A Nightmare In The Moon

Banished - Part One

Like the top? First time I've done that!!

  ~ Chapter One ~

"Lily!" Moonlight chirped happily as she pushed open the door to her sister's room. It had been a few days since she and her sister had moved to the Water Kingdom to train their powers. Moonlily sat on the bed, frozen in shock, tears streaming down her pale face as she stared at the letter in her hands. "What does it say?" Moonlight asked, genuinely concerned. "Oh no, Olivia hasn't fallen off the balcony again, right?" Moonlily shook her head. For once Moonlight saw her sister unable to call an insult at her. There was barely a movement. "What happened?" Moonlight asked, jumping up onto the bed and snatching the letter away.

By request of Queen Moonstuki of the Water Kingdom,

Princess Moonlily Sunflame is hereby banished for:

Not having appropriate powers

Having interfered with dark magic

The letter was short and simple, but each word struck like lightning.

"Aunt Tsuki would never do this!" Moonlight gasped. "But she would, Arisha." Moonlily sobbed. "She hates me." "She doesn't hate you!" Moonlight exclaimed. "Come on, Lily! There must be some kind of mistake!" "There's no mistake." Tsuki said, striding into the room, two armed guards behind her. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!?" Moonlight yelled at her. "This is for your own safety." Tsuki shot back. "You see, many have interfered with dark magic over the centuries - and what good has that brought to the people around them? Riddle - Multiman - Obsidian -" "LILY IS NOT EVIL!" Moonlight yelled at the top of her lungs. One of the guards raised his weapon. "Yes, she may have interfered with dark magic," she continued sternly, "but she's not evil. She is kind -" "Is she?" Tsuki scoffed. "I don't think so. She has proven to us all that it is better not to have her. Our continent has just gotten to peace. We don't want another enemy to rise." "She's not -'' Moonlight started, but Moonlily pushed her aside. "If you don't want me," she said, "what does Mother think?" "The same thing," Tsuki assured her. She held up a crumbled letter. "It was her idea in the first place. She'd sent me many letters convincing me - even ordering me, that Crystal - to have you banished, ever since she'd heard of you practising dark magic. I wasn't persuaded at first, but you have proven it yourself that you are an enemy at risk. Hand out the Water Gem I gave you, girls." Moonlight soundlessly took off the water gem around her neck. It was a sapphire pendant, brighter than any other one in the kingdom ever since she'd worn it. Moonlily glared at her aunt for a moment, then handed out her own - once a sapphire, by the means of it, but now a black diamond. One face of the gem was still blue - as they watched, black stone crawled over the clearness and enveloped it in dark magic. There was a gasp around them; Moonstuki cried something like, "Arrest her at once!" Moonlight clutched her sister's arm and jumped off the balcony as the guards poured into their room. They landed safely - Moonlight in the ocean, but Moonlily was bound off the boundary, floating in the air, using her telekinesis and landing just short of the boundary, which she tried to push open unsuccessfully. Moontsuki yelled, "Catch them!" And the guards came running down the stairs, weapons raised. Moonlily (who was six) waved her hand and shadows formed into large black beasts and tackled the soldiers, slamming them to the ground. "Dark magic," Tsuki gasped. Then, as if she hadn't said it enough, she repeated in a higher, shrill tone: "DARK MAGIC, I SAY!" "I HEARD YOU THE FIRST FIVE TIMES!" Moonlily screamed at her. She used her telekinesis and shot straight up until she was in the clouds and then over the water boundary as Moonlight succeeded in giving her permission to enter.