Serenity was in heaven, dancing in the arms of the man she loved at the palace’s annual Masquerade Ball. The two of them garnered many admiring glances as they waltzed together across the dance floor, but one man’s eyes in particular seemed permanently glued to them.

“Helios, that man in the corner is staring at us,” she said, frowning.

“He’s probably just in awe of how beautiful you look tonight, my maiden,” Helios said after taking a cursory look at the mystery guest.

Serenity blushed, but something about the man’s presence still unnerved her. She felt as if she knew him…only not. It was difficult to explain even to herself, much less Helios, so she put the stranger out of her mind for the rest of the dance.

When they had finished, however, the man beckoned her toward him with his finger before slipping out of the ballroom.

“What’s wrong, maiden?” Helios asked.

“That man… He wants me to follow him.” Serenity took a step in the direction he had disappeared. “I think I should.”

“Then I’m coming with you,” Helios decided, reaching for her hand.

Serenity squeezed it in gratitude, then led Helios through the crowd of party revelers, following the path the man had taken to the moonlit rose garden. They found him hiding behind a statue of King Endymion.

“Who are you?” she demanded to know, one hand placed over her transformation brooch.

The man held up both his hands and stepped out of the shadows. “I’m not your enemy,” he said in a voice that sounded familiar. “May I?”

He pointed to the full-face mask he wore. Serenity nodded, giving him permission to remove it.

Beside her, Helios turned pale when the man took off the mask, revealing a face that was every bit identical to his. “W-Who --?”

“I am you, Helios,” the man said. “You from a different universe. There isn’t much time to explain.”

He reached for the golden horn atop his head that Serenity had assumed was a part of his costume. He pulled the horn out, causing it to transform into a stone similar to her father’s Golden Crystal, and handed it to Helios.

“Please, you both must protect this crystal until I return to reclaim it. The fate of my world is at stake. I’m begging you. Please!”

With that plea, the man turned into a Pegasus and flew away.

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Written for the “Canon Crossover” challenge at the “sailormoonland” community at Livejournal.