In this chapter, we will see Queen Serenity spend time with her currently-future mother, Serena, and Rini for a while before they are summoned to the Imperial Palace's main ballroom, mainly. The four Moon ladies will begin getting to know each other at least a little bit better than they might already know each other in their respective lives, or might already know of them in those lives of theirs.
Seeing as Queen Serenity's mother has never yet managed to make it into her future, past the time of her death, if she ever will, she'll never have met Serena or her prospective daughter in any time period after then in her life before. So they will be quite unfamiliar to her in her life at this point. And, of course, she's not actually had Queen Serenity yet in it, seeing as she was taken out of time prior to being married to her husband and having Serenity and Raphael, at least,as well.
Serena has not married anyone yet, due to her current age, as well, obviously. But the fall of the Moon Kingdom has not yet happened, and all, even though it will eventually happen, unfortunately. It is increasingly unlikely that she'll ever be able to marry anyone by that time, as well. So it is quite unlikely that Rini will be among those who will be in existence somehow at that time, for that matter.
But a lot more is yet to happen here in this particular timeline before the Moon Kingdom ultimately falls, folks. So let's see what else happens here before it does, if we can, all right? Until later, then, TUS out.
Inside Serena's Future Imperial Palace Chambers
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
August 7, 174 BC
Meanwhile, as King Jason and Queen Eve were alone with each other in their descendant Serenity's future Imperial Palace chambers, four of their descendants were starting to get at least a bit more acquainted with each other, if they'd not already begun to do so. After those descendants of theirs began doing so, if they'd not already begun to do so some time before, Sailor Peppermint asked her fellow Scouts if they'd like to power down for at least a little while. For she'd thought that their Scout states were not their own respective normal states in their mortal lives. And she was right. Royal Sailor Serenity thought about the idea briefly, and then said to her mother, "Sure, Sailor Peppermint. I suppose that Moon, Mini Moon, and I could do that."
So Sailor Peppermint watched them do so for a few moments, before she too dropped out of her own Scout state as that. Moments later, Sailor Peppermint was just Princess Margaret Calumet again. That was because the time vortex had whisked her out of a time before she'd married Serenity's father in her life. That time had been before she'd ever married King Francis XII of the Moon Kingdom, and while she was Princess Margaret Calumet. She now appeared to be a young woman of about seventeen or so Terran years of age, at the very most, and at least thirteen such years of age, at the very least.
After she dropped out of her Scout state, she looked around at her current companions, and then asked Serenity, "How old are you, Queen Serenity?"
"When I was whisked out of my time, I was just over 42 years of age, Princess Margaret."
"Well, then, who are these two girls?"
"The blonde girl about eleven Terran years of age is my daughter Serena Moon. And the pink-haired girl that appears to be about five or so such years of age is, I believe, quite possibly her future daughter Serena Shields, who most people might call Rini in their own lives."
"I see. And I notice you're wearing what appears to be the Imperium Silver Crystal."
"Yes. I am wearing such a crystal. For in my time, I'm Queen of the Moon Kingdom. Unfortunately, I think I may be the last ruler of our Moon Kingdom, Princess Margaret."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because an evil force might someday ever come to the Moon Kingdom to try to destroy its own home world, which, of course, is the Moon, Princess Margaret. That's if enough people's visions and dreams of many years prove to be sufficiently accurate in their respective natures. In my time, I've ruled the Moon Kingdom for about twenty or so years, if my math is correct. I became Queen of it when my parents were killed quite suddenly with a lot of other people and cats."
"How were they killed, if I may ask you this, Queen Serenity?"
"Their spaceship was destroyed by the unexpected explosion of its hyperspace engines, as it was about to leave this solar system for another one elsewhere in the known Universe, Princess Margaret."
"I see. And how did you learn this?"
"Others told me, not long afterward, of their demises. Then I became the official ruler of our Moon Kingdom, as soon as I could become it in my life, Princess Margaret."
"And who's your husband, then?"
"You don't yet know him in your life, if you ever will. But you may know his mother, at least, if not also his father, by now in your life."
"Let me guess. You're from a time later than mine."
"Correct, Princess Margaret."
"Will I be around when you have your daughter Serena?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"May I ask why, Queen Serenity?"
"Because you'll be asleep."
"Do you know why?"
"I know, but I don't think I can tell you here. Or not for a while, at least, Princess Margaret."
Serena Moon said, "I know why too, Princess Margaret, but I don't know if my mother really wants me to tell you right now either."
"That's right, Serena. And I'm not really sure if Rini actually knows yet what happened to her mother's maternal grandparents in their lives," said Queen Serenity.
"If I'm going to be her mother in the future, then I suspect that someday, I will tell her why. That's if she doesn't already know by the time that she was obviously whisked out of her own time by the strange phenomenon that brought us all here to the Moon City of 174 BC, Mother. I don't know if she knows yet, but I'd not be surprised if she does."
"Do you think I know why yet, Serena?"
"I don't know, Rini. You may very well be my future daughter, or you may not be. But if you are, then Queen Serenity may be your maternal grandmother, or she may not. I'm not yet sure, for I don't entirely know what the future might hold for me, of course."
"My mother seems to think that her mother lived in the late 10th Century AD, somewhere here on the Moon. And that after something bad happened to her then, she and a whole lot of others were sent roughly a millennium into the future from then, by her own mother. If that's so, then my mother's had at least two mothers, if not more, in her life. I think that maybe she's had three mothers by the time I come around for her and her husband, sometime in the future."
"I see. And this mother of yours, could she possibly be me?"
"I don't see why not, Serena. For we seem to share a common name, don't we?"
"I suppose so, Rini. But your friends and relatives normally call you Rini in your life, so that you know which Serena they're talking to, don't they?" asked Serena Moon.
"Of course they do, Serena. Raye often calls my mother 'Meatball Head' when she's acting particularly juvenile back where I come from."
"Raye Hino, if I remember correctly?"
"As a matter of fact, that's right, Serena."
"So she's actually around in the future?"
"Yes, it seems so. Mother and Raye often get into arguments with each other in their lives, when they're not otherwise occupied in them."
"Why am I not surprised to hear that?"
"I don't know, Serena."
For at least a while longer, then, the four of them conversed with each other, until they all got quite bored with doing so. When they were quite bored with doing so, they all soon found places to sleep in their recently-assigned chambers, and began napping not too long afterward. They all stayed asleep for quite a while, mainly due to their recent unexpected departures from their respective time periods, if not entirely due to them. Which then meant they all stayed asleep at least until Earthrise in the Moon City area of the Moon, if not even longer than that. At the very least, they all did so until local Earthrise on August 7, 174 BC, of course.
Several hours after they all fell asleep in their new chambers, they eventually began stirring in them. And after doing so, they soon woke up, if they'd not already done so. When they'd all done so, they checked their things that they had with them right now, to see if they had anything that they could change into for a while. All of them had at least one change of clothes in their things, fortunately, if not more. At least when it came to being out of their respective Scout states, whether or not they had only one such state of being in their lives, if not also while they were in such a state or states in them.
When they all confirmed that they had at least one change of clothes besides any Scout uniforms they might currently have available to them, they all eventually changed into one of them, if it wasn't their only change of clothes besides their Scout uniforms. They took turns changing into said clothes behind a curtain elsewhere in their current Imperial Palace chambers. For they all wanted their privacy while they did so. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons, whenever they possibly could have it in such a situation, while they were all still here in the Moon City of 174 BC.
Shortly after they were all changed into other clothes for a while, they heard a few knocks on the door of their chambers. Princess Margaret was the first to speak of the four, when they heard the knocks. She asked, in quite a curious manner, "Who's there?"
"A maidservant of Queen Eve. Queen Eve would like you all to assemble as soon as possible in the main ballroom of the palace."
"Understood."
"Do you know where it is, by any chance?"
"I'm sure we can find it in your Imperial Palace." Princess Margaret didn't tell the maidservant why, for the maidservant didn't know why they might know where it was. She only knew that in the Imperial Palace, there were currently quite a few strangers that her King and Queen wanted to meet there. Even though she'd not yet seen any of them, because her King and Queen hadn't permitted her to see any of them yet, if they ever would. Of course, Princess Margaret, Queen Serenity, and Moon Princess Serena, at least, already knew where it was, even if Rini didn't. So they didn't tell the maidservant that they knew that, and why they knew that.
Moments later, the maidservant left the area of their chambers again. For she had other things that she still had to attend to at the current time. After she left, Rini asked, "Are you sure that you can bring me to the right place in this palace, you three?"
"I think so, Rini. It's been a while since we were all last here, but I think we can," answered Queen Serenity for herself, her currently-future mother, and her oldest daughter Serena.
"Who do you want me to walk with there, then, Queen Serenity?"
"I'd like you to walk with Serena, Rini. Do you have a problem with walking with her there?"
"I don't think so, Queen Serenity."
"Good. Then I'll walk with Princess Margaret, while you walk with Serena, Rini."
"Understood, Queen Serenity."
Then the four of them eventually left their assigned Imperial Palace chambers with each other. They did so with Queen Serenity and Princess Margaret leading both Serenas there, just in case they didn't actually know how to get there from their currently-assigned chambers in that palace. Actually, the older Serena did know the way there from where they'd been put in the palace, but the younger one didn't.
As they made their ways to the Imperial Palace's main ballroom, they met up with several of the other Scouts that'd also been brought to 174 BC just like they'd been, by the strange phenomenon that'd pulled them out of their respective time periods in history. That was if they didn't begin meeting up with all of those Scouts, and not just a few, some, or most of them instead, as they headed toward that part of Moon City's Imperial Palace. Among those people, of course, were Destiny and Bethany. Even though they all weren't currently in their Scout states as they came there as well.
Naturally, because Bethany and Destiny weren't in their respective Scout states, they were attached by a cord between their wrists, like they often were when they were with each other in their normal states of being in their lives. Bethany was slightly ahead of Destiny, guiding her to the necessary place in the Imperial Palace. And just ahead of Bethany, Amy and Raye were clearing a path for the twins to move among their fellow Moon Kingdom Princesses and Queens, if not also any number of cats, or other people, in their current crowd. And behind Bethany and Destiny in the group, Lita and Mina made sure that nobody would come up on the twins too quickly for their own good. They did this, as other people and cats also headed toward the main ballroom.
When Serena Moon saw Raye again, and was able to get close enough to her again, somehow, she asked, "Raye, do you know if Sylvia was one of the people taken out of her proper time period?"
"I haven't seen her. I don't think she's here, Serena. I suspect she's still back in Israel on Earth, and in our own time."
Just then, Rini saw Serena briefly conversing with Raye, then asked Serena, "How well do you know the girl you just talked to, Serena?"
"Very well, I'd like to think," answered Serena, when she turned slightly away from Raye to face toward Rini.
"Did you actually say 'Rini', Serena?" asked Raye.
"Yes, I did actually say that particular name, Raye. This little girl here is Rini Shields. Or at least a version of her that was brought back into this very same time period by the very same time vortex that evidently has brought all the rest of us here."
"I see, Serena. And if you're not too mistaken, then, Serena, this little girl will be the same one that we'll all probably know quite well someday yet in the future?"
"I think so, Raye. At least I hope so, though I may not know for sure yet, for all the obvious reasons, if she'll be around then somehow."
Then Serena managed to also talk to Amy, Lita, and Mina, at least, somehow, if not others as well besides them, her mother, and her maternal grandmother. Not to mention Rini as well. She could only converse briefly with them while they all continued to head toward the Imperial Palace's main ballroom. And only whenever her situation let her do so while heading to the necessary part of the palace with anyone else at all.
The next chapter will be short, but it will still help set up certain future events and interactions during the course of this story's adventure, in any case. And explain certain things that may play important parts in this story, as well.
The next several chapters may also be short, at least for another chapter or two, I think. But hopefully, that won't hurt the story's development too much, of course, before the first longer chapter to this story. We should now be about a fifth of the way through this story, as of the end of this chapter, for your information, folks. I'm expecting that there will be about twenty or so chapters to this story by the time I have it fully posted here. But I'm not sure just yet how many chapters there's going to be for this story here when it comes to a close, either.
There will be a lot of action here very soon, time-wise, but everyone now present is still getting to know each other at least a little here, having only recently been transferred from multiple times and places to the year 174 BC on the Moon. Once that happens well enough, things should really pick up a lot in this story for a lot of people, especially after they find themselves periodically being forced to fight strange beings later on in it.
Until next time, then, I'll close this. Hope you're enjoying the story so far, of course, folks. TUS out.