Episode One by: Quicksilver

He stared down into the pond, feeling uneasy for no definable reason. Today his reflection was that of himself, he was pleased to note. It wasn't always that way. Sometimes the dreamers wanted him to be something else, and while he loved the opportunity to explore both his male and female sides, there was something glorious about knowing that this shape was the one that belonged to him and him alone.

Tucking a lock of his pale blue hair behind his cheek, he sighed deeply. Things in Helcyon had been decidedly dull as of late, and he was just about to go out of his mind. He loved his job, truly he did, but the problem was that right now he wasn't doing anything new. He was stuck in a rut, damn it. Fish Eye and his brothers were Helios' faithful servants, helping the seemingly delicate Lord of Dreams rule over his domain, aiding dreamers, and, in general, making sure that there could never be another Nepherenia. They were the Guardians of those with beautiful dreams, and the first line of defense should shadows attempt to invade once again. It was thrilling, but lately, something had been... off. Something was wrong in the waking world, and being stuck to deal with the repercussions in Helcyon made him realize how goddamn annoying it was to always react, instead of taking a more proactive stance.

One of his delicately scaled hand reached down to touch the clear surface of the pond, willing an image to form. He was absolutely terrible at scrying, but at this point, he was willing to do just about anything to find out what was going on. His brothers didn't know, and Helios, his liege, was being his usual mystical self, saying that the time would come when all would be revealed.

Well and good, but when would that time be? Fish Eye would have preferred yesterday.  Patience was not one of his virtues.

As he expected, no image formed. He swore under his breath, and started to nibble on his lower lip as he considered his next move. Tiger's Eye hadn't noticed anything was wrong, and Hawk's Eye had been busy helping reconstruct a section of the dream that had been tainted by nightmares during the Black Moon War.  He could just be paranoid, but he didn't think so.

Fish Eye knew only too well the nightmares that the children had had during the war. Monsters bearing the brow marks of the Nemesian Houses had been given power by the dreams, and the dark energy of nightmares made them fearful foes indeed. He and the other Guardians of the Dream had been run off their feet, trying to protect the innocent. For if the innocent died in the Dream, they would not wake up.

It had been exhausting, but well worth it. Only one monster had gotten through to strike at the children playing in the heart of the realm, but helios had dealt with that himself. Fish Eye shivered slightly as he remembered the sight of the Golden Crystal, once again serving as the horn of the Pegasus, running through the body of the monster. The crimson red blood had run like water over it, baptizing it in death and murder.

Even in the Dream, the Nemisians had left their mark.

"Fish Eye!"

He jerked away from the clear water, turning his wide eyes on the little girl who had called his name.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering what she was doing here. Ayami looked like she was about five years old, but in truth, she was much, much older. She had lived in the Dream since before the collapse of the Silver millennium. Unlike Fish Eye, she was not a defender, but a playmate. She played with children who found their way to Helcyon, carefully steering them away from the dark areas that contained nightmares, and, in general, made herself useful. She knew the Dream better then almost anyone except for its Lord, and often served as a messenger to the various denizens scattered over the vast realm.

"You have been summoned by Lord Helios," she said, her voice high and child-like. She shifted her bare feet, which looked miraculously clean, and tugged at her short white shift. "He wants to see you immediately."

Fish Eye rose from the where he crouched by the pond. "Where is he?" he demanded.

"He was in the Rose Garden the last time I saw him."

A smile twisted his lips and he nodded. "Thank you, Ayami." He flipped backwards into the hole that appeared with the slightest hint of his will, falling through the water portal to land at the gate to the garden.

His toes dug into the lush grass, and a smile lit his face. This was one of his favorite places. It always smelled like spring, and it was rare that there weren't lovers or children strolling the gently winding paths. Flowers seemed to fountain out of the ground all over the glistening white marble, and Fish Eye had been known to fall asleep on a bench, lulled by the scent of roses. He liked their scent. It brought back memories that were as painful as they were pleasant. He walked quickly through the garden, knowing where he would find Helios.

Whenever Helios was here, he would inevitably be by the wishing well, staring deep into its depths to catch glimpses of the waking world. Helios' scrying, unlike Fish Eye's, always worked.

Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

As expected, the bishounen Lord of Dreams was sitting by the simple well, looking at the image of Crystal Tokyo. Fish Eye knew his liege was besotted with the girl who would one day be the new Sailor Moon. He remembered the flowers he had sent to Endymion and Serenity on the day of her birth, and understood how painful it was for him to be forced to wait for her to grow up, to hide his very existence. The time was coming, soon, that he would be able to make himself known to his beloved, but that didn't make the waiting easier.

"My Lord?" Fish Eye said quietly.

Helios looked up at him, wearing an uncharacteristic frown on his normally smooth brow. His white clothes were spotless and flowing, and Fish Eye wished, not for the first time, that Helios had been more opened to his overtures. All the good ones were taken or straight.... or in Helios' case, both. "Wait for Hawk's Eye and Tiger's Eye to arrive. This concerns all of you." Then he returned his attention to his work.

Fish Eye nodded, his curiosity piqued. It was rare for all three of them to work together on the same project. Though still close, they each had skills that were suited for particular tasks, and Helios was a master of knowing the right person for the job. So if the entire Trio was on the same assignment that meant something big was up. "As you will, my Lord," he murmured obediently as his active mind began to puzzle through the possibilities.

Tiger's Eye was the first to arrive, appearing through a ring of fire.

Fish Eye nodded a welcome. "How are the Music Falls?" he asked, knowing that the golden-haired male had been there, trying to stabilize the fabric of the Dream. Every now and them parts of the Dream would wear thin, and one of them would be sent out to restore it. Music Falls was one of Tiger's Eye's favorite places in the Dream, so Fish Eye prepared himself for the usual tales of "almost" conquests.

They didn't come. Tiger's Eye looked at him, speaking seriously. "Something's wrong there. I just fixed that place less then six months ago, and I'm already adding another patch. My work isn't lasting as long as it used to, and it's not because I'm doing a shoddy job. There's something off in the very core of the Dream, and I don't know what it is."

Fish Eye blinked, surprised at how perceptive Tiger's Eye had become. "I've noticed myself. I tried to use some magic to figure out what's wrong, but..."

"Scrying?"

"Yes."

"You couldn't scry if Sailor Neptune gave you the Aqua Mirror and told you how to use it."

"HEY!" Fish Eye squealed, balling his fists up and glaring. "At least I make the attempt!"

Another voice chuckled, and they turned to see Hawk's Eye reclining lazily on a bench. They hadn't even heard him arrive.

"Well, you see anything interesting?" Tiger's Eye asked.

The last of the Trio grew grim. "I've been by the Ponds of Twilight, repairing the damage caused by the Black Moon War. All sorts of nightmares are creeping over there, and every time I finally manage to track down one and get rid of it, two more take its place. I was just about to call you in, Tiger's Eye."

Fish Eye nodded. "And I've been helping Ayami pick up stranded Dreamers all over. She doesn't have the offensive power needed to venture in some of the darker parts, and lately there seem to be more."

"Any idea why?" Hawk's Eye asked. "

"Not a clue. You?"

"Nope. Tiger?"

"Me neither." As one the three brothers-by-magic turned their eyes on their lord, the King of Helcyon. The young-appearing man was still staring deeply into his magic weaving, making no sign that he had heard or was concerned with his servants. He was slender as a moonbeam, and held the same sort of beauty as well. Hawk's Eye had often wondered aloud why Helios was sworn to Endymion, rather then Serenity. Fish Eye could have told him, but chose not to enlighten him. Unlike Serenity, Endymion knew how to be ruthless. Not all dreams were pleasant, nor should they be. Serenity couldn't understand that. She wanted the world to be a beautiful place, which was fine, but she didn't understand the value of shadows. Without darkness, there was nothing for light to compare itself to.

"My Lord?" Hawk's Eye said, hesitant to interrupt the magic, "we're here."

Helios touched a finger to the image, and ripples spread, scattering the reflection of the divine city until the water reflected nothing but its surroundings. He raised his head again, and the golden crystal that rested proudly on boy's forehead inadvertently caught their attention. It glimmered brightly, but to their experienced eye, it wasn't as bright as the last time they had seen Helios- or the time before that. Something was definitely wrong, wrong enough that the Golden Crystal was starting to show the effects.  "Yes.  Please, be seated. This may take a while."

Tiger's Eye immediately shoved Hawk's Eye off of the bench, who then jumped the blonde, trying to get even. With a melodramatic sigh Fish Eye daintily sat himself down, waiting for them to realize the object of their quarrel was now irrelevant. The two larger members of the Trio scuffled for a moment before Fish Eye cleared his throat. "I believe Lord Helios is waiting," he said pointedly. Suitably chastised, Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye took seats on either side of Fish Eye and folded their hands in their laps, looking like school children awaiting a lecture.

Helios rose to his feet, and they were worried at how tired he looked. Usually their antics would bring him to smile, if not outright laughter.  "You all remember the overflow of nightmares the Dream experienced during the recent war, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes," Hawk's Eye answered for the Trio, "we remember. Things were supposed to go back to normal after they were driven off- planet."

Their lord nodded. "That's what should have happened. Usually, during wars, Helcyon becomes darker, and Nightmares are allowed to roam. We reflect the real world, and the dreamers, no matter what we do, bring that in with them. After a while, the nightmares become less urgent, and the Dream returns to its original nature, more or less."

"It didn't happen this time?" Tiger's Eye asked, exchanging glances with his brothers.

"No."

"Why?" Helios' smile was strained, and in his eyes they could see the reflection of his true age. "I had to consult with Sailor Pluto on that, but she pointed out the obvious. Quite simply, what was the difference between this war and all the ones that have gone before?"

The Trio was silent, unable to supply an answer.

"That was a rhetorical question. There's no way you could know. The difference was the presence of the Black Poison Crystal."

They exchanged looks, though they had no clue what Helios was speaking of. Still, the very name sent shivers down their spines. It sounded so ominous.

"The Black Poison Crystal was a source of energy that the Nemesisians used for the attack. I'm not exactly clear on what they did with it, but I do know they powered their droids with it partially. And some of the Nemesisians also wore shards as earrings to help them use the power to fuel their attacks. Still, the energy was negative in nature, and it affected here by its mere presence on Earth." The young man touched the elegant horn on his head. The light pulsed briefly, responding to the touch of its Guardian, but it was not as bright as it should have been. "The Golden Crystal has helped mitigate the effects, but even it needs to be renewed."

"Won't the beautiful dreams of the dreamers renew it automatically?" Tiger's Eye asked.

"Again, that is what should happen."

"And it didn't?" That was Tiger's Eye again. His handsome face wore an expression of uncharacteristic thought.

"No." Helios paused, lapsing into a long silence. The Trio was used to this; he was old, and saw no need to hurry when considering an idea. "It's rather complicated. During a war, it is natural for that anxiety to be heightened, for nightmares to become stronger. People come to the Dream to work through that, but sometimes... they get lost. And the Golden Crystal gains no power by dreamers who live in a nightmare.

"The Dream also serves to give people hope, and that is usually what keeps it functioning during the low points in human history. As long as there is a dream, and hope, there is reason to continue. But this time the jakokuzushou interfered with the Dream, and with the Endymion, Serenity and the Senshi out of action...."

"What do the Senshi have to do with the Dream?" Hawk's Eye wanted to know. "They're very grounded in the Waking World- they have nothing to do with us!"

"Don't they? The Senshi are, to many people, the very embodiment of hope. They've overcome every obstacle thrown at them, and are the defenders of the plant. When the enemy took then and the royal couple out so easily, moral plummeted."

"I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean, but for the moment, we'll assume that I do," Hawk's Eye said.   "Low moral means more nightmares, but that should have reversed itself.   Dreams come in tides, or so you've taught us.   Shouldn't a period of brighter dreams be coming?"

"It should.   In everything, there is balance... but the balance has been upset by artificial means, and it is up to us to set it right."

"Huh?" Tiger's Eye asked, obviously not getting it.

Helios patiently tried to rephrase it.  "Some people have lost the ability for bright dreams.  The scars from the jakokuzuishou haven't healed yet."

The Trio hushed as they considered the ramifications. "That's not good," Hawk's Eye said after a moment.   "What's going to happen to them?"

Helios' looked like he was carrying the world on his slender shoulders.   "People without dreams are a scary thing.   Don't you remember?"

They paled, remembering when they had been the servants of the Dead Moon Circus.  "What can we do?"  Fish Eye asked.   "No one should have to live without a dream."