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You stare at the star that The Universe has given you, vision blurred by the tears spilling from your eye.
Your hands tremble uncontrollably like the rest of you, threatening to drop the precious object. It's warm in your palms, shining with a light so holy it's a wonder that a wretch such as you could be granted such a thing without being smote for the insolence.
Almost by some instinct pulling at your mind, you already know what must be done.
You sob and shove the whole thing in your mouth.
And far too late to go back, you realize just how hot it actually was, the star turning to molten sugar and sliding down your throat down your windpipe-
It burns.
it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it bur-
You fall to the ground, choking and scrabbling at your agonized throat, unable to even get the air in to scream.
You think you've been set on fire. Agony flows through your veins, burning plasma sinking deep in your body and bones. Something settles deep in your belly like you've just swallowed a stone.
Darkness curls its tendrils around your vision, the light of a parhelion expanding outwards like the ring of a planet.
You feel too sick to appreciate the beauty of it.
Blinding light floods your vision with a white-hot intensity.
You think you might be dying. That The Universe has finally decided to be rid of you and your infectious filth. To cleanse itself of your presence with divine fire.
And then just like that, it's over.
You curl up, feeling the cool void seeping into your skin. Precious air floods your lungs in deep, desperate gulps, as if you were a fish stranded on the shore.
You aren't sure if the stars around you are actually there or if you're having a dying hallucination.
There's some kind of pressure building in your belly, but the cramps feel like nothing compared to what just happened.
You roll onto your back, tremors wracking through your exhausted bones.
You look up.
You… are not in the meadow anymore.
You don't think you're in Vaugarde anymore.
The darkness stretches on for as far as your eye can see, but it's certainly not empty.
The space around you is filled with a monumental view of stars, stars, and yet even more stars, shining like gemstones on lightless velvet in shades you don't even have names for. Glittering nebulae stretch outwards as if they were the wings of a bird.
It's vast. It's terrifying. It's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.
You can barely tear your eyes away from the light of The Universe. But the cramps in your belly are steadily worsening, demanding your attention. You try to sit up, your middle feeling oddly heavy. And you immediately stop in your tracks, eyes going wide at the sight of your body.
Your flesh has been stained as lightless as your surroundings, skin a near-perfect mirror of the starry sky. Your clothes are all gone and burned away, leaving you with nothing but your cloak for a covering.
And most terrifyingly, your stomach is massive, as round and swollen as a ripe watermelon.
You… You are very certain that you were not pregnant before making your wish. Certainly not this pregnant, belly so large you're struggling to try and sit upright.
No. No, no, there's no way-
You jolt and cry out as another cramp ripples through you, fluid suddenly spilling out of your body. A feeling like lightning runs up and down your spine, and you dig your fingers into your cloak. You had thought the fire had been bad, but now you find yourself dreading the imminent future.
Tears start dripping down your face as the pain starts ripping through you again. You don't want this. This isn't what you wished for. You want to go back to Dormont, back to the clock tower and to your party and away from this horrible nightmare.
But you've never been someone who gets what they want, have you?
You sob and howl as a contraction grips you, your bloated belly squeezing so hard you think your ribs might crack. It's agonizing, whatever is in you, it's too big for you. Or maybe you are just too small. Surely it will never fit, already the pressure bearing down on your insides feels like it might rip you clean in two. It's tearing you apart from the inside out, it has to be.
The stars watch you struggle impassively as your body slowly works to eject its new passenger. Time moves in a dizzying blur, and after a certain point you aren't sure anymore how long you've been lying here like this.
Something angry blooms inside of you, that you're being made to suffer in pain twice over now since making that doomed wish, being made to do this with nothing. No friends to help you, no bed to lie in, no blankets or cushions to keep warm or painkillers to ease your suffering, just the cold indifferent void and all the stars in the sky to witness your humiliation.
But your crying does nothing, and whatever is inside you is coming whether you want it to or not. And as something deep in your core squeezes, all you can do is ball up and wail and beg to the stars staring down at you to please, please, just let it stop make it stop, please let me die already, make it stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop-
You shudder and scream as your nether regions burn like you're being branded, followed up by something wet suddenly settling between your legs.
You lay there in a boneless heap, struggling to catch your breath through the tears, when suddenly you realize there's a noise, the first thing you've heard here besides yourself-
That's… That's a baby crying.
Oh stars, there's a baby crying.
You sit up, slow and easy and hyper-aware of the tenderness between your thighs. Your belly is still too large, but now instead of being stuffed to the brim, you feel lighter and achingly empty. You take a deep breath, in and out, and look down.
Oh. Oh.
There's a baby between your legs. A teeny tiny little baby, wailing pitifully, slick and wet with shimmering fluid on its pale skin. There's a long cord on its belly still connecting it to you, apparently not yet fully ejected.
You… You really just had a baby. The Universe had really just put a blinding baby in you.
You swallow and reach down with trembling hands, scooping up the tiny little body you just birthed.
It's just been born, and it's already getting cold.
What do you do with this? How did The Universe ever possibly think this was helping?
You want to be angry.
You can't bring yourself to be angry at something this utterly helpless.
Unable to think of anything else, you shed your cloak and wrap the newborn up in the fabric, holding it closely to your chest for warmth. The crying quickly starts to subside, which you choose to interpret as a good thing.
You take a closer look as you get it- no, them-warm and dry, peeling the cloak back from their face.
… They look like you. You aren't sure why you're so surprised by this. Two large almond eyes stare at you uncomprehending from beneath a tiny shock of fluffy darkless hair.
It's… cute. They're cute, you think. How could something this tiny and cute hurt you so badly?
You sigh, holding them up to your chest for warmth again. You flinch with a gasp as a hungry little mouth suddenly latches onto a breast, apparently already figuring out how to suckle on you. You hadn't been expecting that, you weren't even aware you had milk. But you guess it's probably better than having absolutely nothing to feed them with.
… What are you going to do?
You're still in an endless starry void with nothing but a newborn baby to your name.
… There's nothing to do but hope The Universe is feeling generous about your situation.
In the meantime… You think a nap sounds really good right now. You're exhausted and aching, and there's little else to do for now but just feed your little stardust.
Hm. Stardust.
You decide you like that name.
You hum a quiet tune to them, running your fingers through their soft fluffy hair. To pass the time, you start rocking ever so gently. Babies like this, don't they? At least, you think they do. Stardust certainly doesn't seem to mind, eyes half-lidded contentedly as they continue to suckle. What a strange thing, to have something eating from you, taking your life as their own.
You've long since lost track of how long it's been by the time they finally unlatch. But it's just in time, too. Shaking and absolutely bone-tired, you lie down just short of collapsing into a heap. You hold onto your stardust, keeping them close to your chest so the void doesn't start stealing their warmth again while you sleep. They're quiet, barely fussing as their eyes slide shut already. You guess being born is as tiresome an activity as giving birth is.
You press a hesitant kiss to the top of their sweet little head before closing your own eyes, quickly letting sleep carry you off to what you hope are sweeter dreams.
...
You wake up in sunlit grass, to empty arms and the branches of the favor tree above your head.
You can feel your heart crack in two.