It had been a year since the battle with Galaxia, and the scouts had had no more threats to the world since then.
They had all gone their separate ways after the battle, the outers one way, the inners the other.
The four outers sat in their usual booth at the café, drinking tea and cocoa. It was almost Thanksgiving, and they
were busy planning their day.
"I think that we should have a big dinner and invite Serena and her friends," Michelle suggested.
"I agree," Trista said, nodding.
Hotaru could hardly contain her excitement at seeing her friends again and wasn't doing a very good job hiding
it. She turned large, hopeful eyes on Amara and smiled at her, silently begging her to allow it.
Amara smirked at Hotaru's obvious thrill at the idea. "That sounds like a good plan to me," she agreed.
Hotaru's grin widened. "Thank you, Amara," she said. "You're the best."
"Careful, Hotaru," Michelle scolded. "You fuel her ego too much, and she'll get even more cocky."
"Hey!" Amara protested.
Everyone burst out laughing as Amara fumed.
Michelle turned to her cousin, smiling coyly. "Just kidding, cuz," she explained. "C'mon, Amara. Lighten up."
"Yeah," Hotaru agreed. "After all, the holiday season is upon us."
Amara started laughing with her friends this time.
The four of them finished their drinks and went out to the car. Amara and Michelle sat in the front with Amara
driving, and Trista and Hotaru were in the back.
They pulled up to a large house surrounded by willows and oaks. It had a circular, gravel driveway that ran
around a dolphin fountain. The house itself had three stories and an attic. Its siding was snow white, and its
shutters were pale rose. All of the doors were pink with gold trim and handles. On the left side of the house was
Hotaru's "playground" area and Michelle's garden. On the right side was Trista's greenhouse and Amara's
outdoors exercise area.
Hotaru's "playground" consisted of several cherry and apple trees. One of the larger apples had a treehouse in it
that they had all built during the summer months. There was a new wooden swingset amongst the trees, and a
tire-swing hung in another large apple.
Michelle's garden was filled with roses of all colors and types. There were lilies, lilacs, and tulips too. In the
center was a white gazebo with a porch swing near the outside wall and a bench. This was where she came to
paint. Although all the flowers were dead and there was snow on the ground, it was a nice place to come to swing
and chat.
Amara parked her yellow convertible in the garage and followed her friends inside their house.
Hotaru charged up the stairs to her room to fetch the inners' phone numbers. She came back into the kitchen in a
flash and handed Michelle the folded paper that held their friends' numbers.
"Thank you, Hotaru," Michelle said, smiling at the violet-eyed girl.
"No problem," Hotaru said, racing to the living room to watch TV with Amara and Trista.
Michelle shook her head, wistfully, and dialed Serena's number. After several rings, someone on the other line
answered the phone.
"Hello?" the woman said.
"Hello, ma'am," Michelle greeted, politely. "May I speak to Serena, please?"
"Sure," the woman agreed. "Who should I say is calling?"
"I'd rather you not tell her who I am," Michelle said, nervously. "It's kind of a surprise."
"All right," the woman agreed, slowly. "Serena, phone for you!"
Pause.
"Okay, Mom," Serena called. "I got it up here!" She turned to the phone in her hand. "Hi."
"Hello, Serena," Michelle greeted, cheerfully. "Recognize me."
"Michelle?!" Serena exclaimed. She heard a laugh on the other end. "Wow. It's so good to hear from you. I
haven't seen you in, what, a year now? How have you guys been lately?"
"It's good to hear from you again too, Serena," Michelle replied, chuckling softly. "We've been doing fine. In
fact, we were thinking of having a little reunion on Thanksgiving. What do you think?"
"That sounds terrific."
"Wonderful. You'll need to know our new address and phone number."
"Hold on just a sec, Michelle. I need a piece of paper." Pause. "Okay, I'm ready."
Michelle gave Serena the information and asked if she would invite the other girls for her.
"Oh sure," Serena agreed. "I'll let 'em know as soon as possible. See you on Thanksgiving. Bye."
"Bye," Michelle said, hanging up.
Thanksgiving
The four outers and Michelle's boyfriend, Julian, were as busy as ever getting things ready for the party.
Michelle and Trista were in the kitchen, preparing the dinner, and Amara and Hotaru were setting the table and
tidying the house a bit.
Serena, Rini, and Darien arrived first and hugged each outer in turn. When Julian entered the room, they stared at
him, quizzically.
"Oh yeah," Hotaru said, following their gaze. "That's Michelle's future husband, Julian."
Michelle blushed and looked at her feet.
"Future husband?" Rini wondered.
"Yeah," Hotaru confirmed. "They're kinda like Serena and Darien. You know, destined to be together. Trista told
me so."
"Oh," Serena and Rini said together.
Michelle regained her composure and turned her gaze back to her friends. "Serena, Trista and I could use some
help preparing dinner," she stated, smiling at Serena's reaction.
"Well, I'm really not that good a cook, Michelle," Serena mumbled, averting her eyes.
"That's okay. I'm sure there's something you could do," Michelle countered, matter-of-factly.
Serena nodded, unconvinced, and followed the two older women to the kitchen.
"C'mon Rini," Hotaru said, taking her friend's hand and leading her to the stairs. "I'll show you my room." She
released Rini's hand and took off towards her second story bedroom, Rini close behind her.
Darien chuckled and followed Amara and Julian to the living room to watch the football game.
Lita and Rei arrived next, followed by Mina and Ami. All four girls went to the kitchen to help finish the meal.
Within an hour and a half all twelve of them were seated at the ten-foot oak table, happily eating their dinner.
"So, who won the football game?" Mina asked, off-handedly.
"Dolphins," Julian answered, cutting his piece of turkey.
"This turkey's delicious," Rei complimented. "You guys did an awesome job."
"The stuffing's great too," Lita added. "I had no idea you could cook, Michelle."
"Who do you think feeds these three amateurs?" Michelle wondered, chuckling.
Everyone burst out laughing, including the "amateurs".
"Very funny, Michelle," Amara stated, sarcastically.
"No kidding," Lita agreed, chuckling under her breath. "Hotaru, can you pass me those mashed potatoes?"
Hotaru nodded and picked up the crystal bowl of potatoes. She leaned across her plate to pass them to Rini and
gasped. She dropped the bowl, and her eyes widened. She blacked out and fell out of her chair.
Hotaru floated in space around the planet Saturn, looking around. "Where am I? What's going on?" she asked
empty space.
Sailor Saturn appeared before her, back turned.
"Huh? Sailor Saturn?" she wondered.
Saturn turned to face her, but her eyes were closed. She indicated the planet with her hand, and a bright light
appeared.
Hotaru shut her eyes tight and shielded them with her arm. When she looked up again, Saturn had a beautiful
multicolored gem hovering above her hands.
Saturn opened her eyes and floated closer to her counterpart. Her gaze was stern and fearful.
"What's going on, Saturn?" Hotaru asked, her eyes glued to the gem.
"This stone is your power source, Hotaru," Saturn answered, firmly. "It's called the Destructor's Stone. It is in
grave danger, as are you. You must-"
Michelle held Hotaru up and shook her gently. "Hotaru, wake up," she said, her voice high with fright.
Over the past year she had begun to see why Serena and the others had protected her when they were fighting the
heart snatchers. In fact, she loved Hotaru as if she were her own daughter. She couldn't bear the thought that
there might be some new evil within Hotaru.
Rini leaned closer to her friend and peered into her blank face. "Please Hotaru, wake up," she pleaded, tears
forming in her eyes. She didn't want to think that she might lose her very best friend again.
Hotaru tensed momentarily and opened her eyes. "Rini?" she asked, confused. She looked up at Michelle.
"Michelle?" She sat up quickly and looked around her at all the worried faces. "What's going on? Where's
Saturn?" she wondered.
"You fainted and fell out of your chair, Hotaru," Serena replied, leaning over.
"I did?!" Hotaru yelled, surprised.
All her friends nodded slowly.
"How come that symbol's on your forehead, Hotaru?" Mina asked.
"I don't know," Hotaru answered, fingering the symbol.
"Why would the Saturn symbol appear on her forehead?" Ami wondered.
"Something has happened or is going to happen on Saturn," Trista spoke up, solemnly. "Sailor Saturn must have
been trying to tell her something while she was unconscious."
Everyone looked over at her.
"How do you know that, Trista?" Darien asked.
Trista shook herself out of her daze and turned her eyes to him. "That's why the symbol is on her forehead," she
began. "It's the same for all of us. If our home planet is in danger than the planet's symbol appears as a warning."
"I wonder what could be going on on Saturn," Rei thought aloud.
"I'm not sure," Trista stated, looking at Hotaru. "Hotaru, what did Saturn tell you?"
"She said something about a stone being in danger," Hotaru answered. "She said that it was my power source and
called it the… Destructor's Stone."
"Oh no," Trista sighed. "It's worse than I thought."
"What do you mean?" Amara asked.
"The Destructor's Stone is the most powerful stone in the universe," Trista explained. "If it's in danger than the
entire cosmos is doomed."
"What should we do?" Rini questioned.
"I don't have a clue," Trista replied, slowly.
Two Days Later…
All the scouts were gathered at Rei's temple for Lita's birthday. It was getting late, and they were outside, making
smores.
Hotaru and Rini were squatting beside the fire, roasting marshmallows. The others were seated on benches around
the flames.
"I still can't shake off this uneasy feeling about that stone Hotaru told us about," Mina said, shivering despite the
fire.
"Me too," Rei agreed. "Hotaru hasn't had any more of those visions?"
"No," Amara answered, turning her gaze to the stars. "Nothing since Thanksgiving."
"And you still don't have any ideas, Trista?" Lita asked.
"Not one," Trista confirmed, shaking her head. "I can't think of anything that we could do until I know what
exactly is going on."
All of them sighed, heavily, and followed Amara's gaze to the stars.
After a few minutes, Michelle piped up. "It's getting awfully late," she stated. "We should be heading home."
"Michelle, can Hotaru stay the night with me?" Rini asked.
"Um-"
"Why don't you all stay here for the night?" Rei interrupted. "It's a long drive back to your house, and we've got
plenty of extra room here."
"Yeah," Serena exclaimed. "It could be like a big slumber party."
"I invited them, not you, Meatball-head," Rei snapped.
Everyone laughed as Serena and Rei began to argue.
"Thanks a ton, Rei," Amara said. "We'd love to stay over."
"Great." Rei looked up from the ground and smiled at them. She pushed Serena off her and stood up.
"Rei, can I please stay over too," Rini pleaded, giving Rei her best sad face.
"Sure, Rini," Rei agreed, smiling at her.
"REI!!!" Serena shouted, angrily.
"Cool it, Meatball-head," Rei countered. "You guys can stay too, if you want."
The other four inners instantly agreed.
The ten scouts lay in a row on the floor, sleeping.
Hotaru was having a nightmare and was rolling back and forth, restlessly. The Saturn symbol glowed brighter and
brighter as the hours passed.
Hotaru was floating in the dark, and then the dim lights illuminated the room. She now stood in what looked like
an ancient castle museum.
In the center of the room was a wooden pedestal with a glass case over the top. Under the glass was the
Destructor's Stone.
She approached the pedestal and peered in at the stone. It was violet with a hint of navy blue.
Suddenly, it turned black and so did her world.
When she opened her eyes again, a shadowy figure was standing over her, holding her glaive a hair's breadth
from her exposed throat. It smirked at her, raised the glaive, and swung.
Hotaru sat up sharply and screamed. She felt her neck as Rini and the others knelt down beside
her.
"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Rini asked, gently shaking her friend.
"I-I had a nightmare," Hotaru answered. "It felt so real." She rested her head in her hand and closed her eyes.
"That wasn't just a normal nightmare. Look," Trista said, pointing at the glowing symbol on Hotaru's forehead.
"What happened in your nightmare, Hotaru?" Amara asked, sternly.
"I-I was in a room with a pedestal in the center," Hotaru explained. "Under the glass was the Destructor's Stone.
Someone hit me from behind and then killed me with my silence glaive." She shuddered unconsciously at that
last part.
"It's another premonition," Trista sighed.
"What if it comes true?" Rini wailed, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears.
"Don't worry, Rini," Michelle comforted, kneeling down and laying her hands on the small girl's shoulders. "We
would never let that happen."
"How are we going to do that?" Mina asked.
"We'll have to go to Saturn and stop this before it begins," Trista answered.
"You promise?" Rini questioned.
Michelle nodded and smiled as Rini wrapped her small arms around her neck.
"Can we go back to sleep now?" Serena asked, yawning.
"Serena," the inners groaned.
Next Day…
The ten girls stood in the courtyard at Rei's temple, staring up at the sky. They turned their gaze to each
other and nodded once.
"Let's do it," Serena said. "Moon Eternal Power!"
"Moon Crisis Power!" Rini called.
"Mercury Crystal Power!" Ami yelled.
"Mars Crystal Power!" Rei called.
"Jupiter Crystal Power!" Lita yelled.
"Venus Crystal Power!" Mina called.
"Uranus Crystal Power!" Amara yelled.
"Neptune Crystal Power!" Michelle called.
"Pluto Crystal Power!" Trista yelled.
"Saturn Crystal Power!" Hotaru called.
They all transformed and got into a circle, grasping hands.
"Be careful, scouts," Darien said, watching his friends and family disappear.
Within an hour, the scouts reached Saturn. They floated around the large planet, searching for the palace.
"Did you find it yet, Mercury?" Venus asked, anxiously.
"Not yet," Mercury answered. A white dot appeared on her visor and started blinking. "Got it." She guided the
bubble to the spot on Saturn that the palace had shown up at.
They landed quietly on the street outside the palace and looked around, cautiously.
"Where is everybody?" Mini Moon wondered.
"I'm not sure," Pluto answered. "The streets should be full of people at this hour."
"This is kinda spooky," Sailor Moon said, crowding up closer to Jupiter.
"Do you sense anything, Mars?" Jupiter asked, taking no notice of Sailor Moon.
"No. Not a thing," Mars answered, shaking her head.
"I think we should enter the palace," Saturn suggested, approaching the huge black gates.
"Saturn, wait!" Pluto yelled, running up to her.
Saturn looked up at her tan friend, confused.
"We don't know what kind of welcome the Saturnian guards will give us. We should knock first and enter with
extreme caution," Pluto explained.
Uranus strode up and rapped loudly on the stone door. When no answer came, she motioned to Jupiter, and the
two of them hauled the heavy doors open. They peered in, saw no one, and entered.
The others soon followed.
"How strange," Mercury stated. "There isn't a single guard."
"I'll bet they're going to ambush us near the palace," Venus said, suspiciously.
"I don't think so, Venus," Neptune argued. "I haven't heard a single thing move. No birds, squirrels, or even
wind. Something isn't right here."
"I agree with Neptune," Uranus said. She continued when the group stopped and stared at her strangely. "Think
about it. There weren't any people on the street when we came in, and no lights were on in the houses either. It's
almost as if the entire population just vanished into thin air."
"I don't know about you guys, but this place gives me the creeps," Sailor Moon stated, following the others
toward the palace.
"Quite being such a crybaby, Sailor Moon," Mini Moon poked.
"Ooh, you little brat!" Sailor Moon yelled. "You'd better-"
"Be quiet," Mars shushed. "Someone will hear you."
The group stopped before the front doors and waited for Uranus and Jupiter to open them.
Suddenly, the doors swung open as if someone extremely powerful gave them a hard shove from the inside.
"Too late," Venus stuttered, frightened.
Uranus and Jupiter jumped away and moved to protect their friends from whatever lay behind the doors.
Several minutes passed, and nothing moved inside the doors.
Mars inched past her stronger comrades and into the palace. She looked around and sighed. "C'mon guys," she
called. "It's all clear."
The others followed, and once they were all safely inside, the doors slammed shut. They all jumped slightly and
looked around at the room in which they stood.
The stone walls were laden with a thin layer of cobwebs. It was dimly lit with several torches mounted on the
walls. It smelled of must, mold, and snow. Five hallways led out from the far side of the room, a cold wind
blowing in from each one.
"What do we do now?" Mini Moon asked, shivering.
"We should split up in pairs and explore each passageway," Neptune suggested, suppressing her chill. "What do
you think, Mercury?"
"I can't seem to get a reading on where the passages go, so that would appear to be the best course of action,"
Mercury explained. "We can keep in touch with our communicators. I'll go with Pluto, and we'll take the first
passage."
"Me and Sailor Moon will take that one," Venus said, pointing to the second passage.
"Jupiter and I will take the third passage," Mars decided.
"I'll take Neptune, and we'll check out that one," Uranus said. "Saturn, you and Mini Moon will take the last one,
okay?"
"Okay," Saturn agreed, heading off with Mini Moon.
"Wait a sec, girls," Pluto said. "Call one of us if you find anything, got it?"
"Okay, Pluto," Mini Moon agreed, sweetly. "We will." She turned and started down the hallway with Saturn.
Sailor Moon and Venus walked down the musty corridor, Sailor Moon close behind Venus.
"It's kinda spooky in here," Sailor Moon whispered.
"Yeah, but don't let it get to you, Sail-" She broke off as they entered a room lined with mirrors.
"Whoa!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "What's up with the mirrors?"
"No kidding," Venus agreed. "This is really weird. We better keep our guard up, Sailor Moon."
Sailor Moon nodded and walked up to one of the mirrors, Venus following suit. She bent over and stared into the
mirror at her reflection. This is so strange, she thought. She heard Venus gasp and looked over her shoulder at
her friend.
"Sailor Moon, get away from the mirrors!" Venus yelled, backing up towards her winged comrade.
Sailor Moon turned her gaze back to the mirror, confused, and jumped away as her reflection reached out and
tried to grab her. "What's going on?!" she wondered, backing up to guard Venus' back.
More of their reflections stepped out of the mirrors.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that these things mean business," Venus stated, nervously. She regained her
composure and glanced over her shoulder at Sailor Moon. "Let's show 'em who's boss."
"Right," Sailor Moon agreed, bringing out her scepter. "Starlight Moon Therapy Kiss!" The attack destroyed her
reflections.
Venus smirked at her success and turned back to the task at hand. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she yelled,
destroying her reflections.
They turned to each other and high-fived for their victory, laughing.
Two more reflections came out of the mirrors and slowly walked toward them. They whacked them in the back of
the head before they even noticed them and turned into mirrors, encasing the two unconscious scouts.
Jupiter and Mars walked, side by side, down the dark corridor.
"Jupiter, hold on a minute," Mars said, stopping.
Jupiter turned and looked at her. "What's up, Mars?" she asked. "Something wrong?"
"I don't know for sure," Mars answered. "But I got a feeling that something bad is waiting for us at the end of this
hallway."
Jupiter turned her gaze back to dark hall before them. "I think you're probably right," she agreed. "Let's just stay
on our toes, kay?"
"All right," Mars said, nodding.
The two of them continued down the corridor until they reached a mirror room like the one Sailor Moon and
Venus were entering at the same time.
"Wow," Jupiter exclaimed. "Look at all these mirrors." She walked up to one of them and turned back to Mars.
"Why would someone want to have a room full of mirrors?"
Mars didn't answer, but kept stealing glances at the rows of mirrors that surrounded her. I've got a bad feeling
about this, she thought.
Jupiter suddenly appeared in front of her, waving a hand in her face. "Mars?" she asked. "You okay?"
"What do you mean?" Mars questioned.
"You didn't answer me," Jupiter answered, straightening.
"What did you ask?"
"Why would somebody want to have a room full of mirrors?"
"I don't kn-" She broke off when their reflections stepped out of every mirror. "That's why," she replied, pointing
at the horde of duplicates surrounding them.
The scouts backed up to each other and prepared to take the offensive. "Let's do it," they said together, smirking.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she yelled, destroying her reflections.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted, obliterating hers.
"Yeah," they said, high-fiving.
"That was awfully strange that those mirror things attacked us, don't you think?" Mars wondered.
"What do mean?" Jupiter asked, confused.
"Well, those reflections attacked us after we came in here," Mars explained. "They weren't here the entire time."
"Which means?"
"Which means that someone knew we were coming. Someone put these mirrors in this room for that purpose. In
short, someone planned for th-" She was interrupted by a whack on the back of her head that left her in an
unconscious heap on the floor.
Jupiter knelt down beside her quickly. "Mars, are you all right?" she asked, shaking her unresponsive friend.
"What happened?"
Her answer came in a blow to the back of her head, knocking her to the floor on top of Mars.
The two reflections turned back into mirrors and encased the two scouts.
Mercury and Pluto walked down the damp, musty passage with Pluto in the lead. Mercury lagged behind,
examining the walls and floor.
"Pluto, wait a minute," Mercury said, turning her visor on.
"What is it?" Pluto asked, kneeling beside her blue-haired comrade.
Mercury was silent for a moment before she sighed, heavily. "I thought I saw something out of order," she
answered, putting her visor away.
"Well, let's keep moving then," Pluto ordered, standing up. She offered a hand to Mercury, who gladly took it,
and helped her up.
The pair continued on down the corridor. They didn't stop again until they entered yet another mirror room.
"Weird. All the walls are lined with mirrors," Mercury stated, looking around. "Why would you have all these
mirrors in one room?"
Pluto didn't answer but went off to one side of the room to examine the row of mirrors. "These mirrors are
obviously here for a reason," she replied.
Mercury watched her momentarily, nodded thoughtfully, and went in the other direction. She began to scan the
mirrors and then heard someone come up behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Pluto. She relaxed
and went back to her work of scanning the glass. "What do you think the reason is, Pluto?" she asked, running
her hand along one of the surfaces.
Pluto didn't answer but took a menacing step closer to Mercury.
"Pluto?" Mercury wondered, straightening up.
Before she had the chance to look around, Pluto had smacked her in the back with her staff. She uttered a short
scream and fell into unconsciousness.
Pluto turned back into a mirror and, encasing Mercury, disappeared into the floor.
The real Pluto had heard Mercury's scream and sprinted to where her friend had been. She wasn't there.
"Mercury?" she called, looking around nervously. "Where are you?" She heard something behind her and whirled
around.
A Mercury reflection had appeared behind her and was standing silently before her.
"Mercury? Is that you?" Pluto asked, looking at her, curiously.
The reflection took a step closer and smirked at Pluto. Before the scout had any time to register this, the reflection
had grabbed her neck with both hands. It held her neck tightly until she stopped struggling, out cold. It turned
into a mirror and, encasing Pluto, disappeared into the floor.
Uranus and Neptune strode, casually, down their frigid corridor. Both of them were covered in goosebumps.
Neptune rubbed her upper arms vigorously, attempting to restore heat. It's so cold in here, she thought.
Uranus chuckled at her, finding much humor in her partner's actions.
"Oh, you think I'm funny, do you?" Neptune snapped.
"Quite funny actually," Uranus answered, snidely.
Neptune humphed at her and continued to rub her arms. "I really don't understand how you aren't even the least
bit worried about your temperature," she said.
Uranus shook her head and suppressed another laugh. I love my cousin dearly, but sometimes she can act so darn
childish, she thought, grinning.
They entered a room with a pair of antique mirrors in the center.
"How strange," Neptune commented, her curiosity drawing her attention away from her freezing arms. She
approached the mirrors and touched one lightly.
The glass quivered under her gloved finger.
She gasped and jumped away as her reflection stepped out of the mirror. She took a timid step back towards
Uranus.
"Neptune, be careful," Uranus called, taking her place beside her partner.
The approaching reflection looked at her sharply and smirked. It walked closer to the confused pair and attacked
Uranus. It overpowered her and hurled her into the other mirror.
"Uranus!" Neptune called, running toward her cousin. We've got to get out of here, she thought, frantically.
The reflection had other plans though. It grabbed Neptune's arm and threw her into a wall.
She growled angrily and prepared to attack. "Neptune Deep Sub-"
The reflection was on her faster than she could follow before she could finish. It punched her several times before
backing away.
She slumped to the floor and struggled to get to her feet.
Uranus stood up and started toward the reflection. Something grabbed her ankle from behind and yanked her
down. When she looked around she saw her reflection pulling itself out of the mirror.
It attacked and put her in a headlock.
She struggled against its vice grip, uselessly. Ceasing her struggles, she slammed her elbow into its stomach and
jumped away as it let go. She looked over at her cousin to see the duplicate beating the life out of her.
The reflection finally knocked Neptune out and encased her as it turned into a mirror.
"Neptune!" Uranus yelled, running to where her cousin had disappeared into the floor. The same thing happened
to her after her reflection pelted her in the back of the head.
Mini Moon and Saturn walked down their cold, musty hallway, stopping here and there to examine the walls and
floor.
"Do you think they found anything, Saturn?" Mini Moon asked, straightening up from examining the wall. She
caught up to Saturn and took her hand.
"No," Saturn answered. "They would have contacted us if they did." She squeezed Mini Moon's hand,
reassuringly. "We haven't been separated for very long so they're probably not any further down their corridors
than we are."
"I've got a bad feeling that something awful is going to happen," Mini Moon said.
"I wouldn't dwell on it, Mini Moon. They can take care of themselves." She smiled at her younger friend and
chuckled.
Mini Moon sighed and smiled back. Her friend's soft laugh had cheered her right up, as it always seemed to do.
The young pair entered a room with mirrors lining the far wall and walked up to them, curiously.
"Weird," Mini Moon commented, getting really close to a mirror. "Why would you want so many mirrors in one
room?"
"I don't know," Saturn replied.
Mini Moon laid her hand on the mirror, and it got sucked in. "Ah, my hand!" she screamed, attempting to pull it
back out. "Saturn, help me! It's got me! The mirror's got my hand!"
Saturn, hearing her friend's shriek, ran over to her and helped her try to pull her arm out of the mirror.
The mirror sent out a blast of black energy, knocking Saturn away, and pulled Mini Moon in the rest of the way.
Saturn jumped up and ran to the mirror as they all disappeared. "Mini Moon!" she called, collapsing to her knees
in fear and sorrow. "Rini," she whimpered.
"Sailor Saturn," a voice said, pityingly.
Saturn's head shot up in alarm and surprise. "Who are you?!" Saturn demanded, standing up. "Show yourself!"
A man appeared before her, grinning. His pearly white fangs shone, despite the dim light of the room. His jet
black shoulder-length hair hung neatly around his face, and his gray eyes sparkled with some unknown joy. "My
name is Kalerin, Hotaru," he answered, approaching her.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, taking a nervous step backward.
"I know everything about you, Princess," he replied, holding up a green-blue stone.
Saturn gasped. "The Destructor's Stone," she whispered, timidly.
"That's right, Princess," he said, slyly. "Your power source, the Destructor's Stone."
The stone began to glow, and Saturn floated into the air.
"What's going on?" she wondered, terrified. She gasped as she split in two and fell to the floor. When she looked
up again, she saw Sailor Saturn standing beside Kalerin, smirking. She stood up and glared at them.
"I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you, Princess," Kalerin warned, shaking his finger at her.
The stone began to glow again, and the mirrors containing Hotaru's friends appeared behind Kalerin.
Hotaru gasped and started to run to them. She was stopped when Saturn lowered her glaive to her forehead. She
straightened and backed up a few steps. "This was all a trap, wasn't it?" she asked, glaring at the pair.
"Very good, Princess," Kalerin commented.
"You stole the stone from the palace and made everything disappear," Hotaru continued. "You turned this palace
into a playground for you to test the stone's capabilities. You tricked us into coming inside so you could catch all
of us."
"You've got it all figured out," he said. "Any questions before I kill you and your friends?"
"Why?" she asked, angrily.
"Simple," Kalerin answered, snidely. "I want to rule the universe. I couldn't do that without this stone and you
scouts gone. Satisfied?"
Hotaru nodded, grimly, and lowered her head in shame.
"Saturn, kill them all," Kalerin ordered, smirking.
Hotaru's head jerked up in astonishment and horror as Saturn raised her glaive to the nine mirrors hanging in the
air. "No!" she screamed as Saturn blasted each mirror in turn. She sprinted to the shattered pieces of the mirrors
that lay on the floor and knelt down beside them. As the shards stopped glistening, she hugged herself and started
to cry. She turned her teary-eyed gaze on Saturn. "You monster!" she yelled, angrily. "How could you?! You
killed them!"
Saturn raised the glaive to Hotaru's forehead and prepared to kill her. Just before she fired the blast, she turned
and blasted the pile of shards.
The shards shook momentarily and flew into the air. They hovered at different distances from the ground, and
suddenly, bursts of light emanated from them.
Hotaru gasped as the shards formed her friends, who fell to the floor, and ran to them, tears streaming from her
eyes. She knelt down beside them and tried to shake them awake but to no avail.
Kalerin had been watching the entire display, stunned that Saturn could break free of the stone's hold so easily.
He growled and used the stone to blast the ten scouts.
When the dust cleared, Saturn was standing before the group, shield raised. "Hotaru, we must rejoin while he's
still in shock," she said, helping her counterpart up.
"But-"
"You must remember, Hotaru, I'm merely an extension of you, and I would never want to lose my friends,"
Saturn answered. "When I destroyed the mirrors it was Kalerin and the stone doing it, not me. Now I've broken
free of the stone's hold and need to rejoin with you." She touched the symbol on Hotaru's forehead as her
counterpart nodded, and it began to glow.
The pair rejoined.
Saturn turned to Kalerin and brought out her glaive, which had disappeared when the girls rejoined. "You're
finished," she announced, pointing her weapon at him.
"I really don't think so," he argued. He disappeared momentarily and reappeared, holding Neptune against him
with one arm. "Surrender," he demanded, pointing a dagger at Neptune's head. "Or she dies."
Saturn gasped. "You wouldn't," she tried, clutching her glaive closer.
"Oh, you bet I would," he confirmed, pressing the knife closer to the unconscious scout. "Don't get me wrong.
She is beautiful, but, hey, I do what I have to."
"You have to promise to leave them out of this," Saturn demanded, indicating her friends. "I'm the one you want.
Leave them alone."
"I will leave them if you surrender, Princess."
Saturn bowed her head in shame and lowered her glaive, preparing to drop it.
"Stop," Kalerin said, watching the girl's head jerk up in surprise. "Bring it to me. I want that glaive."
Saturn looked at him strangely and approached him, slowly. She reached him and held out her hand for Neptune.
Suddenly, a warm hand touched her extended arm and lowered it. Then a strong pair of hands dragged her away
from Kalerin and Neptune.
She glanced up to see Pluto on one side and Uranus on the other.
Uranus knelt down beside her and leaned over so she was next to Saturn's ear. "Don't worry, Saturn," she
whispered. "Pluto and I have a plan." She pulled away, winked at her young friend, and stood up.
Kalerin began to laugh hysterically as the other scouts got to their feet and took their places beside each other in a
row. His laughter stopped abruptly as something hard slammed into his face and then into his stomach. When he
looked up, Neptune was standing between Uranus and Saturn instead of in his arms.
"Let's get him, scouts!" Sailor Moon yelled, taking her place next to Mini Moon.
They brought out their wands. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" they yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she shouted, attacking.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" she yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she shouted, attacking.
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Submarine Reflection!" Neptune shouted, attacking.
"Space Sword Blaster!" Uranus yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Pluto Deadly Scream!" she shouted, attacking.
"Silence Glaive Apply!" Saturn yelled, blasting Kalerin.
All the attacks hit their target and exploded, creating a huge cloud of dust and debris.
"That was easy," Sailor Moon commented, high-fiving Mini Moon.
"Yeah," Mini Moon agreed, laughing.
The smoke cleared, and Kalerin stood before them, completely unfazed.
The scouts gasped in shock.
Kalerin smirked and blasted them with the Destructor's Stone. To his delight, they lay in crumpled heaps at his
feet.
They struggled to their knees and then stood up, one by one. They got into a row with Sailor Moon and Mini
Moon in the center, the inners on Sailor Moon's side, and the outers on Mini Moon's. "Sailor Planet Attack!"
they yelled.
The blast hit Kalerin and exploded.
"I hope that worked," Venus said.
The dust cleared, and the scouts gasped, collectively.
"I don't think it did," Jupiter stated, pointing at the figure before them.
Kalerin laughed and blasted them again.
They struggled to sit up and succeeded, barely. They looked to one another, searching for an idea.
"What're we gonna do now?" Saturn asked.
Pluto glanced at Kalerin and sighed. "I guess we have no choice," she said, quietly.
"What do you mean?" Mini Moon wondered.
"We'll need to use our crystals," Pluto explained. "We all have planetary crystals like Sailor Moon. Now, it
appears we have no choice but to use them." She turned into her princess form and brought out her crystal. It was
a deep onyx.
Sailor Moon and Mini Moon followed suit. Their crystals were identical, as were their dresses. Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune did the same; their crystals were dark purple, gold, and aqua. Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury
transformed next; their crystals were red, green, yellow-orange, and light blue. They all stood up and lined up in a
row.
"All right, we're going to have to work together," Trista said, putting her crystal beside Sailor Moon's.
Amara, Michelle, and Hotaru followed suit beside her in order of height. Rei, Lita, Mina, Ami, and Rini did so on
Serena's other side.
"What are you doing?" Kalerin asked, incredulously.
"Stopping you!" Serena yelled. "Ready, scouts?"
The scouts nodded, and they all closed their eyes momentarily. Opening them, they prepared to attack. "Sailor
Crystal Power!" they yelled.
A multicolored blast shot forward but was stopped by a black one. The blasts pushed each other back and forth.
The scouts closed their eyes again and concentrated. We can do it, they thought. We are unity; we are friendship.
"We are one!" they yelled, opening their eyes. As a result of their unity, their blast overpowered Kalerin's and hit
him.
Kalerin screamed in agony as the scouts' blast destroyed him. A white light burst from where he had been
standing and knocked the scouts back. It dimmed gradually and finally disappeared, leaving the scouts in total
awe at its intensity.
They put their crystals back and smiled at each other, laughing happily.
"We did it, you guys," Serena said, sitting up. Her smile turned to a frown as she saw Hotaru holding her head
and breathing heavily. "Hotaru, you okay?" she asked, joining the outers beside her.
The inners and Rini soon followed her.
"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Rini asked, laying her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I-I don't know," Hotaru answered, weakly. "I feel tired and weak."
Michelle turned her attention from Hotaru to Trista, who was staring at the rubble where Kalerin had been.
"Trista?" she ventured, curious.
Trista shook herself out of her reverie and turned her gaze to Michelle. "What is it?" she asked.
"Something's wrong with Hotaru," Michelle answered, looking back at her young friend.
Trista looked at the Saturnian princess, slowly, and then back at the rubble. "She's fine," she explained, smiling
at her friends. "We accidentally blew up the Destructor's Stone as well as Kalerin. She's just a little weak from
losing her power source."
"That white light we saw-" Ami began.
"That was the Destructor's Stone exploding," Trista finished, taking a seat beside Serena.
Suddenly, there was a quake that shook the entire planet.
The scouts screamed and braced themselves for whatever might happen.
Instead of something awful, the palace lit up and returned to its normal state. People appeared out of nowhere and
went back to their days as if nothing had happened. They took no notice of the huddled group of girls in the
center of the room.
The scouts stood up and backed away from each other a bit.
"What happened?" Mina asked, looking around at their new surroundings.
"We must have turned everything back to normal by destroying that stone," Rei assessed, touching one of the
walls. "Well, at least we know it's not an illusion of some kind." She laughed and joined her group of friends in
the room's center.
"Now that everything here is back to normal, let's go home," Lita said, stretching her sore limbs. "I can tell you
guys right now, that as soon as we get back I'm going straight to the bathroom to take a hot bath."
The scouts laughed and agreed with her, moving into a circle.
Suddenly, two people came running into the room and up to the scouts, effectively stopping the teleport process.
They went straight to Hotaru, and the man hoisted her up. "Hotaru," they cried, happily, hugging her.
Hotaru looked at them strangely. "Who are you?" she asked.
The man put her down and smiled at her, warmly.
"They're your real parents, Hotaru," Trista answered, walking up to them.
The queen looked at Trista and hugged her too. "You brought our little girl back to us, Pluto," she thanked,
releasing her. "We are eternally grateful." She looked at all the confused faces around her and smiled. "It's
wonderful to see you all too," she said. "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you."
The scouts blushed and looked down at their feet, embarrassed.
The king and queen hugged Hotaru again and smiled at her. "It's wonderful to have you home to stay with us
again, pumpkin," the king said.
"What do mean 'stay'?" Rini asked, running up to them. "Hotaru can't stay here with you."
The king and queen stared at her, then at each other, and then at Trista. Before they could think of a comeback,
the other scouts had joined in.
"Hotaru doesn't belong here," Serena said. "Can't you see she doesn't want to stay with you?"
"Uh," the monarchs stammered.
"She was raised on Earth and has friends there," Amara stated, calmly. "No one would want to trade good friends
and family for the life of a princess."
"No kidding," Lita agreed.
I can't believe they're fighting for me, Hotaru thought, amazed. I didn't know they cared that much about me.
They're arguing with the king and queen for god's sake. Even Amara added something in my defense. She smiled
at her parents and then at her friends, who were still arguing, and stepped away from them.
"Hotaru?" Michelle wondered, staring at her young comrade.
"I appreciate you all fighting for me but this is my decision," she stated, her smile never faltering. She turned to
her parents. "I'm sorry, Mother, Father," she began, solemnly. "But they're right. I don't belong here on Saturn. I
belong back home on Earth," She turned to the scouts, "with my friends."
Rini bolted forward and wrapped her arms around Hotaru, happily. "You chose us," she exclaimed.
"Of course I did, Rini," Hotaru replied. "I love you all too much to just return to being the Princess of Saturn. I
like my normal life." She received hugs from all the other scouts before she turned to her parents.
"As much as we hate to see you leave us again, we respect your decision to stay with your friends on Earth," the
king said, wrapping an arm around his wife.
"Thank you," Hotaru said, hugging her parents one last time. She pulled away and ran over to her friends. She
joined the circle, and they turned back into their scout forms. They grasped hands and teleported back to Earth.
Back home.
They had all gone their separate ways after the battle, the outers one way, the inners the other.
The four outers sat in their usual booth at the café, drinking tea and cocoa. It was almost Thanksgiving, and they
were busy planning their day.
"I think that we should have a big dinner and invite Serena and her friends," Michelle suggested.
"I agree," Trista said, nodding.
Hotaru could hardly contain her excitement at seeing her friends again and wasn't doing a very good job hiding
it. She turned large, hopeful eyes on Amara and smiled at her, silently begging her to allow it.
Amara smirked at Hotaru's obvious thrill at the idea. "That sounds like a good plan to me," she agreed.
Hotaru's grin widened. "Thank you, Amara," she said. "You're the best."
"Careful, Hotaru," Michelle scolded. "You fuel her ego too much, and she'll get even more cocky."
"Hey!" Amara protested.
Everyone burst out laughing as Amara fumed.
Michelle turned to her cousin, smiling coyly. "Just kidding, cuz," she explained. "C'mon, Amara. Lighten up."
"Yeah," Hotaru agreed. "After all, the holiday season is upon us."
Amara started laughing with her friends this time.
The four of them finished their drinks and went out to the car. Amara and Michelle sat in the front with Amara
driving, and Trista and Hotaru were in the back.
They pulled up to a large house surrounded by willows and oaks. It had a circular, gravel driveway that ran
around a dolphin fountain. The house itself had three stories and an attic. Its siding was snow white, and its
shutters were pale rose. All of the doors were pink with gold trim and handles. On the left side of the house was
Hotaru's "playground" area and Michelle's garden. On the right side was Trista's greenhouse and Amara's
outdoors exercise area.
Hotaru's "playground" consisted of several cherry and apple trees. One of the larger apples had a treehouse in it
that they had all built during the summer months. There was a new wooden swingset amongst the trees, and a
tire-swing hung in another large apple.
Michelle's garden was filled with roses of all colors and types. There were lilies, lilacs, and tulips too. In the
center was a white gazebo with a porch swing near the outside wall and a bench. This was where she came to
paint. Although all the flowers were dead and there was snow on the ground, it was a nice place to come to swing
and chat.
Amara parked her yellow convertible in the garage and followed her friends inside their house.
Hotaru charged up the stairs to her room to fetch the inners' phone numbers. She came back into the kitchen in a
flash and handed Michelle the folded paper that held their friends' numbers.
"Thank you, Hotaru," Michelle said, smiling at the violet-eyed girl.
"No problem," Hotaru said, racing to the living room to watch TV with Amara and Trista.
Michelle shook her head, wistfully, and dialed Serena's number. After several rings, someone on the other line
answered the phone.
"Hello?" the woman said.
"Hello, ma'am," Michelle greeted, politely. "May I speak to Serena, please?"
"Sure," the woman agreed. "Who should I say is calling?"
"I'd rather you not tell her who I am," Michelle said, nervously. "It's kind of a surprise."
"All right," the woman agreed, slowly. "Serena, phone for you!"
Pause.
"Okay, Mom," Serena called. "I got it up here!" She turned to the phone in her hand. "Hi."
"Hello, Serena," Michelle greeted, cheerfully. "Recognize me."
"Michelle?!" Serena exclaimed. She heard a laugh on the other end. "Wow. It's so good to hear from you. I
haven't seen you in, what, a year now? How have you guys been lately?"
"It's good to hear from you again too, Serena," Michelle replied, chuckling softly. "We've been doing fine. In
fact, we were thinking of having a little reunion on Thanksgiving. What do you think?"
"That sounds terrific."
"Wonderful. You'll need to know our new address and phone number."
"Hold on just a sec, Michelle. I need a piece of paper." Pause. "Okay, I'm ready."
Michelle gave Serena the information and asked if she would invite the other girls for her.
"Oh sure," Serena agreed. "I'll let 'em know as soon as possible. See you on Thanksgiving. Bye."
"Bye," Michelle said, hanging up.
Thanksgiving
The four outers and Michelle's boyfriend, Julian, were as busy as ever getting things ready for the party.
Michelle and Trista were in the kitchen, preparing the dinner, and Amara and Hotaru were setting the table and
tidying the house a bit.
Serena, Rini, and Darien arrived first and hugged each outer in turn. When Julian entered the room, they stared at
him, quizzically.
"Oh yeah," Hotaru said, following their gaze. "That's Michelle's future husband, Julian."
Michelle blushed and looked at her feet.
"Future husband?" Rini wondered.
"Yeah," Hotaru confirmed. "They're kinda like Serena and Darien. You know, destined to be together. Trista told
me so."
"Oh," Serena and Rini said together.
Michelle regained her composure and turned her gaze back to her friends. "Serena, Trista and I could use some
help preparing dinner," she stated, smiling at Serena's reaction.
"Well, I'm really not that good a cook, Michelle," Serena mumbled, averting her eyes.
"That's okay. I'm sure there's something you could do," Michelle countered, matter-of-factly.
Serena nodded, unconvinced, and followed the two older women to the kitchen.
"C'mon Rini," Hotaru said, taking her friend's hand and leading her to the stairs. "I'll show you my room." She
released Rini's hand and took off towards her second story bedroom, Rini close behind her.
Darien chuckled and followed Amara and Julian to the living room to watch the football game.
Lita and Rei arrived next, followed by Mina and Ami. All four girls went to the kitchen to help finish the meal.
Within an hour and a half all twelve of them were seated at the ten-foot oak table, happily eating their dinner.
"So, who won the football game?" Mina asked, off-handedly.
"Dolphins," Julian answered, cutting his piece of turkey.
"This turkey's delicious," Rei complimented. "You guys did an awesome job."
"The stuffing's great too," Lita added. "I had no idea you could cook, Michelle."
"Who do you think feeds these three amateurs?" Michelle wondered, chuckling.
Everyone burst out laughing, including the "amateurs".
"Very funny, Michelle," Amara stated, sarcastically.
"No kidding," Lita agreed, chuckling under her breath. "Hotaru, can you pass me those mashed potatoes?"
Hotaru nodded and picked up the crystal bowl of potatoes. She leaned across her plate to pass them to Rini and
gasped. She dropped the bowl, and her eyes widened. She blacked out and fell out of her chair.
Hotaru floated in space around the planet Saturn, looking around. "Where am I? What's going on?" she asked
empty space.
Sailor Saturn appeared before her, back turned.
"Huh? Sailor Saturn?" she wondered.
Saturn turned to face her, but her eyes were closed. She indicated the planet with her hand, and a bright light
appeared.
Hotaru shut her eyes tight and shielded them with her arm. When she looked up again, Saturn had a beautiful
multicolored gem hovering above her hands.
Saturn opened her eyes and floated closer to her counterpart. Her gaze was stern and fearful.
"What's going on, Saturn?" Hotaru asked, her eyes glued to the gem.
"This stone is your power source, Hotaru," Saturn answered, firmly. "It's called the Destructor's Stone. It is in
grave danger, as are you. You must-"
Michelle held Hotaru up and shook her gently. "Hotaru, wake up," she said, her voice high with fright.
Over the past year she had begun to see why Serena and the others had protected her when they were fighting the
heart snatchers. In fact, she loved Hotaru as if she were her own daughter. She couldn't bear the thought that
there might be some new evil within Hotaru.
Rini leaned closer to her friend and peered into her blank face. "Please Hotaru, wake up," she pleaded, tears
forming in her eyes. She didn't want to think that she might lose her very best friend again.
Hotaru tensed momentarily and opened her eyes. "Rini?" she asked, confused. She looked up at Michelle.
"Michelle?" She sat up quickly and looked around her at all the worried faces. "What's going on? Where's
Saturn?" she wondered.
"You fainted and fell out of your chair, Hotaru," Serena replied, leaning over.
"I did?!" Hotaru yelled, surprised.
All her friends nodded slowly.
"How come that symbol's on your forehead, Hotaru?" Mina asked.
"I don't know," Hotaru answered, fingering the symbol.
"Why would the Saturn symbol appear on her forehead?" Ami wondered.
"Something has happened or is going to happen on Saturn," Trista spoke up, solemnly. "Sailor Saturn must have
been trying to tell her something while she was unconscious."
Everyone looked over at her.
"How do you know that, Trista?" Darien asked.
Trista shook herself out of her daze and turned her eyes to him. "That's why the symbol is on her forehead," she
began. "It's the same for all of us. If our home planet is in danger than the planet's symbol appears as a warning."
"I wonder what could be going on on Saturn," Rei thought aloud.
"I'm not sure," Trista stated, looking at Hotaru. "Hotaru, what did Saturn tell you?"
"She said something about a stone being in danger," Hotaru answered. "She said that it was my power source and
called it the… Destructor's Stone."
"Oh no," Trista sighed. "It's worse than I thought."
"What do you mean?" Amara asked.
"The Destructor's Stone is the most powerful stone in the universe," Trista explained. "If it's in danger than the
entire cosmos is doomed."
"What should we do?" Rini questioned.
"I don't have a clue," Trista replied, slowly.
Two Days Later…
All the scouts were gathered at Rei's temple for Lita's birthday. It was getting late, and they were outside, making
smores.
Hotaru and Rini were squatting beside the fire, roasting marshmallows. The others were seated on benches around
the flames.
"I still can't shake off this uneasy feeling about that stone Hotaru told us about," Mina said, shivering despite the
fire.
"Me too," Rei agreed. "Hotaru hasn't had any more of those visions?"
"No," Amara answered, turning her gaze to the stars. "Nothing since Thanksgiving."
"And you still don't have any ideas, Trista?" Lita asked.
"Not one," Trista confirmed, shaking her head. "I can't think of anything that we could do until I know what
exactly is going on."
All of them sighed, heavily, and followed Amara's gaze to the stars.
After a few minutes, Michelle piped up. "It's getting awfully late," she stated. "We should be heading home."
"Michelle, can Hotaru stay the night with me?" Rini asked.
"Um-"
"Why don't you all stay here for the night?" Rei interrupted. "It's a long drive back to your house, and we've got
plenty of extra room here."
"Yeah," Serena exclaimed. "It could be like a big slumber party."
"I invited them, not you, Meatball-head," Rei snapped.
Everyone laughed as Serena and Rei began to argue.
"Thanks a ton, Rei," Amara said. "We'd love to stay over."
"Great." Rei looked up from the ground and smiled at them. She pushed Serena off her and stood up.
"Rei, can I please stay over too," Rini pleaded, giving Rei her best sad face.
"Sure, Rini," Rei agreed, smiling at her.
"REI!!!" Serena shouted, angrily.
"Cool it, Meatball-head," Rei countered. "You guys can stay too, if you want."
The other four inners instantly agreed.
The ten scouts lay in a row on the floor, sleeping.
Hotaru was having a nightmare and was rolling back and forth, restlessly. The Saturn symbol glowed brighter and
brighter as the hours passed.
Hotaru was floating in the dark, and then the dim lights illuminated the room. She now stood in what looked like
an ancient castle museum.
In the center of the room was a wooden pedestal with a glass case over the top. Under the glass was the
Destructor's Stone.
She approached the pedestal and peered in at the stone. It was violet with a hint of navy blue.
Suddenly, it turned black and so did her world.
When she opened her eyes again, a shadowy figure was standing over her, holding her glaive a hair's breadth
from her exposed throat. It smirked at her, raised the glaive, and swung.
Hotaru sat up sharply and screamed. She felt her neck as Rini and the others knelt down beside
her.
"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Rini asked, gently shaking her friend.
"I-I had a nightmare," Hotaru answered. "It felt so real." She rested her head in her hand and closed her eyes.
"That wasn't just a normal nightmare. Look," Trista said, pointing at the glowing symbol on Hotaru's forehead.
"What happened in your nightmare, Hotaru?" Amara asked, sternly.
"I-I was in a room with a pedestal in the center," Hotaru explained. "Under the glass was the Destructor's Stone.
Someone hit me from behind and then killed me with my silence glaive." She shuddered unconsciously at that
last part.
"It's another premonition," Trista sighed.
"What if it comes true?" Rini wailed, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears.
"Don't worry, Rini," Michelle comforted, kneeling down and laying her hands on the small girl's shoulders. "We
would never let that happen."
"How are we going to do that?" Mina asked.
"We'll have to go to Saturn and stop this before it begins," Trista answered.
"You promise?" Rini questioned.
Michelle nodded and smiled as Rini wrapped her small arms around her neck.
"Can we go back to sleep now?" Serena asked, yawning.
"Serena," the inners groaned.
Next Day…
The ten girls stood in the courtyard at Rei's temple, staring up at the sky. They turned their gaze to each
other and nodded once.
"Let's do it," Serena said. "Moon Eternal Power!"
"Moon Crisis Power!" Rini called.
"Mercury Crystal Power!" Ami yelled.
"Mars Crystal Power!" Rei called.
"Jupiter Crystal Power!" Lita yelled.
"Venus Crystal Power!" Mina called.
"Uranus Crystal Power!" Amara yelled.
"Neptune Crystal Power!" Michelle called.
"Pluto Crystal Power!" Trista yelled.
"Saturn Crystal Power!" Hotaru called.
They all transformed and got into a circle, grasping hands.
"Be careful, scouts," Darien said, watching his friends and family disappear.
Within an hour, the scouts reached Saturn. They floated around the large planet, searching for the palace.
"Did you find it yet, Mercury?" Venus asked, anxiously.
"Not yet," Mercury answered. A white dot appeared on her visor and started blinking. "Got it." She guided the
bubble to the spot on Saturn that the palace had shown up at.
They landed quietly on the street outside the palace and looked around, cautiously.
"Where is everybody?" Mini Moon wondered.
"I'm not sure," Pluto answered. "The streets should be full of people at this hour."
"This is kinda spooky," Sailor Moon said, crowding up closer to Jupiter.
"Do you sense anything, Mars?" Jupiter asked, taking no notice of Sailor Moon.
"No. Not a thing," Mars answered, shaking her head.
"I think we should enter the palace," Saturn suggested, approaching the huge black gates.
"Saturn, wait!" Pluto yelled, running up to her.
Saturn looked up at her tan friend, confused.
"We don't know what kind of welcome the Saturnian guards will give us. We should knock first and enter with
extreme caution," Pluto explained.
Uranus strode up and rapped loudly on the stone door. When no answer came, she motioned to Jupiter, and the
two of them hauled the heavy doors open. They peered in, saw no one, and entered.
The others soon followed.
"How strange," Mercury stated. "There isn't a single guard."
"I'll bet they're going to ambush us near the palace," Venus said, suspiciously.
"I don't think so, Venus," Neptune argued. "I haven't heard a single thing move. No birds, squirrels, or even
wind. Something isn't right here."
"I agree with Neptune," Uranus said. She continued when the group stopped and stared at her strangely. "Think
about it. There weren't any people on the street when we came in, and no lights were on in the houses either. It's
almost as if the entire population just vanished into thin air."
"I don't know about you guys, but this place gives me the creeps," Sailor Moon stated, following the others
toward the palace.
"Quite being such a crybaby, Sailor Moon," Mini Moon poked.
"Ooh, you little brat!" Sailor Moon yelled. "You'd better-"
"Be quiet," Mars shushed. "Someone will hear you."
The group stopped before the front doors and waited for Uranus and Jupiter to open them.
Suddenly, the doors swung open as if someone extremely powerful gave them a hard shove from the inside.
"Too late," Venus stuttered, frightened.
Uranus and Jupiter jumped away and moved to protect their friends from whatever lay behind the doors.
Several minutes passed, and nothing moved inside the doors.
Mars inched past her stronger comrades and into the palace. She looked around and sighed. "C'mon guys," she
called. "It's all clear."
The others followed, and once they were all safely inside, the doors slammed shut. They all jumped slightly and
looked around at the room in which they stood.
The stone walls were laden with a thin layer of cobwebs. It was dimly lit with several torches mounted on the
walls. It smelled of must, mold, and snow. Five hallways led out from the far side of the room, a cold wind
blowing in from each one.
"What do we do now?" Mini Moon asked, shivering.
"We should split up in pairs and explore each passageway," Neptune suggested, suppressing her chill. "What do
you think, Mercury?"
"I can't seem to get a reading on where the passages go, so that would appear to be the best course of action,"
Mercury explained. "We can keep in touch with our communicators. I'll go with Pluto, and we'll take the first
passage."
"Me and Sailor Moon will take that one," Venus said, pointing to the second passage.
"Jupiter and I will take the third passage," Mars decided.
"I'll take Neptune, and we'll check out that one," Uranus said. "Saturn, you and Mini Moon will take the last one,
okay?"
"Okay," Saturn agreed, heading off with Mini Moon.
"Wait a sec, girls," Pluto said. "Call one of us if you find anything, got it?"
"Okay, Pluto," Mini Moon agreed, sweetly. "We will." She turned and started down the hallway with Saturn.
Sailor Moon and Venus walked down the musty corridor, Sailor Moon close behind Venus.
"It's kinda spooky in here," Sailor Moon whispered.
"Yeah, but don't let it get to you, Sail-" She broke off as they entered a room lined with mirrors.
"Whoa!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "What's up with the mirrors?"
"No kidding," Venus agreed. "This is really weird. We better keep our guard up, Sailor Moon."
Sailor Moon nodded and walked up to one of the mirrors, Venus following suit. She bent over and stared into the
mirror at her reflection. This is so strange, she thought. She heard Venus gasp and looked over her shoulder at
her friend.
"Sailor Moon, get away from the mirrors!" Venus yelled, backing up towards her winged comrade.
Sailor Moon turned her gaze back to the mirror, confused, and jumped away as her reflection reached out and
tried to grab her. "What's going on?!" she wondered, backing up to guard Venus' back.
More of their reflections stepped out of the mirrors.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that these things mean business," Venus stated, nervously. She regained her
composure and glanced over her shoulder at Sailor Moon. "Let's show 'em who's boss."
"Right," Sailor Moon agreed, bringing out her scepter. "Starlight Moon Therapy Kiss!" The attack destroyed her
reflections.
Venus smirked at her success and turned back to the task at hand. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she yelled,
destroying her reflections.
They turned to each other and high-fived for their victory, laughing.
Two more reflections came out of the mirrors and slowly walked toward them. They whacked them in the back of
the head before they even noticed them and turned into mirrors, encasing the two unconscious scouts.
Jupiter and Mars walked, side by side, down the dark corridor.
"Jupiter, hold on a minute," Mars said, stopping.
Jupiter turned and looked at her. "What's up, Mars?" she asked. "Something wrong?"
"I don't know for sure," Mars answered. "But I got a feeling that something bad is waiting for us at the end of this
hallway."
Jupiter turned her gaze back to dark hall before them. "I think you're probably right," she agreed. "Let's just stay
on our toes, kay?"
"All right," Mars said, nodding.
The two of them continued down the corridor until they reached a mirror room like the one Sailor Moon and
Venus were entering at the same time.
"Wow," Jupiter exclaimed. "Look at all these mirrors." She walked up to one of them and turned back to Mars.
"Why would someone want to have a room full of mirrors?"
Mars didn't answer, but kept stealing glances at the rows of mirrors that surrounded her. I've got a bad feeling
about this, she thought.
Jupiter suddenly appeared in front of her, waving a hand in her face. "Mars?" she asked. "You okay?"
"What do you mean?" Mars questioned.
"You didn't answer me," Jupiter answered, straightening.
"What did you ask?"
"Why would somebody want to have a room full of mirrors?"
"I don't kn-" She broke off when their reflections stepped out of every mirror. "That's why," she replied, pointing
at the horde of duplicates surrounding them.
The scouts backed up to each other and prepared to take the offensive. "Let's do it," they said together, smirking.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she yelled, destroying her reflections.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" she shouted, obliterating hers.
"Yeah," they said, high-fiving.
"That was awfully strange that those mirror things attacked us, don't you think?" Mars wondered.
"What do mean?" Jupiter asked, confused.
"Well, those reflections attacked us after we came in here," Mars explained. "They weren't here the entire time."
"Which means?"
"Which means that someone knew we were coming. Someone put these mirrors in this room for that purpose. In
short, someone planned for th-" She was interrupted by a whack on the back of her head that left her in an
unconscious heap on the floor.
Jupiter knelt down beside her quickly. "Mars, are you all right?" she asked, shaking her unresponsive friend.
"What happened?"
Her answer came in a blow to the back of her head, knocking her to the floor on top of Mars.
The two reflections turned back into mirrors and encased the two scouts.
Mercury and Pluto walked down the damp, musty passage with Pluto in the lead. Mercury lagged behind,
examining the walls and floor.
"Pluto, wait a minute," Mercury said, turning her visor on.
"What is it?" Pluto asked, kneeling beside her blue-haired comrade.
Mercury was silent for a moment before she sighed, heavily. "I thought I saw something out of order," she
answered, putting her visor away.
"Well, let's keep moving then," Pluto ordered, standing up. She offered a hand to Mercury, who gladly took it,
and helped her up.
The pair continued on down the corridor. They didn't stop again until they entered yet another mirror room.
"Weird. All the walls are lined with mirrors," Mercury stated, looking around. "Why would you have all these
mirrors in one room?"
Pluto didn't answer but went off to one side of the room to examine the row of mirrors. "These mirrors are
obviously here for a reason," she replied.
Mercury watched her momentarily, nodded thoughtfully, and went in the other direction. She began to scan the
mirrors and then heard someone come up behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Pluto. She relaxed
and went back to her work of scanning the glass. "What do you think the reason is, Pluto?" she asked, running
her hand along one of the surfaces.
Pluto didn't answer but took a menacing step closer to Mercury.
"Pluto?" Mercury wondered, straightening up.
Before she had the chance to look around, Pluto had smacked her in the back with her staff. She uttered a short
scream and fell into unconsciousness.
Pluto turned back into a mirror and, encasing Mercury, disappeared into the floor.
The real Pluto had heard Mercury's scream and sprinted to where her friend had been. She wasn't there.
"Mercury?" she called, looking around nervously. "Where are you?" She heard something behind her and whirled
around.
A Mercury reflection had appeared behind her and was standing silently before her.
"Mercury? Is that you?" Pluto asked, looking at her, curiously.
The reflection took a step closer and smirked at Pluto. Before the scout had any time to register this, the reflection
had grabbed her neck with both hands. It held her neck tightly until she stopped struggling, out cold. It turned
into a mirror and, encasing Pluto, disappeared into the floor.
Uranus and Neptune strode, casually, down their frigid corridor. Both of them were covered in goosebumps.
Neptune rubbed her upper arms vigorously, attempting to restore heat. It's so cold in here, she thought.
Uranus chuckled at her, finding much humor in her partner's actions.
"Oh, you think I'm funny, do you?" Neptune snapped.
"Quite funny actually," Uranus answered, snidely.
Neptune humphed at her and continued to rub her arms. "I really don't understand how you aren't even the least
bit worried about your temperature," she said.
Uranus shook her head and suppressed another laugh. I love my cousin dearly, but sometimes she can act so darn
childish, she thought, grinning.
They entered a room with a pair of antique mirrors in the center.
"How strange," Neptune commented, her curiosity drawing her attention away from her freezing arms. She
approached the mirrors and touched one lightly.
The glass quivered under her gloved finger.
She gasped and jumped away as her reflection stepped out of the mirror. She took a timid step back towards
Uranus.
"Neptune, be careful," Uranus called, taking her place beside her partner.
The approaching reflection looked at her sharply and smirked. It walked closer to the confused pair and attacked
Uranus. It overpowered her and hurled her into the other mirror.
"Uranus!" Neptune called, running toward her cousin. We've got to get out of here, she thought, frantically.
The reflection had other plans though. It grabbed Neptune's arm and threw her into a wall.
She growled angrily and prepared to attack. "Neptune Deep Sub-"
The reflection was on her faster than she could follow before she could finish. It punched her several times before
backing away.
She slumped to the floor and struggled to get to her feet.
Uranus stood up and started toward the reflection. Something grabbed her ankle from behind and yanked her
down. When she looked around she saw her reflection pulling itself out of the mirror.
It attacked and put her in a headlock.
She struggled against its vice grip, uselessly. Ceasing her struggles, she slammed her elbow into its stomach and
jumped away as it let go. She looked over at her cousin to see the duplicate beating the life out of her.
The reflection finally knocked Neptune out and encased her as it turned into a mirror.
"Neptune!" Uranus yelled, running to where her cousin had disappeared into the floor. The same thing happened
to her after her reflection pelted her in the back of the head.
Mini Moon and Saturn walked down their cold, musty hallway, stopping here and there to examine the walls and
floor.
"Do you think they found anything, Saturn?" Mini Moon asked, straightening up from examining the wall. She
caught up to Saturn and took her hand.
"No," Saturn answered. "They would have contacted us if they did." She squeezed Mini Moon's hand,
reassuringly. "We haven't been separated for very long so they're probably not any further down their corridors
than we are."
"I've got a bad feeling that something awful is going to happen," Mini Moon said.
"I wouldn't dwell on it, Mini Moon. They can take care of themselves." She smiled at her younger friend and
chuckled.
Mini Moon sighed and smiled back. Her friend's soft laugh had cheered her right up, as it always seemed to do.
The young pair entered a room with mirrors lining the far wall and walked up to them, curiously.
"Weird," Mini Moon commented, getting really close to a mirror. "Why would you want so many mirrors in one
room?"
"I don't know," Saturn replied.
Mini Moon laid her hand on the mirror, and it got sucked in. "Ah, my hand!" she screamed, attempting to pull it
back out. "Saturn, help me! It's got me! The mirror's got my hand!"
Saturn, hearing her friend's shriek, ran over to her and helped her try to pull her arm out of the mirror.
The mirror sent out a blast of black energy, knocking Saturn away, and pulled Mini Moon in the rest of the way.
Saturn jumped up and ran to the mirror as they all disappeared. "Mini Moon!" she called, collapsing to her knees
in fear and sorrow. "Rini," she whimpered.
"Sailor Saturn," a voice said, pityingly.
Saturn's head shot up in alarm and surprise. "Who are you?!" Saturn demanded, standing up. "Show yourself!"
A man appeared before her, grinning. His pearly white fangs shone, despite the dim light of the room. His jet
black shoulder-length hair hung neatly around his face, and his gray eyes sparkled with some unknown joy. "My
name is Kalerin, Hotaru," he answered, approaching her.
"How do you know my name?" she asked, taking a nervous step backward.
"I know everything about you, Princess," he replied, holding up a green-blue stone.
Saturn gasped. "The Destructor's Stone," she whispered, timidly.
"That's right, Princess," he said, slyly. "Your power source, the Destructor's Stone."
The stone began to glow, and Saturn floated into the air.
"What's going on?" she wondered, terrified. She gasped as she split in two and fell to the floor. When she looked
up again, she saw Sailor Saturn standing beside Kalerin, smirking. She stood up and glared at them.
"I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you, Princess," Kalerin warned, shaking his finger at her.
The stone began to glow again, and the mirrors containing Hotaru's friends appeared behind Kalerin.
Hotaru gasped and started to run to them. She was stopped when Saturn lowered her glaive to her forehead. She
straightened and backed up a few steps. "This was all a trap, wasn't it?" she asked, glaring at the pair.
"Very good, Princess," Kalerin commented.
"You stole the stone from the palace and made everything disappear," Hotaru continued. "You turned this palace
into a playground for you to test the stone's capabilities. You tricked us into coming inside so you could catch all
of us."
"You've got it all figured out," he said. "Any questions before I kill you and your friends?"
"Why?" she asked, angrily.
"Simple," Kalerin answered, snidely. "I want to rule the universe. I couldn't do that without this stone and you
scouts gone. Satisfied?"
Hotaru nodded, grimly, and lowered her head in shame.
"Saturn, kill them all," Kalerin ordered, smirking.
Hotaru's head jerked up in astonishment and horror as Saturn raised her glaive to the nine mirrors hanging in the
air. "No!" she screamed as Saturn blasted each mirror in turn. She sprinted to the shattered pieces of the mirrors
that lay on the floor and knelt down beside them. As the shards stopped glistening, she hugged herself and started
to cry. She turned her teary-eyed gaze on Saturn. "You monster!" she yelled, angrily. "How could you?! You
killed them!"
Saturn raised the glaive to Hotaru's forehead and prepared to kill her. Just before she fired the blast, she turned
and blasted the pile of shards.
The shards shook momentarily and flew into the air. They hovered at different distances from the ground, and
suddenly, bursts of light emanated from them.
Hotaru gasped as the shards formed her friends, who fell to the floor, and ran to them, tears streaming from her
eyes. She knelt down beside them and tried to shake them awake but to no avail.
Kalerin had been watching the entire display, stunned that Saturn could break free of the stone's hold so easily.
He growled and used the stone to blast the ten scouts.
When the dust cleared, Saturn was standing before the group, shield raised. "Hotaru, we must rejoin while he's
still in shock," she said, helping her counterpart up.
"But-"
"You must remember, Hotaru, I'm merely an extension of you, and I would never want to lose my friends,"
Saturn answered. "When I destroyed the mirrors it was Kalerin and the stone doing it, not me. Now I've broken
free of the stone's hold and need to rejoin with you." She touched the symbol on Hotaru's forehead as her
counterpart nodded, and it began to glow.
The pair rejoined.
Saturn turned to Kalerin and brought out her glaive, which had disappeared when the girls rejoined. "You're
finished," she announced, pointing her weapon at him.
"I really don't think so," he argued. He disappeared momentarily and reappeared, holding Neptune against him
with one arm. "Surrender," he demanded, pointing a dagger at Neptune's head. "Or she dies."
Saturn gasped. "You wouldn't," she tried, clutching her glaive closer.
"Oh, you bet I would," he confirmed, pressing the knife closer to the unconscious scout. "Don't get me wrong.
She is beautiful, but, hey, I do what I have to."
"You have to promise to leave them out of this," Saturn demanded, indicating her friends. "I'm the one you want.
Leave them alone."
"I will leave them if you surrender, Princess."
Saturn bowed her head in shame and lowered her glaive, preparing to drop it.
"Stop," Kalerin said, watching the girl's head jerk up in surprise. "Bring it to me. I want that glaive."
Saturn looked at him strangely and approached him, slowly. She reached him and held out her hand for Neptune.
Suddenly, a warm hand touched her extended arm and lowered it. Then a strong pair of hands dragged her away
from Kalerin and Neptune.
She glanced up to see Pluto on one side and Uranus on the other.
Uranus knelt down beside her and leaned over so she was next to Saturn's ear. "Don't worry, Saturn," she
whispered. "Pluto and I have a plan." She pulled away, winked at her young friend, and stood up.
Kalerin began to laugh hysterically as the other scouts got to their feet and took their places beside each other in a
row. His laughter stopped abruptly as something hard slammed into his face and then into his stomach. When he
looked up, Neptune was standing between Uranus and Saturn instead of in his arms.
"Let's get him, scouts!" Sailor Moon yelled, taking her place next to Mini Moon.
They brought out their wands. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" they yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she shouted, attacking.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" she yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" she shouted, attacking.
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Submarine Reflection!" Neptune shouted, attacking.
"Space Sword Blaster!" Uranus yelled, blasting Kalerin.
"Pluto Deadly Scream!" she shouted, attacking.
"Silence Glaive Apply!" Saturn yelled, blasting Kalerin.
All the attacks hit their target and exploded, creating a huge cloud of dust and debris.
"That was easy," Sailor Moon commented, high-fiving Mini Moon.
"Yeah," Mini Moon agreed, laughing.
The smoke cleared, and Kalerin stood before them, completely unfazed.
The scouts gasped in shock.
Kalerin smirked and blasted them with the Destructor's Stone. To his delight, they lay in crumpled heaps at his
feet.
They struggled to their knees and then stood up, one by one. They got into a row with Sailor Moon and Mini
Moon in the center, the inners on Sailor Moon's side, and the outers on Mini Moon's. "Sailor Planet Attack!"
they yelled.
The blast hit Kalerin and exploded.
"I hope that worked," Venus said.
The dust cleared, and the scouts gasped, collectively.
"I don't think it did," Jupiter stated, pointing at the figure before them.
Kalerin laughed and blasted them again.
They struggled to sit up and succeeded, barely. They looked to one another, searching for an idea.
"What're we gonna do now?" Saturn asked.
Pluto glanced at Kalerin and sighed. "I guess we have no choice," she said, quietly.
"What do you mean?" Mini Moon wondered.
"We'll need to use our crystals," Pluto explained. "We all have planetary crystals like Sailor Moon. Now, it
appears we have no choice but to use them." She turned into her princess form and brought out her crystal. It was
a deep onyx.
Sailor Moon and Mini Moon followed suit. Their crystals were identical, as were their dresses. Saturn, Uranus,
and Neptune did the same; their crystals were dark purple, gold, and aqua. Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury
transformed next; their crystals were red, green, yellow-orange, and light blue. They all stood up and lined up in a
row.
"All right, we're going to have to work together," Trista said, putting her crystal beside Sailor Moon's.
Amara, Michelle, and Hotaru followed suit beside her in order of height. Rei, Lita, Mina, Ami, and Rini did so on
Serena's other side.
"What are you doing?" Kalerin asked, incredulously.
"Stopping you!" Serena yelled. "Ready, scouts?"
The scouts nodded, and they all closed their eyes momentarily. Opening them, they prepared to attack. "Sailor
Crystal Power!" they yelled.
A multicolored blast shot forward but was stopped by a black one. The blasts pushed each other back and forth.
The scouts closed their eyes again and concentrated. We can do it, they thought. We are unity; we are friendship.
"We are one!" they yelled, opening their eyes. As a result of their unity, their blast overpowered Kalerin's and hit
him.
Kalerin screamed in agony as the scouts' blast destroyed him. A white light burst from where he had been
standing and knocked the scouts back. It dimmed gradually and finally disappeared, leaving the scouts in total
awe at its intensity.
They put their crystals back and smiled at each other, laughing happily.
"We did it, you guys," Serena said, sitting up. Her smile turned to a frown as she saw Hotaru holding her head
and breathing heavily. "Hotaru, you okay?" she asked, joining the outers beside her.
The inners and Rini soon followed her.
"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Rini asked, laying her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I-I don't know," Hotaru answered, weakly. "I feel tired and weak."
Michelle turned her attention from Hotaru to Trista, who was staring at the rubble where Kalerin had been.
"Trista?" she ventured, curious.
Trista shook herself out of her reverie and turned her gaze to Michelle. "What is it?" she asked.
"Something's wrong with Hotaru," Michelle answered, looking back at her young friend.
Trista looked at the Saturnian princess, slowly, and then back at the rubble. "She's fine," she explained, smiling
at her friends. "We accidentally blew up the Destructor's Stone as well as Kalerin. She's just a little weak from
losing her power source."
"That white light we saw-" Ami began.
"That was the Destructor's Stone exploding," Trista finished, taking a seat beside Serena.
Suddenly, there was a quake that shook the entire planet.
The scouts screamed and braced themselves for whatever might happen.
Instead of something awful, the palace lit up and returned to its normal state. People appeared out of nowhere and
went back to their days as if nothing had happened. They took no notice of the huddled group of girls in the
center of the room.
The scouts stood up and backed away from each other a bit.
"What happened?" Mina asked, looking around at their new surroundings.
"We must have turned everything back to normal by destroying that stone," Rei assessed, touching one of the
walls. "Well, at least we know it's not an illusion of some kind." She laughed and joined her group of friends in
the room's center.
"Now that everything here is back to normal, let's go home," Lita said, stretching her sore limbs. "I can tell you
guys right now, that as soon as we get back I'm going straight to the bathroom to take a hot bath."
The scouts laughed and agreed with her, moving into a circle.
Suddenly, two people came running into the room and up to the scouts, effectively stopping the teleport process.
They went straight to Hotaru, and the man hoisted her up. "Hotaru," they cried, happily, hugging her.
Hotaru looked at them strangely. "Who are you?" she asked.
The man put her down and smiled at her, warmly.
"They're your real parents, Hotaru," Trista answered, walking up to them.
The queen looked at Trista and hugged her too. "You brought our little girl back to us, Pluto," she thanked,
releasing her. "We are eternally grateful." She looked at all the confused faces around her and smiled. "It's
wonderful to see you all too," she said. "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you."
The scouts blushed and looked down at their feet, embarrassed.
The king and queen hugged Hotaru again and smiled at her. "It's wonderful to have you home to stay with us
again, pumpkin," the king said.
"What do mean 'stay'?" Rini asked, running up to them. "Hotaru can't stay here with you."
The king and queen stared at her, then at each other, and then at Trista. Before they could think of a comeback,
the other scouts had joined in.
"Hotaru doesn't belong here," Serena said. "Can't you see she doesn't want to stay with you?"
"Uh," the monarchs stammered.
"She was raised on Earth and has friends there," Amara stated, calmly. "No one would want to trade good friends
and family for the life of a princess."
"No kidding," Lita agreed.
I can't believe they're fighting for me, Hotaru thought, amazed. I didn't know they cared that much about me.
They're arguing with the king and queen for god's sake. Even Amara added something in my defense. She smiled
at her parents and then at her friends, who were still arguing, and stepped away from them.
"Hotaru?" Michelle wondered, staring at her young comrade.
"I appreciate you all fighting for me but this is my decision," she stated, her smile never faltering. She turned to
her parents. "I'm sorry, Mother, Father," she began, solemnly. "But they're right. I don't belong here on Saturn. I
belong back home on Earth," She turned to the scouts, "with my friends."
Rini bolted forward and wrapped her arms around Hotaru, happily. "You chose us," she exclaimed.
"Of course I did, Rini," Hotaru replied. "I love you all too much to just return to being the Princess of Saturn. I
like my normal life." She received hugs from all the other scouts before she turned to her parents.
"As much as we hate to see you leave us again, we respect your decision to stay with your friends on Earth," the
king said, wrapping an arm around his wife.
"Thank you," Hotaru said, hugging her parents one last time. She pulled away and ran over to her friends. She
joined the circle, and they turned back into their scout forms. They grasped hands and teleported back to Earth.
Back home.