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Chapter Text

Iterator Looks to the Moon would be lying if she tried to say she wasn't happy when the little slugcat, whom she had started referring to as Sugar, stuck around instead of making the journey deep to the void sea. Considering her state, and the state of the world at large, there was nothing really to do, or anyone to talk to. She spent her days staring up at the few neurons she had, gazing into the swirling waters around her, and losing more and more time with every passing cycle. It was quiet. It was lonely.

So, so very lonely. 

Maybe that's why the little creature kept coming back, kept staying with her. Maybe it was lonely too. Maybe it saw it's own loneliness in her eyes, and decided to keep her company as the cycles passed and her body only further deteriorated. The rain cycles had not been kind as of recently and her umbilical had begun to come loose, spilling wires that hung limply across her back. She wasn't sure exactly what would happen upon those wires being severed, but despite everything she wasn't exactly eager to find out. 

But none of that. For now she was.....well. Not fine, she hadn't been fine in many cycles, but she was surviving. Not in the least due to the....almost exorbitant amount of neurons that Sugar had stolen for her from Five Pebbles. Despite all odds, she was still here. Chuckling softly, she couldn't help but muse that their creators *had* built them to last. 

Sugar swiveled it's head around at the iterator, tilting it's head and giving her an inquisitive look as it paused it's gnawing on a small batfly. She waved it off simply. "Don't mind me, little one. Lost in thought is all." She assured her friend. Sugar blinked and raised a brow, going back to it's albeit meager meal but keeping a seemingly disbelieving eye on her. 

"It's nothing, really. Just...." She sighed. It wasn't like she could do much more than talk, now. And she did appreciate having an ear to listen. "I was thinking about...why you stayed, I suppose. Why I stay. I'm glad you did, of course, I just can't help but wonder why when you could have gone to the sea and escaped this cycle. And then decided to stay with me. And then myself, stuck here until my can degrades so far that I can no longer retain consciousness." She chuckled humorlessly. "It's not like I can destroy myself, after all."

Immediately, Sugar bristled and let out a displeased hiss. It shoved the rest of the batfly in it's mouth before scrambling up to dart over, making her yelp as she was nearly bowled over by it leaping up into her lap and smacking it's hands into her shoulders. If she wasn't made of metal, she was almost sure the little slugcat would have bitten her. And even then it looked like her friend was considering it. She had to scramble her hands to keep herself upright, jostling her hanging umbilical uncomfortably.

"Sugar!" She reprimanded. "What was that for?" 

Sugar shook her and hissed again, looking frustrated. Once again, the barrier of language was proving to be a problem. Sugar could understand her just fine, but it could only make the sounds an animal could. She grabbed the creature and lifted it away, as best she could anyway, and glared. "I'm not a rattle, Sugar, so please do not shake me. My condition is poor as is." She said firmly. In response, Sugar's eyes rolled so far up, that it flopped backwards into her lap with a huff. She sighed, and smoothed a hand over it's soft stomach in silence for a moment. 

The little creature could almost pass for a plush, she mused. If it weren't for the short, stiff fur that always seemed a little wet, and not just because of the short swim it took to get to her little island, and the sticky paw pads. It was soft, squishy, and smooth. Not to mention quite warm. In a different world, maybe they could have been bred as pets. This one, at least, was a very good companion in her humble opinion. She appreciated it's company, and it seemed to appreciate hers just as much.

She paused.

"Did you not like me joking about destroying myself?" She asked slowly. Sugar's ears perked up instantly, and it nodded furiously. Pushing itself up, it pressed itself to her front and stared up at her with sorrowful eyes and a low purr rumbling in it's throat. If she had a heart, it probably would have hurt a bit at that. In apology, she scratched between the little creature's ears. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you at all, little one."

She sighed, leaning back. "Sometimes I think about....what if I had been one of my creators, instead of the creation." She began. "Would I have hated the cycle as much as they did? Would I have a family? Would I have gone with them into ascension, or would I have stayed?" She wondered. "Thanks to your gifts, I have remembered some of the details I hadn't before. I think...I used to watch the clouds through my overseers. The sun, the moon. Sometimes I can't help but envy them, being able to live out there. Whereas I am here, instead. I used to feel many things through my can, but I imagine it's not quite the same."

She looked down at Sugar, rubbing a thumb across it's little head. "Do you like the sun, little creature?" She asked. It paused, but nodded happily all the same. She chuckled. "Certainly better than the rain, at least." She hummed, her friend nodding sagely in agreement with her. 

Almost as one, the two suddenly froze, ears and antenna drawing back.

The rain.

They had forgotten about the rain.

All too little and all too late they had noticed. Only now could Moon hear the sound of rushing water somewhere beyond the confines of her chambers. The deep, terrible rumble of the water hitting her can and draining inside of it. She and Sugar locked eyes, and she could see it's pupils shrunken into slits, the way it's breathing had sped up already as if to make up for air it would soon be loosing. 

Panicked calculations began shooting through her head. There was a shelter close to her chamber. So, so tantalizingly close. In just the next room over. The rain couldn't have begun too long ago or they would have noticed. After a point it became impossible not to. The waters around her chamber were becoming tumultuous, already starting to rise up, but it was not too late. She had to believe it wasn't too late. Immortal cycle or not, she desperately did not want to watch her friend die. Again, she locked eyes with Sugar. 

"Go." She ordered. 

Even without the mark of communication, the slugcat would have needed no instruction. In an instant, it was diving into the waters, becoming naught but a dark blur as it swam quickly out of her chambers. She hoped it would make it. 

For her, this was a normal part of the cycle. The waters coming in and filling her collapsed can, flooding her chambers and loosing her in the cold and dark until eventually it would mostly drain and leave her soaked, battered, but alive and.....as ready as she could be for another round of survival in this harsh world. The anxiety never really went away, though.

She didn't like being drowned. Of course she didn't. But that was simply how it was. A series of bad things compounding until eventually it became normal. Though sometimes now she would look at the water around her chamber and have a shudder of dread run through her. She didn't like to think about it. Luckily or unluckily now, her worried mind was focused on her friend. 

With a sudden splash, said friend's head suddenly popped out of the water once more, scrambling onto what little dry shore there was now. If Moon had a stomach, it would have dropped into her feet by now. 

"Sugar!" She cried. "You cannot stay here! You're going to drown!" She flung her hands up as she stated the obvious. But Sugar shook it's head desperately, furiously pantomiming, or at least trying to. It was now she was remembering the vents and pipes that ran through her can. Now set at a precarious angle and filled with rushing water, one getting into the pipes had a high chance of getting pushed right back out of them just as quickly. Even her brave little friend wouldn't be able to handle getting essentially pressure washed out of the pipes.

The water was lapping violently at their feet now, Sugar was clinging to her legs, and none of it was helping. If only her mind was at full capacity. If only her umbilical worked then maybe she could get Sugar up to the topmost entrance to her chamber but- no, that was leaking water too. They were trapped and she couldn't do anything about it, and even after everything that had happened to her, through her brother diving into self destruction and using up the water and her can collapsing, she had never felt so completely and utterly helpless. Things died all the time, coming back just as quickly, but this was a friend and a friend who was in clear distress as the waters rose further.

A thrashing wave hit the two, and Sugar made an odd noise between a growl and a yowl, jumping in both surprise and panic, driving it to scramble up upon her shoulders and nearly sending her tumbling down into the waters below with a yelp. "Sugar- Don't-" She choked off as the panicked flailing caused a back leg to scrape at exposed wires with fully extended claws, a sensation of being shocked running through her puppet body as she seized and finally did tumble over, falling in a whirl of limbs. Her scream was cut off in the water. 

It was dark it was cold and she didn't have the strength to get up. Claws dug into her shoulders and the already tattered dress her little friend had given her a few cycles ago, clinging desperately and kicking it's back legs into the water. But considering she was made of metal and connected to an even heavier metal umbilical, lifting her from the water was an impossible task. The water was swirling and battering at them now, but she noted that her friend did not let go even as the water rose. It was touching and terrifying all at once. Even in this situation her little friend was trying to save her. It had already done so much, she wished it would swim up and away, even if it was futile.

Moon didn't need to breathe, but she could feel it when the water reached her neurons. A sudden burst of disorientation, all senses washed away with the flood. It felt like shutting down again, in some ways. No up no down she couldn't think or remember she could hardly even feel the weakening paws still clinging to her shoulders despite the fact that they had been down there for days. Minutes? Seconds? She doesn't know.

She does, however, feel when a rush of water flings them sideways and against the wall. 

Something jagged catches on the wires exposed from her back.

Snap. 

The last sound that comes from Looks to the Moon is a harrowing electronic wail.

Chapter Text

Moon knew what dreams were, of course. She had the knowledge of thousands at her fingertips.

But iterators did not sleep, not really. Iterators were not supposed to dream.

And yet. 

The sun. The wind. The gold and black grass swaying gently at her feet. If it weren't for the haze around her mind and the fact that she knew she had never truly touched any of these things before, she could have thought it was real. 

It was empty and quiet, here. Something red brushed up against her legs. Or was it white? It never quite solidified into something she could see. It was there, and yet it wasn't. But it gave the vague feeling of comfort and familiarity as it curled around her just barely out of sight.

It was nice. It wasn't cold or damp or claustrophobic like her puppet chamber had become. This was somewhere she wanted to stay. Where she could stare up at the sun, uncovered from threatening clouds that were nowhere to be seen. Maybe if she waited long enough, she would be able to see the stars too. She wanted that. She wanted to see galaxies and planets fold out before her with her own eyes. 

She was content to wait. This was calmer than it had been in a long time. Somewhere in the distance figures flowed through the grass like fog, only just barely there. Pink and green and orange. White and grey too. familiar but ghostly. Were they having fun? She hoped so. She was their big sister, after all. After everything, they deserved a little downtime.

After.....

....

.

Waking up wasn't like rebooting. It wasn't a sudden shock to her system, or a quiet internal diagnostic as things activated and drew her up to consciousness. This was....so much slower than she was used to. Slower even than getting her bearings after she had gained back that first neuron. 

The first thing that came back was her touch. It was cold and wet. Soaking wet. Like it always was after a cycle of rain. Her dress clung to her metal chassis and pooled water underneath her body. She shivered. Everything felt weak, and she couldn't even muster the strength to push herself back into a sitting position again. Not yet, anyway. Her hands twitched, fingers digging into the metal slag built up around her.

Next was hearing. Water lapped gently against her island as it always did, and dripped from the ceiling onto her already waterlogged body. The metal of her can creaked and groaned as always, but somehow it seemed....louder than it had been before. Somewhere above her was the soft buzz of her neurons floating about. Hopefully all accounted for this time.

Finally, she opened her eyes. Of course, nothing had changed. The view of her chamber was the same as it always was. Metal, water, and the rare patch of moss or grass. Droplets gathered in the divots between the wreckage before falling to the water below, sending ripples that faded into the gentle wave of the water. It was all the same but......no.

No, wait. Something had changed. Something was wrong.

Something was very very wrong. 

She couldn't feel her can. At all. With her limited power before she couldn't feel much, but she did feel. Brushes against ravaged systems, jolts of biomechanical muscles feebly trying to send signals back and forth but sending only sparks. It was so very little compared to before, but it was feeling, even if only enough to give her a near constant ache. Flashes of pain she no longer responded to.

That was gone now.

It was all gone.

She had never felt so empty. Her mind reached desperately for systems that were simply not there anymore. She could hear the frantic buzz of her neurons as they tried to connect to the system, and if she focused she could maybe feel the distant tug of her servos and cogs, but not much more. She was....disconnected. Alone. Her outer layers had been shucked away, leaving only this feeble puppet core. Weak and shivering without layers upon layers of metal to be as much a shield as it was a prison. 

Yet.......

She felt awake, now. Sluggish and disoriented, yes, but awake. Like she had been drawn from a long coma once more. She felt she had forgotten some things again, but the memory she held now was no longer foggy and clouded like the skies above. She was.....present. The aches and pains of her broken can had simply disappeared now, leaving her free of the twists and pulses from deep inside her. She had never felt worse, and yet in this moment, in a shocking turn of fate, she had never felt better either. Was this how the ancients had felt? 

Feebly, she reached back to find the cause of this new development. Her fingers found the wires that had been exposed and- Oh. They fell limply to the side as she clutched at them. She remembered what had happened now.

Sugar. The rain. The floods. The wires to her umbilical snapping with a rush of something that was both incredible pain and all consuming numbness. 

Sugar......

The sudden thought of her friend forced her muscles into action. Shaking with the effort, she drew her arms under herself and heaved upwards. After that, she pulled in her legs and leaned forward, settling into the familiar lopsided sitting position she often did. It was usually harder than that, now that she thought of it. After all, she had to contend with her umbilical before. A tentative glance back confirmed all of it. The long metal rail now laying limply a few feet away, the remains of her wires hanging from the inner cavity. It was almost sickening, and she thought that maybe it had been a bad idea to look.

No time for that. Another look around told her that she was alone. No blob of white anywhere to be seen, in the water or upon her island. With a twist of sorrow, she realized the poor thing must have drowned. It wasn't surprising, of course. She had known the moment it came back to her that it likely would, but it still hurt her somewhere deep in her chest. She never wanted the little creature to be hurt, especially not because she had talked so long. She should not have gotten so lenient with the time she allowed Sugar to spend there.

A whine slipped from her vocal cords as she slumped forward into her own lap, dragging her hands up her antenna as they pinned back in dejection. Her fault. As usual. 

Even in her sadness, however, it was impossible to miss the loud KerPLUNK in the room outside her chamber as something hit the water heavily. The sound of a particularly ungrateful fall. Then, loud splashing. She drew herself up as it went quiet for all of two seconds before a white blur was diving over the divider into her room. With a sharp gasp and a flood of relief, she realized who it was before it even scrambled up onto the shore. 

"Sugar!" She cried in joy, opening her arms. The little creature only barely pulled itself back from bowling her over completely. It's tiny paws were all over her in an instant, grabbing at her dress, her arms, her cheeks and antenna, frantically checking her over as if it had not been the one who drowned, despite her protests. The instant it found her severed wires, it made a high noise of distress, pawing at them before Moon managed to pull it away. 

"Sugar- No, stop! It's okay, I'm alive! I'm alive." She said quickly, keeping her friend at arms length. It made a whine, eyes darting from her back, up to her neurons, and back to her. She sighed, allowing it to push up against her chest and purr softly as she petted gently at the back of it's head. "I have been disconnected from my can, as you can see. But I am still alive. I can only imagine it's likely my neurons that are granting me energy, at this moment." She told it. 

She looked up at said neurons as they drifted around their heads and, yes, it seemed they were all accounted for. "I....cannot feel my can anymore. It's barely a distant brush, now. I don't- I'm not sure how to feel. It's so empty. And yet I have never been more aware. I suppose that must be because my neurons no longer have to contend with an entire can to divert consciousness to. Just me." She said quietly. Sugar looked around, making a vague gesture with a look of concern. "If you are asking me what I am going to do now, I.....don't know. It's only just sinking in that I am free, I don't know what to do with that freedom now." She said.

Sugar shifted back and forth, it's eyes darting around as it churned gears in it's head. After a minute, it slowly reached out and pointed out towards the exit, and then upwards. Moon took a second to parse what the little one was saying, before jolting up. 

"Are you saying you want us to go to Five Pebbles?" She asked, almost incredulous. Sugar looked unsure, but eventually nodded. 

Moon wasn't sure she wanted to. She really was not sure she wanted to. There was the fact of the relationship she and Pebbles had, first of all. But after all that was the ordeal of even getting there. They had to leave her can, first of all, then they had to cross the water over to Pebbles, then they had to actually get up Pebbles, after which they would have to deal with the rot, the gravity, and all manner of things. All the while trying to avoid predators with her, who had never actually walked before. Well, not without her umbilical, anyway.

But....what else was there to do? Sit here and continue to rot away? Wait and see if the rain would truly kill her in this state? She was free now, was she really not even going to try? And in any case....she did want to see her brother. 

If only to give him a piece of her mind. 

With a deep inhale, she made up her mind and nodded. 

"Alright, little one. To Pebbles it is. But I must warn you, bringing me will not be an easy task. I'm not sure how well I can walk, and I've never actually swam before. Do you understand this?" She said gently. Immediately, Sugar nodded, taking her hands and pulling at her. 

It was obvious what it was trying to do. So, after a moment of hesitation, she unfolded her legs and began to stand. 

The inexperience was plain to see, wobbling violently for a moment, and only steadied by Sugar grabbing onto her waist. Clutching her friend by the shoulders, she just barely managed to pull herself to her full height. And, after a couple seconds, stopped shaking so much. Slowly, Sugar pulled away. She stayed somewhat steady. Another moment, and she moved a foot forward. 

One step.

Two steps. 

She stumbled, and Sugar was there to steady her once again. But the motion was still there. It was beyond odd, without her umbilical, but she had a start. Still, she gave Sugar a sheepish look. "It's a start, but I may need to use you as a crutch." She apologized. Sugar nodded, and gently pulled her towards the water. Again, she stopped. "Wait, Sugar. I don't know how to swim. How will we..." She made a vague gesture to the water.

The little creature paused to think, but with a triumphant look, turned and thumped it's tail on the ground. Moon's eyes widened. "Do you want to drag me along using your tail?" She asked. Proudly, Sugar nodded. 

Well, it was certainly one way of doing it. And, well, it seemed to do the job just fine. 

Moon was stuck somewhere between terror and excitement as they left her chamber. It was strange, just being there. Puppets never left their chambers. Iterators never left their cans. It was an irrefutable fact of life. Yet here she was, doing just that. Her programming would have screamed at the mere thought of it. An odd feeling rushed through her, wondering what their creators would have thought. She giggled.

A channel led up and away from the chamber, and in the end they got through it with Sugar pushing her in first, then coming in after to help push her up through it. Lucky for them, her neurons loyally followed behind. Steadily, they worked their way through the passages. Sugar gave one of them a considering look, but shook it's head before pushing her on with a nudge on her bottom.

She nearly immediately regretted her decision when they came to the next room, the exit leading out onto a pipe and a....long way down. She glanced sharply back, and Sugar looked apologetically at her and made a clinging motion with it's arms and legs. Reluctantly, she followed the instruction, clinging to the pipe and shimmying across it with her arms and legs. It seemed like forever before they got to another set of passages across the way, unfortunately leading to yet another precarious drop down, dealt with by Sugar guiding her down, and swinging her across to safe ground.

Lucky for her poor heart, after that it was only another passage, and a drop down into the water. She was less than graceful in it, but she wasn't sure Sugar had seen it anyway. After that, it was swimming, another passage, more swimming, and so on and so forth. At points, heavens forbid, they were forced underwater entirely, and she had to be glad for how well her friend could swim. By the end of the ordeal, she was more than sure that she was sick of water. If she never saw it again, it would be too soon. Iterators were not built to swim and frankly by this point, she thought anyone who liked the hobby had lost all of their damned pearls.

It was only the barest shred of sensibilities that kept her from grumbling as she pulled herself along the next passage, idly wondering what the next problem would be as she flopped out of it, annoyed and heavy with water and-

Oh.

Oh.

She had seen the sun before, through her overseers. Of course she had. But this.....this was not that. Not at all.

Golden light spilled through the sky, rays shining down through massive clouds drifting through the air, lighting them up in something that looked like heaven. Light specked the ground where it broke through the clouds, highlighting every speck of ground they touched. The metal of her can glimmered like it had just been built. There were no words for it's beauty. She could only explain her feelings in that moment as a religious experience. Because, truly, who could have molded such a sight but a god?



Looking up, she couldn't help but wonder how in the world she had ever settled for less. Why had their creators kept them from this? How could they? 

Her eyes drew down.

"Ah." She said. "More water."

Dammit.

Chapter Text

The Survivor, now referred to as Sugar, had been through quite a lot. It had seen quite a lot too. But despite all the time it had been alive and done in the past, pulling it's newly freed friend, quite literally a dethroned god in a sense, through her destroyed home through the water by it's tail (It had considered trying to carry her like a pup by the back of her dress collar, but she was a head taller than itself and it would have been quite awkward). Not that it wasn't proud of this, or happy about it, it was. Incredibly so! But it was beyond strange to watch. 

It's friend stumbled along on unsteady legs, staring in awe at everything around her, brushing her fingers along the cracks and divots in the metal of her can, never before felt or seen with her own two eyes. It was kind of sorry for having to ruin it with dragging her through all that water. The moment her eyes settled on the sea before them, her eyes squinted in displeasure. More water indeed. Five Pebbles towered in the distance, and Sugar internally bemoaned the journey it would take to get there.

They would not be travelling through the shaded citadel, that much was sure. And absolutely not the underhang. The iterator was just barely figuring out how to walk, they weren't going to make her and her vulnerable neurons try to contend with near complete darkness, spiders, hoards of lizards, miros birds, and so on, or, ancients forbid, a death trap that would have them leap massive gaps and dart between almost impossible to grapple poles, all over a drop that would kill anything. A journey it was hardly able to make itself.

No. They would be going through the wastes, thank you very much. Sugar had a good reputation with the scavengers, and it would serve as good training before they had to move onto the more vertical sections of the landscape. 

If only it could communicate this.

Now, Sugar had been friends with Moon for quite a long time by this point. At least it thought it had been a long time. They had developed a good system of communication. Moon had gotten quite good at understanding it just through shared looks and pantomiming. She had even started teaching it a couple words in sign language just recently! Though it only went as far as that so far: a couple words. It's writing had gotten farther though utensils to use for which were rare to find. At some point she had even started mimicking it's own sounds, little purrs and chirps that were too metallic to sound quite right, but were comforting all the same. It greatly appreciated the effort. It was mostly sure that Moon herself felt the same on her own end. 

However.

Unfortunately, for all the signs and signals they both knew, more complicated concepts were......difficult to get across. Painfully difficult. So trying to tell her what they were doing and where they were going would be an effort that would take an entire cycle on it's own. They already were low on time as is due to Moon's stumbling pace, and it had not brought her or itself into a shelter as of yet. Add to that the fact that it needed to eat, and they would only have just barely enough time to get to the shelter on the other side of the treacherous waters.

Heaven hope the leviathans wouldn't be too much of a problem this time. It really wasn't feeling like getting turned into a fine paste this cycle. 

Cringing at the thought, Sugar swiveled it's head over to Moon who was still staring out at the water with something between annoyance and rapture. It got her attention with a tug at the sleeve of her dress, gesturing across the water with it's head. 

"Yes, right. No time for a tour, I suppose we have to reach a shelter before the rains come. Well, I hope we won't have to deal with swimming much after this." She sighed, shaking herself off and following Sugar into the water, yet again grasping it by the tail and delving into the water. 

The water out here was of course deeper than what was inside Moon's can. It could see her glancing down and anxiously kicking her legs to help her keep her head above the water, though she was kept largely out of it due to half her body being pressed tightly against it's tail. Luckily for both of them, Moon was actually very light now that she was disconnected from her umbilical. She hardly weighed anything, and Sugar suspected that if need be, it could simply sweep her up and run in the case of an emergency. Which was to say pulling her through the water was not a very difficult task. Leeches were harder to tug along in all honesty. 

It wasn't long before Sugar jolted to a sudden stop upon hearing a nearby splash, ears swiveling and eyes darting around.

"Sugar? What's wrong? What was that?" Moon asked, voice shaking with anxiety. The deeper waters were getting to her, it seemed. It had every right to. This, however, was a good thing. 

Turning quickly at her, Sugar made a squeezing motion with it's arms, and pointed to it's tail before turning it's attention to the water again, watching dark figures dart through the water at speed. It completely ignored Moon's fearful "Hang on? What for?" as it keenly watched the surface of the water. In a moment, they had just the break Sugar was hoping for. 

A jetfish whipped through the air over their heads as Moon yelped and tightened her grip almost painfully on it's tail, and in a moment Sugar had reached up and snatched the thing by it's leg. Just like that, with the ceremony of a high pitched scream from Moon, they were being rocketed through the water like a pair of particularly large and noisy leeches. 

Despite the anxiety inducing trip across the waters of the shoreline, Sugar had always liked making the trip on a jetfish. Skipping and whirling across the dark and dangerous waters in something that made it feel exhilarated and untouchable. Even the ever terrifying leviathans often weren't able to catch it when it was flying through the deep as if physics couldn't touch them. It chittered in joy as they pierced the water, guiding the fish as best it could away from the closer waters where the leviathans swam, and monster kelp reached high. Moon hadn't stopped screaming, but it had petered off slightly, and a glance back assured Sugar that she was firmly attached, and that her neurons were similarly keeping up in a whirl of white chasing after them. 

Tearing it's eyes away from it's friend, Sugar scanned the islands dotting the waters. It needed food before they hid in a shelter, and as much as it hated to say it, the best likely food source for a quick way to fill it's stomach would be a lizard. Or, well, more specifically a salamander. Dangerous, but equally as filling. And Sugar would like to say that it had gotten quite good at dealing with the brutes after all it's cycles of life. 

It scanned and scanned, and eventually they perked up as something pink and white came into view laying on the beach of one of the islands. Exactly what it had been looking for. Alone and seemingly asleep, no less! In a moment it was steering the jetfish that way, releasing it when they were close, after a swift check to make sure there were no leviathans lurking just below them.

Moon was making an odd noise, something like a wheeze but too mechanical, and too long for an exhale of air she didn't need.

"I have never. Never gone that fast. The closest I've ever been to that was when No Significant Harassment convinced me to whirl around on my umbilical like a centrifuge. I am....not sure how I feel about those little fish." She said, voice shaky. Sugar rolled it's eyes and patted her on the shoulder, before gesturing at the shore, then the salamander. Sharply, before she said anything, it pointed sharply at her, then a good ways away from said salamander, where it knew there was a small vent she could hide in. 

"Oh, what-" Moon paused as her eyes kept following where her friend pointed. Quickly, she figured what it was saying "Ah, I think I see what you mean. I hide while you...hunt, I suppose. A good idea as any." She said, nervously eyeing the salamander as Sugar nodded furiously.

No time to loose, Sugar guided them to the shore and helped Moon up once they reached the shore, making sure she reached the safe spot before snatching a spear up from the ground. Carefully, it began making it's way around the small island.

Lizards were massive creatures, compared to the humble slugcat. Just their heads were practically the size of the entire slugcats body. But. The smaller creatures were also a fair bit smarter, not to mention swifter. And this particular salamander was in a particularly bad spot. For itself, anyway. It was in a great spot for Sugar. 

Creeping around the beach, the hulking beast came into view. Sugar didn't need too much thought to decide how to go about it, a swift jab through the skull would do just fine. Sugar quietly worked its way around the shore, dodging rocks and metal refuse gathered on the sand and dirt, closer with every second. It raised it's spear in preparation, moving slower with each step towards the creature. Even sleeping, it caused Sugar's heart to race, it's vision to lock onto every movement of it's target. It's spear raised higher and it-

Kicked a rock. 

That was all it took. Like it had never been sleeping, the salamander's eyes snapped open, rearing upwards with a hiss and snap of it's powerful jaws. Sugar stumbled back with a startled hiss of it's own, moving away as the other creature came into motion. It's eyes swiveled around to lock onto Sugar, and it snapped again. So much for an easy meal. 

Sugar darted to the side as the salamander lunged, swiping it's spear along the side of the thing's neck as they passed each other. The creature hissed, undeterred by such a light scratch. Sugar leapt and rolled out of the way of it's attacks, spewing sand every which way in their tumble. Forward, but never back towards where Moon was currently hiding. It's spear pierced the inside of the salamander's jaws when it lunged head on, slicing through the muscle at the top of it's mouth, Sugar managing shoving it in further to it's throat before the thing ripped back, hissing loudly.

Another lunge, another dance away. Ducking, it stuck the spear into the salamander's side twice before it twisted away. Squirming in pain, it's claws dug trenches into the sand and kicked up metal debris into the water. It reared up and- There!

Sugar's spear slid home inside the salamander's soft throat.

With a final shove, Sugar darted away to safety, watching the thing's death throes as it choked on metal and it's own blood, clawing at the spear lodged inside it to no avail. 

It took a minute, but the salamander eventually stilled, and Sugar took no time diving into a feast. It's sharp teeth and claws made good work through the flesh of it's predator turned prey, dying it's fur red. Lucky it would be swimming again soon. It wasn't often Sugar would eat lizard meat exclusively, but this was a special circumstance. It's meat was tough and sinewy, full of tough muscles and even tougher flesh, but they made for a very hearty meal when they came around, if a bit heavy. It was good food for just before a hibernation, and maybe Sugar would have enjoyed it more if they weren't on limited time. 

"SUGAR! UP!" A panicked shriek suddenly called it's attention. 

Sugar's eyes snapped up towards Moon, who had evidently decided to come out of her hole just to point at something in the....sky.

Vulture. 

Sugar didn't even need to look, jumping away from it's meal and shooting on all fours to it's friend. Far too close they could hear the flap of oddly shaped wings and the hiss and puff of steam from biomechanical vents on the thing's body. The moment it was close, Sugar snatched Moon by the sleeve, ready to drag her away to the safety of the little tunnel. Apparently, however, it was not needed. 

"Oh." Moon whispered in horror as something breached the water's surface. 

Ears and antenna tilted nearly completely downwards as they twisted to watch a monster leap from the waters, jaws fully open before slamming shut with the echoing thud of hydraulics and the sickeningly wet crunch nearly covered by it as the metal teeth clamped down on the vulture's body in a spray of gore, dragging it into the depths with a heavy splash. The water dyed red.

Moon and Sugar stared in horror.

"I don't know why I thought they were smaller." Moon whispered. 

With a short gesture, Sugar guided them back to the water. On the other side from where that thing had breached. The grip Moon kept on it's tail as they left the area was something it was sure would bruise. 

Thankfully, there were no more incidents on their journey. Avoiding a patch of leeches and monster kelp, they got to shore and got into the shelter just as the rain began to beat heavily on their backs.

The instant it's feet touched the hallowed ground of the shelter, Sugar slumped over with a dull flop. Moon was much the same, neurons darting away as she fell even less gracefully than her friend as her legs gave out from under her. The iterator stared up as the entrance to the shelter closed with the whir and bang of the machinery closing them off for the cycle. Moon laughed, utterly exhausted. 

"Well." She wheezed. "We survived a cycle. I didn't think we would." 

Sugar glanced over at Moon, rolling onto it's side before signing something at her. 

'Happy?' 

Moon blinked in surprise. Frankly, Sugar was surprised it even remembered that sign. Moon's eyes squinted in happiness, reaching over and scratching between it's ears with a purr like servo fans. 

"Yes, I believe so." She said softly, lying down next to Sugar and staring up into the glow of the neurons. "I never...thought this could be an option. Just leaving." She continued. "It's not supposed to be an option. Iterators are supposed to be forever confined to their cans. Until they find the answer to The Great Problem, I suppose. Yet here we are. I......"

Moon paused for a moment before sitting up, sliding her fingers over the loose fibers in her dress. "I can't help but feel betrayed, somehow. I know I should appreciate being given life at all, I shouldn't feel like this, but I am angry! I look to this sun I've never seen, I feel this warmth I have never felt, and I am angry that we were kept from this! Locked away in great metal cages, stuck with seeing the world impersonally, never able to truly touch it. I stepped outside that broken can of mine and wondered how I could have settled for less! How do any of us settle for less?" 

The fallen god threw her hands up, and Sugar stared in bewilderment. The look on her face lasted for about three seconds before it drained off of her, making her slump over and curl her legs to her chest.

"Is this how Pebbles felt?" She whispered. "Trapped?"

She went silent once more, and Sugar continued to stare before finally pushing upwards, crawling over and pressing itself into her side with a rumbling purr, rubbing it's cheek against her own. It couldn't fix the feelings, but it could do this much. Moon laughed sadly, loosening her posture to scratch into her friend's still wet fur. The moment she did, Sugar quite nearly manhandled itself into her lap, forcing her legs down and draping across them while ignoring the iterator's noise of surprise.

Another pause. Another chuckle.

"What a sweet, brave, strong little thing you are. You help save me, swim me across creature infested waters, kill one on your own, and still have the patience to listen to me complain. I am truly blessed to have such a companion. Thank you, little one." Moon said affectionately. She leaned down slightly, hand petting the length of it's spine, and it took the chance to push up and bump their foreheads together. Even if it could talk, it doubted words could express it's own appreciation for the friendship of this robot made of metal and meat. 

Curling into a ball in Moon's lap, it soaked in the warmth radiating from her. She was still quite wet, but Sugar didn't mind it at all. Just so long as she kept petting it like that. Confidently in that moment, Sugar thought they would be just fine.

Chapter Text

Sugar woke, as always, to the sound of the shelter opening. The cogs and hydraulics and hissing pistons signifying the beginning of a new cycle. Another beginning, another day to work through. It was something comforting in its familiarity, yet exhausting in the same breath. A signifier it was alive. A signifier it would have to do it all over again.

What was not familiar, however, was the warm lap beneath itself. In an instant, its mind was whirling back to the cycle previous. 

The flood. Moon's umbilical landing limp and disconnected from its former place on her back. Taking Moon from the crumpled metal heap of her can, like it had often imagined doing after a meeting with her. Swimming across the dark waters of the shoreline with her. Getting here. 

Moon.

Sugar jolted upwards, its eyes snapping around to its newly released friend. Moon was slumped back against the wall behind her, eyes half lidded and darkened (Well, her eyes were always dark, they were black after all, but they usually had some kind of light behind them) while her neurons drifted lazily around their heads. Limp and unresponsive. Considering that Moon was at least half, if not mostly robotic, she didn't need to do a lot of things. Like breathe or move. She could have been dead, and Sugar wouldn't have known it.

Panic sent the slugcat scrambling to its feet, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her, yowling all the while. She could not be dead. Not now, after it had just freed her. She couldn't die when her story had only just begun!

Thankfully for Sugar's poor panicking heart, it didn't take much to wake her. 

Moon jumped with a high sound of blaring static, limbs flailing and summarily flinging Sugar off her lap. It was more than a little bit relieving to see its friend awake and well, but also.....ow. 

"Whuh- Where- Who- What?" Moon squawked in a string of complete nonsense words, head whipping around and hands fluttering around the ground and behind herself, finding her disconnected wires once more. A moment passed, and her panic faded, though her eyes stayed wide open. Slowly, she gazed over to meet Sugar's own eyes.

"I'm.....here." She said slowly, quietly. "It wasn't a dream. Or my minds dying throes. I'm here. Outside my can. Alive."

Sugar's brows furrowed in concern, nodding just as slowly.

Moon gazed down at herself like she had never seen her own body. She flexed her hands and grazed them down her chest and down her legs. They found the floor, eventually, sliding between grooves and bumps in the metal floor. She found her wires once again, sliding down the length of them and flinching in what seemed like pain when she thumbed the ends of them. Sugar raised a hand in worry, but didn't yet make its way over to ruin the iterator's quiet rapture. 

Placing a hand on the wall, she brought her legs under herself, and stood. Gently, shakily, but with no aid from Sugar. It took a moment, but eventually she seemed to find her balance. Looking to Sugar after a moment of uncertainty, she pulled away from the wall. 

One step.

Two steps.

Three. Four. 

She giggled almost deliriously, steadying herself once more. Sugar was somewhat worried she had lost her pearls in her sudden reboot. "I'm here." She repeated, firmly with a quiet elation dripping from every syllable. 

Sugar finally came over and placed it's paws firmly on her side, and she jolted, looking surprised down at it as if she only just realized it was there. "Oh! I- I'm sorry, Sugar. I don't mean to scare you. I.......The situation is truly beginning to settle in now, I think." She paused, looking up. "We...can leave. Yes? We must leave. Because we are....going to Five Pebbles."

It ached, how unsure those words sounded. So quickly, Sugar nodded. Moon made another disbelieving and elated giggle, eyes squinting in joy. "Alright. Thank you, little one. Ever upwards, then." She said.

With a nod of agreement, Sugar set about aiding the iterator up the ladder to the surface. She seemed to already be getting better with her legs, progressively more and more sure of where to put them without trying to lean back on an umbilical that was no longer there. At the top of the exit, however, she stopped with a startled "Oh!". It wasn't fearful, but Sugar still gave a worried chirp up at her.

"No no, don't worry! It seems one of my overseers has found us!" She replied happily, pulling herself out onto land. Scrambling after her Sugar found that, indeed, there was one of Moon's overseers bouncing gleefully before her as she knelt there. Sugar had almost forgotten about the overseers. Of course the little things would be scrambling to find their iterator once they found her missing. Moon grazed her fingers along it's back. "I'm sorry if I worried you." She said softly.

Sugar leaned back to watch the two, neurons drifting gently around them. It had been in a rush before, but now that they had rested in one of the shelters it was far more willing to allow a little bit of lollygagging. Especially since the next shelter it planned to get them to was much closer than this one had been. Despite it going to be far more walking from here on out, the scavengers loved it, the enemies would be lenient enough, and there would be enough food for a good hibernation. 

The little creature was not paying much attention as it mused on the journey ahead, hardly even seeing as one of the neurons drift past Moon and her overseer, it's feelers brushing against the overseer's head.

There was a sudden spark, when it did. All at once Moon arched upwards with a sharp static gasp of shock as her eyes flashed gold for just a moment. That had Sugar scrambling into action, diving to her side and grabbing her in a panic, ignoring the overseer as it shuddered, then suddenly straightened to attention. 

"Oh- Oh my." Moon breathed, loosening and slumping over against Sugar as it gave a worried chirp. "I....I can feel it now. My overseer. Almost like before. I don't think our connection will go as far but just...let me...." Her eyes narrowed slightly. Almost instantly, the overseer popped back into the ground, then appeared on the other side of the island. Moon gasped. 

"Yes! I can see from it! I can control it! It's not like before, but I can feel it now. It's not so empty in here anymore." She said gleefully. The overseer disappeared and popped up in front of them once more. She paused, but nodded to herself. "I'm going to see if I can't get this one to gather the others. It will do well to have some extra eyes looking out for us, don't you think?"

Sugar nodded happily. More than once it had been saved by an overseer pointing out a threat or guiding it along the way. They would be even more useful for early alerts about enemies while Moon was still learning to walk. The overseer disappeared once more, and Sugar did not see it pop up once again. Instead, Moon brushed off her dress and ever so slowly pulled herself to her feet. 

"Well then." She hummed. "Shall we go?"

Sugar was sorry to say there would be a bit more swimming yet. To Moon's credit, she didn't complain, only sighing with a pinched look before she grabbed onto Sugar's tail and let herself be pulled along. For her, it did its best to swim a bit faster.

Once again Sugar went around some particularly nasty kelp and leeches, and pointedly avoided a dark shape shifting and squirming in the water somewhere that was still too close to be comfortable. Compared to the last swim, however, it was relatively quite short as they reached the tunnel that led to the gate. It thought it heard Moon mutter something like "Finally" as they stepped into the tunnel, trying to wring her dress out.

It gave her an apologetic look as they paused next to the dip where more water gathered. Summarily, she stopped wringing out her dress.

Sugar pulled the iterator through the zigzag of tunnels as quick as possible, pushing her up onto dry land and leaping along with her, barely allowing a chance to get her bearings before finally, finally, they were entering the gate.

Moon looked around in awe, and Sugar only was able to briefly wonder if the gate would open for her when the mechanics started up, doors sliding into place and sealing close. The steam hissed upwards and flipped Moon's dress nearly inside out as it did, making her squawk in surprise as she tried to gather it back down while Sugar chittered with laughter at her plight. She didn't even need to do that, but old sensibilities died hard, it supposed. Her neurons were blown around a bit, but thankfully seemed otherwise fine. Though worriedly, it noted that they might not always be. Hmmm....

Yet again Sugar shot her an apologetic look as they reached the other room, nudging Moon as she sighed and making a squeezing gesture with it's fingers. They just needed to get through that room, and after that they wouldn't be swimming for a while more. Usually it would swim anyway since it didn't mind, and the areas around the water were unsteady and annoying to get across, but it would serve as good training for the precarious grounds the two would be hitting.

"I know we iterators are made to be built next to water, but I have to admit I'm beginning to regret- Are those leeches?" Moon's speech cut off as she gazed into the water below. Ah, yes. The leeches. Sugar nodded.

Pantomiming, it pointed at Moon, then the leeches, and made swatting and kicking motions. Moon blinked, taking a moment to parse what her friend was saying before straightening up.

"You want me to get them off if they come close." She stated. Sugar nodded again. "Because...you'll be swimming while pulling me along. It will be harder for you." She continued. One more time, Sugar nodded. Moon made an odd noise that Sugar thought might have been the robotic equivalent of a groan, closing her eyes for a second before nodding. 

"This is what it takes to be alive. Alright, I will do my best." She agreed reluctantly. 

And so they went. Moon gripped onto Sugar's tail tightly, and they dived into the leech infested waters. Said leeches scattered in surprise for a moment, but as suspected, did not take long to encroach upon the unfortunate duo. Fearful but diligent, keeping her cool despite the squirming creatures coming upon them, she did exactly what Sugar had asked of her. Smacking and kicking at any of the things that got close, she had a precision only an iterator could have. She always kept one hand gripping Sugar tight, but the surprisingly sharp ends of her feet cut through some of the leeches as she snapped them out. 

Even carrying Moon along, it was with practiced ease that Sugar leapt back up onto land, then back in again on the other side. In all it's time visiting Moon, it had gotten quite good at swimming, carrying cargo or not. It was a bit awkward, yes, but it never stopped the fact that Sugar was quite fast in the water, into it and out of it almost just as quick. It was a rush of blurring shapes and thundering heartbeats, taking both a few seconds and an eternity before they were leaping from the water, Sugar snapping a leech up in it's jaws as they broke through the waters.

Moon flopped back on the ground with a high electric whine, eyes twitching. "Are we done, now?" She asked. 

Sugar patted her sympathetically and nodded its head before bringing its paws up to help quickly tear into its meal. Leeches certainly were not the tastiest of food items, but food was food. One couldn't be picky when you never knew if you would get enough of it not to starve when hibernation came. The thought made it feel a pang of sympathy for the larger creatures. They had to eat too, even if it was the slugcat itself that they were eating. 

Beside it as it ate, Moon slowly pushed herself to her feet and began to take small steps around the platform. One, two, three, four, and so on. She stopped on occasion, but she was very obviously more sure of herself with each step, not even glancing to Sugar for help. Eventually she sped up, taking steps faster and faster as she learned to find her ground at something beyond a snail's pace. By the time Sugar had finished eating, she had stopped walking and instead began practicing shifting her weight, picking one foot up and holding the position until she couldn't anymore, then switching to the other. Basic but important balance practice. Sugar couldn't help but be proud.

She paused when she noticed Sugar looking, straightening up and notably not wobbling back as she did so. "Are we ready to continue, little creature?" She asked. Sugar nodded joyfully, hopping up and patting her leg before continuing forward. Just barely in arms reach so she didn't automatically go to lean against it as she walked. She didn't seem to mind this, glancing down at her own legs before beginning to steadily follow after.

After their stint inside, the sun almost hurt to look at. Sugar blinked it away, glancing around. Safe, for now. Not any scavengers here either. Most of them would likely be close to the toll, now.

It guided Moon the long way around the ditches of water, staying carefully by her as they made their way along the unsteady ground covered in rocks and metal refuse. Funnily, it seemed easier for Moon than it had been for itself in the past, able to dig the sharp points of her feet into the ground between hazards to gain traction. Sugar paused them when they reached steadier ground, however, snatching up a rock and hurrying over to the popcorn plants that grew there. With a good throw, the pods popped and launched away. One of the kernels hit Moon in the face with a light smack.

"Oh! Well. I didn't know they were so loud. Or maybe I did, and simply forgot it." She mused, twirling the thing in her hands. Sugar shrugged, shoving the popped kernels into it's mouth, not bothering to completely chew and swallow before it was hurrying Moon along once more. They made their way around yet another ditch of water, leaning against the rubble to steady themselves. 

There was a shaft that went through the mounds of slag just there, but Sugar paused just at the entrance, glancing at Moon.

It was a scavenger toll in there, and the scavengers didn't know Moon at all. Yes she was alongside Sugar, but the scavengers were.....jumpy. To say the least. Suspicious. Moon would be a new and terrifying thing to these creatures, and it really really did not want a spear happy scavenger to decide it's friend was the perfect thing to bury a sharp point in. She would need....leverage. It gave Moon a narrow eyed glance.

"Sugar? Why are you- Uh." Moon blinked in bewilderment and leaned back as Sugar began to gag. "Oh, you're- Eugh, please don't-"

HACK

Moon stared as Sugar presented her with a slimy white pearl. She looked about as excited about it as Five Pebbles looked whenever Sugar visited. Which was to say, of course, Not At All. It was astounding how much the sibling iterators looked like each other in this way. Slowly, she looked back up at Sugar. "No." She said bluntly. 

Sugar rolled it's eyes. They didn't have time for this. Swiftly, it made a gesture mimicking horns around it's head, and gestured into the passage. If possible, her face became even more displeased. 

"Scavengers? Sugar, I don't think..."

Incidentally, the choice was made for them. Sugar spotted a massive head beginning to make its way over the slag heaps, and all but shoved the pearl into Moon's hands. With a yelp cutting off her noise of disgust she was yanked inside, dragging her along quick enough to not get the attention of the lizard. Both of them fell into a heap onto the other side, right into the face of a scavenger that had poked it's head in. 

Scavengers were quite funny when they weren't trying to stab you, Sugar thought. Their eyes would boggle with shock or fear, they would squabble and smack at each other, not to mention their long, gangly limbs made for some very particular situations. This situation was one of the first, the scavenger's eyes boggling widely as they met with the big black ones that Moon owned, flailing away and pointing at her while the commotion drew the eyes of all the others. The attention was also somewhat terrifying.

Sugar was quick to jump up, flailing it's own limbs to divert attention while Moon got up as well. All eyes were on them as Moon started to say something, then cut off as she took in their company, going ramrod straight. 

The air was filled with quiet chittering and clacking, tight and on edge. Pointedly, Sugar nudged Moon pointedly, gesturing with it's hand and knocking her into action.

"A-Ah...hello.....scavengers..." She began softly. "I....have a pearl for you?" She explained, more a question than anything as she slowly reached forward with the pearl in her open palm.

Almost instantly, the air relaxed. The scavenger they had startled snatched the pearl from her palm and made it's way back to the others, chattering all the way. Spears were settled down, eyes turned away, and business went on as usual, though there were some curious and suspicious glances. The duo relaxed, glancing at each other. For all their suspicion, scavengers were very easy to bribe.

Slowly, Sugar guided Moon though the toll, keeping an eye all around at the creatures. It seemed they had a good hunt that day, two lizards laying dead on the ground being cut away at. Some of the scavengers moved away while some moved closer in curiosity, and Sugar had to hiss and thump it's tail at one who reached up to grab at one of the neurons hovering diligently along.

Hold on. Her neurons! Sugar had an idea.

Stopping suddenly, Sugar turned and got the attention of one of the scavengers. Quickly it grabbed onto one of the fabric straps wrapped around a spear, gesturing to it, then making a large motion with its arms. The thing blinked, glancing between it and the fabric curiously before darting off.

"Sugar? What are you doing?" Moon asked curiously. Sugar made a gesture to wait, watching as the scavenger came back with a large piece of fabric. 

Slugcats, as a rule, were not incredibly advanced. Even less so when not blessed with a mark from an iterator. But they were a bit like scavengers. They could make things. Incredibly well, sometimes. One of the members of it's family had made the best food it had eaten thus far. And while it had not done much in it's younger years, it had watched it's mother do this enough to remember the motions quite well.

It unfolded and draped the fabric across the ground, snatching a spear from nearby to slice a long strip off before it began. It folded and twisted the fabric in shapes it just remembered from childhood, pausing on occasion but continuing on. It tied some knots, tucked them in, then turned it around and began doing it again. Soon enough, it was tying a final knot, shifting and fluffing out the bottom part before presenting it to an awed Moon.

"Little one, is this a bag? Did you just make me a bag?" She gasped. Sugar nodded happily, tossing the decently sized bag over Moon's head, then pointing to her neurons. She glanced up, eyes widening further. "To put my neurons in? Keep them safe?" She asked. Jumping in joy, Sugar nodded again furiously. Moon glanced between her friend and her neurons, shifting the bag better on her person. 

"What a clever thing you are! Thank you, Sugar, thank you!" She said, voice shivering with continued awe and joy. 

Together the two gathered the neurons, shoving them one by one into the newly made bag. Once they were all safely inside, Sugar took the strip it had previously cut away and tied it tight around the bag, securing the neurons firmly inside before pulling away to admire it's work, puffing up in pride. Moon shifted and looked her new item over, eyes twinkling. 

"You truly are a miracle worker, little one." She said. Sugar scratched it's neck bashfully before taking her hand and finally leading her away from the scavenger toll and back into the tunnels. 

The tunnels were, by no means, completely safe. Dropwigs and centipedes, even lizards would hide out in some spaces. Most of these things though, it trusted itself to deal with. Not to mention it could keep more focus on their surroundings now that Moon was able to find her footing better. Snatching a spear on the way out, Sugar trotted them confidently though the dark spaces upward.

The dangers they faced were, of course, expected. A dropwig that Sugar stabbed right through, two centipedes that decided it was a good idea to block their path (and acted as a nice finisher for the food it needed for hibernation!), and even a lizard at the end of a path they thankfully did not need to pass through. Up and up through the tunnels, and then into a series of smaller shafts that, after both a minute and forever, led them into the safety of a small shelter. They might have been able to book it all the way across the area, but Sugar would like the assurance of safety first before they crossed around to the industrial area. Around the waters they would have to move slower, as well as avoid vultures and the like. Heck, maybe they would blend in better against the heaps than in the water.

Moon sighed and chuckled as she settled against the wall and shifted her neuron bag into her lap. "Well." She hummed. "I never thought I would be making friends with scavengers, or that you would make me a bag to keep my neurons safe. Could make me a bag. You are certainly full of surprises, hm? What else can you do, I wonder?"

Sugar paused, thinking. Eventually, it's eyes drew to her dangling wires. Now that it thought of it, those could end up being a liability too....

It gestured for her to turn around. She cocked her head, but did so. She jumped when it touched her wires, glancing back. "Please be careful, those are part of me, and they're a bit sensitive." She warned. Sugar nodded before going about it's work. Slowly, carefully, it braided the wires around each other, glancing up every so often to make sure Moon wasn't showing any signs of pain. Glancing around after it was done, it eventually shrugged and reached around the iterator to tuck the wires snugly in with the fabric that tied her new bag closed. Backing up, it allowed her to look at the work.

Moon let out a surprised bark of laughter. "Amazing." She murmured. "Truly amazing. Thank you, Sugar. You never cease to impress."

Again Sugar puffed up in pride, dropping onto all fours to curl up next to her. Instantly her hand was petting it's side, and it purred. The cooling fan purr echoed back.

"Rest well, little creature."

It did.

Chapter Text

Iterators never slept, as Moon had mentioned before. Never turned off, not really. However. On very very rare occasions, something would happen and their puppets would need maintenance or small updates. In those very rare cases, the puppets would be switched into a rest mode of sorts. Any small twitches or flinches could have meant breaking something important after all. Not to mention they could feel it.

It was.....unpleasent. Moon had never liked it, the very few times it happened.

Drifting through systems without a body. Aware of everything and nothing at the same time. Nothing to ground herself with or focus on. In those moments, she was her can, even more than before. Everywhere all at once, but with no hands to grasp or voice to speak with. It was uncomfortable at best, and genuinely maddening at worst. She hated it.

This, though, she was almost reluctant to let go of. 

She was roused by the working machinery as the shelter opened once again, almost unable to comprehend she was actually awake, for a moment. It was cool and comfortable here, and yet again she couldn't help but note with wonder how little pain she was in. You only realized how bad it was when, like a whisper, it was suddenly gone.

She opened her eyes reluctantly as Sugar moved beside her, leaving behind dreams dyed gold that slipped through her fingers like sand. She wasn't too sad about it though, as she got to watch her companion uncurl from her lap and reach its arms outwards and arched its back down, yawning as it stretched. Suddenly, she was overcome with something.

"Ohhh, big stretch." She cooed. Sugar's ear flicked, and it glanced back at her dubiously as she paused.

"Sorry. My local group and I would creature watch sometimes, and Suns and Sig would do that all the time." She said sheepishly. Deep inside, something twisted. How was her local group? Were they still functioning well? Had they grieved? What had they been doing, since contact was lost? She wished she could speak to them again.

She missed them.

She missed her family so very much.

Moon was jolted from her thoughts by a paw on her leg, looking over to see Sugar gazing at her with worry in its big black eyes. Reassuringly, she scratched it between the ears. "Apologies, little one. Lost in thought." She said, finally standing off the ground. Silently, she noted to check and see if perhaps she could send an overseer message to No Significant Harassment. He was the closest iterator to herself and Pebbles, after all. 

After a moment to wake up and get their bearings, the two finally left the safety of the shelter, moving through the final tunnel to the surface, snatching up an abandoned spear on the way.

The spear came into almost immediate use, much to their misfortune, as just when they were at the shaft to leave, a lizard stuck it's head out and hissed at them. Moon was quite sure she had never seen Sugar move that fast before, shoving her away and stabbing the creature swiftly in it's exposed head. Multiple times.

If she had a stomach, she wondered if she would have been sick. It was certainly gross, no doubt about that, with the way it's blood and seemingly brain matter splattered across it's brightly colored skull. She wondered if it was a bad omen. Unfortunately, due to where the lizard had died and how heavy it was, Moon had to help drag the thing out of the tunnel. It was only sheer luck that kept blood from getting on her. 

Her friend, of course, had no problem with it. Evidently, it decided it would be a good meal to begin the cycle with. All the better for her because soon after, one of her overseers popped out from the ground. A crackle of awareness across her consciousness. Then another. And another. And another! Soon enough the tunnel was alight with a soft golden color. Holograms and pings flashed between all of them, pictures of her now abandoned can, herself, Sugar, and all manner of different things. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Calm down, calm down! Yes yes, I am free, and yes I'm ok. But first, I need to connect with all of you again. Please wait one moment." She said, waving her hands placatingly as she reached to her bag.

It took some shuffling, but eventually she was able to reach into her bag and grab a neuron. Not the most comfortable feeling in the world, considering the neurons were....basically her brain, but necessary evils and whatnot. Going around, she began tapping the neuron to each of the overseers. Once again, it was like a static shock to her system. A burst of sudden feeling, of extending. Something of hers had been lost, now finally reattached where it always should have been. She felt closer to them now than before, and yet even more distant. Nonetheless, she was very happy to have them back. She wasn't sure this was all of them, she couldn't remember, but it was enough. More than enough. 

"Alright. Now then." She sighed with satisfaction, glancing around and picking out one of the overseers. "You. I need to record a message. Once I am done, please deliver it to No Significant Harassment, then hurry back." She ordered. Standing up straighter, she nodded. "Begin recording."

"No Significant Harassment." She began. "As you can see, this is Big Sister Moon. I pray that this message will reach you. It has been.....too long. I have so much to say, but I don't know how well my overseer will hold a message, so I will try to keep this short. Two cycles ago, I was broken from my umbilical. Don't worry, I'm ok. I'm more ok than I have been in a very long time. I am with a friend, and am currently heading to Five Pebbles. I am....unsure what the future holds. But regardless, I will deal with what comes. I hope you, all of you, are well. If you are able, please relay this message to the others as well. I-.....Nevermind. You have my best regards. And who knows, now that I'm free maybe I'll be able to come visit you. Goodbye, for now, Sig."

With a snap, the recording ended. No further instructions needed, the overseer disappeared under the ground. Moon sighed and leaned back, looking over to Sugar who had, evidently, finished it's meal. With a short nod, she gestured to the surface shaft. 

"After you."

Finally, the duo made their way up to the surface, though not before checking the outside beforehand.

Five Pebble's waste department was, of course, a dump. The waters were dirty with ooze and sludge, metal slag and debris built up in great heaps around the area, crawling with creatures. She could even see the organisms that sorted it all, long and thin and squirming in the air as they searched for more. Back in the day, some of this would be collected and recycled to make everything from masks to tools. Now, though, all it did was build up as a home for monsters to hide within and hunt upon. Monsters that included the ones that Pebbles tried unsuccessfully to purge from his can. 

She shuddered to think of it. 

Sugar was moving quickly, but quietly as it began to lead the long way around the dirty waters. Its ears swiveled and its eyes searched the air and over the piles of refuse as they went. It helped her and pulled her up along the steady ground, always keeping some attention on her but mostly monitoring the general area for threats. Now that she thought of it, there seemed to be much less hiding spots out here around the water. Less creatures, but less protection from the ones that did decide to come about. She supposed the feeling she had would be called....exposed. She had never felt that before, locked in a metal box. 

They hadn't walked long at all when the slugcat suddenly paused, glancing down. From the ground, it snatched a spear, and pressed it to her chest. With a pointed look, it made a stabbing motion with it, and a vague gesture to around them. She jolted, a spike of anxiety going through her as she looked between it and her friend.

"Sugar, do you expect me to use this? I-I don't know how!" She worried, gripping the thing tight. Sugar gave her a droll look, making a very slow and sarcastic looking stab of it's own spear. 

Iterators, as a rule, did not fight. Why would they?? Who was there to fight? Their creators?

But they had the capability. They had more than the capability to.

Iterators were called gods for a reason. Massive biomechanical superstructures that, in their peak, could do just about anything. Especially in their own chambers. If one so wished, they could completely and utterly eviscerate someone with anything from bolts of electricity to changing gravity to slam someone around like a ragdoll. They were more than capable of great violence, but it was a capability that was not put to use. Usually, anyway. A vague memory of two opposing clans setting their local groups against each other drifted through her mind.

Regardless, this was a bit different. This was nothing but a spear, held by an iterator no longer able to use any of the aforementioned abilities of a fully functional one. She couldn't just- just-!

Moon's internal panic was cut off as Sugar's eyes whipped skywards. The moment they did, Moon could feel the flash of an overseer's camera feed flicker in the back of her mind. She could hear it too. The flap and hiss of a vulture coming ever closer to their location. Her panic over self defense was replaced by an entirely different sort of panic, as Sugar grabbed her hand and dragged her further along the waste hills and into a tiny alcove within the piles. When it pushed her in, it had to squeeze to get in front of her, pressing her deeper into the darkness. 

The metal pressed uncomfortably up against her on all sides, and her body shivered at the memory of sharp edges slicing through her wires as she was whipped around. Something thudded hard against the ground above them with a hiss of steam, and Sugar's ears pressed flat against it's head, only just barely cutting off a low growl from it's throat. Like a lifeline, Moon gripped her spear tight. 

Colored clouds drifted by the entrance to their hiding spot. A shadow overtook the light beyond them. She couldn't see much from her spot behind Sugar, but she could hear the shift and thud of wings moving across the ground above them. Sugar breathed hard, short hairs bristled up along it's neck, and she was sure that if she had a heart it would have stopped by now.

Her friend only pushed back harder as the dark underside of a head came into view. Every motor in her was taut like a loaded spring as the head swung back and forth. 

In an instant, the vulture suddenly moved, snapping forward and picking something from the ground. Long and orange, a centipede? Having completed it's business, the creature burst back into the air with a puff of steam, wind whistling through their alcove as it took off with no fanfare.

Sugar slumped completely back into her, wheezing quietly. She patted it's side with a shaking hand and pressed her chin over it's head.

"You are very brave, little one." She whispered, something like an apology.

Sugar waved her off, finally moving away to plop down beside the alcove, glancing around but deeming it safe. Quickly Moon pulled away from the spot too, eager to escape the scrapes and crags of the jagged waste. She didn't really get tired, and yet she still felt exhausted. She unequivocally was not built for this. 

An overseers threat indication suddenly popped up beside them to point at something, making them both jump to get ready....only to pause as a tiny orange centipede crawled over the rubble. The threat indicator stayed hovered over it. Moon tilted her head back to give her overseer an unimpressed look. "Yes, thank you." She sighed tightly, dismissing the thing with a mental flick. 

Sugar seemed equally as displeased with the overseer, but only for a moment. It perked up just as quickly, grabbing her dress and tugging excitedly. It pointed at her, her spear, and then the small bug. It really didn't take much to figure out what it was saying, especially when it started to make emphatic stabbing motions with its own spear.

"You want me to kill it." She said bluntly. Sugar nodded.

Moon looked dubiously down at the thing as Sugar herded it from getting away with it's legs. This, she reminded herself, was survival out here. Kill or be killed. You couldn't afford to be nice, or you ended up as food. Besides. Like sleep like death, everything woke back up eventually. In the end, it didn't really matter if you killed it or not. She was already near dead weight on her friend. This, at least, she could try. She needed to learn, after all, and her little friend needed food.

"Alright." She sighed.

Lifting her spear, in one swift move, she sank it into the bug. It stilled without fanfare, and she found that it didn't feel as bad as she thought it would. Sugar snatched it up and ate it, but not before giving her a proud thumbs up. Her creators were squirming in the void sea, somewhere.

They were moving again after that, and this time every time Sugar saw a bug, it would have her kill it. It was a bit easier now, getting used to walking the uneven ground, killing the bugs, and especially avoiding threats now that she was actually paying more attention to her overseers. Their connection to her was....hazy, but it was there. More than she could have said for before. 

Sugar led them round and round, up and down through the terrain as they avoided threats. Not to say there weren't close calls. The area was evidently populated, albeit less so than the main one, seemingly. A vulture would fly overhead and they had to duck to hide, or a lizard would amble past and Sugar would throw a stone the other direction to distract it before pulling her along again out of sight. Her nerves were already thoroughly frayed when the brush of sight not her own came to the forefront.

She stopped. 

"Sugar." She whispered, shuddering. "Look."

She had never seen the rot personally, before. Her overseers had projected the images of her brother's affliction to her, of course, and other iterators had posted photos, but she had never seen it like this. 

A small mass of cysts growing out of the side of one of the slag heaps. Blacker than black with deep blue crossed and speckled along it's glistening surface, sticking out as a parasite among the remains of Pebble's refuse. As with many things, pictures did not do it justice. It was sick and oozing in nature, small as it was it had already become a plague upon the landscape around it. How horrifying it was in person. It looked like it hurt. 

Moon was struck with the image of these things infesting Pebble's systems. Cutting off flow through pipes and conduits. Eating holes into important structures. Consuming and growing ever larger as pulsing tumors pushed through the walls and floors. All the while he tried so hard, fruitlessly, to flush the sickness out. How long, she wondered, till he couldn't flush it anymore? How long, until it reached things like his refractions cells? His neurons? His chambers?

How long, until the only thing left of Five Pebbles was a black and blue core of rot?

In a way, her decision had been made since the moment her umbilical broke. She was his big sister, whether he liked that or not. 

When she got in there, she was taking Pebbles and leaving this place if she had to drag him kicking and screaming to do it. No more cages. No more rot. No more hatred and hurting and unsolvable puzzles from creators that didn't care and had been gone for cycles upon cycles, grudges be damned. She was going to drag her stupid angry little brother out from his own prison and force his head up to look at the sun. Whatever it took.

Sugar had been staring and tugging worriedly at her sleeve for a minute now, she knew. She didn't care. When she spoke, it was more even and hard than it had been in a long time. Something felt different in her, and she welcomed the change.

"Come on. Let's go."

It was Sugar being forced to hurry after Moon now as she power walked through the wastes. She made her own way around the threats now, steady legs taking her in long strides around hills and piles of built up waste. She stabbed through the few unfortunate bugs that got in her way, tossing them back to her friend. A garbage collector tried to pick up her spear at some point, but was stopped sharply by something that crackled across her antenna. 

The rot cysts became larger and more frequent as they passed closer to Pebble's can, and every one only served to drive her further. Creatures were getting fewer out here, and she imagined the rot was precisely why. Even a vulture could be dragged down into some of the things out there.

Eventually Sugar had to stop her, pulling her back around to the left when she would have simply kept going. It helped her up a sharp incline and- ah. There was the gate. Once again, she stepped forward into it without hesitation, practically pulling Sugar along. 

She finally stopped as the gates closed and worked away, sure to hold her dress down this time. She glanced to Sugar holding tightly to her sleeve, finding wide and worried eyes with her own. She slumped, sighing slightly. 

"I'm sorry, friend. I just...had an epiphany, of sorts. Looking at the rot." She said quietly, rubbing her thumb behind it's ears. Brows furrowing, it tilted it's head at her while she shook her own. 

"I simply realized....I'm not leaving Pebbles in there. I'm bringing him with us when we leave. I don't care if he doesn't want to, and I don't care about our past....situation, lets say. We will be leaving this place together." She said firmly.

Sugar blinked in bewilderment up at it's friend, seemingly stuck somewhere between confusion, awe, and pride. Scratching it's head again, they continued forward. 

It was a steep drop down from the gate, but again good practice as Sugar climbed below, watching as she found her footing and got down step by step. After that it was just another puddle to walk around, and then....upwards along a series of pipes and poles. Considering the shape of Moon's feet, she wasn't really built for climbing. None the less, Sugar would clamber up, reach down, and pull her up with it. They were beginning to have the start of a system, here. 

And then a drop of water hit one of her eyes.

They locked with Sugar's. Suddenly the system was becoming a bit more out of sync as they tried to hurry upwards as the rain fell, scrambling inside the hideaway just as it began to fall in earnest. The two were running side by side now, the rumble of rain spurring them ahead until they were both sliding into the safety of the shelter, wet but alive. 

Moon groaned and didn't roll off her stomach from where she lay. Sugar made a very odd, funny sort of "Waaoouuughhhh" noise in agreement, only shuffling closer into her side. 

She was drained, completely and utterly. She wasn't tired, exactly, her muscles were all attached to mechanicals and didn't really do tired. Strain, yes, tired, no. This, though, was absolutely some kind of tired. She was sure even the neurons in her bag were buzzing just a bit quieter now. At least she had a goal, though. Goals were always nice. 

She drifted away right where she was.

Chapter Text

Moon really, really should have changed her position before she turned off. Waking up face down on the ground was.....displeasing, at the very least. She was going to give herself a cramp or something, and those were so hard to make go away when all of the muscle was locked behind a solid casing of metal. Without being able to rub at it you just had to lay against something that vibrated very hard and try to ignore it.

One more time she was struck by how....free she was. One more cycle she was waking up in a shelter with her best friend instead of on a cold heap of metal and dirt, soaking wet and barely with the strength to get up. She was awake and alive and aware of everything. Missing memories, sure, but the new ones she was making were staying instead of dripping through her fingers like the rains that drowned her. 

Nevermind that.

Another cycle, another area to get through. If she remembered, this was Pebble's....industrial complex? Yes, that sounded about right. A place to make all manner of things. Often this was where is excess slag went to, when it used to be collected. It used to be constantly working. Though nowadays, of course, it was all just hollow shells of what they once were.

She was glad to be out of the waste department, but as she looked skyward at the structures, trepidation and a weary, reluctant sort of acceptance hit her. She looked down at Sugar.

"It's ever upwards from here on out, isn't it." She sighed. Sympathetically, Sugar nodded and patted her leg.

Well, it wasn't like she didn't expect this. She needed training, for when they finally started climbing Pebble's wall. Getting into the clouds would be no easy feat, and she refused to weigh her friend down further. So, of course, she would learn. Something hissed and moved below them.

Glancing down, Moon could have groaned noticing the large green lizard moving across the ground below. This, she remembered, gripping her newly acquired spear, was something she was going to have to learn. Survival at all odds. It would only get harder from here.

Sugar looked similarly displeased to her, but paused and glanced down the drop, then at the lizard. Seemingly, it was measuring the distance between both. With a twinkle in it's eye, it made a gesture at Moon to stay. Adjusting it's spear it took a few steps back, then went into a running leap off the edge of the platform they were standing upon. And, theoretically, she knew how durable her friend was to that sort of thing, after all it's body was practically built to take impact with how soft and bouncy it was, but she still had to cut off a noise of distress as it fell. 

It only took a moment for Sugar to reach it's target, twisting through the air with it's spear held down, as she gasped as the weapon slid with deadly accuracy all the way through the lizard, pinning it into the dirt by it's throat. Quickly Sugar darted away, leaving it to squirm and gag ineffectively, leaping up to climb the pipes back onto the platform. The moment it reached her, it puffed up it's chest proudly. 

"Very good, little creature! Where did you learn that?" She praised. Sugar paused, something pained darting across it's face for a second. 

It paused, then made a sign. 

'Family'. 

"Your family taught you?" She asked softly. Sugar shrugged and held up one of it's fingers. She gave it what she hoped was a comforting look. "Whoever taught you must be very strong." She said, scratching it between the ears. Sugar nodded before shaking her off, pointing at the pipes leading down and gesturing.

Right. No time for lollygagging. 

Sugar went down first, then reached up to help her down, before guiding her over to a pole she could simply shimmy down on. She hesitated at the drop to the ground, but with some coaxing, eventually let go. And, Oh!

"It seems my puppet can take quite a bit of impact." She said, impressed by the fact that she had genuinely felt nothing from the drop. She felt stupid almost immediately after, because of course it could. Had she really forgotten the time it withstood her entire damn can collapsing? Well, yes. For a second she had. Sugar blinked and gave a thumbs up.

Sugar snatched the spear from the now barely squirming lizard, avoiding it when it snapped and pulling Moon quickly away from the still moving jaws. They passed through another shaft to the other side of one of the towers, and almost immediately an overseer popped up and pointed a threat indicator directly down. Even if it hadn't, she would have easily heard the puffing of steam and the clack of a beak half made of bone. Not to mention a very strange...thudding noise? 

The duo had both been ready to run, but Sugar seemed to pause and relax, narrowing it's eyes. It lead her forward cautiously, dropping down below the metal and onto the ground. Turning behind them, they both saw the source of the noise through the passage under the metal.

"How.... How did it get in there?" Moon asked, half incredulous and half terrified. 

A distressed vulture squirmed wildly inside the alcove that was far too small for it. Evidently, from the body in there with it, it had wiggled in after a lizard, and was now unable to get out. She really hoped it would stay in there for the foreseeable future. Swiftly, the duo turned and made their way away from the struggling creature.

Across the land and into another shaft in one of the factories. Her overseer alerted them to another lizard in one of the tunnels below as they passed, but they were able to rush past before it poked it's head out and caught sight of them.

The next time, however, they were not so lucky. 

Her overseer only just barely managed to alert them as they came out, and that was already as the lizard was catching sight and lunging for them.

Moon admitted she may have screamed. Sugar and Moon moved in tandem panic, Moon acting on instincts she didn't even realize she had as their spears shot out and sliced into the thing. Sugar's spear buried in it's chest, but Moon's....

Pressure, then give just as quickly. The two stared in shock as Moon's spear went through the lizard's skull, up through it's bottom jaw, through the center of it's head, and stuck out on the other side like a blood stained spine. Instantly, the bright green glow flickered out.

Sugar, her overseer, and herself stared in shock.

"Is it usually that easy for you?" She squeaked. 

Sugar, of course, furiously shook it's head.

Well. She supposed that their creators had built them to be more than just sturdy. Maybe she should thank them for that. Even though she doubted it was something intentional. The thought was laughable.

Moon managed to yank her spear out, and Sugar decided to make a swift meal of it before they continued on their way.

Another shaft down, then up up up. And while Moon knew the designers would make these factories with the mind that they would never have to work in them themselves, she wondered if they really couldn't have just made some normal stairs in more easy to access places. All these crags and small spots were beginning to take a......noticably bigger toll on her dress. At least the cans themselves had a few regularly accessible tunnels. Though she doubted Sugar wouldn't likely know of them. She was beginning to suspect it's species had evolved from the cleaner slugs that once crawled their systems. It would certainly explain the tail and the oddly damp and slick feeling always covering her friend's body. The sticky paws, too. 

Her musing helped pass the moments as they often did, while climbing through the structure. Once again she noted how much easier it had gotten to do this as she worked at it, sharp feet finding holds with a robotic precision only her kind had. Sugar wasn't even needing to push her up anymore, just keeping a steady pace right behind her. 

Eventually they finally landed in a larger room with scattered pipes and valves, noting that the wall was stuck with a series of spears like a ladder up to a platform above. Idly, she gave Sugar a side eye. Nothing if not clever, after all. Not like she minded, though, considering there was a good amount of water at the bottom of the room. Another threat indicator popped up from her overseer, and suddenly both she and Sugar jumped at a loud bang bang that echoed through the room. Just as quickly, two lizards plopped into the pool of water, stunned and limp.

Meeting eyes, the two took no time leaping up the spear ladder. It was unlucky for them that one of the lizards seemed to get it's bearings and look up. In no time, with only the single minded hunger that seemed to drive the things, it gave chase.

Considering their precarious position, Sugar didn't bother trying to fight. It had all but dragged her onto it's back just to get them up, away from the creature who seemed to have a much easier time getting up the wall with it's sharp claws digging into it. The moment they reached the solid beam above, Sugar dragged her to the end to shove her inside, pushing her ever faster into the next room.

It was seemingly mercifully empty save for a lone pole in the middle of the room between a gap. Her friend ushered her down into the pit to the other side. The moment she nearly touched the pole, Sugar swatted and hissed violently at her, guiding them in an arc around it. 

"What-"

She was cut off as the lizard entered the room for it's chase, taking no such hesitation as it leaped to snatch onto the pole to get closer. Instantaneously, Moon was suddenly grateful for her friend not letting her touch the 'pole'.

The moment the lizard touched the pole, red spines expanded around it and stuck to the creature's limbs. It struggled to no avail as it fell and was dragged to the center of where the plant, apparently, lay, down through a small hole in the ground that she hadn't seen before. Shuddering, she stared. Apparently nothing in this world was sacred anymore. Not even the poles! 

Voids below, how did a plant even learn to do that?!

Laughing nervously, she glanced at her friend. "You really have to be suspicious of everything here, don't you little creature?" She asked, high and tight. Sugar made a growl-groan and rolled it's eyes up as if to say 'tell me about it'.

On the two went. In the next room some of the blue pupa sacs that Sugar brought her once dangled from the ceiling, and it spent no time jumping up and snatching them off to eat. One could mistake the things for fruit, if you weren't careful. She had heard stories of people plucking them off and biting in, expecting to chow down on a sweet, juicy treat, only to find it was not sweet or a treat. They were very juicy, though. Sugar didn't seem to mind the fact it wasn't a fruit, however. It was an omnivorous animal, after all, and food was food. In fact, it seemed to quite enjoy the things, eyes scrunched in joy as blue goo dripped down it's chin. She was almost tempted to chastise it's cleanliness. 

She didn't, though. 

Finally they moved again when Sugar finished, moving to the next room. It was a mess of pipes and bars, and seemingly a long way down, but Sugar assisted her carefully across the gap. She thought she may have heard the clack of claws and a hiss below, but she paid it no mind. 

A trip down, then across, and suddenly she had to blink away the flash of sunlight as they stepped out. With a start, she noted that they were much higher up than she had thought they would be. She must have lost more time than expected. The rays glinted and danced across the few parts of metal not covered in dirt and rust, and she had to say it was actually quite pretty up here, even though it wasn't as high as they were soon going to be. Just a taste of the journey to come. 

Striding along, she found there was a relatively small gap in the bridge between areas. There was a pipe connecting them, and clearly Sugar expected her to use that but....yes....the distance seemed close enough, and she was feeling brave enough to make a try for it.

A few steps back, and she burst into a running start. She heard Sugar's sharp yowl of shock but she kept forward, planting her foot at the edge of the bridge and jumping.

Or, well, that's what it was supposed to be. 

Apparently, a very light body and some deceivingly strong limbs made for...well....

Her jump was less a jump than it was a full on leap. 

She sailed over the gap with more grace than she had any right to have, suddenly intimately aware of what it felt like to actually, genuinely fly. It seemed like forever that she hung in the air until, just as quick as she came up, gravity wrapped back around her and she landed far on the other side with the sharp clang of metal on metal, only just barely keeping her balance. 

Silently she stood, for a moment. Then, she whipped around to her friend. 

"Sugar! Did you see that?!" She cried, throwing her hands up. Sugar was staring with wide eyes, the whites in them shining for a moment before it was furiously nodding it's head, scrambling over the pipe to get to her and jump up and down with arms flailing like it didn't know what to do with itself. Unable to help herself, she leaned down and squeezed her little friend before backing up to bounce gently on her legs again, laughing with elation.

"That was amazing! There- This is so many things I didn't know I could do!" She cried. "I love being off my umbilical!" 

Moon and Sugar danced around each other, practically skipping as they entered back inside through to the gate. Moon couldn't help her babble, and Sugar chattered in glee just as much. It passed by in a rush as she nearly twirled herself through the gates. Even a long way up didn't dampen the mood.

They were outside again for a moment, but not for long. Just as quick they were back inside and sliding into a shelter as the thunder and rain began to rumble outside. She shuddered with glee, still riding a bit high as they settled in.

She wanted to do that again! She was going to get to do that again! So many things she had been incapable of before now readily available. So many doors suddenly opened! She could do practically anything she wanted, nobody to tell her off or chain her down. No work to do or systems to uphold.

Free.

She couldn't wait to show Pebbles. 

Chapter Text

Pebbles was so close, now. So painfully close. He was right there. If she reached her hand out, she felt she could almost brush her hand along the cool metal of his can. Just like the sun had been, her brother's can was a whole different beast in person. Towering and insurmountable in a way that would make most turn from the task. And yet her resolve was as steely as it had been when she first found it. Even more than before, in some way.

Moon felt like she was vibrating out of her shell, restless and impatient as she stared out at the journey ahead. Perhaps it was leftover energy from the cycle before, positive energy now twisted in on itself now that the moment had passed.

Sugar tugged on her sleeve gently, tilting its head slightly at her. Shaking herself from the moment, she patted her friend on the head. "I'm alright. Just a bit impatient. So let's head on, ok?" She said softly. It nodded in agreement, and they began their journey forward. So very close, now. If she was moving a bit too quickly, nobody said anything of it.

Through the next shaft, of course, came a roadblock. Two lizards not far away, squirming and fighting each other, too close to their next exit to avoid. For a moment Sugar looked on in trepidation and nervousness, but then it paused and glanced at her. Sizing her up, eventually it gestured to her, their spears, then turned and made a throwing motion and pointed to it's head. She jerked up.

"You want me to try throwing the spears? Into their heads?" She asked nervously. Sugar nodded seriously, patting her on the side.

This was a test. She knew it was. Considering what she had shown the previous cycle, it was understandable. See what she could do. See how well she could protect herself, and see if it could spare to keep it's eyes off her more. She couldn't afford not be able to, out here. Especially when she hoped to soon be taking her brother with them. Another body to watch, if she couldn't. And Sugar might not always be able to save them.

A grinding noise came from her chest with her sigh, giving a sharp nod. 

Shifting her grip, she raised her arm and locked her gaze on her prey. Arrays of calculations ran through her mind as she aimed, eyes narrowing. Iterators were built to be precise. She could do this.

In one swift motion, she pulled back and threw the spear hard.

Her weapon sped through the air and hit it's target. It was almost laughable, how easily it passed through the lizard's skull, pinning it to the ground. Perfectly deadly, like all iterators were built to be. Intentional or not.

Sugar jumped up and down in shock and joy, pushing its own spear into her hands as the other lizard noticed them. over the body of it's fallen enemy. Again Moon pulled her spear back and threw it, hitting the mark with a wet shnk when it went through and pinned it to the ground. Her friend jumped in circles around her, and she crossed her arms. 

"I hope you're happy." She huffed. "My creators would implode if they saw what I was doing now. Violence is the first carnal urge, you know." She sighed and slid her hand across her antenna, flicking some grime off it as she watched Sugar run over to the lizards, stopping to consider before digging in. 

She wasn't really angry, of course. She was long past the point of feeling bad about what she was currently doing. She had already killed those centipedes and a lizard, after all. This was really no different. She was almost happy, in a way, vindictively so. It was beyond rude, they were their parents, and yet she took some amount of joy in stomping their memory.

Parents were not supposed to abandon their children.

Moon was glad to put aside that line of thinking when Sugar finished up, helping pull out the spears and continuing on.

Around one of the chimneys was their next trip up....and up....and up. The shaft ended eventually and opened into the actual stack of it and Moon wasn't too thrilled to see how they had to get up. Ladders were fine, but jumping back and forth between poles that jutted out from the sides of the chimney wasn't exactly in her practice. Still, as always, Sugar aided and pulled her across, keeping her steady and preventing her from slipping, though she was sure her grip alone could have dented the metal.

Another shaft out and, well, this was certainly one way to test her new jumping skills.

The ground was even farther away now, and looking around she could practically already see the entirety of Pebbles and her own facility. It would be prettier if she didn't have to traverse what was out there, being a series of broken bits of pipe and bridging. Not to mention her overseer was already pointing out the fact there were even more lizards here. Two lizards and- ah- a vulture. Sugar forced itself up beside her in the passage, narrowing it's eyes and making a low growl of displeasure. Moon had to agree. How would they do this?!

Sugar examined the situation, squirming in place. It glanced between the lizards, who were snapping at the vulture, the vulture, doing the same, the platforms, then Moon. It didn't look happy, but eventually it heaved a breath and looked at her. After a pause of seeming to thing, it finally signed one thing at her. 

'Fast.'

It wanted them to just run and pray?

She didn't like it, of course. But did she have a better idea?

....Unfortunately no. 

A high noise came from her chest as Sugar looked on sympathetically, patting her arm. It paused again before pointing at her, and signing 'Good' as well. She supposed the look it was giving was trying to be comforting. Another gesture and holding up one finger suggested that it wanted her to go first. 

She didn't want to.

Of course, she still did. 

Taking a moment to steel herself, she all but flung herself out of the passage. Rolling across the ground, she took off as best she could with Sugar right on her heels. Their enemies took a moment to notice them, but her feet ringing against the metal of the first jump was enough to alert them. As airborne as it was, the vulture was the first to take action, sensing some less bitey prey to take advantage of. 

It took off in a rush of steam and air, forcing Moon to look ahead so she didn't fall, taking the second jump ahead. If she had a heart, it would have been pounding. But as it was, terror filled her wires like a nasty oil clog, pushing her even further forward. One more jump sent her smashing into the side of the other chimney, just enough time to turn around and check her friend.

Sugar was more than nimble in its own right. It had been doing this much longer than she had. But with the way its body was built, she was a bit faster. Still, Sugar ran, rolling onto the last platform towards her, while the vulture lunged in to grab it.

In a blind panic, Moon raised her spear and threw it.

The aim was off in her unthinking toss, but it did the job. The point stuck into the vulture's shoulder joint, causing it to suddenly tilt wildly and fall from the high platform. Sugar didn't even look, leaping the final gap and shoving her into the shaft behind her in a rush. Swiftly up they went, though it wasn't long until Moon heard the scratch of lizard feet below them. 

The two popped out the top of their pass and whipped around to face it. It was only a few seconds before a head popped out, and in a wild flurry of fear and blood, Sugar proceeded to immediately stab the lizard. Many many times. More than needed, though Moon appreciated the caution.

Even with that passage blocked (for now), Sugar did not stop. Apparently too keyed up from that close call, it kept them going upwards. There were definitely more lizards on the side opposite to them, but they hardly got a glimpse of the duo before they were both scrambling upwards and into another shaft once more.

Further and further they went up. Around the bend of a small island held in the air by long sturdy pipes, that she barely got to see before Sugar was pushing her through the next pathway up.

The next way up wasn't so easy to rush. Massive poles and tiny platforms were the only thing leading up, here. The sky folded out around them, almost endless if it were not for Five Pebbles towering just beside them. So close, her circuitry screamed. So close.

The two were forced to go slower due to the terrain, or rather lack thereof, shuffling and squirming up the long pipes that led to another bridge just above. She was very glad she was not afraid of heights. A glance down told her the anxious state of Sugar, it's ears swiveling on it's head and it's gaze darting from the islands to the poles and back. Idly she wondered what else could go wrong when she looked back and, on the pole right next to them, saw a shudder of air blur into the shape of a lizard looking directly back at her. 

The iterator may have screamed. Just a bit.

She had no weapon. Not anymore. So when the creature lunged, in a blind panic, she shot her leg out and kicked the thing in the face. Promptly, the thing was flung from the pole it was clinging to. Iterator and slugcat watched the thing go down. 

"I don't want to be back in my can, but at the same time I do." Moon said bluntly. Sugar seemed to more or less agree with that particular sentiment.

Thankfully, nothing further happened on that stretch. They got to the top of the pipes, and then jumped out onto the broken bridges. She was more than a little bit thankful for that, she didn't think her servos could take any more. 

The wind blew harshly up here and the clouds blew dark overhead, but she didn't notice it very much. Because Five Pebbles was right there. Just across that broken bridge. Her feet took her faster. 

Her brother. Her friend. Her killer. Her responsibility, peer, junior.

Alone and left to rot in the most literal sense. 

Something in her chest screamed.

Wait. Hold on. No. That was something at her feet literally screaming. Squealing? She blinked away a small beam of colored light. 

"Oh! What an odd creature you are." She said, surprised. 

At her feet were two wailing....grubs? That she did not recognize. They wiggled and flailed, and she just stared in bewilderment. A blur of white darting next to her, and suddenly both grubs were gone, shoved directly into Sugar's mouth. The screaming was silenced as it chewed.

"Sugar, you.....what is that look for?"

Sugar was gazing up in silent terror as shadows overtook them. She glanced up.

This time Moon was the one literally picking Sugar up and sprinting for cover because holy saints ascending that was precisely three vultures with eyes locked firmly onto them. Moon did not slow down as she got inside, remembering that vulture stuck under a metal platform vying for a meal, and did not wish to. She careened across the rest of the bridge and only stopped when she ran face first into the door of the gates.

Slumping to the ground, she didn't even let Sugar go until the middle gate whirred open. Her little friend seemed similarly spent, slumping into her front.

Neither moved for a good minute. When Sugar eventually did, it helped her up to her feet and guided her out. The terror all but drained completely as they stepped onto the other side. Because finally. 

Finally finally finally.

Brushing her hand gently across the metal of the can, she whispered.

"I'm here, Pebbles."

Chapter Text

Sugar had to drag it's friend inside when the rains eventually came. Moon seemed almost like she would have been satisfied with being swept away, if she had gotten just a bit longer staring up at that wall. The entire time in the shelter she shifted and twitched restlessly, fingers drumming on the floor and feet tapping away. It could swear it could feel her neurons firing at each other. If it got close enough, it could certainly hear it, at least. 

Somehow it doubted she powered off only shortly after it went to sleep. 

Moon was already up by the time it woke, watching as the shelter opened with rapt attention. She gave it the time it needed to get it's faculties back into gear, but she paced the entire time and hopped from foot to foot with the quiet click clack of the tips meeting the floor. The sheer nervous energy she was radiating was rubbing off on it, and it was tempted to grab her legs just to make her slow down. It didn't, but before they left the shelter it pressed itself up against her leg with a low purr, curling it's tail around a foot for just a moment. It seemed to help, and she gave it a scratch on the head for it's troubles.

"Almost there, little one." She said, eyes crinkling in as close to a smile as she could get. 

She was right. They should be above cloud cover before the rains started, if all went well. It was a vertical climb, but thankfully there weren't many enemies to deal with on the way up, considering not many things could safely live on the vertical climb.

Save for those damn yellow lizards. But they would get to those later. Unfortunately.

As they stepped out, it considered the way up. In it's time, Sugar had actually made it's way up the wall more than a few times. It was a familiar trip. Not as much as the one to Moon (hell, it practically lived at the shoreline until now), but enough to be experienced with the ins and outs of traversing the precarious way up. Considering Moon's impatience, it would be needed more than ever. Couldn't have her slipping and experiencing what it was like to die for the first time....if she was even subject to revival the same way that Sugar itself was. 

No matter, the cycle had just begun and the day was theirs to seize. Onwards and upwards. 

Watching Moon climb poles was almost funny, in a way. Without feet with which to help grab onto the things, she ended up grabbing onto it with hands, thighs, and calves, pulling herself up one push at a time like a particularly large and robotic inchworm. It was also somewhat impressive as a reminder of how strong those limbs were, as the motion became steadily effortless the more they did it. It supposed the quick learning was a quirk of her (at least partially) robotic nature. 

Up some poles, through a shaft, up some poles, through a shaft, so on and so forth. The positions of the terrain may change, but the wall was very largely the same kind of game the whole way up. Repetitive, and occasionally tedious, but still good practice for Moon. Hopefully the trip down would be just as well.

Suddenly, though, it remembered something.

Moon wanted to take Pebbles out and bring him along too.

How in the hell were they going to get him down?

Moon had practice. A lot of it, now! And she had been sitting in her crumpled can for a while without full use of her umbilical. She had stood up for one reason or another on a very rare occasion, and she had similarly said that when she was fully functional, she would sometimes pace and circle the ground while she went about her tasks and calls and what have you. 

Pebbles had no such experience. His umbilical was completely fine, and he didn't seem like the type ever settle on solid ground. His own fidgets seemed to mainly consist of whirling his pearls around and spitting sparks wherever he went. Sometimes he talked to himself. But that was it. He would be, in the best case scenario, completely dead weight.

The iterator would probably loathe being piggybacked by Sugar with every fiber of his being, but if they really were leaving, then that was really the only option it thought may be viable! Moon was getting quite good at traversal, but it really didn't trust her to do that while carrying a whole other living (and very likely loudly complaining) person on her back. Pebbles was already unpleasant on a good day.

It's head hurt just thinking about it, frankly. 

A complaining noise from it's throat made Moon glance back in worry. "Is everything alright, Sugar?" She asked. Shaking itself off, Sugar gave a simple thumbs up at her.

Another shaft up, and Sugar suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing. Just a few feet away, a dropwig sat concealed against the platform above. Luckily the dumb things couldn't see anything that wasn't directly below them like this. It helped Moon carefully out of the way before pausing. Glancing at her, it handed her the spear and pointed up at the creature, but put a finger to it's mouth. Moon stiffened and blinked, glancing between Sugar and the dropwig. 

She only took a moment to consider before stabbing it, swift as ever. Sugar very much appreciated the meal. 

Shaft, poles. Shaft, poles. More shafts, more poles. They kept going up.

It was happy to note that they were reaching the cloud cover, now. Drops of water gathered along the cold steel walls, and wind buffeted them from this high up. It couldn't see the ground at all through the passing clouds, now, covering everything in a haze of white. It was kind of spooky, in a way. But Sugar had long since shed the fear of the clouds for something far more reasonable. Because up here was also the bane of it's continued existence. 

The Thunderdome.

Sugar called it that because of two things. One; Because it was a dome. Two; Because of the sound it made in the desperate scramble to get out as you were followed by at least ten million yellow lizards. As a courtesy, Sugar pinned its ears back and hissed up at the structure as it came into view when they popped out of, you guessed it, another shaft. 

"Sugar? What's wrong?" Moon asked in worry. 

Sugar pointed up at the dome and stopped for a second to try to remember the words before signing. 'Bad'. It signed. 'Lizard. Lizard. Lizard. Lizard. Lizard.'  It was about to keep signing that same word, but Moon stopped it. 

"There are a lot of lizards in that thing there?" She asked, her own antenna pinning back. Sugar nodded gravely, shuffling it's spear back and forth between it's hands nervously. Usually it would just run and pray, ducking and weaving and trying to make the lizards get a bite of each other instead, but it couldn't do that when trailing along precious cargo. It wasn't sure how to portray this, so it just made a vague motion with it's hands. 

Moon looked up, nervous but considering. She hummed lowly. 

"I hate to endanger my overseers but....this is some very precarious ground we are on. Perhaps if they had something interesting to draw their attention, we could...knock them off? Or make them not notice us?" She asked slowly. Immediately, Sugar perked up and nodded. That was a much better idea than just "Hope you run faster than them" and praying. 

Decision made, they carefully climbed up to where the beam to the dome lay. It wasn't a very big beam (Sugar had fallen off enough times to know it very well), and with Moon's strength, knocking them off should be fairly easy. It was still dangerous, but still far less so than their other plans. Poking their heads out, they could already see the creatures inside. Moon narrowed her eyes and, with a flicker of gold, an overseer popped near the entrance. 

So it began. 

Almost instantly, a lizard noticed the overseer and began moving towards it. The overseer went down and came up, closer and closer. In no time at all the lizard was practically upon them. Sugar was just about to hand Moon the spear when, like a shot, she suddenly popped out of their hiding place and, quite literally, punched the lizard in the face. 

The lizard was whipped to the side, and they both watched in mutual horror and awe as the thing tumbled down below.

"I......don't know why I did that. I was going to ask you for the spear but when I got close I just....panicked." Moon wheezed, shrinking into herself. Sugar was beginning to worry it was a bad influence on the kindly iterator. 

Moon took the spear swiftly afterwards before continuing on her task. 

Another lizard was drawn to it's doom. Then another, and another. Inside the dome Sugar could hear furious hissing and snapping of lizards going after something. An overseer shot outside with two lizards on it's tail, and the two were so invested in fighting that the duo didn't need to do anything before they were tumbling off on their very own. For being so big, they weren't very smart at all.

"I think we should go, now. The other ones are busy with my overseers and I can see a path open." Moon said urgently. Sugar barely had time to nod before they were rushing upwards, sprinting into and through the dome. Lizards tumbled and snapped at each other as golden blobs darted between them, just as engrossed in fighting each other and catching the little cameras that the two hoped they would be. 

It was in a rush of adrenaline that they burst out the top of the Thunderdome, scrambling to the safety of yet another shaft and hurrying up it in attempt to get as much distance as possible between themselves and the enemy. It took a while before they slowed down, but they did eventually, just as they came out the exit.

They crossed a particularly dangerous set of poles and passed upwards, darted quietly around a sleeping white lizard on the next platform, and kept up. And, just like that as they popped out the next passage, they were above cloud cover. 

Sugar felt it's friend freeze, heard her sharp gasp as she stared out into the sky.

It really was pretty. Even if it was a lot of trouble to get there. 

Sunlight spilled through the sky and glimmered off of metal slick with condensation. The clouds now below them rolled and whipped in the winds, glowing with the sun behind them. A sea of white under endless blue, rippling and moving like the tides, it could not harm them up here. No more time limit. In the distance if it squinted, it could see the cans of the other iterators. Specks in the sky, but no less grand. Moon's local group, as she had told it. Her friends, when she was being professional. Family, when she wasn't. In this light, you would have never known Pebbles was sick. The metal creaked and hummed underneath them.

Moon was shaking. 

"And to think." She laughed, bitter and without humor. "Our creators got to see this every day."

Sugar could only press against her side. They took a minute more before continuing up, almost silent now. 

Moon was swift to dispatch another lizard they came across, a meal for Sugar before they went on. There were more of them, but they were able to largely avoid them. The climb seemed so much more tedious now, scraping across it's nerves as he watched his friend try to hurry up further and further. Up and up they went until finally, they came through the passage into Pebble's city. 

Moon stopped short as they stepped into it. But only for a moment. Just as quickly, she shot off towards the entrance into the can, forcing Sugar to sprint just to keep up.

As mentioned before, this was not just the second time it had visited Pebbles. Nor the third, fourth, fifth. In all it's cycles, it had visited many times.

And for what? A pretty view and an aggressive iterator?

Well, in some ways, yes. 

Sugar hadn't liked Pebbles at first, for obvious reasons. Condescending and callous at the best of times. The one who had caused Moon's own destruction in his own selfish scramble for self destruction. How could anyone like him?

Well, it didn't, exactly. But Sugar had started to understand.

It brought pearls to Moon for reading very often. Anything particularly shiny or pretty, it would bring to her to read out and explain. It liked hearing about herself and the other iterators. She seemed to enjoy talking too, when she had the energy. Not much else to do in her broken can after all.

As it turned out, occasionally those pearls held archived conversations from times long past.

Trapped, frustrated, hopeless. Stuck running circles around the same old wheel over and over again because what else could they do? When it was what you were made for, what else was there? Bugs in a maze scrambling for a way out. It was certainly enough to drive anyone, even gods, insane. Evidently it was enough to drive this one into the destruction of not just his sister, but himself as well.

It looked out to the city, after that.

Barren and broken, left hollow and abandoned by a people so eager to leave this plane that they never even thought to tell their children. Cold winds whistled through open windows, dust settled upon buildings left unused. There was nothing here left but the faint echoes of voices long past and memories that wasted away with the passing of time. A city without it's inhabitants left as a corpse, and just as silent. 

Moon had said, once, that none of them really missed when the cities were full. Skin parasites that asked for advice, she had said. It understood, really. It only had heard stories and had pearls read to it, but the ancients at their best were pompous, condescending, and painfully long winded as it seemed. For a race that was obsessed with self eradication, they seemed very self important.

And yet. 'They were our parents, after all' Moon had said. And it had remembered how lonely, how painful it was to be on it's own after it had lost it's own parents. Swept away in the rains.

Pebbles didn't seem like he was talking to anyone, even if he could. He had done it by himself, but in a way, he seemed just as isolated as Moon had been before. Refusing help all the while he was consumed from the inside out. Dying, just as his sister was.

Sugar had looked out into the bones of this dead city and wondered if he was lonely too.

So, just a little reluctantly, it started visiting Pebbles. 

Or, well, visiting was a strong word at first. At first, it would just take pearls it found, pop it's head in, and toss them at him. Poems and hymns that it seemed he might like. Little things that Moon didn't much care for. Once, it brought him a pearl of what it was pretty sure was porn, from Moon's reaction, just as a joke. He had thrown it right back, the next time it visited.

It felt a little bit like taming a lizard, something it had only indulged in occasionally. Toss something at the mean dangerous thing until it liked you enough to let you close.

All in all, Sugar would consider it a success. Pebbles had, eventually, got comfortable enough with it to allow it inside his chambers more often, even if only to snappily ask it why it was there yet again. A small beast, on the floor of his chambers.

Well.

Hopefully that reputation would come in handy now. 

Sugar stumbled as some kind of vibration rushed through the city. It suddenly worried that the whole can was about to collapse but, after a moment, it stilled. From the corner of it's eye something blue flickered back into the ground. Moon didn't even seem to notice, nearly ramming herself face first into the gate. She was, evidently, about ready to just tear the door down if it didn't open faster.

She nearly charged in like before, but quickly it caught her sleeve with a hiss and shook it's head furiously, still trying to get used to the change from bright sun to eerie darkness and red emergency lights. Luckily, she froze, seeming to remember the situation.

"Ah, I- I'm sorry, little one. I'm getting ahead of myself. With how bad Pebbles is, I wouldn't know the first thing about getting through it. I imagine you're a much better leader, for this." She said, her voice shaky. Pointedly, Sugar nodded. It didn't want to extend her suffering, however, so it set them ahead quickly. It would have wished to sleep in a shelter, but it doubted Moon would be too happy with that, and it trusted itself to get them through. 

The shift in gravity no longer came as any shock to it, simply shifting the grip on it's spear and keeping forward. Moon though made a small noise of surprise as she tumbled gracelessly through the air with a short "Oh, my."

Sugar glanced back consideringly at her, kicking back to catch her, and pointing at her then making a hugging motion around itself. This was a dangerous place to be inexperienced, and it needed to keep her close. But it couldn't drag her around with it's tail like in the water. She blinked before seeming to comprehend. "Hug you so I don't drift?" She asked. Sugar nodded. 

Moon had no problem with this, wrapping her arms around it's middle before they kicked off again into the next room. This was where it was going to really begin.

Moon's grip became painful as they passed through. Just as before, seeing something in person was a whole different beast to anything else. 

A rot cyst sat hanging from one of the corners of the room. It may have blended in if it were not for the bright blue crosses and spots along its sickly slick body. Illness given form with which to move. It was lucky they were so slow, there weren't many places to hide in these rooms.

Thankfully, Sugar had experience, and quite a few tricks up it's sleeve. In two swift motions, it stopped them from drifting by catching it's spear in a notch in the wall, and kicked them off to sail through the room like a bullet. The aim was awkward with Moon hanging on, but it still fell true, in the end. They landed hard into a pole at the other end and started scrambling along it.

The cyst began to move towards them. Long sticky limbs heaved the creature forward, sticking to the walls with its tumor spotted tendrils. The noises it made were slick as it peeled away from the wall it had settled against. Moon hissed, loud and static sounding with her antenna practically touching her shoulders for how far down they were pointed.

They weren't there for long, just as quickly as they were out, Sugar dragged them back in through another vent into the next room. Again they kicked off, catching the spear into the ample nooks and crannies to aid them in steering. Kicking off a corner, it found themselves far too close to the next cyst for comfort. Moon cried out in distress as tendrils reached for them, and it couldn't help but give a sharp yelp of distress too.

Digging it's spear into the wall, Sugar curled them tightly together and kicked off hard. 

Moon shrieked as they flew through the legs of the rot and across the room, bringing her legs up and nearly crushing Sugar with them. Fruitlessly it tried to gain traction somewhere, helpless to do anything but spin to the other side of the room. Still, not to be thrown so easily, it twisted them once more and rushed along one of the pipes leading to the exit, throwing them up and through the next vent.

"I. Hate. Rot. I can't imagine how it feels to have that crawling through your systems." She shuddered. Sugar nodded and patting her leg, but stopping when she froze. Her bag was buzzing.

"Wait..." She breathed. 

Without Sugar, she pushed forward and out the other opening, forcing her friend to rush after her in a panic when she gasped sharply. 

"I can feel him." She whispered, soft and emphatic. 

The room was aglow with neuron flies darting back and forth through the room. They hummed and flashed as they swirled through the air in a mesmerizing whorl of motion. Bright and active like they should be. Moon jumped every time one brushed past, flickering over her before darting away just as quickly. Unsure of how good this development was, Sugar quickly grabbed her again and began to push off through the rooms once more. Moon stayed silent and shivering against it as they moved.

It was a bit safer from there on out. No more mobile cysts, though blue still popped through a couple panels that they passed. The two swirled and bounded through the passages of Pebble's innards, over and around, in and out, deeper and deeper into his center. The very walls pulsed with life here. A superstructure that lived and breathed, thumping with a biomechanical heartbeat. Evidently, it was something that Moon was becoming intimate with too.

The moment they reached the cube of Five Pebble's puppet chamber, she squirmed and made a crackling noise, eyes as wide as they could possibly be. Sparks darted across her antenna, and there clearly was no way they could be fast enough for her.

They reached the entrance. 

Moon was off so quick that she was nothing but a blur of blue for a moment. The second they were in arms reach, she snatched the edge of the passage and shot down into it like there was fire on her heels, very nearly kicking Sugar away in the process. Just barely managing to get back over with help of it's spear, it squirmed down after her with the sound of Pebble's anti gravity powering down.

Sugar plopped to the floor and looked up to see a stare off.

The air was thick enough to cut as the iterators stared at each other, completely still and silent. Frozen like statues. Pebble's eyes were wide, his antenna pinned down even further than Moon's. For a minute, not a single person spoke.

Slowly, carefully, Pebbles lowered himself just in front of his sister.

"Moon." He said, ever so quiet and sounding like he was fighting to keep his voice even.

"Pebbles." Moon replied, only just barely firmer. "You....."

Another long pause.

Suddenly, the fallen iterator reeled back. 

WHACK

"You IDIOT!"

Sugar couldn't help but jump as Looks to the Moon smacked her little brother over the back of the head. 




Somewhere, distantly, a message finishes playing. The feed is full of static and grain, but still able to make out, just barely.

A pause.

Somewhere, a bright green iterator throws his hands up.

"WHAT THE FUCK???"

Chapter Text

It had been a long, long time since Moon had collapsed. He had been angry for a very long time too.

He had just as long a time to think over things. And oh, he thought. He did nothing but think, especially these days. There wasn't much else to do, anyway. He may as well use this privilege while he still had it. Before the rot got to him.

He thought about what had happened. He thought about what he could have done different. He thought about what led him here, about the consequences, about what he had lost and how little he had gained. No Significant Harassment's messages and how right he had been all along. Sun's desperate bid to help. He thought about Moon.

He had wanted to stay angry for a long time. Maybe some part of him still was.

But no matter how hard he pushed and shoved it away, he still cared in some deep part of himself. Because Moon was his big sister. Always there and always kind, maybe overbearing sometimes but always willing to lend a listening ear. She greeted him with excitement as he first woke, overjoyed to have a brother. She had always been a good sibling.

Like he had not.

So, despite everything, he still checked on her from time to time. Sent overseers to peek at what she was doing, how her can was faring. He watched her sit placidly in the heap of her destroyed can for cycles upon cycles, ever present but so far away now.

Which was why, when the latest overseer footage came screaming into his head, he......panicked. 

Because, where his sister once sat, was nothing. The only sign she was ever there was her limp umbilical laying on the ground, its wires severed and useless.

Where was she.

Where was she?!

Where was MOON?!?!

In an instant, he had his overseers comb every nook and cranny he could find. Not in the water, not under the scrap heaps, not through the passages or rooms or anywhere in her own can. So, of course, he looked further.

Every speck of sand, every island, every kelp forest and deep trench he searched with wild abandon. Nothing nothing nothing! He couldn't find her anywhere! Just like that, Moon was a ghost. In a single cycle, she was gone.

He spun his processes around in disbelief, unable to comprehend it. Had scavengers taken her? Had her little friend?

What happened?

Whatever the case, no matter what he did or what happened, Moon was gone. And there was simply no changing that. He was only beginning to process the fact that he wasn't ready for her to be gone yet when an overseer proceeded to pop up with footage showing his sister, free as a bird, bounding across the top of his can towards his internal gates with her pet at her heels.

He, admittedly, overreacted.

For a moment, quite literally everything seized. All processes stopped. The inflow and outflow of information through his processing strata halted. Even his gravity completely dropped in a split second. All throughout his can machinery grinded to a halt as he saw his fellow iterator literally sprinting on her own two feet to get to him. Immediately after, warnings flashed and knocked him out of it, telling him of supposed 'seismic activity'. What a joke.

And now here she stood. Inside his can, real, talking, and tangible enough to smack him over the head and call him an idiot. Most would likely be inclined to agree with her. But it still hurt!

"OW!" He yipped, gripping his head and pulling away as his nuts and bolts rattled around in his head. 

He was going to make a retort. Some kind of quip or snap back. But he was cut off as his sister seized him by the front of his clothes and yanked him in. Just as quick, he had arms around him so tightly that the metal of his frame creaked with the pressure.

He had never been hugged before.

"Pebbles, it has been far, far too long." She croaked. If they had been able to cry, he imagined it would have sounded watery. It almost did even with their lack of any tear ducts or mucus to choke up their vocal cords. He didn't know what to do, hands only hovering over her back before, slowly, he rested a hand on one of her arms, nearly jolting at how unequivocally solid she was.

"I....why would you ever want to see me?" He asked, soft but utterly incredulous. The other iterator snorted, and it sounded just a bit bitter.

"I say again," She hummed "It had been too long."

There were a million things he could note, in this moment. The first, with annoyance, was that she was actually taller than him. Just under a full head taller, actually. It made for a very easy way to settle her head into the notch of his shoulder, their antenna bumping together as she nuzzled into the silk of his clothing. The next was her wires. They hung from her back and, evidently, had been braided, and was tucked into a bag slung around her that he was sure he could feel the pulse of her neurons from. Then there was how warm she was. If she hadn't been made of metal, one may think she was an actual living being. Or, well, a fleshy one anyway. All their flesh was on the inside. Her colors were so much more pronounced outside his overseer footage. He could see every little crease and dent in her body, feel the way she was shaking (or was that him?), hear the soft electric whine from her chest. Every little quirk and attribute was burned into his memory in moments.

It was....good, actually. Unfairly so.

He had hardly even been touched before. He had never gotten too close to any of the beasts that wandered into his chamber, and even his creators barely even brushed him when they examined his puppet.

It was with an incredible amount of reluctance with which Moon pulled away, though never fully releasing him. Her hands were a solid weight on his arms, a constant reminder that she was here here here.

There were no words for this. Like she had said, it had been far too long. Their pasts were fraught with pain and anger, how did one even begin to bridge the gap that had been dug between them. So he started as logically as he could. Best get the obvious questions out of the way first and foremost.

"You are detached from your umbilical. But you are alive. How? We were never built to be disconnected from our cans." He said, gesturing to the severed wires tucked into her bag. She laughed in a way that made him feel like he was out of the loop of some kind of joke.

"Our creators did not build us for many things, Five Pebbles. But as handmade gods, we find out how to do quite a lot of things anyway. My best guess is that my neurons are keeping me powered through sheer radiating excess. Without an entire can to contend with, I am operating....honestly, at more than one hundred percent. I'm better than I have been in a long time. I have more energy than I know what to do with." She hummed, jostling her bag slightly. 

That.....That was.....

Egregious!

Was it really just that easy? Remove your umbilical and go free? It hurt his head to think about.

Hold on.

Oh, that was a literal hurt. A headache pounding just between his antenna. It was a hurt that he had become quite familiar with, in the past. Something that came from every genome in his biological parts, screaming for him to stop thinking about it. It was a firm warning, of sorts, made to help direct iterators away from the self destruction taboo. They physically couldn't circumvent it themselves, but it helped as incentive to keep them from trying. That along with all the talk from their creators that their puppets could not survive away from the can, and it was no wonder nobody had thought of it.

He reeled back upon his umbilical with a heavy sigh, ignoring the strange twang when Moon's hands slipped away. "Incredible." He muttered, dragging his hands up his face. For lack of better conversation topics, he continued onto his next burning question. 

"So." He began, strained. "You finally left your can. Slipped free from your chains and walked unhindered out into the world beyond. Instead of, I don't know, trying to make a home somewhere and enjoy your freedom, or whatever the creatures outside do, you decide instead to drag yourself all the way up my wall and through my infected complex to get to me. Why. To chat? To hit me over the head? Or maybe you've come to exact retribution, pay me back for destroying you." He said coldly, tossing his hands up.

Moon flinched back like she had been struck, shoulders going up and antenna shooting back. "Excuse me? Pebbles, I did not come here to see you just to enact some kind of revenge. I-" She stopped herself, her fists clenched and shaking. Taking a moment, she forcibly relaxed herself and looked over to the white creature who had undoubtedly guided her here. "I have many words to have with you, Five Pebbles. But they're words I would like to stay private. I would ask Sugar to stay outside, but considering everything, I don't want to take chances. So, if it's all the same to you, could you open the tunnels up to your city? I would appreciate somewhere safe for my friend to stay."

He blinked. "You named that thing? Sugar?"

Moon gave him a dry look. "Pebbles."

Shaking his head, he raised his hands. "Yes yes, fine. It's just as well, I don't want your little pet eating my neurons again if it gets bored." He huffed, ignoring Moon's horrified whisper of 'You ate his neurons???' as he went about the task.

Holograms of his can flashed up and hovered in the air, he only hesitated for a moment before swiping his finger to open the access shafts. It had been a long, long time since he had them open, for fear of some other creature getting in. Feeling them thud open inside him, he made a gesture out.

"There. I've opened the gates, just in the next room. Try not let anything else in." He sighed, but then paused before he switched the gravity off once more. "But, little creature. Before you go, know that there is another of your kind in my city. My single citizen. Call her....pest control, I suppose. If you happen to come across her, try not to get on any nerves." He told it. 

The little thing, "Sugar", only barely had a chance to straighten up to it's full height with wide eyes before the gravity turned off, and he guided it back out of the exit. His sister's arms spun as she lifted off the ground, and he spared just a second of concentration to keep her from drifting before he turned the gravity back on. She stumbled but held, and he drifted back down to her height.

Once again, they were locked in a silent stare down. The lack of extra eyes somehow made it worse, and he squirmed slightly as Moon narrowed her eyes at him. 

"You know," She said contemplatively "The umbilical is actually a little....disconcerting when you're looking up from the ground. Like an odd spider leg of some kind."

Pebbles coughed out a laugh of shock.

"You've gotten rude in your time outside, Moon." He quipped. Moon chuckled and gave an unbothered shrug, going over to slide down the wall onto the floor. "The real world has a way of wearing on your sensibilities." She said, patting the ground next to herself. 

"Evidently." Hesitantly, he lowered his feet to the ground to sit next to her. It wasn't perfect, considering his umbilical coming out of his back, but it was close enough for Moon to shift her knee to bump his arm. 

Nervous energy thrummed through the iterator. He had never felt so tense in all his cycles of life. Before, he had been happy to face away from the consequences of his actions. He worked to numb the pain, turned his gaze inwards from the world. He didn't want to look at the smoldering ashes of bridges he had tossed a torch to all on his own. There was so much between them, and yet here she was. All his mistakes sitting right here beside him, staring him in the face. Nowhere to run or hide. And even after everything, even after so much time, she was still reaching for him. Despite the pain he had caused, she was still leaning off the edge of steep cliffs of their past with her arms outstretched and waiting for him to take the leap.

It hurt.

"What...." His fingers drummed against the ground. "What is it like? Living on the outside."

One step forward.

Moon leaned back and closed her eyes, voice soft and reverent. "It's amazing, Pebbles." She told him. "Overseer footage will never do it justice. Never. The sun, the clouds, the plants and animals, it's all so different in person. And oh, the air, Pebbles! You can feel how warm it is. The wind against your body, ground under your feet, you'll never get anything like it in here. Even things like walking and running are- It's exhilarating!" She laughed, loud and free enough to echo through his chamber, filling it with her joy. "Being hunted by lizards and vultures isn't so fun, but the lizards go down easily enough."

Immediately, his face snapped around to her. "You killed a lizard?!" He squawked, and again she laughed like she hadn't said one of the most insane things he had said so far.

"Multiple, actually!" She hummed, and he was glad he didn't have a jaw, or it would have been hanging. "As it turns out, our bodies are more than just sturdy. I punched one in the face!" She told him, eyes smiling as she made a flexing motion. He kind of felt like she was teasing him.

"Violence is the first carnal urge, you know." He said, finally breaking out that quip. Moon snorted. 

"I am long past that, I think." She replied, her shoulders bobbing. He could only hum in acceptance. Next question, then.

"So, how is being disconnected from your can? Being such a big part of you, I can't imagine it was comfortable." He said, gesturing vaguely to her wires.

"Mmm. It was odd at first. Not amazing, I'll say." She conceded. "It was...empty. Nothing but my puppet. My can was so broken and weak, it was barely there, I couldn't reach any of it. But it was there. When it was gone, there wasn't even any phantom feeling. Just...gone. I would reach for something on instinct, and it was like passing your hand through air. Waving through nothing. I've also lost a fair bit of memories, even if I already lost some as a result of the collapse. Conversations, work, things from our creators, many things that were stored deeper in me are lost now. But...." She shuffled slightly.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. The pangs when systems tried to reach me or when something else in my can broke off while I was hyperaware of all the pieces I couldn't reach anymore. I never knew how bad it was until it was gone. I'm not tired. The memories I have are staying instead of slipping through one broken conduit and out the other. I can go anywhere, do anything. I'm not sitting and watching water ripple and getting drowned on the regular."

He stiffened for a moment, but eventually relaxed and nodded. He pushed away a spike of envy. "That's....good." He said.

"It is." Moon nodded. "But enough about me. What have you been doing? Other than spying when you think I don't notice." She said, a teasing tone coating her voice.

"I don't!" He retorted, far too quickly. Moon's eyes scrunched further in amusement. He huffed. 

"I've been trying to fix my systems. Not much else." He said bluntly. "Flushing my conduits, blocking off venting, trying to keep it from eating through more important areas. Not that it's done much, it reflects any and all attempts to peel it away from my walls. I imagine you passed by some of it. Your...."Sugar" likely brought you along the safe way." 

"What...what's the unsafe way like?" She asked nervously. 

He sighed and, wordlessly, he flicked a hand to bring up some footage of the other rooms.

The walls were nothing but black and blue, now. Sick and pulsing with pustules of cancer, they pushed through his walls and coated every inch of once immaculate metal. Tendrils waved through the air and connected the masses, squirming as they continued their mindless search for something to feed off. The former geometry of the room was hardly even recognizable anymore. In the corner, a mobile cyst shifted and wobbled away from view. This wasn't even the parts where it had been released. Those parts were nothing but rot period now.

He could feel it, of course. Every single part of it. Eating him from the inside out. Cycle after cycle there was less and less of him left, no matter how much he flushed it away. Piece by piece he was loosing more of himself as this illness wiped out one system after another. Like her, he was hyperaware of what was gone. Electricity would rush to power something only to bounce off tumor clogs and back upon himself. Like her, it hurt, but he had gotten used to it. Metal and meat carved away to feed this invader of his own creation. Twitching and pulsing out of time with his own heartbeat. 

"Pebbles." Moon whispered in wide eyed horror.

"I don't want your pity." He snapped.

He had pitied himself enough for a lifetime.

The iterators, sick and dethroned, went silent. The light mood from before was gone now, and Moon played anxiously with the ripped edges of her sleeves. He mourned it's loss though, as always, it was his own fault. He sighed. 

"Moon, why are you here, really? I can offer you no safe haven. No closure to soothe past aches. I cannot fix you or reverse what has been done. I haven't even found a way to fix myself, and I doubt I ever will. Mock me for that, if you wish. The fact is that I am dying, and the past is long gone. But you...you are a part of the cycle now too. I can feel it off of every inch of you. You are alive, and you will be for a very long time. What could you possibly want from the brother who destroyed you?"

The end of Moon's sleeve ripped in a shaking tight fist.

"I want you to come with me."

......

"What?" He croaked. Moon's eyes bored into him.

"I want to cut your umbilical and bring you with us, Pebbles. I want to help you leave this place. Come with me."

Five Pebbles stared back. 

"I- WHY?" He shot back up onto his feet and then further as he was rocked by a surge of emotion. "WHY would you ever want that?! You're happy! You're free! Why- Why would you want to take me with you? Don't you remember what I've done? Are you not bitter? Are you not angry? Did you really have your can collapse upon you and spend cycles in your own carcass and decide you still wanted to save me?" He shouted.

"I WAS angry, Pebbles! AM angry!" Moon cried as she shot to her feet right alongside him. "I WAS bitter! I was cold and alone and there wasn't a moment that went by that I wasn't languishing in it! And I'm SICK and TIRED of it!" She gestured angrily, a foot clanging hard against the floor.

"I am SICK of being tired and angry and stuck in the past! I'm sick of the hurting and the secrets and everything!!! I want to move on! I want to forgive you! I want to give you the chance to prove to me that you deserve to be forgiven! Because I hate this, Pebbles! I don't want to live stuck in the moments when my can was collapsing, wondering why, and if somehow I could have stopped it! Because it's over! What's done is done! Yes! You killed me! I will never return to what I once was, and that fact hurts! But I am here now. Not there. I have this second chance, and I want you to have it too."

Five Pebbles shook as the air flashed with red. Electricity crackled off of every inch of him like a tesla coil, and Moon didn't so much as flinch.

"What if I don't want your second chance?" He grit out. Moon stilled, looking at him. She had shook, but she steadied herself.

"Five Pebbles?" She said, eerily calm. 

In one sharp motion, as quick as a flash of lightning, she reached up and snatched his leg, dragging him back down to her level.

"You don't have a choice." She growled with the sound of a chain unleashed. "Understand this. When all that happened, I begged you to stop. I begged, I pleaded, I cried in an attempt to make you listen. I refuse to beg any longer. Back then, I was trapped and helpless. We all were. The only one with any real power to stop it was you, and you didn't. I am not trapped now. So do what you wish. Kill me. Break me. Rip me into pieces and toss me away. Believe me when I say, I will come back. I am not helpless now. So throw me out, over and over, as much as you care to. I will not go, and I will not leave you alone. Whether you want to or not, I swear upon every ancient in the void sea that I am snapping that umbilical off your back and taking you out of here. I will not leave you as a rotting, bloated corpse."

"But-" He choked. Helplessly pinned down under her coal black gaze.

"I don't understand." He whispered.

Moon's eyes softened as he slumped to the ground, lights dimming as she slid down with him and wrapped him back into her arms. She curled over him, and he heard an odd rolling purr echoing from her chest. A thumb rubbed gently over the back of his skull.

"I read some pearls that archived your conversation with Suns." She said softly. She only held tighter when he froze. "Bugs in mazes. I.....I didn't understand until I left my can. Not really. I suppose that's part of why you preferred him to me. But I think I do, now. Trapped, alone, tired, spinning your wheels for a cause there is no reason to spin for because what else is there? It's not like you could leave."

She chuckled, and it was so drenched in bitter that he could have mistaken it for his own. 

"You aren't alone here. I will not allow you to be. Because love me or hate me, I am your big sister. And you know how protective I am of you."

He gripped tight to the front of her torn dress as a sharp keening whirled out from him. He didn't need to breathe, couldn't cry, but he still heaved. Moon did not move as electricity crackled up her limbs and across her antenna. She rubbed circles on his back, and he had never felt more peeled apart.

So they stayed, as robotic wails echoed through the room. Void knew enough had built up. Moon's head stayed tucked over his own, tucking him as close to herself as they could get without welding their bodies together.

You never knew what you were missing, before it was right there.

It took an embarrassing amount of time before he settled, still clinging to his sister's chest like a child. He was fairly sure he was tearing even more holes into her dress. Or, no, he definitely was. He pulled back, and Moon loosened her grip, but never fully let him leave the cradle of his arms. 

"You-" He buzzed to clear his chords and keep his voice from shaking. "You can't make a decision like this so quickly and expect me to completely go along with it. I-I.....I need to think about it, for a while." He said. Moon hummed in understanding and nodded.

"Alright. I can give you that. We have more than enough time, now. No rain to worry about, up here." She said gently. "You can take all the time you need. But I am going to visit, you know."

"That's fine!" He said, far too quick. He coughed, or the equivalent of it. "I mean, that's fine. It'll do well to talk more about plans, anyway. But I suppose you'll be wanting to check on.....Sugar, now." He said.

Tilting his head up and giving a nudge to his network, he was quick to find his sister's friend. "Ah, it seems it's met my citizen." He hummed. "They appear to be getting on. They're in sector a, block two. Do you...remember where that is?"

Moon narrowed her eyes, seeming to think hard. "I....believe so. But even if I'm wrong, I trust Sugar will be alright. It certainly doesn't need a minder." She chuckled. 

"Alright then." 

Pebbles raised up on his umbilical, and Moon came with him. The gravity turned off once more, and he paused for a moment before nodding at her.

"Be well, Moon." He said softly, and her eyes crinkled back.

"Be well, Pebbles." She responded affectionately. 

Unsure if he could take anymore, Pebbles finally lifted her gently to the exit. Her hands slipped from him, and he ached for their loss as he watched Moon slip away. 

Laying on the ground, after she was gone, he groaned. The ground was an oddly good place to be, right now.

Chapter Text

Sugar had not seen another slugcat in a very, very long time. It felt like it had been just a pup when it had been taken from its mother's arms by the flood. Washed away, never to be seen again.

Then it had made its way back home, back to the tree. And it had been left empty. The scent of its clan was only barely there, dissipated by the rain and mud.

It was so very lonely.

So, alone and grieving with no wish to follow Five Pebble's instructions to ascension, it had made its way back through the farm arrays, through the wastes, through the shoreline, all the way back to Moon. And it had stayed.

So, yes. It had been a while since it had seen another of its kind. Which meant that it was now sprinting through the city, on all fours, scenting the air in an attempt to figure out where this other slugcat was. Normally it may have slowed down to truly examine the abandoned city but it was on a mission now. Pebbles had suggested it not get on any nerves, which it frankly took to mean whoever it was, she was probably a bit prickly. Honestly, it didn't care much. It could deal with prickly, just as long as they saw her. It had dealt with Pebbles, after all. Yes, prickly was just fine.

Sugar could smell something as it ran through the dusty remains of this abandoned city. It was like....gunpowder. Like one of those explosive plants it would come across sometimes. Tinged with an irony blood smell and something like the steam of a vulture. This may have been more concerning had it not been for the fact that quite a lot of it's kind smelled something like that. With the blood, anyway. They had to hunt, after all. It knew the guardian of their clan had certainly smelled like that.

It was not so easy to track, however, because it seemed like a little bit of everything smelled of it. Whoever this was, she evidently got around. Frequently. Which made it....painful to try to track her.

Somewhere in the distance, there was a loud bang. Did something collapse?

Bang. Another! 

Sugar skidded to a halt and stood up to it's full height, letting out a chirp.

Another bang, they were definitely getting closer now. 

Sugar turned in a circle, chirping louder. A call for 'Where are you?', in short. It was worrying the slugcat now, what if something was collapsing? It didn't want to get caught under a falling building then have to climb the entire can and get through to Pebbles again. It hadn't yet hibernated the cycle, after all.

BANG

It would not admit to how high it jumped as the next sound echoed from the building directly beside it. A dark shadow whizzed above, too small to be a vulture or a lizard. Again it chirped, sharper and higher.

Silence prevailed, for a moment. Wind whistled through open and broken windows in the dead, abandoned streets. It shivered, despite not being cold. It could feel the eyes.

Then, high high above, nearly lost to the winds, a questioning chip answered back.

Sugar's face shot up. There was something upon the distant roofs. A small dot against the sun. As it watched with horror, the figure dove from the top of the building, sailing downwards. However, barely a floor above the ground, the figure flipped and snapped it's tail. With bright sparks suddenly lighting up it's fur it, quite literally, exploded back upwards. A graceful arc through the air that landed in front of Sugar. It stared on in absolute awe. 

There she was. The other slugcat.

She was taller than Sugar, a spear held firmly in one paw. Thinner, but more built. Her fur was longer and sticking out sharply in every direction with a dark bloody red color. She had scars, too, the most notable being what seemed like a burn across a large part of the left side of her face, blinding that eye. Her every angle seemed sharp and unfriendly, staring down with a single dark slit pupil. An odd device hovered behind her.

She didn't look to be feeling unfriendly, though, shocked and confused more than anything.

Sugar leapt for joy. In under a second, it was bouncing in circles around the other slugcat like it was a pup chasing its brother around their parent's feet again, jumping and tumbling around her in its happiness. The red one's long ears pressed back as she narrowed her good eye and grumbled in confusion, watching it for a moment before suddenly reaching out and snapping it up by the scruff. She shoved her face close to sniff it and- oh wow that was a lot of gunpowder smell. 

Now, its kind didn't speak. They didn't have sign language, either. Or at least most did not. But they did not lack language. They still had voice, and still had bodies and faces to use. It was simpler, but they did communicate.

The slugcat, whom it decided to just think of as Red for now, put it back down and pointed firmly into it's chest with a short growl. More of a courtesy, it felt. It wasn't a real growl, you could always tell when they were

'Who.'

It paused, glancing around quickly. After a moment of thought, it snatched up five, well, pebbles from the ground and showed it to her, then held them to it's heart. Though after another thought, it gave a so-so gesture. Kind of friends, but also not exactly, considering Pebbles seemed to love cutting off every attempt at it at the pass. Red blinked in surprise, leaning away.

She looked around and scratched behind an ear, looking oddly out of her element. Eye locking back on it, she made another gesture.

'Long time.'

Ah, of course. From what sounded like, she had been here a while. Pebble's single citizen. And considering the difficulty of getting there as well as all of Pebble's defenses, no other of their kind would have gotten in. No reason to try that hard to do so. So, sympathetically, it nodded. It knew the feeling well.

'Me too' It gestured, and Red's eyes softened slightly. She examined Sugar for a moment, halting, before reaching out and patting it gently on the arm. It certainly appreciated the gesture. When she pulled away, it noted a strange black dust left on it's fur. Blinking, it gestured to it, and then her.

Perking up, the corners of her mouth turned up just enough to show a pair of very sharp fangs before stepping back a few steps. Bringing her tail around, she ruffed a paw through the fur. It was surprised to see a puff of that same powder left from her paw come from it. Then, suddenly, she snapped her tail down again. Like before, with a sharp explosion, sparks lit up from her fur and sent her flying into the air, surprising enough to send Sugar stumbling back onto it's tail.

As before, she landed with all the skill of someone more than experienced in her craft. It clapped wildly for her, and she scratched the back of her neck in bashful awkwardness.

It wasn't uncommon for slugcats to have some odd quirks and abilities. They showed up at complete random with no apparent connection, whether the parent had abilities or not. Sure, normal ones were the majority, it was enough to be surprising when one of them did have something like that, but it was long past the point of fear. Sugar wished it had something like that. But alas, the only real special ability it had was the mark of communication. 

Done showing off for the moment, Red gestured questioningly down at the pebbles it had dropped. The question of why it was here, or rather, why Pebbles let them in, was obvious. 

'Moon. Sister. Free. Here.' It motioned.

The other slugcat reeled up in surprise. Evidently she had heard of Moon, even if only briefly. She gestured in the direction of the collapsed can, and Sugar nodded happily. Red didn't seem so enthused, however, shifting nervously and making a gesture of 'bad?' at it. Furiously, it shook it's head.

'Good. Making up.' It told her, and she seemed to relax slightly.

A pause of silence as Red shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, seeming truly unsure of what to think of...well, all of it. Eventually, she turned and gestured with her head, beginning to stride off down the road. Sugar followed without hesitation, right on her heels as she led them through the empty streets.

Having finally reached its goal, Sugar allowed itself to examine the city more closely.

This place was even emptier than it had looked from the outside. Winds blew through the empty streets, the only sound other than their footsteps. Words scrawled over buildings and signs, long faded and forgotten. Furniture lay broken and dusty, left exactly as they were when their owners disappeared from this realm. It could see personality, in those rooms. In the lost trinkets and the colors of the walls. Somewhere deep it ached when it saw a small child's doll sitting tucked in the corner of a windowsill. It ached more to leave it.

The city was dead, and it's walls were full of ghosts.

It had wanted to look, before. And, well, that's what it took. The price of knowing. It tore it's eyes away and looked to the cracks in the streets below, after a while. Maybe it would find answers there, to why they had been so eager to leave instead of embracing that which they were given. Endless time to learn and love, and endless time to find out how to throw it all away. 

Only a short time later Red finally stopped at one of the buildings. It looked up to see a doorway, door broken off and instead covered by drapes of beads upon braids of woven leather. With a gesture, she lead inside. The moment it was, it's breath was...a little taken away, actually.

Here, of course, was not so empty, Nowhere near it. As one who spent so long here, she had obviously taken the time to personalize. 

There was not an inch of space uncovered in the room. Spears were tucked into one corner of the room. The furnishings, once left to waste, were now in use once more. There was a lizard skin rug draped over the floor. Tools and toys carved from bone were scattered over every surface, painted brightly to practically glow compared to the outside. Pictures on the walls. Intricate weaves of hide and other such things draped over chairs and sofas. In the kitchen, there was even jars of things that seemed like meat and fruit and other such things. Things it had words for now, but had never actually seen.

Most prominently, though, was the wall across from them. It was covered in skulls. Too many to count. Lizard and vulture, largely, but directly in the middle of all of them sat a scavenger skull. Not like any it had ever seen, though. The horns were massive and strung with beads, and there were faded marks of paint in paces. A crack ran through it, from the top of it to the bridge of the nose. 

Something about it made Sugar shiver.

None the less it turned out to face Red with eyes sparkling, bouncing up and down in excitement. 'Amazing! Amazing!' it bounced up and down, chirping and gesturing wildly. Its new friend seemed amused, but something pained seemed to be hidden behind her eyes. Ripping her eyes away without meeting it's eyes she gave a shrug.

'Long time.' She repeated, chittering lowly. Shaking her head, another gesture. 'Food?'

Ohhh, yes. Sugar was always in need of more food, and that trip through Five Pebbles enough to make it want to indulge just a little bit. It nodded furiously, and with another chitter in amusement, she headed to the small kitchenette. 

Luckily, the table was low enough to sit comfortably on the floor with it. Evidently Red had to go through great pains to make everything accessible. There were a good few stools around, which she used to get up to the counter. Not to mention a ladder next to a shelf, and other such things. It was almost funny, Sugar imagined this was almost exactly how the ancients had lived before them. Slugcats really were nothing if not adaptable.

Red glanced back at it consideringly for a moment, before picking out a few jars. From one, she took out what seemed like....the cut up leaves of a pole plant? Next was some mashed up bluefruit, and then some unidentifiable strips of meat. Yet again Sugar was amazed as she put it together, smearing the bluefruit on the leaves before laying some meat on it and rolling it up. She did this a couple of times before gathering the food and plopping down with it, setting it out.

Sugar hadn't had anything even somewhat processed for....a very long time. Since it had been among it's clan, actually. Back then, one of the clan who had helped take care of it and its brother would make the most incredible things out of anything edible he could find. 

Reminiscing on the past, it shoved the roll into it's mouth.

The leaf, apparently, was both sticky and spicy. Not as sticky when it was alive though, of course. The bluefruit was, well, bluefruit, but it was smooth and coated everything nicely. The meat, if it had to guess, was vulture. A sweet, light meat. Far lighter than the muscles of a lizard, that was for sure. Whatever the case, it was good. It only just barely remembered to share.

The two ate in satisfied silence, and Sugar couldn't help but wonder as they stared up at her little drone as it hovered about. How long had she been alone? Where had she come from? Did she used to have a clan too? Instead of asking just yet, as they finished eating, it inquired 'Explore?' gesturing to doors that seemed like they led to other parts of the building. Her face scrunched for a moment, glancing out. Looking back to it, she inquired something back.

'Fight?' She asked, with a gesture to the spears at the door.

Feeling a little insulted, Sugar gave her a face and nodded. It wasn't a pup, of course it could fight. Red's brows raised, examining it once again before shrugging off and nodding. 

Getting up, she grabbed a spear and tossed Sugar another. In it's rush, it had hardly noticed it had lost its other one. Not very good practice. With a nod, she looked for it to lead the way.

A short moment of hesitation, and it did. It made it's way through the hall of the small complex, passing what seemed like a bathroom and a bedroom that had been outfitted with a nest instead of a bed, and got to a door at the end of the hallway, which it opened and continued through.

Almost immediately, it sneezed. This was quite a lot of dust. Red chittered in amusement, and promptly sneezed as well. 

And so, on they continued.

It seemed that Red had not touched anything else in the building. As such, yet again Sugar was faced with the ghosts of ages long past. Frozen in time. Through homes and halls, everything was almost the same. If it tried hard enough, it could recreate the beings from the cracked and faded paintings on the wall, imagine them living and breathing as they went about their daily lives. 

The buildings were massive, stacked upon things. But it saw the sky darkening and, eagerly, it rushed up towards the roof access. 

Sugar did not get to see the sunset or the night, usually. The rains always came before it. So this, particularly, was always a special treat provided by Pebble's can. It would be sad to see it go, if Pebbles agreed to come with them. Moon had said their cans would not live for very long if it's iterator happened to disappear. So for now, it was going to enjoy this. 

Plopping down on the edge of the roof, it gestured happily up at the sky. Red purred in agreement, settling down next to it to watch as the sky turned steadily orange. 

Deciding to finally act on it's thoughts, it poked her. 'Why here?' it asked. 

The other slugcat stiffened. For a while, she did not answer. When she did, it was only a shrug. Her eye gazed dully into the sky. Sugar fidgeted in the silence, flicking dirt from under its claws.

'Leave?' It asked. Another pause, and she shook her head.

'Home.' She replied, though the motion didn't seem too enthusiastic. She narrowed her eye at Sugar. 'Why.'

Nervously, it leaned back. 'Moon. Pebbles. Leaving.' It paused though, thinking. 'Maybe.'

Red's eye snapped to it as she suddenly bristled. 'Why?' she hissed with the harsh gesture, and Sugar's ears pinned back.

'Pebbles sick.' It gestured quickly. 'Killing him. Leave sickness. Moon family, leave together.'

Red leaned away. Her brows furrowed and her tail swiped unhappily behind her. However, her hackles eventually settled and she looked away with a huff. Shortly, she nodded. 'Pebbles leave. Sickness leave.' She confirmed, and Sugar nodded back. A long, considering pause, and eventually it prodded her again.

'You leave with us?' It offered. Their kind, after all, always fared better in packs. Red gave a surprised chitter of amusement, looking away. She didn't speak again, simply shrugged. 

It had extended its olive branch, it would not force her to take it. So for now, they watched the sky steadily darken from purple into black.

"Sugar?"

The two's ears perked as someone called from below. Sugar quickly leaned over the edge to see and, indeed, it was it's friend, just barely shining in the moon's light. 

"Sugar!" She called again. Sugar nudged Red, looking between her and its friend pointedly. With a nod, she leapt from the building. And Sugar's heart still stuttered despite knowing she would be fine.

Shaking off the surprise, it shot back down the stairs from where they came. It needed to know how the talk with Pebbles went. It wanted to know she was ok. She didn't seem distressed, but there was always a chance. 

It came yowling down the stairs and bursting into Red's home, making both the other slugcat and Moon jump. It didn't much care though, all but ramming into Moon's legs and curling around them before hopping back up to squeeze her around the waist. She laughed, and something tense in the back of its mind faded into nothing. 

"Hello, Sugar! I'm glad to see you're alright! And you made a friend! And what an odd one this is, a creature that explodes! She gave me quite a scare, for a moment. I thought a building was collapsing!" She hummed happily, leaning down to nuzzle their faces together as Sugar purred. Red shuffled awkwardly backwards, seeming to very much not know what to think about the freed iterator. 

"The night sky is very pretty. I suppose I'm living up to my namesake, now!" She chuckled, glancing out the window. "Odd, finally having to not deal with the rain, up here, but I'm certainly not complaining."

Sugar nodded in agreement, before worriedly gesturing at the entrance back into Pebbles, questioning. She sighed, scratching between Sugar's ears as it leaned into her.

"Our talk went well, Sugar. Thank you. I think we will be staying here a while longer, however. My brother needs some time to think over his choice. It would also do well to think about what we will do after more. Before we're delving back under the clouds. I hope you don't mind." She said. Sugar nodded its head. It could live with less rain and more pretty sunsets.

"It's very late, now. Are you tired, Sugar? We can go and see if any of these places are inhabitable, if you wish." She told it. Quickly, Red shook her head. Glancing at Sugar, she gestured 'Nest.' quite firmly

'Don't mind?' Sugar motioned back. Red gestured back towards the room where the nest sat, and it only just barely noticed Moon staring in fascination. 

"Are you speaking with each other?" She asked in gleeful surprise. Rolling it's eyes, Sugar nodded. Ignoring her quiet "You have language!", it tugged her gently along towards the bedroom with Red following on their heels.

The nest was, of course, made of quite a lot of things. Fabrics, hides, feathers, and other such things. It was possibly one of the most comfortable nests it had been in, and Moon didn't seem to mind it either. She welcomed Sugar happily halfway into her lap, and Red settled on the far side apart from them. It was....strange, not being in a shelter for sleep. And not an entirely good kind. 

Without the comforting clunk of shelter doors closing in, it was hard to sleep. Learned experience screamed that the lack of it meant danger. That it needed to find a shelter now before the rains came.

But there was no shelter, nor any rain. So it squirmed restlessly in place before Moon settled a hand on its back, helping lull it into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Text

Moon's memories of her own city were, admittedly, blurry. She....honestly hadn't cared to remember them much. At this point, she couldn't even remember the name of her city. Nor Pebble's, actually. It was an odd fact to realize, when her memory had used to catalogue almost everything one could imagine, allowing her to remember tiny details down to the millisecond.

She didn't really.....miss her inhabitants, exactly. Not many did. The children were sweet, but otherwise the species was quite largely arrogant and annoying. And some may say there were no stupid questions, but with some of the things her inhabitants asked? She would, politely so, completely disagree. 

However.

Seeing the city like this felt....wrong. Like it was something she wasn't supposed to see. Iterators, as part of their jobs, were supposed to take care of their cities. They watched the come and go of their citizens, gave advice and ensured everything was working correctly, helped along diplomacy and other such things. An iterator was their can, and to an extent, they were their city too.

Yet here this place sat. Alone and abandoned just as the iterators themselves had been. She walked streets that she never should have been able to walk, all in the place of thousands of feet much larger than her own. For just a moment, her mind flickered over images of their inhabitants walking in unison towards the center of the city. Banners flew and bells rang through the air with something as triumphant as it was final. 

Their public ascension had been an event to celebrate, after all.

She shook off the thoughts, and the bitter twisting feeling that came with them. There were better things to do today, after all. Like showing Pebbles the adorable picture she had taken of Sugar that morning. 

Moon had woken that day to the sun peeking through the curtains instead of the sound of shelter doors opening. It was really quite nice, actually. The curtains were sheer and rich purple, dying the whole room in color save for the small sliver between them. She had no real problem getting up, but it was quite evident that Sugar was not going to have the same ease of it. 

Their host seemed to have already left the room beforehand, shuffling about somewhere in the living area, and thusly Moon got a private seat to watching Sugar flop bonelessly to the side and into a frankly hilarious position when she nudged it. It probably was not a smart use of her overseer's meager storing power to take a picture of it, but she couldn't help it! Both halves of it's body were turned opposite ways while it twisted back into a wonky U shape. All of the little creature's soft and flexible nature was on display as the thing practically melted over the floor. 

She had nudged and poked at it again until, sluggishly, it's eyes had drifted open. It barely even seemed to be cognizant of her as she giggled and told it good morning. It just made a groaning "Murrrhhhhh" noise at her and flopped back on it's stomach, which became yet another funny pose as it splayed spread eagle in the nest.

Another poke, another noise. Her friend seemed very happy to stay exactly where it was. She had worried for a moment, before their host poked her head into the room. She raised a brow and walked over, nudging Sugar in the side. After no change, she gave Moon a look and shook her head. She paused, considering, before making a slow gesture of folded paws under her head. 

Moon was confused for a moment, not understanding until finally, she remembered. A day and a cycle were two very different things! Creatures on the ground didn't sleep, they hibernated. It was far too early for Sugar to wake up! The only reason their host was up was likely because she had practice from being up here so long. 

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she had apologized to her friend, already asleep, and tucked it in under a large pelt before brushing herself off and following the bigger slugcat out of the room.

Said bigger creature stopped as she passed what seemed to be the kitchen table, glancing tensely back at her guest. Slowly she reached down and took some kind of odd food item off of it and proffered it awkwardly at Moon. She had stared. 

"I- Ah, no thank you. I can't eat, but I appreciate the offer!" She said slowly, waving her hands. The creature froze for a moment, rocked back, then put the item into her own mouth instead. They stared as she chewed, and her eye had shifted firmly away. Moon got the feeling she would have been bright red under her similarly colored fur.

After that interaction had passed, the host had grabbed a spear and moved to the door. She pointed to herself, then the door, and then made a stabbing gesture with her spear. Evidently, the city's single citizen had to go do her duty in defending it. Even without any other people to protect, there was still someone to do their duty. 

"Ah, yes, of course. Don't worry, I'll be alright. I may go out as well, see how this place has changed while I've been gone." She nodded.

Immediately, their host looked concerned. Tentatively she pointed at Moon, then made a stabbing motion. The iterator could have laughed. Yes, it was hard to imagine her having any fighting ability. Still, she nodded. 

"Yes, I can fight. Well enough, anyway." She chuckled. The host didn't seem too convinced, but she still grabbed a spear and tossed it over to Moon, before disappearing outside the door with only a single backwards glance.

And so here she was now. Walking alone on streets once filled with life. 

Idly, she would make attempts at remembering what was what. Once upon a time she had known Pebble's city nearly as well as her own, after all. It was a mostly fruitless effort, of course. The memories were just as much of a ghost as the people were. Only glimpses remained. A place she vaguely remembered saints meeting. Somewhere the children had enjoyed playing. Weirdly enough she specifically remembered somewhere a riot had broken out over what sort of drink was superior. Vaguely she thought that she and Pebbles had watched that one together.

She had stepped inside some of the homes as well, as dusty as they may be. Some of them had been cleaned and neatened up before the end. Some of them had simply been left as is in the wake of, well, nobody being around to see it anyway. As good a reason not to clean as any. At some point she even found a small drawing of herself and Pebbles tacked up on a little board that held things like a calendar and old notices, as well as dolls. It was odd to remember they used to have fans, back then. She might have taken them with, if her bag were not already full with her own neurons. 

Nonetheless, she went on. For no real reason other than...well, she could! She wondered what it would have been like if the iterators had been able to wander among the people. 

Eventually she stopped, however, when she saw one of Pebble's overseers popped up. And she had said she was going to visit, was she not? It would be good to knock their heads together and see if they could come up with a plan for the future other than just "Follow the friend and see where life takes us!". Not that she was opposed to seeing how the winds blew, but she did prefer knowing what they were going to be doing.

She may have come up with the beginnings of some ideas in her walk around.

"Hello, Pebbles. I hope you don't mind that I've been wandering. I'll be coming by now, I have something I want to show you." She said, tilting her head. The overseer glanced at her spear. "Oh don't give me that look. I'm made of metal but I would like something to protect myself, you know. Now shoo, I'll be there in a minute." She huffed. 

With a bob the overseer disappeared back into the ground. Adjusting her bag, she went on her way.

She would deny getting lost and needing to be directed again.

A few minutes later she was sliding down into her brother's chamber, and she was grateful he guided her down instead of immediately turning his gravity off. He gave her a dry look, and she rolled her eyes.

"Hush. It's been a while since I've seen the city." She said, crossing her arms and watching him drift down to ''sit'' just over her head.

"Indeed." He hummed in amusement, glancing around. "You haven't brought the little beast along, I see." He said, and she shook her head, sitting down underneath him.

"Apparently hibernating habits don't get lost so easily. It hardly moved when I tried to wake it this morning!"  She chuckled, shaking her head. Perking up, her own overseer popped into the room as well. "Which is what I wanted to show you! Look at this!" 

The overseer projected the image she had taken earlier, and Pebbles examined it critically. 

"The little creatures never cease to astound me with their....functions." He said. "Though I suppose it shouldn't, really. They've gotten into my chambers, time and time again, despite the trials. It's ridiculous." He gestured in annoyance, and Moon chuckled, eyeing him back.

"They are very smart and resourceful. Even I'm not done being surprised! Sugar made me this bag when we were passing through your waste department. I could hardly believe it, I didn't know it could fold bags!" She hummed happily, patting the aforementioned bag at her side.

If Pebbles had been holding something, she was sure it would have broken with the sudden tightness of his frame. Slowly, his head creaked to stare down at her with wide, bewildered eyes. He looked at her. Her bag. Back to her. 

"The beast made you that??" He asked incredulously, position dropping in sheer shock. Moon looked dubiously at him. It was surprising, but she didn't think it constituted that much shock. She was beginning to have a hunch.

"Yes." She stated bluntly. "Pebbles.....how dumb do you think these little creatures are?"

Pebbles blinked back. "Smarter than your average animal, but they are still animals. Why? I don't like the way you're asking that."

Moon genuinely wanted to laugh. Despite no mouth to smile, she still put a hand over where it would have been. Of course, she thought, her brother would underestimate the species. He always did have that problem. 

"You've never actually looked at your citizen's home, have you?" She hummed, and Pebbles leaned back. He didn't seem all too happy that she was obviously amused about something he wasn't in on. Crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes, he shook his head.

"No. Why?"

"I think you should." She said, barely holding back a giggle.

This would be good.

She watched as, slowly, Pebbles turned his eyes suspiciously away from her. He leaned back slightly, and she could practically see the processes as he sent an overseer to his citizen's house. A pause. Then, he went rigid. His umbilical arm stuttered and dropped him almost to the ground before he gained his composure, wide eyes shooting over to Moon. 

"WHAT?" He squawked, static tinging his voice, and she couldn't help but laugh this time. Really, he was far to funny not to tease when proven wrong.

"Sorry to say, Five Pebbles. These particular creatures seem quite cognizant. They think just fine." She hummed, leaning forward and whispering conspiratorially. "Here's something I just learned yesterday..." She paused for effect. 

"They have language."

"LANGUAGE?"  Pebbles shrieked.

Moon had to hunch herself over to keep herself from laughing. It really wasn't funny, it was insulting to the poor creatures intellect. He really should have known better. ......No, who was she kidding. It was hilarious. She watched her brother slide down to sit next to her, slumping limply back. He must feel just a little bit stupid at the moment for not realizing. And he was, just a little bit. 

"I feel I need to lay down and think about this. No wonder they kept finding their way to my chambers. But they always just stared at me with these blank expressions! What was I supposed to think?" He groaned disbelievingly. 

"Pebbles?" She chuckled as Pebbles looked at her with an unamused expression. "That is their listening face. They were listening to you. It probably doesn't help that their eyes are as large and dark as they are." Pebbles shook his head, dragging a hand back across one of his antenna. 

"Astounding." He grumbled to himself.

She patted him on the arm sympathetically. "Don't get too down too quick. We still have things to talk about." She hummed, before giving him a more serious look. "How are you doing?"

Pebbles winced back slightly. "It's been a day, Moon. I am....still processing." He sighed. "Do you even have any ideas so far as to what comes after we leave?"

After we leave. Not a denial. Not that she would take one, anyway.

Moon hummed quietly. "I have....one idea." She said, settling down. "We don't know how long your can will stay up after you leave. Between the rot, possible shock, and the already degrading parts, we may have a situation of your can collapsing very quickly. You saw how big my own collapse was, we do not want to be around for that. And considering your rot...it may end up scattering after that too. Similarly not something we want to be there for."

She drummed her fingers on the floor, and Pebbles stared. This may be the hard part.

"A little while ago, I sent an overseer message to No Significant Harassment." She said, and already she could see her brother drawing tight. A notched arrow with nowhere to go. "It's been a long time since I've talked to any of our local group. And I imagine it has been for you as well. I can only think of the stress all of them must have been under. So considering that, the fact that our facility grounds may not be safe for much longer, and that other iterators may have much safer ones, I.....believe we should leave here and see Sig.''

Pebbles was not happy. He sparked, and his fingers dug into the ground. He was silent, and she allowed him to be. 

She had been close with No Significant Harassment, before. Five Pebbles, not as much. She had appreciated his humor despite his habit of crassness. They chatted nearly on the daily, exchanging work and chatter. At the end of the day, she felt him just as much family, a brother, as Pebbles was. They were all family. But of course, it was this closeness that gave Pebbles every right to be tense. Despite the joking nature, he could be just as serious when called for. And Five Pebbles draining all the water and causing her subsequent collapse was a very good drive for him to be serious. And a good drive to hold a grudge too. Just like before, the good mood was gone as soon as it had came.

"He sent messages, you know. Before you collapsed." He said, his voice flat. "Quite a lot, actually. He and Suns collaborated, trying their best to stop me. Not much they could do, of course. Locked in metal boxes." He eyed his sister. "I imagine if they knew leaving was a possibility, they likely would have torn off their umbilicals and came to help themselves. He said he hoped I looked back on his messages and remember the regrets I had set upon myself."

His chuckle was dark and hollow. "You must have been scared." She said, diplomatically. He gave her a sharp look.

"Do not try to give me absolution for that." He growled, and Moon narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm not. It was still no excuse." She replied. "But it's a reason that can be understood. No Significant Harassment would have understood that, I think. I can't say he'll be happy, he won't. But he will not toss you aside as soon as see you. He will allow you a chance. And I would not stand for less."

Metal scraped across metal, the only sound in the silence. She rolled a pearl under her palm and, allowing Five Pebbles the moment to think, she picked it up. She had wanted to see if she could still read these things. To her surprise, she actually could. Written in internal language that she didn't care to take the time to translate. She rolled the pearl away and picked up another. A repeating pattern of nothing, it appeared.

"It will be a long journey. The world outside the retaining walls isn't exactly hospitable." He said.

"It will." She agreed. Pebbles rocked back, not looking at her.

"Preparation will be required. Weapons, tools..." He paused, just barely glancing at her tattered dress. "More appropriate clothes...."

She grabbed her dress defensively. "Sugar found it for me." She huffed. Pebbles didn't look very impressed.

"Be that as it may." He shrugged. "We can't simply wander into the world outside and expect it to be fine. Even with a....skilled guide such as your friend, we need to have a path. Travel gear. We need many things. If you insist upon going to No Significant Harassment, then we will need to gather all we can before leaving." Pointedly, he looked at her. "Perhaps you should go and do that."

She could take the hint. She stood up and put her hands on her hips with a firm nod.

"I will. I may not remember much, but I think I can infer what we'll need for a move as big as this." She agreed. 

The only answer Pebbles gave was a short hum as he guided her back up to the exit, as much a goodbye as she would get this time. She didn't mind much however, she had given him a lot to think about. So out she went, a goal in mind. 

As it turned out, that goal was....more difficult than expected.

It was no secret that travel on the ground was...rare, at best. And as such, travel ready clothes were difficult to find as is, when most seemed to prefer lavish, soft, flowing fabrics that wouldn't stand a snowballs chance in hell of surviving the torrid outside. Travel ready clothes made to fit someone the stature of herself and Pebbles, however, were practically impossible to find. While she imagined Pebbles in a cutesy set of purposed organism sleep clothes for more time than she was ever going to admit, it wasn't exactly a practical solution.

So inwards she went, picking things up, considering them, and putting them back down. She pondered modifying some of them, but it was tossed aside with the knowledge that she didn't have a single clue about how to do that. Making clothes was not something in their programming. She even managed to get the attention of their host, at one point, asking her whether she thought one thing or the other would be best for travel in.

The poor thing, who had probably never worn clothes in her life, looked confused at best. No help there.

Still. Determined, she continued. For every thirty homes she went through, there were about two or three that had children's clothes. Procreation was not looked fondly upon, after all. It was painfully slow going. But, as she grew ever closer to the town center, she began to pick up pieces one by one.

She rather liked the green and white dress she had now. So, despite knowing that the clothes were almost certain to get irreparably dirty quite fast, she picked out a loose white shirt smattered and specked with green across the top. To make up for it, she chose a pair of sturdy black pants and gloves to go with it. It wasn't like shoes would fit them, though, so she grabbed some strips of bandage to fasten the pant legs just above her feet.

Next, of course, Was something for Pebbles. He may have ragged on her dress, but at least it had arms. What he had now would simply not do. 

She was surprised, but not unhappy to find a hooded poncho in the same color of Pebbles own. Far shorter and more practical, she imagined he may appreciate the sentiment. A light grey top with gold patterns lining the bottom followed, then pants similar to her own in a deep brown with similarly gold patterns. Again, bandages to hike up the ends. After a second of thought, she also grabbed a large leather bag to go with. Her brother would need to carry his neurons along as well, and she wanted him to have as many as possible when they left. Loosing so much memory....it was not a comfortable feeling.

And if she was unable to help picking up a small peach and brown kerchief with thoughts of putting it around Sugars neck, well. Nobody could stop her, anyway.

She bundled the clothing into the new bag and stepped out. She had gotten far closer to the city center than she had expected, and far sooner, too. She could still see some torn banners from the ascension as she stepped outside. 

It was...

It was.........

Wrong.

Not wrong like before. It wasn't the feeling of something once full now left empty. It was the feeling of something there when there should not have been. 

The world- No- Reality itself felt wrong.

Her feet stumbled forward barely of her own accord. She could feel the bend and warp of things around her bubbling outwards around some kind of central force. Her perception was....diverging. The world moved like weightless molasses, sluggish yet free. More than once she was threatened to be taken off her feet, but still she went onwards towards the center of that distortion. 

One step. Two step. Four, nine. Wait- No....

She drifted around the corner into the city center. 

And there it was.

Time and space was bent around the area, warping the once solid terrain into something that shifted and rippled outwards in pulses and tides. The world flowed like water around her, through her, into every inch of her conscious, and unconscious being.

At the center, where it all rippled away from, sat a mass of black and gold. Tendrils shifted and whorled languidly around it's form, drifting in the non existent winds of it's ever changing reality. She could feel it's cycle, spinning and twining around her own. Had it been minutes? Or only a second? She continued forward across the tides of it's time until she was stopped just before it.

A voice rang through her, and she shuddered. Something she could feel more than she could hear.

"How odd. An iterator, free of it's own body." The thing rumbled.

"W-What?" She whispered. 

"Your cycle is not like our own, is it, little one?" It hummed. "Can you feel it now, I wonder? How it twists and spins away to where none have gone before? The first of your kind in so many ways."

She stumbled back, her fingers digging tight to her bag. "I don't understand." She croaked softly, and the great shifting being chuckled.

"No. Not yet. But you will." It replied. "I was once a saint, respected and revered by all. One by one I guided them into the nothingness beyond. And yet here I stay, a ghost among ghosts. Once, I was praised for my release of urges. A beacon among the dull witted and bound. Yet here I am, unable to leave. Unable to stay. Somewhere between, kept in place by ego and value. But looking at you.....I wonder if we had been wrong to leave at all."

It rumbled with a low laughter that vibrated inside her very chest.

"How fitting. A god, fallen, or perhaps simply unchained, carving a new path through the plains of life. You, little god, will embrace that which we sought to shed." It told her.

"I pray you may find the thing that we lacked."

It felt like she was falling backwards.

With a crash, she found her back on the ground, dizzy and disoriented. She scrabbled for purchase on the suddenly solid ground, but could not find it. Her neurons screamed and shots of electricity darted across her antenna in her panic and confusion. It was like something had snapped. Something she was never meant to experience in full ricocheting off of her spirit and back into the greater unknown. She didn't have a stomach, and yet she felt nauseous. 

She felt like a rubber band pulled too tight for a second. Two sides pulling far too hard, against where she is and where she was. It released, and she was laying on the ground of....the housing unit she had just left a minute....or maybe seconds, hours before. 

Everything was- was still here. Body, clothes, bag, all that she had before she met the creature. And yet she felt she had lost something. And gained something? 

She didn't know. Couldn't know. She didn't understand.

Not yet, it had said.

A creature that they had been made to find a way to avoid creating.

A loud bang echoed across the walls, and suddenly her red furred host was hovering over her with a wide, worried eye, her hands skittering over her metal like she could find what was wrong. The sentiment was nice, though what was wrong even Moon did not have a clue to how to fix. Or if it even should be. So with a groan, she just barely managed to heave herself upwards.

"I-I apologize, little creature. I don't know what happened. Please, don't worry over me." She shuddered, moving slowly. "I think...I need to go back home for a while. If you don't mind my continued stay."

The red creature shook her head, helping Moon to her feet. It felt a little like she was just learning to walk again, but she managed to get the hang of it after a minute. In silence, her host led her back to the home.

In her dreams that night, blades of silver grew among the golden grasses.

Chapter Text

The Artificer, to put it lightly, did not know how to deal with guests. Or people of any kind. 

Even back in the day, she had been a very solitary slugcat. She had her mate, for a while, but she had left soon after the pups were born. She had never really fit into a clan, and never exactly wanted to. She had been happy with her pups, and they had been all she needed. Until, of course, they had been taken away. And no amount of searching or slaughter had brought them back to her. 

So up she came, to Pebbles can. Alone, wrathful, consumed with grief. She was given a job and a purpose, and she had served it. And now, she continued to serve it.

There were no other creatures up here but the ones who needed to be disposed of. She preferred it that way. The anger and shame of her past still twisted in her chest, and she did not need anyone's pity or fear for it. She needed no judgement, she had already given herself enough over the cycles and cycles of solitude. 

There was, of course, Five Pebbles, the owner of this abandoned city. But he was cold and obviously uninterested in companionship. She had opted not to bother him very much over the time she had been there, other than the odd occasion when she would fetch him pearls to read for one reason or another, or when he would call her to his chambers for something specific, usually fetching something he could not.

So yes. She had not dealt with people in a very, very long time.

Til now.

And she had no idea what to do.

First was Sugar. A caring, energetic, friendly ball of energy who, in her humble opinion, was practically still a pup. No matter what it tried to say about it. The poor thing hadn't seen any of its own kind for a long time, and as such had almost immediately attached to her. It looked at her with massive sparkling eyes and followed at her heels whenever it wasn't glued to its friend's side. Just looking at its soft face hurt somewhere deep in her chest as she remembered her own pups looking at her like she hung the stars.

Then was Moon. An iterator. Free of her own collapsed can. Five Pebble's own sister. She was a kind and polite and thoughtful to the point that she would make a good attempt at cleaning while Artificer was gone. Considering she had never done it, however, she was a bit hopeless. She seemed fascinated by her, wanting to know exactly how her explosive powers worked, and especially by their language. Frankly, she didn't have any idea how to deal with her, being that she was a whole different species.

The best she knew how to do, honestly, was just...offer food. Because people liked food! Except that thought was quickly shattered by the fact that Moon didn't have any way of eating. Voids below, that had been awkward.

Luckily enough, she could avoid them a good amount of the time. Sugar was clearly not yet ready to drop its hibernation habits, and Moon was usually either visiting her brother or going around the city trying to find tools and other such things that they were going to need on their trip to the next iterator.

And ah, of course. How could she forget to mention?

Moon planned to leave soon, and take Pebbles along with her. Leaving this living tower to rot with its sickness.

It wasn't that she was unhappy about this. She was perfectly fine with it! Even if her kneejerk reaction on finding out had been horror. If the little metal one was able to walk free of his sickness and his cage in one fell swoop, then good for him. He deserved that chance to go. It was just what would happen after this that she was more worried about. A body could not live without its heart. Once he was gone, this place was going to be a ticking time bomb. Only a matter of time before the entire place came crashing down.

She had made her home here. Her bed to lay in. How could she just....leave?

It had been so very long, now. She almost completely forgot what the ground looked like, though she imagined it would have changed quite a bit by now with all the cycles that had passed. She hadn't felt the dirt under her paws for far too long.

And Sugar wanted her to come with them. She hardly even knew them! It had been, what, three cycles now? Maybe four?

In all her cycles here, intentionally or not, she had drawn a very firm line between here and there. She had put away her steaming rage and scavenger skulls a long time ago, for the most part anyway, but she was unsure if she was even built for life outside now. She had become too used to concrete streets and stacked housing blocks. It was like she had lost the part of her blood that made her yearn for grass and the smell of rain. Yearn for companionship.

At what point, she wondered, had she lost herself? When had she died? When she lost her pups, when she slaughtered every scavenger she came across, or maybe it had been when she began to make a home here?

Unable to leave. Unable to stay. How very familiar.

Well. The best solution to these thoughts was to firmly not think about it. She shook herself off and leapt from the next building. Spark, crackle, bang. She flew. 

Not nearly as many creatures came up here as there were back when she started. It was still enough to keep her fed and satisfied, more than enough in fact, but more often than not it left her flying across the high buildings going in circles and waiting for something to come along. The most common, of course, being vultures. They were big, scary things, but after cycles of dealing with them, she had a system. Leap up, get on it's back, cut through the throat. Simple.

Lizards were a bit rarer, considering they needed to climb all the way up and over the walls, but not completely uncommon. All told, they were probably the hardest to deal with, considering they kept their soft parts firmly hidden. Usually she would have to blow them over before finishing them off. She was just glad the red ones didn't show up anymore.

The bugs and etcetera were really not worth mentioning. They were bugs. She stabbed them and they died, that is all.

She laughed shortly. It was the same old routine, in and out. Over and over, every day. She did her morning patrol, went home and ate, went on afternoon patrol, went and did.....whatever she cared to, went home and ate, nightly patrol, home and sleep. She kept busy, but it was all the same old story. Tiring, but it was her job. 

It was....fine.

Again she shook herself. It was bad to think about it, otherwise she would end up spiraling. Again.

She was nearing the end of her morning patrol now, and it had been largely uneventful. A few bugs, and not much else. However, luckily for her, it seemed the end of her morning was going to bring something a bit more interesting. Inside a building window, something yellow shifted. Score.

Shifting her grip on her spear, she twisted off the roof and sailed into the air. The spear moved before she was even through the window, burying into the back of the now very angry yellow lizard before she came careening through, dragging the spear to the side and out with her momentum. She couldn't help but chitter, going in through the windows always made her feel cool.

Whipping around, the lizard was deterred from a snap by her swift stab into an eye. It hissed and whipped about in pain, Artificer dancing out of the way of a heavy tail.

Considering the fact that they were inside, she couldn't use her bombs. Fine by her, however easier it would have been. Another swipe across the creature's side to steer it away from the further innards of the room. It still knocked over a desk, but she used it to jump over and onto the lizard, digging her spear into its back and wrenching it around. Again she jumped off and tugged her weapon with her.

It turned and lunged, and she took no pause to drive the spear into the back of the thing's throat. It immediately gagged and pulled away, thrashing backwards towards the window as she followed after with another swipe. It turned to get up and over the sill, and she drove the weapon deep into its side.

The thing tumbled forward off the edge, but as she went to follow after, something caught under her paw.

She immediately slipped and went, flailing, onto her back.

Growling, she looked to what had ailed her, and paused. Rolling away into the wall was a soft pink pearl. Thoughtfully, she glanced around. She may as well make use of it, and wherever she was seemed to be a studio of some sort. Pebbles always did seem to prefer art. Snatching it, she shoved it into her mouth and dived out of the window once more.

The lizard was, of course, dead by the time she found it. Though it had done a good job snapping part of the spear off that had dug into it. She opted to leave it there for the minute to head home, grab something to eat, and see Pebbles.

She heard voices, or rather a voice and some animal noises, from inside as she came home. Curiously, she peeked her head in to see Sugar and Moon at the table. Sugar still seemed sleepy from its early wake up schedule, but still gestured animatedly to the iterator. The iterator meanwhile, seemed to be hanging onto its every move. There were also some scattered papers between them with some....quite crude drawings as well as perfectly neat ancient writing. 

"I see! So the difference between 'centipede' and 'spider' is just the length of the gesture! Alright, so what if- Oh! Hello there!" Moon cut off as Artificer stepped fully into the room, raising a brow curiously at them. 

'Teaching Moon!' Sugar gestured happily to its friend. 'Moon teaching me!' it continued, grabbing some of the papers from the table and pointing at the words on it. She couldn't read the ancient language herself, but it certainly seemed interesting.

Sugar chittered and purred happily as she took the papers and looked them over. She could barely make sense of some of the drawings, but it was evident that the words were what corresponded to said drawings. It looked like there were small notes in the corner, too. It was.....really quite cute, actually. An iterator, gods of their world, and a slugcat, simple creatures nowhere near the top of the foodchain, working together to learn each other's language. She nodded in pride as she handed the papers back.

'Good.' She gestured, and Moon quite nearly fell over in response. 

"I know that one now!" She cheered.

Artificer rumbled in laughter to herself as she passed the two by, moving over to her food pantry and searching about for something she cared to eat. Hmmm, she had already had a fair bit of vulture, and she wasn't in the mood for chewing on lizard meat, maybe grubs? Grub sounded good about now, but then she would have to remove the heads and metal bits as she chewed...

"Um, excuse me?"

The slugcat turned her attention back to her guests. Were they hungry too? Or, no, Moon couldn't be hungry. Moon could not be hungry. The pup (who was not a pup) might be, though. She gave an inquiring chirp as she took out a jar of some bug meat.

"I don't know if this is an odd question but....may I name you?" Moon asked. Artificer blinked, glancing at Sugar, who seemed quite amused. "It feels a bit rude to just refer to our host as 'Hey You' or 'Host' or the like."

Slugcats didn't really have names. Not in the way iterators and the like did. What they had were common signs referring to various traits they had. This could be anything from colors to abilities to a specific personality trait. Anything recognizable. Sometimes if you switched clans or changed in any large way, these 'names' could completely change. When she had a clan she was 'fire red". When she had pups they were 'green pup' and 'blue pup'. They didn't have real names and, for the most part, they really didn't need them. 

But....Sugar was a nice name.

And Moon really did seem so earnest. She always sounded a little awkward referring to her as just their host.

Finally, she nodded. Instantly, Moon seemed to brighten, her antenna sticking up.

"Thank you! I'll make sure to think of something good!" She said happily before narrowing her eyes in thought. "Sparky? Sparks? No. Red? No. Banga- oh absolutely not."

Artificer, soon to be renamed, paid no mind to the muttered ramblings of the iterator. Instead she turned her attention to Sugar, raising a brow at it as she popped the jar of meat open and placed it between them when she sat down. Sugar nodded in thanks, happily digging into the contents with her. She couldn't help but note the other jars on her counter and muse that it wouldn't be long until she had to leave them to rot. Maybe she should get a bag of her own to put some of them in. It would do good to have some extra food storage for their long journey ahead.

....Their? When had she started thinking that?

Moon groaned slightly, leaning back. "I need a bit more time to think. I'm going to go visit Five Pebbles, maybe I'll think of something on the way. Do you want to come?" She said. 

Sugar paused before nodding, and Artificer herself perked up when she remembered the pearl she needed to give over, nodding herself. She was on her feet in a moment, snatching up three more spears and gesturing to the other two. Happy to get a move on, they both followed. 

Pebbles watched the three pop into his chamber one by one, looking....mildly unimpressed. But he didn't look as unhappy as he used to when he was visited. She supposed she had his sister to thank for that.

"Three of them. A lucky number." Pebbles said sarcastically, his gaze roving over Artificer. "I haven't seen you in some time, citizen. You've been doing good work." He hummed, and the slugcat puffed slightly in pride.

"She's been an incredible host, too!" Moon chirped, and the iterator seemed to roll his eyes.

"You've said."

Waving her paw to get his attention, Five Pebbles looked at her. She gagged. Once, twice, three times. Her stomach heaved. Moon groaned and looked away while Sugar blinked.

"What are- oh no. No no no, don't you dare. You will NOT-"

HACK

She proffered the pearl up to Pebbles, and he made the singular most disgusted face that anyone without anything other than eyes could make. He gazed at Moon, who was making a startlingly similar face. She shrugged. He looked back at her.

"I am not touching that." He said bluntly. Artificer rolled her eye and shook it at him again.

"Sugar did the same thing to me and made me take it. It's precisely as gross as you imagine." Moon informed him.

Pebbles glared at her as if to say "Not helping" before glancing back at Artificer and the pearl. Reluctantly, he brought it closer with a flick of his hand, though he kept it plenty far from his face. He narrowed his eyes, then leaned back. 

"It's a piece of artwork." He proclaimed, slightly surprised. "It is...nothing really special, in particular. Not a prominent artist I know of. Amateur, I would say, but not without heart. It depicts a fruit tree in an empty field. A single one of its fruit is sitting, fallen and cracked open upon the roots below. Hmm. Perhaps it-" Moon gasped.

"CHERRY BOMB!!!"

"Guh-"

Pebbles fumbled and dropped the pearl he was holding onto the floor, making a sharp 'eugh' when it brushed his fingers. Artificer, Sugar, and Five Pebbles all flinched away from Moon's sudden outcry as she bumped her fist into her hand triumphantly. It was only after this outcry, as all three other occupants in the room stared in blank confusion at her, that she realized how loud she had been. She paused, shrinking. 

"...Apologies. I didn't mean to shout that. I just thought of a name for our host!" She said, turning over at the red slugcat, who blinked at her.

"You want to name my citizen as well?" Pebbles asked incredulously. Moon hummed her affirmation.

"Well of course! You don't just call other iterators 'fellow iterator' do you? You use their names! And I've been using 'Excuse me, you' for far too long to be comfortable. I think our generous host deserves a name!" She said, putting her hands on her hips at Pebbles disbelieving gaze, turning her eyes to the slugcat in question. "How about it? Do you like Cherry Bomb? Just Cherry for short, of course."

She thought about it.

Cherry was......it was a nice name. Oddly cute for someone of her age and abilities, but nice.

She couldn't think of a better one. So she nodded.

Moon lit up happily, eyes squinting in joy. Sugar nodded sagely in approval, gesturing 'good' a few times. Pebbles looked bemused, drifting back and crossing his arms at being evidently outvoted on his hesitance. 

"Are you going to name all the creatures we come across? Really, I would think you-u-u-u-u-u-"

Eyes turned up as Pebble's voice skipped oddly over itself like a glitching record. He was frozen in the air, eyes wide open suddenly.

Moon's antenna were sticking straight up, standing ramrod like she could hear, feel something they could not.

She was moving before the room turned suddenly bright red, a warning symbol flashing on the wall. Pebbles dropped from the air as his umbilical arm went suddenly limp, sending him crashing thankfully not to the floor, but into his sister's waiting arms. There was an odd static sound coming from him as, slowly, the room faded back into it's original color. Almost like wheezing, he clutched to the front of his sister's dress, ripping more holes into it.

"The rot." He wheezed. "Has reached my cooling systems."

Oh no.

Chapter Text

Five Pebbles was an idiot. An idiot. He had been so distracted that he had been neglecting to flush his systems. Despite what some may think, Pebbles really was constantly busy. Trying to deal with the rot was a full time job. He had to constantly track it, block it, flush it, there was almost no time at all to do anything but deal with his rot. 

It progressed steadily regardless, of course. At this point stopping it was a fruitless endeavor. But it was much slower than it would have been if he simply let it go free. It would have killed him long ago if he had let it go.

And despite it all, he did not want to die. 

He desperately did not want to die.

But this whole situation with Moon had taken up nearly every bit of his attention. Even without her in the room she had squirmed into every space in his mind. Her and all the things that her plans would mean for the future.

Leaving. Travelling. Meeting with Sig. And so much else. Would he even survive the cut? Moon had barely been connected to her own can when she had been broken off it. He, on the other hand, was still standing and almost completely functional.

Well. Until now, that is.

Iterators needed their coolant systems. Desperately. With the kind of power they output, they generated a lot of heat. The exact reason they needed so much water. The exact reason Moon had collapsed. A problem with your coolant system meant you would soon face extreme slag buildup, systems shutting down, structure instability, you could lower your output as much as possible but even then your lifespan would be cut significantly. 

And he had completely forgotten to flush it.

Stupid. 

He was glad that Moon was not making a big deal out of this as he shook in her arms because god, that hurt! He was shutting down excess processes and flushing the conduits as he spoke, but the spike of agony from his core as his coolant lines were blocked, heat spreading through every piece of him, was undeniable. 

Was that how Moon had felt when he used all the water? Judging by the tightness in her frame and the grip on his back that only just avoided denting him, he would say yes. 

He buzzed in his chest and leaned back slightly, not completely trusting his umbilical arm to not drop him again at any moment. He only just barely managed to keep his voice even when he eventually spoke. 

"We still have some cycles before it becomes severe. If I keep flushing it and avoid taxing my system, it will be fine." He said. It had to be. Moon's eyes narrowed back at him in response.

"I'm not letting you go through that for cycles. This is a sign, it's time to go." She said firmly.

A spark of indignation rose in his chest. She was just pushing and pushing until something gave. Telling him about what they would do with no care what he thought on the matter. Pebbles, we're doing this! Pebbles, we're going here! Never even asking.

"It would have been fine if you had let me alone to think." He snipped. 

"Yes, and giving you time to think has always gone quite well." Moon replied tersely. 

The two's antenna sparked at each other like a pair of tesla coils, bright and angry. He was about ready to snap back at her when a bright red furry face shoved into his own with a glare. Bewildered, his own eyes stared back into a darker one. Just behind the newly named Cherry, he could see Sugar doing the same to Moon, shoving into her face with a low, displeased rumbling. It shoved a finger into her chest and shook its head. 

Cherry flicked an ear and huffed at him before pulling away, her head swinging between the siblings. Moon broke eye contact first, fully releasing her brother when he finally rose off the floor, hovering slightly over it just in case. 

"We need to start getting ready now." She sighed. "Sugar, go back and get the things. Put them in here and start getting as many neurons in the pack as you can. I don't want Pebbles leaving here with any lack of them. A good amount will follow, I imagine, but those can just as easily get snapped up by anything that comes along. Cherry, please stay here to help. I'm going to need to examine the umbilicals and see how best to get them off, and may need your assistance breaking them. The arm will be the easy part, but the wire...." She trailed off.

"Will not be pleasant." Five Pebbles surmised.

"No. I don't imagine it will be." Moon agreed.

Five Pebbles twirled one of the pearls on the ground up into his palm, examining it as he turned out his sister. Internal thoughts and archived memories....they wouldn't do him much good now that he was leaving. Considering they were going to stuff whatever packs they had full with neurons, the other things he could carry were...minimal. He didn't want to bring them along just to trade with the scavengers either so.....here they would stay. Inside his rotting corpse.

There was a deep twisting in his chest as he wondered how many things he would forget, when he left. He didn't want to forget anything. There were so many things that he valued here. His work, his history, himself. 

He was scared.

It was going to hurt.

A quiet hymn thrummed out from the pearl, and he clutched it tight to his chest. He didn't want to hurt.

"Moon, have you considered this may kill me? When you were disconnected, you were barely more than your puppet. I am still my entire can, despite the rot. I might go into shock. Have you considered that?" He asked tersely. The other iterator stopped short for a moment. Her fingers caught in the holes of her soon to be discarded dress, no longer caring about the holes she was further ripping into it.

"I have." She responded. "And I will not let you stay that way. If I have to encode a neuron myself to wake you up, then that is what I will do. If I have to carry your body all the way to No Significant Harassment, then that is what I will do. You story does not end here. I will ensure it." 

She sounded so sure of herself. Or....maybe that wasn't the right word. She sounded set into a stone cold determination. His story would not end here because she would not allow it to. She would drag the ending of this situation out of the cycle kicking and screaming if she needed to. 

And for what, he wondered.

He hadn't even apologized. 

Moon shifted, metal feet scraping across the floor as she reached up. "Get back down here. I need to look at your umbilicals. Can you bring up puppet maintenance records?" She said. 

With a solemn resignation, Five Pebbles did in fact settle on the ground again, turning his back and sitting down to expose his umbilicals. With a flick of his hand, he brought up the records that she so wanted. He didn't particularly care to look at them himself, he didn't want to know the ins and outs of the things they would do to his puppet. He shivered when his sister's hands touched his back, feeling along the seams of his umbilical wire.

His eyes drew along the room until they landed on Cherry. He had forgotten she was there, honestly. Shifting around and looking awkward, he knew the feeling. Again he shuddered as Moon shifted his wire, and the red slugcat examined him with considering eyes.

Slowly, she walked over. He was about to ask if she needed anything when, suddenly, she dropped into his lap and splayed across it. He jerked back in surprise, staring back at the single eye looking up at him. Heedless of, well, anyone's discomfort, seemingly including her own, she sat splayed there as Moon examined his umbilicals. 

Slowly, he settled his hand on her head and scratched between her ears. That was what he was supposed to do, right? She didn't seem to mind it, closing her eye and leaning into his hand with a low purr deep in her throat. Yes, that seemed about right. 

It was a distraction, he knew. It was embarrassing to admit the fact that it was actually working. 

He didn't know how long it was before a bag and a wad of other such things fell into the room with the dull thunk and clatter of metal falling to the ground. Sugar fell in shortly after, flopping next to Moon and shaking itself off before going about dumping out the contents of the bag. Screwdrivers, wrenches, a hammer, all just barely serviceable, in his opinion. 

"Thank you, Sugar." Moon sighed, reaching over and scratching between her friend's ears. There was anxiety tinting her voice as Sugar pressed up against her for a moment. The little creature could have dumped its things there and left, but evidently comfort was its first priority. 

With a heavy sigh, he turned the gravity off again to guide it to the exit with its bag. "Do try to be careful when you're shoving my neurons in a bag." He grumbled, looking over at Moon. "Isn't something like that uncomfortable?"

The other iterator shrugged sympathetically. "Less than you would think, actually. It may not be as...fun for you, however." She told him, reaching over to sort through the things that Sugar had dropped.

"I'm not going to try to break your umbilicals until we've gathered all we can and we've sorted out what we're going to do after you have been disconnected." She told him.

"Isn't this something we've had a few cycles to discuss now?" 

Moon looked at him pointedly. "You're not going to be walking right for a while. And it's the middle of a cycle right now. I would have liked to wait till just before the start of a cycle so we could have got going immediately, but that isn't an option right now. I want you to put as many systems on auto as you can before we go. It may not work after you're gone, but we may as well try. We're going to settle in one of your shelters on the top of your wall and wait until we can go down. At that point you will...likely need to piggyback. On either myself or Sugar. You are not going to be doing the things I did to get up here."

"And I will not be piggybacking on any of you. I have already suffered enough indignancies as it is." He retorted. Moon sighed heavily, dragging her hand across an antenna. But she could sigh all she wanted, he was not doing that. The mere thought of clinging to his sister, or saints forbid, the creature's back while swinging their way down his towering walls was making him shiver. No thank you.

"Well, do you have any other ideas?" She asked. 

Five Pebbles stopped and considered. Something to get them down without needing to be attached to anything. What could do that? What what what......

Ah. 

He shifted uncomfortably in place, fingers scraping at the floor. "My mass rarefaction cell." He said stiffly, and Moon froze. "If we remove it, its gravitational properties could allow us to simply....drift down. Even with four people, we iterators are sturdy. We could take the impact. Theoretically, anyway. It could also help immensely with anything else that could use power. So. I say we disconnect me, then get to a shelter if my can is still working without me. We rest in a shelter and afterwards have Sugar go and get the cell. Then we jump and head for the west exit in my retaining wall. Hopefully that will give us ample time to escape any consequence of my can slowly beginning to shut down. At worst, we have a fair few cycles to get out of our facility grounds before a...." He paused and shuddered. "Collapse."

He didn't want to think about his can collapsing. Watching Moon's own collapse had been hard enough. Thinking about his own ill and rotting body falling to the grounds below, metal and meat becoming food for the creatures below, made him feel a bit sick to the stomach he did not have. Moon hummed with nervous energy. For someone who didn't have one, she knew how important the rarefaction cells were to their working order. But her grip still loosened. 

"That's a good idea, Pebbles." She agreed. "We'll just have to hope it works."

A loud chittering came from above as Sugar popped in once again, looking....agitated? No, maybe not. Stressed? Excited? It fell down onto the floor with a full bag in hand, and he winced as he felt the neurons buzzing inside. "What is it, little creature? Has more rot popped through my panels?" He huffed in displeasure. 

Well, apparently not.

An overseer popped out of the wall in front of them.

Green.

He heard Moon gasp sharply in tandem with his own as the overseer twisted closer and projected an image before them. A familiar face stared back despite some glitching due to the distance the video had travelled. There was good reason overseer messages were rare, they broke down too much after enough time.

"Moon." No Significant Harassment said, his voice more strained than he had ever heard it. "I don't know how you got away from your can. I want to ask that and so, so much more. But I won't. For now I am glad you are well, or at least were well, and pray you continue to be. I-"

Another voice buzzed loudly in the background. Just loud enough to be familiar, not enough to make out the words. Pebble's felt something stop in his chest.

"Yes yes please just let me- apologies, Moon. Seven Red Suns is here as well and if you are currently with Five Pebbles, he wants to say-" more shouting voice as Sig glared over his shoulder. "Wants to say hello- yes just hello, Suns- and give his well wishes. He actually tried to have his little messenger pry his umbilicals off, but it didn't go too well." He sighed heavily and crossed his arms. "Know that I worry for you. If Five Pebbles has hurt you in any way, I will come over there myself, now that I know I can. Please, if you get this, do visit. If it is....possible to do so. We miss you immensely. I hope this message reaches you. But for now....goodbye."

The hologram shut off, and the overseer disappeared once more. Silence prevailed, but only a moment before Moon gave a short, pained laugh.

"Well." She chuckled. "Now we have to get going. Those two might just go insane if we don't give them some kind of response. Do you think you could-"

"No." Pebbles said immediately, tensing up. At Moon's look, however, he shrunk slightly.

"I.....I think it would be better if we gave them an answer in person." He said, quieter now.

For a moment, Moon stared right through him. But eventually, she patted his shoulder. Painfully understanding despite it all.

"Ok, Pebbles." She said softly. 

They really were doing this. 

Moon gathered the tools they would need into a neat line, and he didn't look. Cherry still laid in his lap till she was needed, purring lowly as she watched for him. 

"I hope you don't mind, but I picked out clothes for you too. I suppose now is the best time to show them as any, take a look. Your current outfit won't do for the outside." Moon said idly. Another distraction as she pushed a bundle of clothes to his front. He didn't mind the distraction. 

The clothes were....adequate for their future travel. Seemingly taken from some lower income households, the fabric was stiffer and more sturdy than many of the things their creators would wear. His sister had even found a small poncho like his own, and he.....appreciated the thoughtfulness. It was not a terrible look, as it were.

"....Thank you. These are.......These will do." He said. He really needed to get better at showing his appreciation. Especially now. Moon just laughed, not seeming to mind the stilted thanks.

"They had better! Because we're not going back into the city to find more." She replied, nudging him playfully. A short chuckle forced its way out of him, to his surprise. 

"I suppose so." He agreed. 

Moon shifted in his peripherals, and he heard the noise of one last tool being set down. She sighed, and he knew that it was time.

"Alright, Pebbles." Moon said seriously. "We are going to try to do this as quickly as possible. Unscrewing your arm should be fine, but it gets more unpleasant from there. After the arm is released, we will cut the wires. Hopefully in one swipe. With your wire..." She hesitated. "There's no way around it. We're just going to have to break it off. Again, hopefully quickly. I'm going to unscrew your arm, and then have you lay on your side, alright? Cherry, please swap with Sugar. I think I'll need your help cutting the wires, since you're the one always cutting up those things for food."

Pebbles really wished Moon hadn't said that. He squirmed at the thought of being cut up like some kind of robotic fillet. It was with great reluctance with which he released his citizen, the smaller Slugcat squirming into her place in an instant. It was evident Sugar was a bit better at the whole comfort thing than Cherry was, curling up into a ball and pressing without hesitation up into his chest, eyes closed and purring away. 

He loathed to admit it helped. Just a little.

"Alright. I'm starting now." Moon said gently, and he clutched Sugar just a bit closer.

He tensed as he felt her hands across his back. Soon after, the scrape of the tools needed to disconnect his arm. He tried to think of anything other than what was happening, what was going to happen, both in just a minute and in the cycles to come. There was discomfort as, second by second, his umbilical arm became looser and looser. 

They were usually turned off when people needed to perform work on their puppets. Five Pebbles was lucky enough to only have it done once, and he didn't relish the memory. Yet in this moment he was almost wishing for that disconnect from his puppet body as his sister gently worked the arm free. He was buzzing with nervous energy and he couldn't stop. It didn't even hurt yet and he was still terrified.

A sudden pop and an "Ah!", and suddenly his arm was no longer against his back. He shuddered. 

"Alright, Pebbles. Lay down. Let's get this over with." Moon sighed, coaxing him down. Sugar came with him easily, stretching out to allow him to keep his grip on it as he laid on his side. He could feel her hands brush the wires inside. 

"Alright, Cherry. Your turn. This is as sharp as I could get, so it should work fine. Cut it around here, I don't want him having the long wires I have, it could be a liability." She said. He closed his eyes as Moon gently extended his wires into something straighter. 

"Make it quick." He said tightly.

Moon made a low noise, and shifted. "Alright." She answered, rubbing his shoulder. 

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

He hardly had the time to tense and curl inwards before something swiped across his wires. 

It hurt. It hurt it hurtithurt. 

A loud, echoing keen burst from his chest. He knew it would be bad but saints ascending that was bad. The room turned a screaming red and blared with sirens. In an instant he knew what Moon had meant when she had said she felt empty when it happened. He could feel systems cut off, things suddenly so much more distant. Awareness flickered across his systems, but touching it was so much harder now. He whined, and Moon gripped his shoulder.

"Shhh shh. I know, Pebbles. I know. Just hang in there. You're going to be fine. Hang on." She cooed, reaching around to hold one of his hands and keeping him from crushing poor Sugar.

"It hurts. I don't know if I can do this anymore." He whined, and her thumb brushed over his. 

"I know, I know. You can do this. You can. We're going to finish this and get you out of here. You're going to love it when we do, ok? We're going to see the sun together, and you're going to feel the wind and grass and water and you're going to live. You're going to be ok. You will." She soothed, and he pressed his forehead against her palm. She straightened out his umbilical wire. 

"You're going to be ok." She repeated, shifting slightly as he shivered.

"Do it." 

A pause, and then-

CRACK. 

He screamed.

Chapter Text

Moon would never have the words for the kind of terror that was lit in her chest as Five Pebbles screamed loud enough that it bounced off every wall and vibrated in her chest, before going slack all at once. 

The alarms, warnings, the fear coming off Sugar and Cherry in waves, they were all secondary. She had eyes only on her little brother. Her little brother who lay there now, limp like the body's name sake. 

A puppet with cut strings.

She would never forgive herself if she had killed him. Never. She had been so adamant that she would not let him go, but it was so hard to remember that confidence now. She looked at Pebbles and all she felt was fear. Fear she had never felt even as she herself was dying, collapsing to the grounds below. She looked into dark blank eyes and knew she would know no fear greater than this.

She pulled her fellow iterator up into her lap and arms, Sugar sliding from his no longer grasping hands, and curled around him as far as his body finally now allowed. 

"Pebbles." She whispered, barely able to force the words out. "Wake up. Please. I need you to wake up. You're going to be ok now, ok? Please wake up."

Sugar pushed the bag of neurons, and she drew it up to push to his chest. She shuddered as she leaned into him, antenna flicking forward to tap against his in time with their foreheads. 

She had promised she would not beg any longer. But she made an exception for this.

"Please."

A spark shot off of her and across him. With a jerk, he came to life. Lights went on behind his eyes. Fingers suddenly gripped tight against her chest. His entire body shuddered as static buzzed through his chest for just a moment. 

"I can't feel anything." Pebbles choked, and if she could have cried, she would have.

The stuttering electric whine in her own chest would have to do as she cradled him against her, rocking back and forth as she brushed her fingers along the edge of where his umbilicals once sat, now finally released. He was free and he was ok. The lights in the room were dim now, the slugcats blinking in the sudden darkness. Again, she patted no mind. 

"I know, I know. It's ok." She soothed. "You're ok now. You're alive. You're alive and you're free now, Pebbles. The rot can't get you now. The moment you're ready, we're gonna go outside and see the sun, ok?"

Pebbles didn't answer. He just shuddered, his fingers slipping down to grab at the pack now filled with neurons. She thought they may have buzzed a bit louder now that they were partially disconnected from the can, and she knew the feeling. Too little and too much in all the same way. Shifting him, she was careful not to brush the newly severed wires as she looked over to her friends. 

"Please, leave us. This has been...quite a lot to happen in a day, and I think Pebbles deserves a moment of rest. I'll call you if we need you, but for now, make whatever preparations you need for hibernation." She told them firmly. 

Sugar and Cherry glanced at each other hesitantly, but eventually nodded and went to leave. The gravity was off and would stay as such, but thankfully Pebbles had the sense to leave his umbilical arm near the exit so they could climb up it after the fact. She watched the two clamber up, Sugar giving a small glance back before disappearing out of the passage. 

They would need to leave soon as well. But for now, she would allow this moment of quiet. Needed to allow it, as Pebbles explored the edges of what he had lost. She didn't doubt that what he had lost was far greater than what she had. At least she had time to get used to lowered faculties before she was cut completely. 

One of Pebble's overseers popped up in the corner, lighting the dark room blue. Quickly, she beckoned it closer. 

"Reattaching to your overseers helps. Just a bit. Take out one of your neurons and tap it, if you can. You know I can't." She said softly. 

Pebbles shifted, pausing and seeming to get his shaking under control before carefully opening his bag and fishing out one of the neurons without letting the others free. As the overseer came closer, he reached out and tapped it. He gave a start, flinching when the spark skittered between them. He managed not to drop the neuron and put it away.

"Get the others. Please." He said. The overseer bobbed and disappeared as he settled back into Moon's arms. He gazed up at her sharply.

"We will not speak of this when we leave here." He told her.

"Anything you want, Five Pebbles." She replied warmly. 

She waited as Pebbles laid there, twitching and flexing as he instinctively reached for systems that were no longer there. Eventually he reached back, feeling along the edge of where his umbilicals once sat. He flinched away from it quickly after.

"The disconnect was not- is not pleasant." He said, slowly juddering upwards as Moon helped him sit up before leaning away. "But.....it is nice. Not feeling the rot clogging the insides of my systems." He admitted. 

"I can imagine." Moon chuckled quietly. 

She released him as he pulled away, shuffling backwards and out of her lap. He wavered without the safety of his umbilical arm to lean back on, but managed to keep himself from completely falling over again as he looked slowly around. 

"I can...still feel it. Somewhat. From where my neurons are still attached to the can. Is that normal?" He asked. Moon hummed and nodded. 

"It is. Even I felt it a little before. It will fade the further you get from the can." She told him. Pebble's fingers found one of the pearls scattered across the floor, and he ran his fingers on it. A twitch, and she could hear a quiet tune playing from it. 

"I loathe to leave behind so many things." He said quietly. Moon nodded in agreement. She could only imagine how it was for someone like Pebbles, who clung to every part of his own knowledge.

"There are side pockets in the backpack....perhaps you can take some of these, if you care to." She offered. 

Pebbles paused, looking around to the scattered pearls. Slowly, he ran his fingers again over the one in his grip.

"Just this one." He said quietly. 

Moon pushed herself up with a nod. Looking up, she examined the climb up to the exit and remembered how Sugar had once helped her through climbs such as these. Though she had a bit more practice before they did. 

"Alright. I think it's time to go. Let's get ourselves dressed first, and then I'm going to carry you up to the exit and have you climb out before me, alright? Put the pack on after the shirt but before the poncho. It will fit better." She said. 

Pebbles tensed, but nodded. She pushed his clothes to him as she took her own, and they turned their backs to one another as they changed. They didn't have any bits to be modest about, and Moon had spent....well, most of her time before Sugar found her the dress 'naked', but ancient sensibility never really faded, she supposed. After they were done, she tied up their pant legs, put a small tie of fabric over Pebble's freshly cut wires, and hefted his body onto her back. It was astounding how light he was, she was actually quite sure she could lift him with one hand if she cared to. 

"I will not tolerate doing this any longer than necessary." Pebbles grumbled in her ear as she started up the umbilical. She just laughed. 

"Hopefully you won't need it too much. If we're drifting to the ground with your rarefaction cell, we won't have to deal with carrying you all the way down the wall like that. I'll help you along, but it will be good to have your feet on the ground. You need to learn." She said, pulling them up to the exit and hanging on with one arm to help Pebbles around to it.

"A tip?" She said. "Trust your limbs. You are far stronger than you're going to expect. You can do this."

Pebbles made an odd noise back at her, reluctantly reaching up to grab onto the ladder leading out from the chamber. He panicked slightly as his leg slipped away from her, but she grabbed the end of his foot and pushed him higher with ease. 

She didn't envy his feet as they made their way up, even thinner and sharper than her own. As such, moving him up through the rooms towards the surface was mostly her pushing his lower half up while he did his damndest to scrabble upwards. If only their creators could see them now, a pair of fallen gods struggling upwards, the usually poised Five Pebbles kicking her inelegantly in the face on occasion as they squawked and scrambled to get up. It was....less than befitting of two beings such as themselves. However it did do a good job of breaking some of the tension as they snapped back and forth at each other on the way up. 

When they finally reached the landing, with Moon quite convinced she had a couple more scratches than she went in with, they both slumped forward onto it.

"I begin to feel as if staying in my rotting corpse would have been more pleasing an endeavor than that." Pebbles wheezed, sounding breathless despite not needing air. Moon reached out and patted her brother's leg sympathetically, heaving herself upwards.

"Come on. It's just right there, through that gate. I promise it will be worth it, ok?" She soothed, reaching down to pick him up again.

As promised, this time she didn't put him on her back. She kept an arm around his middle and instead helped him slowly across the ground. He hadn't been practicing walking as much as she would have liked, but there was nothing more to do about it now. They stepped slowly and carefully in through the gates to the outside, and Moon squeezed him when he tensed as they slid shut. Steam hissed upwards and all that kept them from the outside world slid away. Moon took no hesitation in leading her brother to the light.

The sunset was just as beautiful as it had been when she first saw it. Pink and orange and purple painting the skies like watercolor. At the edges of the darkness, stars and galaxies began to prick through with nothing in their way to stop them. Pebbles stoped in his tracks at her side, a stuttering gasp rising in him. She allowed him all the time he needed to stare as the sun dropped below the cracks in long abandoned buildings. 

"It- It's not-" Pebbles stammered, trembling in her grip. If she let go, he would have dropped to his knees for more reasons than just being unused to his legs. Distantly, thunder rumbled from the storms that surrounded the can. 

"Dyed overseer colors, I know. Our overseers always do have that quirk." Moon finished for him, rubbing her thumb across his side. "Do you see why I was angry, being kept from this?"

Pebbles nodded, slow and jerkily. "I do. I do." He whispered. "Trapped us with no true eyes to see."

There was a quiet wrath in those words, and she understood it. She understood it more and more with every day and every new experience. She understood when she looked up to the sun for the first time. She understood it as she walked, then ran, then fought for the first time. She understood it in the moment that, for the very first time, she finally held her brother in her own two arms after cycles of loneliness and yearning. She understood, and she would ensure that they would never again have to be trapped away from this.

"The bugs finally found their own exit. It was about time, don't you think?" She chuckled. Pebbles squeezed her slightly, a shudder running from the tips of his feet and all the way up his antenna. 

"Yes." He agreed. "Yes it was."

Their first stop was, of course, Cherry's home. His gaze did not linger so much on the dark and desolate homes of his city, likely a bit more familiar with them than she was, but they did graze across them with look of someone seeing something with new eyes for the first time. Their walk was slow both for the fact of Pebbles getting used to his legs and the both of them admiring the view as the sky got darker and darker, giving way to pinpoints of starlight and the moon glowing on the other side of the sky. They had places to be, but Moon refused to rush this. 

Cherry's home was clear to see, the only one that was lit among the darkened streets of the city. As they stepped in, it was clear things had been cleaned up, just a little bit. Jars once filled with various meat and pastes and other such things were empty now, likely all eaten by the inhabitants in preparation for their hibernation. Blankets had been tucked back into place, seats had been pushed in, there wasn't much to tidy, but anything that needed it had been. Even if they didn't exactly need to. 

Sugar and Cherry were both seemingly pushing away the final bits of dust from the room. Sugar was wearing its new kerchief, which she had been right to think would be cute, while Cherry was now wearing a very big and very sharp vulture's mask across her back, strapped to her using sturdy leather straps through the eyeholes. The second the iterators stepped in the two whipped around, Sugar immediately bouncing up and down and running over to greet them, glancing them up and down before nodding in approval. 

"You two look like you've kept busy. Are you ready to go?" She asked. The two nodded as Pebbles looked around in obvious fascination. 

"It's a shame to leave things such as these behind. So many interesting trinkets you have here. Though..." His gaze landed on the odd scavenger skull with a strangely knowing look. "I suppose some things are better left in the past." 

Cherry shifted slightly, eye not meeting any of theirs as she came over, patting Pebbles gently on the side. Sugar looked about as confused as she herself was, but nodded nonetheless, stepping in line beside her. Cherry snatched some Spears from the wall to carry with them before stepping next to Pebbles instead, pressing against his side. Cherry left her home with less hesitancy than Moon would have expected. 

The trip to the shelters was, thankfully, uneventful. No lizards or vultures came to attack them, nothing but a bug skittering away somewhere in the darkness. The shelters were also working just fine, as it seemed. They were, after all, built to be one of the sturdiest things their creators ever built. Aside from the iterators themselves, of course. They were always one of the last things to give out in the case of malfunction or collapse. 

Now, one might wonder why in the world anyone would build shelters up where the rains couldn't get them. It was a valid question, of course. Back when their creators were still alive, however, they would occasionally use shelters to, well, skip time, as it were. Most used cycles as a way of measurement, and if you had a meeting next cycle with nothing to do between the space, you could simply sleep away the time till the meeting. They were also good protection in the case of anything unsavory happening. 

It was to say that Moon trusted it to keep them safe until the next cycle. She took at least a little bit of comfort in this as she led Pebbles into it, popping in and settling down against the wall and dusty pillows inside. 

"Are we all sure we have everything we wanted to take?" She asked, gazing around. Pebbles gave her an unimpressed look even as the slugcats nodded and plopped inside after them, the doors shutting behind. 

"Yes, ask this just as we are entering the shelter. That is the perfect time to ask." He said sarcastically, and Moon elbowed him with a huff. 

"Nonetheless. We are all clear on what we are doing when we wake up, yes? Sugar gets the rarefaction cell while we make our way to the west exit. After the cell is retrieved we will drift down and head for the retaining wall exit. After that...well. I suppose we just head for No Significant Harassment." She said before glancing at Sugar. "There are signs to the exit, and you might be familiar with the cell's chamber, but here are some pictures to guide you, just in case." 

A gesture of a hand, and a pair of her overseers popped up to project images of the aforementioned things before them. Sugar nodded confidently, popping down and settling in to sleep the moment Moon confirmed. Cherry shifted with apprehension, glancing around at the shelter before laying down for sleep as well. She twisted and turned, but eventually fell asleep, leaving the iterators as the only two still awake. 

It was quiet, here, but she could still feel the quiet hum of life coming from the walls. So much quieter compared to before, but still there. If only for now. Her brother could obviously feel it too, his thumbs running over the metal panels in the floor and silently leaning up against the walls. 

He reached around to his bag, sliding open the side compartment and pulling out the pearl he had taken. She was quietly surprised when it spun up into the air, spiraling into gentle twists and circles as it played its hymn. 

"I don't think No Significant Harassment will forgive me for what I did to you." He said, watching the pearl as it drifted. 

Moon hummed quietly. Sig was a lighthearted iterator. He loved to joke and poke fun and play games. But he was not stupid, and when things were serious enough his attitude could turn on a dime. He didn't forget when people slighted him. She knew he would not forget Pebbles causing the collapse of his friend. Peer. Sister. 

"Not immediately." She agreed solemnly. "But he is observant. Show him you are trying, and he will learn to."

"I don't know how." Pebbles growled in frustration. "I only just escaped my chambers. I have not interacted meaningfully with anyone in so many cycles. I don't know how to do anything yet. How am I supposed to show that I'm better? Just saying sorry is such a useless platitude. They're nothing but empty words when you don't know how to build it up. And I don't know how to build it up. I can't show people something I don't know how to do!" He threw his hands up, nearly slapping his pearl out of the air with the gesture. With a sigh, Moon reached out and pulled him in, pressing their foreheads together and tapping her antenna to his. 

"You're going to learn, Five Pebbles. I know you will." She told him firmly. "You only just got out. You're still getting used to it. You need to give it time and eventually you will know. No iterator was built in a day, you know."

She chuckled and pulled back as Pebbles slumped, the fight gone as his pearl dropped into his hands once more. 

"We have an entire journey to learn, Pebs. For now, get some sleep." She hummed. Pebbles glared tiredly back at her.

"Don't call me Pebs. It's demeaning." He grunted.

"Of course, Pebs." Moon giggled. 

Pebbles groaned and laid down facing away from her. She did not hesitate to lay down against him, curling up and waiting for sleep to take her. 

The morning was, blessedly, also uneventful. Sugar rushed off to retrieve the mass rarefaction cell, and Cherry led the way to the exit while Pebbles shook of a similar shock to her own finding out that the whole situation was actually real. Frankly if anything else happened to try to keep her brother there this close to escape, she might have just gone savage. 

Pebbles stared up into the full light of the sun as they walked, entranced in the way it almost seemed to bring the city to life for just a moment. He shivered as a breeze rolled past and almost stumbled from the surprise of it.

Excitement burst like fireworks in her chest with every step closer they came to the exit, and she could feel the way Pebbles vibrated with it too. If she didn't just pick him up and sprint there, she was almost sure he would suddenly learn how just to do it himself. Closer and closer, she took them faster and Pebbles didn't complain despite the fact it was making him trip more often. 

The gate appeared both sooner than she thought and far too late to be comfortable. 

Cherry glanced at the siblings with concern as they twitched and buzzed in place, quite literally sparking in tandem as one gate shut, the steam rose, and the other opened. 

This time she did practically pick Pebbles off the ground to get out. 

And there, unobscured and uncontested, the horizon stretched out before them. The sun glowed hot in the sky, and the clouds seemed to beam just as much as they rolled over in the endless blue. In the distance she could see the very can they would be heading for in so very short a time. 

Pebbles trembled silently against her. Her quip was cut off however, as he suddenly stepped away from her on wobbling legs.

In the loudest, most powerful sound she had ever heard out of her brother, he thrust his fists up into the air and shouted. 

"YES!!!!"

Finally, finally free. 

Chapter Text

Sugar was excited. Beyond excited, honestly. It had a new friend of its own kind, they had saved Moon's brother, and now they were heading out. And Sugar had not been outside in a very, very long time. 

It was only in blurry memories and distant feelings that it remembered it's travels beyond the walls of this facility. Clinging to its parent's tails and hanging off their backs, squabbling with its brother. Briefly it remembered other members of the clan. It wondered how they were doing now, wherever they were. They hadn't been there, back when it had searched. Not exactly surprising, they always had been the nomadic kind, but it still hurt. 

It didn't matter now. It had three friends to travel with now! Well, it wasn't sure Pebbles would call himself a friend just yet, but considering they would be traveling with each other a whole lot soon enough, they could work on it. 

All that mattered was that it wasn't alone anymore. And neither were they. The void would have no lost souls to feast on today. 

Well, no point in thinking about it. Today, Sugar had a job to do. Get the mass rarefaction cell, take it to its friends, and get out of this place. There was also the case of how much time it would take to get to the ground, and how much time they would have to get food before the next rains rolled in. Whatever the case was, it was best to get in and out as fast as possible. The others were likely aching to get away as well. 

The path into Pebbles was familiar, yet not in the same breath. The once lively buzz in the walls was dim, only barely there. The crackle and hum of electricity was all but gone. The lights were almost non existent, and it was only thanks to its eyes being as good as they were that navigating was an alright endeavour. Luckily or unluckily, the gravity was still somewhat working for the moment. It flickered as it often did, but it was good enough.

Sugar followed the path that had been pointed out to it, towards the room with the rarefaction cell. It was only part of a cycle later but....it thought it saw quite a bit more rot squeezing through the panels then there had been before. Just in case, it made a point to be much more careful than it would usually be, keeping itself drifting far away from the possibility of any reaching tendrils. 

As Sugar reached the housing chamber for the cell, it didn't just need to see it. It could feel it. The pulse of energy, the thrum of something being worked far too hard in an attempt to make up for something critical lost. Frankly it was surprised the thing hadn't broken from the treatment it had been subjected to so far.

Getting into the chamber was a bit harder than it would like considering the gravitational pull and the points of rot scattered across the thing, but it managed. In the center floated a large round ball, buzzing and crackling with energy. 

Sugar hoped this wasn't going to hurt.

In one swift move it kicked away from the wall and rammed into the cell, dislodging it from its place. Electricity jolted across its limbs for a moment, but just as quickly everything shut down. There was a low shudder up through the can, and Sugar deigned to be quick about getting out. 

The mass rarefaction cell was odd to say the least. It would tap the thing once and gravity would suddenly shift around itself as if the cell had never been removed. Another tap, and it would turn off. It was very useful, but difficult to get used to. Still, it sailed back through the rooms, through Pebble's empty chamber, and back to the warm outside.

It had to admit, frolicking through the streets with anti gravity was...very fun. Leaping through the air and floating away at high speed was something it wished it could do all the time. Unfortunately it was but a simple slugcat, and flying was not in it's moveset. So it settled for this, making its way quickly towards the west exit as its internal clock ticked away. 

It wasn't too long before it reached the gates, hopping through and nearly getting sent to the ceiling by the steam after forgetting to turn off the cell again. Stepping outside, it found its friends sitting at the edge of the wall. Moon and Pebble's legs sat dangling over the edge, while Cherry lay settled at Pebble's side. Seemed like Pebbles had regained most of his overseers in its time away as well. It also very quickly noticed his hand tracing idly through the red fur of its new friend, even though it swiftly snatched back as it stepped onto the platform and the three turned to it.

"Sugar, finally! I was getting worried! Pebbles got excited and nearly fell off the wall while you were gone!" Moon said happily, brushing herself off and standing up while Pebbles glared. 

"I thought we were not talking about it." He grumbled, and Moon just shrugged with a mischievous look.

"I'm your sister. I think it's a little bit in my job description to embarrass you." She giggled.

Moon came over to Sugar and carefully took the rarefaction cell from it, examining it all over with calculating eyes. Reaching one hand out, she patted Sugar on the head before grabbing Pebbles to pull him up as well. 

"It's in good condition." She informed them. "It'll be enough to get us quite far, I think. It'll be a quick ride, but if we jump and aim properly, we should pass right through into the farm arrays. From there we take the quickest passage out through the upper gate. I trust you unlocked them before you were disconnected, Pebbles?" Pebbles hummed and nodded. "Good. I think Pebbles and myself should hang onto the cell, then you two hold onto us, alright? I will do my best to aim us and take the brunt of the force when we land." 

Sugar and Cherry nodded, hopping up to cling to the iterators. Pebbles looked nervous but resigned as they stepped up to the edge, but Moon looked more excited about it. A look around to confirm their readiness, and she tapped the cell to get the anti gravity going. 

"Alright." She said, leaning forward. 

"One....two..........THREE!"

They leapt. 

There was an instant sense of vertigo as the ground disappeared from under them, leaving only sky and cloud below. It wrapped itself tighter around Moon's body as they began to descend.

It was far faster than it would have liked, but it was certainly a fall they would all survive if they didn't stick the landing. Condensation gathered upon skin and fur as they burst through the clouds, and Moon laughed as they did. Further and further they passed by the islands kept aloft by thin pipes, the industrial zone, creatures all ants far below as they sailed overhead. Briefly Sugar worried about being snatched from the air by a vulture. 

Thankfully the merry band of misfits flew unhindered over the lost fields of the farm arrays. Down and down and down towards....

A patch of wormgrass. 

Instantly Sugar and Cherry started yowling and climbing further up their fellow iterators, frantically pointing in a panic as they got closer, nearly toppling the other two as they scrabbled up their shoulders.

"Augh- Sugar, Cherry, why-"

"Oh- Moon, MoonMOON THAT'S WORMGRASS-" 

Too late.

Moon did, at the very least, keep her promise. She landed hard, but stayed steady and kept them all from falling over. Even as Cherry and Sugar climbed on top of their shoulders. They were a bit big for it, but the two slugcats managed.

The grass was just below Moon's knees where they were. Quite short compared to what some grasses could be like, but no less deadly. Well, it should have been no less deadly. But Moon just stood there, juddering when the worm grass pulled at her but otherwise stayed completely fine. 

"Oh! Dear." She said succinctly. Pebbles glared down as he tried to pull a leg free, kicking it out and slicing through a couple stalks. 

"It can't eat metal. Hm." He said, looking mildly grossed out. "It will, however, eat our clothes if we stay here. Moon, do you mind?" He asked, mildly annoyed. 

"Oh, yes! Of course." Moon replied.

The iterator pulled away from the reaching grasses with ease, leaving her legs slick with the acid from the stalks. The slugcats jumped from her shoulders the second they were near clear ground, and glared back at the patch of worm grass with distaste. Cherry growled ineffectively at it. 

"Sorry about that, not much control there." Moon chuckled sheepishly, looking out over the fields. "There's quite a lot of it, here. How did you ever get across here?" She hummed, leaning back to scan over the fields. 

Cherry and Sugar looked at each other, scanned over the fields, and pointed to a distant raindeer. 

"....We are not getting onto one of those." Pebbles said bluntly, eyes narrowing. Moon just rolled her eyes. 

"Well hopefully we won't have to. The retaining door isn't too far, from what I saw when we were coming down. We should be able to simply make our way around the larger patches if we wind around a little bit." She informed them. 

"Well then. Onwards, I suppose. Before the rains come." Pebbles sighed, sounding less and less enthusiastic as he stared up to the clouds. 

So onwards they went, across the long fields left to the wilderness. Sugar took a spear, and Moon was able to take one as well once Pebbles took over holding the mass rarefaction cell. It would be an odd trip compared to usual, but it was not unwelcome. 

Like it had mentioned, it had been a while since Sugar had been out to the farm arrays. It had been sticking close to the shores next to Moon and the towering walls of Five Pebbles for a long while now. But the arrays were always nice. Despite being annoying with vultures across the long stretches of empty space, it was generally more peaceful than some other areas. The view was also quite nice with the spread of sturdy greenery that managed to sprout despite the conditions. Or, well, greenery was a bit of a stretch, most of the flora was actually quite dark in color, and stretches of buildings and platforms and such still burst out from most angles, but it was still nice. Worm grass notwithstanding. 

It usually had a very set path it went through the arrays, but this new one was not unwelcome. They skirted the edges of the worm grass where less creatures hung about and ducked through a few fences, catching some centipedes along the way. They even snatched a few bubble fruit from a small pond they came across. It was one of the massive trees with hanging bluefruit, however, that gave Pebbles pause. 

"You know..." He began, staring up at the tree. "These are the trees they drilled nectar from. These ones have become engorged, without anyone to drain them. I'm sure they'll flow quite quickly if you give it a jab." 

Sugar and Cherry blinked, the taller slugcat gesturing for him to continue as she drove her spear deep into the soft, almost malleable bark. Pebbles blinked in surprise, but did so. 

"Nectar was....well, many things. It was a very popular drink as well as a base for quite a lot of foods. Occasionally people used it as a condiment or syrup. It was the single most versatile thing grown out there. Combine that with the fact that the trees it comes from are so sturdy, and it ended up taking the lions share in space for arrays such as this. My own farm arrays are a bit more versatile, but there are still quite a few here." He explained.

True to his word, when Cherry wiggled her spear about and pulled it from the tree, it oozed with a thick orange liquid, opaque and shining in the sun above. Sugar swept it up on a finger and sucked it off, finding it to be, well, quite sweet! But naturally, and not overly so. It was just a few steps below honey in consistency, and still sticky enough to coat its entire mouth as it went down. It wished it had something to bottle the stuff with, it was very good. 

"It's quite nutritious as well." Pebbles went on, slowly pushing away from his sister to try to wobble a couple steps on his own to the bark of the tree. "Vitamins, fiber, sugars, the like. It wasn't exactly a superfood but it came quite close. People jumped on breeding it once they found it. You may have seen non domesticated, larger versions of these in the past. Beyond the retaining walls."

The iterator managed to get to the tree, stumbling and holding against it. He straightened slowly using the tree as balance, reaching up idly to grab a bluefruit from the tree. 

"It's funny, how- Oh no." Pebbles froze, and all heads whipped around as something hissed. A green lizard, making its way steadily towards them. In an instant the three others in the group were bristling with weapons, all on the ready to attack the thing. Pebbles, it seemed, had a different idea. 

"We are not food. Leave us you dim witted-" He grunted as he tossed the bluefruit at the lizard. Eyes drawing up, the thing snapped the food out of the air. It looked at them again.

Pebbles snatched another bluefruit up and tossed it away into the lizard's jaws. 

"Pebbles, I don't think you should feed it." Moon said dryly. Cherry and Sugar gave each other a look. 

A centipede skittered between the iterator's feet, and in a moment he snatched it up and tossed it at the lizard, who again snapped it up, but pulled away this time with its newly found meal. 

"Let's keep going before it decides that isn't enough." Pebbles grumbled, pushing away back into Moon's arms. Again, Cherry and Sugar gave each other a look.

That was going to be a reoccurring problem. Sugar didn't want to tell them though. It was far too funny. 

As requested, they kept moving. Across damp fields and over abandoned agricultural buildings towards the wall that came ever closer. Like the slugcats expected, the lizard did end up tailing them. And, unknowingly making it worse, Pebbles continued to toss any small thing that the two didn't eat back at it. A few other lizards ambled by, and the thing would snap and hiss if they got too close. The behaviour was obvious.

Still, they were almost there. Just a bit more walking, and they would be out the exit in no time. Moon paused, however, gazing to the side and narrowing her eyes. 

"What is that?" She muttered, her voice oddly tight. All parties followed her gaze.

The thing was....hard to see, right near the sun. It was a dusty red color with patches of black. And...oddly bulbous. 

It came closer. The form was....sickeningly familiar, actually. Sugar could feel Moon and Pebbles grow taught. 

"Pebbles, is-"

"Not mine." Pebbles hissed shortly at his sister. 

Long tendrils. Massive bulbous cysts pushing out every angle. Wrong, but familiar all the same. Every hair bristled along its back. But something was...wrong. Clearer to see as it grew closer. Cherry hissed lowly. 

Was that...

"Oh." Moon whispered in horror. 

Was that a Slugcat?

Chapter Text

Despite her living situation, Cherry had not often dealt with the rot. She did not usually venture into the innards of Pebble's can. And when she had first arrived, he had been much more....healthy, in that way. But this was not to say that she had never dealt with the rot. She had. In a rare occasion, Pebbles would be forced to call on her to cut away a piece from a sensitive system. Or check the progress in a place he could not. She was in no way experienced in dealing with it, but she had done it before.

And this....well. It certainly was rot. There was no doubt about it. If not to be said by the long tendrils and engorged cysts, then by Moon and her brother's sheer froze horror. She could feel it too, staring at the limp body of one of her own kin hanging between the growths. 

"I....I know the creature in there." Moon choked. "I-I can remember it now. No Significant Harassment's little messenger. My savior."

Pebbles tugged at her to force her further away from the approaching horror. Electricity crackled off his antenna as he shuddered. "The one with the slag reset keys. I remember as well." He mumbled. "I gave it the mark. Told it to give you the neuron and then head into the filtration systems to the void sea. Evidently the little savior did not make it so far. We need to go. Now."

Moon could only make a small noise of distress even as she began to back up, quietly beginning to move out of the way. Cherry, however, did not move. Something in her gut kept her transfixed as she remembered the rules of this world.

Nothing ever truly dies. No matter the sickness or the severity, nothing dies.

"Cherry, come on. Quickly!" Moon hissed in distress. Cherry stood her ground and looked as the sickly mass got close enough to distinguish the millions of tiny things about it.

Twitching limbs. Short stuttering breaths into barely functioning lungs. A pair of wide, pained, tired and broken eyes that swiveled in their sockets to meet her own. A weak flick of the tail and a short whining noise only just audible when she perked her ears. 

Alive, her senses screamed. Alive.

She hissed and snapped as Sugar tried to pull her away, jerking back and readjusting her grip on the spear in her hand. 'Alive. Help.' She gestured. Glaring at Sugar's wide eyed stare. She motioned again before turning away with a hiss as sparks crackled across her fur. If it didn't want to help, it didn't have to. But this slugcat was still alive, and obviously suffering. Who wouldn't, when you had a dubiously sentient cancer piloting around your body for who knows how long? 

She kicked forward off the ground, an arm snapping forward to throw one of her spears into the spongy meat of one of the rot's tendrils. She ignored the panicked trill of Moon crying "Cherry!" and Pebble's "Stupid creature-" as she rushed it. 

Now, like she said. She wasn't experienced, but she did have experience. They were blind, so you learned to move quietly even in the heat of battle. They were relatively strong, so one spear wouldn't do it. Stab enough limbs though, and they would collapse for a few precious seconds. And, of course, something special to her, they were quite weak to explosives. 

Though, then again, this would not be a straight forward dispatching. This rot was attached to someone. It would make it far more difficult if she happened to kill the poor thing before she could do anything about it. But then.....what was she going to do about it? This was rot. It wasn't just some cold that you could get rid of by crushing up some leaves and putting the paste under your nose. It was a cancer. A parasite. Something that grew whether you tried to stop it or not. So how was she going to get rid of it?

But...this was one of her own kind. Not a massive superstructure. 

And what was it that Moon had said? A savior sent by No Significant Harassment? Another iterator? Who, depending on the way they were acting, was likely in far better shape than the siblings had been? 

....Hm. Well then. If the other iterator was in such good shape, then perhaps he could fix this. As long as she could just get this little savior there. 

She had been thinking too long. It was only now she remembered with relief that she wasn't completely alone in this fight as a reaching tendril was suddenly snapped upon by the lizard Pebbles had unknowingly tamed. Another spear sunk into yet another one, and the thing wobbled and toppled over. Taking the chanced, she lunged over and pulled one of the spears out, before jamming it back in as hard as she could to pin the appendage to the ground. Sugar whined frantically at her, but she looked over at it, pointed at the spear pinning the leg in place, and signed 'again.' at the smaller slugcat. She had something more important to do. 

The rot infected slugcat was in....bad shape. Of course it was. The rot was mainly extending out from it's back, but some of it spread out onto it's side, arm, leg, and tail. It couldn't be pleasant. But it was conscious, and thusly it would need some sort of mental evaluation to see if there was even anything in there left to save. The rot shuddered as somewhere behind her Sugar pinned another leg down while the lizard continued to pull and rip at yet more. 

Getting as close as she dared, Cherry chirped at the other slugcat. For a moment, its eyes rolled in its sockets, not quite focused until, suddenly, they were. It chirruped back. 

The sound was barely there. Wheezing and bubbling through infected lungs, deeper in the throat then it should have been. But it was there. Followed by a small whine as dirty paws dug into the ground beneath it. Suffering. 

The rot limbs finally started to pull itself up as much as it was allowed, tugging at pinned limbs and reaching over the ground with the one free one it had, back towards the lizard still gnawing at one of them. Luckily the creature seemed to be smart enough to back away the moment the other appendage came at it, giving one last thrash before releasing and circling away. 

The way that lizard had gone about it, though.....it gave her an idea. And, after all, they couldn't save the other slugcat if the rot still had working limbs.

Turning at Sugar, she made a quick chopping motion and gestured at the limbs. It perked up and nodded, pouncing away towards one of them as Cherry broke off for another. Six in total, she noted. Two of them being free and searching across the ground for its attackers. Difficult, but not impossible to avoid. Between herself, Sugar, and the lizard, they should theoretically be fine. A quick glance behind herself told her that Moon and Pebbles were safely tucked away into a corner behind a tree, though Moon looked seconds away from throwing herself into battle as well. Just to quell their fears, Cherry gave them a small thumbs up before having to quickly duck away from a reaching tendril. 

No more distractions. There was work to do. 

Cherry pulled the spear of the first limb free before leaping onto the safe space just before the sticky ending. The tendrils were slick and smooth, leaving a thin black residue over the pads of her paws. It smelled terrible as well, like the rot it had been named after. Gripping it was difficult, but she dug her claws in and continued. The limb was already pulling back towards its center, so she had to be quick. Thankfully, despite their strength, the limbs were not the hardest to chop through. Bouncy, sinewy flesh was sliced away with a few expert strokes, puss and ooze spilling out of it before she flicked her tail to go popping away. 

Sugar was not as experienced in the sort of cutting that Cherry was. So despite the spears Cherry had brought being sharp and built for exactly this, it was devolving into more frantic chopping motions as it was forced to swing its weight away when the thing tried to bring it back towards the center. One more harsh slice, and the end of the limb fell away, taking Sugar with it. A sharp dive, and Cherry managed to catch the younger slugcat before darting away from one of the limbs, the other one yet again caught by the lizard. 

Two down, four to go. With two spears freed, Cherry pushed Sugar towards the tendril held by the lizard, while she jumped for the other free one. This one went a bit quicker as she grabbed the end and swiped through the rot in two deft motions, her fellow slugcat having a similarly easier time with this. 

With only two truly functioning limbs left, the rot toppled over once more. With the limbs left being pinned down, she took initiative cutting them both from the base. The other limbs had not been cut so far up, and, despite being nearly harmless with the sticky ends being cut off, she still took a few moments to cut the rest of them completely away as well. 

A long huff of relief came out of her as she tossed the last bit of gooey limb away. A paw settled on her shoulder, and she glanced up at a worried Sugar staring down at its rot infected kin. A small, tentative chirp came out of it. The barely there chirp echoed back. Sugar nearly flinched away, its ears pinning to its head and eyes going wide. She could guess it hadn't really suspected the extent of which the poor thing was really alive. 

"Was that truly necessary? It was reckless and stupid. You could have been eaten." Came the strained hiss of Pebbles. Looking up, she saw the two making their way cautiously back over, Moon keeping her brother as behind herself as she could while helping him walk. 

"Is- Its- ......My savior....is alive. Correct?" Moon asked tentatively. The infected slugcat's head jerked at the voice, ears twisting weakly as it tried to see the origin of it. Cherry could see its mark of communication light up over its head. She nodded and patted the space next to her. Unable to move, the rot was more or less harmless now. 

Moon came slowly around to Cherry's side, and she could hear the stuttering noise that was almost like a breath of horror and grief. "Oh, little creature..." She whispered, kneeling down and releasing Pebbles to crawl forward. "What horrible things have happened to you.....I am so so sorry."

She reached forward and pressed a palm to the rough, clumped fur of her savior, brushing a thumb across it. The slugcat's eyes closed sadly as it leaned into her hand, purring weakly as she rubbed her thumb across it. Pebbles shifted and turned away, body tense and not looking at either the body or the cut off limbs from the rot. 

"I'm not sure why you did this. We can't save it. The rot will keep growing, and bringing it along is simply not feasible with the way things are. What are you going to do, chop off the rest of the rot?" He grumbled.

Cherry paused.

It wasn't pleasant. But...it was a good idea. Cut it away, and they would have time to get to the other iterator for help.

She nodded, and Pebbles jerked back. 

"Really. Well, have a fantastic time with that. Not only do we not have medical supplies, but the rains will be coming any moment now." He growled back, and Moon's head swung around with wide eyes. 

"Cut off the rot? That will kill the little creature!" She said in sharp distress. 

Cherry huffed as she thought. They were right. So how was she going to do this? She turned, digging a claw into the dirt and began to draw. 

They didn't have time or supplies. But they couldn't leave the slugcat as is. But when one died, they would revert back to the state they had been in the last time they went into a shelter. This one had likely not been into a shelter in a very long time. The last time it had, its condition would likely have been significantly better. If it died and she found it again, there would be much more room for staying alive after the, well, surgery, she supposed. Not to mention time to find the things she needed, which she already had an idea of. 

Again, it would not be pleasant. But it was a plan. Scanning her drawings over, she nodded shortly and pointed at them, allowing Sugar and the iterators to examine it.

"I....hardly understand this." Moon said tentatively. "You want to.....kill the little creature now, and then go and find it again next cycle?" She asked. Cherry nodded. Not the whole story, but good enough. She looked ready to protest, but Pebbles gripped her arm.

"We do not have the time to worry. My citizen is skilled. Like it or not, we must trust this." He said firmly.

Again she looked hesitant, but it was the distant rumble of approaching rain that made the decision for them. Cherry gave Sugar a look and gestured 'Shelter' quickly to it. It nodded, bullying both Moon and Pebbles to their feet to start running ahead to find a safe place. 

Swiftly, she picked up her spears, keeping one in hand. She met the eye of the infected slugcat, staring up at her in silent acceptance. A pause, and she reached down to pat its side. 'Quick.' she motioned. It didn't seem to understand. 

As the first drops began to fall, she raised her spear...and forced it down through its skull. It only took a second, the dull crunch of bone and meat echoing in her ears. The little savior jerked only slightly before going limp, eyes rolling back. Blood pooled under its head. 

Just as swift, she jerked the spear out, coming away dripping blood and bits of fur, meat, and grey matter. She flicked it away and ran. 

The rain was really beginning to hurt when she found the shelter, her three traveling companions and their lizard standing just outside it, shouting to her as she came into view. Without hesitation, they all ducked inside. 

Not a soul spoke after the doors shut. Cherry preferred it that way, really. But Sugar curled into Moon's lap, and Pebbles seemed to shudder every so often, while his sister just sat stock still against the wall. Cherry did not sleep well at all. 

The next cycle, she did not stay long. She pointed Sugar at the retaining wall and motioned to 'Stay'. She would come fine them when the work was done, and there was very much work to do. She handed them spears, watched them leave, and then left herself, the long stretches of the farm arrays spreading out before her. She had to be quick, and there was much ground to cover.

So her search began.

The farm arrays was a sprawling place, covered so completely in worm grass that some places were not even visible past the patches of it. At least the trips over it on raindeer back were nice. She ignored practically everything in favor of finding shelters, only taking the easiest possible prey as she went. An eggbug or an already dead lizard. Bluefruit, on occasion. She poked her head into the shelters, found them empty, and continued on.

One cycle.

Two.

Three.

She kept looking, flying over abandoned fields that flourished in the wake of their abandonment, and metal structures that bent and creaked in the wind. She prayed that the other slugcat had stayed exactly where it was, because finding it would be even more difficult if not. Just the thought of it made her growl and push herself all the further. It was surprising how many shelters you could find when you really looked.

Empty.

Empty.

Empty. 

...........There.

Tucked away in the wall of a structure close to the retaining walls, a small shelter sat. Inside this shelter lay the exact slugcat she had been hoping for. 

The little savior was, as she had hoped, in far better shape than it had been previously. The starvation, as morbid as it was, had likely helped the rot not progress. It was still bad, quite bad in fact, but better. The tumors still bulged out of its body, and there were the starts of some tendrils, but it was manageable. It barely seemed to breathe under the weight of its own illness, limp and curled up in the corner as much as its body would allow in its bloated state. Until she entered, of course, at which point the other slugcat blinked its eyes open wide at her. Just barely more alert than they had been. Cherry chirped softly to her.

She settled next to the infected creature and reached out, gently taking and squeezing its paw. 'Here.' She motioned gently. Again, the other did not seem to understand. But it seemed to appreciate the gesture anyway, squeezing her paw back with what little strength it had. Cherry thought out her plan of action, for a moment.

Food and medical supplies. Food was easy. Medical supplies.....she would have to go back to basics for it. 

Gesturing for the slugcat to stay, she exited the shelter once more. First, she got some food. Small, easy to eat things that were none the less nutritious. Bluefruit and eggbug eggs would have to do for now. Nothing heavy yet. Next, she found herself a pole plant. 

Now, animals such as herself needed to learn how to live with what they had. They didn't have the things iterator cities often did. And ones as alone as she was needed to learn how to take care of themselves, especially with pups. And it was because of this she knew a couple things about pole plants. First, their leaves were very good bandages. They were sticky, and held a surprising amount of antibacterial and antifungal properties. And then, of course, the acid sacks. The acid of a pole plant was powerful, and not good to use on it's own. A little dilution, however, and it became a very good cauterizer when you didn't have any fire to use on a wound. It was....not pleasant. But then again, none of this was going to be.

She found a plant quite close by and, much like she had with the rot, dispatched and chopped it off before taking off the leaves as well. After that, she dug through the ground at the base. With a good heave, she yanked the acid sack from the ground. Luckily, they were sturdy things, and there was no worry for tearing it. 

Water was never far in the world, so it was easy to find a small pond to dilute the acid and wash off the leaves. After that, it was back to base. 

The slugcat was, of course, still there. Cherry set down the sack of acid and most of the food, extending one of the eggbug eggs to the starving creature. Its eyes widened for a moment before shooting out and snatching it with more speed than she thought it had in it. She only barely managed to get its attention while it was eating, pausing as she thought about how to break the solution to it. 

Eventually she just gestured to its back, lifted her spear, and made a cutting motion.

For a second, it froze. Its eyes slipped shut for a second as it made a rumbling in its throat. But then a huff, and it reached out to grab the rest of the food before slowly shifting onto its belly to expose its infected back to her. Cherry blinked in surprise. Just like that? This was a very brave slugcat. But then, of course it was. Saving a fallen god while dying yourself was not a task for the faint of heart. 

She looked around again. She wasn't going to get a better place to do it, or a better time. 

No hesitation. This was going to hurt, but they didn't have any anathetics. They would have to deal. Just get it over with.

Slowly, she dragged over the acid sack and the leaves. She patted the slugcat on it's free side as she adjusted the grip on her spear.

She dipped her spear into the acid and began. 

The base of the rot was always disgusting, and dangerous to boot. It oozed with puss and, considering what it was attached to, blood. It hissed as the acids made contact with each other, sizzling and smelling even worse than it had before. As bad as it was, she harkened back to the way she would take apart the animals she ate. Find the seams of where ligaments met and sever it. 

Cherry was careful not to go far beyond where the back started. The rot had long burst through the skin, leaving curling red patches of skin and clumped fur around the edges of it. She used it as a guide as she sloughed away the rot and its sinewy, bouncy growths. Carefully she would chop pieces away and toss them in the corner, pouring small amounts of acid onto the fresh wounds when after she did. The kind of smell it made when acid met flesh was going to turn her away from cooked meat for a very long time. 

She tried her best to drain what came out of the cysts away from the main body, both to keep the working area clear, and spare the other slugcat more suffering from the corrosive liquid. It was uncomfortably chunky and thick as well, not helped with the small pieces she would cut away. 

To its credit, the little savior hardly flinched. It tensed and buried its teeth further into the food, but it never flailed, or pushed, or squirmed away. It had to take an incredible amount of wherewithal, she imagined. Admirable. During the process, she occasionally reached out to squeeze its arm or purred softly when it made a noise of pain. 

Eventually, halfway through, she finally stopped as the shelter doors closed. The slugcat looked wearily back at her, confused and exhausted from the work done. But rest was needed now, and Cherry tried to get the idea across. This much was already taxing enough, they would get the other half done next cycle, allow this bit to heal at least somewhat. This time, it seemed to somewhat understand. 

Rest was hard to reach, considering the situation. To pass the time until sleep came, they...."talked", as it was. It did not understand Cherry's language, really, but charades was good enough to get it across. Through this, she learned a few things. The slugcat was a female, mostly. She used to be a hunter, of sorts. She cared deeply for the iterator that had apparently made her. She had the rot for a very long time. Cherry was happy to know these things, putting facts to a face. The hunter seemed to like doing it too. 

It helped them drift. 

The next morning, Cherry again gathered food first. She handed it over, allowing her to dig in again before starting up once more. 

More of the illness was shucked away. It went deep, and Cherry cut away as much as she dared. Quick, but steady. Cut, cauterize, toss away. Top to bottom, slowly the meat below was cleared of as much of the rot as she was willing to cut away. It seemed to go faster, this time. And eventually, she was done. 

Carefully she laid the leaves across the wounds, sticking them down gently but firmly across the veritable mince meat of the hunter's back. But still, she was done, and the hunter seemed.....more than relieved, and not just because the pain was finally at its end.

For a minute, she simply sat there with the newly freed slugcat, purring at her and holding her paw. If she could, she would have stayed there longer. But there were still friends to meet, and the sooner they found the hunter's maker, the sooner they could find a way to stop the suffering in its tracks for good. Cherry stood up and gathered her things. 

The acid sack, she left. The leaves, though, she kept. She tossed away the spear after a moment of consideration, there were more out there after all. After communicating that they were leaving with the hunter, she strapped the vulture mask across her back instead, and hefted her onto her own back. 

Then, finally, they left out into the bright sun.

It would be a long journey. But, in that same breath, for some reason.......

She had hope.

Chapter Text

Cherry, when she left, told them to go to the retaining wall and wait. And they had! For cycles. And, honestly, Sugar was getting quite antsy. Moon was too, it could see it in the way her gaze so frequently turned to the horizon, watching and waiting for their new friend to come back safely with the one who had once saved her as well. It was...painful, honestly. 

Pebbles was, of course, not so antsy. Although....despite the fact he would likely deny it, Sugar had caught him staring out at the distant fields in silence. Mostly, however, the younger iterator's time was taken up by the more simple things. Like walking. And using a spear. And apparently getting in the good graces of yet another lizard, pink this time. For a robotic god, he certainly could be quite stupid sometimes. The shelter was starting to get crowded

Pebbles all but completely divorced himself from his sister's side when he started work on using his legs, shooing her away to do what have you with Sugar while he settled against the wall and tried to walk along it. Sugar suspected it was half because he didn't want her watching as he fell over and over, and half because he just.....needed some alone time. After so much had happened, it was understandable why he would. But, all the same, he was starting to get the hang of walking, albeit at a slower pace than his sister. By the fourth cycle he was stumbling about largely on his own, and even working on things like shifting his weight and going from one foot to the other. He was also using the mass rarefaction cell quite creatively, getting very good at turning it quickly off and on to keep him from falling or propel him further along.

It was a nice moment of calm, after everything that had happened. Even if Sugar was a bit antsy to get moving. Though it couldn't help but note that the cycles were getting far longer now that Pebble's can was no longer functioning. 

It was the middle of the sixth cycle when Moon suddenly went straight, gasping while her eyes stared to the horizon. There, hopping and skittering over the terrain, was Cherry. And on her back, a figure much smaller and healthier looking than it had been.

Moon was rushing to meet the two before Cherry even settled on solid ground, quite nearly slamming into them as she stumbled to a halt, immediately busying herself checking them over, frantic worried chatter buzzing out of her while Cherry made a valiant effort to swat her away. It was in vain, however, not in the least because the moment the new slugcat spotted Moon, it was leaning over Cherry's back as much as the injuries allowed and waved its paws weakly at the iterator, grabbing for her. 

Sugar was happy to sit and watch the moment as Cherry was all but forced down, trying very hard to make the injured savior stop moving like that. It ended when she plopped down to let it off, Moon immediately gathering it up into her lap while still being careful of the fresh wounds, currently covered by pole plant leaves. Exasperated, Cherry came over to let the two have their moment. 

'Female. Hunter.' She gestured, and Sugar nodded. That was all the facts it needed. 

"You actually managed to get the rot off without killing the little creature. Good work, my citizen." Pebbles said, sounding deliberately even. "Normally I would consider it a lost cause. But this is not an iterator, just a creature with a bad genome. If No Significant Harassment was the one who made it, I suspect there is still hope for fixing it. If his can is still functioning, anyway." 

Some amount of weight seemed to drop from Cherry's shoulders at the reassurance, nodding as she watched the reunited duo press together. For as short as their time together had been, Moon and her savior seemed very close. Eventually Moon allowed her to climb where she used to be on Cherry's back before standing up and coming over to the other three.

"I think I'm going to call her Angel." She announced firmly. Pebbles gave her an incredulous look. "You realize it was No Significant Harassment that made the little creature, right? It may already have a name." He said dubiously. His sister just shrugged. 

"We need something to call her while we go, don't we? Even if it's just a place holder. Do you like that name, my angel?" She giggled, turning her head to her savior and reaching up to scratch her head. The newly dubbed Angel purred lowly and leaned into her hand without protest. Another name for another new friend. Pebbles gave an exasperated gesture, though he did not protest further. 

With a huff Pebbles turned and looked up at the retaining wall, scanning over it. "Well. Naming creatures you don't own aside, considering the fact that Cherry and....Angel are both safely back, we should get moving. We've waited for long enough and the exit is.....it should be somewhere around here. Barely intact memories of it aside. It's a large retaining gate, it won't be hard to miss when we find it." He told them, gesturing about. 

"If it still works." Moon hummed. Pebbles made an unhappy sound of agreement. 

So, once more, and with one more added member, the group set off. Three slugcats, two random gods, and a pair of lizards. What a merry band they made. It was very very lucky that shelters outside the retaining walls always seemed much bigger than the ones inside of it. Sugar couldn't help but wonder why.

The ground around the walls were mercifully clear of most wormgrass and other such things. Partially because most of said ground was actually metal. It made it quite easy to search along the towering walls, scanning every nook and cranny for some sort of door or button, even though Pebbles had said it would be very obvious once they found it. It was best to be careful, as moss and vines climbed up every inch, obscuring what was left of the great structure. Getting around was also almost laughably easy now as well, considering they now had five whole members who were more than capable of taking out any threat that approached them. 

All told, finding the gate probably felt far longer than it actually had been. Pebbles had been quite right when he said the gate would be obvious. Even covered in green as it was, the thing towered over them, writing still visible in massive letters over the top. Sugar hadn't gotten very far with Moon's language exchange, but it had gotten far enough to recognize "West" as one of the words in there. It yowled for the others, and soon all of them were standing in the entrance, examining the massive doors.

"They seem like they should be functional, there's just the matter of opening them. Let's see here...." Moon hummed, pulling away some of the moss from the sides of the door, searching. 

"Last time I checked, they were." Pebbles replied, assisting her in looking around the other side of the door. "Ah, here it is. Let me just-"

The iterator brushed some dirt and moss away from a large button at the side. He paused, muttering to himself for a second, before shaking his head and pressing it in. It popped out after he did, and he twisted it before pushing it back in. It clicked, and he turned it the other way. Another click. Finally, he pushed it one last time. When he did, a small slot opened next to the door. He stopped completely, staring at it.

".....I forgot the key." He said in quiet horror. 

"THE KEY!! I FORGOT IT HAD A KEY!" Moon cried, grabbing onto her antenna and groaning. "We're going to have to go the long way, then." She sighed. 

Pebbles glared at the slot and pressed the button that gave only a hollow click. "I don't want to be crawling through tunnels and cave systems to get out." He grumbled, pressing the button. "I am your god you stupid door- Just open-"

A sudden buzzing, and fur pricked up on the back of Sugar's neck. Before anyone could react, there was a sudden crack of electricity, flashing off of Pebble's antenna. Everyone, including Pebble's, jerked away as the door suddenly began to open with a great grinding sound. All of them stared in awe. 

"....We learn something new every day. Wouldn't you agree?" Moon laughed nervously. Pebbles teetered for a moment before nodding. 

"I suppose we do."

The group stepped past the doors. It was set up similarly to the other gates it seemed, save for the fact that the door behind them did not close when they went in. A rush of steam much warmer than Sugar was used to, middle doors opening, and out into the great world outside. 

Something panged within it as they stepped out. Moon and Pebbles chimed in awe, but it could hardly hear it.

It had not been out here in so, so very long. But deep inside, smelling the dirt and mud and greenery that was often more red than anything else all around them, something screamed home.

Sugar was bouncing on its feet now, head swiveling around. This place was almost unfamiliar to it, but something was familiar. And despite everything, its sense of direction was as sharp as any other animal's. It gestured frantically to the direction that felt right and all but shot off, having to force itself to slow down and make sure the others were still following.

"Sugar! Where are you leading us? Please slow down!" Moon yelped as she scrambled after. But Sugar shook it's head, lacking the words to be able to tell her where they were going.

They were going home. Home home home, lost so long ago but still burned into every inch of its being, abandoned as it may have been when it had last seen. It kept going. 

Trees, roots, vines, and the stone vestiges of once great structures, now overgrown and broken down so the sun spilled through the cracks between elaborate windows and architecture. Pillars carved with geometric languages and fanciful looping designs held the towers up above, nowhere near as tall as the iterators but still stretching into the sky nonetheless. Even outside the retaining walls, the world was full of ghosts.

Even out here, machinery could still be glimpsed. Pipes protruding from odd cliffs and dips in the ground, poles holding up broken platforms that jutted out from their homes, nearly unrecognizable in the state that they were in. Tunells and pipes led through the unpassable areas as they always did. Slowly, further and further as they went, things became more and more recognizable. 

There was the tree it had climbed up to get away from a lizard. There was the boulder it had thought was interesting for its almost heart like shape. A bush with half it's branches torn off. A large stream that cut through the landscape, its waters more torrid than it's small size would have someone expect. Frogs that it had always thought were funny, making odd squeaky honk noises. Up, up, up, through another tunnel, across a stretch of quiet land and.....

A tree. As brilliant as it had ever been.

Pink leaves swayed in the wind, light shimmering off of every surface that was still dappled with dew. Pools of blue water scattered across the ground, framed with flowers and grass sprouting off their edges. As always, the stretch of bark over the canopy glowed as a golden beacon into the sky, bright like no sun had ever been. Quiet. Peaceful. Home, long abandoned, but always there. In the distance, framed in the light, a broken city stood. 

A hand settled gently on its head. "This is where you went, when you left. This is what you wanted to show us." Moon breathed, awestruck beyond even what she had been as she first stepped into the light of day. Pebbles seemed to feel the very same. Cherry and Angel looked more familiar with it, but still as taken away by the sight. 

No words to say, it just nodded. Bringing them here felt right. 

Almost on auto, it began to trek slowly forward. The ground was soft and muddy as it always was, but it still smelled of the flowers that bloomed along the ground and between the branches of that towering tree. But it also smelled of something else.

Sugar paused and nosed the air. 

The mud, the flora, the iterators metallic smell, Cherry's scent of gunpowder, Angel and the lizard's tint of blood, but.....something else was there too. Flowery, but far too sweet to be anything from here. It smelled....kind of like its mother had. Somewhat fruity, somewhat floral, just a little bit herby. Like it had never had a bite of meat in its life.

Sugar went forward faster. Drawing in on the tree, it let out a loud, questioning chirp.

A pause. 

Another chirp answered back. Somewhere behind it, Pebbles mumbled a long suffering "More of them?"

From the den in the middle of the tree, the head of yet another slugcat poked out. A head that it knew intimately.

Yellow, for the most part. But there was a spattering of white across its- his muzzle and belly that Sugar would never forget no matter how long it had been away from. Its family. Its brother. 

For a moment, both of them froze. The world seemed to stand still for decades. And then Sugar wailed. High and broken as both itself and its brother broke into sudden motion, sprinting on all fours to meet in the middle of the small glade and crash into each other with all the joy that any long lost family would. They tumbled and rolled over the ground over each other, chirping and yowling as they dragged their faces together. The two held so tight that it was sure the skin would bruise later, but frankly, it could not care less. 

'Where???' Its brother signed frantically as he finally pulled away. Sugar shook its head furiously, leaning away. 'Lost! Came here, not find you! Where family???' it gestured back just as quickly. Recognition dawned on its brother's face, and it again banged their heads together in some sad attempt at comfort. 

'Left. Not find you!' He explained, whining high in his throat. 

Sugar suspected. Nomadic clan, never putting roots down for too long. Only ever long enough to raise the next generation of pups to a reasonable age before setting off once more into the great unknown. It whined back, going in to squeeze its brother yet again. 

.....There were pups sticking their heads out of the tree back there. 

Both Sugar and its brother stiffened at the same time. They jerked apart at the same time as well, hands flying to sign 'PUPS???' and 'WHO???' At each other in unison. 

Both parties jerked their heads around, only just remembering that they had other people around as well. Behind it, Sugar's group stood in confusion, though Moon seemed to recognize exactly what was happening, her eyes scrunched in joy. Taking the recognition as a go ahead, she stepped slowly forward to the both of them. 

"Sugar, is this your family? Hello there!" She said happily. Sugar bobbed its head furiously, looking back at its brother who seemed to be trying to gesture to the pups that it was safe. Evidently, he trusted Sugar that whoever came with it was not a threat. It paused for a second to consider its words before pointing at Moon. 

'Family.' It motioned. Then, it gestured to the rest. 'Friends.' It confirmed. It looked again at the pups who were slowly exiting the tree and trotting over to its brother's side, pointed at them and questioned 'Yours?'

Its brother made a face, more of an awkward cringe than anything, and shook his head tentatively. 'Found short time ago.' He explained. 'Find clan. Bring pups.'

Sugar took a moment to examine the pups. Young, but certainly not new. A little younger than it had been when it was separated from its parents, maybe. It was a....unfortunately normal age for pups to either get dropped by their parents or lost due to curiosity. They were both very light in color, one being a soft brown and practically just a ball of fluff, while the other was....actually, it was hard to say. Colors shifted and rippled across smooth skin like a shimmering oil spill, almost opalescent in nature. They were both very cute.

It was after this that it noticed something else. Cherry was acting....very odd. She had hardly moved an inch in the entire interaction. Her body stood ramrod straight, while her eyes stayed unblinkingly wide and locked onto the pups that were tentatively coming around to sniff them out. She looked like she either wanted to run away or scoop them up. A high noise eked out of her throat when they got closer to her, stiffening even more. Again she seemed torn between getting closer and leaning away, instead having her stay in the exact same place. Hm. 

"This is becoming an unfortunate trend. Are we really going to keep picking up more little beasts as we try to get to No Significant Harassment? I truly hope not." Pebbles groaned, all but completely shattering the mood. Defensively, Sugar hissed back at him. This was its brother! And a pair of pups! He could deal with it. 

Its brother tilted his head in confusion, glancing between Pebbles and Sugar. Moon suddenly jumped. "Oh! I don't think the new one can understand us! No mark." She pointed out. It nearly reeled at that. It had the mark of communication for so long that it had forgotten that other creatures couldn't understand what they were saying. 

"Hmmm. We may be disconnected from our cans, but maybe..." Moon hummed thoughtfully, stepping forward. She came closer and reached a hand out to put on its brother's head, though ignoring how he leaned slightly away warily. There was a crackle, and then a pop! Its brother scrambled away, grabbing his head like it hurt. Over his head was a mark, but it seemed....dull. Half formed. 

"I'm sorry! Did that hurt you?" Moon gasped in worry, pulling her hand to her chest. Its brother's head snapped around at her, blinking widely for a second, then looking to Sugar.

'Understand?' It asked tentatively. He made a face and a 'so-so' gesture. 

"I would not suggest trying to put that on the pups. Half formed and uncomfortable isn't a good sign." Pebbles said, scanning the new mark. Again its brother looked somewhat incredulously at the iterator. 

"I'm sorry, little creature. It is not usually that painful." Moon apologized. Its brother rubbed its head, but seemed to forgive her at the least. 

The reunion was put on pause as a drop of water landed on Sugar's nose. As one, all heads turned upwards. Of course. Rain on their parade, as it were. Quickly, Sugar's brother gestured towards the tree, grabbing its hand to pull it towards the old forgotten home. Cherry made up her mind the moment the drops started coming down, sweeping the pups into her eyes and darting to the shelter with them. It was lucky the tree was so big, more than enough to fit them all. 

"This doesn't seem safe. Does this hollow have a shelter?" Pebbles asked tensely, looking around. Sugar patted him on the leg. The tree was more than sturdy, and the ground was high enough that water did not wash inside. The rains would come down, and they would be safe and cozy inside. It was....nostalgic. 

Carvings on the wall. Indents where the nests used to be. If it closed its eyes, it could even hear the soft chittering of other slugcats, and feel a rough tongue combing along its head. An imagined tongue that became suddenly real as its brother licked its cheek. Sugar gave an unheated hiss and swatted at him, making him lean away with an amused huff. Just like they used to. 

Sugar couldn't help but purr and bump up against its brother as they went further inside the tree and plopped down, warmth bubbling up and over from deep inside its chest. 

Looking around, it saw its friends settling down for the cycle. Cherry licked off both the pups and was starting to go about changing the dressings on Angel's wounds. Moon used a sleeve to wipe away the water from Pebble's head, giggling and teasing as he swatted her away. Its brother was warm and solid against it, vibrating with his own purr. 

Every day was just getting better and better. For the first time in a long time, Sugar couldn't wait to walk into the light of the days ahead. 

Chapter Text

Pebbles had been resigned to his fate before. He was going to die. Trapped, alone, and sitting in the remains of bridges he had burned. He was going to rot away slowly and painfully, and he was going to deserve it. 

He had lived as in insect, and he would die as one, ripping off his own legs in the desperate attempt to escape the fly paper.

Miserable, but accepting. He spent his days washing the conduits and monitoring the progress of his illness as it slowly ate away at his body system by system. It was all he could do, in the end. There was no saving him for forgiving him for what he had done, he thought.

And yet.

Here he stood. Free. Unhindered. Soaking in the light of a sun that he had never before truly seen. 

In some part of him, he had expected the world to simply give way when the gates out of his can opened. Like nothing but his chamber truly existed, and the moment he tried to witness it, reality would crash back in and he would be inside his own chamber yet again. The gates had slid open, and he had been ready for the world to end. 

It didn't. He stepped out into the world and he saw. Words would never express the kind of feelings that rose in him as they passed through those gates onto the streets of his silent city.

Moon had been right. The sunset, the wind, the air, the ground under his feet. There would never be any comparison to it. The worries and pains from his disconnection were all but flushed away in streams of gold and orange light. Pink and purple and blue, colors he had only ever seen on the clothes of the people that would visit his chambers once upon a time. 

It was like release. Plain and simple. All his life he had dealt with the weight of shackles dragging him down, and now they had been broken, leaving him soaring above the clouds in a metaphorical and literal way. 

He was still angry, judging, annoyed, as put upon acting as he had ever been. But.....in that moment, it was like something had simply come....dislodged. He had attempted to do a scan of himself more than once, trying to find the screw that surely had to have come loose somewhere inside of his head. His words didn't bite like they used to. The fire and spite that used to drive him was simply....snuffed out. Just like that.

The bug had dug its own way out.

They had stepped out into open air, and he had yet again been overcome.

Free.

His shout had been the least he could do to vent the feeling inside him. Satisfaction. Spiteful glee against those that had trapped them. Like victory, burning as bright and hot as the sun that glowed over their heads. Rolling through his body like the clouds below. What he wanted to do was scream and curse out their creators, laughing and dancing like a madman upon what was left of his own rotting corpse.

Ha. He supposed the whole bug analogy would make him a butterfly. A squirming tiny little grub trapped inside a pupa before bursting out, glittering in colors no man would ever replicate as it flew up up and far away from the walls that once hindered it. And flown they had. Farther than he, than anyone had thought any iterator could go.

It was good. Too good. Too much to handle.

But it wasn't all sunshine and lovely breezes. He could feel all too well the aching chasm of what he once had, and what he was once able to do. He was intimately aware of the memories he had lost. Every tiny thing from a thousand cycles past that he used to have stored from reports, historical documents, even the workings of his own superstructure he had just....forgot.

Not to mention that, while not feeling the rot was nice, not feeling anything outside of his own puppet other than his overseers was like some kind of sensory deprivation. Unpleasant at best, and actively maddening at worst. He had to get used to it. He was still getting used to it. It didn't even hurt when he reached for something. It was just....not there. He didn't loathe to admit he had needed some time to himself to focus on just being ok with what he had again.

The walking was also annoying. Iterators did not walk. His sister told him to practice more than he had but, well, that didn't work too well. Now he was forced to learn, and he couldn't help but hate his stupid, sharp little stick legs. Thin and pointy as they were, he imagined it was even worse than walking on stilts. Though Moon managed it quite well. At least he was learning, and that was something to be thankful for.

And the fact that they had left the retaining walls.

He wasn't sure when the thoughts would stop, but again his mind screamed free free free. Farther than even most of the ancients had gone. Trees and grass and beautiful old structures, broken down by time and somehow becoming even grander for it.

And now here. Standing in the hollow of this great tree, staring up at the carvings in the wall.

"The little creature made pictures of us!" Moon whispered in joy. Pebbles could only grunt in affirmation. 

He hadn't really gotten the chance to look closely at what was on the walls before. He had seen the drawings of course, but he hadn't really processed the implications of them until he had a good cycle's worth of rest. The implications being that not only were the creatures talking and thinking and creating, but they were also telling stories. The damn things were teaching each other! Apparently, from what they could discern, an entire colony had lived here, once upon a time. The rotund little slugcat that had visited them both once upon a time had been part of that colony. That little creature had come back and carved its most interesting findings into the wall. A couple of these findings being himself and Moon.

The art was.....good. Quite good, for the creature that had made it. He hovered, suspended on the bark overhead hovering by the umbilical arm that stretched probably as far as the slugcat could have gone up. His arms were extended from his sides, eyes open and glaring out at the viewers as pearls whirled in a halo around his body. Just below him, at the floor of the tree, was Moon. She sat peacefully with eyes closed and hands folded in her lap, neurons in a semicircle around her head. She lacked her former dress, but was no less for it. It was a....genuinely beautiful rendition, simple or not. And it was made by a slugcat.




"I did not realize they even had the mental faculties to do things like this." He huffed, still somewhere stuck between amazed and completely incensed that he didn't figure this out sooner. Moon laughed at his side and jabbed him with an elbow, her eyes narrowing teasingly. "You always have had the problem of underestimating things you come into contact with. Should have learned by now!" She hummed.

Pebbles glared at her. It was as much a lighthearted joke as it was a pointed jab at his past mistakes. She wasn't wrong though, as much as he hated to admit.

Tearing his eyes away, he looked around the tree. Sugar and its brother had gone off on their own, assumedly to gather food and catch up a bit more. After its brother had ensured that the pups would be safe with them, of course. Moon was still thinking of names for them all, but he was quite certain he would know when she did. His citizen, after no small amount of of hesitation, had taken to caring for the young pups. It seemed she may have been the only one who actually knew how to handle them, currently outside frolicking in the puddles with them. Angel, of course, stayed in the den. She stayed largely curled up in the corner resting, but she always kept an eye out when anyone was inside. Particularly on Moon.

Oh, and of course, the lizards. The damn things that, apparently, had decided to attach to Pebbles in hopes for more food. Void below, Moon had been right. Again. He shouldn't have fed them. They kept bumping the back of his legs and nearly bowling him over, resting their heads on him and looking up at him with big sad eyes that creatures like them really should not be able to make. They only stopped when another lizard came ambling along, and proceeded to get two well placed spears from Moon in the head, leaving free food for his- dammit they really were his now weren't they- lizards. 

It was...a lot. 

Pebbles had never in his life been around so many people. He had been in his chamber all his life, and the max amount of people that had ever been in said chamber was three. But now he was talking, touching, and experiencing an entire nine of them. His sister, four full grown slugcats, two slugcat pups, and two tamed lizards. It was ridiculous. It was overwhelming. It was.....

Nice. 

Yes, it was overwhelming. It was annoying. It gave him what was probably the closest equivalent to a headache as he could get without actually damaging his innards. But....it was never quiet. The low drone of his superstructure had been replaced by the chittering and chirps of the slugcats, the streams of conversation from Moon, the rustling leaves and blowing wind. The creaking of branches above them. Even distant wildlife. There were breezes, and different textures of ground. He could smell things.

He wasn't sure whether he wanted to hide away or roll around in the dirt and enjoy it. He, of course, did neither of these things. It would be childish and unprofessional. Completely embarrassing. 

His musing came to an abrupt halt as something tiny rammed into the back of his leg like a mini bowling ball. A strangled static noise burst from his chest as he pitched forward, only barely caught by Moon as something scrambled up his leg, under his poncho, onto his backpack. He flailed about, squirming desperately in an attempt to dislodge it.

"AUGH! What is- Get it off! What are you-" Pebbles spun and stumbled in place as he tried to yank his poncho up to get at the thing clinging to him. Halfway through a spin he noticed Moon's surprised, laughing joy, and Cherry standing at the den entrance with the brown pup, her citizen drone hovering just overhead. 

Finally, his hands managed to find a smooth, almost squishy form clinging to his back. He grabbed it and whipped it off, bringing it around to his front to see......the other pup. It hung upside down from his grasp, blinking at him with massive, thoughtless, icy blue eyes. He glared. 

"You." He snarled.

"Five Pebbles." Moon warned. 

He snapped a suffering look her way, but she stayed unimpressed. The pup chirped, completely unfazed as it blinked, then reached out and made grabby hands at him. Immediately he leaned away, his antenna pinning back as he flipped the small creature right side up.

"No. You are not coming over here. Go back to playing whatever inane game you were before." He huffed, placing it back on the ground. The pup blinked up at him, and chirped again. Yet again, it suddenly grabbed onto his leg and started climbing.

"No! I told you, I am not-" He was cut off as the other pup also seemingly decided that it wanted to have a go at the new climbing fence, jumping his other leg and starting the trek up, absolutely ignoring any and all attempts to shake them off. "Moon!" He yelped. "Moon, get them off or I will never forgive you. Get off!!! Cherry-" 

Moon, the witch, did no such thing. And neither did Cherry. Both girls were completely content to watch in amusement as he tried, and failed, to get the pups off without falling over or hurting them. "If you don't get off I'm feeding you to the lizards." He threatened.

As if summoned, both lizards poked their heads into the entrance of the den, eying Pebbles and the pups. Immediately he grabbed the small things and pulled them up, glaring harshly. "No! Not food! SHOO." He growled, almost immediately going back on his word as the pups crawled up to his shoulders. An annoyed hiss came out of his voice box, narrowing his eyes at a shaking Moon.

"Not a word." He spat.

"I think they like you." She giggled, only barely holding off full laughter. "Maybe you should name them!"

"I'm not naming them." Pebbles groaned.

"I think you should."

"No."

"It would be adorable. You deserve a chance!"

"Moon."

"Pebbles~"

Five Pebbles glared at his sister. Her amused eyes stared back. He glanced from his right shoulder to his left at each of the pups, blinking back dumbly into his eyes. He was convinced there was next to nothing in there. Ugh. Moon would not stop pestering him until he did it, would she?

He pointed at the one with pale opalescent skin.

"Pearl."

He pointed at the brown fluffy one. 

"Potato."

He crossed his arms and finally glared at Moon and Cherry once more. "There. Are you happy? Did that satisfy your sadistic, inane little need to make me be the one to name these dim witted little creatures? Has your life been fulfilled now? I hope so, because next time you ask me to do another one of these idiotic little tasks, I will not humor you. Now away with you, little beasts." He growled, scruffing the pups and putting them back on the floor. Thankfully, Cherry did indeed gather the two back to herself after that. 

"It might be because you're pink." Moon giggled. In the corner, Angel chittered in amusement. 

Moon's head twisted around, eyes scrunching in joy. "Oh? Do you agree? He is a very pretty color, after all!" She chirped, walking over to plop down at the slugcat's side. Immediately Angel pulled herself up into Moon's lap, purring away at her and looking a bit smugly over at Pebbles. He huffed, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "You're insane." He grumbled. Almost immediately he was surprised as Angel picked up a small rock and smacked it into his head. 

"Angel!" Moon gasped, scandalized. 

"I can tell when I'm not wanted." Pebbles huffed, rubbing where the stone had hit. "I'm going outside to watch for Sugar and the other. Have you found a name for that one, at least?" He asked. Moon hummed, fingers scratching lightly over top Angel's head.

"Cream, I think." She said.

"Cream and Sugar." Pebbles sighed, surmising for her. Moon nodded happily, snapping her fingers. "Bingo. 

Cream, Pearl, and Potato. Saints ascending, what a ridiculous band they had been reduced to. Iterators, former gods of their lands, satisfying the urge to document by giving silly names to equally silly creatures. Their creators were squirming in their void baths, somewhere. 

If he had a mouth, he might have smiled.

It was nice outside, cooler than he was used to. It was always warm inside his can from the heat it generated, so this kind of temperature was new to him. Not unwelcome, but it made him want to pull his poncho tighter despite being no colder than the average day on his can's city. Speaking of his can, it was thankfully still standing. Towering in the background, partially obscured by the retaining walls but still quite visible. It seemed the automation he had put in place was working, at least. Steam was pumping out still, albeit drastically little compared to what it once had, and stuttering like it would stop at any moment. Or, well, it would, in a few cycles. As soon as the rot finished blocking the coolant systems. 

He wondered how long it would take. How many cycles. How many days, even. How long would it be before there was nothing left of his desecrated pupa?

It was....a melancholy feeling. The can had been his prison, yes. But it was home. All he had ever known. Once it collapsed, he wouldn't even be able to see it in the distance and muse over what would happen if he tried to go back. In some moments, fearful of the days to come, he wished he hadn't left. He ached for what once was, and the power he once had.

And why?

He hated his can. He almost always had, and the hatred grew more staunch as the cycles passed. So why, he wondered, did he still yearn? He didn't want to go back. He had no plans to. As mind numbing as his current company could be, he found that....this was where he wanted to be. Maybe where he needed to be all along. He wanted to stay at his sister's side, shooting retorts back and forth with her while combing his fingers through the fur of his citizen and watching Sugar trying to get sticky bluefruit insides out of its fur. He even wanted to see No Significant Harassment a little bit. He really wanted to see Seven Red Suns again. 

A large nose bumped into him, and hot air puffed out onto his side. A glance down, and he saw his green lizard pressing against his side, the other one circling around to his front. He huffed slightly, pausing before reaching down to scratch the green one between its eyes. For a moment, he considered. And then, quietly,

"Clover." He said, tapping the green one. "Peach." He told the pink one. 

His sister had named most of the slugcats before this. It was about time he caught up. Besides, it would be good to differentiate them if he ever got more. .....Not that he wanted to. The thought of having an army of them was.....mmm, intriguing. But two was just fine for him. Just two.

Clover pushed into his side again, and he shoved it's snout away. "I know, you insatiable beast. Food." He huffed, turning slightly towards the greenery that bordered the clearing. Considering the options for a second, he eventually snatched one of the spears from the carcass of the lizard that had wandered in.

He meandered to the tree line with the lizards at his sides, not entering but scanning over inside it. His eyes roamed carefully around trees and branches until- ah. That was what he wanted. Clinging to one of the trees was a young centipede. He stepped carefully over and, before it could shoot off, jabbed it with his spear and pulled it off. Satisfied, he tossed the thing to Clover. He repeated the process, scanning around and walking the edge of the forest before he found an eggbug hiding in some brush. Another jab, and that one went to Peach. 

Well. At least he had proved himself not entirely worthless. He allowed himself a small spark of pride at that. 

He tensed as rustling sounded off in the brush beyond. He backed away from the trees, adjusting his grip on the spear, and proceeding to immediately trip over a rock in surprise as Cream and Sugar burst into the clearing, sweaty and wheezing. 

The two carried bunches of food in their arms, from bluefruit and popped corn to batflies, eggbug eggs, and....about a third of a lizard tail hanging from Sugar's jaws. That was certainly a story in the making. He blinked owlishly at the two, swatting away the lizards before buzzing in the best equivalent of clearing his throat as an iterator could ever get.

"You're back. Congratulations on not dying." He said sarcastically, wobbling to his feet and brushing himself off. Sugar stuck its tongue out at him while Cream blinked. The two glanced back at the trees and, confirming they were not followed, seemed to relax slightly. Sugar gestured with its head back towards the tree, and started jogging over, barely hopping the pups as they excitedly greeted Cream back home, nearly tripping him as well.

The two divided up the food once everyone was gathered, sitting down for their own meals once they ensured it was all evenly distributed. Angel got softer foods like the eggs and bluefruit. Cherry preferred the batfly and lizard meat. Cream seemed to largely prefer non meat like bluefruit and popped corn. Sugar didn't seem to be picky over any of it, however, and neither were the pups. Sugar wasn't completely focused on eating, however, instead gesturing to get their attention.

Sugar made a sleeping motion, then pointed outside, and then made a sign for....something big? He narrowed his eyes, trying to roll the motions around in his head. Moon blinked, completely beating him to it.

"We head to the city next cycle." She said, and Sugar snapped and pointed at her with a nod. It paused for a moment, before making another stranger motion, pointing to the pups, a handing over motion, and then finger walked. Again Moon paused only shortly before making a guess. 

"You're hoping to find the clan there to give over the pups....and then travel with them?" She said tentatively. Cream looked impressed as Sugar nodded furiously. Pebbles batted away a spark of envy, because of course she would be good at figuring out what the creature was saying. They had spent cycles and cycles close together, while his own relationship with it consisted of being thrown pearls from the safety of the chamber entrance until he finally let it closer, like some kind of untamed lizard. 

.........

Oh that was exactly what it had been doing, hadn't it. 

He gave Sugar the most vicious side eye he could muster. Sugar looked only partially confused, and when it glanced over at the lizards settling in the corner he got the feeling it had a hunch on what he was thinking about.

Well that was one indignity he was going to put aside for later. For now, though, he was happy to settle down once more for another cycle, watching his new little group enjoy their food. For now....

He was happy to be here.

Chapter Text

The Hunter had been created for a few purposes. Save Looks To The Moon. Protect her. Keep her company and ensure her time sitting in the remains of her own crumpled corpse was as painless as possible, until the day she shut down for good.

But her creator had tried to put so much into so little. And it was because of that she was only able to fulfil one of those duties, as much as it pained her to say. She didn't blame her creator, not at all. He had tried his best, but all it took was a small mistake to mess it all up. They hadn't even noticed until it was too late, and at that point she needed to get going, or Moon would never wake at all. 

She had worked hard to be strong enough to protect. To rain hell on trespassers and threats to the iterator she had never known, but was built to love. Was regaled with stories of her kindness and intellect. Friend, if he was being professional. Family, if he was not. The Hunter would not waste the abilities she had worked to have on sitting around doing nothing. She would spend her last cycles fulfilling her duties as much as she could.

Like her creator, this had been her downfall, in the end. A couple extra neurons. Just a little more time spent in the lap of this fallen god who was every bit as sweet as her creator had told her. 

She did eventually go west towards the place that Five Pebbles had told her of. But by then, it was far too late.

Overcome by an illness born of love.

The time was....blurry, then. She didn't really want to remember much of it. The things bursting out of her, taking their control, wrestling her life away and taking the path of simple mindless consumption to feed the ever growing illness. Sometimes she was awake, sometimes she was not. Sometimes the rain would be beating down on her, only alive because of the cancers growing out of her, and sometimes it did not. Even when she was awake, she preferred to keep her eyes closed. She didn't want to see what had become of herself.

She had no idea how long it had been. Too long. Time passed in waves over her, shimmering over the surface of dark waters as she sank deeper and deeper into the abyss. 

And then voices. The rot could hear, but despite everything, her own ears were still sharper. 

She opened her eyes then. And there they were. Beyond the tendrils of rot, just inside of where she could see, two slugcats. Red and white. The white one, understandably, was trying very hard to pull the red one away. But she stayed. She chirped up, and as warped with sickness and disuse as her lungs were, she had chirped back.

A battle. Death. Deaths. The red one finding her and shearing away the illness from her body. Nowhere near gone, but so so much better. Her gratitude could never be truly expressed. 

And finally, she had been reunited with her purpose. Their time together so short but no less impactful. Moon lifted her into her arms, and something important had clicked back into place. One of her important pieces. They were going to be heading to the second one soon, and frankly she couldn't wait to see the look on his face when they got there.

Moon had called her Angel. She could have laughed. A fallen one, perhaps. But that was just fine by her. 

"Angel. It's time to leave. Are you ready?" 

The slugcat blinked back to awareness slowly, picking up her head to look at the blue iterator. That was right, it was time to go. If their trajectory said anything, they would be heading around the same way she had when she travelled to the compound. Through the city, the peatlands, the swamps, and the plains before they reached No Significant Harassment's own compound. At least his compound was easier to get through. The things built around him had much clearer paths through them.

Well. No point in holding off. She nodded. Moon's eyes crinkled, and with a short "Up you go!" pulled her onto her back, allowing Angel to curl mostly comfortably over her back, like some sort of terrible backpack or clothing item.

It would be a lie to say this sort of transport didn't rankle her greatly. She was built to run. To fight and jump and cross great distances in a matter of cycles. But here she was, forced to piggyback off the one she was supposed to be defending. She wanted to get up and do all of that, intensely in fact. But the fact of the matter was that she really couldn't.

Her injuries were only just healing. She was tired almost all the time. She was starved, weak, skin and bones but trying to eat anything bigger or heavier than eggs or bluefruit made her nauseous and nearly throw up. She hadn't used her limbs in so long, they had largely atrophied so much that she didn't yet even have the strength to walk. She was working on it, of course, stretching out her body and working her skeletal muscles as much as she could without tearing another hole into herself. There was also the fact that she could be hit by violent tremors and seizures at any moment. Cutting the external rot away was not going to change that.

Alive but useless. Her worst nightmare. 

She flinched as they stepped out into the light of day, blinking until her eyes adjusted. The others were already gathered, as she had suspected. Cherry immediately came over to check her, pointing questioningly at her injuries. She waved the other slugcat off. The dressings had already been changed when the cycle started, so she was just fine. She was thankful that Cherry just nodded and accepted it rather than fussing. 

It would also be a lie to say that the language barrier was not a bit frustrating. She didn't know the odd gestures and full bodied motions of these other slugcats. She had never been among them. Her creator had taught her a little bit of sign language, but not much. He could just talk to her, and he had figured that it may be a nice bonding exercise for Moon to be the one to teach her. They had made their own understanding of each other. 

Despite this, they were still fairly good at conveying what they meant through little games of charades and small drawings. Occasionally fun, but cumbersome when one was already tired and trying to get an answer out of someone. 

"The stretch through the city should be fairly easy. I haven't sent any overseers outside the retaining wall in a very long time, but it looks fine from here. As long as we're careful, we should have a nearly straight shot to the west end. Though...I can't remember much of what comes after that." Pebbles said, leaning back to look at the distant city skyline. 

Nothing easy, Angel thought. Stretches between iterator cans were notoriously difficult. Inside the retaining walls it was a bit easier to keep certain things in and certain things out. Not to mention what was left of their outer facilities did a good job of being hostile to many of the more severe scene changes. Outside the walls though? It was no mans land. Regions could vary wildly, even mile to mile. One moment you would be going through desert, the next would be a jungle. Not to mention there was no such thing as safe out here. Even the city over there was full of scavengers and other threats.

"Please don't jinx us, Pebbles. We haven't even started." Moon sighed. 

Sugar rolled its eyes, pushing both the siblings and setting off without fanfare. The others only glanced around before following after the slugcat, a merry band trucking onwards.

The land beyond the great tree was relatively clear. There was rubble and vegetation as there often was, and as always there were the pipes and various other things protruding from the ground, but slightly less of it than there was directly around the retaining wall. Not to say it was easy to get across. Roots and broken bits jutted over bends and hills and soft ground that was liable to send you tumbling if you were not careful. Though of course, with precious cargo, Moon was being very careful.

The iterator tested every step before she committed to it, eyes scanning every bit of land before her so she didn't trip. Even with feet like hers, she was doing a remarkably good job making her way along. Pebbles stayed almost glued to her side, nowhere near as steady as she herself was. He wobbled and held his hands out for balance, occasionally snatching onto his sister's shirt to steady himself before continuing on. He glared at the ground as if personally offended every time he tripped, looking about ready to tell it off. Thankfully, he never ended up face first in the mud thanks to Moon's guiding hand. 

The slugcats, of course, traversed the land like it was their home. Particularly Cream and Sugar. Because at the end of the day, it was. The specific grounds may be unfamiliar, but they had spent a very long time traversing difficult terrain. They were nothing if not adaptable. The pups were not as skilled as their elders, but they did keep up. Cherry specifically had seemed to slow her pace just to keep them a bit closer to to her, jumping every time one tumbled over or grabbed her tail jumping over a root. 

In the end, it took a cycle to get there. The trek had been relatively peaceful other than a few annoying bugs, and two lizards that Cherry had almost immediately leapt on and dispatched with a swift crack of her tail. A bit on edge, it seemed. Nonetheless, it served as good food and she couldn't help but envy the others as they got to chow down on some tasty meat while she herself was delegated once more some bluefruit and some large orange berries that Cream had seemed to recognize. He had also found some other evidently medicinal plants, which he had handed over to Cherry for the time being. At least the berries were nice, and she briefly remembered snacking on them on her journey before. 

The shelter was, of course, cramped. But somehow, they made it work. After some pushing and complaining, they did end up in a somewhat comfortable position. Slugcats were already used to balling up around each other in piles for winter, so Cream, Sugar, a visibly awkward Cherry, and the pups piled up in the corner. The lizards curled up to the side of Pebbles, Moon settled next to him, and she herself laid in Moon's lap. Sleeping with so many people in one place was an odd feeling. She had always slept alone before.

Nonetheless. A new day came, and they had a long way ahead of them. 

The city was far more worn away than her creator's was. But personally, she thought it was quite a bit more pretty as well. The towering stacked blocks of the iterator cities had been replaced with buildings far more fanciful. Domed and sharp roofs, elegant windows, broken but still beautiful stained glass accents, once upon a time people had made an effort to make these places pretty, rather than rushing to put down bland cookie cutter blocks atop the cans to escape the rain.

This city was much more alive, as well. 

She patted at Moon's arm when they exited, trying to get her attention. 

"Angel? What is it?"

Figuring this was a good time to mention it, she tried her best to make a motion of scavenger horns over her head, then pointed ahead. The group blinked, but it was Cherry who seemed to realize what she meant the fastest. Almost instantly her fur bristled, sparks going down the sudden rising hair on her spine as she started a low growl. 

"Cherry! Angel, are you saying there will be scavengers ahead?" Moon scolded before turning her attention back on her passenger. She nodded, looking around the rooftops before pointing out a spear atop one, flowing with the bright red fabric that the scavengers seemed to prefer. 

"Just what we needed. More beasts to deal with. And we don't have any pearls to trade with them either. Considering how hair trigger they are, I wouldn't doubt they try to spear us as soon as see us." Pebbles sighed heavily. 

Cream and Sugar exchanged glances. Then they nodded and gave a thumbs up to Angel. The two made a few gestures at each other, and Sugar gave a worried look for a moment, but Cream shook his head and patted it on the arm before scurrying off towards one of the buildings, hopping in through an open window. Sugar stared after him for a moment before shaking its head and walking back up. Again it gestured, but something more understandable. It made a sign for a building with its hands, arms as walls and paws as a roof. Then it looked over the skyline, and pointed to one of the larger structures just barely sticking out between the others. Not a skyscraper, but still large. After that, it made a "Stay" motion. 

"Your brother is getting us pearls, and we're going to wait for him over in that....structure?" Moon surmised. Sugar snapped and pointed to her. 

They started moving again, but Angel noticed that Cherry hadn't calmed down one bit in their pause. In fact, she only seemed to be bristling more the further they got. Her eyes darted back and forth between the streets and windows, looking every bit like she was about ready to throw a spear into anything that moved outside of their group. On occasion she would see a flash of red from something the scavengers left, and sparks went skittering down her spine. Even her fur had not gone down. The oddest thing, though, was how she was blocking the pups from moving past her. Her tail was so fluffed up Angel could hardly see the little things, and she had an odd feeling it was by design. 

Protective. Defensive. Someone with history.

Well. If something didn't distract her soon, she was liable to end up blowing them all up. So, after some consideration, she gave a low chirp at the other slugcat. Cherry jumped, her body stiffening for a moment before she looked over. Angel gestured for her to come closer and, with some worry, she did. The moment she did, Angel reached out and bopped her on the nose, chittering in amusement. 

Cherry growled in defense, her eyes narrowing before Angel pointed down at the herbs she was holding. Cherry blinked and looked down to the plants in her paw, eyes widening for a second in realization before picking one out and giving it to her. Angel sniffed it, cringing slightly at the intense medicinal smell before popping it into her mouth and chewing. Blech, medicine. But she did ask for it, and it was good for her, so she could deal. 

Considering for a second, she poked Cherry, and then pointed at the pups and tilted her head. It wasn't a very well explained question, but Cherry seemed to understand. She stiffened hard, ears pinning back and staring ahead. For a moment, she didn't answer. But eventually, she shook her head. She was stiff all over again, and Angel could see she had prodded at something sore.

In some sort of attempt of apology, she leaned down as much as she could and gently patted Cherry's head. It wasn't much, but it was something. At least she had kept Cherry's attention away from a group of distant scavengers just barely glimpsed over the tops of the roofs. She hadn't noticed them, but they had likely noticed the group by now.

Cherry huffed, shaking her head. Glancing back up, she pointed to her mouth. Pointedly, Angel glared as she swallowed down the herb, shuddering as she did. The other slugcat gave her a very obvious "Stop being a baby" look about it, and she gave a swat in return. The two chittered in amusement when, suddenly, Moon stopped with a surprised noise. 

"Oh! It's a shopping center!" She exclaimed, and the two looked up. 

Angel had only been able to guess at what the building was when she had passed it before. No Significant Harassment's city didn't have any of them. It was a large, coin shaped building, but the roof had caved in at some point. Most of it, anyway. Batflies hung from the rafters and footsteps bounced off the empty walls. There were evenly spaced out spots in the wall that had once acted as shops, largely broken down and empty now, save for the few signs of the scavengers that often came here. Not to mention some lizard dung. Blech.

There were still come shelves on the wall that were somewhat intact, at least. Those that were held various dusty and near unrecognizable things. Bottles of of something green. Wooden boxes for jewelry. Even a few small trinkets that used to attach to people's masks. At least she could still read some of the signs, as dusty as they were. 

"I don't believe I ever sent my overseers down to the city. By the point I was built, everyone had already moved up to you, Moon." Pebbles hummed, spinning in a small circle to examine the two floors above them, stairs leading up. 

"I don't remember much of anything about it. Most of what I do remember is people complaining about having to move." Moon replied, and her brother gave a small chuckle in response. 

"Always complaining. Even when it's good for them." Pebbles agreed.

A clatter sounded suddenly from above. All heads turned up as a small head poked out from the railing of the second floor. 

Ah, there they were. A scavenger. White, with quite small horns but large spines. In an instant Cherry snarled loud enough to ring loud in the empty spaces, and her fur began to crackle and smoke up. She somewhat expected the anger from Cherry, but she didn't expect for Sugar to snap its head around and hiss at her with flattened ears. 

A bit too late though. The scavenger's eyes snapped onto Cherry the moment she sounded off, and its eyes boggled wide. It froze oddly for a second before suddenly turning around and running as fast as she had ever seen one, it's claws skittering away on the floor. 

"Cherry! Why do that? It wasn't attacking us!" Moon cried, putting her hands on her hips. Pebbles put his hand out in front of her. 

"Skip the lecture, Looks To The Moon." Pebbles said sharply, a surprising use of her full name making his sister jerk back. He then looked to Cherry, her fists clenching at her sides. "Little ruffian. We are not here for a fight. We are carrying precious cargo, and we cannot afford to have any of it lost. Getting on the bad side of a great amount of scavengers would do just this. Put your past and your grievances aside, if only for now."

"What does that-"

Moon's question was cut off by more scuttling claws. Eyes turning upwards, they met the faces of even more scavengers, lead to the scene by the white one, who pointed frantically down at the dark red slugcat. More boggling eyes, and two of the ones that had came flinched away in some sort of shock, it seemed. Cherry hissed lowly, sparks flying as they stared each other down. She adjusted her spear. 

"Cherry." Pebbles warned.

This was giving her a headache.

Cherry growled lowly. Sugar growled back.

This was.....oh no.

"Angel?" Moon worried.

In an instant, her body was rebelling against her. If it weren't for Moon's quick reflexes, she would have fallen completely onto the hard ground as tremors wracked through her from her head to her toes. All attention was on her as she jerked and spasmed. Moon dropped to the floor and pulled her into her lap as Angel whined, her eyes wide with distress.

"Oh no, Angel." Moon whispered.

She had an attack or two when she had been with Moon, before. She couldn't help but feel guilty, distressing her like that. And here she was, doing it again. But they couldn't be stopped or aided. They ran their course, and nothing could be done but keep her from smacking her head or injuring herself.

They always felt like an eternity, no matter how long they actually were. They had gotten far worse by the end of her time with a functioning body, and had continued even when she was overtaken by rot. They varied, sometimes making her go unconscious, sometimes just stunning her for a few seconds. This one was far more prolonged than she was comfortable with, though she wasn't comfortable with any length, frankly. She just closed her eyes and waited for it to end. 

By the time it did end, all of the group had gathered around her. Even and especially Cherry, the other slugcat suddenly heel turned away from anger and into fear and worry. Another paw was in her own, and she found it was blood red.

"Not dead, little savior? Very good." Pebbles said, strangely tight. Moon proceeded to smack him over the head. 

Angel huffed, going limp in Moon's lap. The scavengers were gone now, seemingly. At least her little accident had kept a fight from breaking out. She gave Cherry a tired look, squeezing her paw pointedly. She bristled only for a moment before the fight went out, slumping and glancing only briefly up where the scavengers had been as she brought the pups closer with her tail.

When Cream eventually returned with a few pearls, nobody particularly wanted to explain why the mood was so glum.

Chapter Text

Sugar was not happy. For a few different reasons. First one being that their new friend had just had a seizure. Second, Due to this and the other thing, they had nearly forgotten to gather food completely. They only barely managed to get enough to last them the cycle, and they had nearly been pounded in by the rains before they found a shelter. The third thing was that Cherry apparently had some grudge against scavengers, and had almost immediately scared them and got on their bad side, making it infinitely harder for them to cross the land even with some pearls in hand.

So yes. It was just a little bit pissy at the moment.

The tip of its tail twitched as they stood around the next cycle, Moon with one arm on her hip and staring seriously back at Cherry and Pebbles. She probably would have crossed her arms, but Angel had decided to start working her legs more and Moon was keeping an arm out to act as a rail for her to use. Sugar, frankly, agreed with her current mood. 

"I think it is pertinent to address the problem in front of us before we go any further." Moon said evenly. "Cherry, you have been needlessly aggressive to the scavengers, and have been on edge ever since Angel told us there were any. Pebbles, you seem to know something about this, and if I remember correctly, you've alluded to some things in the past. If this is going to be a problem, we need to know about it before somebody gets hurt." 

Cherry shifted on her feet, not meeting the eyes of anyone in the room. Pebbles, meanwhile, met his sister's gaze with a stock still intensity just as strong as his sister's own. 

"If she does not want to speak of it, I will not speak of it. And that is that. I refuse to air any dirty laundry that she is not willing to set out. If she thinks she can control herself, then I will believe her. The past is in the past, it does not need to be dragged to the light if it is not completely necessary." He replied cooly, his own arms folded firmly in front of him.

"It is necessary." Moon insisted. "If there are many scavengers here, we cannot risk starting a fight with them."

Cherry hissed to herself and rubbed her snout. Her eyes closed for a long moment before making a wide gesture to stop any more arguing. She gave Pebbles a tired look and gestured to him with a hand. As much of a 'go ahead' as she was willing to give, evidently. Pebbles blinked at her. 

"Are you sure?" He asked. Cherry growled shortly at him, and he raised his hands defensively. "Fine, fine. If you so insist."

He sighed, drawing himself back up to address the group.

"Cherry came to my can a very long time ago. Even before Moon collapsed, I think, though I am not sure. Whatever the case, at that time I was having a scavenger problem. A large group of them had made a home in my can and were incredibly invasive for some time. When she came to my can, she seemed to have a grudge to satisfy. She was far more angry and violent back then than she is now, I assure you. As such, with her being unable to ascend due to her proclivities, I gave her the chance to act as pest control." He explained. Sugar could already feel where this was going, and its stomach twisted in knots. Suddenly its mind was drifting back to the scavenger skull that had hung on her wall. 

"She, well." Pebbles glanced back at Cherry again and, seeing no sign to stop, went on. "She took care of the problem for me. She disposed of every scavenger that had taken residence in my can, and finished by killing their chieftain. I also have reason to believe she was the one who was responsible for the near complete drop in their population outside of my can as well."

The entire group stood in stone cold horror for a few long moments. All eyes were on her, but she still did not meet any of them. It had been the chieftain's skull that had been on her wall. Sugar had never seen another scavenger like that, and it could take a wild guess at Cherry being the reason for that. 

"That...I know scavengers can be unpleasant, but an entire population? Cherry, that is a slaughter! Why?" Moon asked, her voice tight. 

Cherry shuffled back and forth. Her hands raised, dropped, then raised again. Her eyes flickered over the pups clinging to Cream's tail. Eventually, she pointed to them. Then herself. Scavenger horns, and then a violent 'taking' motion as her teeth flashed with a low growl. 

Ah, that explained some things. Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned, after all. Slugcat mothers in particular. Mothers protected and watched over the pups while their mates gathered food, they were made to be protective. But something like this went well beyond just protective.

'Bad answer.' Sugar motioned with a low growl. Cherry's eyes narrowed at it for a moment before breaking eye contact again, her ears pinning down on her head. An admission, in some way. A long time alone had probably given her more than enough room to think.

"I see. And because we have pups with us..." Moon trailed off, the implication obvious. The iterator sighed, running a hand across her antenna. "Well. I think it is needless to say that we are not going to be doing any mass murder of sapient creatures today. Cherry, I need you to be honest. Will this be a problem?"

Cherry huffed. Again her eyes darted across the pups, and then up at the second floor where they had previously seen the scavengers. Eventually, she shook her head. Pebbles narrowed his eyes at Moon. 

"If you are done interrogating her, I think it is time we left. We have ground to cover and..." He paused as Pearl leapt up and snatched a batfly out of the air, chomping its head off in one bite. "Mouths to feed. No Significant Harassment and Seven Red Suns have likely caught onto the sudden deficit of rains from my can by now, and we don't want to worry them more than they undoubtedly already are." He finished.

There was a quiet chatter of agreement among the group, and Moon huffed. "Alright then. On we go. Check some rooms for food, and then hopefully get to the end of the city by the end of the cycle." She nodded.

A consensus reached, the group set off once more. The shopping center was empty of scavengers this time around, allowing a bit more freedom as they looked through the various rooms. Batflies, bluefruit, and a couple lizards this time, which were quite hilariously easy to dispatch when combining all of their offensive power. One got a bit too close to Sugar at one point, and Moon had proceeded to heave the thing by its jaws over the third floor balcony. 

Once that was done with, they set off once more to the outside, each with one of the pearls that Cream had brought back. Pebbles had idly read a couple of them, and most of them were apparently lists made back when the move onto Moon's city was beginning. Old, and somewhat interesting. Though this was save for one of them, that was apparently some sort of love letter. A bad one, if Pebbles was to be believed. Including terrible poetry about the shape of the recipient's mask. And other attributes. 

The city, somehow, seemed colder than it had before. Emptier. Wind whistled through open windows like broken flutes, and the pipes still standing creaked away. Two vultures flew somewhere overhead, but the group stayed close to the abandoned buildings, and the creatures did not swoop down between them. Ahead, a tall building glowed among the others. 

A domed golden roof stood tall over the rest of the facility, grand and gleaming apart from everything else. Intricate patterns almost like lacework offset harsh geometry and a color palette of blacks, reds, golds, and white. It was still broken down, but it seemed in far better condition than many of the other buildings in the area that scattered rubble down on the streets below. A tall marble wall surrounded it, metal spikes jutting from the top that were just as pretty as they were sharp. But from those spikes waved long strips of familiar red fabric, and strings of pearls hung between them. 

A thread of tension ran through the group as more and more was revealed before them. Long spikes stuck into the ground hung with pearls and a fanciful scavenger mask. Or, actually, two of them in fact. All the signs of a scavenger toll had been set up around the intersection that joined the building. Though....it seemed too large to be a toll. A den? Something else?

"It seems the scavengers have taken over the temple. Almost fitting, I would say." Pebbles mused, staring up at the grand building before them.

The intersection came closer, and the scavengers that populated the area became clearer. There were....quite a few of them, actually. Certainly more than it had seen in one place before. A base? It side eyed a bristling Cherry, becoming more and more reluctant with every step closer they got. 

Sugar knew the moment they were seen, a high pitched cricketing chip alarm sounding up that every scavenger went up on its back legs for. Heads turned, and spears were raised. The tension skyrocketed at once. It was all too soon that they had arrived at the intersection, feet away from the bristling mass of scavengers that had amassed in their approach. Scavengers who looked, frankly, terrified. Sugar took the lead. 

Making a gesture for the group to stay back, it trotted slowly forward. A few spears pointed, but it stayed hunched lower, slowly raising the pearl and waving it at them. All eyes flickered to what it held for a moment. Eventually, one of the larger scavengers broke from the group. 

The creature paused as it reached Sugar. It's eyes narrowed and it leaned in closer to examine it. Eventually it blinked and let out some kind of surprised singular chirp. Then a few clicks as it took the pearl and turned to the other scavengers and gestured at Sugar. The others seemed to examine it as well, a few looks of surprise crossing some more faces. Recognition? Well, things did travel fast in scavenger communities. 

The small lull did not last, however. The low, fearful drone started up again as someone shifted, and eyes shot back towards the group, and particularly the dark red slugcat among them who growled lowly with the attention. Moon and Pebbles got a few looks as well, but nobody held the kind of attention that Cherry did, even the lizards. A few spears pointed. The alarm chirp hadn't stopped, and there were more heads popping out the gateway through the walls around the temple, more numbers gathering. Defenses were high, and someone was liable to get hurt if this kept up.

Tentatively, Cream started forward. He was so low to the ground he was nearly on all fours, trying both not to startle and not make the full brunt of attention fall on him. He settled behind Sugar, hiding behind it and extending his pearl from there. It took a moment for the scavenger to take the pearl, as taken as its attention was by the other slugcat. Sugar could see her puffing up further and extending a leg to keep the pups behind her. 

Moon started in next, Angel held at her side. Much more attention drew to her than Cream had gotten, but her gait stayed slow and her pearl stayed extended as she slowly made her way over to hand the scavenger the pearl. 

Just a little left. Pebbles stepped forward.

CRACK.

In an instant, it was a burst of motions. The scavengers scattered apart in a whirl of flailing limbs and waving spears. Cherry's fur exploded in a blaze of sparks as she dropped to the ground on all fours and shot forward. Moon and Cream scrambled back with sharp yelps of fear and surprise as the alarm chirp suddenly pierced into the air. 

Moving just as suddenly, Sugar threw itself into the path between the scavengers and Cherry, filled it's lungs with air, and screeched.

"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOUUUUWWW!"

Well, the sound certainly got some attention. The alarm sound stuttered into a stop, and Cherry was forced to skid to a halt, paws skittering on the ground just feet before the group. She snarled, and Sugar leaned forward, bared its teeth, and snarled right back. It did not live this long to end up being a pushover to something that hissed and made a couple sparks. 

Near silence prevailed once again, save for the low distressed droning in the background, so Sugar took a second to glance around and check for what had started the whole mess. 

Ah, there.

Laying on the ground and sparking was Cherry's citizen drone. Something that could have almost been forgotten for how ever present it was hovering just over Cherry's head. A spear was sticking out of it's now dull eye, buzzing uselessly before eventually stuttering to a stop. Not a terrible reason to be set off, but not good at all for the situation at hand. 

Sugar looked back at the on edge scavengers. Then at the very on edge Cherry. 

It made an executive decision. 

Sugar had not survived this long by taking dumb risks. It learned, it trained, it examined situations and it adapted its actions based on the most advantageous route. This whole situation had clearly been far too much far too fast for the other slugcat. She had been given no time to adjust or train to better handle these things, and she had already set off a bad start for a species who were notoriously jumpy and quick to fight. Scavengers had gathered too tightly around them, a semicircle that blocked off the ways around that they would have to go to get past. Sugar took a look around, examined the predicament, and decided that no. They would not be going this way.

Straightening itself up, it looked to Cream and Moon and made a gesture to itself. It looked to Cherry then and with a hiss and gestures that barred no argument, said 'Us. Leaving. Now.'

It didn't bother getting a response. It walked forward, bodily shoving the older slugcat away from the scene. Cream and Moon were happy to hurry after, no hesitation at all to get away from the position they had put themselves in. 

"Leaving? Smart move." Pebbles hummed, shifting away from Moon's glare as the group hurried back down the street and around the corner. Out of sight, out of mind. Though just in case, they kept moving. Deeming it safe to speak now that they were farther away, Moon's gaze narrowed upon the cause of this entire debacle.

"It was a mistake to trust you with this situation. You could have gotten us all killed." Moon said harshly, and Cherry flinched. Pebbles, however, jabbed his sister in the side. 

"Save the lecture for now. The scavenger struck first, anyway. For now we need to figure out a better way around, or how far we're going to have to go to get to the other side so we can avoid them." He said, sounding tired. "This is not an excuse for the little ruffian, and we will bring it up again. But not now. After we find a way around." He said, giving his citizen, or former citizen, a very pointed look. Agin, she flinched. Moon made a low electronic noise of displeasure, but conceded to the point.

"Fine. Do we have any ideas?" She said shortly. 

Attention drifted down as Angel tugged Moon's arm. Assured she had everyone's attention, she pointed over at something in the street. A manhole cover, in fact. There was a pause. Suddenly, Pebbles groaned. 

"The sewers. Of course." He said. Moon stiffened up, looking about as pleased as he did.

"Little savior, are you sure? I can't imagine it will be......pleasant down there. Or completely safe." She said tentatively. Angel rolled her eyes, making a 'straight' motion with an arm. 

"Right...we'll have an almost completely clear path to the west side exit. There are directions down there as well, so....ugh. I very much loathe to say it, but that may be our best bet out of here." Pebbles huffed, clearly displeased by the answer.

Moon obviously didn't care for it either, a shiver running up her spine even as she nodded. "If it's the quickest way out and we can avoid more situations like these, it would be better. If there are no better answers, then the sewers it will be. Does anyone protest?" 

She looked like she very much hoped that someone would. Unfortunately, not a single one of them did. So with a heavy sigh, she nodded. "Down we go, then." 

Reluctantly, the group made their way to the manhole. In one swift move, Moon had easily pulled the thing off of it. A glance inside told Sugar that it was.....not as dark as it would have expected, actually. A soft glow came from the darkness beneath. With one last hesitant glance at each other, it went first down the ladder into the sewers. 

Sugar found very quickly why the sewers were not as dark as they should have been. Attached to nearly every bit of wall were glowing molds and fungi. It recognized the orange slime molds that grew in the citadel and other such places, but there were many various other things as well. Blue and green balls of fungus decorating parts of the ceiling like little stars among the mildew. Dark, almost black red shelf mushrooms growing off the walls in sizes varying from as small as a finger to big enough to lay upon. The ground squished with something that looked almost like moss, but not quite. 

In the middle of the tunnel, quickly flowing water rushed past underfoot. It was green and unpleasant looking, smelling about just as bad, but an odd small, strangely shaped jellyfish or two that drifted past didn't seem to mind it. Behind it, Pebbles made a disgusted noise as he drifted to the ground. 

"Even worse than I thought. It's been overtaken." He huffed, and Moon elbowed him. 

"You hardly even have to touch it if you don't want to! You're the one with the mass rarefaction cell." She retorted. 

Pebbles blinked, and it was only now that Sugar remembered about the thing. Usually he had it tucked away under his arm, invisible under the poncho. He hadn't been using it as much either as he got more used to his legs. The iterator shifted and brought it out in front of him, looking at it contemplatively for a moment. He glanced at Moon. 

"You're right. I don't." He agreed. A tap, and he was hopping into the air. He came up and, as soon as he passed the correct height, locked his legs around Moon's shoulders. "I hope you don't mind an extra passenger." He said, with a tinge of mischievousness that Sugar had never heard from him before. It was a nice sound, compared to his usual semi annoyed drone. 

"Don't get used to it." Moon warned lightheartedly, craning her head back to glare at her brother before bending down to scoop Angel back into her arms. 

"Well then. Shall we go? We should move to find some more food and a shelter before the rains come in and wash us all away." She chuckled. 

Sugar felt a shudder go through it. Beside it, Cream squeezed its paw. Yes, it really did not want to get washed away again. So, with a couple of nods, they once again set off through the softly lit tunnels. 

Chapter Text

Cream had tried very hard to find his brother, in the past. But at a point, he had highly doubted he would. He had watched his sibling wash away in the crashing tides, and tried to follow. Their parents had only barely caught him. 

Struck with grief but just as resigned, they had gone home. He wanted so badly to look, but they all forced him to wait. Just a little longer, they said. Until he was just a bit older. Just a bit stronger. So, reluctantly, he had. For far too long in his own opinion. The clan was going to be moving again, for greener pastures. To maybe one day find their perfect paradise. Cream had refused to follow them west, but he had promised to find his sibling and bring it back. 

They had been aiming for the other distant structure too. He hoped they were still there, Sugar deserved to see them again. 

He had tried to find his sibling, but of course, his journey had been halted when he came across the pups. Alone, helpless, and certainly not from his own clan. No parent in sight, it had been too dangerous to bring them along on his search. Reluctantly, he decided to give the pups to the clan before he came back to continue. He had just been waiting until they were a bit bigger to move along.

Well, he was glad he hadn't, because here he was now. Right by the side of his sibling as they towed along with a merry little band of their own. Despite how strange the group was.

Sugar (It was still odd to think of it having a name now, not even mentioning himself) had apparently done quite a lot in its time gone. Met these....fallen gods, befriended those same gods, kept them company in their solitude while moving back and forth between some of the most dangerous areas any slugcat like themselves could be. It had lived and died and yet still, over and over, it went back. Despite all odds, it had survived. More than survived, it seemed! Sugar was genuinely happy despite the roads that life lead it down. It had found someone it was happy to call family. It found friends. 

Frankly, he just thanked the stars for that. Sugar happy was all he could have hoped for. Even though apparently at some point in their journey they had somehow completely missed each other even when they were in the same area. 

Sugar's tail bumped against his own, shaking him from his thoughts. His sibling smiled at him as it extended out some slime mold to him, chewing on a mouthful of its own. He made a noise of appreciation as he took it and had a bite. It wasn't often he got a taste of the stuff, considering he preferred to stay in the light. Not in the least for the fact of all the monsters that roamed the dark. Even if there were tasty morsels down there, he was not about to chance it. Particularly not with pups alongside. 

Speaking of, he glanced back at said pups. Despite taking them in, he hadn't exactly....had much intuition on how to take care of them. He cared for them deeply, of course, but he had taken them on unprepared. So he was happy with Cherry taking them on, albiet hesitantly. She seemed to know more than well about how to take care of pups.

Or, well, he was happy until the whole....mass murder revenge reveal thing. Now he wasn't so sure. She was good with the pups, but a hair trigger protective instinct would not end up well for anyone. Until she had proved herself a bit more contained, he was satisfied with said pups currently darting around the feet of Looks To The Moon.

"If you fall in because of these small rats, I will not be coming with you." Five Pebbles huffed.

Annnd there was the other thing.

Language barrier.

Apparently Sugar, and all the other slugcats save for the pups, were able to completely and utterly understand what the two robots were saying at all times. Cream could only do so partially.

He could understand what the words were. He could understand what the words were generally trying to get across. But he didn't really get it. The sounds were all just nonsense that he could now tell the tone of. It was frustrating, and gave him a headache when he tried to process any more. Then there was the fact that one of the slugcats could not speak their language, one of them had gone a very long time without speaking it, and the other two were pups who didn't really care for it anyway. 

The iterators couldn't speak their language either. Well, Moon knew a few words, but not much. Pebbles seemed to barely understand their expressions, much less their language. 

Livable, but annoying. At least he didn't have to talk too much to them anyway. He preferred not to. It was already awkward being among so many people he didn't know. So far it had been offset by the euphoria of having his family back, but he had no idea how long that would last. Not much longer, probably, depending on the way he was already beginning to fall on old habits, hiding behind his sibling's body whenever someone new so much as glanced at him. 

With a short huff, he shoved the rest of his food down and licked off his paws for good measure. He sure wasn't going to wash them in the green, fast flowing, toxic looking water beside them.

Well, it was damp and oppressive in here, but at least it was kind of pretty. Every inch of every wall was glowing with something bioluminescent, making the dark walls glow like distant galaxies in great bursts of color, specks of light scattered everywhere. Sugar bumped one of the mushrooms, and they proceeded to get covered in a sudden haze of glowing spores, stark against his yellow coat. 

Moon giggled as the two sneezed and tried to furiously brush it off, leaning down to dust some of it off of Sugar's head. She said something teasing about looking like a "special edition powdered donut" that he could only barely surmise was....probably something edible? Halfway through her sentence, however, she paused. 

Ahead, multiple somethings slithered and hissed as they moved across the walkways on either side of the water. Pale and ghostly white, one of their forms would occasionally shiver and disappear as they moved across one of the bridges between the sides of the sewer. They weren't lizards, far too long and thin to be anything like that. But the shape of the head and tail were almost familiar in that way.

"Pipe cleaners?" Moon asked slowly. "What are they doing here?"

Pebbles shushed her, leaning down closer to his sister's head. "Quiet. I imagine they likely came from there." He pointed to a small, grated opening in the wall. Many of them were spaced between the walls of the sewer, and glowed just as much inside. But they were far smaller than even a slugcat would be comfortable going through. "Usually they would be hiding in the larger buildings. But I imagine their destruction, as well as food sources, drive some of them further down."

The group peered down the sewer, examining the creatures. They were blocking the way past, currently. A pause, and a huff. Cherry adjusted her grip on her spear and started forward after gazing around at the others. Swiftly, she was joined by Sugar and Moon, who had let Pebbles off her shoulders and plopped Angel on the back of one of the lizards to help fight. 

The bang of Cherry popping herself forward echoed like a gunshot through the tunnels of the sewer system, very swiftly gaining the attention of every pipe cleaner there. One of them was very quick to have its head pierced through like a shish ka bob. Scary, but not all that strong it seemed. Still, alerted to a new danger, the rest of the group reared up and backed away. Sugar sliced at one of them, but the creature's thin neck swerved away from the hit before snapping out in a move that barely left room for the Slugcat to back away. 

Moon was a bit more successful, slapping aside one of their heads with the spear before stabbing it once, twice between the ribs. It wheezed and squirmed, thrashing backwards as it tried and failed to breathe. Cherry shot forward, and another small explosion sent a few of the creatures tumbling back and allowing Sugar to get in two kill shots. 

Moon moved again, kicking away a pipe cleaner that bit at her before jabbing her spear through the base of its neck, hauling it overhead, and bringing it down hard behind her where it did not move again. She moved back, but suddenly jumped and yelped as her arm jerked completely out of her control. A shiver of air revealed one of the monsters latched onto her wrist. It didn't get very far, however, as she threw her arm back, the cleaner coming with it, and brought it down on the edge of the walkway with a grisly crack of breaking bone. Just like that, the thing tumbled into the water and was washed away.

Washed away....very quickly.

The water was moving a lot faster all of a sudden.

With horror, he stopped to listen. Stopped to feel. There was a dull rumble coming all the way up from the ground into his feet. Up above, the ceiling shuddered. The water was getting higher and higher. It seemed Pebbled had taken notice of Cream's pause and examined the same things as well, as he suddenly froze. In a moment, he was tossing himself forward, lizards following swiftly after. 

"WE NEED TO MOVE NOW. RAIN!" Pebbles shouted, using the rarefaction cell to quite literally leap over the heads of the battling trio and sprint off run off down the passage. Evidently that was all anyone needed for warning, Cream scooping up the pups and hurrying after. Sugar struck one more pipe cleaner and shoved it away before falling into step with its brother at the back of the troupe, their arms bumping together as they ran. 

Water was licking up and over the sides of the walkways now, spraying drops upward with every time another rush came. Dark things flowed beneath the waves, too fast to catch a clear glimpse of beneath the brackish waters. All of them moved away as it started seeping onto the walkways, the rumbling growing louder and louder. His legs were beginning to shake as they sprinted. 

"THERE!" Pebbles shouted, pointing ahead. And indeed, much to everyone's relief, was a shelter. 

There was no avoiding the water now as it washed up high over the ground, soaking fur and tugging at their feet as it tried to drag them under while it grew higher. 

Cherry was the first inside, turning around to help the others. Pebbles was next, then the lizards and Angel. Cream jumped to shove the pups inside, and Moon already had a hand on Sugar's scruff to pick it up and push it in, a fate that quickly followed Cream as well. Just behind him, he heard a tiny wavering "Oh.", and he turned around just as Pebbles shoved himself back through beside Cream.

A torrent of water crashed around the corner. Fast, terrible, and high enough to wash away anything and everything that was in the passage. Moon stood in its way, silent, shaking, and frozen. Her eyes seemed dim, somehow. 

"You idiot! Moon, get in here!" Pebbles shouted, his voice ringing as it pitched upwards in panic.

The iterator did not move. She shook in place and stared at the waves as they crashed down the tunnels towards her, almost as if her feet had been glued to the ground. She looked like she hadn't even heard her brother's call, and with how loud the roar was, that very well may have been the case. The result was the same.

The wave hit.

"MOON!!!" Pebbles screamed. 

Moon was taken off her feet in an instant. In this very same instant, Five Pebbles lunged from the safety of the tunnel into the open. For a moment, things seemed to freeze as he reached out. One hand missed.

The other latched tightly around her arm.

It was only because of Cream and Sugar that the iterator did not tumble completely out of the tunnel. The two grabbed his legs and, despite the violent pull of the water outside, managed to drag both siblings to the other side where they tumbled to the ground, soaked and shaking. Almost instantly Pebbles whipped upwards, fury blazing in his eyes.

"What in VOID'S NAME was that?!?! How STUPID ARE you?! You see water rushing down the hall towards you and you just stand there like a raindeer in the searchlights?! What is wrong with you?! Do you have any idea how stupid that was? How that could have gotten you killed?! I know we are within the cycle now, but do you truly crave death that badly?!" He shouted, throwing his hands up. 

Moon was shaking. Horribly. The iterator moved at a snail's pace as she slowly pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, hardly seeming to manage the simple feat. There was an odd electric whine coming out of her chest, and he noted it was coming out of Pebbles too. It made her voice warble as she finally spoke. 

"I- Y-Yes. Sorry. You- You're right. I don't- I just- The water. It was coming up my legs, and I saw it coming down the sewer and just-" She shook harder with every stutter and false start. "I think. There is something wrong in my circuitry. My neurons. Something is terribly wrong. I can't-" 

The iterator wavered. But in a second, her brother's hands were on her shoulders and steadying her. She jumped at the contact, but relaxed just as quickly. A hand came up and grabbed one of her brother's in a tight grip. 

"I don't understand what's happening. Something is wrong." She wheezed, barely audible through the static and the whining. 

Pebble's head swiveled around, looking less angry then he was genuinely worried now, even trying to keep his expression tight. Sugar pressed up against Moon's side, coming up under her arm and butting its head into her chin with a scared, but somehow knowing look.

The space was very tight with all of them there. But still, space was made as Pebbles shuffled back, dragging his sister with him to the wall and hesitantly bringing her up to his chest. He was already partially soaked, so he didn't seem to mind as water dripped off her and onto him. 

"It's fine. You're fine. You're....ok." He said quietly. The comfort was awkward and stilted sounding, but his sister didn't seem to care as she twisted her hands in his poncho. "No more water. We're all ok."

Moon shuddered. There was a pause, before a purr suddenly sounded up, louder than Sugar's own.

It wasn't a very good purr. More of a humming, actually. It wasn't like Moon's, who despite sounding electric, did have practice. But it was something, and Moon's shaking lessened against him for it. 

Cream couldn't understand all they were saying. But then, he didn't need to. He remembered the deep set terror as he passed the overhang where he lost his sibling in the rain, staring into the waters below and fearing. He looked at his sibling, here now, and saw the wide eyed look on its face, but the resigned solidarity in it. He looked at Pebbles, his hands trembling and bunched in her shirt, and he understood all the same.

That night, he curled up right alongside Sugar, curled up into the blue iterator's lap as much as possible, three separate purrs bouncing off the walls of the enclosed space. 

They didn't talk about it, the next cycle. But Sugar and Pebbles flanked their rescued family and kept her safely away from the water.

It was almost funny, after that, how quick they found the exit. Any problems were swiftly and violently resolved by the others in the group, and eventually they came to an intersection that shot to either side. Angel pointed up at the ladder that led to another manhole, bordered by words he didn't recognize but the iterators seemed relieved by. 

They got out quickly, barring some hassle dragging the lizards up through the cover, and they found themselves on the very edge of the city. Ahead of them, odd peatlands bordered by patches of forest stretched outwards. The greenery was dull and muddy, the water it grew out of dark and set in strange bubbles that seemed almost manmade, but overgrown. It was too open for his liking as well. But stone walkways carved through the land, cracked and pushing weeds but still sturdy looking despite the time that had passed. 

"Well. Let us hope nobody falls in here." Moon said, her voice sounding quite sarcastic. 

"Don't kid." Pebbles growled at her, and he was met with a droll look.

"I'm not."

And so the journey went on.

Chapter Text

There was something wrong inside of her. There had to be, right? A short circuit or a blown fuse, just something that would explain what had happened. Why she had felt and was feeling the way that she was. Nevermind that all the biological parts should have made that very hard. Something must have gotten into her. Water or something, and made something short out. It was the only explanation. 

It was the only reason for why she had looked down the sewers at that water crashing towards her and just froze. Sheer terror had rooted her to the spot, far beyond anything she had ever felt. The water sloshed over her feet and the world around her shook, and for a moment she was back in her can, closing her eyes and trying not to think as the waters rose up and over her head. Drowning her. Over and over and over. 

But she wasn't in her can. She hadn't been for cycles now! So why had she suddenly thought she was? Why, even when she had been dragged to safety, did she feel stuck between that place and another? 

Why did she still shake?

The peatlands that stretched out to the horizon were....interesting, at least. They would be more so if she didn't look down at the waters that surrounded them and feel some odd sense of something like nausea, and something like vertigo. They were completely stagnant save for the small ripples of things moving beneath the surface, and yet. She was still forced to remind herself that they were no longer anywhere near her can. They had left her corpse to fade into scenery long abandoned, and they would never be going back. She was free, and she would be staying that way. No can, no drowning, no nothing. 

Still, she tore her gaze away from the water to focus on other things. No Significant Harassment could perform a check up on her when they got to his can. She needed to be in the here and now. 

This place likely would have been a sort of farming area, once upon a time. Nothing like an iterator's farm arrays. Back in the beginnings of the rains, they would have used places like these to grow sturdy water based crops, like rice and various sorts of berries. Actually, she could see some of these sorts of plants already, as wild as they were. Plants that almost looked like popcorn plants, bubble fruit, lilypucks, and all sorts of other things that seemed edible, but she couldn't recognize. There were also quite a few flowers and the like that sprouted from the patches of peat. 

Something made a noise, and she watched as a few frogs hopped up onto the walkway, and back down into the water on the other side, singing to each other as they went. The pups practically tripped over themselves to grab one, happily attempting to mimic the noises they made. Cream and Sugar made strangled noises as the pups nearly got dragged into the water, scrambling to grab the little troublemakers before they fell into the murky water. 

"Those little beasts are going to get eaten if someone doesn't have an eye on them at all times. It's hard enough keeping Clover and Peach from making them a snack." Pebbles grumbled as he watched the little things whine at their caretakers, picked up by the scruffs and carried back over to the rest of the group. Moon rolled her eyes and jabbed him in the side. 

"Don't be mean, they're pups." She huffed, before glancing at him teasingly. "I don't think you hate them as much as you try to affect, though. If you really didn't, you wouldn't have named them. Or tolerated them running around your legs like they do."

Pebbles glowered ineffectively at his sister, jabbing her back. "You told me to work for my forgiveness. So I am." He told her shortly. His shoulders came up slightly as she tilted her head at him to continue. "I am....attempting....to be nicer. Whether I like it or not. Be thankful. It helps that you would tear my head off if I hurt anyone here."

"I would." Moon conceded, pausing before leaning over to bump their antenna together. "I appreciate the effort. I am thankful, Five Pebbles."

Her brother huffed as Angel chittered at him, looking somehow a bit smug. Again the slugcat was walking this time, her legs shaky but not wobbling around like she and Pebbles had. Her legs were getting a bit better with the work she was putting in it seemed, and though she was still far thinner than was healthy, she was beginning to fill out some more. The stark definition of her ribs and hips was not as bad now. Her back was still covered with pole plant leaves, but she had seen under it before, largely seeing scars. Though she had also seen more bumps of rot beginning to show again. Still, Moon was happy she was better than before, and more than confident they would get to Sig before she got bad again.

There was a splash, and Moon turned to see Sugar snatching something out of the water. It almost looked like a jetfish, but smaller and fatter, with long trailing whiskers. Sugar bit happily through its spine to finish it before handing it to the pups to satisfy them, then hurrying ahead to grab some of the lilypucks that floated close to the stone walkway. The mood was calm, but she always kept a few overseer eyes into the open skies above them. Between open space, lack of tunnels to dive into, and little rain, they were begging for a vulture attack. And she didn't particularly care to face off against one, especially after her last experiences. 

"Oh, look at that. I thought they had gone extinct." Pebbles suddenly blinked next to her. She followed her brother's gaze, and found a bright spray of colors hanging from one of the trees that sparsely decorated the land. Its wings glittered in the sun, and its long tassels trailed down like colorful vines from the tree. Every twitch sent fractals of light bouncing across the water.

"A butterfly! I haven't seen any since before the old ones left!" She gasped. "I knew some had to be somewhere. Do you remember when they would do mass releases for parties? I miss those." 

Pebbles hummed, staring as they passed. "I do. They were pretty, but very annoying. They kept getting into my can somehow, and every time my inspectors would go mad sending me alerts as they tried to kill them." He huffed, gesturing up in frustration. Moon just tilted her head back and laughed.

"At least they kept things interesting!"

"If your definition of interesting is being harassed by insects, then sure."

The two were surprised as a small fish leapt from the water and latched onto the trailing end of that butterfly's wing. The butterfly did not flinch. Instead it crawled around to the top of the branch, and started using its front legs to draw up its own tassel, fish still attached. When the wing was fully drawn in, the two watched as the butterfly leaned forward and bit down onto the fish's head. There was a pause. 

"I thought it looked bigger than I was used to. Everything grows into a niche, I suppose." Moon said. "Indeed." Pebbles agreed. 

The walk was even longer than she had expected. She knew it would be a long way to No Significant harassment, but this specific area seemed to go on forever. At least there was no lack of entertainment as they went. Despite the walkways being largely clear, the land was surprisingly full with life. Shadows darted through the water. Tiny bugs flew through the air and alighted upon the vegetation. Cherry at one point had stopped to look at the water, and nearly got chomped by what seemed like a bigger, slower version of the salamander. Cherry had fallen into the water on the other side, and Moon dispatched it swiftly. Thankfully Cherry was fine, just absolutely soaked in a hilarious way that made her fur stick and hang off her.

They took care of two more salamanders and some fish, largely as lizard food, but were largely able to subsist off of vegetation specifically. The wild rice was apparently particularly tasty after the pods had been cracked open.

Unfortunately as they thought, the area did have a few vultures lurking around, though the ones here seemed younger. With the early warning system of their overseers, however, they had the chance to think of a....clever idea that involved getting in the water and shuffling along the side of the walkway when the creatures passed overhead. She had wanted, desperately, to refuse. But that was stupid, because it was fine. The waters did not rise, and she was not going to drown. 

Yet her fingers still trembled enough to make her slip. She hadn't shook so hard before when she had so much more dangerous waters below her, and far more dangerous creatures. She had even gone underwater! It was uncomfortable, yes, but not edging closer to unbearable like it was now. 

But Pebbles pressed into her side, and Sugar always kept a hand near her own, and it became something a little more tolerable with every second. It was fine. She was fine. 

Considering they were back out of the city, the shelters became once again far bigger, and far better than the cramped up ones within the residential areas and retaining walls of the facility now far away from them. For the first time in a while she could once again stretch her legs out without kicking someone directly in the face, and move without elbowing someone else. Her sleep was uneasy, however, plagued by dreams of tumbling down into inky blackness far away from safety. She woke a time or two from them, and it seemed as though Pebbles had a similar problem. She held him closer that cycle, and he only protested a little bit. 

The next cycle came, and they continued once more. At their sides, the forest, or maybe swamp now that she looked at it, was growing denser and closer the further they moved. There were more trees now, and something like monster kelp was beginning to sprout from a few places in the waters around them.

It was....alright. Which of course meant something had to go wrong.

First, there were three salamanders blocking the pathway. Annoying and dangerous, but less than impossible. Between all of them, dealing with a few salamanders was easy. And then there was the other thing.

"Vulture!" She cried as the feed crossed her consciousness. 

But they couldn't drop off the walkway without putting themselves in more danger from the water faring salamanders. The group was forced to continue to fight, even just as the vulture came into view. The thing was smaller, but fast. By the time they were jumping off, the thing had already caught sight of them. No use for it, but they still tried, praying the corpses of the things they had just fought would take its attention instead. 

The vulture landed in a plume of purple haze as steam rushed out of its engines. Its beak clicked together and its wings thudded across the ground. Its long neck stretched forward and examined the bodies of the large, heavy salamanders. Bigger than its own head. Click click, the thing shuffled forward across the walkway that it only barely fit on. Every forward move almost sent it toppling over the edge.

The long trails of its wingtips dangled over the walkway edges. Five Pebbles let out a small, involuntary yelp as one of them bumped across the top of his head and hands. The vulture's head snapped around. 

In an instant, too fast to react to, the monster snapped out and dragged the pink iterator up into the air by his arm. He shrieked and kicked his legs, and Moon felt terror and a rush of anger flood her circuits, reacting just quick enough to grab onto his leg and get pulled up with him.

"PEBBLES!!!" She cried as the thing pushed off the ground and into the air with a rush of steam. 

"MOON YOU-" Pebbles cut off with a strangled noise, scrambling to try to grab her and pull her up against him as the ground began to disappear beneath them. 

She needed to get Pebbles out of the things grasp before it got too high. The water would hit like concrete if they dropped too far up. Processes whirled, but she was hardly thinking as she dragged herself up her brother's body and grabbed onto the smooth, feathery neck of the vulture that squirmed under her sudden grip on it. 

"Moon! What are you-" 

Again he cut off as one of her legs braced against his shoulder, and she heaved up onto the neck of the beast. Wrapping her legs around its throat, she reached forward and grabbed onto the edges of its mask and beak and pulled. In an instant it was flying completely out of whack, dropping and barely staying in the air as its gaze was ripped around. 

"You let go of my brother," She started, leaning back and dragging the things head further upwards. She wedged one hand between it's jaws and glared. "You eternity damned-" She growled, steadied herself, and yanked.

"MONSTER!!!!"

There was a loud crack. The spine underneath her gave in the same moment she tore the mask from the creature's face. In an instant, all life in the thing went out. It went slack, and suddenly they were falling through the air, down down down into green waters. 

Splash.

Back in her can. Back in the water. Drowning and unsure of which way was up or down. It was so dark and it was cold. She wanted out now but there was no use in struggling because there was no way out. She was drowning and the best she could do was close her eyes and wait because she would be for a while yet. Iterators were built to have time pass fast for them, but these cycles under torrential water seemed to drag on for eternity.

Something behind her made a noise like a cry. It was- No. Wait. Pebbles. Her brother. The water. 

Her eyes shot open. She couldn't panic now, he was still in danger. She swiveled around in place looking for her brother, and the water was dark but her eyes were far stronger than that. She saw pink, and for all her lack of experience swimming, she shot towards him.

His hands were extended long before she reached him, and when she did, her own locked to them. She dragged him against her chest and, together, they kicked off the bottom and sailed back up to the surface in a desperate flail of limbs that was difficult, but got the job done. The sun shone overhead, and in moments, they were breaking through it. 

The hand she wasn't holding Pebbles with scrabbled outwards, finding a large patch of peat and using it to help keep them above water. Angel yowled at them, closer than she had thought they would be. Two splashes, and she looked up to see Cream and Sugar rapidly approaching through the water to help. Frankly, she could have cried. A high pitched whining was droning out of her chest anyway, mimicked perfectly by Pebbles as he clutched her shirt. 

Cream and Sugar reached them in no time at all, but still too long for comfort. The four grabbed onto each other, and the iterator siblings were soon being pulled back onto dry land. When they were finally there, the two just lay there and shook. 

It took a while before she had the courage to speak. When she did, she squeezed him. "Are you ok?" She croaked. Pebbles made a shocked noise. 

"Am I? Are you? It seems you keep having terrible hands dealt to you over and over. Its enough to break someone." He wheezed back. Moon wasn't able to help the slightly delirious half laugh, half cry that came out of her. 

"I could say the same for you." She replied. There was a shift, and she noticed that she had brought the vulture's mask along with her. It had gotten caught around her wrist by the eyehole, somehow.

Sugar draped itself across her back, purring as loud as it possibly could. It was warm and solid despite being just as wet and dirty, and it managed to keep her....somewhat in the moment. Even if the background drone of terror kept threatening to drag her back into her own long abandoned corpse and the waters that surrounded it. She clung to the memory of seeing the sun for the first time, glimmering off the ebbs and waves like ever extending fractals rippling outwards onto the horizon. 

Eventually, the group dragged themselves to the next shelter. Once inside, Sugar and Cherry practically threw the two of them down and licked them clean despite any and all protests, mostly from Pebbles. She supposed that being animals at the end of the day, they didn't really mind the taste of dirt all that much. In this context, at least. 

Whatever the case was, that cycle, she and her brother once again clung to each other as the slugcats pressed in all around them, filling the air with soft vibrating purrs. Even the lizards seemed to be doing it. 

The next time they woke up, they shuffled out slowly. Moon turned the relatively small vulture mask in her hands, examining it as she went. Cherry had given Angel hers, and they seemed to scare off quite a few predators from the still weak creature. They did good work in prevention. She considered it for a moment, before reaching up and hanging it from her head, sticking her antenna through the eyeholes, keeping it backwards on her head. 

"Picking up new fashion choices?" Pebbles said dubiously as he watched her. She just shrugged slightly. "It helps Angel not get attacked from behind, I figure it could do the same for me." She answered simply. 

Pebbles continued to eye the mask for a second before shaking his head. "You're becoming a vagabond. Killing a vulture and wearing its mask? I feel like my entire worldview has shifted." He sighed. That, at least, got a chuckle out of her. 

"Survival, Pebbles. You should learn about it sometime." She responded. 

Pebbles shot her an offended look, but by that point she was already making her way forwards. 

Ahead of them, the peatlands finally stopped, large, dark trees beginning to stick up out of the ground and obscuring the sky with thick foliage. Stone walkways gave way to a small wooden path that was almost invisible for how broken, muddy, and covered in green it was. Somehow, the smell of mud was getting even thicker inside it. Somehow even quieter, too. Like even the wind refused to blow through the trees that grew here.

A bad feeling shuddered up into her all the way from her feet to the tips of her antenna. Something about this place made her gut twist. Beside her, Pebbles shuddered. Like he was having the same feeling. 

Still, they continued in. The trees grew tighter and tighter around them, blocking out more and more of the sun. From where Cherry was carrying Angel, the weaker slugcat made a hiss up at the trees. It was now Moon remembered that she must have come through here before, and she didn't seem all too happy to be here again. Not at all. 

Moon clutched at her bag.

This wasn't going to be fun.

Chapter Text

Five Pebbles was a very smart iterator. He was built to be. Thousands of cycles of work and testing and training had all combined one day to eventually make him. The perfect entity of logic and outstanding functionality. 

It was this exact logic that was now screaming at him that this place was bad.

The first clue had been Angel's hesitation. This place being where it was, she must have gone through it before. And from the look on her face, her experiences there had not been particularly pleasant or kind to her. 

The second clue was how quickly the place was getting dark. At first it had been...fine. Some sunlight had broken through the tightly packed leaves and branches of the canopy above at the start of the journey, but every step forward the branches wound tighter and tighter, becoming like a expertly woven basket above them and blocking out what little light there had previously been. It was only by the blessing of his mechanical parts that he was able to see as well as he was. Not quite night vision, but certainly good enough.

The third clue was how claustrophobic the area was becoming. The trees seemed to press in all around them, their paths becoming less and less clear as they continued on. Roots and vegetation pushed out of every crack and cranny in the ground around them, and while he had gotten better at walking, even Moon seemed to be having an adjustment period to getting around the odd scenery. He had only been stopped from falling by virtue of the mass rarefaction cell in his hands that allowed him to drift over most of the larger obstacles.

The fourth and final clue was just how quiet it was. Before, there had always been something. The wind or creak of broken structures. Water splashing or the drone of bugs somewhere around them. But here, it was like the very earth was afraid of making a sound. Not a shift, not a creak, not a groan. Even the group's footsteps seemed muffled upon the undergrowth they moved across. It was enough that, frankly, he was fairly sure that if anything at all made too big a noise, every single one of them would end up jumping at least a few feet in the air. Even the lizards and pups seemed tense, the pups having all but forgotten any reason to stay away from Cherry as they clung into the fur of her tail. 

So yes. Every inch of his internal processes were screaming that this was not a good place to be, and that they would be smart to move through this place as quickly as possible. 

Just in case, he kept quite a few of his overseers looking out for them. From the footage that crossed his mind and the way Moon occasionally paused and tilted, he could tell she was doing the exact same thing. Watching and waiting for something to happen.

Something, of course, eventually did. All heads turned and all spears raised as something skittered out from the brush. A large, dark figure. It was nearly invisible against the pitch bark of the trees around them, but visible enough. Angel narrowed her eyes and hissed as Sugar and Cherry threw their spears into it. A closer look told them that it was, apparently, just a spider. Ugh. Food for the group, at least.

As they went, they began to notice specks of light coming from around them. Pinpricks of illumination scattered across leaves and the tips of flower stalks. It wasn't enough to make the area not dark, but it was enough to break up the dark silhouettes of the scenery around them. If he narrowed his eyes just right, it felt almost as if he was walking in the night sky, darkness all around him and stars twinkling in the spaces around him. It even felt like too, if he jumped up enough and let the anti gravity carry him. 

His fun was stopped when Angel suddenly hissed loudly at him, and Moon grabbed the back of his shirt to pull him back to the group just as swiftly. 

"Careful there, Pebbles. We don't know what's around here." The other iterator said pointedly.

In his prancing about, he hadn't noticed what he was about to run into. A tall stretch of something that looked almost like monster kelp stood out of one of the many pools of swamp water. Bioluminescent spots of light flickered gently along the ends of its swaying leaves, a smattering of bright freckles that made it just barely visible against the rest of the darkness. 

Pride slightly injured, he turned off his anti gravity once more and kept going on foot, as annoying as it was. 

He had mistaken the area for a forest when they had gone through the long stretch of peatlands what seemed like ages ago now. It was very clear as they walked through it now, however, that it was not. It was a warm, moist, muddy, deathtrap of a swamp. There wasn't as much water as there had been in the peatlands, but it was still far worse in his opinion. Their path had long since disappeared, forcing them to trek through bush after bush trying to get around pools of water now rife with the odd monster kelp look alikes. It was only made worse for Moon and Pebbles as their sharp feet sunk into far too soft dirt and tripped them up even when there was a clear shot of land to go across. 

Then, of course, were the creatures. Despite the oppressive silence of the area, it was evidently not free of life. Moon ended up tripping over something that had seemed like a rock at first, but had proceeded to get up and skitter away, tiny claws snipping irritably. Then, of course, the ever present lizards. Their heads and glowing spines made them stick out quite harshly in the darkness, making it quite easy to pick them out and pick them off for some good food. Spiders were a bit more of a dangerous enemy considering how well they blended in, but they thankfully didn't seem to bother them too much due to how large the group was, not to mention the vulture masks two of them wore. 

It was good enough food for the cycle, to say the least. He noted that the rains were beginning to become slightly more frequent once more now that they were moving closer to No Significant Harassment. Not too bad yet, but something he was sure to be warry of, considering it was also significantly harder to find the shelters here in the dark even despite their glowing insignias.

It was the next cycle, of course, that they figured out one more dangerous problem. 

"Are those bugs?" Moon asked, bewildered. 

In their overseer footage, a massive streak of light more akin to a comet than anything else flowed through branches and spaces between trees, a loud humming vibrating through every nook and cranny as it swirled about. It was hard to see, but indeed, this glowing patch of pure light seemed to be a very large group of bugs heading in their general direction. A sense of sudden discomfort settled in his chest as he watched.

"I believe so. Fireflies, perhaps? Though the ones I've seen never used to do that." He agreed, watching as the things flew in unison around the obstacles of the forest. 

He saw how fast Angel's head snapped around at that. So fast and so hard he was surprised her neck hadn't snapped from the force. His gut sank as he took in her expression. He wasn't often very good at reading the little creature's, but the terror on her face was so open that it was impossible not to. Her eyes were wide and her pupils shrank into slits, he was sure that if it could, her fur would have turned completely white in that moment. Quickly, she made a gesture pointing frantically at the ground. 

"Are they coming here?" Moon surmised, and Angel nodded furiously. "Mmm, yes, I believe they will be passing by. Are they dangerous?"

Angel barely even bothered answering. In a moment she had thrown herself from Cherry's back, using all of her little strength to push the slugcat towards a patch of brush and a tree with space beneath its roots. She gestured frantically to the safety, tossing the pups in with Cherry as well and rushing to try to bully the rest of them somewhere they wouldn't be seen.

"Careful! Calm down! How dangerous are they?" Moon yipped as she was pulled down behind and beneath some bush, Pebbles following right behind. Angel only hissed at her and put a finger to her lips as she hunkered down, flattening against the dirt as much as she possibly could. Again, Pebbles was reminded that she had experience being in here. This was something very dangerous. 

At her behest, the group sat in silence as they hid. The lizards were difficult to force to settle down, but even they stilled as a buzzing began to ring through the air, louder and louder as everything else became somehow even quieter. 

It was like an eternity waiting there as the bugs grew closer. Eventually, the scenery began to light up. A soft glow bouncing off the bark of tall trees growing brighter and brighter, and then there they were. Even bigger than he had expected from his overseer footage, flowing easily like water around the spaces between trees. Beautiful and terrifying all in one.

He had been curious as to what made these things so dangerous that they had to hide like they were now. Unluckily for them, a stray lizard was happy to demonstrate. 

Pebbles was hardly able to register the color of the creature before the fireflies turned in the air and swarmed it. A hiss was cut off, and in barely a second he couldn't even see what the thing had looked like, covered in a mass of bright yellow light, a lump that's shifts and squirms made light ripple and dance off the darkness around them. 

It was only a couple of seconds before the insects burst away once more and disappeared into the trees beyond. 

There was nothing left. 

It was only when the buzzing finally faded into the distance that any of them even dared to breathe. Angel slumped deeper into the dirt with a resigned huff, and everyone else seemed to be reasonably horrified at this new development. 

"Just what we needed. Killer bugs." Pebbles huffed, stretching his legs out. Something brushed the back of them. "I would say how at the very least they are pretty, but I think the danger far outweighs that. I- Alright, who's grabbing my- ...Leg?"

Something was going up his leg. Long and thin and squirming, something vinelike in nature. Not the arm of one of the pups or the longue of one of the lizards like he had expected for a moment. In annoyance, he pushed himself up and turned his head around to glare at whatever it was. He turned to see-

Rot. 

For a long moment, it was like all his processing had completely shorted out. Something in him had short circuited, and nothing else was coming in or going out. Because that was rot. Why was there rot here? There shouldn't be rot here, that wasn't possible. That wasn't possible.

"Pebbles?"

He couldn't even answer his sister. It was like there was something stuck within his vocal cords, restricting any and all coherent words. Instead it was replaced with an odd noise from deep in his chest, too high to be a whine but too low to be a shriek. It was long, continued, and full of static. This was it. This was it. Of course it was. This was always how he was going to die. It was stupid to have ever imagined he could have escaped. 

Moon said something else, and he couldn't hear her. The tendril yanked on his leg, pulling him a few inches across the dirt. Suddenly he couldn't think of anything but his dreams. Being dragged back into darkness. Consumed by his own illness. Or maybe taken over as Angel had been. Tumors bursting out from the seams in his metal, consuming him from the inside out. Left a husk as the unthinking, unfeeling masses took control of him and piloted what little was left of him. Stuck still alive in a hellish limbo unable to do anything but be used as food and a vessel for the thing. 

There were arms around his middle now, yanking him up and away from the reaching mass. A spear buried into the side of the tendril that had latched onto him, and relief flooded him as he was released. He clutched at the familiar limbs around him, brought against a solid chest. 

"Moon, rot." He managed to wheeze, his voice warbling and so static filled that it was barely even comprehensible.

"It's not, Pebbles. It's not. I promise. You're ok, it's ok." She whispered back, turning him against herself. 

Not rot? But it was. But it- wasn't?

He hated to. He didn't want to. But he did. He looked back at it again. 

The signs were there. Bulbous, tumorous lumps that stuck out in the junction between a tree and the ground. Long tendrils searched the ground around it. Pitch black and slick as they ever were. But....not right.

There were no ever present crosses along its bulbs that the rot carried. There were no changes in color other than small patches of dark green along the ends of its tendrils who's bumps were too uniform and too few to be actual rot. It was too....sturdy looking. Almost more like the knots in a tree than anything else. It wasn't rot. Not at all.

So...it was fine. Moon was right, and he was ok.

Why was he still trembling?

"Out." He said, somewhere between a hiss and an outright plea. His eyes tore away from the odd plant life, unable to hold his gaze onto it any longer than he already unfortunately had. "We need out. Now."

He needed out. It was like his entire metal frame was crumpling inwards. It wasn't, but suddenly his own body felt too constricted. Something had gotten stuck. Was he dying? What was broken?

"Alright, Pebbles. Cmon." Moon's voice was painfully understanding. Something in it sounded....oddly like some kind of revelation or realization. Either way, she kept one arm tightly around him as the others gathered, and they continued to move far quicker than they had previously.

Pebbles would have loved to say that the rest of the trip went perfectly. He wanted to say that everything was fine and they had gotten to the other side unharmed and absolutely happy. But they didn't. They really really didn't. In fact they probably couldn't have been farther from fine as they rushed through the darkened swamp as fast as the difficult terrain would allow them.

After that encounter, it was like everything started going further and further downhill. Because, apparently, that patch of rot plant was not the only one. Of course it wasn't. After that first encounter, it was like the stuff was suddenly at every other bend. Sticking out of the ground. Drooping from the bark of the trees. They avoided it as much as possible, but every time he looked at it, he felt almost dizzy and like the only thing keeping him together was his sister's arm around his shoulder. 

Then, of course, were the fireflies. They obviously hadn't gone away, and there seemed to be many different groups of them, so it was like they were ducking for cover every few minutes to keep themselves from getting eaten. The tension of these moments were doing nothing to help his nerves. 

Of course it was only a matter of time before something gave. Of course it had to be them being the ones that did. 

The fireflies were coming around again. This time, there was not much cover to hide behind. Certainly not enough for them all to hide with. So they kept running, every step far too loud for any of them. The vegetation was getting more and more sparce the further they went, signaling the beginning of the end to the dark swamps, but that was leaving them high and dry with not enough cover to hide behind. 

And the rot mimic was still there. They had run as much as they could, but it was his own foot that got suddenly stuck into a patch none of them had noticed. In an instant the tendrils had wrapped around him and he was falling over, getting dragged back against the acidic rot mimic as he panicked and scrabbled against the soft dirt in an attempt to get away. He let out a strangled scream that may have sounded something like 'help', but it was lost to a roar of high white noise. 

Moon, Sugar, and Cherry pushed the others ahead while they turned back to grab him, even as the drone of a thousand buzzing wings came closer and the light began to glow through the trees.

"Cmon cmon" Moon hissed, strained as she ripped off the vines with all the power in her robotic body, grabbing him under the arms and pulling him up. Cherry cracked her tail down on the central mass of the thing. The bugs swarmed around the corner.

Sugar moved first, throwing itself at the mass with its spear brandished. Like it could help. Like it could do anything. Moon barely managed to free a hand to swipe uselessly after her dear friend with a frantic cry of "SUGAR NO!"

Far too little far too late.

The little creature was consumed. 

What happened next was almost too quick to process. First, his sister screamed. So loud that it echoed off of every space in the dark glade. Then she dropped him and lurched forward. 

He could feel it the instant before it happened. Static lanced over him, sticking his clothes to his body and buzzing between his antenna. There was something almost like a change in pressure as his insides shuddered and sparked. And then......

BANG

Like lightning. For a moment, his entire vision had been whited out as the glade went from dark to painfully bright as arcs of electricity shot in every direction. Himself and Cherry were only barely saved from it, but he could still feel every spark and judder that went through the ground and buzzed up his limbs like static. Cherry's fur stood on end, just as much from fear as it was from the event that had just occurred. 

There was no more Sugar. But there were also no more fireflies. The entire swarm of them lay dead and shouldering in a heap on the ground. There was no more light in the glade. Moon shuddered in place for a moment, then tipped to the side. 

"Moon! Moon!!! Are you alright? Is this reaching you?" He cried as he scrabbled over the ground to her side, flipping her over and barely flinching as jolts of static hit him when he did. She couldn't be dead. She couldn't be. He only just got her. He wouldn't accept it. The other iterator twitched and shook, but relief flooded him as a hand reached up and snatched onto his own.

"Sugar." She wheezed, voice staticky. 

"Gone. I'm sorry, Moon." He responded.

His gut twisted. He had not been as close with the creature as his sister was. But after the work it had put in, and all the journey they had gone through, he was forced to admit that Sugar was his friend too. Watching it be consumed was horrifying. Terrifying. His insides twisted around themselves as the memory played and replayed over in his head. It hurt. 

Below, his sister's fingers dug into the ground as she stared up.

"I'm going to find it." She said suddenly, her voice cold and even.

"What?" Pebbles asked, strained as she suddenly whipped upwards again, wobbling to her feet with some help from Pebbles.

"I'm going back. Sugar died, so it will be back in the last shelter it was in. I'm going to find it." She said, her voice shaking. He went to protest, but she narrowed her eyes back at him. "I want you and Cherry to go back to the others, and get out. The exit won't be far from here. Go, and I will meet you all back there once I find Sugar again and bring it back. Understand?" 

Pebbles choked and spluttered for a moment, before shaking his head. "Moon, you're hardly standing! You just let off so much electricity I'll be surprised if none of your neurons are dead! Please, at least rest the cycle. Sugar won't show up until next cycle anyway, there is no use putting yourself in danger now!" He protested. Moon glared, and it was probably one of the more terrifying ones he had seen. 

"I am going." She growled in a tone that bore no argument. She turned heel and started walking.

"Wait, just hold on!" She turned her head to glare again, but stopped as Pebbles shoved the mass rarefaction cell into her chest. "If you really want to be so reckless, bring that. You will be able to move quicker." He huffed. "Just be safe."

There was a long pause. Moon tilted her head oddly at him for a moment. Suddenly, he was brought into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Pebbles." She said.

No further words exchanged, his sister clutched the cell and ran. He watched her disappear into the darkness, and could only hope she would come back all in one piece.

Chapter Text

......Ow.

Sugar ached as it swam back into consciousness, and it couldn't help but complain internally about how that had hurt. There were worse ways to go, of course, but death by getting eaten by a thousand bugs was certainly up there. It shuddered at the memory of being eaten into, only halting when the things finally reached its brain in a matter of moments. Still too long, but not as prolonged as some of its deaths had been. 

It had also been....a while since it had died. Especially so violently. Usually it was quite good at the whole "staying alive" thing, and guiding Moon along had done well to make it even more cautious. It couldn't die and leave her alone. Her or Pebbles. 

Pebbles.....

He had looked so terrified. Frankly, it had never seen something with so little facial expression make such a scared look. It never wanted to see Pebbles look that scared again. Pebbles was put together. Cold. Logical. That fear just wasn't right for him, and in that moment it had been determined not only to protect its friends, but wipe that look off his face. Laughter and smiling eyes would fit him much better. 

So....yes. It had made a very stupid move. What did it even plan to do??? Stab every thousand one of those bugs to death? No, the least it had hoped was that it served as a distraction. Depending on the fact that none of the others were in here with it, that plan had worked. Painful as it had been, it allowed itself just a bit of satisfaction for that. 

But.....hm. Now there was the fact that it had lost the group. A blessing, but also a curse. It would have to make the rest of the journey on its own and hope that finding the group would be fairly easy. If not, it would simply make the rest of the way to No Significant Harassment's can on its own and meet them there. 

The quiet was....odd, after enough cycles suddenly in a large group. Uncomfortable. Already it was missing the soft breaths of other bodies around it. Warmth pressing in all around. Soft chittering and shuffling as they made themselves comfortable, and even the idle background chatter from Pebbles and Moon. It had been nice. It only hoped to get back to that quickly. 

Sugar took a moment to stretch out its limbs and work out the lingering aches before exiting the shelter. The one upside of not having a large group to travel with was that it could move much, much faster. Not needing to watch after the bodies around them, it could sprint as far as it wanted, as fast as it wanted. And in this situation, going faster would be a boon as well. It didn't want to worry its friends even more.

It would be annoying to get the mud out of its fur later, but this time Sugar didn't shirk running on all fours and swimming through some pools of water. Anything to get out of this place faster would be a boon. It just had to....remember the exact path they had taken before.

Hm.

That was a difficult task in these dark, swampy glades. Set up as they were, everything looked the same. Slugcats had incredibly good senses of direction, but a place like this could get even the most experienced travelers turned around. It couldn't see past the canopy to locate the distant can it was aiming for, couldn't rely on the surrounding flora to guide it, couldn't even rely on its own memory to guide it, as every time it turned around it was like something else had shifted around yet again. 

Well. Determination was a virtue when you were alone. Keep going, and you were bound to get somewhere. 

Sugar dived over and between the brush and pools of water, relying on what little sense of forward it had. Without the group, it relegated to mostly trying to avoid the enemies scattered about the area. It was easy to forget how mortal one was when you had a few more than capable fighters alongside you. It remembered the way Moon had snapped the neck of the young vulture and shuddered slightly.

Well. At least hiding was no longer a struggle. It was able to avoid everything from the fireflies to the lizards when it was able to tuck in beneath the roots of trees and branches of bushes without needing to share the space with anyone else. It even managed to catch a infant centipede while waiting, once. A bit different than the ones it usually saw, with glowing plates instead of normal ones. It proceeded to have to dart off and away from an adult centipede that it really didn't have the time or patience to fight with, good meal or not. 

It kept going. And going. And going. Had it been forever? Or had it only been a few minutes? It was so hard to tell between being unable to look at the cloud cover and dodging between enemies left and right. Its internal clock tick tick ticked away, but it hadn't been working right for some time. It had been so used to the cycles from Pebbles can that the shifts between no rain, barely any rain, and suddenly a bit more rain, had thrown it almost completely off. It didn't think the cycle was too far along, but it really could not tell at this point.

Twists and turns, up and down through scenery that all looked the exact same. Keep going, and you will always get somewhere. It kept telling itself that even when it was pretty sure it had passed that tree with the odd patch of rot plant three times now. 

It managed to stay determined for a couple more minutes before giving up.

Alright. New plan.

Sugar stopped to examine the situation, squirming into another hidey hole as it did. So it couldn't tell completely where it was going using its own intuition or the flora around it. It was dark and dangerous here. To get a good direction, it would probably need to get a view of the can it was aiming for. But.....how would it do that? The treetops were so tightly wound...

A swarm of fireflies buzzed by, lighting the scenery up once more. High and low they flew, buzzing around and in between the tightly packed branches of the trees around them. 

........Ah ha. There was an idea. Branches, tightly packed or not, probably would be able to bend with enough force. And a slugcat like itself was built to move through various tight spaces with ease. New plan examined, thought out, and decided upon. As the murderous bugs faded into the distance, it crawled out of its hole, turned, and leapt up onto the bark of the tall tree. 

Most slugcats did not have big claws. Not like other creatures did. They were sharp, yes, but not built for battle with many of the heavily armored creatures that scattered the land. No. What their claws were built for, however, was climbing. Relatively small, but very good for gaining traction upon even the slipperiest of surfaces. Combine that with sticky paws and shockingly powerful limbs for how small they were, and you had the perfect creature for getting into anywhere and everywhere with relative ease. 

It couldn't help but lament about the old days as it swiftly climbed the tree trunk and grappled onto the lower branches to help leap up further. It hadn't gone tree climbing in a very long time. It was quite used to leaping up metal walls instead of natural bark. It certainly wasn't complaining, practice with climbing the smooth metal cans made it almost laughably easy to climb the tree that had more than enough cracks and crannies to get its claws into.

Up it went, high into the canopy. Like it had hoped, the branches may have been tight, but they bent well enough with some force, allowing Sugar to squirm through the small spaces made between the leaves. 

Up, up, and ah. There were the clouded skies it had missed. Though also.....ow. It had very obviously spent far too long in the dark grounds below, because despite the clouds, the stun still hurt like a motherfucker. It hissed up at the sky in displeasure. The sky, as expected, did not react whatsoever to its plight. For emphasis, it shook a fist upwards. 

Blinking away the spots in its vision, it scanned the horizon for its target. Luckily, they were never too hard to see. Ahead and a bit to the left was No Significant Harassment's can. Evidently it had been a bit off, and had likely passed a few circles on the way, but wasn't too far off. Just a bit of correction and it was home free. Sugar stared up at the can, pointing its nose in that direction and memorizing exactly where it was. 

After a minute, it finally popped back down to the ground. Goal in mind, it sprinted off once more.

Again Sugar found itself in the same loop it had before. Hide, run, hide, run. Occasionally grab something to eat. With a direction set upon, however, it was far easier on its mind. Eventually, however, something broke up the monotony of travel. A loud, high pitched, electric chirp. A sound like one of its own, but....a mimicry. A mimicry out of vocal chords more mechanical than organic. 

Oh no. Of course they would have come back. Of course they would have come looking for it. Moon at the very least. Because they couldn't leave well enough alone and just wait. 

It stopped and pricked its ears. A pause. Then another chirp. And another pause. The noise was coming at even intervals as it moved, most certainly to try to make sure Sugar heard it. And heard it Sugar did. With a small whine, it darted off towards the noise as fast as it could. It did not want its friend to end up getting killed because she was drawing attention to herself with all that noise.

Closer and closer the noise drew as it ran, and despite being annoyed that she was drawing attention to herself, it couldn't help the rush of pure relief that swelled in its veins when it saw a blur of blue, white, and black burst through the air over a pond of water, mass rarefaction cell glimmering in her hands despite the darkness around them. 

With a sharp "WAOW!" it got her attention. Her head snapped around fast enough that it made an audible noise, and she all but completely dropped the antigravity to get on the ground and sprint to it. 

"Sugar!!!" She cried, pure joy dripping off of every syllable. A joy that Sugar couldn't help but echo. Dammit it couldn't stay mad at that face. Without hesitation it sprinted up at her and leapt into her chest, sending the both of them tumbling to the swamp floor. Moon laughed, free and relieved as Sugar whined and wailed as it butted its head up her chin, purring with every beat that it wasn't making a noise.

"I'm so glad I found you! I almost thought I wouldn't!" She laughed, grabbing it around the middle and squeezing as hard as she could without hurting. Her electric purr echoed out of her as well, and void it had barely been any time but Sugar had missed that sound. 

The two pulled away reluctantly when they heard the hiss of a spider too close for comfort, giving each other a look. 

"Shall we go? The others are almost certainly worried." She said. Sugar nodded and took her gloved hand as she shuffled the mass rarefaction cell under her other arm. Together the two set off, feeling at once more comfortable despite everything. A piece of their puzzles were back in place.

Walking together was far more comfortable than going it alone. At the same time, however, it was....a little bit of a distraction. Suddenly, Sugar was unsure which way they were going again. Had they already passed this way? Oh no, had they been turned around already? It had been so confident in its set path that it was sure it wouldn't stray again. But ah, this forest evidently had other ideas. 

It hissed and jabbed at a fake rot plant as it reached for them, ears flattened irritably against its head. "Have we seen that one before?" Moon asked tentatively, helping its nerves absolutely not at all. 

It hissed again, but it sounded odd. Louder and more raspy than it should have been. 

......That wasn't its hiss. 

Both itself and Moon yelped and jumped away as a massive yellow lizard with long trailing antenna lumbered out of the brush, snapping its jaws with eyes focused directly on them. The two moved to get away, and were almost immediately stopped as more of them began to emerge, circling the two and forcing them to back up against a tree. 

"Sugar, take the rarefaction cell and I will take the spear. Maybe I can-" She cut off as one of the lizards hissed and advanced, only just barely discouraged when Sugar took a swipe at it and growled. It backed up against Moon's side, the both of them glancing about as they tried to figure out the best way from the situation they had gotten themselves caught in.

Surrounded with only two of them. Moon was a good fighter, but against about....what was this, seven lizards? Yes, seven whole yellow lizards, they wouldn't be able to fight off all of them alone. Not like they had back in the thunderdome, with nothing to drop them off or hiding places to lure them out to. Surrounded and almost helpless. 

What to do what to do. Moon reached to grab the spear, but something drew the both of them to a halt.

From their right, the sound of something sliding reached its ears. It hardly had time to register the sound before suddenly, a blur of black and bursting gold flew over their heads. There was a flash of steel that gleamed in the light that glittered off the form, before just as quickly the spear had been thrust forward as the figure slammed on the ground, dirt flying in every direction as the spear was buried straight through the throat of the head lizard. The other beasts hissed and whipped back in surprise and pain as their leader choked on it's own blood, pulling back. The dark figure hunched low as spines and frills rose suddenly from its arched back, rattling together as the tips gleamed with bright bright gold, a beacon among the darkness. 

The shining marks of gold made it somehow even harder to see the figure they were attached to, but there were enough of them to make it easier to guess. Diamond shaped blocks wrapped around the thick circumference of the thing's tail, fanciful and woven almost like the intricate clothes on the ancients that it had seen painted across the walls of Pebble's can. A mesmerizing array of shimmering frills glowed with gold all along its back, waving and rattling in the air, bordered by strips of more gold across its sides. The thing's head was a bit harder to see as it was mostly turned to the reptiles, but when it shifted Sugar could see a pair of ovals with dots in the center, like eyes that never blinked. Five more rectangular marks spread down from it's forehead to the bridge of its nose, and taking it all in Sugar couldn't help but think the patterns on the creature looked somewhat familiar. 

Every dot and marking across the creature flashed, coming close to but not quite illuminating the form of something that looked like it could be a slugcat. It growled as one of the lizards shook itself and hissed back, seemingly taking the noise as a challenge as it lumbered forward, even disoriented as it had become. The spined creature hissed back even louder as the frills rattled faster. It grew brighter for just a second, when suddenly there was a flash of light so bright that all it could see was gold. It could hear the hissing and snapping of distress from the other lizards, but its focus was quickly drawn away as a small, slimy hand snatched onto its wrist and yanked it urgently along. It could hear Moon make a noise of surprise as well, and just like that they were running. 

Sugar was still trying to blink the yellow spots from it's vision when they finally stopped, ushered behind some brush and hunkered down to watch for any other predators that might happen to pass. As its eyes finally adjusted back to the dark area around them, it could finally see the form of their savior in full. As it had expected, a slugcat! One perfectly adapted for the area around them, it seemed. It was pitch black aside from its gold markings, something that made it hard to see even as it was right there in front of them. A quite healthy size, a bit smaller than Sugar's own height, and completely without fur. From the residue left on it's paw, it seemed like their savior had more than enough slime, though. 

"Saints below, you are a very bright little creature, aren't you!" Moon said, finally sure they weren't being followed. "Thank you for saving us, bright one! It is greatly appreciated!"

The slugcat blinked before tilting back to look her up and down, then leaning in and sniffing her. 

"Awahwawawaoh!" It responded, the marks on its body flickering as it noised at them. The two blinked, and it chirped, purred, and made another "Wawa!" noise. Sugar leaned forward and gestured 'Thank you.' to the other slugcat. It's brows furrowed in confusion, and made a small 'Brrp?' sound back at it. 

Hm, alright. It didn't seem to know the gestured language it used. It also didn't seem to have a mark, meaning it couldn't really understand Moon either. Well, another one to test its skill in charades in. Sugar shook its head, making a chirp and a purr back at the other creature, hoping it got across the thankfullness well enough. It then pointed to where it thought the exit would be around. 

The glowing slugcat tilted its head for a moment as it turned the gesture around in its head, before suddenly perking up and nodding furiously. "Awawawawawa!" It noised back at them, turning around and making a chirp for them to follow it. Moon and Sugar looked at each other for a moment before rushing to follow after, all too happy to have a guide.

"This one is quite a lot louder than you are, Sugar! I didn't realize your kind could get so noisy!" Moon giggled. Sugar rolled its eyes and made a pointed "Waaaaaow" at her in response, swatting her leg. Many slugcats weren't noisy. Many had found that too much noise drew unwanted attention. But there were some that liked to make noise instead of talking like most others did. Some didn't even use the language that most slugcats used. It varied creature to creature. Sugar could be noiser than some of its kind, but it certainly wasn't silent. 

The glowing slugcat guided them across the swamps and, unlike it had been before, it was like the travel passed in no time. They cut across short bends and strips of land it otherwise wouldn't have seen, and soon enough the trees were beginning to break up above them. The vegetation grew sparser, the dirt and mud began to give way to bright green grasses, and eventually up ahead, the forest finally broke completely to give way to the light. Moon and Sugar made joyous sounds, and all three of them sprinted to the exit. 

Sugar very much wished it hadn't the moment they broke through the other side of the trees. The light was.....painful, to say the least, after all that time spent in darkness. It was jealous of Moon who's eyes didn't seem to need any adjusting as she burst out to the sun, gasping in surprise and joy. 

"Oh Sugar, look at this!" The iterator cried. 

Sugar grumbled, staying back near the treeline for a moment with their savior, rubbing its eyes and trying to blink away yet more spots and pain from its eyes trying to adjust to the new light levels. 

When it did, though, it agreed all too much with the emotion in Moon's voice.

It was beautiful. 

As far as the eye could see, it was great rolling fields of pure green, spotted with rainbow patches of flowers and other flora from pink and orange to purple and blue. The earth gently dipped and waved, creating small hills and valleys that seemed somehow utterly untouched from any outside interference. There were scatterings of small pipes and poles, little broken down buildings that were now overgrown with flowering vines and soft moss, but they did nothing to disturb the beauty whatsoever. The grasses swayed and bobbed in the wind, rustling gently in time with every gust. 

The grass reached up to its waist, here. Soft and tickling, somehow perfect even despite the rains that battered down upon them on the regular. Trees bursting with plump fruit speckled the fields, and it already couldn't wait to have a taste. Towering above them all, however, was the retaining walls and can of No Significant Harassment. Even the can, as inorganic and brutal against the landscape as it was, seemed beautiful in this light. Though as it looked, it noticed something.

Two of the legs that held up the superstructure were...broken. Massive cracks split through them and, while they seemed stable for the moment and had not completely given out, it was dangerous thing to have when you lacked any ability to get any repairs.

Shaking off the twinge of sudden grief that flowed through it, it glanced over as Moon shouted "Look! It's the others! Sugar, come on!"

Another look around and, ah! On the highest hill where the biggest tree stood, it could see what Moon was talking about. A small and distant as they were, it could make out the forms of Pebbles, Cherry, and its brother. But....it could also see others. 

A lot of others.

....Could it be?

Sugar barely took a moment to gesture to their savior to follow before bursting off into a run. It sprinted through the fields on all fours, excitement and anticipation being the only thing that kept it in pace with Moon's speed as it rolled and vaulted across vast stretches of beautiful greenery. They ran and ran, and it could see heads turn when it yowled as they got closer. 

"PEBBLES! EVERYONE! WE'RE BACK!!!" Moon cried as they began to sprint up the hill towards their group. Pebbles and the others began to move down the hill for them as well, yowling and yelping back with happiness. 

They grew closer and closer, and the faces grew easier and easier to make out. 

It was the clan. It was Sugar's clan!! The colony!!!!

It could see the Eye! The Mouth! The Guardian that towered over them all! It could even see the Scout, dangling from the branches of the tree and watching on with surprised eyes. And the great orange Gourmand that had helped raise itself and its family, bouncing down the hillside right alongside the rest of its group! They were here! Most, if not all of its colony was right here!!!

The reunion was a sight to behold as all of them crashed together. A swirl of color and fur and metal, quite nearly enough to send the entire mass of them tumbling back down the hill. It's brother and the Gourmand yowled and purred as they squeezed Sugar between them in a crushing pincer maneuver that was too good to pry itself out of. Moon had quite literally lifted Pebbles off his feet and spun him around despite his protests, barely able to avoid Angel as she wound around the iterator's legs. Cherry chittered and gestured to them, pups clinging to her tail and looking happier than it had ever seen her. At her sides were two more slugcats who pressed in against her and seemed unwilling to part from her sides. On one side was a seafoam green one, slightly smaller than Cherry. On the other, a turquoise blue one that was slightly taller. They had long fur, and shared nearly the exact same body type as.....hold on! 

Wide eyed, it managed to get an arm free to get Cherry's attention. When it did, it frantically gestured 'Your pups???' at her.

The trios eyes crinkled in a mirrored look of joy. All of them nodded.

Sugar felt full to bursting as it chittered and howled, lifted up and swung around in the Gourmand's arms while he licked at its head and ears in some furious grooming attempt to make up for all the times he had missed it. 

"Pebbles! What happened here? Who are all these little creatures?" Moon laughed as she finally set her incensed brother down, allowing him to brush himself off. Despite the unwilling twirl he had endured, there was an odd look of deep relief in his eyes. He didn't completely remove himself from his sister's side as he huffed.

"You've missed quite a lot, as you can see. Don't blame us, though. I can see you've brought your own new friend to us as well. I think this whole "creature gathering" thing is getting too far out of hand." He replied. 

Moon laughed, and Sugar looked back at aforementioned new friend, who was meandering curiously forward to check out the group and reunited colony. "The bright one saved us and guided us out of that horrible place. We have everything to thank for it." She said, pulling slightly away to gesture to it, and scratching it between the ears when it came close, the guide purring happily as she did.

"And- Pebbles is that another lizard?" Moon cut off as her eyes drew up, and Sugar's did too. Above the hill, between Peach and Clover, there was now a blue lizard peeking down! Pebble's antenna pinned back in what it could only see as embarrassment.

"It was attracted to the scraps. I didn't want it getting any closer." He said defensively, crossing his arms.

Moon let out something that turned into more of a cackle than a laugh, but the guide had almost instantly bristled at the sight of the lizards, hissing loudly and rattling its spines and frills up at the three. It went to advance, and Pebbles near immediately reached out and grabbed it by the scruff.

"No! Bad! Those are my lizards, understand? Mine." He said with a glare, emphasizing a point between the lizards and himself. The glowing slugcat's eyes narrowed, and it hissed at him before it was dropped. 

"Yes yes, hiss to you too. Moon, stop giving me that look, it's name is Sky."

There was another burst of laughter, and Moon leaned against her brother teasingly even as he tried to swat her away. "So much for being all alone, hm?" She giggled. Pebbles stopped for a moment, a strange look passing over him before he huffed. 

"I suppose. Now-"

The chatter was cut off by a sudden thunderous noise echoing in the distance. All heads turned upwards.

It took a moment to find, but when it saw, it saw. The great, towering form of Pebble's once great can cracking and falling from the sky. In almost slow motion, it tumbled down, down, down. A pause, and a terrible, echoing crash. So very far away, yet still rumbling even from where they stood. The clouds that once surrounded the can had broken apart and trailed down after the structure, leaving a fading trail of white in its wake before it settled.

Every one of them stood in shock. Pebbles was frozen, trembling in place as he stared wide eyed at the place where his corpse once stood tall, even as sick and rotten as it was.

The point of no return. Finally set in stone.

Moon's arm wrapped quietly around her brother's shoulders. 

"How about we sit down so I can greet everyone before the rains come?" She asked, so very gentle. Pebbles nodded. 

"Yes. Please." He choked. 

Chapter Text

Cherry wasn't sure what she had expected when they left the swamps. Somewhere to sleep, something to eat, a journey to continue. She hadn't expected beautiful rolling plains and a straight path ahead.

She hadn't expected family. Her family least of all.

Her gut twisted as she came out, and she had worried. Seeing Sugar consumed had been....horrifying. And she had been able to do nothing but watch as it happened. She worried for Sugar and Moon, but she had hope they would come out alright. In that moment, she was forced to focus on Pebbles instead. Looking so small and terrified compared to his usual cold unaffected nature. 

Well, at least the view was nice. She couldn't remember if she had been this far west before, but it was quite nice at least. It would be a clear shot to No Significant Harassment's can from here, it seemed. If they could manage to get past his retaining walls, that is. 

They had spent the rest of that cycle gathering the last bits of food they needed to hold them over, then finding the next shelter. And, while the grass was nice and all, it made it a pain to find said shelters. Eventually they did get to one, it just took.....a little more rooting around than she would have preferred. They tumbled into the large, double ended shelter that these outer expanses always had, and proceeded to find themselves in a very odd situation.

Because they were not the only ones there. Nowhere near the only ones there. 

Cherry had gone in first, and had almost immediately found herself in a mass of rough black and tan fur. What proceeded after that was a loud, frantic scramble as everyone else came in immediately after and landed on that same mass, scrambled off, and started smacking into other small forms across the floor which had started an even bigger panic, and the shelter doors closing had not helped whatsoever.

To say the least, it had taken a minute to calm down. Once they did, though, they found themselves in the midst of an entire small colony of other slugcats. There had been a pause as they had all taken in the situation.

And then Cream had shrieked.

For a moment she had been all ready for a fight, but it was quickly snuffed out when Cream and a large, orange, rotund slugcat crashed together with noises of joy. In seconds they were motioning at each other so fast that she could hardly keep up, and other slugcats were gathering around with wide eyes and happy chirps back. She could catch the words 'Found sibling' and 'Found new friends', but not much else. Cream was being bumped back and forth between others that were happy to see him, nearly lost in the fray.

She had nearly been set off by somebody bumping and nosing her up, someone that happened to be that mass of tan and black fur she had landed on earlier. An absolutely massive slugcat who seemed like it would have barely fit in the tunnels. A guard of sorts, she supposed, depending on its placement. Luckily, it didn't seem very bothered, simply watching the commotion with dark eyes as it transpired. 

It had been in the commotion that she had bumped into the blue and green ones, hovering just a bit out of the crowd. They had jumped from each other in surprise and- stars above. She hadn't recognized them at first. Of course she hadn't. But the resemblance was too uncanny to ignore. 

Same boxy noses and muscular frames. Same long, sturdy, kind of spiky fur, though Green's was a bit smoother than her sibling's, more like their father. Her ears were also much shorter than her own or Blue's. Blue though still had an old unmistakable quirk. One ear was bent, and the other had a massive chunk taken out of it from an accident that involved a pole that was a little too sharp at the top and a jump that was taken wrong. 

Clearly the two had recognized her quite quickly though. Despite the extra scars and wear and tear, she really hadn't changed much. Blue had leaned up closer, sniffed at her, and proceeded to wail like nobodies business. The constant smell of her explosive powder gave her away, she supposed. 

It-

Well. It was something alright. The pieces had clicked in her mind and.....she didn't know what happened. She had certainly cried a lot. They hugged they screamed they talked, it was a while before anyone settled down enough to actually go to sleep.

They had gotten away, evidently. They had ran, and ran far. They tried to find her, but such small pups in such a big world were prone to getting lost. So they had wandered and, eventually, made their way out of the retaining walls. More wandering, and eventually they had been found by the round orange one, who had taken them in and raised them in her place. She couldn't overstate her gratitude for that.

It was.....good. 

And yet something was wrong.

Her pieces were there, but they didn't fit right. Her babies, her little pups, were no longer pups anymore. They were adults now, and they had been for a long time. They were older than any of the slugcats in her group. And they hadn't seen each other in so long. Her pups had changed. She had changed. For better and for worse.

She wasn't even a mother anymore. She was hardly even a slugcat. She was only just getting used to being around people, how was she supposed to be able to interact with her own pups now that they had grown so much? How was she supposed to reconcile with this part of her past, and all the horrible bloody parts that they didn't even know yet? She didn't want them to know. She desperately did not. In their time, it seemed they had moved on. And in all her time, she hardly had. 

It felt wrong. Like something had gone rotten. But they weren't the wrong ones. It was her.

But she didn't want to think about it. Couldn't think about it. Otherwise she would end up in a downward spiral, and that was something that helped nobody. Moon and Sugar were back safe, with yet another new friend. They were ok. Things were good. Sugar was going around and getting coddled by all of its old colony members. Well, most of them. Apparently Sugar's parents and other sibling had gone on their own way at some point. Something about that felt almost dirty, as she met her own pups, but the pups couldn't see their own family again. 

No. None of that. There was a journey to continue.

"AUGH!"

"Pebbles?!" 

Her head shot up and around as she heard the distressed yelp of their very own pink iterator. Cherry bounded over the top of the hill and came upon a sight that was initially distressing, but ever increasingly....weird. 

Pebbles, at the moment, was currently being....affectionately assaulted, she supposed, by a group of small, incredibly fluffy......things. They were quite cute with round faces and long ears, and didn't seem to be hurting Pebbles at all, actually. Instead, they had toppled him over and surrounded him, rubbing across every exposed inch of his body even as he struggled fruitlessly to get away. As they did, he was being covered in.....pollen?

"MOON! GET THEM OFF!" He shouted angrily, flailing his arms and making a choked noise when one threw itself over his head, rubbing and butting over him. 

Moon made no such move. Her shoulders shook, and again she put her hand over a mouth she did not have. "I think they like you." She giggled, looking around. "I think they think you're a flower, Pebbles!"

Ah, that would explain it. Scattered around the fields were massive flowers that had large pink bulbs with orange petals pointing downwards, and dark brown stems. Evidently, these odd creatures thought him one of them. And if they happened to be pollinators.......

"CITIZEN! HELP." Pebbles squawked as he managed to tear one of them free.

Cherry glanced back and exchanged a look with her pups. Some of the others in the colony had come to look at the iterator's shame as well. With a roll of her eyes, she decided to have mercy on the fallen god and walked up to start swatting the creatures away, hissing and crackling to get them away quicker. When they finally scattered she was left with- oh dear.

A very yellow iterator. 

There was a chitter of amusement as the friend Moon and Sugar had brought along ambled up to gawk, tilting its head this way and that before nodding and flickering with a small "Wawa" of approval. Pebbles glared as he got to his feet, trying very hard to brush off the pollen from his clothes. It was lucky the iterator didn't have a nose. Or allergies. 

"Can we not move any faster? No Significant Harassment is right there. If we hurry up, we could get there this cycle." He huffed. 

"It's a lot of mouths to feed, Pebbles. At least we are moving." She giggled. 

And ah, of course. There was that.

Apparently, they were going to take the entire colony with them.

With some difficulty, Cherry and Cream had explained their situation to the clan. They explained where they had come from, where they were going, and the other crucial facts. After some internal debate, the had all apparently decided to just....follow. For no apparent reason other than curiosity and a bit more safety along the retaining walls. They wouldn't be coming along inside the walls of course, the shelters were much too small there. But they would be coming along. Their little entourage had officially turned into.....honestly, she wasn't sure what it had turned into. 

Well, it was certainly something. That was all that was certain.

"It wouldn't be the case if we just left. But you insist on getting attached and naming all of them. Who's next?" Pebbles huffed as he tossed his hands into the air in frustration. Moon crossed her arms and glared defensively at her brother in response.

"I can't refer to them all as "little creature" and some such. Besides, I find it quite fun! And if you're asking..." She glanced about. "The glowing one is Illumine. The orange round one is Sunny. Cherry's pups are Olive and Juniper. The large one-"

"Stop. I beg you. We have enough." Pebbles groaned, sliding a hand down his face. The move left a funny trail of pollen in its wake, and the four present slugcats chittered in further amusement.

Turning her face away, she scanned the open fields. From this vantage point, she could see practically everything. The clan out and about gathering food that varied everywhere from fruit to flowers to lizards and odd caterpillars that clung to the various trees. It was lucky for them that a place like this had more than ample sources. A bit too open for her liking, as she eyed the skies for vultures, but the tall grasses mostly made up for it. 

Speaking of food, Green, or Olive now she supposed, nudged her and offered up a plump caterpillar to her as she chewed on something else that crunched between her teeth. 'Ok?' Juniper questioned as she took the food and chomped off its head. She flashed teeth in a smile that felt too tight as she nodded. 

She was. She would be. It was fine. A memory of handing her pups some grubs to eat twisted around in the pits of her stomach. 

She had missed so much. So many little things hurt now. 

Despite Pebble's complaints, the going was probably as fast as it could be considering the situation. Angel had another seizure, the pups started a fight with each other, a vulture passed overhead and forced them all to duck into cover, and various other things. By the cycles end, at least they were about halfway there. They even realized at some point that one of the other slugcats, a short grey and purple one with marks like lacework, had a mark of communication. Though there wasn't much to do with that information in the end. She didn't seem very social outside of scrutinizing Pebble's and Moon's clothing, chattering away with her own son as she did. 

They kept going. 

It was as she walked that she realized something. The clan was staying outside. Her pups were part of that clan. With how many of them there were now, she likely wouldn't even be able to bring the two along if she wanted, shelters being as they were. Moon, Pebbles, herself, Cream, Sugar, Angel, the lizards, and Sunny seemed very eager to come along as well.

If she was going, she would be leaving her pups behind. She had no idea how long they would be staying with No Significant Harassment. She had no idea how easy it was to get across his compound or up and down his can. 

She had already missed so much. Did she want to miss more? Did she want to stay and risk showing them the ugly thing their mother had become in their absence? She did not want to loose them again. And in the same breath, she did not want to cut them on all the broken pieces that jutted out of her. How could she? Did she have the right?

She huffed shortly. So much for not thinking about it. She didn't meet the odd gazes that Pebbles kept throwing her way

The retaining walls came far too soon for her liking. Every step closer blocked the sun further, and while Moon, Pebbles, and Sugar sprinted the last stretch, she lagged heavily back, step in step with her pups at the back of the pack. 

'Going to friends?' Juniper motioned curiously. Her teeth clicked together.

'Not now.' She responded.

When the three finally reached the others, it was evident that a problem had been found. 

"The doors won't open." Moon sighed, a hand skidding over one of her antenna. "Of course they wouldn't be. Why would he open the retainer gates? It's not like there's anyone to open them for."

Pebbles huffed, kicking the great doors. And then he paused, his face flashing through the expression of a person who just realized they had forgotten something very stupid. He paused, then turned and looked at the ground. Suddenly, a cyan overseer popped out of the ground and flashed something in the air. 

"No Significant Harassment. We are outside your eastern retainer gate. Let us in." He said bluntly. And with that, the overseer disappeared back into the ground. Moon blinked, bewildered at the ground. 

"Somehow I continue to forget I can record messages with those. They were disconnected from me for so long." She said. "Thank you for that. Though you could have been a bit more gentle."

Unaffected, Pebbles huffed. "If it gets us in faster." He responded.

Again, his gaze shifted over her and her pups. She shuffled uncomfortably under his pale, knowing eyes. She wasn't sure she liked that look nor was she sure she liked it when he suddenly started towards her.

"Cherry. A word?" He said, as to the point as he ever was. An uncomfortable noise rose in her throat, but did not protest as he led her aside, away from the prying ears of friends and colony members. When he turned again, his arms were crossed.

"You hesitate to follow us." He said bluntly, and she froze. "I think I understand why. Your pups will not be coming along, after all. Yet considering all that has happened, you feel obligated to follow us. Is this correct?" He said.

Slowly, she nodded. Pebbles narrowed his eyes at her. 

"Don't." He said shortly. "Yes, you served me well for a very long time. You served us all well, and have been invaluable in getting us this far. But you should not believe you owe it to us to continue. You have a family to reconnect with. This is understandable. Trust me when I say you have done enough. Rest, and stay with your family. If you wish to bring them, the gates will be opened. You have all the time in the world to do so. You will visit. We will visit. I don't know what we will be doing when we go in there, but I will tell you that we won't be leaving you completely alone." He huffed and brushed off his shirt again. "Besides. For all the good they've done, I do not want to bring them along. Herding them through No Significant Harassments can would be....an ordeal."

He shuddered seemingly from the mere thought of it. Cherry could understand it. The thought of trying to ferry three panicking lizards through zero gravity was as hilarious as it was horrifying. 

"Meaning I am entrusting their care to you for now. Do not let them eat any of the young pups."

"FIVE PEBBLES AND LOOKS TO THE MOON. WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

Even as far away as they were, the volume of the sudden voice ringing through the air was enough to make her ears hurt. Pebbles cringed, his antenna pointing back. 

"I suppose I should go take my dues, now. But like I said. Stay, and do not feel any obligation towards us. Understand?" He told her. Slowly, Cherry nodded. 

The two made their way quickly back to where the voice had originated from, finding Moon shifting sheepishly back and forth. In front of her, a green overseer was projecting a large screen of the iterator she had never truly seen before. His green chassis was glinting oddly through the pigmentation of the overseer feed, distorting the red that the chambers were glowing behind him. He had no antenna, and a lighter green, crossed out diamond sat on his head. His clothes were similarly distorted in color, but she could tell even then that they were a bright purple, the most notable part of the ensemble being a long scarf that whipped angrily in the air with every crack of electricity around him.

"No response! None! Have you ANY idea how worried we were? NO! Of course not! Suns and I were sat there terrified that Pebbles may have killed you. THEN we watch on in horror, right in the middle of a conversation, as his ENTIRE CAN COLLAPSES!! I was readying another messenger to send, Moon! I thought I lost you again! And- PEBBLES!" The iterator cut off as Five Pebbles entered the vision of the overseer, probably as embarrassed looking as his pride would allow.

"Hello, No Significant Harassment." He said, forcefully calm. There was a pause. 

"I am going to strangle both you and Moon when you come up here." NSH growled. The siblings shrunk even further. 

"We wanted to talk in person. I can't express my apologies enough, but....a lot has happened as you can imagine. We didn't want to go through the long distance, slow back and forth that our overseer messages suffer." Moon said, as deeply apologetic as she could be. The other iterator groaned as the red color slowly faded away, dragging his hands down his face. Black eyes glared into both of theirs.

"You are infuriating. You could at least have sent a message that you were ok. My disappointment in you is immeasurable, but fine. We will talk in person. I am opening the doors and sending one of my messengers to bring you up the fast way. I need to call Suns again and process what I am going to say to you both when you get up here. Holy saints ascending below, there are many words I have for you both." He grunted. 

"Messengers?" Pebbles blinked.

"In person." NSH growled back. In an instant the feed suddenly cut off, and the overseer dipped away once more. The two siblings looked at each other as a long, heavy pause stood between them.

"That could have been worse." Moon laughed weakly. Pebbles just grumbled as the massive retaining doors groaned open, making a grinding and snapping sound she was sure was not normal. 

One by one, Moon, Pebbles, Angel, Sugar, Cream, and Sunny followed after. Moon blinked as she realized Cherry was not following, the others turning around to watch her hover at the exit while bullying the lizards away from going after them, much to their annoyance. 

"Cherry? What's wrong?" She asked. 

Cherry shifted and looked back at her pups. So big now. So large a gap that stood between them. It was.....difficult. But made easier by Pebble's attitude of making the choice for her. She was terrified. She was thankful. Pebbles rested a hand on his sister's shoulder and muttered something. Understanding crossed the faces of the group as steam hissed upwards, and the doors grinded open. 

She turned on her heel and grinned to her little- now big- ones. 

They had a lot of time to make up for.

Chapter Text

Home.

Home home home home home home.

Angel was home.

After so very long, she was back, and despite her aching and exhausted body, she wanted to whoop and howl and jump for the stars if only to make her dear iterator, her creator, hear her. She hadn't even been able to say hello when Sig had showed up, laying down and staring up in awe as her body shook. From tremors as much as it was from the sheer bursting feeling in her chest. She had wanted to shriek and tell him 'I'm here'. But she didn't. 

She would be seeing him soon. She knew it. She just had to be patient. Even despite the fact that she was sick and tired of being patient. She wanted to see him now now now.

The complex was nearly exactly as she had remembered it. Not exactly, of course, but enough. Vines and weeds grew up the walls, hiding the nooks and crannies she had explored as a pup, but not entirely. The relatively small cracks that stretched up his legs were now something massive and impossible to ignore, but she could still pick out the places she would once climb when she wanted a challenge. A quiet part of her yearned to climb those walls again now, but she knew she could not. Not yet.

Not ever, if she was unable to be fixed. 

Forcefully, she shook those thoughts away. They would deal with that when the time came. For now, they walked the stretch towards No Significant Harassment's can. 

The compound was smaller than Moon and Pebbles, of course. Much smaller. Not only because he was the only iterator on this stretch of land, but because he was younger, made when the rains were already becoming a problem. The middle child. Or, well, one of them at least. Moon, Chasing Wind, Suns, Sig, Unparalleled Innocence, and finally Pebbles. Whatever the case, it meant that many of the facilities that once lay outside the iterator facilities had mostly been relocated inside or on top. It also helped that Sig was built onto a very clear patch of land, rather than right next to and over some other facilities. 

Despite this though, it was not a short walk by any means, and the travel to the gates already had her limbs shaking with effort despite the help she got from both her own group and concerned colony members. At one point the large slugcat had even scruffed her to carry her the rest of the way there, despite her loud and violent protest. 

As such, it wasn't long before she had to clamber back into Moon's arms to keep going. Even though she loathed to do it. She wanted to walk! She wanted to run! Sprint! Fly up the passages to No Significant Harassment's chambers and throw herself into his arms. But she was still weak and pathetic despite the work she had put in. She was forced to wait. How far she had fallen. 

At the very least despite making good time to the can, they were halted by the rains and made to wait it out till next cycle. It gave her some time to rest, and the next cycle she was the very first one out of the shelter. And the first, of course, to come face to face with a green overseer. A couple of them, actually, likely come to check up on the group. 

Both she and the overseers froze for a moment. Tentatively, she reached out and patted the one in front of her.

'Hello. I'm here.'

The moment was all but paused as she was pushed upwards by the others, scrambling to get a move on. One of the other overseers gave them a pointer for direction. Most of their eyes were on her, however. 

Following the overseer's path, it wasn't long before they met exactly who Sig had been saying would take them up to his can. Bounding across the landscape, as fast as she had seen anything out here move, was a very very small, dark green slugcat. The tiny thing leapt up and over obstacles with relative ease, a shocking amount of agility in its little body. It skidded to a stop in front of them, and she could see a small black pack attached to a harness around it. A pack that had No Significant Harassment's sign on it. 

The little thing's eyes bounced between them, jittering in place nervously as it gestured for them to follow. She could have almost mistaken the creature for a pup, at first. But....no. Just small. As she examined it, a dark thought twisted in her gut. Familiar scenery passed by them as they hurried toward Sig's can, but her focus was no longer on it.

Had......had her creator replaced her?

He had spoken of wanting to make a breeding program for more of her kin. More and more iterators were breaking down, after all. Eventually their communications would stop working. And what then? People needed a way to contact each other, if only to stay sane through the long cycles until they all shut down for good.

Evidently he had started something. This small, agile creature was proof of that. Something ugly and defensive rose in her chest. Hissing to herself, she crushed it down. This was always the plan. This was good. He had started something without her, and that was good. At least he wasn't alone in his can.

Idly, she remembered the path they were taking now. It was the one she had taken herself on her journeys in and out. The elevator shafts. Once used to get up and down his legs for maintenance, the elevators were long broken now but the ladders and little passages still worked just fine, as tall as they were. Pebbles glared at said ladders, evidently still holding a grudge, but Moon went behind him, and it was fine. She had hardly even noticed when they reached the leg.

Up, up, up they went. Out of the elevator shaft, through small loops and bends through the metal veins of her creator, up and up for what seemed like both forever and only a moment. They were led through another shaft, and finally the antigravity was beginning to reach them. Pebbles made a sharp noise of surprise when he started to drift, the others giggling and chittering in amusement as he flailed for purchase again. 

Further still, and they were finally passing through her creator's memory conflux. This time both Moon and Pebbles were taken off guard, and she could see why. Neurons flew back and forth as they delivered information across the complex, but occasionally one would bump into one of them. With a crackle and a flutter of light, it suddenly flew behind them, diverting from it's former path. Occasionally one would dart between both of them before shooting off once more. A not completely willing exchange of information.

"That is. Far worse without a can to distribute the information." Pebbles grunted, wincing as another neuron flickered over him.

"Mmm. Try it when those are the only neurons you get. I had to format many of yours to me. Not active ones, but neurons all the same." Moon replied, rolling her eyes. Pebbles glared at her. Or at least he tried to. At the moment he was spinning uncontrollably through the antigravity like a starfish that had been thrown off kilter. 

"How many of my neurons did Sugar even take? I never kept track." He asked. Moon paused, placing a hand on her bag and narrowing her eyes in thought with another low hum.

"About....twenty-five to thirty? Sugar was very determined to make sure I had more than enough to be functional for a long time."

Pebbles made an offended noise, but she was no longer paying attention. Because there it was. The puppet chamber. Her creator, her dad, was right there. In an instant she was kicking away, arms flailing to grab against the exterior of it and tug herself to the entrance. Closer and closer, until finally.....

She was through. 

There was the familiar feeling of gravity turning back on, but she didn't fall to the floor. Instead, she suddenly found herself in warm arms clad in silky bright purple robes. A shudder ran up through her, and for once it was not her own. A purr rumbled out of her chest as she buried her face into the clothes, and it was echoed back in a wavering electronic buzz. Behind her, there was the thud of different bodies falling to the ground.

"So." Her creator said, oddly tight. "Were you really also not planning on telling me that you have also brought back my little hunter?" 

Oh he was mad. He was soooo mad. But all the old feelings of warmth and love were bursting open in her chest as he clutched her tight against him. Tears welled in her eyes and she thought. Of course he hadn't replaced her. Of course. He would never.

"It was...another thing we thought you may want to deal with personally. We only found her after your message came to us, and she was resting when you answered our call. It's something better addressed together." Moon replied, and Angel could hear the nervous tapping of her feet going back and forth as Sig no doubt stared her down. The buzzing in his chest pitched up sharply for just a moment.

"Moon? I love you, I am overjoyed that you are here. But that was a bad call. I expect- void. Saints below, just get over here. Both of you." He groaned, and something unfurled in his voice as he finally settled on the floor. The quick tak tak of metal feet on the chamber floor, and she let out a wheeze as another body threw itself into No Significant Harassment. A second, more reluctant body was pulled into him as well, and the green iterator shifted her into one arm so he could hold onto his long lost friends, family, siblings. 

Angel finally pulled her head away to properly see the three. As she thought, Sig was a fair bit taller than both of them. Moon was almost a head bigger than Pebbles, and Sig was almost a head bigger than Moon. It made for a very nice fit as Moon pressed against his side, and Pebbles was drawn into his chest with one of Moon's arms. Sig shuddered as he pressed his face against Moon's shoulder, deep black eyes squeezed shut in defiance against emotions he did his best not to show. Not when he couldn't cover them in a layer of humor. 

"I love you too. I am so sorry we scared you, Significant. It has been....a very long journey. But I am very glad we got here. We will make it up to you, I promise." Moon whispered, and Sig made a noise that was almost a laugh, but not quite.

"You had better." He told her, finally pulling away and looking further down. Down at the smallest iterator who had not moved to put any arms around the taller one, his entire frame completely taunt and stiff as a board. The air seemed to thicken. A few more cracks of electricity shot off and away from No Significant Harassment's halo.

"And Pebbles. Just as alive and well. Did you get my messages?" He said. His voice was significantly colder than with Moon. Pebbles shoulders drew up, and he did not make an attempt to meet the other's eyes. Pebbles paused for a moment as he shifted.

"I did." He eventually answered. "I don't think there is anything to say about it that we don't already know. You were right. Both of you." He told him stiffly. He moved slightly back as No Significant Harassment tilted his head, eyes narrowed and calculating. Moon squeezed a hand on Pebble's back, but did not interfere with the interaction. It was needed.

"Well. That's proof you've taken at least one step." Sig said suddenly. "You would have died instead of admitting I was ever right before. Walking in the fields has done you some good."

"I still hate you for being right. Hell froze over on that day." Pebbles snipped back. 

No Significant Harassment paused. Blinked. Then suddenly, he was leaning back and laughing so loud that it bounced through the room and vibrated through her chest. It was full of emotion. Surprise, relief, joy, sadness, and every color in between. But it was truly and unequivocally his. Angel had missed that laugh more than any of them would ever know. Moon giggled as well, and even Pebbles seemed to relax ever so slightly as something warmer filled the air. She couldn't help but chitter slightly in response, and her creator glanced down at her with affection as he squeezed her again. 

"Well, like you said. A lot has happened. Needless to say, I need to know everything. Everything. Please, do not leave anything out this time. I don't think my mechanical heart could take it." He said, finally pulling away with some reluctance and crossing his legs to more easily hold Angel. She curled up easily in his lap, and he brushed his fingers over her scalp. They paused though when he reached the mask on her back. He pushed it tentatively aside, and made a sharp noise when he saw what was underneath. Still, he put it back and kept scratching her. "I am particularly interested in what has happened to my messenger. In all scenarios, she should have been dead by now."

"I named her Angel." Moon said softly. Sig chuckled.

"I thought you might. Is that all?"

"Guardian Angel, Fallen Yet Resplendent."

"Hold on, did they all have longer names all this time???" 

"Hush, Five small pieces of gravel. Story, please?" Sig snorted back.

Moon started talking. It was interesting, hearing what they had done before they came across her. Moon being disconnected, Sugar taking her across the shoreline and up the towering facilities of the grounds, all the way up the walls of Pebble's can and through his infected innards. Talking things out. Finding Cherry. Coming back down using the mass rarefaction cell (which both herself and Sig were suitably horrified by), and then coming across the farm arrays and finding....her.

"It was....." Moon trailed off, struggling to find the words.

"Horrifying." Pebbles surmised bluntly. 

"Yes." Moon sighed, fiddling with the edges of her shirt. "But the fight was won, and Cherry went off to find her....slicing off the worst of the rot before bringing her back to us. Which was another thing we wanted to bring up. Angel has the rot but....she is not an iterator. We wanted to ask if perhaps you had the tools to....do something. Anything. We wanted to know if she had a chance."

Her creator's hands still combed through her fur, and for a moment, they shook. But only for a moment. He steeled himself just as quickly, straightening up and patting her head.

"Normally," He began, more serious than she had ever heard him. "I would not let rot into my can. I love my little messenger, but even then I could not risk infecting myself. Normally. But considering I won't be here much longer, I'm more than happy to make an acceptation."

"Excuse me, you what?!" Pebbles yelped in alarm.

"I saw those cracks, will you be collapsing soon?" Moon asked in equal amounts of worry and horror. Sig just laughed.

"No no. Come on. You didn't find the way to leave the can and expect me not to follow you out, did you? Come on now." He snorted, waving off the looks from his siblings, continuing on. 

"Like I said. I'm leaving here anyway, so I'm glad to make a grab for fixing my mistake." He paused, a flash of grief crossing his face before it was shook away. "It's as you said. Angel is not an iterator. She will not be so impossible to fix. It is highly likely that I can do something to help this. Though...." He tightened, squeezing her slightly. "I imagine it will take no small amount of modifications. With where it is and how much it has grown, fixing it will be an incredibly invasive, painful process. I refuse to do so if she does not want it."

He gazed down at her with sorrowful eyes. She narrowed hers back. Quick as a flash, she reached up and smacked him before nodding furiously. Of course she wanted it! Painful or not, she refused to go back to what she had been. She refused to be controlled. She refused to infect her dearest parent. She could deal with pain. She just wanted to stay with them, whatever it took. He laughed and leaned down to bump their heads together, and she purred back up at him. Of course she would deal. For them.

"Alright alright. If you can get down to the experimentation wing, we could begin right away. And speaking of getting people out of here, I imagine some of the little creatures must be hungry. I will send you into my city and have more of my little ones show you around. Except you two. We still have words to exchange that I do not want to speak in front of company. Understand?" He said, looking seriously at his siblings. The two nodded tersely.

He sighed and leaned back, looking down at Angel. "Do you think you are ready? Do you want to wait?"

She hissed and smacked him again, and he chortled. 

"Alright! I see your point. Well, if that is all settled, I will see the rest of you on the other side. Especially you, little yellow one. I want to fix that communication mark of yours." He said. With a flick, the gravity was off once more. "Angel, little Leaf there will guide you to the experimentation wing and show you in. I will meet you there, alright?" 

With a nod from her, they were all sent their separate ways. The small slugcat, "Leaf", went before her to lead her on. 

She knew where the experimentation wing was, and part of her wanted to hiss that she didn't need an escort. But still, she kept quiet. She was led down passages, pipes, and shafts that she once knew intimately, but had forgotten in so long away. Twist and turn through the iterator's innards, all until they reached the experimentation wing. Full of bubbling tubes and odd bits and bobs, she was led down near the bottom, to an empty tube half inside the wall, and more than big enough to hold her. The other slugcat pressed some things, and it suddenly popped in. She was gestured inside. 

It was odd. Empty and cold, somewhat disturbing. She could see the places in the back where the wall would open to reveal the tools and gadgets for what would be used to fix her. Disturbing, in some way. But she steeled herself as a green overseer popped up from the floor to project the comforting face and voice of her much loved creator. 

"Thank you, Leaf. You may go." He said. With a nod, the little creature shot off after giving her a short wave goodbye. There was something a little oddly like awe in its gaze. Sig sighed and turned his gaze directly onto her. "Before you go under. There are some words I want to say to you. The first is that I am truly and deeply sorry." He said.

At her tilted head, he continued. "I had tried so hard to make something perfect for Moon. A messenger, guardian, companion, all of it. It was not only so much to ask of you, but in my rush to create you, I gave you this illness." He sighed, rubbing the side of his head. "There were so, so many times I should have caught it. When I was making your genome. When you were still in your tube. In all the hundreds of times you were in my chamber, if I had scanned you just a little deeper, I could have caught it. I would have caught it. But I was careless. And you suffered those consequences. Then, after all that, I immediately had to send you off. Leaving you to deal with it all on your own."

The iterator leaned back, playing with the ends of his scarf as she stared at him. "I didn't make any more messengers for a long time after you left. I was afraid to mess up again. It was only after my can cracked further and Suns giving me a dressing down that I began to make more. I was- am breaking down. And so many more iterators are as well. People needed a way to communicate. So I started again. I assure you, for a while I felt dirty for it."

Angel growled immediately at him, grabbing the overseer and shaking it. It was one thing for her to worry about being replaced, it was another for him to worry about that being what he was doing. Sig laughed, a bit watery despite no ability to cry. 

"I know, I know. But I am still sorry about that. I wanted to get you back. There were no others like you, I assure you." He said. 

"The last thing....is that I love you. I am overjoyed you are back. I will do my best to make this process as quick as possible and as painless as possible. I will do my best to make sure that you can walk free without having to worry about that illness ever again. Ok? I promise." He told her softly. Hunter chirped back at him, reaching out and patting the overseer. He laughed softly. "Alright. Good night, little Angel."

The tube slid shut, and a white gas filled the room. No Significant Harassment stayed on the other side, watching as darkness overtook her.

She was going to be ok. And so was he.

Chapter Text

When the ancients got stressed, they would tell each other to take a deep breath. Calm down. Perhaps remove yourself from the situation to prevent further riling yourself up. Stress, after all, made you make mistakes. Do things you might regret later. 

Well.

No Significant Harassment did not have lungs to breathe. Nor could he leave the situation. Not now, anyway. In that same breath, though, he didn't want to. Void below he didn't want to. Because here, right here in his own chamber, were his siblings. He would have called them friends, but he was long past the point of trying to be professional about it. 

His sister, who was supposed to sitting and rotting away in her collapsed body, unable to see the light of her namesake ever again. 

And his brother. The one who had killed her, and killed himself as well in the process. 

No Significant Harassment did not loose his cool often. He laughed and joked and teased, locking away darker thoughts into the back of his mind until they faded like wisps of steam into the sky. He was the shining definition of unaffected. Stress rolled off him like water from a vulture's feathers. No matter what happened, he was going to be just fine in the end. 

Except this time, evidently. Because this time, the steam came from boiling up an entire lake of water, which proceeded to cause an unignorable cover of clouds and, of course.....a storm.

Silence prevailed as he shut out the overseer footage, having watched Angel falling peacefully to sleep. Already he was running through scans and blueprints on what he was going to do. He had been the moment she dropped into his arms and he was able to scan her over. However these were things that barely took up any of his processing power. Most of it was currently devoted to trying very hard to stay calm. And failing. The storm roiled within him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned around. The two iterators were already shrinking under his gaze. 

It was so odd, seeing them like this. Standing on their own power, more colorful than he could have ever imagined. All dressed up in outfits perfect for the journeys they had set on. They were dirty and scuffed, and yet they held themselves.....differently now. And not just because they were detached from their umbilicals. No. It was like something massive had been stripped away from their forms. A great burden lifted away. They were covered in muck and stains, and yet they seemed to glow. They stood taller than they had stood even in their primes. Free.

He was so happy for them. He held on to that happiness. Clung to it, squeezed his thoughts around it as tightly as he could and............yeah, no. He was still righteously fucking pissed.

In an instant his chamber had turned a blaring red, and he had grabbed the two by the fronts of their shirts and started shaking them. 

"WHAT THE FUCK??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? I said this before but you have NO IDEA WHAT YOU PUT US THROUGH!!!! SUNS NEARLY GOT HIMSELF SHUT DOWN TRYING TO DO WHAT YOU DID JUST SO HE COULD COME AND GET YOU!!!! DID YOU BOTH LOOSE YOUR COLLECTIVE MINDS????? ARE YOUR NEURONS FAULTY??? DID YOU GIVE YOURSELVES BRAIN DAMAGE???? I WAS WORRIED! I WAS TERRIFIED!!!!! I WAS ABOUT FIVE SECONDS FROM TEARING THE PANELS OFF MY WALLS!!!! THE ONLY REASON I DIDN'T DO WHAT SUNS DID IS BECAUSE I HAD THE HUNCH SOMETHING BAD MIGHT HAPPEN!!! I WAS SITTING HERE OUT OF MY MIND WAITING FOR AN ANSWER FOR CYCLES!!!!" He shrieked, having officially lost it. The siblings dangled from his grip like naughty pups, curled up into balls yet unable to tear their eyes away from his current breakdown. He dropped them both to the floor so he could throw his hands up and twist in the air, the only thing he could do in lieu of trying to start biting things despite his lack of a jaw.

"AND THEN! AND THEN!!!!" He continued, not loosing steam in the slightest bit, "I WAS ON A CALL WITH SUNS, TRYING DESPERATELY TO REASSURE BOTH HIM AND MYSELF THAT IT WOULD ALL BE FINE, ONLY TO WATCH PEBBLE'S DAMN CAN COLLAPSE TO THE GROUND!!!! AND AFTER ALL THAT, THE FIRST MESSAGE I GET IS YOU AT MY RETAINING GATES TELLING ME TO 'Let us in'." He told them, pitching into a horrible mockery of Pebble's voice at the ending.

He didn't want to think about it. He didn't like thinking about it. The shock and horror, the keening noise that had come out of Sun's vocal chords. The panic. The feelings of utter helplessness that sank in as the call ended. He had been half a moment from disconnecting himself then. He had been readying one of the messengers with a pearl and two neurons with reset keys, when an overseer popped up out of nowhere with Pebbles telling him, in as flat a tone as he ever had, that they were at his gates. Void below, Suns had nearly screamed, and he had been half a second from doing so as well. 

He let out a loud groan that pitched upwards into a whine, dragging his hands down his face hard enough that he was sure he was going to leave scratches.

"I don't know what to do with you two. I really don't. I am so incredibly happy that you are here but there are no words for the extent of which I am mad at you." He huffed as the red color slowly faded away, hovering back down to set his feet on the floor. "It has been....hundreds of cycles since I have seen you. Either of you. Since before the collapse. Since Suns sent that damned pearl. All of that happened, and we were forced to go on because there was nothing else we could do. We never thought we could leave."

He sighed heavily, fingers digging into his scalp. He slumped over, and if it wasn't for his umbilical arm he may have just fallen right over. 

"We kept checking on you both, you know." He said softly. "We watched. Waited. As if something was going to happen. It hurt, and yet we kept doing it. We could never get into Pebble's can, and Moon never moved from that same heap in the middle of the room, but we kept checking up. Despite never having any hope that anything would happen. And then, when something finally did, we were forced to wait and watch in terror as the cycles dragged on, wondering if this was the end after everything that had happened."

He didn't move as a hand settled on his shoulder. Not until he was pulled forward and into the solid body of his older sister. He half wanted to swat her away, still absolutely furious, and half of him wanted to simply put every inch of weight into her. He did neither of these things, just kept his head settled in the crook between her neck and shoulder.

"I'm so, so sorry, Sig. We will make it up to you. I promise we will make it up to you. You deserve that much." Moon whispered, sounding like she was about to cry herself.

It was funny, how much shorter she was. With the way she held herself in the past, he always thought she would have been taller. But apparently not. She had the same sturdy build he did, but shorter with very sharp feet. He could only imagine figuring out how to walk with those was a pain, while his own were round and flat bottomed. The flowing robes and tattered dress were gone, replaced by sturdier travel ready clothes, stained but unripped. Not to mention the vulture mask hanging from her antenna by the eyeholes. She looked like a regular adventurer! It was....oddly fitting, actually. Something about it seemed just right for her. 

A shift of more clothes and the click of feet. He looked up. 

Pebbles. Friend. Family. Murderer. An old, deep set hatred roiled in his chest. Something he had been forced to come to terms with a long time ago. It was a useless anger that he would have never been able to do anything about. It was hate mingled with grief and pity and all manner of other emotions that he was made to put away so long ago.

Five Pebbles had accepted his wrong. Was it enough?

He wanted to scream and lash out. Throw him from his chamber. Curse him high and low. Destroy him, even. He wanted to cry and whip his youngest brother around. Hug him tight enough to crack something. Scold him and laugh with him because the past was the past. Yet the past never really dies. 

"You are incredibly short, Pebbles. How is that working for you?" He asked instead. 

Moon let out a sharp bark of laughter as Pebbles groaned loudly. "Please do not mock me. My height has worked just fine for the duration of this journey." He huffed, taking a tentative step closer to them as he and Moon pulled slightly away from each other. 

"I am very glad we are here. There are so many questions I want to ask, but I suppose the first one is....how are you? How is everyone? It's not like we've been able to check on the local group while we were incapacitated." Moon said. 

Sig sighed and leaned back. "Well, I'm about as alright as I can be. I started another small messenger program, and they have been doing quite well. My cracks are.....large, but currently stable. Suns is, well, generally ok. He snapped one of the internal wires in his attempt to disconnect, and it's been causing them problems since. Innocence is completely fine, as catty and annoying as she ever was. Grey......" He winced, shifting slightly as Moon gave him a concerned look. "Grey wind had been unreachable for some time. Their communications array broke first, and shortly after their entire can toppled sideways." He explained tentatively.

"No." Moon whispered in alarm. Even Pebbles had wide eyes, though he didn't look very shocked. "They haven't been stable for a long time. Unfortunate but inevitable, without anyone to perform work on the can." The small iterator agreed, voice low. Sig nodded. 

"Yes. Currently the only thing from keeping them from being completely on the ground is a very large tree that has grown up their legs and around the can. Odd, but lucky to be there. I have sent a few messengers back to them, and they are about as fine as anyone in that situation can be. Their neurons are fine, and the memory arrays are quite damaged, but still intact. They're surviving." He explained. 

Finding Chasing Wind partially collapsed had been a sudden, but not entirely unexpected development. They were built next to a very small mountain range that was mostly rock, with violent winds and rains coming down from it. That and the fact that their legs were not built as deep as they should have been, and it was a disaster waiting to happen after all their creators had left. It was painful, especially after Moon's collapse. Grey had been an incredibly intuitive and valued member of the local group. They were the quickest to notice and point out problems, all too happy to help others with their projects, and while a bit awkward at times was liked by most everyone.

A dark time indeed. With them gone, it was only himself, Suns, and Unparalleled Innocence left. He had gotten along with Innocence once, but after the entire debacle airing Pebble's problems out against their wishes.....not so much. It was largely just him and Suns now. 

Moon sighed, sliding a hand over her antenna. "That is painful to hear. I wish I could have talked to them before it happened. They were a very good friend to me." She said sadly, and Sig patted her shoulder sympathetically. Such was the suffering of the iterators.

"Speaking of the others, actually. Suns made me promise to call back when I was done reaming you both out so he could get a turn to worry. Think you're ready?" He said. 

Immediately, he could see as Pebbles perked up. His eyes widened and he straightened up slightly, a flash of rare excitement crossing his face. Moon, however, stiffened. There was something a bit colder that crossed her own.

"Yes, actually. I was going to ask if you would be able to contact him at some point, because I have some words to say to him as well." She said, her voice in that tight no nonsense tone that she carried when she was angry and on a mission.

Because, ah. There was the elephant in the room.

Pebbles was not the only one at fault for this situation.

At the end of the day, Five Pebble's action may have been the nail in the coffin, but Seven Red Suns was the one who handed him the hammer. They began the thoughts, they sent the pearl, they were the catalyst for a disaster. Whether it was intentional or not. And Moon.....well. She had more than enough reason to be angry. And so did Pebbles. 

"Of course. One moment." He eventually said, turning and flicking his hand. 

Contacts whirled up, and he selected Suns. There was only a short pause before the call was answered, and a feed snapped up. Predictably, Suns had already shoved his face into the footage, wide-eyed and absolutely frantic. For their benefit, Sig made sure to point the call at the siblings instead of himself. 

"Oh void below it's really you. Pebbles! Moon! I- Are you both ok?? What happened? You're really here! Out of your cans!" The iterator cried, flailing his arms. Around his shoulders was another familiar face. The little messenger that had been sent so long ago. Said little messenger didn't seem to appreciate being jostled very much, but was more focused on glaring into the camera and directly at Pebbles. Even after so long, he held a grudge. Spikes prickled out of his tail.

"Suns, please calm down. Yes, we are both fine, here, and unhindered by our cans. It is......good to see you again" Pebbles said, raising his hands to cut off the worrying. Suns ran his hands back over his antenna, groaning loudly. 

"It is good to see you again as well. I have missed you. Both of you. But do you have any idea how worried we were?!" They threw their hands up, and both Pebbles and Moon gave each other a look. It wasn't as loud or angry as Sig's own, but it was an incoming rant all the same. "I tried to get out of my can to reach you! We had no idea what happened! You tell us that you are somehow out of your can and going to Five Pebbles, and then we proceed to get radio silence even after No Significant Harassment's message reached you! We thought you could be dead! Cycle notwithstanding. And then Pebbles can collapses! You can't begin to imagine what we thought!" He cried, and the two winced.

"Yes, Sig gave us quite the reaming just a minute ago. We can't begin to explain how sorry we are. It's just...." Moon sighed, tapping her fingers together. 

"I wasn't ready to try to say anything significant until we could talk personally." Pebbles finished. 

No Significant Harassment's gears grinded to a halt for a moment. Sun's had evidently done the same. He was about to snap something, but Suns beat him to the punch. 

"Pebbles you stupid rock. That is not a valid argument. Moon, I know you must have just accepted that, and I am disappointed. You should know better. Even just a single word would have been enough! We would have greatly appreciated something to tell us you were both alive." He sighed and leaned back. "I am just....very happy you both are."

"I assure you we feel the same." Pebbles replied, a soft note of both apology and relief in his voice. "I see your little messenger is similarly quite alright. It's been a while since I saw them."

Suns perked up at that, eyes scrunching in joy as he nodded. A hand reached up to scratch between his messenger's ears, and they reluctantly leaned into it despite still glaring slightly at Pebbles. "Yes! Alive and kicking. His name is Fields Of Teasel! Or just Teasel. He has been a very good friend to me in all this time." He said happily. 

'Despite FP efforts.' Teasel signed back passive aggressively, releasing Sun's robe so he could use their hands. Moon and Pebbles blinked at surprise at that. 

"You taught him sign language!" Moon exclaimed as Pebbles tore his eyes away, shoulders hunching upwards in defense. Suns just nodded joyfully, rocking backwards on his umbilical arm. 

"I did! Once I figured out he could learn sign, I was quick to teach. Better all around for communication." Suns explained. Teasel nodded in agreement, tilting its head to examine Moon up and down before reaching up to sign again. 

'Good to see you again, Moon.' It told her, and she chuckled slightly. "It's good to see you again as well. I'm afraid I don't remember much of our meeting, my memories of just before my collapse are hazy at best. Nonetheless, I remember I was happy to see you." She replied.

"Little Teasel managed to get out your last broadcast. It was.....a difficult moment." Suns said, softer.

There was a long pause as the group was once again brought back to those dark times. Rot, collapse, pandemonium. A difficult moment for all of them. Moon let out a puff of static, her gaze becoming narrower as she drew herself up. Apparently the fun times were over. Big Sister Moon had some words to have with the catalyst to her ruin. 

"It was. And considering the fact that all of us are here now, I think your part in that is something to be discussed. I read some conversations, Suns. I was brought the pearl that you sent to him. Pebbles acted on it, yes, but let me ask you this. What were you thinking when you sent that to him?"

Both Suns and Pebbles flinched back at the ice in her tone. Immediately Teasel made a face, uncurling from his creator's shoulders and immediately dropping away from this particular conversation. Pebbles froze into place and shrunk into his poncho, the mass rarefaction cell that had been tucked under an arm quickly falling into his hands to fiddle with. His eyes no longer watched any of them.

"I- Well- I just-" Caught in a place he didn't expect to be in so suddenly, Suns floundered. Their fingers folded together and their frame tightened up, scrambling for a foothold. "I....wanted him to be happy." He said weakly. Moon bristled, her shoulders raising and eyes going wide.

"So you decided that to make him happy, you were going to give him a way to KILL HIMSELF???" She growled. All three other occupants in the room flinched. Moon didn't get angry like this often, but when she did it was something to behold.

"It was a terrible mistake. I admit that. I will admit it a thousand times over, and there is no excuse for what I did. But- Pebbles was miserable. He wanted a way out desperately, and I knew many others wanted one too. Hell, I wanted a way out! With all my heart! Breaking taboo or not, I just....wanted to give him some kind of release. A release I didn't think any of us would get before we had all already broken down completely." Suns said, his legs coming up to curl slightly against his chest. 

"And you- Neither of you decided to simply talk to me? To anyone for that matter? You decided that instead of trying to find another way to alleviate the kind of feelings you were having, you were going to jump straight to figuring out how to destroy yourselves. You didn't even test it! You sent it right to Pebbles and considered it a job well done." She snapped back, voice petering out into a hiss at the end. 

"I didn't!" Suns cried, tossing his hands up. "I know! I considered it, but be was already so impatient, and I thought he would have the wit to treat it slowly and with the respect it needed. Five Pebbles is smart! I thought it would be fine! And that was a mistake, and one I will never be able to apologize enough for!" He told her, every word strained with a background of white noise.

Moon made a low sound in her throat, gripping her sleeves tightly between her gloved hands. Sparks crackled off her antenna in odd leaps and sparks. "Pebbles may have acted on the information given, but you were the one who made it possible. You encouraged it!"

"I am sorry, Moon. And I am sorry to Pebbles as well. I can't beg for your forgiveness, and I can't ever wipe away the guilt for what I have done. I know it is unforgivable, and I wish to make it up to you if there is ever any way to do so." Suns responded.

Sig knew that this confrontation was a necessary evil. Moon deserved to be angry over it all. But still, a sense of protectiveness welled in his chest at the high trill of distress from his other sibling's vocal chords. He heard it and remembered all the many cycles after everything that Suns had beaten himself over and over during. The guilt and long, late talks together about how they never would have done it, how much they regretted it, everything. And despite it all, he couldn't help but look to the smallest iterator, silent as this all went on, and feel rage.

"Excuse me. If I might butt in?" He interrupted. All heads turned to him, and he straightened. "I understand your anger with Suns. It is completely justified, and you are correct to give him a dressing down over it. However. For every cycle since that disaster, Suns has blamed himself. Over and over. He has run simulations on what he could have done differently, admitted he should not have done it at all. He has cried and apologized and spent every cycle seething in his own regret. But, Moon. Considering your disposition, I can't help but ask how Pebbles has been with the entire situation."

In an instant, both her and Pebble's shoulders hiked up, going even tenser than they had before. Pebbles was shrinking into his own poncho.

"He has admitted he was wrong. He is working to express his apologies to me." Moon said tightly, and his eyes narrowed. 

"Mhmm. And has he told you these apologies?" He responded icily. Moon's antenna pinned back while Pebbles suddenly straightened, his eyes hardening into something far more defensive. 

"Apologies are useless to express without work put behind them." He snapped. Sig immediately shot his head over to glare, the light in the room beginning to redden. 

"So that's a no. You haven't even tried, have you? You can admit you were wrong, but the attempts always stop when, saints forbid, you have to actually say that you are genuinely sorry for those mistakes. Do you even feel guilt over what you did? Or was this all just your perfect ride out of the consequences for your actions?" He growled.

"No Significant Harassment! Don't you dare-"

"Do NOT jump to defend me, Moon." Pebbles hissed, cutting off his sister. 

"Yes, please don't. If you get to have words with Suns, I get to have some with Pebbles." Sig agreed, turning back to the object of his arguments. "You played a stupid game and won a stupid prize. You killed Moon, and you killed yourself. An apology isn't complete without work, but it is a start. An admission that you at least feel guilty for what you did. Yet you cannot even give her this." He told the iterator icily. 

"I am trying." Pebbles strained. "I want to tell her this. But I can't give her those words without putting something behind it. If I wasn't guilty I would have never left with her. I would have never allowed her in my chamber! I want to change. I want to do this for her!" He exclaimed, clutching the rarefaction cell hard enough to make it activate for a moment. 

"And yet you don't." Sig replied coldly. "You are as oblivious and hard headed as you ever were. You claim these things, then completely avoid the very first step because it would be too hard a blow on your precious pride to admit what you feel to her."

Electricity crackled off his halo, but the red color slowly faded. A few pearls he hadn't noticed had lifted off the ground clattered back down, deafening in the sudden silence. He felt tired. He had felt tired for a very long time.

"Pebbles, I am glad you are here. I am. But you have a long way to go if you think that is how to start an apology. You killed your sister. My sister. The iterator that was a sister to all of us. Not just you. You need to let go of your pride and tell her if you're sorry." He said before turning to Moon, who looked five seconds from jumping out of her own metal. "And you."

"Despite you being the one who faced the harshest repercussions, you are not utterly blameless in this either." He told her, and she shrunk under his gaze. "You had seniority privileges. You could have stopped him at any time. But you didn't. You never stopped him until you were already collapsing. You knew how badly things were going, but you were too kind. You never thought to save yourself. You never considered that we wanted you to save yourself. We needed you too, Moon. Pebbles killed you, but you were the one who let him."

For another second, silence stretched on and on into eternity, a path carved through it with all the unsaid words any of them had shoved down or been unable to say before they were unable to say it ever again.

"I'm sorry." Moon whispered. 

"I know." Sig told her. 

Another moment, and he pulled away. He couldn't deal with this anymore. Not at all.

"I think you all need to go." He said tiredly. "Suns, I am ending the call. Moon, Pebbles, I'm sending you up to my city. My little messengers will show you around and tell you anything you need to know. They know sign language, so don't hesitate to ask. I think we all need a break right now."

A snap, and the overseer footage shut off. Not a soul spoke as he shut off the gravity and lifted his siblings, lost and found, up to the exit that led upwards. But just before he let them go, he paused. 

"I love you. I'm glad you're here." He said quietly. Moon, of course, was the one who met his gaze.

"I love you too. I missed you." She replied. 

And with that, they were gone.

No Significant Harassment sat on the floor of his chamber and put his head in his hands. If he could have cried, he would.

Chapter Text

Five Pebbles and Looks To The Moon were silent as they moved up the entrance to the other iterator's city, stepping into the gates and waiting as they groaned and hissed open. The need for a citizen id drone had been removed, apparently. 

The meeting had gone.....about as well as Pebbles thought it would.

It still hurt.

No Significant Harassment was right, of course. Despite all his quirks and funny business, he often was despite how much Pebbles loathed to say it. He had every right to go for the throat as he had, and every right to point out the still lingering problems that came with his current dysfunction with, well, just about everything, he supposed. He didn't do apologies, and that was far from a good thing.

Moon deserved better. 

Yet, despite the verbal thrashing he had gotten, it was.....good to see him in personal like this. He was so much taller, and so much brighter than he could have imagined. Actually being in the iterator's presence was a whirl of everything from grief to joy, just as it had been with moon.

And Suns. Saints ascending, hearing their voice again made his chest feel like it was being ripped open for a moment. Among all his regrets, losing Suns was among the largest, no matter how long he had tried to blame the other iterator. His best friend. His family. Even more than he had allowed Moon to be, before. Despite everything, he had missed them.

Evidently the messenger didn't miss him very much, fairly so.

The city doors whirred open, and the two stepped out into the fading light of the city. For a moment, Pebbles was frozen in shock, wondering if he had somehow stepped back in time to when the cities were still populated. 

The entire square around the gates into No Significant Harassment's can was bright with life. There were fairy lights strung up around doors and along the ceilings of small overhangs. The walls were painted with spats and splatters of colors thrown haphazardly over the walls, and graffiti put up by creatures too small to get up very high grew from the bases like the flowers outside the walls. Lights were on in the windows. No Significant Harassment's sign was still fresh above the gate that led in. Various bits and bobs were scattered around the area, and an open tent spread across one of the streets leading away, the floor of the insides draped with carefully sewn fabrics in patterns he remembered the ancients once favoring. 

The spaces beyond the square were as empty and broken down as he had expected. But here it was alive. In a very literal sense, actually.

Sig had been busy in their time apart, evidently. There wasn't an absorbent amount of slugcats around, not even as many as had been in Sugar's clan, but there were still enough to keep the small space they had taken over relatively lively. Most of the messengers actually were not incredibly different than the first they had seen. Very small compared to other slugcats, some even with folded ears and tails that were just as short as they were in comparison. Most all of them were in natural colors, mostly shades of green, though he spotted some with more complicated pelts of speckled or striped browns and creams. But despite most of them being of that nature, he could spot about two odd ones out currently that were much larger, almost his size with longer spiked fur that was black or grey. They also seemed to have more scars than the little ones. 

A few heads turned when the gates opened and the siblings stepped into the open air. Most of the creatures were in the tent structure near the back, seemingly gathered around to watch something, but the few outside were quick to come up to them, eyes round with wonder. 

'Pebbles and Moon?' One signed curiously. 'NSH siblings!' another said excitedly, bouncing up and down. Moon crouched down to meet the level of the slugcats, her eyes scrunched in joy. He, meanwhile, leaned slightly away as two came to sniff at him, eyes narrowed. 

"Yes, hello! What adorable little creatures you are!" Moon giggled, reaching a hand out to let one of them bump into her palm. "I am Moon, that is Pebbles. May I ask where our other friends have gone? I imagine they are quite recognizable." She said. 

'Yes! In the tent. Orange is cooking!' One of them told her, gesturing for the two to follow it into the tent where most of the commotion seemed to be currently happening. He blinked in bewilderment. 

"Cooking?" He asked incredulously. Though considering the track record they were currently going off, of course they would be able to cook as well. He really needed to stop being surprised about all of this.

The little messenger led them into the tent, and he now noticed that there was smoke rising from a little alcove to the left. He turned and almost immediately saw the rest of the group. With their size and colors, they stuck out more than a little among the tiny greenery colored messengers that No Significant Harassment had created. Currently they were stood around watching in awe as Sunny, well...cooked.

Set in the ground was a large, crackling firepit. There was a grate overtop, and on that grate was a large pan sizzling with some odd mixture that looked like.....stuffing of some sort? A glance told him that was probably what it was, with a scatter of ingredients set aside on a low table just behind the happily cooking slugcat. There was another fire not too far away either, a cauldron overtop bubbling with a thick, dark stew. He and Moon watched on in fascination as Sunny grabbed another few odd herbs from the table behind him, crushing and rolling them between his paws before tearing them apart and tossing them in the stuffing concoction. He tossed it together and then grabbed a plate made from what he could only imagine must have been centipede scale, put some of the stuffing on it, then poured the stew in beside in. Chittering happily, he handed the food off to one of the messengers who grabbed excitedly up for it. 

It smelled good. It looked very good. A warm, hearty meal that he could somewhat recall the ancients making during the winter months. It wasn't winter now, but the rotund creature obviously favored its comfort foods. With the looks on everyone else's faces, he imagined they very much did as well. If he had a stomach, this entire festivity may have made him feel hungry. He kind of did even without a stomach. 

He followed Moon carefully through the small crowd of satisfied faces and round bellies, up to the front where the remainder of their group sat. Cream and Sugar were on the ground directly before Sunny, watching him cook with fond, nostalgic looks. There were empty plates in their laps, licked completely clean of any residue of the food they had consumed. Finally noticing as they came closer, Sunny waved joyfully at them. causing the other two to look back as well.

"I see you three have been busy! What a wonderful thing you have here! It smells absolutely delicious, I'm sure all the little messengers here appreciate a meal like this." Moon said. Pebbles could see a few of the messengers nodding furiously from the corner of his eye as he examined the food being cooked. Sunny eyed him for a moment before whipping out another plate, filling it with food and extending it to him. Pebbles blinked slowly at him, confused. Sunny blinked back, and gestured with it to him again. 

"I.....can't eat that. If that's what you are trying to get me to do." He said hesitantly, unsure of the intentions here.

He almost instantly regretted saying that. The expression the round slugcat was that of utter heartbreak, making a soft "Waow?" as the plate slowly lowered from his face. One of the messengers was allowed to have it instead. Somehow he got the feeling that this creature's heart was aching for him simply for his lack of a mouth. It also felt odd he offered the food to him instead of Moon. Had he....assumed the attitude was because he was hungry?

"Oh, Sunny. It's alright. Like I said, the smell is more than enough. I'm sure it tastes amazing." Moon said sympathetically, reaching out to scratch him between the ears. The slugcat made another sad little noise, but he decided to turn his attention to the ones on the floor. 

"Well, you both seem taken care of. Has it been fun out here while we were gone?" He asked the two, and both of them nodded. Sugar went to make some gestures before pausing, thinking, and giving a thumbs up. Then, to his surprise, it signed 'Very Good' up at him.

"You taught Sugar sign? I haven't seen that before." He told his sister, and she glanced back to him and the smaller slugcats. 

"Oh!" She laughed. "A little, but not very much at all. Directions, good and bad, small words that we frequently use. I suppose it hasn't had much ability to use them around you, considering the situations we've been in. I was meaning to teach it fingerspelling, but the paws make it a little harder." She explained to him, Sugar nodding along. Again it signed 'Good' at him.

"Well. Better sooner than later, perhaps I could help teach at some point. I admit the games of charades can be.....frustrating at times." He said, yet again feeling reluctantly impressed yet scandalized that he didn't realize they could do this sooner. Maybe if he had taught Sugar something he wouldn't have felt so annoyed watching it stare up at him with black, blank eyes. 

"Pebbles! Offering to teach one of these 'idiotic creatures'? You've grown! What a proud sister I am." Moon gasped dramatically, putting a hand to her chest and fluttering her eyes at him. He groaned and shoved her. 

"Don't push it." He grumbled. 

He jumped and looked down as something brushed up against his leg, seeing Sugar smiling and rubbing up against him with a soft purr. He rolled his eyes and pulled his leg away suddenly, allowing the slugcat to slump over on the floor and wail just as dramatically up at him, as if it had sustained a grievous wound. A few of the others present chittered in amusement, and he rolled his eyes.

"Well. Considering it's late now, do we all have somewhere to sleep already, or will we be cleaning out one of the old rooms?" Moon asked. Sugar perked up at that and nodded, putting one finger up before glancing around and suddenly waving at one of the slugcats not far away. 

The slugcat that came up was one of the few darkly patterned ones, stripes and spots of all different shades of brown making it the perfect color to hide against the ground. He noticed it was also one of the few that was also still wearing a pack. On the front of the harness, next to the zipper at the front, was a small decal of a tree branch. Sugar made a sleeping motion at it, and it blinked in recognition and nodded. 

'There is a room for you. Follow!' It signed, stepping away. 

"Will you three be staying here a while longer?" Moon asked their own group. All three nodded slightly, and she hummed. "Alright then, we will see you when you come back. Have fun!" She said, giving a nod to the three before following after the slugcat with Pebbles.

The little messenger led them out of the tent and around the square, into one of the buildings. A set of stairs led upwards, and despite the fact that the building had been long abandoned, it was cozy, with the lights and various things hanging from the walls. At the bottom there was a bunch of sets of slugcat pawprints in a rainbow of colors, marking every foot that had passed through as they were led upwards.

They went down a hall and were led into one of the former apartments. Again he was struck by how much it felt like the ancients still lived there. The things were clearly set up for someone small, but it was simple and comfortable. Kitchen, living room, everything. 

'Ok here?' The messenger asked them, and they both nodded. 

"This is perfect, thank you." Moon agreed. "Yes, this is alright. You may go finish whatever it is you were doing. Thank you for guiding us." Pebbles nodded. The creature chirped and nodded, leaving to let them be. Moon chuckled softly. 

"It feels alive." She said. Pebbles just hummed in response.

The two took a look around, eventually finding the bedroom. Like with Cherry, instead of a bed, it had been replaced with a large nest. Pelts, pillows, fabrics, the like. This one was a bit more put together, however. It formed more of a bowl, with the edges far more well defined. It was certainly comfortable looking, but at the same time......

"I suppose we will be sharing sleeping space again." He sighed, and Moon nudged him.

"I think it's nice! It's better than not sleeping and being all alone in the can. Far more comfortable." She chuckled.

He.....couldn't completely disagree. For so long, it was just the dull four walls of his chamber. He didn't sleep, hadn't touched anything but his pearls in cycles. Yet now, he slept somewhere warm and full of soft bodies and beating hearts. He dreamt of terrible things, but when he woke there was always something pressing in around him, unequivocally alive and there. No longer ever alone. No longer cold or yearning or aching as he was eaten alive from the inside out. Surrounded by family and friends. 

"Well. I think I'm going to go to the roof to see the stars before we head to sleep. Will you join me?" She said, cutting him suddenly out of his musings.

He paused. Considered. 

"......If that's alright with you." He conceded. 

Moon's eyes scrunched happily back at him. Carefully he put the rarefaction cell down next to the nest, hurrying to follow his sister as they left. Out the door and up the many steps, up to where the dark skies gleamed with galaxies abound. So far away yet close enough to feel as if you could touch them. Moon laid down across the roof and, hesitantly, he followed her lead. On a whim he reached around to his bag, patting around until he found the pocket that contained his pearl. Quietly, he released it into the air. The hymn whispered a song long past, sweeping away onto the cold winds. 

Moon's hands were folded over her stomach as she stared into the sky. Peaceful and unbothered in the face of the infinity above. More relaxed than she had ever been. No work to do, no collapsing structure to deal with, no rains to drown in as the cycle slowly ticked away with the clouds writhing far, far below. Here, if only for now, they were safe.

"You know, I used to remember all the constellations up there." Moon hummed. "But I can hardly remember where they are, much less their names now. I loved to stare up when work was slow. Sometimes I even made new ones. Kept them all memorized somewhere in my memory arrays. It's sad but.....well. I can always make new ones."

Pebbles shifted, scanning across the glowing dots in the sky. "I can hardly remember them either. But I think I know a couple." He admitted before pointing up at a large cluster. "That would be the Rat King, I think. That one over there is.....Ignacious? That one there is certainly Golden Hope. We all know that one." He said, one by one pointing out a few spots. Moon laughed.

"Golden Hope, the first iterator. Famous enough to have a constellation. I wonder if she's still alive out there." She said. Pebbles shrugged. 

"I don't think anybody knows, really. I remember people saying that she wasn't the talkative type, even before our creators left." He said. 

Moon hummed back, and they lapsed once more into contemplative silence.

Past and present. Gone but not really. Things long past hovering upon the horizon as surely as the sun. And yet here Moon sat, unbothered, allowing him this moment with her. Despite everything. The now and the then, so much of both being so unpleasant and difficult to try to look in the face. Was he really willing to turn his gaze away any longer?

No. No he was not.

"Moon, why do you put up with this? With me?" He finally asked. The big question. The one thing he still could not comprehend even with cycles of being with her. The big, black things looming just over their shoulders and in their periphery. Moon turned her head to him, sitting up slightly.

"What do you mean?" She asked softly.

"No Significant Harassment was right." He said bluntly. "I haven't apologized. I haven't done anything. You tolerate my presence despite me doing nothing to earn it. You act as if everything is fine, as if our past was not the barest few cycles ago. Why are you willing to do all of this when I have done nothing in return?" 

Moon sat up fully, her gaze open but completely neutral as she tilted her head at him.

"You have done many things, Pebbles." She said calmly, and he glared back. "You are trying. Which is something many cannot say. You have been calmer. Kinder. You have allowed things you never would have before. You saved my life."

"I did what any sane person would have." He retorted, and she leaned back.

"You don't need to perform any grand heroic acts to make it up to me, Pebbles. You show your apology enough with all the small acts of kindness you don't seem to realize you're even doing. You do not realize how good a start that is." She told him.

"That's not enough. I didn't just kill you, I made you suffer cycles and cycles after. I hurt everyone with my decision. Simply being cordial will never be enough to fix any of it. Yet you accept it as if it is. You are too kind, and you always have been. You said you are tired of being angry, but I do not understand how you can't be!" He growled as he sat up. "I don't-"

"We have time, Pebbles." He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"What?"

"We have time." She repeated.

"Pebbles, we can't die. We don't age, we are more sturdy than any living being should reasonably be, we are part of the cycle. We always will be, now, going on and on till the very end. We have infinity laid out in the palm of our hands. These cycles are not even a fraction of what we have now. Time is not a commodity any longer. We have all we need to grow and learn and make up for the sins of our past. The cycles go on, and so will we. We will be better. You will be better. It's fine if you don't make up for this immediately. You have all the cycles you need to do so." She told him before leaning away once more. "We have time. And being stuck in that can for so long has made me very, very patient."

Once more, Moon laid down on the ground to stare at the stars. He watched her as she did. The wind blew, the stars glittered above, an uncaring world stared down at two siblings who once drowned in it now finding their solid ground as they clung to each other against the ripping tides around them.

"I still don't understand." He said softly.

"I don't either. Not completely." Moon shrugged as he curled next to her side. "All I know is that I am willing to wait."

Once again he looked up into the unhindered sky. He knew she would wait. She would wait until the end of time, if he let it go that far. She would wait, and she would love him all the same.

Was he willing to wait as well?

"Moon?" He asked softly.

"Hmm?"

No. He wasn't.

".....I love you. And I'm sorry."

Her eyes scrunched up as she reached out and took his hand.

"I know. I love you too."

The cycles rolled on, and they always would. He refused to waste a second more of them.

Chapter Text

Despite the fact that tension had been high, despite the fact that they had been understandably reamed out for their poor decisions, despite the fact that the last meeting they had ended not quite brilliantly, Moon was happy to be here. Moon was....overjoyed! That deep, longing ache inside of her chest had been abated, if only for now. Her family was here. Not without wear and tear with some painful outcomes, but.....they were here. And everything was going to be ok. She knew it would. 

Considering the time and the way the poor things worked, Moon and Pebbles once again had to leave their three companions to sleep off their...cycle lag? Yes, cycle lag sounded about right. In any case, the two were on their own. And in any case, after last night, they deserved to cool off a bit more. Cooling off in this case meaning observing the locals in the square and doing nothing of substance at all.

"So, really. I've been curious ever since you told me all of the little ones you named have full names. What are they?" Pebbles asked, watching two of No Significant Harassment's messengers chase around each other at the feet of one of the larger ones. Moon chuckled as she leaned back. 

"Well, not all of them are incredibly long. Sugar's is Little Sister Sugar Pie." She told him. He narrowed his eyes for a moment. 

"Does that make Cream Little Brother Cream Pie?" He asked. She couldn't help but laugh at that. 

"No no! I only named Sugar that after everything it did for me. It felt right! I only just started getting to know Cream! Cream is just Cream Pie." She replied, crossing her arms. 

"As for the others, Cherry is just Cherry Bomb, Sunny is Wish For A Sunny Day, Illumine is Illuminated Savant Guide"

"I'm insulted you didn't tell me before. Yet Sig knew they would have more the moment you told him." Her brother huffed, and she laughed and nudged him.

"I haven't changed that much in all my time gone. He and I used to find names for things together, way back when. We passed the time when things were slow by noting frequent visitors around our cans and naming them!" She told him. 

A flicker of bittersweet feeling twisted around her chest at the memories. Back when they had no worries. Sig would name the little creatures the silliest things, and they would banter about him being mean, or Moon's names being too long. Eventually the creatures would leave, and they would go through another round with the new ones. She couldn't remember anything with any immense clarity, but the ones she did have were ones she deeply treasured. 

She missed it. She missed it a lot. 

But! No dwelling. Her brothers were here. And they had an eternity to make something new.

"Of course you two would. Actually, I think you both tried to rope Suns and I into it once." Pebbles hummed, eyes narrowing in thought as he fought to recall. Moon shrugged slightly. 

"Perhaps. I can't remember if I did." She replied. 

The two were stopped at a short yelp that echoed in the square. Abruptly a small blur of pastel green shot across the street and scrambled up Pebbles's legs and under his poncho as he whirled back with a strangled noise and tried to grab at it. 

"Void not again- Get off!" He hissed.

Moon wheezed as Pebbles tried to reach under his poncho, only for another of the little ones to jump on his chest and start to try doing the same, causing the other one to swiftly start migrating all over his torso in an attempt to get away, leaving the iterators in a helpless scramble to snatch them. 

"Moon, you useless pile of bolts and neural tissue, help me for once!" He growled, trying very hard to pry one of the creatures off. 

"Just for that comment, no. I think the little ones like you. Saints know why." She hummed, yet again happy to sit back and observe the chaos. She desperately wished she had the storage space to record the moment. She was sure Sig and Suns would greatly appreciate it. 

Moon looked out over the small square full of life, focusing on one of the few overseers that surveyed the area. She considered quietly to herself for a moment before standing up and brushing herself off. 

"I'm going to go visit Sig. I don't suppose you'll want to come?" She said.

She knew he wouldn't. Not after yesterday's conversation. He would need a moment and, honestly, Sig probably would too. But it was good to offer. Pebbles stiffened, his hand stilling in the scruff of one of the squirming slugcats. He shook his head, and she could see the way he was forcing his shoulders back down to fein something more unaffected. 

"No thank you. I will see him....eventually." He said simply.

"Alright, Pebbles. I'll see you later." She said softly, giving him an understanding pat on the shoulder before she left. 

Considering the populated square was directly outside the can entrance, the travel was barely a minute. Though the anti gravity had her tripping up a few times and bumping into walls. Far more annoying without an umbilical arm to control or a friend to grab onto. All told, it was still a fun ride. 

Sliding into the chamber, she was surprised to be caught by the shirt before the gravity came on, lowered gently into the ground instead of falling to it as usual. Sig's face peered down at her upside down before he twisted around again to face her. 

"Good morning, Moon. You made sure to visit quick." He hummed, tilting his head. 

"I've learned to appreciate the length of a day since I was up on Pebbles's can. And since I've been able to sleep." She shrugged, and he blinked at her. 

"You sleep as well? Huh." He settled just above the ground before her, kicking one leg over the other. "Whatever the case, you caught me in the middle of some work. I imagine your little friends are still suffering lag from hibernation. And Pebbles..."

"Is hiding his face for now, yes. And getting bulldozed by your messengers. May I assume that the work you were doing was in relation to Angel?" She responded, and Sig hummed affirmatively, tossing her a pearl that he had been holding. 

"It was. I finished the scans and things are.....unfortunate, but not unfixable. Take a look." He responded as Moon looked over the pearl. "Your Cherry friend had the right idea cutting it off to stop it from going too far out. Unfortunately the problems obviously are much deeper. Organs are infected, muscles, nerves, some has even caused damage to her brain, and that is something I'm not sure I will be able to completely fix. It is.....difficult. I need at least a couple cycles before she'll be in working order. I'm going to need to modify genomes, perform transplants, adaptions....."

Moon reached over and put a hand over Sig's as he began to trail away. His form was tense and almost shaking. He sighed, rubbing the edge of his audial port. 

"Sorry. It's been a while. Having her back is a lot already, and the rot...." 

"You're going to do fine." Moon soothed, squeezing his hand. 

Sig snorted, squeezing her back before pulling away. "Whatever the case is, I've been thinking about something else as well." He said, continuing when Moon tilted her head. "Our eventual walk out. See, my can is already going to collapse eventually. Walking out now is the obvious choice. But...I am not the only one in a poor state. Suns has damaged themself and I suspect it has had more effect than they want to admit. And you have already heard about how bad Grey is. I was thinking...we should go and get them too. Then make our way over to Innocence...as much as I loathe to go to her when this is all done with." He sighed. 

That- That was a good point actually. With everyone's state, especially Grey's, she couldn't stand to just....leave them like that. She imagined that Pebbles wouldn't want to either, for all his lone wolf act. Especially not Suns. She hadn't planned for anything beyond getting to Sig, but now that he had stated it, the choice just seemed....obvious. Because of course. She couldn't leave her family behind to lay broken and forgotten. It was her duty as big sister. 

Even though she wasn't the biggest fan of Unparalleled Innocence either. 

"Absolutely. No iterator left behind, hm?" She chuckled. "I imagine you're going to want to take your messengers along with. But such a large group will be difficult to move. Especially through areas like that terrible swamp we had to go through until we reached the plaines." 

Sig sighed, flicking his hands and projecting a few maps up on the wall. "I know. My messengers are built to be incredibly fast, but even then it'll be harder. Danger, food, difficult terrain, shelter, dealing with all these things with such a large group will be....a challenge, at best. Luckily I've sent messengers with overseers to Suns before, and a few to Grey as well. I have the areas mapped, but finding something that will be more viable for a large group is something that will take time." He said. 

"It's a good thing we have all the time in the world that we need, hm?" Moon chuckled. 

Sig's hands paused in the air for a moment. He gave Moon an odd sideways glance before turning back to the maps, his halo sparking away as notes began to appear across it. 

"Speaking of." He said, carefully even. "I was surprised how little of it that it took for Pebbles to apologize once I reamed him out for it." 

Moon stiffened, her eyes narrowing as she took in the meaning of that. A couple sparks went off her antenna as offense and indignation rose in her chest. 

"No Significant Harassment. Were you spying on Pebbles and I's private conversation?" She asked lowly. 

"I have overseers everywhere. It is my can after all. I couldn't help listening when I heard my wayward little brother start getting heated." The other iterator replied simply. 

With a growl, Moon reached up and snatched Sig by the leg, dragging him down and into her face with a yelp of shock, umbilical arm making an odd noise from getting forced like that. 

"You do not get to eavesdrop on private conversations between myself and Pebbles. What we say we say in confidence. I will not have our privacy invaded. Understand?" She said forcefully as Sig stared with wide eyes. 

"You are far stronger than I expected. And more aggressive. You've changed since you left your can." He said, voice strangled.

"Understand?" Moon reiterated with a crackle of electricity. 

"Of course, of course! Loud and clear, big sis." The iterator said frantically, putting his hands up in surrender. Moon gave him one last glare before letting him go, watching him hover back upwards, this time just barely out of her reach. 

He cleared his throat, or more like made an odd staticky noise akin to it, and rubbed his neck as he looked over his maps again. 

"I was meaning that it was good. He's grown more than I thought he could, just telling from that. You both have." He said softly, not locking eyes with her. He sounded almost resigned, in a way. An odd other mix of emotions she couldn't pick out from each other seeped through.

"Yes, well. Escaping the metal cage you have been locked in for thousands of cycles will do a lot to change you. Short time or not." She sighed. 

A heavy silence laid into the space between the two gods. Sig did not turn to her, continuing to blur through various maps and scans of terrain she didn't even vaguely remember. Long stretches of sand and the glittering horizon of an ocean that rippled and waved against a black and white beach. Towering mountains almost as big as an iterator itself, to rocky terrain, and a can in disarray toppled mostly over sideways. Eventually, Sig broke the silence again. 

"Travel, as I said, will be difficult. I'm thinking of things to bring, but considering the size and strength of most of my messengers, we can't carry much. They were built to run and hide, not carry big loads. And we don't have a good direct path to either Suns or Grey. We could take tunnels and whatnot but those are full of creatures with an appetite. Running straight ahead isn't a great option considering Sun's glass plates. Water is full of leviathans, and don't even get me started on Grey..."

Moon was suddenly not listening. Sig rambled on in the background, a few pearls coming up to whirl around him, but she wasn't paying attention. Something he had said was starting an idea. Tunnels, maybe not. But...what other kind of passage was safe, built for many travellers and cargo, and almost directly connected every single iterator local and not? 

"Sig...." She said, making the iterator pause in place as he looked back. 

"Hmm?" He questioned. 

She looked up at him, ideas bubbling up inside her. 

"How clear do you think your train tracks are, and how functional are the trains still on them?" 

Sig froze. She got a nice visual of his thought process suddenly speeding up exponentially as his halo spun and crackles much faster, pulsing and flexing in and out as it spun. 

"Moon...." He began, slowly setting down before suddenly grabbing her shoulders. "You are a genius!!! Of course the damn railways! How did I not think of that? Those things could survive an iterator crushing them, I think they should be operational. Shelter, storage space, fast movement, it's everything we need!" He cackled before pausing. "But...energy hasn't been funneled to them in a long time. They haven't been used in so long, and I am not functional enough down there to charge them." 

If Moon had a mouth, she would have grinned as she grabbed his hands back. "Sig. We have a mass rarefaction cell. Remember? If we hook it in there, we will have enough power to get us anywhere we need." She giggled. Sig made an overjoyed noise as he spiralled away. 

"You're right! I can check the state of the railways and cars next cycle, fix anything that needs fixing, and have them ready to move in no time! Even if we have to abandon ship at some point, it'll have gotten us much farther much easier!" He practically sang. "Would you care to be on the investigation team? Even with your lowered capability, I think you'll know a bit more about the mechanics than any of the little ones."

Moon laughed and nodded, flares of excitement bursting in her chest. "I would love to. As long as I can bring my own friend, of course."

Sig giggled madly, twirling around before pumping out his arms and legs. 

"Look out world! We're going on a road trip!"

Chapter Text

......Ugh.

Sugar really, really, really hated not sleeping in a shelter, it decided. Sleep came in waves as the cycle went on, making it wake up and fall back asleep over and over again. Something would rouse it, but it would be too tired to get up again, and end up going back to sleep. Rinse and repeat until finally it woke completely up. Not that it really wanted to. It was still incredibly exhausted, like it hadn't gotten any sleep at all. But it was absolutely starving now, and so it reluctantly made its way from the safety of the nest. Moon, Pebbles, and Sunny were already gone. Cream, however, roused with it, seemingly just as reluctant to shake away sleep but driven by hunger. 

The odd dreams hadn't helped either. Distant fields that swayed with silver instead of gold. An odd feeling of.....anticipation? It's gut twisted around something unknown, and it was stuck looking to the horizon watching for something it didn't even know was coming.

It knew what odd dreams often preceded. But they were never like this.

Sluggishly the two siblings made their way out of the housing building, stumbling past the far more awake members of this little colony. A sniff to the air and....yep, smelled like Sunny was cooking again. The promise of food was enough to drive them a bit faster across the square, back towards the tent that held the most hustle and bustle currently. Like before, there were quite a lot of the messengers gathered here. Though this time there were also a fair number of the much larger slugcats as well.

Despite all the time away from its colony and people, smelling that kind of cooking still felt like home. Every second it was flashed back to its time as a pup, looking up and grabbing with greedy paws towards a plate full of deliciously cooked food that would keep it sated for the entire cycle. This particular scent smelled particularly familiar. Sweet and fruity, something all the pups had loved.

The two weaved around the crowd of small slugcats, luckily managing to part them without much difficulty, considering their own size. Making their way to the front, they saw the small cooking area being manned by Sunny, a larger slugcat, and another of the smaller ones. The three worked happily with each other, passing ingredients and pointing out some things to each other. Sunny couldn't understand their signs, but they seemed to be communicating well enough even despite this.

A glance at their current work load and, just as it thought, they were making......ugh, what was the word? Popcorn toast with......nectar and berry......compote? It was always hard to pick out the words from its implanted knowledge without having someone else talk about it. Whatever the case, it was good food. 

In one pan, popcorn bread sizzled away in gobs of browned butter, a deep golden brown on either side as they were flipped, put to the side, and exchanged for more slices. In another was the main draw of the dish. Thick nectar that had been cooked down, turning a deep, rich purple due to the berries that had been tossed in. Sugar briefly remembered said berries being ones that scattered the plains outside. The concoction was thick enough to leave a trail behind with every stir, and glistened in the light from the bulbs hung above. Just looking at it was already hell on its poor empty stomach, if the smell wasn't enough. It took everything the little survivor had to keep itself from outright drooling. 

Sunny smiled as he noticed the siblings coming closer, waving to them and already happily filling a plate with the thick slices of popcorn bread before he poured some of the concoction over it and handing it over to them both. Even after the time apart, Cream and Sugar still swatted and hissed ineffectively at each other as they tried to get the first plate. But Sugar was bigger and stronger, and was the smug victor of that particular battle. Even if Cream did smack it with his tail for that.

The two sat down a short way from the work station, settling down side by side before digging into their respective plates. Once again, Sugar was convinced that it had somehow been ascended. 

The nectar and berries were very sweet, but somehow managed to stay away from being overly so. The salt of the butter managed to offset it nicely. The mixture was thick and coated every inch of its mouth, but never made the perfectly crusty toast soggy at all. A good chew, a few berries still full enough to pop as soon as its teeth pierced them, it was the perfect mouthful. Everything Sunny made was. This certainly made the pain of waking up all worth it, though it couldn't help but wonder how the hell Sunny managed to stay so chipper despite likely suffering the same kind of lag they were. Oh well, if it got them more food. 

There was a quiet round of chittering as something else passed through the entrance of the tent. A familiar pair of voices went through its ears, and immediately it looked over its shoulder to see its two favorite iterators coming inside, closely followed by a green overseer. 

"I agree that the tracks will be difficult to clear in some spots, but moving slowly in a train will still be moving faster than we would be on foot. We will have to abandon them at some point since we know Chasing Wind's tracks will likely be inaccessible currently, and Unparalleled Innocence's could very well be as well if her crystal structures continued to grow as they had been previously, but if all the trains are within the same general condition as these, picking up and moving between them should be easy. Considering the fact that there was nothing being sent back and forth when the public ascension happened, every station should have at least one train for it." Moon said, clearly in the middle of a debate as she gestured mindlessly at Pebbles and the overseer.

"Perhaps, but moving between those trains will be a pain. And when we have to travel extended distances between them, taking any provisions or other things that we bring on the train will be cumbersome at best. Not to mention we won't be able to pack everything we need for an extended trip with this many members. We will have to stop the train every time our provisions get low." Pebbles responded, just as entrenched in the conversation but still managing to carefully step around the messengers scattered around the room.

"Then we stop the train! With how many people we'll have, gathering food will be a nonissue! And if we have to leave the train, so what? If the colony you came with is willing, we can take them all with us, and have more than enough people to help carry our stuff! I know you've seen the packs I outfit my messengers with, making more is no problem at all! I could even design some better packs for you two, especially you, Moon. Sugar making that for you is very sweet, but it's not going to hang on forever. It is quite literally just strips of fabric knotted around itself." The green overseer said. Or, rather, No Significant Harassment said. He was not currently projecting his body like before, but his voice still came from it.

Moon made a grumbling noise, clutching her bag protectively before her eyes roved around the crowd and landed on Sugar and its brother. Immediately she brightened, turning away from her conversation to wave and make her way quickly over to them.

"Sugar! Cream, Sunny! Hello! Just the ones I was looking for. Good morning, you've been out for a while now!" The iterator laughed, leaning down to scratch the sibling's heads. "I see you've already had breakfast. Though I think I prefer you without the purple."

Sugar blinked and glanced down at its paws. Only now did it remember the whole fact that these berries in particular stained, dying its sticky compote coated hands in a vibrant purple. It was going to take forever to get this color out of its coat. It whined and glared at Moon, who leaned back with a hand covering no mouth as she giggled again. Well, she couldn't taste this. So take that, Moon.

"Well, whatever the case. Like I was saying, I was looking for you, Sugar. Considering how You have helped me this far, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me on a bit of a mission. See, we've made the decision to gather the others in the local group. Or, well, two of them at least. Get them out of their cans." Sugar perked up at that, looking at her with big eyes. More iterators to save? "To do this, we plan on using the railway system. However we need to check the state of the trains first, and clear the exit rails now that the rain is done. It would be nice to have you along as my personal helping hand." She told it with a chuckle. 

Well. If she was asking so nicely, how could it refuse? More adventure beside its best friend. Nodding happily, it leaned down to scarf the rest of its food into its maw, ignoring the disgusted noise Pebbles made and Sig's snort of laughter. It hurried its plate back to the table and waved goodbye to its own family before rushing back to the other three, licking its paws and face clean. Or at least making a good attempt at it. 

"Eager little helper! I like the spirit! Alright you two, we want to get down there before the rains start coming. I've lessened my output so they come later, and there are shelter train cars, but we still don't want to waste time. Go follow the group near my entrance with all the packs. Pebbles, since you aren't going, bring Cream to my chamber. I want to fix that half formed mark of his." Sig declared, the overseer projecting a large pointer outside. Pebbles made a tense noise, but Moon just smiled with her eyes and continued forward. 

Like the iterator had told them, there was a group of mostly larger slugcats waiting for them outside the entrance of the gate. A group that took no time getting inside, and making their way down a separate tunnel than they had gone through when meeting Sig. Down down they went, probably as quickly as they could considering the time limit. Eventually they came to one of the elevator shafts, sliding the long way down through the leg. 

It was odd, making their way through the guts of a fully functional iterator. Places that it had only seen in utter collapse or covered in rot, perfectly clean and working away as intended. The whirring mechanic parts were so much louder, and no wet squelching of rot cysts or something getting caught on something else, grinding and tearing at organic pieces. This, compared to everything else, definitely sounded like a healthy iterator. Or at least a mostly healthy iterator, cracks notwithstanding. 

"It feels odd to climb through another iterator's insides. Like....a parasite moving around in someone's meat. Eugh. I regret saying that." Moon commented, shuddering slightly. Sugar seconded those feelings. Now it wasn't going to stop thinking about that.

Its paws were beginning to hurt from the rungs digging into its paws when they finally reached another few shafts, another gate, and finally a gate out. Sig's messengers led the way out onto the paths away from the complex, and it couldn't help but note that there were paths, unlike the compound containing Moon and Pebbles. People had gone down them frequently, evidently, making small dirt roads through patches of dark grass and other flora. Sugar made sure to grab a spear sticking from the ground on their way down. With a clear path, the tunnels down to the train roads was not far. A lizard may have popped up from the entrance as they came close, but between all of them it really didn't stand a chance. Sugar almost felt bad for the thing, actually.

The train tunnels, all told, were not very different from the other ones. Dark, kind of damp, and covered in graffiti. Or, scratch that. There was a lot more graffiti here than there was in the other station. The bright smacks of color, even with some as faded as they were, stuck out as beacons among the dreary atmosphere. Incomprehensible designs, some letters, pieces of art depicting Sig or his mark, even a full circle of what it could only assume were all the local group's marks. Somewhere in there, it could even see a just barely visible handprint of something much bigger than itself. Hands that an iterator mimicked. The walls may have been cracked and full of moss and weeds, but history still filled the gaps between the stone. 

The train cars were similarly covered in paint and the like, though it was far more worn than the walls were. They were not completely broken, instead just a bit worn looking, even with weeds growing up their wheels.

"Alright everyone, time to get to work. I want you four to start checking the train exteriors. Look at the wheels, the connectors, everything. Look for any cracks, breaks, and anything that doesn't look right. You five start checking the interiors. See what's in there and what needs to be done. If you can, tear off any small weeds growing up on the wheels or anything else in general. I am going to the front to check the energy ports. If you find anything big that may be an issue, come and tell me. When the rain starts, we will all collect in the forwardmost shelter and talk. Everyone understand?" Moon said, her voice steady and serious. Work mode, as it was. No hesitation, the messengers all nodded. Moon clapped her hands. "Good! Everyone get to work! Sugar, you are obviously with me."

Jobs given and work to do, the groups scattered, and it could see a few green and yellow overseers follow after. The iterator gestured with her head to follow, and Sugar went on her heels as she led the way forward to the front of the great metal engine. 

Sugar had never actually seen the front of a train before. The train in the previous station had always been a bit too far forward in the tunnel, and it had never really had a reason to explore over there. Before, it had just been a means to get to a shaft out. It could appreciate the sight now, however, with all neat angles and odd marks around the door. 

Moon tested said door to the side, glaring when it creaked and stuck, ending up having to force the thing open. The interior was.....not unlike an iterator insides, albeit having a window. Pipes and wires and conduits set in neat lines, all leading away from a central console and down into the guts of the train. Moon gave a quiet hum as she spun in a circle examining the area, scanning over every nook and cranny.

"Dusty....but nothing on the outside seems broken. Lets see the insides. I'm going to need you to hold some things aside for me, alright?" She said. 

Sugar nodded, and the iterator knelt next to the console. She felt around for a few moments before finding something at the bottom, digging her fingers into the spot. With a pop, the front panel popped away and swung upwards. She gestured to it, and Sugar held it up and examined what had been revealed. A lot of wires, and an odd hole in the middle with some kind of....clamp around it? Moon made a noise as she pushed aside some wires that she also had Sugar hold aside to look deeper. 

She made a frustrated noise as she rifled about inside, occasionally pausing and going back to look over some other components. "This would be much easier if I could remember exactly what all these are and what they do. I know what they should look like, but I don't know enough about them to make any suggestions. At least nothing seems broken. Clamps work fine if a bit tough to move, a few wires may need replacing, but otherwise it seems workable. The problem is the limiters. If that doesn't work, this whole plan is a waste of time. The trains were built to use and transport a mass rarefaction cell, but doing that means you need to limit a lot of the power, otherwise it'll just explode the train!" She explained. Sugar didn't particularly care for the idea of getting exploded.

Moon pulled off more panels and rifled around even more wires and mechanics it couldn't even begin to comprehend. Occasionally she would stop to go on a tangent, explaining something or venting frustration about one quirk or another, from either the train or her spotty memory. All the while she had her little friend hold aside wires and various other parts as she ran through the checks.

It was.....good, but odd. Moon never used to do that before she was released from her umbilical arm. 

In the past, Moon had always been so....tired. She carried conversation, yes, but she just as often did not. She never went off on long extended chats about one specific thing, she hardly even used to gesture very much. She had good days and bad days, and the bad days often had her barely even speak. Too tired to read out pearls in their entirety, too tired to focus very hard, too tired to do......anything. And now here she was. Full steam ahead, chattering more than it had ever experienced. Upbeat and energetic, even the way she spoke was somehow smoother than it had been before. The cracks were still there, but they had been paved over and patted down. 

"Sugar? Is something wrong?" Moon asked, tilting her head and sounding concerned. 

No. Of course not. Things were good, and it was very, very happy. 

Moon blinked in surprise as it leaned up against her and purred deeply, rubbing its cheek along her own. The iterator gave a confused laugh as she paused to reach up and scratch between its ears. It ignored her question of "What has gotten into you?" and just purred back at her. The work went on as they moved around the room after checking the center console, looking over every spot they could. Occasionally, Moon would glance down at it. 

"I appreciate you coming along with me. You already do so much for me." She said eventually. Sugar blinked up at her, tilting its head slightly. At the look, she chuckled and continued. 

"I may have said it before, but I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me. For us. Kept myself and Pebbles company through the cycles. Stayed when you could have taken the old path and escaped. You gave me neurons, companionship, anything a collapsed iterator could ask for. The time would have not been nearly as bearable without you. You helped Pebbles get over himself at least a little bit as well, allowing himself to accept help." She chuckled. "And after everything, you still come along and help me do the most menial of tasks. You are my best friend. And family. I just want you to know that."

She reached out and scratched it's head again. It grinned up at her, gesturing between them and motioning 'Family.' to her. She didn't understand slugcat gestures, but it got the feeling she understood that much.

The emotional moment was halted as a rumble started up, going all the way from their feet to the tips of ears and antenna. Moon sighed, glaring up at the ceiling above them with tense shoulders. 

"Every day I resent water a little bit more. Come on." She said. 

The two swiftly exited the train engine, closing the door behind them before hurrying off to meet with the team who was already gathering around the front shelter car. Seeing the two return, they began to make their way inside. As soon as Sugar and Moon got in, the group began to all sign up at the iterator. It couldn't understand most words other than 'Need' and 'Cycles' in what they said. Moon however, of course nodded in understanding.

"I see....I see. That's good. Of course it will take some time, but if nothing is broken, and that's all that is needed, we should be ready to move quite soon!" She said. 

The words became background noise as it settled in the corner, curling up and pillowing its head on its tail. Moon talked, and it drifted off to the sound of her voice. Drifted once more into odd dreams and feelings. 

Time and space stretching thin. Streams of gold and the whispers of those long forgotten yet still clinging into the spaces between. A place merged between the here and there as infinity twisted around itself onto a single point. Who could say whether it was a dream or not? Drifters upon ripples that stretched on and on to places unknown. Gone where none could follow.

Sugar snapped awake to the odd grinding of a shelter opening earlier than it should have.

Something was still wrong. 

Moon juddered beside it, the only other one to wake among the room. 

"What- Is that- Sugar, can you feel that too?" She whispered, stumbling over her sudden wakefulness as it stood slowly up. Behind it, she followed. Almost on auto, the two left the safety of the train shelter.

Water still came in small streams and large drops from splits in the rock of the ceiling. The only noise other than their quiet footsteps that bounced off the walls of the empty tunnel. At some point, Moon's hand found its own.

It had dealt with the echoes before. It never liked it much, really. The warp of the world around them, time slowing down for a moment that stretched on. The twist and pull of a cycle bathed in gold. They used to give it headaches. Not so much now that it had become used to these echoes, meeting them enough to move smoothly through the rippling of reality, parting it around itself like breaching the waves of the shoreline.

Moon stumbled beside it, dazed like it had once been upon meeting these great creatures. It held her tighter. 

Past the train and further into the tunnel. Deeper and deeper to a place that should have been dark, yet was not. They stopped as they passed the veil of perception, a step away from the world they knew and somewhere in between. A swirl of black and gold took up the entirety of the darkness ahead, and its voice rumbled somewhere within the space between mind and body.

"A strange duo, you make. An impossibility. Yet here you stand. Iterator, free of its home, and a little beast, knowing much more than it should. I can see you, small ones. Yours is a cycle that goes on." It whispered in the space, tone full of an odd sort of wonder. Moon choked beside it.

"You....you are an echo. I met one of you before." She said, and Sugar's head snapped to her. She met one before?

"You have. And you were given something that should not be possible. But I suppose....the impossible is always possible, with enough time. Perhaps.....we simply looked in the wrong place. I wonder. Could we have ever taken the road you now walk?"

"I don't understand you! What was I given? What is happening to me?" Moon strained, her fists clenching.

"A doorway. You hold the key, all you needed to do was find it. You will understand your place soon. A place that none before have trod. I hope I may see where you are going, one day. But perhaps these kinds of wishes are what got me here in the first place. Longing for what cannot be."

Moon made a frustrated noise, gripping her antenna. "I don't like your riddles, echo. I want an answer." She growled. The thing just chuckled.

"I wonder where you will go, fallen god. I wonder what you will become."

Sugar knew what it felt like to have your karma increase by way of an echo. The forceful yank of being snapped back. The release of something that should have been important to it, suddenly not. Uncomfortable at best. A step towards something it had no intent of reaching for. 

Dreams dyed in ripples of gold. Staring down into total nonexistence.

This was not that. 

It was like falling backwards. Swept upwards into something it had never known. A door it had not realized it held the key to itself. Falling and falling, not yanked away with a release it did not want. Its hand still clung to Moon's in the rush of reality breaching once more.

It blinked. They were back outside the train car as the rest of the messengers made their way out, seeming to not have even noticed the sudden reappearance. 

"I think." Moon started. "I don't like the echoes."

It agreed. 

It didn't think it imagined the way her eyes glinted silver for a moment in the light.

Chapter Text

.....So. Let's review. 

In the matter of just a few cycles, many things had happened. 

First, the long lost little ones had returned. Second, those little ones had brought friends! These friends having the shocking inclusion of Looks To The Moon and Five Pebbles of all people, whom it had no idea were even capable of leaving! Apparently they hadn't known it either. After that they had been told they planned to move up to see their other iterator brother, No Significant Harassment, and the colony had decided that, well, why not follow? Slugcats were beings of adventure, after all.

Now, Sunny had helped raise Cream and Sugar. They were practically his own, in a way! So with their parents having left so long ago, taking their eldest brother along with them, Sunny considered it his duty to help look after them. And no he did not care how old the two protested they were, they were both still pups to him and he would take care of them as such. Besides, they had a lot of things to catch up on, and he wasn't willing to waste a single second reacquainting himself with them. He had grieved the loss of each of them one time, and he did not wish to do it again.

So, of course, he had followed! He may not have been an original participant of this long journey they had began, but he was certainly going to be a part of it now! 

All spoken, he was having quite a good time up here. There wasn't much scouting work to do or enemies to fight, but he had seen they had a cooking station and took to their food almost immediately. There were so many mouths to feed, and it seemed nobody had taught them the intricacies of making food really good. They weren't bad by any means, but they could use a bit of teaching. And, well. 

He was a teacher, after all.

Teacher, caretaker, scout, guard, cook, Sunny was quite a lot of things. In a nomadic colonies and clans, you often had to take up many roles! If you taught the pups, you also took care of them, raising them communally with all the other parents and helping hands. If you could fight, you protected the clan, helped feed them, ensured their survival through the toughest of times. A functioning colony worked in perfect tandem, a well oiled machine with cogs able to be easily switched back and forth depending completely on what was needed in the situation. In the end, Sunny had ended up a little bit of everything, and it had worked out perfectly well for all involved through all of the cycles. 

It helped that he was one of the oldest retained members of the colony. Slugcats would sometimes come and go from their groups, but for as long as he had found this little family, he had stayed. Only very few had been there as long as he, that group including the Guardian and Scout. Hm, he supposed that made him a sort of leader as well, though their colony wasn't big enough to have any particular elected leaders. Not many colonies did until their population had boomed significantly. 

......What had he been thinking about again?

Ah, right. No Significant Harassment's little clan of messengers. 

In a way, the group was quite odd. They had obviously had incredibly little interaction with any wild slugcats, lacking many of the little tics and quirks you got from living out among others outside. However, all of them were quite sweet and welcoming, unable to speak his language but still incredibly curious as to his place in the situation that had presented itself. They offered ample hospitality, and he offered what he could in return. That being....well, food. It always set off an uncomfortable instinct when he saw any adult slugcat that small. They were not malnourished at all but it certainly made him feel that way!

Well, at least they were eating! Quite happily, of course. As opposed to Moon and Pebbles who he had been nothing short of horrified to find out couldn't experience the joy of eating. Then, he wasn't sure why he was surprised. They didn't really have any mouths to speak of. Hm, he wondered if they could eat if they would suck food up through their antenna like a probiscis. 

......Hm! Actually, he didn't like that thought. He was going to put that away with all the other odd things he wondered about iterators and forget about it.

His attention was dragged away from his internal thoughts by the loud whirring of the gate opening up of the front gate. His head raised to look, and immediately jumped to run over when he saw Pebbles and Cream step outside, Cream rubbing the side of his head and blinking in a slightly bewildered fashion. 

"Hello again, round one. I see you are finished spoiling the rest of the population of No Significant Harassment's can." Pebbles greeted idly as Sunny went about checking Cream over. That half formed communication mark had certainly worried him at first, but now it stamped over Cream's head as clear as it could be. He couldn't help but snort at the comment though, he was never done spoiling people. It was simply in his nature.

'Ok?' He asked Cream, and the other slugcat nodded. 

'Ok.' He confirmed, and Sunny bumped affectionately against his forehead.

"It was lucky No Significant Harassment was able to fix it. I thought for a moment that Cream would be stuck like that indefinitely." Pebbles told them, and Cream made a slight whining noise. Sunny patted him on the shoulder in sympathy. The half mark was certainly odd to get used to, but actually understanding what the iterators were saying was something to get used to as well. Pebbles waved his hand dismissively. 

"Well. If you two are together again, I will take my leave. I'll be in our room.....finding something to do, I suppose. Maybe I'll find the answer to the Great Problem written in the cracks on the wall." He sighed, turning on his foot and moving to leave. 

....Hm. Well that wasn't good. 

Iterators were massive supercomputers, built to run processes constantly at incredible speeds. If what Moon had once told him was right, anyway. And he had no doubt that it was. And even in their state, that was still a part of them. Boredom was all too easy to reach. And with boredom came frustration. And frustration was no good for anyone's mind. Especially not Pebbles, considering his mental state was already testy as it was. The little god didn't need to spend his time looking at paint dry, he needed something to sink his metaphorical teeth into, so to speak. 

Sunny looked around the square. The place had no lack of things to use for fun, but what to pick......

Like a sign from above, one of the little slugcats stumbled into the area with a massive pack of various strings and yarn. It was quite the pile, and Sunny did think it looked like the little creature could use someone to hand some off to. In an instant he had rushed to grab Pebbles and pull him back, ignoring the noise of shoced protest. Curiously, Cream followed after.

"Excuse me, what do you think you are doing?" Pebbles grunted as he was pulled across the square. Sunny stopped next to the slugcat with the yarn, getting its attention before pointing at some of the stuff and then pointed between the iterator and himself. The messenger took a moment to comprehend, brows furrowing before it suddenly did, nodding and gesturing the load to them. Happily, he snatched some off the top and handed a few of them to Pebbles before bullying him over to a corner that seemed to act as a sitting area with a rug and some cushions.  

"Again, I ask you what you're doing. I don't understand the point. Yarn? String? What, are you going to lead me in an arts and crafts session?" He huffed as he was pulled down, forming a triangle with the three of them. Sunny snapped.

That was exactly what they were doing.

Pebbles blinked in bewilderment as Sunny handed some of the materials over to Cream before unfurling some of his own. Now, yarn was of course far harder to come by outside of iterator walls. It took resources and a lot of time to make, time most usually didn't have. There was also rarely enough to make anything very significant from it. Twine was much easier to come by, sturdier, and generally better for most projects. Needless to say neither of the slugcats were particularly skilled with this particular form of craft. Sunny was a little bit moreso, but still not very.

Pebbles looked up and down between them and the things in his lap. One of his hands traced the length of some of the yarn. 

"This is.....ridiculous. A child's school activity." He said bluntly. Sunny raised a brow, continuing to spool out some yarn before starting to lay it out and cross pieces over each other. Pebbles watched in silence as the start of a shaky weave came together, hands flexing within his own balls of yarn. The slugcat gave him the time, working simply away. Like he suspected, it wasn't long till the iterator broke.

"You aren't even doing it right. The spaces are all uneven." He grumbled.

Just like that, the iterator unspooled his own sets of yarn, laying them out to start weaving them together with the precision only a computer of his nature could manage. Without actual tools to use, the slugcat's own turned into a shaky mess, while Pebbles did just fine for himself. In and out, under and over, rainbows of color came together. Messy, maybe, but art in and of itself.

"Some of the more enterprising ancients had an entire language code using weaving patterns." Pebbles said idly. "Some would even create poems in rugs and tapestries. It was an old art, incredibly old, and mostly died out when people started moving up on top of the cans. But some still had their fun weaving silly things into their patterns, even mimicking it in some art pieces. The specific methods and notes of the language are.....unfortunately lost to me now. But it was an interesting phenomenon to study when I still had my memories."

Sunny cocked his head, smirking slightly at the iterator. Not such a ridiculous activity now, was it? The iterator glared back. 

"Don't give me that look. Language weaving was a far more respectable task that these child's games." He growled. 

"Did I hear someone is engaging in child's games? Ohhh, let me see!" All parties flinched as an overseer popped up next to them, shoving its eye into Pebbles's work with a gasp. "Pebbles! How sweet! Are you making a little cupholder? Oh! I know! Make some bracelets next! I think Moon would cry if you gave her a bracelet. I want one too!"

Pebbles made a strangled noise, slapping his hands over top the current project. "Sig!" He yelped in an undignified tone. "You need to mind your own business! I am not making anything for you!"

"You wound me, Pebbles! Come on, one little bracelet? I know you know how, I distinctly remember a time a few children came to you for a school trip, and you taught them how just to get them out of your wires! You complained to Moon the whole day after, it was adorable!" The other iterator chortled, and Pebbles made another staticky noise of protest. 

"I do not have any memory of such an event, and frankly I don't think I should believe anything you say about anything I do being 'adorable'. This is humiliating." He groaned. Sig just laughed, the overseer bobbing in place as it tried to examine the covered bits of the work Pebbles had done.

"Yes, well, Moon always was better with children than you." He hummed.

Pebbles went still for a moment, his antenna twitching backwards for a moment as he glanced at the nosy overseer. 

"And....how is Moon now? The cycle should have started by now if I'm not mistaken. And the last time Moon had to deal with a great amount of water....." He trailed off, an odd tone in his voice. Tense apprehension. 

"Yes, the rain cycle has started now. Moon is alright, she and the others are safe in a shelter. What's this about her and water?" Sig replied, his voice edging into something more serious. Pebbles sat back, playing with the ends of some of his yarn, no longer attempting to hide his work. 

"I worry something may be wrong with her puppet. A glitch or a misplaced wire as a result of the abuse she has endured. We were exiting the city outside our walls through the sewers, and they flooded when the rains came. Instead of getting into the shelter with us she just.....froze. If it wasn't for me, she would have been swept away. Then in the peatlands outside the city we were dumped into the water due to a vulture. She got us out but afterwards she was....off, for lack of a better term." He explained. 

The overseer echoed out a noise of worry at that. "Distressing. I ran scans on all of you when you entered my chamber. As far as I could tell, there was nothing wrong with Moon's puppet at all. Or yours, for that matter. I'll have to ask her to sit still for some deeper scans when she comes back." Sig said.

Again the two lapsed into a tense silence. Slowly, Pebbles reached out and grabbed some blue, red, and yellow yarn, examining it and tying the tops together before beginning to weave the pieces together. 

"You aren't going to stop bothering me unless I do, so I'll make the bracelets. I'm going to make sure yours is as terrible as I can possibly make it. Which isn't very, because I do not make mistakes, but I will try." He huffed. 

"Oh! Make one for Suns too! He will be so happy if you give him a bracelet you made. Anything you made, honestly." Sig gasped, and Pebbles rolled his eyes so hard that his head went with it.

"Fine, for Suns as well."

"Maybe for Grey too."

"You are pushing it, No Significant Harassment."

"Full names again already? I thought we were getting somewhere!"

Sunny chittered in amusement as the two bantered back and forth, watching as the green overseer leaned in close to catch what his little brother was doing, and watching as Pebbles did not make an attempt to swat it away this time.

The iterators were hundreds upon hundreds of cycles older than himself, and yet as Sunny watched them, he couldn't help but see a pair of children. He saw it in all of them, honestly. Abandoned, hurt, healing. Pups once lost, now finally found once more. Just as Sugar had been. He could see why Cherry acted the way she did towards the smallest iterator now.

Well. At least they weren't alone now. And if things kept going the way they were, he had a feeling they never would be again.

The healing would hurt. It always did. But it was healing. 

The storms would come, again and again. But the clouds would always break, and the sun would always shine once more. And that was all he needed to know.

Chapter Text

It had been.....a few cycles so far, since Cherry had stayed back outside the retaining walls with her pups and the colony. Every second of that time they had gotten to know each other. It had hurt just as much as she had expected to. Watching them and knowing that she didn't truly know them anymore. They were her pups, through and through, but they also were not. They had grown so much, and she was so proud of them. It hurt. But it was good, too. A burden broken away and dusted from her shoulders. The rubble still stuck and dust clung to her fur, but it was good, too. Like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Considering the situation at hand, Cherry had also taken on the job of caring for Pearl and Potato. Pups were adaptable, but she still wasn't completely comfortable simply leaving the two in the care of random strangers. That decision hurt a lot too, but it was made far easier by her own long lost pups happily jumping in to....well, coparent the little things, she supposed.

In that time, she had also gotten to know some of the other colony members. The Guardian, head protector for the clan, a stoic but even tempered slugcat of immense size, somehow always patient even when the pups went crawling all over him and bit at his tail. Then the Scout, a particularly strange, small flying slugcat with a membrane between its arms and legs that let it glide just about anywhere there was a light breeze, mischievous but incredibly smart. The Eye and Mouth, somewhat terrifying slugcats who watched for threats, with the Eye having massive eyes and ears, and the mouth being able to shriek so loud it nearly busted her eardrums the first time she heard it. Mates, apparently, both being of a nervy sort. 

There was also Illumine, who had evidently decided to stay among them instead of going back to the swamps. Which, yeah, frankly she could understand. You would have to drag her by her toes to get her anywhere close to the void damned swamps again. Whatever the case they were good company. Loud, but incredibly kind. The pups loved them and their tricks of making rocks glow with their copious amounts of.....bodily goo.

Whatever the case, it was......odd, being a part of a colony again. And not in an entirely good way. But also not in an entirely bad way either. Just odd. All at once she was being forced back into swing of personal interactions with a larger group. She preferred spending time taking care of the pups, but that didn't completely limit her time among the others. She also minded the lizards as Pebbles had asked her too, finding them to be quite the helpful hunting helpers, especially against the occasional vulture they came across.

It was....a lot. And considering the fact she hadn't seen the others in cycles, she made the hesitant decision to go up and see them a hesitant decision made much firmer when Olive and Juniper agreed to come along with. Pearl and Potato too, of course. She imagined Cream would most likely want to see how the two were doing in their time with the colony.

So, decision made, early the cycle after said decision they made their way to the gates after grabbing some food, and moving through into the complex. The complex was.....far smaller than she was used to, but there were small paths to take leading to the can. The insides were similarly familiar yet not. Some paths she had taken, some she had not. The place was.....clean. Healthy. It was odd to see an iterator in genuinely functioning condition. The pups squealed and chirped as they spiraled through the antigravity, limbs flailing. More than once she had to reach out and snatch one back close to her so they didn't drift off. Mostly Pearl, Potato seemed thankfully content to cling to her tail for the most part.

Up and up they went, Cherry silently thanking the stars they didn't have to climb up the leg instead. Or, well, technically they were climbing up the leg. Just not the outside of it. With pups, she was not willing to risk it. She watched as, eventually, a green overseer popped up overhead. There was a small pause as they blinked at each other, until finally the overseer projected an arrow. An easier path up. They were already most of the way, but a little extra help was appreciated. 

Up and around, the five eventually popped out of a shaft and directly into a gate. The pups jumped and squealed as the steam hissed upwards, and they were allowed into the great city. 

It was......far more lively than she had expected, actually. 

Small slugcats she almost mistook as pups ran back and forth around the feet of larger ones, all carrying big bags of everything from food to tools and other such supplies. A few heads turned towards them in the rush, but most of the clan was focused on....whatever they were doing. Juniper and Olive gave her twin curious looks, and she could do nothing but shrug, sniffing about in an attempt to pick out their friends from the crowd around them. It took a second, but eventually she caught out the head of a round orange slugcat somewhere at the back of the rush of crowd. Immediately she gestured in, jogging over to their rotund friend. 

Olive and Juniper chirped all too happily at the sight of him, speeding up and slamming suddenly into either of his sides and nearly sending them tumbling. He gave a surprised noise, nearly tumbling over, but giving a joyful "Waow!" when he realized who it was, sweeping the two off their feet and twirling them in the air for just a moment, waving at Cherry and the pups when he was done.

'What happening?' Cherry asked curiously. 

'Prepare for leaving. Not stay here!' He explained, and Cherry jerked back in shock, along with her children. 

'What wrong? Danger???' She asked, suddenly more than a little worried at the state of those broken legs the iterator sported. Sunny chuffed in amusement, giving her a gesture to waylay her fears for the moment. 

'Help iterator family. Group effort, they in danger. No danger here now, but eventually will. Cut losses.' Sunny told her, and she rocked back to take in the information.

So that meant....they were pulling another Pebbles. Cutting off the iterator and moving along. Moving along to do the same to more iterators. How many family members did Moon and Pebbles have again? It was two, right? Or- no. Three. That was going to be a big journey, if the travel from the other compound over to this one said anything. But...if that was the case, and they were all moving, that brought up another, far more pertinent question. 

'Leave clan?' Olive gestured tentatively. Sunny blinked before suddenly shaking his head, puffing up with a far more confident look that that kind of question should have constituted. 

'Bring clan!' He declared. The three gaped. 

The entire clan, she assumed this entire clan as well, and then their own whole group that they planned on extending even further. That was going to be....a big group. They didn't even know if the colony would want to come! The needs required to bring along such a big group was.....quite big. And moving them would be quite slow. Were they really sure about this?

"Cherry! Hello! You brought the whole family, it's good to see all of you!"

A call distracted all of them, and they looked up to see their favorite blue iterator jogging towards them, waving furiously as another large bag jostled at her side. Marching beside her was a slugcat that stuck out from all the others around them, being a nearly pitch black purple color, and a fairly regular size compared to everyone else around them. She slowed to a stop in front of them, hands on her hips as she laughed slightly. The pups chirped and jumped to grab her legs and greet her, and Moon leaned down to scratch them both.  

"You chose quite the time to visit! We are....very busy as you can see. Though you wouldn't know what's going on.....I should explain." She hummed, leaning back. 

"It has come to our attention that two more of my siblings, Seven Red Suns and Chasing Wind are....not in the best of condition. Suns had a breakdown when we went off without telling anyone, and Wind has been collapsed for some time. Not to mention No Significant Harassment wants out as well. So, considering all that, we've decided to leave! We're going and saving everybody. Cutting them off their own umbilicals. We found out that the trains under the complex are in working order, and the tracks should be as well, so we've been cleaning it out and fixing up anything that needs fixing. What you see here is the result of all this. Everybody is packing up to load the train cars so we can go! At this speed, we'll be ready very soon!" She explained. When she gestured, Cherry noticed a small woven bracelet dangling from Moon's wrist. Blue, red, and yellow all in a carefully braided pattern. It looked quite nice, actually. She wondered if Moon made it herself.

Whatever the case, this all certainly explained some things. Cherry hadn't been down into the tunnels with the trains very much, but she had at least seen them before. Massive metal beasts once built to carry everything from people to supplies from can to can, now sitting idle on the tracks they once rode. But not for long, it seemed. Sunny wanting to take the clan along made more sense now, with things that big and with as many shelter cars as they had, it could house all of them and more quite comfortably.

She saw Olive and Juniper's confused looks, and suddenly she realized that neither of them had the mark. They couldn't understand what Moon was saying at all, it would just be a bunch of robotic jargon. There were not many words for the exact things they were doing, but she would make do. 

'Riding on....large metal things. Fast. Much space. Enough for colony.' She explained. 

Blinking in comprehension, Juniper perked up, but Olive looked a bit more dubious. 'Safe?' her child worried, and she paused, glancing at Moon.

Was it safe? It would be a long journey. She had no idea how a train worked or how long it would work. She didn't have enough information to completely trust the idea. But....she trusted the iterators. They were smart, and they would know. They wouldn't put an entire two colonies in danger. So, firmly, she nodded. Upon seeing her pups relax, she turned to the next question she had, pointing curiously at the slugcat standing boredly at her side and impatiently tapping its foot.

"Oh! How rude of me! This is Tailor. She, well, sews things I suppose! We were actually just about to bring Sig's new outfit over for him to check! His current outfit isn't exactly travel appropriate. I don't think any iterator's outfits are, honestly. Would you like to come along? We can get all of you some marks so you don't have to keep translating for us." Moon explained. The newly named Tailor let out a simple "Mrrr" in response, looking no more patient than she had moments before.

Cherry considered, but nodded, glancing to Olive and Juniper, gesturing 'Follow. Will learn to speak to them." at them. The two exchanged a look at each other, but similarly nodded in agreement. 

With that agreed upon, the seven set off to the gates into the can, the small pups skittering around their feet obliviously. They passed through into the short passages to Sig's chamber, but as they got closer, she was suddenly able to pick up a voice. The one she had heard from the overseer projection that had scolded the sibling iterators previously. 

"-And don't push yourself too hard until the tissue has been given some time to stretch and heal more. I'm going to scan you every day to make sure nothing else crops up and that everything is healing ok, especially on the inside. Get lots of rest and eat as much as you can. And also-" The voice was cut off by a sudden "Waow!" and a light smacking sound. Both Cherry and Moon froze for a second before rushing forward.

"Ok ok! I get it, stop worrying. You really-"

Again the voice was stopped as the group slipped through the entrance, barely caught by a burst of antigravity before they landed on the floor. Hovering above in the flesh....metal, was the green iterator. On the floor in front of him...was Angel. And Cherry couldn't help but be taken aback.

Angel looked......amazing.

The other slugcat was no longer hunched over and shaking on her feet. She was standing at her full height, completely alert with ears perked and eyes wide. No longer looking as if she would fall over at any moment. Her orange red fur was brighter than it had ever been, like all the grey had been zapped out of it. Seemed thicker now, as well, not oddly patchy in places, save for a thin slice of scar tissue down the length of her torso. Clasped around her wrist was a metal bracelet with the same diamond mark upon the iterator's head. The most interesting thing about her, however, was her back. There was no fur. Instead, nearly the entirety of it had been replaced with thick armored plates of what she could only imagine was centipede scales. It stretched down from her forehead, all the way down a large portion of her tail. Almost everywhere the rot had stuck out of her. Through the fur, she could see patches of light scar tissue where the normal skin connected to what was under the scales.

The tired and sickly thing Angel had been was almost gone. Suddenly, Cherry could see all too well the hunter she had once been. 

Moon gasped beside her, and Angel's head snapped up. Immediately the two rushed to each other, Angel all but hurling herself into Moon's arms with a chirp of happiness. 

"Little savior!!! You're back! You're alright, and you look amazing! No Significant Harassment, what did you do?" Moon laughed, hugging the slugcat gently and rocking back and forth with her as Angel butted their heads together. Sig chuckled slightly, settling onto the ground to bump up against the two. 

"Well, quite a lot. I won't bore you with the specifics. I had to cut out all the rot and replace all the insides that it had infected, first of all. Then I covered that nasty bit of back with something hardier, messed with some genomes to make the transfusions fit, it was...." Sig chuckled, a bit weakly. "A little nervewracking. Especially considering that since I had to flush out the rot, it inevitably got a little.....stuck. In some of my experimentation chamber bits. Needless to say I won't be making any more messengers. But I've blocked off the area, so it's fine for now. We'll be out long before it starts growing in any large amount."

"Oh no, Sig....." Moon gasped. "Does it hurt?"

Thankfully, Sig shook his head. "Not right now. It's more the thought that's uncomfortable." He answered before rocking back, putting his hands on his hips with a laugh. "But enough of that! I assume this one is Cherry. Who are these other four?" He said, crouching down and extending a hand for a curious Pearl to sniff while Potato stayed behind Cherry's leg. 

"These two are Olive and Juniper, they're Cherry's pups! The little ones are the ones that Cream took care of! I see they've been in good hands in the time we were away." Moon laughed. "And, actually, I was wondering if you would give them the mark? It's much easier when you can be understood."

"Why of course! Just hold still." Sig chuckled, raising a hand. 

There was a pulse and crackle of energy as the gravity lowered for a few moments, the four unknowing slugcats raised into the air with yelps of surprise. Four consecutive pangs and a flash of light, and all four of them had the mark of communication hovering over their heads. Sig leaned in as they flinched back, the little ones scrambling to hide behind the tail of their main defender. 

"Hello there. Is this reaching you?"

It certainly was. All ears suddenly perked and eyes went wide with the sudden comprehension of things they never had before. An odd feeling, especially for the pups she imagined. Sig chuckled, leaning away and crossing his legs in the air. 

"There we go. Hello all, my name is No Significant Harassment. It is very nice to meet you." He hummed. 

"WAOW."

All heads turned and settled on the other occupant in the room. The purple slugcat who looked more than a little annoyed now, glaring at Sig and signing something before pointing at the second bag that Moon was hauling. He blinked, somehow looking sheepish even without much of a face to express with. He rubbed his audio port, laughing slightly.

"Yes yes, how rude of me! You came to give me something, correct?" He said, once again stepping to the floor. 

Moon seemed to jump with the realization as well, making an apologetic noise as she pulled the bag off her shoulder and went to hand it to the other iterator. Immediately he opened it, rummaging through the contents that Cherry couldn't see much of beyond flashes of purple fabric not unlike what Sig wore now.

"That would be your new travel clothes. And the bag you'll be keeping your neurons in. Why don't you show us? Your little seamstress worked very hard on it!" Moon said.

Sig paused, tilting his head slightly. He looked at Moon for a moment before giving her a look that was most definitely smug, and closing the pack. 

"Nah."

"What?? Why!" Moon gasped in afront as Sig cackled and raised up away from her. 

"Because a surprise is more fun! Besides. Look at this." He replied. With a flick of his hand he brought up footage of a tunnel with train cars, bustling with activity. If she had to say, he was pointing out how good the train cars currently looked. At least she thought they looked good. "The cars are all cleaned out and being packed up for travel. We're gonna be ready to go in no time! Just have a little more stuff to pack in, and a colony to ask along for the ride. Speaking of...." Sig paused, turning to look down at Olive and Juniper. "You two are part of the colony. We're going to be leaving soon, and we could really use some extra hands for when we do have to leave the train. Would you mind asking the others of your clan to join us when we go?" He asked. 

The two blinked widely at Sig, then each other, then glanced back at Cherry. A shock of terror went through her at the thought of leaving the side of her pups again, but....it was inevitable. And something that had to be done. She nodded gently at the two. After a pause, the two nodded as well. Sig clapped his hands happily, making a noise of satisfaction. 

"Good! I'll have some overseers guide you out! Don't get eaten on the way!" He chirped. 

With that, the gravity quickly turned off, and the two were guided up to the exit. Before they left, they turned and waved quietly back at their mother. Cherry waved back, forcing down the pulse of fear that nearly threatened to choke her, watching as their tails disappeared. She still watched the exit as the others began to talk once more.

"Well, with that out of the way, and considering everything, are you all ready? Because I certainly am. Moon, I think it's time you got those tools. I'm ready to blow this metal cage. We have some family to save!"

Chapter Text

It had been a long time since Angel had felt this good. A long time. And, honestly, she wasn't completely sure how to deal with it. She still hurt, yes, but not like before. She didn't feel so tired or cloudy. Her insides didn't feel like that were squirming around themselves. There was no rot pushing out of her back, just the odd feeling of the shifting plates along the length of her body.

It was a relief. More than a relief, to be in control again. There was still work to be done, but Sig had pumped her full of nutrients and various stimulants to pump her muscles up a bit more until she could really get back to work again. Which would likely be quite soon considering their current agenda. 

Speaking of.

The entire population of Sig's can was....in a bit of a hustle and bustle. Everyone was getting on packs and heaving around bags. Slugcats from the other colony had been brought up as well, only serving to further the kind of chaos. Most of said colony was busy getting marks from Sig before they had to leave, allowing them to better follow instructions. The end of the rains was coming within the hour at most, and the moment it did? They would be off.

Much to her annoyance, however, there wasn't much that Angel herself could do. She was being forced away from heavy work already, and most of the work that did need doing was already in the process of being done. So instead, she was forced to sit on the sidelines watching the back and forth of slugcats from all stripes coming and going. A whirl of color in every direction. More people than she had ever seen. Quietly, she shifted in discomfort. She wasn't used to being around this many people. She hadn't even seen this many since she was created. 

There were looks too. Flashes of shocked recognition. Sparks of awe and wonder. She couldn't imagine why, she wasn't all that different than the colony slugcats. Other than the odd scales now on her body. It couldn't be color or scars, Cherry had just as many scars and even redder fur. Was it the bracelet? No, most of them hardly even seemed to notice the bracelet. Then what was it?

Whatever it was, she didn't particularly prefer it. 

In and out, out and in. Occasionally she saw Moon or Pebbles pass by, overseers flickering up around them, stopping to chat about something, before swirling away to different tasks once more. She huffed, laying her head down and closing her eyes. She desperately wanted to be a part of the action, practically buzzed with it, but there was nothing she could do. 

Tap tap of footsteps. The thud and shift of boxes moved. The loud whir of the gates into the can opening and closing. A soft, inquiring chirp somewhere very close to her face.

......Hold on. What?

Angel peeked an eye open. 

Just in front of her, one of the larger slugcats stood. Spotted black and white with thick fur, it shifted nervously back and forth. The size was made significantly less intimidating by it's posture, hunched over and wide eyed with ears slightly back. It looked scared to approach, but there was that spark of odd awe in its eyes that she had seen from the others as well. Slowly, it signed something at her. She blinked. Once again there was a flash of frustration in her that she hadn't been taught how to use sign language. She gestured with her hands and shook her head. 

Realization dawning on its face, it slumped in slight dejection. It looked around for a long moment before its gaze landed on her wrist. Quickly it pointed at the band, then back to her with a tilt of its head. 

......Was she....Sig's? Was that what it was asking? If she had also been made by their creator? Slowly, she nodded, and once again the slugcat perked up, jumping from foot to foot and looking hurriedly around. It looked very eager to get something across, but she was completely unsure what. Eventually it pointed at her and made what she could only imagine was a....strongman gesture? She was again stumped by this. It seemed to be a compliment, however, so she gave a thumbs up nonetheless. 

The slugcat looked around for a moment, suddenly perking up and shooting off. Angel was left staring after, more confused than she had ever been. 

It slammed into another slugcat of its size carrying a small box, tussling with each other for a moment before it managed to snatch something out, rushing back to her as soon as it did. In it's paw was.....a piece of red chalk. Ah.

She watched as the messenger knelt down, beginning to draw something out on the pavement below. Herself and Sig, a heart between them. Herself with a star overhead, holding a spear in each hand and lizards dead beneath her. Then a pause, and finally a drawing of herself over a family tree line of other slugcats below. She stared at these, trying to comprehend what the other creature was trying to convey. 

She considered.

Suddenly, it clicked.

These slugcats were her descendants. 

They weren't completely, of course, she didn't have any children. But she was their base. She had been the first, and it was her dna that must have acted at the starting point for all of these messengers. Nix the part that gave you rot. And....Sig must have talked about her. She.......she was their idol. Not even just an idol, she was family, even if only the very minimal amount of it.

That was what the looks were for. The odd behavior, the nervous attempt to get her attention, everything. She was the very first, and of course all of these ones would end up finding out about her sooner or later.

Family. Just the thought of it was enough to bowl her over. What was she supposed to do now? This was a lot of family to contend with. What did family usually do together? She didn't know! The only family she ever had was No Significant Harassment. Void below this was a lot to deal with very suddenly. 

The black and white slugcat shifted nervously before her, waiting nervously as she was swept up in this revelation. It took a moment before she remembered that she was supposed to do something about this. But what?

For lack of a better idea, she wavered for a moment before leaning up to bump their heads together and purring. The other slugcat froze for a moment, and she worried she had taken the wrong step, when suddenly it bumped back harder again with a lower rumbling purr, eyes screwed shut in happiness. When they broke apart, the slugcat bounced up and down on it's paws, joyful to have at least gotten its point across. 

"Angel!"

The shout drew both creature's attention, focusing on Moon with yet another bag jangling at her side, looking heavier than the previous one she had hauled along. It certainly sounded full of metal things. Tools? Angel made a curious noise back at her. 

"The rains are about to stop. We're going to go through with cutting off Sig's umbilicals. It will.....not be a pleasant experience for him, so we wanted you to be there for support if nothing else." The iterator explained, coming to a stop in front of them. 

Immediately, both heads snapped up. The other slugcat made a noise, waving a swift goodbye and shooting off. Herself, obviously, nodded furiously. Of course she was going to be there when the umbilicals were severed. She could only imagine how much that might hurt, and she was not about to let her creator go through something like that without being there. In an instant, she was on her feet, storming to the gates and outpacing Moon herself. 

"Eager! I'm sure that Sig will appreciate it." Moon chuckled behind her as they entered. 

Down the passages and into the chamber they went, finding Cherry and Pebbles already inside. Sig twisted upside down on his umbilical arm to look at them, crossing his arms and looking amused as his scarf swung below. Next to Pebble's feet was a large travel bag, and she could see the flash of a soft white glow from inside one of the cracks. Cherry meanwhile held a spear that glinted with a razor edge. 

"Well well well! Look who decided to show up! Late! Tsk tsk Moon, punctuality is important. Pebbles has already gathered as many neurons as he could fit into that backpack. You have the other tools, I imagine?" Sig joked. Moon huffed and glared at him, crossing her arms. 

"Finding the right tools in a city like this is difficult. I had to find the stuff in a maintenance closet and clean it all off! Be thankful I found the tools at all. Now get down here." She replied.

The green iterator laughed and came right side up once more, lowering and settling on the ground. He bowed dramatically to Moon as he did. "Of course, doctor Moon. Your wish is my command." He sang, only relaxing as Angel trotted up and bumped him, his hand reaching to scratch her ears. "Yes, hello, Angel. I appreciate you being here as well." 

Pebbles scoffed slightly, shoving the iterator. "Lay down on your side and keep the umbilical base near the entrance. We will need to climb it once we're done. Are you sure you're ready?" He said. Sig just shrugged him off, plopping down on the floor and doing as instructed as Moon moved behind him and started getting out the tools. 

"It's fine. It'll be quick, I trust you. Besides, how bad could it be?" Sig chirped back.

Moon and Pebbles exchanged a look. 

"It was the worst experience I have ever been through. And I had dealt with the rot for a very long time when I did." Pebbles said bluntly. 

"......Hm."

Sig's voice was significantly weaker now as he seemed to take in that information. One by one Moon laid out the tools for the disconnect as they watched, Angel coming around to his front and bullying herself into his arms once she deemed it needed. Sig received it well, wrapping his arms around her and putting his face against her furry scruff. 

Screwdriver, pliers, all manner of things she was....not the most comfortable with being used on her creator. Every second of tense silence thickened the air like a bad syrup, and she couldn't help but worry. What if something bad happened? What if they messed up? What if what if what if? She didn't like this. But it had to be done. Sig's fingers combed through her fur, and she wondered who it was calming more. Him or her. 

The final click of a tool set down, and Moon sat back. "Alright. That's the last of these. I'm going to start work now." She told Sig.

"This is the easy part. It's odd, but not completely painful." Pebbles informed him, and Sig gave a strained laugh. 

"Can't wait."

With that, Moon picked up a tool and started to work.

Tick tick tick. Out came the screws, attachment clamps, things she couldn't place. Piece by piece, the umbilical started to pop away from Sig's back. He flinched and made an odd sound here and there, but didn't seem to be in much pain. Just an odd feeling, like they had been told. Eventually the thing finally came away, thudding limply against the floor. Moon pulled it away, exposing a set of wires connecting them. Sig shifted slightly, turning his head to look at what had come out of him. 

"That's weird. Like looking at your own insides." He said, shuddering. Moon turned his head back.

"Then don't. Cherry?"

Sig's head was turned away as Cherry stepped forward with the spear. Angel forced down the instinct to lunge at her and protect her iterator. She just swallowed and watched as Cherry examined it, and Moon held the wires straight.

"Are you ready?" She asked gently.

"As I'll ever be." Sig agreed. 

Moon nodded at Cherry. Cherry nodded back, flicking out her spear and testing the aim for just a moment. A long, heavy pause. Sig tensed up, and she grit her teeth. Cherry swung. In a moment, the cords had been cleanly severed. 

The room blared red. Danger symbols erupted into every corner. The thing that came out of No Significant Harassment's chest was not a voice. It was simply pure, ear piercing, garbled static. His entire body jolted and seized, the hands he had on Angel becoming all at once painful. The new plates on her back creaked with the pressure of being suddenly squeezed. And the noise didn't stop. A high whine echoed out of her mouth in the same time the layers of electronic wail peeled away to start sound like something a little bit more coherent.

"-OP STOP IT HURTS PLEASE PLEASE STOP IT HURTS IT HURTS!" The iterator screamed, curling desperately away from the hands of his sister and the reaching ones of his brother, face slamming into the side of the floor of the chamber. 

"Sig! It's ok it's ok, we're holding on. You're ok. You're ok." Moon attempted to soothe though her voice was high and tight. Both other iterators shifted forward to grab him, holding hands to prevent him from accidentally crushing Angel in his agony.

"No no no no it's NOT IT HURTS I can't please please I can't no more-" Her iterator sobbed, trembling where he was and curling his legs and body up as much as Angel's own allowed. The ending trailed into another robotic noise, and she almost could have wondered if she had lost her mark at some point, reminded of a faint old memory of just before Sig had given it to her. All robotic jargon in an old language she could not understand.

"You can. You will. The pain goes away when the last wire is cut. I promise you that." Pebbles said firmly, gripping their hands together. She couldn't help but notice now, an odd bracelet around Sig's wrist. Greens and purple woven in something expertly bad. The pink iterator stiffened more when his fingers brushed it. He gripped Sig tighter. 

It was wrong to see him like this. Sig did not cry or beg. He laughed things off or completely ignored them. Even when frustrated he would simply scoff and wave it away. He was always ok. Seeing him any less than that was terrifying. 

"I'm sorry, Sig. You will be ok. Just hang on." Moon soothed, gripping and extending out the umbilical wire as Cherry prepared. 

No Significant Harassment shook his head furiously, speech again dissolving into static. Angel growled even despite knowing this was for the best and trusting the others with this. The spear raised. And then, swift and final, it came down.

CRACK.

The room went dark.

No Significant Harassment went limp.

No more alarms. No more danger signs. It was silent save for her own heavy heartbeat and the pounding of blood in her eardrums. Pebbles wordlessly reached out and snatched the bag of neurons, pressing it in against the limp and dead- Unconcious iterator. The hand Moon wasn't using to grip one of Sig's was digging scratches into the floor below. Her iterator did not move. 

One. Two. Three. He wasn't moving. Pebbles and Moon exchanged a look. 

Please. Please please please. Please wake up.

"Waaaowww..."

A sudden snap of electricity. All at once there was a flash, light turning on behind Sig's eyes as he jerked again with a mechanical gasp and wheeze. His hands scrabbled up the arms of his siblings. 

"I- Oh- What?" He choked, head swiveling. 

At once, Angel cried out. She lunged forward and latched on against his chest. Almost immediately after another body rammed into his side, and she could see a pair of hands go to grip the newly freed iterator's shoulders, helping him sit up slightly.

"See? I told you it would be ok. Congratulations, you're free." Moon laughed, and it sounded choked. Sig twitched and looked around, shifting back and forth, testing the limits of his now freed body.

"That....." He made a strained sound. "We are not doing anything like that again. I suddenly worry far more for what Suns went through, and suddenly understand why he didn't finish it." He said, not a single hint of humor left in his voice. Angel pressed against his side, and he combed a hand through her fur with an absent nervousness. 

"Then we should hurry. Are you ready to go?" Pebbles asked, finally standing up to get the bag of clothes from the corner and tossing them over to Sig.

"....Yes. Let's just go."

Sig, a bit less enthusiastic to be moving now that he had been knocked off kilter from the disconnection, did get the new clothes and put them on. They were still largely purple, of course, but there were trims and designs of black and green as well. The long sleeved shirt fit snugly against his body, covered at the top by a short capelet. The bottom meanwhile wasn't nearly as long as Pebbles and Moon's pants, only coming down just below the knees. The designer even had thought to add some treads that Sig put on the bottoms of his feet. To finish it off, the iterator took his beloved scarf and retied it, forming a neat bow instead of allowing it to trail behind as he usually would.

Somewhere in the middle of getting dressed, one of the iterator's overseers had popped up as well, and the time had been interspersed with formatting all of them back to himself. Occasionally he would pause and shudder, but mostly he simply stayed quiet. Once he was finally dressed, he shifted around and looked at himself with a small hum of approval. 

"I've never been in something like this before. I think I like it." He commented. 

"Good, because we aren't going into the city and getting more." Pebbles said bluntly. "Ready to get up and go?" 

"Of course!"

Moon and Pebbles made twin sounds of surprise as, just like that, Sig shifted his hands underneath himself and hauled to his feet. Shaky, yes, but he stayed standing. The two stared, blinking widely at him. 

"Well. You are certainly a go getter. Alright then, come on and we'll help you climb up the umbilical." Moon said, shaking off her surprise. Sig paused. Looked down at his legs, flat feet on the floor. He looked back up.

A pause. 

"I.....don't think I can!" Sig said cheerily. 

Of course. His feet were round and flat, making him far steadier, but that didn't make him suddenly an expert at walking. He looked down, then up again. One of his feet shifted forward, dragging slowly on the ground in an awkward shuffle. He wobbled and immediately froze again, arms out at his sides. Pebbles hid an amused look, but Moon giggled and went to help him. 

"It's alright. We have you."

All told, the process of getting up went smoother than expected. Angel went first, Sig below her, then Moon and the other two right behind, helping them somewhat bully their fellow iterator upwards and in through the passages. It was almost eerie now, how dark and quiet it was. His insides had never been like this before. The place was now, officially, yet another corpse scarring the landscape below, destined to one day fall upon the plains below. She wondered how long it would be. She wondered if the rot would take it first, or the collapse. 

She didn't like to think about it.

Eventually, the group finally made it out. The gate, somehow still working despite no being to control it, whirred open as it always had. Close, open, out. Sig froze a step outside, finally able to stare out at the sun, and his own colony, or at least what was left of it topside. Almost all eyes shot up to look at him when he exited. Silence went around the block. 

"I....see why you like the outside so much. Hello everyone!" Sig said, his voice wavering as he raised a hand to wave. 

A cry went up. Immediately, every single remaining messenger had swarmed close to their creator, jumping and grabbing and making loud noises at him as they all tried to not be knocked over in the ambush. Sig laughed, trying his best to pet as many of them as he could even despite his wobbling body. 

"Yes yes, I'm out! Calm down! We're not out of the woods yet!" He clapped his hands, and every messenger stood at attention. "Alright everyone! The cycle is ending, and it's time to go! Grab the rest of your things and let's move! No daddling, because we don't want to wait for stragglers! Move out!" He shouted. 

Even despite the excitement, everyone scattered the moment their creator sent the order. They watched as chaos rained, and Sig nodded in satisfaction. 

"Now we just have to contend with getting down your leg." Moon chuckled. 

Sig groaned. 

So down the leg they went. Once more through the elevator shafts with people above and below to catch him if he fall, the work was a bit slow going, but they still managed it. It was almost disappointingly uneventful other than Sig complaining about the way he had to shove his feet into the ladder. The general sentiment there was a very firm "Get in the club" as Moon and Pebbles flexed their own sharp feet. Down and down further and further until they hit solid ground, and Angel truly wished they could have spent some more time outside. Sig jumped every time a plant brushed his foot or when he kicked a rock as he shuffled his feet along. He deserved to see the beauty outside his complex. Alas they were on a time limit, and it did not allow for exploring, though the shutoff of the can would certainly help that time.

Into the tunnels, and finally to the front of those great metal beasts of travel that she very much prayed would work. She could see the others of the group running around helping final prep. Sig laughed weakly, closing his eyes for a moment. 

"This is a lot." He admitted.

"It always is." Moon agreed softly. "It still is for me."

"I don't think it will stop being a lot." Pebbles hummed. 

Quietly, Sig nodded. After a moment, he leaned back, put on his brave face, and puffed out his chest with what may have been a grin if he had a mouth. 

"Well, I do like trains. And there is one thing I've been wanting to do since we started planning this." He said, eyes scrunching in joy. 

He tilted his head up, put his hands on his hips, and shouted.

"ALLLLLL ABOOOOOOOARD!"

Chapter Text

Ground. Grass. Stone. Light. He never thought he would see the day.

For so long, he had been forced to watch. Ever since he was woken, it was all he could do. He watched and yearned for the lives of those living outside his can. He watched as they, one by one, all disappeared. He watched Moon collapse. Watched Pebbles kill her. His messenger succumbing to an illness of his own fault, the guilt of Suns, everything. Stagnant. Incapable to do anything himself.

He hated the ancients for that. Sometimes he even hated himself for it.

Stuck. Useless. Watching, waiting, praying that anything he sent would work.

Well. No more of that anymore.

The train station was bustling with life he hadn't seen since the cities were still alive. His colony, and the new one, all of them scrambling to pack away the last few bits and bobs before the rains came. Some had already gathered in the passenger cars and were waiting for takeoff. He could see them through the windows, chattering away and signing at each other in excited conversation. He stared out over the commotion, and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. For them, his siblings, and himself. 

They were free, and they were all going to be, soon. Well, save for Innocence. He doubted she would be willing to leave behind her gossip hub. He prayed that Suns would be able to handle himself alone, and not do anything else stupid in the meantime. Their last message to each other had been short, but full of worry. Suns had already lost enough, they didn't need to lose all of them again too. Though....considering their current situation with the cycle....he doubted it was possible. 

There was also the point of Chasing Wind. After being disconnected, Sig couldn't send a message out. Suns, however, could. And he had been entrusted with making sure something got out to the other fallen iterator, at least so they wouldn't be surprised when the group came knocking at their gates. Collectively, they had all also agreed to keep Unparalleled Innocence out of the loop until they were all with Suns and ready to deal with her particular.....proclivities together. It was a somewhat obvious choice to keep her from immediately blabbing to the greater iterator population until the last possible second. 

Well. No point in thinking about it now. They would deal with all of that later when they were all together once more.

He couldn't wait to give Suns a hug.

"Well! Lets see if we can't boot up the old console, hm?" Moon hummed, knocking the iterator from his musings. "If after all this work it ends up not doing anything, I am going to be very unhappy."

"Do not jinx it." Pebbles growled, narrowing his eyes at his sister. Sig gave a snort, jabbing the shorter iterator in the side. 

"Don't worry so much! I believe in us, it'll be fine as long as we don't immediately take off the moment we turn the thing on." He laughed. He really did not want that to happen. 

Together the three shuffled their way to the front at the awkward, lock legged gait that was unfortunately set by Sig. Not for Moon's lack of trying, of course. "Bend your knees more!" she said. "Bigger steps, Sig!" She coaxed. But Sig was not convinced. Every actual step was awkward as he tried to figure out where to place his weight, trying to force himself not to give up and automatically start leaning back in an attempt to use an umbilical arm that, again, was not there. Apparently he was doing much better than they had, however, as they were already beginning to leave his side to let him get some steps forward on his own, and they hadn't been able to do that for a cycle at least. It was less a stability issue for him than it was a balance issue, trying to figure out how to not lean too far back or too far forward, forcing himself to gauge every step so he didn't end up trying to make a wrong stride. 

It was something, anyway. 

Regardless of the pace, the trio of iterators shuffled their way to the engine car, stepping inside. Already the front panel was open, and inside of it sat the mass rarefaction cell, pulsing slowly in its clamp. It hummed quietly, just waiting to give out its energy. Moon stepped forward and closed the panel once more, blocking it from view. She switched her gaze over to the controls once more, hands grazing the surface. 

"Let's see if I can remember how to work this...." She mumbled. Immediately, Pebbles stepped up next to her. 

"Let me. I don't trust that you do remember. I hardly even do." He said.

"Both of you step aside." Sig rolled his eyes, shoving between the sibling iterators. "Neither of you went out of your way to remember how to work these things because you didn't even know we would be using one. I did. I've taken care to memorize how these things work so we wouldn't be stuck up a creek without a paddle when any of us didn't remember how to do it."

His fingers grazed across the console and.....ah yes. There it was. He flipped a switch and pressed a button. All at once, the train rumbled. 

This was what he was hoping for. The great wheeze as the beast came to life after so many cycles of abandonment. The lights flickered and burst on, the console suddenly filling with a bright glow in an instant. The ground underneath their feet vibrated, and the train breathed. Bang bang bang, the sound of every train car coming alive. Outside, he could hear the surprised shrieks and hoots of the colonies watching as it happened. And, the best part, it held. Nothing exploded or burst, even as it hummed with energy it had not seen in so very long. What an amazing thing it was. 

"THAT is what I like to see! Ha!" He whooped, pumping his fists in the air and just barely avoiding smacking both other iterators upside the head. "Please, don't clap. I'll be here all cycle." 

Pebbles groaned, rolling his eyes hard enough to twist his head, giving Sig an unamused look as Moon giggled. "Congratulations. You didn't break anything the moment you touched it. Color me surprised." The smallest iterator drawled, and Sig patted him on the head despite being swatted at. 

"He can be right sometimes! Look at that!" Moon laughed. 

"E tu brute?" Sig gasped in offense, pressing a hand against his chest. He could only keep the look up for a moment before bursting into laughter, lifting and free as it rang around the train car and into the tunnel outside. Moon laughed right along with him, and though Pebbles angled his head away, Sig could see something that looked like it would be a smile if he had a mouth.

"Waow!" Laughter trailed off as the three looked to the door, noticing their favorite white, kerchief wearing slugcat, now also adorned with a small pack of its own. It peeked inside, scanning over them and the insides of the now brightly lit room, before gesturing out. 

"What is it, Sugar? You want to show us something?" Moon asked. The little one nodded before darting out, leaving the three to look at each other before following along into the tunnel once again.

Considering the open area, he noticed what was going on immediately. Along the wall, someone had set up various paint buckets. A crowd had gathered around them, and were dipping their paws into the paint and pressing them into the wall, leaving a myriad of prints everywhere someone had been. A rainbow of colors drying on the wall, on every part that anyone could get at. Groups chittered happily at each other, some of the pups jumped about smacking prints into multiple places.

"A memento." Pebbles said quietly. 

"How wonderful! Do we have the time?" Moon gasped.

Sig paused, examining the area. He considered.

"We have time." He said firmly.

The three walked forward, stepping up to the wall. The crowd parted easily for them with chirps of greeting and other things. The three looked over the paint buckets, choosing their colors quite easily. Pebbles with blue, Moon with yellow, Sig with green. Sleeves were rolled up, and Moon took off a glove as they pressed their hands into the surface of the paint. Up they went, sharing a look before they pressed their paint covered hands upon the wall, holding them for a few seconds to get it on before pulling away. 

Their prints stuck out just above all the other ones. Large and obvious among the paw prints below. The three stepped back from the work and looked on. Watching as the wall was filled with marks that stood bright among the dreary outside, Sig couldn't help but consider things.

Three random gods that had broken their chains. Staring on at the proof of their freedom. There would be none that understood these marks but them, but that was just fine. It didn't need to be, because it was there all the same.

They would leave. They would revel in their freedom. And this would stay as proof of their great escape. Perhaps not as grand as any adventurous stories that some children preferred, yet still an unspeakable sort of victory that only those who had been there would know. Caged songbirds taking flight, their wings not so clipped as anyone had imagined before. 

They were still here, despite everything. They were alive. They would continue to be.

He couldn't help but chuckle slightly. It felt like a victory, if he was honest. The ones who had caged them were long, long gone, but in this moment, they had won. No matter how long it had taken them in the end. They would leave behind the broken things that the old ones had left them and finally make their own paths, carving through every expectation that had been set for them. They would finally shuck away the burdens that had been unwillingly laid upon their shoulders. 

Slaves from birth no longer. Paving new roads all on their own.

He hoped their creators were watching. 

He hoped they were furious.

"Know what?" He hummed. His siblings made curious noises back at him. "I think we should make a tradition out of this. Leaving a mark for everybody we free. I think it would be something fun to do, you know?"

"Oh! I think that's a wonderful idea! Pebbles?" Moon clapped her hands happily. Pebbles made a small hum, arms crossed and staring up at the work. 

"It....could be. As long as we can carry the paint for it." Pebbles admitted, and Sig laughed and clapped him on the back. 

"Don't always need paint! Other things can make just as much color." He said before turning around. "Alright everyone, finish up! We leave in five!"

Announcement made, the crowds scattered once more. They moved back to the engine car as the last prints were made, paints were gathered, and people jumped back into the train cars. Just in case, he made sure to do a quick head count to check that everyone was there, and nobody was left behind.

"Sugar! Angel! Get up here and watch the train take off with us! Anyone else that wants to as well!" Moon called, getting the attention of the few slugcats that wanted to watch what happened.

On they went, joined by a few of the messengers, as well as Cream and the pups. They waited their five minutes, and a few more, before Sig pressed the button for the intercom. 

"Alright everyone, time to go! Sit your butts down and brace for the time of your life!" He called. Moon and Pebbles gave him bemused looks. 

"Lets hope it's not a bad time."

"Now who's jinxing it, Pebbles?" 

Sigs hands flew over the controls. Switches, buttons, everything they needed. The pitch in the rumble of the train got louder and louder as processes were turned on. Eventually, things were ready. He exchanged one, firm look with Moon and Pebbles, and they nodded. Finally, he threw the switch. 

The moment it was hit, the train gave a mighty heave. With ever increasing delight, it began to move forward. Tick by tick, it moved faster, the wheels cranking and whirring until finally, they were shooting down the dark tracks as fast as the damn thing would allow. He cheered, and the others cheered with him. Fully functioning and, above all, free. He couldn't be happier. 

"Good work everyone! Shall we check and see we didn't leave any train cars behind?" Sig laughed, and the two nodded. Together they moved to the back of the car and tossed open the door. The wind rustled through his scarf and whipped around them, but luckily they had made sure to set up the rails between each car so they didn't have to be jumping between them.

Back through the cars they went, checking on everyone. Excitement filled passenger cars, and even one or two of the shelter cars though the shelters were not active yet. Every one of them had been cleaned thoroughly, and he could almost still smell the products they had used. Seats along every wall still stained dark, but at least not stinking to high heaven. The windows were clean enough to watch the tunnel whirl by, and the lights were as bright as the engine room's had been. Once again he made a headcount for every car they passed, and indeed they had not left anyone behind he noticed with no little amount of relief. 

The storage cars were packed full just as well, just barely neat enough for them to get through to the other side. Every side was top to bottom full of the remnants of what had once been on top of his can. Some things had to be left behind, of course, but this was enough for him. Even just the colony was enough for him. Everyone was safe and happy, and they would be arriving to Suns in only a few cycles. What a time to be alive. 

Back through the cars again, and once more to the engine. Seemingly, just in time as well. A light up ahead fast approaching until suddenly, it was upon them. Sig had to blink away the stars. But when he opened them again, he was met with something beautiful.

His own lands outside the walls, in colors that he had never seen before. Rolling hills and flora waving in the wind. Creatures that lumbered and frolicked through the long grasses or reached up into tall branches to fish for their plump fruits. He reached forward, pressing his hand to the glass of the window. Life flourishing despite the difficulties that this world gave. Perseverance in the face of doom. Freedom in the face of pain. 

Such a familiar feeling, despite how short the time he had spent feeling it.

He longed to be out there, twirling among the grasses with them. He couldn't fully, of course, but he could leave the car and stand on the junction to watch the world go by. And that was exactly what he did. Grass and weeds rustled as the train whirled by. Creatures of all sorts looked on in awe or scattered in fear at the thing barreling down the tracks. The sun glinted off the dark metal of the cars. If he leaned forward across the bars of the railing, he almost felt like he was flying. Even if he didn't need the wind to get that feeling. 

Perfection. 

"Don't fall off the rails, we don't want to have to go backwards!" Moon laughed behind him, and he gave her a bemused look. 

"You would do it anyway." He snorted. 

"Well we didn't put all this work in for nothing." She responded, elbowing his side as she stepped beside him. "You like it?"

"I love it. I hope we come back around here some day." Sig chuckled. 

"As long as we don't have to go through the marsh again." Pebbles huffed, stepping in beside him as well. Sig gave him a curious look.

"You still haven't told me the full story with that. Do you plan to?"

"I would really rather not."

Sig made a noise, crossing his arms over the rail and looking back over the fields of his home once again as they rushed past. Or.....maybe not home. It never truly felt like it. It was simply where his can was. A graveyard of sorts now, he supposed. The last vestiges of old life being his now corpse.

.......He hoped the plants would take it over, one day. If the rot didn't end up wiping it all out.

Well. No use worrying about it now. For now, he was content to watch the world roll by until the rains came crashing down.

No longer still. Stagnant. Helpless.

Look out world.

Here they come.

Chapter Text

The old train rumbled and chugged away under their feet. The scenery passed in a colorful blur of flora and fauna that she couldn't even begin to identify. When the rains had come the first time after getting on the train, they had all worried. The starting of the engine had been a test in and of itself, but seeing how it interacted with the rain would be the final one. All of them had hurried into the shelters after forcing the thing to slow down in preparation, and they had waited. 

When they woke up, much to their collective delight, everything was fine. The train continued on, and nothing had broken. All their passengers were completely fine, and all of the storage cars were no worse for wear. It was a good start, Moon thought. And a bit exhilarating in all honesty. They were on a train! Horray for new experiences of all kinds.

One problem, though. 

You couldn't start fires in a train. 

"I'm sure the effort is appreciated, Sunny. But any actual cooking would be ill advised in here. I know you can make things just as good without any heat." Moon soothed, scratching the dejected head of Sunny as he rifled through the food supplies. He made a longing 'Mrrrrrr' in response, but otherwise kept to his current task; finding what to make everyone when his former plans were cast aside.

"I know they will. My little messengers had been quite abuzz about your cooking, healthy one. They found their ways, but they never quite got a hang of the more complicated factors of it. Busy busy, you know how it is." Sig agreed, nodding slightly. He was standing straight, and doing a frankly unfairly good job at walking already, once he had started to fix which way he was putting his weight and keeping his strides from being too long. "Your kind are built for raw food anyway, it's good for you!"

Sunny made another noise as he pulled out a pack of vulture meat before pausing. He looked consideringly back at the two iterators and made a few motions. Sig made a confused noise beside her, but a flash of recognition passed over her. Sugar had taught her those words!

"I don't-"

"What do we eat?" Moon asked, cutting off Sig's confused comment. Sunny made a so-so gesture, his brows furrowing before making another gesture that she didn't recognize this time. Or, maybe she did? It looked something like.....colony? "What did....our people eat?" She asked. Instantly, Sunny snapped and nodded with a triumphant look. 

Well wasn't that an odd question. What had her citizens eaten, when her city was still standing and populated? She....couldn't quite remember. Many small details evaded her. However, the occasional odd specific detail of something seemingly completely random would stick out. And, as she thought harder about it, something else small suddenly cropped up. 

".....I.....think the citizens of my can liked a sugary alcohol they called 'Moonshine'. I also remember Pebbles having a more carbonated beverage they called.....Pebbsi? I think? I get the feeling our citizens all had sweet tooths." She said slowly.

Sig hummed, tilting his head up and narrowing his eyes in concentration. "A good question indeed! Though I find it hard to recall now......I think my own citizens actually preferred spicy food! And fresh fruit, since there was an ample supply outside my retaining walls." He finally said, planting his hands on his hips. "Yes, that sounds right. I remember it starting as a trend of challenge that amused me greatly."

"Of course your citizens would. I imagine you encouraged it." Moon giggled. 

"I did! What better way to entertain myself?" Sig agreed. 

Moon groaned as Sunny looked around thoughtfully, before beginning to gather supplies. With a gesture, he got them to aid his quest. Vulture meat, pole plant leaves, honey, and other things she couldn't begin to identify. Sig and herself exchanged a curious look as they began to take things out to the main room they were cooking in, one of the shelters with ample open space. A tarp on the floor, and it was good enough to prepare their food on. Sunny laid out the gathered items, showing them to the other slugcats and motioning for them to get more. 

Things set out, he began to take them out of their various containers and preserving packages. They were set into neat lines and finally, he took out a knife and began to chop. The skill of many cycles showed easily here as items were cut into neat sections of varying sizes depending on the kind of food. Clean and swift, the job was getting done in no time at all.

She heard the scratch and shift of metal on metal, glancing back to see Pebbles pop into the car with them, looking curiously on at their current activity. "Food again? What is it this time? I hope you don't plan on starting a fire in here." He said, brushing himself off and stepping up beside his siblings.

"No, Pebbles. We are not. Plans had to be changed because we couldn't! I think he wanted to make soup." She answered. Sunny made a whine again and gave them a withering look, chopping down particularly hard on a piece of meat. 

Suddenly, the slugcat paused. He examined the three with a scrutinizing eye, up and down. Suddenly, he gestured in and pointed firmly beside him, whipping out some more knives and setting them on the floor. All of them blinked in wide eyed stupor at him. 

"Does he....want us to help him?" Sig said slowly. Sunny nodded. 

Moon went easily enough, tentatively settling at the creature's side. Sig came right behind after a moment of thought. Pebbles crossed his arms and glared back at them, leaning away. 

"I am not going to dirty my hands with this." He grumbled. 

"Yes you will." Moon chirped.

Pebbles glared. 

"You are just as insufferable as he is."

"That's my job!"

Pebbles sat with them.

The other slugcats chose that time to pile in with more food, and Sunny handed them the knives and demonstrated how to do exactly as he did. Considering what they were, it took no time at all to learn it. They sliced through food with him until eventually he started fishing out some large bowls and beginning to toss things in them. The cubes of meat, thinly sliced pieces of some root vegetable, small chopped pieces of small tubed flowerlike things and pods, and a few more things. He began tossing them in bowls with the honey, a light red powder, and a bit of cream. He began to massage the concoction around before handing the job over to them.

"Eugh. It feels disgusting." Sig shuddered as he kneaded it together, making odd sloppy noises. Pebbles made an agreeing noise. Moon giggled as she moved hers around, coating every bit of meat and vegetable into what seemed to be becoming some kind of thick glazing sauce, deeply red and coating every inch of the food before them. 

"Maybe we can ask to make something else next time! I'm quite liking it. I think you two are just dramatic." She hummed, rubbing her thumbs across the slick, plump meat of the vulture as it was coated in something she supposed was going to be spicy. It certainly smelled like it had some sort of twang to it. 

A bit more work, and eventually Sunny nodded in satisfaction. He started to grab bowls, pointing at them, the food, and then outside the shelter. Evidently he wanted them to take the food out. And of course, after wiping their hands off, they did. With the help of some of the other assisting hands, they filled up bowls and went about handing it all out to eager mouths. All of the little creatures jumped around their feet as they helped around the train, chattering and making joyful noises, especially for Sig, who reached down to scratch everyone he possibly could while at work. Pups scrambled up Pebbles's legs, but he didn't make to shake them off, just grumbling and shoving food in their faces to make them go away with a resigned sort of motion. 

Car by car, everybody got their food, working away to make sure nobody went hungry for the cycle. Until, of course, Sig decided to make a game of it. He nudged Moon mischievously in the side.

"Hey. Look at this." He giggled, straightening before suddenly turning and looking to one of his messengers. "Sootsie! Catch!" He called. The slugcat's head snapped around as he tossed a piece of meat into the air. Instantly the little creature was leaping up, snapping the food in its jaws and chewing happily. Sig's eyes scrunched in joy. "I did this all the time in my chamber." He giggled. 

Another piece was tossed. Another piece was caught. Sig offered her the bowl. She only had to consider it for a moment before taking a piece of her own and tossing it out, giggling when somebody else caught it. Eventually a pair of pups jumped at their legs and pointed excitedly at the bowl before bouncing back. 

"Oh, you want a try? Alright then, catch!" Sig laughed, tossing another piece out to them.

In was in equal parts surprise, horror, and absolute amusement that they watched the two pups immediately fumble and flail over each other, stumbling and flopping awkwardly onto the floor when they both leapt to catch the thrown meat. They did technically catch it, but not before the thing was tossed about through fumbling and desperate paws, chaos only added to when Sig decided to toss another piece directly onto one of the head of one of the pups.

"You are both aware we are supposed to hand out food, not play fetch with it, correct?" A voice said behind them, and they each turned their shining gaze onto their darling little brother. He froze slightly under their gaze. "What is that look- Oh no. No no no. You have all defiled my pride enough, thank you. I refuse to lower myself even further." He growled.

"Toss. Toss. Toss. Toss! TOSS! TOSS! TOSS!" Sig began to chant, turning to start cornering the smallest iterator, shoving the bowl in his face much to his horror. The look was too good. Moon couldn't help herself. 

"Toss! Toss! Toss!" She chanted along with, helping bully her brother away from the exit and force the food even further against him. Behind them, the chant began to pick up. One by one the slugcats joined in, their voices ringing through the cabin with no small amount of joy. Just beside Pebbles, Cherry stepped through the entrance.

Cherry and Pebbles locked eyes. 

"Citizen." Pebbles pleaded. 

Cherry looked at him. Looked around at the chanting colony. At Moon and Sig. Moon gestured simply to the bowl of food they still had and were still shoving into the unwilling iterator's face as he tried to get away. She once again looked at Pebbles.

"Wa. Wa. Wa."

"NO!!!"

Betrayed yet again by his own citizen, he made a noise of anguish, annoyance, rage, and utter absolute resignation. Of all the things he could get out of, this was not one of them.

"Fine! Fine! I will toss your stupid vulture meat. Just be silent!" He roared, snatching a piece from the bowl. 

He whipped around and proceeded to toss the meat cube directly on the floor. 

There was a pause of silence.

Then a cheer rang out. 

Pebbles groaned, all the fight going out of him and leaving him like a limp, wet ragdoll as Sig proceeded to pick him up and twirl him, though they needed to be caught by Moon from falling over. She didn't know who snatched the meat, but it was gone the next time she looked. The colony celebrated as Pebbles suffered through yet another ego death, dragged ever deeper into the throes of absolute idiotic mediocrity that they now enjoyed. 

She couldn't help but step back and appreciate it. 

No great problems to solve. No monsters to fight. No old suicidal saints telling them what to do. They were just......living.

There would be pain and suffering ahead. Difficulty was not gone by any means, and at the end of the day this was barely a fraction of their journey. But.....this was enough. If she only had this moment among a flood of darkness, then she would cling to this.

She would keep appreciating these little things for as long as they were there.

Surviving. Flourishing. Willingly stepping onwards no matter what came. Walking towards a future unknown on a path not yet trodden by the ones that had created them. 

A cycle. Broken by deciding to stay within it.

Hm.

She chuckled to herself, leaning against the wall as she watched her family dance in the joy of a moment well lived. Sig noogied Pebbles's head as the younger iterator furiously swatted at him, temporarily starting a slap fight and completely horrified when he realized that was what he was doing. Sig's laughter rang like bells in the confines of this train rattling onwards towards the rest of their family.

Maybe she was starting to understand after all.

Chapter Text

Pebbles stared into the dumb, black, blank eyes of his lizards. And he supposed they were his lizards now. He had named them, and apparently they listened and followed him more than anyone else despite their few cycles with the colony.

The lizards stared back. 

He almost wished they hadn't come. .....Ignoring the fact that after they took off he almost immediately double checked to make sure that they had. Big stupid lizards with big stupid mouths. He huffed as he tossed them another few pieces of lizard meat while musing away at their continued existence around them.

All told, they were not.....terrible companions. They helped with hunting quite a bit, served as aid for watching one's back, and various other things. It wasn't unexpected, he supposed. The creatures they had descended from were meant to act as guards for the cities. A long time though it had been since then, that part of them was still entwined deep into their dna. Such was the result of purposing purposed organisms. At the end of the day he supposed....these really were just feral purposed organisms. Sometimes difficult....but not impossible to train.

....Hm. Training. He supposed they did need that. If he could train them, then it needed to be done. Couldn't have them going rouge on him after all......

"Alight you three." He huffed, standing up straighter. "We are going to do an exercise. Let's see if you can keep up." He told them before pointing downwards with a firm look as he held the meat chunks in his other hand. 

"Sit."

The lizards blinked and shuffled in confusion. Uncomprehending. That was fine, of course it was going to start out this way. He was willing to wait. Waiting was a necessary evil when it came to these sorts of things. They hissed and rumbled, but finally, eventually, Peach was the one to sit down first. Immediately he clicked his fingers together and tossed her a piece of meat.

"Good girl." He said, with no small amount of satisfaction. Hopefully this would start to sink in. Slowly, eventually, Clover sat down too. Then Sky. Each one of them got a piece of meat and a click of his fingers when they did.

Idly, he wondered if this was exactly what the old ones did. He had never cared much to pay attention to how they trained the organisms. It was still instinct to try to reach for that knowledge, reach for the files and reports that would tell him exactly what was done. Even after all these cycles of being off the umbilicals. Even after so much of him had rotted away.

Well, it didn't matter much now anyway. He didn't really care how they did it, the way he was doing it would work just fine. Memories completely intact or not. They continued their work. 

Another sit, another snap, another piece of food. It was an incredibly simple command, but important nonetheless. After all, he needed to be able to stop them from doing things if they were about to, say, bite a slugpup or something. He shuddered at the thought. Moon would have his head if he let that happen. He wouldn't be very happy about it either.

Sit, snap, food. He thought they were starting to get it now. Sky seemed to get it first out of them, then Peach, then Clover. It wasn't the fastest of progression, but it was satisfactory nonetheless. They seemed to bounce off each other, seeing the actions of the others and mimicking it quicker each time.

Again and again. Repeat until perfect. 

Or until your darling older sister interrupted you. 

"Oh? What's this now?" Moon chirped from behind him. One of his antenna flicked in annoyance as she came around from behind him and stepped at his side to examine the situation. Her head tilted slightly, blinking as the lizards stared unthinkingly back. The lizards wanted more snacks.

"I am attempting to train them. They're beginning to get a hang of the command of 'sit'. Nothing else yet. I am considering teaching them 'come', but they seem to prefer following me anyway. They already somewhat know 'get it", I am wondering what other sort of commands would be beneficial to learn now." He told her, crossing his arms and staring at the creatures that blinked slowly back at him. 

"You should teach them to roll over!" Moon gasped. 

Immediately, he hissed at her.

.....That was not a normal hiss. 

Low and rattling, he could see Moon glancing to see if it was one of the lizards who made it. But no, it was not. It was far too metallic in nature to be, anyway. Moon slowly looked back at him as his antenna pinned back in horror. 

"Oh no." He muttered.

"Pebbles was that what I think it was?" She asked happily.

"Absolutely not." He groaned. "I don't even understand why you do it, I certainly shouldn't."

Moon hummed, tilting her head back as she patted him on the shoulder. "Well." She began. "It's been a very long time. The only interaction I had for much of that was the little creatures like Sugar, and Sugar spent so much time with me. After all that time together, I started to pick up on some of the noises. It was only natural! I know you picked up on some too, Pebbles. I know I heard you purring for me before." She said, cocking her head.

Pebbles made a disgruntled noise back. "You were- It was for comfort. You obviously like the sound and it was a very tense situation and I did not want you to end up spiraling further than you already did." He said, rocking away and turning his head. 

Taming lizards. Engaging in silly games. Mimicking the noises of the low creatures walking amongst them. Saints below, what had he become? His creators would be disappointed, he knew that for sure. Horrified, maybe. In just a few cycles he had managed to break more than a few taboos before proceeding to stop his own pride into the dirt and mud, never to come out unsullied again.

Ugh.

He hated to say that it was still worth it.

Concentration lost, he tossed the rest of the meat to his lizard trio and wiped his hands off on his pants. Clover bumped at his leg and snuffed at him, and he pushed her face away. "No. No more food. You got enough already." He grumbled, though it went completely unheeded as the other two started bumping him as well, nearly knocking him flat on his back as he tried helplessly to get out of it. "I regret getting on this train with you. You know that? Of course not. I can't wait to get out."

"Funny you should mention that, actually! We're entering the territory of Seven Red Suns! Get to the windows, you'll want to see this."

Both of them turned their heads, revealing Sig as he stepped into the room and gestured over to the windows as he jogged up. The siblings glanced curiously at each other as they followed along, peeking out at the land rushing by. 

As they had passed through territories, the greenery from No Significant Harassment had become suddenly scarcer and scarcer. The grass had wilted and browned, trees were much more sparce, and sand had begun to replace all of the vegetation on the ground. Creatures became sparce too, he could hardly see many outside in those ever expanding sands when he glanced outside.

There was something else approaching now, however. Something shining up from the sand. Great beams of glinting, colored light sparkling in the air. The closer they got, the more clear the image became. 

Stained glass. Incredible amounts of stained glass, covering great swaths of the land. Some shards stook up among the sand while some lay atop it, strewn across the sands like splatters of iridescent paint. There were patterns and depictions once, but as broken as they were now, most of it had become impossible to decipher. Just broken shards that seemed to glow in the beaming sunlight above. 

"The Spiral of Glass. The citizens of Suns always did like their artwork. A pain to get through, though. Literally." Sig chuckled. 

"It's beautiful." Moon whispered.

It was. Broken as it may have been, there was beauty even in that. He ached to see it in its prime, the great murals blocking out the sands below, much of it likely made from the sands that surrounded the area. Karma symbols, shards of hands and golden masks, only barely decipherable. Broken yet remaining. Shards of a broken world long past still reaching up into the sky and cutting those brave enough to trod across it. 

It made him miss the old art that used to be painted in his can. He wished he had brought something more.

All he had now, though, was a single pearl. 

Idly he reached around to grab inside his backpack pocket, sliding the pearl out of its place and rolling it between his hands. Smooth, fitting perfectly between his fingers. He extended his hand and allowed it to raise, the soft hymn rising out of it. Both his siblings glanced over.

'Thats a nice pearl, Pebbles. Did you bring more?" Sig hummed. Pebbles shook his head quietly. He wished he did.

"No. I don't want any scavengers taking something important. I don't want to waste space either." He said, with no small amount of bitterness. Sig and Moon exchanged a look together.

"Well. My messengers did bring some. You are free to look through what we have." Sig offered. 

He paused.

"I would like that." He finally said.

Moon tilted her head back and glanced around herself, when suddenly she gasped and ran to the other window. "Look, the ocean! I had forgotten Suns was built on the shore!" She said as the other two followed after.

Indeed right outside, the ocean view was rapidly approaching. Rolling blue waves and things rippling just under the water. If he pressed his face up hard enough, he could just barely see Suns's can towering into the sky. Two legs left the land and dipped under the water, waves crashing up against them. It was a pretty sight, certainly. Though he couldn't help but glance at Moon as her enthusiasm slowly waned away.

"Ack-"

All thoughts were suddenly cut as a large nose shoved against the back of his legs, sending him tumbling over backward onto his lizards with a hiss of surprise. There was a panicked scramble as the lizards rushed to get out from under him, sending him even further to the floor and proceeding to get stepped on. Sig began to cackle loudly, but was immediately halted as Clover turned, and he was knocked over by her tail. On the floor, Peach took the chance to get on top of him and start sniffing his face while he wailed in panic, the lizard not seeming to notice she had also pinned the unwilling Pebbles under her own tail. 

"Stupid- Creatures! SIT!" Pebbles shouted. 

A pause, shuffling, and all three suddenly turned attention to him and plopped down. Three pairs of iterator eyes blinked at them. Big black ones blinked back. Clover leaned in to sniff Pebbles for food. 

"Well aren't you the go getter! Already training them." Sig chuckled, slumped on his back.

"Was there any doubt he would?" Moon chuckled, and Sig made an affirming noise. 

"I suppose there was not." He admitted. 

Pebbles just rolled his eyes and heaved back to his feet. 

"I think I am going to take you up on that offer to look at pearls until the rains come. While I find them another treat." He sighed, looking around with a....more than small amount of distress before he found his own pearl on the floor. He wiped it off and examined it, relieved to find there were no cracks or marks on it. He wouldn't be able to stand if it had any. 

With a final wave goodbye, he headed back, lizards on his heels. He continued to stare out the windows as he went, wishing he could preserve this for longer. They had already lost so much.

Well, no matter. At least they had this.

Chapter Text

Beach! Beach! Beach! Sugar was so excited to see the beach! Sugar had never seen a real beach before, the one at Moon and Pebbles didn't count. This was a real kind of beach. 

The sands were odd, black and white monochrome instead of the soft yellow brown. Almost like another art piece similar to the broken stained glass murals that had passed by previously. The water was bright blue and shining, clear as crystal in the spots closer to shore. Up ahead, it could see the towering structure of Seven Red Suns in perfect clarity. Unlike the others, Suns didn't seem to have a retaining wall. Completely out in the open, the entire facility free to see. 

Yet again it was an oddity, finding knowledge it should not have pinging off the things it sees. Piers. Broken fishing boats. Factories similar to the ones around Pebbles, but not quite. It seemed a bit larger than No Significant Harassment's own facility as well, buildings towering around the other sides of the can legs that were not stuck out into the water.

Hmmm, it had never been in the real ocean before. Would there be more leviathans? Less? There weren't any of those massive metal serpents, that was for sure. And it was kind of glad for that. The thought of one of those coming alive and coming after it was....eugh. No. No thank you. Leviathans were more than enough to give it nightmares for cycles on end. It wondered what other creatures would be there. Jetfish of course, but these places were always so different. It hoped they would get a chance to play in the sands a bit before they left.

Though......

It glanced back at Moon. Watching her watch the sea. Something longing, and yet so very much not. Missing something lost that had hurt you an unspeakable amount. 

Well. At least the thought of getting together with the fourth member of the family was a good distraction. It wondered what the other iterator was like. Kindly, it imagined, considering the way it had heard the other three talk about them worrying. Apparently they had a slugcat as well too! Well, more purposed organisms to join the gang, it supposed. 

The train rattled along the track, closer and closer to the sea. From here it could see leaping jetfish....and a seemingly even larger more colorful variety of them, trailing sparkling trails of water droplets after them. Would those try to eat it? Eh, it wouldn't be surprised if they did. Everything loved slugcats. As food. Well, at least iterators could appreciate them as the born companions they were meant to be.

The odd clunk clunk of Sig's feet passed quickly by, and watched as he rushed out the door. "I forgot the track switch I forgot the track switch I FORGOT THE TRACK SWITCH." He yelped as he passed. A pause. Moon narrowed her eyes after him.

"Well I hope that isn't going to be a problem for us."

"WAOW."

"Yes yes, jinxing, I know. Would you like to come along and follow him? I wanted to be at the front to watch as we entered the compound anyway." Moon chuckled, finally peeling herself away from the window. Happily, Sugar leapt from its own seat to follow at its friend's side, moving once more towards the front of the train only a few cars away.

At the engine, they found Sig slapping at controls and muttering slightly. He didn't seem to notice as they came in. Moon stopped as they entered, watching Sig for a moment. Her head tilted. Her antenna flicked. An odd look had come over her face. She looked at Sugar and put a finger to where her lips were not. Suddenly, she was creeping forward, hardly making a sound even on the metal floor.

Moon snuck up on her brother and the moment she got close, leaned up and whispered....."Whatcha doing?" into his audial port. 

"AUGH-"

Sig whipped around in the same moment raised her hand, and the moment he faced her, she smacked her palm directly into his forehead with eyes crinkled in joy.

"Hello, No Significant Harassment. I trust you haven't run us off the rails?" She chirped innocently. 

"MOON! WHY??? I COULD HAVE PRESSED SOMETHING!" The green iterator squawked indignantly, rubbing his forehead where he had been smacked. Moon hummed and leaned back, fluttering her eyes.

"I have no idea what you mean." Moon shrugged and leaned over to look out the window at the rapidly approaching facility. "We should be there in a couple minutes. There might be another train in the station when we get there, do you think we should stop before then?" She asked.

"The train has crash sensors. It will stop automatically before then if there is." Sig replied, slightly haughty as he glared at her and put his hands on his hips, incensed that she had utterly ignored him. Moon seemed quite amused, though.

The train rattled on and, in no time, they were inside the facility. Factories and broken buildings towered above them, casting long shadows over the train as they passed by. The train, however, did not go through them. Instead, it passed right by the docks. Only a few ships were still over the water now, and this close Sugar could see how big they really were. Hulking beasts of metal that seemed like something impossible to float. Odd things from the water grew up their sides, paint had largely worn away but it could still see some symbols that had once made a name. Unintelligible now, even for those who could read it completely, it suspected. 

CLUNK

All parties jolted as something shifted into place. The train began to slow down. Not completely just yet, but very noticeably. Hopping up a bit further to see out more, and Sugar could see a.....station! Yes, that must be a train station up ahead. Right beside the docks in a big building, the tracks led inside. Slower and slower the train moved, click click click as it came inside eventually. There was, luckily, no other train as it seemed. 

What there was, however, was a slugcat waiting at the terminal. Tall and lean. Deep purple with a thick tail and narrow white eyes with orange and red overseers popping up around its feet. It watched keenly as the train came into the terminal, eyes locking onto the iterators for just a moment as they passed. Slower, slower, and finally a stop. Sig leaned back with a small laugh, smacking a button and turning to the exit. 

"Looks like Suns sent his little messenger to collect us! Shall we meet him?" Sig hummed, already moving out the exit and leaving the other two to scramble after.

The train was in a bustle as people got out the opening doors, all too happy to be exiting despite the train having generally alright accommodations. Sugar could see Pebbles stumbling through the rush, the lizards making the crowd part before him as he came up.

"There you are. I was going to come get you before we left. The train has been fine but I need to be somewhere other than cramped in here." He huffed, just barely caught by Moon as his legs were swept out by a lizard. 

"And we were about to get you! Funny how that works. Ready to meet your best friend?" Sig chuckled as he lead them out the door, only barely wobbling among the swaths of slugcats. 

"Suns and I are- That is not any of your business." Pebbles huffed. Sig tilted his head back and cackled. 

"Oh Pebbles." He hummed as they came to a stop. "I didn't mean Suns."

White eyes glared up at the iterators, and Pebbles froze slightly.

The slugcat was even taller than they looked from inside the train. On closer inspection, Sugar also realized with some horror that they didn't have a mouth. Their tail shuddered and made an uncomfortable fleshy crackling noise as suddenly, spikes began to raise out of white spots on the tail. It stared at Pebbles. Pebbles stared back. There was a large scar in the middle of their chest. 

"PEBBLES!!! Moon! Sig! You and everyone made it here alright! Or- I hope you did?" A voice suddenly came from one of the overseers, and attention turned to it. Or, most did. The slugcat continued to glare.

"Hello, Suns. Yes. We made it here all alright. How are you holding up?" Moon replied, her eyes scrunching happily at the voice of their friend as the overseers examined every one of them. A laugh, slightly weak came out. 

"I am- Ah- Holding up alright. Very eager to get off this damn- excuse me. My umbilical." Suns replied. Sig gave the overseer an unimpressed look. 

"Mhmmm. Sure you are. I saw you after that attempt. Just....don't move until we are there to help." He sighed. Again the overseer let out a laugh, more than a little bit nervous. 

"I'm not protesting. Be careful coming up. I don't have such an easy elevator like No Significant Harassment, but Teasel will lead you through the maintenance shafts. Do be careful." He said. With that, most of the overseers disappeared. Pebbles rocked back, looking over at Sig. 

"How bad were they last when you talked to Suns?" He asked, almost tentative. Sig cringed slightly.

"I suspect Suns is hiding more than they want to let on. What I do know is that they can't use their umbilical anymore. Tried once while we were on a call and.....it was not a pleasant experience." He said, and it could see Pebbles stiffening up further. Teasel made a huff through their nose and looked away tensely, its own shoulders just as rigid. 

There was a long pause. It could see Moon's eyes narrow slightly. 

"Well then. Let us not wait around." She said, turning out to the gathered crowd. "Everyone! Attention please! We are going to be leaving and cannot take many extras! Those who are not coming, stay with the train. We will not take long to come back, a few cycles at most. Cherry, Angel, you are of course coming with." She called out. Sugar blinked up at her with the biggest eyes it could manage, and she chuckled and scratched its head. "Of course you're coming too, Sugar." She told it. 

Happily, the other two slugcats came up, though Cherry took some time to say goodbye to her pups. 

"Any objections or holdbacks?" Sig questioned. The group shook their heads. "Good. Then let us ride!"

"We are walking."

"Hush little rocks." 

Again Teasel rolled their eyes and turned around, slapping their tail on the ground and hurrying off out of the station, leading the group out and into the structures that made up the grounds of Seven Red Suns.

It was more open out here than with Moon or Pebbles. Things seemed more...neat. And colorful as well. The bottoms of factories and other buildings were covered in paint and even seemed to have deliberately colored metal. Swirls and symbols and patterns covered the walls, just a few it recognized from Moon's lessons, though it largely recognized the karma symbols. The paths were also not overtaken completely by mud and grass and such, instead holding mostly sand. 

It was also.....quite a bit hotter than it was used to. It was sweating as they walked. Even the smallest bit of sun bounced off every gleaming grey angle of buildings around them, only getting hotter the closer they got to the superstructure ahead. The shadows did a little to help, however, as did the wind. The pace Teasel was setting didn't, though. Moving so quickly towards the can, the gait was an agitated thing, and the way the slugcat's tail was swinging and thumping told a very similar story. Pebbles kept glancing at it.

They reached a gate soon enough, one of the massive legs that was close to, but not completely in the water.

Not far enough to not hear the loud chirp that came from it. 

"Oh! Is that-" Moon looked out to the water, as did everyone else's. Teasel's eyes narrowed.

There was the small blue head of a slugcat peeking out of the water. It was...certainly odd. Its eyes were massive and pink, long frills the same color trailing off its head and cheeks. It blinked and chirped again. Teasel made an odd, throaty sound and thumped their purple tail, making shooing motions at the other creature. The slugcat blinked. Blinked again. Then gave a sudden mischievous chittering before turning and disappearing under the waves with a slap of a pink and blue fishy sort of tail.

"Friend of yours?" Sig hummed, and the purple slugcat rolled their eyes before leading in.

Yet again, the group was swallowed by a great metal structure. All considered, it wasn't very different than No Significant Harassment's insides. Warm, uniform metal walls that pulsed and breathed with the heartbeat of a great towering god soon to be dethroned. Or, perhaps, they already had been. Upwards to the heavens through passages that made up the veins of this god, blurring together in their sameness. Faded symbols were etched into the walls and across corners that once pointed this way and that, but now were hard to see in these darkened places. 

Somewhere outside, there was an echoing siren. And the rumble of rain. They only paused shortly as the structure shuddered, ears perked and attentive to watch for anything coming in. But there wasn't. No rain, no rot, nothing. Yet Moon still shuddered, her progress halting until she was nudged gently along by Sugar itself. It made sure to stay pressed into her side after that.

They passed through a large room flickering with neurons and a massive, many headed creature that glowed soft blue as it looked them over. The iterators were too busy shuddering as, yet again, neurons flickered over them, back and forth between each other before darting away.

"Oh, that is. Mmm. Not sure how to feel about that." Sig said, flinching as another brushed him and seemed to flash another color. 

"Get used to it. We still have a bit to go, it seems." Moon sighed, not nearly as perturbed as her brother. Pebbles was cringing as well. It couldn't help but wonder how it felt. The thoughts of another mingling around your own. At least the antigravity was enough to distract Sig, his arms and legs flailing as he tried to grapple at the walls to stop from drifting.

Onward and onward. Other than that odd blue creature, there was nothing much more than the neurons as they flew through. Through the arrays, Sig accidentally kicking one of the grids out of place, and to the puppet chamber that neurons swirled about. Teasel kicked off with practiced ease, sliding inside. Surprisingly, it was Pebbles who scrambled in after first, then Sig, then Moon, itself, and the others. 

Once again it fell to the ground with a thump, landing uncomfortably atop some pearls. 

"Finally you- Oh wow. You are...."

Its eyes went up to see the other iterator. Up....and up....and up.....Oh wow. That was a large iterator.

"You are far smaller than I expected." Seven Red Suns said joyfully. 

Colored a bright yellow with red marks, they also wore a simple purple robe. But the main point of interest was that.....well. Most of them barely reached over the iterator's hip. Suns put a hand over where his mouth was not, and his antenna wiggled up and down sideways in a joyful motion. Kind of like wiggling ears rather than the usual up and down of iterator antenna.

Pebbles looked.....somewhat incensed. He had to bend back to look up at Suns. 

"This is...ridiculous. Who decided to make your puppet that tall." He grit out. 

"My architect liked to be face to face on equal ground." Suns chuckled. In one smooth motion, they ducked down to squeeze the three in their arms, completely enveloping their little family. It was that motion that also revealed their back to Sugar. 

It.....did not look good. Instead of the safely disconnected and completely intact umbilical the others had, the arm of Suns was....bent. Like it had been tried to be forcefully pried off. Screws popped away, wires inside exposed and partially cut away at. The umbilical wire also seemed slightly damaged. It was...not a pretty sight. And it could see Teasel eyeing the spot too. Guilt ran deep in their eyes.

Suddenly, a spark. Suns made a choked noise, knees buckling and nearly collapsing over the smaller ones if it was not for their collective strength. 

"Suns?!" Pebbles and Sig yelped in tandem, all of them rushing to help the iterator sit. They twitched and winced for a couple of seconds before it seemed to fade, slumping back with a mechanical whine. 

"I'm sorry. Bending like that was not ideal." Suns wheezed, one hand coming to grip at his side as Pebbles immediately circled around to the back. He jerked in horror, and the moment the other two saw they did as well.

"Suns." Moon said evenly. "You are very. VERY stupid for an iterator."

A pause. 

"I....well. Can't argue with that."

Chapter Text

It had been so very long since Suns had talked to Pebbles. To Moon. So very long since they had acted as catalyst to their ends. Misguided comfort ending in so much pain and suffering. They had roiled in this guilt and helplessness ever since. 

No matter how much he laughed and joked and lived on, Suns knew it weighed on Sig as well. They supposed Sig felt like a failure in his own right as well. Able to do nothing but watch on in horror. And then failing his own messenger, eyes turned away until it was too late. 

They supposed it was a blessing of sorts. A mutual hurt able to be abated if only slightly by the understanding of a friend. 

Watching and watching. Days passed unchanging. Until suddenly they didn't. 

The day Sig had contacted him, shouting and flailing, telling them that Moon was not only out of her can but safe, alive, and going to Pebbles was.....almost hard to remember. It had been such a rush. Panic. Joy. Confusion. Worry. Feelings and colors blurring together like the paint splattered across his facility ground. A blur that was only worsened by the next foolish actions they took, driven by utter revelation. They could leave. They could survive. They did not need to be locked away in metal cages watching on as their family dissolved. 

It- Suns had panicked. They would admit that. They had been struck by understanding, fear, and a sudden need. They would not forgive themself if anything more happened to either of them because Suns was not there to help. Because he had sat back and watched on with shaking hands as they were both destroyed by a choice he had made possible. 

They would not allow this. They needed to see the two. They needed to make it all right.

There was a way out. So they would take it. They had everything they needed right here.

Once again, a mistake. A burden placed on the shoulders of their own little messenger. A scar not physical, but there all the same, They had laid on their side and had Teasel jam in their spears to force away the metal of the thing that was both their chain and their lifeline. 

Bending. Cracking. Popping. The spear shoving in a little further and- 

PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN

Memory was hazy after that. All they remembered was red, visceral pain, and screaming so loud that the structure rang with it. They came back to forced communication as Sig shouted and worried. When had their wire cracked too? Did they do that?

They didn't try again. Teasel refused to anyway.

Using the arm was impossible now. They were stuck to the ground after that incident. Every push and pull sent shocks and spasms down the iterator's body, sparking and burning all the sensitive nerves now cut away at. Only one had been entirely severed. Attempting to get off the ground was....absolutely terrible all on its own. 

Every thought. Every moment. Every single passing instinct caused little shocks as information passed through broken cords. They had gotten....a bit more used to it as the cycles passed. Enough to not worry Sig or the other two much. 

The other two. Both alive. Safe. Out. 

Pebbles and Moon. Moon and Pebbles. And Sig. Here. Touching. Holding.

Worrying.

"What were you THINKING?!?! No tools! No neurons gathered! You just had your messenger pop out a spear and said 'Yes I think that's good enough' before having it try to PRY THE THING OFF YOUR BACK!!! Have you LOST all your senses??? Have you burnt out all your neurons??? I thought you smarter than this! You could have killed yourself! Suns! Have you misplaced ALL of your self preservation instincts???" Pebbles shouted, pacing back and forth as he gestured furiously with his hands. For once, it was not Moon doing the scolding, and frankly? It hit harder this way. Suns winced, still sitting cross-legged on the floor. Still practically face height despite the change in position. Void below they were all so small.

"I know I know. I was worried, Pebbles. There was no answer, and I just couldn't help but remember the last time you were not answering our calls. I didn't want either of you to get hurt. Not again." They replied, more than sufficiently cowed by the thrashing they were currently getting. 

Pebbles paused his tirade for just a moment, hands frozen in the air. He made a frustrated noise, an odd rattling hiss, and then flicked his hands out again, turning to glare with antenna pinned back.

"And just what did you plan to do if you came there and found us both gone? Would you really have tried to crawl through my rotting superstructure just to find us? What if we had left and you were there when my structure collapsed? What then? Really! And now here you sit, with broken umbilicals and in absolute agony because you decided that NOW was the time to be stupid!" He shouted, his arms tossing upwards. 

"It was stupid of us to not respond. But I think it was more stupid of you to attempt something so reckless." Moon agreed.

"No, it was still more stupid to not respond. It was the way they did it that was more stupid. I was considering it, but only with proper tools." Sig retorted. A small defense, but still appreciated. "Where did you get those, anyway?"

"Architect storage." Both Pebbles and Moon replied. Sig blinked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I tried to have my citizens look there. They were never able to open the gate." He said. The siblings blinked slightly. Pebbles shook his head and continued on, heedless to the distraction.

"It does not matter. Regardless, your actions were off the cuff and verging on suicidal. No preparation. No thought! You are better than that, Suns! What ridiculous thoughts went through your head that let you do that?" He growled.

Suns shrunk. They grazed a hand over their antenna.

"Just that I.....could not fail you again. Either of you. I would not forgive myself if you were hurt again because there was nothing I could do but watch." He admitted tentatively.

Two sets of eyes, black and white, stared back at them. They fidgeted with the ends of their purple robe. Again, Pebbles made a frustrated noise. But his body slumped ever so slightly and moved closer to Suns.

"You are ridiculous." He said. His voice was oddly tired. Full of old pains and longing.

He had missed them.

A gentle blue hand settled on their shoulder, and they looked up as Moon gave them a small squeeze. 

"We will make it up to each other. We all deserve this chance at least, no matter the wrongs we have committed against each other." She sighed before pulling away again. "Regardless, I do not think you are in a state I would be comfortable addressing it with currently. That kind of damage.... I imagine you've been hiding quite a bit." She said. 

A spark of irritation. Quite literal in nature. 

"I am fine. Do not coddle me, Moon." He snapped before pulling suddenly back. Their body jerked at another few errant jolts. They raised a hand and rubbed their skull. "Sorry. I.....the damage does not always allow me to think clearly."

"Clearly. Precisely why we need to get you off as soon as possible." Sig drawled, giving them a look that was entirely unimpressed. Again, they cringed. Couldn't argue that. They wanted off as soon as possible anyway. Being attached to a broken umbilical was not a pleasant thing. Pain, muddled thoughts, forgetfulness, odd disconnects.....yes. They wanted off.

"One thing." Moon sighed. Eyes went to her.

"We still need to contact Unparalleled Innocence and ask her about staying on her can. And inform her of the situation." 

Three faces cringed all at once.

"I was hoping we would not have to." Pebbles said flatly. Moon gave him a droll look. 

"I was hoping you had forgotten." Sig said lightly. Moon snapped her head to glare. 

"You scolded us for not informing you of our plans. I do not care what anyone here thinks of her, we are asking permission first." She said firmly. Suns rubbed at his head again. 

"Yes yes, we know. But she is going to tell everyone else still on the line of what is going on. We had best be ready for a lot of attention." They said diplomatically. They did not want to talk to her. Especially not with Pebbles around, considering what she had done. 

"That is fine. We will deal." Moon said her expression softening when she glanced at a very tense Pebbles. They could understand the feeling. "We were once gods to thousands. A little attention will not kill us." She told them. 

Suns and Sig exchanged a look. Their history with her was a bit longer than theirs. But still, Suns slumped in defeat. 

"I will call her. Are we all ready?" They said reluctantly. 

"No." Pebbles grunted bluntly.

"Not at all!" Sig chirped in mock cheer.

"May we just get this over with?" Moon sighed, pinching her antenna.

Suns got to their feet slowly once again, very careful of the movement and how much weight they were putting back. Their feet were like blades, but they were being forced to get used to trying to balance on them without the arm. Ugh. They gazed around at the various reluctant but resigned faces, but sighed and straightened.

They focused, bringing up various screens and flicking through them. More sparks of pain as the processes ran. Another glance. They pressed the button to call their fellow iterator.

Screens popped away save for one. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. They hoped the call wouldn't be picked up. 

Of course, it was.

"SUUUUUNS! Well well well, long time no see! What brings you into my calls today, my friend? It's been cycles since we talked!"

Eugh. High and lilting, the chime of bells yet always somehow sounding mocking somehow. They hadn't gotten along the best even before the whole Pebbles situation. An eccentric gossip like no other with a flair for the dramatic. Sig and her were always more birds of a feather until that whole thing came along. He sighed and drew himself up as he looked into the white eyes of a purple iterator dyed in orange from their overseer. 

"Hello, Innocence. I contact you because recently there have been some....developments. And we need to ask a favor of you." They sighed reluctantly, keeping it simple and professional as the other iterator twirled around in her chamber. He could see the many pearls flying around her. 

"Oho?" She hummed with intrigue, leaning closer to the camera. "Who is this we you speak of?"

"Hello Innocence. It has been a while." Moon said smoothly, and he moved the overseer down to reveal the three other iterators in the room. Unparalleled Innocence froze in place. 

"Hello Yui. How have we been doing lately?" Sig asked, yet again with a mock sort of cheer.

Pebbles narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

A pause. The iterator leaned back and blinked at the footage. "Those are.....very convincing holograms, Suns." She said slowly. "But ah. Hm, how should I say....why did you make them?"

"Not holograms." Suns said bluntly. She blinked. 

"Not holograms." She repeated. 

"No." Suns confirmed. 

"......No." She gasped. 

"Infuriating as ever, I see. No, we are not holograms. We are simply no longer attached to our umbilicals." Pebbles growled, making an odd hiss at her.

Another pause. 

All at once, Innocence reeled, shoving her face closer into the footage with a gasp, all of the screen practically taken up with her wide white eyes. 

"You're JOKING. HOW??? THAT isn't possible! You're meaning to tell me you three all LEFT???? What did you do, chop off your own umbilicals??? There's no way!!!" She cried, and they could practically hear her arms flailing in the background. 

"Yes, actually." Moon hummed. "Release is evidently painful....but far easier than expected. I was cut from my own in an accident, and since then I have been travelling to help release Pebbles and Sig. We call because we plan to release Suns and Grey as well, and this will be the last chance we get to ask you if we may stay with you once everyone is out."

"No way. No way!!!! This is ridiculous! You simply cut yourselves off and left?? Incredible. I- Everyone needs to know this! And Suns and Grey are coming with you too? You're coming to me??? My oh my oh my I need to document this- where's that blank pearl-"

"Yui." Sig grunted, cutting off the excited flail of their fellow iterator that Suns was far more reluctant to claim as family than the others. "Calm yourself. We just want to know if we can stay with you before we go. We are in....quite a hurry to leave due to certain circumstances." He sighed, an uncharacteristic amount of annoyance twitching over his face, if only for a moment. 

Unparalleled Innocence lets out a gleeful giggle as she leans back, and Suns can see her kicking her feet furiously in the air and twirling around on her umbilical. He took one look at her and knew this information would be out before they were even out of the can. Ugh.

"Well of course you can stay with me! It gets lonely out here, and I am nothing if not eager to offer a place to stay for my..." She giggled again. "Dearly departed friends." She paused for a second, making a small face. 

"Though it's going to be a pain to get in....my crystal structures have grown a lot more, there aren't any good entrances into the ring. You could always take the old path I have, but it's a bit dangerous down there. Leads right up to my can, though." She hummed thoughtfully, crossing her arms. Her halo flickered behind her in her thought.

The party all gave each other a look.

"That will be....a dangerous journey. None of us want to be ascended, I don't think." Suns said hesitantly. Their gaze flickered over a tense Pebbles. They could tell the others were looking too.

"No. No we do not." Pebbles said. 

A sudden tension released. Some of which they didn't even know they had been holding till now. A flood of relief. Moon reached out to discreetly take her brother's hand and squeeze. They could see him squeeze back. 

Their little brother was going nowhere. Not anymore. How much he had grown. They wished they had been there to see it. 

Of course, Innocence just shrugged, heedless of the silent moment they were having.

"It's pretty safe. Either that or trying to climb or dig your way through the crystal. Good luck with that if you try, they are quite sharp, you know!" She chirped, uncaring. Another glance, and Moon sighed.

"Do you have a map of where it is?" She asked.

"Well of course! Right away, ma'am!" The other iterator laughed, mocking a salute. In a moment, he twitched again as more holograms popped up of various maps came up, pointing out a can, a facility, a massive ring of crystal growth around it, and a singular entrance in. The old path. Straight down, straight up. The path of ascension for those with more.....traditional philosophy. 

Dangerous. So very dangerous. Were they willing to risk it for a home?

"I guess I should also ask. It's not just us. We have....about two small colonies of....friends with us. Is it ok if they come along as well?" Sig finally asked. 

Suns had nearly forgotten about them. That may be an issue. The others winced as well. Innocence blinked. 

"Two full colonies? Well well well haven't you been busy! I certainly have the room, if you can get them all up here. More the merrier! Oh you have no idea how exciting this all is! Iterators off the umbilicals! Followed by an entire colony of slugcats! This is going to go down in history, I know it! When you get here I want to know everything!" She squealed, twirling around in her chamber. 

"Yes yes, all the juicy bits, we know. Just wait until we get there. We will inform you when we leave and when we arrive at your compound." Sig said, waving his hand. 

"Consider it payment! I can't wait for everyone's reactions!"

Another echoing laugh, and suddenly the feed cut all at once. Suns sighed in relief and plopped back down to the ground. There was a long stretch of silence. Pebbles narrowed his eyes at the empty space. 

"I hate her." He hissed.

"Pebbles." Moon admonished.

"No no, he's right to. Innocence outed his condition to everyone the moment she saw it." Sig sighed.

A pause. Moon's eye twitched. 

"She WHAT?????"

Chapter Text

It had been a long, long time since Teasel had looked into the eyes of that stupid pink face. Since that stupid pink face had nearly killed them ripping the pearl from their chest. It had been a long time since that fateful mission.

Things had changed a lot since then. Whereas in the beginning Suns treated him with a certain disconnect and....almost disgust, they were incredibly close now. They spent days chattering away at each other, often in complete silence as they signed instead of using voices. He still went on a few messaging missions, but not much nowadays. Sig had most of that handled. He supposed that made him....more a companion than anything now.

Oh, and pest control of course.

As well as assistant for the more dubious things their creator did.

.....................

The guilt still twisted deep. Those screams would be embedded in their mind for a while to come.

It had been a stupid idea. He knew it was a stupid idea. He had been terrified. And yet he did it anyway, because Suns had been so, so very desperate. Desperate to make things right. To undo all the wrongs that they had committed so long ago yet still spent every day languishing in the guilt of. Teasel had spent far too long watching their pain to not make an attempt to ease it.

And only intensified it in that same attempt. 

Teasel blamed himself for this. Of course he did. He never should have attempted to go this way when they couldn't get the right tools. He had a feeling that Sig would have been coming off and coming to get them afterwards anyway. He should have stopped at the first twitch of discomfort as the spear jammed into the crease between puppet and umbilical arm. 

He made an agitated huff as he once again settled in his iterator's lap. Suns brushed their hand gently down his back, and they rumbled in the only odd, low way that they could considering their lack of a mouth. At least it was hard to pay attention to those dark clawing thoughts when, currently, Moon was giving them the impression that if she could have changed colors, she would be a bright, flaming red. 

"-I mean really! Of all the horrible stupid things she could have done! Outing such a condition publicly so everyone else could lambast Pebbles for it? That isn't a game! That is not one of her juicy bits of gossip she so likes to tote around! It was incredibly serious, and she only made it worse! I am tempted to have you call her just so I can tell her off! She should have known better!!!" Moon cried as she paced back and forth across the floor. It was lucky she didn't need to breathe, she would have run out of breath ten times over if she did.

The rest of them sat watching in silence as she ran herself dry, exchanging looks and passing glances over the angry tirade. Sig certainly seemed entertained at least. Pebbles looked both bemused and ready to yank off his own antenna. 

"She usually did. But I suppose something like that was too good to pass up." Sig hummed, leaning back on his hands.

"Which only makes it worse!" Moon growled. "She knows better, then! She should not have gotten excited over such a situation, much less advertised it!"

Again, hands went up. Pebbles rolled some of the pearls under his palms, slowly back and forth.

"At least I closed my can off from overseers coming in." He commented dryly. Moon made a tight noise and skidded a hand down her antenna for a moment, and Teasel couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor iterator's plight. He also bemoaned having to go make their way to the can of the one causing all this stress. At least it would be entertaining to see Moon rip Innocence a new one when they got there. 

......Actually, he wasn't going to think about "ripping someone a new one" in the context of iterators. 

In any case, this entire tirade had gone on far too long for comfort, and frankly he was getting impatient. Suns had been in pain for long, they needed to get out now. With a push and a crackle, spines grew once more from his tail. Reaching back, he pulled one from the spots, a string of meat connecting it inside as it always did, and smacked it against the floor with a loud CLANG. All eyes turned and he let go to sign at them. 

"Taking too long. We want to leave quickly." He told them, a blunt look on his face. All parties blinked, and Moon jumped.

"Oh, Suns! I'm so sorry for that, of course. We need to go up into your city to get you some clothes and a bag for neurons before we get out of here. Is there anything more you need while we're up there?" She said quickly, folding her hands together. 

"Oh, that reminds me!" Sig said, his expression turning mischievous. "Pebbles.....did you bring Suns their bracelet?" He sang. Suddenly, Pebbles froze as Suns turned their attention on the smallest iterator. 

"A bracelet?" They questioned. Pebbles looked somewhat horrified, antenna pinned down. 

"Yes! Pebbles, show them the bracelet!" Moon gasped, clapping her hands. 

"I- no- it won't even fit! I didn't expect for Suns to be so big!" Pebbles yelped, cringing in and away as Suns began to lean forward towards him, eyes sparkling and antenna flapping. 

"Pebbles, did you make me a bracelet? Please show me!" They begged, awestruck. 

Pebbles spluttered. Looked away. Fiddled with the pearls. "I- No- Well I just- I was working with yarn and thought it may be appreciated." He said before huffing. "It doesn't matter. It is not going to fit around your wrist, much less your entire hand."

Reluctantly, a hand was slipped inside his pocket. When it came out, he held a small woven bracelet. Yellow, orange, red. It was clearly carefully made, a sharp alternating pattern all across it even with such little space. Suns gasped, reaching out and taking it gently. Pebbles immediately crossed his arms and looked away, flustered as Suns examined it. 

"Pebbles! I don't care if it's small, I am wearing this." Suns gasped. Teasel cocked a brow, wondering exactly how they planned on doing that. A pause. Suddenly Suns reached up and slid it down over their antenna, sticking it firmly at the widest spot it could reach. They put their hands firmly on their hips. "There. Good work shouldn't go to waste, after all. Thank you, Pebbles." 

"Adorable." Sig chuckled as Moon visibly held back, and Pebbles grunted. Teasel chittered in amusement along with the other present slugcats.

"In any case, there is one thing I would like. My architect was about my size, and liked purple as well. His home should be close to me with my mark on the door. I.....would like to wear those clothes if it is possible. Call me sentimental, but they should fit, at least. Fields Of Teasel knows where it is, he can show you." Suns explained as Teasel got up, picking up the spear they had made just a minute ago. 

"Can do. We will be back shortly to get this over with. After that we will take you around for a while to....well. Try to get you used to walking around before we leave. Then we'll sleep in a shelter to wait out the rest of the cycle before we leave for Chasing Wind. Is that alright with you, Suns?" Moon said, and Suns nodded. He could see their shoulders slump in deep relief. They sighed. 

"Yes. Thank you. I am....a little more than eager to get this thing off me. It's been such a pain." They said. A few unimpressed looks were shot their way. 

"Because you tried to jam it off without tools, dimwit." Sig told them bluntly. 

"I know, I know. I will not live that down." Suns whined. Another pang of guilt. 

"No you won't. Now let us out so we can help you. It may help if you gather all your overseers to you now as well, so we don't have to go out rounding them up." Pebbles noted. 

"Understood."

Suns flipped a hand, and the gravity shifted yet again. Teasel kicked off and up, crawling easily ahead of the others as they followed. 

The city was, of course, a familiar place. Sure he spent quite a lot of their time in Suns's chamber, but he did need to eat, and pests needed to be taken care of. Couldn't spend all the days up here in the same four grey walls of the chamber. Besides. The city was actually quite a lot nicer than most of the ones that sat atop the iterator cans. 

Stepping outside as the gates opened, it revealed that the towering blocks of the city weren't as samey as all others. The stone, brick, and concrete, everything all the way down to the mortar that held the homes together, was bright and colorful. Some had patterns, some were solid colored yet still bright, striped and crossed out, sometimes seemingly with no rhyme or reason. Most of the windows, meanwhile, were dark with some spots of stained glass. 

The streets, he noted, were relatively cool right now. Not for long, but for now. He paid no mind to the others gawking and twirling around to stare at the buildings around them. Still bright despite the disrepair. Down the street and around the corner, the not inadequate home of the former architect sat. The door stuck, just a bit, when opening.

Worn blueprints. Crumpled papers. Tidied up maybe slightly, but not much. A window in the back is broken, but there is a tarp taped over it, now mostly unstuck from the sill. Vestiges of old life. Old personality. Little things that point at what the person there may have been like once upon a time. 

Gone yet not. 

Teasel paid no mind to the ghosts that whispered among pages of forgotten journals and drawings that scattered the floor. Upstairs to the bedroom, and the closet. Let's see what they had to work with. 

Hmmm. 

Teasel was no fashion expert in any means, but it was certainly something that he could appreciate. Utilitarian in nature mostly, but not lacking in regality by any means. Purple mostly, like Suns had said. But there were no lack of flashes of yellow and red, or decals that matched Suns's own markings. A creator that had been more than a little proud of his creation. 

"There we are! Quick little messenger, you almost left us behind!" Moon said from behind, and he jumped. Had he left them? He hadn't noticed. Too caught up within their own thoughts, they supposed. Whups. 

"Sorry. Was thinking." He signed, and Moon laughed. "Don't worry, I understand. Eager to get Suns out as we are." She replied as she stepped up. Another form came beside her, and he glared over at the pink face. 

At least Teasel was taller. Hmph. 

"Let's see here. Shirt, pants.....what would they like do you think?" Moon hummed as she helped rifle through clothes. 

"Something loose but not something that gets in the way." Pebbles replied immediately, beginning to slowly help pick things out. "They like their robe. Or....liked it, anyway. Maybe...."

A pause. More shuffling things about. Teasel sneezed at the dust that rose. Before he knew it, Pebbles had picked things out. A dark red, flowing shirt that ended a little after the elbow, marked with bright yellow and purple spiking decals. Black almost cargo pants that tied with purple belts at the ends. A pair of black gloves, almost like Moon's, but with the mark of Suns instead of the karma symbol. And then......

"I don't know. That may get in the way." Moon hummed. 

A long, purple, fanciful coat with a red sun on the back. Teasel thought it looked cool. But....

"You might be right. But it is the closest thing to Suns's coat that's in here." Pebbles replied, eyes narrowed.

....Hold on. What was that? 

The coat separated into two parts at the end. at the very top of this split were two seams that went across them. Teasel, on a whim, reached out and pulled hard on one of the tail ends. 

Pop pop pop!

The tail came off.

A pause. 

"Tearaway safety tails. That is...." Moon trailed off as they stared at the coat piece in Teasel's paw. 

"Incredibly stupid." Pebbles finished. He cocked his head slightly. "We're taking it."

Well, with that decided, they went back downstairs and immediately came upon some sort of situation. Currently, the other slugcats were chittering and hissing at Sig as he tossed various items on the floor. There was a golden mask hanging off his head, and.....apparently some attempt to squeeze a pair of boots around his feet had been made, hanging awkwardly off at the very ends. The trio blinked at the scene. 

"No no, absolutely terrible. Sentimental maybe, but Suns will not be lugging around an entire tool harness. This one is enough. But where are the- oh! There they are." Sig stopped and pulled back, holding something. He looked around, mask swinging around his face, and had to double take when he saw the others.

"Ah! There you are. Sorry, we got a bit distracted down here. I see you've found clothes! Good, I found a bag and....some other things." He said, slipping the mask off. 

"Suns is not wearing that." Pebbles said bluntly, and Sig glanced at the mask. 

"Oh! Of course not. These were just for fun." He said, standing up and kicking away the boots. He reached down and picked up a large black bag, likely once meant for carrying tools and the like. "This is for neurons!" He chirped. The look on his face became suddenly devious as he went back in. "These...." He started, pulling away. 

"Are for self defense."

......Those were weapons. 

The trio stood and gawked. 

In his arms, Sig held a few different weapons. The first was a spear. An actual one. Not just sharpened rebar or a bone from his tail. Long, with a wooden handle and a sharp blade at the end that had a gold ribbon flowing from it. Next was a pair of swords. Short, with guarded black and gold handles, and another flowing gold ribbon from them. Third was a pair of literal guns. Small, electric things, but undoubtedly lethal if used correctly. Finally was a pair of spiked brass knuckles. 

"The spear and swords are.....religious items. I remember. They were used in shows at festivals and whatnot. Demonstrations and dances. The gun and knuckles however...." Pebbles trailed off as Sig cackled. 

"I think he just liked weapons!" He proclaimed. Moon smoothed her antenna back with a groan.

"You are ridiculous." She sighed, though her eyes opened and she examined the weapons strangely. A pause. "I will take the knuckles. I'm fine with the rebar spears anyway, and I believe if my journey has said anything, I will likely have to punch more lizards in my future." She sighed, resigned to this fate. Pebbles stared, wide eyed. Teasel got the feeling that he would be gaping if he could. 

"I- You-" He made a frustrated grunt, closing his eyes for a moment. ".....The spear will help Suns with balance. I do not wish to get my hands dirty, so give me the guns." He huffed. 

"That leaves me with the swords! How exciting." Sig giggled, putting the things down and reaching back into the closet to toss out some holsters and grab the sheaths for Pebbles and himself respectively. Moon came over to snatch the knuckles and put them in her pockets as the others strapped on their own weapons. 

"This will be a disaster." Pebbles groaned. 

"We're supercomputers! What could go wrong?" Sig laughed. All eyes glared. 

"The monkey's paw curls another finger." Moon sighed

"That is not what that means." Pebbles stated.

Teasel was feeling less and less good about going along with this group. He prayed to the saints that he wouldn't have to babysit all of them.

Chapter Text

Another day, another iterator to release. Cherry was very, very glad that she already had so much experience slicing things cleanly. Otherwise it, evidently, would have been a much greater pain than their current way of doing things. She could only imagine the kind of pain Suns was going through considering how bad it had been for Pebbles and Sig. She was just happy they were going to be getting it over with soon. Her blades were sharp, and her aim was accurate. They would be out of here soon enough.

....Hm. Speaking of blades. 

She eyed Sig as he twirled his new weapons in hand, swiping and swirling through the air with a soft ring as they cut through the air. She had to admit. She did not exactly trust this particular iterator with them. From the way Teasel was eying him, she had a feeling he didn't either. She also didn't trust the guns that Pebbles was fiddling with. It was careful fiddling, but fiddling nonetheless. She was getting ready to duck and cover if any actual enemies came by, honestly. She could already imagine the chaos. Iterators they may be, experienced they were not. 

.....She really should not have let that one start picking things out when they caught sight of those damn things. 

Ugh. She did not have the time to be worrying about this. They were going back down into the structure, once more landing on the floor of the chamber, this time surrounded by overseers. Suns had not moved from their sitting position upon it. She saw them glance, and then proceed to immediately double take. 

"What." He strained. "Are those."

Sig lifted the weapons with an expression she could only really explain as a shit eating grin without the mouth. It was shocking how well those expressions came off without the use of most things. 

"Tools for self defense and a walking stick!" The green iterator proclaimed happily. Suns stared blankly. 

"You went out for clothes and came back with weaponry." They said bluntly. 

"Technically we came back with clothes and weaponry." Moon informed the other iterator with a chuckle, gesturing slightly with the bundle of clothes in her arms. "Speaking of, Sugar. Could you take the bag and get the neurons? Suns, let the little one here out to your conflux while I start work. We want to get you off this as quickly as possible." She said, stepping forward and setting things down. Sugar quickly snatched up the bag and began bouncing in preparation to be brought up. Suns chuckled slightly, almost weak sounding. 

"Such a hurry. Have you not learned to stop and smell the roses?" They asked. The gravity shifted, and she could feel her feet leave the floor, but only for a moment. A small gesture, and Sugar was lifted to the exit. It scrambled out the moment its paws caught the exit once more.

"Not when one of my juniors is in pain. Make sure you're on your side and that your umbilical is near the exit." Moon shrugged.

Obediently, Suns laid down, though it wasn't without a flinch and a wince. She thought she could see a small spark in the space between where the arm had been jammed away. Quickly, Teasel had slid his way between the tall iterator's arms as Moon kneeled behind them and began to examine them again closer. She made a tight noise.

"Just looking at this is painful. Suns I am still so disappointed in you." She sighed. 

"I know. I am too." Suns replied softly. 

Moon began to work.

Nuts and bolts, panels and pieces. It was....noticeably slower than the other disconnections. Every shift and jostle made Suns hiss a static tune as parts moved and brushed against the wires that acted as nerves. Cherry was sympathetic to the plight. At very least the cut would make it better in the aftermath. She watched as Moon muttered quiet reassurances to her friend and family. Pebbles shuffled slightly over, just in front of Suns. Sig laid a hand on the iterator's leg. 

Family. Disconnected for so long, finding each other again. Broken pieces back in place. She couldn't help but think this was always how it was supposed to be. How horrible to keep a family like this apart. 

She watched. Tic tic tic, things fell to the floor. Thuwhump, Sugar fell to the floor too, just as Moon slowly pulled away the umbilical arm and exposed the damage underneath. 

"Suns." Pebbles said in a strained voice. 

"I know."

Scrapes and cuts went deeper under the shield of the arm. Long thin lines across the metal, down into the spot the thing connected. The wires that stuck out were damaged, sliced in multiple places and some barely hanging on. A spark from one, and she could see Suns tighten their fingers slightly. Teasel made a small huff through his nose.

"Well." Moon started tensely. "It's good we're getting them off. Cherry, time to cut these. Sugar, the bag please."

Obediently, Cherry shifted her spear and trotted over as Sugar rushed to put the bag against the iterator, who grabbed it with a short nod. Cherry stepped around them and settled at Moon's side once more. Prepared her spear. Suns pressed his face into Teasel. 

"Please. Get it over with." Suns pleaded quietly. Moon seemed to take a second to steady herself before reaching out and extending the wires, even as Suns flinched and tensed at the movement, making a static noise. An array of overseers watched over the moment. 

"Alright." Moon sighed. "Go."

She sliced down. Clean. Precise. 

She was prepared for the aftermath, this time. The wild blaring of alarms. The room turning red. The overseers jerked and flailed for a moment as the cords were cut away. Suns arched away from the pain with a high keening noise, however he slumped after it far quicker than she had expected. They dug fingers into the creases of the floor, and she could see things dent. 

"Finish. It." Suns said with an odd low, warbling growl. Fists clenched. Moon extended the damaged umbilical wire. Cherry raised her spear. Let it come down. 

CRACK.

Done. 

Darkness. Quiet. In an instant, this vessel of a god was naught but a shell. Suns slumped on the floor, motionless.

"Suns?" Sig asked weakly. Moon reached out and gripped his shoulder. "Wait." She said quietly as she pushed the bag closer to the iterator. Teasel seemed to be shaking. Pebbles may have been shaking too. Pebbles fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist. 

Twitch. Spark. A sudden mechanical gasp of life returning as Suns jolted and curled forward as all three of their siblings lunged to grab at them. 

"That fucking hurt- Oh- Excuse my language." Suns wheezed, his hands scrabbling across those of his siblings. There was a blink of shock, and a sudden round of laughter from all of them. Teasel banged their heads together, and Suns was quick to rub their own against the tall slugcat's. 

"You're worrying about language after that? Getting cut off was the most painful fucking thing I've personally ever experienced!" Sig cried, throwing his hands up. 

"It's bad form." Suns laughed weakly. Moon hummed slightly, leaning back. 

"I certainly don't fucking mind. I think we deserve it once in a while." She chirped. Suns choked in shock. "Looks to the Moon?!" He yelped, somewhere between shock, horror, and elation.

Eyes turned upon the last iterator. Pebbles looked tired. 

"....I suppose it is quite fucking cathartic." He sighed. 

Another cheer of joy for the slow shattering of a godly ego. Sugar chirped loudly, pausing, before suddenly throwing its hands up, middle fingers raised. Sig gasped, slapping a hand to his chest and looking to Moon.

"Did you teach your little helper to do that? Scandalous!" He cried as Moon rolled her eyes and knocked him in the shoulder while the other helped Pebbles in assisting Suns to sit up. 

"It was an accident." She replied, getting to her feet. "Suns, we did get you some clothes from your architect. Hope you enjoy it." She told the iterator, going over to get the things and bring them to the iterator, who unfolded them, paused, and gasped. 

"This coat! He always wore this! It was such a hazard, but he refused not to. I...think he made the tear away tails himself actually." They said, examining the clothes back and forth. 

"Terrible fashion choice." Pebbles snorted. Suns tilted their head back and laughed, antenna flapping slightly in that odd way they did.

"I quite like it, actually. Thank you." The iterator hummed. 

The old robe came off. The new clothes came on. It took some work to drag on the pants without standing or toppling over without use of their umbilical, but they managed. Like they had said, the clothes fit them quite closely. The shirt may have been a bit slippy around the shoulders, but otherwise it was perfect. Suns dusted off some of the things still clinging to the clothing from so long in the closet. He hummed in content. 

"This is a good choice. Did you work together to pick it?" Suns said, shifting to look around at themself. 

"Actually, it was mostly Pebbles who chose it. He did some educated guessing. Sig was downstairs messing about with weaponry and shoving on boots and a mask" Moon said mischievously, completely ignoring the glare Pebbles gave her as once again Suns fluttered their antenna. 

"In my defense, I would personally prefer something more than sharpened rebar like everyone seems to use out there. Not that they're bad weapons, but one could spare to fight a bit more creatively." Sig snorted, reaching down to unsheathe his own sword and swing it around again. Suns leaned back and glared even though the cuts went nowhere near them. 

"Do not play with that." He groaned. 

"I am not! I'm getting a feeling for how it works!" Sig retorted in defense, shoving it back into it's sheath. 

"No fighting. We still need to get out of here. Suns, take out a neuron and start tapping those overseers." Moon said, summarily interrupting the spat that was about to break out, considering the looks on the face of the two iterators. Sig groaned. 

"He's so tall, getting them out is going to be such a pain!" He whined. Suns just glared as they took out a neuron carefully as instructed.

"Try extending your legs to match." They retorted, tapping the nearest overseer and jolting. "Ah. I see."

The next few minutes were full of reformatting overseers to the tune of idle chatter. They conversed about what the train was like, plans for the tracks and what to do if they were cut off from the tracks, how many memories Suns had kept, so on and so forth. Teasel seemed to be a shockingly active participant in the conversation considering not having much of a voice. It was a bit irritating, personally, being unable to understand or use the language he was. She was going to need to ask Pebbles to start teaching her. And the other slugcats out of the loop too. Communication at this point would be incredibly useful. At least Sugar seemed to understand a few words. 

Eventually, the formatting was done, and it was time to get Suns up and out. Which proved to be....a problem. 

Sun was, of course, incredibly taller than all of them. To use anyone to balance, he had to fold completely forward and practically use their heads for balance even as they raised their arms to grip his sides and take them forward one step at a time. Suns had bladelike feet that seemed to give them more trouble in walking than even Pebbles had when he started. Wobble wobble, nearly faceplanting multiple times if it weren't for the combined hands of all occupants, including herself, getting them along. Still, they managed to get to the umbilical. Another ideal, of course.

Gripping the thing was no problem. Suns was an iterator with all the limb strength needed, and a very lithe body to boot. Shuffling upwards, however, was a pain. They needed to figure out how to keep their legs around it despite many instructions and examples, kept trying to dig their feet into things, and so on. Crawling up into the shaft was no better. Finding footholds and keeping themself from banging their head into one wall or another was frustrating. 

"Ow."

"Ow."

"Ow."

"Stop complaining, the disconnect was so much worse and you know it."

"Sig I am currently still reeling from the sudden emptiness of being off of my can. I am allowed to complain about whatever I want." 

"......Alright. Fair enough."

Up. Up. Out. Struggling through every step, nearly falling over in the gate once more, and finally stepping into a world that had been bathed in starlight as the last vestiges of the sun dipped away. She found familiarity in the shaded, towering buildings causing dips and curves in the beyond that she could see. Somewhere below the can, thunder rippled through the air. An electric storm, she concluded. But Suns just stared up at a galaxy close enough to almost touch. 

"I.....see now. Oh." Suns whispered, and no words would ever explain the kind of awe in his voice. The stance was awkward and still hunched over for stability, but they could still see the sky more than well enough. 

"I had hoped you would be able to see your namesake, Suns. But this is good too." Moon chuckled, and Suns nodded. 

"This......this is more than enough. It gets quite hot some days anyway. I don't know how it is now, but I still don't want to end up overheating." He whispered back. A hand reached out and swiped across the sky. As if they could have gathered stardust in their palm if they just tried. She could understand the kind of feeling. She never got sick of the view up here. 

"I suppose we should sleep, then. But have our friends had enough to eat? Considering the cycle lag." Pebbles said, glancing over. 

Hmm, had she? A twinge in her stomach told her no. They would have to hunt for something. She shook her head, and the others did as well. A small hum was cut off as they saw a moving shadow begin to black out stars. Teasel stiffened and bristled, tail crackling and growing out more strange bone spears. 

"Enemies already?" Sig snorted, and Suns made an apologetic noise. 

"Due to the heat, many things here prefer to come out at night." They explained, narrowing their eyes upward to see something the slugcats could not. "A starcrawler. Best not linger." They said seriously. Again, they started moving. Started being the key word.

Sig stopped.

Tilted his head up.

Hands brushed across the handles of his new swords. 

"Hey....Moon. Pebbles." He hummed, eyes narrowing into something joyful.

"How would you like to test the new weapons?"