Fantasy ☾ eclipse of the heart.| (syntra + starboob = synboob.)

[Syntra]

This has got to be a nightmare. Any minute now, Selene would open her eyes, right? She would find herself in her bed, surrounded by those desperate enough to touch her, and things would be… well, not fine, because things rarely ever seemed to be fine in the moon court, but they would be manageable. Luna’s whims, to which the entire kingdom bowed? Erratic as they were, they also gave her a sense of stability, weirdly enough. Always, always, always, you knew to expect the unexpected! The hypervigilance heightened your senses, much like a powerful drug-- sometimes, when the princess walked by the throne room, she could hear the grass grow, distant stars explode, and, yes, even the flow of time chip away at the foundations of their planet itself. (…it was almost worth it, then. Every tear ever shed, every sob ever swallowed, every dream ever shattered? All of those had been sacrifices, designed to get her where she wanted to be. In order to sharpen a knife, you had to rub it against something much firmer, after all, and how could that not hurt? Mind you, Selene didn’t actually think that Luna did it for her-- that it had all been some twisted type of training, meant to prepare her for her future duties. Oh no, no, no. Still, when rain caressed the face of the earth, it didn’t do it in order to awaken the seeds resting in the soil, did it? Whatever her mother did or did not do, her intentions mattered not! Results were the only currency the moon princess had ever been interested in, yes, and now… oh, now the results tasted bitter, alright. Too bitter to gulp down, even. Selene had taken care not to build castles in the sky, yes but to be that stupid girl’s bodyguard? No, no, that couldn’t be true!)

No matter how much she pinched herself, however, the reality in front of her eyes refused to adjust itself-- still, still Helia was issuing commands, and still Sol was complaining. Ugh. Was that to be her life now? The brightest stars always exploded in the most dramatic way, as the common wisdom said, but never would the moon princess have thought that she’d… that she’d end up as a servant, of all things. A servant to such an incompetent mistress, too! What was she expected to do, even? Ensure that Sol actually chewed her food before swallowing it? Wipe her ass for her, provide crayons, and praise her every time her doodles even vaguely resembled that which they were meant to portray? And if all those things made you think of a kindergarten, then yes, that was exactly the point-- the sun princess was stuck in that mindset, so Selene couldn’t possibly imagine her dealing with problems of different nature. As usual, however, Helia’s opinions weren’t compatible with reality, and so they were tasked with…

“Sure,” Selene gritted her teeth, imagining all those ways in which she’d hurt the bitch one day. (What would it feel like, to carve that smile off her face? The princess saw it not, but she was wearing it, undoubtedly, and ah, wiping it off would be so, so sweet! …that the sun queen hadn’t killed her was her greatest folly, truly. Defenseless she may have been now, with her hands tied behind her back, but in this world, everything had its end, didn’t it? Suffering did, too, and false monarchs as well. Just you wait, Selene thought. You should have struck me down when you could, but you didn’t, and one day, you shall pay the price for that. A time will come when you will curse that day!) “Consider it done,” she said instead of bowing, and put her hand over her heart. Yes, this is my promise to you, bitch. I will tear you to shreds, and then set those shreds on fire, and then dance on your very grave!

***

“Sol,” the moon princess sighed, wishing desperately to be anywhere but there, “stop with this nonsense. Are you not aware of the consequences that will fall on our heads if we don’t please Helia? Although…” Selene’s lips curled up in a smirk, “I shouldn’t be surprised, most likely. I mean, our most beloved queen,” she would have said something else, but the cursed seal censored her, “isn’t likely to punish you, is she? No, I will bleed for your insolence here. Is that what you want? Hmm, hmm! Perhaps you are more similar to your mother than I initially thought, Sol-- just as cruel, but in a way that conceals rather than shows off. An interesting strategy, I have to say.” All of that notwithstanding, what kind of naming scheme was that? The almost-consistency bothered Selene more than utter randomness would have, and for the nth time that day, she found herself fantasizing about Sol, a sterile surgery room, and whatever instruments they used for lobotomies. …the sun princess, however? The sun princess showed no consideration for her daydreams, and instead followed her latest wild tangent. “Sol!” she shouted in frustration, before running after her. “Sol, dragons don’t exist. They haven’t for centuries now. The last dragon was spotted two hundred years ago, and that specimen was slain by--” …crack. What was that?! Something snapped beneath her feet, most likely organic, judging by the sound, and, uh. Was it just her, or could she hear the flapping of wings? Large wings, at that?

“…mommy?”

“What?”

“Mommy, mommy, mommy!” the creature shrieked, in a tone so sharp it stabbed Selene directly in the brain. Ugh. If this was fate’s way of suggesting that she really ought to become a kindergarten teacher, then no, the moon princess did not approve! “They killed my real mommy, you see, so now you’re going to have to play her part. I mean, a kid as cute as me cannot be mom-less. It is law. From now on, you’ll have to clean my scales and hunt wolves for me, and--”

Scales? Wolves? What?! “Sol,” Selene said, her tone completely flat. “Please, tell me that I’m not looking at an actual goddamn dragon.”

 

[starboob]

"Falalala! I can't hear you! You're going to have to run faster than that, Selene," Sol calls from behind her, racing to follow the dragon's flight path before she loses sight of the creature––the creature that is definitely real and that she definitely did see. (Where Sol vaguely remembers something about Draco being slaughtered by Ursa during the earlier years of the war, she doesn't believe that that could have possibly been the end to the dragon lineage. Draco is, or was, just one dragon. One. Uno. Isa. Ichi. And, uh, all the other translations for one! There's no way, in Sol's hearts, that she believes there are not others still soaring; that somehow the species' entire life force was connected to their celestial leader. Nah, she just doesn't believe that descendants of the great Draco constellation would give up so easily. She fully believes there are others out there waiting to take Draco's place as the new celestial dragon to which all other dragons bow. Besides, the proof is in the pudding. Or the dragon that she saw. No way had that been a regular ol' bird. Sol has been duped enough times to know the difference at this point in her young life.)

So she follows the dragon towards a cavern with a wide mouth––she guesses about three Helias tall and maybe four Helias wide. Stalagmites naturally hang from the ceiling and where she might have expected to see some cool bats, there are none. There is, however, a glowing pool of liquid that is Begging for Sol to dive into it, but somehow she resists that urge, because she remembers the importance of her mission. Proving Ms. Party Pooper, aka Selene, wrong about the existence of dragons. Like, psh, does she really believe everything she is told? Sol learned long ago to believe nothing that other people tell her. They mostly just want to fill her head with junk and what does she do with junk? She tosses it, of course!

... Anyway, aside from the usual features one expects from a cave, she doesn't see the totally real dragon. Not until she turns and spots the creature climbing down the wall from the ceiling. It's a tiny little thing, comparative to the one's she has read about. Her eyes widen and she covers her mouth in pure glee as a wide grin stretches across her features. She's so shaken that all of her hypotheses have pretty much been proven true, that she fails to warn her companion that she's about to run smack into the creature and watches helplessly as Selene steps on the creature's tail. Then she nearly passes out when the baby starts talking! Like, she knew dragons were some of the smartest creatures out there, but, dang, she didn't think they were capable of regular speech! She pinches herself to make sure that she isn't dreaming, shakes out her head, and just stares. (That she doesn't even remember to say, "I told you so!!!" should say everything about her state of pure overwhelm.)

"Okay, well... Um, you're not looking at an actual dragon," Sol assures, because technically, she's pretty sure that Selene isn't looking at anything. She is, however, standing in front of a baby dragon. Probably a wyrmling if Sol had to guess the creature's age. "You're standing on a wyrmling's tail. Which, hey," she shifts her attention to her baby dragon, "How old are you, mate? And how come you chose her as your mommy? Don't know you know that I'd be way more fun?! I wouldn't enforce bedtime and I'd let you eat dessert before dinner."

"I'm five and a half," the dragon replies, sticking out her tongue in this dopey way, "That's old enough to eat an entire village! And mommies aren't supposed to be fun."

"You got me there, kid. You got me there. Can I be your cool aunt, then? Do you have a name? Oh, I'm Sol!"

"Hmm," the dragon sticks out her tongue in thought this time, "Yes, a cutie such as me definitely deserves a cool aunt. If you have some cousins to donate, that would be neat as well. As for a name," her tone gets suddenly shy, "My real mommy never named me. I was in an egg when she was murdered. So now my new mommy," she wraps her body around Selene, "has to name me. Them's the rules! What shall I be called, mommy?"

"Yeah, Selene, what are you going to name your kid and my niece? How about Rex? I like that. Short sweet and to the point, you know? I have a million names saved up in my name bank if you need more suggestions," Sol chatters on, far too excited to shut up, "So, my most favorite niece in the whole wide world, what can we do as your family? You said clean your scales, hunt wolves, what else is there?"

"Oh, right, right!" she flaps her wings, sending a strong wind through the cave that bounces off of the walls, "Well, if I am to be a great dragon, I need some treasure to guard. Do you have treasure? Gold is rather hard to come by," because Helia has a monopoly on it, "and I cannot be legitimate if I do not have gold or some form of treasure to guard. I would also like revenge."

"Baby wants revenge," she hums, tapping her chin. Sol isn't opposed to revenge, she supposes, and she figures the wyrmling has good reason to want revenge since her people have been vanquished. "Alright, if your mommy is fine with it, I think we can help you. What do you say, Selene? You up for some revenge sundae? Personally, I'll just be there to provide emotional support since I'm committed to pacifism."

 

[Syntra]

This was fine. Fine, fine, fine! There was no need to get angry, indeed-- airheaded as she was, Sol wasn’t her actual responsibility. Helia might have said so, but what was Helia’s word to her? Less than shit one might accidentally step into, though also dramatically less useful! (No, the sun queen couldn’t buy her allegiance. The sun may have called to her, yes, and she was too weak to not to respond, but deep in her heart? Deep in her heart, the moon was singing, spinning a melody so sweet that it drowned out anything else. ‘Return, Selene,’ it pled. ‘The only true daughter, the only true sister. Upon your shoulders, the future of our kind rests. Do not turn your face away, Silvery One.’ And, ah, she wouldn’t! Blessed, they’d called her, and that could only mean one thing-- Selene wasn’t seeing it yet, but there was some advantage to her current situation. Just like pearls could be born from grains of sand, delight could arise from distress, and Selene… Selene would wait for that moment, patiently. For the moment when her enemies’ joy would turn into ashes in their mouths, only to choke the life out of them! …hm. What was ‘popcorn,’ again? The moon princess didn’t remember Luna ever providing such a meal for her, but for some reason, she had this great need to feast on it and watch the sun court burn. So, in short? Sol’s foolishness wasn’t her problem. Selene would stand back and observe, thank you very much-- in the privacy of her own mind, the girl’s foolishness wouldn’t reach her. I am a fortress, she told herself. As high as the sky itself, and made of steel, too. The peace inside of her was like a garden, a garden in bloom whose sanctity could never be disturbed, so her counterpart could go where the sun didn’t…)

“Moon’s breath,” the princess cursed, before hurriedly stepping aside. “Are you this in love with semantics, Sol? Pathetic. Truly, I didn’t know why I thought that you didn’t play these games.” These stupid games, Selene would have loved to add. What was she hoping to gain by insisting on being so literal, hm? The moon princess had some strong opinions on women who behaved like that, for her analyses had revealed that most of them simply weren’t too bright-- ‘ooh, look at me,’ they implied, ‘I know what words actually mean.’ Well, congratulations, snowflake! So did everyone else, but the real skill lay in determining what, exactly, was hiding behind those words. Calm down, Selene reminded herself. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Imagine that you are somewhere else entirely, and Helia is being burned alive as you speak. Ah, the soothing images of violent death! …when justice finally caught up to the devious woman, Selene would be there. With a knife as sharp as a shard of ice, she’d cut out the tongue that had cursed her so, and then feed it to the queen! The pained moans would be a symphony to her ears, yes, yes, but… but no point in fantasizing over it, really. Not now.)

“A wyrmling,” Selene said, utterly flabbergasted. “Will nobody around here respect that wyrmlings don’t exist? They’d been hunted to extinction years ago. Are you certain that it isn’t… ah, a talking lizard?”

“You are a talking lizard,” the creature hissed. “I am the only scion of my noble house, and I won’t hear such nonsense.”

“Objectively wrong,” the moon princess turned her nose up. “I am a mammal. You mean, you are welcome to live in your delusions, as that seems to be everyone’s favorite residence around here, but I am most decidedly not a lizard. And yes, you are right that mothers aren’t supposed to be fun. Mothers are meant to guide you, and punish you when you stray from your path. A fun mother is a mother who has failed, if you ask me.” …Luna had failed, too, although for different reasons. Guided her she had, yes, but right into the dark, dark abyss—it was through her own resolve that Selene had pulled herself up, and that very same resolve would prove her undoing. Return her eyes to her? Pah! If she ever made it out of here, the only gift that she would give her would be a dagger, planted deep into her heart.

“That being said,” Selene continued, “I am not your mother. Find someone more willing to engage in your stupidity. I don’t care about your revenge, either. I have my own revenge to deal with first, thank you very much, and don’t feel comfortable taking on yet another commitment.”

“But, but, but!!!”

“No buts. Strictly speaking, we aren’t even supposed to be here, Miss Not-Dragon. Stand aside, or I will strike you down. Sol, let’s…” …what, actually? ‘Let’s return to work?’ ‘Let’s go murder those creatures you think so fondly of?’ ‘Let’s go comply with your mother’s unreasonable request?’ None of those sounded especially appealing, and Selene knew the sun princess well enough at this point to know that the word ‘duty’ might as well have been sold at stores as the official Sol repellant. Ugh. Why did she have to deal with this? It hadn’t been her fucked up genetics that had resulted in the girl being completely smooth-brained. “…let’s go gather flowers. I have heard that rare herbs bloom here, and that if you pick them up at this time exactly, your future wife’s face will be revealed to you. Don’t you want to know?” Undignified, perhaps, but as long as Sol refused to act like an adult, Selene saw no reason to be honest. Results were what mattered here, you see, and…

“Flowers?” the not-dragon’s eyes sparkled. “The best flowers frow on my ex-mom’s grave. You can have them, if you just perform one small revenge for me?” …perform? What kind of verb choice was that? Truly, the education of the young dragons had gone down the drain—one of the many, many signs of the general decline of their civilization. “Please, auntie, please!” the creature perched itself on Sol’s shoulder, blissfully unaware of its own weight. “I am a sensible dragon. I know what can and cannot be done, and I only want one tiiiiiny thing from you. You won’t even notice, really. So, Helia loves her tea, right? I just want you to serve her my piss. It’s, um, symbolic, and shit!”

 

[starboob]

"You know what I think is pathetic? That you're so set in your ways you cannot even feel what is right in front you! Pure magical energy! Honestly, though I don't blame you. You probably don't know what you're feeling right now, but I can assure you," she places her had solemnly over her heart, "that a wyrmling is standing right in front of you! Besides, lizards don't have wings, they cannot talk (trust me, I tried to encourage my last lizard to use speech and it did not go well), and they are not magical. Well," she taps her chin thoughtfully, "they are magical, but in an entirely different way. Anyway, Rex... or maybe we'll go with Sprinkles 2.0? Eh, we can try out different names and see what sticks... is a dragon, as I was saying." Wow, to keep up with Sol's line of thought and the rate at which she jumps from topic to topic, only to return to the original point must be worthy of an Olympic gold medal. Not that Sol is aware of what the Olympics are, but she does feel like she gains strong opinions on gymnastics every four years for some reason. (Maybe this is why Helia does not spend more time with her own daughter. Aside from being a complete disappointment to the legacy of the Sun itself, she is, admittedly, on the annoying side of the spectrum.) "Does the moon's breath smell like cheese? I've always imagined that Luna has a dairy-like quality to her. Although, you don't, tbh."

"Yes, mommy gives me more... Ice vibes, very cold," maybe Rex, maybe Sprinkles 2.0, agrees, apparently not caring that Selene is not ready for the responsibilities of motherhood. "I wonder if this means I will get ice powers? Simply, I am not sure whether those things are nature or nurture."

Of course, Selene just has to continue putting a damper on everything. It's like it's her modus operandi and it is a very poor one, in Sol's opinion. She kinda misses the Selene from the first night they had met––even if she had been faking it that entire time, she was much more personable. Though, Sol supposes she can't really blame her companion for having such a sour attitude given her circumstances. Like, Sol doesn't think she would act out in the same way were their roles reversed (because she has really good coping strategies), but she can empathize with the moon daughter's short temper and whatnot. Keeping this in mind, she won't let it get to her and she won't take it personally. This is not a reflection on herself, per se. Big sigh.

When Selene makes an attempt to pull her away from the dragon, she made an error in assuming that there is anything that will make Sol want to leave her new family member behind. Plus, her counter offer isn't even that good. Like, why would Sol want to know the face of her future wife? She already knows that whoever will stare back at her in those herbs (which Sol has never heard of, btw, so she suspect that they are even real) will be a huge disappointment and she doesn't really feel like being disappointed. "Unless you're talking about getting zooted and theorizing about our dream wives, I am not really interested in those types of herbs. I already have a list of suitors so it's not even like it will surprise me," she replies, not bothering to take her attention from Rex (or Sprinkles 2.0), who she is now petting. And when the creature perches on her shoulder? She doesn't even wince under the absolutely crushing weight of niece. It would be an honor to be crushed by a dragon. If this is how the fates want her to go, then so be it!

"Ah, dude," she smiles, beaming so brightly that the cave doesn't even seem that dark anymore. "That is a genius idea! She's gonna be so freaking mad if she ever figures out she drank a cup of dragon pee," which she most definitely will. It's pee. "I have a jar in my bag just for this occasion. Well, not for this specific occasion but for occasions that require jars." She reaches in to her bag, rummaging through its contents before she pulls out a glass jar perfect for pee and non-pee related needs. Though, before handing it over to her new pal, she asks, "But, hey, I thought dragons were neutral in the conflict between the courts? What's your beef with my mom? I mean, I can think of a million things to beef over, but... I just never thought she did anything to the dragons?"

"Well," Rex (or Sprinkles 2.0) starts, sticking out her tongue and flicking her tail as she hops from Sol's shoulder. She circles around a few times before plopping down comfortably on the ground. "It is true that we did not choose sides... as far as I am aware... and I think that made both courts angry. The Sun court in particular––Helia didn't like that our gifts weren't being used on her behalf so she lifted our status as a protected species and it became a huge sport to slay dragons. I think. My history is not that good."

"I see, I see," Sol hums thoughtfully while Rex/Sprinkles 2.0 talks and while she has never heard this version of the story before, it's not like she's going to reject it. After all, Sol does not make a habit of believing everything that she is told––especially when it comes from her mother's subordinates. As nice as some of them are, she just does not trust them with her education. Most of it feels like propaganda to her. So even if this lil gal's story isn't entirely true or accurate, Sol doesn't have solid evidence to say otherwise––like, she's not going to cite some dusty book written by one of Helia's historians to counter Ms. Rex/Sprinkles 2.0. Besides, even if it's not true and this revenge is misdirected, dude, it's going to be hilarious to trick her mom into drinking dragon pee. She can already picture it in her mind's eye––the temperature in the throne room rising to an unbearable heat, her mom smashing the cup dramatically, then she'll probably yell at Sol for hours or something. Mhm, those are all things she believes that she can handle. To her, there are no negative repercussions to this plan! "Alright, kid, pee away," she hands Rex/Sprinkles 2.0 the jar, "Afterwards, take us to your ex-mom's graves for those flowers. I think my..." she hesitates for a moment, trying to think of an alternative to the word friend, "business associate wants to gather flowers today." (Ah, the power of compromise!)

With that the creature takes the jar in her mouth and flies towards the back of the cave––something about being pee-shy. While Rex/Sprinkles 2.0 is away, Sol shoots Selene her best grin, "Wow, I can't believe we just discovered one of the last dragons! I wish I had my camera," whatever that is, "so that I could scrapbook this moment later. This would have made for a great page on the early stages of our acquaintanceship."

 

[Syntra]

...was she speaking in a different language? One only understandable to those whose brains were bigger than the average chickpea, perhaps? Because that would have explained a lot. (Of course, Selene was used to her wishes being ignored. Princess this, princess that-- the title meant less than a drop in the sea, really, when compared to the queen. So what if she was the key to the future? Most women enjoyed having their heads attached to their necks, and while she would get to decide these things once day, people generally tended to live in the present. They had to, if they wished to witness that magical moment where your dreams got forged into reality! So, no, the moon princess didn't blame them. Was it not true, after all, that in them, she saw a reflection of herself? Selene, too, kept her head down-- not like a sheep or a cow, mind you, but like an eagle, with her eyes focused on her hunting grounds. One day, she used to say to herself, it will all have been worth it. But for that to happen, the moon princess had to get to that point, you see? All the insults she had to swallow, and her claws, no matter how sharp, she had to hide. 'Grit your teeth and bear it,' much like the old adage used to claimed! Indeed, she was no stranger to enduring, enduring, enduring, till everything about her felt so stretched that reaching just a little bit further would cause her to break. ...this, though? This was different.)

How different, you ask? Like day and night, or a lover's embrace and a dagger buried in your stomach. With Luna, at least, Selene had had a clear sense of timeline-- the boundaries, too, had been more defined, even if they'd been drawn in blood. 'This you can do, this you cannot do. Perform Action X, and Consequences Y will follow.' Truly, wasn't that the purest, warmest expression of love? Not that of her mother, to be sure, but of fate itself-- of the moon hanging in the sky, from which they all drew their strength! (Order, after all, made you stronger. To become what you had to be, you had to be molded into the desired shape, and wasn't it better to be pressed into it with force great enough to shatter your bones? That which was broken bent more easily, Selene had learned.) ...except that, you see, nobody was trying to break her here. Not in a way that would be beneficial for her, anyway. Oh no, no, no! Helia had forced her on her knees, alright, but instead of awakening new potential within her, her daughter... her daughter was trying to get her to have fun, the moon princess realized. Disgusting, truly. Disgusting and scandalous! Fun was for empty people with empty ideals-- for those willing to sacrifice their goals on the altar of their selfish desires, really. In the end, though? In the end, they were bound to regret it, for the tiny pleasures they chose to fill their days with were as pathetic as themselves. ...no, Selene wouldn't join their ranks. Never, for as long as she breathed!

Sol, however, seemed fairly insistent on helping the creature. Hmm, hmm. How to convince her otherwise? The attempt at directing her attention away had been about as successful as the eyes fiasco, and considering that Selene wasn't an expert on Solology... well, let's say that she didn't really think wasting her breath even more would help here. Invoking things like 'logic' or 'duty' struck her about as wise as wearing nothing but swimsuit in Antarctica, so she scrapped the idea right away. The moon princess wasn't one to make a fool out of herself, you see? So, as the two worked on their... uh, plans revolving around piss... Selene used the time to re-asses her situation. Sol has the attention span of a hamster on drugs, whatever that was, but it also seems that she's contractually obliged to turn my life into living hell at every opportunity. That means that she will most likely do it. And, the idea of Helia drinking dragon piss? Entertaining as it was, Selene knew very well who she would point her shiny finger at-- duh, of course that it would be her. Couldn't damage the precious heiress too much now, could they? In Helia's twisted, twisted mind, something like that made perfect sense, and... no. No, she wasn't doing this! The sun princess may not have understood that, but Selene wasn't a toy, nor was she a marionette to be guided through her strings. When she asked her to jump into an endless abyss, her answer would be 'no,' not 'how high should I jump,' for moon's sake!

"I see," Selene muttered, all sullen. "You won't let the idea go. Very well, then-- that means I have no choice. Feel free to thank yourself, Sol, for this is what you caused. I hope that you will be able to sleep soundly at night." Her claws shimmered in the darkness, cold and metallic, and then... then she charged towards the dragon, intending to end its miserable life. (Wasn't that a mercy of sorts, too? All alone and abandoned, it wasn't like its life was going to lead anywhere. Its ancestors were dreaming the eternal dream as well, so why not allow it to join them? Family values were a big thing for dragons, or so she'd heard! ...indeed, the thing should be thanking her, that much was obvious. The beast may not have recognized it yet, but not having to grow up in the world that shattered you, again and again and again... ah, one could call it a blessing, surely!)

 

[starboob]

Sol, as per usual, has drifted off into her own world while she waits patiently for Rex/Sprinkles 2.0 (hmm, would Sol Jr. be better?) to finish her business. Idly, she hums another jingle that she cannot quite place (who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!) and cranes her neck to look at the stalactites on the ceiling. 'Wow, those sure are a safety hazard. What if they fall, like, right now and impale me and Selene? Omg, that would be so tragic!' She shifts herself over to a gap between the pointy deaths waiting to happen, at first not really paying attention to what Selene is saying. Or, she is, but she doesn't quite get what Selene is getting at––like, what will Sol have to be thankful for? Though when she looks over, a question just on the diving board of her tongue, she spots the familiar claws that adorn her companion's fingertips and it only takes her a millisecond to figure out just what Selene is trying to do. Her eyes widen, but she does not succumb to fear or helplessness. She pivots and launches towards Selene, shouting, "Rex, look out!"

The dragon, having finished, snaps her head around and looks towards the young princesses. Sol cannot be sure, for she is not an expert on dragon emotional cues, but she is fairly certain she sees the look of utter betrayal in her eyes. Quickly, that turns into rage as she lets out a powerful cry and whips her tail towards the two, which has a spiky end similar to a mace. Sol isn't able to jump over it (which is surprising because she thought all of her skip ball practice would have been a transferrable skill for this very situation), and by sheer luck the pointy part doesn't hit her. She flies backwards into some rock with a groan.

"Slayers! You lot are all the same! Your rotten lineage should have told me all, but I trusted you anyway!" Rex/Sprinkles 2.0 cries out, her tone colored with hurt and it's clear she's only barely holding back her tears. "There will be no more of the Sun or Moon," she roars, sucking in a breath and Sol knows that can only mean one thing.

"Selene, watch out!" because even if she is upset with her opposite, she is not going to let her perish. That's not right and Sol does her best to do what is right even if it is not always the easiest thing to do. Out of instinct, she steps in front of Rex/Sprinkles 2.0 and stands in a lunge position with her arms raised overhead, her palms flat, and bracing for the dragon's fiery breath. The flames, searing and intense, bathe over the Sun princess and she even seems to draw them towards herself, for when Rex/Sprinkles tries to coat the cave in fire, the flames continue to wash over Sol. To be honest, Sol isn't great with her fire magic and where she knows she is fireproof, absorbing another being's fire is an entirely different wheelhouse. At first, she takes to it rather well––yeah, it's hot, but it's also like a receiving a thousand kisses at once and in that, it's not so bad. But slowly, as she endures more and more of the flames, her focus starts to waver. Hardly surprising for someone such as Sol, except that the reason for her wavering focus? It's Helia. Images of her mom in all her fiery (vain)glory start to flood her mind; her in her throne room made of flames; her flash of fire; how she has embodied pure destruction and Sol just cannot let herself be like that. She can't be like fire. Her brow knits together as the fear of becoming like her mom grips her. Her hands, followed by her arms, start to glow and under the glow, her skin bubbles and blisters to the point she knows she won't be able to hold the dragon's fire power back for much longer. (She can hear her mom and the fire signs all laughing at her––who ever heard of a Sun who cannot withstand dragon flames. Powerful as they are, is Sol not the embodiment of fire, too? Should she not be able to take this and even force it back down the creature's throat? Well, sure, maybe––but Sol hates being made of flames and heat and all things searing and destructive! She doesn't want that!)

Tears sting her eyes and she grits her jaw, "Rex, we're not slayers––or I'm not. I am not a slayer. Whether you believe it or not, it's true! But, please, don't do this. I can't speak for her," and how she says that? It's nothing short of bitter, "but I will change things. Get out of here! You're far too precious to be lost to some weak versions of our moms." She doesn't even know if what she's saying is making any sense or if she is reaching the dragon at all. Since Rex has already conflated them together, she doubts her words will reach the dragon's heart at all.

Maybe something does give within Rex, maybe she's run out of breath, or maybe Selene is doing something that Sol cannot quite make out through her tears, but either way the dragon does stop. Sol doesn't have it in her to be thankful and instead just sinks to her knees before she realizes that the dragon has flown above their heads and is now using her tail to knock stalactites loose––and more than that, she's crushing the entrance to the cave in the process. "Crap," Sol mutters, moving to dodge the pointy deaths (so she had been right to fear them), "Crap, crap, crap!"

When the dust settles, Rex is gone and they're stuck in a cave. It's dark (which probs isn't a big deal for Selene) and Sol can't conjure flames. Also her hands and arms hurt a lot. Eh, it's fine. Should heal in an hour (less if she were able to stand in some sunlight). She tries to not focus on the white pain coating her arms. Without searching for wherever Selene might be she calls out, "Are you going to blame this on me, too, Selene? Or are you wise enough to see how this was entirely unnecessary? And what the heck were you thinking trying to attack a dragon? One of the last scion of her noble house? Would you kill a panda, too, if she bothered you? Do you have any respect for endangered creatures?"

"Ugh," she rolls her eyes, reaching into her bag for some bandages to cover her wounds while they heal. "Like, geeze, I didn't know you were that opposed to making my mom drink dragon pee. I thought that would have been something you'd be into, but noooo you just had to decide to try to kill the dragon instead of being reasonable and, like, I dunno doing anything except for that. Are there worms in your brain?" (Wow, isn't that rich?)

 

[Syntra]

The plan was perfect. How could it not be? It involved destruction, and that was what made the world go round-- in order for the phoenix to rise from its ashes, after all, it first had to be reduced to them. (Everything about existence was cyclical, Selene knew. The moon, too, went through phases, and sometimes, dying was just a rebirth in disguise. Maybe, once she killed the dragon, it would come back as something greater than it currently was...? Or maybe it wouldn't, which the moon princess honestly didn't give a shit about. Boo hoo, another species gone! It wouldn't be the first to disappear nor would it be the last one, that was for certain, and everything, everything about the fiasco was their fault, as far as Selene was concerned. Weaklings only existed for the strong to devour, didn't they? Either they adapted and worshiped the ground their betters had stepped on, or they perished, in exchange for getting to keep their precious pride intact. A fairly stupid deal, the moon princess thought, but far it be from her to judge-- the dragons had chosen, so she'd honor that choice. In the most meaningful of ways, too! With the steel sharper than a queen's judgment, and via the holy act of opening the creature's arteries. Blood didn't lie, so Selene wouldn't, either.)

So, yes, the plan was perfect-- or rather, it would have been, had it not been for a certain sun princess who continued to meddle in her affairs. Sigh. Did the nobles from the sun court not understand that you just didn't get between a hunter and her prey? Selene would have thought it to be basic manners, but noooo, Sol just had to rain on her parade. (She wished she could say she was shocked by the development, too, but her current emotional state could only be described as 'disappointed, but not surprised.' The sun just was nosey, you know? The warmth crawled under your skin, whether you liked it or not, and awakened that which yearned to slumber. A life-giving force, they called it, as if life was a gift! Life was a curse, forced on all against their will, and... and enjoying it was Stockholm syndrome, basically. Now, Selene did not know what 'Stockholm' or 'syndrome' was, but the analysis still rang true. Who, after all, would choose to exist in bodies this fragile? Cough in their general direction, and their bones would shatter! ...no, the princess wasn't a fan of existing like this. Of existing in general, most likely.) "Get out of my way," she hissed. "Let me end this farce once and for all." Asking a clown to help her end a circus performance had been a folly from the beginning, however, and Selene should probably slap herself for even thinking it possible. The glorious advantage she had had? Oh, Sol smashed it to pieces!

Blah blah blah, hurt feelings, blah blah blah, revenge. Couldn't the dragon find a more original hill to die on? And what was up with her reaction, anyway? It wasn't like Selene had promised to adopt the creature-- the wyrmling had decided that on her own, and was currently being given a free lesson on why you shouldn't put your life in the hands of literal strangers. (Pushing responsibility on those who weren't destined to have it? The greatest crime of all, as far as Selene was concerned. Luna hadn't spun her out of moonlight so that she could become some dragon's nanny, for moon's sake.) "Why won't you let me end it?" she roared as Sol continued to accept the dragon's fire. (Which, good job, dumbass. What was she trying to prove, even? The sun was fire, fire and all things searing, and Selene didn't feel a shred of gratitude for her counterpart shielding her. Had it not been for her antics, you see, she wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place! ...no, she wouldn't thank the resident dumbass for destroying her tactical advantage. That would be like thanking a robber because she didn't steal all of your life savings, really.)

The dragon escaped, because of course that she did, and the two of them ended up trapped in the dark, dark cave. Awesome, indeed. "Me, worms?" Selene chuckled, and no, it wasn't a pretty laugh. More than anything else, it resembled the sound of a coffin lid being lifted. "This is your fault, Sol. Your fault entirely. My words fell on deaf ears, so I felt this was the only way I could deal with the threat. For you, this is a game, isn't it? For me, however, there would have been consequences. I cannot blame you for not caring, though-- I do understand that, in your pretty little head, other people don't even exist. It's just you, you, you, and what you find interesting. You can't help it, can't you? The sun can't survive not being the main focus of the galaxy for, like, five seconds."

Selene had more to say, and she would have said it, too, but in that moment? The ground underneath their feet growled, in a way that made her hairs stand on end. "What is...?" '...this,' she meant to ask, though the question was rendered pointless when the floor collapsed, sending them deep, deep, deep into the abyss. (Was this their end? Perhaps, but Selene didn't even have the energy to be angry-- screaming, too, felt like a waste of time, and besides, the daughter of the moon did not taint herself like that. Dignity was all that remained to her, so no, she wouldn't squander it this easily.)

Selene half-expected to shatter against the ground, but when they landed? The two of them ended up on something soft, much like the pillows she was used to. "Welcome, welcome, to our super secret club!" someone exclaimed, in a high-pitched tone. (The aura... hmm. Selene couldn't identify it, but it was something large and threatening, like a shadow that covered the entire sky.) "What's the password? I'm afraid I'll have to kill you two if you don't know the answer. Sorry, these are the rules!"

 

[starboob]

Sol remembers a time where Selene hadn't been so mean or cold or rigid; when she used to be a lot of fun to be around; when she totally would not have hesitated to take care of a wyrmling with Sol. Now she's all edges and edginess... an actual edgelord, if Sol had to describe her companion in a single word. If she had more she'd also tack on, "a total McFreakin' stick in the mud, ba da ba ba ba I'm so not loving it." Though... she doesn't really know why she thinks that. Her memories of Selene only go so back as a couple of weeks and she wouldn't really say the moon daughter's initial affect/way of being had been all that much different than the person who is standing somewhere around her. Maybe she dreamt it? Yeah, probably––Sol does have a hard time distinguishing between her dreams and reality. That's what her mom says at least.

For perhaps the millionth time since Selene has come into her life, she tries to not let her comments bother her. She even pictures them as, like, pebbles rolling off of her back, but it's hard to deny her own disappointment. Turns out, her opposite is not all that. She's boring and probably has the teeny tiniest worldview that Sol has ever encountered. (Maybe second only to her mom, actually.) Honestly, she's having a hard time trying to remember why she wanted Selene as a friend in the first place––aside from just wanting a friend in general. She wonders why her heart is so set on making the moon daughter her friend at all. Like, yeah, she's not really going to give up so soon, but she is really doubting that Selene is going to make the cut. (Again, it's weird to think that, because somewhere inside of her she knows they'd make great companions. She knows they could really change things and do, like, amazing legendary stuff together. Right now, however, it's really difficult to see that as evena remote possibility. No matter how much she trusts this feeling. No matter how much she won't give up on it. 'Just keep swimming.')

She lets out a sigh as she finishes dressing her wounds and turns towards where she heard her voice coming from. The accusation that she's self-centered is not one she has never heard before. Her mom usually tosses that one around when Sol fails another one of her exams or plays hookie for 69 days straight. Something about bringing shame to the lineage and how she'll never amount to be half as great as Helia. (That had actually been really comforting to hear, actually. Why would she want to be anything like her mom? That woman is probably in the negative as far as redeemable qualities go.) "You hate me, because you ain't me," she retorts, hands on her hips, "I also don't think you'd know self-centered if it smacked you in the face, Selene. That's okay though. You only know, like, 0.00001% of who I am so I don't fault you for having extremely wrong ass-umptions. They're probs there for a reason, but I hope you like... Hm, maybe if you knew how to skip stones you'd learn to let goooo–––––!!"

Then the hard rock beneath their feet opens like a mouth and they're falling straight into a pit of, well, more darkness. As best she can, she prepares herself to splatter across whatever lies beneath the cave. (Ugh, it'll probably take months for her body to reform without any natural lighting. This sure will be awkward to explain to her mom when they come back without ogre hearts or a good story to tell.) But that doesn't happen. She lands on a nice cushy surface with an oof and it takes her a few seconds to feel around to see if she maybe she is dead. She's not. Now that they've landed, the place isn't so dark, but the lighting is limited to the glowing bugs on the wall and some strategically placed glowing quartz. The walls are covered in pictures, stained with red ink (definitely not blood... Sol hopes). When she looks up she sucks in a breath and automatically reaches over for Selene, her eyes widening as she looks into the dozen eyes of a creature with a wide, pointy smile––so large Sol is pretty sure a puff of air alone would send them both tumbling backwards. "Crap," she whispers, her eyes trail down its long thick serpentine body. 'We should have just negotiated with the ogres.'

"That is not the password, I am afraid. Prepare to perish, children," the giant creature says, her body twisting in such a confusing way Sol almost gets dizzy staring.

"Wait, wait––I take it back! Take backsies! You have to respect those rules, right?" Sol asks, voice full of childish hope.

"Hmm," the monster scratches her chin with the end of her tail, "Take backsies... I have not heard of these rules before, but I suppose I cannot deny the strange cultural practices of those from the surface. Fine. Serious answers only if you want access to our super secret club."

Sol opens her mouth to say something and then closes it quickly, remembering that she only has one shot at guessing the super secret password. 'Okay, this was so not in the bestiary––why is everything so useless?!' She looks over at Selene, waiting patiently, maybe, for a telepathic communication from her counterpart. (She doesn't know where she got the idea that Selene might have mind powers, but she's just hoping.) When radio silence is all she gets she turns back towards the monster and clears her throat, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "Ab––"

"Great! You are in!" the monster chirps, turning and lowering herself, "Hop on so I can give you the tour, introduce you to our members, and initiate you. Have you brought your living sacrifice?"

 

[Syntra]

Ugh. Ughx10, actually! ‘You hate me because you ain’t me?’ What kind of retort was that? Even in her kindergarten years, Selene wouldn’t have considered it to be a mature answer, but certain people just seemed to be stuck exactly there! “Yes,” the moon princess said, her voice colder than ice, “I am sure that that is the problem here. Not your immaturity, or the fact that I’m leashed to you like a bitch to her owner, but the fact that I do not know you well enough. Very well. Once I find out what your favorite color is, I bet all of my resentment will simply evaporate! Tell me, Sol, is it gold? I heard that sun aristocrats adore gold-- probably because it reminds them of themselves, if I am to be one hundred percent honest.” Ah, yes, me, me, me! That seemed to be their entire philosophy, if you were generous enough to call it with a fancy word like that. (Selene’s opinions? Pfft, yeah, right, as if! Far too often, they differed from Sol’s, and in the sun princess’s rotten, stunted brain, that must have equaled to her simply being wrong. Oh, how simple the sun was! Blessed, too, with the very essence of fire, but as Selene had learned long ago… well, curses and blessings were often spun from the very same thread, really. The sun’s power, for example? With it, it also received the skill to steamroll everything in its path-- blindly, mindlessly, like an avalanche more than anything that conscious in nature. A fitting description of Sol’s cognitive abilities, Selene thought, with a smirk sharper than any dagger.) “While you’re at it, you can also tell me what your favorite song is. Once I know that crucial, crucial piece of information, everything I have ever struggled with as your servant will--”

Ah, alright. Alright, no time for grand speeches, then! Nevermind-- Selene believed in the remember and resent approach, which conveniently allowed her to file everything away for later. (If Sol thought she was going to escape the lecture just because they were about to be killed, then she was far, far more naïve than even the moon princess suspected. You couldn’t escape consequences, you see? They had teeth, oh, they did, and the more you tried to avoid them, the more likely they were to rip your throat out. …Luna, too, had taught her that. Life was like a web, with everything being connected on a level far more intricate than all those morons could grasp, and when you pulled one string? The entire thing resonated, across the galaxies.) “Alright,” the moon princess said. “Have you ever considered that we may not be interested in your super special secret club?” Because, duh, nobody over the age five didn’t need those, and even in their case, Selene found the whole set-up to be rather suspect. As in, what kind of values would that instill in a child? Believing that silly games were worth one’s time? Oh no, no, no, they weren’t! A kid’s brain was a sponge, eager to absorb knowledge, and to waste all that space on something as nonsensical should be considered a crime.

“I am not at all convinced that we need to--” Sol, on the other hand, was convinced, and just like always, that rendered Selene’s own opinion completely void. “I think I understand now why you love your precious plants so much,” the moon princess quipped. “Those probably don’t protest too much when you ignore their needs. I doubt they’re good flatterers, but at least they don’t threaten your ego, eh?” …she was the same as Helia, truly. Not a sun, but a black hole in disguise-- an entity so self-centered it even stole light, greedily, without a hint of regard for the consequences! That she hid her wickedness behind a… a Hello Kitty mask (what?) meant absolutely nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Didn’t a smart predator conceal their claw, and approach the victim from behind? That was what Sol was doing, essentially, but oh, was she terribly mistaken if she thought Selene was going to buy her lie! (…lies were what the moon princess had been born from, after all. To her, they were home, and with flames, you couldn’t burn fire. Not how any of this worked, to her great misfortune.) “Living sacrifice?” Selene asked, weighing her options. This creature, regardless of what it was, had to be reasonably powerful-- the aura felt downright searing, and perhaps for the first time in her life, Selene was thankful for the fact that her eyes had been sewn shut. Could this be her ticket to freedom, then? Her get out of jail free card? “Of course I’ve brought my living sacrifice,” she smiled sweetly. “Who do you think she is?” As she said that, the moon princess squeezed Sol’s hand, in the universal ‘it will be fine’ gesture. (The message was that they were just humoring it, naturally. It was also a huge, huge lie, but Sol didn’t need to know that, did she? Sometimes, truth was but a hot needle jammed in between one’s ribs, and surely, there were more pleasant ways to die.)

“Good, good!” the creature announced, beaming with pride. “I hate it when kids these days come underprepared. It just strikes me as disrespectful, you know? We all worked hard to get where we are, and assuming that you’re just going to be handed your accomplishments drives me up the wall. Anyway, climb on my back, both of you. The sacrifice will be the final part of our little celebration, so I don’t mind giving both of you a tour.”

And, once they were seated on the animal’s back? The creature started to walk forward, each step seemingly causing a tiny earthquake in itself. “I presume you’ve heard of the Sun’s Children? That’s who we are-- who you may be allowed to become, should you pass our trials. We were here long before the sun queen took up her mantle, and long before time itself started flowing. We are life, and death as well, and also… oh, Sarah, would you be so kind and not eat the cake before we begin? I know you’d murder for chocolate, but now is not the time. Thank you. Anyway… where was I?” the creature cleared its throat. “We were born from the earth, from her twisted entrails, and centuries later, we had to return to her womb. The sun queen hates our existence, you see? For we prove that she isn’t everything there is to creation-- that there are things even she doesn’t understand. Understanding,” their mount snorted. “Something that you must possess in spades, considering you were able to find us. Still, I’m afraid you will have to prove your worthiness in other ways as well-- I’m sorry, ladies, but I don’t make the rules. Hey, Miss Living Sacrifice! Would you design a trial for your friend here? You must be a rare specimen to offer herself willingly, and so I value your judgment greatly.”

 

[starboob]

When Selene squeezes her hand? Her heart skips a few beats and she's pretty sure she might pass out, because that can't be good at all. The response is so automatic, she doesn't really know what to make of it, but it awakens something in her. (Disjointed, static filled images flash through her mind. She's a child again, but she's not at the palace. She doesn't know where she is, but she's running behind Selene, a younger version of her, with their fingers interlaced as the other girl leads her somewhere. Though just as quickly as the not-memory comes, it leaves.) Sol blinks hard and beams at her companion. She takes this all as a good sign. Besides, she trusts Selene. For some reason. Intellectually, she knows that trust has to be earned and Selene has done little to earn it, yet, she trusts her. With every fiber of her being. 'She'll take care of me. She always has.' She looks back towards the giant creature, bright smile still on her face, and nods rapidly in agreement. "Yup, that's me! The soon to be hamburger meat!"

And with that, she clambers onto the serpentine back and once she's settled, she looks behind her to check if Selene needs any help. As they traverse this dark underground space, Sol's eyes are wide enough to take up her whole face. It's like she's trying to take in every detail by making them as big as possible. The place seems to be an entire labyrinth and with so many twists and turns, Sol is already lost, but she doesn't let that frighten her. She figures that maybe Selene is better at keeping track of these things.

As the history lesson begins, Sol musters all of her attention to soak in every glorious detail. Never has she been so invested in a lesson before. Her tutors could never get her to pay this much attention to their lectures. Probably because they are useless and boring and lack practical context. This, however? This is actually important, she can tell. Something about it feels forbidden, too. She wants to tell the primordial giant that she already is a Sun child, but holds back as she learns more about their super secret club. 'These creatures are older than my own lineage. Wowie, I bet they know so much!' Oh, and she wants to learn everything from them, because if what this giant is saying is true––and like with Rex, she has little reason to have doubt––then this means that the first sun, Haul, did more than just light herself on fire and run across the heavens, warm the earth, and breathe life into the planet. "Wow, I had no idea––they really don't teach us this stuff upstairs, you know."

The beast chuckles, "I am not surprised. Why would they? That would ruin those precious, precious illusions of theirs. Imagine if others knew that there was a time before the Sun and Moon ruled the heavens? It would be sheer chaos! So, yes, now we are reduced to this humble hovel." Interestingly, the monster doesn't sound bitter or angry, per se. Acceptance more or less colors her tone and that strikes Sol as sad. To accept a fate where you have been banished from your own ancestral home. 'They don't even get to feel the Sun anymore.'

"Did you try to fight?"

"Of course, of course, but no one came to our aid. Not even the Moon."

Sol turns back to her companion with her brows furrowed together. "Selene... did you know about this?"

Though, much like a goldfish or a golden retriever, her attention is quickly snatched away from her pangs of guilt to thinking about what kind of trial to put together for Selene. "Hmm," she taps her chin thoughtfully. Selene had more or less suggested that she does want to get to know Sol better––that's, at least, what Sol got from their earlier conversation––so the idea of hosting a Jeopardy (???) like game comes to mind first. Though she tosses that idea to the side when she realizes that wouldn't be too fair since her companion has not even had a chance to study. She'll surely fail if that were the event. "Okay, I think I got something," she grins and beckons the creature to lean down so that she can whisper something into her ear (more like, head hole).

"Oh, how unorthodox. Do go on."

And once Sol has finished? They are taken into a main chamber of sorts––lined with those glowing crystals and... bones. Giant bones from creatures that Sol has never even heard of before. They look strange and haunting, yet somehow alive? Like magic still clings to them. "Woah," she mutters, shaking herself out her momentary stupor before she gets way too distracted and excited all at once. She turns to her new large friend. "Uh, okay Mrs. Primordial Life/Death, please initiate the trial," she requests, using her most respectful of voices.

The primordial beast nods and thumps her tails on the ground three times. The main chamber shifts and changes until it has been reformed into an octagonal fighting arena. Both Sol and Selene are now standing in separate giant battle robots. (What the?) "Okay, Selene, see if you can knock me out of the arena," she smiles, and before Selene can even think this is her luck day, she then adds, "The robots are powered by the power of love, friendship, and genuine compliments. The more you embody those elements, the stronger your bot will be! Put up your dukes!"

 

[Syntra]

Well. Well, that was… unexpected, Selene had to admit! “No, I didn’t know,” the moon princess admitted. “Luna is, hmm, sensitive when it comes to information that doesn’t cast her in a positive light.” And by ‘sensitive,’ she actually meant ‘descends into murderous rage whenever her superiority is threatened,’ but there was no need to emphasize that. As much as they hated one another, Helia and Luna were soul sisters, weren’t they? Not even someone as dim-witted as Sol could remain blind to her own mother’s tendencies, so Selene assumed that her counterpart spoke the same language she did. (The language of euphemisms, that was. In that curious code, in which ‘forgiveness’ translated into ‘stupidity’ and ‘love’ into ‘weakness,’ you didn’t state things clearly-- no, only uncouth boors ever did that. An aristocrat danced around the topic, and implied, implied, implied, composing a quiet symphony out of the whispers left in her wake. To say that her mother was a psychopath, for example? Pffft, the one it would reflect poorly on would be her, not the moon queen. No, if you wanted to play the most dangerous of games, you had to observe the rules.)

“As you can imagine, our library is somewhat lacking in books that cover the alternative histories.” As in, the histories in which the chroniclers hadn’t felt the need to kiss Luna’s feet! The last one who had tried to portray the events with a hint of objectiveness, Selene had heard, had painted the walls of the moon palace with her own entrails. The result had been rather impressive from the artistic standpoint, but let’s just say it had also… hmm, given others the motivation to prioritize certain viewpoints. (Pathetic, Selene thought. It wasn’t that she sympathized with the creatures that had been pushed underground, of course-- their own weakness was what had caused them to shed tears, and it was only right that it had ended up that way. Karmic justice, if you would! The catch, though? In her own way, Luna had outed herself as a weakling, too. Refusing to face one’s past like that could only mean that you regretted it to some extent, and that? In the moon daughter's eyes, that was unforgivable. You've grown too soft, mother, she thought. Too complacent. Could it be that you allowed the sun bitch to pluck your eyes out on purpose, solely so that you didn't have to see your own reflection in the mirror? A sacrilegious thought to be sure, but all things steeped in heresy had a ring of truth to them-- that was the nature of their sin, after all. For those who flew on the wings of deception, you see, getting too close to reality was like touching the sun!)

"I can't say I approve," she said, for no reason at all. "Censoring the history is a shameful, shameful thing. What are victories for if they aren't to be celebrated?" And losses... well, losses had their place in it, too. If you had no example to point at, how could you ever learn from your ancestors' mistakes? (Of course, in Luna's narrative, the word 'mistake' didn't exist-- at least not in connection with her, the queen of queens. The weight of her ego, Selene suspected, would crush the average planet! ...much like it had crushed her, back when her mind had still been malleable, her bones soft. Oh well, right? That, too, had been a part of the learning process. Lesson number one: 'Trust nobody.' Lesson number two: 'If a woman holds power over you, distrust her even harder.')

"I will ask you for details later," Selene announced. "I'd like to hear, from your own mouth, how the whole conflict went down."

"But of course!" the monster growled in satisfaction. "I can appreciate you youngings wanting to learn your history, if nothing else. The trial first, though. Chop chop, girl! You wouldn't want to eat your cake before baking it, now would you?"

Ugh. Please, let her think of something sensible, let her think of something sensible, let her--

So, the thing about mantras? They helped to sharpen your mind and clean your focus, but they did not work! (Although, to be fair, no power in the known universe could get Sol to act sensible, most likely. No, from what Selene had seen, that would have been like trying to put water on fire. ...still, she really had outdone herself, with those ridiculous machines and even more ridiculous rules. Was that what weed did to a young, developing brain? And, no, it didn't matter that the moon princess had no idea what 'weed' was, dammit. It sounded stupid, so it also had to be stupid! Logic, ladies and gentlemen.)

"The power of love and friendship?" the princess scoffed, clearly beyond disgusted. "Those mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, Sol. Just feeble emotions, as fleeting as the life of a mayfly, and those who--" --ooof. What was this thing made of, even? Play-doh, or Sol's sense of self-preservation? Because Selene had done nothing but speak, and yet, yet the legs of the robot crumbled beneath her, with an accusing ssss. (Embarrassing, truly. If she had to pilot something, the moon princess would have expected it to be like one of those Neon Genesis Evangelion mechas, not its cheap replica you'd get from Wish! ...wait, wait, wait. 1) Was her own brain malfunctioning, and 2) Could this machine really be powered by those things? That would mean she had to... ugh, compliment Sol. How to find kind words for someone who probably thought that 'Hard Work' was just a heavy metal band, though?)

"I... I guess your inane tangents are endearing.' Clang! Yes, that was the sound of one of the metallic arms falling on the ground, thanks for asking. "I enjoy your voice?" The other arm followed it, leaving her completely helpless. Aaargh! "The way you always manage to make a fool out of yourself makes me feel better about my shortcomings," Selene grasped at straws, but judging by the explosion that threw her out of the cockpit? Oh, the robot did not approve, and neither did the monster.

"Can't we sacrifice her instead?" she asked, clearly impatient. "I mean, I am not sure whether I want to initiate a woman this emotionally stunted."

 

[starboob]

Aw, dude, Selene is so smart for asking for more lessons! Sol hadn't thought to ask, but that's probably just because she's playing the role of living sacrifice so well. Hmm, maybe once they reveal that she isn't actually the sacrifice, have a good laugh about it, eat some choco cake, they can negotiate some terms for official lessons! If Sol is to be the Sun someday, and she knows that part of her fate is inescapable, she wants to know what really happened in the beginning, because honestly? At first, she thought that most of the problems in the universe stemmed from her mom, Helia, and her pointless war for more territory. Though if there truly were beings who were givers of life and keepers of the dead before the Sun and the moon? She guesses that there is delicious conspiracy to uncover. (Dude, just imagine the look on her mom's face when Sol comes back to the palace announcing to all that the Sun actually is not the bee's knees and there are others who can do what she can, but they're trapped in an eternal prison known as their super secret club. Geeze, she'll actually probably get incinerated on the spot, so maybe there's a better way for her to disseminate her dissent. And, no, Sol's ultimate goal isn't dismantling the courts, but she doesn't think it's fair for the former monarchs of the heavens have been banished to this prison. They deserve a kind retirement, she thinks.)

Anyway, aside from trying to figure out a way that they can remain on good terms with these primordial mothers after revealing that they are bamboozling them, she's smiling brightly at her opponent. 'Haha, she looks so awkward in that machine,' because Sol doesn't think she should mention that Selene's bot is covered in Hello Kitty decals while hers outfitted with Godzilla decals. Look, she just thought it would be funny to put Selene in something that is so not Selene and guess what?! She was McFreakin' right! "Well, moonrocks," you know, the weed concoction that includes herb sprayed with hash oil, rolled in kief, "it's called a trial not a... not a walk in the park! I knew this would challenge you. Besides, if you're going to make a sacrifice, you gotta respect the 'fice. Otherwise, it's just coldblooded murder."

"This is true," the monster agrees, nodding sagely.

Unsurprisingly, she watches Selene's bot fall apart in under two minutes and she's rolling on her side laughing. It's just so funny to watch her fail so miserably. It's not that Sol is cruel or anything, but complimenting people? Not that hard. Selene seems so smart, too, that she'd think the woman would be capable of something as simple as saying something nice. But, perhaps this was too much of a challenge for her companion. After all, she cannot recall Selene saying anything remotely nice or kind to her since meeting. (Granted, she does understand why, but she assumed there was something else underneath her icy exterior. Apparently, she's all permafrost.)

"No, no, " Sol wipes a tear from her eye once Selene is flung out of the arena, not super bothered by all those insults disguised with nice words, "I know she has the emotional range of potatoes, but we all start somewhere you know? Maybe she needs a demo?"

The creature agrees and resets the arena for them. "Alright, Selene, now watch a compliment pro work her magique!" She clears her throat and, without even thinking about it, rattles off a few compliments, "Here's a weak one to start: I really like how your hair is a waterfall of perfection." Slam! Her bot smacks Selene's, but doesn't knock her over. "Hmm, I really admire your grit. You've been through so much since arriving at my mom's court and you're still so feisty. I don't think anything could ever break you." ZZZZZ! (That's her bot sending a laser beam over to the other.) "Your presence in my life gives me hope for a better, brighter future." Yeet! Sol's bot roundhouse kick's Selene's, once more sending her out of the arena. The sunbeam is clearly pleased with herself and it is possible she was just showing off. The monster, guessing this, decides she has seen enough.

"Okay, this trial is over. Clearly, you are the compliment master and I doubt your friend will be able to come up with anything remotely close to those. If she cannot pass our other trials, we shall sacrifice her in your place," she thumps her tail once more and the arena crumbles around them. Though the two princesses float gracefully down to the floor. "Onward to the next challenge!"

When princesses land on the floor, the chamber, again, is not the same chamber as before. Instead, the field is covered in stalagmites and at the center there is one about 100 meters high. The tip of it has been sliced off and sitting at the top is an idol statue with piercing sapphire eyes. It seems deceptively easy, especially with the hand and footholds jutting out of the pedestal that hosts the statue. Though upon closer inspection, Sol notices that there are all sorts of air vents placed through the arena and who knows what other magical defenses lie about the place. Oh, also, are those rainbow colored levers? (Why does that seem so familiar to Sol?) The ancient beast then announces, "Retrieve the statue. You may ask your living sacrifice for help if needed. After all, how does the new age adage go? Ah, yes, teamwork makes the dream work."

"Woah, this reminds me of a scene from The Songs of Stars franchise," Sol comments, pointing out the rainbow levers.

 

[Syntra]

Compliments, Selene decided, were stupid. As in, what was their function? The role they played in the society? When examined through the lens of objectivity, then unavoidably, you had to arrive to the conclusion that they did nothing but coddle other people’s fragile egos. The famous ‘does this dress make me look fat’ was a great example of this phenomenon-- instead of looking into the mirror and facing her reality, you see, the chick just had to ask the dreaded question. And, really, when put in such a situation, what could her friends say? ‘Yes, it makes you look like the queen of whales herself?’ Not unless they wanted to lose the friendship, and, bafflingly enough, many of them didn’t want that. (Shocking, in Selene’s opinion. Who would want to waste their time on a woman this far gone? Dwelling in one’s dreams never ended well, regardless of their nature, and inane questions like this served as a great litmus test for marking those who were unworthy. …come to think of it, though, ones who’d consider such a woman a friend were probably unworthy, too. Birds of a feather flock together, or something. Oh yes, birds they were, with bird-sized brains, and what were birds known for? For seeking safety in numbers, among other things. Loneliness was a virtue they could never even hope to grasp, much less strive for.) So, the fact that Sol actually turned out to be competent at this? It didn’t really surprise Selene, nor did it awaken any dormant jealousy in her. Boo hoo, so she is good at something that matters about as much as bringing wood to a forest. No, nothing about this could possibly upset the moon princess. That would have been like… like being jealous of one’s ability to burp at will (gross), or to count the number of lentils in any given jar at a glance. All of those “””skills””” were useless, useless, useless, and Selene wasn’t at all annoyed that she wasn’t the smartest person in the room, aaargh!

She’s completely wrong about them, too, she thought, sourly. Me and better, brighter future? In one sentence? That… that had to be a joke, surely. (Luna had never spoken of her future rule in such a manner, after all. And, for all her madness? She was right, because Selene wasn’t at all planning to become some shining beacon of hope. That was the sun’s role, after all-- its fate, illuminated by fire and blood. The moon was much more complex, and merciless as well, in its silvery elegance. It gave and took, revealed and obscured, and those who relied on it too much? Those found themselves betrayed, with a knife stuck in their back. In all things, there had to be a balance, and she was expected to play the role of a villain. Why redefine it, then? Her ancestors had made the decision ages ago, and it wasn’t her place to question it.)

“Stop,” she said, curtly. “I understand the principle well enough. I just didn’t wish to lie, you know? Besides, this test has been rigged from the very start. How am I supposed to compliment you genuinely when I don’t even know you? All I do know is that you’re Helia’s daughter, and sorry for not being excited about that. Wait, no, actually! I also know that you like to design unfair trials, and that you keep talking over me. Let me write that down into my diary-- we’ll see if I manage to turn this into a compliment.” Seriously, what was next? An impromptu wedding where she had to pretend the girl was the love of her life? Because, to the moon princess, this was roughly on the same level. (Maybe Sol hadn’t heard, but this wasn’t some Hallmark romantic comedy with a “””quirky””” meet-cute! …clairvoyance wasn’t her gift, not exactly, but she could only see bloodshed in their future. Bloodshed, death, and more suffering. That Sol failed to prepare herself for this, and even set herself up for a disappointment? Not her fault, honestly.)

In a sane world, the monster would have dropped the idea of trials altogether, but sadly, this was not a sane world. Quite distinctly, at that. “Gods,” Selene sighed, “have I become a part of some reality show?” …what? “I don’t need to prove myself to you. I know what I am capable of, and if you can’t see that, you’re as foolish as the rest of them.” Still, as with many things, it wasn’t like Selene exactly had a choice here. Sigh.

“Teamwork makes dreamwork?” she raised her eyebrow. “Teamwork is but a sorry excuse for covering up your own weakness. If you cannot solve a problem on your own, then you don’t deserve to solve it.” Sol would likely be overjoyed to help her, that much she knew, and that… well, that alone was one of the main reasons for her not to want to involve her, actually. (It was just embarrassing, you know? The way she followed her around like a dog, wagging her metaphorical tail whenever she so much as acknowledged her presence. The lack of dignity was staggering, so no, Selene would not support this! The crowns they were supposed to wear one day meant something, and as much as she resented her counterpart, her spitting on her heritage stung. Just, how was she supposed to reach the highest of highs when fate wouldn’t deliver a worthy opponent? How inconsiderate, truly.)

The aura of the item? It sang to her, beckoned her to come closer, so that was exactly what Selene decided to. Alone, because that was how things were supposed to be done! With all the grace of a ballerina, she jumped into the air, and… and got stuck in there, inexplicably. What on earth…? Was the anarchy in this place so powerful it had even managed to turn off gravity itself? Preposterous! Like a fly caught in a spider’s web, Selene flailed, but to no avail.

“Do you like our patented force field system?” the monster grinned. “I sure hope that you’re enjoying your stay, because I am not going to help you down. There’s a price for everything, child, including arrogance. What do you think, Sol?”

 

[starboob]

"Selene," Sol starts, pursing her lips together and placing her hands on her hips, "You should hide your diary from me. I am a known snooper and I will not be able to help myself if I see your diary lying about screaming her sweet temptations." She had thought to point out the very glaring fact that she doesn't know her all that well either and was still able to make these very true observations about her companion. (It's on Selene if she believes that Sol is lying to her; that's just another reflection on her companion's lack of empathy. She's starting to get the idea that Selene might break out into hives were she ever to experience a positive emotion or feel with someone. Big sigh. When it comes to potential friends, she guesses that beggars cannot be choosers. She'll have to learn to accept this about the moon daughter.) And while she is tempted to point out all of this to Selene, what good would that do? At this point, she realizes that Selene has mentioned more than a few times that she doesn't think Sol listens to her. So to counter her again? Just another drop in that bucket. "Anyway, if this were a reality show there would be at least one Kardashian, maybe a Jenner if we're on a budget... Actually, it'd be a Snookie if we were on a budget. I'd personally settle for a JWoww." Not that Sol knows who any of these people are, mind you, she's half convinced she's playing god and making up people.

Sol honestly pities her counterpart if she doesn't believe in teamwork. Like, does she believe the Pyramids of Giza were built by a single person? (What are those even? They sound rad and Sol wants to visit them if they are real. Maybe she'll ask Selene to join her! She seems like she could use a vacation. That might loosen the tree branch up her butt.) Absolutely not! It took a lot of people, she's pretty sure. Even to say the great composers worked alone totally erases their muses! Whether that muse be a pretty lady or a butterfly or a whisper of the wind––there is teamwork there, too! So Sol isn't exactly surprised when her companion fails miserably at another trial because she refused to ask for help. In her own words, this probably means she wasn't deserving to begin with. Sol decides against pointing that out, however. No need to pour salt into Selene's wounded pride.

She flops onto her stomach, head propped on her elbows, and her feet doing little kicks behind her. "Honestly, dude? Why would grabbing the statue be that easy? If my homegirl, uh, what's your name?"

"Liv."

"If my homegirl Liv could just grab the statue herself, why would she need you?" she sighs, looking around the arena and her stuck companion. She turns to look up at Liv, "My assessment? I think her empathy and teamwork definitely could use some improvement. Maybe if she proves that she has a growth mindset she'll be a worthy addition to the super secret club?"

"Hmm," the monster scratches her chin thoughtfully, "I suppose that is a valuable characteristic. I still do not see how you ended up being the living sacrifice."

"Luck of the draw," Sol shrugs, then gets up from the ground and dusts off her clothes. She hops into the pit and stands under Selene. "I think you were supposed to deactivate all the traps first OR figure out where they were and maneuver through them. Like, this place reeks of traps. I'd probably try to pull the rainbow levers lining the wall. They aren't there for the aesthetic, I'm pretty sure." Now, Selene may not want Sol's help, but she has a feeling that she'll only end up stuck there––possibly for eternity––if she doesn't intervene. It's not like Sol to leave someone hanging (heh) anyway. She lifts up one hand and vines spring forth from the center of her palm, the tendrils wrap around the moon daughter's ankles and gently pull her out of the patented forcefield. She doesn't wait for a thank you, because she's also realized that common manners are in short supply with her companion. (See! Just another thing Sol has observed in their short time together. That Selene hasn't made this effort isn't necessarily surprising, but it is telling. Sol will have to figure out ways to garner the other woman's interest if she wants half a chance at friendship. This is proving to be a Herculean task––whoever that is.)

With Selene out of the patented forcefield, Sol leans in close to whisper, "I know we're not planning on going through the living sacrifice thing, so it doesn't really matter if you fail or not... but I would like to be on good terms with these dudes. I think they could really help us out––I mean, you said it yourself that you'd like to learn about their version of events so, what do you say to working together? I won't tell anyone, pinky promise!" She knows that Selene and swallowing her pride probably go together about as well as fish and cheese, so she isn't sure her companion will take this opportunity––even though she has very little to lose. "Look, let's just pull the levers and see what happens. If it blows up in our faces, you can blame me and I'll totally take the fall. Like you said earlier, I'm pretty much used to making a fool of myself."

 

[Syntra]

“Ah, awesome. Any other lovely invasions of privacy I should know about? Are you perhaps going to watch me sleep, and claim that it’s actually peak romance? Sorry to burst your bubble, but I think you’re missing some vampiric fangs and body glitter for that to be effective.” Wait, what? Selene had grown used to being confused by the harebrained sun princess, but this new trend where her own mind was the primary source of confusion was certainly… uh, new. (Could she be simply adapting to her environment? A woman’s surrounding shaped her, the moon daughter knew, so her continuing to live in Sol’s presence was an actual danger. No matter, though! Soon enough, the monster would tear the nuisance apart, and then Selene could go back to her logical, rational ways. …something told her that Helia wouldn’t be too pleased about that development, however. Why, that was beyond her-- one would have guessed that she’d be happy to get rid of an heiress this incompetent, but the sun queen seemed weirdly attached to her silly, good-for-nothing child. Hmm, hmm. I suppose I should craft an escape plan, then. ‘I’m sorry, but my Sol got eaten by my dog’ just didn’t seem like the kind of excuse she would accept readily, and no, Selene wasn’t particularly keen on testing just what would work. A good strategist had to recognize when retreat was the only real option, you see? And, oh, retreat she would, if it meant she could deliver a deadly blow later. I wonder, how will the sun bitch deal with the loss of her only child? Will it make her furious? Selene certainly prayed for that outcome-- fury blinded you, more reliably than stitches in your eyes, and perhaps, perhaps that would finally give her the opening needed to cast her down. Wouldn’t that be only appropriate, hmm? To build her own throne out of the sun heiress’ bones.)

Unaware of the ghost of death that was looming over her head, Sol continued to talk, talk and talk. Ugh. Had she never considered that maybe, maybe the world didn’t need to hear every thought that crossed her mind? Scarcity was what created value, and if the girl spoke less, then… then Selene still wouldn’t value it more, mind you, but she could at least pretend to pay attention. “I know not who those people are, but from their names alone, they sound wicked. I am glad that I am not familiar with them.” An unfair judgment, perhaps, but wasn’t your name also your fate? A reflection who you were, underneath all the fake finery? No, Selene was sure that she hadn’t erred, for the very concept of ‘mistakes’ was reserved for those lesser than she was. (Blessed, the spirits had called her. Ah, if only she would commune with them some more, and ask them for clarification! Still, they didn’t make mistakes, either, and the moon princess was sure that everything about this would start making sense at some point. …her path had been carved for her from the very beginning, illuminated by the moonlight. Treacherous it was, yes, and straying from it was inevitable, but all paths had their destinations, and all stories their endings! Sooner or later, Selene would arrive exactly where she was meant to be, thank you very much.)

“Oh, enough with the theatrics,” Selene pursed her lips. “Are you truly daft enough to believe she needs the statue? It’s just a pointless task designed to uncover whether I have the pointless skillset that she pointlessly finds important.” Ah, yes, Selene was something of an expert on pointlessness-- Luna, too, was willing to die on many hills, all of them so pointless it made her head spin. (The Celebration of Birth, for example. ‘Selene, dear,’ she had used to say, ‘this is necessary, too. Don’t lose the sight of our goal. How will they respect you, indeed, if you don’t partake of the feast?’ …oh, her stomach still churned when she remembered that.) “They were not even aware that we’d come, Sol. If the statue was truly important to them, they would have devised a way to get it ages ago.” Just, how could the woman be so blind? …perhaps having one’s eyes was detrimental, indeed-- seeing made you complacent, too lazy to try and discover the truths lurking just under the surface.

“A brilliant plan,” the moon princess smirked. “Just pull lever randomly? I suppose we can also randomly scream words and hope that they turn out to be ancient incantations. I mean, the laws of probability dictate that we should come across one accidentally, sooner or later.” Even so, Selene had to admit that she was out of options here. (Imprison a rat in a maze, and it had no choice but to look for an exit, right? It could also lie down and die, she supposed, but that just wasn’t her style.) “Fine. Here goes nothing, I guess. If everything goes as horribly wrong as I’m imagining it, you are bearing full responsibility, and… and you will have to bake a cake for me as compensation.” …alright, she could have gone for something more hardcore, but to her credit? It wasn’t at all easy to think when you were hanging in the air, and the currents were playing with you as if you were but a ragdoll!

A random lever, huh. The colors probably meant something, though Selene didn’t even dare to guess what that might be-- if they applied the same “””logic”” they did to her to everything else, after all, then trying to follow that thread made about as much sense as attempting to locate a specific grain of sand in the Sahara desert. Unthinkingly, Selene reached for the green lever, and pulled at it. And, in response? Predictably, absolutely nothing happened. Nothing! …well, aside from a swarm of bees flying out of one of those air vents, clearly thirsty for blood. Uh oh.

“See?” Liv smirked. “This is what you get for not even trying to understand the system. For someone so staggeringly smart, Selene, you can also be surprisingly stupid. Hey, Sol, wanna watch her get eaten alive? I’m thinking she might be a lost cause, after all.”

 

[starboob]

"Oh, Selene, do you really think I am in short supply of body glitter?" she quips, her cheeks shimmering in the low light of the arena, because of course Sol makes an effort to sparkle in every way humanly (Sunly?) possible. In fact, her room is still recovering from an unfortunate glitter spillage. (Let's just say that as a result, she has found glitter in places you do not want glitter to be in.) "I do lack fangs, I suppose, and tbh watching you sleep would probably be really boring. I'd only do it if I were (A) going to stick your hand in warm water while you sleep or (B) fill your hand with whipped cream and then tickle your nose. So you're safe on that invasion. I guess we'll have to talk about boundaries later when you're not, like, busy failing miserably at these trials." Obviously, Sol is counting on there being an after to this whole situation that they're in. It's not that she's ignoring Liv's desire to have at least one of them perish, but she trusts that they'll protect each other/put their heads together to work out a fair negotiation with the primordial mothers. If living sacrifices are part of their tradition then she does not want to dishonor them! (Ah, but what even is a good sacrifice that won't actually cause something to die? She would never suggest one of her cows. They're out of the question. Her lizard, too, is also off limits. She supposes they could try to find a random animal out in the desert but that feels too much like playing god––even if she is a young goddess, she doesn't entirely feel comfortable with expediting death. Then again, this is supposed to be a sacrifice so if she gives away something she does not care about, how worthy would it be? Hmm, hmm.)

Gosh, Selene sure is rude, but Sol supposes she prefers this to the usual fake niceties she is so accustomed to. There's an odd sort of peace in knowing exactly how her not-friend regards her. Like, from this she can glean that the moon daughter is honest and she'd rather have that than a fake not-friend. "Okay, well, maybe they don't need the statue––you're right," she concedes, "but still! If it's a trial why the flip would it be easy? I dunno jumping for it seems to be the dumb move, but if you're not ready to look in the mirror and point the finger back at yourself, a great poet once sang I might have to bend it back or break it off," she finishes with a huff. (Not that Sol would break Selene's finger or even touch her, really, but it felt right to say. It was the first line that came to mind anyway, so she figures it must mean something.) Honestly, accepting her opposite's sour personality is going to be a hard pill to swallow. For some reason she thought she'd be more fun. 'I guess I have enough fun in me for the two of us.'

Honestly, when Sol suggested pulling the rainbow levers she sort of thought there was an implied in rainbow order, but nope. She watches, completely aghast, as Selene goes for the green lever first. Just, in what world is green the start of the freaking rainbow?! Argh, she should have been more specific, she supposes. She also supposes she shouldn't assume that the moon daughter selected the green lever on purpose. Her eyes are sewn shut, after all, and Sol isn't totally clear how her navigational abilities work––if it's pure vibes or something else entirely. So she won't entirely fault Selene for this certified mess-up of epic proportions. This probs is her own fault.

Her head turns towards the angry swarm of bees that are now flying towards them and she sighs. "Be calm. Bee calm," she giggles, "they can sense your tension and that will only aggravate them further." Once more, she sticks out her hands and an entire garden wall flows out from the tips of her fingers––lilacs, lavender, mint, poppies––tall enough to protect them from the swarm before they can reach the two princesses. "Gotta save the bees, you know."

When Liv appears by her side and seals Selene's fate, she gasps, "Oh crap, really?" A million thoughts swarm her head at once––images of Selene getting eaten, her life without the moon daughter, the endless tears she will shed! 'Focus, Sol, omg focus!' Now is not the time to get lost in her thoughts and she needs to find the thoughts that will help her save Selene's skin! Unfortunately, she may not be acting quick enough as the arena is restored to the regular bone filled chamber and now three large primordial beasts are surrounding them––there's Liv, obviously; then there's a ginormous red cow with chocolate stains at the corners of her mouth, a double set of long curled horns, a single eye, and rippled muscles that lump under her skin in a way that makes her look like a sack of lemons (tbh); and finally, there's a griffin-esque creature with three eyes, golden fur, and wings made of flames.

"Ah," Liv claps her wings together and, had the cow not been standing directly behind the two princess, they would have been blown backwards by the force of the wind. "The gang is all here! Sarah, Edith, meet Sol. Her companion's name is irrelevant as we are going to eat her, but if you want to get acquainted with our next meal, I believe she is called Selene."

"She's a little small," comments the griffin thing (Edith).

"Yes, can we eat her friend, too?" asks Sarah.

"No. Absolutely not! Sol shall be our newest member and Selene is her living sacrifice."

"Wait!" Sol interrupts, moving to stand in front of Selene in a protective manner. "Uh, she's not my sacrifice. She's my... Hero companion. You know, like, heroes and sidekicks, but she's a hero too. We're, uh, rivals and rivals make each other better so we're kinda a package deal," if it sounds like she's pulling this straight out of her butt, it's because she is! The primordial mothers do not look pleased or like they have the patience for Sol's explanation. "I have a different sacrifice. I pinky promise, I just need to uhhh," she scrambles, feeling over her person for anything that might suffice, she searches the pockets of her dress, the contents of her overstuffed bag for something––anything––to save Selene! Because Selene wouldn't let her die and she also deserves to live, regardless. They are essential parts of balance for goodness sake! Then, like a message from heaven, she hears a faint beeping coming from her hip. Her eyes go wide. 'Tamagotchi... But I love her... No, Selene's safety is way more important. It's a sacrifice, after all.'

With much reluctance, she unclips the strange device from her belt and presents it to the primordial mothers––getting down on one knee and everything. "I offer my sweet, sweet child. This is my longest streak of keeping Tamagotchi alive and I offer her to you, knowing what will come of her, for the protection of my rival. So that we may continue to push each other towards greatness and stuff."

 

[Syntra]

Logically, Selene understood the sentiment behind Sol's words. It wasn't even dumb per se, which she attributed to the stopped clocks phenomenon-- that, or possibly to the proverbial thousand of monkeys with a typewriter who did, in fact, manage to reinvent one of Shakespeare's (???) famous tragedies. Sol just talked and talked and talked, so statistically speaking, all of it couldn't be rubbish, right? No, certainly, there had to be rare nuggets of wisdom buried there as well, beneath all the childish fantasies and outlandish theories. On the theoretical level, then, the sun princess was more than prepared to embrace the once-per-century miracle of Sol not spouting total nonsense. The thing about theory, though? Rarely did it translate into reality seamlessly, and following instructions such as 'calm down' or 'just keep swimming' was not easy with an entire bee colony out for your throat.

"Cease! Return to whatever godforsaken nest you've crawled out of, you bunch of... prickly creatures!" Look, you try inventing a better insult with your adrenaline running that high, okay? This was no reason to laugh at the moon daughter, and those who would even entertain such a nasty, nasty thought deserved to have their tongue cut out. "Get out of my sight, before I punish you for your insolence!" Swiftly, Selene struck with her claws, and a number of tiny bodies fell to the ground, cut cleanly in two. Heh. That would teach them to antagonize the future moon queen, alright! (Saving the bees? Pfft, yeah, as if. Selene wasn't stupid, thank you very much-- everyone knew that the philosophy of mercy had been invented as a shield for those too incompetent to take care of themselves. Once someone marked themselves as your enemy, the wisest thing to do was to crush them! To annihilate them, and their children as well, and build a monument out of their very bones. Yes, let them see what kind of queen I will be. They shall hear my name and tremble, and throw their weapons away in fear.) ...obviously, this meant that Selene had to eradicate the entire species, but how hard could that be? Not too much, considering their pathetic single-use weapons that always stabbed them in the back in the end! A species that badly designed deserved to die out, Selene decided. It wasn't like anyone would miss them and their incessant buzzing, anyway.

Meanwhile, an entirely different drama seemed to be taking place in the bee-free zone. "A... a tamagotchi?" Edith raised her eyebrow. "It's been a while since I saw one of those, I have to admit. You do know that it's not actually alive, right? I'm afraid it's just not eligible as your living sacrifice, girl. Hey, Sarah, you got some mustard? I feel like this Selene would go well with mustard-- she seems so sour that the tastes would balance out really well."

"Are you for real?" Sarah asked, clearly scandalized. "Ketchup is the way to go, man. Only barbarians use mustard. Why do you think that mustard gas was named for it? Because it's equally lethal when put into your meal, duh. I won't voluntarily give myself ulcers just to satisfy these... these unreasonable whims of yours."

"What?! Mustard is the way, you heathen. Only children whose taste buds haven't yet developed properly will disagree with me on that!"

"Silence, you two," Liv chastised them. "I don't know about you, but want to live in a world of equality-- a world where both mustard and ketchup are not only welcome, but also appreciated. Depending on the context, both condiments can be very good! And, like, at least they aren't mayo." Edith and Sarah made disgusted faces at the word, as if its very existence antagonized them on some primordial level, but then they nodded in unison.

"Ah, you are so wise, Liv! Without your guidance, we would just be wandering in the darkness."

"Yes, yes," Liv snorted, "quite clearly. Back to the original topic, though. Don't you see the value of the sacrifice Sol has just offered? This... this thing is her child, and the weigh of that outweighs everything else. I mean, in the official handbook rankings, children even outshine best friends! I believe we ought to accept it."

"But, but, but!!! It still isn't alive, Liv," Edith whined. "Besides, metal always upsets my stomach."

"To be fair, I think this thingy is plastic."

"Wow, so we don't care about environmental hazards anymore, huh?"

"Shut up, Edith. Just, shut up! There's no pleasing you these days."

"Calm down," Liv sighed. "My decision is final." The leviathan then stood on its hind limbs, only to wave its giant wings a few times-- the gust of wind it created was powerful indeed, almost equivalent to a blast wave, and as for what happened next? Why, Selene was released from her prison! "Thank your friend for her sacrifice, you foolish girl," she boomed. (Which, how absurd. Everything about this was Sol's fault, wasn't it? Had it not been for her inability to follow orders, they would have been hunting ogres right now instead of... instead of being forced to play this strange game with rules that nobody had bothered to explain to them, really.)

"Even so, my own companions are right that it is not quite enough. I mean, my favorite part of any living sacrifice is the beating heart, and I can't very well obtain it from a bunch of plastics, now can I? Fortunately, I'm thinking that you might have access to something that could turn the scales in your favor."

"What do you mean by--" that, Selene wished to ask, but the searing pain in her chest? It took all words from her, ah, it did, and only when the air became heavy with the metallic scent of blood did the princess realize what the monster had done. It had stabbed her! "Don't worry," Liv smiled at Sol, "she'll live. I only needed her to provide the key. It's hardly my fault that her mother chose such a... hmm, macabre method of obtaining it, now is it?" The leviathan then dipped her claws in Selene's blood, as if it was mere ink, and proceeded to paint strange runes on the ground-- immediately, they lit up with faint moonlight, only for a shimmering portal to emerge from their midst. "The moon's dimension," she breathed out. "So it was true. Very well, then. Bring me a moon unicorn's heart, and you may both live. What's more," she grinned, "you shall receive all the benefits of full membership, with no hidden payments!"

 

[starboob]

'Tamagotchi, please forgive me for making this sacrifice,' she thinks as hard as she can, hoping the little device will hear her thoughts and will understand that this isn't a total betrayal. Goddesses and primordial mothers alike often required the sacrifice of one's own flesh, so Sol does believe that this is a fair trade or a trade that is even greater than her companion's life. (...Her companion who is killing the bees???!!! Just, what the heck?! The sunbeam is pretty sure she expressly said that the bees needed to be saved, not diced. 'What the heck is wrong with Selene?' Honestly, there is probably a list of things wrong with her, because everyone has baggage, and she is starting to realize that Selene sure likes to solve a lot of her problems with violence. Like, it's becoming a pattern. (Evidence number one: the garden. Evidence number two: Rex. Evidence number three: the bees.) No wonder she got herself captured. If you just go through life believing that you can just muscle your way through it then you are for sure doomed to fail––especially if you're not even a full goddess yet. Cheese and rice, dude.)

Speaking of food, the primordial mothers do not seem totally into Sol's precious sacrifice. Where one part of her is happy that maybe she will have another few hundred years with Tamagotchi, she is absolutely horrified that she has failed at protecting Selene––someone who would totally do the same for her! And she's just completely and utterly failed her counterpart, because they're talking about pairing her with mustard and ketchup as if she were a ballpark frank (what are those?). This is not good. This is so not good and the ray of sunshine is turning all the cogs in her head trying to convince them of why Tamagotchi is a satisfactory sacrifice––everything ranging from philosophical question about what counts as life and alive (because technically Tamagotchi does die, as she has found out on several mournings, hehe) to crying, begging, and using her best puppy eyes. No one is immune to Sol's puppy eyes (except for, like, everyone in the Sun court, but they don't count).

"Well," Sol starts, blurting out the nearest associations that come to mind, "Selene is probably more spicy in nature and that is why she is paired with someone like me, who is so sweet. Sweet and spicy are a great combo... not that I'm suggesting that you should eat both of us, but this is going back to my point that we're a package deal..." Ah, alright, no one is listening to her as per usual. That's probably for the best though since her argument had not been that great to begin with.

Thankfully, her homegirl Liv comes to her rescue and reminds the other two why Tamagotchi is, like, a really good sacrifice. But of course the concession does not come without strings attached. Big sigh. They still want something alive and fleshy, which Sol supposes she understands. Even though she tries to be a vegetarian when she remembers, meat is tasty. There is no denying that and who knows the last time these mothers have had a fresh meal. (She imagines they mostly have to wait for some poor spelunker to fall down a chasm.) So Sol is reasonably up to whatever task Liv has in mind, especially if it means saving her companion.

Well, Sol was on board until she watches Liv stab Selene in the chest and, like a phantom pain, she feels a sharp suffocating pain in her own chest. Automatically, one hand rises to cover her heart and the other covers her agape mouth. "H-hey!" she chokes out as huge swells of tears the size of an ocean form in her eyes, a combination of hurt and betrayal. Even with Liv's explanation, she would have appreciated a courtesy warning! These things are already hard for her to watch and, for inexplicable reasons, she has a soft spot for her rival even though she is a huge butthead. However, despite her curled fists, she doesn't do anything to express her anger and swallows that rock-like lump in her throat as she watches the creature open a portal straight to the freaking moon court!

Okay, she's significantly less upset now because she has always wanted to go there! This must be her luckiest of all days––from meeting a real live dragon, to finding out about these primordial beasts that existed before the courts, to this! There is just no way this day could get any better. (Well, maybe if Selene said something nice, but she understands that is a long shot.)

"That was a mean trick, Liv, but I will get this moonicorn heart for you if it means we both get to live and become members of your super secret club. Sarah, please save us some chocolate cake. Edith... it was nice to meet you," and with a firm salute, she hops into the portal and lands in a soft pile of snow. Like, real snow! She's never seen snow for herself before and it's honestly kind of magical. Even if it, uh, hurts a lot and she's not at all prepared for cold weather as she is wearing only a sundress. The ice winds cut into her cheeks until her face resembles an apple tree in fruition, but Sol appears more mesmerized by the entire experience than anything else. She shivers and tries to warm up her body with her powers, but realizes that they're significantly weaker in this realm. Especially under the piercing silver light hanging above her head. It's eerie, pale, and beautiful all at once––like a vampire. She rubs her eyes, wondering if she's in a dream, and stares up at the soft silver light of the moon (far easier to look at than the Sun).

"Omg, Selene is that the moon?" she whispers, as if worried that if she speaks any louder she'll break the dream she must be in. Even if the answer to her question is obvious, she's never seen the moon before. (Well, she doesn't think she has.) The moon hasn't cast her lesser light over the Sun court since before the war that tore the luminary court in two. "Wow, my mom was totally wrong... She always said the moon was ugly and pock-marked, but I think she's just lovely. Kind of like you. Hey, I know we're here for the moonicorn, but can you show me some of those night blooming flowers? I've never seen those either. I want to get a sample. Oh, maybe you can show me a moth too?"

 

[Syntra]

The moon dimension. Her home, one might be inclined to say, so why, why did the memory of it come with such a bitter aftertaste? Thinking of it felt like waking up from a nightmare, you heart still beating wildly even if you no longer remembered why. Selene wanted to return, of course that she did, but... well. Not like that, maybe? Not temporarily, and certainly not with her smooth-brained mistress in tow. Not to slaughter one of the most sacred creatures this world had to offer, spun out of dreams and moonlight, either. Just, aaargh! Why did everything she touched have to fall into ruin? Had her touch been cursed, and fated to drain life out of everything it came in contact with? ...a princess of the blood court, a daughter of the moon. Ah, yes, that much would check out, at the very least. 'Welcome, welcome, welcome,' the voices brushed against the edge of her consciousness, in the same way a cat might brush against your legs if it liked you enough. 'Selene, do you see now how blessed you are? How gently the hand of fate guides you?' Which was, ah, certainly a creative interpretation of what was happening to her. Yes, creative enough to be called an outright lie! The entities must have sensed her discontent, too, for they sighed collectively. 'Open your eyes, child. That is something you can do, whether you know it or not. You don't need to be like this.' Like what? Like what they'd made her? Like what they'd made her out to be? They could go to hell, Selene decided, along with their half-truths, implications and mysterious instructions!

The wind was icy, indeed, but to her? To her, it felt like a mother's caress, bringing color to her cheeks. (Winter, too, was a gift. It revealed, in a way nothing else possibly could-- the weak died, one by one, while the strong learned how to thrive. The ultimate justice, really. Speaking of which, Sol probably wouldn't appreciate it, would she? The sun-kissed princess always spouted nonsense about 'warmth' and 'mercy' and 'the power of friendship,' so it only made sense for her that she'd resent the winter for her firm hand. ...and to think she's allowed to see snow, in all its bright glory. Snowflakes, every single one of them different from their sisters that came before, and the way the cold paints ornaments on glass, and the icicles bigger than your head as well. The footprints, too-- like a riddle for you to solve. Envy gripped her heart then, and in that moment? In that moment, the moon princess knew that Sol wasn't worthy of any of this.) "Well, do go on," Selene sighed. "Say it. Say it how annoyed you are to be here and how everything is too boring for your sunny sensibilities. Look, I understand it's a bit monochromatic, but--"

--but, ah. Somehow, that wasn't at all what Sol meant to say? Her counterpart appeared positively charmed, actually-- with that puppy-like sense of wonder that Selene had learned to resent, she kept describing everything in the most flattering terms, including her. Oh, wow. (What was this? Some queer tactic to get under her skin, solely so that she could drive the dagger deeper eventually? A friendly smile, to perhaps mask the gun in her hand? Well, too bad, because Selene was Luna's daughter, and knew the price of foolishness. Never, never would she succumb to it! The future of the moon kingdom rested on her shoulders, oh, it did, it did, so she wouldn't be as stupid as to throw it away for a few meaningless compli--)

"Do you really think so?" she heard herself say, to her own astonishment. "I, um, I... it's been a while since I saw it, is all. Mother had my eyes sealed years ago, I think. Can you describe what you see? I am just... curious whether any dramatic changes took place," Selene explained frantically, her cheeks straight up burning. (Ah, what was wrong with her? It wasn't as if the opinion of some sun court outsider matter at all! Wasn't, wasn't, wasn't, and never would. Still, perhaps this was a good way for her to explore her mindset. In order to locate the cracks in her fragile psyche, Selene had to feel the surface, right? Feel it with her hands, and to a moron, the contact could resemble a caress-- a sweet, heartwarming thing, really. ...still, her blood was poisonous, so inevitably, it would seep through her skin. Sol may not have known it, but it would kill her all the same! Yes, yes, that was the only reason she was even willing to have a conversation with the sun daughter, thank you very much. There were no other motivations at play here.)

"I could show you," Selene lifted her chin, "but I won't. Not right away, at least. You see, before tasting the sweet fruit, you must tend to your garden first. Here in the moon kingdom, we have a certain... hmm, tradition. Yes, that's a good way to put it." Swiftly, the princess fell on her knees, and grabbed a handful of snow. (It hurt, like millions of tiny needles stabbing her hands, but it was a good kind of hurt, she had to say. A familiar one.) "If you wish to witness a miracle, you must build one first yourself. That way, you'll repay the world for allowing you to bask in its glory, and create something for others to admire long after you're gone. Can you impress me, I wonder?" she asked, her hands working relentlessly. "The snow will tell me. I cannot see for myself, but I can ask it whether you managed to shape it into something beautiful. Well? Will you rise to meet the challenge, Sol?"

 

[starboob]

Never has Sol ever felt cold before. She's never learned to shiver or bundle herself into a tight ball to keep warm. Under the Sun's endless heat during the day and the sands that uppercut warmth at night, she's never known what it's like to be so utterly frozen. Even though it's pretty unpleasant, she won't lie, it's a special experience, too, because it is so new to her! So she doesn't mind that frosty air nips at her shoulders, cheeks, hands, and other extremities. She's more so caught up in being able to see her breath in front of her and blowing out air to make herself more like a dragon!

She picks up handfuls of snow and marvels at how crisp it feels in between her fingers before she tosses it into the air with glee. "What? No, why would I ever think that? This is amazing! We don't get snow in the Sun court. The coolest thing that happens there are, like, dust storms and dirt tornados. This is much awesomer... much more awesome? Whatever. Hey how many snowflakes do you think I can fit in my mouth?" she asks, opening her mouth to catch as many as she can––which is easier said than done, because, somehow, they all seem to be avoid her mouth. That's fine, she knows rejection when she sees it (does she?) and settles for flopping onto her back so that she can make a snow angel. 'Omg, I can do all of my snow-related bucket list items while we're here! Omg, omg, omg––wait, is it eat the yellow snow or don't eat it? Hmm...'

However that important thought is cut off when Selene starts talking again. She sits up, half expecting her companion to turn this sweet moment sour and is pleasantly surprised when she seems... nervous? Which doesn't seem very hardcore or punk rock of her, but there's no denying that she's starting to talk faster and her cheeks are as red as Twizzlers (?). For now, the sunbeam decides to not comment on it and relish in the fact that her companion's mood seems lighter than it has been since they first met. (So far, this is actually turning out to be the best day of Sol's young life and she's really not sure how she got so frigging lucky! Okay, okay, she's trying to not panic as she attempts to come up with several different ways to milk this moment for all that it's worth AND also figure out how to make sure this version of Selene stays for the long haul. 'Be cool, Sol. Be cool. Well, cooler than you usually are.') "Yeah, this place is amazing. Let's see..." Sol grins, turning her head this way and that so that she can accurately describe what she's seeing. "There's snow as far as the eye can see. The moon looks like she's smiling sideways––which, so cool. I've always wanted to see that kind of moon. Um, oh! We're in a forest and there's snow covering the the pine needles. A few yards to our left there's a frozen lake... It's pretty dark all around, to be honest."

Alright, so Sol hadn't expected Selene to want to show her all the cool moon court stuff that she's always friggin wanted to see. This checks out. Her companion is always about duty and business, so she probably wants to go hunt the moonicorn so that they can be done w–– Wait. Wait, wait, wait! Are Sol's ears playing tricks on her or is Selene actually suggesting that they do something fun? Truly, Sol is thanking all the goddesses for this magical day where she's finally finally!!! broken through Selene's ice! Took way longer than expected, since Sol is a resident charmer, but it's so worth it to see this fun side of Selene. Honestly, the moon daughter is so cute when she's not being a stick in the mud. "Oh, dude, I sure I hope I can impress you!" There is no way Sol is going to waste this moment by disappointing Selene. She will build the coolest, bestest, most awesomest snow sculpture this world has ever seen! On her freaking honor, she'll do it!

Frantically, she dives into the snow and starts pulling large piles towards herself. Now, while Sol has never played in the snow before, she's made plenty of sandcastles in her time, so she figures the skills are fairly transferrable. She even finds that this snow stuff is way easier to work with than even the finest wet sand. Even if her fingers are starting to turn bright red and she's lost feeling in most of her body. However, she ignores it. 'Play through the pain, dude. This is for Selene, keeper of all moon secrets!'

"Do you have a favorite part of growing up here?" she asks, as she packs some snow together to form a large sphere. (It does occur to Sol that Selene must be homesick and she isn't trying to call attention to that wound by asking this. She just wants to know as much about Selene as her counterpart is willing to share. She doesn't really know how long they'll be companions, after all. While she has no doubt that her mom intends to keep Selene as a hostage forever/until she decides to execute her, Sol is actively thinking up ways she might be able to free Selene so that she can return to her home permanently. If this means she'll have to study fire magic in earnest, then so be it! She will. She'll conquer her fear of flame for her indentured bodyguard. Besides, she has a teacher in mind who might make the concept less scary. She hates the way the fire signs try to teach it and she suspects there might be another way to learn this. Though she won't walk down that path until she knows for sure that her mom used flames to seal Selene's soul and bind her to the Sun court. (...Okay, on a scale of one to out of this world dumb would it be that bad to visit the moon queen? She could probs undo this. She probs wants her daughter back, too... Hmm.))

"Okay, I'm almost done... don't ask for the snow's opinion just yet though! I have to finish up the detail work," Sol announces, turning back to her face her... five foot tall replica of the one of the Easter Island heads. Not that she knows what those are, mind you. She sweeps off some excess snow here, smooths out the top of the head, sharpens the nose up, and voila! "Alright, feel away, Selene! I hope it's impressive." She sure hopes it's worth nearly freezing her fingers off for! Immediately, she places her hands under her armpits in an effort to keep warm. (She wonders if her boogers are going to turn into icicles if she doesn't keep sniffling them up.)

 

[Syntra]

Pathetic. Right, that was the word she was looking for! There was absolutely no way that the snow would respond to her hands-- that it would yield to her will, and bend under her touch. (The sun might have ruled over all domains, indeed, but that didn’t mean it was also everyone’s friend, you see? Quite the opposite, actually. She’s cursed, Selene said to herself. Her touch is fire, and fire is death. The sun destroys that which won’t answer its call, only to pretend that it’s justice. How could she understand what the snowflakes are whispering to her? Why would she even try? All that the sun does with snow is to thaw it, to get it out of its way. …and, yes, the moon princess did remember giving her the task herself, thank you very much. Even so, there was something… wrong about her just going for it, you know? Like watching a lion guard a herd of antelopes, and not knowing when he’d change his mind regarding what was the difference between a meal and a friend. Come on, I’s just Sol, she reminded herself. The girl is about as malicious as smallpox. Which could be dangerous, don’t get her wrong, though not intentionally, you see? It just happened to exist within a certain configuration of properties, and those properties just happened to be deadly to everyone in their vicinity. Truly, would you blame a wild dog for biting you? You could, technically, but the dog had about as much agency as raindrops falling from the sky, so the only fool there would be you!)

Besides, Selene reminded to herself, I am not doing this because I’m trying to uncover something of worth in her. Rotten blood was coursing through her veins, oh yes, it was, and just like you couldn’t bake a cake from shit, you couldn’t build a genuine friendship with a person like that, either. (That, and Selene also didn’t need friends. What were they if not shadows, nodding along to whatever you said? Yes-women who had learned to swallow their own opinions, and sing the songs that garnered them the wildest applause? It made her want to barf, really-- this complete dismissal of self, disguised as something noble. The utter abandonment of whatever values you might have once considered holy. …when she was the queen, she would surround herself with enemies. The daggers that would lurk in every shadow? Oh, those would only ever serve to sharpen her focus! …plus, the moon daughter knew how to navigate those waters, dangerous as they were. Friendship was a territory completely uncharted, on the other hand, and the prospect of exploring it… no, that just didn’t sit well with her. Loneliness was the shroud of the powerful for a reason, dammit!)

“Hmm?” the princess asked, obviously distracted by Sol’s… Sol’s everything, really. (The girl had a way with words, okay? And maybe, maybe it wasn’t that terrible to listen to her joy-filled descriptions, when she herself had been stuck in darkness for years.) “I don’t… it’s hard to pick.” It was, indeed, partially because most of the things that came to mind were also memories that she would love to shove into a huge ‘do not touch’ box and bury them, but that was beside the point. “The freedom, I suppose.” As in, the very thing Helia had torn away from her. “Often, I would be alone. It was just me and the snow and everything sleeping underneath it, and then--” -- then she’d become the figurehead. ‘The Sight is yours now, child,’ Luna had said back then, before reaching for her needle. ‘The true sight, I mean. You will be able to see the very essence of things, and really, why would you want to distract yourself with something as superficial as what your eyes have to offer? Time to grow up, Selene. Don’t be such a child.’ “-- then nothing. Forget it. I enjoyed it, yes, but it had to end. Nothing lasts forever, Sol, and that goes double for the truly good things in life. The stars will it that way so that you appreciate them more.”

Most of the other questions that the sun heiress asked felt downright suffocating, though, and Selene’s eye twitched. “Not a single one of them,” she answered, with her usual curtness. “When you put a snowflake in your mouth, it thaws. It is no longer a snowflake, and so you can’t say that you were able to fit it in there. What you were able to do, though, was to murder a snowflake.” Her patience was growing dangerously thin, indeed, though when Sol finished her sculpture? The snow everywhere began singing, welcoming a new sister among its midst. “What is it that you made?” the moon princess asked, not even attempting to disguise her surprise. “The aura… it feels like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“Damn right, girl,” the creation (???) spoke. “Hi, hello, welcome to my world! Or should I thank you for welcoming me into the world? I mean, I guess so, since I didn’t exactly exist before you decided to give me a shape.” Wait, what? Snow was alive, yes, but not in this way, and-- “That’s because the sun princess made me,” the thing explained, either anticipating the question or reading her mind. “The sun just can’t help herself, my dudes. With her, it’s always life, life, life, life on steroids! Anyway, cool, thanks for being yourself,” the statue winked at Sol. “You’re the best. Now I can finally pursue my childhood dreams-- murdering everyone in my vicinity, that is! Do you, like, have any tips? And could you maybe make some arms for me? I don’t wanna seem ungrateful, but holding a knife in one’s mouth makes you look like that one crow from the meme, and that isn’t exactly terrifying.”

 

[starboob]

Once, Sol had read that cold is simply the absence of warmth––a pretty duh, dude statement in Sol's humble onion, but that little nugget of information also stated that people feel cold because their own heat is trying to warm up its surroundings. She thought that was a pretty cute fact and she still thinks it's cute now that she's experiencing it for herself! It makes her shivering and shattering teeth not seem so bad, because her tiny little sunbeam body is just trying to warm up this icy realm. Though, it's not even doing a very good job since she doesn't even have a puddle of snow to show for it (probs because her powers aren't what they usually are, so now she's mostly just regular warm). She also supposes she doesn't want to melt all the snow. The snow brought out this nicer, softer version of her companion and so she doesn't want it to go away. 'Oh, maybe if I take a jar of this stuff back home... she'll stay this way?' Somehow, though, Sol isn't totally sold on that idea. The snow would melt and she can already hear Selene's smarty-farty remark, "Oh, Sol, do you know how fire works? It's hot, in case you did not know and that means it melts snow-stuffs. And what? Did you really think a jar of snow would make me forget that you are related to Helia? Ugh, you should stick to taking care of your cows."

Ugh, she does with her opposite would learn to separate her from her mom. Like, yeah, the saying is that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, but Sol isn't like other apples. She grew legs and is marching as far away from that crabapple tree as possible. 'Someday she'll Real Eyes Realize Real Lies,' she sighs at her own inner-sidebar, then remembers that Selene has yet to meet her her every-five-minute quota of reminding Sol of her lineage and is, actually, talking about herself for once. Sol can't really remember the moon daughter talking about herself since they've met and she decides she likes hearing about her life. She wants to pry, too, because she senses that her opposite is holding something back from her and decides against it. 'Selene is like a honey badger. Aggressively adorable and terribly, terribly tempered,' because even if she is being mostly okay right now, Sol has to make sure to tread carefully. If she plays her cards right, she's pretty sure she can get Selene to stay like this.

For a couple of minutes Sol is actually quiet. Her brows are furrowed together as she thinks about what Selene has said and what she hasn't. She doesn't want to believe that good things have to end. She can't. She won't, because if good things have to end, that means bad things have to as well. It's all a cycle and cycles are endless. Duh. Plus, Selene just said nothing lasts forever. That has to include the bad.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agrees, not even lying because that last little bit about learning to appreciate the good even more? She definitely agrees with that. "I do miss being kid," even if her memories of that period feel so weird to her. Like, her memories of her childhood are filled with moments with her mom. Her mom actually teaching her stuff and taking her places, but that's not the mom Sol feels she has ever known. Even if those memories say otherwise. (It hurts and confuses her that she has those nice memories, but her mom isn't that way anymore. She hardly sees her. She rarely ever is as nice as she was when Sol was young. She used to think she must have done something wrong for her mom to change so quickly on her, seemingly overnight, but she's realized since that it's not her fault and there's no point in trying to figure out this mystery. If her mom can't be the mom she needs her to be, then she has to make peace with that. She'll be her own mom.) "I got to roar a lot more back then. Now it feels silly to pretend to be a lion or something," which must sound weird coming Sol, who definitely doesn't leave the impression that she's grown up at all. "I guess that's why I'm trying so hard to enjoy just being a princess, because I'm only going to get more responsibilities."

As for what she's made? "Uh, I'm not sure. I want to say I made someone named Squidward Tennis Balls's house, but that seems wrong too. I just vibed with the sno––" Okay. Wait a minute. Is the moon court effecting her psyche or did her sculpture just talk? Slowly, she turns to face her creature, eyes wide as saucers when the thing continues to talk. "Dang, this is just like when I accidentally gave my pumpkin patch sentience," she mutters under her breath, realizing exactly what has happened. (You'd think her mom would have been pleased that her daughter's life magic is up to snuff, but nooooo if it's not flames, fire, and, uh, blazing infernos then it's all worthless.)

"Um, you're welcome, Frosty," because that just feels like an appropriate name for an anthropomorphic snow statue. Though Sol immediately regrets bringing the snowperson to life when it reveals its purpose in life! 'Oh crap, I brought a murderer into this world! This is not good. Selene is sooo going to kill me.' "I, uh, don't feel comfortable with the prospect of giving you better murder stats. You're going to have to be like the crow meme, I'm sorry. Your mom is a lover, not a fighter."

"Ah, c'mon! Haven't you ever had hopes and dreams before? When I was but a mere snowflake this is all I hoped for and I expected to be buried under more snow, but now I have life! I have power. I want more. I want to be the harbinger of doom and destruction!" the abominable snowperson screams, impassioned, and Sol is surprised it's not melting itself or crumbling. 'Crap, crap, crap!' "A scholar once said, it is better to rule by fear than by love. Will you at least make me some minions?"

"Um, Frosty, dear, would you excuse us? I need to sidebar with my rival here," she explains, laughing nervously as she pulls Selene to the side. When she's pretty sure they're out of earshot of Frosty, she whispers, "Okay, please, please, please don't be mad. I didn't mean to bring Frosty to life, but this does happen from time to time. I have leaky magic. Anyway, I don't want to stereotype snow, but it's not all murderous, right? I don't want to unleash a murder snow on the realm. What do you advise? Are you aware of, like, murderous snow rehabilitation programs? Murder Snow Anonymous?"

"Hey! What are you whispering about?" Frosty shouts, "If it's about my arms, I would like some nice strong tree branches. Ohhh, tree branch horns would be nice too! Do consider my minion request as well. That will make spreading my message much easier."

"Please, Selene," she begs, "if you help me I'll owe you a huge solid."

 

[Syntra]

Ridiculous, that was what it was. Ridiculous, and also a bad omen! The sun’s daughter never should have been allowed to enter the moon domain-- the disgusting ball of hot gases was invasive enough already, really, with the way it inserted itself everywhere. So vast was its gravitational field that even conversations had to revolve around it, and all the eyes were instinctively drawn towards the sun. A chronical case of an overinflated ego, doubtlessly. Therefore, yes, Selene had a very good reason to be angry at Sol! (Not even five minutes had passed, and yet the sun princess had already begun claiming her home for herself. ‘You don’t matter,’ her actions said. ‘None of this matters, aside from my own will.’ Frankly, she should have been furious, but for some inexplicable reason? Selene found it impossible not to laugh, when confronted with the absurdity of this situation.) “Has this been your grand plan all along, Sol? To invade the moon kingdom, breathe life into the snow, and defeat the realm with its own weapons? Tsk, tsk. It appears that I have underestimated you-- I knew not that you were capable of such delicious irony.” …what? Ever since Selene had returned home, everything felt much less annoying-- probably a side effect of the cold, really. (It wasn’t an accident that people recommended one another to cool down, you see? Perhaps it had been the sun, with its ever-present heat and fiery touch, that had been driving her so crazy. …well, that, and it was also nice to feel genuinely welcome, the moon princess supposed. Luna most likely wouldn’t share those sentiments, for failure wasn’t to be celebrated, but Luna wasn’t here, was she? I haven’t failed yet, mother. When I return for good, you’ll understand how wrong you were about me. By then, though, it would be late. Late, late, late! There were women pathetic enough to play the wayward daughter, Selene knew, but she wasn’t one of them. Luna was free to regret her past actions, but ah, wouldn’t her atonement hit that much harder with blood flowing down her mouth? She, at least, thought so.)

“I don’t know, Sol,” Selene put her hand on her waist. “Why should I try to police this creature? I mean, they appear to have their priorities in order. They’re ambitious, which I’m told is good. Can we really claim that we know better than them? By what right? Isn’t that a bit arrogant, to claim that we know the ultimate recipe to happiness? Perhaps, for this snow sculpture, happiness translates to murder. Who are we to judge? I feel like trying to impose our own morality standards on them would be terribly anthropocentric. I mean, would you ask your plants to fill their taxes? Would you send a wolf to jail because she ate some doe’s kid? Seems pretty short-sighted to me.”

“Yes, yes!” Frosty jumped in excitement in the background. “That’s exactly it. Finally, a human who is open-minded enough! Once me and my friends take over the domain, you shall be spared.”

Amused, Selene tilted her head aside. “Why do you want to do this, even? Not judging, btw-- I am just curious about your motivations.”

Frosty’s frozen face didn’t offer much in terms of expressivity, but somehow, the moon princess could swear that their gaze got searing, somehow. “Motivations, huh? I’ll tell you all about my motivations, girl. All of this is Luna’s fault!” Ah, alright. As much as Selene would have loved to be surprised, she kinda wasn’t-- that would have been like watching another Marvel movie and being shocked that it revolved around ugly humans in pajamas thinking they were badass. (…wait, what?) “Well, not only Luna’s fault, I suppose,” Frosty admitted. “Hers, and those blasted unicorns of hers.”

“Unicorns? What those have to do with anything?”

“More than you think, girl! They’re, like, master ass-kissers,” they said, with contempt dripping from their words, “so they became the highest clerks in the kingdom. The highest clerks! Can you believe? The bitches don’t even have hands. They can’t fill out all those forms Luna loves so much, and… no. Nope, not the point. The point is that they’re so insufferable! Oooo, I am a horse and who is more,” Frosty mimicked, clearly bitter. “For some reason, the fact that I only have one pitiful horn makes me superior. Worship me, mortals! Look, I’m a peaceful entity, but sometimes, murder is the only solution. Like, one of those bitches even kidnapped my cousin-- she won The Prettiest Snowflake contest three times in a row, and the horse just decided that she was to decorate his home now. Isn’t that despicable enough for you two?”

“Hmm,” Selene turned towards Sol, “not that your offer isn’t tempting, but a) there are no anger management programs here,” yeah, because anger was the very essence of Luna’s existence, “b) I have to say that Frosty here sounds reasonable. Why shouldn’t they be killed, if that’s what they’re like? What kind of message are we sending via not murdering them brutally? That their conduct is okay? I don’t know, Sol, that seems kinda counterproductive to me,” Selene folded her arms over her chest. “If we don’t start eradicating assholes, they’ll multiply and, soon enough, the whole kingdom will be ruled by them. Do you want to be responsible for a world like that, hmm?”

“For sure, for sure!” Frosty nodded frantically in the background. “That would make you, like, the biggest asshole ever. The queen of assholes!”

 

[starboob]

Sol waits and waits and waits for probably three whole seconds for Selene's response. Her body goes rigid and she all but shuts her eyes waiting for those verbal lashes to come out like flaming whips meant to punish her for her honest accident. She's pretty much ready for the happiest day of her young life to come to an end. (Ah, it was like premonition when Selene had said that all good things come to an end. She just wishes it wouldn't have to be true for this particular moment. OR that this moment could at least last, like, three more hours at minimum. Like, she'll still cherish the rare pearl or whatever when she reflects on this before bedtime, and she knows she's still allowed to be sad that it's ended so quickly and so suddenly.) However? However, Selene surprises her. She continues to be in a rather pleasant mood and instead teases Sol about the mishap––which whew. Crisis frigging averted!

Visibly, the sunbeam relaxes once more and a dopey grin rests on her lips. "Ha, I guess you figured out my master plan," she jokes, deciding to go along with Selene's ridiculous claim, because it is re-donk-ulous. Like, can anyone really see Sol being a mastermind like that? Nah, if she invaded the moon court, it would probably be on accident and she'd likely use an army of butterflies or something. Then the butterflies would all freeze to death because they aren't built for cold weather and Sol would get supes sad and then get herself supes captured. "Rule number three of warfare: overestimate your enemy so hard that you plan for every possibility. I'm like... I'm like a raccoon. Very adorable, into trash, but I will mess you up if you make one wrong move," she laughs, feeling better already. (Of course, she really hopes she doesn't have to fight Selene or anyone ever. She want to be the Sun who brings peace, not more chaos and red skies. She wants to be the Sun that makes everyone smile and feel hopeful. Mhm!)

Her good mood doesn't last for much longer, however, when the moon daughter appears reluctant to help her. It's mildly surprising, because she would have thought that the moon princess would was to protect the moon court. Yet, she seems more into commending Frosty's ambitions. Even if she does bring up some solid points about nature and not imposing their human-adjacent morals onto a being who is distinctly not human or human-adjacent, Sol would still think she'd want to protect her citizens from danger. (Then again, based on her attitude towards those super secret club trials and teamwork, her counterpart probably thinks if people can't defend themselves then they deserve to die or something incredibly weird like that.) Her brow puckers together, clearly hard at work thinking about her companion's perspective. "I mean, I suppose you have a point. If this is the nature of snow," and she cannot confirm that for herself since she is not the resident snow expert, "then I guess it wouldn't be very punk rock to judge Frosty's instincts. Like when my cat ate my bird, I didn't punish my cat. I just got really sad and made sure to keep my next bird very far away from my cat."

Plus, when Frosty explains their reason for wanting to commit acts of murder? Well, Sol sees a golden opportunity, because they also need to slaughter a moonicorn. (Sol doesn't mind this kind of murder as much, because she does not like horses.) "Woah, I cannot believe the moon is a horse girl," like, instinctively, Sol knew that Luna should not be trusted but finding out she's also a horse girl adjacent? Unforgivable. Horse girls are the least trustworthy of the three animal girl archetypes (The other two being the respectable wolf and dragon girls. Sol claims dragon girl rights, btw.) Like, who in their freaky little mind would trust a horse? Plus, the evidence re: the prettiest snowflake and the argument re: ***holes is pretty convincing. "Dude, I barely want to be the Sun queen and she's almost already synonymous with being a queen of butt wipes. Hmm."

Sol scratches her chin thoughtfully and then wordlessly walks over to one of the trees in the forest. She presses her palm against the frozen bark and asks for a few of limbs; though the tree probs has loyalties to the moon court, it obliges and a handful of branches snap-off. "Alright, Frosty, you have the right to tree arms," she smiles, reaching for the two beefiest branches and sticks them into Frosty's sides. Then she grabs some of the smaller sticks and gives her creation the cooliest crown of the horns. "There, now you are appropriately fearsome. Plus, I made sure to give you more than one horn, so automatically, you're way better than a moonicorn. Oh, and we also happen to need kill a moonicorn and you seem pretty knowledgeable... Wanna team up?"

"Well, since you did open your heart to my request..." Frosty muses, flexing their arms and feeling their crown of thorns, "Sure, why not! The more the merrier! I say we go for the one that kidnapped my cousin first and then work our way up to Luna's most cherished one. I'm thinking this will take two, maybe three weeks tops."

"Ugh, alright," Sol agrees, hesitantly. She doesn't really think they have two to three weeks to kill all the moonicorns, but Shirking Responsibilities is Sol's middle name so she'll just play along and nod, as she does whenever her mom is talking to her. "Sure, that sounds good," she shrugs and then reaches to squeeze Selene's hand in the universal, We're not doing all that, dw dw. (And unlike Selene's prior use of the sacred hand-squeeze message system, Sol isn't lying.)

"Great! Off to the great stables!"

And with that proclamation, they head towards the great stables. In some ways it does surprise Sol that the royal moonicorns would live in stables, but they are horses so where else would they live? If not in a sheltered spot, then she figures just out in the snow plains which might not be fancy enough for them, she guesses. Soon enough the trio are crouched outside of some regular looking stable, in Sol's humble onion, and Frosty is whispering something about 'strategy.' They say, "The key to slaying a moonicorn is slicing off their stupid little horn first. If you don't do that, you're just asking for an ass whooping from these pricks. Selene and I will run some defense and Sol, you take care of offense, got it?"

 

[Syntra]

The human mind, Selene had learned, was a fragile thing. In a way, all complicated systems were exactly that-- the more components there were, after all, the greater the chance of something just… breaking. Falling apart. Still, it was funny, wasn’t it? The way people’s “””values””” disintegrated into dust, really, the second she took a swing at them with her proverbial hammer. (A pacifist, pfff. Yeah, right! The girl’s convictions were false, and also built upon shaky foundations, and honestly? Selene hadn’t expected anything else from the sun princess, who had spent her life not having to think. No, really. Victory was sweet, indeed, but it also dulled your senses. It invited you to lie in a soft featherbed, and forget about everything-- you had won, after all, so any vigilance would have been wasted. And, well, that was wrong, wrong, wrong! The very mistake that would snap her spine in half, with no hope of recovery. Selene would laugh when it inevitably happened, too, but… hmm. That wasn’t a bad affliction to suffer from, now was it? At least when the fool happened to be her enemy, and when she would likely do the snapping. Perhaps I should let her taste more sweetness, then, Selene decided. It would be a small price to pay for the crown that is rightfully mine.)

“A raccoon?” the moon princess smiled, suddenly all charming. “Come on, Sol, that’s hardly a flattering comparison. If I had to go for something, I’d choose a butterfly.” Tiny, needlessly colorful, and with a brain the size of a grain of sand-- yes, indeed, all of that checked out. If the sun princess chose to see a different aspect of her comparison, though? Well, that was hardly Selene’s fault, so she refused to accept the responsibility. (She hadn’t caused Sol’s mind to rot, after all. It had been Helia, along with all the other courtly bitches, and now they were about to reap the fruits of their efforts. Oh, how bitter they were going to be! The family drama would be to die for, and once again, Selene found herself craving the mysterious substance called ‘popcorn.’) “I believe that that would fit your personality that much more.” …more like her deficiencies, though to a lot of people, those were actually synonyms. You know, ‘love me with all my faults’ and such? How very pathetic, to demand of other person to accept your failings. The weight was for you alone to bear, and those whose arms weren’t strong enough deserved to have them broken!

“A horse girl,” Selene whispered, with a mix of amusement and disbelief. To refer to Luna like that was sacrilegious, sacrilegious and blatantly incorrect, but you know what? The moon daughter decided she could have some inaccuracies, as a treat. “Yes, that’s right,” she agreed quickly. “You wouldn’t believe how far she is willing to go in her obsession. Every morning, before the moon graces the skies, Luna chooses to feast on hay. She neighs, too, in order to make them feel more welcome. The bitches can speak, mind you, but she doesn’t want to disturb their sensibilities, you know? Something about our speech being ‘crude and unrefined’ in comparison.” The moon princess half-expected Luna to emerge out of nothingness and grab her by the throat, though when it didn’t happen? There was a strange feeling of euphoria, as if her chest was about to burst. …ah. Was that what disobedience tasted like? An addictive flavor, that was for sure. In that moment, Selene was willing to swear upon her heart that she’d commit herself to murdering every single moonicorn that had ever stained her dimension with its pitiful existence! “Yes, off to the great stables. The horses shall rue the day they were born, for life is a gateway to suffering and I am its doorman.”

When Frosty spoke of their strategy, though? The moon daughter couldn’t help but frown. “Why do I have to take care of defense? I was born to spill blood, Frosty,” curse Sol for ruining her dramatic speech with such an anticlimactic name, dammit, “and I won’t compromise my values for your little quest. My directive is to maim, not to protect. To lurk in the shadow, not to prowl in the sunlight. I, Selene, was meant to--”

“Ooooh, who is that?” one of the moonicorns lifted its ugly, ugly head. “Oh my goodness, new toys arrived! Girls, girls, come look at them-- they’re positively adorable. They even come with their own little weapons! You think this is a limited edition? Aw, I’ve always dreamed of my own limited-edition dolls.”

…hey, why was Frosty suddenly not moving? Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to seize revenge for themselves, and their kidnapped cousin? “Sorry,” Frosty whispered, “our cover has been blown. Now I gotta pretend that I’m but a statue. Don’t worry, though! I will strike when they least expect it.”

Okay, okay, okay-- what on moon was going on here? Selene would have loved to think about the question some more, and possibly even written it down in her diary, but quickly, it turned out that they weren’t about to have time for such frivolities. Before the moon princess had the chance to realize what was happening, you see, they were surrounded!

“I want the cute one.”

“They’re both cute, Gladys.”

“Fine, fine! The one who doesn’t look as if she wants to murder me. Oh my, what an adorable ray of sunshine! Quickly, put her on my back. I heard that, if you mean to bond with your human, you gotta break them first.” The gang of horses descended upon Sol, and the next thing she knew? She was sitting atop one of the moonicorns, her legs way too distant from the ground. “How do you like this, little one? Isn’t the world more beautiful from the saddle? That’s what everyone says, anyway, but like, I cannot confirm that. I’m afraid that moonicorns who drive other moonicorns around just aren’t a thing.”