A star's light

Awakening

       Their first sensation was heat. The kind of heat that can scorch star systems and burn entire planets to cinders. Plasma burning with all the energy of a star circled around their core. They found the sensation soothing. Fiery plasma and cosmic energy flowed through them, painting stunning patterns on the back of their eyelids. Lesser beings would have found it terrifying but they thought it beautiful. It was their life force, their very essence.

The newly born star opened their eyes and took in the majesty of space. A stellar nursery surrounded them reflecting their brilliance in a plethora of colors. Awestruck, they rose from their curled up position and stretched their limbs for the first time. The very fabric of spacetime rippled as they moved. Instinctively they looked for others like them. They knew deep in their core that stars were not born alone. Yet as they looked upon the vast clouds of gas and dust they were born from, there were no other visible light sources. There were no other other stars present or so they believed.

A booming laugh startled them from their thoughts. Their surface instinctively flared as they searched for the voice's origin. The laughter ceased as a massive hand waved away the cloud of dust in front of them. The young star's body trembled in barely concealed nervousness. Floating in front of them was a massive star, hundreds maybe thousands of times their size. The bigger star's light was dull yet their smile blinding. The smaller star studied the bigger one for a moment. Their plasma swirled sluggishly and was a dull crimson compared to their own brilliant white. They didn't look well. Were they tired? Still the tremble didn't leave them as they considered the size difference. The smaller star was all too aware of how small they must look. 

They hesitantly doused their flares and struggled to hover upright. It was difficult for them to manipulate their gravity to maneuver themselves but they managed. The young star forced their fear of the newcomer (were they the other star in this system? No they were too old for that) aside and raised a hand in greeting. They refused to show fear. Fear meant weakness. As the eldest star in their system it was their duty to protect their future siblings as they formed.

"Hello" they called. Despite their best efforts, their voice trembled. Forcing it steady they tried again. "What's your name? Why are you here?" The red star laughed again and they felt the tremors from it ripple through space. Not to be deterred they stared stone faced at the bigger star. Their mind raced with the possibility that they were hostile. There was no was they could possibly fight the other but universe damn them if they didn't protect their future siblings. But for now, diplomacy was their best bet if they wanted to live. The red star's voice interrupted their musings.

"I forgot how entertaining it was to watch the birth of a star!" The younger star looked at the older one with confusion. Of all the things they expected them to say, that wasn't on the list. "What's so funny?" "Your reaction" they wheezed as they fought to catch their breath. "Most stars are terrified or disoriented upon igniting. But you were ready to fight almost immediately!" The smaller star's mind raced but they didn't get a chance to reply before the bigger one barreled on. "My name is Solaris. I was assigned to watch over this place until the new stars were born and the star system stable."

The smaller star considered this. Their words made sense and they wouldn't mind the company. They also wouldn't mind an elder star showing them how the universe worked. But they remained wary of the elder star. "Why you? No offense but you don't seem entirely stable or suited to work with newborn stars." The other star gave them a smile far too wide to be comfortable. "The higher ranked stars probably wanted me to do this after my system fell apart. Spend long enough in isolation and something in your mind snaps. They probably thought that guiding younger stars and teaching them the essentials would help heal my mind."  The nameless star felt their core clench in empathy. They floated forward until they could touch Solaris. "I'm sorry." Hesitantly they did their best to hug the older star's leg. Solaris sniffed and picked them up. They bit back a shriek as they were cuddled into Solaris's chest. It took a moment to them to realize that they were being shown affection and not attacked. After calming themselves down, they settled comfortably into the cuddle an almost unnatural calmness overtaking them. The other's plasma was cooler than their own but still pleasantly warm against their surface. The extra heat relaxed them and they stifled a yawn. "Thank you little one" Solaris mumbled. "It's been so long since someone was kind do me like that."