A/N: And here comes Act 2 of Moon Kingdom: The Musical! I was soo chuffed with all the positive remarks my reviewers made, thanks to each and every one of you J and I hope that you all like it whether you review of not! Please take the time to give me some feedback on this story, Im still a little nervy about it and would really appreciate your comments. I don't expect essays, but a line or two just to say 'good' or 'dreadful' would be lovely! And so, on with the Musical! (Now imagine all that in Ms Daubus' voice from High School Musical haha)
Songs used: Fabulous - High School Musical 2 / I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden.
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Moon Kingdom - The Musical
Act 2.
"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" shrieked Serena, falling to her knees amidst the piles of dresses littering the floor of her chambers. All shapes, all colours, all materials but… "NONE OF THEM ARE RIGHT!" she cried, slamming her fists on the floor. Most un-Princess like behaviour, but the levels of stress in her body at the moment needed a release and at that moment in time Serena felt that acting like a starving sealion, punching the floor repeatedly and wailing loudly, was the right course of action to take.
"Princess!" came a disgruntled voice, stern around the door of Serena's quarters. "What IS all this noise you are making! What…" Luna's eyes widened as she took in the spectacle before her. "Has a hurricane descended upon your wardrobe or something?! What is the meaning and purpose of all this…MESS!"
"It is the grand ball TONIGHT! LUNA! You of all people must surely understand what that means!" squealed Serena, bringing herself to full height and pointing down at Luna with all the authority of God himself. "You must help me find a dress worthy of the Moon Princess!" Luna sighed, excusing Serena's childlike, selfish tone. When she got stressed, she got childish and thought only of herself. One flaw that was, in the circumstances, understandable.
"I doubt I am properly qualified for this task, I shall contact the Scouts. They can help you Princess, I really do not have the energy…or the inclination…" she mumbled under her breath, tapping into what appeared to be a small black mobile phone, in order to contact the scouts. Serena smiled and nodded.
"Yes, we can go into the city and shop. I do need the perfect dress Luna," she said breezily, now happily tidying up all the discarded dresses. "Tonight is when I will be meeting all the gentry and royalty of the Solar System! ESPECIALLY of the Earth! I wonder what they'll be like…I've never seen an Earthling before…" she trailed off, sitting on her blue Chaise Longue and staring dreamily into the distance. "So it has got to be PERFECT." she finished, snapping back to reality. Luna sat up on the bed and cocked her head to one side, raising an eyebrow at Serena.
"And what, in your eyes, IS perfection, Princess?" she asked curiously. Serena paused for a moment, frowning slightly.
"Perfection…is…" she paused before smiling widely. "Perfection…is being FABULOUS." She stood up and took hold of a dress, playing with the frilly material around the sleeves.
"Most definitely." came Mina's voice from the doorway, where all the Scouts were gathered.
"We came as soon as we received word from Luna." said Ami, her eyes wide as she surveyed the mess. Her friends knew that the obsessive compulsive person in her wanted to grab hold of all the dresses and arrange them in the wardrobe, in colour and style order. So was the character of a Mercurian.
"Don't you worry Serena, we will find you the most fabulous dress ever invented. And me too, of course." said Rei, folding her arms and sighing. "I had to persuade Father to let me buy a new gown. I mean, the Silver Millennium Ball is a HUGE occasion. I can't just go in dresses that I have been seen in before!" Lita laughed loudly.
"I don't see why not. I'm just going to wear the gown that I wore to my Brother's wedding. It's nice enough and I haven't worn it in so long, I'm not going to waste money on a new one." she declared. Mina nodded enthusiastically.
"Normally I wouldn't agree with you, however, if you are talking about the dress you wore to Troy's wedding, not Thor's wedding, I couldn't agree more!" Lita nodded an affirmative and Mina smiled contentedly. "Excellent. That dress couldn't give you anymore cleavage if you tried." At this, Serena gasped and blushed.
"Cleavage! You…you actually buy dresses to show…those off?!" the girls laughed and nodded.
"Yeah! It is best to use our assets." grinned Mina, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Anyway, enough of that! Let's stop before Serena has a heart attack and can't go to the Ball. We need to get finding a fabulous outfit for her." Serena smiled, grateful for the change of topic and nodded.
"Yep…fabulous…" she smiled and threw the dress she was clutching onto the bed.
QUEUE MUSIC
It's out with the old
And in with the new
Goodbye clouds of grey,
Hello skies of blue!
Sang Serena, imagining all the pretty dresses she would try on and eventually purchase. Sighing, she thought of all the pampering she would have before the Ball.
A dip in the pool,
A trip to the spa,
My hair washed and blow-dried,
The style according to moi!
The girls laughed and joined in, all imagining the luxurious products that they would use, and how gorgeous they would all look.
We want fabulous!
That is our simple request,
All things fabulous!
Bigger and better and best!
We need something inspiring to help us get along
We need a little fabulous, is that so wrong?
Mina stood up, putting on a serious, pouty, stuck-up face. She strode around the room, poking all the girls as she sang.
Fetch me my expensive flip-flops
Where is my oversized tote?
I need my diamond-set hair band
Then I can go for a float.
The girls laughed and danced around the room,
A ball like never before!
Rei jumped on the bed and glared at them all, hands on her hips.
I. Want. MORE!
We want fabulous!
That is our simple request,
All things fabulous!
Bigger and better and best!
We need something inspiring to help us get along,
We need a little fabulous!
Is that so wrong?
Serena sat on her Chaise and folded her legs, sticking her nose in the air as the girls picked up various dresses and showed them to her.
This won't do!
That's a bore.
That's INSULTING!
I need more.
I need, I need,
I need, I need,
I need, I need,
I need FABULOUS!
Suddenly, Serena gasped and picked up a magazine that had fallen onto the floor. She stood up excitedly and showed it to the girls, pointing at the beautiful dress on the front of it.
Oh I like what I see!
I like it a lot!
Is it absolutely fabulous? The other girls sang/asked her. Serena nodded with a squeal.
"ABSOLUTELY! I can't believe I've found it…the perfect gown…can we go get it girls, please?!" she asked eagerly, clutching the magazine tightly as though if she let go it would vanish.
"But of course!" chorused Mina, Rei and Lita. Ami nodded quietly.
"But we will have to be quick about it. If we are to make all our pre-ball appointments we will have to be back here within the hour, or else we will be late for the start of the ball." she warned the girls, pulling out a piece of paper with a colour-coded schedule on it. Mina sighed and took the paper, screwing it up into a ball and throwing it out of the window.
"Yes, but we will be FASHIONABLY late Ami. Come on girl, for once, just go with the flow!" the leader of the Guardians smiled and linked Ami's arm. Ami smiled nervously, obviously not familiar to the idea of doing things without structure.
"Okay…I'll try…but let's not be TOO late." The girls squealed and dragged Ami and Serena out of the room, leaving a bemused Luna behind on the bed. A sweat drop fell from her forehead and she sighed tiredly.
"I give up…I better go and warn Queen Serenity that the Scouts will be late…again."
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"This is bound to be a laugh a second…" muttered Endymion angrily, fidgeting with the clasp of his royal violet robe over his customary black armour. "The Moon people are just NOTORIOUS for their sharp and winning sense of humour…" Kunzite watched him amusedly.
"Well who knows, they COULD surprise you Endymion." He fastened his hair up in it's customary ponytail, only this time with a thicker black band with silver embroidery, matching that on his black velvet robe. He adjusted his General badge, the red ribbon and gold pendant showing that he was Endymion's right-hand man. "And if not, then just think it's only one week. Just a week, that is all you have to cope with. And I bet that your parents will allow you to stay in the guest quarters of the Moon Palace…they won't force you to make any diplomatic engagements or anything like that. After all, you are only the Prince, they'll want to deal with that themselves."
"That's right Endymion," voiced Nephrite, tapping his fingers on the window-ledge of the carriage they were in. "No offence, but you're hardly the most clued-up to deal with the Moon royalty. I personally am looking forward to this. Moon maidens are said to possess inhuman beauty and grace…meaning that they're all fit, Zoicite, they're all fit." he sighed upon seeing Zoicite's confused look directed his way. Zoicite scowled.
"Yes, I do know what you meant by 'inhuman beauty and grace' Nephrite. It's just…why are you looking forward to it? It seems extremely big-headed and self-absorbed of the Moon people to throw this ball in honour of their own kingdom." Kunzite frowned thoughtfully, along with the rest of the Guardians.
"It's not to celebrate themselves." sighed Endymion, sounding bored. He turned his attention away from the window to his Shittenou. "Father told me that the ball is to honour the years of peace that have graced the Galaxy. The Moon People are hosting the ball because they fought for peace for so long, so they're celebrating that peace, not how good they are themselves." Silence followed his statement as the carriage halted. As the door was opened by a servant, Endymion stepped out to meet his parents, followed by his Generals.
"Endymion, are you prepared?" asked the booming voice of King Endymion, who was most definitely an older version of the Prince. His grey-streaked black hair sat under his golden crown, his dark blue eyes so similar to his son's glinting. He wore white armour with golden shoulder pieces. Endymion nodded, bowing both to him and to his mother, Queen Evelyn. A beautiful woman, her dark brown hair was secured into an elegant bun at the back of her head, a small tiara placed on top of the crown of her head. She stepped forward and placed her hand on Endymion's arm, looking at him with deep brown eyes that were only just beginning to see wrinkles appear around them.
"My son, please be careful. Do not fraternise with anyone who could cause trouble for yourself or, indeed, for us and your kingdom." Endymion nodded distantly.
"I won't Mother, I promise." Queen Evelyn smiled and nodded, contented by his vow. Her son was, among many other things, a man of his word. His word he would not break, not for anyone. He and his father were very alike in that respect. She smiled to herself and returned to King Endymion's side. He checked his pocket watch and sniffed.
"It is time. Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom is to teleport us to the Moon Palace, where we will be greeted by her personal assistants. We shall then be introduced to the ballroom as the Royal family of Earth and the honoured Guardians of the Prince of Earth." Jedite raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, so this isn't COMPLETELY stage managed at all." he grumbled under his breath, folding his arms. "ouch!" he grunted loudly as Kunzite elbowed him not-too-softly in the ribs. "My apologies, your Majesties…a erm…a big…bird…just flew into my side…well, not BIG as such…it was fairly small, small enough not to be noticed by anyone…it obviously had a tiny little brain but a really, really hard skull…" Endymion raised his eyebrow and turned to look at Jedite disbelievingly as the General trailed off with incoherent grunts and mutterings. King Endymion snorted quietly.
"That is quite alright, General Jedite…you are forgiven…" Suddenly, there was a beeping noise from inside the King's violet robe over his white armour. He pulled out a large golden compact and placed his finger on a button on the side. "It is time. As soon as I open this compact, we shall be transported to the Moon. Just focus on the Moon and everything will be fine." Endymion pictured the tranquil Moon in his mind as King Endymion opened up the compact, a white light flowing out of it, covering the Earth gentry. They felt their feet lifting from the ground, experiencing weightlessness. Air rushed past their bodies as they were teleported, until suddenly, as soon as it came, it vanished, and their feet met solid ground. Endymion and the others opened their eyes. He and the Generals, having never been to the Moon Kingdom before, gasped at its beauty.
The entire palace seemed to shimmer with light energy. It had obviously been decorated for the event, with small twinkling lights laced through the trees and bushes of the front gardens. The large dome atop the Palace was illuminated from the inside with a bright light that covered the Moon Kingdom like a blanket.
"Come now, let's get inside. Queen Serenity will be wondering where we are." said King Endymion, leading his wife up the steps into the Palace. Endymion turned to his Generals and shrugged.
"It's not that great. Now come on, let's get this over with." He followed his parents, as the Generals looked at each other with knowing smiles.
Prince Endymion was certainly one grumpy Prince.
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"ANNOUNCING THE ROYAL FAMILY OF THE EARTH, HIS MAJESTY KING ENDYMION, HER MAJESTY QUEEN EVELYN AND HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ENDYMION, ACCOMPANIED BY THE HONOURED GUARDIANS OF THE PRINCE OF EARTH!" bellowed a short man with a paunch, dressed in a smart black tuxedo. The silver shimmering curtains parted, exposing the group to the full view of the now silent ballroom. King Endymion and Queen Evelyn walked into the room unaffected, however Prince Endymion and the Generals stopped in their tracks, astounded by the effortless beauty of the room.
Pale alabaster walls, pillars, floor, ceiling…practically all the room, were polished to perfection, so Endymion could see his reflection in the nearest pillar. Silver lights appeared to be floating in mid-air over the heads of the dancers, adorned over a light silver material that seemed to be made out of the purest water, which was draped down the walls as banners and curled around the pillars like vines around a tree. A lush red carpet led from the steps of the dance floor up to an ornate arch which was as wide as the room itself, the marble engraved with beautiful blooms and an array of animals. Under this arch sat two ornate thrones made of pure glass, and the woman, no, the goddess seated on the largest throne took Endymion's and his General's breath away.
The goddess stood up and appeared to float down the stairs, extending her hand to King Endymion who briefly kissed it. Her silver hair was in two buns at either side of her head, the rest flowing in two pigtails either side that just skimmed the floor as she walked. Her deep blue eyes sparkled like stars and her shoulders curved with sheer grace.
"King Endymion, Queen Evelyn, I am so thrilled you could come tonight to celebrate our peace." her voice trilled like crystal bells on a still night as she grasped Queen Evelyn's hands together in her own.
"We too are most pleased, Queen Serenity. You grow more beautiful each time we meet, and your Palace is absolutely stunning. Breathtaking even." smiled Evelyn. She placed a hand on Endymion's back and pushed him forward, stumbling slightly into a bow in front of the Queen of the Moon Kingdom. "May I present our son, Prince Endymion." Queen Serenity's eyes brightened and her smile became even softer.
"Prince Endymion, my goddesses you have grown since we last met. You were still a babe, cradled in your Mother's arms and my Princess was not born. How time flies, how time flies. I see you still have the same startlingly dark blue eyes." she held her hand out to Endymion for him to kiss it. Endymion obliged and smiled a winning smile.
"So I have been told Your Grace. I am so pleased to be here this evening, and I look forward to the festivities." he stepped back and gestured towards the Generals, who all sunk into low bows. "I introduce my Generals, my personal Shittenou, Generals Kunzite, Nephrite, Jadeite and Zoicite." Queen Serenity smiled at each in turn.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I do apologise for my daughter not being here to greet you. I do not know where she has gotten to, and her tardiness is most unusual…for a Princess." the King and Queen laughed lightly, and Endymion smiled tightly, not knowing why his parents laughed or why such a matter was taken so lightly. "Now come, please escort me to the main table where we can partake in refreshment." Endymion hung behind as his parents followed Queen Serenity, chatting lightly, the formalities over and done with finally. He scowled at his Generals.
"If I did that to my parents, father would kill me. This Princess is obviously a spoilt little brat who is used to no consequences. I don't particularly want to meet her." he folded his arms. Nephrite smiled widely.
"I don't know…if she's inherited her Mother's beauty then I wouldn't mind making her acquaintance." the other Shittenou nodded approvingly, apart from Kunzite who stood stoically, ignoring the conversation. Before Endymion could retort a sharp reply, loud trumpets sounded from the entrance and the large doors swung open. All heads in the room turned to the doors and what Endymion saw took his breath away.
"PRESENTING PRINCESS SERENITY OF THE MOON KINGDOM AND HER SENSHI, PRINCESS MINAKO OF VENUS, PRINCESS REI OF MARS, PRINCESS LITA OF JUPITER AND PRINCESS AMI OF MERCURY." called the short man, revealing five beautiful girls.
Serena stepped into the room with a smile. Her slender frame was highlighted with a pure white gown, strapless with puffy sleeves just at the shoulders. The top was adorned with gold embroidered circlets in a line above her chest and was cinched in at the waist with a large bow that floated behind her. The skirt glided around her, made of the purest silk and her silvery-blonde buns were adorned with pearls that matched the simple pearl necklace around her neck. Her bright blue eyes were outlined with the simplest of make-up and shone, reflecting the light of the Moon.
Mina, Rei, Lita and Ami all wore gowns in their respective colours. Mina's was a fitted strapless knee-length number, Rei's gown was floaty and to the floor, Lita's gown cut into a low V at her chest and her back and Ami's gown just skimmed her shoulders, a floaty knee-length skirt. All the girls looked gorgeous, however Endymion could not take his eyes off the Moon Princess.
"And here she finally is. Princess Serenity, how nice of you to join us." said Queen Serenity breezily, clasping her daughter's hands as she smiled sheepishly.
"I apologise mother, the girls and I got caught up. I do hope I haven't missed the arrival of many of our guests?" she said happily as Rei and Mina went to their families, embraced by their Mothers and Fathers.
"No, The King and Queen of both Venus and Mars have arrived, however Jupiter and Mercury are still on their way, I have had word from them and we are to expect them within the next half hour. You did, however, miss the arrival of the Earth delegates, whom you haven't met before." Serena's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in disappointment.
"Oh! I must say I was hoping to greet King Endymion and Queen Evelyn on their arrival…may you introduce me now Mother?" Queen Serenity smiled and nodded, leading her daughter to the King and Queen of Earth.
"King Endymion, Queen Evelyn, allow me to present my very late daughter, Princess Serenity." Serena curtsied to them, bowing her head. Endymion watched her manners and politeness with surprise. Maybe she wasn't the brat he first thought…or maybe she was just a very good actress when the occasion called for it.
"I am very pleased to meet you Sir, and you Ma'am." King Endymion smiled warmly at her.
"The pleasure is all ours my dear. Where is Endymion…" he turned round and gestured to Endymion to step forward. "This is my son, Prince Endymion of Earth." Endymion gulped and stepped forward, bowing low in front of Serena.
"Princess Serenity." he said shortly, returning to full height and feeling pleased with himself to see that her mouth was open and her eyes were wide, locked on his. And indeed, she was taken aback by how handsome the Prince was. She felt enraptured by his dark blue mystical eyes, and how his jet black hair fell into them so casually. His broad chest and shoulders visible under his armour made her blush slightly, as she curtsied to him.
"Prince Endymion." she replied, at a loss of what to say. An awkward silence engulfed the group as the two shot glances at each other, Serena blushing profusely. The elders smiled and began to converse with each other, having missed the obvious embarrassment between the two. However, the Shittenou had not missed it, neither had Ami, Mina and Rei, who had sidled up to Serena. Coughing loudly, both groups made their excuses and pulled Endymion and Serena away from each other, however their eyes locked as they were dragged away.
"Don't even think it." warned Kunzite lowly, as his eyes fixed on Mina's smirking slightly as she smiled at him and tossed her hair back, her gorgeous blonde glossy mane that he wanted to stroke tenderly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." protested Endymion, glancing at Serena before glaring angrily at Kunzite.
"It is FORBIDDEN Serena!" said Mina loudly, hands on her hips, glaring at Serena who was still locked onto Endymion.
"What! Oh Mina, I haven't a clue what you're talking about. He just seems a nice man, that's all. I promise of you!" Rei laughed hollowly.
"Oh Serena, you must think that we were all born yesterday. We saw how you couldn't take your eyes off each other, and it CANNOT, MUST NOT happen."
"Why not!" grumbled Endymion, glaring angrily at Kunzite. "She's a woman. I'm a man. There you go, sorted."
"Because! You know the score. Relationships between Moon people and Earthlings are forbidden. After the great war, it has been banned forever, and for good cause too." said Kunzite firmly. Endymion scoffed angrily.
"Oh yeah, because of course you haven't been staring at that other blonde one AT ALL Kunzite."
"That's different Endymion." defended Kunzite. "She is Venusian, not Lunarian. There are many successful Venusian/Earthling relationships, not that I even WANT anything with that Venusian Princess. The only ever Lunarian/Earthling relationship caused a war that lasted a thousand years, and has only recently been reconciled. The cultures are too irreconcilably different." Endymion scoffed angrily.
"Right fine whatever. Just get off my back yeah?" he sat down heavily and tapped his fingers on the tabletop. His Shittenou shrugged and left, Kunzite shooting a warning glare at him before he walked away towards the balcony. Endymion found Serena who was obviously having a similar debate. She was scowling furiously, pointing at herself, then at her mother, then jabbing that Venusian in the arm before flouncing off into the gardens outside. Her protectors grumbled to themselves, walking off in the opposite direction and Endymion seized his chance. Getting up swiftly before anyone could accost him, he followed the route Serena had taken.
"Princess Serenity?" he called into the beautiful, lightly illuminated gardens. Rose bushes lined the grasses, and the tall evergreens stood pale against the light. A quiet sniffling caught his attention and he pushed his way through the bushes, finding her sat on a marble bench, her head in her hands.
"Princess?" he said quietly, and her head shot up, quickly wiping her eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise that anyone else was out here." she said hurriedly, standing up. Endymion stepped in front of her quickly.
"No, I only came out now to get some air and I heard crying. Are you alright Princess? Why are you so upset tonight?" Serena watched him nervously, her bright blue eyes watery and wide as she surveyed him. She turned her head down to the floor and sniffed.
"Oh nothing…I just…sometimes I hate being told what I can and can't do, how I should and shouldn't act…who I can and can't see…" she finished quietly, looking up at him shyly. Endymion felt his heart pang and his chest swell simultaneously. He nodded and smiled at her.
"I can completely empathise with you Princess. I've had the same thing…" he paused, not wanting to reveal too much of himself to her. He didn't know what it was about her, but she made him want to talk, want to sit, want to stroke her arms and her hair. His indifferent, aloof side seemed to be fighting against him, telling him to leave her alone, to go find some gorgeous maiden to dance the night away with instead of trying to provide this messed-up Moon brat with counselling. But he couldn't help himself staying by her and listening to her troubles. She gazed at him with her watery eyes.
"Really?" she whispered, her hair falling into her eyes. Endymion smiled and pushed it back, wiping her tears with his thumb.
"Really. You know…" he smiled to himself, stroking Serena's cheek.
QUEUE MUSIC
"Maybe it's intuition But some things you just don't questionLike in your eyesI see my future in an instantand there it goesI think I've found my best friendI know that it might sound more thana little crazy but I believe
I knew I loved you before I met youI think I dreamed you into lifeI knew I loved you before I met youI have been waiting all my life "
Serena gasped at his beautiful voice and the words he sang to her. And the fact that they re-iterated what her heart told her. She took his hand in both of hers and smiled up at him.
"There's just no rhyme or reasononly this sense of completionand in your eyesI see the missing piecesI'm searching forI think I found my way homeI know that it might sound more thana little crazy but I believe
I knew I loved you before I met youI think I dreamed you into lifeI knew I loved you before I met youI have been waiting all my life"
He leant his head down and, too nervous to kiss a man she'd only just met , Serena quickly kissed his cheek. He lifted his head, a questioning look in his eyes and smiled at her blush.
"I was a bit embarrassed." she said quietly and he tipped her chin up, so he was looking right into her eyes.
"Then we shall just sit and talk until we're at ease with each other…without prying eyes and whispers." she smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around him. He uncertainly wrapped his arms around her small waist.
He'd never done this with someone he actually cared about before…and it felt scary.