Cosmic Dust

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.’