CHAPTER 4: ALTER EGO
Sailor Pluto paced around nervously in her dimension. She was expecting Rubeus to visit her any minute now. Unfortunately another person phased in before he could. A woman, tall, voluptuous, with long, bright green hair. She approached Sailor Pluto with no fear.
" Well hello." she said," So your Rubeus's little call girl, he's talked so much about you."
" Excuse me?" Pluto said, rather insulted by this woman's referral to her as 'Rubeus's call girl.'
" Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Esmeraude, and I wish to go see Rubeus." The woman said, pulling out her compact and checking her appearance.
" On what business?" Pluto asked.
" A message from Prince Dimando, that he will be relieved of his duty and that I am taking over." Esmeraude said," You see, he is nothing but a failure, and I get to go rub it in!" She laughed so
rambunctiously and loud that it echoed throughout the dimension's surroundings.
Pluto covered her ears and her heart sank, knowing that soon Rubeus would no longer be able to come see her.
" Here dear, you're looking rather pale," Esmeraude said, handing Pluto her compact, "And while you're at it, do something with your hair."
Pluto took the compact and opened it up. She did look rather pale. She lifted her bangs up to look at her forehead, and in the place of her tiara was a DarkMoon.
Pluto gasped.
"What's the matter, hun?" Esmeraude asked," See something you didn't like?"
Pluto closed her eyes for a moment and reopened them, and once again saw her tiara.
"Here." Pluto said, handing Esmeraude back her compact. She then opened the Door of Time for her.
"Thanks hun." Esmeraude said," See ya real soon."
As soon as Esmeraude stepped through the Door, Pluto slammed the it hard behind her.
" Bitch!" she yelled," Messing with my mind!" Pluto gasped and covered her mouth. She never curses, what was going on?
She looked at the shiny brass plate on the Door, and saw the DarkMoon on her forehead once more.
" What is happening to me? I feel as if I'm turning evil." she thought.
A few minutes later Esmeraude reappeared to go back to the future.
" Well, that was rather brief, but I got my point across." Esmeraude snickered.
" Go back Esmeraude," Pluto said, opening the Door," I'll have no more of your mind tricks."
" Mind tricks?" Esmeraude said," No dear, I'm not the one playing tricks on your mind." She stepped into the void," See you tomorrow!" Esmeraude laughed, floating off.
Pluto slammed the Door of Time once again and leaned back on it. Holding her head, she felt her tiara, but when looking at her reflection in the red crystal part of her Time Key, she saw a DarkMoon.
" I must be going insane." Pluto shook her head hard," I've been here for too long, like cabin fever or something."
" Setsuna?" a voice echoed through the dimension.
" Rubeus?" Pluto said.
" Yes, it's me." Rubeus said, walking toward Sailor Pluto," I had to come see you one last time."
" I don't understand." Setsuna said.
" I fear my consequences with Dimando, so I have decided to stay behind," Rubeus went on, " I won't make it, there is nothing for me now. I must try to complete my mission within twenty-four hours."
Pluto was flustered," What are you saying? That you are sacrificing your own life to succeed?"
Rubeus nodded, "A small price to pay for such honor I cannot let Esmeraude win this." he said," I lost the four sisters, I have nothing, I must do this."
" No!" Pluto screamed," I won't let you. You can stay here and hide, you'll never die or..."
" I'm sorry," Rubeus said," Permit me this one last kiss." He then kissed her softly on the lips, an electric feeling unappealing to Pluto surged through her body, so she pushed Rubeus away.
"Good-bye." Rubeus said to her as he phased out in front of her.
Pluto just sighed, for she had no emotions, they had disappeared over time in the dimension since she had no use for them. But she could feel something inside of her. A darkness, growing stronger by the moment.
* * * *
Esmeraude came and went over time, for she did not have residence in the past as Rubeus did. But today a new visitor came to see Sailor Pluto, it was Prince Dimando.
" Hello, I'm certain you remember me." He said approaching her.
" How could I forget," Pluto said, " You drove Rubeus to kill himself."
" No my dear, you got it all wrong." Dimando said," You see, Rubeus went into a state of insanity from failure."
Pluto looked into Dimando's violet eyes, and felt that dark electric feeling surging through her veins that gave her a sudden chill.
Dimando noticed this and became concerned," What is the matter? Are you feeling alright?"
" I'm fine." She said, clutching her body as if in pain. She then turned her back on Dimando, which only invited him in closer to her. He came up behind her and kissed her neck.
" Perhaps you need some food and rest," he said kissing her again," would you like to come with me to dinner tonight? It would give me great honor if you did."
Pluto turned to face him, he looked so sincere, so honest, and yet his eyes still seemed to burn into her. She looked away form his glare.
" Oh, come now. It will do you good." He said.
Setsuna felt so uncomfortable around Dimando, he seemed so cold to her, so domineering; but she remembered how she felt about him the first time she saw him, how he was so handsome and his beautiful eyes.
She then heard her mouth speak a voice she did not recognize as her own," Yes, I will go with you, your HHHHhhh
HHighness."
" Wonderful then." He said, and then called about the droid to take Pluto's place. Before handing the Time Key over to the clone, Pluto transformed so that she was wearing a short, spaghetti strapped, dark red velvet dress and small black heels. Her hair remained the same but her tiara and earring disappeared, and on her ears where a pair of gold hoops. She was no longer wearing gloves either, and her bare hand clutched Prince Dimando's arm as they phased out of the dimension. There was no need to travel through time, since Dimando was just going back to where originally came from.
The couple arrived in a large throne room, dark and eerie; and were approached by two figures, one of them was Esmeraude, the other was a young man Setsuna had never seen before.
" Good evening, your Highness." Esmeraude said, bowing her head, she looked up and noticed Setsuna standing by him, " Her!" she shouted," Why did you bring her here?"
" She was not feeling well." Dimando said," So I brought her here to get some food and rest. Is that okay with you Esmeraude?" He asked sternly.
"Yes, your highness." Esmeraude said, embarrassed.
" Setsuna, this is my younger brother, Safiru." Dimando said," and I'm certain your know Esmeraude."
"A pleasure to meet you, Safiru." Setsuna said, shaking his hand, " Esmeraude." she said, nodding toward Esmeraude.
" Well I'll leave you to become more aquainted with each other." Dimando said, " I will return shortly to escort you to dinner."
Dimando then walked off somewhere leaving Setsuna, Safiru, and Esmeraude together.
" I don't know what you're up to, missy," Esmeraude said, referring to Setsuna," But don't you dare move in on my Prince Dimando, he's mine! You hear me?" Esmeraude stormed off in another direction, and Setsuna and Safiru were left alone together.
Safiru was tall, with deep blue hair and blue eyes, you wouldn't think that he was Dimando's brother.
" So Safiru," Setsuna started," Um, tell me about yourself."
" There's not much to talk about." Safiru said quietly.
"Sure there is." Setsuna said," You wouldn't be much of a person."
" Okay," Safiru smiled, Setsuna smiled back. Safiru seemed so much warmer than Dimando, so innocent and young.
" I'm seventeen years old, and I guess I like computer programming, I've always been a whiz at that." Safiru said.
" And what about your brother." Setsuna said," How old is he?"
"Dimando," Safiru began, in a disgusted voice," He's nineteen."
"Oh." Setsuna said.
" So was Rubeus." Safiru said.
"Hmm." Setsuna hummed.
" Why? How old are you?" Safiru inquired.
"Ha! Ask yourself if you really want to know the answer to that question." Setsuna laughed.
" Yes I do." Safiru implied.
" Okay." Setsuna said," I'm 5.1 billion years old."
" No your not it's a virtual impossibility." Safiru contradicted," The Earth formed 4.1 billion years ago."
" Are you familiar with the history of the Ancient Moon Kingdom during the Silver Millennium?" Setsuna asked.
" Yes but..." Safiru hesitated," You-You're from the Ancient Moon Kingdom? With Queen Serenity and Queen Beryl and..."
" The same." Setsuna said.
" I always thought that was just a myth, a bedtime story!" Safiru said," That would make you an immortal."
Setsuna nodded.
" You are Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Door of Time." Safiru said.
"You've done your homework." Setsuna smiled.
"In my spare time I like to read about the Beryllian Wars and the Planetary Empires." Safiru said, " As I recall, you were almost twenty-one when Queen Serenity sent you to the dimension."
Two days before my birthday, and a week before the solar system was destroyed." Setsuna explained," Been in that forsaken dimension for five billion, ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and seventy-nine years."
"Amazing," Safiru said," and you have kept track of it I see." Safiru chuckled.
"Do you want to see the notches on my wall?" Setsuna broke out into laughter, the first time she's laughed like that in years. Safiru also laughed rather hard.
" You know," Setsuna said, "You are so different from your brother."
"Really?" Safiru said, "How?"
" I'm not sure." Setsuna said, "You just seem so much easier to be with."
Dimando then returned to the room and said," Dinner is ready. Come, let us go."
Setsuna and Safiru headed toward Prince Dimando.
"You know, "Safiru said, "You should tell me about the Moon Kingdom whenever you get a chance."
"You know where to find me." Setsuna said, as they headed to dinner with Prince Dimando.
* * * *
After dinner, Sailor Pluto and Dimando went for a walk outside the palace.
Nemesis was a dark, bare moon. Absent of all life and light.
"What a horrible place." Setsuna said, "Neo Queen Serenity sent you here?"
"Yes, "Dimando said, "Not exactly the best place to grow up."
" How old were you?" Setsuna asked.
"I was seven years old, Safiru was five." Dimando said.
" But why? I can't believe that Serenity would ever do anything so horrible." Setsuna said.
"We would not except cleansing form the Silver Crystal." Dimando said," Enough questions, just enjoy you evening."
Setsuna gazed up at the stars, they were so bright, and so many of them. She had not seen stars in ages.
Dimando put his arm around Setsuna's waist and gently pulled her closer to him.
She in turn turned to face him and put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder, but it seemed to her that she was no longer controlling her actions anymore, as if another force inside Setsuna was taking over her body. At first she believed it was just her feelings for Dimando coming out, but as the night went on, she realized that something, or someone else, was behind all of this.
* * * *
Later that evening, Dimando and Setsuna went to his chamber together.
Setsuna did not want to be there with Dimando, she still felt uncomfortable around him, but she was stuck, she could not get away from him now. Before she knew it, her dress s off and she was lying on his bed with him on top of her. That strange force had taken over her again.
Dimando was shirtless, and his muscular chest was pressing hard against Setsuna's. He was kissing her neck and chest and moved up to her lips and cheeks. His pants were undone but not down.
Setsuna suddenly felt her body relax under his. She no longer felt uncomfortable around him. Setsuna was unsure if it was the dark force inside of her or her own conscious mind that pulled of Dimando's pants with he feet, and if it was her voice that moaned and called out Dimando's name. She felt the same dark, unpleasant electricity surge through her body everytime Dimando touched her. This went on throughout the entire ordeal, until Setsuna began to feel weak and feverish, and eventually fell asleep in Dimando's arms.
* * * *
Sailor Pluto seemed to be witnessing a war of some sort. How she got there, she didn't know. She just stood there and watched as the genocide continued. She noticed a woman running with her face covered as a small child trailed at her heels. The child looked about the age of six or seven and held a silver medallion in his hand. He had the same looks as Rubeus did. Then the woman with him was shot down by a laser beam from a sniper on top of a building. She hit the hard ground and cracked her skull open.
" Mommy!" the child screamed.
" No, Rubeus! Come on!" yelled another child running in the same direction as the original. This one looked like Dimando. It was Dimando, he was running with two adults who also had their faces covered, and one of them was holding a smaller child, whom Sailor Pluto determined to be Safiru.
They reached a dead end and huddled in the corner with another woman and five small girls. Then two gunmen and who appeared to be Neo Queen Serenity phased in before them.
" Do you accept cleansing from the Silver Crystal?" She asked the group.
" We will never side with you Serenity! You killed my husband!" cried the woman with the five girls, as she stepped out in front of the group, pulling the hood off her head to reveal a DarkMoon.
" Sorry to hear that, Jade." Neo Queen Serenity said as one of the gunmen shot her down.
" Mama, no!" cried a girl with long, bright green hair.
Pluto assumed this to be Esmeraude, and the other four girls were the sisters; Cooan, Petz, Calaveras, and Beruche; who were mourning over their dead parents already lying before them.
The gunmen then shot the other two adults, and the one holding the young child dropped him and fell on top of him. The young Safiru then managed to wiggle out unharmed and fled into his brother's arms.
" Wait!" Serenity commanded, " Do not shoot the children. Let them join the rest of their friend in exile so that they will not interfere with my plans anymore."
She shot a beam from the Silver Crystal and the screaming children disappeared into cloud that shot out of the atmosphere.
Then the whole environment that Sailor Pluto beheld to her vanished into darkness leaving only Neo Queen Serenity who began to walk toward her. Serenity then transformed into an image Sailor Pluto recognized as herself but with short hair and striking white eyes that shimmered with light blue and green electricity, but still wearing Serenity's garb.
" Release me." she said, still walking toward Pluto. " Release me!" She repeated, close enough to Pluto that she could see a DarkMoon on her forehead and blonde streaks in her hair," Release Me!" She shouted in Sailor Pluto's face, and screamed so loud that Sailor Pluto woke up out of the dream she was in all of this time.
She sat up quickly, gasping for air and her heart racing.
Dimando was not in the bed beside her, instead his was standing up, getting dressed. He turned suddenly to face Setsuna when she awoke.
" What's wrong?" He asked.
" Nothing," She said, "I just had a nightmare, that's all."
Dimando leaned over and kissed Setsuna on her forehead,
" It's all over now," He said," I will leave you to get dressed." He walked out of the room leaving Setsuna still startled in bed.
She stood up and put her dress on. Then she went to face the mirror to fix her hair.
She looked down to tie up her bun when she noticed that the shoes in the mirror were not the ones she was wearing. Instead they were thigh-high, black leather, lace up boots with five and a half inch heel. She followed the figure up to reveal an extremely short and dark green pleated skirt, and a black leather front laced corset with thin straps. She had light blue and green jeweled rings on every finger, bracelets and armbands to match, and a necklace with the same jewels. She was also wearing a black choker with a red stone Setsuna recognized as her own, a long black velvet cloak with a dark red velvet inside and a hood that covered the head with the face of the woman in her dream; the same chin length deep green hair with blonde streaks in the front, the white electric eyes, the DarkMoon on the forehead, and the same earrings as the DarkMoon family's: the gold fleur-de-lis with the dark crystals hanging from them. She had a wicked smirk on her face and was standing in a position not that of Setsuna's.
She then winked at Setsuna and blew her a kiss.
" Be ya very soon!" She said and laughed a wicked chuckle.
Setsuna then clutched her body in pain and collapsed to the floor.
The image in the mirror then disappeared.
" What is happening to me?" Setsuna said in agony, as he felt a burning fever and the dark electricity traveling throughout her body.