Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon HYBRID Presents: UNSonic
Episode 4: A Crisis in the City! The Magnificent Sailor Duo

Hello! It's been a bizillion years since my last chapter...I have been so busy I haven't had the time to send anything to one! Aie...enjoy the (belated) chapter 4!

  -Jess

The moon shone brightly on the Magic Cups store as Sonia and Manic finally closed the store up for the night.

"Where is he?" Manic looked outside worriedly. "They should have been home a half hour ago."

"Come on, Manic!" Sonia heaved the box of lobsters into a closet. "You know that Nathan will be Nathan."

"What does that mean?"

Manic turned to find Sonic tramping down the stairs.

"Hey, where's Tails?" Sonic demanded.

"With Nathan, for all we know," replied Manic.

"Like I was saying, Manic." Sonia came and patted Manic on the shoulder. "Men will be pigs, and Nathan is a man. Wouldn't you agree, Sonic?" She cocked her eyebrow at him.

"I have no comment." Sonic abruptly stomped back upstairs. "Just tell me when Tails returns."

As he left, Manic opened the main door to take out a sign that was hanging out front. He was met by a gust of wind that almost blew him off his feet.

"Duuuuagggh!" Manic grasped the door handle to try to open it.

"Manic!" Sonia saw him outside and put her hands on her hips. She opened the door for Manic, who stumbled in. "What are you doing!"

"There's a storm coming!" Manic gasped. "The wind is gusting like nothing I've seen..."

"You idiot!" Sonia slapped him upside the head. "You were dumb enough to go out there!"

"I had to rescue the sign!"

"Oh!" Sonia's face lit up. "You rescued my cute tatoo sign! Oh, wow!"

She yanked the sign from Manic and bounded up the stairs. Manic didn't even budge.

"I hate her sometimes..." Manic muttered as he lay on the floor. "If all she cares about is her sign...maybe I should have just stayed out there."

  -----------------------------

"Tails...Tails!!" Nathan slapped Tails' face to no avail. The wind started to pick up as he turned to face Haruka and Michiru, who donned the strange sailor clothing. "What did you do?!"

"Nothing," Haruka bluntly replied. "The last attack of that demon cause you friend to experience a feeling of whiplash."

"Why should I trust you wierdos?" Nathan stood up. "You've been following Tails around, haven't you? Don't deny it!" His eyebrows went up and down. "He told me!"

"We're not denying anything." Haruka gave a smile. "And if we did what would you do about it? You're a runt."

"Not true!" Nathan gave them a grimacing look. "You know, I could..." he paused as he said it. "No, wait, I couldn't could I? But I still could..well I...if you..." he looked back to them and stuck his nose up. "Well, I can't think of anything now, but when I do you'll know it!"

Michiru softly chuckled.

"We're not here to do anything to Tails."

"Then why are you following him?"

The crowd started to wake up, and those who had fled began to come back. Haruka caught the people, and she bumped Michiru.

"Neptune..." She notioned to the crowd. "We have to leave."

"Hold on, you're not going anywhere!" Nathan stomped his foot. "Not until you tell me what's going on!"

The two looked at each other, then they looked at Nathan.

"Come with us." Haruka started walking off the stage. "Bring the kid."

Michiru walked past Nathan, scooped up Tails and started walking offstage as well.

"Hey!" Nathan ran after them.

He ran down a flight of stair, across a street corner and to nearby Seagar Square Park chasing the two. Finally, the woman stopped in front of a black helicopter. The wind picked up as Nathan caught up to them.

"Hey!"

"Get in." Haruka grabbed Nathan's jacket and yanked him into the helicopter. "The wind is picking up speed.

"Reversing gears." Michiru flipped some switches. "We'll be up in the air in a minute."

"Oh god..." Nathan's voice was cracking. "We're going to die."

Finally, the helicopter took off, it's motor humming silently as the wind beat on it. Nathan was sitting in the back, with Tails still unconscious, breathing softly.

"Up higher, Neptune."

"Right, Uranus."

The helicopter swung up, and it hung about 5,000 feet into the air.

Nathan looked out the window and gave a moan.

"Crap!" He bounced back. "Now I know I'm going to die."

"We're not here to kill you." Haruka turned around and looked at Nathan. "You know this city, right?"

"Yeah..." Nathan was confused.

"All of it?"

"Yeah..." Nathan looked at Haruka. "What? Is the city in danger from those monster thingys?"

"Not the city." Michiru looked down onto the controls. "The world."

"The world?!" Nathan's eyes grew wide. "From the monster thingys?"

"From their master." Haruka stood up. She went to the back and sat down next to Nathan. "We are here to protect this world from the master."

"Protect?" Nathan looked into Haruka's eyes. "Are you some sort of mystically powered freedom fighter from the boonies or something?"

"We are not freedom fighters at all." A peel of thunder ran in everyone's ears. It caused Tails to wake up. "We are far more."

"Huh...?" Tails groggily looked around. "I was with my superhero again.."

"Your superhero?" Nathan looked at him.

"Yeah it was..." Tails looked up and saw Michiru at the controls. A flash of lightning filled the helicopter, leaving only the shadows and silhouettes of the occupants. Tails stared at Michiru's silhouette, and suddenly a memory hit him and his eyes grew wide. "You!"

"Hmmm?" Haruka looked up.

"It's her! You and her...my superheroes!" Tails' eyes twinkled. "Now I can prove to Sonic that you really exist!"

"No." a look of panic crossed Haruka's face.

"What?"

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"It will compromise our whole reason for being here." Haruka shook her head. "No matter what you say, you cannot say who we are!"

"Well, who are you?" Tails looked shocked. "You're superheroes!"

"Yes..." Haruka nodded. "We only go as Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaiou when we are not in this form. But, in our superhero forms, we are not Haruka or Michiru as you know us to be. I am, in truth, the soldier of the sky and wind, Sailor Uranus."

"And...Michiru? Is she a soldier of water?"

"The sea." Uranus replied. "You are a good guesser, aren't you? I wonder if that's why they want to attack you..."

"Yeah, who are the bad guys after us anyways?" Nathan inquired.

"We don't know." Uranus looked down. "That's what we're here to find out."

The helicopter landed next to the Magic Cups store. The wind was beating ferociously, and the rain was pounding down. The helicopter door opened, and the two boys hopped out.

"Thanks for the ride, Michiru!" Tails shouted over the storm.

"Yeah, thanks." Nathan wasn't as ecstatic.

"She says you're welcome." Uranus started to close the door.

"Wait!" Tails stopped the door from closing. "What is Michiru's name as a superhero? You didn't tell us!"

Uranus gave a smile.

"She's Sailor Neptune. But remember..." Uranus grabbed the door again.

"Tell no one about it!"

The door slammed and the helicopter flew away. Nathan and Tails, drenched, started back to the door.

"Boy, they were weird, weren't they?" Nathan looked down to see Tails lushing.

"Yeah, she was cool..." Tails thought of Michiru. "She was my superhero the whole time. Wow..."

  -------------------------

Up in the red light, there was a small room on the bottom of the spaceship, with a panoramic window. In the room was Cleona, looking out the window towards Mobius.

"Those fools..." Cleona thought to herself. "I could have eliminated the fox if those sailors hadn't interfered!"

Three shadows stood behind her, chuckling.

"What's wrong, Cleona?" One of the shadows smirked. "Had a problem?"

"No." Cleona turned around. "I don't have any problems."

"That's not the impression we got." The shadows chuckled. "Watching the battle, you're monster was defeated by those meddling soldiers."

"Yeah, but there was that strange other guy that so easily distracted you, wasn't there?" At that Cleona's eyes furrowed. "That fat one that flew around. What was that all about?"

"I can take care of him, after I take care of the fox and the soldiers"

A pot appeared in Cleona's hands. "If you'll excuse me, girls - after all, I'm still your leader - I have something to do." She disappeared from the light.

The shadows giggled. From the side, Mahjong secretly floated over them

"Mahjong..." The voice of the shadow filled her head. "Can you rely on these four? One has already began to fail."

"The Card Sharks are expendable. At worst, nothing will happen." Mahjong replied. "But even so, I think they shall help us a great deal."

The shadows went to the window, watching as the speck that was Cleona flew into Moebius' atmosphere.

  --------------------------

The next day, Sonic and Rotor sat up in the apartment room. Sonic was holding his head.

"Hey, Sonic." Rotor poured a cup of tea from a kettle. "You look a little pale."

"It's nothing. Just a headache." Sonic shuddered and sneezed.

"You did that yesterday." Rotor chuckled as he handed Sonic a cup of tea.

"Do you like it? I made it from my self heating tea kettle."

"Hmmmphfff..." Sonic's lips purged. He swallowed. "Ech. No offense, but what is this?"

"Oh, it's green tea." Rotor replied. "It keeps you awake according to the midwives' tales."

"Uh huh." Sonic sipped it. "And you mention midwives tales...why?"

"Weeeeeeell..." Rotor shrugged. "Just something I saw on the news this morning."

"Like what?" Sonic was becoming impatient.

Rotor took out a miniature television and popped it on.

"...strange phenomena." The reporter was standing in a ruined Imperial Park. It was being recorded live. "At the classical concert held here last night, a strange event occurred that some feel defies explanation. According to witnesses, a group of super-sized robots were cut down by two strange females donned in what witnesses could only say were dark clothes. They in turn were attacked by two others, whom observers seem to be only have able to seen a crown of sorts on the foreheads of the intruders."

"It was so freaky!" The reporter then interviewed a girl, who chomping loudly on bubblegum. Rotor turned a little red with embarrassment as she just stared at the camera as she talked.. "Like, there were there, and, like, they, like, beat the shit out of the woman, you know, with these, like weird balls. Balls, like...heehee! Like," she turned to the reporter, "am I allowed to say that on television? Like, this'll be edited? My mom, you know, she'd kick my ass out of town, like, real quick, because I'm not supposed to be out. It's, like, my curfew, you know-"

Rotor turned the monitor off. He turned to see Sonic snorting as he laughed.

"Hey!" Rotor protested. "She was the only one they showed before they went back to the studio."

"I'm sorry." Sonic wiped his eyes. "That was just a priceless expression on her face. She looked so stupid."

"From my experience, her type usually are," muttered Rotor.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I'm just thinking, we were attacked just like that, with a monster in the fashion that they described it. And they were defeated in the same way. All three of them. And," Rotor looked out the window towards the rising sun. "It's been happening to us since the Ubermensch. Now, you can't just make that as sheer, unadulterated, out-of-the-blue-happy-go-lucky-holy-crap-the-irony-it-hit-me-square-in-the-balls coincidence. Something really is happening."

"Wait." Sonic stood up. "What with the 'us'? We weren't there at Imperial Park!"

"No, we weren't." Rotor stared out the window. In the distance he could see the wreckage. "Neither me nor you was there."

"Wait..." Sonic's eyes widened. "Tails?"

"Yeah..." Rotor looked back at Sonic. "He's been caught up in the Ubermensch fable since I told him, and especially since he started telling us about the superheroes he keeps seeing-"

"-which is crock to me-"

"-I think there's something that has to snap in place!" Rotor nodded. "I say that when he gets home we ask him."

"Gets home?" Sonic jumped up. "You mean-"

"No, he came back last night. You were just asleep when he came back. The only thing that woke you up was the open window, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Sonic laughed sheepishly. "I guess so."

"Well," Rotor went to the door. "We'll just have to wait for him. In the meantime, I'll have to ask when the freak show happens. Killer lobsters...heh..."

He closed the door behind him, leaving Sonic to slump back down on the chair.

  --------------------------

Tails stood and watched as cleanup crews piled the remains of the concert stage onto a truck and drove it away.

"My superheroes..." Tails thought of the previous night.

"We only go as Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaiou when we are not in this form." Haruka had said. "But, in our superhero forms, we are not Haruka or Michiru as you know us to be. I am, in truth, the soldier of the sky and wind, Sailor Uranus. And Michiru...she's Sailor Neptune. But remember..."

Tails sighed.

"I remember. 'Don't tell anyone'. Not even Sonic. But..." he clenched his fists. "That means he'll never know that I'm telling the truth!"

"Superheroes in that comet?" Sonic had said. "You're just a kid...Of course you'd believe old fairy tales."

"But it's not a fairy tale, it's real! They really came from that comet. But...why? From where? And what's the problem? Who is causing it? That woman and the monster...they can't be the only ones, I know it!" A rocket was shooting in the sky , on it's way to the other cities of the Clover Belt. Tails ignored it. "The enemies must be really strong, otherwise they wouldn't have come. Uranus and Michiru...Neptune..." Tails blushed. "Oops. I have to remember that."

He turned away from the field, the Congress monoliths behind him.

  -----------------------------

"Well!" Sonia proudly lifted the box on the table. "Only two hours left.

How does it feel?"

"I hate you." Manic disgustedly glanced at the lobsters.

"The feeling's mutual. In the meantime," Sonia saw the door open, "I have customers to attend to."

She jumped down from the shelf to meet two overlanders. One was a blond man, and the other was his pretty green-haired girlfriend.

"Hello, and welcome!" Sonia flashed a smile. "How may I help you two?"

"Poser." Manic put his nose up, feigning an oblivious mood at Sonia's angry glare. He gave a whistle.

"Hello." The man smiled. "I was wondering when the show was."

"The show?" Sonia gave a light girly giggle ("Must have taken hours for her to practice!" thought Manic). "Oh! That's not for two hours. Would you like to look for something here? We have all kinds of things to offer-"

"Hmmm..." The man held up a picture of crumbling cities. "This certainly gives you a shade of memories, right, Michiru?"

"Right." Michiru, the woman, was shocked at the implication, as far as Sonia could tell.

"Hey, Sonia!" Nathan greeted Sonia as he trampled down the stairs.

"Hello, you bum. You're five hours late."

"Sorry." He caught Michiru and Haruka in the shop and jumped back. "AAAA- AAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHGHHHHH!!!"

"Huh?" Sona saw Nathan fly under a tarot table. "Hold on, please."

"Of course." The man smiled.

"Nathan!" Sonia fiercely whispered. "What the hell is wrong with you? Like a ghost just came in!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING HERE?!?!"

"Hmph." Sonia took out a bag. "This is the third time this month your drug dealers have come in here, isn't it! Fine. I'll just distract them while you run. But this is the last time, understand?!"

"N-no, they're not my-" Nathan shook his head.

"Sorry." Sonia resumed her happy mode as she turned back to Haruka and Michiru. "Just an employee. He's on drugs, I believe."

"Oh, Nathan?" Haruka's eyebrow crimped. "The nice boy he is, I wouldn't have thought that he'd be that kind."

"You know him?" Sonia pretended to be surprised. "Well, where do you know him from?"

"We met him last night," Michiru replied. "He helped me find my hotel. Me and my partner, we're moving her to live for awhile, and he helped us from the concert."

"The concert?!" Manic's head came down. "You mean the one that got attacked last night?"

"A concert was attacked?" Haruka asked, seemingly in shock. "Which one?"

"The only one was at Imperial Park!"

"It was attacked?" Michiru's eyes grew wide in surprise. "We were never told that. How horrible. When did it happen?"

Nathan, overhearing the conversation from under the table, realized what was going on and slowly got up, relieved that it was safe.

"Hello, Nathan." Haruka gave him a smile.

Nathan's eyes grew wide at the outfit Haruka wore. Haruka gave a chuckle.

"It happened at 9:30. When were you there?"

"Our set ended at 9:15. We immediately left as to avoid the concert traffic."

"Oh!" Sonia's face brightened. "You're musicians? What do you play?"

"Violin." Michiru took out her violin from a big bag that she was carrying.

"Would you like to listen to a tune?"

"Why, of course!" Sonic motioned for Manic.

Michiru started to string the bow.

"Say." Manic whispered to Sonia. "What are you planning?"

"If she can really play," whispered Sonia, "then I can sign her on to play here every day! We could make big bucks…"

"Oh brother!" Manic moaned. He then brightened up. "Then again..."

"Then again I'll move the freak show to an even earlier hour. And if she can really play," Sonia gave Manic an evil smile, "She just might play during the freak show.

"What?!" Manic gasped. "How can yo-"

They were interrupted by Michiru, who had started playing her violin. They stopped and stared. Nathan, who had started towards the lobsters, now also stopped, his mouth open.

"Hi-" Rotor started down the stairs. He heard the music, and he stopped and stared at Michiru as well. "So beautiful..."

Haruka looked out the window.

  ------------------------------

Tails was walking down the street when he heard the violin music. He slanted his ears so that he might hear better.

"Can it be?" he brightened. "Michiru! She's playing! But…" he listened harder. "It sounds different...almost hypnotyzing...where is she?! I have to follow the music!"

He dashed down the street. As he ran, Cleona stood in the shadows, chuckling as she disappeared.

  --------------------------

Up in the apartment, Sonic sat in a lounge chair, waiting.

"I wonder...maybe Rotor is right..." he pondered. "But..."

He heard the violin music. He stood up and walked to the door, opening it as he went. He started to trot downstairs in a brisk mode...Cleona invisibly and silently stood waiting. As he opened the door to the shop she took her pot out, grabbed a handful of dust and threw it on him, covering him. Sonic wheezed and gave out a sneeze,

"What the-" he saw Michiru playing. Rolling his eyes he went over to look at the spell books.

Haruka's glance caught Sonic.

"Best to keep an eye on him..." she thought.

Sonic, meanwhile, had already sped back up to the apartment.

"Michiru!" Tails cried as he burst through the door. "You're here?!"

"Tails?" Michiru stopped playing.

"Wow!" Sonia cried. The spell that had held her and everyone else disappeared. "That was incredible!"

"Tails, you know her?" Rotor was surprised.

"Yeah, I met her and her friend at the concert..." Tails looked uncertainly at the two.

"It's all right." Michiru smiled. "They know you were helping us to the hotel. I've explained everything."

"Huh? Oh...yeah!" Tails realized immediately the game they were playing and joined in. "We helped them to the hotel, right, Nathan? That's where we were last night."

"Yeah..." Nathan looked confused for some reason.

"Well." Haruka suddenly stepped in. "We have to go now. There's much work we have to do at where we are staying..." she noticed the customers for the freak show coming in, "and we might as well not keep you delayed."

"Oh, but you're welcome in at any time!" Sonia laughed. "You're very welcome."

As the two left, Sonia turned to Manic.

"As for you..." Suddenly, Sonia took Manic by the hair and dragged him into the "Employees Only" room. "You've got to get ready!"

"NO!" Manic tried in vain to release the hold. "No...I don't want to...civil liberties, civil liberties! Ow..."

"Stop whining!" The door slammed.

"Wow!" Nathan rubbed his head. "That was weird."

"What?"

"The music. Something really weird happened with the music. I'm not sure what it was, but it was very strange. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"It was different, wasn't it?" Tails thumbed his chin. "I wonder what it meant..."

Outside, Haruka and Michiru looked into the shop as the two boys went upstairs.

"What happened?" Haruka asked. "With Tails, I mean."

"He startled me, that's all." Michiru looked down. "I wonder what he thinks of us..."

"I'm a little wary," Haruka said.

"Why?"

"Something...when you play that melody, it's supposed to entrance pure hearts."

"So?"

"I think that someone knows what we're doing."

"Who?"

Haruka looked up to the apartments, then looked back down.

"No one."

  -----------------------------

"And now," Sonia, wearing a bee keeper outfit, announced. "If I may have your attention, I shall now put twelve killer lobsters on my colleague's head and watch them as they pinch him...perhaps to death!" Her eyes lit up at the last part.

"You sound so scared for me, sis." Manic muttered. He was chained to the wall by a dog chain and iron ball. "You care for me so much."

"And now...the lobsters!" Sonia opened the box and started placing them on Manic's head. "One...two...four...seven..." The count went on.

"Woah." Rotor was shocked. "They'll do anything, won't they?"

"Not Manic. He has no choice." A robin replied. "If he had a choice, he would go into the priesthood. He was going to but Sonia made him quit for the sake of the shop."

"Oh..."

"Ten...eleven..." Sonia's hand reached down into the box. For a minute her tone changed, from professional to quizzical to angry. "Eleven..."

The crowd stopped. Finally, Sonia stood up. Her face was slightly dark

"I'm sorry. There's eleven." She glared at Manic. "I apologize. I miscounted."

"Hey," a voice in the back remarked. "That's okay, let's just see if they'll pinch him!"

"Aaaaaarrrgggghhh!!" A lobster pinched his head. "This is cruel and unusual!"

"Don't worry." Sonia took out a vile filled with a green liquid. "This burning acid will make the lobsters go mad! They hate getting their shells cooked off. Observe!"

As she went over and covered the lobsters, Sonia pulled on Manic's collar as if to douse him as well. Instead she fiercely whispered, though no one heard her.

"What the hell are you trying to pull? Embarrassing us in front of customers!" Sonia demanded.

"What do you mean? There were twelve when I last counted two hours ago,"

Manic protested. "I didn't take any of them out, I swear."

"You better not have." Sonia poured the rest of the acid down his shirt.

"We'll discuss this later."

"I wonder," mused Rotor, "where Sonic is. He said he'd be out for the show..."

Finally, the lobsters reacted to the acid.

"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!" Manic screamed as he was attacked.

Everyone clapped. Meanwhile, Rotor looked over to the door, wondering where Sonic was. Instead he saw two shadows, a tall one and a short one. In the hands of the tall one was a red blob.

"Huh? Who's that?"

Rotor looked closer at the blob. The blob held a pincer up and snapped it.

"Is that..." Rotor blinked. He opened his eyes to see that the two shadows disappeared.

"There you have it!" Sonia gaily announced as Manic squirmed under the attack of the lobsters, "My brother, an insurmountable man who can face anything!"

"Sonia...!" Manic turned pale. "Sonia-"

"Twelve...make that eleven...killer lobsters, and he still survives!"

"Sonia," Manic croaked. "One of them is pinching my-"

"I hope you all had a good time!" Sonia motioned to the door. "Please, make your way out the side door, and be sure to come tomorrow!"

Manic's eyes rolled into his head as he fainted.

"Uh, miss..." Rotor pointed to the now unconscious Manic. "Your brother..."

"Doh!" Sonia rolled her eyes as she walked to him. "It always happens. I'll just take them off of him now."

As she speedily took the lobsters away, Rotor thought about the two shadows.

As he realized that he did indeed see what he saw, Sonic entered.

"Hi! Am I late?"

"This is getting very suspicious..."

"What is?"

"Nothing..."

"Eeeeaaaaaaaooooooooowwwwwwww!!!!!"

"There!" Sonia proudly obtained the last lobster. Manic was squeakily moaning. "That ought to have woken you up! This really is a lucky day!"

"Are you kidding?" Manic's voice cracked. "That lobster's rendered me sterile!"

"This lobster's done the world a great favor by preventing your DNA from corrupting millions of poor, unborn children." Sonia gave a lighthearted sigh. "It is too a lucky day."

"Well," Rotor thought for a moment. "I saw something at the door just a few seconds ago."

"Like what?"

"Shadows."

"What kind?"

"Hey!" Manic shouted. "Yours is almost just like mine, you hypocrite!"

"I'm keeping this one with me." Sonia ignored him. "I think I'll name it something like Balls or something..."

"SONIA!!" Manic was appalled.

"The shadows... For a moment, I thought that shadows had Sonia's twelfth lobster." Rotor explained to Sonic. "I think there's something wrong here...we should check on Tails..."

"I think you've had too much green tea," Sonic replied.

  ------------------------------

"So, you think they'll be at the hotel they mentioned, right?"

"Tails," Nathan shook his head. "To be honestly truthful, I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Well," Nathan replied. "They seem to have a lot of fans, if you know what I mean."

"Nathan! They're superheroes! Of course they'll have enemies!" Tails patted him on the back. "It's okay, nothing will happen to us."

"That's good," Nathan pointed, "because there they are."

"Oh!" Haruka and Michiru were in a café. Without a word Tails ran in.

"Wait for me!" Nathan ran after him.

In the café, Haruka and Michiru were sipping on coffee. Both looked worried.

"I'm positive. It was taken."

"What was?" Michiru looked up. Her eyes brightened. "Hello again."

"Huh?" Haruka turned around to see Tails. "Oh, hi."

"Hi!" Tails flashed a smile. "We were just coming to talk to you."

"Make that 'you', Tails," Nathan panted.

"Of course," Michiru smiled. "Sit down."

Outside on a building, Cleona chuckled.

"There's the brat, Crystacean. You see him?"

"Yeah, boss." A man in a strange red costume appeared.

"I want you to get him." Cleona pointed to Tails. "The leader wants him. Understand? She wants him alive! Kill all those others, they're not important."

"Right!" Crystacean jumped down from the building.

"Ha ha!" Cleona laughed. "Now to get out before I'm spotted. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, hmm?" She disappeared.

Inside, Tails finished.

"That's why we're here."

"The fat guy?" Michiru asked. "Do you really think he wants to take over the Clover Belt?"

"He's always trying to take over the world," Nathan explained. "No matter where he starts, his ending goal is complete domination."

"Yeah, but me and my friends are here to stop Eggman!" Tails gave a determined nod. "We've beaten him before, and we can do it again! Me and Sonic can do it."

"Sonic?" Haruka's eyes grew wide. "The blue creature?"

"Yeah, Sonic."

"I see." Haruka frowned.

"Hmm?" Nathan noticed.

Suddenly, the four heard a window cracking. An old man flew through it Outside, people were screaming.

"What's this?" Michiru saw the monster. "Another monster!"

"Quick!" Haruka ushered the three into the bathroom. "In here!"

"This is the girls' bathroom," Nathan protested.

Haruka slammed the door. Nathan glanced at the tampon machine and shuddered.

"This is like a 'Pretty in Pink' reflux..."

"What's that?" Tails asked.

"Hmmm..." Nathan's face clouded in confusion. "I don't know."

"Now, Michiru!" Haruka took out her pen. "Uranus Planet Power, Make-Up!"

"Neptune Planet Power, Make-Up!"

Outside the door, people were being crushed to death by the monster's pincers.

"Heheh!" Crystacean laughed. "Boss'll be pleased by my exploits! That kid had better come soon, though."

"You'll never touch him!" Suddenly, a tray smacked him in the face. The people were released, and they woozily feel to the floor. The monster turned around to see Uranus. "How dare you, an innocent animal, turn to the dark side! I am the soldier of sky, Sailor Uranus!"

"And I," Neptune appeared beside him, "am the soldier of sea, Sailor Neptune!"

"So!" Crystacean laughed. "You're the soldiers Cleona told of." His pincers lashed at the two. They jumped. "I'm going to chop you up and sell your legs on the market like they do my brothers!"

"What's going on?" Nathan asked as they peered through the bathroom door.

"The thing let go of the people, they talked to him and now it's attacking them!" Tails fearfully replied.

"What?!" Nathan shook his head. "You made no sense!"

"World Shaking!" Uranus shouted.

The monster dodged the attack, causing it to destroy the café wall.

Crystacean disappeared in the rubble.

"What?" Neptune ran over. "Where is he?"

"Right here!" Crystacean appeared behind Neptune. Before she could move, he scooped her up in his pincers.

"Uranus!" Neptune gasped.

"What?!" Uranus turned to see Neptune trapped by the monster.

From the restroom, Nathan and Tails gasped.

"Wait." Nathan's head snapped up. "I have an idea."

Nathan started for the other end of the stalls, Meanwhile, Tails silently crept out.

"Just try attacking me now!" Crystacean dared Uranus. "If you attack, your friend will be cut to pieces!"

"Get him, Uranus!" Neptune struggled.

"Maybe I should rip her to pieces now..." Crystacean started to pull.

Suddenly, a chair leg hit him in the head, causing him to drop Neptune She crumbled on the ground coughing.

"Leave her alone!"

"Tails!" Uranus shouted. "Get out! He's dangerous!"

"YOU!" The monster leaped up at Tails. Tails jumped out of the way.

"You're the one boss wants. I'll get you!"

"Aaaaahhhh!" Tails ran into a wall. He turned to find himself surrounded by the pincers.

"Noo!" Neptune screeched.

Suddenly, the monster jumped back, struggling. Tails opened his eyes to find the monster's right pincers were debilitated. They were stuck apart by tampons.

"Yeah!" Nathan nodded. "I am cool."

"Nathan!"

"Deep Submerge!" Neptune, having caught her breath, attacked the monster.

He was thrown outside into the street.

"There!" Uranus held her hand up. "Now to-"

The monster started to get up. Suddenly he was blasted by a huge laser Screaming, he was torn to pieces. His ashes fell to the ground.

"Ha!" The four heard laughing. They ran outside to see Eggman flying away.

"Eggman?!" Tails couldn't believe it. "What's going on!"

  ----------------------------

Cleona watched the ball in fury as Eggman flew away from the café, laughing his head off.

"Revenge for my robots!" he declared. He took out a beer and drank it.

"Damn him!" Cleona shook her fists. "He came again! How is it possible?!"

"Looks like you got licked by the fat man again."

The three shadows reappeared. They started to chuckle.

"Maybe you should retire..."

"No!" Cleona turned around. "Just you wait. I'll be truly ready for him next time! And," she turned as the ball shifted images. "I'll get what I want."

The ball showed an image of Sonic lying in bed.

"I know how to do it, and I will!"

  -----------------------------

Sonic lay in bed, rubbing his head.

"Ugh. Ever since I got here, these headaches..." Sonic stood up and looked out the window. His eyes furrowed when he saw smoke coming from a nearby street. "Them again. What are they doing here?" Sonic's teeth grit together.

"I don't know who they are, but they had better leave Tails alone." He turned away. "Or else."

As he left the room, a little red butterfly perched on the windowsill outside, batting it's wings. After a moment of looking in, it flew away into the sky.

------------------------------

"Damn." Nathan was amazed. "The crab turned into a monster?!"

"Lobster."

"Whatever. Either way, Sonia'll flagulate when she finds out!"

 The four were outside looking at the ashes.

"Well," Uranus finally spoke. "You know that can only mean one thing."

"What?" Tails asked.

"Someone helped the enemy get the lobster from the shop."

"But who?" Tails looked up to Neptune. "Who would do that?"

Suddenly, Haruka untransformed. Neptune gasped.

"It's okay. There's no one here."

"Who at the shop would be on the enemy side?" Nathan asked. "Who would stoop that low?"

 Haruka looked away. The sun was setting as she thought of the perpetrator.

"Only time will tell, Nathan." She didn't want to admit what she thought was the truth at that point. "Only time will tell."

To be continued...