The Other Side
by Goz

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, I would've made them wear more clothes.

Warning: This is a Sailor Moon fanfic concerning various new Sailor Scouts of my own creation. It also contains liberal mixing of the Japanese version with the dub. Caveat emptor.

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Part 12

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Neo Queen Beryl stood before them, wearing a long black dress and black tiara. Her hair was now a brilliant red, and her brown eyes were violet.

She smiled ironically. Ariane found Andrea's hand seeking hers, and she squeezed it comfortingly.

"You're our..." said Ariane, stunned. "Even the hair and..." She shook her head sharply. This was all too much. "But... are we evil? You never answered that..." Ariane released her sister's hand and stood up very straight to face Neo Queen Beryl. "If you want me to side with the Negaverse, it's *not* gonna happen."

Andrea nodded shortly and stood up, taking Ariane's hand again. They both stood in front of Neo Queen Beryl, mirror images of determination.

And Neo Queen Beryl laughed.

Ariane grabbed her transformation wand out of her pocket and held it up. "Cassiopeia -"

Neo Queen Beryl swiftly barred Ariane's arm, shaking her head. "Relax, relax. I'm *not* asking you to do that. Though I'll admit it took me years to come to your conclusion." Connelly looked rueful. "Maybe I'm not very smart." Ariane lowered her hand cautiously, not by any means convinced. Connelly's wince suggested that she saw that, but she went on anyway. "That monster was sent because the Negaverse knew I'd sided with the Moon Kingdom."

Andrea, who had stood stock-still through the aborted confrontation, abruptly sat down and buried her head in her hands. "Are you alright?" Ariane and Connelly asked in one voice. Connelly smirked slightly, and Ariane stiffened.

Andrea shuddered once and looked up, biting her lip and trying to smile. "I'm okay... I'm just so glad you're not evil... Calida." Andrea shook her head - Ariane knew why immediately. *She* wasn't going to be calling this woman "Mother" any time soon. Neo Queen Beryl smiled slightly painfully.

"You're going to have to trust me, Andrea. It's important if we're to defeat the Negaverse -"

"Fighting against the Negaverse -" interrupted Ariane, determined to switch to a safer topic. "I don't see why that's so hard. All I did was yell and burn my ankle." Neo Queen Beryl stiffened, her face going very stern.

"*That* thing," she said forcefully, "Was *minor*. Think gnat to tiger. The Negaverse has access to *much* stronger creatures and fighters. *Including* Queen Caprice herself - she is smarter, and therefore *stronger*, than Queen Beryl ever was -"

"How do I fight?" interrupted Andrea in a small voice. "I don't have a wand..."

Neo Queen Beryl blinked, momentarily stumped. "Uh... Ket?"

A ghost of a brown cat appeared on the ground, gave Neo Queen Beryl a withering look, and did a backflip. An olive green wand with dark blue star on the tip materialized on the ground as the spectre vanished. Andrea bent to pick it up, glancing around the empty park nervously.

*Say "Hydra Constellation Power!"* ordered Ket's dry voice in her mind. Andrea hesitated for a moment.

"Hydra Constellation Power!"