Thank you very much for the reviews!  They're the fuel for fanfic writers, you know.

Anyhoo, this chapter may seem a little slow, but I promise it is necessary.

So please continue reading, and be sure to review! Thank you much!

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Chapter 2

A History Lesson

At the dawn of the 21st century, it was a well known fact that the Earth was headed for disaster. Natural disasters plagued every nation, and war infested every corner of the earth. Innocent people were killed, while the guilty survived. It wasn't long before the Earth was hurled into another ice age, brought on no doubt by the disastrous nuclear experimentation conducted by a once powerful nation, its name now lost to the ages.

The nuclear accident's effects were catastrophic. The earth was cast into darkness; the sun barely broke through the layer of dust permanently suspended in the atmosphere, and surviving plants slowly withered before finally falling victim to the harsh conditions. Temperatures dropped, vegetation disappeared, and a deadly silence descended onto the once lush planet.

There was a small group of survivors. A group of approximately 200 men, women, and children had somehow managed to take shelter in an old nuclear fallout shelter beneath the streets of Japan. With enough supplies to last for several decades, the survivors lived a meager existence as they made plans to once more emerge and face what might be left of their beloved planet.

And somehow, they succeeded. They waited 60 years before finally emerging from the shelter, and found a planet much different from the one in their memories. Indeed, the planet was unrecognizable, but habitable. Even so, the experience was detrimental to the mental health of the survivors. Animal extinct took over. The men and women were now greedy and power hungry, driven by fear, anger, and aggression. The children no longer cared to play and experience the joys of carefree youth.

With these primal survival instincts, the survivors rebuilt a great civilization, using the broken remains of once proud cities. Houses were made of stone and brick. No one knew how to make glass, but that was okay seeing as no one cared to have windows. Their eyes were not accustomed to the dim light on Earth, having grown used to the inky blackness in the shelter deep under ground..

And so they lived, a new people with a new way of life. New agricultural methods were discovered, new generations were born, and no one again mentioned the name "Earth". They referred to their planet as the "Black Moon", since the sun rarely shown and the moon appeared as a black circle in the gray night sky.

The people of the Black Moon also built a palace of black crystal, known as the "Black Palace", where the newly elected ruling family would live. No one could remember such a substance existing on the planet before the accident (as the nuclear disaster was referred to as), but it seemed fitting to use it to build the palace, as it could be found in abundance where the oceans once were.

The Shingetsu family was chosen to lead the Black Moon people. Mr. Shingetsu had made the plans for the new city himself, and most of the people attributed their survival to his quick thinking and tireless leadership. He was, perhaps, the most decent and honorable man that lived during those dark times, and it gave the people comfort to know that such a man now legitimately governed and led them.

At the coronation ceremony, a mysterious cloaked figure known only as "Wiseman" presented to the family a black crystal cut into the shape of a rose. Wiseman told the family that it was called the "Shinbara", and that it had the power to grant its owners incredible powers. It was only fitting that the new monarchs should possess this powerful crystal.

But the Shinbara changed the Shingetsu family.

The change wasn't immediate. Indeed, it wasn't until several generations later that the full effects of the Shinbara were evident. The descendents of the Shingetsus were born with unusual powers, each generation stronger than the previous. An upside-down horizontal black crescent moon appeared on their foreheads, a sign of their royal position. And the once gentle, honorable leader the people had chosen was succeeded by ruthless monarch after ruthless monarch.

The Black Moon Family, as the Shingetsu monarchs were now called, were powerful. None dared raise a voice in opposition, and the few who did were quickly silenced. By the 23rd century the Black Moon was stable, the population now spread throughout the main island of what was once Japan. By the 27th century all knowledge of the old Earth was lost, destroyed by the Black Moon family to squelch any revolutionists who might try to revive a democracy or start a rebellion. And in the 29th century, the people of the Black Moon were actually happy once more.

At the dawn of the 30th century, something amazing happened. A goddess, for that is what she had to be, appeared from nowhere. Clothed in white, her golden hair trailed behind her as she lifted a white crystal to the heavens. A bright light illuminated the sky, and the Earth was revived.

Neo-Queen Serenity used the power of the silver crystal to restore the Earth. Once the legendary sailor senshi Sailor Moon, she had fallen into a deep sleep when the accident had occurred, protected by the power of the silver crystal she kept on a necklace around her neck. She knew not what awakened her centuries later, but knew it was time to restore the glory of the planet she remembered so well.

She revived her fallen comrades, the senshi of the planets of the solar system (all except Sailor Pluto, of course, who still stood watch over the gates of time), and her lover Prince Endymion. With her crystal she awoke many of the souls of those who had perished. Together with the people of the Black Moon they promptly made Serenity and Endymion their Queen and King, and with the help of the Queen's crystal built Neo-Crystal Tokyo, the most beautiful city that had ever existed.

Nearly all the Black Moon People pledged their allegiance to Serenity. Those who did not moved to the Black City, the location of the Black Palace and the capital of the Black Moon. King Topaz, their king, forbade his people from leaving the Black City, lest they too turn to Serenity. Not that any wanted to leave. They were angered by this sudden upheaval; their very way of life was forever altered by the sudden revival of the "New Earth", and frankly they didn't care to go back to the old way of life. Not that any could remember it. They were absolutely convinced that the life they now led was a drastic improvement over what this Neo-Queen Serenity now offered them.

King Topaz was irate. This new Queen was a threat to everything the Shingetsu family had worked for, everything they had achieved. And what was worse, his son Prince Diamond had fallen for her.

Yes, the handsome young prince of the Black Moon was quite taken with Serenity, much to the dismay of the young ladies at court. Diamond had never before seen such beauty and gentleness as he saw in the face of the Neo-Queen. But Diamond, like his father, was stubborn. Neo-Queen Serenity wanted to purify the Black Crystal and the citizens of the Black Moon with her silver crystal. To agree would be to concede to her rule, and King Topaz and his son were not willing to give up so easily.

A stand-off ensued between Neo-Crystal Tokyo and the Black Moon people. The King was fairly certain that if a war broke out, the power of the Shinbara would be more than enough to rid the planet of the pesky Neo-Queen. But he did not wish to start a war. He knew there were rumors among his people, that Serenity was good and just, loving and powerful. King Topaz understood the delicacy of the situation. In order to gain and maintain the support of his remaining people, it would have to be she who started the war.

Neo-Queen Serenity was distraught by the stubbornness of King Topaz. The Black Moon people were enveloped in negative energy, and the Shinbara resonated with a power so dark and evil that she just knew it would one day bring disaster to the planet once more. It was her responsibility to cleanse them, and rid the Neo-Earth of any dark power that lingered. She had no wish to bring them under her rule. She respected the Black Moon people for surviving so many centuries after the accident, and was willing to allow their continued existence.

As long as they permitted her to cleanse them.

So Neo-Queen Serenity made a plan.

To be continued………….