Luma Party!

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Need a distraction from current events? How about the stars that seem to have come down to earth to play and frolic? Wait, those aren't stars... are they? They have eyes, make cute squeaking sounds, and float about. They also seem to love candy.

And among them, standing on a hill with a telescope, was a tall blonde woman in a long flowing blue dress. She seemed fairly nonplussed and calm. A table near her had a teapot and teacups, and a plate of strange crystalline candies.

What will you do?

Comments

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"It's an intriguing thought, but I've never sought out absolute knowledge," she admitted. "I find it enough to satisfy my own curiosity... The true joy of knowledge comes in earning it, rather than taking an easy way towards obtaining it..."

[will_be_god]

"And yet once it is known, to keep it hidden is merely selfish. What exists does so regardless, and keeping it from others for some arbitrary belief in earning it hinders the progression of society."

Cyrus may have been rid of emotion, but he was still in full command of his basic beliefs.

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"An excellent point," Rosalina said, probably the first time anyone at Smash has ever said that to Cyrus. "Then if that's your belief, feel free to ask me any question you like, and if I know the answer, I'll share it."

[will_be_god]

hey Jupiter was here once so he had plenty of approval

The first thing that came to mind was the origin of the universe, but she wouldn't be likely to know it. "Is the ability to process the idea of being part of a whole something lacking from most sentient, sapient species, or simply from humanity itself?"

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Rosalina frowned slightly. "That's a very loaded question," she replied quietly. "Most sapient species have a concept of community and belonging. Even humans. Though the definition of the whole, as you put it, is different. Be it a pack, a herd, a team, or even a family... Most simply want to be a part of something bigger than themselves."

[will_be_god]

How limited. "That is not what I mean. The big picture, the entire universe. We are often lost in such smaller structures that our role in the greater creation is seen as intimidating or useless."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"Do YOU understand your role in the greater creation?" Rosalina asked with a cryptic smile.

[will_be_god]

"I did. And I still do, though the specifics have changed."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"And what is your role, then?" she asked, her expression unchanging.

[will_be_god]

Cyrus thought for a moment. He had the answer, but he had to put it into words that would make sense to others. "I am...a catalyst. I once possessed the power to move the universe itself, for a microsecond. I understand now that I can never possess that power again..."

He stared out into space, up at the stars. "All those worlds...all the life upon them...what do they suffer through just to survive? It must change..."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

Rosalina followed his gaze up to the heavens, and smiled warmly. "Your question is misguided. It's not that people are unable to comprehend their role in the universe, it's that they simply do not understand or believe they have such a role. Not everyone CAN have a role that will impact the cosmos. I have known a few... Mario, and Bowser, a hero and a villain, whose actions led to an entire universe being destroyed and reborn... It's unreasonable to assume everyone can or should take on such responsibility, in either way. And so people try to find purpose in the life they have, affecting the world around them, and trying to make their lives and the lives of those around them better. It may not be much... But if so many people try to do the same thing... Well then... Perhaps you will finally see the change you seek."

Looking back to Cyrus with shimmering blue eyes, she continued. "It would seem you have something in common with the other sapient beings in the universe," she suggested. "If your old purpose is one that can never be fulfilled, then perhaps you need to seek out a new role for yourself."

[will_be_god]

Cyrus had heard that before, that Bowser once had that power, but he continued to doubt the validity of the statement. Even hearing it from a newcomer didn't change that.

"I am aware of my new role. As I said, I am a catalyst. Though I am unable to fill the role of creator myself, I will ensure that it is done."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"In a way, we are not so different," she replied to his suggestion. She gestured to the laughing and playing star children around them with a smile. "My children, the Lumas... They will one day grow into new stars, new planets, new galaxies... I cannot create these things, however I nurture them until they come into being themselves. That is my purpose. I am the mother of the Lumas..."

[will_be_god]

"And where do they come from? Do you truly birth them, even metaphorically?" He was skeptical, of course, that these tiny things could ever become what were essentially giant fusion reactors.

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"I have a dimensional void up my skirt."

"No, I do not," she laughed. "Even I do not know where Lumas come from. However, I discovered my purpose in the cosmos at an early age. To watch over the Lumas, to care for them, and love them until they grow up and choose what they wish to become. It doesn't matter where they come from. I am their mother."

The Lumas surrounding them chirped happily, some calling out to their Mama.

[will_be_god]

A few weeks ago, Cyrus would have found the sight beautiful, as well as something to fervently study. But now he simply stared. "An early age. So you did not begin this way."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"No, I did not," she answered. "Everyone has to start somewhere, don't they? Even you."

[will_be_god]

His past had been troubled; he saw that now. But it was over.

"Yes, that is the logical progression of things. Even the universe began somewhere."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"Change is a constant in the universe," Rosalina explained. "Nothing remains as it is forever. Given enough time, species rise and fall, stars live and die... Human history is a tiny blip in the grand scheme of the cosmos."

[will_be_god]

"The same is true of everything. The universe itself..."

He turned his attention back to the telescope.

"All of what we know is limited to a single creation. And yet there may be countless creations, if not at once then stretched out before and after our own..."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"I believe this place itself is proof enough of that," Rosalina said. "So many realities, so many dimensions beyond the ones we know... Who knows how many there are, or how many there will be..."

[will_be_god]

The very idea had always terrified Cyrus, and yet simply creating one now didn't seem like enough. Everything had to be put right. Everything had to be saved. And suddenly, paradise was farther away than it had ever been.

"...Even a creator wouldn't know."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"You know," Rosalina suggested, "it's entirely possible there's a dimension out there where you've already succeeded at your goal... You may never see it or be aware of it, but the possibility exists..."

[will_be_god]

"Yes, I have considered that. There are those where I have succeeded, those where I have perished in the attempt...those, undoubtably, where I never understood the burden of the universe to begin with."

[ladyoftheshootingstars]

"If you did succeed in bringing change to this universe, there would be many others out there where you failed to do so..." She smiled softly. "As you would deride those who strive to better their communities, you would strive to do so on a macroscopic scale... Affecting your personal community, trying to make it better... As we all do. It's a matter of scale. I do not diminish your desires or efforts, I simply offer perspective."