Category: Cosmic Roses

A week later, it was a special ceremony for the Cosmic Roses. They arrived at a warehouse that was being converted into their base of operations and sanctuary for their families should their civilian homes be attacked. The girls, Daichi, Heather, and Bill arrived to see a ribbon at the door with the girls’ mentors standing by. One was a tall woman with white hair and dark skin, the second was a tall woman with pale skin and black hair, the third and finally was slightly shorter than the other two and plump with gray hair. They looked to be 21. “Welcome, welcome!” greeted the woman with white hair, Wilma Lux, the Rose of Light.

“You girls ready to check it out?” asked the woman with gray hair, Grace Grayson, the Rose of Balance.

“Let’s see it!” urged Yazmyn.

“I’m eager myself,” agreed Bethany.

“Then, Ruby, if you please,” directed the woman with black hair, Belinda Umbra, the Rose of Darkness. Ruby then summoned a fire-themed broadsword.

“I declare Cosmic Rose: Earth HQ…OPEN!” called Ruby as she slashed at the ribbon with her sword.

“Bit much, don’t you think?” asked Bill.

“Well, we DO need to keep up our training in little ways,” replied Wilma. “If we’re gonna expand like Supers-man’s Avengers team-.”

“You read those comics!” interrupted Yazmyn. “You’re doing that on purpose!”

“Just to get a reaction out of you, my dear,” replied Wilma. Yazmyn grumbled to herself. “Now, let’s get started!” She opened the door and everyone stepped inside to see a huge monitor screen, various consoles, and seven rings that people could step through.

“This is the main command center,” said Belinda. “With it, we can monitor for any crimes being committed. Those rings connect to the other Cosmic Rose bases on the other planets we traveled to.”

“Is that why you’ve been vanishing at times?” asked Ruby. “To train our sisters?”

“Of course,” replied Wilma.

“They’re all at the rank of Lady like you three are,” explained Grace.

“Nice! I wanna see them!” cheered Yazmyn.

“Well, given the current fight with Emperor Entropy,” replied Belinda, “you might do so. They’re keeping his minions at bay for now.”

“So they’re not slouches,” said Ruby. “The enemies are just a little stronger than Lord Typhoon was.”

“That’s the idea,” replied Belinda. “Now, to continue!” The mentors led the group to another area. “This is the commons area, where we can do our various hobbies! I believe you Earthlings put it best in that ‘all work and no play’ saying.”

“Looks comfy,” remarked Bethany.

“Yeah, looks like…wait, are those arcade games?!” yelped Yazmyn when she saw the cabinet. “I was so torn up when the arcade closed during the Christmas season!”

“Well, we managed to buy your favorites,” replied Wilma.

“…With what money?” asked Ruby.

“With ours. We’re official farmhands for the Jacobsons,” explained Grace.

“Those things aren’t cheap,” remarked Bethany. “And there’s no way Bill pays you that much.”

“Who cares?!” laughed Yazmyn. “Let’s see…oh, no coin slot or card swiper?”

“We modified it so you can just scan your Comms Compact,” replied Belinda. “Try it.” Yazmyn went over to the pinball machine and waved her comms compact where the coin slot would be and the machine lit up, ready for its player!

“Sweet!” cheered Yazmyn.

“And, of course,” said Belinda, “we DO have a training area. Yazmyn, Bill, while it was nice to use your farm, we need to train without disturbing the animals. I still remember that kick your cow gave me.” She put her hand to her stomach and winced, recalling how hard a cow kicks.

“How you’re still alive, I have no idea,” remarked Bill.

“Enhanced durability does NOT mean painless,” remarked Ruby. “Now, what DOES the training area look like?”

“This way!” bid Wilma. The group ended up outside, behind the warehouse, to reveal a football-field-sized clearing with devices around the perimeter. “Here we are!”

“These devices,” explained Belinda, “are solid light hologram projectors, able to create training dummies or field conditions. What say we break it in?” She, Grace, and Wilma then held up their own Transformation Seeds.

“Well, it’s been a while since we sparred,” replied Ruby. “Girls, let’s do it!”

“Oh, heck yeah!” agreed Yazmyn.

“Let’s show them we’ve still got it!” said Bethany. With that, the girls held up their Transformation Seeds.

“Red Lady Rose of Fire…”

“Blue Lady Rose of Water…”

“Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning…”

“I desire to bloom!” The three girls then transformed into their outfits.

“White Empress Rose of Light…” said Wilma.

“Gray Empress Rose of Balance…” continued Grace.

“Black Empress Rose of Darkness…” Belinda went on.

“I desire to bloom!” Their transformations were very similar to the girls’. Their Transformation seeds grew and surrounded them, then became rosebuds, then opened into giant white, gray, and black roses. The three mentors leapt out of the roses and were in their outfits. While they followed the same theme as their students (white leotards, tights, skirts, flats, opera gloves, and roses in their hair), there were distinctive differences. They had puffy shoulders, a necklace with a gemstone, their skirts had a huge amount of petticoats, were lined at the hem with roses, had bows on the backs of their waists, had royal cathedral trains, and the roses in their hair had two leaves and pearls in them.

“Show us what you’ve got!” challenged Wilma as she summoned a lantern, Grace summoned a spear modeled after scales, and Belinda summoned a scarf.

“You asked for it!” replied Ruby as she summoned her sword, Bethany summoned a shield, and Yazmyn summoned a lightning pistol in each hand. The mentors and their students then rushed at each other with Ruby taking on Grace, Yazmyn taking on Wilma, and Bethany taking on Belinda. The combatants were creating a dazzling display of color for the observers.

“GO YAZ!” called Bill.

“GET HER, BETHANY!” cheered Heather.

“TAKE HER DOWN, RUBY!” urged Daichi. …A pity that the Comms Compacts all buzzed and flashed, stopping the sparring session.

“What in-?” muttered Ruby. Belinda opened her Comms Compact.

“…It’s from the planet of Gaia!” she said. “From the Cosmic Rose base there!”

“It’s not an SOS,” said Grace as she checked her Comms Compact, “but it IS a request for help.”

“We’d better check the details at the command center,” said Wilma. “Sorry girls, sparring’s on hold.”

“Dang it!” complained Yazmyn. She and the others still followed their mentors to the command center. Belinda keyed in a few commands and the details popped up.

“…It looks like there’s a conference going on at Gaia’s capital citadel,” she said. “They’re inviting us as guests.”

“…Just us?” asked Wilma.

“Well, officially, yes,” replied Belinda. “But…” she looked at the girls.

“…You’re taking us to another planet?!” asked Bethany excitedly.

“Wait a minute, how would our girls breathe?” asked Daichi.

“All the planets that have Cosmic Roses,” explained Grace, “have atmospheres like our old homeworld. Similar gravity too. Your girls will be fine.”

“…How about we check with our spouses first?” Heather suggested to Bill and Daichi.

“Probably a good idea,” replied Daichi. The three of them then made their calls.

“Ooh boy!” said Yazmyn as she vibrated excitedly. “Can’t wait to see another planet!”

“Hang on,” said Bethany. “Our folks didn’t say yes yet.”

“I think they will,” remarked Ruby.

“How do you figure that?” asked Yazmyn.

“Our parents trust us and trust our mentors,” explained Ruby. “They know Wilma, Grace, and Belinda wouldn’t make the offer unless they were sure we were gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, but what about any other crime stuff?” asked Bethany. “We’re local superheroes.”

“I think they’ll tell the cops, firemen, and ambulance guys that we’re gonna be off-planet,” replied Ruby. Just then, she noticed the adults hanging up. Daichi had a smile on his face.

“Ruby, Bethany, Yazmyn,” he said, “you girls stay safe on that new planet, you hear?”

“Then-?!” asked Yazmyn excitedly.

“Yes, you can go!” confirmed Bill. The girls hugged their folks.

“Be safe, you hear?” asked Heather.

“Loud and clear, Mom!” replied Bethany.

“We’ll be back!” promised Ruby.

“Girls, let’s power down,” said Wilma. “We’d rather not go in guns blazing, Gaians get a little nervous about that.”

“Got it,” replied Ruby. The Cosmic Roses then held up their Transformation Seeds. “Red Lady Rose of Fire…”

“Blue Lady Rose of Water…”

“Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning…”

“White Empress Rose of Light…”

“Gray Empress Rose of Balance…”

“Black Empress Rose of Darkness…”

“Let my petals fall!” the Roses all said at the same time. Rose petals in their respective colors then swirled around them and vanished to reveal them back in their civilian identities. Grace then keyed in a command in the computer console and one of the rings created a portal.

“To Gaia!” she called. The Cosmic Roses then entered the portal, then it vanished behind them.

“Good luck, girls!” wished Daichi.

Earth, June 5th, 2302, the city of Chromaville, a town famous for having properly functioning facilities and having its own magical girl team! Right now, they were helping the medical side of things…being pulled away from school in the process. A small, 15 year old girl of Japanese descent arrived on the scene. She was already in her outfit consisting of a white leotard and tights, a red skirt, red flats, red opera gloves, and a red rose with a single green leaf tucked into the right side of her hair. She was the leader of the new magical girls, the Cosmic Roses, and she arrived just in time to hear someone say “They’re coming!” and squeeze a rubber chicken at a rapid pace like he was firing a machine gun. The girl looked up wide-eyed to see the man standing on the roof of a balcony over the front door of a house.

“That is NOT good,” muttered the girl.

“Yeah, that’s why I called, Ruby,” replied the saner man on the ground. “He’s losing his mind!”

“I can see that, Sir,” said the girl, Ruby Kobayashi, the Rose of Fire. “But why is he on the roof?” The man on the roof then threw the rubber chicken, cackling all the while as paramedics arrived.

“How am I supposed to know?!” protested the guy that made the call. “He was running around the street, screaming and slinging his poop all over the place. Then he climbed up on the roof saying someone’s trying to cut out his heart!” That was when the lady inside the house arrived onto the balcony.

“Hey!” she called. “Is that the guy that ran through my house and stole my wallet?!”

“He stole your what?” asked Ruby.

“Ooh! A dollar!” said the man on the roof as he opened a wallet. “BYE!” He took the money and threw the now-empty wallet to the ground.

“…We’re gonna need more people,” muttered one of the paramedics.

“That’s it! I’m getting arrested for murder!” declared the lady as she got ready to climb onto the roof while the many shrieked in insane laughter.

“You go call your people, I’m gonna go prevent a murder,” said Ruby. “And I HAD to be called in during a math exam!”

June 7th, 2302, Chromaville. One of Ruby’s friends was called away for a mission, thankfully during her free period, and was already in her outfit. While Ruby’s outfit and hair rose were predominantly red, this lady wore yellow. She arrived at the scene and saw a firetruck with a ladder against a tree. One firefighter was up in the tree while the other was on the ground, keeping the ladder steady. The girl, Yazmyn Jacobson, the Rose of Lightning, guessed what was going on. “Aw,” she said sarcastically, “big tough firefighters can’t get a little kitty cat down from a tree?”

“It’s not getting Thor DOWN the tree that’s the issue,” said the firefighter on the ground.

“…Did you say Thor?” asked Yazmyn, dropping the sarcasm.

“He did,” confirmed the little old lady watching the whole thing. Yazmyn recognized the lady as Mrs. Miggins and remembered how many cats that lady had.

“…Dude on the ground, can you show me your face?” Yazmyn as the firefighter on the ground. He turned his head and the scratches on his face confirmed everything. “Hoo buddy!” shuddered Yazmyn.

“I GOT HIM!” cheered the firefighter in the tree.

“No, you don’t,” replied Yazmyn, Mrs. Miggins, and the firefighter holding the ladder. They were right as Thor yowled and swiped at his face. The firefighter in the tree then fell to the ground. He lay there, groaning in pain.

“…I’m okay!” he mumbled.

“…I’m going in!” declared Yazmyn as she strode towards the ladder.

June 9th, 2302, Chromaville. It was at the start of the school day and the last of Ruby’s friends, Bethany Williams, the Rose of Water, was in her predominantly blue outfit and at the school parking lot. “Honestly, making me miss my science exam!” she grumbled as she approached a high-school aged guy standing next to a car. “What’s going on?” she asked the dude.

“Yeah, my dad, the High School principal, is locked in the trunk of my car,” the dude explained.

“…How’d he get in there in the first place?” asked Bethany.

“You know, I shoved him in there for a prank until I remembered that…I gave him the keys and now they’re in there with him.”

“I’M GONNA KILL YOU, BOY!” shouted the High School principal from inside the trunk.

“Sir, why don’t you use the key fob to pop the trunk?” Bethany asked the man in the trunk.

“BECAUSE IT’S DEAD! SOMEONE DIDN’T CHANGE THE BATTERY LIKE I TOLD HIM HE SHOULD DO!”

“You know, maybe we should just leave him there for a little while until he cools off,” suggested the dude nervously.

“WHAT?!”

“Or,” replied Bethany as she slightly raised her voice, “your dad can use the glow-in-the-dark release latch that’s inside the trunk lid!” The trunk then clicked and the High School principal raised it open. Bethany could see that he was short, bald, and understandably red-faced and angry at the whole thing.

“…I’m sorry?” said the dude.

“You’re dead, is what you are!” promised the High School principal. He leapt out of the trunk and chased his terrified son all over the parking lot. Bethany just blinked at the whole thing.

“…Well, with all that,” she said to herself, “better talk to my teacher and see if I can make up the exam during my study hall.” She then pulled out a blue gem shaped like a seed. “Blue Lady Rose of Water, let my petals fall.” Blue rose petals surrounded her, then her outfit changed to civilian clothes and the rose in her hair was gone. She strode back into the school building.

June 11th, 2302, Chromaville. Ruby and her friends had finished the last day of school and were so grateful, even the more studious Bethany. “This year was busy!” groaned Bethany.

“Balancing school and Cosmic Rose stuff,” agreed Yazmyn, “you don’t see Batman worrying about that so much!”

“Batman has to balance his day job with his vigilante stuff,” reminded Ruby. “Besides, he’s rich enough to have a butler take care of other things. We’re not.”

“Yeah, true,” muttered Bethany. “Well, now we can focus on…hey, what are those…?” She pointed out a trio of teenagers spraying graffiti on the walking bridge over the highway they were about to use.

“Oh, for-!” grumbled Yazmyn.

“It’s always that bridge!” complained Ruby. “Come on, Girls. Let’s bloom.” She and her friends pulled out their Transformation Seeds. “Red Lady Rose of Fire…”

“Blue Lady Rose of Water…” continued Bethany.

“Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning…” Yazmyn went on.

“I desire to bloom!” all three finished. The proclamation was loud enough to attract the attention of the graffiti artists. They saw the girls’ Transformation Seeds envelop them and turn into rosebuds. The rosebuds then bloomed into a red, a yellow, and a blue rose with the three girls leaping out in their Cosmic Rose outfits.

“What’s the plan?” asked Bethany through their telepathic abilities.

“It’s just a simple bit of roughhousing,” replied Ruby. “Yaz, as you’re the expert taunter-.”

“One set of bruised egos, coming up!” confirmed Yaz. She then called to the group aloud. “What are you nitwits writing? Swood? Grommit? Waaaayz? Oh, maybe comparing someone’s parents to genitals. Come on, do something original! You’re stuck in the 1950’s!”

“Keep running that mouth, girly!” replied the gang leader as they all brought out tire irons.

“I intend to!” laughed Yazmyn. “You’re all idiots that can’t even do graffiti right!”

“YOU ASKED FOR IT! GET THEM!” The gang rushed at the Cosmic Roses, swinging their tire irons…only for the Roses to grab them and deliver a punch to their guts, winding them long enough for them to be handcuffed to the post on the walking bridge. “HEY!” shouted the gang leader! “LET US GO! THIS AIN’T FAIR!”

“I dunno, you sissies got what you deserve,” remarked Yazmyn. Bethany pulled out her Comms Compact and called the police.

“Police, this is Bethany Williams, Rose of Water,” she said. “We just found a trio of graffiti artists on the walking bridge leading from the school to the town. Mind sending a squad car here?”

“On the way, Miss Williams,” replied the dispatch lady.

The police arrived and Officer Tanya took their statements. “Thanks for the catch, you three,” she said. “We’ve been after these punks for weeks. They’ll be doing community service for a long time.”

“You think you can spread it among their cellmates in Lockup,” suggested Ruby, “that they got beaten by 15-year-old girls? No way can their reputation survive that in the criminal world.”

“I think we can arrange that,” replied Tanya. Just then, the girls’ Comms Compacts buzzed.

“…One sec,” said Ruby. She opened it up and…

“WHERE ON EARTH ARE YOU, RUBY KOBAYASHI?!” shouted her father, Daichi.

“THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, BETHANY WILLIAMS!” boomed Bethany’s mother, Heather.

“YAZMYN JACOBSON, YOU’D BETTER BE DOING COSMIC ROSE WORK!” shouted Yazmyn’s grandfather, Bill.

“W-We were!” yelped Ruby.

“Sirs, Madam, I can assure you they were doing their work as Cosmic Roses,” said Officer Tanya. “They’re on their way home now.”

“…Fine, fine,” sighed Daichi. “But you girls really had us worried, not calling us to tell us about it.”

“S-Sorry, guys,” mumbled Ruby as she and her friends flushed red with embarrassment at forgetting that rule. “We’re on our way home now.”

“See you!” said Bethany.

“Be safe,” replied Bill before the girls hung up.

The Entrooper Ship was en route to Emperor Entropy’s base world when the Entrooper Commander made a decision. It made a call in its quarters. “Entrooper Commander of Earth Mission to Emperor Entropy,” it said. The screen then displayed a man in a state of decay.

“Report,” ordered the man, Emperor Entropy himself. “Your ship is leaving Earth. What news of success do you grace my ears with?”

“With regret, I can’t report success,” replied the Entrooper Commander. “The Earth Mission was a failure. Lord Typhoon is dead. His storm machine was destroyed. His team abandoned the mission. Wilma Lux, Grace, Grayson, and Belinda Umbra still live.”

“…How is that POSSIBLE?!” demanded Emperor Entropy in a rage.

“They brought three girls under their tutelage,” explained the Entrooper Commander, “and made them into the new Roses of Fire, Water, and Lightning. The new Roses assisted their teachers in killing Lord Typhoon.”

“Lord Typhoon died at the hands of three Roses at the rank of Lady?! The starting rank?! These new Roses and the old ones have jeopardized my plans! You have failed!”

“It was unavoidable, Sir!”

“Reasons are irrelevant! Failure is unacceptable! Inform the Chief Scientist that it is to take command!”

“Yes, Emperor.” The Entrooper Commander carried out its orders.

“As for you…CADAVER!” At Emperor Entropy’s command, the Entrooper Commander’s body was filled with magic and, thanks to being soulless, exploded like Lord Typhoon did. By then, the Chief Scientist arrived.

“…I understand I was promoted, Emperor?” it asked. “I take it you heard the news?”

“About the mission’s failure? Yes,” confirmed Emperor Entropy. “Your predecessor had the courage to tell me. I expect you to have the same courage.”

“Yes, Emperor,” replied the new Entrooper Commander. “Sir, who is to say that the surviving Roses didn’t train others?”

“It WOULD explain their flight path,” remarked Emperor Entropy. “It matters not. We will proceed. Their survival is a setback, but we WILL find an alternative. We will continue in our battle to finally cease all change in this universe!”

Back on Earth, the Swansons’ daughter arrived, having heard the news. She called the butler. “Hey, Anders, it’s Abby. Listen, we need to arrange for my parents’ bail money.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Abby,” replied Anders, “but that is not possible. They have no money.”

“Look, just sell a few things,” said Abby. “Remember that jewelry box? The one with-?”

“That has been sold,” said Anders. “As have all their other possessions and the house.”

“What?! What does-?!”

“Your uncle and aunt will be your legal guardians, Miss Abby. Your parents owed me five years back pay and I’ve collected on it.”

“WHAT?! YOU UNGRATEFUL-!”

“I must leave now,” said Anders. “My plane for my father’s homeland of Stuttgart leaves tonight and I need to clear airport security. To quote from my beloved father, auf wiedersehen.” He hung up on Abby.

“…That…that wrinkly crook!” snarled Abby. She then scrolled through her phone’s news section and found an article with all six Cosmic Roses shaking hands with the mayor and police commissioner, stating that they were deputized as rescue workers. “…You’ll pay for this!” promised Abby. “This whole damn town will go up in flames and YOU will be to blame!”

Back with the Roses, they were all in their civilian identities, helping with fixing up the church. It was going pretty smoothly. The priest approached Ruby and her friends. “I don’t know how you two did it, but you saved this town! You deserved everything the mayor and police commissioner gave you!”

“…Father, could I speak with you?” asked Bethany. “In the confessional?”

“…Oh…Oh, I see.” The priest nodded.

“Beth, what sin could you have-?” asked Yazmyn.

“One of the ten things we should or should not do says murder’s a no-no,” said Bethany.

“…Oh.” Yazmyn shut her mouth and looked away.

“Lord Typhoon was soulless though,” reminded Ruby.

“Yeah, so why do I feel like we still murdered a man? Ruby, let me have this.”

“…All right,” said Ruby. Bethany and the priest left.

“…She’s not wrong to think that,” remarked Wilma. “But Lord Typhoon was already dead, since he gave up his soul to Emperor Entropy. …But we have a shot with his minions.”

“…Yeah, true that,” remarked Ruby. “What they need is their hope reignited.”

“Rather ignite their hope than them, eh Rubes?” chuckled Yazmyn.

“Oh hush, you!” retorted Ruby as she playfully swatted Yazmyn’s shoulder.

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” said Bethany when she was in the confessional booth.

“As you said it aloud, I think I already know what you feel your sin is,” replied the priest. “Miss Williams…I cannot tell you that you can undo his death. I know your mentors said that he sacrificed his soul for power in the most literal sense, but you saw him acting with emotions that are, for all intents and purposes, human.” Bethany said nothing. “…As someone who fought in a war, I cannot tell you that the regret will ever go away. But you still have your heart and soul and they are both good. You wouldn’t even think about the consequences otherwise. …And even the Lord understands when one has no choice, just as you did.”

“…Well, the choices were either to fight against him and stop him or do nothing and let Earth die,” remarked Bethany. “But that’s not a choice, that’s an ultimatum!”

“And you may find yourself facing other such ultimatums. But it seems you tried to reason with him before learning that he abandoned reason. It’s always a blessing to try and reason. I can safely say God will forgive you and so do I. Amen.” Bethany smiled.

“Amen,” she said. “And thank you, Father.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Now, what say we help your friends?”

“Sounds good to me!”

After the church was fixed up, Ruby, Bethany, and Yazmyn went to the arcade where Yazmyn won as usual, then they went to the museum. Yazmyn stayed silent, but she WAS bored. Bethany saw her bouncing her leg. “…Come on, Yaz,” she said. “You can’t tell me it’s not fascinating.”

“I could, but what’s the point? You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Well, I say it’s nice to slow down after that Lord Typhoon business,” said Ruby. That was when her Comms Compact buzzed. “…Spoke too soon,” she grumbled. She opened it up. “Ruby here,” she said as Grace’s face popped up.

“Hi girls!” said Grace. “Sorry to pester you, but there’s a group of men coming intending to rob the museum of the artefacts on display, specifically the ones that came from…Egypt, I think the country is called. Belinda already told the curator and she should be finding you soon.”

“Oh, taking Egyptian stuff, eh?” asked Yazmyn.

“We’re just about to enter that exhibit,” explained Ruby. “We’ll be right there.”

“Good luck, girls!” wished Grace. By then, the curator arrived.

“Excuse me, are you the Cosmic Roses?” she asked.

“That’s us,” replied Bethany. “Our friend told us about the situation.”

“Please, you must stop those fiends!” begged the curator.

“Don’t worry, Ma’am,” assured Ruby. “We’ll put those crooks behind bars and the artefacts will remain intact. Come on, girls!”

A few shady looking people entered the room where the Egyptian collection was being displayed. They were looking around, then reached for their guns, then… “Red Lady Rose of Fire…!”

“Blue Lady Rose of Water…!”

“Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning…!” came three separate voices.

“I desire to bloom!” said all three. Three giant rosebuds then appeared, then opened into a red, blue, and yellow rose with Ruby, Bethany, and Yazmyn leaping out of them.

“Stealing artefacts?” Ruby asked the leader of the robbers. “Shame, shame!”

“Kid, get out of here or get-!” The lead robber didn’t get very far as Yazmyn kicked the gun out of his hands. The other robbers pointed their guns at her…with one hand.

“…Seriously?” asked Yazmyn. “You guys are REALLY gonna try and muscle through the recoil?” She summoned her own guns and leapt into the air, firing at their hands and knocking the guns out of their hands. The lead robber rushed for his gun, then Bethany flung her shield at his legs, tripping him up. He then reached for his gun.

“HEY!” called Ruby as she stabbed the floor in front of him. The lead robber looked up. “…No,” she said.

The police were quick to arrest the failed robbers and take the Cosmic Roses’ statements. While that was going on, Ruby and Yazmyn replaced the floor tile that was stabbed. “You girls really ARE heroes!” praised the curator.

“Just doing our job, ma’am,” replied Bethany. She then saw Yazmyn’s face. “…You’re seriously smiling.”

“That was exciting!” protested Yazmyn. “And we all learned something.”

“What’s that?” asked Ruby.

“That robbers don’t really pay attention to the news.” Ruby face palmed.

“…Right lesson, wrong time,” she grumbled.

“You’re never gonna change, are you?” sighed Bethany.

“Nope!” confirmed Yazmyn. “Being a Cosmic Rose has only made me more so!” She pulled her friends closer to her as the cameras came out. The Cosmic Roses put aside their differences and smiled for the cameras, the smile reaching their eyes. What adventures await them? We can only guess!

The three groups of girls rejoined one another and, naturally, Ruby, Bethany, and Yazmyn gasped in happy surprise at seeing one another in their new Cosmic Rose outfits! “WHOO!” cheered Yazmyn. “Ruby, Bethany, I was right, you two look FINE!”

“Same as you!” agreed Ruby.

“All that work, and it paid off!” chuckled Bethany.

“You girls have made us proud!” said Wilma.

“You think we have a shot at-?” Ruby stopped herself when she saw someone rushing up to them. “…Your Honor?!” she yelped. It was, indeed, the mayor!

“Thank goodness!” he panted when he stopped. “…Ruby, Bethany, Yazmyn, are you girls…?” He indicated the outfits.

“We are,” answered Bethany.

“Your Honor, what’s wrong?” asked Belinda.

“It’s Lord Typhoon! We found him!” explained the mayor. “He’s taken up residence at the church in Oldtowne!”

“Hang on, that’s MY church!” yelped Bethany.

“It gets worse,” said the mayor. “He’s killed the priest right in the pews.”

“He’s gone too far!” snarled Bethany as she punched her hand.

“Police are surrounding the place, but the Entrooper Commander broke free last night and has its troops aiming their guns at the crowd!”

“…Let’s see the situation,” said Ruby.

“Ruby?” asked Yazmyn.

“Ruby, are you sure?” asked Wilma. “It’s going to be dangerous.”

“We got chosen by our Transformation Seeds during a rescue attempt,” replied Ruby. “On top of that, Lord Typhoon threatened us and our planet. We HAVE to see this through.”

“…You’re right,” sighed Belinda. “Your Honor, as Ruby said, we need to see the situation.”

The mayor took the Cosmic Roses, both old and new, to the church. The police and Entroopers were pointing their guns at one another. “He’s in there,” said the mayor as he pointed at the church. “Right at the altar.”

“Do we have eyes on what’s going on inside?” asked Ruby.

“A lot of machinery being put together, but we don’t know what the end result will be…aside from it not being good.”

“…Bethany, do you know the layout?” quizzed Ruby.

“I’ve been to every part of that church,” replied Bethany. “Do we know if the back door is guarded?”

“We do, and it’s unguarded,” said the mayor. “We’re keeping the Entroopers’ attention on us.”

“…Well, that makes things a little easier,” mused Ruby. “But whether or not it’s locked remains another thing entirely.”

“The priest is a little paranoid about locking the church,” replied Bethany. “It was vandalized when he was a kid.”

“Well, that’s just mean to everyone,” remarked Yazmyn.

“We need the keys,” said Ruby. “Is the priest here?”

“Right here,” replied the mayor as he brought the priest over. As he did, Yazmyn screwed up her face.

“…Anyone else feeling…a spot of nothing?” she asked.

“Like there’s a spot where nothing exists where it should?” asked Bethany.

“I’m sensing it too,” replied Ruby.

“…It’s very likely you’re sensing the lack of a soul,” said Wilma.

“If it’s coming from Lord Typhoon…” muttered Grace.

“We’ll confirm that when we get in,” said Belinda.

“Miss Williams,” the priest said to Bethany as he handed the keys over, “you and your friends be careful, you hear?”

“Loud and clear, Father,” replied Bethany.

The police kept the Entroopers attention held long enough for the Cosmic Roses to go in through the back. Bethany led her friends and mentors through the back of the church past the Sunday School classroom and into the nave, right at the righthand side of the altar. A machine was being built with Entroopers putting it together and Lord Typhoon supervising the whole thing. “…Feh!” scoffed Lord Typhoon as he looked at the crucifix above the altar. “Why such backwards fools need religion is beyond me.” Bethany growled softly at that.

“Bethany, easy,” soothed Ruby.

“He’s done it,” sighed Wilma.

“…Wilma?” asked Ruby.

“That feeling of nothing,” explained Wilma, “it’s coming from him. He’s surrendered his soul to Emperor Entropy to be consumed.”

“…So he really IS a soulless monster,” said Bethany.

“Just like the Entroopers.”

“What’s the plan?” asked Yazmyn.

“We have to cause confusion for the Entroopers,” replied Ruby through the teammate telepathy ability. “Yaz, you start shooting, see if your shots can cause damage to both Entroopers and the machine. Bethany, you sprinkle some water to enhance Yaz’s shots. Wilma, Grace, Belinda, you keep Lord Typhoon off balance. I’ll stab the machine. We’ll all then use those attacks we heard about. Belinda, we have to call out our rank, then the attack name, right?”

“That’s correct,” confirmed Belinda.

“All right.” Ruby held her hand up, “…NOW!” she called aloud, attracting the attention of everyone there.

“INTRUDERS! SLAUGHTER THEM!” shouted Lord Typhoon. Yazmyn was quicker on the draw and shot the guns out of the Entroopers’ hands while Bethany made her shield fly to the ceiling and spray water everywhere, enhancing Yazmyn’s shots. Wilma, Grace, and Belinda fought Lord Typhoon as Ruby stabbed the machine with her sword, using her fiery abilities to melt it slightly. “MY WORLD DRENCHER!” shouted Lord Typhoon. “You red-wearing PIPSQUEAK!” He threw Wilma, Grace, and Belinda aside and charged at Ruby, sword drawn. The two clashed, their blades creating sparks. Thankfully, nothing was catching fire. “Your souls would have made for fine meals for Emperor Entropy!” snarled Lord Typhoon.

“Sorry, I like mine where it is!” retorted Ruby. “You and your master will NEVER decide what one does with their soul! You are NOT gods!”

“We ARE gods! Who do you think you are, spreading that kind of blasphemy?!” Ruby then pushed Lord Typhoon back with enough force to make him stumble. She then remembered how her mentors introduced themselves.

“I, Ruby Kobayashi, the Red Lady,” she said, “am the Rose of Fire!” Bethany knocked aside several Entroopers and joined Ruby.

“I, Bethany Williams, the Blue Lady, am the Rose of Water!” Yazmyn then leapt over the enemy’s heads, firing on them before joining her friends.

“I, Yazmyn Jacobson, the Yellow Lady, am the Rose of Lightning!” Wilma opened her lantern to its maximum intensity and blinded the enemies surrounding her, then joined her students.

“I, Wilma Lux, the White Empress, am the Rose of Light!” Grace swung her spear, taking down several Entroopers before joining with her fellow Roses.

“I, Grace Grayson, the Gray Empress, am the Rose of Balance!” Belinda then used the shadows to teleport and take down a few Entroopers before joining the group.

“I, Belinda Umbra, the Black Empress, am the Rose of Darkness!” she finished.

“Blooming wherever evil lurks so we may defeat it,” said Ruby. She and her friends posed as sparkles flashed from Wilma’s lantern.

“WE ARE THE COSMIC ROSES!” they all called out.

“You’re weeds to be culled!” snarled Lord Typhoon.

“Roses, let’s show our thorns!” called Ruby as she readied her sword. “LADY FIRE SWORD SLASH!” The blade set itself on fire and Ruby slashed horizontally, creating a wave of fire.

“LADY WATER SHIELD WHIRLPOOL!” announced Bethany. She spun around, creating a water vortex, then threw her shield, causing the water vortex to follow it.

“LADY LIGHTNING PISTOL RAPID FIRE!” shouted Yazmyn as she pointed her guns at Lord Typhoon. She pulled the triggers and multiple lightning bolts erupted from the barrels.

“EMPRESS LIGHT LANTERN FLASH!” called Wilma. A bright light shot out of her lantern.

“EMPRESS BALANCE SPEAR JUDGEMENT!” called Grace. She twirled her spear and the scales on it rushed towards Lord Typhoon.

“EMPRESS DARK VEIL SHADOW!” finished Belinda. Her scarf wrapped around Lord Typhoon as all the attacks hit him. The scarf then returned to Belinda’s hands and Lord Typhoon stumbled while cracks appeared on his body.

“N-NO!” he begged. “P-PLEASE! T-TOO MUCH…MAGIC!”

“What’s happening?!” asked Ruby.

“The magic of our attacks is trying to fill in the void left behind by Lord Typhoon’s soul!” replied Wilma. “But it’s increasing to beyond what a body can tolerate!”

“It limits itself when the target has a soul,” continued Belinda, “but without one, magic will escape from a body in a rather explosive fashion!”

“In other words?!” asked Yazmyn.

“He’s gonna blow!” guessed Bethany.

“Exactly! And it’s gonna be a big one!” warned Grace.

“TAKE COVER!” shouted Ruby. Everyone went behind the pews and Bethany raised her shield for good measure. Good thing too, because Lord Typhoon exploded in a violent fashion that destroyed the machine, vaporized all but one of the Entroopers with him, and left a mess in the church. Everyone waited for a while. The resulting silence after the explosion was quite significant. Bethany peeked from behind her shield.

“…Sound off,” she called. “Who’s still here?”

“Still alive, I think,” said Ruby.

“That boom was loud!” groaned Yazmyn.

“Being that close WILL do that to your ears,” muttered Wilma.

“…Girls…we did it…” realized Grace. Wilma and Belinda goggled.

“…Good grief, we actually beat one of Emperor Entropy’s minions!” whispered Belinda.

“…No!” begged the surviving Entrooper. The Entrooper Commander burst into the church.

“What’s going on?!” he demanded. “My Lord, what’s-?!”

“Your Lord and Master is dead!” replied Ruby as she used her sword to point out the charred circle that was Lord Typhoon.

“A mere lie!” scoffed the Entrooper Commander.

“It’s no lie, Sir!” replied the Entrooper Survivor. “I saw it! All six of the Roses used their final attacks! Lord Typhoon is dead! Our army isn’t indestructible!”

“…Retreat!” whispered the Entrooper Commander.

“Sir?” asked an Entrooper from outside.

“Return to the ship!” ordered the Entrooper Commander.

“But-!”

“EVACUATE EARTH! THAT’S AN ORDER!” At that, the Entroopers ran pell-mell from town! As they ran, the Cosmic Roses stepped out from the front door.

“…We did it!” whispered Ruby. She and the Cosmic Roses then raised their heads with pride. “Officers, your Honor, we did it!” she called. “Lord Typhoon is gone and the Entrooper Menace is fleeing Earth!” Everyone cheered at the good news!

Yazmyn and Wilma were still engaged in their fight with Spangly. It was taxing, to put it lightly. No matter how many eyes the two got rid of, their opponent spawned more. With all the lasers that were being shot at them, they couldn’t keep up. They took cover behind a wall. “With those things floating,” muttered Yazmyn, “we can’t stay here long.”

“You’re right,” replied Wilma, “but we can’t afford to lose ground. …Why would he want to join with Emperor Entropy anyways? His people aren’t on friendly terms with him.”

“We can always ask,” remarked Yazmyn. She then called around the wall. “HEY! EYE-BOY! WILMA SAID YOU GUYS AREN’T FRIENDS WITH EMPEROR ENTROPY! WHY JOIN HIM?!” Her response…was a barrage of lasers. “Not talking,” she muttered.

“No, but those eyes tightened like normal eyes do when one is annoyed,” remarked Wilma. “I think we’re onto something.” This time, it was Wilma’s turn to call out. “SPANGLY, WAS IT? IS YOUR SERVICE TO EMPEROR ENTROPY AND HIS LACKIES VOLUNTARY?” More lasers greeted this. “More annoyed eyes, he’s enslaved.”

“So he’s being forced to be a bad apple,” said Yazmyn. “HEY, SPANGLY, TONE DOWN THE LASER SHOW AND WE CAN TALK THIS OUT! WE CAN GET YOU BACK AMONG YOUR RACE!”

“MY RACE IS DEAD, YOU GUN-TOTING HARLOT!” replied Spangly. “THEY WERE EXTERMINATED LIKE PESTS! ONLY I SURVIVED!”

“WHO DID IT?” asked Wilma.

“WHO DO YOU THINK?! US PLACKTURANS WERE THE VANGUARD AGAINST EMPEROR ENTROPY AND HE KNEW IT! YOU COSMIC ROSES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE ULTIMATE WEAPON AGAINST HIM AND YOU FAILED! MY RACE IS DEAD WITH THE UNIVERSE NOW IN EMPEROR ENTROPY’S GRASP!”

“NOT WHILE WE’RE ALIVE!” called Yazmyn. “AND YOUR PEOPLE WILL BE AVENGED IF WE WORK TOGETHER!”

“I’LL BELIEVE THAT WHEN I SEE IT! SPEAKING OF WHICH!” A dozen eyes floated in front of the two ladies. “I BELIEVE THE HUMAN TERM IS…PEEKABOO!” The eyes fired, but the ladies rolled out of the way and Yazmyn fired.

“Genocide!” shuddered Yazmyn. “He’s the survivor of genocide!”

“And forced into servitude,” remarked Wilma. “…The Plackturans WERE the vanguard against him, you know. We Cosmic Roses were all Empresses at the time and we were told to avenge a race. …Evidently, it was the Plackturans. That would explain how Emperor Entropy overpowered Angelan defenses.”

“Grief overpowered him,” muttered Yazmyn. “He sees no other option. …I’m gonna do something stupid, Wilma.” Yazmyn broke cover and rushed towards Spangly.

“COME BACK HERE!” called Wilma. Spangly saw Yazmyn coming and fired on her, but Yazmyn dodged, then tackled him into a hug.

“…You DO know it’s gonna take more than a sympathy hug to stop me!” snarled Spangly.

“Who said that’s all this is?” asked Yazmyn. “All eyes are on us, yeah?”

“Your point being…wait, where’s the White Rose?!” Wilma had vanished. Yazmyn then leapt off and Wilma appeared again, decking Spangly in the face, destroying the eyes. Spangly cleared his vision and summoned more eyes to replace the ones he lost!

“What good was that?!” asked Wilma.

“Thinning the numbers to something more manageable,” replied Yazmyn. She then felt a tingling sensation…and noticed a yellow glow. “Huh?” She pulled her Transformation Seed out of her pocket and realized it was making that glow!

“Yazmyn, focus on that feeling you felt when you first touched it,” called Wilma, “then say ‘Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning, I desire to bloom!’”

“NOT HAPPENING!” All of Spangly’s eyes surrounded Yazmyn. Yazmyn shut her eyes tight.

“Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning, I desire to bloom!” she called. The eyes fired, but the Transformation Seed enveloped Yazmyn and became a rosebud. The smoke cleared away to reveal that the rosebud was intact. It then opened into a yellow rose with Yazmyn jumping out of it and summoning her guns. She wore the same outfit as Ruby and Bethany, only it was yellow instead of blue or red. Wilma and Spangly goggled in surprise, then Yazmyn checked herself out before her hands went to her hair and discovered the yellow rose in it. “…Oh…YEAH!” she cheered as she twirled her guns. “Round two, Spangly! Let’s go!”

“It’ll be the last round!” swore Spangly as his eyes targeted her. Yazmyn rushed out of the way at a much faster speed!

“Whoo!” she cheered. “Super speed!”

“Enhanced, actually,” corrected Wilma. “You’re not at the physical speed of Supers-man. You also have enhanced strength, enhanced durability, flight, and the teammate telepathy that I’m using.” At that, Yazmyn realized that Wilma wasn’t speaking!

“…You just told me I’m not Superman, yet you said I have his basic powers,” remarked Yazmyn through the telepathic abilities. “I mean, minus this whole thing. …Hang on. …Wilma, I got an idea!” The two continued fighting as they workshopped the plan. Wilma then flew up into the air and fired a blinding light from her lantern while Yazmyn closed her eyes. Spangly didn’t close all his eyes in time and yelped in pain of being blinded like that. Then Yazmyn fired at Spangly’s shoulders. Spangly collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulders in pain. “…Well, my idea worked,” remarked Yazmyn. “But now I just feel sorry for doing that.”

“Grgh! Do you…know how painful that is for a Plackturian?!” strained Spangly.

“Spangly, there’s a different kind of pain that needs to be addressed,” said Yazmyn. “You’ve been through all manner of pain. …I’m not sure that my mother dying in childbirth and my father leaving me on my grandparents’ doorstep can ever compare to your pain, but…it exists.”

“And if you DO, for some reason, dismiss Yaz’s pain,” said Wilma, “well, Belinda, Grace, and I lost our people and planet too. …But we can help you. You don’t need to suffer alone, is the point we’re trying to make. Unlike Lord Typhoon, you and your friends HAVEN’T sacrificed your souls. What do you say? Join us in our fight against Emperor Entropy?” Spangly looked up at the two Cosmic Roses.

“…No,” he sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry, Wilma Lux and Yazmyn Jacobson, the respective Roses of Light and Lightning, but…no. …It’s too late for that. FAR too late. …Farewell. And if you DO defeat Lord Typhoon, maybe I can convince Connor and Wreker to abandon Emperor Entropy.” Spangly vanished in light.

“…A teleporter,” mused Wilma. “He had a teleporter on him.”

“…We’d better give him the opportunity to change his friends’ minds,” said Yazmyn.

“Agreed…and he correctly called you the Rose of Lightning!” Wilma beamed with pride. Yazmyn allowed herself a cocky smirk.

“This Cosmic Rose thing is awesome so far!” she said. She opened her Comms Compact and looked in the mirror. “Ooh! Looking fine!”

“Come on,” said Wilma, “let’s see if Ruby and Bethany are as fine looking as you!” The two then headed off.

Bethany and Belinda still continued their fight against Wreker. For all his bulk, Wreker was fast and knew to keep his distance. He tore chunks out of the ground and threw them at the two women. “I can’t teleport to his location in time!” grumbled Belinda.

“This guy really IS smart,” muttered Bethany. “So why is he using his intelligence in this way?! It’s an abuse of that intelligence!”

“It’s called a lack of choice!” replied Wreker as he chose that moment when Bethany was distracted to swing a punch. Bethany only just raised her shield in time to block the blow, but boy, she felt the reverberation!

“Lack of choice?” Bethany quizzed. “What, did Lord Typhoon enslave you somehow?”

“Lady, my problems aren’t your concern!” snarled Wreker as he punched again. Belinda took the opportunity and used her scarf to tie him up. He thrashed against the scarf, but it was surprisingly strong and couldn’t be broken easily.

“I think it’s time for some answers, Wreker,” said Bethany. “What did you mean by lack of choice? I can infer that it means you know that what you’re doing is wrong, but surely-.”

“Kid, my whole life is one where I couldn’t make a choice! I have to serve, even if my master is evil!”

“That’s what they said about people of my skin tone,” remarked Bethany.

“Pardon? There was a period where those with darker skin tones-?” asked Belinda.

“Yeah, and the fight’s still ongoing, but conditions are better than they were for people like me,” explained Bethany.

“How?!” asked Wreker. “Those in power won’t listen!”

“So we make them listen. Even if they don’t believe in the message of protests, protests annoy them to no end that they’re forced to give in.”

“Not how it works and you know it!” Bethany could see that whatever hope was in Wreker was long squashed.

“I really don’t want to give you a beatdown, but I will if I have to,” sighed Bethany.

“Well, you’re gonna have to!” snarled Wreker as he burst out of the scarf.

“That’s a new one!” gulped Belinda as she leapt out of the way.

“We gotta use physics against him somehow!” grumbled Bethany as Wreker swung at her.

“I rather think he knows how to keep physics working WITH him,” replied Belinda. Bethany looked around…and saw a dumpster.

“…Belinda, how strong is your scarf?” she asked.

“It’s indestructible, why?” asked Belinda.

“Can it pick that up?” asked Bethany as she pointed at the dumpster. Belinda saw Bethany’s idea.

“Watch!” replied Belinda as her scarf wrapped around the dumpster. She then swung it like a wrecking ball at Wreker.

“YUH OH!” yelped Wreker as he braced for impact. The dumpster buckled against him, but he still was buried under it. Wreker found the weakest spot in the dumpster and jabbed his hand through it, splitting it apart.

“Dang it!” grumbled Bethany. “We need something to pierce his hide! We can’t just resort to blunt force trauma!”

“Neither of our weapons are good for piercing blows,” reminded Belinda. “My Thorn Attackers might do some damage, but I need another Rose’s help!”

“Thorn Attackers?” asked Bethany. Before Belinda could explain, Bethany noticed a blue glow from her pocket. “…My Seed?” she asked. She pulled it out and her Transformation Seed was glowing! Belinda goggled.

“Bethany, focus on the feeling you first felt,” she directed, “and say ‘Blue Lady Rose of Water, I desire to bloom!’”

“Wait, you think-?!” asked Bethany, seeing where Belinda was coming from.

“Try it!” insisted Belinda.

“NO YOU DON’T!” shouted Wreker. He charged with his fist pulled back for a haymaker!

“Blue Lady Rose of Water, I desire to bloom!” called Bethany. Just before Wreker’s fist made contact with her, Bethany’s Transformation Seed surrounded her and turned into a rosebud. Wreker hit the bud, but it hurt his hand. The bud then opened into a blue rose with Bethany leaping out of the center. Her outfit was similar to Ruby’s but it was blue instead of red. Wreker goggled in surprise and Belinda smiled proudly. Bethany finally looked down at her outfit and gasped in happy surprise. She touched her new outfit, then her hair…and felt the rose in it! “It…it worked! Belinda, IT WORKED!” she cheered.

“Not gonna matter!” shouted Wreker as he swung a fist. Bethany blocked with her shield, then punched him in the face. As her fist made contact, spikes appeared on her glove for a brief moment.

“Huh?” she muttered. Wreker then performed a chopping motion with his hand towards Bethany’s right, but Bethany blocked with her right hand and spikes appeared again, making Wreker recoil from the poking. “…Oh, Thorn Attackers!” realized Bethany.

“There’s more,” said Belinda’s voice. “Enhanced speed, enhanced strength, enhanced durability, flight, and teammate telepathy like we’re doing.” Bethany finally clued in that Belinda’s mouth wasn’t moving.

“…Telepathy, huh?” asked Bethany, using the same method as Belinda.

“You picked up quick!” Belinda smiled.

“And flight? I think I have an idea on how to use physics against him!” Bethany gave a wicked grin. As they workshopped the idea, they continued fighting Wreker. They gave him a hard time, but not hard enough to utterly beat him, not yet. Just then, Bethay boomeranged her shield at Wreker’s feet, Belinda flew up into the air and wrapped her scarf around Wreker, then cartwheeled in the air, spinning Wreker around. She then released Wreker and sent him flying. Bethany then flew to Wreker’s position and slammed her shield onto him, then she flew down, sending Wreker to the ground and hitting him hard against the pavement! Wreker groaned in pain. He couldn’t get up. “…Wreker,” Bethany said aloud, “the fight for us to be treated equally is NOT easy. It’s long, brutal, it gets misconstrued a lot, but, to quote my favorite hymn, we SHALL overcome someday.”

“…I’ll believe that when I see it!” snarled Wreker. He vanished in a flash of light.

“…He teleported away,” said Belinda out loud. “Where to, I don’t know. I just recognize that flash pattern.”

“…So he didn’t pick suicide,” said Bethany. “He still has a small amount of hope keeping him alive. …When next we meet, I hope I can help him increase that hope.”

“We all will,” promised Belinda. “Because with you as a Cosmic Rose, hope will get back up, ready for round two!” Bethany and Belinda grinned.

“Let’s meet back up with the others,” suggested Bethany. “I wonder who else is a Cosmic Rose now?”

“Let’s find out!” agreed Belinda as the two headed off.

Ruby and Grace were dueling against Connor. He had the advantage in sword play as he had practiced longer than Ruby. It was only the fact that he had two opponents and one of them had a longer reach that caused him to be on the backfoot at times. “Connor, what, exactly, is your endgame?” asked Ruby.

“Is now really the time for a dialogue?!” protested Grace.

“Lord Typhoon shall-!”

“I’m not talking about Lord Typhoon, I know HIS endgame,” interrupted Ruby. “I’m talking about yours, Spangly’s, and Wreker’s. What do you three get out of Lord Typhoon turning Earth into a planet of eternal storms?”

“A place at Emperor Entropy’s table!” replied Connor. “With that place secured, I can finally become who I was meant to be!”

“…And what’s that?” asked Grace, now intrigued.

“…I don’t know yet,” said Connor. “…Wait, why am I talking to you?! I’m supposed to KILL you!”

“I dunno, I like talking right now,” replied Ruby. Connor resumed swinging his sword, but Ruby blocked the blows and parried when needed. She then blocked so that their swords formed an X and they spoke across the weapons. “I understand the need for clarity. Really, I do. I’m a teenage girl and the world doesn’t make sense. But death won’t bring that clarity to you.”

“What would YOU know?!” snarled Connor. “You look like you had no struggle whatsoever!”

“Okay, I’ll admit, I’m a very lucky girl to have a stable life, but-!”

“I don’t want to hear it! I’ve heard enough of it on my home planet! Let me tell you, you’d sacrifice anything and anyone to survive!”

“If that’s what the current system of power tells you is working,” remarked Ruby.

“Oh, what, yours doesn’t?!” scoffed Connor.

“It used to. I was a baby when it was replaced.”

“Pah!” Connor pushed Ruby back. “You’re the one with the fire sword! You know what fire needs to do!”

“I also know how much control fire needs to simply warm a home, not set an entire city on fire!” Connor went mad, swinging his sword like an animal! Ruby actually feared for her life.

“Back up there, boy!” called Grace as she pulled Connor off. “Connor, I used to be beaten down by the system, but simply going along with it is giving into despair and-!”

“ENOUGH!” Connor then slashed the air and projected an energy wave from his sword that knocked Ruby and Grace down.

“This is getting out of hand!” grumbled Ruby. “He’s just that desperate. What’s going on with his planet?! I have to find out-! …Something in my pocket feels warm.” She felt around…and realized the warmth was coming from her Transformation Seed! She pulled it out and it was glowing bright red!

“Stars and Petals!” swore Grace. “Ruby, now’s your chance! Call out ‘Red Lady Rose of fire, I desire to bloom!’”

“What, just like that?” asked Ruby.

“You won’t get that chance!” called Connor as he rushed at Ruby. Grace blocked with her spear.

“NOW, RUBY!” insisted Grace.

“Right then,” muttered Ruby. She then held out her Transformation Seed. “Red Lady Rose of fire, I desire to bloom!” The Seed then expanded and enveloped Ruby!

“NO!” called Connor as he tossed Grace aside and swung his sword. The Seed then turned into a giant rosebud and blocked his blow. Grace then pulled Connor back as the rosebud opened into a giant red rose and out jumped Ruby in a new outfit! It was a similar outfit to Grace’s but not as elaborate. She wore a simple red knee-high skirt, white tights and a white leotard, red opera gloves, red flats, a Comms Compact on her waist, and a red rose with a single green leaf in the right of her hair. Ruby looked herself over in surprise.

“I…I’m a…I’m a…!” she couldn’t say it; she was so surprised and happy.

“…That won’t save you!” snarled Connor, snapping Ruby back to reality.

“No, but the training Grace and her friends gave me will help!” declared Ruby. “Round two, pretty boy! Let’s go!” The two then clashed and Ruby felt herself pushing back harder! She then punched Connor in the face…and realized spikes formed at her knuckles. “Wha-?”

“They’re Thorn Attackers,” explained Grace’s voice. “They pop up when we need to give our punches and kicks just a little more oomph!” Ruby goggled when she realized Grace didn’t open her mouth.

“H-How are you-?!” she spluttered. Connor then tripped Ruby up, but Grace slammed the end of her spear into his back.

“Team Telepathy,” replied Grace’s voice. “One of the five basic powers of a Cosmic Rose. We also have flight, enhanced strength, enhanced speed, and enhanced durability.”

“…Flight, huh?” asked Ruby, exercising her new telepathic abilities. “I think I’ve got an idea.”

“RARGH!” Connor swung his sword and Ruby decided to test her flight out. She jumped up and found herself flying over Connor. “COME BACK DOWN HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!” shouted Connor.

“I never was a man,” chuckled Ruby. Grace tripped Connor up and Ruby flew down (fist first) and hitting Connor in the stomach. It didn’t kill Connor, but BOY, did it hurt! Connor laid there for a while, making Ruby wonder if he needed an ambulance. As her hand reached for her Comms Compact, Connor stood up slowly.

“You’ll…get yours!” he hissed through the pain. “When…Lord Typhoon…turns this…miserable rock…into a planet…of eternal storms…you’ll drown…along with the rest…of the unworthy!” He managed to escape.

“…Drown with the unworthy, huh?” remarked Ruby. “Who’s Lord Typhoon to decide who’s unworthy or not? …Anyways, I’m calling an-!” A bright flash appeared in the direction Connor took. “Wh-What-?!” stammered Ruby.

“Relax,” soothed Grace. “It’s just an emergency teleport. He’s not dead.”

“How do you know?” asked Ruby.

“The flash pattern is highly distinctive. I’ve seen it a thousand times. …In any event, Ruby, congratulations!” Grace hugged Ruby with pride.

“Heck of a way to become a Magical Girl, but I like the results so far!” replied Ruby as she looked herself over. “I wonder how the others are doing?”

“We’d better regroup with them and find out,” suggested Grace. “Come on!”