I don't need no light to see you SHINE

26

TWs: Fighting, weapons, injuries, confrontation, manipulation/brainwashing. Stay safe :)

BOOM!

Mars grunted, managing to shove Earth and Luna out of the way and taking the hit himself.

"Mars!" Earth gasped after snapping out of the initial shock, coming to the other's side, "Are you okay!?"

"Ugh... never better." Mars groaned, clutching his side.

Mercury flew to Luna's side, eyes reflecting concern. Luna gave a curt nod, letting the other know he was alright.

"Mars!" Phobos and Deimos cried.

"Hey, you two..." Mars gave them a reassuring smile, "I'll be alright, it merely grazed me."

"What the hell was that, anyway!?" Venus yelled, whipping his head toward the asteroid belt.

"Neptune..." Mars uttered, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

A figure bearing a trident appeared from the asteroid belt. He scowled as he clenched the weapon, annoyed that his attack had backfired.

The Rocky Celestials looked on in confusion and fear, wondering why their friend acted differently.

The Sun, who was previously watching the scene with a piercing stare, had a look of familiarity dancing in his glare.

"It can't be..." He muttered before speaking to the Terrestrial Planets, "That's not Neptune."

"What?" Earth raised his eyebrows.

"What do you mean that's not Neptune?" Mercury questioned, "He looks exactly like him."

"He may have the body of Neptune, but trust me... he doesn't have the same mind as him."

The statement left the Rockies even more confused.

"Poseidon! Stop this at once!" The Sun exclaimed in a booming voice.

'Neptune' scoffed, "As if I'll listen to you, Sol. Everything you said was a lie. You condone their actions... how could you allow them to push him away?"

"Listen, I had no idea until it was too late." Sun raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, "You know how I am at communicating."

"That's no excuse... there'll never be a reasonable answer for ejecting someone, let alone someone I thought of as a brother!"

"That happened billions of years ago, Poseidon! Your brother is safe- he's staying within the Kuiper Belt."

Poseidon seemed unsure about the response given, head tilting a bit. Then, his expression darkened, "As I recall, you're giving him a 'second chance.' You're waiting for the day he messes up so you can just eject him again!"

With a wave of his Trident, Poseidon summoned a wave of cosmic lightning, making a quick downward gesture.

Venus summoned his sword, reflecting the bolts off it. He sheathed it before summoning his bow. He shot arrow after arrow at Poseidon, who managed to dodge all but one.

"Agh!" Poseidon grasped his shoulder, pulling the arrow out. He raised his Trident once more, "You little-"

"That's enough, Poseidon!" A hand seized the other's wrist.

"You-" Poseidon's glare hardened upon seeing Jupiter, "You were the one who ejected Nine!"

Jupiter winced, yet stood his ground as he clutched Poseidon's wrist, "That's true, but I doubt you know the full story behind why we had to."