By: Shirley Ann Burton
This is a no-brainer:
The Magician,
and all other related material, is copyrighted by Gaumont Multimédia.
Sailor
Moon, and all other related material there, is copyrighted by Toei
Animation and Naoko Takeuchi. Original characters are mine, blah,
blah, blah…you know this part. This story takes place before
"The Magic Force Moon Crystal Reunion" and after the fourth season
of Sailor Moon (a.k.a. Sailor Moon SS). All Sailor Moon references
will be in English with the exceptions of Queen Nephrenia (from Sailor
Moon SS), Haruka Tenoh (Sailor Uranus), and Michiru Kaioh (Sailor Neptune).
Sleeping
soundly in her room at the Cherry Hill Temple in Tokyo, Japan, a teenage
young woman was very happy that her part of the world was at peace again.
She and her friends had to stop an evil queen named Nephrenia from taking
all the dreams of people around the world. Raye Hino finally felt
she could relax and never have to worry about being a Sailor Scout again.
However,
Raye's inert psychic ability alerted her to some kind of presence nearby,
but she could not tell whether it was evil. She started moving around
all over her bed, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.
In her
mind, she noticed that the landscape around her was not Tokyo at
all. "What…is this place? Our future? What's going on?"
"Sailor
Mars," said a level female voice. "I must speak with you right away."
"Who
knows who I am?"
Suddenly,
a young woman with her own sailor uniform appeared behind Raye, sporting
a violet mini-skirt, amethyst-jeweled tiara, and knee-high violet boots.
She was holding a strange weapon in her hands, something shaped with a
"G". Amazingly, she was a foot smaller than Raye. "Sailor
Mars?"
Raye
turned around and noticed. "Sailor…Saturn? What are you doing
here?"
"I've
come to warn you, Sailor Mars. There is a new danger approaching
the Earth. However, there is a problem. Tokyo will not
be the center of this new threat."
"Then,
where will it be?"
"It
will be in a place unfamiliar to you but very familiar to a friend you
and the others met a couple of years ago."
"What
do you mean? I don't understand."
"It
is his home that will be threatened."
Raye
wanted to keep asking questions. "Whose home will be threatened?
Darien's or—"
"No.
Think of magic. Who do you know who can do magic and is far stronger
than all of you?"
"The
only one I know of is…Ace Cooper the Magician! His home will be in
danger?"
Sailor
Saturn nodded sadly. "Yes. Electro City, California, will be
where the danger takes place. We are trying to determine what the
source is, but it is shielded somehow."
"But…how
in the world are we going to get to Electro City from here? We don't
have the money to afford such a trip."
"That
will be determined by the intelligence of…Sailor Mercury."
"Amy?
She's going to be the one who could get us there? How?"
"Just
trust me, Sailor Mars. Only you and Ace Cooper himself will know
about this situation. The rest is up to Sailor Mercury."
Raye
sighed and realized there was nothing else she could do. "Okay, if
you say so."
"Have
faith in her intelligence. I believe she can do her part. For
now, though, do not say anything to anyone else, including the other Sailors.
I fear telling them will create some kind of panic among them, especially
Sailor Moon. No offense."
"I'm
used to it by now. Thank you for your…warning, Sailor Saturn.
I'll just have to trust Amy for now."
"Now,
I must be on my way to meet with Ace Cooper." The diminuitive Scout
vanished into thin air.
Raye suddenly
awakened with a jolt. "Ace Cooper's home is in danger, but there
isn't much I can do about it, can I?" She then went back to sleep,
but she could not stop thinking about the vision with Sailor Saturn.
Across the
Pacific Ocean, in Electro City, California, the four main residents of
a rather unusual mobile home were sleeping soundly in the middle of the
night, the night before (due to a time difference of approximately 18 hours).
In his
room, Ace Cooper the Magician calmly thought ahead to his next show with
his two apprentices, Cosmo and Angela Jacobs. They know how to
add depth to a show. Angie's work with Zina has really made the difference
in preparing for tomorrow's performance. Also, her idea to add musical
accompaniment was perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong with it.
Zina, his
pet black panther, slept near the footboard.
His sleep
cycle was suddenly disrupted, though, when he started hearing a voice in
his mind…a voice that did not belong to his friend Angie, who shared
a psychic bond with him.
Ace…Ace
Cooper…
"Wha…what's
going on?"
Awaken,
Ace Cooper, please. I must speak with you…
Zina awakened
with a jolt and suddenly growled when noticing something standing in front
of her with a huge sharp object.
"What's
wrong, Zina, I—" The Magician gasped when he noticed an apparition
standing in front of Zina. "Who…are you?"
He rubbed
his eyes to make his vision clearer. Although his eyesight was still
slightly blurry, he noticed a sailor uniform. "Wait…Sailor Moon?"
As soon
as his vision cleared, he noticed the purple highlights in her hair, the
large weapon in her hands, and her shorter stature. "Oh, I'm sorry.
I thought you were Sailor Moon."
Zina kept
growling at the ghost.
"Zina,
stop. I don't think she's working for Faceless. In fact, I
think she's projecting herself."
The apparition
looked straight at Ace. "Ah, you understand that I am not really
here."
"No, but
for a minute you looked like Sailor Moon to me, but then you're shorter,
and your hair is much darker."
"You do
know Sailor Moon, then."
"Yes, I
do. I met her and her friends about three years ago. But tell
me, if you're not Sailor Moon, who are you?"
She closed
her eyes and said, "I am Sailor Saturn…Sailor Scout of Destruction."
"You are
a Sailor Scout yourself? I thought there were only five of them."
"Our numbers
have doubled since you last saw them. However, I came here to warn
you, Ace Cooper. There is a new danger heading towards Earth…and
I fear Electro City will be at the epicenter of this threat."
Ace's eyes
widened with grave concern. "Please, tell me what I can do to help."
"Your only
hope is for Sailor Moon and the others to come here and assist you, as
you came to assist them before in Japan."
"How?
They can't afford that kind of trip. Maybe I can pay for their way
here."
"No.
The Scouts' coming here is all in the hands of Sailor Mercury."
"Amy.
She is the most intelligent one by far. But I don't—"
"Please,
you must trust me. Have faith in Sailor Mercury's intelligence.
For now, please do not tell anyone of this warning or your seeing me here."
"That won't
be a problem with Cosmo, but it may be hard keeping it from Angie."
"Your friend
Angela Jacobs…who also possesses the power of the Magic Force. You
share a special bond with her."
"Yes.
Do you know about her—"
"Recent
emotional breakdown? Yes, I do. The poor child, burying all
the anger in her soul for fear she would lose her friends, and then the
explosion of rage. How is she doing?"
"Much better.
I only wish there were something more I can do."
"Do not
worry. Sailor Mercury will be the key to getting the Scouts here
to Electro City."
"Thank
you, Sailor Saturn. I will not take your warning lightly."
"I appreciate
that, Ace Cooper. Now, I will let you return to your sleep so that
you can be ready for your performance tomorrow night." The apparition
soon disappeared.
Ace and
Zina soon returned to sleep, but he wondered about Sailor Saturn's warning…
The next
day, Ace and his friends rehearsed at the Sinsun Hotel, where his performance
was going to be later that evening.
Ace tried
his best to hide his concern about the warning, but Angie, emotionally
sensitive, was easily aware something was not right.
"Ace…Ace,"
said Angie, who noticed him staring out into the empty auditorium. Ace,
what's going on?
"Huh? Oh,
um, nothing. I'm just…out of it a little."
"Come on,
Ace. I've known you long enough I can tell something's wrong.
Can't you please tell me?"
He sighed
and looked at her. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone
else, period?"
"Of course.
I promise." She crossed her heart to make it official.
"I'm going
to telepathically send you something I saw last night. That will
explain everything. Give me your hands."
The two
magicians felt their minds merging as Ace sent his images into Angie's
mind.
"Sailor…Saturn?"
she whispered. "A…warning…Electro City in the center. I understand."
Ace opened
his eyes. "Now, I'm going to hold you to that promise not to say
anything."
"You have
my word as a fellow magician." And as one who shares the Magic
Force.
"Thanks,
Angie. I'm glad you understand the delicacy of this mess."
Just then,
spike-haired Cosmo ran into the auditorium area and met his friends.
"Guys…bad…news…"
Angie patted
him and said, "Take it easy, Cosmo. Tell us, what's the bad news?"
"The pianist
and violinist you hired for tonight's show. Both of them came down
with food poisoning last night, and they're sick."
"Oh, great,
where are we going to get two performers on such short notice?"
"I don't
know," answered Ace. "We've got to find replacements and fast."
"But…where?
Maybe I can go riding around on the Bike."
"You've
got the better musical ear, Angie. Go."
"On my
way." She quickly took off on the Magic Bike to see if she could
quickly find replacement musicians for the act that evening.
She went
frantically searching everywhere until she noticed a pair performing in
Keaton Park. The music she heard was very melodious in her ears.
"That's it…that's the sound needed for tonight."
Angie approached
the park and found the performers. On the white grand piano was a
young man wearing a red t-shirt and white slacks. His short blonde
hair made it easier for him to see the notes on the music sheets.
Playing the violin so beautifully was a young woman with unusual teal-colored
hair which flowed in the comfortable breeze. Her outfit consisted
of a light blue blouse and light green long skirt.
After playing
their hearts out, the female magician applauded their exhibition.
"That was beautiful."
"Why thank
you," responded the young woman. "I guess you have an ear for music."
"All kinds.
I'll take almost anything…the exceptions being the hardcore rap and seriously
heavy metal."
"I agree.
Both those styles tend to be a bit degrading to women and promote violence.
However…I don't think you came here just to admire the music."
Angie confessed,
"You're right. I'm Angela Jacobs, a performing stage magician here
in Electro City. Actually, I'm more of a training magician.
My mentor is Ace Cooper the Magician."
"You mean
the
Ace Cooper?"
"Yeah,
that's right. Now, here's the situation: We're supposed to
perform tonight to the accompaniment of violin and piano. Unfortunately,
the two musicians I hired both suffered food poisoning last night and can't
make it. I know this is sorta last minute, but please, could you
possibly take their place? We can't do the show without the music."
"Can I
talk it over with my friend?"
"Of course."
She came
over to her blonde-headed partner. "What do you think?"
The partner
whispered back, "I think she knows the truth, but that's expected because
of her sensitivity to Mr. Cooper's thoughts. We have to double-check
and make sure. Besides, it'll be nice in the air-conditioned hotel."
"Then it's
settled." Walking back to Angie, the young woman smiled. "We
accept your offer. We'll help you with the performance."
Angie breathed
a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you. You don't know how much
this will mean to me and the others."
"Well,
Angie, I hope we can be of good help to you. My name is Michiru Kaioh,
and this is my friend Haruka Tenoh."
"You're
both from Japan, aren't you?"
Haruka,
the blonde, walked up and said, "That's right, we are."
Angie was
shocked at Haruka's voice. "You mean you're a…female? Oh, dear,
I thought you were a guy."
"Don't
worry," she laughed. "When most people see me for the first time,
it's not a surprise that they think I'm a man. I'm a woman, though.
I'm more of a tomboy."
"Nothing
wrong with that. Would you two come with me to the Sinsun Hotel to
meet my friends and go through a test run?"
"We'd love
to," Michiru answered happily. "We're visiting here for the first
time."
"Vacation?"
"Um, yes.
We're on vacation. We've seen some sights already, but not the best
ones."
"If rehearsal
goes the way it does, we'll have lunch inside the Magic Express."
"The Magic
Express," said Haruka. "Is that a restaurant?"
"Nope.
It's Ace Cooper's mobile home…his version of a recreational vehicle.
It's parked right next door to the Sinsun."
"Oh, sure.
We'll follow you, then."
Haruka
and Michiru then walked to Haruka's sportscar and took off behind Angie
on the Magic Bike.
Less than
20 minutes later, all three ladies arrived at the Sinsun Hotel. Angie
returned the Bike to the garage while Haruka parked the car next to the
Express.
Angie went
back on stage there and said, "Guys, we have our musicians for tonight."
Ace and
Cosmo looked at each other but in no real surprise.
"That's
great," said Ace. "Can we meet them?"
Motioning
for them to come on stage, Angie made proper introductions. "Ace,
Cosmo, Zina…I'd like you to meet Michiru Tenoh and Haruka Kaioh."
Michiru
laughed. "No, Angie. I'm Michiru Kaioh and he's Haruka
Tenoh."
She winked at Angie.
Angie nodded.
"Oops, sorry. I'd better get those names right for tonight."
Ace said,
"Mr. Tenoh, Miss Kaioh."
Haruka
laughed as she shook hands with Ace. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."
"Wait,"
Ace noted in surprise, "you mean you're a…woman?"
"Yes, sir.
I am the true-to-form tomboy. When people meet me, they automatically
think I'm a man."
"Wow, Miss
Tenoh. You sure caught us off-guard."
Cosmo shook
his head but agreed. "No kidding, dude—I mean, dudette. Anyway,
we'd like to go through a test run with you, if that's all right."
"That's
fine. I think we need to do a little fine-tuning ourselves anyhow,
right, Michiru?"
"Sure.
Just point us to the music sheets."
Cosmo directed
both young ladies to their instruments. "We had musicians, but they
both got really sick last night. This is the music we're going to
use. I'll head up to the control room and test out the reverberating
effects."
Going through
a ten-minute test, Ace was very satisfied with the sound. "Miss Tenoh,
Miss Kaioh, you both get the job. I think you're better than
the pair we originally hired."
The two
young ladies smiled at each other. "Thank you," they said.
"Now, according
to my watch, it's time for lunch. Angie, do you have room for two
more?"
"Ace, you
know I always have room for at least four more. We're having vegetable
salad and fried beef strips with rice, if you two want to join us."
"Salad
is my specialty," said Haruka happily. "And Michiru's favorite food
is meat strips."
"Good.
It should be completely done by now, so let's eat."
They went
into Ace's home, where the two visitors were impressed.
"Wow,"
said Michiru, "now this is what I call a mobile home. I like
this place already."
"Oh, that's
nothin', Michiru," Cosmo noted. "We also have a special computer
system named Angel."
A holographic
dodecahedron with pink and purple highlights suddenly appeared. "Hello,
visitors."
"H-hi,"
said Haruka with rousing curiosity. "Is this the whole system?"
Ace simply
answered, "Oh, no. We have an entire computer room at the far end
of the Express. It's also our security system to keep out intruders
and snoopers who want to know our secrets."
"Ah, the
Magician's Creed: Never reveal secrets. Don't worry, Mr. Cooper,
we're not after secrets. We just want to help you with the show this
evening."
"Thank
you, Miss Tenoh."
"Please,
just call us Haruka and Michiru. That may help Angie not to get our
names confused."
"She's
right, Ace," said Angie. "I have to get Haruka Tenoh and Michiru
Kaioh right."
"Hey, Angie,
you'd have more confusion if our friend Setsuna Meioh were around with
us."
"No more,
Haruka. My brain's gonna collapse with all these names."
"Okay,
okay. Now let's get to lunch. I'm starving."
Soon, everyone
started enjoying Angie's homemade cooking.
Michiru
started a new conversation. "Angie, do you like to cook all the time?"
"You bet.
I love to cook. It's something I learned from my mother."
"It must
be great being able to cook some great dishes for your friends."
"Absolutely,"
said Cosmo with food in his mouth. After he swallowed carefully he
added, "Before Angie came along, Ace and I just about never knew anything
about homemade cooking. So, what brings two people from Japan here?"
"Well…we're
exchange students on our way to…Phoenix, Arizona. We wanted to drive
through the Southwestern desert before we got there, though."
While they
were talking, Haruka closely examined the group living in the Magic Express.
She wondered if Ace and the others could face a tremendous challenge. I
wonder if the Magician knows we're actually on a mission for Sailor Saturn.
Judging by things so far around here, I have a feeling we're with the best
group to join forces with the Moon Princess. She was right about
Ace Cooper. His magic is powerful enough, but he must join forces
with Sailor Moon to succeed.
The moment
everyone completed lunch, Angie and Michiru cleaned the dishes, and then
they all went back into the Sinsun Hotel for a final rehearsal.
With only
three hours before the show, Ace was very pleased with the results.
"All right, everything's a go for tonight. We'll relax for an hour,
eat dinner, and then have everything ready to go. Haruka, make sure
your piano is as fine-tuned as possible. Michiru, make certain your
violin is stringed at its very best."
"We understand,
Mr. Cooper," said Michiru. "We'll be ready on our end."
Come 7
p.m., it was time for Ace and his friends to perform.
First,
Angie came to the stage to make an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen,
the musicians who were supposed to perform this evening suffered a case
of food poisoning and are unable to be here. However, we did find
two very talented replacements on such short notice. To perform the
various works of Beethoven for our show tonight will be Haruka Tenoh
on piano and Michiru Kaioh on violin. Please give them a round
of applause."
As the
curtain rose, Haruka said, "Hey, Angie got our names right!"
"She should
have," Michiru joked. "She softly kept repeating our names so she
wouldn't mess up."
Throughout
the performance, Angie did her part of the act by creating heartfelt magic
while following the music, particularly the Moonlight Sonata and the famous
Fifth Symphony.
In the
grand finale trick, Ace and Angie created dancing balls of fire for Zina
to jump through while Haruka and Michiru did their rendition of Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony.
When the
trick ended, the audience gave them all a standing ovation for a wonderful
performance that evening.
Ace then
went to the front of the stage. "We could not have achieved this
show tonight if not for the tremendous musical talents of Haruka Tenoh
and Michiru Kaioh. If anyone deserves a round of applause, these
two most certainly are the ones."
Haruka
and Michiru took a bow as the audience started throwing flowers at them.
After the
audience left, the Sinsun's owner, Sonny Boy Surge, came up to the group.
"I gotta hand it to ya, Cooper. These two musicians sounded a lot
better than the pair you originally had. It's like they're a perfect
tandem to each other."
"Thank
Angie for finding them so fast earlier today. It's almost like fate
brought them here." He suddenly remembered Sailor Saturn's warning.
Fate?
I wonder if those two were…
"Well,
I'd like to thank them in person. Where are they?"
"They should
be in the dressing room," said Angie. "I'll go get 'em."
When she
got there, however, she noticed that everything the two young ladies brought
with them were gone…and so were they. "Hey? Haruka, Michiru?
Where are you?" She then ran outside and noticed the sportscar was
also gone. "Did they get kidnapped in their own car or something?"
She then
noticed a note on the front door of the Magic Express. The note had
this message:
Dear Mr. Cooper and Angela,
Please
donate our salary from tonight's performance to a worthy charity.
We apologize for not being able to stay, but we are needed elsewhere.
We were on a mission for Sailor Saturn to see if in fact Electro City would
be the center of a dangerous threat. We now are convinced that is
the case. Only the two of you here and Raye Hino in Tokyo know about
this situation, and for now, it is best not to tell anyone else, including
those closest to you. The rest now…is in Sailor Mercury's hands,
or should we say, brains. It will be up to her to get the Sailor
Scouts here to Electro City to assist you. Your powers and theirs
could be Earth's only hope.
Good luck,
Haruka and Michiru
"The warning
Ace received from Sailor Saturn…" She decided to hide the message
in her pocket and ran back into the theater.
Sonny Boy
looked at Angie and asked, "Where are they?"
"They already
left. The sportscar is gone, too. It's like they accomplished
what they wanted and then left. They left a message saying to donate
their salary for tonight to a worthy charity." Ace, there's also
something else in this message, but I have to discuss it with you…alone.
I understand,
Angie, he thought back. "Oh, well, I know the St. John's Orphanage
needs the money. Come on, guys, let's get the Express back home."
Ace and
his friends went back into the recreational vehicle, which soon returned
to its normal resting place near the Grand Canal.
After Cosmo
went to sleep, Ace and Angie went into the living room with Zina slithering
behind them.
"I guess
Zina already knows, too?" Angie asked curiously.
"She does.
After all, she and I both saw Sailor Saturn. Now, what about the
rest of the message they left?"
"It turns
out Haruka and Michiru are working for Sailor Saturn, which means…they
must be Sailor Scouts themselves."
"Let me
see that note, Angie." After a careful examination, Ace concluded,
"You're right about Haruka and Michiru being Sailor Scouts. How else
could they have known about the impending danger?"
"So, Sailor
Saturn's warning is real after all," Angie noted in grave concern.
"Ace, what'll we do?"
"We'll
just have to wait…and pray that Amy Mizuno will be able to do her part."
Back in
Japan, Raye was calmly working on her chores when her close friend Chad
came by. "Hey, Raye, phone call for you. I think it's Amy."
"Okay,
thanks, Chad. I'll grab it in my room."
She picked
up the telephone. "Hello?"
"Hi, Raye!
Oh, have I got some fantastic news! I'm going to be Who Wants
to Travel the World next week! I just hope I can get into the
'Driver's Seat.'"
Raye then
remembered Sailor Saturn's message. Have faith in her intelligence.
If Amy can go all the way, we'll have the much needed chance to go to Electro
City and help Mr. Cooper and his friends. "That's great news,
Amy!"
"And what's
really great is this: It's a special show dedicated to children's
day. If I can win it all, I can take as many as ten friends to any
destination on Earth. I already calculated that I can take you and
the others, Darien, Rini, Luna, Artemis, and Diana. I've already
invited all of them to come. Of course, the show won't accept cats
in the audience."
"I…can't
wait to see you next week."
Amy noticed
her friend's tone did not sound as excited as before. "Raye, are
you all right?"
"Huh?
Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was…just thinking…about the chores here, that's
all. I'm really happy for you, Amy."
"We'll
meet at the temple tomorrow so I can give you all the tickets to the show."
"Oh, um,
Amy, have you picked a place you want to go in the case you do win
the whole thing?"
"I haven't
decided yet. According to the rules, I have to decide within two
weeks after winning where I will take you all. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You got
it, Amy. See you then." When she hung up the phone, Raye thought
carefully about Saturn's vision. "Mr. Cooper knows the story, and
I bet Angie does, too, with her rapport to him. Whatever happens…Amy
must win the whole thing and choose Electro City as the destination."
**One Week Later**
Amy Mizuno
was in the "Driver's Seat" on the popular game show Who Wants to Travel
the World. She cruised through 14 straight questions.
In the
audience, Raye had to keep her friend Serena Tsukino from overreacting
in the audience. "Stop it, Meatball-Head!" she muttered angrily.
"Amy needs to concentrate to get this last question right."
A little
girl who sat next to Raye concurred and then whispered, "Come on, Amy,
you can do it." The little girl had a similar hairstyle to Serena's,
except her hair was much shorter and completely pink.
The host
of the show said, "Okay, Amy, this is it. Get this question right,
and you will win a two-week trip anywhere on Earth. Are you ready?"
"Yes,"
she answered, "I'm ready."
"Very well.
For the trip, here is your last question: Which of these books is not
a part of Madeleine L'Engle's acclaimed Time Quartet series? Many
Waters, A Ring of Endless Light, A Swiftly Tilting Planet,
or A Wind in the Door?"
Amy had
to think a little about this particular question, but she started thinking
aloud. "Okay, the Time Quartet series involves the Murry family.
The first one was A Wrinkle in Time, then came A Wind in the
Door, followed by A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and finally Many
Waters. I do remember A Ring of Endless Light involves
the Austin family, not the Murry family. Therefore, my answer will
be A Ring of Endless Light."
In the
audience, the little girl whispered to Raye, "I don't get it. Who's
Madeleine what's-her-name?"
"Madeleine
L'Engle is a brilliant author, Rini. I have A Wrinkle in Time
if you want to read it sometime. You'll love it."
"Okay,
I'll take you up on that offer."
The host
then asked, "Will that be your ultimate answer?"
Amy nodded
and then said, "Yes, that is my ultimate answer."
The host
started trying to pull a trick on the young woman. "Oh, Amy, Amy,
Amy. All I can say is…you've won!"
As balloons
and confetti started falling all over the stage, Amy's closest friends
all ran up on stage to give her a hug.
"You did
it, Amy! You did it!" yelled Rini excitedly.
As Raye
hugged her friend closely, she thought about the vision again. Well,
Sailor Saturn did say to have faith in Amy's intelligence, so she accomplished
this part of what we need to do. Now, she has to choose Electro City
as the destination for the two-week trip. If she doesn't pick that
location, all could be lost…
This story leads into The Magic Force Moon Crystal Reunion. Please go back to my name and click on the story to start it. ^_^
