my father were thinking of ways to end this depression.” Hotaru said.
"Wow! Any luck?" Rini asked. Kakyuu shook her head and frowned.
"I'm afraid we're not having much luck. The influence of the evil empress is just too strong." Kakyuu said.
"The evil empress?" Rini asked.
"The one our town banished on the historic date of February 8th, 1997. Unfortunately, since a year ago, her shadowy presence has been growing ever stronger. I can't help but fear she is draining the spirit of our humble town with the hopes of coming back sooner than later." Kakyuu said.
"Mayor Kakyuu, isn't there anything we can do?" Hotaru asked.
"Yeah! We don't want to let anyone or anything destroy this lovely town!" Rini said.
"I admire your youthful and courageous spirit, but there isn't anything we can do except hope and pray. In fact, you two should be getting home soon. It's getting late!" Kakyuu said.
"Okay, Mayor Kakyuu! I'll see you tomorrow!" Hotaru said before she ran away.
"Well, guess I better get going too." Rini said. But before she could get too far, Kakyuu presented a gift to her.
“Wait, Rini. I want you to accept this gift I have for you. It probably won’t help your family much, but I certainly have no use for these.” Kakyuu said. After Rini opened up her hand, Kakyuu dropped a few beans onto it.
“Beans?” Rini asked.
“Supposedly they are good luck beans. By planting them somewhere around your house, I hear wonderful things will happen. But then again, I could be hoping for too much.” Kakyuu said.
“Well, thank you, Mayor! I would never turn down a gift from you. Bye bye!” Rini said before turning back and heading for home.
“Until we meet again, Rini.” Kakyuu said as she went on with the rest of her evening.

Rini was about to run inside her home and inform her parents of her arrival home as well as acquiring the ‘good luck’ beans from the mayor. However, after a quick glance through one of the open windows, Rini could see both Serenity and Endymion having an emotional discussion, no doubt about the dire financial situation that they both have been trying to hide from her. It was especially touching to see Serenity break down in tears and hug Endymion.
So Rini decided to just go ahead and bury the good luck beans in the front yard of her home.
"Well… hopefully Kakyuu is right about these beans." Rini said. After covering up the beans with dirt (with her own two hands no less), Rini knocked on the front door. It opened up with Serenity on the other side, wiping tears with her other hand.
"Mommy! I'm home!" Rini said.
"Welcome home, Rini. Did you have fun with your friends?" Serenity asked.
"I sure did! We even got to talk to Mayor Kakyuu." Rini said.
"Oh, that's very nice, but now it's time for bed." Serenity said.
"Okay, Mommy! Good night!" Rini said as she happily kissed her mother on the face before running up the stairs and getting ready for bed.

Of course, we all know what happens next! Overnight as everyone was sleeping, several vines broke out of the ground where the beans had previously been planted by Rini. These vines grew larger and larger, twisting together as they rose higher into the sky until they broke through the clouds!

As Rini stirred herself awake and fully opened the window (it had been partially open, allowing the sunlight to peek through and help awaken Rini) next to her bed, she gasped over what she saw.
"What… what's that!?" Rini shouted. She jumped off her bed and ran downstairs, eventually making her way out of the house and looking all the way up at the giant beanstalk.
"Wow! It's so big! It must've come out from those beans I planted last night." Rini said. As she walked back inside, she started to think of what she was going to tell her parents, but with them still sleeping, she suddenly began to think of something different.
"Hmmm… maybe I shouldn't them about this. They're already stressed enough having to keep this house standing. I'll go myself. At least I can have a great story to tell Hotaru and the others! Teehee!" Rini said.

And so after running upstairs and changing out of her pajamas and into her 'schoolgirl' outfit, Rini quietly made her way out of the house and started to climb the massive beanstalk, wondering where it would take her…

Once Rini reached the top of the beanstalk, she hopped off and landed on the cloudy surface, trying hard to catch her breath after climbing for a few minutes.
"Whew! That beanstalk was higher than I thought it would be!" Rini said. Once she was able to calm herself down and regain her strength, she looked ahead and was already stunned to see the magnificent castle out in the distance.
"Oh, what a big castle! Maybe I can ask whoever lives there where I am." Rini said. Without hesitation, the young adventurous girl marched onward. The closer she got to the castle, the bigger it appeared to be, and consequently the smaller she felt. Nevertheless, Rini had made it to the humongous front door.
"Now how am I going to get inside?" Rini said. Suddenly, the massive door slowly opened itself up, the loud creeking sound from the door causing Rini to cover her ears briefly. But it was open enough to allow Rini to walk inside.
"Well, here goes." Rini said. The moment she was inside the castle, the door suddenly slammed shut with a loud thud, causing Rini to jump as she looked back at the door. She clutched her chest and breathed heavily after the big scare.
"*huff puff* I guess I won't be leaving for a while." Rini said.

The young girl knew the only direction she could go in was forward, and soon she was in the main corridor of the castle. It was a magnificent sight, like she was walking through an oversized castle straight out of the Middle Ages, complete with wooden food table in the middle of the room.
"Wow... what a beautiful castle. Whoever lives here must be very rich or very famous." Rini said. Before she could walk around anymore and admire the room any further, she suddenly felt herself being pulled to the right as something grabbed her arm.
"HEY! What the!?" Rini said.
"Shhhhhhh! Quiet, or you'll get caught!" a young man's voice said. Rini looked to see what it was that grabbed her, and she was looking at a young man draped in a dark blue outfit and sporting dark blue hair. He even had dark blue eyes to match the rest.
"Huh? Who are you?" Rini asked.
"I'm Saphir. You're a new face around here." Saphir said.
"Well, I only just got here a couple minutes ago. You can call me Rini, but why are we hiding?" Rini asked.
"The evil empress will surely be coming out here any moment. If you value your life like I do, you'll stay in hiding." Saphir said.
"Wait! Did you say the evil empress?" Rini said.
"The one banished to this part of the world 15 years ago. My older brother, Diamond, gave his life to make sure that giantess didn't find her way back to the surface. And I am all that's left to carry on that task." Saphir said. As Rini was listening to Saphir's story, she looked up and realized that they were hiding behind a gigantic broom.
"So I see." Rini said.
Suddenly, there were booming sounds coming from the other side of the room.
"Huh? Those sound like footsteps." Rini said.
"Here she comes. The evil empress returns to stalk her prey." Saphir said. He pointed out at a few men who were running like scared teenagers trying to find a place to hide, mainly at the wooden table in the middle of the room.

But the time to hide was over. The giantess made her appearance. Rini gasped over both how big she was and her appearance.
"Oh!" Rini said.
"Fum fe fi fo. I smell some tiny men trying to dodge my toes." Galaxia said. As Galaxia took her hands off her hips and slowly made her way around the room, with each step leaving behind a thundering boom, Rini gazed out at the giant woman. Her golden armor, complete with knee-high golden boots and golden bracelets around her wrists, glistened in the sunlight shining through the nearby windows.
"She's... she's so beautiful. And so big." Rini said. She guessed Galaxia to be somewhere between 300-350 feet tall.
"Yeah. Beautiful enough to kill you if you're not careful." Saphir said. Indeed, the two watched from behind the oversized broom as Galaxia seemed to spot one of those tiny men and kneeled down to pick him up. She smiled as she held him up to her face.
"You were mighty quick, tiny man, but your diminuitive size makes it impossible to dodge me." Galaxia said.
"Please! I want to live! I want to live!!" the blonde-haired man shouted as he bowed his head profusely.
"Don't worry, you'll be able to live for a little while... until you're digested of course." Galaxia said as she licked her lips. She opened her mouth and moved the screaming man towards it.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" the man screamed, his scream cut off as soon as he fell inside Galaxia's mouth. Galaxia instantly gulped the man down.
"Delicious... but they always taste better when buried in mashed potatoes." Galaxia said.

The next thing she did took both Rini and Saphir by surprise. Instead of chasing after another tiny man (especially when there was one scampering between Galaxia's golden boots), she instead looked over at her broom.
"Hmmm... I smell a fresh presence. A new guest, perhaps?" Galaxia said as she started walking towards her broom.
"Damn it! She knows we're here! We have to go now!" Saphir shouted. The young man grabbed Rini by the arm again and took off running.
"Hey! Not so fast... you're gonna pull my arm off!" Rini shouted in protest. The two ran for almost a minute as they made their way past the giant broom. However, their luck ran out as both ended up crashing into Galaxia's golden boot as she slammed it down on the ground. The two recovered from the impact and looked up to see the huge giantess towering over them.
" Tsk Tsk, Saphir. You were sloppy for this round." Galaxia said. She reached down and picked up the two people, trapping them in her bare hand with only their heads sticking out.
"And what do we have here? What's your name, little pink-haired one?" Galaxia said.
"The name is Rini! Is it true you are the evil empress banished from my home village 15 years ago!?" Rini shouted.
"Hahahaha... obviously my reputation precedes me. And I very proudly don't hide behind it either. Soon, they will all pay for deserting me to this dungeon of a sky world." Galaxia said.
"Go ahead, Galaxia. Do what you will with me... You'll never return to the surface world!" Saphir shouted.
"Awwww, someone's been acting real bad lately. I think I'll put you in timeout, along with our new guest. Hahaha!" Galaxia said as she stomped her way towards the back of the room and into a hallway. All Saphir and Rini could do was hold on for the ride.

Eventually, they were all in some back room where cages were stacked almost from top to bottom. As the screams of many captured citizens, both male and female, failed to make any impact on Galaxia's ears, the giantess opened up one of the mid-level cages and casually tossed both Rini and Saphir inside. She bent down to look straight inside the cage.
"You two can chat and become friends in here, at least with what little time you have." Galaxia said.
"What are you going to do with us?" Rini asked.
"Tonight I'm dining on my favorite dish, mashed potatoes with gravy and LOTS of little people as the main toppings." Galaxia said, once again licking her lips.
"We have powerful allies down below who will defeat you, evil empress!" Saphir said.
"Oh I'm sure you do, Saphir. Don't worry, I'll eat them up just like I did them... including your brother. Hahahaha!" Galaxia said as she leaned back up, standing up to her full height (causing the shine of her golden armor to penetrate the cage) and then walking away to another cage.

This cage had one of the more unique captors in Galaxia's collection. The person inside wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans, but had wings, horns on his head, and a tail... all sporting the same shiny gold as Galaxia's armor. The person had a dreadful look on his face as he saw Galaxia look inside and between the bars.
"And how is my little golden goose today?" Galaxia said.
"So this is what you've resorted to... capturing even little children?" the man said.
"People are people, Ra. That's exactly what you told me when you allowed me to share in your power 15 years ago." Galaxia said with a smile. Ra, the name of the man as mentioned by the giantess, was not smiling as he leaned against the bars.
"Well, now I'm starting to regret ever giving you a chance. You've gone too far this time, evil empress! I anticipate the day when someone will end your reign of terror." Ra said. Galaxia finally found this behavior annoying and she brought her face right up against the bars of Ra's cage.
"SILENCE, you microscopic maggot!" Galaxia shouted. Ra fell backwards, taken by surprise over Galaxia's anger. Her voice boomed throughout the room, sending chills to almost everyone in the cages.
"Just for that, I'm gonna ask for double the usual amount of golden feathers from those lovely wings of yours. Fail to meet that quota and you'll be licking the bottom of my golden boots for a week! Have I made myself clear?" Galaxia said.
"As you wish, my empress." Ra said with his head hanging down.
"Good! Now if you'll excuse me. I've got some appetizers I want to prepare." Galaxia said. The giantess turned around and, after pulling several screaming men from other cages nearby, walked out of the room.

Rini looked up and felt an unusual amount of pity for the golden winged man known as Ra...

Serenity paced herself unevenly, trying to keep her wrists from shaking with the rest of her body. After discovering Rini was not in her room, she immediately asked her husband, Endymion, to go looking for her. He came down the stairs with a solemn look on his face.
"Nothing. I've checked everywhere and I can't find her." Endymion said.
"No! That's impossible! She has to be here. There's no way she would just walk out of the house all by herself! She knows better than that." Serenity said.
"And at the same time, she's still a kid. You know how kids can suddenly crave the need to adventure." Endymion said.
"Arrrrgh!" Serenity said. The wait was getting too much for her. She decided to step outside the front door and get some fresh air so she could think more clearly.
Instead, she gasped when she looked ahead and saw the giant beanstalk rising up to the sky.
"What is it, honey?" Endymion said as he ran out of the house. He too had a stunned look, although not as great as his wife's reaction, when he looked up at the huge object.
"Where... where on Earth did this thing come from?" Serenity said.
"It makes no difference now. I guarantee you up that giant beanstalk is where our little girl is." Endymion said.
"Are you sure? It looks dangerous." Serenity said.
"There's only one way to find out. Come on!" Endymion said as he ran forward and started to climb the beanstalk. Serenity knew arguing with her husband wouldn't make any difference at this point, especially when it came to finding Rini, and so she too started to climb the beanstalk.

A few minutes later, Endymion was the first to make it to the top of the beanstalk and land on the cloudy ground. Not too far behind was Serenity, and Endymion acted like the good husband he truly was and helped Serenity, heavily breathing, up to the clouds.
"Wow... that was one huge beanstalk!" Serenity said.
"But luckily we were able to make it to the top. The question is where are we and where has Rini run off to?" Endymion said.
"That huge castle would certainly qualify." Serenity said as she pointed out to the castle in the distance.
"My gosh! How is it possible for such a huge castle to rest on top of these clouds?" Endymion said.
"Maybe we can ask the owner if we see him or her, but right now we have a daughter to rescue!" Serenity said as she marched forward to the castle.
"Serenity! Wait up!" Endymion shouted as he followed.

Just like with Rini before them, Serenity and Endymion both wondered how they were going to get inside the castle. However, they had to stop thinking when they saw the huge front door opening up.
"Quick! Hide!" Endymion shouted as he grabbed his wife and the two scrambled to the right. Just as they did that, the two watched as the giantess Galaxia came walking out, holding a group of small men in her hand.
"Take a good look, boys. This will be the last ray of sunshine you ever get to soak in. Hahaha!" Galaxia said. As she walked back inside her castle, Serenity and Endymion stuck close to the back of Galaxia's golden boots, allowing them to make it inside the castle before the front door was shut. The two watched the giantess make her way to the table in the middle of the room.
"No way... it can't be!" Serenity said.
"It is, honey. This is where the evil empress apparently was banished to." Endymion said.
"Yes, but... look at her! She's huge!" Serenity said.
"Yes, true." Endymion said.
"Oh! We have to find Rini as fast as possible! She couldn't possibly survive as big as Galaxia is! What if she's on that table up there!?" Serenity said. Clearly seeing his wife beginning to panic and lose all train of logical thought, Endymion walked behind Serenity and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Shhhhh... easy does it, my beloved. We don't know for sure Rini is up there. Let's just look around this massive castle and see what we can find." Endymion said.
"Okay, I'll calm down. Thank you, love. Your soothing voice is what I need to hear." Serenity said as she smiled and kissed one of the hands gripping her shoulder. With that said, the two proceeded forward, moving while Galaxia was not looking.

The two eventually made it behind one of the table legs, where they wouldn't be spotted by the evil giantess, who was busy setting down a bowl of soup. The tiny men, sitting helplessly on the table, scrambled to avoid getting crushed by the bowl.
"Patience, my little pets. You'll soon be on your one-way trip to my beloved stomach." Galaxia said. As she sat down on the nearby wooden chair, one person made the foolish mistake of jumping off the table and heading right for Galaxia's legs. This was not lost on the giantess and she watched as the man bounced on her leg like a trampoline. She then opened up the legs, causing him to fall in between them and onto the surface of the hard wooden chair.
"Hmmhmm... you seem to love my legs so much. Perhaps I can let you get an upclose look at them." Galaxia said. She then quickly closed the legs, crushing the man in between them.
His muffled screams, which eventually died out with his last breath, got Serenity squeamish especially as she looked up from the bottom of Galaxia's boots.
"We can't worry about him, honey. We must press on." Endymion said.
"I know, but still... what a horrible fate!" Serenity said. The couple indeed could not mourn for the victim any longer, for they had to continue on and find their captured daughter.

With Galaxia busy eating her soup topped with tiny screaming men, Serenity and Endymion were able to make it to the hallway and eventually to the room where Rini and others were being held captive.
"Rini! Rini!!" Serenity shouted.
"Such a gigantic room! Rini could be anywhere." Endymion said.
"Mommy! Daddy! Up here!" Rini shouted. The two parents looked up and saw Rini frantically waving her arms from inside one of the cages.
"Rini! Oh thank the planets of our solar system that you're okay." Serenity said.
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I was hoping to be back before you noticed I was gone!" Rini said.
"But clearly you weren't, though at least you have a good reason, young lady." Endymion said with a smile.
"Now how are we going to get her out of there?" Serenity said.
"Leave that to me." Saphir said from the same cage Rini was trapped in. That's when he pulled out a short sword and carefully maneuvered it outside of the cage to pick the lock and open the cage up. Both Rini and Saphir walked out to the edge of the shelf.
"Wow! You had that sword hidden this whole time, Saphir?" Rini asked.
"Galaxia may be bigger, but she hasn't gotten any wiser. We must hurry... she will surely sense our attempt to escape shortly." Saphir said. He and Rini were getting ready to hop down the shelves to get to ground level (with Saphir leading the way since he had the path memorized by now), but they were both interrupted by a male voice from overhead. The voice belonged to the man with the golden wings, Ra.
"Wait! Are you planning to escape this cursed world?" Ra asked. Rini and Saphir both looked at each other.
"Well, yes!" Rini shouted.
"Then I shall accompany you!" Ra shouted. The young man used some careful maneuvering of his own to guide some of the feathers on his wings outside his own cage. After picking the lock, Ra busted out of his own cage and used his wings to glide down to the same shelf where Rini and Saphir were standing.
"I've waited for the right prisoner who would brave the danger that is the evil empress, and I feel you, the beautiful pink-haired one, may be the key to my freedom." Ra said.
"Awwww, thanks! But what about the other prisoners?" Ra asked to Saphir, who quickly shook his head.
"There's no time. We've gotta go now!" Saphir said. With help from the flying Ra, Rini and Saphir made it to ground level.
"Alright, let's get out of here!" Endymion said. The group ran out of the room with a mix of cheers and pleas from the rest of the captives.

The group made it out to the hallway and was about to enter the main room, but everyone had to put on the brakes when they saw a giant Galaxia plant her golden boots right in their path.
"Uh oh! I think we've been spotted." Ra said.
"Tell me something I don't know." Saphir muttered.
"Well well... what do we have here? Puny bugs trying to escape my luxurious home. Maybe I should show you what I do to bugs like you that try to escape." Galaxia said as she slowly raised one of her boots above the tiny group.
"You guys go on. I'll try and hold off the evil empress as long as I can." Saphir said.
"But Saphir!" Rini said.
"Don't worry about me! It is my destiny." Saphir said. He then took the same short sword he used to break out of his cage and thrust it upward at the bottom of Galaxia's boot.
"OUCH!" Galaxia said as she stumbled backwards, catching herself on the nearby wall. As she checked to see only a small puncture on the bottom of her boot,
"Hurry, my friends! GO!" Saphir shouted.
"Come on, Rini, let's go!" Serenity said as she, Rini, Endymion, and Ra all sprinted past the huge villainess. Galaxia glanced back and saw them running, but decided first to take care of Saphir.
"Hmmmm... you have been a thorn in my side for way too long. It is time I exterminated you, pest!" Galaxia said. Saphir took a deep breath and prepared to face the giantess despite the long odds that faced him.

But his real plan was to allow the others to get a head start on their escape, and it was working. At least until they got to the huge front door.
"How are we going to open the door?" Serenity asked.
"We're much too small to even try and break through it..." Endymion said. Rini looked behind, especially after she starting hearing the familiar booming sounds getting louder and louder, and saw Galaxia approaching but no Saphir.
"Eeeeeek! She's coming!" Rini shouted.
"Wait! I've got an idea!" Ra shouted. He started flapping his golden wings and took off to the air. He landed on the huge doorknob and then started flying at high speed, turning the doorknob. Everyone else got out of the way as the door slowly creaked its way open.
"Wow! What strength by the winged one!" Endymion said. Ra then landed with the trio, quickly shaking off its dizziness
"Alright, let's go!" Serenity said.
"Wait! What about Saphir? We can't leave him behind!" Rini said.
"Rini... he has given us our lives." Serenity said.
"Your mother is right, Rini. We must not dishonor his brave sacrifice." Endymion said.
"Um, this is all well and good, but I suggest we make like water out of a hose and get out of here!" Ra shouted. Indeed, as everyone saw the evil giantess closing in fast, they all beat it as fast as they could onto the cloudy surface. As they ran outside, Galaxia swung the door wide open, almost breaking it off its hinges.
"Fools! Nobody escapes Galaxia's castle!" Galaxia shouted as she stomped after the group.

Serenity, Endymion, Rini, and their new friend, Ra, climbed down the beanstalk as fast as they could, eventually making it back to ground level.
"Whew... we made it!" Rini said.
"Yes, but what about Galaxia?" Serenity said.
"I fear it won't be long before she catches up. Look!" Endymion said. He pointed up where he saw the gigantic Galaxia climbing down the beanstalk herself.
"What will we do!?" Rini said.
"Maybe if I..." Ra said. Thinking of another idea, Ra spread one of his golden wings and then ran towards the beanstalk itself. He used his feathers to gradually cut the bottom of the beanstalk. Finally, the beanstalk started to bend over away from the home of Rini and her parents.
"Timber!!" Ra shouted. Galaxia watched as the beanstalk started to crash towards the ground.
"No! NO!!" Galaxia shouted. She landed flat on her back with a resounding boom and dirt being kicked up in all directions from the landing.
The normal-sized heroes looked at the unconscious Galaxia as the dust settled down.
"Whoa... what a hard landing that must've been." Serenity said.
"The important thing is that we have survived. Our entire family." Endymion said. Both Rini and Ra walked up to Galaxia's face.
"Wow! We did it! We beat the evil empress!" Rini said as she and Ra jumped up and down in celebration. And everyone would go on to live happily ever after. ^______^

Until Galaxia's eyes opened up!
(insert dramatic sting music!)

"Rini! Watch out!!" Serenity shouted as she was the first to catch Galaxia regaining her consciousness. Before Rini and Ra could make any kind of moves, however, Galaxia reached down and grabbed both in one of her hands. Galaxia sat up while Serenity and Endymion scrambled to get out of the giantess's sight.
"Insolent worms! Did you really think you could defeat me so easily!? I am the evil empress Galaxia! I fall to nothing!!" Galaxia said. She then tossed the two towards the house. Because of the angle she threw both victims, Rini was able to land safely (but still letting out an ouch) in a bale of hay. Ra, however, crashed through one of the house walls.
Galaxia then stood back up to her full height and realized where she was at after looking over how small the house was.
"Their fates matter no longer to me. What's more important is that I am back on the surface of the planet, and I will finally enact my revenge on those that banished me 15 years ago! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Galaxia said, stomping towards the village out in the distance as her evil laugh echoed in all directions.

Serenity and Endymion watched as the giantess made her way to the village.
"That village doesn't stand a chance..." Endymion said.
"What about Rini? Rini!? Are you okay?" Serenity said as she ran towards the bale of hay. Luckily she didn't have to dig through it because Rini managed to crawl her way out of the pile. She was coughing out hay, but she looked to be okay.
"Rini? Are you alright?" Serenity asked.
"Yes... but what about Ra!? Where did he go?" Rini asked.
"Over here!" Endymion said. He and the two ladies ran inside their home where they saw Ra laying against one of the walls. He looked badly bruised and covered in scratch marks. Rini rushed over to his side, cradling his head onto her lap.
"Ra! Ra! You're going to be okay!" Rini said.
"(cough cough) No, Rini... I'm afraid not. That crash did a number on me. I can feel my strength fading." Ra said.
"No, please! You can't die!" Rini said.
"Be strong, Rini. Only you can defeat the evil empress..." Ra said.

That's when he closed his eyes, permanently. Already tears were coming down Rini's eyes.
"Please... don't go, Ra!" Rini said. Then all of a sudden, Ra's body began to glow brightly, especially the golden wings.
"Wha... what?" Rini said, watching as several golden sparkles began to surround Rini's body.

The giant villainess, Galaxia, wasted no time in bringing destruction to the tiny village. In fact, right when she arrived, she raised one of her boots and completely crushed one of the houses into many pieces. The villagers ran like crazy, dodging both the flying debris as well as the mighty giantess herself.
"Fee fi fo fum! The empress has returned to bring you eternal doom!" Galaxia said with an evil smile on her face. She raised her boot and crushed another house, further terrifying the panicking crowd. It especially made Galaxia happy when she saw some of these people scrambling to get away from her boots as they ran around them. As Galaxia kicked a statue off the water fountain, she reached down and picked up the blue haired girl we know as Amy. Amy got down on her knees and pleaded with the giantess.
"Please! I want to live! I want to live!" Amy shouted.
"So do I, little girl. And I have a reputation to build on this land too." Galaxia said. She then opened her mouth and dangled Amy over it.
"No! Please! Noooooo!" Amy screamed as she felt herself falling inside Galaxia's mouth and entering total darkness. Galaxia rubbed her stomach area as she felt the tiny girl slide down her digestive tract.
"Ahhhh... thank goodness the humans taste just as good as they did in that wretched sky world." Galaxia said.

After a couple more minutes of crushing houses and innocent people (if she didn't decide to eat them instead), Galaxia stopped her destruction run when she looked down by her boots and recognized a familiar face.
"Hahaha! Kakyuu! It has been far too long." Galaxia said. Indeed, the mayor of the village was standing bravely at the feet of the evil giantess. Her determined face told Galaxia that she had no intention of running away from her.
"You monster! You dare show yourself to my village again? It's especially cowardly for you to show up at the size you're at!" Kakyuu shouted. Galaxia simply stomped a couple times in place, shaking the ground and causing Kakyuu to lose her balance.
"Ha! Spewing empty threats as always. If anything, you should be lucky I didn't return a couple years later... then I'd be big enough to crush your village in one stomp!" Galaxia said. Kakyuu gulped nervously, as Galaxia's words painted a horrifying picture in her mind. She slightly backed away, only for Galaxia to stomp the ground again and knock Kakyuu off her feet.
"And speaking of crushing you in one stomp, it's time I expired you like I should've done 15 years ago!" Galaxia said. She raised her boot high in the air, leaving Kakyuu to look up at the massive object as it blocked out all sunlight.
But Galaxia stopped lowering her foot when she heard a loud voice behind her.
"That's enough, evil empress!" the childish voice said. Galaxia turned around and was stunned over what she saw.
"WHAT IN BLAZES!?" Galaxia said.

It was Rini... but with many changes. First and foremost, she was gigantic! While she wasn't as big as Galaxia herself, she looked to be only about 20 feet shorter. Second, she was now wearing a gold sailor fuku (as if she were Sailor Chibi-Moon but gold instead of pink, including the boots), and on her back were the same golden wings that the downed Ra had sported.
"I thought I made mush out of you! And how did you get so big?" Galaxia said.
"Remember my friend? The one with golden wings named Ra? He believes in me... just like everyone in this village will believe in me! I will stop your reign of terror no matter what!" Rini shouted.
"Bah! Even if you have grown in size, you are just a child! What can you possibly do against an evil empress like me!?" Galaxia said.
"Just this!" Rini said. She then stretched her wings out and actually shot a few golden feathers towards the evil giantess. Galaxia dodged all but the last feather, which knicked her on her right arm and left a scratch mark.
"Hmmm... you have spunk, little girl. En garde!" Galaxia said as she now focused her attention on the gigantic Rini. She charged headlong towards the smaller and younger giantess, but Rini was able to dodge the attack by leaping high in the air, flipping once and then landing on her two feet, cleverly with the fountain between her golden boots. Galaxia stopped her running but not before crushing a couple more houses that were in her path.
"Very clever, little girl, but let's see you deal with this!" Galaxia said. She then held out one of her hands and magically summoned a sword. Rini gasped, but quickly struck back a look of confidence.
"Don't worry, evil one! I've got my own weapon to fight back." Rini said. Suddenly, her Pink Moon Stick appeared in mid-air, swirling around for a few seconds and then landing in one of Rini's open hands. The two giantesses then charged for each other and began clashing weapons at each other, the clangs from the weapons ringing throughout the air. The many people still alive in the village did all they could to avoid the boots of both giantesses as they moved all around the village grounds, including the mayor, who prayed that the young girl would pull through and come out victorious.

Eventually, though, Galaxia pulled a couple clever moves and managed to get close to Rini, kneeing her in the stomach.
"Ooooh!" Rini said as she stumbled backwards and then fell to the ground, crushing the mayor's house with her behind. As she was rubbing her backside and groaning in pain, she suddenly saw the tip of Galaxia's sword pointed right between her eyes.
"You will not stop me, meddlesome brat! Once I kill you, my evil will spread beyond this village and I will rule more villages. Maybe even the entire world!" Galaxia said.
"You're just like all those villains Mommy told me in my bedtime stories. Declaring victory before they've truly won!" Rini said.
"What?" Galaxia said.
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Rini said as she pointed her stick towards Galaxia. A huge stream of light pink hearts came flying out of the stick and they all slammed into Galaxia's face.
"Arrgh! I can't see!" Galaxia said as she frantically fought off the hearts. By the time she cleared most of them out, Galaxia had no time to block an incoming kick from a backflip Rini was pulling off! Galaxia took the hit and, like Rini before, fell backwards and crashed to the ground, landing on top of debris from a house she crushed earlier. Galaxia quickly got back on her feet, angrier than ever.
"No one defeats the empress Galaxia!" she said. The villainess started to charge forward again, but had to stop when Rini started to glow with energy as she held her Pink Moon Stick up in the air.
"For my friends... For my village!" Rini said as the stick glowed brighter and brighter. Her golden wings also glowed very bright as well.
"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Rini shouted as she spun rapidly and then shot several pink hearts towards Galaxia, all of them bigger and more powerful than the hearts from the previous attack.
"Noooooooooooooo!!!" Galaxia said as she covered herself from the hearts.

At first she didn't feel anything, but then she felt herself breaking through an imaginary giant heart.
"Lovely..." Galaxia said as she felt her strength fading fast. She collapsed down to her knees and then down to her side. As her head hit the ground, her golden helmet came flying off, revealing her long blonde hair as it unfurled before everyone's eyes. Galaxia then closed her eyes for the final time in her life.

As the citizens of the village slowly came out of hiding and looked at the fallen Galaxia, they started to cheer for the young giantess with golden wings, Rini. The cheers started out soft but they soon became just about the only noise to be heard in the village.
"I... I... I did it!" Rini said. She couldn't believe it herself, but even with the help of a power given to her by her friend from the sky world (Ra), Rini had done the unthinkable, which was defeat the evil empress Galaxia. Rini looked down and saw her tiny parents running up to her golden boots.
"Rini! Rini!" Serenity said. Rini reached down and gently picked up both her parents.
"Mommy! Daddy! Did you see that?" Rini asked.
"We did. We saw it all from the roof of our home. We're so proud of you." Endymion said.
"Oh Rini, my beloved daughter. I'm so proud of you!" Serenity said. Before Rini could respond to those loving comments, she suddenly felt her body tingling.
"Hey, I feel kinda funny..." Rini said. After her golden wings glowed almost as bright as the sunlight, what happened next was very fast. First, Rini shrunk quickly back down to her normal size, placing Serenity and Endymion down on the ground just before she was back to her regular size (simultaneously feeling bummed because she thought it was neat being bigger than everyone and everything, including her parents!). And then, her golden wings and her new outfit vanished, returning her to her normal clothes. In fact, the outfit and the wings flew high into the air. At the same exact time, the evil empress Galaxia disappeared after her golden armor shined as brightly as the two items. After rising several feet into the air, both items and the sparkles that came from Galaxia's fading body exploded into a shower of gold coins!

The people of the village gasped over seeing this much money raining down right at their feet, but they began scooping up whatever amount of coins they could, loudly celebrating over their sudden newfound wealth. Of course, even Serenity and Endymion were happy to see all the gold coins even as they continued to rain down from the sky.
"Oh, Endymion! Look at all these coins! We're rich!" Serenity said.
"Yes, and so is everyone else in the village. What a turn of events this is, but no longer will we be living in poverty." Endymion said as he hugged and kissed his wife.

While this was going on, Rini looked behind her after she felt a hand touching her shoulder. The hand belonged to the very happy mayor of the village, Kakyuu.
"Rini, this town is forever in your debt. With your courageous demeanor and magical powers of the sky world, you have defeated the evil empress and brought great happiness to everyone." Kakyuu said.
"Thank you, Mayor Kakyuu, but I didn't do it alone. I had friends." Rini said.
"Oh, is that so?" Kakyuu said. Rini nodded.
"Ra. Saphir. Everyone in the sky world trapped in Galaxia's castle. Without their love and support, along with everyone in this village, I would never have been able to defeat her. So I say thank you to everyone." Rini said.
"Well spoken... Small Lady. Now go and be with your family." Kakyuu said, smiling as much as Rini did.

Rini joined with her parents in celebrating both the defeat of Galaxia and the showering of gold coins that instantly ended their poverty. And now we can safely say everyone lived happily ever after! ^_____^

END