Part One: the solitary Soldier Appears
A Sailor Senshi Meeting:
Ami asks, "I wonder why Haruka and the
others aren't here yet?"
"Don' t worry Ami," Minako answered,
"if they were in trouble they would call us."
"Besides," Rei added, "we helped
Queen Neherina so now we should be done fighting."
Just then the outer senshi enter the room. As
Hotaru and Setsuna take seats next to Chibiusa, Michiru apologizes for
being late and asks if they missed anything. Minako replies, "No, but
may I ask why you guys were late?"
Haruka leans against the wall and sighs. Hotaru
giggles and then explains, " On our way here a policeman pulled
Haruka over to give her a speeding ticket."
Everyone breaks out into giggles, except Usagi.
She is leaning against Mamoru, but she is staring out the window at the
moon. Mamoru gently touches her face and turns her head to ask, "Is
something wrong Usa-ko? You seem so quiet tonight."
Usagi quietly answers, "I'm fine...it's
just... right after we helped Queen Neherina return to her past, I heard
evil laughter that sent chills down my spine. I am just worried that the
fighting is not over."
She turns to Setsuna with a questioning look. The
others follow her gaze. Setsuna takes a breath and replies, "Yes,
Usagi, I believe there are still battles to be fought."
Silence and contemplation fill the room. Suddenly
Chibiusa stands up with a determined smile on her face. "Don't worry
guys! The great Sailor Senshi can defeat any enemy and win any
battle." She then makes a victory V with her hands right in Usagi's
face. The group smiles and moves on to other business, but that silence is
still in the back of their minds.
Somewhere in space a commanding female voice can be heard. "Sailor
Arachne I want you to find those starseeds. Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, Galaxia, I will release hundreds of my precious spiders into
the park that those earthlings love in Tokyo. When my babies sense a
person with enough energy, I will join them and gather the
starseeds."
"Very well, Arachne, you may proceed."
After school the next day the inner senshi are walking home with Luna and
Artemis. They are talking about their classes and homework when Minako
suddenly stops with a bright gleam in her eye. "I have the best
idea!"
"Well what is it Minako?" Usagi asks.
"Chibiusa and Diana will be returning to Crystal Tokyo very soon so
we should have a picnic in the park where we first met her."
"That is a great idea Minako," they all cheered.
Makato hurriedly suggested that she could cook all the food. Rei agreed to
bring blankets to sit on and paper plates and cups. Minako and Usagi said
they would tell Mamoru and the other senshi about their plan. Ami said she
would find a great spot to have the picnic. Then she suggested that Hotaru
could ask Chibiusa to go to the park with her, but when they get there the
picnic will be ready.
"Oh this is going to be so much fun! Quick let's go tell everybody
else," Usagi happily shouted.
The Park:
That Saturday the weather was perfect for a picnic. Everyone had
arrived, except Hotaru and Chibiusa. The blankets Rei brought were bright
and colorful. The food was laid out like an edible work of art. Mamoru
glanced at his watch and mentioned, "They should be here any time
now."
Luna and Artemis laughed as Artemis added, "This is just what the
girls need to relax and to say good bye to Chibiusa and Diana."
"Yes, Artemis, I agree, but I will miss them too."
Artemis nodded his head in agreement. Setsuna then turned and said,
"Hush everyone I see them coming."
The group formed a semicircle around the beautiful picnic spread and
anxiously waited to see Chibiusa's face. She came up over the hill with
Hotaru beside her and Diana in her arms. When she saw the beautiful picnic
her eyes and her smile grew wide and she squealed, "Is this all for
me? This is so great!"
The group smiled and nodded as Chibiusa ran around the blankets and gazed
at all the wonderful food.
Meanwhile, in a different section of the park, a black figure stood
laughing near a tree. Arachne leaned over and released her minions of
spiders and told them, "Go my beautiful children and find humans who
could carry the star seeds."
The large group sat happily eating and talking in the warm sunshine
when suddenly someone let out a scream in a nearby picnic site. The senshi
jumped to their feet. Haruka growled, "I have a bad feeling about
this."
Rei nodded in agreement, "I definitely sense an evil presence over
there."
The senshi quickly transform and burst through the trees to the source of
the scream. A woman is laying on the ground covered with spiders. Tuxedo
Kamen and Neptune run over and try to get the spiders off of the woman.
The other girls look up when they hear a voice shout, "Leave those
magnificent creatures alone. That woman's star seed will be mine!"
Makato yells, "Who are you?"
The woman, who remains in the shadows of the trees, replies, "I am
Sailor Arachne and I will take all of your starseeds."
The spiders quickly climb off of the victim and swarm around Arachne. She
emerges from the shadows and the Senshi can finally see her. A woman of
medium height and slender build stands near the collapsed woman. She is
wearing a short skin-tight black dress. In the center is a red panel of
sheer fabric shaped like the mark of a black widow spider. Her black hair
is pulled up into a bun atop her head, but she has red bangs and the same
red symbol on her dress appears on her forehead and her hair. However, the
most prominent features of the outfit are four pairs of black
"legs" attached to her back. Arachne looks down at the woman. A
flower emerges from the woman's head and reveals a crystal that soon turns
black.
Venus and Mars attack Arachne first, but she dodges the attack and returns
one of her own. "Spider Web Entrap!"
A sticky white substance shoots from Arachne's hand and forms a net that
entangles the two sailors. Before the other senshi can react, Arachne
covers each of them in her webs. She then raises her hand to the sky and
yells, "Spider Shock!"
The soldiers twist in pain on the ground as the webs spark with electric
shocks. Suddenly a different woman's voice calls out, "Animal Song
Deafen!"
Arachne covers her ears to try and stop the deafening noise of animals.
Soothing animal sounds like whales, however, comforts the soldiers. A
majestic gray owl swoops down with talons bare and cuts through the web
nets. Arachne ,still in some pain, cries out, "That wasn't even a
real starseed, therefore it's not worth my time. You haven't seen the last
of me!"
Then she vanishes along with her spider companions. The senshi, who have
now stood up, turn around to face their rescuer. A strong woman with long
jade colored hair stands before them. She is dressed in a fuku like the
other sailors with tall blue boots, a green skirt, and gray collar. In one
hand she holds a staff with a large jade stone carved like an eye. On the
other forearm sits the gray owl that set them free. Sailor Moon steps
forward and cries out, "Who are you?"
Sailor Pluto gasps and replies in a disbelieving manner, "That woman
is Sailor Animalia."