Title: Nehelenia's Curse
Theme: Curse
Genre: Angst
Version: Manga
Rating: G

	*I hate this.*

	It was not the first time I had the thought, nor would it be the 
last. Even though I knew it would do no good, I kicked at the door to my cage 
with my back legs in frustration, unintentionally catching the attention of 
my captor.

	“Now, now, Helios, you’re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing 
that,” Nehelenia, the self-titled Queen of the Dead Moon, said in her low, 
menacing voice. She walked over to my cage and ran her hand across the gold-
plated bars, a sneer upon her lips. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to 
the priest of Elysion, would we?”

	“What would you care?” I retorted back defiantly. “In fact, why don’t 
you just kill me now, instead of keeping me imprisoned here like some kind of 
animal?”

	“*Like* some kind of animal?” Nehelenia laughed. “My dear priest, you 
*are* an animal, in case you’ve forgotten.”

	How could I forget? Nehelenia’s curse had turned me into a Pegasus. I 
had four legs, a mane, a tail, and a pair of wings I couldn’t even use to fly 
away since she had locked me away in the cage.

	“You still haven’t answered my question.”

	“Very well,” she sighed. “You want to know why I haven’t killed you 
yet, even though we‘ve already managed to infiltrate Earth? It’s because you 
may still have some used to me.” 

	“I will never submit to your evilness, Nehelenia!” I swore, glaring 
at the dark queen. “Never!”

	“You say that now, but we’ll see if you’re so stubborn when it really 
matters.”

	With that threat, she turned around and left the room, the rustling 
of her long full skirts against the ground sounding like hissing snakes to my 
ears. Once she was gone, I laid down as best as I could in the confining cage 
and sighed, exhausted from my latest trip on the astral plane.

	Astral projecting myself was the only real freedom I could achieve 
from within my golden prison. Nehelenia had no idea of the secret visits I 
paid to the pink-haired maiden I hoped could save Elysion from her 
nightmares, although she was bound to find out eventually. In fact, I feared 
she already suspected as much due to my growing weakness. Every time I 
projected myself onto the astral plane, I lost more and more of my already 
limited power.

	It would be worth it, though, if I could somehow find the Golden 
Crystal that would be able to break the spell Nehelenia had put on Elysion, 
Prince Endymion, and myself. To banish her evil nightmares from the world, I 
knew I would fight until the very end, even if it meant I had to deplete the 
rest of my powers to do so.

	However, I had to admit my astral visits to the Earth realm weren’t 
always so wholly pure and noble. I also wanted to see *her*, the cute little 
girl who potentially had the power to break the seal on the Golden Crystal, 
and that was what was frustrating me most about my current state.

	The maiden had no idea who I really was. She was still under the 
mistaken impression that I truly was a Pegasus, unaware that my appearance 
was actually the result of Nehelenia’s curse.  

	Though I could revert back to my original form while on the astral 
plane, so far I had resisted the urge. To do so would require enormous power, 
and I had to reserve as much strength as I could if I wanted to be any kind 
of help to her and my prince in the battle against Nehelenia and her freaky 
Dead Moon Circus. I couldn’t waste my power on such a frivolous thing as 
revealing my true identity to the maiden, no matter how my heart longed to be 
able to hold her in my arms.

	The truth was, I found myself unexpectedly developing feelings toward 
my maiden. I wasn’t quite sure when it had happened, but she was the one 
light in my otherwise dark and gloomy world. My ears were always on alert for 
the pealing sound of the bell I had given her to call me, and, whenever I did 
hear it, my heart beat a little faster, knowing I would be able to see her 
soon. 

	But, to her, I was just a friend, a mysterious beast who appeared 
occasionally to offer his guidance and assistance. As long as I was still a 
Pegasus, she would never return my feelings.

	I sighed, resting my head down on the cold floor of my cage. Would 
there ever be a day when the curse was lifted and I could finally confess my 
true feelings? I had to hope there would be, but sometimes it seemed like an 
impossible dream.

	Still, impossible or not, I had to hold onto my faith.

	“Maiden,” I whispered before closing my eyes to sleep, “find me the 
Golden Crystal, and I promise I will make all your dreams come true.”

DISCLAIMER: "Sailor Moon" is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at 
ElysionDream@aol.com. Written for the sm_monthly community at
Livejournal.