My nose itched. Scrunching my face up, I tried to will it to go away. But, it just wouldn't. With my eyes still closed, I ran the side of my hand over my face. It helped if only for a moment. My sleep drunk brain quickly deduced that I had hair in my face. The soft locks were teasing my eyes and nose, hence the itching sensation.
I smiled. I don't have long hair which means that I'm sleeping next to someone. Thinking back, I tried to remember if I took anyone home after the party. My friends pooled their funds and threw me one heck of a party. It's not every day that someone becomes a Rhodes Scholar. Hey, Mr. Clinton, I can be one too.
Unless I got too drunk to even remember, it has happened before, I went home with my roommate Charlie. Heck, I could be sleeping with him, platonically and all. He is like the fun, snuggly, gay little brother that I never had. The only thing is he doesn't have long hair.
I rolled over and then stretched out.
"Mmmm" I groan before opening my eyes. The hair that was in my face was pink streaked with white. I rubbed my eyes and then squinted at the offending fibers.
I curse after tugging the hair, my hair. The skin of my scalp stings afterwards. This has got to be some kind of joke.
"Beep... Beep... Beep... beep.. beep.. beep.. beep. beep. beep. beepbeepbeep!"
I jerk my hands in front of my face; I am met again by the purple hooves I saw in my dream. I start to breathe faster. My head wheels around and I spot the tail and my hind hooves. There is also a strange tattoo on my furry bottom, a Libra, my zodiac sign, emblazoned in the same subdued pink of my mane and tail.
I roll to my feet/hooves and fall to the floor. My chin slaps the floor and my mouth fills with coppery warmth. I whimper.
The floor is cold and hard. Not at all like my soft carpet in my bedroom back home. This has got to be some kind of joke.
"Charlie!" I yell.
I dart my eyes back and forth looking for something to prove my sanity. All I'm given is a small four walled room. There is a door and one window with the drapes closed. A host of medical equipment lies just to the right of my bed. It was one of the first things I noticed when I woke up, aside from my new hairdo, and new body. On the left, there was a small night stand with a white vase filled with—
"Petunias," I say lowly. My head spins at the significance of their presences. If I'm someone else, why is my favorite flower on the night stand? Surely, this... Dia's favorite flower isn't a petunias as well. The odds are astronomical that we share the same favorite flower.
I hear a click. Jumping up and spinning around, I feel something wrap around my hooves and I fall to the floor again. Looking down at my hooves I see that I've tangled myself in the medical equipment leads. A slight tugging sensation radiates from my crouch and peeved that something would dare get that close to my privies I look between my legs and see—
"Jesus Christ!"
I'm a girl... Directly past the twin peaks that I assume are my teats is a slight incline and the then the hill splits down the middle. A clear tube, well mostly clear tube, juts out. Yellow starts flowing out of it. Okay, so finding out I'm a chick has just made me wet myself. That's a rational response right? Thank god for urinary catheters.
The clop of hooves stings my ears, and then I feel someone helping me to my hooves. It's Red. Her worried face makes me feel a little guilty for loosing it there for a second. She brushes my bangs from my eyes and then hugs me.
Seriously, she should just give people hugs for a living.
"I'll always be here to pick you up, little sister," she says in warm almost motherly tone. My mind short circuits following dozens of memories that floats through my mind, a slide show of her picking me up throughout the years. I feel nostalgic for those times. Wait, those aren't my memories.
"Let me go!" I yell while trying pushing her away.
She pulls me closer.
Growling at her I struggle to free myself from her grip. It holds me tighter than any chain ever could. Her warm body is a ball and chain and I can't get free.
"I SAID LET ME GO!"
Her hooves fall away and she takes a step back. Her blue eyes shine back at me, her ears drooped low and she looks confused. Lifting a hoof she starts to speak as her mouth opens up. She shakes her head and then drops the hoof to the floor.
Seeing her like that tears my heart apart. Who is she? She your sister you dolt! No she's not. She is random talking horsey number one hundred and one. She is nothing to me, a stranger, a sister, my big sister, my best friend, a stranger.
I hit my head with my hoof. The blow stings and I bite my lip trying to ignore the pain. This is too much: too many conflicting thoughts and feelings. Memories, my memories, thoughts of classes and my teller job do battle with birthday parties, retail work, and more faces than I can even name.
My body shakes and I start to sob. I feel so raw. My muscles hurt, I feel like I haven't moved in years. Sitting on the floor, I feel like my soul is bleeding out and covering the floor.
Red inches towards me. Her muscles are slack, and her eyes. Her eyes ask me for permission to come close again. I nod yes.
She doesn't hug me this time. This time she just sits beside me, running a hoof up and down my back. Her hoof running down the small of my back feels so good. I feel warm, I feel safe again. Just like in my dream.
"What's wrong, Dia?" she asks.
I wrap my hooves around her and give her a squeeze. My tears fall from my cheeks. If I tell her it would be like admitting this was happening. I didn't want this to happen. I want this to be just a dream. It doesn't feel like a dream. The smells, the feelings, it's too real not to be real.
"Dia?"
"I'm not—"
Another creak echoes through the room. I turn to the door. In the yellow white light of the hall way, stands a tall brown stallion. His hair is swept back and he has large Scottish looking eyebrows. Big blue eyes with heavy shadowy bags under then peers back at me.
Red made me feel safe. He made me feel warm, hot even. A thousand butterflies flitter around in my stomach. And I start to draw circles on the floor with one of my forehooves. I haven't felt like this in a while. To be honest I don't know what this feeling is.
The stallion gallops towards me, with every clop my heart beat quickens. Just before he meets me, I feel like it's going to jump out of my chest. I'm not scared, I'm ecstatic and I don't know why.
Red flashes me a coy smile as Richie rushes towards me and pulls me down. I watch her for a split second as her hoof covers her lips and she giggles.
Then I look at the handsome disaster who is now on top of me. Did I just call him handsome? His strong jaw and piercing eyes make me feel all bubbly inside. This is disconcerting.
Warm wet lips press against mine. An electric tingle shoots down my back and for some reason, my tail feels stiff. I kissed him back. Our embrace ended as quickly as it began. He pulled away, and I felt breathless. He didn't even use his tongue and I'm breathless.
My stallion, Richie flashed me a goofy grin.
Anger and confusion, erupted from my chest. My skin felt ice cold but my insides felt like they were melting. Red and Richie were something to me; one a sister and the other apparently a lover. I knew them and yet I didn't know them.
I am a guy and I kissed a guy. My best friend is gay so, it's not like I'm a homophobe. But, the sweet kiss turned sour and I felt sick and angry.
I jab my hoof at the door and give the two of them a hard look.
"GET OUT!"
They both look at me with puzzled looks.
"Babe, what's wrong?" he asks, his voice smooth as silk.
I shudder. The voice sent more shivers down my spine. It was sweet and laced with venom.
The air in the room dropped a couple of degrees. Richie was sweating bullets and Red started to get red faced. Her cheeks puffed out, and she glared at me.
"Richie just let me be for a while," I say.
Richie drops his head and turns towards the door. His steps are slow and deliberate. His tail curls under him and he looks like a scolded dog.
"How dare you, Diamond Mist!" spouted Red. I could almost see the steam billowing out from her ears. She is pissed. Her white coat is now a bright pink and her ears are pinned against her head.
Her turns back to us and I notice a worried frown on his face.
"I'm not Diamond Mist, my name is Michael Carter and you need to calm down sister!"
Red shook her head and then pressed her hoof to my chest.
"No, you are Diamond Mist, mother, lover, sister, and a business mare."
I knock her hoof away from me,
"Michael Carter and I am not a Dia. I don't know what happened, but I'm not a pony either. I have strange memories of the two of you and others but, I'm not from here. I have my own memories and I'm human."
Red laughed, not a mirthful laugh, more like a condescending haughty laugh.
"You're just confused right now; seven years in a coma does that to a pony."
Seven years, I've been out for seven years. What happened to me? What has changed? How did my daughter—
I force my eyes shut and shake my head no.
"No! No! NO!" I scream.
A hoof runs down my back. It was her hoof. More tiny little thoughts invade my mind. Thoughts of her life, whoever I happen to be, this Dia, this Diamond Mist. I'm not her, she is not me. This is just a dream, a nightmare. I need to wake up. Reaching up, I pinch my cheek. Nothing happens.
Richie's eyes are wet looking. He can just suck it up, I'm not his wafu. I'm a human dude stuck in cartoon pony hell. I don't find him attractive or handsome. I don't have memories of kissing him. I don't have memories of making love to him under an elm tree in the White Tail Woods. My cheeks become hot. No, I'm not her. I'm me and this is just a dream.
"Just get away from me! Both of you!" I scream, this time I feel hot streams of water flowing down my face. The sound of my tears hitting the floor sounds like explosions ripping through my soul.
I start to yell again but, I hold back.
Standing in the open door way was a little pony with a pink coat and two toned white and purple hair. Blue mirrors reflect back at me the tone of the room. Her bottom lip is trembling and I can see light shine off the tears threading to break the levies.
My anger left me like air from a popped balloon.
"Dee" I say as I open my hooves, hoping to coax her into a hug like Red did for me during my first outburst.
"You're not my moma!" she yells and then runs away.
Taking a step towards the door, Richie steps in the way. He rolls his shoulders.
"You're not yourself, Dia. Now is not the time."
"Like hell it is, I've been under for seven bucking years and now you say I can't see my daughter!" My anger revs back up to full throttle.
Daughter? No, she is not my daughter, she's Dia's daughter. Why do I keep doing this?
"Calm down, Dia," said Red calmly.
My eyes flash red.
"I will not calm down!"
Richie looks at me and then Red and then sighs. He trots towards the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked forcefully.
Richie gives me a flat look.
"I'm going to deal with our daughter right now"
He turns to Red.
"Do what you can for her. I'll be back later."
Waving my hoof at him I say,
"It's not like I need you here anyways."
He frowns and then walks out of the door stopping only to close it.
The room becomes ghostly quiet. The heat comes on filling the room with a light humming sound. I look back over at the bed.
"I.." muttered Red.
"Just spit it out, Red."
She just sits there rubbing her elbow.
I walk over to my bed and flop down. I try not to think about anything. Red, Richie, Diamond Tiara, all come to mind. I sweep them out with my mental broom, I keep a clean house. Red can't even look at me right now.
The catheter was starting to bug me. It put pressure on my insides and was starting to feel itchy. Perhaps all the movement irritated both my urethra and my new mare parts. The latter was more mental than physical. I shouldn't have mare... girl parts. Having something hard and long in such close proximity to a hole meant for things both long and hard in addition to passing baby heads through, bad visual image, is more than I can stand to think about.
"You are a nurse right?'
Red breaks her silence.
"Yes, Dia"
I groan.
"Get it through your thick head! My name is Michael Carter, or Mike which ever you prefer. Dia isn't at home, please leave a message at the beep."
"No, Dia, you are just mixed up. It happens sometimes."
I roll my eyes. I feel like a dick but, the sooner I get this over with the sooner I can either take control of this dream or take control of the situation and get back to where things make sense. To a place where the only thing I remember are my memories.