Storyline Name: Playground Jungle
Creator(s): JupiterThunderCrash
Forum: Tokyo City
Advanced or Relaxed: Relaxed
Plot Summary: In their attempts to save the children of the world from being trapped in Queen Badiane's endless dream, the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask are caught in an illusion where they are young children again, though they have their powers and memories. In order to break free and regain their old bodies, Sailor Pluto and Chibiusa must help the now 5 year old heroes defeat the evils that await in this giant child's nightmare.
Details on any necessary information:This takes place during Sailor Moon SuperS The Move: Black Dream Hole, and is an AU version of the events in it.  Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, and Mamoru are all 5, but still are able to transform and fight, though weakened significantly. Chibiusa and Pluto are at their normal ages. Most of the RP will take place in a dream.
Restrictions: Only Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibimoon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Tuxedo Mask are playable.
Source: n/a
OOC Thread: http://www.thegalaxycauldronforums.com/t10833-relaxed-playground-jungle-ooc#301797
Member to Character List:
Artemis-->Usagi/ Sailor Moon 
Sailor Pluto-->Chibiusa/ Sailor Chibimoon 
Aurae-->Ami/ Sailor Mercury
Rei/ Sailor Mars (OPEN)
JupiterThunderCrash-->Makoto/ Sailor Jupiter
Minako/ Sailor Venus (OPEN)
Sailor Pluto-->Haruka/ Sailor Uranus 
Sailor Mercury-->Michiru/ Sailor Neptune 
Addelyn--> Setsuna/ Sailor Pluto
Mamoru/ Tuxedo Mask (OPEN)

During their first battle against Queen Badiane's henchmen to save the hypnotized children, the senshi are lured into an illusionary trap of their own. With the power of the fairies' flutes, almost all of the girls, along with Tuxedo Mask, are knocked out and lost in their own dreams. Sailor Pluto is too late to protect them from the song's effects, but she does save Chibiusa, and the two of them and the guardian cats are the only ones awake now. The enemy has left them for now, believing that they are defeated, and Chibimoon and Pluto struggle to wake everyone else to no avail. Coming up with a new plan, Pluto decides to try to enter the dream that is holding their friends against their will and end it from the inside. Desperate to save them so the world can be saved, Chibimoon volunteers to help as well.

Using Sailor Pluto's powers over space and time itself, she and Sailor Chibimoon are teleported to what seems like another world entirely, as Luna and Artemis watch over the prone bodies of the other senshi as they sleep.

The dream world was brighter that reality, and the colors seemed more vibrant. Pluto and Chibimoon were now standing in an expansive field of high grass, with what looked like a full sized gingerbread house in the distance. Beyond the sounds of cicadas chirping in the false summer sun, everything was strangely quiet and peaceful.

Pluto blinked as she attempted to orientate herself to the dream world they had been transported to. They had left Artemis and Luna to watch over everyone's bodies while she and Chibi Moon entered this realm in an attempt to rescue their friends. 

"Be careful while we are in here. Not everything is as it appears in dreams and something that appears to be harmless may in fact be the opposite," she reminded gently. The young girl was really growing into her role as a senshi, and Pluto was positive she'd be able to handle this task. 

"If we are able to find everyone we should be able to wake them by convincing them that none of this is real." She hoped. Nothing was ever for certain, but it was the best change that they had. 

"Do you notice anything which may give us a clue to which direction we should search in?" 

Usagi's eyes widened at the site of the gingerbread house she was standing in. She had seen many sweets, but never anything like this. She didn't know where to start. She ran to a plate of small cakes, her pigtails bouncing as she ran with excitement to eat the small cakes.

She looked around to see if anyone is there. When she didn't see anyone, she called out, her mouth full of cake "is anyone there?" 

She hoped she wasn't all alone in this gingerbread house.

"I'm just outside, Usagi-chan," replied a familiar voice.

Ami stood just outside the open window of the room her blonde friend ate cake in. The blue-haired child had been examining the construction of the gingerbread house. She had never seen one of this amazing size, and she couldn't help wondering how it was holding itself together. Ami leaned closer to the brown outer structure and sniffed, inhaling fragrant cinnamon and spices--yes, it was definitely made of real gingerbread.

When she touched the window frame, she felt a thin layer of dust rub off on her fingers. Cautiously, she licked the tip of one, immediately tasting the sugar and vanilla from the icing. Ami giggled and leaned forward, peering at Usagi through the window. Sunlight sparkled off the coloured panes of glass--probably made of hard sugar candy. Her blue eyes lit up when she saw the assortment of desserts and treats that surrounded her friend.

"Wow..." she gasped. "So many treats!"

Tiny Michiru was floating on her back in the serene pond near the gingerbread house. Her wavy hair, almost one with the water, floated all around her like the sun’s rays. She felt peaceful… the most peaceful she had ever been. She was in her element and everything was fine. Her eyes closed, she could hear voices in the distance, but she didn’t feel disturbed just yet. Birds chirped above her head and the sun felt warm on her face. This was perfection and she didn’t want to wake up.

Chibi Moon nodded at Pluto, glad that she had trusted her enough to bring her along. She couldn't help the nagging feeling that she may be way in over her head, but she wasn't about to admit that out loud. If anything, the hard part would be getting Usagi to wake up. The rest should be fine.

Right?

Eyeing her surroundings, Chibi Moon caught sight of a brown house in the distance. Pointing, she said, "If I know Usagi, I'll bet she's in there eating the day away."

Haruka was bored just sitting here watching Michiru swim. Sure, she was beautiful and reminded Haruka of a mermaid, but she could only sit still for so long. She needed to move and get out some of her energy. Grinning devilishly at her distracted friend, Haruka stood and took a few large steps (well, large for a kid) backwards. Taking a deep breath, she began to sprint, laughing at the wind in her hair.

"CANNONBALLLLLLL!"

In one giant leap, Haruka tucked her knees into her chest and sailed through the air, plummeting into the water and creating a giant splash. Her small body sank through the water, rising when Haruka uncurled herself and began to kick towards the top. She resurfaced, laughing hysterically. 

"That was awesome!"

As Pluto and Chibi Moon stood and talked about where to start looking, they could hear the faint sounds of what could possibly be children playing in the candy house that had been pointed out. 

Despite being an illusion, the field was filled with butterflies, song birds, and the occasional rabbit. Taking flight from its first perch on a tall blade of grass, a multicolored dragonfly buzzed over their heads, circling around before landing on one of Chibi Moon's conical hair buns. It paused, content with its new spot.

Behind her and Pluto, something definitely larger than a rabbit shifted in the grass, moving closer. They'd be able to hear rustling as it approached. The dragonfly twitched at the sound, but went still again. And then their stalker lunged, and a bug net was stuck halfway over Chibi Moon's head, having been swung at her.

"Got you!" The voice belonged to a young girl, possibly younger than Chibiusa looked. The dragonfly flew away, having abandoned ship before it was too late. If they turned around to look, they'd find a disgruntled, green eyed child watching the insect that had escaped. Her flower printed tee-shirt and plain shorts had grass stains on it, probably from crawling around in the field. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, showing off the distinct rose earrings she was wearing.

"Aw, you let it get away..." she said to Chibi Moon, before freeing her from the net. Now she had to find that dragonfly all over again.

Pluto laughed softly at Chibi Moon's assessment of her future mother. Before she could comment, the sound of children playing in the nearby candy house grabbed the woman's attention. Behind her, she could hear the grass rustling. Tightning her grip on her staff, she whirled around, prepared to attack any enemy only to stop short when she came face to face with a child. 

"Makoto?" she asked, bewildered. The girl had the same shaded of hair and it was up in ponytail like the thunder wielding senshi. Seeing the rose earrings that the younger woman always wore, confirmed her suspicions. To top it all off, it appeared as if she wasn't just the size of a child, but had the mentality of one, chiding Chibiusa for letting the dragonfly go. If Makoto was a child, were the others like this as well?

Their task suddenly got a lot harder.

Chibi Moon felt a slight weight on her head and crossed her eyes to try and see what it was. She giggled and tried to remain as still as possible. "Look Puu, there's something on my -" She was suddenly interrupted by something covering her head, pulling her slightly backwards. A scream erupted from the girl's lips as she thrashed to escape from the net that had covered half of her head. "Hey! Get off me you big dummy! My dad will -" she paused again as the net was lifted and her eyes met with a familiar pair of deep green ones. "M-Mako-chan...?"

Makoto looked stunned by Pluto's stature for a moment, and then grinned at her. "You're really pretty, miss!" she said. Maybe she'd be like when she grew up. She looked put out by Chibimoon's yell though. "You're the dummy, I was just trying to catch something and you moved!" She seemed surprised when they called her by name though.

"How'd you know my name?" Makoto asked, looking from Chibimoon to Pluto and back again. Her eyes looked more clouded over than usual, as if she wasn't truly seeing what was going on around her. And then she took note of her outfits, and the confusion faded, replaced by childish interest. "Ooh, are you superheroes?"

Chibi Moon looked nervously to Pluto, then back to tiny Makoto. She thought of how to respond for a moment before an idea struck her.

"Why yes, we are superheroes!" she said, placing both hands on her hips and posing proudly. "In fact, we've traveled into your dreams to warn you! You're under a spell right now, and if you don't wake up, you could be in great danger!" Proud of her quick thinking, Chibi Moon looked to Sailor Pluto for approval.

Usagi smiled at Ami as she asked, “where should we start it all looks so yummy.” Usagi walked over to where there was a beautiful frosted cake. Usagi grabbed a spoon and scooped some cake onto a plate she found.

She didn’t even know if the food was safe, she didn’t really care either. It had to be good. Baked goods were always good. Plus it didn’t hurt that this gingerbread smelled just like when Ikuko-mama baked.


“Ami-chan, you have to try this cake, get in here and enjoy all this yumminess with me.” Usagi said as she stuffed another bite of cake into her mouth.

In just one tiny action, Michiru’s peaceful existence was turned into chaos. The only warning she got was the shout a millisecond before Haruka crashed into the water, splashing all over the place. Her perfect balance was disturbed and she toppled over into the water face-first. She instinctively righted herself and swam back to the surface, her wet hair sticking to her face when she popped back up.

Her face was decorated with the most gargantuan frown and judging expression a five year old could muster.

Treading water beneath her, she glared at Haruka. “What part of that, may I ask, is awesome?”

If she could cross her arms, she totally would.

Ami didn't want to miss out on an invitation from Usagi, one of her close friends. She always loved spending time with her friends, because they made her feel welcome and happy. The blue-haired child stepped back for a minute to examine the outer surface of the gingerbread house side and window. Calculations and analysis complete, she awkwardly (but effectively) hoisted herself over the ledge and tumbled onto the floor. Uninjured--merely smudged now with a bit of sugar and spices, she rose to her feet, tidied her attire a bit, and smiled over at Usagi, pleased to join her.

She took a few moments to review the sweets available in the room, "digging in" like Usagi was doing being too unnatural despite her similarly childlike form.

"Oooh, look at these cookies!" she gasped. "They're so pretty!"

Ami daintily took a bite, nibbling the pearlescent-frosted ear of a bunny shape. It was buttery and sweet below the slight strawberry-vanilla taste of the frosting. She couldn't remember ever eating a tastier sugar cookie.

"Have you tried one, Usagi-chan? They're good!"

If only she had some tea to enjoy with this. Then she'd be a grown-up lady just like her mom! Or... or at least some milk. There were all of these sweets, but no beverages in sight. She glanced around the room, noting two doorways.

"Is the whole house only sweets?" she asked her friend. "Have you explored?"

Internally Pluto frowned when it became apparent that Makoto had no idea who she was or who they were. She didn't let it show though, needing to appear as if she was calm so Chibi Moon wouldn't worry, nor did she need Makoto panicking on her. 

She smiled at the young senshi in training beside her, silently praising the young girl for her quick thinking for their cover story. Kneeling, she put herself closer to the young child's level, not wanting to scare her off. 

"There are others like you that we're looking for," she said softly, keeping a small smile on her face. "Do you think you could help us find them? They're in trouble just like you are and we want al of you to be safe."

"A spell?" She was sleeping? The realization made her head hurt a little, though she didn't know why. If they were superheroes, then Makoto should listen to them if they said she was in trouble. "You're gonna let me help?" she asked, getting excited now. The thought of getting a cool costume of her own to help other kids was incredible. "I'll help you find them!" 

Mako grabbed Chibiusa's hand and started dragging her over to the gingerbread house. "There are other kids over here!" she explained.

At Ami’s question, Usagi turned around with wide eyes. “I haven’t tried that one Ami-chan, but they look so cute and yummy. I think I have to try one now,” she said with a giggle. Normally she would never had been able to eat this much sweets, especially so late at night. Ikuko mama would never allow it.

When Ami asked Usagi if the house was all edible and if she explored, Usagi answered her, cookie in mouth and all, “I haven’t had a chance to explore, but let’s go.”


Usagi grabbed Ami’s hand in hers and walked through the gingerbread house to see if there was anything else to see.

Ami smiled when Usagi took her hand. Looking through this gingerbread house would be so much more fun with a friend by her side. To be honest, she was a little bit nervous about exploring it on her own, just in case it was scary. She could be braver with Usagi here--the blonde was already fearlessly leading the way. Ami was so happy to be friends with such a wonderful person.

The next room that they stepped into seemed like a playroom, where the toys were apparently also made of candy. There was a kid-sized gingerbread train with just an engine and a caboose on a little figure eight track--the kind where one passenger and one driver would sit ontop of the cars and propel it forward with their legs. A big dollhouse stood in one corner (three stories!) housing a family of gingerbread people. Building blocks that looked like cakes were piled under an open window. On another side of the room, marshmallow baby dolls with liquorice hair sat in cookie cribs and strollers.

"Maybe everything in this house is treats!" she giggled. "Just look at this, Usagi-chan! Do you want to play with anything?"

It was so hard to decide if they should pause and enjoy the delights in this room, or keep going.

Shaking her head, she followed the younger senshi's to the gingerbread house, her mind trying to figure out how they were going to rescue them. She knew that convincing them that none of this was real would most likely wake them, but the question was, how to go about it? 

Curiously, there was a door to the gingerbread house. Deciding to chance it, she knocked on the front door, hoping that whoever was inside were the girls they were looking for and not something else.

The knock on the door distracted her from the toys in the playroom.

"Usagi-chan, did you hear that?" she asked her friend. She wasn't afraid, but she was extremely curious. This was such a strange place!

"Hello? Is someone there?" she called.

Chibi Moon was grateful for Pluto's help, because she was running out of things to say to Makoto. It was so weird talking to her role models when they were younger than her. Despite liking the feeling of being smarter than them, Chibi Moon preferred Makoto's warm, protective embrace.

She followed Makoto and Pluto to the gingerbread house, happy to hear Ami's child voice coming from the other side. Taking a deep breath, Chibi Moon prepared her superhero speech.

"It is I, Sailor Chibi Moon, and my partner, Sailor Pluto, protectors of this land! We have come to warn you - you're in great danger! Please come out and we'll explain everything!"

Haruka got a couple more good laughs in before she pushed her wet bangs out of her eyes and swam towards Michiru. "How about the part where I totally made the world's giantest cannonball?!" she exclaimed, throwing her small arms in the air to demonstrate how big the cannonball was. "You saw it, right? You saw how awesome that was? You're lucky we're friends, Michi. I could be famous some day."

Haruka tilted her head, feet kicking in the water to keep her little body afloat. Reaching up with one hand, Haruka pushed the wet hair out of Michiru's face. "Your hair's soaking wet."

Ami didn't quite recognize the voice loudly proclaiming something from outside the gingerbread house, but she didn't feel scared when she heard it. Something about protecting and danger--it sounded like someone outside was playing a game and wanted Ami and Usagi to join them. The blue-haired little girl didn't quite hurry towards the voice, but she did head in that direction, beckoning for Usagi to follow her--although it was likely that Usagi would soon be running that way, given how carefree her blonde friend typically was.

Peering out of the door, she saw a tall woman in black with long green hair and a younger girl with pink hair that matched her pink outfit. They were both dressed strangely.

"You wanted to play with us?" Ami asked, her voice slightly shy now that she was faced with unfamiliar people. "Are the rules hard?"

As Pluto and Chibi Moon went to knock on the door, Makoto was distracted and lured off to a nearby window by the smell of sweets. The door was answered just as she had broken off a small piece of the windowsill to try to taste, and she turned to look at them as she heard Chibiusa's speech. Oh yeah, she was supposed to be helping them! 

Determined not to get distracted again, Makoto shoved the piece of gingerbread and icing in her mouth and ran back over just as Ami answered the door. They weren't playing a game, this was serious business! 

"They're not playing pretend, they're really super heroes!" Her words came out a little muffled until she swallowed the cookie she was chewing, but she sounded serious. "...Right?" Makoto looked up at the two senshi with wide eyes, waiting for a confirmation.

“I only saw you ruining my peace and quiet,” Michiru said haughtily. She rolled her eyes at Haruka’s words. “You’d be famous for what? Being able to jump into a pool and create a giant splash?”

She stopped her pouting when suddenly Haruka’s hand touched her hair. Instead, Michiru stared at her matter-of-factly. “I’m pretty sure that’s your fault.”

Honestly, Haruka was her best friend and all, but she could be so dense sometimes.

"Super heroes... are real?" Ami replied, the confusion evident in her voice and in her expression. She glanced up at pair, then back at Makoto. "But... super powers haven't been proven by science."

Somehow, this didn't seem to be at all at odds with Ami's analysis of the strange free-standing gingerbread house and all of the other unusual things encountered here. It sounded to the blue-haired little girl like a peculiar claim to hear from a grown-up, if that's what the woman had told Makoto.

"We are real super heroes," Pluto assured the young Ami. She was so much like her older self, that Pluto couldn't help the amused smile that broke out on her face. 

"I'm sure my partner here could do a small display for you to prove to you that what we say is true." she raised an eyebrow to her young companion. Her own powers were too destructive for this, but Chibi Moons were perfect.