TWO DOWN, THREE TO GO
The Dark Scout of the Negaverse appeared in the "trophy" room with the body of Sailor Jupiter. She lay the defeated scout beside her companion and looked at them both with a smug grin. They had been mighty warriors in life, and not been easy to kill. The Dark Scout recalled that Queen Beryl had gone through four generals while trying to kill the Sailor Scouts before being killed herself when she had thought success inevitable. Already, Prince Rutile had lost three of the best generals the Negaverse had every know, and soon Azurite would join them in destruction.
The Dark Scout gazed down at Sailor Jupiter. The scout remained fierce, even in death; her face was contorted in anger and frustration. Her companion, on the other hand, was peacefully at rest, and the Dark Scout turned her head to see the other three empty beds. The next self-sacrificing scout would leave Sailor Moon with only one ally. Tuxedo Mask would be unable to follow them into the Negaverse without help, and the Shadows were their strongest here. The Negaverse had all the advantages it needed to succeed, and Sailor Moon had only herself to rely on. The Dark Scout laughed and disappeared.
In the silence of the cave, the pulsing was intensified.
The original three sailor scouts spent Friday afternoon at the mall. They shopped to cheer themselves up after Lita's passing, and to take their minds off the enemy they faced. Serena bought two small boxes - one orange, one green - to keep the powersticks of her fallen friends in. Raye bought a blue one as well and Amy bought a red one. They hid their purchases from Serena as best they could, but their perceptive friend quickly spotted them.
"Why did you buy those?" Serena asked curiously when they were out of the store.
Raye and Amy looked at each other sheepishly. Serena looked at them expectantly, anticipating their answers.
"Mine is . . for pencils," Amy stammered.
"Yeah, so is mine," Raye added.
Serena looked her friends in the eye and lowered her head. She stayed like that for several seconds. Amy and Raye exchanged confused looks. When Serena lifted her head, her eyes were wet with tears.
"Those are for you powersticks, aren't they?" she asked quietly.
"Of course not, Meatball Head! You think we expect to die?" Raye said.
Serena looked at Amy. Serena's eyes were glistening with tears and Amy knew she couldn't lie. She steeled herself against whatever Serena might do, and told her the truth.
"Lita and Mina were fierce fighters who gave up their own lives for the good of the universe. If I'm faced in the same situation, I'd gladly sacrifice myself like they did," Amy said.
Serena and Raye looked ashamed of themselves. Raye stepped next to Amy and nodded fiercely.
"You're right. I don't want to go, but if I have to, I will," Raye said.
"Me too," Serena admitted. "But please, don't sacrifice yourselves for my sake. Please."
Amy and Raye smiled gently. "It's our duty to protect you, princess," Amy said, placing a hand on Serena's shoulder.
"We have to do what we feel is needed," Raye added. "Our lives are not as important as yours, in the long run."
Tears were streaming down Serena's cheeks, but she nodded bravely. She tightened her grip on the two boxes she had just bought, and hugged them closer to her chest.
"Good. Let's stop talking about this and go to that book store. I need to pick up a new physics book," Amy said, leading the way.
They arrived at Serena's house later that night. Serena's kid brother, Sammy, was playing a Sailor V video game. Serena and her friends watched for a while. Sammy was intensely staring at the TV screen, while Sailor V was suddenly surrounded by monsters. Try as Sammy might, he could not save his character and the game ended.
"Oh no! Sailor V is dead!" Sammy cried.
Tears filled Serena's eyes as she stared at the flashing "Game Over" on the TV.
"So is Sailor J," she whispered. "Who will be next?"
Amy took Serena's arm gently and led her to her room. Raye followed close behind, holding the packages the three of them had bought. Sammy watched them go.
"What'd I say?" he wondered.
Prince Rutile sat on his throne, absently tapping his fingernails on the chair's arm. He stared ahead blankly, lost in thought. The Dark Scout stood motionlessly at his side. A few moments later, he looked up and pointed to one of his servants. It stepped forward and bowed.
"What is our energy reserve like?" he demanded.
"There is little left, my Master" it replied without straightening from the bow.
Prince Rutile waved his hand and the servant stepped back again, lost in the crowd that surrounded the throne at all times. Rutile summoned Azurite and she appeared before him.
"Our energy is low. When you summon the Shadows, it uses vast amounts of energy. Energy we need to fully control the Dark Scout," Rutile said. "Without her full power, we cannot hope to free the Negaforce. You must replenish the energy reserve."
"Yes, my Master," Azurite said. "I have a plan. Humans spend energy on a sensation called laughter. I will create a place where humans will go to laugh and then, I'll get their energy."
"A good plan," Rutile conceded. "Proceed, and take the Dark Scout with you."
The Dark Scout stepped forward and stood beside Azurite. The general could hardly control her despise for the Prince's new favourite, but had no choice but to obey.
"As you wish, my Master," Azurite said with distaste.
Both she and the Dark Scout bowed once, and vanished.
"Look at this, guys!" Raye said the next day.
Serena and Amy leaned over the table to see the newspaper she was reading. There was a huge advertisement for a movie theater that had just opened. Luna hopped onto the table to look as well.
"Listen to this. All Day Laugh-A-Thon Today to Celebrate the Grand Opening of the Theatre. Admission Free for the first 100 people'," Raye read.
"Free admission?" Serena gasped.
"It could be a Negaverse trap," Luna reminded them.
"Oh, Luna! You think everything is a trap," Serena said.
"Need I remind you about the skating rink? The skiing competition? The cruise? The amusement part? The . . ," Luna said.
"Okay, I get the idea. If it is a trap, we need to stop it," Serena interrupted. "Either way, free admission!"
"Shall we go to the two o'clock show?" Amy said, picking up the paper and looking the ad over.
Raye and Serena nodded. Luna hung her head and sighed.
They arrived before the show and began to snoop around. Serena led the way and at once noticed that the theatre did not have a concession stand. Amy took out her computer and scanned for strange readings, but Raye sensed evil the moment she stepped through the door.
"Luna was right," Amy said, confirming Raye's intuition with readings from her computer.
"I hate it when she's right," Serena pouted. "Do we at least get to see the show?"
Amy nodded. "Yes, but we have to keep our eyes and ears open for Negaverse activity."
"Yeah, Serena," Raye added. "Don't laugh so hard you can't hear yourself think."
They headed out of the lobby and into the theatre itself. It resembled an ordinary theatre, except above the screen hung an enormous black chandelier. Amy pulled out her computer again as the theatre began to fill with unsuspecting victims. Before Amy could figure out what the chandelier was, the show began.
The three scouts paid little attention to the screen, but focused instead on what was going on around them. Raye had an anti-evil charm held ready as she scanned the crowd. Serena looked nervous, but kept one hand protectively on her broach, wishing it still possessed the Silver Crystal.
"Guys, look! Everyone who's laughing is getting weaker!" Raye remarked.
Serena watched the people around her laugh until the literally collapsed. The scouts ducked out of sight behind their seats and waited patiently for whatever would happen next.
On the stage, a monster stood with the energy they had collected. She was dressed like an usher from the thirties and was channeling the stolen energy into the massive chandelier.
"We've got to stop them!" Raye shrieked.
She grabbed Serena's hand and, with Amy close behind, they crawled unnoticed down the aisle. The lobby was deserted, and Serena held up her broach.
"Moon Crisis Transform!" Serena cried.
"Mercury Star Power!" Amy yelled.
"Mars Star Power!" Raye shouted.
The Sailor Scouts headed back into the theatre, determined to defeat the Negaverse once again.
Azurite appeared beside her monster. She glance approvingly at the growing chandelier and waved her hand at it in a dismissing gesture. The chandelier shrunk in size as the energy it held was sent to the Negaverse. Azurite turned to walk away.
"Hold it right there, Nega trash!" a familiar voice said.
Azurite looked up and saw the three remaining Sailor Scouts. They stood in the doorway with their hands on their hips and an expression of disapproval on their faces. Azurite smiled despite herself. As if their approval meant anything to her.
"You think you can steal these good people's energy? I don't think so! I fight for love and justice! I'm Sailor Moon and on behalf of the Moon . . ," Sailor Moon began.
"For Mercury . . ," Sailor Mercury added.
"And in the name of Mars . . ," Sailor Mars joined.
"We will punish you!" they said together.
"Get them," Azurite ordered the monster.
Azurite continued the energy transfer herself as the usher-monster leapt forward to strike at the scouts. They jumped clear as the creature landed.
"Mars Firebird Strike!" Sailor Mars summoned.
The firebird flew down and destroyed the monster. The scouts stared at the empty space where it had been, baffled as to its sudden demise. Sailor Moon bit her lip nervously.
"That was too easy," Sailor Mercury commented.
"Yeah, I have a feeling we're about to take a trip to the Negaverse again," Sailor Mars agreed.
From the stage, Azurite laughed and disappeared, taking the remainder of the energy with her.
Sailor Moon stepped between her two friends, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"That means one of us will die," Sailor Moon said softly.
The three scouts stood in a triangle facing each other. Sailor Moon put her hand in the centre as she spoke.
"Let's vow that whoever is chosen to sacrifice themselves will only do so if necessary, and the others will leave without question," Sailor Moon suggested.
"I promise," Sailor Mercury said, placing her hand atop Sailor Moon's.
"I promise as well," Sailor Mars added, joining her hand to the pile.
They smiled encouragingly at each other and Sailor Moon used her free hand to wipe away her tears. The portal opened behind them and they voluntarily stepped through.
Azurite was waiting for them. She allowed them a moment to re-orientate themselves as she almost carelessly tossed the Blue Rainbow crystal in the air and caught it again. Azurite held up the crystal between two fingers for the scouts to see, before releasing it from her grasp. It fell soundlessly to the floor.
"Blue Crystal! Release your captive!" Azurite commanded.
The crystal cracked and a thick, black substance oozed out. As it grew into a Shadow Warrior, Azurite smiled at the scouts.
"Have fun! I'll be back when you're done," she said and disappeared.
The Shadow Warrior didn't waste anytime. With a malicious grin on his otherwise expressionless face, he shot three balls of dark energy. Sailor Mars knocked Sailor Moon out of the way, but Sailor Mercury was struck in the arm. The energy ball expanded, encompassing her entire right arm.
"I can't use my powers!" she cried.
"We'll defeat him for you!" Sailor Mars said.
"Mars Comet Blaze!" she called.
As the comets bombarded the enemy, Sailor Moon tried to heal Sailor Mercury. She was growing weaker as the energy ball drew out her power. The Shadow, on the other hand, seemed to be increasing in strength. Nothing Sailor Mars did seemed to affect it.
"Sailor Mercury can't hold on much longer!" Sailor Moon warned. "The Shadow is using her powers against us."
"Go then, I'll defeat this evil!" Sailor Mars cried, turning her back to Sailor Moon and staring the Shadow in the eye.
"But . . ," Sailor Moon began.
"Remember the vow! Leave!" Mars yelled over her shoulder.
"Mars Portal Open!" she ordered.
The portal shone red and Amy's apartment could dimly been seen on the other side. Sailor Moon pushed Sailor Mercury through, but paused to look at Mars once more. The fire scout was tense with determination as she faced her final enemy. Sailor Moon allowed a tear to slid down her cheek.
"Farewell, my friend," she said.
"Good bye, Serena," Sailor Mars said gently. "I'll miss you more than you'll know."
Sailor Moon took a last, lingering look before stepping into the portal. It vanished behind her, sealing Mars to her fate.
"Mars Firebird Strike!" she tried.
The firebird didn't even make a scratch. Azurite reappeared, laughing and hovering over the battle ground.
"Give up, Sailor brat. Your friends have abandoned you and you can't possibly survive," she laughed. "But the Negaverse has use for your talents and energy."
Mars glared up at the floating general, hatred in her eyes.
"You're right. I can't survive, but I can win," Sailor Mars said. "As long as one of us lives, the Negaverse doesn't stand a chance."
She felt a new power inside of her. Without knowing how, she was aware that this power would destroy the monster, as well as herself. She sent a thought to her friends, like Mina and Lita had done before her and took a deep, final breath.
"Mars Firebomb Spread!" she commanded.
The entire place was engulfed in flames. Azurite cried out in alarm and vanished. When the fire died down, Azurite returned. The monster was burned to ashes but Sailor Mars lay peacefully on her back, untouched by the flames. The crystal was gone, as well as Sailor Mars' powerstick. Azurite cursed silently at the lost of the fifth crystal and touched Sailor Mars' body. The third dead scout disappeared to her final resting place, and Azurite vanished to Prince Rutile's throne room to make her report.
Again, the last two scouts waited patiently for news of their friend. Serena didn't cry as the crystal appeared at her feet along with the powerstick of Mars. She didn't shed a tear as they listened to Raye's last thought.
Don't be sad, Serena. I'll be with you in spirit, she said.
"I'll avenge you," Serena swore.
She turned to leave, without crying or saying goodbye to Amy. She didn't weep for her friend, that time had past with Lita. Now, she felt a growing need to punch something as she headed home. Holding her friend's powerstick in her clenched fist, she ran into her room. She carefully placed it with the orange and green sticks before she lay on her bed and fell into an exhausted slumber.
As she slept, she was plagued with dreams of shadows and fire, with three continuous pulses throbbing through her brain.