A Friend's Loyalty
                     by Jacques Lafreniere
 
A Friend's Loyalty   ~Part One~ 

Sailor Mercury: He's too strong for us! 
Sailor Jupiter: We can beat him if we work together . . . 
Sailor Moon: What do you want? 
Malachite: You know what I want, Sailor Moon!   The Silver Crystal, Queen Beryl was a fool! 
Sailor Mars: We won't give it to you! 
Malachite: Fine with me!   I'll just have to take it . . . 
Luna: Queen Sere . . .  Sailor Moon, look out! 
Malachite (quietly): So Queen Serenity is Sailor Moon.   (Yelling):  Dark forces give me the strength to defeat the Scouts! 

(As Malachite spreads his hands, a ball of  black energy starts to form in his hands and he throws it at Sailor Moon.   Luna, Artemis and Diana are watching the fight in horror.   Just as the ball reaches her, Sailor Moon raises her arm to try and shield herself from the blast . . . but Luna jumps in front of her, taking the blow. ) 

Luna: Sailor Mo--! AARGGHH . . . 
Artemis: LUNA! 
Diana: Mother! 

(As the energy fades, Luna is on the ground in front of Sailor Moon, badly injured.) 

Luna (weakly): Sailor Moon, use your tiara . . .  (She passes out. ) 
Sailor Moon: Right, Luna!  Moon Tiara Magic! 
Malachite: You will never win! 

(As Sailor Moon cries her attack, the other girls also join in their powers and defeat Malachite. After the fight, the Sailor Scouts, Artemis, and Diana are gathered around Sailor Moon as she holds Luna in her arms.) 

Diana (nudging Luna's head with hers): Mother! PLEASE don't die!  (Tears start to form in her eyes.) 
Artemis  (watching the scene unfold from behind Mina, slowly looks down, but manages to hold back some of the tears as he says quietly): Luna . . . 

*** 

(Queen Serenity enters her bed chamber, lights one candle and looks over to where the cats sleep. She sees Diana laying on the bed, crying. ) 

Queen Serenity:  "Entry twenty-three.  Dear Diary, Yesterday I lost a close, dear friend. She had done an unselfish act and thanks to that act we were able to save the Moon Kingdom.   To honor her,  I declared a day of mourning and a state funeral also on that day.  If she could see it, she would probably be shocked to see how much we all cared for her . . . "  (As she writes, there is a small knock at the door.)  Come . . . 
Artemis (enters and bows to Serenity): Your Majesty, have you seen Diana? 
Serenity: Yes.  She is in the bed.  (She gestures at a spot in the room.) 
Artemis (walks over and climbs in beside Diana): Are you ok, sweetie? 
Diana (stops crying and lifts her head): Why did she have to die, Father? 
Artemis (unsure how to answer): You'll understand sometime.   (He curls up around Diana, who begins crying again.  Artemis pulls her closer to him with his tail, and after a while Diana falls asleep beside her father.) 

(Serenity goes back to writing in her diary):  "During the ceremony, everyone had turned out along the route to pay their respects to Luna, And later on in the Main Hall, all of my Court, and the servants who knew her, attended the reception.  Everyone, except for Diana, who is still grieving badly and has every right to be mad at me. Though I did not order Luna to protect her Queen, she had committed an unselfish act of loyalty for me, and for that I am truly grateful to her . . .  Which I will never forget!  P.S.: Luna, wherever you are . . .  Thank you.  Signed, Queen Serenity." 

(With that, Serenity takes the letter and folds it in three.   Then she takes the candle and pours the wax onto the folded letter.  Taking the royal seal and pressing it into the wax before it cools, she places the letter into her diary, and replaces the diary back on her book shelf. ) 

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