The little princess of Crystal Tokyo didn't want to sleep. Her aunts, the Senshi, had tried. She only seemed more awake than before. When her aunts failed, her uncles took a turn, but were again unsuccessful. The King tried. She demanded her mother. Her father tried to explain that, as Queen, her mother was exceedingly busy and didn't always have time.

Small Lady was having none of that. There was nothing that could be said or done to be convinced otherwise. Finally, as time edged into the darkest of the night, her mother stepped into the room.

Neo Queen Serenity, her daughter thought, was the most beautiful and wonderful woman in the world. She was powerful, yet not ostentatiously. Hers was a quiet strength, though when necessary she could burn brightly. Her people did not obey out of fear or obligation, but love.

The Queen sat on the edge of her daughter's bed and looked down at the little girl. "Your papa tells me you don't want to sleep."

"No!" she chirped. "I want to spend time with you, Mama!"

"Small Lady," Serenity chided, "you know you should obey your father. Now, what will it take to get you to sleep?"

"I want a story!"

"A story?" she repeated. "Is there a particular one you had in mind?"

She considered, head tilting to one side in the most adorable gesture. "It should have action and romance and magic, and you!"

"Me?"

"Yes!"

The Queen leaned back against a bed post. "A story like that, with me? A true one?"

Small Lady nodded eagerly.

"Very well. This story is true, dearest, and all of us are in it. I am, your father is, your aunts and uncles. It is a grand story. However, it doesn't begin with me. To truly tell the tale, you would have to go back, to a time when the planets of our system were at war…"

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Fighting gripped the worlds, each ruler seeking resources, space, and power. There seemed to be no end in sight.

On the Moon, the smallest of the kingdoms, a new queen ascended a throne. Her name was Serenity, and she was still young, but her people adored her for her kindness and wisdom. The young ruler began to settle her world, ending the infighting, preventing any attacks from the other planets. It took several months, but the Moon Lady calmed her kingdom and restored order.

She was an ambitious Queen. No sooner was the Moon at peace than she began reaching out to others. The first was Pluto, the Moon's eternally unwavering ally. Her queen signed an accord with the Moon, ending any fights save to defend themselves. Pluto, at the furthest reaches of the Milky Way, was a quiet world- she would have no difficulty with the agreement.

That was still not enough. Queen Serenity spoke to representatives of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter. The negotiations and treaties were complex and took a great deal of time, but in the end the Queen was successful and those planets were brought to peace as well.

Uranus and Neptune were difficult to convince. Each was strong, beyond the skills of the more inner planets. They preferred to continue seeking gain for their people, and did not seek the end of fighting. The other queens and kings joined with Serenity and stood as a united front in the face of further aggression. Pluto was too small to be a target, Saturn too powerful. If they were to continue their path of warfare, they would run directly into the combined forces of Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Pluto- a potent threat when paired with the great magics of their rulers. Those two planets reluctantly accepted, signing the treaties.

Queen Serenity was determined to bring them more fully into the fold. She worked tirelessly to gain their trust and acceptance, working with them to reorganize industry, build agriculture, and teach magic. With time, she was a respected name in Uranus and Neptune's courts, and they sent permanent emissaries to the Silver Palace of the Moon.

Saturn had been waiting quietly, watching. Her informers spoke well of the new queen and her goals, and of the great things she had done. Once her fellows had joined the alliance, the Lady Saturn, regent for the young princess, stepped forward.

She spoke at great lengths with Serenity, quietly. They discussed every aspect of the treaty. Saturn was particularly interested in what was required of being a member of the alliance. The Queen suggested cooperative learning between the younger royals, to promote growth and understanding, for a ruler would not want to attack a friend.

Lady Saturn approved, though her own charge would never be able to take part. Princess Saturn was tied to the planetary power, and her natural abilities demanded that she be kept dormant unless needed. The young girl existed permanently between life and death, never allowed to surface save if summoned by the combined powers of her nearest neighbors.

Serenity breathed a sigh of relief when Saturn too signed the papers. Only Earth had not.

The Earth was a curious planet. Though the most suited for life, her magic had been dwindling dramatically for generations, and her people lost their gifts. By the time Serenity gained power, there was only one true magic user in the entire planet.

His name was Helios. He was a young boy, rendered permanently so by his position as a priest and the holder of the planet's guiding crystal. The Kinzuishou, the Crystal of Gold, was the counterpart of the Moon's Silver Crystal, and was a great power. However, the Crystal had not accepted a true bearer in the world so severely depleted of magic. Helios, though he held the Kinzuishou, was not its master.

Because the Earth was so limited in strength, the Moon stood guard, silently watching and protecting. The Terran people were left unaware of the larger universe around them.

Centuries passed, as the early alliance grew together. They chose to call it the Silver Alliance, and Queen Serenity was elected to lead. However, the Queen was growing old, by the standards of her people, and she had no heir. Her husband was one of the few remaining people of the Sun, but a corruption in the Sun's crystal had tainted the overlying magic and destroyed their civilization. Those who had been powerful individually fled, settling in the other worlds and doing their best to survive without contact with their native power. King Haul (AN: Haul is Welsh for sun) was sickening as his home became more and more tumultuous. He and his wife feared that his death would mean the end of the Moon line.

A miracle occurred. Through sheer chance, after near seven hundred years as queen, Serenity conceived. Her people rejoiced as the prophets foretold a child that would prove even greater than her forebears. Tragedy marred the joy, however. The King would die before his child ever drew breath.

Queen Serenity mourned, but could not allow that to be the end of everything she had worked for. She would live for her child and her people, and would continue to guide them until her daughter took the crown. Due to the longevity of Lunar people, her pregnancy lasted three years.

The day the princess was born was one of the most spectacular Serenity could remember. For once, the Sun was quiet and bright, and the planets were calm, lacking even the minor difficulties that frequently arose.

Serenity and her advisors, two Mau called Luna and Artemis, swore the tiny baby to be beautiful beyond belief. Already the child had a head of fluffy hair the color of sun-kissed gold, the sole physical feature she derived from her father. She was to be named for her mother, to continue their line.

Just as the little princess opened her eyes, the mysterious Ginzuishou appeared over her head and settled against her heart. The crescent on her forehead sparkled in answer, and the Queen understood. Her child was to be the true wielder of the Silver Crystal's legendary power. What concerned her was that each planet had abruptly begun selecting children. She feared that her peaceful world would not last.

Princess Serenity aged slowly, but even as a small girl she drew people to her as moths to a flame. She had a bright smile and a beautiful laugh, and her doting mother doubted that any could meet her and not love her.

Though that little child had anything a girl could desire, she was not spoiled. She frequently demonstrated a selfless heart, and often convinced Luna, who acted as her nurse, to take her to the hospital so she could play with the sick children there, or speak with some of the ill adults.

The queens and kings spoke, and in the end determined that the crystal holders of the various planets would come together, for the ancient laws dictated that the one who was granted crystal power would rule, regardless of the line of heredity. This caused some dissatisfaction, for many of the girls chosen were cousins or otherwise not the rulers' child. However, it was the highest law of magic-kind, and none would dare attempt to seize control of a planetary crystal.

Even the planets that were traditionally dominated by men were passed to female heirs. Mars , the planet of the god of war, was one such, so the young Martian princess often did her best to prove herself against boys her age. She won, for she was strong-willed and very clever. Even beyond that, Princess Mars was a seer, a gift revered in any court. Uranus, too, fell to female hands, though some murmured that the tomboyish princess would have preferred to be a boy.

Curiously, each princess, though vastly separated in true age, were relatively close together when age was adjusted to reflect the lifetimes of their race and the distance of their planet. Each of the girls of the inner planets, who had joined the Alliance before those further out, would find their ages coinciding. When that occurred, they would be brought together, for the rulers wanted the heirs to be the best of friends. The girls from further away were older, particularly the princesses of Saturn and Pluto. Princess Pluto was already fully mature and had accepted her family's age-old position as the Guardian of Time, the keeper of the Garnet Orb and Time Key. She was Sailor Pluto

Princess Saturn continued to sleep, held by the bindings intended to save the world her dangerous powers. Saturn's post was a powerful one, yet the most deadly of all, for she could become Sailor Saturn. By dropping her tool, the Silence Glaive, the girl could end all things and begin the cycle of rebirth. Sailor Saturn could only be awakened under extreme duress, when her three companions came together with their precious treasures.

Princesses Uranus and Neptune, though separate from the others, stood as a team. They were partners and together stood as the first defense against intruders from beyond their quiet system. Sailor Neptune held the Deep Aqua Mirror, while Sailor Uranus kept the Space Sword. They remained in their palaces rather than joining Serenity's court.

Though the Outer Senshi had assumed their posts, Serenity's attention was drawn once more to the Earth. Curious vibrations had been emanating from the quiet world, and it had caught her daughter's notice as well. Serenity saw no choice but to journey there and determine the source of the vibrations.

What she found astounded her. The king and queen had just introduced their heir to the general public, a young boy named Endymion. While that was in no way surprising, the power emanating from him was. Even beyond that, there were four other boys with magic in the populace.

Unlike Terrans, Queen Serenity understood the inherent dangers. There was no one on Earth that could teach the children to control their powers save Helios, who had his own responsibilities and could not care for five children as well. Magic also sparked magic, so if they were to come into contact with each other, their own abilities would continue to grow. For the first time, the Queen would have to directly interfere with progress on Earth.

While the general public was unaware of the existence of life on the other planets, King Tarin and Queen Rose had been told when they first took the throne. She immediately transferred herself to their throne room after ascertaining they were alone. Her appearance startled them, certainly, but the coming shock would vastly eclipse that minor one.

She told them of Prince Endymion's power, explained he would someday inherit the Golden Crystal and be bound to it forever. She also spoke of the other boys with gifts, and told them flat out that they desperately needed someone of significant power to care for them and ensure their future prosperity. She even included her hopes that someday, with a strong magical presence, Earth would join the Silver Alliance.

And so it came to pass that a tutor was sent from the Moon to care for the boys. He was a magic-user himself, and could therefore control their powers until they could for themselves. The oldest of the children, a light-haired boy named Kunzite, already had control to some degree. The others were still too young. Indeed, the two youngest enjoyed letting their magic run away with them, for they were quite fond of troublemaking. The prince, though still a youth, was an intense and focused child, and he did his best to learn whatever was offered to him.

Years passed, and when the prince was nineteen he and his friends were ready to make their first appearance in the Lunar court. The other boys were generals in the Terran military, assigned specifically to be Prince Endymion's guard and called the four Shitennou. Kunzite headed the group. He was a stoic, controlled man that led the others well, and was fiercely dedicated. His second, Nephrite, was particularly interested in the movements of stars and planets and could use them to predict events well before they occurred. Zoisite was the youngest, but he had a keen wit and was a brilliant strategist as well as being a trained doctor. His multiple skills elevated him beyond Jadeite, who was a year older. The last of the Shitennou, Jadeite was rather wild when compared to his friends. Though he was intelligent and powerful, he preferred acting the clown of the group and was an uncontrollable flirt. However, there was no difficulty regarding rank, for the men were practically brothers. Endymion remained the intense and focused person he had always been, paying little heed to matters of romance or other things that were not related to his position.

Queen Serenity welcomed them lavishly, apologizing for her daughter, who was not present. They were free to explore the Moon and could, with escort, do the same on the other planets. They were particularly encouraged to socialize with the princesses, since they would be allies when they ascended their respective thrones. The Sailor Senshi, Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter, greeted them pleasantly enough before departing to search out their errant princess.

Once released from diplomatic duties for the day, Endymion began to wander the expansive grounds. The palace was vast, and the enclosed gardens were magnificent, albeit paler than any the prince knew. There, lying among the pastel blossoms, was a young woman with beautiful gold hair. They argued first, then began talking more calmly until a bell sounded, calling the court to dinner. Endymion, who had believed the young woman to be Princess Venus, was shocked when she rose and brushed her bangs from her eyes, revealing a sparkling gold crescent.

Princess Serenity had only smiled before she left, and did not betray their acquaintance when he joined the Moon Queen and her daughter at their table. She allowed her mother to introduce them and spoke with him briefly, politely. He could barely equate the vivacious and clever lady outside with the demure princess sitting across from him. Yet, even as she excused herself, expressing a desire to read in the library, she winked at him. He couldn't leave quick enough to go after her.

Serenity was an enigma to him. While they were alone, she seemed just like anyone else, a perfectly normal girl that had lived a normal life. She was beautiful and intelligent, yet he was unerringly drawn to her laugh and smile, and her incredible kindness.

They began to see each other from time to time- in the library, the gardens. It was made simple by their guards having become involved in each other over the course of Endymion's long stay, for Queen Serenity had arranged for him to remain as long as he wished barring any incident that required his attention on Earth.

Queen Serenity knew of their relationship, in the way all wise mothers do. She was pleased, for although her daughter was constantly in the company of her Senshi, her best friends, she had often bemoaned the lack of suitors that wanted her simply for her. Naturally, her beauty and rank had attracted others, but she had rejected them all. There were some complications to it- each was the sole heir to their respective kingdoms. The queen had little doubt that Prince Endymion's parents would disapprove.

Serenity knew as well, but couldn't bring herself to care. She loved him, had always loved him. The Princess had been born with a small talent for seeing the future, and she had seen Endymion long before he was born. In her heart, she knew they were destined lovers. Princess Mars agreed with her, and assisted them, encouraging her sister Senshi to distract his guard so they could meet.

Romance bloomed between the Senshi and Shitennou as well. Mars and Jadeite, Mercury and Zoisite, Jupiter and Nephrite, Venus and Kunzite. Because the Shitennou would not be inheriting kingdoms, there was no difficulty with the matches in that, though their parents were against it.

Discontent was spreading in the Silver Alliance, and the Queen noted the increased number of sunspots with a wary heart. Though she herself was not a seer, those that were had warned her of impending disaster. She knew where trouble would grow. The planets were too strong magically, too well protected, save one. The Earth was vulnerable, and she suspected the darkness of the Sun would move to strike at the weakness. She also knew her beautiful child would not live long enough to become queen.

The Queen also realized her daughter was suspicious, that her own senses had told her of the dangerous times ahead. The princess, however, continued to smile, moving through her life normally. Her romance with Endymion continued to bloom. Some of the Lunar court began to realize, and a few protested to the Moon Lady, but she turned them all away, declaring her daughter's happiness to be tantamount.

Late one night, Sailor Mars burst into her bedchamber, shaking with fear even as she told the Queen in a steady voice that the great destruction was coming, that it would begin the very next evening. It would be the Earth, as they predicted. A fierce evil would turn the Terrans against their Lunar protectors, and they would be led by a jealous woman. Mars feared it would not be long after that.

What she had predicted came to pass. A particularly violent sunspot erupted, ejecting something that crashed on Earth. The people began an uprising, with the King and Queen's support. All were convinced that it was because of the Moon's interference that the planet's powers had waned. The four Shitennou and the prince returned, and the Shitennou set out to investigate the source. They were not seen after that. The prince fled when it became clear he could not sway his people once more.

He immediately found his way back to the Moon, to warn the Moon Lady of the coming invasion. He reported, with deepest pain, that his generals had not been seen, that he feared them dead due to the breaking of their deep bonds. Queen Serenity offered to tell the Senshi, to spare him, but he refused. He would tell them, he said, because they had fallen in his service and he would not dishonor them by doing anything less. He spoke with each separately, and let them cry against him as their hearts broke, for they had hoped they had misunderstood. Princess Serenity wept with them, when they came together to grieve.

The Queen spoke of moving Serenity and Endymion's engagement ball, due to the increased distrust of Terrans, but Serenity would not allow it. Endymion was with the Senshi once more, speaking of his best friends, telling hers how much they had been loved. When her mother questioned her, the princess burst.

She knew it was coming, she knew when. She had seen what would happen. She explained that the army would come that very night, and they would attack the Moon and destroy everything. She wanted that last happiness before the end.

Queen Serenity could not deny her, and she watched her daughter dance with her true love. She heard the explosions that signaled the beginning of the assault, and with a heavy heart ordered her troops forward, though she knew they would fail. How, she could not say, for her troops were larger, stronger, but she believed what her daughter had said.

It was not until deathly silence fell upon the Sailor Senshi that she understood. The Shitennou had not died- they had suffered a fate worse than death. The evil Queen Beryl and her mistress Metallia had destroyed them in a way much more painful than that. They were puppets, bereft of their souls and true natures. They were a weapon.

The Senshi, the heart of the Moon's defense, hesitated. It was brief, but that was all it took. Those seconds determined the fate of the battle. The Princess stood on her balcony and wept, for she had not seen that. Her visions had only been of Endymion dying, and she had known she would not be far behind. She watched as each of her friends fell, and she felt their pain as her own. She felt their bonds cut as each girl drew their last breath. They did not die easily though, for each Senshi had taken their once-love with them. A cruel fate.

It was no surprise to her when Beryl appeared before her. She knew who she was, why she hated her. Beryl had been a peasant who saw the handsome prince and fell in love. She hated Serenity for having what she wanted. Beryl tried to attack her, but failed.

Endymion, in his royal armor, stood a short distance away, sword in one hand, enchanted rose in the other. It had been a gift, the rose, one her mother had given to him. Beryl tried to tempt him, to sway him to her side, but he stood strong. His love for the Princess, and their unbreakable bond, protected him. Serenity wondered if he could have withstood the same torture that had taken his friends.

Beryl attempted again to kill Serenity. Endymion refused to permit it, and took the blow in her place. The Moon Princess caught him as he fell, crying. She couldn't stop the bleeding, did not have the power to save him, for though she was the chosen heir of the Ginzuishou, she had not yet truly mastered it. Don't go, she said, don't die. Beryl shrank back in shock, for none of her plans had anticipated Endymion sacrificing himself to save Serenity. It didn't matter. The Moon Princess was beyond caring.

Serenity took the sword from her dead love's hand. To her, there was nothing left to live for. It was not what she thought would happen, but she knew now why she felt that she would not live long after him. With a prayer and an apology, she pushed the weapon through her own breast and collapsed against Endymion, together with him in death as they had not been allowed in life.

The Queen cried out as her only child died. She couldn't let things end the way they had, could not allow that to be everything her daughter knew. She was so young, and deserved so much more. Her daughter had not told her she was going to die.

There was no choice. The Ginzuishou came at her silent summons, though Queen Serenity knew it would never obey her as it would have her daughter. She set it in the Crescent Moon Wand, even as Luna and Artemis, in their feline forms, protested. She sealed the evil Queen Metallia and all those serving her, and sent the innocent forward in time to begin again.

She knew the Ginzuishou would kill her, for the amount of power she was using. However, she couldn't go until she'd given Luna and Artemis their instructions and sent them as well. She told them to watch over the Senshi, and to reawaken them if the Dark Kingdom ever resurfaced. More than anything though, they were to watch over the Princess.

The cats were enclosed in deep sleep capsules and rocketed away as well, and the Ginzuishou was gone from her hand. It would break to seven pieces, to hide until the time came for the Princess to claim what was rightfully hers. Her last words, whispered to her empty world, wished that someday her daughter would be with the one she loved.

Pluto looked on as her queen passed, deep sadness in her eyes. Exhaustion weighed on her every movement as she moved through space to the palaces of Uranus and Neptune, bringing them with her. The planets were failing with the deaths of their crystal holders, for those crystals were what gave them life, and they had died with their mistresses. Neptune muffled a sob, turning against Uranus as Jupiter fell as well. Uranus looked on silently, but pain filled her with the passing of the Inner Senshi she had cared for most. Neptune, as sensitive as she was, grieved for each passing.

Finally, as the last life ended, Pluto issued the order. Saturn was to be awakened, to end the world in order for it to begin again. She was met with shock from both partners, for they had sworn they would never awaken the final Senshi, regardless of what occurred.

It was necessary, she explained, because if they didn't there would be no way for Queen Serenity's dying wish to come true. She told them they would be sent forward as well, to join their companions in Earth's distant future. Neptune wanted to know what fate Pluto would meet. The older Senshi just smiled faintly. She would be returning to the Time Door, to stand guard as she always had. She would always remember them, she promised, and she swore she would see them again.

She transported them to the most inner chamber of Titan Castle, and each lifted their holy Talismans over the prone figure in the massive bed. Lines of light connected each, and the girl opened her eyes.

They were old, her eyes, though her physical self was very young. She rose, and a moment later a Senshi's uniform rippled into place. She extended one hand, and a long weapon formed in her grasp.

The Silence Glaive. Held only by Sailor Saturn, it was the most deadly of weapons, but it was a double edged sword. To use it was to cause her own death. However, it was her duty, and she would obey. She did not speak, simply teleported them to the destroyed palace on the Moon.

For a long moment, she stared into the distance, seeing the dying planets, taking in the dead forms of her sister Senshi. She closed her eyes, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Finally, she spoke, telling Sailor Pluto to return to her post. The taller woman nodded and was gone in an instant. Once that was done, she faced the last survivors of a destroyed era. Turn around, she told them. It won't hurt. You don't want to watch. Everything will be over in a moment.

After a pause, Neptune reluctantly obeyed, taking her partner with her. They embraced as the Glaive fell, and everything ended.

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"Mama!" Small Lady gasped. "That's a terrible story. Where's the happy ending?!"

Neo Queen Serenity smiled softly. "Oh, sweetheart. You know the rest of the story. The Dark Kingdom reappeared, and the Sailor Senshi stood against them. Eventually, all enemies were defeated. The Senshi were reunited with their loves, your uncles, and Crystal Tokyo came to be."

"But who is Sailor Moon?" the pink-haired girl demanded. "You never mentioned her."

"That's because there was no Sailor Moon during the Silver Millennium," her mother explained. "You see, Sailor Moon has many identities. One, you know. Another? In a different life, she was called Princess Serenity."

"And in the end, the Princess and the Prince found their happy ending," King Endymion said from the doorway. "I think that about wraps it up. Now go to sleep, young lady."

"Yes, Papa," she said just before a huge yawn escaped.

"Good night, my darling daughter," Serenity said as she hugged her child.

The little princess was asleep before her parents even closed the door.

"Perhaps she should have been older before you told her that story, Usako," the King murmured as he embraced her closely.

"She would have wanted to know someday, and this way she thinks most of it was a fairy tale. It will be a long time before she accepts it as truth." She smiled against his jacket. "Let's get some sleep, Mamo-chan. We have a lot of royal nonsense to deal with tomorrow."

He groaned, but followed his wife of a thousand years to their chambers. Happy ending or not, he mused, being a king was just annoying.