Large, plush rabbits, each with a mouthful of human teeth and shockingly human eyes stared down at the four.

Mercury choked out a scream, burying their face in her bow.

The rabbits giggled, shuffling to the left and to the right, crouching down to get a better look.

"Looksie here!" One said, pointing at Mars and Venus.

"They're small!"

"They're weak!"

"They're bite sized!"

At that, the horrid rabbit children gnashed their teeth. "We're hungry!"

"And you're the perfect appetizers!"

"What's an appetizer?"

Jupiter set Mercury down, hopping into a fighting stance. "Not like we'll let that happen. I am the pretty guardian, who fights for love and for courage! I am Necro Sailor Jupiter! I'll fill you with regret, it'll leave you numb."

"I am the pretty guardian, who fights for love and for passion! I am Necro Sailor Mars!" He held up his shiv threateningly. The magic of transformation must have healed it, because it was white hot again. "In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you."

"What's a chastise?" One of the rabbit children asked. "Is it a snack?" The others laughed, probably imagining serving their heads on silver platters.

"I am the pretty guardian, who fights for love, and for beauty! I am Necro Sailor Venus!" He raised his hand up in an imagined triumph, bringing Mars's with it. "In the name of Venus, I'll punish you with the power of love and this angry rabbit!"

"Oh, you-" Mars growled.

Mercury tapped their fingers together, a little unsure. Finally they straightened, fixating each and every eye (Mercury counted- they have seven!) on the mocking faces around them. "I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for intelligence!" I will not back down. I have to be there for us! "I am Necro Sailor Mercury!" They lifted themself to full height, balancing precariously in the blue boots hidden underneath all those wires. "Douse yourself in water, and repent!"

"I wanna get to the good part! I'm bored!" One whined, to which the others murmured in agreement. "I wanna eat them!"

With great, thunderous steps, they drew closer, hovering above them like vultures.

Mercury backed up, shrinking back down to huddle close to their teammates. What did Mina- no, Sammy- no, Venus say? Shine Aqua Illusion was just an element-based attack. So what was their planet-based attack?

What... What was...?

"Back up, guys." Jupiter's voice shook, her gaze fixated on the closest one. Drool collected on its teeth, dribbling down its face.

Mercury Aqua... Aqua...

"I... I can't!" Mars screamed in realization, tears drooling out of his eyes. "I can't use any of my power like this! I don't have another hand!"

"Mercury...?" Venus gasped.

Rhapsody!

"Mercury..." They reached within the charm in the center of their bow, drawing out a small, blue lyre. They played a simple, four note melody on it, before continuing. "Aqua Rhapsody!"

Huge gushes of water rushed from their outstretched hand, blasting several of the rabbit children.

Each one let out an earsplitting, heartbreaking scream, dissolving into dust right before their very eyes.

"Get them!" The remainder screamed as Mercury finished theirs off.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" Venus kissed the air, materializing it into a golden heart. With a tiny laugh, he threw it at the lunging child coming right for it.

The heart multiplied into four, killing four of the rabbits with a bright light.

"I get it now." Jupiter nodded, smiling.

"I can't die here." Mars shook his head, "But this might not work."

"Not like we're gonna die or anything." Venus muttered.

Mars ignored him, drawing an invisible bow. "Mars Flame Sniper!"

A large, fiery longbow materialized through the tape covering their entwined hands, complete with a beautifully done red arrow hooked on Mars's shiv. Without another word, he let go, engulfing half the remaining rabbits in red fire.

The screams only got louder, making Mercury want to hide away forever in a hole.

"Jupiter" An ornate crown of leaves materialized on her head, "Oak Evolution!"

And she began to twirl rapidly. The leaves swirled around her, glowing green and giving off... hold on...

"Get down!" Mars yelled, grabbing Venus and hitting the ground.

Mercury ducked down, clamping their hands over their ears. Those screams were just too loud, too scary, too human. And Mercury never wanted to hear another human scream like that again.

"Mercury, you ok?" Jupiter rested her hand on Mercury's head.

They quivered, curling all their wires under their skirt. "N-no."

"Listen, bud." Venus's hand hovered over Mercury, unsure of how to proceed. "Uhm, hey, we're getting closer to the castle itself."

He widely gestured to the foreboding spires in the distance. "So let's go."

Mercury sniffled, rising up. They couldn't afford to be weak, not when they had friends to protect. "Yeah, let's."

No one dared to make a sound.

Mercury clung to Jupiter's back, perching on her head and shoulders. Neither of them spoke.

Not even Venus and Mars were arguing, just walking along in silence. Venus didn't even yank on Mars's hand once, just guiding the four of them onwards.

Mercury glanced around, a little tired of the rocky landscape. On Earth, Mercury had loved the moon, spending most of their nights on the rooftop, bathing in the soft light. Many times they would fall asleep, dreaming of a life on that lovely moon.

This wasn't what they wanted.

"The Moon used to be much prettier." Venus broke the silence.

"Hm?" Did he have mind reading powers or something?

"Years ago." Venus said, waving his hand dismissively. "Back in the days of the Silver Millenium."

Faint memories flooded their brain, of glittering pillars and beautiful roses and the soft, gentle face of a woman with silver hair and a child in her arms. Who was she? Mercury didn't remember.

"We were princesses here. Young soldiers protecting the small moon princess." Venus glanced up at the stars, smiling. "Sent from our home planets, living a life of guarding the princess. That is our eternal duty, following her every reincarnation to protect her from evil."

That was it? That couldn't be all that they were here for!

"Then where is the princess?" Jupiter raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "If we're here, surely she must be too."

Venus shrugged. "Not my job to know."

Mars mumbled something, too faint for Mercury to hear.

"What is it, Mars?" Venus sighed.

He rapidly shook his head, stabbing his shiv into the side of his head. Mars yanked on his and Venus's joined hands, pulling, hard, on his mechanical ears.

"Whoa, hey!" Venus grasped Mars's shiv. "What the hell is with you?"

A wire close to Mercury's neck twitched, as did their ear.

"Mercury!" Jupiter grasped their hand protectively. "Do you hear that?"

"Oh, son of a piano!" Venus covered his ears with his arm, shielding his face.

Mercury had spent so much time thinking that they didn't even notice how close they were to the foreboding spires.

And of course, the horrific ringing in their ears.

"I hear something!" Mars shrieked.

"Yeah, no shit!" Venus snapped.

"Listen." Jupiter hissed, holding her hand up.

You are not welcome here.

"W-who's there?" Mercury's voice broke.

"You heard it too?" Mars whimpered, clamping his shiv firmly over his ear.

Leave our sacred space.

EXIT NOW!!

The ground split open, and with it so did Mercury's ears. One by one, massive claws rose up from the chasms left behind, and with it, monstrous faces. One a bear, one a chicken, one a fox, and one a rabbit. For a few seconds, all Mercury could see were enormous, razor sharp teeth.

Intruders.

Murderers!

Kill them!

A red hand seized Venus and Mars, lifting them up. Venus screamed, clinging to Mars for dear life.

"Jupiter!" Mars thrashed. "Jupiter, help!"

"Stay close, Merc." Jupiter whispered.

Not like they planned on even detaching at any point of time.

"We're gonna die!" Venus sobbed.

You are not welcome here! The rabbit screamed.

The fox's hand squeezed, crushing two sailor guardians in its hand together.

Kill them. The bear growled, raising its fist.

"Like that's gonna happen. Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Mercury ducked, hiding their face in the back of Jupiter's uniform. A flurry of green, sparkling leaves swirled around in the corner of their eyes, followed by a loud shriek.

"It's not working, Jupiter, you're only making it-" A crack, followed by two high pitched screams.

Mercury raised their muzzle, only to gasp in horror.

Mars had gone limp against Venus, whose mask had splatters of black and a dark, deep red.

"Mars?" Venus shook his limp body rapidly. "Mars!"

The fox laughed, tightening its grip on the two.

Jupiter's attack barely left a scratch on any of them.

"Juju..." Mercury began, sliding off of her back. "Since one attack isn't strong enough, what if we combined our attacks?"

"What?" She repeated, her eyes wide with fear.

"Like this." Ok, you CANNOT mess this up. "Mercury..." They summoned up all their strength, forming it into a lyre.

Jupiter tilted her head, as if wondering what the hell they were doing. "Jupiter..."

She took her laurel wreath off, touching it to Mercury's lyre. In a flash of teal, the two weapons morphed into a turquoise guitar, with watery strings and electricity running through it.

"And you didn't believe me!" Mercury giggled, momentarily lost in their joy.

"Hello? A hoe just died over here!" Venus yelled.

Silence, invader! The chicken commanded.

Jupiter grabbed the neck of the guitar, placing her fingers on the top strings.

Mercury played a small note on the guitar, shutting their eyes momentarily.

"Glass Rainstorm!"

A large, teal cloud hovered over them, bringing with it a loud clap of thunder. Mercury looked up, just in time to see the first shard of glass stab into the large bear.

A storm of shards soon followed, smashing and shattering into thousands of pieces. The rabbit vanished in a cloud of yellow first, followed by the bear.

Mercury squeezed their eyes shut, blocking out the horrific screaming. Only when the screams died down did they even think about opening their eyes to witness what was left behind.

Huge caverns had opened up, with Venus and Mars collapsed before the biggest one.

Mercury frantically slithered towards the two. "Are you guys ok?"

Venus groaned, pushing himself up on his forearms. Glass glittered on his shredded mask, with bigger shards sticking in his arms, shoulders, and bow. He blinked, as if just now coming to his senses.

Mars still lay motionless at his side.

"Shit." Venus hissed. "Shit, shit, shit!" He shook Mars's only hand, the one still taped to his own.

Mercury tapped their fingers together, their ears lowering. "Is he..."

"Didn't you hear that crack?" Jupiter put her hand on their shoulder. "I'm sorry, Merc."

Venus groaned, rolling his eyes. "Ok, Mars, the joke isn't funny anymore. Get up."

Finally, finally, Mars's shiv twitched.

"That joke wasn't even funny." Mars growled. "You broke my rib!"

"And I broke my back. We're even."

"You and I will never be even, Venus."

"Typical." Jupiter mumbled. "Come on, you guys. At this rate, we'll get in."

Venus got up, dragging Mars up with him. Without warning, Mercury enveloped the two into a hug.

"You guys are ok!" They cried, burying their muzzle into Venus's bow.

"Uh..." He glanced down at them, unsure of how to proceed. "Yeah, yeah I guess so."

Mars scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Merc, are you ready to go?" Jupiter smiled, patting their head.

Mercury nodded, slithering up onto her back.

"Let's go!"