Act Five - The Labyrinth, Part 1
As the first ray of sunshine appeared on the horizon, Chibi-Usa opened her eyes. For once, she wasn't going to be late. She reached under her pillow and pulled out the brooch. This was it. They were going to Andromeda.
She got out of bed, held the brooch high in the air, and called, "MOON PRISM POWER!"
After transforming, Sailor Moon ran down to the garden with Diana trailing closely behind. The other scouts had already transformed and were waiting by the fountain.
"How's everybody doing?" she asked, taking a seat beside Shizu, transformed as Sailor Saturn. "Is everyone ready to defeat Queen Jade?"
"I've never been more ready for anything in my life," Goku said, pumping his fists. As the first male Sailor Soldier of the Moon Kingdom, Sailor Uranus was dressed in a decidedly more masculine sailor suit with a pair of gray slacks and a yellow shirt, instead of the mandatory short shirt and bows the rest of the girls had to wear. "Queen Jade is going to get what she deserves."
Sailor Moon's parents walked over to the fountain. Neo-Queen Serenity looked positively horrible. Her hair was disheveled, and it appeared that she didn't get a wink of sleep. The king didn't look much better with bloodshot eyes and a five o'clock shadow.
"I'm sure you are all anxious to get going, so I'll try to keep my goodbyes short," the queen said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek. "I just want you to know that King Endymion and I believe in you with all our hearts. This isn't going to be an easy battle, but you can do it. I know you can."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We will bring the Silver Crystal back to Crystal Tokyo. You can count on the Sailor Neo-Soldiers," Sailor Jupiter, known as Amaya in civilian form, assured her.
"Queen Jade may have the crystal, but you have an even greater power, your friendship. With the power of friendship, anything is possible. Remember that, okay?"
The Neo-Soldiers grabbed each other's hands and formed a circle, Diana jumping on Sailor Moon's shoulder. There was no way she was going to let her mistress face this battle without her. Sailor Moon took one last look at her parents and saw her mother mouth the words, "I'll always be with you." Sailor Moon smiled, feeling much better, than regained her concentration.
SAILOR TELEPORT!
In a great flash of light, the Sailor Neo-Soldiers disappeared. Their greatest journey had just begun. King Endymion gave his wife a hug, and then they walked back to the palace, holding each other up for support.
"I guess this is the place," Tomoko, the new Sailor Mercury, remarked, pulling out her mini-computer.
The Neo-Soldiers had landed on a dry, barren planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. There was no sign of life to be found. It was almost like the planet was dead.
"Personally, I don't see why anyone would want to build a hideout in this horrible place," Anzura, who was Sailor Venus, commented. "There's not even a mall or a beauty parlor in sight."
"I'm sure Queen Jade has more important things to do than get a French manicure, Venus," Sailor Mars muttered under her breath, just as sarcastic as she was when she was Katsuna. "So, Mercury, have you found anything yet?"
"My computer is reading major negative vibes coming from the north. I think Queen Jade's castle is straight ahead.'
"Well, what are we waiting for, Santa Claus?" Sailor Moon asked, anxious to start. "Let's get moving. The sooner we defeat Jade, the sooner we can get out of this creepy place and back to Crystal Tokyo."
Sure enough, the Neo-Soldiers soon reached a dismal-looking palace surrounded by decaying trees and a river filled with a pungent, black liquid. Nagisa, who was the new Sailor Neptune, covered her nose with a dainty white handkerchief. "I sure wouldn't want to go swimming in that water. How are we going to enter the castle, Sailor Moon?"
"I guess we're going to have to cross the river. But how?"
Sailor Moon scanned the immediate vicinity, searching for something they could use to float across the moat. "Look, there's something tied to that branch over there," she exclaimed, pointing her finger at a small raft tied to a nearby dead tree. They ran over to the spot, and Sailor Uranus began untying the rope."
"Isn't it a bit strange that we just happened to come across this raft?" Sailor Saturn asked as everyone boarded. "It could be a trap."
"Would you rather swim across? We'll just have to take that chance," Mars replied, just before they heard a deep, echoing voice.
WELCOME, SAILOR SOLDIERS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR CRUISE ACROSS THE RIVER STYX.
"Did the river just speak to us?" Sailor Moon shrieked as the current began speeding up. She pulled Diana closer. "What's happening?!"
Uranus began paddling faster toward the shore but it was no use. The harder he tried, the harder the current pushed the raft away. "The river's processed!" he yelled. "I can't control it."
Another blast of water hit the raft, threatening to tip the Sailor Neo-Soldiers overboard. Venus screamed and grabbed Uranus's leg, holding on for dear life. It was only a matter of time before they dumped into those dark, murky waters.
The new Sailor Pluto, Masago, cautiously stood up. "Don't worry, guys. We're going to be okay. It's too early in our journey for us to die!"
PLUTO ICE AGE!
Using her attack, Pluto was able to freeze the river. The Neo-Soldiers abandoned the raft and quickly glided across the frozen surface.
"That was absolutely amazing, Pluto!" Sailor Neptune complimented her. "Brilliant idea."
Sailor Moon put her finger to her lips, silently telling Neptune to be quiet. She found the entrance to the castle, but it was guarded by a sleeping three-headed dog. "Pluto, do you have any more of those brilliant ideas?" she whispered.
"Sorry, I'm all out."
One of the dog's heads woke up and spotted the Neo-Soldiers. He stood up and began growling at Sailor Moon.
"Nice doggy," she said, holding out one of her shaking hands. She absolutely hated dogs. Diana began hissing at the dog as the monster barked loudly. "What's your name, little puppy?" she asked.
"I'm Cerberus, guardian of the entrance to Hades Palace and your worst nightmare!"
Cerberus broke free of his chains and began running full speed toward Sailor Moon. She screamed as Mercury pulled her out of the warpath. Her heart was pounding wildly and sweat was pouring out of places she didn't even know existed. Nobody told her that this job involved fighting maniac three-headed dogs.
SAILOR GHOSTLY APPEARANCE!
Sailor Saturn's power made the Neo-Soldiers as transparent as ghosts. Cerberus walked right through Mercury, and then ran away with his tail between his legs. Diana gave him one last hiss, thinking what a coward he was.
"Great job, Saturn!" Sailor Moon said, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "I thought I was a goner for sure."
Finding the door locked, they simply walked through the castle's thick walls. Once inside, the Neo-Soldiers returned to their natural state. Mars lit a torch beside the door and handed it to Sailor Pluto.
"It looks like a maze," Sailor Jupiter commented. "We could be stuck in here for days trying to figure out how to get out of here. What should we do?"
Diana looked around at the barren halls, frowning. "Luna and Artemis told me stories about this place. It's called The Labyrinth, and throughout the maze, you come across monsters of increasing difficulty. Queen Jade's lair is located at the center of the castle."
Mercury entered some information into her computer. A few seconds later, a map of the labyrinth appeared on the screen. "We should go left."
"Is there anything that computer can't do, Mercury?" Saturn asked as they began walking. "How did you manage to find a map of this place?"
"It was really quite simple, actually. The map was already in the computer's memory from the time our mothers fought Queen Jade, so I just opened up the file. Luckily, my mother was smart enough not to erase it."
Sailor Mars suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing Venus to bump into her. "Hey, Mars, what's the hold-up?" Venus asked, rubbing her arm. "Is something wrong?"
"I sense an evil presence nearby," she whispered, grabbing Sailor Moon's arm and pulling her back just as a flame of fire singed one of her pigtails. "Everybody, watch your backs.'
As the Neo-Soldiers continued forward, the flames became more frequent. The area was like an oven, the heat practically burning their skin.
Venus tore a piece of cloth from the bow on the back of her skirt and began wiping the sweat from her forehead. "The heat is unbearable. This can't be good for my skin, and just look at my hair," she complained, pulling her bright scarlet hair in a ponytail. Her natural color was blonde like her mother's, but she dyed her hair often. "Mercury, are you sure there isn't another way to get around this?"
WHO DARES TO CROSS MY PATH!
Sailor Moon turned the corner and found herself face-to-face with another hideous monster. This one had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon. She also breathed fire.
"I'm Sailor Moon, the new champion of justice and leader of the Sailor Neo-Soldiers," she yelled, going through the motions she had often seen her mother do in the past. "On behalf of Crystal Tokyo…"
WE'LL PUNISH YOU!!
The rest of the Neo-Soldiers walked up behind Sailor Moon. "You're toast, dragon breath," Mars said, stepping forward.
"I don't think so, sweetheart," the monster retorted. She sent out another flame, just missing Mars' skirt by a couple of inches. "You are all just blowing a bunch of hot air. No one can beat me, the great Chimera!"
"I wouldn't bet on that," Uranus shouted.
URANUS WHIRLWIND HURRICANE!
The gust of wind extinguished Chimera's next fire attack, and the monster began gagging as if she were choking. "I can't breathe," she wheezed. "My fire's gone out. This is all your fault, you stupid windbag. I'll get you for this!"
"Not if I can help it. I'll fight fire with fire."
MARS ETERNAL FLAME!
"Quick, Sailor Moon, finish her off!" Diana ordered. Chimera groaned in agony as the fire consumed her body.
Sailor Moon grabbed her wand and aimed it at the monster.
CELESTIAL ROSE THORN ATTACK!
Millions of tiny, sharp needles pierced Chimera's skin. She cried out in pain as she turned into a pile of moon dust. The monster was destroyed.
"We did it!"
Damian banged his fist on a nearby wall as he watched the battle in a crystal ball. Chimera had shown herself to be a failure against those inexperienced Neo-Soldiers. They were more powerful than they looked.
"You may have won this battle, Sailor Neo-Soldiers," he growled, "but I can assure you that next time, you won't be so fortunate. Your beginner's luck is about to run out."
"And just exactly how do you plan to do that, my son?" Queen Jade asked. "Chimera was one of your strongest warriors. Her death is a huge blow to our defense."
"Mother, I highly doubt those sailor brats will be able to defeat our next warrior," he replied. "Argos, I command you come forward."
A hideous, multi-eyed beast appeared before Damian and the queen. "How may I be of service to you, Master?"
"Argos, you have shown great promise," Damian said, resting his hands on his crystal ball. A vision of the Neo-Soldiers walking through the maze emerged from the sphere. "I am entrusting you with an important mission. Get rid of these bothersome little pipsqueaks, once and for all, but make sure to bring Sailor Moon here. We have bigger plans for her."
"Yes, Master."
Argos disappeared as Queen Jade let out a small laugh. "That's your brilliant idea, sending that greenhorn to battle the Sailor Neo-Soldiers? I have to say, Damian, sometimes you bewilder me."
"I know what I'm doing, Mother. Soon, our plan will be complete. Neo-Queen Serenity's kingdom and her precious daughter will be ours."
"You better be right," she threatened. "I will not tolerate another failure. Revenge will be mine. I'll be in my rooms if you need me."
The queen walked out of the room, leaving Damian alone to stare at the vision of Sailor Moon. She was so beautiful and innocent, and soon she would be his queen.
It was the ultimate revenge.