In the Dead Moon Circus Tent, inside the hidden room, Zirconia was in front of the mirror again. This time, she was watching a replay of Solaris's sudden transformation through Zircon.
"How unexpected," said the mirror. "I've never heard of someone from the White Kingdom suddenly exhibiting darkness like this."
"I was as surprised as you, my queen," said Zirconia. "I almost didn't believe it when I saw it. But I don't understand how someone like Solaris could suddenly obtain that kind of power."
The mirror then chuckled. "I believe I have an idea as to why," it said. "And the timing couldn't be better."
"What do you mean by that, my queen?" asked Zirconia.
"Well, let's just say that part of our revenge against the White Kingdom has already begun to take root," the mirror spoke with a malicious hint. "And I intend to take advantage of it. Until then, please keep a close watch on him. He may be one of the keys we need for the White Kingdom's undoing."
At the tent, Tiger's Eye told everyone what happened on his last mission.
Everyone couldn't help but be skeptical.
"So you're saying that Solaris gave you such a scare that you froze up with fear?" asked Fish's Eye. "You must be joking. Talk about pathetic. It sounds like you're coming up with a lame excuse for your recent failure to find Pegasus."
"Yeah, no kidding," agreed JunJun. "First Hawk's Eye and now you, Tiger's Eye. Are you sure you two were seeing things and are cracking under the pressure or something?"
"It's the truth!" protested Hawk's Eye. "Say what you will, but I wasn't about to risk my life going up against something like that! You would have done the same thing if you were there yourselves!"
"Speak for yourself," scoffed Fish's Eye. "If I had been there, I would have handled him with those other Guardians no problem."
"Yeah, right! You haven't even taken a single target, Fish's Eye!" Tiger's Eye countered. "At least we haven't been cooped up in the bar all day long!"
Fish's Eye glared, and Tiger's Eye glared back.
"Hey, now, take it easy, you two," said VesVes. "There's no need to be arguing."
At that moment, they heard Zirconia's voice.
"Quiet down! All of you!"
Immediately, everyone went silent as Zirconia appeared at the end of the elephant statue's trunk. The Amazon Trio and the Amazon Quartet quickly bowed as Zirconia spoke.
"Hey, Granny Zirconia, get this," said JunJun. "Hawk's Eye's got a story to tell you."
"I'm already aware," said Zirconia. "It's about Solaris and his strange instances, and I believe I know the cause of it."
The Amazon Trio and Quartet were surprised. "You do?" they all asked.
"It's because of the Nightmare Lemures," went on Zirconia. "As you know, they're the physical manifestation of nightmares and carry the power of darkness. That darkness can not only do a lot of damage to our enemies but can also cause corruption and amplify the darkness in one's heart. And Solaris is no exception."
"So you're saying that Solaris transformed the way he did because he was corrupted?" wondered Hawk's Eye.
"Correct," nodded Zirconia. "Although, even I'm surprised with the power he displayed, which might prove to be a problem for us."
Fish's Eye then stepped forward. "Excuse me, Madam Zirconia. May I make a suggestion? If what you're saying is true, shouldn't his current state be a problem for the guardians, too?"
Zirconia hummed in thought. "Perhaps. Do you have an idea, Fish's Eye?"
"I believe I do," said Fish's Eye. "Not only that, but I've also come up with an idea to capture Pegasus, too."
Tiger's Eye, Hawk's Eye, and the Amazon Quartet looked across to Fish's Eye while he flashed a confident smirk.
It was a dark and stormy night. A truck driver was making his way home, driving along the streets of Juuban, humming a little ditty.
Then, suddenly, a mysterious shadowy figure appeared in the middle of the road, its outline just like a particular winged horse.
The driver screamed in surprise and braked hard, but he quickly lost control due to the slippery road. The truck soon careened off to the side and crashed straight into a lightning pole, catching fire.
The shadowy figure watched as the driver, unhurt, quickly scrambled out of the wreckage, then it disappeared into the darkness.
Usagi was hurriedly getting herself dressed while Harusuke and Chibiusa were waiting for her.
"Come on, Usagi!" complained Chibiusa. "The others are already waiting for us at the Fruit's Parlor Crown!"
"Give me a minute!" Usagi called back. "I'm almost ready!"
"Good grief," sighed Chibiusa. "Leave it to Usagi to make us late when we have something important to do."
"Just be patient, Chibiusa," said Harusuke. "It's not like the place isn't going anywhere."
Luna and Diana were sitting on the couch.
"But you received a letter from an unknown sender, right?" said Luna. "Don't you think it'd be important to get there as soon as possible in case it could be an enemy?"
"Yeah, but we won't know until we get there," said Harusuke. "And hopefully, it isn't."
Then, they heard the TV in the living room showing a news report of a recent incident.
"We've just received word that there has been another sighting of the mysterious horse with wings," said a male. "In this case, a truck driver claims that the creature attacked him last night, causing him to drive his vehicle off the road."
Harusuke and Chibiusa were shocked. They couldn't believe their ears.
Usagi then came running down the stairs, now fully dressed. "Hey, guys! I'm all set now!" she announced.
Then, she saw what was on the TV and was also shocked.
"There have been multiple reports of other pedestrians and vehicles being attacked by this Pegasus throughout the city," went on a woman. "The police are asking for the public's help to stop these attacks, so if you've seen or been attacked by this creature, call or fax them, and do not engage."
Everyone looked at one another in uncomfortable silence. Then, Usagi was the first to bolt towards the door.
"We have to tell the others!" she cried. "Come on!"
Immediately, Harusuke, Chibiusa, Luna, and Diana followed her.
Back at the bar, Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye were unsatisfied. The two were looking through photos to select a new target, but they didn't find any that caught their interest.
"Good grief. There isn't a single woman here that stands out to me," sighed Hawk's Eye.
"I'll say," huffed Tiger's Eye.
Then, Fish's Eye walked up, looking very tired. "Man, I'm completely exhausted," he groaned.
"What's the matter with you?" Tiger's Eye asked with a teasing smile. "Is it turning out to be harder than you expected to lure out the Guardians despite your enthusiasm?"
"Yeah, Fish's Eye. And from the looks of things, it hasn't been going well," Hawk's Eye spoke snootily.
Fish's Eye pouted. "Well, I've been trying to get their attention, but they're too damn stupid to notice anything!" he complained. "But that's fine with me. My real job is going after people with beautiful dreams, after all." He took a small sip from his drink. "So, you two find anyone good?"
Both Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye shook their heads in reply.
Fish's Eye then skimmed through the photos, and his eyes fell upon a picture of a small boy with blonde hair wearing a soccer uniform and was delighted.
"Oooh! This one seems interesting!"
Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye were more repulsed than they were bewildered.
"F-Fish's Eye, you can't be serious," cringed Tiger's Eye. "I mean, that's..."
"Just a brat," said Hawk's Eye, wincing distastefully. "And a little boy at that."
But Fish's Eye didn't seem to care. "You said it yourself, Tiger's Eye. The younger, the better, right? Besides, that's what's good about this one," he said while wistfully hugging the photo to his chest. "Those growing supple arms and legs, and that naive personality that hasn't been jaded by the horrors of real life. It's a special kind of boy you can never find in this age."
Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye could only stare, both feeling more repulsed than ever.
"That's... just disturbing," Tiger's Eye whispered to Hawk's Eye. "It seems he loves them young, but not like I do."
"No kidding," Hawk's Eye whispered back. "I think I might need another drink after that statement."
Fish's Eye soon finished his drink and got up. "All right. I got to go now. It's time for Big brother to volunteer to help a young mind."
Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye groaned.
At the Fruit's Parlor Crown, the guardians were reading through a newspaper. It had a shadowed picture of Pegasus and a large headline: "SCOOP OF THE CENTURY: PEGASUS GOES ON A RAMPAGE!"
"I can't believe that Pegasus is ransacking the town like this," murmured Rei.
"But why would he do such a thing?" wondered Ami. "I thought that he was our ally."
"He is!" protested Chibiusa. "There's no way that Pegasus would ever do anything like this!"
"Chibiusa, there have been multiple witness reports from people who have seen him," pointed out Makoto. "I mean, who else would be a horse with wings?"
"But Pegasus helped us whenever we needed him!" Usagi pointed out. "I mean, he's the one that helped Chibiusa and me get stronger! So what they're saying about him has to be wrong!"
"I hope your right about that," said Minako. "There is a possibility that someone could be impersonating him, but for now, all we can do is keep an eye out for him."
Chibiusa bit her lip, clearly upset at this, but Usagi gave her daughter a comforting squeeze on her shoulder to help cheer her up.
Harusuke then decided to change the subject. "Anyway, regarding the letter, I received the other night, did anyone see anyone suspicious?" he asked.
"No, we haven't," replied Rei. "So far, it's only been the four of us before you guys came."
"I wonder who would call us out here like this," said Ami. "And all of us specifically?"
"Whoever it was, it has to be someone that knows us and where we live," said Makoto. "How else would they be able to deliver a letter to Rei's place knowing that Harusuke would be there?"
"You think it could be Haruka and the others?" wondered Minako.
Harusuke shook his head. "No, I doubt it. Besides, why bother to go through all that trouble when they could use their communicators? But, then again, we haven't seen them since the battle with the Death Busters, so I doubt it's them. But I think I have an idea of who it could be."
"You do?" all the girls asked. "Who?"
Before Harusuke could answer, they heard someone squealing in delight.
"Oh my gosh, this is simply divine!"
The Guardians looked up, wondering where the voice came from and noticed someone wearing a familiar fedora hat at a booth. Feeling curious, the guardians went over to inspect, and when they saw who it turned out to be, they were surprised.
It was Specter, happily munching from a plate full of french macaron cookies while having tea.
"Specter!" everyone exclaimed.
"Oh! Hello, everyone!" Spector greeted. "It's been a while. I'm happy to see you all again."
"Specter, what are you doing?" asked Harusuke. "And... are those french macarons?"
"Indeed they are," said Spector. "And you've got to try these. I've heard these are a huge staple in this cafe and are popular with the people, and I can't get enough of them."
"Ooh! I want one!" said Chibiusa. "They look good!"
"Me too!" concurred Usagi.
The two took their seats, and Usagi took a white one with pink filling and Chibiusa a pink one with yellow filling. The two took a munch, and their eyes sparkled.
"Wow! This is so good!" gushed Usagi. "Mine's strawberry cheesecake!"
"And mine's strawberry lemonade!" said Chibiusa.
The others couldn't help but be intrigued and took a macaron. They were mesmerized by the unique flavors when they tasted them, too.
Then, Harusuke suddenly remembered. "So, Specter, what did you want to talk to us about?" he asked. "After all, you were the one who sent me that letter, right?"
The girls looked up, and Specter chuckled while sipping their tea.
"Guilty as charged," said Specter. "Sorry to send you something so suspicious, but I didn't think of any methods to contact you."
"So, why did you want to talk to us?" asked Ami.
Specter slowly set down their cup. "Well, it has come to my attention that you've all been struggling lately. Particularly some who's been reprising his role as Dark Nova lately."
"Well, you're as perceptive as always," said Luna.
"And for the record, it's not exactly by choice," frowned Harusuke. "If you know that much, you must know something about it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have sent me that message and wanted to bring the others with me."
"Now, Now. Let's not be impatient," said Specter. "I'm well aware that this is a serious problem and that you've all been struggling with the recent enemy as of late, with the exceptions of Usagi and Chibiusa. So, naturally, I'm happily offering my assistance." They then hold out their hand. "First, let me see your bracelet."
Harusuke was puzzled, but he did so. Specter then took hold of his wrist and stared at the bracelet.
"Hmm. Very interesting," they hummed. "Interesting indeed."
"Come on, don't keep us in suspense," Makoto spoke impatiently. "Is there something wrong with Harusuke's bracelet?"
"Well, I'll be honest," said Specter. "Harusuke's bracelet is pretty much normal, but something is wrong. Its power has become corrupted."
"Corrupted?" everyone repeated.
"Yes, and it's because of those Nightmare Lemures you've all been fighting," explained Specter. "Those evil creatures are made entirely out of darkness and, according to certain mythologies, considered to be spirits of the dead, the physical incarnation of nightmares.
"Sp-spirits?" Usagi gulped fearfully. "You mean like ghosts?"
"Precisely," said Specter. "They may be small and can be dealt with easily one at a time, but when attacking a whole group, they become a deadly threat. They drain a person's energy, cast various illusions, trap you in your dreams, and mind control you, and," They looked across to Solaris. "even corrupt you with their darkness. And it seems that Harusuke's been exposed to the Nightmare Lemures quite a bit."
"That would make sense," said Ami thoughtfully. "And that would explain why the Unison Fusion failed when Harusuke tried it with Minako before."
"But if that's the case, then how come we haven't been as affected?" asked Minako. "We've been attacked by them ourselves."
"If I had to make a theory, Minako," said Specter. "You, Ami, Rei, and Makoto haven't been exposed as much as Harusuke has. And in the case of Usagi and Chibiusa, it's because of their new powers thanks to Pegasus, so most likely they're not as affected by them."
"So, is there anything that can be done about this?" asked Usagi. "I mean, can't I cleanse his crystal with something like, say, the silver crystal?"
"That would be ideal, but I would advise against it, my queen," said Specter. "The Silver Crystal would most likely have the power to do that, but in doing so, it would take away quite a bit of your life force. It would be too big of a risk, and the same goes for Chibiusa, too."
Usagi frowned, as did Chibiusa, both knowing that they were right.
"And besides, the corruption is half of the problem," continued Specter. "The other half lies within yourself, Harusuke."
"Within me?" the boy repeated. "What do you mean?"
"It involves your anger," replied Specter. "I happened to catch a glimpse of the last battle and noticed that you've been letting your anger control you, which makes the corruption all the stronger. Don't try to deny it."
Harusuke then remembered as he squeezed his hands on top of the table.
"You've been frustrated for being unable to stop the enemy with your powers, along with everyone else," Specter continued. "And not only that, but you've let your enemies' mocking become weapons."
"As much as I hate to say it, you're right," said Harusuke as he ground his teeth in frustration. "But can you blame me? They kept calling me weak, and I couldn't do anything against them."
"If you keep getting angered by their words, the corruption will continue and will soon consume you," went on Specter. "Anger is like fire. If you keep feeding it with hurtful words, it'll burn out of control and harm you and the people around you. And also, you aren't weak, Harusuke. None of you are. All of you have the power to grow even stronger than you were before."
"Not that we don't appreciate your faith in us, Specter, but we don't even know how we can," said Rei. "Unless you know a way for us too."
"To be honest, I don't know of a way myself," said Specter. "However, I know there's power lying dormant within all of you waiting to be unsealed and that the only way to set it free is something only yourselves can figure out." They stood up from the booth, dug into their coat, and placed a small book on the table. "However, I can give you this. I'd recommend giving it a good look. I think you'll find it very enlightening. And don't worry about the macarons. It's my treat."
And Specter walked away.
Harusuke then picked up the book, opening it while flipping through the pages. "Hey, take a look at this, you guys," he said.
He then showed everyone the book's contents. Each page had various pictures of minerals and their descriptions. Their pages also showed info about each one, too.
"It's a book about gemstones," said Rei. "But why would Specter recommend something like this?"
"Who can say?" said Usagi. "Half of the time, I can never guess what that guy's thinking."
"But it does look interesting," Ami hummed with interest.
"It looks like it says what each stone means regarding personality, healing properties, and based on planets," said Minako. "They're even categorized based on elements."
"That's pretty cool," said Makoto.
While looking back, Specter smiled a bit before leaving as they continued through the book. "Make sure you take a good look at that book, guardians," they said to themselves. "Because the info from that book is more valuable than you realize."
Meanwhile, the small boy was in Juuban Park practicing kicking goals and dribbling. He had been at it for a while and was ready to take a break. But as he took a pause, he heard an unfamiliar voice.
"What are you doing out here all by yourself? Shouldn't you be in school?"
The boy looked up only to see someone standing by the goalpost.
It was Fish's Eye, who now wore white shoes, black leggings, and a sky-blue one-piece skirt. He also had his hair styled in a ponytail with sunglasses on top of it and wore a red necklace on her neck and a pearl bracelet on her wrist.
The boy couldn't help but feel charmed by his beauty, unaware of his true identity.
Fish's Eye then came over to him. "Waiting for someone?" he asked.
"W-Well, no. Not really," the boy replied nervously. "Wh-Who are you exactly?"
"Who? Me? I'm just a bit bored, is all," said Fish's Eye as he gazed at him with alluring eyes. "I was looking for someone to keep me company."
The boy felt slightly uncomfortable as Fish's Eye came closer, continuing to put on the charm.
"So, I see you like to play soccer," he said wistfully. "I do too. I love looking at all of the players and their powerful thighs! It always gets my heart throbbing! You know what I mean?"
"Not really," said the boy. "Listen, lady, don't you have any friends your age? I don't mean to be rude, but I don't have time to spend on you, and you're kinda weird."
Fish's Eye was speechless, feeling very insulted. "Listen, you're lucky that a beautiful person like me is willing to -!"
But as he turned towards the boy, Fish's Eye was even more surprised to see him already walking away. He quickly lost patience.
Immediately, he shed his disguise and snapped his fingers.
"One!"
A slab sprang up from behind the boy.
"Two!"
Clamps closed around his wrists and ankles.
"Three!"
The boy screamed with fright as his dream mirror was pulled out of his body.
Usagi and her group happened to be walking past Juuban Park. As they walked, Chibiusa still couldn't help but feel worried about Pegasus and his supposed attacks.
Usagi noticed this, as did Harusuke.
"Say, Chibiusa, you still feeling worried?" asked Harusuke.
Chibiusa nodded. "I just can't believe what people are saying about him," she said. "The three of us know he wouldn't hurt anyone, and he's protected us, so why does no one believe in him?"
"They're most likely confused, Chibiusa," said Usagi. "I am, too, but don't worry. I believe in Pegasus, too."
"You do?" Chibiusa asked hopefully.
Usagi smiled. "Yeah, and you know what? I say we investigate and see if we can find that phony," she said eagerly.
"Well, that's an unexpected idea from you, Usagi," chuckled Harusuke. "You count me in, too. I don't know if I can do much, but I'll do what I can to help."
Chibiusa felt better. "Thanks, Usagi. Thanks, Uncle Sunny," she said.
But they would soon find out; their chance would come sooner than expected. A shrill scream of agony came from inside the park. Everyone quickly rushed in and saw Fish's Eye rummaging through the little boy's dream mirror in the field. When they did, they all transformed.
"MOON CRISIS MAKE UP!"
"SOLAR CRYSTAL POWER SHINE ON!"
"MERCURY PLANET POWER MAKE UP!"
"MARS PLANET POWER MAKE UP!"
"JUPITER PLANET POWER MAKE UP!"
"VENUS PLANET POWER MAKE UP!"
Transformation Sequence: Usagi and Chibiusa.
Both Usagi's Crisis Moon Compact and Chibiusa's Chibi Moon Compact open and their crystals inside of them. They both begin to flash until they erupt with pink light. While enveloped in light with their compacts affixed to the middle of their chests, Usagi and Chibiusa stand side by side as pink ribbons made of light burst from their brooches, trailing and flapping in the wind-like capes. First, as she turns around, they wrap around Usagi, forming her leotard, and the same happens to Chibiusa. Next, the two stood back-to-back, bending backward elegantly as their skirt, boots, and ribbons materialized. Then, as they move around face-to-face, Chibiusa kisses Usagi's cheek, and as she pulls away, her tiara and other accessories appear along with Usagi's. The two then open their eyes, their transformations completed; they turn and strike their signature poses while a yellow moon with pink roses on the side appears in the background.
Transformation Sequence: Harusuke (Post Crystal)
Harusuke's hand waves over the Sunstone Crystal and begins to pulse with light until it shines brightly. Harusuke, now shrouded in light, holds his hand with the Sunstone Crystal up high, throws his fist to the floor, and his symbol appears beneath him. Light encases his legs up to his hips, and his boots, belt, and additional armor on his thighs materialize in a burst of light. Then his right encompasses his right arm from hand to shoulder, and his gloves, along with some armor, appear, and the same happens to his left hand. Harusuke then punches his fists together, creating a spark of light, and crosses his arms as his chest gets wrapped in light. Harusuke then throws his arms out, and his chest plate appears, the symbol in the middle glowing brightly. Finally, his helmet appears on his head, covering his entire head and exposing his face. Harusuke opens his eyes smiling with confidence, his transformation now complete, and assumes his signature pose, with the Sun appearing in the background while his symbol overlaps it.
Transformation Sequence: Ami
The planet Mercury appears as Ami puts her hand up, her fingernails sparkle in bright blue, and her transformation wand comes to her hand spinning, now having a different design, as she takes hold of it. Next, her body becomes silhouetted in blue as water comes from her wand. While spinning around, the water swirls around her body, forming her Sailor Uniform and her symbols. Finally, a ripple of water overshadows her, and she emerges wearing her uniform with knee-high blue boots, a pair of earrings, a light blue bow in front and the back, gloves with blue trims, and a blue skirt choker and collar. Ami then turns around, her symbol appearing in the middle of her forehead, and her tiara materializes. Her transformation finished; she assumes her final pose, her sign and planet appearing in the background against a starry sky.
Transformation Sequence: Rei
The planet Mars appears as Rei puts her hand up, her fingernails sparkle in bright red, and her transformation wand comes to her hand spinning, now having a different design, as she takes hold of it. Her body becomes silhouetted in red as a giant pillar of fire erupts from her wand. While spinning around, the fire swirled around her body, concealing her in a cocoon, and burst, revealing several tongues of flame surrounding Rei's body. The flames disperse, revealing Rei in her red Sailor Uniform wearing red heels, a pair of earrings, a purple bow in front, a red ribbon in the back, gloves with red trims, and a red skirt, choker, and collar. Rei then turns around, her symbol appearing in the middle of her forehead, and her tiara materializes. Her transformation finished; she assumes her final pose, her sign and planet appearing in the background against a starry sky.
Transformation Seuence: Makoto
The planet Jupiter appears as Makoto puts her hand up, her fingernails sparkle in bright green, and her transformation wand comes to her hand spinning, now having a different design. Next, her body becomes silhouetted in green as blue lightning erupts from her wand while holding it up. As she spins around a few times, until stopping with her back turned, the lightning swirls around her, forming rings like an atom. Finally, the lightning explodes, revealing Makoto in her green Sailor Uniform wearing green boots, a pair of rose earrings, a pink bow and ribbon, gloves with green trims, and a green skirt, choker, and collar. Makoto then turns around, her symbol appearing in the middle of her forehead, and her tiara materializes. Her transformation finished; she assumes her final pose, her sign and planet appearing in the background against a starry sky.
Transformation Seuence: Minako
The planet Venus appears as Minako puts her hand up, her fingernails sparkle in bright yellow, and her transformation wand comes to her hand spinning, now having a different design. Next, her body becomes silhouetted in yellow as yellow stars erupt from her wand while spinning around. As she stops, a yellow circle appears below her. Then, it explodes into several yellow stars, revealing Minako in her orange Sailor Uniform wearing orange heels, a pair of earrings, a blue bow in front, and a yellow ribbon in the back, gloves with orange trims, and an orange skirt, choker, and collar. Minako then turns around, her symbol appearing in the middle of her forehead, and her tiara materializes. Her transformation finished; she assumes her final pose, her sign and planet appearing in the background against a starry sky.
After searching through the boy's dream mirror, Fish's Eye finally pulled his head out, finding no sign of the mythical horse.
"It looks like I'll have to get rid of you now," he sighed with disappointment. "And you were so cute too."
Then, he was rudely interrupted.
"Hold it right there!" shouted a voice.
Fish's Eye looked up, and standing on top of the monkey bars stood Sailor Moon and all the other Guardians.
"How dare you lay your sneaky little hands on an innocent and adorable boy!" scolded Super Sailor Moon. "We're the Guardians...!"
"... who fight for love and justice!" joined Super Sailor Chibi Moon.
"I'm Super Sailor Moon!"
"And I'm Super Sailor Chibi Moon!"
"And in the name of the Moon, we'll punish you!" all of the guardians spoke together.
Fish's Eye humphed. "It's about time you all showed up," he smirked. "I've been waiting for quite a bit, but now we can finally get the show on the road." He snapped his fingers again. "Now, come forth, my Lemures, Mawashitaro, the merry-go-round!"
His shadow stretched and grew large as a creature emerged from it, resembling a horse with wings.
At first, Super Sailor Moon and the others were shocked, assuming that it was Pegasus, but then the creature revealed its form, and they couldn't help but cringe.
It was a male with pink skin and green hair, wearing a grey pegasus costume with red briefs with a black spade in front and jester shoes.
"Greetings! I am Mawashitaro!" greeted the Lemures. "Pleased to meet you!"
"So, it was an imposter, after all," winced Super Sailor Chibi Moon.
"And a pretty gaudy one at that," said Sailor Mars.
"How dare you call him gaudy?!" huffed Fish's Eye. "I'll have you know that Mawashitaro's one of the cutest looking lemures I know!"
"Like we care about your tastes," huffed Solaris. "So why go through the trouble of having your friend impersonate Pegasus anyway?"
"How about rather than telling? I'll show you!" smirked Fish's Eye. "Now, Mawashitaro!"
Mawashitaro flexed his muscles and gave the ground a mighty stomp making the entire area shake and tremble, causing everyone to stumble off the monkey bars and split up. When they did, eight large wooden horses sprang up from the ground, four surrounding Super Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Mercury, and the other four Super Sailor Chibi Moon, Mars, and Jupiter.
Mawashitaro then stood on his tip-toes and started spinning around and around, and the wooden horses did the same. They spun faster and faster and started creating dome-like forcefields around them.
Solaris, the only one remaining outside of them, tried charging straight towards one of the domes, but when he struck it, he was shocked and repelled, falling flat on his back. Super Sailor Moon and the others tried breaking through but only met with the same result.
The Guardians then tried using their moves to break through.
"MARS SNAKE FIRE!"
"JUPITER SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"
Sailor Mars unleashed a snake made of fire, and Sailor Jupiter fired a disc of lightning, but their attacks didn't break through.
"MERCURY SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"
"VENUS WINK CHAIN SWORD!"
Sailor Venus released several chains of light while Sailor Mercury attacked with a stream of water, but that didn't work either.
Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon then summoned their wands both used their signature moves, too.
"MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!"
The two super guardians blasted the barrier with streams of rainbow shards. Very briefly, their attacks created holes in them, but they were quick to disappear.
"Too bad for you, girls. You won't be able to get through those barriers," called Fish's Eye. "And since Super Sailor Moon and Super Sailor Chibi Moon are separated, not even they will be able to break through them by themselves."
"Let them go, you freak!" yelled Solaris.
"Oh, don't you worry, Solaris. I'll let them go," said Fish's Eye. "After I have a bit of fun with you." He snapped his fingers. "Now, Nightmare Lemures, it's time to come and play."
At his command, multiple Nightmare Lemures appeared all around him.
Solaris instinctively stepped back, remembering Specter's warning. "Oh, great! Not those things again!" he spoke with disdain.
"Be careful, Solaris!" shouted Super Sailor Moon. "Don't let those things touch you!"
Solaris summoned his blade and got ready to fight as the Nightmare Lemures swarmed at him. But instead of charging them head-on, he jumped into the air to avoid them and then shot toward Mawashitaro.
"Let's see how your "cute friend" likes this!" Solaris shouted.
He swung his blade and struck the Lemures right at his ribs, but it bounced off, knocking his sword right out of his hand.
"Sorry, Solaris. But you won't be able to land a scratch on Mawashitaro," chuckled Fish's Eye. "He's at the peak of his condition and will keep spinning for as long as he sees fit. Well, that and you're too weak."
Solaris glared at that comment, but he stayed calm. "I can't let him get to me," he thought. "If I do, I'll end up transforming again." He glanced over at the other Guardians, who were still trying to break their barriers, but to no avail.
Fish's Eye went on taunting him. "What's wrong, Solaris? Are you afraid to fight all by yourself? Afraid to show that you're nothing but a small fry weakling?"
Solaris growled but said nothing as he punched his fists together and created a sphere of light.
"SUNSHINE METEOR!"
With a yell, while punching it with his fist, Solaris fired the sphere toward Fish's Eye's direction, only for Fish's Eye to throw multiple daggers to counter, all of them piercing through the attack canceling it out. Solaris had to jump back to avoid them as they struck the ground. He then looked back at the other Guardians again.
Super Sailor Moon shouted. "Don't worry about us, Solaris! Focus on the enemy!"
"Yeah! We'll be fine!" Sailor Chibi Moon also shouted.
"So, he's trying to be more careful, eh?" Fish's Eye thought. "Well then, I guess I better up the ante."
"Oh, Lemures, Solaris doesn't seem to be in a playing mood," he called. "How's about you give him some extra motivation?"
The Nightmare Lemures swarmed around the barriers and began releasing negative energy. The energy seeped through the domes and started hurting the Guardians.
"Girls!" cried Solaris.
Fish's Eye laughed. "You better hurry up and do something, Solaris," he mocked. "If they continue to be exposed to the power of the Nightmare Lemures' I doubt they'll come out of this unscathed."
Solaris glared at Fish's Eye and shot forward, grabbing his sword. "Let them go!" he roared as he raised it high. "SOLARIS CELESTIAL BLADE SLASH!"
But as he brought it down, Fish's Eye jumped, avoiding the blade, and retaliated by throwing more daggers, piercing through his armor and body, making him yell in agony.
"Solaris!" all of the Guardians cried.
"If you had been worrying about yourself instead of your dear old friends, you wouldn't be enduring so much pain," Fish's Eye cackled. "A dotard like you could never hope to win. And now, it's game over for you."
The rest of the Nightmare Lemures swarmed around Solaris and began releasing their negative energy on him, inflicting even more damage. Then, as they continued their assault, a dark haze started seeping from his body, and his eyes had changed to yellow as he began to snarl in anger.
"Oh, no! This presence!" cried Sailor Mars as she winced.
"He's transforming again!" gasped Sailor Mercury.
"Solaris, you have to fight it!" yelled Sailor Venus. "Don't transform!"
Solaris could only growl as his hands clawed the ground, his eyes gleaming with malice as he glared at Fish's Eye, who felt shivers run through his spine as he saw mysterious red eyes appear above him. However, this was what he wanted.
"I must admit, Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye weren't kidding," he thought. "However, this is working out perfectly. As soon as he transforms, Mawashitaro and I retreat, leaving Solaris alone with those guardians. After that, Solaris will attack those little pipsqueaks instead. Victory is mine!"
Solaris groaned and snarled as he fought for control while enduring the pain from the daggers and the Nightmare Lemures, but his vision began to darken, and his reason started slipping away.
"It's no use! I'm starting to black out! I can't - keep my eyes open! Everyone else is in trouble! And - once again, I can't do anything to stop them! It's like I'm in - a nightmare!"
And at that moment, Harusuke's vision became black as he was swallowed in the darkness.
Harususke found himself in a dark and empty place. He couldn't feel anything, nor could he see, but he was somehow conscious. But at this point, he had lost all hope.
"I couldn't do it. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I struggle, I can't get any stronger. Specter was wrong. I'm too weak. I couldn't do anything."
His eyes became blank and vacant as he continued to drop slowly. Then, a pair of red eyes opened, gleaming brightly, and a hand came creeping out and reached out for Harusuke as he got closer.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I failed. And there's nothing I can do. Except..."
The hand was now only a few feet away from the boy and about to grab him and drag him down to the darkness, and Harusuke closed his eyes, ready to surrender. But right then, a voice shouted out.
"Harusuke! Harusuke!"
Harusuke opened his eyes. "Who is that? Who's calling me?"
The answer came in the form of a glowing shape. At first, Harusuke couldn't tell what it was, but as it got closer to him, he could see that it was in the form of a person reaching out to him. It reached its arm as much as it could until it finally grabbed hold of his hand.
Immediately, the light began to shine brightly, illuminating the darkness. The red eyes quickly vanished, along with the hand evaporating into dust.
Light returned to Harusuke's eyes, enabling him to see. And when he could, he couldn't help but gasp at the strange entity.
"Wh-Who are you?" he asked.
"You don't have the time for me to explain, but long story short, I'm a part of you," the being spoke. "Listen to me. You got to get back in the game! If you don't, everyone will die!"
Harusuke bit his lip. "But how? I've been giving it everything I've got, and it's still not enough!"
"Then dig deeper!" urged the light. "You heard Specter! You have the power to grow even stronger than you are now! You need to bring it out!"
"And how am I supposed to do that?!" Harusuke barked. "You act as if I know how to do that already! I'm too weak! I couldn't do anything against our enemies! Even if I could, it probably won't be enough! And then I'd become even more of a burden!"
The entity then grabbed Harusuke by the shoulders and stared straight into his eyes.
"Would you listen to yourself?! How the heck did you end up sounding like such a coward?!" he scolded harshly. "What happened to the Solaris that believed in himself no matter the challenge?! If you refuse to believe in yourself, think of the other people who believe in you! Usagi, Chibiusa, and all of the other guardians! They believe in you more than anything!"
Harusuke stared with wide eyes, unable to speak.
"I'm not going to lie. The enemy is stronger than the Death Busters," continued the light creature. "But you mustn't lose heart. You're the guardian of the Sun! You have the power to fight back! You can do this!"
Harusuke then closed his eyes, taking in those words as his body began to shine in a golden glow.
"He's right. I almost gave up believing I was weak, but that's not true! I'm not weak! I'm the guardian of the Sun, protector of all planets in the Solar System! And it's time to show those clowns how strong I am!"
The evil miasma from Solaris began to fade away, and a bright light erupted from his crystal, catching Fish's Eye by surprise.
"Wh-what is that?!" he exclaimed. "What's going on?!"
Solaris closed his gleaming yellow eyes, and when he opened them again, they had returned their silver luster, the evil dissipating. And at the same time, the crystal on his bracelet changed shape, growing a bit smaller and gaining ten tiny points outside, giving it the appearance of a star as his symbol shone brightly inside it. His sword also began to change. Ten jewels appeared on it, red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, from the pommel to the grip, indigo, and aquamarine on the right side of the rain guard, purple and violet on the left side of the guard, a gold jewel in the center and a pink one above it. The blade's edge also grew wider and turned into a bright shade of silver.
Solaris then stood up, empowered with new strength as he called out a new transformation phrase.
"SOLARIS QUASAR POWER SUIT UP!"
Transformation Sequence: Solaris (Post Super S)
Harusuke's crystal begins to shine, each of the ten points glowing in different colors of the rainbow until the center explodes in golden light. Harusuke, enveloped in silver light, holds his hands to his chest. His crystal lets out a burst of light as he throws his hands out, the symbol of the Sun appearing on his chest. Multiple streams of rainbow-colored light shine forth from it and spread throughout his body, enveloping him. Then, chrome golden and silver armor forms on his body, starting from his chest, arms, and legs. The symbol of the Sun appears in the middle of his forehead, and as it shines, enveloping his head forming his helmet. His transformation completed, his eyes snap open, brightly flashing silver once and while spinning once, strikes his signature pose as the symbol of the Sun, now having ten different colored points, shines behind him in a starry blue background.
"Protected by the Sun, shining star of the Solar System!" he proclaimed. "The guardian radiating with brilliance and courage! I am Solaris! And in the name of the Sun, with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"
Fish's Eye recoiled with shock and fear.
Solaris turned his attention to the barriers, punched his fists together, and conjured another sphere of light.
"SOLARIS METEOR BARRAGE!"
He gave the sphere a mighty punch, and as it shot towards the barriers, it suddenly multiplied into several, striking them in rapid succession. The blasts broke through them, destroying the wooden horses and causing the Nightmare Lemures to scatter.
The Guardians, now free, got back up, and when they saw Solaris, they couldn't believe their eyes.
Fish's Eye clicked his tongue in annoyance. "So you managed to break through the barriers, huh? Big deal!" he scoffed. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He snapped his fingers, and the Nightmare Lemures swarmed around Mawashitaro and split into four groups. Then, the groups morphed and changed into four more copies of Mawashitaro.
"You're kidding me!" exclaimed Sailor Jupiter.
"Now there's four of them to deal with?!" cried Sailor Venus.
But Solaris wasn't intimidated as he called back to the others. "You guys stay back. Leave them to me."
The Guardians were surprised.
"Solaris, are you nuts?!" cried Super Sailor Moon. "Sure, you've gotten stronger, but not even you can't take on those things alone!"
"Come on, Sailor Moon. Have a little faith in me," Solaris said while cracking his knuckles. "Besides, I wouldn't mind going a little crazy right now. I need to let off some steam."
"We'll see how confident you are after you get beaten to a pulp!" barked Fish's Eye. "Get him!"
The five Mawashitaros all charged and attacked at once, every one of them spinning like tops.
"All right! Time for me to turn up the heat with Mars!" smirked Solaris.
No sooner than he said these words, the dot in the middle of his chest turned red and changed into the symbol of Mars. Then, in a split second, he changed into his Mars form and extended his hand with two fingers pointing.
"SNAKE FIRE!"
A mighty torrent of flames came forth and blasted one of the Mawashitaros, incinerating him to ashes. He then jumped, dodging the other four that came at him, and changed forms again.
"Now, Mecury!"
The symbol turned blue, and the Mars symbol changed into Mercury's, while his armor changed into the same color. Next, as he landed on the ground, he summoned a globe of water from his hands and clapped it using another move.
"AQUA MIRAGE!"
While throwing out his hands, he released several sparkling streams of water, striking and taking out another Mawashitaro in an explosion of water.
With three remaining, the Mawashitaros stopped spinning, now visibly nervous but refused to give in, and started spinning again. This time, a dozen wooden horses sprang up from the ground encircling Solaris.
Knowing that they intended to trap him in a barrier, Solaris swiftly countered.
"Oh no, you don't! Venus!"
The symbol on his chest was replaced with the yellow sign of Solaris, and his armor turned orange and yellow. Then, before the wooden horses started spinning, Solaris held up his hand and created a blade made of energy.
"WINK CHAIN SWORD!"
He threw the sword while swinging, and it exploded into multiple heart-linked chains of light, piercing through every wooden horse, reducing them to splinters. Solaris then jumped up, grabbing the ends of the chains, and then threw them towards the Mawashitaros. The first two dodged them, but the third wasn't so lucky, the chains wrapping around it tightly. Then, with a mighty heave, Solaris threw the chains over his shoulder, pulling the doppelganger and slamming him to the ground, taking it out upon impact.
Now with only two remaining, the two Mawashitaros were growing nervous as Solaris looked in their direction.
"Jupiter!"
At his command, the symbol changed from yellow to green and Venus to Jupiter while his armor turned green. After that, he spun rapidly around and stopped generating a giant sphere of blue lightning.
"COCONUT CYCLONE!"
He gave the sphere of lightning a powerful punch launching it. An explosion of lightning rocked the area as the last remaining Mawashiraro came flying out of the smoke and landing in front of Fish's Eye flat on his face.
The Sailor Guardians were amazed.
"Incredible!" gasped Sailor Mercury.
"He was able to take them all out with ease!" Sailor Mars spoke in bewilderment. "And he's not even tired even after switching so many times!"
Fish's Eye was now looking less than confident. "Th-This shouldn't be possible!" he cursed in anger. "You're just a weakling!"
"Sorry to break it to you, but you couldn't be more wrong!" replied Solaris. "And I think it's time I show you how much!"
He held his hand out, and his sword shot up from the ground and into his hand. Next, he made several slices in the air, and a magic circle appeared before him. Then, with a wave of his hand, he launched it straight toward his enemies with a thrust.
Fish's Eye dodged, but the circle shot through Mawashitaro, and when it did, his body froze like a statue and couldn't move.
"Wh-What is this?!" Mawashitaro cried. "I-I can't move my body!"
Solaris gripped his sword with two hands while taking a stance, setting his sights on his target. A mirage of wings sprang forth from his back while all the jewels on it glowed simultaneously, and his blade began glowing in gold.
"SOLARIS DAWNING PENTAGRAM SWORD!"
He gave his sword a mighty slash, the blade extending and cutting Mawashitaro in half. Mawashitaro screamed in agony as cracks began to spread from where he cut while speaking its last words.
"STAGE OUT!"
His body shattered into pieces before reverting into a shadow and fading to nothingness.
Fish's Eye was now alone as Solaris, and the other Guardians glared at him.
"I-It wasn't supposed to be this way!" he exclaimed. "You'll pay for this! Just wait!"
He summoned a wormhole of water and jumped inside it as it closed behind him.
The Guardians then rushed over to Solaris as he put his sword away.
"Solaris, are you all right?" asked Super Sailor Moon.
Solaris smiled. "I am. Thank you," he replied. "Even better than I've ever been before."
"You certainly look like you are now," said Sailor Venus with a smile. "You were amazing!"
"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Sailor Mars. "You completely mopped the floor with those guys."
"I guess I did," chuckled Solaris. He looked at his hand, clenching his fist while remembering his encounter with the being of light. "I don't know what I saw, but I got stronger thanks to that weird light. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about transforming into that dark form again. Until then, I'll keep getting stronger and better!"
While the Guardians continued to celebrate, Specter stood outside the park. He had seen everything.
"Looks like he finally did it just like I thought he would," they said. "I guess I was able to help you out, after all, huh?"
They then walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the trees.
