Vengeance chuckled gently, staring at the valiant Sailor Scout. Sailor Earth’s chest was heaving with exertion and fury. Rage, getting to her feet, took out a phone. She held it to her lips and ear, and practically whispered, "Pearl! We have her!" Sailor Earth gasped as the ground began shaking. She held her arms out to the sides as a crack rushed through the sidewalk. The scout flung herself over to the right side of the crack as a hole, threatening to swallow her whole, opened. Debris and concrete pieces flew into the air, and Sailor Earth raised a gloved arm in order to keep the shards from hitting her face. A long, black vine surged from the hole, and hanging onto it was a handsome young man with white-blonde hair framing his face; he was wearing a black cloak. Following him was...a sailor scout! A Sailor Scout looking remarkably like Tracey’s friend Irene, dressed in a lime green and turquoise fuku and holding a staff in her hand! Then a woman stepped up. She was wearing a black pair of pants and a white dress shirt. Her ankle long white blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a barrette and she was wearing high-heeled black shoes. Red lipstick was spread on her smirking lips, and she held a black orb. "I figured it would be proper to dress up for a first meet," the woman snarled, watching as Sailor Earth menacingly crossed her arms. "You don’t remember who I am? Pity. I pity you. You’re nothing but an extra that had to be given power, even though you are not truly a princess of earth. Only your brother deserves the true power." "I have no idea what you are talking about, loud-mouth," Sailor Earth growled, apparently not understanding a word of what the woman had said. "I am Pearl," the woman continued. "With me are my brother Orion...and one of your scouts." "One of my scouts?" Sailor Earth gasped. "You’ve corrupted her, you witch!" "Bold, true words, Miss Earth," Pearl laughed. She raised her eyebrows at the gaping spectators and turned to Orion. "Get rid of them." "Yes, sister," Orion mumbled, holding up a bag. He opened it and threw it in the people’s direction. There was a loud explosion and then silence as the now unconscious bystanders slumped onto the sidewalk. "Monsters," Sailor Earth muttered, holding her hands in front of her. "Now for some pain! Earth!" Energy began pouring into her hands. "White Magic!" A globe had formed, and she put her hands back behind her. "Total Destruction!" She swung the energy forward, straight at Pearl. Pearl stood there calmly as the orb collided into her. Sailor Earth shaded her eyes and surveyed her work...and gasped. Pearl wasn’t harmed in the slightest bit! Why hadn’t it worked? She stared in shock as Pearl dusted the white power off her clothes and stepped forward. "Pathetic, Sailor Earth," Pearl cackled, holding up her black orb. "Now, you will suffer my wrath!" Black lightning bolts crackled into the crystal ball like pearl. "Feel my curse!" "Oh, Phoenix, Sky, Moon, planets...help me!" Sailor Earth screamed. Back to the Outer Senshi... "Get better soon!" Hotaru called, waving furiously as Theo limped into his house, Michelle helping him. Amara started up the engine as Setsuna moved aside so Michelle could scoot in. Hotaru smiled sweetly in the direction of Theo’s house as they rolled away. Michelle was telling Setsuna about how she needed to baby sit Sammy, Serena’s brother, Setsuna, who was staring out the window, didn’t seem to pay much attention. Amara simply hummed a tune as she pulled into another street. "Amara, stop the car," Setsuna broke the silence, her hand pressed to her forehead and her eyes closed. "What’s wrong, Setsuna?" Michelle asked, placing a hand on her green-haired friend’s shoulder. "One of us is in danger," Setsuna murmured, opening her eyes and grimacing as they approached a busy intersection. "And she’s nearby." "But...we’re all safe in the car," Hotaru pointed out. "Not a Sol Scout...I believe Miyoko-chan is in danger," Setsuna continued, her voice edgy and without emotion. "Won’t believe it ‘til I see it," Amara muttered, turning into the street. "There she is!" Hotaru screamed. "It’s a Sailor Scout!" Indeed. A woman with long, white-blonde hair was charging electric bolts into a black pearl. The sidewalk was littered with bodies of unconscious bystanders. And four other people were behind the white-blonde woman, watching as the black pearl shocked the scout. Amara could hear the Sailor Scout scream as the power of the black pearl coursed through her racked body, and the scream had obviously caught in her throat, for the next thing the four girls heard was a low, almost animal like moan as the scout collapsed onto the ground, sprawled out as her uniform sent out black sparks. "Rose!" Hotaru shrieked, flinging open the door. "Hotaru! The car’s moving...Hotaru!" Michelle screamed, watching as Hotaru was thrown out of the car as Amara screeched to a stop. Hotaru lay there, motionless, until Setsuna got out of the car and helped her to her feet. Hotaru blinked and then clapped a hand to her mouth, pointing. Her three friends stared as Sailor Earth stood up on shaking legs, her hand on a nearby iron rail for support. Her wobbling knees looked ready to give out underneath the warrior, but the expression of determination on her face surprised both her enemies and allies alike. "I...will...not...give in..." Sailor Earth managed to cough out, the hand not securing the rail on her bow ornament. "I won’t." The black gem in the center of her bow began to glow. Sailor Earth closed her eyes, let out a hacking cough...and collapsed. Her glove ripped as her hand scraped on a shard of cement, and the gem glowed faintly and then burnt out. Her hair faintly ripped as Sailor Earth breathed in...and then stopped. Pearl stared in astonishment as a faint, misty Earth symbol rose up, ghostly and vague, in front of Pearl’s face, and vanished. "What’s happening to Rose?" Michelle asked in Setsuna’s ear. "Part of her is left, but she is dying quickly. Quick! Transform!" Setsuna cried. "Saturn Planet Power!" "Uranus Planet Power!" "Neptune Planet Power!" "Pluto Planet Power!" Lights sent off as the girls transformed. Orion grabbed Sailor Dark Nature by the shoulder and pulled her against his chest, making her face be buried into his cloak.Rage grabbed Vengeance’s arm and pointed, mouthing words only Vengeance could decipher. Pearl clenched the black pearl in her hand as four uniformed scouts appeared. "Invited by a new age, I am the magnificent Sailor Uranus! I’ll crush you!" called the shorthaired sailor scout in navy blue and yellow. "Sent by an unknown force, I am Sailor Neptune, here to punish you with mighty waters!" announced the aqua-haired girl in teal and dark blue. "I am the melancholic warrior of death and destruction...Sailor Saturn!" shouted the small girl in a uniform of purple and brown and holding a long glaive. "In the name of time, I am the reformation warrior, Sailor Pluto!" declared the tall woman holding a tall, silver key-like staff with an orb at the top of it. "Oh great! More annoying creeps!" Sailor Saturn groaned when she saw the enemies. "You’re pretty annoying yourself, Saturn scum," Rage snapped, her hands glowing with reddish light. "Pearl." Sailor Pluto stepped forward, a miserable, painful expression on her face. "What has he done to you?" "Diamond? Done to me? More like he has cured me forever!" Pearl snapped, laughing coldly. "Once I get rid of this worm here," she motioned to the fallen Sailor Earth, "I’ll get rid of you, for I am the heir to time!" "You will never get your hands on the Time Gate, Pearl," Sailor Pluto murmured. "What on earth is she talking about?" Vengeance growled to Pearl. Pearl’s eyes narrowed, but she did not reply. Orion’s cheeks grew red, and he pressed the confused Dark Nature closer into his chest, his hair blowing in the wind. Pearl touched the black symbol on her forehead, shaped like an upside-down black crescent moon, and held her black pearl out. "I’ll just get rid of you!" she cackled. "Dark Nature! Fight!" Sailor Dark Nature wrenched out of Orion’s arms and thrust out her scepter. For the first time...Sailor Earth got a good look at her. Yes, Sailor Earth was still hanging on to her life, and she stared up at her corrupted scout’s face. Her eyes looked glazed and helpless, with dark circles underneath them, shadowing her face. Her mouth was grim and firm, held in a straight line. And her legs wobbled as if she wasn’t sure what she was doing. "Dark...Vine Tightening Grasp!" Sailor Dark Nature screamed after a moment’s hesitation, swinging her rod. Black vines shot up from the ground, breaking the concrete and sending more shards in every direction. Sailor Earth immediately recognized the vines from her dream... A sudden mist chilled the air. Sailor Pluto gasped as a black vine appeared out of thin air and wrapped itself tightly around Sailor Earth’s chest. Sailor Earth shrieked, gasped for air, and fought against the vine that held her captive. "It’s no use! The princess will never be able to travel through time!" A cold, high laugh sounded as Sailor Earth screamed, the black mist swarming, the vine strangling the very life, even soul out of her... "Argh!" Sailor Uranus yelled as a vine tightened around her ankle. It pulled with a breaking force and sent Sailor Uranus to the ground, landing hard on her back onto the pavement. "Uranus Wor..." Her phrase was cut off as another vine tightened over her mouth, blocking all further speech from the tomboy Sailor Scout. Sailor Uranus struggled violently as more vines over-powered her, grabbing her wrists, chest, legs, and waist. Suddenly the vines began to tighten. Sailor Uranus let out a muffled shriek of pain as they began to glow. "It’s going to kill her! Deep Submerge!" Sailor Neptune rushed out. A wave of water sprouted up behind the scout and flowed in Sailor Dark Nature’s direction. The wave crashed into the evil scout, throwing her backwards and pulling her deep underwater. When Sailor Neptune’s attack ended, Sailor Dark Nature was lying on the ground. The vines holding Sailor Uranus captive dissolved. "I owe you one," Sailor Uranus croaked to her aqua-haired friend. "I won’t let you get away with this!" Rage screamed. A bright red light flickered on and off...and suddenly, swords were spinning at them, blades glinting in the dim sunlight. They were headed straight at the outer scouts! "No! This can’t happen!" Sailor Saturn bawled, holding out her glaive. "Phoenix! Flame and Heat Eruption!" A torrent of flame and smoke rushed over the Outer Senshi’s heads and sailed towards the swords. Each sword trying to pierce the oncoming flames diminished and fell to the ground, the metal blades smoldering and smoking and the handles burnt off. Pearl screamed purely out of anger. "Sailor Phoenix! One of her Gaea Scouts! But what about the sky warrior?" Vengeance said to no one in particular. "Phoenix..." Sailor Earth managed out. "Don’t talk," murmured the red-haired scout, standing there amongst the broken blades. "Just rest." "Sailor Phoenix, where did you come from?" Sailor Saturn cried.