Chapter Text
Elsewhere on the edge of the Solar System . . .
[GANYMEDE POV:]
*The exiled couple, being Ganymede and Europa, pushed past the Kuiper belt.*
"Hellooo? Anyone out here? HELLOOOO?!" *Europa screeched, much to Ganymede's discomfort.*
*He huffed. Stars, he'd done it now. Failed to lead a revolution with probably the easiest goal ever. I mean, even one teeny tiny asteroid could've killed like... all life on Earth? She's not exactly asteroid resistant . . . But NO! That was too much to ask! Jupiter would've been disappointed, if he wasn't too much of a coward to speak up at the trials. His thoughts trailed off into as another remark came from Europa's core.*
"UGH! Who am I kidding, of COURSE no one is out here!" *She threw her arms up in distress, face contorting in anger.*
"Relax, babe. We can just find some quiet place to move into." *He shrugged, tone way too nonchalant for their current situation. She rolled her eyes towards his cocky attitude.*
"At least try and act upset."
*Ganymede shoved his hands deeper into his jacket pockets, avoiding eye contact. Shorts were not the kind of attire he thought he would be wearing in below freezing temperatures. He shivered softly, snapping his fingers and cycling through various outfits, landing on one which contained a thick coat and fluffy joggers, accompanied by some wooly gloves and winter boots. Good enough.*
"Are you gonna change, babe? It's only gonna get colder from here." *He tried nervously, rubbing his palms together despite his gloved hands. She ignored him, only snapping her fingers once to wear a soft, winter coat that reached around her ankles. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat when he caught her irritated gaze.*
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*A few... Earth days, he groaned at the mention of the Earth, have passed since our banishment. Nothing has really . . . happened. Europa's been silent. Though, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Ganymede reciprocated.*
" . . . Uhm. Babe, there's something- do you feel that gravity?" *Europa piped up, concern evident in her tone.*
"Jupiter? . . . No . . . His gravity's stronger. Saturn?" *Ganymede questioned, pacing slightly.*
"Neptune . . ? Or maybe . . . Uranus-?" *Europa pondered, causing Ganymede to giggle behind his hand.*
"Your anus." *He grinned. Europa scoffed.*
"Whoever you are, SHOW YOURSELF!" *She screamed, eyes glaring red. Damn. I must admit it was rather badass. That's my girl. He smirked, to which Europa glared. He didn't say that out loud, did he?*
*The gravity's intensity increased rapidly. A faint silhouette was visible from afar. Ganymede was squinting his eyes and blinking like he'd just woken up from a billion year long nap. Europa placed a hand in front of Ganymede protectively. This is new . . . *
*The silhouette raised its arms defensively.*
"Alright, alright, don't rip my core out. Geez." *The mysterious thing spoke, voice deep, yet clear.*
"Who are you?!" *Ganymede yelled, pointing at the closely approaching silhouette accusingly. The . . . Oh. Now he could tell it was a planet. The mystery planet stepped into the Sun's light, which was barely made out from all the way out here. However, it was enough to describe the planet's appearance; Its surface was a deep, dark navy colour, with lighter blue stripes going horizontally across. It was probably larger than Uranus and Neptune, but smaller than Jupiter and Saturn.*
*The planet smiled calmly, stepping closer and crouching down in front of the two, which helped them make out it's face. Its eyes were... grey-ish?*
"I've spent billions of years alone. Maybe I had a name and forgot. Maybe, I simply never had one. But you can call me . . . Planet X."
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* . . . WHAT?!*
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[PLANET 'X' POV:]
*X grinned. It had always liked the shock, the confusion, the mystery behind its name. When people actually saw it, that is. And right in front of it are two moons it recognized perfectly. On the left, Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System . . . Jupiter's, moon and one of the Galilean moons. And on the right, Europa, the smallest Galilean moon with the potential for extraterrestrial life. It knew them all too well considering this is their first meeting.*
"Planet X? What kind of name is that?!" *Europa scoffed, crossing her arms mockingly.*
"X as in . . . 10? Your name is Planet 10?" *Ganymede questioned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.*
"I'd prefer Planet X, thanks. And besides, that was before Roman Numerals, and when there were more than 8 planets." *It scowled. It supposed it never really had a name.*
*You're probably wondering how I knew that there were other planets before, huh?*
[EUROPA POV:]
*. . . I was gonna say that.*
[GANYMEDE POV:]
*Hot damn, that is a sick name.*
[PLANET 'X' POV:]
"Answer my question." *X growled.*
" . . . But you didn't ask one." *Ganymede inquired, cocking an eyebrow.*
"Oh—yeah! Uhm." *It looked around awkwardly.*
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"Anyway, let's get to the point. I need your help, with revenge." *It smirked.*
"Against who?" *Europa asked cautiously.*
"Your planet. Jupiter." *X spat, unwilling to say his name out loud.*
" . . . Jupiter?" *Ganymede questioned.*
"Look, I still hold a grudge. Because of what he did billions of years ago." *Planet X scoffed, glaring towards the outer solar system.*
"Which is . . ?"
"Let me explain." *It sat down in front of the couple, crossing its legs and clearing its throat as Jupiter had done many times before.*
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"Back then, the solar system had more than just four rocky planets. A lot of undeveloped Rocky planets near Jupiter's orbit, which used to be in the, uh," *X clicked its fingers, thinking.*
"Inner solar system, right before the asteroid belt! . . . But Jupiter’s immense gravitational disturbances caused chaos." *It explained grimly, narrating with its hands.*
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"Well, sorry about Jupiter, he's a bit . . . " *The gas giant before it, that it now knew was Saturn, gritted his teeth.*
"He just cares a lot about me . . . " *He muttered, his gaze softened, he looked lost in thought.*
*It simply nodded, looking over to this . . . 'Jupiter', who was being lectured by Helios.*
"And, you know, you're a big ball of gravity!" *He hissed under his breath, but X could still clearly make out what he was saying.*
"Listen, I- I know it may be a bit too late to change orbits, but my friend is at the other side of the belt!" *Jupiter huffed, glancing back at the pair. Planet X looked away immediately, as if it wasn't paying attention. Saturn was still rambling, probably about how 'amazing' Jupiter is based on that look in his eyes.*
"Can I-?" *Jupiter questioned, before being interrupted by Helios.*
"Jupiter, NO. We've talked about this!" *Helios snapped, glaring down at the eldest planet.*
"But I used to able to change orbits freely! Now I'm just stuck he-" *He complained, rolling his eyes. Helios did not like that.*
"I'M NOT HAVING IT! . . . Come on, you're the biggest planet. Be a good example to all the others." *He yelled, his surface flaring up to dangerous levels.*
"I—I . . !" *Jupiter stammered, looking down at his shoes.*
"We can talk later, Jupiter." *He stated coldly, turning away from Jupiter.*
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"The Sun is distracted." *Jupiter deadpanned from across the asteroid belt his orbit.*
"So?" *X asked, cocking an eyebrow as if it didn't trust Jupiter.*
"I can do this, I can cross to your side." *He muttered, determination taking over his common sense.*
"Great idea! Okay, hurry before he-" *Saturn hummed sweetly, offering Jupiter a double thumbs up.*
"Guys, NO! STOP! JUPITER, YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" *Planet X pleaded desperately.*
*Jupiter started moving towards the orbit where Saturn resides, just past the asteroid belt, unintentionally pulling in the newly-formed Rocky planets with his gravity.*
"Wait, LOOK OUT!" *Saturn yelled in horror, covering his mouth with his hands and squeezing his eyes shut.*
"WAIT, NO NO NO—" *Jupiter's gravity pulled them in, destroying two new Rocky planets.*
"NO! I'M SORRY, I-IT'S NOT MY—" *He was flung to the other side of the asteroid belt, only able to look on helplessly as the next few Rocky planets were flung into the Sun.*
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"What . . . Have I done?" *Jupiter's voice broke at the end of the sentence, looking down at his hands in shame.*
"Did I really . . . do this?" *He questioned, looking desperately between Saturn's horrified face and X's smug one.*
"Yeah, you did. And there's no way the Sun won't find out." *X crossed its arms, smirking.*
"The . . . SUN?!" *Jupiter asked rhetorically, fear obvious on his face.*
"Yep, you're a planet killer Jupiter, there's no way back for you now." *It shrugged, grinning at Jupiter before Saturn grabbed its arm.*
"Hey, cut it out, Planet X! You're not helping!" *Saturn yelled, pointing at the icy giant with his free hand accusingly.*
"Cut it out? I told you, not to do this. I told you, and you two just ignored me and treated me like I was lesser than you. I guess what comes around, goes around." *It scolded, breaking free from Saturn's grip.*
"I-I wasn't trying to . . . " *Jupiter whimpered, unable to finish his sentence.*
Who cares what you were trying to do?! You did this!" *X snapped at Jupiter.*
*Helios screeched in despair.*
"AAAAAAHHH?! Uh. Wha— WHAT? MY . . . M-MY PLANETS! W-what . . . What happened to them?!" *He yelled, tears already streaking down his face as he shakily picked up the remains of a rocky planet.*
"Hey Helios!" *It chirped sweetly.*
"Wha- What is it?" *Helios questioned, looking at Planet X curiously.*
"I think you should ask Jupiter about it." *X glanced towards Jupiter cruelly.*
"Jupiter? Why are you not in your orbit?!" *His face returned to it's usual rage, the heat levels in the area increasing scarily.*
"I-I-I. . ." *Jupiter stammered, flinching at Helios' anger.*
"Come on Jupiter, just say it." *It mocked, eyes narrowing.*
" I . . !" *He exclaimed, looking back at Saturn for support, who simply nodded.*
"I tried . . . to stop them."
"T-the Rocky planets. They- they woke up a-a-and tried to leave their orbits." *Jupiter lied, stammering some excuse he'd clearly made up on the spot.*
"Wha-? Hey! That's not what-?!" *Planet X's eyes widened, turning to yell at Jupiter, before it was interrupted.*
"Some of them crashed, and some just . . . left the Solar System." *He shrugged, trying to seem uncaring despite looking up at the Sun fearfully.*
"Sun! He's lyi-"
"That's right! Jupiter had to leave his orbit to chase them, like the big . . . role model he is!" *Saturn stepped in nervously, shoving X out of the way in the process. He placed a hand on Jupiter's shoulder reassuringly.*
"I- . . . I'm sorry Sun. I can return to my orbit if you-" *Jupiter mumbled, looking regretful.*
"NO!!! S-STAY THERE. IF YOU MOVE ANOTHER INCH WE COULD CAUSE MORE INSTABILITY! T-T-THAT'S YOUR NEW ORBIT JUPITER! JUST . . . Stay in your orbit . . . " *Sun muttered sadly, turning away from the trio.*
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"You're disgusting, Jupiter." *Planet X murmured cruelly.*
"That's enough, X!" *Saturn stepped in front of Jupiter defensively, squinting his eyes at the icy giant for whatever reason.*
"And you too for defending him! You two are just . . . horrible!" *It exclaimed, looking at Jupiter and Saturn with a newfound disrespect.*
"What would you have us do?!" *Jupiter inquired, his hand finding its way Saturn's. Saturn smiled warmly at the person he recognized as Jupiter, squeezing his hand in support.*
"CONFESS. Tell the Sun the TRUTH!" *X snapped, scowling at the pair and ignoring whatever they had going on.*
"He will hate me! We will— I-I don't know what he'll do to me!" *Jupiter stammered in terror, shuddering at the thought. Saturn looked down sadly, stroking Jupiter's back comfortingly.*
"Whatever he does, it's his right. We live in his Solar System. So stop acting all sorry, and confess! But don't think for a second, you'll keep this a secret!" *It grumbled, crossing its arms and turning to leave.*
" . . . Please, I need to think." *He sighed regretfully, pinching his nose with his free hand while the other lay perched on Saturn's shoulder. These two must be very close, huh?*
"Oh, take your time. But if you don't tell the Sun, then I will do it." *It muttered coldly, sticking its nose in the air and strolling away as if it were sorry they're inferior.*
"Ugh, he's so unlikeable!" *It heard Saturn scoff as it walked away. It glared back once before continuing on to its orbit.*
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*It glanced around the orbit in between Uranus and Neptune, deciding that it would be a nice spot to settle, beside it's cousin and brother. X hummed softly, attempting to conjure some form of entertainment, more specifically, a book. It couldn't think of anything better right now than to sit and read stories of romance and sigh softly at how jealous it was. In all honesty, it had taken a liking to Saturn, before . . . Yeah. It was still thinking about that. I mean, how could someone just straight up MURDER a bunch of newborns?! Sounds crazy without context. Though, if it remembered correctly, some of the newly-developed rocky planets flew out towards around its orbit . . . Maybe they were still . . . No. They couldn't be. It, or one of its relatives, would've noticed! Or at the very least acknowledged them. It huffed, scolding itself mentally for its lack of conjuring experience. Despite how old they all were by now, the giant planets being a few hundred years old by now and the rocky plan- . . . The Sun still hadn't taught them all how to conjure things, only Jupiter, cause he's SPECIAAALL! It mocked, grumbling curses under it's breath.*
"GREETING FELLOW ICY CELESTIAL BEING!!!" *A voice, which it almost immediately recognized as Neptune, exclaimed, popping up behind X. It jumped in surprise, likely due to the fact it was distracted before Neptune just appeared out of nowhere. In response, the ice giant giggled, cupping his gloved hands over his mouth. It rolled its eyes despite the smirk finding its way to its face, shuffling closer towards Neptune and settling in a more comfortable position. Its brother smiled sweetly, snuggling up to the otherwise shivering Planet X.*
"It is chilly out here, huh?" *Like clockwork, X admitted how it wasn't quite used to the cold yet.*
"What did you expect, we're ice giants!" *He chirped, adjusting the scarf around his neck. X stared enviously. After their eyes opened after forming, Helios chose everyone's outfits, though it wished it had been provided with something warmer. The interaction was interrupted by who it recognized as Uranus, calling out for Neptune.*
"NEPTUNE! You shouldn't run off by yourse- . . . " *He started, before immediately coming to an abrupt stop upon noticing X.*
"Ah, hey cousin." *Planet X hummed, smirking slightly and trying to seem 'cool' as if it wasn't just hugging its brother because it felt a little cold.*
"Cousin- . . . s." *Uranus muttered, before correcting himself upon noticing Neptune's ominous presence nearby. He smiled shyly, clambering down to join the pair.*
"So . . . We just hanging out?" *He tried, shuffling across to be beside Neptune, who remained perched nearby X's shoulder.*
"Pretty much. I've got some . . . 'things' on my mind." *X shrugged, eyes narrowing at the thought, to which Uranus cocked an eyebrow. Neptune's ear-to ear grin only spread further at the sudden opportunity to jump into this otherwise boring conversation.*
"I have moons." *He smirked proudly, sticking his tongue out playfully in response to the paler giant's shocked reaction.*
"Oh, wow. Congrats, bro." *Planet X placed a gentle hand on its brothers shoulder, smiling at him encouragingly.*
"REALLY?! Woah, lucky!" *The paler of the giants whined, eyes sparkling with a newfound sense of admiration.*
*Neptune continued to make prideful remarks about his newly developing moons and cooing about how small they were, noticing X's discomfort and removing his own scarf, placing it around X's neck. It smiled softly, leaning in towards its brother.*
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*A long moon info dump later . . . *
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"Hey, you two." *X hummed, grinning eagerly at the pair, before it's face fell when they seemed to be in the middle of something. Jupiter was leaning against Saturn, resting his head on Saturn's shoulder. Their hands were intertwined. And . . . were they hugging? Okay, something was definitely going on here.*
"Ugh, can we not do this now?" *Saturn snapped his head around, a pink blush decorating his face as if his secret been discovered.*
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I inconveniencing you with my . . . guilt tripping?" *X mocked, batting it's surprisingly long eyelashes playfully.*
"X, I-I need time to think of how I'm gonna explain this to the Sun." *Jupiter mumbled shyly, reluctantly shuffling away from the previous embrace.*
"Really? Because it seems like you're just stalling for time until I move on from this." *It deadpanned, crossing it's arms suspiciously.*
"I'm not, I promise!" *He whimpered, looking up at X with those . . . stupid, tired eyes . . . that looked so pathetic. And sad.*
"Enough Jupiter, okay? I warned you about this!" *It shook of the feelings that came with it's thoughts as it shouted back. X began walking towards the asteroid belt as if preparing to cross it.*
"Hey! STOP! WAIT!" *Jupiter yelled towards the icy giant, running towards it.*
"It's not gonna work, Jupiter." *X hummed, barely glancing back.*
"X, there are new Rocky planets forming past this point, let's not make things messier!" *He whined, placing his hands on his hips as if he was trying to be intimidating. THIS is the largest planet??*
"Hah, guess who decided to care about the other planets?" *It grinned, ignoring Jupiter's childish moping.*
"I do care, and I feel horrible! Let's not both make the same mistakes!" *Jupiter suddenly yanked X back with his gravitational force, groaning as he pulled X with great difficulty.*
"Let me go, I'm just getting a bit closer to talk to the Sun." *X scoffed, forcing it's way forward.*
"PLEASE!!!" *Jupiter pleaded desperately, looking around for help. His eyes landed on Saturn, who took a step forward, staring at the pair wide eyed.*
"Please what? Oh, don't play the hero now. You're stopping me to save your own surface. I'm telling the Su-" *X started, before it was interrupted by Jupiter screaming.*
"SATURN!" *Jupiter exclaimed, pulling Planet X further back as he did so. X grunted at the sudden increase in gravity as Saturn joined his friends side.*
"On it!" *Saturn chirped sweetly, also using his gravity.*
"I'm—not—being—silenced . . !" *Planet X groaned, struggling against their gravity. It let out a shaky breath, extending a hand towards the Sun.*
*Saturn and Jupiter looked at each other knowingly, before both using their combined gravity at the same time. However, this backfired on them, sending X flying through the outer Solar System.*
"AAAAAHH!" *He was sent across the solar system, heading indefinitely towards the Kuiper belt, past Uranus and Neptune's orbits.*
"Guys—help me...!" *X rasped, throat dry. Unfortunately, its brother and cousin didn't notice its cries for help. X grunted as it flew through the Kuiper belt, being hit by multiple asteroids before it plunged straight into the darkness.*
"AH- AHH!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!! HELPPPP!!!" *X yelled desperately, reaching out for help that never arrived. He heard the Sun scream a message for him, a cruel one at that.*
"AAAGHHHH!!! AFTER EVERYTHING I DO FOR YOU ALL, SO BE IT! GOOD RIDDANCE, PLANET X!!!!! JUST LEAVE MY SOLAR SYSTEM! WE DON'T NEED YOU! WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED HERE!" *The voice echoed loudly. X's face twisted into one of horror. It swallowed a hard lump in it's throat, plunging into eternal darkness.*
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"As Jupiter’s orbit shifted past the asteroid belt, it destabilized the entire region. And I was . . . " *X looked down at the ground, unable to finish it's sentence as it concluded solemnly.*
"What . . ? How didn't we know about this? How . . . Does the SUN know?" *Ganymede and Europa struggled to believe this, questioning how such a massive event could remain hidden. X looked back up sorrowfully.*
"In deep space, I eventually learned to navigate, but fear of retaliation kept me from returning." *It mumbled shyly.*
*The trio sat in silence for a moment, before Planet X cleared it's throat.*
"But, when I heard of the Moon Revolution YOU lead AND the Solar System Trials YOU lead? I was inspired." *X smirked, looking down at the green and pink moons before it with amazement.*
"Oh, wow, thanks man, I-" *Ganymede smiled bashfully, itching the back of his neck.*
"So I've got a deal for you."
*Europa and Ganymede glanced at each other unsurely, before Europa nodded calmly.*
" . . . We're listening." *She stated calmly, taking Ganymede's hand gently.*
"If you help me, well, present my case to the Sun, I will ensure your reinstatement into the Solar System! Simple, right?" *Planet X stood back up from it's previous crouched position, looking at the pair as it inquired rhetorically.*
"Not really." *Europa glared, cocking an unconvinced eyebrow.*
"Come on! Don't you wanna go back? See the other moons? The younger moons? Callisto? IO?" *It questioned relentlessly, eyes narrowing.*
"Alright, alright, fine." *Ganymede huffed, waving off the planet's blatant blackmailing.*
*X smirked eerily, shooting the two moons a mischeivious look before continuing to float towards the Solar System.*
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[EUROPA POV:]
"Honestly, Ganymede? I don't think it's worth it." *Europa deadpanned, her voice dropping to a secretive tone as she noticed Planet X was watching them with a smirk.*
"Think about what we're risking! Our place in the Solar System, our friends . . . " *She listed quietly, gaze softening for a moment.*
"We don't HAVE a place in the Solar System, babe!" *He remarked, raising his voice and throwing up his arms in frustration.*
"Don't fucking 'babe' me, Ganymede. I'm being honest here and you're yelling at me. Do you have a problem?!" *Europa snapped, grabbing his arm tightly to the point where it bruised a deep purple colour. He winced, desperately trying to tug his arm away from her.*
*She glared back at Planet X, who looked away immediately, pretending to whistle. Europa scoffed, keeping a tight grip on her boyfriends wrist.*
"HELLLOOO?" *She heard a small, squeaky voice yell.*
*Planet X's body tensed, pulling the pair closer to it defensively. Europa glanced around nervously, Ganymede still in hand, literally.*
*The figure stepped forward into her peripheral vision, revealing itself as Proteus.*
"Oh, HI EUROPA!!! Ganymede! It'th me, Proteuth!" *The tiny moon squealed as he noticed them, running up to hug Europa's leg eagerly, pressing his face into her long, warm coat.*
"Proteus? What are you doing here??" *Europa inquired, her concern evident. She released Ganymede as soon as the younger moon appeared, crouching down to get a better look at him.*
*Ganymede hissed in pain, rubbing his wrist before retracting his hand as he noticed the little moon watching. Proteus smiled sweetly.*
"I juth wanted to tell you, the moon club ith rallying for you to come back!! They went Mr Thun to athk!" *He chirped, despite speaking with great difficulty. It was nice he was trying his best, though.*
"Wait . . . Really?" *Ganymede questioned, hiding his injury behind his back.*
"Yeh! It'th ran by . . . uuuhhh . . . Earth'th moon and Titan!" *He grinned eagerly, burying a hand into his pocket and digging out the handmade poster he and the younger moons had made. It was mostly stick men, with the odd detailed doodle, likely from an older moon. The poster read, 'BRING BACK GANYMEDE AND EUROPA' in big, capital letters. Ganymede smiled fondly, ruffling Proteus' hair playfully, to which he giggled.*
"Well, it's very nice of them . . . " *Europa smiled bashfully, brushing Proteus' newly messed up hair out of his face gently. She scooped him up in her arms, placing him inside her coat so he didn't get any colder. He giggled, nuzzling closer to the heat source.*
"So, what have we missed, lil' man?" *Ganymede inquired as the group continued walking, Planet X relaxing, and then flustering immediately after as it realized it was terrified of a literal child.*
"Mr Jupiter theemed nervouth about thumthin' . . . " *Proteus looked up thoughtfully, tilting his head.*
*The pair look at X expectantly, grinning.*
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" *X said bashfully, itching the back of it's neck.*
*Together with X and Proteus, the couple prepared to return to the solar system and uncover the truth. Europa conjured a pair of gloves and a large scarf for the shivering child, wrapping it around him carefully and allowing him to remain snuggled in her arms.*
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*As they approach the Kuiper Belt, Ganymede decides to check in on Europa. She's been awfully quiet.*
"You alright, babe?" *Ganymede piped up, glancing over at his girlfriend, who seemed rather uncertain.*
"I can hold Proteus if you wa-" *He started, before she interrupted him.*
"No, he's not the problem." *She cooed, stroking the head of the resting moon.*
"It's just . . . I have a bad feeling. It's been a while since we've been so far out. Away from Jupiter . . . " *Europa admits shyly, burying her flushed face as far as she could deep into the fluff of her coat.*
*He smiled softly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.* "It should be smooth ailing to the Sun. . . . Unless Jupiter intervenes to silence Planet X for good this time." *Ganymede stated grimly, before shaking of his anxiousness.*
"But it'll be fine!" *He grinned, nudging her playfully. She stiffly smiled, adjusting how she held Proteus as to not wake him. Her expression hardened.*
"Don't forget what we're doing here, Ganymede. Deliver Planet X to the Sun, and we can go home." *She hummed softly, looking up at him reassuringly.*
"Hey, lovebirds." *X snarked, leaning down slightly to chat with the pair. Europa shot it an unimpressed glare, rolling her eyes at its smug smile. Ganymede cocked an eyebrow.*
"If we wanna avoid drawing attention from other celestial bodies, we should travel counterclockwise, that way the only person we could run into is Pluto, but that's unlikely!" *It suggested, looking up thoughtfully. Europa smiled at this newfound information. It sounded sensible.*
*Ganymede nodded in agreement, before gesturing in front of the group.*
"May I?" *He inquired, eyes darting between the three of them.*
"Take it away, man." *X assured, allowing him to step in front of it.*
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[GANYMEDE POV:]
"Wow, I juth have to thay, you guyth are amazing!!" *Proteus chimed in after a long silence, glancing between the couple.*
*Ganymede glanced down at the small moon, raising an eyebrow curiously.*
"Uhm. I mean, thanks! But, is there a reaso-"
"You guyth thaved me from darkneth, being alone, you gave me a thcarf and coat!!!!" *He listed, counting on his fingers, before losing count and scrapping the whole thing.*
"Proteus?" *Europa butted in, tapping the small moon on the shoulder with an extended index finger.*
"You make uth thmaller moonth feel thafe . . . " *He hummed sweetly, smiling up at them with a gap-toothed grin.*
"Proteus."
"You protect uth even when THUN doethn't notice uth!!" *Proteus beamed, looking up at the pair with wide, admiring eyes.*
"Well, I wouldn't say we do all that . . . " *Ganymede waved his hand dismissively, much to Proteus' confusion. He remembered their banishment. He definitely didn't make the smaller moons feel safe when he commanded them to go against all their morals and attack the Earth. He definitely didn't make the smaller moons feel safe when he attacked Titan in front of all of them and severely injured him. He definitely didn't make the smaller moons feel safe when he mocked the Earth when she opened up about her struggles. He definitely didn't make the smaller moons feel safe when he refused to learn all their names. He definitely didn't make all the smaller moons feel safe when he doubled down, only to be kicked out.*
"Yeah, well, not many moons are noticed by the Sun, little one." *Europa reminded gently, breaking the silence with a smile. She booped the moon's nose sweetly, to which he giggled and clung to her finger.*
"Our current journey might be more significant than we think." *She added on calmly, glancing up at Planet X. It nodded at her, determination obvious in its eyes.*
[IO POV:]
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*The silence was uncomfortably loud.*
"So, do you want to talk about them?" *Callisto spoke nervously, a rarity for a moon like her.*
"T-t-t-t-talk about w-who?" *Io inquired, head titled curiously.*
"You know . . . " *She looked around, as if afraid to speak.* "Ganymede and Europa?"
"Y-y-you don't have to s-s-s-say their names like that!" *He scolded, before coughing out a yellow gas violently, muffled through his cupped hands that moved to cover his mouth.*
"You still defend them . . . You miss them that much?" *She asked, harsh expression softening.*
*Io nodded shyly.*
"I'll miss them despite their flaws. T-They didn't do everything right, but neither did we. Even though they made mistakes, w-w-w-we still felt like b-best friends. . . . F-Family." *He stammered awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands as he spoke.*
*Callisto looks down thoughtfully.* "I'll admit, I don't understand why you forgave them."
*Io begins to explain, his sorrow evident.*
"I-I-It’s more about belief in my f-f-friends, than true forgiveness." *Io muttered, looking down at the hypothetical ground below them sadly.*
"Hey, it's alright Io. You know, you're pretty cool, despite your . . . abnormalities." *Callisto smiled bashfully.*
*Io gasped, eyes glimmering eagerly.* "Y-Y-Y-You mean i-it?! Thank you s-s-so much Callis-"
"TRITON!!!" *A child-like, female voice squealed.*
*Triton squinted his eyes as the silhouette stepped forward and their identity became clear.* "Galatea?"
"Oh, thank the stars I found you!!!!!!!" *She smiled sweetly, hugging Triton's side.*
"What are you doing here? You should be with Nept-" *He started to scold her, before the nervous looking child practically burst as if she was holding a secret she couldn't any more.*
"PROTEUS FOLLOWED YOU!" *Galatea whined, Triton was speechless, looking at her in pure horror.*
"Oh yeah! I saw Proteus too. Although, I'm afraid to admit that when I did, I assumed he was a lost exoplanet . . . Or a particularly large asteroid." *Makemake grinned nervously, looking over towards the pair.*
"WHERE DID HE GO?!" *Triton snapped, towering over the dwarf planet, who squeaked in fear.*
*Makemake, frightened, points further beyond the Kuiper Belt, horrifying Triton.*
"T-that way!" *He exclaimed, whimpering as the moon looked at him as if he wanted to murder someone.*
"PROTEUS . . . " *He muttered sadly, sunglasses falling off of his face as he looked out towards the edge of the Solar System.*
[PLANET 'X' POV:]
*In another part of the Solar System . . . *
"Tho . . . You're Planet X?" *Proteus inquired, having moved to walk beside the ice giant while Ganymede and Europa moved the asteroids that had began to fly their way.*
"Ah, uh, yeah! And you're Proteus?" *It asked rhetorically, it already knew the answer. The child's eyes widened in amazement.*
"HE KNOWTH MY NAME! HE KNOWTH MY NAME!!" *He squealed eagerly to no one in particular, his face drooping slightly upon realizing none of his siblings were present.*
"Oh, you'll come to learn. I know everything." *X stated ominously, grinning eerily at the inner solar system.*
"That ith completely normal, and I will not quethtion thith any further!" *He chirped sweetly, much to X's confusion.*
Planet X, unsure if he’ll be welcomed back in the Solar System, shares his insecurities.
"Ah, uhm. Thanks." *It snarked, however laying off on the sarcasm as to avoid a childish meltdown from the young moon.*
*Proteus beamed up at it, expression faltering once he noticed the ice giant's nervous look.*
"What'th wrong, mithter X?" *He inquired, looking up at it curiously. Planet X bit its bottom lip shyly.*
"Sorry, nothing, nothing . . . I'm just . . . thinking." *It waved its arms dismissively, avoiding eye contact.*
"Whatcha thinking about?" *Proteus asked once more, taking hold of Planet X's scarf. X suddenly got defensive, shrugging the little moon off of it.*
"You ask a lot of annoying questions, don't you?!" *X snarked, wrapping the scarf around its neck one more time so that he couldn't grab it again.*
"Yep! And Neptune thaid that'th what maketh me amazing!!!" *He giggled softly to himself, completely unaware of the harshness in X's tone.*
*It scoffed, about to throw out some harsh insult about this Neptu- . . . Neptune? This is NEPTUNE'S moon? The one's he told it about when they were younger?? No way. How did it overlook this? It had been watching its brother for BILLIONS of years. That's not weird or anything, but - Wha-??? When-? Okay, you're being stupid X. Focus. You're not insulting your brother, and you're DEFINITELY not insulting a child.*
"Well . . . We can be friendth!" *Proteus squeaked sweetly.*
"Really? Just like that??" *X questioned, looking around frantically as if there were something it missed.*
"Yeah! We can even be beth friendth!!" *He grinned from ear-to-ear, craning his neck to look up at it.*
"Oh! Ah- Uh, thanks, best friend." *It stated unsurely, looking towards Proteus for validation, who nodded eagerly, smiling widely.*
" . . . So, what do best friends talk about?" *It inquired shyly, pressing the tips of its index fingers together.*
"What ever you want!" *He chirped reassuringly, offering Planet X a double thumbs up through squinted eyes.*
"Uhm . . . Jupiter?"
"Uh, I gueth?" *Proteus shrugged, raising an eyebrow.*
*The pair was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before Proteus chimed in.*
"If what you thaid ith true, about Jupiter dethtroying planeth, then he'th gonna be in thoooooo much trrooouubbleee!!!!" *Proteus smirked mischeiviously with suprising amounts of enthusiasm.*
"You're a lot more excited about this than I am, and I've been waiting for this for more than 4.5 BILLION years. That's longer than you've been alive." *X deadpanned, cocking an eyebrow at the little moon. He grinned, turning his attention to X's abnormally large clothing, on his scale. Shortly after, he began using the loops from Planet X's shoelaces as a swing. It chuckled softly, stepping carefully as to not disturb the little moon.*
.
.
.
*Planet X began to demonstrate his agility, sprinting and spinning around the group of moons at unimaginable speeds.*
"I honed my skills in the outer reaches of space, where there’s little gravitational pull." *X explained proudly as it halted to a stop, catching the eye of a fascinated Proteus and shocked Galilean moons.*
"Objects move faster when they're closer to the Sun, due to stronger gravity." *It stated in a matter-of-fact tone, before using its gravity to pull in a bunch of asteroids and spin them around, making patterns as it did so.*
"WAAAHHH?!" *Proteus squealed in awe, watching as the rocks danced around in the air above him like shooting stars.*
*X smirked in response to the child's enthusiasm, using its gravity to allow Proteus to jump around high in the air, rising up with a-*
*WOOSH!*
"Oh my thingularity, X! You're thooooo cool!! Thith ith THO. MUCH. FUN!!!!!!!!" *He giggled, unaware of the asteroid rapidly approaching him, likely pulled in by X's gravity.*
"PROTEUS! LOOK OUT!" *Europa yelled, panic evident in her voice. As the asteroid, definitely large enough to destroy him, rapidly approached the little moon, she jumped to tank the hit, a crater becoming clearer on her surface. She groaned in pain, rubbing the sore spot where she was affected.*
"EUROPA!" *Ganymede and Planet X exclaimed, the smaller of the pair running over to check the damage on her surface.*
*She whimpered slightly as Ganymede placed a hand over the crater, his hand flinching away.*
"I-I'll be fine, you guys. Let's keep going, okay?" *She muttered, attempting to reach towards Ganymede reassuringly, but struggling to do so. Her boyfriend huffed, not believing her one bit. Before she could argue, he picked her up in his arms bridal-style. Europa blushed slightly, smiling softly.*
"W-wath it my fault?" *Proteus mumbled shyly, tears welling up in his eyes. X's expression softened, looking at the small child with sympathy.*
"No . . . No, Proteus it wasn't. . . . C'mere." *It hummed nervously, swiftly scooping the kid up in its hand. Proteus whined softly, snuggling against the ice giant.*
*Ganymede sighed in irritation.* "Where would that have even . . . ?" *He glanced around, clutching his girlfriend close to his chest to preserve her warmth. She shivered softly, leaning into him.*
*WOOSH!*
*Huh-? What was that? He inquired, eyes darting around frantically. X seemed to have heard it as well, as it shielded Proteus with a hand and moved to a more defensive position.*
"Uhm, guys?" *Europa asked rhetorically, pointing ahead of the group. The members who were able looked forward, face dropping in shock. In front of them, the asteroid belt had began to spin around rapidly, hurling asteroids outwards across the outer Solar System. Further in, the Sun looked furious, hiding the planets behind his back protectively. Behind them, the Kuiper belt had reciprocated, locking them in.*
*ZIP! WHIZZ! ZOOM!*
*A large hurdle of asteroids shot past them, approaching Planet X head on. It flinched, turning around to protect Proteus and bracing for impact, eyes screwed shut.*
*CRASH!*
*X opened its eyes wearily, wincing as a few asteroids collided with its surface, bruising its icy exterior with visible craters.*
*Jupiter shielded the ice giant from the rest of the impacts, grunting in pain as the asteroids dug their way into his surface.
"Agh . . . Ouch . . . " *He groaned in pain, rubbing the side of his face reluctantly as he caught the gaze of Planet X.*
"X . . . I-"
"Save it, Jupiter." *It muttered coldly, glaring up at the largest planet, to Proteus shock.*
"I'd love to hear you beg, and sound desperate and wah wah wah . . . " *X batted it's eyelashes mockingly.*
*He was silent.*
"However, I'm . . . adamant, that I'm going to have a word with the Sun." *It muttered coldly, pulling along the stunned group of followers. Ganymede caught Jupiter's eye, who looked horrified. He scoffed, turning away from his planet and following closely after Planet X. Proteus looked up at the largest planet sadly, waving goodbye as Europa carried him away.*
.
.
.
"Huh? Do I know you? I feel like I remember you from somewhere." *Sol scratched his chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowing towards the newly arrived planet and moons.*
"Remember me, remember me not, it all doesn't matter." *It remarked calmly, walking closer to the Sun's light. His face dropped when he heard the 'intruder' talk, a wave of recognition washing over him.*
"Wha- YOU! YOU LEFT MY SOLAR SYSTEM! AND THEN YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO SHOW YOUR FACE BACK HERE?! WHAT DO YOU WANT, PLANET X. OR SHOULD I SAY, SPOILED BRAT!!!!" *Sol screeched, surface heat levels rising dangerously high, causing the Earth and ice giants to step back out of fear of overheating.*
"Oh, please." *Europa scoffed, rolling her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips.*
"Something you'd like to share with the class?" *Sun attempted to crack a joke, however, his anger shone through, making it sound more threatening than curious.*
"Yes, actually." *She glared at the star, teeth gritted as she remembered the events of the 'Solar System Trials'.*
Planet X didn't leave on its own accord." *She started, pacing back and forth, hands placed calmly behind her back, her eyes narrowed as she continued.*
"It had been ejected by Jupiter." *Europa stated coldly, pointing an accusing finger at the largest planet.*
*Everyone was silent for a moment, turning to look at Jupiter, who seemed anything but calm. The Sun stifled a laugh with his two hands, however unable to do so. A loud cackle erupted from deep within his throat. Europa cocked an unamused eyebrow.*
"Y-YOU THINK I'LL BELIEVE THAT? That my eldest planet, largest planet, the most responsible, best role model, best BIG BROTHER to my planets, would do ANYTHING like that?!" *He giggled, struggling to get his words out from how much he was laughing.*
"She's right, though." *Jupiter deadpanned, eyes focused on his shoes. The laughter in Sol's throat died down, instead looking at the largest planet with an amused expression.*
*He caught Saturn's eye, shooting him an apologetic glance. The ringed giant however, seemed like he wanted to say something. Saturn cleared his throat shyly.*
"Uhm, it wasn't just Jupiter, it-"
"No, Saturn. You don't need to lie." *Jupiter grumbled through gritted teeth, as if warning him to not say another word. To let him take all the blame, instead of Saturn. At least, in that way, one of them would be okay.*
"Ahem. Now I must reveal a hidden truth that had been kept from the Sun for billions of years, the Grand Tack." *Planet X started, looking down upon the spectators. Sun cocked an eyebrow.*
"The Grand Tack was a devastating event in the Solar System’s early history. Jupiter had once orbited closer to the Sun, but Saturn’s gravitational influence caused him to migrate outward. This migration disrupted the Solar System’s balance, causing catastrophic collisions among the early rocky planets. Some were destroyed, while others were thrown out of the Solar System entirely." *X muttered, glaring at everyone who caught its eye.*
"Jupiter had covered it all up by lying to the Sun and silencing those who knew the truth, including Planet X." *Europa stated in a matter-of-fact tone, looking up at Jupiter in disgust. Everyone present turned horrified, all turning towards the largest planet.*
[JUPITER POV:]
"J-JUPITER?! THIS WAS ALL YOU?" *Sun shrieked, looking at the largest planet as if he didn't recognize him.*
The Sun was stunned; the rocky planets’ destruction and Planet X’s banishment were Jupiter’s doing.
Faced with the truth, Jupiter admits everything, to which most of the planets and the Moon begin to boo him angrily.
*A ripple of gasps broke out across the rocky planets.*
*Mars stared at the blank space in horror.*
"Oh, no . . . " *The Earth muttered, looking up at him fearfully.*
"WHAT?" *Venus gasped, fists clenching by his sides.*
"Huh?! Wha- I- When would- HUH??" *Mercury stammered in confusion, glancing around frantically.*
*Saturn leaned against the person closest to him for support, Uranus, who unsurely patted Saturn's back.*
"I'm sorry to do this. But, Jupiter. I revoke your position as the largest planet in my Solar System. Or as a planet AT ALL! You are hereby BANISHED." *The Sun, deeply betrayed, decides on a harsh punishment.*
*Saturn gasped in horror, the area around them turning a deep blue colour, heavy with Saturn's grief.*
*He began sobbing hysterically, covering his face in misery.*
*Everyone in Saturn's vicinity began to weep, even the Sun, despite only shedding a tear.*
"Ugh . . . " *Uranus grunted, loosing their footing and stumbling over, landing on top of Neptune, who was barely standing. The two rolled onto the hypothetical floor with a pained grunt. The rocky planets whimpered, collapsing to the ground, unable to get up.*
*Jupiter sighed softly, walking towards Saturn with no difficulty and planting a kiss on his cheek, wrapping him in a tight, final embrace.*
*Saturn inhaled sharply, burying his face into Jupiter's chest.*
*Sun looked at Saturn sympathetically, before shaking his head.*
"Go, Jupiter. You are banished."
*Jupiter reluctantly let go of Saturn, sighing softly and turning away. The ringed giant exhaled shakily, wiping his eyes and clutching his hands close to his chest.*
*He looked back while he walked away, stopping in his tracks for a moment.* "I'm sorry. I'll go, but- please. Just let X take my place in my orbit, and let my moons, Ganymede and Europa, orbit him." *Jupiter asks, pleading with the Sun desperately.*
"You have the NERVE to ask me for anything?" *The Sun spoke, his voice a low growl.*
"Hey, Sun." *Planet X interrupted, glaring at the larger planet, before it turned to the Sun with a sweet smile plastered on its face.*
"Yes, X?" *He inquired, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously.*
"You should let them them come back! Orbit me." *Planet X grinned, gesturing down towards the two Galilean moons. Io gasped in awe, smiling from ear-to-ear.*
"And why would I-"
"Their 'past behavior' was probably attributed to Jupiter's bad influence! I'm sure they could thrive under mine. I'm a chhhiilll planet. Besides Sun, don't I deserve it? After all I've been through?" *X snarked, smugly smirking and placing its hand on its hips.*
*Sun looked at the ground nervously, chewing his bottom lip from the inside of his mouth. He sighed softly, before reluctantly nodding. Io grinned widely, grabbing Callisto by the hand to pull her towards them. Io wrapped his arms around the two formerly banished Galilean moons, entrapping the four of them in a tight embrace.*
*Jupiter was heartbroken, but resigned.* "Well, goodbye everyone. I'm sorry for all I've done." *He apologized profusely.*
[PLANET 'X' POV:]
"As . . . painful - as it is, this decision is necessary." *Ganymede stated numbly.*
*Europa opened and closed her mouth, searching for the right words before nodding solemnly.*
"Take care of Saturn for me." *Jupiter mumbled, glancing at Titan, who nodded sadly, leaning his head against Saturn's leg.*
*He turned and left, burdened with regret, and hurt.*
*An eerie, triumphant smirk broke out across Planet X's face as it muttered;*
"Goodbye, Jupiter."