(CWi Episode: "The Dark Legend")
Chibi Moon ends up trapped in the Mirror Realm where she meets Queen Nehelenia herself who explains her origins. Throughout her imprisonment, the Sailor Team venture through a labyrinth of mirrors where Zirconia uses her magic to turn each Guardians' dream against them.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Ambition Is Evil: Nehelenia tried to use the Golden Crystal to give her the power to conquer the universe. But after she was dismissed by the Crystal, Queen Serenity knew of her sinister plot and had her sealed away in the New Moon as punishment.
- Armor-Piercing Response: While stuck in their mirror prisons, JunJun raises this thought to her friends which really makes them think.JunJun: That little one they call Chibi Moon... We're definitely stronger than she is. But somehow it's like she's better then us. You know what I mean?
- Black Comedy: After Pegasus sets himself on fire, PallaPalla expresses eagerness in having barbecued horse.
- Book Ends: The episode starts and ends with Chibi Moon being trapped in Nehelenia's prison realm.
- Bread Milk Eggs Squick: While each dark reflection entices the heroes with their respective dreams, Mars is instead reminded of how there's no guarantee that they'll win every battle and how she and her friends may eventually die.
- Break Them by Talking: Zirconia's gambit involves using each Guardian's reflection to remind them about their true dreams and how they should forget about being a Sailor Guardian.
- Mirror!Jupiter clarifies that she dreams of being treated as a feminine girl with a life full of sweets and flowers. And the longer she continues to fight as a Magical Girl Warrior, then those dreams of hers will stay unfulfilled.
- Mirror!Mercury questions if she's forgotten her true dream of being a doctor by spending so much time as a Sailor Guardian.
- Mirror!Venus finds it unfair that she had to make so many sacrifices for the sake of world peace and implores herself to ditch the losers so they can get back on track with her true dreams.
- Mars ends up with an army of reflections who remind her of the possibility of death and failure with their ongoing battles and how it's easier to run away from it all.
- Mirror!Moon tries to convince her original to run away and live a wonderful dream.
- Call-Back: Moon Tiara Action makes it's glorious return as Moon destroys her dark reflection.
- Cold Open: The first scene shows Mamoru clutching his chest in pain along with Chibi Moon being spirited away to Nehelenia's prison realm.
- Continuity Nod:
- Nehelenia references Silver Millennium and Queen Serenity as the source of her jealousy.
- The Amazoness Quartet commit to their secret plot of taking Pegasus for themselves to play with.
- Dramatic Drop: CereCere drops her crystal ball thingy when she sees Helios' corpse in the Mirror Realm.
- Dramatic Irony:
- Nehelenia scoffs at Chibi Moon for always living a happy life free from darkness and suffering. A rewatch of the Black Moon arc would tell a different story.
- In the Viz Dub, while walking through the labyrinth of mirrors, Jupiter snarks that "someone" must be really into themselves.
- Flashback: Queen Nehelenia recounts to Chibi Moon a tale of how she longed for a kingdom as great as Silver Millennium which led her to attack Elysion for it's Golden Crystal.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Envious over how prosperous and grand the Moon Kingdom was, Nehelenia sought out the Golden Crystal so she can have a kingdom that's better then what Queen Serenity had.
- Hall of Mirrors: The Inner Guardians end up trapped in a labyrinth of mirrors where their reflections are used to break their spirits.
- In Medias Res: The episode continues from Zirconia imprisoning Sailor Chibi Moon in a giant mirror.
- Involuntary Group Split: This happens to the Inner Guardians after they wander into a labyrinth of mirrors. This makes it perfect for Zirconia who wanted to Break Them by Talking.
- Internal Reveal: Chibi Moon is formally introduced to Queen Nehelenia, the head honcho of the Dead Moon Circus and Helios' personal tormentor.
- The Legend of Chekhov: Nehelenia tells Chibi Moon about the Golden Crystal and how only one with a pure dream can utilize the crystal without facing hellfire. After the Quartet girls set Pegasus on fire by touching his horn, Chibi Moon ventures into the flames and dispels it with her pure dream.
- The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: Zirconia uses her dark magic to have the Sailor Guardians speak with their reflections to "remind them" about their true dreams.
- Mood Whiplash:
- Chibi Moon has a pleasant time getting to see Helios in Nehelenia's realm. But the happiness is cut short by Nehelenia who binds her in spider webs.
- Later on, she saves Pegasus from the fire by calming him down which impresses the Amazoness Quartet. But then Zirconia traps the Quartet in the mirror realm while painfully re-capturing Chibi Moon while the Guardians helplessly watch from a mirror.
- Not Me This Time: After Chibi Moon wakes up and yells at the Quartet girls for hurting Pegasus, JunJun clarifies that Pegasus was the one who set himself on fire.
- Only the Chosen May Wield: Helios proclaimed that only those with a beautiful and pure dream can use the power of the Golden Crystal. Any with a corrupt or horrid dream (like Nehelenia's dream for universal domination) will be burned alive.
- The Power of Love: Sailor Moon manages to avoid being captured by her reflection after remembering Mamoru and Chibi Moon who need her help.
- I Regret Nothing: Moon tells off her reflection by saying how she's proud of how much she's grown and will gladly accept the pains and happiness she's experienced throughout her life.
- Replaced with Replica: Eager to play with Pegasus, the Amazoness Quartet swap out an unconscious Chibi Moon with an inflatable doll without their boss knowing.
- Say My Name: Sailor Moon calls out Chibi Moon's name after her abduction.
- Shame If Something Happened: After CereCere expands on VesVes' orb to make a small portal, her friends discuss with each other on how it would be a shame if some bad kids happened to use the portal to swap out Chibi Moon with a doll of herself.
- Shock and Awe: Using her webs, Queen Nehelenia electrocutes Chibi Moon into submission.
- Sinister Surveillance: Using her Orb, VesVes creates the Peeking Orb that lets her spy on Queen Nehelenia and her prisoners.
- We Can Rule Together: Nehelenia initially proposed that she and Helios use the Golden Crystal to take over the universe.
