Chapter 4: Earth and Uranus
Once again, Luna and Artemis were out searching for more new Sailor Senshi to awaken. Mirabelle had driven them to the outdoor mall area where they were going to look, but she had wandered off in search of the comic book store, which frequently sold anime DVDs and merchandise as well as American comic books. Luna and Artemis decided to split up, so as to cover more ground in their search. Luna first decided to check at the playground area, as she had the faint sense that someone with a Senshi aura was around there.
Luna's guess turned out to be correct. She looked up as she saw a stocky girl with short purple hair who was using the swings. She could sense the golden aura around this girl, a Senshi aura that meant that this girl was specifically the protector of the Earth itself. Luna watched as the girl jumped off of the swing, and Luna was unsure whether it was appropriate for her to approach this girl in a place like this with other children and their parents around. Would she be able to follow this girl to a more secluded area like she had done with the Summers sisters, the way she and Artemis had approached them when they were alone in the bathroom at the bookstore?
"Oh! What a cute cat!" the girl exclaimed, speaking with yet another different accent that Luna didn't recognize. It sounded somewhat similar to the way Mirabelle and Jeanette talked, but still obviously different, and it also sounded rather high-class, as if this girl was from a well-bred, wealthy family. The girl started to approach Luna, extending a hand to see if Luna would like to sniff it. "I won't hurt you, cat. I could be your friend. Do you have a home, or are you a stray?" Luna stared at the purple-haired girl, unsure whether or not to reveal that she could, in fact, talk back and respond to her questions. She decided to at least be friendly towards the girl, so she sniffed the girl's hand and let the girl pet her on the head.
"You don't have a collar, so that must mean you're a stray! I've never had a pet of my own before, but maybe I can keep you? I can get you some ice cream here, you cats like milk, right? Ice cream is kind of like milk, only it's frozen and much sweeter," the girl continued, still talking to Luna even though she was not aware that Luna could actually understand her. Luna let the girl pick her up, hoping that she would take her to someplace more secluded so that Luna could tell her about the Sailor Senshi.
Meanwhile, Artemis had sensed yet another Senshi near an outdoor ice cream stand. He saw her sitting at a table, eating a vanilla ice cream cone while reading from a textbook. He noticed that she was sitting alone and that there wasn't anyone else nearby, so he felt confident that he could try to talk to her without alerting others.
"Hello. You may be surprised to see a cat talking, but I'm real and I have something to say to you," he whispered to her. The young woman looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from, and then she spotted Artemis sitting next to her chair.
"Are you truly a talking cat? If you are, then you can answer that question," she said coolly, speaking with a Welsh accent.
"Yes, I am, but I'm trying to be quiet because I don't want to draw unwanted attention from others besides you. My name is Artemis, and I would like to know yours," Artemis said.
"My name is Spectra Magic. What do you want to tell me, Artemis, that is so secret that you only want me to hear? I would like to know how you are able to speak English, because normally cats cannot speak human languages," Spectra said.
"I'm not a typical cat. I have some powers that other cats do not, and you, too, have powers that normal humans do not have. You are one of the Sailor Senshi, and you must use this wand to transform," Artemis explained. He then did a small twirl and produced a wand that had a dark blue stick and a golden top. On the top was the symbol of the planet Uranus. Spectra picked up the wand and looked it over, trying to figure out what it was made of. She had remembered reading about the Sailor Senshi in the newspaper, and while she was skeptical, she also knew that the newspaper wasn't likely to include hoax articles. The fact that a talking cat was before her and that this cat had produced a strange wand seemingly out of nowhere were also factors that made Spectra consider that these Sailor Senshi might be real.
"So this will turn me into a Sailor Senshi, which, according to the newspaper articles about them, they are able to use abilities that normal people don't have, and they were seen fighting monsters that were threatening people. What will happen if I use this wand and become a Sailor Senshi?" Spectra asked.
"You will gain the ability to become Sailor Uranus and be able to fight monsters and villains with magic powers. You can try the wand for yourself if you'd like. To transform, you have to say 'Uranus Power, Make Up' and concentrate on wanting to transform while holding that wand," Artemis explained. He then paused, noticing that someone he recognized was nearby, along with another potential Sailor Senshi. He then took off towards the ice cream stand, where Violet was waiting in line and holding Luna. Spectra stared at him in confusion and annoyance, as she still had questions for him about this whole Sailor Senshi business.
"It's another cute kitty! Do you want some ice cream too?" Violet asked when she saw Artemis at her feet. She then gasped, surprised as Luna leaped out of her arms and landed on the ground next to Artemis, who looked like he was waving with his paw. Luna nodded in a very human-like way to Artemis, waved with her paw at Violet, and then the two of them ran off to one of the tables near the ice cream stand. Violet followed them, curious about the way the two cats were acting, with such human-like gestures.
"Good, I'm glad you followed me. I don't think talking cats are normal in..."
"You're TALKING cats?! This is sooo exciting! I always thought it would be fun if animals could talk like people too so I could talk to them too!" Violet squealed happily, cutting Luna off.
"Then please listen to what we have to say. You are Sailor Earth, one of the Sailor Senshi whose job is to protect this planet from evil," Luna said, and then she did one of her magical flips, producing a yellow wand that matched the blue one Spectra had.
"I read about them in the newspaper! They sound so amazing!" Violet gushed.
"Now that you came back, I want to ask you some questions. First of all, how are you choosing these people to be Sailor Senshi? Shouldn't you be searching the military or martial arts schools for warriors, not loud children like her or students like me who are too busy to spend time chasing after magical monsters?" Spectra demanded.
"We don't really pick the Sailor Senshi ourselves, we just find them by their auras. Only 16 special girls have the ability to become the Sailor Senshi, girls who were chosen by destiny to possess the magical abilities that can save the world from evil," Luna explained.
"There's no such thing as destiny. And if there was, it wouldn't choose just anyone, it would choose people who are at least already have some experience at fighting," Spectra scoffed. Before Luna or Artemis could retort, all four of them heard screams coming from the ice cream stand. Before their eyes, a young girl with long red curls was hit by a blue energy beam that shot out of a blue sphere that a teenage girl with long blue hair was holding.
"It's just like before! She must be with those other girls who were turning innocent people into monsters!" Artemis exclaimed. The little redhead screamed in pain as she dropped her ice cream cone and blue light swirled around her, transforming her into a monster that looked like a giant cone of pink strawberry ice cream with an angry face and hands holding ice cream scoops.
"How dare you do that to an innocent girl enjoying her ice cream! In the name of the Earth, I will punish you!" Violet declared angrily, pointing at the blue-haired girl who had created the ice cream monster. She held up her new transformation wand high, not caring who saw what she was doing and called out the words that would give her the power to defeat evil. "Earth Power, Make Up!" Spectra stared in surprise as a yellow light flashed over Violet's stocky body, turning her clothes into a Sailor Senshi outfit. She had the usual white bodysuit and gloves, her collar and skirt were yellow, and her chest and backside were adorned with dark green bows. On her feet were yellow pumps that had yellow ribbons wrapping around her ankles like ballet slippers.
"You're not going to fight me. I'm leaving; I didn't find what I was looking for. Goodbye, little Sailor Senshi," the blue-haired girl said coldly, disappearing in a swirl of water and blue light. The newly transformed Sailor Earth tried to chase after her, but she was struck down by a giant glob of lemon ice cream that hit her in the back, thrown by the ice cream monster.
"Sailor Earth, you need to defeat the ice cream monster! If you do that, it will turn back into a regular human!" Luna shouted, and then she, Artemis and Spectra jumped out of the way as the ice cream monster threw another glob of ice cream at them, this one being chocolate flavored. They managed to dodge it, but it hit the table Spectra had been sitting at, causing her textbook to be covered in sticky ice cream. Spectra stared in horror at it for a moment, and then her pale blue eyes became cold and fierce as she glared at the monster.
"Uranus Power, Make Up!" she yelled, grabbing her new Senshi wand and transforming in a flash of deep blue lights. When she was finished transforming, she was wearing a Sailor Senshi outfit that was similar in style to Sailor Earth's, only her skirt, collar, boots and back bow were dark blue, and her front bow was golden yellow. Meanwhile, Sailor Earth had been trying to dodge the monster's ice cream blasts, and it seemed like her earlier eagerness to fight had lessened after the mysterious blue-haired girl had left.
"Luna! What will happen to that girl if I defeat it?" Sailor Earth asked breathlessly, pausing as the monster turned to face Sailor Uranus, whose transformation had distracted it. Instead of Luna, someone else answered her question.
"You won't hurt her. I know, because it happened to me too," said the newcomer, who was Sailor Neptune. She had been in the comic book store but she had seen the fight through the window and transformed to come help.
"That thing ruined my textbook. I will destroy it. Luna, how do I use my new powers?" Sailor Uranus asked coldly.
"You say 'World Shaking' to do your attack. Sailor Earth, say 'Mud Slap' to attack, and Sailor Neptune, your water powers will be a big help in melting that...MEEOOWW!" Luna shrieked, her orders to the Senshi interrupted as the ice cream monster shot a barrage of giant chocolate sprinkles at her, knocking her off the table.
"I'll protect the magic cat! Mud Slap!" yelled Sailor Earth, covering the ice cream monster's face with mud.
"World Shaking!" called Sailor Uranus, and a golden ball of energy appeared in her hand. She flung it at the monster at the same time as Sailor Neptune used her Deep Submerge, and the combined attacks destroyed the monster, leaving the little redhaired girl unharmed and back to normal. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the ice cream stand, which was now covered in sticky ice cream of various flavors. The Sailor Senshi realized that they would have to help clean up the mess, with Spectra silently vowing to get revenge on the mysterious blue-haired attacker for having ruined her school textbook.