Beryl's monstrous face hovering over Mamoru's. She's laughing.
"Without the Legendary Silver Crystal, you are nothing to me," Beryl said.
Mamoru screams as his body disappears.
"No!" The twins scream, sitting up at the same time.
Tears poured down their faces as they looked at each other. They both had the same awful dream each night since Mamoru and Genjiro were taken from them. Mizuki dreams of Jiro being killed while Usagi dreams of Mamo being killed. Their hair hung down limply around them. They had both taken out their buns and hadn't gotten out of bed since that night. The twins hadn't seen Luna and Diana since that night either. It had been a week and no one had been to visit them. The twins didn't speak while they had shut themselves in their room. Their mother forced them to eat, but they didn't talk to her either. They just laid in bed all day, staring at each other. They had turned off their thoughts, tired of crying constantly.
It was late and the moon was hanging up in the sky. Usagi heard people downstairs and knew that the girls had come to visit. She looked at Mizuki whose eyes were wide. Their hair was glowing again, growing longer. It had been like that every night as well.
"It's okay," Usagi whispered.
"Usagi-chan, are you okay? It's me, Diana," Diana's voice carried through the door.
"Mizuki, I'm here too," Luna's voice sounded.
"Everyone is here. Usagi-chan? Mizuki-chan?" Ami asked.
The door to their room opened.
"Luna, everyone," Mizuki said.
"Diana," Usagi said softly.
Everyone gasped as they looked at the twins.
"Usagi! Your hair!" Rei said.
"Mizuki! You too!" Mako said.
The girls descended upon the twins, brushing out their hair and cutting it for them. Mina put their hair up into the classic bun style while Ami brushed out Usagi's hair. Mako was brushing out Mizuki's hair.
"Since when did your hair start growing this long?" Artemis asked.
"After that day, it's been growing longer and longer," Usagi said.
"The both of you used to have super long hair when you were princesses. Your body is changing due to the sudden recovery of all the memories from the past," Mina said.
"Usagi, where is the Legendary Silver Crystal?" Luna asked.
Usagi pointed to the coffee table in the center of the room. The Legendary Silver Crystal was sitting on a crochet cloth.
"It hasn't shined since that day. It looks like a normal glass ball now," Usagi said.
That day.
Usagi and Mizuki gasped at the same time, tears filling their eyes. Their faces distorted into that of shock as they held their face between their hands.
"Mamo-chan! Where is he now?" Usagi asked.
"Jiro-chan! I have to hurry before they... before they," Mizuki said.
"Usagi, Mizuki, get ahold of yourselves," Mako said, concerned.
"I don't know what to do!" Usagi said.
"Usagi-chan, come on! We all know that you are strong!" Ami said.
Usagi looked at Ami, tears spilling down her face. Ami was crying as well.
"I'm... strong?" Usagi asked.
"Princess Serenity always cheered us up with her strong, sweet smile. So do you," Ami said.
"Prince Serena always found a way to make us laugh," Mako said, holding onto Mizuki's hand.
"But I'm not a princess!" Mizuki said.
Usagi looked at her, her face still distressed.
"I know!" Rei said.
Everyone looked at Rei. Tears were in everyone's eyes. Rei looked between the twins.
"You guys are not princesses. You don't need to take the same path as before. You were reborn as yourselves for a reason" Rei said, her voice strong and sweet.
"We're here to help you fulfill what you couldn't accomplish in the past," Mako said.
"We are prepared to do so," Mina said.
"You guys," The twins said together.
Everyone held onto each other in a group hug as the twins cried into their hands.
"Thank you, everyone, but I really don't know what to do," Usagi cried.
"Let's go to the moon," Diana said.
Everyone looked up and looked at Diana, including Luna and Artemis.
"Diana?" Luna asked.
"Have you remembered that I'm your daughter?" Diana asked Luna and Artemis.
Luna and Artemis blushed, but they both nodded.
"Serenity, I was born at the same time as you. I was assigned to be your companion and your protector. When you were bored and alone, we would always play together," Diana said, eyes glistening.
Usagi looked at Diana. She remembered how much time they had spent in the past together and how precious they were to each other. Serena was always being taken care of and fawned over, which left Serenity alone by herself a lot. Diana would always find her and keep her company. Diana was her true friend, her true companion. And Usagi knew that she hated to see her suffering like this.
"The location of the Dark Kingdom, the Legendary Silver Crystal, and our enemies. The keys to all the mysteries may be found on the moon," Diana explained.
"The moon?" Mizuki asked.
Everyone turned and looked out the window behind them. The moon was shining radiantly. Usagi thought of Silver Millennium and all of the happy memories that she had of her kingdom and of her true love. All of them were precious to her and she wouldn't let anyone take away her happiness. Everyone stood, Usagi's eyes blazing with passion.
"I will never be a tragic princess again!" Usagi said, her voice strong as she looked at the moon.
Usagi looked at her sister. She had a look of subtle determination as well.
Mizuki, you never wanted to be the heir. Did you?
Mizuki could see the thought in her sister's eyes and reached over, squeezing her hand.
"Let's go to the moon!" Mizuki said.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's prepare to go to the moon. We will depart on the next full moon night," Luna said.
Over the next month, as they waited for the full moon to arrive, things went back to a new normal. The twins began to attend school again and Ami did extensive research about the moon. Usagi asked her father to make the Legendary Silver Crystal into a necklace and wore it from then on. As the days went by, Usagi's and Mizuki's feelings grew stronger about learning about their past and finding the key to saving Mamoru and Genjiro. They would not let the past repeat itself, but Usagi secretly vowed to save her sister over all else. She had protected her in the past and she would protect her now as well. Each night, they stared out the window and watched the moon as it went through the phases.
Finally, the night of the full moon arrived. Usagi got dressed in a black skirt that went to her knees and had suspenders built in. The skirt went up to her waist and she wore a black and white striped tee shirt tucked into the skirt and black ankle boots. Mizuki wore a pink skirt, a white, half-sleeved shirt, and black ankle boots. Mina wore a teal dress with white cats on it, a pink jacket, and black booties. Ami wore jean short overalls, a black and white floral tee shirt, black stockings and sneakers. Mako wore ripped tights, jean shorts, and a band tee shirt. Rei wore a flowy bronze tank top, a geometric patterned black skirt, and a floral sheer shawl-jacket. All of them meet up in the park that Usagi had used as a cut through to go to school. They stood in front of the fountain with the clock tower in the center. Luna stepped up onto the railing of the fountain and then closed her eyes. Her fur stood on end as her crescent moon began to glow. The water in the fountain began to glow as well and formed a crown shape.
"Go inside the circle, transform, and then hold hands," Luna said, looking back at the girls.
Everyone got inside the glowing circle, holding out their transformation pens.
"Moon Prism Power Makeup!" The twins said in unison.
"Mercury Power Makeup!" Ami said.
"Mars Power Makeup!" Rei said.
"Jupiter Power Makeup!" Mako said.
"Venus Power Makeup!" Mina said.
In a flash, everyone transformed. They held hands in a circle and could feel their powers flowing within each other. They closed their eyes as they were transported up. When they opened their eyes, they got a spectacular view of Earth. It was beautiful and breathtaking, but the Moon was even more so.
"Luna, where are we landing?" Ami asked.
"Mare Serenitatis... it is also known as the 'Sea of Serenity'," Luna explained.
When they landed, it was eerily silent and dark. It was not the kingdom of the Moon that she remembered.
"It's dark here," Mako said.
"And silent. There are no sounds," Rei said.
"The ruins," Ami said.
The girls all turned and saw the ruins in the distance.
"Silver Millennium... This is where our kingdom used to be," Mina said, staring at the ruins.
They walked silently through the ruins, taking everything in.
"Is this where the castle used to be?" Usagi asked quietly.
"Yes, Moon Castle," Mina said.
"We're here," Diana said.
"This space used to be the prayer room, only the queen was allowed to enter here. This is Crystal Tower, the core of Moon Castle," Luna explained.
Everyone looked up at the towering crystal, but everything was made of stone. It was like something had cursed the castle. Usagi looked to the center of the room where a sword was stuck in a stone pedestal.
"A stone sword?" Mizuki asked.
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, pull it out!" Luna instructed.
"Alright! Leave it to me!" Jupiter said, punching her open palm.
Mako walked up to the sword and tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. Rei and Ami went over to help and they got it to move just a bit.
"We can almost pull it out..." Mako said.
"Leave it to me!" Mina said.
"Just a bit more. You guys can do it!" Diana said.
Mina stood over the sword and pulled with all her might. After a moment, the sword pulled free. The stone pedestal began to glow and Mina jumped off of it, joining the girls again. A blue orb formed in the center and a voice drifted over to them.
"That's the legendary holy sword to protect the princesses... Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus... It belongs to all of you," The voice said.
The orb began to die down and a figure formed in the center.
"Luna, thank you for guiding them here. You as well Diana," The voice said.
The figure had a long white dress on. It was strapless with a bow and a crescent moon brooch on the chest. The dress looked like it had fairy wings on the back of it. The woman had long silver hair styled in the classic buns that Usagi always wore. She had grey eyes and a crescent mark on her forehead.
"You are... Queen Serenity?" Usagi asked.
Usagi and Mizuki knelt in front of the small hologram and looked at their mother from their previous life.
"Lovely Serenity and Serena," Queen Serenity said.
"You can see each other?" Ami asked.
"Thanks to Eternity Main System of Moon Castle, even though I've physically perished, my will is still remaining. I sent Luna, Artemis, and Diana to Earth after putting them into suspended animation. I was waiting for this moment for so long. Do you remember?" Queen Serenity asked.
Their surrounds changed and it was like watching a painting of the past.
"Serenity, you used to land on Earth often to yearn for greens and winds... And you found love there. And it wasn't long before your sister followed suit," Queen Serenity said.
Usagi blinked and the images of the past faded away.
"Right, I used to land on Earth sneakily just to see him," Usagi said, remembering fondly.
"One day I followed you and met Hikaru," Mizuki said.
"We can see it too," Ami said quietly.
"The days we used to spend here..." Rei said, fondly.
"Yes, no doubt about it," Mako said.
"Those were our happiest days," Mina said.
"We were the long-living creatures on the moon. Our mission was to protect the Legendary Silver Crystal and watch over Earth and help it to improve... But in that year, a disaster occurred... A variant creature who invaded Earth and attempted to plunder. That creature was pure evil and it schemed to control the Legendary Silver Crystal. It brainwashed humans and attacked the moon. But the young princes of Earth, Endymion and Hikaru, managed to keep their sanity and they fought to protect the princesses. Serenity made Serena hide since she was the heir and faced the crowd with the princes." Queen Serenity explained.
Usagi and Mizuki looked at each other, tears in their eyes. Their past was playing out before their eyes and they remembered every moment of it. They knew what happened next...
"Endymion was stabbed in place of Serenity, but Serenity and Hikaru were struck down shortly after. Serena, you ran out to see what was happening and saw the bodies of your loved ones on the castle steps. You took your own life, collapsing on the bodies of your sister and loved one... With the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal, I finally managed to seal her. But in return, she turned Silver Millennium into stone and the country of Earth died out. The history of Earth is started all over again but the evil has revived again. We need to eliminate it completely this time... With the true power of the Legendary Silver Crystal. Only the heir of the Moon Kingdom can do it. Serena!" Queen Serenity said.
Everyone looked at each other and Mizuki looked startled. Serenity was stone-faced as the girls began to whisper.
"What? Luna, what has happened?" Queen Serenity asked.
"Your Majesty, Serena didn't summon the Legendary Silver Crystal... Serenity did," Luna said quietly.
The Queen looked startled and looked between Usagi and Mizuki, almost as if she didn't understand.
"You never saw it, did you?" Usagi said quietly.
"Saw what?" Queen Serenity asked.
"That Serena never wanted to be the heir. She only faked being happy about it to please you. But you fawned and fussed over her while I was alone... While I read and studied and learned what it was to be the heir of Silver Millennium and the protector of the Legendary Silver Crystal," Usagi said.
Usagi wiped a tear from her eye and looked away from the Queen. The girls were murmuring behind her and Mizuki looked sad.
"Queen! The Legendary Silver Crystal seems strange. Something has been drawn into Endymion and Hikaru's bodies and the Crystal has lost its brightness ever since then," Mina said, breaking the tension.
"Its content has been drawn out?" Queen Serenity asked.
Usagi pulled out the Legendary Silver Crystal, looking at it. It still wasn't shining.
"Serenity, I guess it was your strong wish for saving them that caused it to happen... Don't worry, I'm sure they're still alive," Queen Serenity said.
Usagi looked up at the Queen and nodded, her eyes swimming with tears. They were still alive. They had to be.
"Princess Serenity, please remember that the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal is depending on you. Be proud of being a princess, being Sailor Moon, the Guardian of Love and Justice... And don't forget that you are a female human being this time. That's the true meaning of your rebirth... And forgive me for not seeing you for who you truly are until now... A leader, a princess, an heir," Queen Serenity said, smiling sweetly at Usagi.
Usagi's tears dripped down her face as she looked at her mother.
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Neoma, please protect the princess with a united effort and protect this kingdom... I don't have much time left. Princess Serenity, Princess Serena... My girls... I love you and I am so proud of you. Serenity, please be happy..." Queen Serenity said, holding out her hand and looking lovingly at her daughter.
"Mom!" Usagi cried, grabbing for her hand.
Queen Serenity disappeared, dissolving into small bright lights and floating into the universe. Usagi sat there, stunned.
"Morning is arriving on Earth... Let's go back," Luna said.
Usagi put the necklace of the Legendary Silver Crystal on and turned to her sister. Mizuki was cried softly as well, looking at her sister.
"You don't bare the responsibility this time Serena. This time, you really get to be a carefree normal girl..." Usagi said.
Usagi reached over and cradled her sister's head, pulling her towards her and resting her forehead against hers. Mizuki cried harder.
"Serenity..." Mizuki choked out, not getting anything else out.
"I know," Usagi said softly.
The sisters stayed like that for a long time before they re-joined the group and headed back to Earth. They stood on the edge of the tallest building in Tokyo and watched the sun begin to rise.
"Everyone, let's find the meaning of our rebirth..." Mizuki said softly.
They all nodded in agreement. Usagi squeezed Mizuki's hand as they continued to watch the sunrise.