Freeze smirked at the slight disagreement between the senshi, but opted to listen to Venus's response. The Mars one would be handled soon enough anyway.

"My offer is... a puzzle," she said. "The rules are simple." Freeze raised a hand, and a few feet out onto the ice, two human-like statues appeared, with horned helmets, carved armor, and spears in their hands. Behind them, two separate ramps formed. They both led up to the top of the ice mountain that Sailor Freeze was standing on, but one statue blocked each pathway.

"These two statues are guards, but one always lies and one always tells the truth. You may only approach and ask them a single question about the paths they protect. One of the paths will crumble part of the way up, but the other one is stable. I ask that you decide which path is safe to climb. If you don't..." The doors behind them gained another thicker layer of ice.

"I'll just freeze you all to death in here. But if you do get it right, then I will remove my ice from this building and give in. You may even kill me, I won't fight back. So do we have a deal?"

She did her best to screen her emotions and thoughts from being clearly read on her face. Why was Sailor Freeze offering them a puzzle—and why one so simple? Her passion for chess (after all, she did hold the title "Junior Champion of Japan") hinted at her overall interest in logic puzzles. Ami never backed down from a challenge of wits. She enjoyed facts and analysis, not just one or the other.

Sailor Mercury hesitated to respond, feeling fairly certain that she could manage this challenge but unwilling to appear too eager or cause Freeze to decide to alter it. Surely one of her teammates would continue their conversations with their icy-haired opponent.

Venus thought over Freeze's offer in her mind. One statue that told the truth and another statue that always lied. They could only ask them one question about the path they protected and if they were wrong, well...she refused to allow herself to think about what would happen if she was wrong. 

It almost seemed to easy. She looked towards her friends, wondering what their thoughts were. She was confident that Mercury could figure out the puzzle and she was ready to agree to the terms. Her gaze slid to Mars, wondering if the priestess could sense anything about the situation which could help.

Venus agreed to listen to the offer, though Mars honestly saw no point in it. They weren’t supposed to negotiate with terrorists, right?

Freeze proceeded to give them a puzzle, one that sounded familiar even to her. She was sure that this was child’s play for Mercury. Mars raised an eyebrow at the threat. Freeze us all to death in here? Correction, you could try. And likely fail.

Though she wondered if the phantom actually intended to keep its promise to give up and even allow them to kill her. She knew Sailor Moon wouldn’t want that—she would never kill someone who was not fighting back. And she already believed these senshi could be saved anyway. So again, this offer seemed pointless since they likely wouldn’t take Freeze up on it.

She caught Venus’ glance but shrugged. She didn’t see anything amiss about the situation so far, so maybe the direct approach was best. “Mercury, you know the answer, right?”

Well, if Mars was going to ask her to confirm, then it seemed like the group was officially accepting the challenge. She really had been hoping to not be the one to actually reply to Sailor Freeze, but there was no avoiding it now.

"We accept," she said softly, her eyes meeting those of Mars, conveying a sufficient response to the dark-haired soldier of fire's question.

Slowly and deliberately, Sailor Mercury approached one of the two statues. She continued to watch Sailor Freeze in her peripheral vision, blue eyes tracking the frosted form of the ghost soldier of ice. Mercury didn't want to leave the others in peril or find herself in danger, but with the reinforced ice encasing the doors of the rink there seemed little reasonable options. As she stepped forward she could see her breath forming puffs of mist in the hyper-chilled air.

She took a deep breath before asking the single question, hoping it was formed specifically enough to avoid mischief. Soon, if she was correct in her analysis of the situation, they would know which ramp to avoid as the dangerous one.

"If I asked the other statute which ramp is safe to climb, which path would they indicate?"

The statue Mercury had approached was still for a long moment, and then it slowly came to life, its ice carved limbs grinding as it moved. It wordlessly pointed its spear to the path on the right, opposite the one it was guarding.

"That was your one question," Sailor Freeze said, and the two guards stepped aside. "Now make your choice and walk towards me." Her face gave no hint on whether they were on the right track or not. Both the left and right ice paths were open to take at their leisure.

There was always the chance that she had chosen poorly, but for now she had to hope that the puzzle fit the pattern of this same nature. The path indicated was the dangerous one—the liar would claim the truthful would indicate it (a lie) and the truthful one would show that the liar would recommend it (the truth).

"Avoid the path to the right," she advised her friends. "The left should be safe."

Venus nodded, trusting Ami's decision. She walked over to the path on the left, pausing in front of it. A small part of her wondered what if Ami got it wrong? Would they be able to get out of this and protect the Princess? She shoved her doubts aside, needing to have absolute faith in her friend. 

This path would be safe. Taking a steadying breathe, she took her first step onto the left path, and waited.

Neither of the paths shifted when Venus stepped onto the left one. 

"Keep going..." Sailor Freeze said, a hint of impatience in her voice. It seemed that they would not know if the choice was correct until they were walking up it.

So far so good, Venus thought when nothing happened upon her first step onto the path. The impatience in Sailor Freezes voice spurred the blonde on. She trusted that Mercury had made the right decision and she wouldn't allow this fake copy of her friend try to ruin her planet. 

Squaring her shoulders she began to walk down the path confidently.

She had made this choice, so she might as well follow the others. Sailor Mercury kept her senses alert as she walked behind Venus on that left path. Her mind whirled with "what ifs" and other fears, but she tried to push them back. Mercury remained alert to the presence of Sailor Freeze, not trusting the other icy woman. She had to trust that she had made the best decision that she could. If it wasn't right, well, they'd have to deal with the consequences.

As the senshi walked up the icy path, the one Mercury didn't pick began to collapse beside them. The impatient look on Sailor Freeze's face was replaced with what looked like worry, and then defeat. By the time Mercury reached the top of her self made mountain, she was no longer even looking at them, her pupiless eyes staring at the ice beneath her. 

She had not expected Mercury to beat her, but now that she had been outdone, she did not want to break her promise. Doing so would truly make her seem inferior, and she had enough pride left to respect that.

"You win..." she said. Her voice was empty of emotions. "I will reverse this building's temperature. You can dispose of me as you see fit. I am of no use to anyone now."

Mars watched impatiently as Mercury solved the puzzle, and then followed the others as they climbed the path Mercury indicated. She didn’t hesitate, as she had 100% trust in her friend and knew that Mercury could not be wrong. So as long as Freeze kept her promise, they should succeed. Mars had her own strengths, but she knew things like these were Mercury’s forte, so she walked confidently behind the others, certain of her friend’s chosen path. It didn’t even occur to her for one second that Mercury could be wrong.

And then the other path collapsed. Mars looked at Freeze, who actually looked surprised and defeated. Well, that was one person who didn’t know Mercury as well as she did, and too bad for her.

She raised an eyebrow as the phantom senshi admitted defeat so easily, appearing for all intents and purposes as if she were ready to die with no more fight in her. Was this a trick, or…? Would her tougher friend actually let them kill her? And yet a part of Freeze’s utter helplessness felt familiar. Rei had seen that before, how Ami used to feel she was no good for anything but her brains. If Ami had been put in this position where someone beat her intelligence, would she have felt the same way Freeze did?

But then again, every once in a while, Ami would be beaten by the rare genius, and she’d always try to befriend them. Was that because someone once opened themselves up to her and made her their friend as well? Was that what increased Ami’s self-worth, and was that what Freeze truly needed?

It was what everyone needed, really.

“Despite what you think, it isn’t our way to kill a defenseless person,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Fulfill your promise and unfreeze this building, but we are not going to ‘dispose’ of anyone who is not fighting back.”

Freeze looked at the group with wide eyes, clearly not expecting Mars to give her mercy. A slight smile crossed her face, and she looked down again. 

"Calling me a person is a generous label..." Freeze said. The temperature was rising again, and the mountain was melting away beneath them, though not fast enough to collapse it and hurt someone. Slowly but surely, the ice rink was returning to normal.

"I was created for a single purpose: assisting Lady Theia. If I have failed her, I am dead in the only sense that matters to me." The sounds of boots on ice echoed through the ice rink as someone else approached, and Freeze turned towards it. "Go back to base and regroup, Thunder. I have lost, not you," she said.

The footsteps stopped, and the shadow of the other senshi could be seen in the cold mist. Jupiter could feel herself tense up at the close presence of the phantom, but no attack followed.

"But I can't"- Thunder started, but Freeze cut her off.

"This was my fight, so I will pay whatever price there is. Leave me here." The shadow hesitated, and then disappeared as Thunder ran off.

Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, Venus stepped forward towards Mercury's shadow planet senshi. 

"If you think that she would kill you or hurt you upon returning because you failed your mission, Theia isn't a very good leader. A leader should take care of their people, and be there to protect her. Nor is it our way to leave those who need help alone. Why don't you come with us?"

Sailor Mercury felt a twinge of sympathy at Sailor Freeze's reaction to the ordeal. The ice-coated young woman had a look that Mercury had felt before—that uselessness and hopelessness of having failed at the only thing you were any good at. When the others spoke up expressing an unwillingness to fight against the other sailor soldier, the Soldier of Wisdom nodded her agreement. As Freeze dismissed Thunder, despite the other's hesitance, Mercury wondered if Venus's offer would be considered.

They had befriended these other warriors once before, hadn't they? Did they really have to fight each other? Couldn't there be a way that both groups could coexist in harmony?

"Thank you for restoring the building," she said, genuine appreciation in her voice.

Freeze's eyes hardened when Venus brought up Theia.

"Lady Theia would never do such a thing!" she said, though the fight drained out of her again soon enough. "I serve her to repay her for what she's done for me, of my own free will." The offer to come with them surprised her though, and Mercury's sincere thanks pushed her further off guard. 

Her eyes jumped from Mercury to the other senshi. Was this some joke? They were seriously considering letting her go even after what she was willing to do here? She stood up slowly.

"...You offer to take me in, yet would I not be obsolete compared to her?" Freeze asked, referring to Sailor Mercury. She turned to face her counterpart, for the first time looking at her as something more than a subject to observe. "Would you not feel as if my presence threatens your own place in your group?"

She paused for a moment, carefully considering Freeze's question, determined to answer as honestly and thoroughly as possible.

"At first, I may feel somewhat intimidated knowing that your abilities are so similar to my own," Mercury began. "However, I trust and value my friends as individual people. Even someone with the same skills is a unique person. My friends are precious to me because of who they are; they cannot be replaced. I would hope that, in that same way, I would not be replaced for them, either."

"Sailor Moon showed me how wonderful it is to have friends of all kinds—those that I have much in common with and those who are very different from myself. Our group dynamics have changed several times, and each time those new friends have become very important people to me."

She paused again, offering a smile and a tilt of her head to the frost-coated young woman who looked so very similar to herself.

"I believe in love, and friendship."

After all, Ami had absolutely every reason to.

She wasn’t a person…? But Freeze certainly had thoughts and feelings, and Mars knew that was enough to consider her a human being despite what she was made of. As the ice slowly melted around them, they returned to the ground, and she listened to Freeze’s explanation.

So she was created? Was she an artificial senshi? They did figure these senshi were merely phantoms of the real ones, but how exactly did Theia manage to make them? That was what worried her. She watched as Thunder ran off after clearly hesitating.

What had Theia been willing to do for her? Give her life? Clearly she was only being used as a tool, and that was how she viewed herself as.

Mars was already thinking about what information they could gain from Freeze, and then felt a little guilty about it.

“Look, we don’t judge people based on what they can do. And we never wanted to fight a fellow senshi, anyway. Not if you promise not to endanger our Princess.”

Sailor Freeze seemed to be deeply affected by Mercury's explanation, soaking in her words as if they were concepts she had never considered before. Or maybe just concepts she had not believed in. 

"Is that so..." Freeze's confused expression changed into what looked like a tentative smile. "You are a strange group, trusting me after all I've done. But... thank you." And then she gasped, and her pupils lost their frosted over look, like rapidly melting snow. The symbol of Mercury on her forehead pulsed blue, and a bright blue light emanated from her, so strong that it was blinding. When the intensity lowered, Mercury was face to face with what looked like a mirror image of herself, though she was transparent and quickly fading into water droplets.

"Sailor Mercury," she said, gratitude in her tone. "Thank you for reminding me of who I was. Or should I say, who we are. I am the true ghost of your past, both in this life and your previous incarnations. The representation of your planet's soul, and the darker emotions you once felt deep in your heart before you awakened once more. I had been dormant in the core of Mercury since the end of the Silver Millennium age, but I was awakened and corrupted by a powerful crystal, tainted by its wielder's emotions." She looked down, deep blue eyes turning darker. 

"Queen Theia did not mean to harm anyone when she extracted my power and gave me the form of Sailor Freeze, but she is stuck in her past, lonely for the kingdom she once ruled over, a kingdom that all this Solar System were once part of. What began as justice has turned to revenge, and she now fails to see the difference. As much as I do care for her... please, defeat her if you must. She has to realize that her time is over and her place is in the Galaxy Cauldron, not here."

She was fading even faster now, and her words became slower. "Will you.... promise me that before I... must sleep again? If you free the others... we can help you... reach her."

Mercury gasped to see Freeze's sudden transformation, the glowing thaw of her frosty personality and appearance into something different. Something so familiar.

And in a flash she was fading, almost evaporating. Her words rung in Mercury's ears, slowly unraveling part of the mystery of these unknown sailor soldiers. Sailor Freeze wasn't a separate "truer" entity. She was a part of herself. Something that had been locked away and obscured. Something brought to life in a strange and different way, unintended by the natural order of things.

As that piece of her that had been called "Sailor Freeze" lost opacity and form, issuing a final request, Sailor Mercury could not stop herself from stepping closer.

"Yes," she answered immediately, the conviction evident in her voice. "I will. I promise. We will do what we can to help her understand."

She felt the tears in her eyes, thinking of the emotions that must have been felt by Theia and the others. They posed as enemies, but they were the ones who needed to be saved. Alongside Sailor Moon, always undefeated, Mercury would do her best to help them.

"Thank you..."

Freeze seemed to be undergoing some kind of change in front of them, and Mars watched in confusion as her symbol changed into one identical with Mercury’s. She shielded her face from the blinding light, and was surprised to see two almost identical figures of Mercury when she could see again.

The revelation shocked her. So that other Mars… the phantom… it was a part of her too? But she was so… wild. So untamed. She couldn’t fathom having that part of her that was so destructive, and yet at the same time she realized this to be true.

She nodded to echo Mercury’s promise, already set on defeating Theia no matter what anyway. But if they could save those other phantom senshi… she knew this would be better for everyone involved.

The problem was, she was not so sure her phantom wanted to be saved.

Venus had to admit that the corrupted Soul of Mercury's planet and past selves was not what she had expected Freeze to ultimately end up being. Although now she thought about it, it made a certain kind of sense. The other Venus was a part of her as well? How had Theia managed to corrupt parts of them?

The fact that Theia had come from a time prior to the Silver Millennium in their own Solar System gave her pause. There was so much they still didn't know about their own solar system, that always seemed to come and bite them when they least expected it. 

"We will, don't worry," Venus said, promising that they would do what was necessary.

Sailor Mercury turned to the others, her mind still reeling from the revelation of Sailor Freeze's true form. There was so much to think about. Her analytical mind longed to do some tests, check some calculations, and engage in some research. They had work to do now—a promise that she had made to that shadow of her own self. There were still three other "ghosts of their pasts" to be encountered and saved.

It was time to resolve this situation at the ice rink. The puzzle had been solved and the temperature had returned to normal. They could check on the civilians and get out.

"We should probably get going, before the police arrive," Sailor Mercury recommended to the others.

"Call upon me again when you need my help..." Her voice echoed as it faded for good, and the phantom senshi was now a small sphere of blue light. It hovered towards Mercury and disappeared, though she would feel a sensation of gaining a new kind of strength. 

And as the icy fog receded, the group could see a tall figure standing just by the emergency exit. Sailor Thunder's eyes were wide as she witnessed the entire moment from a distance, though she had been too far away to hear anything. To her, Sailor Freeze had been erased from existence, and there was no one to blame for it but the Sailor Senshi. With great difficulty, she turned and exited the building. The door slammed behind her, and the lights in the ice rink flickered.

Jupiter looked paler than usual after watching her leave.

"I can tell she's angry. Really angry at us," Jupiter said, still reeling from the mental feedback she had gotten. Maybe they had talked Sailor Freeze down, but she had no idea if it was even possible to reason with her own Phantom.
_____________________________________

Sailor Thunder teleported as soon as she was in the back alley again, and Sailor Blaze was waiting at their home base.

"So I guess it didn't go as planned." Blaze's face was expressionless as she observed Thunder. The other Phantom couldn't even look her in the eyes, and her hands were so tightly clenched they were shaking.

"They...they killed her," Thunder said. "I don't know how, but she's gone..." Blaze looked surprised, but then she placed a hand on Thunder's shoulder. 

"This is just proof that our enemies can't be trusted. They pretend to have sympathy, and then they stab you in the back. But don't worry, I'll make sure you can get your revenge. Freeze will not have been lost in vain. You will work with me, right?" Thunder hesitated, and then nodded.

"Good," Blaze said, already grinning again. "I'll just inform Lustre of our new plan of action, and we can start immediately."

Call upon her…?

Mars watched in surprise when Freeze disappeared into a blue light that got absorbed into Mercury. She hoped that was where she was meant to be. Freeze did say she was a part of Mercury in the end…

She didn’t see Thunder until the fog fully dissipated and Jupiter mentioned that she was angry. “You can feel her?” she blinked, not expecting that. Maybe then she could read her own counterpart too…? That might be useful if it ever came to a fight.

“She’s probably mad about losing her friend. I’m sure you won’t be happy if Mercury disappeared either.” She frowned, knowing this wouldn’t go so easily with the other phantom senshi. “Let’s go back to the command center and figure out our next plan now that we know who they really are.”

Their entire strategy would have to be adjusted.

Mercury nodded at Mars' comment. They needed to get back to the command center. They needed time to think through all of this—to plan.

Her gloved hand reached up and touched her brooch, so near to where the glowing light that Sailor Freeze had become had disappeared into her. She felt... strange. She felt like something that was missing had been returned to her. Perhaps this truly was where Freeze belonged, reunited with her. She could sense a strange and unfamiliar power within her now, something not totally foreign but still different. What did this mean? It was one more thing related to this peculiar situation that she would have to learn about.

Sailor Mercury smiled comfortingly at Jupiter, who had sensed and seen the animosity from Sailor Thunder.

"Don't worry, Jupiter. We'll help you help her."

"I can't do it all the time," Jupiter said. "It was more like... a flash of emotion. It's gone now..." She could understand why Sailor Thunder would react like this, and for once, she was on the receiving end of her own temper. "No, I wouldn't be happy." Jupiter relaxed more at Mercury's offer, but she still wasn't sure if they'd be successful. If anyone knew how stubborn she could be, it was herself.

By the time the group left the ice rink area, the rest of the building was almost completely thawed out. Police entered and began searching the halls for any stragglers, though as far as the senshi were concerned, everyone had been safely brought outside for medical treatment. After slipping out of a side door, they teleported back to the command center.

"So now that we know they aren't evil impostors, what are we going to do?" Makoto asked as they sat around a table. The news was still playing, though now it was just covering the aftermath of the ice rink incident. There was no footage of the actual battle this time.

Ami took a moment to consider Makoto's question. Now that they knew more about the situation, they should be better equipped to act on that information and continue to free the other "ghost" sailor soldiers. These were not blind enemies, bent only on destruction and unable to be saved. Now that the group knew that such a thing was possible, their only choice was to move forward and try to free the others. Thunder and Blaze... They were so different from Jupiter and Mars, but somehow they were also parts of those two. If they had reached Freeze, they would reach her teammates. She wasn't sure exactly how, but Ami knew they would do it.

"Maybe we should regroup at the shrine, perhaps tomorrow?" Ami suggested. "It's been rather exhausting. I think we need some time to think, and then we can plan how we will free the others."

“Well, obviously killing them is out of the question,” Rei replied, glancing at Usagi—she’d be even more against it now that she knew the truth about the phantoms. Besides, even Rei felt wrong about killing a part of herself. “The problem is, some of them may not be as easily swayed as Freeze or even Thunder…”

What she’d seen from Blaze was, she now realized, the worst part of herself. Unrestrained fury that could turn into madness if kept unchecked. She’d always used her anger as a strength, but Blaze… Blaze was going to burn everything down along with herself, probably.

She sighed in exhaustion. Knowing herself and how stubborn she was, convincing Blaze wasn’t going to be an easy task. But maybe she’d have to use her own knowledge of herself to find a way to reach her counterpart too. To find the chinks in the armor and the right strategy to get past all her defenses—which Rei knew would be a lot.

She probably ought to do some meditation and fire-reading.

“That sounds good, Ami-chan,” she agreed to her friend’s suggestion. She did need some time to do some soul-searching.