Home Intruder
The celestial family's home gets broken into late at night, and Solar takes it upon himself to investigate. What he ends up finding isn't at all what he expected.
((I haven't written anything major in like 4 months, and idk how I even got myself to do this, but I'm happy about it, so I'm considering this a big W))
The house was quiet. It was late, and everyone was in their beds, fast asleep. Everyone but Solar, that is.
Solar had crept out of his room and made his way to the kitchen, intent on getting himself a late-night snack, as he always did. He’d just finished throwing together a sandwich when a sound caught his attention. He paused, listening intently to see if it’d happen again. A moment passed, and sure enough, he caught the sound of movement. Solar made a face; he wasn’t sure who was moving around at this hour.
It wouldn’t be Lunar, since Lunar had left to go to space and continue his training as an astral body. It couldn’t be Moon, either. Although Moon had joined Solar in the kitchen for late-night snacks plenty of times before, it wasn’t a regular occurrence. Usually, Moon laid down, dozed off, and that was that. The guy slept like a brick, and it’d take a lot to wake him up. Sun, on the other hand, was a much lighter sleeper, but unless Dazzle needed him, he almost never left his room at night.
Solar hadn’t heard any noises that indicated that Dazzle had left her room, so she was likely still asleep, too. The only other option was Jack, but Jack couldn’t be sneaky even if he tried. If he didn’t give himself away by mumbling to himself while pretending to be a super spy, he stared so hard that his gaze could be felt, boring into whoever he was fixated on. Monty and Earth didn’t live in the house, and there was no reason for them to come over at such a late hour, especially unannounced.
The mechanic sighed; the only other potential option was Nebula, but she would’ve shown herself by now. Normally, she wouldn’t try to hide herself, and she wasn’t the type to sneak around, either.
Unsure of who, or what, could be moving around, but feeling cautious either way, Solar retrieved a sandwich bag. He tucked his sandwich inside, then placed it in the fridge and stretched. As sad as it was that he couldn’t enjoy his food, this couldn’t wait. This family had a track record of attracting unwanted attention from dangerous people and entities, and he knew there was at least a 50% chance that this could be a similar situation.
He began to carefully follow the sound of movement. Although he’d partially expected it to be coming from somewhere outside, that simply wasn’t the case. Instead, he found himself standing at the top of the basement stairs, looking down.
There was a moment of silence, and Solar began to question himself. No, that couldn’t be right. Surely, there was no way一
The movement started again, accompanied by the soft sound of bells. Solar began to slowly descend the stairs, pausing a few steps down when Jack rounded the corner. The pair briefly froze upon seeing each other, before Solar gestured for Jack to come closer. Jack ascended the stairs and approached his father, and Solar waited until he was within arm's length, keeping his voice low as he spoke. “What are you doing, Jack? It’s really late; you should be sleeping.”
Jack glanced back toward the basement, before he inched closer to Solar and whispered, “I heard noises. I think there’s someone down there, dad.”
Solar’s brows furrowed, and he frowned, immediately feeling a pang of concern. “Did you see anybody? What do you mean?”
The young animatronic shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone, but I heard the door open, and I heard someone walking around.”
Solar’s frown deepened; whoever entered the house got way too close to where Jack had been sleeping, and the thought of this gave rise to some sense of protectiveness in Solar. He’d already lost Jack once to the Creator, and the idea of anyone even remotely dangerous coming close to him a second time was enough to alarm Solar. Reaching out and placing a gentle hand on Jack’s arm, Solar lowered his voice as much as possible. “Jack, I need you to go to my room and hunker down, alright? I’m gonna go see who’s downstairs, and I don’t want you around if things go badly.”
Jack nodded. “Ok, dad. Should I get Moon or Sun?”
The mechanic shook his head. “No, not yet. If you hear anything that worries or scares you, then you can get one or both of them. For now, I just wanna see who’s down there and see if I can talk to them, to find out why.”
There was a brief moment of silence, before Jack frowned and looked up at his father, his voice soft. “...Are you gonna be ok, dad?”
Registering the concern on his son’s face, Solar’s expression softened, and he placed a hand on Jack’s head, trying his best to be reassuring. “I have ways of protecting myself, and I’ll use them if I have to… I’ll be ok, I promise.”
Jack hesitated, glancing back and forth between Solar and the basement, before his frown deepened and he gave a tiny nod. Solar’s lips curled into a tiny, encouraging smile, gently patting Jack’s head. He then stepped aside, allowing Jack to slip past him and scurry up the stairs. The sound of footsteps padding across the floor slowly faded as he retreated to Solar’s room, and Solar waited a moment longer just to be sure, before he began to descend the basement stairs again.
As he approached the bottom few steps, Solar slowed his pace and then leaned forward, carefully peeking around the corner and surveying the room. Right away, the first thing he saw was one of the basement doors一the ones that led directly outside一partially open. It was as if someone opened it, and then instead of fully closing it behind themselves, they chose to leave it open a tiny crack. Solar’s brows furrowed, and he gave the rest of the room a quick once over, squinting slightly in confusion. From what he could tell, everything was untouched.
At the very least, the intruder didn’t appear to be destructive or a thief.
He drew in a deep breath, then stepped down the last few steps. The intruder was nowhere in sight, meaning that unless they went into Jack’s box fort or the bathroom, the only other place they could be was Lunar’s old room. Solar took a few seconds to calm the “what-ifs” that were racing through his mind, before he pushed forward. Pressing himself against the wall and taking several small steps closer, Solar carefully peered around the corner into Lunar’s old room, wanting to get a good look at whoever was there before jumping headfirst into a confrontation, and he was not at all prepared for what he saw.
There, in Lunar’s old room, was another animatronic. Namely, another animatronic that was a daycare attendant model. They were painted in two different shades of rose pink, with split patterned pants; one leg was a medium shade of grey, and littered with red plus signs and blue dashes that Solar could only assume were supposed to be minuses. The other leg was a darker shade of grey, and adorned with striking yellow lightning bolts that stretched from hip to ankle. The other animatronic still came with the standard bells, ribbons, ruffles, and stupid jester shoes, so there was nothing particularly noteworthy there.
As Solar’s gaze traveled higher, he froze. This animatronic had rays, much like himself and Sun. They were pink with peach-colored tips, and covered in dimly glowing swirls. Tucked behind them was a secondary, deeper pink set of rays. The only animatronics he knew of that possessed a secondary set of rays were Eclipses. Was this guy an Eclipse?
The intruder was currently sitting on the oversized sofa, adjusting one of his wrist-ribbons with a strangely blank look on his face. Out of nowhere, there was a meow. Solar and the intruder both tensed up and turned their attention to the source. Muffin. Of course, it was Muffin.
Muffin brushed against Solar’s leg in greeting, and then, before Solar could stop him, he trotted into the room with the intruder. Not far behind Muffin was Cleo, likely also here to investigate. Solar had to refrain from sighing in annoyance. Of course, Sun’s cats had to get involved. Cleo had the right idea and, at the very least, was going slow and keeping a safe distance from the intruder, even after he entered the room with him and Muffin. Muffin, meanwhile, like the adorable idiot he was, was right by the intruder’s feet, stretching his neck out to sniff him.
Solar watched from around the corner as the intruder looked down at Muffin and tilted his head, then murmured, “...Apparently I have a friend now.”
He leaned down slightly, slowly offering a hand to Muffin and allowing Muffin to sniff it, and then a small, barely perceptible smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when Muffin headbutted it. Cleo hid under the pool table, watching intently, and then upon seeing that the intruder posed no threat to Muffin, he slowly emerged, also sniffing at him.
After some sniffing and close inspection, Cleo deemed the intruder’s presence acceptable, and Solar watched, becoming stunned when Cleo hopped up onto the sofa and curled up next to him. Either these cats were both dumb and too trusting, or the intruder was an alright person. He shook his head, mentally bracing himself, before he stepped out into the open, his expression hardening. The intruder immediately noticed him, still leaning forward and absentmindedly petting Muffin, and Solar locked gazes with him. “I’m gonna do us both a favor and cut straight to the point; who are you, and what are you doing here?”
The intruder, with a hint of disappointment flickering in his eyes, pulled his hand away from Muffin and sat up straight. His expression went deadpan, and he slowly lifted his hands, as if trying to convey that he meant no harm. He then spoke, his voice deeper than Sun’s, but not quite as deep as that of Solar. “My name is Solar Flare. I came here, looking for Sun and Moon. I understand that it’s really late, and I know this is a horrible first impression to make. I apologize for any distress that my presence might’ve caused.”
Solar stared at him, unsure of what to think. Solar Flare. As in, the Solar Flare that died before he showed up? Solar had never met the guy personally, and he wasn’t exactly someone that Sun and Moon frequently talked about. And what the hell did this guy mean? Why was he looking for Sun and Moon at such a late hour?
He raised an eyebrow, speaking slowly. “.... Solar Flare. That’s your name? Have you had any interaction with Sun and Moon before? What business do you have with them?”
The other animatronic shook his head. “I have never interacted with them before. I’ve only been awake for a few weeks. My directives told me to go to the daycare, and I did, but no one was there. The database says the daycare was unsafe, so I chose to leave it and come here. Sun and Moon don’t know me, but I’m supposed to work with them at the pizzaplex.”
Solar hummed softly, processing that response. This guy wasn’t the same Solar Flare that existed previously, and he hadn’t been around that long, meaning there was no way the Creator could've sent him, considering the timing of the Creator's well-deserved death. He knew the daycare was unsafe and he left, like any reasonable person should. He couldn’t be a way for anyone to mess with Sun and Moon, and he wasn’t insane. These were good signs, so far.
Crossing his arms, he continued to watch Solar Flare. “You’re supposed to work with Sun and Moon? What do you mean by that?”
Solar Flare tilted his head slightly. “I have dual programming. If they need me to act as a regular daycare attendant, I can, but my primary function is daycare security. Enough has happened at the daycare that management felt like they should implement some form of security, so… here I am.”
Solar unconsciously mimicked him, also tilting his head. “.... Interesting. What security functions do you have?”
“I’m programmed to know a few different fighting styles, and my hands can double as stun guns.” Solar Flare spoke casually, as if this was a normal conversation to be having with a stranger at this very late time of night. “Management has also put mild restrictions on my emotions to prevent me from rushing into situations and acting illogically.”
Solar opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of footsteps moving across the floor just above them, and he sighed, already getting the distinct feeling that Jack had gotten worried about him and decided to get Sun or Moon. “Fascinating. I might take a closer look at your code sometime soon, just to be sure that there’s nothing weird going on in there.” He paused briefly, then chose to add, “Nothing personal, buddy. Just being cautious and safe, considering the people this family has had issues with in the past.”
The other animatronic nodded. “I understand. I can’t blame you for being cautious, and I’ll cooperate however you need me to.”
Solar felt his shoulders relax ever so slightly, and he hummed. “Good. That makes things easier for both of us. Before Sun or Moon get down here and begin the interrogation, I need you to answer a couple of questions for me, just to satisfy my own curiosity.”
Solar Flare made a sound in understanding. “Of course. Ask away.”
The mechanic watched him for a few seconds and then spoke again. “First off, does the name ‘Ruin’ ring any bells? Or the name ‘Eclipse,’ even?”
“Ruin isn’t one that I recognize, no.” Solar Flare paused, then softly huffed. “Bit of a weird name, if I’m being honest. Eclipse, however… feels familiar. I don’t think I’ve ever met or spoken to anyone going by that name, but I feel like I should know who that is.”
Solar made note of the genuine confusion that crossed the other’s face. “...That’s a little strange. I guess it cancels out my second question then. I was gonna ask if you’re some kind of Eclipse-offshoot, seeing as you have the, uh… second set of rays, and all.”
Solar Flare’s brows became knit as his confusion deepened. “...Is that a trait only exclusive to Eclipse models? I thought I was a Sun model.”
Solar shook his head. “I dunno, man. I’ve never seen a Sun model with more than one set of rays, before. It’s something that Eclipses usually have, but… eh. Something to look into in the morning. It’s too late to be hauling you off to the lab and doing an in-depth system check.”
There was another pause as Solar’s thoughts began to drift. "‘Solar Flare’ as a name probably wasn’t any good. There were likely bad connotations to it, and equally bad things that Sun and Moon might associate it with. So far, Solar Flare didn’t seem like a bad guy. He was calm and cooperative, and he didn’t seem to be lying. Hell, he didn’t even seem off put by the idea of letting Solar search his code. He was basically an open book.
Understanding all too well what it was like to be called a name that had unpleasant things associated with it, Solar frowned. This guy seemed decent, and he wasn’t giving off any weird vibes. The instant that Sun and Moon learned his name, and that there was a possibility that he might be at least somewhat of an Eclipse, Solar knew they’d be even less likely to give him a chance. He understood that Solar Flare could potentially be another actor, much like Ruin, but that didn’t seem like the case. The family would be watching him like a hawk until he somehow earned their trust, and it’d be unfair to start him off on the wrong foot with them.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he ran a hand over his faceplate. “Listen, man. Your name is perfectly fine to me, if not a bit of a mouthful, but it might weird out Sun and Moon a little. You seem alright so far, and while I do plan to keep an eye on you for a while to make sure you’re really the person you’re presenting as right now, it’d be unfortunate if you had a rougher than necessary start with them. Sun might eventually be cool with you, but Moon is the one you might have some difficulties with.”
Solar Flare’s mostly deadpan expression shifted, betraying a hint of uncertainty. “My name?... You think it’d make it harder for them to accept my presence? I don’t expect to immediately be let into their family, or to even be best friends with anyone here. I just hope that, at the very least, we can coexist and get along well enough to do our designated jobs.”
The mechanic’s expression softened ever so slightly, and he was silent for a moment, before tentatively asking, “.... How would you feel about a name change? Or even just going by a nickname instead?”
The other animatronic narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, debating the question, before his shoulders sagged. “I know my name is long, and… I haven’t been around that long, so I don’t have any real attachment to it yet. If it was changed to something completely different, I have no idea what I’d change it to, and it would be an adjustment.”
Solar leaned against the wall, glancing down at Cleo as he opened his eyes and stretched, then hopped down from the couch before strolling out of the room. Meanwhile, Muffin was curled up on the floor by Solar Flare’s feet, lying on his back with his belly in the air. Solar gave a soft, vaguely amused huff and shook his head at the cat before refocusing on the conversation. “That’s fair, I suppose. What if it was shortened? You could go by just ‘Flare,’ instead of ‘Solar Flare.’”
Solar Flare looked up at him, and he took the other’s silence as further uncertainty. Trying to appeal to the daycare attendant portion of the other’s code, Solar smiled slightly and added, “Flare suits you better, I think. Plus, it’d be easier for kids to say.”
Although it was incredibly minute, something about Flare’s entire disposition seemed to soften, and he allowed himself to give a faint smile in return. “...That sounds nice. I think I’d like that.”
Solar slowly relaxed, little by little, and he made a satisfied sound. “Cool, cool. From here on out, we’ll call you Flare.”
Both animatronics briefly stiffened when Sun’s voice was heard, calling down the stairs to Solar. Sighing, Solar nodded toward the doorway, once again addressing Flare. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. I dunno if Moon’s still sleeping or not, but you have the perfect opportunity to meet Sun, at least.”
Flare nodded and stood up, following Solar back toward the stairs. As they ascended, Solar called out to Sun. “Coming, Sun, just give us a second.”
The house was mostly quiet, and it was late. Solar didn’t even know what time it was off the top of his head anymore, but he already knew that it was about to be an especially long night, and he could only hope for the best.