“Training was much harder than I could have ever anticipated. I persevered, though. I am going to be a great Umbra Girl. I am going to work hard. I don’t want to fall behind anyone. I’m not going to let anyone suffer anymore. I am going to save them all.”

 

“Welcome to the Umbra Girls, Cherry Sparkles.”

It had only been a day since he had heard those fated words, but they still clung to his mind like a fish on a hook. To make matters worse whenever he tried to think of his old name, it was replaced with Cherry Sparkles. Even looking into his deep memories, it was as if someone or something had rerouted the part of his brain that contained his name.

He was indeed one of the Umbra Girls now. He even had his own room that seemed to have willed itself into existence. It wasn’t anything like he had expected, however. It wasn’t filled with frills, or lace, or other girly things. It was fairly nondescript with, a full length mirror, walk in closet—sadly empty, at least for now—a vanity, and a large, fluffy bed. The walls were pure black, just like the rest of the place was, but the floor had a fresh carpet. All in all, it was kind of plain but also homey in a way.

Staring at himself in a mirror, he still couldn’t believe just how much he had changed. A cherub-like face, soft brown skin, much wider hips than he was used to. They were probably just average for a girl, but they felt impossibly large to him. Then there were the breasts and … what he didn’t want to think about that was under his skirt. To make matters worse he was shorter. He wasn’t sure by how much. It could have been a few inches, or maybe more. Then there were the white fluffy puppy ears with the black tips sitting on his head, and the white fluffy tail with a black tip that wagged behind him. It seemed like these changes should be the ones to stand out most to him. After all, he’d never had a tail before. Shouldn’t he be worrying more about that than his larger hips? Yet his thoughts were continually drawn to those hips, breasts, and the unsettling feeling under his skirt. The girl in the mirror would have been cute, if it wasn’t him. That thought alone caused his puppy ears to fold downward.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, he walked over and plunged onto his bed. He took comfort in that it was softer than anything he’d ever slept on. Back at the orphanage, the lumpy, worn mattresses that he and the other kids had slept on could hardly be called beds. This bed, however, felt as if his body was falling onto clouds. It was so comfortable that he just wanted to lay there forever. He probably would have fallen asleep if it weren’t for one of his pigtails falling on his face and latching itself inside his mouth. The taste of hair on his tongue made him spit out violently. He sighed as he realized this was one more thing he was going to have to get used to now. He had tried to untie them earlier, but they were as strong as steel, or maybe harder. It was as if they were stuck that way with no way of putting them back.

“Cherry Sparkles, report to the examination room immediately.” Lamp Flower’s voice made him sigh. He really didn’t want to face anyone right now, let alone the woman that had helped Raftilia turn him into this form. He wondered if she was even a doctor, she claimed she was but what reason did he have to believe her? She was what, sixteen, seventeen? Was that even possible to be a doctor at that age?

Despite his trepidations, he forced himself up off the bed, and stared at the mirror once more as he walked out the door. Following the familiar purple flames towards the infirmary, he passed a few Umbra Girls on the way. They were friendly and waved to him with a smile. Since they were being so polite he couldn’t help but reciprocate. He wasn’t angry at them, it wasn’t their fault after all. The blame lay solely with Raftilia and her minion Lamp Flower.

Lamp Flower’s head peeked out of the makeshift hospital room. “Good, come, we have to talk.”  She grabbed him and pulled him in. “Last time you ran away before I could do an examination, I let you rest because I didn’t want to overload you. I find a good night’s sleep can help clear one’s head.”

She motioned him to lay on the table once more, the one that he had been transformed on. His fear tripled and he began to visibly shake.

“N-no, please, what more could you do to me? Please don’t hurt me!” Lamp Flower’s gaze softened and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Cherry, calm down, it’s okay. This is just a simple scan to make sure everything is in order.”

“W-why do I need to be scanned? What does that mean?”

“You had your entire DNA sequence rewritten, I’m just going to make sure nothing went wrong with the transformation.” At her words he put his hand up to say something, then realized she was right, and lowered it. He nodded, then laid down on the metal table. “Raftilia insists that the process is flawless, but I’m a doctor. A doctor knows to not assume that everything will always go one hundred percent perfectly. So far, she’s been right, and we’ve had no problems. However, I don’t want you to be the first, understand?”

He nodded and found himself in deep thought. She really seems to care about me. Then why did she help that horrible dog lady do this to me? I don’t understand, she’s so confusing.

She pulled a strange machine above him, then gently held his shoulder. The machine looked like a vacuum with various lights on it. It was bulky, and imposing, and it made him more afraid. He felt so awful being so scared all the time. It wasn’t very manly. He was supposed to be strong, so why was he so weak? “Just stay still, and don’t move. It’ll be over before you know it.” He made himself perfectly still. A red laser scanned him from head to toe. After a few seconds it was over and he breathed a loud sigh.

“All finished, see? You are perfectly healthy. Everything is where it should be, and no side effects have occurred.”

He got up from laying on the table, sat down on it, then took a deep breath. Then he remembered something from before, when he was rescued, the Umbra something had transformed into what appeared to be her original body. His mood improved as he wondered if he too would turn back. If that meant his transformation was only temporary, that would be most welcome. It would be a bit weird turning into a girl to fight, but it was a sacrifice he was okay with.

“So when does this end?” he asked, waving up and down along his body.

“Oh, that. It’ll be over shortly. That transformation only lasts that long on your first time.” There was no word for how happy he was. Shortly it’ll be over, shortly he’ll be back as his normal self. With a pep in his step he got off the bed and started to walk away.

She reached for his arm, trying to stop him.

“What is it? You already gave me a clean bill of health. I want to leave.” He was whining like a child, but felt he had the right. This girl had done him wrong in more ways than he could count.

“I need to help you learn to take care of your body. Not only that, but soon you’ll start menstruating, and you need to know how to take care of your period.” 

A period? He’d seen an older girl at the orphanage who had been on that. She had told him it was something only girls get and that he shouldn’t worry about it.

“Why do I need to worry about that?”

“Because you have a fully functioning uterus and ovaries.”

“Well duh, this stupid transformation turned me into a girl. It’s okay, though, you said it’ll be over shortly. Hopefully soon, I can’t wait to get back to being a boy.” At his words Lamp Flower’s gaze softened to one of pity.

“Oh sweetie… Adaption doesn’t wear off. It’s permanent.” Her words felt like a loaded shotgun blast to his chest. Permanent? That’s impossible, he thought. No, no she’s lying I’m not stuck like this. I’m not a girl, I’m NOT a girl.

It seemed as if she could read his mind. “Look, it’s not the end of the world. I know this is a huge adjustment but this doesn’t mean anything. You are still you, just in a different shell.”

Nothing she said made sense, it completely went against what he had been taught. His body was designed for one thing and one thing only, to inseminate girls to restore the human race. It wasn’t fair, but life wasn’t fair. A girl’s duty was to help repopulate the earth. At least, that’s what he was told. He didn’t like it, but it was the only way to save them all. However, was that going to be his future now? While Umbra Girls were seen as an exception to the rules he laid out, just how much was this going to change him? Was he going to like boys now? Was he going to be a wife someday once he became too old to be a Umbra Girl anymore? He’d never heard of a Umbra Girl that was an adult, after all. He had to retire sometime, didn’t he? He tried his best to picture himself as a wife and mother. He had a faceless man for a husband, and a little faceless kid holding onto his pretty dress. He shook the thought from his head. No, he was going to find a cure. He was a man. It wasn’t possible for a man to become a girl. This was not his destiny. For now, though, he decided he would play the part.

“W-what do I have to do?” Lamp Flower spent what felt like an eternity thoroughly explaining to him tampons, pads, how to track his period, and various ways to take care of his new body properly. He barely listened, as it seemed like useless information that wouldn’t affect him for long. Afterwards she tapped her clipboard then placed the back of a pen in her mouth. She seemed to want to ask him something.

“How old were you before the Adaption process?” He didn’t want to be reminded of that awful experience. However, he realized he needed to answer her question.

“I’m thirteen. I’ll be fourteen in a week. Why?” Her eyes told him everything he needed to know, that something was wrong.

“Cherry… your body is reading as eleven almost twelve years old. I’m so sorry, but you’ve regressed two years.” Her words sliced into his heart like a butcher’s cleaver through a fresh chunk of meat. He was hyperventilating, his world was spinning. Not only was this permanent, now he was younger too? The constant amount of things that he now had to deal with was weighing on him heavily.

“So, that’s it then… my life is over. I’ll never get to be my old self again, I’ll never be able to do the things I wanted to do, to fulfill my dreams...” He collapsed to the floor and curled up in the fetal position. He continued to fall deeper and deeper into despair. All hope seemed lost until he felt that warm embrace again.

“Cherry, it’s okay. I’m here for you.” For some reason, even though he was utterly devastated, her words somehow brought him back. Something about her voice was so soothing, almost motherly. “You can still accomplish your dreams. Don’t let this beat you.”

“I-I guess I’ll try.” She smiled at him and pet his head, scratching behind his ears. It felt like electricity shot throughout his entire spine. Not the evil kind like Raftilia had done, but a kind, sweet, loving one. It made him feel like he had worth. If but for a moment, it brushed away the dark thoughts and insecurities that were in his head. He didn’t want this feeling to stop, but unfortunately it couldn’t last forever.. She patted his head one last time and helped him to his feet.

“It’ll be okay. I know it hurts like hell right now, but I’ll do everything I can to help you. If it becomes too much to bear, let me know. We have a therapist in our squad.” He raised an eyebrow at that. What in the world was a therapist? “Oh, also you need to report to Dragon. Boss' orders.

Cherry nodded and left, his thoughts awash in confusion. There was far more to Lamp Flower than met the eye. He also wondered if his saviour would also pet him like she had. Thinking about that made him blush and feel terribly embarrassed. He shook the thought from his mind and continued down the hall towards Dragon’s door. He knocked three times, then waited. He heard the sound of yawning, and rustling behind the door.

“What the hell do you want?” The voice was annoyed, and sounded a little tired as well. Cherry was a little apprehensive about that, but steeled himself. He was a man, he had to be a man, he had to be strong. This Dragonberry girl person was really scary, but he couldn’t let himself be intimidated.

“Ummm… I-I’m supposed to train with you? I-I’m Cherry Sparkles.” It wasn’t as assertive as he would have liked. It was always so hard for him to act that way. The head of the orphanage told him how pathetic he was because of it. He began to wonder if he was right.

“Oh, you’re that Adapted kid, I’ll be right out, gimme a sec.” She spoke with her mouth half full. A few seconds later Princess Dragonberry emerged. Just like before her attire was quite lazy. A baggy sweater, loose sweatpants, and slippers. She seemed quite the tomboy, Cherry surmised.

“Follow me, we’re going to the training room.” She walked out the door and Cherry followed. Across from Dragonberry’s room was a double door. She pushed it open and motioned for Cherry to go in. Cherry nodded then pushed past the doors, and followed behind her.

The room was impossibly wide. He wondered how it wasn’t crashing into the other rooms. Its floor was hard and shiny. Its walls were also that same material that the entire place seemed to be made out of. There was an exercise area in the front, with various exercise machines and benches set up. In the back was something that looked like an arena. It was incredibly large with a fence all around it made of the same mysterious metal. He was reminded of the Umbra person’s gigantic blast that saved him from a fate worse than death. He surmised that part of the training area was for testing things like that.

Dragonberry cracked her neck then sat down on a nearby bench. She patted the bench and waited for him to sit. He sighed then sat next to her.

“Raftili—sorry boss said I got to explain some stuff to you. Then after that I got a little surprise for you. Ready kid?” He nodded. “First, let’s talk about the types of magick. There’s Bubbles, Flowers, Dust, Gemstones, Berries like me, and finally Sparkles which is what you are.”

Cherry became instantly intrigued and was silent as Dragonberry talked. “For some bizarre reason Raftilia always names Berries Princesses. Which is why she calls me Princess Dragonberry, and the girl who saved you is Princess Bunberry. However, there is something you need to understand. I’m not a Princess, I’m not a girl, I’m a guy. I’m Dragon. Call me anything else and I’ll knock your teeth out.”

He was taken aback at that. She was very aggressive. He didn’t understand why she insisted she was a guy, but he didn’t want his teeth knocked out. Though, maybe she wasn’t really a she at all, was she or … he, possibly like him?

“Y-yes s-sir.”

“Good, we’ll get along great then.” He should have waited for the appropriate time, but his curiosity got the best of him.

“So umm… were you also a boy before ... you know?” Cherry’s ears drooped down as Dragon’s face lit up with anger. Then he took a deep breath and softened.

“Kid, you’re new and you’re young, so I’ll let you know a tip. You don’t ask people if they are Adaptions. Even if you witness one, just don’t worry about it. Also, for me, it’s a bit of a different situation. To, uhhh, make it as simple as possible, I was born a girl but I’m a guy in my brain. It ain't perfect terminology but you should be able to understand it better that way.” Cherry didn’t know how to take those words. His confusion and curiosity bubbled to the surface. How could someone with a girl’s body be born with a guy’s brain? Despite his misgivings, Cherry didn’t want to hurt this person. He didn’t understand, but maybe she, no he was telling the truth? He decided he’d have to put it in his long queue of information he needed to sort through later.

“Look, we can talk about gender shit later. Right now we need to get to the serious stuff.” Dragon suddenly looked at him sternly. He felt uncomfortable at his gaze and gulped. “How much do you know about the Luminescent?”

“Uhhh… they are weird glowing lizard things?” Dragon shook his head.

“I suppose I shouldn’t have assumed you’d know anything about them. It’s not like it’s exactly public knowledge. You need to listen closely then, understand?” Dragon looked at him sternly. He nodded rapidly in response. “There are four types of Luminescent. The Grunts, which are the ones that just attack everything like wild animals. Then there are the Generals, the ones who you’ve seen speak. They are usually in charge of the raids or accompanied by the third type, the Royal. They are incredibly dangerous and if you see one you need to call us immediately. Royals not only are immune to your Diversion Field, but they can take on the full appearance of a human. So if you ever see a human talk to you, get the fuck away from them. Finally, the fourth is the Glimmering Queen herself. No one knows just how powerful she is. No one knows where she is either.”

Cherry had no idea what a diversion field, or a Glimmering Queen, or any of what he said was. He took it in, and listened, but his mind felt even more muddled than before. The sheer amount of information was overloading him. He just wanted whatever training this was to end, so he could sort out his feelings on all this.

“I-I think so, I got it D-Dragon.” 

Dragon seemed to read right through him and sighed. Then a large smirk grew on his face.“Uhhh, change of subject I guess. How old are you kid?” 

He looked to the floor in shame.“I-I was supposed to be turning fourteen next week, but I guess I’m turning twelve now.”

“Huh, my birthday is tomorrow, seems we’re close.”

“Oh cool, that must be good for you. Turning uhh… how old are you?”

Any sign of life left Dragon’s face. “I’m seventeen.”

“Oh cool, you’ll be eighteen then? You gonna retire from being an Umbra Girl?”

“No, kid. I’m going to be turning seventeen.”

“What? What do you mean? Uhhh, then what about next year?”

“I’ll be turning seventeen then, too.”

“I-I don’t understand.” The math didn’t add up. He was turning seventeen after being seventeen?

“I’m going to turn seventeen this year, and the next year, and the year after that. I’m always going to be turning seventeen. You can’t age past seventeen as an Umbra, kid.” Cherry couldn’t make sense of what Dragon was saying. How could someone stay seventeen for more than one year? The possibility horrified him. “Also, there is no retirement from being an Umbra, kid. Unless, of course, you become unable to do so. Such as Fluffy Ruby. She lost her arms and legs. Can’t really fight Luminescent without those.”

“L-Lost her arms and legs?!”

“Kid, this life ain't nice, you can have all kinds of horrible things happen to you. Anyway, I think it’s time to stop with this depressing talk. Time for some fun.” His expression changed instantly from gloom to a mischievous grin. Dragon cracked his knuckles then leaped up off the bench and headed to the arena. “Come on kid, follow me.”

Cherry followed as Dragon moved to the center of it, then held his arms out like he was a performance artist. “You ready to see some real power kid? I’m going to show you what a Umbra is truly capable of.” Cherry’s face twisted in perplexity.

“Don’t worry, it’s harmless, you’ll be fine.” The grin on Dragon’s face did not make Cherry feel safe.

“The light pushes onward, expecting us to lay down and die. However, I am the flame in the night and I will burn them to ash!” Just like with Bunberry he did a strange dance. With “the light pushes onward,” he put his right foot forward, and crossed his left elbow with his right hand. “Expecting us to lay down and die,” he swung his right hand outward, facing forward with a snarl. Then “however, I am the flame in the night,” he planted both feet firmly. Finally “and I will burn them to ash,” he crouched lightly and clenched his fists with rage in his eyes. 

Just like with Bunberry, the gigantic darkness bubble appeared, and swallowed him completely. His physical form changed first as strawberries shaped like dragons flew around him. Two orange horns dug their way out of his scalp, then his hands became like clay and formed into draconic claws, lastly from his back sprouted a pair of red dragon wings. With his physical transformation over, it was time for his attire. His clothes melted away as the dragon strawberries fluttered around him. They swirled from his feet up towards his head, clothing him in something very different from what he normally wore. His shoes changed to orange mary janes with a dragon strawberry buckle, and white knee high socks with dragon strawberries at the top. Two white fingerless gloves with dragon strawberry embroidery shimmered onto his hands. An orange skirt that had built in white shorts formed on his waist. A plain white top with a large dragon strawberry in the center poofed into existence. Lastly, a dragon strawberry clip on the right side of his short hair materialized.

He looked himself over, then pumped his fists. “Fuck yeah it worked! Bunberry was right, you can change it. It’s still pretty girly right now, but just you wait.” He let out a laugh.

It seemed like Dragonberry was talking to himself and Cherry did not want to interrupt. Within seconds Dragonberry’s celebration ended, and he turned back to Cherry. Without a word he held his hand to the sky. From above a gigantic warhammer fell into his claws. The hammer was mostly black, with a red handle, and a dragon strawberry at it’s hilt. He had to admit, it looked kind of badass. Dragon was an interesting person.

“Okay, kid, remember how I told you it was harmless?” His bubble of darkness faded and he cracked his neck.

“Y-yes, why?”

“I lied.” Immediately he gripped his hammer and slammed it into the ground. The entirety of the ground shattered and flung Cherry onto his bottom. He scrambled upwards and looked at Dragon with terror.

“What are you doing?!” Cherry was confused. Was Dragon sent here to kill him? Had he done something wrong? Was it because he didn’t understand his wanting to be a boy despite being born a girl?

“I’m teaching you an important lesson. Umbra abilities can hurt more than Luminescent, it can hurt normal humans, and other Umbra too.” Cherry was taken aback, did that mean his savior could have hit him and he’d have exploded too like those Luminescent had? “You’re going to get a squad one of these days, and you need to learn how to work around your teammates without hurting each other. I ain’t gonna be the one to teach you that, however, that’s for your instructor.”

“O-Oh kay. Ummm, what is the lesson?”

“Take out your staff.”

“Uhhh, what are you talking about?”

“I told you to take out your staff. I saw it yesterday.” He realized Dragon was talking about the strange staff he manifested after his wardrobe change. However, that staff was gone now.

“I-I don’t know how.” Dragon ran his palm down his face in frustration.

“Kid, just imagine it inside your head, then pull it to you.” Cherry had no idea what Dragon was saying. However, he still wanted to try. He closed his eyes, and tried to picture that beautiful weapon from before. He could see it, he reached for it. Mysteriously it flew away from him, every time he tried to reach for it, it eluded his grasp.

“I-I can’t. It keeps running away from me.” Dragon looked at him as if he had just confessed to murder.

“What the hell does that mean? Just... do it again.” Cherry tried again, but it was the same result. He shrugged.

“I’m not fucking around kid, take it out, or else.” Cherry grew more afraid as Dragon’s rage continued to increase.

“I don’t know why it won’t come out. I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me.” Dragon suddenly took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Fine then, if you want to play games, I’ll play games.” Dragon brandished his hammer in his claws then ran at him full speed. He had zero time to react as the hammer connected with his stomach, and flung him into the arena wall thirty feet away. Despite how hard he hit, Cherry felt no pain, only pressure. There was a strange glowing energy flowing around him, protecting him. Dragon stopped, crossed his arms and smirked.

“Good, you brought out your shield. Still no staff, so I guess I’m going to have to turn up the heat.”

“P-Please don’t do that.”

Dragon slammed his hammer into the ground, then pointed his claw at him. Every hair on Cherry’s body stood on end. Something was coming, something bad. 

“Strawberry Devastation Earth Manipulation.” The moment he finished the entire arena shook violently. Cherry was thrown to the floor as he watched the ground twist and turn. A crevasse opened up under him and threatened to swallow him in. He clawed at the floor and tried to keep himself from falling inside. He closed his eyes expecting his own death, instead he felt himself being lifted into the air. He opened his eyes and saw a large claw made out of that same black material was holding him above.

“God you need some toughening up. You’re such a whiny little pussy.” That struck Cherry like an arrow to the heart. He’d been called that before, Dragon was probably right. So was the head of the orphanage. He was a loser, a waste of space. Dragon lifted into the air and landed next to him. “Do you want to die you fucking idiot? Bring out your goddamn staff”

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’m such a loser. I’m sorry I’m such a waste of space. I’m sorry I’m an idiot.” With each declaration more and more tears fell from Cherry’s eyes. However, something else was also occurring. Inside of him, something was stirring.

Dragon’s eyes softened, and the claw let him to the ground. “Kid, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I’m trying to help you.” Dragon’s words fell on deaf ears. Cherry continued to spiral.

“I’m sorry I’m a pathetic excuse for a man. I’m sorry I’m a pussy.” Cherry’s inner essence seemed to reverberate as he fell deeper into despair. Dragon awkwardly walked over to him, and pulled him into a rough embrace.

“I, uh, I’m not good at this shit, but I hope it helps?” Dragon held him in his claws, but Cherry didn’t stop. His entire body started to glow with a white light. “What the fu—”

“I’M SORRY I EXIST!” Cherry screamed at the top of his lungs, and with that last declaration Cherry’s soul erupted. Within his mindscape his staff flew into him. Then materialized out of thin air into his hands in the real world, and he looked Dragon dead in the eye. All he could see was all the times he had been insulted. All the times he was made to feel less than. All the times he was told he was never good enough. All of that concentrated into a ball of pure self loathing and rage. He slammed his weapon into Dragon’s chest as a gigantic beam of energy exploded from the staff.

Dragon screamed as the beam carried him upward and slammed him into the ceiling with a large explosion. That expenditure of energy was finally enough to undo his transformation. The puppy features and the rest of his wardrobe disappeared. All he was left with was the ill fitting clothes he wore before he was Adapted. To his despair, he didn’t change back. He wasn’t able to complain about it, or be vocal in any way. His eyes felt heavy, the world seemed to sway back and forth. Then the guilt occurred. Had he just killed that person? What was that huge beam of energy? What caused his staff to appear like that?

“Kid, that was fucking awesome.” He looked up to see Dragon hovering above him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw he wasn’t dead. He definitely looked a bit battered and worse for wear, but definitely was okay.

“I-I-I.” 

Dragon waved his claw at him.“It’s fine. I asked for your staff and oh boy did I get it. I guess I should be careful what I wish for.” He broke into a hearty laugh, one that reminded Cherry of this one boy named Fred in the orphanage. He always had such great guffaws. He missed him… he didn’t deserve what happened to him.

“I can’t wait to see how you refine that power. You’ll be a force to be reckoned with if you can get that beast under control.” Cherry wasn’t sure how he should take that. He wasn’t sure of much of anything, as his eyes kept fluttering between open and closed.

“Hey kid, you okay?” Those were the last words Cherry heard as he collapsed to the ground and fell into blackness.