Tsuki no Mikazuki Productions presents...
Written by Dana ‘Ariel Silantat' Ritchel...
Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon R - Sailor Atlantia Episode 6:
"Soldier of Silver Flame, Sailor Atlantia Arrives!" Sailor Atlantia 6
"I'm home!" Ariel called, as she walked in the front door. She slipped off her shoes, and put on her slippers. Her grandfather walked out of the kitchen holding a small wrapped package and smiling warmly.
"Welcome home, Ariel." he greeted her.
Ariel looked in wonder at the package.
"What's that, grandpa?" she asked.
"Oh, it's just something I thought you should have."
Her eyes widened at his comment.
"For me?" *I'm getting a gift? Wow. What for?*
"Yes, it belonged to your mother." he said as he handed her the gift.
She took it, and unwrapped it carefully, painfully so, until she found the small jewelry box under the wrappings. When she removed the cover, she gasped and stared in shock.
"It's beautiful..." she whispered.
Lying on the soft velvet of the box was a golden, star-shaped locket entwined on the front with dozens of strands of silver and a deep blue faceted sapphire set in the center. She took it out, the silver chain on which it hung made of dozens of links that shined like fire. As she turned it over in her hands, she noticed a clasp on the back which would open it.
"It-it's beautiful!" she said again, exasperated, "Thank you! Thank you so much..." she said as she hugged her grandfather.
"I've wanted to give it to you for so long, but it was never..." he paused, thinking of the right words, "it was never the right time." she looked up as he spoke those words.
"Right time?" she asked, a peculiar look on her face.
"Yes. Now you're old enough properly take care of it and give it the respect it deserves." he looked at her, slyly, "What did you think I meant?"
"Oh, nothing..." she smiled, "Nothing at all. But...thank you!"
"Now, why don't you go upstairs and do your homework?" he asked.
"Of course grandpa!" she bounded up the stairs, grabbing her books on the way.
*It may be Friday, but I'll do some of it now for grandpa.* she thought as she closed the door to her room.
[Silver stars and gold moon crescents spiral around until a feather-formed heart appears in the background and the Japanese writing appears]
"Soldier of Silver Flame, Sailor Atlantia Arrives!" Written by Dana Ritchel
"Ariel-chan it's beautiful!" Uasgi said as she stared at the locket.
It was Saturday, the day after she had gotten the locket, and she, Usagi, Terra, and the rest of who she now knew to be the Inner Senshi were all sitting around a large table at the Crown Fruit Parlor. Unazuki had just taken their orders, and the sodas and milk shakes were on the way.
"Thank you, Usagi." Ariel said, smiling. "Grandpa gave it to me, it used to belong to my mother."
"I wish I had one so pretty." Usagi said with a sigh, looking at her transformation brooch. Ariel grinned.
"Why, Miss Serenity, you look positively jealous!" she giggled, as did the rest of the group, though Usagi blushed.
"Be good or I'll pull rank on you." she said, a devious grin spreading across her face.
"You wouldn't!" Ariel said, a look of playful shock in her eyes.
"Try me, Ariel-chan." Usagi replied, a playful look of determination on her own face.
"Come on you two, break it up!" Terra said, a smile on her own face.
"All right, Terra-chan." Usagi and Ariel said in unison, leaning back in their seats.
Ariel, for the first time, noticed another blond girl at the table, who was smiling.
*She looks familiar...* Ariel thought, *But where have I seen her before?*
The girl must have noticed her stare, because she spoke first.
"I'm sorry, we haven't been properly introduced." she said, "My name is Aino Minako."
Ariel extended her hand. "Ariel Silantat..." she said, then suddenly realization dawning, "Wait a minute...You're Sailor V!" she exclaimed as Minako took her hand.
Minako blushed as she shook the silver-haired girl's hand. "Oh, it's not a big deal..."
"Yes it is!" Ariel said, her voice loud, "I'm such a huge fan! I don't believe it! I actually shook Sailor V's hand!"
"HEY!" Usagi said, genuinely annoyed, and quite loudly, "You're in MY class, and I'M..."
Terra clapped her hand over Uasgi's mouth before she could say it.
"Minna..." she said, almost whispering, but loud enough that everyone could hear her, "We're disturbing other tables...and we ARE in a public place!"
"Yeah, guys, calm down. I'm sure Ariel-chan didn't mean that she wasn't ecstatic to know you, Usagi- chan." Makoto said.
"I didn't mean that, Usagi! It's just...I've never met a movie star before!" she said, her voice touched with sorrow.
Usagi's face fell. "I'm sorry, everyone, I shouldn't have overreacted like that!"
"It's all right, Usagi-chan, we forgive you!" Makoto said.
"Arigato!" Usagi said, her face bright again.
"But, to tell you the truth, Ariel-chan, I'm not a movie star anymore. They don't really need me, they have animation now, and they use another actress to perform her voice." Minako said, "I barely even get called for photo shoots anymore! But, I guess I'm glad I have a normal life again..."
"You would call being a Sailor Senshi ‘a normal life?'" Ami asked her, jokingly.
"Well," she said, "anything's better than being chased by ravenous fans and reporters everywhere you go!"
Ariel laughed, and the others looked at her.
"What's wrong Ariel?" Terra asked.
"Well...it's just that for the past year, since I heard the of Sailor Senshi in Japan, I wanted to BE you guys, and, to think, now I'm actually friends with them!" she said.
That's when their drinks came, and the conversation came to a short end as the girls lapped up their drinks heartily. Ariel smiled and looked out the window, thinking that maybe, just maybe, coming to Japan wouldn't be as bad as she had believed.
A large tree in the middle of a dark area of netherspace stood alone, until two strange-looking beings with green skin appeared, floating near it, looking with feeble faces at the dead leaves that littered the space around it's roots. Ail floated around the Doom Tree, testing different branches. When he found one small one was dead, he snapped it off the tree. Unheard to either of the aliens, the tree gave a soft groan.
Ann, dejected, and not seeming to notice her companion's anger, spoke. "We haven't been giving it enough energy!"
"What shall we do then?" he yelled at her, then, seeing the fear in her face as she recoiled, he repented. The anger in his mind was replaced by guilt as he floated over and embraced her.
"I'm sorry Ann...it must be this planet, it's getting to me." he looked back at the dying tree, "But if the Doom Tree dies..."
"We die with it!" Ann said, hopelessly.
"No, I won't let that happen!" Ail said as he floated away from her, "We won't die! We'll just have to take more energy!" he said as he fanned the tarot-sized cards out in his right hand, "Pick a cardian, Ann."
She pointed to a card and it floated up into the air. It depicted a purple-skinned humanoid creature with no apparent gender-distinguishing features and a long tail with a barbed stinger on the end.
"Excellent choice!" the card vanished, replaced by his flute, "Cardian Scorpox! I command you, come forth!"
He began to play the haunting tune that brought life to the cardian. As Ann watched, the card grew and expanded...
"Are you sure you have to leave, Ariel-chan?" Terra asked as they walked towards the exit to the Crown Game Center. Ariel nodded.
"Yeah, I do. I feel I should go spend some more time with grandpa...he DID give me this locket, and it's the least I can do for him."
Terra smiled. "Well then, have a nice afternoon."
Ariel nodded, and smiled back. "Believe me, I will."
"See you tomorrow." Terra said, quickly adding, "You can come to the temple for our meeting."
Ariel nodded. "All right Terra..." she smiled, "then I might be able to see you Senshi in action! And not be unconscious, that is."
Terra grinned. "Well I don't know about that...but we can all hope, can't we?"
"Ariel-chan!" Usagi called, running out of the Crown Game Center.
"Hi Usagi!"
"Ariel-chan has to go." Terra said, and Usagi pouted.
"No way!"
Ariel shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Usagi, but I want to spend some time with grandpa."
Usagi blinked. "Oh, well...then you should go! Have fun!"
Ariel nodded. "I will." *I hope so.*
"See you tomorrow!" she said as she rounded a corner.
Ariel walked along, humming a tune. Then,like so many times before, she got that sick feeling and felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. She turned around, slowly, and sighed, loudly, in utter exasperation.
"What IS this? Do I have 'Monster Food' written somewhere on me?!" the Cardian looked completely lost, and Ariel grinned, "This time I won't be so easy to drain, tall, dark, and stupid!"
That comment, too, seemed to pass over the monster's head, and Ariel sighed.
"You really are just plain stupid, aren't you?"
It blink-blinked, then attacked, lashing it's tail out at her as it cried, "SKREE!"
Ariel shrieked, and dodged, almost being hit. The barbed stinger on the end of the tail sendng pavement flying everywhere.
*At least I didn't get hit that time!* she sighed, and dodged again, running madly from the cardian, who was sticking to her trail like glue.
"WHY ME?!" she cried, turning to the crowded street around her, she yelled, "Someone HELP!"
Nothing.
*Stupid, Ariel, stupid! Why should this seem strange to anyonw? It's TOKYO! Everyone's used to this!*
As if in agreement, the creature again cried.
"SKREE!!!"
"From what Terra-chan and Usagi-chan were saying, Ariel really accepted her memories from the Silver Millenium quickly." Makoto said as she and Ami walked along.
"It must be nice, being from the Silver Millenium and not having our duties." Ami said vacantly.
"What do you mean by that, Ami-chan?"
However, Ami didn't answer.
"Ami-chan?" Makoto asked again, then Ami glanced up at her.
"Mako-chan, did you just hear something?" asked Ami.
Makoto, next to her, cocked an ear.
"Hai, Ami-chan. It sounded like..." she listened carefully.
"Screaming!" Ami finished, and Makoto nodded, frantically.
"Let's go, Ami-chan! Someone needs us!" Ami nodded, and the two started running towards where the sound of screaming had come.
Ariel fell to her knees in an alley. She really hadn't had a good day during the last few days, the last two being the best, to be sure! With her having been targeted so much...she couldn't take much more of it, or she'd just break completely.
"SKREE!" she heard the malicious cry.
Ariel shuddered. *It's here...*
She stood up, turning to face it. *But what am I supposed to do? Nothing! I can't do anything!*
However, as the insectoid creature grinned evilly and approached her, there was a sudden flash of light.
"What the...?!"Ariel cried out in alarm. But the light continued, and the Cardian recoiled. Ariel searched for the source of the light, and gasped as she saw where it emanated from.
"My locket..." she said in awe. Her locket was, indeed, glowing, giving off silver light. She unpinned it, and held it in her cupped hands.
*You have to fight, Ariel!* she heard a voice whisper in her head.
"What...who?"
*Do not worry, just listen to me, and trust me. You must fight this evil, and help the Moon Princess.*
"What do you mean? What can I do?" she was confused as she had ever been.
*Simple...Just say these words, and you will know...*
Ariel felt another voice in her head, a voice urging her to speak. So she did.
"ATLANTIS STAR POWER," the cover of the star shaped locket faded away, revealing a large sapphire. It gave off a pulse of light. "MAKE UP!"
As she said the words, the locket spun up into the air, and gouts of silver flame whirled around Ariel in a double helix as blue light shined down on her from the sapphire set in the jewelry. As a fuku appeared on her lithe frame, it was bathed in the light, and a dark blue skirt and trim appeared. Then the fire flared around her forming the bows in the front and back of the fuku, as well as her tiara, which had a gold star with a deep blue star-cut sapphire in it's center. Finally, the locket descended and adhered itself in the middle of the front bow, silver star earrings in the shape of the locket with small sapphires set in them appearing at her ears as it did so. When the light and flame faded, Ariel stood bedecked in a Sailor Senshi outfit.
"Wow." was all the young woman could say.
The Cardian had merely been staring stupidly, not comprehending that it's doom was imminent.
"Why do I have to get the dumb ones?" she asked.
"Skree?" the creature asked.
"Yes, that's right, scorpion man, I'm going to destroy you!" she said, a sudden wave of vitality racing through her, "You thought you could pick on weak, helpless little Ariel, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU?!"
Scorpiox, not understanding, was confused still, maybe even a little frightened. "Skree?"
"WELL NOT THIS TIME MISTER! NOW I'm ready for you!"
She brought her hands out before her, spinning around as two silver fireballs appeared in her palms.
"SILVER FLAME!" the small fireballs shot from her hands, coalescing and striking the cardian, who was vaporized on impact.
"SKREEEEEE!" it screamed as it was consumed by the raging inferno, then the tarot-sized card fell to the ground, making a loud *CHINK* sound as it lodged itself in the concrete, and exuding black smoke as the face faded away.
"Yeah, and tell THAT to all your little friends too!"
And after all the torment she had suffered at the hands of the cardians, Ariel cheered, "This is going to be fun!"
Then she looked down at her fuku. "Wait until they get a look at this!"
And, for the first time in what seemed like ages, Ariel was positive that coming to Japan had been the best thing that ever happened to her.
The End of Episode Six
Stay Tuned for Episode Seven of SMR-Sailor Atlantia:
"Seijuurou's Crush, Silver Star Revealed"