Chapter 4 – Old Friends
Tera stared around herself in shock and amazement. She was standing in a section of a large village wither houses and other buildings all around her. None of these structures were more than three stories tall which meant that she could see the rolling hills and forests that stretched out for miles in every direction. She felt like she was standing in the one place that the world that could perhaps rival Crystal Tokyo in terms of natural beauty. .
"So, this is Sand Hills, huh" she asked out loud to her two companions as she continued to take in the sights. She was still staring around herself, trying to soak it all in and find the right combination of words to describe the loveliness all around her. .
"It's really changed a lot since I was here last and I can't really say I should be surprised , since it's been such a long time. The public meetings used to be held over there." Magik said as she pointed over at a long, low building a short distance away from them. Her niece had to squint her eyes a little to make it out in the mid-morning sunlight. The landscape looked alive and vibrant but there were surprisingly no other people in sight. It was as if all the inhabitants of the town were either inside or off during activities outside the limits of the settlement.
Hybrid stood next to his daughter and sister, trying to take in the changes that had happened since the last time he'd been here many centuries ago. It had been a far longer time for him than his sister. This region of Canadonia wasn't exactly what he remembered when he had last passed through this area. He remembered the vast twin cities of Kitchener and Waterloo that had once stood on these grounds and their sister city, Cambridge during the time before the Great Sleep. . After the Awakening, he and his team of former military men had operated a few missions to clear out as many negative forces as they could that were trying to re-surface in this somewhat remote region., The longer he tried not to think about it, the more of his memories came rushing back.
No matter which way he turned, all he could see was Corporal Hicks' face as well as the other members of his squad. Corporal Hicks had been a very brave man, but he'd died horribly when Hybrid's alien symbiote had been corrupted by Aldrich Reid, unleashing the homicidal nature of his 'other'. The worst part was, they didn't want to fight him because he was their friend and leader. In the end though, each and every one of them was now dead, and nothing he could ever do would take it back. He'd lie awake at night, thinking about them before he fell asleep, and sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweat, wondering what was going on and where he was because the dream had seemed so real to him. His wife, Sailor Jupiter always knew what to say to calm him down and get him back to sleep, but there were some nights where he was caught in the grips of his recollections and couldn't wake himself up to escape.
The face of each man or woman that he had murdered during that dark period now flashed in front of him, one at a time, and when they did, he could remember exactly what he had done to them to kill each of them. Even though he'd lost control of his body to the alien, he'd still been able to hear and see and in some cases, feel the pain and anguish of those innocent victims with the human part of him that was still conscious. That was the part of him that had and still remembered everything and filled his soul with remorse as a reminder of what he had done.
Hybrid turned away from his sister and daughter, looking off in another direction. What they didn't know and he was hiding from them was that a pang of shame and regret had wormed its way into his heart once again and it hurt him to remember what he'd done and what he was capable of if the alien ever took complete control of his body ever again. One, solitary tear fell down the slope of his cheek. He was usually so composed, but today, he could feel a sharp twinge for each one of the faces of those that had died by his hand. He realized that he couldn't stay here much longer without his family finding out that he was being so affected by this. He straightened up and wiped the tear from his face, making it look like he was scratching an itch on his cheek. He turned back around to look over at his sister and daughter.
"Well, we can't stand here and stare at the landscape for the rest of our lives. I guess we should get a move on, huh?" Magik asked to the both of them as she squared her shoulders and began to lead them down the narrow trail into the valley where the next wave of buildings stood. Hybrid and Tera were more than happy to let her lead the way as each of them remained partly lost in their own thoughts. Tera was thinking of bringing Usagi and the Sailor Quartet back here one day and they could go exploring. She had only seen Crystal Tokyo and the areas surrounding it for most of her life. Her adventure to rescue her parents from Norman Osborn had been her first exposure to the lands outside Crystal Tokyo's boundaries. Seeing the landscape that surrounded her made her hungry to see what other natural wonders her guardian planet had waiting for her.
Hybrid meanwhile was continuing to relive every moment of the mission that he'd conducted on the negative forces that were located the closest to this particular area. Tera let out a sudden gasp and Hybrid was instantly on high alert as her voice snapped him out his mental trance.
"What is it? Tera, what's wrong" he asked, looking over at the young brunette. Magik also tensed up as her niece's huff. Tera shook her head and casually waved her hand, trying to indicate that it wasn't anything serious. Hybrid kept his eyes locked on her regardless and his gaze silently asked her to explain what had caught her attention so abruptly. Tera could feel her father and aunt's stares on her and she turned her head to look over at him. She sheepishly shrugged her shoulders and her face turned beat red with embarrassment as she realized that she had caused such a reaction from her companions.
"It's nothing bad, dad and Aunt Magik. It's just from that high vantage point that we were just at; all I could see were the rolling hills and trees that Magik had described when she first arrived here. Now that we're moving down into the valley, , I can see more of the city that she illustrated in her tales about Sand Hills and the people that lived here. The core of the city hiding in the thick morning mists as they say."
She tried to play off her naivety of the innocent misunderstanding the best that she could, but she was still embarrassed. How could she have thought that what she had seen up top was the entire village? It didn't even make sense now that she thought about it. If there was a hall that large and open for everyone to have meetings and the big events to be in as Magik had described to them, then there had to be a lot more people around to participate in them then just the few dozen that lived in the buildings around the town square. She shook her head and kept looking around her at the new houses and buildings that she couldn't see from the high perch they'd been on as they moved closer to them. The trio of planetary guardians walked for a few more minutes through the streets that ran between the buildings before they came up to a moderately sized stone house and larger stone structure located near it. As they got closer to the buildings, Tera's ears twitched as new sounds became audible. No, she had to be imagining that, she told herself as she recognized the noises. To her is sounded like there were horses whinnying and moving around inside the structure that would be the first one they passed. The confused look on her face was picked up by Magik who was walking beside her. The older blonde woman couldn't help herself and had to laugh out loud.
"What now?" Hybrid was starting to feel like he was being left out of the loop, and he didn't enjoy it one bit. He had also heard the sound of horses coming from the building but didn't think anything of it. "Will someone please tell me what's going on here" he asked to the two women in front of him. His sister turned back to look at him and quickly sobered up from her giggling fit when she saw the look on his face.
"Well, I was laughing at Tera's facial expression. She made a really funny face without meaning to when she first heard the horses in the stable here." There, that was innocent enough explanation for the abrupt outburst of laughter. Hybrid kept his sister in his glare for a minute or two longer, before he swung it on Tera. She looked up at him with no fear in her eyes, whatsoever.
"I thought I heard horses in that building." She pointed to the one next to the house that they had stopped at. Hybrid looked incredulous. Like he couldn't believe that they had stopped on account of his daughter thinking that she heard horses. There were plenty of horses and stables around Crystal Tokyo as they were the main means of transportation not only in the city but across the world since cars and other vehicles had been discontinued due to the amount of pollution they created. He sighed heavily before smiling and shaking his head. Even though she was nearly four centuries old, his daughter still had moments where she acted like the little bright eyed girl that he used to bump up and down on his knee.
"If the building is indeed being used for a stable, then yes, there will probably be several horses in it" Hybrid replied back, giving Tera another warm smile.
Magik turned on the heel of her boot, and made a bee line for the main door of the stable. She walked slowly up to the entrance, placing her hands on the lower half of the split gate. She looked in to the interior of the stable through the open space of the gate that began at her waist level. In the early afternoon sunlight, the interior was lit up through the various windows that lined the roof and sides of the building. The strong smell of horses and hay filled her nose. She closed her eyes and let the odours bring back memories of her life before she had been kidnapped, when she had been a young woman and spent a summer working as a stable hand for a horse ranch.
She lingered at the door for a few more seconds before reaching down and unlatching the lock on the gate. She pushed it open, the door swinging open without a single creak, showing that it had been well-maintained and walked in a few steps. She turned her head back around to look at her brother. Tera watched the exchange of looks from her position beside him, and she'd been around people long enough to know that he was silently asking her aunt whether she should be doing that. After all, it would be breaking the law according to the rules set forth by Neo-Queen Serenity concerning personal property if they entered into a dwelling without permission. . Maybe the owners would be ok if they saw that they were only looking at the horses if they were caught inside the stable. At least that way, no crime would be committed and the owner let them go with a verbal warning. Even though they were guardians of the kingdom that did not mean that they were excluded from the laws of the land. .
Magik turned back around and disappeared further inside the stable and Hybrid and Tera looked at each other for another few seconds in silence before they followed her inside. When they caught up to her, she was standing next to a stall that held an old, white horse. Even though it had seen some years, it was still beautiful and well taken care of. The magnificent beast was apparently even tempered as well because Magik was petting its long face, and it didn't seem to mind. In fact, the white stallion even took a few more steps closer to the door of the stall so that it could nuzzle its snout against her shoulder and chest.
"What are you doing?" Hybrid whispered at his sister. It was nice watching his sister showing affection to a beautiful-looking animal but he still couldn't believe one hundred percent that they had gotten this far and no one had seen them yet. The owners of this horse and the others in the stalls around them would surely be around soon to feed or groom them. When that happens, it would be better for them to be outside the stable or continuing on to their original destination.
The horse continued to nuzzle into Magik's upper body as much as the open space of his stall allowed him. She gently petted him and every now and then, the white stead would let out a happy neigh. Every time it did that, Magik would reach up and hug its neck, and it was a beautiful sight. Tera and Hybrid were transfixed by the way she was with the majestic animal. They had seen her with other animals before but had never seen one react to her like this. She sensed their stares on her and she turned back to look at them and smiled brightly at them. Tera noticed immediately and she wondered if Hybrid did too that Magik had tears in her eyes and one or two of them slid down her cheeks.
"This is Rapidash. He helped me get to the west coast after I escaped Negonall. I couldn't bring him on the boat that took me to Crystal Tokyo, so I left him with a blacksmith that I had found and learned that he happened to be a servant of Sailor Mars." She turned back to the big horse and threw her arms around his neck again. "He promised he would get my Rappy back to his original owner when he saw the pendent with Sailor Uranus' symbol around my neck." Even though the horse seemed more energized now that Magik was around it, it noticeably settled down when she leaned her head against its long face and gave him another tender embrace. She snuggled her cheek into the horse for a few more seconds, and the horse actually closed his eyes in contentment. When Magik finally pulled away, the horse whinnied in sadness. "It's alright old friend. You're home now, and you'll be happy here. Soon, you won't remember me at all but I will always be thankful to you for helping me find my family. Magik looked over at Hybrid and Tera as she said the last part, indicating to Rapidash that she was referring to her two companions. All three of them stood there in silence for a moment or two, before a noise pierced the silence and drew their attention to somewhere behind them. The main door to the stable that they'd come through opened again and thudded against the wall behind it. All three of them turned to face the door.
"Who's in here? Come on out now." The man opened the gate and slowly walked in. His eyes immediately found them by Rapidash's stall and he slowly moved towards them. As he approached the small group of strangers, they could see that he physically looked like the old stereotypical person who meant be considered a jolly old soul. He was as tall as Hybrid, but he was a bit larger, particularly around the midsection, and he was clearly in his late fifties. Long gray-white hair covered his head and it was tied back into a ponytail. His beard and mustache were well-trimmed and he looked like he really took care of himself despite his plump-looking physical frame. Magik smiled warmly at him while Tera and Hybrid turned completely around to face him.
"Hello, Garin. It's nice to see you again" Magik said as she continued to gently pet the white horse while looking over Hybrid and Tera's shoulders .The man she had called Garin looked surprised at hearing his name called by one of the trespassers. He swiveled his head as he tried to see the person behind the armoured gentlemen and the young brunette to the other woman that had called it.
After a minute, Magik slowly stepped away from Rapidash and moved herself up to a spot between the old man and her family members. Hybrid and Tera didn't even realize that she had moved from her position behind them until she moved into their view. Garin's eyes lit up as he stared as the young blonde haired woman in the red and yellow armour.
"Iris? Is that really you?" His whole attention was focused on Magik now and he forgot all about the other two people that were with her. He resumed to slowly come forward. Hybrid watched his approach with caution. The warrior in him felt that even though he didn't physically look like a threat, it didn't mean that the risk still wasn't there. He remained on guard just in case things quickly changed.
"Yes, it's me although my name is Magik now." She moved forward a few paces as the man continued to advance towards her. Within a few seconds, the man was within arm's reach of her and he threw out his arms to hug her. Hybrid had been on edge, and had almost pulled out a weapon from his belt when he'd seen him reaching for his sister. However, the smile that appeared on his face as he leaned in towards her made him hold his position. His many years of dealing with people, both good and bad had made him a self-made expert on body language and being able to read people. The change in his demeanor once he had seen Magik had convinced him that he really was no harm and was one of the good people that made the Crystal Kingdom the beacon of hope that had been prophesized.
Magik hugged him back, smiling and laughing as Garin did the same. Hybrid fully relaxed his posture and gently pulled his daughter close to him for a hug of her own. As they embraced, both of them watched with smiles on their faces as Magik embraced the kindly old man.
"How long has it been? It's so good to see you" Garin said he tightened his embrace around her. After a few more seconds, he pulled away from her, but he left his hands on the tops of her shoulders. It wasn't in a threatening manner but rather a warm gesture.
"It's good to see you, too. It's been twenty-three years at least. I still can't believe it's been that long." Magik sounded a little wistful when she concluded her answer. She continued to smile warmly at him.
"Wow! Just look at you." He stood back now, admiring the red and gold outfit she wore, and the long sword hanging from her left hip. The old man beamed with pride at the woman she'd become since he'd last seen her just over two decades ago. She was strong and beautiful, but most importantly, she was confident not only in herself but in the world around her. When he had first stumbled upon her when she wandered into town, she was scared and confused and it was obvious that something terrible had happened to her. She'd been shocked or conditioned into thinking that nothing in the world was worth fighting for and that she was worth less than dirt. However, now here she was; a complete reversal of that frail version of a woman that he had first encountered. Garin turned his head back towards the house that he lived in and raised his voice.
"Melissa! Kate! Get out here right now! There's someone here to see us." There were a few echoes that reverberated off the stone walls of the stable but his message must have come across loud and clear. The door of the house opened a minute later and two women came running out. One was young and spry, and the other was older but graceful. There was such a resemblance between them that it was easy to see that they were mother and daughter. The older woman who Magik recognized as Melissa was a little taller than her, but she looked as beautiful as a porcelain doll, even after all this time. Her brown hair fell down past her waist, with long streaks of silver that shot through it. Yes, it showed her age, but on her it looked gorgeous. She still had a young looking face, and the apples of her cheeks hadn't fallen. They were rosy and showed off her good health and happiness even after all of these years. Magik was very happy to see that as Melissa had become very close friend of hers and she still often thought about her and their brief time together. She ran forward when she saw Magik and embraced her with strong arms.
Kate, the younger of the pair of women looked like she'd just turned twenty, even though Magik knew that she was at least double that now if humans aged the way they had used too. Kate was the spitting image of Melissa, and her mane of thick brown hair blew around in the soft breeze that blew through the stable, making it look like it had a mind of its own, and right now it wanted to dance in the gentle air currents. She was a little thinner than her mother, and just a few inches shorter than Tera. She took her turn hugging Magik, too when her mother finally let her go. The difference was, as soon as Kate had seen that it was Magik, she'd squealed like a little piglet and run up to her, almost barreling her mother down in the process. As close as Magik and Melissa were, her and Kate were even closer. They had some great talks during the couple days that she had spent with her and her family. Magik would have loved it if Kate had been able to come with her on her journey to Crystal Tokyo but understood that her place was with her parents.
Melissa took a few steps back and stood beside her husband, a wide smile stretching her mouth, and a tear or two of happiness trickling down her cheek as she watched Kate hug Magik. When the embrace was over, both Melissa and Kate's faces showed surprise at the strong and confident woman warrior that now stood in front of them when they stopped to fully take in her appearance. Just like Garin, the Iris that they remembered had been thin and frail. A small woman that was easily frightened. Now she stood here in a uniform that expressed power and strength and her head was held high instead of cast downwards to look at everyone's feet. When Kate took a step back to stand with her family, Magik took the opportunity to introduce her family.
"Garin, Melissa, Kate, this is my family. This is my brother Hybrid, and my niece, Tera." There was instant recognition on each of their faces as they finally took in the presence of the other two people with Magik and really looked at them.
"You are both Guardians of Crystal Tokyo. We saw you with Neo-Queen Serenity when she visited Tkaronto over two centuries ago. I think we still have the pictures of that occassion." Hybrid and Tera both nodded their heads, and Tera even gave them a small curtsy as a thank you for the respect that had been apparent in their voices when they addressed them. There was a small silence that threatened to stretch on into an uncomfortable one until Melissa finally spoke.
"My, my, my. Who would have thought that the weak and thin little blonde girl that showed up in our town so long ago was actually related to two of the most elite members of the Royal Guard of the Crystal Kingdom! Let's all go in the house so we can welcome our guests and treat them the way such high ranking protectors should be. Standing out here in a stable is simply unforgiveable" Melissa said in casual but serious tone.
"As much as we would appreciate that, we can't stay too long, unfortunately." Hybrid was reluctant to share this news because he wanted to meet a few of his sister's friends, and thank them properly for taking care of her and helping to keep her alive after she had escaped the demon dimension that she had been held in captive in.
"We must return to Crystal Tokyo. We're needed back there as soon as possible." Tera was sad as she said this, because she thought that Kate and herself might turn out to be good friends based on her first impressions of the young woman. Magik steadied her shoulders as she reminded herself of why they were here in the first place after Hybrid had spoken.
"We have come here and would like to extend to your family a special invitation." Magik took a step forward as she spoke and Garin's family immediately focused their full attention on her. "You may be aware that this is the 350th year of overall peace that has enveloped the Earth under the rule of Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endyimon. To honour this great event, the royal couple has decided to throw a grand celebration at the Crystal Palace. Our great queen has allowed each Sailor Soldier, as well as kingdom guardian, to invite any friends or family to the main gala event as special guests of honor. As part of the celebration, these selected people will have the opportunity to personally meet Neo-Queen Serenity and Kind Endyimon themselves."
She waited for the words to sink in, and used some of her magic to make a small envelope appear out of thin air in her hands. This would be the personal invitation to allow Garin and his family to gain access to the Crystal Palace. Along with the envelope, three small, electronic devices also appeared in Magik's hand. The news had now sunk in, and all three of them were beaming at her with wide smiles as they all realized what her presence her meant. Melissa was the first to recover from the shock, and she stepped forward to take the envelope and the electronic devices. She looked from the devices in her hands back up to Magik and cocked her head, waiting for an explanation as to their meaning. Magik saw the confusion on her face and hurried to explain.
"If you choose to accept this invitation, these will be your transport to the palace. These devices are hardwired to connect directly to the transporter located inside the Crystal Palace. When it's time, these red lights will start to glow, and all you have to do is push this button." She reached out and took one of the devices from Melissa and held it up to show them all a small button on the face of the device. "After the celebration is over, a royal guard will escort you home back through the transporter, collect the devices and return to the palace." Magik felt like she'd explained everything that was necessary and handed the device back to Melissa. The matriarch of the Garin family turned back to look at her husband and daughter. They had matching smiles, and both nodded their heads in unison. Melissa turned her head back around and smiled at Magik.
"We would be most honored to accept your invitation. We've always wanted to go to Crystal Tokyo, and I know that Kate has wanted to meet Neo-Queen Serenity for a long time now." Behind Melissa, Kate was doing her version of a celebratory dance. She was grinning from ear to ear and spinning in circles while loudly clapping her hands. Hybrid and Tera waited a minute or so before both stepping up to either side of Magik, letting her know that it was time to go. It was plain to see that Magik was disappointed that she couldn't stay longer with her friends, but she knew that her brother was right. They had to get back as they had other jobs to do. Magik stepped forward and gave Melissa one last hug as Garin stepped forward to shake Hybrid's hand. Hybrid gave Garin a firm grip as their hands moved up and down quickly.
"Thank you for taking care of my sister when I couldn't" Hybrid said, looking at Garin right in the eyes. Garin smiled back and nodded his head in thanks for the appreciation from such an important person. Tera meanwhile waved over at Kate when the two brunettes looked at each other at the same time. Kate returned the wave and gave her a warm smile.
When the conversations had ceased, Magik and her family took a few steps back and held out their arms. Each had one of the same devices on them that Magik had just given to Garin's family. The three of them pushed the button on the face of the devices, and instantly, they were gone, leaving the Garin family standing alone in the stable, surrounded by their horses. If Magik had left a few seconds later, she would have seen the smiles of happiness that adorned each of their faces. They were all so glad that she had found her family and now belonged somewhere. They were especially proud that she'd been chosen to be a guardian of the kingdom. They were humbled that she'd remembered them and had wanted them to be there at the Crystal Palace with her for the celebration. But most importantly, they were honored that she had chosen to bring her family with her to meet them. The girl that they'd rescued so long ago had been too afraid to even utter a name or tell them if she had any family at all, for fear that whatever evil forces that were left in the world and hunting her would go after them in order to find her. It wasn't every day that someone escaped from Negonall after all.