There series is coming to a close soon! Wow, I'm in such a good writing mood with this warm spring weather. Ah, I love spring. I don't own Sailor Moon, but I down own all the characters in this series. When you're done flame me at lildragon@snet.net. Thanx!
-Pretty Sammi

21st of June, year 3058

Last night was the worst time of my life. I did indeed tell Prince Kinoshi my feelings, and he even returned them. That was even more than I had hoped for. I ran away from him. I didn't want to be found out and understood, and this was the only fact that I could think about. Is my love for him weaker than I thought? Or was it weakened when he told me no?

Well, I can't worry about him now. It's too late to save our love anyway. I have more important things to fear now. The other maids-in-waiting were gossiping this morning, and the war on planet Gena came into perspective. They talked about how the Princess of Gena, Serenissima, was missing. The Dark Zodia Dragons have suspected her of hiding on this planet or on a few others in the surrounding system. If they come and search this palace all might not end well. Out of the frying pot and into the fire is how the old saying goes.

-Milagre

Serenissima was lying on her bed even when the others had left. She heard the door to the sleeping chamber creak open, and in a few seconds Princess Mercedes was standing over her.

"Wake up, sleepy dear!" she said cheerfully.

"I'm not sleepy," Serenissima sighed. "I'm miserable, and I'd appreciate it if I could just be alone."

"Not sleepy? What's wrong darling?" Mercedes asked.

"I - I - I'm afraid Mercedes. What if they come for me? I know that your mother would protect me, but The Council is merciless and she has little power over them. They would exchange me for peace in a heartbeat."

"Don't worry. Come on, get up. I can help a little if you let me do your hair so it makes you look sort of different."

"It's more serious than that. Prince Kinoshi might know. When I was with him last night, he saw my pendant begin to glow. If he finds out the origin of it then it wont be too long before he pieces together the rest of he puzzle," Serenissima illuminated Mercedes. "I don't know if he really, truly loves me, and if he doesn't then he might tell The Council."

"I see. Hmm, you'll have to hide your pendant better. You can use a longer chain. That one is very short," Mercedes said as she revealed a longer chain she had been wearing. She took Serenissima's pendant and looked at it very closely, but she decided not to put it on her own longer chain, and placed it back around Serenissima's neck.

As Mercedes held her pink star sapphire pendant, a vision came to Serenissima. She saw Mercedes as a Sailor Zodia, wearing a red and gold uniform. The sign of Libra was burning on her forehead, but in an instant the vision passed.

"Mercedes, if the Dark Zodia Dragons come you might be in as much danger as I am," Serenissima blurted out.

"Your so silly sometimes. What would they want with me?" Mercedes laughed with ridicule.

At that moment a small shining light appeared under Serenissima's bed. She peered underneath the bed skirt to find that the light was coming from her bag of possessions. She reached for her bag and pulled out the source of the light, the Miracle Jewel. It released a much brighter flash, and then a silver star-shaped pendant with a red star sapphire set in the middle appeared in front of Mercedes.

Her black marble eyes were wide with amazement as she reached out and snatched the pendant from mid-air. She gently pulled back her black waist length hair and fumbled with the clasp on its silver chain. Serenissima helped her close the clasp and as it settled around her neck the sign of Libra appeared on her brow for just a minute before it began to fade.

"What just happened?" Mercedes asked.

"What just happened justified my previous forewarning of the danger you could be in. You're Sailor Libra, Mercedes."

"This isn't possible. I never dreamed that I was a Sailor Zodia, like in the old legends. It never occurred to me that I could have been one of the chosen 12. This is too strange. I can't wait to tell everyone."

"You can't tell anyone Mercedes. If the Dark Zodia Dragons kill one Sailor Zodia then the entire universe is screwed. Do you understand? The only other two people besides me who will ever know that you are Sailor Libra are Saffron and Sophia, because they are both Sailor Zodia as well. Do you understand?"

"I believe so. Could I at least tell my mother?" she innocently queried.

"I'm sorry," was all Serenissima could say.

"This will be the first time I lie to my own mother," Mercedes sighed.

"And if you don't keep this a secret than it may be the last secret you will have to give away. Believe me, the Dark Zodia Dragons are desperate. They will do anything to gain supreme power over the universe."

"I understand. For now I suppose that we should hurry off to the festival. They are expecting me to show up," Mercedes said as she tucked her pendant securely under the chest of her dress. It didn't matter much because she was draped with so much other jewelry.

"Right." The girls walked off together arm in arm, pretending that nothing had occurred, which was probably for the best.

Meanwhile, Prince Kinoshi had been pouring over all of the old scrolls and books in the library, looking for some trace of information that could lead him to the discovery of the secret that Milagre's pendant held. He still had little idea what it was or why it had been glowing the night before.

A servant came to him and notified him that the festival had started, and he replied that he would arrive there soon. Just as he was about to leave he notice something vital. One of the oldest scrolls spoke of the Sailor Zodia, and more important the star-shaped pendants that they possessed. Enlightenment came upon him, and almost everything made sense.

"This can't be, it simply isn't possible. Milagre couldn't be a Sailor Zodia, could she?" he asked himself quietly. "It makes sense now that she is so timid when I asked her personal questions, and why she ran away after her pendant began to glow. She was just protecting herself, but something is still missing." He silently decided to do some more investigating later, for now he had to attend a festival and enjoy himself.