"And now, our final participants!" the anchorwoman of the Yearly Song Contest, Spire, who was also known as the Star Queen (since many of the students she had promoted had become stars), announced, "Greet Earth-chan from Milky Way-san's class and Moon-kun from the Junior Class! They also have a new member as a surprise for you all!"
The whole crowd gasped – Earth and Moon had taken a third member in their singing group?!
"Huh? I thought they wanted to do a duet!" Venus-chan exclaimed. She stood with Mars-kun and the other members of the Solar Group.
"Yeah, so unusual..." Mars was surprised too.
"Hmm, that is a good strategy, actually..." Victor, who stood beside Betelgeuse, near Venus and Mars, put a hand to his chin. "If their surprise succeeds, they will gain appeal from the public."
"Hehe, that's our Earth-chan – it's her first performance after so many years and she gives it a blast!" Betelgeuse fired up with excitement and admiration.
The friends gazed up at the stage, whose curtains had risen anew, to reveal Earth-chan and Moon-kun in his full moon phase. They grabbed their microphones. Earth-chan began rocking in her charming voice. Moon accompanied her with amazing dance moves.
"Huh? But they've just said they had a third member!" the people got confused – why were only the two of them on the stage?
When Earth and Moon came to the tag lyrics, the screen behind the stage turned on. It showed a zoomed view of the floor of the stage, where now stood a minuscule creature, also ready to sing.
"A human?!"
Mars-kun noticed the little creature looked just like those parasites of Earth-chan's hair he had seen in photos in Theia-san's office. Everyone was shocked – a human was Earth-chan's and Moon-kun's third companion?!
"Unbelievable!" Victor stared at the giant screen on the stage.
"You don't say..." Betelgeuse was no less stupefied.
Earth-chan and Moon-kun continued singing. Now, the little creature too had accompanied them with her high-pitched tones. The crowd stared at them in a stupor. Charon-kun – Moon's best friend and Pluto's well-known troublemaker boyfriend – yelled and whistled in excitement:
"Wow, a singing human! You guys rock! Woohoo!"
This whistle and exclamation were enough to stir the crowd up – everyone began whooping and clapping. They jumped on the place, following the rhythm of the song.
"Shooting stars that highlight the night,
Full moon howling up on the dance floor,
Planetarium lights up the sky
The whole universe joins the show!"
Earth-chan sang and contemplated the whooping crowd at the same time. Tiny tears had filled her eyes – the tears of joy. She felt happy singing beside her boyfriend and her tiny friend. They all were being admired by the whole crowd... It seemed that the planetary society had already begun to accept her tiny humans. She could even see her father – Principal Cosmos-sama – among the administrators, watching her with a proud smile. It brought even more flush to her cheeks.
While Earth sang, she caught a glimpse of something beyond the blackened windows of the hall. She did not stop singing but narrowed her sight to that place to see it all better. She couldn't have missed it – there was something inside that blackness.
The song finished. The people whooped and clapped with admiration. Moon-kun and Phoebe grinned with pride. Earth-chan gave a grateful smile to the audience too, but her main attention was still directed to that mysterious window. She could clearly see a face gaze right at her through there – the face of a woman with long black hair and scarlet eyes smiling at her! But once she blinked, it vanished.
She shivered – such a strange apparition... It was so creepy! But her smile was so loving and sincere, so soft and sweet, almost as if she had long known her and loved her dearly, even though she had no idea who that woman was!
The contest ended. Earth-chan and her friends won the prize. Phoebe was given a minuscule ring with a deep blue planetary gem, as an honoured human in the planetary society. But instead of rejoicing for the victory she had longed for, for so many years, Earth-chan seemed rather down when the three exited the hall and went to Earth-chan's room to celebrate the event.
"Earth-chan, why are you so sad? We won, didn't we?"
Phoebe got confused – why was she so upset? They did everything they had dreamed of: they performed together – the planets and a human – for the very first time!
"Yeah, I thought you'd be into the infinite heavens!" Moon-kun was no less surprised.
"I am happy. It is just that... um..."
Earth told them everything about the apparition she had seen, for she thought it would be better to let them know. They listened to her while walking on, and entered her room. Once Earth-chan finished her tale, Phoebe shuddered:
"Damn, that's creepy! Didn't you guys say there was only the void outside? How can someone be living there?"
"I don't know..." Earth shrugged – she too was somewhat scared of this strange fact that had occurred to her.
"Cosmos-sama did say that someone lives there outside, though."
Phoebe and Earth were confused at first, but then guessed what Moon-kun was hinting at.
"No way, you don't mean Chaos-sama?!"
Phoebe got dreaded – didn't Cosmos-sama say it was dangerous to have Chaos near since she was chaotic and unpredictable and could wreak havoc wherever she went?
Earth-chan covered her mouth with her hands – he meant that apparition was none other than her mother?! Chaos too, even though she was unable to enter the Planetarium College, had attended the concert, just to see her performance, and had even given her that smile full of love? So, she truly cared about her... She just couldn't live with her, due to her harsh circumstances.
Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks – even mama had beheld her glory! Even she, the infamous Chaos-sama, was proud of her...
***
Phoebe woke up in her room. It was already morning and the sun shone in the sky, sending its rays through the windows. She could clearly remember how her time of departure came, so Earth-chan dropped her into her hair in the spot of the USA. Then, her vision went blurred and she blacked out... and now she had woken up in her bed again.
Hmm? So, it was all a dream?
She rubbed her eyes and looked around – yes, she was in her room, back on Earth.
Something shiny on the bedside table caught her eyes. She gasped – it was that same golden ring with a deep blue planetary gem she had received from the planetary society! She grabbed it and eyed it in stupefaction:
"Don't tell me... So it was truly real?!" she whooped and jumped in her bed, "It was real, it was truly real!"
Grandpa Neil knocked and came in:
"What's wrong, Phoebe? Today is Sunday. You don't have school today, do you? Why up so early?"
"Grandpa! I met Earth-chan!"
"What? You managed?" Neil brightened, "How did it happen? Tell me!"
"Just as you said – I appeared there through my dreams, and I sang in a contest. Earth-chan, Moon-kun, and I won, and I got this!" she showed him the ring she had received. "I thought it was all a dream, but then I saw this ring here, so it has truly happened! It was all just as you said. Ah, grandpa, they were so amazing! If only you had been there!"
She retold him all of her adventures with the utmost excitement: of how she met Earth and Moon, how she befriended them, how she was introduced to Cosmos-sama, how she found out about Chaos-chan's and Cosmos-sama's romance, how she sang with the planets in their Song Contest, how they won, and how Earth saw her mother for the very first time. Neil Gowan listened to her with a kind smile. He had never seen his granddaughter so happy.
Thank you, Earth-chan. Now Phoebe knows she's not alone – she will always have you and Moon-kun by her side...
A grateful beam covered his face – yes, Earth-chan would always be with them, to support her tiny humans, along with Moon-kun. Even if humans couldn't see Moon-kun sometimes, he was always there, to watch over them and Earth-chan.
***
Even nowadays, we remain connected with Earth-chan. Many of us see her and her friends only as some massive spheres in the sky, but do not be deceived – that is just how far our sight can reach. If we look closer with our minds, we shall be able to see Earth-chan and her friends in their true shapes and personalities. After all, all of them – the planets – are alive, and we can easily be ascertained of this if we pay close attention to our mother planet, Earth. If we listen closely, we can hear her breathe – it is the wind that blows around us. If we pay heed, we can hear her speak to us – it is the leaves that rustle in forests, for the trees are deeply connected with Earth-chan's mind through their roots.
Moon-kun always watches over us, even if we are unable to see him. Do not be deceived – when the sun shines, it means that Earth-chan is in her class, sitting near Sun-kun and her dearest friends Mars-kun and Venus-chan. Meanwhile, Moon-kun has to attend his own classes, so we are unable to see him. But he's still there – he always watches over Earth-chan and us. At nights, when Earth-chan's lessons finish and she accesses her room, Moon-kun can be properly seen, for he is even closer to Earth-chan than during the lesson times.
After knowing that Earth-chan is alive and struggles with her studies and social life, has her own dreams and aspirations, and despite all this, strives to care for us the best way she can and protect us from any possible harm and threat that may arise, it would only be too cruel to continue neglecting her health. We live within her, so we must protect her and try to help her the way we can. She is still young compared to others in the planetary society, so she needs our support.
Care for the little Earth-chan, and afterwards, if you ever wish to speak to her, you can connect with her through your dreams... Then, once you find yourselves in nature, if you listen closely, you shall hear Earth-chan speak back to you, for she is always eager to speak with us humans.
And if you are lucky enough, you might even get to meet her and her planetary friends... Who knows?
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Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the story!