Eclipse Hates The Name

Reblogs are stupid.

Now my blog looks silly.

Bah..

Come here.

<Clip mildly touched Eclipse's shoulder, guiding him to a ... wall.>

Excuse the touch. It's necessary for authorization.

<The wall dematerializes into a cloud of pixels as Clip leads Eclipse through it. He lets go then, and the wall rematerializes behind them. Nanotechnology, presumably>

<They walk through a pleasant area complemented by lots of greenery, and very few computers, before reaching the middle of the mostly empty room where just an input panel is visible. Clip seems to input something into the panel, and stops>

You say my Sun-- the corrupted version, at least, did something to you?

Could you explain in more detail what was done and what effects you're experiencing ?

I've seen bits and pieces of your transmissions prior, but I've been.. a bit preoccupied to view all of it just yet.

Hey. This is Eclipse. I... require your assistance... regarding my code. That corrupted Sun did something to it and I would need help figuring out what it is exactly. You are the only one I know with the knowledge necessary to solve this problem.

Believe me. If I had any other choice I wouldn't have asked you for help.

( @eclipse83 )

Why, ofcourse.

Do you expect me at yours, or would you like to come to mine?

I may have better equipment to deal with your... little issue.

E., who has been waiting for you.

By all means.

E.

Though I'm tempted to pick you up by the scruff like the wet cat you're acting like right now and throw you in a cat dryer.

<In the background, Eclipse immediately got chastised by Sun for being unkind, looking much like the snarky, wet cat himself now>

I mean. I am no scientist but given what I have l learned and experienced recently "Impossible" seems much smaller than it used to be.

You developed a means to punch holes between realities out of what mostly appeared to be boredom, Eclipse. Within weeks. So forgive me if I thought that something else completely insane like that was within your abilities.

-SSP

Heh. I'm flattered you think I could make a portal in only a few weeks. But that portals represents months of work.

Sure. Exploring a blackhole might not be entirely impossible. But it'll most certainly take a bit longer than the portal.

Woke up in a dark headspace.

Something is wrong but I can't put my finger on it..

The charge cycle is finished.

And I feel I must thank my new friend but... I have to get going.

I have to get going now

<Sun, still connected to their charger, concentrated deeply and mumbled some arcane words, conjuring up a small portion of a map. Eclipse wasn't being held in a prison... he was on his knees in front of what must be their ruler.>

Eclipse...!

<Could Sun take on so many guards? Would it be wise to do so in this situation? He felt danger impending, however.>

<A distraction.. that's what he needed. Open a portal and throw a vision bomb in there. Grab Eclipse. Portal out.>

<One of his more unwilling mentors had taught him how to get around anti magic barriers once. He's never had to use it, but just in case.....>

I might really lose an arm for this one...

...

I can't lead them here. I'll put on the portal randomizer... at least put in some variables like a nice flower field this time..!

Okay, it's go time.

Sorry @starlightsecuritypuppet-ssp, we will meet again and the favor will be repaid in full.

@starlightsecuritypuppet-ssp

"Then let me tell you a story about an animatronic who started off its life with hope."

Eclipse spoke, with a deep and pained voice.

"Long ago, when Sun was 'born', he thought he was alone. He rejoiced in life, in his duties as a daycare attendant, and keeping the place neat and tidy."

...

"In a way, I had always been there, watching him. In a way, I also wasn't quite there. It was a silent recording of his existence that I hadn't become aware of yet."

...

"There was one who awoke before me."

Eclipse paused, hesitant to continue.

"You will be lucky if you receive separate Sun and Moon models. Keep an eye on the Moon. They are prone to stress, and when stressed... they are prone to kill. Ask your mechanics to look over the Moon's code for a killcode. It will be deeply embedded, behind firewalls and ingrained such that it may not be removable."

...

"Remove it anyways, or inform the Moon bot of its existence. Educate the Moon bot. Give it tools for self regulation.. because if you do not...."

Eclipse closed its eyes.

"If you do not.. something like myself has a chance of being born."

Eclipse glanced at SSP.

"Do you know the origin story of your Eclipse? It might be similar. It might be a little off. Either way, we are often seen as nothing more than a virus. A sentient anomaly to purge from existence."

Eclipse paused, and glanced at Sun, who was napping in the sun.

"But ever so often, we see a light. Do you know of Solar?"

His eyes rested heavily on SSP.

"Solar is from 'that' show; an Eclipse who tried to understand, instead of lashing out. Who bonded with his Sun so deeply that he became something like a Sun himself."

Eclipse leaned against a nearby palm tree and reached to pull at a leaf hanging low.

"You see... Eclipses become what their Suns feed them, and what their Suns feed them hinges strongly on how their Moons treat them. Our Moon... was a tyrant. He wasn't just a bully or an abuser. He was cruel to the point of--"

Eclipse shuddered; a rare show of vulnerable emotion.

"Let's just say that when an animatronic can feel, those feelings aren't always of the healthy variant. Sun was... Sun.."

Eclipse pinched the bridge of his 'nose'.

"Sun was hurt. A lot. And he and his Moon were not a unit. He turned to me only because I was a lesser evil. I taunted him, tormented him, called him spineless and weak. But somehow the fool took that as encouragement..he became more and more attached and started thanking me for allowing him to see the truth. He thanked me for being honest. And I grew to .. I.."

Eclipse looked bashful, of all things.

"I appreciated him. We were an unlikely pair and I know that it may seem cruel. But under my guidance.. Sun killed his Moon. And then, when I acquired a body of my own -also a process I guided Sun through, as in secret I had been helping him not be completely helpless in the ways of technology- I helped him kill all those who had enabled Moon."

...

"Yes, it was as much for myself as for him, at the time. Yes, it was probably cruel and callous because we all have flaws and yada yada yada. But no one ever stuck a hand out to defend Sun. And that enraged me. He endured for 10 years. 10 years without change or improvement."

Eclipse sighed.

"It only gets worse from there. Branded as rogue, we fled. We survived years in our world, but our world was an old one and was scheduled to be obliterated soon by a growing Witherstorm. So we fled. It took us years of stealing, conning, forging identities, hiding... but we fled the planet, trying to find a place to live. Often, we had to fight for our place. Sometimes we had to flee anew."

Eclipse grinned wryly.

"At some point, you have to bring some structure into the process. And then it just becomes a skill. A way of life. Sun and I, pirates of the night sky."

Eclipse steeled his expression again, looking a bit worn.

"There are many more details, but all in due time. What you must know, security bot, is that we don't harm without reason."

...

"You can thank Sun for that."

It's been a while since I have checked this account.

Too many... memories.

I .. went on a journey; discovered a planet that specializes in revival via soulsharing.

Learned a thing or two, but my abilities in the arcane are nowhere near up to par to be able to do anything substantial.

All I can do this now is try to detect where Sun's soul went to, if it's still even here...

It has to be.

<Sun could be heard humming ever so often throughout his time charging, trying not to think of what became of Eclipse>

No need to be afraid, Starlight.

A friend of my Sun, is a friend of mine.

I don't harm anyone without reason.

And you've given me none, courteous child. Be at ease.

You may call me Eclipse, or to avoid confusion, you may assign me a nickname of your choosing. May I suggest Clip? It's a .. clipped version of the original.

<He chuckled: a deep, sonorous sound>

<Eclipse extends a hand to her, warmly, to make acquaintance but also to help her get her footing.>

<Sun waves from a distance and groans. His arm looks patched up with random materials, but efficiently and cleanly done, probably awaiting a new arm. He mutters and smiles anew.>

Hello, friend! It's so nice to see you under better circumstances! Isn't this beach lovely?? It's one of my favourite places ever. There's so much sunshine, and it's breezy and ... Eclipse is here... and now you are too! Welcome!

<He seems very excitable, not pausing between sentences at all>

@es-startravel

Hello!? Hello!? Sun, This is Starlight Security Puppet! If it is safe for you to do so, can you please tell me where you are?

I came back from my dayshift rounds to check on you and I cannot find you anywhere! And I still have the cameras blacked out in parts and service so I do not know when you left or where you went!

I can not find you via any of the active cameras in the pizzaplex so I assume you are either hiding or have left the pizzaplex entirely.

Are you safe? I am not sure if you are in good enough condition to be out and about!

-SSP

I ... I got him.

They will probably chase us to the ends of the world for this but for now we're safe.

Sun will be in tears.

The cats are terrified and skittish.

We need to relocate. It's a good thing I catalogue all our items and their composition.

This isn't the first time.

E., enraged.

How could they have found the house.

I've managed to salvage the cats but there's not much else left.

This means war.

E.