A few weeks after the Neo-Queen Serenity's rule ceremony. Which had been perfectly timed. The Neo and Dark Senshi had just defeated a demon leading an army of Wendigos. It reminded everyone why Neo-Queen Serenity had been so beloved as Sailor Moon. But, unfortunately, the Neo-Sailor Senshi and Dark Kingdom Senshi had become rather bored. They'd been stuck helping rebuild whatever Elwood and the Wendigos destroyed.
Thankfully, Jewel came up with a worthwhile idea: Recently, the young teen guardians had been granted the ability to transform into mermaids whenever they soaked in the Crystal Sea. However, they'd not been able to stay in that form for long. Due it currently, wasn't needed. However, Princess Orca had been a human form for a few days, Neo-Sailor Neptune providing water if Orca needed it.
Jewel felt it wasn't right. They didn't get to enjoy a break too. However, she knew they still needed to finish helping rebuild. Hence a few days later, she asked the other girls. "Hey! When we've helped rebuild enough in a few weeks, we should visit Orca and her team in the Crystal Sea! What do you girls think?" Jewel asked excitedly.
"Yeah!" Gracie, Star, Dawn, and Ivy cheered loudly.
"We'd love that!" Crystal and Alexis agreed in unison.
"Better than being stuck here, rebuilding and bored," Christen commented gloomily, with Shadow nodding in agreement.
"It would be interesting to see the similarities and differences between the Moon Kingdom and the Crystal Sea," Ariel responded happily. Both Holly and Trisha nodded in agreement about such an exciting prospect.
"Anybody ever thinks it's weird? That realistically, the moon shouldn't have any water? Nor should we be able to breathe in space without astronaut suits! Or that we can walk or grow things without floating off into oblivion?" Alexis mentioned off-hand.
"It's Sailor Moon, Alexis. Try not to overthink logistics. Usually, that ends badly." Emily advised truthfully.
It was not uncommon for the girls to notice that logic didn't match what they experienced. Then they'd quickly remember who they were before choosing to ignore reason. Once again, considering the demons, mermaids, skinwalkers, wendigos…yeah, screw logic.
"Wish we could go now…." Chibiusa replied, bummed she had to wait a while.
"We'll be there before you know it!" Jewel put her arm around her half-sister's shoulders to comfort her. After four weeks, even Jewel couldn't wait anymore. So everyone quickly slipped away! They knew Neo-Queen Serenity would disapprove of them shrugging this off. Yet didn't they deserve this after what they went through?
While the merpeople from the Crystal Sea, specifically the royals, could use the Blue Room to enter the Crystal Palace directly. For humans? They had to use a unique cove behind the palace to safely transform and enter the Crystal Sea.
Each girl's tail matched their Senshi color (Chibiusa=Pink, Gracie=Orange, Crystal=Aqua, Christen=Black, Ariel=Green, Emily=Purple, Holly= Navy, Alexis=Blue, Trisha=Red, Star=Silver, Ivy=Teal, Dawn-Gold, Shadow=Gray, and Jewel=Rainbow.) As the girls swam deeper, it got darker, and though they did not need to worry about breathing, the atmosphere felt heavier.
Chibiusa, Gracie, and Trisha took points around the group and employed the Pink Silver Crystal, Holy Stone Sword of Light, and the Garnet Orb to light up their area. Except it only helped to see a few feet.
"The ocean's deepest level is completely black, and it could crush you." Alexis taught the group. She was always eager to share exciting facts whenever the need arose. Sometimes it wasn't wanted.
"Delightful…" Shadow grumbled sardonically.
"Hey, don't mock my sister!" Holly shouted angrily at the Dark Senshi girl.
"I-I wasn't. I just meant-" Her sister cut off Shadow's apologetic tone.
"Forgive my twin, Holly. She didn't mean it." Dawn swam between her sister and Holly, waving her hands in front of her, trying to diffuse the situation.
This is one of the things Shadow liked about her fun-loving twin. She was always there to defend Shadow because Shadow did not speak much (a trait she shared with Trisha), making her not good at defending herself with words. She let her powers do the talking when faced with defending herself, but she would not attack a friend or teammate.
"It's OK, Holly. That's just the way Shadow is. I should try to stay optimistic. Besides, you all know that stuff about the sea already." Alexis waved away the issue.
"I didn't," Shadow remarked, surprising everyone. Shadow was embarrassed while she remained quiet, "I don't know anything about the sea…."
"Neither do I," Trisha spoke up if only to make Shadow feel less like the awkward one.
As the group stayed close to the magical lights, Jewel felt like they were drawing unwanted attention. That someone's eyes were burning into her. Still, she reasoned it was probably just the deep-sea creatures. LIkely they were curious how they could suddenly see what was actually around them now.
"Hello? Is anybody out there?!" A warmhearted girl's voice called, which Chibiusa recognized at once.
"Orca!" Chibiusa barreled into Orca, hugging her enthusiastically!
"Chibiusa, I'm so happy you came to visit!" Orca held her best friend, then noticed the others and giggled. "Who are these stunning mermaids?"
"Orca, you remember my Neo-Sailor Senshi, sister, and Senshi?" Chibiusa let go of Orca to gesture to each group of people.
"I remember. Well, seeing as you brought them…Aqua Senshi!" Orca yelled out, and eight mermaids came zooming toward her side from all directions!
At this point, Lucy was the most notable as she had been very bright and always smiling at the other girls. She held her scythe with blue designs and waved happily to the group.
"Are you alright, Princess?" A slightly older tan-skinned mermaid demanded. She'd both amber hair and eyes. She wore a purple bra and an orange tail. Plus, she carried a shield with navy blue designs on her arm. She hugged Orca protectively, pulling her away from Chibiusa.
"I'm fine, Sara. I know you are only trying to protect me, but don't act like I can't defend myself." Orca scolded her gently.
"Are they bothering you, Orca?" A mermaid with flowing black hair and striking green eyes. Her silver bra glittered while highlighting her light purple tail. She glared at the foreigners charging up her scepter to attack!
"No, Karen! That's Chibiusa and her friends!" Orca exclaimed frantically, not wanting to cause any political problems.
Immediately, Karen lowered her scepter down and bowed apologetically to the girls, "Forgive me, Planet Princesses. I did not recognize you."
"It's OK, Karen. We don't usually appear unannounced with fins." Chibiusa blushed as they really should have told Orca they were coming.
"Hi! How is everyone?" A mermaid with bright red hair with a star-shaped hair clip kindly inquired. Her stunning green eyes stood out even with tons of makeup on. She wore wrist-mounted red shurikens, and her top was aqua-colored with a matching tail.
Everyone greeted her back with a "Hi! Good, thanks for asking. How are you?" This mermaid laughed and replied, "Oh, my name's Hannah. I'm good too."
The girls quickly learned several exciting things about Orca's Senshi as they swam toward the Crystal Sea Palace. One interesting fact? They were from different parts of the world!
For example? Lucy and Hannah were like sisters. Both the Atlantic and the Pacific are connected, and their bond is as strong as blood sisters. Maybe even stronger!
Tragically, when Seira was born, her pearl (her transformation tool) was attacked by some dark creature. It ended up shattering her soul! So Sara gave Seira part of her soul in a quick act of self-sacrifice.
Then Orca and the Aqua Senshi retrieved the parts of Seira's pearl they could find. Each held a piece of Seria's original soul. In short, her original soul isn't complete. However, half of Sara's soul keeps Seira's life in balance.
At first, it wasn't easy to understand, but eventually, they got it. Each Aqua Senshi holds a crystal-like pearl, the source of their powers. They used these pearls to transform, but there were in great danger should anything happen to them.
"Didn't Sailor Moon almost lose her life once when her Silver Crystal shattered?" Gracie wondered aloud. When they'd all been children, their parents had been told about their exploits in their youth. Nevertheless, it wasn't easy to remember it all, and when you're over 900 years old? How the hell are you supposed to keep it straight?
"Yeah. So, the pearls are like the Silver Crystal." Crystal concluded logically. Showcasing she did have some of her mother's brains.
"Our queen always taught us never to remove our seashell necklaces, lest our pearls fall into the wrong hands. I'm Lina, a.k.a Sailor Dead Sea, by the way," spoke a harsh voice. Turning, they saw a mermaid carrying a black lance with a matching bra and tail. Her tail was even darker than Christen's. However, her hair was as green as Sailor Pluto's!
"We even sleep with them on!" A mermaid with blond hair whose bra and tail complimented her hair. Her bright sky blue eyes sparkled while she hefted her war hammer over her shoulder and laughed.
"And you are?" Christen asked slightly rudely.
"Coco, secretly Sailor Caribbean." Coco struck a pose like Carmen Sandiago.
"There's still one of you we don't know," as Ariel turned to the last of the Aqua Senshi. A young mermaid with navy blue hair and eyes. However, her bar and tail were light blues. Around her waist were holsters for a pair of guns bearing green designs. The mermaid in question turned away, hiding her face from the surface dwellers.
"That's Noel. She's shy but smart and holds all the qualities that make a Senshi!" Orca claimed as she put her arm around to turn her to face them again. Noel is blushing from Orca's praise of her personality.
"You don't have to be shy with us, Noel. We're your friends." Alexis chirped happily, to which the other girls nodded in agreement.
"J-Ja." Noel stuttered, and everyone looked confused at her. They hadn't any idea what language Noel was speaking. Luckily Lucy chimed in quickly. "That means "yes." She's Russian." Lucy clarified.
From the color of their weapons, the girls could tell which Aqua Senshi corresponds to the Planet Sailor Senshi. Lucy, carrying her blue scythe, was the aqua version of Sailor Mercury! Hannah beating her red shurikens was Sailor Mars! Seira, brandishing her yellow rapier, was Sailor Venus! Noel, with her green guns, was Sailor Jupiter!
Finally aided by her spear and shield, Sara is Sailor Neptune! Karen wielding her purple scepter matched Sailor Saturn! Coco struggled to adjust her war hammer. Nevertheless, she corresponded to Sailor Uranus. Finally, Lina, aka Sailor Dead Sea, was the aqua version of Sailor Pluto.
Despite their representation, they could only use water-based attacks, but their weapons aided them in summoning the powers their Sailor Senshi equivalents had to combine with their water.
By the time the girls learned all this, they had arrived at the Crystal Sea Palace! A pink and gold coral reef! It is a rugged-looking structure. Yet the decorative pearl and seashell shapes set it apart from other coral reefs.
Lucy and Hannah tugged open the doors for the other Princesses. As they propelled through the halls, still getting used to using their new mermaid tails. Orca's servants marveled and giggled at the Neo-Sailor Senshi mermaids. But, of course, they must have looked silly, tilting and flailing to keep balance!
"With your poor control, it'll take us forever to get to Queen Oki!" Sara snapped moodily. However, she reasonably had one Aqua Senshi each to help the girls learn to swim to the Throne Room.
Sara's flip-flop temper was a permanent side-effect of her splitting her soul. Finally, when they made it to the Throne Room, Queen Oki smiled, recognizing the bubblegum-haired Princess mermaid and her group instantly. Yet she played dumb for a laugh, "Oh, Orca! You found some new friends?"
"Mom, you know who they are." Orca did not understand how her mom could not place such unique-looking people.
"Oh? I don't recall ever meeting them before." Oki shot her daughter with a side-glance, piercing look. But unfortunately, Orca still did not get the hint. So Sara stepped in, whispering into her princess's right ear. "Princess, I think your mother wants you to introduce them to the servants, who don't know who they are."
"Oh! Thank you, Sara. I'm sorry, Mom. May I introduce, heir to Crystal Tokyo, her highness, Princess Small Lady Serenity?" Orca heard claps and gasps from the different servants.
"Just call me Chibiusa," the pink-haired teen blushed, embarrassed by the words "Small Lady" still in her title.
One-by-one, Orca introduced each girl by her inherited territory, full title, and Senshi name. Unfortunately, she didn't do this for Jewel and her Dark Kingdom Senshi. Due to the fact they wouldn't inherit any land from their parents.
"Excellent, my daughter. Even when you know who is visiting you? Its good manners to introduce them to those who don't know who they are." Oki glided down from her throne to embrace her child.
Excitedly, Lucy offered to fit the girls with jewelry to indicate their status, which was hard to refuse when she dragged them off! Soon everyone was having fun trying on earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and anklets (wrapped around the base of their tails in this form). But, something else had been watching them with its dark blue eyes!