Lonely City (Without their leaders)

Trismegistus wasn’t one to skip class, but every student was saying Compass wasn’t doing the greatest job in teaching the past week. With their daughter out on kits first routine check, no doubt Compass’s head is filled with nothing but anxieties and worry for Peppermint. Trismegistus cannot blame them, she’s feeling the same exact way, it’s hard to focus when your girlfriend is off on another planet and could be in danger.

She’s trying her hardest to stay positive, Peppermint has lots of experience in travelling and had a responsible adult with her, but…anything could happen! Also, Matcha is with them! He’s a sweet cat but his experience in adventuring is in the negatives. Trismegistus wishes to know what was going on in Rona and Drona’s mind when they decide to take those two on this so-called field trip.

“The news we received from Nebula High School; did you hear about it?”

Trismegistus stops, that was Glory’s voice. She takes a few steps back and pokes her head through the empty classroom. Glory was there with the culinary teacher, Penelope.

“I have,” Penelope answers. “The principal is in the middle of preparing an announcement and dismissing the students early.”

Glory releases a heavy sigh. “Nanami and Compass are not going to like this announcement.”

“Quite.”

 Trismegistus holds back a gasp. Prepared announcement, early dismissal, the mention of Compass and Nanami, did something happen to Matcha and Peppermint? Please, don’t let that be the case!

“With Moonbeam and Goldie’s disappearance, all the remaining signals for the cats on routine checks are lost. This is bad news for everyone,” Glory continues. “The principal also decided to end the semester early and have all exams exempt.”

“Does that mean-“

“Yes.” Glory waves a paw. “Everyone passed. Very bittersweet, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so…but what in the world could have happened to those two? Was there another solar flare? Or a stubborn meteor?”

Glory rubs a paw along her muzzle. “No idea. Moonbeam only lets the higher ups know her location…besides this one. I heard she was scouting unknown territory, that could be the reason for her absence.”

Penelope narrows her gaze. “And those two cannot contact the others? Are they that far? Or did their devices break…?”

The far too cheerful announcement chime rings and suspends their conversation. Trismegistus winches and hurries away from the classroom, sneaking into one of the bathrooms and bumping into another cat. “A-Ah! Sorry! Sorry!”

“What are you doing out of the classroom?” The cat she collided with was Charlotte, good friend of her mother Medea and Compass’s wife. Out of all the cats she had to see…

“You see-“

“Attention, Asteroid Academy!”

Charlotte and Trismegistus stare up at the small speaker above them.

“Due to an emergency in Port Borealis, we are dismissing all students and staff immediately. Exams are exempt and break will be begin starting today. We apologise for the sudden change in schedule.”

Trismegistus watches grey and purple spacecat shudder as the announcement goes on. The thorns wrapped around feir body began to tighten with the thorns facing outward growing long and sharp.

“C-Charlotte...” She takes a step back. Getting close to their thorns meant trouble.

“Do not worry about me,” fey huffs with a harsh flick of their tail. Black petals dropped behind fem. “Go home at once and let your parents know what happened. I-I need to get Compass.”

“Do you…” she swallows. “Do you think they’re going to be okay?”

Charlotte gazes at Trismegistus with a soft yet saddened look. “I truly hope so, dear.”

“You see, according to Moonbeam’s recent log…”

“It’s all Tally’s fault.”

“What matters is that they’re looking for them…”

Trismegistus was on her way back home until she ran into a group of cats her age. She recognised a few of them, Nightshade being a friend of Peppermint and Ika being a friend of Matcha. She allows her fiery-like wings to stand tall, letting them know she was here, and Ika waves a paw towards her.

“Peppermint’s girlfriend is here!”

“Eh?” Nightshade’s sibling (Twilight, right?) looks towards Ika’s direction. “Trigonometry, right?”

“Trismegistus!” Sleet groans.

“M-Meg will do…” She truly wonders why her parents gave her such a complicated name. She enters the yard with the others, and they begin circling around her. All of them looked worried, most likely for the same thing, and Ika was the worst of them all.

Didn’t one of her parents leave for a routine check? And with the news about Moonbeam and lost signal, Ika must be freaking out. “S-Sorry, I wanted to know if you all knew the…”

“Moonbeam missing case, right?” Willow finishes.

“T-That…yes,” Trismegistus sighs. “My academy didn’t give us the full details and merely left us early. I found out from…” she twitches her tail. “Others.”

“They didn’t tell you?!” Twilight gasps. “They told us! And we found out that Moonbeam is exploring a new sector of the galaxy!”

“That’s p-probably why it’s hard to reach kit…” Ika shuffles his paws together. “But what about the others? What i-if I don’t see-“

“You will! Thinking like that will make you feel worse.” Trismegistus is trying to follow her own advice, but damn was that hard.

“Hold on.” Sleet holds out a paw. “I know it’s going to be difficult to contact Moonbeam but…Meg, can’t you contact Peppermint?”

“What?” Twilight gasps. “You have powerful lesbian connection or something?!”

“W-What-“ Sleet presses the same paw on her muzzle. “Ugh! Nevermind! Peppermint’s crazy compass gives kit signal all the time, right?”

Nightshade perks their ears. “Does it really?!”

“Peppermint’s compass necklace will always lead the way home and keep any device she has equipped connected,” Trismegistus informs them. “The ship’s signal may be disconnected, but if she has a phone of sorts on her, then I could contact her if I wished to.”

“Surprised you haven’t,” Willow mutters.

“I didn’t want to disrupt kit! This exploration is so important to Peppermint, I cannot distract my girlfriend!”

“Well, you gotta now!” Sleet snaps. “With this whole disappearance, we need to know if they’re okay too! You have the ability to, now use it!”

Honestly, she would rather attempt to contact Peppermint at home, successfully reaching her girlfriend could mean Ika growing worse about their parent’s predicament. She hesitates, staring at the others nervously as they expressed signs of hope, and eventually she lowers her wings in acceptance. “Alright…” She reaches for her red phone. “No promises that Peppermint will pick up, I’m sure Compass and Charlotte are talking to kit.”

The first call was nothing but static. The second had a few familiar voices and a shake of something under the grey mess. She tried again for a third time, with the other cats surrounding her, and the connection became clear.

“Mom? Dad? I told you I am okay-“ Peppermint stares at the camera. “Oh my goodness, Trismegistus honey!”

“Honey?” Sleet snorts quietly.

“Trismegistus! O-Oh my goodness! Forget what I said, I-I’m scared as hell,” kit confesses. “I almost broke my remaining horn! My orchids are withering! And I lost Matcha and Sirene…”

“Those two are missing along with Moonbeam and Goldie?!” Twilight shouts.

“MOONBEAM AND GOLDIE ARE FUCKING MISSING?!”

Trismegistus almost drops the device.

“Oh, this couldn’t get any better?! Damnit! Wasn’t going on in Port Borealis? Is it in peril?!”

Nightshade peeks from the corner. “Not right now. I’m sure a few of the leadership are organising search parties. We received the news today…” they stick their tongue out. “No clue on where they may be.”

“Watch them return with another species we never heard of,” Peppermint snorts. “Watch it be, I don’t know, something related to the ground or sky. Matcha would love that…” Kits voice trails off. “I will be on the lookout for any clues on Moonbeam and Goldie. I need to preserve as much battery as I can, until I find the others. Sirene has all the battery power on her.”

“Ah, so the powerful lesbian communication has limitations…” Ika mutters under her breath.

“Please, none of you worry. I will make it back home safely and so will Moonbeam and Goldie. Adventures have its ups and downs, and we are currently facing the downs…” Peppermint shakes kits head. “I have to go, I love you.”

“I love you too, dear Peppermint.”

The call ends there, leaving Trismegistus in a weird state of relief and worry. She shuffles her paws together and stretches out her wings. “I need to go home, find any clues about what happened to Moonbeam and Goldie…” she takes a deep breath, “and wish to every falling star that everyone will be home safe and sound.”

---

Battery is left at fifty percent. If Peppermint uses it once a day starting now, then it’ll last for around a week and a half.

When the cave collapsed beneath them, kit found themself somewhere that reeked of oil. No one was around, all kit heard was liquid dripping and the wind whispering in their long ears. No signs of Matcha and Sirene, plus Moonbeam is missing. This was all terrible.

Where in the world could she be? Is Goldie okay as well? Peppermint wants to assume the best and they reached a point where connection was low, or they are returning but the means of communication was spotty. The longer kit thought about it, the worse kits headache grew. Peppermint lays flat on the cold floor, paws pressing on their aching forehead. Everything is going to be okay…

“Hello?”

Peppermint shoots back up.

“Hello…? Is anyone there? Can you help me…?”