So......I got e-mails from The Annual Sailor Moon Fanfiction Awards. I won five awards.

.....YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! *bouncebouncebounce*

To celebrate, I give you this new sm_monthly drabble which wonderfully interpets one of the winners, The Great Matter. Do enjoy, and....try not to throw things at the screen as you read. :p

Interpret This
by papirini


Saturday night; the time, 7:30 PM.

The audience all took their seats, anticipating the play that was to come. Based on a story about injustice, justice and the values of sisterhood, it took place in outer space and was dubbed "The Great Matter". Now, someone had created a musical version, starring several of the original characters, and though the theatre was hardly packed, the anticipation was high.

Finally, the curtains were drawn, and the audience clapped. The stage they were treated to was black as night, bare and quiet, save for the bongos that were softly playing in the background. A small white softlight shone onto the back, where the words The Great Matter: A Modern Celebration and Interpretation of Femininity lit up in neon green.

This was the action for a good five minutes. Trying to fill in that gap, the bongo drumer played around with the rhythm; the beat to "Bille Jean" and "Jesus of Suburbia" started to register in the audience's minds as they became impatient.

"Lo," Suddenly, finally, the spotlight shifted, and was on Usagi, who wore black leotards as she leaped onto the stage, before crouching into a fetal position. "I am the spirit of goodness, captured within the bounds of corruption. I am human, and only mortal. I am....me."

At this, Usagi covered her eyes dramatically, her hands over her face, while the bongos were played in a slow, undulating rhythm. Suddenly, three dancers, all dressed in black from top to bottom so even their faces weren't shown, began to circle her, leaping up and down as they did. They thrust their arms back and forth in grabbing motions, as if to try and tear her apart.

"Lo!" Suddenly, the dancers stopped as a giant, nine-foot amoebic form, with a black bandanna around its neck, leaped onto the stage. The bongos were suddenly smacked harshly. "I am the space girl! I am aliOOF!!!"

The creature's stump feet caught onto a board on the stage, and she immediately fell onto the floor. The ground shook at this, and for a moment, the dancers looked on, completely mortified. The drums also stopped abruptly, almost too abruptly.

".....Um......" As quickly as she had fallen, the creature jumped back up, flailing her tentacles towards Usagi. "I....where....ur....oh yeah. I am alien! Let me empower and enlighten you with the ways of our society so you may break free of your cage! O, lo, per....puh....ur....primitive child!!"

There was a slight giggle in the audience at this. One glare from the tentacled creature, however, caused the laughter to stop immediately.

"Oh, no!" At this, Usagi stood up and swayed. "Primitive I am, but strong, I am also! For I am a woman of mortal birth, and my lot is to suffer, from the moment Eve ate the apple. Oh, suffer...suffer....."
"No, I say!" At this, the tentacled monster leaped again, this time careful to watch where she landed. "Why do you insist? I am Themis, your liberator!"
"No, you are as man is!" The black-cloaked dancers began to do leg lifts around Usagi, and one nearly kicked her in the face, while the drums were going faster. "Rash and ill-willed! Uncultured! Unjust! Evil!!"
"O! O!" Blinking, Themis thought about her lines, and then cluched her chest as the drums reached a crescendo. "Oooooh!"

With that, she plopped down backwards, landing on the stage. Once more, the ground shook, and the drums stopped. This time, however, it was apparent that this was a planned part of the show.

"Oww....that hurt....I mean...!" Quickly, Themis raised all of her tentacles up and waved them. "Heeelp! Ignorance! Hate! It weeeeighs me doooown!!"
"Raaaah!" At this, the black-cloaked cancers finally spoke, making various random sounds, as they spun over to Themis and circled her. "Nyaaaah! Ignorance! Hate! Waaaah!"
"Don't worry!" Skipping on tip toe, Usagi pranced over to Themis. "I shall save you from yourself!!"

At this, she pushed the dancers into each other, causing them to stagger over onto one another. Glaring at Usagi for being so rough, one of the dancers grumbled something to Usagi, but nevertheless made themselves disappear into the backdrop. With that, Usagi held two of Themis' tentacles and began to pull her up.

".....ngh..." Usagi began to perspirate as she struggled, her whispers coming through gritted teeth. "You're heavy...!"
"Hey!" Their argument could be heard by the front rows. "No I'm not..."
"Yes you are!"
"All I eat here is coocor..."
"So lay off the chocolate, then!"
"Look who's talking-waah!" Themis looked over and gasped when she realized that they could be heard. "Ooo, uh, behold! I am being freed from oppression!"
"I'm trying..." Usagi mumbled.
"Uh, yes! You are helping me!" Quickly, Themis lifted herself up and brought her tentacles up towards the sky as a symbol of thanks, bringing Usagi off the ground with a yelp. "Alas! The veil of ignorance has finally been lifted! I am FREE!"

There was a silence, save for the bongos in the background, which were awkwardly playing off rhythm. Meanwhile, Usagi dangled seven feet off the ground, her feet flailing wildly.

"Put me down! Put me down!!"
"Oh, oops." Quickly, Themis dropped Usagi on the ground. "And lo! My savior! I must thank you!"
"Uuuh..." Swaggering dizzily, Usagi held her head. "Uh, ok....uh..."
"So let us intertwine, and...oops." Themis put a tentacle over her mouth as Usagi shook her head. "Sorry, that's your line."
"Yes!" Usagi looked down to the ground at this, holding her head. "Let us intertwine, and dance, like atoms. Let us unite forever in sisterhood."
"Let us fight off the evils of the world...." At this, Themis lowered her tentacles, "....with dance."

There was a long silence at this, as the two bowed their heads, and the lights around them dimmed. Once more, the audience became impatient, and several hisses and soft cat calls could be heard in the back.

"Come on! Hurry up! What's going on?!"

Suddenly, the beat started up, the bongo drums being pounded on with frantic inprecision, and the lights flashing hot pink. As if the past ten minutes hadn't happened, Themis, Usagi, and the now-reappearing four dancers suddenly broke into various moves and steps, all out of sync with one another. Usagi did the Macarena, Themis, flailed her arms wildly like whips as she shook her body like jello, and the four dancers leaped and did cartwheels behind them, whooping as they did. Then they took off their masks, revealing the four inner soldiers, flushed from all the clothing they had to wear. It was apparent that one of them had been late, and had slipped in during the preceding scene, as Minako was not as red as the others.

In response, large sections of the audience started to leave; those who didn't began to boo. They had paid to see a play, not to see what they were seeing. They all had a mind to write to the author of the selection, expressing their anger over what was going on. Bit by bit, the interpretation of the original story was transforming into something that was put together slapdash.

"Good god." At this, Papirini, who sat in the third row, stared as the group all started leaping around in a circle. "What have I done?!"