Chapter I. Dreams of a Princess
It was the time of the Silver Millennium—a time of great peace and prospering upon this tiny moon. Upon this little world was a legendary kingdom, guarded by the power of the Silver Imperial Crystal. Its inhabitants had long lifetimes, extended by the Crystal itself. War was simply a whisper, a rumor from other planets and galaxies.
Life on the Moon was carefree—there was simply one rule: do not interact with the humans that lived upon the Earth. The Lunarians—those who lived upon the Moon—interacted with every other planet in the system, aside from the one they revolved around. These relations led to each planet sending an ambassador, a charmed and talented senshi, to protect and defend the Moon Kingdom. They were all young women of great heritage and power.
Sailor Mercury, from the planet Mercury, was the senshi of wisdom, and was a great asset in solving problems and strategies.
Sailor Venus, from the planet Venus, was the senshi of love, and helped to spread good cheer amongst the people of the Moon.
Sailor Mars, from the planet Mars, was the senshi of fire, and though usage of her power was rare, she also read from fires about spirits beyond the world she was on.
Sailor Jupiter, from the planet Jupiter, was a strong senshi, the senshi of lightning and nature. She helped to tend to the gardens upon the Moon, making them the most beautiful in all the galaxy.
Sailor Uranus, from the planet Uranus, was the guardian of sky and air. She stood at her post at the end of the solar system, though she occasionally made trips to the Moon for business.
Sailor Neptune, from the planet Neptune, was the senshi of water. She, as well as Sailor Uranus, stood at the end of the solar system, a sentry to see if intruders came.
Sailor Pluto, from the planet Pluto, was the senshi of time and space. She alone held the keys to the Time Gate itself, and stood at her post, watching, waiting—securing the future and observing the past.
The senshi from the planet Saturn was not yet activated—for it was believed that the planet was one of death and destruction. Should the senshi from the planet awaken, then surely the end was near, and the Kingdom of the Silver Millennium was doomed.
It was thought to be too informal for anyone to know their true human names, though Princess Serenity knew them all. When she was alone with her senshi, she called them by name.
Princess Serenity herself was famous throughout the galaxy; she was the equivalent of a celebrity for her own time. Her mother, Queen Serenity, was even much more famous; all knew of her ever-long extended life due to the power of the Silver Crystal. It was a much coveted power; in fact, many "loyal" subjects were coveted the ancient power. Others often wondered how such a small world could possess such a power. Whatever the origin, the Silver Crystal remained a symbol of the everlasting peace in the galaxy.
As for the Moon's relationship with the Earth—it was caused by an ancient feud that no one could seem to recall. The general idea, though, was that any humans whom inhabited the blue and green planet were not to be trusted. This kept the Lunarians from interacting with the planet Earth, and though the Moon was sworn to ignore the blue planet it orbited around, it vowed to prevent any harm from outside of it to come to that world. What happened on Earth, however, was business that it alone could deal with. As far as the Moon was concerned, the violence on the Earth was well-deserved; humans were quite fierce and could never begin to understand true peace.
It was the same planet that she was banned from that Princess Serenity wanted to go to. She was the only child of the great Queen Serenity, and heir to the throne of the Moon. Though she enjoyed the great balls and dances that her kingdom held, she felt as if something was drawing her to the blue planet so close—and yet, so far—from her own world. Day after day she would gaze from her tower in the Moon Kingdom Castle, watching the world that she knew she could never travel to.
Her feline guardian, Luna, often caught her staring at the Earth. "Dear Princess, what is it that you gaze upon?" she would ask.
"Oh, Luna, I wish to go there one day…" Serenity sighed wistfully, running a hand through her long blonde hair, which was tied in two buns on either side of her head.
"Princess, you know you are forbidden to travel to the Earth. Lunarians are not to interact with the people on Earth. They are rather harsh, rude, and primitive. They do not know anything but war and hatred. Surely a jewel such as yourself would be tarnished by even stepping foot in their world."
"Oh, but it cannot be that bad. I believe in the best of everyone."
"I know you do. It is that same naivety that could get you in trouble one day—though it has also produced love and power that has been unrivaled in all the galaxy. Your mother possesses that power in her Crystal, which one day you shall wield as well," stated Luna.
Serenity turned her pale face away from the blue world. "Do you really think I could handle all that power?"
"I have the most complete faith in you, my Princess." Luna bowed low in her cat form, her crescent on her forehead shining in the light.
"Thanks, Luna." Serenity stole one last glance at the world apart from her before she retired to her large bed for a night of sleep.
Time passed differently on the moon than other planets. Strangers from other worlds found it difficult to adapt to, but the Lunarians were quite used to the strange times when the light from the sun would appear and disappear. There would be times when darkness fell over the moon for some time, and other times when light would shine upon the moon, straight from the sun itself. Serenity found that she preferred the light. Darkness tended to frighten her, though Luna assured her that no harm would come to her.
The senshi of Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury stayed in rooms down the hall from the Princess. As ambassadors and senshi, they were allowed to stay in the Moon Castle as special guests, nearly as important as the royal family itself. Princess Serenity found them good companions for exploring different parts of the Moon. She was even granted permission to travel to their respective planets. None of it really captured her attention, however, as she still wished to step foot upon the Earth.
One evening, as the light from the sun began to dim, Princess Serenity found herself wandering the gardens of the Moon. She came upon Sailor Jupiter, who was busy tending to the plants. She was bent over, her long brown hair nearly touching the ground. It was tied back as usual, but still seemed to get in the senshi's way. In front of Jupiter, there were a myriad of flowers—some with bell-shaped stems and a rainbow of colors. (Most of these plants were foreign to other planets, such as the Earth, for example.) Jupiter noticed her Princess and curtseyed as best as she could with gardening equipment in her hand. "Greetings, dear Princess."
"Greetings, Makoto. And please, just call me Serenity. I do not always call you Jupiter."
"True, but you are my Princess," argued the faithful senshi, tossing her brunette hair aside.
The princess tried to ignore her last comment. As much fun as royalty was, sometimes being normal was what she wanted the most. "What kinds of plants are these?" asked Serenity, motioning toward a set of vividly red flowers in full bloom.
"I believe they are called roses."
"Roses? You believe? Where did you pick up the seeds to these?" inquired the Moon Princess.
Makoto looked around at the gardens, as if she were looking to see if they were alone. "Can you keep a secret, my Princess?"
"Ooh, a secret. Yes, I will keep a secret, Makoto. From where did the seeds come from?"
The lightning senshi's green eyes gleamed in the dimming light. "They are from…Earth."
Earth. The one place Serenity wished to visit. "How did you get there?" asked Serenity. "Surely someone must have noticed."
"Not particularly. As long as one of the senshi are around, the Queen and the people are not too concerned with our location. I have made many secret trips to the Earth myself. 'Tis a wondrous place, that Earth."
Serenity was set beside herself with jealousy. "I wish I could go."
"Ah, dear Princess, it would perhaps be too dangerous for you…though, just going to the rose gardens that I visited…perhaps that would be safe," suggested Makoto.
"You're not saying I should not go to the Earth?" asked Serenity bemusedly.
The senshi of Jupiter grinned. "I cannot say anything, for I myself have gone. To do so otherwise would be hypocritical."
"You always were a risk-taker, Makoto."
"I prefer to think of myself as an adventurer."
Serenity gazed at the Earth again. "When do you suppose I would be able to go?"
"Hm…well, Luna did give you a magic pen for your birthday, am I correct?"
"Yes, but I do not follow…"
Makoto sat straight up. "Perhaps one of us could disguise ourselves with your pen. We would cover for you…Venus is the closest resemblance. What is one visit to the Earth, anyway? No one would even notice if you were gone for simply a little while."
"Promise you won't tell?" inquired Serenity.
Makoto bowed. "Upon my life, I take this vow—to never tell of your visit to a rose garden."
Serenity smiled in spite of her friend's dramatics. "So exactly where on Earth should I go?"