The Magician Meets Sailor Moon

by Shirley Ann Burton

What if Ace Cooper and the Magic Force teamed up with Sailor Moon and the Silver Imperium Crystal? In addition, what if Sailor Jupiter fell in love with Cosmo, the Magician's experienced apprentice? Please R & R.

5. The Birth of an Unusual Alliance

The Magician Meets Sailor Moon

Part 5: The Birth of an Unusual Alliance

Lita, who had already transformed into Sailor Jupiter, joined her fellow Scouts as they once again had to confront Nerezza, this time at a crowded amusement park where people were scampering for places to hide.

This time, however, the servant to the Dark Princess was not alone. "Now you must face her Dark Minions, and you will find them very formidable." She turned to them and shouted, "Attack and destroy them all!"

Sailor Moon looked at her friends and said, "Time to go to work, Scouts. Ready?"

"Ready!" the others exclaimed in agreement.

As soon as they started their run against the Dark Minions, one of them swung her right arm, shooting out a spike which hit Sailor Venus in the leg.

She fell to the ground suddenly. "What's happening? I can't move a muscle."

Nerezza let out another evil laugh and said, "Ah, that's the beauty of these loyal helpers. Their spikes will render opponents weak."

Sailor Moon yelled, "Oh, great! That's all we need, vengeful rose thorns!" She tried desperately to get out of the way of the minions' spikes.

One by one each Scout went down after being hit by the spikes.

Sailor Mars then decided to do something about this problem. She took out one of her scrolls and shouted, "Evil spirits . . . disperse!"

As the scrolls grew in number, they hit all their targets, causing the Dark Minions to melt, but not before one of them got her in the arm with a spike. She fell to her knees feeling very weakened.

Nerezza then stared at the downed Sailor Jupiter. As she positioned her right arm to fire a bolt of black lightning, she yelled, "Prepare to die, human! You have interfered for the last time!"

Cosmo was walking towards the amusement park when he noticed all the screaming people going by. "Hey, what's going on? This isn't the Croesus Palace." He ran in the opposite direction towards the fight.

When he approached the scene of the action, he saw Sailor Jupiter about to be electrocuted by Nerezza. "Lita, NO!" he screamed as he ran up and got in front of her.

The lightning took a direct hit on Cosmo, and for a few agonizing seconds, he took the brunt of the electrical force. After it had stopped, he landed very hard on the ground.

Sailor Jupiter came out from her curled position, only to discover her newfound love barely conscious. "Oh, no!" she whispered in fear while she crawled up to him and held him in her arms.

Cosmo looked at her with eyes hardly open. "Lita," he said weakly, "are you okay?" He then went limp and lost consciousness.

Listening closely, she could hear him breathing, yet it was very shallow. She hugged him tightly and said, "You saved my life, Cosmo. You took what was intended for me." She gently lay him on the ground and stood up. Extremely furious, she yelled, "You're gonna pay for this, negajerk!"

She crossed her arms as a little antenna extended from the front part of her tiara. "I call on the power of Jupiter to stop this evil now!"

When the lightning materialized in the sky and came to touch the tiny lightning rod, she yelled out, "Supreme Thunder . . . Crash!"

She let loose with an incredible bolt of lightning, but Nerezza easily absorbed that energy with her darker powers.

"Thank you, my dear," said the villainess. "This energy will serve my master well. Farewell for now, losers!" She then disappeared into nothingness.

Sailor Jupiter was shocked at what happened. "I can't understand why my power couldn't stop her." She quickly turned her attention to Cosmo. "I have to get him to the hospital, fast!" She quickly reverted back to Lita and called for an ambulance.

On the way there, Lita held Cosmo's hand very tightly. "Please, Cosmo, you've got to make it. I don't want to lose you."

An hour later, back at the Magic Express, Angie was growing worried about Cosmo. "He's been gone too long. I wonder if--"

The phone then rang, and Mona answered it. "Hello, Magic Express. Mona Malone speaking."

After listening intently to the voice on the other end, she nearly went into shock. "What!? Are you sure? Okay, we'll be there as soon as possible." She hung up the receiver and looked at Ace, Angie, and Ashley in extreme concern. "We've got to get to the hospital. Cosmo's been hurt badly!"

Without hesitating for a second, they all took off in the Magic Racer to get to their fallen friend.

In a matter of minutes, they arrived at the hospital and ran frantically to get to the emergency room.

There, they found the attending emergency physician, who knew immediately of who they were. "You must be the young man's closest friends."

"Yes, we are," said a nearly hyperventilating Ace. "Is Cosmo all right?"

"He's unconscious right now, and he did have some cuts and bruises. We won't know for at least an hour yet. However, he is a strong young man. I think he'll pull through."

Ashley then asked, "What exactly happened to him?"

"The young lady who brought him in said he was electrocuted. It must have been an electrical accident."

"Where's the young lady now?"

"In the waiting room. Be careful, though. She seemed very upset, so I suggest you go easy on her."

The foursome walked into the waiting room, where they found Lita crying. "Lita?" Ace said.

She looked up. "Oh, no. Mr. Cooper, this is all my fault. Your apprentice is here because of me."

He kneeled down to her. "Lita, just tell us what happened."

"The woman who's been stealing energy, I think her name is Nerezza, well, she tried to get me with her lightning, but Cosmo got in front of me and took the hit. He saved my life, but it's all my fault he's here."

Ashley tried to comfort her. "Lita, don't blame yourself for this. You didn't know--"

"Just stop it!" she yelled as she jumped up. "I'm responsible for him being here, and maybe I shouldn't have been with him at all!" Bursting into further tears, she ran away from them and out of the hospital.

A few minutes later, Lita sat underneath a large oak tree as she continued weeping for Cosmo. "Why, Cosmo? Why did you have to get hurt instead of me? I don't deserve your friendship or your love."

She kept crying until she heard a woman's voice. "Lita?"

Lita looked at who had called her. "Oh, Miss Malone. What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you're all right, and please, just call me Mona. I don't like the sound of 'Miss Malone.'"

"Miss--I mean, Mona, I caused this whole mess. He got hurt protecting me. If I hadn't stood him up the other night, he wouldn't have found out--"

"That you were Sailor Jupiter?" interrupted Mona.

Lita became appalled. "How did you know that?"

"Cosmo accidentally gave it away when he left the photo of the 12 of us and the Sailor Scout flyer on the scanner bed in the computer room."

"So, now you know, huh?"

"Yes, and thanks to Ace, we know who the others are, too. Right now, though, I'm more concerned about you. You're being way too hard on yourself about what's happened and blaming yourself for something that was not your fault. I know--"

Lita snapped, "You know nothing! You don't know what it's like to feel this rotten when someone you love gets hurt!"

"Oh, really?" Mona responded angrily. "You think I don't know? Well, how would you like it if your father were a crime boss, and the man you loved was his worst enemy?"

Lita could not believe what she had just heard. "What?" she whispered with a tremble. "What are you talking about?"

Tears began to build in Mona's eyes. "My father is 'Black Jack' Malone, one of Electro City's most notorious and powerful crime bosses. And Ace Cooper, the Magician, the man I love, is my father's worst enemy."

"How is this possible?"

"Let me tell you the story of what happened. Ace and I grew up together in an orphanage in Electro City. I only had my father, but Ace had no one. He didn't know anything about his parents and really had no one to talk to. He felt different because of that funny little stripe of white hair on top of his head. Me, I found it kinda cute. So, I started talking to him, and we started liking each other fairly quickly.

"Things between Ace and me were going very well, until he found out I was the daughter of a crime boss. He decided the only way he could stay close to me was to join his gang of crooks. He got in good standing with my father very quickly, never really knowing he would only be used by him.

"Then, one night, Ace and a friend named Gus Moreland were supposed to rob a high-tech company of money. Something went wrong because Gus was trapped by one of the security measures, but Ace managed to escape. He tried to get help from my father, but Jack left Gus behind and lied to Ace about the matter, claiming Gus would meet them later."

Lita was intrigued by Mona's tale. "So, Mr. Cooper was a part of this crime gang because of his love for you?"

"That's right. When he learned the truth about what had actually happened to Gus, Ace decided to confront my father about it. He wanted to know why Jack had lied to him about Gus. At that point, Ace really didn't like the criminal lifestyle anymore, not after losing a good friend. For Ace at that time, friends were few and far between."

"I can understand that. He got treated badly because he was a little different. I get like that, too, since I've regularly gotten into fights before."

"Yeah, well, the situation escalated into an all-out physical battle between Ace and Jack. They fought on a small wooden beam over a huge fire. Eventually, the beam broke, and my father fell into the flames. He was lucky to have survived, but the accident caused him to become permanently disfigured and debilitated."

Lita felt really bad for Mona. "I'm so sorry. It must have been very difficult for you."

"Difficult is putting it mildly, Lita. I saw it all happen with then Police Detective Derek Vega at my side. I couldn't forgive Ace for what he had done at the time because he chose to go against my father and tell the police. I shut him out of my life for such a long time, but Ace never gave up on me. In due time, I realized all Ace was trying to do was what was right, even if it meant losing me. We eventually got back together, and we've been very close ever since."

Lita rubbed Mona's left shoulder. "That's a great story, but I don't understand what it has to do with me."

"What I'm telling you is not to shut Cosmo out of your life. He loves you, and it's been obvious to all of us in the Express. I can tell you love him, also, but blaming yourself for his getting hurt will not help the situation."

"She's right, Lita," said an approaching Ace. "Putting yourself down for what happened to Cosmo won't solve anything. It will eat at your soul and your heart. I felt guilty about what I had done to Jack years ago, and at times I still do." Placing his hands on her shoulders, he added, "It's no good to you if you try to solve the problem by shutting everyone out."

Lita put her head down and said, "You're right. I guess I have to face the problem instead of keeping everyone away from me."

Ace then heard a voice in his mind. "Ace?"

He closed his eyes and concentrated. "I hear you, Angie. What is it?"

"It's Cosmo. He's regaining consciousness, and he's asking for Lita."

"That's great news. We'll be there shortly." Ace looked at Lita and said, "Cosmo's waking up, and he wants you there."

"I'm there!" exclaimed a very excited Lita.

Minutes later Ace, Mona, and Lita came back into the hospital and went to the door of Cosmo's room.

Angie came out and said, "He's going to be all right. He just had a concussion from the fall he took after the shock. Lita, he wants to see you first, so go right on in."

Lita smiled and thanked Angie as she entered the room and saw Cosmo sitting up on his bed. "Are you all right, Cosmo?"

"Yeah," he responded slowly, "I'll be fine, but where were you?"

"I had to sort things out with my feelings. I felt responsible for what happened to you, but your friends convinced me otherwise. I'm just glad you're okay."

"The doctor said he'll let me out in a couple of hours, but he wants to examine me just in case of trouble."

"Cosmo, I'm sorry for leading you into all this."

"Forget it, Lita. At least this trip's, like, a lot more exciting than I thought it would be."

The doctor then came into the room. "Ah, I see you're awake and alert, young man. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, Doc. I'm feeling a lot better."

"I just want to run a couple of tests on you to make sure you're okay." He then turned to Lita. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave for now, but if all goes well, he'll be out of here in no time."

"Thank you, Doctor," said a happy Lita. She then left the room and joined Ace and the others.

Ace asked Lita to come over to the side away for a moment. "I need to ask you a favor. Is there any way I can meet with your friend Serena?"

"Of course, Mr. Cooper. I'll call her and set it up, okay?"

She then went to the phone and contacted Serena while Ace paced nervously to make sense of everything that had happened to that point.

An hour later, Serena came to Pioko Park and found Ace sitting on a bench not too far away from the Magic Express. "You wanted to see me, Mr. Cooper?"

"Yes, I did, Serena . . . or should I be calling you, Sailor Moon?"

Serena shook her head in disbelief. "Wha-what are you talking about? A crybaby like me, Sailor Moon? You've got to be joking."

"I'm not joking, Serena. I know you're Sailor Moon, and your friends Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina are also Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. Am I right?"

She could not hide the truth from him. Turning to face him, she answered, "Yes, you're exactly right, Mr. Cooper. I am Sailor Moon, but how did you know? Did you read my mind or something?"

"No." He just smiled. "It all started when Cosmo accidentally saw Lita change into Sailor Jupiter last night. He put two and two together on her when he found a flyer with all the Scouts and matched up Lita to the photo of all of us from the other night's show. He didn't take them off the scanner bed, and then I pieced the rest of the group. Besides, the only mind I can really read is Angie's."

Serena laughed heartily. "Oh, because of the bond you and Angie have. And speaking of Cosmo, is he all right after taking that attack from Nerezza?"

"The doctor said he'll be back here in about an hour, but Lita's staying with him for now for comfort."

"I'm glad. Lita was really upset when he got hurt, and she's seriously fallen in love with him."

"At my end, we all noticed that about Cosmo, so I guess we're even." Ace then changed to a more serious subject. "Serena, the reason I wanted to talk to you is about this threat from Nerezza and this Dark Princess character. You and your friends seem to have a better understanding about these alien monsters. Do they come to threaten Japan or all of Earth?"

"Usually all of Earth. You didn't know that?"

"No, I've never had to face anything like this before."

"Never?" asked a surprised Serena. "You, a superhero, have never had to deal with alien monsters before?"

"Nope. I'm more of a crimefighter than a superhero. In Electro City I use my magic against crime and corruption. I've never actually had to do something to save the whole world. In fact, the only thing closest to a monster was a character resulting from two separate computer programs fused together in a lightning storm."

"Oh, I see. So, what you're asking, I assume, is you want our help to put a stop to this threat."

"Seeing you have far more experience than I do about this, and considering two of my friends were hurt, I think we may be able to help each other. This is something which in turn could affect Electro City, too, if this Dark Princess isn't stopped immediately."

"I agree. I think what we need to do is for all of us to meet at the Cherry Hill Temple as soon as possible. It's our secret meeting place, but I'm not sure Raye's going to be too happy about this."

"Why is that?"

"She's very self-conscious about things, and our secret meetings are one of those things. Also, Raye and I do tend to get into shouting matches at times."

"That's okay, Serena. Most alliances never come very easy, but we have to start somewhere."

"In that case," she said as she stuck out her right hand, "shall we become partners against this evil?"

"We certainly shall." Ace shook Serena's hand happily. "If we can work together, we can beat Nerezza and the Dark Princess."

"I'll call the group to set up the meeting. We'll meet in one hour to plan our move against this alien threat."

Serena then left to go home and prepare for the meeting with the others.

Ace, though, was a little uncomfortable. "For the first time in my entire life, my magical powers may be needed to save the world. I'm not sure I can pull this off."

Within the hour, Ace and his friends, including the now fully recovered Cosmo, arrived at the Cherry Hill Temple, where Serena and the others were waiting patiently.

When the Magician and company came up, Raye said, "Mr. Cooper, we know why you're here, and we really appreciate you helping us in this now common threat to the world. When Serena said the meeting would involve you, we kinda had a disagreement about it, but--"

"After I told her you knew about us," Serena interjected, "she understood."

"Yeah, so come in, all of you."

For the first time since the performance a couple of nights earlier, all the friends who were backstage together were reunited, but this time for a more important purpose.

"Okay, we all know why we're here," said Amy. "We're forming an alliance against the Dark Princess."

Cosmo said, "Right. We've gotta find a way to stop her from taking over the Earth. Otherwise, everyone, including those in Electro City, will suffer."

"Our only way to get to her," started Raye, "is to find Nerezza and get rid of her first. Serena, will you be ready with your Moon Sceptre?"

"Count on it," Serena said in determination. She looked at Ace and said, "What about you and the Magic Force?"

Ace looked at her nervously and said, "Oh, the Magic Force. Yeah, I'll be ready." He then stood up and walked out the door to get some fresh air.

Angie sensed something wrong with Ace and decided to join him. "We'll be back, Serena. I think he's a little nervous."

"Sure, we understand."

On the outside balcony, Ace looked up at the sky. "I'm not sure I can," he said to himself.

"Ace," said an approaching Angie, "what's the matter? You don't seem confident about yourself."

"I'll tell you the truth, Angie. I'm not very confident even the Magic Force can make a difference in this."

"Ace, listen to me. This is a big challenge for both of us. We have never tried this before, using the Magic Force to help in saving the world."

"That's what worries me. What if we fail?"

"We only fail if we don't try, remember?"

Ace sighed and smiled at Angie. "I guess I need to practice what I preach, huh?"

"Hey, even the greatest magician in the world can have doubts about things. You're not perfect, and you don't have to be. All we can do is the best we possibly can, and even if we go down, it's better to do that fighting than doing nothing. I have faith in you, Ace Cooper, and I know Mona, Cosmo, and Ashley do, too. You have to have faith in yourself, though. You taught me that the night I finally unlocked my magic and was no longer afraid of my gift.

"Now, a greater challenge awaits us, and our powers will get pushed, possibly to the limit. I'm willing to go for it, though. Are you with me?" Angie then put out her right hand.

Ace looked at her and said, "Yes, I am, Angie." He grasped her hand with his right hand and added, "We have to try. The fate of the world depends on all of us."

The two magicians walked back into the room together and with more confidence.

Ace looked at Serena and said, "Sorry about earlier. I'm ready to help now. I just needed a little confidence booster."

Everyone smiled as things were finally beginning to click between the Magician and Sailor Moon, and the alliance soon began to make their plans against the Dark Princess.

Back at the mountainous hideout, the Dark Princess herself looked at Nerezza with much evil joy. "You have done very well, Nerezza, collecting this vast amount of energy from the lightning that Sailor Scout tried to use on you, along with that young woman you drained earlier today. She had an enormous amount of energy within her. Soon the time will come when the Earth will plunge into total darkness. Now, I want you to make one last run and gather as much energy as possible. Take my Dark Minions with you, and return successfully, my faithful servant."

Nerezza bowed to her superior and said, "I shall return in triumph, your majesty." She then disappeared into nothingness and reemerged in a room filled with pods.

"Here me, Dark Minions! We shall go one last time to gather the final pieces of energy. Let us go now, for the Dark Princess!"

The Dark Minions came from their pods and started making their move toward Tokyo, with Nerezza leading the way. "This time, no one will be able to get in our way!"

Back at the temple, the newly formed alliance continued making their plans when they were interrupted by something.

"Wait," said Raye in worry, "I sense evil again."

Everyone ran to the special flame room as she quickly learned what was happening. "Nerezza's on the attack again!"

"Time to see what our team effort can do!" exclaimed Ace.

"All right, everyone," shouted Serena, "it's time for us to put an end to Nerezza and the Dark Princess!" She took her special locket and held it to the sky screaming, "Moon Crystal Power!"

One-by-one, the other Scouts did their own transformations.

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

When they had finished their transformations, Ace and Angie both went into crazy spins, and as light surrounded them, they shouted, "Magic Force, reveal the power within!"

In seconds, Ace was in his special costume, but Angie ended up in a similar costume. The only differences were that she had an inner red bodysuit, a short-sleeve t-shirt and ruffle skirt in the same color as Ace's bodysuit, lace on the blue gloves, and heeled black boots.

The Sailor Scouts looked at Angie in astonishment.

"Wow!" exclaimed Sailor Venus. "I didn't know you had it in you, Angie."

"I didn't either, until the Magician told me. Now, let's get to work, everyone!"

As they took off, Ace looked at Cosmo, Mona, and Ashley. "I wish you could be there, but it may get too dangerous. I hope you all understand."

Mona came up and kissed him on the cheek. "Of course we understand, Ace. You, Angie, and the Sailor Scouts have the power to stop the Dark Princess, but we'll be with you in spirit."

"Thank you, Mona. Well, so long." Ace then ran to join his fellow fighters.

As Ace disappeared over the horizon, Mona softly said, "Be careful, Ace. I love you."

Nerezza and the Dark Minions were less than a mile away from Tokyo. "Prepare to steal the energy of these meaningless humans! When we do, the Dark Princess will be triumphant in her conquest of Earth!"

Suddenly, she heard a male and female voice yell, "Never!"

Nerezza suddenly stopped, followed closely by the Dark Minions. "Who dares to challenge us now?" she asked angrily.

"We do, negacreep!" the female stated loudly. "How dare you try to invade our world!"

Nerezza suddenly noticed a tall man in a grey costume on the left and a teenage girl in a sailor uniform on the right, both standing back to back to each other.

The gentleman said, "You've got some nerve, calling humans meaningless! On our planet, no one is meaningless, and everyone has something special within themselves!"

"We will not let you destroy Earth!" added the teenage girl. "I am Sailor Moon!"

"And I am The Magician!"

"Together, we will right wrongs and triumph over evil!"

"And you're just about as evil as they come, so get ready to go down, sister!"

Soon, Angie and the other Sailor Scouts emerged alongside Ace and Sailor Moon.

"So," said Nerezza, "The heroes I have had to deal with have joined forces now, have they? Well, let us see if you are a match for the Dark Minions. Get them all!"

As the Dark Minions ran towards the team of heroes, Angie shouted, "All right, everyone! Let's get these creepies!" She fired the first shot by emitting lightning from her hands to knock out one set.

Soon the Sailor Scouts added into the action, using their special attacks to take out one group of Minions.

Sailor Jupiter went first. "Supreme Thunder Crash!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" shouted Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Mars then screamed, "Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

"Crescent Beam Smash!" yelled Sailor Venus. A thin but powerful laser beam emitted from her right index finger and destroyed a group of Dark Minions.

Sailor Moon then took off her tiara, which turned into a special frisbee-like object. Getting into position, she screamed, "Moon Tiara Action!" She threw the tiara right at another group.

Ace noticed one last group of Minions approaching and took out his magic cane, which shot fireballs at the group, causing them to melt away. "Now for you, Nerezza!" He turned to Sailors Mars and Venus. "Would you two mind giving me a hand?"

"Not at all!" the two Scouts shouted.

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" Her whip took hold of Nerezza and tied her up, making her unable to use her own powers.

Sailor Mars spun around and put her two index fingers together. "Mars Fire . . . Ignite!" A single flash of flame shot out from her fingers.

At almost the exact same moment, Ace extended his arms outward and sent more fireballs at Nerezza, who was badly burned and fell to the ground, still trapped in the Venus Chain.

"Now's your chance, Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Mercury.

"Right!" Suddenly, a strange sceptre appeared in her right hand. With a little crown on top, a golden moon in the middle, and lights on the sides, she was ready to finish off Nerezza once and for all.

Angie looked at the wand in surprise. "Um, what is that thing?"

"It's called the Moon Sceptre."

"Let me guess. Pretty sceptre and pretty good weapon, right?"

"Right. It was given to me by Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. I'll have to tell you that story later. In the meantime, how about you and me eliminate her together?"

"I like the way you think, Sailor Moon! Let's do it!"

Sailor Moon then held the Moon Sceptre in a special way, with the left hand on the back side of the golden moon. She moved the sceptre forward and then moved it over her head, which gave the object a boost in power. Then, she started swirling around with the sceptre until she got into the attack position.

For Angie's part, she closed her eyes and let her magical power come from within her heart. "Magic Force within, give me the power to help Sailor Moon stop this evil!" She then started to glow in her aura of light blue again.

As Sailor Moon waved her sceptre from left to right, she yelled out, "Moon Sceptre . . . Elimination!"

As a shot of moon and stars let out from the sceptre, Angie let loose with her own magical power as soon as she extended her arms forward.

The two different powers united into one and aimed directly at Nerezza.

Sailor Venus's Love Chain disappeared, allowing Nerezza to be free. "Now you will pay, humans!" Then, she saw the combined power of Angie's Magic Force and Sailor Moon's Moon Sceptre. "No, it cannot be!"

She was hit very hard by the double dose of power, and she was turned into dust.

All the Scouts started to celebrate, but Ace stopped that immediately. "Wait, don't start the party yet. We still have to find the Dark Princess."

"And you will, fools!" shouted a dark female voice as the ground around them shook violently. Laughing very hard, a woman with a deathly white dress, black hair, and blue skin appeared in the sky. "So, you are the ones who dare to challenge me." She then noticed the dusted ashes of Nerezza. "No, my most valued servant! How dare you take her! For that, I will take one of you!" She then noticed which one she wanted. "Ah, the young woman Nerezza drained this morning. You shall be the one!" She then let loose with a powerful whip to grab her.

"Angie, look out!" Ace shouted as he pushed her out of the way.

The whip took hold around Ace's neck, and he was beginning to lift into the sky.

Angie quickly got back on her feet and noticed Ace in his harrowing predicament. "Ace! Let him go, you . . . witch!" She then focused her magic on freeing her friend.

The Sailor Scouts tried to join her and help, but the Dark Princess's eyes opened wider, causing them and Angie to suddenly weaken.

"Ha! You humans are no match for me! My evil stare renders those who oppose me powerless. On the other hand, I can see this special gentleman possesses much energy. It is all I need now to destroy the people of Earth and claim it for my own!"

As Ace went higher into the sky, he yelled, "Angie, be strong!" Suddenly, he and the Dark Princess vanished without a trace.

Angie looked up in complete shock. "Ace, NOOOOOO!!" She then fell to her knees and burst into tears. "No, not Ace, not my dear friend, my big brother."

Sailor Moon tried her best to comfort her. "Angie, I'm so sorry. We did our best, but we underestimated the Dark Princess herself."

Angie looked at her and said, "She's more powerful than we all thought. We must rescue Ace! If we don't, he'll suffer, and so will the entire world!"

"Right now," said Sailor Mars, "we need to regroup at the temple. We can't attack her head on like this, or she'll get us again with her stare."

For Angie, it was a difficult decision to make. She knew she could not leave Ace to suffer, but in her heart she understood. "You're right, Sailor Mars. We've got to rework the strategy, since now we have to save Ace and stop the Dark Princess. Let's go."

As the six female heroes walked away from the scene, Angie took one last look at the scene. "Somehow, some way, I'll get you back, Ace. I will not give up on you."