Category: Stories

With their mentors on Terra, the Cosmic Roses introduced each other to their respective home planets and did some rescue work in the meantime. On July 3rd, 2302, in Chromaville, Yazmyn and Opal were responding to reports of an accident. The car itself was fine as was the driver, but the reports said that the passenger wasn’t. Yazmyn was in her Lady outfit while Opal was in her Dame outfit when they approached the car. “Cosmic Roses,” said Yazmyn as she approached the driver’s side. “What’s going on?”

“It’s my moronic brother here,” replied the driver. “He got his leg rearranged.”

“Rearra-?” asked Opal as she looked into the window. “Sweet Great Mages!” Yazmyn looked inside to see the passenger with his leg bent the wrong way at a very painful angle.

“Oh god!” gagged Yazmyn.

“I…I was just resting my foot out the window,” said the passenger, “then a car came too close and…all of a sudden, I knew what the bottom of my foot looked like!”

“That’s not good!” shuddered Yazmyn.

“Yeah, it’s not good!” replied the driver. “I’ve been telling him for years not to put his foot-fungus-filled feet out the window and now look what happened!”

“You really think NOW is the time to lecture me,” protested the passenger, “when my leg has A NEW KNEE?!” The two started arguing and Yazmyn blinked, feeling her lunch threatening to come up.

“What’s the game plan?” asked Opal.

“…I’m gonna go throw up in that bush,” replied Yazmyn, “and we’ll go from there.”

---

That same day, Ruby was helping Pat out in the Gaian Capital Citadel. Like on Earth, Ruby was in her Lady outfit while Pat was in her Dame outfit. They were responding to the scene of a person holding onto a tree in a death grip. “…So, he was just running around, yelling,” Pat asked the onlooker that called, “and then locked onto that tree and won’t let go?”

“Yeah,” replied the onlooker. “He was screaming and yelling that he was the world’s first talking fleepyark, but now he won’t even talk.”

“Let me try something,” said Ruby. She then spoke to the person holding onto the tree. “Sir, how are you feeling? Did you take anything?” The guy hissed like an angry animal.

“…Plakta?” Pat asked the nearby paramedic.

“Yeah,” confirmed the paramedic as he prepared a syringe.

“Sir,” Pat said to the tree-grabber, distracting him from the syringe being used on their behind, “we’re going to give you something to relax. So don’t move, okay?”

“Plakta?” asked Ruby. “Is that gonna calm him down?”

“Oh yeah,” replied Pat. “Most of the time, this stuff works great.”

“…You said ‘most of the time’,” observed Ruby. “Does that mean-?” The tree grabber screamed, jumped off the tree, and ran down the street still screaming.

“…Yeah, other times, it doesn’t,” confirmed Pat. “Come on!”

“SIR, WE’RE HELPING YOU!” called the paramedic as he and the Roses chased the guy.

---

Back in Chromaville, Bethany and Gabi were responding to the scene of a reported fire. They made it to see a fire truck standing outside. Like the other two groups, Bethany wore her Lady outfit and Gabi wore her Dame outfit. They were told by the firefighters to assist in the investigation and…the answers they got made Gabi question how Earthlings survived into the 24th century. “Sir,” Bethany asked the young man that accidentally started the fire, “what made you think it was a good idea to grill something in your garage?!”

“I dunno!” protested the guy. “It was sprinkling out and I wanted burgers! What do you want from me?!”

“A little more common sense!” argued Bethany. “I can’t believe a 15-year-old girl is telling you, an adult, that fire is bad!”

“H-Hang on!” interjected Gabi. “I-It could have been worse. I mean h-his vehicle is a l-loss-.”

“Um, see, here’s the thing,” said the guy, “that’s not MY car per se.”

“What?” asked Bethany. “Whose car was it, then?” She got her answer when another car arrived on the scene and two angry-looking people in their late 40’s stepped out.

“Son!” snarled the woman. “What did you do?!”

“Uh oh,” gulped Bethany as she realized what was coming.

“I’m beating your ass, you hear me?!” threatened the father.

“Can I go with you guys?” the hapless guy asked the Roses.

“Nope,” replied Bethany and Gabi, not wanting any part of that.

---

After their emergencies, the Roses collapsed in their Earth HQ, having changed into their civilian clothes. “G-Girls,” began Gabi, “I n-normally don’t want t-to ask this, but…how did Earthlings survive this long?”

“I could ask the same of Gaians,” replied Ruby.

“Looks like stupidity’s a universal constant,” sighed Pat.

“Still, at least they’re not soulless,” said Bethany. Just then, a portal opened. “That’s a new one,” remarked Bethany. She then checked the computers. “…It’s the Terran portal! Wilma, Grace, and Belinda are coming back!” And indeed, they did! The Roses hugged their mentors!

“Goodness!” chuckled Wilma. “Have you really missed us that much?”

“You three are easily my favorite teachers,” replied Yazmyn.

“I see you’ve settled on your preferred looks,” mused Grace.

“Yeah, we experimented a bit,” answered Ruby.

“You know, now I’d like to see you three in your Lady and Dame outfits,” said Opal.

“Those old things?” chuckled Belinda. “Well, I dunno…” Her teasing led to the girls clasping their hands together, kneeling, and putting on the wide-eyed puppy act. “…Oh, all right!” The three mentors then stepped back as the girls watched excitedly.

“White Lady Rose of Light…”

“Gray Lady Rose of Balance…”

“Black Lady Rose of Darkness…”

“I desire to bloom!” The seeds changed into rosebuds surrounding them, then they opened into white, gray, and black roses, then the three mentors jumped out in their Lady outfits!

“Nice!” cheered Yazmyn. The mentors posed as if they were on a runway and the girls took several pictures. Then the mentors pulled out their Transformation Seeds again.

“White Dame Rose of Light…”

“Gray Dame Rose of Balance…”

“Black Dame Rose of Darkness…”

“I desire to bloom!” The transformation happened again and they leapt out of their respective roses in their Dame outfits. The girls took pictures as the three of them posed.

“And, for an encore,” called Wilma, “a sneak peek of what the next rank looks like! White Baroness Rose of Light…”

“Gray Baroness Rose of Balance…”

“Black Baroness Rose of Darkness…”

“I desire to bloom!” They transformed once more and showed off their outfits. They still had the pleated skirt and bracelet, but they now wore a ring on their left ring fingers and the roses in their hair had changed as well. The gold thread with matching bead was replaced with a ribbon colored in their respective color.

“Still with the pleated skirt?” muttered Yazmyn. “…Oh well! I’m gonna try it!”

“Be our guest,” chuckled Grace. Yazmyn then pulled out her Transformation Seed.

“That rank’s called Baroness, right?” she asked. Wilma, Grace, and Belinda nodded. The other Roses, bar Opal, could see what was gonna happen. “All right! Yellow Baroness Rose of Lightning, I desire to bloom!” …But nothing happened. “…Huh? …I’m sure I said it right.”

“You did,” confirmed Wilma.

“Hang on,” realized Opal. “We were in our Lady outfits before we got the Dame rank.” Yazmyn realized where Opal was coming from.

“Gotta be at the previous rank, right,” she said. “Let’s try again. Yellow Dame Rose of Lightning, I desire to bloom.” She went through the transformation sequence and leapt out of her rose in her Dame outfit. “Right, let’s try again. Yellow Baroness Rose of Lightning, I desire to bloom!” …Not a blessed thing. “What the heck?!” complained Yazmyn. “I’m in my Dame outfit! I said it right! Why-?!” She then remembered her previous fights. “…Girls, did my Seed glow?” she asked. Everyone shook their heads. Opal then remembered the glowing during her fights.

“…The Seed’s the one that decides the ranks,” she said. “When it glows, that’s an indicator that we’re ready for the next rank.”

“Bingo,” replied Wilma. Bethany couldn’t help laughing. Yazmyn’s face went red in embarrassment.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!” she shouted to the girls.

“Experience was the better teacher in that moment,” replied Wilma. “We’ve tried the same thing when we started our careers.”

“Razza-frazzin-! Yellow Dame Rose of Lightning, let my petals fall!” Yellow rose petals surrounded her and she was returned to her civilian clothes.

“I’m sorry,” chuckled Bethany, “but that was too funny! Grace DID say for you to be her guest!”

“…So, our parents said it was okay for us to spend the week here,” said Pat. “You girls?”

“Oh yeah, our folks are okay with it,” replied Ruby.

“All right then, I suppose the main thing is what do we do for dinner?” asked Pat. “Something Earthling? Gaian?”

“How about you girls let me cook?” asked Belinda.

“NO!” shouted Gabi, Yazmyn, Wilma, and Grace.

“I AM NOT GOING THROUGH THAT AGAIN!” urged Yazmyn.

“Wh-What happened, Yaz?!” gulped Ruby.

“One night on the farm,” explained Yazmyn, “we let Belinda cook.”

---

May 22nd, 2302, before the adventures on Gaia, it was dinnertime on the Jacobson Farm with Wilma, Grace, and Belinda still working as farmhands. Belinda had convinced Hannah Jacobson to take the night off on cooking and create an Angelan dish with Earth ingriedients. The family had finished and sighed contentedly. “If that’s the Angelan way to make meatballs,” said Hannah, “I need the recipe, because those were the best I’ve ever had.”

“You’re only saying that because you got a long-overdue break from cooking,” remarked Bill.

“It’s all about the secret recipe,” said Belinda proudly.

“Oh yeah?” asked Yazmyn. “What’s the secret recipe?”

“Ground beef, pork, and medium-rare chicken,” replied Belinda. …All laughter and noise stopped.

---

“It was coming out of BOTH ends!” finished Yazmyn in the present day.

“BOTH ENDS!” agreed Grace.

“Okay, in fairness, I didn’t exactly know about the health risks to medium-rare chicken,” said Belinda as she pulled out her Transformation Seed. “Black Baroness Rose of Darkness, let my petals fall.”

“Something Earthling, then,” decided Opal as Belinda’s outfit changed into her civilian clothes in a swirl of black rose petals.

“Yeah, I want to know what these…meatballs are,” agreed Pat.

“I’LL prepare them,” offered Bethany. “Ruby, mind getting the spaghetti and Yaz, you take care of the sauce?”

“You got it!” replied Yazmyn. With that, the Earthlings went off to prepare dinner for their alien friends.

The Gaian Guard was still holding out against Dame Petrify. Rosa called the Guard Commander. “What’s the situation?” she asked.

“Bad, Lord President,” replied the Guard Commander. “Dame Petrify and her forces keep pushing us back! We’re being herded to the Mana Pools!”

“They must really need the Pools as an Entrooper Incubator,” remarked Rosa.

“We can’t afford to lose much more ground! We need reinforcements! NOW!”

“I’ll send who I can, Commander. Hold them for as long as you-.” A noise interrupted her. “Was that the door?”

“Some of the Entroopers are turning around, my Lady,” replied the Guard Commander. “…It looks like the Cosmic Roses and…hang on, when did they swap to pleated skirts?” Just then, he saw several Entroopers being flung into the air! “…Then again, they seem to have gotten stronger, Lord President! Yes! Dame Petrify’s focusing her attention on them!”

“I’m still sending Malachite over with our reserve Guards,” directed Rosa. “Assist the Roses as best you can!”

“With gusto, my Lady! Out!” The Guard Commander ended the call. “All guards, I want groups of 80 men stationed at 20-meter intervals!”

“We barely have 80 men left, Sir!” replied his second-in-command.

“All right, groups of 30, then! We have to surround them!”

---

As the Guard Commander organized his forces, Dame Petrify and the Entroopers were engaged with the Cosmic Roses. “It won’t matter,” chuckled Dame Petrify. “Your new skirts will not stop what will take place on Gaia.”

“I dunno, I think we’ve done a pretty good job so far!” taunted Opal.

“You squishy people insist that you are a proper form of existence,” dismissed Dame Petrify. “You’re not solid enough and, as proven, even if you DO obey me without question, you still can’t take becoming a proper life-form. Well, that’s your evolutionary shortcoming.”

“I dunno,” remarked Bethany, “being soulless has a huge disadvantage.”

“My dear, being without a soul is a strength,” scoffed Dame Petrify.

“We’ve just had four examples of how weak a person is without a soul,” said Ruby. Dame Petrify arched her stony eyebrow.

“…What do you mean FOUR, Earthling?” she asked. “You only killed Lord Typhoon.”

“And Rockette,” replied Ruby.

“And Banger,” supplied Bethany.

“And Pebble,” said Yazmyn. She then shuddered. “Creepy, that’s what he was!”

“You’re lying,” scoffed Dame Petrify.

“You got a means of checking for life-signs?” asked Ruby.

“Entrooper Commander, prove to these liars that my minions are still alive.” The Entrooper Commander obeyed and checked its instruments. …Its eyes widened in terror.

“Th-They’re not…they’re not registering!” it reported. “Our ship recorded their deaths! At the hands of those girls!”

“WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE!” shouted Dame Petrify.

“Nope,” replied Opal. “We would have brought pieces of their corpses, but, well, we were too busy and that’s just sick.”

“YOU MURDERED PEOPLE THAT KNEW THE TRUTH! PEOPLE THAT BECAME SUPERIOR! GAIA IS NOW FORFEIT! WHO DO YOU GIRLS THINK YOU ARE?!” The girls smiled and summoned their weapons as the Entroopers attacked. Ruby began introductions.

“I, Ruby Kobayashi, the Red Dame, am the Rose of Fire!” She scorched a few Entroopers with a slash of her blade.

“I, Bethany Williams, the Blue Dame, am the Rose of Water!” Bethany created a whirlpool as she swung her shield into Entroopers, then joined Ruby.

“I, Yazmyn Jacobson, the Yellow Dame, am the Rose of Lightning!” A few zaps from Yazmyn’s guns knocked down her opponents and she joined her friends.

“I, Pat Daniels, the Purple Dame, am the Rose of Gravity!” Pat swung her hammer and delivered crushing blows on her opponents, then joined her sister Roses.

“I, Opal Garcia, the Orange Dame, am the Rose of Sand!” Opal cracked her whip and created biting sand tornadoes that took down her opponents, then she joined her fellow Roses.

“I, Gabi Morales, the Green Dame, am the Rose of Plants!” Gabi frisbee’d her chakram into several Entroopers and carnivorous plants snatched them up and ate them as she joined her sisters.

“I, Wilma Lux, the White Empress, am the Rose of Light!” Wilma fired a stream of light from her lantern that fried several Entroopers, then joined her students.

“I, Grace Grayson, the Gray Empress, am the Rose of Balance!” Grace thrust her spear into several Entrooper chests, then joined her fellow Roses.

“I, Belinda Umbra, the Black Empress, am the Rose of Darkness!” Belinda’s scarf enveloped several Entroopers, then they vanished into nothing as it returned to her hands while she joined the Roses.

“Blooming wherever evil lurks so we may defeat it,” continued Ruby as everyone posed.

“WE ARE THE COSMIC ROSES!” the Roses finished as Wilma’s lantern created sparkles.

“YOU’RE SOFT IS WHAT YOU ARE!” Dame Petrify said defiantly.

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

“DAME WATER SHIELD WHIRLPOOL!” Bethany Spun around, creating a water vortex, then threw her shield, causing the vortex to fire it.

“DAME LIGHTNING PISTOL RAPID FIRE!” Yazmyn pointed her guns at Dame Petrify, pulled the triggers, and multiple lightning bolts erupted from the barrels.

“DAME GRAVITY HAMMER CRUSHER!” Pat swung her hammer up, then the head expanded, then she swung it down.

“DAME SAND WHIP STORM!” Opal cracked her whip and created a biting sandstorm that flew towards Dame Petrify.

“DAME PLANT CHAKRAM VINE!” Gabi threw her chakram and a giant vine grew, following the chakram’s path.

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

“EMPRESS BALANCE SPEAR JUDGEMENT!” Grace twirled her spear and the scales on it rushed to Dame Petrify.

“EMPRESS DARK VEIL SHADOW!” Belinda’s scarf wrapped around Dame Petrify as all the attacks hit her. The scarf then returned to Belinda’s hands as glowing cracks appeared on Dame Petrify’s skin.

“N-NO! NO! YOU CAN’T-!” begged Dame Petrify. “IT’S-! IT’S THE LAW! STRONG…ALWAYS…DESTROY WEAK!”

“She sounds like Banger now,” remarked Gabi.

“She’s gonna sound like a bomb any second now!” yelped Yazmyn.

“EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!” shouted Ruby. Even the Gaian Guard took cover. Dame Petrify then exploded, her stony remains scattering everywhere. No one said a word as the dust settled. That was when everyone heard footsteps…belonging to Malachite and the reinforcements he brought.

“Guards, we’ll handle the…wh-what is going on here?” asked Malachite.

“You’re fashionably late is what you are,” chuckled Wilma. “Look at you! The fight’s already over and Dame Petrify is dead!”

“What?!” protested Malachite. By now, all the Cosmic Roses were laughing at him.

“Look at you, Daddy!” laughed Opal. “All dressed up and nowhere to go!”

“I had to grab soldiers from all sectors of the citadel!” protested Malachite. “Even the shortest route takes a long time!”

“Well, it looks like your former boss failed against us again!” declared Ruby.

“N…No…” strained an Entrooper.

“…It’s alive!” gulped Gabi.

“Only just,” remarked Belinda.

“Our…primary…mission…succeeded,” said the Entrooper.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Ruby. “Gaia’s people are still very much flesh and blood, not stone.”

“That…was not…the primary…mission…” replied the Entrooper. “Your…slaying…of Lord…Typhoon…made…the Emperor…realize…that…Entroopers…were…being produced…at an…unacceptable…rate… …So we…infiltrated…the Mana Pools…to learn…their secrets!”

“WHAT?!” yelped Pat.

“Those secrets…shall be studied! …The larvae…sent their notes…to Central Command! …We shall…make…our own…Mana Pools! …We have…succeeded!”

“No, you haven’t,” said Gabi. “The Mana Pools aren’t of Gaian design.” Everyone looked at Gabi. “…Ordinarily, the Lord President and those they trust wouldn’t dare reveal this secret, but there’s a clause in the Gaian Planetary Constitution that allows us to say something should an enemy study it. …The Mana Pools were constructed by the Terran Great Mages.”

“L-LIES!” argued the Entrooper.

“No. Terrans had landed on our planet and saw that we were mana-deficient, despite being great masters of magic. The Terrans were saturated with mana, but had no interest in anything beyond basic spells to enhance their technology. But basic spells couldn’t drain off their mana, so they entered into an exchange of knowledge and became our staunchest ally. They built the Mana Pools based off of natural pools on their homeworld and connected theirs to ours. Hence why we use magic a little more liberally, not just to study, but to help Terra. Put simply, you haven’t learned ALL the secrets and Terra’s quite vicious when they learn that their secrets are threatened. …Sorry, but you still failed your primary mission.”

“If…what you say…is true…” snarled the Entrooper with its dying breath, “then…we have been…merely…delayed! …Not…defeated…!” That was when it finally died.

“…M-Miss Morales,” asked the Gaian Guard Commander, “is this true? Our Mana Pools are linked with Terra’s?”

“…Yes, it’s true,” sighed Gabi.

“That’s not good,” remarked Malachite.

“Oh, come, come,” retorted Wilma. “Terra and Gaia are allies. They’ll-.”

“They’ll be Emperor Entropy’s next target,” interrupted Malachite. “Entroopers transmit all their memories to a central computer upon death and the signal WON’T degrade or be delayed across light-years. I must inform the Lord President of this.”

“I think we’d better check upon our Terran Roses,” Grace suggested to Wilma and Belinda.

“Right,” agreed Wilma.

“Wait, you’re leaving?!” yelped Ruby.

“Don’t worry, girls,” assured Belinda. “We’ll see each other. We’re just going to check up on your silver and gold sisters on Terra and assess the situation.”

“Basically, convince Terra to shore up their defenses,” continued Grace. “And raise the girls’ levels to Dame like you six.”

“…Quick question, about the new outfits-,” said Yazmyn.

“Oh, that? Well, you WILL need to wear them against a strong enemy, but you can swap back and forth between outfits, just say the appropriate transformation announcement.”

“YES!” Yazmyn pumped her fist. “Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning, I desire to bloom!” Her Transformation Seed did the usual thing and she leapt out of the resulting rose in her Lady outfit.

“Eh, I dunno,” said Opal, “I kind of like the outfit I’ve got now.”

“Suit yourself,” said Yazmyn.

Bethany, Belinda, and Gabi were dealing with the brute of the group, Banger. …Right now, Bethany wished she was fighting Wreker again. “Is that all you do? Roar?” she muttered. Banger swung his fists again, roaring and proving Bethany’s point. “Lovely,” she said.

“How does he get his point across?” asked Belinda. Gabi didn’t have much to say, she was trying to make vines wrap around him, but it did no good. Bethany then frisbee’d her shield into Banger’s face, but Banger caught it with his teeth and spat it out at her. It ended up covered in slobber, making her hesitant to pick it back up. Belinda then wrapped her scarf around his head, but Banger thrashed about so hard that she ended up being thrown into a wall. Bethany got over the slobber and picked her shield back up.

“Okay, this individual attack thing isn’t working like it did with Wreker,” she said.

“WREKER TERRIBLE STRONG MAN!” roared Banger.

“Oh, he DOES speak,” remarked Belinda.

“Wreker always thinking about others! Others always weak! Real strong men never think about weak!” snarled Banger.

“They do too!” retorted Bethany. “They’re beyond the predator-prey nonsense! They know when there’s too much destruction!”

“THERE NO SUCH THING AS TOO MUCH DESTRUCTION!” roared Banger back.

“I-Is that really ALL th-that makes you strong?” asked Gabi. “B-By killing and s-smashing?”

“Yes! Soul made me weak! Not weak now! Voices in head always saying no! Now voices silent! NOTHING HOLDS BANGER BACK! BANGER CRUSH WEAK LIKE YOU GIRLS!”

“Jeez, not only his soul, but his conscience!” muttered Bethany.

“Sexist much, Banger?” mused Belinda. Banger roared again and slammed his fists onto the floor.

“Okay, let’s plan for a bit,” Bethany suggested through the telepathic field. “He’s not gonna stand still long enough for us to hit him.”

“That’s where my plants are coming in,” replied Gabi through the same means, “but they’re just not strong enough! The sun’s shining through the ceiling, though!” Bethany then pondered.

“…Gabi, what would happen if your plants got some water?” she asked. “Would it rot their roots or would they be stronger?” Gabi thought for a second.

“…Theoretically, they SHOULD be made stronger,” she said. “But if you’re planning what I think you’re planning, then you’d need to generate enough water throughout the fight and I don’t think Banger plans to let you do that…simple though he is.”

“I think I can provide the cover you need,” said Belinda. “I just need to distract him long enough to get him to slow down.”

“WHY YOU LADIES NO TALK?!” shouted Banger. “BANGER HATE SILENCE!” He continued thrashing around.

“Hoo, he’s being unnerved,” remarked Bethany, still through the telepathic field.

“He’s also getting sloppy,” observed Gabi. That was when she and Bethany noticed their Transformation Seeds glowing.

“What the-?” spluttered Bethany.

“B-But we’re already C-Cosmic Roses!” stammered Gabi.

“You’re Ladies right now,” replied Belinda, “and you’re about to become Dames! When you next transform, just replace the word ‘lady’ in the announcement with ‘dame’!”

“HAH! Girls trying to be stronger?!” laughed Banger. “Banger still bash you skulls in!”

“Blue Dame Rose of Water…”

“G-Green Dame Rose of P-Plants…”

“I DESIRE TO BLOOM!” Their Seeds expanded and enveloped them as usual, then became rosebuds and opened into a blue and a green rose with Bethany and Gabi leaping out of them in outfits like the others! To say they were shocked and happy would be an understatement.

“So pretty!” said Gabi.

“Yeah, you are!” agreed Bethany.

“…I-I was…referring…to you,” mumbled Gabi shyly.

“HAH! New outfits no save you!” laughed Banger. “You still weak girls and Banger crush weak!”

“All right, I heard enough sexism for one lifetime!” hissed Bethany. “Let’s do it!”

“Agreed!” said Belinda. She then wrapped her scarf around Banger’s head Banger thrashed, but Gabi grew more plants as Bethany used her shield as a sprinkler. The ground then shook.

“Th-The plants!” called Gabi. “They’re getting stronger!”

“Water and sun!” replied Bethany. “The two things a plant needs to survive!” The plants then wrapped themselves around Banger. Banger tried to thrash, but to no avail.

“Wh-What is this?!” he yelped. “Plants are weak! BANGER STRONG! BANGER CRUSH WEAK!”

“Plants are anything BUT weak!” replied Gabi with newfound confidence. “They’re usually patient enough to claim abandoned buildings and restore its materials to nature. Let’s just say, right now, they’re eager to claim your soulless body!”

“N-NO! NO! PLANTS WEAK! BANGER STRONG! BANGER STRONG! BANGER STRONG! PLANTS NO KILL BANGER! THAT AGAINST RULES! SOMEONE! HEEEELLLP!” It was too late. The plants crushed him with enough force that his stony hide exploded! Bethany raised her shield and protected her fellow Roses. Then…there was silence. Bethany looked out from behind her shield, then sighed.

“It’s okay, y’all,” she sighed in relief. “He’s done. …Mother Nature won.”

“…That…was…intense,” sighed Gabi.

“Yeah…but I’d say it’s a good thing the plants listen to you,” observed Bethany.

“R-Really?” asked Gabi.

“Yeah. You know how they work and what their hidden strengths are. You know how some of them evolved to provide homes and food for animals, what makes them truly strong, and what they need to thrive.” Gabi, overwhelmed by the praise…kissed Bethany. The kiss took Bethany by surprise. Gabi then quickly broke off the kiss.

“S-SORRY! SORRY!” she yelped, hiding her face behind her hair. “TH-THAT WAS-!” Bethany smiled, then pulled Gabi into a kiss. Gabi was surprised, then realized that Bethany liked it. Gabi relaxed and moaned happily into this second kiss as Bethany did. Belinda smiled happily…then realized something.

“Erm, girls,” she said, “I hate to interrupt, but we still have Dame Petrify and her Entrooper forces to deal with.”

“R-Right! Right!” gulped Gabi.

“Come on,” declared Bethany. “Let’s get going!” The Roses dashed off to meet with their fellows.

Yazmyn, Wilma, and Opal were dealing with a skinny man that had a crazed air to his disappointment. His name was Pebble and… well… “Why won’t you just obey Dame Petrify and turn to stone?!” he said to them as he fought. “Don’t you know how unappetizing you look?!”

“I’m sorry, unappetizing?!” gulped Opal.

“You eat rocks?” asked Yazmyn.

“And the statues Dame Petrify makes are the tastiest!” replied Pebble.

“…That is gross on so many levels!” shuddered Yazmyn. She fired, but couldn’t land a hit on Pebble because he dodged so much. He then grabbed Opal’s whip as she swung it and spun around so hard, the force of the spin yanked Opal off her feet and threw her into Wilma before she could use her lantern! Opal and Wilma picked themselves up and Opal cracked her whip.

“So, what else is up with you?” she asked. “I’m sensing a void where a soul should be.”

“Same here,” confirmed Yazmyn. “What could Emperor Entropy possibly give you?”

“An eternity of statues to eat! Never-ending hunger with a never-ending meal!” replied Pebble.

“You WANT your hunger to be never-ending?” asked Wilma. “Why?!”

“Because satisfaction is a poison!” answered Pebble. “It means that eventually, something ends! The taste of a wonderful meal, the feeling of creating an art piece, the thirst for knowledge, satisfaction kills it all!”

“No, it doesn’t!” scoffed Yazmyn. “Who told you that?!”

“That was what experience taught me!” snarled Pebble. “How DARE you refute me! I had to excise the tumor that was my soul in order to finally dispel the poison that was satisfaction!”

“Yeah, take it from a farm girl, there’s nothing wrong with the feeling of satisfaction at a job well-done. If anything, that feeling means you know you’re going to continue to do great work. Same with art. I’ll bet you any money that when artists finish their artwork, they feel like they’ve done something good and look forward to doing more!”

“Same with chefs and the people who eat their food!” continued Opal. “My cousin, a talented chef, always looks forward to making people happy with her cooking and when she does, the feeling of satisfaction inspires someone to do more! Even if she had as much power as you, she’d still seek satisfaction!”

“As you hear,” said Wilma, “satisfaction is NOT a poison, it’s a cure for the real poison of an unhappy life.”

“No, no, no, no, NO! You IDIOTS don’t see it, do you?!” snarled Pebble. “I can see that you value your pathetic lives over power! Well, that’s YOUR idiotic mistake! I sought power and claimed it! Now I can exercise that power properly! Satisfaction does NOT make anyone happy and you know it! Enjoy dying as ignoramuses!” He pulled out knives and threw them!

“Okay, if Mr. Anti-satisfaction is gonna act like that,” remarked Yazmyn through the telepathic field, “we gotta figure out ways to stop him. Any ideas?”

“…I might have one,” replied Opal. “Wilma, can your lantern’s light turn sand into glass?”

“I mean, the heat of it CAN do that, yes,” said Wilma. “But glass won’t kill him.”

“No, but it SHOULD restrain him. And if Yazmyn can build up a strong enough charge…”

“That SHOULD work,” mused Yazmyn. “One whammy like that will vaporize him. I mean, since he’s soulless now, he CAN be destroyed with a clear conscience, yeah?”

“He can and he will,” confirmed Wilma.

“Then let’s do it!” Just then, their Transformation Seeds started glowing. “What the?!” yelped Yazmyn aloud.

“Oh, something good’s about to happen for you two!” cheered Wilma. “Do your transformation routine, but replace ‘lady’ in your transformation announcement with ‘dame’!”

“…Stronger rank! LET’S GO!” cheered Yazmyn. “Yellow Dame Rose of Lightning…”

“Orange Dame Rose of Sand…”

“I DESIRE TO BLOOM!” The transformations went the same way as they usually, but the outfits for Yazmyn and Opal were just like the ones Ruby and Pat were wearing!

“Ooh! Nice!” purred Opal.

“I dunno,” replied Yazmyn. “The pleated skirt-.” Pebble then swung a fist. “You know what, later!” yelped Yazmyn. “Let’s do it!” Opal cracked her whip, then spun it over her head like a tornado, generating so much sand that it blinded Pebble.

“ARGH! CAN’T SEE!” he shouted. “THIS IS UNAPPETIZING AS WELL!”

“Here’s something for you!” called Wilma as she fired a stream of light at the sandstorm. The heat quickly turned the sand into a glass prison, holding Pebble in place. While all that was going on, Yazmyn built up the charge in her guns. The electricity in them then started crackling around the exterior of the guns.

“GET BACK!” shouted Yazmyn. Opal and Wilma took cover and Yazmyn pulled the triggers. Two giant streams of electricity then erupted from the guns and struck Pebble’s prison and Pebble himself. Pebble convulsed.

“N-NO! YOU CAN’T-!” he begged. “NOT-! MY HUNGER-! NOOOOO!” Pebble then exploded with the Roses taking cover. They waited a while before poking out from behind their cover.

“…That’s him all gone,” said Yazmyn.

“Why would anyone WANT a vice to control them?” asked Opal.

“I know,” sighed Wilma. “It makes no sense.”

“Somehow, some people think it’s easier to let a vice control them,” said Yazmyn. “I’ve had to deal with people like that when I did my rescues.”

“Really?” asked Opal.

“Yeah. They felt like their lives went off the rails and their vice is the only thing that can give ANY sense of control…even though they’re being taken down a path of despair.”

“It’s…it’s tough,” sighed Wilma. “But we have to keep fighting so people don’t feel so hopeless. While we can’t save everyone, we save who we can. …And at times, we’re well rewarded like you two girls!” Yazmyn and Opal beamed with pride.

“Let’s see if the others are finished with their minions!” decided Opal.

“Great idea!” agreed Yazmyn.

“Come along, girls!” called Wilma. The Roses then headed off to rejoin their sisters.

Ruby, Grace, and Pat’s group dealt with Rockette, a woman that had some exposed flesh, but the rest of her body was stone. She attacked with jabs and kept her fleshy bits guarded. “Tell me, Rockette,” said Grace, “was it worth it, sacrificing your soul to Emperor Entropy?”

“And getting all this power? You bet it was!” replied Rockette.

“That sounds too much like the quick, easy way out,” remarked Pat.

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!” Rockette could still swing a punch and any punch or kick the Roses used was literally hitting stone. Ruby then summoned her sword and swung it, but all it did was bounce off uselessly when Rockette blocked it with her stone arm. Pat then summoned a large hammer and swung it downwards, only for Rockette to grab it. Pat smirked and the hammer became heavier…then it became lighter, much to Pat’s surprise. Rockette smirked and tossed Pat aside. “Please, you REALLY think you’re the only one that has gravity powers?” scoffed Rockette. Grace then twirled her spear and jabbed at Rockette only for Rockette to twirl out of the way. She then stamped her foot and all three Roses ended up floating in the air, then Rockette hit them all in the stomach and restored their personal gravity. The three of them were gasping for breath from the hit.

“How…does she…do that?!” strained Pat.

“Never…studied…Emperor Entropy’s…magic!” replied Grace. Ruby sat up, clutching her stomach.

“Look at you,” scoffed Rockette. “Fighting for a concept that just holds someone back! Morals, righteousness, the soul, they’re ALL nothing more than shackles! There is no good, no evil, there’s only power and those too weak to seek it! Great beings DO seek power! And I AM a great being!”

“No…you’re not!” coughed Ruby as she glared at Rockette. “Morals are NOT shackles! They’re the keys to unlock your full potential! You might be right about good and evil being fake, but without those concepts, what’s the point of life?! Just to be born, work, reproduce, then die?! That’s a terrible life! There’s no end goal to believe in!”

“Why look for an end goal?” asked Rockette. “It means you perpetuate a cycle that condemns the universe to chaos!”

“Life, death, and rebirth is a worthwhile cycle and you know it!” retorted Pat. Rockette rolled her eyes.

“Ordinarily, I’d say you kids will learn the truth one day, but since you’re enemies, I can’t really leave you alive.”

“Look who’s perpetuating the cycle!” snarled Grace.

“With Emperor Entropy’s minions, I can safely say that the cycle WON’T be perpetuated,” smirked Rockette.

“What do you mean?” asked Grace. “What did he do?!”

“That’s not your concern anymore. Goodbye!” Rockette swung her fist, but the Roses rolled out of the way.

“It’s no good!” Grace said through their telepathic field. “We can’t hit her like this! We’ve got to find some way to combine our attacks!”

“How do you combine fire, gravity, and balance?!” replied Pat.

“…I think I have something of an idea,” said Ruby, “but it involves gravity in a different way. …Pat, when Grace and I fly over her, you increase the gravity on our weapons to three times that of Gaia’s.” Pat arched an eyebrow and started thinking.

“…You know, I have enough mastery that I can add my hammer to that mix,” she said.

“All right, then do it when we’re all directly above her,” directed Ruby. Then…their Transformation Seeds glowed. “What the-?!” spluttered Ruby out loud.

“We’re already Cosmic Roses!” yelped Pat.

“Girls, go through your transformation routine,” directed Grace, “but during the announcement, replace ‘lady’ with ‘dame’!”

“What kind of garbage are you teaching those girls?” asked Rockette.

“What you call garbage,” replied Ruby, “we call worthwhile lessons! Red Dame Rose of Fire…”

“Purple Dame Rose of Gravity…” continued Pat.

“I DESIRE TO BLOOM!” shouted both girls. Their Transformation Seeds expanded, enveloped them, turned into rosebuds, and opened into a purple and red rose respectively, then Ruby and Pat leapt out as usual…but their outfits were different now! Yes, they still had the leotards, skirts, gloves, tights, shoes, and roses in their hair, but the roses had gotten bigger and replaced the leaf with a gold thread with a bead matching their rose’s color. The skirts became pleated skirts and now they wore gold bracelets on their left wrist. The two girls goggled in surprise.

“Holy-!” breathed Ruby.

“Looking good!” remarked Pat. Ruby then flexed her arm.

“And feel that power!” she said. “…Come on, Grace, Pat! Round two, like we planned!” Ruby led with a punch…and cracked the stoney part of Rockette’s skin. Rockette gasped in pain and clutched her wound. She then looked down in horror. She felt…pain! Somehow, teenage girls got through her stoney skin!

“…No!” she whispered in terror. Then Grace slashed with her spear and cut Rockette’s more fleshy face, causing it to bleed. Pat then tripped the villain up. Once she was on the floor, the Roses flew up and aimed their weapons at Rockette.

“NOW!” called Pat. She increased the gravity on all their weapons and they came crashing down on Rockette. They then leapt away as Rockette started convulsing.

“N-NO! NO!” she wailed. “NOT LIKE THIS! NOT TO THEM!”

“Hoo boy! Here comes the boom!” gulped Ruby.

“Boom?” asked Pat.

“TAKE COVER!” warned Grace. The Roses ducked behind a wall, then Rockette screamed and exploded. Her flesh was vaporized and her stone was broken up in the explosion. Her soulless body couldn’t handle the amount of magic the Roses had introduced, so it was destroyed violently. The Roses waited a few minutes, then poked their heads out to see the stone that was left behind.

“…That’s one down,” said Ruby. “Three to go!”

“I hope the others reached the Dame rank,” remarked Pat.

“Knowing them, I think they have,” replied Grace. “You girls should be proud to have reached that rank.”

“Once we’re done here,” suggested Pat, “maybe bring your folks here so we all can celebrate!”

“Sounds good to me!” replied Ruby. “Let’s go!” The three Roses headed off.

The Roses were trying to climb the ladder. Gabi had just reached the top and Bethany was climbing behind with Belinda behind her. The noise the Entrooper larvae made was ear-splitting! “I’M NOT SURE I CAN HOLD ON!” called Bethany over the noise.

“DON’T GIVE UP!” urged Belinda. “YOU’RE NEARLY THERE!” Bethany reached up and…

“ACK! A LARVA’S GOT MY HAND!” she yelped.

“NO! NO, THAT’S ME!” replied Gabi. “I’VE GOT A HOLD ON YOUR ARM!”

“BETHANY, I’M GRABBING YOUR ANKLE!” called Belinda. “I’M GOING TO PUSH YOU UP! GABI, YOU PULL AT THE SAME TIME! THREE! TWO! ONE! NOW!” Belinda pushed Bethany up as Gabi pulled her to safety.

“SAFE!” called Bethany. “COME ON, GABI! LET’S GRAB BELINDA AND-!” Just then, the area shook and the Entrooper larvae fell to the ground. “What the-?” spluttered Bethany.

“Someone’s tampered with the gravity here!” replied Belinda as she was pulled to safety. “Probably saved our lives!”

“Not for long!” corrected Gabi. “If all the elements of magic aren’t properly regulated at all times-!”

“Come on!” called Bethany as she got the door open. Flora and Miguel pulled all three Roses through, then shut the door behind them.

“Mama! Papa!” cheered Gabi.

“Gabi, mi bebe!” sighed Flora.

“So it was YOU tampering out here!” realized Belinda.

“Senor and Senora Morales,” said Bethany, “do you remember which controls you pressed? It’s vitally important!”

“Well, we pressed everything, to be honest!” replied Miguel. “We were trying to get you girls out of there!” The place then shook. “Oh, help! What have we done?!”

“You saved our lives in the long run, Papa,” replied Gabi. “Let’s have a look.” Gabi and Bethany checked out the displays on the console.

“It looks like your folks set up a feedback loop,” said Bethany.

“Imbalance ratio 91% and rising,” warned Gabi. “Any further and it’ll blow the Pools wide open and us with it!”

“Let me try something,” said Bethany. She quickly came up with code in her mind, then put it into a magic circle she managed to create, then she thrust the circle into the crystal receiver.

“…Imbalance ratio falling!” cheered Gabi. “What did you do, Bethany?”

“I set up a counter frequency to stop the mana imbalance,” explained Bethany.

“Did you discover what was causing those surges from the Pools?” asked Flora. “…And what’s that slime all over your survival suits?”

“It’s the reason for the surges,” explained Belinda. “The Mana Pools have been converted into an incubation room for Entrooper larvae to accelerate their growth into full-fledged Entroopers.”

“That must be why Dame Petrify is here now, to collect them,” said Bethany.

“Now that we know what we’re dealing with,” said Gabi with new confidence, “we can start a Mana Pool purge to fry the Entrooper larvae and give Dame Petrify and her forces nothing! I’ll set up the purging algorithms and…Bethany, why are you looking at me like that?”

“The exterior console,” explained Bethany, “is solely dedicated to countering the imbalance until everything is reset and the Mana Pools are purged.”

“What?! B-But the only way to reset everything and p-purge the Mana Pools-!” gulped Gabi.

“Is to go back in there and do it manually!” finished Miguel.

“I-I don’t th-think I’m w-w-willing to g-go in there ag-gain!” stammered Gabi fearfully.

“Wouldn’t dream of making you,” replied Bethany. “I’ll go alone.”

“But-!”

“No arguments, please,” interrupted Bethany. “But if you can guide me via telepathy, that would be splendid.”

“…B-Be careful, please,” said Gabi.

“I will,” promised Bethany.

“Let me get you a new suit. That one’s damaged,” said Miguel.

---

After she got her new suit, Bethany entered the Mana Pools and carefully went down the ladder. “Head eastwards,” directed Gabi through the telepathic field. “You should find a service walkway just glancingly at your left.”

“I see it,” replied Bethany. “Moving along it now.” Bethany carefully walked along the walkway…then an Entrooper larva saw her and leapt out of the pool it was in! Bethany heard it first, then summoned her shield and bashed it aside. “Filthy thing!” she shuddered.

“I saw the image,” said Gabi. “They know you’re there?”

“Looks like it. Hang on, I see the access panel.”

“You’ll have to hit the master override switch to your…to your left!”

“Hold on, let me project the image I’m seeing. There’s five switches.”

“Hit the green one, then get out of there as fast as possible!” directed Gabi. “It will take ten minutes to build the reset charge!”

“Got it!” Bethany hit the switch. “All right, ten minutes! I’ll-!” She heard a groan. “What the-?”

“Bethany?” asked Gabi.

“There’s someone in here with me,” replied Bethany. “…It’s an old woman with a cane and…and some intricate shawl.”

“Let me see,” directed Gabi. Bethany projected the image of the old woman to Gabi’s mind. “MI ABUELA!” shouted Gabi.

“Wait, this is your grandmother, Rosa?!” yelped Bethany out loud. That attracted the larvae’s attention. “Drat! Gabi, I’ve got larvae swarming! I’m bringing Rosa with me!”

“Hurry! You’ve got nine minutes left!” urged Gabi. Bethany slung Rosa over her shoulder, then held her shield out front.

“Right then!” she said to herself. “CHARGE!” She rushed forward to the ladder, the noise helping Rosa wake up.

“Oogh. Wha-? …The Mana Pools?” she asked. “How did I…? I was on Tanza…right?”

“Your granddaughter, Gabi, will fill you in when we get out of here, Lord President!” replied Bethany.

“What?! Who are-?”

“Bethany Williams, Rose of Water from Earth!” explained Bethany.

“Good heavens, young lady, you’re going too slow! Put me down!” Rosa jumped off of Bethany, spun her cane, and ran at speeds incredible for a YOUNG woman, much less an old one! Her cane acted as a buzzsaw, cutting down Entrooper larvae.

“…Hot damn!” muttered Bethany. Then she remembered the time limit and followed Rosa all the way to the ladder. Rosa was having some trouble climbing it. “Get on my back!” called Bethany. Rosa nodded and did so, then Bethany began climbing. The air was thick with larvae once again.

“I-I CAN’T-!” called Rosa as a larva wrapped its tentacles around her eyes.

“I’M JUST AS BLIND!” called Bethany. Just then, something grabbed her hand. “HEY!” she shouted.

“IT’S ME AGAIN!” replied Gabi’s voice. “I’M GOING TO PULL YOU UP! HERE! WE! GO!” Gabi pulled with all her might and got Bethany and Rosa to safety. “COME ON! ONE MINUTE LEFT UNTIL THE RESET!”

“Goodness! Another reason to run!” yelped Rosa. Everyone made a mad dash for the door, then they shut it tight. The door heated up for a bit, making everyone step back. It then cooled down. Gabi went to check the instruments.

“…Impurity purged!” she said. “The Mana Pools have been reset and are back to normal!”

“Oh, thank goodness!” sighed Belinda.

“Well, with all that,” said Rosa, “would someone mind telling me what’s going on and how I ended up in the Pools in the first place?!”

“It must have been to distract me and probably kill a Rose in the process,” replied Bethany as she took her suit off.

“Ooh, goodness! You really ARE a Cosmic Rose like my granddaughter!” exclaimed Rosa.

“Lord President-,” began Bethany.

“Please, call me Rosa. Any friend of Gabi’s is a friend of mine.”

“Rosa, the citadel is under attack by Entroopers and their masters,” continued Bethany. “Pat and my friend, Ruby, helped the Lord Vice-President with evacuations while Opal and my other friend, Yazmyn, are fighting off the Entroopers with the Gaian Guard.”

“You’d better get to safety among fellow Gaians, Abuela,” suggested Gabi.

“Very well, dear,” agreed Rosa. “You and your friends come back alive, you hear? That’s an order from the Lord President.”

“Will do, Lord President,” replied Gabi. “And welcome back.” Gabi’s parents helped Rosa along.

“Come on, girls,” said Belinda. “We’d better lend our strength to the war effort.”

“Let’s give them a heads up,” replied Bethany as she pulled out her Comms Compact. “Ruby, Yazmyn, come in.”

“This is Ruby,” replied Ruby. “What’s the situation?”

“This is Yazmyn,” said Yazmyn, “the enemy seems angrier now.”

“Yazmyn, I have a theory,” replied Bethany. “The enemy was using the Mana Pools as an incubation chamber to hatch and grow new Entroopers. It sounds like news of the Entrooper larvae’s death and the retaking of the Mana Pools reached them.”

“Th-there’s more!” interjected Gabi. “Th-The Lord President is safe and sound and is on her w-way to the evacuation point!”

“I can see her!” called Pat’s voice. “Well done! The Lord Vice-President just helped her onto the evacuation shuttle! It’s taking off now!”

“It’s gone beyond the shield safely!” cheered Grace’s voice.

“Yazmyn, you and Opal hold out for as long as you can!” directed Ruby. “We’re all on our way!”

“Better hurry!” called Yazmyn. “The Gaian Guard heard about the Lord President’s survival and it boosted their morale to no end! I think we’re about to run out of enemies for you girls to fight!”

“On our way, Yazmyn!” replied Bethany. “Bethany out!” She ended the call. “Well, let’s finish this!”

“Together?” asked Gabi as she held her hand out. Bethany took Gabi’s hand.

“Together!” confirmed Bethany. The two headed to the battlefield with Belinda smiling and following them.

---

“YOU’RE GOING TO REGRET RETAKING THE MANA POOLS!” called Dame Petrify.

“Somehow, I don’t think we will!” cackled Opal.

“Opal, just double-checking, you sensing a void from her AND her minions?” asked Yazmyn.

“They’ve all sacrificed their souls to Emperor Entropy!” hissed Wilma. “Unlike Lord Typhoon’s minions, we can’t hold back!” By then, all the Cosmic Roses had arrived.

“Sitrep?” asked Ruby.

“Dame Petrify and her minions are soulless,” reported Opal.

“Then we can destroy them with a clear conscience,” said Bethany.

“Bethany, Belinda, you two have the greatest luck in taking on the tough minion,” said Ruby.

“I-I’m going with her!” declared Gabi. She then blushed. “Th-Them! I mean them!”

“Good to hear,” said Ruby. “Yaz, Wilma, you’ve dealt with the weird one with the freaky powers before.”

“Same as before, then?” asked Yazmyn.

“That’s the idea,” replied Ruby.

“I’ll go with them,” offered Opal.

“Excellent,” praised Ruby. “That leaves Pat, Grace, and I to take care of the pretty one. Roses, let’s show our thorns!” The Roses then split off into their groups and attacked!

“He obviously didn’t go to Engineering,” Opal muttered to Yazmyn.

“Where did he vanish to? Inconsiderate, that’s what this is!” grumbled Yazmyn. “How are we supposed to follow him if he continues choosing dark corners to hide in?” Just then, the minister they were tailing brushed past them. “Hey! Rude!” protested Yazmyn. The minister didn’t even acknowledge her! “…What, is he deaf?”

“No, look at the eyes,” replied Opal. Yazmyn humored her…then realized his whole face was a blank smile.

“…Hypnosis?” guessed Yazmyn.

“It’s gotta be,” agreed Opal. The minister then pressed a button near the door.

“Access to this room,” replied a computerized voice, “requires authorization sigil.” The minister created a magic circle, then it turned into a strange symbol. He then thrust the symbol into the crystal near the button. “Thank you, Minister Terry. Sigil accepted.” The door then opened and the minister entered the room.

“And what are you up to in there, I wonder?” mused Yazmyn.

“That’s just an empty storage room,” remarked Opal. “Something’s up.” The door shut as they spoke. “Dang it!”

“Now what?!” groaned Yazmyn.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got access,” assured Opal. She pressed the button by the door.

“Access to this room,” said the computer, “requires authorization sigil.”

“Yeah, yeah, here it is,” grumbled Opal as she made her sigil out of a magic circle and thrust it into the crystal near the button.

“Thank you, Apprentice Protectorate Opal Garcia. Sigil accepted.” The door opened.

“Come on.” Opal led Yazmyn into the room.

“At least the lighting’s better,” remarked Yazmyn. “Hey, there he is!” She pointed out the minister.

“The device…is in position…Mistress,” the minister sighed happily.

“Device? What device? That sounds nasty,” said Opal.

“Let’s get some answers,” said Yazmyn. She and Opal approached the minister.

“Hey! Minister Terry, what are you doing in here?” called Opal. “What’s that thing?” Yazmyn got a better look, then her eyes went wide when it started beeping!

“Get back, you lunatic!” she yelped. “That’s an Entrooper bomb! You let that thing off, you’ll bring the roof down on our heads!”

“Detonation…imminent…Mistress,” sighed the minister happily. Then…his clothes and skin turned to stone as he sighed in bliss!

“High Witches preserve us!” swore Opal.

“COME ON! GET AWAY!” shouted Yazmyn as she grabbed Opal’s arm and ran! The bomb went off and the explosion knocked the two girls to the floor. They were bruised, but otherwise unhurt. The explosion blew a hole in the wall leading to the outside. Sauntering in was a lady made of stone smoking a cigarette.

“I do love me some minions that obey me,” she purred as she released the smoke from her mouth. “Makes the petrification process much more pleasurable for all parties.” Her minions approached as did their Entrooper legion. “Secure all landing strips,” she ordered. “Proceed to engineering. Crush all…ooh!” She caught sight of Yazmyn and Opal. “Well, well, well, lovely little girls…a pity you’re so squishy and soft. But I can certainly change that. All you’d need to do…is breathe deeply.” Her cigarette smoke then curled around the two. “Breathe deeply…let blissful obedience take hold.”

“Sorry, I’d rather not get lung-cancer through second-hand smoking!” retorted Yazmyn as she and Opal pulled out their transformation seeds. “Yellow Lady Rose of Lightning…”

“Orange Lady Rose of Sand…”

“I desire to bloom!” The Transformation Seeds expanded and enveloped them, then turned into rosebuds, then bloomed into yellow and orange roses as Yazmyn and Opal leapt out.

“I, Yazmyn Jacobson, the Yellow Lady, am the Rose of Lightning!”

“I, Opal Garcia, the Orange Lady, am the Rose of Sand!”

“…You’re disobedient, is what you are!” snarled the woman. “Entroopers, slaughter them!”

“Happily, Dame Petrify!” replied the Entrooper Commander. “The yellow one is one of the Earthlings that killed Lord Typhoon and made my predecessor report failure to Emperor Entropy! I’ll happily take revenge!” The Entroopers pulled out their guns and fired. Yazmyn and Opal took cover, then Yazmyn fired back with her guns.

“We can’t fight them alone!” grumbled Yazmyn. “We need reinforcements!”

“I’ll make the call!” replied Opal. “You just give us as much time as you can buy us!”

“Got it!”

---

Ruby, Wilma, Grace, and Belinda’s Comms Compacts buzzed. “Hm?” asked Belinda. Wilma opened hers up and saw Opal’s face.

“Opal?” asked Wilma. “What is it?”

“Yazmyn and I are in storage area 4!” explained Opal. “Minister Terry is dead!”

“Minister Terry?” asked Malachite, overhearing the call.

“He set off a bomb and now Entroopers and their masters are pouring in from outside!” continued Opal. “I’m sensing a void where their masters’ souls should be! They’re led by a living statue called Dame Petrify!”

“Dame Petrify?!” yelped Malachite. “She replaced me when I abandoned Emperor Entropy!”

“Dame Petrify!” hissed Wilma. “She and her minions killed my parents during the attack! I’m going in there!” She pulled out her Transformation Seed. “White Empress Rose of Light, I desire to bloom!” Her Transformation Seed enveloped her, then turned into a rosebud, then bloomed into a white rose and she leapt out in her outfit.

“We’d better do the same, Grace, Belinda!” directed Ruby. She, Grace, and Belinda then pulled out their Transformation Seeds. “Red Lady Rose of Fire…”

“Gray Empress Rose of Balance…”

“Black Empress Rose of Darkness…”

“I desire to bloom!” The resulting giant roses they leapt out of were red, gray, and black.

“Right,” declared Ruby, “let’s get to the storage-!”

“Wilma can go, you three can’t!” protested Malachite as he blocked their way!

“I’d advise you, Malachite,” hissed Belinda, “to get out of the way at once!”

“If Tanza is on its way here as Pat and Bethany believe,” said Malachite, “we must know what we’re up against. That’s your area of expertise, not mine.”

“We can’t just let Wilma fight alone with-!” protested Ruby.

“I’ll send the Gaian Guard down there to assist Wilma,” soothed Malachite. “We’ll get them out.”

“As long as the rest of us get Gaia out of this mess,” remarked Grace sardonically.

“You’re wasting time, you lot.” Malachite then created a magic circle and made a call through a crystal he carried. “Gaian Guard, full alert,” he ordered. “Get down to storage area 4 now. Full combat status.”

“Ruby!” called Pat as she approached in her Cosmic Rose outfit.

“Pat, where’s Bethany?” asked Ruby.

“At the Mana Pools with Gabi,” replied Pat.

“I’d better go there,” said Belinda. “I’ve been there before and Bethany could use all the guidance she can get.”

“Be careful,” bid Ruby.

“Ruby, we need to start evacuations,” said Pat. “I’ve already cleared it with the Lord Vice-President.”

“All right. You’d better walk me through how to evacuate people,” directed Ruby. “Telepathically, I think.”

“You and I had the same idea,” said Pat. “Come on.” She led Ruby to where they would conduct evacuations.

---

Gabi and Bethany were in their Cosmic Rose outfits and slipping on suits over them. “Feels weird,” remarked Bethany, “putting a suit over my outfit.”

“Th-The outfit’s not all th-that protective against the heat o-of the M-Mana Pools,” explained Gabi.

“Pat made the same comment,” remarked Bethany. “Did she try it?”

“No, I did,” replied Belinda as she got in. “Is there a spare suit for me?”

“R-Right here, Belinda,” replied Gabi as she handed over a suit. Belinda had a bit of a problem in tucking her skirt’s train into the suit comfortably.

“While you were getting here, Belinda,” said Bethany, “I had to divert some of the scanner links to get a look inside the Mana Pools from out here.”

“I didn’t know the consoles here could do that,” replied Belinda.

“Th-They can’t,” said Gabi. “B-Bethany had to ask the c-computers very nicely.”

“Ah, learned how to program through magic, huh?” asked Belinda.

“It’s a lot similar to Earth programming languages,” said Bethany. “I figured that we need a basic layout of the Pools if we’re gonna tamper a little.

“Wh-What did you find?” quizzed Gabi.

“That there’s a high level of impurity in the Pools,” explained Bethany.

“Does that matter?” asked Belinda. “We can still manipulate the Pools from here and-.”

“N-No,” said Gabi, trying to put on a brave face. “W-We have to solve that mystery. M-Maybe it can g-get Abuela back if she isn’t…” She trailed off.

“Knowing her, I doubt she is,” said Belinda. By now, everyone was in their suits.

“Come on,” said Gabi. She opened the doors and Bethany could feel the heat, literally!

“WOOF!” she said. “That’s really oppressive heat!”

“That’s too high,” warned Belinda.

“Th-This feels like…like incub-bation heat!” panted Gabi. “S-Something’s wrong with the d-draining systems! C-Come on!” She grabbed Bethany’s hand and pulled her into the room with Belinda following. The room was an enormous cavern with multicolored liquid flowing in various pools in the floor. The Roses had arrived on a walkway overlooking the pools and Gabi looked down. The liquid was bubbling like water set to simmer. “Th-That’s not right!” gulped Gabi. “The mana sh-should be s-still! C-Come on! Down this ladder!” The Roses climbed down the ladder and made their way to the bottom floor.

“What could-?” Before Bethany could finish her sentence, something leapt out of one of the pools! It looked like a maggot with four long tentacles and tiny eyes. Its tentacles lashed out at the Roses.

“I think we found our impurity!” gulped Belinda. “Come on!” More of the maggots pulled themselves out of the pools, some of them using their tentacles to move across the ceiling!

“What in-?!” yelped Bethany.

“Come on! Back up the ladder!” urged Belinda.

“What are these things?!” called Bethany.

“Entrooper larvae!” revealed Belinda. “The Mana Pools have been turned into an incubation room for them!”

“The air’s thick with them!” yelped Gabi as the larvae swarmed the Roses and started grabbing them!

“WE…HAVE TO GET…OUT OF HERE!” urged Belinda. “MOVE! UP THE LADDER! QUICKLY!”

“I CAN’T!” replied Bethany. “THEY’RE ALL OVER ME!” The Entrooper larvae were swarming the place now! “BELINDA!”

“You’ve heard of Tanza, Wilma, Grace, and Belinda?” asked the Lord Vice-President.

“The mobile sub-continent?” asked Belinda. The Gaians nodded in confirmation. “Dreary landmass, if I recall the history of it correctly.”

“It wound up about four nautical miles off the coast of this continent, yes?” asked Wilma.

“That’s right,” confirmed Fran. “For most of our planet’s history, it’s been of little interest to us except for occasional geologists and fool-hardy mages wanting to unlock the secrets of its mobility. …That is, until a seam of minerals unique to the planet was discovered in its substrata.”

“Fascinating,” said Yazmyn, her sarcasm thick.

“It became fascinating, Miss Jacobson,” interjected the Lord Vice-President, “when the minerals reacted in ways contrary to the laws of magic and science. The Lord President, my superior, opened Tanza to a number of interested parties in exchange for furthering their own scientific knowledge.”

“The other countries of Gaia have slightly limited scientific facilities,” explained Malachite. “Capitalis offered…some assistance.”

“I see,” said Grace.

“Was it worth it?” asked Bethany, genuinely interested.

“The 25 major powers of Gaia each had representatives on Tanza,” continued the Lord Vice-President. “There were some 500 life-forms engaged in top secret research unlocking the energies of the minerals when-.” The Lord Vice-President then started coughing. “F-Forgive me-!” he managed to get out.

“Lord Vice-President!” called Gabi as she handed him a little bottle.

“Oh, my pills! Thank you, my dear!” the Lord Vice-President coughed. He tried to explain to everyone as he opened the pill bottle. “I should not be in this position now, everyone. I serve an interim role until the fate of-!” More coughing interrupted him. He stopped and took his pills, then swallowed some water Gabi got for him. “Lord Presidents and Lord Vice-Presidents have come and gone since I retired from the office of Lord President, but my advice is still sought from time to time. It really can be a nuisance. The current Lord President of Gaia was kind enough to offer me a less-stressful position as she navigates being the ruler of Gaia.”

“I praise her wisdom, but…the point?” asked Belinda.

“Barely into her third term of office,” explained Malachite, “the Lord President was on Tanza for an official visit when-.”

“The entire subcontinent vanished!” finished Opal.

“Vanished?!” yelped Ruby.

“Okay, not the kind of fascinating I was looking for,” said Yazmyn.

“It was taken out of time and space,” explained Malachite, “along with all personnel. There have been sporadic sightings rumored since, but-.”

“Did you follow them up?” asked Ruby.

“To no avail,” replied Flora.

“A week after Tanza vanished,” continued the Lord Vice-President, “300 statues appeared outside the citadel, riddled with time distortions and…well…”

“Magi-forensics indicated,” said Pearl, “that the statues were once people, specifically the people that vanished with Tanza.”

“…Petrification,” guessed Belinda. The Gaians nodded.

“You can imagine the outcry,” said Tim. “There was almost war, but the government in Capitalis denied all knowledge.”

“I take it the Lord President was among those petrified?” asked Wilma.

“No,” replied Gabi. “M-Mi abuela, the Lord President Rosa Morales, is still m-missing.”

“…Rosa?!” yelped Grace. “Hang on, when did Tanza vanish?!”

“A year after you departed to find the last three Roses,” replied Pat.

“Oh, poor Rosa!” sighed Belinda. “After that Entrooper mess, now she’s trapped!”

“There’s still no satisfactory answer for the subcontinent’s disappearance,” said Malachite.

“And why not, Malachite?!” snapped Wilma. “With all the GMA’s dirty tricks at your dispo-!”

“Tanza was taken out of time all together!” interrupted Malachite. Wilma glared, then sighed.

“…Something far beyond any Gaian’s capabilities, since they’ve never bothered to use temporal magic.”

“We’ve offered up Capitalis to inspection,” said Fran, “and instigated this conference.”

“It is hoped,” said the Lord Vice-President, “that agreement can be reached on the limitation of the use of high magic.”

“Oh, of course!” groaned Belinda. “You want to protect your own mystique, make sure the other powers of Gaia aren’t getting too big for their boots. But what about Tanza, hm?! What about finding Rosa?!”

“This conference,” interjected Malachite, “gives us the perfect opportunity to figuring out who is capable of using such magic! …And thus, a step closer to finding the guilty party.”

“Oh splendid,” grumbled Bethany. “It’s taken you a year to figure that out.”

“Bethany…” warned Wilma.

“I have to side with Bethany somewhat,” remarked Ruby, “because, Malachite, as you say, your plan hinges on the guilty party being here at all.”

“At the very least, Miss Kobayashi,” said the Lord Vice-President, “we may find a clue!”

“And, meanwhile,” grumbled Grace as she fixed Malachite with a pointed glare, “any insight into alternative magical sources would do the GMA nicely.”

“I may be bound by my oath to further the GMA’s agenda, Grace,” retorted Malachite, “but the ultimate goal is to discover the truth! Who could have done this? Who would risk the wrath of so many Gaian powers?”

“Who indeed?” asked Wilma. “The Gaian Civil Wars were so bloody, why risk another one?”

“…What if it’s someone in Emperor Entropy’s organization?” asked Ruby.

“Miss Kobayashi?” asked Tim.

“Pat, Opal, Gabi, did you ever fight against any Entroopers?” quizzed Ruby.

“We sure did,” replied Pat. “That was how our parents found out about us being Cosmic Roses.”

“Did they leave after you got rid of the big bad?” asked Yazmyn.

“…Big…bad?” asked Opal, echoing the question on all Gaian minds.

“…Their boss, probably soulless, has maybe a few ‘elite’ minions,” translated Yazmyn.

“W-We’ve never encountered their leader,” replied Gabi.

“You didn’t get any threats?” asked Bethany.

“No, we didn’t,” answered Pat. “Just waves of Entroopers.”

“Yaz, Beth, you girls think this one’s smarter than Lord Typhoon?” Ruby asked her friends.

“Not wanting to announce their plan until it’s in motion, sounds about right,” replied Bethany.

“You think they might attack the citadel?” asked the Lord Vice President.

“It’s possible,” replied Ruby.

“The citadel’s shields can repel any attack,” retorted Malachite.

“That’s what we all said about the High Priestess’s Temple back home,” said Belinda. “No, we need to be better than that.”

“Mr and Mrs. Daniels,” said Ruby, “where do you and Pat fit into Gaian society?”

“I’m the High Monitor, the main head of operations,” replied Fran. “Tim’s my assistant and Pat’s my apprentice.”

“Any chance you three could bring Bethany along to help check for any glitches in the system?”

“Ruby?” asked Bethany.

“That would actually be splendid,” replied Fran. “Perhaps we can finally isolate a problem we’ve been having with the Mana Pools.”

“I tell you, it’s just the instrumentation-!” interjected the Lord Vice-President.

“Lord Vice-President, with respect, let US make that determination,” said Tim. “The whole system needs an overhaul. Miss Bethany, will you accompany us?”

“Sure thing,” replied Bethany. “Always eager to learn new technology and the science behind it.”

“Your world leans more towards the scientific?” asked Pat.

“Yeah, but I think we just proved that there’s magic in the universe,” replied Bethany.

“Well, given that we’ve used magic instead of science throughout our history…” said Pat.

“Ooh, magic-based technology, then?” asked Bethany, intrigued.

“And she’s about to go full egg-head,” sighed Yazmyn.

“Egg-head meaning someone insufferably smart?” asked Opal.

“Bingo!” replied Yazmyn. “You got any phrase like that?”

“Not exactly like that,” said Opal. “Although we do say book-worm.”

“That’s what we say too!” Yazmyn grinned. “I think you and I are gonna get along just fine!” Opal grinned in agreement.

“Come on, let’s do some patrolling!” she said. She and Yazmyn stood up.

“I think we’d better get going as well,” said Pat.

“Miss Williams, this way, please,” directed Tim. Bethany followed her hosts out.

“What will we be doing, Ruby?” asked Wilma.

“…We’ll be at the conference, looking over things,” decided Ruby. “We need to see if the culprit or its representative is in attendance.”

“I-I know the best place to do that,” offered Gabi. “That is…if you’re okay with it.”

“Perfect!” praised Ruby. “We’ll take up our position there. Lord Vice-President, you have some stuff to do for the conference, yes?”

“Naturally,” replied the Lord Vice-President. “I take it I am to carry out my duties to make our potential suspect think I am ignorant of the whole thing.”

“That’s the idea, Sir,” confirmed Ruby.

“Leave that to me, then. I once did that when I was Lord President.” By now, everyone headed off to do their parts.

---

“Minister,” said a woman in workman’s clothes, “I appreciate that you want to speak to me, but I have an assignment that requires my attention!”

“It is not the assignment you must pay attention to,” replied the minister. “Listen to me, my dear. Listen to me carefully.” The minister pulled out a stone and a faint noise could be heard.

“Wh…What is that-?!” yelped the woman.

“Do not resist the noise. Do not fear it.” The minister’s words were burrowing into her mind, giving the noise time to activate the bliss centers of her brain. “That’s it, my dear. You now obey a higher power as I do. Hear that music. Let Dame Petrify command you as she does me.”

“…C…Command…mmm…yes, please, Dame Petrify…command me…” The woman was zonked out and deep in hypnotic bliss.

“Veritas Delegation Processing complete,” said a man at the crystalline control system.

“If you mean to say ‘they’re all clear’, Tim,” replied the woman with him, “can’t you just say that?”

“Reestablishing shield matrix, High Monitor,” continued Tim.

“Dear, I’m your wife,” said the woman. “We’re alone right now.”

“Yes, High…I mean, yes, Fran, Sweetheart.”

“Inform our glorious leader that the last delegation’s arrived.” Tim created a magic circle, then thrust it into a crystal.

“Lord Vice-President, this is Assistant Monitor Timothy Daniels. Veritas Delegation is awaiting your presence. Please proceed to Delegate Processing.”

“Much appreciated, Assistant Monitor Daniels,” replied an old man’s voice. Fran did the same as Tim.

“Ceremonial Escort,” she directed, “this is High Monitor Daniels. The Lord Vice-President is en route to Delegate Processing. Report there at once.”

“Confirmed,” replied the man on the other end of the call.

“The Lord Vice-President will handle the welcome. You just take the delegates to the Relaxation Suite. Yellow Route.”

“Yellow Route to Relaxation Suite, confirmed,” replied the man.

“After that, you and your buddies can go off shift and enjoy the conference. Out.” Fran ended the call. “Hardly seems real.”

“What, all the Gaian Powers assembled in the Capital?” asked Tim.

“Yes, that. …It’s not just our careers on the line. If we screw up, it’ll mean-.”

“The end of global civilization as we know it!” Tim said with a dramatic air. “…In all seriousness, they can’t still blame us for-!” A young girl with dirty blonde, curly hair then entered.

“Mom, Dad, we’ve got a problem with the Mana Pools again!” she warned.

“Oh no!” groaned Tim. “Pat, the readout crystal!” The young girl, Pat Daniels, handed Tim a crystal. Tim inserted it into a slot and put another magic circle into it. “…9.4…9.7, largest surge yet! You were right to come here, Pat!”

“Isolate cause!” directed Fran. Tim conjured an orb that only displayed wavy lines.

“Drat! Scan breakdown across all frequencies!”

“Engineering’s already at the Pools,” explained Pat. That was when the wavy lines in Tim’s orb calmed down.

“Hang on…they’re stabilizing,” he said.

“Did Engineering-?” asked Fran.

“Let’s find out,” replied Pat. Fran made a call.

“Engineering, this is the High Monitor. We’ve been briefed on the Mana Pools’ situation and now we’re registering stabilization,” she said. “Did you fix the-?”

“We didn’t even reach the control box, High Monitor,” replied the Chief Engineer. “I’m not sure there’s much we can do here. The readouts are well within normal tolerances.”

“Investigate anyways,” ordered Fran. “I want a full report. Out.” She ended the call. “Dratted things need a complete overhaul! Why will no one listen to me?!”

“The Lord Vice-President personally inspected the Readout Banks only yesterday, Honey,” said Tim.

“Come on, Daddy, we all know that’s not the source of the problem,” said Pat.

“Oh, hang on,” interrupted Fran. “Looks like Opal’s suited up and…wait…Patricia, you asked for your mentors’ help in this conference, yes?”

“Yeah, I did,” confirmed Pat.

“So who are those three with them?!” Pat saw the security footage on display.

“What in-?! Looks like Opal’s ready to swing that whip! I gotta get down there!” Pat then pulled out a purple Transformation Seed! “Purple Lady Rose of Gravity, I desire to bloom!” Her Seed grew and enveloped her, then turned into a rosebud, then it opened into a giant purple rose with Pat leaping out in an outfit like Ruby, Yazmyn, and Bethany’s, only the predominant color was purple! She pulled out her Comms Compact and called someone. “Gabi, suit up and meet me in the General Commons Area! Opal’s about to do something and our mentors are here with three strangers!”

“G-Got it!” replied a shy voice.

---

The Cosmic Roses of Earth and their mentors were face-to-face with a Cosmic Rose wearing predominantly orange with her hair in a braid and an elaborate whip in her hands. “Girlies, you’d better scram!” she snarled.

“Opal, steady!” protested Wilma. “They’re here at our request!”

“Miss, we’re Cosmic Roses and-!” urged Ruby.

“Like I’m gonna believe that!” scoffed Opal.

“Opal, put that away!” called Pat as she and a tall girl in a Cosmic Rose outfit with a predominant green color arrived. “Wilma, Belinda, Grace, welcome back to Gaia,” greeted Pat.

“I must say,” remarked Belinda, “Opal’s welcome of your fellow Ladies leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Wh-Who are they?” asked the girl in green shyly.

“Cosmic Roses of Gaia, meet the Cosmic Roses of Earth,” introduced Grace. “We invited them to the conference with us.”

“And you didn’t tell us?” asked Pat. “Grace, if the Lord Vice-President thinks we’re… reinterpreting etiquette during this conference concerning the Magical Limitation Treaty-!”

“What’s wrong with bringing some more help?” asked Wilma.

“My parents were only expecting you three, for a start,” explained Pat. “They need to be informed!”

“I can personally vouch for their presence here,” assured Belinda. “They took care of Lord Typhoon and scattered his minions, sending the Entroopers into a retreat.”

“…Is she serious?” Pat asked Ruby.

“Dead serious,” replied Ruby.

“He hijacked a church I go to,” explained Bethany.

“He made the mistake of underestimating Earthlings,” boasted Yazmyn. “We showed him what’s what and now our planet’s still the way it is, not a planet of eternal storms!”

“…Okay, maybe I DID get a bit too trigger-happy,” said Opal as she blushed.

“…Well, if you’re our fellow Roses,” said Pat, “maybe we should introduce ourselves.”

“We’ll start,” said Ruby. “I’m Ruby Kobayashi, the Rose of Fire.”

“Name’s Yazmyn Jacobson, the Rose of Lightning!”

“I’m Bethany Williams, the Rose of Water.”

“Nice to meet you, Ruby, Yazmyn, and Bethany,” greeted Pat. “I’m Pat Daniels, the Rose of Gravity.”

“Name’s Opal Garcia, the Rose of Sand!” greeted the girl in orange with the whip.

“A-And I’m G-Gabi Morales, the Rose of P-Plants!” stammered the girl in green.

“Well, with all that,” said Belinda, “perhaps you three should power down?”

“Come on, girls,” Pat said to her friends. “There’s no fight here.” The three then pulled out their Transformation Seeds. “Purple Lady Rose of Gravity…”

“Orange Lady Rose of Sand…”

“G-Green Lady R-Rose of Plants…”

“Let my petals fall!” finished the three Gaian Roses. Orange, purple, and green rose petals then surrounded the three and their outfits changed into their civilian identities.

“Come on,” said Pat. “Let’s get to Delegate Processing and have you six put into the guest list before the Lord Vice-President has a seizure and my parents go berserk. Speaking of…” She pulled out her Comms Compact. “High Monitor, cancel security alert.”

“Did you ascertain the three strangers’ identities?” asked Fran’s voice.

“They’re Ruby Kobayashi, Yazmyn Jacobson, and Bethany Williams of Earth,” explained Pat, “the Roses of Fire, Lightning, and Water respectively.”

“And your mentors didn’t think to check with us when they arrived!” groaned Fran.

“I’m taking them to Delegate Processing,” continued Pat.

“You do that, I’ll try and calm the Lord Vice-President,” sighed Fran. “Out.”

---

After being processed and added to the guest list, the Earthling Cosmic Roses, the Gaian Cosmic Roses, and their mentors entered a room. Fran and Tim were there ahead of them. “Welcome back to Gaia, Wilma, Grace, and Belinda,” greeted Tim. “Forgive my gruffness, but you’ve made this delicate situation more fragile.”

“For which we cannot apologize enough,” replied Wilma. Two more people then entered.

“Mama! Papa!” greeted Gabi. “R-Ruby, Bethany, Y-Yazmyn, allow me t-to present mis padres, Flora and Miguel Morales.”

“Belinda! ¿Cómo estás?” asked Flora.

“Doing well, Flora,” replied Belinda. “¿Y tú?”

“That’s Spanish,” remarked Bethany.

“…N-No, it’s Restandan,” replied Gabi.

“Translation magic,” explained Belinda. “The words being used are being translated to the languages you’re used to.”

“Ah,” said Bethany.

“Opal, where are your parents?” asked Miguel.

“They’re probably fashionably late as usual,” sighed Opal. The door then opened as two people entered. “There they are! Earthlings, meet my mom, Pearl, and my step-dad-!”

“Oh no, Malachite?!” complained Wilma as the Angelan Roses glared at him.

“Believe me, I’m not too thrilled to see you three again,” replied Malachite.

“You know him?” asked Ruby.

“That’s Malachite, an Angelan that used to serve Emperor Entropy but abandoned him before our homeworld was lost,” explained Belinda.

“Oh, a survivor like you three?” asked Bethany.

“NOT like us!” hissed Grace. “He’s a member of the Galactic Magic Authority, self-serving and avaricious!”

“He is here at my request,” came a voice. An old man with a cane then stepped into the room.

“Everyone, allow me to present the Lord Vice-President, the second in command to the Lord President of Gaia,” introduced Pat.

“Now that we’re all here, your sense of timing concerning a Cosmic Rose meetup is appalling, you three!” hissed Malachite as he pointed at the Angelan Roses. “I’m surprised you’d bring your Earth students at such a critical stage!”

“Yes, about that critical stage,” interjected Wilma, “since when did Gaians within Capitalis seek approval from the other countries?”

“There are weightier issues that concern us, Miss Lux,” replied the Lord Vice-President.

“Are there, indeed?” asked Wilma. “…Well?”

---

As the Roses were about to receive explanations, a woman made of stone smoked a cigarette. She blew out the smoke and sighed. “…It’s almost time,” she sighed with satisfaction. “…Banger, Rockette, Pebble, make preparations. We’ll succeed with Gaia where Lord Typhoon failed with Earth.”

“Yes, Dame Petrify!” replied two men and a woman. Stone shifted as they moved.