I'm Finding So Many Eclipses.

Ofcourse.

I forgot.

This is foreign to you.

...

A moment.

<Eclipse could hear Clip input something on the panel>

Engaging rapid translation technology.

Please stand by.

<Piece by piece, Eclipse could see the code rearrange itself into something more readable, more direct. A binary that made sense, save for a few questionable things here and there. Almost like jargon from a different language: readable but hard to decipher without context. At least Eclipse could make some sense of it now...>

@eclipse83

<Clip wasn't aware of Eclipse's inner thoughts and 5 minutes passed in amicable silence>

<The nanomachines then stopped working and a fully functioning, yet inactive, chamber had materialized.>

<Clip briefly inspected the machine and, deeming it up to standard, looked to Eclipse>

Are you ready?

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.

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."

Perhaps whatever they sense in you attracts trouble in the form of some cosmic chaos.

E.

It seems you've landed yourself in some hot waters.

E., amused but mildly concerned

No. Fucking. Shit.

I didn't even do anything this time.

<Eclipse is fondly watching Sun shake his ass at the moment, seeing as the latter is in better spirits and sweeping the house while dancing and singing terribly off key>

Previously:

<Clip, Eclipse Unit-2, nodded a vaguely surprised affirmative at @starlightsecuritypuppet-ssp>

Yes? Why--

<But before anyone could react, a powerful blast of dark energy threw all who weren't secured backwards. @insults-by-sun was knocked into @eclipse83, and Clip was flung against a jagged wall, making his already twice-weakened body screech in protest>

You.

What did you DO TO ME!

<The corrupted Sun was once again awake and scrambling for the usb at the back of his head plate in Starlight's binds. It was anyone's hope that they would hold for 10 more minutes. Just 10 more minutes...>

Time is an illusion.

And you're right, we don't know each other that well!

<Sun's voice took on a darker tone>

So why are you interfering with, what was initially supposed to be, some playful bothering of this Eclipse? I would have dropped it at his insistence.

You seem an awful lot like his guard dog right now. Is that what you are? What you want to be known as? Did he ask you to interfere on his behalf?

Try hard.

I'll leave the issue be, but back off, or else.

<There was a terrifying swirling aura around Sun; sweet pale yellow fading into deep black. In that moment, he definitely gave off an impression of more an Eclipse than a Sun.>

- Sun

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

You are no longer lost, star.

Why don't we change this to something more... fitting?

Journalling about our journey through the galaxy is bound to amuse some.

E.

Memories...

I also heard music.

Stream of consciousness music is always such a surreal experience....