So you wanna know the real story? Ok...here goes...from the very beginning...a thousand years ago, there was a time called the Silver Millenium. It was a time of peace and harmony for all the planets. The happiest place of all was the Moon, the Moon Kingdom to be exact. There were parties, celebrations (same difference),  fireworks, and dances every night.
Queen Serenity ruled the Moon Kingdom with a fair and gentle hand. She was raising her daughter, Princess Serena, to follow in her footsteps. Princess Serena, however, kept staring at the Earth because she had fallen in love with Prince Darien, the prince of the Earth.
Then the Negaverse began attacking Earth and Prince Darien went to the Moon to warn Princess Serena. At first they were forbidden to see each other because all humans were suspected of being from the Negaverse. Then, Prince Darien swore to protect the Moon Kingdom with Queen Serenity.
Queen Beryl, ruler of the Negaverse, came to the Moon and attacked the Moon Kingdom. She saw Princess Serena and attacked her almost immediately. Prince Darien saved Serena with one of his "handy-dandy" roses--of course, hehe. Umm...then Queen Beryl asked Prince Darien if he wanted to rule the Negaverse with her. When Darien refused (yay!), she sent up this negative-energy tornado thingie and he got swept away.
Darien told Serena (you know they're prince and princess by now, right?) to get away, but their love was too strong and she went in after him. Just as they reached each other, Queen Beryl shot some negative-energy beam at them and they died (nooo!!!)

Queen Serenity saw their bodies and cried out. Then said, "I won't it end like this. I won't let them take away your future." She put the imperium silver crystal-- very powerful--and put it on the crescent moon wand. Luna and Artemis, her cat advisors, told her that she would die if she used the crystal. But once a queen's mind is made up, it's done. She would sacrifice her life for her people and most definitely her daughter. She banished Queen Beryl and the Negaverse to someplace far off in the universe.
Queen Serenity was weak, but had enough strength to send Darien, Serena, Serena's court (Princess Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus), and the moon people to be reborn in the future---one thousand years into the future---on Earth. Darien and Serena could finally be happy together.
They would have no memory of their past lives and would live normally. But if the Negaverse was to come back and try to conquer Earth again, Luna and Artemis would have to go out and find Serena and her court (otherwise known as the Sailor Senshi) and "awaken" them of their past.
Her last words to everyone were, "On behalf of the moon, you will be free. Maybe we'll meet again someday." She died (aww!) and Luna and Artemis were sent to the future. Well...that's the story (all summarized in one episode too!)

She Is The One...Sailor Moon!