Thunderstruck Temptations

Content Warning: This chapter contains minor racism, transphobia/homophobia, and the usual amount of language, bullying, and violence.


Deep within the secret lair of the Dark Kingdom, Vivianite and Danburite were chowing down on some barbeque wings.

"Where did you get those from?" Jadeite asked, glaring at his subordinates.

"This cool place called Raisins," Danburite answered with sauce covering his chin.

"The humans there are trying too hard, but their food is just right," Vivianite added, licking some off her lips.

"What did Beryl say about fraternizing with humans?" Jadeite questioned irritated.

"Actually, I don't think she was against it," Zoisite reminded, appearing from the shadows. "I mean, isn't that how we take their energy."

"Also, Jadeite, hello, we are technically humans," Nephrite said, joining them.

Jadeite groaned. "Clearly, I'm the only one who is serious about our mission."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Fluorite emerged.

The blond stared at the couple with the food and had an idea.


On the high school football field after school, Eric and his new teammates finished up practice.

"Hey," Chris drew the rotund boy's attention to the nearby cheerleaders. "You gonna ask anybody to homecoming?"

"What are you, nuts?" Eric asked confused. "You really think one of those girls would ever go out with me?" He frowned when his eyes landed on Heidi who was going over some drills with her teammates.

"Maybe not them," Brimmy said. "They're all taken." He laughed, reminding Eric of how he got back together with Heidi despite their brief break-up.

"But looks aren't everything," Craig pointed to a familiar redhead. "You see that chick over there?" It was Red MacArthur. "She's dating a nerd."

"Are you calling me a nerd?" Eric raised an eyebrow with a glare.

"You kinda are," Chris chuckled. "But no, what he's trying to say is that sometimes hot, popular chicks are desperate."

"Is that what he meant?" Trevor wondered.

"Hey," Chris whistled over to the girls. "Come here for a sec."

"Is he just able to order anyone around?" Eric whispered to Stan who nodded a reply.

"Hi, Chris," Lola greeted sweetly.

"Hey, so, listen, any of you lovely ladies looking for a date for homecoming?" Chris asked with a hand on Eric's shoulder.

The brunet flinched nervously on contact.

"With him?" questioned Bebe before she and all of the cheerleaders, aside from Harmony, burst into laughter.

"Harm, you're single, right?" Chris asked with a smirk.

"Look, Donnely, I'm not interested," the ravenette scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I'm flattered, but I'm not talking about me," he patted Eric's shoulder. "Isn't your brother hooking up with his mom?"

"Ew!" Wendy, Lola, Red, Bebe, and Heidi exclaimed disgusted as Brimmy and Trevor snickered.

"Thanks," Eric groaned embarrassed.

"Still, pass," Harmony shook her head.

"Don't worry, pal, we'll find you a date," Chris pulled him uncomfortably close to him.

"I'm not your pal," Eric growled.

"Oh, you will be once you see what we have planned for you," Chris sneered.

"If it's an initiation, forget it," Eric pulled away from him.

"By the way, Chris," Lola smiled. "Do you have a date for the dance?"

Chris smirked at Harmony and then returned to the brunette. "No, you wanna go?"

"Yes!" Lola screamed as Wendy, Bebe, Heidi, and Red cheered with her excitedly.

Harmony rolled her eyes again and looked at Eric who stared back at her, both of the former Sailor Soldier teammates not saying a word.


After getting dressed, the team made their way to the restaurant called Raisins.

"What is this place?" Eric asked, scanning the inside of the place and noticing all of the waitresses were teenage girls in skimpy outfits.

"Heaven," sighed a boy with medium-brown hair and dark green eyes in a nasal voice.

"Is this even legal?" Eric wondered.

"In this town," Chris scoffed. "What isn't?"

"Hi, welcome to Raisins," approached a girl with wavy black hair with pink highlights and brown eyes. She looked familiar to Eric, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Hey, Hot Chocolate," the one brunet with them flirted.

"Clyde," Trevor elbowed him. "Remember you have a girlfriend."

"Oh, that's right," Clyde glowered as the waitress sighed.

"There's a lot of you today, but I think we have a booth," she led them all over to one, passing flirtatious servers talking sweetly to their customers.

When they sat at their table, the Raisins girl handed them menus.

"Mercedes will be here to take your order shortly," the dark-skinned waitress said before leaving.

"If the cheerleaders wouldn't want to date me, what the hell makes you think these girls will?" Eric asked before being distracted by the food listed. "Ooooh, they have wings!"

Trevor and Brimmy rolled their eyes.

"Remember what I said about chicks sometimes being desperate?" Chris asked. "These ones will most likely do anything for money, so just tell them you're rich."

"But I'm not," Eric said, still staring at the menu.

"I'll loan you money and you can tip them big," Chris sneered, nudging his arm with his elbow.

Eric glared at him. "Then I'd have to pay you back."

"You can pay me back by helping us win the game," Chris smiled.

Eric sighed and then a blonde waitress walked up to them, ready for their order.


Esther and Kevin were now living with their uncle Alphonse Mephesto after what happened the other day with their parents.

Kevin was watching TV with his cousin, Terrance, a boy with medium-length brown hair and purple eyes.

"Where's Essie?" Terrance asked.

"She's in our room," Kevin answered.


In the bedroom she now shared with her twin, Esther was sitting in the middle of several lit candles on her knees in prayer with her hands clasped together, hoping the spirits would tell her what she must do as a chosen Sailor Soldier and where the next one might be located.

As the fire roared, she mumbled a chant as a vision came to her of seven shadowed men standing before a tall woman facing off against ten feminine warriors and a golden, fury guardian, most likely the Dark Kingdom fighting her and the soldiers.

"…Why was Gold there?" Esther wondered as she opened her eyes and the flames went out simultaneously. "He quit, plus, aren't there nine planets? Why were there ten warriors?" She gripped the bridge of her nose. "Great, more questions than answers, like who exactly are these Dark Kingdom people?"


Sally and Jessica were in the former's bedroom researching the next soldier.

"Jupiter," Aether said, staring at the screen from Sally's shoulder, "God of thunder and the sky. He's also the king of the gods."

"So, we're looking for a leader?" Jessica guessed.

"A leader of what?" wondered Sally. "Harmony is already the captain of the cheerleading team, that's kind of a leader."

"Any other sports teams or clubs at your school that have a captain?" asked Aether, wiggling his ears.

"That'll take forever to look," Jessica groaned.

"Not really," Sally said.

"Let me guess, you're gonna hack into the school's database?" Jessica theorized.

"No," Sally smiled, pulling up a student's social media page, "Just their Facebook pages."

Jessica groaned and sat on the bed. "How long will that take?"

"Well, I'd have to cross-reference all of the students from our school with their friends and interactions, so awhile," Sally hypothesized.

Jessica bemoaned and lay on the bed with her arms stretched out, "I knew I should have stayed home."


That night, Zoisite stood on the tallest building in South Park, raising his hands to cause an unnatural thunderstorm.

The storm spread throughout the town. In his bedroom, Eric was under the covers quivering in fear as he snuggled some stuffed animals with Fluffy and Kitty trembling beside the bed. Sally continued to work on her little project with Lyra watching from her tank as the lights went off in her room. Jessica restlessly stared out the window wondering where the storm came from when Columba started to chirp frantically from her cage. Harmony peacefully slept with Artemis joining her on her bed. The ravenette was unaware of the storm as she listened to music on her phone, but the dog was uneasy.

Esther once again was in the middle of a prayer, but the dark disturbance in the air blew out her flames.

"This storm is definitely not natural," Esther stated.


The next morning, Eric rushed out of his house toward school.

"Stupid storm," Eric whined as his legs and chest started to hurt from running. "Phone not charged, missed the bus, mom's car died." He listed off all of his inconveniences as he turned a corner, bumping into a group of dark-skinned girls.

"Watch where you're going, marshmallow boy!" snarled a chestnut-colored girl with black braids.

Eric shook off his daze as he tried catching his breath.

"What brings you here on our turf?" questioned an umber-shaded female with a curly afro.

"The school…is this way…" Eric struggled to breathe. Having the powers of a guardian may have given him better reflexes, but he hasn't used them in a while since he quit.

"Sorry, but you can't pass without paying a toll," said their golden brown-skinned leader wearing two buns and a hairclip. Eric could have sworn he'd seen her somewhere, too.

"I don't have any money," he said.

"Let's see what you have in here?" The girl with braids snatched his backpack and rummaged through it.

"Hey, that's mine!" He growled as the leader held a hand on his chest.

"What the hell is this?" The female with curly hair pulled out some comics. "Who carries around lame comic books about a furry superhero, a dumb lion, and ninjas?"

She and the one with braids laughed.

"That's none of your business," Eric hissed, hiding his protracted claws behind his back. "Give them back!"

"Jordan, Riley, give him back his bag and let him go," the other girl ordered.

"What about my books?" Eric asked, leering at her.

"I'll hold onto these for now," she handed the book bag to him, making him quickly put away his claws before he took it. "Now, get lost!"

Eric winced and ran away in the direction of the school.

"Why'd you let him go, Cole?" Jordan, the curly-haired girl asked.

"We gotta get to class anyway," Cole shrugged.

"I thought we didn't care about attendance," Riley, the girl with braids said.

"I don't, but I do like to be fashionably late," Cole smiled, snapping her fingers. "Let's go." She rolled up the comics Jordan gave her and all three of them made their way to school.


At the school, Sally and Jessica were talking in the halls by their lockers when Eric rushed past them panting heavily.

"Whoa! What happened to him?" Jessica asked.

"Probably missed the bus," Sally guessed with a shrug.

"You're late," Chris laughed, standing with some of the jocks.

"Yeah…" Eric struggled to catch his breath, running his hand through his hair wet from sweating. "My phone…wasn't charging…because of that storm last night…and my mom's car wasn't working…and—"

"Yeah, yeah, I don't care about any of that," Chris waved his hand. "I'm just impressed that you managed to run all the way here without dropping dead."

Nate snickered. "Yeah, guess he really will be a big help in the game."

The first bell rang.

"Well, see you at lunch, 'kay?" Chris smirked before leaving with Nate and Brimmy.

Eric exhaled deeply. "God, I hate jocks."

He turned to his old Sailor Soldier partners, but Jessica glared at him and looked away as Sally gave him a sympathetic look.

"You OK?" Harmony asked, walking up to him.

"I take it they're still mad at me," Eric crossed his arms.

"Yeah, but I'm sure they'll get over it," Harmony stared at her teammates walking away, "Eventually."

"Humph! I don't care anyway. Forget that sailor nonsense," Eric moved away from the lockers. "Crap, I forgot to take my pill." He rushed to the nurse's office.

Harmony sighed, shaking her head before heading for her homeroom.


Later, at lunch, Sally and Jessica ate behind the school when Esther joined them with her brother and cousin.

"Hey, Esther," Jessica greeted with a smile.

"Hi," she waved weakly. "You all know Kevin; this is our cousin, Terrance."

"Ladies," he grabbed both of their hands and kissed them.

"Wow!" Jessica giggled blushing. "What a gentleman."

"Careful, he might be just trying to getcha," Sally said with an eyebrow raised, shaking off her hand.

"Don't worry, honey, you all are a hundred percent not my type," Terrance smiled, sitting down with one of his cousins as Esther sat beside Sally.

"Oh," Jessica frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's gay," Kevin patted his shoulder as Terrance kept that same grin.

"Ohhhh," Jessica giggled, "OK."

"Boys," Esther rolled her eyes.

"Hey, so, how are you holding up?" Sally asked.

"Living with our uncle isn't the worst thing," Esther sighed. "Kevin's taking it harder, though. He was closer to Mom."

"Well, now we have something else in common besides being—"

Jessica lightly elbowed her before she could spill their secret to the boys.

"Besides being what?" wondered Kevin.

"Outcasts," Sally chuckled nervously, readjusting her glasses.

"I guess we all are," Terrance laughed. "But it's better than being a part of a group of assholes."

Jessica, Sally, and Esther glanced at each other in relief.


Inside the cafeteria, Eric sat at the large lunch table with Chris, Stan, Clyde, Craig, Nate, Brimmy, and Trevor.

"Alright, so I'm all set for the dance, everybody," Trevor said, waving at one of the cheerleaders with brown hair and braces.

"Speaking of, you going, Craig?" asked Clyde.

"You know I can't stand those things," Craig groaned.

"Maybe you and Eric can go together," Brimmy laughed as Craig rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," Eric mumbled.

"We'll try again at Raisins, and this time, you're gonna tip them big like I told you and ask one of them out when you do," Chris reiterated.

"And I told you I didn't want to," Eric grumbled, taking a bite of his food.

"Hey, everyone," Harmony greeted them.

"Hey, Harmony," Stan said with a smile.

"Marsh," the ravenette acknowledged him.

"You girls looked great yesterday," Chris noted with a smirk.

"Of course, the pervert thinks so," Harmony scoffed.

"Hey, boys," Cole and her posse appeared.

"Nichole Daniels," Chris beamed. "You all ready for basketball this year?"

"Of course, we are," Cole, or Nichole, replied. "We've been practicing all summer."

"Hey, Cole, look," Riley pointed to Eric. "It's that fat, little white boy from earlier."

"So it is," Nichole grinned. "What are you doing with the football team?"

Eric sank in his seat as Stan rubbed his back.

"He's with us," Chris said.

"No kidding?" Nichole laughed. "Well, in that case, I'm looking forward to the homecoming game even more now."

"And who are you?" Jordan asked, turning to a leering Harmony.

"That's Chris' old girlfriend," Riley answered.

"Oh, yeah," Jordan snorted. "Didn't he dump you for a dude?"

Harmony growled and stepped forward as Stan quickly got up from his seat to block her and Nichole held back her friend.

"Alright, let's all chill," Chris also stood.

"First of all, I dumped him," Harmony spat.

"Child, you crazy," Riley laughed.

"OK, we're done here," Nichole turned to her girlfriends. "Let's go, stop harassing the rich girl."

Riley and Jordan laughed again as the three left.

"I wasn't actually going to hit her," Harmony relaxed as she looked at Stan.

"I know, but I dealt with hotheads before," the black-haired teen smiled weakly.

"Chicks, am I right?" Chris nudged Eric when he returned to his seat.

The brunet groaned, annoyed by all the drama in this town.


After school, Chris and the team dragged Eric to Raisins again. He would protest, but he liked the food a lot, so he couldn't complain.

Harmony met up with the other Soldiers.

"You OK?" Sally asked.

"Yeah," Harmony sighed. "I just really hate this town. So what are we doing today?"

"Going over to Henrietta Biggle's house to see if she might be the next soldier," Esther responded.

"And to check on the animals," Aether poked his head out from Sally's backpack.

"I guess that's as good of a first step as any," Harmony rolled her shoulders.

They headed for a pea-green-colored house and when Jessica knocked, a woman with wavy brown hair answered.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Um, hi, is Henrietta home?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, my Henrietta is busy playing with her little emo friends," her mother answered sweetly. "Are you also friends of hers?"

"Uh, sort of," Sally lied.

"Do you want me to tell her you were looking for her?" Her mom asked.

"No, we'll just see her at school," Harmony said.

"The animals are in there," Esther noted after the woman closed the door.

"You got a vibe?" Sally wondered.

"It's not a vibe," Esther bemoaned.

"So, what now?" Jessica asked.

"Does anybody know where she hangs out at school?" Aether asked from Sally's backpack.

"I don't really ever see her around," Harmony stated.

"Well, since that was a bust, how about a trip to the mall?" Jessica suggested.

"I'd rather go home," Sally frowned.

"Me too," Esther agreed.

"Ditto," Harmony followed.

"Come on," Jessica wrapped her arms around Sally and Esther's shoulders while eyeing Harmony. "We're not just soldiers, but we're gal pals. This is the one time we can hang out just as normal girls."

"I mean," Aether popped his head out again. "I don't mind a little break. Nothing is happening."

"Fine," Harmony folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "But the second any drama breaks out—"

"We'll leave immediately," Jessica sneered.

"Fine, let's go," Esther said.


When they arrived at the mall, the four girls conversed about the weird thunderstorm and how people around town were still dealing with the aftermath.

"I have a feeling it wasn't your average storm," Esther said.

"You think it was the Dark Kingdom's doing?" Sally inquired.

Jessica groaned. "Come on, guys, can we please not talk about this stuff for one day?"

"Fine," Harmony said. "Where do you wanna go?"

"Hmm," Jessica scanned all of the stores they passed until her eyes laid on a familiar boy at a dress shop. "Hey, there's Kyle. Hi, Kyle!" She called, waving madly.

"Oh, God, not them," he turned around in embarrassment.

"Dude, really?" questioned Harmony. "He tried to kill me the other day."

"Yeah, but he was under the control of a Dark Kingdom minion," Jessica reminded and then strolled up to him.

"H-Hey, guys," Kyle greeted with an awkward smile.

"What are you doing here?" Jessica asked with a giggle, "You cross-dressing?"

"I'm not here for me," Kyle said, rubbing his arm, and stealing a glance from Harmony.

Marjorine emerged, showing up in a simple dress.

"Ky, what do you of—oh, hi, gals," she greeted with a huge smile.

"Marjorine?" the girls looked at each other confused.

"I'm looking for a dress for homecoming," she continued to smile at them. "Are you guys going to the dance, too?"

"Pass," Esther scoffed.

"I don't have a date," Jessica said.

"And, um, I don't really like dances," Sally added.

"I just don't wanna go," Harmony affirmed matter-of-factly.

"But it'll be fun," Marjorine giggled as Kyle grew more uncomfortable. "Come on, let's all go shopping together!" She squealed.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least look around," Sally said.

Kyle sighed. "I'll be in the food court. Let me know when you're done, Marjie."

"OK," the blonde's usual bright face devolved into a frown as Harmony patted her shoulder.


Kyle entered the food court and saw Terrance and Kevin, the former waving at him.

"Christ, I should've just gone home," Kyle groaned in annoyance. "What's up?" He put on a fake façade and joined them.

"Kev here wanted to go model shopping," Terrance answered with a smirk. "I didn't think—"

"You didn't think he meant planes," Kyle rolled his eyes, "Yeah I know."

"No, I knew he wanted a dumb spaceship," Terrance corrected as his cousin glared at him. "I didn't think we'd run into a potential supermodel."

"He's not gonna sleep with you," Kevin bluntly stated.

"I meant that guy over there," Terrance pointed past Kyle at another guy. "So, what brings Kyle Broflovski here?"

"Marjie wanted to go dress shopping for homecoming," Kyle said.

"Oh, really?" Terrance became intrigued as Kevin went back to reading his comic book. "So, little Butters is finally getting out of the house again?"

"She's been fine," Kyle laid his hand on his cheek.

"Well, that's good," Terrance smiled. "I'm glad she's feeling better. This could be her year."

"Hopefully," Kyle sighed. "Really wish it was a better year for both of us."

"You still doped up?" Terrance wondered as Kevin cleared his throat. "What?"

"N-No," Kyle fibbed, looking away.

"Be careful," was all Terrance said with a concerned face, knowing he was full of it.


The football team was once again at Raisins when they were approached by Nichole.

"Oh, crap, I knew I recognized you the first time," she groaned, seeing Eric.

"You look different when you're not trying to be boyish," the overweight teen said, smirking.

"You're not good with girls, are you?" Chris whispered to him.

Nichole groaned as another waitress passed her to get to the kitchen.

"Here's another order," the redheaded waitress handed the slip to the cook who wore a septum piercing.


Back at the mall, the girls despite some of them having reservations about the idea of dress shopping were enjoying themselves with Marjorine as they all tried on different dresses until they each found one matching the primary colors of their Sailor Soldier outfits.

They left the store finally in a chorus of laughter.

"I got to say, that was fun," Sally said.

"You know, it was," Esther added with a genuine smile.

"I told you guys," Jessica said as Marjorine nodded in agreement.

"Now, we just need dates," Harmony pointed out.

"If we don't find any, how about we all go together?" Sally offered.

"That's a good idea, Sal," Jessica giggled.

Esther's smile faded. "Sorry if I ever came off as bitchy."

"That's OK," Harmony laid a hand on her arm.

"Our dad was always a pig, and our mom used drugs to cope with everything," Esther sighed. "But it all became too much for both of them."

"Wow!" Sally frowned. "I'm sorry all that has been happening to you two."

"Where is your mother?" Jessica wondered. "Is she—?"

"She's alive," Esther smiled weakly. "The hospital sent her to rehab, so hopefully she'll be OK and will finally be free of her demons."

"In the meantime," Harmony squeezed her arm gently. "You have us as your family."

"Group hug!" voted Jessica as the four girls hugged.

Marjorine smiled at the scene.

"Hey, Marj, you want in on this?" Harmony asked.

"Nah, I think it's cute you guys have your own sisterhood," she smiled. "I really need to find Kyle so we can get back home before curfew."

"Let's see if he's still at the food court," Jessica said, breaking the group's embrace.


The girls found the boys who were relaxing with their food.

"Kev? Terry?" Esther was surprised to see her relatives.

"Hey, Essie!" Terrance waved happily, "So glad to see some bright faces."

"Everything go OK?" Kyle asked Marjorine.

"Yup," the blonde nodded. "Thanks for giving me your allowance to help me pay for it."

"Of course," Kyle smiled, stepping off his chair to hug her. "So, have you figured out if you're gonna go with anybody?"

Marjorine grinned. "If I don't find anyone, we can go together."

Kyle was taken aback. "I don't do dances, Marjie."

"But it will be fun," Marjorine pleaded with big, baby-blue eyes. "Please!"

"Fine," Kyle looked away.

"And if she does find someone, you can take me," Terrance draped a hand on his shoulder.

"Piss off, Mephesto!" Kyle snapped.

"Eh, worth a shot," Terrance shrugged, laughing.


Back at Raisins, the football team was enjoying their food.

Brimmy whispered something in Chris' ear, and the blond suddenly smirked.

"Hey, so since you don't wanna ask anyone else, how about that chick, Marjorine Stotch?" He asked Eric.

"What?" The brunet looked up from his pile of wings, his face stained with barbecue sauce, "Why her?"

"A little birdie just told me you two went out on a date not too long ago," Chris told him.

Eric practically choked on his food, quickly downing some soda. "Dude, t-that wasn't a date."

"Hey, it's cool if you like her, dude," Chris held up his hands defensively. "This is a judgement-free zone."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eric asked, wiping the mess off his face. "She's a friend at best."

"Hey, it was just a suggestion," Chris shrugged.

"Uh, C.D.," Trevor groaned. "I don't feel so good."

"Ugh, I told you not to overdo it, T," Chris rolled his eyes, patting his friend's back.

"Chris, it's not just him, look," Stan pointed out, noticing all of the customers starting to collapse.

"Oh, shit, they roofied us!" Clyde cried.

As each player passed out one by one, Stan and Eric were the last ones standing.

"Great, it feels like every day something weird happens—" he cut himself off when he fell next to Chris.

Eric scrambled to pull out his cell to alert the girls, despite not speaking to them after their last battle, but before he could make it to his contacts, he dropped to the floor.

"What's going on?" Nichole came out from the restroom and gasped in shock at the unconscious bodies. She hurried to the kitchen where she also saw the other knocked out Raisins' girls. "You!" the black-haired teen glared at the cook. "Did you do this?"

"Where were you?" He asked.

"Did you poison them?" Nichole asked, becoming angrier.

"No, I just zapped some of their energy," the cook sneered, "Like I'll do with you now." He tried to grab her, but Nichole kneed him in between his legs and bolted out of the restaurant to look for help.

Outside, she tried to call the police, but she couldn't get through due to the power outage last night.

"Shit, the one time I need them is after a dumb storm," Nichole looked around and realized she was right next to the mall.

An electrified Minotaur monster crashed through the front door of the restaurant and roared.

"Huh, I didn't know Raisins had burgers," a passerby joked, chuckling.

The monster glared at him not amused and swung his arm into the man, sending them several feet down the street.


At the mall, the teenagers walked toward the exit when they heard a collection of screams. The Sailor Soldiers' expression grew stern as Marjorine, Terrance, and Kevin clung to Kyle.

"Why are you all grabbing me?" The redhead asked perturbed.

"You're the tallest," Marjorine said.

"And the bravest," Kevin added.

"I was going more for using you as a human shield," Terrance laughed nervously.

"I think you're needed," Aether whispered from Sally's hand where she was also holding her closed parasol.

"We can't transform in front of them," Jessica stated.

"Help!" screamed Nichole.

"That sounded like Nichole Daniels," Harmony noted.

The group left the building and came across her.

"What's going on?" Sally asked, holding up the umbrella to shield her from the sun.

"The people at Raisins are hurt and—" more screams were heard downtown.

"That must be the monster," Esther said.

"What monster?" Nichole asked confused.

"That one," Kyle pointed out the bull-man creature throwing cars and punching the ground.

"Where are you, Sailor Soldiers?" He bellowed, exhaling roughly from his nose.

"Man, I miss when the biggest unknown threat to this town was a potential alien invasion," Kevin sighed.

"H-How do you know that isn't what this is?" Marjorine questioned. "Those warriors and these monsters could all be from another planet."

"Kev, Terry, take them home," Esther ordered. "Come on, girls."

The five rushed over to Raisins.

"A-Are we going to just let them run into danger?" Marjorine asked, trembling.

"My sister is going with them so that's a hell no for me," Kevin's face grew serious as he followed them.

"Wait for me, cuz!" Terrance tailed him.

"OK, Marjie, let's go home," Kyle tried to pull her away, but the blonde resisted. "What?"

"People might need help," Marjorine said.

"Dude, those so-called heroes can help them or the police," Kyle spoke, trying to leave with her.

"They have to focus on the monster," Marjorine reminded. "The people at Raisins and around might need help, plus the power was out and who knows how many car batteries, including ambulances and police cars were affected."

"Jesus Christ," Kyle suspired, really not one for helping people, but he knew Marjorine liked to, so he decided to go with her.


"Why are we in an alley?" Nichole asked in between Raisins and another building.

"Crap, why did you follow us?" Sally asked.

"I thought you were gonna help the people inside," Jessica pointed out.

"Guys, it's OK," Esther told them, nodding to Aether.

"Why?" Harmony wondered.

"I guess we found our Jupiter," Aether said.

"Did that little accessory just talk?" Nichole asked. "The stress is really getting to me."

"No, it seems our residential mystic sensed that you are one of us," the cow plush looked at Esther.

"What are you—oh, my God; you guys are those heroes, aren't you?"

"Guilty," all four held up their pens.

"Do I get one?" Nichole asked.

Aether's bell shook and a yellow pen with a symbol that looked like the number four mixed with the letter Z appeared.

"Cool, so what do I do?" She asked.

"Just repeat after us," Jessica coached.

"Mercury Power…Venus Power…Earth Power…Mars Power…Make Up!" All four warriors transformed.

"Seems simple enough," Nichole cleared her throat. "Jupiter Power, Make Up!" Nichole's pen turned into a lightning bolt she held before tossing it into the air, forming a cloud that covered her in more bolts. The surge of lightning transformed her into a warrior with long, yellow, pink highlighted hair in a ponytail tied up with a small vine scrunchie, and floral pink eyes. She donned a gold tiara on her forehead with a yellow gem on the front; a lemon yellow skirt and shorts, a mask, brooch, gloves, choker, and heels with ankle straps; a flamingo-colored chest, and back bow.


The others made it to Raisins and tried to wake patrons.

"Are they dead?' Kevin asked.

"No," Marjorine lowered her head to Eric. "They're breathing."

"So, if we can't wake them up, how are we supposed to get them all out of here?" Terrance wondered.

Kyle just stared at the unconscious football team.


"Mercury Icy Mist!" Outside, a fog covered the area, stopping the Minotaur in his tracks.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!" Venus ensnared the beast with her metal whip, but he of course dragged her toward him. "Can we ever fight anything small, like a bunny?!"

"Then the bunny would probably be huge as well," Mercury chuckled as she used her small computer to scan the enemy.

"Fire Soul!" Mars shot a blast of fire at him, breaking off the chain as Venus fell flat on her face.

"I'm OK," she mumbled, giving a thumbs-up.

"Scarlet Tempest!" Earth unsheathed her hair clip and created rose bombs to incapacitate the Minotaur, but it caught one and threw it right back, luckily Earth flipped out of the way.

"You guys really don't understand teamwork, do you?" Jupiter asked, confused by their sloppy fighting.

"We work fine together," Mercury huffed.

"Yeah," Venus spat out some snow. "We're perfectly in sync."

"If this is you in harmony, I'd hate to see how you are in disarray," Jupiter noted.

"Huh?" Earth was confused.

"Come here," Jupiter held out her hand. "Be the Hera to my Zeus."

"Uh, Jupe, I don't swing that way," Earth said.

"I don't either," Jupiter rolled her eyes. "I just wanna try something."

Mars did a chant and tossed an ofuda scroll at the Minotaur. Venus smacked him in the nose with her love whip.

"Guys, the weak spot is the nose," Mercury deduced, noting how the monster appeared in more pain after the orange-clad soldier's attack.

Earth grabbed Jupiter's hand.

"We're on it, Merc," Jupiter said.

The two warriors started to spin.

"Flower Hurricane!" They threw a barrage of sharp pink and red flower petals that sliced through the Minotaur who roared in agony, clutching where his horns were after they were torn off by the petal daggers.

Being the athletes of the group, they were able to recover from the sharp turns quickly.

"Damn, that was strong!" Venus gasped in awe.

Jupiter smirked, summoning lightning bolt blades in her hands. "You guys assist the people on the inside. I'll finish this thing off."

"Wasn't she just lecturing us on teamwork?" Mars wondered.

"Yeah, well this counts I guess, come on," Earth led the girls inside Raisins.

"Let's dance!" Jupiter sneered as the steer roared, forming an axe.


Marjorine and the boys brought the unconscious Raisins girls out from the kitchen when the soldiers arrived.

"Need help, boys?" Earth asked, all of them standing by the entrance with their hands on their hips.

"Oh, and, erm, miss?" added Mars, correcting her teammate when she saw Marjorine.

"Yes!" Kevin stared at them enamored, holding up Brimmy and Trevor.

"Ditto," added Terrance who had his arms under Craig and Clyde.

"I thought you guys were taking care of that thing outside?" Kyle asked, lifting Stan and Chris.

A loud crash and a grunt from Jupiter answered his question.

"I could use some help, actually," Marjorine said, struggling to pick up Eric.

The girls all looked at each other, wondering which one would grab him.

Earth then sighed. "I got him."


Outside, Jupiter was trading blows with the Minotaur who still had plenty of energy to fight despite going through heavy abuse.

"You know, the sailor brats usually finish us off quickly," the Minotaur said, clashing his axe with one of her bolt blades.

"I like a good 'ole one-on-one," Jupiter smirked, slashing his arm with the other.

The Minotaur charged his axe and swung it, an electrical surge sending her a few feet.

"I guess you're not immune," he laughed in the middle of heavy breathing as he stomped up to her, raising his weapon.

A feathery wrap tied around his wrist and yanked him toward Silver Wing who was joined by the yellow-feathered eagle from the mysterious pet store.

"And who the hell are you?" Jupiter asked, shaking off her daze.

"Never mind that," squawked the bird, "Finish him!"

"Does everything talk?" Jupiter sighed afore creating more lightning bolt weapons. "Jupiter Thunderbolt!" she tossed both of them, piercing through the Minotaur's face, obliterating him.

"You talked about the others being out of sync," Silver said, walking up to her, holding out one of their talons. "But it is you who must learn the value of unity as well."

Jupiter slapped their hand away, "I don't need your help." She stood and faced them. "You're cute, but do you always speak like a fortune cookie?"

The others emerged from Raisins with the soldiers carrying the workers and some of the other customers.

"It seems the gold one's attitude wasn't the only thing holding you back," Silver noted, glaring at them. "Heracles, let's go." They demanded as both avians flew away.

"Now who was that beauty?" Kevin asked, sighing.

"That was clearly a dude, dude," Terrance rolled his eyes.

"We better go before the cops try to arrest us again," Mercury enjoined them.

Earth and the others carefully laid down the people they carried and ran off.

"I wonder why they always leave in such a hurry, and where was that gold one?" Marjorine asked as Kyle sighed, rolling his eyes, clearly not caring.

"Hey, I wonder where Essie and the others went," Kevin mentioned.

"Ha, I guess they chickened out and ran home instead," Terrance smirked.


Not that far from everyone, the girls reconvened, removing their masks to return to normal.

"Well, that was an experience," Nichole sighed, rubbing her aching shoulder.

Aether dragged their bags and Sally's parasol up to them with his snout.

"Oh, Aether, we're sorry," Sally picked up her umbrella as the other girls grabbed their bags.

"You know, I'm very small," Aether exhaled and turned to Nichole. "You did well out there, but you shouldn't have tried to fight him on your own."

"I didn't," Nichole crossed her arms. "The others helped at first, right?"

"Yeah, keyword being 'at first'," Jessica said upset.

"We already had a douchebag who wanted to be careless, we don't need another one," Esther noted.

"I can see why he left," Nichole scoffed. "You know, I'm fine. I have my own team to worry about, I can't play hero with you people." She tossed the pen to Aether.

"Wait, Nichole, no," Harmony interjected, but she was already gone.

Aether groaned, lowering his head to pick up the transformation tool. "Why did it have to be teenagers?"


Later that night, Marjorine was showing Kyle her homecoming dress before bed.

"Wow! It looks good on you," the redhead smiled, admiring its white color and simple design. "I especially like the sparkling stars."

"They glow in the dark, too," Marjorine squealed. "You think people will like it?"

"Oh, yeah, you'll draw so much attention," Jake Knight interrupted, walking up to her and Kyle with Pip and Oliver.

"Go. Away…" Kyle growled.

"But little Marjie wanted to show off her pretty dress," Oliver said. "Are we not allowed to have opinions?"

"I don't know why you have to wear that to a stupid dance, you're not a bird, you're a bloke," Pip said in a softer tone than the other boys, but still containing some animosity.

Marjorine flinched at that statement as Kyle stood protectively in front of her. "Then make like a bird, Philip, and fly to your damn room!"

"Can she defend herself?" Oliver asked condescendingly.

Kyle made a fist.

"What, are you gonna hit me?" Oliver laughed.

"Or are you gonna sic your drug-dealing boyfriend on us?" Jake taunted.

Kyle swung his fist, but Marjorine grabbed it before it landed.

"Stop!" she begged.

"Lights out!" hollered the voice of an older woman.

"Sweet dreams, freaks," Jake chided, laughing toward his room with the others.

"They call us freaks, yet we were all homeless," Kyle sighed. "The people in this town, I swear." He turned to Marjorine. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," she muttered, walking past him into the bathroom to change.

"That's it," Kyle sighed again, running a hand through his curly hair. "I'm definitely going to that dance with you."

To be continued…


Next time: It's time for the birth of Sailor Saturn, the sixth Sailor Warrior.