Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, and DIC. Final Fantasy VII and all related characters are the property of Squaresoft and Sony.

Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius
By D. Pung
Part 7: A Simple Twist Of Fate
PG-13

"I see," said Red. He glanced at Dev, who was talking on his PHS to Cloud. "So, this time our contact will involve us assisting you to locate your nemesis instead of vice versa."

Amy nodded. "Yes. We don't know what she wants here, but so far her theme hinges on acquiring forbidden powers and destroying anything in her path. We have been able to beat her back up to this point, but it is starting to get old. We would all be much happier on our own plane." She unconsciously rubbed her right forearm. Serena noted this with a raised eyebrow.

"What kind of power could she be going after?" asked Vincent as Dev hung up.

As one, the scouts shrugged. "We don't have a clue," sighed Luna. "Whatever it is would be devastating in her hands."

"Used however she likes," finished Artemis. "And we've already deduced that she would absolutely love to rule every plane."

"Well, everyone's notified, and all except Cid and the Highwind will be here within a few days. Fortunately, we all live on this continent, except for Yuffie, but she has all the materia and will make it here easily. Cid informs me the Highwind's broke, and he's fixing it, but to keep him informed," said Dev. "In the meantime, the others are on their way. Cloud and Tifa said something about bringing extra chocobos. So, there is little to do but wait."

"Well, that's that," said Serena. "You guys wouldn't happen to know what ice cream is, would you?"

* * * *

Tifa smiled as she surveyed the room. It was almost like old times, with only Cid missing. Herself, Cloud, Cait Sith, Vincent, Barrett, Yuffie, Red XIII, Aeris, Zack, and Dev sat around, surveying the Scouts. She couldn't help but notice there were only a few of them this time around. As she looked around and everyone got settled, she reflected on how life was going. The planet was happy, the people were happy, and she and Cloud were running a very successful Chocobo Ranch. Truth be told, though, life was a little boring. She knew she wasn't the only one in the room who missed the old days.

Dev cleared his throat. "Okay. We're all here for one major reason. The Scouts have been pursuing an enemy of theirs across the planes, leaving half their team behind to guard their home plane. Now, this intruder, who we'll refer to as a Locust, is a powerful individual, determined to acquire some power from our world and return home with it, and attempt to conquer every plane. Her name is Marius."

"And now, the big question is- What is she after?" asked Amy.

"A WEAPON?" asked Barrett.

"All destroyed," said Cloud.

"The monsters?" asked Yuffie. "They've previously said they don't have monsters everywhere like we do."

"Lifestream?" asked Red.

"Doubtful on both," said Zack. "I'm sure she has her own powerful minions, and how can anyone steal lifestream?"

Aeris cleared her throat. "Oh, it's possible."

Tifa frowned. "Yeah. That's what we battled against Sephiroth for fourteen years ago."

"Huh?" asked Cait Sith. His cat face still represented Reeves to the group, and he enjoyed living a normal life and an exciting one at the same time. His face cleared in recognition. "Oh, yeah."

Cloud suddenly looked grim. "Yeah. That's right. Sephiroth was trying to steal lifestream, to combine with it, to become a god."

"Exactly," said Aeris. "Which makes me think she'll be after the same thing Sephiroth was. And it makes perfect sense. It's portable, and will bring ruin to entire worlds."

Raye looked at Aeris. "What are you referring to?" she asked.

Aeris sighed. "The very thing I died trying to prevent. I'm referring to a similar plan the Locust might be pursuing, thinking she can pull off what Sephiroth did not."

"Oh my," said Tifa, eyes wide.

Aeris noted Tifa's comprehension. "Yeah. I'm talking about Black Materia."

"Not again," said Cloud quietly.

Aeris nodded solemnly.

"Black Materia?" asked Luna.

"Black Materia is a special materia, used to summon the Ultimate Destruction Magic," Aeris began to explain.

The Scouts looked at each other in horror.

"And what exactly is that?" asked Artemis quietly.

"Meteor."

* * * *

The day was bright and sunny. People were bustling about. They would cross over the bridge, and wonder at the crowd outside of a riverfront café. Some would join the crowd, some would push forward, and a few would glimpse what the people were excited about.

Seven girls, enjoying a lunch.

Some would wonder why this was so interesting. Then they would remember the fantastic events of the past couple of weeks. They would take another look, and then get excited themselves.

After all, it wasn't everyday you came face-to-face with a Sailor Scout, much less seven of them.

Amara leaned back and glanced up. She could feel it in the wind. This day would be momentous.

She just didn't know why.

"That was yummy!" exclaimed Reeni, setting her fork down. She still had bits of chocolate cream pie on her face, which held an expression of bliss.

"This is a great little restaurant," smiled Sam. Mel nodded agreeably.

"Indeed," said Trista.

Michelle sat straight up, drawing Hotaru's attention. Her eyes drifted over the water. She noted everyone's sudden awareness of her discomfort. She had the distinct feeling something was wrong. She spied several bubbles rising from the river. In clumps. As if..

"He's here," said Amara suddenly.

General Trouble burst from the river straight towards them. They scrambled to safety as GT smashed into the café, crunching through the windows, and throwing the tables aside. Amara was first to regain her feet.

"Not this time! Today we finish this! URANUS COSMIC POWER!" The winds howled around her, and suddenly Sailor Uranus was ready to rumble. Hurried cries showed the other Scouts were transforming as well.

"Let's pummel this freak!" shouted Earth-Love.

"Yes, let's!" said Neptune coolly. She decided to try a different tack. "NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!" The blast of oceanic force smashed GT onto the main thoroughfare.

"SATURN SILENCE RUSH!" Deadly energy flowed from the Silence Glaive, jolting GT. He swung in his typical manner, preparing to retreat. Pluto ducked under the blow, seeing the Earth twins join hands.

GT faded from view. This time, however, things were different. The twins immediately began following him, with the rest of the Scouts trailing. This time, they would finish this humongous freak. The crowd split to allow the Scouts through. Saturn and Neptune guided the two concentrating twins, as Pluto, Mini-Moon, and Uranus stayed ready to blast. They moved up two blocks, away from the river, into the shopping district.

The twins both pointed right. The team adjusted, and their eyes fell on the mall. GT seemed to sense he was being followed, as suddenly he faded into view, and shattered the glass doors, charging into the mall.

Needless to say, the Scouts followed.

They cautiously walked in. Screams could be heard, and the Scouts followed the sounds and strewn debris from GT's rampage. They cornered GT in the food court.

"Let's get it on!" shouted Uranus, as the crowds split to allow the Scouts to do their thing.

"PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!" called Mini-Moon. The exploding hearts smashed GT backwards.

"PLUTO FINAL SAY!" called Pluto, letting loose the nine balls of time energy. Each one smashed GT further back. Uranus had already gotten behind him, with Saturn.

"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"

"SATURN SILENCE RUSH!"

The combined blasts sent GT sprawling towards the twins and Neptune.

"NEPTUNE STUNNING TSUNAMI!"

The blast of the water knocked GT off his feet. It slowly climbed to its feet, glaring at the Outer Scout of the Oceans. It charged. A huge claw went up, preparing to smash Neptune. Uranus was about to move, when Pluto grabbed her arm and pointed. The twins were holding hands, and an aura of power surrounded the two. Earth-Love pointed her hand out.

"EARTH LOVE PURIFY!"

A ball of bright white light intercepted GT's descending claw. It drew it back with a cry of rage and agony. The white ball expanded to include all of GT, then contracted, causing it to scream in pain as it burst. Then it was Earth-Anger's turn. She pointed her hand at GT, who was already reeling.

"EARTH ANGER PETRIFY!"

A blast of crackling gray energy ranged from Earth-Anger's hand and struck GT dead center. A gray aura spread over him, and slowly faded. The twins relaxed and separated.GT still sat there, still caught in the pose of trying to get up, a perfect statue. Uranus drew her sword. She casually walked up to the statue, and just as casually reared back and struck.

GT shattered into a pile of rubble, which slowly faded from view as the chunks disintegrated.

"YES!" the crowd cheered.

The Scouts smiled and struck victory poses as the police and media began to wrap things up. Mini-Moon summed it up the best with her perfect imitation of the patented Sailor Moon pose.

"MOONDUSTED!"

* * * *

Deep within the ruins of Midgar, Marius jerked her head up. She felt the severing of her experiments' contact, and knew instantly that her minion had been destroyed by the Sailor Scouts. She blinked, and shrugged. She had expected it to happen eventually. She glanced down at the files she was reading.

The Turks. She would use them, instead. This could get interesting.

* * * *

Reno sighed. He was leaning back. The Turks had taken up residence in Junon. But no matter where they lived, they couldn't escape a simple fact.

Life was boring.

Take his current position, for example. He was nice and relaxed, in a patent leather chair, with his feet on his desk. Most people would find this ideal.

Not the Turks.

Reno gazed thoughtfully in to space. Truth be told, he hadn't been truly happy except for his dealings with Cloud & Company. Their conflicts, and even when working with them, had made life fun and interesting.

He was interrupted by Rude and Elena coming in.

"Well, anything interesting happening?" asked a bored Reno. Rude and Elena, as of late, had been spying on the new lives of Cloud and his friends. He expected the same old mundane answers.

Elena nodded. "We found out something interesting's going on. With the exception of Cid, who is repairing the Highwind, their entire group is meeting in Cosmo Canyon. They took their weapons with, too."

"What's happening?" asked Reno, bringing his feet off his desk and on the floor, facing them fully.

Rude shook his head while Elena continued. "We don't know for certain. We overheard mention of the Scouts that helped us defeat Neo-Ultima WEAPON, and some new, dangerous enemy that threatens both parties," Elena shrugged.

Reno narrowed his eyes as he sat back. He knew damn well that Rude and Elena felt the same way about Cloud and his friends as he did. When they were working for Shinra, it had been respect. When Midgar and Shinra had fallen, they had slowly come to like them. They never admitted it, but they felt a kinship with them, cemented after the whole Neo-Ultima deal.

He glanced at them, saw them both nod. Reno reached for his PHS.

* * * *

"Great, just great," sighed Cloud. "You know, I'll be the first to admit I was getting bored, wanted some action. Chocobo breeding and racing was barely keeping that desire in check. But I didn't want anything like this!" He held his still spiky head in his hands. Then he surveyed the Scouts with his slightly glowing blue eyes. The Scouts were unperturbed by this. Dev had the same eyes, as did Zack. It was the result of the process used to create members of SOLDIER, as Dev had explained on their previous visit. Cloud gazed steadily at Aeris.

"You know, I thought we had put all of this behind us. I thought the Black and White Materia were consumed," he said.

"Not the case," sighed Aeris. "Does any Materia disappear after use? No, the Black and White Materia were consumed in the casting of their powers, but they will be recreated. It is not all that unlikely that they've been recreated by now. They are a part of the natural balance of this planet. Furthermore, we really don't know where the White or Black will be. I could ask the Planet if we had a way to get to the City Of The Ancients, but that is also out of the question, as we don't have the Highwind. Or do you have a Gold Chocobo for everybody?"

Cloud frowned. "Pyrite is our only Gold Chocobo at this time."

Red spoke up. "Would Materia be usable in their plane?"

Dev and Amy both nodded. "We used the spare Comet Materia Yuffie gave us to help beat Darkstrike," Amy said. "It probably would have been useable after that if we hadn't shattered it on him."

Barret winced. "I'm sure that musta stung."

"Well, here's another thing," said Tifa. "How do we intend to beat this Locust anyway?"

"And what's White Materia used for?" asked Darien. Aeris beat Amy to the punch.

"White Materia is used to summon Holy, the Planet's counter to Meteor. And now, back to Tifa's question: How are we going to beat your Locust?" said Aeris.

Amy smiled. "I've been working on that. We've been unprepared so far, but my little project is almost complete." She reached into her pocketspace and procured the Starfleet case with a flourish. She cracked it open. "In another plane we've been on, they have really advanced technology. I intend to use it against Marius." Inside the case were quite a few pieces of technology no one was familiar with, and one all the Scouts recognized.

"A phaser?" asked Mina.

Amy nodded. "I've removed the components that make it a weapon, and have been utilizing the knowledge I acquired to rebuild this into a device capable of ending our trip through the planes."

"How did you acquire the knowledge?" asked Vincent quietly.

Amy suddenly went quiet. Serena spoke up. "They have some really powerful computers," she said, resting her hand on Amy's shoulder with a smile and a squeeze.

"Next question: How does it work?" asked Cait Sith.

Amy blinked, and shook off her negative thoughts. "It reroutes the background energy field that Marius uses to teleport between planes. I theorized she must rest quite a bit between trips, and it takes a while to rebuild the necessary potential. So, if we catch her quick enough, it will reverse the polarity of the field, stripping most, if not all of it, from her and using it to send her where she belongs, where we can deal with her as we're supposed to."

"A-73 or A-74?" asked Dev.

"To increase chances of success, I'm setting it to send to both," said Amy.

"Either one will work," said Serena, noting that Amy was learning to leave off the techno-speak so everyone could understand her.

"Well, then, here's what we'll do," said Cloud decisively. "We will take the chocobos Tifa and I brought to head to the bay near the Gold Saucer, where our Submarine is parked. We will then take the Submarine to the cove south of Wutai, and hike through the mountains. This will enable us to acquire our Materia. Once that is taken care of, we will decide where to begin as far as tracking Marius, the White Materia, and the Black Materia. We can work out the rest of the details along the way."

The PHS rang. "Must be Cid," said Cloud as he picked up. He was extremely surprised to hear the voice on the other end, and set it to speaker.

Reno smiled as he leaned back. "You heard me right, Cloud. We Turks are bored, and wish to assist you on your current project. Like it or not, combined we make one hell of a team."

Cloud gazed at the PHS. He noted the other's expressions of surprise. Except for Vincent.

"Vincent?" he said quietly.

Vincent nodded. "The offer is genuine, for several reasons. First, he is right, as were you, about boredom. We all grew used to the fighting, came to welcome it. It takes awhile for that to pass. Second, the Turks always like a winner. And this does directly concern all who were involved in the whole Sephiroth fiasco."

"It has to do with Sephiroth?" asked Elena suddenly.

"Not directly," answered Cloud. "It has to do with an enemy of the Scouts who wants to try what Sephiroth did, because she thinks she can succeed."

"Well, then, you definitely need our help," said Reno. "We might have some inside information for you."

Cloud looked around. Heads were nodding. Zack and Barret looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded. "Wha' the hell," smiled Barret. "If they get outta line, I can smack 'em up."

"Or slice 'em up," added Zack.

"Okay, it's decided then. We accept your offer of assistance. We will be departing soon, and we'll meet you in Wutai," said Cloud.

"You won't regret this, Cloud," said Reno. "We'll meet you in Wutai, and... what the hell?"

"Reno?" asked Cloud.

Elena dropped from the grasp of the woman. She turned to Reno, an evil expression on her face. His eyes were drawn to the inverted black moon on her forehead. Just seconds ago, she had burst into his office in a purplish-black flash, and grabbed Elena. Even now, Elena stopped moving. Rude dropped back, and punched the ground.

"GRAND SPARK!" he called as a blast of energy rippled along the floor to explode underneath the mystery visitor.

"How feisty," she purred evilly, as the PHS clattered out of Reno's unmoving hands, deactivating as it hit the floor.

* * * *

Serena gasped as the connection went dead. "That was Marius!"

"Then we have to help the Turks," said Lita. "And we gotta go now!"

"It's probably already too late," said Luna.

"Yeah," said Artemis.

Cloud blinked. "You can't be serious!"

Amy sighed. "Unfortunately, they're right. And sometime in the near future, we can expect to be facing the Turks... enhanced by the Negaforce. Whether they were actually going to help or not is a moot point now. They are now bad guys for sure. Or as Serena says.."

"Nega-creeps," Serena said sadly. Her communicator beeped. She flipped the top open.

"Hey, Moonface!" called Amara cheerfully. "Got some good news for you!"

Serena blinked. "Well?" she asked.

"General Trouble is dusted! We cornered him in a mall and beat the hell out of him. The finishing touch was the twin's new attacks. Earth-Love hit him with light energy, and then Earth-Anger turned him into a statue, which I shattered with my sword," said Amara.

Despite the recent news, Serena had to smile. "All right! Good job, everyone!"

Amy blinked, and opened her computer. She typed for a moment, and then interrupted. "And some bad news as well. There is roughly an 80% probability that GT will be replaced very soon by one of the Turks!"

"The Turks?" asked Amara. "Oh yeah, I remember. So she got to them, huh? And she's gonna send one our way?"

"More than likely," affirmed Amy.

Serena frowned. "Amara, if that is the case, you cannot kill whatever Turk it is. I can restore them, if you can contain them." She glanced around the room. "Can Earth-Anger reverse her attack?"

"She doesn't know," responded Amara after consulting.

"Well, we'll ride that bridge when we get under it," said Mina reassuringly. She blinked as almost all the Scouts groaned. "What?" she asked innocently.

Amy sighed. "It's 'cross that bridge when we get to it'. Still, a good idea."

"Whatever," said Mina, waving it off.

"Just try and capture the Turk that gets sent your way.. If one does. And keep me informed," smiled Serena.

"We will," said Amara. "No need to worry! How's the chase for Marius going?"

"We're working on it," said Serena. "Amy's trap is almost ready, and we're preparing to get going here to catch her."

"Well, don't let us hold you back," smiled Amara. "Later, Moonface!"

"Bye, Amara. Talk to you later." Serena closed her communicator.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Lita. "Let's go kick some Nega-butt!"

"By the way," began Raye. "What are chocobos?"

"Chocobos are large birds that we can ride places. I have a group of Green Chocobos, which will let us take a shortcut through the mountains," said Cloud.

"Large birds?" asked Darien.

"They don't fly, do they?" asked Lita.

Tifa smiled. "No, they don't. Let's get ready to go. Cloud and I will go prepare them."

"Birds, huh?" asked Artemis. She glanced at Luna. "Wonder what they taste like?"

"Artemis!" gasped Luna. She swiped him with her paw.

"Ow!" Artemis rubbed his now sore nose. "I was just kidding!"

"Hmph, I don't know," said Cloud teasingly. "No one's ever been able to kill one!" **

* * * *

Tifa smiled as she circled Midnight, her personal Black Chocobo, around the preparations. Cloud had left Pyrite, his primary racing Chocobo, at home. He was riding Shadow, his Black. He was also growing impatient. Everyone else had a Green to ride, and they were still lashing their belongings down for the trip. She occupied herself with making sure they had an adequate supply of Mimett greens along for the chocobos to eat. After all, Sylkis greens were for racers only, and the chocobos seemed to prefer the taste of Mimett greens anyway.

Finally, everyone was set, and she spurred Midnight into action, leading the pack as the headed into the hostile mountains around Cosmo Canyon. She relaxed as they started up the trail. Cloud was an excellent rider, and he was bringing up the rear. A crisp wind blew through her hair as the sun began to set, highlighting the sky in yellows, oranges, reds, and purples.

* * * *

They paused during the night to set up camp, and feed the chocobos. As everyone else rested, the three ex-SOLDIERs took turns on watch. The night passed uneventfully, and soon they were back on their way, Tifa once again carefully picking the path. It was around midday a few days later when they crested the last mountain and saw the Gold Saucer in the distance. It was indeed an awe-inspiring sight, as they raced downhill, towards the giant resort.Time was, after all, of utmost importance.

* * * *

Amara brought her bike around the last turn. Racing was one of her favorite things to do, and this race she was enjoying more than most. She yanked her dirt bike hard over, powersliding around the corner before she gunned it again, feeling it regain traction. She was now on the home stretch, and she knew her friends were watching. One of the reasons she was enjoying this race so much was because several of the other competitors were girls, and because the closest person to her was neck and neck with her. She crested the hill, soaring through the air before landing hard, digging in for a burst of speed.

Then she thought she saw-

A woman was standing in front of them with a blue suit.

Time seemed to stop.

Amara desperately tried to yank the bike away from hitting her.

"What the!" began the announcer, drawing everyone's attention to the woman.

Amara gasped as she saw the purple flash.

An energy bolt flew towards her-

And the bike exploded as she hit the dirt hard, rolling twenty feet before stopping, having thrown herself clear in the nick of time. Fiery wreckage crashed all around her, and a flaming tire rolled by. She realized the race had stopped. A set of gloved hands picked her up.

"Hurry up and transform!" hissed Neptune into her ear. Then Amara got a good look at the woman. She was facing the wrecked bike, admiring her handiwork. She wore a dark blue suit, with black shoes. Short butter-blonde hair topped her off. It took a moment for Amara to realize who this was, dazed as she was from the rush of the past few moments. When her brain caught up with her, she shook her head and raised her hand, calling out her transformation phrase. The winds spiraled around her, heralding her change into the Outer Scout of Wind.

The woman turned. The Scouts could only gasp as she faced them. Her blue eyes were gone. Now, her eyes were merely black, empty irises.

"Elena," said Pluto softly.

"I am General Elena, of the Negaverse! My queen has sent me here to stop you!" she shouted, raising a hand towards them. They knew Moon would probably try and talk her out of it, but no one here cared about that as they dodged the blast that came flying their way.

"Hmph!" called Neptune. "Try this on for size! NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!" The blast of water drenched Elena, knocking her off her feet. She immediately bounced back up.

"Nice," she said, wringing out her hair. "Now you try this!" She raised her hands, and a shockwave of purple energy smashed into them, electrocuting them and throwing them about like so many rag dolls. Elena grinned evilly as she stepped closer.

Earth-Love jumped up. She balled her fist and charged. She punched Elena, knocking her into the dirt with enough force to send a cloud of dirt through the air. Elena struck back, kicking Earth-Love hard in the chin, sending her flying into her twin. She saw Uranus' fist coming, and grabbed it, yanking Uranus off her feet and throwing her into the stands. They collapsed on top of her, amid the screams of the crowd and the ripping and cracking sounds of the supports.

"Uranus!" shouted Neptune. Pluto stepped up beside her.

"PLUTO FINAL SAY!" The pulsating blasts of time energy smashed into Elena, knocking her back, spinning her around as she hit the ground.

"SATURN-" Saturn started summoning her attack.

"Saturn, NO!" called Mini-Moon. "Remember, we gotta take her alive so Sailor Moon can restore her!" Mini-Moon grabbed the handle of the Silence glaive, getting Saturn's attention.

The respite gave Elena the chance she needed. "We'll meet again," she promised, before vanishing in a flash of negative energy. Saturn looked over at the stands. She knew Mini-Moon was right, and there were more important things right now. Sirens wailed, as the first ambulances arrived on scene, lights flashing. Neptune was slowly helping Uranus up, and Saturn ran over to assist in the healing. Mini-Moon glanced around. Both Earths were okay, so the only major injury was Uranus.

She could only hope the others were doing better.

TO BE CONTINUED...

** This is meant as a little joke to those who've played Final Fantasy 7. If you remember, chocobos can survive an Omnislash or Knights Of The Round, even at full power! Stay tuned for more, as the plane-traveling group of Scouts, with Cloud's crew, encounter the other Turks and Sailor Mars learns how to hop! I hope everyone has enjoyed this story up to this point!

GO TO PART 8