Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.
Destruction Concerto
Enter the audience.
"Strip them of their titles!"
"They are not fit for duty!"
"They are a disgrace!"
"Execute them!"
"Silence! This court is now in session!"
Enter the Maestro.
Luna rose from her seat, "Now presenting her majesty, Queen Serenity." At this, every person in the court rose from their seat to acknowledge the arrival of their sovereign. The mere power of her presence humbled everyone in the room. The Queen reached her seat and sat down, signaling the rest to do the same.
"Bring forth the accused." She said simply.
Enter the players.
A chorus of boo's and taunts greeted Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune as they entered the court room, chains binding their hands behind their backs. A mere wave of the Queen's hand caused the chains to fall to the ground. Uranus and Neptune immediately dropped to their knees, heads hung low, refusing to look at their Queen. Refusing to utter a single blasphemous word.
The baton falls.
"See here, your majesty, I have the reports from the incident in my hand, allow me to read you some of this nonsense." A man, mid-fifties in age, with a grey beard and spectacles stood, brandishing a manila folder.
"Alright, then, senator, you may proceed." She acknowledged.
The horn are signaled first, assaulting the ears en forte.
He opened the folder, reading an excerpt. "The situation warranted prompt action on behalf of my comrade and I. Upon quick deliberation of the situation, it was determined that the best course of action was to neutralize the terrorist threat first, as it appeared that the Princess was unharmed."
He looked up from the files. "Utter nonsense!" The senator turned to the two Senshi, "The safety of the Princess is the top priority, there are no exceptions. 'Upon quick deliberation' Ha! There is no room for deliberation when the life of your future sovereign is in danger!" He turned back to the Queen. "These two 'abominations' are unfit to be called Sailor Senshi! Their inability to act accordingly in a threatening situation is evidence enough of this!"
Woodwinds break through the horns, a challenge.
"Abominations? Calm yourself and your tongue senator!" Luna stood up in rage. The Queen shot Luna a calming look, and she sat back down.
The winds are signaled diminuendo as the horns crescendo upward.
The senator turned toward the Senshi once more, "It's true. Tell me, Sailor Uranus, if you found the 'neutralization' of a terrorist to be more important than the prompt extraction of your Princess in a hostile situation, then for what else would you compromise her safety? Your partner, perhaps?" He spat, sending a pointed look toward Sailor Neptune.
Woodwinds are signaled alto, and the tensions on stage increase.
Sailor Uranus refused to look up, determined to keep her temper in check.
The battle for dominance continues, as each side rises in volume and intensity.
"Your majesty, I motion for the stripping of their rank and status, and a prompt exile from our kingdom. If they cannot follow orders during battle, then they have no place among the ranks of the Sailor Senshi." He slammed the folder down on to his desk.
"I will not do that, senator." The Queen answered.
"What? Your majesty, have you read these reports? They acted without authorization! Upon whose authority do they act with complete disregard of their orders?" The senator spat angrily.
Dissonance shakes the stage, the walls quake violently with a broken melody.
Queen Serenity stood up, "And upon whose authority do you question your Queen, senator? Silence yourself at once!" At this, all movement, all words, and all thought died. Satisfied with the result of her statement, she turned to the still kneeling Senshi.
A sweep of the Maestro's hand shatters the discord, and the harmony is restored once again.
"I have decided what will result from your actions, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, you may rise." And they obeyed.
"You acted against the wishes of your superiors. You know that I have no tolerance for that. My judgment is thus: From this day forward, you are expelled from the Moon."
With that, cheers of affirmation sounded from the audience. Regardless, she continued.
"You will return to your home planets, and you are to remain on the Outer Rim of the Solar System. I will charge you with a different task. From now until death, you are hereby ordered to defend the Outer Rim from attack, you are to act as a final line of defense against invasion. You may act as you see fit to accomplish this task."
Murmurs of dissent arose from the assembly. A wave of her hand dispelled any argument. "You are now dismissed, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, do not fail in this endeavor."
Both of the accused bowed deeply to their Queen, and walked solemnly out of the court.
"This court is now adjourned." She said, and walked back toward her chamber, leaving behind an unhappy assembly.
A fanfare of confusion overtakes the audience, and the harmony begins to fade out.
"Your majesty, may I speak freely?"
The strings are signaled to ready.
"Of course, Luna."
"Why?" She began.
"Why did I judge them so?" She finished.
"Yes, aren't you the least bit concerned about their performance?" Luna asked.
The first string is drawn. Brilliante notes flit across the stage, gracing the cheeks of the listeners like kisses.
Serenity stopped next to a window, gazing out of it. Little Princess Serenity was outside in the Royal Garden, playing among some flowers, her fellow Senshi right by her side. "Luna, look out that window, and tell me what you see." She said.
Luna took a quick look outside and answered, "I see Serenity sniffing some roses, and her Senshi standing guard."
The Queen sighed. "Exactly. If Serenity so much as pricks her finger on a thorn, she'll have Ami administering first aid, Minako scouting ahead for more thorns, Makoto pruning the rosebush to get rid of those thorns, and Rei actively hunting down the gardener."
The strings are signaled pizzicato, and playful notes fill the air, lightening the mood of the audience.
She turned back to her advisor and friend. "I don't want my daughter to grow up coddled like this. She has enough people to protect her, I want to know someone will protect us."
"And you think Uranus and Neptune can do that?"
"I do, and they have proven that."
"But don't you think that their relationship might hinder their effectiveness in battle?" Luna inquired.
Serenity began heading for her chamber, laughing all the way. "On the contrary, Luna, they work in perfect harmony…"
The duet begins. Piano is accompanied by violin, woodwinds and horns are signaled diminuendo.
"Attacked? Impossible!" Neptune's hand rose to cover her mouth in shock.
"What blasphemy is this, Pluto? Every enemy that has met us, we have repelled, we would not fail our Queen twice!" Uranus clenched her fist in anger.
"You failed no one, Uranus. This enemy did not come from outside our system, this enemy came from within." She said, simply.
"No!" Neptune shouted. She turned to her partner, "Uranus, we have to do something!"
"We were exiled, Neptune. We can't return."
"They need our help! Didn't the Queen say that we could act of our own accord concerning matters of security? Surely this would be such a case!" Neptune countered.
Sailor Uranus turned back toward Sailor Pluto. "You can see the future, Pluto, if we go now, would they stand a chance? Would we make a difference?" She pleaded.
The Senshi of Time and Space looked back toward the faint speck that was the Moon. "Yes, but if you wish to change the course of events, you must hurry."
Uranus turned to her partner. "Then we go, now."
The duet continues, and the strings join in with an upward crescendo.
Sailor Pluto watched them sprint toward the spaceport, until they were shadows in the distance. "Forgive me, my friends…" She whispered. Not even the howling wind, nor the pouring rain heard her.
The duet ends as the crescendo reaches it's climax.
Sailor Pluto stood in the ruins of the Silver Millennium. The marble white walls and floors of the palace were in pieces, and the ground stained the color of blood. The Dark Kingdom laid waste to the Moon and her people. The attack was swift, precise, and most importantly, unexpected. The bodies of ladies, lords, man, woman, and child alike littered the crumbled remains. In the distance, she could see the Dark Army marching toward her.
The crescendo falls.
She looked down at the aqua and the blonde haired lovers, their hands locked and their fingers entwined, having reached out to one another in their final moments. "I'm sorry…" she whispered.
"You led them to their death, Sailor Pluto."
Enter the soloist.
Pluto turned, not the least bit surprised to find a young, violet haired girl standing alongside her.
"I hope that they understand why one day, and that you may too." Pluto explained.
"It is not my place to understand. They served their purpose, and I am here to fulfill mine." The violet haired girl replied.
Sailor Pluto shook her head. She looked off into the distance, the horizon was blanketed in darkness. "It appears that the enemy is marching toward us." She remarked aside.
Sailor Saturn laughed, her piercing violet eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Let them come, that they may meet me. Their victory here is worthless. Their chants and war cries will be drowned out by the Silence."
Sailor Pluto opened a portal, walking toward it. She turned back toward the girl. "Goodbye Sailor Saturn, you know what you must do now." She said before stepping through it, vanishing from sight.
The soloist readies her bow.
"It is what I was born to do." Saturn answered, smiling.
Saturn gripped her Silence Glaive, raising it into the air, letting it rest at it's climax for a brief moment. Then she swung it downward.
And strikes the final chord.
Fin.
Exit the author.