Neptune groaned as she placed a hand on her head. She finally opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Nearby, the Senshi took notice of an unconscious Sarlutous and Tuxedo Kamen though somehow, they looked different to her.

"Where are we?" she wondered.

Taking a walk around, her mind went back to the last thing she remembered: the battle at the lake. Now, she was in a place she had long since forgotten and she knew why her companions looked different.

She was back in the palace on the moon.

"This cannot be. Why would I be here?" Neptune mused.

She heard groaning coming from behind her and knew that Sarlutous and Tuxedo Kamen were both awakening. The two climbed to their feet and gazed around.

"We're back in the Moon Kingdom? But how?" wondered Sarlutous

"I honestly don't know why we would be here. I mean, what do the three of us have in common?" Neptune replied.

"Well, I have nothing in common with you Neptune…but I did grow up on Earth when the kingdom was still on the moon," Sarultous said.

Tuxedo Kamen didn't say anything as he carefully eyed everything. His mind was wandering back to his most recent dream.

'You need to reclaim a part of your life.'

The words and the images were coming back to haunt him and it was slowly starting to scare him. He was wondering what it had to do with the two young ladies standing with him. The sound of footsteps filled their ears and the trio looked up to see Queen Serenity stepping into the room.

"Good, you have arrived. I have been patiently waiting for the three of you," she warmly told them.

"You…have?" questioned Sarlutous.

"Of course I have. We are all eager to hear their responses. My daughter and her court are in the main hall now, waiting for the last of the people to arrive. There is quite a crowd gathered from all the planets for the proceedings," the queen explained.

She motioned for them to follow, which they were reluctant to do. All three were confused with the reception. Neptune was first but soon dropped back to her companions.

"What is going on here? It looks like we are back on the moon but it appears we are not posing as ourselves. What would I have to do with anything here on the moon? I certainly do not know what could possibly be happening," Neptune wondered.

Sarlutous shrugged her shoulders, unsure how to reply to the inquiry. They continued to follow the queen as they passed through the maze of hallways.

"I know it will be quite interesting. When the queen agreed to her daughter's request, I knew it was going to be a difficult task. Her brother was quite adamant that she not do this but she was insistent. I was more than happy to have a place for the princess of the Earth here on the moon. Now all we had to do was find a suitable power for her. We simply have to hope they agree to it," Queen Serenity explained to them.

The trio narrowed their eyes as she opened the hall doors to reveal Neptune, Pluto and Uranus standing on one side of the room, with Tylaxin, Jelliscan and Endymion standing near the front, quietly talking to each other. The three quickly noticed the ornate tiaras on the two women's head.

"What the…?" started Neptune.

"I don't understand. I was never royalty during the Silver Millennium," Sarlutous protested.

Tuxedo Kamen paled slightly as he carefully watched his former self debate with the young women he had come to know as close friends in the present. He could see himself, literally, worried over the situation. Serenity stepped forward and raised her arm. This caught everyone's attention for the room quickly became quiet.

"Now that everyone is here, we can start. As you all know, Tylaxin, princess of the Earth, has requested to be part of my daughter's court and represent the Earth on the moon. With no special powers available to her, we have been forced to find it elsewhere. That is where the princesses from the far reaches of our galaxy come into play," she called out to the crowd.

She turned her gaze towards Neptune, Pluto and Uranus, who remained silent the entire time. Serenity gave a weak smile as she gazed over at the trio.

"I have already given you the request for your help by allowing Tylaxin to draw power from your planets. Through her, you can be represented here while you protect us from invasions. Saturn could not be here but I have discussed her reply with her and she has agreed. Now all we need are your answers," Serenity told them.

The three knew what was coming and they could feel the pressure in their decision. They felt all the eyes boring into them as Pluto stepped forward.

"I have given it much thought and I accept the proposal. I will aid the young princess," Pluto told them.

Sarlutous, Neptune and Tuxedo Kamen were paying rapt attention to everyone and everything that was being said. When the queen mentioned about Tylaxin's heritage, they were all surprised. Kamen and Sarlutous stared at each other, in total disbelief.

"If I was the princess of the Earth and you were the prince, wouldn't that have made us…?" questioned Sarlutous.

"…brother and sister? Yes, it would have but why have we not remembered something like that?" he finished.

He gave a step closer towards the crowd as Uranus moved forward. They watched as she nodded her head, indicating that she would also help. Neptune watched as her former self as she shifted her position. There was a disconcerting feeling about her as Queen Serenity glanced in her direction.

"So what will it be Neptune? What is your answer?" wondered the queen.

Neptune didn't immediately reply. She stepped away from the others and towards the young princess. She looked her over, creating an uneasy feeling in everyone.

"I cannot possibly see how a young princess, barely into her teens would be able to handle the power which is offered to her. Does she really know what she wants? What about Saturn? I thought she hadn't awakened yet," Neptune inquired.

"I was able to speak to Saturn through the ginzuishō. She will be able to come out of her sleep long enough for this to take place. Tylaxin will be able to contact her and relay anything that she needs to us. Tylaxin will not have the destructive capabilities that Saturn has, if that's what you're worried about," Serenity explained.

Neptune sauntered closer to Tylaxin and crossed her arms, giving her a hard stare. Tylaxin could feel the eyes boring into her and gulped.

"I feel you are too young and immature to receive these powers. I do not feel you are worthy enough to serve the queen. All you have is a childish fantasy that you will want to give up once you have the powers but listen to me well: these powers are not to be toyed with, especially Saturn's," Neptune quietly told her.

The royal trio was horrified as Neptune stormed away. Jelliscan comforted her daughter once she began to burst into tears as Endymion grasped her sword. Serenity lifted a hand towards him and he stopped as they watched Neptune leave the room.

"Let her go, Endymion. She has made her decision," Serenity told him.

Sarlutous was also horrified as she looked at the present Neptune. Tuxedo Kamen soon found himself trying to play referee.

"I wasn't 'worthy' enough to represent you? Apparently, Uranus and Pluto were convinced enough with Serenity's argument to help me. Why not you?" she posed.

"I d-don't seem to remember much about that part but can you blame me? Take a look at you now. You cannot control your powers without that Rod of yours and you could kill yourself and everyone around you if you don't have it. I can see where I was coming from," Neptune replied.

The tears poured down Sarlutous' face, unaware they had a watcher. Serenity walked over to them and gave each of them a sad smile.

"That was indeed how it played out. I apologize for the way you had to find out but it was necessary," she solemnly said.

Tuxedo Kamen and Neptune blanched as they glanced at each other. They turned their attention towards Sarlutous, who was inwardly seething. She carefully clenched her fists several times, never noticing anything around when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"I do believe you're looking for this," Serenity told her.

Sarlutous carefully grasped the Outer Rod out of the queen's hand and began to walk away. Tuxedo Kamen quickly followed her. Neptune remained behind, not wanting to have any further part of the turmoil. Serenity carefully placed a hand on the Senshi's shoulder, who didn't make any reaction to it.

"Neptune, you should know something," the queen started.

When it appeared that Neptune wasn't going to protest, Serenity decided to continue.

"Tylaxin is a princess, we both know that. She was always destined for something great but she was constantly overlooked because of her older brother. When she and my daughter first met, they became instant friends. Then came the day my daughter nearly died. She lost her balance and fell off the balcony. It was Tylaxin who ended up saving her by going after her. She ended up getting a few cuts and scrapes but we have been indebted to her ever since then. It was that moment on when she wanted to stay and help protect my daughter," Serenity explained.

Neptune blanched as she heard the story. She knew the queen would never lie about such a subject and she thought to herself how wrong she might have been about the whole situation.

TBC…