Chapter 18: Beginning to Learn about a Darkened Past
She was hesitant. But this was the only time she could learn more about them. He landed and walked towards her. Face to face he standed a good foot and a half taller than her.
"Back during the Silver Milennium, I, Ixion was approached by the Moon people to join their army. With the suspicion of war in the air they wanted another person, or senshi with the powers of fire and prediction to help guide the battles, since your Sailor Mars was so focused on protecting the royalty. Told me it could up my status in the hierarchy of the planets…undo my father's ill past. Frankly, back then I couldn't have cared much about it. But one day," He crossed his arms and paused, his eyes darted to her. "I decided to go to the Moon. Check out if it was even worth That's when I saw you in the garden. The porcelain doll Princess Serenity. You always were described as a goddess, but frankly I had to see it to believe it. Funny thing was, afterwards, the men that had hired me, the Moon Morons of the army, laughed at me for even mentioning your name."
"What does this have to do-"
He looked dark as his smirk rose on his face. "I was not even acknowledged as a true Senshi. Men can be Senshi too…it's uncommon, but we are an uncommon type. I am the ruler and heir of the Star Seed of Ixion, I am a Prince, all the same as any other senshi and I was laughed at. Then I see you with the Prince of the Earth. When it came down to it, I was one of the few of us that turned a blind eye to that battle. I watched the empire crumbled that loomed over us with a cocky eye."
"We never would have done that…"
"No? Well dear, that's the issue. You were the innocent one. I've told the others, but frankly my allies don't see the value in it. Innocent or not they see you as part of the problem. You represent the Moon now so you will pay for it's sins. Now, I'm going to tell you what I think…"
He walked closer to her. She reached for her broach.
"Ah, ah. Not yet. I think, you ought to realize that you think your fighting for the good side, but it's time to realize the good isn't so good and the dark isn't as evil as you'd think. It's not black and white. So, if you decide to come join our side- stand up for the oppressed, well then I'll awaken all your friends before dawn. When dawn hits, if they don't wake up they're stuck in their illusions…for good. Frankly I've hoped you'd place yourself by my side, of course you'd have to denounce yourself as Princess…nobody wants the Moon to rule anymore but-"
"No." She shook her head and stepped back. "Even if what you say is true, destroying everyone else's happiness is not the answer. There's still ways to right our wrongs of our past…"
He caught her hand in his as she tried to get her broach again. "Well then, maybe I'll just let Pseudia put you into a dream where you think I'm your Prince. At least then maybe you can right the wrong of your Kingdom that way…" Ixion's devilishly handsome smile was reflected in her wide blue eyes.
"Let her go!"
Ixion dropped his focus when he saw a raven-haired girl running towards him with an ofuda scroll in her hands.
Ixion leapt backwards up into the air with Pseudia. "So you got out of that too huh? Sailor Mars you were always my comparison, the one chosen over me because your planet was larger and thus believed to be more powerful. You do realize you were the reason your dear Jedite was killed? That clever little jet-plane attack of yours was the reason he was done in in the end?"
"I do. And I'm sorry for it. But I knew that I hadn't intended for anyone to die. We didn't know how deep Beryl's wrath was. But unlike you, my powers of perception are stronger, I could sense the false reality, and Phobos and Demios actually helped me wake up. Maybe one day we can save all the lost souls that died in battle, help them to be reborn, but I'm not about to let you get to Sailor Moon or the rest of us over some spilt milk. That was Beryl's fault for corrupting the world, and it's that darkness in this world that's spread by creeps like you." She explained.
"I always hated you. The one with all the prophetic things to say, things I could have equally have said, except I was on the outside of the circle. A little planet is thought to have little power. You were always the Guardian Scout they compared me to. Fire against fire. You don't really know much about how things spread do you? Quick to ignite the flame, not perceptive enough to wonder what caused it." He sent a wheel of fire bellowing towards her.
Mars tried to counter it with her own Flame Sniper breaking the wheel with the arrow of fire. "Transform now. We need to weaken this guy & his mothball here, and get the others out. Fire won't fight well against fire for long." Mars said.
"Okay." Serena nodded. She transformed right away.
"Fine. If you must do it the hard way and resist… Pseudia make sure we keep these two secured and away from all of the others." Ixion pushed off the ground up into the air, distanced from the sailor soldiers.
Pseudia smiled, and flapped her haunting butterfly wings, and from her hands came a sticky substance, something like the material of a cocoon, wrapping around their wrists and their necks.
"You know if this really gets out of hand, I guess we could have cocooned everyone in that…at least then they could have been a good safeguard against these two…"
"You let me-!" Sailor Moon had one of her hands in the webbing around her neck to trying to keep it from constricting.
"In a feeble attempt to make you see the truth of things…misguided by all of the hodgepodge of good being white and evil being black, and no such thing as grey area. Dear Princess, learn that chances aren't often given twice. How about sending them back into the dream world? I'm sure they'res another fun little nightmare, a subconscious thing of worry that ails your minds…"
"We'll just free ourselves again. We know it's fake." Mars was enraged by Ixion's words. Like she'd just succumb to that again?
"We'll just have to see. I mean really…where are your lover boys now when you need them?" Ixion smiled. When suddenly a two red roses broke the confines of Pseudia's silk.
"What is this?" Pseudia called out.
"Did you really think you could get me twice?" Tuxedo Mask joined the two girls.
"Frankly, yes. They can all blame you for breaking dear Beryl's heart cant they?" Ixion smirked. "Ergo the smudges on the Earth Prince's clean record?"
"Nobody is perfect. I may have done something in my previous life, and I have undoubtedly hurt others before. But I would not change it. I would have been with Serena either way, so if this was the way it turned out then it had to be so. Beryl's decision to look to darkness was her own. I love only Sailor Moon, so nothing can change that. Humans are far from perfect, and we may hurt each other, but as long as it is without malace intent, can you blame us for making mistakes? Without those we'd never learn."
Sailor Moon felt relieved. Mars and Tuxedo Mask were always confident of themselves. She should have known they wouldn't succumb.
"Thanks for the speech, and if your done now. I'm going to leave…but remember Sailor Moon, if you want any chance of existing after we succeed, you better come to realize that you're amongst the proclaimed privledged, and our pasts are much darker then you know. I can't hold a place for you beside me forever." Ixion suddenly disappeared. Pseudia was ready to attack again, beating her wings, as the pollun dust was clouding their vision and making them tired..
"Of course he left. And what they hell did he offer you Serena?"
"Nothing…well I'll have to explain later."
"We need to get rid of this Youma so we can awaken the others!" Tuxedo Mask put his arm over his mouth, and used his cane to stop Pseudia's silk from reaching them.
"I mean what is this thing a huge moth?" Mars covered her mouth with her elbow. They're eyes were darting for it's next attack.
"That might be a good point Mars. It seems to be more like a butterfly…but bugs are attracted to light…if I'm not mistaken." Tuxedo mask gave her a side look.
"A little elimination calls for a little fire then! Sailor Moon, get ready to turn this thing to moon dust once I give it a good burn!"
"Alright." Sailor Moon nodded.
Mars called on her fire to ignite the area infront of her. The dust settled. As Tuxedo Mask predicted Pseudia drifted towards it, her eyes enlargened by her fire.
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
Suddenly Pseudia looked up and was engulfed in her arrow's flame.
"Now Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask proclaimed.
"Okay… Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"
Suddenly Pseudia became Ayumi again and crumbled to her knees. The Demon seed seemed to disappear into a black portal, always out of their reach as the seeds in the sleeping hearts of Tokyo dissipated as it disappeared.
"So what did he have to tell you Serena?" Mars asked.
"He…well, he uh, he, or they existed back in the Silvermillenium…and he kind of tried to replace Prince Edymion with himself in my dream…and…"
"He's hopeless." Mars shook her head.
"It's not just that, he made it sound as if they weren't really accepted back then, just because they were minor planets… or something…"
"It seems theres a lot of holes in our past, and things we weren't aware of." Tuxedo Mask looked up to the moon. "However, I really don't like him around you Serena."
"And then my fun ended..." Ixion crossed his arms, proclaiming the end of his reign.
"Didn't go so well?"
Ixion turned to see Charon. "
I don't want to talk about it. I will get her beside me this time if I have to kill that Masked Fool with my own hands."
"It's not worth it. They're disillusioned by their responsibilities. The belief they have to do something noble, even if it kills them." Charon gripped his wooden staff tighter, the large green diamond crystal eliminating the darkened space of their lair.
"Says the man who already was bitten by love…as soon as you give them that Guardian status it all goes to their heads. She's bound to remember you now that it's your turn with the Seeds."
"What did you do?" Charon was suspicious of Ixion's games. He found some kind of amusement because he saw him and Charon as cut from the same cloth considering they both were interested in a Guardian Senshi.
"Well considering I awoke everyone's subconscious with Pseudia, she might remember you she might not…in her dreams of love. However I'd be terribly jealous if you walked away with her by our side, while I remained stumped against the Prize of them all."
"Don't count on it."
"Bitter still huh? Fair enough I understand. But Pluto was originally one of us, until they bestowed on her another tens of decades of protecting the passage of time. If I were you I'd use those Demon Seeds to your advantage. The moment our dear little leader breaks them all out, is the moment our past will be exposed to those Guardian Scouts, as well as the secrets about the way their little perfect world of the past was corrupt. Maybe we ought to just use a demon seed on them…then maybe they would fall for us." Ixion droned on.
"It wouldn't be real."
"Oh don't be so uptight. Plus Limos will be fun to play with. Honestly if you won't use it to it's fullest and darkest potential hand it over to me.
"No, I'll go do it myself."
"That's the spirit Charon. I know you've been the most passively involved since you were…rejected more or less. Honestly rejection motivated me and nullified you, but you ought to use it to empower you. Make it clear to them that things need to change. It would be awfully nice to have a female companion after this demon seed outbreak is finished don't you think?"
"When do you ever not have a female companion Ixion?" Charon shook his head, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Ah a temporary fix is all they are. I want something more sustainable."
"Oh yes, our enemy right? That sounds truly sustainable. A priveldged princess who can't see through her own moon dust." Sedna butted in, emerging from the shadows..
"Oh dear Sedna, go take out your anger on Varune. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Ixion smiled cunningly.
"I'm sure he wouldn't . He's the only man in this place who actually is sustained with an actual worth while companion in this place." She passively took in his suggestive words, looking at her nails.
"I wouldn't say so. Orcus has still been spending much of the time in our Mistress of Discord's chamber." Narune enters, his voice passive and deep. "However I would not complain."
"If you can manage to bring the girl to our side, hah, what a sight that would be." Sedna laughed mockingly.
"I will, or I will find a way to-"
"You sound exactly like that Prince Diamond did. Did you see how he ended Ixion?" Sedna walked in circles. She was like a siren ready to lure Ixion's in her dangerously worded wrath.
"I'm not about to stand in the way of our goals for it. He was a fool anyway." Ixion looked passive to Sedna now, trying to ignore her butting in.
"What will you do if you can't do it…" Charon said absently, looking uninterested.
"Well since Sedna here is so interested, I guess maybe she'll just have to spread herself around? She seems open to bragging all the same?"
"You're quite the talker Ixion." Varune put his own staff out in front of Sedna. She laughed at Ixions feeble attempt.
"Your no angel Sedna." He smirked, barely off put by Varune.
"I'm leaving." Charon said, sick of watching their games.
"Go get her Charon. Bring me back one too." Ixion said.
Charon left without another word.
"Your playing with fire Ixion." Orcus came out. His large tanned build, was muscular. His vest was dark blue and protective shoulder gear was grey with spikes sticking out. His hair was black. He had a youthful and chiseled appearance, and his hair stood up on end, in the back. His voice however was edgy and sharp. Deep. He was always the physically strongest of them
"When do I not play with fire?" Ixion said, taking it as his cue to leave. He was sick of the scrutiny. Maybe he would return to earth disguised as a human and find temporary amusement elsewhere.
"Have fun?" Sedna asked to Orcus.
"Your going to talk about Mistress of the Night like that?" Orcus looked to her, and eyebrow raised.
"No, not in that way. We're all happy she's come a further since her brother's death." Sedna retracted her words.
"Orcus, she means no harm. We simply didn't expect it is all. We're happy for her. She's given us a chance to redeem the name sake of our planets against our suppressors."
"Hm." Orcus nodded. "So Ixion is still…" He crossed his arms looking at the world below them.
"Hung up on the fragile princess, just as we all know Charon is, and will never be, over his guardian woman." Sedna looked down from their ship over the earth.
To that world they were invisible, a chameleon in the sky. From there, She and her allies could see everything.
"Maybe it would be best to separate them. If we can take one of their own and bring them to our side… it would break apart their perspective that they are indeed the innocent ones…" Varune speculated.
"It won't be long. After Charon, our Mistress of Discord is going to invite them here." Orcus knew his roll would to be to have them fight the Seeds of Discord she'd given him head on. He'd make sure they understood her powers before they would have the chance to reach her chamber.
It had been far too long. They would hear everyone's story, and the minor's would bring them to their own judgment day…to face their past in the face of the ones they'd previously suppressed.