I was dreaming.
Like near always, I was aware.
Aware of my breathes, my tingling skin, and my sluggish thoughts. There was something on the edge of said thoughts… A memory, nagging at me.
I opened my eyes, and was frustrated, but unsurprised to see the world only in bleary smears.
This was a dream, after all. In all my dreams, no matter how lucid, I had always seen the dream realm through a haze compared to my real eyes. Sometimes it abated slightly, but it was never crystal clear.
My fluttering lashes smeared the world around me further, but I was able to make out the sight of the ceiling above me.
At first it still seemed just like another blob of color, but my vision cleared somewhat, and revealed further details. It was something beautiful - wispy white puffs of cloud in a solidified form from what I could tell.
Now that I paid attention, was the cool, tingly feeling I felt along my back exactly what I imagined clouds would feel like, should they exist in such a state?
I shuddered slightly at the sensation. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was strange.
Studying the ceiling further, it really wasn’t much of one - more of a thin, filled-in halo above my head.
I reached out towards it.
To my surprise however, my hand wasn’t mine. In fact, it wasn’t a hand at all, but a paw. Such things sometimes happened in my dreams, but usually at my prompting.
I studied my new limb. It was coated with a short layer of dark, dark grey-indigo fur - nearly black. All except the small round paw pad - which sat in the center as a dark grey, and the tiny, light grey claws which protruded from the stubs of my digits.
It was strange, unusual, and alien. But also oddly familiar.
I spread my digits, watching how my four tiny fingers (including my thumb) flexed. It felt more and more natural the more I did it.
My left hand was also a paw - and wiggling my feet, I had a feeling my feet both were paws too.
Wanting to see, I pulled myself to my feet.
The motion wasn’t lagging like it normally did in my dreams - I moved swiftly. It was instinctive, even.
But I moved in a way I had never moved before. My feet shifted under me strangely.
It felt as though my feet had been sucked up towards my head? Or something like that. It was a feeling that was hard to describe. I just knew I felt different. Compact.
I stumbled slightly as I stood.
In front of me, a dark indigo orb with wings swung into focus, much clearer than expected.
I jerked, startled - more than I should be under the haze of dreams.
The orb’s bat-like wings spread wide, and I felt a strange wind at my back. My feet slipped from underneath me, the soft, spongy clouds kicked up into wisps. I fell on my butt, the orb in front of me doing much the same.
The wisps of clouds settled as I warily watched the orb in front of me. In my dreams, I instinctively felt danger, but I sensed none here.
As I calmed, I realized the orb in front of me wasn’t just any orb.
It was a Kirby.
Or at least something similar to whatever his species was.
Yes, it was a large, dark indigo puffball, about my size, blinking openly at me from where it sat on its rear, wings spread wide but slowly lowering.
How odd, usually I dreamed of either humans or animals - not fictional creatures.
Odder still was the gold frame surrounding it. My eyes traced the edge of it and I soon realized that this too was familiar.
It was the Dimensional Mirror from “Kirby and the Amazing Mirror”! The stars, the gold, the ornate wings which hung off of it - it was identical to every detailed model and artwork I’d seen.
Me and the puffball in the mirror both openly gaped. The mirror was dazzling, and gave off an… aura.
I stood up again. The puffball did the same.
Suddenly I realized exactly what that meant.
I looked at my paw again. Glancing up, I saw the puffball coyly doing the same.
I began to smile.
How interesting! I had dreamt I was something besides a human before, but it usually was a purposeful shift - one that took effort. This - in contrast - felt natural. It didn’t take effort at all.
The puffball’s cute little smile widened and I held back what was either a squeal or a giggle.
Yes this was very interesting! I didn’t want to wake up!
The puffball’s wings fluttered, and I was aware of the sensation of air flowing. My eyes widened.
I located the sensation, and carefully finding the right motions, I jerked a wing forward. The gust of wind nearly unbalanced me.
I didn’t care - I could fly! Flying was my favorite thing about dreaming. I was already imagining what I could do… What I could see…
Before I knew it, I found myself running in circles, giggling in pure, childlike glee and fluttering my wings.
I ran over the clouds, kicking it up as I went, laughing.
The sky was all around me, and it was pure and blue. There was nothing besides it, some clouds, and the far-away ground.
Taking a deep breath (that I didn’t need, since this was a dream) I leapt off the edge.
Instinctively, my wings spread open, the membranes between their bat-like fingers ballooning outward.
I flapped with a downwards thrust, and shot upwards. Quickly, I flapped again, and again, keeping up the pace. I soared upwards.
Then, I let myself fall.
Angling downwards, I let the far-away ground creep slightly closer, then opened my wings again. I tilted them, using the momentum to shoot back upwards. Turning, I spotted a cloud, and used it as my plaything, flying quick, agile circles around it as I began to beat my wings again.
It was both easier and harder than my previous flights - there was exhaustion quickly grabbing me, but a strange instinct that guided me.
Eventually I began to truly tire - a deeper exhaustion than I was used to from dreams. My wings burned.
Seeing the cloud which the Dimensional Mirror rested on, I decided to land there.
Swooping towards my goal, I began my descent.
However, instinctive as it was, some things do require experience - landings being among them. I quickly realized that I was coming in way too fast.
My realization was just a tad too late however.
I had the split second sight of a very startled looking puffball…
And then I crashed into the mirror.
———
As I tumbled, the blue, blue sky spun dizzily around me.
Nauseous and disoriented, I tried to wake up - as I could do so on command - but nothing happened, besides me widening teary eyes.
Confused, I tried desperately to flap my new limbs, but the wind buffeted me, preventing them from opening. I still struggled to open them, instinctive panic telling me I must.
I moaned as I fell, the clouds shooting past me and the ground below zooming to meet me.
Instinct told me landing would hurt, and I listened like I always did in my dreams. Some people never felt pain in their dreams, but I had always been able to, and I dreaded it.
The ground, green and vastly spread below me seemed to rush up as I plummeted, still spinning.
My panicked breaths were stolen by the wind.
Before I knew it, seconds blurred by and...
I hit the ground.
For a moment, I felt nothing.
Then, delayed shock hit me, reverberating through my small body. It took the form of blinding pain.
I probably bounced off the ground, considering that a second or so later, the pain renewed with a jolt as I landed again.
I tumbled across the ground, all sensation lost except for agony.
Even as my momentum halted, the pain didn’t abate.
My god, was this real? It felt real, despite all common sense.
I had never broken a bone before, but I imagined this is what it felt like - this paralyzing agony. It felt like I was dying, it hurt so much.
I writhed on the ground, flinching back whenever my wing so much as twitched, as I quickly found that that was where the pain was centered.
Eventually, time passed - an unknown amount - and I found myself exhausted and shivering, too weak to contort in pain.
This hurt. It hurt.
It hurt much more than anything I’d dreamed of, or experienced - even more than that one time I got cramps so bad I vomited all over myself and nearly fainted.
All I could do was shake and attempt to hold back the nausea.
I don’t know how long I laid there, vision swimming, wondering why I couldn’t wake up. The pain occasionally spiked and I had no choice but to quietly cry. Tears soaked my face.
Eventually I grew somewhat used to the pain - as much as anyone could get “used to” it - and fell into a daze.
“Shock” I remembered dully. That’s a thing.
I distantly registered the sound of footsteps, which crept ever closer.
The footsteps stopped with a gasp.
“By the moon and sun!” A female voice whispered. “What happened to this poor creature? Did it fall?”
My eyes - which I had not realized had closed - fluttered open.
There was another gasp.
“Oh! You’re alive? Oh my…” My eyesight was blurry but I could make out an odd figure, rosy-pink in appearance.
They came closer and I flinched.
“Shhh…” they hushed.
They gently took me in their large arms. I cried out, as even their feather-light embrace caused my wing to burn.
I fainted.
———
…
Was I dreaming? Again?
Well, that wasn’t too odd. I had had dreams inside dreams before, after all.
It was always disorienting, however, that weird haze.
I was aware of who I was and that I was dreaming, like in most dreams.
I drifted somewhere inside yet behind myself - my dream self.
I was walking amongst the crowd of people which frequented the comic con.
It was an expansive convention. It was different from the science fairs which I had previously visited, but not unpleasant, despite the even larger crowd.
From booth to booth I wandered, hand settled over my purse as I tried to judge which was worth my money. I had a bad habit of spending too much, so I had to choose carefully.
Countless baubles caught my eyes. Knickknacks, all made with a fan’s love - for both their fandom and their craft.
Some were so well made I was tempted to buy them, even without being in their fandoms. Some were less well made, but I was tempted nonetheless - because they were from my favorite fandoms.
Reluctantly turning away from a plush Froakie, a glinting light caught my eye.
Just four booths away, there was a quaint little stand. Amongst its treasures, it held a small, lifelike sword.
I walked closer to inspect it, struck by its familiarity.
It was a shimmering silver, with three sharp prongs jutting out like jagged teeth from each side. The guard to the blade held a simple but dazzling blue orb of a gem within its center.
It looked regal - dangerous.
It was the spitting image of Dark Meta Knight’s sword - one that had no name in canon, but which I called “Dark Galaxia”.
I stared at it. It was the size of my forearm and had been polished to a gleam. I longed to touch it, see if it was truly sharp.
The booth’s owner caught my attention with a mention of its name.
I looked up at them. I couldn’t discern their gender by their voice, nor their face, which was shadowed both by the tent above the booth and the pitch black cloak they wore.
I smiled.
Well, they fit the part - if one was to sell such a lovely and mysterious looking figurine, it pays to complete the atmosphere with a costume. I was just surprised it wasn’t Hyness’s getup, however.
I asked if it was real.
They said it was realer than anything else.
I asked if I was for sale, and if so, for how much.
I expected at least several hundred dollars, probably even a thousand or more, but to my surprise (even with as bad as I was with money), it was a flat one hundred dollars.
I blinked. Well, I often looked gift horses in the mouth, but this time, I threw caution to the wind. That sword looked too perfect, so even if it wasn’t “realer than anything”, it would still be lovely to collect.
I agreed to buy it, and exchanged money with the merchant.
Once I did so, I pondered how I was going to lug a small, super pointy sword around.
I suppose I’d have to go home early? Oh well, it was worth it!
Prepared to lift a heavy weight, I grabbed the hilt of Dark Galaxia.
The instant I did so I shattered into a million bits.
Hey, wasn’t this…?
A…
M
e
m
o
r
y
?
———
I ached all over.
Ow.
Something touched me.
Ow!
“Shhh, it’s ok!”
What? Was I awake? Why was I hurting?
OW!
“Hey! It’s ok!”
Something touched me, and something burned.
FUCK!
“Just have to...”
I realized one of my limbs was trapped.
It was trapped and someone was touching it and it hurt.
I lashed out with my free arms.
“Ow!” A voice shrieked near me.
It was satisfying, hearing their pain. See how they like it.
“D-darn, ok. Yes, I’m sorry, I’m sorry honey… I’m done now though!”
Their words didn’t register, I was distracted by pain and rage.
Hissing and spitting, I finally wrenched open my eyes as I stumbled upright. Only to fall back on my hands and knees(?) with a cry.
Moving burned, breathing burned, everything burned.
Tears sprung to my eyes without my say. Frustration brewed. I wanted to bite something, hurt something. Why was I hurting?
“Hey! Shhhh… take it easy! You’re hurt!” The voice called. My eyes snapped towards them.
A bleary blob took form as I growled at it, blinking away my tears.
To my surprise, the form was that of a pony. A rosy-pink pony with red hair and wide purple eyes.
“Shhh… it’s ok!” The pony said.
My rage gave way to shock as it suddenly all hit me.
I was a puffball.
I had a broken wing.
There was a talking pony.
And this wasn’t a dream.
I curled up my aching body, shivering and glaring at the pony. Please, please, please fuck off, I mentally begged, too overwhelmed for words.
I shook like a wet chihuahua even as the pony’s eyes softened.
They slowly backed away, wincing as they moved their bleeding forehooves across the wooden planks of the floor. At the moment, I felt no guilt for the scratches I gave them.
The pony cautiously opened the wood door behind them a crack - just enough to slip through - before closing it gently. It latched closed with the telltale click of a lock.
I stared at the door for a moment, then quickly darted my eyes around the room. Made entirely of wooden planks, and decorated with what looked like cat trees and hidey-holes, it instantly struck me as “cat lady”.
I was situated on a large, plush cat bed on the floor, in the corner of the large room. Next to the bed were bowls of water and food.
Near diagonal to me was the shut door, and next to it was a drawer. On the opposite side of the door, sat a box with a hole in it and a scratching post.
Injured and reeling, the hiding space called to me. I had always been catlike in that regard.
I carefully limped my way over to it. Each step hurt, but less than I expected, considering I fell from who knows how high up. But even then, it still hurt more than anything I had ever felt before.
I crept gingerly into the box, minding my bound wing as well as the sore, but intact one.
I slowly settled into the soft cushioning which was inside it, turning so I could peek outside.
I watched with wary and pained eyes as the sunlight crept across the floor from the window opposite the door.
I couldn’t even begin to digest the fact that this was real before I fell fitfully back asleep, utterly exhausted.
———
I woke up from my pained doze to the sound of a creaking door.
Was the pony back? They probably wanted to help me, but I just wanted to be left alone.
I shrunk back further into the depths of the hidey-hole, then shouted with pain as my forgotten but still injured wing brushed against its sides. Fuck, did that hurt, even barely brushing it!
Through my pain I made out the sound of a gasp, the click of the door, and rushed hoofsteps.
“Are you ok?” The same pony as before called.
“No!” I cried out, angry and hurting and scared because I could see their hooves right in front of me and they were huge and right there!
Me and the pony both froze.
Was… that me? Was that my voice?!
It was deep, growly and undeniably masculine. Totally unbefitting of my size, shape, or my biological sex.
It was the kind of voice that gave girls with weak spots for bad boys the shivers.
“Was… that you, little batty?” The pony hesitantly questioned. They sounded shaken.
“Yes?” I replied, in shock myself.
“Oh. Oh gosh!” The pony flustered as I processed the sound of my voice.
“I’m so sorry sir, I thought you were some injured animal, not a person!” I watched the hooves in front of me shuffle awkwardly away.
“Well, I'm most certainly a person!” I declared hotly.
The pony froze.
“Ah!!! I’m sorry Sir! Please forgive me!” The pony blurted, sounding as pink with embarrassment as their coat.
It took me a moment to register that.
“Oh, uh…” I squirmed inside the box, looking out and peeking up at the pony.
Indeed, there was a visible blush across their cheeks, and they were bowing(?!) in a sheepish manner.
“Hey, hey, I’m not royalty!” I couldn’t help blushing in return. “I, uh, forgive you, ok? Understandable mistake. I’m just a bit testy.” I had never had someone bow to me???
The pony blinked, and their posture loosened as they sat down. “Oh. Um, thank you.” Their blush intensified “And again, I’m so sorry about mistaking you for a non-sapient…”
I grimaced “Yeah, I did kinda growl at you, so I can see where you’d get that…” my own blush deepened as I remembered I did more than that, I’d scratched them!
“Um. Sorry ‘bout the… scratches.” I awkwardly continued.
“Oh! No, no, that’s no problem! I’ve gotten worse at work! You were in pain, it’s alright!” They exclaimed.
“Anyways, I’m Miss Heartful. Heartful Helper. I’m a pony nurse, but I volunteer at wildlife rescues, so I’ve had a little bit of experience with wings like yours, on bats at least. What exactly happened that left yours like this?” She asked, lowering her head to get a better look at me.
I shrunk slightly, seeing her large, open eyes up close. They were a deep purple with a kind shine. I felt guilty again for the scratches.
“I… fell.” I said lamely once her question had processed.
“Hmm. From how far? I noticed that you’re quite bruised under your fur.” Her eyes roamed over me.
“Um, I don’t know exactly, just that it was pretty high up… Cloud level, I think.”
“And you’re alive?!” Heartful boggled.
Oh. So it wasn’t normal even in My Little Pony(? I think that’s what this world was?) to fall from such a height and live. Good to know.
“Pardon…” she coughed politely. “Ah, I suppose it must be your species’s magic! Pegasi have a similar resistance to falls, though not to this extent… What species are you, may I ask?”
“Welllllll……” I drug out the word, fascinated by how it sounded in my new voice. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Heartful’s brow furrowed.
“Not really, no.” I bit my lip, wincing when my fangs nearly pierced it.
“Hmm… that is going to make treatment… difficult.” She bit her lip too.
Standing back up Heartful Helper began to pace across the floor and I watched as she trod over the rug in the center of the room.
“I won’t be able to procure the right medicine… or the right amounts of it…” she muttered. She continued to trot around in circles, murmuring more to herself than to me.
“Oh! We could go to the Academy!” She finally said after a minute or two.
“The Academy?” I prompted her, curious.
“The Royal Sisters Science Academy! If you don’t know your species, they likely will - they have information on all sorts of rare species.” She smiled happily at me.
I pursed my lips. “Uh… I don’t want to disappoint you, but I have the feeling that I’m the type of rare like “only-of-your-kind rare”... I’m not too sure they’ll find anything.”
“You’re that rare?” Heartful blinked, visibly assessing me. My free wing twitched.
“Well, even if you are that rare, we still might find something that could help heal you faster. The medical division there performs wonders!” She continued, only slightly dissuaded.
“Alright.” I agreed reluctantly. “As I tend to say, it’s better than nothing.”
“Good, good. I’ll send a letter to them tomorrow, it’s getting late. Until they reply, just rest and recover, ok?”
I nodded.
Turning, Heartful began to leave. “I’ll let you have your sleep, I’ll bring food in the morning - what do you eat?”
“Fruits, veggies, meat.” I replied.
“Alright.” She began to shut the door behind her, but paused and poked her head back out.
“By the way, what’s your name, Sir?” She asked, politely.
“...” I suddenly remembered the sword.
“Dark Meta Knight.” I answered.