Act 18 - Soldier of Magic
Shadow quickly pulled the blood-stained sword from his sister's stomach cavity and dropped it on the ground, for the first time realizing what he had done. After taking a few clumsy steps backward, Midnight fell to the floor, her hand covering the fatal wound. Her normally rosy complexion turned a ghostly pale as the dark crimson liquid poured out of her body and onto the stone floor.
"Midnight!"
Her brother kneeled down beside the dying girl and took her in his arms, resting her head against his chest. Sobs ripped through Shadow's body as he gently rocked her back and forth. "I'm so sorry, Midnight… I'm sorry!" he cried as the other Dream Soldiers witnessed the heartbreaking scene with sadness in their hearts. "Oh, what have I done? I didn't want to hurt her. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"
"Shadow, it's not your fault…"
The voice was barely above a whisper, but the faint high-pitched tone, which wasn't quite as annoying now, was familiar. Midnight slowly opened her beautiful violet eyes and looked up at her murderer. Surprisingly there was no trace of anger in her stare, only regret. She weakly reached up and tried to brush a strand of Shadow's hair out of his eyes, but she didn't have enough strength. It was obvious that she didn't have much time left.
"I can only hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me, dear brother," she said softly. "I'm sorry about everything I ever did to you and to your friends…so sorry…"
He silently shushed her as Sailor Moon approached the siblings. She couldn't explain it, but a strange aura was surrounding Midnight. It almost felt like the aura that surrounded each of her friends, the power of stars that signified the presence of a Sailor Soldier, but that was impossible. Wasn't it?
Midnight glanced up at the princess, her eyes clouding with tears as she recalled the attack on Elysion. "Princess…"
She had no need to finish the apology. Sailor Moon gave her a small smile and nodded her head slightly, showing that she no longer had hard feelings toward the woman who had killed her father. "I forgive you, Midnight," she said softly, surprising most of the Dream Soldiers.
Midnight returned the smile, showing just how incredibly beautiful she really was, then moaned lightly. She turned back toward Shadow and reached for his hand, bringing it to her lips.
"You must get out of here, Shadow," she whispered urgently. "The barrier's weakened now. Just forget about me and go after Scorpio before he can cause more pain and suffering. You have to destroy the nightmares…"
"No, I won't let you die alone," he answered.
She looked as if she was about to protest, but she didn't have enough strength left to speak. Letting out another small moan, Midnight closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax in her brother's arms. Her breathing slowed significantly as Death wrapped his bony hands around her soul, and her skin was ice cold to the touch.
"Saturn, heal her."
The soldier of resurrection glanced over to her leader, surprised at Sailor Moon's order. It was a feeling shared by the rest of the Sailor Dream soldiers. Even if Midnight was no longer evil, it didn't change what had happened before. Sailor Saturn, reluctant to save the life of a cold-blooded murderess, even if she had repented for her crimes, protested.
"But Sailor Moon, she killed your father and stole the Dream Crystal, not to mention all the battles she led against Silver Millennium. You can't possibly mean it…"
"Please, Kaya-chan, heal her before it's too late. You have to trust me."
After a second of deliberation, Saturn finally kneeled next to Midnight and placed her hand over the gash. She muttered a few words in a strange language to herself as the area over the wound began to glow a soft purple. The skin quickly healed, not even leaving a scar.
"Shadow?" Midnight asked, opening her eyes once again. A look of confusion spread across her face as she discovered that she was no longer bleeding. "What happened? Am I dead?"
He smiled through his tears of happiness. "No, Midnight, you're quite alive."
"But how?"
"Saturn healed you."
"Saturn healed me?" she repeated, her voice filled with disbelief. "You mean, after all that I've done to you all, you still saved me?"
"We always save our friends," Sailor Moon replied, looking as if she knew something the others didn't.
"Thank you, Sailor Soldiers," she whispered, struggling to hold back tears of gratitude. "I don't know how I can repay you…"
Suddenly the room filled with a blinding white light that appeared to be emitted from the mystical onyx amulet that hung from Midnight's neck. Sailor Mercury threw her arm over her eyes to shield them from the intensity. "What's happening?"
Chase away the shadows and become the light…
After a few seconds, the light disappeared as quickly as it appeared. When the Dream Soldiers regained their sense of sight, they turned their attention toward Midnight and Shadow, who both were dressed in unfamiliar clothes.
Shadow wore black pants and a long-sleeved shirt adorned with intricate gold embroidery. Golden armor covered his chest, and a long gold cape fell behind him. Midnight was similarly dressed, wearing a beautiful strapless black gown with a lengthy train which was decorated with the same golden embroidery. Her necklace had also transformed. Instead of the round form it used to have, the pendant was now carved in a strange shape similar to an ankh, which Phantom recognized as the sign of Delos.
The two siblings simply stared at each other, unsure of what had just happened. Midnight reached for her pendant, knowing that it must have been the cause of their transformation, and was surprised to feel a strange power coming from it. "Wh-What…?"
Her brother was equally speechless. He reached for her other hand. Another light appeared, although this one was completely inside his head. Visions danced across his mind of his childhood: Eos comforting him after he had scraped his knee, Magic giving him a piggy-back ride around his bedroom, playing Hide-and-Seek with his sister in the incredibly beautiful gardens… He remembered!
"Circe?"
"Apollo?"
He stared into Midnight's -- no, Circe's -- eyes and saw that she had felt the surge of memories, too. They both could remember what life used to be like before the nightmares appeared and covered their home with the darkness of nightmares. It had been such a happy time…
Circe smiled behind her tears of happiness as she gave her brother a huge hug. "I've finally found you again, Apollo," she whispered. "I've missed you so much. It's been so long."
"I know, I know," he said, tears misting up in his eyes as well. "Way too long…"
The Dream Soldiers looked on at the happy reunion, confusion written all over their faces. What was going on? What were they talking about? What did Circe mean when she said that she had finally found Apollo? It wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other for the past fifteen years. Or was it?
"Could somebody please explain what is going on here?" Elysia asked as Apollo helped his sister stand up. "Who are you people? Where did Shadow and Midnight go?"
"Shadow and Midnight no longer exist," Circe explained. "About fifteen years ago, our father used a powerful spell to erase all of our conscious memories and gave both of us a new name and identify. As far as we were concerned, we had always been Midnight and Shadow, although neither of us could remember our early childhood. However, Scorpio never figured out how to destroy our unconscious memories. I'm not sure how, but after Saturn healed me, my amulet reacted to the positive dream energy, removing the remaining negative nightmare energy that remained in my body, and therefore, reversing the spell. When Shadow, who was almost rid of the negative energy due to his love for Dreama Aurora-sama, reached for my hand, the amulet used its power to restore his memories, too."
"The forms you see before you are our true selves, which were hidden underneath Shadow's and Midnight's evil exteriors," Apollo continued. "When we were reawakened, our counterparts were destroyed. My true name is Prince Apollo, the crown prince of Delos."
"And I am Princess Circe, the princess and guardian of this planet."
The look on the Sailor Dream Soldiers' faces as Circe revealed that last piece of information could only be summed up in one word: disbelief. It couldn't be possible! There was no way that she could be…
DELOS MAGIC POWER!
As she called out those words, Circe reached for her necklace, which one again began to glow. Her body was covered in a bright golden light as her dress disappeared and the distinctive form of a fuku appeared. Even Phantom seemed surprised at his mistress' dual identity. The only ones who didn't appear shocked were Apollo and Sailor Moon, who had noticed the power of stars around Midnight's aura earlier.
Eventually, the light dimmed, revealing the young woman wearing a beautiful black fuku with a gold sailor collar and trimmed with the same intricate embroidery that was found on the previous dress and her brother's clothes. Long gold gloves, sexy stiletto sandals, and a top hat instead of a tiara completed the outfit. Circe smiled and winked at the others.
"Blessed by the planet of the supernatural, I am the soldier of magic, Sailor Delos!"
"You're a Sailor Soldier, too?" Sailor Venus sputtered as soon as she was able to find her voice again.
"Yes, I am, Venus," Delos replied. "Unfortunately, I don't have much experience as a Sailor Soldier, but if the princess will allow me to, I should like to offer my assistance in your mission to repay you for the kindness you've shown."
Sailor Moon walked over to the new Sailor Soldier and gave her a hug, which Delos wasn't really expecting but found rather nice. "Of course, you can join us," she said. "We can use all the help we can get against Scorpio. Besides, Sailor Soldiers always stick together."
"Thank you, Princess."
Scorpio could feel the anger surge throughout his body as he watched the scene unfold before him with the assistance of a crystal ball. How dare Midnight abandon him when they were so close to winning! Now he had to deal with yet another Sailor Soldier, who also happened to be his once-devoted favorite child. It didn't make things any easier knowing that Sailor Delos, the soldier of magic, was one of the strongest Sailor Soldiers in the universe (and he should know, seeing as his mother had been the former Delos). Only Sailor Moon, Saturn, Pluto, and possibly Sailor Galaxia were more powerful.
The king grabbed the crystal ball from off the stand, throwing it to the ground with an incredible force. The ball shattered into millions of tiny pieces of glass at his feet. "Damn it!" he yelled.
After shouting out a couple of more obscenities directed toward his daughter, Scorpio managed to calm down. This was no time to lose control. Even if Delos had reawakened, she was inexperienced and untrained in most of her powers, and the few attacks she did know were hardly impressive. When Circe retook possession of her body and Midnight disappeared, all of the sorceress's knowledge of black magic also disappeared, leaving her abilities much weakened. That was something, at least.
Ignoring the mess he had made, Scorpio walked over to the pedestal where the golden chest stood and opened it, releasing the soft, holy light of the Dream Crystal. He smiled wickedly as he grabbed the stone in his hand and felt the power rush through his veins. Besides, not even Sailor Moon could defeat the power of nightmares…
NIGHTMARE ENERGY TRANSFORM!
Mars' muscles visibly tightened as she felt an extreme amount of dark energy form somewhere in the palace. Saturn looked over at her friend with concern.
"Mars, what's wrong?"
"I feel a strong amount of negative energy nearby," she whispered, just in case a monster was nearby. "It's not the same kind of energy as can be found in the Chambers. It's more powerful, more focused."
Delos nodded her head in agreement. "I feel it, too, Mars. I think it's coming from the throne room. Scorpio must be attempting to transform the crystal's dream power into the power of nightmares. It is the only reason I can think of to explain a power surge that strong."
"Are you telling us that Scorpio is transforming the power of the crystal?" Sailor Pluto asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid I am. The transformation is the only way he would be able to use the crystal's energy for evil purposes, but I didn't think he would do it so soon. He must be aware of our presence. We have got to get to the throne room and stop him."
Sailor Moon walked over to the door to the cell and opened it, finding that Midnight's barrier had disappeared. "Well, what are we waiting for? Delos, lead the way to the throne room."
The newest Sailor Soldier shook her head. "I could show you, but I'm afraid that the room is on the other side of the palace. By the time we reach it, it might be too late. We could teleport, but that would take up a lot of energy, and you are going to need all the strength you have to defeat Scorpio."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Taking off her hat, Delos reached inside and pulled out a small handful of golden dust, which she promptly threw at the others.
DELOS DISAPPEARING ACT!
A few seconds later, they arrived in a cold, dark room. Or rather, fell in a cold, dark room. Completely unprepared for Delos' show of magic, the rest of the Dream Soldiers had little time to react to the sudden transport. Only Delos and Apollo managed to land safely.
"Oops, sorry about that!" she apologized, as the others tried to stand up without a whole lot of success. "I should have warned you beforehand."
"That's okay, Delos," Sailor Moon said, crawling out from underneath Mars.
Apollo helped her up, pulling her close. She blushed slightly, thinking that her lover was even more handsome now than he was before. "Are you sure you are alright?" he asked.
She nodded, then scanned the room for signs of their enemy. "Is this the throne room? I don't see anything unusual around here."
"This is actually the hall leading to the throne room."
Delos walked over to one of the doors and carefully turned the knob. The door opened slightly, revealing a crazed man dressed in black laughing maniacally as dark energy entered a bright crystal, which Sailor Moon knew was the Dream Crystal. She could feel her blood boil as she watched Scorpio continue with his transformation spell. That was her mother's crystal. He had no right!
"I knew it!" Delos exclaimed under her breath.
Sailor Moon couldn't take it any longer. They had to stop him. "We're going in."
"But, Sailor Moon, you don't have a plan," Elysia replied. "You can't just barge in there and expect that everything will fall neatly into place."
"There isn't time. We have to stop him, and we have to stop him now! Once he finishes, Scorpio will have enough power to take over Elysion and the entire kingdom."
"But…"
Sailor Moon smiled softly at her faithful guardian cat and gently rubbed behind her ears. "We'll be okay, Elysia. You and Phantom stay here where it's safe."
"Yumeko!"
But it was too late. Her mistress and the rest of the Dream Soldiers had already entered the room where they would face their toughest enemy. Elysia sighed, hoping that Sailor Moon knew what she was doing.
"They'll be okay, Elysia," Phantom whispered, accidentally rubbing up against the golden cat. "They have to be."
Suddenly grateful that the hall was so dark, Elysia blushed.
Scorpio sensed their presence as soon as they entered the room. He turned around, smiling evilly. "Well, well, well… What do we have here?"
"We are the Sailor Dream Soldiers, the champions of love and justice," Sailor Moon yelled, taking the lead. "On behalf of people's beautiful dreams, we'll punish you!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of wisdom, I am the intelligent Sailor Mercury!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of beauty, I am the gorgeous Sailor Venus!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of passion, I am the fiery Sailor Mars!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of victory, I am the invincible Sailor Jupiter!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of life, I am the caring Sailor Saturn!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of individuality, I am the unique Sailor Uranus!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of creativity, I am the talented Sailor Neptune!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of the future, I am the unpredictable Sailor Pluto!"
"Fighting for the beautiful dream of enchantment, I am the mystical Sailor Delos!"
"And fighting for the beautiful dream of Elysion, I am Sailor Moon!"
