Chapter Twenty: Transition
Time for another performance.
CereCere smirked from behind the curtain in the circus tent, hundreds awaiting the Dead Moon Circus' opening once again. Alongside her three sisters and her lackeys, the Amazon Trio, she would feast on dreams, transforming them into nightmares.
The performance would go smoothly. The Dead Moon Circus would take what they needed to take for Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia and then leave. The stupid humans would never know what happened.
They'd had repeat customers. Like three young women, one with waist-length, luminescent green hair; another with short, boyish hair; and the third with flowy, turquoise hair. A child accompanied them, her black hair touching her shoulders. CereCere blamed the child's cold, dark, nearly lifeless eyes on the effect of the Circus' performances.
Although the Dead Moon Circus had performed multiple times in one day, the women had come to the last few performances. This time was no exception. But when the women left each of their performances, they didn't seem as affected as the civilians. Something mysterious lurked within those women, and CereCere would find out what.
Were those women associated with the Moon Kingdom? Hadn't Fisheye destroyed all the Guardians?
CereCere's eyes sharpened. If he hadn't, then she'd finish the job.
She had no trouble destroying anyone, but she had to make sure that she wasn't mistaken. She didn't want to lose anyone's dreams by killing them because of a misunderstanding. Maybe after she retrieved their dreams, she could kill them—a pleasant way to end the day. Should they be killed before, during, or after, their performance? If they were killed during their performance, then the women would never see their demise coming.
CereCere chuckled to herself. How fun.
She was going to start the circus performance. Fisheye, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye were joining CereCere and her sisters, JunJun, PallaPalla, and VesVes. CereCere was the oldest and most mature. Her gorgeous pink eyes attracted all men, and her braided hair fell in two plaits to her waist, near her yellow skirt, the second part of her two-piece outfit. She looped two other braids near her ears. An elegant, aristocratic hairstyle for an elegant, aristocratic woman.
Together with the Amazon Trio—Fisheye, Tiger's Eye, and Hawk's Eye—the Amazoness Quartet would put on an unforgettable performance. Specifically for their repeat customers.
Those women sat in the second row. Not afraid of their identities being discovered. After today, they would fear the Dead Moon Circus.
The audience would enjoy the Circus' exotic-looking humanoid creatures, the Amazon Trio. Would love Fisheye's whimsical puffy blue jumpsuit and blue ponytail that resembled a fish's fin. The boys and men would be entertained by Tiger's Eye, a roughhousing fellow with shoulder-length orange hair. Tiger's Eye could roar whether he was in his human or tiger form, and he was candy for the older women's eyes. Lastly, there was Hawk's Eye with his short, wild pink hair and devilish, mischievous countenance. Kids would be attracted to Hawk's Eye's bad-boy vibe.
Her little sister, PallaPalla, had done such a good job creating the Amazon Trio.
The Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio stood behind the curtain that domed them from the audience. "Stood" wasn't the right word. CereCere hung by her hair on a trapeze. She would do anything to entertain the masses, even tangle her braids.
JunJun stood on top of a diving board, a bed of spikes below. How JunJun was going to flip and flop her way out of that, CereCere didn't know. But JunJun could flip and flop her way out of everything, she was such an experienced acrobat.
A lion quietly let VesVes sit on it, the youngest member of the Quartet holding her whip. The audience's eyes would be drawn to VesVes and the lion right away. The audience would wonder if the lion would turn on VesVes anytime, gulp her alive in one bite. Which would never happen. VesVes could command any beast.
PallaPalla did a headstand on a balancing ball. Didn't look impressive. Yet. Her brilliance could turn anything mundane-looking into a trick that the audience couldn't tear their eyes from.
Their collective performances hypnotized the audience and made their dreams ripe for picking. With the Amazon Trio helping, they'd be unstoppable.
Tiger's Eye was eyeing the lion. An attraction between a lion and a tiger?
"Getting distracted?" CereCere said. "We're about to start our show, so you'd better pay attention."
Tiger's Eye straightened. "Yeah, yeah." He gave the lion one more appraisal before concentrating on the ring of fire before him. Fisheye and Hawk's Eye stood at the other side of the ring; they'd be jumping through side-by-side at the same time. The audience would love it.
Sweat cascaded down Fisheye's forehead. "Do I have to be near the fire?"
"Hey, you're from the ocean." Tiger's Eye jabbed a finger into his own chest. "I should be the one who's afraid."
"Which you are, based on your sweating," Hawk's Eye said.
"I'm sweating because of the heat. You're sweating, too." A blush radiated through Tiger's Eye's cheeks. Tiger's Eye was a blusher. How cute. The audience would love Tiger's Eye's quirks.
The curtains rippled.
"Ready, everyone?" CereCere said. "Let's put on a spectacular show tonight."
"Yeah!" was the response, Fisheye flopping up and down like the fish he used to be, Tiger's Eye pumping a fist into the air. PallaPalla stayed perfectly still on the ball.
The curtain rose, revealing the Dead Moon Circus. The old hag, Zirconia, wasn't with them, preferring to stay behind the scenes in their lair. The queen was trapped in a mirror thanks to Queen Serenity. If CereCere destroyed all the Guardians and found the Golden Crystal from someone's dream, using the Crystal to release the queen, then Queen Nehellenia would keep her sisters safe forever.
The audience's eyes had lit up, kids standing, sitting on their dads' shoulders. Even a place as orderly as Japan descended into chaos and excitement when the Dead Moon Circus arrived. No one could resist.
Except the four women sitting in front. After today, they wouldn't be able to resist, either.
A microphone was attached to each of the Amazoness Quartet's and the Amazon Trio's collars, projecting their voices.
"Good evening, everyone," CereCere said.
The crowd's cheers were nearly deafening, but the four women's silence and stoicism screamed louder than anyone in the audience could've. If they were going to stay in disguise, then they should at least crack smiles and try to blend in.
They wanted Dead Moon to pick on them. CereCere had to take the bait, had to protect her sisters, end the threats before they ended the Circus.
Besides, the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio were more powerful than whatever tricks those women hid. The Dead Moon Circus would thwart whatever happened without affecting their performance. Couldn't let a few women spoil the whole show.
"Welcome to another outstanding performance by the Dead Moon Circus," CereCere continued. "You're in for an evening of fun and laughter. Now, there may be a few—very few—of you who don't know who we are." She glanced at her sisters and the Amazon Trio. "Shall we introduce ourselves?"
"I'll go first." VesVes whipped her lion, and the lion ran vertically, climbing the ladder like it was running through a plain. The audience gasped. VesVes and her lion reached the top of the diving board, near CereCere.
CereCere recoiled, scrunching up her face. "Now why oh why are you putting that animal near me?
VesVes smiled lopsidedly. "What, can't stand the heat?"
CereCere fanned her face. "No, it stinks."
Laughter rippled throughout the audience. Except from those women. CereCere would break them soon.
"Hey, don't call my dear Mr. Brave stinky. Let me let you in on a little secret. To him, you stink."
CereCere perched her hands on her hips. "Well, if I stink to him, then so do you."
The laughter became louder. The audience was becoming drawn in to Dead Moon's world.
Except. Those. Women.
But the circus had stepped up since their last performance. They would break those women today.
VesVes tossed her hair. "Whatever. The audience doesn't care who stinks, anyway. We're all the way up here, so they can't smell us." She winked. "I am VesVes, the beast tamer. I can control—tame, excuse me—any beast, from a dog all the way up to a dragon." She spread her arms. "Beasts wouldn't dare stand against me."
The audience oohed and aahed, becoming more entranced. They would soon be distracted enough for their dreams to be penetrated and searched, and they would never know what had befallen them. They would feel a void, not understanding where that void came from.
"PallaPalla here." Sparkles glowing around her from the charm that she had sprayed on to further entrance the audience, PallaPalla flipped and then landed back on the ball headfirst, not flinching. The audience sat forward. "Ignore their pissing contest up there and look at PallaPalla. She's the most rational one here. Actually, PallaPalla's so rational that she can balance on her head. See?"
The audience murmured in agreement. With her creativity, PallaPalla was brilliant in her own right. Not to mention her charm that would entice the audience to never take their eyes off her.
But the women and their kid didn't seem wooed.
Hm. Not for long.
PallaPalla frowned briefly at the women. She must've noticed.
"Are all of you ignoring me?" JunJun jumped once, twice, thrice, each time jumping higher than the jump before, her ponytails bouncing, some of her hair sticking straight up, all her hair bound in a rope-like tie. The audience looked to JunJun. The acrobat jumped down, toward the bed of spikes. If the audience members weren't under PallaPalla's charm, then they might think JunJun's trick to be boring. But the Dead Moon Circus could make the most tired trick seem new, which was partly why their performances had been growing more popular lately. CereCere had once turned on the radio and heard that the Dead Moon Circus was the highest grossing circus in Japan's history.
JunJun turned so that her head faced the spikes. She grabbed one spike, balanced herself upright, muscles protruding from her arms and legs. She grinned, the audience sitting up in their seats, erupting into cheers.
PallaPalla pouted. "Hey, you guys didn't cheer like that for PallaPalla."
The audience cheered louder. Strong charm.
"Maybe her trick wasn't as impressive as JunJun's," VesVes said.
CereCere scowled. "You could hurt PallaPalla's feelings, talking like that."
"Good thing I'm all the way up here."
CereCere couldn't tell what VesVes meant. At least VesVes was out of PallaPalla's earshot or PallaPalla could've started crying. While the charm would enchant the audience so that they would think of PallaPalla's tears as a trick, they didn't want to risk botching the show. In the Dead Moon Circus' performances, any trick gone wrong could end with someone, well, dead.
"I think it's time we put the attention on our pets." VesVes jumped off her lion, snapped her finger. The lion sat on its haunches. The audience's eyes sparkled. PallaPalla's charm was working wonderfully. A spike could've impaled JunJun and killed her and the audience would've been delighted.
"Tiger's Eye," VesVes said.
Tiger's Eye snapped to attention. "Yes, ma'am?"
"First of all, haven't I told you not to call me 'ma'am'? Do I need to get a muzzle for your mouth so you can't talk at all?"
Tiger's Eye shook his head so rapidly that his head blurred. "No, Master."
"Oh, Master." VesVes squealed. "Much better." She turned to the audience, "As you can see, Tiger's Eye can be forgetful sometimes, but he easily follows commands." She glanced at CereCere. "At least from me."
CereCere swung off the trapeze, landing in front of VesVes. "He accepts commands from all of us, not just her. She's not the only special snowflake in this room."
"Of course." PallaPalla pushed herself of her ball with her head, landing on the tip of her toes of only her right foot. Made balancing look easy. "We're all special snowflakes."
JunJun put a finger to her chin. "If we're all special snowflakes, doesn't that make none of us special at all?"
"We talk too much." VesVes cracked her whip at Fisheye and Hawk's Eye. At the same time, Fisheye and Hawk's Eye jumped through the ring of fire, Fisheye diving like the fish he had been, Hawk's Eye pinning his arms to his sides like the hawk he had been.
"Augh, my complexion." Fisheye tumbled upright, Hawk's Eye landing on his feet. Hawk's Eye had quickly adapted to his human feet, using them like talons, hooking his toes around different things.
"You still look great." Hawk's Eye brushed a stray hair from Fisheye's forehead. "Now you look perfect."
"I feel like I'm melting." Fisheye looked at both of his hands. "I'm not melting, am I?"
"You're not melting."
Fisheye shuddered. "I'm shivering, but I'm hot."
The audience broke into laughter at the same time, like a sign asking them to laugh had lit up. But those women and their kid remained stoic.
CereCere clapped her hands. "Okay, now it's really time to get this show started. Everyone's excited, everyone's all warmed up, and now it's time to execute. First, I need a volunteer." She made a show of looking carefully over the audience, at all the raised hands, the humans desperate to participate. None of them were the ones she wanted, even though their dreams would be easily infiltrated. CereCere wanted a challenge.
Those women kept their hands down.
"Hmm." The audience was so desperate that CereCere almost wanted to pick someone who wanted to participate, but she couldn't, or her plan would fall to ruins. "How about you?" She pointed at the girl with short, black hair. How would the rest of the older women react since CereCere had picked the youngest, most vulnerable one?
They didn't react. So not fun.
CereCere had to kick things up a notch. Put the youngest one in the most dangerous position so that the other women would panic.
The girl looked to the older women. The older ones smiled and nodded. The one with turquoise hair had the nerve to help the youngest one onto her feet, nudge her toward the ring. CereCere resisted the urge to glare. She wouldn't let them make fools out of the Dead Moon Circus.
The girl walked toward the circus ring. CereCere bit her lip. Couldn't help but be unnerved by this girl's deep eyes that resembled a black hole. If these women had powers...
CereCere had to protect her sisters.
Before the show, CereCere reminded her sisters and the Amazon Trio to keep a lookout for Dead Moon's enemies, like the Sailor Guardians' allies. She had pointed out those women and their kid to the rest of Dead Moon before each performance.
The audience had fallen silent. Not because of PallaPalla's charm.
This girl was hijacking their performance by just walking.
She and those women had to be Guardians. Fisheye hadn't killed them all.
CereCere glanced at the rest of her sisters, at the Amazon Trio. They had stiffened, on guard for whatever happened next.
CereCere had to put on a semblance of the Dead Moon Circus not suspecting that the girl was a Guardian. "Step right up, young lady. We have a special trick we want you to be a part of." To make sure the charm was working, she said, "Don't we?"
The audience cheered. An apropos response.
The rest of those women looked on, observant.
CereCere jumped down from the diving board, landing on her feet. VesVes' lion did the same, landing several feet away, VesVes keeping her balance atop the lion. Thank goodness VesVes had the sense to not get near this girl.
CereCere motioned toward herself. "Come over to me." She didn't want any other Dead Moon members getting hurt. CereCere could tell the girl was powerful because of her black holes that were allegedly eyes. Could pierce someone's soul.
The girl stepped near CereCere. Unsmiling. If anyone else in the audience had come, then a grin would be splitting his face, whether CereCere asked him to burn himself alive in the ring of fire or let the lion eat him.
"Yes, yes, how are you?" CereCere didn't dare touch the girl. Who knew what she was capable of?
"I'm good. How are you?"
How formal. "Good." CereCere had kept herself from stuttering. Couldn't show the Dead Moon Circus that she was afraid. "Thank you."
The audience laughed once more, except it wasn't meant to be funny. CereCere and this girl's face-off was the opposite of funny.
"How polite you are. You'll be the perfect volunteer to help me with this trick. I can't do it without you."
The girl didn't blink or smile.
"I know you'll be able to follow all my instructions perfectly. Now, how about a little ride on my trapeze?"
"Yes, I'm willing."
"You…you're willing…" Shake it off, CereCere. "Well, great. I'm willing, too. So that makes two of us."
PallaPalla's hand shot up. "PallaPalla's willing, too. That makes three of us."
"But," CereCere said before PallaPalla could get out of hand, "PallaPalla will have to sit this trick out. Don't worry. PallaPalla will get another trick to herself."
PallaPalla crossed her arms. "All right."
"I'll grab the trapeze, and you'll grab my legs, and we'll ride together. I'd love to have you grab the trapeze yourself, but you might not be able to control it."
The girl remained silent.
"Ah, that's right. I never asked your name. Introduce yourself to the audience. Go on."
The girl faced the audience, unafraid of turning her back to CereCere. "I'm Hotaru Tomoe." The girl bowed. "Nice to meet you." She faced CereCere as the audience welcomed her to the Dead Moon Circus.
Welcoming her to her death.
A smile made Hotaru's expression creepier. "I'm excited to be a part of this."
"We're excited to have you. Aren't we?" She glanced at her sisters and the Amazon Trio.
PallaPalla struck up her arm once more. "Yes, PallaPalla's excited." She was doing a great job at pretending she wasn't afraid of this Guardian with unknown powers. Her charm didn't work as well when Hotaru was front-and-center. How could it when Hotaru had those deep eyes on her side?
"We should do some exercises together," JunJun said. "We'd have a lot of fun."
"My beasts would love to meet you." VesVes would command that the beasts take care of Hotaru. Her beasts never failed to complete her commands.
"You look like quite the swimmer," Fisheye said. "We should swim together during our performance."
"Will I be here for the whole performance?" Hotaru said.
"Only for a few tricks." CereCere made herself laugh. "We'd tire you out if you stayed for the whole performance." She dared to place a hand on Hotaru's back. Thankfully, her arm didn't turn to ashes. CereCere guided Hotaru toward the ladder leading to the diving board, where the trapeze hung. "This way, please. There's a net below in case you fall. Which is impossible when you have an experienced trapeze artist like me helping you."
"That's reassuring."
A girl of few words. Usually, girls her age talked all the time. Hotaru looked to be near PallaPalla's age. "Go ahead and climb the ladder. I'll be right behind you."
The other three Guardians watched but didn't seem tense. They had to know a trap was coming. CereCere had to deploy the trap before those Guardians saved Hotaru.
CereCere could kill at least one of the Guardians. When the rest of the Guardians tried to avenge their loss, blinded by rage and sadness, their many mistakes would result in their downfall. Thanks to Fisheye killing the other half of the Sailor Team, all the Guardians would be gone. Dead Moon would have no opposition, freeing them to accomplish their own dream of filling the world with nightmares. How ironic. A dream of nightmares.
Hotaru climbed the ladder, CereCere close behind. If she had a knife, CereCere could kill Hotaru now. But a backstab was cliché. The way CereCere was going to kill Hotaru would be much more entertaining.
Hotaru stood on the edge of the diving board. "Right here?"
"You guessed right." CereCere grinned. "How intelligent you are. I wish you could stick around for the whole performance. I bet many others in our audience want to come up, too."
On cue came another deafening round of cheers from the audience.
CereCere stepped in front of Hotaru, grabbed the trapeze. "It might be a tall order, but I need you to grab my legs." Tiger's Eye stood beside Hotaru in a flash, but Hotaru only glanced at Tiger's Eye, returning her attention to CereCere.
This Hotaru was something else. She wouldn't be easy to defeat, either.
"Here, Tiger's Eye will help you."
Tiger's Eye crouched to Hotaru's level, whispered in her ear, "You don't have anything to worry about with me around." A move that would be sensual to anyone else. But on Hotaru, Tiger's Eye's move had no effect. She kept staring at CereCere with an envious focus.
CereCere stepped off the board, letting herself hang, the net below supposed to be reassuring to Hotaru. "The net will keep you from hurting yourself if you fall. But don't worry. I won't let that happen."
Hotaru cocked her head. "How? I mean, I'll be the one holding onto your legs. It's a rather strange trick, to be honest."
Felt like an anvil had crushed CereCere's head. Don't stutter. Don't seem nervous. "I'll actually be doing the bulk of the muscle work by holding onto the trapeze."
"But you'll be holding the least weight."
"Is your stubbornness a ploy to convince me to let you hold onto the trapeze?"
"Maybe. Unless my holding onto the trapeze doesn't fit in with your plans. For your trick, I mean."
"If you want to hold onto the trapeze, you can. But then I can't guarantee that the trick will work out the way it's supposed to."
"Is that bad for me or you?"
Where was this attitude coming from? Hotaru had seemed meek and sweet when she first walked into the circus ring. Was her attitude a part of the Guardians' plan to knock the Dead Moon Circus off their game? It wasn't going to work; the Dead Moon Circus had invented mind games.
"Could be worse for you." CereCere kept herself from tacking on "you little brat" at the end of her sentence. "Are you sure you want to do things your way? I'm willing." She would get her trick to work some other way.
"I feel like taking a risk today."
The audience murmured, looked at one another. Not the effect of PallaPalla's charm. Hotaru mesmerized them.
"Okay, we'll switch places." CereCere swung herself backward, her feet touching the diving board. Let go of the trapeze. "I'm sure you have the skill to get it since you're so confident." The first time CereCere had lost her composure. She tried to be level-headed in all situations, but sometimes, others got to her.
"I was very frail as a child. Maybe I shouldn't be up here at all."
The mind games Hotaru was playing flipped CereCere's stomach. Something was going to go wrong with CereCere's plans, and not only because Hotaru would be holding onto the trapeze.
Had to keep calm. Or else the Guardians would win, and Dead Moon would be no more.
"Would you still like to participate?" CereCere said. Hotaru was dashing CereCere's hopes of being the easiest Guardian to kill because she was the youngest and most naïve. Then again, naivete might not have anything to do with age. PallaPalla was the second-oldest out of the Amazoness Quartet, yet she was the most naïve and immature. But her naivete made her think of creative ideas, like turning a tiger, hawk, and fish into humanoids.
"I think I'd better." Like Hotaru had read CereCere's mind. "I wouldn't want to regret anything. I find that I regret things I don't do instead of things I do."
How philosophical. "Wise words from a babe. Adults must love you."
"They're partial to me."
"And confident. The adults must really love you, especially in school."
Hotaru stepped to the edge of the board. The other Guardians showed no signs of being tense. They trusted Hotaru. Or their bravado was false. Or Hotaru was powerful enough to destroy Dead Moon with a flick of her hand.
Hotaru grabbed the trapeze, stepped off the board. Hanging.
CereCere had a better idea. One that wouldn't involve CereCere on the trapeze at all. The audience would eat it up because of PallaPalla's charm.
There hung Hotaru. Vulnerable.
Everyone had weaknesses. So far, Hotaru seemed perfect. Except for her overconfidence. CereCere would play into her borderline arrogance.
"Actually, I think you're strong enough to stay on the trapeze by yourself. I want to help you prove to others that you aren't as frail as you once were." Before Hotaru could respond, CereCere shoved Hotaru's back, swinging Hotaru. Unfortunately, CereCere couldn't see Hotaru's face. But the other Guardians weren't surprised at all.
Maybe Hotaru had faked being overconfident to get CereCere to play into their own trap. Damn them.
Hotaru swung up, the trapeze nearing the ceiling, the audience oohing. The Guardian made no noise. Impressive. But CereCere wouldn't let Hotaru's stoicism rattle her any more.
CereCere gave a thumbs-up to VesVes, and the beast tamer whistled. Two hawks soared from the back of the tent, pecked at the rope holding the trapeze to the ceiling. The trapeze's ropes thinned, pieces of it drifting to the floor. The rope snapped off, and Hotaru fell.
The Guardian didn't make a sound.
"Don't worry. There's a net below you." CereCere snapped her fingers, and spikes protruded from the floor, through the net. "There's still a net below you." She laughed.
Hotaru raised her arm. "Saturn Crystal Power, Make-up!" Transforming in front of the audience?
A black, shiny aura domed Hotaru and then faded, revealing Hotaru in a sailor suit, clutching a glaive, hovering several feet above the spikes.
She faced CereCere with those black eyes. "I am the Guardian of destruction and rebirth, Sailor Saturn." Her voice was devoid of emotion.
Deadly.
A yelp from PallaPalla. CereCere looked, despite the danger that CereCere herself was in. Those other three women raised their hands.
"Uranus Crystal Power, Make-up!"
"Neptune Crystal Power, Make-up!"
"Pluto Crystal Power, Make-up!"
The lights domed and faded from the women, blinding CereCere. Four shadows zipped toward her. Felt like a door slammed on her face. She careened through the air.
A Guardian, the short-haired woman, raised her fist. Her fist had felt like a door. "That was your big plan? I was waiting for something much more impressive."
CereCere managed to land on her feet behind the diving board, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. "Don't mock us."
Tiger's Eye gazed up, growling, the tiger in him seeping out, some audience members gasping. But most didn't care. The Dead Moon Circus' performance was fascinating to them, and their reactions didn't change no matter what happened.
"I thought you killed them all, Fisheye." Once she realized that the Dead Moon Circus' performances didn't affect the women and the kid, worry that some of the Guardians were still alive nipped at CereCere. She'd ignored her worry and chosen to believe Fisheye.
"I thought I did too," Fisheye replied, the turquoise-haired one landing before him. Let Fisheye be killed. He deserved to be in his naivety.
But CereCere was naïve for thinking the Guardians had been defeated, too.
CereCere balled her hands. Regardless, Dead Moon would defeat these Guardians.
Three of the Guardians floated side-by-side, above CereCere's failed trap.
"I am the Guardian of flight, of Uranus, the planet of skies, Sailor Uranus." The one whose fist was harder than metal. CereCere could not let herself be punched again, or she'd die.
"I am the Guardian of embrace and Neptune, the planet of deep waters, Sailor Neptune." The one with turquoise hair that flowed like the sea.
"I am the Guardian of change and Pluto, the planet of space and time, Sailor Pluto." The one holding a rod that seemed to double as a key. Couldn't let that rod hit her, either.
VesVes slapped her whip, and the lion roared, shaking the tent. JunJun leaped straight up, toward the Guardians.
"That's reckless, damn it," CereCere said. JunJun's being the second youngest didn't excuse her recklessness.
"Hail Orb!" A black orb grew out of PallaPalla's hands, shattered, hail raining throughout the tent. Something to distract the Guardians. Especially since that hail was battering the audience, humans ducking under their arms, parents shielding their children with their bodies.
Sailor Neptune flew toward the audience, away from Fisheye. "Deep Submerge!" A wave of water burst from Sailor Neptune's hands. It wasn't wide enough to protect the audience. The water spread over the audience, Neptune pulsing energy to widen her wave, trying to counter PallaPalla's hailstorm. The water shielded the audience like an umbrella. Water, being used as an umbrella.
JunJun threw a fist. Sailor Uranus swung her own fist toward JunJun's. The fists clashed, both women shaking with the slam.
"You act tough, but you're weak." Using her free hand, Sailor Uranus snatched JunJun's face. "World Shaking." Orange light pulsed from Uranus' hand, into JunJun's face. Looked like JunJun's head had been taken off. JunJun hollered, barreling backward, through audience members, and then tearing through the tent. She disappeared into the distance, the spot where she disappeared twinkling.
"Whoops," Sailor Uranus said. "I didn't mean to hurt innocent folks, too."
But the audience members jumped onto their feet, clapping, whooping for more.
"Doesn't seem like they felt the pain, though."
"Hey, stop talking to yourself and pay attention to us."
Now VesVes was becoming reckless. She should've attacked quietly instead of announcing her approach. VesVes slapped her whip, and the lion leaped, its fangs elongating.
"Chronos Typhoon."
A blast of wind from Sailor Pluto slammed into VesVes and her lion, both colliding into CereCere, who collided into PallaPalla, breaking PallaPalla's concentration and stopping the assault of hail. PallaPalla crashed into a wooden beam holding up the tent. One by one, each sister peeled off each other and fell.
This fight was not going well.
"Thought you could get rid of me, did you?" JunJun. Again, with the announcing themselves. Not. Smart.
Below, the Amazon Trio gawked at the fight. They didn't have attacks of their own. They were created to devise plans, mess with people psychologically, which was why CereCere had given Fisheye her Opening Ball in case he was having a hard time defeating Sailor Mercury.
The worst part was, Sailor Saturn hadn't attacked yet but regarded the fight with those deadly eyes.
"Come on, everyone." Her sisters and the Amazon Trio gathered to CereCere, and she summoned her pole into her hand, a ball appearing beside the pole. Grabbing the pole, she visualized the ocean, where the other Guardians had been sent and couldn't have survived, where these Guardians wouldn't survive, either. CereCere and her sisters, the Amazon Trio with their supernatural powers surely would.
With the pole, she hit the ball. It burst before the Circus, a vortex rending the air. The Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio jumped through. The Guardians stupidly pursued.
They flew through the vortex, claps from the audience echoing behind them, and the portal closed. The audience had thought the pandemonium to be part of the show when it was anything but.
The Dead Moon Circus had to reach the light at the end, or they would be defeated. If they were… CereCere wasn't worried about Zirconia. She feared Queen Nehellenia much more than an old hag who was long overdue to die from age.
With their long-range attacks, the Guardians could kill them at any time.
CereCere looked over her shoulder, the vortex propelling Dead Moon forward. Unlike the Guardians, none of the Dead Moon Circus members could fly, putting the Guardians at an advantage. But the vortex controlled all, including the Guardians' flight and attacks.
"World Shaking!" The blast of energy didn't burst from Uranus' hand. "What is this? It's negating my powers?"
"Deep Submerge." Nothing from Neptune, either.
Sailor Saturn raised her glaive. CereCere's heart stopped. Was the vortex strong enough to suppress Saturn's attack?
"Silence Glaive Surprise."
CereCere waited for the world to end.
The world kept going.
Surely, the vortex wasn't that powerful.
But nothing happened.
The world didn't turn to hell, where CereCere was going to end up for the bad things she'd done. Whoever was in charge of the afterlife wouldn't be happy about her goal of turning dreams into nightmares or unleashing a mad queen upon the world.
Maybe it took a while for the attack to charge.
The world continued.
CereCere's mouth twisted into a smile. If Saturn's attacks didn't work, then none of the other Guardians' attacks could. Sailor Saturn must be the most powerful of the Guardians, maybe rivaling Sailor Moon.
Dead Moon's plan was going to work after all. They'd reach the bottom of the ocean, the Guardians would die, Dead Moon would live. Once they made sure that the Guardians died, they'd return to Japan and finish what they started.
The light before them brightened. The vortex propelled them faster.
Despite the blinding light, Dead Moon managed to hold to one another so they wouldn't separate. CereCere's sisters screamed.
The light faded.
Wherever they had ended up, CereCere hoped the Guardians weren't around.
Then the nightmare would begin.