Chapter Fifty-four: A Queen's Policy

Zirconia did not want to go anywhere near the mirror, so she stayed at the other end of the Dead Moon Circus' tent. The queen knew what had happened because she'd commanded Zirconia to save JunJun. She had not been pleased with what she'd watched.

Whenever Zirconia had dared to venture inside the mirror to face the weakened queen, she'd raked Zirconia into shreds.

At least Zirconia could keep the robots in her back pocket. They owed her; she'd whisked away the D3000 and the robot's leader before Sailor Neptune's attack could eradicate them.

Those teenage girls had failed, not Zirconia. The ringmaster had done her best with the little she'd been given. After all, the Amazoness Quartet were weak from slumbering in asteroids for centuries. Were still slumbering because they weren't fulfilling their destinies. At no point could the girls find out, making JunJun's defection to the Guardians more alarming.

Zirconia couldn't leave the queen alone. The queen would know. She was connected psychically to Zirconia, the Amazoness Quartet, and the Amazon Trio. There had been no hiding Tiger's Eye's death. Zirconia and the queen had felt his presence disappear. Which left Zirconia explaining Tiger's Eye's incompetence.

When things went wrong, Zirconia was left picking up the pieces.

Zirconia wanted to blame the queen for their kingdom's imploding before their eyes. If she did, she wouldn't leave that mirror alive.

She sighed. Might as well get her reaming over with.

Zirconia walked past the parrots, tigers, jaguars, gorillas screeching and howling and pounding against the cages. She stepped before the mirror that leaned on the tent. Let out a breath but remained tense. The queen would have her head.

Zirconia reached toward the mirror and uttered the chant, a lullaby that the queen, from the dark side of the moon, had heard Queen Serenity sing to the Moon Princess. A reminder of the mother Queen Nehellenia never had, of the Moon Kingdom being full of brightness and love, while Dead Moon was full of lifelessness and silence. More encouragement for Queen Nehellenia to deaden the Moon Kingdom.

The mirror liquefied, and Zirconia stepped inside. Darkness reigned, the way the queen liked her world.

The area darkened, becoming nearly pitch-black. No wonder the darkness of Kelp Forest hadn't bothered Zirconia. At least Queen Serenity had afforded Queen Nehellenia the luxury of choosing the decorations of the place that she'd be sealed in for millennia. It was teeming with skulls from those the queen had slaughtered while trying to overtake the Moon Kingdom.

Zirconia passed through a curtain, into a room with heaps of skulls lining the walls, stone on the ground instead of carpet, a throne at the back, where the queen sat, erect. Zircon was perched on the throne's back, the eyeball's wings spread, making the throne look more majestic. The throne was barely tall enough to contain Queen Nehellenia, her wavy black hair draped over its back. Her silks covered her legs and pooled on the floor, and her ice-blue eyes glinted in the darkness alongside the obsidian jewel upon her forehead. In her kingdom, the only light came from her.

"My servant." The queen stood, nearly dwarfing Zirconia. Her silks and her hair rustled upward. Zircon fluttered onto the queen's shoulder instead of Zirconia's. Even the eyeball knew how much trouble Zirconia was in.

Thanks to the replica of the Silver Crystal clutched in the queen's hand, the queen had seen everything. She didn't always watch—she'd told Zirconia that she trusted her servant. She might not trust Zirconia anymore.

The queen smiled. A chill rocked Zirconia. Foolish to think that the darkness would cover her shaking hands and sweat beading on her brow. The queen could see better in the dark than in the light.

"You've returned." She tightened her grip on the replica. "Would you mind telling me everything that happened?"

Zirconia gulped. The queen's eyes slid to her neck, watching the apple bob.

Zirconia told the queen about her meeting with the Quartet and the Trio. Told the queen that she'd gone to Kelp Forest to watch how the Quartet was doing. Then JunJun had saved Chibi-Usa's life.

"She defied you, Your Majesty." If Zirconia kneeled, would the queen be more merciful?

The queen's expression hardened. "You defied me, too."

"Y-Your Majesty?" Zirconia had done everything that the queen would want.

"I built the Amazoness Quartet into who they are, to obey my every whim. To help us, no matter what. Yet you tried to kill one of them. I don't care that she defied me. It is my punishment to give, not yours."

Zirconia bit her lip, glanced at the stone floor. Queen Nehellenia hadn't done a good job of "building" the Quartet if one had defied Dead Moon. She dared not voice her thoughts, or the queen would throw the ringmaster through the gates of hell herself.

"Continue."

Zirconia continued, her words jumbled. Told the queen about her search for JunJun and Chibi-Usa in the forest, to kill them both.

"You should've killed Sailor Chibi-Moon first. Instead, you focused on our own ally, one who could be…persuaded to return to our side."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but she could've defied us again. That seed would always be there."

"The sisters greatly influence one another. The other three could convince her to, once again, swear loyalty to Dead Moon. And I would use my own methods to bring her back to our side. Now, I want no more talking back from you. You've failed. You have no right to give suggestions now."

Zirconia continued, the words barely intelligible to her own ears. Told the queen about the rest of the Guardians dousing the fire.

"You seem to be forgetting the others. The ones who almost killed you."

Sweat cascaded down Zirconia's neck. "A toy…and a squirrel, they, well, the toy was supernatural. They're more powerful than the Guardians, those, those things under the sea."

The queen pursed her lips. "I see." Her voice was barely audible. Not good. The lower the queen's voice became, the more dangerous she grew.

If the Guardians and those animals were inside the mirror, the queen's home territory, then Dead Moon could overpower them.

Finally, an idea to get Zirconia back in the queen's good graces. "Your Majesty, let me lure them here. No one can stand against you in your home."

A grin stretched on the queen's face, her white teeth glinting. "I can kill them here, and the Moon Kingdom will be mine." Her expression hardened once more. "This is your last chance, Zirconia." She said nothing more. Didn't have to.

Why was Zirconia being threatened when the Amazoness Quartet had failed more often than she had? She bit her tongue to keep from risking her life more than she had.

If Zirconia lured JunJun inside the mirror, then Chibi-Moon would follow. By extension, the rest of the Guardians would come.

Perhaps Zirconia could use VesVes. She was hot-tempered but wielded power over the beasts. She'd been trying to tame the beasts in Kelp Forest. Had to check if she'd succeeded.

Not only did Zirconia have to keep the Amazoness Quartet from discovering anything more, but she also had to keep JunJun from awakening.

Everything rested on Zirconia's shoulders. Yet she could not fail.


Behind Ami, Mrs. Puff walked away, a camper alongside her. The pufferfish had remained mainly idle as the Guardians fought Zirconia and the flames. Had rescued a camper but hadn't tried to help the Guardians, the ranger, or Sandy.

Once Zirconia retreated, Mrs. Puff huffed and took the camper with her, throwing off Ami's offer to escort the two back to camp. Leaving only her, Minako, Chibi-Usa, Sandy, the ranger, the conch shell, and JunJun.

The way Zirconia had suffocated JunJun, the Dead Moon Circus member truly had turned her cloak. Just because she'd defied Dead Moon didn't mean that she was aligned with the Guardians. She might be using the team as protection since they were powerful enough to stand against Zirconia.

Well, Sandy and the conch shell were.

Ironic that, when Squidward, SpongeBob, and Patrick had been stuck in Kelp Forest, not fighting supernatural forces, the conch had directed them to do nothing. Had almost let them die of starvation. No one so much as urinated without the conch's command.

Yet the conch had saved the forest from burning down and helped rescue the group from Zirconia.

Not to mention, the sea creatures and Sandy were immune to Zirconia's attacks.

Who knew why? Whatever traits the animals possessed were enough to fight superpowered beings. Could they face Dead Moon's queen, too?

Maybe the Guardians could pry information about Dead Moon from JunJun. If the Dead Moon Circus member was willing to tell them anything, then she'd prove that she was on their side.

Or JunJun could lie to them about Dead Moon, putting them in more peril.

"I have no doubt that she'll come after us again," Ami said, partially to break the silence, partially to gauge JunJun's reaction.

JunJun stiffened. "Yeah." Clenched and unclenched her hands, letting out a shaky breath.

Minako raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your deal?"

"I can tell you a bit," Chibi-Usa said.

"I don't want you to. I want to hear an explanation straight from the horse's mouth."

Chibi-Usa bit her lip. Nodded.

JunJun rubbed her purpling arm. "I told everything I know to your precious princess here."

"Apparently, she's your precious princess, too."

JunJun's breath hitched. "Yeah." She rubbed her arm again. And then talked.

She told them about her ongoing compulsions to save Chibi-Usa, her memories of the Quartet's time in the Amazon. When she finished, silence descended.

Despite the urgency of saving Kelp Forest from the robots, they needed to take time to search for holes in the story. Of which there were many. For one, their memories started when they were teenagers, not when they were children. Memories of their parents were nonexistent.

"I know you all are gonna bombard me with questions." JunJun kicked at the grass. "I might not have the answers."

"She told me everything she knows," Chibi-Usa said. "She didn't know much beyond her memories. And I believe her."

Minako squared her expression at Chibi-Usa. The smaller Guardian looked into Minako's eyes, not backing down.

Had to break the tenseness. "I wish I could ask Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia questions," Ami said. "They seem to know more than you."

Minako balled her hands. "I wish I could punch Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia. Seems more important than asking them questions right now."

The ranger gazed at the toy he cradled in his arms. "We should ask the magic conch shell. She can tell us what to do."

"Not the time."

"It's always the time. The magic conch knows all."

"He, he might be right." What was Ami saying? Had Bikini Bottom corrupted her so much that she was now putting her trust in a toy?

Yes. Yes, Bikini Bottom had.

Minako massaged her forehead. "You guys have made killing moments an art form. This might be more than something a damn shell knows about."

The ranger glowered. "How dare you insult the magic conch shell?"

"I mean, let's think things through before we ask it anything."

"Maybe we should ask the shell." Was a different version of Ami talking? "She did tell us about the Golden Crystal."

Minako groaned. "When you put things that way… Ooh, mighty conch shell, tell us, what should we do?"

The ranger pulled the string. "Something," it said.

She faltered. "Okay. Good stuff. Let's not waste any more time."

"Mighty conch shell," Ami found herself saying—was this Ami Mizuno, who wielded an I.Q. of 300, seeking counsel from a toy?—"where should we go?"

Smiling at Ami's reverence for the toy, the ranger pulled the string. "Somewhere."

Minako growled. "How did it know so much before—"

"Deep into the forest," the conch continued, its string still retracting. "To the caves." Its string stopped.

The ranger held the shell to the sky. "The mighty conch shell has spoken." Poking his tongue between his teeth, shaping his mouth into an "O", he howled, "Alolololololo!"

"What the hell was that?" Minako said.

"It's the call of worship of all who believe in the magic conch shell. As followers of the shell, you must also do it, for the conch shell has spoken. Or she shall grow angry and no longer answer your questions."

Sandy, Minako, Ami, and Chibi-Usa exchanged looks.

"It does know a lot of answers," Ami said.

"We've been through more humiliating situations," Minako said. "I might as well have flushed my pride down the toilet the moment I stepped in Bikini Bottom."

Sandy rubbed her ear. "SpongeBob and Patrick kept me up all night once with their howlin' like that. I told them to stop, and they asked that darn shell if they could. It told them they couldn't. I asked them to have the courtesy to go someplace other than my backyard with that noise. They asked the magic shell, and it told them to stay right where they were and keep annoying me more than ten thousand gnats buzzing around your ear. Needless to say, there's no love lost between me and that goshforsaken thing."

The ranger's face reddened. "How dare you all? The shell saves lives."

"The least we could do is do the…whatever that was," Chibi-Usa said.

The team glanced at one another once more, silently asking if they were really going to howl like monkeys.

They were.

On three, they howled. JunJun stared at them, mouth parted. She covered her mouth but spit out laughter. Doubled over. Her face grew as red as the ranger's had.

The ranger scowled. "What're you laughing at? This is a solemn ceremony."

JunJun's laugh grew louder, and she sunk to the ground.

Heat spread through Ami. Our call can't be that funny. Would Setsuna laugh, too?

Tears flowed down JunJun's cheeks. Ami warmed. Everyone needed to laugh. Besides, JunJun wasn't laughing because she'd done something malicious. She was laughing because she was watching a funny situation, one that harmed nothing but the Guardians' and Sandy's pride.

"You need to do it, too," the ranger said.

JunJun kept laughing. Swiping more tears, she said, "I'll, I'll try." She managed to stop laughing. Looking to the sky, she got on all-fours and howled like a wolf. Laughed once more. Laughed and howled.

Chibi-Usa's face had flushed either from howling, embarrassment, or a combination. Her eyes watered. The call was harder to do than it sounded. "When can we stop? The robots have got to be able to hear us."

"The conch shall protect you," the ranger said.

JunJun broke into more laughter.

"Magic conch shell, shall they cease to praise you?" A pull.

"Yes." How merciful.

The group stopped, Chibi-Usa collapsing on the ground, but JunJun kept laughing, rolling in the dirt. Ami panted.

Minako tugged at her collar. "My lungs. They're dying."

Fanning herself, Chibi-Usa smiled at the laughing JunJun. "It's been a long time since you've laughed like this, hasn't it?"

JunJun stopped laughing, squaring her expression but then letting herself smile. "Maybe." Perhaps she'd been under Dead Moon's command for so long that she had never laughed except at someone else's harm.

JunJun tried to glare but kept smiling. "You are too damn smart. Seeing through me."

"Maybe it's because we really are connected in some way."

The smile disappeared. She turned, away from Chibi-Usa. "Where's this cave?"

The ranger pointed into the darkness. "This way. Let us follow the conch's command at once. For we have praised her, and she is pleased. Therefore, we can continue our journey."

"Thank the gods," Minako muttered.

The group ran forward. With a knife, the ranger hacked through vines. They pounded through robots, JunJun pouncing on and breaking them using her acrobatics, despite the threat of Zirconia's return. Perhaps Dead Moon planned to trick the Guardians.

They reached a bridge on a high platform. Below, on another platform, stood Mr. Krabs, three large pedestals resembling Stone Tikis and arranged like a three-leaf clover, and one lone Stone Tiki beside him. The crab hooked his claws under the Stone Tiki. Roaring, Mr. Krabs hoisted the tiki toward the sky. He threw the Tiki onto one of the embedded Tikis, and the pedestal depressed.

What did it activate?

Ami looked around the forest, which had opened up like the sky after a thunderstorm, revealing a lake below the cliff on which the group stood, several towering vines planted in the lake. Other cliffs and crevices jutted between the vines, where Fodders and Fodder-like robots but without electric wands, BZZT-Bots, wheeled about. Must be campers stranded on the cliffs, too.

Nothing rumbled. No avalanches of leaves billowed down the sloping kelp walls. All remained quiet, save for the chirps of cricket-like bugs. Ami had crouched and looked to see the bugs and other wildlife that resided in the Forest. She hadn't seen any animals. Had the robots scared them away?

Rolling his shoulders and panting, Mr. Krabs faced the group. "Looks like I still have me old muscles. The military served me well. Good thing I went there instead of college." He snorted. "Plankton went to college, and look where he is."

"Howdy, Mr. Krabs." Sandy nodded toward the depressed pedestal, the Stone Tiki upon it blinking. "Y'all should've participated in our Anchor Toss."

"The competition that SpongeBob embarrassed himself in?" Mr. Krabs tried to wave his hands dismissively but cringed. "I need to get back to the gym. Where's Larry when you need him?"

"Maybe…you don't got it?"

Mr. Krabs bristled, puffed out his chest. "Of course I still do. Once a soldier, always a soldier. Besides, I didn't want to participate. I was afraid I'd blow the competition out the water. Wanted to give someone else a chance to win."

"Uh-huh."

"What wars were you in?" Ami said. "Any places you toured in?"

Mr. Krabs' eyes grew distant. "I was in the Navy. What good days those were. Savin' money while savin' me country. Meetin' good folks who became future Krusty Krab customers."

"Is everything about money to you?" Minako mumbled.

"The wars I fought in, they were tough. Full of enemies and dangers. We sailed the seas of Bikini Bottom, defending it from human hands trying to stick us with forks and fry us into fish sticks. We defended the sea from the hooks, batting them back onto the surface, wrapping humans' boats with them." He glowered at the surface. "We're always at war with the humans. We've never been to war with anyone in the sea."

The underwater world was more peaceful than the world above ground, so much so that no one ever warred against one another. The humans could take a page out of the sea creatures' book.

Minako shifted from side to side. "No wonder you're suspicious of us."

"Used to be," Mr. Krabs said. "You've proved yourself to me so much that you're invited to me Krusty Krab as a reward for protectin' our great land from the robots. I'll give you a one-percent discount on a kiddie Krabby Patty, bringing the grand total to fifteen dollars."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome. Ain't I generous?"

"Always." Minako gestured toward the pedestals. "Anyhow, what's this about?"

Mr. Krabs jumped on one of the pedestals. Kept jumping, grinding his teeth, veins protruding from his forehead, but the pedestal didn't depress. "Darn things are heavy. Only Stone Tikis can push them down."

Ami bit her cheek to keep from suggesting that more of them stand on the pedestal to depress it. Not only was she unsure if all of them could depress both pedestals at the same time to activate whatever needed to be activated, but she shuddered at the possibility of unleashing beasts or a tsunami.

Mr. Krabs swiped the sweat off his brow, stepping off the pedestal. "These pedestals open the way to Kelp Cave."

Ami backed to the edge of the surface, gazing up. They could fly to reach the surface where the cave was, but thick, tangled vines curled over the entrance. With the way Bikini Bottom operated, the Guardians' attacks might not be able to rip through the vines.

"Rumor has it that there's jewels in there." Mr. Krabs salivated. Jolted, seeming to catch himself. Turned, his back to the group, and wiped his mouth. His forehead glistened with more sweat. "I get those jewels, I'll be rich. I'd love to get inside, but I can't find the rest of the Stone Tikis. Usually, you can find them everywhere, but not in Kelp Forest."

"The robots could've taken them," Ami said. "Maybe they're using the cave as one of their labs."

Sandy tightened her clench on her lasso.

Minako drew in a breath and then let it out. "We have to get in there. As soon as possible."

"You haven't seen any robots shaped like fish come outta there, have you, Mr. Krabs?" Sandy said.

"I haven't seen anything." He rolled up his sleeves. "If those robots think they're gettin' all the treasure, they've got another crab comin'. Greedy things can't have the treasure all to themselves."

Minako's expression blanked.

"What would robots do with jewels?" Chibi-Usa said.

"For all we know," Minako said, "they could be making robots out of jewels. Trying to make them nigh indestructible."

Sandy coughed lightly. "Maybe the jewels are in the robots themselves, like I was."

"Patrick wasn't," Ami said. "All they did was analyze him."

"I feel like they're becoming more powerful, as far as building robots goes," Minako said. "Like, their technology is becoming more advanced, way too quickly."

Ami nodded. "Technology advances quickly, but not as fast as it has down here." Even in the innovative Japan, technology didn't advance within the span of a few hours, like it had in Bikini Bottom.

"As chaotic as the robots are, they're smart. They're driven by something. Someone. Someone has to be leading them, especially if they're programmed to do different things. Not necessarily follow orders, since the Duplicatotron is set to 'Not Obey', but maybe someone's been programming them."

"It's possible. The robots are brainless, but I feel like they're trying to get somewhere. Take over Bikini Bottom in stages." Ami cupped her chin. "Who could be leading them?"

"I have an idea," JunJun said. Either she was about to expose her enemies, further defying Dead Moon, or she was going to send the Guardians and Sandy on a wild goose chase.

"What is it?" Chibi-Usa and Minako said at the same time, Chibi-Usa's tone softer, Minako's sharper, a knife trying to cut through the dross to reach the gold.

JunJun looked to the sky and took in a breath. "Well—"

The world quaked. The group looked around. The timing was too convenient. Must be orchestrated by Zirconia. Perhaps she could control what happened here from the safety of Dead Moon's tent.

"Do you get earthquakes?" Chibi-Usa said, voice shaky from the rumbling, fear.

"There are never earthquakes down here." The ranger held the conch shell close to his chest. "This shaking could mean only one thing."

"What?" Chibi-Usa and Minako said at the same time, both of their voices sharp, Chibi-Usa's eyes wide, Minako unhooking her chain.

Like fireflies, red lights glowed through each of the vines, accompanied by high-pitched laughter. Of course JunJun wouldn't come to Kelp Forest alone.

Roaring boomed from the vines, sounding like feral cats roaring their meows.

Down here, snails meowed.

Snails nearly matching the size of King Jellyfish burst from the vines, the vines crashing to the ground. Slid straight for the team.

Their red eyes glowed in the dark. Their shells alone were quadruple the size of Gary.

If the sea snails sliding after them were as smart as Gary, then the Sailor Team was in trouble.

Atop the snail leading the charge rode VesVes, whip high, baring her teeth, eyes wild. She was the one laughing.

VesVes lashed the top of the snail's head, and the snail screeched. "No killing with kindness bull here." She grinned at the sky. "See, old hag? I told you I could control these beasts."

The feral snails loomed over the Guardians, their yellowish-red fangs bared. Hopefully, those fangs weren't covered with gore from other creatures they ate to survive.

Perhaps the animals hadn't been roaming throughout Kelp Forest because VesVes was busy taming them.

Mr. Krabs squeaked, his eyes sucking into their sockets so that the crab appeared eyeless. "Shiver me timbers." There went the fearless crab who had warred against humans.

Behind VesVes' snail, another snail's shell opened. Metal gleamed under it. Were the snails robots?

Based on the way VesVes was cackling, how her whip commanded the snail she rode upon, the way drool whipped from the snail's mouth, her snail was real. Perhaps the other snails were robots. Perhaps the robots had used their labs to outfit the snails with robotic parts, like cyborgs, and programmed the snails to obey VesVes.

Meaning, Dead Moon and the robots had teamed up.

The ranger ran ahead of the group, spreading his arms. "Where's your manners? This isn't the way to greet guests."

VesVes' snail reached the ranger, crouched so that its mouth aligned with the ranger's face. The snail roared, spittle and phlegm pelting the ranger at first and then disintegrating his hat, his cheeks, his clothes, blowing back his mouth, leaving the ranger naked and all bones, a skeleton.

With a roar, the snail had disintegrated the ranger.

With a roar.

If the snails could nearly kill a guy with a roar, what more were they capable of?