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Mercury woke up to the soft sounds of a guitar being strummed. He was still laying on Venus's western hemisphere, and his partner was still playing the guitar.
"Venus...you're not yet done playing?" Mercury asked him with a yawn.
Venus pulled him closer. "Nope." He played a few more chords, using his gravity. Because they were sentient, talking planets that didn't have any hands for obvious reasons. Venus had always played the rock guitar, but recently he's picked up the acoustic guitar too. He's been strumming for what felt like hours on end, and Mercury was resting in his gravitational embrace.
The Sun, their Star, gently approached them. He noticed the expressions of boredom on their faces. Venus played, and Mercury was doomscrolling on his phone. "What are you up to, my Planets?" he asked them, his tone tender—a stark contrast to his once loud, intimidating voice.
"Dying of boredom, Big Guy. What do you think?" Venus yawned, adjusting one of his guitar's chords.
"Hm..." the Sun looked at them with worry, before hovering away from them to look at his other Planets.
"Chthonian planets refer to planets that were stripped of their atmosphere, and are likely the results surviving a Red Giant Star." Jupiter informed his moons, writing down his words on a chalkboard. His Galilean moons Ganymede, Europa, Io, and Callisto were seated on cute little classroom desks with notebooks and papers on them. Ganymede was texting on his phone, Callisto was drawing on her notebook, and Io was fast asleep on his desk. Europa was the only one who was taking notes, her smile eager and her eyes sparkling with each new information she was picking up.
Meanwhile, Saturn was hosting a baking class with his own moons. "Now, everyone, use the cookie cutters on your designated stations to mold your dough into the desired shape," he gently ordered, watching the moons take different cutters with them. Titan grabbed the Saturn-shaped cutter and pressed it onto his dough. Rhea took the heart-shaped cutter, Dione got the one shaped like a crown, and Enceladus got the one shaped like a tree. "Good! The next step is to carefully scoop up your cookie doughs and place them onto the tray."
From the furthest orbits, Uranus and Neptune were busy painting some asteroids. Some had faces on them, while some of them were turned into cute little canvases. You could tell who painted which asteroid. "I miss Guillermo already! Do you miss him too, Uranus?" Neptune asked his cousin.
"I do, mate! He...He was a good companion. I'm sure Planet X is taking care of him well." Uranus replied, nodding.
Lastly, the Sun watched Earth and Mars from afar. They were playing SolarCards together, while their moons Luna and twins Phobos and Deimos, respectively, were playing hide and seek.
The Sun went back to his orbit. He thought real hard for a moment. Things were indeed normal now at the Solar System...but how come everyone looked...bored? He needed to get everyone back together, properly. He wanted to celebrate them, but how?
"Mercury! Venus!" The Sun called out to his hottest, closest rocky planets.
"Okay, so I just have to strum the chord like this...and bam. Don't strum too hard, unless you want to use a guitar pick." Venus gently led Mercury, teaching him how to play the guitar, too.
"Could you two come over for a minute?" their star called out again. Mercury and Venus looked at each other, nodding.
"Hey, Sun. What can we do for you?" Venus asked, putting down his guitar.
"I want to do something for all of you. But I don't know where to start!" The Sun explained.
"We could host another beach party if you want!" Mercury eagerly suggested.
"Or host a SolarCards Against Roguenity night," Venus smugly suggested.
"Actually...I have a better idea!" The Sun smiled. "I'll host a graduation ceremony!"
Mercury and Venus looked at each other, eyes widened. "A graduation! But...we haven't been in school for years, and we graduated long ago," Venus pointed out.
"I know, I know. But it'll be a different kind of ceremony, I promise! I just...want to make you all feel special again," the star sighed, his rays gently softening in their glow. "I feel like even if we've all talked and stuff, there's still something I haven't done. So I want to celebrate you guys!" His two planets looked at each other, blushing, then smiled back at the Sun.
It was time for the Planets to graduate...again!
Three days later...
"Dear, you don't think this graduation cap makes my head look too big, right?" Jupiter asked Saturn.
"No, hun. You look fine!" Saturn chuckled, adjusting his own cap.
"Mars. Mars, you are not wearing those antennae with the cap," Earth sighed, watching as Mars took selfies of himself with his graduation cap and the green antennae headband he wore in front of it.
"It's fashion, bro. Gotta look like I serve somehow. I mean look at Venus, he has sunglasses on!" Mars pointed at Venus, who was trying keep his sunglasses from falling off his head.
"Mate, I'm so excited! We're graduating!" Uranus giggled to Neptune, who was finishing up making improvised graduation caps for his little moons and Triton, out of balls of yarn.
"Me too! Now my moons can match wth us!" Neptune proudly lined up his moons with knitted graduation caps.
"...Do I really have to wear this? It's too small on my head," Triton complained, his cap already falling off.
"What kind of awards do you think we'll get?" Mercury asked, helping Venus fix his cap.
"Shortest planet, fastest planet, smallest planet—" Venus joked, but was quickly off by Mercury playfully thwacking him with his cap.
"Venus!" The duo snorted, laughing together.
The Sun propped up a small stage and a microphone in his orbit. He cleared his throat, switching the mic on. "Ahem! Attention, everyone!"
The Solar Squad turned to face him. "Good! Now you might all be wondering why I gathered you in here and made you wear those caps...but if you haven't guessed it yet, it's now your graduation day!" Everyone cheered. "I know you all may have graduated years ago, but today I call you for a different reason. This graduation is unlike the ones presented in most Earthling schools, but rather...it's a Solar System graduation! I know I have not been a fair Star to you all, and even if you're all back here, I still feel like something is missing. Which is why this ceremony is meant to celebrate you! I heard some of you talk about a bummer of a summer vacation—"
"A bummer vacation!" Earth cut off, cracking a joke. Everyone laughed.
The Sun giggled, continuing his speech. "Right, what Earth said! So a bummer vacation in the Rogue Kingdom was not what many of you had expected. Where are the private space islands or resorts you wanted to retreat to? The bustling cities you wanted to party in? Or the all-expense trips you were looking for? I know my star system may not have those here, but I still want you guys to feel safe, to be able to enjoy yourselves again...and treat every day from now on as a permanent vacation!" The crowd roared. "So your graduation will celebrate your overall growth, development, and your journey into darkness and back as you went from being kids into—" the Sun held back tears, sniffing and blinking his eyes. "—into older, wiser, and more matured planets that I couldn't be any more proud of. You fought for your own independence but also continued to fight for the ones you love, and breaking through your own walls without losing your identities. So cheers to all of you. Cheers to the Solar System!"
"Cheers!" The Solar System planets shouted. The moons of the Solar System hit the sound system and began to play a familiar graduation march song.
"Well, then! May I now call on the candidates for graduation of the class of 2026! Starting out with the closest planet, Mercury Solario!" Everyone applauded as Mercury went up the stage. He received a pretend diploma (which was immediately caught on fire and turned to dust). "Our first planet of the Solar System, Mercury will receive the special award, Most Likely to Strike A Comeback: for his great change in standing up to himself from Venus, and for also defending his home and host star even amidst chaos." Mercury bowed, receiving his medal.
"May I call on our next candidate, Venus Morningstar!" Venus got up on the stage, adjusting his sunglasses. "Venus recently became a Moon's Lister and will graduate with praise and a Latin honor. He also has a special award, Most Likely to Grieve Gracefully: for his strength and amazing courage in moving on from the loss of a dear friend." As this award was mentioned, Venus blinked back a small sulfuric tear, accepting his two medals then bowing.
"Our third candidate, please! Terra 'Earth' Theiadore!" Earth struck a pose as he went up the stage. "Earth will receive the special award, Mr. World: for his continuous resilience in hosting and supporting life on his surface, despite the many pains and changes he had gone through billions of years." Earth bowed, receiving his medal. "This one is for you, my Earthlings!" the blue planet muttered softly.
"Here comes our fourth graduate, Mars Arestopher!" Mars went up to the stage, putting on his antennae headband and winking at the crowd. "Mars recently became a Planet's Lister and will receive great praise and a Latin honor. He also bags the special award Mr. Asteroid Dodgeball: for his acquired skills and sportsmanship in every tournament!" Mars bowed, receiving two medals.
"Up next, we have Zeus Jovi 'Jupiter' Firstborn!" Lots of screams from the crowd. "Jupiter has always been a Star's Lister, receiving the highest praise and a Latin honor as the star system's valedictorian!" And more cheers. "Jupiter will also receive the Revolutionary Leader award, for his dedication in serving his star system and for being a good example to both his fellow planets and his very own moons." Jupiter's medals barely fit him, but still, he happily accepted them and bowed.
"Coming up next, Saturn Ringston!" Saturn slowly went up the stage, carefully adjusting his rings so as to not ruin the stage. "Saturn will receive an award in Most Likely to Care for the Most Moons: for his incredible ability to host almost three hundred moons alone. Saturn has also shown great development in becoming a better figure to his moons, from remembering names to properly spending time with each and every one of them." His moons cheered for their planet loudly.
"WE LOVE YOU, SATURN!!!!" Titan screamed so loud that his voice croaked, eliciting laughter from his other fellow Saturnian moons.
"Second to the last, is Caelus 'Uranus' Urano! Our resident artist and painter. Come on up!" Saturn was giggling and taking some selfies as he went up the stage. "Uranus will receive the special award Mx. Congeniality, for his sociable qualities, particularly his alliance with Planet X, formerly of Sol, now the Rogue Ambassador to the Solar System!" Everyone cheered as Uranus received his two medals and bowed. He took another selfie and sent it to Planet X.
"And last, but never the least, is Neptune Poseas! May you please come up the stage!" Neptune spun around in cartwheels as he took the stage. Of course, he had to take his moons with him. "Neptune, to everyone's surprise, is getting a Latin honor with great praise for being a Planet's Lister this year! And also the Moon Parent of the Year award." Neptune slipped on his honor medal, but surprised the crowd once again when he put on his special medal onto Triton! His largest moon quickly burst into tears of joy as he happily accepted it, as the little Neptunian moons carried him like he was crowd-surfing. Everyone clapped and bowed as the eight planets received their awards.
"Up next, we'll have a little performance by the Dwarf Planets and Dwarf Planet Candidates! With their fierce fashion, familial bonds, and friendship, they're about to put on a dance number ready to orbit around your mind for days!" The Sun read from a script, as he welcome Pluto and Charon, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. He also welcome Sedna, Orcus, Quaoar, and Gonggong, all onto the stage. The music was about to play with Ceres leading the sound system for this one (even if he just ate one of the mics), when they were suddenly stopped by the eight Planets.
"Wait!" Jupiter exclaimed. The group of nine stopped in their tracks, nodding as they gave way for Jupiter onstage. "Thank you, little friends. We also have an announcement to make. Sun, if you may please come up on the stage!" The moons did a little ooh as they were intrigued on why Jupiter called the Sun back over.
"Huh? What's going on, Jupiter?" The Sun asked, surprised. His eyes widened when Jupiter presented a small trophy that was just a bit bigger than the gas giant. It appeared to be a makeshift trophy made of cardboard. It looked clumsily crafted. "Oh my! What's all this?"
"You deserve an award too, Sun." Jupiter said as the other planets lined up with him. "So we're presenting the Redeemed Star award, for our host star. For your redemption and quest to become a better planet parent to us. For your hard work and courage and your own great transformation. Like us, you soared through your own journey into darkness. You came back for us when we were all so close to giving up, and proved that in the end, the light will always shine, even from within. Thank you, Sun, for everything."
The Sun tearfully accepted his little trophy...and accidentally burnt it. "Oops," he croaked, still crying.
Everyone burst into laughter over the silly, yet tender moment.
The End