The Illusion of Truth V 1.00
By Devon Smith (devons@direct.ca)

Warning: The following story is not an 'Alternate Reality' as some may call
it. The following story is truth, a truth so shockingly that few are wont to
believe, a truth that changes you forever. So, if you want to lead a quiet,
comfortable(yet ignorant) life, it is advised that you don't read any
further.

He was tall with hair as black as night. He wore the imperial armour of
Atlantis, and an ornate broadsword at his side. His campaign cloak billowed
as he waded though the army, the army of Atlantis. This man never noticed
the humanity that surrounded him, he simply headed straight for the campaign
tent as two men trailed behind him.

This black-haired man entered the campaign tent by angrily pushing the flap
aside. "Prince Endymion," said Kunzite as he immediately straightened
himself. The other generals stood at attention in his presence.

"Commander-in-Chief Beryl," Endymion cried, obviously mad at something.

"She'll be back in a minute, Prince, she's getting some charts," said
Kunzite.

"Then I'll wait," said the young man trying to keep his temper.

As Kunzite said, Beryl came a minute later, holding various charts under her
arms. She was dressed in a gray uniform like the generals were, but she also
wore a red campaign cloak as a position of authority.

Beryl took one glance at Prince Endymion and could immediately see the
problem. The order she gave to his guards almost bordered treason.

"Why can't I see her?" the young prince asked furiously.

Beryl calmly put the charts down on the banquet table. She knew she was
going to have to face up to this one time or another. She loved the prince,
that was certain, but the prince was erratic and tended not to look out for
what was best for him.

"She's under Meticalla's control now," Beryl claimed. "If I allow you to see
her, you could also become influenced by Meticalla."

"Isn't that my decision?" asked the prince. "My risk to take?"

Beryl put her hand on the Prince's shoulders. "Ever since she succeeded in
assassinating your father, you have become the hope for our people. You have
great responsibilities now, so I can't allow you to take that risk."

Prince Endymion flung Beryl's arms aside. "I am the Prince."

"Exactly, that's why I can't allow you to take that risk."

The Prince said nothing. He just left as angry as he was when he came. "Are
you sure we're doing the right thing commander?" asked Kunzite.

"We can't let Meticalla have the Prince. Without him, we're finished." Beryl
then reached for one of the scrolls she brought in and unfurled it. "I must
master this spell to break Meticalla's illusion before we go to battle. I
fear even this army may not be enough to handle the demon's might."

***

The young prince was nothing if not resourceful. He avoided his keepers and
quietly slipped to the Nexus whereupon he cast the teleportation magic. He
whisked away from Earth to be dropped upon the Moon.

Prince Endymion could never figure why anyone lived on the Moon. Most of the
structures were half-collapsed or on the verge of collapsing. It seemed to
be more like a ruin than a place to live. Beryl said that the people on the
Moon Kingdom didn't see it that way. They saw a wonderful palace with a
vibrant community surrounding it. Endymion saw only death and decay.

Endymion finally found the balcony that belonged to her. "Serena," he called
trying to be quiet yet to be heard at the same time.

At the mention of her name, Serena came out to stand on a balcony that
tilted dangerously under her weight. She looked down to see Prince Endymion
which brought a smile to her face.

"Endymion, you came," cried Serena.

"Serena, we have to get you out of here, it's not safe."

"Endymion, what are you so afraid of?"

"Beryl says you have been the sway of the demon too long. We have to remove
you from the demon's influence."

"Oh no, that's horrible. Do you think this Beryl would want to attack the
Moon Kingdom?"

The response was unexpected. Endymion did not know how deep the illusion the
demon cast went. Now he witnessed it first-hand. People lived in slums that
they thought were palaces and heard words that he did not say. As he
pondered this, guards from the Moon Kingdom spotted him. "I will see you
later, Princess," Endymion said before dashing off.

Endymion ran around the corner and scrambled over the rubble. He had a good
lead, so it might be possible to shake his pursuers. Once that was done, it
would be a simple thing to chant the spell that would return him home.

Once he found a pile of rubble suitable for his needs, Endymion squatted
beside it and held his breathe. Fortunately, the guards had ran past.

Endymion stood up and turned right into a black-haired woman. The woman was
about his height, well-proportioned and had fangs. Endymion was looking into
the face of the demon.

"Welcome, Prince Endymion," said the demon. "Glad you could join us." The
demon threw her head back in an unholy laugh.

***

Beryl, the generals and Prince Endymion were gathered in the campaign tent.
The prince was acting strange again. He generally kept to himself the past
few days and rarely said a word at the war meetings. Needless to say, Beryl
was worried.

"They're holding a ball tomorrow," claimed Beryl. "That will be a perfect
time to put our plan in motion."

"But Beryl, isn't that a little unfair?" one of the generals asked. "After
all, our quarrel in not with the Moon Kingdom."

"Right, but I hope in the confusion, we'll be able to knock out as many
people as possible, keeping casualties on both sides low."

"A wise plan," claimed Kunzite.

"We just need enough time to get this spell to work." Beryl indicated the
scroll in her hand. "I've almost mastered it, so it should be ready in time.
Once the demon's spell in broken, we can save the Moon Kingdom and the world
from her evil."

Beryl and the generals continued to hammer out their plans for the invasion
as Endymion watched in stony silence.

***

Beryl had fallen asleep on her desk, the unfurled scroll still in front of
her. She had almost mastered it when sleep took her. The candle on the desk
had completely burned down to a pile of wax. Beryl furled up her scroll and
went out to get another candle.

As she was about to leave her tent, A messenger coming in bumped into her.
The ashamed messenger got on his knees and begged for forgiveness.
"Commander, I'm so sorry. I..." Beryl motioned from him to stop and get up.

"What do you want to tell me?" asked Beryl.

"Commander, it's about the Prince, he's gone."

Beryl let shock and anger play on her face for a second then resumed her
cool demeanor. She grabbed the messenger by the shoulders. "Tell the
generals to prepare the army to move within the hour." The messenger hurried
to obey the command. 'It may already be too late,' thought Beryl.

Efficiency was prized above all else in the Atlantian army, so when Beryl
gave the command to ready within the hour, 45 minutes later, the army was in
neat organized rows. The wizards surrounded them, ready to begin their chant
of teleportation.

Beryl now stood in front of them. She thought she mastered the spell, but
was unsure. Yet, she had no choice, it had to be now. With a look and a
gesture, the wizards began their chant. Beryl could only hope that luck was
on their side as the army began ascending into the skies.

***

Good fortune seemed to be on their side for once. Upon landing on the moon,
the resistance was just beginning to form. Beryl's forces scored an early
victory, gaining a foothold for their forces.

'Would it be enough?' Beryl wondered as the wizards gathered around her.
They began channeling their strength into her, preparing her for the spell
she had to cast.

The organized Atlantian force marched past the chaotic organization that was
typical of the Moon Kingdom's first line. Beryl knew that this victory would
be short-lived. Unfortunately, her feelings were confirmed were the Sailor
Senshi joined the fray.

Many Atlantians fell before the Senshi's power, but more rushed on. The
Senshi took a terrible toll upon the Atlantian army, but they were able to
bring down the Senshi one by one. Beryl watched, eyes full of sadness. The
greatest hope for peace in this galaxy falling beneath Atlantian blades. It
was unfortunate it had to be this way.

The wizards nodded at Beryl. It was time. Beryl began the casting when dark
energy surrounded her and the wizards. The magical shields the wizards bore
tore apart as did the wizards. Only Beryl's shield held.

Beryl looked up in the sky at Meticalla who had assumed a form of a
cloud-like black giant. The giant laughed at Beryl's pitiful attempts.

"Beryl," came the familiar voice of the prince. Beryl whipped her head
around to see the prince protecting the princess.

'I am too late,' thought Beryl. 'The only thing that can save them is the
spell.' Beryl started to begin the chant, but the demon would have nothing
to do with it. The demon's power began to draw Beryl into the sky. The
prince, being to close to the demon's power, was drawn into the sky as well.
The princess foolishly followed her love into the sky.

Beryl might have been moved by this sacrifice, if she wasn't deep into her
spellcasting. More dark energy rained down on Beryl, but somehow she
survived it. Unfortunately, the prince and princess were in the path of the
dark energy. Their lifeless bodies floated above the moon.

Beryl looked in horror at the bodies. It gave her enough strength to chant
the final lines.

The spell that was meant to break the demon's illusion was only partly
effective. It removed the present illusion, but it didn't not remove the
perception of all past illusions.

Queen Serenity saw her kingdom, now in the ruins that the spell revealed to
her. She saw her daughter and Prince Endymion floating in poses of death.
She saw despair and decay and hoped to put an end to it.

Using the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal, the queen infused her will
with reality, banishing Meticalla and the Atlantian army.

Beryl smiled at this. 'At least, the corrupting influence of Meticalla will
be removed,' she thought, but she could feel the demon exert its influence.
The demon rallied against the crystal's power, but it was not enough. The
demon then merged some of its existence into the crystal. The next time the
crystal would be used, it would shatter, each piece would be guarded by a
silver of Meticalla's own being. Finally, the demon pounced on Beryl and the
Atlantian army. The demon would have more than enough time to subvert them
to her cause. Beryl tried to resist, but found she had no will to resist
anymore.

The final act of Queen Serenity was to send the Children of the Moon to
Earth so that hopefully they would be reborn again to live happy lives.

These are the true events that occurred around the event known as the 'Fall
of the Moon Kingdom.' No record of these events exist because the people of
the Moon Kingdom still think the demon's illusions are truth and those who
knew the truth were later subverted by the demon to see a new record of the
truth. These illusions are carefully constructed so that even if you broke
though one layer, there would still be another layer. Each layer you broke,
you would think is truth, but it is still the illusion. Yet, you ask, how
can this record exist? This record exists because of one inevitable fact: no
matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of the truth.

The End

Sailor Moon and all associated characters are intellectual property of Naoko
Takeuchi, Toei, and Kodansha along with DIC and Disney. This doesn't matter
much since I'm using the characters without express permission.

Tell me what you think at devons@direct.ca.