ACT 13
For the first time sense she had turned into a six year old Sets-chan, Haruka-san and Michiru-san were allowing me to watch Hotaru-chan letting me re-bond with my first and best friend besides Luna-chan and Artemis-kun of course here in the past. "Can we go the Crown to see Motoki-san and Nephrite-san, Chibiusa-chan," Hotaru asked me after we had left a store we had passed that had lamps in the window and Hotaru-chan had wanted to go inside which made me smile because it was clear to me her old habit of collecting them still lived on even now, even if she didn't truly remember anything about what had happened before she had been turned into an infant. "Hey Motoki, N-Akai," I said greeting the two, almost saying Nephrite before I saw a group of young girls all around my own age hovered around an arcade game shooter.
There were four of them each dressed in knee length sleeveless dresses and boots, the girl playing the arcade shooter was dressed in red her hairstyle reminded me of Rei's, she even seemed to have that same fiery passion behind her soft brown eyes as she concentrated on the screen. Right behind her the second girl the tallest of the group dressed in green shouting encouragement her hair reminding me a lot of Makoto's even her eyes had the same kind of determination in them. The third girl was dressed in blue and was the smallest of the group, and her hair reminded me so much of Ami's it was almost scary, while the fourth girl dressed in pink had a hairstyle that reminded me of Minako's though she didn't seem to be very interested in the game though she did smile at myself and Hotaru-chan just as the girl in red shouted out, "ah man," as I heard a voice on the arcade machine say, "game over."
"Who are those four Motoki," I asked feeling some strange connection to them, as if I should know them. "They are here promoting that new circus that is in the center of the city," Nephrite not Motoki said pointing to a poster. "The Dead Moon Circus," Hotaru-chan said smiling as she looked at the bright colors and clowns on the poster. "It would be fun," I said in agreement knowing I would be asking Mamoru and Usagi about it. "I bet it would be fun to be in the circus when I grew up," Hotaru-chan said making me chuckle. "Grown up," the girl dressed in red said amusement clear in her voice causing me, Hotaru-chan, Motoki and Nephrite to startle in surprise as she and her three friends where now standing right next to myself and Hotaru-chan. "Why do you want to grow up," the one dressed in blue said in a soft tone. "Yea, stay a kid, trust me it is more fun," the one dressed in green said. "All your dreams come to you in childhood," the last of the girls, the one wearing pink said with a wink as the other three nodded and together they left leaving myself, Hotaru-chan, Motoki and Nephrite to simply look at where they had been thinking about there strange words to us.
{ PGSM SuperS }
"You wished to speak with me my Queen," Zirconia said standing before the mirror that held her master Neherenia. "The mirror of dreams in which Pegasus hides is affected by the Golden Crystal," she said her voice soft, even it was clear to tell she was very cold and calculating. The mirror itself should have a golden glimmer. You understand, Zirconia? The Golden Mirror," she asked. Find, and capture, the one with a golden mirror of dreams," she commanded. "Hai," Zirconia said bowing her head. "There should not be many people with beautiful dreams left. I am sure that soon Pegasus shall fall into our hands." "Use those four girls well," Neherenia said, "However never let them catch you off your guard," she added her shadow vanishing from the mirror. "As you wish, true queen of the moon, our beautiful Lady Neherenia," Zirconia said bowing once again before leaving the room in the very back of the tent where the Mirror holding the Dead Moon's queen was kept.
"Dream, dream, do not doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have," a group of performers said surrounding four girls as if chanting it along with the four girls time and time again until. "Quite," Zirconia yelled causing the figures to leave the four girls dressed in red, blue, pink and green alone. The girl in pink held out a yellow colored orb in front of her changing her appearance. She now had pinkish eyes and hair with a ball shaped bun on the top of her head held by yellow ribbons, and was wearing a light and dark purplish-pink bikini like top with flower design in the center of the chest and at the center of her neck on a collar from which the strings of her top came from. While also having a yellow skirt that lies over her tights and of course matching shoes. "CereCere, the master of flowers," she said introducing herself.
The girl in blue was next her blue orb changing her appearance as well. She now had blue eyes and hair kept in a blue shaped bun at the top of her head with bits of her hair kept in colored strings of blue and red with tiny balls at the end. She was now wearing a blue corset with a ball design and small yellow ruffles at the end with a pair of lighter blue tights as well as matching shoes. ParaPara, the ball-rider," she said in introduction. Next was the girl in green whose dark green orb made her eyes and hair green, her hair being held up in a tight ponytail by brown looking ropes and she was wearing golden hoop like earrings, while wearing a revealing green top also with brown straps and an Indian like green sash over green tights and of course her matching shoes. "JunJun, the acrobat," was her introduction. Finally the girl in red allowed her red orb to change her appearance as well.
She now had red eyes and red hair kept in a very lose ponytail held in spots by golden hair bands the first closest to her head having red jewels within it. She also had large golden earrings covering her ears with a red bikini kike top held by golden strings that attached to a black choker around her neck and matching tights and shoes that like all of the other girls where boots. VesVes, the beast-tamer," she said before as one all the girls as one said, "The Amazoness Quartet, is here," as Zicronia inwardly flinched at how similar their introductions where to those of the Senshi though she didn't allow this emotion to show. "You are late. What were you doing for all of this time," Zirconia questioned the four. "And what do YOU want, old hag, Zirconia," JunJun asked in a challenging manor. "You know, we are busier than you think," CereCere added seeming bored and uninterested about what was going on.
"If you want something from us, just hurry up and tell us," VesVes said her arms crossed in defiance. "In other words, I am too busy playing around," ParaPara said more interested in her orb than Zirconia or what she was saying. "Idiots," Zirconia yelled so loudly that her voice echoed with power throughout the tent causing all four of the members of the Amazoness Quartet to shutter and shrink back from the sheer force of what Zirconia had just said. "You were not awakened just so that you could go play," Zirconia said to the four. What happened to your search for the one who Pegasus is hiding in," Zirconia asked her eyes narrowing at the four. "Nothing came of it," JunJun said. "We have no reason to follow your orders," CereCere added. "I hate being told what to do," ParaPara added. "Do you really mean that," Zirconia said her voice taking on a very dangerous tone.
"Then, what would you do," JunJun challenged as Zirconia's grip upon her staff clinched as her eyes narrowed at the four. "You give me no choice. If telling you won't convince you," Zirconia said spreading her arms outward. "Oh my, are you really going to try," JunJun said sounding interested in the possibility of a fight. "Interesting," VesVes said holding her orb between her two hands as she crouched as if ready to pounce. "Then, I'll take the title of the ringmaster," VesVes declared before shouting out, "Ball… ball… Attack," launching herself into the air with a spin and going straight towards Zirconia who held out her hand as VesVes's red energy met with the dark purplish-black of Zirconia causing a bright light to fill the room that JunJun, CereCere, and ParaPara could not look at because it was so bright. For just a moment it seemed that VesVes was actually going to win before Zirconia closed her eyes and sent VesVes flying backwards knocking her and the other three members of the Amazoness Quartet to the ground.
"They are strong, if all four came after me at once, I would be in danger," Zirconia thought to herself as the four recovered JunJun saying that the four had screwed up while ParaPara complained about a scrape on her leg while CereCere said she shouldn't cry over something so small. "There! Do you see where you stand now," Zirconia said to the four her tone much more confident than the voice inside her head. Finishing you off is like twisting a baby's arm," she said looking down on the four almost smiling to see the fear, and in JunJun and VesVes's cases a bit of defiance in their gazes. "You shall go find who the Pegasus is hiding inside right now, do you understand," Zirconia said to the four as a picture floated down to them landing before VesVes. "Eh? What is this," she said recognizing the young girl in the photo. "This girl is the one who was in the karaoke earlier. Who's going to go," she asked looking around at her comrades. "You screwed up, so you should go," JunJun said. "Oh I see," she said rolling her eyes. "Fine, I get it. I have to go right," she said standing up with the picture in her hand she vanished as her red orb floated out of the tent.
{ PGSM SuperS }
"Ah there you two are," a voice said from behind myself and Hotaru-chan as I was walking her back home both of us turning to see the girl who wore red from earlier standing their with a smile holding a thick stack of what looked like tickets in her left hand, as she flipped her hairstyle so similar to Rei's out of her eyes in nervousness. "You know, how me and my friends said something strange at the karaoke," she said shyly looking down at her feet. "Well, we meant no harm from it." "What do you want," I asked her. "Here, take this," she said holding out the stack of tickets that I could now see where for the Dead Moon Circus. "Amazing! So many tickets to the circus," Hotaru-chan said with a large smile, and I couldn't help but feel a little excited myself at the thought of it. "I'll give these to you guys," the young girl said. "But, we can't take these," Hotaru-chan said.
"Don't be shy," the young girl said. "I have so many of these, because I am a performers their myself," she said putting the tickets into Hotaru's hands. "You can go watch with all of your friends. You should go and have fun," she said with a bow before walking away. "Let's go tell Haruka-papa, Setsuna-mama and Michiru-mama," Hotaru-chan said with a smile. "Hai, and it looks like we have enough tickets that I can tell Mamo-chan, Usagi-chan and Luna-chan as well," "Hai," Hotaru-chan agreed looking at all the tickets. "Even Ami-san, Rei-san, Makoto-san, Minako-san, Motoki-san and Artemis-san can come if they want," Hotaru-chan said as I nodded and we walked away never hearing the young woman who had given us the tickets start to chuckle darkly. "Dream, dream, do not doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have," she whispered a smirk playing across her lips.
{ PGSM SuperS }
When Chibi-usa and Hotaru-chan had first asked us about going to the circus the girls, Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna all thought it was a bad idea. But I talked to them all and convinced them all that we needed this in order to unwind, as I pointed out that they had all been far to tense sense what had happened to me, as well as the fate of the Amazon Trio. Surprisingly Mamoru, Nephrite Luna, Artemis and even Kunzite where on my side and between the six of us as well as Chibi-usa and Hotaru unleashing way to cute little pouts and puppy dog eyes, well all of my Senshi never stood a chance. "Wow, I never realized just how large this tent was," Rei-chan said from Minako's side, Minako-chan only nodding in reply as she looked up at the multi-colored tent. "I wonder why all the colors are so dark," Setsuna commented. "I would guess it is a theme circus with their strange name, so the dark colors are all part of the atmosphere they create," Kunzite had replied as Setsuna nodded. "Still, its not all dark colors," Michiru said as various clowns greeted all the guests with flowers in bright and vibrant colors including us.
"For the pretty lady," a young woman said giving a large comical yellow flower to Michiru. "Hey now, that is my girlfriend not yours," Haruka said playfully drawing Michiru to her side the smaller of the two only rolling her eyes though she was smiling so I knew she wasn't mad, though I almost laughed to see the clown who had given the flower to Michiru turn an interesting shade of pink before walking away into the crowd. "Come on lets go find our seats," Mamoru said, "good idea," I added as we all headed into the tent only to find we had some rather good seats that though they where not quite front row still got us fairly close to the center ring, and as the lights dimmed we all took our seats excited to watch the show that The Dead Moon Circus was about to perform.
Haruka it seemed was right that The Dead Moon Circus used a theme, all of the performers seemed a little mysterious and dark, spooky in a way but not overly scary. I had to admit though that whoever the makeup artist or artists may be he, she or they were amazingly talented. In the center ring one of the performers was doing magic tricks while high above on a swing, a performer whose skin had been painted blue and was wearing a pink tutu with a large comical teddy bear head was swinging back and forth on a swing, and she and the rest of the circus it seemed where so sure of her skills that she didn't even use a net while doing this. "Usagi-chan," "Hime," Chibi-usa said in one ear while Haruka said the latter in the other. "You noticed it to Haruka-san," Chibi-usa said. "Hai, Hotaru-chan is acting very strangely we should go after her," and I nodded getting all the other girls. "Be careful, myself Nephrite and Kunzite will be there only if you need us," Mamoru said and I nodded giving him a kiss on the cheek as I followed everyone else out of the tent…
Hotaru walked out of the tent towards the Amazoness Quartet her eyes clouded over as if she had been hypnotized. "Their you are," VesVes said letting her red orb float before her as she pulled what appeared to be a pool cue from seemingly nowhere. "Now let' look at your mirror of dreams," she said before yelling out, "Colliding Ball," striking her red orb with the cue stick causing it to bounce around Hotaru, hitting her in the back causing her dream mirror to come out of her chest spinning for a few moment in a white light before showing the pink mirror with a blue bow. "That is not the Golden Mirror," VesVes said. "Wait a disappointment," CereCere added. "That old hag Zirconia sent us on a wild goose chase it would seem," JunJun said. "Now what should we do," ParaPara asked.
"Not so fast," myself and the other girls yelled out. "We are the guardians of love and justice, the Sailor Senshi! And in the name of the moon we shall punish you," we all yelled out as one. "I see, so you are the Sailor Senshi that the old hag Zirconia was talking about," the girl with green hair and eyes said. "I am glad we are able to meet you," the girl with pink hair and eyes added. "But I am not happy about it," the one with blue hair and eyes said almost as if she where whining. "You're an honest girl," the pink one replied with a laugh. "It is nice of you to come out, but we won't let you get in our way," the red girl said turning her pool cue into a whip. "Because my beast is rather hungry right now." "Rather hungry right now," I said as all the other girls looked at the four just as confused as I was. "Come here, my Remless," she said striking the ground with her whip as her shadow extended. "Garagara-musume, the dream-snake eater," she yelled out as the shadow turned into a snake like Remless. "Garagara-musume, eat up her dream while it is still fresh," the one in red said as the Remless did just that, its snake like mouth on its chest actually swallowing Hotaru's mirror.
"Hotaru-chan's mirror of dreams," Chibi-usa yelled out as the Remless' more human face said, "thanks for the meal." "How dare you," Chibi-usa said rushing forward and actually jumping onto the more snake like face of the Remless. Holding its mouth open with her arms and legs telling the Remless to give Hotaru's mirror of dreams back. "What do we do, we can't attack with Chibi-Moon in the way," Minako-chan asked as Hotaru-chan slammed her fist into a nearby trailer in frustration. "To think that the mirror of dreams of that girl was so important," the green girl said. "I would rather you thank us for getting rid of something that was unnecessary," the pink one added. "Hotaru-chan's dreams… are not unnecessary things," Chibi-usa said actually trying to reach inside of the snake to retrieve her mirror, before the Remless actually moved in a way to throw Chibi-usa from its mouth, "Chibi-Moon," I yelled out rushing to her side.
"How dare you do that," Rei-chan said yelling out, "Fire Soul," though she wasn't alone as I heard Haruka yell out "Space Sword Blaster," the two attacks burning and cutting the Remless who recoiled in pain. "Chibi-Moon," I whispered to her seeing she was alright and with a nod she said, "Pegasus! Help protect everyone's dreams! Twinkle Yell!" as the Crystal Carillion chimed three times and the Pegasus appeared. "Is that," the one in red said, "Pegasus," the one in blue added all four of the girls admiring his beauty as I allowed the power of the Pegasus to come into my and the Kaleido-Moon Scope as I said, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation," as the rainbow of colors struck the Remless that yelled, "Stage Out," before vanishing leaving Hotaru's mirror of dreams to float in the air before returning to her body. "Darn it," the girl in red said as the four girls seemed to vanish into their orbs that floated away into the sky Chibi-usa looking after them strangely as Ami-chan said, "they disappeared."
"Are you ok, Hotaru-chan," Chibi-usa asked as the youngest of my senshi nodded. "I'm glad," Haruka said taking her into her arms. "Haruka-papa, put me down," Hotaru-chan said giggling but Haruka only nodded her head no as both Setsuna and Michiru came over to the two as well, making me smile at how protective all three of them where of the yet to be awakened soldier of death and rebirth.
{ PGSM SuperS }
"So that was Pegasus," VesVes said. "He was very beautiful, ne," CereCere added. "You almost have to admire that little senshi though," JunJun said. "Hai, it was strange though wasn't it." "We shall have to study the relationship Pegasus has with the Senshi closely," CereCere said as ParaPara, JunJun and VesVes all nodded their heads in agreement…
"Those little brats will someday seriously start to think…" Zirconia said to her queen whose shadow was within the mirror that now pulsated with red, green, yellow and blue energy. "About things that they should not remember. Is that alright? In any case, they may turn out to be a threat," Zirconia added as an afterthought. "Leave them be," Queen Neherenia said. "Let them do as they wish, in the matter that they want to do them in," she added her tone final and full of authority. "All you have to do is to look over them," Neherenia added. "Hai, I understand," Zirconia said with a bow. "Very well. All you have to do is stay quite, and listen to what I have to say," Neherenia said stepping away from her mirror back into the prison within it.
She truly was beautiful. With pale cream like skin and long black hair that fell in waves down her back despite being tied up in tow orb shaped buns at the top of her head. She whore a silver chain tiara that connected to a black onyx oval that was surrounded by a silver crescent moon design. A black pearl chocker with a olden inlay between another smaller set of black pearls covered her neck which had four small black onyx beads attached by small strings that ran down her upper chest. She was wearing a black princess style dress with an off white overlay that was separate from the black underneath but attached just under the bust line. "What I, Nehelenia the true queen of the moon, has to say," she said looking up at the vast nothingness above her as the connection to Zirconia that she had made was ended. "Serenity… Is it your protectors who now stand in my way," she said her tone changing holding sadness, and regret as a single tear fell from her eyes that had a golden slit iris surrounded by what appeared to be finely spun silver threat that resembled a perfect oval.
{ N O T E }
And so ends Act 13. There is a lot to digest with this act of my story, starting with what I hope is the new and improved Amazoness Quartet all the way to Queen Neherenia's strange behavior at the end of this act; with all the Hotaru-chan being the target goodness to be found in between. My next act will be, interesting to say the least, but I will say this much, I am only getting started!
So until my next act,
I remain a . . .
KuRSeofTime