Sailor Moon Done The Thoroughbred Way
Chapter One: The Meeting Of Soul Mates Again

Rory

Losing most of our mares was bad enough, but then learning that the insurance wouldn't cover our losses— which meant we'd have to sell the farm— was even worse. Granted, Mom and Dad managed to find a job as the breeding managers of Townsend Acres, a racing farm, which would have been cool if it weren't for the fact that we had to sell our home to live there, but it still wasn't the ideal situation, at least not for Ashleigh and I.

Mom and Dad took us on a tour of the farm. At the training track, we saw a boy who could only be the owner's son— he was too young to be a regular exercise rider.

He looked over all of us, seeming to dismiss us, making eye contact with us merely to be polite.

However, when my eyes met his, images flashed before my eyes of a time long ago. A time when magic still existed, when people actually lived on the planets. In most of the memories I saw was a boy who looked just like the boy riding Townsend Prince. Suddenly, I remembered everything and had to keep myself from gasping. Here in front of me was someone I never thought I would see again. In this life, Brad Townsend, heir apparent of Townsend Acres.

In the last life, my boyfriend, Brad the crown prince of Earth.

Caroline, our older sister who couldn't be more different from me and Ashleigh, obviously had a crush on him, but no matter what she felt, or what she thought she felt or Brad felt, it would never be any more than just a crush.

You see, in the Moon Kingdom, such a thing as soulmates really did exist. I wasn't sure about now, but in the Moon Kingdom, everyone, or almost everyone, had one person they were destined to be with, and would never love anyone else no matter how many times they were reborn. The same was true for Brad and I, and for Ashleigh-nee-chan and Mike-nii-san, Brad's cousin in the past. I had no idea about now, but I got the feeling that they weren't, strangely.

I mentally shook myself as I realized a conversation about horses was going on without me.

Nice of you to join the land of the living again. Ashleigh-nee taunted out our mental link. They say that twins can sometimes be so close that they can speak without words. Well, in mine and Ashleigh's case it's true, to a certain extent. We can speak without saying anything out loud, but we still hadn't quite mastered the art of speaking with just gestures or glances.

I mentally raised a certain digit at her. Quiet. I'm listening. I barked before adding my two cents to the conversation as if I'd been listening the whole time.

"Say," Brad began after a while. "Aurora, Ashleigh, would you two care to come to my house for lunch tomorrow? I certainly hope we can be friends." He sighed. "Nearly everyone around here puts me on some kind of pedestal and treats me like I'm something more than human because I'm the heir to a famous racing farm. If you do decide to come, we can talk more about the horses, if you're interested, that is."

And I want to introduce you to my father. I read in his eyes.

My twin and I exchanged glances. "Sold." We declared in unison.

Brad smiled. "Great. I'll see you at three o clock tomorrow."

'If the three o clock fairy doesn't call you.' He added in discreet sign language, and I had to stop myself from groaning. Last time around, this piper fairy working for some woman named Badiyanu hypnotized my sister, me and numerous other kids to steal their dream energy, which enlarged her Black Dream Hole. Her ultimate goal was for it to swallow the solar system, and probably the galaxy next, and then the universe after that if she could. Mother managed to decrease the size of the Dream Hole and release the captured children, but couldn't quite defeat the dream stealing witch. I told Brad about the incident, and have regretted it since.

The reason being? He's never let me live it down, despite the fact that it wasn't my fault.

As it was I scowled at him.

The next morning, I went to the barn that the expecting broodmares stayed in and couldn't help but be drawn to Townsend Holly, or just Holly for short, who was obviously pregnant with twins (she was too big for just one foal). This would probably be the last time she was bred.

Ashleigh's Wonder and Aurora's Miracle. My mind supplied, remembering them from last time.

I still remembered having to convince Father (that was what I generally called Clay, Brad's father, because last time around, I had no idea who donated the necessary chromosomes for mine and Ashleigh's existence— I didn't ask and Mother didn't tell me) to keep them around, and that they really would be great racehorses someday.

I checked my watch and almost cursed.

Couldn't I ever be on time for a meeting with Father?

There were times when I swore I couldn't.

So, mentally cursing up a blue streak, I flash-stepped across the farm and reappeared at the grand house where my boyfriend lived. I soon as I stopped, I doubled over, gasping for breath.

"Guess I'll have to work on mastering the Flash Step again." I sighed. "This stinks, 'tebanne." And cursed again when I slipped and used my verbal tick. I wasn't as bad as one of the characters from my favorite show, Naruto (which Mom had all but banned me from watching when she was around because of the violence and the swearing), who said 'Dattebanne' every time she flustered, but I tended to say it when I was annoyed.

"Still have your verbal tick, I see." The person I least wanted to hear me using said verbal tick drawled. "I guess the more things change the more they stay the same."

In response, I merely raised a certain digit on my right hand as I managed to catch my breath and straightened up. "I'd tell you to bugger off," I began, scowling at my boyfriend. "But then I'd be stuck out here and you'd do exactly what I say."

He looked the picture of innocence. "Would I do that hime?"

I snorted. "You absolutely would, and you usually only call me 'hime' when you're putting on your innocent act. Now are you going to introduce me or not?"

"As soon as Ashleigh-imouto—" He broke off as my sister appeared via Flash Step, who then promptly doubled over, gasping for breath as I had been a minute ago. "Speak of the Sith."

Ashleigh glared at Brad and gave him the one fingered salute. "Bugger. Off." She ground out through clenched teeth. "Or so help me, I swear to the moon I'll—"

"Yes, yes, you'll splatter my guts." Brad recited. 'I'll splatter your guts' was both mine and my sister's favorite and in general our go-to threat when someone was being annoying. "Now come on, or we'll be late. Not that that's too hard to do with the pair of you."

He ducked a pair of swats.

"I'll splatter your guts." We snarled as one.

Brad merely rolled his eyes and led us inside. Nice place, though I expected nothing less.

"Father, I present to you the reincarnated moon princesses, Ashleigh and Aurora," I scowled. "Who still prefers the more boyish moniker of Rory."

Father sighed and shook his head. "The more things change, the more they stay the same." He said, but smiled all the same. "It's good to see you two again. I'm sure you noticed that Holly is pregnant with Wonder and Miracle. They should be born in a few weeks."

I grinned and punched the air. "And the team comes together again!" I cheered.

I heard the door open and a pair of boys' voices call out "I'm home!"

Ashleigh turned to me with a smirk. "You've got three guesses." She informed me, referring to who the boys were. "And the first two don't count."

"Oh, let me see. Who could it possibly be?" I pretended to consider. "Hm, I think it's Dragon and Phoenix, Dragon and Phoenix, and uh . . . the sky?"

Brad (re)introduced his palm to his forehead. "Hey Dragon, Phoenix, get in here, we've got company." He shouted at his younger brothers.

"Ooh, is it Imouto One and Two?" Phoenix wanted to know.

"Please tell me it is." Dragon added. Apparently, they got their memories back too. Terrific.

While I didn't really mind hanging out with Phoenix and Dragon, they had the ability to get on anyone's nerves. Even the most even tempered, patient person on the planet.

"What was that you called us?" Ashleigh and I asked sweetly in unison, cracking our knuckles.

"Um, nothing!" Dragon, the wiser of the two, assured us hastily.

At least someone knew when to cut his losses and beat a hasty retreat.

"What're you talking about? We called them Imouto One and Two." Phoenix, the less wise of the two, reminded, looking at his twin in confusion.

I raised my hand and a bolt of reddish gold energy appeared. "Divine Shooter!" I shouted, waving my hand forward. "Shoot!"

My attack hit Phoenix dead on, making him stumble and making me frown. Damn. Once upon a time, I could have easily sent him flying with just a 'Shooter. It looked like that was just one more damn thing I had to work on, like Flash Step.

Still, despite having lost a good deal of my hard earned skill, I had something, or rather someone, very important back now, and I was going to do everything to keep it that way.