Chapter Text
For as long as he remembered, Misha has had the same schedule.
This schedule went as such:
6:00am - Wake up, greet guests.
2:00pm - Change clothes, fix machinery.
6:45pm - Eat supper.
7:00pm - Go to bed, adventure with Clockie and Friends.
It was simple and easy to remember.
His hands were sore, his only saving grace being his gloves helped prevent calluses from forming.
Sometimes, only sometimes, when he laid in his bed, awaiting for when his friends would come to drag him to a reality where he didn’t have to think about any of that, did his mind wander. He’s never seen another child before. They weren’t allowed in the dreamscape.
He never thought about that more than he had to.
Other times, when he wasn’t particularly sleepy, he’d stay up (which he really shouldn’t, he needs all the sleep he can get) reading the latest Stellar Cartography Magazines. His fingers traced each image longingly as he imagined each world.
Tonight, he read about a planet that seemed to be entirely made of glass.
There were no known organisms living on it, as it didn’t seem to have a way of sustaining life.
He liked imagining a creature that could survive such a climate. He imagined it didn’t need any water, but instead got everything it needed from the local star. It probably would have something like photosynthesis maybe. Maybe the creature would also be made of glass and just blend in.
That would be cool, he thought.
Though, at the bottom of the page, it did say that a major theory as to why the planet was made of glass was that it had previously been a planet made of sand. The theory goes on to state that in years past, it had been noted that a nearby star had gone supernova. The planet may have been close enough to melt down that sand into the glass seen today.
So perhaps there weren’t any living beings there after all. That might be for the best, if that were the case. He wasn’t quite sure how long it took for things to evolve and adapt to new areas.
All that reading had tired him out. Before he fell asleep, he made sure to place everything where they belonged. The magazine went into his chest, which was so very full. He needed to get a new one or do some cleaning out. Next, he hung up his mirror. It fell down every night, but it never broke, so he saw no reason to not try and keep it up all the time.
There was something bugging him. Something deep inside, telling him this wasn’t supposed to be happening, that he was in the wrong place. But this is where he lived. This is where he always lived.
He sighed, falling into a slumber.
Then, he opened his eyes.
This place was different from his usual dreams. While before he had dreamt of a boundless, endless sea, filled with adventures for himself and his crew to explore, this time he was on a beach, the sea breeze similar, yet not quite what he was used to. It was like the wind was alive, comforting him.
It was then that he realized he was alone.
There was no Clockie.
There was no Miss Mirror.
No Origami Birds, no Hamster Ball Knight, no Brother Hanu.
Huh.
Was this really his dream?
No, even if the others weren’t here, Clockie was always with him. Clockie was his steadfast companion, who always steered him in the right direction.
Perhaps they were just playing hide and seek!
That’s what he decided on when he turned away from the sea to follow the twisting trail through the cliffs.
It was beautiful here, he thought, gazing at the wondrous scenery.
It was as if he had stumbled into a fairytale world. There were rolling, vibrant green hills and cliffs; thick, strong trees growing taller than he had ever seen (granted, there weren’t any actual trees in Penacony, so they were more like an average tree to anyone else). There was a sparkling blue lake– hey! He could probably play there with his friends!- next to a huge city that looked like it was straight out of a book, it was castle-like, even! The air was fresh, and smelled faintly of… apples…?
Whatever the case was, he quickly forgot the fact that he still had no idea where his friends were, and went to explore instead. For a dream, it felt oddly real, even for Penacony!
Thus, after running around and exploring, he plopped himself under a tree, completely tired out. However, just as he was falling asleep, something hit his head with a “thunk!” Ouch!
Looking around, he quickly found the assailant: a strange fruit! It reminded him a lot of a fruit he’d read about, the Sunristie! Though… he’d also read that it was a very bitter fruit. Yet, he was hungry, and he wasn’t sure if there was anything else edible.
So he tried it.
And it was delicious! It wasn’t sour at all! In fact, it was incredibly sweet. Not as sweet as SoulGlad, but SoulGlad also has like… a TON of sugar. He still remembers the cavities he got from drinking it sneakily… not fun…
But… all of this… it left Misha confused.
While this place was fun… where was Clockie? It wasn’t like him to stay away for so long. Where was Mr. Gallagher? The Trailblazer..?
He felt.
Alone.
…
Where… where was he?
Normally, he would be overjoyed at the thought of being somewhere entirely new, at being able to trailblaze and find his own way just like Grandpa did.
But now…?
He felt like something was wrong.
What had changed?
Why was his dream different?
Of course, there was one question left unsaid, even to himself. A question that he could not know the answer to without everything going wrong.
Why did he still exist?
If Misha had any reason to, if he thought really hard about just exactly what he did before he went to bed, he would have remembered something quite different from his usual routine.
He would have remembered meeting up with his good friend, the Trailblazer.
He would have remembered an oddly familiar room, memories that weren’t quite his.
He would have remembered coming to a conclusion.
Then after that…?
Well…
…He shouldn’t have remembered anything.
A meme like himself should have stopped existing once its purpose was fulfilled.
Yet.
He persists.
No, he was just nervous. His friend’s were probably just testing him. He would prove he could be a great captain!
First, he had to check the time, it looked like it was getting late…
However, as he grabbed his trusty pocket watch, he noticed something… odd…
Instead of his watch, he held something… glasslike. It was a sort of turquoise color, with an interesting looking symbol on it…
It kind of reminded him of the wind.
Just… looking at it, he had the feeling there was some greater meaning to it.
Flashes of memories that weren’t quite his crossed his mind.
A train that extended across the cosmos.
A seed of disaster, pulsating in the hands of a woman.
A pair of shooting stars.
An endless, boundless sea.
And finally…
A giant, otherworldly white tree, leaves a beautiful pink color.
“ ………Find……It………”