Cosmic Dust

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.