SAILOR SCOUTS: POWER SWAP. What would happen if Jupiter had the power of bubbles, Venus spouted fire, Mars wielded the power of love, and Mercury threw thunderbolts? ===================================================================== Sailor Moon was not having a good day. She had been late for school, forgotten her lunch, had a pop quiz in math, gotten a detention, and was having a bad hair day. To make matters worse, there was an evil monster, calling herself the Rainbow Warrior, wreaking havoc on the citizens of her fair city. The monster had suddenly appeared and was draining life energy from everyone in her vicinity. She floated in the air and her multi-coloured locks fell past her feet. She would be pretty if she wasn't taking pleasure in causing other people to suffer. Before Sailor Moon could even begin her customary speech, the Rainbow Warrior began throwing energy spheres at her. Despite (or perhaps because of) Sailor Moon's lack of motor coordination, she was able to dodge all the attacks and remain unharmed. However, the attacks came so swiftly that Sailor Moon wasn't able to counter. Within a few moments, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina, Luna, and Artemis came running to Sailor Moon's side. "About time!" Sailor Moon said breathlessly. "Give us a break, Meatball Head!" Raye shot back. "We can discuss this later!" Amy said as she held up her transformation pen. "MERCURY STAR POWER!" Raye, Lita, and Mina followed suit. But just as their transformation energies surrounded them, the Rainbow Warrior launched a very large energy sphere at the girls. Sailor Moon grabbed the cats and rolled out of the way but her friends weren't so lucky. The sphere enveloped the girls, expanded, then became incredibly bright. When the light faded, the Scouts stood there apparently unharmed but in the wrong uniforms. For a few moments, all they could do was look at each other. The Rainbow Warrior took advantage of the Scouts' confusion to trap Sailor Moon, Luna, and Artemis in a giant sphere. "What the-?" Sailor Moon lost no time. She removed her tiara and called out, "MOON TIARA MAGIC!" as she threw it at their confines. But the tiara simply bounced around inside the sphere narrowly missing its captives. The Rainbow Warrior smiled, evidently satisfied that the sphere would hold. "I'll burst that bubble!" Sailor Jupiter stepped forward wearing an orange sailor suit with light blue bows. "JUPITER THUNDER..." she began but the lightning rod did not extend from her tiara. "MARS FIRE..." Sailor Mars, wearing a dark green sailor suit with blue and yellow bows, placed her hands together but instead of flames forming at her fingertips there were merely sputters. In her blue sailor suit with purple and red bows, Sailor Venus took aim. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM..." but her attack didn't materialize. Sailor Mercury teetered on her red heels as the light breeze ruffled her red sailor suit with pink bows. "MERCURY BUBBLES..." but like the other Scouts, her attack was non-existent. Sailor Moon was not about to give up hope. She began pounding on the sphere with her fists while Luna and Artemis clawed at it. Mercury looked at the other Scouts and came up with a quick hypothesis. "Look at us! We don't have our usual uniforms and we don't have our usual attacks. But maybe we have _COMBINATIONS_ of each other's attacks." Jupiter shrugged. "It's worth a try. JUPITER..." She looked at her outfit noting she had Venus' uniform with Mercury's bows. She didn't know how to position her hands for her attack so she kept them as fists at her side. She racked her brain for some combination of the powers of Venus and Mercury. "Uh...LOVELY BUBBLES!" A stream of tiny bubbles floated lazily between the Sailor Scouts and the Rainbow Warrior. "LOVELY BUBBLES?!?" Mars, Mercury, and Venus exclaimed. "That's the best you can come up with?" Mars asked. "What do you expect the Rainbow Warrior to do?" Venus added. "Giggle to death?" "Cut me some slack!" Jupiter retorted. "I just got these powers today! Besides, I didn't see _YOU_ come up with anything better!" The Scouts started arguing with each other. The Rainbow Warrior looked on with great disinterest. Sailor Moon looked at Luna and Artemis and sighed, "If Lovely Bubbles are the best they can do, then we may be here for awhile." Finally the Rainbow Warrior decided she had heard enough and threw several energy spheres at the Scouts. "Look out!" Mercury yelled. "Everyone get moving!" Mars shouted. "If you want to see your beloved leader and your cats again you will come to my fortress at sundown." The Rainbow Warrior continued her assault on the Scouts. "We'll be there, Rainbow Warrior!" Venus called out. "Don't worry, guys! We'll get you out of this!" Jupiter added as the Scouts made a hasty retreat. "Why should we worry when they've got Lovely Bubbles?" Artemis muttered. * * * * * * * * * Venus asked the obvious question. "Okay, what happened to us?" Everyone immediately turned to Mercury. "I think that when we transformed as the Rainbow Warrior's energy sphere hit us, all the energy combined and redistributed itself. So now we have each other's uniforms and each other's powers." Mercury rubbed her feet. "Mars how do you run around in these heels?" "Oh it's easy really," Mars began but one look at Jupiter told her that she should probably not go into that right now. "Maybe I'll tell you later. Is there any way to change us back? We might be better off fighting the Rainbow Warrior with attacks we're familiar with." Mercury instinctively reached into her subspace pocket but found it was empty. She looked at Venus and said "I might be able to come up with something if I had my mini-computer." "What? You mean I have it?" Venus reached into her subspace pocket and found an orange mini-computer. Mercury quickly went to Venus' side and began to punch keys. "OW!" Mercury exclaimed as she dropped the mini-computer. "What happened?" Jupiter asked. "I got a shock. One that hurt, too," Mercury explained. "Look at that." Mars pointed to the lid of the mini-computer. Instead of the symbol of Mercury, it sported the symbol of Venus. Venus picked up the mini-computer and began punching keys. She wasn't electrocuted. "I guess you'll have to tell me what to type, Mercury," Venus said. "Do you have the VR Visor?" Mercury asked. Venus touched her earrings and the light blue visor appeared over her eyes. "Oh wow! How do I look?" Mercury sighed. Only Venus would think of the visor as a fashion accessory. Jupiter shook her head. "Wills someone please tell me if we can change back?" "Whether or not we have our regular powers we still have to rescue Sailor Moon, Luna, and Artemis," Mars answered. "Do you have a plan?" Mercury asked. "Not really," Mars admitted. "Unless you want to storm the Rainbow Warrior's fortress." "With what? Lovely Bubbles?" Venus asked. "Will you quit with the Lovely Bubbles already!" Jupiter was annoyed that the subject had been brought up. "Is that what you think of our powers?" Venus asked pointing to herself and Mercury. "Hey I've got the powers of thunder and love," Mars cut in. "I can see it now. I'll say 'Mars Stormy Romance' and a bunch of Harlequin novels will come flying out of nowhere." Venus was becoming angry at the comments her friends were making about her powers. She felt she had always been an integral member of the team and that she had made important contributions. Now, it looked like Jupiter and Mars never took her seriously. She rose to her feet. "Shut up, Mars! I've got your fire and Mercury's water. The two cancel each other out. I can't do anything!" "Well, at least you've got Mercury's computer and VR Visor," Jupiter sulked. "Everyone calm down," Mercury said quietly. "Easy for you to say." Mars folded her arms and leaned against a wall. "You've got the strongest combination of us all. Thunder and fire." Mercury was close to exploding after that comment. Mars might as well have said "The powers of Venus and Mercury aren't as important or as good as the powers of Jupiter and Mars." Mercury took a deep breath. "This is not about who has the strongest powers or who's most important to the team. It's about doing good for others and that includes rescuing Sailor Moon, Luna, and Artemis." Venus half-smiled. "It's about being Champions for Love and Justice." "It's about righting wrongs," Jupiter began. "And triumphing over evil," Mars finished. "AND THAT MEANS YOU!" the Scouts chorused as they erupted into a fit of giggles. "Okay, seriously now," Mars said. "Let's practice our new powers." Mercury looked at the setting sun. "I don't think we'll have enough time." "So are we going to practice on the way to the Rainbow Warrior's fortress?" Venus asked. "And take out half the city with powers we don't understand?" Jupiter countered. "I think that when the time comes we should let the power flow freely within us and the attack will present itself," Mercury suggested. "Are you going all spiritual on us?" Mars asked her friend. Mercury winked. "Must be the fire in me." * * * * * * * * * Sailor Moon was tired of trying to escape her prison. Every attack failed. She merely sat slumped over inside the sphere. And there wasn't so much as a rose petal from Tuxedo Mask. She had to count on the Sailor Scouts. Then she remembered their first attempt to rescue her today. She slumped down even further. Just then, a ray from the setting sun hit her Moon Crystal and shone hundreds of tiny rainbows onto the walls of the Rainbow Fortress. The Rainbow Warrior was intrigued by this effect and floated over to her prisoners. A bright flash of light filled the room. When Serena opened her eyes she realized that the Rainbow Warrior held her Moon Crystal and she was no longer Sailor Moon. "Hey! Give that back!" Serena cried out. But the Rainbow Warrior ignored her and stood by the window using the last of the day's sunlight to create tiny rainbows on the walls. Serena pounded on the sphere for a few moments then flopped back down. "Now we'll never get out of here." "Serena, don't talk like that." Luna padded over to the young girl. "You know the Sailor Scouts will be here soon to rescue you." Luna gave a sharp glance to Artemis before he could make a snide remark. Artemis wore a hurt expression on his face as if to say "What makes you think I would have said anything against the Scouts and their Lovely Bubbles?" Serena let out a big sigh and looked at the setting sun. * * * * * * * * * The Scouts stood just outside the Rainbow Fortress. It wasn't hard to locate. Like the Rainbow Warrior, it was ablaze with various colours, it had appeared out of nowhere, and it floated above the ground. "Venus, what do you see?" Mercury asked. Venus activated the visor and concentrated on the information it was giving her. She wished she paid more attention in Science class. "I see some guards at the entrance. They're not human drones. They're... I don't know what they are." She stole a quick glance at the other Scouts and the curious bystanders to get an idea of what normal readings looked like, then she focused again on the guards. "I'm sure those guards are definitely not human." Jupiter slammed her right fist into her left palm. "So it's safe to kick their butts?" Venus deactivated the visor and leapt up to the entrance. "Affirmative!" While in the air, she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her, her heart beating rapidly, and her new powers surging within her. Suddenly, it all made sense. "VENUS FIRE BUBBLES!" From her hands came a series of fiery spheres. As the Fire Bubbles exploded, the guards quickly scurried away. The other Scouts came up behind Venus. "Nice job," Mars said smiling as she led the Scouts further inside the fortress. Mercury was also proud of the combination. As the Scouts entered the Main Hall, they were immediately surrounded by several Rainbow Guards. Venus was poised to attack but Mars put her hand on her friend's arm. "Allow me." Mars raised her hands up high as the air around her began to crackle with electricity. "MARS THUNDER CHAIN!" A string of lighting bolts sped across the room and closed around a group of Rainbow Guards. Mars gave a tug on the chain, which sent the guards flying over their heads and into a nearby wall. Venus gave Mars a thumb's up sign and Jupiter smiled. The tall Scout then turned to the guards facing her. Jupiter tried to focus on her new powers and find an attack more substantial than Lovely Bubbles but the guards moved too fast for her. Jupiter threw a few of the guards over her shoulder while kicking and punching several others. Even without using the powers of the planets, Sailor Jupiter was still a force to be reckoned with. But reinforcements soon arrived and Jupiter would not be able to hold them back for long. "MERCURY FLAMING THUNDER!" Spirals of fire and lightning radiated from Mercury's outstretched arms and the Rainbow Guards were destroyed. Jupiter and Mars were amazed and impressed at how well their blue-haired friend controlled their planetary powers. Venus put her hands on her hips and smiled. "I always knew Mercury had it in her." The blonde then activated the VR visor to locate Sailor Moon, Luna, and Artemis. She noticed strange energy readings from a set of doors at the end of the hall. Even if she couldn't understand the visor, it felt natural for her to use it. "We have to go through there," Venus pointed. "Let's go!" Mars commanded. The Scouts burst threw the doors and found the Rainbow Warrior holding the Moon Crystal. In the background, Serena, Luna, and Artemis sat inside their prison sphere. "Are you all right?" Mercury called out to their friends. "Yes! But she's got my crystal!" The Rainbow Warrior merely smiled and waved a hand in the air. The floor between her and the Scouts began to crumble away revealing the city streets several meters below. She motioned to the prison sphere and it began to float towards the gaping hole. "What are you doing?" Jupiter asked. "I've decided that I have what I want," the Rainbow Warrior answered turning the Moon Crystal over in her hands. "I have no more need for these prisoners. But I would like to see the looks on your faces when I release them over the city." "That's not happening today, you Rainbow Reject! MARS THUNDER CHAIN!" "VENUS FIRE BUBBLES!" "JUPITER LOVELY BUBBLES!" "MERCURY FLAMING THUNDER!" The Flaming Thunder enveloped and distracted the Rainbow Warrior causing her to release her hold on the Moon Crystal and weaken her control over the prison sphere. The Thunder Chain latched on to the Moon Crystal as the Fire Bubbles burst the prison sphere. The Lovely Bubbles caught Serena, Luna, and Artemis as they fell out of their prison. As they floated over to the Scouts, Serena stared wide-eyed at her friends. "Where did you guys learn to do that?" "No time to explain, Meatball Head," Mars said handing her the Moon Crystal. "Transform. We'll cover for you." As the Flaming Thunder died away, the Rainbow Warrior drew herself to her full height. She was extremely angry at having lost her prisoners, the Moon Crystal, and the upper hand. She began to concentrate energy within her hands but before she could release it, the Scouts called out their powered-up attacks. "MARS GOLDEN THUNDERBOLTS!" "VENUS ICY INFERNO!" "JUPITER SHINING CRESCENT BEAM ILLUSION!" "MERCURY FIRE-BREATHING THUNDER DRAGON!" The combined powers of the Sailor Scouts surrounded the Rainbow Warrior who vainly threw energy spheres in all directions to free herself. Sailor Moon stepped forward with her Moon Scepter. "Would you care to do the honours?" Venus asked. "Gladly! MOON SCEPTRE ELIMINATION!" The Rainbow Warrior disappeared in a blaze of light and colour. The Fortress began to shake itself apart since its occupants were no longer present. The Sailor Scouts and their feline guardians escaped unharmed and once again, their city was safe from the hands of evil. * * * * * * * * * The Scouts were hidden among the trees surrounding the Cherry Hill Temple. A crescent moon hung in the sky. "So what are you guys going to do now?" Sailor Moon asked her friends. "Change back!" they chorused. "How?" "Well, I've been thinking about that," Venus answered. Artemis did a double take. "Don't look so surprised, cat. I've come up with my share of good ideas before. Now, I think that if we were to transform and Sailor Moon used her healing powers on us before we finished, everything will go back to normal." "Are you sure about that?" Artemis was skeptical. "What if you just powered down and then transformed? Wouldn't that take care of the problem?" Venus patted Artemis on his head. It wasn't often that she got to explain things to Artemis and she enjoyed it whenever she got the chance. "Oh Artemis. If it were as simple as a Negaverse spell, we would have changed back to normal after the Rainbow Warrior was Moondusted. But as you can see, we didn't." "So it would stand to reason that we need a more complex solution," Mercury added. "Well, I know two things for sure," Mars said looking at her friends. "One: today's experience has taught me to appreciate everyone's strengths and powers. And two: I still want my fire back!" Venus laughed. "You can have it! There were moments I thought I was going to burn my gloves!" "Okay, so are we ready then?" Jupiter asked. "Ready!" everyone answered. Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter powered down then began their transformations. Sailor Moon shot her Moon Healing beam into the midst of their transformation energies. As the light faded, the Scouts stood in their proper uniforms and to Mercury's relief, their proper shoes. "Excellent! Now, let's go out for a bite to eat. I'm STARVING!" Sailor Moon suggested. "I'd much rather cook up a storm," Mars decided. "Nah, I want to do some homework," Jupiter said. "I'd like to do a fire reading," Venus added. Mercury looked thoughtful. "Let's go to the arcade and check out cute guys!" An exclamation mark in a thought bubble appeared over Sailor Moon's head as she looked at her friends and decided that today was one of those days that she should have just stayed in bed. The End.