Chapter 12 - The Guardians

"Something wrong, Sarah?" Megami asked, watching the blonde pace the room while Megami played a new song her mother had written.

"I'm just a little uptight. Something tells me something's up," Sarah replied, nibbling a fingernail. While Megami usually thought it was a dirty habit, it was one of the things that made Sarah who she was. And Sarah could do no wrong, she and Megami were destined for one another lifetimes before.

Megami continued to play the soothing melody, glancing over at her Mirror, which was never far from her. "You may be right."

****

"I don't understand," Prince Aster said, taking the Opaque Prism from it's pedestal. "How can the Prism bring back Shizuki the martyr?"

"Alone, it can't," Eos said, pulling a black velvet pouch out. Her brows furrowed as she opened it, finding it empty. "I don't understand..."

"Nor do we, Your Highness," Adair said, striding into the room, Daniella and Donovan close behind. "Aster, what are you doing with that out?"

"I can explain," Eos said. "I was hoping that if we brought the Iridescent Jewel and the Opaque Prism together, it'd be enough to create the Golden Key, now that the Silver Crystal is gone. We were going to use it to bring Shizuki the martyr back."

"Are you mad?" Daniella snapped. "Whatever put that idea into your head?!"

"All my mother does is tear her hair out either trying to live up to Shizuki, or find a way to get her back!" Eos replied. "I just want to make her happy!"

"You are a fool," a voice from the shadows said. Sailormetal stepped out, Sailorair and Sailorfire by her side. "It's just as well that Solana stole your Treasure, you're too naive to deserve it."

"Get out of here," Daniella snarled, whipping her sais out from under her dress as Donovan and Adair transformed.

"Oh, but let's not," Sailorfire said. "Scorching Hellfire!"

Daniella raised her arms in what she knew was a feeble attempt to fend off the attack, but she was unscathed. Instead, Princess Eos shrieked as she was consumed in flames.

****

"Princess Aurora, it's good of you to come," Midori said, embracing the regent of her planet with genuine fondness. "How is Mother doing without you?"

Aurora smiled weakly, about to reply when the Iridescent Jewel rose out from it's hiding place to glimmer brightly above her chest.

"How did you get that?" Sarah said as she and Megami entered the room. But their words fell on deaf ears as Aurora spoke the words that changed her fate forever.

"Sol Guardian Power, Makeup!"

****

Electra listened to Shizuki's tale, oblivious to the fact that her former rival wasn't quite telling all. She was about to ask why Shizuki had returned only now when the Silver Crystal floated out of her hands to hover above her chest, shining brightly.

"It's time," Shizuki said. "Tsuki Guardian Power, Makeup!"

****

Aster couldn't so much as move as he saw his cousin incinerated, reminding him of the story his mother had once told him of the first Princess Mokusei's untimely death. And while he had the Opaque Prism in his hands, there was nothing he could do with it.

"Daniella, get the Prince out of here and find Patricia!" Adair said through gritted teeth. She'd failed for the first time in her life by letting Princess Eos die. She wouldn't let Sidra's son suffer the same fate. The dark haired girl ran towards him, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of indignation at being treated this way.

Then the words fell from his lips as if he'd always known them. "Star Guardian Power, Transform!"

The Opaque Prism glowed in his hands like a fallen star, and a sword with a hilt shaped like two snakes twisted around each other formed in his hands, with the Prism as it's pommel stone. He raised it above his head, as a snake of blue energy and a snake of green energy swirled around him, forming his armor.

"I am the Guardian of the Treasure of the Eternal Blue Star, Tabbach Star Knight! For the crime you have committed against one of the noble lines of Selestia, I shall see that you answer for it!"

"Pretty speech, boy," Sailorair said. "But there's more to being a senshi than pretty words. Celestial Zephyr!"

"Stellar Serpents!" he cried, pointing his sword at the wind attack she sent at him. The Opaque Prism flashed, and the blade of his sword glowed a shimmering blue green, serpents of blue and green energy swirling around it before rushing through the wind, striking Air squarely in the chest and sending her flying into a wall.

"Winter Deep Freeze!" Kokab Winterstar cried as Sailorfire shot a fireball at the Prince, neutralizing it.

"It's about time," Summerstar murmured under her breath.

"You are outnumbered and outclassed," Daniella said, glaring at the Elemental senshi. "Leave."

"Easy to say, now that you have senshi watching your back, Princess," Sailormetal snarled. "Too bad you're not one of them."

Princess? Adair thought. That was intriguing, but she was too busy at the moment. More time to ponder it later.

"I said, get out of here!" Daniella snapped, throwing one of her sais at Metal. It was too quick for the Elemental senshi to counter, and it implanted itself firmly in her shoulder. Metal screamed and teleported out with Fire and Air.

****

"Solana!" Solange shrieked, barging into her mother's rooms. She hadn't seen Aurora all day, and now this. She'd nearly fainted at lunch as her powers left her. Her mother had to be behind it.

"Yes, daughter?" Solana replied, not even looking up as she brushed her hair, nearly white now. "Or would you have me call you niece? Perhaps Usagi?"

"Shut up," Solange snapped, infuriated. How had her mother known about her secret thoughts? "Where is Aurora?"

"Far away from you," Solana replied. "As she has always been. You may think me a bad mother, but I never had a chance to raise you. But you've always neglected Aurora, pinning all your hopes on Eos because she looks like Selenity's daughter, like you."

"You have no right to speak to me like that! You live only by my mercy!"

"And killing me would make you just as bad as me," Solana said, smirking. "It's funny. All this time, I wanted you to take the kingdom Selenity built. But now that you finally want it, I'm the one to stop you." She laughed then, a mad, deranged laugh. But it was as beautiful as ever.

****

"Queen Sidra-sama!" Hana gasped as the older woman fainted in the middle of Hana's explantions of the inner workings of the new secuirty system she was working on. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Sidra replied breathlessly. "My son, he's taken up his birthright, that's all." And now I cannot help you children anymore, she thought mournfully.