Dressing For The Ball. a Sailor Moon short story ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The copy right of all things pertaining to the concept and characters of Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi and various corporations. This story is a work of fan fiction; it has been written simply for the pleasure it gave me in writing it; and no money has or will change hands with respect to the story. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The plot was all Queen Serenity's fault. "Education," she had announced to her advisors, "shall be the theme for the New Year Ball." And so the plotting began. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Princess and one of her Ladies in Waiting were in a huddle at a table in the Grand Library. The table was set before one of the windows commanding a breath-taking view of the Serenity Gardens. A nearly full Earth hung in the star filled sky, shedding an ethereal radiance upon the beautiful trees. Neither girls even noticed the view, engrossed as they were in pouring over highly compromising secret designs. They were deep in a plot against the dignity of the Moon Kingdom. With her blond hair and big blue eyes, the Princess looked the very picture of innocence. Her impracticably long pigtails, depending from the odangos of the Royal Hairstyle, lay coiled upon the table-top. She was wearing a simple, white silk dress. Her companion was dressed in an elegant green gown, setting off to perfection her eyes and red hair which fell in coiffured waves to her shoulders. "Hmmmm? Well, Bunny, you know her better than I do," Splendid said doubtfully to the Princess. "Mercury is so, so, well, shy. She'll never go for it." The Princess glanced at the clear crystal block sitting between them on the table. In its heart floated a three-dimensional representation of their latest idea for the uniform. "Mercury might be a bit of an egg-head and a bit shy," she said; "but she has got the most wonderful sense of๐ ๐ humour. No, Splendid, I'm certain Mercury will go for it. It's Mars who's going to be the troublesome one." Splendid nodded. "Fire Soul can be quite trying at times what with all that earnest spirituality nonsense she's always putting on. Now, Venus, on the other hand - no problem there. Hey, Bunny, maybe we should bring her in right now. She's bound to have some really good ideas about the design for the costumes." Splendid tapped the crystal with a stylus and added, "the kind of ideas that we're looking for to create the proper effect." "Good idea," Bunny agreed. "And Artemis. He always enjoys a good intrigue. We should include him to." "Yes, but not Lunar. Oooo she's going to have an apoplectic fit when you all make your entrance to the ball." A fit of giggling ensued at the thought of stuffy old Luna's reaction to their little scheme. After a good while, they sobered and got back to the plotting. "Jupiter?" Splendid asked. "No problem there either," the Princess said; "Sincerity has always been up for a good joke." Splendid scribbled a note. The next name brought a frown of sincere doubt. "Saturn?" She hesitated a moment before going on. "We want to keep this fun, don't we, Bunny?" The Princess nodded. "Of course. The whole point of this is to liven things up a little. All that stately formality gets a bit much at times." "Then don't you think Saturn's a bit, well, intimidating for something like this? I know Firefly's a really nice girl and all, if a little dour; but do we really want Saturn turning up at the New Year Ball?" "Hmmm? I see your point," Bunny murmured; "but if we're going to do this, I do think it really ought to be all my Senshi - even Pluto." Splendid nodded. "Right! I'll pencil her in then. Uranus? Quite frankly, Bunny, I can't see someone like that getting into the kind of outfit we have in mind for anything short of a Royal Command." "No problem," Bunny assured. "Really?" The Princess nodded. "I'll just get Neptune to work on her. Neptune will be all for it; and if only half the gossip I hear about that pair is true, it'll be a positive labour of love for Neptune talking Uranus into our design. Besides, between you and me, Uranus has got a really gross sense of humour. She'll definitely want to be included." "Which just leaves Pluto?" Splendid said. She sounded very doubtful. "You just leave her to me," Bunny said with a grin. "The Plutos have always had a soft spot for the Moon Princesses. It's sort of traditional with them. It goes with the territory - like being the Guardian of Time and everything. I'll just give her the puppy dog eyes;" and Bunny proceeded to give a demonstration. Splendid giggled gleefully. "Oooo, Bunny! Pluto won't know what hit her," she exclaimed. "She won't stand a chance against the Moon Princess Special Puppy Dog Eyes Attack!" She scribbled another note, grinned wickedly and declared: "It's going to be the most infamous Princess's Entrance to the New Year Ball ever - provided, that is, Prince Endymion plays his part. I suppose there was a reply to the message Jadeite passed to the Prince for you?" At mention of her beau, the Princess went all dreamy eyed. She drew from her bosom a small piece of paper. Holding it carefully, she gazed lovingly upon the characters inscribed thereupon. The fancy that it was her Endy-Chan who had set them down with his very own hands set her heart to thumping. "Oh yes," the Princess murmured dreamily. "My Endy-Chan is all set to play his part." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A few days later, behind locked doors in a distant wing of the palace, the plotters gathered to further their fiendish scheme. Venus was the first to step forward, eager to get things going. She willed her transformation into Senshi form. In a shimmer like a heat-haze, the standard black fighting armour formed around her, moulding itself to her ample curves. The Venus symbol, cradled in a Crescent Moon over her left breast, seemed to wink at them. Splendid handed her the crystal containing the final design for their alternative costume. Venus looked it over. A wicked grin spread over her lovely face at the inspired naughtiness of the design. She studied the picture a moment, getting all the detail clear in her mind. Nodding to herself, she said, "this shouldn't be too difficult," and launched into an unnecessarily elaborate ariel transformation, adding as many of her own little flourishes as she could work in. Bunny squealed in delight. The hearts and flashy light show were a stroke of pure genius. Bunny wished she'd thought of it. After her exhibition, Venus came to ground and struck a pose, one hand on hip, the other held out with the fingers forming the symbol of love made infamous by the daughters of the House of Venus. "It's perfect!" Bunny exclaimed, clapping her hands in glee. Then her gaze fell upon the expression on the face of her Senshi Mars; and her elation died. Oh dear - from the look on Fire Soul's face, it was clear she was never going to be willingly embroiled in anything quite so scandalous. The next second, the chamber was ablaze with light and noise as each of her Senshi bid to outdo each other in the gaudiness of their transformations. Even Mars managed a surprisingly racy display of her fire. The dress rehearsal was proclaimed a great success. Bunny could hardly contain her excitement as the days wore away slowly towards midnight, the appointed time for the ball. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bunny peered through a gap in the curtains at the gathered Nobles. An expectant hush was gripping the ballroom. Midnight was nigh - the moment when the Princess would make her entrance; and the merriment would commence. Bunny let the drapes fall together and turned to marshal her troops. Eight young women stood in a semi-circle, looking stunning in their formal ball gowns in the colours of their respective planets. Bunny glanced over to where Splendid stood ready holding the curtain release in her hands. Splendid nodded her head to acknowledge that she was ready for her cue. Bunny signalled to her Senshi. In a synchronised movement, they gathered up the hems of their ankle length gowns and stood poised and ready for their entrance into the ballroom. Through the curtain, the sound of the orchestra preparing to launch into the overture to the Silver Millenium Anthem could be heard. The stately piece of music was the traditional signal for the entrance of the Princess and her Senshi. Bunny raised a hand; and just as the first notes of the fanfare struck up, she brought it down imperiously. The curtains swished aside; and the Princess Serenity, followed by her Senshi, bounded into the ballroom. They dashed down the avenue of startled Nobles drawing quite a few shocked looks and surprised gasps. In the centre of the ballroom, the nine girls halted in the formation of the crescent moon with the Princess at the focal point of the horns. Earth-light, streaming in through the crystal dome overhead, bathed the nine girls in a shimmering silvery radiance. The music dipped before the opening of the Silver Millennium Anthem. In the hush, and with all eyes upon them, the group of young women held up shiny pens and went into their spectacular transformations. The grand ballroom was suddenly ablaze with multi-coloured lights. After their ariel gyrations, the Senshi settled to the floor. Each was now garbed in a highly risque version of the girl's uniform of the prestigious Moon Academy. Each was in her planetary colours. They all struck poses. A ripple of slightly bemused applause began, but was cut short when a handsome man in the formal attire of a Professor of the Academy of Learning of the Golden Kingdom of Earth stepped forward. The addition of an incongruous eye-mask did little to hide his identity. With a swirl of his College Cape, a flourish of his Cane of Office, and a tip of his tall, Professorial Hat, he, too, struck a pose. With a twist of the wrist, he produced a perfect red rose and tossed it to the Princess, who caught it deftly. "You can do it, Sailor Moon!" the Prince declaimed solemnly. There was a slight pause, while the Moon Princess savoured the perfume of the rose and exchanged a yearning look with her beau before she declared, "I am the sailor suited fighter for love and justice, Sailor Moon!" Right on cue, the other girls chimed in. "Sailor Mercury!" "Sailor Venus!" There was a slight hesitation, then with a resigned sigh, "Sailor Mars!" "Sailor Jupiter!" "Sailor Saturn!" "Sailor Uranus!" "Sailor Neptune!" And with an enigmatic smile, "Sailor Pluto!" Then all together, "We are the pretty sailor suited soldiers for love and justice... and in place of the Moon... we will punish you!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "And at that moment, Queen Beryl attacked with her Demon Horde. To save what she could, Good Queen Serenity cast her great spell of binding and banishment... and inadvertently locked the form of futurity - which is why the Senshi now have to go into battle in their famous Sailor Fuku. So you see, Small Lady, it was all a bit of a mischance really." Setsuna paused in her tale. With a fond smile, she contemplated the little girl tucked up under a bedspread decorated with pink bunnies. Small Lady Serenity, Princess of Crystal Tokyo, was already asleep, a beatific smile on her heart shaped face. Setsuna lent down, brushed aside the flowing strawberry-blond hair, which had been taken down for the night, and planted a kiss upon the Crescent Moon symbol on the sleeping girl's forehead. Then she rose, and turned to leave. Setsuna allowed herself a wry grin at the memory of how the Sailor Fuku had come to be the standard fighting uniform of the Senshi. The design was somewhat scandalous; but the armour properties of the suit had not been compromised, only its appearance altered, so it didn't really make any difference. It was a magnificent, if unintentional, jest. Setsuna was certainly not going to be churlish enough to spoil a joke of such cosmic proportions. Besides which, it would be the very devil of a task to unpick the Threads of Time which had been so thoroughly tangled by Queen Serenity's hasty spell. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The End.