With a gentleness and grace borne of hundreds of years of practice, the Queen walked through the hall of her castle and home.  All around, light reflected and glinted off of every available surface.  Her dress, white and perfect, flowed about her with every step.  Soon, she came to her favorite spot, a great balcony that hung over the main entrance of her home.  The view always touched her, no matter how many times she gazed upon it.  Tall towers of crystal reached out as far as her eyes could see.  Above, the sky twinkled with the light of hundreds of stars.  She smiled, feeling the motions of the other planets as they made their way through the heavens.  And the moon...  It glowed with a soft light, reminding her of days long past, of teammates, of first loves...

"Your Highness?"

The Queen started at the voice and turned.  One of the Senshi stood before her, a small, knowing smile on her face.  "Dreaming again?"

The Queen smiled.  "Is it that obvious?"

The Senshi's smile grew.  "Well, there's only one thing that I know that will cause you to stare at nothing for hours on end."

The Queen's cheeks colored a bit.  "Yes, well..."  She trailed off as she turned to gaze at the night sky once more.  After several minutes of silence, she spoke once more.  "I just can't help but to think about the past, back when everything was new, when I first took on the responsibility of protecting the Earth... When I first found you and the others."  She lowered her head.  "Even though there were some bad times, I remember those days fondly.  It was the joy of discovery, I think.  That and the excitement of always doing something."  The Queen paused, choosing her next words carefully.  She turned to face her Senshi, her friend.  "I love this kingdom and this era.  I protect these people and help them.  I wouldn't trade this peace for anything else.  But, sometimes..."  She fell silent once more.

"I understand, your Highness," replied the Senshi.  "There are times when I, too, think of the past.  Sometimes, it makes me smile.  Other times, it makes me cry.  That is what memories are for, after all."  She stepped forward and placed a hand on the Queen's shoulder.  "But I wouldn't trade this peace for anything else either.  We've fought long and hard for this and now we have the task of maintaining it.  I'm happy that we've come this far and I'm proud to be one of your Senshi."  Her voice became a bit tremulous.  "Before I met you, I had nothing.  You gave me more than an active role in this.  You gave me friendship and life."  She squeezed the Queen's shoulder.  "I could never thank you enough."

The Queen placed her hand on the Senshi's and returned the squeeze, her warm smile full of gratitude, friendship and love.  Then, she looked to the sky once more.  "I'm going to visit Mother.  Please look after everything."

"We always do."  The Senshi released her and walked back to the main hall.

The Queen gazed at the moon for a moment.  Then, a warm light surrounded her.  It matched the same soft glow that radiated from the moon itself.  In a matter of moments, the Queen found herself just outside the steps of the Moon Kingdom's Great Hall.  Before entering, she took a moment to gaze upon the sky.  The Earth filled her view, a beautiful blue and white portrait against a black sea.  It filled her with such joy, to be able to gaze upon that sphere from this grand kingdom.  For the longest time, she had great doubt concerning her ability to become Queen, to lead the world into this era of peace and prosperity.  Surely, she couldn't succeed nearly as well as Mother had.  But somehow, with the help of her extended family, her Senshi, her friends, she had succeeded.  They had succeeded.  She hoped Mother was proud.

The Queen felt a presence from behind, a gentle and loving presence that she knew well.  She turned, feeling the same love on her face.

Her Mother stood a step away, wearing a dress that almost matched the Queen's in appearance.  She reached up a delicate hand to touch the Queen's face.  "Of course I'm proud of you."  Her voice was tranquil and calm, so different, the Queen noted, from before.  "You have done so much and accomplished so much more.  You are the Queen."  Her Mother's smile grew.  "And you are my beautiful daughter."

The Queen stepped forward to hug her Mother, a tear escaping her eye.  "I love you, Mother."

"I love you too, my Chibi-Usa."

Author's Notes: I enjoy writing in such a way as to keep the identity of the person in question a mystery until the very end. Either that, or never identify the person at all and drop enough clues for the reader to figure it out him/herself. Sure, you know who the Queen is, but click here anyway.