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Stardust Cookie's trip had been anything but ordinary. Not that he happened to know what a normal trip looked like, but Milky Way Cookie and his fellow passengers had him guessing that it was very strange indeed. He didn't mind. After so long of being alone, and worse than alone, empty, angry, and lost, he finally had a friend. And a kingdom to move into.
The space donut he had become acquainted with had nowhere to go. They had been sort of traveling anywhere to avoid the terrible fate following them, but now that they were free, the two had agreed to move forward with the unfamiliar world together. They hadn't packed much, but neither had Stardust.
Gingerbrave and the others had shown him to the small house near his sister's that had been built for him. It seemed a bit silly, he had been made to be almost greater than a god and here he was in a hut barely bigger than a few rooms, but he sort of liked it better that way. There were no expectations of him this time around. No way to be upset if he wasn't perfectly suited to his role, no risk of going too far and being cast out again. He was just another one of the kingdom's subjects, if only one that planned to stay only on occasion. Perhaps longer now that he had people to be tied to.
The donut followed him in, their bag held carefully in their smiling mouth. He was glad to see they seemed as content as he did.
"Are you sure you want to both be in here?" Gingerbrave asked. "We have a few other houses the sugar gnomes have built."
"We'll be alright, thank you," Stardust said with a grin, glancing at the space donut for confirmation which they readily gave. "We've gotten used to sharing a space anyway, and I'd like to be around to translate for them. We're learning each others' languages, so I think it will be beneficial for everyone."
Gingerbrave probably didn't fully understand, but nodded anyway. "Just ask if you need anything then, we might have to adjust some things for you two. You want a tour?"
The space donut trilled happily in their language, setting their bag down. "Yes, please. Thank you, Gingerbrave."
"What's their name, by the way?"
Stardust glanced at his new friend. He hadn't considered it, still quite unused to people in general, but they never had introduced themselves, had they? "I'm not sure. I'm Stardust Cookie, first living creation of the wizards. What's your name?"
"Kyu!" they exclaimed, antennae nuzzling into his hand which he had extended to shake.
He wasn't entirely sure whether they had meant that Kyu was their name or if it was something else in their language, but it made him happy anyway. "Kyu," he repeated.
"Okay then, Stardust Cookie, Kyu, follow me!" He guided them out of the cluster of houses cheerily, it was sort of amazing how enthusiastic he could be after so many people joining their little village. "You might have to work over there someday," he said, pointing at a cluster of much larger buildings, surrounded by trees and animals and puffs of smoke that made the area look almost alive. "We make all kinds of things there, everybody does their share. The others can teach you how to do everything, there's bound to be something you're good at."
He wasn't quite so sure. His life before this, ages long gone that he could hardly remember, were spent floating aimlessly around the stars, marinating in his loneliness. It looked like hard work. He was willing to try, excited to if anything, but it was intimidating. He could see Muscle Cookie swinging a pickaxe down into blocks of sugar, he wouldn't be suited to that. He'd never been very strong in anything but the powers the wizards gave him. He saw Werewolf Cookie building things from wood. He'd never been very careful with his hands, had nothing to train his coordination with. He saw Pure Vanilla Cookie among the sheep, and that wouldn't do either. He had no experience with living things, certainly not enough to protect them from any sort of harm that couldn't be solved with fighting.
"And what if we're not good at anything?" He sounded a little pathetic even to his own ears. Maybe Gingerbrave wouldn't notice.
His concerned glance did not bode well for that idea. "It just takes practice. Everything does. I don't think any of us knew what we were doing when we started all of this. Are you worried about Kyu?"
He should be. They didn't even speak cookie. "I'll help them translate. We'll learn together," he said, at least making sure they felt somewhat assured, if they were even worried. "And if we never get any better?"
"Well, then, we'll find something else for you to do. You could weed the grass, or clean the statues, or make sure nobody gets attacked while they're working or exploring. We do have a history with cakehounds around here. Never did find that crown…," he trailed off, but came back to attention at Stardust's still-concerned expression. "Point is, it doesn't really matter. Nobody's getting thrown out."
Had he been that obvious? It was a bit silly. He shouldn't be so worried about having to leave a place he had hardly any attachments to. "Thank you, Gingerbrave."
"Kyu-kyu, fu!" chimed in Kyu, and even if he didn't know the direct translation, he got the idea. At the very least, he had a companion now.
He laughed a little, rubbing their antennae. "And you, Kyu. I'd probably still be wandering around without you. It will be nice to be settled down for once." They really had been an invaluable amount of help, even if he had technically been the one to save them from merging with an intergalactic monster. "I'm sorry for getting off track. I'm ready to finish looking around now."
The rest of their tour was lovely, filled with interesting cookies and beautiful scenery, historical pieces and entertainment galore, places loud and quiet. Every inch of it was filled with color. With life . It was so unlike everything he'd ever known before in all the best ways. And even still, the best part was returning back to their small shared house at the end of it all, waving Gingerbrave and the rest goodbye.
He just… stood there. In the doorway. He stayed for quite some time. Solid ground beneath his feet, companion shuffling behind him to arrange their bed, new friends in front of him going back to what would soon be his everyday life. And he was still, unmoving, calm. Like a star. He felt as bright as his namesake for the first time in his long time in this galaxy. He was finally alive.