Notes: Episode 143, "Time to Believe the Pegasus! The Super Transformations of the Four Soldiers". Or, "The Senshi's power-up episode that severely pissed me off."

Episode 143

"I'll see you guys later, okay?" Usagi called from across the playground. Her friends gave their affirmatives and assorted parting phrases while happily waving goodbye. Usagi smiled in return and gently guided Chibi-Usa toward home. The little girl was still pretty wound up from the stress, but everyone was confident that she'd be sniping at Usagi again soon enough. The Inner Senshi continued to wave for several seconds after Usagi was out of sight.

Then simultaneously dropped all the smiles and huddled together in a tight circle.

"Okay, what the fuck was that?" Mako demanded in a harsh whisper. Ami already had her computer out and was typing away. The other three leaned over and tried to make sense of, well, anything really.

"I don't understand how Pegasus was able to increase our power levels." Ami continued typing, the crease between her eyebrows deepening. "As near as I've been able to deduce, we are our own power sources."

"Does anyone feel any different?" Minako asked. She stared at her hand, turned it over, stared harder. Same old hand, nothing different.

Makoto had her answer instantly. "I'm exactly the same. Except pissed!"

"So exactly the same, then," Minako said. Mako only glared harder. Minako nudged the taller girl with her elbow. "Eh? Exactly the same? Cuz you're always so pissed? Eh? Eh?"

The nudges become more pronounced, tipping Mako further and further to the side. Between that and Minako's exaggerated grin, Mako hit her limit. Much to her dismay, a smile broke across her face. She playfully shoved Minako away. Minako stumbled five paces, but didn't seem to mind.

"Fine, yes, okay!" Mako exclaimed with no trace of her previous dark mood. "Gimme credit, though, that's way more Rei-chan than me."

Rei cracked open one eye. "I heard that." Mako grinned and shrugged, not especially concerned. A second violet eye opened and the others waited while she gathered her thoughts.

"I don't know what it is," Rei finally said, then quickly added: "Well I mean a Pegasus, obviously, but other than that?" Her gaze fell on the spot in the sky where it had appeared to them not long ago and she shook her head. "I don't think it's evil though. Hiding something maybe, but not evil."

Minako frowned at that. "I don't like secrets." She narrowed her eyes for a moment and tapped her chin before turning to her blue-haired friend still typing on the computer keyboard. "Got anything, Ami-chan?"

"A few trace readings. They're unique, I've never seen anything quite like them." She glanced up and gave a reassuring smile. "I've seen evil before though, and I don't think this is it."

"Did your power feel the same too?" Rei asked Mako, and received a firm nod in response.

"Transform. Let's test for sure."

On Minako's order, Makoto and Rei produced their new wands, and within seconds Jupiter and Mars stood in their place.

"Burning Mandala!"

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

Fire and lighting arced across the playground and the already cracked and splintered remains of the carousel horses were all but pulverized. Minako wrinkled her nose slightly at the smoke and ozone in the air. Mars and Jupiter joined her, and the three of them waited for Ami's answer.

Moments later, the computer beeped. "Identical form, identical output. Identical power levels. No change." Ami sounded anything but surprised, and it was a feeling shared by her fellow Senshi.

"So then what the fuck was that?" asked Jupiter, repeating her salient point from earlier. "What was the point?"

"New outfits?" Minako offered.

They paused to give Jupiter and Mars an appreciative once-over. "The new outfits ARE nice," Jupiter grudgingly conceded. But that aside, they were no closer to an answer.

Mars allowed her transformation to fade while considering the question. "Maybe …" She stalled. She really didn't want to bring this up. But then what good had NOT talking about it done? That decided it. "You guys know Usagi's … bad moments?"

The others exchanged a look, no more excited to bring it up than Rei, but they obviously reached her same conclusion. Minako crossed her arms and nodded. "Yeah."

"Well you know how the Pegasus HAS to come help her now?" Rei's reluctance melted under the aggravation and she tossed her hands in the air. "Like she can't even attack on her own anymore?"

Ami was the first to see where Rei was heading. "You think her powers are weakened as a result of her encounter with Pharaoh 90."

"What, and so are we?" Mako asked, glancing between Ami and Rei with a confused frown.

"Well haven't YOU felt weak and ineffectual since then?"

Mako wanted to refute Rei's challenge, that much was obvious. Weak? Ineffectual? Fuck those words, those weren't words Mako EVER wanted to hear used to describe herself, and she was about to tell Rei where to stick them. Then she saw Rei's clenched fist, noticed how her lips were pulled into a tight line. Like these were words Rei wanted to ADMIT; Mako knew her better than that. What good was avoiding the truth? That wasn't going to help them, or Usagi.

Instead, she took a deep breath and thought back over the past several weeks, back to when they'd awoken to find Usagi, silent and broken.

"Yes," Mako admitted, unable to meet anyone's eye.

"I've felt the same," said Ami, flashing Mako a kind smile.

"Think we can all agree it's pretty much sucked," Minako summarized. "But you said we're back to normal now, right?" At Ami's nod she continued, "Soooo, Pegasus just put us back to where we should be."

The Senshi considered this. Ami was the first to break the silence.

"When he asked us to believe in him, perhaps he really meant for us to believe in ourselves."

Rei rolled her eyes. "And was just too conceited to actually SAY that?"

"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Minako was entirely unshamed by the chorus of groans. Her proud grin spread and she clapped her hands in delight. "I've been waiting ALL DAY to say that!"

"Why does she only get them right when they're TERRIBLE?" Rei muttered to no one in particular.

Mako needed the conversation back on topic. Even this horrible topic. It was the only thing that could stop her from throttling Minako. "So then what's up with the new outfits?"

Nobody really had an answer. "Potential, maybe," Ami guessed. "Perhaps this is where we would have naturally been regardless of Pegasus."

With a flick of her hand, Minako brushed aside whatever was left of her concern. "The important part is that we're back to where we should be, and it looks like we can get there without needing constant help."

"And if we're better now …" Mako began.

"…maybe Usagi-chan will be better soon too," finished Ami.

Rei nodded in complete agreement. "Until then, we'll just keep doing what we're doing and be there for her however we can."

The four Inner Senshi shared a smile. Things had been hard, and promised to be harder yet, but they WERE improving, slowly. They'd get Usagi through this.

Speak of the devil. A familiar blonde blur zoomed past the playground entrance. Usagi?" Rei called out, then winced at the audible sound of shoes screeching against pavement. A second later, Usagi reappeared.

"There you guys are! Why are you still here? Never mind, come on! Chibi-Usa's going to talk to that boy!"

Minako was off like a shot. "Ooo, do you think she'll say yes?!"

Mako and Rei were on Minako's heels, turning the conversation into a cloud of enthusiastic speculation.

"Guys, it's really none of our business!" Ami called after them. "Maybe we shouldn't…?" But they were already gone. Ami sighed, closed her computer, and followed.