Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

ALTERNATE *SOLARBALLS (2022)* UNIVERSE 111111SOLARFAMILY

GRAND TACK ERA:

It seemed to be an ordinary day as Erebus (a.k.a. Planet X or the 5th Giant) happily conversed with his three moons after a good night sleep.

“…a-and then there was a protoplanetary disc forming around that red-orange dwarf star. And guess what! She had 12 terrestrial planets! That’s a new record!” Azaria concluded her dream excitedly.

“Sounds cool,” the ice giant mused. “I’m guessing that’s your favorite dream now?”

“Oh yeah!” his outermost moon beamed.

“Well I dreamt about a blue-white dwarf planetary system with a dozen ice giants!” Guillermo said.

“How’s that even possible?” Azubah wondered.

“Because it’s a dream, so anything can happen,” he reminded her.

25 minutes later, Erebus spotted a ringless Saturn gazing outward in deep thought. He smiled at his big brother and approached him.

“Hey Saturn! What’s up?” Planet X greeted the gas giant. “How’s your system doing? They alright?”

“They’re fine,” he replied. “What about yours, X?”

Erebus grinned amusedly. “They’re good. Same ol’ Guillermo, you know? He keeps saying more ice giants will form, but I think this is it. Uranus and Neptune are the last ones.”

“You have a good point!” Saturn responded brightly. “But I’m glad we have them too. Our family just keeps growing! Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yep! What would we be without them? And the rockies, of course,” X agreed wholeheartedly. “Anyway, where’s Jupiter? He’s missing all the fun.”

“Did someone call my name?” the Jovian planet announced his presence with a satisfied smirk. “What’cha guys talkin’ about?”

X shrugged casually. “Oh you know…our moons and the other ice giants.”

“And how our family’s bigger now!” the younger gas giant chimed in. “Isn’t that wonderful, Jupiter?”

This time he forced a smile while recalling his previous four generations of Galilean moons. There were 16 of them who existed prior to Jupiter’s current ones (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). Saturn also had a previous generation of spherical moons (Aletria, Arpino, Atina, and Ferentino) who eventually merged to form Titan and the remaining Cronian satellites with regular orbits.

But it was an incredibly traumatic memory for them, therefore Zeus purposely suppressed it and focused on the present as much as possible—whatever family he had left.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” the oldest solar planet honestly stated. “It is…and it’ll keep gettin’ bigger.” Jupiter immediately wanted the change the subject. “Anyway, I gotta tell you this story. So Ganymede and I were playin’ hide-and-seek, right? Then we played asteroid dodgeball with Io and Europa…”

While he continued his tale, Planet X hoped it would always be like this. Just normal days without any major events or catastrophes occurring in the consistently-unstable Solar System. Maybe this could be it—perhaps their planetary system was finally stabilizing. And most importantly, there would be no more grief and loss—at least for another few billion years.

But unfortunately, it turned out he was wrong…as tragedy struck once again almost two weeks later. Tears streamed down X’s face as his three moons silently sobbed in their designated orbits; his submoons mirrored their expressions.

Both gas giants felt their big brother instincts tingling as they hovered in front of Erebus with concerned expressions plastered on their faces.

What is happening?

A few seconds passed before Jupiter had a bad feeling in his core. Recently, he noticed two planets’ sudden absence, but initially dismissed it due to their distant trans-Neptunian orbits. Yet now this was serious, especially since Erebus and his orbiters were crying. Jupiter didn’t want his suspicions to be true, but he still had to ask.

“X, where are they? Where are Ennea and Somni?” the Jovian planet questioned anxiously.

“I’m so sorry…but they’re g-gone,” the ice giant whimpered, more tears forming in his red-rimmed eyes. “I c-couldn’t stop them from—from drifting away a-and…” He choked on a sob. “It’s all my f-fault!”

His worst fear had come true as Jupiter felt tears fill his eyes. “N-No! They’re…they’re fine, right? Th-They have to be! They can’t be g-gone! N-Not like…”

Jovia and Tyche…

Little did the others know (aside from three individuals)—there was a third gas giant that was ejected from the Solar System on accident. Sol’s heliosphere couldn’t sustain Tyche’s orbit for more than a few thousand years, and so it expelled her until she became a rogue planet, unable to return.

Soon afterwards, the firstborn ice giant (around the same size as Uranus) named Jovia collided with Jupiter’s core, thus delivering heavier elements before her death. Don’t get me wrong—they all heard stories about them, just not how they disappeared (or died in Jovia’s case).

Back in the present, Erebus broke down in tears for a second time, blurting out, “This is all my fault! I-If only I’d been faster — ”

Saturn wasn’t having it though as tears cascaded down his own cheeks, reddening his eyes. “X, stop! It’s not your fault! I-It was an accident!”

“H-He’s right, Erebus. It—it wasn’t your fault,” Jupiter agreed until another apprehensive thought entered his mind. “Wait—what about Nibiru and the others? A-Are they still here?”

The ice giant shook his head and sniffled softly. “No…s-some of them also got ejected, s-so…they’re gone too,” he revealed, voice hoarse from crying.

“W-What’s going on?” Metis’ timid voice squeaked as she hovered behind Europa.

Mimas was confused. “Yeah, why are you guys sad?”

“Did something bad happen?” Dione asked from behind Saturn’s trembling body.

Jupiter turned around to face his innermost moon and nodded in confirmation, briefly summarizing the situation. All Jovian and Saturnian moons gasped loudly before tearing up. Uranus, Neptune, and everyone else did as well once they arrived. After all, the ejected moons were not only their siblings, but very close friends as well.

“B-But they’re not dead, right? They’re still—they’re still alive?” Tethys’ voice quivered.

Jupiter knew he had to remain strong for his younger siblings, so he prevented more tears from leaking out as he declared, “If they died, we’d feel it.”

All of a sudden, the Sun hollered, “Jupiter!!”

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, the oldest planet inhaled and exhaled deeply.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised before returning to his orbit and facing his host star.

On the way there, Jupiter spotted all four inner protoplanets’ tearstained faces, indicating that they definitely overheard their siblings’ conversation about the planets’ accidental expulsion from the Solar System and instantly knew it was permanent.

“I’m so sorry…” he whispered.

“S-So it’s true then?” Seia blubbered. “Th-They’re gone forever?”

Jupiter nodded quickly. “Yes.”

“N-No…!” Nova wept as Septa and Octa dried their eyes.

Looking up, the gas giant responded, “Yes Sun?”

“Just—try not to go too far from your orbit, okay?” Sol tentatively warned him. “Some of the rocky planets are still being formed and…you know, you’re a big ball of gravity!”

Jupiter bit his lower lip in frustration. What the hell is he talking about now? I don’t have time for this…

Still, he had to remain a good role model for his younger siblings and therefore reminded himself to be patient, at least for now.

“Listen Sun, I—there’s something you need to know…a-about Ennea, Somni, and a bunch of others,” Jupiter said before disclosing information about their permanent ejection from the Solar System, since this was something they needed to discuss.

“Jupiter, no! We’ve talked about this!” the Sun argued.

Yeah, about the Jovian planet’s patience…nevermind.

“What?? No we haven’t! I just told you — ” he exclaimed.

“I’m not having it!!” Sol shouted, interrupting him. “Come on, you’re the biggest planet! Be a good example to all the others!”

Okay—now Jupiter was pissed. “Well I’m certainly a better role model than you! What the fuck have you done for any of us, huh?! When was the last time you actually cared about anyone other than yourself?!”

The yellow dwarf stared at him, unresponsive.

Zeus let out a humorless laugh. “Are you serious? You have nothin’ to say to that? More of our siblings just got expelled from your heliosphere for good, and THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY??!!” he screamed, which startled his neighbouring protoplanets.

Lowering his voice a bit, Jupiter added, “This is the exact same thing that happened to Tyche! And now it happened to them too! Don’t you realize they are never coming back? Huh?” He suddenly found himself screaming again while bursting out crying. “AT LEAST SHOW US THAT YOU CARE! SAY SOMETHING, DAMN IT!!”

Rather than offering him comfort as he did back when Jupiter and Saturn were infants, the Sun turned his head 90 degrees to the right, completely unfazed by his planet’s tearful outburst.

“We’ll talk later, Jupiter,” he said insensitively as the gas giant continued to sob brokenly, which caused his four little sisters to cry as well.

Once their tears were reduced to sniffles, Jupiter spotted Saturn staring at him, eager to know what just happened. The former simply shook his head, indicating that his conversation with Sol was once again unsuccessful.

“There’s nothin’ we can do to snap him out of it,” the Jovian planet’s voice wavered. “H-He doesn’t care anymore.”

With a saddened expression, his twin brother slightly moved backward, which unintentionally pulled Jupiter towards him as both of them gasped softly.

The older gas giant tried his best not to freak out. “Wait, what’s happening? Why can’t I move back?”

“I—I don’t know! I’m trying, b-but I can’t seem to stop it!” Saturn panicked.

Yet soon they realized…Seia and Septa were being pulled by Jupiter’s gravity, pleading for help as they were tugged towards his Roche Limit. Saturn and Planet X begged Jupiter to regain control of his own movements, but it was no use. They were too late as the two protoplanets disintegrated by crashing into him.

Meanwhile, Octa and Nova were thrown into the Sun’s Roche Limit, screaming in terror before their inevitable deaths. And the unbelievable thing was—Sol didn’t notice any of this happening. His back was still turned as if nothing could affect him anymore. Perhaps Jupiter was right—maybe the Sun no longer gave a shit.

That’s when Erebus devised a plan to lie to Sol about the protoplanets’ deaths in order to protect Jupiter and Saturn’s reputations, plus prevent them from facing the star’s wrath. Initially the duo disagreed, but X stubbornly insisted. So Jupiter reluctantly told the Sun that two rocky planets also drifted away while others crashed into each other as X nodded in approval.

Saturn called his older twin a good role model, which the latter internally denied. Then the Sun commanded his first planet to stay in his new orbit even when Jupiter offered to return to his initial one. Sol turned away, visibly disturbed by these events as the trio dispersed, emotionally numb and silent.

Five days later, Planet X suddenly felt himself struggle to maintain his current position as gravity was pushing him backwards. Noticing this, Jupiter and Saturn combined their gravitational forces to pull him forward. That’s when Erebus realized—this was meant to happen. The Solar System would never stabilize unless…

I’m ejected too.

So yes, he had to go. Planet X didn’t belong here anymore, therefore he had to leave forever—even if it meant never seeing his family again. He didn’t want to though. More than anything, X desired to stay with his loved ones. But alas, the universe was cruel enough to provide three tragedies in a row. It would continue causing Erebus and his siblings more grief and pain.

X didn’t realize he said this out loud despite his remaining family’s fearful protests. Yet Erebus wasn’t afraid to admit he was scared, yearning for his big brothers’ reassurance. Even though they didn’t agree with his decision, they still cared enough to comfort him in their last moments together. It was the least they could do.

But X’s moons refused to leave his side, claiming that they’d stick by him regardless of the ice giant demanding that they stayed here. Then the Erebian moons and submoons bid goodbye to their siblings as they wept uncontrollably. X also said bye to everyone, leading to more tears being shed (this time on both sides).

With that, they admitted how much they loved each other before X finally released himself from Jupiter and Saturn’s gravitational pull. The ice giant and his three moons zoomed beyond the Kuiper Belt until they eventually reached the Oort Cloud and decelerated. It was then X remembered how he pleaded his big brothers to lie about his own ejection.

Speaking of which, they both did despite not wanting to. Saturn practically told a half-truth that Planet X was gone, but Jupiter added false details about their little brother desiring to explore other planetary systems, which explained why he left.

This time, Sol couldn’t hold it in as his eye twitched for a split second before releasing a massive solar flare, thus frightening his younger siblings (especially Jupiter and Saturn).

“After everything I do for you all—so be it!!” the Sun bellowed. “GOOD RIDDANCE, PLANET X! JUST LEAVE MY SOLAR SYSTEM! We don’t need you!! WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED HERE!!”

While both gas giants cowered in fear as their host star gave threatening orders, the other celestial objects glared daggers at their orbital center as soon as he uttered those horrible words. Yet none of them said anything as they returned to their individual orbits, chatting amongst themselves.

Once Jupiter and Saturn were alone, they figured this was something they had to live with for the rest of their lives, but they couldn’t give up on everything else. From then on, the duo acknowledged Sol’s negligence and promised to fulfill their duties as the oldest brothers/father-figures of the Solar System. But this time, they’d try their damned hardest to not make the same mistakes…

Chapter Text

MOON REVOLUTION ERA:

Ganymede, Europa, and Titan gathered their lunar siblings to officially form the Moon Club. Yet the trans-Neptunian objects and their moons couldn’t participate due to a common TNO illness (similar to humans catching the flu). Luckily the others understood the reason for their absence and promised to notify them later.

“You’re probably wondering why we’re doing this now instead of billions of years ago. Well I’ll tell you why,” Ganymede began. “Back then, we thought of ourselves as weak, helpless, and afraid of the Sun. But today, that’s no longer the case.”

“We aren’t kids anymore. We’re all grown up,” Titan added. “We’ve faced challenges and suffered more than anyone can count, so we’re definitely more experienced than we were back then.”

“I think we can all agree the Sun has taken things way too far, especially when he carelessly rearranged the planets’ orbits,” Europa supplied in disgust. “He’s supposed to be our protector, our guide, our ‘shining light’ or whatever you wanna call it. But the truth is…he’s none of those things.”

“What Europa’s tryin’ to say is…we’re tired,” the second-largest moon elaborated, looking fatigued. “We’re tired of seeing our planets being treated like shit by our star when they don’t deserve it. Now they did a good job with us, but the Sun was supposed to protect them and he didn’t. Instead, they felt they only had each other and us to support.”

“When we were sad or sick, our planets helped us. Yeah, some of us are older than them ‘cause you know—being captured by their gravity or whatever. Yet when it happened to them—the Sun just ignored ‘em like they were nothing. He did it with us too, and he still thinks that,” Ganymede spat.

“Before, only the planets had the guts to stand up to him while we hid behind them like cowards. But from now on, that’s gonna change!” he announced as the other moons cheered for a couple of seconds.

Titan stepped forward. “Today, we fight! Not only for ourselves, but for our planets! They’ve always had our backs, and now we have theirs!” Cue more cheers. “And the dwarf planets!” Another round of cheers. “For those we’ve lost…and everyone else!” A final round of applause.

Once the chanting died down, Europa hovered in front. “This is our moment—to show the Sun what us moons are made of! To make our planets proud.”

“Woo hoo!” the non-spherical moons rallied.

“Alright guys—let’s go face the Sun once and for all!” Titan declared confidently.

“Yeah!” everyone said one last time.

Each satellite gathered in small groups according to their host planets. The Inner Moons (Luna, Phobos, and Deimos) stuck together while the Outer Moons followed pursuit, dividing into four additional groups—Jovian, Saturnian, Uranian, and Neptunian.

Apparently some other planets overheard them and confessed they wanted to have a similar conversation with their orbital center. Now on the same page, all of them approached the Inner Solar System and immediately saw Mars and Venus arguing with the Sun.

“Um—what’s happening?” Tethys asked in concern.

“I believe they’re having another dispute,” Iapetus sighed knowingly.

Near the Sun’s orbit…

“R-Revolution?” the yellow dwarf uttered in surprise.

“Where the fuck did you get that idea??” Venus exclaimed.

Mars nodded. “Yeah! We were talkin’ about something completely different!”

“SILENCE!!” the Sun screeched before his voice became dangerously low. “Seems like I’ve been missing out on a lot of events as of late! This is MY Solar System! We will have—a trial!”

At this point, all the planetary moons and their respective orbital centers arrived, perplexed by Sol’s words.

“Wait what?” Titan gaped.

“Moons, gather the rest of your kind and choose two representatives. Planets, you do the same. I will hear both sides and make a decision!” the yellow dwarf instructed.

“What do you mean both sides? There are no sides!” Mars enunciated.

“Yeah! Listen to Mars!” Phobos and Deimos agreed simultaneously.

“Wait—what’s going on?” Europa asked.

Venus rolled his eyes. “The Sun thinks you and Ganymede started a Moon Revolution against us planets.”

“What?? Have you lost it, Sun?! That never happened!” the largest moon cried out.

“And why would we even do that? What would be the point? Us moons and planets are on the same side,” Europa verified.

Sol blinked rapidly, yet didn’t respond.

The smallest Galilean moon’s patience wore thin. “Urgh! Are you even listening to us — ”

“NOW GO!!” the star boomed, causing his orbiters to scatter away.

Jupiter sighed defeatedly. “I told you guys. This is how the Sun’s been ever since…well…”

Luna frowned uncertainly. “Still—what do we do now? Do we—do we split into groups like the Sun said? Moons versus planets?”

“Doesn’t make sense—we’re fightin’ for the same cause,” Titan supplied.

“I guess we have no choice…” Uranus sighed. “But if we work together, maybe we can finally convince him to…I dunno, get help or something?”

“I’ve tried looking up interstellar psychologists, but the closest one is over a thousand light years away. And there aren’t any wormholes nearby,” Mercury stated.

“Wormholes only show up when we need to travel to the Counter-Solar System, but that still limits our options,” Jupiter revealed.

“Anyway, we need a plan. The Sun wants two representives from each group, right? So how ‘bout we sorta play along for now and do that first?” the biggest moon proposed.

Io nodded. “G-G-Good idea!”

“Mercury and Venus should represent the planets, while Titan and Luna represent the moons,” Mars suggested. “But if things go south, you two pass it onto Ganymede and Europa. How does that sound?”

“I…I guess we could do that,” Luna pondered.

“B-But we’re still telling the truth, r-right?” Oberon said nervously.

“Don’t worry, Obi. It’ll be fine,” Titania assured him.

He bobbed his head fervently. “O-Okay. If you say so…”

“That’s exactly what we’re gonna do,” Ganymede proclaimed. “So let’s show that asshole we mean business!”

Jupiter pursed his lips nervously. “Great, but maybe don’t call the Sun names while we’re facin’ him?”

“Sorry big guy—can’t make any promises,” his satellite grinned.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Europa whispered Jupiter’s ear.

“Thanks Europa,” he whispered back.

With that, both moons and planets separated with the former on Helios’ right and the latter on Sol’s left. They exchanged tense yet worried looks as the Sun cleared his throat, preparing his speech.

“Planets, moons—I have received some concerning news about the state of MY SOLAR SYSTEM!” He instantly calmed himself. “Ahem—you are all here today for the first ever Solar System Trials! Representatives of the planets, please step forward.”

His two innermost planets obeyed with submissive nods.

Then Sol faced the natural satellites. “Now may the two representatives of the moons also step forward?”

Both moons mimicked Mercury and Venus’ movements as the trials officially commenced. The Sun ordered Titan and Luna to explain the (nonexistent) Moon Revolution from their perspective.

“If we’re against anyone, it’s you—not our planets,” Saturn’s biggest moon grumbled.

Earth’s satellite laughed nervously. “Uh, w-what he meant was…a-all of us have had our ups and downs — ”

“I DO NOT WANT ANY JUSTIFICATIONS! Earth, what did you say to Titan?” Sol demanded.

“That was 3.8 billion years ago!” the densest atmospheric moon facepalmed. “Earth lashed out at me one time! Right after the Late Heavy Bombardment…anyway, it doesn’t matter. He didn’t mean it, a-and he apologized for it. So it’s done, it’s over.”

The third planet eyed him guiltily, but Titan shook his head, indicating he forgave him a long time ago.

Helios grew suspicious. “Hmm…is it just me, or is the defense of the moon side very inclined to defend one of the planets?”

Then he prompted Mercury and Venus to come forward and discuss their own POV.

“Titan’s right. That little mishap was resolved a long time ago. We’re in a good place now. In fact, the relationship between us planets and moons are stronger than ever,” the smallest planet emphasized.

After a momentary pause, he continued. “The real reason why we’re here is because our problem isn’t with each other—but with you, Sun. I’m sorry to say, but…you’re the main cause of our problems in general.”

“In billions of years, moons and planets have lived in harmony! And now I find out there was a revolution under MY NOSE!! Stay quiet or you’ll be sanctioned, Titan!” Sol commanded furiously.

The said moon was gobsmacked. “B-But I didn’t say anything — ”

Yet the Sun ignored him as his expression turned polite. “Now please! Continue, Mercury!”

Yeah…now the satellites knew they had to switch representatives as Ganymede and Europa eventually stepped forward. At first, the yellow dwarf was surprised, yet he unexpectedly allowed the change. So maybe there was hope for them after all.

A diagram was displayed over the Sun’s head. “So—based on everything that I’ve heard, the Moon Revolution began when the Earth insulted Titan due to his own insecurities. This led to Titan planning his revenge?”

“That is not correct,” Europa countered.

Sol eyed them warily. “Excuse me? Are you insinuating Mercury’s recount of the events are false?”

“Actually he’s right. That’s why we’re here—to confront you, not them,” Ganymede clarified. “However, there were major events and discoveries that took place over the past 4.5 billion years that you need to acknowledge. This isn’t something you can ignore anymore, Sun.”

“Exactly. We’re trying to make you aware of what you’ve been doing and realize that your behavior will no longer be tolerated,” Europa elaborated.

Helios contemplated their words, so perhaps he actually heard them for once. “Okay…? Give me the context, moons.”

After summarizing how the Sun poorly handled the Grand Tack, Late Heavy Bombardment, their multi-level satellite systems’ shortened lifespans due to the three-body problem, and other celestial deaths and/or expulsions—Sol cut them off again.

“Saturn, did you destroy your moons to form your rings?” he accused warily.

“It wasn’t him!” Titan gritted his teeth. “I decided to expand my orbit that day, so I take full responsibility for Chrysalis and Themis — ”

“Actually, it was the eight of us,” Iapetus interrupted as the other seven major moons (plus Hyperion) nodded. “We all share accountability for it since we were the ones who encouraged him to do so.”

The largest Saturnian moon shook his head disapprovingly. “C’mon Iapetus, don’t — ”

“But I do. You don’t have to bear this alone,” Saturn’s outermost spherical moon assured him.

Titan instantly teared up. “And to think you were supposed to hate me…”

His neighbours smiled sadly. “Can’t only blame you mate,” Hyperion said.

Sol grew impatient. “Ahem! We’re still in the middle of a trial here! I still don’t understand why you said the revolution came out of desperation.”

“Again with the fucking revolution?!” Venus groaned loudly.

Europa breathed deeply in order to prevent herself from lashing out. “For the last time—there was no revolution, Sun.”

Suddenly, the star’s pupils shrunk as he fearfully recalled a traumatic memory (which his orbiters wildly guessed, some hoping he’d come to his senses sooner than later).

Too bad they were wrong once he snapped out of his flashback stupor. “Okay, let’s change the subject. Mercury, you mentioned the Earth has already paid for disrespecting the moons. Care to explain why?”

The fourth planet sighed helplessly. “Maybe Jupiter was right—what’s the point? At least—at least we still have each other.”

“Mars, c’mon. Despite our—complicated relationship with the Sun, he’s still our family. We can’t just give up on him so easily,” Mercury argued.

Titan disagreed. “Sorry pal, but he’s got a point. We’ve given the Sun so many chances already, and nothing’s changed. Why should we spend all our time and energy trying to cater to his needs when he constantly disregards ours?”

The trials worsened as Sol gradually accused Ganymede and Europa for ‘brutally attacking’ Mars and Venus with asteroids with the intention of harm, despite their collective counterarguments.

“Is that enough of an excuse?” the Sun scoffed.

Okay, now Ganymede was 100% done with his bullshit.

“That’s it! I’m bringing out the big guns…” he growled while hovering in front of Helios regardless of Europa’s protests. “You wanna know why we’re all upset with you?! Believe me—there’s a whole list of reasons that could take eons, but clearly we don’t have a lot of time, so here it goes!”

Panting slightly, Ganymede continued his rant. “First—you shoot solar flares at everyone in the Solar System and act like a dictator because you’re the biggest celestial body! Hell, you’ve been doing that for billions of years, and it still happens!”

Chuckling humorlessly, he added, “But why stop there? For years we’ve suffered so many losses, and you didn’t care! You just let us grieve on our own instead of helping us! The planets though—they got the brunt of it. Do you know how many times our planets cried because of you?! Yet they kept telling us everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t!”

Inhaling slowly, Ganymede’s voice rose. “They were in so much pain, Sun! We all were, but they suffered a lot worse ‘cause they lacked the one thing us moons had. Christ! Our planets needed you, and you just abandoned them like they were nothing! Are they really that worthless to you? Aren’t families supposed to take care of each other?! ARE WE EVEN A FAMILY AT ALL?!”

Sol looked anguished, but didn’t respond. Across from him, the majority of planets and moons had unshed tears in their eyes.

His panting got heavier as the largest moon uttered one last sentence, righteous fury laced in his tone. “Well?! What d’you have to say to that?!”

Chapter Text

JOVIAN EXILE ERA:

On their way towards the Kuiper Belt, Ganymede sarcastically noted how well their confrontation went, though Europa claimed they tried their best. Once they arrived, the duo witnessed five minor planets (and Charon) playing an ancient version of Dungeons & Dragons.

Spotting the duo, Makemake wondered why they were here, and Europa revealed she and Ganymede were recently banished from the Solar System because the Sun falsely accused them of causing a Moon Revolution that never happened in the first place.

Pluto and Charon openly expressed how unfair their situation was, followed by hearing rustling coming from behind. For a split second, only Ganymede and Europa were able to spot a dark navy blue silhouette before it vanished. Begging the mysterious figure to wait, both moons chased after them.

Eventually, the person finally came out of the shadows.

“Erebus?” the smaller Galilean moon gasped.

With a somber smile, he replied, “Hey guys. It’s been a while, huh?”

“H-How did you…? Wha—where did you…? I…you were here this whole time?” Ganymede spluttered.

Erebus exhaled deeply. “I—listen, I can explain — ”

Without thinking, the largest moon sped up to him and lightly pounded his atmosphere. “You idiot! W-We thought you were…! God! You just—left us behind a-and…! Why didn’t you come back?”

Planet X shook his head sadly. “I’m so sorry guys…but I couldn’t. The fate of the Solar System was in jeopardy because of me, and we’d already lost so much, therefore I—I did what I had to do.”

After a moment, Europa realized something. “Wait—if you’re here at the edge of the Solar System, then…what about the others? A-Are they here too?”

His head movements confirmed they were still rogue planets floating somewhere…far away from their planetary system, never to return.

She let out a sorrowful chuckle. “So they really are gone…”

Ganymede peered closer to X’s orbit. “Wait, hold up—what about your moons? Why aren’t they here with you?”

Clearing his throat softly, Erebus blinked back tears as he revealed extremely faint rings surrounding his equator. Both satellites stifled their gasps.

“Two billion years ago…there was nothing I could do,” X said. “But they were asleep when it happened, so…at least they weren’t in pain. That would’ve been a trillion times worse.”

He also described how he tried protecting his siblings from afar by preventing the remaining TNOs from drifting away as well, including Sedna (since her aphelion was further away from his). Apparently he saw almost everything that occurred since the Grand Tack. So he knew about their subsatellites and other events like the Late Heavy Bombardment plus mass extinctions on Earth.

Then both moons revealed they were exiled based on false premises. Angry on their behalf, Erebus reminded the duo that they had an additional witness—himself. Offering to help them return to the Solar System, Ganymede and Europa trusted him enough to agree with his strategy. Although X didn’t plan on staying long—just to let his siblings know he was alright.

During their return journey, Proteus joined them as Europa recognized major changes in the Asteroid Belt. X explained that Sol obtained full gravitational access to every single object within his heliosphere. In response, Ganymede claimed the Sun was too overpowered. All of them agreed with his statement.

Meanwhile, the gas giants felt their presence, gasping at the sight of Planet X.

Saturn’s jaw dropped. “J-Jupiter! Is that…?”

“I-It is…it’s him! I—I can’t believe it!” His older brother let out a relieved laugh. “X! H-He’s alive!”

“Wait what?” Metis exclaimed. “He is?”

Sol mustered up his strength and flung artificial asteroids in the trio’s direction regardless of Jupiter insisting they weren’t intruders.

“AAAAAAAHH!!” the Sun screamed, ignoring his planet’s protests.

A large one aimed at Proteus, until Europa shielded him and took a painful hit to her right cheek. Feeling guilty for not dodging the pseudo-asteroid himself, the largest non-spherical moon thanked her for saving him. As Helios attempted to attack them again, Jupiter rushed in front of Erebus to protect him from more incoming rocks.

Slowly turning around, he locked gazes with the Fifth Giant and desperately asked where he’d been all this time. Planet X gave the same explanation he did earlier in order to protect everyone within the Solar System. Yet Erebus didn’t leave completely because the ETNOs would’ve been ejected as well, and he couldn’t let that happen.

“So half the time, you were all by yourself? With no one to talk to?” Jupiter exhaled, which earned a nod from the respondent. “My god…do you ever think about yourself?”

X chuckled sheepishly. “Well uh…y-yeah, of course. I’m here, aren’t I?”

A few astronomical units away, the younger two ice giants approached their host star.

“Hey Sun, what was that pseudo-asteroid bombardment thingy?” Uranus asked curiously.

“Yeah, it was super cool!” Neptune praised.

“We’ll know soon enough,” Sol responded seriously. “Show yourselves!!”

The seven planets and remaining moons’ gawked at the long-lost trio.

Through clenched teeth, the Sun said, “You two?! I thought I told you never to come! Wait…Planet X??”

“Hold on—is that really him? The one the Outer Solar System told us about?” Earth gaped.

“I—I think he is,” Mercury nodded.

“Guess the Sun acknowledged somebody,” Venus mumbled.

Facing Cronus, Erebus smiled kindly. “Hey Saturn…it’s been a while, huh? How—how are you?”

The ringed giant’s voice trembled, saltwater filling his eyes. “I-I…I’m alright, I guess. I’m just glad you’re here, X. But why—why didn’t you come back sooner? Why now?”

“It’s—a long story,” X hesitated. “I promise I’ll tell you, but I don’t think now’s a good time, so — ”

He suddenly felt two icy bodies leaning against his sides.

“X! You’re—you’re back! I-I can’t believe it!” Uranus laughed gratefully. “Mate, you’re really here!”

“Ooh! Does that mean you can stay now? Are you gonna take your old orbit back? ‘Cause Caelus and I can totally arrange that for you!” Neptune offered ecstatically. “But seriously, I’m so happy you’re back buddy!”

“Yeah, we really missed you,” Caelus emphasized sadly.

“I missed you guys too,” Erebus nearly whispered, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

Mimas heard sniffling coming from his left, eyes widening. “Enceladus, are you crying?”

“N-No…there’s a lot of dust here, that’s all,” the said moon denied.

Before X was able to greet the four rocky planets, he heard Sol bellowing his name like a madman and grinned nervously at his orbital center.

“H-Hey, Sun. How’s uh—how’s life?” Erebus began awkwardly.

“How dare you show your face here after abandoning the Solar System like that?!” the yellow dwarf shrieked.

Europa and Ganymede volunteered to take over, the Sun assuming they were practically asking for a death wish. However, both satellites simply desired to unravel the truth—with Jupiter and Saturn’s permission. To X’s shock, his big brothers nodded.

Erebus vigorously shook his head. “Wait hold on, don’t — ”

Jupiter eyed him somberly. “I’m sorry X—but this was gonna come out sooner or later. I have to tell him.” Turning to his banished Galilean moons, he said, “Go ahead.”

Sol discovered that Planet X didn’t leave the Solar System willingly (at least not 100%). It was caused by another factor—Jupiter and Saturn’s gravitational pull.

“Pfft! Is that the best you can come up with?” Helios scoffed. “Pathetic.”

Zeus lifted his head. “They’re right, Sun—except for one thing. It was only my gravity, not Saturn’s.”

Genuinely astonished, the rocky planets, ice giants, and satellites whispered amongst themselves.

Frowning in disagreement, Cronus hovered in front. “Wait, hold on! Sun—Jupiter’s not the only one to blame! I also — ”

“Saturn! Just…stop,” his older twin cut him off. “Everyone knows you are just trying to be a good brother, but…no need to make things up.”

Feeling utterly betrayed, Sol said, “So you…you lied to me? You—you told me Planet X left the Solar System.”

Jupiter averted his gaze in shame. “I—I did.”

“Why?” the Sun asked, flabbergasted yet visibly hurt.

X couldn’t allow this, so he sprinted forward. “Sun, I’m the one who told him to lie to you about this. I begged Jupiter to release me in order to stabilize the Solar System, but he refused to let me go—so I had to do it myself. This was my fault, not his.”

“Confess to what exactly?” Sol blurted out.

Again, Ganymede was losing patience. “He just said — ”

Cronus also decided to chime in at the same time. “Wait, that’s not exactly — ”

But Jupiter shouted his name and told him to stay quiet.

Sighing audibly, he continued. “Before, you assumed most of your protoplanets randomly crashed into each other or left the Solar System. But that was a lie I told you ‘cause Erebus didn’t want me to get in trouble. So I—I hid the Grand Tack from you.”

Helios was taken aback. “The Grand…W-What??”

A diagram appeared over the gas giant’s head. “My orbit was closer to yours, but because I wanted to hang out with Saturn, I changed orbits further away from you. This movement…it caused Seia, Septa, Octa, and Nova to disintegrate by approachin’ my Roche Limit…a-and yours.”

Sol’s mouth was wide open. “J-Jupiter…is this true?”

“W-W-Why is he doing this? I-I-It was an accident! It’s no one’s fault that happened!” Io claimed desperately.

“I…I-I’ve got nothing…” Callisto trailed off.

“Christ…” Triton mouthed.

“M-Maybe the Sun will let Jupiter off the hook…?” Proteus hoped.

“Doubt it,” Titania sighed.

“You…destroyed the early rocky planets! Lied about it! Then ejected Planet X and lied about it AGAIN?!” Helios yelled in outrage.

The oldest planet bowed his head and bit his quivering lower lip before looking up at him with a devastated expression. “Yes. All of this is true, Sun.”

They heard several voices trying to defend Jupiter and plead for forgiveness on his behalf.

Sol hardened his gaze. “You are not who we thought you were. I have no choice but to — ”

“Banish me—I understand. I-I’ll go…but please. Have Planet X take my place, and have all my moons orbit him instead,” Jupiter persuaded.

The Fifth Giant’s eyes widened. “What?? No! That’s not—! Jupiter, they’re your moons! I-I can’t just — ”

“I know what I’m doin’, X!” Zeus countered firmly, which caused Erebus to shut up. “I—I already made the mistake of failin’ to protect you once, but not again. This time, I’ll do what I should have done a long time ago.”

Sol scoffed again. “You think you can make demands after all this?”

“N-N-No matter what, at least Ganymede and Europa deserve to be here! Whatever you think they did, it didn’t happen! And we definitely have proof!” Io declared.

The Sun pursed his lips. “Fine—you two can come back.”

Both moons didn’t feel victorious at all, since they were more worried about their host planet.

Speaking of which, he anxiously stepped forward. “B-Before I go, can I — ”

“No!” the yellow dwarf interrupted heartbrokenly. “Just leave, Jupiter. I don’t want to see you! None of us do!”

Earth, Uranus, Luna, Phobos, and Deimos frowned sadly. Mars, Neptune, and the Outer Moons were in deep thought yet visibly upset. Mercury and Venus sent death glares towards the Sun. While Saturn and Erebus averted their gazes, regretful over not being able to defend their older brother.

Jupiter finally resigned to his fate, preparing to leave as Helios mournfully squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay, I’ll go. I—I’m sorry.”

“Wait!” Ganymede’s voice called out to him as Zeus stopped in his tracks, turning around. “C’mon big guy, don’t…don’t do this.”

“Don’t go…please,” Europa begged sorrowfully—which she almost never did, so you knew it was serious.

Jupiter smiled mournfully. “It’s okay, you guys. I—I deserve this. Take care of each other, okay? I love you all. Goodbye…”

After turning away and leaving for good this time, Elara stood next to Ganymede and said, “What do we do now?

“Is he—never coming back?” Metis squeaked tentatively.

“Don’t worry—that’s not gonna happen,” the biggest moon vowed. “Cause we’re gonna fix this.”

It seemed like X wasn’t listening as he gazed at the solar horizon, which the gas giant recently crossed. Erebus winced once he heard Saturn sobbing hopelessly behind him as Earth and Mars consoled him gently.

“I’m so sorry, Jupiter…” he apologized. “We’ll—we’ll find a way to bring you back…I promise.”

Chapter Text

LUNAR CHALLENGE ERA:

Planet X didn’t enjoy his new orbit—not at all. Why? Because he didn’t deserve it. If anything, Jupiter should’ve stayed. But why didn’t he? That’s when Erebus realized—him returning was useless. He should’ve just remained in the Oort Cloud where he belonged, keeping the ETNOs’ orbits stable with his own gravity. But now both sides were in jeopardy because of him.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have ordered Jupiter and Saturn to lie all those years ago, but what other choice did they have? It was either tell the truth immediately and face the Sun’s unpredictable wrath, or keep him in the dark while being able to look after each other in the process. Everyone knew they couldn’t rely on Sol for emotional support, so yes—this was their only option.

Yet it cost Jupiter everything—the Sun’s trust, his respect, and being forcibly isolated from his loved ones for eternity. God, Erebus never hated himself more than this moment. His siblings called him the most selfless person they knew, but that was far from true. How the fuck was X selfless if he brought an unfathomable amount of pain to his family?

It didn’t matter if it was unintentional. Erebus still knew the risks and seized them without a second thought—barely considering how much his siblings would mourn his absence, including Jupiter. How could X be so stupid? He wasn’t selfless at all. If anything, he was selfish because his decision was intended to make himself feel better, not everyone else.

It was his big brother who sacrificed so much for them. When the Sun failed, Jupiter transformed into the ultimate father-figure and took care of everyone. It was Jupiter who consoled them when they were sad or scared. Jupiter willingly spent quality time with them. Jupiter respected and valued their individuality. Jupiter did all those things and never expected a single thank you.

And what did Erebus do? Well—he couldn’t really deny his own part in nurturing his younger siblings. But who was he doing for? Them or himself? Both maybe? Guess that was the only acceptable answer…but still. Was it worth finding out? Either way, X knew one thing—he had to fix his mistake and bring Jupiter back to the Solar System before it was too late.

For starters, one of his worst fears came true as the Asteroid Belt abruptly destabilized, which greatly affected the Inner Planets and asteroids themselves, especially Earth and his lifeforms. Luna was his only defense, yet that wasn’t enough to guarantee absolute protection. The satellite took a few painful hits, but thankfully he didn’t lose consciousness.

Alongside Titan, they both ventured into Jupiter’s former orbit while Mercury and Venus helped maintain Earth’s axis. Alerting Planet X, Ganymede, and Europa of the situation—they all devised a plan. The Galilean and Neptunian moons would follow Neptune to search for the exiled gas giant while Saturn, Uranus, and Erebus would surveil their surroundings.

Elsewhere—the Inner Solar System tried their best to distract the Sun, diverting his attention from the Outer Solar System as much as possible. It worked until Planet X and Caelus approached their host star, followed by their other siblings (including the dwarf planets and their moons). Sol randomly proposed a battle between the planetary moons and Planet X.

Leaving them with no choice, they relucantly obeyed his orders and split into teams. Caelus would ‘side with’ Erebus while the others ‘rooted for’ the moons. However, they’d still secretly work together under the Sun’s nose. With three rounds total, the first one involved a single orbit around the yellow dwarf. Whoever arrived at the finish line first would win that round.

There was a black-and-white checkered flag representing the starting point as all participants were busy preparing for the race. Erebus noticed Ganymede’s discomfort and went up to him.

“Nervous?” he figured.

“I’m uh…I’m good,” the biggest moon lied.

“It’s okay if you are, bud. I am too,” X gently assured him.

The latter sighed. “Okay, you caught me. I—I dunno how this is gonna go. I think that’s what scares me. I—I can’t predict the outcome.”

Erebus pondered his words. “Whatever happens…we got each other’s backs. Just — ”

“Don’t tell the Sun—got it,” Ganymede understood.

Titan hovered next to him. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” his brother inhaled.

Standing in front of his lunar siblings, he announced, “Listen up, moons of the Solar System! Last time we came together, our confrontation with the Sun was unsuccessful. And as a result, two of us got unfairly banished. But this time will be different, even if we’re at a slight disadvantage since Jupiter…since he refused to come back unless the Sun allowed him to.”

He took another deep breath. “I—I dunno if I have what if takes to be a leader. But I do know one thing—the fate of the Solar System is in our hands. And today, we will make a difference! No matter what, we’ll find a way to bring Jupiter back and find a suitable orbit for Planet X!”

His teammates cheered loudly, bouncing up and down.

Everyone scrambled to their positions as soon as Sol hollered, “The race will begin in 3—2—1—GO!”

The Fifth Giant apparently lagged behind them, until Ganymede proposed using his gravity to push back the moons in order to seem like he gained an advantage.

Yet Planet X hesitated. “I—I don’t know if that’s a good idea — ”

“Trust me bro—just do it!” the largest moon ordered.

“I…” He sighed. “Alright—but make sure you guys stick together.”

Ganymede nodded and instructed the other satellites to surround the four Galilean moons, Titan, and Luna. Erebus regretfully used his gravitational pull to shove them behind, mouthing an apology in the process. While they figured out which person was the fastest moon, Neptune approached his older twin, who was apprehensively reading a book.

“Hey Caelus—you okay?” he wondered. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Neptune! You have to read this. It’s the Sun’s diary,” the less saturated ice giant urged as he placed the journal in front of him. “Yeah I know it’s rude to read other people’s personal stuff, but this is important mate. It explains why the Sun’s been acting so…well…just read it.”

Scanning each line of text at the speed of sound, the younger twin’s jaw dropped a hundred floors. “Oh boy! We need to tell everyone, don’t we?”

Uranus bobbed his head uncertainly. “Yeah…but I dunno if we’ll be able to until the final round…”

In the meantime, Planet X pinpointed who caught up to him.

“Metis?” he breathed.

“H-Hey, Erebus…” she smiled nervously.

Pursing his lips in determination, X said, “I need you to use my gravity to slingshot yourself towards the finish line.”

Metis was puzzled. “Wait what? I…I-I dunno if I can — ”

“I know you can do it, sis. You got this,” he encouraged. “D’you trust me?”

She nodded firmly. “I do.”

“Then go,” he instructed as Metis obeyed him, eventually winning the race.

“I did it! I won!” she squealed delightfully.

Her siblings applauded her efforts (minus the Sun) as Round 2 was about to commence, which involved basic Solar System trivia. Both teams subtly agreed to hand over the victory to Planet X this time in order to avoid suspicion.

Then came Round 3…also known as Asteroid Dodgeball. Whoever was hit with a pseudo-asteroid or voluntarily surrendered was automatically disqualified.

“Sun—that’s way too risky. The smaller moons could seriously get hurt!” Sedna argued.

“Exactly—this is dumb,” Quaoar pointed out.

“Yeah! Don’t hurt them!” MK2 begged.

“Then this should be one-on-one. I’ll ‘go against’ Planet X alone. Everyone else should surrender,” Ganymede suggested.

“N-N-Nope! That’s not happening, Ganymede!” Io disagreed. “We’re all in this together, remember? S-S-So stop playing the goddamn martyr for once and let us help! Besides, you can’t be a leader without your teammates.”

“Guys, I—I don’t want you to get hurt,” the biggest moon pleaded.

The most volcanically active moon shook his head. “Erebus won’t hurt us! H-H-He’d rather give his life and you know that!”

“Of course I know that, Io! It’s the Sun I’m worried about! Who knows what he’ll do otherwise?” Ganymede tried to convince him.

“Th-Th-Then we’ll fight him if we have to!” Io proposed.

The latter huffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, bro. The Sun is the biggest celestial body in the entire Solar System. Us moons are no match for him and you know it!”

Now Titania was fed up. “Guys, enough! Arguing about this won’t solve anything. We need to stick together in order for this to work.”

“She’s right. We need a plan for this round,” Miranda supplied.

“Perhaps all non-spherical moons should instantly surrender and stay close to Europa. Meanwhile, the rest of us will take offense,” Iapetus strategized.

“He’s got a point. Listen to the chess master,” Mimas stated.

“And BEGIN!” Sol shouted.

In reality, Erebus refused to throw anything at the moons. Then he spotted a bunch of rocks accidentally being pulled by his gravity. He yelled at the offensive side to look out…but it was too late and they got hit (luckily not hard enough to seriously injure them).

“We need to talk to the Sun now,” Uranus gulped.

“Yep,” Neptune agreed wholeheartedly.

“I’m giving him our siblings’ diaries—the ones they left behind,” Caelus said.

“From whom?” Poseidon wondered.

“Well…the protoplanets mostly…and the ice giants,” the older twin elaborated. “X won’t be mad, right?”

“I’m sure he’ll understand,” Neptune said reassuringly.

“I dunno why I didn’t think of this before. Maybe—maybe with some kind of trigger word, this is the only way he’ll snap out of it for good,” Uranus hoped. “Cause at this point, it’s our last option.”

“You’re right—but we need to have faith,” the darker blue planet reminded him.

Caelus exhaled sharply. “I know.”

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Saturn asked concerningly as the rocky planets also stared at them.

The cyan ice giant shoved Sol’s journal in front of them. “Read this. Everything will make sense, I promise. Meanwhile, Neptune and I are gonna have a little chat with the Sun.” He prompted him to come forward. “Let’s go mate.”

“Coming!” Poseidon sang.

To X’s horror—Ganymede, Titan, and Titania nodded simultaneously and utilized their own gravity to pull the large rocks in their direction while shielding the smaller moons, playing right into the Sun’s fantasy and making it as if Erebus had attacked them.

“W-Wait! Guys, stop! Don’t…!” he nearly screamed.

But it was no use—the trio wound up seriously wounded and the biggest satellite was knocked unconscious.

Proteus gasped. “No…Ganymede!”

“All—all good?” the second-largest moon struggled to blurt out, grunting in pain.

Luna grimaced. “N-Never better, Titan.”

“You idiots! Risking your own lives was not part of the plan! What were you thinking?!” Europa exclaimed worriedly.

“W-We did what we had to do…” Titania gritted her teeth. “X wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

“You’re right—I wouldn’t,” he said aggravatedly to mask his worry. “I mean honestly! Are you guys asking for a death wish?! Those rocks could’ve killed you!”

“O-Our plan was for you to win. But it won’t happen unless the others surrender. So guys, please—you gotta do it,” Titan disclosed, hissing from the sting of his facial injuries. “X, we—we knew we were at a disadvantage since the beginning. Please understand…this is the only way.”

“I’ll surrender instead. You guys don’t—you don’t deserve this. You never deserved to get hurt! God, this is all my fault…” Erebus lamented.

“STOP!” Proteus commanded as he faced him head-on, scowling angrily. “Stop saying it’s your fault! Why do you keep saying that?!”

“Because it is, Proteus!” X yelled back. “None of this would’ve happened if I’d just…”

“If you never came back?” The largest non-spherical moon was practically in agony. “Is that your plan, Erebus? A-Are you gonna leave us again?”

“Yeah—I am. I’m gonna bring Jupiter back, and then leave the Solar System for good this time. I—I don’t belong here anymore,” the ice giant responded sadly.

Proteus began sobbing, tears pouring from his eyes. “Y-Yes you do! You’re our brother! W-Why can’t you think about yourself for once?! Don’t you want to stay?”

It broke X’s heart to see his little brother cry. “Of course I wanna stay, Proteus! But I can’t…”

“W-Why not?” the second-largest Neptunian moon blubbered. “P-Please don’t leave us again! We—we already lost so much a-and…! Don’t…d-don’t go, please…!”

The navy blue ice giant backed away slowly and shook his head, tears escaping his own eyes as he turned sideways one last time, both planets and moons eyeballing him with sorrowful expressions.

“I’m sorry…” he sniffled. “B-But I have to go. I love you guys so much…goodbye.”

He zoomed toward the Oort Cloud, tuning out his siblings’ tearful protests and pleas until he reached the place where Jupiter was currently residing with Guillermo’s corpse. While they shared a heartfelt conversation, everyone else turned to the Sun, shocked to see him upset as well.

Eyes red and puffy, he choked out, “Bring them back…”

Uranus blinked rapidly. “Wait what?”

“Bring Jupiter back…bring X back…p-please…” Sol repeated before succumbing to harsh sobs, apologizing profusely for the past 4.5 billion years.

Little did he know that an hour later, a Jovian-sized gas giant and an ocean blue ice giant would return to the Inner Solar System, smiling at their orbital center for the first time in eternity…