Sailormoon Neo: #22 - Golden Millenium no Takara no Yuugou, Shinjidai no Tourai - The Union of the Treasures of the Golden Millennium, The Coming of the New Era - By: Janelle Jimenez (miaka@bishounen.org) Official Webpage: http://www.sailormoon-millennia.net/ [http://bishounen.org/smmillennia/] "Princess! You must hurry, I've spent enough time finding you, Crystal Tokyo may already be destroyed." Diana exclaimed, glancing over her shoulder as she raced down a door-laden corridor. "I'm coming, but I'm not as fast as you are!" cried a girl, perhaps around fourteen years old with bright blue eyes and pale peach colored hair--not completely orange, but with gentle highlights of light red and yellow too. "It's here! Hurry!" Diana shouted back, even though the girl was nearly at the point where Diana had stopped. Shizuki slowed before a giant crystal door, "I can't believe Puu-san let me enter the Corridor of Time. This is so exciting!" she exclaimed, pausing the examine the intricacies of the carved crystal door. "There isn't time for gazing, Shizuki-sama, you've got to be introduced to Neo-Queen Serenity before it's too late. Do you have everything with you--letter, Time Key, Silver Crystal?" Diana asked, Shizuki nodded. Diana looked very relieved, without saying another word she stepped into the door of the past, the young princess behind her. * * * * "I sense a new threat coming to us, Serenity..." Stella said nervously. "Not including Princess Tranqu--er Seishi and Kasumi?" Usa asked with slight sarcasm. "Yes, not including them, but I sense more." Stella replied with a soft smile, "I feel that we are in danger, and the danger is near..." "Danger? What danger?" cried a small voice. Neo-Queen Serenity, Princess Stella, and Usa-chan all turned to see Usako standing in the middle of the throne room, dressed as usual in sunshine yellow. "Should I be scared?" she asked in an adorable manner. "It's alright darling, everything will be alright." Usa answered with a bright smile, her heart warming with motherly love. "Nonetheless, just to be on the safe side, I'd like to reawaken the Neo Senshi. Please call them to the throne room immediately. I would like to discuss defense plans with them, oh, call the Star Senshi as well." Neo-Queen Serenity replied, directing her requests to a nearby servant. Usako frowned slightly, "Why can't we just take the Silver Crystal and Opaque Prism out and use it to protect us?" she inquired. Stella narrowed her eyes and stared hard at Usako, "The Opaque Prism...but how did you know--" "Your Majesty, did you call for us?" interrupted the voice of Sailorsummerstar. "Yes, I need to speak to you on the defense of Crystal Tokyo," Neo-Queen Serenity began, she was suddenly interrupted by something which was behind the Star Senshi. They all turned around slowly to see what it could be. At first, they saw nothing, Springstar rubbed her eyes gently and stared harder at a point in space, "Do you see that light?" she asked, staring at a small, faint white light. The light expanded and brightened by the second until there was a brilliant flash. Usa-chan stood up abruptly, "Diana! You're back!" she exclaimed, "Who is this girl with you?" she asked, looking at the girl with the peach-colored pigails. Before Diana could saw anything, the girl stepped forward and curtsied before the court, "My name is Princess Tsukino Shizuki Usagi." she proclaimed in a clear voice. She turned her eyes to a surprised Usa-chan, "I am your daughter from the future." * * * * "Masaya?" Kasumi whispered, looking behind a book rack. No one. She sighed discontentedly and leaned her head against the bookshelf, she glanced at the english titles of the books, too tired to translate any of the words. To her left she saw several children with piles of books in their hands, pretending they could read the titles--but no Masaya. She glanced at her watch, she hated unpunctual people. He called her nearly an hour ago, urging her to come to the Foreign Section of the Crystal Tokyo library. Out of boredom she reached behind her and pulled out a random book, "Rom..Romeo and Juliet." she read out loud, "That's a nice story." said a voice behind her, she whirled around and saw Masaya on the other side of the bookshelf, peeking through the gaps in the books. "What is it you needed to tell me?" she asked seriously, replacing the book in it's proper place. "I came to warn you about something," he began, quickly moving to her side of the shelf. He took her hands and held them firmly, "Kasumi, I'm not from here. I am not from this galaxy, nor even this time." he started, "I came here, because I was following my lover, Princess Solana." "Of the Golden Millennium?--Then...you must be..." she stammered, "Prince Trent, yes, that is I. I never knew what it was Solana wanted, I just wanted to be with her. I had been searching for her for so long, and then when I found her--I couldn't bear to leave her. I realize now what she wants...she wants revenge on Neo-Queen Serenity for destroying the Golden Millennium." "Where is she? How could she possibly do it?" "She has the Iridescent Jewel, Kasumi, she has always had it. She told people centuries ago that it was destroyed, but the fact is she hid it just after the Golden Millennium was destroyed. To this day, I do not know what kind of hiding place could have possibly been safe enough. I am telling you this so you can warn your queen. The implications of Solana obtaining the Three Treasures of the Golden Millennium are serious. There is so much hatred in her, that she may do something horrible..." he explained sadly, "But where is she now?" Kasumi demanded, "Haven't you figured it out? Solana is posing as Neo-Queen Serenity's daughter, Princess Usako." * * * * All eyes turned immediately at Usako for an explanation. The throne room was filled with silence. "I have two daughters, how wonderful!" Usa-chan exclaimed, but the look on Usako's face told Neo-Queen Serenity otherwise. "No, Mother, you only have one, me." Shizuki answered, finally taking notice of Usako, her face filling with confusion. "It's not true!" Usako screamed, her blue eyes raging. "They're all lying!" "Usako!" Stella cried, running towards the crying girl, "Just tell the truth, who are you?" "You never believed me, did you? Never ever believed in me, you always ran to play with Selenity, didn't you?" Usako sneered, there was an ugly look on her face. Stella was taken aback, "Selenity--who are..what?" "You never loved me until after SHE," Usako pointed at the Queen, "destroyed everything. Until you needed a place to stay, people to care for you! And then, when the Star Senshi came, you returned to ignoring me again!" she shouted, "Solana? But...it can't be..." Stella whispered, falling to her knees. "Solana!?" Neo-Queen Serenity exclaimed, her eyes stared hard at the little girl before her who was shouting such nasty things, her mind flashed back to that horrible day. That girl--yes, Princess Solana who looked and acted just like her mother Queen Selestia. My grandmother, she thought. This child is my aunt? Usako began to laugh hysterically, her voice filling the air. Before the court's eyes, her appearance began to change gradually, a golden glow seemed to surround her. She laughed as her eight year old form metamorphasized into the figure of a beautiful eighteen year old girl, the exact replica of Neo-Queen Serenity, but with black hair, and also features that appeared much more ancient. "So I finally get to meet with you again, you murderer..." Solana whispered, a smile playing on her lips. She curstied patronizingly. "What do you want, Solana?" Stella demanded, backing away from her sister, her twelve-year old body no longer imposing to this lady. "I just want revenge, that's all Stella." she replied simply, "I just want to avenge mother's death...and the deaths of all those innocent people that *she* helped destroy." Solana said coldly, pointing her finger at the Queen. "Two wrongs cannot make a right, Solana, what will killing everyone do except make you into the same thing Neo-Queen Serenity was." Stella replied. Serenity blanched at Stella's words, she knew that the girl hadn't meant any harm, but it had slipped from Stella's mouth: she was a murderer. "Who said anyone had to die? I never said that, if you just concede with dignity to me, no one has to die." Solana remarked. "Concede? To a girl who obviously has such bad taste in fashion?" said a voice from behind Solana, the Princess whirled around in fury her eyes meeting up with Neo Sailormercury's colder blue eyes. Standing behind her were the rest of the Neo Senshi, minus Neo Sailorsaturn. "Yellow was last year's color." Neo Mercury said sarcastically. "Oh, aren't you precious." Solana sneered, "The wittle Sailor Senshi come to teach me a lesson." she laughed loudly and turned to Neo-Queen Serenity, "You plan to save the Neo Millennium with just THEM? Oh dear, how ever are you going to win against me?" she asked. Her eyes shined wickedly as she held up her hands, like a magician she brought her left hand over her right which was in a fist. She opened her right hand and the court gasped as they saw the Three Treasures of the Golden Millennium in her hands. "No...How did you..." Neo-Queen Serenity gasped, falling back into her throne. "No one ever suspects a child, you know, my dear little niece." Solana smirked, she gazed at the jewels in her hands. "Can you feel their power from where you stand?" "Solana, please don't do this. You can't win, even if you have the strongest weapon in the galaxy. It isn't in your destiny!" Stella cried, clinging to her sister's hand. Solana's eyes flared and she stared at her youngest sister and roughly shoved her aside. "It's such a shame mother and your dear mother Princess Selenity couldn't be here to see this." she whispered with a maniacal look on her face. Without warning she brought the jewels together, a blinding light filled the throne room. She pulled her hands apart and the light came together to form a long golden staff, adorned at the top with the Three Treasures. "Oh my god, it can't be..." Neo-Queen Serenity whispered, falling to her knees. "It's so...beautiful." Neo Sailormars whispered under her breath, "It's...impossible." Neo Sailormercury murmured, her hand moving to her mouth. "It's the Golden Key..." Stella said. "But...I thought the Golden Key didn't exist!" Neo-Queen Serenity cried. "Oh you stupid fool, of course it exists. The legendary Golden Key, the weapon amongst weapons. The key to unlock the desires of the holder..." Princess Solana laughed, "SOLANA!" shouted a male voice, it was Prince Trent, bursting into the throne room. "Oh, if it isn't my little traitor Masaya." Solana remarked, Trent winced at her words. "Don't do this, Solana, don't...please, don't.." he begged. "I've waited all of my life for this moment. To begin the new era, the new millennium, the time I should have rightfully ruled." she said, ignoring her words. Her blue eyes bore into Neo-Queen Serenity. Princess Solana held the Golden Key to the sky and closed her eyes, "NO!" Neo Sailormercury screamed...the pleas faded into silence as they were all surrounded by a soothing golden light.