Untitled So Far

by Pegasus254

umm, I'm bad at summaries. Two countries are at war. One of them doesn't like mages the other manipulates mages to do their evel bidding and a Prince must try to convince his country to trust mages or they will all be killed. The prologue will tell you wh

2. Chapter One

Untitled So Far
Chapter One: The Test (Follow Your Heart)
Authors Notes at the bottom

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Sailor Moon.


She had never felt as anxious and nervous as she did right now. She was being led down the path through the forest, deeper and deeper into the depths of the unknown. She was going to face her destiny, would she be strong enough to accept it? Serenity was so scared of what might happen. What is she wasn't ready? What if she wasn't worthy?
In front of her Michiru suddenly stopped, "You must go alone from here."
"Where do I go?"
"If you do not know that, then you have already failed." Haruka said from behind her.
In a kinder voice Michiru told her, "Your heart will guide you, follow it and the Goddess will appear." Serenity nodded and stepped around Michiru ready to continue alone. "Good luck Serenity." Michiru called out quietly before she'd gotten far, "Don't think, just believe." Serenity nodded and walked on. And walked and walked and walked. Then after what seemed like hours but could have ten minutes serenity came to a clearing. She paused and looked around before she entered it. The clearing was perfectly circular and in the middle was a small perfectly circular pond. Serenity just had to glance at the pond to know it was sacred and holy probably made from the very tears of the Goddess herself. While the whole forest seemed black and frightening the clearing was full of light from the moon that seemed silver and welcoming. And in the middle of the clearing was the most beautiful thing Serenity had ever seen. Floating over the center of the pond was a woman with long black hair, at least as long as Serenity's hair, which reached all the way down to her feet. The woman was wearing a long black dress, with black gloves, black shoes and she had black eyes that shone eerily in the silver moonlight. Everything about her seemed black. But there was one thing, which made her seem like the friendliest person alive. On her forehead there was a golden crescent moon which glowed with a light of its own. Not a glow one could see with their eyes but one they could feel with their hearts, a glow that told them this lady was special. That she was there to help.
Serenity took a deep breath and walked towards the Black Lady (AN: No, it's not Chibi Usa) "Um...Hello?" What was she supposed to say to this magical being of light?
"Serenity, you have made it I see. That is good. My name is Luna. I am here to test you." The Black Lady, Luna's, voice was calming yet eerie and sent a lot of strange emotions coursing though Serenity's mind and she didn't know what to make of them. "Are you ready to be tested?"
"Yes." Serenity's voice sounded confident and sure but Serenity felt scared and unsure of how she was supposed to act and what she was supposed to say.
"Follow Your Heart." Michiru's voice echoed through her head and reminded Serenity that even though she was alone her friends were all with her in spirit, holding her hand and encouraging her to do what she must to become who she was.
"The test will consist of three parts. The first part is just a simple question, are you sure you're ready? Once we start the test we cannot stop unless you fail a part of it." Luna's calm voice entered Serenity's mind and helped to ease her fears and erase her doubts.
"Follow your heart."
"Yes, I'm ready."
"If had to sacrifice one of your closest friends which would it be?" Serenity's first thought was childish and stupid and she regretted it the moment she thought it. She could never give up Rei no matter how annoying she could be. Serenity thought about all her friends, about all they had shared, about their smiling faces. How could she pick one?
"I don't know how to answer that question."
"Just pick one."
"I can't."
"You have to."
"No."
"Pick one."
"I...I just can't."
"Answer the question Serenity." Luna's voice was angrier and angrier every time Serenity refused to answer the question. "Just pick one."
"I don't know how." Serenity was crying now but she received no mercy from Luna.
"Tell me your answer. They will never know who you chose."
"It isn't about that. I just can't pick one."
"Tell me who!" Luna was shouting now. "Tell me!"
"No, I can't."
"Answer me then this will be over."
"No."
"Follow your heart Serenity." Michiru's voice.
"I can't pick one, I'd rather die then sacrifice any of them." This time Serenity shouted and to her surprise Luna smiled at her.
"Congratulations. That was the correct answer. You must always sacrifice yourself before sacrificing another." Relief washed over Serenity. She hadn't failed, she still had a chance, and she could do this. "The second part of the test is a test of purity and strength of character. After this test, if you pass, your physical purity is your own and no one can tell you what to do with it. Your emotional purity, however, you must keep the same. The Goddess will not help you if you are jaded and sour towards life. Life is your gift and you must always appreciate it. Do you understand?" Luna's voice and face were soft and back to normal. She no longer seemed angry but kind and understanding. Serenity once again felt comfortable and welcome in her presence.
"Yes I am ready" She said it over and over again in her mind and prayed to all that was holy and sacred that it be the truth.
Luna floated over to Serenity and lightly touched down on the ground behind her. "You must kneel in front of the pond." Serenity thought she looked weird, as she stared at her reflection in the pond. Her golden hair was, as it had never been before, hanging down around her shoulders. She never left it down but she'd had to tonight. Now as she stared into the endless depths of the little pond Serenity felt the weight of her hair pull heavy on her mind and blur her thoughts. It was the strangest mixture of feelings. It made her feeling calm and good but it also took something away from her and that alarmed her especially because she couldn't figure out what was missing even though she knew something was.
"Now, reach into the pond. Only those of pure body, mind, and soul may touch the shimmering water." Serenity hesitated for a second the hurriedly but gracefully put her hands under the cool surface of the pond. Immediately she felt feelings of happiness and contentment wash over her. She could stay right here for the rest of her life and never have to feel any pain, anger, hate, or sorrow ever again. "Yes, it is tempting, isn't it?" Luna whispered into her ears from behind. "You could stay right here by this pond for the rest of your life and you would die happy. You would never have to feel anything bad or sad. But what you have to remember is that without sorrow there can be no joy. Without anger there an be no passion. Without hate there can be no love. And without death there can be no life. You are going to have to make a choice. Would you rather stay here for the rest of your life and feel no pain, no hate but also no joy or love. Or would you rather leave and feel the pain and the hate but also have the joy and the love and a life worth living." Serenity thought about this. And thought and thought. She was just about to answer when Luna spoke again. "No, don't choose yet. First you must drink from the pond and see what life has to offer you." Serenity had a hard time taking her hands away from the pond even though she carried a bit of it in her cupped hands. When she finally got them to just above the surface of the water she leaned her head down to her hands and took the smallest of small sips.
**Happiness**
**Joy**
**Friends**
**Rei**
**Makoto**
**Ami**
**Minako**
**Happiness**
**Pain**
**Sadness**
**War**
**Death**
**Frustration**
**Anger**
**Sorrow**
**Black**
**Hands**
**Voices**
**Eyes**
**Blue Eyes**
**Pain**
**Love**
All these scenes and emotions hit Serenity's mind all at once and she drowned in them. She saw her life, she saw her death, there was so much death and pain but there was love to and beauty, so much beauty. Beautiful eyes, deep blue beautiful eyes the she would never get to see, never get to find the person they belonged to if she stayed here. And suddenly serenity had her answer. She could never give up life even if she would feel pain again. She couldn't do it. Yes, there would be sorrow and anger and times where she would wish she had given it up but through all those times, those eyes would be there to comfort her, and so would the person they belonged to.
"I choose life. I want to live. I love life to much to give it up." Serenity whispered to Luna. Luna smiled a proud and happy smile at her and was suddenly gone from behind Serenity. Luna had reappeared almost instantaneously back in her original position, floating over the pond but now Luna was cradling a small white rabbit in her arms.
"Wise choice. I commend you. It was not the easiest choice. You will find that life does get incredibly hard sometimes but you must remember it won't always be hard. Now that you have passed those parts of the test this pond will always be here to help you. Away from the source the water you drank won't do anything to numb your emotional turmoil but it will help with physical turmoil. Your pain will be less and your healing will be fast. I hope this will help you in your coming trials." Luna smiled again, a motherly smile and shifted the weight of the perfectly still rabbit in her arms.
"Now for the third and last part of the test." Luna put the rabbit on the ground in front of Serenity. "Now what you must learn is that sometimes something will seem good and pure but is actually the opposite of that. Sometimes you will have to fight and kill something that seems as innocent as a newborn baby. Do you think you will be able to do that?"
Serenity didn't know. She had never been in a position like that before. Would she be able to do it? "I don't know."
"Good answer. The test you are about to take will give you your answer." Luna pulled a knife out of nowhere and handed it to Serenity. "Now you must kill the rabbit."
"What! Why?" Serenity didn't understand it was just a little defenseless rabbit.
"That is your test." Luna said in her eerily calm voice.
"It's just a little rabbit what could it ever do?" Why did she have to kill it? It was just sitting there nibbling away on grass not harming anything.
"That's the point Serenity. Not everything is what it seems. Now can you kill it or not?"
'I can do this.' Serenity thought to herself. 'I can, I can, I can. It isn't just a rabbit she wouldn't ask me to kill it if it were just a normal rabbit.' a' These thought ran through Serenity's mind she closed her eyes so that she wouldn't have to see the poor little bunny. She kneeled down with the knife in her hands all ready to do what she had been asked to do. Then she opened her eyes and saw the bunny sitting there eating the grass. She stared into its strange red eyes. "I can't kill it." Serenity had never felt so stupid in all her life. She had failed the test. Failed everyone who had faith in her just because she couldn't kill a rabbit.
"Good." Luna whispered to Serenity, who barely heard what Luna said because she was so deep in her misery. "What I said before was true, sometimes you will have to kill something that seems innocent and good. But when you do that you will know that it is not what it seems. This time you did not know, you only had my word that it wasn't what it seems and sometimes in life you must believe in your own instinct and you must trust yourself to make the best judgements even if they go against the wishes of someone you trust. For nothing is what it seems in this world." As Luna said that last part the little bunny ran off into the forest not knowing how close it had been to its own death.
"You mean..."
"I mean you passed the test and you have the blessing of the Goddess." Pure joy swept through Serenity as if it were a rushing river after a pour of rain. And Serenity stood up and jumped at Luna wrapping her arms around her and screaming out her joy. Both of them crashed to ground on the other side of the pond, their feet ending up in the water but neither of them cared.
"What happens now?" Serenity asked after rolling away from Luna and sitting up.
"A lot. But not all of it right away. You have achieved something that no one else your age as ever achieved before. And on top of that war is brewing and the relative peace that people have been enjoying will not last much longer. But tonight we will not worry about that for you have a ritual to perform."
"A ritual?" serenity had never heard anything about a ritual before but then again not many people knew what happened after you passed the test and received the blessing of the goddess.'
"Yes. For you are now a divine warrior of the Goddess and you must have two things with you at all times." Luna, although she did not show it, felt the most unbelievable joy for this young girl who had surpassed an uncountable amount of obstacles to get where she was now.
"What two things?" Serenity was confused now but she still felt that joy inside her, that joy that told she was alive and life was about to get a thousand times better.
"You will need a companion that will be able to communicate with you and the spirits of the world. One that will help you in your growth as a mage. And you will need a weapon to harness your power and amplify it so that you can defend your loved ones and fight of the evil that you will have to face in this world." Luna already which weapon and which companion Serenity would end up with, she could just tell that this girl was going to be exceptionally powerful.
"How do I choose them?"
After that a lot of things happened to Serenity and a lot of changes took place in the world of the forest, whichever world that was, for as the night went on Serenity was sure it wasn't her own. And in the morning as she made her way back to the school where she had come from she couldn't help thinking towards the future. The future that held so much pain and death but so much love as well. And those eyes. When would she find the person who belonged to those eyes? Serenity felt the staff in her right arm, her new weapon with which she would defend her loved ones and fight off the evil in the world. And she felt Stardust on her left, her new companion with whom she would communicate with the spirits of the world. Serenity could feel the support both of them gave her and she knew that as long as she had them she would be able to face any trials life would throw at her. Little did she know that it would because of these two things that so many trials would be thrown at her.

To Be Continued

Well, what do you all think of chapter one? Please keep in mind that this is only the second fic I've ever written so its most likely not the best work I could ever do. Well, please email me to tell me what you thought of the story so far and I would greatly, greatly appreciate any ideas for a title. I'm awful at coming up with tiles. Thanks, bye bye.