As night falls on the moon offered a room for the night in the tower. A change of clothes is brought to me. They definitely were not my size. At least a size or two bigger than me. The shirt was so large it fell all the way to my waist covering my shorts and leaving my legs completely exposed. The attempts to sleep again were very difficult. I would find myself staring into the ceiling, wondering what the hell I am doing. Someone knocks at my door and a ping follows. A projection screen appears, displaying the hallway outside. Soul is waiting and smiling into the camera. I head for the door and open it.
"Good Afternoon, Demi." He says. "I hope I wasn't interrupting your good night's sleep."
I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or funny. If he was being funny, he sure has a shit sense of humor.
"I slept well." I said.
He smiles.
"Good. Your presence is requested."
"By whom, may I ask?"
He doesn't answer. Instead he turns and walks off, almost like he's expecting me to follow him. He notices me not moving and stops. He turns around and stares at me for a moment.
"Are you not coming?"
This guy is serious, isn't he?
"You want me to walk around here in my sleepwear?"
"It's just down the hall."
"Do you not understand my question?"
Soul just stood there, confused. Melena circles around the corner as we talk. She also notices I haven't left my room yet.
"Uhh Demi, what's going on?" She asks.
"You want me to walk around in…-"
"-Look, we don't have time for this, do you want a jacket or something?"
She's just as serious as Soul. She gives in a little and at least lets me retrieve a coat before I follow them down the hall. The hallway opens up to a glass walkway above the waterfall. The only light pouring in came from the city lights and the faint glow of the brown mother planet in the sky. We cross to the other side and are greeted by a large door at the end of the hall. It was decorated in elaborate jewels and had a golden frame. The door stood at least twice the height of me. Melena and Soul knock and make their presence known. The doors are opened by another guard and we enter.
As Soul and Melena separate, I take in the massive room before me. The room itself was pretty bare. There was basic furniture like a massive bed on my left and a small desk on my right. I was taken a bit back as I looked around. There was…nothing. I know who's room I am in and yet, I don't feel like I am. I don't know, maybe my expectations of how a princess lives is not what I expect it to be.
There was a balcony ahead covered with curtains. I was able to make out a figure looking over the balcony. It was slim but built. It was taller than me by a good few inches. The figure turns around, noticing that I entered the room.
"Hello?" it said. I hope I didn't wake you."
"Princess Cadence?" I ask.
Her voice was gentle and soothing tonight. A little bit on the high end in terms of pitch but it sounded nice. She walks through the curtains and toward me. She has a beautiful smile. One that would excite the masses and bring warmth to your heart. It was hard for me to look away again. She reaches out her hand as the wind blows. The curtains fly and her hair floats into the wind and sparkles into the night. She wore a nightgown, like me, and it soared into the wind.
"Come." She says.
I approach her and grab her hand. She leads me up some steps and toward the end of the balcony. There I watch the city spur by. The lights on the buildings were in full display, showing off its colors and detail. A display of Cadence smiling plays on a tall building over the city as words scroll by her. The air was hot but the cool wind graced my face and bare legs. I could feel the mist and the low rumble from the falls below. Cadence approaches from behind me, grabs my arm and holds on to it. As I confirmed before, she's indeed taller than me. Standing at least another 5 inches. She cuddles into my shoulder and leans her head against me looking out into the lights with me. I start to feel a little uneasy.
"Isn't it beautiful?" she says.
"Yeah. Yeah I guess so."
"Do you get these views from where you are from?"
"No, not at all."
"I always did enjoy this planet. The water here is so pure…"
"What? What is this?" I sternly ask.
"Huh?"
"Why am I here?"
Cadence, a bit surprised, lets go of my arm and takes a step back.
"I'm…I'm sorry."
"Look, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I don't exactly know what is going on."
"Sorry, I thought, you know, I…"
"You wanted to talk to me about something?"
"An opportunity mostly."
A deep rumble sounds off in the distance. It wasn't the falls, as it was louder and deeper. It's enough to drown out the falls below us and rattle my ear drums. The noise came from the huge structure out in the distance. I recognize it. The planetary engine I saw earlier today.
"Starfire. Such a beautiful creation, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"What do you know about it?"
She looks at me with a face of curiosity.
"I don't know much about the planetary version of it. It's supposed to power our buildings. I know most of our ships use it."
"And…?"
"And what?"
Cadence stands there a little surprised by my response. Like something else was supposed to exit my mouth.
"Wow, you really do think so little of yourself, don't you?"
"Excuse me?"
"You come from the Nassan Clan. Direct descendants of the inventors of Starfire. And you stand here in front of me like it means nothing."
I didn't respond, I couldn't. I was so stunned by it all I did was look into her eyes. She continues to stare out into the city. Her eyes look lost, like they were searching for answers they couldn't find. She turns back to me and continues.
"Lucky for you, I am here to help. I have a proposition for you."
She turns around and heads back inside, but not before reaching her hand back out to me.
"Come." She says, "Let me show you something."
She walks me through her room and out a door near her desk. The small hallway leads into a cave where a ship lands as we arrive. It was a mid-sized transport ship. Its thrusters were shaped in a ring and sat on two arms that could pivot up and down. The arms shrink in and the ring expands and it rotates to face the ground, doubling as landing gear for the ship. The ship touches down, sending a plume of dust and smoke into the air, just enough to block vision and force myself to cover my eyes. When everything settles down, the city skyline begins to show itself in the background. Towering skyscrapers as big as mega complexes but reach high into the clouds, thousands of feet into the air. The neon and bright lights fight for attention against the brightness of the moons in the night. The ramp on the back opens as the ship rotates from the platform below, facing it back toward the city. The guard that got yelled at earlier exits the ship and bows to Cadence.
"Princess Cadence, I was able to acquire a ship as you requested." He says.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She says.
The guard, giving her no eye contact, nods and returns to the ship. Cadence, who's still holding my hand, walks me up the ramp. We enter the ship. I sit next to the window and she sits next to me. Two additional armed guards enter the ship and sit in the front seats. The ship begins its ignition sequence and lifts off the ground. We exit out of the cave and into the city. Weave through the skyline, allowing me to observe the city in more detail. The entire city was built on water. Most transportation consisted of old fashioned boats sailing the river. Most of the city's amenities were located by the water. They included restaurants, parks, strange statues, and all were under the gentle light of the city. Cadence nudges me on the shoulder as I am taking in the scene.
"What do you see, Demi?" She asks.
"A beautiful city. One of lights and wonder."
"Really?"
"And the water. It's so clear."
"It's not what I see."
"What?"
I turn away from the window toward her. She had this look of annoyance and her fists were clamped tight.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"It's all a lie down there. Everything near the water is clean. Pristine. Perfect. But the further you get away from the water, the darker it gets."
"That's true everywhere though."
"Not here. Look again."
I face the window. Suddenly everything has changed. The water has gotten darker. The ground is completely soiled. The buildings were shorter and worn down. Nature took over the area as vines and grass covered what's left.
"Where are we?"
"The bowels of Cloud 9. What they don't show you on the broadcasts."
Suddenly, the answer comes clear. What little green planets are left turns to black. The sun rises over the horizon, revealing the horrors before me. It was like the grass was scorched into the ground. Trees didn't exist and ash was everywhere. It was like someone lit a match and burned everything down.
"What happened here?" I ask.
Cadence leans over me and points to the large structure that still stood. The massive planetary engine, Starfire. "That happened."
"Starfire did this?"
"They call it a Starfire Ignition. A phenomenon that occurs when the explosion starfire generates creates a chain reaction, igniting the atmosphere."
"It…ignites the atmosphere?"
"A wave of fire that scorches the sky and burns everything it touches."
"Holy shit."
"Hank." she says to the pilot. "Land us here."
The pilot nods and starts turning the ship. He finds a flat patch of land ahead and lands the ship. The doors open and the two guards in front exit first. They scan the area. After a few moments they reenter the ship and give the all clear. Cadence and I exit the ship, taking in the air as we walk. It was off. Every breath I took felt like a chore, worse than the recycled air we breathe on the ship. It was like I could taste ash everywhere I stood.
"A travesty, isn't it?" She asks.
"It's a wasteland out here. How did this happen?"
"Negligence and ignorance. The result of a three day war causing the ignition of starfire. Ten thousand people were killed in an instant."
"A war? No one told me about this."
"Because it was swept under. They buried it deep to make sure no one knew of this. The only thing you saw reported was a starfire ignition, nothing more." She bends down and messages the ground below her. "They even went as far as to pole-lock the moon to hide this in darkness. It is only this time of year we can see this."
"Who's they?"
"Everyone. Your pack leaders, my father, every leader in this damn galaxy."
She looks off into the stars with this look of content. Her stance is more relaxed, but I can see on her face that she was frustrated.
"You hate him don't you?" I ask.
"Hate who?"
"Your father."
"No, no, never. Sometimes, though, he's just so stuck in his ways. All of them are."
She starts walking in the direction of starfire, frustrated and ranting out loud, "I try so hard and it feels like it's never enough. Everything I do…is never enough."
I'm left confused. I didn't know how to react. Do I approach her? Consult her? I don't know. The pilot exits the ship and calls out to Cadence.
"Princess, we need to return to the tower." He says.
Cadence turns around and nods. She enters the ship with me following her. We then fly back to the tower. She is very quiet on the flight back. Something has gotten into her head and I could feel the sadness coming from her. She sat across the row this time, not giving anyone any eye contact. The ship lands back in the cave and everyone exits. She stops me before I leave to follow the guards back to my room. I use the chance to ask her what she still hasn't answered.
"What do you need from me?"
"I am building something. My hope is that it will help people."
"How?"
"It's still in its infancy, I can't say too much about it yet. My father doesn't know about it, but my hope is that you will lead it."
"I don't see how much help I can be for a project I know nothing about."
"I know. It's just a proposition. I still need to see you in action."
"In action?"
"We'll talk more about it tomorrow. I know you must be tired. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
She smiles and walks to her bed as Melena escorts me out of the room. When we arrive at my room, I couldn't help but think about what she said to me. What is she working on? And what makes her think I can lead…whatever this is? Melena thanks me for my time and is about to walk away before I stop her.
"So, is the princess…always like that?"
"Like what?"
"So…brash. Direct."
Melena smiles but doesn't answer.
"Is there anything else you need tonight?"
"I don't think so. Good night."
"Have a good night Demi. May our mother and father watch over you."
"What?"
"It's a saying, she says."
She smiles and leaves down the hall. I close the door and look out the window. The city lights beam through the windows, lighting up the room. I observe the locals again and the starfire engine in the background. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the idea that an engine can do this. I shake my head at the thought, then give up. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, and so far, I am not looking forward to it.