Chapter 27: Snowman's Land

"I know this place! We're in the Mario 64 game! It's not a magical girls game, but it's fun 'cause when Mario goes into all the different paintings it's just like a fantasy story!" When Hotaru awoke, the first thing she heard was the eager squealing of a familiar girl's Scottish accent. The next thing she noticed was that she was cold and rather wet, as if she was laying in the snow.

"Let's collect the Power Stars and get back to the palace!" Hotaru shook her head. Power Stars? What was Serena talking about?

"I don't understand."

"Power Stars. The things Mario has to collect in the video game we're in right now. There's one in that ice block over there," Serena explained, pointing to a strange ice sculpture that looked like a small maze set on a brick base. She ran over to it and looked inside. Yes, the star was inside. All she had to do was get to it; she remembered vaguely that it had something to do with jumping to the top. That couldn't be too hard, could it?

"Is that the only star? It looks hard to get to. Maybe we should find one of the other ones," Hotaru suggested, as she noticed that Serena's jumps didn't seem to help her much.

"In the game it was the easiest. Maybe because I can't jump as high as Mario does. Another one is up there," Serena said as she stepped out of the ice maze. She pointed to a place where there was a giant blue ball creature on a icy platform.

"I suppose that might be easier to get to. But that's not a star," Hotaru corrected. Serena giggled.

"When you beat the monster, a star appears. I'll show you," she said confidently as she headed over to her new destination. She didn't go far, though, until something soft and squishy slammed into her from behind.

"Look out, Serena, it's Mokona!" called Hotaru, who hoped that the silver-haired girl's next move would be to transform. Instead, Serena picked up Mokona off of the snowy ground and hugged him.

"I like you! I bet if I'm nice to you, I'll get the Magic Knights to trust me. I like them too," she said happily. The jewel on Mokona's forehead glowed, and a red energy beam shot out of it and knocked Serena down into the snow. Her eyes filled with tears when she heard the next voice.

"Good work, Mokona. Now it's time for you to show her what will happen to her if she doesn't give in." Serena choked back a scream as she turned around and looked into the cold red eyes of Hikaru Shidou. That couldn't be Hikaru, this girl was nothing like the cheerful Fire Knight! But it was, the armor, clothing, and even the red braid were unmistakable.

"It's a Magic Knight! Transform and save yourself!" called Hotaru, who was keeping her distance from the battle that she was sure would ensue. Serena barely heard her, as she was too busy being horrified at what Hikaru was doing. The red Knight was stuffing snow into Mokona's mouth at an alarming rate. Was she trying to make her favorite pet explode?

"What are you doing, Hikaru?! Why are you forcefeeding Mokona snow?" asked Serena. Hikaru smirked evilly.

"Simple, my dear. I heard that the Holy Beast here does not have to eat. No food, and yet a mouth? Perhaps then one could see how much could be packed inside of his hollow body."

"That's insane! He has lungs! You'll suffocate him!" pleaded Serena.

"Ah well, all things must die someday," Hikaru shrugged as she went back to turning Mokona into a snow rabbit.

"I don't want to do this, but I want to stop you from being evil! Peanut Butter Power, Make Up!" Hikaru ignored the flashes of red light behind her as Serena transformed into her Senshi outfit.

"You don't scare me. You're the one with the stupid fruity attack," she shrugged smugly.

"Fruity Punch!" shouted Sailor Peanut Butter, throwing various fruits as hard as she could at Hikaru's back. Hikaru just picked them off of the snow and shoved them into Mokona's mouth too.

"Pathetic. You are simply pathetic. Can't you do any better?" taunted Hikaru, sneering at the tears she saw in the Senshi's brown eyes.

"Fruity Punch!" sobbed Sailor Peanut Butter. This time she actually hit her target, which was Hikaru's mouth, "Please listen to me! Stop torturing Mokona!" Hikaru spit out a bunch of grapes and flung it back, hitting Peanut Butter on the head.

"Don't tell me what to do! You're the bad guy here!" she screamed as she picked up Mokona and started twirling him around in circles by his long ears.

"Just stop it!" demanded Peanut Butter, and she started scooping up snow and throwing it at Hikaru. Some of missed, a little bit hit her, and then some of it got whacked back.

"DIE MOKONA!!!" roared Hikaru as she finally let Mokona go and he sailed into an icy lake. Hikaru ran over, yanked his frozen body out, and then began chopping him to bits with her sword, laughing maniacally and shouting "DIE MOKONA!! DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!" over and over. Sailor Peanut Butter panicked when she saw this. How was she ever going to get Hikaru back to her normal self? What would trigger a memory? In a flash she remembered. She got down on her hands and knees and began howling at the non-existant moon.

"Heh heh. You really are a villain-type, werewolf girl," snickered Hikaru as she pointed her sword in Peanut Butter's direction.

"But I was trying to make you remember Hikari, your dog!"

"What dog? I don't have a dog named Hikari! I hate dogs!"

"Serena, I think this might be a version of Hikaru who is her opposite," offered Hotaru. Unfortunately, that made her a visible target for more of this Anti-Hikaru's sadistic fun, and the Fire Knight leaped into the air, swinging her sword in Hotaru's direction.

"Fruity Punch!" Sailor Peanut Butter attempted to intercept the attack by throwing more plant uteri, which did succeed in startling Hikaru when the fruit hit her in the face.

"Flame Arrow!" called Hikaru, aiming at the red-clad Senshi this time.

"Isn't that one of Sailor Mars's powers?" questioned Hotaru.

"No, that's the first one she uses on the TV show," explained Peanut Butter.

"I am not Sailor Mars, you idiot! Sailor Mars is a villain!" Hikaru declared.

"No, no, Hotaru just meant that it was interesting that both she and you have powers that involve fiery arrows," Peanut Butter said, trying to placate Hikaru.

"Bring her on then! We'll see who's got the better flaming archery set!"

"I don't think we can. Rei gave her powers to Pierre and that little German girl who lives at the Palace," Hotaru said meekly. Without warning, Hikaru lunged at Hotaru and slammed her to the snowy ground, sword pointed at the trembling woman's neck.

"Now. I want answers now. Who is Rei? Why did she steal my powers?!" Hikaru hissed fiercely.

"She-she didn't! It's just a coincidence!" Hotaru protested, "Rei is Sailor Mars and she didn't steal anything! There's no rule that says two people can't both use fire magic!"

"Fruity Punch!" Sailor Peanut Butter called. Hikaru threw Hotaru aside as they were both pelted with fruit, and she threw her sword at Sailor Peanut Butter.

"Pick it up. It's yours now," Hikaru said with a smirk.

"I'm not going to do that. It'll burn me. I know because I saw it on the Magic Knight Rayearth anime and it was also in the manga," Sailor Peanut Butter refused flatly, backing away from the sword like it was going to jump up and slash at her on its own.

"No it won't. It's yours. Take it," Hikaru coaxed. Sailor Peanut Butter grabbed the sword and flung across the snow, where it landed in the frozen lake. Hikaru screamed wordlessly and plunged in after it, coming up an ice block instead of a girl. The flames on Sailor Peanut Butter's hands turned to red light that engulfed her, Hikaru, and Hotaru and took them away from that icy dimension.

"Sorry, Hikaru..." Sailor Peanut Butter whispered as she faded away.