A spirit descended from above and slowly entered the body of a pegasus who was unconscious and trapped inside a cage. As the spirit merged with the body, the pegasus gradually opened its eyes and found itself staring at the darkness of a black dress. With a slow movement, the pegasus lifted its head to see a woman whose figure was concealed in the shadows. The woman's face was twisted into a sneer as she looked down at the pegasus inside the cage.
"You must be feeling quite proud of yourself for breaking my spell," she spoke, her voice low and menacing. The pegasus glared at her, refusing to show any sign of submission. "But it's useless. This land is already mine!"
"No... with the help of the Princess of the Moon, I will save this land and the Prince," the pegasus spoke with a determined voice despite its current state of captivity.
The woman growled and waved her hand, unleashing a powerful ball of energy that hit the pegasus and knocked it down. "Such insolence! You will not speak to me that way!"
Struggling to keep its eyes open and its body upright, the pegasus spoke again, "Prince... I'm sorry."
_
Usagi listened to the phone ring and bit her lip. She knew what happened last night when Helios had kissed her wasn't her fault. He had kissed her without asking, and she had pulled away. But she still left like she had cheated on Haruka and Michiru because she had let someone kiss her; that wasn't the two of them. She just felt so bad and wanted to see them and apologize.
Finally, someone picked up on the other end of the line, "Hello, Usagi?" Michiru's voice came on the other end of the line, and Usagi felt her heart flutter just hearing it. Usagi bit down on her lip once more.
"Hey, Michiru? Are you and Haruka busy? I'd like to see you." Usagi finally spoke as her voice cracked a bit. Usagi bit down on her lip again; she wanted to apologize for what happened with Helios; even Michiru and Haruka did not know about it. Usagi felt it would be wrong not to tell them, and she felt terrible, too. She felt like she had betrayed them by letting Helios kiss her. Okay, maybe she didn't let Helios kiss her, but he still kissed her when she was dating Haruka and Michiru.
"Yes, we're free. Usagi, are you alright? You sound like you're about to cry. Are you upset because you turned small?" Michiru asked, and Usagi could hear the concern evident in her girlfriend's voice, even over the phone. Which made Usagi feel more guilty. Usagi sniffled before speaking again to answer Michiru,
"No, it's not that I'm actually back to normal. But something else happened that I'd like to talk to you and Haruka about. So I just really want to see you, that's all." Usagi spoke, her voice soft, and she tried really hard to make sure it wouldn't crack again.
After a few moments, Michiru said, "I understand, bunny. Let's meet up at the place we saw the eclipse, alright? Haruka and I will be there as fast as we can, okay?"
"Okay, that sounds good Michiru. I'll see you soon. I l-love you…" Usagi spoke, unsure of why she stammered when she told Michiru she loved her because, of course, she loved Michiru, and she loved Haruka too. So why was she so nervous saying it?
Usagi heard Michiru laugh over the phone before she spoke, "I love you too, my sweet Princess. See you in a bit."
Usagi put the phone down and glanced at it for a second. It was the phone Haruka and Michiru had given her when she first learned about being a princess. It had been quite a while since then. Now, she was already in high school. Usagi remembered when she started dating Haruka and Michiru five months ago; she had tried to return the phone to them. Insisting now that she was stronger they didn't need to worry about so much. So she didn't really need the phone anymore, but they had simply told her to keep it so they had an easy way to keep in touch.
Usagi sighed and, opened her closet, and looked at her clothes. She could change out of her school uniform, but she really didn't want to.
Usagi looked at Luna, sitting on her bed, "Luna, I'm heading out for a bit! See you later!"
_
Haruka smiled as she saw her Princess standing under the shade of a tree, and she started to make her way over to her Princess, with Michiru following close behind. Haruka noted that Usagi seemed to be staring off into space, her face looking rather sad, and Haruka's first thought was, who hurt her kitten? Because there was no way Usagi would look so sad otherwise. Haruka swore she'd kill whoever hurt her beloved Princess. "Why does the little kitten look so sad? Who do I need to punish for making you so sad?" Haruka spoke as she stopped walking when she and Michiru stood in front of Usagi, and she saw Usagi look up as if just noticing them immediately. Tears formed in Usagi's eyes, and she practically threw herself into Haruka's arms.
"I'm sorry!" Usagi cried, gripping the back of Haruka's shirt tightly as tears began to stream down her face; she started sobbing.
Haruka was initially surprised but immediately gently rubbed her hand on her Princess's back, trying to calm the younger of her two girlfriends. "Shhh, It's okay, kitten. You have done nothing wrong."
Usagi continued to cry into her shirt, but Haruka didn't mind; she just continued to rub Usagi's back and shared a look with Michiru, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as her: what happened to make their lover so upset and who did they need to kill. After a while, Usagi's tears slowed, and her cries quieted. "Kitten? Will you tell us what happened? What made you so upset?"
Usagi hiccupped, and Haruka wrapped her arms around her, waiting for her Princess to speak so she and Michiru could also maybe make whoever hurt her Princess pay. "Remember when I told you I saw that Pegasus? Well, he kept appearing, and he kept talking about how he wanted to save Elysion. But the other night, I was kinda upset when he appeared again, but apparently he had a human form, and…and he…kissed me…on the lips! I'm sorry!" Usagi spoke and just started crying again once she finished speaking.
Haruka's grip tightened on Usagi, and she was angry because how dare that creature kiss her Princess and girlfriend without asking. She was also upset because she hated the fact that Usagi felt the need to apologize to them. Haruka watched as Michiru slowly reached out, placed a hand on Usagi's head, and ran a hand through her hair. "Bunny, there's no need to apologize to us for that. It wasn't your fault. You clearly didn't want him to kiss you. You're alright, it's alright. We'd never be angry at you for something like that because we love you."
Usagi looked up from where she had buried her face in her shirt and looked at Michiru nervously, "Really?" Haruka hated that Usagi really believed they would be mad over something like that.
"Of course, kitten. We love you and always will."
Usagi was quiet momentarily before she spoke again, "I love you guys, too."
_
The sun had set, and the stars were out by the time Usagi decided she needed to go home. Usagi sat between her two lovers on a bench, looking up at the Moon like they had done when she had only just been introduced to Haruka. Usagi sighed and stood up from the bench but turned when she felt a hand grabbing onto her own. She saw that Michiru was the one who grabbed her hand, and Usagi was a bit confused but watched as Michiru smiled at her and stood up. "Let us walk you home, bunny," Michiru spoke as she brushed Usagi's hand softly with her thumb.
Usagi blushed a bit before answering, "Are you sure? You know my mom doesn't really like you guys."
Michiru continued to smile and brush her hand lightly with her thumb as she stood up, "I know that's why we want to talk about her to fix that. I think it's all a misunderstanding, that's all."
Usagi slowly nodded, "Okay, if you really think you can change her mind."
Haruka laughed softly and took Usagi's other hand, "Don't worry kitten. We would never let her separate us."
It was quiet until Usagi looked up at the Moon hanging in the sky again, "You, after all this time, I still find the Moon pretty. Even knowing everything I do now." Usagi felt Michiru squeeze her hand softly, and Usagi tore her eyes away from the Moon and looked at her green-haired girlfriend.
"You're right; the Moon is a beautiful planet, but I think the Princess who will rule it one day is far more beautiful," Michiru said, and Usagi quickly blushed, wondering how her girlfriends were so good with words.
"I'm not so sure…I'm that beautiful…" Usagi mumbled.
"No, you are kitten, and don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise."
_
Kaiou Michiru stood under the gaze of Usagi's mother and swore to herself that she would fix this. Whatever reason Usagi's mother didn't like them, she'd fix. Michiru remembers very well how she did not get along with Usagi's mother when they met, and she wonders if maybe that was the reason this woman disliked her and Haruka so, but if she were basing things off what Usagi had told them. Michiru believed Tsukino Ikuko disliked them because she believed they might her hurt Usagi, which wasn't true. Michiru and Haruka would never lay a finger on their Princess with the intent to harm her.
So she and Haruka stood in the kitchen of Usagi's home, and Michiru calmly looked at Tsukino Ikuko. There would be no letting her emotions get the better of her this time; she wanted to make a good impression. She didn't want her bunny to get in trouble for dating them. "Miss Tsukino, I would like to apologize if I offended you the night we met. That was not my intention, but I have come to understand you would prefer it if we were not around Usagi. May I ask why?"
Michiru spoke, keeping her voice calm and even. She was trying to ensure her emotions and protectiveness for her Princess stayed out of her tone. Michiru watched as Tsukino Ikuko slowly put down the dishes she had been washing before she spoke,
"No, you did not offend me that night, Miss Kaiou, and you're right. I do have a bit of an aversion to Usagi spending time with you due to the difference in social class. I just do not want her to get hurt." Tsukino Ikuko spoke, and Michiru already had summarised she would get an answer like this but had not expected it to be worded so politely. Michiru wasn't sure what she had been expecting, honestly.
"I understand your apprehensions, Miss Tsukino. However, Haruka and I would never lay a finger on Usagi. We'd rather hurt ourselves than hurt Usagi. I assure you we'd never hurt her." Michiru spoke before pausing to consider her next words and how to brooch Haruka and her relationship with Usagi. There were a million ways this could go wrong, and she did not want Usagi's family to ostracize her as their families had.
"That's why I wanted to inform you that since five months ago, Haruka and I have both been in a relationship with Usagi…a romantic one."
"A romantic relationship? With stupid Usagi? Gross." A much younger male voice chimed in, and Michiru turned to see Usagi's brother standing in the kitchen doorway, his tongue sticking out, and he looked practically disgusted. Whether that was because they were all girls or he didn't like his sister, she didn't know, but Michiru didn't like it either way. She didn't get to ponder this any longer because Tsukino Ikuku quickly reprimanded her son.
"Shingo! Apologize to your sister, Miss Kaioh, and Miss Tenoh right now! Then go up to your room!" Tsukino Ikuko quickly yelled, and Michiru felt her heart calm a bit, hearing Usagi's mother reprimand her son for his comment.
Usagi's brother sighed and looked at them. Giving a bit of a half-heart bow, "I'm sorry, st...Usagi, Miss Tenoh, and Miss Kaiou for my comment." Shingo quickly retreated to his room.
When she heard her sigh, Michiru turned back to look at Tsukino Ikuko, "I won't stop you from being with or seeing Usagi because you clearly make her happy. But please don't ever hurt her. I only have one daughter, and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her."
Michiru bowed, "Rest assured, Miss Tsukino, we'd never hurt Usagi in a million years."
_
Rei stared intently at the target before her, slowly letting go of the string on the bow, and watched as the arrow whizzed toward the target. To her annoyance, though, the arrow missed the center, and her teacher called her over, asking why she was distracted from archery today.
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Rei was reading, her head buried deep into a book as she tried to figure out how to take care of the shrine now that her grandfather was sick when a voice came pulling her out of her thoughts. "Ah, Rei! You look like Ami!"
Rei pulled the book away from her face and saw that it was her friends who surrounded her, and it was Usagi who spoke; Rei found she wasn't very surprised by that. "Shrine management?" She heard Makoto ask in a confused tone, and Rei sighed and nodded, turning her attention away from the book yet again.
"Yeah, my grandfather is sick, and times are rough, so I'm looking for effective ways to manage the shrine."
"Are you hiring?" Ami asked, and Rei quickly shook her head as if she would! Hiring would mean paying people money, which would be a waste of money, and it was against her principles to waste money!
"No, it'd be a waste of money," Rei spoke, and it fell quiet again as Rei tried to figure out what to do about managing the shrine. She had only ever helped Grandpa as a shrine maiden; she had never actually run the shrine herself. It stayed quiet until a cheerful voice cut through the silence.
"Rei! I know what your shrine needs! It needs a son-in-law!" Minako spoke, and Rei quickly froze and recoiled some. A son-in-law? Seriously, for that to happen, Rei would have to get married, and that would never happen because Rei hated men. Well, minus her grandpa, she supposed, but any other men Rei hated and didn't want to be around.
"Now, I know you're going to say you hate men, Rei, but think about it: you could train him to help around the shrine, and he'd be like your own personal servant!"
Rei stopped and thought about it for a moment…having something akin to a servant to help around the shrine would be nice. Plus, it's now like she would have to interact with the guy outside of shrine work…. Wait! What was she thinking? This plan was insane, and the fact that she was even giving it thought was….strange.
"You guys, this doesn't sound like a conversation two students would have." Ami cut in, and Rei had to agree with her there, but Minako only snickered,
"Well, if you want me to talk more like a student, Ami…" Rei raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly Minako was about to say. "Ah, I want a boyfriend!" Minako finally spoke alongside Makoto, and they both had dreamy expressions on their faces.
Rei stuck out her tongue in disgust. Ugh, what was the point of having a boyfriend? Vaguely, she could hear Minako telling her that was indeed what most students talked about, and Rei knew it was true but didn't want to acknowledge it, so she ignored Minako.
"Sorry, Armetis and I are late." Rei heard a familiar voice speak, and she looked down to see Luna and Armetis on the ground, looking a bit exasperated; maybe they had overheard some of their conversation. Well, all the attention was on the two cats now, and the conversation had come to a stop.
"Alright, the Dead Moon Circus opens for public showings tomorrow, and we're going to go. Be ready for anything."
_
Rei stood over her grandfather, sick and in bed, and mentally hoped that this sickness would go quickly. Though it wasn't her grandpa being a bit dramatic…it was just a small sickness, but her grandpa was acting like he was about to die. As if to prove her point, her grandpa started to mutter, "Oh, my fever isn't going down. May the Buddha show compassion and guide me."
Rei sweatdropped and muttered, "Grandpa…you know this is a Shinto shrine, right?" Rei stared at her grandfather for a bit long until she heard the sounds of chattering voices outside. She smiled as she made her way to the door. Even if her grandpa was being dramatic and blatantly mixing up his religions, the least she could do was help him after he had taken care of her for the majority of her life. "Don't worry, Grandpa, I'll take care of everything for you. Just focus on getting better."
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Rei smiled and waved goodbye to the school girls after she had given the charms they had purchased and listened to them laugh and talk about how they were going to give them to their crushes as they left. Rei winced. Were boys that important to everyone? Were crushes and the want to have a boyfriend that normal? Makoto wanted to be a bride, and Minako wanted a boyfriend. She was unsure about Ami, but she doubted she would object to having a boyfriend unless it interfered with her studies.
Rei sighed. She didn't have any of those feelings towards men. She really despised most men besides her grandpa, and she knew the root cause of these feelings. When Rei was little, her mother grew sick and ended up in the hospital. Rei would always visit her and would cling to her mother's sickly form as her mother would try to comfort her. But her father had never bothered her mother, not even once; he was always too busy. He was busy to visit his own wife, who was dying in the hospital. So Rei always would visit her mother alone till her mother passed away quietly with Rei by her side.
Then, after her funeral, Rei's father decided he was far too busy with politics to care for his only daughter and dropped her off at this shrine to be cared for by her grandfather. The only time Rei heard from him was a short phone call on her birthday and a present he would send. So Rei didn't like any man besides her grandpa, so she definitely didn't want to spend her life with a man.
Rei picked up an arrow and threw it for Phobos and Demios to go get, and she watched as the crows flew after it. Rei sighed and thought if she wanted to spend her life with anyone, it'd be the girl with long blonde hair, always wearing a red bow. Minako…Rei thought she'd like to spend her life with Minako.
But Minako had dreams of being an idol, while Rei only knew she wanted to take over he grandfather's shrine. She didn't know what her dream was, and she didn't want to hold anyone, especially Minako or worse, her Princess, back. Anyway, didn't Rei own it to her grandpa who had taken care of her on such short notice and had humored all her strange and mysterious behaviors, like the time when she had first moved here, and she had named the two crows in his garden Phobos and Demios? Then, he had let her keep them and allowed them to stay with her throughout the years.
Maybe it was better if she never left the shrine at all.
_
The grounds of the Dead Moon Circus were bustling and loud, filled with people, from couples and families to people who had just come to subdue their curiosity. Rei placed a hand on her head and wondered if she'd have a headache by the end of this. Rei just wasn't the biggest fan of crowded places, that's all. But she would do this to make sure there was no threat to the Earth, her home, and no threat to her Princess, whom she swore her loyalty to.
"Alright, we should take a look around before heading to the main circus show because that's probably where the enemy will be enacting their plans," Luna spoke, and Rei nodded, understanding the purpose of their visit here.
"Look! Minako! They have bumper cars and ice cream! Let's go check that out!" Usagi, her Princess, exclaimed excitedly as she pointed before grabbing Minako's arm and dragging her off in the direction she had been pointing. Rei sighed and closed her eyes before shaking her head; she wasn't exactly surprised that Usagi had gotten distracted so quickly. Rei would like to believe that Minako would keep her on task, but knowing Minako, she honestly doubted it. She meant no offense to Minako, but to be honest, Minako was just as easily distracted as her Princess sometimes. At least Rei could count on Luna and Artemis to keep everyone on track; they were very good at their role as advisors. So, at least Rei knew she could count on them.
Rei opened her eyes and quickly noticed that her friends, and also Luna and Armetis, were gone. They had left her, and all wandered off. Because, of course, they had. Rei let out a long sigh; well, she supposed she could investigate some by herself before the show.
"Wow! That mirror house was really something, wasn't it, dear?" Rei heard someone speak, and she saw a couple walking past her. Rei found herself intrigued. A mirror-house she hadn't seen anything like that on the way in, but maybe she had missed it due to the crowds? Rei slowly turned around and saw a large building with glass doors behind her.
So this must be the mirror house, then. She couldn't believe she had managed to miss such a large building. Rei started to make her way toward the mirror house and noted that Phobos and Demios were flying in the sky above her.
Mirrors did have some spiritual significance, as you could often find a bronze mirror at shrines. So decided a mirror house would be a good place to start looking for clues about the Dead Moon Circus's real goal.
Rei opened the door to the mirror house and walked inside, ignoring the warning caws of Phobos and Demios.
_
Usagi gawked at the ticket prices for the show the Dead Moon Circus was putting on. Her friends were next to her, and she supposed they were gawking too because the front row S class seats at the circus they cost 100,000 yen! That was ridiculous! Usagi wasn't even good at math, and she knew that much! This had to be the most expensive show ever! Like Usagi couldn't believe the show was so expensive. Usagi could mentally hear the person who ran the circus laughing as she counted all the money they had earned. "Huh, where is Rei?" She heard Makoto ask, and she stopped thinking of how much this show would cost and looked around, realizing Rei was not with them.
"That's weird. Rei is usually always with us…" Minako chimed in, and Usagi agreed with that statement; it was very unlike Rei to get lost or fall behind. So, basically, she is the exact opposite of herself.
Luna sighed, and Usagi looked down at the cat, waiting for her to speak, "The show is starting; we'd better go in without her." Usagi nodded, though she felt a bit bad for being unable to wait for Rei. Then, right as they were about to enter the tent, a pink-haired woman with a mask stopped them.
"You four! There are no cats allowed in the tent!"
Usagi sighed; she guessed Luna and Armetis couldn't come with them.
_
The circus actors whirled above them on trapezes, doing many different kinds of impressive tricks, but Usagi could not pay attention to any of it. She felt so dizzy and lightheaded. She glanced at the others and could immediately tell they felt the same. Maybe they should leave; this seemed like a normal circus show…at she thought it did. Usagi was so dizzy she couldn't do much thinking.
Usagi turned her head to look where she knew the doors were, and her eyes widened. The doors were gone?!
_
Rei wandered around the mirror house, and she looked around in wonder. There were so many mirrors, all different shapes and sizes, that distorted her reflection. She hadn't seen anything like it before! Of course, Rei knew what was happening to distort her reflection, but Rei had never gone to a circus before. As Rei kept looking around, she realized what she was feeling right now must be excitement. Rei kept wandering until she ended up surrounded by a circle of mirrors.
Now, this was a bit odd; all the mirrors were the same shape and size, and they didn't show her reflection. How strange…now this was something Rei couldn't fathom how it worked.
The mirrors reflect your true self….
A young voice came, and an image started to reflect on the mirror; Rei's eyes widened once she saw the small girl with purple hair and eyes reflected in the mirror. That was her? But she wasn't a small child? Was this really the enemy after all? The little version herself laughed.
Our mama died when we were young, and our father dumped us at grandpa's place. We've been unhappy since we were small, correct?
Rei rushed away from the mirror, looking for the way she had come, but she found that the mirrors had now completely surrounded her, and she was trapped.
But we've always wanted to be happy, right? Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Minako all work you too hard. They rely on you too much…it's a shame you have to hang around them.
Rei put her hands over her ears, trying to block out the words of her smaller self. "Stop it! I don't think that at all!"
They're holding you back; it's time to make new friends and think of nothing but your own happiness. Like this man here…
Rei looked up to see the reflection of her smaller self in the arms of a tall man with orange hair.
I think I'm falling in love with him…
Rei watched as the young version herself leaned forward to kiss the man, and she could feel her stomach churn in disgust. She couldn't take this anymore! Rei took a deep breath and gathered all her energy before shouting. "Evil Spirits Disperse!"
Rei watched in relief as the man in the mirror and the younger version of herself disappeared, and she sighed in relief. However, that feeling was short-lived as she realized that she was still trapped. There was still no way out; she was still surrounded by the mirrors.
Rei's eyes widened as a woman with blue hair and a tiger by her side appeared in the mirrors, and laughter echoed around her. Rei felt a shiver go down her back, "I've placed a spell on this place; my mirror house could never be broken by a headstrong girl like you." Rei watched as the image of the tiger and the woman disappeared.
Sometimes, you do have to kiss a man you don't like. You may even have to kiss one or two of them.
Rei quickly turned, and her stomach dropped and churned at the sight she saw reflected in the mirror before her. Her younger self…her child self wearing a wedding dress, being held in the arms of the orange-haired man, her own arms wrapped around his neck.
But ultimately, the goal is to marry a wealthy man so that you can spend your life in total comfort.
Rei heard these words and shook her head. No! That wasn't true!
That's the path to true happiness! Being a shrine maiden all your life is nothing but a joke!
Rei growled and felt anger bubble in her chest. No, that wasn't true! She knew it wasn't! She wouldn't listen to this anymore! She wouldn't waste her time anymore in this place! Rei quickly raised her hand in the air,
"Mars Star Power Make—" Rei started to shout but stopped as there was a loud cracking sound, and she was shocked by lightning. Rei fell to her knees before collapsing to the ground. Huh? She couldn't transform? Why? Why couldn't she transform? Did she mess up her transformation phrase?
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Transform? What was that? What was she talking about? Transform into what? What were dreams again? Why was she here? What had she been searching for?
_
Luna and Armetis had been lying outside the circus tent, as they had not been let into the tent. Luna looked up as she heard something and looked to see Phobos and Demios cawing and circling around a building in the front of the circus. Luna stood up and looked around to see what had bothered Phobos and Demios so. That's when she noticed that the tent's doors had disappeared.
Luna felt panic rise in her chest, wondering if the girls would be trapped in there with no way out. "Luna, let's go see what's bothering Phobos and Demios," Artemis spoke, and Luna nodded.
Phobos and Demios were the Princess of Mars's chosen guardians; if they were being so noisy, Something must have happened to Rei. Luna knew if one of the Inner Senshi were taken out, it wouldn't spell anything good for them. So she took off running.
Upon reaching where Phobos and Demios were, they saw a building labeled mirror house and heard a growl. Luna's stomach dropped as she saw a tiger standing before the mirror house and was pondering what to do. She could either take her human form or stay a cat and run. Luckily, before Luna had to make any such decision, two feathers came down and pierced the tiger's neck. Luna watched as the tiger fell to the ground bleeding and looked up, wondering if this had been the work of Phobos and Deimos, but when she looked up in the sky, her breath caught.
Phobos and Demios were gone.
_
It was silent, and Rei found herself surrounded by darkness; she didn't know who she was or where she was anymore. What had happened? How had she ended up here in this darkness? Where are the girls alright? She wondered. Was Usagi safe?
Princess Mars
Someone was calling for her, and she didn't know who. Rei didn't recognize those voices. It certainly wasn't the voice of her friends or her Princess. Yet despite not recognizing the voice, Rei knew the people calling her were people she knew. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and her vision was blurred, but she could make out two tiny figures with deep purple hair and purple eyes wearing light purple leotards.
As her vision came into to focus, she noticed the two women were holding black feathers in their hands. Black feathers that looked exactly like the feathers on crows. Rei's eyes widened, "Who are you guys?" Rei asked, but she felt like she already knew who these women were.
Rei's attention was drawn to the mirror, where she saw a reflection of her friends and Princess looking dazed and out of it, and her heart started racing. Oh no! They must be falling under the enemy's spell! She never should have let them leave her side! "Girls! I need to help them!" Rei shouted but realized that she still did not know a way out of the mirror house.
What was she supposed to do? Rei looked back towards the woman, who smiled at her as a heart-shaped crystal formed before her. "That's why we are here, Princess Mars. We are Phobos and Demios and your Mars Crystal. Now transform Sailor Mars!"
Rei's eyes widened; these women were Phobos and Demios? This was her Mars Crystal? She didn't understand, "Phobos, Demios!" Rei called out, but the two women had already faded, leaving only her crystal behind.
Rei took a deep breath; she knew what she had to do! She raised her hand in the air and shouted, "Mars Crystal Power Make Up!"
Rei was Sailor Mars again, but this time, something was different. She felt stronger and more powerful than before. She could feel the flames surging through her body. She wondered if this was how Haruka, Michiru, or Setsuna felt when they used their talismans.
Why had she been so confused before? It was so obvious now. The answer had been there for her all along. She was Sailor Mars, and she had pledged herself to her Princess. No matter what happened, she'd always stay by her side and protect her. Protecting her Princess was her dream. She wanted to become the best Senshi she could so she could always protect her Princess. So she could keep her safe no matter what happened.
Rei took a deep breath and focused her powers on all the flames surging inside her. She was imagining an arrow hitting its target. Slowly, flames formed in her hands, and a bow and arrow of flames appeared. Rei took another breath before letting the arrow go and shouting, "Mars Flame Sniper!"
The arrow burned everything around, and finally, Rei broke free of the mirror house. Rei would always fight for her Princess and protect her, for that was her very reason for living.
_
Usagi walked out of the circus tent, the other girls by her side, and yawned. She felt so tired and dizzy, which was strange because she couldn't remember anything that happened in the circus tent at all. Also, where had Luna and Armetis gone? Usagi knew they had left them out here, so where had they gone? "Everyone, you're alright!" Usagi heard someone shout, and she looked to see Rei with Luna and Armetis on her shoulders, running towards them, tears in her eyes.
"Rei? Luna, Armetis?" Usagi spoke still quite not aware of her surroundings.
Usagi didn't know why Rei was upset, and was still dizzy. So when Rei suddenly hugged her in a tight embrace, Usagi almost lost her balance. After a few moments, Usagi got her bearings and didn't feel dizzy anymore, and noticed that Rei was still hugging her tightly. "Rei? What happened?"
Rei didn't answer for a few moments, only tightening her embrace and Usagi could tell Rei was really upset, and she started to get more than a little bit worried. Finally, after another minute or so, Rei pulled away, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Before looking at them, the expression on her face turning serious, "I got trapped in the mirror house near the front; they kept showing me all these hallucinations. They were silly, but they got to me. So we must be careful because the Dead Moon Circus is definitely the enemy."
"You got trapped in the mirror house. We got to be careful; then they may be onto the rest of us." Ami spoke, her voice serious.
Usagi blinked for a second, thinking, "Wait, could they be trying to hypnotize people with their circus show? It would explain why we got so dizzy." It fell quiet after that, and Usagi found everyone's eyes were on her.
"Whatever it is. The Dead Moon Circus they can trick people so they can use them in their schemes! We must be sure they leave this place immediately!" Rei spoke, her face serious, and Usagi knew she was right.
_
Michiru sat at a table, a cup of green tea that had long become cold next to her. She was worried and couldn't focus on anything. She started down at the Deep Aqua Mirror, her talisman, which she held in her hands though her grip on it was tight. Ever since the day of the eclipse, Hotaru had been aging rapidly. She had gone from a six-month-old baby to a toddler, and now, just today, she had aged to a five-year-old child who was learning to read. It was worrying the way Hotaru was aging.
Michiru couldn't help but wonder if Hotaru was aging like this because Saturn needed to awaken again, and Michiru hoped that wasn't the case. Hotaru deserved to live a normal life this time around. This was Hotaru's second chance; she shouldn't have to spend it fighting.
Michiru knew there was a new emeny that had snuck its way to earth the day of the solar eclipse. Michiru had seen it with her own eyes, but she hadn't wanted to believe it then. But now she was sure there was a new enemy. Michiru wanted to go help and fight alongside her Princess and protect her…but she couldn't. Michiru couldn't transform, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because she had done something wrong. Was it because she had chosen a new mission instead of continuing with the one she had been assigned? Michiru bit her lip; she just didn't know.
Then there was the pegasus, the one that Usagi kept seeing. Aside from the fact that he kissed her Princess, something Michiru was still angry about and considering murdering the pegasus if she ever saw him. Michiru wondered if he was an enemy in disguise who was using her Princess. According to Usagi, he always insisted he was an ally, but how could they know if that was really true? Why should they believe him?
According to Usagi, the pegasus always spoke of finding the 'Golden Crystal' and saving Elyson, but Michiru had no way of knowing what those two things were. However, they did sound very familiar to her for some reason. However, Michiru had no way of knowing if that was a good thing or a bad thing. For all she knew, those could be two very bad and dangerous things that she couldn't remember.
If it did turn out to be something bad, then her Princess would be in danger. She could even be in grave danger, and Michiru knew she could never live with herself if something happened to her Princess. But all Michiru could do was hope that the Pegasus wasn't lying about his intentions and hope he wouldn't put her Princess, whom she loved and was one of her beloveds, in a situation that could seriously hurt her or, worse, even kill her. Michiru didn't know if she could live without her Princess.
So Michiru, though she could not transform, knew she had to do something, which is why she had gotten her mirror, hoping it would reveal something. But it didn't and only showed her own reflection. Michiru felt useless.