Submission (#3992) Approved

Late at night, two friends gather around a small coffee table. They had just finished a board-game round, which the third friend collecting snacks in the kitchen had won by a land-slide. The two at the table were putting up the game and setting up another. Tassel huffs as he scoops a few small pieces into a zippy bag. “I don't know why we even play Trouble anymore, Calypso always wins!” From across the table, Cotton playfully pops the dice dome in the middle of the board before folding it up and replying, “Well it's still fun, and we almost beat it this time! We just have to strategize better.” Tassel rolls his eyes, “It's all chance! There's no strategy!” But his annoyance is short-lived when Calypso walks back into the room with a big plate of cheese and crackers. Tassel, Tussle, and Tumble dig in the moment the plate hits the table. Cotton struggles to get a paw past the frenzy, but successfully grabs a cracker.

“So, who's up for a round of-” Cotton is interrupted by a sudden change in the air. They all feel it immediately, a certain weight that buzzes against their visors and lifts their fur with electricity. All the lights in the room flicker off, but they aren't plunged into utter darkness. Instead, a steady glow emanates from the living room window. Cotton and Tassel exchange nervous looks as Calypso scrambles to get a better look through the glass. “What is it?” Cotton whispers across the room at Calypso. The tardigrade Terra is now bouncing excitedly, a blue-purple glow reflecting off it's visor. It turns around and imitates a wavy effect by wiggling their body and arms. “What?” Tassel askes and the smaller Terra rushes past towards the front door. Cotton shrugs and follows calmly. Tassel is close on their heels, nervously tugging at his tail.

Outside, the world is shades of blue, green, and purple. High above the trees and clouds there is a glorious glowing flow of light. Streams of yellow and white intermittently break through the oceanic hues. And all throughout, a soft glittering effect makes the whole sky shimmer like nothing before. Calypso continues to jump in excitement, pointing at the sky with three stubby hands. Cotton and Tassel stare awe-struck at the sight, heads craned back as far as they can go. Tassel chuckles and catches Cotton's attention. They look over and see their friend imitating Calypso's interpretation of the movement from moments ago. He laughs again and says “Pretty good description if you ask me!” Cotton giggles and walks over to Calypso, sitting in the grass next to it. Tassel settles down on the other side of Cotton, and finally Calypso takes a seat. The three of them lay back in the grass simultaneously, taking in the beautiful sight saturating the sky.