The Galaxy Cauldron is the birthplace of all stars and the place to which all stars eventually return. Queen Serenity however finds herself returning there more often than others…Manga Canon. Written for Queen Serenity's 30th Anniversary.
A/N: Many thanks to my beta a href=" /users/RiverLethe9/pseuds/RiverLethe9" RiverLethe9 /a for lending her time to this fic. Check her out on tumblr and Ao3 under the same usernames!
/users/RiverLethe9/pseuds/RiverLethe9
Also a big thank you to Moon for providing one of the most accurate/beautiful bits of visual description I've ever read (trust me, you'll know it when you see it).
"Happy jubilee, your Majesty."
Laying in her four poster bed, Queen Serenity smiled and thanked her servants as they prepared her clothes and presented her breakfast.
"Happy jubilee, your Highness!"
Sitting upon her throne, Queen Serenity nodded and expressed her gratitude to her courtiers as they presented themselves one-by-one and showered her with gifts.
"HAPPY JUBILEE!"
Standing upon her balcony, Queen Serenity waved out at the massive crowd gathered in the promenade below.
"Happy jubilee to me."
Kneeling within the Chamber of Prayer, Queen Serenity clasped her hands together and gave thanks for her doting servants, her wise courtiers, and her loyal subjects. And yet, her whispered words were laced with lethargy…and longing.
The taint of insincerity did not escape her own notice. Guilt gnawed at her. She was unquestionably the most privileged person in the solar system. It was simply pure selfishness to desire more for herself. And yet, despite her dedication to her kingdom, Queen Serenity would give up all her privileges for the one thing she so desperately desired.
At last, her resolve broke, and she cast out all thoughts from her mind. All thoughts, save a singular prayer she'd nursed in her heart for far too long.
A solid minute elapsed within the lonely, silent chamber. And then…
A light ignited.
Queen Serenity kept her eyes firmly shut, fearing the unnatural brightness, the source of which could only be the Crystal Tower itself.
It was then, bathed within the blinding light, that she saw it. A vision that was hauntingly familiar to her.
Standing upon the edge of the platform, she gazed into the swirling heart of primordial aether whose majesty humbled her. For but an instant, a shard of doubt crept into her heart. Then she banished it.
Queen Serenity dived into the Galaxy Cauldron.
Everything was bright, white and clean, pleasantly warm but cool at the same time.
Then, one by one, tiny, glittering dots began to pop up around her, blinking in and out of sight. However, despite the myriad of lights, one in particular seemed to catch her attention.
At first, she thought it was far away from her, but she soon realised it was instead simply very small. And yet, every so often it pulsed with a stronger radiance than any of the other lights.
Carefully, she cupped the tiny light in her hands and brought it to her breast. Gently, she began breathing, gradually falling in sync with the pulsating of the tiny light. Her chest seemed to burn and strain but she maintained her resolve, her breathing growing heavier and more laboured. Slowly, steadily, the light's radiance lingered longer and longer between each pulse. And, as it did so, its luminescence built and built, far surpassing that of the Crystal Tower.
Eventually, the pulsation ceased, the light's radiance simply lingering. And, with deeper, heavier breaths, with her breast searing with pain, and with a strain and effort that consumed her every atom, the light began to take shape.
At last she opened her eyes.
As awed as she had been by the Cauldron's majesty, Queen Serenity now felt something far greater, far deeper, and far more transcendent as she beheld the sleeping, silver haired, babe in her arms. She smiled down at the newborn Princess Serenity, her eyes bright with pride and unconditional love .
Queen Serenity frowned down at her daughter.
"Serenity, where have you been all day?"
The young princess had her head bowed. "I'm sorry Mother, I was playing around in the royal gardens."
Queen Serenity narrowed her eyes, before fixing her gaze upon her daughter's chief bodyguard. "Sailor Venus, is this true?"
"Of course it is, my Queen." Like the Serenity, Venus's head was bowed.
Queen Serenity gripped the arm of her throne. "Serenity, look at me."
Tentatively, the princess raised her gaze.
"Did you 'play' safely?"
Queen Serenity's smokey grey eyes locked with her daughter's soft, and confused, cerulean ones.
"My Queen!" Venus had at last looked up, her own blue orbs desperate and imploring. "The Princess did not do anything at all dangerous, there was absolutely no risk of any sort of…accident."
Steeling herself so that the anxiety, and heartbreak, would not bleed through her voice, Queen Serenity uttered three simple words. "You may go."
Across her entire reign over the Solar System, Queen Serenity had knelt in the Chamber of Prayer countless times. But this was the first time she'd done so with absolute desperation.
"I know I will never be able to keep them apart. But please, I must be able to do something. Something that can help me protect her future. His future even. And the future of the Silver Millennium itself."
The tower ignited with light.
Queen Serenity saw her daughter's four bodyguards.
As the Senshi vanished, they were replaced by four stones that glowed and bloomed into the Earth prince's own personal guard.
And finally, for the second time in her life, Queen Serenity's mind was haunted by the image of a gigantic pool of swirling stars…
Oddly enough, the prospect of re-entering the Cauldron was harder to face this time than it had been fourteen years ago. Back then, she had known there was a risk to herself, but the yearning for a child had overridden all her fears or apprehensions.
This time though, despite having no reason to believe anything would happen to her, if something went wrong, it would mean orphaning her daughter.
Nevertheless, Queen Serenity once more plunged into the stuff that stars are made of.
"I did not expect to see you back so soon."
Smokey silver eyes fixed upon a tiny, delicate, fairy-like being clothed in a sheer bubble shaped gown, studded with dewdrops. Her hair cascaded down far past her feet, gently ruffled by the swirling energy of the cauldron. Finally, a crown of pearls adorned her head..
"Who…who are you?"
"I am the caretaker of this place."
Of course there was a caretaker. How naive of her to think otherwise. "Was it you who sent me those visions?"
The tiny woman shook her head. "I'm afraid I know not what you speak of. But if you were drawn to this place, the Cauldron itself might have called to you."
"It revealed itself in answer to my prayers. I also saw my daughter's protectors. And four stones from which her lover's own guards manifested. Do you know what any of that could mean?"
A ponderous expression crossed the face of the diminutive woman. She floated up so she was level with the Queen's eyeline and held out the end of her staff.
"May I?" she asked.
Queen Serenity nodded, though she wasn't entirely certain what she was consenting too. However, somehow she intuitively trusted the tiny woman.
The caretaker's staff reached out and touched the Moon crest upon her forehead. Once more the visions the Crystal Tower had shown her danced across her mind.
"Interesting," muttered the caretaker, removing her staff.
"What is it?" asked Queen Serenity.
"Your daughter is guarded by those who possess Sailor Crystals, the most powerful brand of Star Seeds. Her lover's guards possess unique Star Seeds too, though not nearly as potent."
"Those four stones I saw, those are their Star Seeds?"
The caretaker nodded. "Star Seeds are the fundamental essence from which all life blooms. Just as those lives change, so too can a Star Seed alter from one state to another. Those stones are their Star Seeds in their hibernating states."
For a moment, Queen Serenity forgot all concern for her daughter and kingdom, eager for the caretaker to continue. Her wish was granted.
"Whilst some life forms, chiefly Sailor Senshi, can wield their Star Seeds externally in solid forms, most Star Seeds exist as an internal energy within the body of a life form. However, under certain circumstances, a Star Seed may solidify and house all that a life form is within itself, even if there is no physical body to speak of."
"What circumstances?"
"For but one example, two people might be deeply connected to the point where if one of them dies, their Star Seed might reject the urge to return to the Galaxy Cauldron and thus linger on in their hibernating state."
Hearing this, a wild idea suddenly gripped Queen Serenity.
"Could a hibernating Star Seed be awakened somehow?"
The caretaker's brow furrowed. "Yes. Though it would require powerful magic to do so, especially if their body has diminished."
"And if the body hasn't diminished? If it perhaps has yet to fully 'bloom', as it were?"
The ponderous look returned to the caretaker's face. "Hmm…I would imagine that would be easier."
"Is there a way that they could bloom at a particular time?" Queen Serenity asked, her tone more animated.
The caretaker seemed taken aback. "Well…that is rather unusual."
"But is it possible?"
The caretaker's features relaxed into a knowing smile. "Oh, in here, stars and possibilities of all kinds can come to life."
"Then I beg you, prepare four hibernating Star Seeds for me. Four Star Seeds that shall sleep hidden on Earth until the day...until the day my grandchild needs them."
'Grandchild'. The word seemed to hang in the air; she had never truly voiced her concern aloud.
As fear and relief crashed within her, Queen Serenity focused upon the caretaker's tiny face, the features of which now seemed to loom large.
"What you ask for is tricky and dangerous. I cannot force these stars to only bloom when you desire. In their hibernating states they could fall into the hands of another who could force them to bloom earlier and use them for their own ends."
"But they could still be restored to their hibernating states couldn't they?"
"Yes, but that would likely put them out of synchrony with when you desire them to bloom… And…"
"...And what?"
"And it carries a tremendous risk to yourself."
Steel entered smokey grey eyes. "I am no stranger to risking my life for those I love," Queen Serenity replied resolutely.
"No, I suppose you wouldn't. What is one more risk to yourself, after the risk you already carry."
"I…I beg your pardon?" Queen Serenity asked, confused.
The caretaker shot her a quizzical look. "Surely you realise that there was a risk to yourself the last time you entered the Cauldron?"
Queen Serenity relaxed. "Of course. All this primordial energy. My body could have been reduced to-"
"No." the caretaker interrupted. "I do not speak of you merely entering the Cauldron. It is what you did after you entered."
"I…I created…"
"What you did was unprecedented. You inserted yourself into the life cycle of a star. You dared to tamper with something fundamental."
"I…" Fear gripped Queen Serenity.
"Please do not misunderstand me!" Implored the caretaker. "I cannot say if anything will happen to you at all. But I also cannot say if nothing will happen either."
"...Are…Are you saying I might die?" A million possibilities raced through Queen Serenity's mind, a million nightmares about her daughter's fate if she were to simply keel over and-
"No," said the caretaker carefully. "You have clearly lived for fourteen years in good health, as, I presume, has the star that you took from here. I do not believe your life is in any jeopardy. But I…I am not so certain of your fate after your life has ended. I cannot speak to your next life. Especially if you commit to tampering in the natural order of things again. If you dare to dictate the life cycles of the stars themselves."
Queen Serenity's mind went blank, both humbled and horrified by the weight of the future. Of her own future.
Then she remembered how she'd felt the last time she was here, holding Serenity in her arms for the very first time. That was when things became all too clear to her.
"As I said, I am no stranger to risking my life, my lives, for those I love."
Six angels flew past the Moon upon white feather wings. Three were clad in black uniforms. One wore a regal, and firey dress. Another was but a toddler. And the final angel had golden hair topped by two twin buns.
As they passed by, a tiny woman suddenly appeared within the Chamber of Prayer.
She was completely alone in the room, and indeed the whole castle. Then again, to say she was alone would imply she was truly there in the first place. In truth, she was not.
She was but an echo, a mere imprint, of one long since departed.
But even as an imprint, her will and devotion to her daughter was indomitable.
"Please. Please let my Serenity return from Sagittarius Zero Star."
With that, the mainframe powered down, and the holographic 'ghost' disappeared.
With a whisk of her staff Sailor Cosmos sent the Sailor Quartet back to the future where they belonged.
Now alone upon the edge of the platform, she took a moment to collect herself, her gaze invariably being drawn into the Galaxy Cauldron below her.
Her eyes pierced through the cascade of twinkling stars escaping the mouth of the Cauldron, fixating upon the very heart of the swirling mass of primordial matter.
It was there that, for but a moment, she thought she saw someone. Someone who, like her, had long, silver hair, topped by two twin buns. Someone who smiled up at the almighty Sailor Cosmos with pride and unconditional love.
A/N: This fic was written when I had MAJOR brain fog so I am not at all sure how good it is.
Ironically, the impetus for it came from me wanting to explain and connect the Shitennou and Amazon Stones. From that I expanded the story out and built in the other scenes surrounding that explanation.
Also, just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!
