Belinda’s scarf appeared in an abandoned warehouse, then curled around to make a dome, then returned to Belinda’s hand once everyone arrived. “…What was that?!” gulped Yazmyn’s grandmother, Hannah as Ruby and her friends freed their families.
“Umbra-teleportation,” explained Belinda. “My family has had powers over darkness since we crawled onto the lands of our home-world of Angela.”
“Now, let’s heal you all up as we explain what’s going on here,” said Wilma. She used her lantern to bathe everyone in a warm light. Their wounds were slowly mending.
“…This feels nice!” said Yazmyn. She was then bopped on the head by Bethany.
“We wouldn’t have NEEDED to all be healed if you were just patient!” snarled Bethany.
“Bethany, be fair,” said her mom, Heather. “Her parents WERE as tied up as us.”
“I have to side with your daughter on this one, Mrs. Williams,” said Daichi, Ruby’s dad. “That bomb would have killed us all if those monsters pressed the detonator a little too early and they were also stronger than all of us combined.”
“Her heart WAS in the right place,” said Grace, “…it’s just that her head needs to be there as well.”
“You, button it!” snapped Yazmyn. “…Actually, no. Spill! What WERE those monsters?!”
“Footsoldiers of an interstellar empire,” replied Belinda. “The Entroopers, genetically engineered to obey Emperor Entropy without question.”
“As for who we are,” said Wilma. She and her friends then performed their introductions like they were in a Magical Girl anime! Wilma started the routine with a pose. “I, Wilma Lux, the White Empress, am the Rose of Light!” Grace then posed.
“I, Grace Grayson, the Gray Empress, am the Rose of Balance!” Belinda then finished with her pose.
“I, Belinda Umbra, the Black Empress, am the Rose of Darkness!” The three then posed together.
“Blooming wherever evil lurks so we may defeat it; we are the Cosmic Roses!” they all said together.
“…Nice routine, Your Majesties,” remarked Yazmyn.
“It’s flamboyant, I admit,” said Belinda, “but it’s necessary.”
“The Cosmic Roses,” explained Wilma, “are girls chosen by the elements of magic to defend their worlds from evil. For a while, we all defeated wicked creatures easily.”
“But we were too complacent in our victories,” continued Grace. “On our home planet of Angela, a man enslaved the creators of our universe, Old Lady Life, Madame Scythe, and Mister Resurrector. The man is called Emperor Entropy and he desires to keep all life in a state of permanent decay.”
“…How does that…?” muttered Bethany.
“Did we mention he’s insane?” asked Belinda. “Entropy is a big part of change, as you correctly guessed, Young Lady. We tried to stop him, but his Entroopers and minions were too powerful for us. We had no choice but to find new Cosmic Roses.”
“We’ve traveled to six other planets so far,” explained Wilma, “but we landed here to get away from the Entroopers. …Sadly, we were duped by Emperor Entropy’s general and his minions along with their Entroopers.”
“Why land here?” asked Hannah.
“Because Earth is supposed to be an obscure enough planet that no one would notice,” replied Grace. “But now we brought the fight to your world and we have to end this. Alone.”
“Hang on, it’s OUR planet!” protested Yazmyn. “You don’t know how it works!”
“…Yaz, you barely know how this particular STATE works,” remarked Ruby.
“Besides, we AREN’T Cosmic Roses,” reminded Bethany.
“I didn’t say Yaz’s point was wrong, just mis-worded,” said Ruby. “Wilma, Grace, Belinda, you need help in navigating our home. If your enemies want to conquer Earth, you HAVE to keep the fighting contained here. …On top of that, you saved our lives. We owe you. Maybe we can’t fight like you girls can, but we CAN help out somehow.”
“…One minute,” requested Wilma. She, Grace, and Belinda went to a different part of the warehouse to discuss their options.
“…Ruby, I hate to sound like I’m questioning you, but I have to ask,” said Bethany, “are you sure we can support them? What if those Entroopers attack again soon?”
“…We do what we can,” replied Ruby.
“Ruby,” said Daichi, “I know you and your friends are capable of many things, but you three are just 14! You shouldn’t have the burden of war on your shoulders!”
“Oto-san, war’s just been dumped into our laps,” countered Ruby. “Not through the fault of anyone here, not even the Roses over there. The only ones to blame are the Entroopers and their masters.”
“Everyone, we can’t make the decision for your daughters,” called Belinda once her conversation with Grace and Wilma was over. “That is their choice. …Even if they decide not to be on the front lines, I would know their names so I may defend them properly and at least teach them enough combat to help them and you out of sticky wickets should we not be there in time.”
“She speaks for all three of us,” said Wilma. The girls’ families discussed amongst themselves, then Daichi revealed their decision.
“Very well, Your Majesties,” he said. “We’ll accept that should our daughters accept.”
“…I’m Ruby Kobayashi,” introduced Ruby. “These are my parents, Daichi and Hannah, and my brother, Mako.”
“Hello there,” greeted Mako.
“I’m Bethany Williams,” said Bethany. “These are my folks, Robert and Heather.”
“Just call me Bob,” offered Bob.
“I’m Yazmyn Jacobson,” finished Yazmyn. “These are my dad’s parents, my legal guardians, Hannah and William Jacobson.”
“Or Bill, if you prefer,” said Bill.
“Two Hannahs,” remarked Wilma.
“You can use our surnames if we’re both in the same room,” said Hannah Kobayashi.
“Or Old Lady Hannah, if you want!” cackled Hannah Jacobson.
“Ruby, Bethany, Yazmyn, even if you are not chosen by the elements,” said Wilma, “we will still teach you how to defend yourselves against Entroopers. We will take care of their masters when the time comes for it.”
“But if you’re truly willing,” offered Grace, “then simply place your hands on these.” She pulled out three gems; red, blue, and yellow. “These are Transformation Seeds, created by the very elements themselves. The red gem holds the element of fire, the blue one contains water, and the yellow one wields lightning. If you feel something, like static electricity, or a fire in a fireplace, or water in a bathtub, then that element believes you are a worthy partner. It’s whether or not you get your uniform that determines if you’re a Cosmic Rose.”
“So even if we DO get powers,” summed up Ruby, “these things still want to test to see if we ARE worthy to wear uniforms like yours?”
“Exactly,” confirmed Belinda.
“…Well, I suppose we pick our favorite colors out of these first,” mused Bethany.
“Oh, that’s easy,” said Yazmyn. “Yellow’s always been mine!” She touched the yellow gem and… “HOLY-!” She pulled her hand back. “It zapped me! I mean, it didn’t hurt, but-!”
“Seriously?” asked Bethany. She touched the yellow Transformation Seed. “…I’m not getting any zap. Maybe it’s yours, Yaz?”
“Let me see,” interjected Ruby as she touched the gem. “…Nope. Yaz, you sure you felt a zap?”
“Yeah!” Yaz touched it again. “…Now it’s a constant buzz of electricity.” She fully grasped it in her hand. “…I think this is mine.”
“Well, that’s just these two left,” said Bethany as she touched the red gem. “…I’m not feeling anything. Maybe…” She then touched the blue gem. “Whoa! …It…it’s like I just took a dive into the ocean…and I don’t NEED to come up for air!”
“…Then…does that mean…?” quizzed Ruby. She reached out for the red gem. “…It’s warm!” she said when she touched it. “It’s like I’m near a fire in a fireplace!”
“Then you’re on your way to becoming Cosmic Roses!” praised Belinda.
“All right! When do we start punching bad guys?!” asked Yazmyn excitedly.
“How about tomorrow?” suggested Ruby.
“Why not now?” quizzed Mako.
“Wilma, Grace, Belinda, how long has it been since you three had a change of clothes?” Ruby asked the three original Cosmic Roses. Belinda was about to say something, then she thought about it. She then sniffed her armpit…and gagged.
“I’ve ignored too many baths!” she gasped.
“Bunk with us,” offered Bill.
“Grandpa?” asked Yazmyn.
“We’ve got nothing but room at the farm,” replied Hannah Jacobson.
“Yeah, but-!”
“A farm?!” asked Grace, looking happy. “Yes! Back to my roots!”
“Huh?” quizzed Yazmyn.
“…Aren’t you royalty?” asked Bethany.
“What?” Wilma was confused a bit, then realized where they were coming from. “Oh! No, no, no! We’re not royalty! ‘Empress’ is just the maximum rank a Cosmic Rose reaches! I, myself, was a woodworker back home!”
“I was born a farmgirl,” said Grace, “but I had a hobby in architecture.”
“And I’m a computer programmer,” finished Belinda. “Magic doesn’t really choose those that were born into power.”
“…So…magic is sentient?” asked Bethany.
“Erm…semi-sentient,” replied Wilma, a bit lamely. “Look, how about we explain more tomorrow after we’re all rested from that horrible attack this morning?”
“Sounds like a plan,” agreed Ruby. She turned to her friends. “Sorry, girls, but we’ll have to postpone today’s arcade stuff and tomorrow’s museum visit.”