The New Rule (All Black Moon Members)

November 14th, 2011
(later that night after 'The Cage')


This was a festive day and even Ruby was feeling it. It had taken only days before they had won the planet..the pathetic warriors of the White Moon running like dogs with their tails between their legs. They had accepted defeat so quickly, had not attempted to stop them..so what if their precious princess and baby had been threatened? If she was them she would have fought to take back what was hers...but, that was why she supposed she wasn't. Ruby had laughed genuinely for the first time ever as she watched the city crumble from her power..Diamond had let them have free reign, to destroy what they pleased and Ruby had taken to it gleefully. It was such a fantastic feeling to not have to hide behind a human disguise, to finally walk freely above the lesser beings and show them who their new Gods were.

Yes, it was fun but it didn't last as long as she would have liked. Once the major cities of the planet had been taken over Diamond ordered them to stop and to come back to the palace, once there he offered the surviving citizens a chance to join them..to be 'cleansed' by the dark crystal and accept them as their overlords. Some people did but most of them did not and after working tirelessly day and night to set up the new government and control it was time to celebrate.

A large ball was to be held in honor of their great achievement...Ruby could not remember the last time they ever had a ball...in fact, she was sure they never did but that didn't stop the Phantom Sisters from pulling out all the stops. They had begged Diamond to be in charge of the party planning and he gave in, too occupied with their new prisoner to really care otherwise.

While the sisters were busy doing that Ruby took some time to explore the wreckage and the city that had sprung up around. Everyone in their family had been offing doing their own thing. Rubeus and Emerald ware off somewhere in the world establishing rule, Sapphire was poking around in the palace...Peridot...well, she hadn't been seen much since and when she was she was sulking in the gardens. Sin...no one had seen Sin in months and that was fine with her.

As she walked through New Nemesis (the power of the dark crystal made it possible for such a thing to be built so quickly) she stopped in the remaining stores. The sisters had been sure to spare the shopping districts and Ruby had realized that she needed something to wear for tonight's festivities. As she walked into a formal dress shop the scared looking women inside were quick to see to her every need. Ruby directed the women to find her the perfect dress and they came back with a few options. The ones that she did not like were incinerated by a blast of her power as Ruby laughed, one by one the dresses were shredded by the small ruby like shards and burned by her energy until only one remained. The dress was red (of course) and suited her personality.

After she had her dress Ruby was going to need some jewelry and shoes and she set out for those next. The shoes were easy to find and the jewelry even easier...After getting her shoes Ruby had walked into a jewelry store, saw a large and beautiful ruby necklace, walked up to the display, broke the glass, grabbed her necklace and matching earring and walked out laughing. That had been fun but it was time to return to the palace to get ready.



Ruby stood amongst the other guest all dressed in their best. A few inverted moons dotted the foreheads of some of the guest as their family mingled among the other attendees; a few high class citizens of the former Star City and other former world leaders, all here to bow to their king when Diamond crowned himself as such. These lower beings should consider themselves lucky to be part of such a glorious occasion and to see such spectacle. The sisters had done a amazing job in transforming the throne room.

The dark, crystalline walls and floors sparkled in the light of hundreds of candles and crystal chandeliers, exotic flowers in whites, blues and purples were elegantly placed, thick, royal purple fabric were artistically placed and some hung behind the royal throne. Food was served on crystal plates and drinks served in crystal glasses by slaves that they had picked up in the city rubble. Even a purple fog from the Dark Crystal swrilled on the floor and just seemed to complete the look.

Ruby had stood off the the side talking with the sisters and letting them gush over her dress and necklace and how pretty her red hair looked pulled back in a updo. When she saw others enter and in something completely out of character for her she smiled at them...she was riding the high and feeling besides herself so sue her. As she saw a very familiar face Ruby walked away from the sisters while they argued about some petty fashion trend and walked over to her fellow family member. Great party, isn't it?




Peridot hid herself in a far corner of the throne room, far away for the other celebrating guest. While the rest of the palace was besides themselves with joy Dot was torn. What they had done was awful...having been at the wedding and watching how happy the bride and groom had been..it broke her heart and she couldn't hold back the tears that came. Lucky for her the people around her thought she was just crying tears of happiness for the lucky couple, little did they know...When the time came to put the plan in motion Dot transformed but she did not attack...wouldn't attack. No, instead she just stood there and watched.

What had they done? What had she done? Lita had been her friend...the only friend she ever had (besides Pyrite) and she betrayed her. The girl had taken a chance to trust her...involved her in things with her other friends...it was then that Peridot had her first ever true feelings of happiness. It was something similar to how she felt around her plants. It was beautiful and warm at the same time...and she destroyed it.

After Serena had been taken Peridot carried out her orders, she helped destroy the city but she made sure the buildings and homes she destroyed were empty and once that was done Dot went and hid in her room until the party. There had been a dress that she had gotten months ago for this night, back then she had been so excited to wear it but now..the fabric felt heavy on her skin.

Dot joined the other party goers when the time came and took her residence in the back where she remained, as far away from the thrones...A new one had been added for Diamonds 'prize.' She sat herself down behind one of the large planters that dotted the room and hugged her arms around her knees. Hopefully no one would notice her here.

He didn’t quite understand what was going on.

Everyone was happy, and he enjoyed the new atmosphere of the Dark Crystal Palace immensely – people were laughing and running around with great excitement, teasing people and having a lot of fun. They had a few more family members now – they called themselves the “Phantom Sisters”, and apparently they used to be Rubeus’s friends before the Senshi kidnapped and brainwashed them. They were alright… but – Pyrite squinched up his nose thinking of them – they liked to play dress-up and always asked him to look older. And they did nothing but shop and talk about makeup. But tonight, tonight was going to be great! Rubeus was coming back! … Emerald was too, but he didn’t like remembering that part. There was going to be a giant party in the castle to celebrate their victory - it wasn’t a floating castle anymore, either: it had landed on Earth on top of fallen buildings and now when he went outside, he could see the city around him in all of its glory! …or, that’s what they all told him it was, “glorious”, but Dot had always told him stories about glory being beautiful and perfect, and the concrete ruins they were in wasn’t exactly what he had pictured, even with the Dark Crystal making grass grow quickly to cover the fallen buildings. And he didn’t quite understand what they meant by victory – it looked to him like the whole city collapsed around them and they just landed in the middle of it.

But everyone was happy, so everything was good, right?

A lot of people had visited the palace recently, but they looked scared. He was never allowed to stay and watch for long; he was always escorted away, usually by one of the Phantom Sisters on Diamond’s or Sapphire’s orders, and asked to play somewhere else until the people were gone. That wouldn’t’ve been a problem before, but now…

Something was wrong with Dot.

It made him sad to see her sad, and most of the time now, she was sad. She was always in the gardens, always looking up at the sky or staring at the plants, and it always looked like she had just finished crying or was about to cry, and she didn’t want to play with him anymore. He wondered if he had done something wrong, but the past few weeks she had been acting all weird – worried, not really paying attention, like she was wanting to be somewhere else or just remembered something she was supposed to do but didn’t go do. He missed her, the happy her. The Dot who played with him and told him stories and helped him pull pranks on people.

She was partly why he was confused: if everyone else was happy, why was Dot sad?

Even Diamond was happy! Mostly. He was still serious most of the time, but he looked happy-serious rather than sad-serious. It was probably because Serenity was here, at last! Maybe that’s why everyone was happy? He figured that was the victory everyone was talking about – Diamond must have asked Serenity to be with him instead of Darien and she said yes. Maybe that was what the party was about – Diamond was throwing a party for Serenity!

He looked down from his perch near the chandelier of the throne room only to have Catzi look up at him and curl her fingers, asking him to come down again. They had gotten him a tuxedo to wear. He stuck his tongue out at her: he wasn’t going to wear it. Not unless Dot asked him and it made her happy again.


When the party started, Rubeus had told him to get older – no kids were allowed at the party – so he did, aging to around 20 to fit in with their guests. He didn’t dress up, just wore his usual golden jacket and white pants, but the way the Phantom Sisters crowded around him it was like he was wearing something amazing. The party was boring, just a lot of smiling and nodding and quiet conversations and loud conversations; just really boring. Until, at last, he saw a glimpse of Dot in the corner of the room. She looked sad, like she always did, but he thought maybe he had a plan. With a quick suggestion to Catzi, they disappeared for a few minutes; when he came back he was wearing that stupid tuxedo, and went over to the plant where he thought Dot was. If she didn’t think he looked nice, maybe he could at least get a smile out of her for wearing such a stupid thing.

He crept closer not to scare her off, and then, all at once, jumped around to the back of the potted plant and cried, “Boo!” smiling wide.

She needed to pull herself together, sitting there on the ground looking sad and depressed was going to draw unwanted attention and it would just be her luck if it was someone like Ruby or the sisters...or even Emerald. Dot shuddered a little at the first and last. They were arguably the cruelest people here and Dot was not in the mood to deal with them. The girl sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the planter and looked out the large, crystalline window that looked over the ruins and 'New Nemesis.'

Peridot laughed a little at that. This was nothing like what it had been at home...but, with the way Diamond was taking over and exerting his power across this planet..it was only a matter of time before Earth resembled the old Nemesis. Peridot had been lost in her thoughts, giving herself a mental pep talk to liven up or risk certain wrath....she was so engrossed in her thoughts that when a certain someone snuck up on her and yelled out Boo! Peridot visibly jumped.

Pyrite.. she said breathlessly once she finally saw who it was don't do that! She snapped at him, something she had never done before but right now she was to confused by her own emotions to keep her anger in check.

At first he was happy – she jumped! He hadn’t gotten a reaction like that out of her in a while! But then… “Don’t do that!” his grin fell immediately, her sharp words hurting like papercuts on his chest. He shrank back, less confident, looking at his shoes instead of her, taking hold of his wrist behind his back. He wanted to make her happy, but she… she answered like Ruby did, or Emerald, when he had tried playing with them so long ago. He was uncertain of what to do; part of him wanted to just fade away, to teleport to his rooms for a while and play with his toys and try to pretend that it hadn’t happened, but he didn’t know if he could do that. He was embarrassed, hurt, and he didn’t know what to say anymore.

“I’m sorry, Dot,” he said quietly, glancing over at her little black-and-green shoes, waiting for her to dismiss him like everyone else did.

The moment the words left her mouth she regretted them. He had done nothing wrong but by the look he was giving her and the way he was standing you would think she just told him someone had killed his pet. I'm sorry Peridot told him as she stood, fixing her dress as she did. I'm so sorry Pyrite.. the only person she was close to here and cared about and she just yelled at him..she was no better than the others. Its just...you scared me and I'm not feeling very well... She couldn't tell him what was really wrong. Pyrite may be her friend but he was also known to blab to others..namely Diamond and she couldn't take that risk.

Pyrite nodded to show her he heard her apology, but still didn’t know what to say. He continued to avoid looking at her – he just felt like he wasn’t allowed to anymore or something – and quietly replied, “it’s okay…” he trailed off, feeling very small, and starting to shrink physically, as well. From twenty to sixteen to twelve, the tuxedo became baggier and baggier on him, the arms growing until the cuffs surpassed his hands, all the while he was thinking about how he had upset her when she wasn’t feeling well. “Dot.” he asked, finally looking up at her, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

Sapphire could care less that the princess had been captured, but it seemed that it brought Diamond great joy which Sapphire was glad for. Sapphire could see Pyrite and Peridot off in a corner and rolled his eyes at those two...children. Sapphire had no time for this. Just because they had won didn't mean it would stay like that. The senshi were strong and they had caught them off guard with their attack on the wedding day. Sapphire shook away his slight guilt as he remembered the princess's sad face when she had been captured. No, he couldn't and wouldn't be feeling those things now.

Sapphire continued past the two clowns that sat in the corner, he was sure Peridot had been up to something. She was not to be trusted in Sapphire's book, she had been unsure of their plans early on, who's to say she wasn't secretly working for the White Moon now? Sapphire glared at her as he walked away. It was hard to trust anyone, he could only count on his hand how many people he did trust and that came to the whopping total of...three. Himself, Diamond, and...Ruby. Despite her hatred for him and her remarks about how superior she was to everyone, she had never strayed from the Black Moon and Sapphire was...thankful for that.

He made his way over to the said woman, who was letting the sisters shower her in compliments. "Figures I'd find you over here Ruby." Sapphire said as he walked up to her. His eyes glazed over the sisters, he would have time to talk to the one sister he actually cared for later. His eyes scanned the crowd in disinterest as he waited for Ruby to finally turn her attention away from the sisters.

After chatting with a few more people Ruby made her way back to the sisters and remained there until familiar blue hair started to make its way through the crowd. Ruby looked at the new comer and smiled, a wicked, evil smile but a smile none the less. "Why Sapphire...I do believe you know my friends." She motioned to the four ladies around her.

"My my Sapphire, you haven't changed at all" Avery said while wrapping her am around the young mans shoulder

"Don't be silly Avery, he looks taller!" Bertie said while turning Sapphire towards her and sized him up to be sure.

"And handsome...seems to have grown into his looks...finally" Catzi said as she nugged her other sister, the only one of them to remain silent. Prizma simply looked away before walking off all together which made all of the remaining woman laugh.

"Oh, lighten up Sapphire, its a party!" Ruby chimed in at last "everyone here is so...festive and you look like someone just killed your favorite pet." She laughed, a evil glint in her red eyes.

Jade looked around the room in boredom she always hated these kinds of things. It was even more boring when she had to pretend to be one of these civilians what she wouldn't give to be able to torment them a little. She smirked sneaking off to her room.

She went back into her black moon form brushing her green hair out of her face. Now the question was what to wear because her blue dress from her disguise wouldn't do it clashed with her hair and well it would just blow her cover. She flipped through her closet before deciding on a dress that matched her hair perfectly. She slipped into it and slipped on a pair of shoes. She than made her way back into the ball room. No one seemed to notice her disappearance. She merged in with the crowd nodding to those of the black moon.




She leaned up against a pillar in the center of the room watching all the interaction going on.

Peridot watched as he began to shrink in age and she wished she could do the same no, don't do that she told him gently don't want the others to see you and tell you to leave, right? She bent down to be level with him, and so he would be forced to look at her, giving him a small smile. I'm sorry squirt, I think I am feeling sick...I think its because I had to see Emerald all dressed up.. Dot turned her head and looked in the direction of the other green haired woman, one that wasn't hard to find because of her loud and obnoxious voice that matched her loud, obnoxious, and gaudy get up. She brought her eyes back to the little boy and made a gagging sound and face. See what I mean?

Her words encouraged him even as they reminded him of his tenuous position with all the adults in the room. When she bent down to his level, he couldn’t escape her eyes, but the look she had in them didn’t make him want to look away. She still looked sad, but she smiled for him and she almost looked like her old self again. Little by little he was feeling better, but he was still uncomfortable. Until… “ I'm sorry squirt, I think I am feeling sick...I think its because I had to see Emerald all dressed up. ” He giggled, following her eyes to Emerald, laughing uproariously with some of the foreigners. She turned back to him and made a gagging face and he laughed more. “See what I mean?”

His smile was huge and he grew back to the age meant for the tuxedo, pulling Dot’s hands up as he got taller. “She likes to make people look at her, doesn’t she?” he asked tentatively, hoping not to say the wrong thing again. … but he couldn’t help when mischievous ideas struck. “Wanna help her out?” he asked with a playful grin, his green eyes darting to the trays of appetizers and back, a clear suggestion of his intentions: a culinary ambush.

ooc:

Peridot stood with him as he grew and pulled her up, her eyes following his as he asked his question. Ooo... She said while biting her lip, while that was so very tempting she didn't think the Prince would appreciate something like that on a day like this. This was all about him showing the others who their leader was and taking his position as King, yeah, and she was not looking to have the wrath of The Prince of Nemesis come down on her right now. That sounds like fun but maybe we should wait..you know Diamond wants everything to go perfect today... She looked around as if checking to make sure no one was near enough to them to hear what they were saying before leaning forward to whisper to Pyrite but...we'll wait till after OK? Wait till Emerald tries to 'be alone' with someone Dot winked.

"Why Sapphire...I do believe you know my friends." Sapphire's fist tightened at Ruby's remark. Of course he knew those women, but then again, that was probably be her point. Before he could say anything, the sisters did what they always did, talked.

"My my Sapphire, you haven't changed at all" Sapphire felt Avery's hand wrap around his shoulder in an annoying way.

"Don't be silly Avery, he looks taller!" Sapphire glared at Avery and Bertie as he felt himself being held by the both of him, and gave a very uncomfortable look when Bertie began looking him up and down.

"And handsome...seems to have grown into his looks...finally" Sapphire had half the mind to tell Catzi to keep her eyes away from him but then he saw Prizma looking away before walking away from him. Sapphire looked away as well, but met his eyes to Ruby's, who wore a devious gleam in her eyes.

"Oh, lighten up Sapphire, its a party! Everyone here is so...festive and you look like someone just killed your favorite pet." Ruby said snidely to him and Sapphire glared before he pulled her aside and away from the three sisters.

"There is much to do besides just enjoying the party. It is not secure that this planet is ours Ruby. It's close, but we haven't had our last battle against the senshi yet." Before he could wait for a reply, however, his eyes drifted to the clock and he made a face. "No matter, I will just save my gratitude to you for another time. I have other matters to attend to." With that, Sapphire made his way to the staircase and stood on the first two steps from the ground. Sapphire nodded to the orchestra and the music cut off, causing most of the attendees to look around.

"Members of the Black Moon Clan," Sapphire began, as he spoke much louder than his usual volume, but finding it necessary in order to address all those around. "After our inevitable victory and claiming the land as our own," Sapphire continued, voice full of confidence even though he did not feel in the slightest secure with their victory. "My brother, our King, has worked long and hard to assure the Black Moon of all the things that rightfully belong to us. And now, he is here tonight, please welcome: Prince Diamond and Queen Serenity." Sapphire finished with a thin tight smile as he stepped off the stairs and waited for his brother and his 'Queen' to enter.

The sound of a brush running through long tresses in a methodical manner was the only sound in the room. While not as lavish as some other rooms in the Dark Crystal Palace – she had asked it be that way – the décor was elegant and refined, without being pompous and overdone. As to the brush, it was running through tresses that reached the woman’s waist in length, and were the dark color of blood. It was not the vibrant crimson of fresh blood, but rather the dark color of the blood which had circulated through the body and was now returning to the heart; there were also some copper touched to the coloring, but not enough to be noticed unless one was specifically searching for it. As for the woman herself, she was seated at the vanity in nothing more than stockings, underwear, and a corset. Though she had previously requested a maid’s help in fixing the stays of the corset, she had since dismissed the servant, and was finishing her preparations for the planned ball in the solitude she preferred. At the moment, her angular, refined features were twisted in a sneer; her dark teal eyes (they seemed to be an even mix of green and blue, for the moment) seemed to be attempting to pierce those of her reflection with a knife-like glare. If one looked closely, they would also notice that her grip on the handle of the brush was so tight that her knuckles had gone stark white. Her facial muscles twitched in suppressed rage, as the woman – Rhea was her name, though any who had previously known her would have called her differently – hissed at the reflection in the glass, “You stupid little girl… do you really think you can over-power me?”

As she expected, there was no answer, but her glare seemed to intensify, disgust entering her sneer. She had once been powerful, even if her own parents had shunned her, and her younger brother hadn’t even known whom she was; now, she had been reborn in the body of this stupid, weak little girl… and that was something that Rhea despised beyond words. However, there was something she hated more, about her current situation. The little bitch was trying to take control of the body they shared once more, and though her attempts were feeble and laughable at best – she knew nothing of the powers she possessed, and had known nothing of who her dear older brother really was – but they were enough to annoy the redhead beyond words. And when Rhea was annoyed… just as with the little brat, her annoyance would burn into fury almost as soon as the lesser emotion had registered. But, so annoying as the girl’s attempts were, Rhea knew they could and would never succeed. She owned this body now; the girl’s efforts weren’t strong enough, nor did Rhea ever have any desire to give up her control of their shared(well, sheared in a mental/spiritual sense) dwelling space. That, however, just incensed the redhead further, for all she herself saw, when she looked into her eyes, was a scared little girl looking back at her – a little girl she hadn’t been for two millennia, and would never be again. She was not the brat that had been born in control of this body, and the former Princess of the Golden Kingdom hated to see that girl looking out at her whenever she passed a reflective surface.

Forcing these unneeded thoughts away, Rhea quickly finished with her hair, and then placed the brush down on the vanity. She eyed it for a moment; it didn’t look damaged from her iron-like, rage-fueled grip, and she was just a touch relieved at that. The redhead didn’t like having to request a new one every time she destroyed it, one way or another, after all. Deeming her hair finished, she inspected the make-up she had applied before brushing out her hair. Rhea never wore too much make-up, just lipstick of the same shade as her hair, but it was enough. Satisfied that all was still in place, she cast one last glare at her reflection, before standing from her vanity and making her way to her closet. Almost as if on autopilot, as she had done this so many times before, the tall (she stood at 5’9” barefoot) woman selected her more formal gown. The gown itself was two different shades of green – dark peridot for the over-dress, and a pale lime for the under – with black edging both skirts and lacing up the bodice. The sleeves were of the darker shade, and fitted until they reached her elbows, at which point they changed into three tiers of lace in the same shade of lime as the under-dress. Once dressed, she returned to her vanity. Seating herself, the redhead selected the only jewelry she ever wore, aside from the earrings made of the Black Crystal she never removed, and clasped the three-tiered pearl necklace about her pale throat. This taken care of, Rhea set about fixing her hair.

She gathered the majority into a thick braid, which she then pinned into a coiled bun just above the base of her skull, leaving a few strands to fall upon both of her bared collarbones, and upon her sleeve-encased shoulders. Once she had finished her hair, the redhead hesitated, hand hovering above her mostly-empty jewelry box. Should she…? She usually always wore the small, tiara-like circlet of pearls in her hair for formal functions, but… Here, in this place, in this time, she was no-longer the Princess of Earth; she didn’t quite know how Diamond would react to this, so perhaps – but Rhea squashed that train of thought ruthlessly. Those were the sniveling thoughts of the little brat this body had once belonged to; she was stronger than that. After all, she hadn’t hidden whom she was from Diamond; Second Lieutenant or not, she was still royal by blood. If the new King found something amiss with her choice, she decided, as she settled and pinned the circlet into place, he could tell her so himself. Giving her reflection one last glance – not too long, lest the brat show herself again – Rhea stood from her vanity once more. Moving over to the side of her bed, she slipped her feet into heeled slippers of the same dark peridot as her gown, and then reached over to her bedside table. Though she still found the traditions she had adhered to in the past slightly idiotic, and though she knew she need not do so anymore… Rhea still slipped on the white gloves regardless.

She could not have said why she still continued to wear them, but she supposed it was because she felt… naked without them, one could say, stupid as that sounded. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, she turned and made her way to the door. Placing one hand upon the handle, she took a moment to breathe, and to compose herself. Her expression smoothed, blanked of all emotion. Her emotions in hand, she turned the knob, and stepped out into the hall. Knowing that she was still not necessarily well-liked among those of the Black Moon Clan, and also knowing that no mere lock would keep them out, she erected a barrier of sorts, one which only she could unlock with the use of her telekinetic powers. Along with the , ah, more organic precautions she had taken, the redhead felt her room secure enough for the moment, and, after closing and locking the door (for the sake of the maids) Rhea strode purposefully down the hall. Upon reaching the ballroom-like chamber in which the festivities were being held – Rhea would have been lying if she had said that the room didn’t remind her of the ballroom from the palace she had grown up in, during the time of the Golden Kingdom – she slipped off to the side quickly, finding a point where, though she herself could keep an eye on the proceedings, she would not be easily seen or spotted herself. Her eyes distinctly more blue at the moment, she scanned the room. Peridot and Pyrite were off to a side, just as she was, but seemed to be engaging in simply innocent pursuits. She quickly moved her gaze elsewhere; children did not interest her in the least.

Emerald, the wench, was being her usual attention-whore self, while Ruby seemed occupied with the Ayakashi Sisters, and with Sapphire for a short period of time as well. Speaking of the Prince, Rhea, as everyone else, gave him her attention for the time he made his speech, but her gaze narrowed as he spoke. Hm, she noted, it seems that Sapphire isn’t sure in our sovereignty… He probably fears an attack by those stupid Senshi, once they have managed to regroup and gather intelligence, and rightly so. Then she grinned cruelly for a moment; Of course, I wouldn’t mind the chance to rip my dear brother to pieces myself… Calming her bloodlust before it could affect her mood, the redhead continued to gaze about her once Sapphire had finished speaking. Though she was not truly interested, it would do well that she acted as if she were such. However, there was one thing – one person – which truly did intrigue her. She, the brat rather, had come to know that the blonde, Serenity, was not one to give up without a fight, and though Rhea hated to admit it, she knew that the love Serenity and Endymion shared was strong – far too strong for something as simple as her being away from him (captured or no) could break. Rhea reminded herself to keep an eye upon the girl who was so close to becoming her sister-in-law, as she removed herself from her vantage point, and managed to anonymously slip into the crowd.

((OOC: I'm going to apologize here and now for the length... My introduction posts usually aren't nearly this long... ^^"))

As soon as sapphire stared to speak Jade straightened up it wouldn't do to show disrespect after all. She was trying her best not to sneer at some of the people here but really it was harder than it seemed. most would think with the nature of her job she would be better at hiding these things and acting how she thought she should but the truth of the matter was that it always seemed harder. she had to hide how she really felt about stuff but she was use to it by now just as she was used to pretending to be someone she wasn't. she had always felt more at home in her own skin but hey she did what she had to. any way back to the situation at hand. she turned to watch she could hear muttering Around her from people who were not of the black moon so she really didn't listen it's not like the humans could do anything they were by far to weak to be of any danger to her or the others so she ignored them. she sighed flipping her hair over her shoulder her earrings swinging with the movement of her head her heel's clacking as she tapped them on the floor rather impatient.

Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed at Sapphire while the other girls giggled with her.

"All business isn't he?" Avery asked while she watched the blue haired man leave.

Ruby nodded "yes, which makes him so fun to play with." She smirked and grabbed a drink from a passing slave..or 'servant' as the Prince liked to call them to save face with his future queen. When they were briefed about the new addition to their little family Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was not one to tiptoe around and bend to the will of others..even Diamonds. Yes, she was loyal to him, yes she respected him but that did not keep her from pushing the limits of his orders the best she could. Just like with Sapphire..even if he was her General and technically speaking her superior she knew she could push and mock him...part of her liked to think the younger brother feared her which she really didn't think was too far fetched of a idea, most of the people here feared her. "He really needs to loosen up."

"Maybe Prizma can help with that" Berite said which made all the girls laugh. Yes, both of them needed to do something but Prizma was no where near as fun as she used to be ever since the sisters had been back on their side.

Ruby was glad that the sisters were once again with them...even if she did hold some resentment against them for letting Sailor Moon cleanse them, they were here now and the once proud and powerful Sailor Moon was reduced to a prisoner inside the palace walls.

Speaking of...Sapphires voice was heard over the crowd and all chatter slowly ceased as all eyes in the room were turned on the double doors, everyone waiting to great their new King and his would be Queen. Ruby paid attention of course, slowly sipping on her glass of champagne to hide the scowl on her face. She really could care less about the ceremony, the best part about all of this to her was getting to see Serenity squirm but even then, the woman did not deserve all that Diamond was offering her..she deserved to rot in their prisons or worse. True, there was no way the woman was happy with the arrangements the Prince had made for her and while that brought great sastification to her the white queen deserved so much worse. Thou, it was uplifting to see the Empress of the White Moon on the other side of the power shift. Now she would know what if felt like to be ruled.

The chatter quieted and Serena heard one loud voice carry over everything..it was familiar..was that Sapphire? Of course it was, why should she be surprised? He had been one that had sought them out before, when the sisters found him but yet, here he was announcing their arrival. What about the sisters? Serena vaguely remembered seeing them in the chaos of her wedding they were back on the Black Moon side.....Serena thought they had been her friends but she seemed to be in short supply of those these days.

But, back to the matter at hand. The words had stopped and now there were hundreds of faces turned in her and Diamonds direction and Serena looked back at them like a deer in headlights. All these faces..some with sneers and the black crescent mark on their foreheads but most of them..the ordinary people that had been invited to Diamonds coronation were looking as uncomfortable and scared as she was. The feeling to run came back in full force as these people looked at her and Serena took a small step backward, her hand reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of Diamond's suit jacket instinctively. As much as she hated being around him and any touch from him made her feel sick he was the closet thing to her that could help keep her balance. She needed out of here.

Sapphire's introduction ringing over the silence of the crowd, Diamond inclined his head once in acknowledgement, his eyes forward and focused above their heads. In their gazes he felt apprehension, adoration, and fear; the later would change in time, with Serenity at his side, they would all --- something tugged at his jacket. He turned his head sharply to see what it was, an energy attack summoned and ready to be unleashed, but he sent the attack away immediately when he saw it was Serenity's fingers that had taken hold of his sleeve. Her weakness had returned, manifesting itself physically: her pulse raced, her eyes had the look of a cornered person deciding between fight and flight; in this case, neither was an option, and she looked as if she would faint.

"Princess," he addressed quietly, lacing his tone with steadiness, strength, and charisma. "Might I escort you to your seat?"

"Princess?' She heard someone say and turned to look up at Diamond, her eyes were large and she didn't think she needed to tell him that the sooner they got this over with the better it would be for the both of them. He seemed to get the idea because he led them through the sea of people...everyone parting ways to let them pass and bowing their heads in respect. Serena just kept her head down, not wanting to look anyone in the eye. She could hear the whispers.

'Who's that?

Is she one of them?

and so on. As they walked Serena concentrated on her feet, making sure she didn't fall or trip..she was supposed to be a queen now and queens didn't trip when they walked. One foot in front of the other until they reached the small set of stairs that led to the thrones and once they were there Serena waited for Diamond to sit and address his 'people' before sitting down herself. As she was seated her hands clenched the arm rest until her knuckles were white, daring to look out over the crowd only to see news crews with large cameras which caused Serena to immediately look away. Why was this happening? it would be more merciful to just kill her than to put her through all of this. Hopefully Darien and the girls didn't see this.

Diamond, his bearing tall and proud and flawless as always, stood on the dais above his people, their faces upturned to see him, the cameras trained on him and his future-queen beside him. Their attention belonged to him as surely as their fate; every eye, every ear, every mind followed him, waiting almost breathlessly for him to speak, to explain and assure or to hammer the final nail in their collective coffin. His eyes swept the crowd confidently, landing momentarily on his people, his lieutenants, his generals, his allies and warriors - from the Wicked Sisters who had returned to him like culled dogs eager for more than table scraps, to those who had lived and died for him - Rubeus and Emerald, fresh in from their posts around the world, to those recruits who had stayed back in the fight against Crystal Tokyo and yet had done much to prove themselves now: Ruby, Peridot, Jade, and Alexandrite, each fierce and eager and loyal, to Pyrite, the boy who appeared with Sin's new crystal, and, finally, Sapphire, his dear brother who had been with him through it all, aiding him, strategizing with him, looking at all sides and finding the smartest, most efficient strategy. Of them he was most proud; they had sacrificed much to make his dream - their dream - come true, and now that time was upon them at last.

The future was safe at last.

"My brothers and sisters," Diamond began, his eyes again finding his Clan members, "I see you. I see your strength, I see your dedication, I see your loyalty and your accomplishments; I see you and I am filled with pride. For today, at last, our mission has ended: thanks to you and all of your hard work, the Future is Safe." He paused; he paused for applause, he paused for cheers, he paused for confusion to bubble to the surface and replace fear. He paused, and continued.

"People of Earth, I see you, too. I see your heartache, I see your pain, I see your fear and your confusion; I see your uncertainty, and I wish to fill you again with confidence." he paused to let his words sink in and to assume the correct visage for his next short segment, "In order to protect you, my family has had to resort to dire measures. Unfortunately, many lives were lost in the process. Those people, those brave men and women who died protecting you from a perceived threat, are heroes. Though misguided as their efforts were, their lives were no less valuable, their worth as great as any standing before me, and in their way, they have also saved your future." he paused.

"Celebrate them. Look fondly on their lives, remorse in their deaths, and celebrate them for the heroes that they are. Tonight is a celebration for all - for my Black Moon Clan and their job well done, and all of you, our new brethren, for your heroes and the bright, glorious future that now awaits us all.

"With my power as Prince Diamond of the Black Moon Clan, I declare today a new holiday - Earth Unification Day, a day that celebrates the achievements of the past, the heroes of the present, and the bright vision of the future. And in the spirit of this new Unification of our cultures, I have decided to elect as my Queen, Serenity." he looked over to her, his hand sweeping out to show her to the world, "A young woman you might know better as Sailor Moon, the warrior princess who has been protecting this planet for the past decade from outside forces of evil. With her by my side, you can be assured of your safety and of my intentions." With that, he signaled to Sapphire to approach with their crowns; the dark crystal built into the frame of Serenity's ornament would be all the proof the people would need of her identity, and would, he felt, solidify his tentative hold on Earth's people as it might give Serenity some perceived hold on his.

Ruby watched with a vindictive smirk as Diamond escorted his prize to the thrones and she excused herself from the sisters to move closer, casually slipping in next to two Prime Ministers from England and Australia, making a 'kiss face' at both men at the looks they gave her when they saw the insignia on her forehead. It was so very amusing at how everyone was acting towards them, all the citizens..even the ones of stature were practically tripping over themselves to get out of their way or make sure they were happy. Which was smart of them, the world had witnessed their power and even if Diamond was putting on this little charade for Serenity one wrong move from anyone here and Ruby would not think twice.

As the Prince addressed them Ruby raised her glass with the others of the Black Moon and cheers to their victory but that was where her interest left her. Ruby only heard bits and pieces of what the Prince had said after that, finding that anything about the people of Earth to be beneath her. It was only a formality that they were even here and Ruby was certain if their families numbers had been greater this 'peace' between the two worlds would be unheard of. But, as it was their numbers were too few and the people of Earths too great.

Ruby let her eyes wander around the room, looking at nothing in particular just finding something to pass the time for when the party could resume but, when she heard the words 'Sailor Moon' her red eyes snapped back front. Whispers filled the ballroom at what Diamond had just said and Ruby heard a woman next to her say something along the lines of 'she doesn't look like Sailor Moon' which caused her to raise a brow. Of course she did...after all with all of her time on this planet no one else in this city wore her hair the same...Maybe there was some kind of magic that protected her identity...and maybe because they had the advantage of knowing her outside of her true form, whatever the case Ruby was curious to see this play out. How would Diamond handle this one? It wasn't like he could just let her transform...too many risk. Yes..interesting indeed.

While Diamond was giving his speech most of the party guest moved forward to get a better view of the future King and Queen but Peridot was not one of them. As Diamond led Sailor Moon into the room Peridot moved herself away from everyone and back toward the windows...telling Pyrite that she didn't want to get in the way of the other people that really needed to see such a thing. Dot could not bring herself to look at Serena...she had been there, had been a part of the pre wedding festivities as her friend and she had betrayed that friendship...betrayed Lita's friendship and all the young woman wanted to do was sink into the floors and disappear.

Sapphire stood next to the platform where the thrones were, standing to the right of Diamond with his hands gently clasped behind his back while he watched the people before him. As his brother gave his speech Sapphire was sure to watch the humans, looking for any sign of defiance or a last ditch effort at being the hero. Both would be a stupid decision but when people are desperate they make ill decisions and the last thing they needed now was any sort of rebellion, not with the cameras and reporters that were here to witness this. Sapphire didn't understand why his brother insisted on televising this event, too many things could have gone wrong, the Senshi could have decided to attack and the world would have seen it and it could have rallied people together. Thankfully, no word of any impending attack reached his ears...seems like the Senshi were too badly broken to attempt anything but there was always that small margin of error.

The mention of Serenity and how she was Sailor Moon made Sapphire snap his eyes to the woman in question. He did not like her being her one bit, there was no reason for it other than his brothers sick obsession with the woman. She was too much of a liability and with her carrying a child....He glared his eyes at her. The girl would be the death of them all, it may take years but eventually Diamond would crack and all of this would be for nothing. As his brother finished his speech and motioned for him Sapphire unclasped his hands and turned, grabbing a large black silken pillow that held the crowns that would be the symbol of his brothers and his queens royal status. Carefully he carried the pillow and walked in front of his brother, holding the pillow up and bowing slightly out of respect. As he did Sapphire glared at Serenity, she would end them all, why couldn't Diamond see that?

“Thank you, brother,” Diamond quietly acknowledged, his voice too low to be picked up by anyone beyond a five foot radius. Carefully he picked up his crown; while he could sense the audience’s confusion and apprehension over his revelation of Serenity’s identity, he knew his status as Earth’s new King had to be solidified before she could be Queen. He was in charge, he was the true head; she was his, a pretty distraction and useful tool to keep the populace in line. He had to be recognized first. “With this ornament and through the power of the Dark Crystal of the Black Moon, I, Diamond, crown myself King of Earth.” Using just a fraction of power, he had the black-gold crown float off of the silken pillow and land comfortably on his brow. For effect, dark lightning traveled its length and disappeared into a small fragment of Dark Crystal built into its frame. “Bow to your king.”

With a steady gaze his eyes swept the audience, influencing them to obey his first official command as their ruler, ready to strike should a citizen refuse his order; yet he did not have to. One by one they started to kneel, until, finally, every human in the room knelt before him, even the camera crew. He smiled internally. He had asked for a bow and they all took a knee; things were starting out better than he had hoped. He caught Ruby’s mischievous gaze for a moment, then commanded the audience to rise. And they did.

He then personally took the slight crown from the pillow, holding it carefully as he turned to Serenity. Raising it above her head, he simply stated, “With this ornament and through the power of the Dark Crystal of the Black Moon, I, King Diamond, crown Serenity. May she be known as the Queen of Earth.” Ignoring her eyes, he set the crown firmly on her head and waited, hoping his plan would work.

This was it, this was the moment her fate would truly be saved. All in all, Serena supposed she should be thankful that this was not a wedding...at least to her knowledge and that she would not be married to this ma-..thing. No, he was simply naming her queen and she was not truly bound to him, not in the way that truly mattered to her. For that, she was thankful. It was the one good thing to come of this. As Sapphire stepped closer Serena could feel her heart start to beat faster and faster in her chest and she could swear that the people around her could hear it too, it sounded like it was threatening to come clean out of her

'Keep it together'

She told herself, this was not the time to break...no matter how much she wanted to and no matter how hard it was, she had to seem strong. Strong for the people that were suffering, strong for her friends, strong for Rini...strong for Darien. If they saw this hopefully that was what they would see, her being strong, her trying to hold on for them...and not as a betrayal, anything but that.

'Keep it together'

The voice repeated in her head as Sapphire stepped closer and presented the crowns to Diamond, and as he picked up his crown fist Serena looked away, she could not watch this, she refused to watch this.

'Bow to your King blue eyes looked up from the ground to see figures slowly start to go down to their knees. One by one the people in the room followed suit to Diamonds orders until they were all on the ground, the only ones still standing were those of the Black Moon and they all bowed in respect to their King.

Sudden movement at her side brought her eyes back and she watched as Diamond picked up the crown that was meant for her, black gold like his own with large purplish black stones and tiny, smaller accents. It would have been pretty if the circumstances were different. The closer Diamond got the more and more her body started to shake and as she stood from her seat Serena did not think her legs would support her with how much they were shaking. As Diamond reached above her head to set the tiara in its place Serena closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to hold back the tears that were slowly seeping out of her eyes.

'Keep it together....Keep it together....Keep it together' Serena kept repeating to herself once more, faster and faster as if saying the words differently would hold more power. It didn't but it gave her something else to focus on other than her current situation.

As Diamond placed the tiara on her head Serena felt its weight, it feeling a hundred times heavier than what she was sure it weighed. This was it, she was now Queen of this world, this world of Darkness and there was nothing to stop him. While her thoughts continued down this path a slight static started to erupt all over her body, it started in her toes and fingers and worked its way up her legs/arms. The feeling kept going until it reached her center, her chest. From deep within Serena could feel something coming forth, it was a feeling she knew very well, the feeling of her own personal power coming out to protect her. Protect her from what? And why couldn't she use it before? It was a little late in that department. Maybe whatever this was would summon her broach to her and she could transform? She had stupidly left it behind on the wedding day but why should she have it? There had been no reason.

As the feeling continued to build Serena felt it push from her chest and a bright flash of pink and white light surrounded her and filled the room, the warmth filled her being and she could feel a change...what change it was she was unsure.

The whole thing happened so fast but to her it felt like forever, a quiet calm and as the light disappeared and she looked out at the frightened and confused faces of the crowd she wondered exactly what they were staring at, she didn't feel different. All over the room people forgot their place and started whispering to one another, the news crew had no idea how to handle what had just happened but she saw one of the men move his hand in a circular motion to signal the others to keep filming. Confused blue eyes bounced from face to face trying to see what they were seeing until she finally turned to Diamond. What had he done to her? Whatever this was it was his doing, she was certain of it. As Serena whipped her head to the side her hair flowed in front of her face and she saw it....Grabbing some hair from her pigtails she pulled it forward to examine it. Her usual golden hair was now a silvery snowy white, her skin a bit paler, her body a bit taller and mature as was the usual with any transformation. Wha-how....

Dropping her hair back into place Serena slowly brought her right hand up to her forehead and searched for what she already knew to be there. Once her hand passed her eyes and touched her forehead Serena felt for something she knew she couldn't physically feel but, as her fingers traced over the golden crescent mark she felt its power. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What did Diamond do to her.

More confused now more than ever Serena twisted her body to look at Diamond, her hand still gently touching her own family mark, he would have the answers and he had better explain what was happening, explain why she would be in this form when she didn't have the Silver Crystal on her.