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Meeting the Menace

AThe Chrysanthemum Chronicles Series Story

Crystal Chalice Garden In The Crystal Palace

Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon

October 13, 986

Darien was the first to see her when she neared that fountain. He silently signaled to her to remain relatively quiet as she came toward him and his fellow Terrans. And Serena soon nodded her assent. Though she didn't yet know why.

She eventually came to that bench, and kneeled down in front of the three of them, as she looked into Darien's eyes for a few seconds. Then, when Sylvia noticed her, she asked, "What's the matter, Sylvia?"

"I'm afraid that I'll never see Darien again, if I go back to Earth before too much more time passes for me in my life."

"Why's that?"

"Because it often takes quite a while for me to get from my nation to his. And from his back to mine."

"I see. Are you attracted to him, by any chance, Sylvia?"

"Maybe a little, at least. But you're apparently very attracted to him. And it doesn't seem like I have a chance with a guy like him in my life."

"What do you actually know about me and him, besides what we discussed briefly back while we were still on Ozotov IV?"

"Not much, but I can tell he likes you very much too. Even though you're about my age. And he's at least 25 of our years old, Serena."

"Have you thought that Rolando might be a better match for you than him?"

"A little, but not always. Why?"

"Because I think you two look quite good together. Granted, I don't know much about the two of you yet, but that's what I'm thinking right now."

"Are you thinking I'm jealous of you and your feelings for Darien?"

"No, Sylvia, I'm not. But I still think Prince Darien's the one I'll probably want to spend the rest of my life with, if possible."

"Because of your visions and dreams that seem to suggest that?"

"Maybe at least a little, but not entirely. However, that's not why I came to find you all just now. It seems that Mom has some things that she wants you and Rolando to have before you leave the Moon. That's if either or both of you ever leave it for the Earth sometime in the near future."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And I think you'll both like these things at least to some degree, if I'm not mistaken too much about either or both of you."

So Sylvia and Rolando arose from their places on that bench near the aforementioned fountain, after which Darien did the same. Sylvia asked Serena, "If we go back to Earth, will you miss us, Serena?"

"I suppose so. You're a real warrior, Sylvia, and so's Rolando. I saw how you handled the Negaversers that were nearing your locations during our recent battle with people from the Negaverse. And I'm very glad that you weren't fighting against us, but with us against them."

"Well, you Scouts didn't do too bad yourselves."

"Thank you, Sylvia. At least we tried to do our best against our opponents, of course. But I still fear for our own Moon Kingdom. Because I'm sure there are plenty more Negaversers yet that we'll have to fight in the future. For we sure stung them good when we just fought them. I think they'll eventually want to conquer or destroy us because of what we just did to them not too long ago. I'm reasonably certain that we've definitely not seen the last of them. Especially of at least one of their leaders, if not more."

Then Darien and Serena brought Rolando and Sylvia to the Sailor Scout Garden. And when they did so quite well enough, everyone else was waiting rather patiently indeed for them there. Even certain other Princesses that neither Sylvia nor Rolando had yet met since they'd just been brought to the Moon not long before were there, for that matter. It was now only just a few minutes before Earthrise, at most. If it wasn't exactly Earthrise right now.

Everyone else in the garden in question was now sitting on some steps near the center of it when Serena, Darien, Rolando, and Sylvia eventually got there as well. After Serena had Darien and his fellow Terrans sit down as well on one of those steps, she went to where Serenity and Daniel were now sitting. And she whispered briefly in their ears. Then her parents told her to sit down next to her sisters, as they began to take care of the necessary things that were yet to be done there. So Serena did as she'd just been told. With that done, her parents soon arose from their places on one of those steps in the garden.

Serenity had Daniel follow her, and prepare to hand her things as she needed them from where they now were in the garden. When they got to those things, Serenity had Luna sit down on Destiny's lap, next to where Bethany was gently holding Artemis in her own. Luna did so immediately, of course. Then Serenity said, "Princess Sylvia of Jerusalem, Israel, on Earth, I now have some things that I think you might really like to have for your use in the future, if possible." She said that as she picked up the tiara she'd gotten earlier that very day from one of the vaults on the Crystal Palace's grounds, by the way.

"So I've been told by Moon Princess Serena."

"I see that you're not currently wearing a tiara."

"Yes. I'm not. I wasn't actually wearing one when I was whisked away to Ozotov IV. And I think my tiara is, or tiaras are all, still back on Earth."

"I see. I have a tiara for you that you might like to have."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's a tiara that's only rarely been worn in the past, and not in the last hundred or more of our years, for sure. It's the tiara that once belonged to Princess Jostara, before her marriage to the Prince Balleste, who was later the King of our very own Moon Kingdom three or four rulers ago, if I'm not mistaken. She was a lot like you, from what I've learned so far about you in our brief acquaintances with each other. She was also once often known as the Sailor Scout Skyhorse, in fact. And this was once her own tiara that she'd often wear whenever she was in her Sailor Scout state. She gave it up when she married. And it's never been worn since. It's been saved ever since for the next worthy person to wear it. I'm wondering if you're such a person, and if you'd be willing to wear it. If so, then I'll give you other things as well that go along with it."

"Please hold it up so that I can see it better, Queen Serenity."

Serenity did as asked. Moments later, Sylvia said, "I'm willing to wear it, if it'll accept me."

"Understood." Serenity came to where Sylvia was now sitting in the garden, and she had her stand up straight. "If it accepts you, you'll be able to wear it as long as it does so. Give me your hands now, then."

Sylvia did so, not knowing yet what to expect, of course. Then Serenity placed the tiara in Sylvia's open hands, and had her hold it by the tiara's ends. As Sylvia did so, she felt a sudden swelling of her self-confidence and energy, at the very least, if not also of any other part of her. A very wide smile suddenly flashed briefly across her face. Then Queen Serenity said, "Sylvia, please raise your hands to your forehead, so that the tiara can find its proper resting place on your head."

Sylvia did so. As she did so, the tiara gently settled just above her hairline, and came to a complete rest there not more than a few seconds later. Sylvia eventually said, "The tiara's now on my head, Serenity."

"Yes. The tiara seems to have accepted you as its wearer, Sylvia. Now hold out your hands again." Sylvia did so. Serenity motioned to Daniel to bring her the necessary power locket she'd retrieved earlier that very day. After he did so, Serenity said, "Sylvia, in my hands, I now hold a power locket once worn by Sailor Skyhorse. It doesn't currently have the Skyhorse Crystal in it. But if this power locket accepts you as your new tiara did, then I might be able to put the Skyhorse Crystal in it." She placed the locket in Sylvia's open hands, and waited for a positive or negative response to her from it for at least a few minutes. A few minutes later, at most, she got the response from it that she was hoping that it'd have to her. For the power locket had reacted very positively to her holding of it.

"The locket has now apparently accepted you, Sylvia, as its wearer. Now I must say something, before I test the Skyhorse Crystal's reaction to you. In order for you to receive it, I need to know if you'd be willing to be an honorary Moon Kingdom citizen. And if you'd also be willing to become a Sailor Scout, just like you now know that all these particular Moon Kingdom Princesses are right now."

"Will my primary world of citizenship actually change officially?"

"I don't believe so. Darien's also an honorary Moon Kingdom citizen, Sylvia. I think that if we use a certain trading-related clause in our most recent diplomatic pact with Darien's nation, we can do the same thing with you and with Rolando. Simply because I actually do know that Darien's nation trades, at least indirectly, with both your nation and Rolando's nation back on Earth. It'll probably mean that we'll not be able to contact you directly whenever you're on Earth. And it might mean that you'll not be able to contact us here on the Moon directly either, but that we'll have to use him as our mutual contact between each other. You'll both probably find yourselves back on Earth before too much more time passes. And if that's the case, we'll certainly miss you here, whenever that's the case for either or both of you."

"What does being a Sailor Scout actually entail, most likely, Queen Serenity?"

Serenity spent at least the next few minutes telling her exactly what it entailed, most likely, if she actually chose to become one at all in her life. Sylvia thought for at least a few minutes, if not several minutes, at considerable length here. She realized that if she ever did become one, there'd undoubtedly be much more trouble for her, and for others close enough to her, than they'd ever had before. Most especially since she'd earlier fought any number of Negaversers back on Ozotov IV not too long before. After doing that for a while, Sylvia finally said, "Queen Serenity, I'm willing to become a Sailor Scout. And an honorary Moon Kingdom citizen, for that matter. That's if you and your people would actually accept me as both things here, of course."

Serenity then said, "Very well. Darien, I need to borrow your sword, then."

Darien immediately lent her his sword. And Serenity bestowed the honor of honorary Moon Kingdom citizenship on Princess Sylvia of Jerusalem, Israel, on Earth. She soon completed the act of doing so. And she handed Darien's sword back to him again. Darien returned it to its scabbard, obviously enough, seconds later. Then Serenity had Daniel bring her the Skyhorse Crystal. She did that so that she could make it unite with Sylvia's new power locket moments later. "Sylvia, this is your last chance to change your mind. If you actually don't want to become a Scout of any known kind, please tell me. For once this Skyhorse Crystal and your new power locket begin to unite with each other, you'll not be able to back out of your just-made commitment, I believe. At least while you still retain possession of that crystal. If you do, your new tiara and your power locket will begin to cause you at least a little trouble, if not a lot. And they may even begin trying to kill you. All that's true here, only if I'm not too mistaken about such things here, of course."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. For they'll become very attached to you in at least one way, if not more. If they're separated for too long a time and by too great a distance, you might even die before they can be reunited with each other. The crystal may not actually do that. But the locket and the tiara may. Jostara actually relinquished the tiara, the locket, and the crystal when she married. For she knew that she'd no longer be able to be in her Scout state often enough to help protect our Moon Kingdom against any of our enemies of that time sufficiently well. Besides, she'd been a Scout for at least twenty or so years of her life, after she'd become one on her tenth birthday here on the Moon. She was getting tired of having to spend so much time in her life as a Scout. And she wanted to spend much more time as she could out of her own Scout state, after spending most of her life in it before her marriage to Prince Balleste."

"I see. And if I take this Skyhorse Crystal, do you think that the same kind of thing might actually happen to me in the future?"

"Only God knows that for sure, Sylvia. But that was certainly the case for Jostara back then, evidently."

Sylvia thought for a few more minutes in relative silence, before she finally said, in a reasonably loud and reasonably clear voice, "Yes, I'll accept the Skyhorse Crystal, if it'll accept me as its current owner. I wish to receive it, and become a Sailor Scout, if it'll accept me as its current owner. Yes, I know that I'll only be a Junior Sailor Scout at the moment. But I don't really care."

"That's all the other Princesses here are, Sylvia, at the moment."

"Then let it be as you have said, Queen Serenity."

"As you wish, Sylvia. Your locket, please, then."

Sylvia handed her new locket back to Queen Serenity briefly, and watched as she handled it again as she saw fit. Queen Serenity said, "When I hand you back this power locket after inserting the Skyhorse Crystal in it, I want you to repeat whatever I tell you to repeat back to me, exactly as I tell you to repeat it back to me. If you don't, then your abilities as a Sailor Scout may suffer for quite a while, for all the obvious reasons."

"Understood." Sylvia watched Serenity take the Skyhorse Crystal from Daniel's left hand, and begin to insert it into her new power locket. Serenity spent at least the next few seconds inserting that crystal into her new power locket. Serenity handed it back to her, while still keeping in at least some contact with it, as she did so.

Serenity said, "I, Sylvia Lucille Wakefield, do take this very power locket," and waited for Sylvia to repeat those words exactly as she said them first, before she resumed speaking at least one more time. Sylvia said those exact words, in that exact order. Then Serenity said, "And I accept the abilities and responsibilities that go along with this power locket," after which she was echoed almost instantly by Sylvia, of course. Then Serenity said, before she was echoed by Sylvia again, "As I agree to become the Sailor Scout Skyhorse by taking this power locket, and the Skyhorse Crystal it now holds within it." Then Serenity said, and she was soon echoed one last time by Sylvia, "I'll do this for as long as I can possibly retain possession of that crystal in my own mortal life in God's very own Universe. I'm hereby willing to serve as the Sailor Scout Skyhorse for as long as possible in my life, if it's truly God's will that I do so. At any time, and in any possible place, that I can possibly do just that in my own mortal life, of course. Long live the One True God of the Universe!"

Then Serenity released her grip on Sylvia's new locket, after telling Sylvia there was nothing more she had to repeat back to her right now. As she did so, she also had Sylvia hold her new power locket in her left hand for a moment.

As Sylvia did so, she suddenly heard the words "Junior Sailor Skyhorse Power" in her head. Just as if God was just then speaking directly to her alone in it. Which, in fact, He actually was just doing in it, as she'd find out later on, if she didn't already know it. She then said, "All males present, please either close your eyes or turn around. For I'll now need to transform into my new Scout state here, it seems." So all of the now-present males complied with her request here, so that she could now do so well enough. When she was sufficiently sure and satisfied that they'd all actually done so here, she suddenly said, very loudly and very clearly, "Junior Sailor Skyhorse Power." As soon as the last word passed her lips well enough, she began transforming into Junior Sailor Skyhorse. Her new power locket appeared just above a knot in a tied neckerchief with a checkerboard pattern on most, if not all, of it. The squares in that checkerboard pattern were primarily royal blue and white, with some squares of other colors also present. On at least half of the squares in that checkerboard pattern, either there were gold and royal blue six-pointed stars or there were gold crosses bordered by thin brown lines on the crosses' perimeters, if not both. Often the squares had at least one of each on them at the exact same time, if not more than one of each on them here. Under the neckerchief, then, and on the backs of her new uniform's shoulders, there were also two small brown horse heads facing toward each other on either side of a larger star than each of them that was centered exactly between them. And this star was a six-pointed star. But instead of this star being royal blue and gold, as were the stars on her neckerchief, this star was a white one with gold trim on a navy blue background just below her collar's neck. The inside hexagon was solidly navy blue inside it. As were the triangles that were inside the lines that formed that star's sides. The gold trim was only on either side of the white lines between each point of that star, and nowhere else. A royal blue and gold skirt that fell to her knees below her mostly white blouse, and a pair of moccasins fringed with rabbit fur and turtledove feathers, completed the current look of her Scout uniform. But she probably wouldn't always wear the same footwear whenever she was in her Scout state of being as Skyhorse. She'd likely choose her footwear whenever she transformed herself into Skyhorse in the future, whenever she possibly could. Most situations might allow her to do that. But they'd not likely always allow her to do that, if she lasted long enough as a Scout of at least one kind, if not more than one kind, at any time in the future.

Then Queen Serenity said, "You're now the Junior Sailor Scout Skyhorse. Welcome to the ranks of the Sailor Scouts, then, Sylvia."

"Thank you. Now if I want to transform out, then how do I do that?"

"You may be able to say 'Junior Sailor Skyhorse Power, Exit', or you may not. I'm not yet sure, for I've never actually met a previous Sailor Skyhorse before in my life, Sylvia."

"So I have to hope that I'll be able to find that out soon enough, I suppose," said Sylvia, several seconds later.

"I'd suspect so. But don't worry, I'm sure it'll come to you soon enough, Sylvia."

Then Skyhorse said, "I'd like the males to either turn around or open their eyes now, as this situation now permits. If that's all right with them, of course."

So the males then did as requested of them by Skyhorse. Of course, they were all now quite glad to see what Sylvia actually looked like in her new Scout uniform. Rolando said, not too much later, "Sylvia, you're even more beautiful than I ever expected you'd be, I think."

"Why, thank you, Rolando! I've never gotten such a comment from anyone like you've just apparently given me now. Not even from my parents, in fact. Am I really that beautiful?" Sylvia blushed very red, as she said that to him, moments later.

"Yes, you most certainly are. In fact, you look like an angel, I think!" That brought an even redder blush to her cheeks as he said that.

"I think I better get out of here, because I've just begun to get this very intense urge to kiss you breathless, if possible. And I better do it now, I fear."

"Do what you feel you must. But that's just how I feel about you at the moment, at least, Sylvia."

So Skyhorse suddenly leaped up on a nearby tree. And she began climbing it very rapidly, almost as if her feet were actually now on fire here. She didn't actually stop climbing here at least until she was at least two hundred or so feet above the ground immediately surrounding that very tree, if not even higher still. And from a very sturdy branch of that tree, she watched Serenity and Daniel give Rolando a new shield, sword, and scabbard quite a ways below her, and near everyone else still in the garden with her and them. She sat on that very same branch at least until Rolando finally left the garden with Darien, Serenity, and Daniel, and headed off to the main ballroom elsewhere on the Crystal Palace's grounds, if not even longer than that. Skyhorse didn't leave it until her most recent blushing episode was sufficiently over for her. Which didn't happen for at least an hour after she'd just climbed up the tree in which she was now in, in fact.

It took at least another twenty or thirty minutes more after that time for Serena and her sisters to somehow convince her to eventually come back down from that tree. And that was somehow only the case here after Serena, Destiny, and Bethany had each transformed into their respective Scout states, at least as of the current time. And after they'd each climbed up it at least twenty feet from its base, if not more than that, in fact.

Moon, Corona, and Eclipse all climbed up that tree in very short order indeed, once they could all do so well enough here. And they all did it at least until they were each on branches that they were sure would support their respective weights well enough for them to do that. When they were sitting on each of those branches, Moon soon asked Skyhorse, "Skyhorse, why did you scamper up this tree some time earlier, instead of staying on the ground with the rest of us?"

"Because, Moon, or would you rather I called you 'Serena,' I didn't want to possibly rush things with Rolando, if I could possibly avoid it at all. You see, I'm still not very old yet, of course."

"Moon or Serena's fine with me, whenever we're together in our respective Scout states, as long as anyone who doesn't know us well enough either hear, see, or detect that you're using either of those names for me."

"Thank you, Serena. You weren't too bad yourself during our recent battle with forces from the Negaverse."

"Yes, that might be true. But they're going to ruin our Moon Kingdom, I fear, as much as they possibly can, if I'm not mistaken too much about them and our future here in the Moon Kingdom."

Corona said, "Skyhorse, you can call me either Destiny or Corona, under the same conditions for me that Serena said she wanted you to use for her. But be very careful when you do so, of course."

"Thank you, Corona."

Eclipse essentially said the same thing or things to Skyhorse here as Corona and Moon had each just done now. At least as that thing or things related to how she actually wanted to be referred to or talked to by Skyhorse, whenever possible in the future, of course. And Skyhorse promised Eclipse that she'd try to do just as Eclipse had just asked her to do whenever they associated with each other in the future, whenever possible. That soon caused Eclipse to give Skyhorse a very wide smile, once Skyhorse had done so with Eclipse.

Then the four girls sat on branches for no more than about another ten to twenty minutes, because they now wanted to get ready for that night's usual functions, if they'd not already done so. So they descended the tree one at a time, with Moon being the first one off it. After Moon got off it, Corona then came next off it. Eclipse followed Corona off it shortly thereafter. Then Eclipse soon talked Skyhorse down from the tree the rest of the way, once she herself had gotten her own feet solidly enough back down on the ground again. When Skyhorse was finally back down all the way from where she'd been in the tree, they all briefly chatted with each other, before suddenly parting again here. This was the case for them all here so that Skyhorse also knew exactly how to get to the main ballroom if she'd not already been there, of course. Before they all parted, though, they all powered down here, if at all possible. Even Skyhorse, who'd heard the phrase, "Junior Sailor Skyhorse Power, Exit," in her head while she was still in the tree, before Serena and her sisters began trying to convince her to come down from it, eventually did so. Of course, it was the same exact phrase that Serenity had thought that'd likely allow Sylvia to transform out of her Scout state at any time, if she wanted to. Supposing that she didn't actually fall out of it at any particular time when she really didn't want to be out of it, by the way. When Sylvia realized this sufficiently well, she became rather happy. Though she didn't really show it much, if at all. Or at least not while anyone else was still sufficiently near her at that particular time. Skyhorse transformed out of her Scout state last, just after Destiny, Bethany, and Serena had done the same. She did so only after Serena's sisters had left her alone with Serena again. For she wanted to walk with Serena a bit as they each went to their respective Crystal Palace chambers, once she'd become just Sylvia Wakefield again.

About a minute or so after Serena transformed out, Sylvia did so, once Serena assured her that it was safe enough for her to do so. Then the same clothes that she'd been wearing when Serena had found her with Darien and Rolando in the Crystal Chalice Garden appeared on her again. And they appeared on her again just as they'd last appeared on her before she'd transformed into her new Scout state of being as Junior Sailor Skyhorse. Serena asked her, "Ready to go back to your chambers with me for a while, then, Sylvia?"

"Might as well. I don't have anything better to do before I go to the ball. And I guess that I'll want your company as I get ready for it."

"Okay, Sylvia. Then let's go to your chambers for a while."

"I don't seem to have a dress that'll work well enough for me at the moment for it, though, Serena."

"Don't worry. You're just about my size. And I think I have some dresses in my chambers that might fit you well enough, if you were to try them on. I'll drop you off at your chambers, Sylvia. And I want you to take a bath, if you haven't already done so today. And by the time you get done with it, Sylvia, I think I might have some dresses there for you to try on. How old are you anyway?"

"I turned 12 this year."

"I see. When?"

"January 25th."

"So you're almost two years older than me."

"How old are you, and when's your birthday, again, Serena?"

"I turned 10 on June 30th of this year, Sylvia."

"And you think that you might have dresses that'll look good enough on me, Serena?"

"Yes, Sylvia. Even though, as I've just said, you're almost two years older than me."

"I see. All right, I'll do as you suggest. But what if you don't have any that might fit me well enough?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Sylvia."

Serena soon dropped off Sylvia at her Crystal Palace chambers. Then she went to her own, where she began searching for several dresses that she thought Sylvia might look good in at the ball. She spent at least the next ten to twenty minutes doing so, once she got there. And she was still doing it when her mother appeared outside her door and started knocking on it seconds after doing so.

She went almost immediately to the door, of course. And she let her mother in, as she also said, "Mom, I'm looking for dresses that Sylvia might not mind wearing at the ball. If you're going to be here now, I'd appreciate it if you'd help me look for some dresses I might be able to lend to her."

So Serenity and Serena soon agreed to look together for such dresses. And they did so for at least a little while. They did this as Serenity also asked Serena when she thought Serena would be able to show herself in the main ballroom, so the ball there could finally begin as had been planned earlier.

Serena said, "As soon as she and I are both ready, I'll come there. But not before then. When I get there, the ball can begin. It won't hurt anyone for the ball to start a little later than usual, because we've not been around for a little while, of course. It's been at least a few weeks since most of them have seen us. So what's a few more minutes, at least, if not at least another hour? I promise you that I'll be there as soon as possible, though."

"Very well. But please try to hurry it up, if you can. For I really don't want them to start getting too upset with us, just because you've not shown there soon enough after the usual starting time or times for our nightly functions, Serena."

"Understood, Mother. I suppose that you could alter these dresses, if the need arose, when we take them to Sylvia's chambers?"

"Yes. You still have a reasonably full sewing kit near your bed?"

"Yes, Mom, I do."

"All right. This is what we'll do. I'll get a cart. When I come back here, I want you to put all the dresses on it that we've chosen for her by then, as well as that kit. Then we'll go to her chambers. And we'll try to help her find a dress that she'll not mind wearing too much. If it's then necessary, I'll alter at least one of the dresses we'd just brought to her chambers, so that she can wear it. If we have to mix and match them, so be it. You won't need any of these dresses anymore, will you, Serena, if we bring them to her so that she can look at them?"

"No, I don't think so. I could be wrong, of course. But you can always check them, just to be sure, as we take them to her."

Minutes later, then, Serenity left Serena long enough to get the required cart for the dresses they'd both bring with them to Sylvia's chambers. As soon as she returned, Serena put the kit on it, as well as all the dresses she and her mother had decided to bring to those chambers. After Serenity made quite sure that Serena wasn't trying to sneak any other dresses onto the cart, the two of them soon went to Sylvia's chambers.

By the time they both got there, then, Sylvia was sitting somewhat casually on a chair in them, wearing a mostly maroon bathrobe with several pink, dark green, and cobalt blue stripes on it and on its belt. She was reading one of her various scrolls with at least one story on it, if not more than one, when they knocked on her door. She quietly let them in, just as soon as they identified themselves well enough to satisfy her now. She soon set down her current scroll, after first rolling it up all the way, of course. Sylvia set it quite carefully down on a walnut and pine table near her new bed.

Sylvia said, "I see you have a cart loaded with dresses." This she said, as she moved to pick up at least one of them, if not more. Five minutes later, she picked out at least two of them for possible changes. And she had Serenity alter them, so that she could have at least one good dress out of the just-chosen dresses. Fifteen or so minutes after she'd picked those dresses out, and had Serenity alter them, she was wearing one of the newly-altered dresses on her person. It turned out to be a mostly pink, gold, and navy blue dress. It was also decorated with a mostly light brown and cardinal red sash running roughly from her left shoulder to her right hip. Both on the dress and on its sash, there were thin fringes of white and dark green lace, wherever Sylvia wanted those fringes to be on her sash. By the time that Serenity was done with her alterations to the necessary dresses, Sylvia was quite pleased with her work. And she often said so, once she'd put at least one of them on to see how it or they looked on her.

Sylvia looked very attractive, yet still very modest. Especially after Serena and Serenity had helped Sylvia redo her hair, which had fallen slightly out of its braids while Sylvia had been trying on at least one of the dresses that her new Moon-born friends had just brought to her in her chambers. After doing that, they had Sylvia put her locket in a handbag that'd been in the sewing kit Serenity had earlier mentioned to Serena. So Sylvia did so. After doing so, Serena and Serenity looked her over once more. And Serenity soon said, "Sylvia, you look absolutely fabulous. Just wait until everyone else sees you! Raye and the others will be so surprised, they'll all wonder where you got such a great-looking dress. But don't you tell them for sure just where you got it. At least not yet, anyway. It'll just be our little secret. If you must say something, though, just say, 'Sailor Chrysalis gave it to me.' For they've heard about Sailor Chrysalis at least once before here on the Moon. For your information, though, Sailor Chrysalis is a direct ancestor of ours from just after the beginning of our Silver Millennium, Sylvia. She was often quite popular with a number of our people in her time. Mainly because she could do the most wonderful things with several various fabrics and other materials that she'd often have available to her in her life. Especially with the same kinds of fabrics that are in both of your new dresses that we just did for you. She came from the general area of Mount Serenity quite far away from here. And she made quite a lot of dresses and a whole lot of other items of attire in her time. Many of them were a lot like the ones that are now yours, in fact. Ever since she became a mother for the first time, all the oldest children of our line back to her have had the same ability to sew well. Though it's not always been quite so evident to many other people. About one of those children in every six to eight generations since, doesn't show it very often before the age of about ten to fifteen years of age. Serena's apparently one of them, right now. She hasn't made it very obvious so far that she has it. Or at least not yet. But I know that she has it, nevertheless. It'll not likely surface, though, at least as long as she still lives here on the Moon, if my recent visions and/or dreams that concern her in that regard are accurate enough. And probably not until she gets married, if not a little bit before. Until it does, though, it'll probably seem like she doesn't actually have the talent. At least most of the time, I think, to most other people. But she'll still have it, Sylvia. Even if it's not currently obvious at certain times in her life."

"Understood, Queen Serenity."

"Now I think Serena needs to get ready for the ball, Sylvia," said Queen Serenity.

"Agreed. But I'd still prefer someone to bring me to the main ballroom, then, if that's the case."

"I'll do that. But first, Serena needs to get herself ready for it," said Queen Serenity.

"Yes, I suppose so. Serena, I'll talk to you later, perhaps?"

"Yes, Sylvia. That's fine with me."

"Good. Catch you later then."

So after a brief nod, a brief question from her mother, and a brief answer from herself to her mother, Serena then hurried out of Sylvia's chambers. And she went to her own. Moments later, Serenity left them as well, but not alone. For Sylvia came with her as well.

I suppose that I'd better stop here now. For this will be where the last part of the story will take up from, in fact, readers. I hope that you have so far enjoyed the story, if you've gotten this far, and that you'll all continue to read it. I don't know yet just how long it'll take me to get each story in this series up fully here. But it might take a while for each story in this series, just the same. Until later, then, this is "The Universal Storyteller" signing off here. Happy reading, and God bless, and all that, of course, readers! Over and out!