"So, you guys are the famous Sailor Senshi?" asked Benj comfortably as the entire crew (cats and all) sat underneath the huge oak tree in McKenna park. He shot what he hoped was a charming glance at Rei, "Even you, Beautiful?"

"Guilty as charged," grinned Mina, who intercepted the complement as she put her arms around the shoulders of all the friends she could manage.

"Although we are still not clear on how you fit into this picture," added Ami.

Pheobe sweatdropped, "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the full story when I saw you last, it’s just that I wasn’t sure if Benj would be ready for his awakening."

"I wasn’t."

"Yes, you were. I know. I’ve had years of experience with these things. I know very well that you are quite ready to be protector of Venus."

"Whoa!" cried out Mina, "Just a second there, I’m the protector of Venus!"

"Yes," sighed Pheobe exasperatedly, "and he is your protector."

"Great! I have my very own fan club now! ‘Cept, who is he? I mean I was Princess of Venus in the Silver Millennium, who was he?" <murmurs to herself> ‘I hope not my brother.’

"Ahem." she went on the explain what she knew of the Deities, Avatars, and Knights, "This particular soul is not of Royal Venus blood, although the Senshi must always be so, the Knights do not have to be. He is of no relation to you Princess Minako, but rather, a feisty playwright who rose to the attention of the King of Venus, and thus was appointed Lord Knight of Venus. However do not underestimate his prowess in battle. His humorous exterior hides a strong leader and a powerful warrior."

"Hip, hip, hooray!" cried Benj drily, "Let’s take about Benj some more like he’s not sitting right here!"

Pheobe and Mina sweatdropped.

"Well, at least the cutie isn’t my cousin," thought Mina hopefully as she blushed.

Play Opening Song (Moonlight Legend)

Series Title, Sailor Moon Knights of the Cosmos

Episode Title (3) Mercury Rising

"Guys, guys," calmed Ami, "I’m sure none of us want to get into an argument right now. We still have a lot of business to attend to!"

"Right, Ami!" agreed Mina, taking the lead, in a businesslike way, "Sorry, Benji!"

It was Benj’s turn to blush, "That’s Benj, Mina."

Mina flashed him a shining star of a smile as she nodded, oblivious to his former comment, "Right, Benji. Anyway, does anyone know a thing about these weirdo things that have been attacking us? Anybody got a clue about what they’re after?"

Ami nodded, "Actually, General Mina, I do have some data on them. However, it doesn’t really make much sense. I’ve analyzed a hundred ways, but every time I think I may have found a clue, it turns out the same again."

"What is it?"

"You may not believe this, but those things are solid."

"So," said Serena, "Rocks are solid," she tapped on the tree root she was sitting on, "So’s this tree root. What’s your point?"

"You misunderstand me," responded Ami, "These creature’s we’ve fought are of a uniform substance completely through them. They only differ in outer texture."

"You’re saying that those things don’t have internal organs or anything? They’re certainly alive, how do they stay that way without any body systems at all?" asked Rei.

Ami shrugged, "That was my problem with this theory."

Terra startled them. She was staring abstractly into the western sky, and her voice had an unearthly quality, "They’re like pieces of art. Sculpture. Clay figures, painted on the outside."

David glanced at her, "Terra?"

She shook her head slightly and her eyes refocused. She noticed that all the others were staring at her. She sweatdropped. "Did I do it again?"

David nodded.

"That’s a very plausible analogy. They are like clay figures. Like animated clay figures." Ami paused for a moment then pulled out her computer, "Animated clay figures . . ." she murmured to herself as she scanned her computer’s screen. "Aha!" she exclaimed as her search payed off, "I’ve got it! Animated clay figures, that matches with an ancient European legend about golems. Perhaps our new foes are constructed along the lines of golems."

"Um, am I out of the loop because I don’t know what a golem is?" asked Lita.

Ami shook her head, "Golems are not widely known. Ancient European traditions are often not as well kept as Greek and Roman ones are. Golems are animated figures made out of what is generally considered to be inanimate material. Many variations on this common theme exist, for instance, the wooden golem, or more popularly, the stone or clay golem.

"Golems are held to be operated by a magical cipher on parchment. This parchment is placed in a niche in the golem’s forehead. When the paper is there, the creatures are active. When the paper is removed, the golem falls as lifelessly as a stone. Golems are also only supposed to obey the master who initiated the spell by placing the paper in it’s forehead."

"How does your data run against the golem’s specs?" asked Darien, putting his arm around Serena.

"Incomplete data. I don’t have enough information to run the full battery. However, with the data I have gathered, there is a 63% chance that these creatures are in fact golems."

"Well," shrugged Rei, "63% isn’t great, but it’s a start."

Pheobe cleared her throat, "Now that we have that little affair settled somewhat, we can move onto the next item on the agenda, the Quantum Crystal of Venus. As I mentioned before, these crystals can only be summoned by the Senshi and Knight channeling simultaneously. You can look as it as a last line of defense. If an evil entity took control of either the Senshi or Knight, it still could not wield the power of the Quantum crystal. Now to do this, I believe we ought to move to somewhere where our audience is not so large. Is there anywhere secluded we could go?"

"How about my apartment?" asked Lita.

"I’d rather not chance this experiment indoors. If you had any experience with Quantum crystals, you wouldn’t either. That is unless you hated your house," replied Pheobe.

"There is the other end of the pond," piped up Terra, "The reeds and willow keep out unwanted viewers. I know. I’ve had to transform there, more than once."

"The pond it is!" agreed Pheobe.

~*~

"What exactly are we supposed to do?" asked Sailor Venus skeptically, as she glanced at her star wand.

"Throw you Venus energy at this spot on the ground," said Pheobe as she made an ‘x’ in the dirt, "Then you do the same, all right Benj?"

"Roger Wilcox," nodded Venus Knight, taking a position opposite Mina. He had already removed his right glove and put on his ring. However, as gung-ho as he was, it still made him rather nervous that Pheobe had thought is necessary to station Sailor Mercury near him, just in case she was required to put him out. The blue haired Senshi seemed to read his mind and she grinned at him.

‘Well,’ he thought, ‘C’est la vie."

"Now, everyone, stand clear!" ordered Pheobe.

Mina planted her feet solidly in the ground and extended her arms,

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

Sailor Venus began to glow as a static electricity extended around her. The air began to audibly vibrate as the energy hummed through the near vicinity. Concentrating, she leveled her left arm at the dirt gouged ‘x.’ A beam of energy solidified itself as Sailor Venus struggled to keep the energy flow exactly calibrated so it would not flare out and injure all those in the area.

"Now, Benj!" cried out Pheobe.

Venus Knight leveled his ring at the column of energy and called up his own energy,

"VENUS POWER!"

Venus Knight glowed a warm amber color as his energy built. The static in the air grew and Celeus’s fur stood on end. Pheobe giggled at him, but her laugh was drown out by the reassuring hum of the double output of energy.

When Benj’s energy output peaked, he contributed his own power to the beam. Suddenly, their activation energy reached, the column flared up in a burst that temporarily blinded all that were present. Luna, prepared by the Ceres Emerald Jadestone’s similar reappearance, shielded her eyes. She was the first to see the shining object that lay in the grass.

This new stone was larger that the Silver Empyrean Crystal, but only by a small degree. It was cut with six main facets, rather like a prismatic cube. On the surface, it was clear crystal. It was so clear that it appeared to be plate glass, however, Luna mused that if Ami scanned it, it would likely turn out to be harder than diamond. Inside the glassy exterior, was a beautiful golden topaz crystal that radiated energy.

"It’s the focus stone!" Luna realized with a start, "This stone was meant to be the focus of all the other stones power."

Pheobe blinked rapidly, then her eyes grew accustomed to the light, "You are correct, Luna. That stone is the refractor stone. It amplifies energy." She turned to Sailor Venus and Venus Knight, gingerly holding the still warm stone, "Avatars of Venus, may I present you with your Quantum crystal, the Venus Topaz Golden."

Mina bent down and took it from the small white cat, "Gee, is this it? What exactly does it do?"

Pheobe sat back on her haunches and curled her tail around her legs, "You’ve seen what the Empyrean Silver Crystal does? And the Ceres Emerald Jadestone as well I assume? Well, the Topaz Golden belongs to that same family. The Silver Crystal is the controlling crystal and the charging crystal. By charging crystal, I mean that of the Quantum Crystals, only the Silver Crystal can be charged by an external source. The other crystals must be charged by the Silver Crystal, and the Silver Crystal can only be charged by a pure heart. The Silver Crystal is the controlling crystal because if it were to fall into the wrong hands, all the subordinate crystals would as well. They are all linked up on a spiritual level and their energy signatures resonate similarly. Thus, the wielder of the Silver Crystal is also the wielder of the others.

"Your particular crystal is the focus stone of the set. If you shoot energy through it, that energy will be amplified by a factor of about twenty. That is why, when coupled with the Jadestone, or the Silver Crystal, it can be a devastating force."

"So," asked Venus, "Can I shoot a Crescent Beam through it?"

Pheobe thought for a moment, "Yes, since you are one of the ancestral wielders, your energy resonates with the crystal’s. If it did not, the crystal would scatter the energy, as opposed to focusing it. A crescent beam fired through that ought to be a force to be reckoned with."

Suddenly, the warm stone glowed brighter and it burned Venus’s hand, even through her protective glove.

"Ouch!"

She dropped the stone instinctively, but before it hit the ground, it began to float out of it’s own volition. The Venus Star Wand also freed itself from her grasp, and in a blinding flash of light, the two were joined, much in the fashion that the Ceres Star Wand had formed.

"Well, nuts for that idea. I can’t shoot a beam through it when it’s attached to the wand," remarked Sailor Venus.

"Don’t be too sure about that," responded Pheobe, casually bathing a paw.

"Wouldn’t it destroy the star wand? Terra destroyed the crescent moon wand with a blast from the Jadestone, didn’t she?" asked Lita, confusedly.

Celeus nodded, "From what I know, yes."

Pheobe blinked, then turned to Celeus, "Explain."

Celeus did, in a halting manner, with assists from Terra and the other Senshi.

Pheobe looked thoughtful, "Well, from what I gather, then crescent moon wand was at the end of it’s existence anyway. It had served it’s purpose. It was charged with energy too? Well, then no wonder it was destroyed. Some wands have a built-in self-destruct ward. If Sailor Ceres had destroyed the wand, then the pent up energy would have released in a miniature nova-like explosion. Ceres blast probably triggered the release and self destruct, that’s all. Nevertheless, it is not wise to shoot modified light laser beams at the star wand, considering this new development."

"Then Venus can’t do a refracted beam?" asked Mercury.

"I didn’t say that."

"But you just said that . . ." began Venus.

"I said that it would be unwise to shoot a beam at the wand, not the crystal," reminded Pheobe.

"Hey smart kitty cat," Venus bent and knocked on the feline’s head, "Anybody home? This wand is now attached to the crystal."

Pheobe artfully removed herself from Venus’s grasp, "I was getting to that. You humans are so impatient!"

She bathed a paw.

"Well?" they all chorused.

"That crystal is not permanently attached. Just concentrate on it Venus. Think about it coming loose and it will."

"Are you sure?" asked Venus skeptically, "I’m not the psychic, she’s over there," Venus gestured to Mars, who rolled her eyes.

"I’m sure of it, Miss Comedian. Just try. Think about it."

Venus complied, and sure enough, the stone freed itself although a moment before it had been solidly ingrained in the wand. She concentrated again and the stone rejoined the wand.

"Wicked cool!" she cried out happily.

"Yes, your transformation ought to utilize more power now, although you are still not experienced enough to tap into the full potential of that crystal. When you reach that plateau, you will be older and wiser, hopefully. The power of a full crystal transformation is nothing to sneer at, replied Pheobe.

"Uh, you guys, I thought it was supposed to be our crystal. Don’t I get to shoot any laser beams? What am I, chopped liver?" asked Venus Knight.

"It seems we both are. I can’t remember the last time anyone asked me a question," quipped Artemis.

Luna grinned devilishly and asked, "Hey, Arty, what’s your sign?"

~*~

Image sketched diligently. Generally, she could finish a sketch of her creatures in as little time as five minutes, however, the creatures she was creating right now were the most ambitious she had ever done, and she demanded quality.

She sat in the shadow of a warehouse, near the bay. Her dark hair fluttered as a breeze ruffled the smooth page of her book and her dress. It brought the stinging salt aroma and the scattered cries of sea birds up from the quays. She disregarded it absently. She concentrated completely on her work, lulled by the soft scratching of her stylus on the cream-colored paper.

The figures she drew were incredibly detailed. She was taking no chances. She wanted no mistakes with these children. She sighed to herself as she regarded the picture. No, they were still not done.

She had never attempted a summoning such as this before. To be sure, she had summoned much more complex creatures than these, but never any real creature. She had only conjured those of her own imaginings, never those of nature’s. That was why her drawing had to be absolutely perfect if she was to fool anyone with them.

Suddenly, she smiled. The smoothly rounded lines were finally coming together. If all went well, it would not take too much longer. If she succeeded quickly with her new plan, then she could return to her Shadow. Image was pleased.

~*~

Her Excellency, High Sorceress Elys, paced her chamber soundlessly. Of all the ‘rooms’ in the Palace, her chamber was the one most terrestrial. The room had walls of cut crystal that were elegantly accented with gold and platinum. The solitary light was a seemingly unsustained flame in a crystal globe, suspended form the ceiling by some unknown force. The only furnishings in the room were a chair and table, both cut into the crystal of the wall. At the farthest end of the chamber was a glass platform that floated about two feet above the ground. There was a delicate pillow and a sheet of gossamer was rumpled near the lower edge of the panel.

But Elys was not intent on her surroundings. In fact, she did not notice them at all. Instead, her entire attention was focused on her contemplation of the Knights. Suddenly, a soft rap on the grooved crystal door startled her out of her revery. After a moment more of thought, she called,

"Enter."

The figure in the hall was tall and quiet. He was clothed from head to foot in soft black velvet robes, with a hood and cowl obscuring most of his face. Here was Shadow Knight, once the most powerful mage in the land, now the most reflective, and possibly, the most powerful of the Knights. Elys had known him for a very long time, and he had changed little. Even as a young man he had had a peculiar demeanor, one that alienated him from most others, even in their kingdom. He always seemed to be brooding over something, his dark, moody eyes almost lost in the shadow of his hood, and he certainly seemed to be brooding now.

Truth be told, Elys did not feel entirely comfortable with him. He was the only person in their world who’s skill with magic could have rivaled her own, although his magic was of an entirely different sort than hers. And sometimes, Elys would catch that particular gleam in his dark eyes that startled her. It was not that he was unstable, on the contrary, for someone so powerful, he was remarkably stable, he was simply given to pleasing himself. He did love his kingdom and his world, but Elys knew very well that he would not give his life to save it, nor would he give his life to save her. There was only one person in her entire kingdom that Elys knew he would die for, and she was not present. Elys knew very well that Shadow Knight had adamantly opposed Image’s translation.

"She is not experienced enough for battle," he had counseled. "She is too young." Or more frequently, "War is not place for a poet, no matter what her skill or calling." Also he had warned, "She may be very stable and given to prudence, but there is a deepness in her, as with most poets. She might very well loose confidence in herself, and then where will our world be?"

Elys folded her arms behind her as Shadow bowed his head solemnly. After this motion, Elys gestured him to the carved crystal seat and said, "Shadow Knight, what an unexpected pleasure. To what do I owe it?"

Shadow Knight did not sit, Elys knew he generally preferred not to, but the thing that startled her was the fact that after politely declining, he pulled the hood away from his face and regarded her openly. This was quite contrary to his character. He generally did not deign to let anyone but Image see him without his hood. Thus it is not surprising that Elys was disconcerted.

His voice was soft. He rarely let it rise above a whisper, but the projection it gave was of someone who did not need to shout to be heard. There was also an obvious hint of emotion in his voice, coupled with a slight mocking.

"Have you heard from Image?" he asked simply.

Elys had to answer negatively. She had been so exhausted from Image’s translation that she had slept long. After her sleep, she had busied herself with the details concerning the defense of their world. She had trusted that Image was doing well, despite the fact that she had, as yet recovered any of the five. If that had happened, Elys would have known immediately.

"I am afraid that a few setbacks have affected her aversely," he replied when the High Sorceress questioned him. He proceeded to outline what he knew of Image’s plight and condition. Elys was not pleased.

"What do you mean she’s become unstable? Image was the most stable of you four. She has no undesirable Knight characteristics. She is nothing like Mirage. Mirage is too much of a hotdog as much as Spirit plays the game too defensively. Has Image reached dangerous levels yet?" she asked, taking up pacing again.

"No, I don’t believe so. She can come out of it, if you will let me communicate with her. Remember, you forbid it."

"Yet you have obviously been monitoring her. That was against my wishes," Elys snapped.

"Monitoring and communication are two entirely different things. You did not specify that you didn’t wish for me to monitor her. Even if you had I doubt I would have obeyed. Look at what you would have missed. How much more of a fiasco did you want to make this?" he asked crisply and matter-of-factly.

Elys threw up her hands and turned her back to him, "I do not have enough strength to bring her back now. I can only do that if she brings one of the crystals with her. I cannot send you to her either. I lack the strength for that as well. All my energy that is not committed to the defense is what little I use to sustain myself."

"Then let me speak with her."

"I did not want you to distract her, her mission is too important. I suppose that now I have no choice. If I deny you, you will speak with her anyway," Elys sighed heavily, "You may try to calm her down Shadow Knight. Reason with her, be her compatriot, just don’t do anything to rile her. That is certainly not what she needs. Is that clear?"

But when the Sorceress turned around, the crystal room was empty, save herself, and Shadow was already gone.

~*~

The computer lab was dark when Terrence left it. Not surprising because he had turned off the lights. He was often the last one out of it at night and the Professor in charge of it trusted him to close down the computers, turn off the lights, and lock the doors.

Most of the other people Terrence knew called him a nerd. Terrence didn’t mind because most of the other people he knew were idiots. Benj had never called him a nerd, not even in jest, which was one of the reasons he felt had found such a true friend in the small, outrageous man. The two of them were very different, but the thing that they shared was the fact that they were both outcasts.

To be sure, Benj enjoyed popularity for his odd notoriety and his bizarre ability to make anyone laugh, but it was a shallow popularity. Most people laughed at Benj, not with him. Terrence did not enjoy any popularity at all. Most of the other ‘nerds’ did not like him because they considered him to be antisocial. He was not, he was simply Terrence. Most people failed to understand that.

Terrence lived to solve problems as much as Benj lived to make people laugh. He was in most of the accelerated track science classes and all of the maths. He took as many a semester as the University would allow, with no clear major. Benj called him the Renaissance man. Terrence did not think himself popular enough to be called such.

It was not to say that Terrence had low self-esteem. He had very high self-esteem. He just did not attempt to kind himself. He knew he wasn’t popular. That suited him just fine. He occasionally wished he had a girlfriend, though. Benj was one thing, but there were some things that you only told people with whom you had an intimate connection. Terrence wanted someone of his very own.

However much he wanted, he was not very successful with the ladies. This was difficult to understand, since he was tall and strongly built. He had broad shoulders and a clear complexion. His eyes were of a soft baby blue and his hair was silvery blue. He had thin wire-frame glasses, and straight, handsome features. His mouth was given to sarcasm, but there were small lines around his eyes that betold mirthful laughter as well. All in all, Terrence was a relatively good looking man. Yet he still was not very popular with the ladies.

"It must be the hair," he muttered to himself.

It wasn’t a far walk back to the apartment he shared with Benj, and the soft breeze that ruffled his precisely parted hair was refreshing. The moonlight filtered down beautifully and made the mundane crosswalks seem like pearly gated pathways to heaven. Terrence reflected that he did not really want to end up in heaven yet, no matter how pearly it was, and opted for the shady and moon-shadow banded sidewalk.

The silence was eerie. There were no lights on in any of the places he passed, and he saw no occupied cars. He was not unsettled however.

"Perhaps everyone is at the library studying," he reflected, then realized that it was Friday, "Then again, perhaps not."

The library was closing too, he noticed as he passed it. The night librarian ushered the last student out and then locked the door behind her. She bustled off toward her car, and was gone quickly. The other figure, a slight figured girl had apparently decided to walk home as well. She shouldered a blue book bag and strode purposefully off in the same direction he was going. She stayed on the other side of the street.

Terrence was not surprised, yet he still sighed. However, he was yet to be surprised, because at the next crosswalk, she joined him. He immediately recognized her from the park. She had been one of the girls there when Henny, Benj’s irascible corgi, had slimed that blonde girl.

The girl was short and slender. She had dark blue hair that was cut into a short bob that moved smoothly in time with her blue skirt as she walked. A pair of reading glasses were tucked into her white poet’s blouse, and he small slippered feet made barley a sound as she treaded the silver path slightly ahead of him.

He debated speaking with her. He had to admit, she was pretty, and he did feel strangely drawn to her, but he didn’t desire to be rejected at the moment. As he pondered, another figure stepped out from the shadows ahead of them into the lone glare of a streetlight that marred the

opalescence.

It was another girl, only this one had long raven hair. He could see from here that she was in a strange outfit that he vaguely recognized. The blue-haired girl was visibly startled. The black-haired girl looked ready for a fight, and sure enough, she was soon yelling.

"I’m Sailor Mars, and I want your crystal!"

Terrence ducked into a shadowed corner and waited to see what would happen.

Ami stood stock-still and studied this Sailor Mars carefully. There was something obviously wrong with Sailor Mars. Something about her costume was just not quite right. She couldn’t quite but her finger on it, but somehow, the lines were wrong. This Mars wasn’t tall enough, and she was too thin. Suitably alarmed, she sent out a distress call on her communicator watch.

After looking behind her to make sure no one was there (she felt sure that there had been a man back there, but he was gone now), she pulled out her wand and held it to the sky. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

"MERCURY STAR POWER!"

In a swirl of water and bubbles, Sailor Mercury took up her fighting stance and pulled out her computer. With a flick of her earring, he visor scrolled across and she scanned Sailor Mars. She was not entirely surprised to see that it was a modified form of the same golem creature she’d seen before.

"I am Sailor Mercury, and in the name of Mercury, I’ll punish you!"

Terrence was amazed. He was almost certain that those girls out there were two of the Sailor Senshi. The blue one held a small compact and was wearing a blue visor. The red girl looked angry. All of the sudden she began making a circle around herself, and several rings of fire appeared in her hands.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE MANDALIA!"

The fire rings were aimed directly at Mercury. After a quick dodge, she realized that the golem’s attack phrase hadn’t even been right. The attack however, had been. She decided to retaliate.

"What do you mean? I don’t have a crystal!" She dodged another attack nimbly and rolled into a good position.

"MERCURY ICE STORM BLAST!"

The golem Mars was prepared for it. She jumped out of the way and landed very close to where Terrence was hiding. She grabbed him with surprising strength and slug him out of the shadows. He landed in the glow of the streetlight, very near Mercury.

"Now summon the Mercury Crystal! If you want to stop me then you have no compassion! I need that crystal!" shouted the false Mars.

Mercury’s eyes widened as she recognized the man. He was not the Knight, certainly, but he was so familiar . . .

"MARS FIRE STRIKE!"

Mercury was caught completely off guard. Terrence grabbed her legs and brought her down. She landed with a thump on the sidewalk, but the flames missed her. She cast a grateful look at him even as she rubbed her posterior.

"Thank you. I’m sorry you have to be party to this little disturbance," she said quickly, and in a flash, she was on her feet again.

"What’s this crystal she’s talking about?" he asked, as he too got to his feet. The false Mars was watching them closely.

"I’m not quite sure," Mercury lied, "But I am certain that I don’t have it."

"Why is she attacking us? Isn’t she on your team?"

"That isn’t the real Sailor Mars. She’s a copy. A golem I think."

Terrence blinked. "Swell."

Pheobe arrived on the scene just in time to see Mercury and Terrence rise. She also saw that while they exchanged pleasantries, the false Sailor Mars was charging up again.

"Look out!" she cried, too late.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE MANDALIA!"

It was too late to dodge, but Terrence did not dodge. He simply did what seemed like the most natural thing to do. He stepped in front of Sailor Mercury and held out his arms. The fire rings blasted him, but he did not move, and they apparently did not hurt him. Most surprising of all, was that on his forehead, the sigil of Mercury Knight flared brilliantly.

Pheobe was shocked, but she acted quickly. She did a swift flip and produced a heavy ring at the apex of her jump. It was silver and it had a sapphire stone. It was etched with the symbol of Mercury Knight, and around the bottom were characters in Lunari and Hermaciel, the language of Mercury. She caught the ring in her mouth as it fell, and she bounded over to Terrence. The false Mars watched in amazement as Pheobe tossed the ring to Terrence and yelled,

"Transform! Hold it above your head and yell ‘Mercury Power!’"

Terrence caught the ring and looked at it blankly. It was only when he looked back to see the false Mars charging up again that he was jolted into action.

"MERCURY POWER!"

A beam of pale silver-blue light erupted from the ring’s stone as it pulled itself out of his hand, then floated above him. The beam swiftly spun itself around him, spiraling. As it circled, it became a stream of water. The single rivulet suddenly branched and split into two, and they raced each other around Terrence’s ankles, in a flash, he was wearing a pair of military style slacks, black, with thin, gray-blue piping. The water traced around his arms and they crossed his chest, completing a black military dress coat, also with gray-blue piping. With a twist, they had created a thin black belt with a silver buckle, and a high, stiff, gray-blue collar. One of the streams found his feet, creating black dress boots, the other chased his hands, making white dress gloves trimmed in gray-blue and silver on the bells. Finally, one of the small rivers slid through the ring and pulled it ‘round Terrence’s neck, creating a silver chain and the ring fell center. The other raced round Terrence, and then straightened. In a flash, it were no longer a stream, but a strong pole spear tipped with three heads made of crystal that resembled ice. Terrence grabbed it firmly and brought it in front of him in a defensive position. Still quite new to this whole business, Terrence still posed against a background of ice and snow.

"From barren expanses lost in snow comes the solitary warrior. I am the guardian of Princess Mercury, Mercury Knight!" he cried, to no one in particular.

Sailor Mercury blinked at him and was caught completely off guard. She was still off balance when reenforcements arrived for the other side as well. The false Venus was a better copy than the false Mars, but her shoes were wrong. This Venus sported knee-high orange boots, similar to Sailor Mercury’s. Mercury thought she could detect a slight color difference as well. Whatever the case, this Venus was certainly not the original.

The false Venus took up a defensive position behind the false Mars and called out,

"I am Sailor Venus, soldier of love! In the name of love, I demand you hand over that crystal!"

Mercury Knight turned his gaze to Sailor Mercury and asked, "When are your real friends going to get here?"

Sailor Mercury could do nothing more than shrug, "Hopefully soon."

Pheobe leapt onto Terrence’s shoulder. He was unphased by the bizarre circumstances. Hallucination or no hallucination, he was quite prepared to give anyone hell, something that was generally not a part of his character. Despite his readiness, he still managed to keep a clear head.

"Mercury Knight, try your glacier!" cried Pheobe, right into his ear.

He nodded grimly and took the spear in both of his hands. He raised it above his head for a split second, and then brought it crashing down into the sidewalk. It left a sizable dimple.

"MERCURY GLACIER’S WAKE!" he cried, and from the dent in the sidewalk a thick coating of ice spread out in all directions. It completely covered the whole area with inch thick ice, encompassing he, Sailor Mercury, and Pheobe, along with the false Venus and Mars.

For the Mercuries, the ice had little effect. They seemed to have a knack for staying on their feet in icy weather. The false Venus and Mars had some difficulties in staying on their feet however. Their high heeled shoes were not the right gear for the ice, and Mars landed on her butt almost immediately. Venus attempted a shaky step, and then joined her.

Mercury shot an approving look at her counterpart and then intoned, "That’s a pretty useful skill you have there, Mercury Knight. Do you have anything that could imprison them? I’d like to question them later."

Mercury Knight did not have time to answer. Just because the false senshi were down, did not mean they were out. To prove this, the false Venus leveled an attack at the unguarded Sailor Mercury.

"VENUS LOVELY HEART SWIRL!"

Mercury Knight took the initiative for the second time that evening and tackled Mercury. He took the full brunt of the attack on his unprotected back. He groaned and the fell unconscious, pinning Mercury beneath him. He was much too large to move, so Mercury was left to struggle fruitlessly as her two opponents got their footing once again and came to claim their prize.

"At least they can’t get our crystal with Mercury Knight out cold." she thought ruefully.

But the false senshi were not fated to claim the Mercury Crystal no matter what the circumstances, because just then the real Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars arrived. Venus Knight, Ceres Knight, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Ceres were there to back them up.

"I’m Sailor Mars, and on behalf of Mars I’m here to punish you costumed freaks!"

"That’s right! Nobody impersonates Sailor Venus and gets away with it!"

"For Jupiter!"

"Ceres!"

"And Venus again!"

"We’ll punish you!" they cried out in unison.

The false Venus and Mars exchanged wary looks. They were in no mood for a kamikaze mission. They knew what their role was in this saga, and it did not include becoming lunch meat. Leaping clear of the ice, the false Mars called behind her,

"We will be back. You can count on that!"

The false Venus cast a glance of anger mingled with pity at the astonished groupe, and then she too leapt off. Jupiter made as if to follow them, but the real Venus stopped them and pointed out Sailor Mercury, who was still trapped under Mercury Knight. At least they hadn’t fallen on the spear.

After casting one last look in the direction the two false senshi had fled, the group turned it’s attention to it’s new member. Ceres Knight bent over and rolled Mercury Knight off the small blue haired senshi who was immediately thankful. Pheobe, who had been caught between the two of them, managed to slip out from the place where she’s been flattened against Mercury’s stomach.

Venus Knight’s eyes widened as he recognized his new teammate.

"Terrence?" he asked, astonished.

Pheobe nodded ruefully, "I knew there was something strange about him. I should have trusted my gut instinct. Well, all’s well that ends well."

"Well, whoever he is, he saved my skin twice tonight when I let my guard down. I am certainly thankful for that," murmured Sailor Mercury.

Propped up on her knee, Terrence, still in the garb of Mercury Knight, opened his eyes groggily.

Pheobe cleared her throat, "Ahem, may I present the protector of Sailor Mercury, Mercury Knight. He also happens to be prince of Mercury which makes him . . ."

"My brother," breathed Sailor Mercury.

"That is correct, Sailor Mercury," agreed Pheobe.

None of the others present knew quite what to do. Terrence, realizing his position, blushed. An uncomfortable silence fell over everything, until finally, it was broken but a familiar squeal.

"Oh no! Now I’ve done it! I was late for a battle! Luna is never going to let me hear the end of this!"

An out of breath Sailor Moon raced in a top speed and collided with Venus Knight, sending him reeling back a good three feet. She landed in a tangle on the ground, breathing heavily.

"So," she managed, between gulps of air, "Did I miss anything?"

Roll Credits and Play Ending Song (I Always Will)

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Mail comments (and flames as you may wish) to Lady Ceres.

Thanks to everyone who’s given me support. I almost gave up on this series. Sorry for the long wait, but if you want these episodes in a more timely fashion, then write to me!

Ja ne,

Lady Ceres,

Sailor Gabriel

Lindsey Browning

The Temple of the Forest: http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/garden/8378

The SMRS & SMKOC Page: https://members.tripod.com/~Princess_Terra

Sailor Gabriel, Angel Senshi of the Arch of Crystal RPG: http://www.geocities.com/toyko/garden/8378/sailorgabriel.html