Chapter Three
A thin ray of light pierced the darkness. Angela squinted as the ray grew larger and larger.
Lune's magnified voice suddenly spoke:
"The last year of the Silver Millennium was filled with fear and worry. The planet's prepared for war. Measures were taken to build walls and battlements. Opal, Earth, and the Moon fused their powers together to make a special scepter for the Moon, with incredible powers. Earth's armies were somehow seduced to darkness by Beryl and Metallia, so the young prince, Endymion, escaped to the Moon to protect Selenity."
Angela's heart twisted suddenly and unexpectedly. She bit back a sob. The story of Endymion and Selenity had always twinged in her heart a bit, but now she almost felt sick.
Lune paused. "Their story is one of the most romantic and tragic of our times-"
"We know." Angela snapped, brushing away a tear. "No need for reminders."
The voice stopped, seemed to be about to yell at her, then sighed and continued. Mary winked at Angela. "You definitely know how to get on the cat's bad side."
Another hole opened beneath their feet.
"And you know that is a completely bad idea." Rachelle sighed.
"Is this how she gets revenge?" Lacie demanded as they fell. "God! That little bitch-cat. She tries to tell us this stupid past-I have NO idea why- and then she drops us through about a dozen freaky transport holes! God!"
"At least we're all together this time." Malorie pointed out cheerfully.
"Great!" Elisha called. "Now we can all listen to each other's screams of terror."
"Um, guys?" Angela asked. "We've already hit bottom."
Elisha blinked and looked around. Malorie giggled. "Ouch. Swish! Three points for Angie for not losing her cool."
A faint strand of music whispered through the air. Rachelle cocked her head to listen, eyes closed. Strands of lights pierced the darkness, coming from somewhere close by.
"Where are we?" Mary murmured.
Angela turned her gaze out to the horizon, and saw a red and blue palace in the fading twilight. "I think we're on Opal."
"Yeah-how many tacky green palaces do you find, aside from in Oz?" Elisha said, pointing to another castle.
"Hey! I like that castle!" Malorie said indignantly.
Elisha snickered. "Green? Jeez, come on. Blue is so much cooler."
"Nuh-uh! Yellow and green are the best!"
"Blue!"
"Yellow!"
"Blue!"
"Yellow!"
"Oh, shut up." Lacie muttered.
"I think we're in the center palace." Mary said, over the battle raging between Elisha and Malorie.
"Hey, look! A window!" Malorie said, abandoning the argument to fly over to a large, multi-paned window.
"Wow." She gasped. "You guys, come here! Check this out!"
Hesitantly, the girls edged up beside her.
What they saw made them all gasp.
A huge ballroom, lit by many twinkling lights from the high ceiling above, was filled with hundreds of people. A band played with strange looking instruments that made music like nothing they had ever heard before. Hundreds of ballgowns swished elegantly and in a thousand colors. The women wearing them were all very pretty, as far as the girls could see, and the men quite charming, in their own ways. Flowers decorated pale marble walls and the scent of the blossoms lingered in the air.
"Wow!" Mary sighed, gazing at the scene.
"I know, it's beautiful!" Angela exclaimed.
"No, it's not just the palace-that guy is a HUNK!" Mary said dreamily, gesturing to a long, silver haired young man sipping from a glass.
"But he's too good looking not to be taken already." Angela pointed out.
Mary gave her an injured look. "I can dream, can't I?"
"Um." Rachelle sighed, eyeing a man with purplish black hair and purple eyes. "That guy looks kinda like my boyfriend. I wonder if he's as nice as Kyle, too?"
Malorie, after tearing her gaze away from a man with brilliant red hair and a nice smile, pointed to one end of the ballroom.
On a golden dais, upon seven golden thrones, there sat the seven Jewel Princesses. Topaz, Emerald, Obsidian, Amethyst, Garnet, Sapphire, and Diamond all looked incredibly beautiful. Topaz's yellow-orange hair was brought back into a simple ponytail with daffodils entwined in the catch. Emerald's hair, interchanging light and dark greens, fell in soft waves about her face. Obsidian's black hair was drawn up into a style much like Pluto's, except her hair was completely and utterly black, like the night sky. Sapphire's blue hair was somewhat bushy and fell to half-way down her back. Amethyst's purple hair had also been brought back into a ponytail, somewhat higher and fancier than Topaz's though. Garnet's dark hair flashed red in the light, and Diamond's silvery mane shone with its own special light, radiantly dimming the ceiling ones. Each girl wore a dress of their own color.
"And for all that finery, they still only look fifteen." Elisha muttered.
"They're gorgeous." Lacie murmured. "I mean that in an un-gay way." She hastily added.
"Of course you did." Angela snickered.
Lacie went red. "Be silent, small child."
The girls watched as the seven princesses talked among each other and laughed. One by one, they were each swept away by handsome men. Mary angrily shook her fist as Obsidian went with the silver man she had been ogling over earlier, and Malorie sighed wistfully as Topaz took the hand of the smiling red man.
"Oh, sure." Rachelle sighed as Garnet flirted with the purple-eyed man. "Go with her. Just because she's a beautiful princess!"
Only Diamond was left on the dais now. She idly twirled a strand of silver hair around her index finger as she turned down a dance proposal. As the young man slunk back into the crowds, she quietly and quickly walked off the dais and towards the door that opened by the girls.
There was instantly a huge rush as all six girls jumped behind a pillar.
"Shh!"
"Do you think she can see us?"
"Maybe not, but there's no way I'm risking it!"
From behind the pillar Angela peered out at Princess Diamond. She had gone to the edge of a balcony and was leaning against the railing, looking up at the stars. Light from the moon, which was large in the sky, fell across her face, making her hair and eyes sparkle.
A sense of peace and pain filled Angela. Deep in her soul, a part was connected with Diamond. She knew, instinctively, how the princess must feel: all her friends had boyfriends, someone special to be with. And she was left alone in the moonlight.
Just like Angela had been, before she had moved.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Lacie said again, peering out at the silent girl.
A thin ray of light pierced the darkness. Angela squinted as the ray grew larger and larger.
Lune's magnified voice suddenly spoke:
"The last year of the Silver Millennium was filled with fear and worry. The planet's prepared for war. Measures were taken to build walls and battlements. Opal, Earth, and the Moon fused their powers together to make a special scepter for the Moon, with incredible powers. Earth's armies were somehow seduced to darkness by Beryl and Metallia, so the young prince, Endymion, escaped to the Moon to protect Selenity."
Angela's heart twisted suddenly and unexpectedly. She bit back a sob. The story of Endymion and Selenity had always twinged in her heart a bit, but now she almost felt sick.
Lune paused. "Their story is one of the most romantic and tragic of our times-"
"We know." Angela snapped, brushing away a tear. "No need for reminders."
The voice stopped, seemed to be about to yell at her, then sighed and continued. Mary winked at Angela. "You definitely know how to get on the cat's bad side."
Another hole opened beneath their feet.
"And you know that is a completely bad idea." Rachelle sighed.
"Is this how she gets revenge?" Lacie demanded as they fell. "God! That little bitch-cat. She tries to tell us this stupid past-I have NO idea why- and then she drops us through about a dozen freaky transport holes! God!"
"At least we're all together this time." Malorie pointed out cheerfully.
"Great!" Elisha called. "Now we can all listen to each other's screams of terror."
"Um, guys?" Angela asked. "We've already hit bottom."
Elisha blinked and looked around. Malorie giggled. "Ouch. Swish! Three points for Angie for not losing her cool."
A faint strand of music whispered through the air. Rachelle cocked her head to listen, eyes closed. Strands of lights pierced the darkness, coming from somewhere close by.
"Where are we?" Mary murmured.
Angela turned her gaze out to the horizon, and saw a red and blue palace in the fading twilight. "I think we're on Opal."
"Yeah-how many tacky green palaces do you find, aside from in Oz?" Elisha said, pointing to another castle.
"Hey! I like that castle!" Malorie said indignantly.
Elisha snickered. "Green? Jeez, come on. Blue is so much cooler."
"Nuh-uh! Yellow and green are the best!"
"Blue!"
"Yellow!"
"Blue!"
"Yellow!"
"Oh, shut up." Lacie muttered.
"I think we're in the center palace." Mary said, over the battle raging between Elisha and Malorie.
"Hey, look! A window!" Malorie said, abandoning the argument to fly over to a large, multi-paned window.
"Wow." She gasped. "You guys, come here! Check this out!"
Hesitantly, the girls edged up beside her.
What they saw made them all gasp.
A huge ballroom, lit by many twinkling lights from the high ceiling above, was filled with hundreds of people. A band played with strange looking instruments that made music like nothing they had ever heard before. Hundreds of ballgowns swished elegantly and in a thousand colors. The women wearing them were all very pretty, as far as the girls could see, and the men quite charming, in their own ways. Flowers decorated pale marble walls and the scent of the blossoms lingered in the air.
"Wow!" Mary sighed, gazing at the scene.
"I know, it's beautiful!" Angela exclaimed.
"No, it's not just the palace-that guy is a HUNK!" Mary said dreamily, gesturing to a long, silver haired young man sipping from a glass.
"But he's too good looking not to be taken already." Angela pointed out.
Mary gave her an injured look. "I can dream, can't I?"
"Um." Rachelle sighed, eyeing a man with purplish black hair and purple eyes. "That guy looks kinda like my boyfriend. I wonder if he's as nice as Kyle, too?"
Malorie, after tearing her gaze away from a man with brilliant red hair and a nice smile, pointed to one end of the ballroom.
On a golden dais, upon seven golden thrones, there sat the seven Jewel Princesses. Topaz, Emerald, Obsidian, Amethyst, Garnet, Sapphire, and Diamond all looked incredibly beautiful. Topaz's yellow-orange hair was brought back into a simple ponytail with daffodils entwined in the catch. Emerald's hair, interchanging light and dark greens, fell in soft waves about her face. Obsidian's black hair was drawn up into a style much like Pluto's, except her hair was completely and utterly black, like the night sky. Sapphire's blue hair was somewhat bushy and fell to half-way down her back. Amethyst's purple hair had also been brought back into a ponytail, somewhat higher and fancier than Topaz's though. Garnet's dark hair flashed red in the light, and Diamond's silvery mane shone with its own special light, radiantly dimming the ceiling ones. Each girl wore a dress of their own color.
"And for all that finery, they still only look fifteen." Elisha muttered.
"They're gorgeous." Lacie murmured. "I mean that in an un-gay way." She hastily added.
"Of course you did." Angela snickered.
Lacie went red. "Be silent, small child."
The girls watched as the seven princesses talked among each other and laughed. One by one, they were each swept away by handsome men. Mary angrily shook her fist as Obsidian went with the silver man she had been ogling over earlier, and Malorie sighed wistfully as Topaz took the hand of the smiling red man.
"Oh, sure." Rachelle sighed as Garnet flirted with the purple-eyed man. "Go with her. Just because she's a beautiful princess!"
Only Diamond was left on the dais now. She idly twirled a strand of silver hair around her index finger as she turned down a dance proposal. As the young man slunk back into the crowds, she quietly and quickly walked off the dais and towards the door that opened by the girls.
There was instantly a huge rush as all six girls jumped behind a pillar.
"Shh!"
"Do you think she can see us?"
"Maybe not, but there's no way I'm risking it!"
From behind the pillar Angela peered out at Princess Diamond. She had gone to the edge of a balcony and was leaning against the railing, looking up at the stars. Light from the moon, which was large in the sky, fell across her face, making her hair and eyes sparkle.
A sense of peace and pain filled Angela. Deep in her soul, a part was connected with Diamond. She knew, instinctively, how the princess must feel: all her friends had boyfriends, someone special to be with. And she was left alone in the moonlight.
Just like Angela had been, before she had moved.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Lacie said again, peering out at the silent girl.