Act 14 - For Love

"Whoa, Morpheus!"

Pulling back on the reins of her majestic white stallion, Yumeko ordered the winged creature to stop near a beautiful stone building located on the outskirts of the city, the fabled shrine of Elysion. Even after so many years, the temple was still (barely) standing, though it hadn't been used much ever since the new shrine was built shortly after her birth.

She herself had only been to her father's former home about two or three times before, but when Yumeko woke up early this morning, she felt this sudden urge to visit the holy temple. So, she snuck out of the palace (not an easy feat considering how Elysia was watching over her like a hawk) and went to the stables, where she saddled up her favorite horse. Then she and Morpheus began their long journey across town.

When they arrived, they found the place deserted, which was hardly a surprise. People rarely came there anymore, except for King Helios and Queen Lady Serenity, who both held a special place in their hearts for the abandoned shrine. It was to have been torn down when the new temple was built, but the king and queen refused to allow the contractors to demolish the place where they fell in love, even if it was falling to pieces. And so it stood, as a monument to their beautiful, everlasting love.

Yumeko tied Morpheus, who was a descendent of her father's horse Pegasus, to a tall tree near the crystal blue lake and then slowly climbed up the short flight of stairs to the intricately decorated golden doors. Lightly pushing on the entrance, she was glad to discover that it was unlocked. The door creaked loudly as she opened it, echoing throughout the quiet chapel.

The temple had never been modernized with electricity, relying mostly on the bright sunlight that leaked in through the colored panes of glass, so Yumeko reached for a half-burnt candle and lit it with a match. The glow from the flame danced across the room, illuminating various objects, some of which she had never even seen before, possibly dating back to the reign of her great-great grandmother, Queen Iris. They were relics of a time long ago that she would never understand. However, she wasn't really interested in the strange items.

Instead, without even thinking, she turned toward a hall leading to the eastern wing of the shrine, where the personal quarters were located. By instinct, Yumeko opened the door at the end of the hallway and found herself in Priest Helios' private prayer room.

Upon entering the small chamber, Yumeko scanned the surroundings with her golden eyes, taking in everything about her parents' former life, a life she knew too little about. A couple of faded sketches hung on the walls, depicting the original Sailor Soldiers in battle. Yumeko knew it was her mother's childish hand that drew the pictures while she was training in the past, for the drawings were rather crude, although still fairly good. There were also a couple of other drawings of Pegasus and Helios which were drawn by the same hand, but these were much more impressive and mature, most likely later works of the future queen. The one of Helios flying on Pegasus' back was especially breathtaking. The love the artist had for her subject could be seen in every carefully placed stroke.

"I never knew Mama knew how to draw like this," she whispered reverently, gently fingering the picture. It was almost as good as something the former Queen Michiru of Neptune would have drawn.

Diverting her attention away from the drawings, Yumeko continued her journey around the small room. She was looking for something, but as to what it was, she had no idea. Other than the pictures, the chamber was quite bare. There were some pure white candles scattered around, half-melted, and the faint scent of incense could still be smelt in the ancient air. The place where the sacred fire once stood was covered with soot and ashes, black as midnight, and on the cold, wooden floor, a pale trail of faded red blood could still be seen, most likely from the battle with Prince Damian. Other than that, there wasn't much else to see. Her father had taken most of his personal belongings with him to the palace after he married.

Yumeko was about to leave, thinking that she must have been wrong about the strange feeling she felt this morning, when she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. It was coming from a dark corner of the room, where a small chest stood. Walking toward the chest, she was surprised to see an exquisite golden sword laying on a blanket of blue velvet inside. Curious, she carefully lifted the sword from its resting place, examining a tiny inscription written on the blade: Until the day I die, I fight for the beautiful dream of Elysion.

Tracing the letters of the written vow, tears clouded the princess's eyes. It was her father's sword. She repeated the words silently in her head, her heart breaking. Helios loved Elysion as much as he loved Serenity, maybe even more. Now his beloved home was in danger, and it was she herself that allowed the enemy in. There was nothing he, or anyone, could do to stop the impending nightmares. Dropping the blade on the ground, she brought her hands together in prayer, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Papa and Mama," she said softly. "I wasn't strong enough. I allowed myself to be seduced by the shadows, and I couldn't keep a strong heart. This is all my fault. Please forgive me…"

At the entrance of the prayer room, a man dressed in black silently watched his one true love pour her heart out. This had been a bad idea. Yumeko still hated him for what he had done, and he couldn't blame her. But, still, he had to warn her about Midnight's plans. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Dream Soldiers were the only hope to save Elysion.

Quietly, he walked over to the princess and rested his hands on her shaking shoulders. Yumeko wiped away her tears and turned around at the unexpected visitor. "Shadow?"

To his surprise, her voice was soft and not threatening. Yumeko fell into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. Not really knowing how to respond to this unanticipated reaction, Shadow simply enveloped her in a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry, Yumeko," he whispered, pulling her closer. "I know you said that you never wanted to see me again, but…"

She brought a slender finger to his lips. "It's okay, Shadow," she replied, tears of happiness in her amber eyes. "I forgive you. I know what really happened in Crystal Tokyo. You tried to save Phoenix's life, and for that, I will be eternally grateful. Thank you."

"But I was the one who began the war, and it was me who tried to steal the Dream Crystal the night of the Crystal Ball, almost killing you in the process. I'm the cause of so much unhappiness. How can you thank me after all I've done?"

"I don't care about what happened in the past. You changed, Shadow, and I now know in my heart that you have a beautiful dream."

She brought her lips up to his, kissing him gently. Shadow hungrily kissed back, happy to have his beautiful dream in his arms once again. The shadows in his heart were gone, replaced with a bright, glowing light that made him feel warm all over.

Reluctantly, however, he pulled away from the princess's embrace, suddenly remembering the reason he was here. Yumeko gave him a quizzical look.

"Shadow, is something wrong?"

"You have to return to the palace," he answered, the urgency evident in his voice. "My sister Midnight is planning to attack Elysion sometime this morning. She might even already be here. We have to try and stop her before she manages to steal the Empyreal Dream Crystal."

Yumeko's eyes widened in shock. The enemy was here in Elysion? But what could they do? There was no way they could defeat the Delian Nightmare Army. They were too powerful and too numerous. Most of the Earth Army barely made it out of battle alive.

"Are you sure?"

He grabbed one of her hands and pulled her toward the door, not even bothering to answer her question. She reluctantly followed Shadow outside, where he began untying Morpheus.

"My teleporting power isn't strong enough to support two people," he explained, trying to tame the magnificent horse, who was none too happy about the new friend. "We'll have to use your horse. That is, if I can ever get this fellow to calm down."

Yumeko took the reins from Shadow and started to pet the horse's back. Morpheus significantly calmed down under the influence of his mistress. "Morpheus, we need you to take us back to the Dream Palace," she said softly to the horse. "Will you do that for us?"

The horse neighed his agreement and Yumeko expertly mounted on the white stallion's back. Shadow, on the other hand, seemed absolutely terrified of Morpheus. Every time he took a few steps forward, he would take two giant steps backward as the horse seemed to growl at him.

"Shadow, what is wrong with you?" she asked. "Morpheus won't hurt you. I promise."

"It's just that I've never actually rode a horse before," he answered sheepishly. "I've always been kind of afraid of them. Just call this my nightmare come true."

"Riding horses is your nightmare?" she said, somewhat amused despite the seriousness of the situation. "Morpheus can sense your fear, and that is why he's acting so strangely. Be brave, I know you can do it."

Taking a deep breath to slow his racing heart, Shadow jumped on the horse's back with Yumeko's assistance. She had been right. Once he swallowed his fear, Morpheus was much more accepting of him. He wrapped his arms around Yumeko's waist, and a few seconds later, they were up in the air, flying over Elysion.


Back at the palace, the rest of the Sailor Dream Soldiers were sitting in the garden, studying for the final exams that were soon approaching. It was such a beautiful day, they couldn't bear to stay inside in the musty, old library.

"Mai-chan, could you help me with this geometry problem?" Tori asked, pointing to a triangle in her textbook.

"Sure, Tori-chan. It's really quite simple. All you have to do is use Pythagorean's theorem to find the hypotenuse of the triangle. Remember that a2+b2c2. Like this…"

Suki threw her pencil down in frustration. "I'm never going to get this! Why do we even have to learn mathematics? It's not like we're ever going to use it once we become queens of the solar planets."

"You can do it, Suki-chan," Kaya encouraged her. "Math really isn't that hard if you understand the basics. Besides, sometimes it can even be fun."

"Maybe for you and Mai-chan, but for me, it's a living nightmare!"

As Kaya, Mai, and Suki got into a heated argument over the necessity of math in the real world, Tokemi sighed, not really paying much attention to her homework. "I wonder where Yumeko is," she said aloud, not really to any one person, but Ryoko, who was sitting next to her on the bench, heard her.

"I don't know, Tokemi-chan," Ryoko replied, somewhat sadly. "She's been really depressed ever since Phoenix-sama died. I'm really starting to worry about her."

The raven-haired teen raised her eyebrow, shocked at her friend's words. This was the first time she ever heard Ryoko talk of Yumeko as if she were a dear friend instead of insulting her like she normally did. Maybe it was because out of all the Dream Soldiers, she probably understood best what the princess was going through. It was no secret that Ryoko had been in love with Phoenix as well. Tokemi reached for her friend's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Meanwhile, finally tired of the three teens bickering, the normally elegant Kagami stepped between them and pushed them apart. "Shut up, all of you!" she screamed. "I can't concentrate on my music with all this racket."

"Sorry, Kagami," Suki apologized, not used to seeing her cousin get so angry. It didn't suit her very well. "We'll behave. Besides, I've already won anyway."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Hey, how about a piece offering?" Hana suggested quickly, holding out a bag of her homemade oatmeal cookies. "I made them myself."

"I could go for some cookies," Tori said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a large handful. She had just as large of an appetite as her father, Goku.

Suki pinched her twin in the arm. "Hey, save some for the rest of us, Tori. You're going to become as fat as an elephant one day if you don't stop eating so much, and then you'll never find yourself a boyfriend."

The no-nonsense blonde rolled her heavenly blue eyes at her sister. Did Suki ever think of anything else besides boys, clothes, and make-up? "That will never happen, Suki. I work off all the extra calories during track practice, so I never have to worry about my weight. Maybe you should give it a try sometime."

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Exercise? Ugh."


Unbeknownst to the group of girls, Midnight's troops began surrounding the palace, preparing to attack. Their commander licked her lips in anticipation. Those silly Dream Soldiers were completely oblivious to the danger that awaited them. This would be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

"Attack!" Midnight ordered.

Like a wild pack of horses, the soldiers climbed over the tall walls surrounding the palace, carrying guns and swords. Kagami, who was the first to notice the attackers, let out a bloodcurdling scream at the top of her register, alerting the others. The soldiers kept coming, thousands upon thousands, and it didn't look like the flow would stop anytime soon. The workers in the gardens dropped their tools and began fighting the troops as the girls ran behind a group of trees to transform.

"What's happening?" Kaya asked breathlessly, reaching for the transformation pen that was resting safely in the pocket of her jacket. "How did the Delian Nightmare Army manage to enter Elysion?"

"I don't know, Kaya-chan, but this calls for Sailor Dream Soldiers," Tokemi said, raising her pen in the air. "Everyone, transform!"

Mercury Dream Power!
Venus Dream Power!
Mars Dream Power!
Jupiter Dream Power!
Saturn Dream Power!
Uranus Dream Power!
Neptune Dream Power!
Pluto Dream Power!

Midnight inspected the chaotic scene around her, an evil smile on her face. Everything was going according to plan. Soon this world of dreams would be infected with nightmares, and the crystal would be theirs.

"Kill them all!" she ordered before teleporting inside the palace.


After finishing his prayer, Helios glanced over at his beautiful wife, who was busily scratching her pencil across a page in her sketch book on the balcony. She looked so hilariously serious, it made him smile for the first time since they learned of the attack on Crystal Tokyo.

"My maiden, what are you working so intently on?" he asked, walking over to where she was sitting and trying to steal a glance at the drawing.

She quickly shut the book. "You know the rule, Helios," she said, wagging her finger at him. "You aren't allowed to see until I'm finished."

"I was just curious as to what you were drawing. You were concentrating so hard, I thought your face would stick like that."

"It's nothing special," she replied, opening the book back to the page she was working on and showing her husband a half-finished sketch of Helios praying in front of the sacred fire. "I'm really just trying to keep myself busy. If I don't, I start thinking about the war and how little hope we have of winning…"

The smile that so briefly appeared on the king's face disappeared at the mention of the war with the Delian Nightmare Alliance. Taking his wife's chin in his hand, Helios wiped away the tear that fell from her ruby eyes.

"Serenity, you mustn't talk like that," he whispered. "With beautiful dreams, there's always hope, and each of the Sailor Dream Soldiers have bright and powerful dreams. You must believe in them."

"I do believe in them," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips. "And I believe in you. I love you, Helios."

"I love you, too, my maiden."

Just when they were about to kiss again, a high-pitched scream reached their ears, interrupting the tender moment between the two lovers. "What was that?" the queen asked, fear in her large eyes.

They glanced down at the ocean of black-dressed soldiers that covered the gardens. There were thousands of them, and they kept coming like rain in a never-ending thunderstorm. Helios reached for Serenity's hand. This was the day they had feared. The nightmares had arrived.

"Queen Lady Serenity and King Helios, welcome to your worst nightmare. It's time to say goodnight, forever!"


Glancing down at the Dream Palace from the sky, Yumeko gasped as she witnessed the invasion by the Delian Nightmare Army. They were too late. Behind her, Shadow muttered a few choice words under his breath.

"What are we going to do, Shadow?" she asked her lover. "There's no way the Sailor Dream Soldiers can defeat such a large army. We were trained to fight supernatural forces, not to engage in mortal war."

"We've got to protect the Dream Crystal no matter what," he answered. "Whoever controls the crystal, controls Elysion. It can't fall into Midnight's hands."

"Right!"

Yumeko ordered Morpheus to land in front of the palace, where there were few soldiers fighting, then the two of them ran inside through the rarely used front door. The servants were surprised to find their princess and a strangely dressed man bursting through the entrance.

"Princess, what's going on?" one of the maids asked.

"We're under attack," she answered loudly so that everyone could hear. "Children, go to the basement. Everyone else who can fight, this is your time to be a hero. We need all the help we can get."

Before anyone could ask anymore questions, Yumeko and Shadow dashed up the stairs, panting heavily. She felt like her heart was about to pop out of her chest, it was beating so fast. Mama, Papa, please be okay…

"Where is the crystal?" Shadow asked breathlessly.

"In the prayer room. Just follow me."


Eos? No, it couldn't be her. The girl that stood in front of them couldn't be much older than sixteen or seventeen, but her resemblance to his former shrine maiden was remarkable. They both had long white hair and those mysterious violet eyes that were the exact color of late sunset, although this girl's eyes were filled with evil.

"Circe?" he asked, calling out the name of Eos' beloved daughter.

Midnight didn't appear to recognize the name. Instead, she stared contemptuously at the kind king. "You must be getting forgetful in your old age, King Helios," she said sarcastically. "I am the beautiful and all- powerful Midnight, commander of the Delian Nightmare Army and crown princess of the Alliance. I have no idea who this Circe person is."

It was her. Helios' heart broke at what Eos would think of the person her sweet little daughter had become under King Scorpio's influence. He remembered how Circe and Yumeko, who were about the same age, used to play together in the garden with Violet, the head gardener's daughter, while they stayed in Elysion, hiding from Magic's wrath. It was hard to believe that little girl was the same person that now stood before them.

"You are not welcome here, Midnight," Queen Lady Serenity declared, squeezing her husband's hand for support.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Your Majesty! I wasn't aware that I was supposed to wait for an invitation to steal the Dream Crystal, but since I'm already here, I might as well get it over with. Now, where are you hiding that dumb little stone? I know it's somewhere in here because I used my Nightmare Amulet to track the crystal."

"I'll never tell you!"

"Fine, I'll just have to find it myself."

Midnight yanked off her onyx necklace and chanted a short spell, which caused the stone to glow brightly. As the violet-eyed teen turned away from them to search the other side of the room, Serenity quietly began walking toward the podium in the center of the room, where a small golden box sat, while Helios watched her anxiously.

"Mama! Papa!"

The events of the next few moments folded out like a scene in anyone's worst nightmare. Alerted by Yumeko's shouts, Midnight quickly turned back around just as Serenity unlocked the box, revealing the soft, holy light of the Dream Crystal. Realizing what the queen was about to do, the evil sorceress sent a deadly blast of negative energy toward her. However, before it could hit Serenity, Helios roughly pushed her aside, taking the full force of Midnight's attack. He screamed in agony before falling to the ground.

"Helios, no!"

"Papa!"

Serenity and Yumeko ran over to the fallen king, completely forgetting about the crystal for the moment. This gave Midnight just the opportunity she needed. Grabbing the golden box, she quickly transported out of the room, just barely missing her brother's attack.

"Damn!" Shadow cursed.

By that time, the Sailor Dream Soldiers, along with the queen's court and the guardian cats, had managed to make it upstairs to the prayer room. Thinking that Shadow was the one who was behind what had happened, King Goku of Uranus violently grabbed the young man and pushed him up against the wall.

"Who are you?" Goku demanded. "What have you done to our king? Where is the Dream Crystal?"

"It wasn't me," Shadow insisted. "I'm an ally. My sister was the one who stole the crystal."

"Likely story, pretty boy. Why don't you try telling the truth for once in your pathetic life?"

"Goku-sama, let him go," Yumeko ordered, tears in her golden eyes as she held her dying father's hand. "Shadow's a special friend. He's telling the truth."

Reluctantly, the king of Uranus released Shadow from his grasp, although Goku still didn't look completely convinced. Once he was free, Shadow went over to where Helios lay dying, and in a shocking move, kneeled before the king. "I honor you, great King Helios-sama."

Helios slowly turned his head toward the former enemy and smiled. He recognized those chocolate brown eyes and ebony hair, though it had been over fifteen years since he had last seen Eos' handsome son, who was also his godson. Despite Shadow's dark appearance, the king could see that his heart contained a beautiful dream full of light, and at once, he knew that this was the man who Dreama Aurora was meant to spend the rest of her life with.

"Apollo…" he whispered.

Serenity signaled her husband to save his strength, then looked up at Shizu and Kaya, the two Sailor Saturns who had the power to heal. Her cousin, the elder of the two, slowly shook her head. There was nothing they could do to save him. They only the power to heal physical wounds, not supernatural attacks.

"Helios, I love you," the queen said softly, gently brushing her lips against his. "I don't want you to leave me here all alone."

"I never will, Serenity. I'll always be with you, with both of you, even after I'm gone…"

His voice was so weak, barely above a whisper. Yumeko choked back a sob as her father reached up and brushed away a tear that had rolled down her cheek. This was all her fault.

"Papa, I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Yumeko," he whispered. "This is destiny. The time has come for you to awaken… You must fight for the beautiful dream of Elysion… Promise me…"

"Papa…"

Helios moaned, feeling the strength leaving his body. It would not be long now. Serenity took him in her arms, resting his tired head on her chest, allowing him to hear the soft, melodic beating of her heart. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but he fought to stay awake just a little while longer, for he would have eternity to sleep.

"I love you both with all my heart and soul… Goodbye and sweet dreams…"

With those words, the kind king of Silver Millennium died in the arms of his loving wife.