//------------------------------// // This is Mine Now // Story: Pastel Stars // by StrawberryGamer //------------------------------// By the time Hazy returned to the campsite with Astral in tow, the sun was high in the sky. Astral was fascinated by the old stone structures and alien lifeforms wandering around, but Hazy had to remind her that those were not what they were looking for. When they did find the campsite, they found Todd sitting by the campfire, cooking something over it. From the smell, the ponies could take a guess that it was some kind of potato. Hazy was the first to approach, giving a wave and a holler. “Hey, I’m back!” Todd gave a wave back. “Hazy, you’re just in time for lunch. I’ve got baked potatoes and roasted carrots if you’re interested.” He looked behind her to see Astral on the top of the hill. “Oh, is that your friend?” It was at that point Hazy’s stomach made itself heard and she reminded herself how long it was since they last ate. “I think that sounds like a lovely lunch. And yeah, that’s her.” She waved Astral over. “See? You satisfied?” Astral stared at Todd for a moment before looking back at her companion. “I admit, this wasn’t what I expected your new alien friend to look like.” She gave a bow. “Greetings, I am Corporal Astral Blade of the Equestrian Royal Guard. I was assigned to this voyage as a security detail, but unfortunately even our best laid plans have run afoul. We would be grateful for any assistance you could provide.” As if on cue, Astral’s stomach also let itself be known, and her faced turned a light shade of red. “Including food, it seems.” Todd chuckled. “Well, I’m not sure what I can do beyond providing food and basic supplies. My ride doesn’t come until next week. So come on, take a seat. I got plenty of food here.” He then looked up at Astral’s forehead. “So you’re a unicorn? Huh, somehow I’m not surprised.” He passed a plate containing some roasted carrots and a baked potato to both of his guests before giving himself a plate as well. “Dig in, though it may still be a bit hot.” After they three were done eating, Astral stood up first. “Thanks for the food. I’m surprised you have carrots and potatoes. We have them back home as well.” Todd gave her a surprised look. “Wait, seriously? Maybe your world has been visited by our kind before. Then again, it’s not the first time we’ve found identical foods on alien worlds. Far from it, in fact.” “Really? I mean, you said you have pegasi in your ancient mythology? So maybe you did?” Hazy inquired. “Nah, it’s probably a coincidence. You’d be surprised how many of those exist in the universe.” Todd took the plates and put them away. Astral and Hazy shared a look. “So, about helping us off this planet…” Todd shook his head. “I can’t help right now. You can either wait a week until I’m scheduled to get picked up or you can take the Gateway off.” “The Gateway?” “It’s an ancient alien teleportation network that leads to a temple of some sort. The important thing is it also leads to what we call the Outpost. It’s where many spacefaring travelers go to do their business. You’d probably have more luck getting help there.” Todd explained. “The only issue is that the Gateway is offline right now. You’ll need to power it up first.” “Well, if it’s our best shot, we’ll do it. How hard could it be to power up?” Hazy asked. “Oh, not too hard. Just need a good amount of a special gem. They’re usually found very deep underground, but the mine behind me should have plenty still stored away. Though in its abandoned state, a whole bunch of critters have taken up nests inside, including a Mother Poptop.” “Poptop?” “Yeah, little pale critters with a sort of black cap on the top of their head where their mouth and arms are. They’re usually small, like to whistle, and generally aren’t that threatening. The mature ones however… They’re very big, and very nasty. That little pistol of yours isn’t gonna cut it.” The ponies sat and thought for a moment, before Hazy spoke up. “You think anyone left a better weapon lying around?” Todd nodded. “Oh, most definitely. You won’t find many planets that either explorers, settlers, the Protectorate, or anyone else have not been to. You can find things in the craziest of locations. Then there are the mysterious doorways that pop up sometimes underground. Trust me, there’s no end to the goodies you can find. One might even call it loot. Lots of loot.” He chuckled, much to the ponies’ confusion. “Anyway, yeah. If you look around hard enough, you’re bound to find something.” “Hmm, okay. Well with my wings and Astral’s horn out of commission for now, we’re going to have to do this the hard way. Know any nearby leads?” Todd thought for a moment, before pointing towards a large hill. “I think there might be a chest or something over there.” The ponies stood up and began walking towards the hill. “Thanks. We’ll be right back; our questions are not done yet.” Hazy called back. As the two trekked to the hill, Astral shot Hazy a curious look. “So, what do you think about our situation? We’re crashed on an alien planet, one crewmember short, and we’re taking advice from an alien to get help from more aliens. What’s our end goal in all this?” Hazy shrugged. “I dunno. I could be hopeful and say we’re going to find Rusty and go home with one hay of a story to tell. But honestly, while we should keep that goal in mind, it may not be possible right away. The universe is apparently a lot more populated than we expected, and we should make the most out of it.” “That’s what I’m afraid of. Who knows how far from home that wormhole dumped us? We might never find our way home.” “Don’t be such a worry-wart. Even if we don’t make it home, we still have each other, right? Besides, who knows? Maybe they’ll send a rescue team to find us? Have hope, Astral. We’ll make do.” Astral let out a sigh. “Very well. Let’s just focus on our current objective.” Pretty soon, they came to the base of the hill, and sitting there was a fancy-looking white chest with what looked to be a big blue button on the front. “I guess this is it.” Astral pressed the blue button and the top of the chest rose up, revealing its contents. Inside was bunch of wooden planks, some medical supplies, and a metal cube. The cube in particular had Hazy’s interest. It was white with yellow highlights, had a square slot on the top, and had a small counter showing a yellow square followed by a 100. Hazarding a guess as to what it was for, she got the sack of cubes from her bag and put one in the slot. The cube seemed to vanish and the counter went up by one. She then did the same with all the rest of her cubes, and counter stopped at 135. “Interesting, it’s like a piggy bank. Oh, I’m keeping this.” Hazy said, storing it away in her bag before looking back in the chest. There was one more thing: a broadsword. Astral’s eyes lit up upon spotting the sword. “Oh sweet Celestia yes. This is more my style.” She said excitedly, picking the sword out of the chest. Hazy grabbed the rest of the items and shut the chest. She looked to her friend, who was eagerly testing out her new sword. “Oh yes, this is much nicer than that old sword the Guard gave me. Just imagine when I get my magic back, I’ll really be able to do some hurting then. Come on, let’s get back to the camp.” She sheathed the sword and set it on her back, then walked with Hazy back towards the campsite. When they returned to the camp, they found Todd working with some equipment he had set up just inside the entrance to the mine. Just by a cursory glance, Hazy guessed they were atmospheric and seismic sensors. He gave them a wave as they approached. “Hello again. I was just taking a look at my monitoring equipment. After all, if I’m going to be camping out in the middle of nowhere, might as well do some science, right?” He chuckled to himself briefly. “So, you find what you were looking for?” Hazy nodded. “We found another weapon, and we have a few more questions.” Without waiting for his response, she asked her first question. “The yellow cubes, what are they?” Todd blinked, then smiled. “Ah, you mean Pixels. They’re universal standard currency. You can find them everywhere, which is good, because they’re used for more than shopping.” Seeing the confused look on Hazy’s face, he explained further. “Pixels are made of a… unique material, and given their special properties and widespread abundance, they’ve been accepted as the universal currency by all spacefaring races, and even most sapient non-spacefaring ones.” Hazy nodded, taking out the Pixel bank she picked up. “So I was right in thinking this was a piggy bank then. How do I get more?” “Well people have made it a habit to reward kindness with Pixels. Aside from that, you could trade with merchants or become a landlord. Or failing all of that, just go looting pods and chests. Maybe go hunting. People drop or lose Pixels all the time. Like I said, they’re everywhere. I’m not sure how much more I can say on the matter. I’m a camper, not an accountant.” “Well you’ve been very helpful so far. You know more than you think you do.” Astral pointed out. Todd let out a small laugh. “I guess you’re right. I get around a lot, so I acquire a hell of a lot of life experience and street smarts versus those who are stuck in their book smarts. Maybe I’ll make a career out of it. Who knows? So, any other questions?” “These gems we’re supposed to find, what are they?” “We call them Core Gems or more commonly Core Fragments. They’re very similar to rubies, but they’re infused with thermal energy, making them a good source of power.” Hazy perked up. “Oh, you mean Fire Rubies?” “Fire Rubies?” “Yeah, they’re a rare gem back home. They’re especially valuable to Dragons, seeing as they are seen as delicacies to them. They’re also very good at holding enchantments.” Hazy turned to Astral. “Well we know what we need to know, so let’s go find some Fire Rubies.” The two mares turned and descended down into the mine, immediately noticing, despite its age, the wooden platforms and supports were holding up remarkably well. There was even an oil lantern still glowing, sitting on top of a bunch of crates. Lacking a crowbar, Astral jammed her sword into the crates to open them. Inside wasn’t much, just some unrefined iron and copper ores. Hazy decided to store them anyway, in case they might be useful. She also grabbed the lantern to help light their way. As they descended further into the mine, it became apparent to them that something was watching them. Shining the lantern to the left showed a small alcove in which a bunch of bat-like creatures were looking right at them. There was also a small creature with beady eyes staring at them from behind a thick gray spiky shell. Of course as the light shined on them, the gray creature pulled back its shell to reveal a very angry red and white face and charged towards them, hissing menacingly. The mares jumped out of the way, Astral being the first to react. She grabbed her sword and slammed the blunt side into the creature’s shell, knocking it over. As it tried to right itself, she plunged the blade into its soft underbelly. It gave out one final hiss and went still. There was no time to relax though, as the bats then descended upon the mares, opening big gaping mouths to reveal massive… tongues. “What?” The bats, unlike the surprisingly agile shelled creature, were slower than expected. They made easy targets for Hazy as she grabbed the pistol and shot them down. Seeing no other immediate threat, the two took a moment to relax. Hazy had to catch her breath for a moment, which she found odd, as she didn’t think that would take so much out of her. “These alien animals are weird, aren’t they?” She asked. “Yeah, I guess they are.” Astral laughed. “That was kinda fun actually, in that adrenaline rush sort of way. Makes you almost forget that those were wild animals who wanted to kill us.” “Were they though?” Hazy wondered. “Maybe the bats were friendly.” “They were still unknown alien creatures. I’d rather not take any chances. Let’s just find those rubies.” Astral stood back up and continued down the corridor. Hazy followed close behind. A short walk later, they found a couple more crates. Inside was 20 Pixels, some more wooden planks, and three gems that glowed a bright red. Picking them up revealed they were warm to the touch. Astral couldn’t help but smile. “Yup, these are Fire Rubies. Really rough, but still genuine.” After pocketing the gems, the two continued down a staircase, killing another two bats in the process. In the back of her head, Hazy felt another odd draining feeling after firing the gun. She made a mental note later to find out why. A short walk later, they came across a door. Astral was about to open it when they heard various overlapping whistling coming from the other side. “This must be that Poptop nest that Todd warned us about. We should be careful. We don’t know how tough these creatures are.” She opened the door and stopped suddenly before stepping in. The room itself seemed to be a large storage room, with many crates piled around. What stopped Astral was the fact that the floor was at least a meter below them, off a ledge. Upon looking straight down over the ledge, she could see the remains of what used to be stairs. Also wandering the room were the Poptops, many of them. They were no taller than the mares, with a pale peach-ish body, walking on two thin little legs. The tops of their heads were a dark gray, and had two arms longer than their bodies draping down and dragging along the floor. Occasionally, one would yawn, and reveal its large mouth, just above its beady little eyes. They were all whistling a tune that made Hazy a little jealous, wishing she could whistle nearly as good as them. In the middle of the room, staring right at them, was a creature that looked similar to the Poptops, but had a few pretty striking differences. It was easily at least twice as big as the little ones, it's arms were thicker and with very sharp claws, and it didn’t whistle cheerfully, it growled menacingly. Astral and Hazy took one look at the Mother Poptop, then at each other, both thinking the same thing: “How are we gonna kill that thing?”