Steph: I still can't believe Chrissy turned on us...
Lucy: We'll get her and the Crystals back, don't worry.
Bonnie: Artemis? How are you holding up?
Artemis: Yeah, I'm OK, I guess. Do you wanna do the disclaimer, Bonnie?
Bonnie: Sure. Sparrowflyaway doesn't own Sailor Moon, PGSM or Pirates of the Caribbean.
Steph: You sure love those movies, don't you, Bonnie.
Bonnie: Aye!
Steph: *groan*
"What do you reckon happened to Christina, Artemis? I mean, that's twice that she's been in pain during a fight," Bonnie said, sitting down on the couch next to Steph.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but... it may be that her true self is fighting back against the darkness inside her," Artemis said.
"Do you really think so?" Luna asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.
"I have a feeling that she is," Artemis smiled.
"And what should we do about that guy? What's his name? Walter or something?" Steph asked.
"Wilson. He said his name was Wilson Baxter," Phoenix said.
"Yeah, him. So what are we going to do about his idea?" Steph asked.
"I'm not sure... We wouldn't really have all that much material for him to use in a show, seeing as we've only been at this for just over a week," Bonnie said, looking up to find Dee standing in the doorway. "Hi, we didn't hear you come in. How's Alex?"
"He's fine. Kinda surprised, but fine. I wish we could ask Christina what she thinks about that play," Dee said.
"Maybe we should hold off our decisions until we get her back," Artemis said.
"You think we will?" Steph asked. Artemis chuckled.
"She's said many times before that she can't be anyone except herself. With all five of you fighting the darkness inside her, she'll be back to normal sooner or later. I know it," he smiled.
"Until then, you'd all better get some sleep. The darkness in her is too strong to be fighting when you're tired," Luna said. The others nodded and went upstairs to bed, falling asleep with a glimmer of a very warm, welcome feeling: hope.
Dark Venus looked around the blank white plain she was standing in, wondering how she had come to be here.
"What is this place?" she wondered aloud.
"This is a dream, girl. I would say welcome, but you're about as welcome here as you are in my body," a familiar voice said. Dark Venus whirled around to stare at... herself. Or rather, her old self. Sailor Venus stared determinedly into her evil version's eyes, the gold crescent moon glinting on her forehead.
"What is this?"
"I already told you, idiot, this is a dream."
"I heard you the first time, weakling. What's the meaning of this?"
"I just figured that you should know that they're using us."
"Maybe I'm the one using them."
"As if! Wake up and smell the blood, Christina, Kunzite is using our negativity to manipulate us!"
"You keep using the word 'us'. Why?"
"You still don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
"We're the same person."
"As if! We're completely different!"
"You see? We both use the same phrase. We're one and the same."
"You're wrong."
"Am I? Search your heart, Christina, you know it's true."
"Shut up, you weakling! I'm in charge here, you have no say in anything at all."
"Really? Then how do you explain this?" Sailor Venus asked, clicking her fingers. The whiteness around them changed, turning into the dimly-lit front yard of the Aino's house.
"What the... What did you just do?"
"We have the same memories too, idiot. Now have a look at what I'm showing you," Sailor Venus said, pointing at two of the people frozen in place in the yard. Dark Venus' eyes widened in surprise as she realised that she was staring at herself and Sailor Moon, swords pressed firmly against each other.
"But... That's me!"
"You sound so surprised," Sailor Venus giggled.
"Just get on with it," Dark Venus snapped. Sailor Venus clicked her fingers, and the scene sprung to life.
"Chrissy, please, stop it," Sailor Moon pleaded. Dark Venus watched as the her of her memories staggered back in pain.
"That was you that caused that pain?" Dark Venus hissed, glaring at Sailor Venus
"You got it. I'm glad I managed to cause pain to you, 'cause I can only imagine how hurt my friends are that you're in control," Sailor Venus said.
"If you're right, and we are the same, then you're the one causing your friends that pain," Dark Venus said snidely. Sailor Venus glared at her dark form, then winced, feeling her connection fading.
"I don't have much longer, so I'll just leave you with this," she said, clicking her fingers and changing the scene to the battle at The Flying Horse. Smiling, Sailor Venus waved to her dark form, then vanished, the scene springing to life the instant she left.
"Chrissy... What's happened to you? Please, Chrissy, you've got to stop this! We need you, not because you're the Princess, but because you're our friend!"
"Come on, Christina!"
"Come back to us!"
"We all miss you!"
Christina groaned in her sleep, her friends' words echoing through her head.
"Shut up... Get outta my head," she murmured, before jolting awake. She stared up at the pod, seething at her good version. Even though you tried to get out twice, you're still just as weak as before, she thought. A small voice in her head chuckled.
You keep forgetting, don't you, the voice whispered. We're the same person. The only reason you're beating me is because of that stupid smoke. In fact, the only reason you even exist is because of that stupid smoke.
Shut up, I've got things to do.
Fine, go ahead. For once this could be beneficial for me too. Christina ignored her good version's comment, instead focusing on her ring and vanishing.
"Morning, Artemis! What's the plan for today?" Steph asked, walking into the loungeroom with the other three behind her.
"How about you go for a walk and see if you can find any more Crystal Carriers," Artie said.
"Again? We've done that a lot, but so far we've only found one Crystal Carrier that way," Steph said
"Well if you found one, you may find another," Lucy said.
"You have a point, Luna. Go on, girls, Luna and I will head down to the Base and wait for any news," Artie said. The girls nodded and started gathering up their things.
"By the time all the Crystal Carriers have been found, we'll know Warrnambool better than we know ourselves," Bonnie smiled.
"At least that'll mean you get to battles faster," Artie said.
Christina appeared near the entrance to the cavern containing the black crystal, her senses tinging with what was now the energy of three Rainbow Crystals. She smiled when she realised that Zoisite was not there, and walked over to the box. Surely there's some kind of protection or shield on this thing, Christina thought. Zoisite wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the Rainbow Crystals just lying around, would she? Christina closed her eyes and opened her senses, and a faint tingle of energy from the box itself confirmed her suspiscions: there was indeed a protective spell on it. A second later, Christina's eyes snapped open as she realised that there were still only two Rainbow Crystals in the box: the third one was elsewhere in the cavern. She turned around and gasped: the Red Crystal was lying on a stone table on the other side of the cavern, next to the small black crystal. Apparently I gave Zoisite too much credit: she would be stupid enough to leave them lying around. Christina stared at the Red Crystal for a moment, then, satisfied that there was no protection around it, picked it up and slipped it into her pocket. Now where can I hide this? she wondered. I can't hide it anywhere in the Negaverse, because Beryl or one of those other idiots would probably sense it. Looks like I'll have to hide it on Earth. But where, I wonder... After a moment, a smile spread across Christina's face, and she focused on her ring and disappeared.
"Wow, there's a lot of people out here today," Dee said, looking around at the crowd of people and trying to sense another Crystal Carrier's energy.
"Anything?" Bonnie whispered to Steph, who glanced in her bag.
"Nothing yet," Steph whispered back.
"Hi, guys! What're you up to?" a familiar voice called. The Scouts turned to find Ethan and Jayden walking towards them.
"Oh, hi! We're just seeing if we can find any more of you," Phoenix said. The two boys nodded understandingly.
"Any luck?" Jayden asked.
"Not yet. But you never know, we may find one," Steph said.
"Mind if we come too? If you do find one, then Zoisite'll probably show up too and you may need us," Ethan said.
"Sure, you can come. You might be able to sense one of the others better than we can," Bonnie said. The boys nodded, and the group continued up the street.
Christina glanced around the street she had appeared on, hoping that no-one had seen her arrive. After a few moments, she took a small orange box from her pocket, which she ran one hand over while muttering a spell under her breath. After a few moments, the box flashed once with dark energy, and Christina smiled as she opened it. Taking the Red Crystal from her pocket, she placed it gently on the foam inside the box and closed the lid again, clipping it shut. Satisfied, she slipped the box back into her pocket and crossed the street, knocking on the door of a house there. There was a scurry of footsteps, and then the door opened to reveal a tall blonde girl who looked fairly similar to Christina.
"Hey, Cuz, what's up? I haven't seen you in a while. I was just getting ready to go to a bowling tournament," the girl said, pulling on a jumper that had the word "Skye" embroidered on it.
"Hi Cuz, I've only got a moment. I was wondering if you could do me a big favour," Christina said.
"Sure, what do you need?" Skye asked.
"I was hoping you could look after this for me," Christina said, taking the box from her pocket and opening it to show her cousin.
"Wow, that's so pretty! You really want me to look after this for you?"
"Would that be OK with you?"
"Sure! I'll take care of it for you. Just let me know when you want it back, OK?"
"'Course I will. Thanks for your help, Cuz," Christina said, shutting and clipping down the lid, before handing the box over. Smiling, Christina turned and ran across the lawn.
"See you later!" Skye called.
"Yep! Have fun at your tournament!" Christina called back. I felt something from Skye... What was that? Was that... No, it couldn't be. Could it? Is she really a Crystal Carrier? Or was I just imagining it? she wondered.
Amusing, isn't it, the voice in her head whispered.
What is?
Your choice of hiding place. Skye's one of the few ordinary people that I trust completely.
Shut up. That had nothing to do with my decision.
Well, either way, you'd better get back to bed, otherwise Zoisite'll suspect you of stealing that Crystal, and then you'll get blasted. And I'd really rather that you didn't get hurt. Any pain that you feel, I feel as well.
So you feel all the pain that you create when you try to take control?
Pretty much, yeah.
That sounds rather stupid to me.
If it'll get me my body back, then I'm willing to do it for as long as I need to. Christina frowned at her good version's comment as she focused on her ring and teleported back to her room in the Negaverse.
"We've been out here for hours, guys, and we stilll haven't found anything. Maybe we should check back in with Luna and Artemis," Dee said. Steph checked her bag for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, finding the Crescent Moon Wand exactly the same as every other time she'd checked: unlit.
"Maybe we should call them and see if there's any news," Bonnie said. Just then, all four of the Scout's phones rang simultaneously, and they pulled them out of their bags or pockets and flipped them open.
"Girls, the program just went off, there's going to be an attack at Pins 'n' Play," Artemis said. All four girls gasped.
"What? The bowling alley beside the Base?" Phoenix gasped.
"Exactly. Luna and I will try to increase the Base's shields, but you need to get over here now," Artemis said urgently.
"Got it. We're on our way," the girls chorused, before putting their phones away.
"What's up?" Jayden asked.
"Luna's attack prediction program just went off. It said there's going to be an attack at Pins 'n' Play, which is right next to our Base," Steph said.
"We'd better get down there, then," Ethan said. The others nodded, and then the six of them went running down the street in the direction of the Base.
"Get up," a rough voice said, an equally rough pair of hands shaking Christina, who opened her eyes to find Kunzite frowning at her. She sat up, faking confusion.
"What's up? Does Zoisite know the identity of another Crystal Carrier?" Christina asked.
"Not yet, but this is much more important than finding another Crystal Carrier. At least their Crystal can't be lost, unlike the Red Crystal," Zoisite said, stepping out of the shadows.
"You lost it?" Christina exclaimed, forcing a touch of anger into her voice.
"I didn't lose it, someone stole it," Zoisite hissed.
"Well don't look at me, I've been asleep. For some reason those Scouts have a way of draining my energy with their words. And besides, how would I be able to take it? I already figured out that you keep the Crystals in a box, and I highly doubt you'd be stupid enough not to put a spell on it," Christina said.
"Well, I..." Zoisite trailed off as she realised that the runty Princess before her was right.
"Zoisite hadn't put the Red Crystal into the box yet, she was reporting back to Queen Beryl," Kunzite said, glaring at Zoisite for her lack of foresight.
"Well, as I said, I was asleep. And if you don't mind, I would like to get back to sleep. I still feel kinda tired," Christina said, before closing her pod and turning away from the two Generals. She closed her eyes and listened hard, picking up on the whispered conversation outside the pod.
"Do you think she's telling the truth?"
"I'm not sure... this Princess' energy is rather difficult to read."
"But what do we tell Queen Beryl, Kunzite? She won't be pleased that we lost one here."
"No, she won't. For now, we should just keep quiet. The Princess may eventually give us a clue that will tell us whether she took it or not, and then she shall receive her just reward." Christina smiled at Kunzite's words. They still believe that stupid story, she thought, sensing the two Generals leave. Idiots. I'm not about to tell them the truth, 'cause they'd kill me if they knew.
We sure have a lot of secrets, don't we, the voice in her head mused.
Shut up, I'm not in the mood for you.
Fine, then. Just remember not to sleep for too long, or Zoisite'll leave without you, and you'll miss out on the opportunity to get another Crystal. Oh, and by the way, I hope you remember what the others learned in Training the other day.
What are you talking about?
Don't you remember what we told them?
Just get to the point.
"Trust your senses."
...You think I'm right about Skye.
If that's what our senses are telling you, then she probably is.
Then why am I going to sleep? I should be getting down to Pins 'n' Play.
Easy, girl. Zoisite and Kunzite think you're asleep. If they check on you and you're not here, they'll suspect you even more.
So what do you suggest, Miss Smarty?
How about using our senses and figuring out when Zoisite leaves. She'll either be going to Pins 'n' Play or to my house, so it shouldn't be that hard to find her.
I hate to say it, but you have a point. Fine, I'll stay for a while, Christina thought, before focusing her senses on Zoisite's energy pattern.
"Wow, there's a lot of people here too, how are we ever going to find a Crystal Carrier in here?" Jayden asked.
"We'll just have to see who the Wand reacts to," Steph said, looking around.
"Hey, there are some really good bowlers here, do you think one of them could be the Crystal Carrier?" Ethan asked.
"Maybe... Hey, there's Chrissy's cousin Skye. Wow, she's doing really well," Steph said, watching as Skye got her fourth strike in a row. Skye turned to walk back to her seat, spotting Steph and the others and walking over.
"Hi, you're Steph, right? I remember you from Christina's Christmas party last year," Skye said.
"Yeah, that's me. How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. Yourself?"
"A bit tired, but OK."
"That's good. Who are these guys?"
"Oh, this is Bonnie, Dee, Phoenix, Ethan and Jayden."
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Skye. Is Christina here with you?"
"No, she's... busy with other things," Phoenix said.
"Really? Well, she did seem a bit busy earlier, so I shouldn't be surprised," Skye said.
"You saw her earlier? When?" Bonnie asked.
"Just before I came here today. She came over to my house and asked me to look after some red gem for her." The four scouts gasped.
"She gave you the Red Crystal? Wow, she must really trust you, even now," Steph said.
"What do you mean? Has something happened?" Skye asked, looking worried.
"It's kinda complicated," Dee said.
"Oh, it's my turn again. See you later," Skye said, before turning and walking back down to take her turn.
"Something seems familiar about her..." Ethan said, watching Skye take her turn and get another strike.
"Hey, Steph? What's going on with your bag?" Jayden asked. Steph glanced inside it and gasped at the flashing gems on the Crescent Moon Wand.
"There's a Crystal Carrier here," she whispered.
"Do you think it's Skye?" Ethan asked.
"It must be. The flashing in your bag started when she came over to talk to us," Jayden said. Steph looked up sharply, her senses suddenly tingling with familiar negative energy.
"She's here, guys, I can sense her," Dee said, glancing around.
"Me too," Steph said. The group whirled around as they heard a scream, finding a large white youma standing in the middle of the room and blocking the only two exits. The youma cupped its hands around its mouth and blew, spreading ice and snow everywhere.
"That must be the same youma from yesterday!" Dee gasped, staring at it and fighting down her sudden drowsiness.
"We'd better transform, then," Steph said, shaking her head to clear it, before ducking around a corner with the other three Scouts behind her. "Ready, girls?"
"Ready!" the other three chorused.
"Moon Prism Power!"
"Mercury Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!" Pink, blue, red and green lights reflected off of the spreading ice crystals, and then the Scouts jumped out of their hiding place and posed.
"These people are here to have fun! I won't forgive you for disrupting them! I'm Sailor Moon!"
"I'm Sailor Mercury!"
"I'm Sailor Mars!"
"And I'm Sailor Jupiter!"
"And in the name of our guardian planets, we shall punish you!" the scouts chorused.
"What a surprise, not. I knew you would show up here, little Scouts, and that's why I brought my friend here with me," Zoisite said, stepping out from behind the youma and glaring at them.
"We won't let you hurt anyone else, Zoisite!" Sailor Moon yelled. Zoisite chuckled.
"You really think you can stop me?" Zoisite scoffed.
"We can and we will!" Mars yelled.
"Get them!" Zoisite yelled, pointing at the Scouts. Her youma roared, its arms glowing white.
"What's going on?" Mars gasped, watching as the youma's arms turned into axe blades.
"We're in trouble, that's what!" Sailor Moon gasped, before diving out of the way of one of the youma's blade-arms. Sailor Moon clambered to her feet, looking angry. "Let's take this thing down! Moon Tiara..."
"Mercury Bubbles..."
"Mars Fire..."
"Supreme..."
"Magic!" "Blast!" "Ignite!" "Thunder!" the four attacks merged and flew through the air, slicing through Zoisite's Dark Sword and striking the youma in the stomach. The youma roared in pain and staggered back, then yanked the tiara from its icy body and threw it on the ground.
"Well, that didn't work. I'd better figure out this thing's weakness," Mercury said, pulling out her computer and pressing a few buttons.
"Hurry up, Mercury, we haven't got all day here!" Jupiter yelled, conjuring a Lightning Sword just in time to block one of the youma's arms.
"Hang on a sec... Just a little more..." Mercury murmured.
"Mercury!" Mars yelled, blocking the youma's other arm with a Fire Sword.
"Got it! We need to aim between its eyes, but it'll take all four of us to get through!" Mercury said, looking up.
"Right! Moon Tiara...
"Shine Aqua..."
"Akuryo..."
"Flower..."
"Magic!" "Illusion!" "Taisan!" "Hurricane!" the four attacks merged and struck the youma right between the eyes, going straight through its head. The youma howled as cracks began spreading from its wound all along its body, until it finally shattered, the shards turning into dust.
"Yay! Great job, guys! We got it! Now, where's Zoisite?" Sailor Moon asked, looking around. The Scouts whirled around when they heard a scream, and found Zoisite standing over an unconscious Skye with a dark-blue gem in her hand: the Indigo Crystal.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon shouted, her Tiara striking Zoisite's hand and knocking the Indigo Crystal from her grip. Zoisite roared in anger as Mercury dove past her and grabbed the Indigo Crystal up. Mercury scrambled to her feet and turned to find Zoisite pointing a Dark Sword at her. Mercury quickly conjured an Ice Sword and knocked Zoisite's sword away, before the two of them began fighting fiercely, their swords crashing together. Suddenly, Mercury's sword went flying from her grasp, and Zoisite pointed her Dark Sword at Mercury's throat.
"Give me that Crystal, you bratty Scout!" Zoisite hissed.
"Get away from her, Zoisite!" Sailor Moon yelled, changing her tiara into a sword and charging forward. Zoisite turned and began fighting her new opponent, which gave Mercury time to grab her sword. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter all charged forward and began fighting Zoisite with Sailor Moon, and the four scouts quickly found their enemy weakening. They all swung their swords at the same time, sending Zoisite's flying from her hand and shattering against the wall. The four Scouts all pointed their swords at Zoisite's throat and grinned.
"Gotcha," Sailor Moon whispered. Suddenly, a ray of dark energy enveloped Skye, turning her into a large, dark-blue dragon.
"Ah, just in time. Anil, stop them!" Zoisite yelled, conjuring another Dark Sword. Anil roared and breathed a jet of indigo fire at Zoisite, who jumped out of the way. "Not again! Why won't you listen to me?"
"I guess she's smart enough to realise that she'll be nothing more than a slave to you," Sailor Moon said, watching Anil breath more indigo fire at Zoisite. Anil turned and roared when she spotted the Scouts, before breathing more fire at them. Mars quickly conjured another Fire Sword and used both to block the flames. Zoisite grinned and started duelling Sailor Moon again.
"Hurry up and heal her, Steph! I can't hold these flames back forever!" Mars yelled, struggling to keep her swords in position against the seemingly-endless jet of flame.
"I'm a little busy at the moment!" Sailor Moon yelled, before kicking Zoisite backwards and running over to Mars. Zoisite went to follow, but found Mercury and Jupiter blocking her path.
"You're not going anywhere," Jupiter said.
"Fine then, I'll take you two down first!" Zoisite yelled, before swinging her sword and making contact with both of the Scouts' swords.
"We have to help them, Jayden! Our power's inside us, we just have to look for it!" Ethan said, before closing his eyes and transforming. Azul nodded to Jayden, then turned and breathed a huge blue fireball at Zoisite. Jayden stared at Azul in amazement, then closed his eyes and began searching for his power. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon was looking for a way to reach Anil that wasn't blocked by indigo flames.
"I can't reach her!" Sailor Moon said frantically.
"Hang on a second..." Mars said, causing flames to burst from her swords and force Anil backwards, extinguishing the indigo fire.
"Thanks, Dee! Moon Healing Activation!" Anil howled as the silver glitter floated over her, changing her eyes from black to blue.
"Nice job, Steph, now let's go help the others!" Mars said, watching Anil become surrounded by indigo sparkles. Sailor Moon nodded, and then the two of them ran back over to where Zoisite, Mercury, Jupiter and Azul were fighting fiercely. Just as Sailor Moon was about to join the battle, Jayden was surrounded by a beam of green energy, which faded to reveal Verde.
"Oh, that's just great," Zoisite murmured. Verde roared at Zoisite and then breathed a jet of emerald-green flames, which merged with Azul's blue fire and enveloped Zoisite. The Scouts watched in amazement as Zoisite was thrown backwards, her Dark Sword melting from the heat. The Negaverse General staggered to her feet, panting heavily and glaring at the Scouts. The Scouts all pointed their swords at Zoisite and the two Crystal Carriers growled. Suddenly, Mercury felt the Indigo Crystal snatched from her hand, and turned to find Tuxedo Mask staring at her.
"Give that back," Mercury said, pointing her sword at Tuxedo Mask. Mars spun at Mercury's words, and pointed her sword at Tuxedo Mask too.
"I don't think I will, actually," Tuxedo Mask replied, stepping back and slipping the Indigo Crystal into his pocket. Jupiter turned around and pointed her Lightning Sword at Tuxedo Mask, while the two Crystal Carriers turned and growled. Sailor Moon glanced over her shoulder at Tuxedo Mask, hoping that her friends would not harm him. Zoisite spotted the moment and conjured another Dark Sword, which she used to knock Sailor Moon's sword from her hand. Zoisite charged forward and swung her sword, tracing a thin line across the backs of the other three Scouts, who all winced in pain and dropped their swords. She then went to swing her sword at Tuxedo Mask, but suddenly stopped, gasping for breath. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter stared in surprise at Zoisite, their wounds expelling sparks in their scout colours.
"Master..." Zoisite murmured, her voice filled with confusion. Tuxedo Mask stared at her for a moment, before turning and running away.
"He... He got the Crystal," Mercury said, stunned. Just then, there was a flash of purple beside Zoisite, and then Christina appeared, looking angry.
"Hey, what's the big idea, Zoisite? We're supposed to work together! How come you left without me?" she shouted.
"You're much later than I would have thought. Oh well, I guess I'll be going now. Enjoy!" Zoisite said, before vanishing.
"Get back here, Zoisite, I'm not finished with you yet!" Christina roared.
"Chrissy..." Sailor Moon whispered. Christina turned, her eyes narrowing when she saw the Scouts.
"Oh, it's you. I'm glad you showed up, I was in the mood for some fun. It's playtime! Venus Dark Power!" the little remaining ice around them sparkled black and purple, and then Dark Venus stood glaring at the other Scouts.
"Christina, stop, please! Can't we just talk?" Jupiter pleaded.
"Why, are you afraid to fight me?"
"We don't want to fight you, Christina, you're our friend!" Mars cried.
"Friendship... You think I want your crummy friendship? Your friendship doesn't make me stronger!"
"You're wrong, Christina," a familiar voice said. Dark Venus turned to find Lucy and Artie standing in the doorway.
"Friendship does make us stronger. It's different from having powers or muscles. It's the knowledge that we have our friends beside us that makes us able to go into battle without worrying what happens. That's what makes us truly strong, Christina," Artie said, walking over to her and taking both her hands into his.
"Huh?" Dark Venus' eyes widened as she thought about what her guardian was saying.
"Artemis is right, Chrissy, we fight together, side by side, as one, no matter who our enemy is. That's what friendship means to us," Sailor Moon said.
"I..."
"And even though we may go into battle knowing the odds are against us a million to one, we still won't back down, because we know that the power of our friendship will see us through," Mercury said.
"Come on, Christina, you know that somewhere deep inside you is the true Christina. The one that's our friend," Mars said.
"We believe in you, Christina, no matter what happens. We know that in the end, you'll be able to defeat the darkness and come back to us," Jupiter said.
"We know the true you, Christina, and we won't stop fighting until we get you back," Lucy said.
"Right! We know that the true you isn't Dark Venus. The true Christina is our friend," Artie said, staring up into Christina's cold eyes, which were clouded with confusion. Could they really be right? Dark Venus wondered. Is this truly not my destiny?
You finally figured it out, huh, genius, the voice in her whispered. Took you long enough.
"Shut up, you weakling, you have no say in anything," Dark Venus hissed, pulling her hands out of Artie's grip and grabbing her head. Artie stepped back, wide-eyed.
I'm not going to give up until I get back control.
"Shut up. Shut up, you worthless creature! I am in control, and I won't allow you to defeat me!" Dark Venus yelled.
"Her true self is fighting back! I knew it!" Artie exclaimed, his eyes filling with hope.
"Come on, Chrissy! You can do it! We believe in you!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.
"Girls, send your power to her! That may give her the edge she needs against the darkness!" Artie said, turning to the Scouts. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter nodded and closed their eyes as they began to glow their Scout colours. Sailor Moon held up the Crescent Moon Wand, which also began to glow. Dark Venus staggered back as the pink, blue, red and green light washed over her, her pain increasing.
See? You can't win, not with all of my friends fighting you too, the voice said, getting stronger and louder every second.
"Shut up! You Scouts, you haven't seen the last of me, I can assure you of that!" Dark Venus yelled, before vanishing. The Scouts stared at the spot where Dark Venus had disappeared, the glowing subsiding. Azul and Verde sighed, before becoming surrounded by sparkles.
"Well, I hope we got through to her, and that she'll come back to us," Mercury said. The blue and green sparkles subsided, and Ethan and Jayden nodded in agreement.
"What just happened? What's wrong with Christina?" a voice asked. The Scouts turned to find Skye sitting up and staring at them, shock written all over her face.
"Hey, Skye, are you alright?" Sailor Moon
"Yeah, I think so. What's happened to Christina?" Skye asked.
"Long story short, the Negaverse turned her evil and now her true self is fighting back," Artie said, reaching out and helping Skye to her feet.
"Well, I hope you guys get her back really soon. You'll let me know when that happens, won't you?" Skye asked.
"Of course we will! You'll be one of the first to know," Luna said.
"With all of you working together, I'm sure she'll be back to normal in no time," Skye smiled.
"You can help us too, you know. You transformed for a reason, Skye," Sailor Moon said.
"Wow, I transformed?"
"Yep, you turned into a dragon, just like Ethan and Jayden. Well, a dragon youma, to be specific, but you're pretty much just a normal dragon now," Mercury smiled.
"If you can call dragons 'normal'," Mars said.
"Cool! I love dragons, I've got lots of statues of them at home," Skye said.
"Yeah, I remember Chrissy talking about your collection once. Apparently it's pretty big," Sailor Moon said.
"Yeah, and now I can be part of it too!" Skye smiled. The scouts, along with Ethan, Jayden, Skye and Luna burst out laughing. Artie smiled, then turned away, his eyes filled with both worry and hope. Oh, please, Christina, he thought sadly. Please come back to us.