This chapter will finally see Queen Serenity's babies born. There will be some humorous stuff in this chapter, which should help the current moods of certain characters at least a little, especially after certain recent events in this story. It won't be long, though, before matters related to the Negaverse will rear their ugly heads again, unfortunately, of course.
This chapter is the penultimate chapter of A Rather Hostile Takeover, and after this story ends, the next story in the related story series here will be Time Vortex One. Keep in mind, however, that what you will read in book five of this series is quite old, as of this point in time. I will also likely go back later on, and finish editing and/or revising First Kisses? before also doing the same with each chapter of this story, considering my likely updated writing habits in certain areas, and hopefully improved writing skills and abilities.
As I have likely said before, there are still two other completed volumes in this story series that I have yet to post, and another partway through, at this point in time, and all. I do hope to finally get them all up here in time, if at all possible, and finally be able to also finish this series as well.
Well, that's enough to talk about here for now, at least, I think. Until later, then, folks, I'll close this here. Hope you all really enjoy this next-to-last chapter of A Rather Hostile Takeover, for sure. TUS out.
Inside Serenity's Chambers In The Imperial Palace
Moon City, Moon Kingdom, Moon
April 29, 987 - April 30, 987
Several weeks later, but no more than two months later, Queen Serenity started feeling the undeniable signs of labor. She started feeling them about an hour before local midnight on April 29, 987, in Moon City on the Moon. Those signs quite naturally woke her up, for she'd been sleeping next to her husband in their bed. She woke up suddenly, with a rather unexpected contraction or two from her womb.
She quite hurriedly shook her husband Daniel awake, of course, as she said to him, "Daniel Moon, it's begun again. They're going to be coming our way very soon, I think. You'd better summon the royal physicians now, Daniel, and do it as quickly as you can."
Daniel was fully awake within a minute or two of her beginning to shake him awake. Within another two minutes, then, he was at the necessary bell chain, starting to summon all the required royal physicians. He pulled that chain as many times as he had to, and he helped her out of their bed to the nearest bathroom, of course.
When that was done, and she told him she was as comfortable as she could be in that bathroom, he soon left her chambers to make sure that the royal physicians got to the right chambers in Moon City's Imperial Palace. But only after she told him to do that, of course, did he do so.
Minutes later, he brought them to his wife's chambers, and let them take over the monitoring of his and Serenity's babies' birth processes, in very short order. She soon sent him away, so that he could let their daughters know that before the end of the following day, they might very well have five new siblings of their very own. That was if he didn't let anyone else know that as well with her permission.
On the way to his oldest daughter's chambers, he quite unexpectedly ran into Darien and Rolando, who'd both just come to Moon City within the last week or two, at most. Darien saw him first, then said, "Hello, Prince Daniel. I suppose it's begun again for Queen Serenity and you, perhaps."
"I hope so, and I hope all of them show up in quite good health, of course, Darien."
"Where are you heading, Prince Daniel?" asked Rolando.
"Toward Serena's chambers, to give her the news, then to the twins' respective chambers, to do the same thing, of course."
"And maybe even to the other Princesses' chambers, Prince Daniel?"
"Perhaps, Rolando. Perhaps."
"Would you mind us accompanying you wherever you're going, then, Prince Daniel?" asked Darien.
"Sure, I don't see why you can't. There's not really anything more that I can currently do, other than to pray for Niti to have safe enough deliveries and healthy enough babies back in her chambers right now, I think, Darien. So feel free to come along with me wherever I go, then. If they do, by some chance, actually need me, they should know how to summon me by now here in this Imperial Palace of ours."
So Darien and Rolando joined him on the way to Serena's chambers to give her the news about her mother, of course. Minutes later, Daniel knocked on his oldest girl's door, and said, "Serena, it's begun. You might want to come out here as quickly as you can."
Within five minutes, at most, Serena was at the door, and fully dressed in the necessary clothing. For she'd set it out earlier that night, just in case things began to happen as they were now apparently doing back in Queen Serenity's chambers. She soon shut and locked her door quite securely, of course, before she began hurrying to Destiny's chambers, to pass the news along to her as well.
Destiny was already quite a distance out of her chambers by the time that all three of the Princes had gotten to them behind Serena. And by the time that they had, Serena was already on the way to Bethany's chambers, with Destiny hot on her heels, because Serena had very quickly tied a cord between one of her wrists and one of Destiny's. Destiny left her door open, on the way out of it, which allowed Luna to exit Destiny's chambers, where she'd been sleeping near Destiny in the same bed as Destiny had just been using.
Moments later, out came Bethany, who quite quickly traded places with Serena, for the obvious reasons. As soon as the switch was made, all three girls had set off for Amy's Imperial Palace chambers at a very fast speed, with Serena in the lead, of course. As they were all heading toward Amy's chambers, they all decided to transform while in the process of running toward them. As they did so, they began transforming into their respective Scout states very quickly.
By the time they all got to Amy's chambers, they were all fully transformed. And Corona and Eclipse were no longer connected by a cord attached to their wrists. By the time they all were at Amy's chambers, the Princes were only at Bethany's chambers, shutting the door of them, just after Artemis had left them through the open door.
Quite obviously, then, of course, he'd been in Bethany's chambers for at least a while. And he'd been there for some yet-unknown reason, if such a reason would ever become known to a sufficient enough degree by anyone other than Bethany, who'd been quietly resting in her bed near him, as he sat in a nearby chair elsewhere in her own Imperial Palace chambers.
Amy came out a few mere moments later, already transformed into Junior Sailor Mercury. She soon joined the still-running Moon, Corona, and Eclipse in like manner, of course. As she did so, she soon caught up with at least one, if not all three, of her fellow already-transformed Scouts, if she hadn't already done so. Of course, Moon was still ahead of everybody else, whether they were Princes or not.
Next, they all went to Raye's chambers,. And a few more moments later, out came Mars, as well. By that time, Moon was almost all the way to Lita's chambers, with at least a few dozen yards between her and her closest follower, who was now Mercury. Mars soon was between Corona and Eclipse. She began to close the gap a bit on Corona, as Moon continued to lead everyone else all around the Imperial Palace's grounds.
After knocking a few times rather loudly and rather quickly on Lita's door, Moon was soon at least twenty yards, if not more, away from Lita's chambers. Lita exited her chambers moments later, and as soon as she saw at least three or four other girls were in their Scout states, she also transformed into Junior Sailor Jupiter. By then, Mercury was about twenty yards behind Serena, and about five yards ahead of the charging Mars. Jupiter joined everyone else just as Corona was passing Lita's chambers, and as she and Corona were both a sizable distance now ahead of Eclipse, who herself was a sizable distance ahead of all three Princes, of course. The Princes had by now only made it to Raye's chambers, at the very most.
On and on the impromptu race continued, and Princesses and Scouts each joined that same race every so often, right after Moon had gotten their attentions enough to get them all to do that. After Lita, into that rather impromptu race also came Mina, Sylvia, Alexis, Michelle, Susan, and Hannah, in that exact order. As time went on, in came all the Alpha-level Outer Scouts, followed by Mara and her fellow Peruvians who were both Monitors and Scouts, then all of the Beta-level Inner Scouts, and finally all of the Gamma-level Outer Scouts, with the last to join the race being Princesses D.C. Gallenski and Tracy Meyers. By the time that D.C. and Tracy had joined the race now in question here, Darien had worked his way up in that race, at least until he was between Eclipse and Skyhorse. Rolando had also worked himself up to somewhere between Amilaram and Onziza, with Amilaram currently being ahead of Rolando, and Onziza currently being behind Rolando in that race. Of course, Daniel was dropping back in the race, for the obvious reasons.
Eventually, Daniel got lapped by a number of the Scouts, if not all of them, before Moon finally finished running around the Imperial Palace's grounds three times, about an hour or so after the Princes had let her know that her mother had just started to go into labor, at most. By the time her father had gotten around the grounds once or twice, at most, she was already back at her chambers, waiting for her fellow Scouts to make it back to each of their own chambers to complete their current laps. She won the rather impromptu race, once she'd passed her chambers for the third time. And when she had, she let everyone else know that almost instantly, of course. She took one victory lap then, so that she could cool down enough before she went to her mother's chambers in the palace, for the obvious reasons. Then she took a very quick shower after doing so, before she put the proper clothes back on again. Supposing, of course, that she could still do that then, after taking that quick shower in her own chambers. Those clothes hadn't actually gotten too dirty or too sweaty in the meantime, mainly because she'd transformed into her Junior Sailor Scout uniform earlier, so she could do that easily and safely enough, as a matter of fact. After taking that shower, then, she waited outside her chambers for her fellow Princesses to come back to them, as patiently as she could, and was eventually rewarded by their meeting of her there.
She soon asked who'd taken second, and Amy said, "Destiny/Corona, by about a quarter of a lap, Serena/Moon."
"Third?"
"Raye/Mars."
Amy soon filled her in the rest of the positions in the impromptu race caused by Serena/Moon, and Serena soon learned that Darien/Tuxedo Mask had worked his way up to fifth place in the race by the end of it, just about five yards behind Sylvia/Skyhorse in fourth place. Serena soon learned her father Prince Daniel had only completed two full laps, at most, by the time that she'd finished her third lap around the grounds. He'd stopped running in the race once he'd passed his wife's chambers in the Palace for the second time, at the very latest. And after he'd done so, he checked on Queen Serenity, of course.
When he did, he soon learned that Queen Serenity was probably at least an hour from delivering the first of the babies, if not more, according to the royal physicians that were now attending to her. So he figured that the best thing he could then do was to sit outside them and wait out the babies' birth processes for as long as he had to. While he did so, Serena briefly passed by on her cooling-down victory lap, and she briefly asked him, "How soon might they start coming to us, Dad?"
"Too soon to tell, Serena. Maybe by the time that you kids all get done with your laps, and get back here, they'll almost be ready to start coming to us, if they've not already done so."
"Understood. I'll try to be back here as soon as I can, then, Dad. I'll catch you later, I suppose, Dad. God willing, of course." Then Serena left him behind again, and she eventually got back to her chambers again, where she took a shower soon afterward, of course.
Sometime later, as already stated, she exited her chambers, and she sat down outside them for a time. Or at least until all her fellow Moon Kingdom and Terran friends came to them as well, anyway.
After everyone had done so, she led them rather calmly back to her mother's chambers, and didn't break out in another run around the Imperial Palace's grounds. By then, Corona and Eclipse had both returned to their respective normal states, as had everyone else in Serena's current crowd. All of the girls now with Serena soon formed up behind Serena, with her twin sisters being just behind her when they did so.
After Serena and her twin sisters had formed the head of a line, all the girls formed up behind the Moon girls, with Sylvia, Mara, and the other seven Terran girls soon taking up positions just behind all three Moon girls in the now-forming line. After the nine aforementioned Terran girls came Amy and Chloe Anderson, who were themselves followed by Mina and Aurora Abernathy.
Then came Raye and Bridget Hino, a few moments later, quite naturally, as one might possibly expect in a situation sufficiently like the current one in Moon City's Imperial Palace on the Moon. They were then followed, of course, by Lita McKinley, Beatrice Kirby, Jackie Tompkins and her two present sisters Hannah and Estella Tompkins, Ariel Herschel and her two present sisters Alexis and Winnie, Poruzuka Gallenski and her two present sisters Michelle and Dorothy, and Deborah Meyers and her two present sisters Susan and Tracy, in that exact order. Each planet's girls tried to stay at least five or so feet behind their nearest group's girls, if not more, so that everyone wouldn't be too crowded in the hallways leading back to Serenity's own chambers. Or at least until they were all able to get to them easily enough.
Eventually, they were all outside Serenity's chambers, where Prince Daniel had been waiting at least a few minutes for them to get back there. When Serena led everyone there, her dad said, "Serena, your mother wants you to stay out here for a few more minutes. Then you can go in, when she calls for you. None of the babies are here yet, but she thinks they might be here in the next ten to twenty minutes. I think she'll want you near her when each of the babies are born, which I expect will be about every two or three hours, at the very most."
"I see. And between babies, what do you think she'd like me to do?"
"Come out here for a while, and talk to everyone else until you're called for again. Whenever you're in there, I'll be out here, probably, and vice versa, Serena."
"I understand. Did she say anything about Destiny and Bethany coming into her chambers with me as well?"
"Not yet, Serena. But do you want me to check with her?"
"Sure, if that's all right with you, Dad, go right ahead."
"All right, Serena, I'll be right back, then." Daniel briefly rejoined his wife in her chambers, and asked her what Serena had asked about, as it related to their other two daughters of the present time. Serenity considered the idea briefly, then gave her approval for Destiny and Bethany to accompany Serena into her chambers periodically. But only Destiny and Bethany, among the girls with Serena outside them, at least as of the current time. Supposing, of course, that all their girls were each wearing the necessary clothing, for the obvious reasons. He told her that all their girls were wearing the required attire, so she stayed with her approval, as it related to her girls coming into her chambers to be with the babies as they were born. And she also agreed to let her cats come in with their three girls, whenever they came in there.
"She agrees with you, Serena. They can accompany you into her chambers, periodically. And so can both cats. But she hasn't yet given blanket approval for the rest of our current human and/or humanoid companions to come in there, if she'll eventually do that, Serena. You girls will need to carry the cats whenever you all come into her chambers, though, for she's not yet cleared them to walk on its floor again."
"Understood, Dad. Is it all right for us to go in now?"
"Wait for her call, Serena. I have a feeling she'll be calling for you very soon."
Five or so minutes later, then, Serenity called for her daughters. Serena led the way, of course, followed almost instantly by Bethany and Destiny. Before they went in, though, Luna hopped into Destiny's open arms, and Artemis did the same for Bethany's. Then both cats sat on the shoulders of one of the twins, a few seconds later. When Serena saw they weren't likely to fall off her sisters' shoulders, she led the way into Serenity's chambers.
The three girls soon took up positions near Serenity, as directed by her and at least one of the royal physicians. And they waited for a few minutes, until Serena said, "One of them seems about ready to be born, Mother."
"That it does, Serena. I can feel them just trying to get out now." No more than a minute later, then, a baby's head popped out. It was a brown-haired baby's head with just a little hair on top of it. Moments later, Serena's earlier prediction about the baby's gender proved to be true. The baby was a girl, as she'd predicted it would be some length of time before. After another push or two, the baby girl was all the way out of her mother, but still connected to her by the cord. Serenity and Dr. Matthew let Serena cut the cord, as Dr. Henry held the baby still enough, and Serena cut it. Seconds later, the inevitable squeals echoed against the nearby walls of Serenity's chambers. When her mother asked what the baby girl should be called, Serena told her a few seconds later.
Serena said, "Laura Carrie Moon, Mother."
"You sure, Serena?"
"Yes, Mother. I've also discussed such a name with Destiny and Bethany, and they agreed that if this baby was a girl, and had the color of hair that she apparently does, that should be her name."
"Is that so, Destiny and Bethany?" Of course, Serenity signed this as she said it aloud.
Both of Serena's twin sisters said they thought the same way that Serena had about her next sister. So Serenity said, "If that's the way you girls all feel, then, let it be as Serena has suggested."
"Thank you, Mom," said Serena. "Now if you remember my predictions about the babies, two boys should come next, before two more girls do."
"We'll see, Serena, if they're correct as well. But at least you were right about this baby, it seems."
"That it does, Mother. Do you want us to get Dad now?"
"Might as well, girls. Don't forget to take the cats out, of course, when you go, girls."
"Will do." Then all three of the girls left their mother's chambers again with the cats, who'd stayed on the twins' shoulders at all times while they'd all been in Serenity's chambers just now.
When they left them, their Dad asked, "What do we now have, Serena?"
"A girl, as I'd earlier predicted, Dad."
"What name did you give her?"
"Dad, she'll be Laura Carrie Moon. If I'm right, two boys will come to us before the other two girls are born."
"Laura Carrie Moon?"
"Yes, Dad. That's the name I chose for her, and Mom agreed that should be her name."
"I see. How soon do you think that the first boy will come to us?"
"I'd say no more than about two or three hours, maybe, Dad. More like an hour or two, I think."
"And I suppose that you've chosen names for the rest of the babies as well, Serena, if they're like you've predicted they'll be," said Raye.
"Of course, Raye. I predict the next baby will be a brown-haired baby boy, and the baby after that will be a black-haired baby boy."
"And if they are, Serena?" Daniel went back into his wife's chambers again, seconds later, once she called for him to come into them again.
"Then the brown-haired one should be, I believe, Samuel Timothy Moon, and the black-haired one should be Robert Forrest Thomas Moon, Raye."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, Raye, that's what I think they should both be called, if I'm right about them all to a sufficient enough degree."
"And did Laura have a birthmark, by any chance?"
"As a matter of fact, while we were all in there, Bethany and I saw a symbol, that looked a lot like a twilight might often look, in the middle of her forehead. It faded from her forehead not long after she was born, after being there for about a minute. It appeared just as I cut her cord that was still connecting her to Mom, and it faded out just after she got done yelling for the first time in her life. I expect we might see it often enough, during times of extreme stress for her, if I'm not too wrong about such things. You do know by now, Raye, that our respective symbols often appear at times of great stress for any or all of us, I know."
"Yes, I have to agree with you here, Serena, for once. But they don't always appear either, as I'm sure that you can also recall, Serena."
"True, Raye. But the fact is that they do appear on our foreheads sometimes in our lives, if not all the time."
"Whether we're in our Scout states or not, no doubt."
"Would you expect any less, Raye?"
"No, I guess not. When was Laura born, though, Serena?"
"About two in the morning, I think."
Lita said, "So you expect that Samuel will appear by four in the morning, Serena, if all goes sufficiently according to plan for everyone who's currently concerned here."
"Right, Lita."
"You realize that we may have to take care of them quite frequently in the future, I hope, Serena."
"Yes, I realize that. But if I'm not mistaken, the quints won't be four years old before the Negaverse finally comes here to the Moon."
"And if they're not, then how are we all going to protect them well enough, Serena?"
"I don't really know, Sylvia. I hope that the Negaversers don't hurt them at all, of course, if they come here, but I suspect that they'll do whatever they can against them, if they can't kill them somehow, while trying to wipe us all out."
"But you expect that our enemies might kill them, if they can."
"I think it might be a very good possibility, of course, Mina. But I hope that it's not, of course."
"So do we all, Serena. So do we all," said Mara.
"And if they do, then what, Mara?"
"Then I hope, if your dreams and visions of possible futures for us all are accurate enough, that your mother can somehow save us all, Serena. For otherwise, there'll probably be no hope of any or all of us surviving somehow for a long enough period of time, if it's somehow even possible at all for any or all of us to do just that. Not even you and Darien, of course."
Everyone outside Serenity's chambers talked with each other a while longer about various things, at least until Daniel came back out of those chambers again. It was now about 3:50 in the morning when he did so. He briefly chatted with all three of his older girls, and then he soon sent them all back in there again, once his wife called for them all again.
About five minutes later, then, it was just about to become four in the morning local time. And precisely at the top of the hour, Samuel Timothy Moon popped his head out of Serenity, and he was born. His shoulders soon followed, as did the rest of him. With Serena's help, he quite easily came out of their mother. For she'd caught his head just as he was born. And she gently helped him out of their own mother, when Serenity had actually given her permission to try to do just that. She quite calmly guided him through the rest of his birth process, and then she handed him to her twin sisters, just before she cut his cord as well, just as she'd already done with Laura's own cord. Moments later, out came his first cry, of course. And just like Laura and Serena's first cries, at least, if not also Destiny and/or Bethany's first cries, it was also rather loud in its nature.
"You're right again, Serena. It's a brown-haired baby boy, just as you thought it might be here," signed Bethany.
"Samuel Timothy Moon, hello," said Serena, almost as if Bethany hadn't just signed that to her across their shared mother.
"Why, Serena?" asked Serenity.
"I guess I've always wanted to have a brother named Samuel at least, Mom. And I like the name Timothy for him as well."
"I see. And if the next one is a boy like you've predicted as well?"
"Robert Forrest Thomas Moon."
"I'll think about it, Serena. You seem to be on a roll here with your predictions, at least right now. So I guess we can call this boy Samuel Timothy Moon, as you've just suggested here."
"Thanks, Mom."
"I think that if he's actually able to train as a warrior someday in the future, he might take the identity of Crusader. And I think that Laura will eventually be the Sailor Scout Twilight if she somehow survives long enough into the future, Mother."
"Really? Have your visions told you this, at least sometimes, Serena?" asked Serenity.
"They seem to suggest such things might actually be the case for them both, at the very least."
"How soon do you think the next baby will come to us then, Serena?"
"I'd say by six or so, at the very latest, Mom."
"And at the very earliest?"
"5:30 or so in the morning, perhaps."
"Then I suppose that you should let your dad come back in here, so that he can see Samuel soon enough, of course, Serena."
"Agreed, Mother. Call us when you want us all again."
"Will do, Serena. Now please get your Dad, so that he can see Samuel Timothy Moon for the first time."
"Right away, Mother. Let's get out of here, then, girls." Then Serena and her twin sisters all left their mother's chambers again, of course.
After briefly chatting with their Dad again, the three girls stood to one side, so that he could go see Samuel for the first time.
"It's a boy, as predicted," said Serena to the rest of their current companions. And she also said, "He looks just like I'd predicted he would, everyone. He's Samuel Timothy Moon. For Mom's letting me name them as they come, at least as long as I'm right about them to a sufficient enough degree in her chambers, as they come to us all."
"So let me get this straight, if I can, Serena. You've apparently predicted that the first two babies are as you've said they are. And you're hoping that you're right about the rest of them, as they come to us all here in Moon City," said Alexis.
"Correct, Alexis."
"How likely is that?"
"What do you mean, Alexis?"
"How likely is it that someone like you can be so right about her predictions like you are apparently being correct right now?"
"Not very likely, I suppose, come to think of it."
"Well, I don't know if the rest of your predictions about these babies are going to prove to be quite correct yet, Serena. But we'll just have to see, won't we?"
"I suppose so, Alexis. Would you actually be willing to make a bet that I'm not sufficiently right about the rest of the babies, Alexis?"
"What kind of bet, Serena?"
"Any kind of reasonable bet that you might want to make, Alexis."
"What if your mother finds out about this bet?"
"Listen, I'm already grounded, Alexis, as you probably still know. What's a few more months of grounding here? Or are you afraid that I might be right about my predictions?"
"How do I know anyone else here won't tell her or anyone else about this bet, if I make it with you?"
Serena asked the rest of their current companions if they'd tell about their bet, if they could possibly avoid it. And they all soon said, in whatever ways they could say it, "No, we won't tell anyone else about this bet between you two girls, if we can possibly avoid it. Supposing, of course, that you two girls still do make it." Even Darien and Rolando agreed to keep the bet between the girls secret, if they possibly could, and if the girls actually made the bet with each other.
Normally, Darien and Rolando might not keep such a bet secret. But in this case, they realized that Alexis might possibly be challenging Serena to prove she was sufficiently worthy to lead the Scouts, if something sufficiently bad ever happened to Serenity in the future. Like if Serenity might ever have to sacrifice herself and her Moon Kingdom to save as many of their people as she could, for one instance, of course. So they didn't speak against the idea of Alexis and Serena betting about Serena's predictions that related well enough to the rest of the babies that Serenity still had to give birth to in her chambers.
Alexis thought for a few moments, and then said, "I may kick myself quite a bit after this, of course, at least literally, if not physically. But I still say that you'll be at least partly wrong about one or more of the remaining babies that your mother has yet to deliver, Serena."
"So you're willing to bet that I'm wrong."
"I suppose you might say that. Would the best two thousand horses from the next shipload of horses from Uranus to the Moon be an acceptable wager on my part for you? I expect that most, if not all, of the horses that'll be coming here from Uranus City on Uranus will be from one of our farms there, Serena. And my parents have generally let me handle the horses that come here from our farms on Uranus, Serena. That's whenever it's possible for me to handle them, of course."
"Against what from the Moon, then, Alexis?"
"How about a month or two of leadership of the Scouts the next time we have to go to the Rainbow Springs side of the Moon for a while?"
Serena thought for a few moments, then asked, "If Mom's not with us then for a long enough time?"
"Yes, Serena."
"Complete, or usually?"
"Complete, but if I have to settle for usually instead, then so be it, Serena," answered Alexis.
"One moment, then, while I consider this, Alexis." Serena considered the idea briefly, and she soon said, "Fair enough. Complete leadership, whenever possible, Alexis. Let it be so, then. Your Uranusian horses against my Scout leadership, whenever possible. But certain things will still have to remain under my control, probably, at all times, whenever possible."
"Understood, Serena. Should we shake on it, then?"
"Agreed." The girls shook on the bet, after which all current mention of the bet immediately stopped among all the witnesses and both of the parties to the bet. Then Alexis and Serena withdrew both their right hands back to their respective right sides.
Then everyone conversed for at least another hour or so with each other about various things of importance to any or all of them. Especially about how they might possibly be able to oppose their Negaverser enemies well enough for at least a little while, if they eventually chose to make a move on any or all of the Moon Kingdom's various inhabited places in the Milky Way Galaxy's Sol solar system.
No more than about five minutes or so before six in the morning, Prince Daniel came out again. And he talked briefly with all three of his older girls. Shortly after that brief chat, his wife called for her three older girls to appear in her chambers again, of course.
Serena led Bethany and Destiny back into those chambers. Moments later, they were near their mother again. And their mother was telling them that she felt that the next baby would be popping out very soon. Moments later, the top of the next baby's head appeared in the necessary place. Bethany guided her sister Destiny's hands to the right place, so that Destiny could catch the baby's head as it popped out of their mother. Seconds later, the baby's head popped all the way out, and the baby was considered to be born. Then, within another minute or two, the rest of the baby popped out of their mother, as Destiny held the top half of the baby, and Bethany held the bottom half of the baby. Seconds later, just before Serena cut that baby's cord, she said, "Right again. This time, it's a black-haired baby boy, as I thought it'd be."
Serenity said, "Very good, Serena," when she saw her twin daughters lift the baby up enough for her to see it well enough, after Serena had cut the cord for that baby as well. Her twins did so after the baby boy had also unleashed his first cry, of course. "You're right again, it seems. I believe you wanted to call them Robert Forrest Thomas Moon."
"Correct, Mother. I did, and I do."
"Well, then, let it be as you've suggested, Serena. For you really seem to be on a roll with your predictions about them here."
"Agreed, Mom. Hello, Robert Forrest Thomas Moon."
Then Serena handed Robert to one of the nearby royal physicians, once her mother wanted her to do that. Then she said, "The last two should be girls, then, with the next one being a red-haired one."
"We'll see. How soon do you think the next one should come?"
"I'd give it until at least 7:50 in the morning, Mother."
"And by when do you think they'll be here?"
"By 8:20 in the morning, local time, Mother."
"I see. How soon do you think the others should see the babies?"
"This evening, at the earliest, I think."
"What time this evening?"
"About eight, maybe, in the evening."
"I'll consider it. Meanwhile, maybe you should all let your Dad see his second son now. I'll call you all again later, of course."
So Serena soon left her mother's chambers again with the cats and her twin sisters. A few moments of brief conversation later, she, her twin sisters, and both cats had switched places with Daniel, who then went back into Queen Serenity's chambers for a while.
"Let me guess, Serena. A black-haired boy, no doubt."
"Right, Susan. I called him Robert Forrest Thomas Moon, of course."
"And what good do you think he might do in the future against our enemies, then, Serena?" asked Michelle.
"Be a quite athletic warrior, at least, if not some sort of warrior priest or warrior prophet. Though he could also be a writer in his life, and make sure that our story somehow survives long enough to be told. Just in case none of the rest of us can pass it down easily enough, and the rest of us don't somehow survive long enough in each of our lives, Michelle."
Then everyone talked with Serena and her sisters for a while longer, at least until just before 7:30 or so. After which Serena asked Lita and a few other girls to raid the main dining hall for a while. This was so that they then could get enough food and drink for everyone to consume while they were all waiting for Serenity to call for her three older daughters again. And she asked those girls to return as quickly as possible to everyone else in the required hallway, of course. Seconds later, Serena sent Lita and others to the main dining hall for a while. Then those girls headed toward it as quickly as they could go there.
While those girls did that, everyone soon became very quiet. For they felt they'd talked for a long enough time without either eating or drinking anything at all, if not both. Even Serena, for she was getting at least a little tired after having been up for at least the last eight or so hours, if not longer than that, without getting any sleep of sufficient enough quality to help her out enough.
While she was still waiting for Lita and others to return with the requested food and drink for everyone, Serena stretched out on the nearest available bench, and she took a short nap. She only woke up again after Destiny shook her gently awake, and just after Lita and others had returned with the requested food and drink for everyone. Which then meant that she'd napped for about fifteen or so minutes, of course.
When she woke up, she asked Destiny, "Mom call for us yet?"
"Not yet, but Lita and the others you asked to get us some food and drink a while ago have returned with enough food for all of us. Plus our mother, if she wants anything."
"Understood, Destiny," said Serena.
Just a few seconds later, then, Daniel popped out of his wife's chambers, and said, "Serena, your mother thinks it's almost time for you girls to get back in there again."
"Dad, would you ask her if she wants any food or drink for a while?"
"Will do." He popped out of sight for a moment, and soon answered Serena's question, "A bit of orange juice in a plastic bottle with a lid, as well as a bologna and tomato sandwich, as quickly as possible. They're to be put in a paper bag, and brought to her as soon as they can be."
"Lita, you hear that all?"
"Already getting the requested items together, Serena."
Within another two minutes, then, Lita had everything ready to bring into Serenity's chambers that Serenity had just asked for. Then she handed the paper bag in question to Serena, who soon led her sisters into their mother's chambers again. Before Serena and her twin sisters entered them again, however, Serena asked Daniel to make sure that nobody started eating or drinking the food while she was still with her mother, her twin sisters, and the cats in her mother's chambers, if it could possibly be avoided. Daniel agreed to do what he could to make sure that'd be the case at least until Serena and his twin girls came out of their mother's chambers once again. Then Serena and her sisters entered their mother's chambers again, of course.
A minute before eight, then, the first signs of the next baby being almost ready to be born began showing for Queen Serenity. Then, as the seconds passed, the head began to appear to Serena and Bethany's eyes, at least. Bethany helped guide the baby out, when their head popped out. The baby was born at the exact moment of 8 in the morning, when their head popped out all the way, of course. Within another minute or two, then, as Serena and Destiny held up the baby temporarily, at least, the rest of the baby was revealed, and born. As Serena had earlier predicted, this girl was indeed a red-headed girl. And just after Serena cut this baby's cord as well, a new symbol briefly appeared on their forehead. This symbol consisted at least of a hawk's head, if not a hawk's entire body, with a star on it. And it began to fade just as the baby girl was about to unleash the first cry of her life. By the time she'd stopped crying, the symbol on her forehead had already faded from view, at least for the time being.
Serena looked at her newest sister, and then she said, "Right again, Mother. This one's another girl for us."
"What do you think her name should be then, Serena?"
"How do you like the name Shari Grace Mary Moon?"
"Interesting, Serena, I suppose. I don't see why we can't call her that. Let's see if she likes the names you've just mentioned, then, Serena. Let's see if she'll respond to them."
Serena then stood her newest sister up. And she then held her steady, by holding her new sister's hips firmly, yet gently, as she turned her toward their mother. Serenity looked at her newest daughter, and then said each of the names to her. After each of those names were said, Serenity saw her newest daughter rapidly uncurl one of the fingers on her right hand, and point it toward herself. Starting with the first name, of course. By the time the third name had been said, three of the fingers on her daughter's hand were pointing at herself. The fourth name, which, of course, would be the surname, caused the newborn girl to point all the fingers of her right hand at herself. Then she pointed that thumb directly toward Serenity, as if to say, "You're my mother, and I'm glad that you are." As she then pointed it at Serenity, she also wiggled it four times toward the ceiling and once toward the floor, as if to suggest that she wouldn't be the last girl or child in their own family. Then she reached for her three oldest sisters' nearest hands with one of her hands, no more than a few seconds later. Bethany and Destiny soon held hands with her and Serena, as she looked toward where Laura was already lying down in a nearby cradle. Eventually, she relaxed. And after she had, Serenity had Serena hand her to Dr. Matthew for a time.
After Dr. Matthew put her in one of the two remaining empty cradles, Serenity said, "Seems like she's going to be a lot like you, Serena."
"Really, Mother?"
"Yes, it seems so. Given the chance, of course."
"Well, any girl that's able to do what she just did not long after being born might seem to suggest that, I think, Mom. I wonder how long we'll be able to tell this story about her."
"Perhaps a while, at least, Serena."
"I don't think I was even half as active right after I was born, Mother. Though I could be wrong, of course."
"You might be right about that. If so, then I wonder why, Serena."
"I think life with her is going to be quite interesting, whenever it can be, Mother."
"Destiny, do you agree?"
"I do, Mother. But isn't life also quite interesting with all three of us girls you've known for more than seven years now, at least, if not at least ten or so years?"
"Sure it is, Destiny. But we'll just have to see how much more interesting she can make all our lives, for as long as we can all still live them here in God's very own Universe."
Bethany soon commented, "I suppose you're right, Mother. I really wonder how everyone else will get along with them, though."
"It may be too early to say, of course. But I don't think that they'll be getting into as many fights or arguments as Serena and others have quite naturally been known to do, Bethany. At least, I really hope that's the case, Bethany."
"Understood, Mother."
"Now I think we should let your dad see his next daughter, if that's all right with you all, girls."
"Agreed, Mother," answered Serena, for all three of them.
"I think we'll use the name you suggested just now to us, Serena. She can be Shari Grace Mary Moon, then. You seem to be on a roll. So I guess we can do as you're suggesting with her, at least in that regard, anyway, Serena. You're quite correct in your predictions this time, it seems. Let's see if you and she are right about your next predictions about the last baby that I still have in me."
"You mean Shari and my suggestions about them, of course."
"Sure I do, Serena," answered Queen Serenity. "Now I'd like you to get your Dad again, if you can."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"When do you think this last baby will be born?"
"Well, if they're enough like the others so far today, I expect that around ten in the morning, they'll be born. So you might want all five of us in here again around that time, if I'm not too wrong about such things here, Mom."
"Very well, Serena. I'll call for you girls again at about five or ten minutes before ten, if not sooner. When I do, then you can come in again, of course."
Then Serena and her twin sisters left their mother's chambers again, of course. Minutes later, after they'd briefly talked to their Dad, they all switched places with him again, and he went back to being with their Mom for a time.
"Four babies down, one to go, Alexis," said Serena, as she reached for some food and drink for herself and her twin sisters. By then, a few tables were already in the halls outside her mother's chambers. And almost everyone was sitting on a bench or a chair near one or more of them, if everyone wasn't already doing so.
"So if this next baby is a black-haired girl like you've recently predicted it'll be, and she's like you thought she'll be, you'll win the bet, Serena?" asked Alexis.
"I believe that's the deal, if I'm quite right in my ideas about the remaining babies we've made a bet about. Since then, two of the babies have been born. And I've been quite right about them both. I think you'd better start doing the transfer papers for all those horses, Alexis."
"The last baby hasn't been born yet, Serena. When it is, then I'll start making them out, if they're enough like you think they'll be."
"True enough. But paperwork piles up quite rapidly, sometimes, if it's not done quickly enough, Alexis."
"Maybe so. But what if the next expected shipload of horses doesn't actually arrive here, even if you're right about the last baby too?"
"Doesn't matter, Alexis. The best two thousand horses of yours from Uranus City that get here to Moon City the next time are mine, if I'm right to a sufficient enough degree about this next baby. Or are you trying to get out of our bet?"
"No, I'm not, Serena. I'll honor the bet, if I can. Or I'll turn in my Scout-related gear to you, if the need ever arises."
"I suppose that might be acceptable enough to me, Alexis. But I really don't think you'll need to turn in your Scout-related gear to me. Or to anyone else, for that matter."
Then everyone else either ate, drank, or napped, whenever possible, for at least the next hour or so, if not longer. No matter who they were, they still did so. Even Serena, of course.
By the time that it was almost a quarter to ten, quite a few of them were napping somewhat near each other. Even the twins. In fact, most of them were quite soundly napping on nearby benches or chairs, if not also nearby windowsills in the hallway outside Serenity's chambers.
Serena, for instance, had even somehow climbed up a nearby wall, and walked upside-down on the nearest ceiling, until she was just above a hanging crystal chandelier. Seconds after getting just above that chandelier, she descended down a line of it, and she curled up in the middle of it for a while. Her doing so quite obviously really surprised Raye and Lita, who naturally didn't understand how she was able to do that quite so easily.
They both tried to get her to come down from that chandelier, of course, while she still slept in it. But they couldn't reach her easily enough to shake her awake. That was because right after she'd gotten onto the ceiling, she'd soon dropped into a state of slumber quite unexpectedly. They asked Sylvia to try to get her off the chandelier. And Sylvia temporarily became Skyhorse, so that she could also try to do that somehow. But she too was currently unable to get Serena off that chandelier, where Serena had just dropped off into sleep there. So Sylvia came back to the ground below again. And she dropped back out of her Scout state again.
Serena slept in that very same chandelier for at least a few more minutes, in fact. And nothing, and nobody, was able to wake her up. At least not until Darien had used a ladder to climb up and lightly brush her nose with a rose or two. When she saw him on the ladder next to the chandelier, she asked, "Honey, how come you're so high off the ground now?"
"Because, Serena, nobody else could get you to wake up easily enough."
"Where am I? Has Mother called for Destiny, Bethany, and me yet?"
"No, she hasn't, Serena. You're in the chandelier outside your mother's Imperial Palace chambers."
"I'm what?" shrieked Serena, quite suddenly, with an extremely loud and extremely shrill shriek, for all of the obvious reasons. Of course, when she let out such a shriek, everyone that could actually hear her do so covered their ears, so that she'd not blast them out as much with it, quite hopefully.
"You're in the chandelier outside your mother's chambers in the Imperial Palace, Serena."
"What?" Just as she'd done seconds before, she suddenly let loose another particularly loud and particularly shrill shriek. Once again, everyone who could hear her in the hall covered their ears. At least until she stopped shrieking, quite naturally. Finally, she was able to stop herself from shrieking easily enough. But not after she'd loosed two quite long shrieks, if they'd both not lasted even longer than ten to twenty seconds apiece.
"You heard me, Serena. You're in the chandelier."
"How in the whole God-created Universe did I get here?" asked Serena, once she actually saw that Darien wasn't lying to her about being in that crystal chandelier, and she'd somehow gained enough control over herself not to shriek again like she'd just suddenly shrieked twice quite loudly and quite shrillingly.
"You've got me, other than to say you obviously climbed the wall, walked upside-down across the ceiling, and went down a line of the chandelier, until you curled up inside it, Serena."
"How am I going to get out of this chandelier?" asked Serena.
"You want me to bring you down, or do you want to drop to the floor below, through the chandelier?"
"I think I better let you bring me down, honey. For I don't trust my feet to allow me to land safely enough on the floor right now otherwise."
"I quite agree. It's a long drop to the floor, I think. So try to grab my neck, if you can."
Serena did so, and Darien carefully helped her get out of the crystal chandelier, while she held onto his neck as securely, and as safely, as she could do it. Moments later, she was out of that chandelier. And they were both going down the ladder. By the time that they were both actually down on the ground again, Daniel was out of his wife's chambers again.
"Luna, correct me if I'm wrong, please. But did I just have a Luna-like or a spider-like long moment or not?"
"It seems so. I've sometimes found myself in chandeliers before, when I least expected to in my life, if I'm not mistaken about such things."
"Raye Erica Hino, are you going to call me 'Miss Spider,' quite often in the future, maybe?"
"I don't know yet, of course, Serena. But I still do know that I've never actually been in a chandelier before, or at least not knowingly."
"I see. Fair enough, I suppose, Raye. Dad, what time is it?"
"Just after 9:45 in the morning, Serena. I hear you actually were in the crystal chandelier for a while."
"Yes, it seems I was."
"Your mother thinks the last baby's getting into proper birth position now. I expect she'll want you three to come in again momentarily."
"You mean Destiny, Bethany, and me, of course?"
"Yes, if not also Luna and Artemis."
"Understood. I'll be right there, then, when she wants me."
"Good. Luna and Artemis, prepare to get back on the twins' shoulders, then, while Serena makes sure that she's ready to go back into her mother's chambers again." Luna and Artemis did so, and they each hopped on one of the twins' shoulders, of course. They did this, while Raye lent Serena a mirror, so that Serena could see if her clothes or her hair were too messed-up at all. Serena checked her hair and her appearance. And she soon saw that even her time in the chandelier hadn't messed up her appearance too much. Then Serena handed Raye's mirror back to her, after she did so. Moments later, once Serenity called for her three oldest girls, Serena then went back into her mother's chambers with her sisters and the cats.
Minutes later, around the time that Serena had earlier predicted, the last baby began showing signs of its imminent arrival in the world outside its mother. The top of the head soon emerged. And when it did, all three of the girls now with their mother put their hands on it, as it continued to leave the womb and the birth canal. With another push from their Mom, the baby's head was all the way out. Moments later, as the three girls all helped guide the baby out, the rest of the baby came out too. As Serena had earlier predicted, of course, the baby was another baby girl. And this time, she had a small patch of quite black hair on the top of her head. A few moments later, at most, a new symbol showed up in the middle of her forehead. Like the symbols of the other two girls, at least, it showed for about a minute, from just before Serena cut her last sister's cord to just before she began the first cry of her life. And it faded from view not long after Serena cut her last sister's cord.
Seconds after her cry ended, then, Serena, Destiny, and Bethany held her up enough to allow their mother to see her last daughter for a while. Then Serenity asked Serena, "You seem to be right again, Serena. What do you think her name should be, then, Serena?"
"Rocío Tracy Trylenta Sara Moon."
"Where did you come up with those names?"
"From stories I've read over the past several months, Mother."
"Even while we were in Peru?"
"Yes, Mom."
Serenity conversed just a little while longer with her three oldest girls, before she sent them out of her chambers again. And she had them get their Dad again, for the obvious reasons. She only sent them out of her chambers after they'd spent the first few minutes or so of their last sister's life with that sister, of course, and only after she'd had them hand Rocío to the nearest royal physician for a while. Right after Rocío was put in the last empty cradle, then, she sent them out of her chambers until further notice. As they were leaving, she told Serena to have everyone else return to each of their chambers until at least three or four in the afternoon. Serena agreed to do so, of course. And Serena, Destiny, Bethany, Luna, and Artemis soon left Serenity's chambers again.
After they all left Serenity's chambers again, Serena sent everyone else to their own chambers, just before she let their parents be with each other again for a while. Before she also left the area with her two nearest sisters, she briefly chatted with their Dad for a while. Then she and her ambulatory sisters left the area, as he went back into his wife's chambers again.
After she did so with her sisters, she was soon quite asleep in her bed again, and not in any more crystal chandeliers, at least not at the current time in her life. She slept in her bed for at least another few hours. And she didn't rise again from them until at least 7 or 8 in the evening, local time.
One last chapter remains for this story, after this one. In it, we'll finally wrap up this particularly tragic story. But rest assured, it'll be far from the end of many things that'll happen in the near future for people and animals and places in it, for sure. And only time will tell exactly what'll ultimately happen in the future here, of course. Whether whatever happens is good or bad, that'll still be true here and elsewhere, in any case.
Until next time, then, folks, I'll close this. TUS out.