...

There's no more turning back, you can only move ahead

You can do it, you're the only ones who can
When you change despair to hope, when your destiny becomes your mission
I wanted you to live happily more than anyone,
I wanted you to live in peace more than anyone,
If I had told you about the trials you had to overcome...
If I had told you the hopes I had for your future...
There's no more turning back, you can only move ahead
You can do it, you're the only ones who can
When you change despair to hope, when your destiny becomes your mission


The Moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky as the large group of shadowy figures walked through the now deserted and darkened park.

"Alright." Haruka said as they reached the farthest end of the park and the group stopped their walk, but their journey wasn't even halfway over. The cement wall provided cover from one angle, and towards the other end was only the vastness of the empty park. Usagi's eyes moved towards where the cement wall turned the corner knowing that just a few yards away lay the fountain. It was the most secluded open place they could think of, but Usagi still felt uneasy. The fountain's comforting echo no longer pulsed through her, and the memory of Endymion's sword crashing down upon her remained at the forefront of her mind as well as his hate filled eyes. Luna shifted her body weight in Usagi's arms as the others began to make a circle after Michiru and Ami had assured them no one was nearby to see them using The Mercury Computer and The Deep Aqua Mirror.

"The sky is so clear, its almost perfect conditions for a trip to The Moon." Ami said staring upwards at the soft glowing Moon above. "The only way it could be better if The Moon was completely full, but with the extra power the others give us we should be alright." She wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but in truth was only trying to keep the silence from taking complete control of the situation.

"The Full Moon would still be best." Rei whispered. "The symbol of new beginnings, of making requests for the future." The others looked at her and she glanced to the floor to avoid their eyes. "Its just what they say." The circle had been formed and Usagi took her position in the middle like Luna and Artemis had told her. Luna remained in her arms, and Artemis had taken his position draped over her shoulder.

"Alright everyone, transform to harness The Moon's bright light. It will enable you to use Sailor Teleport to the fullest, and generate a powerful shield around you as well." Artemis told them. The group was now completely encircled around them and each of them lifted their transformation wands high into the air. Usagi watched as they were en-wrapped with light and after a brief instance they stood transformed together.

"I guess..." The group turned to Venus as she spoke suddenly, and they watched as her hands went to her red mask. Usagi couldn't contain a surprised gasp. The Moon's emblem was no longer on Venus' forehead, but she wore a tiara like all of the others. She lifted the red mask off of her face and smiled sadly as she looked down at it in her hands as she tilted it back and forth.

"V-chan..." Venus smiled brightly as she lifted her head and waved the mask carelessly for them to see it.

"I don't really need it now. The enemy knows who the real princess is." Venus said as she continued to smile. Venus looked at the mask one last time and her smile had transformed into a sad, somber expression. "Sailor V has no more purpose..." Her fingers tightened violently around the red mask and it vanished in sparks of light. "Now everyone can see..." Sailor Venus said and there were tears in her eyes now as well, but she smiled again as she looked up to face them. They could all see her failure, her inability to take her Princess' place. "I've got nothing more to hide." All of her hard work to keep Usagi out of the spotlight and out of danger, and it had all been for nothing. Venus smiled even wider and her eyes shut as she laughed slightly. "Lets do our best now... Okay?"

"Mina," Artemis said sadly as he watched her, but she only continued to smile as her eyes opened and she looked up to look him in the eyes.

"Come on now, we don't have all night." She declared happily, and Usagi wondered what she was actually feeling inside. She felt a bit guilty. Usagi had been so reluctant to go on, and there was Venus; trudging on despite of everything they had ever gone through. Trying to carry the weight for all of the others; picking up Usagi's slack. Luna took charge of the situation now as Artemis remained quiet.

"Now hold hands like you normally would and let the power fill you." The girls grabbed hold of each other tightly and Usagi stood in the dead center of it all unable to help them. No one had said it, but Usagi could tell that her needing to be taken would strain their power, even with the new help. Usagi stared downwards blankly and Luna watched her sadly. "Are you ready, Usagi-chan?" She asked, and Usagi shook her head as she tightened her grip on the cat.

"I'm afraid..." She said truthfully. She was deathly afraid. The others acted as if The Moon would provide all of the answers and the key to fixing everything, and... it felt familiar somehow... as if they had made this journey before. "What will we find up there? What did we find the last time?" Usagi asked realizing that she felt that way because it was indeed the truth. They had gone to The Moon before in the timeline Luna and Saturn remembered. That was the only explanation.

"We found the secrets of the past." Luna said. Usagi closed her eyes and her heart still beat wildly with fear.

"Now we go to find the secrets of the future." Usagi whispered with tears lingering in the back of her eyes. The future that was also the past, and what would never be. Usagi couldn't fix what they needed her to. She was not the one they needed, they needed someone strong, someone ready to be a leader, like V-chan, or any of the others for that matter. Not her... Not crybaby Usagi, or the broken Princess Serenity... She couldn't even transform anymore, how was she suppose to be their messiah?

"Okay, lets go!" Venus said in a loud voice, her eyes no longer glazed over, but hard and determined to press forward. The others nodded in unison and their eyes closed as they each began to glow their respected auras.

"Sailor Teleport!" Their voices rang out as one and Usagi felt the power swirl around her, and her entire body tingled with the sensation of their power lifting them up into the air. It felt completely different from when she had been a part of the process. They were not as one soul with her, she was left out of the union taking place within them, but she could still feel it around her. Their hearts were all beating as one...

With one desire, one purpose, one mission...

"Earth to Moon!" The power escalated as their single voice rang out and their heads tilted back. The sensation of their bodies changing into light came back to Usagi and they rushed forward into the sky like shooting stars. Their rise took only a few short moments and the next thing Usagi's eyes could focus on was a large blue orb bellow them.

"The Earth!" Usagi gasped. They were already in space and Usagi lifted her eyes to see The Moon coming closer. The power surged around them one more time and they surged quickly towards The Moon's surface in streams of light. Usagi closed her eyes as the light intensified and she held onto Luna more tightly. The touch of a hard surface under her feet was the only thing she could make out as the power died down and the sound of silence surrounded them. Not even the rustle of wind was there; there was nothing. Usagi's eyes opened and the darkness surrounded them all. The Sailor Senshi released each other's hands and they all turned in different directions to get a good look at what lay around them, but there was nothing to see.

"Its so dark..." Neptune whispered softly. The sound of her voice sounded like a loud shout compared the deathly silence that surrounded them. The group took a collective step forward unsure of where to go next.

"The Sea of Serenity." Mercury said in the silence as if the place needed an introduction. "The place where The Silver Millennium once stood." They continued to walk in the same direction not knowing how they knew where to go, but only that it felt correct, and in the back of their hearts there was a subtle calling, or perhaps attraction was a better word. Usagi bit her lip as she continued to follow them after Artemis had jumped down and made his way closer to Venus. Jupiter wrapped her arm around Usagi with a tragic smile.

"Its just so sad." Usagi whispered to her, and the others all glanced her way afraid she might cry again, and in fact tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. "So much happened here. So much history and sadness..." The nostalgic feeling was gripping at her heart and she was powerless to fight it. They hadn't even seen the wreckage yet, nor the regal but lonely and desolated pillars of her once beautiful home. Now that they were there, the memories of the past were replaying quickly in her mind. "We were wrong to come here..." Usagi concluded finally. "Its too much." She stopped walking and Jupiter squeezed her.

"It will be okay Usagi-chan." Luna said looking up at her. "We have a lot of happy memories here as well. Don't you remember?" Usagi thought back, and she shook her head. The amount of tragedy outweighed all of the good.

"What about all of the fun we had as kids?" Jupiter asked. "Hide-n-Seek in the gardens?"

"Studying underneath the beautiful domed sky?" Mercury added.

"Telling scary stories at bed time?" Mars joined in with a mischievous smile. Venus laughed at that one. Usagi bit her lip and began to pout.

"You were all so mean to me!" She cried out childishly. "Saying that mirror would eat me up because I was a crybaby... Liars!"

"Well, it wasn't completely untrue." Mars continued. Usagi shook her head.

"Meanies!" She declared, and Venus and Mars laughed. Even Mercury and Jupiter were smiling.

"Hey, don't pick on Odango too much." Uranus said turning towards them as they continued to walk.

"Mirrors can be quite... dangerous." Neptune joined in with a smile. "Perhaps a black monster was in fact lurking just beyond sight."

"Waah!" Usagi cried. "You're just as mean as the others." She pouted.

"Please." Saturn said suddenly. "Lets not talk about it... I don't want to think about..." Luna was nodding in agreement though she didn't finish Saturn's thought for her. To think of Nehelania's curse now...

"About what?" Uranus asked.

"Its nothing." Saturn said softly turning away from the group. "Lets just get to The Castle's ruins as quickly as possible." The others shared a quick glance before continuing to walk in silence. About a quarter of a mile away the could see what were definitely ruin, and Usagi flinched as she saw the first pillars rising up from the ground. They had arrived.

"Hey, Usagi-chan..." Jupiter said breaking the deafening silence once more as she smiled down at Usagi. "Now you really are... 'The Rabbit of The Moon'!" The others staggered a bit as she said this and Usagi looked up at her in surprise.

"You... didn't." Venus said looking back at her with a strange face. There was an awkward pause, but suddenly Uranus was laughing uncontrollably, and soon were the others. The tension and silence shattered as they continued to laugh and it grew uncontainable, but it was an awkward and somewhat uncalled for laughter. It just seemed so out of place, but at the moment no one seemed to care.

"And these are my Senshi..." Usagi whispered with a confounded expression and Luna's mouth curved upwards at the edge involuntarily. Their laughter began to grow quiet as The Moon's dark silence overshadowed them again and made their laughter feel even more out of place. It was a graveyard, and place of death and sadness.

It felt like laughing in a silenced cathedral...


The Prayer Room...

What was left of the most important room of The Moon Castle was surrounded by several large pillars and in the center rose up what was left of the shattered Crystal Tower; the source of the castle's power, its heart. They stood at the entrance unsure of what to do next, and Luna jumped down out of Usagi's arms and made her way slowly into the room ahead of them. After a moments hesitation the Senshi and Artemis followed after her. No one spoke a word as they took in everything and the deathly memories surrounded them. They intentionally avoided the wing to the left of the Prayer Room. They didn't even dare glance that way. They would not be able to handle it... They all inadvertently navigated closer to Usagi as they walked and the sound of their footsteps echoed all around them in the unbearable silence.

"Venus, look..." Mars suddenly whispered making everyone jump as she pointed towards the center of The Prayer Room and towards The Crystal Tower. Venus stopped walking as her eye followed Mars' finger and caught hold of what Mars wanted her to see. In front of The Tower was a short marble stand, and something rose up from the top of it. "The Holy Sword." Mars whispered. Venus' muscles tightened as she saw it. The sword was embedded into the top of the pillar.

"I remember..." Uranus spoke up suddenly and Neptune stood close to her. "We came here, at the very end..." Venus was already stepping ahead of them and Luna sat down in front of The Tower and The Holy Sword.

"Venus, you know what this is. Correct? You remember it this time?" Luna asked and Venus nodded as she viewed the sword. It was the symbol of her leadership but more importantly of her duty and heavier cross. It was the legendary sword that protected The Princess in times of great need; her first and foremost duty. Her gloved hand wrapped around it, but she hesitated before trying to lift it upwards.

"Its turned to stone now." Venus acknowledged to buy a bit more time as she gripped the hilt nervously with one hand. Luna nodded again. Its once golden hilt was a dark grey and the blade itself appeared only a few shades lighter. Venus bit her lip as her heart pounded violently in her chest. Perhaps... her mission as Sailor V had gone awry, but that didn't mean she had failed entirely. She could still protect The Princess! She could help her fix this mysterious problem! Venus released her lip and furrowed her eyebrows in determination as she placed her second hand around the hilt. With this sword she would fulfill her mission once and for all! Venus pulled up on the handle expecting it to heed her heart's call, but... Venus' eyes opened wide in surprise and her breathing constricted as after a moment it still would not budge. "What?" She stepped up onto the pillar to get a better grip on the sword and pulled up forcefully. "I don't understand!" She stated loudly and a bit panicked. She continued to pull hoping that perhaps it was just stuck a little bit from time, but it still refused to give into her grip. She stopped and looked down at the sword unsure of what was happening. She pulled up once more still trying to block out the truth of what was happening, but it would not budge. "It won't recognize me!" Venus cried in dismay realizing her worse fear was true. It had always recognized her! The other Guardian Senshi stared without understanding as well.

"Here, let me." Uranus stepped up onto the pillar and Venus stepped down with her mind whirling and a nauseous feeling was coming over her; she couldn't even think clearly enough to be angry at Uranus' arrogance in pushing her aside. Uranus pulled up on the handle and then she frowned almost instantaneously as she felt the sword resist her strength. "It won't come out." She continued to pull. "Come on!" She cried in frustration. Venus looked around at the others as Uranus cursed slightly under her breath, and her hand covered her mouth as her mind spun dizzily. "I don't get it." Uranus said continuing to pull. "It shouldn't be this hard!" Jupiter stood up onto the pillar beside her and Uranus backed off to give her a try, and after Jupiter's failure the others all took turns trying, but it would not give in to any of them. Venus watched them trying to make sense of it all.

"I don't understand..." Mercury whispered for all of them. Venus' nausea seemed to dissipate a bit as she slowly began to realize it wasn't just her The Sword was rejecting, but her muscles tensed up as her eyes scanned the ruins. Her muscles relaxed in what she assumed was understanding and her eyes glanced over the others with the backdrop of broken pillars and destruction behind them. Had... Had their failure been so much that The Sword had forsaken them? Venus' hand left her mouth and her arms fell to her side as she stood wide-eyed and almost empty. She heard another grunt of frustration and she looked back to Uranus who was stepping up onto the pillar again. She was not giving up though it seemed hopeless.

"We had to do your job..." Venus' eyes narrowed and glazed over sadly knowing it was true. The Outer Senshi had had to protect the Princess when she and the others had failed to do their duty. But... according to Luna and Hotaru they had all worked together in the past for that same purpose. The two groups were... Venus' chin lifted higher and her mouth opened in surprise...

"The Holy Sword meant to protect The Princess..." Venus whispered in realization and her eyes widened again as her heart fluttered with the pieces falling into place and she really did glance over Uranus with understanding. She took a step forward and pushed past Mars who looked at her in confusion as she stepped up onto the pillar opposite of Uranus; her eyes had returned to their hard and determined expression. "If we truly are meant to be one team and protect Serenity together..." Venus placed her hands over Uranus' and the two of them stood there for a moment looking eye to eye with each other. Uranus half smiled suddenly and a mischievous gleam flashed in her own eyes. Then... They both pulled in unison. The sword rose easily out of the stone this time, and Venus' heart fluttered in relief and a smile broke out over her features as she let out a sharp breath and streams of light emanated from the top of the stone beneath their feet. Uranus stepped down with Venus as they both held onto the sword; their hands and arms entwined a bit awkwardly now, but both were to focused on what was happening on the top of the pillar.

The light continued to grow and a small ghostly figure began to form on the flat surface of the pillar.

"Venus..." The figure's appearance began to grow more clear and Venus' already bright smile was joined with a dancing, cheerful gleam in her eyes.

"Queen Serenity!" The Senshi moved closely around the pillar at Venus' words, and Queen Serenity's figure became distinguished out of the light and she took them all in.

"I'm so happy you have made it here..." She said softly. Her voice just as motherly and warm as Venus remembered. "Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter..." The Queen turned towards the other side of the group and her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Uranus, Neptune..." Her soft gaze drifted downwards and she stared directly at the smallest of them all as she stood in front of the other two. "Saturn..." Serenity's hands were wrapped together as she took them in and her crystal blue eye shimmered with water and light. "I have been watching you all for some time now." She told them. "How I have long to see all of you together." She told them and she appeared to be deep within a dream and her voice was soft and whimsical.

"Queen Serenity..."

Usagi remained hidden behind them as she stood fearful of what would happen next, but she took a step in between them and joined the others in the semi-circle they had formed around the short stand. The faint figure's eyes were radiating pure joy as she saw Usagi and she stretched out her hands to the side.

"Serenity." The Queen whispered and Usagi took a step closer and knelt down in front of the stand. The Queen continued to smile at her. "You're so beautiful now." The Queen said and she seemed on the verge of tears. "You'll be a grown woman soon..." There was no doubt any more, The Queen was fighting to remain in control. She looked away from Usagi and scanned over the others again. "You were right to come here," She said pushing the tears away, "but I'm afraid I can't give you all that you hope for. There are many things I do not know, and it has been a miracle that I have been able to sustain this much power for so long. Its as if someone from the outside is enabling me to continue on longer than I should ever be able to. As if The Crystal Tower was still at its full capacity, when it is still only at a fraction of what it was."

"I don't understand." Mercury began. "How did you have time to preserve yourself within 'Eternity Main' in the first place?" She asked. "I didn't think you would have had enough time, not unless... You knew it was all going to end." The Queen lifted her arms slightly in front of her as she began to explain.

"Since the very beginning of my reign, there was problems and I could never forget... what I had gone through, what had been threatened against my family, and what had been lost already." She told them. "Even with the assurances of my most precious advisers and friends I could never stop myself from worrying. I began the preservation of my memories long before the final battle began." She paused and she looked away from them and towards the ground; to the two cats. "I remember... putting Artemis in a deep sleep above The Earth until the time came for your awakenings, but... in the end it appeared that the enemy I feared would break free was already gone. It had broke free of its seal due to my weakened heart, but it appears that its freedom was short-lived. Someone else has resealed it already, but who I do not know." The others glanced at each other nervously, and Usagi couldn't take her eyes off of the shimmering white being in front of her. Serenity's blue eyes meet Usagi's and she smiled sadly.

"You remember, don't you?" The Queen asked them, but to Usagi most specifically. "How everything was before the world came crashing down upon us?" Usagi nodded. She remembered, The Dome, The Castle, the lush artificial life that surrounded them all. "You were always too curious." The Queen said smiling. "But, you were, after all, the loving light of hope that couldn't help but reach out for those who were hurting." She reached out her hand towards Usagi but her hands were simply a light projection. She could not cradle Usagi's face like she wished. "It ended too soon..." The Queen said woefully. "Too soon." She repeated sadly. "I had so many hopes and dreams for all of you. I had so many things I wanted to achieve, to change." She sighed. "There was too much resistance, and when the creature came from the sun and enveloped The Earth in darkness, it was the end of any hope for true peace." She smiled, but it was overshadowed by the sad memories. "I had hope, and I still have hope that you can find that peace in this life. That it will all work out in the end." Usagi looked downwards not wanting to admit she didn't have any hope left. "Serenity," Usagi looked upwards. "Do you remember, what I told you? Do you remember what I said was your most important mission? The mission you were to always keep alive in your heart?" She asked. Usagi shook her head slowly, but then she knew that was not true. She could... remember. Her hands pressed tightly against her heart and The Silver Crystal.

"To defeat the dark and evil souls by keeping the star in my heart shining brightly." Usagi repeated, and Serenity remained smiling softly. "But how?!" Usagi cried leaning forward. "I can't do anything! I can't even transform anymore! How can I get more power?"

"Serenity," The Queen shook her head. "Power can never be taken. It can be created and given, but taking it by force never is successful because there will always be a little left over in the original source and it will only come back to fight against you." The Queen looked up to Sailor Saturn. "The Silver Crystal is evolving much like Saturn's own Sailor Crystal." The Queen said, and she looked at each of them. "All of your crystals are, and they will always be evolving, but at the moment they are changing at an astonishing rate. They can remember, vaguely, what your minds cannot, and what I cannot unlock within the archives of the computer." The Queen paused as Usagi brought out The Silver Crystal from underneath her blouse. "The Silver Crystal is growing in power, but the key you are using to unlock it is no longer is strong enough to channel it." The Queen smiled as Usagi knelt with a confused expression. "Right now you are using the most basic key, the Prism Brooch. In a normally evolving crystal you would still be at this stage in your development, but that is not the case. You now have The Silver Crystal, and you need something that will evolve along with it as it continues to change." The Crystal Tower shimmered with light and they all looked up expectantly and Queen Serenity's eyes closed and the power grew within The Tower. The light around the pillar The Queen stood on congregated into a small sphere and it flashed for a moment. Once the light died down, before The Queen lay a red, heart shaped compact. Usagi grabbed hold of it and brought it closer to look it over. "This is The Cosmic Heart Compact." The Queen told her. "Put The Silver Crystal inside it, and you will be able to use its power more readily." She encouraged, and Usagi opened the compact up to see a place already prepared for The Silver Crystal. "It will continue to evolve along with The Silver Crystal." Usagi removed The Silver Crystal from the chain and placed it into the compact. She looked back up to The Queen who was no longer smiling at all. "I never wanted this..." She said in a barely audible voice. "I wanted you all to live in peace, I never wanted your world to be filled with fighting..." She shook her head and her eyes closed as she took it all in. "I wanted you all to live in peace and unity in this life. I just wanted... you all to be happy." Her eyes opened and this time there was no way to hide the tears as they glimmered at the edge of her eyes. "I wanted you all to be free..."

"Queen Serenity... Mama..." The Queen looked back to Usagi who had already fastened the compact to her shirt. The Queen smiled and wiped her eyes dry.

"Come on now." She encouraged trying to sound cheerful again. "The fight is now yours, Serenity. I know you can do it." Usagi knelt silently for a moment, and Serenity waved her hand to encourage her to stand up. "Come on." She said again. Usagi lifted herself up and her hand traced the center of the compact. "Now, say 'Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up', you should be able to transform now." Usagi nodded. She could feel the power flowing through her again, but this time she didn't want it. She didn't want to fight anymore. She had nothing left to fight for, but she couldn't refuse the woman who had given her life for her and the others.

"Moon Cosmic Power!" Usagi lifted her head back and stroked the compact gently as the power filled her. "Make Up!" The ribbons encased her instantly and when Usagi looked back down she stood in her Sailor Moon form once more, but with only a few variations in the design. Usagi looked down at her gloved hands and then back to The Queen who looked her over sadly.

"Sailor Moon." The Queen smiled again. "I know you can do it. You can do anything you put your heart to. You are the light that has given everyone so much happiness, and if anyone can secure peace and happiness for those they love, it is you. The light that radiates all of our hopes and dreams. That young woman I have seen you become, a heart full of love and so much potential; Sailor Moon." The Queen's smile was radiant. "In the last few weeks I have seen you in such a different light." She said. "I'm so proud of you. I'm so proud of all of you." She said looking at the others now. "I'm glad Serenity has all of you together, it was always my desire to see you happy and as one." Her smile was growing softer. "I'm so proud..." Then she turned her gaze back to the two cats. Artemis sat close to Luna who stood nervous waiting for the conversation she knew was before them. "I told you, Artemis, that you were never meant to be alone."

"Queen Serenity," Luna took a small step forward, but then she hesitated. The Queen simply continued to smile sadly as Luna struggled to find her words.

"And now we've come to the most troubling mystery of all..." The Queen said softly, and her hands lay over her heart. "Thank you, Luna." The others stood frozen as they watched Serenity's face sadden. "I'm proud of you most of all."

"You remember her?!" Jupiter asked in surprise, but Serenity shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry." Luna's head dropped sadly. The others watched as The Queen remained smiling. "But that doesn't necessarily mean you weren't there."

"What?" The others asked together in disbelief, and Luna looked up abruptly uncertainty made plain on her face as to what The Queen was getting at.

"But none of us remember her! She wasn't there!" Mars complained.

"If we were missing memories we would know it, there would be gaps in our memories. Things we cannot account for." Mercury argued. The Queen simply smiled at them as they continued to argue their points.

"And there are, just not a lot. They are simply small enough to go unnoticed." The Queen said, and she turned to Mercury first. "Someone helped you. You didn't reprogram 'Eternity Main' by yourself. you had help." Mercury shook her head.

"No, I did it alone. There was no one else." Mercury said.

"No, there was a part of the code you could never figure out, it stumped you for days."

"And I figured it out eventually! I was so relieved after..." Mercury's voice trailed off and then she shook her head. "No." Her expression was perplexed. "You're right, I never figured it out." She shook her head again. "I don't understand... I sincerely thought I figured it out. I didn't even notice..."

"What does that mean?" Uranus asked. The Queen turned back towards Luna.

"I didn't even notice. It was as if someone went into the system and rewrote my memories, but it could not get rid of everything." She paused. "An excited laughter of a six-year-old Princess, an answer to a troubling question that suddenly has an answer, but no explanation as to how." She smiled as she looked to Artemis. "A crazy, white, love-stricken cat." Artemis' face was turning beat red and he attempted to stammer out an objection but he couldn't find any nor was The Queen paying attention to them. The Queen was now turning back to Sailor Moon. "The feeling of trust despite all of the evidence against it." Sailor Moon found herself beaming joyfully and her head lifted a bit higher as her eyes reflected her joy.

"Then Luna was there!" She cried out happily and she looked down at Luna who stood by Artemis but Luna was not smiling like the rest of them.

"Someone rewrote their memories?" Saturn asked tilting her head uncertain.

"That isn't like rewriting a computer though." Mercury stated with equal uncertainty. "Who could have that power?" Luna and Saturn stood silently as Saturn's hair brushed gently across her face; already knowing who was behind everything. They had come to The Moon for one reason, and one reason alone. The answers had been what the others had wanted, but they had come for something far more important.

"Queen Serenity," Luna spoke up, and The Queen gave her her full attention. "We need something of yours." The Queen looked all around her. There wasn't much left she could give them. She had exhausted much of The Moon Castle's remaining power in order to gain access to The Cosmic Moon Compact. "Something from your private chambers."

"My private chambers?" The Queen asked looking back down at Luna in shock. "What is it?"

"Please... We need your Time Key." The Queen's eyes saddened instantaneously. "We need to contact Sailor Pluto, and you have the only key we can think of. Please, its important that we get to Pluto, she is the only one who can tell us how to fight this!" The Queen stood silent for a moment and Luna felt her heart skip a beat as she looked into The Queen's eyes.

"I'm sorry." The Queen said finally. "I don't have it anymore."

"What?" Saturn couldn't believe what she was hearing, but Luna had seen it somewhere in The Queen's eyes before she had even opened her mouth. It couldn't be, though... They had come all of this way!

"I gave it back to Pluto the very last time we met, before the fall of The Silver Millennium." The Queen explained. "I was afraid what would happen to it. I had a suspicion that the end was closing in, like Mercury suggested." The Queen shook her head. "Pluto told me, at that last meeting. She said there was a disturbance, but I was too worried about what was going on then to listen to her, and at the time we thought that the disturbance was coming from the events unfolding on Earth."

"Perhaps it was." Luna broke in. "Queen Beryl is still alive and is at the center of all of this."

"Queen Beryl?" Serenity's back straightened and the surprise at hearing this was obvious.

"Beryl?" Venus' grip on the sword tightened as her muscles tightened at hearing that accursed creature's name.

"She was at the fountain and has Endymion under her spell, but the power she now wields is much stronger than it was, and if Metalia was truly destroyed then it cannot be her supplying the power." Luna turned to the Senshi shaking her head. "I have to tell you everything." Luna said. "I'm out of options, but hope that you can indeed change this. And... I believe in you." She looked directly at Sailor Moon. "I know you can. You always do." Sailor Moon bit her lip still uncertain. "We have to work together. I know the future is still out there. It has to be!" Luna almost cried in desperation. The breeze that no one had yet seemed to notice blew a bit more strongly; rustling their hair behind them gently. A soft noise from the back of The Prayer Room sent the Senshi on edge and they turned towards the source readily.

"I'm so sorry Luna." A woman's sad voice spoke from the shadows. "But you already know the truth."