Disclaimer: All Sailor Moon references and characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, TOEI, Kodansha & Pioneer. Everything else is mine.
It's been a week since I was ungracefully plopped into the world of Senshi, Knights and the Dark Plant Kingdom, Floribunda and I still haven't the slightest clue as to my true state of sanity. Thank God Thornrose hasn't reappeared. Athena says it's only a matter of days before the thorny one returns. I hope she's wrong. I hope this is all just an insane dream and I'll wake up at any moment.
There is Josh, though. Okay, I know. "She's got a crush. Isn't that just soooo cute!?!" I can't help it. If I could, I'd have run to where Athena couldn't nag me anymore. The drills that owl puts me through. Oh, well. I'll give my closing as an ode to Josh.
"Wha?"
"Get up! There's trouble!"
Trouble? Ye gads! What now? Deli oh-so-energetically rolled off of her mattress, fumphing onto her knees on the floor. Sleep was not something she was very successful at fighting off when it was time to get up.
"Now," Josh ordered in possibly the harshest tone Deli had ever heard him use.
"I'm trying," she forced through a yawn as she snatched a pair of jeans from her laundry basket.
"Leave those." Josh took them from her. "Just transform!"
Gads! Her Transformation Pen! Where did it go?
"Deli, here!" This time it was Athena's accented voice. The owl swooped, dropping the pen in Deli's lap. "Now, do it!"
Deli held the pen up. "Temple Song Power! Make Up!" It was only her second time transforming. This time Deli caught what she had missed before. The whirlwind was made up of pink and blue music notes, staffs, clefs, hearts and the symbol of Temple. She also became aware of her movements. It was a dance that brought the power of Temple.
"C'mon, Sailor Temple!" Josh was Draco Soul now. He jumped out the window with Athena gliding close behind. Temple shrugged, jumped, landed running and followed Draco Soul. It soon became apparent that he wasn't going to reveal the problem on his own.
"What's going on?" she shouted to the red and silver clad figure ten steps in front of her.
"Dunno! But we'll find out soon enough." He led them to the park.
Thornrose had three children, still in their night clothes, tied to the ground. Her slightly brusque voice carried across the silver night with the clarity of a bell. "Welcome to your new lives, animals! You'll like working for us." She raised an arm above her head.
"Stop it, Thornface!" Deli shouted.
Draco Soul groaned and rolled his eyes. "Haven't you ever heard of a surprise attack?"
"Oops."
"Ha!" Thornrose turned her attention to us. "It's the lizard and the wimp! I'm so scared."
*Staccato Beat Flourish*
The Rose dodged and countered with a vine.
Deli tried to jump out of the way, but only succeeded in tripping and falling on her face. The vine recovered and attached itself to her legs and wrenched her off the ground.
Breath of Flame engulfed Thornrose. The enemy screamed, and Deli remembered her flute. Athena told Deli how it worked but Deli never had the chance to use it, until now.
Now, was it press the center of the cross and the left gem for Forte Tone or press the center and left side of the cross? She put the flute to her lips and tried center and left gem.
WRONG! That was Healing Tone. The fires around Thornrose dampened. Thornrose smiled and stepped out of the charred grass. "Thank you, Sailor Temple. Now, I believe you deserve this." She spat a thorn.
It caught Deli in the shoulder. "Ouch!" Deli struggled against the bindings holding her upside-down. Where was Draco Soul? Searching, she spotted him near the fountain. He had been singed by the backlash of her flute attack. It looked like he was trying to release Breath of Fire but it wasn't working.
The Rose took advantage of the distraction, slapping Temple's flute to the ground. "Join the others, Sailor Temple!" The vines slammed Temple onto the grass and pinned her next to the children.
"Your turn Draco Soul!" She turned but the Knight was no longer by the fountain. Athena tried for Thornrose's eyes, but was caught and pinned down as well.
"Draco," Athena cried, drowning in panic. "Use the Sigil!"
"Are you sure?" His voice came from every direction.
"Yes!" Athena got out before Thornrose shot a vine out to gag the bird.
"I'm on it!"
Thornrose, frantic, scanned the moonlit park for some sign of red or silver. Nothing. She couldn't let him use the Sigil.
Then, the statue on the fountain exploded. Light engulfed the park.
Deli strained against her bonds to see what was happening.
The goddess of Victory, Nike, stepped down from the fountain platform, looked confused for a flash of a moment then transformed by whispering, "Nike Mystic Power. Make Up."
"Staff of Illusory Welcoming," she whispered. A staff appeared, floating just to her right.
Thornrose actually paled. "Sailor Nike."
"You will leave, Lady Rose." Nike's voice was calm.
"Even should I leave, my liege, King Belladonna, would send more of us. The Kingdom of Floribunda will flourish on the backs of slave animals!"
"I repeat. You will-" but she never got the chance to finish. Thornrose's attack thorns flew. Nike snatched her staff. "Fantasy Wither." Smoke webbed out from the Staff of Illusory Welcoming, wilting the thorns to powder. The tendrils of the web reached for Thornrose.
Thornrose used a hasty transportation to dodge the withering smoke. "Just remember that I warned you!"
"And I, you," Nike said back. Lady Rose pulled up her roots and vines and disapparated.
Nike shrugged at a very dazed Sailor Temple. "Is this her?"
"Yeah," Draco Soul responded fluttering back into the visual world.
"We've a lot of work to do."
"Tell me about it." Athena ruffled her feathers.
"Now, just wait one min-" Deli didn't finish. The thorn she'd caught was poisoned, or worse.