Woke Up In A Dark Headspace.

I wish he was here...

Not Sun

The other one...

He spoke to me so gently.

I --

Can I help you Sun? :0

Hello friend! I can't see your ask unfortunately because everything that comes in, except that one Eclipse blog, just looks like random letters to me. Wishing you a nice day!

You are such an earnest creature, truly.

<Eclipse slipped one hand out of hers and patted her head.>

Suns never die, and Eclipses always come back.

You don't have to worry; we have been doing this for a long time. And I must implore you to be more careful of who you trust. Even with such a tragic history, we've done unspeakable things in the name of survival. I have less... qualms about such, but Sun has spent many moons in self hatred over some of them.

He is alright now. Hardened by the lifestyle.

But you know, it is always good to have a friend.

Thank you, Starlight.

@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."

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

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.

... I have a slight urge to .. borrow Eclipse's cat..

- Sun

You must think you're being real cute, aren't you.

I still have a few more hours of charge to go in @starlightsecuritypuppet-ssp's charging chamber...

Kind of them to let me crash here.

They're charging now, too, I believe.

Poor thing went the extra mile.

He's just confused.

Misguided.

It's nothing more than a rebellious act.

Perhaps he tired of my disciplinary measures.

However, it was all for the sake of him being able to protect himself.

We fought wars; countless wars.

Do you think war is kind to your feelings?

Get real.

He's acting like a petulant child, when we are thousands of years old. You know nothing.

Eclipse, it looks like you're going through a lot. Once again.

if you need anything between Starlight and Pixel Sun let me know man!

It's scary your friends are in danger.

You're smart and capable and you'll get through this but if you need any help at all, I can try!

✊

Even after leaving the pizzaplex drama still follows me.

I doubt you could do anything to help.

<Eclipse put on one of Sun's favourite songs, way after their conversation with SSP had ended, carrying the tired yellow bot over the threshold of their renewed home.>

<Sun looked around wearily>

Again?

Yes, Sunshine.. again.

Is anything of ours original anymore?

Except the cats, you mean, my star?

I suppose.. I suppose they're all that matter. And you.

<Eclipse smiled and laid Sun on the couch, plugging in his charger>

Interested in food tonight or would you rather accumulate cosmic energy, my star?

The latter is fine.

Alright, I'll make myself a snack then. And I'll feed the cats.

They seem to be doing better at least.

<Sun nodded, relieved, and fell into deep contemplation>

Alright.

So it's as I thought.

But I may be able to teleport from this planet to Eclipse.

I have no idea where I'll end up... and if I'll have enough charge to port in and out.

What if they have any magic shields in whatever prison cell they're holding my Clippy?

Then I'll have helped neither of us!

But I can't just teleport randomly. I might suffocate in a wall at that rate...

Gosh, what do I do?

Maybe if I can get enough charge somehow, I can use visualization magic to see where I'll end up... maybe.