In the space with the Makai tree, Ail and An were there discussing their next plan of action to gather energy, An telling Ail about one of the most important and famous events that occur around this time of year.

"Cherry blossom viewing?" puzzled Ail.

"That's right. It's an annual seasonal event for the people on this planet," explained An. "It seems to go on all day and all night for them. I also understand that humans use a lot of energy during events like these."

"Now that you mention it, I've heard stories about something like that. Back when our tribe was prosperous, the Makai tree had beautiful blossoms on it as well," said Ail thoughtfully. He took a few seconds to think about An's proposal, then he smiled. "Blossoms, eh? I think we can gather a lot of human energy while they're viewing these cherry blossoms."


In Juuban Park, the cherry blossom viewing event was well underway. Every tree was a beautiful shade of pink, the blossoms in full bloom as the petals rained down, giving it a splendid atmosphere. Many people sat around the trees, picnicking and having a wonderful time eating and drinking while admiring the beautiful flowers.

Usagi and her group, along with Ms. Haruna and Natsumi, were making their way through the park, trying to find a place to sit for the flower viewing. Usagi couldn't help but feel all but cheerful as she merrily skipped along while singing a little tune.

"Make way, Make way! Usagi's coming through!" she sang.

"Say, Ms. Haruna, thank you so much for being our chaperone for today," said Minako. "You've done so much for us, and we're not even your students."

"Not to mention that you're always so busy," added Ami gratefully. "I almost feel bad for taking you away from school to be here with us."

"It's no trouble at all," smiled Ms. Haruan kindly. "I was happy to do it."

"I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to help you convince the principal to let us do this," Harusuke spoke. "We appreciate what you've done for us, Ms. Haruna. I only wish there were some way to pay you back."

"Don't worry about it, Harusuke. Really," Ms. Haruna spoke kindly. "It was honestly no trouble at all."

"I think that we should all just forget about school for today," said Makoto brightly.

"That's right," agreed Rei. "Right now, we're just a happy bunch of people enjoying the cherry blossoms."

The group continued making their way through the park until they came across an open area. Then they heard a voice call out to them.

"Hey, you guys! Over here!"

Everyone then turned their attention towards an open area, and much to their surprise, sitting just underneath a tree was Umino, who was a large blanket spread out just big enough for all of them to sit on.

"Thank you very much for saving us this spot, Umino," said Ms. Haruna.

"Truth be told, I'm surprised that you were able to find one," said Usagi.

"Now that I think about it, I'm a bit curious myself," said Naru. "Have you been waiting long?"

Umino then adjusted his eyes and smirked with pride. "I've been here since last night," he spoke proudly. "Eight o'clock, to be precise."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed, their jaws agape with disbelief.

"You got to be kidding me!" cried Harusuke. "You mean to tell us that you've been waiting in this spot all night?!"

"But isn't it still cold outside at night this time of year?" asked Ami.

"I was just fine," Umino spoke smugly. "Because I had a secret weapon." He then whipped out a big zip-up sleeping bag, wrapping himself inside and zipping it up to his chin. "My trusty sleeping bag was able to keep me toasty warm all night."

"That was smart of you, Umino," said Ms. Haruna politely. "But you didn't have to go that far, you know."

"Well, I'm happy to help all of you," said Umino importantly. "I was doing this for everyone, but it was my duty to do this for Naru."

Naru was surprised. "You... did this for me?" she asked.

Umino smiled. "Yes! It was all for you, my dearest Naru!" he said.

At first, Naru seemed to be touched, but then she zipped up Umino's sleeping bag, encasing him inside it completely. Naru then turned to the others.

"Come on, everyone! Let's have our lunch now!" she said brightly.

"Yeah! Let's eat!" said all of the girls.

As the girls sat down unpacking their lunches, Umino struggled about inside his sleeping bag, trying to get free.

"Come on, Naru! Zipping me up in here was uncalled for!" Umino complained in his sleeping bag. "I did this all for you, you know!"

"Man, that's cold," Harusuke thought, feeling sorry for Umino. "And I thought the Cardians were mean."

Everyone was soon enjoying themselves eating whatever food they brought to their picnic. Umino, at some point, was finally released from his prison that was his sleeping bag thanks to Harusuke, but his feelings were a bit hurt.

"How could you, Naru?! That was so mean!" Umino sobbed comically. "I was only trying to make you happy!"

"I'm sorry, Umino. It was just a little joke!" apologized Naru. "Here. Let me make it up to you."

She then presented Umino with a fully loaded bento that looked like a sparkling treasure to Umino.

"Th-this is all for me?!" Umino gasped with amazement.

"Of course it is," smiled Naru. "Sorry if it doesn't look any good."

"Are you kidding?!" Umino cried joyfully. "This looks like the best lunch in the universe! I shall treasure every bit of it!"

"Oh, stop exaggerating," Naru spoke, feeling awkward. "But thank you for the compliment anyway."

Usagi couldn't help but admire everyone's lunches with hungry eyes and her mouth drooling. "Oh, wow! All of your lunches look so yummy!" she squealed with delight.

Rei then looked at Usagi's lunch, three riceballs that looked a bit smushed and poorly made. "Your lunch looks like you must've dropped it on the floor," she said rudely.

The odango blonde scowled at Rei as she looked at the food she brought: a hamburger, some fries, and a drink from a fast food place called Rcdonalds.

"You shut up! I made my rice balls with tender loving care!" she said with a huff. "Unlike you, I took my time and made my food!"

Rei growled in anger, feeling a bit insulted as she huffily started eating. Usagi then looked across to Makoto's lunch. She couldn't help but stare intently at it feeling tempted to eat some food.

"As usual, your lunch is looking delicious, Mako," Usagi said to her.

"Glad you think so, Usagi," smiled Makoto, sweatdropping. "Say... you're welcome to have some if you want to."

Usagi's face then brightened. "Really? Thank you, Mako!"

As Usagi took a few bites from Makoto's lunch, she then took notice of Ami's and Minako's, which once again caused her to stare intently at them too.

"Ami, your lunch and Minako's sandwiches look delicious as well," she said hungrily.

"Well... you can have some if you want," Ami said.

"Eat as much as you like," added Minako.

"Thank you so much!" Usagi spoke happily.

She was just about to help herself when Harusuke smacked her lightly on the hand, causing her to retract it in pain.

"Ow! That hurt!" complained Usagi. "Harusuke! What'd you do that for?!"

"You're sponging food from the others, Usagi!" scolded Harusuke. "That's not only insensitive, but that's very rude! You need to eat the food that you prepared instead of mooching!"

"But everyone else's food looks so yummy!" whined Usagi. "I can't help myself!"

Harusuke then sighed as he presented his boxed lunch before her. "Honestly. You're like a bottomless pit. If you must sponge food from somebody, at least take some of mine."

"OK! Thanks, Harusuke!" Usagi said brightly, immediately cheering up. "You're such a good brother!"

She then took a few bites from Harusuke's lunch and began to enjoy herself. Harusuke then took notice of Natsumi, who had been quiet the whole time. While he may have had a few instances where Natsumi creeped him out, it didn't mean that he hated her or anything. So, he decided to try and be friendly to her.

"Hey, Natsumi. Where's your lunch?" Harusuke wondered. "If you're hungry, then you're free to have some of my lunch."

"Thank you very much, Harusuke darling, but I'm alright," Natsumi said, smiling brightly. "Besides, I feed on energy, not food."

Harusuke raised a brow, feeling confused. "What... do you mean by that?" he asked.

Natsumi then blushed bright red releasing what she said. "Oh! Nothing!" she said hurriedly.

Usagi then cut in, having to have overheard. "Oh! I get it! You were planning to eat off of everyone else's plates, right?"

"That was your plan, Usagi," Rei snootily scoffed as she munched on some chicken. "And that's what you'd call mooching."

"Oh yeah? Well, from what I can see, you're eating some of Mako's lunch too," Usagi scowled. "And if that's not mooching, I don't know what is."

"Just shut it," Rei growled through gritted teeth. "Why don't you just stuff your face with those ugly rice balls?"

Usagi was angry, now feeling hungry for something other than food, revenge. She then took one of the sandwiches, grabbed a bottle with "Extra Hot Mustard" on the label, and spread it on the top of the sandwich, smirking devilishly. She then put on a sweet face and handed the sandwich to Rei.

"Here you go, Rei," Usagi said. "You should try this sandwich. It's delicious."

Rei was surprised but happily accepted it. "Well, thank you, this is very generous of you!" she said gratefully, as she then took a bite of the sandwich.

No sooner than she did, her face turned a bright shade of pink, eventually turning red as the spicy taste of the mustard overwhelmed her mouth. Then, with a loud shriek, a giant torrent of flame erupted from Rei's mouth as she shot to her feet, startling everyone. Seeing this, Harusuke immediately grabbed a can of iced tea and handed it to Rei, who took the cup and gulped it down, dousing the flames of spiciness from her mouth. However, Rei's lips had now turned into a bright red color and were very swollen.

When Usagi saw Rei in her state, she laughed hysterically, thinking she looked funny. However, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Rei became enraged and pounced on Usagi as the two began to brawl.

"You're so unbelievable!" shrieked Rei. "Were you trying to burst my appendix for eating that?!"

"Well, that's what you get for being so mean!" Usagi shrieked back.

Everyone else groaned as the two continued to fight, while Ms. Haruna tried her best not to yell.

"Don't get mad, don't get mad," Ms. Haruna told herself. "After all, we're not at school."

"Just hang in there, Ms. Haruna," Harusuke spoke, pinching his nose. "Just try to endure it until those two get it out of their system.


After a while, the group decided to split up to take some time to admire the scenery.

"Alright, everyone!" said Ms. Haruna, importantly. "You all get a free period hour period starting now."

Everyone stared at Ms. Haruna, a bit taken aback by what she had just said to them.

Usagi then spoke quietly to her teacher. "Um... Ms. Haruna? We're not in school right now."

Ms. Haruna then blushed. "Oh! Yeah. Right," she spoke sheepishly. "I forgot."

Everyone then laughed.

"I guess this is what you would call a conditioned reflex," Ami chuckled.

"Hey, you guys, there selling delicious buns at that stand over there," Usagi said, pointing.

"Come on, Usagi. You just ate," sighed Harusuke. "I mean- where do you put it all?!"

"Besides, don't you think it's weird for a bun-head to be eating other buns?" Rei asked snootily.

"You're being mean again!" complained Usagi. "Why do you have to be like that?!"

"Now, now, you two. Cut it out," Harusuke soothed. "Can't you two go through one day without fighting?"

As this continued, a few yards away from them and hiding from behind a tree, Seijuuro watched from afar, admiring Usagi in particular. The more he stared at his beloved, the more his heart began to soar.

"How beautiful," Seijuuro sighed wistfully.

Natsumi then suddenly appeared behind Seijuuro, feeling a bit jealous.

"So you think that Usagi's beautiful?" Natsumi asked bitterly.

"No, you misunderstand. I wasn't referring to Usagi at all," Seijuuro spoke, quickly correcting himself. "I was simply commenting on the beauty of these cherry blossoms."

Natsumi huffed, not believing Seijuuro in the slightest as she went behind a tree and came out as An while Seijuuro transformed to Ail as well.

"That doesn't matter now. That all can wait," An said. "Right now, let's focus on extracting some fresh energy from these humans."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," agreed Ail.

The two then hid, away from prying eyes, and Ail held up a hand of cardian cards before An, and An using her powers, made a card in the middle begin to glow as it shot up high into the air. Ail then took out his flute, beginning to play, making the card shine even brighter as it sprung to life.


Back in the real world, Umino and Naru were by themselves admiring the petals as they fell to the ground. Naru held up her hand as a single petal fell in the middle of it.

"Wow, - this is so nice," Naru mused. "It's so peaceful here."

"Cherry blossom may be pretty," said Umino. "But to me, you look even more beautiful than they ever could."

Naru's cheeks flushed pink as she clenched her hand into a fist, feeling a bit irritated. "Don't you ever get embarrassed by saying that kind of stuff to me?" she asked, losing patience.

Umino was now serious

. "No, it doesn't," he said firmly. "I'm only saying what's really in my heart."

Naru's loss of patience lessened a bit as she looked at Umino, a bit flattered by his compliment. But then, something caught her eye, which made her freeze with fright. Wondering what Naru was looking at, Umino looked back behind him and saw a tree that wasn't like the others. It was colored black, completely lifeless, and was emitting strange and dark energy.

At first, Umino and Naru didn't know what to make of this strange tree, but then suddenly, a glowing white circle appeared below their feet, enveloping them in its light, draining them both of their energy. Then, as quickly as it came, it vanished a few seconds later.

Ms. Haruna then arrived carrying some drinks for Naru and Umino to share. But when she did, a horrible sight met her eyes, causing her skin to go pale from the shock. Umino and Naru lay on the ground, unconscious and not moving. Ms. Haruna immediately dropped the cans and rushed over to help them.

"Umino! Ms. Osaka! Wake up!" Ms. Haruna begged as she gently shook them. "Please! Wake up, you two!"

But Naru and Umino didn't reply, which made Ms. Haruna all the more worried. But then, she felt the presence of someone behind her causing her to turn around, and she saw a beautiful yet frightening young woman.

Her skin was white as a sheet with long blue hair, emerald green eyes, and red lipstick. She also wore a beautiful pink kimono with red trimmings at its ends.

Thinking that she was here to help, Ms. Haruno desperately clung to her.

"Please! I beg you!" Ms. Haruna pleaded, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "Can you go get someone?! We need help!"

But unfortunately for Ms. Haruna, the woman wasn't there to help her. She was, in truth, the Cardian that Ail and An sent, ready to have her for her next victim.


A little while later, Usagi and the gang found Ms. Haruna, Umino, and Naru and were rushed to the office and called a doctor to come over and have them looked over. Usagi, Luna, and Artemis were with the three now, sleeping peacefully on the sofas wrapped in blankets.

"So, are they going to beOKy, doctor?" asked Usagi.

"I think with a little bit of rest, they should be fine," the doctor said. "But this is very strange, though. I can't figure out what's going on here."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Usagi.

The doctor then explained. "You're like the tenth group today that's had their friends suddenly pass out," he said.

"You're kidding! That many?!" gasped Usagi with shock.

"Yeah. And it's way too early in the year for heat stroke," the doctor said. "I wonder just what could be ailing these people."

Luna and Artemis looked at each other, the two cats feeling suspicious. The two of them then looked at Usagi, and Luna made a motion towards the door. Usagi saw this, and after thanking the doctor one last time, they all left the office to speak privately.

"All those people fainting for no reason is no coincidence," said Luna. "I think we all know what's going on here."

"It has to be a Cardian," said Artemis. "There's no other explanation."

"So you think that Naru and the others have had their energy stolen?" asked Usagi.

"Without a doubt," said Artemis. "Based on how weak they are, I'm positive that's what's happening."

"The others are checking out the scene where the attacks occurred," said Luna. "Let's all hurry and meet up with them."

Usagi nodded in agreement, and the three went on their way.


Meanwhile, Harusuke and the girls had just arrived at the site and were looking around, checking for anything suspicious.

"So, this is where Ms. Haruna and the others collapsed, right?" asked Makoto.

"I'm pretty sure this is where it happened," said Harusuke. "At least according to eyewitnesses."

"There doesn't seem to be anything unusual around here," said Ami.

"Still, keep your guard up, everyone," spoke Minako. "And be ready to transform if necessary."

Then as they continued to search, Rei felt a chill go down her spine as the wind suddenly blew sharply across the trees, sensing danger. Then, she saw the black leafless tree, a few feet away.

"There! I sense it!" Rei gasped, pointing. "There's an evil aura coming from that tree!"

Everyone jumped upon Rei's warning, but it was already too late. From the tree, the same woman that Ms. Haruna saw slowly began to emerge from its tree, its green eyes flashing red. Then before anyone could react, a large white circle appeared all around them, blasting them with powerful energy.


Usagi, Luna, and Artemis were racing to the rescue, running as fast as their feet would let them. Then they all heard five familiar screams.

"That was everyone!" cried Artemis as he ran. "They're in trouble!"

"Usagi! You have to transform!" yelled Luna.

The blond odango blonde didn't waste any time as she held up her hand in the air.

"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"


Transformation Sequence: Usagi

Usagi's body shone with rainbow-colored light as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it flashed pink and pink ribbons shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a collar that was blue with white stripes. Next, Usagi crosses her arms, and more pink ribbons wrapped around them, turning into long white gloves. The pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a tiny gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead, and a gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose as the moon shines behind her in the background.


Sailor Moon had arrived on the scene and what she saw made her gasp in shock and horror. Harusuke, Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako were trapped in their own pillars of light, trying to break free but only grew weaker and weaker.

"They're energy's being taken by that cherry blossom tree!" yelled Artemis.

Sure enough, the Cardian emerged from the tree, cackling evilly. When she saw Sailor Moon, she stepped out from the tree and then shot straight for her with the intent to kill. Sailor Moon was able to jump out of the way just in the knick of time, but the cardian left behind a large trench in its wake, which made the Moon Guardian's face pale from shock and fright from her incredible strength.

"Sailor Moon! You have to fight!" yelled Luna. "You're the only one who can stop her!"

"I know that!" Sailor Moon spoke snapped out of her daze.

She then took off her tiara and aimed, transforming it into a white disc and throwing it.

"MOON TIARA ACTION!"

The white disc shot through the air right towards the Cardian. But like when Sailor Moon was fighting Hellant, the Moon Tiara Action lost power turning back into a tiara allowing the Cardian to swat it away, much to Sailor Moon's disbelief.

"No! It's not working again!" Sailor Moon cried.

"Be careful, Sailor Moon!" cried Ami as she struggled.

"Don't look into her eyes!" yelled Rei, falling to her knees.

Sailor Moon looked back. "Her eyes?!" she gasped. "What do you mean?!

But Sailor Moon looking back would be her biggest mistake as the Cardian shot straight towards her once again.

"Sailor Moon, look out!" yelled Harusuke. "She's coming straight for you again!"

Sailor Moon looked back only for the Cardian to barrel straight into her with her incredible speed and then tackled her to the ground skidding to a stop. Sailor Moon then inadvertently looked up right into the Cardian's eyes, which also was a big mistake. A large white circle encircled the two as Sailor Moon now began to have her energy drained from her too.

Then the worst possible outcome happened.

It could have been because of the overwhelming power of the Cardian, or maybe it could have been due to Sailor Moon having her energy drained.

Anyhow, Sailor Moon's brooch suddenly cracked and then shattered, causing her outfit to revert to her civilian clothes, much to her disbelief, now back to being Usagi.

"No! My transformation!" Usagi cried. "This can't be happening!"

Now feeling energized with power, the Cardian began to hover its arms, transforming into cherry blossom branches as the white area around Usagi grew bigger and glowed brighter. The ordango girl struggled to her feet, not wanting to give up the fight, but as she did, she suddenly began to sink into the light of the area like it was quicksand.

"Usagi!" the girls cried.

"Sis!" yelled Harusuke. "You've got to get out of there!"

Usagi tried her best to get free, but her body continued to sink into the light as it swallowed up half of her body. "I'm sorry, everyone!" Usagi cried. "I... couldn't save everyone! I'm sorry!" she cried.

Luna then immediately rushed on over, desperate to help her.

"Luna! Come back here!" yelled Artemis.

But Luna didn't care as she clamped on hard on the sleeve on Usagi's arm, desperately trying to pull her out, but to no avail.

"Luna! Get away from here, now!" Usagi yelled. "Save yourself!"

But the black cat refused as she pulled hard, desperately trying to save Usagi. However, it was no use as Usagi and Luna were swallowed entirely into the light, as it faded away, leaving only the Cardian left around.

"No! Usagi! Luna!" cried Artemis.

Everyone who was trapped stared at where Usagi and Luna were once were not believing what had just happened as Harusuke let out a bellow filled with despair and horror.

"USAGI! ! ! ! ! ! ! !"


Back in the Makai Tree's dimension, Ail and An watched as the tree began to glow with life as the leaves on its branches sprung with vitality.

"It would appear that the Makai Tree is gathering a lot of energy," said Ail with triumph.

"Now, it's only a matter of time until our precious tree rejuvenates," An smiled.

"Hear me now, Reci!" commanded Ail. "Continue to gather more energy!"


In a strange white void, Usagi, while carrying Luna in her arms, found myself slowly falling, unsure what was up or down.

"What'll we do now, Luna?" Usagi spoke telepathically. "I can't transform, and my brooch broke. How did things get like this?"

"Usagi, even though you've become a Sailor Guardian again," Luna spoke back. "Deep down, you still desire a normal life."

"Yes... I want to be a regular middle-school girl," Usagi said. "What's wrong with that?"

"I think that might be the reason why your tiara has failed," said Luna. "I'm afraid as long as you feel that way, you'll never be able to use your Moon Tiara Action, much less be Sailor Moon."

"Then... how can I save everyone?!" wondered Usagi in a panic. "Tell me how?!"

Then feeling a switch flip on inside of her brain, Usagi opened her eyes and found herself in a strange, magenta-themed space with several shining stars surrounding her.

"Where am I?" Usagi wondered. "I wonder... am I dead?"

She then looked down at Luna, still unconscious in her arms.

"Luna, I'm so sorry," Usagi spoke, her eyes filling with tears of regret. "You're so small, and yet you're still so loyal to me, even though I cause you nothing but trouble." She then hugged Luna close and tight. "Please forgive me. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this."

At that moment, Usagi heard a voice.

"Princess... Fear not. You are not dead, at least not yet."

Usagi looked up as something began to appear before her. At first, it was a cluster of strange bubbles and sparkles of light. Then they revealed themselves to be someone that Usagi did not expect to see again.

"Q-Queen Serenity!" Usagi gasped.

"Right now, we are inside of your mind, my daughter," Queen Serenity explained, smiling kindly. "And from what I can see, you still need me for advice, am I right? So tell me, how can I help you?"

"Please, Queen Serenity! I do need your help!" begged Usagi. "I need to find a way to save everyone! If you know how I can do that, please tell me!"

Queen Serenity understood, and there was a brilliant flash of light that overtook Usagi's vision blinding her. When she became aware again, she and Luna were no longer in the void. Now, they were standing in what appeared to be a room of the once-prosperous Moon Kingdom with the image of Queen Serenity in her full size and Usagi now Princess Serenity.

"My daughter, please hold out your brooch," said Queen Serenity.

Princess Serenity was puzzled, but she did as her mother asked and held out the broken brooch in her hand. When she did, a bright shining light suddenly appeared above them, glowing brightly as it slowly descended towards them. At first, Princess Serenity had no idea what the light was, but as the light grew closer to her and her mother, she recognized it as a familiar-looking gem that shone like silver and surprised her when she realized this.

"It's... the Silver Crystal!" Princess Serenity gasped. "I... I thought it I lost it!"

Queen Serenity smiled. "Your heartfelt and strong desire to protect your brother and your friends has formed the Silver Crystal," she explained.

The Silver Crystal floated over the broken brooch in Princess Serenity's hands, and when it made contact, the brooch transformed and changed the crystal and itself becoming one.

The brooch had now taken the appearance of a makeup compact colored pink with gold trims, a gold star on top, and had the symbol of the moon on it matching in color. It also had gems that represented each of the other guardians that encircled the moon clockwise, A red one for Mars on top, yellow on the right for Venus, blue on the bottom for Mercury, and a green on the left for Jupiter.

"My brooch... it's... like new!" murmured Princess Serenity with wonder.

Queen Serenity then turned towards Luna, who at some point had woken up and had joined the two girls.

"Luna, please continue to help our Princess," the Queen of the Moon said. "She'll need you."

"Yes, my queen," acknowledged Luna bowing.

Queen Serenity then turned to her daughter. "Listen well, Princess. The Silver Crystal no longer possess the power it once had," she said. "But because you cherish your friends as well as your family and desire to protect those around you, I know that it will allow you to its energy to do good and reactivate its powers again."

Princess Serenity's eyes filled with tears of joy as she beamed at her mother.

"Thank you, Queen Serenity. With the Silver Crystal's power, now I can save everyone!" Princess Serenity spoke, now filled with a new determination. "Thank you so much... Mother."

Queen Serenity smiled as Princes Serenity turned on her heel and took off, ready to head back to the battlefield.

"One more thing, Usagi," Queen Serenity called out. "Say these words to activate your new power; "Moon Crystal Power Make Up." "

Princess Serenity took one last look at her mother, and she said her new transformation phrase with gusto.

"MOON CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"


Transformation Sequence: Usagi

Usagi holds up the Crystal Star brooch as it opens, revealing the Silver Crystal inside. Usagi waved her hand on the Silver Crystal, and it flashed it a bright short burst of pink light emitting a chime. It does it a second time, and on the third, it shines brightly, enveloping Usagi in its glow. Usagi then holds the brooch above her head, suspending it in between her hands, drawing it to the center of her torso, flipping it once before placing it in the center of her chest. She then spins around a few times as the crystal begins to glow even brighter than before in pink light. She holds her hands up as a pair of wings spring forth from her back while pink ribbons come out from the crystal wrapping around Usagi's body, forming her leotard. The wings on her back disappeared as more pink ribbons wrapped around her arms and hands, creating white gloves and red boots around her calves and feet. As the blue skirt appears around her waist, one more pink ribbon ties at her back as she does a kind of spread-eagle motion with one leg up, a glowing moon symbol appearing on her forehead. Her tiara, earrings, choker, and ordango covers appear, and Usagi, now Sailor Moon, finishes with her signature pose.


At this point, Harusuke and the others had passed out, their energy completely drained and encased in a tree, unable to do anything. Artemis had been trying his best to try and fight Reci on his own, but the white cat stood no chance as he continued to take a beating by the creature.

"It's no use!" panted Artemis weakly. "There's no way I can stop her all by myself!"

Reci gave a predatory growl as it went for the finishing blow, but then a bright shining light flared from above, illuminating the area catching it and Artemis by surprise. Artemis then looked up and saw where the light was coming from, the full moon, now shining brighter than it ever did.

"What's going on?!" Artemis wondered. "Why is the moon shining so brightly?!"

Then, he heard a familiar feminine voice.

"Sweet buns, pork buns, spending time with friends and family!" it said. "Those are the things that make spring wonderful! It's a season for living, not for hurting!"

Artemis and Reci looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from, and from the ground a few feet away from him and the Cardian, the area suddenly began to glow, forming a large circle. A familiar heroine began to emerge from the ground with Luna as she continued her speech from that area.

"Cherry blossoms viewing is one of the happiest times of the year for people, you monster!" she spoke. "How dare you interfere with it like a drunken old man?!"

When Sailor Moon and Luna fully emerged, the glow disappeared as the Guardian of the Moon stood bravely before Reci.

"I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and justice! I am Sailor Moon!" she proclaimed. "And now, in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

Artemis couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "I don't believe it!" he cried. "Sailor Moon! Luna! You're both OK!"

"Hey there, Artemis!" Luna called. "I'm impressed that you were able to hold back that Cardian!"

Reci, not believing that Sailor Moon was still alive, immediately went on the attack, transforming her hands into cherry blossom branches and firing a rapid flurry of petals. Sailor Moon ducked and dodged the incoming attack by jumping to her right. Reci blasted her repeatedly, but Sailor Moon continued, albeit just barely. She soon found herself back to back against a tree as Reci fired a storm of petals again. Sailor Moon ducked just as the blast blew a hole right into the trunk of the tree above her head.

"Hang in there, Sailor Moon!" yelled Luna. "You're the only one who can save the others!"

"I know!" Sailor Moon called back. "You don't have to tell me!"

Reci, still seeing that Sailor Moon was still alive, shot straight towards her, going for the kill, turning the cherry blossom branches that were her hands into long sharp claws. Sailor Moon instinctively shut her eyes, but then a white rose shot out from above and hit Reci square in the face, blinding her with its petals. Sailor Moon looked up and saw who had saved her. It was the Moonlight Knight.

"Tonight is a wonderful night for admiring the beauty of flowers," the Moonlight Knight said. "Cherry blossoms are so short-lived. Therefore, I will not allow you and your filthy hands to sully them!"

"Moonlight Knight! It's you!" Sailor Moon gasped happily. "Thank you!"

The Moonlight Knight then looked over at the Sailor Guardian. "Sailor Moon, you're the only one who can save everyone," he said. "Finish this."

At that moment, the moon from up above began to shine once again as something fell towards Sailor Moon. The object was a long pink and strange pink rod with a red jewel at the bottom, and three gold stars were almost at the top with a gold heart with wings. And at the very top of the rod was a red sphere encircled with a gold crescent moon and a gold and red crown.

Sailor Moon caught the rod and gazed at it in amazement. "What... is this thing?" she wondered.

Then she heard the voice of Queen Serenity. "That is the Cutie Moon Rod," she said. "Use it to light the flame of hope for the future!"

Sailor Moon got back up on her feet, armed with this new weapon as Reci managed to recover. She then let out a roar as she gave Sailor Moon a death glare with the intent to kill as she shot towards her. But Sailor Moon, not backing down, raised her Cutie Moon Rod high as the crown on top played a melody and began glowing. She aimed for the Cardian and then unleashed a new and powerful attack.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!"

She pointed her Cutie Moon Rod at the Cardian and unleashed a powerful blast of light and sparkles at it. Reci screeched in agony as the attack destroyed her and turned her back into a card.


A few minutes later, Sailor Moon and the Moonlight Knight rejoined the others, ensuring they were all alright after being freed from their prison.

"I'm so glad that you're all OK," Sailor Moon spoke, feeling relieved.

"Not as glad as we are to see you're OK," Harusuke spoke, hugging Sailor Moon. " We thought that you were gone!"

The Moonlight Knight smiled from behind his mask. "Sailor Moon, you did well tonight," he spoke proudly. "Even cherry blossoms are no match for a courageous young girl like you. Adieu..."

He then turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing into the night.

"Thank you, Moonlight Knight," Sailor Moon murmured happily.

"We're the ones who should be thanking you, Sailor Moon," Ami spoke gratefully. "You saved the day."

Everyone else heartily agreed, and Sailor Moon couldn't help but blush with embarrassment but was also full of pride.

"Looks like Sailor Moon has moved another step forward," smiled Luna.

"Indeed, but she still has to work hard," said Artemis. "This is only just the beginning."

"That may be so, but personally, it would have been better for everyone if she saved us a little sooner," Rei spoke snidely.

Now Sailor Moon was angry. "There you go being mean again!" she snapped crossly as she stomped over to Rei. "Why can't you be nice for one single day?!"

Sailor Moon and Rei both made akanbe faces while glaring crossly at each other while everyone else watched, exasperated at the two.

"And just like that, those two are fighting again," Harusuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Good grief."

"Yeah... Perhaps she hasn't matured that much after all," groaned Luna.

As Sailor Moon and Rei turned away from each other with a huff, Sailor Moon just so happened to look up at the moon. As she gazed up at it, she couldn't help but think about her mother, who helped her in her time of need, which made a smile tug at her lips.

"Queen Serenity... Mother. Thank you..."