Chapter 4: Sailor Licorice

Minako saw her, sitting on a park bench. She had short purple hair, and she was quite chubby. Her companion was taller and thinner, with long, pale green hair.

“She’s the next Sugar Senshi,” Stella whispered to Minako, “Both of them smell like they could be Senshi, but the purple-haired girl is the next one to awaken.” Stella twirled around, and a black wand appeared in front of her on the grass. Clutching the wand in her mouth, Stella hopped around to face the two girls, who stared at the odd, rainbow-colored rabbit.

“It’s soooo cute! I’ve never seen such an adorable, colorful bunny rabbit before!” the purple-haired girl squealed, speaking with a thick Irish brogue.

“Are you that rabbit’s owner?” asked the girl with green hair, addressing Minako with a Southern accent.

“Sort of, but she’s more Serenity’s pet, I think,” Minako admitted, “She sniffed you out because she has something for one of you.”

“I’m Stella! And you are a Sailor Senshi!” the rabbit exclaimed, pointing a paw towards the purple-haired girl, “What are your names?”

“I’m Melody Malone, and this is Pixie Beauregarde. Am I really a Sailor Senshi? Am I like one of those new Senshi who are appearing in Galaxy City?”

“If Melody is a Sailor Senshi, then I should be one too! I need to be able to protect her!” Pixie demanded.

“That’s why I’m more suited for her,” said a voice, familiar to Stella. Spring McDonald stomped up to the group, glaring at Pixie, “Because I’m Sailor Cinnamon. Sailor Senshi are naturally suited for each other.”

“Hi, Spring! I’m glad you already know the next Senshi, Sailor Licorice,” Stella greeted the newcomer cheerfully, “Pixie, you’re going to be a Senshi too, I’ll give you your wand too when it’s time. When you do get it, though, please don’t use your powers to attack Sailor Cinnamon, though.” Minako watched as Pixie and Spring faced each other down with glares, reminding her very much of how Haruka and Seiya used to act with each other.

“Didn’t you hear what the cute little rabbit said? You’re both going to be Senshi! We can all be friends!” Melody pleaded. Pixie stared at Spring and Stella in disbelief.

“If she said what I think she said, then it sounds ridiculous. Sailor Cinnamon and Sailor Licorice? I thought the Sailor Senshi had the power of planets, not sugary foods!” she snapped.

“I think this new group is different. I know it sounds silly, but we’re going to need help. This enemy already killed Hotaru,” Minako said.

“Hotaru? You mean Sailor Saturn? How can ‘Sugar Senshi’ help you if this enemy was able to kill one of the most powerful Senshi?” Pixie asked skeptically.

“I’m not really sure how, but finding the Sugar Senshi is better than nothing. And I don’t know how Hotaru was killed either, it wasn’t in a battle as Sailor Saturn. Chibi-Usa found her unconscious in the bathroom at the airport, and then Hotaru was set on fire by one of our new enemies. Ami helped do an autopsy on Hotaru’s body, and it seemed that she was poisoned somehow before she was burned. So it seems like this enemy knows who we are outside of being Senshi, and probably attacked Hotaru when she was alone to make sure no one else would interfere,” Minako explained, “So we really do need to have strength in numbers here, even if the idea of Senshi with the power of sweets sounds kind of silly.”

“We do know that at least one of these new enemies is a woman with green hair who calls herself ‘Lily Blossom.’ She also attacked you too, right, Spring?” Stella remembered.

“She did, and she made this weird red jewel come out of Autumn Green’s body. I was told that the jewel was one of the Rainbow Crystals that makes up the Silver Crystal, and that’s why Lily Blossom was trying to take it,” Spring added.

“Please protect me! I don’t want to be killed like Sailor Saturn was!” Melody suddenly shrieked, grabbing onto Spring in fear, “Lily Blossom sounds REALLY scary!”

“It’s okay. I’ll smack down anyone who dares to hurt you. I’ve got a giant cinnamon stick when I’m a Senshi and I’m not afraid to use it,” Spring bragged.

“I can fight too! I may not be a Sailor Senshi yet, but I know how to use kicks and punches,” added Pixie, who did not want to be upstaged by the girl she considered a rival. Minako then got a dreamy look in her eyes, and she sniffed the air.

“Do you girls smell something sweet? It’s wonderful, like a heavenly flower garden,” she sighed.

“I smell it too! Let’s go find it!” Melody giggled. Minako nodded sleepily and began to wander off, following the smell. Melody started to follow her, but Pixie grabbed her arm.

“I don’t smell anything. That woman who was talking to us, Minako Aino, mentioned that the new enemy had poisoned Hotaru. There are some poisons that smell good but are just as deadly, you know,” Pixie warned her.

“I don’t smell anything either,” Stella agreed, “We need to go follow Minako anyway, we might be able to rescue her. Melody, Spring, you two should transform, so you can defend yourselves if it does happen to be an enemy trap.”

“Okay! I’ll show you my power! Cinnamon Sugar Power, Make Up!” Spring called, holding the red wand high in the air. Melody grabbed her black wand.

“Licorice Sugar Power, Make Up!” A Senshi outfit formed over her round body; it was mostly black and white with pine green bows.

“I may not be a Senshi yet, but I’m coming with you,” Pixie stated, and she, Sailor Licorice and Sailor Cinnamon headed off to find where Minako was, Stella sniffing for the scent of the planet Venus.

“Please come, dear Sailor Senshi. You are in need of a long rest from your troubles.” Minako sighed in agreement with the soothing voice. The warm, flowery scents were making her sleepy, and all she wanted was to lay down in the grass. She could see the blurry forms of Sailor Licorice, Sailor Cinnamon and Pixie running over to her, and she smiled.

“They’d like this too,” she whispered blissfully, glad that the other new Senshi would be able to share her happiness. She laid down on the grass and then screamed in pain. The blades of grass had turned into long, piercing vines full of thorns that stabbed her body. She saw a familiar figure of a green-haired woman, and knew that she had been tricked, realizing it too late as one of the vines tightened around her neck.

“Let her go, you evil Senshi killer!” Sailor Cinnamon shouted, leaping over Minako’s dying body, brandishing her giant cinnamon stick like a sword. She brought it down on Lily Blossom’s head with a loud crack, knocking her back into a nearby tree. Though stumbling, Lily Blossom fought back, shooting a blast of fire that sent the cinnamon stick crashing to the ground in flames. Lily Blossom shot an energy beam out of her finger at the tree, turning it into a monster as she disappeared. Sailor Cinnamon wasted no time in grabbing her burning stick, holding it by the end that wasn’t on fire, and she swung it at the tree monster. Sailor Licorice stared in horror at the entire situation, too frightened to use her new powers, fearing she would die like Minako. For her part, Pixie was unsure how to fight the tree monster with her human strength, and while she hated to admit it, she could guess that Sailor Cinnamon could beat it better with that flaming stick she was using.

“Why aren’t you helping her? You’re a Sailor Senshi too!” Stella demanded, running up to Sailor Licorice’s black-booted feet.

“I don’t want to kill a tree! I don’t want to die like Minako did!” she whimpered, backing away, ready to run for it, leave behind this frightening new job that had been thrust upon her. When she had first heard about being a Sailor Senshi, she thought the idea of being “Saiilor Licorice” sounded yummy and sweet, and that it would be fun to have the others be her friends, but now, seeing the battle and what happened to Minako, she didn’t want any part of it. She then screamed as the tree monster, angered by Sailor Cinnamon’s flaming assault, picked up the offending Senshi and flung her across the grass. She landed right at Sailor Licorice’s feet, knocked unconscious.

“Please fight back! Please protect your friends!” Stella shouted, noticing the tree monster had grabbed Pixie too and was swinging her around in the air. Sailor Licorice whimpered, still frightened, but she also had a new feeling, like she really could rescue her friends who were usually the strong ones. It was her turn to protect them.

“Licorice Ropes Entangle!”

“Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!”

“Space Sword Blaster!” As long ropes of black licorice flew out of the surprised Senshi’s hands and tied up the tree monster, restricting its movement, two other Senshi attacks flew at it. The first began to freeze it and the second shattered it, the tree monster exploding in a shower of icicles and bark. Pixie was thrown by the explosion, and the Senshi who had executed the second attack, a woman with short blond hair, managed to catch her as she fell. Sailor Licorice ran to her friends, and she was relieved to see that Pixie was awake, though quite dazed from her unexpected flight.

“Glad we could make it in...MINAKO!!” The blond Senshi who had been holding Pixie nearly dropped her shock as she saw the bloody body of the former Sailor Venus. Another one was dead.