Act 16 - Doubts
The Sailor Dream Soldiers arrived in Delos a couple of minutes later, landing just outside the Nightmare Palace in what must have once been a garden or park or something of the sort. In an environment in which flowers did not seem to bloom, weeds thrived despite the lack of water. The ground was covered with dead yellow grass. There were also a couple of tree stumps scattered around, decomposing into a strange black sand. A large, ancient fountain stood nearby, depleted of the water that once must have flowed from it, and the stone statue was cracked in several places and was decorated with the thin, silver thread of a spider's web. Quite frankly, the place gave Sailor Moon the creeps. It reminded her of one of those amusing haunted houses on Earth that Phoenix used to take her to every Halloween, although those were fake. This was real.
"This is Delos?" she wondered aloud, surprised by ugliness that surrounded them. She had never seen any place like this before. And it was so hot!
Shadow nodded, resting his hand on the fountain. A little bit of stone crumbled under the pressure and fell to the ground. "I know it isn't exactly the most beautiful place in the world, but supposedly in its prime, Delos could rival Elysion in its beauty. I wish I could remember how things used to be…"
His chocolate brown eyes scanned the area, trying to imagine what it had been like when he was a little boy. Had there been flowers, like the beautiful roses Poppy so adored? And trees? And rain? And sunshine? He couldn't remember. Though his mother had told him about Delos' former splendor, Shadow could not yet recall the memory of his early childhood. Was it possible that Scorpio had erased their memories, along with their dreams?
"I sense an evil aura covering this planet," Sailor Mars informed the others. "A strong force is coming from the castle, growing more powerful with every passing moment."
Mercury pulled out her mini-computer and began typing furiously. "My computer is getting radical results when I try to analyze this place," she commented, brushing a strand of dark blue hair behind her ear. "Something is distorting my calculations, and I don't think I have enough memory to convert them back into something that makes sense. Maybe Shadow-kun knows of a way we can get in without arousing suspicion. Shadow-kun?"
The young man jumped at the sound of his name. He had been concentrating on remembering so intently that he almost forgot the reason they were here. "There's only one way I can think of," he said. "I escaped going through a seldom used passageway, but I fear that it is now being guarded."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Sailor Moon said, sounding much braver than she actually felt. "Come on."
Shadow led them behind the palace, where there was a large metal door. Sailor Moon was about to walk toward the door, thinking that it was the entrance they were looking for, when Shadow took her hand and pulled her back. "That's not it," he whispered, a small smile on his face at her obvious confusion.
"But it is the only door I can see."
"Watch, and you shall learn."
He walked toward the castle wall and began moving his hands along the stone bricks, as if he were looking for something. Finally, they stopped upon one of the bricks, which was slightly darker in color than the rest. If you weren't looking closely, you would think it was just an ordinary rock. However, Shadow easily slid the brick from the wall, revealing a rusted keyhole. He then took the golden key his mother gave him and unlocked it. Much to the others' amazement, the bricks suddenly moved, making a tiny entryway in the wall, just big enough for a person to walk through.
"What in the world…" Venus stammered, not believing her eyes. Her twin shushed her as Shadow went in first to check it out.
Once inside, he lit a match and held it in the air, his other hand resting on the hilt of his sword just in case there were any guards around. The air grew cold around him, a somewhat welcome change from the stifling heat outside. Shadow took a look around the narrow passage, and finding that there were no guards in sight, let out a relieved sigh. He then motioned for the girls and Elysia to follow him.
"Stay close, everybody," he warned, grabbing Sailor Moon's arm protectively. "It can be very easy to get lost in this place if you don't know where you're going."
And so the Sailor Dream Soldiers began their greatest journey.
Midnight's normally purple eyes glowed a bright red at the reflection in her magic golden mirror. So Shadow had decided to come back after all, this time bringing that little tramp and her annoying friends. Any other time, it probably would have amused her, but now was not the time for a battle with the Sailor Dream Soldiers, not when she and Scorpio were so close to victory. He was going to ruin everything! Did Shadow actually think there was anyway to defeat their father?
"Shadow, you have no idea how much I despise you!" she spat, speaking to the reflection in the mirror, her eyes narrowing. "I won't let you get away from me again. Your head will be mine."
Yanking the onyx amulet from her neck, she chanted a spell in a soft whisper. The smooth stone began to shine brightly, filling with power. "Incubus and Succubus, the Nightmare Demons, I call you forth!"
The figures of two people, a man and woman, materialized before the powerful sorceress and kneeled. At first glance, they appeared to be normal humans, but Midnight knew that under those seductive exteriors lay two of the most horrifying monsters of the Delian Nightmare Alliance, far more powerful that her brother's wimpy shadow demons.
"You called, mistress?"
"Yes, Incubus," she replied, pointing to her mirror. "I have a job for you two…"
As they continued down the passageway, Elysia couldn't shake off the feeling that they were not alone. She kept shifting her eyes around, expecting for some monster to jump out of the shadows when they were least suspecting it.
"Elysia, what's the matter with you?" her mistress asked, noticing the cat's strange behavior.
"It's nothing." she insisted, more for her benefit than for Sailor Moon's. This was crazy. Nobody was there.
Allowing herself to relax in the princess's arms, Elysia rested her head on Sailor Moon's shoulder. She was just imagining things, that's all. This dark tunnel could trick anyone's mind.
Just when she almost managed to convince herself of that fact, the soft sound of someone's footsteps on the cement floor reached her ears, causing her entire body to tense. Though nobody else appeared to have heard, she was certain that she was not hallucinating. Elysia jumped out of Sailor Moon's arms and ran ahead of the group.
"Elysia! Come back!"
The cat chose to ignore her mistress's orders and turned down one of the side hallways, where she suspected the footsteps had originated from. Sure enough, a pair of small gold eyes appeared from the shadows, seeming to float without any aid. Whatever the creature was, it couldn't have been much bigger than she was.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The two eyes quickly disappeared as the creature turned from Elysia and ran away, scared. Wanting to know who it was, she took off after him, her claws prepared to attack.
"You won't get away from me so easily!" she yelled. "Come out here and fight."
The eyes once again appeared as he stopped in his tracks and turned back around. This gave the golden-haired cat the perfect opportunity to pounce. She attacked the small creature, pinning him to the ground, just as the light of Saturn's flashlight swept over them.
Now that she was able see her victim, Elysia glanced down and was surprised to find that he was nothing more than a black cat. "Would you mind getting off of me, miss?" the cat asked.
He talked too? What was going on around here? Only the guardian Mau cats of Sailor Soldiers had the ability to talk. "Who are you?" she inquired, finally releasing him from her grip.
"Phantom!"
Shadow's voice echoed through the hall as the black cat's eyes flickered with recognition. Did her mistress's lover know this strange feline? Elysia studied the rather handsome black cat with an intense stare. She didn't know just what to make of him. Was he an enemy? His eyes were kind, although somewhat guarded, as if he didn't know whether or not he could trust her.
The Dream Soldiers and Shadow quickly caught up to the two cats. Phantom, as he was apparently called, ran over to his master as Shadow kneeled on the cold cement floor. "Phantom, what are you doing here?" he asked, lowering his voice.
"I've been dowsing for your presence ever since your escape, Master Shadow-sama," he explained. "It wasn't working very well, and I feared the worst. Eventually, I finally got a reading on you, so I decided to come down here and investigate. That's when I was attacked by that she-lion…"
Elysia blushed slightly as Phantom gave her a glare. She had been a little bit rash in attacking him, but who could blame her? She thought he was the enemy! What was she supposed to do?
"Sorry about that," she mumbled.
Sailor Moon kneeled down beside Shadow and began rubbing the ebony cat behind the ears, causing Phantom to purr loudly. He could get used to this. "You're a cute kitty," she said, smiling softly. "I didn't know you had a guardian cat, Shadow."
"There's a lot you don't know about me," he replied, turning his attention back on the cat. "Phantom, I'd like you to meet the Sailor Dream Soldiers. This is Sailor Moon, also known as Princess Dreama Aurora, and the so-called 'she-lion' is her guardian cat Elysia."
Phantom bowed his head respectfully. "It is an honor to finally meet you, Princess Dreama Aurora-sama."
"Please call me Yumeko," she smiled, taking an instant liking to the cat. At least someone knew how to treat her with respect, unlike a certain golden-hued cat she knew.
"As you wish, Yumeko-sama."
"Phantom, how is my mother?" Shadow asked, suddenly remembering why they were here. "Is she okay?"
"I'm afraid I do not know if the queen lives or not," the cat answered, sadness in his green eyes. "Queen Nyx has not been seen since this morning, when the king and I went down to your cell. She was found there, weeping and calling out your name. Of course, he realized that she was the one who helped you escape and grabbed her violently, throwing her against the wall. After that, I don't know what happened because the king ordered me to leave the room, but I fear the worst."
The anger flared up in Shadow's eyes, and he banged his fist against the hard wall, causing several of his knuckles to bleed, though he barely felt the pain. "If he did anything to her, I will kill that bastard!" he yelled.
"Shadow, please try to calm down," Sailor Moon said in a soft voice. "We still don't know what really happened. Your mother might still be alive. Our best bet is just to continue on with our mission."
"You're right," he finally admitted, taking in a few deep breaths to calm his temper. "Come on, everybody. It shouldn't be too much longer until we reach the throne room."
Shadow once again took the lead as Sailor Moon reached for his hand. This had to be tough on him. It was obvious that he loved his mother very much, as much as she loved her father.
The thought of Helios brought tears to her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. This was no time to cry. It was time to fight for Elysion, the land her father loved so much. It was his dying wish for her to protect the kingdom, and she wasn't about to let him down. It was her destiny.
"Shadow!"
The sound of a woman's high-pitched voice caused everybody to stop dead in their tracks and turn around. Running toward them was a sexy young teen dressed in the shortest red mini-dress in the world and a pair of thigh-high black leather boots. Her mid-length auburn hair was permed into tiny ringlets which framed her surprisingly beautiful face and fell in front of her ice blue eyes. The girl looked like some cheap hooker you would pick up on the sidewalks of Las Vegas.
When she finally caught up to them, the girl instantly threw her arms around Shadow and gave him a slow, passionate kiss on the mouth, much to Sailor Moon's infuriation. Who was this girl and why was she kissing her boyfriend?
Meanwhile, Shadow could feel himself getting aroused by the girl's presence despite his desperate attempts to push her away. He hated himself for it, but it was as if she put some sort of spell on him. Eventually, he managed to pull away from her embrace, although it was taking as his willpower not to stay.
"Who is she, Shadow?" Sailor Moon demanded, the hurt evident in her voice. "You didn't tell me you had another girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend," he insisted, trying to wipe the red lipstick off his face. "I've never seen this woman in my entire life."
The girl giggled in an annoyingly squeaky voice. "Don't be silly, Shady!" she exclaimed, lightly pinching his butt. "You've been gone so long. The bed has seemed so cold without you beside me. I've been waiting for the day you would come back and we could steam up the windows, just like we used to. Don't you remember that time that we did it in the back seat of…"
"Stop it!" Sailor Moon yelled, covering up her ears. "I don't want to hear about this."
"Yumeko, this isn't what it--"
Before he could finish his sentence, the hooker locked lips with him again, her fingers running through his wavy black hair. That was the last straw. As far as Sailor Moon was concerned, the two of them deserved each other.
"You can keep your little sex toy, Shadow! I never want to see you again!"
With those words, she ran into the darkness, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe she had fallen for his lies again. Maybe Elysia had been right when she suggested that this whole thing was just a trap. He probably didn't even have a mother.
"You deserve so much better than that jerk," a deep sexy voice said. "Someone who would worship you as the goddess you are."
Sailor Moon quickly turned around and found herself staring into the most incredible pair of deep blue eyes she had ever seen. Focusing on the rest of the young man's body, she could feel herself getting weak in the knees. He was absolutely gorgeous!
"Who are you?" she asked, feeling the blood flowing to her cheeks.
"Just call me the man of your dreams."
The man lifted up her chin and brought his lips down to her own, kissing her tenderly. Sailor Moon instantly forgot all about Shadow and let herself be seduced by this handsome stranger. Shadow who?
Their kiss grew more passionate with every passing moment, and she could feel herself growing weak in his arms. This was what she always dreamed of…
Then the world went black.
Shadow could feel the woman's abnormally long tongue against the back of his throat, practically gagging him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't move. There was something about the girl in his arms. She wasn't human.
Phantom, noticing his master's distress, immediately jumped on the woman and bit her on the arm. In intense pain, she released Shadow from her embrace and hurled the black cat against the wall.
"You stupid cat!" she shrieked, holding her bleeding arm. Much to the remaining Sailor Dream Soldiers' surprise, the seductive young teen then transformed into a hideous monster, her ice blue eyes turning a fiery red.
"A youma?!" Saturn exclaimed.
"I…should've…known!" Shadow whispered, still trying to catch his breath. Who else would have called him "Shady" but one of his sister's underlings. "Succubus!"
"The one and only, sweetheart."
"Take this, you ugly old hag!" Sailor Jupiter said, preparing to attack. "Nobody attacks our friends and gets away with it."
JUPITER FLOWER SHOWER!
Succubus laughed in that still annoying giggle as she reflected Jupiter's attack. "Pathetic!"
The twins glanced at each other and winked, a silent message passing between them.
"Prepare for trouble," Venus shouted.
"And make it double!" Uranus yelled.
VENUS & URANUS RACING HEARTBEAT!
Though the double attack managed to weaken the monster temporarily, Succubus quickly recovered and sent a blast of energy toward the three girls who attempted to fight her. They fell to the ground moaning in pain.
Meanwhile, Shadow weakly tried to stand up, his breath heavy and ragged. The Dream Soldiers were fighting so hard to protect him, as if they were actually his friends. He never had real friends before, and it was kind of nice. There must be something he could do to help.
Still weak, but determined, Shadow threw an energy ball toward the monster, but Succubus expertly dodged his attack. She may be annoying, but the demon was a good fighter.
"Where's Incubus?" he demanded, finally catching his breath. "I know he's around here somewhere."
"Oh, he's probably already working on your little jealous girlfriend."
Yumeko…
Shadow could feel the anger filling his heart. They had to save her before Incubus got to Sailor Moon. Using his strongest attack, he threw a mass of dark energy toward the monster, this time hitting her full force. With a final scream, Succubus crumbled into a pile of ashes.
"Come on, everyone," Shadow ordered as he picked up an injured Phantom. The rest of the Dream Soldiers followed, helping their injured friends along. "We have to find Yumeko!"
When the Sailor Dream Soldiers and Shadow finally reached the spot where Sailor Moon had run off to, they found that it was already too late. Incubus had already gotten to the princess and knocked her unconscious. Shadow and Elysia immediately ran over to her side as the rest of the still strong Dream Soldiers attacked the demon all at once.
MERCURY MENTAL CONFUSION!
MARS BURNING PASSION!
NEPTUNE SEA LULLABY!
PLUTO ICE AGE!
SATURN SILENT SLUMBER!
"Silly girls!" Incubus retorted as he captured the girls in a web of nightmares, dodging their attacks.
"Let us go!" Mars demanded, struggling with all her might to break through the unbreakable string.
"Now, what would be the fun in that? All you pretty girls would make an excellent addition to my harem."
"Harem?"
When they reached the sleeping princess, Elysia began violently shoving her mistress, knowing that sometimes it took a little force to get Yumeko to wake up. "This is no time to sleep on the job, Sailor Moon. Now get up!"
"Yumeko, wake up," Shadow begged. "Please, the others are in trouble, and I'm too weak to fight. You have to help them!"
He bent down and gave her a tender kiss on the lips, causing the color to return to her face. Just like in the old fairy tale, the princess awoke, confusion in her beautiful golden eyes.
"Shadow, where am I?" she asked. "What happened? The last thing I remember is this guy…"
"You're in Delos. Incubus attacked you, causing you to pass out."
Incubus? She turned toward the spot where the Sailor Dream Soldiers stood, forcefully bound together by some sort of string. A hideous monster, who must have been Incubus, grabbed Uranus and tried to kiss her, but she swiftly gave him a kick where the sun don't shine.
"Uranus! Guys! I've got to save them!"
With Shadow's assistance, Sailor Moon carefully stood up and pulled out her scepter. She hoped this worked…
MOON DREAM BEAM!
The attack finished Incubus off, and the web holding the Dream Soldiers together disappeared. Without the support of the web, the girls fell in a heap, completely tangled in a mass of hair and limbs.
"Saturn, get off my hair! Do you realize how long it took me to fix it this morning!"
"Somebody needs to stop eating so much of her mother's sweets. I can't breath, Jupiter! Get off of me!"
"Uranus, you're a pervert! Get your hand off my chest."
"Oops, sorry, Mercury."
Yumeko smiled at the sight as she leaned against Shadow. She was so glad they were all right, even if they were all yelling at each other.
"You did it, Sailor Moon, all by yourself," Elysia said, pride in her voice. "That was amazing!"
"Yeah, I did it all by myself…"
Sailor Moon looked down at her wand, letting it all sink in. For once, she actually managed to do something right. Maybe she did have what it took to be a warrior just like her mother.
Just then, Midnight appeared, looking none too happy about the fact that two of her strongest youma had been defeated. "You were lucky this time, Sailor Dream Soldiers, but let me assure you it won't happen again!"
Before anybody knew what had happened, Shadow's evil sister had grabbed the princess and teleported out of the room.
"If you ever want to see your precious princess again, Shadow, meet me in the Chamber of Nightmares!"
