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A very long time ago, Saturn had his first moons. Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, and Mimas
But there was another moon: Chrysalis
Like nearly every other moon of Saturn, Chrysalis consists mostly of rock and ice, though she's more rocky, while her uppermost crust is a thick layer of ice. At first, she was a very shy moon, and her only friends were Tethys and Rhea. The others hadn't even noticed her because they were too busy staring at Saturn, hoping that the gas giant would eventually notice his moons
And then it happened. Saturn noticed his moons... Well, just one, actually, and that was his largest moon, Titan. Saturn was overjoyed to finally have a moon of his own, so he grabbed Titan and sprinted off with him to Jupiter to introduce him. Jupiter introduced himself politely, but Titan was very scared and nervous because Saturn had just dragged him off to meet his best friend out of the blue. When Saturn realized this, he decided to introduce Titan to Jupiter some other time and went back with his moon. On the way back to his orbit, Saturn hopped around with joy like a little child
Back in Saturn's orbit, Dione, Enceladus, and the other moons surrounded Titan and asked him how he had managed to get Saturn to notice him. Titan, however, couldn't really answer their question, but the others wouldn't let up and kept asking him questions. Tethys got caught up in it and wants Saturn to notice him, too. Chrysalis, on the other hand, thinks that's childish, because why should they go to the trouble of getting Saturn's attention when it's just Titan anyway?
Time passed, and everything is as usual except for one or two things. The moons still want to be just like Titan, who got all the attention. Others, on the other hand, are jealous of him. Furthermore, over time, Titan drifted away from Saturn, which meant that Chrysalis, who orbited between Titan and Iapetus, was pushed out of her actual orbit and eventually ended up near Tethys
“Ahem, Hi Saturn! oh me? oh! I'm just your sixth biggest moon, Tethys. Yeah, sixth! I know it's not first like Titan, or second like whoever second is. But hey! you have hundreds of moons, that makes me more special than 98% of your moons, doesn't it?” Tethys was talking to himself. He was rehearsing his opening speech, imagining how he would introduce himself to Saturn, until Chrysalis arrived
“Tethys?” she asked, to get Tethys' attention
“Oh! h-hi uhh... Chry-”
“Chrysalis?”
“Yes, of course. uhh long time no see, Are you trying a new orbit? or-” Tethys didn't get to finish asking why Chrysalis was in his orbit when she interrupted him
“No, I.. f-first of all, what were you doing?” she asked cautiously
“Me? Just practicing my introduction to Saturn.” Tethys replied
“You're still doing that?” Chrysalis asked, surprised that Tethys was still doing that
Tethys grew serious. “Yes, I am. These things matter to some of us. Also you were like fourth biggest moon, so you have no idea what being sixth feels like-”
Chrysalis flinched. “Okay! I wasn't trying to offend you, I'm sorry.”
“Why are you even here? I thought your orbit came after Titan's.” Tethys asked
“Yeah, well, Titan has slowly been moving away, and he kind of made my orbit a bit messy. So now I'm kind of... I don't know.” Chrysalis has no answer to the question
“Wow, are you sure you're not doing that on purpose?” asked Tethys
“Why... would I do that on purpose?” Chrysalis asked, puzzled
“Because maybe you're secretly sneaking past everyone? To get closer to him, to get noticed by Saturn, to be popular?” Tethys asked pointedly
Chrysalis felt offended that Tethys would think something like that. “You really think I care!? Why would I care some much about being popular!? Does it really mean all that much too you!?”
“Yes! It's everything.” said Tethys
“WHY!? WHY DID WE ALL SUDDENLY BECOME OBSESSED WITH SOMETHING SO DUMB!?” Chrysalis shouted
“What if it isn't dumb, Chrysalis?”
“At least now you remembered my name.”
“What if it's the only purpose we have? Huh? And what if that's the reason you have NO purpose AT ALL!?”
Chrysalis was upset by what Tethys said. Do they really have no other purpose? Is that what they'll do for the rest of their lives? But Chrysalis refused to believe it
“I did have a purpose.” she finally replied
“Oh yeah? and what was it!?” Tethys asked, sounding unconvincing
“To make friends. I tried with you, but then you stopped being yourself and tried to be like everyone else. I tried with some of the others, but maybe I can't make friends as long as I'm different.” Chrysalis replied sadly
“Then don't be different. Just be like us!” said Tethys
Chrysalis looked at Saturn. At first, she wondered if she should just go to his Roche limit and simply end up as a ring, so that everyone would get what they wanted: to be recognized by Saturn. But Chrysalis shook off that thought again, because she didn’t want to give that to her selfish moon siblings. If that’s what they want? Then they should try to do it on their own, but without her
“No...” she said
“W-what?” Tethys asked, puzzled
“There are other purposes in life besides that. All they want is to be recognized by Saturn. If that’s what they want and if they have to do it for the rest of their lives? Fine. If they don’t want to talk to me and choose to ignore me? Then I don’t deserve to be with them either.” said Chrysalis, and left
“C-Chrysalis?... What do you mean by that?” Tethys simply asked
Chrysalis turned to Tethys one last time. “I know we weren't friends, but thanks for always talking to me...” she said, and finally left
Tethys just watched Chrysalis go. He saw her moving away from Saturn’s orbit and, more generally, away from the planet. She’s heading toward the inner solar system. Tethys wondered to himself why she was going there, but he didn’t think much of it and continued practicing his speech
“Ahem... Hi Saturn! Oh, me? Oh, I—I'm just your sixth-largest moon, Tethys...” he said to himself, continuing to practice
With a sad look in her eyes, Chrysalis headed toward the inner solar system. She doesn't really know why she's going in this direction when she could have gone the other way, toward the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, but her instinct told her she should head inward, toward the Sun. She simply trusted her instincts and kept going. She passed Jupiter and his moons, Ganymede, Europa, Callisto, and Io, but they were busy talking to Jupiter and so paid no attention to her. But out of the corner of her eye, Chrysalis saw how Jupiter’s moons looked up to him and had a good relationship with him. They saw Jupiter as a father figure, and Ganymede, in particular, wanted to be just like him. The scene only made Chrysalis even sadder, and tears were already streaming down her face. She couldn’t take it anymore and quickly moved on
Chrysalis had now reached the asteroid belt. She watched as the asteroids whirled around in that area. She felt a brief moment of fear, but she didn't let it scare her off and kept going. As she made her way through the asteroid belt, she kept looking around because she had a strange feeling that she was being watched. That fear turned out to be true when a shadow lurked behind a large asteroid. Chrysalis had heard that sound and turned toward the asteroid. The longer she stared at it, the more frightened she became. At that moment, the shadow rose, and red eyes came into view
“AAAAHH!!!” Chrysalis screamed in panic
She took her nonexistent legs in her hand and fled as fast as she could. As Chrysalis fled, the shadow stepped forward and revealed itself. It was the dwarf planet Ceres, which had been wreaking havoc in the asteroid belt. An ominous smile played across his face. The eternal loneliness and lack of contact with other celestial bodies had driven him mad. Ceres began to laugh hysterically
Even before she could see it, Chrysalis broke through the last few small asteroids. She had finally made it out of the asteroid belt and was incredibly relieved to have escaped Ceres. She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if Ceres had gotten her. But she immediately shook off that thought, and without thinking twice, she continued on her journey
In the inner solar system, in the Goldilocks zone, there was one certain planet, Earth, with his moon and brother, Luna, by his side. Ever since the collision between Proto and Theia, Earth has had a desire to have life. And evolution was progressing well. The first forms of life emerged, and soon there would be a large species that would populate the Earth, the dinosaurs. Earth is happier than ever before
“Hey, Earth. You feel so happy.” Luna said with a smile
“Of course I am, Luna. Why wouldn't I be?” Earth asked, and he smiled back
“Well... You now have life, and soon there will be dinosaurs, as you call them. You've worked very hard to achieve this.” Luna pointed that out
“I didn't do it on my own, either. I have Sun to thank for that. His warmth is what made life possible in the first place. And above all, I have you to thank, Luna. Without you, life on me wouldn't have developed the way it has. We're a team.” said Earth
“Earth...” Luna said, blushing because he felt flattered
But while Earth had been smiling, he looked down and looked sad
Luna realized what was happening and looked worried. “Earth? What's wrong?”
“Even if I now have life on my surface... do you think I'm special?” asked Earth
Luna was taken aback that Earth would ask something like that. “Of course you're special, why wouldn't you be?”
“Because I heard a fragment from Mars and Venus, that I’m nothing special, because there are several planets or moons in the universe that also have life.” Earth replied
Luna looked sadly at his brother. “Earth... Listen to me,” he said gently. Earth looked at Luna. “I'm sure you must have misheard. Mars would never think that about you. And even if it were true, you're still special. You're special to me, and you always will be.” he said with a smile
Earth was moved by Luna's words, and he smiled back as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Thank you, Luna. I'm glad to have you as my brother. I love you.” he said
“I love you, too, Earth.” said Luna, and he and Earth finally embraced
While the two were sharing a brotherly hug, Earth saw that there was someone in the background
“Luna? There's someone back there.” said Earth
Luna pulled away from the embrace. “What do you mean by that?” he asked as he turned around and saw what Earth was referring to
When they looked in that direction, they saw that Chrysalis was wandering aimlessly through the inner solar system
“Is that a moon?” asked Earth
“Maybe... But what's she doing here?” Luna asked
“I don't know... Let's go to her.” said Earth, and went to Chrysalis. Luna went with him
Meanwhile, Chrysalis kept moving deeper into the inner solar system. She was lost in her own thoughts and had shut out everything around her. She kept wondering why no one liked her and why she had ended up here
“Hello?” asked a voice that snapped her out of her thoughts
She turned toward the voice and saw a planet and a moon approaching her. Before she could figure out what to do, Earth and Luna were right in front of her
“Hey... You're a moon, right?” asked Earth
“Um... Yes?... And who are you?” Chrysalis asked
“I'm Earth, and this is my moon and brother, Luna.” Earth introduced himself
At that moment, Chrysalis doesn't know what to say. She has been recognized by a planet for the first time, even if it isn't Saturn
“Now tell us, what's your name and where are you from?” Luna asked
“Um... My... My name is Chrysalis, and I’m one of Saturn’s moons... or, more correctly, I was one...” Chrysalis replied
Earth and Luna are taken aback by this answer. “What do you mean, you were once one of Saturn's moons? Tell us, Chrysalis... What happened?”
Chrysalis looked at the two of them. They were really serious and wanted to know what was going on. Once she realized she could trust them, she began to explain. She told Earth and Luna everything. How her moon siblings would just stare at Saturn because they wanted his attention, while Titan got it. Everyone wanted to be like him, while others envied him. Tethys, too, became obsessed with it. She also recounted how Titan had pushed her out of her orbit toward Tethys and how he accused her of secretly wanting to go to Saturn to become popular. Annoyed, angry, and saddened by these words, she no longer wanted to be with Saturn and the other moons, which is why she is here in the inner solar system
Earth and Luna stood there in silence for a moment, while Chrysalis looked at them with sympathy. “Oh, Chrysalis... We're so sorry.” said Earth
“Not even you deserve something like that.” Luna said
“It's not your fault. There's nothing you can do about my situation.” Chrysalis simply said
Chrysalis was just about to move on again and continue wandering aimlessly through the inner solar system. Earth and Luna noticed this and didn't want her to just leave and take on all that burden by herself
“Wait, Chrysalis!” said Earth
Chrysalis stopped and turned to Earth and Luna
“Would you like to stay with us?” Earth asked
Chrysalis was shocked by what Earth said. “W-What?” she asked
“You can stay with us, Chrysalis, if you want to.” Earth repeated
“But...” Chrysalis was about to say, but Luna cut her off
“From everything you've said, you're lonely. You had almost no one to talk to. Everyone ignored you and thought you were different. But you're not. What you need are friends... or rather, a family, and Earth and I can give you that.” he said with a smile
“D-do you really mean that?” Chrysalis asked. Earth and Luna nodded. She looked at Earth. “But what about your life? With an extra moon comes extra gravity.”
“Even though you were once Saturn's fourth-largest moon, you don't have as much gravitational pull as Luna, since unlike most moons, he's made of rock and metal. If we give you a suitable orbit where you're close to us but don't affect my axis, my surface, or anything else, then it shouldn't be a problem.” explained Earth
After hearing it all, Chrysalis burst into tears. Not out of sadness, but out of emotion. She sprinted over to Earth and Luna and hugged them both
“Thank you, Earth and Luna.” said Chrysalis
Earth and Luna hugged her back. “Welcome to our family... sister.” Earth said gently. He looked at Luna, and he smiled, too. He had always wanted a moon sibling, and now his wish had come true
“𝗠𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲.” Chrysalis said to herself
Meanwhile, Tethys watched from a distance. He saw Chrysalis hugging Earth and Luna and looking happy. He burst into tears because he couldn't give her what she had wanted. She wanted to have friends, but she couldn't find any here. And even he couldn't be a real friend to her. On Earth and Luna, Chrysalis is not only accepted and has friends, but she also has a family
“Hey!” said a voice behind Tethys. He turned around and saw that it was Rhea
“Oh... Hey, Rhea...” said Tethys
“Where is she? Chrysalis?” Rhea asked
“Look over there.” was all Tethys said
Confused, Rhea looked over toward the inner solar system and saw what Tethys meant. She saw that Chrysalis was with Earth and Luna and was being hugged by both of them. She also saw how happy she was. Rhea just looked sad that Chrysalis was no longer with Saturn and her moon siblings. She wanted to tell the others, but Tethys stopped her
“Don't do it. Don't tell the others. They wouldn't notice anyway. And even if they did, they'd do anything to bring Chrysalis back, and I don't want that. It was her choice, and if she's happy, then we should accept it.” Tethys said
Rhea wanted to protest, but she glanced over at Chrysalis again, who was happy with Earth and Luna. Since she didn't want to ruin that happiness either, she decided not to tell the others about it. She looked at Tethys and just nodded. Tethys and Rhea decided to keep this secret to themselves. And if the truth were to come to light one day, the two of them would stand up for Chrysalis, Earth, and Luna. That's the least they can do for their former moon sister