Cosmic Dust

Chapters

Chapter 1: Falling Star
Chapter 2: From the Ashes
Chapter 3: Legacy
Chapter 4 - Silence
Chapter 5: Tau Ceti
Chapter 6: Big Boss
Chapter 7: Judgement
Chapter 8: Guilt
Chapter 9: Little Strokes
Chapter 10: The Amulet

Chapter 1: Falling Star

The vessel slowly hummed as it floated across the void of nothingness. It had been weeks since they had left the outskirts of the galaxy, and yet the ones they were supposed to meet were nowhere to be located.

The creature yawned, already losing its patience. Through the deck’s window infinite little orbs of light shimmered, creating an imaginary black wall spattered in white paint. Just as black as the creature standing there. No, she wasn’t black. The pony was colourless, just like a black hole, no light ever reflected off its coat.

The ship, however, wasn’t completely enveloped in darkness. Behind it, the beautiful glow of the disc flat galaxy provided a smaller mare with the only sense of direction, and warmth that she could find. The pony’s eyes shined as her face glued to the side window, slowly slipping to the side, eventually losing her balance and falling awkwardly. The taller one did not react.

The Strahl itself wasn’t large. It could fit two pilots and a couple more passengers, but was not wide enough to allow one to have a stretch. Adding up to their mental exhaustion, the physical fatigue was already noticeable on them both. They couldn’t stand around much longer.

“It seems they did not consider us worthy of their presence,” The taller mare snickered. “We shall return, too much time was wasted on this matter.” With that being said, she pressed her hoof into a glowing cavity in the ship’s mainframe interface. The smaller pony sat on the reclined seat, fitting perfectly as if it had been made specially for her. And well, it had been.

The hum turned into a hearable buzz, the ship turning around to face the majestic ellipse of light. Mother constantly rotated her hoof inside the cavity, every time she changed direction it played a soft beep. It was a pain to acquire this custom part. Ponies aren't exactly common in the Milky Way, buying pre-made parts was impossible.

The buzz became louder. The ship started to move in the galaxy’s direction, speed increasing exponentially. At least, so said the screen. Relatively to the galaxy’s mass, extreme speeds barely changed its appearance.

Until the ship’s environmental light turned red. Everything disappeared in a white flash, an infinite stream of matter colliding with the front of the vessel. When the light wore off, the stars became visible once more, and in front of them, stood a large blue planet with a recognizable geology. The jump was successful.

“Why are we returning here?” The smaller one asked, displeased by what she witnessed.

“There are issues that require attention.” The other one said bluntly, unphased by the swift change of colours and brightness.

The white mare sent a distrustful stare. Another lie. As usual.

The sadness was overwhelming.

The silent parade of people slowly strolled through the park. Both their clothing and mood was obscure, they all marched with a single purpose, sharing the same pain. Their hands shook in the cold, struggling to hold the umbrellas against the winter wind.

Death. Behind the hill they were arriving at, the many gravestones made themselves prominent in contrast to the moonlight. The group stopped at a couple graves, standing next to each other. And they stood there, staring.

Eventually, one woman started crying. She dropped her umbrella and fell on her knees, disregarding the heavy rain in that night.

“Why? Why did this have to happen?” She shouted into the skies in a cry of agony, her tears being quickly wiped clean by the deluge. The ache in her heart though, was not.

The woman had dark blue hair, with a streak of pink running across it. Once combed beautifully, it was now flat wet, covering half her face. A hand ran across it, clearing her vision, then resting on her cheek.

A boy, no older than ten, stood in front of her with red swollen eyes. He could look the woman eye to eye, and for some reason, it calmed her down. Suddenly, she embraced him in a hug, causing tears to burst from the other attendees.

The rain stopped, at least for them. Looking above, the woman noticed yet another woman, holding an umbrella and smiling with a gentle look, a single tear in the corner of her eye. Eyes with such fierce amber colour, that almost dismissed the cold of the night. She was wearing casual clothing, in contrast to the grieving crowd in black.

“Let’s get you somewhere warm.”

The surrounding foliage danced wildly in the wind as the ship landed in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. The larger pony removed her hoof from the control tube, waving it around to relax the cramped limb. The smaller one’s horn became enveloped in a faint white glow, this same glow found its way around a lever in the side of the deck.

Pulling it back, the side door rolled itself up like a carpet, the flexibility of the metal contrasting its sturdiness. Both stepped outside, taking in the fresh air. Noticing a patch of flowers next to the tree line, the smaller one galloped there, her tongue hanging from the side of her mouth. With a single bite, she swallowed one whole, earning a disapproving look from the other one.

“What?” She said, while chewing on the petals. “I am hungry!”

“Couldn’t you wait until we got some proper food?” Her voice was just as mighty and scary as her appearance. The smaller didn’t flinch though.

“But I am sooooo hungry!” She said, letting a single petal fly free from her mouth, only to be successfully recaptured by her horn’s power. “Next time we have to get our food reserves somewhere else, that salesman was too greedy with the prices! I’ve been starving for days! Don’t tell me you don’t feel the same, Mother?”

Her mother did not reply, she simply shook her head. “Follow me, this forest is not without its dangers.”

Mother and daughter trotted through the shadowy woods. The daughter couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease, a looming evil watching over them.

The trees almost completely blocked the sunlight. Every now and then they’d come across swampy lands, forcing them to take alternative routes. The tall bushes blocked the white mare’s vision, but not her mother. No, her head peeked out of the foliage, her eyes surveilling the surroundings for danger.

A log stood in the way, invisible through the bushes. The small mare tripped on it, falling on hanging vines below her forehooves. She tried to get out, but only got further entrapped, earning yet another disappointed look from her mother. She used her own power to rescue the little one from distress, snapping the vines with ease, then walking away while shaking her head. The white pony blushed in embarrassment.

The forest came to an end as both ponies walked out to a clearing. In there, a handful of wooden cottages stood behind a fenced area. But that wasn’t what drew the ponies’ attention.

Inside the perimeter, a tall white pony, taller than Mother, stood proudly while smiling to a smaller adult pony, a green coated mare with light yellow braids, having a conversation. What was most intriguing about the taller one was her mane: blue, green and pink.

“Have you decided what to call this piece of land?” The white mare asked.

“We can’t thank ya enough for what you’ve done for mah family. We’d be more than honoured to have Your Majesty name it yaself.”

“Very well then, Ms. Smith, I will.”

“Damn it...” her mother slithered, while her colourless coat absorbed the light around her, becoming transparent. “Dust! Invisibility!”

“Celestia...” she said, not answering her mother, for she was already invisible. Her eyes burned with anger.

Through her eyes, everything had a purple tone; she had shifted to a parallel realm. One close to allow observing reality, but not enough to interact with it. A spell she had learnt a long time ago.

Following her mother’s lead, the ponies sneaked past the fences, slowly pulling out of invisibility to pull the wooden gate back with their magic.

As they reached the middle of the small village, a group of ponies trotted by, all of them with smiles filling their faces. They came to a stop by the Majesty, who let out a small chuckle in reaction to the crowd. Further back a train could be seen, standing on a railway, behind a building larger than the others.

“Fillies and gentlecolts! I am delighted to see how much progress you have done with this land in such a small amount of years.” She spoke, gracefully shifting her vision from one side to another. “When I first sat my eyes upon you, I saw something I had not seen in a long time: perseverance.

“Most ponies in Canterlot do not understand, and never will, the hardships a roamer comes across on their journey. This land is the very proof that even if threatened by the dangers of the Everfree Forest, a community can still thrive and survive.

“And so I proudly name this town, Ponyville!” The crowd stomped their hoofs in the ground, in a thunderous applause. “May it be an example to all citizens of Equestria!”

“We’re done here.” Dust’s mother whispered “Let’s return to the Strahl.

“But what about the food?”

“Now!”

They ran back, their steps being muted by the celebration. As they approached the gate, a couple of shadows runned past them, leaving Dust breathless. They moved swiftly, and when she had turned around, they were gone. A short moment after, a scream echoed through the village.

The commotion stopped. A bright flash of yellow light came from the center of the village, and then, an explosion. Bits of wood went flying everywhere, one of them almost hitting Dust’s mother, who shielded herself with her magic.

“What was that?” Dust asked, dying of curiosity to go and see for herself.

“Do not know, do not care, move!”

Dust rolled her eyes, but followed. She was getting tired of half truths.

“The kid’s finally asleep.” said the other woman, who had introduced herself on the way there as Mary. Her sudden appearance startled Rose into another sneeze. “So, you’re Rose? Jacob’s cousin?” She asked, while holding two steaming cups. Now in the light, Rose could see how she looked like. Wearing a grey sweater and a pair of jeans, she couldn’t look more casual. But what was more remarkable was her amber fierce eyes, clashing with her light blue hair.

“Yes. I am very close to him. Was...” she answered, her eyes becoming watered once more.

“Now now, don’t cry more.” The woman answered with a worried tone, while handing Rose a cup. Hot chocolate. Rose smiled, as it brought back memories of her and her cousin. “I have heard that you have been crying ever since the accident, and that won’t do you any good. You have to eventually move on.”

“Thank you, thank you a lot.” Rose answered, trying her best to look cheered up. “I can’t even imagine what poor Jake must be feeling.”

“He’s a tough kid, he’ll pull through.” Mary reassured her, then taking a sip of hot chocolate. “At least I hope so...” she whispered to herself.

“What will become of him?”

“He’ll stay with me until it’s decided which family member will take care of the little guy. He was supposed to stay at the orphanage where I work, but I volunteered to take him under my wing, for now. He already went through a lot, he needs someone to take care of him on a more... personal level. Like his parents would.” She sighed. She looked completely worn out, as if the past few days had been too difficult to endure.

“Did you know them? Jacob and Louise?” Rose asked.

“Unfortunately no, I saw them frequently, just like everyone on this small town, but I never had a chance to exchange words. More reason to find a suitable guardian asap.” she answered bluntly.

Rose stared at her cup, her reflexion barely visible in the entrancing dark brown. She then said: “I’ll take him. I’ll take care of Jake.”

“Wow hold your horses, you are in no condition of making decisions. No offense, but the last thing the kid needs is another depressed person taking care of him.”

Rose was shocked by the words, and was ready to reply, but held them inside. She was right, after all, Mary had more experience with kids she could ever hope to have.

“Tell you what,” Mary whispered, after approaching Rose, much to her surprise “Take a bath, have some sleep, and we’ll talk in the morning. If you really are up to the task, you must make the decision with a clear head.”

Rose nodded, speechless. The woman in front of her was strong, and at the same time kind. She felt a smile form on her cheeks, her mood being lifted. “Yes, I will. Well then,” she said, and then drank the rest of the cup “I will be on my way, where can I meet you tomorrow?”

Mary shook her head. “No no no no no. You are not going anywhere in this rain. I can lend you some pajamas and you’ll sleep here, I’ll stay on the couch.”

“Oh, but I could never-” she was interrupted as Mary pressed her index on her lips.

“No. No. No.” Mary ordered, her index finger poking Rose in the nose every time she denied. She had an extremely serious look, her eyes staring at Rose’s.

Rose gave up. The offer was too tempting to refuse, not to mention she would probably be tied up if she tried to leave.

After a long bath, she put on the white pajamas with little golden harps Mary lent her, and went to the bedroom across the hall, not before giving a goodnight kiss to the already sleeping Jake, in the guest room.

The bed’s sheets weighed down on the tired body, accommodating every muscle in a relaxing embrace. It had been a long day. Facing the whole family again was unbearable. They were in an awful state, toddler to elder grieving their loss. Jacob was a gem of a person, and his wife was on the most caring women she ever had the luck to meet. Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

No, she shouldn’t be thinking on sad things. The past is the past. She had to take Mary’s advice, and let go.

Mary. While she resembled an average tomboy at first glance, there was something extremely motherly in her. Working on an orphanage, she must feel second hand this kind of suffering on a daily basis. She must be strong to do what she does. Someone strong enough to guide one through a floor of broken glass, to finally find happiness on the other side.

The memories returned. The times she and Jacob played as kids, the sleepovers on each others house, the wedding- oh the wedding. She had been his best woman, she had endured him rambling about his insecurities before the wedding, she had witnessed Jake’s birth. Jacob was no cousin to her; he was her brother.

The tears started running again, just like the rain that decided to return outside the window. With each sob, her chest felt heavier, the pain trying to break her. She curled down, hugging herself. It was too hard to endure.

A hug. A pair of arms held her, a hand gently caressing her hair. Rose turned around, and her eyes met Mary’s. For a whole minute they stood there, staring. While the room was dark, the moonlight was enough to reflect the shine in each other’s eyes. One last tear fell across her left cheek, being caught by Mary’s finger.

“You don’t have to suffer alone. No one does.”

Once more, tears returned. But these weren’t tears of agony. There were tears of relief. She had been blessed with someone’s understanding, and who better but this caring, charming, beautiful woman?

She rested her head on Mary’s chest, accepting the comfort her newfound guardian was kind enough to provide. Mary’s gentle heartbeat soothed her worries.

“Why... why are you doing this?” Rose asked with a low voice “Why are you worrying?”

“It’s just how I am. I like to help others, I take pleasure from it.” She chuckled. “Thinking about it, I only help others so I can feel good myself, it’s kind of a selfish attitude, but in a way, everything we do is selfish in one way or another.” She let out a small giggle. “Look at me, talking nones-!”

Rose turned and leapt forward, her lips meeting Mary’s, making her lose her balance and falling on the bed. Mary’s eyes were wide in shock, her thoughts trying to process the moment.

Eventually, she slowly pushed Rose back. Her mouth was hanging like if someone had broken her jaw. Rose on the other hand, was feverishly looking, her cheeks burning red. Her eyes shifted from one side to the other, avoiding contact.

“Wh-wh-what?” Mary said, as the words struggled through her shock.

“I... I’ve always been so alone, and you hugged me and, I mean, and then you said those kind words and, oh noes I’m sorry I’m so sorry I didn’t want to force on you, I’m no good at these kind of th-” Mary pressed her index on Rose’s lips once more, forcing her to stop.

“Now you hold your horses girl...” Mary said slowly. Rose closed her eyes tight with embarrassment.

“I’msosorrysosorrysosorrysosorrysosorry-”

Mary silenced the rambling woman with a passionate kiss that herself didn’t even saw coming. Rose pulled back, now being the one petrified.

Mary smiled. “I’ll be here for you. I can try.”.

“Where are we going this time?” Dust asked, while going through the contents of a metal crate with her magic.

Mother and daughter had just replenished their supplies back at the citadel, and were catching a gravitational ride to avoid power consumption. The ship’s engines were completely silent. Alongside it, numerous chunks of rock slowly floated. An asteroid belt.

“We don’t have much time. Keep silent and listen.” her mother swiftly responded, her expression unyieldingly serene.

They were in neutral space, an area with no planetary masses, only seas of asteroids. Those areas were known as safe passage for all kinds of criminals, as the Alliance’s units wouldn’t likely find interest in such place.

“Dust, you’ve been taught much these last years. I am very proud of you. You have learned everything I had for you, and so, our relationship ends.” She looked confused. Her mother slowly nodded, her expression now changing into one of worry. “Just keep in mind all that you know, trust your instincts, and try to do what’s right. I believe you will know what to do.” she said as she turned around, facing the window.

“Mother, what are you- AH!” Dust was halted by the bright flash of light that appeared before her mother. She stepped back with the visual impact, covering her face with her forehooves. The light was so strong not even her mother’s dark coat was safe. She was being devoured by the light itself.

“MOTHER!” Dust tried to jump forward, but found herself stuck in place. She was enveloped in a dark blue glow, a levitation spell coming from her mother’s horn. “Why? Why are you doing this? What is going on?!?” she cried out, scared to tears.

“Trust yourself, my little Dust.”

Those were the last words Dust would ever hear from her mother. Before the light completely consumed the Strahl, she could distinguish four silhouettes within the light. The figures were too shining, and probably were the source of the light, but there was something about them that made them noticeable. They were chanting a silent song, their mouths moving to conjure a melody she could not hear.

And then she lost consciousness.

”Two years later we arrive at 2015. Oh yes, that year was where it began. It is believed that it started way before then, and I personally share the view. Several nations activated their nuclear launch protocols. The world faced a destruction never before created by human hands.

“The scientific team that had been settled in the international space station for years, and thus, neutral to the whole incident, witnessed everything from orbit. They knew they would be out in the cold for the years to come, so they decided to devise a way to solve the conflict in the meantime. They only agreed on one solution: evacuation.

“Eventually, and luckily for them, they managed to contact survivors, down in the underground citadels hidden away from the poisonous surface. Having Tau Ceti as their destination, the newly formed global alliance joined hands to develop fast travel technology, something that before the time was considered science fiction. By ‘38, the organization was formally called International Space Alliance, or ISA for short. Needless to say, as we all know, the project ultimately failed.

“Two years later, they forced the creation of a small black hole in orbit, using mass compression technology, in order to create a wormhole to another side of the galaxy, as it was theorized. Unfortunately, they lost control of it. By the time they had it nullified, the moon had already changed it’s regular course, so was the strength of the attraction. With the newfound gravitational pull from our natural satellite, the seas quickly changed their disposition. Most of the remaining unscathed areas were flooded.

“And here we are, barely a century later, remembering the past as exciting as it always is!”

The students remained silent, some of them already snorting. The teacher was about to burst into a lecture, but the school alarm spared the sleeping teenagers from the teacher’s wrath, but not from, well, waking up.

“Don’t forget, next Friday we have exam on all this, re-read chapter 5!”

“Sure, sure, who cares?” A youngster answered the teacher, earning a disapproving look.

He was slightly taller than average, shaved head, a black goatee standing out on his chin. Adding his left ear piercing on the upper lobe, and his constantly aggressive stare, he held a status in the school not many would dare to challenge.

“Ahaha Max, you tell him off!” another student said out loud, trying to get his attention, although getting silence for an answer.

Instead, Max got up, and walked to the student on the middle front seat, who was focused on packing his belongings on his backpack, and slapped his back, making him lose balance.

“So, Jakey, are we going there today?” he asked, with a grin across his face.

He stopped packing for a moment, considering his options, and then resuming while answering “Today’s no good, I have stuff to do at home.” Jake got up and made his way out of the classroom. The giant colleague followed by his side, hand resting on his shoulder.

“Bah, always stuff to do at home. Your dad must really be a pain in the ass if he keeps you that busy.”

“You see, he intends to have me take on his business, I have to work hard.”

“Can’t blame ya, at least you’re getting yourself a future full of easy cash!” he said, following with a loud laugh that made everyone in the corridor stare at them both.

They walked outside, the dim light being as unexciting as his company. The sky was grey, the clouds threatening to soak everything below them.

They walked towards the bus parked next to the bus stop, the students walking in orderly. As they saw the pair coming, everyone walked back to make way. They both sat on the back of the bus, Max resting his left leg on another seat. Several students did not dare to ask for permission to sit, simply remaining on their feet for the whole trip.

The bus exited the city, its streets void of life, and crossed the woods in a single, straight road. After about ten minutes, the bus arrived at a town with a single stop where Jake got off, no one else following.

“One of these days I have to come over, Jakey, it would be totally rad!” Max said, while waving through the window.

Jake let out a deep breath. In there, the sky was clear of the cloudy ceiling. He could finally stretch and allow the warm light to bathe his skin.

The town was pretty much the same wherever he looked at. The same cut lawn, the same house architecture, the same colours. The only thing that stood out was the park, a large area in the town’s center.

As Jake passed by it on his way home, memories of his childhood floated back to the surface, how he loved playing there, how he’d swim on the lake in the park’s center, earning several scoldings both by the park’s warden and his parents.

By the time he arrived home, the sun was already settling down behind the hills. His home was indistinguishable from all others, save for the number on the door. Pulling out the key from his pocket, he turned the lock open and stepped in.

“I’m home!” he shouted, as he dropped his backpack near the stairs. Walking past them, he entered a lit room where a woman was cooking something that, by the smell of it, was delicious. “Can I have some of that?” Jake daringly asked, as he picked up a slice of ham.

“Of course not!” the light blue haired woman responded, harshly slapping Jake’s hand to force him to drop the slice. “This is for diner, can’t you just wait an hour till then?”

“Alright, alright...” Jake brought his hands to his head, accepting failure. ”Where’s Rose, she in the living room? Got to tell her something.” He walked out of the kitchen and slowly headed to the end of the corridor, where a much more dim light slithered through.

“Nope!” The woman yelled, running to fetch him. “She... she just cleaned all that, living room and all, and she is resting in the couch!” she said with her eyes open wide, her hands grabbing Jake’s shoulders tight.

He gave a confused, and slightly scared look. “It’s fine, I’ll just tell her...”

“No! You know how she gets when she’s tired. Go upstairs, read a book or something, I’ll call you once dinner’s done.” she explained, determined to convince him.

Jake once more admitted defeat, and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. He knew Mary was hiding the truth, even if only partially.

‘I only hope they weren’t doing that’ he imagined, shuddering with the thought.

He entered his room, closing the door behind. Two of the walls were hidden behind tall bookcases, each having every available space filled with books and more books, their contents mostly concerning astronomy.

Jake slid his fingers across the many books, searching for one to occupy his time. He valued them greatly, most of them were pre-flood relics that his parents went through fire and flames to obtain.

The knowledge they held was fascinating, Jake had read every single one of them at least once. If there was anything worth in his life, it was the moment where he could sit down and read a book, or even better, when Rose would come from work with a volume not yet in his possession.

Such entertaining activity it was, that the hour flew by in an instant. By Mary’s call, Jake rushed down the stairs, starving. He wasn’t expecting what awaited him.

“SURPRISE!” echoed the group of people in unison.

Jake was stunned, stuck in place, his brain not processing what was happening.

Rose came forth, holding a chocolate cake with a big candle in the shape of the numbers ‘16’ sending small sparks all over the place.

Of course, it was his birthday. How could he have forgotten that? Had he been so buried deep in his studies he couldn’t even keep track of time?

The crowd erupted into an applause as the song ended. Jake looked around, recognizing several familiar faces. His family, on Rose’s side at least.

“Come on silly, blow the candle!” Rose said, breaking his trance.

“Oh, sure.” He quickly replied, blushing for not knowing how long he had been staring around.

The cheer returned as the flame died out, several of the elders coming forth to shake his hand, or hug him. A little girl came forth hopping with a wrapped gift. “This is for you cousin!”

“Aw, you shouldn’t have!” They exchanged a hug, and the kid hopped back into the crowd, her fluffy hair bouncing from one side to another.

At the diner table, the usual conversations were had. The family only got together on special occasions, and they made the most of it by updating each other on their current situations.

One of the elders, his grandfather, asked through his fuzzy beard “So Jake, tell me, how is school going?”

“It’s going well I guess,” he humbly replied.

“Well?!” Mary intervened, while munching on a big chunk of food at the same time. “Mah boi ovur thar ish the top of class!”

A big ohhh came from many of the present guests, followed by a wave of compliments, leaving Jake on an embarrassingly tough position. He launched a stare at his mother, who simply grinned back. ‘I’ll get you for this’ he thought.

The little girl, called Anna, spent most of her time playing around Jake. For the longest time, Jake had to babysit her at weekends, and they’ve grown attached to each other.

“So, you see” she said, speaking faster than anyone would’ve expected a kid to. “I really really want to dye my hair pink, but my daddy won’t let me, I don’t understand, so many people dye their hair too and their daddies don’t say anything! Oh, and what do you think of the party? I had the idea all-my-self! I dunno, I really like parties and...” Jake simply nodded, unable to grasp the meaning behind half of her speech. He couldn’t help but smile though. Anna always made everyone happy.

Eventually. the guests started leaving, every each one of them saying good bye in their own way. The little girl came running and gave a hug. “I don’t wanna go...” she said with a sad little voice.

Jake kneeled down to get on her height, and said “Tell you what, in your birthday, I will throw a surprise party just for you.”

“But, but you just said it! It won’t be a surprise then!”

“Oops! Well, then I will either do it or not, that way, you’ll be surprised by it!” The girl showed a confused look, making Jake chuckle. They hugged once more, and then she hopped outside to her parents.

What a chaotic night. Jake was totally not prepared for it, and his whole body cried for sleep.

“Not yet, get over here.” Mary said, anticipating Jake’s plan to crash early.

He walked to the living room, where Mary and Rose held a gift themselves, wrapped in white paper with little yellow stars.

“Happy birthday Jake.” Rose hugged him.

“Happy birthday kiddo. Now hurry up, open it!” Mary ordered, jumping to the nearest sopha.

The gift was big, Jake tried to casually hold it and unwrap it while standing, but found himself unable to due to its weight. After settling it down, the wrapping came off easily.

Jake was awe-struck. Before him, stood nothing else but a telescope. But not just any telescope. An ISA telescope.

“But how did you... where did you...?” Jake mumbled, marvelled by what he was seeing. “Only members of the ISA had access to this! This is the best model of personal telescopes ever made!”

Rose smiled. “In the military base, I asked some of my contacts to look for something like that in the old deposits. They too wish you a happy birthday.”

“I... thank you! Seriously, this is the best gift I could ever have.”

Rose started to tear up a little, hugging her son once more.

“D’aw, come here you.” Mary said with a mocking tone, joining too in the hug.

Now back in his bedroom, there was no way he could sleep. He was just too excited to test his new relic, no, his crown jewel.

Although it had assembling instructions, Jake didn’t need them. He was already too acquainted with this specific model from his books.

After just a couple of minutes, the beast was ready. Jake contemplated it with a massive grin on his face. ‘This is gonna be so awesome!’ he thought.

Pushing the window open, he placed the telescope into place, grabbed a chair and peeked through it.

He was amazed. The moon looked beautiful, the craters so clear through the eyepiece. And a small, red dot on it too.

He switched out the lens, placing one with double the magnifying power. Now, there was no dot, but a ball of fire getting each time closer.

‘Is that... a meteor?’

The meteor left no smoke trail, at least as far as Jake could see in the night. His mind was in a turmoil, considering possibilities. ‘What if the meteor is too large? Could a catastrophic event be at hand? Will it hit or just pass by? Perhaps it’s slingshotting around Earth.’

When he returned from his own thoughts, he had lost the meteor. He wiggled the telescope around in a frenzy to find it, to no avail.

He leaned back on the chair, sighing. And then he saw. With his naked eye, the fireball was the size of an egg. And it was coming down fast. The whole neighbourhood acquired an orange tone.

Without thinking twice, Jake jumped back, behind his bed, and covered his head, awaiting the impact. Not that there would be much hope if it fell in the surroundings.

SPLASH

A splash. That was all that was heard. Trembling, Jake pulled himself up, and peeked through the window.

No smoke, no fire, no destruction. ‘What the hell just happened?’ he thought.

Pulling the binoculars from his desk, he surveyed the area where the meteor should have hit. The park. Nothing out of the ordinary could be seen. Was he hallucinating? No, that couldn’t be it. He was tired, but not enough to that degree. Never in his life he had been.

There had to be something else to it. Putting on his shoes, Jake went outside with a flashlight to investigate. Fortunately for him, his parents were heavy sleepers, specially Mary. He chuckled at the thought that even if the meteor had any impact, they wouldn’t wake up over her snoring.

Jake trembled at the cold outside, not expecting such temperatures after the orange that had covered half town. Surprisingly, no one else had come to check what happened. Was he the only one who noticed?

The park wasn’t fenced, it was a splash of green in the middle of town, a bite sized forest where kids could play in safety. After the war, with so many popular tourist destinations becoming poisoned with radiation, towns were focused on having their own attractions, for their own population. Even now that the radiation had faded, the destruction was too vast to be worth rebuilding.

Jake took a glimpse at a shimmering light, coming from the core of the park. He approached cautiously at first, eventually having curiosity taking over.

Taking precautions, Jake put a branch on the water, and then a finger. Considering it safe, he put his head, attempting to see what was causing such a chromatic effect. In the bottom of the lake there was a white... something, which seemed to be the source of the light. Taking off most of his clothes, he dove into the chilling water.

The cold stung his skin like a thousand needles, the temperature shock being too much to handle under normal circumstances. But being pumped with adrenaline was enough to dismiss such worries. He needed to see what had fallen from the skies.

The light became too strong as he got close, forcing Jake to close his eyes. Blindly running his hands across the water, he bumped into something warm. He awkwardly grabbed it, and ascended, propelling himself only with leg power.

Dragging the thing out of the water, he was caught off-guard by its weight, falling on his own butt in the grass.

Shaking his head to clear his eyes from water, he slowly opened them, and looked at what had been unveiled from the lake. A white creature, with a patch of purple and pink hair coming out of its supposed head and rear. Jake was awestruck with his finding, expecting to find nothing more than a chunk of rock, he had found an actual, living creature. That is, if it was still alive.

His astonishment was only broken by the intense cold that now ran across his body. Jake dressed back, although feeling highly uncomfortable with his wet skin against the dry clothes.

A siren. Obviously others would have noticed the event and came to investigate. Flashing red lights could be seen behind the trees in the outskirts of the park. The military.

Not knowing why, Jake grabbed the creature on his arms, trying not to lose balance this time, and ran in the opposite direction. It was his finding, and he should be the one to keep it.

He felt a shiver across his spine as the creature let out a warm breath of air. It was alive! That was amazing! Could he had his hands on an actual alien? Not weighing the consequences of his actions, Jake brought the creature home, circling around the whole neighbourhood to avoid any unwanted contacts.

He slowly climbed the steps to his bedroom, doing his best not to wet the floor. Step by step, walking by the first floor’s corridor slowly enough to avoid any sound, he barely took in any air when passing by his parents’ bedroom. He could swear he heard something from there, making him freeze as cold sweat ran down his back.

Now, back in his bedroom, he slowly laid the creature on the floor’s carpet. It looked strange, like nothing he had ever seen in his books. Sure, lots of mutated species rose from the poisoned areas in the world that no one has yet catalogued. But this, this didn’t look like anything he could imagine as being normal.

Covering it with a few blankets to keep it warm, assuming it needed warmth, Jake ran his finger across a streak of purple hair. It felt like normal human hair, but silkier. Perhaps because it was inside the water for so long.

Wanting to take a better look at it, but not wanting to call the outsiders’ attention by turning the lights on, he grabbed the flashlight.

The flashlight.

“Oh FUCK!” Jake whispered, hitting his forehead with his hand. “I left it at the park!”

Chapter 2: From the Ashes

The first sunrays glimmered through the window blinds, covering Jake’s face with light. Slowly, he woke from his slumber as his eyes started to dry through the eyelids, forcing him to rub them in discomfort.

He had fallen asleep in an awkward position. Last night, he had been sitting on the bed, and eventually lost his strength and fell to the side, immobile until now. He stretched, spreading his arms apart and feeling his spine cracking in several places.

Jake felt strange. Physically, he felt fine, but at the same time, his clothes felt harsh against the skin, and a strange smell pestered the air. He brought his head down to his hands, massaging the face’s stiff muscles, as it is usual after a bad session of sleep.

A low splashing sound was heard. Opening his eyes, he saw a green, spongy thing lying in the ground, part of it still hanging from his hair. Algae. He had an algae in his hair. ‘How the hell did it get in there?’

Confused, he slowly followed the adjacent patch of purple and pink hair until his guest came into his field of vision. ‘Of course, the alien!’ It hadn’t been a dream, it was actually there!

The creature turned around, snuggling on the sheets covering half of its body. The motion startled Jake, having him jump back to the wall. He remained there, waiting for the creature to make another move. Jake gulped, a drop of sweat could be seen running down his left cheek. Curiosity took over once more.

Now in the light, he could observe the creature better. It was big, as to be expected, it wasn’t a particularly easy task to carry it all the way from the park. He imagined that if it stood on those four... legs, it would reach his chest easily.

Approaching, Jake noticed its nostrils expanding, and a subtle motion in the air. The creature was breathing. ‘Fascinating!’ Jake thought with excitement, getting closer. Now, he noticed its... arms? The alien’s arms ended in stumps, no hands, or claws or anything he would have imagined from his comic book imagination. They almost looked like hooves.

He dared himself to continue, shortening the distance between him and the alien, being now just a palm away from the newcomer’s face. With his nerve induced, shaking right hand, Jake reached out a finger and touched the horn’s tip. Almost instantly, two large, green eyes revealed themselves behind the milky white eyelids, and stared at Jake’s eyes in turn.

For a moment, silence reigned. Jake was frozen in place. He could feel a chilling sensation climbing up his back, feeling as if his heart had just stopped.

Dust’s horn started to glow, her eyes glancing fiercely at her supposed abductor.

“AHH!” Jake shouted, taking the action as a sign of aggression. He lifted his arms up to his face to protect himself.

“AHHH!” Dust replied, equally surprised.

She jumped forward with the shock, hitting her horn on Jake’s forehead, forcing him to leap back in pain.

“Mother! Where do you have her?” Dust threatened, her horn releasing sparks of pink magic. Now standing on all four hooves, she measured around the same as Jake when sit.

“What the hell!” Jake rolled around in his bed, hands tight around the big red bump that now stood proudly on his forehead.

“Where...” Dust stepped forward. “...is...” She raised a leg to the bed’s edge. “...my...” She lifted herself up, her right forehoof pressing against Jake’s chest, holding him in place. “...mother?!”

“What? I don’t... I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Jake desperately said, as a thin line of blood ran down his face. “I swear! Wait... you can talk?” he tracked off. She sounded like someone just a bit older than his colleagues at school. Not that he exchanged much words with them.

“Grrr!” Dust groaned in frustration, covering Jake in a pink magical light and sent him across the room. Jake hit his back on the shelves, several books falling over him.

“Ouch...” Jake cried, shaking as several areas of his body ached with pain.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

“Jake, is everything fine in there?” Mary’s voice asked behind the door.

‘Crap. Oh no, she mustn’t see it! Gotta think of something, and fast!’ Jake forced himself up from the ground, ignoring his bruises, and leapt toward Dust. He pressed his left hand firmly around her mouth, preventing her from speaking. Before she could send him flying, Jake pledged “Please, don’t make any noise, I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but please, I beg of you!”

Dust stared silently, eventually slowly nodding. Her magic did not fade away though.

“Thank you so much!”

“Jake? I’m coming in!” Mary shouted, as she turned the door handle.

“I am alright, I just slipped, that’s all!”

“You sure?” Mary doubted. “I even heard it from the living room!”

“I am fine, don’t worry, I’ll go down in a while, okay?” Jake lied.

Silence ensued. For a moment, both stood there, Dust examining her surroundings with wide open eyes, while keeping her captor in sight, and Jake frozen in place, in the edge of fainting from nerves.

“I hope you’re weren’t doing that, I haven’t refilled the tissue box yet!” Mary said, with a tone Jake would either define as concerned or sarcastic. “Hurry up, I’m almost done with breakfast. Wash your hands!” Mary walked away, and Jake could swear she whispered something like “Kids these days, so full of energy...”.

‘’That?’ What did she... Oh.’ Jake felt his cheeks bloom with redness. He at least was glad that Mary’s promptness to embarrass him had, for once, saved him from an undesirable situation. Turning to Dust, he asked: “Alright, we can talk now, but keep it low.”

“Very well.” Dust acknowledged, flipping her mane out of her sight as her horn’s glow died out. ”Please tell me, where am I?”

“Hold on, I’m the one who just almost got lobotomized by a horned alien, that I just so happened to save!” Dust drew a confused look. “I ask the questions.”

Dust didn’t react, only stared. Jake interpreted it as a sign for him to continue.

“First of all, why did you attack me?”

“I attacked you because I thought you had taken my mother from me.”

Jake looked puzzled. “Then... what changed?” he asked, not following her line of thought.

“After your pathetic” she said with her voice dripping with malice “performance here I realized a wimp like you couldn’t even take me on, much less my mother.” she jumped down from the bed, and walked towards Jake, making him step back as a precaution.

“Second question, how come you can speak?!”

“What do you mean? Why shouldn’t I if you can?” she replied Jake wondered if that was an insult, or an actual logical reason. After all, he couldn’t find a fault in her logic.

‘How can I even reply to that...’ Jake sighed. “Why did you come here, to my planet?”

“I didn’t. I was dropped in here. Some thugs kidnapped my mother, that’s the last thing I remember before waking up here.” Dust said with an unsure voice, having trouble recollecting her memories.. “In which sector are we located?”

“...Sector?” Jake was totally lost in the conversation he was supposed to be leading.

With a frustrated look, Dust stomped the ground “Gah! Don’t you know anything? What kind of humanoid are you anyway?” Dust’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Oh, they wouldn’t. Those bastards!” she groaned, stomping her left hoof this time with aggressive intent, turning away from Jake. After taking a deep breath, she turned back to him, portraying an anxious look. “Is there any Varrian here?” Jake shook his head, not knowing what she meant. “A Grump? A Netir?”

“I honestly have no idea what you are talking about.” Jake said while laughing nervously, trying to appease his guest, and hopefully preventing her from getting Mary’s attention. “But, why do you ask?”

“I have no words for an unevolved like you,” Dust said while walking towards the window, and opening it with her magic. Jake was amazed by it, and at the same time, was sure that he had been insulted.

“What are you...” And just like that, she was gone. Like if a cloak had covered her whole, the colours of her fur and hair smoothly turned transparent, leaving Jake staring at the open window.

Breakfast was the same as usual, a nice slice of toast with warm milk. Mary had already eaten, and would be washing the dishes of last night’s party, wasn't she struggling to breathe while laughing at Jake’s forehead.

Jake tried to ignore her, focusing his stare on the food. He couldn’t find a valid reason to justify his injury, so he’d just stay silent. At least he had taken a quick shower before coming down the stairs, or else he’d have to take his mother to the hospital for cardiac arrest.

“That was some rough love, you ought to be careful next time.” she mocked, tears running across her red cheeks.

“Will you knock it off already!?” Jake brought down his hand, spilling some milk on the kitchen table.

“Sheesh, alright, just pretend I’m not here.” Mary excused herself as she turned to the counter, still giggling like a fool.

*DING DONG*

The bell ringed, an unusual occurrence in such a small town, and even rarer so early in the morning.

Seeing as Mary didn’t move an inch, Jake got up and went to open the door. A tall man, wearing blue clothing embellished with all sorts of badges and ribbons, stood behind the door. He didn’t flinch, standing quiet in front of Jake.

“Hum, hello?” Jake took the initiative.

“Hello. I am Air Force’s General Ambrose.” he replied, with an unsurprising harsh voice.

The awkwardness ensued, as neither party developed the conversation. Mary had stopped washing the dishes, and was listening by the kitchen entrance.

The general tilted his head “Well, are you going to let me in, or do I need a warrant?” he inquired.

“Oh, of course! Please, come in.” Jake stepped out of the way, allowing the man to walk through. “So, what can I help you with?”

“Is your guardian around?” he bluntly asked, almost interrupting Jake’s question.

“Yes, I am here.” Mary showed up in the corridor, with an angry look on her eyes, her arms crossed in front of her belly.

“Mary! Long time no see!” he proclaimed, revealing an unusual familiarity with Jake’s mother.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” she replied, her tone unchanged. “What do you want?”

“Oh, is that the way to treat an old friend?” He looked down and exhaled with disappointment. “Well, I am here on service, so I’ll let this one slip. Next time, me, you, and Rose have to go for a drink, catch up on each other.”

“I very much doubt Rose would want that.” Mary denied the offer. “Plus, she’s been working hard in the military base, and you know that. She can’t afford breaks.”

“I could pull some strings... But yes, of course.” He nodded in defeat. Changing the subject: “Hey, boy” the general turned to Jake, who had been silent during the tense conversation. “Why don’t you go somewhere else, go for a walk. The things I have to talk here are not for your ears.”

Jake looked at Mary, seeking guidance. She nodded, agreeing on Ambrose’s suggestion. “Sure, go get some sun on your face.”

Jake took the whole situation as weird, but shrugged it off and left the house. Not before hearing the general saying behind his back “Nice pimple!”.

Jake aimlessly walked around town, greeting the occasional neighbour. He never made any connections with the town folk, most of his childhood friends were left behind in his previous home, with his parents...

He quickly set those thoughts aside. He was way past that now, he had been so for years, although he’d rather not think about it.

The town had no special attractions. The only festivities were the birthdays, his family’s birthdays. No matter who was celebrating, the party was always on his house. The influx of people was, at first, aim of criticism by the neighbors, who valued silence and discretion over anything. ‘I don’t get it how they can live like this’ he thought ‘this place is so boring.’.

The city had both similarities and differences from Jake’s hometown. While its population was relatively low, the amount of infrastructures was way higher than in many other places in the surrounding civilizations. Besides the school, where Jake had spent most of his city time, there was an hospital, a place he had visited frequently for various reasons.

There was a cinema too, the biggest attraction in the whole region. The rooms would fill at every movie night, a link to the past in video form. There are those who have televisions, and watch those movies through disc reading devices, but they’re so expensive and rare Jake never had the privilege to even lay his eyes on one.

And finally, a military base stood in the middle of the city. While most of the infrastructures and populated houses made up the whole southern area, the base was set up right in the middle of the war wreckage. Something about it being too expensive to build somewhere else, as Rose had told him once.

Rose was a physicist, working for the military under a special permit. Her work consisted of being in charge of various military projects that were done by the research wing of the military base. Jake had asked her once, as part of a school assignment when he was way younger.

Rose was lying on the living room’s couch, as the fireplace pushed the winter cold away. Jake slowly came in, dropping the school backpack at the door.

“Aunty Rose, can you help me with my school work?”

“Sure, dear, what do you need help with?” she replied, a smile befitting her face.

“You see, the teacher said we have to write an essay on our parents’ jobs, yet... I can’t. I don’t want my colleagues to mock me! So... I was wondering...”

“Yes?” Rose asked while putting down the book she was reading, with big gold letters in the brown cover spelling Subspace Communications.

“I was wondering if I could write on you and Mary instead, as my mommies.” Jake stared at the ground with embarrassment from his request.

He didn’t get a reply, but instead a hug. “Oh my dear, that would make me very happy.” Rose whispered through her sobs.

Jake did not know what to say, so he simply hugged back. “Is that a yes?”

The memory was as surprising as comforting. It had been five years since that day, the day he gained new parents. No, that’s not true. It was their wedding. While it was their special day, they still gave Jake full attention, trying to cheer him up at all times. They even had him cut the cake with them. Their marriage marked the first step to get out of the darkness that was his grieving.

Jake stopped in place, one step away from smashing his face on a lamp post. He was so lost in thought he didn’t even notice where he was going.

‘Hasn’t this day been just perfect...’

He looked around, getting his bearings. He had circled around the park, and was now standing in the other side. A van with the military logo was parked outside, several people in hazmat suits strolled inside the perimeter. ‘The flashlight! I hope they didn’t find it.’

Jake knew the park’s layout, by memory, as consequence of it being an important part of his childhood. He made sure not to be seen by anyone by crouching between the thickest bushes, slowly making his way to the center. The supposed scientists passed by, ignorant to the one spying them. They held devices that ended in a disk pointed at the ground, sounding off clicks at seemingly random intervals.

One of the surveyors’ radio buzzed. He clicked on it, and returned to his activity. ‘They probably have a built-in speaker’ Jake thought, as the man started talking: “How’s the data coming up? Mhm. Mhm. I see. In my end, things have been looking pretty bad. There’s evidence someone was here last night before we arrived. Yes. Of course, understood. Over and out.”

After an excruciatingly dangerous hour, Jake managed to slip away from the park unnoticed, his back and knees aching from being curved for so long.

‘They know I was there. Hopefully they won’t tie the flashlight to me. Well, how could they? It’s impossible for them to know! And that talking creature, it... she, has left. It’s not my problem anymore.’ Jake sighed in relief, accepting the turn of events. Things were finally going his way.

“Oh, hi there, Jakey boy!”

‘Seriously?’ Jake felt his rage build up, but let it die out for his own sake. Instead, he turned around and greeted Max, just as he got out of the bus. “Max! What are you doing here?”

“Well, I told you we’d hang out. I never been here before anyway, so I thought, hell, why not?” He pat Jake’s shoulder, forcing him to walk alongside at the same time. “If we’re lucky we can find some fresh meat!” Jake knew what he meant. Dave. “Do you know where we can find him? I was hoping we could hang out with him yesterday, but he never showed up at school.”

“I... I don’t know. I never talked much to him. I don’t even know where he lives.” he lied. Of course he knew, and Max noticed. He could be a brute, but that didn’t make him dumb.

“Are you absolutely sure?” he asked, placing extra pressure on Jake’s shoulder.

Jake’s breathing sped up. He knew what was coming if he didn’t say what his friend wanted to hear. “Hum... I think that I might know where.”

“See? Wasn’t so hard now, was it?” he grinned. “I’ll be there” Max pointed to a dead end between two houses. “Bring him to me. Fast. I don’t have all day.”

Jake walked away, slowly at first, his legs refusing to cooperate, and then faster as he felt Max’s gaze scorch his back.

Walking to Dave’s felt as if Jake was walking to his grave. What he was about to do was something he’d never be able to forgive himself for. The streets were vacant, as it was usual on such small town. Specially with the new event, all personnel must have been called to the base. There was no one he could cry out for help. Max always seemed to have luck on his side.

Arriving at another similar house, Jake moved his finger to press the doorbell. He stopped, his finger just an inch away. ‘Do I really have to do this? Can’t I just ignore him? Yeah, this has been going for too long.’ Jake turned back, resolute with his decision. A new thought rose, making him almost lose balance halfway through a step. ‘But the next week he’ll get me. Just like last time. It will hurt.’ He sighed. ‘There’s no easy way around this is there?’

*DING DONG*

After a moment, the door opened, revealing a boy much like Jake, a tad smaller and bulkier.

“Jake?” he asked, surprised.

“Hey, how’ve you been?” Jake shook his hand.

“Uhh... Fine I guess. Why are you here?” Dave asked bluntly.

Jake scratched the back of his head trying to come up with something. “You know, we haven’t hang out for such a long time, I thought in paying a visit.”

Dave stared, unsure of Jake’s intentions. After all, Dave knew who he sat next to in every bus ride. He let out a smirk. “Okay, I could use a walk too.”

“Great!” Jake clapped his hands together, as Dave closed the door behind him and walked across the grass. “So, I didn’t see you yesterday, what happened?”

“Nothing special.” he quickly replied, leaving no room for emotion in his voice.

Jake frowned, unsure about his friend’s willingness to speak the truth. “Aw come on, there’s got to be a reason.”

Dave came to a halt. “There is.” And then kept walking, now at a greater pace, forcing Jake to catch up. “Yesterday was your birthday, wasn’t it?”

Jake softly confirmed, sensing a warm feeling inside. ‘Dave really is a good friend, how did I let him go?’ he wondered, trying to recall lost memories. ‘I really don’t deserve him, I don’t even remember his last name, much less his birthday.’

“Yeah, it was. I’m sorry I didn’t invite you but it’s a family party and...”

“That’s not it!” he interrupted. Jake’s widened in surprise to the change of tone. “Every year, in each other’s birthday, we’d hang out by the ruins, play games, enjoy each others company. Ever since you are with that... guy you don’t even speak to me anymore.”

He was angry, Jake could tell by his passionate look. He had to make it right. Surprising him, Jake held him in a hug: “I’m sorry. You were the only one who gave me a chance when I came to this town, and I owe you much for that.” Dave’s shoulders relaxed as he released the tension. “Your friendship is very important to me.”

The park was empty as usual, aside for the usual elders who’d take their morning strolls to stretch their muscles. Rose held Jake by hand, embracing the warm spring sun. Jake kept his eyes fixed on the grassy ground, ignoring the beautiful foliage that surrounded them.

Kneeling, Rose whispered to the gloomy child “Look over there Jake.”

Jake raised his head, and saw another kid, playing by the water with a ball.

“Why don’t you go and say hi?” Rose suggested.

“But I don’t know him.” Jake replied, his voice barely hearable.

“But that’s how you make friends.” Rose kissed him in the forehead. “You have to give them a chance. Go on.”

He moved slowly to the edge of the lake. The other kid noticed him, and waited for Jake to say something. He didn’t though, and just stared at his own reflexion in the water.

“Uhm... I never saw you around these parts. I’m Dave! Want to play ball?” he invited.

“Sure, I guess...” Jake replied, still looking down.

For the next half hour they played together, and Jake started to feel something he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time. Happiness.

Dave pushed him back. “Alright, Jake. But if that Max guy comes bothering you anymore you let me know, alright? I didn’t want to believe the rumors, but you were always by his side. It was hard to keep up hope.”

Rumors? What was he talking about? Jake was utterly confused. Still, he said: “Thanks, Dave. I missed hanging around with you.”

Hanging around. Where was he heading anyway? He went to Dave’s to regain his friendship... didn’t he? Or was it for something else? Jake couldn’t quite recall, and thinking about it hurt his head.

“Do you... want to do something here?” Dave asked, with a skeptic voice.

Breaking from his trance, Jake noticed they had arrived at a dead end. ‘What? Why did I bring us here? Am I... am I starting to lose it?’

A voice came behind them, sending a chill up Jake’s spine. “Great job dude, I knew I could count on you.”

Max. He was standing behind them, displaying his teeth through a big grin.

Dave stood on the ground, coughing, blood dripping from his nose. Max backed away from him, massaging his shoulder.

“I’ve had enough fun with him, he’s all yours.” Max said as he cleaned the sweat running on his forehead.

Jake had been frozen still since he heard his voice fifteen minutes ago. ‘Why? How did he knew I’d be here? I don’t understand... Agh!’ The pain in his head spiked once more, forcing Jake to close his eyes shut and bring a hand to his forehead, as if that would send the headache away. ‘Did... did I injure myself with the horn bump? Am I going to lose myself?’

The train of thought was interrupted as Max slapped Jake across the face. “Snap out of it!” he shouted. “What are you waiting for?”

“Waiting for...” Jake said, struggling to verbalize his thoughts. “...what?”

“Beat him up already!” Max looked furious. Even through his confusion, Jake knew what would happen if he didn’t.

He turned to the one on the ground, who still tried to regain his own balance. Dave sent a stare at Jake, one of anger, sadness, and even disgust.

Jake pulled Dave on his feet, grabbing him by the shirt. He swung his arm back, preparing a punch.

“I hate you.” Dave said, halfway through his swing. With those words, something died inside him, but it was too late. The punch was already on its way.

*SNAP*

“GAHHHH!” Jake screamed in agony as he dropped Dave on the ground. His arm started to swell, as if it was being filled from the inside. The unbearable pressure had Jake in tears, the pain making the migraine seem pale in comparison.

Max stepped back, afraid by what he was seeing, and left the alley. Jake’s arm was now swollen red, twice the width it was before, forcing him to lose his strength and fall on his knees. He looked up to see Max go, but instead, he saw something else. The white horned creature came around the corner, her horn sending off a milky white glow.

Jake tried to walk towards her, but stopped as the pain suddenly increased. He noticed the glow was stronger than before. Somehow, she was causing whatever was happening to his arm.

The pain faded away, leaving Jake in a contorted pose on the ground. His head still pounded like if someone had hit him with a hammer though.

Dust trotted to him, until she was only a step away.

“Coward.” she said with a voice that made him shudder. Her stare was like nothing Jake had never seen. While he was afraid of Max, it didn’t compare to what he felt now. His life was on the line.

“Ahhh!” Dust screamed, the glow on her horn suddenly disappearing. Her eyes were open wide, her mouth agape. A stream of tears fell from the corner of her eyes. She then fell flat on the ground, her mane spread across the concrete floor as her strength faded.

Behind her, in the entrance of the alley, a man in hazmat suit held a pistol with cables extending from it to the alien. Jake knew what it was. ‘A stun gun...’.

“Excellent job.” a familiar voice cheered. “Seize it.”

General Ambroise stood outside the alley, with a detachment of around five soldiers on his side, rifles pointed at the three bodies lying in the ground. Further behind them, Jake could see a patch of light blue hair. ‘Oh no. Oh please no.’

The hazmat man walked towards them, but Jake couldn’t be sure. He couldn’t see properly, as the weight on his eyelids increased alongside the intensity of his headache. When his eyes closed, he lost himself.

Dust woke from the annoying ringing in her ears. She tried to cover them with her hooves, but found herself unable to. ‘What? Where am I?’ She slowly opened her eyes, but immediately closed them as a blinding light submersed her sight. She tried to lift herself up, but a strangling pressure in her neck dismissed any motivation to struggle.

Her breathing sped up, as fear started to take over. ‘Calm down Dust, calm down. You’ve been in worse situations. Haven’t you?’

She was bound by leather belts on her forehooves and neck. The room would be completely dark wasn’t it for the obfuscating light that forced her to close her eyes just as quick as she opened them.

“Subject has regained consciousness. Resuming EEG scans.” a monotone voice proclaimed out of nowhere.

‘I’m imprisoned. Alright Dust, calm down, you’ve been through this. Think smart. Let’s not do the same mistake.’

Dust’s shoulders were killing her, but she had to contain her strength, wouldn't the neck restraint asphyxiate her.

Casting silent spells wasn’t anywhere near easy. As her mother had once told her, “Use them only when there is no other way. They are extremely taxing to your energy stamina, and continuous use can lead to permanent damage.” Part of Dust started to numb, as mother’s memories returned to remind her of the recent loss.

But she couldn’t allow melancholy to take over, she had to save herself first. Shutting down all other avenues of thought, she focused all of her mental strength into the spell.

Her horn’s glow did not manifest, as expected from a silent spell. Dust felt a rush of sensations as the magic took effect on her. She started to hear voices, small vibrations in the air coming from all around her and behind the walls she wouldn’t otherwise perceive. She could feel the heat emitted by machines and bodies around her.

The sensorial enhancement spell is not without its drawbacks: the once aching shoulders now hurt as the muscles struggled to flex but couldn’t. She also felt a burning sensation on her back, slightly below the neck.

The two voices closest to her came from two heat signatures nearby, somewhere above her.

“What do you think this means?” The first voice echoed.

“I am, not sure,” the second voice replied, resonating in the air. “but it is an alien creature we’re dealing with. For all we know their EEG padrons may change at random intervals.”

Dust would have kept spying on her two abductors, if a familiar voice hadn’t drawn her focus. It was the same voice she heard shortly before passing out. It came from a room somewhere to the left, where two other bodies stood next to each other, in the middle of working machinery.

“Don’t worry, Rose will be here soon,” the low, harsh voice declared. “as soon as she’s done with her shift, I’ll have her escorted into this level.”

“He’s our son!” a female voice cried out in disbelief. “How can you be so heartless?”

“Mary, Mary, we may very well be on the edge of an alien incursion and all you care about is your son?”

*SMACK*

Dust was completely foreign to the conversation, but that sound felt rewarding in the context.

“You bastard! You never cared about others! Just this stupid base... There hasn’t been a war in centuries, wake up!”

“Are we really having this conversation again? You know very well what choice you’ll have to face in case Rose gives up her place as lead physicist don’t you?” The tone on the man’s voice suggested he had hit a sweet spot, such suspicion being confirmed by Mary’s prolonged silence.

Mary inhaled as she was about to reply, but was interrupted as a third heat signature joined them in the room.

“General Ambroise, sir.” the new voice announced. “We have the final test results.”

“Very well.” the General acknowledged. “Report.”

“Uhm... sir...” he hesitated.

“This civilian is his mother. She deserves to know.” he explained, displaying a surprisingly sudden compassion for the woman.

“Okay. Well,” the newcomer started off.” if you see here, there’s a large, red hematoma on the boy’s forehead.”

‘See here?’ Dust wondered. ‘There’s only three sentient bodies in that direction, the rest are all machines...’ She shrugged it off, or she would, if she could move her increasingly painful front legs.

“We examined it, and found nothing.” The man continued. “So we decided to dig a little deeper.” He hesitated once more.

“Doctor, get on with it.” The General ordered, already sounding impatient.

“The boy suffered from major radiation exposure.” he admitted bluntly. “I can easily assume he was in contact with the contaminated lake water.”

“The flashlight...” Mary observed.

“Indeed.” the General assured. “To think it was your boy from all people.”

“When you showed me the flashlight, I didn’t want to believe... that he’d do whatever you were implying.”

“Obviously I was right.” the General assured. “Please, continue.”

“The poisoning started a chain reaction. Several brain cells died since the first contact. If he’s breathing, it’s thanks to life support machines.”

“Oh no, Jake, no...” the woman moaned as she walked towards the heat sign of a nearby machine. “Everything will be fine, we’ll find a way to fix this...” the doctor approached her. “Tell me, doctor... there is a way to fix this right? We have the technology, don’t we?”

“Ma’am? I don’t know how to say this but... but there’s nothing we can do.”

Mary’s sobs suddenly stopped at the doctor’s revelation. ‘It’s not a machine...’ Dust realized.

“When I said several of his brain cells were lost, I didn’t mean he would be handicapped.” He stopped to regain his breath. “Jake is not in there anymore. He’s nothing more than a vegetable now. I am sorry.”

“No! Noooo! No it can’t be! Tell me there’s a way!” Mary screamed, her voice fluctuating thanks to her crying. The two men remained silent. “General! Look at me!”

“What?” he dryly replied, with zero emotion in his voice.

“Let me in.” she stated bluntly.

“Are you insane?” he retorted in disbelief. “Absolutely no.”

“LET ME IN!” she screamed so loudly Dust would’ve heard it under natural conditions.

The general stepped back, taken aback by her change of character. “Very well.” his voice sounded weak, afraid even. Or was it understanding? Dust couldn’t tell. “But I’ll come with you.”

A sound of sliding metal screeched inside Dust’s head. The sound was close, too close, forcing her to dismiss the spell. She slowly opened her eyes, attempting to see anything beyond the incandescent light. To her surprise, the focused light was gone, and now an ambient blue, almost white lamp in the ceiling lit the four naked walls of her new prison.

Dust was held against the wall, the leather straps the keeping her in place. As the door left to her slid open and the sound stopped, a light blue haired woman walked in, followed by a man with blue vestments and shinny golden medals. The woman’s eyes were swollen red, her hair a mess, tears constantly dripping from her chin.

With a fast motion, Mary pulled the gun from the General’s left leg holster, and pointed it at him.

“What are you doing?!” he asked in shock.

“Get out!” she immediately replied, leaving no space for negotiation. “Get out or I’ll blow your fucking brains out!” The threat was effective. The man slowly stepped back, unsure on how to respond to the situation. “Close the door.” she ordered, and he quickly obliged.

She took a deep breath, and then turned to Dust. “You. You killed my son.”

Dust wasn’t sure how to react. ‘If she attempts anything, I’ll knock her out with my magic.’ she thought.

“Speak!” Mary shouted, pointing the gun at the incarcerated pony. “I know you can speak, I heard you in my boy’s room earlier today. At first I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but now I know. SPEAK!”

“What do you want me to say?” Dust asked, buying herself some time. She quickly realized it was a bad choice of words, as Mary seemed angrier than before.

“What I want? What I want?!” she pressed the gun between Dust’s eyes. “I want to know what you have done, and why.”

A voice echoed in the room, coming from a mirror in one of the walls: “Mary, you will put that gun down immediately!” the General commanded. “Should you fail to oblige, you will be considered a threat, and dealt with accordingly, is that understood?”

“I don’t care anymore! Answer me, you monster!”

As much as Dust hated to admit, she understood Mary’s feelings. Perhaps by exploring such connection she could find a way out.

Dust’s magic extended to Mary’s head, paralysing her in place. Her eyes widened as she felt the sudden intrusion, but didn’t react. The ones behinds the mirror did not seem to realize it. Now connected with her mind, Dust could tell her everything without someone else eavesdropping.

‘Don’t be afraid. I do not have any intention to hurt you.’ Dust comforted her.

“You didn’t seem to have the same mercy for my son!”

‘Just think what you want to say, and I will hear it. I did not want your son to die. It was an accident. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’

‘Like that would make it any better!’ Mary tightened her grip around the gun. Dust shed a drop of sweat below her mane.

“Get in there,” General’s voice was heard. “do whatever you need to stop her. We cannot lose the specimen!”

‘You killed him,’ Mary wiped the tears off her face with her left hand. ‘And now you’re going to pay.’

‘I can make it up to you!' Dust bargained.

‘And what would possibly make up for what you’ve done?’

Dust’s next words... no, thoughts, were hard to express. But she knew it was the right thing to do. She had to take responsibility.

‘I can bring him back.’

Mary’s mouth opened, as if she tried to say something but couldn’t. She let her guard down, lowering the weapon to the ground, providing the guards an opportunity to strike. The metal door started to screech as its rusty gears grinded against each other. Regaining herself, she asked, an hopeful tone lingering in her voice: “You can?”

Dust broke the spell. “I swear. But first I have to get to him.”

The door slid open and three guards came rushing in, with rifles pointed at them both. “Put the weapon down!”

Mary kept staring at Dust’s green eyes, as if searching for confirmation that she was telling the truth. She gulped, gaining courage, and lifted the weapon once more.

“Drop it!” one of the guards ordered.

“If you come any closer,” Mary addressed the guards “I’ll shoot it.”

They kept their stance, not moving an inch. Instead, they asked: “Sir?”

“Damn you Mary! You’re playing with fire here.” the General grunted at the speaker.

“You want this thing don’t you? For your weird experiments?” Mary spoke out, her voice filled with newfound confidence “Unless you want it dead, you will do as I say!”

“Sir? How should we proceed?” the guard at the back questioned, starting to act worried.

“Don’t fire!” his voice echoed in the room “I will have your head for this Mary, you can bet on it!”

Mary grinned, looking exquisitely weird with her messy appearance after crying. “Good. Now slowly back off.” The soldiers complied, step by step leaving the holding cell. Invoking her magic, Dust snapped the leather belts holding her with ease, and awkwardly fell to the ground. Her front legs were too weak to respond to her will, so she just floated herself instead.

Mary walked in direction of the medical room, constantly pointing the gun at the flying pony. The guards kept walking back, until both groups were outside the cell. “Get out, and lock the door.” Mary ordered in words what the guards quickly executed in actions.

Dust looked at the middle of this new room. A mattress surrounded by machinery of all kind, terminals and diagnostics running in several terminal screens. And in the mattress itself, covered by a thin cyan sheet, Jake lied dead. Dust floated herself closer to further examine. Mary kept pointing the gun at her.

“You can put the gun down now, you know?” Dust suggested.

“I’d rather not.” Mary responded, showing her lack of trust over her recent ally.

“Fine...” she gave up, returning her focus on the corpse in front of her. ‘This spell is tricky. I’ve never done it before, and I’m sure to never do it again... But should I? It’s my magic after all. Why should this humanoid be worth it? If I act fast, I can disarm her, and blast my way out of here. Sounds like a plan.’

Dust’s horn started to shimmer with light, as she envisioned her magic enveloping Mary’s hands and twisting them in order to force the gun to be dropped.

Dust...

She held herself back as her mother’s voice echoed in her mind. ‘What would’ve mother done?’ she thought, considering her options.

“But mother, that was half our supplies!” Dust moaned while adjusting herself on the Strahl’s seat.

“The boy was needing it, wasn’t he?” her mother justified.

“I guess... but so do many others! And we don’t go from system to system feeding everyone, do we?”

Her mother sighed. “There’s a difference between doing the right thing and ignoring the wrongness in front of you.”

“We’re going to be sitting ducks on the edge of the galaxy for who knows how long, and now we might very well starve!” Dust yelled, her voice alerting even the Volkar workers in the Citadel hangar.

“What matters is that we can make it through without it, right? And we can make it through.” her mother finished, stomping her hoof into the central interface, augmenting the impact of her words.

‘I *can** make it through.*’ Dust settled, putting her mind at ease. Instead of proceeding with her plan, Dust chose integrity. Slowly, she lowered her head to Jake’s, while dismissing the levitation spell.

“What are you doing?!” Mary alerted.

“Keeping my end of the deal.” she answered.

Magic slowly poured from the tip of her horn and started to cover Jake’s body. The liquid magic attached itself to his skin, rejecting anything that wasn’t targeted by the spell. The surgical sheet flew away, and the mattress closed onto itself.

Jake hovered a few inches over the ground, the milky, white magic covering him whole. The ethereal body sparkled, sending incandescent white light in all directions. Mary struggled to keep her aim, but couldn’t help but to cover her eyes.

The light faded, revealing a Jake without cuts and bruises, but most importantly, breathing. He strongly inhaled, as his oxygen deprived lungs restarted their activity.

Mary dropped the gun, and launched forward before his temporary levitation broke off and grabbed him. “He’s alive... My boy’s alive!” She held him tightly, tears threatening to break free once more. “I told you everything would be fine...” She lifted her head towards Dust, only to find her panting in the ground from exhaustion. “Thank you.” she said, while wiping a stray tear from her left cheek.

The whole moment served as the distraction the General needed to act. The guards rushed inside the room, surrounding its occupants. Behind them the General came marching, followed by a blue and pink haired woman. Rose’s eyes too indicated she had been crying: she had heard everything in the nearby surveillance room. She remained silent, but sent a heartfelt smile at her wife.

“Game over.” the General echoed in the room, as he recovered his personal handgun. “I’m afraid the consequences of your actions will be much harsher than I first forethought. You are charged with treason and...”

“Cough cough!”

The General froze, as he portrayed a look of shock and horror. Jake slowly coughed as he moved in Mary’s arms.

“I knew it,” Rose broke the silence. “the moment the light blinded the cameras, I knew my Jake would be alright.” She smiled at Mary once more. While they were separated by a whole detachment of military detachment, their hearts were never closer.

“It’s... It’s impossible!” the General yelled in terror. “It’s unnatural! Seize that... freak!”

With her physical strength partially restored, Dust stood in front of the assailants. “I’d think twice if I were you.” she threatened.

“And what can something like you do against us?”

“I just brought a dead back to life.” she explained. “Taking a life is child’s play in comparison.”

“You monster...” Ambroise stepped back, clearly shaken by the thought.

“Drop your weapons, and get in there.” Dust pointed a hoof at the containment room.

Rose ran to Mary and their son, embracing both in a hug. “Thank goodness you are both alright...”

“Hey,” Dust interrupted. “do any of you know how to close this door?”

“I do.” Rose got on her feet, and moved towards the panel by the metal door.

Jake slowly opened his eyes, being greeted by his smiling mother. “M... Mary?”

“It’s alright kid, take it easy.”

A loud sound was heard from the big metal door as it slid into place, locking the still appalled General and his guards inside.

“Where am I?” Jake asked, confused.

“Didn’t you always wanted to come to Rose’s work? Here you are.” Mary responded, as she stroked his hair. “How can we ever repay you?” she asked, looking at the pony.

“I’m afraid I’m the one who’s in debt. There is one catch to the resurrection spell.” she lied, knowing very well there were two.

“How so?” Rose asked preoccupied. “He is going to be alright, isn’t he?”

“Yes...” she slowly trotted towards Jake, who had just now noticed her presence. Fear lingered in his eyes. “By bringing him back, a contract was made between his soul and my magic.”

“C-contract?” Jake stuttered.

“Your soul is no longer part of this plane of existence. In order for it to remain here, it has to hold on to something of an equal wavelength... In short, your life depends on my magic. Stray too far away from me, and the link will break, and you will die again.”

The couple exchanged looks of concern, trying to find a solution in each other’s eyes. They both nodded, as if they had telepathically come to an agreement.

“We have to get out of here.” Mary concluded, lifting Jake from the ground. “Rose, you lead the way.”

They made their way out of the medical lab, Mary taking the General’s gun once more. Jake followed, and then felt an odd cold sensation all over his body. Looking down, he realized he was naked. Dashing to one of the lockers, he took a lab coat and awkwardly rushed to put it on. Dust couldn’t help but smirk.

Chapter 3: Legacy

The alarm resonated off the many speakers present in every corridor. The walls were tinted red from their original dark green colour by the warning lights going crazy in every direction. The guards held their ground, hands gripped tight around their rifles, would the escapees attempt an attack.

By now, everyone in the complex with enough security clearance knew of what had happened in the lower levels. Soldiers and scientists alike tracked the white coated pony with both looks of awe and terror, never approaching.

Jake ran behind, struggling to keep his pace. His body might have been completely rejuvenated, but his physical prowess was at its worst. ‘What is this feeling?’ he asked himself, starting to slow down. ‘I’m breathing fine, yet... it never seems enough!’. He pressed his hand against the chest, trying to feel his lungs expanding, his heartbeat, anything. Jake came to a halt, drawing a look of horror as he realized his whole body had gone numb. ‘Is this a side effect? Am I condemned to live without feelings, like a ghoul from the pre-war comics?’

A bump on his hip snapped him out of his mental wandering. “We have to press on,” Dust said with a determined look, hoof bumping Jake once more to make sure he was following. “You can rest later.”

The prospect that Jake had died and returned was too dreary for him to preoccupy with in the current situation. Apologizing to his own body, Jake regained his speed, and was soon right behind Rose, who led the way alongside Mary. Dust quickly galloped on his side, always staying as close to him as possible. Truth to be told, Jake was terrified of her, the nightmarish pony necromancer who tortured his arm with a stare.

‘But I had it coming, hadn’t I?’ he came to an agreement with his own consciousness. ‘What I did to Dave was low... no, it was the lowest thing I’ve ever done in my life. If this is some sort of punishment for what I did... well, I don’t take it gladly, but I accept it.’.

He looked at the women running in front of him as they turned around a corner. They had been following an orange stripe on the wall that would supposedly lead them to wherever Rose considered to be an exit. ‘How would they react if they knew? Would they be angry? Mary most certainly would be furious, but what about Rose? Would she be angry too? Or just disappointed?’. The thought of letting them down was too painful to bare.

‘You have to tell them.’ A voice echoed in his head. Jake was startled, and wondered if the others heard the same, before figuring out it was just in his mind. ‘You have to tell them.... I have to tell them. No, not now, later- Yeah, this ain’t a place for that sort of talk.’.

Coward.

Dust’s horrifying stare reappeared in his mind. ‘It’s true,’ he thought ‘I’m a coward. I have to come clean. I feel that if I don’t, I might not get another chance.’. He wondered where’d he get such premonitory feeling,

Jake stopped right before ramming into a wall, as he realized his mothers had stopped. Rose was already typing into the terminal by the orange metal door where the wall stripe converged to.

‘Alright, I can do this.’ Jake inhaled, his nerves taking the chest numbness out of his mind. What he was about to do would shatter how his mothers viewed him.

Jake slowly approached his mother, brainstorming on how he would confess. He then felt nervous of doing such a thing with his newly acquired lifeboat watching. He would ask her to give him some space if possible, but Dust had already trotted off to the nearest intersection, scouting for danger.

Truth being, she kept her distance so she wouldn’t meddle into a private moment between child and parents. Dust knew very well the weight of such relationship.

A burst of relief ran through Jake’s body, as he realized such distances were within the acceptable range. He didn’t know how he’d manage if the white pony was right beside him all the time.

“Hey, Mary?” he called out for her attention.

“Yes? Are you feeling alright?” she asked while panting from running so much. Jake then realized he didn’t feel tired, not at all, but the thought went just as fast as it came.

“I... I have to tell you something.” he said, his voice lowering as he continued. Sweat started to run on his forehead.

“Do you feel well? You don’t think there’s anything off?” she said ignoring his statement, still concerned about her son.

“Just let me...”

“Door’s unlocked.” Rose interrupted. “What is it sweetie?”

‘Damn.’ Jake was trying to avoid telling Rose. She was the most sensitive of his parents, and at the same time the one most attached to him. Jake was always momma’s boy... Rose’s boy.

Mary sighed. “Jake, we can’t afford to stay in one place. If it’s not important, let’s just move on.”

‘Yeah... perhaps it’s bet-’

‘Tell them.’ the voice in his head demanded. Jake was starting to understand what this voice was, yet he hoped he was wrong.

“It’s important. It’s about Dave.” he explained.

“What about him?” Mary asked. “If it is about his injuries, he was treated on the medical center in the first levels of the base, and his parents already came to pick him up.

“Did he... did he say anything about me?”

“I don’t know, I was down here. Did he say anything Rose?” Rose shook her head. “But, why would he say anything about you?”

“There’s a reason why he was beaten up like that.”

“I know... our friend over there” she glanced at Dust, who pretended not to have heard her name being mentioned. “did quite a job on you both.”

This was it. He had to say it. He had been lying about this for how long? A year? Two? Jake didn’t even know anymore.

A lump started to form on his throat. Although he didn’t feel an urge to breathe, the barrier still prevented him from speaking, giving him a hard time keeping focus. This was not a new feeling. He had faced it before, many times. Every time he tried to speak out, everytime he felt like bursting into tears and ask for help. Every time this barrier would appear, and silence his voice.

Jake stared at the ground, feeling his whole face burning as his parents’ stare pierced his skull. The uncomfortable feeling started to force tears to peak out, on the verge of falling. ‘I can’t do it, there’s just no way I can do it!’

A set of green eyes entered his field of vision, staring at him from below. She did not speak, she just watched.

‘If it helps, I’m here.’

And with those words, the lump was gone, Jake exhaled in relief, and the tears broke free across his cheeks.

“Sweetie are you alright?” Rose asked, starting to get concerned as well.

“I... I did that to Dave. I mean, I didn’t, but I was going to... If... if Dust didn’t stop me I... I’m so sorry!” Jake fell on his knees, crying and weeping as he realized Dust’s attack was not one of hate, but one of compassion. She had stopped him from completing the worst thing he had ever done to anyone in his life: betraying a friend.

‘You... you shouldn’t have brought me back... I don’t deserve it...’

‘I had to. It was my fault you lost your life.’

“What... what are you saying? Why’d you do that?!” Mary asked in indignation.

Jake kept staring at the ground, not daring to face anyone. “Dave... he wasn’t the first. I have done it to others, back at school. I’d lure them into a ruined part of the city, and I’d beat them up.” Rose started crying, and turned around to face the opened door.

“But why?” Mary inquired, not a trace of emotion in her voice.

“I don’t know...”

“WHY?” Mary grasped Jake by the lab coat, and forced him to look up. “What have those kids ever done to you? Haven’t we taught you anything?”

“I’m sorry...” he pledged in a low voice.

“Dammit, Jake! For how long were you thinking you’d keep this lie?” she started to cry too, but not out of anger. It was out of sadness. Disappointment.

“Honey, calm down...” Rose asked while putting a hand on her shoulder.

“No Rose, not now! Obviously the way we spoiled him wasn’t fit for him. He’s betrayed our trust!”

Jake remained silent. There were reasons why he had done the things he did, but he wouldn’t mention them. He deserved the punishment. He wanted to believe he deserved the punishment. ‘If I am to lose my mothers forever, I’ll gladly take the sentence.’

“No!”

Everyone jumped with the shout. Dust was furious, her horn irradiating magic, her eyes sending a deadly look at Jake.

“No! Don’t you even dare! You don’t know how it feels... Don’t you dare wish that!”

Jake looked in dismay, his tears coming to a halt with the shock.

‘Tell them! Everything!’

He turned back at Mary, whose expression portrayed an unhealthy mixture of emotions. Anyone with a weaker will would have had a mental breakdown by now.

“There’s this guy, called Max... When I first joined the school, he’d... he’d take it out on me. And I was afraid. So... I joined him. Whenever he came to beat me, I’d suggest others, so he’d spare me. It was only a matter of time until he brought me along, and forced me to do the same.” Rose started crying even more. “I’m really-”

*SLAP*

Mary’s hand hit him as hard as she could. Dust was shocked, Rose, terrified.

“You idiot!” she pulled him up once more. “You damn well know we love you! Why didn’t you say anything? We’d do anything to help you, you know that! Even if we had to move so you’d go to another school, it doesn’t matter!”

“But it’s my fault...”

“You’re everything to us Jake! Don’t you get it? You’re our son! Our baby! Even if we’re not your real parents, Rose and I went through fire and flames for you, and we did it gladly! Your dreams, your hopes... are our dreams and hopes! The sole thing that keeps us going is knowing that you live happy! To hear what you just said... it breaks my heart. Not because of what you done, but... because you couldn’t trust us enough to be honest.” she dropped him, turning around to face the wall. Rose took the opportunity to hold him.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” she said, while stroking his hair. “What matters is that he told the truth, isn’t that right Mary?”

Mary grunted, crossing her arms.

“Mom?” Rose let go of him as Jake got up and walked towards Mary. “I was afraid. Afraid of how you would react. And the longer I delayed, the worst I felt. Please, forgive me. Please?”

Mary couldn’t hold it anymore. She pulled him into a hug, far tighter than he was expecting. “How could I be mad at you... Just, never do that to us again. Anything you need, and we will be there.”

Dust felt a rush of emotions as she witnessed the scene before her. On one hoof, she felt happy for her soulbound partner, even though she knew barely nothing about him. On the other, she was reminded of her own mother.

After regaining their composure, the group made their way into the recently opened room. If Jake was in a cartoon, his jaw would have hit the floor.

The room was... large. The ceiling stood way above their heads, the light revealing floating clusters of dust in the air. The place didn’t look as well maintained as the rest of the complex. All around there were shelves, standing randomly in the way, holding metal crates which in turn stored a miscellania of screws, bolts, tools, and other equipment. Long story short, the place was a mess. Large cables scattered the ground, coming from several power transformers attached to the walls. Jake’s gaze followed the cables, leading his eyes at something he always dreamed of seeing.

What he saw was precisely in the middle of the room, where the light hit brightest. All the cables converged into a machine, and from it, a single power cable connected to the thing. Now, there was harmony in the midst of chaos. The messy area now revealed itself almost like a shrine, carefully devised to pay tribute to the contraption.

In the center of the room, held by an orange metal crane almost the size of the ceiling, was a Mk. II, the latest spacecraft model ever made by mankind, it’s purpose lost with the downfall of the ISA.

Jake’s admiration was broken by a very familiar voice.

“There they are!” the General yelled on top of his lungs. “After them!”

Rose rushed to the inner control panel by the door, mashing fingers against the keys, producing no effect.

"What's taking so long?" Mary asked, her stare shifting between her wife and the charging soldiers.

"I don't know, I think they locked me out of the system."

"Argh, get out of the way!" Mary called out in frustration, pointing the gun.

*BANG BANG*

The control panel fumed, electric sparks being expelled as a torrent of water being freed off a dam. The door's gears grunted, losing the necessary power to hold the door in place. Emergency procedures kicked in, and the door slid shut.

A thump was heard on the other side, either someone punched the door in frustration, or the charging soldiers collided against it. Either way, it earned Mary a grin of satisfaction.

Jake looked back to continue his homage. “I thought they had all been dismantled for parts.” he stated in disbelief.

“When I took my job in here, I was given this room to conduct personal investigations and experiments. I play a vital part in this base after all, they made sure to spoil me. I asked for a ship I could work on, and here it is! Our escape plan.”

“What?” Mary and Jake asked in unison.

“But does this ship fly?” Dust asked with skepticism, while surrounding it to examine further.

“Of course it does! I was the one who fixed it, after all.” Rose confirmed with pride in her voice, something Jake rarely witnessed but felt worth it every time. “Hop to it, I’ll get it running.”

Mother and son climbed the metal steps leading to an opening below the vessel, from where they pulled themselves up, leaving Dust inquiring Rose about the ship.

There was not much space inside to move around. The ship was designed for a pilot and a co-pilot, not for four people. They both sat on the seats, awaiting Rose to finish her diagnostic run. Jake was perplexed with the deck, the amount of screens and buttons had him in the edge on his seat: he knew what everything did, he had studied everything there was to know from the manuals Rose constantly brought from work.

“We’re really going to do this, aren’t we?” Mary asked herself. “I hope your friend over there knows some place for us to go, out there.”

“What?” Jake asked as his parents’ plan started to become clear. “I thought we’d just go someplace else, you know, on Earth?!”

“That won’t do. When the General showed up at our home, he showed me a detector, a small pocket device that beeped just like a radiation measurer. He explained that it tracked radiation similar to the one on the lake, and the last signature was pinned on our home. Later, it went off again, detecting another burst in an alley not far from our home... That’s where we found you.”

“But if we got away far enough...”

“If only.” Mary interrupted. “You see, the General is a paranoid bastard. He’s been using and abusing the leftovers of ISA’s technologies to satisfy his own quirks. Rose is one of the few who can work on them. He’s recently gained access to the ISA network, and can control bases even in wasteland territory. No matter where we’d go, they would track us.”

The explanation seemed reasonable enough, but something was off. “You always talk about the General in a... personal way. When did you meet him?” Jake asked, and then flinched as he noticed the question had made his mother uncomfortable.

“I’m not sure I want to talk about that.” she stated bluntly, while staring into nothing. She then sighed. “But I’d be a hypocrite if I kept secrets from you after you opened up to us.” She smiled to him. “We’re a family after all.”

The rain washed the streets as the thundery clouds lighted the path every few seconds, following with a roar that echoed from the skies. One year had passed since the accident, and the rain seasons were as fierce as ever.

Rose was walking back from work, avoiding the rain under her umbrella. Now living in her brother’s hometown in order to take care of her nephew, and to find comfort near her girlfriend, she had got herself a place at the local bakery store. The pay wasn’t anything special, but it helped with the expenses. And Rose made it clear she didn’t want to live off Mary, specially with the work she carried out in the orphanage.

When she arrived, she encountered herself with an open door. Worrying that Jake might have snuck outside to swim in the lake again, she rushed inside, closing the door behind, to check her suspicions.

The house was dark. Not a single light was on. Except from the living room's, the fireplace's warm light creeping from below the closed door. She mentally pinched herself, as she remembered Jake was sleeping over at Dave for the weekend. She always felt slow at Fridays. She couldn’t wait to fall asleep with her love.

She walked past the stairs and to the living room. As the door swung back, her eyes saw something she wasn’t expecting. Mary was on the couch, only wearing her underwear, and on top of her, a man on green military suit struggling to hold her still.

“Get off of me, you asshole!” she attempted to scream, her voice muffled through the hand pressing against her mouth.

“Calm down now, it’s going to be easier if you stop fighting back.” the man replied, his sluggish voice sending a chill through Mary’s body.

Mary looked to the side, and saw Rose with her jaw wide open, contemplating the scene, her face expressionless. She turned around and slowly walked away.

Mary started to cry. Did she think she was doing this on purpose? That she was cheating on her beloved bonbon?

Her thoughts were crushed away, just like the bat which crushed itself on the man’s head. Rose had swung hard, sending him flying over the couch and to the floor. Mary scrambled off the couch, standing next to her lover, hugging her.

“Are you alright?” Rose asked, concerned.

“Yes... I am fine as long as you’re here.”

“You piece of shit...” the man slowly raised from the ground, rotating his head as his neck made cracking noises. “That hurt.”

Perplexed by the rapist’s endurance, Rose grabbed the handle of the bat, and prepared another strike. She froze in place when a gun was pointed at her. “Now, now, let’s not do anything stupid, alright?”

Mary snickered. “What do you want?”

“Well, I think it was obvious, don’t you think, my little harp?”

Mary’s body trembled. The words felt like poison. She had met him at the orphanage musical performance, the instruments being donated by the military. The rain forced her to accept his invitation to drive her home, and when they arrived, he forced himself inside.

“I won’t let you touch her!” Rose threatened, although her voice gave away the lingering fear.

“Aren’t you a toughie? Perhaps I’ll have both for myself.” He laughed. ”You should hear what the men say about you in the bar at night, back in the city. How they fantasize about having you both in bed.”

“Disgusting pig!” Rose spit out. “How can someone like you ever reach such a rank in the military?” she wondered, staring at the insignia in his coat, which she knew to represent the status of Colonel. “Military, hmm? I wonder what would happen to you were your superiors to know about this!”

“AHAHAHAH!” he laughed, making the couple cringe. “You put too much credit on us. Knowing those old farts, I bet they’d commend me for my conquest! So, will you stop throwing false threats and get on your knees?”

Rose pondered. She had a trump card, yes, but she did not want to use. Not having any other choice however, she said: “I know your superiors are interested in ISA tech, am I right?”

“Yes...” he admitted, taken aback by her knowledge of the issue. “What about it?”

“I am a PhD in physics, and I happen to know precisely what the military wants... Present me to the your superiors, and you might even get promoted.”

“No!” Mary objected. “I won’t let you be taken by that monster!”

“Too late.” he said. “The offer is... too tempting to deny. In fact, I demand it of you. Tomorrow, you will come to the base.”

“Or?” Mary asked. “What leverage do you have on us?”

“Besides being able to put a bullet in your head?” he stated bluntly. “If you don’t comply, I’ll make sure the orphanage funding is cut, permanently.”

Mary gasped. The funding was the only thing keeping the place together, and she couldn’t afford to lose it. Rose turned to her, and nodded as she set in stone her commitment.

Rage. That was the only word that could describe what Jake was feeling. To think the man he cherished to welcome in his house had done such terrible things... ‘I’ll kill him! I’ll open that door and I’ll kill him!’

Dust looked over through the deck window, and stared deep into Jake’s eyes. She slowly shook her head. Her flowy mane combined with the deep green of her eyes were somehow... calming. While the hatred was still present, Jake’s adrenaline rush faded away.

“Alright, I’m done!” Rose said with a smile, signaling Dust into entering the ship. Jake pulled her up, her quadrupedalism proving to be a hindrance in a two-legged based world. Rose followed after, and sat where Jake was before.

“I didn’t know you were too interested in these things. “ Jake stated.

“Neither did I. But when you shown your interest on all things space, I too got interested. I... This will sound silly but... “ Rose giggled. That was the last thing needed to put Jake’s heart at ease once more. The angelic sound of her laugh was more than enough to appease even a wild, mutated animal from the wastes. “I wished that one day I’d bring the ISA back... and when this thing finally got greenlit, I’d have you be its pilot. It was my dream.” She smiled, her hands running through the control interface as if acknowledging an old friend. She had been working on it for years.

She pressed a blue button, which closed the hatch on the floor.

“Uh... I might not be a genious at this,” Mary stated. “but shouldn’t we, I dunno, be outside before we lift off?!”

“Don’t worry, this little baby of mine can DMP.” Rose explained casually.

“Can what now?”

“De-Materializing Propulsion. The ship has an hyperdrive, an engine powerful enough to shift it into a parallel dimension, the hyperspace. It then fragments its very existence, and travels at FTL speeds, possible according to the hyperspace’s laws of physics. It travels fast enough to ignore all matter collision until it reaches its destination, and re materializes in our dimension.” Rose inhaled after the long explanation.

Mary’s expression gave away the fact she didn’t understand a bit of what was said.

“So... it teleports us from one point to another?” Jake asked.

His question was met with a sigh. “Yes, I guess you can simplify it that way.” Rose said, disappointed that her scientific expertise was not appraised.

‘But that doesn’t make any sense.’ he wondered, putting the pieces together. “Then, why couldn’t the ISA use it a hundred years ago?”

“Hypertravel is a very taxing technology, requiring not only a specific engine, as enormous amounts of power. No ship can hold that much energy on its own, that’s why I have it connected to the complex’s generator.” she grinned. “Plus, it can’t go much farther than 300 miles. It simply was not worth it when their goal was to evacuate an entire planet.”

“So where does that leave us?!”

“Don’t worry, I have it all figured out.” Rose assured.

The screens lit up in dark blue, white letters saying welcoming messages. The ship stood silent though. Rose looked concerned, she ran her fingers with expertise through two keyboards at the same time, too fast for even Dust to keep track of.

“Anything wrong?” Dust asked.

“The engines... they won’t start up... I’ll need to activate them from the outside.” she said while re-opening the hatch.

“I’ll come with you.” Mary followed.

Jake watched as they both stood in front of the control panel outside. The ship started to hum, the engines starting to process power. At the same time, a screeching sound echoed in the room.

‘Over there!’ the voice cried out.

‘Oh no.’ As the power was drawn to the room, the door’s gears began to turn, and the door itself swiftly slid open.

The military contingent surrounded the two women, and in front of them, was the General. Now seeing him with a different set of eyes, Jake was inclined into running towards him and beat him until he was unrecognizable.

Mary pointed the pistol. “Stay there!” Rose looked at Dust, who guessed what she meant. With a hoof bump, she pressed the hatch button, and locked herself with Jake inside.

“What are you doing?” Jake yelled.

“Be quiet!” Dust hushed.

“I said stay there!” Mary threatened once more, as the General showed no intention of stopping.

“Stay away from that terminal. Right now.” He was no longer nervously yelling. He sounded worn off, tired.

Hyperdrive is online.

As the artificial voice announced that the ship was ready, Rose started to activate the launch protocols, typing as fast as she could.

"Stop!" the General commanded.

"Don't listen to him honey, just keep going!"

He raised his rifle. "I said STOP!"

*BANG*

The whole world stopped. Jake’s body numbed as he saw the red colour starting to drench Rose’s labcoat. She struggled to continue typing, eventually falling to the ground, the gunshot still echoing in his mind.

“ROSE!” Mary dove down to grab her, terror taking over her sight.

*BANG*

“Ahh!”

‘No, no, no this can’t be happening.’ Jake tried to scream but he couldn’t. He was frozen in place, forced to stare at the nightmare playing out outside.

Ambroise walked past the two women bleeding on the ground, and pointed the gun at Dust through the window. “You really thought you were going to get away? You fool! I have yet to meet someone who can outsmart me! Ahahahaha!”

‘It’s over... My mothers, they... because of me... This isn’t right, this isn’t fair!’ Jake felt like crying, but couldn’t. The shock was too much.

“Now, get outside and I will consider sparing you.” the General hissed through his teeth.

“You’re ridiculous...”

“We’ll see you in hell.”

“What?” the General spun in place.

Mary and Rose, holding on to each other and bleeding out of their chests, stood firmly, holding their hands together. Looking at Jake, they both sent a smile, and said something Jake couldn’t hear, but knew what it was. A single tear ran down his face.

Before falling down again, they both slammed their hands together in a switch in the panel. Immediately, the ship’s ambient white light changed into red, the engines getting louder and louder.

“Nooooo!” the General yelled, firing at the ship, followed by the other soldiers. Dust covered, pulling down the still petrified Jake. The bullets glanced off the ship, the resistant metal proving its worth.

The engines became louder, and louder, and louder, until...

*VOOSH*

The ship regained its ambient light. Jake was shaking, curled up on himself. “I... I can’t... why, I...”

Dust looked grim. Not knowing what to say, she stared forward. The room had disappeared, and now she faced a blue planet, slowly rotating as the star light shun behind it.

Jump complete. Cooling off main systems. Initializing navigation systems. Automated message found. Playing.

Jake’s shivering stopped as the recording played.

“If you are hearing this, that means we made it. The ship works, and you are finally living your dream. Congratulations, sweetie! I know how much you wanted this. It makes me happy just thinking that one day you might be hearing this message. I put my heart and soul into this project, both me and Mary worked hard to make this day come true. I love you, Jake. May your dreams pierce beyond the stars.”

Automated message complete.

Chapter 4 - Silence

Silence. The absence of sound. It might induce feelings of pleasure, relaxation, even. You can just close your eyes and imagine an infinite void surrounding you. In that void, nothing exists, just you. All the worries of this life, all the problems that keep coming to torment your soul, they vanish, along with the vastness of the universe. And, for a fraction of time, you truly are at peace.

But suddenly, a flash of light ignites in the dark, holding forms and colours beyond understanding. The ethereal brilliance captivates your attention. You feel its warmth caressing your naked skin, and for the first time in this world, you can truly see yourself. Unfortunately though, all flames fade away with time, no matter how strong. The light becomes smaller, its fiery flares extinguishing into nothingness. You reach out a hand, trying to hold it. Why do you yearn for it? In all that time, you were content with yourself, why would such a momentaneous event cause such attachment?

You realize then, that you know what the light is. It has been there for as long as you have existed, yet it was never given proper value, always being taken for granted. Only now that it threatens to disappear you acknowledge its existence. Your hand wraps around it, strings of light escaping from between your fingers. You feel one last burst of heat, one last comforting embrace. And then, nothing. The light is gone. And this time, you cannot truly see yourself, and what was a plane of meditation, is now a sea of darkness.

‘They’re dead... my mothers... I killed them...’

‘What? Jake, no! It’s not your fault!’

‘If I hadn’t betrayed my friend... If I had had the courage to stand up for myself...’

Jake whimpered, hugging himself on the floor, between the seats. The tears wouldn’t come, he felt too weak, as if someone had pulled the carpet from under his feet, leaving him in shock. ‘It should have been me...’

‘Don’t think that!’

Jake finally snapped. “Stay out of my head!” he screamed, pushing himself up to the seat, attempting to regain his composure. For a moment he had forgotten his new companion had the ability to probe into his mind. “Just... leave me alone.”

“I understand how you feel...” Dust rested a hoof on his shoulder, trying to act as supportive as possible. He quickly shook it off though.

“You do NOT understand, how could you? You just came out of nowhere blasting in, ruining everyone’s lives!” he yelled, his voice changing into a more aggressive tone.

Dust looked down, willing to take the blame. “I... I know, and I’m sorry, just.... stop it!” she finally stepped up. “This won’t do you any good. I understand how I influenced this chain of events, and am already paying the price. But if you think that isn’t enough, please, dish it out on me.” She looked determined.

Jake grunted, turning away from the pony, staring outside the deck window. Earth slowly spin in place, receiving sunlight across its surface. For the first time, Jake could see the effects the last two centuries had on the planet. He knew it through books, stories, school. But never he would have thought of seeing it with his own eyes.

Massive shades of brown tainted the atmosphere, covering the surface with radioactive poison. Thunder stormed occasionally in random areas, so strong that they could be seen from space. And in small bubbles distributed across the planet, safe areas where human communities still thrived, despite the horror waiting beyond borders. It wouldn’t last long though.

Every year, the clouds advanced a little more, every year, more and more people were forced to move further inside the cities. One day, eventually, humanity would pay the price. The thought somehow was... comforting. Jake would suffer just as he was now, or more, when the true end arrived. He had to look at the bright side of things. He had to focus on what mattered, and forget everything else.

Calming himself down, Jake turned back to Dust. “Tell me about yourself.”

“My...self?”

“Yes. You know so much about me already, you’ve seen me,” Jake blushed, then quickly dismissing the thought as he realized ponies probably didn’t hold such taboos. “naked, in both senses of the word. I feel at a disadvantage here. Where you came from? Why did you come to Earth?”

The pony stared at the flashing lights in the deck. “Ow, where do I even begin...” she pondered, brushing her mane out of her vision with a hoof. “I’m a unicorn, as you can see. I’ve never really had a home, but if I had to point one out, it would be the Strahl.”

“The Strahl?”

“Yes, Mother’s spaceship. Rarely would we spend long times inside it, but we travelled a lot.”

“What did you do?” Jake asked, curiosity starting to kick in.

“I was a... an explorer, I think. Mother made all the travelling plans. What planets to go, what ships to board. I used to question her choices, but eventually, I just went along for the ride.”

Realizing he was about to learn amazing things, he asked “Other planets? How are things out there? Society-wise?”

“Yes, I almost forgot your species is as ignorant as it gets to what’s out there.” she said, with a slightly mocking tone. “I wonder if the Council has something to do with it.” Jake opened his mouth to ask what this Council was, but Dust anticipated him. “The Council is a government composed by elected representatives of different species. Their seat of power lies in the Citadel, a city located in a planet close to the center of the galaxy. They have the final word in all decisions that impact more than one species...” She bit her lip. Jake wondered if she had any grudge on them.

“Wow, I... that’s amazing! I mean, I believed there was life out there, but like this... That’s fascinating.” Dust chuckled as she saw the glimmer in his eyes.

“You overestimate your species, you are the ones far behind after all.” she shrugged. “Anyway, that’s about it, you can see things for yourself when we get there, that is, if you want to go there.”

“Where else would you have me go?” he asked. “There’s no place for me here anymore. And you’re the only one who can guide me, so you should call the shots.”

She sighed. It didn’t feel right for her to make decisions that affected both after everything she did. “If you say so... Well, to start with I need a map...”

“Wait, you didn’t answer me one question.” Dust gasped. She was hoping he would forget it. “Yesterday, or two days ago, I don’t even know anymore, I saw you falling from the sky in a bright light.” Dust looked away, feeling guilty of the effect that had in the body of the human beside her. “How did you end up here? Isn’t your mother worried?”

The unicorn’s eyes shifted, trying to conjure up something to say. “I’d... rather not talk about it. It’s nothing special after...”

“No. Tell me.” Jake’s eyes stared, unwavering. “As I said before, you know a lot about me, yet I don’t know almost nothing of you.”

‘Damn.’ she thought. ‘There’s really no way of escaping this, is there?’

“No, there isn’t.” Jake replied, earning a surprised look from the pony as she remembered he could hear her too.

She rubbed her eyes, revealing signs of being tired. “I... I had just returned from a journey with Mother. We were waiting outside the galaxy’s boundaries, for what reason? I’d like to know too. She... had been acting strange lately. Like she wasn’t herself. Every now and then, she’d talk like there were others around us, even though we were alone. And sometimes...” she gulped dry. “She’d scream at me. She never screams. She was always so gentle, so kind.” her eyes were filled with sadness.

“Are you ok?” Jake asked.

“Yes, I am fine.” she rubbed her eyes once more, this time to prevent the sadness to overwhelm her. “We went to the Citadel, to buy supplies. And the we headed off. And then... Then they took her.”

“They?”

“Yes. A group of beings made of light, I couldn’t really see who or how many they were. Perhaps three, or four. And their shapes... I can’t be certain, but I think they were ponies, just like me. And that’s strange, because there are no ponies outside of Equestria other than me and Mother.”

“Equestria? Seriously?” Jake asked, fighting not to smirk at the ridiculousness of the pun.

“Home to all ponies, according to Mother. They are ruled by two princesses, one called Luna, and other called...” She bit her tongue, and then said with a harsher voice “Celestia... I bet she had something to do with it. You see, the world that houses Equestria is just like Earth. Its inhabitants don’t know what lies beyond the skies. Yet their rulers, I’m sure they know. And they can use magic too. Only them would be able to board the Strahl, and... take Mother away from me.”

“They kidnapped her?” he asked in dismay. He was now totally immersed in the narrative.

“I believe so. And I think she knew. For years we had been on the run, yet she’d always call it “exploring”. And the things she said to me before disappearing... It was almost like a goodbye.” She shook her head. “Not almost, it was a true farewell.” Dust tried her hardest not to display weakness. “Can you believe that...” she bit her lip once more, this time to prevent saying something disgraceful. “Celestia, that she banished her own sister Luna to the moon? For nothing less than a thousand years?!”

Jake’s mouth dropped. “A thousand years? How is that even possible? I’m no genius in biology but...” he stopped, reminding himself of his own situation. He stretched, starting to feel uncomfortable on the seat.

Dust breath deeply. “But I have hope. I have hope Mother’s alright... somewhere. And so should you, Jake.” He looked at her in surprise. “You have spaceships for crying out loud. Not the cream of the crop, but still. You think a bullet wound isn’t treatable?”

Jake pondered. It’s true that humanity’s medical prowess was commendable, still evolving even during the conflicts that recently threatened their existence. But then terrifying thoughts fell upon him. ‘If they survive... what will be of them? The General will still kill them, that’s for sure. Or not, instead he will... oh no.’ For a moment he wished for Mary and Rose to have died with the gunshot, unsure on how to feel about this possibility.

Dust smacked him in the back of his head with a hoof. “Ow!”

“Don’t. Don’t let those type of thoughts take over you. Have hope... that something positive will happen. Doesn’t matter if you’re lying to yourself, as long as it keep you going, it’s fine.” Dust advised, revealing wisdom in her words.

Jake massaged his face, shaking his head. “You’re right, I can’t think like this. They wouldn’t want me to.” He took the moment to examine himself. He was still wearing the lab coat, and strangely for the situation he was in, he found himself missing the feeling of underwear. And shoes. Jake tried not to laugh at himself for his own ridiculousness.

Dust smiled. She felt glad that he was pulling through, even though it was just a facade for the pain underneath his skin. Just like she was hurting, and yet didn’t truly show.

Her train of thought derailed as she saw something through the deck window. She realized the ship’s lights were illuminating whatever lies ahead.

“Jake?” she called out, shaking him with a hoof.

“What?”

Dust simply pointed forward. Ahead of them, a maze of debris approached at an alarming rate. “I think it’s a good idea for us to figure out how to navigate this.” she suggested with unintentional sarcasm.

“Yeah, let’s do that.” Jake typed in the keyboard before him as fast as he could. After Rose’s show of dexterity, he felt like he was going too slow. He knew how to control the Mk. II, he had studied all about them while in the nirvana of his bedroom’s library. Yet he never actually applied his knowledge, and doing so was revealing to be harder than expected.

The navigation interface required a lot of input, variables like speed, power, pitch, yaw, roll. All of them constantly updating, and hard to keep track off. Dust noticed what he was doing, and put her own hooves to work.

The sea of waste drew closer.

Jake was sweating, but he couldn’t afford to wipe it off. “Damn it, it’s just too fast! I can’t keep up!” Dust didn’t reply, she too was busy. Instead of trying to control the ship algorithmically, she searched for a specific button she was sure the ship had. At least she hoped.

The closest trashed metal, the wing of an old warfighter, slowly passed by the ship.

Dust’s eyes sparkled with hope as she found what she was looking for. ‘Thank you humans, for labelling everything.’. She hit it with her left hoof, and then grabbed the handles in front of her. Or she would, if she had hands. The realization that she couldn’t fully interact with this type of technology had her mentally face hoofing.

“Jake, grab the yoke, now!” she called out, her breathing accelerating as a large missile approached.

“Why’d I do that... Oh.” Now was the time for Jake to be disappointed with his own rashness. He was so focused on what he knew he forgot to think logically.

Holding the sticks, Jake pulled them back as hard as he could, to decelerate the ship. Little did he know, that doing so would cause the ship to turn back with a sudden 180º maneuver. The speed increased, the metal wing they had just passed by becoming their new target. Once more, Jake pulled, this time to the right, to avoid the obstacle.

While the ship had inertial dampeners, the sudden roll still had Dust feeling sick. The ship rolled twice, leaving a trail of smoke that dissipated just as fast as it manifested. Their speed had increased considerably. No longer just adrift in orbit, they were going in, fast, in the planet’s direction. Dust reached out a hoof, helping Jake to regain control. “Slowly.” she said. “These things are sensitive, never turn too hard unless necessary.”

The heated atmosphere formed a red streak of light along the outline of the ship, several alarms going off as a result. “Pull up!” Dust alerted. “Slowly!”

Jake did as she told, gradually pulling the yoke back, the ship’s nose turning up: He then released the sticks, allowing the ship to fly free into the void. After decreasing the speed in the variable interface, Jake let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Remind me to *pant* ask you before flying this thing.”

“Agreed.” Dust quickly nodded, her eyes open wide.

After going over the alarm reports, they concluded no damage was dealt to the spacecraft, much for their relief. The wasted power was already being recharged through solar power. Dust examined the three-dimensional map closely, trying to find anything remotely familiar. She was still shaken by their close call.

“I got nothing.” she said, giving up. “This data is limited, there’s nothing here I can recognize.”

“Damn.” Jake grunted. “Back to stage one then. What do we do?”

“Well, I have no idea. What do you know about these planets in range?” the pony asked, while yawning from lack of rest.

“The maps are this limited because they were never supposed to be bigger. The International Space Alliance wanted to reach Tau Ceti, and nowhere else.”

“Tau Ceti?” Dust inquired, not knowing humanity’s terminology for astral bodies.

“The closest system to mine that is theorized to hold life-supporting planets. It was with that goal that the ISA started the black hole experiment... and failed. I don’t know what they were thinking in creating a black hole. Sure, its gravitational pull is so strong near the center that with the right maneuver, and the right amount of power, you could slingshot at near-light speeds... But still, what a fool’s errand. They truly were desperate back then.”

“You created black holes?” Dust asked in dismay. “Not even the Citadel possesses such technology, and if they do, it’s being kept secret! It’s inconceivable that you went that far but didn’t create proper ships!”

“Don’t blame me, I’m just the last generation of a succession of morons.” Jake sighed. Dust shook her head, grinning.

“Well, can we plot a course to Tau Ceti then? If it is habitable, then it’s probable that it has been colonized by the Council, if it doesn’t already have a civilization of its own.”

Jake looked worried. “But what if it doesn’t?”

Good point. And what if they arrived there, and found nothing. “We are out of options.” Dust concluded. “It’s this or nothing.”

Jake nodded. She was right, they had to take a leap of faith. He then remembered something vital to the plan. “There is a small problem...”

“And what would that be?”

Jake typed in the keyboard, interacting with the map. A traced, green line was drawn, its origin on Earth, and its destiny on Tau Ceti. A number appeared in the corner of the screen. Dust flinched.

“This is it. Tau Ceti is no less than 12 light-years away.”

Dust looked desperate. “What is the max speed of this ship?” Jake looked grim.

“It may take a couple of months to reach max speed by gradual acceleration and still prevent the engines from burning out, but... That speed would be slightly higher than half the speed of light. We’re talking 20 years, give or take.” Jake stopped to breathe, finally realizing the direness of what he had said.

Dust’s breathing started to increase. “I got a basic idea of how much is a day in your planet... How much is a year?”

Jake gasped. “Over 360 days.” Dust was now almost hyperventilating. “Are you alright?!” Jake asked, holding her by the shoulders.

“How can I be? Twenty years, twenty years in this ship, twenty years closed in this small... ship. That’s... that’s insane! I’ll be insane long before then!” Her eyes shifted back and forth, her hooves shaking even more than before. “What about food? Do we have anything to eat?”

Jake’s face went pale as he completely forgot their most basic needs. “Do I still need to eat? Like I am now, I mean.” Dust simply nodded, not having the strength to formulate the words.

Getting up from his seat, Jake walked back, over the trapdoor, and to the back compartment. There had to be supplies in here. Sliding the door aside, he entered a division not much larger than the deck. Two bunks, one on each side, held what Jake hoped to be beds that would allow him to rest. Instead, these were recipients with a glass visor to look inside. He felt a chill as these pods reminded him of coffins.

At the back of the division, he found a couple ISA crates, labelled as foodstuffs. “I found it!” he shouted with joy. He could hear the pony jumping off her seat, trotting to the back room, her eyes shining with the tiniest bit of hope. Opening the crates was easy, the metal lock was easily disabled through an input code: “0 0 0 0 0”.

Their hearts fell to the floor. “No... this can’t be...” Dust seemed to lose her strength, and lied on the ground as her legs gave up. Jake couldn’t help but cry. Hope was truly lost this time around.

The crate was empty, just like the other one they opened afterwards. Once more, Jake couldn’t help but feel glad for his parents to have died back on Earth. Dying of starvation and dehydration had to be one of the worst ways to go.

“Your mother... Rose...” Dust’s weak voice caught Jake’s attention. “She told me something, before we left.”

Jake crawled up to her. “What? What did she say?”

Rose typed as fast as she could on the terminal, trying to have the ship up and running. Dust trotted over to her.

“Ma’am, I...”

“There’s no time to talk, I have to get this done.” Rose interrupted.

“I just wanted to apologize. I know words don’t cut it, but I won’t feel well with myself unless I apologize. Maybe that’s selfish, but in a way, everything we do is selfish in one way or another.” Dust found herself smiling as she remembered the argument with her mother. “I’m giving part of myself to keep your son alive, but still, I want you to know I regret... I regret everything I have ever done.” she whimpered, holding back tears. “I just lost someone who was special to me, and what do I do? This.”

Rose kneeled down to her level, and hugged her, startling Dust. “That’s how life is. We all make mistakes, even without knowing they’re wrong until we do them. And there are things that simply can’t be avoided. But you face them, and become stronger. Mary taught me that much.”

“It still doesn’t feel right.”

Rose pulled back. “Tell you what, you will do something for me, and we’ll call it even.”

“Anything! I’ll do anything!”

“Take care of him.”

The words that came out her mouth missed Dust’s expectations by a lightyear of distance. “What? Why should I... I mean, sure, I’ll do it, it’s just...”

“I understand your confusion. You see, Mary and I are not going.”

Dust put a hoof on her mouth, to stop her from shouting. “What? Why?!”

Rose looked down, a bittersweet expression befitting her face. “We have our reasons. It’s all for Jake’s good. So please, be there for him. While you heal his body with your presence, appease his mind with your words. Our son is smart, he’ll know what to do.” Dust nodded, still unsure about the reasoning behind their decision. Rose chuckled. “It’s funny, we always thought Jake was meant to do great things... But alas, what parent doesn’t think the same of their son?”

She caressed Dust’s mane, oddly putting her at ease, before pulling herself up.

“Alright, I’m done!” Rose said with a smile, signaling Dust into entering the ship.

“Rose said that she trusts you, that you’ll know what to do. And even though I’ve only met her for such short time... I believe in her.”

Jake stared silently at the pony, not even blinking. ‘They stood behind on purpose...’ Getting up, he examined the pods. “It’s got to have something to do with these, they are two in number, obviously they are meant for the pilot and copilot to sleep in. I wonder, however, if they can sustain a body.”

Dust’s ears perked up. She knew where Jake was going with this, at least she hoped. “Are you talking about crio-sleep?” Jake nodded in response. The flame of hope was ignited once more. Dust couldn’t help but admire the way he could come up with these ideas, while still mourning his loss.

The course was set. The autopilot would do any adjustments necessary in the journey in order to avoid obstacles. As a last resort, the system would awake the pilots. But that wasn’t a concern in Jake’s mind right now.

The pod felt... tight. He felt sad as the image of Dust cramped up inside the other pod came to mind, yet she didn’t complain. ‘Desperate times, desperate measures.’

‘Yes. Are you ready?’ Jake mentally asked, still confused about this type of communication.

‘Go ahead. I’m ready.’

In the side of the pod from the inside, Jake started the sleeping protocols.

Hypersleep initiated. Have a pleasant rest.

‘Sleep well.’ Jake reached out with his mind.

He got silence as a response. ‘Did she fall asleep already? Well, she isn’t human, perhaps she can sleep willingly, just like that. How useful would that be?’

‘To sleep for twenty years... how must it feel? Will I dream? Will I wake up after all that time, and have it hard to believe that the dream wasn’t reality? Or perhaps... I simply won’t dream. In my end, I’ll wake up right after falling asleep. That sure would be nice...’

The pod started to get cold, white mist filling the contained area.

‘Twenty years... Anna would have grown up. I’ll miss so many of her birthdays... She would even be older than me! Or would these years count? Bah, what am I doing. I’m about to freeze into a sleep and here I am, thinking nonsense.’

May your dreams pierce beyond the stars.

‘Is this truly what I want? Not that I have a choice, but... I always wanted to go... out there, but not this way. No, not at their expense.’

The pod’s walls started to become covered in ice. Jake was shaking all over, his breath horrifyingly visible in front of his face. His own breath felt cold. He couldn’t feel his extremities. ‘Ugh, I didn’t expect crio-sleep to be so... literal. How can Dust stand it? She probably has done this a lot in her travels.'

Jake close his lids, the cold hurting his eyes. He could feel his throat clogging up, the spaces between his fingers connected with bridges of ice. It hurt. It hurt alot. But in a different way than he was used to. It was the numbing feeling, being felt all over his skin, stinging like needles. He would have wished he had proper clothing, but he wasn’t thinking straight anymore. He was panicking.

Each breath felt heavy. His whole body’s surface ached, yet not his insides. These remained as if they weren’t there, numb like they were since his revival.

Jake snapped back into reality as he felt something crack. Fear took over him on a whole new level as the idea of his fingers breaking off his hands came to mind. He couldn’t open his mouth, he couldn’t scream. The ice was close, the once thin layer covering the walls now almost fully enveloping the human inside. Jake was right, this was a coffin. His coffin. His mind went blank, the brain finally giving up to the cold.

Hibernation successfully initiated. 21 years, 78 days, 3 hours and 38 minutes to reach destination.

Silence. The absence of sound. Earth was left behind, becoming a shimmering light in the distance, and eventually, not even visible anymore. The ship slowly floated across the celestial bodies, the stars becoming closer every second, yet ever distant. And for over twenty years, silence reigned inside the MK II, as it made its way to the system of Tau Ceti.

Chapter 5: Tau Ceti

How low can we get? Species rise from the ground, grow, evolve, and finally, decay. Such is the law of life. The endeavours each one faces in existence leave cuts in their soul, a small, undetectable wound. Without treatment, it would open wider, the blood seeping through until the being’s life came to an end.

But how long can it go? How long can this wound remain, draining you from all the light that once rested inside? That, is totally up to you. The choices you make, the paths you trail. All those will either stitch the wound, just a bit... or rip it further apart.

Know this though: you cannot close the wound permanently. Once you give the first step... It’s over. There is, of course, a way to do it. Having all your sins forgiven, and be granted true ascension... But that knowledge does not belong to mortals such as yourself.

Her head pounded with alarming force, the sound ringing in her ears for who knows how long. “What the hay... ow!” she cried out, after hitting her horn on the pod’s door. Staring at it, the pony wondered where she was, and how she had gotten there, her mind clouded with fog. Closing her eyes, the pony focused, attempting to recollect her last memories.

ARRRGGHHHH!!

Her eyes spread wide, the horror overwhelming her sight. Screams of pain and agony echoed inside her head, the cries of someone dying horribly... or worse. Was it... a premonition? “No, precognitive abilities are way outside my skill range... Jake!” Dust cried out as she remembered of their mental connection, kicking the control panel without caring which button was pressed. Fortunately for her, the rash action resulted in the pod opening, as if the ship itself displayed mercy.

Welcome back. You have been asleep for 21 years, 81 days, 11 hours and 2 minutes. Offset of 3 days, 8 hours and 29 minutes. 1 hour and 5 minutes to reach destination.

Dust jumped down, her muzzle hitting the ground as her legs refused to cooperate. But there was no time to whimper. She dragged herself across the floor, each push snapping her legs in a thousand different places. She knew crio-sleep awakening should be a gradual process, but it completely crossed her mind. Pulling herself up, supporting her weight on the other pod with her hooves, Dust managed to look inside Jake’s pod.

It was almost impossible to see. The image was foggy, as if series of stained glasses stood between her and the human... that, or ice. Panic took over as she felt a slight burst of magic running free from the tip of her horn. She increased it, conjuring as much light as she could.

Jake looked peaceful, just as peaceful as he was back when he died, yesterday... twenty-one years ago. That scared her. It scared her to death. His whole skin was tainted in a deep blue, textures forming on his cheeks as the ice carved into it like an elaborate ice sculpture. Dust hated to admit it, but she was happy it was Jake to enter that pod and not her. Had it been the other way around... Still, she couldn’t help but sense the feeling of failure. The first difficulty they faced, and she already had him suffer. ‘I’m sorry... I’ll try to do better. I will do better.’ She had to be strong. She had to keep her promise.

Welcome to the System of Tau Ceti. Reducing speed.

Dust had been waiting in the deck, unwilling to stay in the resting quarters. The ship had been travelling, fast. A completely different experience than FTL jumping. She was both amazed, and disappointed with human technology performance.

Hundred thousand miles per second.

If it wasn’t for the emptiness of space, Dust was sure to be crying by now. Although nothing apparently moved outside the window, she had to constantly rub away the rash in her eyes Frustrated for not recognizing any constellations, and not being able to keep focus, she looked away, focusing on the computer before her instead.

Soon, she’d have to take control of the Mk. II, and land on the most promising planet. If there was any planet worth checking to begin with. The yoke was not made for pony hooves, and tapping the tiny switches and buttons was completely out of question. With great sorrow, she accepted the fact that she was at an advantage while Jake was... off.

Dust was proficient in a number of magics, but manipulative magic was where her strength lied at. To move objects, to distort them in any shape or form, to heat them up, or cool them down. Thinking again, she could unfreeze Jake with ease. But then what about his mind? What if he was still forced asleep, now without preservation? She couldn’t take the gamble.

Fifty thousand miles per second.

They were close now. Focusing her magic, she held the sticks tight, preparing to maneuver. It felt so... right. Like if her magical strands were an extension of her own body, and had been amputated only to now be reattached. Even though only one day (in her perspective at least) had passed, satisfying the need to interact with the world in a more... significant level was a true relief.

The ship shook, the inertial dampeners doing close to no good to preventing Dust from being thrown off the seat, hitting her head on the wall. “Ow...”

Alert. Meteor belt incoming.

“You don’t say?!” Dust sarcastically replied, trying to regain balance from the hit. Holding back in place, Dust pulled the yoke, while conjuring a magical safety belt around her body, meant to prevent the turbulence from causing further injuries.

Outside, a seemingly infinite cluster of rocks, revealed both by Mk II’s own lights and the slightly orange star in the distance, kept pounding the ship’s outer shielding. One thing is withstanding the impact of bullets, another is resisting several scrapes of obstacles weighing tons. Although unimpressed, in her mind Dust still commended humanity’s craftiness.

No matter how hard she pulled, the ship wouldn’t respond. ‘Did the damage disable the navigation systems? This is bad. Very bad.’

The shaking became worse. The ambient light started flashing red, small cracks drawn on the windshield. Closing her eyes, Dust extended her magic as much as she could, forming a bubble around her, making rocks bounce off of it. The white coated pony let out a breath she had been holding for far too long. ‘See? That wasn’t that hard. As long as I keep calm I can find a solution.’

She kicked the area map on, looking for a suitable planet to land. Choosing between two, Dust plot a course for the nearest one. Fortunately, the autopilot still appeared to function. Not that it took into account the meteor belt in its travel plans.

With time, a dark dot appeared in front of the star, the light threatening to devour the ever closer mass. Dust’s eyes widened, memories being inevitably brought back to the surface. ‘Mother... what has become of you?’ She sobbed. But now was not the time to worry about herself. She now had someone under her wing, just like she was once under Mother’s.

Now approaching Tau Ceti Beta.

“Yes, I can see that! Ugh, why am I even talking to a machine?” The pony face hoofed, immediately regretting as the pain induced by hitting the wall returned. “Alright, I will stop it... now.”

The dot became bigger, and for the unicorn’s surprise, slightly translucent. Magically enhancing her vision, she surveyed the incoming planetary mass. The peculiarity of this phenomena was not without reason. The constant advance of the human spacecraft and the pony’s optical zoom provided Dust with the chance to anticipate what the destination had in store for her.

An ocean planet, the whole mass of the second closest planet to the star was nothing else but a colossal sphere of water, a blue shimmering crown formed around it by the star light that managed to penetrate the liquid. The blue faded into black to the center, either indicating that there was a solid core, or that the planet was large enough to hinder light itself.

Dust was in awe, her spell breaking along with her concentration, the sudden change of perspective causing her to nauseate. The sick feeling reminded Dust she hadn’t eaten anything since she snacked in the park’s grass. And that same uncomfort was felt back in that day, for different reasons.

Her curiosity was not quenched. From the moment she floated herself down from Jake’s bedroom window, to the painful electric shock that knocked her unconscious, the only thing she did, besides eating, was watching. Continuously keeping herself in the parallel realm, Dust wandered the streets of Jake’s hometown. Nothing out of the ordinary was up for study, all but one thing.

While passing by Jake’s house again, having completely gone around town, an odd feeling came to life in her gut. She felt... angry. Aggressive. If she was in the material realm, she’d unleash her fury on her surroundings, trees and houses alike ripped from their foundations, launched into the air and torn apart as easily as paper. She was brought back from her rage induced psychosis as her boiling emotions took shape.

The door opened, and what she saw increased her inner anger tenfold. From it, a cloud of darkness escaped free into the sky. Exhibiting sickening tones of dark colours, the shade ascended swiftly as smoke, yet as sluggish as icky muck. The whole scene reeked of evil, her insides hurting just by witnessing it. The temperature seemed to rise, burning against Dust’s forehead. Looking up, she saw the cause. Countless magical sparks rained from the tip of her horn, bursting with energy.

The magical overdrive came to an end as the door closed. The wimpy boy had exited through it, and with it, the dark moss disappeared. ‘There’s something strange about this... Was the boy casting such unholy magics?’ Her temper cooled down, but not entirely. She would follow him, and wait for the right moment to strike. Why? Because the hatred inside her made it feel like the right thing to do.

Dust’s revisit of that day, and thinking about the loss of control that lead to her and Jake’s capture, was interrupted as the ship communicated. She reeled with joy for once with the automated voice’s announcement.

Pressure: 1.05. Atmospheric composition: Oxygen in desirable quantities. Vast deposits of H20. Slight traces of heavy metals. Planet is habitable. Margin of error of 0,05%.

The pony clopped her hooves together. ‘Oh, thank you Mother! There is zero percent chance that such a planet would go unnoticed by the Council. There has to be at least a prospect team down there.’ With a hoof bump, Dust tapped the button conveniently tagged “Land”.

Landing procedures initiated. Please lock the belts in place.

‘Belts? What belts? Oh.’ The pony facehoofed once more, baffled by her own lack of attention as she noticed the straps hanging from the sides of the seats. ‘So that is what these were for.’ she thought, loathing her previous unnecessary waste of magic to hold her in place.

The ship’s thrusters heated up, accelerating the vessel into the planet. As the large blue orb drew closer, a red light started to become visible on the surface. Dust focused her vision, zooming on the seemingly out place glow.

The light was submerged, the red waving across the water. It became brighter, and bigger. Dust knew what it meant. It all happened in a matter of seconds.

Quickly breaking out of her focus, the pony cast the protection spell around the ship once more. The impact was immediate. Red light poured inside the deck, blasting with great force against the magical shield. Dust’s strength began to falter as the charged beam eroded the barrier.

The ship continued its course, turbulence shaking the whole compartment as the Mk. II breached the atmosphere. The heated air around the shield only contributed to Dust’s stamina to slowly drain.

Dust, immobile in her seat, lost consciousness willingly. She couldn’t afford to focus on anything else but the spell, even though the shield weakened at an alarming rate.

*KABOOM*

The explosion shook the pony in her seat, breaking her out of trance. The ship lost its angle, the beam finally doing damage to the unprotected areas of the vessel. ‘Oh please, not Jake, please.’

No longer able to keep a straight lock on the target, the beam coming from below faded, leaving the ship freefalling down through the air. Opening her eyes wide, she saw the water getting closer, and closer.

*SPLASH*

The impact in the water would have killed her wasn’t she secured in place. Diving in, the ship submerged several dozens of meters, until it finally came to a halt, the sudden change in temperature along with the increasing pressure making the cracks on the glass spread.

Dust breathed heavily. “Crap! This is bad, this is very bad!” Focusing her magic, Dust snapped the belts in half. She screamed, as she realized the left belt had carved into her with the impact, cutting a wound right next to her shoulder, the blood tainting her white coat. She crashed down on the glass, the cracks getting bigger by the second. There was no time to think. Levitating herself, she ascended to the resting quarter’s door..

Hungry, dehydrated, and completely stressed out, her magic would not last much longer, her own physical strength beginning to give away. A loud buzz ringed inside her head, her ears suffering from the previous explosion. All sorts of alarm lights warned the pilot of the danger of the current situation, but offered no possible solution.

Wrong choice. But was there even a right choice to begin with? Somehow, in the descent, the ship had cracked in half, the resting quarters being flooded with water. The last thing she saw was an infinite blue, as the water rushed inside the deck, knocking her unconscious.

“Mother... where do we come from?”

“Excuse me?”

Mother and daughter rested in a comfortable set of pillows in an empty room, as the three moons dashed in front of the sun, sending an eerie eclipse over the planet. The air was cold, but Dust didn’t care to close the window. She had been locked in the Strahl for too long.

“As far as I remember, we’ve always been travelling. Where was I born? Where are we from? Are we... homeless?”

Her mother snuggled her. “There are things I did I am not proud of, and during these travels, I am, in a way, fixing things. I... I ask of you to respect that.” Dust nodded. Rarely did her mother ask anything of her. “But why do you ask? Don’t you like the life we lead?”

“I was just curious, that’s all.”

Her mother smiled gently. “Thank you, my little Dust. One day you’ll be able to wake up to the truth. One day.”

“Waking up, you are?”

Dust wished to be dead. Her insides churned, her stomach crying out for food. Had she the strength to move, she’d eat even her own hoof. She opened her mouth to reply, yet nothing but a low whimper came through.

“This can’t do, food you need!” The voice sounded energetic, and strangely high pitched. But on top of all, he wasn’t speaking pony language, he was speaking Krall, with a strange accent.

Something pressed against her muzzle. “Open, food must go in!” The word food played itself over and over again like a sweet melody in Dust’s mind. Without caring about what she was about to consume, she opened her mouth, taking the small, sweet sphere that melted in her tongue right away. The flavour was more pleasurable than the feeling of finally putting something in her belly.

Minutes passed, the stranger continuously feeding her with the foreign delicacies. “That’s enough...” Dust coughed, filling satisfied. “Thank you. Let me just...” She forced herself up, her legs trembling to support her weight.

“You can’t do! Rest you need!” the creature denied, pulling her back down. His hands felt sticky, sending a chill all over the pony’s body.

Rubbing her face with her forehooves, Dust slowly opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. Standing in front of her, a strange alien she had never seen before stared attentively, the large eyes burning with curiosity. While its legs resembled pony hooves, its body was different from anything Dust had ever seen. Its arms reached all the way to the ground, the four fingers in each hand connected by amphibious membranes. Water dripped from his blue skin, the floor wet enough to suggest he had been standing there for a while.

The room didn’t offer much mobility, all sorts of things piled up in the place. Batteries, empty packages, discharged weapons, random scraps of metal. The whole place looked like a disposal storage, and Dust feared for her health for being near such hazardous material.

“Feeling alright, are you?” the creature asked, hopping twice in place, splashing water all over. Drains at the edges of the floor received the water that eventually got to them. A constant stream of water could be heard coming from them, suggesting the draining system to be connected to a much larger sewage net.

“Yes, thank you for the food, it was very kind of you.” Dust thankfully praised him. Or her. She wasn’t sure. “What was it?”

“Irha! Irha good! I irha farmer!” the creature clapped its hands, spraying water on the pony’s face, making her realize she was already drenched to begin with. “I Koopak. Who you?”

Finally regaining herself, Dust raised from the ground, shaking the water out of her pink and purple mane. She flinched, pain surging over her left shoulder. A blood-stained bandage wrapped around her arm and over her shoulder, preventing the injury from bleeding further. “I am Dust. Tell me, how did I get here?”

“Oh!” He jumped around, looking over his shoulder. “Secret big! You can’t tell!” He looked frightened.

“I promise I won’t.” Dust vowed. She was taken by surprise as his mood turned from grim to happy. He came closer to her, water dripping everywhere. Dust leaned back, but not wanting to be rude, stood in place.

“You see,” he whispered, now with a mysterious tone to his voice. “big mean Marekus came, big machines, big noise, they stole falling star from sea! When they busy,” his voice got even more secretive. “I steal you.”

Dust tried her best to follow. “So... this Marekus person salvaged the ship I was on, and you took me?” the frog like creature nodded with excitement.

“Marekus no person! Marekus is me!”

‘What now?’

“Marekus is also big mean marekus!”

Dust’s head hurt. “Just... did they take anything from the ship? How can I get to it?”

He shook his head. “They store ship in big warehouse, big luck Koopak save you!”

“I thought you were Marekus?” Dust asked, immediately regretting pressing the issue.

“Yes, Koopak is marekus!” He smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth that fit on each other like puzzle pieces. “You very dumb!”

Dust prepared a rebuttal, but stopped herself from arguing with her supposed saviour. “Where am I?”

“You in home of Koopak! All this!” He waved his lengthy arms around, as if presenting the place to a guest.

“This littering room is your...” she stopped herself from making him reply. “What I mean is, what is this place, not just your home!” she explained, hoping he would follow.

“Oh! Oh! Why you say only now? After me!” he spun in place and walked to the waving door behind him, supporting himself every now and then with a hand. A waving... door? Walking closer, Dust noticed the force field keeping the water outside. Next to it there was a lever, supposedly to close the door. Koopak jumped straight through, skillfully moving in the water. “What problem? Swim, you can’t?” his voice vibrated.

Dust had to swallow her pride. She could be many things, but swimming was not on her expertise curriculum. Closing her eyes, the unicorn conjured a shield in her mind, and a floating spell to move her across. Disappointment was drawn on her face as the projection did not take effect in reality. She was still worn out, no matter how hard she tried, not a single spark of magic would manifest.

While Dust was lost in thought, Koopak took the liberty of grabbing her and hopping back outside. She had little time to breathe in before the cold water enveloped her white coat. Fear took over her as she looked down and saw nothing but a dark, bottomless pit. The ocean was immense.

The fear was quickly replaced by awe. Even though the water blurred the pony’s vision, the city was clear to the eye. Large spheres, most with a force field entrance, connected by tubic corridors, spread out as far as the eye could see. A web of compartments, holding a civilization underwater that seemed to thrive with life. Every now and then, a bigger sphere that connected all the surrounding ones extended a support beam down into the darkness, possibly reaching even the core.

“Atlantis!” Koopak screeched, his voice sounding odd as it vibrated in the water. “Capital of Antlantika!”

Warm yellow light poured from the entrances, shadows indicating the movement inside the domes. Dozens, possibly hundreds of mareki swam about, pulling strange carts, having conversations or just passing by. Some of these carts had glass-like walls, revealing passengers of other species inside. Dust’s ears tingled with an odd sensation as the countless voices vibrated in the water. ‘This... this is amazing. How come I don’t remember visiting this planet?’

Koopak dragged her inside one of the central orbs, the force field repelling all the water off Dust’s coat outside. The same could not be said about Koopak and his brethren, as water seemed to continuously sprout from their skin. ‘That explains the sewage.’ she realized.

The inside of the hub was packed with life. There was hardly any space to move about, almost all the galaxy’s species seemed to have joined here for a common purpose. ‘This is even more packed than the Citadel’s Academy.’

Emitting soft yellow light, glowing snakes creeped inside a system of transparent tunnels spread across the whole facility, and continuing into the sub-divisions across the corridors, the lights moving about, changing position creating a disturbing yet intriguing effect.

Dispersed along the stage, multiple stands whose owners shouted their best offers at the top of their lungs offered a variety of items, ranging from simple delicacies, to airship parts and electronics. “Is this a fair?” Dust asked, her voice easily swallowed by the commotion. Koopak didn’t even hear her.

The pony was short in comparison to the other creatures, her size matching only the locals’, and the gelatinous volkars’, who she recognized for their expertise with all things electronic, struggled to move about the floor without meeting a drain. And unlike them, who simply divided in two to avoid being stepped on, the same could not be said for Dust’s tail, being abused repeatedly by the stomps of the crowd. Koopak pulled her further inside, stealthily avoiding contact with anyone, his flexibility only adding to his reptile resemblance. Dust however, kept bumping into every type of folk, the occasional one throwing a threatening stare.

Multiple voices echoed inside the globe, not only speaking Krall, but a variety of other familiar languages, including some unknown dialects. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, carrying all sorts of luggage, spying over their shoulders (at least the ones who have them) to make sure they were not being followed.

Eventually making to a less crowded tunnel that lead to a smaller globe, Koopak let go of Dust and stretched. “Busy, busy place, you can see!” he said, the fatigue not nerfing his energy. A blue tone cast over the floor and whoever walked inside, the water reflecting on the windowed walls.

“Indeed it is. My tail still hurts from someone stepping on it...” she complained, rubbing her backside in an attempt to relieve the pain at the base of her tail. “This Atlantis, I’ve never heard of it. In which sector are we?” she asked, finding a perfect opportunity to gather intel on her location.

“Sector G-2, Star 25!” he promptly responded, while saluting. “Or G-3? Sector 13?” Dust sighed. Further questioning such an airhead would only prove to be a waste of time. “Tell me, where can I talk to whoever's responsible for the place?”

Koopak’s life appeared to drain from his body, as he sat on the ground, his large arms drawing circles on the ground with the water that dripped from him. “There... no owners in districts. Place kept by community.”

Still confused about his sudden deflation, Dust pressed on: “You mean there’s no one calling the shots in here? No laws? No security?!”

“Yes. I think.” He swallowed in dry, if that was even possible for a marekus. “Big boss I think.”

“Big boss? Your boss?”

He nodded. “A bit. She big player here in Melchiah. Iron fist of whole district.”

“Can you take me to her?” Dust stopped herself when she realized her words put him in an even worse mood. ‘Don’t be dumb. He saved your life, and now you’re demanding from him?’ “I’ll do anything reasonable in return. How does that sound?”

His sadness was washed away with the words. Slingshotting from the ground with his arms, Koopak landed right on front of Dust, his eyes glowing. “Serious? Anything, anything?” Dust merely nodded. He came closer, and whispered in her ear. “You take out big mean marekus for me, and me show you Boss.”

Dust stumbled back. “Ta-take out?” Koopak nodded in response. “Take out like... killing?” He nodded once more.

“ARE YOU CRAZY?!” Dust yelled, bewildered with the request. “I’m not a contract ki-mphmph!” she mumbled as Koopak silenced her with his hand, the commotion drawing the attention of those passing by. Turning around, the unicorn stressed her point: “I will NOT kill someone! I can find this Big Boss by myself, thank you very much. Have a nice day.”

Outraged, Dust trotted off, ignoring the fact that she stood literally on alien soil. ‘He may have saved my life... but taking one as payment? No. I will not.’

“What about the other one?” Koopak's voice lowered, the cheer being replaced by a sickening deviousness.

Dust froze. ‘Oh please, let it be something else...’ Turning around to face him, she forced herself to read his mind, but her magic was still too weak. “What do you mean?”

“The humanoid. Inside ship. I know who has. Do request, Koopak tell.”

While her magical stamina was depleted, her physical strength was still present. Dust charged at the amphibious alien, too fast for him to dodge, and forced him against a wall, making everyone stop and stare at the scene. “You don’t play around with me, you hear me? You will tell me where he is, now!”

“So you know!” His positive attitude was back, while retaining his deviousness. “Koopak used to threats, you scare me? No.”

“Gah!” Dust pushed him to the side, making him flip and land on his feet, his dexterity unshaken by the pony’s aggressiveness. Staring at the ocean, she considered what to do next, the crowd slowly dispersing.

‘Jake... I must get to him. Even if I find a way to unfreeze him, there’s no point if he isn’t with me. Should I do this? Mother, what should I do?’ In the distance, a dark shadow dashed through the water, breaking her trance. By the time she focused, it was already gone. ‘Must have been nothing.’

“You made decision?” Koopak asked, his voice back to normal. “You can find other ways to finding Boss, but will be worse, Koopak sure.”

‘I promised. Turning back now means turning back on what Mother taught me, on the promise I made to Rose.’ Dust turned to the marekus, a resolute look in her eyes. “Very well. Tell me what to do.”

As time went on, the masses emptied the mercantile square and either took a marekus ride to another hub, or retired to their homes in the adjacent cores. The cylindric hallways were packed, and with much disagreement from Dust, she was led back to Koopak’s home... if a garbage disposal could be called such a thing.

Pushing the litter aside with a hoof, Dust cleared enough space to sit down. ‘I could swear there’s more trash here than before.’ Oddly, she noticed, the place didn’t smell. In fact, a soft fragrance inhabited the air.

Koopak fell right in the middle of the trash, not caring much for his supposed belonging. “Want more irha?” the cheerful creature asked.

Dust nodded. ‘His mood swings are not natural. Behind that skin of his there’s a monster waiting to lurk out. I have to be careful. He might very well be the end of me.’ she thought, as the mareki jumped out into the water.

Taking the opportunity to explore the room, Dust started investigating. ‘If I can find something to counter-blackmail him, I can avoid this. Just need to find something. There’s no way I am going to kill anyone.’

Such a task would prove fruitless. Dust knew almost nothing of Atlantic society, and much less about her host. Cans, bags, small trinkets, energy cords, broken weapons.

Barely a moment passed before the pony was sprayed with water as Koopak returned from his garden somewhere in the water. “Stupid fish, eating plants. All time, fish eat all time.”

Moving away from his belongings (an almost impossible task) Dust took in her hoof a small amount of irha, and poured them in her mouth right away. ‘I’m starving! Can’t believe I only ate some hours ago.’

“You like irha, irha good no?”

Dust swallowed, the last irha ball gently descending onto her stomach, the feeling almost ecstatic. She couldn’t help but jump in place with delight. “I do! When I leave this place you simply MUST let me take some seeds!”

“Leave, yes... So, little Dust ready for job?” Koopak asked, beginning to jump at the same rhythm.

“Not sure. Tell me about it first.” the pony responded, her jumping showing no signs of stopping.

“Big mean marekus, name Rhaiku, steal irha from Koopak. Koopak need irha to sell. Rhaiku dead, Koopak rich!”

“How dare he! Poor Koopak!” Dust caressed his slimy cheek in an act of affection. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him!”

“Really, really?”

“Really, really!”

“YIPPIE!” The marekus flipped in the air, and danced around, sending litter flying everywhere. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Here, more irha for you!”

The sight of the delicious spheres in the alien’s hand made something snap inside Dust’s mind. Leaping forward, she slurped the treats directly from his hand. “Mhmm!!! So good! So good..:”

Suddenly, Dust found herself standing in a similar room to Koopak’s, but clean, and in front of her, a marekus double her size stared down maliciously.

“What is this fucking creature doing here?! Explain yourself!”

‘What... where am I? How did I get here? Ow!’ The pony clenched, her belly hurting more than she could ever remember.

“No one steals from Rhaiku and lives to tell!” he roared, his voice lacking the hyperactiveness the other mareki exhibited. Instead, the aggressive tone went hand to hand with his posture, as he place his hands in position to charge forward. “Prepare to die, you parasite!”

‘What? But I never agreed to... Oh.’ The realization hit her like a brick. Suddenly, the intense hunger that afflicted her insides felt pale compared to the shame of her ingenuity. 'The little rat drugged me.’

Chapter 6: Big Boss

“Prepare to die, maggot!”

Rhaiku smashed the ground with his huge hands, the whole room shaking with the impact. ‘How could I be so gullible?’ Dust wondered, still appalled by the turn of events. “Hey, calm down, I didn’t steal anything! It’s just a big misunderstanding!”

“Then what do you say about that!” The marekus pointed down at her.

Looking down, Dust saw a small plastic bag between her legs, holding inside a set of small spheres. ‘You have got to be kidding me...’ she thought.

“You tried to steal my irha, and now I take your life!” he leapt forward, an arm stretching in the pony’s direction. Without thinking twice, Dust rolled to the left, having the charging enemy hit his head on the wall. He turned around with a furious look, steam exhaling from his skin as the water dripping from his body evaporated. With a quick swipe, he sent the pony flying against the wall. She screamed loudly as she felt her shoulder wound opening once more.

Getting on her hooves, she took her time to examine her opponent. ‘He’s a larger version of Koopak, sure, but his size must have hindered his natural agility, otherwise I’d be dead by now. He even seems... tired?’

Rhaiku circled the room, Dust doing the same. The small residential orb hardly qualified as an arena. Sooner or later, he’d get to Dust, and be done with her. ‘What would Mother do? Would she fight? Or flee? She never got in fights to begin with... Jake? What would Jake do? I don’t know that much of him... I know he has a strong mind, stronger than he likes to admit. He can think clearly in difficult moments... Think Dust, think!'

“Enough!” Rhaiku screamed, his stamina recovered. Ending the dance, he leapt once more, he was sure to get the unicorn now if she didn’t move.

Rolling forward, the pony dodged between the marekus’s legs. This time he anticipated, not crash against the wall, but pivoted his hand on the floor, spinning in place, proving that although buff, he was still agile enough to pull such stunt. Rhaiku was ready to charge once more when he saw the bag of irha being sent through the force field. Completely losing focus on his target, he foolishly scrambled on the floor and swam after his drug.

Dust cheered inside for her astuteness, but there was no time for a fanfare. Quickly reaching the door, she extended her body to hold the lever. On another occasion, this would be a trivial problem, but now, hunger and fatigue turned the task into a breathtaking chore. The lever was almost out of her reach, Dust’s hind legs stretched as she grabbed it with her teeth.

“I WILL KILL YOU!” the vibrating voice echoed through the water and into the room. Rhaiku had regained his drugs and was coming back more furious than ever.

‘Pull, you stupid lever, pull!’ The lever shrieked as it slowly pulled down, electric sparks showering Dust’s face, forcing her to close her eyes. ‘PULL!!!’

Ignoring the aching pain in her jaw, Dust moved her head down as hard as she could.

A loud metallic sound echoed in the room, and seemed to last forever. The door had fell down, denying passage to anyone who’d attempt to pass through. Dust let herself fall down, exhausted. An icky feeling ran across her forehead. Opening her eyes, Dust saw green everywhere. Cleaning her face with some of the water nearby, she managed to better examined the floor before her.

She had done it. In front of the door, was Rhaiku, his mouth open wide, ready to cry a scream that was never heard. And somewhere, outside, the rest of his body floated down into the depths of the ocean. The floor, walls, her coat. Everything near the door was stained with the gruesome green of his blood.

“Ugh!” Dust jumped back, resting her back on the wall, skipping in place. “I killed him. Oh Mother, I killed him! What do I do, what do I do?”

Panicking, the pony kicked the lever up, the door retracting into its open position. Grabbing a nearby statuette, she pushed the dead marekus’s head outside with her eyes closed, not daring to meet its terrifying blank stare.

Trust your instincts, and try to do what’s right. I believe you will know what to do.

‘You were wrong Mother. I’m not ready for this. In fact, I’m not sure I ever will be...’ The pony shook her head. ‘Focus! How good of a unicorn are you if you can’t follow the same advices you give away?’ she thought to herself, remembering Jake’s breakdown aboard the Mk. II. Pulling herself up, Dust examined her surroundings.

At the opposite side of the room, a section of the floor in a half-moon shape appeared to be of a softer material than the rest. ‘A bed?’ Dust wondered, thinking if Koopak’s home had anything similar in the sea of trash. ‘Koopak! The sly bastard tricked me good!’

Searching the cabinets, Dust found several tin boxes filled with more irha, which she tossed aside with disgust. Behind them, wrapped in paper, the smell of some type of loaf creeped through. Although subtle, the odor was enough to entice Dust’s senses. Under the wrapping, the loaf revealed itself to be an algae cake of sorts. Weighing the pros and cons of consuming unknown food, she took a small bite.

It tasted salty, but unlike the drug pearls, the feeling of having a full stomach was real. Dust quickly devoured two of the cakes. Immediately she felt her magical energy returning: not enough to cast the simplest of spells, but it was coming back. That alone dismissed the thoughts of the blood splat behind her.

‘Alright Dust, use your smarts for once. How did I get here? Couldn’t have been by swimming, could it? Did Koopak drop me off?’ She trotted around, the increased blood flow contributing to clear her thoughts.

After circling the room a couple of times, she took notice of the oddly placed shelf near the ground holding a group of rock statuettes, each almost the size of a leg. Next to them, stone shards and a portable laser cutter indicated that the pieces were not a product of machines. ‘This marekus is an artisan?’ The image of the large amphibious being carefully crafting the sculptures had her in a chuckle, which quickly faded as she reminded herself of how disrespectful that was. ‘Well, he was an artisan...

Looking closer, she noticed that the sculptures depicted several species, each one different, all standing in a boring, idle position. Besides that, they all shared something more fundamental: they were all humanoids.

The fascination for the detailed work died out when the pony’s gaze made her notice the trapdoor under the shelf. ‘Of course,’ Dust thought. this being a spheric building, it would be a waste to ignore all the space under this flat floor.’

Making it slide with a hoof, the trapdoor gave little to no resistance to being open. A putrid smell followed, her nostrils tingling with the disgusting smell. Following the steps that were revealed below, Dust trailed down the path into the supposed basement. The smell only got stronger, forcing her to cover her nostrils with a hoof.

A motion sensor detected her presence, turning the yellow lights on the division. The room felt like the opposite of the upper floor, the ceiling being flat, and the floor curving down. Dust tripped, and slided all the way to the center of the room.

*CRACK*

Pain flared on her shoulder, the wound which was slowly bleeding now fully open. The cause? Dust would rather not know. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a bone sticking above her breast.

Her mind took its sweet old time to process the event, and then the second wave of intense pain threw the pony into a spasm of agony. Rolling around, sending bones flying everywhere, Dust attempted to regain her balance on the inclined floor.

“Ow! What the hay! Ouch this hurts so much!” Finally getting up, she pressed a hoof against her wound to stop the bleeding, the stinging pain increasing as time went on. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. This was just too much. But then she looked forward to see what had injured her.

In the middle of the floor was a pile of bones, scattered randomly in a disgusting mix of white. Gasping, she stepped forward, still shaking with the pain in her shoulder, and took a closer look. Her face went whiter than usual when she saw a deep blue collar wrapped around the necks of every single one of them. Bringing a hoof to her own neck, she felt something harsh in there. ‘I was the next statue on the collection...’

Among the bones, similar skulls stared into nothing, rows of teeth embracing the smile of death. “They are all humanoids... Oh no, Jake!”

Dust turned around and galloped fast up the stairs, ignoring her wound, and stopped in front of the statuette display. After examining every single one of them, she went for the one she tossed around, giving it the same anxiously suspicious look.

Sitting back, feeling exhausted, the pony let out a breath she was holding in relief. ‘No actual humans... thankfully. I need to stop this bleeding, I can’t stay here forever.’ For a moment, what she had done to Rhaiku felt justified. No one this sick in the head deserved the pity she had felt for him.

Slowly invoking tidbits of her magic, Dust wrapped one of the paper wraps around her arm and over her shoulder, pressing the foil inside her wound to force the bleeding to stop.

Adding one plus one, Dust thought to herself: ‘What if...’ Testing her curiosity, she bit on the plastic collar around her neck, and closed her lips tightly around it. Putting her head outside the force field, trying to ignore the puddle below her hooves, she took in a deep breath.

Air seemingly out of nowhere filled her lungs, pleasant for being free of any morbid-related smells. ‘A breather? That explains how I got here... alive. Still doesn’t explain how I made it.’

The web of buildings looked exactly the same as Melchiah, but she couldn’t be sure. No matter where she looked, the whole city seemed to follow the same design pattern. Nearby a pack of mareki stood floating in place, mesmerized at the green cloud dispersing in the water. ‘Buck, I have to get out of here. Alright, think on what-’

“HELLO!”

“AH!” she screamed, water rushing inside her mouth, forcing her to back away and cough. Koopak, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, his head peeking from above, displayed his row of threatening teeth with a grin. “Don’t scare me like that!”

Coming inside, he jumped around, splashing water everywhere, his legs becoming tarnished in blood. “You did! You did! You kill big mean marekus! Finally!”

In both of a mix of energy restoration and anger, Dust found enough power to send Koopak against the wall once more, this time with magic, killing his excitement. “You... You drugged me!”

“How would you say yes if I not give irha? All others were same!” he replied, faking optimism in his voice. Unlike last time in Melchiah district’s corridors, Koopak now truly felt fear, as Dust held him in place against the wall without getting close.

“Others?” Dust asked, confused. Her eyes widened as she realized who the skeletons below the floor were. “I’m not sure who was a bigger monster, Rhaiku... or you! You murderer! You sent them all to their death!”

“But little Dust is one who killed, not Koopak!” he refuted, trying to grasp anything to pull himself out of the magical lock.

‘He is right, isn’t he? No matter how I look at it, I was the one who did it. I’m the monster.’

Releasing the magic, the unicorn allowed the marekus to splash in the ground. Koopak drew a sly smile, realizing his talk had taken effect.

Dust trotted off to the statuettes. Seven different ones, each representing a different type of humanoid. How many actual victims met their end in this dome? How long has this atrocity been going? The galaxy is a dangerous place, and Dust knew that very well. Yet the very first day she had been alone, she had already killed someone. ‘How can I even face Jake after this?’

Turning around to face Koopak, who wasted no time to scavenge the shelves, and taking the irha back for himself, she held him in magic and brought him close enough so their eyes would meet. Even though disliking the situation, she had to take something positive from it. “Now you keep your end of the bargain. Bring me to the Big Boss... and tell me where the ship is.”

He nodded responsively. “Okay! Hold on to me!” he said, moving towards the door. Dust complied, not really having a choice.

Having swam back to the commercial core, this time without having to hold her breath, Dust followed the wandering seamonkey between the stands. The floor was way less crowded than before, but trading was still being made.

Dust now saw the area with different eyes. Either by revelation or tainted perception by her recent experience, the place felt terrifying. Who knows what kind of shady business are being made here? Each one of these aliens, what drove them to this unknown outpost underwater? ‘Whatever it is, I’m about to find about it soon.’

On the other side of the expo, the pony climbed a set of steps after Koopak, and then into a tunnel connecting to another building. This one’s walls however were of the same material as the walls of the buildings, keeping pry eyes from spying from outside. The light snakes slid around the tunnel in a spiralling motion, and into the end of the corridor, where they traversed the wall through a small entrance.

There, a cerberus stood guard in front of a closed door. Koopak stopped halfway turning to Dust. “Big Boss behind door, Goodbye!” he said, waving his hand behind his back as he walked away.

“Hey! Wait!” Dust called out, holding one of his arms with magic.

“What?” he drew a ridiculously looking clueless face. “Koopak bring you to Big Boss, was it not deal?”

Dust sighed. “Yes, it was, but it also was a deal for you to show me where the ship is!”

“Little Dust stupid in the head, Big Boss has ship of course!”

“Wha-” Dust’s voice froze, perplexed. ‘Should have seen this one coming.’ Releasing the magical lock, the pony turned her back to him, hoping she would never have to face him again.

The unicorn moved towards the cerberus, examining him on the way. Covered in dark brown fur, he was slightly bigger than a pony. She was, Dust noticed while approaching. Her four, red eyes tracked her movement, the left head being severed from a degenerative disease. The sight brought recent memories Dust was fighting hard to forget. ‘It’s like the universe hates me.’

“Hold it right there!” the voices ordered in unison. “Who are you and what business brings you here?”

‘What? The cerberus talked? But that’s impossible, his species isn’t as intelligent as others!’

“Answer me!” the cerberus pressed on.

She gasped. “Uhhh sure! I am... Kali, and I come here to talk to your superior.” Dust wasn’t sure why she lied, but it felt right not to give them leverage, for whatever reason.

The watchdog circled her, analyzing her in detail. “Mmhhh... Well, you don’t seem to have any weapons, and a little rat like you couldn’t possibly be a trouble to her. Right, go ahead.” She pressed a button next to the door with her paw. Dust slowly walked past her, doing her best to avoid the dog’s ferocious stare.

As soon as she stepped inside, the door slid back into place, and she could swear the cerberus was condescendingly laughing on the other side.

Instead of meeting another small room like Koopak’s or Rhaiku’s, this place was almost as large as the Mk. II.’s hangar back on Earth. Large metal crates hoarded the inside, being moved from one side to another by muscular species. In the open areas, volkars had their hands... bodies full with all sorts of mechanical and electronic contraptions, extending parts of their body to grab nearby tools while repairing machines from the inside.

The snakes’ tunnel ran across the wall and into a nearby room. Considering it to be a place of relevance, Dust walked alongside them. Shivers ran through her body as one of the passing snakes slowed down to stare at her. Being inside the glass tube, it was virtually harmless... yet the sense of uneasiness it caused was very real.

Knocking on the door, she asked: “Big Boss?”

Silence ensued. Was she not around? The idea of waiting outside was making her anxious. Eventually the door slid open, and on the other side, a very different marekus revealed herself to her.

“What are you? What do you want?” she asked blatantly. Being no bigger than Rhaiku, but no smaller than Koopak, Big Boss held an acceptable size for someone in a position of power. A dark green scar dashed across her face, cutting the slimy skin below her eye in the shape of a cross. A cape rested on her back, covering her whole left side. On her waist, a belt holding something Dust easily recognized as a plasma handgun rested in its holster. And unlike her brethren, a patch of greasy black hair sprouted from the top of her head.

“I am Kali,” Dust announced, trying to sound as respectful as possible. “and I need to ask something of you. I was hoping we could negotiate a reasonable deal, if it is good time.”

First looking doubtful, the marekus displayed her shark-like smile. “Of course, business time is always good time. Come on in, step inside.”

Dust obeyed, glad to see things finally going her way. Hopefully she’d soon be able to put this nightmare behind her back.

The walls, covered in screens, surveyed several public areas of the district. Dust froze as the snake that had followed her left the tube that encased it and swirled around the table at the center.

“Don’t worry, it won’t bite...,” Big Boss said, while sitting in a chair behind the table “unless I say so. Please, do come closer. What exactly brings you here?”

‘Very well Dust, chose your words carefully.’ “I’ve known from reliable sources that you recently acquired an alien spacecraft, am I correct? You see, there is a Citadel citizen frozen in criostasis in such spacecraft. I was sent to retrieve him.”

Big Boss kept staring with a blank expression, rubbing her chin as the snake slid over the table and rested its head on her shoulder. “A Citadel citizen you say? That’s a shame. What species is this citizen?”

‘You had to go and ask that?’ “That’s classified, the personnel involved in this mission is being kept to a minimum. The Council wanted to send in their elite forces, the Berserkers, but I, as a diplomat, earned permission to handle the situation without lifting suspicion among Atlantian citizens. Being the one in charge around here, surely you agree.”

Big Boss started coughing, which quickly turned into a loud chuckle. ‘Wasn’t I convincing enough?’ She noticed the snake slithering something in the marekus’s ear.

“Absolutely Ambassador Kali, it is an honor to have you in our land...” she finally broke into a loud laugh. Dust’s eyes kept jumping from the Boss’s face to the gun in her waist, wouldn’t she pull it and kill her on the spot. “I am sorry for my manners, I just couldn’t help it. I am nothing but a humble merchant, just like the other ones outside. I have no legal power over the district, much less the planet!”

“Bu-But my sources...”

“Sources? You mean that poor excuse of a farmer?”

‘What?’

Pulling her cape to the side, Big Boss revealed a robotic arm transplanted all the way to her left shoulder. At the end, instead of a hand, a drill shaped key spined around. With a thump, she inserted it into a lock behind the table. All the screens went black, and then a single video footage played in all of them.

Dust felt the whole world fall under her hooves as the image of her talking with Koopak in his home came into display. “I... I don’t understand-”

“Here is what I don’t understand, Ambassador Kali. Why would someone with your occupation .keep contact with one of my subordinates without my permission?”

“Well, I...”

“You see, that’s the only footage of you I have before what happened earlier today... I have eye witnesses that can confirm you murdered my personal assistant... Had you the decency to even ask his name before you took his life?”

‘Assistant? But... That damn Koopak!’

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” Big Boss questioned, removing the drill key from the interface, the screens resuming their monitoring activity.

Thinking fast, Dust replied. “I wanted to find your office, so I’ve been asking your workers... But, that Rhaiku, he tried to kill me, it was just self-defence! And if you investigate further, you’ll see that he had his own share of skeletons in the closet... quite literally. I was lucky I survived.”

“A shame really.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t really know where you are, do you?”

Dust remained unresponsive. Her story was blown, and the alien was rejoicing with this little wordplay. ‘No point hiding it anymore.’

“Worry not about your transport, Ambassador.” she mockingly said, reclining in her chair. “I have people on the lookout for it.”

Dust felt confused. “So, you don’t have it?”

“By the time I personally went to check the sinking wreckage, it was gone. Usually our planetary defence weapons vaporize whichever unauthorized ship that comes in orbit with ease. Most times are Berserkers, trying to infiltrate the city and relay information to the Council.” she snorted a laugh. “Very rarely, they manage to jump before their spacecraft explodes. And then your friend Koopak comes along and sends them on a suicide mission. Eh, I would’ve put an end to it, but Rhaiku enjoyed the sport. I guess it finally got the best of him.”

Dust was shocked by what she was hearing. “S-so all those things in his house belong to... oh Mother.”

“Of course, if he holds valuable technology the situation changes. He’ll pay for Rhaiku.”

Having to get to Jake no matter what, the pony complied. “And what about me?” she finally dared to ask.

The snake launched over the table and wrapped its serpentine body around its prey, squeezing.

“You, yes, what will I do with you... Perhaps I’ll feed you to my little friend here.” she grinned.

Dust cried out of despair, the snake’s tongue caressing her wound through the improvised bandage, tasting blood. Her whole body pulsed with anticipation of the inevitable bite.

“Luckily for you, unlike Rhaiku, I like my specimens... alive.” she snapped her fingers, commanding the snake to let go and re-enter the crawling system. If it wasn’t for Jake, Dust’s magic would be tightly wrapped around the marekus’s neck by now. ‘I have to wait... for the right time to strike.’

Avoiding her gaze, she focused on one of the screens. The camera, pointing at a stand in the market area, registered an ongoing auction. Big Boss noticed, and with her control-drill, she activated the audio for the particular feed, and zoomed in the image.

The scene taking place repulsed the pony in every possible way. Part of her wanted to start crying again, another wanted to attack everything around her. The stand displayed several small cages, the space between the iron bars covered by an electrical force field designed to shock anyone who dared to touch it. Inside, shaking in fear much like jello, the volkars accepted their inevitable fate.

The marekus conducting the auction approached one of the cages and spoke out to the growing crowd: “... and here we have, just for two thousand credits, or any equivalent in weaponry, a volkar capable of tuning all of your machines with no problem whatsoever! They are small, easily portable, and require almost no subsistence! Come closer, have a...”

Dust’s mouth was wide open. “You... you are slavers!?”

Big Boss brushed her patch of hair. “Now you know where you are.” she let out a laugh, that only added to the terror the pony now felt. “Welcome to Atlantis, hub of the galactic black market.”

Chapter 7: Judgement

No one really knows who was responsible for the construction of Atlantis. Or rather, no one remembers. For as long as there is record, the city thrived hidden deep underwater. Citadel forces struggled to pin down the haven in which all major criminals in this galaxy met to scheme their future mischief. Now, having finally found it, the berserker troops charged in, eager to seize control of the legendary city, the dream of every enlisted rookie.

The city’s defences delivered nothing but swift death. Even though it had no unexpected visitors for hundreds of years, the automated security system was as effective as it should. The city’s architecture appeared to be prepared for anything, like the presence of aliens other than mareki.

Having once been filled with water, the spheric buildings’ only purpose was to provide safe shelter from the predatory wildlife. With the birth of the black market, the whole city was redesigned from scratch. Water was vented from inside, forcing all newborn mareki to undergo a surgery at birth, implanting a device that would allow them to breathe on dry land. Floors were placed to allow other species to move about. And below the floors, the machinery that granted power to each district was installed, along with hangars, warehouses, and cells.

Dust was thrown in the cell without mercy by a dumah, a muscular humanoid species with black skin as hard as rock, and piercing red eyes. Behind the electric fence, Big Boss watched, smiling.

“You’ll wait here. Once I recover the ship’s remains, you and the other specimen will undergo plastification.” she turned around, her cape over-dramatically waving in the air, and walked away.

“Plastification? What’s plastification?” Dust asked, a bad feeling igniting in her gut.

“Ahahah... you’ll see.” she answered while turning around a corner. The dumah took guard in front of the electrified exit.

Dust raised from the ground, checking her shoulder in worry that the wound would open once again. In her perspective, she had been electrified, hanged from her hooves, shaken around, frozen, cut and hit in the last two days. Not to mention emotional pain of losing her mother, which she tried not to think about, the feeling of failure for letting down Jake, and the constant betrayals of Koopak, her short lived ally. The satisfaction the algae cakes brought would not last long, and eventually the weight of the trauma her body had endured would break her down for good.

And now she would be plastified... Her whole body shuddered at the thought. She had an idea of what it might be, but she didn’t want to hypothesise for her own sake. Right now she needed a plan.

‘My magic’s still not strong enough for teleportation spells, so escape is out of the table. And after that last fight, I’m not sure I’d be able to fight even a small marekus, much less this rock-skinned giant waiting outside. Coercion? If only the guard was as mentally weak as Rhaiku, I could very well pull it off. Is it worth taking the chance though?’

Looking around, she saw a pitch black orb, floating near the ceiling. It reflected the ambient light in all directions, emitting a faint glow. Dust knew what it was. ‘A camera. Keeping an eye on me are you?’ The pony sent a menacing look, hoping it would somehow shake the head marekus, although the idea of achieving such feat when Big Boss considered her nothing more than a prize was unrealistic.

Her train of thought was halted when the loud buzz announced that the electric gate had been deactivated. Without thinking twice, Dust ran at it, only to be kicked in her breast by the dumah, who in turn tossed a familiar marekus inside. After that, the passage closed once more.

Using his impressive agility, Koopak rolled before reaching the ground, and grabbed the pony before she hit the electrified back wall. Dust shook her head, stunned by the impact. “Thank you... YOU!” she yelled, quickly shaking off of his arms as if they were tainted. “You did this! I should have ended you when I had the chance!”

Kapook walked back, keeping a safe distance from the unicorn whose horn already rained magical sparks. “Little Dust calm down! Let Koopak explain!”

“What is there to explain?” she yelled once more, the dumah turning around to witness the fight with curiosity. “You tricked me into killing someone! And now you just sent me and Jake to die! You’re a monster!”

Koopak sat down, circling his finger on the floor. “Koopak is sorry. I really am!”

“Wha- You can talk properly?!”

“You see, if I played dumb, Dust would not suspect of me lying. Although I’m not very good at Krall, I talked worse only to fool you.” He closed his eyes, expecting a hit.

Something snapped inside her due to the marekus’s craftiness. “You... YOU!” Dust’s horn sparked, sending a jolt of magical energy that scorched the ground right next to Koopak. The dumah placed his hand near the cell controls, ready to charge in. Dust leaned close to him so no one else would hear. “You’re lucky I have to save my magic, otherwise you’d be toast.”

“You say I am monster... Yet you are one wanting to kill me.”

Dust’s eyes widened, and she slowly walked away to her own corner. ‘Buck, he’s right. I’m getting too angry for my own good. Since when was I like this? The first time I had this urge of hurting someone... was when I first saw Jake. And the second time... was when I saw Jake for the second time.' Dust giggled at the silliness of her own thoughts, earning a confused look from Koopak.

“I think you crazy. Besides dumb.” Koopak interrupted.

Dust sighed. “You obviously didn’t do this just for fun. Did you...?” Koopak shook his head. “Uh, at least you aren’t that low. So why? What was your motivation?”

“I don’t want to talk about it...”

“Care to be reminded who’s got the upper hand here?” Dust interjected, her horn sending threatening glows.

“Huh... Okay. You see, I grow irha for a long time, and I had good business not just in Melchiah, but in other nearby districts as well. But then Big Boss came... She set up shop, and expelled me from main hub. Still she wanted irha, so I kept growing irha, for her and her mean mareki.”

“Couldn’t you have moved to another district?”

Koopak shook his head. “Koopak has family. They work for Big Boss under leash. If I stop giving irha, she stops giving food. I had to... Rhaiku was strongest marekus. He also gave the beatings. He is sick twisted marekus, he enjoys seeing others in pain. If he was dead, someone else less strong would replace him as new slave master, and family wouldn’t cry as much.” He sobbed slightly, avoiding Dust’s glare.

“Or, an even worst maniac would step in place! And since you were caught, your family might suffer the repercussions!” Dust suddenly felt awful for wishing Koopak’s death. “If you were honest with me we wouldn’t be in this situation!”

“I just wanted to help family!” he said, finally breaking into a cry, his tears mixing with the water that enveloped his skin. “Is it wrong?”

Dust sighed. “I guess not. If I was that desperate... who knows what I would have done too. I’m sorry for being too quick to judge you.”

TIme passed as the cell stood silent, both prisoners in opposite corners, waiting. A voice echoed in the room.

“Bring the horned rat to me RIGHT NOW!’

The dumah, startled by the command, woke up from his half.sleep and disabled the entrance’s electric field. Pointing at Dust, his harsh voice vibrated: “You. Come.” Dust trotted to the exit, Koopak getting up. “YOU. STAY!” Koopak shrieked back into place. It wouldn’t be a good idea to fight against someone as large as the door.

Dust walked in front of the dumah, who kept kicking her hind legs to speed up her pace, almost making her trip. Every now and then he’d rumble “left” or “right” to guide the pony through the sinuous maze that was Melchiah’s underbelly.

There were no flat walls: only a cacophonic web of tubes, terminals and capacitors carving corridors in the area, hot steam being expelled in every direction. Dust was glad she didn’t attempt an escape, she would definitely be lost. Inside a special set of transparent tubes, the snakes moved about, despite of the illumination provided by flat fluorescent white dishes holding to the ceiling.

The air was hot, heavy, yet unbearably humid, its odor resembling a sea dock by the dawn. The salty fragrance brought the algae cakes back to her mind, reminding of her necessity of a proper meal.

Looking down, she noticed the whole extension of the floor was gridded, draining the occasional water away from the machines. Below the drain, the pony saw something fascinating. The water being drained was returned to the ocean by a one-way forcefield, its surface glowing gold with the constant stream of matter.

“Keep moving!” the guard grunted, breaking her concentration.

At the end of the corridor they made it to the edge of the sphere. By the present machinery and the ship-sized forcefield entrance, Dust recognized the place as being an hangar.

Floating in place over a magnetic dish, the ship’s wreckage was thoroughly examined inside out by a light pink volkar. Dust became horrified as she saw the wreckage ended just a few hooves away from the sleeping pods. The cut that had severed the vessel in half was as smooth as butter sliced by a hot blade. The pony realized her own protective shield had not been wide enough upon descent to encase the whole ship, the defensive beam destroying the engines and everything else outside.

On the other side of the force field, metallic nets floated by holding a variety of exotic plants , basking in the released heat. Groups of mareki swam about, harvesting the products of their work.

Sat on a nearby bench, a frustrated marekus played with her hair between her fingers, growing impatient. At the sight of the approaching prisoner, she got up, sending a look to the dumah, who turned around and returned to his guarding post.

“Your associate told me that your true name is actually Little Dust, am I correct, Ambassador Kali?”

“That’s Dust for you.” she replied dryly, trying not to sound too aggressive. “You have me at a disadvantage then, Big Boss. What is your true name? Surely not even those who raised someone like you could be that cruel to give such a name.”

“Eheh, I see what you are trying to do, but tell you what, it is not going to work.” She extended her metallic arm, pointing Dust to move towards the Mk. II.. “You, report.”

The volkar stopped examining the vessel and instead jumped at a device standing near the ground, carefully avoiding the floor. As if it was being vacuumed, the volkar infiltrated the device through fissures that no matter how small, allowed passage. With a buzz, the device’s screen lit up, displaying a sound wave of the same colour as the alien inside.

“Test, test. Testing. One, two...” the sampled voice chimed.

“Just get on with it!”

“Oh, yes, sure.” The voice, although artificial, held so much expressiveness it had Dust struggling to hold a laugh. It coughed, as to clear its non-existent throat, and continued: “The remains of the ship are in most part, in perfect condition, considering the amount of damage dealt to its tail. The technology is archaic though, it thrills me just to witness such a relic, thank you for this opportunity Big Boss, thank you, thank you, thank you...”

“Volkar!” she roared. “May I remind you what I do with unproductive workers?”

The electronic voice gasped: “N-no need! Well then, where was I? Oh, yes. What intrigued me most was the cryo sleep technology.” Dust’s ears perked up, suddenly focused on the conversation. “Instead of suspending time inside the chamber, it freezes the user, and stores their brain waves in a local memory core. Most fascinating.”

“Yadda yadda, so?” the marekus interjected, growing ever more impatient. “Can we wake it up or not?”

“I’m not 100% sure. There are several circular holes in the outer hull, cause by cylindric metal pieces, which I’ll assume to be projectiles. These lodged themselves in the right chamber’s memory management computer, damaging it.”

Dust felt the burden on her shoulders increase tenfold. The screams that she had heard while sleeping... Were screams of death. Jake had never fallen asleep, and once more, his blood was on her hooves.

“But can it be unfrozen?” Big Boss asked once more.

“Yes,” the volkar assured “but if he survives, it’ll be with major damage to his nervous system.”

“Good enough for me!” she said, much to Dust’s shock. “Unfreeze it and prepare plastification!”

“No!” Dust screamed. “You said you wanted us alive, didn’t you?”

“Alive, yes, but I couldn’t care less if you’re conscious or not.”

“Why? What’s the reasoning behind this?” Dust asked in disbelief, the volkar sliding out of the communicator and crawling back into the exposed ship’s mainframe.

“I’ll put it simple,” Big Boss started, brushing Dust’s pink and lavender mane, causing her to feel disgusted upon the touch of the slimy hand. “live statues sell for more.”

“I guess Koopak was right, you are dumb.” she grinned. “As a merchant specialized in the trade of rare artifacts, I am always interested in the acquisition of new goods. Call me a collector, if you wish. And I wouldn’t want my collection to rot.”

Dust stared down, her eyes watering. “That’s... that’s so wrong.”

“What is wrong and right anyway, Dust? Is it any worse than you beheading my underling? “

“Rhaiku deserved no mercy! He too had his own room of horrors!”

“He did, didn’t he?” Big Boss chuckled. “The idiot wanted to collect as well, but since I did not allow him to even come close to the plastification machine, he carved statues instead. The fool always followed me around... I even think he had a thing for me.”

“You are all sick...” Dust stumbled, feeling a sudden drain of power.

Steam escaped the ship’s opening, the ice melting from the chamber at an alarming rate. The pink volkar was nowhere to be seen. Behind her and the ship, something that previously resembled a locker opened as Big Boss inserted a code on her robotic arm’s keypad. Inside it, a gooey white mist floated about, not leaving the locker’s confinement.

Dust gulped. ‘The plastification...’ she thought. Shaking her head, she snapped back to reality. “Enough!” she screamed while launching forward, spinning in place on her forehooves as she delivered a buck to the marekus with as much strength as she could muster. While Big Boss stepped back, it was not enough to make her lose her balance.

Big Boss gripped her only hand around the holster in her waist. “You vermin! Know your place! How dare- uh?”

The threats were interrupted by the spark shower emitted by Dust’s horn. The milky white glow steadily increased in intensity, forcing the marekus to cover her large black eyes.

‘Is it okay to feel like this? This anger, taking over me... I don’t like it. I don’t want it. It’s not me. But it makes me powerful, doesn’t it? It’s for a good cause. Yes! I promised after all! I will make justice to my name, and reduce this... bitch to nothing but dust!’

Electric sparks flashed from nearby apparels, glass cases cracking under the pressure that was felt in the room. Papers aimlessly floated about, light itself fluctuated, the lamps threatening to give away, while the spying snakes escaped in fear. The steam pressure increased in the pipes, the metal on some of them melting, blocking the passage of hot air.

‘Allow the anger to consume you...’

Dust rose from the ground, levitating as her mane and tail waved frantically. Her eyes shined with the same fiery brightness as her horn. Big Boss lost her balance and fell on her back, struggling to crawl away.

The magical outburst reached its peak.

“BE JUDGED!” a thousand different voices echoed in unison from Dust’s mouth. The light increased in intensity, her own coat appearing to shine. For a moment it was impossible to see through the blinding light.

And then nothing.

Dust plummeted to the ground, her jaw hitting the gridded floor, putting her in a daze. Her whole body felt numb. The shine from her eyes faded as the green of her iris returned. She felt confused, misplaced.

‘What did I just do? Did I lose consciousness? Did my magic run out? No... I can still feel it. Then what happened?’ She tried to pull herself up, but couldn’t. The only other time such a magical overdrive was felt she had controlled her own emotions to keep it contained. She had no way of knowing if it would be successful.

Almost if hysterically, Big Boss raised from the ground, laughing. Her hand searched around her waist in an attempt to grab the handgun. Her constant shaking and eye twitching indicated she was completely terrorized. “Eheheh! You think a fireworks show is enough to scare me?” Dust felt tempted to nod, but her whole face ached from the fall. Tears streamed across her face, not from sadness, fear, or horror, but pain.

Finally holding the gun and pulling it from its holster, she aimed at the pony.

‘I’m sorry Jake, for letting you down.’

“I don’t care anymore! You aren’t worth plastifying!”

‘I’m sorry Rose, for failing to keep my promise.’

“A freak like you deserves to be put down!”

‘And I’m sorry Mother, for disappointing you.’

“See you on the other side, freak!”

Dust’s eyes widened, not from that intriguing last quote, but by the heavy metal box, with the letters I.S.A. carved in it, being held by the human in the lab coat above his head.

*BANG*

With one quick sweep, the crate hit the side of the marekus’s head, making her fire at random, a red charged energy blast melting the bench she had previously sat on.. Jake, whose skin was pale blue, chunks of ice still melting from his body, fell to the ground, his legs refusing to cooperate after their sudden awakening.

Either by extreme coincidence or a boost of hope upon the scene playing before her, Dust lifted from the ground, ignoring the pain, and bucked the dazed marekus once more.

She stumbled back, waving her robotic arm around at random in a failed attempt to hit anyone, a green line of blood running across her head.

Jumping from the mainframe, the volkar extended himself, grasping both the ship and the wall with his body, stretching to seemingly impossible lengths to create a rope. In one final step back, Big Boss’s leg came in contact with the volkar, forcing her to fall back, this time however, ending right inside the plastification locker.

She opened the one eye that wasn’t covered in blood, and upon realizing where she was, she leapt forward in a final attempt to escape. But it was too late. Half her pony-like legs were already petrified. The mist circulating her attracted itself to her body, solidifying upon touch.

“Help me! Ugh, get me out of here!”

Jake, although confused, was terrified. Dust, however, couldn’t help but grin. “You are the freak. You deserve to be put down.”

“Shut up! Just pull me out! I won’t plastify you! I won’t!”

Dust remained quiet. ‘This is justice. This is not wrong. I’m not like them. Am I? No. I am not.’

“AAAGGHHHH!” Big Boss screamed, the white stone covering her waist, her arms, and finally reaching her neck. The process seemed to slow down, the blood in her face vaporizing before the plastification was complete. “They... they will know.” her weak voice whispered. “I, Aphestis, will tell them, and they will kill you all. They will...”

The statue was complete.

“Where are we? I don’t understand...”

“I’ll explain everything later, okay?” Dust reassured, resting a hoof on Jake’s shoulder, while she balanced a steam exhaling tube meant to warm the human with the other.“It’s a miracle you managed to survive.”

“Actually, not quite so.”

Pony and human looked towards the voice, their eyes meeting the communicator’s sound waves bursting in pink.

“The subject’s mind was frozen, so I repaired the computer to salvage it into memory, activated the unfreezing procedures, and restored his consciousness. Quite simple actually. Hihihi, it is so exciting to work with such an artifact!”

Jake looked as clueless as ever. “What?”

Dust understood why. “Oh, right, you don’t speak Krall. Just let me do the talking, okay?” Jake nodded, finding no reason to object. “Thank you for everything... but why?”

“If you have been around the district for long enough, then you know why.” Dust nodded. “And I don’t see myself being an illegal mechanic for the rest of my life. I have dreams and aspirations too!” the volkar said, putting enough emphasis in the last sentence to make Dust chuckle. The electronic voice laughed along too.

*BOOM*

An explosion shook the whole area, disrupting even the ship’s magnetic levitation. The alarm that had been buzzing ever since Big Boss melted the ventilation tube stopped at the same time. The exhaling steam increased in pressure, a nerve-wrecking whistle echoing all over the underbelly.

“The machinery room! It overloaded!” a dumah of slightly smaller stature screamed, running inside the hangar. Upon seeing his superior frozen in place, he roared, charging at the pony, his steps seeming to make the room shake more than the ongoing quake.

Swiftly evaluating the situation, Jake rolled to the side, ignoring the numbness in his lower body, and grabbed Big Boss’s handgun. A couple shots left two melting holes in the alien’s rocky skin, falling back with a thump. The sudden adrenaline shot had him shaking, firing a third shot that simply scorched the ground. Dust took the weapon away from him with caution, afraid that he might worsen the situation.

‘Oops, sorry.’ Jake thought, looking apologetic, although he was not sure what for.

The pony’s ears perked up, having forgotten their mental link. ‘Don’t worry, it has been a real mess.’ she answered.

“Oh dear, that can’t be good.” the volkar proclaimed, reflecting the thoughts of the other two.

“We have to get out of here! Do you know any way-”

“Dust, is this supposed to do that?” Jake interrupted, pointing at the force field.

The once yellow brightness had faded, small, expanding holes erupting all over its surface as water transversed inside. At every explosion in the distance the already existing holes doubled their size, turning small streams into torrents.

Before they could react, the shield completely lost power. Water violently poured in, dragging the ship against a wall, Jake and Dust right next to it. Dust tried her best to conjure a magical bubble, but Jake’s presence rendered it impossible. When the water stream slowed down, Jake grabbed the pony below her shoulders, and swam out of the hangar, leaving the lab coat behind as it would only hinder him.

Inside the upper section of the district, explosions flashed through the tunnels, only to disappear as the rampaging water devoured them. Mareki both swam away in fear or rushed inside to help. Looking around, Dust saw something amazing. In a splash of colours, hundreds of volkars swam upwards like jellyfish, seeming to propel the water below them in perfect synchronization. She could almost swear she heard them humming a song.

Jake struggled to swim against the immense pressure of being in such depths. His head bursted with pain, his ears popping. After all, being a park lake swimmer doesn’t qualify for such trial. And even if he was in perfect physical shape, there was no way he’d be able to hold his breath all the way to the surface, which was nowhere to be seen. The only lights were the ones provided by the city below, darkness only awaiting above.

‘Damn it! I can’t take it much longer!’

‘You can do it!’ Dust reassured.

A sense of tightness assaulted Jake’s chest. His whole body cried for air, it demanded it. Yet he couldn’t. He had to keep going. But the urge was too strong, his brain no longer thought properly. Instinct took over, and he opened his mouth wide.

“AAAGGGHHH!” he cried out, his faint voice dissipating in the water.

‘Jake! Ah!’

Jake dropped her, bringing his hands to his neck, scraping the skin with his nails as if an invisible rope was tightened around it. His legs shook in every direction in an attempt to find some footing, his body twitching as each spasm filled him further with water.

And then he stopped, floating in place. ‘Oh no, I’m going to die, no, not again, not that feeling again, I don’t want, I DON’T WANT TO, NO...’

Dust shook her hind legs the best she could to propel herself upwards, but with little success. She couldn’t stand what she was hearing, knowing it was all her fault. Again.

Suddenly, two hands grabbed pony and human. Dust held on to Jake as she got closer, trying to invoke a restoration spell that never came. ‘Bucking hay, no!’

The cold air assaulted their bodies as they breached out of water, being airborne for a couple of seconds before splashing down. The sky was painted with a million tiny lights as the moonless night greeted them, the sea kissing it on the horizon in all directions.

Jake’s mouth opened as water sprouted as if it was a fountain. The gagging slowly reduced itself to a cough, and their saviour released its hold.

‘I’m alive...’ Jake noted, perplexed. ‘But how?’

‘I don’t know...’ The pony lied. Of course she did know. She was just too afraid to admit it. Panic hit her as she realized she wasn’t being held by anyone anymore. Her hooves clang around Jake, threatening to choke him for good.

“Ahahah! We did it! Yippie!” a cheerful voice was heard.

Dust’s hind legs were in a frenzy, afraid that the water might swallow her whole once again. Jake held her, still awestruck, his legs keeping them in place, the breath of fresh air returning his strength. It was however, nauseating, the intense smell of sea churning his insides. His throat burned with the cleansing.

Combing her wet mane out of her face, Dust narrowed her eyes to see the barely visible silhouette of the happy marekus jumping in and out of the water. “Koopak! You saved us?”

“Yes! Koopak needed to make up for lies, so I save you and human!”

Jake flinched as his brain caught up to the word human. “Is it talking about me?”

Dust giggled, and leapt forward to hug her saviour, when a light blinded her vision.

“You three, stay where you are!” a radio voiced ordered.

The darkness was swept away as an incandescent beam of light flashed in front of them, forcing them to cover their eyes, specially Koopak for not being used to such strong lighting. The source of the light remained silent, until a door was heard sliding open.

‘Jake, don’t run.’ Dust warned him. He gasped, not daring to begin with.

The lights dimmed down, still providing clarity of vision but no longer blinding the trio. In front of them, a very different type of spacecraft floated around, its headlights focused on the surface of the water. The vessel was almost a perfect sphere composed of different layers, about twice the size of the Mk. II.. Its layers dashed across its surface, almost like a spheric rubik’s cube. The lack of engine sounds or exhausts had Jake both fascinated and afraid.

A door was slid open on its side, the opening remaining stationary as other sections of the shielding moved about, and from it an armoured humanoid stepped through, floating over the water with the aid of a set of jets attached to its legs. Although its shape resembled a human, the deep crimson red armour covered its actual appearance. For all they knew it could be a robot. Dust however, knew the colour pattern.

Extending its arm, the berserker revealed an attached weapon and pointed it at the three individuals in the water. Although Jake head was hurting for a variety of different reasons, he was able to think through what it meant. “I wake up and you’ve gotten us already in trouble, hum?” he said jokingly, not realizing how much the statement hurt the pony he held in his arms.

The eerie lighting of the ship hurt Jake’s eyes. No matter how many terminals and flashing lights were spread across its inside surface, the red ambient light was prevalent, blending with the single humanoid who controlled the vessel, in a strange control interface at the center. It floated in place, either by magnetic repulsion or some other magic outside of human understanding, as its fingers ran across holographic panels filled with alien characters Jake could not decipher.

Magnetic attraction however was what kept Jake in place. The shackles that their captor forcefully had them wear under gun point were holding him, Dust, and the weird looking monkey fish against the floor, slightly to the left of the humanoid.

‘He’s not a monkey fish, he’s a marekus!’ Dust reminded him mentally.

‘Huh, sure. It’s just too much to take in at a time.’ Jake answered, still going over her narration of the events in his mind. A chill went up his spine as he realized he was not only naked, but soaking wet. ‘It’s a wonder I’m not sick yet.’

Dust cleared her throat to make herself noticeable, and then said: “Excuse me? Aren’t you supposed to be a berserker? A warrior under the Council’s rule? Someone sworn to protect the Galactic Alliance?”

The berserker looked over to her for a second, and then resumed his activity.

“Hey! We are not criminals! We-”

“Do you deny that marekus has been involved in criminal activities?” the rough voice sounded through a speaker embedded in the armour.

“Well, I... yes, but-”

“And do you deny that you are associated with him?” the warrior asked without losing focus on the holographic panels.

Dust looked to her side, her eyes meeting Koopak’s. No matter how she looked at it, they had helped each other. And knowing the Council’s methods, it would be best to be honest than suffer the repercussions later.

“Your silence speaks for itself.”

Koopak turned his head away from Dust. ‘I know how it feels to hold guilt inside...’

‘What do you mean?’ Jake asked.

‘Oh, nothing.’ Dust answered. She wasn’t ready to ask for forgiveness for everything. Not yet, not in this situation.

Not an hour had passed and the berserker jumped from his floating stance, releasing the magnetic locks. Jake rolled to the side, his back snapping in different places. He felt the urge to spread his arms and stretch, but in fear of the crimson red watcher he remained uneventful.

“In front of me, move.” he ordered. The place where his face was supposed to be was a glassy black in the helmet, probably preventing those outside from recognizing his appearance, while still allowing the wearer from seeing clearly. The door sliding open. Koopak, who had been silent the whole short trip, was the first to walk through. Pony and human exchanged looks, and then followed.

Jake was caught by surprise when he found that the entrance was leveled with the ground, meaning the opening could literally change its relative position.

Just like two kids in a candy shop, their eyes widened at the sight. They were inside a hangar, one of massive proportions. The ceiling stood almost fifty meters above their heads, several gates opening and closing as they allowed passage to transversing shuttles.

Literally hundreds of ships equal to the one they just disembarked from plagued the floor, only their top halves showing as the others locked in place in spherical depressions on the ground. Mechanics of different species moved about, either working on the vessels at hand or just carrying parts. Between the ships, the floor was covered in a maze of cables almost as thick as Dust’s torso, meant to recharge the innumerable spacecrafts. Other warriors with differently coloured armour also were present, indicating that the colour was representative of rank.

The berserker poked his weapon on Jake’s back, forcing him to walk. Human, pony and marekus made their way across the hangar, getting looks from the many aliens there present. Jake would be freaked out, but after all that had happened so far, he didn’t know how to react anymore.

While stepping over a cable Dust tripped, rolling forward and hitting her back on one of the ships. Every single berserker in the proximity turned to her and pointed their weapons. Suddenly, the intense chattering went silent as the blood rushed from Dust’s face. Jake and Koopak jumped immediately between her and the troops.

“Lower your weapons!” the escorting berserker ordered, revealing some authority over the other units, as they returned to their previous affairs. With a swift pull, he grabbed Dust by the tail and flipped her back on her hooves with relative ease.

“Ow, watch it!” Dust complained, massaging her backside with a hoof.

“Just watch where you’re going. Keep moving!”

She complied, moving forward along the hazardous floor. The berserkers showed no difficulty in moving about, and the same could be said for Jake, having a similar physical shape to them. Koopak... did the usual. He jumped about, leapt over cables, rolled. But he did so in such a fluid manner that it didn’t look as foolish as before, instead it could be taken as a legitimate form of locomotion. Dust wondered if he was being more careful not to worsen their situation, or if his previous silliness was just another lie.

The other ships that had landed opened their own doors, and their passengers exited to the hangar floor. Koopak slowed down as hundreds of marekus, chained by the same cuffs, exited the spacecrafts while being leaded by berserkers.

“Don’t stop.” Dust whispered on his ear, and he quickly snapped back to attention.

Reaching the end of the hangar, two berserkers in dark green armour pulled the door open upon their superior’s command. Once again, Koopak was the most affected by the sudden change in light.

Tall buildings sprung out from everywhere, spiraling upwards, contrasting with the rectangular geometry of the hangar. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes slashed the air as they flew about between them, carrying their drivers to their destinations. Everything had a shade of blue, as if they were seeing through a turquoise filter. Two bright blue stars the size of marbles shun up in the sky, one slightly larger than the other.

The whole city was built on rocky red soil resembling hardened clay, the lack of paved roads explained by the abundance of air transportation. However, creatures of all sizes and shapes still moved between the towers. What Jake still couldn’t understand (besides almost everything) was how there were so many human-like creatures. One of about his size walked closer, curious to examine him. Its skin was deep blue and it didn’t have ears or nose, its face being almost a perfect oval.

“Oyoloi shniye?” she asked in its native language.

“What?” Jake asked, stepping back and bumping into the berserker.

He pushed her away, and proceeded to warn the passing civilians to maintain their distance.

Jake was awestruck by everything around him. His whole life he had dreamed of a day like this, of stepping into a foreign world and take it all in. This kind of mind assault he accepted with pleasure, his eyes trying to capture every single moment as if the planet could suddenly disappear.

Amongst the buildings, a single one stood out. A spire taller and larger than all others, converging up into a single point way beyond the blue clouds, which circled around it like the peak of a mountain. Purple sheets of metal covered its surface, carved by red glowing lines that spiralled around it, only adding to the drill shaped resemblance. The glowing lines pulsated, brighter nodes moving up and down the spire, almost like if those were veins pumping blood. Its towering presence had Jake feeling sick, yet Koopak was marvelled.

“Is that... it?” Koopak asked. “Is it, little Dust, is it?” he turned to her, jumping around.

“Yes, yes it is.” she confirmed. “This, is the Citadel, and that is the seat of the Council, the Alliance Spear.”

“The Council?” Jake asked, fighting his vertigo. Dust nodded. “We made it, hum?”

“Yeah... we did... But something feels off. I just don’t quite know what.” Dust said. Jake turned to her only to find her with a concerned expression, her eyes narrowed. He tried to reach her mentally, but he couldn’t just invade her like she did.

The blue stars disappeared as a transport vessel slowly lowered from the skies, and landed in front of the hangar entrance. The berserker walked to the driver, stretching his arm.. “To the Alliance, fast.” he ordered.

The driver, a thin creature with claws instead of hands shook his head in disagreement. “Sorry pal, but I am only here to bring the captain to the Council.”

“I am the captain, you imbecile!” he shouted, his authoritarian voice shaking the driver in his seat. Pointing the gun, he had Dust, Jake and Koopak board the carriage, quickly followed by him.

Now in an actual planet, the vessels lacked any inertial dampeners. The lift off was sudden enough to make Jake hit his forehead on his knee, leaving a bruise in his skin. Dust struggled to keep in place, Koopak holding her with both hands as his legs wrapped around a nearby railing.

“Don’t you go falling now.” the berserker warned, seeming unphased by the turbulence.

Dozens of other vessels flew by at ridiculous speeds, blue fire exhausting from behind, leaving Jake wondering how they weren’t crashing against the spires. ‘Don’t look down, don’t look down...’ he thought to himself, closing his eyes.

“Wow!” Koopak exclaimed, his eyes seeming to go wider than usual. Jake pushed Dust’s mane out of his face, the wind fighting against him, to see what the marekus was marvelled at. Getting ever closer, the Alliance Spear was monstrously tall, his head bobbing back in a vain attempt to see the top.

Finally slowing down, the driver landed the carriage in one of many balconies of the Spear. The berserker captain signed for them to get out, and walk inside the majestic building.

Jake expected corridors, rooms, or even a big opening area. Instead, they met an elevator. They walked inside, and the berserker clicked a button on the wall.

“Please choose a destination.” A pre-recorded voice echoed in the elevator.

“Assembly. Class A priority.” the humanoid guard answered, sounding as monotone as possible.

“Assembly selected. Class A court restricted. Initializing voice recognition. Voice recognition complete. Captain Naden confirmed. Security clearance check. Beginning transport.”

A loud noise was heard as the elevator started moving backwards into the spire, forcing Jake out of balance. Koopak grabbed him before he hit the ground, extending his oversized arms.

Jake quickly shook him off, shuddering at the touch of his slimy hands against his naked skin. Dust drew an expression of concern.

Jake froze for a moment, not knowing how to react. Realizing his prejudiced action, he pledged: “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to... I’m just not used to... other species. Thank you for catching me.”

Koopak tilted his head. “He is dumber than you, little Dust.”

They both giggled as Dust translated Jake’s apology.

‘Making fun of me again, hum?’ Jake asked mentally, growing frustrated.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll teach you some words when we have the chance.’ Dust reassured while wiping the tear in the corner of her eye.

“Be silent!” the captain roared, his voice subduing the laugh. “You are about to meet the Council’s representatives, so behave!”

“An audience!” Dust clopped her hooves together. “Finally we can end this massive misunderstanding. And I’ll be expecting an apology!” she said, putting extra inflexion into her last sentence so that the captain would get the hint.

“What did he say?” Jake asked, curious for her sudden excitement.

“We are going to have an audience with the Council’s representatives, elected officials that speak for the whole Galactic Alliance... very important people. Just let me do the talking... Not that even if you said anything it would matter.” Jake frowned at the remark.

Their balance constantly shifted, indicating that the elevator followed a specific path inside the tower.

“Arriving in three, two, one.”

Jake didn’t need to know Krall to understand a countdown. Expecting it, he kneeled on the ground to prevent him from being catapulted forward. The doors slid open, and behind them a dark corridor awaited.

“Are you sure they will listen?” Jake asked while taking the lead.

“Everything that happens in the galaxy goes through this building, and the most important decisions fall on the Council. We took down an important figure of the galactic organized crime. They will listen.”

“Ah! Stop! Little Dust, help!”

The unicorn turned around to the panicking marekus, only to find Naden cuffing him like the others in the hangar, pinning him down on the floor. “What are you doing?!”

“Restraining the beast, won’t it run off on its own.”

“Stop that at once!” Dust threatened, stepping forward. “This is a direct violation of the Common Rights law!”

“Criminals don’t have rights.” he answered bluntly, lights flashing inside his helmet. “The Council will now have you. Move.”

‘Can’t you really do anything for the poor mon... marekus? Some spell to knock that guy out?’

‘I... I can’t.’ Jake looked confused, and before he could respond, Dust simply thought: ‘We’ll talk later.’

Leaving Koopak back there alone with the berserker, his arms magnetically pinned to the metallic floor, didn’t feel right. But at the moment there was no other choice, and explaining everything to the ones in power would be their best bet.

After crossing the bland lightless corridor, they entered a very different type of room. In fact, Jake wasn’t even sure it was a room. The very glow that spiralled upwards the tower covered the walls which seemed to pulsate with every light burst.

The path ahead was a bridge over the chasm that was the rest of the room, ending in a dead end. Jake peeked over the edge. He was sure to die of fright before reaching the ground if he slipped. Regretting his decision, he stepped back, breathing heavily.

“Oh, Mother, if only you were here...” Dust sighed. “This is the Heart of the Council. Place where they hear what their subjects have to say.”

“Subjects?” Jake gasped in dismay.

“Well, they are in a way the rulers of the galaxy. You’d think such a title would be worthy of reverence.”

Jake shrugged, not following her logic. Sure, the burden must be bigger than anything he could ever imagine, but fanaticism was just too much. ‘Nah,’ he thought to himself, dismissing the ridiculous idea. ‘no one this advanced would be that stupid.’

Dust ignored the snarky comment as three gigantic holographic faces took shape around them.

One was a berserker, a golden helmet adorning his head. To the left, a strange creature with no eyes but a large toothless mouth seemed to know exactly where to look, turning to Jake as if it knew he was staring.

Avoiding his glare he turned back, only to find another blue skinned humanoid, this one having nose and pointy ears. That meant she was either from another species, or... Both him and Dust shuddered at the shared thought.

“Huh, they must have elected new officials.” Dust pondered. “After all, I’ve been away for over twenty years.”

The berserker supposed commander was the first to speak. “Welcome to the Council. Do you know the motif behind this audience?” His voice didn’t seem to differ much from the captain’s, probably due to the speakers embedded in the armour.

“Yes, and it’s all a big misunderstanding. You see...”

“Be silent, citizen! Only answer what’s requested from you, are we clear?” the eyeless alien interrupted.

“Yes...”

‘Not a good start, it seems.’ Jake noted.

‘No kidding.’

A hologram video appeared over their heads. “Our AI parsed through the video footage relayed to us by the berserkers stationed at Atlantis prior to your arrival, and found this.” The woman explained.

In the video Dust was undergoing overdrive, the camera suffering with static. A chill went up her spine upon seeing herself. ‘Did I really do that?’

“Do you confirm that the individual in the footage is you?” the commander inquired.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“What is your species, your homeworld, and your name?” he asked in a methodic voice.

“Pony, name’s Dust. I am a traveller.”

The floating heads exchanged looks, and then nodded. The woman was the one to speak. “It is settled then. We shall begin the trial.”

“Trial?”

“Dust, what’s wrong?” Jake asked upon noticing her shocked expression.

“Today we judge the pony Dust, for the crime of mass-murder of thousands of sentient creatures, in the planet of Atlantika.”

Chapter 8: Guilt

Dear reader,

If you have followed me up to this point, then I must congratulate you for withstanding my poor excuses of sophisticated metaphors. I am a scholar, not a bard. While my previous entries to this diary were... pretentious at best, I now take the chance to continue in a more down to earth manner, discussing matters more directly and to the point.

And why is that? The answer to that question is just as pretentious as my previous literary assessment. While I do my best to be humble among the populace, my position grants me a degree of recognition and fame (which I’d live without given the chance), not only by my own achievements but by being who I am: my master’s prodigee. Therefore, long after I am gone from this world, this diary will still be target of study to many the researchers to come. And while I do not doubt they will be knowledgeable, I fear they may not fully grasp the wisdom that I detain.

So yes, I am dumbing down my own diary for the sake of others. And then she says I don’t care about anyone but myself! Every day she babbles on how I should leave the library and enjoy life... But I am! This is life! The continuous absorption of knowledge, the completion of one’s self. If she continues I feel like I will need to have a very serious talk with her! She above all others knows how important my researches are for our people. But that is for another entry.

“This is outrageous! Never in my life have I committed such atrocities!”

“Silence!”

Dust shrinked as the eyeless alien’s voice echoed in the atrium, the red walls seeming to pulsate along with him. His face appeared to be covered in brown scales, although the holographic imagery didn’t make it very clear. Jake’s expression was one of worry: he knew things were not going right. He didn’t need to know Krall to decypher it.

“Fifteen hours ago thousands of sentient beings of a variety of species fell victim to your actions: Akro, Volkar, Cerberus, Leija, Dumah, Ootori, Marekus, Ys,...”

“What, no...” the pony stumbled back as the woman enumerated the species. “I never did such a thing! I may have had to defend myself against a certain one, but...”

“Stop playing around!” the supposed commander intervened, the tone of his voice revealing the anger behind his helmet. “Do you deny that in that camera data” he looked up at the video feed “your actions led to the catastrophic failure of the Melchiah district’s power plant?”

“How would I? I never even saw that energy plant!” Dust defended herself. “Why would I risk my own life in the process?”

“Maybe because your hatred against them made it worth the price.” the commander added.

Dust shook her head. “No, I’m not like that.”

“Why, you...”

“Why don’t you let me continue, Master Sevaaris?” the woman interrupted, seeming to the clear her throat with a cough. “You say you are innocent. Please describe your actions represented in the video imagery.”

“Big Boss was going to shoot me, so I defended myself. I used my... psychic manipulation to get the best of her.”

“And what are the side effects of the manipulation?”

Dust looked confused. “Side-effects?”

“You can see that a strong electromagnetic interference irradiated in the room from the artifacts in the video feed.” the blind one added. “You mean to say that was intended? You were trying to cover the camera and hide your tracks?”

“No, no! There were things going off all over the place, it was unintentional.”

The woman smiled. “Including obstructing heat venting systems?”

Dust felt the strength leave her legs, either by hunger or shock. Adding one plus one, she understood. ‘I... It is really my fault...’

‘What do you mean? What’s going on?’ Jake asked feverously in his mind, impatient for being kept out for so long.

“We are expecting an answer, pony Dust.” the golden berserker pressed on.

Dust gulped, and looked forward, accepting her fate. ‘As long as I can keep him safe.’ she thought. “There may have been some ventilation equipment ruined in that encounter, yes.”

“You realize that an Atlantian district’s ventilation system is fully connected? If one area fails, the rest follows. The damage you caused in that room caused a major power outage in the whole district. So far according with the latest report from the berserkers stationed at Atlantika, about six thousand bodies have been accounted for. Most of the deaths are due to drowning, electrocution, concussions, among others.”

Dust could feel tears forming in her eyes. She felt awful to remember that she was more worried with the volkar spectacle than with the massacre happening behind her back, as she escaped the ocean.

‘I can’t let them win me over. I have to fight back.’ Quickly snapping out of her growing despair, the pony fought back: “If you further investigate that video footage you will see that they deserved no different punishment. The crimes they committed there over the years are horrifying!”

“How dare you give US lessons in how the law works?” eyeless head bobbed in the air. “Two wrongs do not make a right. Perhaps yes, some of them deserved nothing other than death. But there are those who didn’t, yet your rash actions led to an indiscriminate punishment! Yes, we are aware of how important your contribution was. The black market is a mud stain in the Alliance that has to be wiped.” he stated bluntly, earning a stare from his two companions. “Upon reporting this operation, you shall be credited fully for it.”

A spark of hope ignited in Dust’s heart, but it was not there to last, as the woman completely extinguished it with her words: “Yet that recognition will not be enough to cover for your own crime. Considering the evidence we had as valid, we already determined a sentence. All we needed was for you to confirm it.”

‘Confirm? You manipulated me into saying those things... not that they are wrong... buck!’

‘Damn it Dust, talk to me!’ Jake insisted once more.

“No sentient being has the right to take the life of another sentient being without permission from the highest of courts. Such is the law.” the commander commented. “Pony Dust, for the crime of taking countless lives, you are sentenced to termination.”

“D-death?” Dust stammered, her head feeling numb all of the sudden.

“You called me?” Captain Naden asked, appearing from behind them.

“Take her away to the termination chambers.” commanded the berserker superior. “We will now interrogate the other one.”

“At once!” the subordinate promptly answered, grabbing Dust by a hind leg, dragging her on the floor.

Jake jumped to stop him, kicking the berserker on the chest. As expected from someone holding the rank, the berserker didn’t even flinch., the hit hurting more Jake’s foot than anything.

Reacting fast, Naden pointed the weapon embedded into his armour at the human who was lying on the ground, holding on to his foot. The weapon’s barrel lighted up, heat exhaling from it. Too fast to be tracked by normal eyes, the charged plasma shot left the weapon and hit Jake in the chest.

“NO!!!” Dust screamed, kicking the berserker off and trotting to the human.

“Captain! Control yourself!” the golden berserker spouted, his voice filled with rage. The captain pulled himself back, holding the gun above his head as smoke escaped from it.

Dust’s hooves scrambled all over Jake’s chest, not knowing what to do. Jake was dumbfounded, the shock being too much to even react to the pain. From the hole that run across where his heart was supposed to be, an intense beam of light peered through, first with great intensity and then slowly fading. When it was gone, he was just as before of being shot. No scorched skin, no puncturing wounds, nothing. Just smooth skin. Dust felt slightly weaker, but the sense of relief was enough to overshadow that.

Tears ran across Jake’s face as he smiled, too confused to understand. “What just happened?”

“Impossible!” Naden yelled in frustration, more from not comprehending than failing to shoot him down. “A charged plasma blast could rip the toughest dumah skin! How can such a wimpy humanoid like you survive?”

Dust turned to him, a deep hatred worn in her eyes. “You are lucky he did, otherwise you would be next.”

“Why, you...”

“ENOUGH!” the woman representative shouted, seemingly appalled with the whole situation. “I have seen too much. Captain Naden, report at the officer’s court later today for a punishment, after you deal with the pony.”

“No, wait...” Jake struggled to speak.

“Jake, they can’t understand you.” Dust reminded him.

“Then translate.” he suggested, while pulling himself up with the pony’s help. “Have you found anything against me on those surveillance data?”

Dust promptly translated, worrying however he could be worrying only about himself. ‘That wouldn’t make any sense, he’s linked to me... unless he thinks they can break the link? Perhaps it is for the best...’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Jake responded mentally, making the pony blush for her own insecurities. At least he managed to spy on her thoughts once, in contrast with the many times Dust eavesdropped on him.

The blind alien answered. “So far nothing, but you have to understand that we are not just interested in the Melchiah district, but the whole city. It may take awhile to find evidence that you may or may not be guilty, humanoid.”

“Then you are making a mistake by condemning me. I am biologically linked to Dust, we share a relation of... parasitism.”

“Jake, I don’t consider you a...”

“I know. If you kill her,” he continued “I die.”

“I think the plates on the balance are heavier in our favour, humanoid.” the scaly representative replied. “One innocent life at the expense of punishing a mass murderer is nothing.”

This time it was Dust’s turn to step up for herself. No, step up for both. “But you said it yourself, two wrongs don’t make a right.”

The three exchanged eyes in doubt. Breaking the silence, the blue skinned alien spoke: “I believe I can arrange a solution to this dilemma. I expect your support on this one Sevaaris”

The golden berserker looked to her, and nodded in agreement. “You have my word, Paladin Nadyna.” She then continued:

“One of our main goals as an Alliance is the expansion to unexplored territory. The galaxy is immense, and although so is our reach, we are far behind from knowing everything we can. Scientific research is the way to evolve as a community, and besides local development, finding new communities and cultures could prove fruitful to these goals.”

“Besides these goals,” Sevaaris interrupted “we have more pressing needs at hand, no offence, Senior Paladin, but population distribution and resource harvesting are a priority. Fortunately, both our interests have the same solution. What do you think, Ghrok?”

The eyeless alien bobbed his head in agreement. “I see what you are suggesting, and I must say I too agree. We have been discussing this project and now is the perfect time to execute it.”

“It is settled then,” said Nadyna while turning her attention back at the audience. “Captain Naden, step forward.”

Without acknowledging the pony and human’s presence, the berserker humanoid walked by them. “Yes!”

“We have new orders for you. With the Atlantian mission finally coming to an end, you will be reassigned for this new project. The Galactic Exploration Project. GEP, for short.”

“Exploration, ma’am?” Naden asked in disbelief. Jake almost understood his reaction, as Dust kept translating their intrication conversation mentally. Someone as aggressive as the berserker wouldn’t be interested in exploring.

“Yes, Captain. Currently less than a third of the galaxy has been documented. The acquisition of the Atlantian database will boost our archives for sure, as criminals use routes previously unknown to us, but that will be a minimum improvement. You are to travel to uncharted worlds and report what you can about them.” the Paladin smiled, oddly displaying some sort of excitement for what she was saying.

“And how does the pony and the humanoid fit in all of this?” the berserker Sevaaris questioned.

“Simple,” she explained. “they will assist our Captain here in his enterprise. Due to the large influx of marekus prisoners, we can assign them to different teams, each led by a berserker, and increase our search range.”

Ghrok smiled. “Yes... I like the sound of that.”

Staring down for awhile while considering the situation, Naden finally decided to interject: “Allow me to object! I...”

“I don’t care what you think of this decision, Captain.” his superior grunted. “You fired a weapon in this Supreme Court. This is your punishment.”

“Then... what about them? How is this a punishment to them?”

“May I suggest a condition to their collaboration?” Ghrok asked to his fellow representatives, who both nodded. “Life for life. It is the humanoid’s life that led to us sparing yours, pony. To finally clear your debt, you will need to save as many lives as you took. It’s that simple.” A ohhhh was heard from the other two.

“Save lives?” Dust asked, confused. She was fine with avoiding, death, she was more than fine! But if it required her to run shady contracts like she had not just a day before, she would have to refuse.

“I see...” Sevaaris hand showed on his holographic representation, stroking his metallic shin, pondering. “War is a natural occurrence among sentient beings. Conflict, hate. You will be likely to come in contact with species that the Alliance has never met. And likely they will exhibit such behaviour. As a token of good fortune, and as incentive for future relations, we wish that you try to solve such conflicts. We will keep track of how many lives have been spared through your reports, Captain Naden, which I expect to be accurate.”

Jake didn’t know what to think of it. It was exciting, sure, but under different circumstances. He couldn’t imagine how it would be to finally experience such an adventure on a leash. The berserker captain sighed, finally accepting defeat. “Very well. I will arrange for a spacecraft and supplies.” he turned around, ready to leave, but remembered something. “What about the marekus that accompanied them? What is to become of him?”

“We haven’t come across anything on him, yet.” Nadyna explained. “For now, he will too join the party.” Naden trembled in place, and then left in silence. Once more Jake and Dust were alone with the glowing floating heads. “Do you have anything to ask?”

Dust caught on that she was expected to have left as well, but took the opportunity to clear some misconceptions. “How many others of my species do you have in the Citadel logs?”

“Allow me to check.” The Paladin woman disappeared, only to rejoin the trial moments later. “Currently none, in fact you are the first of the kind we have here. Are you sure you’re just a traveller? We could use the information-”

Dust was not listening ‘No ponies? How can that be? There were so many... similar ones. And Mother, of course.’ Knowing there had to be more to it, she asked: “What is the current spiral year?” ‘Spiral year is the time that takes for the two suns to go from one alignment to another. It is the standard system for all the Alliance worlds.’ she explained, anticipating Jake’s question.

“We are on the 320th year of the 93rd cycle. Do you live on the other side of the galaxy not to know this?” Ghrok asked, a tid bit of sarcasm in his voice.

Dust froze. She simply nodded, and just like the captain, she turned around and left to the dark corridor. Jake followed, looking over his shoulder as the three representatives faded, the red pumping light dominating the room once more.

“Stupid idiot! Let me go! Take cuffs out!””

“If you stop flouncing around I just might!”

As they approached the elevator, Jake and Dust noticed Captain Naden releasing the cuff's magnetically lock from the ground, but not from each other. Koopak noticed, and jumped over the berserker to get to behind them. “You okay little Dust? Not hurt?”

“I am fine...” she assured, although the tone of her voice said otherwise. “We are in your hands, berserker, but I have to ask you something of great importance.”

“What is it?”

Dust’s belly rumbled as an answer “I have barely ate anything the last few years, is there someplace we can eat?”

“Thank you for bringing us here, I was really needing it!”

“You are... welcome.”

Dust assaulted the metal box filled with stewed exotic plants, digging her muzzle through the food. Bits of food flied everywhere, earning them the stares of the many aliens frequenting the restaurant. No one dared to complain though, the presence of a Captain was intimidating enough.

The elevator’s AI was something to be reckoned with. Just by speaking “vegetarian food”, it lead them to the luxurious restaurant whose choice of design baffled Jake. Sets of chairs and tables floated about, making use of the full verticality of the room.

A leaf jumped out of Dust’s recipient and landed on Naden’s helmet, which he simply picked with the tip of his fingers and tossed to the side, containing any reaction he might have had. Koopak also assaulted his own bowl, ecstatic to taste something different than the common Atlantian food.

The same could not be said for the human. He was never a fan of veggies, and even though meat was on short supply on Earth, the artificially made varieties were a perfect replacement. He could only dream of having a nice slice of inorganic bacon on his watering mouth now. Instead, he munched on dry leaves that did next to nothing to alleviate his desire. ‘Do I even need to eat this?’

“What?” Dust turned to him after swallowing the food in her mouth.

“I think it’s obvious, isn’t it? How I never run out of breath, how that shot didn’t kill me. Sure you could have brought me back, but I didn’t even pass out. What should’ve blown my heart to shreds caused nothing more than a flesh wound, which your magic quickly closed. So I ask you this: do I still have my organs or am I solely living off of your energy?”

Dust gulped, choking on the food she was chowing down again. After coughing it out, she answered in a stuttering voice “Y-you have to understand t-that I never used that spell before, and that while I am a really good spellcaster” she struck a pose, her arrogance conquering her hesitation. “I may have failed to fully restore you...” her ears suddenly deflated. “I’m sorry. I was supposed to heal your insides and instead I replaced them with my magic.”

“That explains how you couldn’t cast spells with me around, but could when I was still frozen on that video. This is important, you should have told me! I have been relying on your powers to keep us safe, if only I knew...” Jake’s words only increased the pout forming in the pony’s mouth. The sight was unbearable, so Jake simply stated: “Still, I am here alive thanks to you, so I guess I can forgive you.”

The berserker witnessed the conversation unfold, until he called for Dust’s attention. “The human, he doesn’t speak like us?”

She shook her head. “Unfortunately no, I hope you can bare with it.”

“No way, I can! What if you two are plotting behind my back? I’ll arrange for him to learn Krall.”

“I think I am good teacher? Can I?” Koopak broke his silence after licking the veggie package clean.

Naden didn’t bother to answer. “Follow me.” he commanded instead. Clicking on a button in his seat, it lowered back to ground level, and then he walked back to the elevator, pointing his weapon to force the other three to follow.

The four entered a bathhouse where dozens of humanoids moved about, sets of armour cramped in the wall closets. Dust was perplexed at the amount of different species and what set them apart, either be it small details like the shape of the ear, to more noticeable ones like the number of limbs or eyes. Jake on the other hand couldn’t conceive how aliens could look so similar to humans. For his own sake he stopped staring at the naked human lookalikes, specially the female ones who had just left the showers.

Dust then realized how they were. Their hair was messy, dry from the cold water. A large dry blood stain extended itself around her shoulder wound, the bandage probably lost during their water escape. The pony shuddered at the thought that there could still be traces of Rhaiku’s dry blood in her hooves. “Do you mind if I...”

“Go ahead, get yourselves clean. And don’t try anything funny. Everyone here is a berserker, and they won’t hesitate in turning you to toast.” the captain warned, specially at Koopak who he stared at. His body was dry, the decrease in his skin’s flexibility preventing the marekus from performing the usual stunts.

The moment the humanoid captain left, everyone turned their attention to the trio, as if they were waiting for the chance.

‘This is creepy!’ Jake thought while goosebumps sprouted all over his skin.

‘I wonder if they were in the hangar earlier.’ Dust commented, realizing how many humanoids stared at her over their shoulders.

She was not however the center of attention. Most of the present recruit's gaze focused on Jake, the humanoid stripe that no one had even heard or seen before. Some examined curiously, others laughed at his poor physique. The feeling of uneasiness that assaulted Jake was no novelty to him, but after being exposed for a whole day, he wasn’t about to let that get to him. Or rather, not let Dust notice it was getting to him. “Let’s get this over with.” he said, acting overconfident, walking towards the showers.

By coincidence (although improbable) the entrance to the bath area became packed with people chatting about things Jake could not understand. Willing to make a stand, he began pushing the bodies of many different colours and textures aside, making a path. He felt curious hands feeling him all over, pinching his ear lobe, weighing his arm, touching his hair. Blood rushed to the human’s face the moment he felt a slap somewhere he shouldn’t.

Finally getting past them, he noticed how Dust and Koopak were already on the other side, realizing they were offered no resistance.

The showers were divided in individual sectors. Upon stepping in one, the floor would lit up in a Krall letter, releasing the water flow. It seemed to detect his body temperature automatically because the water felt perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Brushing his hair, Jake noticed he had an algae sticked to it. He smiled, the not so distant memory of finding Dust for the first time coming to mind. In his perspective it had only been three days and yet it felt like forever.

The rest of the bath went uneventful, each one of the present humanoids minding their own business. Jake could swear there was someone he couldn’t see on a nearby sector, as the light kept itself lit and the water appeared to clash against an invisible shape. Koopak rejoiced with the chance of rehydrating himself, his skin regaining its shine.

Having cleaned themselves, they stepped outside the bathhouse, a force field forming as they approached, keeping the water inside and instantly drying their bodies. Koopak however, whose reserves were replenished, become wet just as fast. Naden had already returned, and signaled for them to approach. Specifically Jake.

“Tell him to put this on.” he communicated to Dust, who relayed the translation at once.

The captain was holding a set of armour with similarities to his own, but different enough to be noticeable. Jake grabbed it, surprised by how light it felt. Either it was a very light material, or his new condition granted him super strength. He found the former more reasonable.

The plating didn’t seem as thick as Naden’s, the chest piece only covering his chest and shoulders. The helmet was identical to Naden’s yet it lacked the smoked glass visor, leaving his face, hair, and ears exposed. The lower half of the armour was, for his relief, a pair of black silk pants, with sections of armoured plate attached in the front, over the knee. Finally, a pair of metallic boots that felt oddly comfortable on the inside. Unlike the deep red of a captain, Jake’s armour was dark blue with streaks of black running across.

As soon as the last piece was worn, the baggy pants tightened, air being sucked from the inside to adjust the wearer’s physiology. Jake let out a little squeak, being taken by surprise. “How... how do I look?” he asked Dust.

“Odd.” she responded, scepticism in her face. “But I guess it will do.”

The human waved his arms around, jumped in place, stretched. The armour almost felt like an extension of his own body, offering no resistance to movement. ‘Oh, this is so cool.’

“This will offer him basic protection, it’s the equivalent of a cadet’s training gear.” Naden explained.

“What about me?” Koopak spun around Jake, examining the armour. “Can I have one too?”

“I’m afraid there isn’t armour in monkey size...” Noticing the stare Dust was giving off, he coughed and rephrased: “Our technicians will come up with something for you and the marekus. But that will take time, so don’t expect it before our departure.”

“Thank you.” Jake said to the captain, offering his hand. It didn’t take him to hear Dust’s translation to understand.

He extended his arm all the way to his elbow, and grabbed it with a powerful grip. “It is my job to keep you three alive until the Council says otherwise, and I will.” Jake caught on and grabbed the armoured elbow as well, returning the shake. “I am not a Captain for nothing.” he added, displaying strange amounts of empathy towards the human.

Dust and Koopak exchanged looks, but shrugged it off and headed into the elevator. Metallic sounds echoed every time Jake’s feet touched the ground. ‘This will take some time getting used to.’

“You are lucky I was the one who found you three in the water.” the berserker said while stopping to command “Sleeping Quarters” to the elevator AI. “Anyone else might have not been able to contain their guns.”

Dust patted her muzzle, and then asked: “Speaking of which, how did you manage to invade Atlantika? Weren’t the laser cannons preventing you from reaching atmosphere?”

“That might have been also another reason why the Council gave you a second choice, pony.”

“How so?”

“You are the reason the district’s power mainframe failed.” He began, everything becoming clear in Dust’s mind, and by extension, Jake’s. “The moment our fleet’s sensors detected a blind spot in the atmosphere, we charged in. Once we were in a certain altitude the nearby district’s defensive weapons would be useless.”

“I see... so why wasn’t I told that? I was in a disadvantage in the trial!” Dust complained.

“Let’s just say the Council wanted to evaluate the motif behind your actions. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.”

“Big Captain?” Koopak called for his attention, pulling his left hand. “What will happen to other marekus?”

“They will be investigated, and until then, they will be assimilated into exploration teams. If the investigation turns out clean, they will be released. If not however... they will be punished accordingly.”

Koopak fell flat on the ground. Dust knew why, and trotted next to him, patting his back. Once being disgusted with the touch of marekus skin, she now didn’t mind. He was a friend, and they had been both under extraordinary circumstances.

The elevator stopped, and Jake was so lost in marvelling over his new apparel he didn’t remember to prepare for the push. He leaned forward, but managed to regain his balance.

On the corridor that followed, the captain unlocked a door with his voice, revealing what Jake took as a bedroom. A large round blue bed stood in the middle, taking most of the room, made so that any species could accommodate itself with ease. In fact it was the only thing in the whole division.

Dust jumped on the bed, and the moment she touched it the fabric wrapped around her as if it had life of its own, the mattress swiftly taking the shape of her body. ‘Oh, I don’t think I can move from here...’

“What are you doing?” the captain broke her out of the ecstatic trance.

Koopak went to help her up, but stopped himself before he made a mess out of the fabric. Jake went instead, each step looking awkward due to the new extension of his body.

“Sleeping, of course.” the pony answered. She really needed it, her body had been pushed to extremes she never had gone before, and anything soft below those ill-treated bones would do wonders. Being in the bed sent her to paradise.

Naden opened a door on the other side of the room. “You three sleep in here.”

“A private room? Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Dust hopped over the bed, trotting by the captain.

They felt as their hopes and dreams were crushed. This new room was just like the previous one, with the important exception that it lacked a bed. The door being locked behind their backs broke them from the initial shock. “What is the meaning of this?”

“You are prisoners,” the captain explained. “you’re lucky I haven’t sent you to the common cells. Sleep.”

“I want fluffy bed!” Koopak complained, trying to pull the ventilation grid on the wall, even if it was too slim to allow an escape.

Cold. Oh it is so cold. And dark... My eyes are closed. Why can’t I open my eyes?! What’s going on? And my arms! I can’t move my arms! Can’t move my legs either! Damn it! Help! Someone help! I’m trapped! Get me out of here!

The air is getting colder. My throat hurts... it burns. I feel as if my skin is being sliced. I can’t take this. I feel the cold inside me. The ice is getting closer. I can feel it around my face. No! No!

“NO!”

Jake jumped from the floor, sweat running across his face.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” the pony next to him asked while containing the volume of her voice. Koopak was fast asleep on the ground, and Naden probably would be too.

Jake held his head between his hands, trying to shake off the dream. “It was just a nightmare, I’m fine.”

“I’m glad...” Dust sighed in relief. While the lamp was only strong enough to dimly lit the room, Jake could see the tears around the unicorn’s swollen eyes.

Sitting better on the floor, he asked, bringing the tone down as well: “What about you? Are you crying?”

“No, silly.” she assured, smiling gently. “It is just a shared feeling, that’s all. You had a rush of emotions there...”

“You’re lying.”

“Wha-”

“I couldn’t do it before without you allowing me, but now I kind of can. I listened to your mind and you were thinking in the trial. What’s the problem?”

Dust closed her eyelids, the tears breaking free around her cheeks. “This is the 320th year of the 93rd spiral cycle. Before I was sent to Earth, we were still on the 90th cycle...”

Jake frowned. “What does that mean?”

Dust stopped for a moment, calculating in her mind. “Over a thousand Earth years have passed since I last saw her, Jake. Somehow, I was asleep this entire time, until I finally fell on your planet. I thought... I thought that she’d be out here, but I wasn’t there for her. I failed Mother.” Jake’s mouth opened to say something, but stopped, mesmerized. Dust hit her hoof on the floor, suddenly becoming angry. “She’s long gone and I wasn’t there! Damn! Why couldn’t I be there? What went wrong?!”

“Shhhh!” Jake shushed, reminding her that an angry military officer was sleeping just next door. “Look, I don’t really know what to say that will fix this, but it isn’t your fault.”

“How can it not be?!” she whimpered.

Jake grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to him. “Think! You told me a group of beings made of light took you from your mother, and sent you to my planet. You’ve been blaming yourself for everything and that’s not good for you... even though I’m probably not the best person to say this.”

Her eyes widened in realization. “It was them, not me...”

“Yes! It isn’t your fault!” Jake agreed, glad to see the pony was getting her thoughts straight.

“It was HER!” the rage was back, her roar making Koopak slightly move but not completely waking up. “Celestia! It has got to be her!”

“Calm down, you are not thinking properly...”

“But it was her!” she shook his grip off. “Forever had Mother been hiding, and Celestia finally got her! And I bet she’s still sitting on her royal ass as we’re speaking. Damn her!”

Jake couldn’t take it anymore, so he held her mouth shut with a hand. “Okay, let’s say it was Celestia. What will this rage bring you? You don’t know where Equestria is, and I pretty much doubt the Council has information on it, seeing as they couldn’t identify your species.” she seemed to calm down, so he removed his hand. “And I understand! If I could, I would take a ship back to Earth and blast General Shitlord out of existence. But I can’t. We have to fulfill our current assignment as explorers and-”

“That’s it!” the pony clopped her hooves together. “Jake, you’re a genious!”

“I... I am?” he stuttered, confused by her sudden change of attitude.

“Don’t you see? That’s what we’re going to do! Explore uncharted territory! If we keep at it, we might even find Equestria!”

“I’m not su-”

“It’s perfect! I clear my debt and bring Celestia to justice! Yes, it is settled.” She seemed determined, but then realized the extent of her decision. “That is, if you agree on it.” she asked, reminding herself of her other half.

Jake sighed. What could he say? Revenge... He understood the feeling. He felt it. But why wasn’t he so bent on returning home then? What was the difference? Finally, he nodded in agreement. “Very well, if, and I repeat, if, we come across Equestria, I’m with you on this. But the Milky Way is enormous, and we’re just one of the search parties, so don’t get your hopes up.”

The last few words met deaf years. Dust was pumped with excitement, plotting courses of action in her mind. Jake gave up and curled back on the hard floor. Although afraid of falling asleep, fatigue finally got the best of the human.

“Why don’t we travel on one of the weird round ships?” Koopak questioned, jumping around the vessel that looked much like the Mk.II, but thinner as it required less components to work, a testament to the Alliance’s level of technology.

Naden rotated his neck, stretching his muscles. “Those are for invasive atmospheric entries, they are ill-suited for long expeditions. This one is a Viper. It allows for long travels while still possessing desirable maneuverability and firepower.”

The hangar was almost empty, a few berserkers accounting for the present spacecrafts. After last day’s enterprise the units were taking a day off, and it seemed that the concept was not present in the captains dictionary. He had woken them up harshly, and brought them there at gunpoint. There had been a transport awaiting in a departure balcony, the outside traffic as intense as ever.

“How fast can it go?” Jake asked, curiously inspecting the ship.

“Uh... With non-FTL thrusters, we can easily go one system’s edge to another in minutes. With FTL, it takes a handful of hours to cover the whole charted region of the galaxy. It’s one our finest ships.” the captain explained, a subtle hesitation in his voice.

But he wasn’t the only one taken aback. Noticing the following silence, Jake looked at Dust and Koopak, only to find them staring perplexed at the human before them. “What?”

“The hume spoke! The hume spoke and I could understand!” Koopak pointed out, excited. Dust kept trying to formulate words but couldn’t.

Jake’s eyes widened as it finally clicked. He wasn’t speaking english. He was speaking krall. But how? ‘How the hell? This doesn’t make any sense! I don’t know what I’m saying, thinking... and at the same time I do!’

“Allow me to explain.”

The party looked around, trying to locate the source of the automated voice. Everyone else in the hangar was minding their own business.

“Over here.”

The bright flash of pink gave it away. In Jake’s chest armour, the circular communicator gave off a pink glow, its intensity heightening every time the voice echoed.

“What is this? Have you tampered with the armour?” Naden inquired.

Before Jake could deny it, the voice spoke once more: “Please, do not dish out on the boy. I assure you the Council gave me permission after my hearing.”

“Who is talking anyway?!” Dust talked vaguely into the armour, feeling unsure.

“Why, I am almost offended!” the automated voice complained in an overly dramatic tone, while keeping the characteristic buzz of an electronic sound. “After we courageously fought side by side against Big Boss I expected for you to remember me.”

It all made sense then. “You’re that volkar!” the pony exclaimed. “To be fair, you really never told us your name.

“A volkar inside the armour?” The captain activated his weapon, pointing it at Jake’s chest. “How dare you violate berserker technology!”

“Would you lower that?!” Dust yelled. Koopak jumped at Naden’s arm, hanging on it in an effort to pull it down..

“I am known as Tokra, and as I said,” the volkar continued. “the Council gave me permission to enter this piece of equipment. If you have any complaints please head them to the one who gave the final order. How was he called... oh, yes. Master Sevaaris.”

Jake could swear he heard the captain gulp as he lowered the weapon. “What are his orders?” he asked, the initial aggressiveness gone.

“I am to accompany you and keep an eye out on this boy. I told them about the unfreezing of his body, and they are interested in his physiology, Sevaaris specially said you would understand why.” Naden looked away, groaning. “Anyway, I came in your room last night through the ventilation system (I didn’t want to wake any of you up, you all looked so peaceful), and made myself at home. I hope you don’t mind.”

“That still doesn’t explain how I am speaking like this!” Jake pointed out, stuttering at each word as his brain struggled to find a right way to talk.

“Oh, that was simple. I simply instructed your brain to learn it.”

Dust tilted her head. “Instructed?”

“Absolutely. I came inside his cranium through his facial cavities and manually instructed him! Just like a machine! Manually, ihihih. Such a silly word to be used by us volkars. Krall doesn’t take our species much in consideration does it?”

Jake’s hands ran all over his head in horror, the thought of the slimy pink creature entering through his ear or nose.

“You could have hurt him!” Dust shouted. “The brain is a very sensitive organ!”

“Oh, I assure you, it would be worst if I had told him in advance.” the volkar said without losing a grain of excitement. “If the patient was aware that he would be boarded by an alien organism, he would have instinctively put up defences, which would have made my work much harder, and dangerous.”

“I suppose that dispenses the need for the krall lessons I had arranged for the human.” Naden pointed out. “We are losing time here, every one of you, board.” he commanded, an entrance unfolding on the ship’s outer shielding with a set of steps leading in, much like an airplane.

The inside of the Viper was what was to be expected of a spaceship: seats, terminals, storage, deck. Much for Dust’s relief, there was a bench made of the same material as the captain’s bed, but of much more malleable consistency, offering the pony perfect accommodation.

“Before we take off,” Naden began. “I need you three to drink this.”

He extended a small set of silver vials from his hand, human, pony and marekus each taking one. “What are they for?” Dust curiously asked.

“Drink them first.” the berserker answered, his arm twitching as to warn them of who was in charge.

Removing the plastic top covers from the vials, the three drank in one go. The trio made funny expressions as the acid feeling from the silver liquid lingered in their mouths. “Agh! Care to tell us now?” Dust said, her tongue sticking out.

“A culture of nanomachines that will kill you upon my remote command.” Bewildered by the answer, Dust prepared to charge at him and demand for their removal, but the captain anticipated. “Only if you try something funny. Keep in line and it won’t even cross my mind.”

“I... I would never!” Jake pushed Naden, doing as much as making him step back. “I have nowhere to go! I don’t know anything of this new world! I have no reasons to betray you. In fact, I want this!”

“Please, understand...” the captain stuttered, taken aback by the human’s harshness.

“No! There is nothing to understand. Yes, many unfortunately died in the incident. But it was self defence. It was all an accident! And yet your Council,” he said with a mocking tone. “decides that Dust should be punished! If it wasn’t for me she’d be dead! What kind of justice is this?!”

“Little Jake?” Koopak poked him on the side, attempting to call for his attention, but to no avail. Dust didn’t know what to say. The mix of anger and difficulty in speaking had Jake in tears.

“I always dreamed that somewhere beyond the stars a perfect place existed. A place where everyone lived in harmony. But I guess I was wrong. If this is the best life has to offer, then what’s the point?” Jake sat down, looking away from everyone. “If we come across an inhabited planet, do not count on me on persuading them to join the Alliance. They’re better off.”

The berserker was ready to answer, but was interrupted by the electronic voice: “I would love to leave you two alone and settle your quarrels, but I cannot. Can we move on?”

Koopak kept scratching his tongue to get the liquid’s feeling off, already ignoring what was happening. Naden sighed, and sat on the deck chair, shaking his head. “We are departing now. Be seated.”

The pony obliged, Koopak having to be brought to attention by Dust. Unlike the assault vessel, this ship hummed slightly, obviously not made for stealth operations. From the front window a gate could be seen sliding open in the ceiling, allowing their passage.

‘I’m sorry,’ Jake apologized. ‘I got carried away.’

‘Don’t be. I’m just as angry.’ Dust comforted him with a hoof.

The bluish colours of the planet quickly disappeared as the speed increased exponentially, leaving the planet behind. The inertial dampeners worked wonders, and if Jake wasn’t looking he could swear they were still on the ground.

“Here we go.” Naden finally announced, activating the hyperdrive.

“So exciting! I can barely contain myself!” Tokra buzzed.

“I am coming for you...” Dust whispered, still loud enough for Jake to hear.

A flash of light sparked in the sky as the Viper entered FTL speed, leaving the Citadel far behind.

Oh, yes. Adventure. Today I went through some of my old belongings, and found an old diary I kept when I was younger. Nothing close to this journal, I was appalled (to say the least) at my writing style upon reading it. Yet, the memories those words brought back made it all worth it.

I was thrilled by the prospect of adventure when I was still a young buck. To cross the Ghastly Gorge, to take a balloon ride to Cloudsdale, to venture into the Everfree Forest. Dreams that never came true. I was too focused on books and studies to make anything of it. With time, it simply faded away...

Which is a shame now that I truly think about it. Was it really worth it passing such opportunities? Am I too late? I am not the colt I once used to be, age finally caught on and I’m afraid I wouldn’t last long should I head out into peril.

I know that throughout this journal I talk about the most interesting magical facts and experiments, and even incentive you, the reader, to take part in them. Our understanding of the magical arts is always evolving, and it will greatly change even after I stopped contributing. But let’s stop talking about science, magic, and studies. For a moment, even if we are deluding ourselves with such a preposterous ideology, let’s consider reading books boring.

Do you wish to travel? Do you hunger for adventure? Have you dreamed on becoming a smith? An artist? Life is long, but it can feel short. Do not let your dreams die. Grasp them with your magic, pursue them to the best of your capabilities, make them come true. Because one day you might find yourself being an old colt searching around his chest of memories, and regretting everything you never had the courage to endorse.

Think about it.

No.

Do something about it.

Chapter 9: Little Strokes

I did it.

I invited her to our usual tea afternoon, where we discussed the country’s current state, as well as her sister’s shenanigans. Can you believe that Luna finally got herself a prodigee? Her, of all ponies! I mentioned how much we had in common, how both of us prefer not to engage in noisy social activities, as a joke.

How folly of me. I immediately apologized, knowing exactly how the subject stung to the Princess of the Night. But that wasn’t what bothered Celestia, no. She focused once more on me, and my lack of available time to such dispensable gatherings. And out of nowhere, she invites me to be by her side in the Grand Galloping Gala.

The Gala! The epitome of arrogance and hypocrisy of our time. Before my mentor could start enticing me with whatever incentives she could muster at the moment, I finally spoke my mind. And to be noted, I was truly needing this.

I let her know how dreadfully exhausted I felt with her feeble attempts in trying to make me abandon my studies for something as trivial as socializing. How could I even consider such a possibility? And I’m this close to finish the Evolution project! After all these years, I hoped she would know me better.

And I kid you not, reader, she teleported away before I could continue. Coward! Afraid of hearing the truth, if I dare say so myself!

“Initiating report zero zero one. Captain Naden Gryphus reporting in. The expedition is about to land on a viable planet. The prisoners’ behaviour has been within acceptable parameters.” The captain finished his log.

The intense white light dimmed as they returned to maneuverable speeds. For a moment Jake could swear he was back in his good old solar system, wasn’t for the planet with several moons and a ring.

Naden grasped the sticks in order to land. Unlike the Mk. II, the Viper was way less cluttered with panels and buttons, making it way easier to understand what to do. Jake had been observing the captain’s interactions with it hoping to learn.

The viper breached atmosphere, a light turbulence shaking the passengers inside not to the point of losing their balance, but having them sit as a precaution. The air around it became red as the air failed to offer resistance to their entry.

After crossing the clouds a forest came into view, the trees swarming the ground as far as the rocky mountains in the horizon allowed to see. The mountain crown completely circled the woods, blinding anyone for what was beyond. The sun was just up, lighting the landscape. Although hard, one of the moons could be seen in the light blue, hiding next to the yellow ring that slashed the skies in half.

“How do we know if the planet’s habitable? Have you ran any diagnostics?” Jake asked to the one in charge, while oddly recognizing some of the messages running in the pilot’s terminals.

“The Alliance observatories can analyze chemical compositions at long range, the selected planets for this program were trialled in advance.” the humanoid captain explained.

“How do you know that?” Dust skeptically inquired. “Were you told all that while we were bathing?”

“Of course not! I was briefed earlier, before I woke you.”

A light blush subtly erupted in the pony’s cheeks. ‘How long have we slept? I was tired, but...’ she asked, Jake shrugging as a response.

“Anyway, we are about to land. Don’t touch anything.”

“The thrill of adventure, ihihih!” Tokra buzzed, making Jake almost jump from the seat. “Calm down, boy. You will get used to me eventually.”

“I’m not sure I can.” He cried inside, realizing how further his privacy was being destroyed. He accidently bit his tongue while speaking the foreign language, the cut healed fast by the bond he and the pony shared.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been told I’m a interesting being to talk to!”

Jake was having a hard time accepting all of this. First he was turned undead, now he spoke a language himself doesn’t know yet understands. He felt alien... to himself.

The lower half of the windshield became green as the viper landed in a clearing. With a hoof shake Dust woke up Koopak who was sleeping in a random position in the floor. He scrambled around, confused enough not to understand where he was.

Naden threw a backpack at Jake, the weight throwing him off balance momentarily. He frowned, complaining: “So I’m the mule now?”. The brown bag had a metal cantin attached to its side for quick access, the sound of water inside enticing Koopak’s attention.

Dust looked at him, her stare being interpreted as “Just endure it for now.”

The ship’s stairs unfolded outwards, unblocking the exit. The sudden freshness in the air took over the pony who couldn’t help herself but gallop outside and breathe in. Koopak quickly ran out, something catching his interest.

“What do we do now?” Jake asked the captain.

“Now we explore. The Viper will be in scanning mode, detecting complex life forms and rendering a basic geographical map of the planet using its scanners. That, however, takes time. It would be a waste for us to wait around.”

“We could split into groups and cover a large area!” the pink volkar suggested.

“Excellent idea. Each one of us go in a direction, return here once the sun has passed behind the ring.”

“Aren’t you afraid we might run away?” Dust grinned.

Her mocking enthusiasm was overthrown by the captain’s emotionless answer: “Forgot the nanomachines?” he sighed. “Get moving.”

Jake was hyped to go out there and explore. He and Dust headed in the direction where the sun had risen from behind the mountains, which they called East. Captain Naden went south, and Koopak had already trailed off before they noticed.

The human felt like he was in a fantasy world. Unlike the eerie woods that separated his hometown and the city back on Earth, this forest resembled him of the park, just on an infinitely larger scale. The leaves were bright green, the way they swayed in the wind marvelled him. There were patches of tall grass, unknown species of flowers spread amongst it.

Noticing the enormous smile on Jake’s face, Dust just had to ask: “What is it? You’re not planning on doing anything we shouldn’t, are you?”

“I’m not crazy, thank you very much. It’s just...” he paused, allowing his eyes to feast on the surroundings. The sunbeams pierced between the green ceiling, an exquisite scent of pine lingered in the air, almost leading him to sneeze. The whole scene felt like it had popped directly from a fairy tale book. Not quite finding the right words without sounding lame, he simply continued: “this place is simply amazing.”

“Hum... It’s just a forest.” she remarked.

“Not like anything I have at home.”

Dust smiled. She could never comprehend what the human was feeling, her whole life she travelled from planet to planet, so much that such simple beauty was nothing new. The pony somehow envied him. ‘Mother always had a way to appreciate Nature...’

The sun was almost past the ring when they came across a river. The water streamed without rush, the flow bathing the shores. “You think it’s drinkable?” Jake asked after noticing his water bottle was missing. ‘Koopak must have taken it when we weren’t looking...’

“Allow me.” Tokra spoke out, seeping off the communicator like magic, falling on the shore like a jelly puddle. “Oh, how it feels good to be outside! I was in dire need of a stretch.”

Dust tilted her head. “What is there to stretch?”

The volkar did not answer, his focus was centered on the appendage he extended into the river, his gelatinous body touching the water surface. Jake and Dust waited for whatever he was doing. He then propelled from the ground, back into the armour communicator. “Definitely drinkable.”

That was all Jake needed to hear. Falling to his knees, he took large sips using his hands as a bowl. Dust held her urge, and asked instead: “What did you just do?”

The communicator’s pink intensified: “I analyzed the chemical composition of the water, of course.”

“I never knew volkars could do that...”

“Why do you think the black market is interested in those of my kind?” he remarked.

Dust felt a wave of sadness wash her mood away. She had always seen volkars expertly working in Citadel hangars, yet she never thought they were so desired by people with ulterior motives. To think it has been going for over a thousand years... How come the Council has allowed it to be? Have they been so blind all this time?

Finally giving in, she quenched her thirst, taking sips as her tongue scratched the water. The water felt fresh, the soreness in her mouth quickly disappearing. Looking forward, she spotted something on the other side of the river. Something that made her heart jump.

“Hum, Dust?” Jake asked, confused by her as she leapt into the water. “What are you doing?”

“Mushrooms! There are mushrooms on the other side!” she somehow conveyed even though her mouth was already half full with water.

Jake sighed at the sight, and asked his most recent companion: “Is this armour waterproof?”

Tokra promptly answered, almost as if he was expecting the question: “Absolutely! The electronical components are properly secured, and the air void in the textile areas make it impossible for water to slip inside.”

All he needed to hear. Jumping into the water, he grabbed Dust who was almost fully submerged and put her over his shoulders. The river was deep enough to reach his chest, enough to leave the pony helpless in the water. “What were you thinking? You know you can’t swim.” he scolded.

“There are mushrooms on the other side! They look delicious!” she answered, still waving her legs around, not realizing she was being held. Her stare was fixed on the other shore, blind to everything else.

Jake tried to turn around, but the struggling unicorn was making the task near impossible. Not risking slipping on the rocks below his metal boots, he headed to the other side. Dust jumped to dry land while Jake was still traversing the stream, and ambitiously eyed the delicacy that stood before her.

“Do you have a death wish?!” Jake asked between his panting, laying on the grass next to her.

“I’m sorry Jake, but these look so delicious!”

Leaning forward, he took a closer look. The fungi were similar to the ones found on Earth in shape, these ones being covered in red spots. Jake held Dust’s muzzle shut. “We don’t know if these are edible, forget it.”

Shaking his hand off, she looked at Jake’s chest. “Can you analyze it?”

“I am afraid I can only test liquid samples. Without a proper laboratory to mince the matter and prepare a mixture, there is nothing to be done.” the pink alien replied.

The pony’s ears deflated upon hearing the volkar’s answer. Jake took the chance to grab her once more and cross back, not without picking a mushroom beforehand. ‘Maybe the ship has proper equipment to test it.’ he thought, the idea reanimating Dust’s spirits.

“We better head back.” Jake suggested. “The sun’s almost past the ring.”

The walk back was uneventful, save for the break Dust took to munch on some grass, which could be easily dissolved by hand and tested.

“Can’t you do anything but eat all the time?” Jake scolded.

She seemed offended. “Well, I am so sorry that I have to eat for two!”

“There you are!” Naden said upon spotting them entering the clearing. “I was about to doubt you would ever return.”

Jake responded with disdain. “I told you we are committed to this.”

“Should they attempt such, I would have sent a distress signal through the armour’s interface.” Tokra buzzed. “Where is the energetic one?”

Dust looked around. “He isn’t here yet?”

“No,” Naden grunted. “and I am starting to lose my patience.” He looked at the sky. The sun was already past the ring belt and was at its highest peak. “If he does not show up soon, I have no choice but to...”

“Wait!” Dust demanded. “You can’t do that!”

“These are my orders. Plus, I don’t know how that clueless monkey will be of any use. He’s literally a fish out of water.”

“Something may have happened to him! He may not have returned yet not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t!” she suggested.

“And how do you know that?” the armoured berserker asked, challenging the pony’s theory.

“We don’t.” she continued. “And unless you want to kill based on an assumption, I suggest we go look for him.”

“That indeed seems to be the right course of action.” Tokra agreed.

Turning around, the captain punched the Viper, a metallic thump being heard. The ship did not bulge, and his metallic glove seemed undamaged. An awkward silence followed, Dust looking back and forth between Naden and Jake. After calming himself down, he turned back to them. “Very well.”

‘What was that for? He is responsible for all of us!’ Dust complained. ‘Don’t you agree we should look for Koopak?’ Jake remained silent, instead following the captain.

Going inside the ship, Naden pressed a couple of keys in the interface. Suddenly, a spheric blue hologram emerged from the panels, and a green dot on the top.

“This is where we are.” the captain explained, pointing at the dot. Another green dot came to be not too far from the first one. “There, that’s him. The nanomachines give off a signal that Alliance technology can track.”

The ship’s door rolled back in, the engines powering up with a low hum. The blue fire exhaled by the exhaustors created enough air turbulence to shake the tree line around the clearing.

“Is it possible he may have been attacked?” Dust asked, staring attentively at the holographic globe. The stray green dot became ever close to the gathering at the top, indicating the distance separating them was growing ever smaller

“I do not know.” the captain answered. “The planetary scan has not progressed enough to determine the presence of complex life forms.”

Jake looked through the windshield and saw that the river kept going in the direction they were headed, and followed up the slope of the mountain side into its spring. The forest eventually ended, and what was seen had Naden cut the thrusters.

“Why have we halted our advance?” Tokra questioned.

Naden leaned forward to better look outside. “A village.”

A slight burning feeling spawned on the pony’s forehead, but she ignored. Dust joined the captain by the pilot’s chair, and saw an agglomerate of wooden houses sprawling by the mountain base. The river passed right by it, and a group of creatures seemed to be walking along.

“Koopak. The marekus is there.” Jake noted, startling Dust by his sudden advance.

Skeptically, she asked: “How do you know?”

Jake frowned, pointing towards the village.. “Don’t you see him? He’s right there!”

Both pony and berserker leaned closer to the windshield in an attempt to find the one they were looking for. “I don’t see him anywhere.” Naden pointed out. “But, according to the holographic mapping he is likely to be there. This is a first contact situation, so we shall land somewhere close and approach on foot.”

‘How did you manage to see him? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?’

‘I’m telling you, he was right there, I don’t get how you managed to miss him.’

The group silently crossed the woods, the captain taking point with his weapon activated. The floor became scattered with tree stumps as they entered the clearing, which they realized wasn’t so naturally. The captain kneeled by a stump, examining the cut pattern. “This was made using primitive tools. This village is nowhere near advanced to pose a threat to us.”

Dust poked the wood with a hoof. “Koopak should be smart enough not to have been captured, I don’t understand...”

“We need more intel before making a move, we shall continue.” the captain stood up, and continued his advance.

Jake finally got the chance to take a look at the creatures. Moving between the log cabins, they resembled humanoids at first, and upon closer inspection his suspicion was right. Their skin was dark green, probably to blend with the environment. They wore brown stripes of leather, and their hair was a total mess: small branches and leaves appeared to seamlessly intertwine around each strand, either made on purpose as local fashion or by disregarding basic hygiene.

Upon Naden’s gesture, they lied on the grass to avoid being spotted. Most of the populace was concentrated on a single point, near the river. “Get the binoculars.” he ordered.

Taking the hint, Jake unstrapped the belts that kept the backpack closed, and looked about. Being careful enough not to touch anything that he didn’t know what it was, he searched with no success. “Where are them?”

Naden sighed, and without looking he grabbed the goggles that were inside, wearing them around his helmet. ‘Of course, why would they need long binoculars with such advanced technology?’

“Oh, isn’t this great.” the berserker said while taking the goggles off and handing them to Jake, who in place put them on. The lens seemed to automatically zoom depending on the distance of what was being observed, so he clearly saw what was going on.

Koopak was surrounded by the humanoids, almost every single one holding what looked like pitchforks, chanting some sort of song. The marekus had his back turned to them, yet his arms were waving around.

“He’s in trouble, isn’t he?” Dust asked the obvious.

Jake nodded. “He is in trouble.” He looked at Naden who stared back through the smoked glass of his visor.

Without saying anything, he began crawling through the grass in the direction of the village, slowly taking his time in order to not be seen, leaving the woods behind. Dust and Jake followed, as Tokra turned off the communicator orbl in order not to call for attention.

The houses resembled Anna’s, whose family had chosen to live in the woods adjacent to Jake’s hometown. The dark wood was obviously cut from the stumps they left behind. There were no windows, and the roofs were flat, suggesting that rain wasn’t a problem to the locals. Small silver trinkets hanged in the roof edges from fiber stripes, softly reflecting sunlight as they danced with the wind. The grass was hand picked, the spiky edges hurting Jake’s belly upon touch.

They leaned against the hard cold wood of the closest house, the captain peaking around the corner to investigate. A group of locals passed by, carrying handmade baskets, one full of the mushrooms Dust had coveted for.

What was more surprising though, was their speech. Instead of communicating on a local language, they were speaking Krall, although in a never before heard dialect. Jake had a hard time following, being new to the language, but he still understood the idea behind each sentence.

“What do you think of our visitor?” one of the locals asked while throwing away spoiled mushrooms into a basket another one carried.

“I am very happy! Thanks to him, we can have a new meal!” they all muttered in agreement. “I’m tired of eating same old, same old. What about the ingredients, should we pick them up?”

“No, we will only cook tomorrow.” the initial local answered. “We already have meals for today.”

Dust could feel her face going pale at each passing second. “They are going to-!” This time it was Naden who held her muzzle shut. Signaling them to back off, they returned to the safety of the woods. Finally away from prying ears, she shouted. “They are going to eat him! We have to do something!”

“For now let’s return to the Viper.” he commanded, taking point.

Bewildered, Dust stepped in front of him. “What? And we’re just going to leave him?”

“I did not expect to encounter a civilization this soon.” he explained, while pushing her out of the way. “We could have approached them directly, but they now have a hostage. Interfering might ruin any chances of establishing diplomatic relations.”

“They are so primitive, though.” she pointed out. “What interest is there in doing so? Let’s just charge in and take him back.”

“We don’t know if they are part of a bigger civilization. We barely scratched the surface of what this planet has to offer.” the captain countered.

“But...”

“My word is final!” he roared, turning around. “Now, move!!!” He shouted while pointing in the ship’s general direction, the shout being loud enough to cause his helmet communicator to screech. Butterfly-like creatures, previously camouflaged against the tree trunks fled flying in all directions. A commotion could be heard from the village, and in order to avoid being caught by the locals, they hastily returned to the Viper.

‘What should we do, Jake? We could try to knock him cold, and save Koopak while he’s out.’

Jake stopped halfway on the steps into the ship. ‘Are you crazy? What happened to not doing anything we shouldn’t?!’

‘We can even end him for good, that way we won’t have to worry-’

“Are you even listening to yourself?!” Jake tried to cover his mouth but it was too late. Even if the berserker starting the engines had missed him, Tokra had not. He remained silent, yet Jake could swear he was already brainstorming on what he said, and more importantly, why he had said it. If they found about their mental connection, then they would truly be exposed.

Calming himself, he entered the ship and sat on the seat right behind the pilot’s. Dust laid on the adaptable couch. ‘This is Koopak we are talking about! He saved us!’

‘Saved us when it was convenient to him. For all we know he’s playing you.’

‘Don’t you talk about him like that!’ she stomped a hoof, making a muffled sound against the fabric. ‘He’s been through a lot, his family-’

Jake turned around the seat. ‘How do you know? How do you know anything he has said is true? From what you told me, he wasn’t on your side until he found himself imprisoned. I don’t care how you think about him, I can’t bring myself to trust that marekus.’

Appalled by his words, Dust looked away, not bearing not face his stare. ‘So you’re siding with Captain McDouchebag?’

Jake didn’t bother to answer. ‘Why did she care about him? Did she consider Koopak that much of a friend that she won’t leave him behind? Betray him? Like... I did...’

The ship lifted off, its speed increasing at an alarming rate. “This is going to use up all the remaining power so we can get back as fast as possible, so stay seated as we will probably face turbulence.” Naden warned.

An intense brightness poured through the windshield as the ship surpassed light itself. The Viper shook slightly, but nothing to cause alarm. In just a few minutes, the brightness faded quickly and was replaced with the glow of the Citadel’s twin stars.

Naden left Jake and Dust on the balcony, a plate numbering it as 392, with the pretext that he was going to consult with his berserker superior. The intense traffic around the Spear had Dust’s mane waving around, giving her a hard time to keep her eyes open.

“Do not worry, captain. Just contact me when you are ready to depart.” Tokra assured the berserker before he left.

Jake still had the magnifying goggles around his head, so putting them on once more, he took a look at the ground. His legs were shaking, even with the zoom the distance to the ground was still too nerve wracking.

“So what do we do now?” Dust broke the silence she had kept since they departed. “We just wait?”

“We could always go and eat something.” Jake suggested, slowly walking towards the elevator entrance. Even though the food was terrible, the prospect of swallowing anything solid sounded good enough.

They waited for another elevator to come, and named the same restaurant they went to before, the Floating Chariot. Only now Dust realized how humiliating she had been when she ate there last time. Gladly for her, the place was nowhere as packed as before, and the present customers didn’t seem as snobbish as the previous ones.

While Dust devoured her meal, Jake began wondering. ‘Those humanoids, they speak Krall. Wasn’t that planet off the charts?’

The pony reduced her pace as she thought through. ‘Well, if they are isolated, then someone came and taught them. Someone outside the Council’s reach.’

‘Criminals then.’ Jake suggested.

‘Yes.’ she nodded, ‘Even more reason to leave as soon as we can.’

‘Maybe he wants to be found, he is a criminal himself.’

Dust ignored the human’s snarky comment. Instead, she returned to the main topic. ‘There has been something bothering me since we arrived. Everything feels... off.’

“How so?” Jake asked.

“Well, first of all, I don’t remember there ever being an AI in the Spear. Or elevators. I may have been away for a thousand years, but their technology didn’t advance that much. So why the changes?”

Jake thought for a bit, and then answered. “Maybe they hit a plateau? They said it themselves, it’s too hard to keep track of the Alliance region alone. It must truly be a chore if only now they are investing in development with the exploration program.”

“Yeah... I guess that makes sense.” she said while putting down the empty food package. “But it’s scary, you know? No matter how much you travel you will never see everything, and to think there are groups full of people like Big Boss and Rhaiku out there, hiding from everyone... ugh.”

“How was she called again? Aphestis, was it?” The pony nodded at him. “And those threats she made, that they will know... They who?”

“I hope we never find out. Hopefully, she’s buried in stone, at the bottom of the ocean. No longer our concern.”

“Interesting.” the volkar pointed out. Human and pony went silent as they realized they had been talking out loud. They both stood there, silently staring at the table.

“Meet me at the balcony.” a voice was heard, throwing them off guard. Jake’s communicator was glowing, but not pink, indicating it was someone else talking.

“It must be Captain Naden Gryphus. You both should be on your way.” Tokra suggested.

“Yes, let’s.” Jake got up, not before being stopped by an angry dumah, of smaller stature than the one they met before, but enough to make the human falter. Jake tried to reach the backpack, but recalled that he had left it at the ship.

Dust got between them, and simply said: “Just put in Captain Naden’s bill.”

They returned to the elevator, and asked it to lead them to the balcony 392. Jake was now ready and sat down to prevent falling like a fool again. When the doors slid open, they met the Viper hovering outside, the stairs unfolded to allow entrance. Assuming to be Naden, they walked inside.

“I see you came.” the berserker said. “Good. Let’s be on our way then.”

Dust trotted up to the pilot, asking: “So? What did the berserker master had to say?”

Naden sighed. “He gave us permission to use lethal force. If the locals refuse to hand over the hostage, we are to strike them down until they get the message.”

Dust laid on the couch, releasing a breath of relief. Jake on the other hand, felt extremely angry. “What? You have amazing technology, can’t we just snatch him away and let them be?”

The captain ignored his plea, focusing instead on re-entering FTL. “Please be seated.”

“But... This is wrong!”

“Please! Be! Seated!” the captain yelled.

Jake felt the strength leave his legs, and slowly back down to the seat. ‘Why? Why can’t I stop him? Damn it!’

His flustered appearance caused Dust to feel concerned, but their recent argument prevented her from asking what was wrong.

The image popped once more in his mind, he laying on the ground after betraying his best friend, and the judgemental alien piercing him with a stare. He held his head between his hands, as if trying to hide the thought from his soul twin. ‘No, not this again. Why am I feeling like this? Am I afraid? Well, why shouldn’t I? He’s tall, he’s strong, he could kill us if he wanted. Damn it! Why I can’t I never stand up for myself?’

‘Are... are you alright?’

Jake didn’t respond. Instead, he felt like crying. The humiliation was just too much.

Back on the planet, the group spied the village by the tree line. The sun had set behind the mountains, and while the sky was painted in shades of red and orange of a typical sunset, darkness already covered the entire valley, the mountains neglecting the last sunrays to bathe the land. The breeze that once caressed the trees was gone, and now the only sound that could be heard was the river running along the shores.

That and the commotion from the villagers. Counting around thirty, the locals surrounded a fire, a cauldron hanged on top of it by a cheap wooden contraption. Hot steam escaped from it, the bubbling sound suggesting something was being cooked.

“They are... eating him...” the pony stammered.

The captain pressed a couple of buttons in his armour, and after analyzing a screen that could only be seen from inside the helmet, he concluded: “I can still track the nanos inside his body. If they are going to eat him, they haven’t killed him yet... hey!” he called out, but it was too late. The unicorn already charged at the village, avoiding the tree stumps along the way.

A deep pain bursted inside Jake’s head, forcing him to convulse on the ground. Getting up by instinct, he ran after her in despair in order to reduce the distance.

“I will never understand how you creatures are so sporadically emotional.” Tokra pointed out, not losing his curious behaviour even in the current situation.

“Oh, for the love of...” Naden cursed, following his prisoners while activating his weapon.

The green humanoids seemed to be singing again, almost if they were celebrating a special occasion. An old looking villager with a voluptuous beard carried a basket, throwing various herbs into the boiling stew.

“Koopak!!!”

The shout captured everyone’s attention, interrupting their cooking ceremony. Upon spotting the approaching horned creature, panic ensued. Some ran inside the houses, others stayed and grabbed their pitchforks, ready to make a stand.

Stopping in front of the locals, only the cauldron separating them, she demanded: “What have you done with him? Where’s Koopak?” The natives exchanged looks, not sure on how to react. “I know you can understand me!”

Jake finally caught up, holding onto his knees while breathing heavily. Never had he felt this tired since he died... for the first time. Naden followed shortly, his plasma cannon radiating heat from the barrel.

“The harvest is not ready yet!” the elder pledged, stepping in front of his younger brethren. “You came too early this year!”

“Silence!” the berserker captain finally made it to the center, threatening the locals back with his gun. “Everyone, to the ground!”

The elder complied, falling on his thin knees. The others stood in place, struck by fear. A silent moment followed, Naden switching his aim between the humanoids, while Dust eyed them with anger. Cries of despair could be heard from inside the houses.

“Is the soup good? I am really really... oh?” a voice came from their right. From the shadows, a monkeyish creature with pony-like legs, and fins all over his body hopped into the firelight. “Where were all of you? I was a bit worried!” Koopak strolled in front of the party, their mouths wide open in confusion, as he tossed a group of loose branches he carried into the flames. “Good you came in time for dinner, it is very delicious!”

Naden sighed, lowering his weapon although not deactivating it. “I give you my sincere apologies. It seems this was all a big misunderstanding.”

Slowly coming out of hiding, the tribe gathered around the fire once more, their dark green skins that so easily blended with the environment coming to light. They were clearly frightened, but their elder’s soothing voice was enough to give them courage.

Nervously laughing, he replied: “It is alright, yes, it is...” He said slowly, taking his time with each word. “We all make mistakes, don’t we children?” he asked while looking over his shoulder then small green infants herded behind his back.

From this new angle, the firelight unveiled something previously hidden from Jake’s eyes. On top of the elder’s head, what he once presumed to be a bad hairdo was actually a nest: a small, blue bird rested on it, sleeping. Jake almost felt the need to apologize for thinking ill of these people for their lack of hygiene, when actually they were just coming closer with nature.

Walking towards Koopak, Dust conveyed a worried expression. “Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?” she asked the marekus. He cluelessly tilted his head, the rest of his body soon following in another demonstration of his usual stunts. The pony sighed in relief; her friend’s hyperactive behaviour was proof enough that he was alright.

“But if you are not collectors,” the elder slowly continued. “ then, what are you?”

“We are explorers, and as our...” the captain paused, unable to find the right word. “associate here” he managed to continue, pointing at Koopak. “failed to meet at our rendezvous point in time, we assumed the worst.”

The elder smiled upon hearing the words. “Explorers, I see, I see... You must be starving if you made it this far. Please, join us for dinner.”

Dust’s ears unfolded back up, suddenly paying attention to the talk by the fire instead of the acrobatic marekus in front of her. ‘I could use some food...’

“That would be most pleasant.” Naden accepted the offer, bowing in appreciation. The populace spontaneously exploded at the answer, continuing their chanting. Almost tackling Jake while dashing by, a smaller, chubbier humanoid came running from one of the houses to tend to the fire and meal. The elder finally broke into a true laugh, stopping halfway as a cough afflicted him.

Dust was the first to sit by the fire, her purple and pink tail spinning around almost like an eager dog. The glimmer in her eyes reflected her desire for the prize inside the cauldron, the sweet scent pleasuring her senses.

The supposed cook dipper wooden crafted bowls into the cauldron, filling them with the gold coloured soup, the first one being handed to the elder and only then to the visitors.

Feeling the need to set the record straight, Jake spoke out: “Why did you keep Koopak here? He was supposed to meet us.”

After taking a sip, the elder answered: “Oh, our friend Koopak was free to leave at any time.” A chirping was heard, the smell having wakened the bird.

Flipping into scene, the marekus in question explained: “You see, marekus have very good noses, when we left the ship I smelled something delicious, and then followed. And here I am!” he smiled, his razor teeth showing.

“So you ran away... for food?”

“Yes!”

In a sudden motion, the human brought his palm to his forehead with force, in a failed attempt to erase the ridiculousness from his mind. ‘No wonder you two get along so well...’

“Your associate has some knowledge in the magic of the land. We have been exchanging knowledge over the course of this day.” the elder continued, soup dripping from the tip of his beard.

Somehow without breaking his smile, the marekus exclaimed: “I did not know you could grow things on dry land! This world is silly!”

Feeling the urge to facepalm once more, Jake held his arm. “Yes, so silly. Completely insane...” he sighed.

Everyone went quiet. Jake forced a cough in order to break the ice, when the whole village burst into laughter, soup flying everywhere as some failed to contain the liquid in their mouths. The cook in chief, who was still serving bowls, wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “By the great old one, you were right Koopak. They are dumb.”

‘What is this? Why am I the topic? What have I said to make them laugh?’ he thought while trying to scheme a plan to escape, Dust being too busy assaulting her meal to pay any attention. Feeling his cheeks burning, he raised the wooden bowl to his lips in order to hide his flustered look. Little did he know the soup was hot, forcing him to spill everything to prevent further burning his mouth.

The local’s laugh broke new records, some of them rolling in the ground, unable to control themselves. ‘Oh please, anything, kill me now.’

Noting Jake’s frustration, Naden made himself heard: “These collectors you took us for... what are they?”

The background noise diminished both out of respect to the elder who prepared to talk and for how sensitive the topic was. Resting the bowl between his crossed legs, he began: “The collectors are the gods. They come at every harvest and take part of our food as tribute. They are powerful and magnificent...”

“Dad...”

“...worthy of respect, and worship...”

“Dad!” the younger humanoid stood up, his soup spilling all over the grass. “You know that’s not-”

“Be quiet!” the elder yelled in volumes louder than Jake would have thought to be possible for him. “Respect your father!”

The other humanoids went silent, focusing their stare down at the soup. The disturbing lack of sound broke Dust from her moment. ‘Was it something you said?’

The facepalm urge counter didn’t seem to have any brakes today.

“It is time to rest.” the elder announced, pulling himself up from the ground. Turning to Naden, he offered: “You are free to stay with us tonight. I will have this useless son of mine make room in the storage for all of you.” His son walked away, either to follow the command or to ignore it.

Leaning to the berserker captain, Jake whispered: “Shouldn’t we head back to the-”

“We accept the offer.”

“What?!” Dust and Jake simultaneously gasped.

“Please, Koopak,” the elder asked his friend. “could you be kind enough to show them where the storage is? Those old bones aren’t what they used to be- ouch!” a couple of younglings supported the older’s weight as his legs gave away.

Koopak’s body suddenly straightened up from its curvy postur, saluting “It is a pleasure!” Walking away from the ever smaller crowd, he waved at his associates. “Follow me, children!”

Jake couldn’t help but frown. ‘How does he do it? One day and they treat them like family.

Giggling, Dust responded: ‘Koopak can be very persuasive.’

At each turn the firelight became less noticeable, until they found themselves bathed only by the dim light of the stars. The ring was as bright as in the morning, still receiving sunlight. Skipping in each step, the marekus lead them into a wooden house that in the dark looked exactly like every single one else.

Dust felt disappointed as her hooves touched the dirt ground. ‘I don’t know what I was expecting...’

Naden turned on the exposure lights placed around his helmet, revealing the interior appearance of their room for the night. Tokra helped too, his bright, pink shine bursting from Jake’s chest.

A set of tracks in the dirt led their stare to a group of wooden boxes piled in the corner. Opening one of them, Naden peaked at its contents: mushrooms, the same variety Jake had previously taken a sample from and tossed into the backpack.

Pulling an empty sack, Jake covered himself against the night’s cold. Looking at Naden, who positioned himself next to the doorless entrance, he asked: “Why are we staying? We have Koopak and the ship is running the scans by itself, we could at least sleep in its comfort.”

“It’s a matter of trust.” the captain explained. “We accept their invitation and gain their confidence.”

“But what do they have to offer?” the pony questioned, doing her best not to give away the fact she was shaking with cold.

“Nothing at the moment, but who knows in a distant future?”

“Oh! Oh!” Koopak raised a hand, asking for permission to speak.

The crimson red armoured berserker sighed: “Yes?”

“They know some secrets! And they told Koopak all about them!”

“Secrets?” Dust curiously raised an eyebrow, getting on her hooves.

Looking left and right to be sure no one else was present, he whispered in the pony’s ear. “They can grow things in the soil!” he jumped back, covering his mouth shut to prevent himself from giving away more of the untold mysteries.

Dust facehoofed as she rested her belly on the ground. ‘Ugh... Koopak, really?’

“Ssh!”

Naden’s sudden shushing grabbed everyone’s attention, Koopak placing his other hand over his mouth. For a whole minute he stood there, immobile. In a dash of speed, he extended an arm through the door into the darkness and pulled something inside.

Not something, someone. With a terrified expression, the elder’s son cowered in the ground, protecting his eyes against the strong focused light.

Pointing his weapon, Naden asked: “Were you spying on us?”

“I...”

“Speak!” he demanded.

“I-I’m the elder’s son, Ilyth, and was hoping I could hear you talking about your adventures, we never have any visitors!” his weak voice somehow managed to convey.

Pulling him under the shoulder, the captain lifted him back on his feet. “What do you mean, adventures?” he asked.

Everyone but Koopak, who had seemingly out of nowhere fallen asleep on the dirt, came closer to listen to the native’s explanation. He shrank in place, not feeling too fond of being pressured from all sides. “Uh...” he began. “You come from beyond, don’t you?”

“You could say that.” Dust answered, startling the humanoid who expected a reply from the metal clad visitor instead.

“T-then you must be really strong!” he excitedly stated, his mood deflating right after. “No one of our people ever returned from the sands.”

“The sands?” Jake asked, his own curiosity settling in.

“Yes, a really hot place with sand everywhere! Many of our own attempted to cross it, but apparently failed.”

“A desert.” Naden concluded, noticing that the humanoid’s panic was gradually replace with sadness. “That is what is beyond the mountains, then.”

“But why would anyone attempt such madness?” Dust inquired.

The humanoid suddenly took a more serious tone. “The Holy Land.” the collective “uh?” had him clarify what he meant. “The home of the gods? Are you sure you are from beyond the mountains?”

“Trying to avoid giving an answer, Jake replied with another question: “How many other villages are there in this valley?”

“Just this one, why?”

Jake rested his chin in his knee plate, considering his options. ‘I guess they could do it differently... They aren’t exactly total human after all. No, we are way too similar to be different in that regard.’

“What the hay are you talking about, Jake?”

“Well, you see...” he hesitated, while scratching the exposed part of his hair. “How do I put this... Don’t you have them?” he asked, while waving his hands in front of his chest, as if he was touching something that wasn’t there.

“Have what?” Koopak wondered, popping out of nowhere.

“I truly do not understand what the boy is trying to convey with his gesticulations.” Tokra analyzed.

“You know... them!” the human moved his hands about, this time in a more circular fashion. Unable to understand what he meant, everyone began doing the same. The longer the situation lasted the more blood flushed to the boy’s cheeks. Accepting his fate, he stated bluntly “Breasts! Don’t you have members of your village with breasts?” The silence that followed felt even more prominent than the previous one, the river and the wind outside appearing to stop to witness how Jake dug his own grave. ‘As I said, kill me now.’

Naden sighed, walking back towards the entrance. The pony’s eye twitched at what he had said. ‘Great, I’m linked with a moron.’

The villager was the only who didn’t act accordingly, his own sadness only being further accentuated. “Yes...”

In order to divert attention from his previous gaffe, Jake further pursued the issue. “Then why weren’t there any at the fire?”

“The gods...”

“I think it’s about time you tell us who these gods are.” Naden issued, his raspy voice sounding monotonous through his helmet’s speaker.

“The gods, they...” he began, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth in hesitation.

His eyes opened as he felt a hoof rest on his shoulder. “We won’t tell anyone.” she assured.

With the newfound confidence, Ilyth continued: “The gods took them all, as punishment for us not meeting the harvest’s quota. They said they’re satisfied. But some of us couldn’t wait... After a couple of years those who couldn’t wait anymore for their wives and daughters set out to look for them. As I said, no one ever returned.”

“They are near extinction!” Jake exclaimed, looking at Dust in hope she’d support him. Instead, the pony rolled her eyes and looked away. “We have to do something!”

Ilyth eyed the ground, sighing. “You can’t. They are gods and-”

“You don’t sound too sure yourself.” Naden stated, noting the weariness in the green humanoid’s voice. “Is that why you confronted your father? You don’t believe these oppressors truly are gods, do you?”

He shook his head in agreement. “There was this time I followed them as they took our tribute over the mountain. Father scolded me really hard for that... On the other side, instead of crossing the desert, they rode a giant black beast that roared up into the skies! I realized then that they couldn’t be from the Holy Land.”

“If it exists.” the captain suggested.

“I thought that too.” the humanoid replied, a small twig falling off his messy hair as he nodded. “I truly don’t know what to believe anymore. I try to bring others to reasons, but...”

“We’ll look into it, won’t we?” the unicorn promised, looking at the berserker by the entrance.

“There’s not a lot of intel... but we’ll see.”

The villager raised from the ground, stretching his arms. “I am going to rest now. Thank you so much for listening to me. No one ever does.”

“Sleep well...” Jake waved goodbye as the humanoid left the house.

Naden shut his lights off, and taking the cue Tokra did the same. Koopak had already crashed somewhere. and Dust rested her head on her hooves, ready to sleep. Although Jake tried to reach her,the silence gave every sign of the existence of mental defences. Thinking again though, considering she couldn’t use magic, she was properly just ignoring him. Giving up, he adjusted the sac in order to cover his whole body, and slowly laid on the ground.

Even though it was no bed, the comfort the dirt floor provided was a testament to how tired he was. The mere thought that he had travelled back and forth three times between planets was exhausting. It took longer for his hometown’s bus to bring him to school than a Viper to jump to the Citadel.

Choo!

‘Was that... a sneeze? Jake got up, shaking the dirt off his armour. “Tokra, could you...”

“Of course.” he promptly answered, the communicator’s white light filtered by the volkar’s body giving off the usual pink glow.

Jake’s body froze upon seeing Naden still standing at the entrance. Was he going to stand guard there all night? Looking for the source of the sound, Jake found Dust heavily shaking by the boxes.

Not standing to seeing her like that, he covered her with the sac, already warm from his own body heat. Soon the shaking stopped, and the pony moved about, accommodating herself under the improvised blanket.

“You can turn the light off now.” Being in dire need of sleep, he crashed back down. If tomorrow was going to be anything like this day, then he would need all the energy he could muster... Him, and the one who sustained him.

Cold. Oh, it’s so cold. My whole skin is blue. What? I am moving, but I can’t control myself. My eyes burn yet I can’t close them. There’s nothing here in this void, just a cold, icy mist spiralling upwards around my body.

And him. Max. Lying on the ground in front of me, pledging for mercy. No... I shall give him none. It’s his fault! I punch him, sending him flying for who knows how long. Distances don’t matter in this place, though. I will him back next to me, his ached body dragged back by an invisible hand.

PSST!

I punch him again, and once more he returns to my reach. I hold him by the shoulder, not allowing him to escape this time.

PSST!

Punch. Punch. Punch. It feels good. His face his a mess, I can’t even recognize him anymore. As my hits become stronger, chunks of my hand crack from my body with the impacts and crash down on the invisible floor like ice stalactites.

PSST!

I drop him to catch my breath. My arm is broken up to my elbow, the blood remaining still in its frozen state. But I don’t care. Pulling the bastard back up, I prepare to resume his punishment. Now, however, I manage to recognize the face behind the cuts and bruises I inflicted upon him. He isn’t Max.

PSST!

He’s Dave.

“AHHH!”

“Silence!” Naden rushed from the entrance and held his grip tight around Jake’s mouth. If he still had a heart, Jake’s would be beating faster than ever before.

The day had started long ago; the light assaulting his eyes, making everything else seem way too dark inside. Koopak kept sleeping in the exact same position as he last saw him. Pulling himself up, he felt the dirt attached to his skin falling off, creating a temporary cloud of dust.

Waking up with the ruckus, Dust asked as she rubbed an eye with a hoof. “What’s going on?”

“You too, be quiet!” the captain commanded, the way he whispered his words bringing her to full attention. The voice was low, but still carried the usual authoritarian impact on each word.

“I’ve been trying to wake the boy for quite some time, it seems he returned to consciousness by himself.” Tokra buzzed off the communicator.

Naden returned to the exit, leaning against the wooden wall as he eavesdropped outside. Intrigued by his secrecy, pony and human took the same stance on the other side of the door.

Two dumah, covered in black armour that was almost indistinguishable from their rock hard skin wasn’t it for the metallic reflection, stood in front of the herded populace led by the elder himself.

“I said again, there is no one else here!” the elder impatiently protested.

“Do not lie.” the foremost dumah grunted, pointing a finger at him. “We know everything. We see everything. We know.”

“I am sorry, but you are mistaken.”

The dumah raised his hand, the edge of his metal armour becoming red with heat. “You dare defy us?!”

Ilyth stepped between them, tears falling from his eyes. “Please, don’t do it! Take me instead!”

Jake felt himself tense up, feeling the urge to help. “We have to do something!” he whispered as the events unfolded outside.

“No.”

If it wasn’t for their need to remain stealthy, Jake would have launched himself at the captain. Dust herself couldn’t comprehend. “If you attack now you can take both of them out before they can even react!” she suggested.

“We don’t know how resistant their armour is, or if there are more of them spread around the area.” he explained. “If we find ourselves in a fight, the locals might be caught in the crossfire.”

Jake hated to admit, but he was right. For now, all they could do is watch... for now.

“Out of our way, you insignificant verm.” the other dumah punched him in the gut, forcing him to kneel down in pain. “You should have learnt your lesson a long time ago.”

“I confess! I confess!” he howled in the midst of shrieks of pain.

“Son...” the elder sighed, a heavy, sad tone befalling his voice.

“Some strange people came from beyond the mountains, but they left, yes, they left...”

The dumah lowered to Ilyth’s level, grabbing him by the neck. “How did they look like?!”

With a finger, he carved on the dirt clearing below him a sketch of their visitors. “I don’t know what they wanted... they just came and left...” he cried on.

The dumah traced the lines to be certain his eyes weren’t betraying him. “This can’t be... Verm!” he screamed, pulling the humanoid back up by his neck. “Are you sure about that one?!” he pointed down. While the others couldn’t tell which one of them the dumah was shaken about, Jake managed to see it clearly.

Shrinking in fear of retaliation, he answered with as little Ilyth could exhale: “Yes! Yes!”

The dumah exchanged looks, and the nodded to each other. “We are leaving.” they announced. “We expect three more crates than usual by the next harvest!”

“Of course, of course...” the elder assured them, bowing down in an apologetic way.

The dumah exited their view, moving in the direction of the mountains, pushing any humanoid who was in the way to the ground. The locals finally broke from their fear induced trance and moved to assist the elder’s son, whose tears had darkened the dirt below his face. As he recomposed himself, he nodded towards the storage house, signalling it to be safe to come out.

“Oh, son of mine, one day they’ll purge you out of existence.” the elder complained, his bird chirping in agreement.

Cleaning his tears,he asked: “You lied too... Why? Aren’t you afraid they will find out?”

The older humanoid sighed, massaging his tired neck muscles. “THey aren’t as all-knowing as they are son... Powerful, yes. But not perfect.”

The whole village bursted into a commotion, conversations sprouting circles upon the statement, “Then why do you tell us they are?” one of them asked.

“To keep you from doing the kind of stupidity this son of mine just did!” he stomped his foot on the ground to put emphasis to his words.

Naden rested his hand on the humanoid’s shoulder, making him feel uneasy by the proximity. “I am in your debt. That was very brave of you. If it is within my capabilities, I’ll save the women of your village, and end your gods’s aggression. I promise.”

The elder moved closer. “Thank you kindly. I don’t know what you can do about it, but we can only wish good luck. We’ll have to work hard to meet their new harvest expectations.” he explained.

“We shall be on our way then. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The walk back to the ship was short. Koopak jumped around, trying to cheer everyone up, clueless to what had happened during his sleep. While Naden checked the scan progress, Dust rolled in the grass to shake the dirt off her coat. Staring at the sky, Jake noticed there were two moons up today, one considerably larger than the other... or closer. And when he finally looked down, he saw him.

“I knew it!” Ilyth yelled. “You too have a flying beast! You didn’t come from the Holy Land, but from the skies!”

“Did you just follow us?” Dust asked as she raised from the ground.

“Ever since we left the village.” Naden said while walking out of the Viper. “The scan is complete and has been uploaded to the Citadel. We are ready to leave.” Turning to the humanoid, he asked: “What do you want?”

“I... I just wanted to properly thank you.”

“We haven’t done anything yet, and we don’t have much information.”

“But you gave us hope. That means alot to me.”

The engines made themselves noticeable as they began processing power. It was time to leave. Jake began walking towards the Viper, but stopped halfway.”Hey, Naden?”

“That’s Captain Naden to you.” he harshly answered.

“Do you still have nanojuice?”

“I do... so?”

“Just hand it over. Trust me on this one.”

The captain complied, still not too sure. Jake hopped inside the ship just long enough to return with the mushroom Dust had stupidly risked her life for. Slowly tilting the vial, he drained the silver liquid into the porous cap.

“Take it.” he handed it over to the elder’s son. “Put it next to the offerings, and please, don’t eat it.”

“I’m not sure what it is for, but thanks! I will!”

The steps rolled back inside, closing the ship’s entrance.

“That was some smart thinking.” Naden praised. “With the Citadel’s long range sensors we’ll be able to track the mushroom’s location.”

“And consequently find these gods’ base of operation!” Tokra buzzed, excitement befitting the electronic voice. “I wouldn’t have done better myself!”

Dust smiled. Although still angry with him for doubting Koopak, she couldn’t help but admire the human’s quick thinking. While she was more spontaneous and acted in the heat of the moment, Jake could see through the obvious and remain sceptical at most times.

“Where do we go now?” Koopak curiously questioned.

“Another planet. We still have enough resources to visit a lot more before we need to return to the Citadel.”

“By the way, Na... Captain Naden.” Dust asked eagerly with a sheepish grin. “Does saving Koopak count towards my debt?”

“No.”

“Well, schucks.”

This is the second week she has failed to attend to our tea. I am honestly beginning to feel concerned. If there were matters urgent enough to keep Celestia busy for two whole weeks, then I should have been informed, no, summoned even, by express mail through a royal guard! If the problems are as serious as they seem she would require my magical expertise...

Unless she is still caught up in our last argument. If so, then I must confess to be quite disappointed. For the one that represents the Sun, the country, and all that is virtuous, to act this childish is a major embarrassment for me, as citizen under her rule. And if she expects me to leave my haven of meditation to pledge for forgiveness, she better not hold her breath!

I comprehend that I might, and I accentuate, might, have offended her to some degree, but she did so too, and before I did! It is totally logical that she is the one who should come forth to apologize for her lack of tact.

It does make sense, does it not? Completely reasonable. My judgement isn’t clouded, why would it be? But what if it is? Let’s assume this, that I made a mistake. As I like to say, the older the wiser. I may be old, but the Princess of the Sun is much more ***. And two weeks... Time flows differently for those who are long lived. Even I notice how the days run shorter, how my experiments take the good part of the day. And look, Luna has brought forth the Moon without me even noticing.

I should return to work. I came across a blockade in the Evolution project, and I need to figure out what is wrong with it! I must! As for Celestia, I shall give her another two weeks. Then I will look for her myself. Yes, I will.

**** Note: For all that’s holy, do NOT call the alicorn sisters old in their presence. Or before you go to sleep, won’t prying ears catch you saying it in your dreams.*

Chapter 10: The Amulet

Another planet, another scan. The progress bar grew in size little by little, taking several minutes to advance each time. Every time it did, a notification sound was played on the speakers.

*BEEP*

As if it had life of its own, the pony’s body rolled out of the couch, hitting her muzzle on the ground. The pain was intense, making stars flash in her eyes. Sighing, Dust pulled herself back up while massaging her aching jaw. ‘If that damn alert wakes me up one more time I’m bucking it to oblivion!’

As she relieved her pain, her hoof touched something off. The fur around her mouth felt rough, and at the same time sticky. Her eyes widened, realizing she had drooled during sleep.

While Dust made sure there was no evidence of her embarrassing situation, Naden wrote the latest report with Tokra’s assistance, who had left Jake’s communicator and now strangely lied stickied to the deck’s overhead. He had been going their last planet’s elemental analysis, in order to provide more insight to the scientific expeditions that would soon follow to the planets signed with Naden’s approval.

After the valley planet, which they came to call P001, they visited three more exoplanets, the current being the third. The first, P002, underwent a fiery apocalypse, active volcanos swarming the land all over the globe. The second, P003, had luscious vegetation, and a considerable amount of water, but unfortunately no animal life. Still, it was a good opportunity for Dust to stretch her legs, and relieve herself as well. ‘Seriously, what ship designed for long space travel doesn’t have a restroom?’

After a relatively short session of hypertravel, this third planet looked promising. From the already collected data, it could be concluded that there was indeed sentient life; now if it was intelligent or not, one could not be certain. Being way bigger than the previous visited planets, the unusual mass would crush anyone who left the ship’s simulated gravitational environment without proper equipment.

After arranging her mane and making sure her rosy cheeks returned to their natural colour, Dust noticed the one sat up front. Jake looked as if he was half dead in his seat, his arms falling limp from the sides. They hadn’t exchanged a single word since Koopak’s incident, the disagreement in their points of view being too great. Yet now he looked worse than ever, and Dust was worried that her spell could be failing. Swallowing her pride, the pony came forth to ask: “Are you okay- oh.”

Jake’s eyes pointed downwards as he stared at nothing in particular. His mouth moved to mutter something, but his voice did not cooperate. The dark shades under his eyes were a dead giveaway of what truly afflicted him.

His head bobbed when she shook him with a hoof. He turned slightly, looking face to face to the pony next to him. Jake struggled to keep focus in her, his veiny eyes trembling inside their sockets. He turned back forward, facing the back of the pilot’s seat.

“Jake, have you been sleeping at all?” the pony asked with concern.

No matter how hard she tried, their mental connection remained silent. ‘Am I not being able to reach him, or is he just ignoring me?’ Betting on the latter, she walked away to check on Koopak. She simply wasn’t in the mood to deal with Jake.

In the back section, Koopak opened one of the ration containers, eagerly looking forward to eat. As the tin box allowed air to enter, a green flame flashed as fast as it disappeared, the inflammable gas inside instantly cooking the meal. While the hungry marekus feasted, Dust came closer, interested in having a share. The quick reminder of how bad it smelled took her appetite away.

Giving up on doing anything productive, the pony decided to resume her previous activity, laying down on the couch, she allowed the intelligent fabric assume her shape, enveloping her body in one tight embrace.

‘I guess I’ll eat later. I wasn’t aware berserkers ate such nasty tasting food. I almost feel sorry for Naden... has he eaten anything, though? I could swear he didn’t even touch Ilyth’s people’s soup... Ohhh that soup. What I would give for another serving. Perhaps his species doesn’t need to eat as much? Jake, what do you- oh, nevermind. I’ll just...’ Feeling her consciousness slip away, the pony offered no resistance to what was to come. She felt more tired than usual, probably thanks to Jake’s unwillingness to sleep, for whatever reason. Slowly, but surely, the world faded away below her hooves, the realm of dreams ready to welcome her...

*BEEP*

“Gah!”

Matter gave no resistance to the Viper’s ridiculous speeds as it launched itself out of P004. The windshields were kept down, once activated to protect the sturdy glass against the crushing effect of the planetary giant’s gravity, it now blocked the intense light from blinding the ship’s occupants. The captain remained still in his seat, not even flinching, suggesting he might have finally fallen asleep. The continuous humming of the engines was almost inaudible, yet it was soothing enough to invite the recently awoken pony back into the realm of dreams.

It had, at least, had the desired effect on the human sat up front. Her ears finally caught up to the snores that almost blended with the background noise, creating a disturbing symphony not even Koopak could bare. The hyperactive marekus pressed his hands hard against his ears, his glossy black eyes jumping everywhere in look of an escape.

After verifying if she was in decent composure, Dust hopped off her heavenly bed and trotted next to the soulbound companion. Although the temperature inside the deck felt perfect, his whole body shook in place, his teeth clashing as his jaw trembled. Along with the constant movement under his eyelids, everything pointed that the human was in pain. Even though she wanted to wake him up, the reminder that he urgently needed to rest held her hoof. Instead, she tapped on Koopak’s shoulder in order to grab his attention. His skin felt harsh, dry. He was in urgent need to hydrate himself, outside the spacecraft. The Viper’s air filters continuously sucked any extra humidity, sapping the poor alien’s agility.

“What is problem, Little Dust?” he promptly stood up, ready to aid his friend in any way possible.

After a bit of struggle, pony and marekus managed to carry the human into the adaptable couch, his body carving its shape as soon as it came in contact. His quivering attenuated, not stopping entirely. Not being able to tell why, the pony felt relieved. ‘Sleep well.’

“You creatures go from mutual conflict to truces all the time, I simply cannot understand why, or how.” Tokra broke the silence, his voice coming from everywhere.

Looking upwards, Dust noticed the pink volkar hanging from the overhead, threatening to fall down at each stretch, only to pull himself up. “I expected someone as knowledgeable as you to understand, especially after messing with Jake’s brain.”

“I did not mess with the boy’s brain, I programmed it. Just like you can program a ship’s navigation system.” his voice boomed from the surroundings. Moving to look better, she noticed that part of the volkar’s body was embedded into a panel, probably using the Viper’s internal systems to communicate. “And I do understand, forgive me if I misconstructed my assessment. I meant only to convey that I cannot... conceptualize these mental reactions.”

‘It’s like I’m speaking to an AI then.’

With a press of a button, the windshield covers retracted to their idle positions. The Captain had either been aware all that time, or some alarms inside his crimson red shell alerted the berserker to the imminent arrival. Without warning the Viper had left FTL and now orbited a small, bronze moon which in turn spinned around a blue gas giant. “Initiating approach, be seated.”

After having been tossed around like a ragdoll in P004, Koopak jumped into the nearest seat and stood still, his whole body tensing up. Disregarding the discomfort the humanoid designed seats provided, Dust did the same. ‘Why are there so many humanoids anyway? They weren’t nearly as numerous, or as varied as last time.’ the pony wondered. ‘True, it has been over a thousand years, but species don’t change that much in such a short amount of time... And I could swear there were other species in the berserker ranks...’

The sun scorched the soil, heat waves distorting the horizon. Emptying a bottle, the marekus drank half the water in despair, the rest soaking his body.

“Catch.” the captain warned, tossing the backpack at the human. Still tired, Jake couldn’t react in time, the bag hitting his head. “Wake up. Don’t be thinking I’ll wait for your beauty sleep. Let’s move.”

The mountainous formations extended in intricate patterns in every direction, sculpted over the ages by wind and water. The landscape didn’t seem to have met much of the second in the last few years though. Not a single root sprouted from the dry, cracked floor. Each step they took dissolved the soil, the geology of the land lacking consistency to hold its own.

“Couldn’t we have landed on the night side? Somewhere less hot?” Dust complained between her panting. The sweat running down her face forced the pony to move away the hair that kept gluing itself to her forehead. ‘My mane hasn’t been the same. It used to float freely, but it has been flattening down ever since I fell on Earth... Did it depend on my magic? Or perhaps my closeness to Mother?’

“We are here for a good reason.”

“And could I inquire what reasons backup your choice?” Tokra asked, startling Jake with his presence inside the chest armour.

“That.” the captain pointed a finger. Kneeling down at the edge of the cliff they had just reached, Jake stared down at the base of the canyon. Pulling out the magnifying goggles, he took a closer look. A large black creature stood idle in the ground, standing next to what appeared to be a lake, it’s dark colour suggesting it to be deep. “A ship.”

“What?” Jake asked in confusion, double checking what he had seen. “That looks like a giant beast.”

“Exactly. I went through P001’s scan with the volkar’s aid and managed to pin down a spacecraft model unregistered to our archives.” Naden explained.

Beginning to understand, Dust continued: “I see! Just like Ilyth said, a giant flying beast...”

“The Viper’s short range sensors detected it shortly after we left FTL. It has been here for as long as we arrived.”

“They might know something about the women hostages. Although they don’t seem to be the dumah we previously encountered.” Jake observed, spotting an undisclosed creature walking outside the ship.

“As I said before,” Naden recalled. “we don’t know how many they were. Let’s just get closer for now, in silence.” he accentuated the last word while looking at Koopak. The warning was in vain though, as the heat had once again taken any motivation the marekus used to exhale.

If they had anything in common, it had to be fear of heights. Pony and human held on to each other as they took their slow descent down the canyon. The floor cracked at every step, sending small fragments rolling down the steep improvised path. While Naden took point, carrying the backpack to relieve the human of any extra weight, Koopak followed behind while showing no problems trailing the descent against all odds, even though being a creature used to an aquatic environment.

“Don’t y-you let go of m-me now, you hear?” Dust attempted to sound threatening, failing badly as her nerves were clearly on the edge. Hiking was definitely not a pony’s strength, even if they had already gone through two thirds of the way down.. Her hooves pivoted in Jake’s shoulder at each step down, placing him in an even harder position.

“J-Just come down already! Stop b-being such a wuss!”

Naden stood still, observing possibles routes down the wall. A slicing sound was heard as spikes came out the captain’s boots, ensuring his balance was maintained with minimal effort.

*CRACK*

The rock under Dust’s legs gave away, tumbling down the mountain, hitting the captain on the way. His armour proved its worth by remaining, unscathed, minus the dust that covered its surface. By the time he cleaned his visor, the situation had taken a dire turn.

“Hang on!”

“I don’t have any fingers, remember?!”

The pony hanged in mid air, being held only by her hoof, which the human tried to pull at the best of his capabilities. “Damn it...”

“Gah! Pull me up! PULL ME UP!” she screamed, her hoof slowly slid from the human’s sweaty hand.

Jake closed his eyes, mustering as much strength as he could. Although he was extremely tired, the adrenaline of the situation had him on his toes. His shoulder burned with the weight, his veins wanting to pop out. ‘Fuck! Why do I have to be so weak!’

The familiar voice echoed in Dust’s mind, taking her by surprise. The re established mental connection assaulted the pony’s consciousness, numbing her body to the point where she lost all strength in her wrist.

Suddenly, all weight was lost. It almost felt like the time her Mother would disable the Strahl’s simulated gravity to save power. The difference was in the air rushing upwards around her. She was falling.

Naden punched the canyon’s wall, his fist anchoring deep into the rock as he leapt forward to catch the free-falling pony. His metallic hand slashed the air, failing to grab her in time.

The pain bursted once more in Jake’s chest, the ever growing distance between him and his lifeboat paralleling with his agony. Swaying in place, the human only managed not to fall by holding on by instinct.

Gathering the little strength he had left, he managed to open his eyes, only to face the two big black eyes coming closer. Tackling him by the waist, Koopak forced Jake to let go, joining the pony on her fall to death, if she wasn’t already.

“Let... go of me, you fucker!” the human managed to say, the distance between him and Dust being reduced.

Koopak didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he took position below the human, preparing for impact as the air hissed around them. Tokra’s voice was heard, alerting something, but the ruckus in Jake’s mind was too convoluted to process it.

*SPLASH*

Jake’s ears exploded as the water closed around him, rushing inside his body. Screaming with the impact on the lake’s surface, he squirmed almost if that would shake the pain away, an eerie cloud of blood dispersing about. The regenerative spell took effect immediately, patching cut tendons and ripped skin. With his newfound strength, Jake began punching in all directions, attempting to hit his assassin. “You bastard! *cough* Get over here!” his voice vibrated in the water, more of the liquid sliding down his throat..

Coming out of nowhere, Koopak immobilized the human, his long arms wrapping around Jake’s shoulders. “Stop! Look for little Dust!”

“What?” he asked while struggling to break free.

“Look for little Dust!” the marekus repeated himself.

Finally giving up on struggling against the unbreakable bind, Jake ran his eyes across the mystifying depths of the lake in search of the missing pony. Being way deeper than he expected, an ever darker blur of white and pink came into view, somehow standing out from the unclear water.

Naden rushed down the mountain, rappelling while using his hand to slow down his descent. A small avalanche followed him closely, the tumbling rocks releasing a cloud of dust, the enormous sound echoing in the canyon’s orange walls. He was not worried though, if there was anyone nearby, they would already be alerted of their presence.

The lake bed ended abruptly, paralleling with the very canyon that surrounded the whole vicinity. One wrong step and anyone passing by would slip into the unexpecting depths. It could be that it was a natural formation, being the last remnant of a sinuous maze of rivers that once carved the land. Or it wasn’t, and the fact that a ship descended right next to it supported such a theory. Furthermore, its positioning was in fact most intriguing. The mountainous wall adjacent to the water reserve was smooth, the result of the repeated caress of stray rains. Any precipitation that would bless this desolated canyon would slide down into the depository.

And from the edge away from it, a marekus bursted out of the water, propelled by a momentum granted only due to his extraordinary swimming prowess. Koopak held Jake below his shoulders, who did the same with the unconscious pony.

Rolling to the side, he gave Dust some space. Cleaning the water from his vision, he could see she wasn’t breathing. But she had to be alive! Otherwise... well, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to draw such a conclusion. Thanks to the adrenaline rush numbing his fatigue, Jake opened his mouth to breathe in, readying himself to supply the pony with much needed oxygen. Air was not inspired, though, instead, a small, but continuous stream of water exited his body in burst, having the human fighting to keep focus.

“Please, open her mouth.” The pink light flashed for a moment, before Tokra jumped out of the chest armour piece, falling right next to Dust.

Desperate to be of use, Koopak complied, lowering the unicorn’s jaw. In one fell swoop, the volkar slid through in his entirety through Dust’s throat. Barely moments passed, and Dust’s back arched, coughing as little spurts of water gushed out. Jake fought the soreness of his own throat and held her head below her silky mane, facilitating her breathing.Tokra jumped off, splashing next to the small puddle formed next to them, and then returning to his initial placement inside the communicator matrix.

Slowly, the pony calmed down, and her eyelids slowly unfolded back. “Huh? What happened?” she asked, confused by how Koopak and Jake looked over her with concern, the sun darkening their figures.

“You fell.” Naden clarified without a trace of emotion or fatigue in his voice, having finally reached the bottom. “Those two jumped after.”

Pulling the marekus away, Jake jumped up

Without turning to the captain, both by lack of strength and care, she kept staring at her saviours, but specially at Jake. “You... you did?” ‘I’m so glad...’

Now it was Jake’s turn to feel surprised. It had been days since he had heard the unicorn’s soothing whisper deep into his mind. Somehow, it put him at ease. Somehow, things felt right once more. Which was weird, considering everything had been wrong since he left home.

Naden walked past them, heading for the inactive shuttle, extending his plasma cannon in precaution. “Get up, let’s investigate this.” he echoed from the inside of his helmet.

“Hey, at least give her some time to rest!” Jake complained, trying to sound assertive but not too aggressive. “She almost drowned, damn it!”

“And so did you, yet you don’t show signs of exhaustion.” he replied, still maintaining the same monotonous voice. “Get up.”

“But...”

“The pony is here to accompany me, not the other way around.” the captain interrupted. “If any of you are to die in the process, so may that be your punishment.”

Jake hated to admit, but he was right. Dust was fulfilling her sentence, and she didn’t deserve the same amount of rights as others in the eyes of the Council. It still didn’t make it right. His muscles tensed up, containing his pent up anger as Naden walked away from the group.

Anchoring on Jake's shoulder, Dust lift herself up, her mane soaking wet against her back. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." she assured.

"But you're not fine, he can't just-"

The boy was silenced as she rested a hoof on his lips. 'Let it go. And... thank you.’

Dust had lost count of how many times Naden had surrounded the ship, thoroughly analyzing every detail, every inch of its outline. Tokra, with his passionate curiosity taking over, hopped inside through an exposed control panel that appeared to only respond to a specific input, unknown to outsiders. The plating was deep black, reflecting just enough of the sunlight to cause a slight shine. On each side, three support beams spread out, each taking a slight deviation in angle halfway through. And in the front, a crimson red visor, even darker than the berserker captain’s armour, hid however the deck of the spacecraft might look like.

‘What do you think?’ Dust asked, leaning against Jake’s shoulder while she still recovered her breath. ‘Could they be the same ones that have been tormenting Ilyth‘s village?’

‘I don’t know... that ship is so strange though, it’s only natural he mistook it for a flying creature. It looks like a giant beetle to me. Doesn’t look much practical to fly inside an atmosphere... but out there it doesn’t make any difference, after all.’

Coming back out, Tokra announced from Jake’s chest armour: “I detected an alarm system that is triggered upon breach. It would be very unwise to force our way in and announce our presence.”

“And what about crew? Anyone inside?” Naden inquired, staring at Jake’s communicator, leaving him somewhat uncomfortable.

“None that I can observe, but I cannot be certain.”

“Very well then.” Looking over the three captives, the captain announced: “The small depressions in the floor indicate someone has moved this way recently. We will move further into the canyon, and try to spot whoever came to this place. Stay close, but not too close.” he instructed.

Taking point with his plasma cannon, the captain traversed the sinuous path that seemed to tighten at every few meters. Soon, the party found themselves struggling to fit through the rocks, forcingly having to dig way for the crimson red armour to fit.

“Hum, Koopak?” Jake called for the agile marekus who had no problem passing through. “I have something to as you.”

“What is it little Jake?” he swiftly answered, keeping his pace.

“I have my suspicions why you did what you did... but why? Why did you push me down? I’m glad it worked, but it could have gone really wrong.”

Koopak looked back, his head rotating in place as his body kept hopping between the rocks. A chill went up the human’s spine upon testifying the peculiarity of mareki physiology. “Jake hurts away from Dust, no? So I brought you to Dust! And Jake also see very very well! Even better than me, I think. Is anyone on Jake’s family a marekus like Koopak?”

“Well, yeah, I know that. But why? Why not just let me be? You have no business with us, in fact, I could bet you’d be released after they find out how you have been blackmailed back in Atlantis.”

Koopak cocked his head. “What do you mean, little Jake? Friends help friends, no?”

‘Friends?’ “What do you mean friends?” Jake stopped, both to see the situation through and to rest. Dust kept on going, although her ears and her mind were both quite open. “I haven’t really trusted you since... well, ever!”

“You have not?”

Those words were enough. ‘I see. He plays innocent, yet he is smarter than he looks. Way smarter. He did think how the act on a whim back on the cliff descent, after all. Is this his way of apologizing without making me feel uncomfortable? Perhaps... Thank you, Koopak.’

Sighing in relief, Dust smiled, glad that Jake’s insecurities were lifted. Perhaps it was her imagination, but a small, magical spark rained in front of her vision, a slight heat spawning in the tip of the unicorn’s horn. Upon touching with a hoof however, she felt nothing. “Must be the heat...”

“What the hell...”

Naden stepped back in direction of the tight passage but stopped, finding it fruitless to try and hide now. As the rest of the group came closer to the sudden wide open area, the euphoria occurring in front of them became clear. A crowd of small humanoids about Dust’s size, running around like ants, going in and out of caves dug deep inside the canyon’s walls. While their presence had been noted, no reaction was received by the other end: the humanoids were too busy pushing small carts filled with rocks from one side to another, in a rush that suggested the feeling of exasperation instead of simple hyperactiveness.

Dust rubbed her eyes, the situation being too much to process in her current condition. “Should we... say something?”

“This is first contact, right?” Jake inquired, recalling their previous fiasco. ”What are the protocols?”

“This is not first contact. The ones who arrived in the black ship came this way. They are probably inside those tunnels.” the captain pointed at them.

“Hypothesising the alien visitors are indeed of the same faction as those in P001, it is safe to assume they can communicate with the locals, and by extension, that these very same locals dominate the same dialect of Krall.” the volkar theorized.

Spotting an idle humanoid resting against a wall, refreshing himself with a water bucket, Naden moved towards him in order to interrogate. His towering presence next to the small local blot out the sun from his view, catching his attention. His eyes widened, but remained silent. “Can you understand what I speak?” the captain spoke from inside his armoured plating.

“Uh, yes?” his squeaky voice replied. Jake struggled to hold a laugh, earning a disapproving look from the pony next to him.

“Did anyone covered in black armour pass by this road?” the captain asked, kneeling down to the small humanoid’s level. Noticing his uneasiness, he encouraged: “I would be very grateful if you could cooperate.”

“Bu-but there is no one here like that!” Resting the bucket down, he got up from the ground, cleaning the dust from his body with his four fingered hands. His clothing choice was odd, several pieces of clothing clashing together, creating an indescribable cacophony. Looking over to the crowd, Dust realized everyone fit into this chaos. “As you can see, we have our hands full with all the ore mining to pay any attention to outsiders, but I am sure we would have noticed.” he justified.

“What are you mining, anyway?” Jake walked towards the caravan, curious to learn more. While Naden grunted inside his armour for having his interrogation interrupted, the small humanoid took it as a chance to break free.

“All sorts of things! Travellers come from all over for our ore, which we are experts at retrieving.”

“You mine the ore from these walls?” the captain said while trying to take a peek inside one of the tunnels. “The rocks are very fragile, these shafts could collapse at any moment.”

“We only mine where the rock is toughest! Our ancestors learned that the hard way,” he explained. “Anyway, what brings you to our outpost, besides looking for these armoured folk? I, Xen, would be glad to give you the tour.”

“Very well then. Please, take point.”

Even amidst the warm climate, a hot wave was felt while entering one of the vacant shafts, likely to already have been explored to their predetermined desirable lengths. At the turn of a corner, the little sunlight that guided their path ended abruptly, leaving Naden no choice but to turn on his armour’s lights. The darkness didn’t affect Xen’s pacing however, the little miner kept going as his eyes filtered the almost unnoticeable glowing crystal craved into the ceiling.

“Would you be interested in buying some of these glowers? They can be quite useful in dark places,” Xen bartered, his voice hinting a tone of enthusiasm, although not too excited.

“What property allows them to emit such luminescence?” Tokra asked, curious to learn more.

Turning to Jake, not possible understanding the true origin of the voice, he responded “What do you mean? They glow because they glow. That is just how it is.”

The tunnel ended as they arrived at a large opening where the walls glowed with the light of hundreds of glowstone pieces. Stashed away in a corner, a pile of metal scraps and trinkets jumped to sight, seeming out of place. Moving closer, Dust noticed that they were of the same material as the humanoid’s outfit, enticing her curiosity to further inspect the deposit.

“Why are we here?” Naden questioned.

“Some of those who come to buy us stones pay with these rare items which we, in turn, trade with those back in town.” Xen explained. “But since you are already here, you may want to buy something.”

Shrugging, Jake reminded: “I don’t think we have anything to pay you with.”

Pulling her muzzle out of the pile, Dust exclaimed: “This! We’ll buy this.” Anchoring her hindlegs in the ground, she managed to dig something out of the pile with her mouth.

‘What’s even that?’

Held by a silver string was a flat white shape, about the size of her hoof. Although hard to tell at first, the figure became easy to interpret: a crescent moon shape encrusted with six golden beads, crossed by the straight trail of a falling star. Or so it appeared to be.

‘I don’t know.’ she mentally answered, ‘but I feel it has something to do with Mother. I just know it.’

‘You... feel?’

“Put that down, we are not here to shop,” the captain spoke out, interfering with their mental link. “Or do I need to remind you again of why you are here?”

Quickly building frustration inside her, she knew very well that nothing she could do or say would allow her to win this one. If she couldn’t change the captain’s mind, there was only one choice then: ‘Quickly, say something!’

‘Say what? Why me?’

“I said, drop it.”

“You see,” Jake began, brainstorming on what to say. Finally coming up with something, he said with confidence “Dust here, she... she used to travel with other ponies, yeah, and there was one who had a necklace just like that. If it leads us to where ponies come from, that will be another populated planet cartographed, right? Since there are no ponies in the Alliance database...?”

“I guess so... What will you want for it?” Naden asked the miner, who rubbed his hands in gratification. Noticing how he eyes the weapon strapped to his arm, the captain drew closer to the native. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh, that thingy was glowing when you arrived and I was hoping we could talk business and...”

“Trade it?” he walked even closer, leaving few space for comfort. “Here, take it,” the armoured berserker extended his arm, inviting Xen to grab his plasma cannon.

While excited at first, Xen quickly held his hand, understanding the meaning behind the challenge. “Never mind, I already have my glowstones eheh... J-just take it, for free.”

“Thank you.” Naden back away, heading for the tunnel.

‘What was that all about?’ Jake asked, perplexed by the captain’s sudden change of attitude towards a resident species.

‘It’s obvious isn’t it?’ she explained while Jake placed the necklace around her neck. ‘All he would need to say in a report to justify Xen’s death would be that he touched his weapon without permission. He was looking for an excuse to kill him.’

‘But why?’

‘I don’t know, all that matters is that I got the necklace.’

‘What is so important about it, anyway?’

Instead of answering right away, she poked at the ground with her hoof, messing with the slightly loose rocks. Her mane fell in front of her face, impeding Jake from reading her expression. Eventually raising her head, she answered: ‘Mother had it. I am sure of it.’

The group kept following the berserker’s lead through the dark tunnels, having left Xen behind. Now coming in the opposite direction, other paths could be visible in the light, bifurcations appearing at every few steps.

“Oh, this is like a maze!” Koopak snorted at his own observation, recalling that Atlantis was already as labyrinthine as it could get.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” the pony questioned the one upfront, doubting the path they were taking.

“I am sure. I have been charting the area since we got in. I knew that midget was up to no good.”

“How so?”

“He lied to us,” he revealed, sounding frustrated, “he obviously knows of the black armoured visitors. In the scrap back in the other room there are small sheets of metal: the same metal that composes their ship’s plating.”

“How do you even know?” Jake pressed on once more. The whole thing felt fishy. “Can you tell what a metal’s composition just by looking at it?” His question met silence.

“There are treacherous people out here, trust everyone and you’ll have every atom of your body exploited in one way or another.”

“Doesn’t matter, even if these abductors weren’t the ones who bought ore with all the things back there, they still are guilty for tormenting Ilyth’s people,” Dust assured. “Let’s just focus on finding them.”

“Speaking of them...”

Cuting the light that dwelled inside the gallery, a group of dumah dashed outside in front of the entrance, carrying a wooden crate of sorts.

Raising his fist, Naden ordered the group to stop. After a few moments of inactivity, he whispered. “We will follow them at a distance. Don’t stay too close to me. And most of all, stay silent.”

Leaving the mining operation behind, the group doubled back through the canyon, Naden trailing further ahead. Sunlight barely touched the surface as the sun slowly but surely hid itself behind the mountainous walls. It was getting late, and if the night arrived before they reached the dumah vessel it might be impossible to... do whatever the captain has in mind.

‘Why don’t you tell him?’

Furring his brow in confusion, the human replied ‘Tell who, what?’

‘Koopak.’ she clarified. ‘It’s been in your mind ever since I recovered my consciousness.’

‘What have we talked... thought... whatever, about each other’s privacy?’

‘I was so weak, I had no idea what I was doing,’ she justified, raising her bottom lip, pouting mockingly. She was clearly lying. ‘Will you spill it or not? Or are you above that?’

‘What?’

‘You are afraid of thanking Koopak for saving me - us - because you don’t want to admit that the “stupid monkey” could be any smarter than you, ain’t I right?’

‘No, of course not! I would never think that! I will talk to him, rest assured.’

At least that is what he wanted to believe. Deep down, there was a small chance that might have been the true reason, that his sense of pride had taken the best of him. He tried his best not to focus on that possibility, lest Dust be given reason on the matter.

In order to prove she was wrong, Jake reached out to Koopak, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. “Hey, hum, can you wait a bit?” he whispered.

Before he could release his voice, Dust silenced the marekus with a hoof. “Remember to keep your voice down.” Koopak quickly bobbed his head back and forth. “Good. I’ll be going on ahead.”

‘You’re a real smarty pants, aren’t you?’

The pony didn’t answer, but she was unable to contain a giggle.

Jake had to get it over with fast, or the distance would start to take its toll and sap his life energy.

“What I wanted to say was... that I...” ‘Damn it, I can’t say it. Why does it have to happen now? I’m just apologizing an alien that I barely know! How does this even compare to what I told... mother...’

So far he had been successful in forgetting, keeping his mind as busy as possible with everything he was learning, and hoping his nightmares wouldn’t bring that moment back. It was folly, though. It was only a matter of time before the memories returned.

“Is little Jake feeling okay?”

“I-I’m fine.” he snapped back, quickly rubbing his watery eyes. ‘Am I stupid? Comparing such a trifling moment with their death... what kind of son am I?’

“So?”

“I-wanted-to-apologize,” he spoke all at once. “Ever since we met I’ve been doubting you, yet you risked your life to save mine... I hope you can forgive me.” Suddenly his upper muscles relaxed, allowing him to breathe in. ‘See, not so hard...’

Koopak, however, remained as unphased as calm as before. “Okay. That all little Jake had to say?’

“Uh, yes.”

Jake felt paralyzed, almost offended. All that effort for such a simple answer. Seeing how he was almost out of sight, he called out without being excessively loud. “One more thing... I don’t remember we ever mentioning that I need to be close to Dust while you were around, how come you knew to bring me down with you?”

“Jake sees very well, no? Four eyes are better than two. I can do it with my fingers, see?” And with that, the marekus returned to advancing through the canyon passage.”

“Ah, this is good cargo!”

“Indeed, brother! Maybe they will get it right this time around.”

The two dumah kept yapping while they slowly carried the heavy crate inside the beetle-like ship, through a ramp lowered on the back. Although there were very little similarities between the grey veins that stood out from from each others’ exposed charcoal skin, there was no way to ascertain if these were the same they had met before

Dark blue colours already tainted the sky, even if the scorching heat still lingered. The party kept hidden behind a set of rocks, using the goggles to inspect the aliens closely. Once more, Jake didn’t feel the need to use them. Dust was too eager to discover the kidnappers’ intent, yet she found her hooves full restraining Koopak from running off into the lake, every gentle breeze bringing the fresh hair that it exhaled.

The moment they stepped inside the ship, the ramp raised from the ground, a dust cloud hiding it whole as the engines heated up. The flying beast was about to leave.

“Damn it!” Jake runned out of hiding. “We let them get away!”

Raising from the ground, the captain revealed a vial in his hand. Empty, but it’s shape and size was enough to make it easy to identify. “The nanomachines?” Dust leaned closer to observe.

“Yes. I had Tokra hide some in the ship’s mainframe. Now we only have to track them.”

Jake washed his forehead with a hand, the buildup of sweat in his face beginning to bother the human. “You could have told us something. Anyway, can we do that in the Viper? For all we know they may go across the galaxy!”

“That is why we are returning to the Citadel. The scanners there should be strong enough to detect the vessel. Let’s go, we have a canyon to climb.”