The monster glared. And reared. And shambled towards the girl. The great mouth opened, a bottomless void limned by wicked fangs. From that terrible maw came; "The capitol of the United Kingdom is...?"
"London!" Serena spoke without thinking. She lifted her glance, slowly, to see not a monster but a very angry and dangerous looking Miss Haruna. Uh oh, she thought, wondering how much of the comic book was showing from behind the textbook she was SUPPOSED to be studying.
"London is correct." Miss Haruna said, surprised. "Very good, Serena. And not like you at all." She turned back to her desk and picked up her chalk again.
Serena dove back into the comic book. "Go get 'em, Sailor V," she mumbled.
SEARCH FOR THE MOON PRINCESS
Episode Eight : Green Thumbs
Queen Beryl was lounging back in the black throne, her eyes hooded. "Tell me," her voice was dangerously calm, "how you intend to proceed now that you have inherited Jadeite's job."
Not even the threat of the ex-general's frozen body could erase the relaxed insouciance or the ever-present sneer of Beryl's next ranking General, Nephrite. "The humans lavish much care and energy on some useless plants they call flowers," he said. "I thought it might be pleasant to provide a more useful outlet for those energies."
"And if your scheme is discovered, just as all your predecessor's were? What then?" the Queen demanded.
The sneer grew. "Did I neglect to mention our source is well guarded? If that girl shows up," at least he knew better than to mention the Princess Mercury by name, "my transformed servant will take care of her." Nephrite laughed, then. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "She and her friends will make a fine fertilizer!"
Warm and soft and cuddly, with just a little tickle from the soft clean quilt over her, and a bit of a lovely stretch here and settle back into a fine dream...
And a voice screeching in her ear. "Serena! You're going to be late to school!"
"Unnnggg!" Serena complained. "Mwbl ububub," she explained carefully. She twisted into a more comfortable sprawl and headed back for dreamland.
"Serena!" Ten pounds of fur-bearing animal dropped on her stomach. "Honestly, how you ever expect to make anything of yourself! Your grades are nothing to be proud of, Serena, and neither is your attendance record!"
"Aww! I was just dreaming about me and Tuxedo Mask, and..."
Luna changed her tone. Sweetly, she said, "If you are late for school one more time your mother won't let you go to the Crown Arcade after school."
"And not see Andrew! I mean... Oh, no! I'm going to be late for school!" And Serena scrambled from her bed.
She crashed through her untidy bedroom, splashed water in her face, jumped into the school uniform laying across a chair, and ran downstairs. "No time for breakfast, mom!" she cried. "I'm going to be late as it is!"
"Why, Serena!" Her mother was sitting quietly at the table, sipping a morning tea. Behind her something was cooking, and the smell was enough to urge Serena's stomach to stay behind. "Whatever errand could you have so early on a Saturday morning?"
"So long..." Serena roared through the front door, flaps down and afterburner lit.
And slowly came back in. "Saturday?"
Her mother nodded.
"Saturday?!" She looked daggers at Luna.
"Well, what?" The cat made sure Serena's mother wasn't in a position to overhear. "I'm a cat, Serena. You think I keep a Day-Runner?"
"Molly! It's...I can't get over...you look great, your mom is great, you're out of the hospital and everything!"
"Thanks, Serena," Molly said in the soft slow accent of rural Kansai. "You've all been so good to me. That helped a whole lot."
"We were worried about you," Amy said gently. "I'm glad you're okay."
They were all at one of the inside tables at the Crown Arcade; Molly, Serena, Amy, and Luna. Despite the huge breakfast -- that she had for once had time to eat -- Serena was managing to decimate the large sundae before her.
"My mom just...woke up," Molly said. "And she didn't remember anything about what had happened."
"So that mean witch Queen Beryl must have put a spell on her, right, Luna?" Serena turned to the cat.
"Not exactly..." Luna's attention was elsewhere. Then she realized what she had done.
Molly's eyes were huge. "You talk!"
"Boy, does she," Serena said. Then she looked up. "Um..." she met Amy's eyes. "Oops?"
"Ah, Molly," Amy temporized. Then she caught herself. Why should we be keeping secrets from her? Molly is in as much danger as we are from these things. She has a right to know. "Go ahead and tell her, Serena," she said.
Serena needed no urging. "Yeah, so Molly, you're not going to believe this! Amy's a superhero, just like Sailor V!"
"Serena!" Luna rolled her eyes.
"Actually, it's really more that..." Amy tried to interject.
"She can transform and everything! Oh, and then there's Tuxedo Mask!" Serena sighed deeply. "You got to see him to believe him. We're fighting the monsters," she added as if an afterthought.
She'd probably sum up World War II as having snappy uniforms and nice dance music, Amy sighed. "So, Molly, what did happen to you?"
"It was a monster." Molly's accent gave the word about three syllables. "Just like Serena said. Right after it grabbed me I keeled over."
"What did it look like?"
"It had these flowers on the ends of its arms. Purple-red, three well-defined petals, three sepals with the center in a long vase shape."
"Dendrobia!" Serena said.
"Oh, Serena," Molly said. "Cattleya. Amethystoglossa, I think, or maybe one of the larger epiphytes."
"Flying Parsnip?"
"Red Queen's Head!"
"What ARE you two talking about!" Amy looked from one to the other.
"Orchids!" they chorused.
"Okay, okay." Amy put her hands flat on the table. It beat putting them over her face. "So you are saying you were attacked by a giant plant."
"Was it singing?" someone asked.
"Weirdo!" Serena said, sticking her tongue out at the passing stranger. Then she caught sight of two people near the counter. "Uh, oh."
"Serena," Amy prodded. "We have a real problem here."
"I'll say. That's that guy that bumped into me. How does he know Andrew?"
"Oh, Serena." Molly looked around with a healthy interest. "That's Darien," she confided. "He used to go to school with Andrew. He's in here all the time."
"Hey, looks like he's got a sore arm."
"He goes to the gym daily, same as Andrew," Molly offered as possible explanation.
"Could we just..." Amy was saying as she looked around. Her gaze stuck. Darien was handsome. Tall, black hair, intelligent looking. Well, Amy thought. Maybe the plant monster could wait a little...
"Harry's Horticulture?" Amy said. "Is that really what this shop is called?"
"Sure," Molly said. "They know just everything about orchids."
Serena was already pushing her way inside. "Oooh, smell!" she said. "So many flowers! Oh, look at this one! And this one!" In moments both she and Molly were within, inspecting flowers and displays, smelling bouquets, admiring blossoms.
"Guys? Ahem? Have you noticed there's no-one else here?" Amy looked around again. "Where is the staff?"
"Maybe they are all in the greenhouse," Molly offered. She led the way, pushing open a door in the back of the shop. Warm air with a thick jungle smell wafted out. A tall figure moved somewhere back among the rows of pots and the tall trellises.
"Watch out, Serena!" Molly could hardly speak through giggles. "It might be a plant!"
"Oh, no," said a rustling, breathy voice from within. "Not puns."
"You think we should leave ?" Serena chortled back.
"Um, guys?" Amy said. It was a plant. A big green man-shaped plant with purple-red flowers for hands. And it was moving towards them! "Molly!" she cried. "Get back!"
Too late. Green vines shot out of the plant-monster. They coiled about their friend with an audible snap. Molly cried out, tried to push against the vines.
"Why do these things keep picking on Molly?" Serena said. "Amy! You gotta transform and save her!"
"Right!" Amy lifted the transformation pen high. "MERCURY...POWER!"
Watery light broke about her, piercing the mists with cool beams of light, filling the greenhouse in azure and turquoise. The uniform of the Sailor Scouts formed about her.
The plant-monster was pulling Molly closer; their friend's eyes were already closed, and she hung limply from the green coils. "Let her go!" Amy yelled. The monster ignored her.
"You gotta challenge it!" Serena was plucking at her sleeve. "You gotta do the speech, like Sailor V!"
Serena just might be right. Amy cleared her throat, paused. Then she took a wide-legged pose, arms crossed, fists clenched and ready.
"All right, you overgrown weed!" she cried. "I am the sailor-suited soldier for love, justice and good grades, Sailor Mercury! I will right wrongs and triumph over evil -- and that means you, green boy!"
The monster swung about and dropped Molly. It had worked! For once, Amy was glad Serena had shown her all those comic books.
The monster shambled in their direction, pistils primed and ready. "Now what do I do?" Amy said worriedly.
"Blast it!" Serena was jumping up and down.
"I can't 'blast it!' All I have is fog power! And a lot of good that is going to do against something that lives in a greenhouse!"
"You mean we're helpless?" Serena wailed. Amy nodded grimly. The plant closed in, green vines lifting out towards them...
A single red rose flashed through mists that parted magically before it. The monster jerked back as if stung.
Serena looked up, saw the young man in the dashing black cloak and hat as the mists parted about him. He is so handsome, Serena thought dreamily. And I trust him so utterly. As if I have always known him, known him for ages uncounted...
Tuxedo Mask winked at her. "I always turnip in the nick of time, don't I?" he said. He raised his voice. "Now squash this plant-monster and get out of here!"
"We can't fight it!" Amy said. "We don't have any powers!"
Tuxedo Mask was already fading back into the mists. "You have the only powers you need," he said. "Intelligence. Willpower. Friendship. You can win through here," he finished. "You must."
Amy shook herself. "Isn't it a hothouse plant? Maybe we can break a window and give it a chill."
"Don't be silly," Serena said. "Besides, there's orchids that grow in the arctic." Then she stopped. Her eyes went wide. "Hey, Amy," she said. "I think I've got an idea...!" Their eyes met in sudden understanding.
"I'll keep it off of you," Amy said.
And she charged! The monster was as startled as Serena; it let off a spray of vines an instant too late. The transformed Sailor of Mercury ducked, and kept running. Serena hoped her friend wouldn't brain herself on something back there in the mist.
Serena turned, and ran for the door. She grabbed the big fire extinguisher there, and, after a long fumbling moment, got the safety wire off. "I got it, Amy!" she yelled.
"Blast it!" Amy cried from somewhere back in the greeenhouse.
Serena turned, aimed at a shadowy figure moving in the fog, and squeezed the trigger. There was a loud whoosh as frozen vapor leapt into the already cloudy air.
"No, n-n-not m-m-me!" Amy gasped. "B-b-blast the m-m-m, the m-m-monster!"
Serena turned, and squeezed again. This time she kept the handle down until the frosty white plume was gone. There was a protracted crashing, like a very small tree being felled.
"Did I get it? Did I get it?" Serena asked.
Amy came out of the mist, shivering violently. "Why," she complained, "did the Sailor Scout uniform have to have a miniskirt? Yeah, you got it." She sneezed, and sneezed again. "I can't stop shivering long enough to transform into warmer clothes!"
Mrs. Tsukino looked fondly at her oldest child. Serena was tearing into the broccoli, and had yet to even look at the desert that went with the family's evening meal. "Why, Serena," she said. "I never knew you liked vegetables so much!"
Serena mumbled something, still chewing vigorously.
"Did you understand what she said, dear?"
"No, dear," Mr. Tsukino answered. "But it sounded a little like 'get them before they get me!'"
Both of them looked at each other. "Must be your side of the family!" they said in unison.
Serena, oblivious, chewed.
NEXT --
The Negaverse regroups, and their first move is to neutralize Amy. Be there for....Mercury Falling! A darker turn to the saga of the alternate Sailors...