Pubber had grown slowly, passing days with sleepy wistfulness. Rarely did she wander from her mother, and rarer still did she grow so bold as to adventure out into the caves. The world was a scary place, and around every corner was some new, startling sight.

But before long, she had found herself in a place that sung in her ears. She couldn't explain it-- there wasn't any sound, but she could hear the stars that glistened over head, and her paws tingled as she trotted through the blue stone cavern. What was this place? Crystals outcroppings drew her attention, and she made her way toward their bright, sheer surfaces, and as she drew closer, she found they took on the pink shade of her bright fur. Could stone blush?

She said nothing as she stared, eyes wide and hopeful. With her mother, she often made the stones sing-- whether her gem or various rocks she found scattered around-- but these were strange rocks... and she did not know if she could talk to them. She hoped they weren't shy.

The strange, unnatural creature hadn't stayed long in its mother's home. It was too small there, too cramped for its tastes. There was a world out there for it to see. Regalia's world. It'd been apparent from the moment it'd burst out of its chrysalis that it was something special. Very special. It wasn't going to waste time with someone that only looked down on them and supposed siblings it cared very little for.

This place was right near where Wilder lived and, already, Regalia liked this one more. The twinkling lights above glistened gorgeously, the crumbling city was beautiful in a deeply sad and somber way, and it felt a lot more alive then the other one. The cave of the crystal was, well, it was filled with so much energy that sometimes the cloud vibrated with the magical energy in the air. It wasn't really a specific feeling, really, since a disembodied cloud of gas couldn't really feel anything, but it made it uncomfortable in a strange way.

So, off to somewhere else.

It drifted, hovering only a few inches off the ground as it willed its body to roll forward. The darkness and the glowing colors and lights decorating its "body" shifted continuously, the outlines of its cat-like figure blurring and shifting in odd ways. After some time, a bright color came into its senses. The glowing golden orbs immediately honed in on it, changing the course so that it was approaching this phenomenon instead of aimlessly wandering.

A creature quite unlike Wilder, but the pink of its fur reminded it of her eyes and her gemstone. Strange. But fascinating. As it approached, it didn't wait for any formal introduction, instead pushing the head-shaped gas forward, the neck stretching completely unnaturally, so that the golden orbs could get a better look at the thing, observing closely and carefully.

@Pubber

The pink Pubber was met with silence, but more deafening than the silence was her own disappointment. She had been hoping to make some friends, but clearly the stones saw her as strangers. She could make out her own, pink, fuzzy shape in their reflection, but that was all they wanted to share with her.

She was about to open her mouth and say something to the outcrop of gem, when a shadow glistened in the mirror. Pubber's ears pricked, a cold chill running down her spine, and she turned, scrambling backward toward the crystals that jutted out from the floor. With wide fuchsia eyes, she stared at something completely new... something completely alien to her.

Two glowing orbs of light stared into her very soul, surrounded by a miasma of starlit void. The thing moved, and that told her that it was a creature, and Pubber did not like other creatures. She liked the unmoving stone, because it was predictable. It did not change unless something acted upon it. Creatures... Creatures had minds of their own.

... It was pretty, however, like the stars that glistened in the stone roof above. Maybe her nervousness was superfluous. After all, the creature had yet to say anything to her, and it didn't seem to be aggressive... It was just watching her, like she had been staring at the crystal.

Pubber stared, silent as the stone that still refused to resonate with her.

@Regalia

The pink creature didn't speak to it, or even react that much at all. How curious. Perhaps gas creatures were more normal in these caves then it had originally thought...no, that didn't seem right. Wilder had been surprised to see it when it had hatched and she had told it that it was unusual. It liked to think of itself as truly unique, one of a kind. Divine. Then that was the answer - the creature was simply frozen in awe.

Lights danced across its body, flickering and twinkling as it tried to communicate. Perhaps there were some creatures that could understand the patterns of movement, but Regalia would be hard pressed to find any. Still, it tried, asking a strange and wild question, perhaps to test the creature's understanding.

From its heart, magic poured into the air, vibrations of sound whispering in the pink creature's ears. Wilder and Bauble had understood its voice, magically changed into a whispering voice. Otherworldly and indescribable, neither masculine nor feminine, like the sound of a hundred different voices whispering in unison. "Be calm. I am Regalia. What is your name?"

@Pubber

The feline-shaped cloud flickered and danced with stars, transfixing the young gembound who had never seen anything quite like the creature before her. When a hundred voices murmured in her ears, her fur bristled defensively. Taking a step back, her back arched, eyes widening further.

Regalia was the creature's name, if it was a single creature at all. Perhaps it was a million stars, and that was who they were. "Pubber," she answered the stardust's question, her mouth hanging open and exposing her black opal upper fangs. Her jaw remained parted for a few long seconds, filled with wonder and uncertainty, before she repeated, "My name is Pubber... What are you?"

That question was perhaps a bit rude... Maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all. Her nose twitching, she raised a huge paw to scratch at her muzzle in embarrassment. "I-- it's nice to... meet you." She tried to rectify her bad manners. She glanced toward the crystals that she had backed up into, her pink fur reflecting and refracting through the whole structure. With another nervous attempt, she tried to get the stone to hum, and finally it began to sing a soft, lowly reverberating tune.

"O-oh! They weren't doing that before," she squeaked, glancing back toward Regalia. She waved her paw, gesturing for the cloud of stars to come closer. "Do you hear it?"

@Regalia

Regalia was quite enjoying the pink creature's stunned, wild expression, knowing that it had caused such a reaction, merely with its presence. To have such an effect on the masses was, well, it made the gas around its gem shiver. It liked this emotion. And it liked the emotion that this "Pubber" was displaying. The nervousness and anxiety, however, that put it off a bit. It did not want Pubber to fear its presence. It would have to rectify this.

The emotions seemed to disrupt it, however, as the next time it tried to whisper, the magic fizzled and fell away before it could even leave its gemstone, effectively muting it for the time being. Another emotion swept them away - frustration, correct? It should not be failing like this. Everything should be working at all times and at nothing less then perfection. It occurred to Regalia that, perhaps, the chiming had been the thing to cause its magic to fail, but from the way Pubber was reacting, mentioning it (when, of course, it was capable of speaking) would only bring upset.

At Pubber's motioning, Regalia allowed itself to follow its command, drifting forward so that it was next to the stone. The glowing orbs were focused on the crystals, picking up the vibrations and converting them to a medium Regalia could understand. Still aware that it could not speak at the moment, Regalia allowed its form to temporarily break, the edges blurring as dark gas began drifting free from its mold. In a moment, the form of the cat was barely a shadow amid a cloud of void, the bright lights of its brains sparkling behind its eyes. Regalia began to push its gases around, the lights and colors blinking with delight. It was an incredibly strange spectacle, but playful, wisps of dark gas reaching forward to touch the stone as it sang.

@Pubber

The creature did not reply with words, instead sparkling and shifting. Pubber stared-- still being a fair bit rude, unfortunately-- as the cloud turned into a fuzzy fog, smokey tendrils reaching out to the crystals and stone.

Pubber's ears pricked, and her eyes widened once again as she inched her nose forward. Her mouth hung open again, this time in a wide, silly smile. Did Regalia like the sound, then? She hoped so-- maybe if she focused, she could make it a bit louder and more clear.

Encouraged by the strange nebula's reaction, the bear-alien hybrid focused. Her own gemstone began to hum with a funny tingle along the roof of her mouth. The stone under her began to play a little melody too, but the crystals were the real source of the magical song. The sound whirred at a beautiful, pure high pitch, and as Pubber focused, she tried to make it match the flicker, dim and glow of Regalia.

The pink bear sat her haunches down on the cool ground and watched with delight at her creation. She was quickly absorbed in the beauty of her song, and in the way the reflective crystals mirrored her and the starlit gas friend she had made. It was one of the prettiest things she had ever seen and heard, and she eagerly awaited to hear what Regalia thought of it.

@Regalia

The chiming in the crystals grew louder as Regalia moved, sending shivers and ripples through the cloud of gas, and it realized a moment later that Pubber was most likely the one behind it, as her expression warped into one of concentration. The music swelled and matched the movement of its lights as they danced and twinkled and Regalia found itself caught up in the experience. For an instant, the smallest fraction of a second, everything was more perfect then it ever had been before. A sense of oneness and unity fell over Regalia's mind as the lights and music fell perfectly in sync. It wanted to preserve this moment for eternity, to always remember that sense of pure wonder as it danced and the crystals sang.

It seemed to be affecting Pubber in a similar fashion, as the bear sat down on her haunches, watching the nebula dance to the tune of her magic. Regalia wanted to express this feeling, this emotion to the creature, but how? What words could it say to Pubber that could properly encapsulate the beauty she'd created? There weren't any, so it did what was second best.

The magic reached this time (which meant the crystals were not the cause of interference) and the same ethereal voice whispered in Pubber's ear. "I am that I am. You are Pubber...and you have created beauty. I thank you for this. It is a wondrous gift you hold - cherish it well." It continued to dance as it spoke, a spreading galaxy before the bear's eyes.

@Pubber

Pubber's eyes stretched wide as Regalia pulsed in time to the musical chiming, as though they had found a way to sync up their shared existences. The young, hot pink fluffball was still completely starstruck as the cloud's voice murmured in her ears a praise that made her heart flutter.

"Th-thank you!" She squeaked in reply, raising her long muzzle with pride. A jolt of nervousness shot down her spine, her fur puffing out instinctively. "I'm really glad you... um..." She swallowed noisily, lowering her head into her shoulders again, "liked it." Shuffling up to her paws, she felt unsteady on her feet, even... a little giddy, actually.

"I promise, I'll cherish it forever!" She insisted, reaching her nose forward toward the cloud in a friendly gesture like the little nose-boops her mother sometimes gave her. In her ears, the vestige of music still rang even as her magic faded. She needed to practice with the crystals more... But the caves thus far hadn't had too many outcroppings. Maybe she needed to keep exploring, and find new places with different sounds and songs to play.

@Regalia

It continued to watch Pubber as it spread itself out, but the sensation was putting a strange strain on its mind. It was quite uncomfortable to be holding itself out like this and, a moment later, the dark gas began retracting back quickly, almost snapping back into the vague cat-like shape it had before. It felt better now, as this shape, but it wondered why these limiters were in place. Perhaps it was because this was the first shape it had taken and it was like a memory in the gas's patterns. It knew it had the ability to stretch wider, as long as it stayed in one cloud, but now it realized that the more spread out, the more uncomfortable it became.

Odd.

This was not relevant at this moment. Regalia's focus returned to Pubber and it drifted forward, a little confused by the gesture she had just given - her nose, after all, had passed right through the gas. Curiously, Regalia had the gas making up its head lean forward - it was an unnatural and strange movement, but it was trying. The tip of its "nose" booped against Pubber's, but the gas didn't feel like anything, only parting as soon as it pressed against the bear cub's face. The gas retracted back a moment later, returning to its original form. "This...gesture. What does it...mean?"

@Pubber