Story of the Future
Episode Eleven
"Ariana"
Ariana looked around. The Crystal Palace! She had dreamed of being here for as long as she could remember. For some reason, she'd always been drawn to the life of the King and Queen.
"Excuse me, miss. May I help you?" a harried servant asked. "Do you have a pass?"
Ariana nodded and showed him her pass. It was made of beautiful felt with a star design. The servant waved an ultraviolet light over it and revealed a crescent moon in the middle. "Who sent for you?" he asked.
"I received an invitation from..." she glanced at her paper. "From the Duke of Tokyo." she said.
The servant blinked in surprise. "The Duke of Tokyo? Regarding what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Ariana shrugged. "I have no idea."
The servant briskly nodded. "Wait here." he said, turning. Ariana glanced around. The palace seemed to be very alive, with several military officers walking around. Ariana began to sense something was not right.
"Commander, all placements should be in order. Why am I still receiving messages that a brigade is not where it should be?" a gruff officer asked.
"Yes, sir, I'll get right on it." a muscular commander answered. He turned and bumped right into Ariana. "Oh, pardon me, ma'am." he said politely.
She nodded. "It's alright."
The commander gave a brief smile before leaving. Ariana looked at the crystal interior. It was beautifully crafted and very spacious. [[I wonder where the King and Queen reside.]] she thought to herself.
"Miss?" The servant had returned. "Follow me, please."
Ariana complied and followed him through a complex maze of hallways and doorways. Ariana noticed several groups of men and women gathered, discussing important matters.
Finally, after going up several stairways, she entered an empty corridor. The silence was erie and she looked around. Finally, they stopped at an eloquently crafted door.
"Inside there, miss." the servant said, turning.
"Um, wait! Can you tell me anything about this man? What does he want?" she asked him.
The servant turned his head. He gave a small smile. "I guarantee it will be a shock."
Ariana gave him a puzzled look. "Just open the door, all your questions will be answered."
Ariana turned and opened the door.
***
King Endymion paced the room. He wiped the sweat of his brow. He was facing a world crisis, his wife had just given birth, and he was facing the prospect of having to leave his beloved home. Yet nothing stressed him more than this one moment.
The door opened. He turned and faced the girl. She gasped. "Hello, Ariana."
Ariana awkwardly bowed low, not prepared to face the king. "Your Majesty." she gasped.
"No, none of that. Rise." the king said, slowly removing his crown. Rapidly he transformed into a handsome man wearing pressed khakis and a black tee- shirt. He looked strangely ordinary.
Ariana let out a small shriek. "You're the guy...from the pizza parlor."
Darien nodded. "Darien." he said.
"I remember. And Serena...she was pregnant. I saw her the other day, carrying Lita out. What's going on?!" she asked.
"Ariana, sit down. There's a lot we need to get out. It's obvious you remember nothing." Darien said.
Over the course of an hour, Darien related to her the story of the Moon Kingdom and Queen Beryl. When he finished, Ariana just gazed at him.
"So I'm your sister? And Serena's the...the Queen?!" Ariana could hardly believe this.
Darien nodded. "Serena is Queen Serenity. And Small Lady is Rini, our newborn daughter."
"And I'm...your sister?" Ariana asked.
Darien smiled. "My elder sister. Sailor Earth. Queen of Earth."
Ariana began to rapidly shake her head. "This isn't happening! How...are you sure? You haven't mixed me up?"
Darien looked at her sympathetically. "I know this is a shock. It was a shock for me, too. Have you been getting any flashbacks?"
Ariana thought. "Some. I got one of Lita...when we were kids, I guess. And I remember a boy who I thought the world of." she said, looking at him fondly. [[Come to think of it, he does look like the boy in my dreams.]] she thought.
Darien took her hand. "I remember you. I idolized you, almost worshipped you. I loved you so much. It was a heartbreak when you left."
Ariana looked away. A jolt of pain went through her heart. She closed her eyes, and got a fuzzy vision...
...that was interrupted by a steward knocking on the door. Darien hastily put his crown on and transformed.
"Your Highness." the steward entered.
King Endymion nodded. "What is it?"
"Queen Serenity is here. She wishes to enter the castle."
The king closed his eyes a moment. He heaved a sigh and looked at the steward. "Bring her here. If you have to drag her here by force, bring her here. And as far as her being Queen, consider her mentally unstable at the moment."
The steward looked at him. "Sir, she is our Queen..."
"She is also a woman whose just given birth! Chalk it up to postpartum depression if you must. Just bring her here!" Endymion shouted. The steward bowed hastily and left.
"What's wrong with Serena?" Ariana asked.
Endymion turned to her. "One, she is Queen Serenity. Never address us as anything else. It is imperative that we maintain our royal stature. And she is being very stubborn at the moment."
Ariana cracked a little smile.
Shortly later, the doors opened. Queen Serenity stormed in. "I have been forced to come here before I do anything else. I demand to know..." she stopped at seeing Ariana.
The doors shut. "And how was your..." he checked his watch, "four hour nap?" he asked.
"Ariana..." the queen said slowly, glancing at Darien.
"I know everything, my queen." Ariana standing, bowing low.
Queen Serenity smiled, and quickly removed her crown. She detransformed in sweats. "No need of that. By rights, YOU'RE the queen here." she said.
Ariana shook her head fiercely. "Not all at once, please. It's enough knowing I'm his sister, a Sailor Scout, and former princess."
Serena laughed and nodded. "I know, it does come as a shock." she said, turning to Darien who had detransformed as well.
"My dear sister." Darien said, hugging her. "Now I have one more person in my family."
Ariana smiled and closed her eyes. The memory of those years with Darien came back to her in a flash. "Oh Darien, I do remember! I remember you!" she said, hugging him tightly.
Serena smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Finally, the hug broke. "And I guess that makes us..." she said.
"In laws!" Ariana laughed. She gave Serena a light hug. "Sister-in-law." she said warmly.
"Not only that, but fellow Scouts. You're Sailor Earth!" Serena said. "We should get the others and tell them!"
Darien placed both hands on Serena's shoulders. "Not until you get some more sleep." he said sternly.
"Darien..." Serena whined.
"Serena, you're recovering from a pregnancy. The last thing you need is the stress of planning a defense for an entire planet."
"Defense?! From what?!" Ariana asked, horrified.
Serena looked at Darien. "You didn't tell her. Nevermind, I'll explain on the way home. It doesn't look like my soldiers will let me do anything anyway." she said, putting on her crown. In a moment of brightness, she transformed to the beloved Queen of Earth. "Let's go." she said, opening the door.
***
"Wow! Who'd have guessed we had another Sailor Scout?!" Mina asked.
Ariana smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess."
Amy looked at her warmly. "Have you tried transforming?" she asked.
Ariana looked blankly. "Transform? Don't you need some pens or something?" she asked.
Raye laughed. "Not in the wonderful world of technology. Our planets lend us the power, so we don't need to bother with the pens anymore. Besides, Lita kept forgetting hers." she cracked.
"Hey, I did not! That was just once!" Lita protested. Ariana laughed.
"But you should be able to transform. Sailor Scout abilities are endowed in us. It comes natural," Amy said to Ariana.
"Let's all try, I haven't transformed in ages!" Mina said, standing up.
The other girls complied, Ariana standing unsurely. "I'm not sure it will work." she said.
"Just watch us." Raye said, lifting her hand. "Mars Planet Power!" she screamed.
"Mercury Planet Power!"
"Venus Planet Power!"
"Jupiter Planet Power!"
In instants, all four girls had become the beloved warriors. Sailor Mars smiled encouragingly to Ariana. "Try." she said.
Ariana took a deep breath and lifted her hand. "Earth Planet Power!" she cried out.
Nothing happened.
"Hmmm..." Sailor Mercury said, taking out a computer.
Sailor Venus looked puzzled. "It should have worked. What went wrong?"
[[Not enough power.]] a voice said in Ariana's head. "There wasn't enough power." she said without thinking.
"Enough power?" Sailor Jupiter looked puzzled.
Ariana shrugged. "I'm not sure, that's just what my instincts tell me."
At that moment, Serena came out, holding Rini to her breast. "What the...? Why are you all transformed?" she asked.
"We were trying to see if Ariana could transform." Sailor Venus explained.
Sailor Jupiter detransformed. "She can't. She doesn't have enough power."
Sailor Mercury continued tapping on her computer. "Well, it's reading high power surges from her body, comparable to a fifth level Scout. She should be able to transform, I don't know what's keeping her."
Sailor Mars closed her eyes and ran her hands close to Ariana. "She does have the aura. But something is lacking..." Sailor Mars said, detransforming. "I'm not sure what it is."
Serena smiled softly. "Well, hopefully she won't have to." she said, shifting Rini, who was suckling happily.
Raye looked at Ariana. "But it is a problem we should fix. Especially if you think there's a threat to attack nearby."
Sailor Venus stepped in. "Speaking of which, Serena, the ship is ready. We can depart as early as two days from now."
Serena nodded slowly, cradling her baby. Ariana looked at Rini with undisguised love. "My little niece." she cooed, stroking her cheek.
"There must be a reason for you not transforming. Maybe we need to supply you with power." Sailor Mercury said, still clicking away.
"Yes, let's try." Lita said.
Serena ferociously shook her head. "No, I'm not transforming. Not the way my body looks."
Raye shook her head. "Serena, do you think we care? You could still probably fit into your suit. Come on, we need your help."
Serena remain unconvinced. "Please Serena?" Lita asked. She finally shrugged and put Rini into a pram in the living room.
"But no jokes, I'm still not at my ideal weight." Serena said.
Everyone nodded seriously, trying to hold back smiles. She lifted her arm and called out, "Cosmic Moon Power!"
Instantly she was transformed into the beautiful warrior Sailor Moon. "Whoa, I haven't done that in forever!" she said, looking down.
"You look gorgeous Sailor Moon! Why were you ever worried?" Venus asked.
Mercury smiled. "You're beautiful. Don't even deny it. Now Ariana, try transforming. Everyone concentrate on her."
Lita and Raye quickly transformed and they all concentrated really hard. Ariana lifted up her hand. "Earth Planet Power!" she cried out.
Still nothing.
"It's useless!" she said. "There's still not enough power!"
Mercury clicked at her computer. "My hypothesis is you need a boost. Perhaps if we combine our powers to help her?"
Mars shook her head. "No, not combine our powers. Something is telling me she needs power from each of us that is more specific than that."
Ariana closed her eyes. [[What do I need?]] she asked herself.
Instantly she was assaulted by a memory...
***
"Mother, what is that stone you carry?" she asked to her mother.
The ravishing woman smiled down at her. "This is the stone of Earth, my child. It is a transformation stone."
"So you can become a Sailor Scout?" Ariana said eagerly.
Her mother nodded. "Someday, Ariana, this stone will belong to you. And you'll be Sailor Earth."
"Really?!" she squealed in delight. "How do you use it?"
"You must learn the elements that combine to help you transform for the first time. You must use them properly and evenly. Then the power will come forth that you will never lose again."
***
Ariana opened her eyes. "She's coming to." Amy said. "Are you alright?"
The other girls hurried over. "What...what happened?"
"You fainted." Serena said. "Are you okay?"
Ariana nodded. "I had a vision...a memory came back..." she said weakly.
Amy placed a hand on her forehead. "Right now, let's not worry about it. Let's get some food in you."
The girls nodded. Ariana stood up.
Suddenly, all five watches beeped loudly. The girls looked at each other with horror. Serena opened hers. "Yes?" she asked tentatively.
"Serena, it's Darien. Hurry, get Rini and the others. Imperium troops are on the move straight towards Earth!"
Episode Eleven
"Ariana"
Ariana looked around. The Crystal Palace! She had dreamed of being here for as long as she could remember. For some reason, she'd always been drawn to the life of the King and Queen.
"Excuse me, miss. May I help you?" a harried servant asked. "Do you have a pass?"
Ariana nodded and showed him her pass. It was made of beautiful felt with a star design. The servant waved an ultraviolet light over it and revealed a crescent moon in the middle. "Who sent for you?" he asked.
"I received an invitation from..." she glanced at her paper. "From the Duke of Tokyo." she said.
The servant blinked in surprise. "The Duke of Tokyo? Regarding what?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Ariana shrugged. "I have no idea."
The servant briskly nodded. "Wait here." he said, turning. Ariana glanced around. The palace seemed to be very alive, with several military officers walking around. Ariana began to sense something was not right.
"Commander, all placements should be in order. Why am I still receiving messages that a brigade is not where it should be?" a gruff officer asked.
"Yes, sir, I'll get right on it." a muscular commander answered. He turned and bumped right into Ariana. "Oh, pardon me, ma'am." he said politely.
She nodded. "It's alright."
The commander gave a brief smile before leaving. Ariana looked at the crystal interior. It was beautifully crafted and very spacious. [[I wonder where the King and Queen reside.]] she thought to herself.
"Miss?" The servant had returned. "Follow me, please."
Ariana complied and followed him through a complex maze of hallways and doorways. Ariana noticed several groups of men and women gathered, discussing important matters.
Finally, after going up several stairways, she entered an empty corridor. The silence was erie and she looked around. Finally, they stopped at an eloquently crafted door.
"Inside there, miss." the servant said, turning.
"Um, wait! Can you tell me anything about this man? What does he want?" she asked him.
The servant turned his head. He gave a small smile. "I guarantee it will be a shock."
Ariana gave him a puzzled look. "Just open the door, all your questions will be answered."
Ariana turned and opened the door.
***
King Endymion paced the room. He wiped the sweat of his brow. He was facing a world crisis, his wife had just given birth, and he was facing the prospect of having to leave his beloved home. Yet nothing stressed him more than this one moment.
The door opened. He turned and faced the girl. She gasped. "Hello, Ariana."
Ariana awkwardly bowed low, not prepared to face the king. "Your Majesty." she gasped.
"No, none of that. Rise." the king said, slowly removing his crown. Rapidly he transformed into a handsome man wearing pressed khakis and a black tee- shirt. He looked strangely ordinary.
Ariana let out a small shriek. "You're the guy...from the pizza parlor."
Darien nodded. "Darien." he said.
"I remember. And Serena...she was pregnant. I saw her the other day, carrying Lita out. What's going on?!" she asked.
"Ariana, sit down. There's a lot we need to get out. It's obvious you remember nothing." Darien said.
Over the course of an hour, Darien related to her the story of the Moon Kingdom and Queen Beryl. When he finished, Ariana just gazed at him.
"So I'm your sister? And Serena's the...the Queen?!" Ariana could hardly believe this.
Darien nodded. "Serena is Queen Serenity. And Small Lady is Rini, our newborn daughter."
"And I'm...your sister?" Ariana asked.
Darien smiled. "My elder sister. Sailor Earth. Queen of Earth."
Ariana began to rapidly shake her head. "This isn't happening! How...are you sure? You haven't mixed me up?"
Darien looked at her sympathetically. "I know this is a shock. It was a shock for me, too. Have you been getting any flashbacks?"
Ariana thought. "Some. I got one of Lita...when we were kids, I guess. And I remember a boy who I thought the world of." she said, looking at him fondly. [[Come to think of it, he does look like the boy in my dreams.]] she thought.
Darien took her hand. "I remember you. I idolized you, almost worshipped you. I loved you so much. It was a heartbreak when you left."
Ariana looked away. A jolt of pain went through her heart. She closed her eyes, and got a fuzzy vision...
...that was interrupted by a steward knocking on the door. Darien hastily put his crown on and transformed.
"Your Highness." the steward entered.
King Endymion nodded. "What is it?"
"Queen Serenity is here. She wishes to enter the castle."
The king closed his eyes a moment. He heaved a sigh and looked at the steward. "Bring her here. If you have to drag her here by force, bring her here. And as far as her being Queen, consider her mentally unstable at the moment."
The steward looked at him. "Sir, she is our Queen..."
"She is also a woman whose just given birth! Chalk it up to postpartum depression if you must. Just bring her here!" Endymion shouted. The steward bowed hastily and left.
"What's wrong with Serena?" Ariana asked.
Endymion turned to her. "One, she is Queen Serenity. Never address us as anything else. It is imperative that we maintain our royal stature. And she is being very stubborn at the moment."
Ariana cracked a little smile.
Shortly later, the doors opened. Queen Serenity stormed in. "I have been forced to come here before I do anything else. I demand to know..." she stopped at seeing Ariana.
The doors shut. "And how was your..." he checked his watch, "four hour nap?" he asked.
"Ariana..." the queen said slowly, glancing at Darien.
"I know everything, my queen." Ariana standing, bowing low.
Queen Serenity smiled, and quickly removed her crown. She detransformed in sweats. "No need of that. By rights, YOU'RE the queen here." she said.
Ariana shook her head fiercely. "Not all at once, please. It's enough knowing I'm his sister, a Sailor Scout, and former princess."
Serena laughed and nodded. "I know, it does come as a shock." she said, turning to Darien who had detransformed as well.
"My dear sister." Darien said, hugging her. "Now I have one more person in my family."
Ariana smiled and closed her eyes. The memory of those years with Darien came back to her in a flash. "Oh Darien, I do remember! I remember you!" she said, hugging him tightly.
Serena smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Finally, the hug broke. "And I guess that makes us..." she said.
"In laws!" Ariana laughed. She gave Serena a light hug. "Sister-in-law." she said warmly.
"Not only that, but fellow Scouts. You're Sailor Earth!" Serena said. "We should get the others and tell them!"
Darien placed both hands on Serena's shoulders. "Not until you get some more sleep." he said sternly.
"Darien..." Serena whined.
"Serena, you're recovering from a pregnancy. The last thing you need is the stress of planning a defense for an entire planet."
"Defense?! From what?!" Ariana asked, horrified.
Serena looked at Darien. "You didn't tell her. Nevermind, I'll explain on the way home. It doesn't look like my soldiers will let me do anything anyway." she said, putting on her crown. In a moment of brightness, she transformed to the beloved Queen of Earth. "Let's go." she said, opening the door.
***
"Wow! Who'd have guessed we had another Sailor Scout?!" Mina asked.
Ariana smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess."
Amy looked at her warmly. "Have you tried transforming?" she asked.
Ariana looked blankly. "Transform? Don't you need some pens or something?" she asked.
Raye laughed. "Not in the wonderful world of technology. Our planets lend us the power, so we don't need to bother with the pens anymore. Besides, Lita kept forgetting hers." she cracked.
"Hey, I did not! That was just once!" Lita protested. Ariana laughed.
"But you should be able to transform. Sailor Scout abilities are endowed in us. It comes natural," Amy said to Ariana.
"Let's all try, I haven't transformed in ages!" Mina said, standing up.
The other girls complied, Ariana standing unsurely. "I'm not sure it will work." she said.
"Just watch us." Raye said, lifting her hand. "Mars Planet Power!" she screamed.
"Mercury Planet Power!"
"Venus Planet Power!"
"Jupiter Planet Power!"
In instants, all four girls had become the beloved warriors. Sailor Mars smiled encouragingly to Ariana. "Try." she said.
Ariana took a deep breath and lifted her hand. "Earth Planet Power!" she cried out.
Nothing happened.
"Hmmm..." Sailor Mercury said, taking out a computer.
Sailor Venus looked puzzled. "It should have worked. What went wrong?"
[[Not enough power.]] a voice said in Ariana's head. "There wasn't enough power." she said without thinking.
"Enough power?" Sailor Jupiter looked puzzled.
Ariana shrugged. "I'm not sure, that's just what my instincts tell me."
At that moment, Serena came out, holding Rini to her breast. "What the...? Why are you all transformed?" she asked.
"We were trying to see if Ariana could transform." Sailor Venus explained.
Sailor Jupiter detransformed. "She can't. She doesn't have enough power."
Sailor Mercury continued tapping on her computer. "Well, it's reading high power surges from her body, comparable to a fifth level Scout. She should be able to transform, I don't know what's keeping her."
Sailor Mars closed her eyes and ran her hands close to Ariana. "She does have the aura. But something is lacking..." Sailor Mars said, detransforming. "I'm not sure what it is."
Serena smiled softly. "Well, hopefully she won't have to." she said, shifting Rini, who was suckling happily.
Raye looked at Ariana. "But it is a problem we should fix. Especially if you think there's a threat to attack nearby."
Sailor Venus stepped in. "Speaking of which, Serena, the ship is ready. We can depart as early as two days from now."
Serena nodded slowly, cradling her baby. Ariana looked at Rini with undisguised love. "My little niece." she cooed, stroking her cheek.
"There must be a reason for you not transforming. Maybe we need to supply you with power." Sailor Mercury said, still clicking away.
"Yes, let's try." Lita said.
Serena ferociously shook her head. "No, I'm not transforming. Not the way my body looks."
Raye shook her head. "Serena, do you think we care? You could still probably fit into your suit. Come on, we need your help."
Serena remain unconvinced. "Please Serena?" Lita asked. She finally shrugged and put Rini into a pram in the living room.
"But no jokes, I'm still not at my ideal weight." Serena said.
Everyone nodded seriously, trying to hold back smiles. She lifted her arm and called out, "Cosmic Moon Power!"
Instantly she was transformed into the beautiful warrior Sailor Moon. "Whoa, I haven't done that in forever!" she said, looking down.
"You look gorgeous Sailor Moon! Why were you ever worried?" Venus asked.
Mercury smiled. "You're beautiful. Don't even deny it. Now Ariana, try transforming. Everyone concentrate on her."
Lita and Raye quickly transformed and they all concentrated really hard. Ariana lifted up her hand. "Earth Planet Power!" she cried out.
Still nothing.
"It's useless!" she said. "There's still not enough power!"
Mercury clicked at her computer. "My hypothesis is you need a boost. Perhaps if we combine our powers to help her?"
Mars shook her head. "No, not combine our powers. Something is telling me she needs power from each of us that is more specific than that."
Ariana closed her eyes. [[What do I need?]] she asked herself.
Instantly she was assaulted by a memory...
***
"Mother, what is that stone you carry?" she asked to her mother.
The ravishing woman smiled down at her. "This is the stone of Earth, my child. It is a transformation stone."
"So you can become a Sailor Scout?" Ariana said eagerly.
Her mother nodded. "Someday, Ariana, this stone will belong to you. And you'll be Sailor Earth."
"Really?!" she squealed in delight. "How do you use it?"
"You must learn the elements that combine to help you transform for the first time. You must use them properly and evenly. Then the power will come forth that you will never lose again."
***
Ariana opened her eyes. "She's coming to." Amy said. "Are you alright?"
The other girls hurried over. "What...what happened?"
"You fainted." Serena said. "Are you okay?"
Ariana nodded. "I had a vision...a memory came back..." she said weakly.
Amy placed a hand on her forehead. "Right now, let's not worry about it. Let's get some food in you."
The girls nodded. Ariana stood up.
Suddenly, all five watches beeped loudly. The girls looked at each other with horror. Serena opened hers. "Yes?" she asked tentatively.
"Serena, it's Darien. Hurry, get Rini and the others. Imperium troops are on the move straight towards Earth!"