Chapter 8 Dangerous Power

Solar giggled and circled Rosalina, the very shocked Rosalina. The little boy's giggling, which under normal circumstances would be something that makes her extremely happy, now filled her with anxiety. Dread.

"I love flying, Mama!" The little boy squeed. He grinned at her. "I didn't even know I could fly until just a little while ago! I was just lying in my bed and then….zip! I zoomed into the air!"

Rosalina stayed silent. She stared at her son, unable to move and unable to speak. Solar's expression became uneasy as he noticed Rosalina's frozen expression and posture.

"Hey. Are you okay, Mama?"

Rosalina did a double take. She smiled at Solar, going out of her way to make it look as warm and as happy as possible. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just...taken aback is all."

Solar blinked before smiling again. He did cartwheels in the air and continued with his fit of giggling. "I can fly, Mama! I can fly!"

"Yes, sweetheart. You can fly." Rosalina swallowed a lump in her throat. Now wasn't the time for any sort of celebration. "And now that you can, I think it's time you and I had a little talk."

Solar's mood noticeably fell. He floated in one place, bobbing up and down as he looked at his mother in a somber way. "Oh no. Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?"

"No. You didn't do anything wrong." Not yet anyways. "I just think a discussion like this is necessary."

Solar hesitated before nodding. "Okay."

So, Rosalina gently put her hand on Solar's shoulder and guided him back down to the Observatory. Mixed emotions brewed around inside her. She couldn't focus, couldn't think, nothing. She could only float on ahead as her heartbeat sped up and sweat formed on the back of her neck. Yep. This was definitely what anxiety felt like.

Seriously. She had prayed to the Great Grambi that something like this would never happen. With all of the possible horror Solar could unleash if his powers got too strong, Rosalina knew that he could not...could NOT develop them. And yet, he did. He did, and it terrified her.

"Solar! Mama!" The lumas called out once their feet were firmly planted on the ground. They rushed over and smiled, their eyes twinkling like the night sky. "You found him, Mama!"

"Yes," Rosalina said, her heart in her mouth. The lumas talked over each other in a discordant cacophony.

"Where was he?"

"Where did you go, Solar?"

"Did you go somewhere cool? Can I come with?"

Solar laughed. "I didn't go anywhere! I flew!"

The lumas gasped. Their eyes were as wide as black holes. They stared at their brother, completely silent. Then, they crowded around him, speaking over one another and making loud cooing noises. In direct contrast to Rosalina's terror, they actually sounded joyful.

"You flew? Like...actually flew?"

"That's so cool!"

"Imagine all you can do now that you have flying powers!"

Solar laughed, his eyes wide with innocence. "I know!" He gasped and grabbed hold of one of the luma's arms. "Hey, Lubby! You know how you said that there are a lot of games you play with the other lumas in the air?"

Lubby gasped. "No way! You….we can get you in on them now!"

"I was thinking the same thing!" He beamed. "I always wanted to play more games with you guys! And now I finally can! I can play Arial Capture the Flag, Fight or Flight, and….oh! I'm just…." He shook with joy. "WOOHOO!"

Solar whooped and sprung into the air. The lumas cheered and chirped as he twirled around in a circle. Rosalina, however, drew in a worried breath.

"Solar! Sweetie!" Solar glanced down at her. "That talk?"

Solar blinked. "Oh. Right." His feet landed on the ground. "Lead the way, Mama."

Rosalina nodded and pushed her way through the crowd of lumas, all while keeping her hand firmly planted on Solar's shoulder. She guided him throughout the Observatory. She knew that, before she could actually have the talk, she needed to find Polari. He deserved to know about this new development. After all, he was as much a parent to Solar as she was. Solar even referred to him as Daddy. He had taken part in raising the little boy, the collection of sentient comet dust. He needed to know.

She searched all over the Observatory. She finally found Polari coming out of the Garden Dome, shaking like a leaf in the wind. He looked at her with a brow furrowed.

"I couldn't find him in Melty Molten, Dreadnought, or Deep Dark. I suppose that's a good thing, but I also worry that part of the reason is because something horrible happened to him in one of those Galaxies. You know how dangerous they are."

Rosalina moved to the side. "Don't worry. Nothing happened to him."

Polari gasped. "Solar!" He hugged him. "Oh, you're here! You're actually here!"

Solar laughed. "What's this? Daddy is actually concerned about me? I thought his cold, dead heart was too charred to feel concern!"

Polari blushed, causing his black skin to turn red. He pulled away. "Just for that, you're grounded for the next week.

Rosalina, despite her fear (or perhaps because of it) chuckled. "Polari, I don't think that's necessary." She motioned for the luma to come closer and whispered to him. "Especially seeing how it's finally time."

Polari's eyes grew wide. "No…"

"Yes. I'm afraid so."

Polari looked over at Solar, who still possessed the same wide eyes as before. The luma began to sweat. "Oh dear developer."

"I know. You can imagine the worry I have as well. This is why I wish that we speak to him as soon as possible."

Polari gulped before nodding. "Okay." He gestured toward the garden. "Why don't we have the talk here? It's the most relaxing and visually appealing dome. "

"Good idea." Rosalina laid her hand on Solar's shoulder again. The little boy looked up at her worriedly.

"Mama, why do you need to have a talk with me?"

"It's just time to do so."

Solar's expression looked worried. "It's because I was flying around, isn't it? I worried you, didn't I?" He whimpered. "I knew I should have asked you before flying off "

Rosalina felt a pang. "Just come inside, honey. We'll discuss things in the garden. We'll also explain a few things."

With that, she took Solar into the dome. The two of them were hit by a beautiful, crisp breeze. Bird chirps rang across the wide open plain, and the grass looked extra soft. Rosalina took off her silver slippers and allowed her feet to rest between the blades. It was soothing; it helped her calm down just enough to make her heartbeat return to normal.

"Okay," Polari said. He looked over at Solar, who watched a white dove fly overhead. "It's time."

Rosalina nodded. She knew this day would come. She had been preparing the speech that she would give to Solar about the use and development of his powers for the past six years. She knew that it was a very heavy subject, and she didn't want to freak the child out. At the same time, however, she also knew that she needed to convey the seriousness and gravity of this situation.

"Solar."

Solar looked up at her, his red eyes sparkling with glee. "Did you see the birdies, Mama?"

"Yes, honey." She gestured for him to sit in the grass. "Take a seat."

Solar blinked. "Um...okay." He did exactly as he was told. "Seriously, what's wrong Mama?"

"Nothing's wrong. And we want to keep it that way." She exchanged a look with Polari. "Your Daddy and I knew that there was a possibility that you would develop powers."

Solar stared at her. "You did? Why didn't you tell me?"

Rosalina took a deep breath to calm her nerves even more. "We did not believe that you were old enough." She leaned down toward her son, trying to use as gentle an expression and inflection as possible. "Solar, these powers are not...well, they aren't safe."

Solar blinked again. "Not safe? What do you mean?" He gasped. "Will...will they make me blow up?"

Rosalina blinked before snickering. Polari did the same thing.

"Yes," said the little black star. "You're going to explode into a glittery mess of debris."

Solar gasped. He grabbed hold of Rosalina and wrapped her in a hug. "Don't let me blow up, Mama! Don't!"

Rosalina patted him on the back. "Don't worry. Daddy is just being silly." She cast him a glare. "Wildly morbid, but silly nonetheless."

Polari smirked. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"Mmhm." She turned back to her son. "You won't blow up."

"I won't?" asked Solar. "Then...why are my powers so dangerous?"

Rosalina took a deep breath. "Because you will develop more and more abilities. Just like Aries." Solar blinked and tilted his head, prompting her to explain. "Aries is a god from a distant planet's mythology. The circumstances of his birth were very similar to yours. He formed from the debris of five different prankster comets colliding. He is very famous in his world; infamous, I guess you could say." Rosalina bit her lip. "He..he developed powers and he...he turned evil."

Solar blinked. "Evil?"

"Yes. He did...terrible things. Horrible things. He let his power consume his mind, his very being." Tears flowed from her eyes as she looked at Solar. "I don't...I don't want that to happen to you."

Solar's eyes grew wide. "So you think...you think that I'll be evil?"

Polari flew down, his expression serious. "It's a possibility. Not a guarantee at this point, but it can happen. Which means you need to be careful."

"Yes," said Rosalina as she wiped away her tears and tried to get her emotions back under control. "Power requires responsibility, especially when such power has the ability to corrupt your mind."

Solar stared at Rosalina as she spoke to him. His eyes were wide, but not with the same innocence that he was known for, the same innocence he showed before. He looked...awed. He was in awe; clearly speechless. When she finished, he looked down at the grass. Rosalina put her hand to her heart, for it was starting to ache.

"I'm sorry you had to hear this, sweetie. But I don't want to hide the truth from you. Especially seeing how you've developed your first power."

Solar turned back toward his Mama. He...wait, was he smiling? He was! And much to Rosalina's surprise, he actually smirked.

"Pfft. You don't have to worry about me being evil, Mama."

Rosalina blinked. "What?"

"Yeah!" Solar bounced up. "I was born good, after all! And once someone is born good, they are always good!"

Rosalina exchanged a worried look with Polari. "Ummm…."

"I'll be fine, Mama. I won't use my powers for bad. Don't be such a worrywart."

Rosalina didn't know what to think about this. Solar's confidence, his worldview...it rubbed her the wrong way. However, she also didn't want to stress the little boy out by unloading a boatload of philosophy on him at such a young age. So, she sighed and put on a smile.

"Okay. I trust you."

Solar beamed. "Good!" He flew up into the air, all giggles and smiles once again. "Hey, do you think we can go fly just the three of us?"

Rosalina hesitated. "Uh...sure. I don't...I don't see why not."

"Awesome!" With that, Solar bolted out of the dome, leaving just Rose and Polari. Polari looked at his confidant with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?"

Rosalina sighed. "No. But I can't let it bother me. I have to be okay. For his sake."