Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 5: Labyrinth of Mirrors.
Episode 85: Dreams and nightmares.

By Razor Knight
Last update: December 3, 2014
Last edited: June 11, 2017

All the Senshi were gathering now, so ChibiUsa could now tell them what she had learnt. And while Aiko and Yukiko had left minutes ago, she was sure Aiko was still 'listening.' "Okay, now that you're all here..."

'Wait. I want to tell them myself.'

'Won't that be risky?'

'Don't worry. I suppose you're too young to know this about your crystal, but...'

Suddenly, a ghastly figure appeared in the center of the room. ChibiUsa immediately recognized him. "Helios?"

The pegasus nodded. "Thanks to your crystal, I can do this. I just hadn't healed enough to do it before."

"Wait, but using my crystal like that-"

"There are some things you can do if the crystal allows it, even if you're not its rightful owner. Like when you used your mother's crystal at a very young age to become a Senshi, if only for one battle."

ChibiUsa was the first to admit she knew little about how the crystal worked. "Oh, I see. As long as you're not at risk..."

"So, this is the guy," Hotaru said.

"Yeah. Not his true form, though I suppose this is all the crystal can allow." ChibiUsa smiled - in her mind, she could see Helios' normal form instead, nodding at her.

"That's correct." He turned to look at the others. "My explanation will be long, and parts of it may be hard to believe."

"We've seen our share of unbelievable things already," Rei admitted, "so go ahead."

"Right. I come from a distant world, in the other side of the galaxy. In your language, its name would be 'Dream.' There was a group of Senshi in that system, even though just like in your system, only one of the worlds was able to support life - at least our type of life."

"So there were more-"

ChibiUsa let out a sigh. "Minako, no offense, but the least interruptions we have, the faster we'll get through this."

"Uh, gotcha." Minako was surprised, though. Sure, ChibiUsa had already heard the whole explanation, but her mood wasn't the best. Perhaps there was something in the story which had made her upset?

Helios continued his explanation. "There were a dozen Senshi there, both male and female. I was married to the strongest Senshi, the Sailor of Dream. Her real name was Nyx, and we had been leading a relatively happy life, as the aliens who fought us weren't strong compared to us. I suppose that's why we were doomed to fall, our overconfidence made us blind to the potential threat lurking inside our group."

"Of all the Senshi in our system, there was one who was unhappy about her role. Neherenia, Nyx's younger sister and the Senshi of Dream's satellite. She had always been jealous of Nyx, of her power. She wanted to be as powerful as her, and I think she... Also wanted me, who had fallen for Nyx instead of her. But she stayed in the side of light for countless decades, and while we were aware of her flaws, we also thought she had left her jealousy behind. But we were wrong."

"An enemy attacked us, coming from the outermost planet in our system. Whether it had avoided detection or it had been a force from outside the system, we couldn't tell. But it was a force unlike any other, the enemies we fought could match us in power, and the only one who was able to beat them was Nyx. Neherenia, however, wasn't upset at this new foe, she saw something else in it. She saw a chance to achieve what she had always wanted. And it was a chance she did not pass."

Hotaru frowned. "She allied with the enemy?"

"She did far more than that. She took over, became their leader, she gave the Nightmare what it was missing, a Queen, and she gained power. Enough power to kill all of the Senshi in our system. Enough power to rival that of Nyx. I kept on fighting against her, even after seeing all my allies, my friends, being killed by her. Nyx seemed to be broken by her sister's betrayal, but in the end she did what she thought was right."

"Nyx is the only reason I'm alive. I was close to death by the time she showed up, but Neherenia forgot about me when she saw her - it was clear to her that her sister was the only thing standing between her and her goal. They fought, but I saw Nyx had a major disadvantage. She wasn't fighting all out. She didn't want to kill her sister. Even after her sister had betrayed her and killed all her friends, she was still hoping to bring her back to the light."

"But then, Neherenia did something which I'm sure she's still regretting, because of its consequences for her. Seeing that Nyx was not fighting her at full power, she taunted her. When Nyx ignored that, she decided to bring her taunt to a whole new level. In a matter of seconds, she destroyed the whole city, the capital of our world, killing millions of innocents. I'm sure I never saw Nyx glaring at someone like she glared at her sister right then, but even then..."

"I thought I knew all of Nyx's tricks, but she proved me wrong. She used an ability our enemy used - one you've already seen, to bring out the "gate" to someone's mind - but then she did something not even Neherenia could do. She reversed the process, in a way, and trapped Neherenia inside her own mirror. Inside the mirror, Neherenia has no powers, and can't get out unless someone helps her from the outside."

"So wait, why are you still fighting her if..."

Helios looked at Karin. "Let me finish my story and you'll know. See, Nyx's gambit came at a high cost, using those abilities required a lot of mana, and she also had to use her own life energy. It would have cost her a lot less to just kill her sister, but I think Nyx was... She still thought Neherenia could be saved. She healed me, despite being on the brink of death, and made me promise her I would not kill her sister. I could not deny her that last wish. She gave me her crystal, but without a Senshi of Dream to use it, its power is too weak. I had a hard time fighting Neherenia's troops, and eventually had to leave my homeworld. After searching for centuries, I finally found this world... Something moved me to stay here rather than keep on running. I know if Neherenia's pawns get me they will force me to release her, and despite myself, I cannot kill her."

ChibiUsa sighed. "And that brings us to what you may have noticed."

"You're in a bad mood," Hotaru said.

"Yeah, that's because, as a Dream Senshi, I'm the only one who could kill Neherenia, should she manage to get out of her mirror."

"I thought you liked being in the spotlight," Terry noted, then saw the way the girl was looking at him. "Uh... Sorry."

"I'm not up to the task, guys. Nyx lived for centuries, and she sounds as strong as Queen Serenity. I'm not sure I can kill her sister."

Usagi shook her head. "I'll have to tell you something I was told a long time ago, when I was in a similar situation. Stop underestimating yourself."

Rei smiled at that, a bit surprised that Usagi still remembered those words. "Right. You lack experience, but you've shown us you're willing to improve, and that you would never tell others to do what you won't do yourself. Those are things I would look for in a leader."

"But-"

"It's amazing that someone with an ego as big as yours can doubt herself so much," Hotaru said, "but I wouldn't fall in love with a weakling, you know? I think you can do it."

"My ego's not that big," ChibiUsa muttered, then smiled, "but you're right, guys, I... Even if I can't do it on my own, I know I have friends I can depend on."

"If we had more time, I would have healed enough to give my power to the others, but as things stand, Neherenia may be sending her elite troops next."

"The Quartet," ChibiUsa said.

Helios nodded. "Yes. Those four girls are far stronger than the three you've fought. In fact, it's possible that they've become stronger with time."

"How much stronger could they be?"

"They're the reason I'm forced to hide, they did a lot of damage to me last time we fought. Each of them is almost as strong as the three warriors you've faced, combined."

"Sounds quite normal for us, enemies are always getting stronger."

Helios looked at Jupiter. "I know, I've seen the things you fought in this world-"

"Hope you're not fooling around in ChibiUsa's mind," Hotaru warned.

"Worry not, I would not harm her. Though I do understand your desire to protect her, I was the same way about..."

Hotaru smiled at Helios. "I guess I can forgive the fact you forced us into your war," she said, "your reasons are- I guess I would act the same way in your place."

Helios nodded. "I can't keep this up much longer, but I wanted to tell you all this before the enemy gets to me."

"I won't let them get you," ChibiUsa said, "no matter what."

"Don't say that," Helios said, his eyes showing sadness, "I've lost enough friends to this war."

Usagi blinked as Helios vanished. "So, that's what we're up against. An evil Senshi. I thought all Senshi were-"

Ami sighed. "No, there's legends in the past, of Senshi turning evil and attacking others, even in this system."

ChibiUsa seemed deep in thought for a minute, then shook her head. "I'll tell you this much: None of you would ever turn evil on your own."

Usagi smiled. "I would never think any of my friends would-"

"Just making sure you don't start doubting yourselves," ChibiUsa noted.

Aiko walked in right then, and noticed everyone had turned to look at her. "Uh, hi?"

Ami noticed something. "Everything okay?"

"Never been better," Aiko said. "Uh, I'm sorry I didn't stay for-"

"Don't worry, the computer should have recorded everything," Ami noted.

"Uh, right."

Minako giggled. "It's the first time I see Aiko like that."

"Love can make you act in silly ways," Brad said, "it's just that in your case, one can't tell the difference."

Minako gave him a half-hearted glare. "Hmph, you're lucky I like you, mister."

"Only 'like'?"

"You've just mocked me, I'm not going to say I love you- Aw, damn it."

Ami noticed Aiko staring at the computer, and walked to her. "Anything good happened? Well, besides the obvious, I mean."

"We were walking around and Yuki's mother came out of a grocery... Yuki told her about us, she called me her girlfriend."

"And..."

"And her mother didn't seem to be shocked. I thought-"

"Some people can be close-minded and over-protective when it comes to their children, but not all of them are like that."

"So I lucked out, then. There's a problem, though... She said she would like to meet my parents one of these days."

Ami cringed. Yes, that could be quite a problem.

Hours later, Ami and Terry were listening to Hana's story. "... And I thought you could figure out these things."

Terry looked at the rifle, examining it for a few seconds before nodding. "As I thought, it's Onara's work."

"You can tell?" Ami asked.

Terry pointed at the lower part of the rifle. "Guy's got an ego."

Hana looked at the small "O" printed under the gun's barrel. It looked almost like... "Omega?"

"Either he was sure these would kill you, or wanted us to know he's still out there."

"It would be a pity for him to die before I can thank him for bringing me back," Hana noted. Yes, she was glad to have a second chance at life, but he had meddled with her mind back then, and she was going to show him how wrong that was, eventually.

Meanwhile, Usagi was still inside the base, but the only other people there were Aiko and Yukiko. "So, you wanted to ask me something?"

Yukiko nodded. "I was wondering... What happened with mom earlier made me realize I won't be able to keep lying to her forever. Should I tell her about Warwitch?"

"I don't regret telling my mother the truth," Usagi said, "but some of our friends are still keeping the secret. If you think it's the right thing to do, then you should tell her and hope for the best."

"I'll have to tell Ami and Terry, too."

"You're going through all that because of me..."

Yukiko looked at her girlfriend. "No, I'm going through all this because I fell in love with a cute, nice girl."

Aiko blushed at that, then noticed Usagi was just standing there, staring at nothing. "Usagi?"

Usagi shook her head. "Uh, don't mind me, just thinking about this war. I feel a bit useless."

"I know a bit about that," Aiko said, "but you're still the leader."

"That I am," Usagi admitted, "but-"

"From the computer's data, you scared off three of your enemies in that last fight. To me, that sounds like the opposite of 'useless.'"

Usagi sighed at that. "You're right. Anyhow, I guess I'll leave you two alone now. Don't have too much fun."

"We'll try," Yukiko said as Usagi walked into the elevator.

The four girls looked at their leader. "Was about time, Zirconia."

Zirconia gave the pink-haired girl a short glare, then shook her head. "I didn't want you to fight unless those Senshi were proven stronger than the Three Eyes."

"Hmph, those weaklings," the cyan-haired girl muttered.

"Credit where credit's due PallaPalla," the pink-haired girl said, "they figured out who Helios is hiding in, which will make our jobs easier."

Palla-Palla sighed. "Guess you're right, CereCere. So, when do we attack?"

"Tomorrow," Zirconia said, "I want one of you to go there and attack the carrier, the other three will wait for an opening and get Helios. Don't let other Senshi interfere."

CereCere smiled. "I'll be the bait, then."

VesVes, the red-haired girl chuckled. "This will be fun!"

"Don't underestimate the Senshi," Zirconia warned, "they've given us plenty of surprises thus far."

A/N: Ah, the four creepy loli enter the fight. Things are about to get weirder than usual.