SAILOR MOON:AMERICAN SENSHI-REBOOTED
By Eugol Dlareg
A BRIEF MESSAGE BEFORE WE EMBARK ON OUR JOURNEY. . .
As the title of this story makes obvious, this is a reboot of my original Sailor Moon: American Senshi series, which was originally posted on in 2001(if you haven't read it, but would like to, I plan on keeping it up as long as allows me to keep both series up. If I am asked to take down 1 or the other story, I will take down the older one, but it would be nice to have both the new version, and the old version for history's sake). In December, 2005, nearly 5 years after the first chapter was posted, I posted what I thought at the time would be the final chapter of the saga, which, in a way, it was. In early 2011, though, I came back to something I thought I was finished with, but with a difference. . . The characters I wrote about back then(my original series, as well as the one you are about to read, was set in the mid-1980s, specifically 1986 and 1987) had now grown up, married, and had kids of their own(and in the case of Sailor Jupiter, killed by a drunk driver). In this story, the former Gilded Rose, the leader of the team(I made him the leader simply because I found it a little easier to write for a character I wholly created, instead of adapted from characters created by a Japanese pharmacist. Yes, aside from creating manga, Naoko Takeuchi was at one time a licensed pharmacist. The things you can learn about someone by Googling them. . .) comes out of "retirement"(caused by a combination of "growing up" and a bout with cancer that left him without superpowers) to train the next generation of Sailor Soldiers, one of whom happens to be his own daughter. That story also includes a retcon that reveals that in their civilian identities, prior to his marriage to Sailor Mars, Gilded Rose has had sex with Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury(who would later become his stepsister), and Sailor Venus(I left whether he had sex with Sailor Jupiter(at the time, I was on the fence about whether to make her civilian identity a lesbian in a sham marriage with a homosexual male, or a bisexual) and Sailor Earth(I was one of many fanfic writers who made Serena's friend Molly(Naru, in the Japanese version) a Sailor Soldier, who didn't even appear in the Next Generation stories) open, planning to reveal in future episodes, which were eventually never written(although I did nearly fully write, yet abort, a 4th chapter). I would have to say, though, that I pretty much abandoned that series after the 3rd chapter, which contained an ending I literally pulled out of my ass at 2:30 one morning, which I ended up changing the next day. This reboot is a little closer to the first season of the Sailor Moon anime, except I changed things around to avoid plagiarizing the anime
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sailor Moon, or any character names or concepts from the original manga or anime. Sailor Moon was originally created by Naoko Takeuchi, and all characters and concepts from the any previously produced versions are owned by someone in Japan, most likely either Ms. Takeuchi or Toei, except for Americanized names, which are owned by either DiC or Cloverway. This story is a reboot of an alternate universe version of Sailor Moon I wrote between 2001 and 2005, and includes characters and concepts created by myself. In a nutshell: if it originated in the original manga and/or anime, it's owned by either Naoko Takeuchi and/or Toei(to the best of my knowledge). If it originated in the English dub, it's owned by either DiC and/or Cloverway. Yoo-Hoo is a registered trademark of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Everything created for this story, it was created by Eugol Dlareg.
Ten millennia ago, the Moon was a paradise, a veritable Garden of Eden. Peace reigned throughout the Solar System, and the people lived in peace and harmony. On the Moon, peace was kept by a group known as the Order, as well as the Guardian Princesses of the inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter, along with Moon Princess Serenity. While the Guardian Princesses of the inner planets kept the peace within the Solar System, the Guardian Princesses of the Outer Planets, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, stood guard against attacks from outside the Solar System. Like the Biblical Garden of Eden, destruction came in the form of a serpent. . .
The Moon, 10,000 years ago
A young man wearing the training uniform of the Order was meditating on a low wooden platform, when he was interrupted by the Guardian Princess of Mars. "Jacara," she said, which caused the young man to quickly rise to his feet.
"Lady Mars," Jacara, the young man who was the trainer of the Guardian Princesses, said, as the princess tossed him one of the quarterstaffs she was carrying. "If you're ready," he said, as the both of them got into ready positions, and touched the staffs they were holding, "we shall begin."
Jacara and the princess began sparring with staffs, showing intensity which belied their young ages. However, Jacara had the advantage, seeing as he was the master and the princess was his student, as well as the fact that he had been fighting with quarterstaff practically before he could walk. The battle went back and forth, although it seemed that it was more back for the princess and forth for Jacara. Every so often, Jacara would give instruction or advice to his student. Jacara felt that his favorite part of his day was when he was training one of the Guardian Princesses. Suddenly, while they were sparring, while Jacara had a distinct advantage, he suddenly dropped to one knee, and tapped the end of his staff on the ground, to signal that he yielded the fight. Off in the distance, he could hear a bell tolling. "What's wrong?" Princess Mars asked. "It's not like you to yield when you're winning."
"Do you hear that?" Jacara asked.
"The warning bells," Princess Mars said. "But that can only mean one thing."
"The Guardian Princesses of the Outer Planets have fallen," Jacara said. "Metallia somehow defeated them. Return to Serenity Palace immediately."
"But you're alone," Princess Mars said. "I can't let you face Metallia's forces by yourself."
"I can handle it," Jacara said. "And I can count on other members of the Order to come to my aid. Besides, above all, your main duty is to protect the Princess Serenity."
"Right," Princess Mars said, as she ran towards Serenity Palace.
As the Princess left, Jacara was approached by a man in military style dress. "Endymion," Jacara said, addressing the man. "Thank the Kingdom you're here. No doubt you hear the warning bells. The Guardian Princesses of the Outer Planets have fallen, so the Order and the Guardian Princesses are all that stand between the Moon Kingdom and the forces of Metallia. All I have right now is my staff, but I am prepared to defend the Kingdom with my bare hands if I have to."
"I can offer you my dagger," Endymion said, unsheathing a dagger, and driving it into Jacara's abdomen. "In your gizzard! All who oppose Metallia must die. Hail Metallia, the rightful Queen of the Solar System."
Partway to the Palace, Princess Mars realized she forgot her staff, so she went back to where she had her training session with Jacara. She arrived just in time to see Endymion stab Jacara, and hid in a bush until he departed. When Endymion departed, Princess Mars went to help Jacara. "I thought I told you to go back to the Palace," Jacara said, weakly.
"I forgot my staff," Princess Mars said, helping Jacara up. "And I'm glad I did. If I hadn't come back, I wouldn't have seen what happened. Before I am an hour older, Queen Serenity will know of Endymion's treachery. We must go. I will help you."
Ten minutes later, Jacara and Princess Mars arrived at Serenity Palace. "I must speak to Queen Serenity," Princess Mars said. "And Jacara needs a healer."
"Why do you need to speak to me?" Queen Serenity asked.
"We have a traitor in our midst," Princess Mars said.
"Who is this traitor you speak of?" Queen Serenity asked, as they led Jacara to the healer.
"Prince Endymion," Princess Mars said.
"This is a serious accusation," Queen Serenity said.
"I realize the seriousness of this accusation," Princess Mars said. "And it is one I would not be making save for the fact that I personally eyewitnessed his treachery. Endymion stabbed Jacara, and pledged his allegiance to Metallia."
"Princess Mars speaks the truth," Jacara said, weakly, as he was placed on the healer's table. "This wound in my belly came at the hands of Endymion."
The healer arrived, and poured a thick purple liquid in Jacara's wound. Jacara screamed as the liquid caused a burning sensation in his abdomen, where he was stabbed. "The pain cannot be helped," the healer said. "But it only lasts a short time, and you shall be healed shortly. By what manner did Jacara obtain this wound?"
"Endymion," Princess Mars said. "I witnessed his treachery personally."
"Endymion's treachery is most unfortunate," Queen Serenity said. "While Jacara is healing, someone fetch his battle dress."
"What happened to Jacara?" Princess Serenity asked, when she saw Jacara being taken to Queen Serenity's chambers.
"Endymion attacked him," Queen Serenity said.
"But Mother," Princess Serenity said, "Endymion is one of our strongest allies."
"Endymion pledges his allegiance to Metallia," Queen Serenity said. "Princess Mars herself personally witnessed his betrayal."
"Our only hope now," Princess Serenity said, "is for the Order to defeat Metallia's forces."
"Your Majesty, I have grave news," a Palace guard said, as Princesses Venus, Mars, Earth, Mercury, and Jupiter joined Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity, and Jacara, who had changed from his training uniform into his battle dress. "The Order has fallen."
"I will defend you, Your Majesty," Jacara said, drawing his sword. "Until my dying breath leaves my body."
"That can be arranged," Endymion said, entering the chamber where Queen Serenity, Jacara, and the Princesses were gathered. He was accompanied by 2 women, who were joined at the back.
"Metallia," Jacara said, assuming an attack stance.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Metallia, the woman facing Jacara asked. "You do realize that if you kill me. . . "
"I also kill your twin sister," Jacara said.
"If it means ridding the Universe of my twin sister's evil," Beryl, Metallia's twin, said, "I can accept dying."
"It's fortunate for you that I cannot murder the innocent," Jacara said to Metallia.
"And I would kill myself," Beryl said, "but when my twin sister gained her powers, the first thing she did was to put a spell on me that made me unable to die by my own hand. She knew as well as I that I would gladly sacrifice my own life to stop her."
"If we only had the Sword of Light," Jacara said.
"What is that?" Princess Mercury asked.
"A mythical sword," Queen Serenity said.
"It has a blade made not of steel, but of light," Princess Serenity said. "It is the only blade that can completely sever the bond between Metallia and Beryl."
"Only when the bond between them is severed," Jacara said, "will we be able to kill Metallia without also killing Beryl."
"Unfortunately," Princess Serenity said, "the Sword of Light is but a myth. We don't know if it actually exists."
"Endymion," Metallia said, "Kill them all, Queen Serenity first."
"With pleasure," Endymion said, unsheathing his sword.
"Jacara," Queen Serenity said, as Jacara made a motion to defend his queen, "stand down."
"But he'll kill you," Jacara said.
"You may have won this battle," Queen Serenity said, as Endymion fatally wounded her, "but you will not win the war." As her life force left her body, Queen Serenity banished Metallia, Beryl, and Endymion to another dimension, and sent Princess Serenity, Jacara, and the Guardian Princesses to be reborn in the future, when they would be needed to battle once again. The last thing Princess Serenity, Jacara, or the Guardian Princesses remembered was floating in space. With her dying breath, Queen Serenity summoned her feline advisors, Luna and Artemis. "There will come a time when Metallia and Endymion shall emerge once again," Queen Serenity said. "On that day, my beloved daughter, the Guardian Princesses, and Jacara will be reborn to fight them. When that day comes, you two will be there to advise them." As Luna and Artemis left, Queen Serenity died.
CHAPTER 1:
THE CHAMPION OF THE MOON REBORN
Friday, 21 March, 1986-Dr. Sally K. Ride H.S. Sunny Hills, CA
Serena Campbell did what she normally did on Friday afternoon in Mrs. Haruna's algebra class, her last class of the day: marked the time until the end of the day. Although she wasn't exactly a poor student(Serena had managed, despite her disinterest in school, to maintain GPA of just over 3.5, including an A in algebra), she was of the mindset of "why should I have to take algebra in the first place, it's not like I'm ever going to need it". This particular Friday, the class seemed to drag on a little slower, being that as soon as school let out, Spring Break would start. Which for Serena, meant one thing: a whole week of nothing more than hanging out at the beach. The fact that the class had a test that day didn't help matters either, except for the fact that Mrs. Haruna didn't assign homework on test days. There came a point where she felt that 2:55 would never come. Finally, Serena heard the most beautiful sound she'd heard all week: the final bell. "Finally," Serena said, getting up to leave.
As Serena went to put her books in her locker, she saw Molly Carter, her best friend since the 6th grade, at her locker. "Hey Serena," Molly said. "Ready for a whole week of nothing but rays, waves, and burgers?"
"You better believe it," Serena said, as Jake Slater came over, and opened his locker. "Hey Jake," she said.
"Hi Serena," Jake said.
"Hi Jake," Molly said.
"Hi Brooklyn," Jake said, calling Molly the nickname he gave her in reference to the accent she managed not to lose since she moved to Sunny Hills from the aforementioned borough of New York City just before the beginning of 6th grade, despite the fact that in those 4 1/2 years, the farthest east she'd been was Barstow.
"Got any plans for next week?" Serena asked. "Gonna spend Spring Break at the beach?"
"Cavern Records," Jake said.
"Why you spending Spring Break at a record store?" Molly asked. "Why not the beach?"
"Because the beach ain't paying me $4.50 an hour," Jake said. "Cavern Records is."
"You have a job?" Molly asked.
"Yeah," Jake said. "Today's my first day. While the two of you are hanging out at the beach, I'll be a working stiff. Than again, having a steady paycheck won't be all that bad."
"True," Serena said.
"Besides," Jake said, "I need to get some new strings and an amp cord for my guitar. I'd like to get a band together, and maybe play Skate Factory over the summer."
"Cool," Serena said. "Anyways, Molly and I will be thinking of you and all the other working stiffs next week, while we're catching some rays."
"And I'll be thinking of you," Jake said, "while I'm making my own money."
Twenty minutes later, as Serena was walking home, she came across some boys, who appeared to be around 10-11 years of age. She approached the boys when she noticed they were mistreating a black cat. "Leave that cat alone!" Serena said, as she approached the boys. The boys ran off, and Serena picked up the cat. "Did those mean boys hurt you, kitty?" she asked, as the cat clawed at a bandage on its forehead. "Did they put that bandage on your head like that?" Serena asked, as she peeled the bandage off the cat's forehead, exposing a yellow crescent moon on the cat's forehead. "That's odd," Serena said to herself. "I've never seen a cat with a crescent moon on its forehead before."
Is she the one? the cat thought to itself. Is she the one I've been looking for?
CAVERN RECORDS, 20 MINUTES LATER
Jake parked his 1962 Lambretta TV175 scooter in front of Cavern Records. When he entered, A Hard Day's Night was playing on the TV behind the counter. "Hard Day's Night," Jake said. "Cool".
"I see you like that movie," Dianne Bryce, the owner, said.
"I like anything having to do with the Beatles," Jake said. "I've met George Harrison a few times."
"You met George?" Dianne asked. "He's always been my favorite."
"He's my mom's cousin," Jake said.
"Sodas are normally 50 cents," Dianne said, opening a cooler next to the counter. "You get a free one for every hour you work, anything over that is half price, and you can either pay at the time, or have it deducted from your paycheck. There's a sheet of paper on top of the cooler, you write your name down, and what you take. Can I get you anything while I'm here?"
"Got Yoo-Hoo?" Jake asked.
"A man after my own heart," Dianne said, getting a bottle of Yoo-Hoo out of the cooler and setting it in front of Jake.
SERENA CAMPBELL'S BEDROOM, 45 MINUTES LATER
Serena was laying on her bed, polishing her fingernails, when she thought she heard her bedroom window opening. She looked up from her nails, and saw that the window was closed. Must be my imagination, she thought to herself, and went back to her nails. Next thing she knew, she heard a cat meowing. "When did we get a cat?" she asked, to nobody in particular. "And how did it get in my room with the door closed."
"I got in through the window," the cat said, in a female voice, with an English accent.
"Who said that?" Serena said, half scared, half threatening.
"I did," the cat said.
"You said that?" Serena asked, noticing for the first time that she was speaking to the same cat she saved earlier that afternoon. "But that's impossible."
"Why is it impossible that I can speak?" the cat asked.
"Hello," Serena said. "You're a cat. Last time I checked, cats can't speak, they can only meow."
"I'm a cat and I can speak," the cat said. "But enough of that. You are who I am looking for, Serena Campbell. I thought you might be when you saved me from those boys earlier, and now I am certain you are the one who will save the Earth from Metallia."
"Oh great," Serena said. "Not only did a CAT get into my bedroom through a closed window, but she knows my name, and she tells me that I'm supposed to save the world. I really need to lay off the Yoo-Hoo. Listen, kitty, so I can tell my friends about this hallucination whenever whatever it was I'm on wears off, can you at least tell me your name? Since you already know mine."
"Of course," the cat said. "How rude of me. My name is Luna."
"Okay Luna," Serena said, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm just a 15 year old girl, although I turn 16 in a few months. So exactly how in the name of Mike am I supposed to save the world, like you claim I'm supposed to do?"
"With this," Luna said, jumping up, doing a back flip in midair, which materialized a circular pendant with a heart-shaped gem in the center. "Touch the gem on this pendant, and say "Moon Cosmic Power, Make-Up", and you will be transformed into Sailor Moon."
I'd might as well play along, Serena thought to herself, picking up the pendant, and touching the gem in the center. "Moon Cosmic Power, Make-Up!" She said. Next thing she knew, she was dressed in a white leotard with red sleeves that barely covered her shoulders, blue sailor collar bordered with 3 white stripes, short blue skirt with red waistband, blue elbow length gloves, each topped with 3 red bands, blue choker with gold crescent moon on the front, gold tiara with red gem in the center, red bow on her chest with the pendant Luna gave her in the middle, red back bow, and thigh high red boots with white trim, and the balls of hair on top of her head had covers on the front of red with a white border. "Ooooo-kay," Serena said. "This has officially gone from weird to completely batshit insane."
"Why do you say that?" Luna asked.
"Gee, I don't know," Serena said. "But I think it might have something to do with the fact that a talking cat gave me a pendant which turned me into something out of a Japanese cartoon. Things like this might be normal where you come from, but here in Sunny Hills, California, they are way beyond strange."
"This is no time for joking around," Luna said.
"HAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO A SINGLE WORD I'VE SAID?" Serena asked. "You, and everything that's happened since you came in here, are nothing more than figments of my imagination. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go and wake up from this crazy dream."
"This is not a dream," Luna said. "This is real, and you are Sailor Moon, and you ARE going to protect Earth from Metallia."
Serena somehow warmed up to the prospect of being Sailor Moon at that. "You mean it?" she asked.
"You're eager to defeat Metallia?" Luna asked.
"You better believe it," Serena said. "I don't know what those long-haired hessians see in them. I mean, have you even heard Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning? Both albums are somewhere between noise pollution and crimes against humanity."
"Will you please quit joking around?" Luna asked, getting irritated.
"I thought you told me I was going to be fighting Metallica," Serena said.
"No," Luna said. "I said you would be fighting Metallia. She's an evil sorceress bent on taking over the world."
"And I have to fight her?" Serena asked. "How do I do that?"
"When you fight her or her minions," Luna said, "You'll know what to do if you look in your heart."
"Great," Serena said. "So basically, I'm going to be both flying solo and learning on the job."
"You won't be alone," Luna said. "At least not for long."
"What do you mean?" Serena asked.
"You have allies," Luna said. "The thing is, I have to find them for you. And before you ask why you can't look for them yourself, you're needed to battle Metallia's minions. Speaking of which, I sense one of her minions is attacking downtown. I strongly suggest you go down there and check it out."
"How do I get there?" Serena asked.
"I'll help you," Luna said, climbing on Serena's shoulders. "I'm showing you telepathically where the battle is. Can you see it?"
"Yes," Serena said.
"Good," Luna said. "Now imagine yourself there. Yes, that's it."
DOWNTOWN SUNNY HILLS
Serena appeared downtown, where she saw a slightly demonic female floating menacingly above the crowd. As the female held out her hands, several people gave off an unearthly glow, and fainted. "That's it," the female said. "Give your energies to Metallia."
"This isn't happening," Serena kept repeating audibly to herself.
"It most certainly is happening," Luna said.
"A talking cat turned me into something out of a Japanese cartoon, next thing I know, I'm downtown, watching the devil's kid sister floating a foot above the ground, and stealing energy from people. Come to think of it, I thought that hamburger I had for lunch tasted a little funny I guess it's true they don't check the expiration date on the ketchup."
"Will you please be serious for one second?" Luna asked. "The fate of the world is at stake here."
"Whatever you say," Serena said.
"Now concentrate on defeating your enemy," Luna instructed.
"How dare you steal the energies from these people," Serena yelled at the female.
"Who dares defy me?" the female asked.
"I dare," Serena said, striking a pose where she was looking at the female over her left shoulder, with her left arm bent at the elbow, and her left hand in the international sign language for "I love you", with her fingers pointed forward, and pointing at the female with her right hand over the crook in her left elbow(a pose she adopted as her "battle pose"). "I fight for truth, I fight for justice, I fight for Earth. I am Sailor Moon, and I will destroy all those who threaten Earth, and that means you."
"Sailor Moon," the female said, her left arm stretching extra long and her left hand becoming an ax blade, which she swung at Sailor Moon. "Now I know what to carve on your tombstone."
"I don't think so," Sailor Moon said, dodging the attack. "If you don't mind, I would like to stay alive, at least long enough to get my driver's license."
"And to think I was going to play fair," the demon woman said, splitting herself into 3 beings. "Prepare to die," all 3 said simultaneously.
A gold coated rose pierced the ground in front of the demon. "I don't think so," a male voice said, as the demons attacked Sailor Moon. She looked where the voice was coming from, and saw a male, appearing to be her age, wearing a sleeveless black kekogi with gold trim over a long sleeved black mock turtleneck, black karate pants with gold stripes down the pant legs tucked into knee high black jika-tabi boots, black sash belt, black armbands with gold trim, and a black ninja mask. The male was carrying a 6' long staff that appeared to be made of black metal, and had engaged 2 of the demons in battle.
Seeing this person take on 2 of the demons gave Sailor Moon the courage to take on the remaining demon. She ran towards the demon, and launched a kick to the face, knocking the demon down. She saw the male use his staff to take one of the demons he was fighting off its feet, and launched an enziguri kick to the other demon with his heel, following it up with a jumping cutter. "Sailor Moon," Luna said. "Throw your tiara at your opponent, and say "Moon Tiara Magic". That's the only way to defeat this demon."
"I'll try anything," Sailor Moon said, removing her tiara. "Moon Tiara, Magic!" she yelled, throwing her tiara at the demon, destroying it, which caused the demons the male was fighting to disappear. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful," Sailor Moon said, "after all, I don't think I could have fought all 3 demons by myself, but who are you?"
"You can call me Gilded Rose," he said. "And I will always be there whenever you need me."
"Who are you really?" Sailor Moon asked.
"That is a question that will be answered another time," Gilded Rose said, disappearing in a puff of gold smoke, as quickly and as suddenly as he appeared.
"I don't know who you are yet," Sailor Moon said, transforming back to Serena Campbell, "but I bet you're a total fox underneath that mask."
CAVERN RECORDS
"So how'd it go?" Dianne asked, as Gilded Rose appeared in the back room, and changed back to Jake Slater.
"It went pretty good," Jake said. "I just wish the fight had gone a little longer, though."
"Why's that?" a white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead asked.
"You should know I'm a bit of a showoff, Artemis," Jake said. "I wish I could have shown off some more of my moves. At least Sailor Moon knows I'm on her side. Hopefully, we can find the rest of the team soon. As good as Sailor Moon and I are, I doubt we'll be able to defeat Metallia by ourselves. Hopefully, we'll find a way to do it without killing Beryl in the process."
"If you can find a weapon that may or may not even exist," Dianne said.
"The sword of light," Artemis said.
SERENA'S BEDROOM
"Oooo-kay," Serena said, as she returned to her bedroom, "this is officially the weirdest day of my life."
"Why do you say that?" Luna asked.
"I don't know what things are like where you come from," Serena said, "but around here, talking cats, magical pendants that turn teenage girls into something out of a Japanese cartoon, demons that can split into 3 parts, and ninjas that can appear and disappear out of nowhere are not everyday occurrences. The ninja appearing and disappearing out of nowhere, maybe. They are pretty good about not being seen."
"I wish you would take your duty as Sailor Moon seriously," Luna said.
"You're acting like everything that happened to me in the last half hour is something that happens to normal people on an every day basis," Serena said. "So will you please excuse me if I think I'm either having a weird dream, under the influence of some really good drugs, completely insane, or some combination thereof."
"And your point is?" Luna asked.
"You don't get it," Serena said. "You and I should not be having this conversation. What should be happening is I should be talking to you, and you respond with the occasional meow, not you telling me that I'm supposed to save the world from some evil sorceress. So if you'll excuse me, until I get used to the fact that the weirdness factor has just been cranked up to 1100, I'm going to get a little freaked out by this. Scratch that, I'm gonna get major league freaked out by this."
"So can I continue?" Luna asked.
"Might as well," Serena said. "You obviously didn't take into consideration that I'm not used to cats who speak English. You said I'm supposed to save the world from this evil sorceress named Metallia. Why don't you tell me how to find her, and while you're at it, show me how to conjure up a weapon of some sort, and I can kill her."
"It's not that simple," Luna said. "Even if I knew where to find Metallia, or I were able to draw her out, killing her would be a problem."
"What, is she immortal or something?" Serena asked.
"Not that," Luna said. "The problem is, if you were to slay Metallia, you would also kill Beryl."
"Who is Beryl?" Serena asked. "And why would killing Metallia also kill Beryl?"
"Metallia and Beryl are sisters," Luna said. "More precisely, they're what you would call Siamese twins. However, only Metallia is evil. Unfortunately, killing one of them will result in the death of both of them."
"Why can't I just take a sword, separate them, and kill Metallia?" Serena asked.
"It's not that simple," Luna said. "When Metallia first gained her powers, the first thing she did was cast a spell over herself and her sister. The only way to kill one without also killing the other is to separate them with the Sword of Light. And the second thing she did was to cast a spell over Beryl, so Beryl cannot kill herself."
"How'd you know I was going to ask why Beryl never just killed herself?" Serena asked.
"I would have asked the same thing," Luna said.
"And what's so special about the Sword of Light, anyways?" Serena asked. "And why is it the only way to kill one without killing the other?"
"The Sword of Light is a sword with a blade made of light instead of steel," Luna said. "It's a mythical weapon, and we don't know if it even exists. That is why Metallia chose it as the only way to kill her without also murdering Beryl. That is Metallia's greatest strength, using what could be perceived as a weakness to her advantage."
"A sword with a blade made of light," Serena said. "You know what, I have seen one before."
"Really?" Luna said, excited. "Where did you see it?"
"That's the bad news," Serena said. "It was in a movie."
"I never promised you this would be easy," Luna said. "I only promised you that you won't be going at it alone. You've already found one ally in Gilded Rose. And you are only the first of the Sailor Soldiers, it's just a matter of me finding the rest. I will find them, on that you can rest assured."
"And we'll find the Sword of Light," Serena said. "I'm sure of that. Don't ask me how, but I have a feeling that we're going to somehow come across it by sheer dumb luck. And one other thing I just thought of. I think there's something missing with my costume."
"What do you mean, missing?" Luna asked.
"I need a mask," Serena said.
"No you don't," Luna said.
"Yes I do," Serena said. "If I'm going to be a superhero, I need a mask, or a hood. Something to protect my identity. I don't know anything about this Metallia character than what you've just told me, but something tells me that if she found out who I was, she would find some way to use my loved ones against me. So, unless you give me a mask, you can find yourself a new Sailor Moon."
"I'm so sorry," Luna said. "I should have mentioned this before."
"Mentioned what before?" Serena asked.
"When you transform into Sailor Moon," Luna explained, "you project an aura around yourself which prevents anyone who doesn't know your secret identity from recognizing you as Serena Campbell. And rest assured that when I do find the other Sailor Soldiers, they too will project the same aura. You won't even know each other's identities until you reveal them to each other."
"So the reason I don't have a mask is because I don't need one in the first place," Serena said. "Besides, the only thing I could see with this costume that wouldn't look ridiculous would be some big cat's eye thing over the eyes."
"If you don't mind," Luna said, "I'm going to need to use your home as a base of operations."
"That might pose a problem," Serena said. "It's not like I can go up to my parents. If I went up to them and said "This cat followed me home, gave me superpowers, and told me I was supposed to save the world from some evil sorceress, can I keep it?", they'd have me tossed in the funny farm faster than you can say meow."
"I'll handle your parents," Luna said. "The ability to speak human languages is not the only difference between me and your garden variety house cat. Speaking of which, look into my eyes."